#i like seahorse dads leave me alone

[punkeropercyjackson]

Our Hero Academia:My Bnha rewrite/fixit

'Our' instead of 'My' because the protagonist role is shared by our Big Three:Izuku,Shouto and Momo.They're official title is 'The Tea Trio' because Izuku's name means 'green' and 'spring' and i associate tea with springtime and Shouto and Momo's canonical love for tea

Inko is half sudanese so Izuku is blasian and so is Momo as the daughter of a japanese-dominican woman and an afro-mexican man while Shouto is fully asian but biracial as well,Rei being half bangladeshi.Izuku ends up developing chronic pain due to the mix of One For All usage and Bakugou's lifelong violet physical assaults towards him and needs crutches,Momo has a hodgepodge of neurodivergent disorders with adhd,autism,anxiety AND ocd and Shouto is blind in his scar eye and Izuku and him are autistic like her too and Momo is fat because of her quirk

Momo's adultification trauma is explicit and intentional instead of heavy accidental subtext,Bakugou is an antagonist all the way through and a metaphor for ableism and male privilege and Endeavour is given zero grace while Rei is a fleshed out character as they all deserve

Izuku is agender without a specified agab,Momo is a trans girl and Shouto is transmasc genderfluid with neutral,feminine and androgynous gender presentation respectively.As stated they're our core mcs but not the only ones!!

The whole main cast is them,Toshinori,Rumi,the rest of 'The Tea Blend Crew' made up of Hitoshi,Kirishima,Jirou,Mina,Eri and Himiko and Dabi and him,Momo,Shouto and Izuku the 'Jumbo Tea Quartet'.Toshinori is a he/him butch lesbian and has a sidestory romance with Inko and all the other Tea Kids are blasian latinos like Momo except Himiko,who is half african-american!

Todomomo,Shinmido and Minajirou are canon and the rest of The Tea Blend Crew see eachother as found siblings.Togachako,Miruyumi and Dabitwice are also canon!

The series is kicked off with 'Midoriya Izuku:Origin' but shortly followed up by 'Yaoyorozu Momo:Origin' as Momo and Izuku become eachother's first ever friends and Shouto's debut into the main cast is the same because it's too iconic and dear to me for me to change it.Momo's already befriended Jirou and Mina by then and same for Izuku befriending Kirishima but Hitoshi is transfered to the hero course post-Sports Festival.Momo also had a private talk with Bakugou over his bullying of Izuku telling him to leave him alone only to end up crying in fear at his outburst,calling and accusing her hurtful things over her being a girl nerd and 'well-developed'.She created a staff and hit him in the crotch with it on live tv for it when he was tied up in his 'feral' state for it

The Tea Trio is finally complete as of Yaoyorozu Rising and they have a lot of solo bonding just the three of them to set them up as the core of Oha.Not to say the Tea Blend Crew dosen't get their own pagetime!!It's revealed Jirou got bullied growing up because of being a black goth transfem butch and has bpd as a result,Mina is the biokid of a cis gay x seahorse dad couple and grew up taking dance classes,Kirishima has lesbian biomoms too and used to self-harm out of insecurity over his natural fatness and Hitoshi was raised by his abuela who was the only person who ever cared about him and got his love of cats from her and they get a good deal of bonding with eachother and them too!!Kicking ass together too ofc!They all hate Bakugou and make a thing of roasting him for how awful he's been to all of them multiple times yet all at different points.Izuku starts to loose his illusion of Bakugou being a good person when he tries to protest against their words but can't find an actual defense

The Tea Blend Crew training partners,teenage dirtbag best friends,study buddies and a hero team!They have their own group chat named 'The Tapioca Vine'(dosen't make sense on purpose LMFAO),schedueled hangouts,a secret abandoned technologically advanced gym they found on accident they use as their training base and dubbed it 'Our Hero Spotter',no personal space when it comes to eachother and matching rings!I'll get to those later :] Oh but also their theme song is 'Adventricular' by Sesamoid♡First Time Friends Turn Into Forever!!

The Bakugou rescue arc still happens but Jirou,Mina and Hitoshi take Iida's place and it's a decoy plot for the beginning of Momo's Destruct arc.Dabi and Momo kept running eachother by genuine accident which led to him discovering her importance to Shouto so he used those accidental encouters to radicalize her to get at Shouto and all the sympathy thrown at Bakugou and the stark contrast to how awfully Hero Society including U.A treats her despite having worked her entire life to earn her place in the hero world just to not get it made it hit the mark.Kirishima getting the Fatgum intership over her rubbed very lemony salt in her wounds so as soon as they rescued Eri just as she'd promised herself,she joined the League of Villains as Destruct in secret from her friends.Himiko and her are pretty much sisters

And S'mores Siblings accidentally became real by the time she joined.Momo and Dabi had come to truly love eachother as family because he'd treated her better than any other adult in her life before and even without the comparison he was a good older brother figure and even pseudo-dad to her and he was actually enjoying spending time with her as an intergenerational friendship and mentorship and her and Jin were the first people he'd truly loved after his 'death',greatly helped by them understanding his misfit status(abusive perfectionist parents who treated them awfully as a neurodivergent child/stigmatized mental illness and physical disability that's not 'sexy' to normies).Momo is pastel punk and kidcore in aesthetic AND personality and lifestyle at that point,including Dabi giving her a side shave and pink dye.Momo hacked her parents banks to donate all their money to charity and use some of it for herself and for gifts for her loved ones too

Himiko connects with the TBC through Momo without letting them know she's a villain and infiltrates U.A to hang with her and makes a huge spectacle of herself on purpose,to Momo's embarrasment.She ends up legit joining the friend group and falling for Ochako for real instead of mutual obssesion.Izuku and Shouto's own arcs chronicle Izuku's attempts to live with disability,be a true hero AND experience teenagehood to the fullest and Shouto's relathionships with his family,learning how to be a real kid-including going goth punk for that weirdkid swag,his quirk on multiple levels and his true love by choice with Momo and vice versa on that last one as Todomomo is an unremovable aspect of eachother.They complete eachother,not just half and half and feel like their own people yet two yet the same

Jirou's gotten way more hardcore on every level,in attitude and in aesthetic and in tactics but as positive character development and Mina is a little bit of everything as she's too chaotic to be held down.That makes them the perfect love interest's for the other and are as snuggly and mushy as Todomomo but with Tsundere Jirou and Tease Mina.Kirishima can't help but let himself be louder and larger and heroicer as he looses ALL sense of shame in the best way possible and him accidentally embarrasing others with it becomes a running gag.Hitoshi's quite taken with trying all life will give him he didn't get to experience,including dating Izuku,and realizing the true meaning of his quirk:Putting his foot down on mistreatment,towards him AND fellow victims as he uses it to get Bakugou to fess up in front of almost the whole school staff so he gets expelled.Izuku is so overjoyed and relieved he hops onto him to kiss him right then and there and loud cheering from Class 1-A ensues,including several 'IT'S ABOUT TIME's and wolfwhistles equivalents

TBC rings were diy'd by them!They're those big see through-ish rings you see indie girl characters wearing so often and they each have cordinated colors for eachother and a charm inside:Green and a bunny for Izuku,white and red and a cat for Shouto,pink and yellow and a rose for Momo,deep red and a wolf for Kirishima,lavender and a guitar pick for Jirou,hot pink and a ballerina for Mina,purple and a hypnosis eye for Hitoshi,gold and a blood drop for Himiko,pastel blue and a unicorn for Eri and a bonus for the honorary member in Dabi with a deep blue and an azure flame.The Jumbo Tea Quartet get their own subcategory because of Todosiblings + S'mores Siblings follow up to Izuku and Dabi familial dynamic too.Dadbi is real y'all

Eri is adopted as their baby sister because of how she's always at the dorms and dosen't get on the field but is a major character as a symbol to fight for the next generation but also humanized and written like a realistic 6 year old.Rumi's debut gives her the connection to the Todofam Hox didn't deserve as Fuyumi's celebrity crush turned best friend turned girlfriend and Hox gets his ass beat by Momo who saves Jin just in time and Dabi kills Hox away from her eyes to not traumatize her.The Final War arc leads to the disenmantling of the pro-hero system to replace it with a good system instead by our local teenage anarchists with help from All-Might and the Lov in a new era of unity.Rei kills Enji,Dabi and Jin get married,Himiko and Ochako get their happy ending,Momo's new codename is Creadora,Shouto is Freezerburn and Izuku is Mighty Girl.Todomomo Endgame happens too and all's right in Our Hero Academia/Oha.We deserved better just like they did

[sabbathbloodysabbeth]

💉 trans Steve my beloved

So I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about this idea before but closed Tran Steve who is also pregnant is something dear to me 😭

🍤 Seahorse Dad Steve🍤

*pretend those are seahorses and not shrimp I couldn’t find a seahorse emoji*

*click on title and force me to write*

Steve rolls out of bed, it was a bit of a struggle. Literally and figuratively a pain in the ass as he winces and moves his hand to rub the cramped area. Before he moves to stand but even that was a struggle because of his swollen feet. Breathing in and breathing out, he presses a hand down to support the bottom of his stomach. Shifting some of the weight from his back to his hand. Which had grown bigger with in the last month, swollen enough to the point he no longer can see his feet.

Grinding his teeth together he moves in an attempt to waddle as fast as he can out to his living room. Where his house phone was ringing from the phone holder, where he had set it the night before to charge. He normally leaves it next to his bed at night but he had forgotten to charge it the night before. Though what he did know was that whoever was calling him this early in the morning was heading straight to hell. Steve was wishing, manifesting and praying all that was holy to put whoever was calling him in hell. Burn them alive for all he cared. All because they woke him up ten minutes before his alarm.

Walking felt like he was stepping on needles, the effort of carrying a baby, the size of a watermelon was very stressful to his body. In the back of his mind he has to secretly chant that there was only six weeks left before the little shit was out. He was saying that with as much love as he could muster from his heart. Which was constantly burning now that he was pregnant followed with a lot of heat flashes. Now Steve never slept naked, but now nearly seven months pregnant he was lucky enough to get on sock on let alone pants.

Have 3 paragraphs not 3 sentences imma feed you

[kaleschmidt]

HI SCOTT 1 2 5 and 12 for chazz psike spencer and muffin man ^_^ You have to explain 5 for all of them btw so sorry

fuck shit fuck! ok gimme a bit

1 - What Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor do they most resemble and why?

2 - If they were on tumblr, what would their url be?

5 - Do they have a seahorse as a pet or sidekick? If yes, skip to question 8.

6. If no: would you consider giving them one? If yes, skip to question 8.

7. If no: …why? What if I told you it was super cool? Would you change your mind? Explain your answer.

12 - Create them using any picrew maker EXCEPT drastically change their hairstyle and put them in an outfit they’d never wear. (Don’t be shy, attach the resulting image and let us see it!)

CHAZZ

1 - Cherry Garcia. Idk, I say cherry garcia bc it makes me think of Chazz's hair color (even if it's nothing like his hair color)

2 - sextremeslasher or some fuckin stupid slasher-related url. i love chazz

5-7 - No. So sorry. Chazz would NOT be able to take care of any aquatic pet ever. Also I think she'd be fucking devastated if the seahorse died under her care

12 - Using this picrew bc it's my fave ever

Undercut Chazz! It would NEVER fuckin wear a dress, though. Keeping the slasher memorbilia tho

PSIKE

1 - Any plain ice cream flavor, but mostly chocolate, because that's nis favorite. Psike doesn't really go for anything extravagant.

2 - Honestly I'm not sure of eir url but I can ASSURE you that Psike's whole fucking account is blank. empty. default icon and theme. The only one ne follows is Chazz. Ne doesn't do anything with nis account

5-7 - Same reasons as Chazz. Psike would kinda wanna take care of one, though, because it's cool

12 -

Locs + fluffy jacket! I do like to humor the idea of Psike with longer hair bc it sounds nice but ne won't be able to . sniff sniff

SVEN/SPENCER

1 - Mint Chocolate Chunk. Makes me think of his color and all!

2 - Leave that 30+ year old man alone!!! I think smth like... fishing-related. dad moments.

5-6 - LEGALLY, I would love to give Sven one. I think he'd enjoy a seahorse and so would Ruby (his daughter). Probably name it Mr/Mrs/Ms/Mx Nautica or smth like that. the pokemon team i made for sven highlights that

12 -

Slicked up w/ ponytail + Suit! Sven doesn't tend to dress up very formally.

MUFFIN MAN

1 - Creme brulee or sweet cream & cookies. Sounds like old man things + baking

2 - themuffinmanofficial. follows null's account, if he has one

5-6 - MMMAAAYYYBBEE? The idea sounds nice, but it'd have to be a digital one! I think Muffin Man would like to have any kind of pet, tbh. He likes the company

12 -

Long hair Muffin Man + informal! Muffin Man usually just. wears his baker outfit tbh.

[x-reader-theater]

We know that Spencer wants kids like he says so in the serie so I was think a Spencer x male reader where the reader work at the bau with him and Spencer got a crush on him and one day the reader's kid come and the team met them and Spencer like '' you have a kid? '' and I don't know but I know that he will be such a good dad and a lot of fluff and sweet Spencer

I really hope you like this one! I always get really mad at the writers whenever they mention that Spencer can't have kinds but like, he can, just not biological ones. Like, he can adopt or find a partner that has a kid and he'll still be a great dad. I poured a lot of that frustration into making this as cute as possible. @mystic-writes edited this, as well as everything else that I write I just like @ing her every time loll. Also, I'm running out of gifsssssssss

"Hey, Spence!" you exclaim, sitting at the desk across from his.

His cheeks flare up red and he whispers, "Hey, [Y/N]."

You smile at him. "Have a good weekend?"

He nods. "Yeah, I watched a couple documentaries, read some new books I just got-"

"Oh!" you exclaim, making Spencer jump in his seat. You rummage around in your backpack before pulling out a book, and handing it to him. "I got you this. I don't know if you already have it, or have read it, but, I thought you might like it," you say, holding the book out to him.

He grabs it and reads the title. “Timechart History of the World: 6000 Years of World History Unfolding.” It's a thick book, with more than 500 pages at least, and a smile lights up Spencer's face.

"Where did you find this?" he asks and you shrug.

"Got an ad for something similar online, but it didn't look too credible. So, I did some digging, and found this," you say, gesturing to the book in Spencer's hands.

He grins at you and says, "Thank you, so much! I-I'm sorry I don't have anything for you…"

You wave him off, saying, "Really, it's no big deal. It's a gift." He nods, but doesn't seem convinced until you say, "Happy Birthday, Spencer."

You were the only one who remembered.

–

"Hotch, I really need to talk to you," you say, gripping your son's hand tightly, but not enough to hurt. Looking from your son to you, he nods and motions for you to follow him into his office, where he closes the door and shuts the blinds. He sits down in his chair and you motion for Harry to sit on the couch, pulling out a children's book for him to read while you talk with Hotch.

"Who's this?" he asks and you smile as you sit down.

"My son, Harrison. Most people just call him Harry," you explain and Hotch nods, but doesn't speak. "I'm so sorry to have to ask this, but Harry's school has a day off and he's too young to stay at home alone, and his normal sitter works during the day and I don't have family out here and I don't trust another sitter and-"

"[L/N]. It's okay. I get it," Hotch says and you suck in a deep breath. "Strauss says we're not getting any cases after our last one went so wrong. As long as he doesn't get in the way or distract too much, it's okay."

You sigh and smile gratefully, yet tiredly, and say quietly, "Thank you so much for this. I owe you, big time."

Hotch shakes his head. "I know what it's like to be a single parent. I'm just lucky I have Jessica," he says and you nod. "If a case comes up, you can go home and take care of your son. We'll call you if we need anything." You nod and get up out of the chair, and turn towards Harry when Hotch says, "Oh, and [L/N]?" You turn around and face him. "Maybe Harry can meet Jack sometime? I would have asked sooner if I knew…"

You smile. "I think that would be a lot of fun. They're roughly the same age."

Hotch nods and you hold your hand out to Harry, who takes it, and you lead him to your desk in the bullpen. You set up a blanket and some toys and books underneath your desk, and Harry makes himself very happy by your feet as you crack open a few case files and start working on some extra work.

A couple of hours later, the bullpen is filled with your colleagues, chatting idly, pawning work off onto Spencer, which you take some of to lighten his workload, and people grabbing each other coffee. You haven't gotten up once, instead staying seated, unintentionally hiding your son underneath your desk.

But, that wouldn't last forever.

"Papa?" you hear Harry call from underneath you, quietly.

Spencer's head snaps up, as well as JJ's, and you pull your chair back to look at your son and say, "Yes, sweetheart?"

"I'm hungry," he says, and you nod, reaching into your bag and pulling out a little Iron Man lunch box.

You place it on your desk and hold your arms out, saying, "You have to eat at the desk, but you can sit in my lap."

He nods and crawls up into your lap, and you see now everyone's looking at you as Harry hides his face in your chest. "It's okay, sweetie. They're Papa's friends," you say quietly, and Harry turns around enough to open his lunch box, pull out a packet of goldfish, and turn back into your chest, opening it and eating. You smile and kiss his head.

"Who's this?" JJ asks and you smile when Harry presses his face even further into your chest.

"This is Harrison. But, you can call him Harry," you say, rubbing one of your hands up and down his back. "He's my son."

"Son?" Morgan says, frowning. "I didn't know you were married."

You shake your head. "I'm not. Never was. It was a one night stand. Didn't realize that the condom broke. She died shortly after she had him, and I was given custody. I was a twenty-something just starting with the FBI, who now had a four-week-old living with him," you say, and everyone looks at you, shocked. Even Harry is looking at you like you haven't told him this a million times before. "But, I wouldn't change it for the world. He's the best thing to ever happen to me."

Emily and JJ both "Aw!" and Derek smiles. Spencer's still looking at you, shocked.

"Did you know that male emperor penguins exhibit a feature unique among penguins. If the chick hatches before the female returns, the male, despite his fasting, is able to produce and secrete a curd-like substance from his esophagus to feed the chick, allowing for survival and growth for up to two weeks," Spencer explains. "Which makes them one of the best fathers in the animal kingdom."

You smile and hug Harry closer to you, saying, "My little penguin."

He laughs and moves his face away from your chest and says, "Papa really likes seahorses."

"Yes! Seahorses are also great father's. In fact.."

Spencer rambles about anything Harry asks about, and eventually, the boy gets up from your lap and settles in Spencer's, just listening to him talk about nothing and everything. You actually manage to get all your work done, as well as some of Spencer's to make sure he isn’t seen as slacking off, though you don't know how he could ever be seen that way.

Eventually, the end of the day comes, and you gather up all of your things from underneath and on top of your desk, putting them away in your bag, and you go around the desks to hold your arms out to Harry.

"Alright, sweetheart. Time to go home," you say, and in protest he just wraps his arms tighter around Spencer's neck. You sigh. "Honey, Spencer probably has things to do. We should let him go home."

Harry whimpers and Spencer actually wraps an arm around him. "I don't mind. Honestly. I can come home with you and then walk home. It's not a big deal."

You shake your head. "If you're coming home with us, you're not leaving without dinner." Spencer nods and you grab his satchel for him, slinging it around your shoulders as he carries Harry out, still talking about nothing.

You cook Spencer a good, home cooked meal, and when you drive him home that night, you kiss him.

Six months later, Harry calls him "Dad" and you realize that, before this moment, you've never seen Spencer cry tears of joy before.

[booksforevermore13]

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Dogfish

Summary: Lily brings home a dogfish. When Ginny doesn't approve, Harry wonders if there is something else bothering her. If he recalled correctly, it hadn't been very long since his wife had brought home a really old seahorse. Then what really was the matter?

Read it on Fanfiction if you prefer!

...

“To be fair, he followed me home.”

“He is a fish ⁠— “

“⁠— dogfish.”

“And he doesn’t have legs! So, tell me Lils, how in Triton’s hell did he magically walk out of water and follow you home?”

Lily huffed, crossing her arms and avoiding her mum’s look. Then, as a peace offering, she peeked out from under her hair and smiled sheepishly, to which her mum only raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, you can’t deny he’s not cute,” she whined, and then bent down to pick him up, while the pup (fish?) nuzzled his nose into her shirt.

“If you ask me, he’s kinda creepy,” James piped in.

“He is not! And no one asked you!”

She watched as her mum narrowed her eyes in her typical mum way, and then sighed, and Lily knew half the battle was won.

“So?” she urged, and her mother glared at her, and then turned her glare towards James as he snickered. Albus raised his arms in defence as their mum turned to him, and hastily looked down at the ground.

“We,” Ginny sighed, shaking her head in defeat, “⁠— oh, I’m going to regret this ⁠— we will talk about this when your dad comes home.”

“Does that mean we can keep him?”

“We will talk about this when your dad,” her mum repeated, looking each of them in the eye, “comes home.”

They nodded, giving each other sombre looks, while the puppy-fish, (fuppy, pish?) yapped excitedly.

“For Triton’s sake, first her brother brings home a dolphin.ow her, a bloody dogfish,” Ginny muttered, and then shooed them out of the kitchen, very well knowing she’d be fighting a losing battle.

Oh, she was definitely going to regret this.

…

“Oh, good you’re home,” Ginny said, folding and unfolding the Pall Mall Gazette. Harry looked at her in confusion, then at the paper, then back at her again, noting the skittish manner with which she was avoiding his gaze.

“I am?”

Ginny shot him a glare, hands on her hips, and Harry offered a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I just ⁠— you sound mad. You look mad.”

“Do I?”

Harry bit back a smile, and then asked, “Who was it this time? James or Lils?”

“She brought home a dogfish,” Ginny gritted out. “A dogfish. With an orange fin. And a snout. A horribly disgusting, slobbering snout!”

Harry shot her a mirthful glance, before gesturing to her to continue.

“We don’t have space for a dogfish!”

“Don’t we?”

Ginny gestured again, waving her hands around as if that could prove her point, and Harry, in a moment of uncertainty, wondered if the dogfish was really the problem. It couldn’t be, for it hadn’t been long before she had herself come home with a seahorse; though it had turned out to be a really old seahorse and had died within a year.

“Ginny,” he started, in a different manner than before. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t expect her to answer, at least not directly, but he certainly didn’t expect her to whack him on the head with the roll of paper. He winced, looking at her and wondering if she really had gone mad, before she started speaking through gritted teeth.

“Are you listening to anything I’m saying?”

“I am, Gin!” he said quickly. “But you need to talk to me. Really talk to me.”

“I am!”

“I don’t think so!”

“Lily brought a dogfish home!”

“Is the dogfish really the problem, Gin?” Harry asked, and watched as her face morphed from anger to uncertainty, and then back to anger as her brows furrowed, and she glanced back at him again.

“No,” she said curtly, with that stubborn frown on her face, and though Harry was glad he’d managed to figure her out (for once), he couldn’t really place his claims on what exactly had made her upset. She’d seemed fine that morning. He’d kissed her goodbye, she’d stopped it from becoming a full blown makeout session (their children were home, plus he’d had to go to work), and she’d smiled at him, and looked at him with that blazing look of hers, and he’d told her he’d be home early. Everything had been just as it was supposed to be. Everything had been fine.

Except now it wasn’t.

And then to his surprise, Ginny let her head fall on his shoulder, burying her face in his shirt, and Harry let his arms wrap around her, keeping her steady. He tucked her head under his chin, and rested his head on hers, the two of them in the middle of their hallway, arms around each other, and for the moment, it was the most natural thing they’d ever done.

And then her shoulders started shaking.

And Harry’s frown grew increasingly deeper.

“Hey,” he urged. “Gin, hey, hey.” He cupped her face and tilted it upwards, horrified to find her just barely holding back tears. Ginny sniffled, and swiped one hand across her face, further smearing her tears. Harry wiped the rest off with his thumbs, cursing silently to whoever, whatever had made her cry.

“Just… let me have this for a second, please, Harry?” Her voice cracked, and Harry brought her in against his chest, holding her tight, his heart racing a million miles per hour as he mulled over all the things that could have happened.

Then, on second thought, he bent down and picked her up, and it was the thought that she hadn’t even yelped at that, that made him feel an odd sense of triumph.

Harry settled on the couch, gently stroking her hair as she lay on his lap, her tears dampening his shirt, but he couldn’t have cared less.

And yet, he didn’t ask.

He didn’t push.

But he was glad that she trusted him so much to be vulnerable around him, and him around her. It had taken them fifteen years married to each other, and even longer than that, to really know the other like they did now. To know that if they were vulnerable around the other, it didn’t automatically make them weak in their eyes.

And yet, it didn’t change the fact that there he was with a crying Ginny, and him sorely wishing he could beat up the person who’d made her cry.

There were certainly few things he hated more than seeing his wife upset.

“I promise I’m still as sane as you,” Ginny mumbled from beneath him, and he looked down at her, brushing away her hair from her face.

“I never doubted that for a second,” Harry replied.

Ginny let out a laugh, albeit humourless, but it didn’t stop her from getting up and offering him a sad sort of smile. He looked at her, his chest clenching at how her eyes still occasionally watered. Harry opened his mouth, but before he did, Ginny got up from his lap, and sat beside him on the couch, facing away from him.

“Gin, talk to me?” he begged, “and don’t tell me it’s the damn dogfish again because I know, you know, it’s not.”

He caught a tear as it broke away from the dam, and rubbed his thumb against her cheek, his eyes begging for her to talk.

“I…” she sighed. “I want to play again.”

Ginny looked at him, and he was silent, so she continued.

“I want to play Quidditch again. I want to get into that arena, and feel the water rippling around me, and hear the Bludgers whizz by me, and hear the crowd yelling and screaming ⁠—” her voice broke, and a new wave of tears began to slip down her cheeks before she could stop them. “I’m sorry, this is ridiculous⁠ —“

“It’s not.”

“I-I need to get out there again. And it’s selfish of me, and it’s illogical that I suggest leaving Lily and Albus and James alone here; I mean, Lily’s just seven, but I can’t shake this-this feeling that I could ⁠— I should be doing more!”

“Hey,” Harry said, cupping her face and looking into her eyes. He didn’t exactly understand what was truly the matter; all he was really concentrating on was her tears, and how each time they fell, his heart beat painfully within his chest. “This is not selfish, or illogical, or anything you just said right now.” Ginny glanced away, but Harry simply shifted to face her. “Gin, look at me. Look at me,” and when she finally did, his heart clenched yet again to see her eyes tearing up again.

“Demelza called me and told me how they’d made her captain,” she choked out finally, “and I couldn’t help but wonder that if I’d stuck around, then they’d⁠ —“

“⁠— have made you instead,” Harry finished, and brushed away her tears as more fell.

“And that thought made me feel so selfish, and-and guilty when James and Albus and Lils are my world, and- and you. All I wanted back then was to have more time with you, and I have that now. I finally have that now. This-this is all I’ve ever wished for. But, I-I can’t help but relentlessly think and think about that what-if, and everything else that could have been different with that what-if, and I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Harry was silent, his mind screaming at him to hold her close to him, make her tears go away, but this time, he didn’t think Ginny needed that. This time, he knew Ginny needed answers. And even if he couldn’t give them to her himself, he could help her find them. So if a chord had struck, he asked out of the blue. “Where are those three?”

“What?” Ginny frowned. “Oh, um… they’re at the Burrow. Apparently, they wanted to show their newly acquired…pet to their grandparents, but we both know it’s just going to be them trying to coerce Mum into making them a sweater for that fish.”

“Can you ask your mum if she can keep them at their place for a few hours?”

Ginny looked at him, confused, but she still nodded, taking out her phone from her back pocket. “Any particular reason?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, as he got up from the sofa, and offered her his hand. “We’re going swimming.”

…

“Doesn’t change the fact that I’m still a better mermaid than you,” Ginny quipped as she looked down at the water pool in front of them.

“I’m a merman. I don’t think I fit your criteria at all.”

“Yes, well, potato, potahto, mer...maid.”

Harry laughed, ducking his head, and Ginny cupped his cheek and turned his face, kissing him gently.

“Thanks for being my loyal listener,” she said, between kisses, and Harry smiled against her lips, wrapping a hand around her waist.

“Always.”

Her laugh echoed in the cave, as she stepped back and winked, before jumping into the pool, and if he could, he would have bottled that sound and gotten drunk on it.

“That’s the laugh,” he said softly, and followed.

…

The Ministry had caves just like the one near their house, almost at every other street in London. They were like Daedulus’ symbols, there where only those who knew where it was could see it.

Harry looked at Ginny again, fully knowing that even after all the times he’d seen her underwater, she still managed to take his breath away. Every time.

She was beautiful.

Her shimmering crimson tail glowed against the water, her hair floating around her in an angry halo, except it wasn’t angry. Not really. Here, Ginny seemed almost at peace.

“What are we doing here?” she asked, and Harry smiled at her, holding out his hand for her to take.

They were at the arena. The arena. They were at Hogwarts.

Lanterns guided their way, lighting their path, as they navigated the dark waters, the soft yellow light on the ocean floor, not much help, but it was, to its credit, useful. More in the sense of reassurance, than anything else.

In what was the oddest twist of the universe, mermen didn’t have tails. They could breathe and swim like their female counterparts, sure, but due to some unexplainable reason, they didn’t have tails.

That gave them a setback, sure, for mermaids were faster, swifter, and he had spent a major part of his Hogwarts years building up his speed and stamina in order to keep up with them.

It didn’t help his case that while underwater, mermaids were by far, the most beautiful creatures on the planet, their tails shining against the silver waters. On the other hand, they were just…them.

“You wanna tell me what’s happening here, Harry?”

Harry smiled at her, then let go of her hand, letting the lanterns guide their way. And then, as if a switch had been flipped, the world around them grew clearer, stiller and what had been darkness had instead turned to light.

“The first time I saw you here,” he said, swimming behind her, and keeping her hands on her shoulders, his voice in her ears, “the first thing I thought was: how the bloody hell was she not on the team yet?”

Ginny laughed, her voice dampened against the waves, but Harry could hear it as clear as day.

“The second thing I thought was that Ginny Weasley here, she was going to be a hell of a player. Someone I could never, ever, compare to.”

Harry turned her face to face him, and grinned. “That’s when I knew I loved you.”

Ginny shook her head, a knowing smile on her face, and Harry had a strange sense of accomplishment when he realized that he had been the one to put it there.

“Harry Potter, you’re one heck of a charmer, you know that?”

He shrugged, looking at her coyly. “I may have been told, once or twice.” He paused. But he didn’t stop. “You’re a lot of things to a lot of people, Gin, but back then, I always thought you were the Ginny Weasley, the fiercest chaser in business. So, whatever you decide to do, we’ll figure it out, just like we always do.”

Ginny gulped, and clutched his hand tightly, looking around the arena as if it was her first time seeing it.

In the end, this had always been her place.

This was where he knew she had to keep coming back.

And if she did, Harry knew he’d do everything in his power to make that happen. He’d quit being an Auror if he had to, stay with the kids, and he’d do it gladly if it meant more time with them. If it meant Ginny getting to follow her dream.

Fifteen years with Gin had made him realise dreams he’d never thought he’d have.

“I want to get back here,” Ginny admitted. “But, I don’t want to be away from them. You know how it was,” she turned to Harry, “back then, when I came home late from practice, all those hours away from James, from you. I don’t want that. That’s why I left, and I’ll do it a thousand times over if I had to.”

“But this, this is all I’ve wanted to do, since I was six and saw Bill fly for the first time. Now…I’m not so sure. But at the same time⁠—”

“⁠— you do,” Harry finished for her, and then grinned, facing her side. “It’s been fifteen years, but I am still trying to figure you out,” he said, as his hands cupped her cheeks, holding her steady, so that he could drink in the sight of her.

“I don’t think you ever will.”

But he’ll never stop trying.

Now she looked at him, several seconds later, brown to green, her to him, eyes glinting with the ghost of a smile. “I know what to do, Harry,” she said softly, and laughed. “And to think it was all for a damn dogfish.”

“I don’t suppose we still have room for it, do we?”

“We’ll have to see.”

Harry nodded, listening for a moment longer to the slight deafness of water around him, and her brown eyes, as radiant as the first time he’d seen them.

Then he kissed her. At her lips’ touch, Harry felt he was rediscovering them again.

“I love you,” Ginny mumbled, her hands tangled in his hair, her lips drawing him in for another kiss.

Harry smiled, knowing he’d never loved her more.

“I love you,” he said.

...

[squishmallow36]

Keeper of the Lost Prepositions - Ten

Word count: 1.7k

Tw: Fitz is a mess, once again

Note: This one is in Fitzy's PoV

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added / removed): @stellar-lune @ichor-on-my-hands @kamikothe1and0lny @nyxpixels @snowflakewolves @poppinspop @crystallinewalker @uni-seahorse-572 @tiergan-andrin-alenefar  @books-over-boys @florida-llama-46 @when-wax-wings-melt @k00laidcrush @bowlcut-boyfriends @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizznee

On Ao3 or below the cut! Other chapters can be found here

    I tear my hands through my hair, irritated with Biana because she just won’t leave me alone. 

    I want to get angry about Alvar, Keefe, my failing dating life, and every single other thing, but for some stupid reason I can’t. 

    Anger makes everything easier to process. Well, except for when the world makes sense again, and you have to make sense of the aftermath. That you caused.    

    Because you yelled at the only people who actually care about you.

    I guess part of me isn’t willing to get angry at Sophie because I remember what always happens when I calm down. Prime example: I think we all remember when Dad’s mind broke. 

   Biana leaves me alone for a total of seven minutes before knocking on my door again. 

   I call, “Go away, Biana!”

   “Since when am I Biana?” she replies, mimicking Dex’s voice. She learned how a little while back because she knew it would annoy me to no end.

    Exasperated, I say, “I know you can mimic, so drop the act.”

    I hear a little bit of metal scratching against metal, and then the lock on my door pops open. I see Dex picking the lock, and I fling Mr. Snuggles at his head.

    Unfortunately, he’s harder to throw than the average goblin throwing star, so he hits the door and reflects back toward my bed. 

    “What did he do to deserve that?” Dex asks, picking up the red dragon and brushing him off.

    I answer with nothing more than a glare. Dex gives Mr. Snuggles a quick squeeze and hands him back to me before sitting on the edge of my bed. 

    “So Biana recruited you now, too.” 

    He replies, “I could give you the answer you so obviously want to hear but...yeah.”

     “I’m fine. You don’t have to be dragged over here to check on me. Go back to whatever you were doing.” I snap, flipping onto my other side, so he wouldn’t keep bothering me.

    “We have one problem with that. Well, actually two. First, Biana scares me and if I don’t come in here and fix you, her verb, not mine, then I have to face her wrath, and I know from experience with my siblings that you don’t want that to happen. Second, the phrase—actually it’s a clause but whatever—‘I’m fine’ usually means anything except for that. It’s like sarcasm but easier because it’s true most of the time instead of the guesswork involved with my brain and sarcasm. That was a lot of words.” 

    He’s okay at making mini-speeches, I guess, and he does make a point about Biana. It’d be nice if he was still speaking to me after this whole thing with…everything. 

    “So there’s nothing you should be doing right now that I’m interrupting?” I ask—Biana can deal with it if he’s busy and I refuse to go anywhere. 

    “I was visiting Foster and Hunkyhair at the Healing Centre but there was nothing I could do other than threaten him to wake up, so yeah. And my gadget stuff is better on which to work at night. Somehow I’m more productive when it’s dark out. I don’t know why. So, you can’t get rid of me that easily!” 

    I smile slightly at the combination of his grammar-conscious syntax and the joke at the end reminiscent of Keefe. When everything was simple. And we were still friends…

    I mean, nothing has ever been simple—I’ve been searching for Sophie since I was six, and Keefe had to deal with his parents, but knowing I could go to my best friend for anything was comforting. I mean, as long as it wasn’t classified, but still sometimes then. Don’t tell Dad. 

    That train of thought made the small smile drop off my face faster than a gremlin disassembles everything in its vicinity.

     I roll onto my back, staring at my ceiling, something I seem to do more and more often these days. 

    I sigh, and Dex says, “Okay, so where, exactly do we want to start? More specifically, where do we start so that I can escape perfect Vackerland faster?” He smiles, flashing his dimples for a second, and it lightens the tension in the room slightly. 

    “One sec,” I say, picking my head up and yelling, “Biana I know you’re in here!” 

    She becomes visible in the darkest corner, asking, “How’d you know I was here? I’ve been practising staying still and everything…”

    “Easy. But I’m not going to tell you all my secrets, now am I?”

    As soon as she walks out of the door, I relock it so that she can’t manage to slip back in. Oh, come on, Dizznee. Now you made me think about ending a sentence in a preposition. 

    Dex immediately asks, “So how did you know that she was here?”

    I keep my voice low, knowing Biana is probably standing outside my door listening, and I don’t have Keefe’s skill at ramming the door into eavesdroppers, unfortunately. 

    “Pro tip: just say it to any room that appears to be empty, especially if you know she isn’t supposed to be there. Best case scenario, she’s there and has no idea how you found her, worst case scenario, you look a little crazy talking to yourself.”

    Dex nods like he understands completely, which he probably does, considering he has to deal with three siblings on a daily basis. And they haven’t even manifested yet, which isn’t surprising considering they’re twelve, but I’m scared for the world if—no, when—that happens. 

    I’ve got to remember to not be the privileged jerk I was unintentionally raised to be. 

    “So I’m guessing fixing things with Foster would probably be the best course of action to get you functioning again, and, as an added bonus, I’ll find a way to convince the Forklenator that I should be let back into Watchward Heath to look for Alvar, Godzilla, or anyone else relevant,” Dex says, getting the conversation back on track. 

    “Somebody sounds like the Keefster today,” I note.

    “That somebody has been spending way too much time with Lord Hunkyhair, and also is a bit disappointed that you didn’t get their human reference. Gonna have to tell Foster about that one.” 

    There’s something in that sentence that sounds weird, and it took me a second to realise he said ‘about’ slightly off. I hadn’t noticed it before for some reason, or I had and not cared enough to ask. Anyway, I figured now was as good of a time as any. 

    “Dex,” I begin, not quite sure how to phrase it, “the way you pronounced ‘about’ was different from most other elves, so is that like a human thing, or a Dizznee thing, or just a Dex thing? Explain yourself.”

     He burst into laughter at my question, and says, “Sorry” when he found me glaring. 

    “Sorry, it’s not a dumb question or anything like that, but coming from the guy with the most recognizable accent in the Elvin world it’s funny because you say everything weirdly. I guess it’s a combination of the former two—my house is located near the human country of Canada, so I guess my voice might have been influenced by the surroundings even though I’ve never met any humans around there, and I haven’t noticed anything weird with my parents’ or siblings’ pronunciations of anything so it’s probably a Dizznee thing.”

    A bit of silence that was less awkward than expected stretched before Dex says, “Enough about my sort of history, geography, and weird accent lesson—“ He stops when he sees me smiling, “—What now?”

    “You said ‘about’ again…” I begrudgingly admit. 

    He sighs and continues, “Back to the reason that I’m here. At least half the reason you’ve destroyed your room over the past few days is because of Foster, yes? And you’re regretting breaking up with her, yes?” He waits for me to nod.

    “So do you think you would be willing to go down to the Healing Centre and lay your heart on the line? I mean, even if you get rejected, which is highly unlikely—take it from her best friend,” he adds when I give him a look, “at least you’ll know that you tried.”

   “I don’t think it’s that simple. She’s unmatchable.” I can tell as soon as the words leave my mouth that it’s a bad decision on my part. 

    “Being a Bad Match isn’t the worst thing in the world, Fitz. Yes, we all know you’re a Vacker, whoop de doo, and there’s never been a Vacker Bad Match, but, you know, if it’s truly what you want, then there’s no need for a stupid piece of paper to tell you who you’re allowed to marry—and I know I sound like Ro but she’s right.”  

    I can tell he’s pretty proud of that little speech there. I decide to give him a little something for his efforts. 

    “Fine. But you don’t get to be there. And neither do you, Biana. I know you’re listening.” I raise my voice towards the end, even though I know she will be able to hear me even if I whisper. She has the ears of a Goblin. 

     We walk over to the Leapmaster—note to self: carry a crystal to the Healing Centre. We go there often enough. 

    I call, “Foxfire,” and the crystal makes its path of light.

    But, before he lets me go, he says, “If at all possible, get Sophie to take a break. She’s been there since Loamnore, and I doubt she’s slept since either. Or before, for that matter, but get her to go home and relax for a few hours.  Maybe take a shower and eat a pan or two of Mallowmelt while she’s at it.”

    “I can do that as long as you don’t tell Biana about any of this. I will find out.”

    The last thing I hear before the light carries me away is Dex saying, to Biana I assume, “I’m not even an Empath and I can feel the disappointment radiating from you.”

[choicesfanaf]

The Meeting of a Lifetime AU Part 4: One Year of Togetherness

Pairing: Ethan x f!MC (Arundhati Kulkarni)

Characters: Ethan Ramsey, Arundhati Kulkarni, Ruby Ramsey (OC), Uma Kulkarni (OC), Alan Ramsey

Word Count: 1581

Rating: General

Summary: Ethan and Arundhati meet after 15 years.

Category: Fluff

Tagging: @nooruleman, @sophxwithers, @schnitzelbutterfingers, @jooous, @red-rookie

A/N:

@nooruleman: Noorie, I am extremely thankful for your help, support and motivation. It was only because of you that I decided to write this series. You are a literal sweetheart. Thanks a lot for your help!

I sincerely apologise if this turns out to be messy or not up to your expectations.

On their first anniversary, Ethan and Arundhati decided to take Alan and the girls to the aquarium for a day of fun and relaxation.

'Who wants to go to the aquarium?', Arundhati burst into the living room, clearly excited, forming a plan in her head.

'Me! Me!', the girls shouted.

'Then let's start packing up! We're going to leave once grandpa is here.'

'Is grandpa coming with us?'

'Yeah, he is.'

'Then the trip is going to be even more fun, isn't it, Uma?'

'Yup!'

A few hours later, they were on their way to the aquarium, when Alan realised why they were going on a trip in the middle of the week.

'Happy Anniversary, my children. Forgive me, for I just remembered it right now.'

'That's fine, dad, all that matters is you wishing us', Ethan mentioned.

'Yeah, dad, don't worry much about it.'

'Are we there yet?', the girls asked, eager to reach the aquarium.

'No, kiddos, but we will reach there in half an hour.'

As soon as they reached, the girls started pulling their parents towards the entrance.

'Wait, girls, don't run, the aquarium isn't going anywhere!', Aru said, scared that they would slip and fall.

'Aru, don't worry, I'm right behind them.'

The girls were mesmerised by the vastness of the aquarium.

'This aquarium is huge!'

'I know. It has many floors. How cool is that!'

'Wow', Uma said, looking around, deciding where to go first.

'Where do you want to go first, girls?'

'To see the penguins and the octopus!'

'Okay, let's go.'

'Look, they are giving him toys.'

'He's coming out to get them!'

'Go buddy go, you can do it!', the girls cheered along.

'Good job, bud!'

'What are these spiky ball-shaped things here?'

'They are called sea anemones.'

'They are so small and cute! I love them!'

'I know, they are so colourful and pretty!'

'What are those cup-like things, dad?'

'Oh, they are the suction cups, sugar. Octopuses use them to feel and smell things.'

'That's so cool!'

'This was amazing! Let's go to the penguins next, mom!'

'Okay, chipmunk, let's go. Slow down, girls, there is no need to run. You might hurt yourself!'

'Look how cute they are, Uma!'

'I know, they look so cute flipping their arms around.'

'Look at that penguin hop!'

'It's so funny to look at.'

'There are so many of them... How many do you think they have, Uma?'

'I think around 90-100. What about you?'

'I think around 200..'

'But why are they shouting? They are hurting my ears..'

'Looks like they are talking to their friends!'

'Come on, let's go to that fish tank over there', Ruby pointed out.

'Wait, grandpa, why are the bottles present in that fish tank?', Uma observed.

'Oh......'

'Hello, I'm Stephen. How may I help you today?'

'Could you please answer some questions that the girls might have?'

'Sure! Ask away!'

Why are there bottles here?'

'They aren't your regular bottles, they are treasures!'

'Treasures, that's so fantastic! Are they pirates?'

'Who?'

'The people who run this aquarium..'

'Oh, sadly, that's not the case. But, the people who bring them, called divers, are similar to pirates.'

'How?'

'Sometimes, when searching for fishes, they find various beautiful objects, which they keep as a collection in this tank to make the fish comfortable and to let them feel as if they are still living in the sea.'

'That's amazing! They look so lovely.'

'Where do they come from?'

'They come from Eastport Maine. It is one of the old fishing ports of the USA.'

'Wow!!', marvelled Ruby.

'We only include natural materials and keep away materials like plastic as they can cause harm to the fishes.'

'Ohhhh'

'How do the fishes use these treasures?'

'Some of them use it for laying eggs, while some use it for hiding.'

'That's so awesome.'

'Do you have any more questions, girls?'

'Nope.'

'Okay, thanks Stephen, you helped us a lot.'

'No worries, it's my job.'

'Okay, who wants to have lunch?', Ethan asked as Stephen walked away from them.

'What are we going to have?'

'Let's go check the canteen!'

'Yes please, my stomach is rumbling', commented Aru.

After getting the kids what they wanted, Ethan and Aru were going to sit down, when Alan approached them.

'Don't you want to spend some time alone?'

'What do you mean, dad?'

'Isn't it your anniversary today?'

'Yeah'

'Then go, celebrate it privately.'

'How can we do it now?'

'I meant, after taking the kids home.'

'Don't worry, Dad, I already have something planned.'

'Care to tell me what it is?'

'Sure, but not in front of Aru.'

'So, are you ready to explore more?'

'Yeah!!'

'Do you want to see the seahorses next?'

'Yeah, let's go, grandpa.'

The girls were in awe of the seahorses.

'Look at the different colours of the seahorses! Some of them are pink, the others are purple. It looks so splendid!'

'Look at those baby seahorses, Ruby!'

'They look so cute!'

'Will they eat the small fish here?'

'No, sugar, they might eat the same food, but they won't harm each other.'

'Grandpa, what are they eating?'

'Wait a moment, chipmunk' he peered as close he could get, 'I can't say if it's exactly that, but it looks like shrimp to me.'

'Is this seahorse changing its colour, Ruby?'

'There might be a little bit of change. I wonder why...', the kids discussed amongst themselves.

'Wait, why are those big seahorses dancing?', Ruby asked, pointing to a pair of seahorses near the end of the tank.

'Chipmunk, you can look it up after we go home, okay? I'm sorry that there is no one here to answer your queries.'

'No problem, dad, I know it's not your fault.'

'Mom, I'm tired, can we go home now?'

'Are you sure, chipmunk? Don't you want to explore?'

'No, dad. I just want to go home and sleep.'

'What about you, Ruby?'

'I agree with Uma.'

'Okay, then, let's go home. But first, who wants to get some souvenirs?'

'Me! Me!', the kids shouted.

'Let's go then.'

Ethan waited outside while Alan and the girls went in to get what they wanted.

'So, what did you get, girls?'

'We did not want to get anything, dad.'

'Why may I ask?'

'It was too boring, and the same stuff, everything was printed with their logo. Nothing felt interesting.'

'Oh.. and what about you, dad?'

'I did not find anything that I liked.'

'I hope that's not a problem.'

'Not at all.'

'Good, let's get going, shall we?'

The girls were so tired that they crashed on their beds as soon as they reached.

Ethan and Aru used this golden opportunity to celebrate their anniversary.

'Happy Anniversary, darling.'

'Happy Anniversary, love. You are the best gift I have ever received in my life and every day I thank God that we met again after all.'

'Aru, my love, my life has changed for the best since I met you. You have made me a human capable of emotions simply by existing. I will truly never be able to thank you enough. You have made me the man I am today.'

'Ethan, you always know how to make me feel all warm and fuzzy.'

'I have a surprise for you.'

'What is it?'

'Let's go to the kitchen to find out.'

When they entered the kitchen, Ethan started playing a romantic track.

'Wow.. this looks magnificent, Ethan. The candles smell so lovely. When did you get the time to set all this up?'

'I have my ways.'

'Candlelight dinner with such beautiful roses and amazing tender music... who knew that the great Ethan Ramsey is such a romantic?'

'I think everyone started to know that after we started dating, Aru.'

'What do we have for dinner, sir?'

'Oh, we have chicken alfredo, vegetarian lasagna, chocolate cake and red wine.'

'That's a lot of food. How did you manage?'

'As I said, I have my ways.'

'Okay, Dr Terminator, keep your secrets, but I must say, it looks very tempting.'

'Thanks. You will never stop using that nickname, will you?', he asked.

'Never.'

'Good, I'm quite fond of it.'

'Mmmm... this is indeed heavenly. I've never had anything this good. You are an amazing chef, Ramsey.'

'Why, thank you.'

'The wine goes so well with both the chicken and the lasagna, great choices, Ethan.'

'I know, that's why I chose them.'

'I don't think I will be able to eat anymore, darling. I'm too full.'

'At least have a bit of the cake...'

'Okay, honey. But only a teeny weeny bit.'

'Sure.'

The girls walked in just as Ethan and Aru finished cleaning up.

'Hi girls, how was your sleep?'

'It was good. What's for dinner? I'm really hungry.'

'Chicken Alfredo, Veg Lasagna and Chocolate cake.'

'That sounds really delicious.'

'Thank dad for it, he is the one who made everything.'

'Wow, thanks, dad! When did you get the time to make all of this?'

'That's a secret, kids. But I can tell you tomorrow when mom is not around, okay?'

After cleaning up and tucking the kids into their beds, Aru and Ethan collapsed into their bed.

'Today was an amazing day, darling. Thanks a lot for everything. I love you.'

'Oh honey, thanks for everything, too. You are my everything. I wouldn't be here without you. I love you', he cuddled with her before dozing off to sleep due to exhaustion.

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Logan's Birthday (3/7)

-------------------------

Logan Atalanta was an odd variation of merfolk. Not in the physical sense, though, no, he was odd because he didnt seem to see the difference between merfolk and humans. Of course he recognized the obvious difference of humans having legs and merfolk having tails, but other than that they seemed almost the same. Though this had made finding friends. . . Difficult. . . To say the least. Not that Logan minded, that just meant he had more time to research the history between humans and mermaids.

But Logan had an even bigger secret, a secret that had a burn scar on the left side of his face, spoke with strings of words so sweet they could tug at Logan's heart with ease, a secret, that went by the name of Janus.

"Tell me another poem Jan, please?" Logan had his head resting in Janus' lap, Janus running his fingers through Logan's soft brown curls.

"Alright my lovely sapphire, one more, but I've really got to go soon," Janus said, pulling his poetry book back out and moving to the next poem. Logan closed his eyes and let the words flow through his head.

"Alright Lo, I really have to get going," Janus said, gently moving Logan's upper body back into the water.

"Are you sure?" Logan said sadly. Janus gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'll be back tomorrow my sapphire, dont worry," Janus said, running a hand along Logan's cheek before leaving. Logan lay there for a while, watching as Janus disappeared into the horizon, back to the nearby college.

"I just dont get it Logie, of all the men to go with you pick a human? I'm not saying you're wrong but- I just dont want you getting your heart broken," Logan had been talking with his brother Patton about Janus, again.

"Oh but Patton if you'd only meet him once! Hes just so- so-" Logan let out an elated squeal and held his arms close to his chest. Patton laughed slightly and went back to watching the seahorse that had decided to chase a swirl of bubbles around Patton's head.

"You're really smitten for this Janus fella hm?" Patton said, smiling.

"Maybe I am, and what of it?" Logan replied, rolling his eyes and setting his hand down on a nearby rock.

"But you know we're not allowed, you'll get caught eventually, I dont want you getting hurt over a boy," Patton replied sadly.

"That's rich coming from you," Logan muttered, Patton gave him an offended glare.

"Well I have Virgil now and we're very happy together, so I got over it," Patton replied, swimming out of the cave and leaving Logan alone. Logan felt a twinge of guilt, he hadnt meant the comment to sting, but he supposed he could see now how it wouldve hurt.

Then he heard a yell, a very distinct yell, almost like a hiss. He rushed up and out of the water, directly into a net.

"Thanks again for introducing us Janny, it'll look great dad's aquarium," a sneering voice said. Logan looked up, and there was Janus, the burn mark on his face bleeding a vivid red. Surrounding him were three other boys, and two girls.

"He. Isnt going in any aquarium," Janus said, attempting to reach the net that Logan had found himself trapped in, only to get shoved back by the two burly men in the back.

"Oh dont worry, you'll be able to see him whenever you want, provided you can spare a fifty or two," the boy at the front laughed and hopped into the boat, pulling the net containing Logan onto it. Logan began to trash in an attempt to capsize it, only to feel a sharp pain in his neck soon after.

"Good job son, a real mermaid, now this's make money, we'll need to slim it down before it can perform though, no one wants to pay to see that," Logan blinked as he heard voices, he had a sinking feeling in his gut. He felt sick, he wasnt sure what water he was in, but he was desperate to keep it out of his gills.

"Ah! Its awake!" He couldnt see, the water was a weird fuzzy blue color, all he could make out was dark figures at the front of it. He tried to reach the top of the tank, only to slam his full body into it. It stung, it stung so badly, like his entire body had needles through it.

"It cant see very well can it?" Said another voice.

"Explains why it thought Janus was so interesting," replied another voice. Logan rammed his body into the glass, he heard a crack. The room went silent.

He hit it again.

"Restrain it!" Someone yelled. Logan kept on charging into the glass, until finally, it shattered. Logan attempted to crawl out, he could feel things trying to claw at his tail,, could feel glass all around him. But he was fast, faster than he looked, and within moments he was flinging himself off of a balcony and into a pool of water below.

And at the bottom of that pool, tied to the grate, was none other than Janus. Logan couldnt see him, his eyes still felt fuzzy, but he could tell very clearly, from just the outline.

"Janus!" Logan rushed over to him, ignoring the quickened reddening of the water in favor of trying to free his lover. He dragged Janus to the surface, holding him close as he lay his upper body out, shoving Janus up to the surface. He blinked, once, twice, three times, until his vision cleared again. He struggled to pull himself all the way out, and tried his best to get the water out of Janus' lungs, but very quickly he noticed something very wrong.

Janus' legs were beginning to look not so separated.

And a few moments later, they were a pale yellow, with swirls of black throughout them. Logan screamed, a loud, guttural scream, mixed with a cry and a wail. He shook Janus, over and over and over until he blinked.

And then he awoke.

"I'm so sorry. . ." Logan buried his face in Janus' chest, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Theres no time for that now my sapphire, you're bleeding you poor darling, you need to get home," Janus seemed to slither away from the pool with ease, almost to much ease.

And then they were back in the ocean, Logan crying in Janus' arms, Janus whispering those same pretty words to him over and over.

They were together, yes, but the cost would haunt Logan for eternity.

----------------------------------------------

Tag list:

@thefivecalls

@willowaudreykeyes

@pricklyfish777

@the-sad-strawberry

@private-snippers

@extercs-experiences

@theonetruebeepboop

@mycatshuman

@teamplutoforlife

@melodiread

@meowthefluffy

@frawkeye

@cemmy

@nerosdayinhell

@thecolorfulolive

@frog-candy-bee

[punkrockmads]

Christmas Eve

I look over my shoulder, seeing my five year old daughter asleep in the backseat, her cheek pressed against the side of her carseat. I smile at the sight of her tiny blue plush seahorse held tightly in her little hand. I turn back around, glancing at my wife as she drives. I put a hand on her shoulder and she offers me a warm smile.

"Everything okay?" Yara asks, looking at me before quickly looking back at the road.

"Yeah." I nod, rubbing her arm. "Riley's asleep." Yara looks in the rearview mirror, a light chuckle escaping her lips.

"She couldn't go to sleep last night." Yara grins, lacing her fingers between mine. "Too excited."

"Yeah?" I bring Yara's hand to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "You should've woken me up. The song always works." I say, referring to the lullaby I've sung since Riley was little. "When was the last time they got to see her?"

"Let me think." Yara pauses with a sigh. "Ellie and Dina saw her last year and... I think Joel and Tess saw her when we first brought her home."

"Wait, what about your sister and Lev?" I ask. Yara and I had gone to visit her sister Abby and her family a few months ago. It's hard going out to visit family since we live in the mountains in Colorado and they live in Wyoming. Ellie, Dina, and JJ live just north on their farm. Abby and Lev live about an hour away from them. My father and mother are further out near the northern border of Wyoming on their own farm.

"That was about three months ago." Yara reminds me.

"Oh, that's right!" I chuckle. "God, sometimes I feel like I'm eighty instead of twenty two."

"Careful, you'll start sounding like your father." Yara teases.

"Oh, God." I groan. "You remember when he saw JJ for the first time and said 'I'm so fucking old'?

"Poor Joel." Yara and I laugh at the fond memory. "He's gonna be there right?"

"I think so." I nod. "He said he would be."

"Mommy?" The sound of Riley's adorable little voice makes me turn my head. Yara and I decided before we brought Riley home that I would be 'Mommy' and she would be 'Mama'

"Hm?" I respond, noticing her seahorse has fallen on the floor. I reach back to grab it, stretching toward it.

"Are we there yet?" Riley asks, her big brown eyes hazey with sleep.

"Almost, babygirl." I answer, handing her the stuffed seahorse.

Riley's almost a spitting image of Yara. When Yara and I were nineteen, I found a baby seat sitting near the dumpsters of the old apartment building we used to live in. At first, I thought nothing of it. But as I got closer, I noticed the carrier still had something in it. A very tiny baby who looked to be only a few months old. Yara and I rushed her to the hospital immediately, finding out she had been abandoned by her mother.

We stayed with her as often as possible. Friends and family would stop by to check on us. They'd try to get us to go home and get some rest. We just couldn't. Not with this precious little miracle here alone. I remember her sweet little laugh when she saw us walk in one day. She reached out for us. That's when we knew this little girl would be a very important person in our lives.

After months of being in the hospital, the baby was finally back to a healthy state. We found out later that she was about two years old and, after being immediately bonded to the girl, Yara and I decided to adopt our baby Riley. We had been married for only a year, but we always knew we wanted to have children. The day we brought Riley home from the hospital was one of the best days of our lives.

"I wanna see grandpa." Riley grins, kicking her little feet.

"You will in a bit, sweetheart." Yara says as I look forward. "Hey, look out the window. I think Aunt Ellie has the sheep outside." Riley gasps as she turns to look out the window, seeing all the sheep grazing around in their field. I watch her eyes light up, a lock of long black hair falling against her cheek. She stares at the sheep as we pull into the driveway. When Yara parks the car, I get out and go to get Riley out of her carseat. As I'm unbuckling her, I hear the front door of Ellie and Dina's home swing open.

"Aunt Ellie!!" Riley cheers, running to her as soon as her feet hit the ground. Ellie kneels down, arms wide open. Riley runs into then, almost making her fall over.

"Woah!" Ellie chuckles. "Look at you all dressed up!"

"Mommy picked my outfit." Riley says, showing off her sparkly red dress and black tights. "And Mama picked my shoes."

"Well..." Ellie picks Riley up, grinning. "Let's go get your moms and head inside. It's cold!" Ellie steps off the front porch, leaving footprints in the snow with her winter boots.

"Is grandpa here?" Riley asks as I pull her backpack as well as another bag out of the trunk. Yara grabs our suitcase, kissing me on the cheek as I close the trunk.

"Should be soon." Ellie assures, putting Riley down. I sling the backpacks over either shoulder before hugging Ellie with a tired sigh.

"It's so good to see you again." I say, happy to finally be able to visit my sister.

"It's good to see you guys, too." Ellie says, moving to give Yara a hug. "Let's head inside. It's gonna get really cold soon." Riley is already two steps ahead of us, making her way inside and running over to Dina. I follow Ellie and Yara inside, immediately noticing the beautiful Christmas decorations. Lights strung up around every doorframe, paper snowflakes of all different sizes taped to the wall and hung from the ceiling, family photos placed on every shelf, and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with a picture of Ellie, Dina, and JJ when he was just a baby resting nearly in the center.

"Beautiful as always, you two." I hum. "It looks even better than last year!"

"Hey, guys!" Dina calls, walking out of the kitchen with Riley on her hip. "Good to see you!" She hugs Yara and I while still holding Riley. "God, it's only been a year and you've gotten so big!" She laughs, smiling at Riley.

"I'm five now! I'm almost an adult!" Riley states matter of factly.

"You are so smart!" Dina laughs. "I hope you're not too grown up to play with JJ. He's only a year younger than you."

"Where is he?" Riley asks. Dina sets her down.

"I think he's in his room. Why don't you go up and see him?" Riley looks up at Yara and I, silently asking for permission.

"Go ahead! It's okay!" Yara assures and Riley runs off. "Be careful on the stairs, please!" Yara shouts after her. We watch Riley climb up the stairs, holding on to the railing just like I taught her. She's a bit too small to reach the actual rail itself so she clings to the siding. I set the bags down, taking Yara's coat off and hanging it up for her before doing the same with mine.

"Cute sweater, Mads." Ellie says as I pick up the bags.

"Thanks, I stole it from Yara." I laugh, glancing at the pale blue sweater I wore specifically because it belongs to my wife.

"God, you're like Dina!" Ellie chuckles. "She steals my clothes all the damn time!"

"I do not!" Dina cuts in, nudging Ellie.

"Whose flannel is that?" Ellie asks knowingly as she tugs on the sleeve of the pale grey flannel.

"....Yours." Dina groans, swatting Ellie's hand away. "Here. I can take your bags." She offers.

"Oh no, that's okay!" I assure. "Yara and I can take them to the guest room." Dina nods, squeezing Ellie's hand.

"Alright. I'm gonna go finish up dinner." Dina sighs. "Come help me, babe?" She asks Ellie.

"Course." Ellie smiles, following Dina into the kitchen. I head to the guest bedroom, Yara following close behind. The usual grey bedding has been replaced by a dark blue comforter with large white snowflakes and four matching pillows. A porcelain snowman sits on the nightstand beside the lamp. As I turn around to head back out, I bump into Yara.

"Oh!-" I'm about to apologize when she crashes her lips against mine in a hard, loving kiss. Her arms wrap around my waist, holding me close. My eyes close, arms moving to wrap loosely around her neck. She pulls away with a soft chuckle as I take a breath. She smiles at me, resting her forehead on mine as she tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. I place a hand on her warm cheek, feeling the way she leans into my touch.

"I love you, honeybee." Yara mumbles, pecking my lips once more.

"I love you too, my angel." I hum. "It's so nice to be able to spend Christmas with everyone this year."

"It is." Yara agrees. We stay there for a peaceful moment, enjoying the quiet before the front door opens again.

"Hello!" An old but familiar voice calls out. Dad! I kiss Yara once more, taking her hand and leading her back into the living room. My father stands at the door, taking his coat off. Ellie and Dina walk in from the kitchen. Ellie walks up to Dad, hugging him. "Hey, kiddo!" Dad greets. "This place looks amazing!"

"Thanks, dad." Ellie says as Dad hugs Dina. As soon as he lets go, I run up and hug him. I haven't seen him in four months when I came up to help him and my mom on their farm. I feel myself tearing up.

"How the hell did we get here before you?" I chuckle, sniffling a bit. "You live an hour away from here."

"It's good to see you too, babygirl." Dad laughs, patting my back. "God, y'all have grown up. Stop makin' me feel old."

"Where's mom?" I ask, watching him hug Yara.

"She's outside talkin' with Abby and Lev. Got here when we did." Dad explains. "Where are my grandkids?" Dad looks around, finding no sign of his grandchildren. "Riley! JJ!" Suddenly, we hear the sound of two pairs of feet running to the stairs.

"Grandpa!" Riley cheers, a wide grin on her face.

"Don't run down the stairs!" I warn, afraid she might get hurt. I look away when the door opens, Mom walking in followed by Abby and Tess. I look back a second later to see my daughter jumping from the middle stair. I gasp, getting ready to yell when Dad catches her. I let out a relieved sigh, looking to Yara to see she had the same reaction as me.

"Don't you scare your mamas like that again, peanut!" Dad chuckles, squeezing Riley and ruffling her hair as she giggles.

"Never again." Yara sighs as I take Riley from Dad.

"I'm sorry." Riley says, hanging onto my forearms. "I won't do it again."

"Good." I nod, adjusting her on my hip. "You're forgiven. Now go see grandma."

"C'mere, Jellybeans." Mom says, kneeling down to hug Riley and JJ. "You're both getting so big!!"

"Are your bags still in the car?" I ask, noticing my parents didn't have overnight bags.

"Yeah." Mom answers. "Hey, how are we gonna fit everyone in here tonight?" She asks, standing up and pulling her coat off.

"Yara and I are gonna sleep in the den with the kids." I answer, hugging my mother. "It's so good to see you guys." I hug Abby and Lev. "Hey, can you stop being taller than me?" I joke with Lev.

"I'm only taller by an inch." He laughs.

"Yeah, and I envy that." I laugh with him. "You're gonna stay out here with us right?"

"Like always." Lev nods as Yara pulls him into a hug.

"Missed you, loser." Yara teases, hugging her brother.

"Missed you too." Lev replies. "Let go, you're squishing me!" Yara laughs, letting go and offering to take her siblings' bags to one of the guest rooms.

"Nah, I got this." Abby says, grabbing their bags.

"Hey, Abby?" Dina calls. "Have you asked out that girl from the cafe yet?" Abby doesn't bother turning around, playfully holding a middle finger up in the air.

"I'm TRYING!" Abby laughs. "Not everyone is as confident as you, Dina!"

"Yeah, she's not as confident as you think." Ellie cuts in, grinning at Dina's teasing glare. Everyone jumps when the front door swings wide open.

"What's up, bitches?!" Manny screams, an exhausted Jesse following close behind. Manny is wearing one of the brightest green Christmas sweaters I've ever seen.

"LANGUAGE!!" Yara reminds him, gesturing to Riley who has found her way back into my dad's arms and JJ who clings to Ellie's leg as she walks around the house helping Dina and I get things set up.

"Right, sorry!" Manny apologizes, forgetting there are small children in the room. Jesse laughs, putting a hand on Manny's shoulder.

"I'm about to make this house a little less full if you use that language in front if my kid again, Emmanuel." I say, only half joking.

"Yes ma'am." Manny nods with a half smile.

"Okay, everyone's here!" Dina cheers, setting up a camera. "Let's take some terrible Christmas photos and then we can have a great time, yeah?"

As the day passes by, the snow outside falls, covering the ground and the rooftops in a cold, white blanket. Ellie's gotten all of the sheep back inside the barn with a little help from JJ. The two walk back inside. Well, JJ kind of waddles. His snowsuit is a tiny bit big on him.

"It's cold out there." Ellie shivers, helping JJ out of his snowsuit before taking off her coat and boots. She picks up JJ as Dina walks over, wrapping a blanket around the two of them and kissing Ellie. "Thanks babe." Ellie says as Dina ruffles JJ's hair.

Mom and dad sit on the couch, dad's arm wrapped around mom, Riley sitting on his lap playing with her seahorse. Dad talks to Riley about why her seahorse is blue while mom talks with Manny and Jesse about the cruise they plan on taking for Christmas. Yara, Lev, Abby and I gather around the dining table playing UNO since it's not a good idea to play Poker around Riley. She's very smart for her age but Yara and I both agreed that she shouldn't be around when games like that are played. We made that mistake already with Cards Against Humanity.

"UNO!!" Lev yells, setting a card in the pile. We all laugh at Abby's wide eyed expression.

"How-" Abby stutters. "I HAVE LIKE TWENTY CARDS!! YOU'RE CHEATING!!" We laugh louder at her frustration as she begins to laugh at herself.

"I'm not cheating!" Lev defends himself. "Mads, tell her I'm not cheating!"

"Oh, you're probably cheating." I tease him, setting another card down. "UNO, by the way."

"YOU'RE CHEATING, TOO!!" Abby yells, her and Lev laughing so hard their faces turn red.

"Maddy, stop cheating!" Dad jokes from the couch. Ellie hands a sleeping JJ to Jesse, sitting beside dad. Jesse holds his sleeping son close, Manny watching in awe beside him.

"Jesse, we need a kid." Manny mumbles.

"Absolutely not." Jesse chuckles, rubbing JJ's back. "This little guy is plenty." Manny grins, wrapping an arm around Jesse.

"Babe." Yara nudges me gently, pulling my attention back to the game. "Your turn." I take a split second to look at the pile of cards and then the card in my hand before slamming the card down.

"And, I just won!!" I cheer, standing up and raising my hands in the air.

"No!!" Lev yells. "I was cheating and I STILL lost?!"

"You WERE cheating!!" Abby yells back. "We're FAMILY!!"

"Alright." Dad sighs, standing up and picking up Riley. "I think it's time we show your mommy how it's done."

"Bring it, old man." I tease, waving him over. He chuckles, looking at Riley.

"Whaddya say, peanut?" He asks her as her eyes light up.

"Yes!" Riley nods, pulling on the sleeve of his grey flannel. Dad nods, carrying Riley over and sitting at the table with her in his lap.

"Hey, all of you are playing! Get over here!" Lev orders, looking around at everyone.

"I'm holding my sleeping son, Lev." Jesse points out, looking at JJ with a small grin.

"Oh, hang on!" Dina rushes off into the den, coming back with the baby wrap they got before JJ was born. She helps Jesse put it on, making sure JJ is secure as he sleeps soundly in his dad's arms. "Alright, let's play."

A little while later, Dad slams his last card down. "We won!!" He yells, Riley cheering along. Surprisingly, JJ stays sound asleep.

"BY CHEATING!!" Lev yells, making Riley giggle.

"Just because we beat you doesn't mean you can accuse us of cheatin'." Dad laughs. Everyone goes off to do their own things again while Ellie and I pick up the cards.

"Riley's so much like you." Ellie says, closing the game box.

"Yeah, it's scary." I chuckle, watching my daughter climb on Dad's back.

"Hey, crazy!" Riley says, using the nickname she's come up with for her grandpa. "Play a song?" Uh oh. How can you deny a cute little face like that?

"Alright, peanut." Dad agrees, standing up. "Here, you go to mommy while I grab Aunt Ellie's guitar." Dad hands Riley over to me, giving me a loving smile before heading upstairs to find Ellie's guitar. Dad taught both of us how to play guitar the minute we were big enough to hold one.

After hours of my father playing different songs and even being convinced by Riley to play the Other Father's song from Coraline while she and Manny danced to it, everyone is beginning to grow tired. Riley sits on my dad's lap, watching him play different chords to show her the sounds they make. My mother leans against him, her eyes closed as she silently listens to the twang of the guitar.

Manny and Jesse have left to get to their cruise after putting JJ in his bed, making sure to say goodbye to everyone and leave a few gifts for JJ and Riley under the Christmas tree. Dina and Ellie sit beside each other on the loveseat, Dina's legs resting in Ellie's lap as they mumble about anything that comes to mind. Abby and Lev sit in front of the TV watching The Walking Dead. Once Yara and I finish wiping off the kitchen counters, she takes my hand and guides me to the couch, sitting down beside my mother. She takes my other hand, pulling me onto her lap. I wrap my arms around her, resting my body against her and laying my legs across her lap. Riley looks over at us with a big smile, pushing past Dad's guitar and climbing over mom to get to us.

"C'mere, babygirl." I chuckle, opening my arms for her as she crawls into my lap.

"Did you have a good Christmas Eve?" Yara asks Riley before peppering her face with kisses. Riley giggles, using her tiny hands to try and push Yara's face away. She nods when Yara finally gives in to her protests, placing one last kiss on her forehead. I hold onto Riley's shoulder as she shuffles closer, leaning against me. She takes Yara's hand in her little one, lining their fingers up. I watch as she silently compares them, moving my hand to rest on her back. Dad continues to play quietly, stealing glances at the three of us with his usual "proud father" look. Yara runs her free hand through my hair, her head resting against mine. I can feel myself drifting off, the sound of a song dad always plays for mom bringing me familiarity from my childhood. My eyes close slowly as I rub my daughter's back, the sound of Dad speaking to Yara finally lulling me to sleep.

[ericsonclan]

Free the Fish!

Summary: Mitch and Brody go on their second date to the aquarium when Mitch decides to do something big to make Brody smile.

Read on A03:

“I’m so glad we were able to make it work to meet up today,” Brody’s bright voice had Mitch’s stomach doing somersaults within him. He felt utterly captivated by the feeling of her tiny hand in his. He was trying his best to take in everything she was saying as they made their way through the aquarium, but his heart was thumping so hard in his ears at the realization that they were actually on their second date that he sometimes forgot what he’d just heard.

Brody gasped excitedly, pulling Mitch along as she ran toward a cylindrical tank full of seahorses. “Look at all of them! Oh, they’re too precious!” Her eyes practically sparkled as she watched them drift around.

“Were there lots of seahorses where you grew up? In your…” Mitch paused as he realized he had no idea what a group of selkies would be called.

“In my rookery?” Brody shook her head. “The waters were too cold for them in the waters we frequented. I always thought they sounded so pretty though. Sometimes I’d wish we could live near a coral reef so I could witness all the different tropical creatures up close and in person. Then again…” She tugged her seal pelt closer around her shoulders, “I don’t know if that could compare to the peacefulness of the open expanses we swam in. A reef might end up being too busy for me with all the different creatures running around and bumping into each other,”

“Do you still miss it?” Mitch realized it was a stupid question as soon as he asked it, but he couldn’t take it back.

Brody seemed to consider it seriously though. “I mean, part of me will always miss it. It’s where I grew up. But my mom was right that I should learn to live in both worlds: on land as well as in the sea. And now that I’ve made friends here, it’s really become a second home,” The smile on her face at those words made Mitch’s heart melt. He could feel his tail curling against his leg. He hoped it wouldn’t weird her out if it accidentally brushed against her.

“Wanna go see the otters next? We did have those where I grew up. They’re super sweet, though they’re sort of food hogs,”

“Wherever you want to go,”

Brody paused, looking momentarily concerned. “You are having a good time, right? I know the aquarium isn’t exactly the most exciting place to go,”

“Are you kidding? I love it here! Fish, sharks, I love all that shit. And I mean shit in like a positive sense,” Mitch quickly amended, growing flustered.

“I’m glad,” Brody’s hand in his was warm as they continued along the walkway, flanked by enormous aquarium walls on each side.

As they passed a small crowd standing in front of the octopus exhibit, Mitch noticed a mother reflexively pull her child closer to her. It sort of hurt, but at the same time he couldn’t blame her.

Growing up as a minotaur, he’d gotten used to being perceived as a threat. The looks that annoyed him more were the ones he’d seen peers his own age giving him and Brody throughout the day. Brody could almost pass as human if not for the seal pelt round her shoulders, but Mitch could never hope to blend in. His horns and tail were a dead giveaway. Everyone knew that human-monster relationships did exist, but they were extremely rare. Still, what he and Brody were to each other was their own damn business.

I wonder if Brody knows what we are, Mitch mused as he followed her. I mean, we both agreed that the thing at the coffee shop was a date, but what does that make us now? Two dates in is too early to put a label on things, right? In truth, he wouldn’t mind calling Brody his girlfriend, even if it was fast. He’d had a thing for her ever since he’d caught sight of her big blue eyes that day she helped him free his horns from the hallway wall. But he wanted to be considerate of Brody’s feelings too. Calling her his girlfriend too early might scare her off and that would fucking suck.

They’d reached the aquarium with the otters. Brody sat down on one of the provided benches excitedly, scooting over further so Mitch could sit with her. She looked happy as the show started, watching the otters perform all their tricks, diving into the water or high fiving their trainers for treats. As the show continued though, a more serious, pensive look came across her face.

“Is the show boring you?” Mitch asked. “We can leave if you want,” He was enjoying it, but if Brody was uncomfortable, he was more than happy to head out.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I guess I feel a sort of connection with these particular otters,”

“How’s that?”

“They ended up here at the aquarium for a variety of reasons, but none of them actually volunteered to live here. They were all placed here by humans who figured they knew what was best for them. Who knows if these otters have spouses or children they were forced to leave out there alone? Sometimes it feels like that’s how I ended up at Ericson High too. I didn’t want to leave the sea, but my dad wanted to start raising me more like a human and my mom agreed it would be a good learning experience. Not that I’m mad I’m here now, but still it would’ve been nice to have a say in the matter,”

Mitch wasn’t sure what to say to that. He’d never exactly been the most eloquent with words and he didn’t want to say something that would end up hurting Brody rather than helping. Instead, he settled for patting her shoulder a few times before his hand came to rest there. He felt too self-conscious to draw it back and Brody seemed to be fine with it, so he let his hand rest there till the show came to an end.

Once it was over, Brody rose to her feet, looking around them. “I think there’s an outdoor section to the aquarium as well. Would you like to visit it?”

“Sounds cool,” Mitch walked alongside Brody, wondering if he should reach for her hand again. It had taken all of his guts to do it the first time. He didn’t know if doing it again would be too much. He was surprised when he felt something warm brush against his hand and realized Brody was reaching for it. He grasped hers eagerly, hoping he hadn’t surprised her too much with his eagerness. When he looked down at her she seemed happy though, almost peaceful. He was glad.

The first exhibit they came across was actually one with birds: a lorikeet forest. They walked through it hand in hand, joking and pointing out preening and flying birds to compare to their harpy friends Minnie and Sophie. There was a station in there which sold some sort of sugar water that the lorikeets liked to drink. It didn’t cost much so Mitch bought two cups. He ended up giving them both to Brody so he could get pictures of all the birds as they flocked to drink from the cups she held. A few birds landed on Mitch’s horns too, prompting Brody to set aside her cups temporarily so she could capture the moment on her phone. Mitch felt a little embarrassed by the whole thing, but it was worth it to see Brody’s smile.

Eventually they found themselves at the open tank exhibits. There were several pools of water raised only a few feet high so that children could look over into the water and observe horseshoe crabs and manta rays swim round. More adventurous youngsters could even run their fingers tentatively across the surface of the creatures’ backs. Brody and Mitch walked amongst the pools, looking into each one.

“These poor guys must be tired,” Brody noted with a sympathetic smile. “I know it would drive me crazy is every five minutes I had hands coming out of nowhere, poking at me while I’m minding my own business,”

Mitch nodded thoughtfully. It was a similar sentiment to the one Brody had shared back at the otter exhibit. Here were more creatures minding their own business when nosy humans had to come along, drag them away from their homes and use them for their own personal amusement. It wasn’t fair. In fact, it fucking sucked. Maybe it was time somebody did something about it.

Looking around, Mitch noticed they were near the sea lion exhibit. Ideally, he’d break them all out since he figured seeing them captive felt like seeing relatives behind bars to Brody. But he knew that would get shut down pretty fast. Security around them was intense. He did notice a few buckets though that had been left out by trainers after the last show. Normally they held snacks for the sea lions, but right now they were empty. Mitch could feel the gears turning in his head as they made their way over to them.

“Well, I think we’ve seen almost everything. Ready to call it a day?” Brody turned to him with an easy smile.

“In just a sec. First, there’s something I have to do,”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“This,” Without another word, Mitch grabbed one of the chum buckets, racing back to the open aquarium pools. He thrust the bucket into the water, scooping up as many horseshoe crabs as he could in one go. “Free the fish!” he yelled, laughing maniacally as he ran toward the exit. He would find these horseshoe crabs a new, better home as soon as he figured out where the fuck their natural habitat was. This was for Brody. He hoped she was watching.

----

“Well, that certainly was something,” Brody said softly as the two of them walked out the aquarium’s front doors.

“I didn’t even get 100 yards before they fucking tackled me,” Mitch groaned, rolling his neck and hearing a series of pops. “At least they caught the bucket before it fell on the pavement,”

“It was a very sweet gesture,” Brody smiled up at him brightly. “A bit crazy, but your heart was in the right place,” Mitch smiled down at her. “I just wanted to see you happy. I knew seeing all those sea creatures in captivity sort of bummed you out. At least I didn’t get you banned for life from the aquarium though,”

“We’ll find other aquariums to go to,” Brody replied, playfully nudging his arm. “You’re picking the location for our next date,”

A goofy grin spread across Mitch’s face. “There’s going to be another date?”

“Of course! What, did you think that getting beat up by aquarium security was going to scare me off?” Brody’s expression softened. “I know I’ve talked a lot today about missing home, but the truth is if my mom came here tomorrow and told me I was leaving, I’d be sad about that too. I’d miss Willy and Ruby and Clem an awful lot… but I think I’d miss you the most of all, Mitch. I could travel through all the world’s oceans and I don’t think I’d ever find anyone quite like you,”

Mitch felt his face heating up at her words. “I think you’re totally awesome, Brody. Like, the best,”

Brody seemed somewhat flustered by his words. “Thanks, Mitch. I-I think you’re the best too,”

As they made their way to the truck to drive back home, Mitch felt a happiness deep inside him that he’d never experienced before.

Brody was special. If he could, he wanted to keep her by his side for a long, long time.

[andrea-lyn]

For RNM prompts, I don't know if you do mpreg (I usually don't but...) so if you do maybe a prompt of Michael doing the "oh shit I got knocked up and I am a total disaster and an Airstream is no place to raise a baby and also the other dad isn't quite in the picture what is my damn life". Maybe someone like Kyle actually being awesome or Max trying to be brotherly while also uncomfortable or Liz going total Tia about it all or Iz being a bit jealous since she wants kids or stuff like that.

“You need to stop drinking.”

Michael scowls as he reaches over to try and take back his glass of whiskey, using it to salute Liz. “Nice to see you too, Ortecho. Can you save the judgment for after I’ve had a few?”

“No,” she says sharply and reaches over to grab the glass back. There’s a wild look in her eyes, but Michael writes it off as the usual panic that comes when something weird is happening. “Stop drinking and come with me.”

She’s being just weird enough that Michael’s intrigued by whatever the hell is happening and tells Maria to watch his drink before he follows Liz outside to the alleyway, wondering what she could possibly have to tell him that needs this kind of privacy. He gestures around them, trying to coax her on.

”Well?” Michael demands. “What is it?”

“You’re pregnant.”

Michael rolls his eyes, because it figures that this would be the bullshit she tries to pull with him. “I get it, I drink too much, Isobel put you up to it.”

“No, Michael,” Liz reiterates, her voice sounding panicked and tight. “One of the blood samples you gave me looked weird, so I had Kyle look at it and you’re pregnant,” she hisses. “And we have no idea what your internal system looks like because you all refuse to get tested, which means you could have the necessary organs or you might have some kind of pouch, like some weird alien seahorse.”

This night is getting so much worse than Michael ever thought it could be.

“Did you just call me a fucking seahorse?”

“You’re pregnant, I could call you a lot worse,” she insists. “You’re about three months along, so, who were you getting busy with three months ago? It could be a woman too,” Liz points out. “If you are like a seahorse…”

“Again with the fucking seahorse…”

“Then it could have been an egg that did this.”

“No need to comb Roswell like this is the weirdest Bachelor ever,” Michael assures, grimacing. Three months places this right after the reunion and there’s only one person he’d been sleeping with on the regular three months ago.

It just so happens to be the same person who wants to be friends and just found out all his secrets and needed time. If he’d needed time when he saw an alien spaceship, then what the hell is Alex going to do when he finds out he helped father an alien baby.

“Did you tell him?”

“Great,” Michael mutters, when Kyle arrives on the scene, as if LIz has summoned him with some unknown weird human annoyance power. “You had to have him test my blood, didn’t you?”

“You need to start coming in for checkups,” Kyle says, and Michael feels a twist in his stomach for how excited he sounds about this revolutionary thing that’s happening. “I’ll prescribe you a bunch of vitamins and Liz already told you about the drinking…?”

“Yup,” she agrees proudly. “I’m gonna be Tia Liz, that baby is getting protected from the get go and if you drink enough to make it come out three-eyed…”

“Hey!” he shouts, loud enough that some of the other drunks in the Pony parking lot look their way, which means that Michael’s gonna need them to find privacy real fast, before someone can start a rumor about this weird situation. “I’ll come in, but no official paperwork,” he warns both of them.

“You’re keeping it?”

“Who the hell knows how to do an abortion on an alien,” Michael says, with a grim scoff. “Besides…” It’s Alex’s kid, it’s his kid, and who knows if he’ll ever be able to have a kid normally? Who knows if he’ll ever want to. “Look, as far as I know, there’s three of us left. Let’s just leave it at repopulating the human-alien hybrid race.”

Because obviously, he’s not about to sleep with Max or Isobel to creation a pure alien lineage. That’d just be weird.

It brings him to his next very important rule. Neither of them have asked about the father, but they both look shifty and god knows both of them have given him and Alex shit about their on-off thing for months, so he doesn’t think he’s leaping very far to assume they know who knocked him up.

“No one tells Alex,” Michael warns both of them. It’s bad enough they all know and are so excited about it, but he doesn’t need them going to Alex when they’re broken up. “I’ll tel Max and Isobel, but…he can’t know. That’s the last thing he needs on his plate right now.”

After all, when you’re starting over and trying to figure out what you are to each other, “father to my alien baby” isn’t exactly the way to go. So he’ll just be a single father and raise a baby in an airstream and oh god, this is going to go so badly, isn’t it?

From the excited look on both Kyle and Liz’s faces, he’s the only one who thinks so.

*

He should have known that things were going to explode when Isobel and Liz decided to throw him a baby shower. Isobel looks like she’s not sure about it and Michael doesn’t blame her. He really hadn’t expected to get himself knocked up, so carrying around a human-alien hybrid in his stomach isn’t great. Though, he keeps reminding Isobel that he’s the guinea pig.

“If the kid’s a freak, it’s not like I care,” he points out. “It’ll just run in the family. Then, you’ll know, one way or the other.”

Liz, on the other hand, has been bubbling with excitement since she gave him the news. She sends him articles on pregnancy health, tips on exercising while pregnant, and she’s even managed to get Max to help out, offering healing hands, massaging his aching back, and a whole slew of things that Michael can’t believe his brother is doing.

He really should have said no to the baby shower, though.

It’s five months into the pregnancy and Michael has had to start wearing baggy sweaters to prevent people from getting wary. It’s been two months since anyone saw Alex, who’d left to make sure that Jesse Manes was going to stay out of the picture longer than this assignment, and the chaos of the baby shower has made everyone forget one very pertinent detail.

Alex’s flight gets back in.

Michael hasn’t kept track because their last email had been awkward and terse, with Michael not knowing how to talk to the father of his kid. Alex hadn’t done his part either. None of the others had planned to pick him up from the airport, so when all the guests are at the Airstream for the shower and Michael is in the middle of one of his panic attacks, it just seems so right.

Everything had been fine, right up until someone had given him a crib. That’s when things had gone off the cliff.

“Where the hell am I going to put the thing? It’s an Airstream, it’s barely enough to fit me, how the hell am I going to raise a kid in here? How am I gonna raise a kid?” Michael’s freaking out, and things are beginning to float until Isobel reaches over to squeeze his wrist, a reminder to behave. “I’m no shape to be a father, I don’t even know if I’m a fucking seahorse, or how this thing is inside me and I’m definitely gonna fuck up this fatherhood thing.”

That’s when things slide from bad to worse.

“What fatherhood thing?” That’s Alex, stepping out of his jeep on the driveway. He’s looking around for an explanation, but no one other than Michael is wiling to make eye contact with him.

The silence around them could kill. Strangely, completely against all common sense, it’s Valenti who steps in between Michael and Alex, like he’s a bouncer and not a doctor. “Easy, Alex,” he warns. “Michael’s already freaking out, it’s bad for the …”

Everyone exchanges awkward looks and Michael knows this secret isn’t going to last much longer. Facepalming, he decides it’s time to face the awful music, which is fine. He’s already having a panic attack, he might as well just tell Alex and have every terrible thing happen at the same time.

“Inside,” Michael says, pointing a finger at the rest of the guests. “Leave your presents at the doorstep, and get gone.”

He feels like he can’t breathe when he’s inside. Everything has hit him so fast, but now that it has, he can’t escape it. He’s a single father who’s about to raise his kid in a trailer, he’s that guy, and now he’s standing with the kid’s father and trying to figure out how to tell him about it.

In the end, he decides on a Michael Guerin special, raising up his sweater to reveal the very telling baby bump, patting it twice. “I guess we should have thought a little harder about condoms,” is what he says, because every though their tests were clean, Michael really didn’t think he’d had to worry about freak alien babies. “Congrats, you knocked me up.”

Alex’s eyes have widened to an almost comical degree, staring at Michael’s stomach.

“You…”

“Don’t worry,” Michael cuts him off, not wanting to give Alex the impression that he did this on purpose or that he somehow wants support. “I’m gonna figure out how to do this on my own. Fuck knows how, but I got Max being weirdly supportive and Liz is all crazy about being an aunt and once Iz gets over her issues, I’m sure she’ll fall in line. God knows Valenti is shocking me with…”

He’d keep rambling, but he doesn’t get a chance.

Alex steps into his space and kisses him so hard that he gets pressed against the kitchen cabinets of the Airstream as Alex cups his cheeks and holds him there. It’s a possessive kiss, one that’s claiming Michael more than it’s doing anything else, and when Alex backs off, his palm is rubbing circles on Michael’s stomach.

The baby’s gone quiet with shock. Michael knows the feeling.

“You’re not raising it alone,” is what Alex has to say, and though he looks unsure, those words are firm. “We’ll figure it out.”

*

Four months later, Hope Guerin is born via a truly embarrassing c-section in a hospital wing during the early hours of the morning. She has Michael’s hair, but those eyes are all Alex Manes. Michael is still freaking out about how this is all going to work, but as Kyle works to sew him back up, Alex has a look on his face like he’s ready to take control of the situation.

“Hey,” Michael mumbles, feeling drowsy and tense for having been on an operating table. “She got ten fingers and ten toes?”

“Yeah, but she’s this weird green color…”

Michael narrows his eyes at Alex, who’s hiding his smirk in his palm.

“Get that baby in my arms and get my fiance out of here,” Michael announces to the OR at large, and he knows he’s managed to get Kyle Valenti in his pocket when the man actually listens to him and tells Alex that he’d better behave or he heard the man.

Cradling little Hope to his chest, Michael tilts his head to the side as he smiles warmly at her. “Hey, little seahorse,” he greets. “I’m probably gonna end up fucking up so may times,” he admits, and he’s already started given Max’s displeased look at the profanity. “Guess what, though. You got a whole family ready to make sure that I don’t fail. Welcome to the world, Hope. There’s a whole bunch that makes it worth living.”

He’d only just realized some of it, but he plans on teaching Hope about all of that from the get-go.

[ak47stylegirl]

Rising Phoenix

Chapter 2 

Okay, here’s chapter two, the first chapter is here and I hope you enjoy! I’m sure having fun writing it 😆

John pov.

He sat in a not so comfy chair, Virgil and Gordon leaning against him, seeking comfort. 

He wasn't the one that usually does the hugging stuff but Scott was busy with dad and the police, so that left the job of comforting their little brothers to him, he thought as he watches dad and Scott talk with the police.

"Okay, where was the last place and time you saw alan?" the security guard asked Scott as he looked through the security footage.  

"it was around eleven thirty, near the seahorse tank," Scott said.

"is that him?" the security guard asked, the footage showing Alan with Scott, Gordon, Virgil and himself.

"yes, that's him" Dad answered.

They watched as something in one of the other tanks caught Alan's attention, causing the 8-year-old to wondered off.

Oh allie, why do you have to be so curious all the time? He thought frowning. Why didn't they notice? Why didn't he notice?

The footage switched to another camera, following Alan.

Alan stopped suddenly, looking around like he just realised they weren't there.

Oh, allie, he thought watching Alan's face, he looked so scared.

Alan started looking for them, only to wander farther away from them in the process.

And to make matters worse, the area that Alan had wandered in to was unpopulated.

He went stiff when he spotted someone, walking up behind Alan; Alan didn't seem to notice, not until the man was right behind him, and at that point, it was too late.

He watched in agony as the man grabbed Alan, putting a cloth over Alan's mouth and nose, effectively muffling Alan's screams. Alan struggled for a bit before going limp in the man's arms, unconscious.

They watched as the man walked out of the aquarium with his little brother, meeting another man at a car and drove away, nobody stopping him.

“what the fuck” he uttered, not believing his eyes. why did nobody stop him?!

“John! language!” 

Alan pov.

He sat in the back of a car, tied up while his kidnappers talked outside the car, waiting for someone. They didn’t realise he was awake yet, and he did not want them finding out.

He trying with all his might not to cry or shake in fear, but it was a losing battle. He...he really wants his brothers, he was scared…. What were they going to do with him?

“I don’t care whose son he is! We’re selling him, that’s final!” the big muscular man yelled, making him scream in fear before he could stop himself.

Oh, no, no, no! He thought as they turned to look at him.

He flinches back as one of the men opens the door, it was the less muscular one, he was wearing a gold chain around his neck.

“St-stay back!” he said, tears running down his cheeks against his will.

“Ah, look at that, he’s crying,” the less muscular man said with a grin, looking at his partner.

“Ha, he’ll do a lot more of that where he’s going” the big muscular man laughed. “Now get him out, they’re here.”

He squealed, trying to get away as he was forcibly pulled from the car.

“Let me go!” he cried, wiggling in the man’s hold “L-let me go! Let me g-”

“Shut up, or that be the last thing you say!” the big muscular man said, pointing a gun at his head.

He froze, staring at the gun.

“Good, now make sure he stays quiet,” the big muscular man said to his partner.

Four cars pulled up around them, a lady got out of the first car, followed by bodyguards.

“I see you got the new specimen?” The lady asked.

“Ah yes, he’s a small one, but I assure you he’ll grow,” the big muscular man said, talking like he was livestock, not a human boy. “He’ll be perfect for your experiments-”

“Do not speak of my work! You know nothing of it!” the lady snapped, “I’ll see for myself if he is worthy of the money you are asking for him.”

The lady grabbed his face, her fingers digging into his cheeks.  “Hmmm, good facial structure though he’s young-”

“Get away from me!” he said, shaking her hand off, which he regretted a second later as she slapped him right across the face, making him cry out.

“Firey one he is,” the lady said, retaking hold of his face, “hmmm, firey? Yes, he’ll be perfect, put him in the car.”

“First our money, then you get the kid,” the big muscular man said.

The lady gestured to one of her men, who handed over a briefcase to the big muscular man.

“It’s all here,” the big muscular man said to his partner, who handed him over to one of the lady’s men “It was nice doing business with you, lady.”

He was thrown in a cage like a thing in the back of the lady’s car, the door slamming shut, leaving him alone.

He curls into a ball, sobbing. He w-w-wanted h-home! How could today go so wrong? If only he didn’t wander off, he would be with his brothers right now, but no, he was here, scared beyond measure, his cheek hurting….

he startled as he heard two gunshots outside the car, before one of the car doors opened, the lady getting in.

“Make sure all evidence of us being here is gone by morning,” the lady said to her driver. “And ready the plane.”

[lordofthebigtimesupernatural]

Hey, would you write Keith getting an accidental haircut because of Lance? I'll leave the circumstances up to you! Thank you!

Well, after that last angst fest, this one was so happy to write. I had so much fun with it and I hope you were excited for some Uncle Kuro with Lance. The two of them together is recipe for disaster. Thanks nonny for the prompt! Enjoy!

x.V.x

              “Actually, I think this is a bad idea,” Shiro stated, turned around in the door. He saw Keith beam at Shiro before launching himself back into Shiro’s arms.

              Behind Keith, Kuro and Lance both sighed dramatically. Lance shook his head, pretending to scowl at Shiro while Kuro rolled his eyes. Just as Keith was cuddling into Shiro’s neck, Kuro had plucked the four-year-old out of Shiro’s arms and into his. Keith pouted for a brief second at the loss of contact with his dad but settled for his uncle. Eventually, he squirmed to get down, before toddling after Lance with a grin.

              Shiro looked betrayed at how quickly Keith had forgotten about him.

              “Oh stop with that pitiful look Takashi.” Kuro snorted, smacking Shiro by the shoulder. Shiro yelped and grabbed his arm before pouting, in a similar to fashion to Keith’s pout. Kuro was beginning to realize where Keith was learning all of his pouts from.  

              That’s dirty Takashi.

              “Keith will be fine with me,” Kuro said, trying to shove his twin brother out of the front door. Shiro struggled and looked over Kuro’s shoulder to see Keith already playing with Lance in the living room. “Lance’s mother – who is not my twin brother might I remind you – trusts her son with me, so you should trust yours with me.”

              Kuro hadn’t meant to sound anything other than playful or sarcastic, but at the guilty look on Shiro’s face, he knew he probably wasn’t. He didn’t mind that Shiro didn’t trust Keith alone with Kuro when he trusted Keith alone with people that Shiro didn’t know his whole freaking life. Like Allura.

              Nope, Kuro wasn’t upset at all.

              Okay, maybe a teeny-tiny bit.

              “Kuro, no, it’s not that I don’t trust you.” Shiro tried to explain, causing Kuro to sigh. He really didn’t want to have this conversation with his brother right now. He’d been having this conversation for two years now. Kuro are you okay? Kuro do you need to see someone? Kuro are your nightmares getting better? Kuro you shouldn’t live alone.

              “I get it baby brother,” Kuro grinned when Shiro rolled his eyes at the nickname. “I wasn’t around a lot to be the big honorary babysitter but I think Keith isn’t gonna get hurt for an hour while you’re gone. I can handle these things you know?” Kuro knew that was a bit harsh, it wasn’t Shiro’s fault or Kuro’s fault that Kuro had missed two years of Keith’s life, and still wasn’t around as often due to therapy and work.

              “Kuro that wasn’t your fault,” Shiro said tightly, gripping Kuro’s shoulders in a fierce grip. Kuro really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. “You’re literally Keith’s favorite uncle,”

              “I’m his only uncle.”

              “And he loves you so much after two years. Keith doesn’t open up to people like that, but he did for you! And I trust you. You should know that.” Shiro said, staring down Kuro until Kuro looked away like a scolded child. “I trust you with my life – with Keith’s, but it’s hard for me to leave Keith alone. Especially this long. He’s my baby.”

              Kuro finally managed to smile at Shiro, as he felt the conversation steer away from where Kuro really didn’t want to go. “Eh, he’ll be fine. But the longer you wait here, the longer you’ll have to keep your baby from his daddy. Now get going! It’s only two days.”

              Shiro chuckled and shook his head. “Alright. Alright. I expect phone calls every three hours or so.”

              “No way. You’ll get them when I remember to call you.”

              “Or else I will be calling you every single hour and if you don’t think I won’t then you better ask mom about the Sleepover of ’09.” Shiro warned with eyes narrowed and smile gleaming. Kuro shuddered knowing full well that the smiles Shiro gave him now were not happy smiles, but threatening smiles. “And I promise to make your life a living hell.”

              Kuro swallowed. Papa Shiro is scary.

              “Thanks for doing this brother! I expect a call by noon!” Shiro waved cheerfully and got into his car. Kuro was still standing in the doorway by the time that Shiro had driven away. By then Lance and Keith had decided to join Keith’s uncle in staring at nothing.

              “Keith, if your uncle is broken, should we get a new one before Daddy Shiro gets back?” Lance finally asked and Keith shrugged.

              “No, but we should go eat.”

x.V.x

              “Alright, so what game should we play before bedtime!” Kuro clapped his hands once dinner was put away and the kitchen cleaned up. He glanced at the clock to see that it was about 7:30 in the evening. He thought that 8 was way too early for a bedtime, but he wasn’t about to face Shiro’s wrath if he let Keith stay up even a minute later.

              “Bedtimes are for babies! We should stay up forever and eat candy.” Lance moaned, flopping onto the couch. Kuro snicked at the kid and high-fived him for his spirt. Keith merely glared at the two and both Lance and Kuro shivered under the glare. That was all Takashi right there.

              “No. Bedtimes are routine and routine is good. You need to sleep or else you’ll be stupid.” Keith announced, causing Lance to gasp dramatically. Kuro laughed and then high-fived his nephew.

              “He’s got a point there.” Kuro nodded. Lance grabbed his chest and looked positively outraged at the response. This earned a giggle from Keith and Kuro scooped his nephew into his arms.

              “Stop switching sides!” Lance whined.

              “Sides? I’m not switching sides at all.” Kuro said innocently, earning a giggle from Keith. He grinned, tickling his nephew’s sides before Lance dramatically dropped his body onto the both of them. Kuro huffed at the weight on him before shifting Lance and Keith.

              “I wanna play barber!” Lance suddenly announced, almost knocking his head into Kuro’s chin. Thanks to fast reflexes from his time in the army, Kuro jerked his chin away just in time to miss a painful hit. He held Lance at arm’s length from himself by the armpits, watching Lance squirm excitedly.

              “Barber? That’s boring!” Keith whined and Kuro was almost inclined to agree.

              “No! You need a haircut and I can be the barber that cuts that atopticy.” Lance argued, crossing his arms over his chest, still away from Kuro and Keith. Keith rolled his eyes but Kuro looked amused at Lance.

              “Atrocity?” Kuro provided, causing Lance to nod vigorously. He gazed down at Keith’s hair, before frowning. He didn’t think it was too awful.

              “Sure, that sounds like fun,” Kuro shrugged and set Lance down. Lance cheered loudly, while Keith grumbled, before racing to his backpack and returning with a set of scissors. One of Kuro’s eyebrows rose. “But only if Keith can give you a haircut,” Kuro said, earning a wicked grin from Keith. For a moment, Lance’s eyes widened and he clutched the scissors to his chest.

              “And no real scissors.” Kuro added.

              “Duh,” Lance rolled his eyes as if Kuro was stupid. “These are pretend scissors since I’m pretending to be a barber. They don’t cut anything, mommy says.”

              “Great!” Kuro clapped his hands. “I’ll make some popcorn and we can take turn getting haircuts!”

x.V.x

              “Keith, honey, it doesn’t look bad at all!”              

              It looked bad.

              So, so bad.

              Like terrible.

              “It’s cute! You look fine.”

              “No, it doesn’t! I look like an ugly seahorse!” Keith screamed from where he was hiding under his bed. Now that image was stuck in Kuro’s head forever and he realized that his nephew did in fact, look like an ugly seahorse.

              “No, no. You look wonderful!” Kuro promised from where he was kneeling at the edge of Keith’s bed. That’s a big fat lie and he knows it. Kuro had only turned his back for sixty seconds in order to make popcorn and when he’d returned, Lance had cut off several inches of Keith’s hair, except right along the middle. That part was still fairly long while the rest of his hair was much shorter.

              Kuro had screamed and demanded to know why Lance was actually cutting Keith’s hair. Which caused Keith to scream and feel his hair before crying under the bed. Then Lance had started crying because he was four-years-old and he thought he was pretending to cut Keith’s hair. Then Kuro was dealing with two crying toddlers and he wanted to cry too.

              “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Lance said, close to tears yet again.

              “Lance, it’s okay. It was an accident.” Kuro sighed tiredly. Shiro and Mama McClain are going to kill me. “I should have double checked that they were fake scissors.”

              “Yeah! Then my hair wouldn’t be ugly!” Keith sniffled from under his bed.

              “Keith, I said I was sorry! It looks fine and we can fix this.” Kuro pleaded, kneeling down to peak under the bed. Keith had managed to curl himself all the way under and into the furthest corner away from Kuro. Normally Kuro would have been impressed but he was worried that Keith was going to make himself sick under the bed in the position that he was in.

              “I liked it long! I like touching it and grabbing it!” Keith cried and Kuro swallowed thickly. He remembered Shiro mentioning Keith having these techniques of calming himself down or things that he often absently did. His hair must have been something that helped Keith and Kuro felt worse than before.

              “I’m sorry Keith, I promise it’ll grow back.”

              “Daddy’s gonna be mad.”

              Ah.

              Kuro laid himself flat on his stomach so that he could see under the entire bed. Keith sniffled for a few more minutes before looking over in surprise upon seeing Kuro under the bed. Kuro smiled before he reached a hand towards Keith.

              “I promise your daddy won’t be mad,” Kuro said softly as Keith finally grabbed his hand. At you, at least.

x.V.x

              Kuro could see Shiro’s eye twitching.

              Slowly he inched towards the door.

              Shiro circled Keith once more and this time his lip twitched.

              Kuro reached for the door.

              “Kuro.” Kuro, Lance, and Keith froze. Shiro smiled at the three of them, and Kuro wanted to cry. That’s not a smile. “What. Happened. To. My. Baby’s. Hair?”

              “Um, well, you see, it’s a funny story.” Kuro rubbed the back of his head nervously. Shiro inched closer to him and Kuro swallowed. “Team-Shiro-Is-Too-Scary…RUN!” Kuro suddenly yelled, startling Shiro. Keith and Lance shrieked with laughter when Kuro had scooped the two of them up into his arms and then bolted out the back door. The two kids laughed happily as they swung in Kuro’s arms, while Kuro was actually desperately running for his life.

              Behind him, he could hear the powerful footsteps of an angry father bent on revenge.

              “Kuroooooooooooooooo!”

              Kuro only ran faster.

x.V.x

              Kuro was not pouting. No way.

              “Don’t worry uncle Kuro, now we match!” Keith grinned as he happily bit into his ice cream sandwich. Kuro was definitely not pouting now, especially when his nephew was adorable.

              He looked over in the mirror, still not pouting, when he caught Shiro’s eye. Shiro grinned and Kuro almost whimpered. Almost.

              Shiro shrugged, accepting a bite of the ice cream sandwich from Keith. Kuro crossed his arms over his chest, definitely still not pouting. All the while, Lance was in awe as he rubbed his hands all over the entirety of Kuro’s full head of white hair.

              “Don’t worry. The white should come out in a couple months.” Shiro said. Now, Kuro was pouting.

[philanddanxreader]

Maybe Next Time

Dan X Reader.

Warnings- talk of not being able to become pregnant.

Just a little background. I wasn’t going to write this story as the topic is very personal to me. Around a year and a half ago I found out I have something call PCOS. This stands for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. Essentially, I have been told I can not get pregnant without fertility treatments and that even then I may not be able to get pregnant at all. It defiantly made me sad as I love children and since I can remember I have always wanted to be a mum. Over some time though I have come to accept that this is just a part of me and that there are tons of children that need to be adopted into caring homes. If you have something similar and want to talk about it I am always here.

It had been killing you. Dan had made you keep it in the bathroom for the ten-minute wait. He said if you didn’t leave it alone you would constantly be checking it. He wasn’t wrong but it didn’t change the fact that it was one of the longest waits in human history. The last fifteen had taken just as long of a wait but for some reason, this one felt different. This one was going to be the one. After the last heartbreak, Dan had made a promise that the next test would be the one. It was about time that the two of you saw some good news come from a test.

It had all started a few months after the two of you decided to start trying for a baby. You had your period a few times until three months into trying you were late. You couldn’t have gotten to the drug store quicker that evening after work. When you had got home you had found Dan sitting at his desk replying to emails. You had run up to him with the plastic bag in hand with a smile so big your face had actually started to hurt. At first, Dan had thought you had lost your mind until you showed him what was inside. “Look what I got after work. Do you think we should try? I’m a few days late so it could be positive.” Dan had nodded as you gave a squeal and pulled him to the bathroom by his arm.

After you peed on the stick Dan and yourself had waited for the ten minutes before looking at the stick. Unfortunately, you didn’t see the results you wanted as it was negative. You were still hopeful then. Still sure you just needed some time. You had started to google ways to become pregnant with ovulation tests and apps. You would even put your legs in the air like you had seen in movies because something had to work.

Around the sixth failed test is when Dan and yourself had started to get worried. It had been nearly five months of trying awaiting with no results. It was after that test that Dan had made the suggestion to see your doctor. “I think it is worth a visit. Maybe she has a suggestion on what we may be doing wrong. I will book an appointment with mine and make sure my swimmers are still good and you go and make sure everything is all good in the baby chamber.”

“Baby chamber? Really Daniel?” You knew Dan was trying to help lighten the mood but in all honestly, you weren’t sure anything could calm your nerves.

“What? I like the idea of calling your womb a baby chamber.” Dan gave you a light smile as he kissed your hairline on your forehead. “You and me. We are in this together.” Dan was right. But it didn’t make the idea of not being able to have babies scary.

Dan had gotten into his doctor before you did letting the two of you know there was nothing wrong with his end of the baby making program. Getting that news was good but left you with a bigger pit in your stomach. If Dan’s little guys weren’t the problem than that meant that something was in you. So here you sat. In the doctors waiting room with Dan. Sitting in an uncomfortable chair, surrounded by strangers while your ability to have babies hung in the balance in a folder of the photos from your ultrasound. As you sat there bouncing your leg you felt Dan’s hand make its way to your thigh. Giving it a squeeze of reassurance. “Don’t worry. We are going to go in there. She is going to tell us that I just need to give you a little more attention. Hmm? What do you think of that?” Just as you were about to tell Dan that the elderly lady might have a heart attack if you keep doing a terrible job whispering. But your name was called by the sweet nurse who was as short as eleven-year old’s. After she leads the two of you to the room she left you with a smile that seemed to actually calm you down somehow. You didn’t have time to tell Dan how cute she was before your doctor walked into the room. She always made you a little nervous. It was the way she commanded the room. It was like walking into the principal’s office even when you were a good kid you felt like they knew everything bad you had ever done.

“Hello, Mr and Mrs Howell. It’s always a pleasure to see you. So. I will cut it to the point. Your ultrasounds came back with a bit of alarm. We can see from them that you have cysts on your ovaries. This is what is most likely what is causing your troubles with conceiving. Now the good news is we can absolutely use fertility drugs to help the process along. It will take some time for the hormones to take full effect in your system. But we do see good results with woman who have the same cysts as yours.” All the information that was coming at you was overwhelming. All in one quick speech you learned that not only did you have cysts on your ovaries but also that you would need to use fertility drugs to conceive a child. You knew it wasn’t true but you somehow felt less as a woman. This magical thing that only woman and male seahorses you seemed to be unable to do. Your thoughts were taken over by the feeling of Dan’s hand wrapping in yours. Dan looked to you as if he was trying to read your mind.

After a few moments, you were finally able to find your voice. “Can we think about fertility drugs and when we make our decision we can come back and start the treatments if we want?” The doctor agreed, letting you know that all you would have to do is book an appointment and she would start you on the shots and teach Dan and yourself how to use the needles. You thanked her for her help and went home for some mech needed thinking, research, and conversation with Dan.

After a few days of talking Dan and yourself decided it was worth a try. The treatment was safe and had few side effects. One hopefully being pregnancy. It had been over a month of daily needles before you decided to take a pregnancy test. It had been coming up on seven months since the two of you started this journey. You were sat at the end of the bed alongside Dan waiting for your timer to go off. You had stopped counting out loud how many of these tests you had done making you sit in this very spot waiting to see if it had worked. Even if you weren’t counting out loud, you knew in the back of your head that the number was around sixteen or so.

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore after this one Dan. Maybe I was just never meant to carry a baby. There are tons of babies that need adopting in the world. I’m sad that we may never have a child with your brown eyes and adorable dimples. But I just don’t know if I can handle all the hurt of building up my excitement just to have it torn down again within the span of ten minutes.” Dan pulled you closer to him so he could wrap his arms around you. He knew how hard this was for you. Mentally and Physically the stress of trying for a baby was starting to show.

“We’re not out of options yet. There is always adoption or invitro. If it comes to it we can always have a surrogate. Being a mum and dad doesn’t mean the child has to be ours in DNA. That comes when you love another person with all your heart. We will figure it all out.” You knew Dan was right. But it’s hard coming to terms that you may never feel the kick of your baby inside of you. Never get the experience of breastfeeding your baby. All of those special moments never happening. The timer beside you on Dan’s phone went off letting you know that it was time to look at the test.

“Can you please so grab it. I don’t think I can move from this spot.” Dan agreed, getting up to grab the test off the counter in the bathroom. When Dan came back he was holding the test in his hand making sure to cover the results up with his palm. Dan returned to his spot on the bed beside you looking from you to the test. “Move your hand on three.” Dan nodded as he waited for your countdown. “One, two, Three.” Dan removed his hand from the test slowly to let the two of you know that you were……

[sour--strawberries]

Happy Birthday Drabbles

Happy Birthday just two short and sweet drabbles enjoy :) - @roshytsunami

thank you for the lovely, creative drabbles!!! they are so cute!! and algae chocolate cookies indeed sound yummy! sweet and salty treat :D

below you will find two drabbles!

Stony Hercules!AU (Tony as Meg, Steve as Herc)

Stony Sea horse - human AU (Tony is half seahorse, Steve is a human, and they are going to have a baby together)

Hercules by @roshytsunami

Tony rolls his eyes crossing his legs as he sits on the smooth rock. Of all the gods he has to say Hades is the biggest diva besides Zeus. He’s freaking out because Wonderboy has foiled another one of his cheesy monsters from his chambers. Honestly, it’s getting tiring, charming the monsters to fight Wonderboy.

“Tony how can you remain so calm. Don’t you know what’s at stake?!” The fire on his head turns a bright orange rising from the normal blue flames.

Tony sighs, “Hades you’ve told me a thousand times but tell me again sweetheart,” he replies coyly.

“You…you.”

“Yes me. What is it you want? Another monster to turn or will a new invention suffice?”

“You will seduce him. Yes he has to have a weakness-“

“Hades darling you’re not speaking clearly-“

“You will find out his weakness. Charm him, seduce him whatever it is you do just find his weakness,” he yells at Tony.

“And if he doesn’t have one?” Tony looks at his hand bored. Hades is just one step away from losing his cool again.

Hades grins his lips pulling back, “everyone has a weakness. Did you forget what yours was?”

Tony jumps down from the rock his robes flowing as he walks past Hades not the least bit hurt. Nope not one iota of hurt is felt. He’ll accomplish his task with ease. How hard can it be to woo a man with more muscle than brains?

Wonderboy. No Steve is an enigma. What the hell…no one can be that naive or perfect? No not the right word he’s not stupid just innocent. A strong man with muscles and an ass so pert like that innocent? It’s inconceivable!

 “Tony,” asks Steve nervous. Steve nervous around him is strange but his charms must be working.

He smiles and looks over at Steve, “yes dear.”

Steve falters and blushes and Tony finds it adorable. “I was hoping we could go for a walk?”

“Steve we’re already played hookey today a walk isn’t that big a stride from this.”

Steve smiles and messes with his hair, “yes well I want to. You’re pretty great to uh have fun with. That play was fun that we saw. Makes me glad I’m not that Odyseus fellow.”

Tony smirks, “I thought being a hero and going on adventures was your style.”

“Uh no. Not really. I never wanted to be a hero? I wanted to help the little guy because I use to be a little guy.” Steve picks up a pebble rolling it in his hands shyly.

“You tiny no way.” Tony laughs. Steve throws the pebble breaking one of the statues along the walk. He winces as Tony chuckles. “Look better that way.”

“I was…I just wanted to be like everyone else and help people. I would have given anything for it just to be like anyone else.”

“You mean a liar or cheat?”

“Not everyone is like that. You aren’t.”

“How do you know?”

“All I know is you don’t make me feel alone. You’re an amazing person Tony,” he smiles.

“Being alone is better than having someone close hurt- well you don’t need to hear about that,” he forces a smile trying to redirect the topic but doesn’t have a chance.

“Tony I would never hurt you-“

“Steve get over here right now. You are in so much trouble skipping out on training,” yells Fury. Tony has no clue how they could have been found except for the fact that Wonder- no Steve is famous at the moment.

Steve nods his head before looking down at Tony. “See you later?”

“Later Wonderboy,” Tony replies watching Steve leave with the eyepatch.

Steve is different from other men. He’s not after power, or strength since he obviously has that in spades. He is ambitious but for different morals. Well he actually has morals. He wants to save people just to save people not because he wants fame, or money, or anything. He’s too perfect.

Tony’s eyes widen before he curses at himself. “Nope this is not happening again. Just because I spent one amazing day with Wonderboy no, not going to let it happen.” He refuses to fall in love again.

Seahorse Tony Human Steve by @roshytsunami

“What do you mean you are pregnant? Men can’t get pregnant?!” Steve panics his boyfriend of three years has just dropped a bomb on him. Tony being pregnant? How?

“Well Steve. I’m not exactly human now am I?” Tony snorts. Typical Steve. He’s not the one who found out he will be carrying eggs for the next four months. Wait Steve is human not a seahorse. Does this mean he will carry eggs or have live humans in his belly. Will they squirm inside him the entire time?!

“No but you’re a guy.” Steve paces back and forth thinking. He’s trying to comprehend what has just happened.

“Yeah laws of the sea don’t make sense or matter. I’m a seahorse Steve don’t they teach humans on land anything.” Tony crosses his arms to stop Steve from noticing his shaking hands. This is not going how he wanted at all.

“Not about seahorses just math and science things…I wasn’t a science expert Tony.”

“Geez if I knew you would be this disappointed I would have never told you and just left for a few months before coming back.” Tony turns from Steve prepared to walk out on him.

“Tony it’s not like that.” Steve dashes up to Tony.

“Really and what exactly is it?” Tony turns glaring at Steve. He wants an answer and he wants it now.

“Shock? Scared? I don’t know I didn’t expect you to tell me you are pregnant…that does explain the mood swings and eating.”

“Really that’s what you focus on?”

“Tony I’m scared.”  Steve holds Tony’s hands trying to stay calm.

“And I’m not,” he rips his hands from Steve’s grip. “I’m carrying our babies. You’re not the one who has to deal with the pregnancy alone.”

Steve frowns looking at Tony. He sees the clutched hands and crossed arms. He spots the tremble in his voice and looks ashamed. “You’re not alone.”

“I feel like I am. You were supposed to be happy or at least excited not this,” he waves his hand upset.

“Tony. I’m terrified alright.” He runs a hand through his hair and begins to vent spilling his thoughts. “I’m scared for you and the babies like what if I’m not a good dad or can’t provide for you or-“

“You provide just fine and the babies will be fine…I think. I never had a baby with a human or anyone.”

“Ok so we’re both going to be new to this right?” Steve reaches for one of Tony’s hands and rubs his thumb over the back of his hand.

“I guess so,” he sighs calming down. He looks at Steve and nuzzles him before laying his head on his chest.

“So maybe starting over? Like how do seahorses have babies and where do they come out?” Tony gives Steve a deadpan look to not even go to that topic yet. Steve smiles nervously and changes topic. “Or how cute will our kids be with tails?”

“Or will the baby have your perfect blonde hair or dazzling smile.”

“Yeah little stuff,” Steve sighs rubbing Tony’s back. “You hungry?”

Tony nods his head, “I want the algae with those chocolate cookies you made.”

Steve chuckles kissing him on the head, “Alright babe let’s go get our treat.”

[lizardlicks]

Baubles and Other Fine Things Part 2

Part 1 here ===> Link

A heap of boxes, all wrapped perfectly in brightly colored paper, and glittery bows greets you.  They’re piled in the middle of the formal dining room table, formed into an intimidating tower of fake cheer and misery that you’re compelled to face, again, just like every year before this one.  There’s an envelope propped against it.  You slink forward as that familiar, numb fog fills you up again.  The envelope is thick, smells like something expensive, and burns your sinuses.  The card inside has a seahorse on the cover, and some trite little nautical themed pun.  You ignore it, and pull out the folded stationery paper that’s been defaced by your father’s jagged handwriting instead.

‘Eridan,

Happy 17th!  Hope you didn’t think your old man would be getting too slow witted to remember your birthday.  I’m sorry I’m not there in person right now.  It looks like this deal is going to push out another three weeks but I promise I’ll come home soon.  There’s blood in the water and I’m homing in on that kill, ha ha!  When I get back we’ll go out and celebrate for real.  Whatever you want to do, my treat.

Your counselor tells me you’re starting to adjust to the new school.  I’m so glad, I can’t wait to meet your new friends.  I know how you teens are, but hope you won’t be too embarrassed to introduce them to your dad.  I know that last year was really rough, but I’m so proud of you.  If you keep trying, and applying yourself, you can put that little episode behind you.  Keep up the good work, kiddo!

- Love, Dad.’

The paper crumples easily in your fist.  You let it drop to the floor without bothering to note where it lands. The maid will probably find it and throw it out in the morning.  You grab your school bag, and drag it back to your room, but all of your focus seems to have evaporated into the air, along with your ability to feel anything.  You try to reach for worry, anxiety enough to kick start you into pulling out your books to study, but it comes back empty.  Everything is a yawning hollow where you’d expect a person to be, and around you the house is as quiet and still as a mausoleum.

———-

Kar slams his bookbag down next to you, and you jump.  He’s glaring.

“What’d I do?”

“You didn’t tell me yesterday was your birthday.”

“Oh!”  Oh is that all?  “Yesterday was my birthday.”

“No, dummy!  You need to give advanced warning about this kind of shit!”  He pushes the bag aside to plop down his lunch tray, and sits.  You only have a moment to wonder where his shadow went before Sol materializes to your other side, and blocks in your exit.  Their elbows and thighs touch yours, giving you a blessed sense of grounding that you’ve been missing all day.  “I don’t have time to plan anything now, it’s all gonna be rushed.”

Sol snickers.  “Get ready for the Vantas birthday party experience.”

“What?  No, Kar.  You’ve got important things to do.  You shouldn’t be fussin’ over silly kid shit for my sake.”

“Is the idiot done letting flies into his mouth?  Okay, good, shut up time now.”  He stabs at his lunch- you think it’s salisbury steak, maybe- but he waves the mystery meat toward you like an accusatory finger rather than eating it.  “It’s not silly kid shit.  Your birthday is the one day of the year where the world is required to stop and acknowledge the fact that you continue to exist in spite of its efforts to make that stop being a thing.  We are going to celebrate it right.”

“Yeah, no one should be alone on their birthday.”  Sol agrees.  “Not even assholes like you.”

Your mouth opens, but no words come out, so you close it again.  Under the table, you grope for their hands, find Kar’s first, then Sol’s, and they both squeeze tight.

———-

Kar’s place is a modest little building that’s stuffed full with people at all times of the day.  His dad is some kind of minister, you think, but the nice kind.  He’s never proselytized at you, and you’re pretty sure he’s supportive of the fact that you and his son are some kind of thing, even when Kar and Sol are also some kind of thing…  His mom has tattoos and a belly laugh, and his grandmother made you pancakes that one night you spent over, and she talks about Stonewall like she was actually there.

When you pull up to the house, it’s brightly lit, as usual and there’s a hoard of cars, as is also usual, but you don’t think you’ve seen them all there at once before.  It makes you nervous for absolutely no reason  you can fathom.  Rather than go in right away, you go around to the back of your car and start pulling boxes out of the trunk.  Their wrapping glitters in the fading sunlight reflected by the snow.  Kar appears on the porch, followed shortly by his dad, and they hustle over to greet you.  

It’s Vantas Sr. that speaks first.  He laughs, kind, and a little surprised.  “What’s all this then?”

“My dad sends me a bunch a stuff from overseas whenever he misses a birthday,” you explain as he and  Kar both reach to take packages from you.  “I never have any sort a use for it, but I thought maybe…  I just wanted.  If you want it… thank you.”  Your words stall out.  They both stand there blinking at you, still confused, and your face heats.  Then Mr. Vantas cracks the biggest smile you’ve ever seen, and he pulls you into a side hug with his free arm.

“That’s mighty thoughtful of you Eridan, thanks gladly accepted and returned.”  Kar’s smiling at you.  You did something right, and that’s all the matters.

———-

You have never seen this many people stuffed into a single contemporary living room in your life.  Karkat, his parents, grandmother, brother, and sisters, and at least half a dozen cousins, plus Sol, his dad, his brother, and his brother’s nurse-slash-girlfriend finish up the loudest, and most off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday” you have ever heard.  The cake is lopsided.  It’s covered in those cheap little twisty candles, half of them set in crooked, and crowded around ‘Happy B-Day Eridan!!!!’ piped in purple glitter frosting.  Muelin picked it for you, and she also opted to leave out most of the word ‘birth’ to fit more exclamation points with little heart dots.

You blow out the candles, and the room erupts into near deafening cheers.  And then you hiccup once as the tears start to fall.

“Why’s he crying,” you hear Nep failing to whisper at her sister.  “Do birthdays make him sad?”

‘They used to’, you think, and Mr. Vantas gently rests a hand on your shoulder while Kar wraps around you from the other side.

“He’s just a little overwhelmed right now, sweetheart.  Let’s have some quiet time while we eat for a bit, okay?”

The lopsided cake tastes absolutely amazing.

———-

The smallest cousins are absolutely delighted by the idea of getting presents on someone else’s birthday.  They squeal over the Harry Potter complete blu-ray set, and one of them looks fit to burst when they open the box with a drone in it.  

Kar is nuzzling against your ear.  Sol’s pulled up a chair to rest his shoulder against yours while he browses on his tablet.  Someone pushes a lumpy present into your hands, and sweetly kisses your temple, and you know it isn’t either of them when Porrim says, “happy birthday, sweetheart,” from somewhere behind you.  When you open it, you find a hand knit sweater in navy and dark purple; the material is so soft to your fingers you think she must have spent a small fortune on the yarn.  You put it on immediately and can not be separated from it for the rest of the evening.

She starts off the slow parade of gift givers, a single drop that becomes a steady trickle.  Almost everything is hand made.  Pictures, poems, little crafts, each one made with care with you in mind.  You marvel at the fact that you’ve hardly known these families more than a few months, yet they already consider you theirs.  You belong.  You’re wanted, fully and unconditionally.  It doesn’t take much more than that to start the tears back up again, but you decline the offers for another break, at least for a while.  There’s a lot to take in, and you won’t fully process it until later, when you’re alone with Sol and Kar, snuggled between them in Kar’s bed.  For the first time in a long, long time, you feel as if you’ve found safe harbor in the midst of your personal storm.