Cross is in his nest sleeping with the pups, well, all except one.
Sugar is up and about, fumbling around with some kelp and seaweed to try and make a nest, except he's failing miserably.
He stops to compare both his nest and his Luma's nest and whines in defeat when he realises they look nothing alike.
Not being able to make the nest causes him to get upset and he of course starts sobbing.
Hearing one of the pups upset wakes Cross up, and he can see little Sugar just a ways from the nest, clearly upset.
He chirps and coos at the pup, who swims right into his arms.
Sugar is embraced and groomed until he settles down.
"What's got you upset, sweetfin," Cross asks.
"I wanted to make a nest, like you do but it's not working, I can't do it!"
Cross looks over to the jumbled mess of kelp and smiles, "well you have the right idea, it just needs a little fixing!"
"Luma can you show me how to fix it?"
"Of course!"
Cross carefully gets up, leaving the nest once he's sure Horror is watching over the pups from a distance.
Horror gives him a nod, and Cross swims over to Sugar's nest.
"Let's see here…"
With practiced ease, he untangles the ball and begins rearranging the kelp.
Sugar is perched on his shoulder, watching eagerly, tail swishing idly, "Luma makes it look so easy!"
"Yes, well, I had an amazing teacher," he purrs after stealing a glance at a spectating Dream.
It takes a few minutes of Cross directing Sugar on how a nest should be made and even a few tips to get it as soft as possible, but they manage just fine.
Sugar admires the nest they made and chirps happily as he lies in it, reaching up to give his Luma a hug and a kiss, "Thank you!!"
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Here's another old injured!jaskier/sick!Geralt . This was probably my shortest little drabble but I just reread it and remembered it fondly.
Taking your own advice
"If you knew when to shut your mouth, Jaskier, this wouldn't have happened", The Witcher reasoned.
The Bard in question lay prone on a spread of furs before a fire as the pair rested from another long days journey. He groaned and turned his head to face the fire and the Witcher beyond.
" and if YOU were doing your job, that Nekker wouldn't have had a chance", Jaskier huffed indignantly, cranky with discomfort.
A dark look passed over the Witcher's face as he closed himself to the conversation and turned his attention instead to cleaning some of the nekker guts off his gear. A silence grew between them punctuated only by the crackling of the fire, Roach's soft nuzzling of the grass nearby, and the occasional scrape of a whetstone on steel
. . . . . .
Jaskier had lapsed into a fitful sleep, the ache in his shoulder proving difficult to position himself well, when he was awoken by a sound he couldn't quite place at first until it swelled suddenly with staccato desperation and Jaskier opened his eyes in time to see Geralt pull in a sharp near-silent breath, canine flashing, as he ducked carefully into an armored shoulder with a practiced movement.
Hh... Hih'tsshhuh!... Snff..
Jaskier watched with fascination as Geralt raised his head, his yellow eyes obscured by dark lashes that blearily tried to blink away a feeling that obviously had left the Witcher feeling muzzy.
"Bless you", Jaskier offered quietly as Geralt raised a hand to paw at his face.
He didn't startle, Jaskier assumed the Witcher had known the moment he had awoken by his heartbeat alone or the cadence of his breath, but he cast the bard a brief side-eye before turning into his shoulder again.
This time he convulsed twice, the first sneeze silent and contained but followed by a single sharp inhale before a louder and significantly wetter sounding... -ght! hhh!…hhHEGSHUu!
Jaskier frowned, thought about it, then sighed.
This was out of place, he couldn't remember the Witcher breaking that impressive dignified silence over a couple of sneezes before. He realized that if Geralt was perhaps, say, coming down with something, that would explain the muddled senses and the need for the bard to be silent so he could focus better. Fuck...
Jaskier had enough sense to flush with embarrassment, reconsider his attitude toward his stoic companion, before carefully venturing into unknown territory.
"Why didn't you say you were unwell?". Geralt paused and regarded the bard with a tilt of his head and a raised brow.
"Barely worth mentioning".
His voice, surprisingly huskier than normal, sinking further down into a scrape of sound that had the bard wincing with sympathy and sending a silent prayer to the Gods that he didn't catch it himself.
Jaskier huffed and gestured toward himself, " might have made the difference. I... I didn't realize".
The bard watched as Geralt swallowed around a sore throat and set his kit aside, crossing his arms and leaning back against the outcrop with a hmmm.
Jaskier fell silent again when he realized that the witcher hadn't even bothered to deny it.
Surely that alone denoted how the brooding man must feel. Jaskier felt altogether endeared and exasperated.
He thought to make a quip about it when that hazy look crept across his companions face once again, it was almost too much how Geralt seemed to set his jaw and fight it the same way he did everything else like some silent war. This one however he was rapidly losing and even Jaskier could recognize the line of embarrassment that bisected that furrowed brow.
He could rightly assume the Witcher was once again wishing the bard was anywhere but right where they were, but he could sense no actual heat behind it.
"Hih... Huh... snff.. hih' fuh-fuck.."
Jaskier sighed and braced himself as he got to his feet, taking the opportunity to move himself and the furs around the fire while the Witcher was distracted. He dumped the furs beside his ailing companion just as the sneeze that had been eluding him rose to the surface causing the Witcher to pitch to the side furthest away as it scraped along his throat. The sneeze more vocal than the others had been thus far.
Hih'Eh!... H'AESSH! Ugh...Wuh- Jaskier...wud are y-", Geralt made a face at his own congestion forgetting for a moment to admonish the bard for his proximity and tried to clear his throat to try again when Jaskier held a hand up to silence him.
"Bless you, and Take your own advice, Geralt", Jaskier said with a smile despite the overly dramatic moan that followed as he took the spot next to the Witcher, his crude stitches pulling, and dragged the other furs across their laps.
When the Witcher continued to level him with a questioning gaze as he settled the bard broke out in a laugh, placing a hand on his shoulder to brace himself as he replied.
Meruem lifted his head from the board, quizzically examining the proud smile on Komugi’s face after she blurted this in the middle of their game.
She smiled and said, “It’s green."
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“What? No?" Her brows furrowed in an expression of confusion and embarrassment. "Not green?”
“What made you guess green?”
She shrugged, sinking into the cushion under her legs. “I guess I was thinking, you know, you’re very down to earth. And green is supposed to be…earthy.”
His finger curled against his lip. “You think I’m earthy.”
“Yes,” she said, “unless you’re not. Then I can take my guess back.”
Meruem heard her say once that she liked to learn how each person interpreted each color. She knew of yellow as happiness, sunlight, or even illness. She heard of red being anger and violence, but also warmth and love. And now, apparently, green was earth.
“What is your favorite color?” She asked.
“I thought you were guessing.”
“Yeah, but I guessed wrong and you laughed.”
His smile lingered on his lips. “I wasn’t laughing at you.”
She slumped her shoulders, shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to let his assurance settle with her.
Meruem said, "My favorite color is blue."
Lifting her head towards his voice, rejuvenated with curiosity, she said, “Oh! Okay. That’s…" Her hands fell into her lap. "That makes sense.”
“And why does it?”
“Because you’re...cool. It’s a cool color. And it’s like, the ocean, or the morning sky. Or...or royal. Or I guess that's purple?" Komugi tapped her finger against her chin. "Blue is also a calm color. Right? Is that why?”
He gazed straight ahead; a little ways over her smile and above her button shaped nose, her steely blue eyes sparkled. “Yes,” he said. “That’s right.”
vampire MC x human Yoongi (aka the one where Mc and Yoongi are mates)
mentions of blood loss, killing of infants, parent death, vampires are cunts, also heavily unedited as all works are when I post
others
It'd been almost three months since you'd fed from Yoongi. His heart ached at your silent treatment of him. He'd smashed his phone after a month of you ignoring his calls and messages. He was a mess, blonde hair now showing the roots, eyes adorned with deep heavy purple bags from lack of sleep. The worst was that he'd wracked his brain for possible ideas on what he'd done wrong. He always came up with the same idea; you hadn't really loved him. Sure you'd begun dating under the rule that it was only so you could feed from him. But something had changed in you, some odd weeks later you'd taken less of his blood. Only feeding from him every Sunday, you still came around though often times just to hang out, go out, and sleep.
It was no wonder he'd grown accustomed to your presence in his apartment. It was during a feeding you'd taking a bit too much, so much so he'd weakly had to push you away as he pressed the silver ring on his finger into your arm. His barely coherent mind caught the sizzle from the silver making contact with your skin before you pulled away. Lips stained red, eyes wide once a beautiful shade of brown now glowing carmine. It faded in seconds your eyes quickly darting over his somewhat unconscious form lips trembling as your tongue wrapped around the abundant apologies fleeing your being. Your tongue felt heavy in your mouth as you realized what you'd done. You'd fled after sealing the wound and that was the last he'd seen of you.
Yoongi after so much time had made up his mind, he'd go to your house and get you to speak to him. He deserved an explanation, that was the least you could do. So he pulled on a jacket and headed out. His mind was so busy he'd made it there faster than he anticipated; and now stood before the door to the giant Victorian. A heaviness he hadn't felt before suddenly sat atop his shoulders with feet cemented to the ground. His game plan had been simple, show up, get an explanation, make up and then leave. Simple right? Except now it didn't seem like it. His heart hammered in his chest reminding him that he was in front of a house filled with vampires and he was very much human. So human in fact it took him promptly five minutes to finally notice that Jimin had been sitting just outside the front door. A small hesitant smile lining his lips that could turn any hetero man in an instant.
"Jimin, how long have you been there?"
"Long enough besides I knew you would come around sooner or later."
"Did you foresee this moment?"
"No, I'm just good at guessing games; and you forget I'm a half-blood. We don't get fancy powers like the pure bloods."
"Then how could you possibly know I was going to be over today? I'm here to talk to _____."
"I didn't. I assumed you would but I don't think it wise for you to be here."
"Why?"
"You do remember that you're human right? I mean how can one not realize their own mortality."
"Of course I know I'm human what does that have to do with _____? Is there something you're not telling me?"
"Hyung would kill me if he knew what I was doing. Lets take a little walk and while we're at it how about we have some story time."
"I'm not up for your crap right now. As your hyung I want to know where _____ is."
"In human years of course but I'm way older than you. Born in the 1400's, so that would make me a hyung by default no?" Yoongi sighed heavily watching as the young vampire stood, dusting off his jeans and casually walking down the steps.
"Your not allowed to see _____."
"Why not."
"She's gone on a rampage. So Hoseok had to lock her up to keep her safe."
"What do you mean by rampage?"
"You see pure bloods and half bloods differ only slightly. Half bloods are always from a vampire mother and human father. Pure bloods have both vampire parents except all vampire females are half bloods and all if not most males are pure bloods. Thus creating a pure blooded vampire such as Hoseok, and Jin. Namjoon and I are half blooded born from vampire mothers and human fathers. We're born with no special power, our fangs are shorter and appetite can be quenched with both human food and blood."
“So then what is _____?"
"She's a rare type of vampire. One of the few female pure blooded vampires in all existence."
"I don't understand just how many pure blooded female vampires are there?"
"In Korea, just two including _____. On the world, about 40 give or take."
"That number seems surprisingly low."
"Oh it is. The Vampire court usually keeps count of how many vampires consummate and spawn children. Those vampires belong to a smaller group called a coven and even smaller more family oriented clans. Our clan has tried our very best to keep _____ away from the watchful eyes of the Vampire Court."
"But why?"
"Pure blooded females are stronger in every manner. They'd easily outnumber vampire males 7 to 1 just like human females. Except instead of oppressing them like you humans do the vampire court eliminates them the day after their birth." Yoongi visibly recoils at the thought of killing babies, babies whom haven't done a single bad thing in their lives.
"It seems extreme to most and many clans are trying to fix this issue but we're not a democracy. Our entire existence is thanks to the monarchy, but just because they are stronger doesn't mean that they come without faults. _____ was born during a time where most were afraid to find out that their child was a female. We'd had some incidents where pure blooded females rampaged destroying entire towns and cities; so the court declared all female pure blooded babies be eliminated thereafter."
"So then how is _____ alive." Yoongi asked as he followed Jimin around the house and towards the forested area out back.
"_____ and I are distant relatives, hence the surname Park. Her mother was actually related to mine by some way or form. When her parents conceived they felt her automatically. Strange thing at that to be able to feel your child when she's so little just barely forming; but her mother did. So she reached out, and Hoseok came to stay with _____’s original clan keeping Namjoon and I updated. ____’s mother feared her daughters well being that she couldn't even see a doctor. So Hoseok had one brought in, one he knew could be trusted. That's when we met Jin. He'd stayed until _____ was born, unfortunately her mother died during childbirth. Her father had already agreed that Hoseok would take her and raise her as his own just like he'd done for Namjoon and I. Except he made Hoseok promise to fulfill his final wish."
"I don't even want to ask what that was."
"He asked Hoseok to burn down her estate. The rest of the clan was fine dying in the fire if it meant that _____would live. Hoseok gave us all a choice, die with the rest of _____ clan, keep this secret and stay in his clan or run with the fear that he'd find us and kill us if we ever mentioned her true heritage. It was a simple answer for all three of us; we'd been so enamored with her that we couldn't leave."
"Still doesn't answer how she went on a rampage." Yoongi pointed out.
"Your a fool to think that your special, but more a fool am I to not understand just how special you are to her. She's had human lovers before, and is the reason why we've chosen to only feed off animals. I've seen her slaughter entire towns because of her hunger for human blood. We keep her off it for her own safety; and she's been pretty good about it for a long time now. It isn't until she met you that she's begun to degenerate."
"Why's that?"
"Because you are her mate. The universe put you out in the world to be with her or be the end of her. All beings have a mate, human senses just aren't as fine tuned as the supernaturals. The day you met she knew, Hoseok made it so that she never went unescorted anywhere. We knew she snuck out just not where to, or who to. We knew she was feeding off something just not what exactly. She was always freshly cleansed smelling of fruits. Yet recently there was a stench that clung to her. Something foul and so pungent it would linger festering until the day she came home. Blood staining her clothes, tears clinging to her lashes and that crazed look in her eyes we'd all recognized."
"And that's why you locked her up."
"No, she asked us to. She begged us to do it, clung to Hoseok until he agreed. She's been here ever since."
"She chose this?"
"She did this for you, you are her mate just as she is yours. She'd do anything to keep you safe even from herself."
"Can I see her, I mean is it okay for me to see her?"
 Aaron’s soft voice made Eric look up from where he was scrubbing the blood out of his lover’s shirt at the kitchen sink.  Aaron had showered and the cuts on his face were closed with butterfly bandages. He was dressed now in loose fitting flannel pajama bottoms and a hooded sweatshirt, the least restrictive clothing possible for his possibly broken ribs.  Already the bruises were starting to form on his face; his lower lip, cheek and nose puffy from swelling. Â
 “You just got the shit beaten out of you and you’re asking if I’m okay?”
Aaron shrugged softly. “Not the first time it’s happened, doubt it’ll be the last. But what happened today--Spencer, Olivia…having a gun pointed in your face…are you okay?”
Eric set aside the shirt and scrubber brush, gripping the edge of the counter and studying the movement of the granite as he tried to process everything. “How can any of us be okay anymore?  After you told me what happened to Glenn and Abraham—the thought that it could have been you,” Eric looked up and met Aaron’s gaze. “I knew we no longer had a choice in the deal with the Saviors.  Even if they took everything we own, it wouldn’t matter as long as I still had you. Now…I feel like no matter what we do, they could roll in here at any time and kill us.  You and Rick were out there, risking your lives to get shit for them, and they still kill two of our own and kick the crap out of you.”
Aaron gingerly moved around the kitchen island as Eric shook his head and hung it with a heavy sigh.  He gathered the shorter man into his arms and felt Eric hold him carefully, mindful of his injuries.  “I don’t care what happens to me,” Aaron murmured. “I care what happens to you.”
“I care what happens to you. To both of us.  If this is what I can expect to see every time you come home, then I don’t want you going back out there anymore.”
“I have to, Eric.”
Eric sighed and pulled away from Aaron, busying himself with scrubbing the shirt again to hide his frustration and anguish.  As always, Aaron saw right through it and moved in behind him, arms looping around Eric’s waist and chin resting on his shoulder.  Eric squeezed his eyes shut, his throat constricting with a jumble of emotions—horror over witnessing two murders, loathing for Negan and the Saviors, distress at seeing Aaron beaten, hopeless and resigned to their current situation, guilt for wanting both him and Aaron to step back from all of this, and fear of losing his lover.  It was all too much and Eric felt himself breaking down, a quiet sob wracking his body as tears cut wet paths down his cheeks.
“It’s okay; I’m here.” Aaron’s voice was soft and reassuring, one hand moving to rub Eric’s back.
“It’s not okay!” Eric croaked, sniffling and wiping his face with his shirt sleeve. “None of this is okay…I’m not okay.”
Eric’s voice grew softer and softer until the last words were spoken, barely audible. Aaron felt a twinge of pain that wasn’t from his injuries, and he pulled Eric away from the sink, taking him by the hand and leading him to the couch to sit and hold him.  Eric molded himself against Aaron’s side, still sniffling wetly as tears continued to fall.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when it happened.  I’m sorry you had to see it.  I wanted to spare you from having to see anything like that.”
“How do you even cope, babe?” Eric asked, looking at Aaron. “We’ve both had nightmares about the roamers, but you’ve been dealing with nightmares about the Saviors since the night…since that night.  I know what my nightmares are going to become now—all the different ways I could lose you—and I’m terrified that I won’t be able to handle it.”
“Having you next to me, helps.” Aaron replied gently. “More than you know.  I’ll be here for you when the nightmares come. To reassure you, to hold you, to tell you everything’s alright just as you’ve done for me. You’re the strongest person I know, Eric. You’ve given me strength and courage more times than I can count. The dreams are ugly, but they’re just dreams.”
“Until they’re not.”
Aaron tenderly wiped the wetness from Eric’s cheeks and leaned in to kiss him. “We’ll get through this, babe. Together. I trust Rick to come up with a plan to get us out of this.”
Eric expelled a heavy breath. “Aaron—“
“I trust Rick,” Aaron cut him off. “I need you to trust me.”
“I trust you, but—“
Aaron lifted his eyebrows in silent rebuke.
Eric sighed in resignation. “I trust you.”
Aaron cupped his face and leaned in to gift him with a lingering kiss, thumb stroking the sharp angle of Eric’s cheekbone.  “I promise, Eric…I will be here to make your life miserable for a long, long time. I have no intention of dying yet, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Eric tenderly cupped Aaron’s face in return, gently resting his forehead against his lover’s. “Good.  Because I kind of like being miserable with you.”
Aaron sifted his fingers through Eric’s hair before resting his hand on the back of his neck. “So it’s a plan, then? We’ll spend the rest of our lives miserable together.”
“Completely miserable.” Eric agreed with a soft smile.
“Absolutely wretched.”
“I loathe you so much.”
“I loathe you more,” Aaron grinned despite the pain of his cuts and bruises and pressed his lips to Eric’s.
Eric lightly caressed Aaron’s cheek, feeling his unsettled emotions die back down for now.  The road ahead of them was dark and treacherous, but with Aaron at his side, he would survive it.
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It was the summer of 2015 when she went missing, the 25th of July to be precise. Her mother sent her out to get milk for the pie she was making. It was supposed to be a quick trip to the grocery store and back, however she took longer than expected. After an hour her mother started getting worried – why wasn’t she back yet? The store is right around the corner. Maybe she met one of her friends and overstayed. As the middle aged woman waited for her daughter to return she got this gut wrenching feeling like something was utterly wrong and without wasting precious time she called her daughter. When she didn’t answer her phone the first few times, the woman tried convincing herself that she must have putted deep inside her pocket and didn’t hear it, but as she called repeatedly for almost half an hour and didn’t get a response  she knew something was terribly wrong. Immediately she phoned her husband and son telling them the situation and soon both of them were home. As the mom called the police, the father got inside his car to drive around and look for her, and the brother called all the people that knew her – nobody has seen her today. The police soon came and questioned all of the family members, all of them said everything they could and by the 9pm an amber alert was out for the sixteen year old Natsumi Raimon. Everyone the family knew – every friend and family member- was looking for her, yet nothing. Soon the night came and yet no news of the missing daughter.
The morning came and the police delivered sad news to the worried family – Natsumi didn’t make it to the store. The family felt as if a rock was pushed on their hearts – their beloved Natsumi was missing.  They searched after that. The police, her school mates, friends, family, locals and neighbors all of them, they searched high and low – nothing. She was nowhere to be found. I was there; I helped them search for the girl I loved. Yet our search was fruitless and Natsumi wasn’t found dead or alive, she was just…gone.
It was odd to remember everything now as it’s been three years now. I sign as I sit down at the porch staring at the big tree in our back yard. She was so beautiful and breath-taking.  I remember the joy I felt kissing her soft lips before I pushed her to her death. I smile to myself. She is now forever with me, buried under the beautiful oak tree where her beauty will last an eternity.
Why did they drag him along?
Though Sanzo knew they would have screwed up somehow, he would have been happy (or at least less grumpy) to let the others go shopping without him.
Instead he was dragged from vendor to vendor in the marketplace and forced to endure endless squabbling between the pervert and monkey.
Sanzo's trigger finger was already beginning to itch.
"Mommy! I want this!" a child shouted excitedly.
"No!" his mother scolded. "And quit making that face or it'll stick that way."
Suddenly, Goku turned to study Sanzo.
“So that’s what happened to you!” He nodded sagely.
 Elizabethwas never expecting to ever see Meliodas drunk, at least in person. She’d seena hint of what he’d be like if he got drunk when Zaratras had guided her andHawk through Meliodas’ memories—but nothing she’d seen then really hinted atwhat she was looking at right now.
 “Heythere, pretty lady,” Meliodas said with a lazy grin, his eyes lidded and cheeksa little too flushed. He leaned back, one palm on the table behind him and theother hand formed into a finger gun, and winked one green eye. “What’s a womanas fine as you doing in a dump like this?”
 Elizabethstared at Meliodas with a blank, round-eyed expression. Then, as Meliodaswinked at her again and clicked his tongue against his teeth, her brows drewdown and made her expression flat.
 Shehad to ask. “Sir Meliodas, are you drunk?”
 Meliodasblinked round eyes for a beat, and then his expression quickly morphed fromseductive to absolutely offended.
 “Madam,h-how even dare you?” He said, placing hand over his chest, like Elizabeth justwrecked his entire life, and began leaning his other arm against the table. “Me,a drunk? In front of a lady? I would never,ever, absolutely ever—motherfucker!”
 Elizabeth cringed as she watched his elbowdefinitely not land on the wooden table, causing Meliodas to stumble back andfall on his back, the table tipping onto its side along with him. Meliodas nowlay prone on the floor, clutching his elbow and groaning low in his throat. Shewatched him and then walked slowly over to him, her heart thumping with worryand...well, something else.
 Whenshe was close enough, Elizabeth crouched next to him and asked, “U-um, SirMeliodas? Are you alright?”
 “...Ow,”he muttered as he sat up. Meliodas opened his eyes and smiled at Elizabeth,still very drunk. “Pretty damn smooth, ain’t I?”
 Itwas at this moment that, despite herself, Elizabeth finally snorted. As hermouth spread into a wide grin, giggles bubbling out of her before she couldstop, Elizabeth just shook her head. When she found it in her to speak, shegave Meliodas a shrewd look, an eyebrow quirked.
 “Meliodas,you are something right now, and it is definitely not smooth.”
 Meliodaspursed his lips into a definite not-pout, his brows drawn down. Then with a huffhe turned away and muttered, “Well, the hell with you too, Ellie.”
 Elizabethgiggled again and shook her head. Then she leaned over and gave him a sweetkiss on the cheek. Meliodas melted at the contact, his mouth spreading into adopey grin, his eyes glazing over—a gaze that Elizabeth smiled softly into,while running a hand through his hair.
 “I’mgetting you water, and maybe bread,” she said. Then she glanced around thetavern, seeing the rest of her friends (even Merlin and Hawk) passed out fromthat weird, weird mead they’d foundearlier that day, and Elizabeth winced as she added, “And maybe some foreveryone else too...”
 Meliodasdidn’t seem to hear her, still leaning into the fingers stroking his scalp ashe said unconsciously, “I love you too.”
 Elizabethfaltered, a hot flush rising to her cheeks, and she rolled her eyes up to senda pleading look to the heavens. This was going to be a long night.
