#just a thought maybe we shouldn't make it easier for them to limit or take away rights

[eluxcastar]

Writing here because the type limit for comment in that one anon is FEOLSEKFMSEF.

NAUR, NOT THE FINAL LESSON NUH UH. If Arlecchino canonically doesn't die next patch, Brighella shouldn't too… BET. I do love the idea of a match between Cap and Brig! (wait, tf do we name her if she ain't "brighella" the fatui harbinger like it is the name she only knows) I mean, I did think about about her dying too… so tempting. I kinda ride that Acheron idea, some intense danceeee ehe… Her ult kinda has the Arle schemed and vice versa.

Angst material… hmmm, I did have an idea but it was only IF Arlecchino was centuries old but due to her taking over recently by canon that is scrapped because it is too inaccurate by the possibility lol. (It involved lowkey dying, and giving her heart to Arle then did get resurrected by the abyss order for them to use but she went rebellious and just lingers around Teyvat and the Abyss). A dance between the two, YES. I've always thought of Arlecchino being incapable of being romantic with Brighella beyond obsession. But, with all those fanfics I am consumed by sweet Arle with acts of service... Hahaha! We shall wait for the next patch on her potential emotional stance ykyk... Maybe she does care, despite having the reputation of discarding anything that does not benefit her. For me, Arlecchino is more of "You belong to me" kind of person not "You belong with me" Hold up gotta reread the lore stuff, after doing an assignment

Hehe Final Lesson inspiration I knew it was evil ALRIGHT it's on if Arle doesn't die I won't kill Brig either but if she does not only will I cry but I'll make it worse

I still call her Brighella, but she was also briefly called Matilda in my notes after the folksong Waltzing Matilda (what is she but a jolly swagman camped by a billabong (￣▽￣) wait I just realised she lives in Wangshuu Inn next to a body of water—she IS a jolly swagman camped by a billabong (°ロ°) !)

I also struggled so bad with the fact Arle is young because like, the timeline was screwing me over in my original plans (；￣Д￣) I was like WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE OLD (to my friend if you're reading this GO AWAY it's NOT because of the accusations I like old people) it would've made my life easier, but alas miHoYo can never do such things. I would have loved that idea because it's so edible— SACRIFICING herself for Arle??? Then Arle having to grapple with potentially being responsible for Brig becoming an unwilling pawn of the abyss??? delicious (*/▽＼*)

I LOVE the dance between Acheron and Black Swan sm something about those vibes just fits them so well

Yk I agree with that philosophy that Arle is a "you belong to me" not a "you belong with me" kinda person. I also like the idea Arle is lowkey obsessed with her (and though it's subtle in OoR it's sprinkled in there ( ´ ꒳ ` ) ) I wish that it didn't get so long it lagged every word program I put it through because I think when I rewrite it, I'll lean into that more and draw out the time it takes for them to come to an agreement ( ◡‿◡ *) Possibly a mix of the two where her 'love' for Brighella is born of obsession, their relationship is probably in some manner unhealthy, but she may be able to learn to love her normally as well (I doubt either of these people are capable of a healthy or normal relationship LMAO)

Random fun fact to throw into this one: the differences in thinking about their relationship are also what prompted me to have her completely unable to understand why Brighella gave up so easily and generally have there be a disconnect between what Brig wants and what Arle wants for her (ノ*°▽°*) because those are two very different things

Second song idea for the two of them I had five seconds ago: Fire and the Flood by Vance Joy ♡( ◡‿◡ )

[nanomooselet]

Episode Two: The Running Man

It's odd how little gets said about this ep, considering it's the most direct homage the earlier anime adaptation - but maybe that might be why? Since, as I said, this was my entry into the story, to me it felt out of place. It seemed like it was doing all it could to distract from how the previous ep concluded.

With hindsight, I think that's the idea.

The opening with the radio! I'm so weirdly fond of it. Yeah it's a flashback, but it shows Vash in a private moment without his mask; a glimpse of his secrets. He's not wearing his coat, so you get a look at how broad his shoulders are; he's also handling the tools to maintain his gun skilfully for someone who claims he's not a fighter. As he's contemplating the crash - he was there, obviously, and he has the photo of him, Rem and Nai still - the radio host says without the Plants, our ancestors would have died out long ago. How long ago? Long enough that Vash likely shouldn't still look such a gosh darn pretty boy? Yet it slips by.

(I do not understand the complaints that Stampede had no mystery.)

This is the episode where he's most committed to the bit of being cute but sort of hapless and silly, too, so the contrast is dramatic. I don't think he was actually expecting Meryl and Roberto to clear his name all at once, but I do think he was hoping, I don't know, maybe they'd believe him from the first. But nothing's ever that easy for my boy. I gotta say, Vash, optimism has its limits. Your story is that you're being framed by your previously unknown identical twin brother. You know it's true, I know it's true, but you might have had an easier time with some, I don't know… evidence? It's not surprising the reporters are sceptical.

Oh god, I'm so sorry, do you want a hug or -

(By the way, this means Knives told everyone it wasn't him, it was a one-armed man.)

He's being melodramatic, but I suspect also more sincere than what comes across - which is the whole reason he exaggerates, of course. (What? No, I'm not talking from experience. I have never, ever done this. Never ever in A MILLION YEARS have I exaggerated to obfuscate my sincerity.) The angle changes to show his face, and it's pretty clear how genuinely exhausted and upset even the thought of Knives makes him. Though it is still pretty funny that Meryl just isn't having it.

Also funny: Meryl versus the Worms, round one. Worms 1, Meryl 0.

Roberto greeting Tonis is really cute. He's a grump, but he's never an asshole to kids.

Ahhhh Tonis gives Vash his bugs and Vash pats his head and then he moves to take his hand away Tonis grabs it so he'll keep doing it and then when Rosa tells Tonis to leave Vash look dismayed and waves goodbye and it is so cute and IT IS SO SAD.

Because Rosa loves her son, wants him healthy and happy and safe, wants him shielded from the violence of the world and from decisions like pulling a gun on the hero of your town who's been nothing but good to you, better than you deserve - and yet we saw Rosa come to the decision that she would do this last episode. Right about... here. See the way she moves from standing in front of him, almost protectively, to beside him, clearing the way? By the look on her face, she doesn't want to. Vash proved himself yet again afterwards, saved the town without hesitation the moment it was endangered at great risk to himself. He's a good man, a friend, someone she trusts. But it's not him Rosa's thinking of now. It's not even the town. It's Tonis.

I have to say, Roberto doesn't look shocked or concerned. He just wearily sets down his mug and raises his hands, expression unchanged. Meanwhile Meryl's turned into a cartoon.

Vash understands. He didn't fight back against the MPs. He didn't instigate the duel. It's because of him that this is necessary. That just doesn't mean he's going to make it easy for them.

Ah, that old Stampede special: the undignified leg-spread landing.

Man the English dub is good, but it's this episode I started to realise how good. It's incredibly funny. "The furious fists of the Nebraska Family challenge you to a duel!" "Felt the fury right there!" "Money! Come back!" "I hope you like pancakes, because you're going to become one!"

There's one translation I'm not sold on, though, and it's Nebraska declaring "Power is justice! Power is truth!" I had the same problem in Persona 5 Royal when I played it and the characters kept going on about how they'll "prove our justice". It sounds so awkward.

From what I can tell, the word they're using translates more clearly to "moral rightness" or "righteousness", and the score title for Stampede renders what Nebraska says better: might is right. He's advocating Social Darwinism, basically. It's the natural order of the world: the strong deserve to flourish, the weak deserve to perish.

Nebraska: I hate cowards like you! This whole planet is fighting for survival! Anyone who runs is bound to die like a sorry loser! But you, Stampede! How dare you?! / You coward! I despise waste-of-life cream puffs like you! You have to fight tooth and nail to survive in this world! If those who can't hack it run away and die like chickens, then so be it! But you? I expected more, Stampede!

Vash: You might be right that I'm too timid. But is that such a terrible thing? Is fighting everything head-on so important? Even if it gets someone killed? / Okay, I may not be the bravest, but what's so terrible about being a little timid? Is fighting head-on always right? It risks lives, and for what?

Nebraska: Weapons… are made for fighting! Do you get it now?! There's no future for those who don't fight! / I might as well, huh? It's what the damn thing's made for! That'll show ya! Any snivelling slug too scared to fight must die!

Vash: Come on, can you back off? I really don't want to fight anyone. / Can you guys cool it for a second? I'm really not in the mood for violence.

Nebraska: That's the attitude that pisses me off! / When the world ends, will it ask if you're in the mood?

It's kinda funny that Nebraska keeps going on about it, though, because he also keeps demanding accommodation for his son's weakness. If he was really committed he'd rely only on himself instead of endangering Gofsef. And yet oddly enough, it's the hypocrisy which saves him, because it's how Rosa realises how much they have in common. He loves Gofsef, just like she loves Tonis, and Vash forgives them both.

Enjoy the subtle gag of Meryl mirroring her "parents'" expressions, BTW.

Nabraska judging the townspeople for drinking before 5:00PM as if he didn't just destroy half the place trying to steal their only power source.

Gofsef being creeped out by Tonis's Worm buddies.

And Roberto visibly tuning out as Meryl tells him off.

I think the reason this feels like it's all happening so fast is because this is the place where an episode of the older adaptation would end, leaving some implied time to pass before the next crisis. But this isn't twenty-six self-contained episodes, it's twelve instalments of one story. The running man must continue to run, because it was never humans he was running from.

And I didn't realise this until now, but the drone in Vash's room? It's looking for him, or his things. It doesn't find either.

When it doesn't...

E.G. launches his assault, though the drones had been patrolling since the previous night. Vash was about to leave when he heard the scream from the diner and rushed back to help. And so he stayed long enough for E.G.'s master to arrive in person.

Whatever happened in Jeneora Rock, it seems it was necessary for Vash to witness it, so E.G. had instructions to keep him in place.

So E.G.'s cyborg enhancements look like a bear trap.

Of course.

[shaywrites-ifs]

Can we get more info on MC and the dynamic with their family members before everything ? Is MCs mom still alive ?

Thank you for your interest in the story! Honestly, as I love family feels, I've absolutely thought too much about MC's family.

Duchess Mavar died when the Marked was the equivalent of a toddler. It was a difficult time for the entire family. As stated here, she did not grow up as a noble or within the courts. She grew up with parents that were present to parent her and her siblings, and while she knew that wasn't completely reasonable as the Duchess, she still tried as best she could to do that for her children. The twins do end up retaining some vague, fond memories of her, and the trauma of losing a parent as somebody so young.

Fabian, as a father, is not always the best. He can be emotional distant. He's not the type of father to hug his children, give kisses, and read bed time stories to them. He is the type of father to have high expectations of his children- which this is one of the sore points for MC. As they get older, they very much notice the difference between them and their siblings and it becomes one of their driving points. Still, he does care for his children. They are protected and have all the support to reach the goals he puts in front of them. Plus- he's the one that demanded MC live, and he stopped at nothing to make sure his baby made it.

The twins have an elder sibling. Think something like the twins being 7-10 years younger than him, but elf years. He transitions while the twins are kids (choosing the magical rite versus the surgical method, seeing as he had the privilege to have easy access to such). He is considered the Perfect Golden Child. He meets every goal set for him by Fabian, and exceeds in many. Still, he adores and dotes on the twins when he can- he ends up eventually being away quite a lot. He has an easier time dealing with Fabian, especially being older and growing up with Vanille as the mediator for him and Fabian, so he attempts to do the same for the twins. To subtly play the intermediary to ease tension in the house. He adores his siblings, but MC can have complicated feelings about him (which, as they get older, he'd have less patience for). Resentment and jealousy can be a heady brew. Best friends with the Empire's Heir, which maybe doesn't help those complications.

There is also the Marked's uncle. He is Fabian's younger brother. Jolly, in comparison, and much more unassuming. He took up position within the Temple, and rose ranks there. People tend to underestimate him, especially compared to Fabian, but he is just as ambitious as the rest of the Mavar's, and can be very manipulative. He ends up taking the Marked under his wing, as MC finds that they are limited in Court, but there is a path for their ambitions through the Temple (helps if MC is also religious, but that's up to the player). He is a good mentor, and cares for MC, but perhaps also enjoys that MC's success are his (until shit hits the fan).

World Information:

Theoretically, the Temple shouldn't be related to the politics. However, the Commandment, the head of the Temple and the Voice for the Neptunizal and His Spirits, is actually the one figure to actually have similar power as the Emperor. And while priests, bishops, and maidens, and the like are supposed to put their loyalty to the Temple first, many come from influential families and the lines have gotten very muddy. If push comes to shove, they have to choose the option of whatever puts the Temple first, but good players of the court know how to not get put in that position.

[nogenderbee]

Hi I really love your works you write everything so well so I thought I should try requesting:D

So could you write An ,Mizuki and a character of your choice :) saying to their S/O they are proud of them and than reader gets emotional and starts crying BCS they haven't heard someone say it to them for so long and you continue what happens from here :)

You are free to ignore this too have a nice day/night and don't forget to eat something and stay hydrated and also get some sleep :D

Hi hi, thank you so much! So I decided to add Kanade since she just suits here so well! And I really enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy it just as much <3

An, Kanade, Mizuki telling reader they're proud of them but reader strats crying

You and An wanted to have your classic date at her dad's cafe but there have been a lot of people on that say so you decided to help her take care of all the orders.

Some customer ordered coffee with art on it and your girlfriend said that you can do it yourself since she showed you how it's done and she knows your abilities are extremely good. But you weren't so convinced about it but still done it to make your girlfriends job easier.

"Hey, An, is that good enough?"

"It's perfect! Omg you did so good! I'm so proud to have lover like you!"

She was what...? It really touched you and you maybe even didn't knew why it did, and so you didn't even noticed water spilling from your eyes.

"YN?! What's wrong?! Did I said something I shouldn't?!"

"N-No it's not that, don't worry! I just... didn't heard it for a really long time..."

"How about we take a little break? We finished most of orders so I'm sure my dad can carry on from here for a while."

After that she went to ask her dad for a break which you both got. So she lead you to some quieter place where she decided to just cuddle with you and spend some time.

"I have always been proud of you... I'm sorry if I haven't told you this enough but I promise that from now on, I'll tell you this every day so you know how much I appreciate you!"

You had classic lazy date with Kanade on which you usually just eat some noodles, snuggled together and either watched or listened to something, or took care of your own things.

Today she was texting some Nightcord members when you come to her house so she just wanted to say goodbye to them so she can spend some quality time with you.

"What did you talked about with your friends? Is another song coming up?"

"Oh no, I was actually talking about you. Do you remember that limited matching bracelets for us? I was telling them how proud I am of you."

"You're proud of me...?"

"Of course I am. I'm proud of everything that has anything to do with you."

In that moment you kinda let it all out but it wasn't bothering you that much, after all her room is like your safe place where you can just be yourself. And once she saw that you let out couple of tears, she immediately started to rub your back.

"Hey, it's alright. Did I said or done something that made you feel so bad?"

"Don't worry, you didn't. I just... haven't heard it for a while and well... they're happy tears..."

"I'm glad those are happy tears but I promise I'll make sure to tell you I'm proud of you every day. Because I really am. Whatever you do, I'll always be proud of you, especially if you worked hard for it. Results don't really matter"

You spend your date cuddled into each other while she was rubbing your back and told you comforting words, constantly reminding you that she's proud of you.

Mizuki had a shop date with you and now you ended in her room trying every outfit they made you buy and judging every outfit they bought for themselves.

"Oh, try this one out! I remember you saying that you like it but I didn't saw you in it!"

Your lover said it handing you one of the outfits you picked for yourself but in fact, yes, you didn't show them since you wanted it to be a surprise. So you took clothes from them and went to change really quick.

"I'm done! What do you think?"

"You look so good! Next time you simply have to pick something for me as well! Everyone is gonna be so jealous I have partner like you!"

"Why jealous?"

"Because you're simply amazing! I'm so proud of you, my dear!"

They're... proud of you? You really didn't expected them to say it in that very moment so you couldn't help but let a couple of tears out which of course they noticed quickly.

"Hey! Why are you crying? You look amazing so what's wrong?"

"It's just... are you really proud of me?"

"Of course I am! I'm so proud of you that I don't know if it's possible to be proud even more!"

They quickly catched on why you feel this way, after all they know a lot about not feeling good enough. So they decide to ignore this little fashion show of yours and spend your date cuddled into each other on comfy bed.

"I promise you're enough. I love you for who you are so of course I'll be as proud from you as I can."

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉

[snarkylinda]

I’m very glad you’re talking about spencer being parentified because it feels like people sometimes gloss over it a bit? or maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places. if this isn’t something you do in you’re blog feel free to just. not respond but do you have any more thoughts or. idk headcanons on how that might have affected him as an adult?

Hi anon! To be honest I have no idea what is essentially discussed alot on the fandom other that a tiny fraction of it I expose myself to because 1#I am too tired and old to deal with fandom discourse about my blorbo, and based on my previous experience with fandoms I KNOW that the most popular the character, the bigger the discourse so haha no- 2# I joined in late lmao literally a couple of months ago, so I am super out of the loop just screaming to the void in desperate needs for someone to scream back 🤲🏼 do this kind of asks actually made me so happy agahagaha 🥰🥰 Buckle up bois this is LONG-

Ok now to those that might come across this and ask themselves what the hell does being parentified means, it's a broad term used for the phenomenon of (at best) a child sharing parental responsibilities due to x circumstance, or (at worst) downright having the parent/child dynamic completely swapped, with the child being the caretaker for the parent and household. You don't have to know deep CM lore knowledge to realize the latter is Spencer Reid to a T. Hell, they aren't even subtle about it lmao:

Btw parentification is often mixed in with abandonment and while they share the "child being forced to grown up" too quickly, the former is often distinguished by the fact that, more often that not as is this case, the parent still cares for them but are unable to do so how it should be (tho there are several cases where parentefication is an part of willing neglect, sadly) and added to the fact that they have to look after themselves- they have to look after another.

This is a really complicated, broad topic and I just mentioned this to go full disclaimer and that I don't blame Diana at all for how messed her son ended up since she can't help it- and to make a joke about how Spencer was abandoned and parentified. Also harassed. Guys he wasn't even 18-

Anyways but back to your question, how do I think that affected Spencer growing up....well in everything basically lmao

But I will take on two instances that had stood up to me the most: emotional management and hiding secrets.

The second one is easier: you would catch this man dead before he vents to you over something other than his shitty dad (that I find very funny tbh) and when he does is because he is at his limit and about to fucking cry.

Now don't get me wrong: we all are entiltde to our privacy. These are grown ass adults and they have lives outside of their working circle....

Right?

Haha we have an problem-

So yeah, Spencer kind of actually needs to rely on his co-workers because he has literally nobody else to rely on-

And yet

Oh here is the thing- Spencer is one polite boi but he is also blunt, if he doesn't want someone on his business he says so (look back when Alex discovered him and Maeve) this is literally "I wanted to tell you but I feel like I shouldn't"- this is not season 1 mind you, this is season 11, and yet here he was one of his oldest friends literally grabbing him by the arm and having to tell him it's never a bother- I am the only one fucking crying at this?

Excuses seems to come to Spencer like it's second nature- "sorry a tube on my apparment broke" "Oh I....I tripped!" "There was a lot of traffic so..." "I was watching an movie" and I am not am expert on USA's history or some shit, but Child Protection Services had been a thing since at least the 60s, so I don't think that a 10yo living alone with his mentally ill mother would have flown well- you get the idea.

I think this scene summarizes the whole thing perfectly

Get it? it's irony. (I love how Spencer is about to say something like dismissive "thank you" but because this shit hit too close to home to comfort he just gave a polite smile and walked away. That silence was LOUD) Because Spencer had always had done the former but the latter er.... :D

And it's not only when it concern Diane btw, any problem whatsoever Spencer would rather lock himself up (literally lmao) that sit down and talk about it- it's only when his bs is exposed and he can't refutage (like that little scene after Gideon's death when Rossi asks him if he had been there all night- he points out the fact he is wearing the same cardigan as the day before) that he opens up....or he runs away, which leads me to the second big point that I think shows how much Parentification fucked him up:

Spencer has the emotional maturity of a teenager.

I talk about this literally all the time so I'll be shorter lmao basically Spencer... has an issue- ok he has lot of issues- and that is the way he dislikes direct confrontation, so whenever he is hurt or angry he would rather be dismissive and passive-agressive that talk it out with the person- even going as far as turning away and storming out of the room.

(Here is the part where I put the screencaps but him storming off would be out of focus so lmao er.... Elephant Memory, Memoriam, Proof, a little part in 15x2 and The Gathering)

Now... I do think that a grown-ass man doing this shit is hilarious, like I love Spencer's bratty side so much lmao but it's an clear sign of someone that never learned how to deal with his emotions on a healthy way, someone that 6 out of 7 days of the week had to interiorize everything in and because of that holds on so much....resement, so much repressed anger but also without an stable force on his life to help him manage that- so we are left with an teenager trapped in an adult's body, loss at how to handle shit like he always did.

....And want to know the worst part about an Parentified boy onto adulthood?

That they don't know better.

[legendofzoodles]

Honestly? I see the situation with the Sheikah Tech being a sort of parallel to technology IRL in that no matter how you try to safe-guard your data, there will always be ways to sneak in & exploit it & use it against someone.

In this way, I get the feeling that even if the Sheikah did manage to figure out about it, Ganon, as a Sorcerer, could likely figure out a new way to do it again, but this time, lay low until it was most advantageous much like how hackers will hide viruses behind innocuous masks.

That isn't to say that I think that the Hyruleans can't be allowed to advance. More so that, when they do, to only build things that are operated manually to a degree.

Especially weapons. Weapons shouldn't be operated by complex ai the way the Guardians or the Divine Beasts seemed to be.

Rather, the devices should be run mostly by simple operational ai. You could even classify the Purah Pad in such a way because even though it is controlled by programs, at the end of the day, it can't do anything or cause any real harm without the user's input.

If you notice, the Zonai's constructs doesn't seem to explicitly have permanent weapons. Rather, they have to pick up things like swords, shields, bows & arrows. But none of them are as innately destructive as the Guardians or Divine Beasts were & I think that might partially be from experience.

It may even be a way to purposefully limit the damage they could do should someone manage to hack their constructs. Which we actually do see happen in TotK twice. Once with Kouga & once in the Spirit Temple.

Either way, by limiting technology to being relatively manual, you also limit the amount of damage that can be done using that same technology should someone take over.

In fact, even the Secret Stones are that way as it's still the person who's ultimately in control. Without a user they can't really do anything.

So, I stand by my thoughts that the old king was right to at least bury the Guardians & Divine Beasts.

Maybe I'm weird,but that's just how I feel.

I don't think Ganon could 'lay low' without showing signs. Whatever his new ideas are, he'd have to test them to see if they would work or if they could be improved upon. The only way would be to just ponder the idea for millenia and then strike without practice, which could lead to a multitude of things going wrong or not like he planned. To be fair, it's easier to corrupt and break something than to fix it, but he ideally wants to keep the tech functional so he can puppet them.

But fair, it would be possible for him to hide those experiments in a way the Sheikah couldn't detect or take too long, or even lead them down the completely wrong path. But the hypothetical of the two sides struggling for centuries trying to outsmart the other is fun to think about.

That's a good point about weapons, but they would have to be careful about how and where they store them. Ganon, forever watching, could send a huge raid of monsters to seize the stores, or use malice to destroy them and blow everything in the area to nothing.

That's a good idea, to disarm the ai tech or have a failsafe where they shut down if in the presence of malice/gloom. Or if they were to ever be corrupted, make them as passive as possible for a reasonable chance at restoring them to normal.

I still disagree. I'm fairly sure the Guardian pillars around the castle were never discovered by the Hylians and yet Ganon shot those into action. They were going to be corrupted anyway, it's a good thing there were discovered at all just before the second calamity, or the simple act of them rising out of the ground would have completely unearthed the kingdom and done most of the damage.

Also why bury them instead of destroy them? That's so weird. He wants the tech gone, thinks it's served its purpose, doesn't want the Sheikah to have all that power...yet buries it for future generations to discover? What if only a couple decades later, smart angry members of newly formed Yiga dug up some of this tech and enacted revenge?? What a shortsighted king.

But never mind the king what about his wisdom wielding wife?! Why didn't she have any foresight or sense to ponder any of this??

[homemakinghippie]

Things on My Crunchy Mom Baby Registry

Crib- I was going to do a bassinet and then transition to a floor bed when he got too big, then I thought we'd bedshare. Now we've decided to do a sidecar crib where we set it up right next to our bed with no rail between us so I can reach him.

Bottle Nipples- We're going to use mason jars as bottles so I'm just getting nipples. There are a few brands that fit regular mouth mason jars. He'll only get maybe one bottle a day so my husband can have that time with him. He'll be mostly exclusively breast fed so I'm only getting a few.

Manual breast pumps- Like I said I'll be mostly feeding him "from the tap" 😂 but I want to get a Haakaa and Boon Trove to catch letdown on the side he doesn't nurse and build my stash that way so meyhusband can do feedings. They're also good for helping with clogged ducts and whatnot so there's that too.

Silicone pouches- Store bought baby food and applesauce pouches have microplastics since they're generally pasteurized in the pouch. I don't plan on doing purees, but applesauce is an easy snack on the go I still eat as an adult 😂

Cloth diaper inserts- I plan to cloth diaper so my mom is actually sewing me all of my diapers, but I told her I'd take care of buying inserts since 30 diapers is a lot lol. I plan on doing a mix of pockets and covers so I'm getting flats and prefolds mostly.

Cloth wipes- To go with the cloth diapers I'm going to try cloth wipes. I figure it shouldn't be much more laundry and they can be used as cleaning rags in like 10 or so years when I'm done having kids (or saved for them to use).

Wet bags- These are for the diapers and wipes until wash day. I might get a hamper or something to put it in like you do with trash bags and bins, but I also might just have a bag sitting 😂.

Diaper sprayer- I'm not convinced I need this, but I've heard it makes spraying 💩 off diapers easier.

SO. MANY. BOOKS.- My mom is a librarian and reading is just really important to my husband and I so the majority of my registry is books 😂. Most of them are physical books, but I do have a Yoto player and some cards to go with it. A Yoto player is basically an audiobook machine, and the one I'm getting works as a clock as well.

Baby wraps/carriers- I plan to baby wear pretty much all day so I have lots of carrier types so I can have him with me all the time. I plan to contact nap and I don't want to be forced to lay down with him lol.

Sleep sacks- It can get pretty cold where I live and my husband likes to keep the house cooler anyway, so since he can't have a blanket I'll have these.

Adjustable high chair- Dangling feet can mess with their hips so I'm making sure to get a high chair that lets me adjust where the foot rest is so his feet are flat on it.

Car seat with a high rear facing limit- It's best to wait until they max out their car seat's rear facing limits to switch them so I'm getting one that goes up to 50lbs.

Washable play mat- For diaper changes, tummy time, and sensory bins when he's older. The one I'm getting also makes a great picnic blanket.

That's pretty much it besides a few teethers, clothes, and bath/health items. I could change my mind and decide other things are worth it later, but this is all I feel is necessary right now.

Things I'm NOT putting on my registry coming soon 🥰.

[outrunningthedark]

"the friendships on this show are the things we do best." and then proceeds to separate them people can't tell if they're friends or not, makes half of Buck's convo with Hen this season pointless drabble, makes Buck and Chimney's interaction so barren some people are legitimately confused if they still hasn't gotten over the punch, etc etc. At least Hen/Chimney and Hen/Athena are still good, but when you can't even put your mouth where your money is for something she thinks the show does best...

Legit will forever be bitter at Tim for leaving her in charge.

@lovecolibri has been banging this drum since about 6x04, so I wanna make sure my friend knows there are other folks out there who agree. IT'S TRUE, NONNIE. WE SHOULD ALL BE SAYING IT. Friendship isn't just "two faves who share the screen". Friendship is two characters giving each other mutual attention, love, and respect instead of it being one-sided. Eddie and Chimney's "friendship" came about because Eddie still got to ride along as a paramedic, but while Eddie gave his perspective (again) about Chimney's feelings for Maddie...where was Chimney to listen to Eddie's struggles with Christopher beyond the quip about Eddie not being cool enough anymore? Why couldn't Chimney be the one to know about Isabel's experience with her curandera (healer) who promised to help her speak to her husband on the other side so he'd have a better understanding of why Eddie rejects jinxes and curses? And then there's the fact that Eddie said Chimney's greeting at the Madney apartment was "weirder than usual", yet we've never seen him there (because they don't write that, and even the one time Bob Goodman tried, it got cut). Hen and Buck? Important conversation after Lev's death in 6x02, but then he's seeking advice while drunk, and she's giving her POV while drunk, and it's not discussed for three more weeks until they can "laugh" about Buck stopping himself from jerking off, and there was the Hen + Buck + Denny scene which (I'm sorry) wasn't much more than an opportunity to put them in a non-work setting and have mre of that "fun" Kristen talked about. You know what culd have been useful? Buck hearing about Denny's bio dad situation and having it influence his future plans with the sperm donor situation. Maybe there's some of that in 6B, but it won't erase the choices made in 6A just so the story line could continue on for the rest of the season (because it's easier than coming up with new material). Maddie...continues talking to nobody, and it continues being weird. This is gonna piss people off even though it's not my intention, but...it's getting to the point where having someone who works so little is impacting the rest of the show. I'm not blaming JLH for that, though. Maddie can still be the #1 dispatcher while Sue or Linda or even Josh takes a call so we can see Maddie with other people, and it's not JLH's fault that Chim's screen time is tied to that relationship so often. It just...sucks that the limited hours make KR & co. feel like they shouldn't explore the character more and don't want to create a schedule that works for more than just three actors (JLH, Kenny, and Oliver, and not even at the same time). I have a lot of thoughts about the way "friendships" have been handled under Kristen's direction and it basically comes down to "Well. This could have been done better." [tagging @lovecolibri twice in one post because I would like to read more thoughts and you always expand on what I'm not saying <3]

[legionofcrows]

"telling people to 'vote' after the scotus decision is released isn't helpful right now" and "implying/promoting the idea that voting is useless is a stupid af move" are two ideas that really need to coexist in American politics

[bluekat12345]

Cody/Priscilla: The First Kiss

(This is gift for @geluatekurama to say thanks for the icon she made me. A while ago, we talked about how we imagine Cody and Priscilla's first kiss would go. Sorry for taking so long, I don't know why I was unable to write faster. Hope you enjoy!)

"Are you okay, Priscilla?" Cody asked, pulling Priscilla out of her thoughts.

The two were currently sitting in the forest, enjoying one of their special picnic dates. After finishing their lunches, Cody started talking about what he had done earlier that day, only to notice Priscilla was glaring at the picnic blanket they were sitting on.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah." Priscilla replied. "Sorry, Cody. What were you saying?"

Cody frowned. "What's wrong, Priscilla? That's the third time, I caught you staying at the blanket like it insulted you."

"Well, maybe it did." Priscilla tried to joke. "After all, it was a pain to set it down without so many wrinkles."

Cody wasn't amused. "You can't joke your way out of this, Priscilla. What's wrong?"

Priscilla frowned. "It's nothing. You wouldn't understand."

"What do you mean?" Cody asked.

"You just won't." Priscilla curtly answered.

Cody then sat closer to her, so their shoulders were touching. "I could try." He said gently. "So, please, talk to me."

Priscilla was quiet for a moment, before sighing. "It's my mom. We got into another fight before I came to meet you here."

Cody frowned. "I'm sorry. If I can ask, what were you two fighting about?"

Priscilla's frowned more. "Remember yesterday when our teacher told us to write an essay on what we want to do when we grow up?"

Cody nodded, then Priscilla continued. "Well, I told her about it, and she said, 'You know what you'll be doing: working in my company' and then I suggested what if I wanted to do something else, and she got so mad, and she got me mad."

"What did you tell her you wanted to do?" Cody asked.

"That's not the point!" Priscilla declared. "It's that my mom isn't letting me decide what I want to do when I'm an adult, she just assumes I'll work at her company and maybe even inherit one day."

"Do you want to inherit her company?" Cody asked.

"No! I'm mean, I guess, well, I-I don't know!" Priscilla admitted. Then she groaned. "Forget it. Like I said, you wouldn't understand."

"Actually, I do." Cody said, putting his arm around Priscilla and gently pulling her closer to him. "I come from a family of heroes; do you really think I'm not expected to be part of that?"

"That's different." Priscilla insisted. "You want to go into rescue work, you already do! And like you said, your family are heroes, who wouldn't want to be part of that?"

"I guess that's true." Cody admitted. "But that just means I'm always compared to my dad and my siblings, if not by them, then by the whole town."

"I know how that feels." Priscilla groaned. "Not only does my mom expect me to do what she does, but so do strangers. People take one look at me and immediately think I have to be like my mom."

"And then they get disappointed when you don't." Cody added.

"They think you're strange for wanting to be different." Priscilla added.

"You're not allowed to be your own person." Cody said.

"They think they know you just because of your family." Priscilla complained.

"It's not fair." They both said.

Then Priscilla leaned closer to Cody. "I guess you do understand." Then she sighed. "At least people expect good things from you."

Cody gave her a small, weak smile. "Doesn't make the expectations easier. But this isn't about me. I can't promise the expectations and rumors will ever really stop, but you shouldn't let them get to you. It's not easy, but you need to do what you want to do, be what you want to be, not what others want you to be."

"What if I'm not sure what I want to be?" Priscilla quietly asked.

"Then figure it out." Cody gently replied. "You have time to do that. Last I checked, there's no time limit on figuring out what you want to do. And whatever it'll be, I'm sure it'll amaze everyone."

Priscilla smiled at Cody. "Thanks Cody, you always seem to know what to say." Then she got closer, preparing to give him a kiss on his cheek.

Cody turned his head. "Just trying-" Instead of his cheek, Priscilla's lips ended up on Cody's, surprising them both. While it did start out awkwardly, it didn't take long for the two to relax, kissing each other with more confidence, certainly, and affection.

It felt like forever before the pair ended the kiss, gazing at each other, blushing and smiling.

"Noble." Cody whispered.

Priscilla giggled shyly.

Then the two continued their picnic, quietly eating and sitting comfortably by each other's side.

(Sorry again for taking so long to write this. Still, I hope you enjoyed reading!)

[jaehyunoos]

- Over it

Summary: You always preached about getting over your ex, real fast. But what if you haven't and you've been lying to yourself all along?

Genre: Breakup!au, angst, a tiny bit of fluff at the end

Tw?: Alcohol consumption, a mention of reader wanting to unalive herself, reader is lying to herself as a coping mechanism???

Pairing: Lee Jeno x fem!reader (brief mentions of Haechan)

Word Count: 1.7k (it's the longest I've ever written lmfao)

Author's Note; Angsty queen or what?? lmao,, HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE JENO !!!! also, my requests are open if you want to request anything I will deliver <3 if you read this I love you and thank you for reading !! Enjoy 💚

You were over him. You were sure of that. After breaking up you did absolutely everything to get him out of your mind and surprisingly enough, it worked. You got a new haircut, started a new job, took care of yourself better, and made new friends. Life was a piece of cake for you when he left, everything came to a lot easier, in which you were thankful for that. You had moved on once and for all... Or so you thought.

Finding yourself looking back at times you were with him, how happy he made you, how much of a gentleman he was, how he made you feel like you were high; above everyone, and how much pleasure he gave you, you were his muse.

Slapping yourself out of your trance, you promised yourself to not think about him anymore. This night was going to be all about you and you only. Not Jeno -hell- not even a hundred Jenos couldn't stop you from having fun tonight. You were over him and that was final.

Walking into the house; which the party was hosted. Nose filing with the writhing stench of pure alcohol, mixed with sweat, you internally gagged passing by a couple making out at the kitchen entrance, you rolled your eyes taking a beer from the fridge and making your way out to the sofa. No way you would get out of this party sober, you had to drink, you had to get wasted. In honor of this prick; Lee Jeno, your ex.

You always boasted about how you were over him and how you didn't love him anymore. How he hurt you so bad that your feelings for him just stopped. You were so full of yourself, wow you had gotten over a relationship that you thought would be tough to manage, what a surprise. But seeing him walk into this house -powerfully so- with a lady by his side smiling and hugging his friends, you started to rethink everything you've done so far.

Were you really over the one and only; Lee Jeno? Or was all of this just a front, a new way of coping without him in your life? How did you manage to lie to yourself and believe it?

You know what they say; fake it 'till you make it. But did you? Did you make it? No, the fuck you did not. You were not over him. And you wouldn't be able to get over him, ever. Today marks the day you realized you didn't move on, putting one and two together you realized that all this time you were lying to yourself, and everyone around you. The hypocrisy.

Chugging the liquid down your throat, along with the betrayal you felt, the cold liquid cooling off your insides, making you feel a lot better at that moment. You smiled to yourself, alcohol made you feel free, your coping mechanism of a real escape once in a while. You got up to your feet, straightening your clothes, you made your way to the kitchen once again. You made sure you walked past them in long, powerful strides, grabbing your beer and exiting the kitchen, the same way you entered.

You glanced at them, seeing as he didn't even spare a glance at you, you sulked on the sofa. You couldn't stop thinking about the way he held her, by her waist, as if she was something so delicate; so fragile that if he held her in his arms for too long, she would break and disappear from his arms. You wanted to cry at that moment, he looked so happy. Maybe he truly was, maybe he didn't lie to himself like you did, and he was truly over you.

Or maybe he wasn't, you liked to cope with that idea. That he was putting up a front for you and everyone, that he didn't move on from you, but only the pained ones can dream, am I right? You wanted to dip at that moment, hide forever; or die. You shouldn't have come to this party, ever. Maybe if you stayed home and kept lying to yourself that you were happy, that you were able to live your life better without him. But at the same time, you wanted to get up and give him a good old slap into his handsome face.

How could he move on that fast? Get a new girlfriend, just like that, as if you never meant anything to him, ever. A person sitting beside you, suddenly, took you out of your train of thoughts.

"Hyuck!!, hey!" you breathed out.

Lee Donghyuck aka; Haechan. One of Jeno's best friends aka; your emotional support boy, was there with you, in all your crazy times after your breakup with him. "Hey, babydoll" he came closer to your face so you could hear what he said. Babydoll. The nickname he created after he, unexpectedly, caught you crying over baby dollies once, while he was over for late nights talks.

"What are you doing here all by yourself, mi querida?" asked, him.

"I'm trying to have as much fun as I can, I have so much to do this week" you let out a fake sigh, you had no work, no classes this week. You were just creating excuses because you were gonna spend those 7 days crying yourself to sleep and eat ice cream 'til you throw up.

Haechan threw an arm around you "he's here you know" he motioned towards Jeno and his crew with his chin, you looked over there for a second, catching a glimpse of Jeno smiling. You looked down at your red solo cup, sighing, "I know, what can I do about it" you looked at his eyes this time. "it's his birthday today".

"I know, how could I forget" you smiled.

"Maybe, I don't know, go there and wish-"

"ooookay time to get up and dance" you patted his thigh as you got up.

"Gosh, why are you so stubborn, I asked you to wish him a happy birthday, not fuck him, for god's sake!!" Haechan shot up from the sofa.

You stood there for a second, frozen, what was this outburst?

"Are you out of your mind!? He's clearly over me Hyuck, and as much as I wanna go up there and give him the biggest hug I can't. I can't just barge into his life back again and be like "heeey" as if nothing ever happened between us, as if we didn't hurt each other!"

You didn't mean to burst out like that, he probably heard what you said in fact; everyone did. Tears gathering in your eyes, you ran outside, the embarrassment too much to handle. You felt overwhelmed. You felt as if everyone was pushing you all this time and you -just now- had finally reached your breaking point.

Sitting on a bench near the pool, you let your sadness, frustration, regret, lies; everything takes over you as you sobbed into your hands. You felt stupid for crying over something so small, you felt bad because Haechan was probably somewhere beating himself up for pushing your limits. You didn't mean to be that sensitive.

You suddenly felt movement beside you as if someone sat there. You took your face out of your hands and looked at the person. Gasping, you wiped your -now wide- eyes and sat straight. There was none there besides the one and only, yeah you guessed it; Lee Jeno. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he gave you a soft smile.

'It's okay, you can sit, I guess" you cleared your throat.

You looked at him as he stared straight into the sky, a soft smile displaying on his lips as he rocked himself gently, back and forth. Mimicking his position, you did the same as you looked to the front, enjoying the cold breeze. "What happened to us?" you heard him speak, you turned to him, shrugging, "I don't know".

"it's like one minute we were in love and the other we were not"

you frowned.

"true, it's just one of us stopped loving the other for good but the one who thought that she had everything under control, turns out she's still madly in love, with the other" you smiled at him.

What you said caught him off guard, his eyes went wide in shock, but he quickly recovered. "Look, don't get me wrong I loved you; a lot, heck I might still love you. No, scratch that I am still in love with you, but, I'm in a very happy and healthy relationship and I want to keep it that way" you felt yourself tense up at the word 'relationship' but you quickly covered it up with a smile "it's okay Jeno, I get it, I never really expected anything after our breakup anyways" you patted his shoulder as you continued looking at the stars in the sky.

"Hey, Jen" you called out to him.

"Hm?"

"Can I get a last hug?" you looked at him.

"Come here" he motioned as he opened his arms to engulf you in a hug.

That's what it felt like hugging your whole world.

Finally. She felt as if she found her peace again. Her safe haven. After all the pain, the drama and deceit, the chaos and despair, there was rest. She felt once again the warmth and safety of his arms and how his hands held her as if he had known her all her life. She was finally home.

"She felt as if she found her peace again. Her safe haven." But that only would last that long as Jeno had to go back home to the safety of the arms of his girlfriend, and she had to go back to an empty home, an empty world, cause that's what her world felt like without him; empty. She wanted him back in her arms, she needed to be in his arms, but it was too late for that as Jeno went back to his girlfriend and she had to go back home, full of regrets. She was not over him and she chooses to ignore it and the more she ignored it the more further away Jeno slipped from her arms to the arms of another.

[dannyboyzone]

Samuel, if he would have a child

this was not requested, but it's children's day in korea! and who is the most fun to read about if none other than our tiddy king Seungeun! yaaay! Also, I could like, make one of Eli and Yenna, but we all know Eli is the best dad in the lookism world 🖤

꒰ 🍨 ”♡ᵎ꒱ˀˀ ↷ ⋯ Sammy with his child...

baby life

- Samuel isn't the type that necessarily loves kids, however that doesn't mean he necessarily hates them. He wouldn't know how to react if his partner says they are pregnant or want to adopt. - or anything of the sort! - He would react in a polite and pleasant manner, but the heaviness wouldn't shrink in until a few weeks or month.

- Not going to lie, he would prefer a son over a girl. It's not that he is sexist, it's that he is afraid that he would kill whoever hurts his little princess, which would scare and distance her.

- However, he doesn't mind what the end result is, he would just want to be a good parent because he never had an actual good one. You would expect him to have the mentality of 'I suffered, so why shouldn't they?' But he truly doesn't.

- He would absolutely be lost with babies, but would be very willing to learn about how to take care of them. He would surprisingly smile at them a lot, and even speak in a babying voice. Big scary gangster has a heart.

- The crying would sometimes drive him crazy, but he would absolutely never take it out on the baby, just try to learn which cry means what exactly. If it goes on for long, he might as well cry too.

- He would absolutely never trust anyone expect his s/o with holding his baby. That's his baby, whoever hurts it will die. He has set his mind on that long ago, truly. He had a terrible childhood, he won't let that happen to his own kid.

- People are absolutely not allowed to be loud around his baby, or even smoke around them. He would go out of this place to protect them, but maybe be a little tense during it.

- Honestly, when he would be around his family, he would be very very vulnerable. It would be his special safety net, and his weak spot. He wouldn't try to show that though, so people don't hurt his family, he can't let that happen.

- He still wouldn't become a full on softy though, but when he is around his baby? Lord! He has a whole personality change. Samuel who? There is only SuYoung's dad here!

- Ah, did I mention? He would want the baby to have a name that starts with an S. It will either have Seung in it, but even if not that, it will definitely have 'Eun' in it. If that's not an option? Y'all are going to look at baby-name sites at 2 am. The! baby! needs! a! name! that! starts! with! an! S! Seriously, if the child is adopted and has a name already, it will just become their middle name. Samuel will not chill out.

- However, whatever happens, the child will either be his Princess/Prince/Snowflake. He will probably buy a lot of things that will make not only having a baby easier, but having a baby life easier. As in; Both the child and the parents will have it easier.

- Samuel would absolutely love to dress up his baby in ridiculous clothes, like a baby overall with a hoodie, that just makes them look like a big carrot. He would just take pictures of them, but dress them back up in normal baby clothes, to not make the baby uncomfortable.

- What he would love as well is to take pictures with the baby, and record important moments. Like first words, learning, saying first word ect. That baby would probably become the most important person in his life.

- Absolutely not going to lie, Samuel is the kind of person who would love his child(ren) way more than he loves his s/o. Sure, it's great to have a loving s/o, but his son/daughter/child? They are top priority, he is responsible for their birth, and he will make them have the best living experience possible. He isn't going to put them through what he went through.

- I think he would also feel very loved. Especially if the baby falls asleep on his chest or tummy, he would definitely feel like he is a good dad. He would just be proud 'hey! i created that! It's beautiful and lovely!'

- Sammy is also the type of person that would peck his baby since he loves them so much. Please don't think of anything sick though, it's pretty normal and a lot of parents do it. However, if the baby hits him or pushes him away due to uncomfortable, he would of course stop and stay with hugs. It's just that his monkey brain would go 'woah!!!!!!! princess/prince/snowflake!!!!!!!!!!!'

- Talking about hits, babies hit people since they are developing and don't know that it's not fine. Whenever he would get hit by the baby, he would stay totally calm. He would kiss their little hand and kindly say that hitting papa/dad isn't nice. He would find it quite adorable, actually. He would probably have a hard time to not laugh if the baby bites his nose even.

- He would absolutely be the best dad. He would feed the baby, bath the baby, change diapers, cut their nails so they don't scratch themselves! Literally best dad.

- Maybe, if in the future he will be on good terms with Eli, he would even ask for advice. He is a good dad, and that includes admitting that he doesn't know everything, and he needs help.

kiddo big baby life

- Samuel would honestly be the kind of dad other kids are jealous for. They would want a dad like him, you know? But at the same time, they would all respect and fear him because if they hurt his little baby? It won't have a happy end for anyone. Samuel wouldn't need to raise his voice or hand for that to happen.

- Samuel would always prepare bento for his kiddo, and definitely even make them breakfast. No matter how picky they are, he would try to make the food they ask for. However, he would never let them eat in bed, unless they are sick.

- Talking about that, sometimes he would pick up his kid from school earlier than he is supposed to, either because he feels like his kid doesn't want to be there, or just because he wants to make family memories. He would also lie to the teachers.

- Also! 'Hello' and 'Goodbye!' hugs and cheek kisses are a must. Samuel is not an affectionate person, but both him and his kiddo would agree that they should always do that. Also, 'goodnight' and 'good morning' forehead kisses are a must too. He does it because he loves his kid, but also because you can never know when will you see someone for the last time. He would never say that out loud tho.

- He would do it even if he is mad, but when he is mad he would be scary. Not because he would get violent with his kid, but extremely silent. The kind of silence that screams disappointment. Funny thing is though, he would be like that exactly to not turn violent. He doesn't trust himself, so he has to control himself. It wouldn't happen often tho.

- He would be a little strict, but nothing too much. Just general healthy strictness. Like no chocolate after 6pm, limited tv time, children lock on the tv, computer ect. He is protective, but not overwhelming.

- If his kid would as a lot of questions he would be fine with that. He would just look at it as an opportunity to teach them, so he would answer all in an appropriate way. Also, hey, at least he can teach his kid that cheating is disgusting.

- Talking about that, he would be terrified of becoming like his dad. So even if he wouldn't love his s/o after a few years, he would still keep in the relationship and hide his feelings so his baby can grow up in a happy environment. He would never cheat though, so that's that.

- He would still be a good dad though! He would be happy if his child has independence and his own interests. He would let them pick their clothes, but also choose aesthetic matching outfits for them.

- Also, Samuel wouldn't really care what their sexuality, gender, religion, style and thought manners are, as long as they have morals and don't have disrespect in their heart. He values respect a lot.

- Also, he would teach them to be polite because that brings them far in their life. However he would also teach them to never do what they don't want to. Seriously, he would at some point teach his kid to remember the quote that says "The hill that you carry was only supposed to be climbed"

- He would also like, be chill if they fight. Teacher calls in that his kid fought? Cool, he would calmly tell the teacher to watch out properly next time. At home he would ask how they stand and hold their fist while fighting. To teach them how to do it properly.

- He would probably also prefer to have them in a fighting class of some sort. He would list multiple material art styles, explain the rules and ask his kid if they would be fine to go to at least one. It's not that he wants his kid to be violent, but he wants them to be able to protect themselves.

- HEALTH IS TOP PRIORITY!! Sammy is the type of dad you can tell anything to because he won't judge. That includes health and mental health, he would be careful and set up a comfortable mood. He wouldn't be ablist at all and just take care of his kid the way he is supposed to.

- Also, when the kiddo needs to get a shot or their blood taken, he would be next to them, holding their hand. Softly talking to them so they can get through it. He would also praise them, probably buy stickers and ice cream.

- He also absolutely wouldn't mind spending money on his kid. Their room would look like a dream land full of plushies.

- The support in this house would be above the roof. His kid likes painting? There is a whole art room. His kid likes biking? There is a whole biking day each weak.

- He would also help the kiddo study, although he wouldn't always be the best. Samuel didn't get rich by studying after all.

- He would also teach them stranger danger, and have a secret word with them that means 'something is wrong, please come here and help me'.

teen ♡

- He would probably stop babying his child when they become 14, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be affectionate! He just wouldn't want to embarrass them.

- Not going to lie, he would hit his kid if they do something big enough to deserve it. For example, if his kid would willingly do drugs - forced is something different - he would definitely hit them. Or if they hide smoking, or smoke in general. It wouldn't be abusive, or a daily thing. He would only use if necessary. He saw how those effect people, and he experienced how bad smoking is, he would have strict rules and he wouldn't let his child go through it. They will either choose the easy way, or the hard way.

- Do not misunderstand though, he won't get mad at every single little mistake. He would be a smart parent, just a little stuck up to his own views. He would tell them that he would rather get a call from them saying they snuck out and need to be picked up than a call from the police that his child is dead or went missing.

- Also, he wouldn't tell them what they should wear or not, but he would always make sure to put something in their bag that they can cover themself up with incase they are around someone that makes them uncomfortable incase their outfit shows skin. The gender wouldn't matter, as he is not sexist.

- He would be supportive with whatever their dream is, but would make sure to tell them that dreams can change and that they should make a back up plan incase it does. He is just realistic.

- Talking about that, he would make sure that his kid has a safe to work at next to him incase they want that. He wouldn't force them, but he would like to be a good role model.

- Funny enough, he would know how dumb teenagers can get. His worst fear would be his kid becoming as dumb as him when he was a teenager. Literally, he knows he made bad decisions and let his worth be measured by others, and he wouldn't want his kid to be like that either.

- He would also be fun though, he is the type of parent you can have inside jokes with. He would sometimes not laugh, as he is used to kids saying dumb stuff, but if it's a good joke he definitely will just have a great time with you.

- He is a proud parent too! Literally, even if his kid is a dumbass or a himbo, he would love them and their achievements whatever those may be.

- Absolutely wouldn't know slang, but would still attempt to joke around and do it. It would be fun because he would use words incorrectly.

- A must is definitely teaching his kid about life. In how to view humans, how to treat them and that he should understand that everyone is different.

- Samuel is the type of dad that knows his kids every interest, but not because he is pushy but because they feel comfortable talking with him. It would make other parents jealous for sure. He doesn't understand though, he thinks it's normal.

- When it comes to dating, he wouldn't be a helicopter parent. However, he would teach his kid to not just trust anyone and choose wisely, also, to always have protection. Let that be pepper spray or condom, it works in different situations. Poor person who dates his kid tho. They would constantly get looks that say 'I am watching you, better be careful.' He wouldn't be watching.

- Well, there would be CCTVs around the house though, so if they come home drunk, or past their bed time he will know. And wait. It's not that he would scold, it's that he would have a serious conversation.

- He would still do fun things with them too though! Like having bike fridays, vacation weekends, movie marathons ect. He would be a mix up a lowkey fucked up parent and a mix of the fun and loving parent that's always there.

Yaaaayyaaay its done! Hopefully, it was enjoyable. I tried to focus on the positive aspects, but still be honest. Of course it's fine if you don't agree with me! Please be understanding if there is a mistake, I made 57 points and my brain felt like it was melting the more I wrote. Thank you for your time! ♡

[linawritesocs]

fake!jay's voicelines + lesson chats!

finally, i'm making this boy's voicelines and chats. finally. i'll be making these only for fake!jay because i personally see only him being a playable character. what about real!jay? HE'S JUST THERE.

[ jay's voicelines ]

if you choose to hold his hand: "i thought you got lost, i was so worried.. no, no, please, don't apologize! i just tend to get anxious very easily. now, shall we go then?"

level up:

"i'm becoming stronger, don't i? hehe, i'm sure he would be proud of me."

"i see.. i will write this down in my notebook then."

"you don't have to praise me so often. i was.. um.. born with high intelligence, so it's only natural for me to be so good at this. huh? you think that's even more impressive?"

level up max:

"hm.. i wonder if one day i'll get a chance to live a normal life, without being connected to that person."

episode level up:

"i want to thank you for always supporting me and being by my side. this school, these students.. all of this is so new to me. thank you for helping me feel at home here."

limit break:

"oh, does this mean that you have even more things to teach me? that's good to hear, i'll make sure to stay focused."

groovy:

"it's almost like i really am a part of this.. maybe my school life will be just as fun as he wanted."

lesson lines (before lesson):

"you think my handwriting is pretty? t-thank you."

"allen-senpai, we're gonna be late! ugh, why should i be the one to take care of him? he's my upperclassman!"

"i tend to draw while taking notes, but i really am paying attention! it's just easier for me to remember things this way.. oh, you think my drawings are cute?.."

lesson start:

"okay, i think i'm ready."

lesson end:

"if you need help, you can always ask for my notes! ah, but don't depend on me too much, you should pay more attention during class.."

battle start:

"my unique magic helps me bring anything to life, but today i'm gonna use it to take your life!.. did that sound lame?"

battle win:

"i.. i did it? whoa, my magic is more powerful than i thought.."

『 ✿ ◦• ♡ ◦• 𓆩❀𓆪 ◦• ♡ ◦• ✿ 』

[ jay's lesson chats ]

[ a smart kid who dreams about romance]

"did i ever tell you that i come from a family of scientists? yes, my parents are actually quite famous!"

"t-that explains w-why i'm so smart? um, thank you, hehe.."

"my parents are from shaftlands, but they had to go to sunset savanna because of their work and i was born there."

"that reminds me, my parents once told me about this girl, she had to go to the jungle with her father, who was a professor and they spent some time studying nature there."

"but then, she met a guy who spent his whole life living there! if i'm not wrong, his parents died when he was very young and he was raised by gorillas."

"they got along very well and they even started to fall in love. she had a choice between going home and staying here with him and she chose to stay.. don't you think that's so romantic?"

"wha- you didn't think of me as a romantic type? i- i'm not that romantic! i just think this story is very cute.."

"though i wish something like that would happen to me one day.."

[ how can i understand him? ]

"i guess you could say that me and allen-senpai are pretty close. we both are in the same club, we spend a lot of time together.. but honestly, sometimes i feel like i'm his personal assistant."

"allen-senpai is very forgetful, he doesn't care much about classes, he's always too busy thinking about whoever his crush is at the moment." *sighs* "i just wanted an upperclassman that i could rely on.."

"oh, but don't get me wrong, allen-senpai is a nice person! most students are either scared of him or they ignore him, but i think he's actually very kind. he's just a bit.. strange, haha. but it shouldn't be surprising, when you remember what dorm he's from."

"i just don't get him sometimes. his writing is kind of.. uh.. let's just say that it makes me a bit uncomfortable. but i also can't deny that he has talent. he tends to stalk his crushes and follow them around, ignoring their personal space. but also he's a genuinely loving and caring person, who's simply tired of being alone."

"how can he be such a complicated person? maybe i should ask someone to write a "how to understand and talk to allen snowhill" guide? though i don't think there's anyone who can fully understand him."

"if i'm not wrong, he used to have a childhood friend.. but allen-senpai claims that they're not that close anymore."

"i'm sure he still cares about his friend even if he says things like that."

"but allen-senpai.. if you want to be loved so much, why do you refuse to talk to that childhood friend of yours? just what could happen between you two?"

[ the rsa literature club]

"why did i join the literature club? well, at first i wasn't sure if i even should join any clubs here."

"but then i was told that only troublemakers and lazy students end up not joining any clubs and i didn't want to be like that! but then i had to choose which club i should join and.. and it was so hard.."

"i thought of joining the archery club, the animal care club, the art club, the debate club, but i still wasn't sure. but now that i think about it, it wasn't just me being indecisive, i was also.. scared. i was scared of not being accepted by other club members. i was scared of not being as good and talented as them."

"and then, i met the literature club leader. i told him that i'm interested, but i was still too scared to actually join the club. he saw right through me and he said that i don't need a "talent" to join his club. it's okay for me to simply enjoy reading and being a member of the literature club."

"i don't have to be a good writer, like allen-senpai. i don't have to know the plot of every single book in the world. i don't have to be a genius or anything like that. he told me that i shouldn't join a club because "if i don't, everyone will hate me and think i'm boring", i should join a club because i find it interesting and i don't necessarily have to be good at writing, archery or whatever that club is about."

"so.. yeah, now i'm here. and i would never change my decision. i love this club and i feel accepted by other members, especially the leader and allen-senpai."

"even if i have to read allen-senpai's writing during every single club meeting, haha."

[ you actually care about me, don't you? ]

jay: ...

jack: ...

jay: ...

jack: "i know you're here, jay."

jack: "there's no one else around but me, you don't have to hide."

jay: "wait, how did y- OW!"

jack: "hey, be careful!"

jack: "are you okay? whoa, you hit your head pretty hard.."

jay: "i'm fine, i'm fine! here, let me just stand up-"

jack: "stay still. we both know that you won't be able to stand up right now. i'm not even sure if you can walk."

jack: *sighs* "seriously, why do you keep coming to this school? you know that nrc students don't like rsa students and vice versa."

jay: ".. allen-senpai. that's all i'm gonna say."

jack: "is this guy's safety so important to you, that you're okay with coming to the rival school where everyone hates you? i think you worry too much about him, that guy is surprisingly strong."

jay: "well, making him go back to rsa is pretty much my job at this point. i'm like his babysitter or something, even though he's older than me."

jay: "and also, um, i don't think you hate me, so.. if something happens, i can rely on you!"

jack: ".. i'll go and find something to treat that huge bump on your head."

jay: "oh, are you saying that i really can rely on you, jack-san?"

jay: *thinking* "he already left."

jay: *thinking* "well, to be honest, i came here today not only because of allen-senpai.."

[ wait, you're allen's cousin?? ]

jay: *thinking* "oh, it's almost time for the club meeting. i should hurry."

jay: *thinking* "now, where did i put that book-"

riley: "you're allen's clubmate, right?"

jay: "WH- WHO ARE YOU??"

riley: "answer my question first."

jay: "uh- y-yeah.."

riley: "okay, thank you for answering. i'm his cousin and i came here to see him."

riley: "now, excuse me."

jay: "ALLEN-SENPAI HAS A COUSIN?? why am i finding out about it only now??"

riley: "it's okay, everyone reacts the same way when i tell them that. maybe it's because we're not that similar, so people never expect us to be related."

jay: "well, you do kind of look like him, but your.. uh.. "energy" feels completely different."

riley: "hm? what do you mean by that?"

jay: "i think you're more quiet than allen-senpai? and you're not as talkative and emotional as him.. but of course, we've just met, so i may be wrong."

jay: *thinking* "oh no, i hope i didn't offend him.."

riley: ...

riley: *nods* "you're right. it's a bit hard for me to keep up with allen sometimes."

riley: "but i still think he's really cool."

riley: "now, again, excuse me."

jay: "oh, i forgot to say that me and allen-senpai will be busy with club activities today, so maybe you should come and visit him later?"

riley: "is that so?.. thanks for telling me."

riley: "i guess i should come back to nrc."

jay: "wait, before you go, may i ask you one more question?"

riley: "sure."

jay: "why are you carrying a bat? is it for self-defense?"

riley: "oh, this thing.. i don't know. i just feel more calm when i'm holding it."

riley: "i think i'll go now. goodbye."

jay: "goodbye!" *thinking* "no, these two are definitely related. he's just as weird as allen-senpai."

jay: *thinking* "wait, i forgot to ask his name!"

[ maybe he isn't my idol after all ]

jay: ...

leona: ...

leona: "you've been standing there for quite a while."

jay: "ah, leona-san! i thought you were asleep.."

leona: "it's hard to fall asleep when someone's watching you."

leona: "anyway, you've got a lot of nerve to come here, being a rsa student and all."

jay: "yeah, a lot of people have told me that before, haha.."

leona: "i didn't mean it as a compliment. you're an idiot for doing so."

jay: "um, m-maybe i am.."

leona: "and why are you always following me around? can't you pick someone else? i'm sure so many nrc students would love to spend time with you."

jay: "i.. i just think you're interesting, that's all.."

leona: "interesting? what do you mean by that?"

jay: "um.. you're just.."

leona: "why would such an adorable, naive and spoiled rsa student like you think that i'm interesting?"

jay: "..."

leona: "don't have an answer? of course you don't. i knew that you said that to get on my good side."

leona: "now, get out before i-"

jay: "oh, sorry, i thought i saw a fly. i didn't mean to hit you with my notebook."

jay: "i'll leave now, sorry for bothering you, leona-san."

leona: "..."

leona: "ugh, whatever. maybe he really did hit me on accident. i should go back to sleep."

leona: "wait a minute, didn't this guy love insects?"

[ technology expert and nature expert ]

jay: "you didn't have to come here, austin-san. i have to come to nrc quite often because of allen-senpai, so i could pay you a visit myself-"

austin: "oh, shut up. you think i'm scared of rsa students? they are the ones who should be scared of me!"

jay: "haha, you're right."

austin: "okay, let's talk about that request of yours. what exactly did you need my help with?"

austin: "and just so you know, i had a lot of plans for today, so you better be grateful, i could've spent this time working on my other projects, but no, i decided to come to this school and help you, can you see how kind i am?"

jay: ".. here."

austin: "a broken phone, huh? what happened?"

jay: "uh, i dropped it in a lake-"

austin: "jay, your phone has no water on it at all, you can't lie to me about things like this."

austin: "you can be honest with me, i won't judge."

jay: "you promise?"

austin: "unless it's something really dumb."

jay: "then i won't tell you."

austin: "okay, okay, i promise, i won't laugh at you."

jay: ".. i think i pushed the wrong button?.."

austin: "what- what do you- wait, did you turn it off?"

jay: "no, no, i know how to turn it off and i know that i didn't do that! i guess i just tapped on the screen and.. i tapped the wrong thing.."

austin: "what do you mean by "the wrong thing"??"

austin: "dude, your phone looks like you've dropped it from the top of the building! how did you make it end up like this??"

jay: "i'm sorry.. you don't have to help me.."

austin: "no, i will. just.. promise me to be more careful. if you need help with understanding how your phone works, just ask. i'm a busy person, but i can try to find some time for you."

austin: "though i have a feeling you don't understand how any technology works, not just your phone."

jay: "haha, that's true. but at least i have you and i'm thankful for that."

[bellfort3]

This is a vent fic i wrote ages ago. I don't have any plans for it, so I'm giving it to you. It's a gift. You can honestly do whatever you want with it. It's completely yours, add to it, read it, delete it, I don't mind. I think you might enjoy it and tbh i just want to be free of it. Its not published anywhere or anything. Uh tw for mildly implied suicidal thoughts.

Wilbur leaned back in his chair, taking a drag of the energy drink on his desk. He was streaming, and it had been nice and chill so far. Some QnA, some GeoGuesser and he'd promised to play a song for chat at the end.

"Thank you BXLBB for the 20," he exclaimed. "BXLBB" he repeated dramatically, and laughed. "Geez, put a vowel in your name dude. Do I plan on doing more chill streams? Yeah probably. We'll have to see how it goes, I'm not really going by too much of a schedule right now." He leaned forward. "Millie X, thank you for the 10. OK, so I think we-"

BRRRRNG!

Wilbur jumped violently in his chair, then giggled slightly. "Oh god that was my phone. I didn't"- he laughed again. "I wasn't expecting that chat, it made me jump. That's going to get clipped, isnt it. Jesus."

BRRRRING!

He looked at the phone screen. TommyInnit calling. Wait. Tommy calling? At 11pm, while  Wilbur was streaming, AND on his phone? With no texts or discord messages first? That was concerning. It was probably just Tommy being an ass, but the anxious part of Wilburs brain said he had to be sure. Ugh, if he was pranking him, he would kill that child. Tommy would just messing around, in which case the moment he started talking, Wil would tell him he was streaming and immedietly hang up on him.

"Oh fuck, it's the FBI," he yelped. He had to play it of as a joke for chat. "They saw how good I am at Geoguesser and now they're all after me. Hold on chat, let me just take this and make sure everything's alright. I'll be right back."

He muted his mic and picked up the call.

"Hullo TommyInnit."

No response.

He turned his volume up. Maybe it had been too low.

If he really strained, he could hear a very faint noise.

Oh fuck.

His anxiety was starting to creep in now.

"Tommy?"

Silence again.

"Tommy, I can't hear you."

More silence.

And then there was a muffled choking noise, and a quiet broken voice said "Hey Will."

For a split-second, Wilbur wondered if someone else had got his number by mistake. He had never in his life heard Tommy sound like that. But it had to be him by the call screen.

"Tommy are you OK?" Thank God he didn't ignore the call, thank god he didn't ignore the call. "Whats going on?"

Another beat of awkward quiet.

"It's nothing," muttered Tommy. "I-I'm sorry for bothering you Wil."

Oh fuck it must be bad. This was the teen who had told him his mother was dying to get him on stream.

"Tommy tell me what's going on."

"I don't- honestly Wilbur it's, I mean- I just-" Tommy stammered. He breathed out slowly and shakily. His voice was getting more watery and unsteady, in a very un-Tommyinnit like way. "I can't- can't seem to do-." He exhaled again and then he blurted out "Wil I want to delete my channel."

"You want to delete your channel?" Wilbur was trying to keep his voice level, but he could hear a tiny bit of incredulity and panic spill through.

Tommy was getting more worked up now. "I'm going to delete it Wil, I'm going to."

"Woah, woah. Don't do anything you'll regret. Where are you?"

"In my room. At my desk."

"OK. Sit on your bed away from the PC. Are your parents home?"

"They've gone out." He could hear a soft SCHMF as Tommy threw himself on the bed.

"So what-why do you want to delete your channel, Tommy?" The question 'what happened?' was clear in his words.

"I hate it Will. I... I don't like, I mean- honestly Wilbur, everything that's on there is shit. What is the point of keeping it up?" Tommy sniffed.

"Tommy..."

"Don't sugarcoat it Wil, I know- I know- I see how things are, you know. And I know I let you down and" Tommy's voice broke. "I'm sorry-I'm sorry, I've fucking failed Wilbur, I've let everyone down, I shouldn't even- I didn't mean to fuck everything up like I have, I dissapointed you-" and then Tommy was really crying, with sobs muffled by his hands and the phone.

Wilbur was stunned. Truly stunned. This was not a prank. Tommy was not OK. Tommy wanted to destroy everything he had worked for. Tommy was crying.

"Tommy," he said softly. "You haven't dissapointed me. Why did you think that?"

"Cos' y'know I-" he sobbed. "You-you like believed, you thought I could do good with my channel and my streams, but it's-" he sobbed again. "All of its so shit, and- and I've thrown away all my chances and I've limited everything and I just think it would be-" Tommy couldn't get the rest out. 

"Tommy, your videos are good. Maybe they're not all amazing, but you worked hard on all of them and they're all enjoyed by people." Wilbur was still reeling. "You don't hate all of them right?"

Tommy, save for crying, didn't reply.

"Right?"

No response.

"Tommy, trust me, you just don't see it now but I don't think your channel is as bad as you think. Did someone say something?"

"No!" Tommy cried, insistently. "No, no, you don't understand, this is just the way it is. Nobody told me, I came to this realisation myself."

"But," Wilbur started. "This realisation of yours is total nonsense Tommy."

Tommy sniffled.

"I don't know. I'm sorry Will."

"Are you doing OK? Is everything alright at school and home?"

"It's fine. Its... Fine."

"You don't think you're, you know, going through something? Are you depressed?" As Wilbur said this a realisation of his own hit him- he was still streaming. Chat was going crazy. He typed in chat: "everything is OK, but I have to end stream now. Sorry everybody. Go send Niki some love." Then he pressed the raid button. And watched the viewers drop.

"Wil I'm not-I don't know," Tommy said. "It would just be easier-well, better for everyone if it was gone. If I was y'know."

'End Stream.' Click. Hopefully the Internet wasn't too rabid. Then Tommy's words caught up with his brain. "Wait, Tommy you don't mean that," he said. "Thats really concerning Tommy. What about Dream and Techno and Tubbo and Schlatt? All these people you-"

"No!" Tommy screamed, immedietly distressed. "No, no, no, no, they don't, I can't-"

"Tommy, Tommy, calm down. It's OK." Tommys breathing filled the space.

"I'm getting Phil."

"No, please don't get Phil, please Wilbur I'm sorry, please Will-" Tommy spluttered frantically.

Wilbur typed a message to Phil with rapid speed, explaining what had happened.

Phil called immedietly, and Wil muted his phone.

"Will, what the fuck is happening? I saw you ended stream early. And you say Tommy's-." Phil was silent for a second. "Oh. Is he OK?"

"I have him on the phone, Phil, please talk to him."

Wilbur unmuted his phone.

"Hiya mate," Phil said softly.

Tommy quietly replied "Hi Phil."

//TW FOR SUICIDAL THOUGHTS//

Anon what the actual fuck. I just read this while sitting in ap world and I’m literally like stunned. Anon how-anon-I-

This is rlly rlly rlly good. Like rlly good. It actually made me feel like I was there like I was Wilbur what the fuck this lowkey wrecked me what

Anon I know you have gifted this to me but please. I think it’s amazing and that you should continue with it if you want to. It’s very good.

Please come back and talk to me!! I’m invested in this now

[wendystales]

Memories - lrh (Chapter Twelve)

Memories (also on Wattpad)

Chapter Eleven ※※※※※ Chapter Thirteen

I approach my boyfriend seeing him completely tense. The long, callused fingers from the guitar strings tightening in distress. His eyes didn't know where to look, staring into the spotlight like they were monsters from his childhood.

The thick brown coat was a few sizes too big for him, but he's still beautiful all the same. On the eyelids, a black eye shadow ending with a pink tip gave it a charm. The lip balm seemed to bring out the color of his lips, making me restless to kiss him.

“I don't know if it was a good idea.” Luke, let out all the air as I wrap my arms around his neck.

“It was a great idea! You look awesome.” I bite my lip, controlling the urge to take him into a room and do various indecent things. “Just relax and enjoy. As in a play.” I advise him, trying to calm him down."

Ever since the invitation for him to be the face of this perfume had arrived, I was bursting with pride and anticipation to see him doing his photo shoot, following something completely different from the band.

"Don't you think it's too exaggerated?" he asks, unsure of the look. I hold his face in my hands, touching our foreheads. I allow myself to drown in his blue eyes.

“You look handsome.” I say slowly, so he can record my words well. “Now, let's get this quick, because seeing you like this is making me very excited and I don't know how long I can take it.” I sigh, uneasy. Hemmo gives a nice laugh. Glad to see him more relaxed.

Watch out when the photographer yells for them to start. I give my boyfriend a little kiss, ready to pull away, but Luke holds me in his arms still.

“I love you!” he whispers, like a secret.

“I love you!” I give him a little kiss on the tip of his nose. "Anything just scream, I'll be right there." I blink at him.

I take a few steps back, not taking my eyes off his. So as not to bump into anything and make a mess of his work, I turn around, running behind the spotlights and flashbulbs.

I watched the photo shoot totally proud and delighted. Little by little Luke was loosening up and having fun. I don't wipe the smile off my lips, so every time he looks at me, he smiles more.

Nearly three hours later, my excitement was already making me irritated that photo shoot wasn't over and I feel like I lost all control when in the last costume, where Luke rips the white blouse. I hold my breath, staring at the ceiling, wondering how I'm going to make it home and calculating which is closest.

~.~.~.~.~

We left the elevator hand in hand and in hurried steps, we weren't running, but whoever passed us realized we were in a hurry. I squeeze his hand seeing the door with the number 609.

"Thank God." I comment euphoric as Luke opens the door.

He walks in and pulls me to his chest. His hand tangles in the hairs on the back of my neck, enveloping us in a desperate kiss. Urgently, I open the buttons on his shirt, feeling his other hand find my ass, squeezing hard.

I force the fabric to slide down his arms, enjoying the texture of his warm skin. The tequila flavor still inhabits our mouths, which makes the kiss better, plus the soft touch of his lips pressed against mine.

I roll my eyes as his beard scrapes my neck, along with his hot mouth, giving me goose bumps.

“The door.” I say with difficulty, noticing it ajar.

Together, we staggered back a few steps, closing it. Without much patience and with a lot of desire, we ended up staying there. Hemmings presses me against the wood, pulling me into his lap. I scratch the back of his neck when I feel his erection against me, releasing the electricity that seems to rush through my body.

It was amazing how seeing him on stage, with those tight pants and silk shirts moving me. Honestly, he can wear anything, and at the end of the day I'll be falling for him. Not to mention the eyes full of glitter. He had me in the palm of his hands like that. So beautiful. So magnificent.

Luke always knew this look messed with my hormones and destroyed my self-control, and in the end it always ended up like that, having sex, because I couldn't help myself.

Of course, the drink has a big weight in this, but I'm not going to take our blame for this story, after all, we teased each other from the moment we stepped into that dressing room.

The desperation and excitement is such that we reach our first orgasm right there, against the door. No foreplay, no undressing completely, and not caring if anyone passing in the hallway heard anything.

It was something far above lust or desire. Despair to feel our skins against each other. Taste and touch. That feeling of feeling incredible, loved, wanted, as if the only chance to stay alive was there inside of us.

I wake up in a jump. My heart pounded, causing pain. My body seemed to boil, prompting me to kick the covers off quickly. The fresh memory of the dream causes shivers. The way I felt his touch, all those sensations and reactions my body gave.

I lie down on the bed again, wanting to calm down and not think too much about the dream, or what else seemed like, memories. I don't know how to handle it, these are the first sexual memories I have with him. My God, how am I going to look at Luke now?

I pick up my phone, which poin just over an hour earlier than I planned to wake up. Since I know I won't be able to get back to sleep anymore, so I start getting ready for today's meeting.

I decide to have breakfast first and once again review my past contract to get a sense of what will be discussed. Between one paragraph and another, I browse my social networks seeing what's going on.

Without being impressed anymore, I watch a little video or two that some fans make about Hemmo and me. Slightly, I melt at the way we look and smile at each other.

I go back to my room, and head for a shower. I hope that water takes those memories from earlier today down the drain, but the steam seems to open more fields in my brain.

I close my eyes, feeling various parts of my body tingle, as if he's there, touching me, holding me. My breath heaves and my belly tightens. What the fuck is going on?

Cheating on me yet again, my brain presents me with the two of us on the floor of that hotel room. In my kitchen. In the car. In some bathroom. Some of the countless times we'd lost ourselves in each other's arms.

The many times I ran my hands over his chest, drawing a new path, as I thought in that hospital hall. The times his mouth wandered over my body, his hands took me with such force and conviction.

The phone ringtone brings me back to reality. I turn off the alarm and hurry my shower. With Noah's guidance, I change into something comfortable and a bucket hat Calum gave me to hide my pink hair.

After a few hours, I find myself analyzing a huge photo of myself at the Hastings agency reception. With Noah, I follow a huge hallway to a conference room, where Mr. Hastings and a lawyer would be waiting for us. The twin next to me has a hard face, which is weird since Noah is always so excited and smiling.

“Marnie, dear! Long time no see! How have you been? Did you receive my basket?” Mr. Hastings question me without waiting for me to walk right into the room.

“Hi! I'm great and yes, I loved the basket, it was very kind.” I squeeze his hand, not knowing quite what to do.

“Hello son!” it's not exactly a warm welcome, but I want to believe it's just because we're in a work environment, dealing with serious matters.

“Hi Dad. Can we start?” my friend guides me to a chair.

During the meeting, Mr. Hastings clarified some news of the new contract. Things like: salary increase, partnership with new brands and the whole process of publicizing the names that already worked with us.

“Closing here, you will go to the closet to take new measurements. These numbers will be sent to the brands that hired you and they will send you clothes for you to use on a daily basis. For example: if you go out with Leah for coffee, you must wear a Louis Vuitton coat, so the photos you take will publicize the coat and well, nowadays young people find everything and want everything you wear. You will get a scale of which brands to use, so it's easier for you.” Mr. Hastings explains by summarizing a contract sheet.

As for photo shoots, until my arm gets better and I can get rid of the cast, I'll be limited to rehearsals on jewelry, makeup, glasses and shoes. On my hair, if the contracting brand determines, I will have to wear a wig.

I keep mentally reading every line of that contract, wondering if I could handle it all. Well, you’ve handle it for the past two years, it shouldn't be that hard.

As determined, after the meeting, Noah walks me to the closet. A huge space where had several clothes and accessories, as in The Devil Wears Prada. My measurements are taken and I get annoyed when the guy who's putting the measuring tape around my waist grumbles that I've put on weight.

The bad thing about being a model is it, this constant imposition of a perfect body. Since the accident, I don't remember seeing anyone on Leah's foot for her to lose weight or keep her body. I always watched her nervous appetite, not caring if it would add to her number on the scale.

Okay that Leah's biotype was skinny and maybe that made things easier for her. But since I understand myself by people, I've always been short and broad hiped and never cared. And even if I erased a few years, I don't think I've changed much.

From the reflection in the mirror, Noah sinalized for me not to care what the guy says, but I think it's kind of difficult. It's not just him talking about my body, it seems like everyone on the internet has an opinion about my weight, especially some Luke fans.

Blocking in my mind, the offensive words that I always end up reading through social media. However, I keep watching my body in the mirror, wondering if it wouldn't be better to lose some weight.

Soon after having my measurements taken, Noah is called to a meeting with his father and a french businessman, leaving me alone. As I wait for the car to arrive, I consider what I can do on my last day off. Everyone is working and I don't want to disturb anyone.

Finally, I decide to go to my mom's office and have lunch with her. I go down at the door of a huge, mirrored building. At the front desk, I ask about her office, getting a badge before I go upstairs.

The frosted glass door holds a huge space, which occupies one/quarter of the eighth floor. The various prints, fabrics, furniture and color palettes create a fun atmosphere, contrasting with the white walls of the place.

"Marnie! Hey!” a woman with curly hair, tied up in a purple turban, approaches with a huge smile.

“Hi.” I reply politely, but having no idea who she is.

“Oh, sorry.” she seems to notice. “I'm Dominique, your mother's partner.” I open a bigger smile, now informed. "Have you come to see her?" she guides me in the office inside.

“Oh yes, I came to have lunch with her.” Dominique smiles broadly and sympathetically.

"She's going to love the surprise. She's just finishing up with a customer. Want something while you wait?”

“Oh no, thanks!”

Dominique walks away, making it clear that anything was just asking, that I was home. I'm amazed at how things evolved for my mom, before she just had a small room away from the center and now she had all this space and staff.

I watch several people go from one place to another, making projects, budgeting, designing furniture and spaces. My mother's laugh brings me back just in time to see her in her office doorway, rosy cheeks, awkwardly in Mr. Marshall's company.

I open a smile finding the scene adorable. I look for Dominique, hoping she hasn't shut up in her office yet, as she might know something about the two of them. I find the brunette, leaning against the reception desk smiling like me.

"Marnie?" I turn quickly, finding Mr. Marshall next to me. “How have you been?” I hug him while my mother stands wide-eyed in the door.

He hadn't changed much. The face that was once smooth now had a very charming gray beard. The hair was still dark.

“I'm great, thanks. It's great to see you.” I keep my smile, finding it all wonderful, unlike my mother.

“I'm sorry about the accident. I would have send you something, but I didn't have your address and it was a little difficult to reach your mother.” he admits sympathetically. Have I told how much I like him?

“No problems. I’m grateful for your consideration and about you have found my mother again. Isn’t, mom?” her gaze at me turns withering. I'm screwed.

“Well, I'm also very happy to have found Debra again.”

I hold the 'awn' who insists on wanting to leave, when he smiles delightedly at my mother. Man, he's so into her.

“Hm, sorry to be rude, but taking advantage of our meeting, I want to invite you to a new restaurant location opening. It will be this Wednesday.”

“Oh, I'm honored. It will be a pleasure. Right, mom?” I watch my mother want to sink into the ground and disappear, and I can't help think how funny is it. "Do you mind if I invite my friends?"

“No! Of course not! Feel free.” he opens a gentle smile. His gaze flies to my mother and there they stare at each other for a few seconds. “Well, I have to go. Debra, thank you so much for the project, it's beautiful. Marnie, it was a pleasure to see you. Until Wednesday.” he hugs me again. With my mother, I notice them without knowing how to say goodbye.

I wait for Mr. Marshall to leave the office to let out the sigh caught in my throat, which my mother doesn't like.

“Stop this!” she slaps me on my back. I walk into her room laughing at the whole past situation.

“My God, you guys are so in love. Why don't you just assume it?” I ask, sitting in the chair across from her desk.

"Because there isn’t nothing to assume. It's a professional relationship.” she replies angrily, setting the table.

“Mom?” I call her, until she looks at me. I raise an eyebrow, emphasizing that I don't believe her.

Her shoulders slump, letting go of the tension. I watch her hide her face in hands after a sigh. Her eyes catch mine and a nasal laugh breaks the silence, then I see her there, shy and unsure, a small smile, which soon opens, reflecting all over her face.

"I don’t have age for this anymore. I mean…” she takes a bunch of flowers from behind the table. “Look at this.”

"Awn." I cover my face, not taking it. “Of course you have agr for this. If my father can find someone and be happy, then of course you can too. Mom, you're young and beautiful, and there's an amazing guy who's into you. He's clearly in love and apparently he's been doing everything he can to demonstrate, you should give him and… you a chance.” I finish in a whisper, touching myself that those words were good for me too.

I replay in my mind everything Luke has been doing, trying to win me back, and I'm glad that, somehow, I giving both of us a chance, even if it's a non date. I let out a laugh at the memory of the invitation, before letting my mind drift back to this morning's memories.

“I think you're right. Maybe on Wednesday, I can talk to him.” her red cheeks make me smile more.

“It's a great idea. How about we discuss this over lunch?” I suggest, listening to my belly come alive.

“Great idea.” she picks up the phone, dialing something.

Since I had nothing to do, I stay until early afternoon with my mother, gossiping about her crush on Mr. Marshall, about my relationship with Luke, about the meeting and our Wednesday night outfit.

Dominique joins us in a few moments, having fun with my passionate and nervous mom.

Around 3pm, Ashton calls, inviting me out for coffee, just him and me, like old times.

“Why can't I go? Do you not love me anymore?” I cover my mouth, stopping the laughter from coming out, when I hear Calum yell..

“Yeah! I can't take you anymore. How am I going to talk bad about you if you're there?” Ash replies.

"You are talking here. What does it matter to talk there? At least that way you buy me coffee.” Calum rebuts. While the couple argue, I listen to the fight, paying attention to the details of the ceiling.

"Are you still arguing? What the fuck is just coffee? Who is so important for all this? The pope?” I hear Luke arrive and realize he doesn't know I'm the guest.

“It's actually Marnie and from my experiences she's very important to some of the people here.” I don't need to see Ash's face to know he's making fun of Luke.

"Can I go?" I bite my lip, holding back the laugh.

“If you let him go and I don't, I'll never look you in the face again.” Calum gives the ultimatum.

“I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm still here and would like the DTR resolved if possible.” I say out loud, hoping it works.

“Sorry, Marnie. Five seconds.” Irwin asks. I think about making a joke with the band's name, but it's better to leave it alone.

"Is she listening?" Luke speaks in amazement. “Why do you…” then everything becomes too muffled and I can't hear.

“Enough! Nobody goes but me. I want to go out with my friend and I will. Marnie was right, I shouldn't have introduced you.” I hear Ash mumble, causing me to laugh. “Give me your address, I'll be there in a few minutes.”

We ended the call and I return to questioning my friendships. Why God? Why?

Sitting at a small table on the sidewalk, Ash and I discuss which coffee to drink. It wasn't very difficult to know that he loves coffee and understands a lot about the subject, which gives me complete confidence in letting him choose which one I should try.

When the cup reaches the table, I taste the drink under his hopeful, curious gaze. I open a smile, approving of my best friend's choice. I hi-five him, celebrating.

"It was the coffee you had the first time we went out together." he comments with a cute smile.

“Awn, Ash!” I can't stand the way they always remember everything. "So, ready to officially become older tomorrow?" I crack a smile, excited about our dinner tomorrow.

“No! I found a white hair this morning.” he grumbles, eliciting a laugh from me.

“I don’t see anything.” I comment, trying to cheer him up.

"I wasn’t talking about my top hair." he comments, drinking his coffee next.

"Ashton!" I reprimand him, covering my eyes, traumatized. “I don't want to think about it. I don't want to think about it.”

I hear his laugh, letting me laugh too. The problem with having intimacy is exactly that, your friends no longer filter out what to say to you.

“So why didn't you bring Cool Guy Cal?” I change the subject.

“Because I spend the whole day with them, I can't stand to look at those disgusting faces anymore.” I laugh, imagining what a mess that studio must be. "And how am I going to speak ill of him with him here?" I complete this last part with him, laughing. “Exactly.”

“And you have something bad to say?” Ash shakes his head.

“No! Cal is an amazing guy.” Boys… “But I wanted to spend time with my best friend. After the accident it was difficult to have time alone. How are you?” I shrug.

"Surviving. It's only been a month and it seems like, I don't know, six. There's still so much I'm discovering.” I look at my coffee thoughtfully as I twirl the spoon in it.

"Finding out what? Your feelings for Luke?” he mocks. I scold him softly, laughing. This is a sensitive subject. "So how was the kiss?" I spit half the hot drink back into the cup.

I look at my friend in full alert. I can't believe Luke told him. We had agreed to wait a while. Irwin kept his smile curious, waiting for my answer.

“I’m sorry…?” he raised his eyebrows and then it hit me. He played and I delivered. "Ashton!" I kick your shin.

“Ouch! You who kiss and I who get beaten?” he rubs his shin, confused.

“How did you find out?” My God, does everyone know already? "Have you told anyone?"

“No! I didn't say anything and I didn't even try it with Luke. But how do you think I wouldn't notice? I've known him for years. He comes down Sunday morning, all smiling, all silly, more than usual. Super in a good mood after a party like that. Hemmings never wakes up in a good mood.”

I take a sip of my coffee, wanting to hide my smile.

“And about you?! You're my best friend! It's easy to see what's going on. Even more after what I already followed the first time. So?” the australian asks curiously, causing me to laugh.

"It was just a kiss. I don't know, it was automatic, and I ended up giving him a little kiss, and he took advantage of the break and kissed me. And I left.” my cheeks heat up as I hold in the sassy smile.

“And what does that mean?” he drops into his chair. I shrug.

“I do not know. I like Luke's company. I really like! He makes me feel safe and so unique. He's fun and so silly.”

"That he is!" Ash comments in a whisper, making me laugh.

“And I like it all, but…” the words don't come out anymore.

“You are afraid.” he completes.

"What if he gets to know me better and he doesn't like this Marnie?" I dry swallow. Ashton grimaces thoughtfully, considering my question.

“Nah!” he shakes his head, dismissing the possibility. “Luke loves you, Marnie. And you know this.” He points a finger at me. I look down, embarrassed. “The only thing left is for you to understand and accept how you feel about him. Of course, in your time, no pressure.” he adds quickly.

My heart speeds up with the direction of the conversation. I organize in my mind all the events that happened between Luke and me. All your discreet and indiscreet advances. All his looks and smiles at me, his shy, goofy way.

On the other side, I put everything that we lived before the accident. Everything I saw and remembered. I stare at Ashton, slumped in his chair, waiting for my answer. I take a deep breath, nodding my head positively.

“I think I already know how I feel about him.”

[eryiss]

Summary: Freed and Gajeel were total opposites in every way, only connected by the guild. When they were forced to train together under Makarov's orders, they expected antagonism and mistrust. Instead, they were given a lesson in how quickly opposition can turn to attraction. The issue: let the budding relationship simmer away, or let it explode. [Freed x Gajeel Multi-chapter]

Notes: Hey everyone, welcome to the last chapter. Thank you so much for reading through this. I know it’s a crack ship and not everyone’s cup of tea, but I really enjoyed writing it. I hope you all enjoyed it :)

Links: FFN, Ao3, Chapter List

Chapter Ten - Moving Forward

Two Weeks Later

"You feelin' okay?"

That was a loaded question, and one Freed wasn't yet ready to deal with. He and Gajeel were walking from the guildhall infirmary side by side, the first time that Freed had been outside since his demon had left him. It was mid morning and an entirely pleasant day, and Freed found himself angry at the sun beating down on them both. If it were raining or stormy then at least it would feel appropriate for his mood.

A cane. For the rest of his life, he would need a cane.

In terms of a mage's possible injuries, ending up with a cane wasn't much to complain about. People had been killed, mutilated and injured beyond recovery, so having to walk with a cane was hardly the worst that could happen. But every time he thought about it, Freed could only see a future limited by a piece of wood he would need to lean on.

The demon, it seemed, wasn't only eating away at his soul. It had slowly been sapping away at his energy both physical and magical, and the effect was more physical than Porlyiusca had thought. Porlyusica had said that, though she didn't know how long it would take, the demon would have eventually started to make Freed wither if it had been left to stay inside of him. The issue had been that, as the demon was being dragged from his soul, it's influence had exploded and affected Freed greatly, particularly in his lower right leg.

Porlyusica had said the influence had been like an ocean, slowly wearing away the coast. But as the demon was taken, it had turned into a tsunami.

He had been assured that the injury wasn't life threatening, and it was something that he could more-or-less get passed. Eventually, he would manage to bring the strength back to his leg, and when that happened the cane would only be a precaution for the occasional moments where the injury flared back up. Apparently he would be able to work as a mage again once the recovery began, though would have to change his fighting styles and work back up to the missions he had been taking.

Maybe he should be thankful that he would be able to continue working at all. He wasn't.

"Conflicted," Freed eventually said, walking beside Gajeel and determined to keep pace with him despite the unfamiliarity of the cane. "I'm glad you're here, though. Thank you."

"I wasn't gonna be anywhere else," Gajeel said firmly, and that was something of a consolation.

There was a lull in the conversation, and Freed knew what it was. Gajeel couldn't think of anything to say, because there was nothing that he could say to make the situation any better. No doubt, Gajeel knew that Freed wasn't fond of pity, and a lot of what a person might say in the situation might be seen as pitying, and so Gajeel was probably remaining quiet. Freed hoped this wasn't going to be a sign of things to come.

As if reading his thoughts, Gajeel suddenly perked up and looked at Freed with a mischievous smile. It was forced, but Freed didn't want to linger on that and so pushed it to the side and quirked up an eyebrow in a question.

"The stripper and the puppeteer are making Sparky and the flirt do their punishment this week," Gajeel said, and Freed laughed a little. "You wanna see them makin' asses out of themselves while being ordered around by two assholes."

"They actually went through with the butler idea?" Freed chuckled.

"Yeah. Even the thing about them being in their underwear and everything," Gajeel grinned, and maybe he was just happy to hear Freed amused. The last few weeks, he had been downcast at the best of times. "Even made sparky wear bunny ears. Though he was gonna fry all of us with how pissed off he looked. We were all laughin' pretty damn hard,"

"He takes bets seriously," Freed smiled. This topic, as stupid as it was, was a welcome distraction. "Are you sure you wish for me to see my ex in such a state of undress."

"Fuck yeah i do," Gajeel grinned. "You see him, then you see me and realise how much better you are now."

"So you intended to strip off too?" Freed probed. "I am being spoiled."

"Anythin' for my prince," Gajeel said.

Prince. Gajeel had been calling Freed that a lot over the last few weeks, and it always made him blush just a little. There was something so honest about the way he said it, as if Freed really were a man of importance to him as well as being someone to be revered. Freed wasn't the type of man to need complete adoration from a partener, but the fact Gajeel was so unquestioningly open about his reverence for him made Freed delighted. It was certainly better than city-boy, too.

And when he said he would do anything for Freed, it sounded like he meant it. Not just in the sense that he would do anything to make Freed's life easier now that this had happened. No, it felt like Gajeel was naturally happy to do things for Freed because he wanted to. Freed felt the same as Gajeel in that respect; he would do anything for him.

"I think maybe I'd like to go home for tonight," Freed eventually said, and Gajeel nodded.

"Thought you might," He said. "Don't worry about groceries or anything, I sorted 'em out. Spoke to yer team, so I've got everything you normally have, I think. Might make a cottage pie for dinner, Sparky said you like 'em. And I went to that bakery downtown and got you a banoffee pie for dessert."

And with a few statements, Gajeel had gotten Freed to cry.

The man who, less than a month ago, had been nothing more than a tedious acquaintance of Freed's was now somehow one of the most treasured people in his life. Because how could he not be? How could Freed not be entirely enamoured by a man like Gajeel? A man who had visited Freed every day in the infirmary, even sneaking in some nights despite rules saying he shouldn't. A man who, despite being known for his antisocial nature, had spoken to Freed's team to find out what he liked and what he did when the world was getting on top of him. A man who knew that something so trivial and comparatively not important as an empty fridge would be Freed's first thought after what had happened.

Gajeel noticed his sudden emotion and turned immediately. He looked at Freed with such open concern on his face, cupping Freed's cheeks with his large and calloused hands so carefully that Freed might swoon. Damn this brute of a man and his hidden fragility.

"It'll get better," Gajeel whispered. "I know it's shit now, and I ain't gonna tell ya how to feel 'cause that'd be shitty of me, but you'll get past it. Yer Freed fucking Justine, remember."

"I know," Freed chuckled, blinking a few times to cut off the tears. "Thank you."

"I ain't gonna let you do this alone, neither," Gajeel kept on. "Anythin' you need, anytime, I'm gonna do it for you. And you know you've got a whole guild full of people who'll do exactly the same. You'll get through it."

"I will," Freed whispered, and smiled at Gajeel. "You're too good to me."

"Like hell I am," Gajeel argued. "Now move yer ass. I wanna get in that damn bed of yours again. Mine feels shitty after havin' yours and yer runes would only let me in when I was bringing groceries."

Freed laughed at that. Gajeel certainly wasn't going to be treating him like glass. Good.

They walked down the streets of Magnolia side by side. For the most part it seemed normal, and on the few occasions where Freed's grasp on the cane wavered, or his leg buckled under him, Gajeel would help him back to being stable, held him while he walked for a few steps, and then acted like nothing had happened. Respectful, unpatronising, but there for him.

Gajeel was going to be there for him, and at that moment that was all Freed needed.

——

One Month Later

"Come on Prince," Gajeel yelled. "Nearly there, baby. Yer so close."

Gajeel was clapping as a form of motivation, standing on the side of the lake. He and Freed were in the forest that their relationship had begun in, having spent the night camping under the stars. The morning was a brisk and cold one, but Gajeel didn't care, as he watched his boyfriend keenly and with a ridiculous grin across his face.

Freed was so close. He was so close to getting there and Gajeel was so damn proud of him.

The couple had spoken at length about how Freed was going to move past his injury, and Freed had been adamant that he wanted to be as fit as he could and return to his missions as soon as he could. While Gajeel had been a little hesitant, he had worked with Freed on how they would accomplish that, and they had settled on building up his leg's muscle in small bursts. They would make goals for Freed to accomplish, and once he had accomplished one, he would move onto something more strenuous.

Swimming the entire length of the lake was the first goal. Although swimming didn't rely too heavily on his leg muscle, it kept it moving and put some on some burn. Multiple times a week they would get to the forest, and Freed would attempt it. So far, Gajeel had needed to dive in after and help him.

But this time, it looked different.

Freed was getting closer and closer to the shoreline and Gajeel could feel that this was the one. Finally Freed was going to get to the other end of the lake without any assistance. The water parted with each swift motion, and Gajeel was grinning from ear to ear as his boyfriend got closer.

"You can do this baby," He yelled again. "Yer fucking amazing. Yer so close."

Maybe Freed heard, because he seemed to speed up. As he approached the shoreline, Gajeel picked up his cane and rushed to where Freed was going to end up. He was going to do it! He was going to make it.

The moment Freed's hand hit the side of the lake, he removed his head from under the water. A look of shock turned to something close to joy, and Gajeel relished every second of it. To see the man he loved so happy, so proud of himself, was tremendous. Better still, Freed pushed himself out of the lake with no assistance, perhaps on an adrenaline high, and managed to stand up. It was wobbly, and he reached for his cane the moment it was within reach so he could prop himself up on it, but the fact he could do that after pushing his body so hard in swimming was incredible.

"Shit," Gajeel grinned. "You fucking-"

He was cut off when Freed grabbed Gajeel by the collar, pulled him down into a strong, passionate kiss. Gajeel stepped into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Freed's waist, not caring for how wet his clothes were going to be. He kissed back with as much passion as he could, because fuck - Freed had done it!

When they pulled apart, Freed had his left hand wrapped around Gajeel's neck. He looked practically giddy at his achievement. Fuck that was a handsome look on Freed, and Gajeel wanted to see it more. He pulled away, looked his man up and down and grinned.

Bastard shouldn't be able to kiss like that while dressed in a speedo.

Only Freed would be able to take the choice to give up sex until he was feeling reovered and turn it into a game where he'd try and turn Gajeel on every chance he got, just to piss him off. Motherfucking tease

"How d'you feel?" He asked, because Freed's health was more important than his arousal. "Nothing hurting too bad?"

"It burns, but like my arms do after lifting weights," Freed said, tentatively raising his right leg and moving it slightly. "But overall, I feel fantastic. Better than I have since everything began, I think."

"I'm glad," Gajeel grinned. "You wanna have some breakfast. Brought some pancake mix from the store if you wanna try it."

"Great," Freed grinned, and began to walk beside Gajeel to where they had set up camp. He looked up towards Gajeel with a spark in his eye that had been missing for some time. It was incredible to see it again. "I want to try and do it again tomorrow, to make sure that it wasn't a fluke. Would you mind sleeping here another night?"

"Of course not," Gajeel said immediately. Freed didn't need to ask.

"Once I'm sure that I can swim the length consistently, I think it makes sense to start working on exercises that focus on my leg, rather than using it as a secondary point of focus," Freed continued, seemingly unaware as Gajeel wrapped a towel around his bare shoulders. "I have a leg press at home which I could use, though perhaps that might be too much too soon. I suppose we can test it, can't we? You wouldn't mind being there, just in case something goes wrong."

"That's fine," Gajeel nodded, grinning at his boyfriend.

"Or perhaps some kind of ankle weights would be better," Freed continued, walking towards their camp as if walking on air. "They're not the most elegant solution, but they would certainly help build up muscle without too much strain. Perhaps you could make some for me, if you found the time of course. Maybe a continuous piece of iron that would snake around my calf, that way the weight would be distributed better around the leg."

"Makes sense," Gajeel said, chuckling. He was fairly sure he wasn't really a part of this conversation Freed was having with himself.

"I did want to start work on making the barn at the back of my property into a gym, but I've kept putting it off," Freed continued. "The space is rather a mess. Maybe the two of us could clean it out together. That would get me moving and help me be physical while using the cane," He then looked up to Gajeel and frowned. "Why are you smiling like that at me?"

"Yer cute when yer scheemin'," Gajeel grinned. "Glad I get to watch it."

Freed looked like he wanted to argue, so Gajeel leant over, pressed a kiss on the crown of his head, and smiled. Things were getting better.

——

Two Months Later

"Freed, no," Bickslow said firmly. "You can't do this to us."

"Why did you think this was a good idea?" Gray demanded, resting his head in his hands. "You've doomed us all."

"You're all so dramatic," Freed chuckled, leaning back in the chair and moving the wrapped box so it was out of sight again. "And I'm afraid that, when I'm choosing a gift for my boyfriend, I didn't prioritise the opinions of my friends."

"You should have," Evergreen huffed. "This is going to be awful."

The guild's New Years party had been going for hours now, and it had been a fun affair. People had drunk, made fools of themselves, and shared tender moments with their fellow guild members. While Freed hadn't engaged in much of the action, other than beating Max, Loke and Natsu in an arm wrestling contest, he had enjoyed a night of people watching and drinking with his friends and boyfriend.

As the night wore on, The Raijinshuu had flocked to a corner and sat at a table. Not only The Raijinshuu though, as Gajeel, Gray and Elfman were now mainstays of their table. It was odd, how quickly their small group had expanded and how easy these new friendships had been formed. Even Laxus, who had openly shown frustration at the fact he could have to go through the torture of becoming friendly with new people, had managed to find common ground with their new partners, even if he did pretend to be annoyed by their presence.

Or perhaps he was distracted. He and Loke could often be found glancing across at each other in subtle moments. Perhaps being forced to dress as sexy bunny-butlers had brought them together in a way fighting side by side just couldn't.

They were less subtle than Evergreen and Elfman, though. It was frustrating.

At that moment, Gajeel and Laxus had gone to the bar to collect the latest round. Freed had taken the opportunity to have a little fun with everyone else sitting at the table, and told them what his specific gift for Gajeel was. They had been less than pleased when they found out what it was, which only made Freed even more sure he had chosen the correct present.

"Hey," Gajeel said, placing a tray of drinks on the table and kissing Freed atop the head as he passed. "Why does everyone but you look pissy?"

"I told them that we couldn't open our gifts without you and Laxus being here," Freed lied smoothly, ignoring the roll of the eyes from Gray and Bickslow. "They were so enthusiastic to see what we've all got for each other, they didn't want to wait."

"Okay?" Gajeel frowned. "I don't believe ya, but if that's the story yer gonna go with, then I ain't gonna fight ya."

Freed chuckled. Gajeel really could see right through him.

Even though he didn't believe Freed's lie, the group did begin to open the presents they had gotten for each other. Elfman and Evergreen exchanged gifts first, doing so with the maturity of a woman who didn't know how to show off her affection, and the blush of a man who was delighted at even the smallest of compliments. Next, Bickslow and Gray, who had similar minds and had gotten each other gag gifts; Gray had been gifted ten coupons for a night with Bickslow, Bickslow had been gifted a pair of mens lingerie. Even Laxus had been given a gift from an 'anonymous' source, who had gotten him a small pendant shaped like a lion.

They really needed to be more subtle.

When it came to Freed and Gajeel, Gajeel offered his wrapped gift first. The box was long and thin, and Freed looked at it with curiosity as he began to unwrap it. When he looked at Gajeel, the dragon slayer was nervous.

"If you don't like it, that's okay?" Gajeel said, and Freed frowned. "It was kinda risky. So don't feel bad if you wanna change it back."

Not entirely sure what to expect, Freed opened the box. Inside of it was a new walking cane, one made of both wood and metal, a hell of a lot nicer than the one he'd gotten from Porlyusica. For a moment he wondered what Gajeel had been so nervous about, and what he meant by 'change it back', when he saw the handle. Rather than a simple handle, Gajeel had placed the hilt of Freed's sword on top of it.

The sword had been a constant burden for Freed over the past few months. He couldn't use it as his hand was occupied with the cane, so he had been forced to retire it. Looking at it was like a reflection of how much he had lost, and it had gotten so bad that he had put it in the attic and locked it away. Gajeel had apparently found it.

"I know the sword meant a lot to ya, but after what happened it made you feel shitty," Gajeel explained. "But I wanted it to make you feel good. Not something from yer past, but something from yer future."

"It's beautiful," Freed whispered, running his hand over the metal that had once been his hilt.

The sword had been the first thing he had brought with his own money, and the hilt had been the deciding factor over all the other weapons the armory had. For most of his life, it had been his most prized possession. Now, with the hilt attached to something that he could use, rather than something that taunted him with it's past importance, he could look at it with fondness and pride again.

"You sure?" Gajeel asked.

"Yes," Freed said earnestly. "It's perfect."

"You ain't seen everythin' yet," Gajeel was grinning now, and Freed removed it from it's box. "If y' push it into the ground and twist it anti-clockwise, you'll see what else I did."

Freed did as instructed, and heard a small click come from inside the cane. He lifted it up, and a thin blade was revealed to him. He looked at the shining metal with wonderment, and slowly brought the blade towards him. Another sword, more lightweight and agile than his previous blade had been, which worked better for his current state.

"I smelted down the old one and made it from the same metal, so it'll carry all the enchantments you put on it," Gajeel explained. "Thought you'd need one for when you started working again."

"It's perfect," Freed whispered, grinning at the blade. "Thank you so much, Gajeel."

"Happy new year, prince," Gajeel mumbled, pressing his lips against Freed's for a chaste kiss. "Yer gonna kick ass, I know it."

"I certainly intend to," Freed smiled, reaching for his gift to Gajeel. "While I admit it's not as thought out as yours was - I don't think anything could be - I do hope you enjoy what I got you."

Gajeel grinned and began to rip open the present, and everyone at the table who knew what he'd been gifted seemed downtrodden at the thought. Gajeel, however, looked into the large box with sparkling eyes and the biggest, most excited grin on his face. A moment later, he brandished his new electric guitar with anticipation rushing through him. Yes, Freed had definitely gotten him the right gift.

"Holy shit," Gajeel said with an excited laugh. "This is fucking kickass."

"I'm glad you like it," Freed smiled. "I should say, I expect a show."

Everyone groaned, but Gajeel ignored them. "Fuck yeah yer getting a show."

Before leaving, however, Gajeel leant down and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss that was perhaps too deep for the situation. But with the constant PDA from Gray and Bickslow, the love/hate flirting from Elfman and Evergreen, and whatever the hell Loke and Laxus had between them, Freed felt he was allowed to kiss his boyfriend how he pleased.

"I should say," Freed murmured into Gajeel's ear as he pulled away. "I find musicians very sexy."

"Y' do, huh?" Gajeel grinned, voice a little husky.

"And if a musician were to dedicate a song to me, I could be persuaded to let him do anything at all to me," Freed continued, voice a sexy tease which he hopes would go right down Gajeel's spine. "Including, perhaps allowing him to bind me to my bed with the manicals that he thinks I don't know are hidden in the spare room," Gajeel's breath hitched. "I might let him keep me there all night, even. Though, I suppose, once I was bound, he'd be in complete control of me, so I'd have to do as instructed no matter what."

"Fuck yeah you would," Gajeel growled a little, and Freed smirked.

Once Freed had been recovered enough, the two men had restarted their sex life. Freed was happy both topping and bottoming, but Gajeel had shown himself to enjoy taking the top roll with sadistic glee. Freed had been happy to accommodate, and he'd been beaten and bruised by the man night after night.

"Something to consider before you start," Freed grinned, pulling away from Gajeel's ear to lean back in his seat.

Gajeel walked to the guildhall's stage with purpose, hefting his new guitar and plugging it into the amplifier. It seemed like everyone but Freed was unhappy with this turn of events, but neither man cared. This was for them, and they were going to enjoy themselves.

"I'm gonna dedicate this to my Prince, the hottest motherfucker in this guild," He looked towards Freed with an evil grin. "And this is a warnin' baby. You better be dancin' now, 'cause yer gonna be too fuckin sore to do it tomorrow."

Freed laughed, raised a glass to toast the sentiment, and sat back to watch his boyfriend perform.

——

Nine Months Later

Gajeel woke up with Freed wrapped up in his arms, and he still smiled at the sight of the sleeping man despite how much he'd seen it.

One year. He'd spent one year with Freed, and enjoyed every damn day of it.

Even if the start had been rocky, both with how they first felt anger towards each other as well as the difficulties Freed was facing with his leg, Gajeel wouldn't have changed a single day. Without their arguments on that first week, then Gajeel couldn't be sure that their passion would have turned into something more beautiful and more important than Gajeel would have ever predicted. And while he would give anything for Freed not to have had to face the demon and all the consequences of its possession, Gajeel was so proud of Freed for fighting through it all and was so glad he could be there to help him.

Now, Freed was a lot better. He was stronger on his feet and his cane was rarely needed, even if he always kept it with him. He could go on missions, both with Gajeel and with his team. While they weren't as action-filled as his previous missions, Freed was relearning his craft and creating a new fighting style that could accommodate his needs.

He was a fucking badass, and Gajeel loved him so much.

Life had changed for Gajeel too. Months prior, his contract in the shitty apartment had ended and Freed had invited him to move in with him. Now, every morning he got to wake up with Freed in their shared bed, in their shared home, in their shared lives.

Life was good.

With careful movements, he pressed his lips against Freed's to coax him awake. One thing that hadn't changed was Freed's adorable habit of sleeping in as late as he could, and normally Gajeel would be happy to accommodate. But today was their anniversary and he wanted to spend as much time as he could with his boyfriend. The afternoon and the evening were all planned by Freed, but Gajeel had a few ways of making the morning more fun.

"Wake up, baby," He murmured. "I got a surprise for ya."

Freed, as he always did when he was woken up before he wanted, blinked a few times and pushed his face into Gajeel's chest as if in protest to waking up. Gajeel chuckled, stroked his hand through Freed's hair, and gently pulled the man out from his chest. Freed was sleep worn and tired, but still smiled up at Gajeel.

"Morning," He greeted through a yawn.

"G' mornin'," Gajeel said with a grin. "Y' better not be tired all day. I've got plans for ya."

"Oh have you," Freed grinned lazily, hand resting on Gajeel. "Do tell."

"Not like that, y' horny fucker," Gajeel grinned. Of course, part of the day would be dedicated to screwing Freed senseless, but just not now. "Put on a robe or somethin', I'm gonna make ya breakfast."

Freed raised an eyebrow, but did as instructed and slowly removed himself from the bed. Once out from under the covers, Gajeel saw the man in his naked glory and smirked. Over the year, Freed had shown an interest in getting more piercings, and Gajeel had happily obliged. He had rings decorating his other ear, a stud on his nose, and a single barbell at the base of his cock. That was Gajeel's favourite. Day by day, he was turning his prince more punk.

In response, Gajeel had gotten himself some new tattoos in the shape of Freed's runes. They hadn't figured out how to implant actual runes, but the tattoos looked just the same. He now had the runic word for Dragon on his left arm, and he looked fucking kickass.

"When you said you were going to make breakfast, I hope you meant food," Freed teased gently. "Because at the moment, you look ready to eat me."

"Later, Prince," Gajeel promised, wrapping an arm around Freed.

They walked to the kitchen, and Freed sat at the table while Gajeel got to cooking. Freed mainly cooked for them both as he was better, but Gajeel was by no means bad when tasked with a meal. He also knew each and every one of Freed's guilty pleasure meals, and as such had decided to cook them both pancakes and bacon for their breakfast. They would need the energy for the rest of the day. No doubt Freed had something good planned, and then of course there was the double date dinner with Gray and Bickslow.

Apparently, according to Bickslow, they shared an anniversary, and as such had to celebrate together.

"Y' see that box on the table," Gajeel spoke over his shoulder. "Got you a present. Open it."

"I thought we agreed not to," Freed said, picking up the box.

"Yeah, I know. I had this already and thought it would be good for ya," Gajeel smiled to himself as he whisked the mixture. He heard paper ruffling behind him, and grinned when he heard Freed laugh. "Put it on. Every prince needs one, after all."

It was the wooden crown that he had carved when worrying about Freed in the forest. Once he had been sure Freed was okay, he had gone back to the forest and found where he'd left the carving. He had promised himself that, if he and Freed made it a year as a couple, he would give it to the man. By the amused expression on Freed's face, he had made the right choice.

Freed placed the crown on his head, rolling his eyes a little but smiling. Gajeel grinned and sauntered over to him. He pressed their lips together, grinning.

"Never thought I'd kiss a real prince," He teased. "Ain't I lucky."

"Not as lucky as me, I fear," Freed teased, running a hand up Gajeel's arms. When his fingers traced his runes, he stopped and smiled. "I never did tell you what this meant, did I? I suppose I was embarrassed. Would you like to know?"

"Yeah!" Gajeel exclaimed. He had always been curious.

"It means 'ownership'," Freed chuckled, and Gajeel's inner dragon leapt with joy. "It seems my magic has claimed you, Gajeel."

Gajeel grinned, wrapped Freed in his arms and kissed the hell out of him.

Yeah, life was pretty fucking good.