#ftf: zach 003

[mir-iamwilde]

So what would you think of me now? So lucky, so strong, so proud || Zach & Midge

WHO: @zachwilde, @mir-iamwilde

WHERE: Immy and Zach's House

WHEN: The 5th of November

WHY: Zach and Midge discuss Midge's plan with Aaron, and what happened on Halloween with Danny.

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence, abuse, religion, and murder. Zach suffers a panic attack.

zach wilde Zach loved when it was just him and Malea. The fact that Immy had trusted him enough to take care of her on his own, and the fact that Malea liked him enough to spend one on one time with him. They'd been coloring and watching cartoons together when Midge walked through the front door. "Hey!" Zach greeted happily, immediately looking her over to see if there were any noticeable bruises on her. He relaxed when there weren't any, and got up to greet her. He wrapped his arms around Midge, kissing her on the top of the head. "You remember Midge, Malea? Say hi!" He waited for what Malea was going to do, and she looked up and sighed. "I'm still coloring, Zachy," she told them, and Zach laughed. "You're so right, I'm sorry, bug." They turned to Midge, voice lower now: "What's up? Is everything okay?"

Midge WildeMaking her way to Immy's house, or - Zach and Immy's house, she felt her nerves building. She knew Zach wasn't going to like this conversation, that they were going to worry about her, but she couldn't keep doing so many things behind their back. She'd promised to tell him what her plan was on Halloween, and she needed to follow through. Midge barged through the door, kicking it shut behind her, wondering if Immy was there to be annoyed by her, but was disappointed when she saw it was just Zach and the kid. At least Han was there to greet her. 

Midge hugged Zach back, relaxing against them, and couldn't help but to let out a laugh at Malea's words. She could respect a girl with an attitude, "Yeah, don't be so rude, Zachy." She teased, nudging them with her arm. Midge nodded at their question, and gestured towards the next room, "Maybe we should talk in here?" She said, taking a seat at the kitchen table, "Are you doing okay?" She asked, biting her lip, knowing that they'd likely need to discuss both Aaron and Danny, and she wasn't sure how either would go.

zach wilde"I'm gonna talk to Midge, okay?" Zach told Malea, but she was far too busy with coloring to really care what they were saying. He laughed and then made his way to the kitchen. Zach grabbed two glasses and filled them up with water, setting them down on the table and joined her. As much as he liked a visit from Midge, he knew that there must be something going on. He wondered if she knew that Danny put his hands on him, and still was going back and forth with deciding if he should even tell her or not. 

"I'm okay," they nodded, tilting their head to the side, a little confused. Why was she asking if they were okay? "Are you? I love that you're here, Midgie, but I'm kind of confused. Is there something going on? Nothing happened with Aaron, did it?" They couldn't help themselves, they looked over Midge again, making sure there weren't any bruises they'd missed the first look over.

Midge WildeMidge felt herself flinch under their gaze. She knew Zach only cared that she was okay, but she didn't like feeling like she was being inspected. Instead, she brushed them off, stretching her neck up so they could have a clear view, letting a small laugh escape her, "You want to see my stomach, too, make sure there's nothing hidden anywhere else?" She teased, reaching out to squeeze their hand gently. 

"No, nothing happened with Aaron, but I just ...I didn't really get to explain on Halloween, but I think there's a way that maybe I can get him out of our lives." She bit her lip, feeling her nerves pick up again, "But I need you to tell me it's okay to do this, because if you tell me not to, I won't." Midge took in a deep breath, "I think all these years, Dad has been stealing money from the church, I think I can get proof, and from what I'm seeing, he could go to jail for a really long time. But...I have to be able to prove it."

zach wildeZach frowned. "I'm sorry. Ever since you told me what happened with dad, I've just.. I've been having a lot of bad dreams. I can't stop thinking about it," his voice was quieter on the last sentence, but he squeezed her hand back. He wouldn't tell her that he was constantly plagued with the anxiety that Aaron would show up and do even worse to her. 

They were immediately locked into what Midge was saying, brows furrowing in confusion. Everything made sense when Midge commented on Aaron stealing money from the church. Zach couldn't help his laugh. Of course the good Christian man was stealing money from Pacific Grace. Of course he was. But Midge being the one to uncover it... "Midgie.." they finally said, shaking their head. "I'll be the first one to say I want Aaron to go to jail. He deserves it. But.. Are you being careful? What if he catches on? What then?"

Midge WildeShe regretted telling Zach what had really happened with Aaron. As much as they deserved to know, and she knew she should have told them, she regretted the worry it was causing them. Midge frowned at their words, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I promise, he’s been fine at work, he wouldn’t let anyone think less of him by treating me badly in front of anyone. You don’t have to worry about it.” She knew that would likely be little comfort, but she hoped it helped enough. 

She was surprised how well he took her news, of course he was worried, but she expected that. “Well, he’ll have to find out eventually, but I’ve got time to prepare for that. As far as him catching on, he won’t. I’m not doing anything, I’m not stopping him or anything like that, just making records and I’m not keeping them there. They’ve got it all set up as this fake charity, they put a set amount in it each month as a donation but it doesn’t exist, it just goes to dad and I’m guess Al gets a cut. So as long as I keep putting money in there he won’t notice anything. At first I thought I’d try to tell him we needed to diversify our donations and wanted to set up other places to donate to, but I realized that would raise too many questions when he got mad at me and he’d suspect I knew something. So I’m just playing dumb. It’s easy, he thinks he’s smarter than everyone else already, so he just assumes I’m still just naive little Miriam and he’s too proud to question that.”

zach wildeZach sighed, and then looked out to the living room to make sure Malea was still doing okay. She was talking to herself and he gave a small smile. He turned back to Midge, unsure. As much as he wanted Aaron to go down, having his sister be the one to do it made him nervous. 

"Midge, I know you think he's stupid. He is in a lot of ways, and I'm gonna be the first one to admit that. But he's also really smart in other ways. He's a fucking master manipulator, okay?" Zach let out a shaky sigh. They weren't sure if this was the best idea, and they felt the pressure in their chest that told them they were getting anxious. Zach stood up from the table and paced back and forth. "I don't know. Like I said, I'm the first one to say he deserves to go to jail. But on the other hand, I don't know what the hell he'd do to you if he found out before you could do anything." Actually, Zach had a pretty good idea - Aaron would most likely try to kill her. Or at least get close to it. There were a few times when Zach had been younger, that he was sure that's exactly what he was trying to do to them. While their siblings understood the kind of man he was now, they never really knew exactly how bad it got. Tears filled Zach's eyes and he balled his hands into fists. "I can't have anything else happen to you."

Midge WildeShe knew everything he was saying was true, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t thought herself. It didn’t matter though, she needed to do this. She could understand why Zach wouldn’t want her to, why they would worry and want her safe, but she wasn’t going to be deterred. She knew she’d said she needed them to tell her it was okay, but she was realizing that wasn’t true, she couldn’t walk away from this. “I don’t think he’s stupid, I promise you, he may be underestimating me, but I won’t make that same mistake with him.” She said, hoping to reassure them. She felt a chill run down her spine when they mentioned not knowing what Aaron would do to her. What had happened already wasn’t nearly as bad as what she knew Aaron was capable of, when it came to protecting his reputation, he would go much further. “Well, if I end up dead he could go to jail for that, too.” She teased, though she knew that joke was in poor taste, and Zach would never be amused by it. “Look, I’m being as careful as I can be. I can’t promise everything is going to be fine, but I can’t promise to keep you updated and to stop if I think he’s catching on. And I can promise to keep myself as safe as possible. Danny stays with me most nights, honestly, so he’s not going to catch me home alone again at least.”

zach wildeThough it was a joke, Midge saying that if she ended up dead Aaron would go to jail really got to Zach. He couldn't even listen to the rest of what she'd been saying and completely turned away from her. He didn't want Malea to see him like this. Zach sucked in a deep breath, feeling his hands shaking. The anxiety that had been bubbling up came completely to the surface and he couldn't handle it - he felt like he couldn't breathe. Zach quickly made his way to the back door and immediately tried to take in a big breath. 

It all hit them just then - everything. Everything that had been happening, and it was because of Aaron. Zach slid to the ground and a sob immediately felt like it ripped out of their throat. Tears were spilling and quite honestly, they weren't even aware of it. The thought that Aaron could kill her was the only thing on their mind, and the fact that they couldn't do anything to stop it. Zach had tried to not let their siblings see this side of them, and honestly, it'd been awhile since they'd had a full on panic attack. They were gasping for breath and pulled their knees to their chest, just trying to calm themselves down.

Midge WildeShe watched as Zach seemed to fall apart in front of her. She didn’t know what to do at first, but as they slid to the ground, guilt filled her completely. She grabbed their water and came outside behind them, shutting the door but leaving it cracked so they could hear Malea is she needed them. “Okay, I’m sorry,” she said softly, taking the cold water and pressing the cold container to their cheek, then the other, and then the back of their neck. “Just try to take a deep breath, okay. Smell the flowers, blow out the candles, right? Isn’t that what they say?” She felt herself panicking too, but knew she needed to stay calm if she was going to help Zach at all. Midge sat on her knees in front of them, her hands resting over theirs. “Just breathe, okay?” She repeated, not knowing what else to say, before resuming moving the water around to try and cool them, hoping to reset their nervous system.

zach wildeIt took a second for Zach to recognize that Midge was next to him, but when he felt her hands in his own he finally looked up. His eyes were full of tears and he hated getting like this, especially because both Midge and Malea were around. They let her run the water around him, the coolness of it starting to distract him. His therapist had told him several different ways to calm down from a panic attack, but it was always hard to actually do it when he was in it. Zach breathed just as Midge told him, the tears still falling but not as quickly as before. After a few minutes of silence, they finally spoke up again. "Fuck, I'm.. I'm really sorry. That happens sometimes," he explained, holding Midge's hand in his own, squeezing it tightly. "Please don't joke about that ever again. Okay?"

Midge WildeMidge nodded at their words, relieved that they seemed a bit more calm now. “I won’t.” She whispered, lending forward to hug them. “Besides, I don’t want to die, there’s way too many dicks out there left to be sucked by the two hottest Wilde’s and you’re dick sucking days are over, so I guess it’s all up to me.” She knew that that joke wasn’t likely to make them feel any better but at least it might distract them from the anxiety. They could be annoyed at her all they wanted. “And don’t apologize, at least you give a shit about me, it’s more than I can say for him.” She said, not feeling a need to elaborate on who she meant.

zach wildeZach's head immediately snapped up when Midge started talking about... sucking dick. "What the fuck?" Zach said, staring at her because the absurdity of it all. "Why the hell would you..." He trailed off, not wanting to think about that particular subject when it had to do with his sister. Despite himself, he laughed just because what the fuck. They pulled Midge in for a tighter hug again, resting their forehead on her shoulder. "You're fucking crazy but I love you. I just want you to be safe, okay?

Midge WildeShe couldn’t fight her grin when they swore, letting them hug her, more than happy to hug back. “I know, Zachy.” She smiled, pulling away again, and then standing, her hands held out to him to pull him up as well. “I love you, too. And I have so many years of driving you insane to look forward to, so I’ll be safe, I promise.” She sighed, “I do want you to be okay with this, though. I’m going to do it, but I want you to be okay with it.”

zach wildeZach wasn't completely okay with it, but because she was going to do it anyway, he knew that there was nothing that he could say. She wanted his support, and that's exactly what she'd get. Zach let Midge help her up and stood up, making his way back into the kitchen to check on Malea. She was fine, of course. "I'm okay with it. Can you update me on everything, please? Just everything that you can. You know I'm going to drive myself crazy just thinking about it."

Midge Wilde“You want a code word?” She asked, sitting back down in her seat, completely serious. “Like if things aren’t okay and I need help but he’s there and I can’t say it, I can say ‘banana pudding’ or something, I don’t know. Like if I call you and start talking about dessert and ask if you like banana pudding then you know somethings wrong.” She didn’t know why things like this came to her mind, but here she was. “Or anything, you pick. That way if something is wrong, I can tell dad that I need to call you because you’re expecting me and if you don’t hear from me you’ll worry, he can listen to the call and then I can signal to you that I need help without him knowing.”

zach wilde"Banana pudding works," Zach nodded. "I like that. I just want to be able to know that there's something that I can do to help you. Thank you for letting me know and having this open line of communication with me, Midge. Even if I did freak out a little bit," they laughed, still wiping their face, feeling like it was still wet from the tears. "I really hope that it doesn't come to that, but yeah. Banana pudding works. He'll just think you're being a good woman who wants to cook his oldest son food," he rolled his eyes.

Midge WildeShe nodded, hopeful that this could make them both feel a bit safer. She sat back in her chair, relaxing for a second as she debated if she wanted to keep this conversation going or not. “Zach,” she finally said, knowing that they were likely to get upset again, but she didn’t want anything hanging over them anymore. “Danny told me about what happened on Halloween between you and him.”

zach wildeZach sighed and sat back down in the chair. He was a little impressed that Danny had actually said anything to her, but he was still pissed off about the whole thing. "Did he?" Zach questioned, trying to stay level-headed. After everything Immy had said, they understood Danny wasn't a bad guy, but it definitely wasn't someone he wanted to be with her. "Just so I'm clear. What did he exactly say what happened?"

Midge WildeShe could sense the tension rising in the room and wondered if she’d made a huge mistake bringing it up, “He said you told him you didn’t think he was good enough for me and that he grabbed you.” She sighed, boiling it down the basic gist of what had happened. “He said he got angry and took things to a physical place and that you walked away, he didn’t try to blame it on you or anything like that.”

zach wilde"Actually, I said that he doesn't deserve you after he put his hands on me. He was talking about you in a disrespectful way to me, which - what the fuck? That was already upsetting enough. Then I said that you said he's not what people think, but I was starting to think that's not true. That's when he came up to me and grabbed my dress and pulled me close to him and got in my face." Zach told her, hoping that she understood that he didn't just walk up to Danny and start saying that shit to him. "I was just asking him his intentions with you to begin with."

Midge Wilde“He shouldn’t have said anything like that to you,” she said, almost tempted to ask what he said, but she’d ask Danny for more detail later, she wanted to hear it from him. “I know,” she said, reaching forward to squeeze their hand. “I told him that it was fucked up, that that’s what big brothers say to guys that are hanging around their baby sisters, and how it wasn’t okay that he grabbed you. I’m not here to make excuses for him, or to apologize for him, he should do that himself, I just wanted you to know that I knew. And that I appreciate you care enough to talk to him.” She sighed, “Everything is just so fucked up. I know you probably have feelings about me spending time with him after that, but right now I need him, and he needs me. I’m sorry.”

zach wilde"I'm not about to sit here and argue with you about the guy that you have feelings for, I just want you to know that I don't like him for you. Maybe it's good right now and it's fulfilling something for you and that's great, but I don't think this is the guy, is all I'm saying. You're probably gonna roll your eyes and think I'm being overprotective, but I dunno, I just think a guy who's willing to put his hands on the brother of the girl he's sleeping with.. or whatever it is that you guys are doing.. after what you're going through? Not right." Zach squeezed her hand. "I love you, and I know that you're gonna do whatever you want. That's alright."

Midge WildeShe squeezed their hand back, shaking her head at their words, “I’m not rolling my eyes, I don’t think you’re being overprotective, I get it, Zach. Like I said, I’m not making excuses for him, he shouldn’t have done it.” She sighed, shrugging a shoulder, “I love you, too. Danny makes me feel safe right now, and I need that. I know he fucked up, and I get what you’re saying, but I need that, I need to feel safe.”

zach wilde"Good. I'm glad you have somewhere you can feel safe, but..." He trailed off, sighing. "You feel safe other places too, right? Other people? And when I say other people, I do mean other people, but I kinda also mean me. You feel safe with me, right?" They paused. "Trust me, I know it's different. I just wanna make sure that you've got more than one person that you can feel that with. AKA your big brother."

Midge WildeShe let their words settle, wondering for a moment if that was something they really questioned, because to her it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Zach, there’s no one in the world that feels safer than you. You’ve always been where I’ve felt safest. But..” she trailed off, her eyes glancing into the other room for a moment before meeting theirs again, “ You have other people that need you to keep them safe now. That’s not-…I’m not trying to be passive aggressive or anything, I mean it genuinely, they need you now, and that’s how it should be, you can’t keep being everything for everyone. You have to let me find my own way to be safe.”

zach wildeZach nodded because he knew Midge was right. She was old enough, and he always held onto the fact that he needed to take care of her. But she could make those choices for herself, and it was about time he stopped questioning that. "Okay, yeah. I know. You're right. I've got Immy and Malea, but I want you to know that doesn't make me worry about you any less. Or want to take care of you any less. But.. Yeah, I get it."

Midge Wilde“I know, but that’s because you’re the best. Sometimes I think Dad was born without a heart and you were born with a big enough one for both of you.”

[corimmy]

Immy's eyes were glued to the TV as the video began to play, a small gasp escaping her when she saw Malea and then herself on the screen. She sat up straight, her whole body rigid as she watched, not sure if she even took another breath the entire time. As the video ended, a few silent tears escaped her and ran down her cheeks. She realized her grip on Zach's hand had tightened considerably and she loosened it as she looked at him, using her free hand to wipe her tears away before Malea could see.

Malea jumped up from the couch, "That was SO COOL!" She shouted, rousing Han and making him stand up as well, as if he thought it might be play time. "I'm being Malea the Magnificent for Halloween, Mom!" She said, as she started to charge around the room with one arm in front of her and the other held a fake shield. Han began jumping around with her, and Malea watched as her daughters face was lit up with pure joy thanks to the person sitting next to her.

Finally, she turned back to them and just smiled for a second. Immy didn't know what to say, instead, while Malea was occupied, she pulled Zach's hand close to her, placing a soft kissing against the back of it and then pulling it closer to her chest as if hugging it. "Thank you, Zach. I don't know what else to say. Just, thank you - For that, and just for being you. Thank you."

Holding hands with Immy felt like it always had, and it took Zach right back to being a pimpled-face teenager who was head over heels in love with the girl next to him. Maybe this was too much, but stumbling over their words and apologizing about it in front of a four year old felt way too embarrassing, so they opted for staying quiet instead. With Zach's free hand, he grabbed the remote and pressed play on the video that he had queued up on his and Gabe's television.

The scene starts with an animated version of Malea playing outside in the rain with her toys. It suddenly starts pouring down rain - a lightning strike flashes in the sky, and soon thereafter there's a loud and booming thunder. Malea's eyes go wide. "I'm scared," she says, and then feels her body buzz. She looks down in wonder as she transforms into Malea the Magnificent. Her new power allows her to hear things from far away, being able to detect danger easily. Someone flies down quickly - it appears to be Immy the Incredible, with her sparkling cape. Malea turns to her quickly. "Mama, I'm scared!" Immy hugs Malea and smiles. "You're feeling a big feeling, Malea. That's your superpower talking. But we can use it to help others!"

After the two of them walk back inside, they notice a large colorful cloud that changes shape. The cloud looks as if it's about to blow the roof of their house off. "What's that?" Malea asks, terrified. Immy keeps her close and tells her, "That's the Monster of Moods! It's grown from everyone's big feelings today." Malea decides to use her superpower, and she focuses her hearing on the Monster of Moods. She hears it softly proclaim: "I'm lonely."

"Oh! It's lonely! Mom, it just needs love!" Immy nods, proud of her daughter for uncovering this information. Malea notices something: when she feels love, her body glows with a warm light. Malea and Immy hold hands, and together, they use Malea the Magnificent's love energy towards the Monster of Moods. The cloud begins to shrink, and the sky outside clears. The monster smiles before disappearing completely.

Malea cheers: "Mom, we did it! We made it feel better!" Immy nods, pulling Malea into a hug. "See, Malea. Every big feeling is special! Being scared is a part of being brave. You've got the super powers to face your feelings, and help others. Just like today!"

As the animation fades out, it ends with a message: Stay tuned for more adventures with Malea the Magnificent and Immy the Incredible.

When it was over, Zach looked over to both Immy and Malea, hoping that they weren't crazy for doing this.

[zachwilde]

tagging: @corimmy

location: zach's apartment

timeframe: tues 10/01, early evening

Zach could rarely stop himself when inspiration struck. After meeting Malea and learning that she liked Mindscapes, he knew that he had to do something for the two of them. They had only just met Malea, but she had already taken a piece of their heart with her. After getting home that night, he found himself drawing her as a superhero. What turned into just drawing Malea as a superhero, ended up being a three minute animated video of the two of them. All together, it had taken twelve hours of his time, but it had been completely worth it in the end.

Zach had set up his living room so that they could view the video - the lights were dimmed, his projector was set up, and there was a huge bucket of popcorn set on top of the many blankets and pillows that he had set up on the ground. They looked around, hoping it wasn't too much. Was it too much? Zach's anxiety started creeping up on him, and he felt his heart starting to beat faster. His thoughts were about to spiral when he heard a knock on the door.

He swung the door open, and grinned when he saw Malea. He scooped her up into his arms, not being able to help himself, and squeezed her to him. "If it isn't Malea the Magnificent?!" They ruffled her hair, and then set her down gently before turning to Immy. Without saying anything, he pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and before pulling away. "I had to get my daily hug."

[corimmy]

Immy bit her lip when she saw the dog approach Malea. Malea talked about dogs all the time recently, and she was certain that seeing this cuddly bear wasn't going to help anything. "I have wanted a dog ever since I was little!" Malea squealed, and Immy couldn't help but rest her hand in her palm, "You're still little." She said under her breath so only Zach could hear.

There was something sweet about the way that Zach seemed slightly nervous, or maybe she was just hopeful that it wasn't just her. She opted for some water this time, not wanting to get as flustered as she had the last time she'd seen them, especially not with Malea here. Immy settled in with Malea and her apparent new best friend, Han, reaching over to scratch the clearly very good boy behind his ears as Malea practically folded herself around him to snuggle him. Listening to Zach explain what they were here for made her heart skip a beat, they were always thoughtful, and they had mentioned wanting to make a superhero based on Malea, but this was way more than she ever expected. "Zach..." She whispered, not knowing what else to say. Malea shook her head to indicate she didn't need the potty and was ready. Immy waited for Zach to sit down and couldn't stop herself from covering up with a blanket as she settled next to them, reaching under it to hold their hand, just like when they were teens.

Zach walked into the living room just in time to see Han trot right over to Malea and lick her face. "Oh, yeah. That's my boy Han Solo. Han for short. He's just about the friendliest guy ever. You know what his favorite is? Cuddling." They laughed as they watched Han plop down on the floor right next to Malea, who was still munching on popcorn. "The popcorn's for you guys, so feel free, Malea. I've also got some Scooby Doo fruit snacks, if you want any."

As nervous as they were to show what they'd made for Immy and Malea, they were excited as well. Zach stood there for a moment, and then motioned to his kitchen. "Let me get you guys something to drink. Immy, water? Wine? Beer? And Malea the Magnificent.. I've got fruit punch or lemonade. Which would be best?"

At their answers, Zach quickly got everyone their drinks and then sat down on the blankets that he had put together for the three of them. Han was happily laying on the blanket with the three of them, which made Zach's heart warm. Han loved everyone, of course, but it meant even more that it was both Immy and Malea. "So." Zach cleared their throat. "After learning that you two watched Mindscapes, I had something that I really wanted to do for you guys. I think - and hope - you will like it. You guys ready? Malea, do you need potty break beforehand?" To be honest, Zach should probably more know about kids - he wasn't sure if the girl was still supposed to be in diapers or not, but he asked anyway.

[corimmy]

To say she was nervous would be an understatement. She wasn't sure when the butterflies over seeing Zach were going to go away, but so far they seemed to just get more rambunctious every time she was around him. Especially since they kissed the last time they'd spent time together. Still, Malea was excited and Immy was, too.

When the door opened to Zach's apartment, she grinned to see Zach just as excited to see Malea as she was to see him. Immy took a few seconds to look around the area and couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. This place really just exuded the essence of Zach, and she hoped they felt at peace living here, the same way Immy felt a sense of peace in her own home. It didn't take much for Zach to pull her into a hug, she accepted it gratefully. "You can get as many as you want," She said, before clearing her throat and bringing her attention back to Malea.

The girl had found her way to a living room that was set up with a massive bucket of popcorn that she was helping herself to. "Boogie, you know you should ask first," She said, though she knew Zach probably wouldn't mind, but her thoughts were interrupted by a loud gasp coming from the toddler. "YOU HAVE A DOG?" Malea shouted, making Immy almost jump out of her skin.

tagging: @corimmy

location: zach's apartment

timeframe: tues 10/01, early evening

Zach could rarely stop himself when inspiration struck. After meeting Malea and learning that she liked Mindscapes, he knew that he had to do something for the two of them. They had only just met Malea, but she had already taken a piece of their heart with her. After getting home that night, he found himself drawing her as a superhero. What turned into just drawing Malea as a superhero, ended up being a three minute animated video of the two of them. All together, it had taken twelve hours of his time, but it had been completely worth it in the end.

Zach had set up his living room so that they could view the video - the lights were dimmed, his projector was set up, and there was a huge bucket of popcorn set on top of the many blankets and pillows that he had set up on the ground. They looked around, hoping it wasn't too much. Was it too much? Zach's anxiety started creeping up on him, and he felt his heart starting to beat faster. His thoughts were about to spiral when he heard a knock on the door.

He swung the door open, and grinned when he saw Malea. He scooped her up into his arms, not being able to help himself, and squeezed her to him. "If it isn't Malea the Magnificent?!" They ruffled her hair, and then set her down gently before turning to Immy. Without saying anything, he pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and before pulling away. "I had to get my daily hug."

[zachwilde]

Holding hands with Immy felt like it always had, and it took Zach right back to being a pimpled-face teenager who was head over heels in love with the girl next to him. Maybe this was too much, but stumbling over their words and apologizing about it in front of a four year old felt way too embarrassing, so they opted for staying quiet instead. With Zach's free hand, he grabbed the remote and pressed play on the video that he had queued up on his and Gabe's television.

The scene starts with an animated version of Malea playing outside in the rain with her toys. It suddenly starts pouring down rain - a lightning strike flashes in the sky, and soon thereafter there's a loud and booming thunder. Malea's eyes go wide. "I'm scared," she says, and then feels her body buzz. She looks down in wonder as she transforms into Malea the Magnificent. Her new power allows her to hear things from far away, being able to detect danger easily. Someone flies down quickly - it appears to be Immy the Incredible, with her sparkling cape. Malea turns to her quickly. "Mama, I'm scared!" Immy hugs Malea and smiles. "You're feeling a big feeling, Malea. That's your superpower talking. But we can use it to help others!"

After the two of them walk back inside, they notice a large colorful cloud that changes shape. The cloud looks as if it's about to blow the roof of their house off. "What's that?" Malea asks, terrified. Immy keeps her close and tells her, "That's the Monster of Moods! It's grown from everyone's big feelings today." Malea decides to use her superpower, and she focuses her hearing on the Monster of Moods. She hears it softly proclaim: "I'm lonely."

"Oh! It's lonely! Mom, it just needs love!" Immy nods, proud of her daughter for uncovering this information. Malea notices something: when she feels love, her body glows with a warm light. Malea and Immy hold hands, and together, they use Malea the Magnificent's love energy towards the Monster of Moods. The cloud begins to shrink, and the sky outside clears. The monster smiles before disappearing completely.

Malea cheers: "Mom, we did it! We made it feel better!" Immy nods, pulling Malea into a hug. "See, Malea. Every big feeling is special! Being scared is a part of being brave. You've got the super powers to face your feelings, and help others. Just like today!"

As the animation fades out, it ends with a message: Stay tuned for more adventures with Malea the Magnificent and Immy the Incredible.

When it was over, Zach looked over to both Immy and Malea, hoping that they weren't crazy for doing this.

Immy bit her lip when she saw the dog approach Malea. Malea talked about dogs all the time recently, and she was certain that seeing this cuddly bear wasn't going to help anything. "I have wanted a dog ever since I was little!" Malea squealed, and Immy couldn't help but rest her hand in her palm, "You're still little." She said under her breath so only Zach could hear.

There was something sweet about the way that Zach seemed slightly nervous, or maybe she was just hopeful that it wasn't just her. She opted for some water this time, not wanting to get as flustered as she had the last time she'd seen them, especially not with Malea here. Immy settled in with Malea and her apparent new best friend, Han, reaching over to scratch the clearly very good boy behind his ears as Malea practically folded herself around him to snuggle him. Listening to Zach explain what they were here for made her heart skip a beat, they were always thoughtful, and they had mentioned wanting to make a superhero based on Malea, but this was way more than she ever expected. "Zach..." She whispered, not knowing what else to say. Malea shook her head to indicate she didn't need the potty and was ready. Immy waited for Zach to sit down and couldn't stop herself from covering up with a blanket as she settled next to them, reaching under it to hold their hand, just like when they were teens.

[zachwilde]

Zach walked into the living room just in time to see Han trot right over to Malea and lick her face. "Oh, yeah. That's my boy Han Solo. Han for short. He's just about the friendliest guy ever. You know what his favorite is? Cuddling." They laughed as they watched Han plop down on the floor right next to Malea, who was still munching on popcorn. "The popcorn's for you guys, so feel free, Malea. I've also got some Scooby Doo fruit snacks, if you want any."

As nervous as they were to show what they'd made for Immy and Malea, they were excited as well. Zach stood there for a moment, and then motioned to his kitchen. "Let me get you guys something to drink. Immy, water? Wine? Beer? And Malea the Magnificent.. I've got fruit punch or lemonade. Which would be best?"

At their answers, Zach quickly got everyone their drinks and then sat down on the blankets that he had put together for the three of them. Han was happily laying on the blanket with the three of them, which made Zach's heart warm. Han loved everyone, of course, but it meant even more that it was both Immy and Malea. "So." Zach cleared their throat. "After learning that you two watched Mindscapes, I had something that I really wanted to do for you guys. I think - and hope - you will like it. You guys ready? Malea, do you need potty break beforehand?"

To say she was nervous would be an understatement. She wasn't sure when the butterflies over seeing Zach were going to go away, but so far they seemed to just get more rambunctious every time she was around him. Especially since they kissed the last time they'd spent time together. Still, Malea was excited and Immy was, too.

When the door opened to Zach's apartment, she grinned to see Zach just as excited to see Malea as she was to see him. Immy took a few seconds to look around the area and couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. This place really just exuded the essence of Zach, and she hoped they felt at peace living here, the same way Immy felt a sense of peace in her own home. It didn't take much for Zach to pull her into a hug, she accepted it gratefully. "You can get as many as you want," She said, before clearing her throat and bringing her attention back to Malea.

The girl had found her way to a living room that was set up with a massive bucket of popcorn that she was helping herself to. "Boogie, you know you should ask first," She said, though she knew Zach probably wouldn't mind, but her thoughts were interrupted by a loud gasp coming from the toddler. "YOU HAVE A DOG?" Malea shouted, making Immy almost jump out of her skin.