one hundred moments || a challenge

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40. a thousand, tiny little pieces
featuring;; neal and dimonte
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It was dark, work had run late, and he was so tired that his arms were shaking. All this to say, Neal was not feeling his best self as he entered his apartment. He shut the door quietly behind him and placed his work bag on the floor, knowing that Dimonte would likely already be in bed. Dimonte wouldn't hear Neal coming in at this point in the night, but Neal still tried his hardest to keep the noise down. He even made sure not to turn on any of the lights as he made his way to the bathroom.
This would be Neal's downfall.
The living room lay between Neal and the rest of the apartment. The centerpiece was a coffee table that stood about shin height. It was constructed of beautiful, dark wood, perfectly matching the black couch they had. It was a piece that the couple were very proud of, something they had saved up for together.
In his sleepy haze, Neal completely forgot that it existed.
His shin made contact with the edge of the table and Neal thought he was going to die. The coffee table shifted along the hard wood floor on its little rug with the same vigor as a living creature. Hundreds of little objects went scattering across the floor. The whole commotion brought Neal back to the wakeful world. He could now clearly see the puzzle that Dimonte had been working on for the past few days. About half of the pieces lay strewn across the apartment floor. Neal felt his stomach drop.
Hastily, he started picking up pieces and throwing them back onto the coffee table. Once they were all off of the floor, he moved the table back to original position and then slumped down on the couch. Slowly, he started to put the puzzle back together.
-----
It wasn't unusual for Neal not to come to bed after long days at work. Dimonte knew that his husband would sometimes just pass out on the couch if he couldn't make it all the way to the bedroom. What Dimonte didn't expect to find was Neal passed out in a sitting position, covered in puzzle pieces. The puzzle seemed somehow less complete than Dimonte had left it. He snorted, gently clearing the puzzle pieces from Neal's shirt and then tossing a blanket over him.

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41. victory
featuring;; ashe
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Ashe had never experienced a victory that hadn't been carefully choreographed for him. Working in the television and movie industry meant that Ashe had 'won' quite a few things for the camera. If you only looked at these performances, then his track record seemed quite impressive. But none of it had been real.
Now that he had retired from the limelight, Ashe was determined to make a genuine name for himself. He had trained in actual show jumping for a while, soon finding that the actual sport was a lot different than what he had learned for television. He essentially relearned everything he knew. It was daunting, though he definitely had a lot of fun with it.
The day of his first real show jumping competition made Ashe nervous. He shuffled from side to side, keeping a close eye on how the other horses he was competing against navigated the jumping course. When it was his turn to compete, Ashe found it difficult to calm himself down. He exploded into the ring with a frantic pace, at first losing his focus completely. He found himself falling back on old habits, and he had passed over the first jump before he was able to focus.
He made it around the rest of the course in a much calmer state of mind. He hadn't done well, that much he knew for sure. When Ashe looked back at the course, he could clearly see some bars from one of the jumps laying on the ground. And yet he wasn't disappointed. He had lost by a wide margin, but Ashe learned so much in the process that it didn't matter to him.
Victory would come to him eventually. Ashe just had to keep practicing.

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42. "breathe."
featuring;; hakim and tori
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It hit him like a freight train, and Tori was inconsolable before his knees even hit the floor. Hakim was on him in an instant, sitting down on the kitchen tile and pulling Tori into a sitting position that pressed up against Hakim.
"Breathe," Hakim murmured.
Tori choked down air into his lungs. How long had it been since he'd had a panic attack? Months? Years? Oh god, were the kids seeing him like this?
"Breathe."
Tori's breath had caught in his throat. He let out a broken sob, allowing valuable air back into his lungs. He needed to calm himself down before his children saw him. He struggled to take a few deep breaths. His ears perked up, listening for the sounds of his five children playing. From upstairs he could hear the chatter, shrieking, and banging of the children and their toys. Satisfied that they couldn't see him like this, Tori allowed himself to be vulnerable and dissolved into shuddering sobs. Hakim held him tightly the entire time, whispering comforting words and reminders to take breaths into Tori's ears. This was the only thing that stopped Tori from succumbing to his panic.
The knot in Tori's stomach eventually loosened and then evaporated. He leaned heavily against Hakim as his breathing slowed and steadied. They sat on the kitchen floor together in silence for a while. Tori closed his eyes and gripped Hakim's hands tightly, grateful for the support. The sound of five sets of feet running down the stairs broke the stillness of the moment, and Tori stiffened as the kids ran into the kitchen. They stopped short of Tori and Hakim, and Tori had to stop himself from flinching at their quizzical looks. Hakim took over explaining.
"Your dad just had some strong emotions," Hakim explained calmly. "He's ok, don't worry. Remember to use gentle words, ok?"
The kids all gave signs of acknowledgement. Then they all piled on top of Tori in one big hug. He almost started crying again.

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43. vertigo
featuring;; hazelcry and vireoclaw
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Vireoclaw was trying his hardest to take the border patrol seriously, but working with his best friend was a huge distraction. Hazelcry had led him to the top of the overlook hill, even though it wasn't on their assigned route. Vireoclaw followed with a defeated smile on his face. Arguing with the younger warrior was difficult even on a good day.
"The weather is so clear today that the view should be amazing!" Hazelcry called back to Vireoclaw. "Come on!"
Vireoclaw followed at a slight distance, enjoying the feeling of the breeze through his fur. He eventually joined Hazelcry at the top and bumped his shoulder against hers playfully.
"You were right about the view," Vireoclaw observed.
The lookout hill stood nearly central in Moorclan territory, and from here one could see almost all of the land that these cats called home. Though he had seen it many times, the sight was still dizzying to the young cat. If this was just their territory, then how big was the world?
"Isn't it wonderful?" Hazelcry asked, already knowing the answer. "There's so much potential out there for us. We could become any kind of warrior we want."
"What kind of warrior would you like to be?" Vireoclaw asked, turning to face his friend.
Hazelcry looked at him like he was silly.
"I'm gonna be the best warrior!" Hazelcry replied with a determined grin. "I'll make Moorclan famous all across the world. Everyone will know our name."
She looked wistfully over the land before turning back to Vireoclaw.
"What about you? What big warrior dreams do you have?" she asked.
"I just want to be able to take care of everyone," Vireoclaw replied with a smile. "It would be nice if I could find a way to keep the whole clan fed."
"I think we can achieve both our goals," Hazelcry said with a nod. Her eyes suddenly widened and her face fell.
"Oh no; they're gonna start wondering where we've been," she hissed, causing Vireoclaw to bite back laughter.
Hazelcry noticed and stuck out her tongue at him.
"Race you down the hill!" she cried, and then she was gone.
Vireoclaw couldn't help but laugh before taking off after her.

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44. never speak
featuring;; kiev and mortecai
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Kiev was going to have a breakdown. No matter how long he stared at the study guide in front of him, he couldn't focus enough on any of it to actually glean anything. His entire body was shaking from a dangerous mixture of anxiety and caffeine-induced fidgeting. If he didn't pass this exam, Kiev was completely and utterly screwed.
A light rapping on the door of the study room almost caused Kiev to hit the ceiling. He turned around quickly to see another student waving at him. Kiev understood this as them asking to share the study room, so he gathered himself and let them in. The other student gave him a grateful look and took a seat at the other end of the room's table. They said nothing but pulled out a thick text book and a smaller notebook. Kiev sat down and furrowed his brow at his study guide once more.
The silence between the two of them was deafening, and yet Kiev found it almost soothing. He glanced over at the other student's work and caught their name from the top of the notebook: Mortecai. Kiev shrugged to himself; he'd never seen them around before, not that it really meant anything. He went back to his study guide and started going over it again.
Slowly, it all started to make sense to Kiev. He started making connections and understanding concepts that were previously confusing. He glanced up at Mortecai and the other student gave him a thumbs up. Kiev felt his confidence about the exam steadily growing. He didn't even reach for the second energy drink he had brought with him. He was so focused in fact that he almost didn't notice the study room's timer going off.
Kiev reached down to grab his backpack so he could swing it up onto the table.
"Hey, tha-."
Mortecai was gone. Kiev was a little taken aback by how quietly they had left. But he shrugged it off as he finished packing up his stuff. Maybe they just had a class to rush off to.

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45. cloudy with a chance of catastrophe
featuring;; inyene and rex
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Inyene had rolled his eyes so much during this short journey that he thought they would fall right out of his head. Taking Rex out on hunts was always a struggle. The young saber was reckless and talkative and so self-confident that he almost never picked up on the mistakes he was making. It meant that Inyene spent most of his time babysitting the saber instead of hunting with him. They could get along, really. They were more similar than Inyene cared to admit.
But they didn't.
Today their goal was to take down a deer. It wasn't usually a complicated catch. Deer were easy to separate from the herd, and though they were hard to run down, they generally didn't put up too much of a fight. Inyene stole a glance at Rex, who was walking gleefully beside him. Yeah; the saber could handle this.
They found the deer herd in the usual place. The clearing was pretty, bordered by thick forest on one side and a sheer cliff on the other. Inyene moved to conceal himself behind some bushes, flicking his ear to encourage Rex to do the same. Much to his relief, the saber followed the instruction. Maybe this would go well.
Then it all fell apart.
Rex exploded out of their hiding spot before Inyene had a chance to stop him. Inyene barked in frustration then ran after the saber. The deer scattered. So did the last of Inyene's patience.
Rex singled out a deer and Inyene moved to help the saber secure it. They were doing well for a time, keeping the deer between the two of them. Inyene even started to get excited about the hunt.
But Rex was inexperienced. He misstepped and the deer took the chance to slip past Rex and Inyene. They could have salvaged the situation with a maneuver they'd practiced before, but Rex acted on instinct and shot after the deer. Inyene was quick to follow again as they entered the clearing again.
Inyene saw what was going to happen and forced his body to run harder.
Deer weren't known for their intelligence. In times of panic, they would do whatever it took to get away. The deer that they were hunting followed that formula exactly as it through itself over the edge of the cliff.
Rex damn near went with it.
Inyene acted on pure instinct, grabbing Rex's short tail in his mouth and holding on as tightly as he could. He dug his paws into the soft soil of the ground. The saber was almost twice the size of the canine. Somehow Inyene held on. He found solid footing and heaved Rex back onto flat ground.
"You-"
There was a viciousness in Inyene's voice that he'd never heard before.
"-are a damn idiot."
There was a silence as Rex caught his breath, then he chanced a grin at Inyene.
"Yeah, but you saved me. So it doesn't matter."
Inyene knew he was right.

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46. survival
featuring;; eli
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"A Saint Bernard as a livestock guardian dog?" There was a long pause. "...are you sure?"
Eli lay between the two people, listening idly to the conversation.
"I know it sounds strange, but I promise that Eli will be perfect for it," ensured the adoption volunteer. "He's been a really good nanny dog while he's been with us, but based on his history I think he'll easily fit your needs."
Eli rested his head on his paws. People needed to stop framing his life out in the wilderness as a good thing.
He'd been dumped on the side of a dirt road years ago. He hadn't been quite as good with his family's kids as they had been hoping, so instead he was left there to fend for himself. Or to die. There were times when Eli was sure that death would have been the easier option.
In order to survive, Eli had to push aside his gentle nature and allow the more feral side of the canine soul to take over. He hated it. Fighting and hunting; there was no time or energy left for Eli to even take care of himself. He grew lean, all the fat in his body soon exchanged for muscle. Exposed to the elements, his fur grew thick and coarse. He broke a tooth chewing on an old carcass. Several patches of matted hair were ripped out of his tail during a chase.
Eli clung to life in these conditions for two entire years. The day that he was found by the shelter volunteers was one of his worst days. Eli emerged from the forest having just killed a coyote that had challenged him over a meal. Covered in blood that wasn't his own, he panted and growled at the people as they approached him.
And now they wanted him to be some kind of guardian.
Eli snorted.

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47. raw
featuring;; neal and dimonte
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Neal watched with interest as Dimonte filled the kitchen counter top with various cooking tools and ingredients. Dimonte adjusted the placement of all these things to his liking, then turned to face Neal with a huge grin plastered on his face. Neal instinctively rolled his eyes, though he couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face.
"You look pretty damn smug for someone who's cooking dinner for the first time," Neal teased.
"I think I've played enough Cooking Mama to know how to make pasta," Dimonte snapped back, still grinning.
Neal snorted. This was certainly going to be interesting.
"Alright! I'll be on the couch then, if you need me," Neal replied.
"I won't, but thanks!" came Dimonte's retort.
Neal sighed as he sank into the plush cushions of the couch. He fumbled for the remote and then turned on the television, trying his best not to pay attention to the various noises coming from the kitchen. Dimonte was a pretty independent guy, and Neal was ever grateful that he had found a partner who could take care of themselves. But it had so far remained a fact that Dimonte could not cook. Having given himself food poisoning on multiple occasions, Dimonte had resorted to living off of microwave meals with clear instructions until he had moved in with Neal. Neal didn't have any problems with Dimonte's lack of culinary skill. He was quite happy to cook their meals.
The sound of a water pot boiling over onto the stove top broke Neal from his thoughts. Instinctively he moved to get up and solve the problem, but quickly corrected himself and sat back down. He had promised Dimonte that he wouldn't interfere unless Dimonte explicitly asked. Neal was going to hold himself to that, even if it pained him.
He listened to the various other kitchen noises while staring at the television screen. He paid no attention to the show that was playing, and immediately turned the television off once Dimonte announced that their meal was ready. Neal met his spouse at the dinner table and sat down quickly. Never in his life had he been so nervous about trying a new dish. Dimonte served out their portions and then sat across from Neal, watching expectantly. Neal admired it for a moment, then shoved a spoonful of pasta into his mouth.
The pasta crunched between his teeth. Neal almost choked.
"Dimonte, I love you more than you will ever comprehend. But this pasta is raw."

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48. starstruck, earthbound
featuring;; terenti
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She had decided to visit the ridge again. When the going got tough or a mystery dungeon was proving particularly tricky, the ridge gave Terenti space to think. She found a comfy spot on the rock and settled in, sighing to herself as she looked out over the valley.
Pokemon that were mixes of two different species didn't usually evolve. It was considered too dangerous. There was no real way to tell how their bodies would change, and Terenti had heard stories of attempted evolution going horribly wrong. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to evolve. How nice it would be to become a stronger, more true version of oneself.
Terenti had always found herself drawn to high places. She blamed it on the Dratini part of her heritage. If she had just been born a Dratini, she could work to evolve all the way up to a Dragonite. She'd be able to sprout wings and fly high above her home. Terenti threw another wistful glance over the edge of the ridge as she thought about how wonderful the view would be.
The sky soon grew dark as the sun dipped below the horizon. Terenti kept her eyes on the view for a long while, until the lack of light caused the colours to fade into bitter greys. It was only then that Terenti got up to leave. She gave one last, sad look at the edge of the ridge. How nice it would be to soar down to the bottom of the valley.
Alas, she had to settle for walking.

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49. we depend on you
featuring;; jamie, hawk, and ren
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Jamie had a couple of favourite places that he delivered to, but the bar and grill a few blocks from the back was probably at the top of that list. He loved the energy of the place, and those who worked there were some of the most genuine people that he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. Usually when Jamie rolled up with something that they'd ordered, he opened the back door to barely contained chaos. His friends there always held it down with a smile and the best attitude. Sometimes they'd even let Jamie stick around and chat.
Today he had more packages, so as usual he pulled his van around the back and parked up. He stepped out to move to the back of the van, smiling once he realized that he could already hear the bustle from inside the restaurant. He grabbed the packages he needed then walked up to the back door, the one that led into the kitchen. He knocked on the door with his foot then stepped back, making sure to hold the stack of packages securely.
The door swung open and Jamie was met with a familiar face and a grin. Hawk ushered him in and led him through the crowded kitchen to the usual storage place in the back. Jamie set the boxes down carefully and turned back to Hawk, ready to welcome their usual conversation.
"Ready for the rush tonight?" Jamie asked, stealing a glance out into the rest of the kitchen. Hawk snorted.
"It's Mother's Day. It's gonna be hell out there," he replied. "I'm starting to seriously worry about the new kid. I know he's been improvin', but some of the mistakes he's already made today were pretty bad."
"You think he'll survive out there?" Jamie asked, eyeing the new kid - Ren - as he walked by.
"If he can survive me first," Hawk replied with a small smile. Jamie chuckled.
"Guess I'll check in tomorrow," he said, heading back towards the door.
"I'll let you know if he lives!" Hawk called after him as Jamie made his way back to the truck.
The rest of Jamie's delivery route was pretty uneventful. He drove around, listened to music, greeted his regulars. By the time he got home, he was tired as usual but happy with the day he'd had. He dropped his hat on the table and got ready to settle in. He flopped down onto the couch, and was promptly surprised by his cell phone starting to vibrate. He rolled over and picked it up, frowning as he read the caller name.
"Ren?"
"Jamie? Oh, thank god," came Ren's reply.
"Are you calling about the van?" Jamie asked. "I appreciate the call back, but the check engine light went away so I think it's good now."
His brow furrowed even further. Hadn't they had this conversation already?
"Not about the van," Ren replied bluntly. "I need a favor. I'm in deep trouble, and I think Hawk might actually kill me this time."
Jamie wasn't sure that Hawk would, but he heard Ren out all the same.
"I was tryna get out a bunch of dishes, but I slipped and dropped them and now we're down about half our plates and my life will be basically over if we can't get more. I've got some on rush order, but the guy says they won't be here for like an hour because he has to call in a driver."
"I can go get them for you," Jamie replied instantly.
"Would you?" The desperation in Ren's voice tugged at Jamie's heart. "I'll owe you my life, seriously."
"I got it," Jamie replied. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
"You're the best, oh my god."
Jamie smiled and sighed to himself as he got back up off of the couch. As much as he probably shouldn't be doing a favor like this, he liked Ren and the rest of the bar and grill staff too much to brush them off. He put his hat back on and headed back out to the truck.
He made it to the distribution center in record timing. Jamie's boss was surprised to see him, but Jamie brushed him off about clocking back in to work.
"Don't charge for this, boss," Jamie said as he found the correct packages. "It's a personal favor."
"You're not letting someone walk over you again, are ya?" the boss questioned. Jamie shook his head.
"Nah, promise."
His boss sighed, giving Jamie a slight shake of his head.
"Don't let that change."
"Got it, boss."
Then Jamie was off again, back towards the bar and grill. He pulled up to the back door for the second time that day and stepped out of the van. Before he could get to the back, however, he was stopped by Hawk.
"Plates?" Hawk asked.
"How'd you know?" Jame asked, head slightly tilted.
"The new kid's a panicky mess," Hawk replied with a sigh, walking to the back of the van with Jamie. "He's currently taking a breather in the storage room. I asked him about the plates and he just completely broke down."
"Go easy on him?" Jamie asked as he handed Hawk the first of the two packages.
"I'm not gonna fire him, don't worry," Hawk replied. "But he shouldn't have called you like that. I appreciate the favor, but you're not just someone we can ask to run around like that. That, Ren has to make up for. I'm sorry you had to run out here again."
"It's really not a problem," Jamie replied with a shrug, but Hawk narrowed his eyes at Jamie as the human held the door open.
"No, it is a problem," Hawk pushed back, letting Jamie inside the kitchen. "Come back tonight after closing. I want to make this right."
-----
Jamie had never been to the bar and grill after close. He could immediately tell that the atmosphere was different; there were no chaotic noises emanating from inside the building. He knocked on the door and Hawk answered, letting Jamie inside. The first thing that Jamie saw when he walked into the kitchen was a very sheepish-looking Ren holding a box. Hawk went and stood off to the side, shooting a sharp look at Ren.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Hawk asked him. Ren looked like he wanted to sink into the ground.
"I'm sorry for calling you for a personal favor to fix my own mistake," Ren said, voice shaking slightly. "I should have just taken the hit and dealt with it by myself. Thank you for doing what you did, but it won't happen again."
The whole speech was incredibly awkward, and Jamie found that all he could do in the moment was give Ren a sympathetic smile. He could only imagine the tongue lashing that Ren had received. Hawk was a good guy, but Jamie was sure that he could be terrifying when he needed to be. As if on cue, Hawk nodded at Ren.
"Oh right! Here's a take-out dinner for you, as thanks," Ren said, pushing the box into Jamie's hands.
Seemingly satisfied, Hawk allowed Jamie to say goodbye to Ren and then walked Jamie outside.
"To be completely honest, you really saved us today," Hawk admitted as they got back to the van. "But seriously; don't do that again. I don't want it to seem like we're taking advantage. As much as we depend on you, you're not our fetch guy."
Jamie went to protest, but Hawk cut him off.
"Seriously."
Jamie sighed.
"Alright."