#hm gray x farmer

[det2x-fanfic-dump]

MY OVERALL FANFIC TITLES MASTERSLIST

THIS MASTERLIST SHOWCASE THE OVERALL FANFIC TITLES I MADE. JUST REALIZED IT'S UNFAIR TO ONLY FEATURE HERE TWST STUFF:

Legend:

(This is to show what the status of the fanfics are)

Ongoing- Current Working on writing it

Hiatus - Probably caused by writer's block or other fanfic is currently in the works; but not forgotten ; will magically update

Incomplete: Undetermined hiatus ; Closed to dropping or author is forgetting it ;

Open for Requests: This fics can be updated by requesting a chapter. (Comments can be here or in Ao3)

NOTE: Fair warning...the fanfics in ff.net is so old...you may find the grammar cringe but I am proud on some of them.

TWISTED WONDERLAND:

MASTERLIST FOR TWST FANFICS

Masterlist for TWST is in a different Tumblr Post

Status : Ongoing

Source: Archive of Our Own Published Date: 2023 Aug.

MASTERLIST OF TWST X OBEY ME HEADCANONS:

Source : Tumblr

Harvest Moon Series

Title: Taking what is Mine

Status: Incomplete (Chapters 5/??) Published Date: 2022 Aug.

Source: Archive of Our Own

Reason/Plans: Wanting to restart this but currently not in the Harvest Moon mood

Summary:

Gray's dream is to become a farmer someday and he will do anything it takes to achieve that dream but he was beaten by the new resident in Mineral Town, is it gonna be the end for him ever being a farmer? Is he still gonna be just a blacksmith apprentice?

2. The Days you changed my life

Status: Complete (Chapters 1/1)

Source: Fanfiction.net Published Date: 2015 May

Summary:

Claire don't get along well in the villagers easily and a certain friend helped her stand up and changed all that. There's that friend that guided her to the right path. First hm fanfic.((Sorry if I get their attitudes wrong this is a fanfic after all))

Note: This is a very old fanfic...The grammar may suck

Danganronpa :

Shuich-i to Kokichi

Status: Complete (Chapters 15/15)

Source: Archive of Our Own Published Date: 2018 Jan.

Summary:

Shuichi and Kokichi swapped bodies thanks to dear Korekiyo after watching him do his rituals. It wasn't intentional and for some reason they just have to deal with it by helping each other? It's just a simple to understand yet a complicated situation that they happen to be in. What will their relationship to each other and to the other students when such a thing like this happens? Will they cope each other's lives? Probably not. Note: Tried doing a KaedexKokichi scenario but sadly in my opinion, it's very very weak compared to the other ships.

2. Meeting the Danganronpa 53 cast

Status: Incomplete ; Possibly Dropped (Chapters 8/18)

Source: Archive of Our Own Published Date: 2018 Feb.

Reason/ Plans: Forgotten but eventually decided to stop until miracle happen ; Not in Danganronpa mood

Summary:

Do the v3 cast ever wonder how their lives were before they become fictional characters? Of course they wouldn’t because they didn’t even know their situation yet. DRV3 has already been a hit in the fandom but a serious and random bug occurs in the game. Our ultimates have finally saw their dopplegangers/ counterparts/ past selves or whatever you wanna call it. What will Monokuma would do if this happen?'

Miraculous Ladybug

Note: All of Miraculous Ladybug fanfics are dropped/ incomplete, I outgrew the fandom enough to think of fanfics

Ladybug's Biggest Fan

Status: Incomplete; Dropped (Chapters 25/?? ; w/ Author's note in chapters )

Source: Fanfiction.net Published Date: 2016 May

Summary:

Marinette found out who Chat Noir is through Love letters. 

2. A Human Pet

Status: Complete (Chapters 11/11)

Source: Fanfiction.net Published Date: 2016 April

Summary:

It's finally time to adopt a cat. This is Marinette's sudden decision and a certain Chat Noir passes by and a surprise awaits him that he can't even explain what and how that is.

3. Maid's Life

Status: Incomplete; Dropped (Chapters 8/?? )

Source: Fanfiction.net Published Date: 2016 May

Summary:

A sequel of "A Human Pet". (I suggest you read that story first before reading this one.) A post revelation story where Marinette has a request for her dear boyfriend.

POKEMON SPECIAL:

Dating his Best Friend's Sister

Status: Complete (Chapters 21/21)

Source: Fanfiction.net Published Date: 2015 April

Summary:

Gold's sister, Lyra went home in Johto after her studies in Kanto and Gold had the feeling that Silver and Lyra has some connection and he don't know what to do and how to react? Is Gold gonna be insane and over-protective now? Is he not the carefree guy? THIS IS SOULSILVERSHIPPING. HINTS OF/CONTAINS MANGAQUEST, SPECIAL, FRANTIC, AND OLDRIVAL. 1ST POKESPE FANFIC

2. Elite Poke Academy

Status : Incomplete ; Dropped (Chapters 15/??)

Reason: I forgot the intention of this plot if I would continue this.

Summary:

Theres a reason why it's called elite a pokespe & anime crossover that will experience school life whether they like it or not. Even if they have their similarities and differences will they still go well at each others' presence and maybe enhances their strenght aside pokemon related? (I suck at summaries, ships are still deciding depending on readers but there's multiple ships.)

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! March 6 - March 12, 2023

This week's newest fics and chapter updated for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons

The Heart of a Westown Cowboy - by Mya_Stone; WIP, 11/?, 16k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Trio of Towns Relationship: Female Farmer/Wayne; Characters: Frank, Ford, Carrie, Brad, Megan, Hector, Colin, Daryl | Darius, Marlena, Lynn, Wayne Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Guy Falls First, I Wrote This For Me But I'll Share It With You Summary: Wayne is Westown's perpetually single lady's man. He'd like to settle down but he just hasn't found The One and he's fairly certain he's met everyone in town. Then Melody moves in, taking a plot of her uncle's ranch to fulfill her dream of being a rancher. A college-educated business woman, Melody doesn't accept failure - especially not her own. As Wayne falls hard for her, she struggles to return his affections until she has what she came for - and when she continually comes up short at the cow competitions, she begins to wonder if Westown is really the place for her.

Anonymous Love Letter - by SymphonicFantasia; Complete, 1/1, 2.7k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/F Fandoms: Save the Homeland, Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Dia/Gina; Characters: Dia, Gina Additional Tags: Post Saved Valley, Unrequited Love, Lesbians, Heartbreak Summary: Dia has loved Gina for a very long time. She had thought such feelings would disappear when she grew older but they didn't. It was time to do something about it.

Barriers - by krose13; WIP, 27/?, 210k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, DS Cute Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Gray, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff; Characters: Claire, Gray, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Cliff, Kai, Karen, Popuri, Mary the Librarian, Rick, Basically the whole Mineral Town cast, plus Forget-Me-Not Valley Additional Tags: Drama & Romance, Complicated Relationships, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Not for the kiddos, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Unplanned Pregnancy, trying to fit a realistic pregnancy in hm time is a challenge but we doin it, POV First Person, Mutual Pining, Drug Use, Dreams and Nightmares, Drowning, I’ll probably have to add more tags as we go along but Summary: Unlike everyone else in town, Gray wants nothing to do with the new farmer. He can't stand Claire, despite all her attempts to befriend him. But when one small mistake leads to an even bigger problem, he might be seeing a lot more of her than they both had planned.

Living in Color - by rockyroadster95; WIP, 14/?, 27k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Light Angst, Slow Build Summary: At her father's funeral, Aya was given an offer that would take her far from her stale and directionless life to a place she hoped would give her something to live for.

Good Morning, Sunshine - by SaturdayPeople; Complete, 1/1, 1.5k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, Tree of Tranquility Relationships: Mary/Jin, Past Jin/Sabrina; Characters: Mary the Librarian | Marie, Jin Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, Sunsets, Sunrises Summary: A beginning to hopefully more beginnings.

Remaster: Step Toward the Future - by darkryuu; WIP, 31/41, 569k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: Major Character Death; Category: F/M Fandom: Back To Nature Characters: Cliff, Popuri, Kai, Doctor | Trent, Gray Summary: Jill ("Claire") is struggling to find a goal in life after high school. After her parents boot her off to her late grandfather's farm, everything around her is never quite the same as she struggles to find herself and her future.

Our Story of Seasons: Pete x Claire - by Ry2_Sinheart; WIP, 18/20, 28k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer & Pete | Jack, Claire the Farmer/Pete | Jack Characters: Pete | Jack, Claire, Thomas, Zack, Dog, Harvest Goddess, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Karen Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Slice of Life, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Developing Relationship, Strangers to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Video Game Mechanics, Game Logic, Male-Female Friendship, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Slow Romance, Digital Art Summary: A story that revolves around the protagonists of Mineral Town. After a series of unfortunate events, Pete and Claire agree they'll have to raise the farm together, whether they like it or not. Through their farming-ventures, they realize that maybe farming together… isn't so bad.

[durotoswrites]

Thank you so much for your patience on part two of your ask, @dougs-inn !

So... I got a little excited because Ann’s one of my favorites, and I might have written, too much, but!

I now present my character breakdown/analysis of Ann/Ran!

I'm going to include all incarnations of the Ann known as Ran, as I've played all the games she's in, and she's very different in HM64 as opposed to the other games.  I'm going to refer to the different incarnations of Ann as HM 64 Ann and Mineral Town Ann.  If you were looking for an analysis of Inventor Ann (SNES and Magical Melody) let me know, and I'll add a breakdown of her as well.

I’ve put this behemoth under a cut to save space, but I’m still open for asks!  Please just bear in mind they’re taking me a while to write. ;)

Character Breakdown Ask Game - Still Accepting! ;)

How I feel about this character

Ann is an absolute delight.  A+ Best Girl... as long as we're not talking about HM64 Ann, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Ann has a lot of traits that I really strive for myself – she's confident, cheerful, energetic, she knows how to make people smile, and she is great at helping people open up.  She's helpful and considerate, organized, and has a commanding presence.  I honestly can't say enough great things about her.  I love that she isn't shy around food, as a lot of female characters are written as having complicated issues with weight and food, especially around the time these games first started rolling out.  Ann enjoys food, so she eats it.  I love that it's that simple for her.

Now let's get into HM64 Ann.  I have very complicated feelings about her, and I'm sure some of them fall under the “unpopular” category. She loves animals and her relationship with her older brother, Gray, is really sweet.  She definitely gives off “kid sister” vibes and I'm not sure how big the age difference is between her and Gray, but it feels pretty big.  She has that cheery demeanor and is friendly with Karen, her best friend, and the player character.  She seems less mature in this version of the game, often losing her temper, and even physically hitting others.  All the girls in HM64 have an event where they not-so-subtly hint that they'd like a blue feather. During this event, she asks the player character to show how they feel about her.  Our boy Pete moves in for a hug/smooch? and gets slapped away.  I understand that she's establishing a boundary, but I didn't feel that physical force was necessary to communicate, especially if Ann and Pete are close enough emotionally to be talking about marriage.  I just feel that it was played for a cheap laugh and I'm not a fan.  She slaps around Cliff in their final rival event when he tells the player he's leaving town because he's afraid of being betrayed.  Ann hits him with such force that he falls and skids a bit.  After the two marry, there's a portrait with a black eye for Cliff and he says that they fight often.  HM 64 Ann seems to run very hot and cold, which is okay and could be written well, but the physical violence isn't cute or funny.  I'm not sure if they were going for humor or making the game a bit darker, but it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

HM 64 Ann needs someone who can match her spunk.  I feel that HM64 Karen would a good match for her, their fiery personalities meshing well together and helping each other grow.

Mineral Town Ann can have whoever she wants, lol.  But I do a lot of pairings I like with her.

Ann x Harris – I've written a bit of them before and I think that Ann could remind Harris of happier, more carefree days and help him move on from his one-sided crush on Aja.

Ann x Karen – They're a great match regardless of the game.  These two ladies just have such great chemistry.  Playful, fun, flirty – I feel that Karen would allow Ann to be herself and not worry about if she's feminine enough.

Ann x Farmer – Ann's chipper personality is shown in both main incarnations.  I feel like she'd loooove farm life and all the adventures that come along with it.  Her heart events are cute. <3

Ann x Kai – This is probably my favorite rare pair for her.  They both have fun energy, they're playful, they enjoy cooking.  Kai, this supposed womanizer, falling in love with Ann, who is insecure about her femininity, just makes me so happy and makes all those insecure walls and preconceived notions about them both just fall down.  I'd love to know how Doug would react.  Would he be excited to have his daughter date his competition?  So many fun ideas...

Ann x Gourmet – Okay, hear me out.  They both love cooking and food is their passion.  Ann could share tips and tricks from him and vice versa.  They could perfect each other's favorite foods, and Gourmet could move into the inn, and they could have their own happy little cooking family.  I know a lot of people dismiss Gourmet, but there's a lot of wiggle room for a personality that could vibe well with Ann.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Mineral Town Ann/Cliff – In addition to the lousy post-marriage event where Cliff is a total jerk to Ann, demanding her to be more “feminine” and Ann asking him to just love her the way she is, there are so many references to Cliff saying how Ann reminds him of his sister that I feel kinda weird shipping them romantically.  I could see them being really good friends, almost like brother and sister.  They do have a great vibe, and I feel like they could have lots of fun adventures around Mineral Town together as Ann helps Cliff emerge from his shell.

Mineral Town Ann/Gray – I will never not see these two as siblings.  I love that dynamic, and you can pry it from my cold, dead hands, haha.  I love to think of the inn as a big, dysfunctional family, and I feel that Ann is really the glue that holds it all together.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I feel like HM64 Ann is not really marriage material, at least not the way she is written.  I really get the impression that she feels pressured into getting married by her father and she ends up settling for either Pete or Cliff.  She seems particularly unhappy in her marriage with Cliff.  The marriage events with the player character are actually kinda cute.  I thought her pregnancy cravings for fodder were kinda funny, but she just seems so scared of the idea of married life to me.  I just want her to be happy, and I feel like living on Green Ranch with her family is what she really wants.  Can she just date Karen and let her live at the ranch with them so Karen can escape her super toxic family?

I guess my other unpopular opinion is that I just don't care for Mineral Town Ann and Cliff as a canon couple.  At least there's not physical violence, but Cliff harping on something Ann is sensitive about feels really out of character and it just puts me off the pairing in general.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Hehe, sorry I wrote more than one thing. :P

Well, I feel like I already kinda answered this one a little bit.  I wish HM64 Ann wasn't physically violent with others.  

I wish the post marriage events with Cliff were happier in both games, or at least give the girl someone she's happy with.  I guess it will have to be my farmer, haha.

I do wish that we heard more about Ann's mother during the games.  Ann doesn't speak much about her because she passed away when she was young, but it would be really neat if she told stories she hear from her father.

For Mineral Town Ann in particular, I really wish there was an event where we could showcase that Ann isn't happy ALL the time – no one is.  I have my own theories that she's so eager to cheer others up because she feels it's her duty, especially for cheering up her father, and later her husband if she marries Cliff.  When does she get a break where she can tell her deepest worries?  There is the event where her and Doug have a spat and Doug says that Ann's had it rough, but it would be so freeing to hear Ann let out her worries a little more.  I guess there's the event where she's upset that she was having trouble getting a stain out of a guest's clothing and not wanting to let the matter go, and again, I feel like it could allude to something else eating away at her.  I might be reading into it too much.  Honestly, as far as heart events go, Ann's are pretty well-written, and one of the reasons I love her so much.

Thank you so much for the ask!  I'm starting to realize how much I ramble during these, but I'm having a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoyed the read.  I'll continue answering the character breakdown asks, and I appreciate your patience. <3

Character Breakdown Ask Game - Still Accepting! ;)

[uglierdaikon]

I’ve had this one WIP sitting in my documents forever, and as hard as I’ve tried I absolutely cannot think of a direction to take it in but I really like what I have written, so I’ve decided to say “fuck it” and just post what I’ve got in here and let y’all imagine whatever ending for it you’d like. Without further ado, I present my long-deceased Witch!Nene x Demon!Hanako au:

            Nene, my love. Whatever happens do not forget that you are special. You were born special. You will help so many people.

             Nene couldn’t remember her mother very well. She had been so young when she died. In the furthest, foggiest corners of her mind, she could recall the long gray skirt that she clung to and hid behind when the other townspeople jeered at her. There was silvery hair like hers, and surely a face that would resemble hers. She remembered a voice that sang, a voice that stood up for her, a voice that told her, you are special. You will help so many people.

              And so she did. Although people were still unkind, still jeered at her, still called her an unnatural thing, she helped them. Some learned to be kind, and those were the ones who made it feel worth it. The others… well, the others couldn’t help that they found her strange. She was strange. Witches weren’t supposed to be born—they were made, by sealing deals with demons. And yet, she’d had magic from infancy. This marked her as an oddity, and people were afraid of things they didn’t understand. The rumors that swirled around the village about her certainly didn’t help. But Nene didn’t mind. Or, at least, she told herself she didn’t mind.

              There was work to be done. A farmer wanted a spell to help his cow get pregnant; the blacksmith wanted his tools bewitched to feel lighter to ease the strain on his aging back; a merchant from a nearby town had written her asking for a cure for his wife’s morning sickness. Morning sickness was simple enough—if you knew your plants well enough, you didn’t even need magic. She’d start with that.

              Nene set out her pestle and mortar on her worktable, then went to her cabinet for ingredients, whispering them to herself as she searched.

              “Cinnamon, dragon’s blood, rose petals… ginger.” She stopped short, carefully tucking jars of the other three ingredients in the crook of her left arm. “Have I used up all my ginger?” She shifted jars and vials and other magical odds and ends around her shelves, but there was no ginger hidden amongst them. She swore softly, set the other ingredients down on the table, and grabbed her cloak. She’d have to run out to her garden.

              She stepped out her back door and into the cool night. It had been unseasonably warm as of late, but now a chill wind nipped at her nose. Still, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in the scents of damp earth and autumn rot. The woods around her house seemed to thrum with gentle sounds, crickets and owls and the wind shuffling through the leaves. Nene smiled to herself, then hurried off to her garden. She knew it well enough that the dark was no impediment to her finding her ginger. She knelt carefully between other rows of plants and tugged up what she needed and a little extra, for next time.

              As she stood and began to brush dirt from her dress, Nene heard a rustling that did not belong to the thrum of her woods. It was a disruption, a discordant note. She heard a twig snap not far off and nearly dropped her ginger. Her immediate thought was that she should run—people may have been coming to accept her, but she wasn’t naïve enough to believe there was no one in the village who would do her harm. She should run, but her legs wouldn’t move except to tremble.

              “H-hello!” she called cautiously. Perhaps it was just someone lost. Or maybe it was only an animal, and she was being paranoid because some foul-tempered old woman had told her she was going to hell the day before. “Is anyone out there?”

              There was a pause, and then the rustling and crunching of leaves and earth continued, louder and closer. Nene frantically tried to think of a spell—something to freeze them, or confuse them. But when a shape finally moved in the darkness, all she could do was shriek, “Don’t hurt me!” and squeeze her eyes shut.

              Silence. No rustling, no movement. No attempt to seize her, or worse. Nene peeked an eye open, then the other. There was… nothing.

              “Meeeooow.”

              Nene jumped, then laughed. At the edge of the woods, mere feet from her garden, was a small black cat with golden eyes.

              “Well, hello there,” she said, crouching down and holding her hand out to it. “You sure gave me a fright, didn’t you? Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.” The cat peered at her curiously, then took slow, cautious steps forward. When Nene reached to scratch it behind the ears, it flinched away. “I suppose people aren’t very kind to you, hm? Black cats are supposed to be a curse, you know. But I’m supposed to be cursed, too, and the only sign I see of it is in my love life. So I’m not afraid of curses.” The cat stepped toward her again. It seemed to her to be trying to communicate something with its eyes, some need or question. “Are you hungry little fella? I’ve got some catnip growing here.” The cat circled behind her, and in her squatted position it was awkward to turn to try to face it.

              “You shouldn’t feed strays. We’ll just keep coming back.” The voice came from directly behind her. Male. Dark. Amused, like he was laughing at her. Nene stumbled forward, whipping around to look at him once she was somewhat upright again. Where the cat should have been, there was a man dressed in fine black clothing, with choppy black hair and golden eyes. He was smiling at her, and the smile was not kind.

              “You—you—how, I—”

              His smile widened.

              “Hello there, little witch,” he said. “Aren’t you a pretty thing?” He looked her over like an animal eyeing its dinner. Nene pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

              “Wh-who are you? What do you want?” she managed to stammer. She tried to think of a spell, something to confuse him, or send him away. She didn’t have it in her to hurt someone, but she couldn’t expect the same of him. They were alone here by the woods, a long way from any neighbors that might care enough to help her.

              The man’s smile quickly morphed into a pout, and his eyebrows knit together. He stepped closer and leaned forward to peer at her. Nene made an odd squeaking sound and stepped back.

              “You haven’t been expecting me?” he asked. Before Nene could say anything, or think further about what to do, he reached out and took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. “Hm. You really don’t know who I am.”

              “Y-yes, that would be why I asked,” she said, jerking her head to break free of his grip. He tapped his chin thoughtfully and began to circle her. “You do know what I am though, don’t you?”

              She didn’t. She had been too shocked, too frightened to see him as anything but some frightening man in her garden, possibly a warlock. But now that he asked, she didn’t know how she hadn’t sensed it, the power radiating off of him. The magic.

              “You’re a demon,” she said, her voice very audible. There was nothing she could do. No defense. What was her magic against a creature like him?

              The man gave her a small nod.

              “Tell me then, little witch,” he said. “How did you get your powers?”

              “I was born with them,” she said. Her voice was stronger—she’d had enough of that line of questioning over the years. He smiled at her, and she managed the courage to hold his gaze. She hoped he couldn’t tell that under her dress, her knees were shaking.

              “Were you now?” he said. “Oh, I do think I like you.”

              As he passed again on her left, he ghosted a hand through her long hair, watching as it faded from silver to green between his fingertips. The look in his eyes had changed into something less playful, just for a moment, and it did funny things to Nene’s already racing heart. Finally, he came to a stop in front of her again. The too-wide smile had reappeared.

              “I have a proposal for you,” he said. “I came tonight to claim something, but I can think of a much more entertaining game. How about a wager? What I want against what you want.”

              Nene narrowed her eyes.

              “What do you know about what I want?” she asked. His eyes narrowed slightly, but they still held their humor.

              “Oh, I can make some guesses,” he said. “I wager that in a week’s time, I will be able to tempt you into agreeing to… something. If I fail, I’ll be on my way, and I’ll never haunt your doorstep again. If I win, well. You’ll have agreed to my terms anyways.”

              “I don’t want any part in your wager,” she said. She tried to sound firm. Being firm with people who meant to manipulate her usually worked—it was a strategy a boy in town named Kou had taught her many years before.

              He shrugged.

              “Then I’ll just take what I came for and go,” he said, advancing toward her. Nene quickly scrambled back.

              “No!” she cried. She couldn’t imagine what horrible thing a demon could want to demand from her. “…Just a week? And once you fail, you’ll go.”

              He chuckled.

              “At once,” he said. “If I fail.”

              Nene scraped together the last of her courage and nodded. He would leave. She would lose nothing to him, face no harm whatsoever, as long as she simply said no to anything he might offer her. He would be gone.

              “Then it’s a deal.”

              His smile grew wider. Before she could react, he had wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest.

              “Do you know how demons usually seal their deals, little witch?” he asked, putting a hand under her chin to tilt her face up towards him. His gold eyes were hooded, locked onto her lips. Nene couldn’t form words, couldn’t form thoughts, as he slowly leaned in and—

              “No!” she cried, turning her face away. He stopped short. When she dared to peek at him, she saw his eyes were wide, like she’d startled him. That was a thought. Her, startling a demon. Then he laughed, and let go of her waist.

              “If you insist,” he said. He took her face in two large hands, tilted it slightly downward, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “It’s sealed. We’ll begin tomorrow.” Before her eyes, he began to fade into nothingness. “Good luck, Miss Yashiro.”

[greekowl87]

Fic: Gardening

Disclaimer: Usual drill, I own nothing, merely borrowing.

A/N: Written for @leiascully  ‘Cultivatation’ fic challenge. Pre IWTB.  

The idea was to cultivate a life for them. To make something more permanent. She was tired of running after four years. She was tired of the different names, endless motel and hotel rooms, changing her hair (she missed her red hair), she detested the handful of times her hair dying attempts backfired, she missed what she used to do and who she used to be. He would not openly admit it, but he was tired of it too. He noticed her unhappiness and that only made his depression and his own unhappiness even worse. And then the fighting. Oh, God, the fighting. The fighting was only getting worse too.

They never used to fight like that. They would banter when they had the X-Files together. But ultimately, it would lead to an ending they arrived at, together. But now, they could not even work together much less stay in the same room without an argument erupting. They still had sex, but it had become primal and devoid of feeling and emotion. They say angry sex was the best, but both of them found it impersonal and more like a burden than anything else.

He wanted her back. He wanted them back. He wanted to cultivate and nurture the little they had left with each and try to bring whatever they were back.

It was supposed to be a surprise. He suggested an unremarkable farm house in the country of Virginia as a rental for a few months, where in reality, using cash to buy it and putting it in their name, covertly of course. The last thing he needed was the FBI to come howling in and throwing him in jail.

He remembered her look of surprise when he mentioned staying in a place for a few months and instead of a few weeks. He shrugged and suggested it would be a nice change of pace for them. She just gave a Mona Lisa smiled and said nothing.

She was smiling even more when she saw the house for the first time. He remembered standing in the doorway nervously as she inspected each room in her meticulous Scully-esque way. She came back, smiling. Tears in her eyes. Why was she crying, he wondered helplessly. What did he do wrong?

She smiled at him as if reading his thoughts. "Nothing," she had said, "this is perfect, Mulder. This is perfect. Everything is perfect."

He smiled. "Well," he replied, shifting uneasily from foot to foot (he remembered how nervous he felt). He wanted to tell her outright but he wanted to keep surprising her, making her smile. "It's ours."

She had looked at him funny, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow in contemplation. "Ours?"

"Ours."

"As in we are staying here for more than a few months?"

"As in we own this home. This is our home, Scully."

He dangled the keys in front of him and gently sought her hand. He remembered the coolness of the palm of her hand as he pressed the house keys and enfolded her hand and the keys in both of his hands. "Ours," he repeated.

"Ours," she repeated smiling, tears in her eyes.

It was their home. Their life. Their future to cultivate. She found a job in the local hospital and underwent a new medical residency. Even though he could not go out in public as easily as himself, he felt freer than he had in a long time. They could walk their extensive property without fear of being caught. He did not have to hide in the open. He worked during the days she was gone, making small home improvements here and there. He painted the living room, added a fancy faucet to their bathroom tub, fixed the leak in the kitchen ceiling, unjammed the second-floor window that never closed all the way, and they found time to make the beginnings of a small garden.

She came home early from the hospital one day to find him shirtless in the humid spring sun out back, digging away on his hands and knees. To his left sat various seeds and various small garden flowers. She shook her head as he continued to work. He had become so engrossed his project, he failed to hear her drive up. She was able to change in old jeans and a gray t-shirt and step out back to find his latest home improvement project.

"Gardening," she called out questioningly.

He looked up and sat back on his heels. He was smiling. "Your shirtless garden boy at your service, Ms. Scully."

She laughed. A real laugh that he had not heard in ages. She caressed his bare shoulders fondly, lingering on the scar of the bullet wound on his left shoulder before kneeling down next to him. She nodded wordlessly to the seeds and flowers next to him.

"We aren't going anywhere," he shrugged, "why not put down some roots and cultivate a little something-something."

She thought back to when they took the physical step in their relationship and briefly of William. But it was now. She was happy, as happy as she could be given the situation. She still had Mulder. She would always have Mulder. She smiled and wrapped her arm around his sticky shoulders and kissed his neck softly.

"What are we planting? Sunflowers?"

"Of course," he laughed. "I'm going to be a sunflower seed farmer." He focused at the fresh dirt and Earth. He pointed as Scully followed his finger. "There, we're planting cucumbers, over there tomatoes. Maybe potatoes in the fall. Are potatoes in the fall?"

"I have no idea, Mulder."

"Well, I can find out. And we can plant pumpkins and carve them on Halloween. Also, we can plant different vegetables seasonally. I love how you love strawberries and we can plant some for next spring. But I also have other flowers," he replied pointing to the small flowers and bulbs. "Tulips, pansies, iris, and I know you love yellow roses."

She could not find the words. He looked at her nervously, taken back by her silence. She hugged him more and felt a tear in her eye. Quietly, she kissed his cheek and nuzzled his temple. "It's perfect. All of it is perfect."

He smiled and sought her lips again. "Just remember that when I start making dinner for us when you get home at night."

She chuckled softly and nudged him gently. "Got an extra pair of gardening gloves? Just don't get angry if I don't have a green thumb." She slid on an old pair of gloves and looked fondly at Mulder. "I'm happy, Mulder. I really am."

"I know," he smiled, unspoken love being felt between them. "Let's get started on those sunflowers, hm?"

[durotoswrites]

Character breakdown!! How about Gray?

I knew it wasn't going to be a proper breakdown of characters without the ever-famous Gray! I have a lot of opinions on him, and I'm happy to share. I have broken down his HM64 and Mineral Town incarnations below, including my feelings on his appearance in HM for Girl, because I do feel that he is pretty different here than in the Mineral Town games.

How I feel about this character

Gray is a very interesting character, no matter which incarnation you are looking at. He's popular for a reason – there's a lot of hinted at baggage and past family drama that makes for good writing and sympathy for his character. How each game goes about presenting him is a little different, and I have my preferences.

I do feel that HM64 is my favorite version of Gray. He's a ranch hand that has gone through a traumatic injury, keeping him from riding the horses he love so much. He can come off as a bit reclusive, but I really get through the events he has with his sister and with Popuri he used to be more outgoing before his injury. I find that really heartbreaking, and you know I love a good tragic character who I can sympathize with. His social anxiety keeps him from speaking much, but he still has his friends at the bar that drinks with regularly. Ann refers to the poor guy as “a social disaster”, and she's not completely wrong. When given items he enjoys, or if he is shown your dog, he doesn't react verbally, but he'll smile for a brief moment (perhaps a glitch) as the screen quickly switches to the farmer's dialogue stating “he seems happy” or something along those lines. I find it really sweet that the farmer can pick up on those cues despite Ann's harsh judgment of her brother.

He also seems quite smitten with Popuri and despite his affection for her, he still is a bit insecure – telling her that he doesn't smell the best after cleaning the horse stalls. Popuri is undeterred, and honestly, it's really cute – she works with fertilizer and doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. I really feel that these versions of the characters have good chemistry.

Mineral Town Gray is quite different. He still has that standoffish demeanor, but it quickly goes away after the first heart event or two. Gray is quick to open up about his problems and frustrations about working under Saibara. It's an interesting contrast to HM64 Gray, where he's not the one to tell us about his riding injury – I believe Rick mentions it during the horse races (someone let me know if I'm wrong here). But this Gray seems much more willing to talk about his problems and vent to others. I have some unpopular opinions on this that I'll share a little later.

HM for Girl Gray also has a shift in behavior. He is much warmer to Claire in this version of the game, finding her “cute” during their first event. And who could forget that great expression he makes when he sees her?

(A little Valentine's Day preview, hehe <3)

FoMT Gray had kind of given me mixed feelings about the character, and as I was playing HM for Girl, I was shocked to find that he was easily one of my favorite bachelors. The event where you find him a piece of silver and he keeps it in his pocket as a good luck charm while working is so dang cute. This version of Gray seems little more openly sensitive, and I really like that. He's a good mix of awkward and well-meaning. Kinda bumbling, but still endearing.

In all, I have found myself liking more as a character, especially after giving him a closer focus in my writings. So, yeah, I get why Gray is so popular.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

HM64 Gray:

Gray x Pete – Ah, my OTP that was never meant to be. I really feel like there are some moments where Gray seems a little flustered around Pete, and it's really cute. I feel like Pete could help Gray open up and Gray would be able to give invaluable advice on caring for his animals. I just think they make a really cute pair.

Gray x Popuri – This is a really dang cute canon couple. I really like the more mature version of Popuri in HM64, and she plays off of Gray very well. We're able to view a softer side of him that even his sister isn't used to seeing. The event with him planting all those flowers hits me in the heart every single time. The thought of him going through a traumatic injury and finding catharsis in nurturing something fragile and helping it grow is really sweet, and I love how Popuri is so encouraging about it. Plus, seeing a flustered Gray leave the flower shop is too dang cute.

Gray x Elli – I never really thought about this one before writing it right now, but these two would have really interesting chemistry. They both go through their own losses, and I feel like they'd be solid supports for one another. Elli has an interest in the outdoors, and I think she'd love to spend some time at the ranch.

Mineral Town Gray:

Gray x Mary – As I stated in my Mary ask, I really like these two together. Their events are really cute, and they're a good source of inspiration for each other. I like to imagine them spending a lot of time quietly reading books together. I can see Mary's face just lighting up as she talks about the things she's learned from the books and him just watching her like she's the most beautiful thing in the world. I love them so much!

Gray x Cliff – As I mentioned in the Cliff ask, I feel like these two have such great chemistry. Both are a bit withdrawn, but I think they have stories they can share with each other, and think that they'd be able to expose each other's soft spot.

Gray x Kai – Cute as friends, cute as lovers. I feel like they'd always have fun and be laughing while they are together. Maybe Gray would give Kai enough business to stay in town year round <3

HM for Girl Gray:

All of the above for Mineral Town Gray plus Gray x Farmer:

I feel like his events in this game are honestly so much sweeter. He has a better balance of sweet and sour. I mean, honestly this depends on however you imagine your farmer's personality, though. Regardless, I really like his character in HM for Girl a lot. I feel like the remake tried to channel a little bit of that.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Honestly, I'm going to mix different versions of these characters together. ^-^;

Gray/Kai – It's so easy to see these two as drinking buddies and spending time just relaxing. This version of Kai is especially chill, so I feel like he'd be a great escape from the stress Gray deals with at work. I feel like summers would be Gray's favorite season, as for him, having Kai in town is like a mini vacation. I can see them fishing on the pier and sharing snowcones, skipping rocks, and going for a swim in the hot weather.

Gray/Ann – As I mentioned before, I will always see these two as siblings. I feel like they'd have a playful banter about them and argue over silly things but never really be mad at each other. When either of them had a real problem, though, they'd be the first to run to the other's side. Ann's cheery brightness is a nice complement to Gray's more quiet, aloof manner. I feel like Ann could make Gray smile when no one else could.

Gray/Cliff – For me, this is just a headcanon requirement. As I had him state in my longfic, to share a room with someone, you have to at least get along with someone. I feel like a lot of their time together could be quiet, each doing their own thing – parallel play. Conversations over dinners and any meals they eat at the inn together would probably be forced small talk at first, but I could imagine these two growing really close, especially as Cliff begins to open up. Perhaps he can provide a listening ear to Gray.

Gray/Rick – Rick stops by the blacksmith weekly to get his tools checked on. I like to carry over Rick's tinkering into a hobby he does in Mineral Town and the two of them might talk about different projects they've got going on. I can see Gray helping with the electronic elements of the maker machines, and Rick customizing his own, so there would be a friendly rivalry going on there.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I started playing MFoMT first, and fic and fan art was at the absolute height of Graire (Gray x Claire) fever. Almost every single story featured the couple. It might have been a simple over saturation of the character, but I found myself really turned off by Graire, and Gray by extension. The Shy Newcomer waaay back in the day during its creation back in 2008 was originally a bit of an anti-Graire story, showing what can happen if you try to woo Gray using standard HM wooing mechanics. But honestly,the more I wrote him, the more I enjoyed his character. I might marry him on one of my files someday, but I find him a more interesting character than a love interest.

That being said, I do know that good Graire exists, as I am a fan of several works featuring the character and pairing. There is great fic and there is great art, so please don't get the idea that I dislike works with Gray/Graire in them by principle.

So, I'd have to say FoMT Gray is probably my least favorite version of him. As soon as you befriend him, even a little, his dialogue is often focused on complaints about his grandfather. I do like characters that talk about their problems and are open with their emotions, and it's possible it's just that the game didn't give the characters enough dialogue/I usually visited him at his room in the inn, so that was the line I saw most often. I just associated him as that guy who did nothing but grumbled about his job. To me, he came off as kind of whiny, without making a real effort to change. Again, I'm aware this is an unpopular opinion.

I do think that this version of Gray does really well with Mary because she pulls him out of that rut he's stuck in. I mean, we've all been there – you get to this point in life where you feel like you've hit a wall and life just sucks. I feel like that's where Gray is when you meet him in this game. He does become more motivated by his work and finds his inspiration – seeing Mary craft her own novel spurs him on to work harder at the smithy. Likewise, Gray can see how hard the farmer is working on their property and being able to create tools to help them do their job is also inspiring to him. So, the more I've played the games, my opinion on him has improved a little. That version of him is probably ranked #4 of the 5 standard bachelors.

I think it's a crime that we weren't given the option to woo HM64 Gray. I think that he is a whole other character that has a lot of interesting facets to his personality. This is a general gripe about the guys in HM64 in general – it's a shame we never get heart events for those characters, and most of them are preferred versions of them, or at the very least, they're pretty interesting (sorry, Kai, you're not included there. You do your thing in FoMT).

My last opinion will be either popular or unpopular depending on who you ask, I suppose. I really miss Gray's hat in the remake. Having his face shielded a bit played well with his character, and I thought it was a neat little that he'd tug on the bill of his cap when he preferred to keep his facial expressions hidden to the player. The new design is alright, but the hat really felt like part of him, in a way. And as I mentioned in previous asks, I feel like the remake tried really hard to cute-sify a lot of things, including the marriage candidates. I liked that some of Gray's (and several other character's) older expressions weren't all conventionally attractive, and some of Gray's even emanated a hostile vibe – it was a great combination with his character. With his whole face on display, we don't get that ominous shadow anymore.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I already mentioned my wishes to marry Gray in HM64. Again, I feel like it's a real shame we don't get to see heart events with that incarnation.

For Mineral Town Gray, I think it would've been really cool to have his schedule change a bit once he becomes a full-fledged blacksmith. Maybe longer hours and shuffle where he spends his time, and give him updated dialogue. I also really wish he could finish his apprenticeship if you married him.

This is another thing I wish had happened in more games in the series in general – that he'd be able to help around the farm, and there would be a little bonus depending on who you married. For example, it could be something as simple as a shop discount, but I think it would be really sweet if Gray talked to your horse and brushed it every day. I know some games implemented that feature, but I wish it was something that was added to the remake.

Again for Mineral Town Gray, it would be nice to get a little more backstory on him and his family. We know that his father left him, but we don't know anything else about his family. What side of the family is Saibara on? I have my own headcanons, but I always love finding little bits of lore in the games.

Thank you so much for the ask and giving me the chance to ramble about these characters. I have so much fun doing it, and I always love to hear what y'all have to say. Have a great day! ^-^

[durotoswrites]

HM64 Cliff versus HM/SoSFoMT Cliff

Hehe, I guess I shouldn't be surprised I had a couple asks about Cliff. I'll combine them here, including the other anon ask for my unpopular opinion on him. I'll address HM64 and Mineral Town Cliff, so this should cover everything for both asks. ^-^

Thank you so much for your patience on this. I spent a good part of the week resting up and rehydrating, and I'm starting to feel a little more like myself. I'm grateful that our tests came back negative, but we caught something nasty. Anyway, thank you all again for waiting on this. Without further ado, here are my many thoughts on Cliff!

Character Breakdown Ask Game - Still Accepting! ;)

How I feel about this character

Overall, Cliff is probably my favorite character in the series. I genuinely feel like the writers put a little more time into his characterization, and I love watching him grow in both versions of the game.  I feel that he is really relatable in a lot of ways, especially for people who have been through a traumatic event in their lives or deal with depression.  When I see a lot of his events and pick them apart, I can relate with my own struggles, and I really appreciate this kind of representation, especially in a male character, as it’s been so commonly accepted for men to push back their emotions.

HM64 Cliff is a little rougher around the edges, and I honestly like that about him. He's socially awkward (not to the point of HM64 Gray, though) and he's uneasy about trusting others. He's been betrayed in the past and it affects his relationships with those around him – he's too afraid to get close again, and it leaves him very depressed. He strikes me as really lonely and wanting to join society again, but is too afraid to do so. I really like that he has Cain/Kane as a partner that he does trust, so he's not completely alone. The fact that the two of them are living off the land is so dang cool to me – the idea of being able to sustain yourself and your best friend. I love that he's Karen's cousin, and I have more opinions on it that I'll address later.

While HM64 Cliff is traumatized by betrayal, (SoS)FoMT Cliff is traumatized by guilt. He spends most of his waking hours in the church, unable to form complete sentences as he sits in the pew, trying to sort through his feelings. Again, he seems very depressed in this game and he has a fear of getting too close to people, as shown in his heart events with both the farmer and Ann. Carter tries his best to act as a wingman (which I looove the dynamic between the two of them) and just encourage him to try to open up a little bit. Once he starts working at the winery, we really get to see Cliff blossom into the person he really is, and I find it so heartwarming. That, along with his winter time event where he passes out in the snow leave me very soft for his character.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

HM64 Cliff:

I don't really ship him with anyone. He needs to overcome his worries of being betrayed before jumping into romance, and I feel like he never really gets that closure during the game, unless he marries Ann and has a toxic marriage with her for years. Cliff warms up to Ann as their child grows into a toddler. I hate the idea of having a child to save a marriage – it's such an awful trope and isn't healthy. (Might fall under unpopular opinions, but I stand by it).

Story of Seasons/Mineral Town Cliff

Cliff x Claire – My OTP, no surprises here, haha. I really like the idea of them viewing each other as equals and helping support each other when they are in need. <3 Plus, their heart events are super cute.

Cliff x Kai – I feel that Kai's easygoing attitude and his own issues with his family would allow him to help Cliff open up about his own problems. I could see them being really sweet together.

Cliff x Gray – Honestly, I think that these two have so much in common and are both a bit shy by nature. They are also verrry different, but I think their chemistry would be a lot of fun.

Cliff x Mary – I could imagine Mary spending time at the church and bonding with Carter and Cliff. Cliff and Mary could play with Stu and teach him more about insects and wild plants while they're outside. So cute! They're both shy by nature, so I imagine them being really soft and sweet together.

Cliff x Rick – Cliff could help Rick process his abandonment issues and also help with the farm with his previous knowledge of birds (see unpopular opinions regarding his experience with birds, haha). Cliff and Rick could be steady partners for one another, and I could see Cliff being very doting toward Lillia, since he never got to say goodbye to his mother.

Cliff x Popuri – A lot of similar things I just pointed out for Cliff x Rick, only I feel like Popuri could help Cliff embrace his more lighthearted side, like in the later heart event in the remake where they play with the kids. I also feel like Cliff could teach Popuri some bird keeping tips that her father never taught her. Again, I'm also soft for Lillia taking in Cliff like another son. <3

Cliff x Elli – I headcanon that Cliff spends a lot of time at the church and sees Stu and May there a lot. Cliff could help take care of Stu and Ellen and I feel like it could help him get some closure on his own family situation. I could see them going on picnics together.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

HM64 Cliff:

Cliff/Greg: You can't tell me these two aren't sharing fish, rabbits, and foraged goods around a campfire together. I feel like they'd have stories to share, and Greg would be one of the few people that Cliff feels like he can trust.

Cliff/Elli – Elli loves to fish and is friends with Greg. I feel like on occasion, she might join the two of them at their campfire, and Cliff would slowly open up to her as he hears stories from her about the people in town.

Cliff/Cain – Best buds for life! Enough said! <3

Cliff/Farmer – Cliff does go out of his way to share things that he's caught with the farmer. I think it's really sweet, as he doesn't have much himself. I can see the farmer spending some time cutting wood and taking a break to see what Cliff is up to out in the woods with Cain.

Mineral Town Cliff:

Cliff with Duke and Manna – I adore this found family. It gives me such a case of the warm fuzzies, and I'm delighted at how the dynamic of Duke and Manna's marriage grows healthier as they accept Cliff as part of their family. Cliff also gains a sense of belonging and it's so wholesome and heartwarming. <3

Cliff and everyone at the inn – Seriously, they're one big dysfunctional family and I'm living for it. There are so many fun personalities and they mesh and clash so well. The characters at the inn are admittedly among my absolute favorite. <3

Cliff/Carter – I love thinking of Carter as a gentle source of guidance in Cliff's life and headcanon that they regularly share tea and biscuits in a little apartment Carter has behind the confessional. They share stories and while Carter is Cliff's mentor, the two of them have enough in common to become really good friends.

Cliff/Saibara – Probably an odd one, but I love it. Saibara respects Cliff for trying to forge his way in life, much to Gray's envy. Jealousy ensues as Cliff tries to maintain both friendships, and it causes all three of them to grow a little.

Cliff/Gotz – I headcanon Cliff as foraging quite a bit, and I can't imagine him not running into Gotz on occasion. They might share things they've found in the woods. Short on words, but they watch out for one another.

My unpopular opinion about this character

As I mentioned in the ask regarding Ann/Ran, I don't think that the two of them have the healthiest chemistry, especially in HM64, where Ann uses physical violence against him. Cliff is not completely innocent, though – he talks badly about her during the Flower Festival in HM64 (“Now I can see her as a girl” when she's wearing a dress) and his post-marriage event with her in FoMT is not cute. I hate that he goes after Ann's insecurities – it feels so out of character for someone who started out so meek and desperate for reassurance. I think maybe the writers were trying to bring back that same chemistry from HM64, but it didn't work then. Gah, I just don't like them being so cruel to one another. I don't find it funny or cute. Ann and Cliff are both such great characters, but they were so toxic to one another in HM64. I don't get why they didn't get shuffled in with the rest of the mixed up couples when Mineral Town/BTN came out. And even though they kept them the same and improved Ann's character– why did they make Cliff pick on my girl like that?

Another unpopular opinion - I actually like Cliff's new outfit in the Mineral Town remake. I like them both fine – I'm just lamenting the loss of his ponytail. It's slowly growing on me, but I still feel longer hair suited him better. While I didn't mind his sprite or model, I never cared for his super chunky bangs that stuck out at odd angles in some of his poses. His expressions were amusing, but he never initially struck me as handsome in-game – he was like this baby-faced DBZ-haired character, but that's where fan art comes in, heheh. I do think HM64 Cliff looks a little older and I appreciate that. But, gosh, he looks like a child in the Mineral Town remake – along with a majority of the dating pool, even if some of his expressions are dang cute. I've seen lots of gorgeous interpretations of his design in fan art, though. Keep doing your thing, you talented artists! You are so appreciated! As I've written my fics, I've made it no secret that I've, er, embellished on Cliff's hair a bit, making it long, flowy, and shiny. What can I say?  I like long hair on guys, and I'm gonna let Claire fawn over it.

A more serious unpopular opinion – over the years, I've seen a lot of people refer to Mineral Town Cliff in particular as lazy or a hobo. He is paying for a room at the inn just like Kai or Gray – he's not bumming off of anyone. As far as the player not seeing him looking around for work, I have a strong opinion on that as well, and I’ll tie it in with the complaint I’ve seen that he’s whiny (again, these are just general opinions I’ve read through the fandom for the past 20 years or so). My interpretation is that the guy is traumatized from his whole ordeal with his family. He hasn't been able to function beyond reliving his worst memories and drilling them into his head. He's very depressed and doesn't see himself as having a place in town, especially one that reminds him of his hometown (he mentions how similar the two towns are to Doug when he leaves town for good).  So I see him as struggling just to catch his footing, and learning to interact with people again - finding an income really isn’t the first thing on his mind, at least not at first.  

Was he selfish for leaving his home because he was unhappy? That's open to interpretation, as he never really gives any more details on what caused him to leave in the first place. Maybe his family was horrible and treated him badly. Maybe he was a spoiled brat. We don't know these things as canon. I do think he sees himself as selfish, though. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve to forgive himself and move along. I do like that Carter is a constant for him here and he has that support, and that he finds that in the player and his found family in Duke and Manna as he starts working for the winery.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I wish they had never gotten rid of Cain/Kane! Deep in my heart, I like to head canon that he's still out there and that Cliff keeps him offsite. That's what fanfic is for, I suppose. I just really thought they were so great together. <3

I would love to learn more about Cliff's sister, especially if you decide to marry him. She's rarely mentioned, and it would be awesome to hear more about her. I don't mind that his backstory is vague, but little snippets are so exciting to find!

I wish the fact that Karen and Cliff were cousins was touched down on a little more in HM64. I'd love to see Cliff come to the winery to meet his uncle and aunt and spend time with his cousin. Karen doesn't seem too keen on him, though, and I'm curious if that's because Ann's talked about him to her (Ann and Karen do have some friendship events in-game).

Phew, and there we have it. If you've read all the way to the end, I congratulate you. Thank you for the asks, anons, and I hope you enjoyed reading! <3

Character Breakdown Ask Game - Still Accepting! ;)

[greekowl87]

Fic: Runaway Christmas Pt. 5

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV AO3

Disclaimer: Own nothing, merely borrowing.

So, trying to finish this thing. I wrote this chapter over the course of a few hours. I hope it turned out okay. Still haven't finished this little thing yet though but please let me know what you think so far! Thanks for reading!

P.S. Sorry for any typos. I tried to make sure I caught everything.

. . . 

Scully sat with Mulder outside of the judge's office, holding tightly to his hand. Inside, William and Ms. Styron sat on the opposite side of the door, talking to the judge. She looked to Mulder quietly. “I shouldn't have yelled like that in court. My outburst was completely uncalled for.”

Mulder did not care anymore about public appearance. He stopped caring awhile ago. He drew his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him. He kissed her hair and whispered, “I'm just an old fart but you did what was right.”

She felt the tears stinging her eyes and Mulder watched her quickly rub her eyes and mumble, “Something in my eye.”

“Whatever you say, Scully,” he whispered, rubbing her thigh with hand while he held her against him.

“We didn't just disregard him as trash, did we?” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Mulder hugged her tighter and rocked her slightly. He was unused to seeing Scully this way. “No, we didn't.”

Long ago, when they on the run, somewhere between Flordia and North Carolina, an argument broke out between them. It was one of the few times, aside from the argument that broke out between them when she first left, they argued about William. William was probably about three. That year, they had been on the run for two years. Motel room to motel room, like seeds in the wind. All they had was each other and they were burning out. He did not remember how the argument started...

“Why don't you just leave then?” she shouted, throwing a pillow on the crappy motel bed. “Just like you left before!”

“Before what?”

“You left me alone!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. “You left me alone to raise him! You left us alone, like trash!”

“I did to keep you both safe!” he yelled back, feeling the sting of tears hot in his own eyes. “You both are the most precious things to me! I had to protect you the only way I could! Just like you did when you had to give him up, Scully!”

She silenced, crying harder. Mulder came forward and enfolded her in his arms, hushing her quietly. He rocked her as she clung to him for dear life.

She looked up to him and their eyes met. Wordless communication spoke volumes and she smiled at him as he gently brushed away the tears threatening to spill. “We did the right thing at time,” he whispered. “If things had been different, if our lives weren't threatened, things would have been perfect. But we have a second chance...”

“A second chance,” she repeated, nodding.

A second chance. They had a second chance...they were back on the x-files, they were back together with no intention of leaving, and they had found William.

Scully smiled sadly as Mulder kissed her. “My one in seven billion,” he whispered.

“What happened to five billion?” she asked.

“Overpopulation,” he teased.

She sighed, feeling the comfortably warmth that would come over her when Mulder would stroke her hands and wrists with his thumbs, the soft reassuring kisses he would occasionally give, letting her know it was going to be all right. Scully sighed and shifted nervously. “Do you think they'll let us?”

“I don't know,” he admitted honestly. “I don't think there's been a precedent for this before.”

“Parents have given up their kids and wanted back in their lives before,” she said absently, her mind drifting to Emily. “It's no unheard of. Usually the parents may want something but we both are federal employees, have a stable home...”

Mulder said nothing as he wondered how there time on the run was reflected on whatever record the judge had access to.

“Agent Scully?” a small, squat woman came out from the judge's chambers. “Agent Mulder?”

The partners stood up in unison and walked into the judge's chambers. As they entered, they saw Will and Ms. Styron sitting on one of the couches in a corner of the room. Scully stiffened but felt Mulder's hand rest on the small of her back. She relaxed slightly and could not take her eyes off her son, and noticed Will was equally enthralled by them as well. Mulder cleared his throat, trying to cut the tension. “Judge Hartwell,” he said offering his hand. “I appreciate you taking the time to...to do this.”

The judge rose and shook Mulder's hand and then shook Scully's hand. “You must understand, I am not used to having outbursts of that sort in my court room. The only reason why I am allowing this is to put these matters to rest. What you are requesting is highly unusal. And unlikely but for the sake of Christmas spirit?”

“It's after Christmas,” Will said stubbornly.

“Mr. Van de Kamp,” the judge said pointedly, looking at Will. “You're enough trouble as it is. Hold your tongue.”

Will grumbled and turned his attention from Scully to Mulder. He titled his head slightly and arched his eyebrow, mimicking Scully perfectly. Mulder forced himself to look back to the judge. The sat across the couch from Will and his case worker. The judge rose from behind his desk and sat in a stand alone chair. “Now, I have looked over the adoption records. Ms. Scully, why did you give him up to begin with?”

Cut right to the chase, Scully thought stubbornly. She shifted uneasily and glanced to Mulder who nodded slightly. “I couldn't keep him safe,” she answered simply. She decided that fewer words were better.

“From what?”

“How much is in that file,” she asked back.

“Enough,” the judge said cryptically.

“Then you'll know that at one point my son was kidnapped from me. That was one of many instances,” she replied. She thought it best that Mulder and her keep the bit out about the aliens. “At that time, I retracted myself from doing field work and returned to teaching at Quantico.”

“Teaching what?” the judge asked, looking back down at the file.

Scully was getting annoyed with the judge vetting her past and Mulder claimed her hand gently. Will watched his biological parents, fascinated.

“I am a medical doctor,” she began. “I originally was recruited by the FBI to do forensic pathology. I just recently returned to that at the beginning of this year. The past few years I have worked at Our Lady Sorrows hospital where I still volunteer on occasion.”

“Hm.”

“Why all these questions?” Mulder asked.

She turned to look at him, noticing he was in full profiler mode. The judge looked up at Mulder. “And where were you during the all this?”

“With what?”

“The time before Mr. Van de Kamp was given up before adoption. Where were you in all this?”

“I got...I got called away,” he answered carefully. “With work.”

“Hm.” The judge pinched his nose and stared at Will. “Will, your fifteen. What do you want?”

“Like right now?” he asked. “Like I have to make a decision right now?”

“Not right now,” the judge said. “The process is a very long one. But you do have a say in the matter.”

“Can I think about it,” he asked.

The judge shrugged and looked at the FBI agents. “We'll be in contact.”

Will got up with Ms. Styron and exited to judge's chambers followed by Mulder and Scully. “Mulder, what just happened?”

“I think we just past the first test,” he whispered to Scully, watching Will follow his case worker to the opposite. “I am no lawyer but I think he was testing the waters with us to make sure we aren't crazy.”

“Crazy?” she asked, smirking.

“Well, one of us anyway,” he said, meeting her eyes. “The other one has to keep both of us in line. We'll just wait and see...” Mulder said, his hand reclaiming the small of her back. “Let's go home. Skinner is going to kill us if we don't finish the report tomorrow.”

She nodded and looked over her shoulder, watching her son disappear from her one more time and feeling her heart breaking again.

. . . .

Will did not know entirely what to make of the situation. He was still speechless about what had happened in the court room. Now instead of going to the group home, that was on hold. He was going back to his foster parents in D.C. for the time being. What exactly entailed this entire thing. As he walked with his case worker he asked, “Mrs. Styron, what exactly is going to happen?”

“I'm not entirely sure, Will,” she answered, taking him to her car. “Look, you still have your cell phone right?”

“Yeah.” His foster parents were good people and took care of him in the in the simplist things, like giving their teenage charge a cell phone that always worked. “Why?”

“I'll call you in a few days and let you know what's going on,” she sighed. “But in the mean time, let's get you home.”

. . . .

Will skated absently down the sidewalks. He should be in school. Instead he was cutting class. He took the bus towards the National Mall and began to skate the rest of the way to the J. Edgar Hoover building. His stomach was in knots. He could not believe he was doing this. His biological parents were FBI agents, freaking FBI agents. A part of him felt blown away as in it was so freaking cool but he was nervous. His biological mom...a medical doctor and forensic pathologist. His biological father...he learned from Mrs. Styron was an Oxford educated criminal profiler.  Seemed like a crazy combination and a far cry from the simple farmers he called mom and dad that raised him in Wyoming.

As he skated, he wondered how his biological parents met and how he came to be. Why did they give him up? Now that he had time to digest what had happened in the court room, he could see that his parents clearly loved him. Then he remembered the judge's chambers and how she had said she gave him up to protect him. Protect him from what?

Will's mind swirled with possibilities as he approached the imposing gray, square building. Maybe it was the mob or some terrorist. He skidded to a stop and picked up his skateboard. It had been gnawing at his mind for days since the courthouse, enough to drive him to skip class and go see for himself.

He picked up his skateboard and jogged up the steps to the guest entrance. He suddenly felt small as the room swarmed with men and women in business suits, completely oblivious to him. Willl looked around, unsure where to even go or even how to do it. Then he spied a woman sitting at a desk, who looked like an ancient dragon. He hesitantly walked up to the desk and held his skateboard to his side tightly.

The old dragon looked up and lowered her glasses. “Yes?”

“Um,” Will began uncertainly. “I'm here to see Agent Scully and Agent Mulder.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Aren't you supposed to be in school?”

Will bit his lower lip, revealing his uncertainty. “Please?”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Um, no.”

“Then I can't help you.”

“Please,” Will suddenly said. “Please, it's really important.”

“Important enough for you to skip school?”

Will didn't say anything but gave the old dragon lady the best, innocent smile he could. She sighed and pointed to a corner to what looked like a waiting section. “Go sit over there.”

. . . .

“What did you bring me,” Scully asked, looking up from her file as Mulder returned to their basement office. He held two cups in his hand.

“Really bad coffee,” he replied, “made to your exact specifications.”

“Hm. Thank you.”

“Find anything interesting?” he asked, passing her the cup of coffee. He sat across from her as he settled into his desk chair. “Any new cases?”

“Nope but there's a report that still needs finishing or else Skinner will be breathing down our necks,” she said, tossing the file across the desk. “But thanks for the coffee.”

He chuckled and then the office phone was ringing. “Mulder,” he greeted, smiling at Scully who was sipping her coffee triumphantly.

His eyebrows raised and replied. “Thank you. We'll be right up.”

“What was that about, Mulder?”

“Someone is upstairs in the lobby asking for us,” he replied.

“Did they say who,” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No but the old dragon lady upstairs said it was important. Shall we go, Agent Scully?” he asked, holding his arm out.

“Why, Agent Mulder,” she joked. “How chivalrous of you!”

. . . .

Will was beginning to think that this was a bad idea. What was he thinking? He looked down at his phone. His foster parents were going to kill him, his teachers, and then Mrs. Styron. Damn.

Across the large lobby, Mulder and Scully walked together, not quite sure what to expect. Mulder instantly went to the old dragon lady and Scully followed, scanning the lobby. “Mulder,” she said, grasping his arm.

He looked up, hearing the shock, surprise, and 'I need you' in her voice. He followed her gaze and felt his breath taken away and he grasped her hands tightly, steadying himself. They saw their son hunched over, clearly nervous and suddenly regretting his decsion. He sighed and got up, clutching his skateboard.

“Not again,” Scully murmured.

She let go of Mulder and jogged across the tile floor. The sound of running heels echoing through the lobby startled Will and he was equally surprised to see Scully, as he thought she would not come. She stopped in her tracks, tears in her eyes. Mulder jogged behind her and nearly collided with Scully. Will stood up awkwardly and bit his lip. “Um, hi,” he began awkwardly.

Scully brought her hands to her mouth, trying to hide her emotions. The tears were coming fast and she did not care. “Can I?” she whispered.

Will nodded uncertainly and Scully touched his cheek. Will smiled uneasily as the tears came faster and nodded again, signaling it was okay. She rushed forward, hugging him, her tears coming faster. Mulder smiled tightly and Will caught his gaze. He held out his hand from Scully's bone crushing hug and Mulder pulled both Scully and his son into a tight hug.

“What are you doing here?” Scully exclaimed, as her and Mulder broke away and cupped her son's face in her hands. “Where is Mrs. Styron?”

“I, um,” he smiled, awkwardly, not sure how to began. “I came here on my own.” He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. “I am kind of skipping school right now. No one knows I am here.”

“That sounds familiar,” Scully mumbled, eyeing Mulder.

He shrugged helplessly. “We should get you back to school, Will.”

“I came to see both of you,” he said. “You're my birth parents right? I want to get to know you. I live in D.C. too. So I am not that far from home. It isn't like I came from Wyoming.”

“Wyoming,” Scully asked.

“That where I am from. My parents...” he paused, unsure how to phrase it.

“Your parents,” Mulder prompted.

“They died in a car accident Christmas eve when I was thirteen.”

“I'm sorry,” Scully said uncomfortably.

Will shrugged. “I just...I just wanted  to get to know you. That's all.”

“Why don't we bow out early for some lunch, Scully,” Mulder suggested, gazing at his son. “We can go to the National Air and Space museum and grab some lunch there.”

Scully nodded and smiled. She did not think it was possible. Will, standing in front of her, Mulder smiling at her. Everything seemed so normal. And right.