#she will be majestic and we will be happy along with my baby boy cat
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TWIRLS MY HAIR GAYLY :3
1, 3, 4, and 22 for Lulu, Evelyn, and Sam :33
BABYGIRLS….!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who's the favorite?
Lucian - yes. always have and always will. he has one or two that he keeps by his pillows and the rest are just TANGLED in the blankets. you ain’t sitting on his mattress without suffocating at least one teddy bear with your ass 😭 - his favorite stuffy is a periwinkle bunny named lala :3 (but we all know his true favorite is kai 🤫)
Evelyn - why would she need a stuffed animal when she has her girlfriend to keep her warm? 🤭
Sam - YES. don’t let him fool you. he will hide them whenever someone comes to visit but TRUST me when i say he has a whole collection of kitty plushies. only cats tho. he loves cats.
3. Ask them to describe their love interest.
If you were to ask Lucian, he’d probably say something along the lines of this: “he’s the nicest, cutest, sweetest boy in the whole wide world. you’d be jealous if you ever saw him. :3”
Evelyn would be more than happy to tell you a full synopsis on her girlfriend but she usually goes with a simple answer like this: “She’s just a doll. Cuter than a button and prettier than a dove.” (ok Shakespeare 🔥)
haha. Sam? haha. hahaha. um. heads up for the future NEVER ASK HIM THIS!! YOU WILL BE STUCK THERE FOR SIX HOURS. but something like this: “she’s stunning, gorgeous, beautiful, radiant, captivating, charming, elegant, striking, dashing, alluring, exquisite, lovely, mesmerizing, enchanting, irresistible, fabulous, charismatic, fashionable, incredible, incomparable, graceful, appealing, ravishing, sophisticated, magnetic, unforgettable, impressive, flawless, timeless, enthralling, divine, splendid, spellbinding, winsome, jaw-dropping, delightful, fetching, sensational, regal, opulent, sublime, statuesque, dreamy, mesmeric, sumptuous, admirable, dazzling, impeccable, ravishing, luminous, polished, remarkable, enigmatic, unblemished, tantalizing, unforgettable, classy, effortless, opulent, unparalleled,glamorous, immaculate, head-turning, exotic, bewitching, radiating, coveted, commanding, unrivaled, supreme, glamorous, unassailable, unmatched, enthralling, captivating, bewitching, unblemished, spectacular, resplendent, spellbinding, enigmatic, stunning, distinguished, unfading, irresistible, striking, vivacious, regal,spellbinding, impressive, majestic, ethereal, unforgettable, incomparable, breathtaking, sumptuous, resplendent, el-”
4. Do they look good in red?
Lucian - yeah but he looks the best in blue :3
Evelyn - yes she looks good in all colors!! green is definitely her color tho :3
Sam - MEOW MEOW MEOW YES!!! :3
22. Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What's their go-to?
Lucian - he doesn’t like it. HE LOVES IT. call him babe and he’s down for the count. if he’s fond of someone, he’ll probably refer to them as sweetheart/sweetie or honey/hun. but if we’re talking about his BOO……baby every name in the book. kai will not escape them. his go-to is definitely honey though :3
Evelyn - she likes being called pet names by women lmao. men DNI 😡😡. she only calls violet any sort of pet name and it’s usually “darling” or “dear.” her go-to is 100000%…..DARLING DEAR though bc she’s British!! (ok Edgar Allen Poe 🔥)
Sam - he’s on his KNEES for a pet name. while he doesn’t particularly refer to others with any sort of pet names in fear they won’t like it, he does abbreviate a lot of people’s names. for example: riley = rie, lucian = lu, evelyn = ev, etc. if he DOES call anyone a pet name it will be riley and only riley. he leans more toward “baby/babe” :3
#asks!!#oc: lucian williams#oc: evelyn anderson#oc: sam vega#friend’s oc: kai miller#friend’s oc: riley morgan#friend’s oc: violet jones#lukai 🖤🤍#eviolet 💚💜#riam 🩷❤️
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if i look pensive it's because i'm thinking about the life i'll lead with a great pryenees and a one bedroom apartment on the west coast
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Chapter 65 - SBT
Here it is!
"Sit. No, Junior, Junior I said 'sit', c'mon baby cat… There, good kitty, take this treat. Now, Glovy… Glovy…? Eyes are up here, not on the treat, thanks. Right, Glovy? Sit. Good boy… Now ladies? Diamond, sit. Good, and Star, sit? Yeah, see? Girls listen better than boys."
"Meow."
"Now, everyone, follow me…" Mundy took a few steps. "And, stop!"
Perle came to a stop and her babies imitated her.
"Great job!" He crouched down and gave everyone their treat.
"Mundy, what are you still doing here?" Maurice crossed the road to where Mundy's van was parked. The Aussie was outside with all the cats.
"I can't leave without makin' sure they won't get lost or anything. The desert's full of beasts bigger than them ten times."
Maurice smiled.
"And where is their mother?"
"She's here - oh… She was here a second ago. Pearl?"
The kittens started mewling more and more.
"It's ok, babies, Gramps is here. Mum's off for a minute, I'm sure she'll be back soon."
Mundy crouched and dealt scratches and brushing left and right to calm the kittens.
"How ready are you for your holidays?" Maurice asked. "If you stay here longer, I might have to chase you out, hm?"
"Alright, boss…!" Mundy answered and they chuckled. "But yeah, I have food for everyone and for a while. We should be ready to go today."
"Have you… visited him?" Maurice asked and Mundy's eyebrows jumped.
"So you know?"
"Oui, I know you have been going to see him almost every weekend without failing."
Mundy frowned.
"So I presumed you did see him."
"Had to. I'm off for a long time." Mundy simply answered.
"Maybe." Maurice answered. "I will not judge you, Mundy. I just think that in your stead, I would have moved on. It has been more than a year."
Mundy sighed. More than a year. It had been more than a year.
"And you're surprised?" He answered. "Last time, I stayed stuck for ten years in that state. This time? God only knows, I might stay stuck until I pass or something…" Mundy scratched the kittens who brushed themselves against his legs, mewling repeatedly.
"Mundy, I come as a friend."
"Hm." Mundy grumbled.
"In any case, I shall come back later today and I hope I won't see your campervan here."
"You won't, don't worry."
"Alright." Maurice walked to him and extended his hand. "Enjoy your time off."
"Yeah." Mundy shook his hand and the king of beggars went away.
"Now, babies, where the hell's mum?" Mundy looked around.
"Meow?"
"Oh, that's her… Perle come here, baby, where are you?"
Perle came from behind a wall, peeking her head out.
"Where did you go? You left without sayin' a thing."
"Meow…" She trotted to Mundy and gave him a few loving headbutts. They brushed their heads against each other.
"Eh, baby? What's wrong…?" He scratched her cheeks below her jaw and she purred louder.
"Meow." She sat down and looked at Mundy who was crouching down to be at her level.
"What is it?"
"Meow." She raised her majestic blue eyes to him and wrapped her tail around herself. The kittens leapt left and right to get to her.
"What?"
Perle looked behind her, at the wall she had come from.
"Meow."
A short-haired black cat peeked his head out.
"You got a friend?"
Perle turned and trotted to him. The black cat was hesitant. He stared at Mundy with his green eyes and froze. The Aussie looked at Perle.
"Is that why you went away? You wanted to say goodbye to your friend before we go?"
"Meow."
The cat got out of behind the wall and Perle brushed herself against him. He bathed her and she licked him in return.
"Oh…"
Mundy watched as they butted their heads and brushed themselves against each other. The kittens ran to their mother and him. Yes, it was a he.
The black cat started bathing the little ones with Perle while she turned to Mundy and trotted back to him.
"Meow."
"I'm glad you got a mate, Perle. Makes the days less lonely."
"Meow!" She protested.
"What? He isn't a friend? The babies seem comfy with him."
"Meow…!"
Perle bit his hand softly and pulled.
"Alright, alright, I'll get closer."
Mundy approached the black cat and he turned on his heels, as if to dart away.
"Meow…" Perle left Mundy's hand and comforted her friend. After a minute of brushing herself against him, Mundy was close enough to hear her and him pur.
"Hold on…"
Mundy looked at the black and white kittens, then at Perle, then at that black, short-haired cat. Some of the babies had short hair… And green eyes…
"Wait, is this your… mate?"
Perle blinked at the black cat slowly and he reciprocated.
"Oh, Gosh, that's him! That's their dad!"
"Meow." Perle confirmed.
"Oh, bugger, I wasn't ready for this… Uhm…" Mundy wiped his hands on his trousers and crouched down again. "G'day… you? You don't have a collar or anything… You have a name?"
"Meow." Perle answered.
"I can't believe it's just 'meow', we need to find you a name. Uh… Lu' called you Perle cause you're white, so I guess you could be… Soot?"
The green-eyed cat looked up at Mundy.
"Hey, mate, I'm Mundy. But the wifey calls me 'Dad'. Here, have a treat…" Mundy laid a few treats flat in his hand and looked down at them.
"Meow…" Perle went and ate one. She looked back at Soot who was a bit more shy. He approached slowly.
"Here, on the ground, less pressure." Mundy put one on the ground. Soot wavered for a few seconds and finally bent down to eat it.
"There you go…"
Perle went to Mundy and brushed herself against him. She licked him and purred.
"Yeah, baby, of course I'm happy for you…" He hugged her and scratched her cheeks again.
"Meow?" She looked him in the eye.
"What?"
Perle took one of her babies and trotted to the van. The others followed and she helped them jump in before going back to Soot's side.
"Meow?"
"Oh, yeah, of course he can come, if he wants to. He's uh, he's a stray alright, afraid and on the defensive, but you can tell him that I don't bite, eh?" Mundy looked at Soot. "So what d'you say? Wanna join us?"
Soot hid behind Perle. She turned her head to look at him and bathed him to reassure him and bring him some peace.
"Look, I'll step away and put a few treats. You have a chat with him while I make sure we have everything ready in the van, ok?"
Perle slowly blinked her eyes. Mundy removed his glasses and reciprocated to both of them.
"Right, see you in a minute. And you guys, stop mewling that loud, mum's just a few yards away, crikey!" Mundy stepped back in the van and left the door open. He checked that he had everything he needed: the cat and kitten food, bottles of water, clean clothes and blankets. Ah, and the fishing rod. Yes, he couldn't hunt anymore, Mundy refused it. But fishing was more than fine. It was relaxing even. He had bought a few baits to get him started and his mini-fridge was full of food. He had enough to survive for a week at least.
The mewls went on as the kittens started climbing him.
"Oi there, I'm not a tree, eh?"
More mewls and louder as they got closer to his head.
"Claws, claws, claws, be gentle, Gosh…!"
Mundy pulled them off of him one by one and sat on the couch.
"There, on my lap. What d'you want?"
The mewls intensified and they went for his face and covered him in fluff.
"Alright, alright, meow, meow, meow to you too, babies…!" He kissed them left and right, scratched them. "Love you, babies, love you all…" He looked at the kittens one by one and blinked slowly at each of them. They lay on his chest and he petted them tenderly.
"Meow?"
A fluffy white cloud slipped in the van. She leapt on the couch and stood on her back paws to kiss her Dad.
"So, what did the hubby say? Is he comin'?"
Soot's head peeked in. He sniffed the van's floor here and there.
"Oh, hey there, Sooty boy. Come in, make yourself at home, mate."
Perle headbutted Mundy lovingly one last time before going to her bed. Soot saw her and went there. He sniffed around and lay down next to her.
"Aw, look at you…" Mundy put the kittens with them. "A complete family."
He took a second to look at them and smiled.
"You're cute."
"Meow."
"Last time I said that to your Papa, you know what he said?"
Perle's pupils dilated.
"He said he couldn't be cute cause he was an old man."
"Meow!"
"Exactly what I said to him, 'bullshit!'..."
Mundy got closer to them.
"Uh, look, Soot, I'm happy you join us, alright, but we were off on a trip. I'm gonna go at the front and drive. Do you all want to sit at the front or stay at the back?"
"Meow?" Perle asked.
"I can put the bed on Lu's seat. You take a nap there while I drive next to you."
Perle blinked slowly.
"Alright, come along then…" Mundy went out and around to open the passenger's seat door. Perle followed and took one of her babies between her teeth before jumping up. After hesitating a bit, Soot followed and did the same. But the two remaining kittens were too small to make the jump up. Mundy scooped them up delicately and put them next to their family.
"Right, I'll grab the bed, give me a second."
Not a minute later, the cat family was in their bed on the passenger's seat and Mundy was on the driver's one.
"We ready?"
Perle and Soot looked at each other.
"Meow."
The kittens mewled along.
"Alright, alright, say bye to the bit of street we've been stuck in…!"
The meows and mewls went on as Mundy drove through the city. The gentle rumble of the engine put the cats to sleep and Mundy couldn't help but pet them whenever a red traffic light stopped the van.
"Oh, what's that…?"
As Mundy drove by, he happened to pass Eddy's hunting equipment shop. A police car was parked in front of it and the short man was talking to them. Mundy decided to stop to investigate.
"Eddy? You alright, mate?"
"Oh, M! Long time no see! Come in…!"
The policemen entered the shop, followed by Eddy and Mundy.
"What happened?"
"I got burgled!"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, and I didn't even realise it!"
"What?!"
"I was doing the inventory and stuff was missing. I didn't take it and I don't employ anyone, so someone must have taken it from me." Eddy explained.
"What did they take?"
"A couple of rifles, some ammo, and that's all I could see so far…"
"Could you open this room, Sir?" A policeman interrupted Eddy and Mundy.
"Oh, sure, but there isn't much in that room…" Eddy got the key out of his pocket and unlocked a room that Mundy remembered vividly. It was where his collection of knives and short blades of all kinds were. It was also a room Lucien had kissed him in…
"What is in this room?" A policeman asked.
"This." Eddy entered and led the policemen and Mundy in. "It's my father's collection of knives."
"You've got many less than last time." Mundy said.
"Yeah, your uh… friend, L, he arranged for them to be restored. He's got that friend of his. Name's Richard. He knows his business and I've been sending him a few to try. The result speaks for itself, the blades are in much better shape." Eddy pointed at a few of them. "Hold on, one of them's missin'!"
"What does it look like?"
"Black handle, stainless steel blade, about 6 inches long, handle included… Uh, the handle was made of just steel, nothing fancy. It's probably my least expensive one…!"
The policemen took notes as Eddy went on with the inventory of missing items. Two rifles, quite old models that Eddy liked to keep as souvenirs. Those were amongst the first models he had started to sell.
When the policemen left, Mundy stayed a bit longer with his friend.
"Sorry that all that mess happened, mate."
"Bah, I didn't lose much. It's just the thought that someone waltzed in here like that…!" Eddy snapped his fingers. "I hope they won't come back."
"If the bloke didn't steal much, I don't reckon they'll come back."
"Hm, hope not. But how have you been, pal?" Eddy asked.
"Alright. I'm off for a few weeks. Maurice thinks I need a break."
"You don't think so?"
"I don't know."
"Times been rough on ya?"
"Don't know." Mundy answered. "I mean. They've been rough ever since L passed."
"You haven't… moved on?"
"Tried." Was Mundy's answer before he sighed. He looked his friend in the eyes. "By the way… Uhm, I suppose it doesn't make much difference now but uh, remember that time I was sitting right here on this stool and I was drooling?"
Eddy's eyebrows jumped.
"Course I do, it was about the weirdest thing I saw you do until then. I mean, I'm used to you dreaming away and stuff, but droolin'...? You just took it to a whole 'nother level!"
"I was thinking about him." Mundy answered.
"Him?" Eddy asked.
"L. He was… I mean I…"
Eddy put a hand on Mundy's shoulder.
"You were head over heels for him, weren't ya?"
Mundy silently nodded.
"More than I thought I could ever get."
"I didn't know you liked guys." Eddy said.
"I didn't know I could like one that hard."
Eddy sighed.
"You really don't sound like you've moved on, pal."
Mundy headed to the door.
"See ya, Eddy."
"See ya, M…"
The Aussie hopped back in the van and drove away. No he hadn't moved on. Moved on to where exactly? There was nowhere he could imagine himself being. He sighed. No one understood. Not Maurice, not Eddy, not Victoria, no one. No one understood the pain he felt. And it was too big for him to overcome. As Lucien had put it, it was similar to an anvil, crushing him without mercy, coldly. Mundy frowned and looked at the passengers' seat, at the family of cats.
"You'll see, kitty cats, the lake's very calm, especially now. Most people don't go out there and in winter even the animals are more shy. We'll be comfy and alone. Maybe Maurice is right, maybe I need that time back in the lake… It's like I'm finding myself back. And who knows, maybe this time it won't take ten years…"
"Meow?" Perle asked.
"Oh, sorry, they're asleep, I'll stop talking."
"Meow…" She rose on her feet to stand up and pushed a button on the van's radio.
"What are you - oh…?"
The song diffused in the air and Perle went back to lay next to Soot, who bathed her slowly and lovingly. La Solitude was playing and Mundy couldn't stop it. He just frowned and endured.
It was absurd. All he had to do was press a button, but he couldn't. As he passed the city's gates and raced through the cold desert, Mundy only had to close his eyes to hear Lucien's velvet voice singing.
He sank back on his seat and let the van lead the way. It lasted for a couple of hours and he listened to that one song on loop. He didn't even realise it but he was mumbling the lyrics to himself, as best as he could. French wasn't natural for his tongue.
The van eventually parked at its usual spot and Mundy could see the calm lake spread in front of him. A lot of memories came back to him. The first time Lucien had come, on his invisible motorcycle. Pfff, such a spooky thing to have, that motorcycle… Mundy smiled to himself. And yeah, he had watched him wash himself, hm? Ah yeah, and Lu had said that he hardly saw a thing because it was late at night… What a stalker! That hadn't stopped him from watching anyway, eh?
But Mundy couldn't blame him. Had the roles been reversed, he surely would have watched too… a bit…
"Meow?"
The mewls and the meows woke up as the cats stretched and yawned.
"Yeah, we're here, mates. Uh, Soot, your fur looks dirty mate even with Perle bathin' you non-stop. Want to wash yourself properly?"
He hissed.
"I know you don't like water, I won't drown you, I just wanna have some soap in that fur of yours and make sure you don't have any fleas or anythin'. Tell him, baby."
Perle gave one of her gazes that no man or cat could resist and Mundy saw Soot's black pupils dilate.
"Look at you, Pearl… Charmin' as a devil, eh?"
"Meow!"
"Yeah, just like your Papa."
The family hopped off of the van and stretched their legs on the shore. The kittens started to play, run around and discover their new surroundings.
"Pearl, you wanna stay with the babies while I wash the mister?"
"Meow…"
Mundy turned. Soot had answered. His ears were low and he seemed scared. The Aussie crouched down and gave him a slow blink of his eyes.
"I don't want to harm you or anythin', mate. I just want to make sure you're alright and healthy, ok?"
Mundy extended his fingers to Soot. The black cat approached him slowly and sniffed them.
"There you go, it's only me, Sooty boy, it's Dad, it's alright."
Mundy gently brushed his fingers against Soot's fur and the cat seemed more comfortable.
"You want to have the wifey with ya?"
Soot brushed himself more on Mundy's fingers and closed his eyes.
"Oh… Someone's cuddly." Mundy scratched him on his head, between his ears and slowly, Soot started purring. "There we go, Sooty, you can trust me… Can I pick you up? D'you trust me enough?"
Mundy approached his second hand and started scratching the stray cat and brush his fur, just to put him at ease. He then wrapped his arms around him and scooped him off the ground.
"Meow?" Soot was scared again.
"Sshh, baby, I got you…" Mundy opened his van's backdoor and went to the sink. He let the water run and gently petted Soot to put him at ease.
And indeed, the cat hated his bath and hissed all along. Perle had to come in and bathed his wet self for mister Soot to calm down. Mundy got scratched a few times but by the end of it, the cat parents were bathing and drying each other out while Mundy kept an eye on the kittens outside. He took a cigarette and lit it.
The kittens were playing with the rocks, sand, anything they could see. Mundy looked around them. There wasn't a living soul, especially not any human presence.
Finding himself back… That was what it was all about and as the sun was gently setting, Mundy thought about possible ways to occupy himself. What did he used to do here in winter, when he couldn't have a swim?
Ah, yes, there was something that he used to do more than a decade ago now. Gosh, he would probably be extremely rusty at it. Bah, who would judge? The cats? They were busy. The kittens were playing while the parents were cuddling and purring on the sand next to Mundy. Yes, there was something that Mundy could do to try and take his body and mind back in time. But first, dinner.
"Who's hungry?"
Fluffy ears, little ears, black and white ears, all of them pricked up.
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When All Else Fails
“Bug! Bug!” Ethan hands open and shut as he makes the clear sign he wants his sister. Grace’s sparkly pink headphones sit on her head of curls as she watches the latest Pixar movie, Edwin, a story about a baby penguin. She must have heard her name because she looks over at her brother, pulling her headphones off her ears and letting them rest around her neck.
“Hi Eth, wanna come to bug?” She holds her arms out to her brother, signaling to you she is ready for you to pass the chunky 18 month old boy across the section between the two first class seats.
Ethan struggles hard against your arms, letting out a small fuss when you don’t allow him to go to his sister.
“Not now, Gracie! He will be all over the place. But thank you for being a helper.” You say to your daughter. The flight from London to NYC is long, but an hour into the flight from NYC to LA, and you and Harry are both exhausted.
Little monkey pants decided he didn’t want to sleep, and was either crying, climbing, fussing, or wiggling throughout the entire flight.
“Five more hours to go.” You say under your breath, trying your best to stay calm and keep your frustration low.
“Mum, Eth can come sit and watch a movie with me!” Grace tries again, attempting to be helpful by offering her services as a certified big sis.
“It’s alright Gracie bug! Watch your show okay?” Grace shrugs her shoulders and places her headphones back on her head. You reach into the leather bag by your feet and pull out a red car, handing it to Ethan. He takes it in his hand, looks over it once and lets it fly. The car rolls down the aisle, making you groan in slight frustration.
“Time fo’ man time?” Harry looks up from his notebook, forehead crinkled with a question. You don’t speak, just nod. “Alright Stud, come to daddy!” Harry stands from his seat across the aisle, taking the little one from your arms. You mouth a silent thank you as Harry kisses your forehead and takes Ethan to his seat, sitting him on his lap.
“Alright buddy, can you see the clouds? Look out the window!” Harry’s voice comes off as overly excited as he attempts to sell this majestic view of the sky to his son.
“Vrmmm.” Ethan says, as he flies his hand through the air, mimicking an airplane flying through the sky.
“Is that like an airplane? Are we riding on an airplane?” Harry asks Ethan, who has now decided he is done looking out the window. Arching his back, he tries to slide out of Harry’s grasp. Pushing the air out of his mouth, a small frustrated whine escapes. This move is unexpected and Harry catches Ethan late in the game, but decides it’s okay if he wants to walk in the tiny pod space for a minute.
“He doesn’t want to stay still, does he?” You say to your husband, chuckling slightly, mostly because you are tired and also because you are amazed little Eth hasn’t fallen asleep yet.
“No, he doesn’t!” Harry laughs as he places his leg in such a way so Ethan cannot escape into the first class cabin. Ethan pushes his father’s leg, trying to get it to move, but Harry stands firm.
“Go da-da!” Ethan pushes hard again, wanting Harry to move. Ethan drops to the floor, thinking if he can crawl through the hole he can escape the trap Harry has created. As Ethan presses forward, Harry moves his leg back, trapping him in once again. “No da-da!” Ethan starts to cry. Frustrated that he cannot get out of this small contained space. “Bug! Da-da! Bug!” Ethan points towards Grace, indicating that he wants his 6 year old sister. Grace looks up from her coloring book and makes eye contact with Harry.
“Ethan can come color with me!” Grace is excited to show her parents that she can help with him too. “Come on Eth! You can sit by me!” Grace pats her seat, hopeful her parents will give in and let her try.
“Grace, he is a lot to handle right now. I’m sorry!” Harry says, blocking his son again with his leg as Ethan lets out a loud wail.
“Come ‘ere!” Harry lifts him up onto his lap, and motions for a toy. You hand him a book full of touch and feel animals. “Look Stud, daddy sees a soft kitty!”
“Titty!” Ethan is distracted by the book, petting his stubby fingers against the fur on the kitty on the page. “Da-da, titty!” Ethan’s smile creates mini crinkles by his eye as he points towards the cat.
“Yes. Kitty!” Harry grabs Ethan’s wrist, moving his whole hand across the picture, petting the cat. Turning the page, Harry continues to distract. “Let’s see, can yeh find the porcupine? It’s spiky!” Harry takes Ethan’s hand in his and touches the spikes on the back of the animal.
“Ow!” Ethan pulls his hand back, not liking the pokes. He inches his hand close to the picture again, thinking it will feel different this time. Once again the pokes slightly prick his finger. “Ow ow ow!” Ethan says. “Diss?” Holding his finger up to his daddy’s lips, Harry gives him a kiss and they turn the page.
Harry is able to distract Ethan for about thirty minutes, exploring the different animals and textures they have to offer. The air hostess brings around snacks and Ethan is happy to eat some goldfish crackers. After his crackers are all gone, the exhaustion hits him hard.
“Maybe try singing to him; that might help.” You say, looking over at your husband helplessly. Ethan is bawling and nothing is working; he doesn’t want to be held, but when Harry puts him on the ground he cries to be picked up. The sadness and pure exhaustion of being on an airplane for 10 hours has hit the poor little man and it hurts your heart.
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night
Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night”
Harry’s voice is soft as he holds Ethan tight to his chest. Rocking softly to the beat, Harry attempts to calm the cries from his son. After multiple attempts, Ethan takes his burp cloth, chewing on the corner in an effort to calm himself down like he has done since he was three months old. His cries become softer as he listens to the deep, raspy melody coming from his daddy.
“Want me to hold him? We can watch a movie! You’ve had him for a while.” You say to your husband who looks absolutely exhausted. You still have about two more hours on this flight, and Harry needs rest before his big day at the Emmys tomorrow.
“Sure! Wan’ to go to mumma?” Harry looks down at Ethan whose cries are now soft whimpers, but is holding strong on his commitment to not sleep. Kissing his son’s forehead, Harry stands up and places him in your arms. You find the movie Cars and place a pair of blue wireless headphones on his ears.
Cuddling in close with your baby, you close your eyes, hoping he will watch the movie and maybe give into his fatigue. His body cuddles close as he chews quietly on his burpee, eyes glued to the screen.
Your body doesn’t hold out for very long, and soon you are asleep holding your baby boy. Grace looks over at her daddy, noticing his snores from across the airplane. She moves her head to her mumma who has her eyes closed and looks like she is sleeping. Ethan makes eye contact with his sister. Looking across the way to the place he wanted to go all along.
“Eth, come to bug?” Grace’s voice is soft, but loud enough that Ethan hears what she is saying. Climbing across his mum, and over the consol that separates the two pods, Ethan reaches his sister’s arms, cuddling close.
“You want Bob?” Grace asks, holding up her stuffed sheep. Ethan grabs the sheep from her hands and pulls it close to his body, taking the once in a life opportunity to hold his sister’s best friend. Grace pulls Ethan close to her, and places her blanket over both of them, cuddling her brother close. “Time to go sleep, okay?” Ethan looks up at Grace, his eyelids struggling to stay open.
“Now run along home, and jump into bed. Say your prayers. Don’t cover your head. There’s just one more thing I ask of you. You dream of me, and I’ll dream of you!” Grace finishes the goodnight song with a small tap on Ethan’s nose. His eyes finally give in as he falls asleep, cuddling next to his sister.
“Goodnight, Eth. Sissy loves you butterfly much!” She kisses his forehead and cuddles close. Closing her eyes, she falls asleep. The rest of the airplane ride is quiet as the whole Styles family has sweet dreams.
A/N: A huge and massive thank you to the best beta around. @whoopsharrystyles you deserve the world and I love you. Check out my Masterlist and Wattpad page. Thank you for reading, liking, reblogging, recommending and commenting. I love you all!
#Please send me feedback#are you bored?#I want to know how these make you feel#I love your comments#the adventures of harry and grace#When all else fails#harry styles fan fiction#harry styles fandom#harry styles fanficiton#harry styles#harry styles imagines#harry styles imagine#harry#harry fluff#dad harry#dad!harry#original writing
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Day 10,785
172 days until I hit my thirties.
So. An assortment of 172 good memories from my twenties.
001. Addey hype mumbo jumbo singing along with Moana before she was really talking.
002. Being asked to say the big thank you at SOE graduation.
003. Isaac’s face when he peeked at Omar’s new shoes at the East Towne Starbucks.
004. Drinking Mike’s honey moonshine while we played Euchre in his starry cicada humming backyard.
005. Taking Mama on the water taxi rides when she visited me in Chicago.
006. Grandma Kathy calling me, “My pink haired granddaughter.”
007. Sneaking into camp with the Hines girls to write up collaboration glass bottle poems in the Prayer Chapel.
008. The slow and steady hike up to the Hollywood sign.
009. The night I kidnapped Mini Farm kittens to snuggle for a movie and accidentally left the gate open releasing the rest to the Wisconsin wild.
010. Sunday afternoon sipping Stella Artois in the perfect sunny front room of our Albany Park apartment.
011. Zoë giving me all her wallet cash so I could buy bare minimum groceries.
012. Taking turns reading The History of Love aloud in our Winter Staff Forest Springs apartment.
013. The Halloween/Hillside round of Murder in the Dark with All Stars only.
014. Acting a fool in the unfinished Lodge room filled from floor to ceiling with Tempur-Pedic mattresses.
015. Doug lounging in the giant crate of laundry bags in the laundry room.
016. GUBS INSIDE JOKES.
017. St. Patrick’s Day 2021, hahaha.
018. Beyoncé: Lemonade in the empty downstairs apartment with Mary.
019. Accidentally getting kayak drunk from a backpack bottle of Ménage à Trois.
020. Daylight skinny dipping with Amber to inaugurate the new pool.
021. The perfect stray cat that came around the second half of 2018.
022. Renate being the first to cry with me post breakup. Bill supplying sparkling water to prevent dehydration.
023. Doing drag makeup in Bekah’s bathroom while her and Marissa giggled at each other in the tub.
024. Every kitchen island conversation I’ve ever had with Steve Hines.
025. The perfect colors the night we snuck up on the helicopter landing pad on that Dallas hotel.
026. FACILITATING THAT SAME WEEKEND’S GAME OF ASSASSIN, BEFORE IT GOT UGLY.
027. Becoming buddies with all four Williams brothers.
028. When Mercy told me I’m her favorite Williams brother.
029. Hahaha the Camp Clean Up I put Elliot on my crew for my own amusement and told him his only responsibility was to walk around with me the whole time.
030. The time Blaine and I were avoiding the long lunch line together and Nimanim was like, “Wait so this is like an actual friendship huh?”
031. Tanner enthusiastically reenacting Gandalf’s YOU SHALL NOT PASS as I came up the path.
032. Will realizing I’d Facebook stalked him without sending a friend request.
033. Magically finding Pop Rocks the morning of my perfect 22nd birthday.
034. My perfect 26th birthday weekend in Minneapolis with my dreamy local girl gang.
035. Tauri’s blossoms on the Sky Lodge trees in the spring.
036. Encountering and becoming completely enthralled by the Enneagram.
037. OLIVIA FUCKING GATWOOD APPRECIATING MY PINK HAIR.
038. Clementine von Radic writing that Greyhound always loses her luggage too.
039. My stretch of obsession with Hemingway’s love interests.
040. Becoming friends with Fat Boy Tucker pup.
041. Becoming friends with rescued best dog Star girl.
042. The night Doug was my ride from the airport and he pulled his truck over so we could take a good look at the gigantic moon.
043. That hilarious flirtatious moonlight wander of the horse trails with Omar and Edith and Caleb.
044. Jake Nelson giving me a surprise scoop of chocolate custard as a peace offering after his grumpy bedtime attitude.
045. THE DISCOVERY AND CAPTIVATION OF HADESTOWN.
046. Getting to have Alia in every day for a while there.
047. Les Mis at Overture Center because Ally bought our family tickets.
048. Pat Coakley telling me I don’t know how special I am.
049. Spit handshake with Janelle swearing we’ll never think any boys are cooler than we are.
050. Marissa picking me up without explanation to take us on a quiet sunset drive of her favorite county road.
051. Jayden imagination playing with Blue, Guy, and a motorcycle for a whole night then waking me up with them the next morning.
052. Genevieve asking to borrow my lavender romper for her rehearsal dinner.
053. Getting to be Cali’s sidekick the week leading up to her wedding extravaganza.
054. Houston YMCA hallway phone call from Justin’s dorm room asking me clarify which of the boys was Nick, Schmidt, and Winston.
055. The absolutely ludicrous old woman I got drunk with in the Amtrak dining car.
056. The absolute ludicrous glass skull light up cocktail I drank at Freehand’s hotel bar.
057. When Dan Hartke told me I’m a mother hen.
058. When the most beautiful Sora from Korea told me, “You always flowers.”
059. Hannah’s hand me down Steve Madden sandals.
060. Runaway trips with Amber Bamber to watch Shakespeare in the woods.
061. Storytelling with Jack Thomas.
062. Drunk bar darts after Corn Fest with Marissa’s gang.
063. Leaving the reception with Emmy to go curl up in Amber’s bed and giggle about how it was the last place she slept as a virgin.
064. The night Riana and Zoe and I took turns putting our heads out the car windows to howl like wolves.
065. Falling asleep on the couch with Zelina and Chelle beer buzzed watching Jersey Shore.
066. That perfect little basement Thai place a couple blocks from Emmy’s apartment dorm.
067. When Dan forced me to get out of his car and left because I’d annoyed him too hard on our library trip.
068. Vicki suggesting we go live together overseas.
069. Depop photoshoot with Taurilyn.
070. Mykenza bluntly declaring true things I couldn’t confirm or deny.
071. Norm announcing to the full room he was teaching that I was a rascal.
072. Zochella.
073. Noah Gundersen and Brett Dennen at The Majestic.
074. Every damn time we ate beautiful food at High Rock Cafe.
075. The nights I felt capable at TOCHI.
076. LENA DUNHAM’S GIRLS.
077. Jordan suddenly ballroom dancing Genevieve around the kitchen.
078. Staying up late crying to my mom about trying to take good care of the lesbian teenagers at Sky Lodge.
079. The night Caleb very suddenly showed up with a bowl of sangria then tried to leave a dozen times but we convinced him to stay.
080. Rachel swearing that the man in the Wrigleyville bookshop had love at first sighted me.
081. Making the list of how many musicals I’ve been affected by.
082. Discovering weirdo La Llamada then driving straight to Carlsons’s to immediately watch it again with them.
083. Writing heartfelt correspondence back and forth with Kat for a few years.
084. All the funky cards I’ve received from Amber.
085. Finding that PERFECT dress at Goodwill for Tauri’s Winter Ball.
086. An actual friendship with Paul Bierdeman.
087. COUNSELOR MEETINGS.
088. The night Emily Holverson and I stood outside the Lodge trading sincerity about Sky Lodge and the complications of ministry.
089. Blunt conversations with Josiah, hahaha.
090. The Lower Lakeview round of Murder in the Dark when I killed every single person playing before anyone could call, “Dead body!”
091. When I suddenly caught him listening to my singing in the tunnel.
092. Putting together outfits from Lolita’s wardrobe.
093. Driving into such an unexpectedly lush part of Missouri.
094. A nighttime surprise of Big Ben and The London Eye and Buckingham Palace and St James Park in the falling snow.
095. MY PERFECT ABODE IN ST. LOUIS, MO.
096. OUR PERFECT ABODE IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM.
097. Becoming one of Steve’s best friends.
098. The evening Elorine and I didn’t go with and REALLY talked.
099. THE UNDENIABLE INHERENT GOODNESS OF MERRY’S KIDS.
100. Farrell’s crying apology on the sidewalk outside of Maple.
101. Alex’s irregular sudden extreme compliments.
102. The females I’m close with over the internet due to mutual admiration.
103. Lars from Hinge, hahaha.
104. Sitting at the end of a long table with Janelle making a napkin list of our all time favorite manic pixie dream girls.
105. The handful of LotR marathons we’ve accomplished.
106. When Kat told me she understood the Harry Styles crush but that maybe he wasn’t right for me.
107. Reading so many Donald Miller books and getting others to read them too.
108. Kisses on the cheek from Esther.
109. Getting raspberries for Mike’s turtles as an apology for making death threats.
110. Tipsy dancing alone with my eyes closed for like a hundred songs at Sheryl’s Club on New Years 2021.
111. The flattering comparison to the wonderful Harley Duke.
112. Aw omg, our happy hammock stacks at Observatory Hill.
113. Telling slumber party stories on stage for Women’s Retreat.
114. BEING THE MIME FOR LIFE GROUP’S FAVORITE.
115. Fatigued watching The Kissing Booth and laughing harder than ever.
116. Spastic goofing around with Ashley AND Brittany the day we moved Amber into her new home.
117. Sitting on my closet floor showing crying Riana baby videos of singing piano playing Janelle.
118. Giggle running through Piggly Wiggly parking lot at closing with Rene with like $400 of alcohol on Ally’s birthday.
119. Fireball shots ALL NIGHT with Jeremiah and his uncle on Christmas Eve.
120. Listening to the delicious details of Emmy’s Europe romance.
121. Zion giving me his Adidas crewneck as sentimental goodbye gift.
122. Arguing with Austin over our differing zombie apocalypse ideologies.
123. Drunk Discord/Among Us with Hunter and Bekah and Nick and Marissa.
124. How soft Kenny’s absurd speeches made my heart.
125. MINUTE LONG VOICE MEMOS STACKS WITH ROSIE. ♡♡
126. Listening to Lizzy McAlpine in an afternoon candlelight bath.
127. Listening through John Mayer’s The Search for Everything mowing the ball field.
128. Emotionally painting my old house in Birmingham.
129. Being really damn good at that Heads Up game with Omar.
130. Compiling worthwhile stuff for Foreman training.
131. GROWING MY PLANTS.
132. The stretch when Bryanna was usually wrapped in my blanket.
133. Talking about going to Colorado with Alex.
134. The notorious reputation of knowing everybody at CCCA.
135. GETTING ALL DRESSED UP FOR DINNER THEATER.
136. Calling Ally from a parking lot at Emmy’s bachelorette party because I was SO CONFIDENT I was a hot person that I had to talk to her about it.
137. Playing the stupidest laughingest game of The Floor Is Lava with Jackson when I came to visit them all in Dallas.
138. Feeling really really really at home in my apartment at Sky Lodge.
139. How Ryan Boon would struggle to talk through his laughter.
140. Belonging to myself at Fiddleheads Coffee in Cedarburg.
141. THE UNDENIABLE IMMEDIATE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN ME AND COURTNEY HART.
142. Big Falls County Park. Every time.
143. Kayaking down Blue River with Duke, Jeremiah and Addey, Hunter, and Hunter’s friend.
144. That perfect burger at Pier Burger in Santa Monica.
145. Riding The Brown Line down to The Loop and all the way back up.
146. Aw. Welp. Every lengthy truthful phone call with Sam.
147. The four seasons I was compiling four second videos.
148. Ashley’s and my perfect roommates stretch, featuring our perfect couch.
149. The night we forced so many to come to our Blackfish showing then sign our petition opposing Sea World. Hahaha. #emptythetanks
150. The night Ben and I sat in the corner giddy burning through TriBond cards.
151. The night I showed up at Doug’s and Lueck’s door losing my damn mind over The Dress.
152. Community Soccer at the local elementary school gym.
153. Frigid stranded in the Chequamegon National Forest with Mary and Caleb on our return drive from our nightmare trip to Duluth.
154. The final night of being “cats in a bag” sleeping in Janelle’s bottom bunk.
155. Filling up the broomball courts under a negative degrees meteor shower.
156. Getting another wonderful summertime of Delala.
157. The Sunday service the pastor wouldn’t quit snapping his fingers and a bunch of us were txting each other like, “OMFG NO AHHH HOW DO WE MAKE HIM STOP????”
158. Oomph. The perfect veggie omelette (no cheese) at Sparks.
159. Dad’s soft voicemail about his admiration for Adele.
160. Their neighbor lady Maddie’s outfit for the Christmas cantata and her disappointment with the unfamiliar song selection.
161. Raquel’s completely irresistible fun streak.
162. Listening to folklore with Jayden and the girlies first thing when I woke up every morning for a while there.
163. Going through Met Gala looks cuddled up with Omar.
164. The way it felt reading Anthropology of an American Girl.
165. The giant primary colors crochet blanket mom made for me.
166. Noah scooping me up in that hug in the Waterloo parsonage kitchen.
167. When Omar completely surprised me with what he can do to a piano.
168. Deciding I am a Pinot Grigio girl.
169. Omfg, the Nest Night we intensely debated our way through a Staff Wives wrestling bracket.
170. Dismantling multiple purity talks and dress codes like it’s my calling.
171. Laying on blankets in the middle of many fields in different places for the sake of being very very very very sunkissed.
172. Regularly running into Bill at Kwik Trip.
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What Makes You Happy
IT’S FINISHED. I was working to finish this today and it was originally going to be something to cheer you up, @bie-lovers (and it still is for that!) but now it is also a Christmas present! :D
I would like to make a note: Fluff is not my forte and I tried so hard with the handball references. >.
Merry Christmas, Sofie!
Title: What Makes You Happy
Rating: G
Pairing: Phil Lester/Dan Howell
Tags: Fluff, fluff, fluff. Zoo Docent! Phil and Handball Player! Dan, First meeting, Strangers to Lovers with interchanging established relationship parts
-What Makes You Happy-
Dan wonders idly when he has gotten so lucky as he chances a glance into bleachers, jamming his shoulder into the guy who lifts his arm to obscure his vision. He catches the barest glimpse of familiar dark hair and pale hands pressed apprehensively against the lower half of a sharp jaw and sinks his teeth into his lower lip to restrain the joy bubbling like a geyser in his chest.
“Get your head in the game, Howell!” Matt shouts from where he is trying to spot an opening and Dan grits his teeth in response. “We can’t afford distractions!”
“Make him proud, Dan!” Tyler screams from the goal situated behind them.
I just need to…
Dan’s eyes narrow as his concentration snaps back to their match, following the arc of the ball determinedly, as he twists to try and sidestep the player that has been his shadow for most of the game.
We can win this.
-
The first time he spotted the dark-haired boy was after a disappointing loss.
Tyler had been devastated that he hadn’t been able to block the winning point in time and Matthew had been harassing the dark blonde goalie incessantly until their coach stepped in with a, “Keep it up, Matt and I’ll put you on the bench.”
Matt hadn’t opened his mouth after the threat but the damage was done and so, Dan had found himself dragging Tyler to the Chester Zoo to see the new Asian elephant baby that he had been squealing about the week before.
“You don’t have to do this, Howell.” Tyler muttered under his breath as Dan pushed him, refusing to lift his heels. “It was my faul—“
“Ty,” There wasn’t any heat behind the nickname but Dan shoved him again fiercely, grinning at Tyler’s grunt. “Shut the fuck up and walk, your highness.” His hand was heavy as he whacked Tyler’s shoulder playfully, shuffling to join the short queue. “You know as well as I do that if Anthony and Chris had completed that give and go without getting fouled, we would have been golden.”
Tyler refused to respond to his words but his lips peeled back in a small but shaky smile. He fiddled with the zip of his hoodie and kept his eyes on their dusty trainers as they moved.
“Seriously,” Dan lowered his voice as he snickered. “Matt is an ass. Ignore him.” He waved his hand for emphasis as if he was shooing away a droning fly. “We’ll do better next game.”
“I know,” Tyler let out a large exhale of air. “I just- I had it and-“
“-and you’ll have it again.” Dan interrupted easily as he stepped forward to purchase their admission tickets, reaching into the pocket of his trackies for his wallet. “One loss won’t kill us.”
“I know.” Tyler mumbled, shoulders still tensed and raised.
“Then stop being an idiot for one second and listen to me.” Dan rolled his eyes as he turned to the ticket seller with his dimple popping on his cheek charmingly. “Can I get two..uh…”
The first thing Dan noticed about him was that his cheekbones were sharp enough to cut yourself on.
The second is that his lips are stained a cherry red.
Has he been eating ice lollies because no one’s lips can possibly…
The last thing he registered in his already disoriented mind was the fact that the boy’s eyes twinkled as those lips moved.
Fuck. What did he say?
“P-Pardon?” Dan stuttered, feeling the telltale heat scorch his cheeks as he skimmed the tip of his thumb over the bills in his wallet.
“How many tickets, sir?” His voice was deep and nasally with a northern twang. Dan’s tongue darted across his lips nervously just as Tyler jumped in with a horribly timed tease:
“I apologize. He doesn’t know how to handle pretty boys.”
Dan reminded himself that his coach would actually murder him if he mortally wounded Tyler as his face flushed even more.
The boy’s cheeks were rosy as well but he laughed good-naturedly, shaking his head.
“Well…”
Dan hadn’t given him the chance to finish.
He dipped his head with a high-pitched “Sorry!” while he wrapped his fingers tightly around Tyler’s bicep to drag him away. Tyler’s obnoxious but pleased laugh tore through the air and echoed behind them as Dan rushed to the car.
“I changed my mind- it is your fault.” Dan growled as his knuckles went white from clutching the steering wheel so hard.
“Aw,” Tyler cooed, despite Dan’s quiet fuming. “You think he’s cute!”
“I will fucking deck you.”
The first time Dan meets him… his heart doesn’t stop hammering in his chest until they have peeled out of the parking lot and are well on their way back to their hotel.
-
Dan is hopping from foot to foot with even more pent up energy than usual, knowing that Phil is watching.
He takes his opportunity to grab the ball, pacing three steps, before cutting the ball to the left.
He hisses out a happy “Yes!” when it bounces off the wall and into Anthony’s reach, tossing his head to dislodge his curling fringe from his forehead and out of his field of vision.
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon…
-
The second time he encounters the boy…Tyler had offered to take him as a sort of apology for embarrassing him when he was trying to help.
They managed to make it pass the ticket gate without fuss (much to Dan’s relief and Tyler’s bemused disappointment) and had even gotten to gush over the adorable tiny stomping baby elephant, fuzzy but moody meerkats, and the majestic rhinos when Dan catches sight of him.
He was strolling lazily along the walls, scanning the animals briefly in each enclosure, with a towel draped across his arm.
“Isn’t that your boy?” Tyler whispered fervently, practicallyquivering with excitement. “How lucky!”
“I will murder you,” Dan deadpanned as he locked eyes with Tyler meaningfully. “Don’t say anything or draw atten—“ Dan cut himself off with a yell as he rammed his knee into the corner of an unmoving stone bench. He immediately brought it on the surface, curling his torso over it protectively, as his eyes stung. “Holy fuck. That hurts.” He grumbled lowly, taking a deep breath through his nose.
“Walk it off,” Tyler encouraged, patting his back in the same manner he would if he had gotten winded in their practice scrimmages. “C’mon. You’ve had worse.”
“It still hurts.” Dan seethed, even as he gingerly lowered it back to the ground and took a few wobbly steps.
“Hey,” Dan peered up between his lashes at the boy sauntering to him with worried crinkles carving crevasses into the skin at the edges of his eyes and a full lower (less red) lip pinched between his teeth. “I uh-“ He rubbed his the top of his arm bashfully, mucking up the tan polo to reveal a dotting of freckles. Dan smiled at the flustered, adorable mess this boy was. “I’m heading to a first aid station…they might have some ice- i-if you want?”
Dan shook his head, slapping a hand over his mouth as a snort escaped him unbidden. “I’ve had worse.”
“Oh,” There’s a pink tongue trapped between slightly crooked teeth and if Dan wasn’t gone before, he sure is now. “Sorry to hear that.”
“It’s…y’know…a thing.” Shit. I can speak, I promise.
“Like running away from boys you find cute?” The boy giggled and Dan ignored the blush creeping up his neck and face to cough.
“Hey now,” Dan grumbled, gently pushing against the guy’s shoulder. “Can you blame me?”
“You’re not too bad yourself.” He parried instantly but nearly inaudibly, laying his hand over the towel, before letting out a pained hiss. “I’ve go to go- sorry.”
Dan’s stomach dropped to the soles of his feet at the words but he can see the way the boy’s lips are twisted into a corner of his mouth and-
Dan frowned.
“Yeah…are you okay though?”
“Yeah,” He laughed, pulling the corner of the towel more securely over his forearm. “Nuki- the baby jaguar- got a bit overzealous while she was suckling and snagged me with her claws. It’s not serious.” Dan watched as a dopey smile stretched across his face, tip of that tongue wiggling, and while he wanted to lose himself in that smile…
“A jaguar?”
“Yes?”
“And you’re stalling here?” Dan’s voice rose a few octaves, reaching for a name he didn’t know so he blurted the first thing that came to mind. “You-you spork.”
“Dan!” Tyler groaned and slapped a hand across his forehead.
“I’ve never heard that one before.” The boy hummed, eyes sparking with a bolt of mischief. “Kudos, Dan, but my name is actually Phil.”
The second time Dan runs into Phil…he learns that there is a saying for handling big cats, “Claws hurt but teeth kill.” and he thinks that Phil doesn’t need either because his heart has willingly abandoned him to rest in Phil’s hands as they walk together to get him patched up.
-
“Move!” Dan shrieks at Chris who has had the ball in his hands for far too long already and Chris obeys without any hesitation, passing it to Matthew.
There is sweat pouring down his cheeks and Dan is panting heavily but he sprints and curves his body around the two that are trying to block his movements.
They are hot on his heels but Dan catches the ball with his elbow, snatching it from the air before it can escape.
-
The third time Dan sees Phil…it is intentional and he’s still dressed in his uniform, garish yellow shorts reflecting the sunlight as he sits down.
“Hey, you.” Phil greeted, mouth stuffed of half-chewed bread, cheese, and pepperoni. “Nice hair.”
Dan touched the damp curls self-consciously and sighed, “I didn’t have time to change...if I was going to make it on time. Sorry if I stink.” Dan wrinkled his nose at the knowledge that he did, indeed, reek. He had driven with the windows down but he’s not sure how much it helped.
“I promise I have smelled worse.” Phil reassured, scraping a napkin across his face. “Are you hungry?”
“Not at all,” Dan tried to lie when his stomach gurgled betrayingly. “I-“
Phil slid the tiny order of fries across the table to him with a gentle rumble vibrating in his chest. “Betrayed by your own stomach.”
“I know- rude.” Dan quipped, drumming his fingers uncertainly on the metal table top before tentatively taking a single fry. “I can’t just take your food, Phil.”
“It’s fine,” Phil dismissed, swinging the pizza in his hand. Tiny droplets of grease rained on their table. “I have snacks hidden around.”
Dan shook his head and nibbled on his fry. “Isn’t that against the rules of being a zoo keeper?”
“I can’t take food in the habitats,” Phil clarified with a small pout in Dan’s direction. “There isn’t any restrictions on having snacks and besides,” Phil hummed, clasping his hands behind his neck and stretching. “I’m not a zoo keeper, yet. I’m just a docent.”
“A docent?” Dan questioned, munching on some more of Phil’s fries.
“I’m a volunteer, basically.” Phil explained patiently, laying his pizza on the paper plate and sucking the shininess left behind on his fingertip from the grease. “I want to be a zoo keeper when I finish my degree but I’m not there yet.” Phil’s eyes softened as a tiny smile danced across his lips. “Just a little bit more and I will be.”
Dan snatched a pepperoni off of Phil’s pizza with a slight pang of guilt. He was always hungry after practice and pizza was infinitely tastier than soggy fries.
He quickly shoved it in his mouth.
“What about you, Dan?”
Dan chewed deliberately, not only to savor the spice skittering across his taste buds but to stall answering. He had never been keen on sharing his occupation because it brought too many questions and ended with most people being one of two things: disinterested or way too curious about his salary. He couldn’t even be sure that Phil had heard about handball before- he didn’t seem very sporty.
“Shame on you, Daniel. Being judgmental is not a good trait to have.” His mother’s peeved scolding drifted across his mind and Dan swallowed. He didn’t want to lie to Phil so he settled for the next best thing.
“I’m an athlete.”
“That explains the uniform.” Phil jested, tearing off a small chunk of his napkin to toss it at Dan. “What do you play?”
Fuck.
“Handball,” Dan answered,smiling despite the hard stone of dread settling in the pit of his tummy. “I love it.”
“I’ve heard of it but,” Phil told him, turning the plate with his long fingers absentmindedly. “I’m afraid I am not much of a sports person but if you enjoy it, that’s all that matters, right?”
The tension at the nape of Dan’s subsided slightly at the shy way Phil was regarding him from beneath his fringe and hope blossomed under his rib cage: scorching, painful, and so, so good.
“I hope so,” Dan murmured, a confession of a sorts that breezed past his lips unbidden. “A more stable career would be a safer option. More steady income, you know.”
Dan winced. I’m just asking for misery. I hate when people ask how much I make.
“Safer doesn’t mean better.” Phil leaned into his space, the light expanse of his eyes darkening a full shade in an effort to mirror his suddenly serious demeanor. “Seriously, Dan. If it makes you happy, stick with it.”
Dan’s mouth was dry and the roof stuck to his tongue as he opened his mouth but the heartfelt thanks he was about to utter turned into a squeak when Phil stole a fry.
“Hey!”
“You should tell me the next time you play,” Phil continued to talk even though he is nibbling on Dan’s (well, it was really his but that’s just technicalities.) fry. “Maybe I can come watch and see what handball is like.”
The third time he is in Phil’s presence…Dan is a little bit happier and lets whatever is between them grow organically as they chat and snicker until Phil has to report back to his station.
-
“You did it!” Phil is yelling, grabbing his cheeks with energy crackling in his otherworldly eyes. Electric streaks of gold spark in a sweeping crescents in a wide expanse of pale greenish blue and Dan laughs, exhilarated. “You were so good, Dan!”
Dan crushes the hand on the right side of his face and beams at Phil.
“It was nothing,” Dan deflects, even though his heart is still crashing wildly in his chest cavity from the last goal he scored before time was called. “Nothing at all.”
“You’re lying! You were so, so goo—“
Dan’s lips slam against Phil’s.
They are soft and give under his rough, adrenaline-filled kiss and Dan melts as Phil presses closer, fisting his hands in his jersey. There’s cheering around them, piercing wolf whistles, but all Dan cares about is Phil, Phil, Phil.
He pulls away and leans his forehead against Phil’s, shaking with mirth.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, Danny.“
#phan#phanfiction#fluff#first meeting#strangers to lovers#kat's writing#ambrose's writing#the first of a few secret surprise fics i'm working on#i plan to have the other up in the next two days or so#but first this#i tried with the handball#it looks intense#and the faces the players make are a+
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THE LION ROARS
WHEN the whole party was finally awake Lucy had to tell her story for the fourth time. The blank silence which followed it was as discouraging as anything could be.
"I can't see anything," said Peter after he had stared his eyes sore. "Can you, Susan?"
"No, of course I can't," snapped Susan. "Because there isn't anything to see. She's been dreaming. Do lie down and go to sleep, Lucy."
"And I do hope," said Lucy in a tremulous voice, "that you will all come with me. Because - because I'll have to go with him whether anyone else does or not."
"Don't talk nonsense, Lucy," said Susan. "Of course you can't go off on your own. Don't let her, Peter. She's being downright naughty."
"I'll go with her, if she must go," said Edmund. "She's been right before."
"I know she has," said Peter. "And she may have been right this morning. We certainly had no luck going down the gorge. Still - at this hour of the night. And why should Aslan be invisible to us? He never used to be. It's not like him. What does the D.L.F. say?"
"Oh, I say nothing at all," answered the Dwarf. "If you all go, of course, I'll go with you; and if your party splits up, I'll go with the High King. That's my duty to him and King Caspian. But, if you ask my private opinion, I'm a plain dwarf who doesn't think there's much chance of finding a road by night where you couldn't find one by day. And I have no use for magic lions which are talking lions and don't talk, and friendly lions though they don't do us any good, and whopping big lions though nobody can see them. It's all bilge and beanstalks as far as I can see."
"He's beating his paw on the ground for us to hurry," said Lucy. "We must go now. At least I must."
"You've no right to try to force the rest of us like that. It's four to one and you're the youngest," said Susan.
"Oh, come on," growled Edmund. "We've got to go. There'll be no peace till we do." He fully intended to back Lucy up, but he was annoyed at losing his night's sleep and was making up for it by doing everything as sulkily as possible.
"On the march, then," said Peter, wearily fitting his arm into his shield-strap and putting his helmet on. At any other time he would have said something nice to Lucy, who was his favourite sister, for he knew how wretched she must be feeling, and he knew that, whatever had happened, it was not her fault. But he couldn't help being a little annoyed with her all the same.
Susan was the worst. "Supposing I started behaving like Lucy," she said. "I might threaten to stay here whether the rest of you went on or not. I jolly well think I shall."
"Obey the High King, your Majesty," said Trumpkin, "and let's be off. If I'm not to be allowed to sleep, I'd as soon march as stand here talking."
And so at last they got on the move. Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan. He turned and walked at a slow pace about thirty yards ahead of them. The others had only Lucy's directions to guide them, for Aslan was not only invisible to them but silent as well. His big cat-like paws made no noise on the grass.
He led them to the right of the dancing trees - whether they were still dancing nobody knew, for Lucy had her eyes on the Lion and the rest had their eyes on Lucy - and nearer the edge of the gorge. "Cobbles and kettledrums!" thought Trumpkin. "I hope this madness isn't going to end in a moonlight climb and broken necks."
For a long way Aslan went along the top of the precipices. Then they came to a place where some little trees grew right on the edge. He turned and disappeared among them. Lucy held her breath, for it looked as if he had plunged over the cliff; but she was too busy keeping him in sight to stop and think about this. She quickened her pace and was soon among the trees herself. Looking down, she could see a steep and narrow path going slantwise down into the gorge between rocks, and Aslan descending it. He turned and looked at her with his happy eyes. Lucy clapped her hands and began to scramble down after him. From behind her she heard the voices of the others shouting, "Hi! Lucy! Look out, for goodness' sake. You're right on the edge of the gorge. Come back - "and then, a moment later, Edmund's voice saying, "No, she's right. There is a way down."
Half-way down the path Edmund caught up with her.
"Look!" he said in great excitement. "Look! What's that shadow crawling down in front of us?"
"It's his shadow," said Lucy.
"I do believe you're right, Lu," said Edmund. "I can't think how I didn't see it before. But where is he?"
"With his shadow, of course. Can't you see him?"
"Well, I almost thought I did - for a moment. It's such a rum light."
"Get on, King Edmund, get on," came Trumpkin's voice from behind and above: and then, farther behind and still nearly at the top, Peter's voice saying, "Oh, buck up, Susan. Give me your hand. Why, a baby could get down here. And do stop grousing."
In a few minutes they were at the bottom and the roaring of water filled their ears. Treading delicately, like a cat, Aslan stepped from stone to stone across the stream. In the middle he stopped, bent down to drink, and as he raised his shaggy head, dripping from the water, he turned to face them again. This time Edmund saw him. "Oh, Aslan!" he cried, darting forward. But the Lion whisked round and began padding up the slope on the far side of the Rush.
"Peter, Peter," cried Edmund. "Did you see?"
"I saw something," said Peter. "But it's so tricky in this moonlight. On we go, though, and three cheers for Lucy. I don't feel half so tired now, either."
Aslan without hesitation led them to their left, farther up the gorge. The whole journey was odd and dream-like the roaring stream, the wet grey grass, the glimmering cliffs which they were approaching, and always the glorious, silently pacing Beast ahead. Everyone except Susan and the Dwarf could see him now.
Presently they came to another steep path, up the face of the farther precipices. These were far higher than the ones they had just descended, and the journey up them was a long and tedious zig-zag. Fortunately the Moon shone right above the gorge so that neither side was in shadow.
Lucy was nearly blown when the tail and hind legs of Aslan disappeared over the top: but with one last effort she scrambled after him and came out, rather shaky-legged and breathless, on the hill they had been trying to reach ever since they left Glasswater. The long gentle slope (heather and grass and a few very big rocks that shone white in the moonlight) stretched up to where it vanished in a glimmer of trees about half a mile away. She knew it. It was the hill of the Stone Table:
With a jingling of mail the others climbed up behind her. Aslan glided on before them and they walked after him.
"Lucy," said Susan in a very small voice.
"Yes?" said Lucy.
"I see him now. I'm sorry."
"That's all right."
"But I've been far worse than you know. I really believed it was him - he, I mean - yesterday. When he warned us not to go down to the fir wood. And I really believed it was him tonight, when you woke us up. I mean, deep down inside. Or I could have, if I'd let myself. But I just wanted to get out of the woods and - and - oh, I don't know. And what ever am I to say to him?"
"Perhaps you won't need to say much," suggested Lucy.
Soon they reached the trees and through them the children could see the Great Mound, Aslan's How, which had been raised over the Table since their days.
"Our side don't keep very good watch," muttered Trumpkin. "We ought to have been challenged before now - "
"Hush!" said the other four, for now Aslan had stopped and turned and stood facing them, looking so majestic that they felt as glad as anyone can who feels afraid, and as afraid as anyone can who feels glad. The boys strode forward: Lucy made way for them: Susan and the Dwarf shrank back.
"Oh, Aslan," said King Peter, dropping on one knee and raising the Lion's heavy paw to his face, "I'm so glad. And I'm so sorry. I've been leading them wrong ever since we started and especially yesterday morning."
"My dear son," said Aslan.
Then he turned and welcomed Edmund. "Well done," were his words.
Then, after an awful pause, the deep voice said, "Susan." Susan made no answer but the others thought she was crying. "You have listened to fears, child," said Aslan. "Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?"
"A little, Aslan," said Susan.
"And now!" said Aslan in a much louder voice with just a hint of roar in it, while his tail lashed his flanks. "And now, where is this little Dwarf, this famous swordsman and archer, who doesn't believe in lions? Come here, son of Earth, come HERE!" - and the last word was no longer the hint of a roar but almost the real thing.
"Wraiths and wreckage!" gasped Trumpkin in the ghost of a voice. The children, who knew Aslan well enough to see that he liked the Dwarf very much, were not disturbed; but it was quite another thing for Trumpkin, who had never seen a lion before, let alone this Lion. He did the only sensible thing he could have done; that is, instead of bolting, he tottered towards Aslan.
Aslan pounced. Have you ever seen a very young kitten being carried in the mother cat's mouth? It was like that. The Dwarf, hunched up in a little, miserable ball, hung from Aslan's mouth. The Lion gave him one shake and all his armour rattled like a tinker's pack and then - heypresto - the Dwarf flew up in the air. He was as safe as if he had been in bed, though he did not feel so. As he came down the huge velvety paws caught him as gently as a mother's arms and set him (right way up, too) on the ground.
"Son of Earth, shall we be friends?" asked Aslan.
"Ye - he - he - hes," panted the Dwarf, for it had not yet got its breath back.
"Now," said Aslan. "The Moon is setting. Look behind you: there is the dawn beginning. We have no time to lose. You three, you sons of Adam and son of Earth, hasten into the Mound and deal with what you will find there."
The Dwarf was still speechless and neither of the boys dared to ask if Aslan would follow them. All three drew their swords and saluted, then turned and jingled away into the dusk. Lucy noticed that there was no sign of weariness in their faces: both the High King and King Edmund looked more like men than boys.
The girls watched them out of sight, standing close beside Aslan. The light was changing. Low down in the east, Aravir, the morning star of Narnia, gleamed like a little moon. Aslan, who seemed larger than before, lifted his head, shook his mane, and roared.
The sound, deep and throbbing at first like an organ beginning on a low note, rose and became louder, and then far louder again, till the earth and air were shaking with it. It rose up from that hill and floated across all Narnia. Down in Miraz's camp men woke, stared palely in one another's faces, and grasped their weapons. Down below that in the Great River, now at its coldest hour, the heads and shoulders of the nymphs, and the great weedy-bearded head of the river-god, rose from the water. Beyond it, in every field and wood, the alert ears of rabbits rose from their holes, the sleepy heads of birds came out from under wings, owls hooted, vixens barked, hedgehogs grunted, the trees stirred. In towns and villages mothers pressed babies close to their breasts, staring with wild eyes, dogs whimpered, and men leaped up groping for lights. Far away on the northern frontier the mountain giants peered from the dark gateways of their castles.
What Lucy and Susan saw was a dark something coming to them from almost every direction across the hills. It looked first like a black mist creeping on the ground, then like the stormy waves of a black sea rising higher and higher as it came on, and then, at last, like what it was woods on the move. All the trees of the world appeared to be rushing towards Aslan. But as they drew nearer they looked less like trees; and when the whole crowd, bowing and curtsying and waving thin long arms to Aslan, were all around Lucy, she saw that it was a crowd of human shapes. Pale birch-girls were tossing their heads, willowwomen pushed back their hair from their brooding faces to gaze on Aslan, the queenly beeches stood still and adored him, shaggy oak-men, lean and melancholy elms, shockheaded hollies (dark themselves, but their wives all bright with berries) and gay rowans, all bowed and rose again, shouting, "Aslan, Aslan!" in their various husky or creaking or wave-like voices.
The crowd and the dance round Aslan (for it had become a dance once more) grew so thick and rapid that Lucy was confused. She never saw where certain other people came from who were soon capering about among the trees. One was a youth, dressed only in a fawn-skin, with vine-leaves wreathed in his curly hair. His face would have been almost too pretty for a boy's, if it had not looked, so extremely wild. You felt, as Edmund said when he saw him a few days later, "There's a chap who might do anything absolutely anything." He seemed to have a great many names - Bromios, Bassareus, and the Ram were three of them. There were a lot of girls with him, as wild as he. There was even, unexpectedly, someone on a donkey. And everybody was laughing: and everybody was shouting out, "Euan, euan, eu-oi-oi-oi."
"Is it a Romp, Aslan?" cried the youth. And apparently it was. But nearly everyone seemed to have a different idea as to what they were playing. It may have been Tig, but Lucy never discovered who was It. It was rather like Blind Man's Buff, only everyone behaved as if they were blindfolded. It was not unlike Hunt the Slipper, but the slipper was never found. What made it more complicated was that the man on the donkey, who was old and enormously fat, began calling out at once, "Refreshments! Time for refreshments," and falling off his donkey and being bundled on to it again by the others, while the donkey was under the impression that the whole thing was a circus and tried to give a display of walking on its hind legs. And all the time there were more and more vine leaves everywhere. And soon not only leaves but vines. They were climbing up everything. They were running up the legs of the tree people and circling round their necks. Lucy put up her hands to push back her hair and found she was pushing back vine branches. The donkey was a mass of them. His tail was completely entangled and something dark was nodding between his ears. Lucy looked again and saw it was a bunch of grapes. After that it was mostly grapes overhead and underfoot and all around.
"Refreshments! Refreshments," roared the old man.
Everyone began eating, and whatever hothouses your people may have, you have never tasted such grapes. Really good grapes, firm and tight on the outside, but bursting into cool sweetness when you put them into your mouth, were one of the things the girls had never had quite enough of before. Here, there were more than anyone could possibly want, and rib table-manners at all. One saw sticky and stained fingers everywhere, and, though mouths were full, the laughter never ceased nor the yodelling cries of Euan, euan, eu-oi-oi-oi-oi, till all of a sudden everyone felt at the same moment that the game (whatever it was), and the feast, ought to be over, and everyone flopped down breathless on the ground and turned their faces to Aslan to hear what he would say next.
At that moment the sun was just rising and Lucy remembered something and whispered to Susan,
"I say, Su, I know who they are."
"Who?"
"The boy with the wild face is Bacchus and the old one on the donkey is Silenus. Don't you remember Mr Tumnus telling us about them long ago?"
"Yes, of course. But I say, Lu "
"What?"
"I wouldn't have felt safe with Bacchus and all his wild girls if we'd met them without Aslan."
"I should think not," said Lucy.
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