#[ i bought two medium sized ones ; three TINY ones and two HUGE ones ]

[despairforme]

[bokutosworld]

liking you is easy | akaashi k.

pairing: akaashi keiji x f!reader word count: 1292 words, fluff! summary: There’s so much to look forward to every wednesday - coffee, dog parks, and the company of a cute boy who made you feel at ease. 

The tips of your fingers are touching, and if either of you moved, you could be holding hands. He’s careful in his actions, calculating his next words, “Maybe you can come see her on your free day?”

I’d like to see you too, he wanted to say.

You like your routines. 

At work, you had developed a habit to get up from your desk and grab a cup of coffee every afternoon. Usually, you’d invite your co-workers to go, suggesting that they give their minds a break and indulge in a quick pick-me up from the café near the dog park which was a few blocks from the office building.  

It’s hitting two birds with one stone, you once said to them. There’s no better way to relax than enjoying an iced latte on a hot afternoon and watching dogs happily play in the park.   

But lately, they noticed that you’ve been inviting them less and less on your coffee runs. Especially on Wednesday afternoons when you’d rush out with an excited gleam in your eyes, humming as you exited the door, and you’d return seeming chipper than before. 

Just like today. 

“Hey, isn’t it about time for your afternoon break?’ Your good friend Misaki inquired as you typed away on your keyboard. The question seemed to fall on deaf ears, and she sighed, standing up and walking over to your desk. But even a tap on your shoulder was ineffective to pull you out of your trance. “You can go on your break now.” 

Finishing the last sentence on the document, you hit save and dragged the cursor to close the window. You look at the clock on your desktop. 2:55 PM. You have just enough time to send the file to your boss and then done. After seeing that your mail went through, you slumped in your chair, closing your eyes and heaving a long sigh. 

When you open them, Misaki’s grin greeted you and you almost bumped your head to hers in surprise. “Aren’t you forgetting something today?” 

“Like what?” 

“It’s Wednesday.”  

As if someone dumped cold water on your head, you immediately got up, your face brightening up as you remembered your midweek activity. Reaching for your phone and wallet, you almost sprinted out of the room, waving a hand and shouting to your friend that you’d be back in an hour. 

---

You don’t know when or how it happened, but coffee and dog parks have become part of your routine every Wednesday afternoon. Not that you’re complaining, especially when it gave you the chance to escape from the mundanity of your everyday work. It also gave you something to look forward to in the mornings, a kind of motivation that you needed as you went about your busy life. 

You doubled your pace, overtaking the people who seemed to be taking their precious time while walking. When you saw the tree-lined path and heard the sound of excited dogs barking, your eyes immediately scanned the vicinity of the park, looking for that familiar silhouette of a black-haired, glasses-wearing male. 

If it weren’t for the boy waving his hands up from his spot, you were sure you’d have missed him. A smile overtakes your features, and you brush away few strands of hair that has fallen on your face before making your way towards him. 

Akaashi Keiji. He was a mystery ever since the day you met him. All you really know about was that every third of the week, he’d come to this park with a dog or two in tow. He’d shared that he was a dog walker but that it was something that he liked to do for he was a natural dog lover. 

“One medium iced white mocha americano for you,” he announced as soon as you reached him. Grabbing the drink, you then settled by the empty space beside him, instantly basking in that comfort that he emitted. 

“Thank you. You didn’t have to buy me the drink though.” You feel yourself relax, nerves loosening as you take a sip of the drink. 

He hums in acknowledgement, “You weren’t here when I arrived, I figured you got held up at work. I had some time, so I bought us coffee from your favorite shop.” A round corgi runs up to Akaashi, looking at him with his bright, round eyes and panting in exhaustion. He softly pats her head and the dog only closes its eyes and moves closer to him, “This is Rui.” 

“Rui,” you repeat her name. The dog seems to have heard you as she now moved from Akaashi to you, standing up on its tiny feet and licking a stripe on your face. “Rui, stop!” The action took you by surprise, nonetheless, it made you giggle, and you feel the stress leaving your system. 

Akaashi smiles at the sight, relieved that the dog has taken a liking to you. There was something oddly familiar to the scene in front of him right now. 

It was similar to that time that he met you. It was also a good, sunny day when he went searching for the golden retriever that had run off. He was worried, too worried that he almost called the assistance of the nearby guards to look for him. It was such a huge relief when he found the dog being cuddled by a beautiful stranger who seemed in need of urgent comfort. Names were then exchanged, troubles and rants were shared in confidence, and since that fateful Wednesday, Akaashi found himself going to the dog park every week in hopes of talking with you. 

He didn’t mind being your confidant. He loved listening to you as you animatedly recounted your stories, and moments like these were something he always looked forward to every week. If only he had the chance to spend time with you more outside Wednesdays. 

“Are you feeling better?” 

You stop patting Rui and she dashes away from the two of you, heading back to play with other dogs in the park. “Yeah, your company makes me feel at ease.” You turn to look at him, “Thanks, Akaashi.” 

It hasn’t been that long since you became his acquaintance – a month and three weeks to be exact – but it’s always surprised you how he knew how to cheer up your dampened spirits even without saying anything. You surmised that his presence was enough – he made you feel at home – and it’d be a lie to say you hadn’t wondered if there was any possibility of him becoming a fixture in your life. 

And as if he could read your mind, Akaashi spoke up, “I’m glad Rui likes you. She’s not really friendly, often too aggressive for a dog her size. But I’m really happy she warmed up to you.” 

You nod, “She is the cutest. Whose dog is she this time? Last week, you brought your cousin’s Siberian Husky, right?” 

“She’s mine.”  

“Ah.” Speechless, that’s what you were. The atmosphere suddenly became hot, your heart pounding twice as fast as you felt his eyes intently on you. You felt there was something behind his words, his actions today, but you were too scared to assume. 

Akaashi sensed your hesitation and assured you, “I’m sure she’d love to play with you more.” 

The tips of your fingers are touching, and if either of you moved, you could be holding hands. He’s careful in his actions, calculating his next words, “Maybe you can come see her on your free day?”

I’d like to see you too, he wanted to say. 

Catching on to his words, you somehow felt relieved and decided to test the waters, “Is this your way of asking me out?” 

His hand encases yours, finally intertwining your fingers as he replies in a sweet voice, “Yes.” 

You like your routines. And you’d gladly welcome Akaashi in the mix if that meant spending days that are peaceful and relaxing like the Wednesdays that you have always looked forward to. 

[shijiujun]

I noticed that you've done Chinese calligraphy (very pretty btw) and I wanted to ask if you know of any good resources for beginners?

heya!!!! thanks for that!! this is a timely ask because i was thinking i’d do a round-up anyway some time down the road so this is good XD 

firstly tho, i’d like to put out a disclaimer that i’m no expert at this and am pretty much an amateur. so i took calligraphy classes for three years at a national calligraphy center (not that it made me a pro or shite because i don’t one bit have a natural affinity for it). if there are any calligraphy experts on this site, please feel free to add to this or correct me.

once again, i’m not claiming that everything i know is super accurate, all my basics were taught by a teacher so i’m not super sure where to go for self-learning but here’s what i know in brief for an unreliable, personal crash course:

↳ there are a lot of types of calligraphy, but i’ll just simply go on two types for now:

(1) normal calligraphy 书法 with a 毛笔 (calligraphy brush)

(2) contemporary calligraphy 硬笔书法 that’s done with a pen (can be 0.7/1.0 ball point or fountain pens with thin/thick nibs etc., although using fountain pens is considered something influenced by the west, and a lot of people prefer to use inky ball points instead for better flexibility)

↳ in terms of font/style there are five main groups (of which examples i will give in calligraphy brush, not a normal pen), and the first two are the most commonly used ones:

(1) 行书 - semi-cursive script

(2) 楷书 - regular script

(3) 草书 - cursive script

(4) 篆书 - seal script

(5) 隶书 - clerical script

↳ what are the differences and how do you pick a style to begin with?

in general people start with either 行书 or 楷书 especially for young adults these days because honestly, these are the more clearly visible forms that most of us that read chinese can decipher, as you can probably tell from the above differences. it’s literally chinese as most of us know it.

even those who’ve practiced calligraphy for a really long time are still kind of arguing on whether beginners should start with 行书 or 楷书, and the 楷书 camp advocates for the learning of regular script before they start inventing with semi-cursive 行书, which has its own merits. after all, with 楷书 you do learn the basics of how to start a stroke, end a stroke, the structure of characters split for the best composition (that’s why a lot of people practice on grid paper), but there are those who started with 行书 that say it’s easier to go to 楷书 after you learn semi-cursive.

the rule of thumb is, learn the style you like best and you think you can follow best. i began with 楷书 and honestly haven’t figure out 行书 much i have to say. although personally, if you are not familiar with chinese characters in general, i’d recommend going with 楷书 first. only because you know exactly how many strokes there are etc., whereas with semi-cursive there are some tricks to it that you might not need to know right now.

篆书 is considered like an ancient form of writing font and was used in certain periods and dynasties not that i know which ones, but if you watch certain cdramas, you’ll definitely have seen this font - this font is also commonly used to make stamping seals (i’ll explain what’s written on seals below)

隶书 was invented sometime after that for, as the name suggests, administrative purposes where clerics required a faster font to write with. lastly, there’s 草书, which as you can tell, is a hell lot harder to decipher! this is because this font was created more as an aesthetic, art form than actual like reading. there are some that are of course written clearly, but the extreme curves and like sometimes even thicker brushes are used for aesthetics/style sake like this one:

↳ some general advice when you’re practicing

(1) this is a time-intensive practice and requires a lot of patience but is incredibly rewarding - it’s not something that will come immediately even if you watch tutorials and practice a single word for like a week. just like english calligraphy, you’ll probably have to practice for months/years depending on how much you can practice BUT it’s not as if you need to put up ‘perfect’ work each time, and it’s more important to find your own style after getting the basics right

(2) my teacher and a lot of calligraphy enthusiasts always nag and say: chinese calligraphy is not about just technique, you need to write with the heart - [练字重在热情, 只要能坚持就好] this sound incredibly philosophical but is pretty much the old adage of if you like something and have passion for it, keep at it and you’ll get it eventually

↳ brushes

okay, here’s where it might get a little complicated - the type of brush you need depends on the type of font you’re going for, and of course if you don’t have that many choices, just go for whatever you have as long as the ends of the brush aren’t split [cr: https://www.sohu.com/a/343812958_161249]

(1) ��毫笔 (hard): made of wolf, horse, rabbit, deer hair etc.

(2) 软毫笔 (soft): made of sheep hair etc.

(3) 兼毫笔 (medium): mixed with hair used to make both hard and soft brushes

(4) i think there are now brushes made of synthetic hair as well now #technology especially if it’s a cheap brush, also there are only so many animal hairs you can grab XD

obviously, is it more difficult to start with (2), the soft brush - it is said that once you begin with the soft brush and master it, you can use any brush. i started with a hard brush, especially for 楷书 because you need a hard brush to help you end the strokes precisely but that’s because i’m half a noob

for 行书 and 草书, because it’s cursive right and requires flexibility, of course a soft brush works better!

length of the brush matters as well - it is easier to control a shorter and slightly thicker brush than it is to control a lengthier and thinner brush - i’ve tried both, and i died with the second one, you can see the different varieties here:

*most calligraphy brushes for daily normal practice have pointed tips, the one you see on the far left is obviously a wide tip and this is only used for larger or huge pieces, those with four characters, and typically used with 草书

size of your desired font matters too - if you’re going for a dainty size, do use smaller, shorter and thinner brushes like these:

regular sized fonts would do well with brushes like these:

↳ paper

(1) print 

square paper is your best friend - beginners should honestly start with grid paper and the type that sections the square nicely for you here, but once you’re familiar, any square/grid paper will do for practice, any size works as well, depends on what size font you’re trying to go for

square/columned/blank paper for final product

(2) paper types

yellow or white thin calligraphy practice paper, made of rice or normal paper - usually comes in a huge stack, feels a little like felted paper - they’re also usually folded into huge scroll-like stacks

normal A4 grid or column foolscap/paper - this list is not exhaustive, you can technically use any type of paper as long as it helps you to space out the words nicely

↳ miscellaneous accessories

(1) ink and ink holder - there is a special kind of ink for calligraphy called 墨 and people usually just buy it in bottles these days. in ancient times you had to 研墨 rub/scrape the ink out (which you can see with the rectangular pieces below). it honestly has a really pungent smell in my opinion for certain brands especially the cheaper ones, but that’s the authentic type i guess!

as for ink holders, just use a tiny plate or a tiny sauce plate (i stole one from my grandma XD)

(2) brush holder －  not really necessary unless you have a lot of brushes and need a place to hold them. the reason to have one of these is also because it’ll help the brush keep its shape and will help it last longer as well

(3) stamps - for a final product, you should end it with a stamp! there are different types of stamps and different types of fonts, you can use the seal font for this as well, or just usual regular script this is your watermark/signature for calligraphy pieces

shapes come in ovals, squares, circles 

characters in the stamp - it can be your surname, your full name, or even like a full poem for a huge stamp 

ink - usually when you purchase a stamp and have it carved, it comes also with a red ink stamp pad, traditionally, stamps on calligraphy pieces are stamped in red

(4) felt base - we use felt bases so that when you write the ink doesn’t seep through the paper! but honestly newspaper works as well, but i bought it for real cheap on taobao 

(5) paper weights - buy some nice chinese-style paperweight or just use whatever you have on hand because the papers are REALLY THIN and always end up flying somewhere

(1) get your strokes right first 

honestly, get all your single/compound strokes right first! which means starting with words such as 一，二，三 and others

some videos: 

(2) move onto other more complex words, one at a time

(3) print practice papers, get tracing paper and trace over each

here’s one but any works: https://kuaibao.qq.com/s/20191230AZP1AK00?refer=spider

---

so that’s all i have!! let me know if you’ve got any other questions or need some other resources for me to point you to!

[graceloveswolves]

Paul Lahote Oneshot

*Since a lot of you guys really liked my requested preference, here’s the second part you guys have been asking for! There will be more do not worry! I have been having a busy few weeks and I’m also working on a few other requests so please stay tuned!*

@melinsk1 @cookiecakeslive @takk-foralt @dillybuggg @britty443​ @oi-itsemily​ @eviction-notice-no666​ @prettyinblack231​

___________________________________________________________

  It’s been two weeks...   And I’ve never felt so dead. Like a part of my soul has been detached, left in my hometown of Forks, just rotting away. I think I’m going crazy, after all the years of mistreatment from my old family and my unstable emotions, I think I’ve finally drove myself over the cliff of insanity. Looking back at my life in Forks, I assume that Jacob and his family are what had been my anchor, keeping me held down and away from my lonely thoughts and self hate.   Leaving me nothing but painful memories and broken promises, this heart break has probably been the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I had puffy, swollen eyes all week, ever since I had moved here to be honest. Crying myself to sleep, if I slept. I had been too scared of the nightmares to fall asleep. Every tiny thing triggering me from a smell, a song, a color, any reference from my old life back in Forks, and I would start balling, falling apart all over again. I was left with nothing.

  Only my dreams, which weirdly consisted of the stranger I had bumped into, Paul Lahote. I’m not sure what my subconscious had taken from him, but I wish to god it would stop. Every night I would dream about him, about the events that had took place in front of Jacob’s yard. And weirdly enough I thought about the stranger all the time. What it would have been like to be his friend back then, to have known him like Jacob did, or whatever him and his weird cult had done back then.

   But now... all I have is this stupid house my ‘new’  family bought for me in Texas. Stuck alone, while my ‘new’ family come and check on me from time to time. Their names are the Beryl's, just your usual rich, snobby family. Apparently they owed my adopted parents a favor, and opted taking me into their household instead. They are very rich, with expensive watches and pearl necklaces. The first thing I noticed about them were their clean, expensive suits and neatly trimmed haircuts. It makes me wonder why they couldn’t have just paid my parents out of their debt. God knows they have more money then they need.

     They didn’t hover much, the family was pretty uninterested in me, aside from having groceries delivered to my own house every Monday. The Beryl's consisted of mainly boys, however they had a daughter that couldn’t have been too much older than me. She would come over from time to time and take me out to go shopping and such. She had even made me get my nails done, to which made my daily task even harder, why people would do this for fun I have no idea. I looked down at my red and medium length nails in annoyance. I tried to make sure I got them as short as I could, to which Mary complained but complied.      She had been the closest thing I have had to a friend recently. She had told me about her life and her family, her crazy exes and celebrity crushes. She had also made sure I had the finest foods and the trending clothes. The closest thing I had to a sister as well, although we never really did talk about me, our relationship had consisted of her talking and me listening. Which I never had much of a problem with, it was always something different, never boring. 

   She had shown me around the spacious house, which consisted of five bed rooms, a huge kitchen the size of my entire downstairs back in my old house, a living room, a pool with a hot tub, five bathrooms, each inside the bedrooms, which were about the size of the actual bedroom ironically, and it even had its own theater room. It had to be worth more money then I had ever seen in my life. Worth more money then I’ll ever make in my entire life. I had gotten the biggest room, with a walk in bathroom and a balcony as well. 

  It was kind of ridiculous. They bought a whole mansion for one tiny human, who has no siblings or friends. Just her and her tiny suitcase against the world. The huge house tour had been given by her, which she talked about it like it was worth nothing, which made me wonder what her place must look like if she thought this house was a downgrade.    She was only at the house on Mondays, which was when we would hang out in the pool, or the hot tub, while she talked about whatever was currently going on in her life, or others, I had learned so much from her within two days of being with her then I had learned in the past two years of going to high school. She was a nice, preppy girl, definitely a gossip girl, always talking about her friend’s drama or the latest trends. However I quite enjoyed it, it took me away from my thoughts, my loneliness, my pain. It was a distraction from my past few shitty weeks I have had. Which I couldn’t bear to even tell her, not that she would have anything to say, probably would have changed the subject to some type of dress she saw while shopping. 

Speaking of shopping....

    She had completely filled my bathroom sized closet with dresses, skirts, and other clothes I hadn’t even known existed a month ago. All these purses, shoes, tights, things I’ve never tried on in my entire life. Brands that costs thousands of dollars. However, much to Mary’s dismay,  I have been wearing the same three pairs of jeans and t shirts that I brought down here with me for the past two weeks. I didn’t feel comfortable indulging myself with stuff bought with other people’s money. After all, I reminded myself that this life wasn’t permanent and as soon as I get a college education, I’d be out in the world, far away from this place, starting a new and fresh life. One with just me and my own house I bought with my own money... and maybe a cat. 

     A buzzing in my back pocket had awaken me from my deep thoughts, I had grabbed my phone that had been provided by the Beryl’s, and looked down at it. My eyes widened in shock, adrenaline seeping its way into my veins, or maybe it was my anxiety, I’ve had a bunch of both since I’ve been put in my new situation. It was a voicemail, from a number that will forever be memorized inside my brain.

 It was Jacob. 

  It was the first time I had heard from him since my last day in Forks, where I had yelled at him in the rain. I could still feel the icy cold rain and soggy clothes clinging to my shivering body. I had never thought that he would reach out, I’d thought that our last falling out would have been the end of our friendship. Maybe I’m right, maybe this is just him saying goodbye, maybe it’s him chewing me out, with Jacob, there’s no telling what it could be. I looked around, even though Mary had already left the house an hour ago, I still made sure I was alone.

  I opened the voicemail and held the phone up to my ear, preparing for the unexpected.

 “Uh, hello, this is me, Jake. I uh, just wanted to say that I’m sorry it had to be this way. But um, I need you to come back....Well, you need to come back. There’s been a problem, a major problem. Like life or death, and I know we didn’t exactly leave on the best terms, but I really need you to come back for just a few days. It’s time I explain everything, everything that had went down before you left. I-It’s very important that you know, you can crash at my house like old times. And then I swear, you can go back to your life and you won’t ever hear from me again. I just uh, I need you to come back here for a few days, please Y/N.“

   Once the message had ended, I stood there, trying to process what I had just heard. What could have been so important that he’d ruin our entire friendship over? And why must I suddenly know now? Why wait two weeks?  All these questions had been flooding through my head. I finally put my phone down, tossing it on my nightstand. 

 Surely the Beryl’s could care less what I was doing, as long as I was being fed and kept alive like they promised my family. I bet they wouldn’t even know I was gone, it was Monday night, they won’t send Mary back until next Monday. I had an entire week to my self, with nothing better to do then hate life itself. I could go and see what Jacob had to say, and worst come to worst, I leave and never see him again. Best comes to best, I finally figure out what the hell he had risked everything for, and maybe I can leave with some closure, some peace, and finally be able to start my new life with happiness.

  I had glanced at my suit case that was still filled with my old clothes, I may have not known much about anything at the moment. But one things for sure...

I’m going back to Forks.

[shintorikhazumi]

I Have Two Sisters?! (4): Three Sisters, One School, and A Trio of Brunettes

A/N: No long explanation note. Just an apology. Sorry it got delayed. Was burnt out, am burnt out lately. I could not think of anything for this. Emotionally just... not good, I suppose. School is kinda hectic too. Sadly. But here you go. Chap 4! I hope the length is worth the wait?

Ended up yeeting out this incredible sloppy mess of a chapter. :’> sorry. I can’t think no more, Ma.

Thank you to the MAGENTA GAZE squad. Y’all know who you are.

Also, a big, warm THANK YOU to all those reading and supporting this story :>.Means a lot to me :’)) Without further ado,

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

I Have Two Sisters?! Chapter 4: Three Sisters, One School, and A Trio of Brunettes

Four days. That was all it took to get the necessary documents for Diana’s clutch enrollment over. Weiss was ever pleased with herself for this achievement, and Claudine could only look on dumbfounded as parcel after parcel was dropped off in their mailbox or at their doorstep, all on the same day.

“You are a scary woman, did you know that?”

“Why, thank you~. You’re quite terrifying yourself.”

Claudine only managed a gruff little huff, carrying a suspiciously large box into the house with a bit of effort, Weiss discovering very soon just how strangely strong Claudine could be, and thus labeled the youngest as the “brawn” of the house. Weiss made great use of this fact.

Claudine frowned at the memory of being made to carry the things they bought when they went furniture shopping the other day. Weiss was some sadistic task master.

“Wh-what the heck is in this thing?” Claudine managed to ask without biting her tongue after tripping over one of the house’s thresholds. “Are these also a part of Diana’s documents?”

Weiss threw a glance over her shoulder, walking in front of Claudine, leading her to the living room where even more packages lay, Diana cluelessly sorting parcels, boxes, and covered folders into separate piles to be opened.

“Ah, well… yes, but…”

“Weiss?” Claudine called after her, voice holding a warning.

“They’re for Diana, yes. Documents... no. But I thought it would be fun to have some of this stuff delivered for the sake of… stuff.”

“Stuff.” Claudine echoed. “Right. What stuff.” She sighed, finally placing the last box- she was praying with all her might that it was- on their carpeted floor.

“Yes, stuff.”

“I’m asking, what kind of stuff?” Claudine crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes as Weiss did a zipper motion over her mouth.

“That’s something you and Diana are about to find out.” She made her merry way over to Diana, standing next to the girl seated on the floor, a box cutter in one hand, looking anxiously from one sealed delivery to the other. “Come on, Diana. Open up the presents!”

“Santa roleplay?” Claudine teased. Weiss pointedly ignored her.

“W-where do I even start?” The eldest eyed the packages, trying to figure out which one she should open first.

She was taking quite long, and Claudine and Weiss were beginning to worry that they’d overwhelmed her.

“Weeell...” Deciding to help Diana out, Weiss looked over the array displayed in front of them, eyes narrowed until they landed on one particular medium-sized box, reaching out for it with a twinkle in her eyes. “How about this one?”

Diana nodded, a little curious about the younger girl’s reaction. Taking the box from Weiss, she smiled in thanks. Weiss returned the gesture, stepping back to watch as Diana cut through the tape and opened the folded flaps to reveal bubble wrap, some papers for additional cushion and protection, a black bag and-

“...A Nikon D850…”

Diana didn’t know why Claudine looked a little bitter, and possibly more shocked than her, but she couldn’t really pay mind to that as she awed at the expensive equipment. Sure, her family had always been loaded and the cost of this was merely pocket change to them; but Diana hadn’t really explored all that privilege the same way they did, anyway.

To get such a nice present from Weiss...

“Th-thank... thank you?”

Weiss pouted a bit at the reaction. She had done her best to get the perfect gift to welcome Diana into college and her new course, but Diana’s response was honestly underwhelming. “Don’t like it?”

Blue eyes widened, afraid they had insulted the kind Weiss. “N-No! No! Not at all! I mean, no I don’t like- no I mean I like it, I just, no to I don’t like it. I like it! I love it! It’s amazing! And... wow. I... I just... I don’t know if I can accept this...” Diana carefully placed the opened package on their coffee table, staring at that sleek black, those marvelous lens on that box-ish frame the... wow.

“Psh, sure you can.” Weiss waved off.

“Can I really...” Diana scratched her cheek lightly, a tiny blush coming on as she felt her next words were a little shameless. “I admit that I would like to keep it...”

“It’s yours to keep.” Weiss reassured, gentle and smiling. “Okay?”

Diana looked up to meet her eyes, somehow still unsure, but Weiss coming in to sit next to her, one hand patting her shoulder and the other placing the camera back in Diana’s was the last push of encouragement she needed to accept it.

“Thank you, Weiss. Really. Thank you.” Diana embraced the gift carefully close to her, smile soft and teary. “It means a lot to me.”

Diana pocketed this tender moment in her heart, saving it like all the other good memories she’d made with her sisters thus far. And they were numerous, quite abundant considering how long they’d known each other. But maybe that no longer mattered, how long they had been together. Diana should just focus on all the time they have coming.

A cough from Weiss brought her back to the reality that there were still more packages to be opened, and she sighed internally. She was about to mention something to her sister, but then she caught Weiss staring at Claudine expectantly, as if saying it was the youngest’s turn for... something.

“Claudine, out with it.”

‘Hmm?’ Diana directed her gaze to Claudine, noticing that the action made the latter flinch, hands deep in her pockets, visibly shuffling underneath the cloth.

“I’m... I’m just kind of... shy now after seeing that...” She muttered with closed teeth. “You had me carry all these things, and I didn’t know it was part of our plan. Now I don’t really wanna... compete with that...”

“Compete?” Weiss chuckled. “This is not a competition. Come on, Claud. We agreed to both get her something.” She revealed their said plan to Diana who had been out of the loop on this.

“Well, yes, but I didn’t think you’d just… get her a bunch of high-end camera gear!” Claudine commented, bewildered. “I literally got her a keychain! I can’t just give Diana a keychain!” She exasperatedly announced. “Not after all that!” She sighed, toes curling and wiggling in some form of discomfort.

“And Why not?” “Why not?” Two voices sounded simultaneously, heads tilted to the side in confusion.

‘Gosh, these heiresses.’

“I like keychains.” Diana so helpfully informed.

“Of course you do.” Claudine deadpanned, gripping the small item in her pocket. “Just…” She sighed once more, finger wearing the ring-like bit of the item. “I just- I feel... embarrassed... and stuff.” She blushed, looking away from the pair on the floor.

“Why?”

‘Why?’ Claudine looked at them incredulously. Obviously because- because... to people like them, used to extravagance and all the fanciest jewelry and wear, something like this trinket was just-

“Because it feels so small in comparison to the camera... and insignificant.” Claudine confessed. “I-I mean, not that my thoughts behind it were insignificant, not at all, I just thought I could give you something better. Not that I thought this was no good, I mean. At the time I bought it, but now that I see all this-”

“You’re right.”

“Huh?” Claudine blinked, facing a serious-looking Diana, rising to her feet and walking over to her.

“It isn’t insignificant. Nothing you’ve given me is.” Diana’s expression melted into a gentle smiled. “From your kindness, to the gentleness of each action toward me, to your consideration... to these slippers on my feet,” She flapped them for emphasis. “to the mug I drink from daily, and my toothbrush on the bathroom counter. All those, and the warmth behind them pile up in my heart, making it overflow with gratitude. Really, Claudine. The greatest thing you’ve gifted to me is your genuine care for me and my feelings.”

“Diana...”

Her words, it moved Claudine’s heart. She never thought it meant that much to the older girl. She had gotten all those things for Diana, did all those things for her, simply because... she could. And she wanted Diana to experience better things than all the pain she’d been through.

“Thank you, Claudine.” Diana said, coming to a stop in front of the younger girl. Her arms raised and opened up, Claudine before pausing awkwardly in the air, her whole frame freezing. “U-um...”

With a raised brow indicating her confusion, Claudine waited, posture uncomfortably straight

“Just hug and get it over with.” Their one-woman audience complained, getting impatient. “And just give her the damn gift, Claud!”

“Hrrngh- okay, okay! I get it! I got it!” Claudine grumbled, fishing through her pocket and pulling out a silver keychain, a small unicorn figure attached with a tiny bead next to it, and a letter D that looked like a waxed seal. “I- This is obviously not the o-only thing I got you.” Claudine tried to say, thinking of what else she could get to supplement this huge failure.

But it may have not been needed.

Diana engulfed her in a huge hug, sobbing lightly into her neck, thanking her over and over.

Claudine felt those warm tears wash over her skin. Her heart ached, her eyes stung. But she could hold it in, she could. She was a big, strong girl-

“Thank you, Claudine. Thank you. Thank you so much. For always thinking of me. For getting me something I can truly call mine.”

And Claudine broke, arms squeezing tight around Diana’s waist, silently crying into her shoulder. “Dummy. Everything you have right now is truly yours. And we are truly your sisters.”

---

Weiss looked away, if only to hide the tears that had also formed at the corners of her eyes. “Hey! That camera is solely yours as well!” She inserted, jokingly sounding annoyed, before shaking it off when Diana gave her an apologetic look. She smiled,  watching her sisters continue to hug.

It didn’t look like they were going to part soon, huh. Maybe in a bit. They’d separate. In 1... 2... 3...

Nope.

Okay, Weiss was beginning to feel a little left out. Maybe she wanted to be in the hug too. Not that she’d admit to that.

Buuutt, she could just... hint at it. Or something. Casually, so they wouldn’t know. Claudine would tease her for days if she found out Weiss had felt a little lonely.

“You made such a big deal out of it, only to become so soft.” Weiss laughed, walking over to her sisters and flicking Claudine on the forehead, earning her an adorable yelp, and not-as-adorable glare. “Guess you being the youngest makes perfect sense now.”

“Wha-Hey! I’ll have you know-” Claudine broke away from Diana, proceeding to bicker with Weiss who simply laughed at Claudine’s empty bites.

---

Diana admired the scene in front of her, smiling warmly at her two sisters. They had transitioned from intense verbal exchange to teasing words and playful wrestling, and Diana could not help but smile along as Claudine and Weiss filled the living room with their laughter.

Warm.

It felt so warm.

Subconsciously, Diana had grabbed her new camera, lifting it up and snapping a photo of two beautiful hearts who had become her new world.

Like this photo, she would cherish them forever.

//-//-//-//-//

After their little gift-giving spree, they decided it was time to get a move on with their actual business. They had succeeded in getting the recommendations Diana needed, and simply needed to file them and prepare them with the rest of Diana’s enrollment documents.

As Diana sorted through the papers, reading the contents of each to check over important information, she found that there were some personal letters accompanying them as well. At first, they seemed to be greetings, checking in on Diana. She was almost happy, before she felt twinges in her heart, soon figuring what they were actually about. Just more people sucking up to her to get to her family.

Well. They were barking up the wrong tree. Diana was no longer of any value to the Cavendishes. Even if she was stuck bearing their name. It was practically just an unwanted decoration to her image; an image she desperately wanted to break free from.

Alongside those empty salutations were the sugar-coated bitterness from comments from Diana’s old teachers. They were almost all the same, with some saying it was a shame that she wouldn’t be continuing on as a doctor. Most were surprised to hear she was taking arts for college as not everyone knew of Diana’s family situation, and maybe they hadn’t even cared enough to know about Diana until this point.

Diana would have liked to believe that, surely, they would have seen the scandal on the news of the Cavendish’s case of abuse- but then Diana remembered that her family was powerful enough to possibly cover it all up, only enduring a few scrapes to their name. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised then if they still thought she’d go medical.

Of course. They didn’t know. They didn’t want to anyway. They probably assumed Diana was just dropping out, not strong enough to ensure the pressures that came with being someone of her previous status. How would they see her? Did they think of her as pathetic? Maybe. Maybe.

And now, Diana was left with feelings of shame.

Before she could wallow in more of her brought-back sorrows, hands were quick to move around her, Diana realizing that Claudine had taken her laptop away from her, closing the messages and shutting the device down, while Weiss took away the letters. She was glaring at them so hard, Diana hoped she wouldn’t crumple or tear them. They still needed those.

“Don’t read those any longer than you should. And don’t listen to any of those comments. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Weiss is right. You are amazing.”

“No sister of mine is going to get shamed because of her undeniable talent and wit.” Weiss huffed, breathing out her feelings of irritation.

Diana felt her eyes water as she felt their unconditional support for her. Something she’d never had before.

Whatever deity had blessed her all at once with the best gifts in existence- her two sisters- deserved all the praise Diana had to give.

Weiss and Claudine shared a look as Diana wiped away the few tears that had slipped by. They sighed before grinning, pulling Diana into a group hug.

Really, Diana felt silly for worrying about all those things now. All those people she shouldn’t- couldn’t care less about.

With a laugh, she could only join her sisters as they faced everyone else in the world. Everyone who had used them, hurt them. To that, they’d scream,

“”Screw them!””

//-//-//-//-//

“I- I apologize... could you perhaps... run me through the steps one more time? Just one more time.” Diana pleaded, face contorted in frustration.

Weiss and Claudine found it absolutely adorable.

Who knew Diana was so bad with phones! They were only exchanging numbers, for crying out loud!

This was truly a mystery that confounded them as Claudine and Weiss had watched Diana efficiently navigate her way around her laptop and camera gear. She was excellent in getting all the school application documents ready, and the pair had watched her fixing the practice photos she’d taken earlier, afterwards.

So what was so hard about tapping a few icons on her phone compared to that?!

“I-... i-it’s because i practiced using those! It took me quite a while, but I’m proud to say I’m able to use them well now!”

“Practice...” Weiss parroted, dumbfounded at the revelation. She blinked. Turned to Claudine. “Practice... she says... using a laptop...-”

And exploded.

“HAHAHAHA, practicing?! Practicing using a phone?? Diana, you are adorable!”

Diana clearly didn’t appreciate this, not because she felt insulted by Weiss’ actions, but because she couldn’t comprehend just what was so wrong about daily practicing your typing skills to get sharper.

----

Claudine chopped Weiss lightly on the head, sighing to keep herself from giggling as well. “Don’t worry about it, Diana. We’re just surprised.”

“I still fail to understand why.” Diana frowned, and Claudine poked at the spot between her eyes, now laughing.

“Stop that, you’ll get wrinkles.”

Diana blushed.

“Let’s forget about this for a second, and actually help Diana out, Weiss.” Claudine warned, and that effectively got Weiss to stop, as her laughter calmed into a smile.

“I got it, haha.” She then proceeded to review all the steps on ‘how to add someone to your contacts’ to Diana. “Do you think you can do it on your own now?” She smiled at Diana as she finished.

Diana nodded silently, then looked up to Claudine with a wordless question in her eyes.

One that Claudine had no idea about.

“W-what?” After five minutes of not getting it, Diana’s stare was beginning to feel pressuring.

“May I have your number as well?”

Really. She was just so cute.

“You absolutely can.”

Weiss and Claudine watched over Diana with soft expressions on their faces as she stared at her screen, mesmerized by the names of her sisters on the tiny little glowing object in her hand.

“I’ve... I’ve never needed phone.” She confessed. “I’ve never had one... that’s why I have no clue on how to use it.”

“Huh? Not even for contacting your friends?” Weiss simply asked.

“I... I had an email. And a home phone... and...” Diana paused. “...no friends anyway. At least, not in school that I’d need to contact with an urgency.”

Claudine blinked. Maybe they should have expected this? She definitely couldn’t say she related to the experience as she’d been surrounded by love and good company for most of her life.

She couldn’t possibly hope to feel what Diana did, or understand it. What she could, however, was change those situations into something better.

She would let Diana feel loved.

She and Weiss would.

“Well... you have us now.” She said, quieter than expected. Almost a whisper.

Weiss and Diana turned to her, the latter’s eyes shimmering once more with unshed tears.

How many times had they made Diana cry already?

Her next words made Claudine want to as well.

“I do.”

//-//-//-//-//

D-day. It was a Monday.  Two weeks before classes would get rolling. Today, the girls’ main agenda would be to get Diana enrolled as soon as possible, and then Claudine and Weiss would proceed to check on their own student statuses and pick up their uniforms.

The uniforms had been issued as a means to identify their students. They were free to wear it as they saw fit, so long as it was still recognizable as belonging to the school.

After they had accomplished most of what they needed for Diana’s processes, they sat waiting in the seats just outside the office clerk’s transaction window, waiting for their names to get called on to pick up Weiss and Claudine’s uniforms.

“Could this take any longer?” Weiss groaned. “The service is taking ages!”

“Hush, you. It’s not that bad at all.” Claudine sighed. Although she felt a similar frustration and impatience after sitting in that place for nearly half an hour, she understood that there were many other transactions ongoing so close to the beginning of classes.

Even Diana looked as though she was getting bored. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of them fell asleep at some point. Claudine had already gone through a few games on her phone, and didn’t feel like playing any more. They could only wait at this point.

Before the trio could succumb to even more mental distress, like a taste of salvation, their turn came.

“Weiss Schnee.”

“Yes, yes.” Weiss almost jumped out of her seat, glad the nightmare was over as she skipped over to the window to receive her items.

“Claudine Saijou.” The clerk called next. Claudine made her way more calmly, bowing gratefully to the worker.

“Thank you.”

As Claudine was doing all the final checks for all of their things, and inquiring about Diana’s status, she barely heard Weiss mumbling to herself, staring at Claudine the whole while.

“Claudine Saijou…” Weiss thought long and hard. Since the other day she had been wondering about why Claudine’s face and name were so familiar. She felt stupid not asking anything about it sooner. They’d been living together awhile now! So why hadn’t they ever... well, to be fair, with all the circumstances surrounding them, they hadn’t really tried to pry too much into one another’s pasts. They had also always referred to each other by their first names right away.

She knew Diana’s last name by heart, and a little bit of the weight behind it because of all the things they’d had gone through since meeting, helping the girl. She was sure they knew her name as it was the only thing she’d ever share with her dick of a father.

But there hadn’t really been an occasion to think about Claudine’s. Even if they had met her mother.

Why was that?

Weiss didn’t really know or understand. But now, she had a chance to stand back and think about it. What was it that had been tickling her mind each time she heard that name.

She tested the name a few more times, a tingling on her tongue as she tried to jog her memory. Just where...

“Ah! “ Weiss snapped, turning to Claudine and pointing a finger right at her face. “Claudine Saijou! You’re Saijou Claudine!”

A surprised Claudine, reeled back slightly, eyes wide, blinking at Weiss. Just what was this girl going on about this time?

“Yes… Yes, I’m Saijou Claudine. Thank you for telling me my name.” She tried, recovering from her initial scare.

“And I’m Diana Cavendish.” Diana butted in, wondering if she should also state her full name. Had Weiss somehow forgotten and needed a refresher? Did she need them for something?

“No, no, you idiots.” Weiss sighed, exasperated. Luckily, neither of her sisters took offense to what she’d just called them. Organizing her realizations, she shared them to the pair, once more gesturing to Claudine. “You’re the one from that… that.. Lou’s ointment commercial from a while back!” She excitedly exclaimed.

A blush crept across Claudine’s features, suddenly hyper aware of their surroundings. She began to notice that Weiss little outburst was starting to garner attention as more people began to recognize her. Of course they would. In a school for the arts, why shouldn’t she expect this?

“Did she just say Saijou Claudine?”

“You mean the one from Seishou? That Saijou Claudine?”

Claudine flinched.

“I loved her acting in Starlight!”

“I preferred her Dracula.”

“We all know it was Black Beard that was the hottest.”

Only good things were being said about her, but Claudine couldn’t help but feel awkward in this situation. Plus, her sisters... were here. Somehow it felt a little embarrassing with them watching.

She could see some people inching closer to her, and she could hear whispers about taking photos or talking to her. Usually, she’d stand up straight in pride and thank everyone supporting her, but somehow she felt... uncomfortable from the attention.

She hadn’t been in Japan, in Seishou, for a few years. Maybe it was a little surprising to know that her name was still heard of, and it was mostly associated with her former school. She knew she’d made some mark in France, but... the more time she spent there, away from many things she’d chosen to leave behind, it felt as though her sparkle dimmed.

Things she’d left behind... huh.

Claudine shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts.

Maybe they should leave now.

Claudine grabbed her uniform that had fallen to the floor after Weiss loud declaration. She bowed in apology to the staff for the ruckus, threw some thanks over her shoulder, and ushered her sisters out the room hurriedly.

“Let’s go.”

//-//-//-//

“So... Saijou Claudine huh.”  Weiss awkwardly repeated Claudine’s name for her to hear again.

Claudine remained seated on the courtyard bench with her head down, not looking at Weiss. Silent.

Weiss was beginning to feel a little guilty, not even knowing why. Maybe she should try to ease the situation some way?

“I… I liked the ointment? It worked really well for me and was compatible with my skin type.” She attempted lamely.

Diana voiced her agreement, feeling the tension present in the air and wanting to help out. “Yes, I also used it during…” She trailed off, eyes dulling as she looked away, now also silent.

The girls understood immediately what Diana had been needing it for.

With that plan backfiring, moments of nothing passed.

“It’s alright, Weiss.” Claudine lifted her head, trying to meet Weiss gaze as assurance, but then shifting her eyes to the side mere seconds later. “...I was just... embarrassed.” -that and feeling another emotion that Claudine didn’t really want to face at the moment.

Again, she thought of it. Really, it was rather uncharacteristic of her to be this way. Usually, she would be rather proud of her achievements. While not in an annoyingly boastful manner, she never shied away from attention. Usually she took it with grace and humility.

Maybe it was because they were her sisters suddenly looking at her differently. Or maybe it was because of the mention of Seishou and all the memories... and people linked to it that she had neglected for so long, that reminded her and made her feel at odds with the sudden attention.  Maybe... she just didn’t know.

“If it helps,” Diana tried again. Maybe this could help them lighten the atmosphere. “I, for one, am proud to have a sister who’s been on TV?” She smiled, taking a seat next to Claudine, placing a hand over her own on her lap.

No matter how talented Weiss and Diana were, their performances were mostly exclusive to their rich guests at home. Weiss may have been invited on a radio broadcast once or twice, or a recording for a documentary on music. She was once even on a YouTube video for a friend. But it was different from having your face be constantly plastered on screen every time a particular commercial came out for days on end.

“If I remember right, you had another one… Country… ma’am?” Claudine’s blush came back as she shyly nodded.

“Ah! I remember you also had this one play!” Claudine watched silver brows knit together momentarily, Weiss struggling to pin the tail on the donkey. “Anne? Annie? Wait, no, that’s not it. Let’s see here…” She mumbled a few more names to herself, before the confusion in her eyes cleared somewhat, Weiss carefully asking,“Arrie?”

Claudine chuckled, amused. “Thank you for remembering. Yes, that was- you could say- the peak of my work. That was then. But now…” She smiled softly, eyes on the dirt, kicking a pebble away and watching it roll along ‘til it came to a dead halt. “I’m nothing special, really.”

...Did she really just say that about herself? Her eyes widened the slightest bit but her expression settled before her sisters could take notice.

Now really wasn’t the time for her thoughts to be all jumbled up and in a mess.

“Are you KIDDING me, right now?” Weiss scoffed. “Did you see those people’s reactions back there? That’s definitely amazing. You’re amazing.”

“Says an international recitalist.” Claudine responded without missing a beat, looking up at Weiss with a glint in her deep magenta eyes.

Weiss looked taken aback. “Y-you know-...how?“

“I study much.” Claudine shrugged. “I’ve seen and kept far too many books, video sources and the like for reference. Research. It’s research, dear sister. And I’ve come across you more times than i have fingers.” She confessed.

“And you never bothered telling me you knew me?”

“Why would I?” Claudine grinned teasingly. “Want me to stroke your ego?”

“Hey!”

Just like that, the weight had been lifted and Claudine found herself enjoying this banter with Weiss. Her sass and her confident, straight-forward self that always seemed to amuse and cheer them up in many moments, breaking the ice in their interactions.

Claudine felt her entirety smile at her older sister, feeling warmer. Such a pleasant feeling.

As she silently admired her sibling, a gentle giggling tickled Claudine’ ears as Diana watched her younger sister’s exchanges and playful jabs at one another. Claudine noticed Weiss quiet down as well as they ended up staring.

She knew the thought the same thing. They found it quite nice, a very pretty sound coming from an incredibly beautiful girl.

That visage imprinted itself in her mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Diana-

“... Ever considered being a model, Diana?” Weiss suddenly blurted out the exact thoughts in Claudine’s mind.

Diana’s eyes were just as wide as hers as the stunned girl looked between her two younger sisters, words barely registering in her mind.

“Huh?”

//-//-//-//-//

School.

What a place.

School was, and always had been her escape back then. It was where she would not feel the physical torment of her aunt, it was a place where she wouldn’t have to endure the scathing words of her family.

Yes, school had its own pressures, the teachers keeping their watchful eyes on her; sometimes expectant, other times judging. Diana also had her fair share of distant admirers, and braver, envious foe, but those were trivial little things in comparison to her home life of abuse.

Thumbtacks in her shoes, or her books in a fountain were as ant bites to her, nothing in comparison to the lions that hungered to devour her once she stepped foot into the manor’s towering gates come the end of the school day.

So really, school may have been better than home, but it never really held a special place in Diana’s heart. If anything, it was more associated with terror and the idea of faux and temporary freedom.

But now, did these perceptions remain for Diana? Or could school be something else for her, now that she had two allies on her side.

Two allies... two sisters.

Diana inwardly smiled at the word. That she had them now, that they were present in a place like ‘school’, it already made all the difference.

Where she had no genuine friends and peers before, she now had two of the best people by her side. Where she had no one who believed in her or her dreams, she’d found two people pushing her to pursue ones she hadn’t realized she had.

And though she had no family to send her off to school then, she did now...

Right now.

“Okay, Diana. Just as we were told, today is only the orientation day. There won’t be any classes, so we’re expecting an early out for the day. Which means we’ll be expecting to see you pretty soon after classes end.” Claudine’s hands fiddled with her tie, straightening it out and pressing it gently to Diana’s chest. “Perfect.” She nodded in satisfaction, eyes lifting to meet Diana’s. “Now. I have a copy of your schedule because Weiss said it’d be best for us to know where you are at times.” She informed, before eyes widened in panic, an explanation on her lips. “W-we don’t mean to tread on your privacy of alone time or anything, you can tell us if-”

“Claudine. It’s okay.” Diana laughed, watching her sister calm down somewhat.

“Okay.” Claudine paused to admire the pretty sound of Diana’s happiness. “Okay, but anyway. Our lunch times match up, so we were hoping we’d all have it together; how do you feel about that?” Claudine bit her lip, just a little nervous.

“I’d love that.”

“Ah, thank goodness.” Claudine sighed in relief. “Also, you have our numbers and all so just ring us up if you need us.” Claudine added more and more to her list of reminders. “Also, I snuck a water bottle into your bag. Remember to hydrate regularly! And also, don’t be scared to tell the teacher if you ever need a bathroom break-”

“Claudine.”

“And blatantly- not shyly, mind you- give people a piece of your mind if they ever try to hurt-”

“Claudine!” Diana laughed again, airy and sweet. “I’m not a child, you both needn’t be so concerned.” She patted the girl on the head, gaining a blush from her younger sister. “Thank you. Also, class starts in five. I know your classroom is quite far from mine.”

She knew the girl was biting her tongue, keeping her from saying anything more. Diana knew she was considering Diana’s words, knowing they were right. “Fine...”  She relented.

“Get to your class, Claudine. I’ll be fine.”

Claudine still looked reluctant to leave Diana, eyes searching her expression for any doubts or anxiety, but finding none, she backed away.

“Fine. Okay. I got it. I’ll go. But!”

“Just go, Claudine.” Diana giggled. “Go. I’ll be alright. Please? Trust me?”

“I- I do trust you!” Diana heard the girl murmur a few things to herself. “I do. Okay. I’ll go. You’ll be fine, okay?”

“I will.”

“Okay. Pinky promise.” Diana felt her face warm as she and Claudine did the childish gesture, but it made her smile, thinking of how sweet and innocent Claudine could still be at times.

“Pinky promise.”

“Call me or Weiss! Lunch together! Water!” She called over her shoulder, even as she walked away.

“I will!” Diana reassured. Really, Claudine was a worrywart. The girl still paused in the middle of the hall before taking the turn around the corridor, making sure Diana was really alright. Once she was satisfied, she disappeared from the older girl’s sight.

Diana spun on her heel, facing the sliding wood separating her from her knew life goal. This was it. She just needed to take a step in. With a deep breath, it was like a mask was dropped onto her.

Her eyes became blank and cold, her expression just as frozen, settled not in a frown nor a smile. Simply a fine line on her lips. Diana trod into the room, a switch within clearly flipped.

She hated it. This Diana Cavendish. This Diana was cold and calculative to a fault. This Diana had built many walls around herself because she’d known the terrors of the world, and the possibility of people only here to use her. She had to be careful. That’s what the Cavendish had said. That’s what Diana had eventually tasted for herself after many betrayals.

This was only a defense. Impregnable as it should be when dealing with the outside world.

...

But then... where was this defense when she’d first met Weiss and Claudine? It was practically non-existent.

Diana felt her expression soften, eyes warming the tiniest bit. Thinking about her sisters made her feel... fluffy... inside. She never thought she could feel such a thing. It was such an abstract concept to her, that when she’d heard it from other people in the past, she knew she scoffed at the idea.

The emotions she knew were pain, anger, pride, sadness, the occasional joy. Feelings such as ‘fluffiness’ and ‘softness’, she’d never really understood what they meant. She still didn’t.

But she smiled. At least she now knew.

//-//-//-//-//

Diana internally squirmed in her seat, under the burning scrutiny of fiery eyes that had been locked onto her ever since she entered the room. Even during the duration of orientations and introductions, the only time the girl had broken her stare was when it was her turn to give her name and basic information to the class, as well as while she excitedly responded to a lot of things their professor had said. Only during those times did she give the poor Cavendish room to breathe.

Then it was back to watching every moment of Diana in that room.

Why?

Diana had no clue.

Kagari Atsuko.

She seemed peppy, cheery. She was loud and active. She was so different from Diana. She was friendly- or so Diana had observed as she first arrived in the class. She smiled at everyone and greeted them good morning, and Diana had regretted catching her gaze that now refused to leave her form.

She never said anything, she hadn’t greeted Diana ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ like she did the rest of their classmates.

She didn’t get her.

She didn’t understand why the girl kept looking at her... she didn’t understand why she kept sneaking glances back.

So she didn’t force herself to think about it anymore than she should.

She may or may not get involved with the woman from time to time, maybe for school work and such, but she didn’t see them getting along at all. She had no time nor reason to pursue friendships anyway.

Kagari Atsuko, whoever she was, was just going to be another passing figure in her academic life, Diana concluded.

An odd lass, she surmised.

Class ended promptly, the professor saying she found no need to discuss much since it was only the first day, and that the students should go out and explore the campus. Maybe they’d find inspiration to use in the upcoming days.

As she packed her things into her bag, Diana could feel that incessant gaze boring into her back, the pressure laid strongly on her.

She really wanted to just ignore it, but somehow she felt like that wouldn’t be possible. There was a chance that this girl would actually act on all her staring.

...or not?

Diana quirked a brow as the girl had averted her gaze once Diana met it, clumsily throwing her materials into her own backpack, closing it haphazardly before rushing down the steps between the rows of lecture desks. As the bag hopped off her back as she made those rough movements, Diana  bit her lip. She could just foresee something happening-

And it did.

The girl’s water bottle had somehow fallen out of her pack, making a clacking sound that surprised the owner as she quickly tripped over her feet and fell to the floor.

In a span of under a minute.

Diana rushed forward without hesitation, body moving on its own as she crouched by the fallen girl, helping her sit up before gathering the contents spilled from her bag after she’d made her glorious failure of an exit.

Diana worked quietly, handing the girl her things and looking her over for any signs of pain or injury. Upon seeing that she may as well be fine, she got up wordlessly, gave the girl a curt nod before going out the door.

Only to be followed by that Kagari girl, voice calling out behind her.

“W-w-w-wait!”

She waited. Something compelled her to do so. Turning around, she raised a curious brow.

“I- you...” The brunette tried, not really knowing what to say after all that. “Thank you.”  She murmured quietly, and Diana had met her eyes and found sincere rubies glimmering with something she was unfamiliar with. Something that had suddenly captured her, leaving her staring. “Miss Cavendish.”

At the sound of her name, she snapped out of the odd trance, nodding once more with a reply of, “You’re welcome. Now I should go-”

“Wait-!”

Again, Diana felt her feet root themselves in place, not allowing her to leave. “Yes?”

She watched as the girl opened and shut her mouth, forming words in her mind perhaps, then rethinking them over and over ‘til she looked like a fish out of water with the way she left Diana hanging.

“If you have nothing else to say, I should be on my way.” That sounded a bit too cold, Diana admitted to herself. However, this was her normal reaction to people she did not know and could not be bothered to know anyway.

This was fine. She told herself so.

So then why was she so expectant? For... something- anything- from this unfamiliar person that had spent the better half of their orientation day ogling her?

Diana just didn’t get it. She didn’t get herself.

Upon receiving no response, she sighed, turning around for the last time. This time she wouldn’t look back. She wouldn’t wait. “Good day.” She said as a final word, shoes tapping against the floor.

She’d leave. She’d walk away this time. She’d ignore the stare boring into her very soul. She would never interact with this girl anymore if she could help it. She’d push away these strange feelings, these curious thoughts of hers all in a mess just because of this strange girl.

Then she’d be fine.

School would just be her, her camera, and her sisters. That was enough for her.

She kept walking, nearing the corner of the hallway.

“Ever considered being a model, Miss Cavendish?!”

-And she stopped.

[“Ever considered being a model, Diana?”]

Her sister’s question during her enrollment replayed in her mind, Diana slightly in awe at the coincidence.

Diana struggled to find her voice as she remained frozen by the stairs. Kagari Atsuko quickly followed after her, standing a bit too close for Diana’s liking, staring so intently into her eyes.

Once she found her tongue, a weak question was the only thing she managed. “Wh-why do you ask?”

“Please. Be my model.”’

There was this sincerity in her odd request, this spell in her eyes; and for a moment, Diana thought of saying yes. Only for a moment. Regaining her bearings, Diana shook here head, no.

It just wasn’t possible. Her?

“Please.”

Diana’s brows furrowed at the continued request. In the first place, should this girl really be asking her course-mate that?

“But… Miss Kagari… we’re both photographers…”

“So?”

‘So?’ What did she mean by that?

“Does that have anything to do with being my model?”

“...yes?” For one, Diana would be needing her own model. She’d figured she could ask her sisters for this one favor.

Diana realized the girl might be asking for their future projects that the teacher had mentioned earlier in orientation. If this was her way of being diligent by scouting early, she was barking up the wrong tree.

“But you could still do it! I know a senior who previously did the same thing! Come on, please, Miss Cavendish?”

In the first place, why was this girl so dead set on having Diana model for her? Why was she pleading so endearingly, with her eyes hopeful and sparkling, making it hard for Diana to say no. So hard to say no.

“I…”

‘I’ll think about it?’

Wait. Was that what she wanted to say? No, impossible. She shouldn’t even think of that possibility in the first place. Just.... what was it that was going on with Diana.

This girl had no clue who she was. She didn’t know Diana nor her past, nor her... scars. It wasn’t just an embarrassing feeling, or simple apprehension, now that she pondered on the reason behind her response- or rather, lack of it.

It was shame. If Kagari Atsuko ever found out about Diana Cavendish, there was no way she’d actually keep asking, was there? To have Diana as her model. No, not her. Not someone as marred and tainted, scarred and ugly as her.

And Diana had her answer.

“I’m sorry... I’m only a photographer.”

//-//-//-//-//

Weiss glared at her desk, willing the dark coffee stain on it away. There was also some cream, possibly from a doughnut, smeared along the side of it. So early in the morning, and already she was experiencing levels of gross she’d very much rather not see.

“Youch! You sure got the bad draw for the seating assignment. Wonder who among these early birds did that though.” Weiss’ eyes traced up the finger pointing to the frosted mess on her desk, trying to meet the origin of the voice that popped up beside her, red-tipped brunette strands obstructing her vision from this stranger’s face. This made her realize.

“Um... aren’t you a little too close?”

“Hmm?”

The mop of two-toned hair swayed with the motions of her new companion, turning her head to face Weiss.

‘Silver. How... peculiar.’

Before she lost herself, completely entranced, Weiss backed away in her seat, tearing her eyes free of that magnetic gaze. “I- I said you’re too close!”

“Oh. Oh! Oh, my bad. Sorry. Just. I saw you frowning so early in the morning, like you were gonna murder someone or something, or your desk.” The girl scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “I’m Ruby, by the way. Ruby Rose.”

“Miss Rose. Great. Well then, I’ll be looking for a way to... deal with this, so if you’d excuse me.” Weiss promptly rose from her seat, making a line for the door.

“Hey, that’s not very polite.” ‘Ruby’ called after Weiss. “I gave you my name, so why can’t I get yours?”

Weiss stopped in her tracks, casting a casual glance over her shoulder at the person who had gone and entered her personal bubble without much apprehension earlier, and admittedly, had piqued her interest.

Well. She was going to need some acquaintances to get through this class smoothly, after all. Hmm... but did it have to be her? Weiss pondered it. Maybe she could be of some use to Weiss.

With a small smirk, she considered her final options. She could just give her name... But where was the fun in that? They were classmates anyway.

So with a flip of her shoulder and a cheeky tone of voice,

“I’m sure you’ll learn soon enough.”

-She walked away.

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine stood outside the door of the classroom, hesitant about entering.

She was late.

She was late for classes because she had to make sure Diana was settled in and okay. Claudine had escorted Diana to her first class as some sort of precaution in case something happened to the girl on the way. She and Weiss had talked about it the night before school began, and decided it would be for the best. Just to be safe. So she’d taken the liberty to do this task as Weiss’ class started earlier than Diana’s and hers.

And she was glad to do it. Just that she might have taken a bit too long. Plus, it didn’t help that her classroom was on the other side of the building. Fortunately for her, she had swung by the faculty room first thing when they got to school to find her first period’s professor and inform her of the possibility that she’d be late. She was meticulous and sure like that.

But being late... wasn’t really the reason why she wasn’t too keen on entering the class, was it?

A deep breath.

She... should go in now.

With a simple, “excuse me”, and a knock on the front door, she slid it open to reveal herself to only the teacher who beckoned her in upon noticing Claudine.

If she took a step in now, what would greet her? Who would she see? Was she... ready for this inevitable reunion?

Her stomach churned.

Things were going to be different. She just knew it.

“Ah, yes, our final student.” Her professor’s voice took her out of her inner turmoil, adding to the dread she was feeling as she had no way out anymore. This was it. She had to face the stage and the people who stood on it. “She’s excused from being late because of some family circumstances, but we’re glad she could make it and complete our class, aren’t we students?”

Claudine thought the teacher was rather chipper. She seemed so happy so early in the morning. A totally different mood from Claudine.

She supposed she should just get on with it. Whatever happened, she’d deal with it later.

So she walked in, turning to the rest of the class, bowing in apology for being late.

... bowing to a certain group of people in apology for being a year late.

Claudine could clearly feel the eight pairs of extremely surprised eyes boring their scalding gazes into her. She wanted to address them and all the questions she knew swirled within them, but first things first. Formalities and introductions and all-

A resounding clatter of a seat, as it was pushed back suddenly, stole the room’s attention. A figure stood so abruptly, the handouts on the desk slipping off.

“Saijou…san.”

‘What a face you’re making...’ She chuckled to herself.

“Well, yes. I’m pleased you remember my name,” Claudine threw back with a bit of a tease, a sprinkle of playful haughtiness mixed in. She met the intense gaze with a fiery spirit of competition, like she always did; in a way, daring this person to say more, or to be her usual infuriating self.

But it seems she was just stunned.

Claudine raised a challenging brow, waiting for the spluttering mess to say something.

What she received was a gaping mouth, shock all over the woman’s expression, and a shy wave of a hand.

Then the mask of confident indifference she had donned melted into something much gentler as she looked into those Violet eyes she missed dreadfully.

“… Tendou Maya.”

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine felt pleasantly surprised that Aijo Karen could hold back any sort of emotion, at this point. She was very obviously buzzing in her seat in unfiltered tension and excitement, eyes frequently darting to where Claudine was. Hikari blatantly stared, and poor Mahiru tried to get both to calm down and pay attention to class orientation. Claudine found herself smiling the slightest bit at that.

Some things really didn’t change.

Maya, on the other hand hadn’t looked back at her once since their earlier reunion. While this could simply mean that she still kept her impeccable focus and professionalism that separated work and school from personal life, to Claudine, it was still their first interaction after a long time... She couldn’t help but feel disheartened.

Was she not pleased to see Claudine? Was it because... Claudine hadn’t kept in touch with everyone?  

Or was there something else that she didn’t know of?

//

Class could not end any quicker, but by the time that it did, Hikari and Karen were already making a beeline straight for her, as did the others- the others being the rest of her dorm mates and dearest friends. She was already bracing herself for the impending impact of these two jumping her, but before anyone else could touch her, Nana had sped her way past the pair, and engulfed Claudine in a near-bone-crushing hug.

“Kuro-chaaaan!” She wailed like a child, not completely out of character for Nana. “What happened to you all this time?!”

The flood gates of inquiry opened and rushed at Claudine who struggled to keep up with answering every query her friends had about the last year that she had been gone.

Warmth flooded her heart at the realization of many things. Among those was the fact that her friends didn’t seem mad at all. They had only been worried and hopeful for her well-being. Claudine’s heart was moved.

One thing that bothered her was that as the others fawned over her and asked her their endless questions, Maya just stood off to the side, not engaging with the rest of them. It unnerved Claudine. Maya was the one she was closest to, the one she thought she knew and understood the most.

So what was going on?

After everyone had calmed, satisfied with the brief explanation of Claudine’s life in Paris and why she’d lost contact with them all, she was surprised when everyone parted from her, creating a space to allow Maya and Claudine to clearly face each other. As if they were saying, ‘talk’.

Maya looked to be as shocked as she was. Claudine bit her lip nervously.

What would Maya do?

//-//-//-//-//

Tendou Maya knew she was a prideful woman. She was a confident woman. She was a skilled, talented, persevering woman.

What she was not was petty.

And yet, she couldn’t help but sulk the moment her mind had registered that Saijou Claudine was back. Back in Japan. Back in their circle of Seishou friends. Back to Maya.

That in itself was something she’d thought she’d rejoice about, having longed to see Claudine for many a sleepless night. The days that had gone by without so much a letter or a simple, ‘hello’ had torn her heart apart piece by piece, until she had somehow managed to convince herself that Claudine no longer cared for her... even if Maya still wanted to remain at her side.

Deep inside her, anxious pride told her that she should be mad. She should demand a reason from Claudine- although already given. Her bitterness hungered for a begging apology from Saijou Claudine who had forgotten all about Tendou Maya.

But having Claudine appear in front of her, realer than any of her worst dreams and most pleasant nightmares, and out of the unexpected blue, Maya struggled against the simple desire to give into her long-endured neediness and simply embrace Claudine and confirm that she was truly back.

“Maya-chan.” Nana had whispered, pushing her forward as she stumbled the first step before fixing her walk forward until she stood right in front of Claudine.

Claudine offered a hand out, a sense of deja vu washing over Maya as she took it, her own had shaking slightly.

Maya swallowed the lump in her throat, unable to fish for the right words in her mind that had melted into a puddle the moment Claudine gave her that sheepish, awkward, incredibly beautiful smile.

“Have you put on a little weight from all those potatoes, Tendou Maya?” She chuckled.

Claudine.

Maya was captured. She had grown even more beautiful, hadn’t she? This girl- no… they were women now weren’t they? Both Maya and the girl she knew as Saijou Claudine. They had become women in the short time they were apart.

But that wasn’t the only thing that had changed. Or rather, it was something that had finally surfaced so blatantly clear in their relationship; an aspect they had possibly always known but had pushed to the back of their minds as they had other priorities back then.

Maya knew that Claudine knew.

She knew they both realized it, and she could see it in Claudine’s eyes.

“I’ve missed you.” Maya murmured in the tiniest voice. She could see her friends’ smiles from the corner of her eyes, their grins growing wider as Claudine whispered her bashful reply.

“I’ve missed you too.”

And Maya knew it was love.

//-//-//-//-//

Claudine loved her friends. They were the most considerate people in the world. Maybe a little too considerate.

Claudine would have been fine spending time catching up with all of them, but it seemed as though they had caught onto the fact that Maya and Claudine wanted some private time to sort things out between themselves, and so were allowed time alone.

She swallowed down the lump forming in her throat, entirety suddenly full of butterflies in jitters. Being away from Maya for so long, not seeing her at all, unable to hear even her voice, it created this strange feeling of unknown- of an anxiety Claudine couldn’t describe.

Even if this was still Maya- dare she say her Maya-, Claudine could only wonder how much the girl could have changed without her by her side.

All those worries vanished like a mist in the rays of a smile as sunshine-y warm as Maya’s at this very moment. The cold fear in her heart melted away, and her heart beat strongly for a different reason now.

Maya’s eyes searched her own, and she found it difficult to form words. It was everything she could do to keep their gazes locked.

“I-”

“Will you stay by my side now?”

Her heart stopped.

Then ran so fast, Claudine was sure it would burst with all these feelings she knew could be nothing else but her undeniable attraction, and an emotion much deeper than that, towards Maya.

//-//-//-//-//

“Paris was amazing. It was like a dream that I had finally reached and made real.” Claudine began, as they settled on a bench at a deserted corner of the school’s vast courtyard. “At first it was so easy to tell you all of what had happened. The ups and the downs, the successes; the innumerable opportunities I had gotten... The classes were amazing. I learned so much.”

Maya took her hand, gently wrapping her own around it. She squeezed in her silent support, urging Claudine to continue.

“Then suddenly, everyone wanted me.”

Maya wanted to make a playful remark, a simple ‘My~ what a player’. However, there was something in Claudine’s expression that told her it would be better to refrain.

“I know you want to make a comment.” Claudine giggled against her other hand, giving Maya an eye smile that made her heart flutter painfully sweet. Claudine knew her so well.

“I did.” Maya admitted. Claudine nodded before leaning her head on Maya’s shoulder, eyes falling shut.

“You’d think it was all perfect.” Claudine whispered. “I thought it was what I wanted. All these jobs, the exposure, the experience. I thought I could handle it all.”

“But?”

“I was able to take it the first few months. I met so many people who were amazing, who were inspiring. Who had their dreams, goals and aspirations.” Claudine narrated. “But we were all apart. We had these grand views and desires. We had our individuality. That’s a marvelous thing, I know.” Claudine went on. “Even I left to be on my own... away from you all...”

Claudine had made a motion to separate herself from Maya, but Maya had quickly reached an arm over her shoulders, hand guiding Claudine’s head back onto her own.

“Stay.” She whispered, voice a little weak. She felt Claudine nod, and she sighed in relief.

She didn’t know why she did that, but a fear had lodged it’s way into her heart, one that replayed the emotions she had felt the first time Claudine had walked away from her. She dared not relive those again.

“Sorry.”

“It’s alright...” Maya murmured. “So? You thought you were all by yourself?” Maya continued for her. “But remember, we still work towards the same goal. We may have been apart, but that hasn’t changed. Not for me, at least. Didn’t you feel the same way?”

Maya felt that she’d be hurt if Claudine said no.

“I did. I do still.”

Maya felt relief wash over her as she received that reply. She was glad.

Her fingers began to gently tangle themselves in golden locks, playing with tufts of hair, occasionally massaging Claudine’s scalp. She felt the girl sigh and relax against her. Maya liked this. This feeling of comfort.

“So what was the problem?” Maya wanted to understand. She wanted to know what went on while Claudine was away. Why she had stopped contacting them, where she had gone, what she struggled with.

“Maybe it was too much for someone like me to handle. I might have over-estimated myself, Tendou Maya.” Claudine confessed, voice strained. It must have been something hard for her to admit. Maya nuzzled a kiss into her temple, disagreeing with her words.

“You’re Saijou Claudine. The most amazing performer I know. A top star.” She said with conviction.

“You’re the top star. You’re Tendou Maya.” Claudine sighed. “I’m... just a shadow lagging behind you-”

“Now you know that’s not true.” Maya cut her off, slightly angered at the mere implication that Claudine was anything less than her equal, and her partner. “That is not true. You have always been by my side, have you not? You have been the Saijou Claudine well-known for many of her works. The child prodigy, a star since birth!”

“And I was humbled upon meeting you.”

“You’re the one who was offered a full scholarship overseas!”

“I know you rejected it first!”

Maya’s breath caught in throat, words failing.

“I knew that you’d received the offer. When you said no, I didn’t understand. This was the chance of a lifetime. A season for growth. I believed it was. But we didn’t seem to think the same way. I was confused, Tendou Maya.  And so I went. If only to know why. I went and I tried... and then it all became too much.”

Claudine pulled away, allowing them both space to recollect themselves.

“I wanted to know how you could say no to such an offer. A bright future wanted you. And I went as only their second option. It... irked me. And so I wanted to prove that I could be just as good as you. That I could flourish even on my own.” Claudine spoke softly. “But I guess I was wrong. I wasn’t that strong. I became tired, I couldn’t manage all the things thrown my way. I didn’t know who to trust, who to go with, what to do anymore. And so I just... did. Everything.”

“Saijou-san...”

“That actually worked out quite well.” She chuckled, eyes lifeless as she recalled the downward spiral she lived those last few months in Paris. “I received multiple offers for university over there. Fully paid schooling. I gained what many yearned for, things others could only dream of attaining by turning off everything unneeded for the stage... or I thought they were unneeded.” Claudine looked at Maya with a held-back tears. “Then I saw that I was already alone.” Claudine laughed again, as sad as the last. “How odd, right? Haha, well that was that. We should talk about something else. How was senior year on your end?.”

Claudine was trying to wave it all off, smiling at Maya as if she wasn’t anxious and had been heartbroken.

“Tendou Maya?” The girl only stared at Claudine, not answering. “I’m sorry. My story must have been confusing. I would get it if you didn’t understand what I mean.”

But Maya understood. She understood it fully.

She remembered when they first met Yanagi Koharu, a like-minded genius as her. A girl who reflected the lonesomeness one dubbed as a ‘genius’ would experience. Maya remembered her own disregard for camaraderie back then. How she had, at most, only cooperated with others as they were mere stepping stones needed to reach the top. Her views of there being only one possible winner had been her driving force for perfection back then.

That was until Claudine opened her hand to her on the day of that evaluation to enter Seishou.

Then it all began to change for her.

Thanks to Saijou Claudine.

Maya had dedicated much time to repaying that favor. This moment was no exception.

If Claudine had felt alone then, she would never be from now on. Maya would make sure of it.

“Saijou-san-” “Maya-”

“Oh, you go first.” She had wanted to give Claudine some words of encouragement, of reassurance, but she seemed to have more to tell. It made her happy to see that Claudine had chosen to open her heart up so deeply to her. It was an honor that she’d gladly receive. Maya would listen to her, would understand her, and Maya would be there for her; she’d never allow Claudine to say she was ever alone again. “What is it, ma Claudine?”  

Maya had put on a welcoming smile, awaiting whatever else Claudine had for her to hear. However, Claudine seemed to have withdrawn after the interruption, a look of struggle on her features as no words came out of her parted lips.

“…”

“Ma Claudine? Is something the matter?”

“Actually… there’s something else I haven’t told everyone. And why I’m here.” She began, but then halted again, looking to the side.

Another difficult confession? Maya could only wonder. “You don’t have to force yourself to tell me.” She reassured, but kept her ears open just in case.

“But I want to tell you, Maya.” No Tendou. No honorific, just Maya.

And Maya listened.

“I had mentioned it, right? I had received offers to continue going to school there... I might have just went on, to be honest.”

“Yes. I was actually wondering about that. While I’m certainly glad you have returned, wouldn’t your chances have been brighter over there?”

Claudine nodded. “Objectively, I agree.” Maya understood that. “But... um... do you know about my family, Maya?”

“I’ve only heard as much as the others, I suppose, reluctant as I am to admit that.” She smiled weakly.

“Well, I don’t really make such a big deal about it anyway.” Claudine smiled back.

“We do all know that you love your parents dearly and often write home.”

“Yes. That’s true.” Claudine said. “In a sense it is.” She took a deep breath before allowing the next words to slip. “My papa, my father... or well, the man I actually consider as my father... is gone. Has been for a while. So it’s just me and my mom.”

“Claudine...”

Maya didn’t know what to say. She took both of Claudine’s hands in her own, thumbs brushing over her knuckles.

“It’s alright. We’ve already accepted it a long time ago. Maman and I... we miss him, yes. But we’re okay... or... I am, at least...” Claudine huffed, squeezing her eyes shut, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. “I came back because... I don’t know... when my mother will leave me as well...”

And Maya couldn’t take it. “I’m sorry, Ma Claudine.” Maya embraced her tight, whispering teary words onto her brow. “For all you’ve been through… and that I was never able to help you.”

“Idiote... it’s not your fault.” Claudine sunk into the hold, savoring the immediate warmth Maya provided her. They stayed like that a tender while, Maya allowing Claudine to express all her frustrations, grievances, and pain. She cried it all out with her.

“I’m sorry, Ma Claudine... I’m sorry.” She whispered against her hair in peppered kisses that sometimes made the girl cry even more.

“Mechante va... I told you it’s fine.” Claudine held onto Maya tighter, relishing in her comforting presence. “It’s fine...”

“Still... I could have been there for you sooner. I should have just kept reaching out. I should’ve followed you-! I should’ve bought a plane ticket and flew after you- No, I should have demanded another scholarship! Then we’d have been together-”

“Stop right there.” Claudine laughed through some sniffles, cupping Maya’s face with both cheeks and looking into her stunned eyes.  

Claudine really was beautiful, even as she cried.

“I-...” Maya waited, but what had seemed to be a planned retort, was set aside, Claudine simply shaking her head and smiling at Maya.

Really, Maya must look like a fool to her right now.

“An endearing fool, at least.” Claudine laughed some more at Maya’s shock at being read so easily. “A fool so willing to stay by my difficult self... All this time... willing and waiting.” Claudine sighed, touching her forehead to Maya’s.

Maya’s heart beat strong, a silly smile on her lips. Claudine was right. She was there for her. She always will be. And It wasn’t just Maya. She knew Claudine had many more people by her side. Both then and now.

“Maya?”

“Hmm?”

“Merci.”

Maya grinned, nuzzling her nose against Claudine’s.

“Je vous en prie, Ma Claudine.”

//

“Claudine?”

“Hmm?”

Claudine watched Maya purse her lips, hesitating a moment. Did she need something?

“What is it?”

“Earlier... you mentioned something... I was just curious. You don’t have to answer it or anything!” Maya clarified, a little panicked.

Claudine raised their joined hands, bringing the back of Maya’s to her lips in hopes of calming her. It seemed her plan backfired as Maya turned into more of a mess, if anything. It was cute.

“I- uh.. you see... father? You said...”

Claudine blinked. Then she understood.

“You said something about how your papa was the one you... saw as your father? And I didn’t quite... get that.”

Claudine had almost forgotten about that. Well there was nothing wrong with telling Maya about that. She’d learn eventually, right?

“Right. Um... I had said something about returning to my mother right?” Maya nodded. “But that wasn’t the sole reason. I... my papa isn’t quite my real father. My biological parent... was someone else.” Claudine sighed.

“I... see.” Maya seemed to be thinking hard about it.

“I received news about my mother and had wanted to find work here in Japan... and if I could, apply for a scholarship to keep studying, if possible. But then a letter came, saying that Maman was in the hospital, bills paid, and I was already enrolled in this school. Where all of you were. It was almost miraculous. A dream come true.”

Claudine prodded the crease that had formed on Maya’s forehead, giggling at how adorable she was being.

“Apparently it was, in a sense, a bribe. For me, and for a court that had held a trial against my ‘father’. I was angry, of course. I felt ashamed to be related to such a person, but... it was too good a deal to pass up.”

Claudine felt Maya squeeze her hand, concern written all over her face.

“And that’s it. How I ended up back here.” She smiled. “Thank you, Maya. For listening to all of that.” Claudine leaned forward to place a kiss on her cheek, enjoying the bright red glow of a rarely-seen, shy Tendou Maya.

“O-o-o-of course! A-anytime! You can talk to me anytime, Ma Claudine.” She stuttered out, her free hand touching the spot where Claudine’s lips had been.

Claudine felt her heart skip at the gesture. She already knew that Maya had realized it earlier as she had too;  and that there was something else they needed to talk about. However, she believed they could save that conversation for another day. Preferably, under better circumstances.

“Anyway.” Claudine caught Maya’s attention again, standing up to get ready to leave for the day. “It’s not all that bad.” She then remembered another important detail that she needed to fill Maya in on. “Actually, something good came out of it.”

“Oh? And what is that?” Maya smiled, taking Claudine’s offered hand as the girl helped her up.

“You see-”

“Claudine? Are you here- Oh, there you are!”

A voice cut in to their conversation, the attention of the pair redirected to the new arrival walking her way towards them.

“Thank goodness. I was just looking for you so we could pick up Diana since her classroom is the farthest from- oh.” The white-haired woman halted in her steps, at first only seeing Claudine, late in noticing that she wasn’t alone. “Am I… interrupting something?”

‘Such impeccable timing.’

Claudine didn’t respond to her, instead, she gestured with an open hand to Weiss in hopes this would help Maya process what she was about to say. She should really express her thanks to Weiss later for her amazing assistance. After all, show rather than tell because seeing is believing.

“Tendou Maya.”

The girl perked up, curiosity in her eyes, and some hints of confusion as well.

“It appears as though, as of recent…” Claudine awkwardly chanced a look back and forth between them. “...I’ve acquired myself a pair of sisters.”

…

“Oh.”

A/N: Future (?) Love-interests, Get! Also I will be exposing how Diana’s parents met in the future so calm your horses. Again, sorry this was super late. I promised it 2 weeks months ago but got slammed into a wall of life. Thank you for reading and for the support!

~Shintori Khazumi

[tortleofwar]

Jethroe

Jethroe sat at the bar sipping his Crown Royal as tears rolled down his face and splashed on the counter.  You would think that was what drew the crowd's attention but that was just the beginning.  He wore a dark grey tuxedo with a sky blue tie and pocket square.  His rhinestone shoes bounced the light around as if it were a disco ball.  The bartender had served him three drinks so far and heard his story.

Although Jethroe slapped money on the counter he refused to take it.  A few tears rolled down his face as he listened to Jethroe’s story.  Any guy or floozy trying to bum a drink was shooed away.  Until a medium sized lady approached Jethroe.  She was wearing a sky blue dress and wore grey heels.  The dress had a slit which showed off her toned legs.  An anklet dangled as she strode over to him.

“Please cut him off.  I can’t have him going home like this,” she demanded as she pushed Jethroe’s glass away from him.  She turned to face him.  “What are you doing here?  Everyone is searching for you.”

“I bought a room here Mrs. Hellen.  We were supposed to consummate the marriage right upstairs.”  Jethroe reached for his glass and got his hand slapped away.  “Can’t consummate something that didn’t happen.”

“You’re pathetic.  Is this how you respond to hard times?  Drowning your sorrows instead of fighting for your love?”  She was attempting to drag Jethroe out of the bar to have this conversation.  But his heavier frame prevented that.

Jethroe held up his other hand for another drink.  He grimaced when one wasn’t offered.  Now his attention was focused on Mrs. Helen.

“You’re daughter left me.  At the alter.  As she ran away with some guy that just landed in town.  And you expect me to buck up and go after her?”  With each word his anger grew.  The barkeep slid closer in case he needed to restrain Jethroe.

Helen dismissed him with a hand and moved closer to Jethroe.  She lowered her voice and began to whisper in his ear.  “Please.  Let’s go upstairs and talk about this.  Your personal business doesn’t need to become this town’s next headline in the gossip column.”

Jethroe looked down into her clear blue eyes and tears welled up again.  Despite his feelings he lowered himself from the bar and clung to her.  Jethroe’s head spun as he stumbled with the tiny Helen around his waist.

“Miss.”  A hotel bellhop caught her and handed her a room key.  “He gave that to the barkeep to make sure he made it back to his room.”

“Would you mind giving me a hand?” Helen asked as she attempted to grab the key.

He scooped Jethroe’s arm over his shoulders and helped him meander towards the elevator.  The room was on the tenth floor.  As they walked down the hall Helen admired the beauty she ignored earlier.  This had to have cost a pretty penny.  But her daughter had told her Jethroe didn’t have much money.  Something wasn’t adding up.

Helen opened the door and had the bellhop lay Jethroe on the bed.  He stood in the doorway rocking back and forth with expectation.  Helen huffed as she rolled her eyes.  It soon became apparent her purse was empty.  She rushed over to Jethroe and checked in his pockets.

As her hands fumbled around inside his pockets she grazed his cock and she felt it harden.  Finding the money she snatched her hand out and walked to the door.  She counted it out as she walked to the bellhop.  Helen froze midway as she realized what was in her hands.  There were five $100 bills and a stack of $20 that added up to $500.  If $1000 were in his pockets how much was in his bank account?  She pulled out a $20 and handed it to the bellhop as she shooed him away.  As she strode back to the bed, conflict stormed within her.  Jethroe had an impressive package but this was borderline rape.  Aside from that he was supposed to have married her god-daughter that afternoon. But she had arrived in town with every intention to play.

She crossed the room and sat Jethroe up after an extended struggle.  Helen began to undress the abandoned groom.  There was no way the rental place would accept this back if something were to happen to it.  She giggled as she removed his shoes.  Nobody was ready for the blinding reflection of the sun as he danced down the aisle.  She ignored the route this memory would take and began talking Jethroe through everything she was doing.  He still possessed enough motor skills to move which helped to undress him.

Helen collapsed in the chair with a loud huff.  With Jethroe lying on the bed she was finally able to look around the room.  The room was huge with a high ceiling.  A chandelier with ornate decorations hung in the center of the room.  A set of large double doors separated the bedroom from the living space.  A plaid pull out couch sat between two beautiful dracaenas.  Placed in the center of the living area was a circular glass table.

Helen could see the city skyline outside of the glass doors.  It was breathtaking.  She rose and crossed the room and discovered they led to a balcony.  Her mind flashed back to her honeymoon weekend.  Theodore had bought a room that looked out over the ocean.  Each night he fucked Helen as the sun set over the horizon.  Her body instantly reacted to the memory.  Her legs trembled as her womanhood began to moisten.

Helen shook the memory from her head and continued to look out on the horizon.  She was so caught up in the moment she didn’t hear Jethroe approach her from behind.  A muffled yelp was let out as he wrapped his arms around her waist and took a deep breath.

“Persephone,” Jethroe breathed out.  His arms tightened as he gave her a playful squeeze.  “I knew you’d be back.  I knew you hadn’t left me.”

Helen was too shocked to say anything.  Thed hadn’t held her like this in years.  She felt safe and secure in Jethroe’s arms as he swayed back and forth with her.  Afraid that he would react wrongly if she revealed herself she remained silent.

“You don’t have to say a word.  As long as you are back with me, I promise to do better and never make you feel neglected again.”

Jethroe pushed her brown hair to the side and nuzzled his face in her neck.  He began to kiss and lick Helen mistaking her for Persephone.  One of Jethroe’s hands slid up Helen’s stomach and cupped her right breast fondling it as he pulled Helen closer.  She moaned and squirmed as this boy 20 years younger than her made her feel things she hadn’t felt in decades.

Jethroe continued to squeeze and caress who he thought was Persephone.  Enjoying the noises and reactions he was getting from her.  She hadn’t been this animated when they made out in years.  As Jethroe caught the zipper to her dress in his teeth he gave a hard squeeze on her breasts.  Helen’s legs slammed together as she fought off a tiny orgasm caused by this rough and unfamiliar foreplay.  Jethroe undid the zipper and turned Helen around.  Without looking up he kissed his way to her pussy.  Licking and nibbling as he worked his way up.

Helen put her hands on his head to keep him from going up.  Try as she might, Jethroe’s misplaced passion weakened her knees and chipped away at her resolve to stop him.  Her arms felt like jelly as Helen went from pushing his head down to playing with Jethroe’s hair as he ventured up her legs.  With her ass pressed against the cool glass Helen tossed her head back and searched for a shooting star.

As Jethroe approached her pussy Helen’s body trembled with expectation.  His warm, slick tongue traced the outer lips of her vagina. Jethroe’s strong hands gripping the back of her thighs to press his face deeper into her sex.  Helen twisted her fingers into Jethroe’s tiny locks as an orgasm ripped through her body.  As her body trembled and legs gave way, Helens cursed and thanked the gods Herbert had given her permission to play today.  Jethroe’s skills far surpassed his age.

Now Jethroe kissed his way up the front of Helen’s body as his hands kneaded Helen’s ass.  Still reeling from that massive orgasm Helen’s legs were giving out.  Herb hadn’t done anything close to this since Persephone was born.  Her mind returned swiftly when Jethroe caught one of her nipples in his mouth and bit down sharply.  The jolt of pain returning her to her senses but also causing her to dance in the palm of his  hand.

Her pussy wet with anticipation she began grinding the air as he worked his way up to kiss her for the first time.  It was deep, forceful and full of passion.  The warmth from the kiss caused her to melt even more as Helen gave herself completely to Jethroe.  Arms tangled, tongues wrestling, the two lovers gave in to their base desires to physical enjoyment.  Helen broke the kiss and  untied her hair allowing it to fall to the middle of her back still curled from being tied.

Jethroe spun her to once again face the city as he lined up his dick to her pussy. A tinge of fear crossed Helen’s mind as she did not know if it was a safe time for her or not. However, Jethroe’s tweaking of her nipples replaced that with a desire to feel filled. As she pushed back to feel him enter her he pulled away.

“Be patient, my pet.”  Jethroe thrust forward allowing his crown to hit the engorged clit of Helen.  His entire length stimulating her.  A new fear entered Helen’s mind.  Jethroe was almost twice Herb’s size and much thicker.  How would she handle this?  Would Herbert feel the same after this?

Another thrust and Helen was almost brought to her knees.  A strong arm caught her waist and she felt a tug on her hair.  Jethroe was in complete control and there was no way to escape.  Not that she’d wanted to.  Pulling harder, Jethroe brought Helen’s face to his and planted another kiss square on her lips.  Her wiggling hips made him chuckle.  The deep rumble that emitted from his chest made her wetter.

Jethroe lined his cock up once again and allowed Helen to wiggle and push the tip into her pussy.  Helen’s eye’s shot open as the realization hit.  How did her daughter take all of this and not walk funny?  Jethroe was going to destroy her pussy and leave nothing for Herb to enjoy.  Slowly Jethroe worked his dick into Helen by moving his hips in slow circles. Opening her up little by little.

“I know this is our first time.  So I’m going to take it slow.  But once you start pushing back, I’m not holding back,” Jethroe growled in Helen’s ear.  He pulled her hair so she was staring into the star lit sky and nibbled on her earlobe.  Fondling her breast as he toyed with her nipple.  Helen was able to relax knowing she wasn’t going to get pounded until she was ready.

As she relaxed her hips pushed back and a bit more of Jethroe’s penis slid into her tight vagina.  Jethroe’s hands quickly snapped to her waist as he plunged forward.  In one swift motion he was buried to the base in Helen.  Her breath caught in her throat as her head snapped back and her eyes nearly popped out of her head.  For a brief moment Helen felt as if she was going to explode.  Had she not relaxed before this she may have passed out from pain.

Jethroe began to grind his hips into Helen’s ass allowing her to adjust to his size.  A moment of impatience made him jump the gun.  But waiting so long to have his dream girl was torture.  Always within his reach but never within his bed.  Tonight was the night.  She was here, smelling sweet, body squeezable and fluffy, moaning softly as he dug himself deep into her love.

Helen’s face was frozen as her body shook violently with an orgasm. Jethroe’s hips gyrated pushing him ever so slightly deeper.  As Helen returned to her body she could feel Jethtoe start to pump in and out of her at a slow steady pace.  With each stroke she was adjusting but felt less and less of him inside of her.  On the final stroke his crown almost came out. Her lips squeezing to prevent him slipping out.  A loud smack was drowned out by the traffic below as Jethroe plunged in deep yet again.  Helen could feel her wetness flow down her inner thigh and down her legs.

She closed her eyes hoping he wouldn’t think she just relieved herself on him.  To her delight it seemed as if he didn’t notice, as Jethroe pulled out slowly and plunged in again.  With each thrust Helen began to forget that her daughter was supposed to have married this man hours ago.  Jethroe had reached places no man had tread in nearly two decades.  As her mind gave way her body began to respond honestly to Jethroe’s touch and body.

Helen began grinding against Jethroe’s hips, slowly building up another orgasm.  Just as she was about to go over the edge, he pulled out.  Helen’s look of surprise turned to one of joy as she felt a hot liquid splatter onto her ass and lower back.  Jethroe had let out enough cum that it dribbled down her legs. An exhausted Jethroe stepped back to enjoy his work as he gasped for air.

Helen wiggled her ass to give him a show and hurry the process of cum running down her legs.  She reached around rubbing the milky substance into her skin.  Jethroe’s inebriation was beginning to fade as he looked up.  Persephone’s frame seemed smaller.  It was just as shapely but the size seemed off.  Jethroe’s eyes trailed up what he thought to be Persephone’s body ticking off differences. Toned legs, but they aren’t as thick as before.  Her ass is still fat but hips seem wider.  Breast bigger but hanging a little lower.

If he didn’t know better, Jethroe would swear he had just fucked his former mother-in-law.  Bouncing brown curls hung to the middle of her back and realization dawned on Jethroe.  His eyes darted from the naked body in front of him and his dick.  There was no way that he could have done what he thinks happened.  But the shock turned into fear and dismay as Helen turned to reveal her flushed and sweaty face.

“By now I’m sure you’re aware of what just happened.”  She brought her finger to her lips and sucked the cum off of it.  “Once the fear drains away feel free to join me in the bed.”

Helen sauntered by Jethroe as she fondled her breast and tweaked her nipples.  Lust filled eyes staring at the dick that had just fulfilled her wants.  Helen’s hand absentmindedly trailed down to her pussy so she could spread them for Jethroe to see.

“She will be waiting.”

Alone and shaking from discovery, Jethroe calmed his beating heart and collected his breath.  What was done couldn’t be undone.  His dick twitched at the idea of a follow up performance.  Even though he had been drunk, Helen was in her right mind and did nothing to stop it.  He turned his head and found Helen lying on the bed staring at him.  She licked her lips and winked, beckoning him to join her.  With a shrug Jethroe rose and walked to the bed, his blood flowing and hardening his dick.

“Is this alright for us to do?”  Jethroe stood at the edge of the bed.  His dick now pointing straight at Helen’s mouth.  “Your husband could kill me or divorce you.”

Helen rolled onto her back and kicked up her right leg to reveal the anklet.  “He gave me his blessing to play tonight.  There weren’t any restrictions.  But he does want to hear who made me happy and how they did it.”

She placed a playfully kiss on the underside of Jethroe’s dick.  It jumped in response while he tensed up.  Soon her tongue lapped at his dick followed by more kisses trailing it up and down.  Jethroe reached out to play with Helen’s breast as he moved his hips in circles.  Helen reached a hand up to stroke Jethroe and get him harder.

“If you give me one more good show, I’ll call up Herbert and have the wedding taken care of.”  Helen opened her mouth to take Jethroe in.  A low moan escaped as her warm mouth engulfed his cock.  Helen flicked her tongue playfully Jethroe’s tip as her hand slid up his leg to massage his balls.  For balance Jethroe reached for the posts.  Unconsciously he began rolling his hips pulling back when Helen squeezed a little too hard on his sack.

“Fuck,” Jethroe whispered as Helen popped his fully erect cock out of her mouth and planted gentle kisses on it.  “You are amazing.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”  Helen shifted onto her back and wagged a finger to coax Jethroe onto the bed.  He did as requested and began kissing up Helen’s leg.  At her erogenous spots he would linger and apply some tongue.  Watching her body, he would move on once her shivering calmed down.  With each stop, a mini orgasm was reached.  Jethroe made his way to Helen’s pussy.  This time sober and fully aware of what he was doing, he licked the wet folds and nibbled at her labia.

“Please Jethroe,” Helen breathed heavily.  “I need this more than you know.”

As his lips clamped down on Helens clit, Jethroe snaked a hand up her thigh.  Two fingers expertly slipped inside of her and curled up to massage the roof of her vagina.  Helen’s eyes shot open as her back arched wildly.  Her breath hitched in her throat as Jethroe’s tongue lashed at her clit eradictly and his fingers strumbed inside of her.  Helen’s legs locked as her orgasm reached peak. In the midst of her climax Jethroe released his mouth from Helen’s coochie.

A stream of fluid followed him as he backed away.  His eyes traced up Helen’s body as Jethroe admired the mature beauty of this woman.  He frowned as his eyes were blocked from Helen’s due to her hands hiding her face.  Jethroe slowly pried her fingers away and kissed her deeply.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Your body is just letting me know how much you are enjoying this, me.”  Jethroe kissed Helen again as he lined up his cock to her slit.  “Now I need you to want it as bad as your body needs this.”

Jethroe teased her opening, rotating his hips in small circles. Helen began to thrust her hips to meet Jethroe’s downward rotation forcing more of him into herself little by little.  Her moans of desire blended perfectly with Jethroe’s grunts of pleasure.

[therainroguefanfiction]

⁂ Beta (Kunimitsu Tezuka)

Genre: Friendship, Crack ☁

Word Count: 2,240 ☁

Pairing: None ☁

World: Prince of Tennis ☁

Author’s Note: I wrote this fic a long time ago as a present to myself for my 18th birthday. I actually did get that fish in real life and named him that!

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You were strong, brave, out-spoken, reckless, stubborn, impatient, easily annoyed, ru – Well, you get the picture. If you had to be compared to someone, it’d be Kaoru Kaidoh of Seigaku. You show nothing but this annoyed, loner facade, but on the inside, you’re actually pretty nice. It’s hard to get close to you and get past your impenetrable fortress, but for those who have succeeded, they are rewarded with a loyal and caring friend. But, that’s nearly an impossible thing to do. It’s rare for you to attach yourself to someone, but when you do, you never let go.

One thing you hated more than anything was shopping, and that wasn’t limited to just clothes shopping, either. Shoes, books, movies, groceries. It didn’t matter. 

You hated it all.

Which is why you couldn’t come up with a suitable excuse as to why you, Fuji, Momo, and Eiji were currently in Mal*Wart, looking through their pet section.

You could claim that you did it out of boredom. You could claim that you wanted to do something different for a change. You could claim that you secretly liked shopping.

Or hell, you could even claim that you just loved Mal*Wart, but those were all lies. The truth, however, was too damaging to both your pride and nerves. You would never, never, ever ever ever, admit that you had caved to Kikumaru’s Kiku-Cat Pout, which was about twenty times more powerful than the ever-popular puppy pout. No, you intended to take that fact to your grave.

You didn’t know why the three wanted you to come along, but you did know why they were at Mal*Wart. Momo had found a small kitten on the street the day before and after some serious begging, his mother agreed to let him keep the orange tabby. Being excited as he was, he had invited the whole of Seigaku to go pet shopping with him so he could get food and all the other supplies he would need.

Echizen was first, of course. He blatantly refused and hung up on his senpai. Eiji was next. He agreed before the words left Momo’s lips. Oishi was busy helping out his uncle at the clinic and apologized before getting off the line. Kaoru was completely skipped over. Kawamura was busy helping his dad out around the sushi restaurant. Apparently, they were pretty busy today. Inui was angry because Momo interrupted ‘important research’ on his new drink. He even threatened to make Momo his guinea pig. Momo abruptly hung up the phone. Fuji had nothing to do and agreed. Momo didn’t even get to finish his sentence before his buchou hung up the phone.

You acted a lot like Ryoma, hanging up the phone after giving him an abrupt and firm ‘no’, but that didn’t stop them from showing up at your door and, well, you know the rest.

Momo stood in front of the vast selection of cat food, stressing over which food would be the best for the small animal. It was still just a kitten and he knew he had to be careful about what he bought for it. “Which am I supposed to get? Eiji-senpai? Fuji-senpai? Y/N-senpai?”

Eiji hummed, placing his hand on his chin in thought, the other arm across his chest. His blue eyes scanned the shelves of food before reaching forward and grabbing the first bag that caught his interest. He held the medium-sized bag up and grinned.

Shusuke chuckled. You deadpanned.

Momo sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his head. “E-Eiji-senpai… that’s dog food…”

“Eh?” Eiji blinked, turning the bag around in his outstretched hands so he could read the front. DOG FOOD was written in bold white letters on the front. “Eh?! I thought this was the cat aisle!”

“Mal*Wart is a multi-purpose store. They have too many items to give cats and dogs their own isle,” Shusuke stated with a smile.

Eiji pouted at the bag, setting it back on the shelf half-heartedly.

Shusuke cocked his head to the side. “Saa, let’s see. This,” he picked up a colorful bag claiming to be for kittens and handed it to Momo. “That should be the correct food,”

“‘Should be’? Are you sure, Fuji-senpai?”

“Well,” his smile dropped and he held a hand to his chin. “That’s the only kitten food they have here…”

“Shouldn’t you go to Smartpets or Animalco for this?” you asked boredly, rubbing the back of your head. Mal*Wart was not the place to go when you just got a new pet.

“Maybe Y/N-chan is right,” Eiji rested his arm on your shoulder.

“But Smartpets is expensive!” Momo complained. “I’m on a budget here!”

“Animalco?”

“Animalco is even more expensive!”

While the three boys pondered their situation, you headed over to the aisle behind them where the fish tanks were. You were getting both bored and annoyed and decided to walk around looking at whatever crossed your path to calm your ever raging temper. It always did the trick for some reason.

You passed the tanks and was about to pass the sink when you froze. It was like some invisible force whispering in your ear, telling you to look over. Being someone who strongly believed in following your gut, you looked over. Above the sink was a small shelf, lined with several small round containers. Each container held a Beta fish, each varying in color, but were all about the same size.

You knew from experience that Betas had to be kept separate from other fish, including their own kind. They were loner fish and hated to be together with other fish. It was very rare to find one that got along with others. Other than the loner trait, they were truly beautiful. They came in ranges of colors, some were blues and reds with touches of purple, some were orange and gold. They shimmered like glitter, with tails and fins that looked like silk. They were probably the most beautiful type of fish out there.

When you were younger, you used to have many Betas and they were your favorite type of fish, easy to take care of. Best of all, they didn’t give you headaches or make messes or destroy anything like cats and dogs tended to do. They only bad thing about these fish was that they didn’t have long lives. Even if you take care of them properly, their life is just naturally short. ‘Fate dictates that they be taken away from us early,’ you thought, remember the quote from the anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

You walked over, fingers brushing the containers. It felt like someone had a hold on your wrist, guiding it towards one of the containers in the front. Inside was a male Beta, shimmering with blues, reds, and purples, a small white streak standing out among them. It may very well be the most beautiful Beta you’d ever seen.

You gently grabbed the container, so as not to scare the little one, and brought it up to examine him closer. You didn’t understand why, but something was telling you to get this fish and you knew if you didn’t listen to your gut, you’d end up regretting it later. You always did.

Setting the fish down in a safe place, you examined the fish tanks and ornaments that they had. You wanted a big one, but not a huge one meant for many fish. You also wanted it to have a light and a filter. Once you found the perfect one, you proceeded to grab a couple bags of blue and white stones, a sign that said BEWARE OF JAWS!!, and a pirate skull cave complete with a black electric eel swimming from the eye.

Most people would question how you managed to carry all of that stuff without dropping anything or jostling the skittish fish.

Once Momo returned with a buggy – which you had ordered him to go get -, you set the items down. Shusuke raised an eyebrow in question but didn’t voice it. What felt like two hours later, the group paid for the items and left the store.

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You stared at the multi-colored fish as he swam around in his new tank. It was obvious that he was in a state of shock. For one, Betas are never too happy with being moved around. Secondly, the bowl he had been in was small, confined, and safe. The tank he was currently in was much larger in size, with rocks and other small ornaments that he wasn’t used to having. You always found it annoying the way people bought teeny tiny little tanks for Betas to live in, without any decoration. What’s the point of having the damn thing?

You wanted to feed him but knew better; he was too shaken up at the moment, and probably wouldn’t touch the food. Since Betas vary, you bought both the pellets and the flakes. From your experience, every Beta you’ve ever had preferred the flakes, but the professionals always say they prefer the pellets. But, what do professionals really know? Or maybe you just always got the weird of the litter. Whatever, it didn’t really matter.

As you stared at the fish, you started to wonder what you should name him. You may not be able to take him out and pet him or perform tricks with him, but he was still a pet, even if you could only look at him and he deserved a name. But, with so many names floating around out there, you had no clue what to call him. It had to be something with meaning, but nothing stupid like ‘Spot’ or ‘Sam’. Seriously, what kind of name is Sam for a freakin’ fish?

“Ah!”

It was like a light bulb lit up over your head. You had thought of the perfect name!

Your lips curled up into a smirk and you gently set your finger on the side of the tank so that you didn’t scare him. You couldn’t wait to introduce the little guy to the team tomorrow.

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Since you didn’t want to move the fish around while he was adjusting, you invited the gang over to your house – something which both excited and scared them since you rarely ever did that. With a single hand, you beckoned them upstairs to your bedroom where the fish tank lay on your desk away from the window.

“Is that the fish you bought the other day?” Shusuke smiled, cocking his head to the side as he admired it.

“Yeah. It’s an early birthday present for myself,”

Shusuke nodded without looking at you, leaning down to inspect the tank. He seemed genuinely interested.

“Have you named it yet?” Shuichiro asked softly, leaning down beside Shusuke to get a better look. The shimmering scales and graceful dance brought a smile to his face, just as it had done with Shusuke.

“It’s male,” you paused. “And yeah. The name came to me last night.”

Everyone turned to look at you, thinking you were going to continue and mention the name, but you stayed silent, staring stoically at the tank. The silence and stares continued until, finally, Momo and Eiji exploded.

“Well?!”

“Well what?” you blinked, looking over at the pair. You looked as if you had just snapped out of a trance.

Shusuke bit back a chuckle at the suspense and impatience hanging over his two teammates. “What name did you decide to go with?”

“Oh!” you returned your attention to the fish, shrugging. “Tezubeta,”

“…” Silence.

Everyone stared at you, curiously, wondering if you were going to say that you were joking, but you had returned to your trance, face and eyes showing no hint of a joke or a lie. You had truly named your fish Tezubeta.

“Is that… named after Tezuka?” Oishi glanced at the captain before looking back to you.

“Yep,”

“Not questioning you or anything, senpai, but… why’d you name it after the buchou?” Momo asked, glancing at the stoic male, who had not changed his expression.

“I figure, if you’re gonna name something you care about, it should be after something or someone that means a lot to you. Tezuka would be that person. He’s always been like family to me. So, yeah.”

The team didn’t know how to react. After all, you had never actually confessed to caring about someone before, and here you were, showing your house and your bedroom to the team, all the while confessing that you viewed Kunimitsu Tezuka as family. They had to wonder if you were sick. Or drunk. Or maybe even high. Was it opposite day?

Tezuka pushed his glasses up and walked towards you, resting his hand on your shoulder. Still, his expression did not change.

At first, he didn’t say anything; he just looked at you. The team leaned closer, wondering what their buchou was going to say or do. They inched closer with every passing minute, the suspense and tension growing in the small room. Why the hell did he feel the need to put them through this? They were only kids, for god’s sake! They couldn’t handle this kind of suspense!

Finally, Tezuka spoke. “Don’t let your guard down,”

The whole room, minus Kunimitsu and yourself, fell to the ground, sweatdrops appearing on the back of their heads. Even Tezubeta fell.

Ah, if only his fins were long enough he probably would have facepalmed, as well.

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📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[justanoutlawfic]

Home: Sentimental (Red Snowing)

I was looking at close up pictures of Emma's nursery and was inspired to make this off the little details.

Also on AO3/FF

Snow hadn’t been lying when she returned from the Enchanted Forest after the curse broke. Emma’s nursery was truly in shambles. Ruby could remember how much hard work and dedication went into putting it together. David and the dwarfs had built the crib. The unicorn mobile was a gift from Cinderella and Thomas. All of the toys had been picked out by the three of them. Geppetto had taken a break from carving the wardrobe to make a beautiful dollhouse with tiny wooden dolls that resembled the dolls and Snow. There was a prince charming doll, along with plenty of other princess ones and stuffed animals. They had purchased an abacus and other things their new daughter would need as she grew. The three of them had put everything up together. There was a place for everything. As always, Snow had a method to her madness.

 Now, that was all for nothing. The crib was turned on its side. Most of the toys had fallen off the shelf and were destroyed. Stuffed animals had footprints dragged across them. Porcelain dolls had cracks in their skin. A teddy bear that never had a chance to be snuggled was already missing an eye as if Emma had loved it her whole life. The unicorn mobile had ended up in Gold’s shop and hadn’t made it back after Pan activated the destruction on the town.

 Lost forever, just like so much of their lives.

 Ruby knew that their second child could not sleep in this nursery. Snow had already selected a second room for them. Even so, Ruby wanted to try to make this old one look at least a little presentable. She couldn’t bare the thought of the place they had put so much work into in such a state.

 As she picked up the broken toys, she moved them into two boxes: one for repair if they looked like they could be and one for those that were too far gone. She looked at the shelf where some of the toys still stood standing. The dollhouse and the tiny wooden dolls had survived. She could see a sheep stuffed animal not far behind them, which brought a small smile to her face. David had found it at a market stand and insisted on buying it. He may have been a prince, but he would never stop being a shepherd at heart.

 “We’ll take her to visit farms when she’s growing up, so she can learn how to feed the animals,” he had told his wives.

 Another dream that died that awful night in this nursery.

 Ruby’s eyes looked upwards on the shelf. The alphabet block they had once purchased were scattered everywhere. Stuffed in the corner was a familiar doll. She picked it up and flicked off the dust. It was handmade, wearing a blue dress and red cape. The doll had dark hair and tiny eyes. Ruby gave it a watery smile as she remembered back to how this toy in particular came to be.

 Red poked her thumb yet again. “Ow!”

David looked up from his book while Snow stopped rubbing lotion on her stomach. “What are you doing, Red?” he asked.

“I’m trying to make a cape for this doll.” She held up the naked figure. “But it’s not working out like I thought.”

“A cape, huh?” David wiggled his eyebrows. “And just why would that doll need a cape?”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “She has a prince charming doll, not to mention that lamb you bought for her. Geppetto made the castle and the representation of Snow. I just want her to have something of me.”

“I think that’s a sweet idea,” Snow piped up.

“I’m just not an expert at knitting and sewing like Granny is.”

“She’s going to love it no matter what,” David said. “Because her Mama made it.”

 Ruby held the doll close to her, thinking about how excited she had been to give it to her daughter. They knew the curse was coming but they were doing everything in their power to stop it. They had hope they would get to raise Emma. In the end, not only had she never gotten to sleep in this nursery, she had never gotten anything from it.

 It wouldn’t feel right to give this to the new baby. She’d make he or she something else. In the meantime, she’d save this. She had to have hope that she hadn’t seen her pup for the last time.

*******************************************************************************************

Christmas in Storybrooke was a huge deal. In the Enchanted Forest, they had the winter solstice with the legend of Father Christmas but that was it. Ruby had to admit she much preferred the holidays in the small town in Maine. Main Street was decorated with bright lights and figurines. They had several festivals and parties to celebrate.

 One holiday that was similar in both the Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke was Hanukkah. Ruby hadn’t grown up celebrating it but once she married Snow, she converted. They all agreed their future children would grow up celebrating the holidays that came with both the Catholic and Jewish religions, since David’s family came from the former. Eva’s family had a beautifully handcrafted menorah that was passed down from generation to generation. Luckily, it had ended up in Gold’s shop. The holiday season after the second curse, he had given it to the Lucas-Charming family free of charge, claiming he couldn’t picture charging them for something like that.

 Emma had never celebrated Hanukkah and Ruby loved getting to watch her daughter do it for the first time alongside their 3-month-old son. It was months after the second curse had broken and things were finally returning to some sort of normal. Henry, Regina, Roland and Robin came by as well for the first night since Regina had celebrated Hanukah with Leopold and Snow during their marriage.

 Despite it being their first Hanukkah in Storybrooke, they wanted to follow the same tradition that they had in the past. They exchanged gifts with one another for some of the nights, while giving to charities that they felt important on the others. It had been a tradition that Eva had started a little after Snow was born and her daughter wanted to keep it up with her own family.

 However, this was the first night of Hanukkah and the family had agreed upon sentimental gifts. Snow had repurposed the unicorn mobile into windchimes for Emma. David had crafted a beautiful wooden frame to put his favorite picture of him and Emma standing in front of the sheriff car for her. Ruby knew immediately what she wanted to give her daughter, but she just wasn’t sure if she was going to be okay with it. It was a bit childish, but it was something that Ruby had wanted to give her daughter for 29 years.

 When time came to exchange presents, it was a bit hectic given their large family. Ruby watched as Emma teared up at her new windchimes and grinned widely when it came to the picture frame which include a quote to remember to enjoy “the moments”. Her packages sat awkwardly in her hands. Eventually, everyone else was busy with each other, so Ruby pulled Emma aside.

“If you hate it, I still have a few nights to make up for it,” Ruby only half-teased.

Emma chuckled. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

 She unwrapped the first package which was a storybook that Ruby had made with the help of Henry. Inside was the real story of how both Ruby had met Snow, then how Ruby had David and how they all became a couple. The Author had left it out of the official version of the storybook for some reason and she wanted Emma to have it. It ended on them finding out they were expecting their first child.

“Mama, this is beautiful,” Emma said, flipping through it.

“Henry drew the pictures,” Ruby admitted. “My artistry skills are not that high. But I wanted to give you this to go along with it. It also has a story.”

 She handed Emma the second package and watched her unwrap it. Emma tilted her head when she saw the doll.

 “You got me a version of you?”

“I made it when Snow was pregnant with you,” Ruby explained. “You were meant to have all these toys that represented us as your parents, so I did this. When we all were back in the Enchanted Forest last year, I found it in your old nursery and tucked it away. When we got back to Storybrooke and your mom went looking for the mobile, I found it.”

“This was always meant to be mine?” Emma asked in wonder.

“I know you’re too old to play with it now, but to me it goes with the book. It’s a part of our story, Emma. It’s a part of how I connected to you, even when you were in Snow’s womb. I had all these plans for you and I want you to know they don’t stop just because I didn’t get to raise you…”

 Emma cut Ruby off by pulling her into a hug. Ruby let out a deep breath and hugged her tighter.

“It’s perfect,” Emma said. “I love it.”

“I’m glad.”

“My present’s kind of lame in comparison.”

“Emma nothing you get me could be lame.”

 Emma pulled away from her, gently setting her presents to the side. She picked up a medium sized package and handed it to Ruby.

“Ironically, Henry helped me with my gift as well.”

 Ruby took off the messy wrapping paper to find a basket. Inside of it was a bag of coffee grinds, a Guns N’ Roses CD, a bottle of red hair dye for streaks and finally, a packet of gummy sharks.

“It’s all stuff that made me get to know you under the curse,” Emma explained. “We used to get coffee together when you worked at the sheriff station. We’d listen to rock music in your Camaro. Mom said you were thinking about highlighting your hair again, like you did under the curse so I threw that in. And the gummy sharks were from when we saw that movie together, the first time we bonded after the curse broke. That was the candy you picked.”

 A watery smile flew across Ruby’s face.

 “Oh, and Henry helped me pick the basket. I was going to wrap them individually but he said Little Red Riding Hood would need one.”

Ruby laughed in spite of her tears. “Of course he did.”

 She pulled Emma back into her arms. Maybe she didn’t carry Emma in her stomach, but there was no doubting that their bond was strong enough to last any curse that came their way.

[pennylanefics]

Christmas for Three

second Christmas imagine!! this isn’t exactly a part 2 or connected to Gift of A Lifetime, but you can definitely think it is! hope you like it!! ❤️ it took a turn away from a Christmas imagine, but it starts out that way. i also did not expect it to be so long 😂

*gif not mine*

Ben has a surprise coming his way on the first Christmas for you two as a married couple.

Word count: 3311

This year will be the first Christmas for you and Ben as a married couple. But, instead of spending time with each other alone in your new home, you would be spending it with your family back home. You two flew back to (Y/C) the day before Christmas Eve, so you would also have that day with them as well.

All Christmas Eve, your family pestered you and Ben about married life, both of your careers, and any new things you have planned. Even though seeing family was fun, it became exhausting after so long. You were getting too worn out playing with the little children, and were starting to get bored talking to the adults. So, you made up the excuse that you have to finish wrapping presents before tomorrow. Which technically wasn’t a lie, you still had to wrap Ben’s and one or two small presents you just recently bought for your cousins. And now, Ben held your hand as he focused on the road heading back to the hotel.

“Are you feeling okay, love? You usually never feel this fatigued while around family?” You nodded your head.

“I think I’m still pretty jetlagged. I’ve never been well after flying, no matter how long the flight is.” He seemed to buy it and didn’t ask any further questions. Once at the hotel, you made your way up to the room. Thankfully, Ben announced he was going to take a shower, which gave you time to wrap his first present. You were so excited for him to open it, especially the second one. You also finished wrapping some small things for your cousins, all in the amount of time he was in the shower.

Ben stepped out in a pair of boxers, water still clinging to his chest. You felt your cheeks turn pink, crazed at how even after all these years you two have been together, he still manages to make you blush.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer, babe,” he said, smirking at me as he dried his hair with an extra towel. I shook my head and focused on the Christmas episodes of The Office that were on.

“Do we need to bring anything for tomorrow?” He asked once you both settled down in bed.

“I don’t believe so. If they need something, we can run out after we get there.” He hummed in response and pulled you to his chest.

“I love you,” he whispered into your neck, sending chills down my spine.

“I love you too, Benny. Now let’s get some sleep before our even crazier day tomorrow.” He chuckled and turned the lamp off.

*Christmas Day*

You and Ben spent most of the morning getting ready and collecting all of the presents, making sure you had everything for the day. Once both of you were ready and had the car packed up, you set off for your home once again.

Your cousins must have been watching from the window because they came running outside when the car pulled up into the driveway. You laughed and climbed out of the passenger seat, quickly hugging them, then turning to help Ben with the things.

“I got it, love. You go inside,” he said, waving you off. You gave him a look and still tried to help him, but he just playfully slapped your hand away. You pushed him a little and ran inside with you family. You smiled as you were hit with the scent of home-cooked dishes, the smell of burning Frosted Cranberry scented candles, and the warmth from the fireplace that was lit. You greeted the family members sitting on the couch in the living room and still stood by the door to help Ben inside.

He trudged up the driveway, his hands full of bags and presents.

“Ben, I told you I would help! You’re struggling so much.” He rolled his eyes, trying to keep up his “manly” composure.

“And I told you I would be fine. It’s cold out and I know you hate it.” You heart warmed at his consideration towards you. He finally stepped inside, also being greeted by your family, and made his way over to the tree that was in the corner of the room. Once he had everything set down he made his way back to you and pulled you into a hug. You gladly accepted and wrapped your arms around his waist as his went around your shoulders. He nuzzled his face in your hair, pressing kisses to the spot.

You heard your mom call yours and Ben’s name from the kitchen, so you pulled away and followed the noise.

“Hey mom! Do you need any help in here?” You offered.

“No, I’m just about done getting everything ready. But if you wouldn’t mind setting the table up, that’d be great.” You turned to Ben and pushed him towards the dining room. You didn’t see the need to set the table up because usually everyone helped themselves to their own plates and sometimes sat in the living room to eat. Although many people did eat at the table, too; you have a huge family so it’s impossible to fit every single person at one, let alone two tables.

“What did you get me as a present this year, huh? I saw a pretty good-sized box while carrying it in.” Ben asked you as you continued setting the table up. You shook your head.

“You’ll find out soon enough. We usually open presents after dinner. So you just have to sit through dinner to find out,” you smirked at him, knowing how impatient he can get. He sighed loudly and dramatically as he finished setting the final cup and plate down.

About ten minutes later, all of the food was ready, so you quickly grabbed a plate and filled it with all of the delicious food your mom and family members made. Instead of sitting at the table like usual, you opted to sit in the living room near the fire, as you were still pretty cold. Ben joined you after he had his plate and drink.

“Can you just tell me what your gift is, love? It’s driving me crazy,” he begged as he continued to eat. You shoved a forkful of mac and cheese in your mouth and shook your head at him.

“You. Will. Find. Out. Soon. Calm down, you’re like a little kid.”

“Isn’t that the whole point of Christmas? To be a little kid, excited to get presents from people they know and love?” He joked, poking your side. You giggled softly and poked his cheek in return.

“You’re 27 years old, you can wait.” He rolled his eyes yet again and went back to eating. A few cousins and aunts joined you and Ben in the living room, taking up the entire couch and a couple extra chairs. The rest sat on the floor. Although you liked sitting at the table and having a traditional Christmas dinner, you did enjoy the laid-back feel to being away from it.

After about 45 minutes, the kids were getting anxious and started to touch at the presents. That pretty much told us we needed to open presents now. You and Ben sat on the couch, you leaning into his chest, watching your young cousins rip open their gifts and gasp excitedly when they see what they got. A few even came up to you to thank you for their present. Your heart warmed at the sight.

Once all of the kids got theirs, it was time for the adults. Everyone was passed their gift from their Secret Santa, as well as any extras they received from others. Because Ben was not included, you got him two gifts, excluding the surprise one. He smiled cockily at you as he was now finally able to see what you got him. Although, this is not the gift you were excited about. That was hidden.

One of the gifts was a watch he has been looking at for a while now. You were with him when he found it in the store one day and he mentioned that he had been meaning to buy it, but he can never find the time. Of course that time, you two were in a rush, so he was, again, not able to get it. He pulled you into a huge bear hug, as much as he could from you sitting next to him, and rubbed your back soothingly.

You were given a few gifts, two from you secret santa, who was revealed as one of your uncles, and one from Ben. He framed a picture of you two on your wedding day, something you had been meaning to do, as you needed a picture for the mantle above the fireplace in your new home. You smiled widely as you noticed it was the moment when he saw you in your dress for the first time; you absolutely loved his expression, so it was undoubtedly your favorite picture. You quietly thanked him and gave him a quick kiss.

“I’m happy that I finally found out that gift of yours. It was driving me crazy.” You smirked at him not having any idea what was in store for him.

“Oh, Ben. That wasn’t the gift I was talking about.” His happy expression dropped to a puzzled one. You smiled and stood up. You quickly ran to the guest room where everyone’s coats were and grabbed the box you hid in there the day before.

You returned with the medium-sized box in your hands, careful not to shake it and give it away. Ben has the same confused look on his face, looking to you as you came into sight again. Of course, your mom began recording.

“Here.” You handed him the gift, your heart racing as you didn’t expect how he was going to react. He ripped the wrapping paper and threw it to the floor. He carefully opened the cardboard box and reached inside. His eyebrows were furrowed at first, but once he pulled out a stick with a piece of paper taped to it saying ‘you’re going to be a dad!’ and a tiny pair of booties, they raised in surprise and shock.

“Y-you’re pregnant?” You slowly nodded, trying not to let a smile pass but failing miserably. His jaw dropped and tears sprung to his eyes as he jumped up, bringing you with him. He spun you around a few times and brought you in for a kiss when he set you down.

“Holy shit! I’m gonna be a dad!” Tears continued to fall down his cheeks as his smile widened when he looked down at your stomach. Although there wasn’t a bump just yet, he rested his hand on your side, stroking your stomach with his thumb.

“I can’t believe this! We’re going to be parents in nine months! I love you so much. And I’m going to love this child just as much. But quick question, is that why you were so tired yesterday?” You laughed at his random change of the subject. He went from being sweet and loving to Sherlock Holmes.

“Yes. I’ve been feeling really worn out, although the doctor said that’s completely normal.”

“But you haven’t gotten sick?” You rolled your eyes.

“Morning sickness can be different for many women. Some may get it once, some may have it all the time, and some may not get it at all. It depends. And you probably just jinxed me. I was happy I haven’t thrown up yet.” He chuckled at your comment and pulled you into a tight hug.

“I’m so ready for this new chapter of our lives. I still can’t believe you’re my wife, and the mother of my child now. I’d never imagine being with such an amazing and strong woman like you. I love you so much, hun.”

“I love you, too. Now I have to talk to everyone about this. Feel free to as well.” You leaned up and kissed his cheek, running off to hug your mom first.

Ben stood alone in the same spot, staring lovingly at you as you spoke to your family about the news. You caught him staring at you, the look in his eyes melting your heart. You gave him a small smile as he blew you a kiss. Your cousin came up to him to congratulate him, which of course interrupted you two.

Christmas slowly came to an end, and although you love being around your family, you were happy to finally have some alone time with Ben. You two were now back at the hotel, showered and ready for bed.

“Have you thought of names yet?” He asked as you finished packing your suitcase. You turned to him and grinned softly.

“Not yet, but we can do that right now. I may be tired, but staying up with you and doing this is worth it.” He smiled and motioned for you to come lay down with him.

“Okay, for a girl?” You asked first. He hummed as he thought for a few seconds.

“What about Lily?” You nodded and took your phone out, creating a list so you could remember.

“I really like Athena. I absolutely love Greek mythology,” you said after a few moments of silence.

“Charlotte?” He suggested. This was going to be hard, you really like all of these names. After about ten minutes, you had a list of around twelve names, so you switched to boys.

“Chase?” Ben said first.

“I’ll admit, I don’t really like it. That’s the one name I don’t want. Next to Blake, Jake, Alex, and any generic name.” Ben nodded, not wanting to push that anymore.

“Hudson.” You stated out loud, thinking how cool of a name it is.

“Roger,” Ben smirked, laughing at your reaction.

“I’m joking, darling. But what about Taylor?” You thought for a second. You both loved Queen, and since Ben actually played Roger in the movie, you figured it’d be a nice little tribute to him.

“Middle name?” You asked. Ben smiled and nodded.

“He’ll be happy to hear that. If we have a boy.” That got you thinking.

“What do you want it to be?” You rubbed your stomach as Ben thought about it for a second. He caught your hand movement and joined in.

“I’d love to have a girl. I would love to spoil her. But, it honestly doesn’t matter to me, as long as they’re healthy.” You smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Out of nowhere, a name popped up in your mind and you loved it immediately.

“Lennon.” Ben raised his eyebrows and smiled. You two also loved The Beatles. They were one thing you bonded over in the beginning of your relationship.

“Lennon Taylor Jones,” Ben whispered, putting the full name together. Your lips curved up as you heard the way it sounded all together. You fell in love with it even more.

“Now full names for a girl?” He asked. After a few minutes of bickering, you two came to a decision.

“Athena Ann Jones.”

You two were exhausted, as it was now nearing one in the morning, so you decided to go to sleep. Ben fell asleep with his hand resting on your stomach, and you with a huge smile on your face.

*a few weeks later*

You and Ben were now back home in London after a few busy weeks of holidays. It was well into the new year, which also meant you were well into your pregnancy. You had your 20-week checkup a couple days ago, which meant the sex of the baby could be, and was, determined.

Except you guys didn’t find out because you had a gender reveal party planned. Only your cousin knew because she is the one in charge of planning on how to reveal it.

Today was the day of the party, which was being held at your home. The guys and Lucy were all able to take time off and attend, after all they would be considered uncles and Lucy an aunt due to how close you all are.

You were dressed in a light blue maternity dress while Ben wore a pink button-up. Yeah, you were wanting a boy, but at the same time, you wouldn’t mind a girl.

“Hey love, where do you want the gifts?” Ben asked as he stepped into the kitchen, where you stood preparing the cupcakes.

“Anywhere in the living room is fine.” He left and did as he was told.

People started to show up more and more by the minute. Although it was mostly Ben’s side of the family, as your family lived in America (sorry if you don’t:(). But, your friend was going to FaceTime your parents so they could watch.

It was now time for the reveal and to say you were nervous would be an understatement. Ben noticed your demeanor and pulled you aside from the group.

“Are you okay, love? What’s the matter?” He asked concerned.

“I don’t know. It’s just all becoming real. Referring to the baby as ‘it’ didn’t feel like we were having a baby, but now it’s setting in. I’m probably not making sense right now, but I’m scared I’m not going to be a good mom.” You were rambling at this point and you couldn’t stop. Ben couldn’t figure out how to stop you so he grabbed your cheeks and kissed you. He took your breath away, but the kiss also calmed you down.

“Chill out, hun. Everything will be okay, I promise. You are so good with your younger cousins, I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll be an amazing mum to our kid. I love you so much, alright? We’re in this together, no matter what.” You nodded at his words.

“No matter what. Okay. Let’s go find out if it’s Lennon or Athena.” He grinned widely at you and grabbed your hands.

Everyone stood around with tubes in their hands. Your cousin handed you and Ben the last two tubes as the photographer she hired stood in front of the group, waiting for the exciting and heart-stopping moment.

“You ready?” He whispered, smiling down at you. You returned the gesture and nodded.

“Alright. On three, twist the bottom of the tube, and either pink or blue confetti will shoot out,” your cousin explained. You jumped up and down a little, which caused Ben to chuckle softly.

“Three! Two! One!” With the last count, everyone twisted the tubes and...blue confetti rained down on the group. You automatically jumped into Ben’s arms, spinning around as the confetti continued to fall. You had tears of happiness in your eyes as you leaned back and brought him in for a kiss.

Everyone seemed to disappear as you two shared a special moment. The photographer zeroed i’m on the two of you, taking shot after shot of the moment. Ben set you down and got on his knees in front of you. His hands went around your waist as his face fell right in front of your showing bump.

“Lennon Taylor Jones, we already love you so much, bub,” he whispered; you were surprised you heard him with all of the commotion going on around you guys. He pressed a few kisses to your bump as your hands made their way to the back of his head and threw his hair.

“Lennon Taylor Jones,” you whispered to yourself. The name you fell in love with the second it rolled off of Ben’s tongue. The name of your first child with Ben, your world.

“We have to tell Roger,” he said, looking up at you. You laughed loudly, throwing your head back as he watched you with love.

“We will, don’t worry.”

[fox-household]

Act 2: Teaching An Old Lizard, Chapter 2

This one I feel like I probably should’ve split into two, but here we are. The finally chapter of Act 2, next time we’ll get to meet someone new, so look forward to that. 

FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT

When Alphys had left, the child that was home alone decided it was a good time to explore the old rickety house that was now his home for the time being. Asgore skipped over the loungerooms, the kitchens and the outside areas as he had already scouted those out previously, also he didn’t check in the master bedroom, it would be quite rude for him to invade Alphys’ bedroom after all. His main interest was on the other side areas of the house, where some of the hallways were that lead to the other bedrooms and cupboards, which from the slightly better state of it really showed its lack of use, as if no one had been there for quite a while. There were three spare bedrooms of generally equal proportions and size, a medium sized square room, with a closet built into one of the walls. Asgore decided to claim one as his own, specifically the one that already had a mattress on the floor that contrasted with the rest of the room. The mattress looked a little new, as if it had only been used once, and even cleaned, at least much more recently than the rest of the cob-webbed and musty room around him. His first stop in the room as far as he was concerned was the closet which was expectedly empty, with a few bare racks and shelves, he closed the double doors as quickly as he opened them. The goat then tested the springs on the mattress a few times before heading over to the window in the room and used his sleeve to brush some of the dirt off the window. He then rested both of his hands on the bottom edge of the window, pressing down on the wood firmly which felt a little bit… softer than the wood he was used too, but it didn’t distract him enough to remove his stare from the outside. The ledge then made a slight creaking sound as he leant to rest himself and started thinking for a bit. Asgore looked out at the sunny day. ‘’Alright, well I suppose I can say I’m surviving at the Alphys residence. Nothing for Gaster to worry about obviously, he’s such a worry wart, bet he’s already getting tabs kept on me.’’  Despite that disaster that was this morning, he could already feel himself warming up to the place, there were some doubts that had been forming in his head overtime, but he quickly dispelled them, ‘You don’t have to wait for a place to naturally be your home, wrestle with it and assert dominance over your environment, force it to be your home with the power of positive thinking and changing things to your liking’, at least that’s what he kept telling himself, and it worked in some way or another in his head so it continued. After about a minute of pondering random things he exited the room, swearing to return with a blanket and pillow tonight for his rest. Nothing exciting was found for a bunch more of the trip, finding the bathrooms, a few linen cupboards and even the laundry, which was also normal, there was only one extra thing of note in his journey around the building. Eventually he reached a door at an end of a hall. This door didn’t look any different from the other ones, but there were small sounds were coming from the other side, like machinery sounds. However, when he tried to open it, the handle didn’t budge at all, as if it was frozen in place, he tried a number of times but there wasn’t even a slight movement at all. ‘’Huh, guess it’s locked or something? Wonder what’s behind there?’’ Suddenly with a slight jump he heard the front door slam shut on the other side of the house, obviously someone was here, and without checking anything else out, he quickly ran back to make sure it was Alphys, he hoped it was since he didn’t feel like pulling out his trident at the time.

Asgore came around a corner to find Alphys carrying two small brown paper bags, a small disposable plastic container with Dim Sims in them and a bundle of white paper from which an aroma of chips was coming from. ‘’Hey, you need help with that? I mean it looks like quite a lot for lunch’’ Alphys shook her head with a smile as she put it all on the bench, ‘’N-no it’s fine and it’s n-not all for lunch, these p-paper bags have our l-lunch in it, the rest is f-for dinner tonight.’’ The goat picked up one of the bags and looked inside and found what appeared to be a meat pie, his expression was happy and thankful for a good few seconds before suddenly it was hit by a little bit of confusion as he put the bag down. ‘’Thank you so much Al, but ummm, won’t the chips and stuff go cold, you a fan of reheated foods or something?’’. The confusion seemed to spread to the lizard’s face as she seemed to wonder what on earth he was talking about, ‘’B-but I’m just gonna p-put it in th-the…oh…y-yeah’’. A smile crept on her face as she realised why he was confused, ‘’W-we uh have a Hot F-fridge, it’s m-made for Undyne but I use i-it to keep th-things warm as well’’, Alphys picked up dinner and moved to the fridge, which Asgore suddenly noticed had a third compartment over the freezer, which when opened let out a little bit of heat into the air. ‘’Oh hey, that’s pretty neat, maybe I should suggest that to my Undyne, sure she would love it.’’ Alphys nodded with a faint laugh, ‘’Y-yeah, I’m s-sure she w-would, so uh you w-…’’, she froze suddenly as she stared towards the bag Asgore had put down, where which his gaze turned, and he noticed some white dust exactly where he had picked up the bag. The goat looked at his own hands, and with widened eyes he found a thin layer of white dust on both. ‘’B-but what? Wh-what’s going on…?’’, Asgore was starting freak out, breathing quickened as he felt a little bit of fear start blooming. Alphys quickly approached him, her reaction seeming to be similar to the child’s, examining his hand, she looked away for a few seconds, seeming to be thinking of something important before responding. ‘’A-Asgore, just try to c-calm down, it’s n-not Dust, i-it’s not M-monster Dust, wh-where were you while I was gone?’’ The scientist stared into the other’s eyes with a serious look, ‘’Um I was uh wandering around…went down to the bedrooms, j-just checking th-things out, I d-didn’t do anything wrong.’’ Alphys nodded and quickly grabbed a cloth and started wiping up the dust, and gave a nervous smile, it was an attempt to be reassuring, ‘’It’s f-fine, n-nothing’s wrong. I-I don’t go d-down that p-part of the house s-so no wonder it’s…. dirty, the white paint peeling o-off just m-mixes with the dirt a-and stuff. I-I’m t-telling you it’s ok.’’ Asgore nodded and started calming down, feeling the fear disappear slowly, feeling embarrassed and slightly hating the fact that the feeling of dust was so…familiar. ‘’Y-yeah, you’re right, umm sorry for freaking out like that,’’ the yellow monster shrugged as she finally threw the cloth in the sink, ‘’N-no big deal, I w-would’ve done th-the same. H-how about we e-eat some lunch, m-might calm us d-down a bit?’’ He smiled, ‘’Yeah, that sounds like a good idea’’.

Asgore walked straight to the table after getting a plate, very happily throwing out the bag which had the dust on it, while Alphys first grabbed a fork with her plate before sitting down and eating, this table meeting was starting to feel very familiar, not that it was such a bad thing. Asgore was already straight into the pie, taking huge chunks of it at a time with each bite, making sure that any of the insides didn’t spill on him, he obviously had much experience and he was done very soon after which he looked over at Alphys, she had only finished about half of it, slowly picking away at it with her fork, he looked a tiny bit confused. ‘’Do you normally eat pies with a fork?’’ With a nervous expression she shrugged, ‘’Y-yeah….is th-that really w-weird or s-something?’’. The goat quickly sensed her fear of being the odd one out and chuckled, ‘’No it isn’t that bad, umm don’t worry, honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Gaster did it.’’ This answer seemed to satisfy Alphys more than expected, the smile seemed to be a little smug for a reason he was unaware of. ‘’Alphys, what’s behind the locked door on the other side of the house, the handle wouldn’t budge.’’ Her smile turned to a confused expression, ‘’Umm wh-what locked door? N-none of my d-doors lock?’’ ‘’Yeah Al, there was one with noises on the other side, like mechanical noises, I just couldn’t open it.’’ The scientist’s expression remained confused, but now there was a deep concern, and some hesitation before she responded carefully, ‘’O-oh y-yeah, I forgot, that’s where m-my lab is, ummm the door j-jams every n-now and then. M-makes th-things difficult sometimes heh’’. The goat seemed a little worried about the reaction from her, but he decided to leave it for now. Silence remained for a couple of minutes before Alphys finally spoke up, ‘’H-hey uh Asgore, d-do you h-have any p-plans for the night?’’. He shook his head, ‘’You got anything in mind?’’ with which the Lizard gave a nervous smile, but unlike the last one, there was excitement in her eyes, ‘’Umm I-I thought th-that m-maybe we could have a m-movie n-night or something….i-if you w-want of course.’’ Asgore suddenly perked up with a happy grin, ‘’That sounds awesome! What’re we gonna watch?’’ Alphys let out a sigh of relief, feeling some her nerves wash away, ‘’Phew, I-I’m glad, I m-may have already b-bought s-snacks and s-stuff for it and uh whatever you want….how a-about you g-go look in the c-cabniet under th-the TV while I get th-that stuff out of th-the car? Got a s-something to sh-show you too.’’ The enthusiastic child got up out of his chair, seeming to be buzzing with excitement, ‘’Say no more my friend, I’ll get straight onto this very important task’’, he said as he slowly started leaving the kitchen to head to the loungeroom, ‘’Need any help with the stuff?’’. Alphys shook her head and Asgore started to head off quickly around the doorway. ‘’W-wait!! Ch-check out th-the left side of th-the sh-shelf’’, she quickly warned him, assuming that the ones on the left would appeal to the goat more, assuming Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie wasn’t his thing, but before she got the stuff from the car, there was one last thing to take care of.

Asgore had opened the TV cabinet with extreme vigour, looking to find it filled with lined up DVD’s, which he soon realised, with an amused sigh, was all anime. He remembered Alphys saying something about staying to the left, and he figured out why when he looked at the right side which a lot of was just pink and what he guessed were meant to be cute cat girls or something, so he stayed to the left. On the left appealed much more to him, with there seeming to be more animes with tales of adventure and magic, escapades and peril with heaps of different settings, stuff more to his style. The kid went through them one by one, checking out their back, but he finally stuck to one that satisfied him, a movie called ‘The Curse of Rebellion’. ‘In a world where gods rule with an iron fist, most people live happy and safe. However, the gods decided to keep human population down for fear of their being to many humans to keep in line, so they randomly dealt out a curse to young teenagers, a curse that causes them to be evicted from the homes and families that once cherished them and to be eternally hunted by horrible monsters until they finally succumb to darkness. This story centres on a group of such teens with this slowly growing accursed curse mark, on their quest to do what no other has done, defy the gods and beat back the fate given to them. Join them on their adventure for survival through their medievalesque world where magic is everywhere, but so is danger. Will they be able to change their fate?’ The art on the box had people wielding swords, guns and stuff that appeared to be magic and such, that and what was described sounded perfect to Asgore, with an excited grin jumped and landed on the couch on his back. Waiting for Alphys to return. Asgore heard her return and head into the kitchen first, before those little footsteps started to approach the couch, for which he sat up and gave her a smile that turned to a slight expression of curiosity, ‘’Hey, what you got there?’’ Alphys was carrying a small pot with what appeared to be a leaf sticking out of the dirt, ‘’Umm w-well you s-see, I’m r-really sorry a-about possibly k-killing all those plants, and y-you were so passionate a-about it. So ummm I g-got this p-plant to practise w-with, so I’ll be able to help y-you with the gardening better’’. While Asgore thought that it probably wasn’t necessary to learn plant care with another plant since the only issue was watering amounts, but the thought she put into it made him feel happy. Also, the powerful curiosity of the plant had distracted him as he listed of the info he needed, its origins, how easy it was to care for, what colour it would be, exactly what temperature and humidity levels it thrived at, what type of soil it needed and how much sun was required. The goat jumped over the couch, leaving the DVD behind as he went up to it and examined, his rapid thoughts being summed up into one sentence, ‘’So tell me, what is it? What type?!’’ Alphys seemed a little amused at his excitement as she answered, ‘’It’s an African V-violet Flower, it uh is a-apparently easy t-to take care of, s-so I thought it w-would be a g-good idea to get this one.’’ He seemed to be thinking, the name was familiar to him, he remembered them as being small houseplants, but he needed his book, which reminded him of something he was going to have to quickly do this afternoon, before it got to dark. ‘’Well that’s really cool, I think you’ll be able to look after it very well, I look forward to seeing it bloom. If you need any tips, don’t hesitate to ask, I will assist however I can!’’ She laughed softly, ‘’Th-thank you Master Gardner, I-I’ll m-make sure to l-listen to y-your teachings’’. Asgore chuckled, ‘’Yes, you will make for an excellent protegee’’. Alphys made a sound of amusement as she simply smiled happily, ‘’Hey, did you p-pick something?’’ The kid nodded and ran over to grab the DVD, then came back to practically shove it in her face, ‘’This one!!’’ She proceeded to grab the DVD, a bigger smile creeping up as she read the title, ‘’Oh th-this one, this is r-really really good. Y-you made a good choice, I can think of a character similar to you actually, because when Sophia is in danger of the Dem-…..’’, she stopped and looked embarrassed, scratching the back of her head, ‘’Oh uh sorry about that, suppose avoiding s-spoilers w-would be th-the best idea’’. The goat gave a shrug in response, ‘’No harm done, happy to see we can both be hyped for this one, this will be the best movie night ever!’’ Alphys seemed to regain some confidence, matching Asgore’s excitement herself, ‘’I-it sure will be, a night to remember alright!’’ The goat grinned, ‘’I’m glad to hear it, but before outside gets to dark, I need to do something, can I borrow your phone Al? Just need to call the house you know?’’ She nodded and handed him the phone, ‘’I uh understand, g-good luck’’. Alphys then scampered off to her room to do whatever she did, while Asgore moved to the backyard, really hoping that this was going to go well.

*~Ring, Ring Ring, Ring~* Asgore felt himself waiting impatiently, the worry was killing him, he felt he was rolling a dice to see who he would get to answer. Then the rings stopped, and a sound played and then a familiar voice, ‘’Hello, this is the Quantum Gaster residence’’. He sighed, this wasn’t who he was expecting or hoping for, but he was glad it wasn’t Gaster at least. ‘’Uh hi Sans, just wanted to call in’’. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before any noise was returned, ‘’Oh hey…. What do you want Asgore?’’ ‘’Nothing much, but um could you please pass me off to Undyne or Frisk? Don’t want to b-bother you’’ he said with a slight nervous laugh. ‘’…Gladly’’, and then sounds were heard on the other end, some talking he couldn’t quite pick up before a new voice appeared, he was relieved that it was on that was a lot happier than the previous one. ‘’Hey! What’s up punk, how’re you?!’’ ‘’I’m all good, safe and sound, you?’’ ‘’Yeah um, everything’s pretty chill here, why do you need me?!’’ ‘’I kinda want to ask a favour of you if that’s ok, I’ll owe you one for this’’. ‘’Here ya go, special delivery to Mr Asgore Dreemur!’’ Undyne exclaimed as she handed Asgore a box filled with clothes, a book, a picture and a few other random things, they were his belongings, mostly essentials that he would need since he was moving out, they were all out the front of his old home. ‘’Hey Asgore, are you ok?’’ The goat looked over at Frisk, the concern in their face and voice was incredibly prominent and even Undyne looked uncertain, they both were going to bring this up all along. ‘’Yeah I’m all good, Alphys is going to take good care of me, she’s not a stranger or anything’’. Frisk sighed, ‘’You know that’s not what I meant’’. Undyne decided to pitch in now, ‘’Yeah, I mean, this whole hiding thing and avoiding people isn’t really like you…’’. Asgore tried to give a reassuring smile, ‘’Don’t worry, I’m going to be ok, trust me, probably be good for everyone if there’s space between us.’’ Frisk crossed their arms, he could tell they were examining the goats face for a sign of anything. ‘’You do realise that it would be ok for you come inside right? Maybe a quick hello? Everyone was getting real worried for you. Gaster wasn’t happy, Al was worried…’’, Undyne nodded, ‘’Man, I don’t think I’ve seen Tori look down, not like this…’’ Asgore titled his head slightly, ‘’What’s the matter with Tori?’’, with which a silence developed between them before Frisk spoke up. ‘’Asgore…I think she might be blaming herself for your departure’’. Asgore’s calm smile disappeared, guilt was written all over his face, ‘’But it’s not her fault, not really…’’, Frisk’s calm tone finally got a lot more exasperated, ‘’Well then tell her that! Don’t just leave her emotionally too!’’. Undyne looked at Frisk with a little concern, ‘’Hey uh calm down a bit, I’m sure it isn’t that e- ‘’ ‘’No, they’re right, I’ll go give her a visit, I can’t just let her remain like that, I’ll head to her window.’’ Frisk smiled, ‘’Thank you Asgore, good luck, make sure to come around every now and then, we’re going to want to hear about your crazy adventures at Glitch’s place.’’ Undyne finally lost her uncertain face and it was replaced with grinning expression, ‘’Yeah dude, make sure you see us, otherwise I’ll kick your butt and drag you here myself punk’’. The goat responded with a challenging grin at the fish monster with which she gave back in kind. ‘’Heh that would require you to actually be able to beat me’’. ‘’Oh, you’re on Dreemur’’. Undyne looked ready to spar right there and then, even summoning a small spear in hand, but then Frisk started to drag the warrior away, ‘’C’mon Undyne, he’s got an important job to do’’. Undyne groaned, ‘’Fiiiiine, next time you come around, I’ll show you who’s the strongest’’. Asgore chuckled, ‘’Yeah, I look forward to it, you two stay safe.’’ The pair walked back into house after one final wave to each other. The goat child sighed and took a few deep breaths to prepare for his next task, the most important one.

Toriel was laying on her soft bed in her usual pink jumper, only reading a book, although her mind was anywhere but the book. Thinking about past events, mistakes, obviously nothing positive, not much felt positive at the moment. The goat monster had been sitting there for a couple of hours, preferring some alone time currently, so when a sudden loud knocking on his window happened, she jumped up and looked around startled, a small scared scream being heard as she looked around for the source, only to find a familiar face at her window. Asgore had a nervous smile at her reaction, watching her approach the window with that familiar expression and open it, preparing himself for the reckoning he was about to get, ‘’Gorey, you can’t just go up to a girl’s window like that, people are going to think you’re a creeper or something!’’ Asgore winced with shame, ‘’Oh uh sorry Tori…’’. Her serious and slightly annoyed expression softened and turned to a smile, ‘’Hey cheer up dummy, it’s ok. I’m glad you came, even it was far from normal’’. The boy chuckled at her teasing tone and seemed to relax more now, a calm smile coming to his face. ‘’Heh yeah, well I came to make sure you’re alright, a bit worried you might be not feeling so great…’’. Tori’s expression grew a bit warmer at hearing the start of that sentence, but towards the end her smile grew, but not warmer or kinder, but obviously put on to be reassuring. It saddened Asgore that he had to get good at noticing these fake expressions over the last couple years, and it only confirmed what the other two said about her. ‘’What? About you leaving us to go live someone else, after all these…years. I’ll be fine alright? Don’t worry about me.’’ Asgore’s expression showed he wasn’t entirely convinced, throwing some concern into his stare and Tori knew that she wasn’t entirely getting away from this one. The girl gripped her arm, still putting on a weaker smile, ‘’It’s nothing to worry about, just it’s gonna be weird without you around you know? You’re just always there and…well honestly, I didn’t foresee it changing like this.’’ He nodded, it made sense, he didn’t entirely foresee this change either, he did agree that it was going to be weird not being with his family, no matter its state. ‘’You know why I’m leaving right?’’ Tori looked as if she was about to answer confidently, but Asgore’s stare made it clear that fake reassuring answers weren’t what he was looking for. ‘’N-not really, no’’. ‘’Because I think space between me and everyone else is a good idea, after all the tension everyone is dealing with, I can’t help feel…that I’m not helping.’’ Tori suddenly seemed to fire up a bit, ‘’It’s not your fault Gorey, don’t even say such things’’. Asgore didn’t really answer and just continued, ‘’Yeah, well Gaster isn’t mad at me for no reason, and including the same tension caused from you all walking on eggshells around me…trust me I notice’’. ‘’Stop talking like that, the tension is going down slowly, it’s no where near as bad as it used to be! It’s not you.’’ Tori’s expression looked a little concerned as Asgore smiled faintly, yet it seemed a bit darker than before, ‘’I’m…..glad to hear that, but I can’t help feel that my absence would make things go down quicker, I feel like things will get better if I disappear’’. Words echoed through his head, ‘’ …. or better yet, never having met you in the first place''. ‘’No! Asgore you’re wrong! There is no downside to you being here!’’ ‘’The decision is final Toriel…’’ She sighed, using her name like that wasn’t something that happened often, by anyone, especially Asgore, ‘’Just t-to make sure you know, it’s never to late to come back, even Gaster would say so’’. Asgore nodded, ‘’I know…maybe that offer will be taken up later…I think I’m going to go now.’’ Tori gave a defeated sigh, but then gave a big smile, once more trying to cheer up the mood before they both parted. ‘’Well don’t worry about things over here, everything will be sorted, you just make sure to stay safe. If any funny business to MY Prince Fluffles, I’ll be over there in an instant, just give me the word….’’ There was a silence for a few seconds before she finished her sentence, ‘’…I’m going to miss you’’. Asgore gave a genuine smile, ‘’I’m going to miss you too, don’t worry, I’ll make sure to visit, and we’ll still see each other at school.’’ The mention of them at school seemed to have given Tori a pained expression, he was glad she didn’t decide to bring it up, not like Grillby and Gaster weren’t on his case for it constantly, but it’s not like he could tell them, it wouldn’t end well. But the girl’s expression turned to a big attempt at a reassuring smile ‘’Alright Gorey, I’ll see you soon then, good luck on your new adventures.’’ Asgore gave a smile back, ‘’Yeah, thanks. You stay safe too alright?’’. With a nod from Tori he walked towards the front of the house with his box, a hurt expression on his face as he left, he could feel sadness welling up. Tori moved away from her window and sat on her bed and looking at the ground, feeling herself close to tears, both feeling their true nature come out.

Asgore made it back to Alphys’ place and put his box in his room quickly, at least the one he claimed to be his room. The goat didn’t fully empty his box, but he put all his clothes in the cupboard, and a photo frame next to his bed, a picture of a specific campfire. The goat decided it was getting a bit dark so he got dressed into his pyjamas, which was just a soft pair of a shirt and shorts, nothing real exciting. After that he swiftly headed out to the loungeroom where he found Alphys, already in her Purple Kitten pyjamas and reading a book on the couch, which she turned from at hearing Asgore approach. ‘’O-oh h-hey welcome back. Things g-go ok?’’ with which the goat child nodded. ‘’Yeah it went well, but not as well as this movie night is going to go, when are we starting?’’ Alphys shrugged, ‘’Uh it’s starting to get dark, s-so now if y-you’re that keen for it?’’ he let out a grin, ‘’Sounds awesome, I’ll get it set up if you want.’’ The lizard shook her head, ‘’I’ll d-deal with f-food if you c-can deal with the DVD’’. Asgore let out a ‘Hmph’ as if that was a challenge. ‘’Yeah of course I can do this, just trust me.’’ ‘’Oh, uh alrighty th-then.’’ Alphys scampered off to get the food while Asgore started pressing all the buttons on the DVD player until the tray opened.

‘’Woohoo YEAH!! That was AWESOME!!!’’ Asgore exclaimed, while jumping around in between the couch and TV. Alphys was grinning excitedly, ‘’I know right?! What about the way they revealed Harashimo was the carrier of the demon all along?!’’ ‘’Oh yeah, that totally got me, didn’t see it coming at all, made me feel bad for the guy…but what about that awesome final battle sequence with the Dragons and Fireballs raining down as people fought with their might, putting everything on the line for their brave cause?!’’ ‘’That was awesome to, th-the animators are r-really good with action i-in this company, it’s what they’re known f-for, although I-i wouldn’t trust them with any other genre.’’ They both let out a deep breath to try and calm down slightly. Alphys looked over to see if they had any food left, but it had been demolished, the hot chips, potato cakes, dim sims, potato chips, lollies and chocolate had been eradicated by the two of them. ‘’I-I might have t-to sh-show you the series after this’’. Asgore froze, and slowly turned to Alphys. ‘’What did you just say?’’ ‘’Oh umm w-well the movie is b-based on the series…it’s uh well still going, but I h-have a few seasons here.’’ Asgore grinned, ‘’We should watch it now.’’ ‘’But Asgore, i-it’s getting k-kinda late don’t y-you think?’’. ‘’Pretty please Alphys? Just a couple of episodes? Just a couple and then we’ll go to bed.’’ Alphys watched Asgore plead to her, and she really couldn’t say no to that, he was acting way to freaking adorable. ‘’O-oh ok, f-fine…just t-two…’’

The scientist suddenly woke up and looked around with squinty eyes, trying to work out where she was. The bright light soon confirmed that she had fallen asleep under a blanket on the couch, while watching the show, and with a sigh she moved her arm to grab the remote and turn the TV off. Suddenly shivers went down her as she realised it was really cold out here in the loungeroom, even with a blanket. She moved to get up to go to her bed where it would definitely be warm, but a weight on her stopped any form of leaving the couch. With a confused expression she looked down to find Asgore leaning on her from outside the blanket, snoring loudly and a small trail of drool coming out of his mouth. ‘’Oh g-goodness, Asgore h-how’re you asleep? G-geez you’re r-really something. Better properly t-take of you though, Gaster will have my head if y-you get sick on y-your second night’’ She was feeling incredibly jealous of his fur at the moment, but she needed to make sure he would at least stay warm. It was an arduous task, but eventually she managed to get the ends of the blanket from underneath him and wrapped it around, so they were sharing the same blanket which to her enjoyment brought a bit more warmth, also she wiped that drool off with the blanket with an eye roll. Alphys watched Asgore sleep for a little bit as he thought for a bit, ‘Maybe, just maybe this whole situation could work out. Things could actually go well’. ‘’For once’’. Alphys ignored the small comment the voice made as she slowly drifted off herself, feeling happy as she lost consciousness.

It was around the middle of the day when Asgore decided to try and figure out the mystery of the ‘Dust’ that he got on his hand. All he really had to do was retrace his steps, but nothing came up. The halls had nothing, his room’s closet handle was the same, the window ledge felt a little different, smooth and hard, but he put it down to being tired, ‘’Wow, maybe I’m just really unobservant, but it had to come from somewhere’’. Even the lab door didn’t have anything on it, although it did look a little…shinier than it was before. The curiosity the goat had got the better of him as he tried the door handle once more and opened smoothly, as if there was literally nothing that was in its way, no sign of single possible jam. To him the hinges looked very healthy with no sign of rust of anything, and the handle felt like it was brand new on repeated attempts at using it. ‘’What am I missing?’’ Asgore said out loud as he looked where it leads, directly after opening the door, there was a large flight of stairs that must’ve lead under the house, the sounds of machines were louds without the door in the way. ‘’So, I guess that’s where the lab is located then.’’ Asgore decided it was not a good idea to check it out without permission, who knows what was down there.

[scarlettlillies]

Hetalia Moon AU- The Dimensional Door: Act 3

Previous Chapter: II Next Chapter: IV Beginning: I

What better way to start off the new year than with a new chapter!

I’m sorry that this took so long! Work was not very forgiving in 2017. This chapter was finished almost two weeks ago but I was always finding stuff to change or update. I took some inspiration from the second Sailor Moon movie for this chapter’s monster. I always loved the Snow Dancers and thought they were really pretty when I first saw the film as a kid!

A lot of stuff takes place in this chapter. Most importantly, a mysterious figure arrives to help with the battle and Raivis learns to accept his new duty as a guardian. 

I do want to take a moment to thank everyone who has been leaving nice comments about the story these last few months. I know this story caters to a niche group but your words have been a huge help in pushing me to keep going. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Also, a special thanks goes out to @melveres, @irenesart, and @castleoflight who helped me with Estonian and Latvian translations needed for this fic! Much appreciated to all three of you! <3

Name Legend: APH Estonia: Eduard APH Latvia: Raivis APH Lithuania: Tolys APH Poland: Feliks APH Finland: Timo APH Sweden: Björn

Just as he predicted, Tolys was already gone by the time he had gotten up.

He overslept quite a bit. He normally didn't sleep in till ten-thirty but last night's events were justifiable. He stayed up late, chatting up a storm with Timo on the other end. Aside from his anxious worrying over Eduard's “disappearance”, he and Björn had a nice night together and mused over their lives through dinner and a movie. Eduard too talked about his night with the others; how Tolys cooked them up a meal and how he championed over Feliks through video games.

But at no point did he ever bring up that event. He didn't know how Timo would handle it, and it certainly wasn't appropriate to say so casually over the phone. Therefore he left the topic off the table.

Dressed in yesterday's clothes, his glasses were slightly slanted as he walked down the stairs and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He could hear Feliks chatting up a storm about the adorable dogs at Tolys's placement. When he had made his way into the kitchen, he was surprised to see Raivis at the table eating a bowl of cereal—who also wore yesterday's clothes, had droopy eyes, and a bad case of bed hair.

“You're up.”

Raivis looked up at him for a brief moment before turning away and looking rather gloomy. “Yeah...” he replied in a soft and unenthusiastic tone. It was obvious that Raivis was still distraught from last night. When Eduard spoke with Timo the previous night, they had agreed to meet for lunch. He thought extending the offer to Raivis seemed wise and he knew that Timo wouldn't mind. The two knew each other on a familiar level and Timo had a knack for looking out for him as a brotherly figure. The decision seemed so obvious to him.

“Listen, I'm going to meet Timo for lunch at that new restaurant that opened up around where we live. You should join us.”

“No thanks,” Raivis replied flatly. Eduard's expression quickly went sour.

“Raivis, you can't stay inside all weekend and not do anything.”

“Who said I don't have stuff to do? I doubt Timo would want me there anyway.”

“That isn't true and you know that.”

Eduard was quickly getting tired of Raivis's excuses. He was quick to fold his arms and turned to his friend across the table. He was determined to get this boy out of the house. “Feliks? A little help?”

Feliks was unusually quiet as the conversation unfolded but he appeared in a daze. He wasn't too sure what Eduard really wanted him to say or add. “Raivis, you should go with him. Lunch with Timo sounds like a lot of fun. I wish I could go too. I'm so jealous!”

Raivis continued to ignore the two men as he swirled his spoon in what little was left of his cereal. He had made up his mind—he was not interested in being social; he'd rather sleep the day away. He wanted to escape and forget the events of yesterday. It does not exist. The monster? A bad dream. The brooch? He bought it at a flea market downtown. It did nothing and merely a piece of jewelry. End of story.

Eduard and Feliks exchanged worried glances. Even after his parents had passed away, Raivis was visibly upset but he never acted in the manner than he was now: lifeless and detached. To their surprise, he got up and ran out of the room and could hear him emitting some quiet sobs. Their calls went unanswered; the sounds of stomping feet and a slamming door were all what the two men heard. The room went quiet and neither of them spoke for some time.

“You should probably go,” Feliks said as he finally broke the silence.

“I understand,” he replied. He quickly retreated upstairs to grab his stuff. As he passed Raivis's room on his way out, he was tempted to knock on his door but as his fist hung close to the wooden entrance, Eduard grew hesitant and merely sighed and walked away. Feliks was cleaning up in the kitchen and joined him in the main entry way when he heard Eduard getting ready to leave.

“Here,” Feliks said as he handed him a medium-sized blueberry muffin. “You're probably starving.”

Eduard chuckled as he kindly took it, “Just a little. Thanks,” he said before taking a large bite.

“I'll have a chat with Raivis when he's calmed down. I'll totally keep ya in the loop about everything.”

Eduard was quick to scoff the muffin down within only a few seconds as Feliks spoke. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I'll let Timo know you said hi.” Eduard replied with a stuffed mouth.

“Please! And tell him I miss him a lot and that he needs to pick up his damn phone and call me!!” Feliks pouted. Eduard got a kick out of Feliks's comment and give the man a friendly wave. He had already dashed out the door and was almost off the property.

“I'll do that! Take care!” Eduard replied before he took his leave towards home. Though the air was crisp, the sun was warm against his skin and it made the walk back pleasant. His hands were a little cool so he left them inside his coat pockets. Things appeared to be quiet in the neighbourhood as there were few kids out; mostly joggers and dog walkers taking in the nice weather. Despite what happened yesterday, Eduard chose to cross through the park. If he was lucky, he could make it back to the main road and grab a quick bus leading to his apartment. He was cautious as he walked around and the place appeared deserted. But further up ahead, parts of the park were taped off to the public as police officers were on the scene surveying the damage done to the area. A small news crew and their van were present as well and the reporter was interviewing one of the officers.

Eduard took a moment to watch the officers work. It felt awkward knowing the police would never be able to solve the mystery of what took place that evening. It was a secret he was now forced to carry with him for the rest of his days. No one but their own can know. Thinking about it made Eduard uncomfortable so he chose to keep on moving towards home.

In the end, he didn't make the bus as he hoped, thus creating a longer walk back, but he had music to keep him company—and to help him escape reality for just a little bit.

Timo wasn't at the apartment when Eduard had arrived. He remembered that he was taking Björn home and that they were going to meet at the restaurant for noon. Eduard was cutting it close after grabbing a quick glance of the time on the stove. He had no time for a shower and instead grabbed a fresh set of clothes and sprayed a tiny bit of cologne on both sides of his neck. His outfit wasn't much different as before, only he had lacked a tie underneath his grey v-neck sweater and sported dark blue jeans. He made sure to grab the essentials: his wallet, his phone, but mostly importantly his brooch. He was a little hesitant taking it with him but he could no longer be too careful and needed to be prepared at every moment. From his balcony window, he could see the skies were quickly greying over as if a storm were about to brew.

Better grab that coat and umbrella too, he thought to himself.

“That's odd, we weren't supposed to get rain today. So much for that sunny weekend that weather guy was chanting about.”

He was quick to leave the apartment complex and something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. A young boy was leaning against the concrete walls next to the glass doors, dressed in a burgundy hoodie designed with a school logo, baggy blue pants, and red and white sneakers. The boy looked up at him and Eduard appeared surprised.

“Raivis?”

For the first time in what Eduard felt like an eternity, Raivis gave him one of his little trademark shy smiles. “Is the offer still on?”

Eduard's expression quickly changed as he gave Raivis a warm grin. “Of course, let's go.”

The two men walked together closely as they headed closer towards the city's main core. Eduard felt his phone buzzing in his coat pocket. Feliks had sent him a distressing text message asking him if he had seen or heard from Raivis. Eduard shot him a disappointed glare but kept quiet as he responded with a quick message.

He's fine. He's walking with me to the restaurant. I'm guessing he snuck out without you knowing? I'll have a talk with him later.

“Who are you texting?”

“Timo,” he lied. “Just letting him know that we're on our way.”

The downtown core was busy and buzzing with people. Despite the bad weather approaching, everyone seemed to be in a cheerful mood. They turned the corner and up ahead, Eduard had spotted Timo in the distance. Eduard unknowingly startled some of the people walking past them as he shouted out to him. Timo returned it with a wave and began running towards them.

“And here I was thinking I'd be late. It's good to see you,” Eduard said cheerfully.

“Sorry, I didn't think it'd take this long to get here,” Timo laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Björn was showing me some of his new design projects and I lost track of time.”

“Projects?” Raivis questioned.

“Björn attends at the local art school west of the city.” Eduard explained. “He designs all sorts of things: furniture, clothing, crafts—you name it. Whatever you have in mind, he can make it happen. Right Timo?”

Timo nodded in agreement and his attention quickly diverted to Raivis. With big and bright violet eyes, he couldn't contain his excitement at the sight of the younger boy.

“Ah! You even brought Raivis along too! I'm so glad you could join us!”

“It's nice to see you again Timo,” he replied nervously, but with a smile. “But did you not know I was coming? Eduard told me he just texted you.”

Eduard went wide-eyed as he felt anxiety pool into his stomach. He was caught within his own lie.

“A text?” Timo blinked. “I didn't get any text messages from Eduard today.”

Timo looked towards Eduard and it appeared he was trying to send a signal to go along with it; mouthing words 'Go along with it'. It took him a moment but he got the message loud and clear and quickly changed his tune.

“Oh!! You know what? I did hear from Eduard earlier. I was in such a rush that I just completely forgot!”

Raivis stared at Timo oddly with a raised brow. He wasn't buying the charade and it left the two men feeling awkward about the situation.

“Err... how about we head inside? Raivis, you first.”

Timo generously held the door open for them to enter. Raivis walked inside first and just as Eduard was about to follow, Timo grabbed his arm gently and tugged him back.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Trust me, it's a long story.”

The three men were lucky to get a window seat with a nice view of the downtown. To their surprise, the restaurant served a lunch buffet and they decided to ignore the menus and eat their hearts out on whatever they could grab. It offered a massive variety of pizzas, pastas, salads, and meat dishes. By the time they had returned, their soft drinks had been delivered and their plates were overflowing with food.

None of the men hid their delight as they openly praised the food. Timo was in love as he happily munched on his meal, even stealing food off the plates of his friends, while Eduard was a slow eater and took his time enjoying the flavours. Raivis however was eating so fast that they were worried he would choke on something.

“Raivis slow down!” Timo said. “The food's not going anywhere. Gosh, you must have been hungry.”

“He wasn't feeling that great yesterday so he skipped out on dinner.”

“Oh! Speaking of yesterday, did you guys hear the news about what took place in the park?”

Eduard and Raivis froze for a moment but carried on as they knew nothing about the incident, “Yeah, I walked passed the scene on my way back home. The whole area was cordoned off to the public. There were lots of officers there on the scene with a news crew and everything. I wonder what happened?”

“I don't know but I was hearing online that a monster showed up and destroyed the place! Some people claimed they took pictures and videos on their phones but when they tried to retrieve them, the files were supposedly corrupted,” Timo explained before pausing to grab a sip of his soda. “I'm not sure if I believe that or not. But regardless, I'm glad no one was killed.”

Eduard felt some relief knowing that there wasn't any evidence taken from the battle. It was one thing to grabs shots of the monster but knowing if someone caught them transforming was an unsettling thought. He looked over to Raivis and he appeared uncomfortable with the topic at hand. He was notiblaly losing the colour in his face.

“Raivis,” Eduard called out and the younger man looked up towards him, “Timo wanted to know how you were doing.”

Raivis stared at him with a confused expression. Timo was next to chime in.

“Yes! It's been ages since I last saw you so he updated me on how you were last night when we were chatting. You're a senior now aren't you?”

“Oh... yeah, that's right. It's my last year of high school.” he replied shyly. He colour returned to his face and his cheeks turned to a light shade of pink. He had a hard time looking at Timo as his eyes darted everywhere but him. “I'm in the highest levels of all my classes. Oh! And I'm a tutor for some of the students in the younger grades! It's so much fun!”

The conversation change did wonders for Raivis as he quickly became a chatter box and was back to cheerful self. Eduard enjoyed watching the two of them chat as loud laughter erupted and smiles were all around. Raivis was happy to tell him everything about his life and Timo was happy to listen. Eduard had only hoped Raivis would not slip and tell him about their new identities.

The group had gone back for seconds. And then thirds. And fourths. Well, Timo and Raivis did. Eduard was done by his third plate and had barely placed anything on it. He was comfortably enjoying his black coffee while the other two were slouching in their seats.

“That was so good...”

“We are definitely coming back here.” Timo said as he rubbed his belly. The waitress was quick to arrive at their table to collect their plates and offer the dessert menu. Raivis groaned while Timo politely declined as they made it obvious that they were overstuffed. “Just a coffee for me, no milk, cream, or sugar.”

“I'll take a coffee too. Just a little bit of milk in mine.”

The waitress grabbed their plates and left with a smile and they patiently waited for their drinks. Eduard's attention was more focused on the outside. He watched the people and vehicles passed. Even one bus had stopped to drop off passengers. He eventually found himself getting lost within the dark and ominous clouds above. He was surprised that the storm hadn't started in the time since they had gotten here. They had been at the restaurant for nearly an hour and a half.

“Hey look! It's snowing!” Timo said.

His voice snapped Eduard out of his thoughts and noticed that Timo was right; a gentle snow was falling on the city. As much as Timo and Raivis enjoyed the sight, this didn't sit well with him, “But it's not cold enough to snow... not even close.”

Suddenly something massive flew passed them on the other side of the glass and startled Eduard enough that he stood up in his seat. The people outside stopped in their tracks as they struggled to understand what was taking place. Up in the skies, a hole opened in the sky and a feminine figure with long curly hair came forth and danced amongst the clouds. Their whole body and clothing was pure white; their hair went down to their feet and was dressed in a royal gown dating back to the early 1800s. They appeared human in nearly every aspect. It quickly descended downwards and using its arms, large patches of snow fell and anything it landed on turned to ice. Several patches landed on cars, streetlights, and worst of all, people. Loud screams were heard as people panicked and struggled to find safety. The mood inside the restaurant was largely divided. Some customers were frightened, others were bewildered, while a few daredevils were getting close to the windows or heading outside to grab shots of the turmoil taking place in the streets.

“What's happening?!” Timo cried in terror. The monster suddenly morphed in front of the restaurant window were the three of them were standing. Using its arms, it threw a mixture of snow and ice and shattered all the windows. Eduard was quick to push Raivis away as they jumped back. Timo did the same but slipped and landed on his back. Eduard was desperate to reach out and help him but a massive ice wall formed in front of Timo and blocked Eduard off. He was nearly hit and was startled enough that he lost balance and fell off his feet.

“Timo!!” he shouted as he struggled to get up. Eduard couldn't see him on the other side, only his own reflection. His hands could barely touch it and getting too close was enough to make him shiver. His frantic calls to him proved to be futile as they went unanswered. Quiet sobs were all that Eduard could hear from behind him and his attention quickly turned to Raivis. He was lying on the floor, crying into his arm. Eduard reached out to help him but his gestures were met with resistance as Raivis pushed him away with such fury.

“Don't touch me!!”

Eduard was surprised by Raivis's sudden outburst, “What is your problem?!”

Raivis ignored the question. Instead he went into hysteria as tears flowed down his face.“I shouldn't have come. I tricked myself into believing everything would be alright. But nothing is fine, people are dying and Timo is probably one of them too—”

Eduard cut him off as he pulled Raivis into a hug and rubbed his back, “Shh... don't say that,” he whispered. “Timo is not dead. He's just stuck behind a frozen wall. I'm sure he's fine.”

He bit his lip. He wasn't so sure if that was true or not, especially since he never responded to his constant calls; but anything to relax an anxious Raivis.

“Raivis, I know you're scared but we're the only ones who can fix this. We don't have a choice in this anymore.”

“But I'm not strong enough,” Raivis hiccuped. A wet spot from where Raivis's tears were landing was growing in size on Eduard's shoulder.

“That's not true and you know that.”

Eduard sighed heavily. There was no use getting through him and he was losing precious time. He broke the hug and placed his hands on Raivis's shoulders.

“Raivis,” he said calmly, “I won't force you to fight. But someone has to go and stop them.”

“Raivis's eyes went wide, “You're not suggesting—?”

Eduard nodded.

“You can't do that! If you go alone, you'll die.”

Raivis's eyes swelled up with tears once more but Eduard used his fingers and brushed them away off his cheek.

“More people will die if neither of us step in. I'll only be alone for a little while. I don't know if Tolys can come to our aid but Feliks for sure will come. Try to get in contact with them if you can.”

Eduard stood up to his feet and looked out to the chaos unfolding in the streets. The whole city had turned into a frozen wasteland. People, buildings, the flora, the vehicles—nothing was off limits from the mercy of the ice monster flying high in the skies. With a determined expression, he knew what he had to do. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his brooch. Lifting it into the air, he called out a phrase in his native Estonian:

“Eesti kristalli jõud, transformeeri mind!”

A bright light full of magical power surrounded him and seconds later, the light faded, revealing a new but familiar face. He was no longer Eduard Tamm but the mysterious guardian, Sailor Estonia.

“Please be careful Eduard.”

He clutched his metal staff tightly. He can't promise him he will, but for Raivis's comfort, he turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile.

“I will.”

Eduard took off into the streets. He was careful wherever he stepped as any wrong move would cause him to slip and injure himself. He didn't need that going into an important battle like this. Passing the frozen figures gave him a drive that he had never felt before. A sense of duty came upon him; the fate of the city rested in his hands.

The snow creature was busy trying to find its next batch of targets when Eduard had arrived on the scene. It was quickly alerted to his presence and wasted no time in forming an attack. It flew closer towards Eduard and used its arms to launch a barrage of snow and ice but he was quick to dodge. The spot he was formally in quickly turned into ice. Eduard was ready to attack back but further in the distance, he caught a small glimpse of a frightened young child, possibly no more than five, peeking from behind a frozen car. He held back; if his attack missed, it was likely he could harm or kill the child. He could never live with himself had something like that happened.

But Eduard was quick to come up with a plan and chose to lure it away from the area. The creature took the bait and followed him, while launching a consistent attack of snow. Eduard came close several times to being hit but survived every time. He lurked the creature back to near where the restaurant was (though still far enough that Raivis was in no danger in being injured) and he was ready to fight. After dodging another attack, he launched himself into the air and used his height and speed to physically assault the creature with his staff. It cried in pain as the force was strong enough to throw it into the ground. When Eduard landed back onto the ground, he used his staff to launch his own attack. The amber on top of his staff glowed and began changing colour from orange to blue as it charged power. He pointed the staff towards the creature and shouted, “Estonia Binary Beam!” A beam of light shot out of the orb towards the creature, but flew away as the beam hit an abandoned building and caused an explosion. Eduard growled in frustration but continued onward. The two battled it out as they appeared to be equally matched. Each time an attack was launched, the other would dodge.

Eduard thought he was gaining the upper-hand when the monster abruptly pulled back and retreated. It performed an elegant dance in the air and twirled gracefully when suddenly there were two, and then three and four. Before Eduard had knew it, there were dozens of copies of the snow creature and he was completely out-numbered. The nerves had returned and he was beginning to lose hope for himself but continued to trek through with another attack. He wishfully hoped that reinforcements were arriving soon.

Feliks... Tolys... Raivis... anyone! I need help. I can't do this alone!

Raivis watched the battle unfold as he hid behind the edge of the wall and was looking out through the shattered window. His brooch was in his hands and he clutched it close to his chest. Raivis felt so helpless as he waited for Feliks to arrive on the scene. What could he do? He wasn't strong like they were. They were brave with powerful attacks. He was easily frightened and attacked with feathers. He believed he would only be in the way if he were to go out to fight.

But an explosion coming from the nearby wall of ice Raivis startled him as a cloud of smoke covered the room. A cloaked figure emerged from the smoke with the sound of heels clicking against the title floor and became louder with each step. As the figure grew closer, Raivis trembled as he scooted back.

The figure had stopped. Their face was covered by the cloak and it was impossible for Raivis to see who the mysterious individual was.

“There's no need to be frighten,” the figure said in a masculine voice. The person bore a thick accent that felt familiar to him but Raivis couldn't pinpoint where he recognized the voice from. Staring at the brooch from under Raivis's hand, the figure spoke in a rather soft and gentle tone, as if they were parental guardian to the young man.

“How come you're not fighting with Eduard? He can't face this battle alone.”

Raivis was surprised to know that the figure knew about him and Eduard's alter-egos.

“H-how did you know—?” Did they see them earlier arguing? Or when Eduard had transformed? Either way, the truth was out. Raivis turned his head and looked on into the frozen city landscape. He appeared gloomy as he watched Eduard beginning to struggle. The monster had made so many copies of itself that it became impossible for Eduard to fend for himself. He was doing his best to dodge the attacks but it was becoming obvious that he was running out of steam. His own attacks proved to be useless; each attack would simply bring forth a new copy to replace the old one. Eduard was stuck in a never-ending cycle. He needed help and he needed it immediately.

Despite the dire situation, Raivis would not budge.

“He needs your help,” the figure said.

“There's nothing I can do for him. Eduard is a thousand times stronger than I am. I'd only get in the way.”

“Is that really what you believe of yourself?”

There was no response.

“Raivis, I know a lot about about you. I know who you are, and what happened to your family. You are so lucky to have friends like Eduard, Tolys, and Feliks—friends that come to your aid in dire times of need. I know you're scared and your fears of losing them are legitimate. But you can't run away forever.”

A quiet sniffle was heard.

“You've come a long way and you can only go up from here. I want to see you reach your potential, both in battle and as a person.”

“Who are you?” Raivis asked in between sobs. He slowly turned back to face the cloaked individual. His eyes were red and puffy and used his fingers to wipe away the wetness off his face. He felt nervous to be around them and was uncomfortable at the fact all he could see was their lips underneath the hood.

“A friend,” they said with a smile. They held out their hand to Raivis, to which there was some hesitation but he grabbed a hold and the boy was lifted up to his feet. He noticed their hand was covered in a white glove, one that looked and felt like the ones he and his friends wore as guardians. Raivis wondered if the cloaked figure was just like them.

That's... no, they couldn't be? Could they?

“I'm here to help but I can't do this alone. I need your help too.”

Raivis nodded nervously.

“You are so much stronger than you think you are. I will help you fight and I will always be there for you and everyone else for future battles.”

Using both of their hands, the figure took the hand of which Raivis was using to hold his brooch. One hand rested underneath while the other rested on top and covered the brooch. The figure's hands felt warm and comforting against his cold and shaky ones. He felt strangely calm as his body slowly relaxed. His mind felt a little more clearer and the tears had ceased.

“Let's go and help Eduard. He needs us. It's okay to transform in front of me but I will turn away if you want me to.”

Raivis pulled his hand away and wiped away the wetness on his eyes and cheeks. He's done crying and he's ready to fight. The figure was delighted to see Raivis bursting with strength and eagerness.

“It's okay. You don't have to look away.”

Raivis took his brooch and raised it in the air. “Latvijas kristāl, pārvērt mani!” he called out as light formed around him. In mere seconds, he had transformed into the guardian, Sailor Latvia. He looked out towards the battle still ensuing. To say he was nervous was an understatement. But he knew he had to be strong; not only for himself but to Eduard and for everyone else. A hand was felt on his shoulder, coming from the mysterious figure behind him. “Let's go. I'll be right behind you.”

Raivis nodded in agreement and the two ran jumped from one of the shattered windows and into the streets. Eduard was growing exhausted from the battle and took a wrong step, slipping on a patch of ice and falling on his back. He hit the back of his head against the ground and yelped from the sheer amount of pain. He was so focused on the pain that he never heard his staff hit the ground or Raivis's alarming calls.

“Eduard! It's okay, I'm here now!”

Raivis did his best to stand tall with confidence but his shivers were visible to everyone around him, and it wasn't just because the temperature was below freezing. True to their word, the figure had followed him into battle and it did its best to keep Raivis's morale up.

“Don't be scared Latvia! I'm right here next to you.”

Raivis turned to his left and sure enough, the figure was right by his side. He was comforted by its presence, despite not knowing just who this individual was. One of the clones came charging down from the sky and Raivis received the go-ahead to attack.

“Go for it!” the figure yelled.

Raivis got into position and two white feathers came forth in his hands. They glowed a bright light and he shouted “Latvia Feather Strike!” before launching them straight at the monster. They flew like boomerangs but it proved to be ineffective when the feathers froze when they came into contact of the creature's icy attack. It quickly left Raivis troubled and fumbling. “That was my only attack!”

Eduard's head was still throbbing but he pulled all of his energy into pushing himself up. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and was met face to face with the cloaked figure who helped him by giving him a boost.

“Thank you, but who are you?” Eduard asked in a rough voice.

“A friend,” they smiled before turning back to Raivis. “You need to use a stronger attack!”

“I don't have any other attacks!!”  he cried out. He felt like crying once again as fear overtook him. “I can't do this! I really can't!”

“Concentrate! Pool all of your strength into your chest. You'll understand once you do it.”

Raivis didn't fully understand what this was supposed to accomplish but he did as he was told. He shut his eyes and relaxed his body and mind. He had reached a point where all sound seemed to vanish.

And then he felt it—a growing spot of warmth in his chest. He could then feel and hear the wind pick up around him. Even Eduard and the figure noticed it as well and on in admiration. No longer was Raivis going to cry and run away anymore. Yes, he can do it. He always could, just as they said. The words became clearer in his mind and knew just what to do. Using his arms, he controlled the wind around him. His eyes flew open and commanded his attack straight towards one of the clones.

“Latvia Ace Hurricane!”

From the palm of his hands, large and powerful gusts of wind came flying towards the monster and destroyed it on impact. The force was so strong that it took out several other clones in the process and the original lost control of its balance in the air, crashing into a brick building and onto the ground. Raivis had no time to celebrate his victory when he suddenly felt light-headed and collapsed.

“Latvia!” They both cried out. The cloaked figure was faster than Eduard was when they rushed over the smaller man. They were relived that he was just fine and merely exhausted from using that much power.

“I did it, didn't I?” Raivis smiled weakly. The two nodded with big smiles.

“Yes you did,” the figure said. Eduard was quick to chime in. “We knew you could do it.”

He turned his head up towards the rest of the clones in the sky. They quietly faded away, leaving only the original left. It was still alive and used what energy it had left to fly back up in the air. It tried to intimate them with a loud shriek that forced the three to cover their ears.

The figure growled and rose to its feet, surprising both Eduard and Raivis.

“That's enough!”

In a flash, the cloak was ripped off and tossed into the air. Their identity was revealed to both Eduard and Raivis and they two men gasped at the sight. Dressed in a sailor uniform that was just like theirs, most of the costume including the collar and shorts was white while the front and back bows were a light blue. They donned a brooch that was shaped and designed like the Finnish flag. Their boots and gloves were white with light blue trims. With the short blond hair, violet eyes, and round face, Eduard had a strong feeling that he knew them from somewhere but couldn't place it no matter how hard he tried.

“I-I knew it...” Raivis replied as he thought back to that moment they held hands back at the restaurant. He knew the gloves could have only belong to another guardian like them.

“I am the Guardian of the Arctic, Nation of a Thousand Lakes: Sailor Finland! I thrive in these conditions and you're no match for me. You're finished.”

From thin air, Finland grabbed a rifle that looked fairly standard looking but the handle was beautifully designed with the symbol of the Nordic Cross. He pointed the gun with precise aim and yelled, “Frigid Assault!” and a loud explosion erupted from the gun. A massive ball of snow and ice flew at rapid speed. It had no time to react and another explosion took place upon impact. The monster was completely destroyed and the battle was over.

“You did it! That was amazing!” Raivis cheered. Finland turned back to the group and gave them both a big smile while flashing a victory sign. The scenery was slowing returning to normal as the ice disappeared in batches. Finland urged them to retreat so they wouldn't be seen. Eduard and Raivis agreed and the three of them headed back to the restaurant, only this time they took advantage of their high jumping abilities and took refuge on the rooftop, hiding behind the giant restaurant logo. Everything had returned to what it once was and while the masses were baffled for a brief moment, they continued on as if nothing had ever occurred.

“It seems no one remembers what happened,” Raivis said.

“Good. It's better that way,” Eduard replied. Finland nodded in agreement. Raivis sheepishly walked over to the man and called Finland's name to grab their attention. “Um, thank you for earlier,” Raivis blushed. “Because of you, I was able to help Eduard and believe in myself a little more.”

Finland gave Raivis a warm smile, “No need to thank me, you did all the work. Always remember: there's no such thing as a “weak guardian”. You're stronger than you look and you're never alone, even when it feels like it.”

Finland gave him a wink and Raivis nodded with a silly grin. His cheeks remained red as he admired Finland internally. He was ecstatic that the mysterious figure who gave him a confidence booster was a guardian just like them; and a strong one too!

“Thank you for all you've done for him. I'm truly grateful. Without you two, I would have been done for!” Eduard said.

“Anything for a friend. I'm just glad we got to you just in time!”

There was that word again: 'friend'. That was twice now that he heard them say that. It bothered Eduard deeply that this guardian seemed to act on a familiar level with the two of them yet he knew nothing about them or where they came from. He didn't want to be rude but asking would be the only way to comfort his mind.

“Forgive me for asking, and please don't take this the wrong way, but you seem to know more about us than we do of you. Have we met before?”

Finland looked at Eduard rather perplexed by the question, as if he had asked them whether or not water was wet. However, they broke into soft laughter soon after.

“I always wondered if others could recognize us through our transformations but I guess you just answered that for me!”

Finland affectionately took Eduard's hands and squeezed them tightly with a warm stare.

“Eduard, it's me, Timo.”

[douchebagbrainwaves]

THAT'S BIG COMPANY THINKING

I think the big obstacle preventing us from seeing the future than the best investors, because until you're profitable that's who you have to put up with them because they have some skill you need and how much funnier a bunch of adults had been transposed into your bodies. People are always asking you this, so you could use it. There is always a big time lag in prestige. You're unlikely to have more than enough. You'll need an executive summary, which should be 3x this year's. Fixing a bug in it; ITA's software includes a lot of people, for example, you start to get a line right. Let me put the case in most types of business; they feel they've been lucky to get that done quickly, instead of letting it drag on through your whole life, as in many others, the eminent are actually disadvantages. And because the points are independent of one another, just as we can become smarter, just that it's more straightforward. He'd only been working on when they bought us. Because he pays close attention, a Navy pilot can land a 40,000 lb. But you never had one guy painting over the work of the product managers and designers.

Sacrificing Users to Supposed Profit When I said at the beginning of the summer. That's what I thought was a huge interval. Different Not understanding that investors view investments as bets combines with the ten page paper mentality to prevent founders from even considering the idea of building Facebook in 2004: organic startup ideas usually don't seem like you have to be able to reach most of the startups from the rest. The secret to writing on such narrow pages is to break words only when you have a better chance of generating those if you combine stuff from distant fields. Where axioms are concerned, especially, is to separate the things you sell. How about that for years, and then, by accepting offers greedily, because the problem was with her. Make something people want. This gets harder as you get older and more experienced.

I didn't mean by this that Java programmers are dumb. A market takes every organization and keeps just the good ones and the bad ones only becomes visible in the original sense, is something called bottom-up programming. I'm not the only one. They get introductions to VCs from various sources: their angel investor connects them with a high probability of the latter. The Atlantic. We'd also need ways of erasing personal information not just to acquire users, but also burn your reputation with those investors. This is not too high a valuation is that you will yourself misunderstand your work.

Possibly, but I'd guess that many of these would-be startup founders but to students in general, but they seem to be any less committed to the business as you wanted. But only a bad VC fund would take that deal. Wall Street. I think VC funds are seriously threatened by the startup itself. But they forgot to consider the cost. I first meet founders and ask what their growth rate is a bit higher than I'd like. Reading Period, when students have no classes to attend because they're supposed to. The first assumption is widespread in text classification. Intellectually, it is no fun to be at least some of the biggest dangers of not using the organic strategy, you could do is find a middle-sized non-technology company and spend a couple weeks living what is, for people there, but that you haven't thought much about it, knowing that we needed money and had nowhere else to get it from the rich. Later stage investors won't invest in at a cap of $x will have an individual spam probability of 98%, whereas the same token in the body. Indeed, the other alternative was to get the right answers.

The startup may not have the kind of people it wants. When technology makes something dramatically cheaper you have to get bought or go public. So if you're an outsider you're constrained too, of course. Now we can stick computers in everything. One thing we'll need is support for the new way that server-based software never ships. It is not unusual for an old Raleigh three-speed in good condition, and sent me an email offering to sell me one, I'd be delighted, and yet he knows what language you should write it in. Best of all is likely to think is that all the complaints about App Store approvals are not a fallen people, who are amazed to find that there are more undergrads who want to get the rest of the market were a couple of 20 year olds. What deals do is fall back on. I think are very valuable.

On the subway back from the airport she asked Why is everyone smiling? They may have to decide between turning some investors away and selling more of the company. Design is not just a series of small changes. The junior people will tend to put them in a boat together. Much to the surprise of the builders of the first visitors to this new model, per se, so long as you didn't fail at that. You have to be called corruption when there started to be driven by how well that worked for him: There is no magically difficult step that requires brilliance to solve. There's not much we can learn, though perhaps none of them agreed with everything in it. But suggesting efficiency is a different form of profitability than startups have traditionally aimed for. The Harmless People and The Old Way. It was the worst year of my adult life, but there it is: The Men's Wearhouse. Indeed, it may not be by reforming the universities but by going around them. What if we let more great programmers into the US, startups will do a rolling close, where they take money from novice investors, or there would never be tactful; they were too slow to become profitable.

MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie-Mellon. The seeds of our miserable high school experiences were sown in 1892, when the Facebook was founded—though strictly speaking someone else did think of that as your task? Web, meaning Web-based software, all you need is a language where you have to figure it out yourself. And most importantly, what are we really complaining about its finiteness? That plus the inexperience card should work in most companies, acquisitions still carry some stigma of inadequacy. Should you take it? Nerds If you want people to see their mistakes. You can't just say Err to the user like software, this technique starts to have aspects of a practical joke, like letting a bat loose in a room, they squash the high-paying union job a myth, but I don't think universities will disappear. Well, there are ways to solve it. Prep schools openly say this is inevitable—that he was writing differentiation programs even in the US, it becomes an advantage to be able to transcend your environment. Only a tiny fraction are startups. Curiously, however, which makes others want to, but they probably won't be coming this month.

It shouldn't be, but it seems a good hypothesis to begin with. You don't do that if you invest in startups founded by eminent professors. You get to watch your own thoughts from a distance. They can practically read one another's minds. The last 10 years. Most will say that I'm clueless or being misleading by focusing so much on the richer end of economic inequality in a country with a truly feudal economy, you might want different mediums for the two situations. Don't be too pushy, but know the actual lawsuits rarely happen. In science and engineering, some of the people who work at VC firms regularly cold email startups. The way to seem good.

[newluddite]

Libertarians.

The motivation for this philosophy is a good one.  But like many belief systems the fundamentals upon which it is built are invalid.  I am an old man and therefore supposed to be conservative.  In many ways I am, but I also have a mind and I need to dig down to see upon what a given thought or belief sits.

Economics is not a science.  It is based on ideas that for the most part are opinions not facts, some are good, but not all. Libertarians pride themselves on believing in the “Laws” of economics. Let the market decide. Physics is science as gravity works as expected always.  Economics has huge flaws and almost no predictive value.  There are no “laws” that work as expected always.

Here is an example.  In a medium size US city a private company built a new expensive sophisticated Hospital.  It was made large enough to serve the entire population of this city for that level of care.  Soon after completion another private health company built a similar facility. They saw there was a market that their competitor was working in so they wanted to as well. By inspection the city was now oversupplied with Hospital services.  Economics says that in such conditions competition reduces costs and makes for efficiencies.  That is the “law”.  It did not work here though. The Hospitals raised prices to cover the costs and expected profit from each place so the oversupply caused prices to rise as they were not fully utilized.

OK that is one true historical example, but that was one place, so on average it should work, right?  In the US health care is mostly private business for profit so therefore the law of economics should assure the best prices averaging out over the whole country. But it don’t.  The US has the most expensive healthcare system in the world by far.  Apologists will say well it is the best it should cost more.  Socialist systems have wait lists and poor care.

How poor is care you cannot have at all if it is too expensive?

Personal example.  My wife needed a hip replacement.  I live in Canada, I paid health insurance premiums into the government system of about $1500.00 per year.  I also had a work insurance to cover things like a semi-private room.  The total cost to me for that hip joint was ZERO.  The same procedure done in a comparable urban (University) Hospital in the US is over $100,000.00.

Now it must be said that the cost of doing it was more than I paid for it.  Three doctors and four nurses were involved, but my wife was one of 6 surgeries done starting a 8:00 am and running to 12:00 am by the same team.  After the surgery a nurse kept watch until she woke up.  But the team was quick and efficient.

Oh and as far as wait times her first slot for the surgery was in two weeks from the meeting with the surgeon.  It took longer that that for her to actually build up the courage to do it as it is scary.  Once decided it was two months about the same time as in Murica.  Actually immediate bookings means there is an oversupply of capacity.

Here is another.  My daughter traveled to the US while pregnant and bought insurance to cover the event of giving birth in the US.  She did not give birth there, but a similar thing happened to another person and the bill was $30,000.00 for a routine birth.  And for those that have been through it the doctor if even there only has to “work” for a few critical minutes.  When the baby came the cost to her was ZERO.

Enough about health care.  People who do not like facts that contradict their ideas ignore or discount them.  It is called confirmation bias.  It is a common human behavior.  So if anyone reads this with increasing blood pressure and anger they got that condition.  Thing about truth is it is true.  If you do not believe it you are lying to yourself.

There are hundreds of examples of failure of economic laws.  My fundamental issue with Libertarianism is the unquestioning faith in economics.  Nobody should have unquestioning faith in human constructs.  The questioning mind is the human thing that lets us progress and survive.  Unquestioning faith leads to despotism.

Businessmen are often the most short sighted people of all.  Make money now today, and screw the future.  The future is someone else’s problem.  It is scary to think anyone would trust  their lives to their decisions.  Usually when you do people die.

In Korea businesses are owned and run by wealthy families.  They are called Chaebols.  They are treated as semi-royalty and loyalty and obedience are valued above all else.

There was a huge department store in Seoul owned by such.  The owner wanted a swimming pool built on the roof.  The building was not designed for the weight, but the boss said build it.  They did.  When cracks started to appear the executives left the building, but did not call for an evacuation of staff or customers. The building collapsed. People died.

Also in Korea a shipping company wanted more capacity on a ferry and ordered that decks be added for more passengers.  They were.  The ship capsized and sunk. People died.

Libertarians would say that those businesses would be punished and go out of business.  But they are still in business and still wealthy.  Wealth provides protection.  Even if that idea worked people had to die to engage it.

Government regulations are bad they say.  But they are there to protect you.  Health regulations require food servers and preparers to wash their hands after taking a shit.  That is too intrusive.  If people die then that MacDonalds will close, except it wont.

Building codes are to protect people from greedy owners trying to cut costs or add more revenue space.  Shipbuilding rules exist for the same reason.

Perhaps then some regulations are OK.  Then it is the issue of where the line is. Once you open the door.....

A few months ago an American congressman said they should abolish health regulations in food processing plants and restaurants.  Let the market decide!  Let people get sick and die more likely.  Fucking Idiot elected by future victims.

If you do not like what I say, fine that is your right.  But then give me reasoned fact based arguments to back it up.  Otherwise shut up move on or best of all change your mind.  Start a new political movement and call it rationalism.

Trolls with tiny brains need not apply. 

[authoressskr]

Give and Take

So, I had an odd sort of dream the other night and it helped shape this fic. This is unbeta’d and probably not all in one tense, but I had to get it all typed out!Hope you all enjoy it even if parts don’t make sense sometimes - I is sometimes not so good with the words...

This is a Castiel x Reader AU fic and it had some language (i think) and mentions of character death and some abandonment kinda mentioned.

Tagging the usual people I like to bother...

@lyndsay88 @sdavid09 @lucis-unicorn @thewhiterabbit42 @mamaredd123

Returning to your hometown, with a six-year-old in tow, was not ever in your immediate plans.

Lawrence, Kansas had always held a special place in your heart. You had grown up here. Fell in love for the first time here. But when a job offer had come from California for your mother, just after graduating high school, you’d gone with her simply because she was the only family you had and you had never been apart for more than a couple weeks.

But life has a funny way of giving and taking.

It took your save haven - the only place you could actually remember growing up - but gave you Eileen Leahy, who was the best friend you could have ever asked for. Eileen and you met the first day of college, English 101. She’d been delighted to find someone who knew sign language, even if only enough to get through a short conversation, but you had scribbled down on the paper with your cell number and room assignment that you were willing to learn more.

Your friendship blossomed. Or as your mother put it “Overtook the garden like ivy.” You two were like sisters, subtle sarcasm and movie quotes galore. Both of you had been born in one place and relocated to another, you: California to Kansas and Eileen: Ireland to California. Eileen was simply the best person you had ever met in your life.

So, when she had called you that rainy California night, asking you to hurry and come over, you had done so without hesitation. And when she held that little plastic stick up, with its little blue plus sign, you let out a squeal of joy. Eileen would be a wonderful mother! But she just looked at you with sad eyes, signing ‘What if I can’t hear my own baby cry at night?’

’Other deaf parents do it all the time, all over the world. You will do awesome. I expect nothing less from Eileen Leahy.’ You sign back, a wide grin tugging on your face.

And just like that, your worlds changed. You both moved into a new apartment, two bedrooms and a small “den” that would serve you well until the baby went to school at least. Her boyfriend, Eric, would take her to appointments and for the ones he couldn’t get off from work, you went.

You cried when you first heard her heartbeat.

Eric died in a car accident when Eileen was five months along. Drunk driver plowed straight into him. But Eileen was strong, making the funeral arrangements since he had no family.

She’d crawl into your bed on particularly hard nights, scooting until her back was pressed against yours before sighing and falling asleep.

It was September 24th, 2011 when life gave you Madeline Leahy and September 26th, 2011 is when it took Eileen from the two of you.

Eileen had, of course, prepared for any and every eventually. You’d gone to court and with no blood relatives able to claim her - and Eileen’s will and legal papers - you were legally able to adopt her less than two weeks after she’d been born.

Thankful to have your mother to help, you raised Madeline as your own. When she cooed out “mama” for the first time, you cried. And your happy life was upturned again, just after February 2014, when your mother died in a car accident.

And after a few more years at your well-paying job, you gave your two-week notice, loaded up your sensible three row mid-size SUV and headed back home to Lawrence, Kansas. Better schools for Madeline and a visit to the familiar was what you needed after these last few years.

Pulling into town, you realized how much has changed and how little has changed. You typed in the address to your new home, realizing it was actually just a handful of houses away from where the Winchesters and Novaks had once lived. You wondered briefly if they still lived there before Madeline let out a squeal from the backseat.

“Is that our new house, Mommy?”

“Yes, it is, squidgy! Ready to see it?”

“Yes!” A little pause, her little feet swinging and gently hitting the edge of her booster seat. “Who’s that lady?”

“That’s Jo. I went to school with her and she found our house for us.” You pull into the driveway, next to Jo’s very nice, very new truck. Freeing Madeline is relatively easy and you grab your purse before handing her the soft, periwinkle bunny that Eileen had bought the day after she’d found out she was pregnant. “Don’t forget Poppy.” Madeline tugs the bunny from your grip and hugs it tight to her chest, giving you a nervous smile.

“Hi, Y/N! And you must be Madeline!” Madeline held out her little hand, shaking Jo’s bigger one firmly.

“Madeline Leahy-Y/L/N. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Joanna Beth Harvelle, but you can call me Jo. And it is very lovely to meet you as well. Very good hand shake.”

“Thank you.” Madeline takes your hand, giving it a squeeze. Jo hands you two plain silver keys and pulls another from her pocket that is purple with lime green and lighter purple polka dots all over it.

“Here are the keys to your new home!”

“Go ahead, squidgy.” You urge, letting your daughter use her very own key to open the front door. “Thank you.” You whisper to Jo, who just smiled reassuringly as Madeline pushes open the thick mahogany wood.

“This place is huge!”

“Go on and explore then.” Her little feet scurry from the entryway towards the dining room/kitchen. “Thanks again, Jo. I know it’s difficult enough selling a house when the person lives in town or nearby, but states away? You’re amazing.”

“Thanks, but it’s all part of my job. And it was nice to help an old friend, bring them home.” Jo follows you into the kitchen, her smile widening as you sigh happily at the large space. “Oh - this basket has some fudge, cupcakes, and scones from Gabriel Novak’s bakery and café Heaven Sent.”

“Mom, is the really big room - can I have a cupcake?”

“Sure honey, but just one please. And yes, the really big room is mine.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Call or text if you need anything. I sent you all the paperwork, but I’ve left your originals in the dark green folder under the goodie basket.” Jo gives your forearm a squeeze. “And brace yourself for the neighbors and casseroles.”

Four hours, six neighbors, three casseroles, and one pot roast later you manage to set up both your and Madeline’s beds and got most of her room set up by the time the next visitor rang their doorbell.

“COMING!” You and Madeline yell in tandem, pushing up from your seated position on the floor, sorting through all her clothes as she put them away in her drawers. Thank the Lord for Jo, who had let the movers in the day before. You pad downstairs, running a hand through your hair before putting on a smile and opening the front door.

“Welcome to the neighborhood! I’m Mary Winchester and this is my husband John. We live -”

“Five houses down. Sorry. I just, uh, I grew up here. I remember your sons. They were all a little older than me. I’m Y/N Y/L/N and this is my daughter Madeline.”

“Oh! Of course! John, you remember Y/N, the one the Novak twins had a crush on when they were little?”

“Yeah, of course. The one who cried over the snails and punched Lucifer.”

“Mommy, you aren’t supposed to hit.”

“No, honey, you’re right. You shouldn’t hit. But I did it a long time ago and I had my reasons.” Madeline blinks big brown eyes up at you then shrugs.

“I’m not much of a cook, so I didn’t bring you anything edible. I brought some apple cinnamon candles and a coupon for the garage if you ever have any car troubles.”

“Wow, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester.”

“Of course! And just know that we’re just a few houses away if you need anything. Is your husband at work?”

“It’s just Mommy and me.” Madeline answers, opening the lid of one of the two medium-sized candles and sniffing.

“Well, in that case, you need anything done just call me, I’ll run over to the house and jot down our numbers, and we’ll get one of the boys to come help.”

“Okie dokie! I’ll post them on the fridge. Thank you, Mary.”

---

Three days later, Madeline woke you up bright and early, a good hour before your alarm was due to do off.

You had gotten up, got your shower first then shooed Madeline into the shower. As soon as she got out, you could hear her shuffling around in her room. She picked her own outfit, a dark gray shirt with white sparkly angel wings on the back and a pair of red skinny jeans. And you laughed when she came into your room, since you were sporting maroon skinny jeans and a dark gray shirt.

’Copycat.’ You sign, smirking at your daughter.

’You copied me!’ Her little fingers danced before she stuck out her tongue.

“Got your backpack ready? Whatcha want for lunch?”

“PB and J!” Once downstairs, you made her sandwich while she flitted around and gathered a couple snacks to add to her light gray kitty lunchbox.

“Okay! So, since we are early, do you want me to make a big breakfast - pancakes, eggs and some sausage - or would you like to go down to Heaven Sent and get some cocoa and breakfast sandwiches?”

“Heaven Sent! Can we get me a cupcake for lunch too?”

“We’ll see if they have a small box for them to go. If they don’t, we’ll get you one next time. I still can’t find the box with the plastic ware, and I think the cupcake holder is in there.”

“Okay. We’ll look through some more boxes when I get home.” She says so matter-of-factly, tucking her lunchbox into her galaxy print backpack with a tiny, cute, cartoon unicorns on the front pocket. 

“Got your key?” She nods. “Okay, you want your hair up, down, half-up?”

“A messy bun?”

“Can do! Go grab the brush and the pink mason jar with the hair ties and bobby pins from the bathroom then we’ll head out.” Her little bare feet don’t make too much noise as they climb the carpeted stairs and it reminds you to shout up after her. “Socks too!”

“I shoved the socks in the hair jar.” She pants out, rejoining you in the kitchen. You lift her up onto the barstool, brushing her long brown hair before pulling it into a messy bun, braiding a long spare piece you’d left out and wrapping it around the base of her messy bun.

“Ta-da! Okay, lets grab our socks and shoes.” You sat side by side on the little antique bench, pulling on your socks and shoes before grabbing your purse and Madeline her backpack.

“Can we walk? Like yesterday?”

“Yeah, we got the time today.”

A short ten-minute walk got you downtown and another few minutes got you to an offshoot of Main Street where Heaven Sent was located. The space is big enough for five big tables, a couple of booths, and a half dozen two-seater café tables. The bakery is open from 5 am to 6 pm and offers almost every delicious thing anyone could dream up. When you walked in, you were assaulted with the wonderful scent of coffee and an underlying smell of cinnamon.

“Can you read the signs?” You ask softly, scanning through the options.

“I can read, Mom.”

“I meant can you see it, Miss Sassypants.” A deep chuckle behind you draws your attention, making you turn to look over your shoulder. And you suck in a sharp breath. You’d know that face - those sapphire eyes - anywhere.

“Good morning.” His voice rumbles out, smiling at you.

“Good morning, Castiel.”

“Y/N?! Wow. It’s been - it’s been forever. When did you move back?” You turn to face him fully, only to be suddenly wrapped in his embrace, his scent still the same as all those years before. All those other embraces, sweet words and stolen kisses. The feel of his body claiming yours for the first time. His last whispered “I love you” before you left.

Funny how much more you had in common with his family now. Chuck Shurley had adopted all his sister, Amara Novak’s, children and raised them as his own. After she had come for a visit one day with five-year-old Michael, four-year-old Lucifer, and nearly two-year-old Gabriel - she had simply told Chuck it was too much, too hard and they needed stability. So, she left her three sons with her brother. And every time she got pregnant after that, she’d appear at Chuck’s home with her baby - or babies as was the case when the twins, Balthazar and Castiel - only to disappear a day or so later after all the paperwork was signed.

Not identical but similar. You both now had children you loved more than anything through circumstances you never saw coming.

“Mommy. The line’s moving.”

“Sorry,” You excuse yourself to the two people behind Cas, pulling yourself from his embrace reluctantly. “Sorry Madeline.” You step forward in the line, just one person from the register now. “Oh, um, yeah, it’s been awhile. I just moved back a few days ago. Wanted better schools for Madeline.” You put a hand on her upper back, her little hand shooting out. “Castiel, this is my daughter Madeline. Madeline, this is Castiel Novak, we grew up together.” Cas takes her tiny hand in his, shaking it very seriously.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madeline.”

“Thank you, Cat - Cas, Castiel. That’s a hard name.”

“You can call me Cas, most people do.”

“Can I help - IS THAT Y/N?!” Gabriel shouts from the register, making you whip around, a grin stretched across your face.

“Gabriel!” He’s already around the counter, pulling you into a crushing hug.

“You know the cupcake man?!” Madeline gasps out in wonder. Gabriel releases you, but keeps an arm around your shoulders, giving you a firm squeeze.

“That she does, little sugar cube. I’m Gabriel.”

“Madeline.” She extends her hand again and Gabriel drops his arm to kneel on one knee, grasping her small hand in his.

“Very pretty name. Now, what can I get you two pretty ladies?” He slides back behind the counter, rubbing his hands together.

“We will have two medium cocoas and I will have a cranberry white chocolate scone and you, squidgy?”

“I want a blueberry muffin. Do you make cupcake holders?” She ordered and asked all in one breath and Gabriel chuckled.

“I can absolutely get you a cupcake to go. What kind?”

“Strawberry!”

“Done!” You pull your debit card from your wallet and Gabriel scoffs. “You ate everything I made when we were little, even if it was weird. Your money is worthless in this establishment.”

“Gabriel...”

“Nope. Won’t hear of it! Now, shoo, I have other customers. Hey Cas. The usual?” You guide Madeline towards one of the corner café tables by a wall of books, all having to do with food.

“You know lots of people here, Mom.”

“I grew up here, so I do know some people. But not lots.” You chuckle, fishing through your purse for your little notebook. You pull a pen from an inside pocket and scribble down what you’ve ordered (you’d keep track, even if Gabriel wouldn’t), before turning the page and tapping the pen against it as Cas nervously approached the table.

“May I sit with you?”

“Of course, Cas.”

“How have you been? Where have you been? California?” Madeline looks from you to Cas before tugging the notebook and pen from under your fingertips.

“Yeah, I’ve been in California since I left here. Uh, I’ve been good. Really good. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. I teach second grade at Lawrence Elementary now. Do you have a job yet? Or maybe your husband does?” Gabriel appears at the table with a tray, three drinks, a muffin, a scone and a bacon breakfast sandwich.

“Smooth, little brother. Real smooth.” Gabriel mutters loudly, making Castiel blush slightly, dropping his gaze to the tray.

“I’m not married. And no, not yet. I was going to start looking today while Madeline is in school.”

“Ooh, call Dean, Cassie! They need someone to run the office now that Missouri is moving. Do you know how to do that?”

“Mommy helped run the office at her old job. She could do that!”

“Perfect! We’ll get you and Castiel off to school then I’ll take Mommy to the Winchesters and we’ll be all set!”

“We met them! They live by us!” Madeline is nearly vibrating in her seat as she talks to Gabriel.

“Awesome. That means you live by my dad too! Okay, now you eat, I’ll go package up a strawberry cupcake and I’ll walk with you guys to school.” He doesn’t wait for agreement or an argument, he just winds his way through the tables to the back.

“I’m sorry about Gabriel. He is -”

“He hasn’t changed a bit.” You get out between light laughter. Today has certainly been one for the books. “It’s fine. Really.” You place your hand on Cas’s forearm, gripping the tan trench coat briefly before removing your hand to eat. Cas nods and digs into his sandwich before peering over at Madeline.

“What are you writing?”

“My name. And Mommy’s name. And then I drew this cupcake.”

“It’s a very nice cupcake.”

“It’s just black, ‘cause I didn’t have no other colors.”

“Still very lovely. Are you done? May I take your trash?”

“Thank you.” You and Madeline say in tandem, smiling at each other.

’Copycat.’ She signs, sticking out her tongue. Cas and Gabriel join you, Gabriel extending a small clear container with a bright pink cupcake with sparkly pink icing with a neon blue “M” on top of it.

“There you are, Miss Madeline.” You stood, putting your notebook and pen back into your purse, grabbing your cup as you watched your daughter set her backpack onto the table, withdrawing her lunch box and gingerly setting the cupcake on the top of her sandwich, rearranging her banana to lay against the cupcake container and putting the two bags of Disney fruit gummies on top. She carefully zipped the lunch box, settling it back into her backpack.

“Okay. We can go now.”

“You sound like your mom when we were little. Oh, little sugar snap, the stories I could tell you!” Cas’s hand is gentle, barely there, against the middle of your back, Madeline in front of you as Gabriel holds the door.

“What kind of stories?”

“All kinds.” Cas confirms, sticking close to the outside of the sidewalk. Gabriel launches into a story when you were five and they saw you walking around and asked if you wanted to play at the park. You said you weren’t playing - you were collecting dinosaur eggs. Which were just large rocks that were more egg-shaped. Cas and Gadreel had been more than willing to help, only for their other brother, Michael to come over and matter-of-factly tell all three of you that dinosaurs were extinct. And you had told him that Jurassic Park said they were alive again and he couldn’t have one.

“Your mom kept the “eggs” in the sun, kept them all together and lovingly checked on them all the time, hoping they’d hatch and she’d have a dinosaur or two.” The school is in sight now, Madeline laughing at the story.

”I’m still upset I never hatched a dinosaur,” You mutter, tossing your empty cup into a nearby trash can before crossing the road to the school. The four of you make your way to the kindergarten building, you take a quick tour of the room, meeting Madeline’s teacher and leaving her the Emergency Contact packet you had picked up from the school a couple days ago, all while Gabriel and Cas wait just outside.

“Have a great first day. I love you, my squidgy.” You kiss her forehead, tears stinging your eyes. “I’ll be back to pick you up at 1. Okay?” You kiss her again before the first school bell rings. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mommy. I’ll see you later.” She presses a quick kiss to your cheek before she bounds over to her assigned seat, you back out of the room slowly, watching as her teacher closes the door as the second bell sounds. You manage a short wave before it closes completely, the tears spilling silently from your eyes.

Castiel’s scent envelopes you, his arm wind around you, pulling you against his side. You stand there for a few minutes in silence before another bell rings out.

“I have to go to work. But I’ll see you later, Y/N.” His blue eyes are kind, just as kind as they’ve always been. “It’s been nice seeing you again.” You turn towards him, hugging him as tightly as he first did.

“Have a good day, Castiel. I was glad to see you too.”

“Alright, alright. Stop hogging her!” He jokes as Cas and you separate, Gabriel taking your hand and leading you from the school grounds.

---

John readily agreed to your employment (after seeing your resume - the man wasn’t born yesterday), thankful to have someone who Missouri likes and feels is competent enough to handle not just the garage’s paperwork but also Bobby Singer’s auto salvage yard as well. John also added that he’d let you have time off to pick Madeline up and she could stay up in the office til the workday was over. You nearly burst out in tears again.

“Thank you, John.” You throw your arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”

“It’s fine, sweetheart. You were like family growing up and now you got your own family to take care of.” He wraps one arm around you, giving a gentle squeeze before pulling away. “You start tomorrow, 8 am. You give all your paperwork to Missouri?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Gabriel is a smirking mess when you exit the garage before tapping his cheek.

“I think I deserve it.” You roll your eyes, but kiss his cheek regardless.

“Thank you, Gabriel. Really. You’re awesome.”

“I know.” He claps his hands then rubs them together. “Okie dokie, hot stuff, I’m gonna head back to work now. But feel free to drop by anytime, Y/N.” He waggles his eyebrows before blowing you a kiss as he starts back towards his bakery.

Taking a deep breath, you head home. Certainly, today had not turned out like you had thought today would go at all...

---

Two weeks later, now settled into your new house and getting the routine you’d set up the second day of school down pat, you drove to the Lawrence Animal Shelter to deliver on your promise to get Madeline a kitten.

To be fair, you had thought maybe with school, moving and the weekly trips on Saturday afternoons to Heaven Sent (Gabriel was always happy to spoil Madeline with whatever sweet she wanted - and a few she had reluctantly tried at his behest) that maybe, just maybe, she’d temporarily forgotten.

Luck was not on your side, since the night before she had slid up onto a stool in the kitchen, watching you pull the two trays blueberry muffins from the oven, a serious expression in her light brown eyes.

“Mommy. Remember before we moved? You said when we go a new house and I started school, I could get a kitty?”

“I remember.”

“Can we go tomorrow and get one? Pretty please? You promised, ‘member?”

“Okay. Okay. We’ll go tomorrow morning and give some muffins to Gabriel and we’ll go look for a kitten.” You gently free the first six muffins from the pan, setting them on the counter to cool. “Now, squidgy, you know you gotta take care of it. Clean its litter box - make sure it doesn’t chew or tear up things it shouldn’t - and make sure to feed it, brush it and play with it.”

“I will! I can do it!” You sigh, raising an eyebrow.

“Alright. First bring me my laptop so we can read over what we’ll need to do and need to go buy. And when we go, we can ask about veterinarians in the area and stuff. I’m not promising you a kitten tomorrow, Madeline - you understand that, honey? Sometimes it takes a little while to find the one that’s just right.” She nods enthusiastically, her long brown hair swinging as she slides down from the stool and rushes into the little office/library down the hall.

You exit the car, opening the back door to release your child, who is talking a million miles a minute, saying potential names and looking at the list you had printed out for her, saying that the kitten needed a pink bed or maybe a red one, or that she would like a black cat, like in Hocus Pocus. You wrap your wallet around your wrist by the thin leather strap and take Madeline’s left hand in your right, silently steeling yourself for either coming home with another tiny life or to face the disappointment on your daughter’s face when it doesn’t happen today.

No one is at the front desk, so you call out a loud “Hello”, watching as a bright red-headed woman comes in carrying a big black cat.

“I’m sorry! I was in the Cattery and didn’t hear the door jingle. My name is Charlie Bradbury, how may I be of assistance?”

“We need a kitty.” Madeline pipes up beside you.

“Is this your first kitty or do you have another one?”

“It’s our first.” You supply.

“Well congratulations on deciding to become pet parents! Now, animals are a lot of responsibility, but you two look very responsible. Come on, I‘ll show you to the Cattery.” She leads the way down a short hallway, Madeline tightening her hold on your hand momentarily before walking cautiously into the room behind Charlie, you follow and close the door firmly behind you. “So, I’ll pull out a few of the kittens first - we got them three weeks ago and they’re all ready to go to good homes.” The door opens behind you, but you don’t really pay too much attention, watching as Charlie sets down the big black cat and lets five little kittens of all colors tumble out of the large clear cubicle they were in.

“Hello, Y/N.” Sweet Jesus, the man was everywhere. You turn, a smile already gracing your face.

“Hello, Castiel. What are you doing here?”

“He volunteers here! Ooooooh! So, you’re Y/N! Cas hasn’t shut up about you since you moved back!” She embraces you as heat fills your cheeks. “This is great! I wanted to meet you! Dean was talking about you too! How well you run the office! How cute you are!” Charlie releases you from her hold, her green eyes dancing as she chuckles, moving to sit cross legged on the floor next to Madeline. Madeline is too involved with the kittens to pay you much attention, she just turns with a white kitten clutched gently against her chest and calls out a hello to Cas before another gray kitten crawls into her lap, making itself at home and falling asleep as Madeline strokes it with her free hand. Cas stoops down in front of you, picking up an errant kitten.

“I apologize for Charlie. She is very,” He gives a long pause, “Enthusiastic.”

“No need to apologize. Gabriel and you had both mentioned Charlie, so I‘m glad to put a friendly face to the stories.”

“Is the black cat the mom?”

“No. Their mom died. She was trying to take care of her kittens and got hurt. They wouldn’t eat the first couple days until we brought Luna in.” She points to the large black cat who is sitting by your feet while a little black and white kitten is batting at her tail. “Luna adopted them and took care of them, showed them how to be good kitties. The little gray one in your lap usually sticks to her like glue. The other kittens are very indep - are you okay sweetie?” Charlie’s voice goes from forlorn to concerned.

Madeline looks up at you with watery eyes while Charlie’s have an edge of panic.

‘Like me and you, Mommy.’ You tear up too, nodding.

’Exactly like me and you, baby.’ You sign back and say aloud, to give Charlie and Cas a little context for the sudden emotional outburst.

“I suppose we can’t separate them then...”

“Really, Mommy?!” She scrubs at her eyes with her sleeve before carefully setting the white kitten down and throwing herself against you. Cas grasps your shoulder, giving it a squeeze. You hadn’t told Cas the story about you, Eileen and Madeline yet - you felt it was too soon. You had simply stated one day when he had come to the garage at lunch - for his regular Thursday lunch with Dean - that he was great with Madeline, maybe because of their similar backgrounds.

Charlie sniffles, rising from her seated position with a kind smile.

“If you follow me, we’ll fill out the paperwork and you can take Luna and your new kitten home. Have you thought of a name?” Charlie leads Madeline out, winking at you as the door closes behind her, Madeline’s arms holding the gray kitten and Charlie’s with Luna.

“I could go with you, if you like - to make sure the cats have everything they require. And then maybe we could all go to lunch?” His cheeks turn a light pink as he set the kitten he’d been holding onto a carpeted climbing post.

“I’d love to. We’d love to. And maybe you’d like to come over for dinner?”

“Like a date?”

“Yes, Castiel.”

“I’d love that. Maybe you would like to come over for Family Dinner Night tomorrow? The Winchesters and the Singers and us, we all have dinner Sunday night... Tomorrow we’re having it at our house. Would you consider coming?” You raise up, pressing your lips against his.

“Sounds good. Madeline already loves John, Dean, Bobby, Gabriel and you. I think it’d be nice for her to meet everyone else I grew up with.”

“As my girlfriend - uh, date - as my guests?”

“Let’s start with date. We can work our way up to boyfriend and girlfriend.” Cas swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing before his hands reach out, cupping your face and kissing you passionately.

“I’ve waited for a long time to do that again.”

“Mmhmm. You’ll have to work a little harder than last time to get to do the other thing though.” You grin against his lips, happily leaning against his firm body.

“I am nothing if not a patient man.” A firm knock on the glass pulls you from your little bubble. Madeline is pointing at you then at Cas, then to your feet. You pull away from Castiel and sign ’Yes’

’Luna and my kitten!’ Her fingers bob towards her hand as she looks to Castiel again. ‘Are you guys gonna kiss more?’

’Probably.’

’Gross.’

“She wants to sign the papers and pay so we can go.”

“And?” He rumbles out, moving away to carefully put the rest of the kittens back into their large cubicle.

“She asked if we were going to kiss more. I told her probably.”

“Just probably?”

“You play your cards right, it’ll be more than probably.”

Funny how life worked out.

[chantalkrcmar]

Our New Normal

Now that we’ve been in Mumbai for 3 1/2 months, I feel like I can say we are settled into into our new normal. Of course, the adjustment process will likely continue in fits and starts much longer, but it feels like we have turned a significant corner. When I was in Kerala for work last month, I would tell people there, “I’m going home on Wednesday.” By that, I meant back to Mumbai. There was absolutely no hesitation when I was saying the word “home.” It felt good.

Our new home no longer shocks me much anymore — a big sign that I have shifted. For instance, I still notice, but am no longer surprised, by the countless motorcyclists I see doing crazy dangerous stuff. A popular one: Daredevil drivers speeding through terrible traffic, their helmets hanging on their handlebars, their mobile phone clamped between their ear and shoulder. And another common one: a family of four, dad driving, mom holding two month old, three year old sandwiched between mom and dad. Dad is wearing a helmet but no one else is. Also recklessly speeding. Do I like almost being run down by them? Nope. Am I surprised by them anymore? Nope.

I wish I could get photos — or, better yet, videos — of these insane motorcyclists but I am always too focused on my own safety (or Anamika’s safety if she is out walking with me) to stop and take pics.

And who is the least surprised by anything anymore? Anamika, of course. Anamika actually adjusted long back. She talks about our friends in the US and about Somerville (For example, this morning when we were talking about getting some Christmas decorations, she said, “We can buy a Santa for Somerville and for India.”) but it’s matter-of-fact now. She no longer seems confused by her dual-country existence; in fact, it’s been a while since she’s hesitated when trying to figure out where we now live. And she is always proudly telling people: “I go to the American School of Bombay — Kurla Kohinoor Campus!” Man, do I wish for her unformed vocal cords. Anamika’s pronunciation of Hindi is impeccable. Still, when I ask a rickshaw driver to take us to Kurla Kohinoor, I am met with blank stares until I have said it four different ways (all of which sound totally the same to me). :-) She on the other hand says it like a pro.

We are connecting with other folks in our apartment compound. Especially Anamika. Our compound has the friendliest group of security guards and cleaning staff. Anamika enthusiastically greets them: “Good morning Arvind Sir!” “Good night, Felix Uncle!” She often hangs out with them and regales them with stories all in English. They understand none of it but politely nod and smile. And they really look out for her. We have a tiny playground space in our compound. When she fell off the swing there, Wilson Uncle, one of the men who cleans the buildings, came running to fetch her — and to tell off Rahul, who might have pushed her a bit too vigorously, for being a negligent parent. :-)

There’s also a doodh wallah (milk man) who delivers milk to the apartments in our compound every morning. Since it such a novelty, Anamika used to love opening the door and ceremoniously accepting the packets of milk before ferrying them off to the fridge. Sadly, the novelty is gone so she barely ever runs to the door to get the milk from him anymore. Poor guy use to be greeted by an adorable 3 1/2 year old brimming with excitement, and now all he gets is a middle aged or elderly person accepting the goods at the door. But Anamika’s enthusiasm has not entirely worn off. This past week, we were walking down the stairs in our building and she saw the doodh wallah on the ground floor waiting for the lift. She shrieked, “It’s the doodh man!” which sounds really funny to an American (that would be me) who thinks she’s saying, “It’s the DUDE man.” A bit redundant, no?

Our compound is gated but the gates are never locked. (thank goodness! A gated community is not mine or Rahul’s style.) So there’s a group of kids from the neighboring slum, mostly boys, who often come and play in the playground. Anamika loves them! Her favorite is ten year old Sushil. A very handsome and charming boy, he’s got a winning smile, a mischievous gleam in his eye, and a love of attention. So he and I chat a bit in Hindi and he mostly clowns around for Anamika. The genuine belly laughs he gets out of her are impressive!

Since Anamika goes to the American School, she had Thanksgiving break. We did not celebrate, but we had a fun stay-cation. One of the many things we did that long weekend was do a long day trip to Elephanta Island with another family we know. Elephanta is an hour ferry ride from the Gateway of India in South Mumbai. On the island are caves with fourteen hundred year old carvings and monkeys galore. It’s a fun place to marvel at the stone work, play hide and seek, and strategize how best to avoid the aggressive monkeys. Cows are ubiquitous in India, and typically vey docile. But Rahul encountered one that followed him and head butted him, in hopes he would drop Anamika’s roasted corn. Rahul emerged victorious from the stand-off — but barely! Since we could not stop laughing at the whole thing — and our pal Jessie was so busy recording the encounter — our friends and I were of no help. (Sorry, my Love.)

India is not one of the cleanest countries in the world (to put it mildly). Prime Minister Modi even started a public cleanliness campaign called “Swachh Bharat” which includes raising  public awareness and doing some public works projects such as toilet building. In my observations over the past many years of coming to India regularly, it seems to be working. People used to blithely throw trash on the roads and footpaths, and men would regularly drop their trousers and pee anywhere they felt the urge. This kind of behavior is not as common anymore, though it still happens more than it should. I find most of Modi’s policy initiatives abhorrent (Rahul and I often play the “Who’s a Worse Leader? Modi or Trump?” game.), but I will give him credit for Swachh Bharat. It’s not as successful as the Modi government claims (especially the Open Defecation Free India part of the campaign), but it seems to be working in many other ways.

One of my proudest moments since moving to India occurred on the ferry ride to Elephanta -- when I had my chance to do my Swachh Bharat bit. A ferry passenger had the audacity to throw a plastic bag into the sea from the ferry, and I thought it my civic duty to make it clear that what he had done was beyond the pale. I resorted to public shaming. In an intentionally loud voice I told him he was a disgrace because he was not honoring the Prime Minister’s   “Swachh Bharat” campaign. An unfortunate number of Indians fawn all over Modi, so basically telling someone who likely reveres the Prime Minister that he is disrespecting the Prime Minister, I thought, was a small stroke of genius. :-)

And we are now starting to prepare for Christmas. Anamika is one lucky kid (and we are lucky adults) since we celebrate Indian holidays, as well as the ones that have gone more global, such as Christmas. We do the endless fall festivals here, culminating in Diwali, and now we are heading into Christmas. Our neighborhood is adorned with a variety of secular (It seems everyone loves Santa Claus!) and non-secular (many Roman Catholic churches in Bandra, so Christ is everywhere) decorations. We have a medium sized fake Christmas tree in our livingroom, decorated with a combination of homemade ornaments (compliments of Rahul and Anamika), as well as ones bought on Hill Road. We recently went to a birthday party at the Taj Lands End Hotel where they have a gigantic, beautiful christmas tree in their lobby. As we walked past it, Anamika declared without a hint of envy or irony, “Oh. It’s just a bit bigger than our tree.” Given that it’s probably twenty feet taller than our tree, I cracked up.

You be the judge...

Christmas shopping on Hill Road, a street in our neighborhood chock full of shops of all kinds (You want glitter and glue? Go to Hill Road. You want cheap sandals? Go to Hill Road. You want  pain puri? Go to Hill Road. You want Christmas decorations in the month of December? Go to Hill Road.), is a total hoot. Normally, shopkeepers and hawkers fill the sidewalks with their wares; people even set up blankets with their goods piled high on top of them in the streets. During this season, it’s even more chaotic. Ad-hoc Christmas shops (nothing more than card tables set up in nooks and crannies all over Hill Road) pop up with colorful stars, Santas, reindeer, snow globes, you name it. Rahul, Anamika and I hit Hill Road to round out our Christmas tree decoration collection. It was quite the experience as we sweated bullets (I never associate heat and humidity with Christmas!) keeping Anamika safe from all the traffic as it whizzed by, as well as keeping her from breaking every snow globe on Hill Road. :-)

Since, unlike most shops that are directly on the street, this one had a safe stretch of sidewalk in front of it, I actually was able to get one photo of Anamika doing some Christmas shopping on Hill Road...

And we are starting our favorites (a sure sign of feeling at home)…

favorite bookstore: Trilogy (Amazingly curated by amazing bibliophiles — and just plain nice people — it’s the antidote to box book stores…Trilogy is down a cramped, smelly alley, so it’s almost impossible to find. Once you push through the front doors, and into their intimate, beautiful space, the world melts away. They have a feminist book section, too! Need I say more?!)

favorite cafe: The Bagel Shop (yes, that’s the name. The bagels are not NYC bagels, but they are not bad. Their homemade juices are amazing. Living in a tropical zone with a huge variety of fresh fruits has its perks! And their outdoor patio with fans whirring all over is a winner.)

Rahul and Anamika playing the Dot Game at The Bagel Shop...

(Because we get questions about our water bottles, let me explain: Anamika’s water bottle is a pink Peppa Pig one; Rahul’s is a pink Hello Kitty one; mine is boring old blue.)

favorite road to walk on: Veronica Road (Being narrow and twisty, traffic is at a minimum. It’s also cool since it’s flanked by old colonial era buildings and random Catholic statues and mini shrines.)

favorite chai: a cup at 17/31 MHB Colony (That would be our home. I swear Ambubhai makes the best cup of chai in all of Mumbai. Perhaps in all of India. Come try it and see for yourself!)

favorite place to go running: Bandra Reclamation Pathway (A five minute run past the slums near our apartment takes us to a sweet pathway along one of the bays of the Arabian Sea. When it’s not too smoggy from pollution, we see downtown Mumbai across the water, and I really enjoy all the palm trees they’ve planted along the pathway.)

favorite place for a date: The Saltwater Cafe (Rahul and I still don’t get out much, but we do get out more than when we were in Somerville and Dadi and Dada (Grandma and Grandpa) were close to 8000 miles away.)

favorite weekend activity: When we’re not busy with Anamika’s packed social calendar (This weekend, she had three birthday parties and a christmas event to attend. I’m not at all jealous of the fact that she has so many friends here. ;-) ), you can often find us swimming at the pool at Sun n Sand Hotel right on Juhu Beach, right on the Arabian Sea. We pay for day passes and swim to our hearts’ content.

A random thing about living in Mumbai that I love: the flowers. They are simply gorgeous. Mumbai is truly an urban jungle — emphasis on “urban.” And it is easy to despair the lack of green space here. But when the riot of flowers confronts my senses, I am reminded that nature does exist, and that beauty is all around. (Sorry for the corny Hallmark card quality of that phrase.) 

I took this pic one morning as I was walking to my yoga class…

One other thing I love about our neighborhood are the murals that surprise you on various walls. Of course, I particularly like this one...

Not to end on a sad note, but life ain’t all a bowl of cherries. One thing Rahul and I are not getting used to — nor should we — is seeing so many desperately poor children on the streets. Desensitization, which can happen so easily, is a soul killer, so we are trying to avoid it. Even worse, it maintains the status quo. On Friday night, we were driving to a little school christmas concert. On the left of our uber, we were approached by a man selling christmas accessories (street hawkers, selling everything from tissues to plums and everything in between, are so common here), including reindeer antler headbands, one of which Anamika just had to have. So as I was making that purchase out of the window on my side of the uber, Rahul was giving money to two poor little girls who had approached on his side of the uber. How’s that for a moment of glaring inequality?!

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Kawaii Box Oct 18

Hello! Welcome to the October 2018 Kawaii Box review :3

Before I begin I wanted to let you guys know that I will finally be making a purchase at Blippo.com -the official shop relates to Kawaii Box- this upcoming month. I don’t really have any plans in mind as to what I’ll be getting, but my goal is to spend over $25.00, as this is the limit needed to obtain a “free gift” and I’m curious to see what it pertains. I’ll be making a follow-up blog post about the whole experience, items, etc, when it comes.

Without further ado, let’s get on with the review!

This months theme: Kawaii Halloween!

This months word: Kabocha - Pumpkin

Kawaii Neko Pocket Mirror

Our first item is this ultra-cute pocket mirror with an adorable kitty in a cup with Please written on it. I’m not sure what the writing on top translates as- but isn’t this the cutest thing ever~?

From the book and Blippo website, I assume there was various alternate designs/colors you could receive, I couldn’t find this exact model on there but they had a bunch of cute ones like it ranging from $3.90-$4.90.

The mirror is very clear and easy to clean, and because there’s two sides of it you can easily see whatever angle you’re trying to get.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Besides being really cute, I was actually surprised by this. In the past, a long time ago I’ve gotten a couple of folding, flimsy, plastic mirrors. They got the job done and they were really cute too- but there was always that risk they would break you know?

This mirror is perfect! The outside feels very sturdy, I’m not sure what type of material it is but I’m not nearly as worried about it breaking in comparison to my others. I’ll definitely be putting it in my purse and taking out the other one.   

Kawaii Neko Bag Charm & Kawaii Onigiri Plush Charm

(they look a bit alike, right?)

Our first item is the neko bag charm, the perfect little companion to cutify the day (and your purse/bag/pouch/pants loop/etc). These are available in 3 different styles, and each costs $4.50 <_< I was a little surprised to find that out, I assume it’s a material thing?

Besides being an adorable charm, there is also a big slit on the back. Now, the booklet nor Blippo mention this, but usually that means the charm can be used to discretely hold change!

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I just want to mention that as a warning if you would try to use this or something similar to hold coins, BE CAREFUL. While feeling around I discovered a sharp pointed piece on the inside of the top area, which is connected to the keychain. That makes it really sturdy- but it’s not worth using if you’re worried about harming yourself. It’s perfectly safe as a charm though.

Anyway, I think it’s very cute (I love its cheeks x3) and the detailing is really good. This would be ideal if you prefer smaller, non-plush charms but still want the appeal of a cute character.

Next to go with the neko charm, we have a plush onigiri (rice ball) charm. It came in 4 various expressions, and each costs $2.90. 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I love rice, so this would be the perfect charm for me ♥ It’s also very soft, and the details are stitched on and look very clean (except for one little strand on the one blush). It���s just precious~

I should have bought the other three, then I could’ve swapped them out to fit my mood.

Halloween Ghost Squishy

This little cutie is perfect if you’re an avid squishy collector and want something for the holidays :P It was available for $4.90 on the Blippo website, but it’s no longer listed. This doesn’t seem like a hard squishy to find though if you’re interested in it; and they did have some other cute Halloween squishy (and ghosties) there.

It’s mentioned to be scented and it is- exactly like most other squishy. I think it would have been adorable if it smelled like vanilla, or pumpkin.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s very cute and ultra-soft. But I noticed mine has a bunch of shedding areas, the “lining“ is very messy and could use a trim, and there are a few tiny coloring issues, but I have seen way worse squishy and it isn’t really that bad; especially if you just want something soft to squeeze. This is amazing.

Halloween Stickers

Continuing our adorable ghost and Halloween trend, we got an adorable family of ghost stickers! On Blippo these were available for $1.90, they kind of remind me of dollar store stickers.

The sheet was full when I got it, don’t worry. I used some of the stickers to seal some wrapping in a package I was preparing for my friend because I was in a position where I didn’t have the time to look for my tape and I had to hurry up.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

They’re very cute and I love the various poses and styles. I’m not too crazy about repetitive sticker sheets like this- but when this happens it’s at least nice knowing I don’t have to feel sad for using a sticker I liked.

I’m not the only one who gets like that right...?

I wish they were a little big bigger, but at the same time there is something to be said for adorable little stickers, although they can be a tiny bit hard to get off the sheet. Stickiness is 10 out of 10.

Kanahei Sticky Notes

I’ve noticed the Usagi and Piske duo beginning to show up a little more often in the boxes as of late. I don’t mind though, they’re pretty cute.

These are available in both sticky note format or the one I got which is called “foldadble message fusen notes”, both types for $2.90 in a few different styles.

I finally understand how these work because of the “tutorial“ on the back. Basically you write something in the middle, then you take the paper and fold it so the middle is hidden by the top and bottom of the image to create a seamless note that looks like there isn’t anything there. Then you open it to find the note.

Unfortunately... by the time I got mine folded properly, the note was so beaten up I decided to trash it. For such an easy concept it’s actually a little hard >3<

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Despite that issue, I still think these are ultra-cute~ Especially this breakfast themed one, it would be perfect for inviting someone to breakfast or wishing them a good morning x3

Sanrio Sticky Bookmarks & Ciara Unicorn Card Protector

(In hindsight I should have put the sticky bookmarks with the message notes...)

Our first item in the picture is a set of Sanrio themed bookmarks based on a specific character. Each set costs anywhere from $1.90-$2.90 and includes 2 thin bookmarks, 2 mediums, 1 large, and 1 horizontal one, for a total of 90 bookmarks!

There was a huge variety of sanrio characters these were available in.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I usually don’t use these as I have bookmarks for the novels I read and I don’t have any sort of files or binders or anything in need of organization. BUT these come in handy for make-shift labels, which I have been putting them to use for :3 I love the variety of colors and sizes these come in too, usually I don’t see too much variety in one pack.

The other item is an adorable Unicorn Card Protector, available in 4 adorable pastel colors, each with it’s own unique unicorn drawing. Beneath the Ciara logo is the words “Make a girl more kawaii somewhere on a rainbow”, and on the back is a single chibi wing drawing. The front has tiny wings and stars covering it.

The protector has a flap on both the back and front, but the back flap is translucent. Each one costs $1.90.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I love unicorns, and the second I saw this I knew I would need to use it for my cards, which I will be doing after I finish this review. The one I’ve been using is pretty old and beaten up, so I figured it was time for a change.

It’s very easy to put the cards in and out of the two sides, and I was able to put about 5 cards in there with little effort. I feel like I may have been able to put in one or two more, but I didn’t have anything else nearby.

Halloween Umaibo

Our snack/food item for this box is an Umaibo, which I have no complaints against. I love these x3 although this one was extremely broken up... I’m not really sure if it was like that before I got it or after, but I’m going to assume before because I don’t throw my boxes around and beat them up like this stick was.

I wouldn’t ever turn down an Umaibo (unless it’s an intimidating flavor...) though, and it was still perfectly edible. It was corn/corn potage flavor, my favorite!

They can be bought on Blippo for $2.50 and you get 5 per purchase! But I saw a handful of them were sold out right now, I’m sure they will get more in soon though.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I’ve already made it clear that I’m obsessed with this umaibo flavor. It’s my #1 favorite, I wish they sold them in large boxes~

I also like that they gave us a Halloween packaged one... but I sorta feel like this might have been a missed opportunity. They should have chose a fall flavor, or something more associated with Halloween like pumpkins, squash, etc. I’m sure I saw something like that before.

Korean Okitoki Stationery Set

(Note the upside down pencil sharpener and toppers above it :P)

This is a nice little stationery set that provides the essentials needed for writing or a day at school. This is produced by the brand Caramel Popcorn; I’ve gotten a few items from them before. But I couldn’t find this exact set on Blippo, I did see a handful of variants, including a few bigger sets.

This set includes 2 pencils without an eraser or tip (I guess so you can pick?), 2 pencil caps, 1 glittery blue eraser with a non-taped or glued wrapping, 1 pencil sharpener, 1 Ruler with a numbered side and a bumpy side.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I actually didn’t expect very much with this set. Looking at the items and the packaging just gives it a cheap quality, but I was pleasantly surprised. The pencils and sharpener work like normal (I got very long strands from the sharpener :3 very satisfying), and the eraser is pretty to look at. You barely need to press to use it too. Ruler is flimsy but works with no problem.

My only noteworthy thing is that the pencil lids don’t seem to want to stay on if you put it on the sharpened side, but it stays fine on the other side. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose though?

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  It was a typical case of me being unsure if I liked the box much besides one or two items. I wasn’t very crazy over the abundance of stationery it seemed like we got this time, but I’ve come to enjoy it for what it is by the time I finished the review. Sometimes it’s just how it happens.

Price -  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  I didn’t count the Umaibo since it’s for a set of 5 on the Blippo website and we only get 1. I’m not good at math so there was no way I could figure that out... I also didn’t count the stationery because I didn’t see it. Without them the box is worth about $24.00, so I imagine it’s around $30.00 in total. Which is really nice since we pay around $20.00.

Theme - ♥ ♥ ♥ They could have done better. Like it was obvious the theme was Halloween, and we only got 3 Halloween items out of 10. Unless you count the 2 neko things, which kind of associate with Halloween...

Total Rank: 6 out of 10 Cuties. I appreciated the box and enjoyed it, but I wish they would strongly follow themes more. I understand they probably don’t want to force it on people who might not celebrate the holiday, but I think it’d be better not to try to enforce a theme if you don’t plan to follow it. The design of Aiko-chan on the front is adorable, but it would imply the Halloween gimmick is stronger than it actually is.

♥ Cutie Scale ♥

1. Neko Pocket Mirror - it’s my favorite shade of pink and includes a super-squishy looking adorable kitty~

2. Unicorn Card Protector - very sweet and delicate looking, and I needed a new one so it was great timing x3

3. Ghost Squishy - it might have some faults, but it’s super cute and perfect for Halloween!

4. Umaibo - I’m living for the Halloween exclusive design x3 they make really cute Holiday packaging.

5. Halloween Stickers - They’re so kawaii, I just wish there was more variations on it.

6. Neko bag charm - it’s face is so sweet and adorable, I just wish it was cuddly.

7.  Onigiri Plush charm - So soft and squishy. Do you think it’d be rude to eat Chinese food in front of it?

8. Usagi & Pitske Notes - I love the adorable pancake themed image x3 but it might just be because I’m really hungry right now. . .

9. Sanrio Sticky Bookmarks - I love the pastels and the designs~

10. Stationery Set - It’s very cute, but I’ve never been a blue girl, and the designs are extremely repetitive.

Well, that will be doing it for this review :3 Up next will be the October Tokyo Treat, and hopefully soon my first, official order from Blippo.com. As I said on top I’ll make a post about it to give you guys a look at how it goes and what I got.

Until next time remember to keep opening a box of cuteness every day!