#or else. /j

[pigdemonart]

Unexpected and unrequested Bowuigi be upon ye

They still tickle me from time to time. And I found these now years old sketches I never cleaned up, and decided to share cuz WHY NOT!

Its a good time thank everyone who supports my silly ideas LOL 🙇 ♥️ genuinely love you all sm

Patreon | Ko-Fi

[chloesimaginationthings]

Is Michael Afton gay or European in FNAF?…

[alien-slushie]

DPxDC Prompt/Idea

The death of his parents brought in a lot of hidden information to young Timothy Drake. For example, Janet and Jack weren't the only family Tim had. Turns out, Janet Drake had two older sisters, whom she had estranged herself from a long time ago, meaning Tim had two blood aunts, an uncle, and two adult aged older cousins. The discovery of his other family was both joyful, and worrying, making his future uncertain until the social workers could work something out.

After court appearances and jurisdiction issues, Tim was finally plopped in the lap of the relitive that was deemed "most suitable", whatever that meant; his older cousin Danny.

From what Tim had overheard *cough*snooped out*cough, his Aunt Alicia lived in the middle of nowhere without much electricity or even internet, and while she would have taken him in, the social workers worried the drastic, and sudden change in environment, on top of his grief, would make everything even harder on him, especially since Alicia lived hours away from any therapists, which was a requirement due to the situation. His Aunt Maddie and her husband Jack were immediately denied, given the state of their home and the 'open lab' concept they had going on down stairs, not to mention the fact that their own kids had seemingky cut contact as soon as they turned 18. The next person they looked into was his cousin Jazz, Maddie's oldest child, but while she looked like the best fit on paper, given her job as a therapist and psychoanalysis gave her the means and emotional capabilities to raise a child, but Jazz's job wasn't stationary, she helped a lot with the FBI, and more specifically, the rehabilitation of Villains and Rogues, meaning she traveled a lot and tended to have a target on her back due to her Job, it just wasn't safe or consistent enough for rearing a child. That left Danny, Jazz's younger brother. At just 25 years old Danny was a freelance engineer, and consultant that worked according to his own hours, not only did having the ability to chose his own work schedule make it easier for him to spend time with Tim, but the fact that Danny could work anywhere meant that Tim didn't have to leave Gotham, as Danny was willing to move to Gotham so Tim didn't have to change schools, or leave his home.

So here Tim was, in Drake Mansion, sitting across from a cousin he had never meant before, his new guardian, trying to wrap his head around the entire situation as best he could.

--

When Danny heard from Jazz about their estranged younger cousin, he hadn't thought much on it. He felt bad for the kids situation, and he hoped the kid was actually getting looked after, but never in a million years did he expect to be deemed 'most suitable' to care for the kid. Honestly he's thought Jazz, or Aunt Alicia would be best suited, Jazz had the fancy "feelings degrees", and his Aunt had a peaceful farm, Danny was just a freelance engineer that worked out of his condo most days, while portaling back and fourth to the Ghost Zone to help Clockwork, and other Ghosts with whatever wacky hijinks they needed help with.

Phantom had retired, the Portal in his parents house sealed, and their blueprints tampered with just enough to not be obvious, but still make making another portal to Ghost Zone impossible. Danny had graduated with grades passable enough to get a partial scholarship, and then he left Amity, working labor jobs on the weekends to live and pay the rest of his tuition. Once he graduated, Danny started working with a company, before eventually breaking off to start working for himself.

Once Danny had left Amity, he got his name changed. He didnt hate his parents, but Danny had just started to not care, it was painful to yearn for acknowledging repeatedly, only to be ignored in favor of work, so Danny just stopped trying, changed his name, and simply didn't call or visit his parents. Jazz hadn't totally agree with his actions, she'd kept their parents name, but she didn't visit or talk to them much either, not unless they reached out first, so she didnt have much of a leg to stand on.

Given all that, Danny had been surprised when Tim's social worker reached out to him. At first he figured they wanted a character reference for his sister, but to his shock, they wanted to know if he would take Tim in, saying that he, Danny, seemed the most stable for the child. It was a whirlwind of questions, and background checks, and parenting classes, and court dates, but before long Danny found himself staring down at his little cousin in a too big, too cold, too staged mansion in Gotham New Jersy.

[mrghostrat]

who am i to refuse a warmup crowley meme

[grey-viridian]

Sillies

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

Hedghodg Snugglz

[unicornpopcorn14]

So we all know by now that Dazai is comfortable enough around Chuuya to show nervousness/worry.

Enough times for Chuuya to pick up on that pattern. The pattern, may I remind you, that doesn't have evident correlation to either nervousness or worry to most people. One that can even be interpreted as misplaced given the situation.

Which means that Dazai has done this in front of Chuuya so often, that Chuuya at first was hella confused, before he finally made a connection between when and why it happens. And still remembered that connection after four years of separation. Which gets us to my point:

What if this isn't the only emotion Dazai displays weirdly?

What if he has multiple unconventional patterns he displays for sadness, frustration, content, or disgust? The times he really feels them, and they become too strong for him to just deal with normally? What if these are the only times he's actually being genuine with his emotions?

And Chuuya is the only one who is familiar with them all?

Dazai would be jumping rope and Chuuya would be like, "quit sulking, let's get icecream"

Dazai hanging upside down on the couch and Chuuya going, "It's okay, mackerel. You can cry."

Dazai actually crying, full on heart-wrenching sobs, and Chuuya unironically going, "What, good news?"

It's just... comforting, for one person in Dazai's life to read him like a book. Everyone else would look at him like he's crazy, displaying wrong emotions/behaviors at the wrong time, but Chuuya knows that it's just how he processes feeling properly, and thus he's the only one Dazai can count on to put things into context and understand, which makes him display them even more openly.

Because Chuuya never shamed him for his quirks, as much as Dazai never did his.

[nexo-nex]

I have exammm tomorroww wish me luck

[captain-flint]

me too, anthony. me too.

[scribz-ag24]

opposing views

[kurai-kurairin]

The two sides of Don Quixote

Both are autistic, as is written in the Prescript.

Close-ups <3 I like how DonQui's eyes turned out

(Yes I know Sancho in her short hair ver doesn't have the ahoge... but yk. Long hair her does. And I think the ahoge is Very Cute™ and Very Important™ so I drew it anyways ^^ This rant doesn't help anyone but I hope it entertained you atleast a little!)

[keferon]

Two Peas in a Pod: part 6/?

Thank you for the cake and the art and your crazy tags♡♡ you feed me so well so here's some more words!!

Lets see how many of you guest right, lol, they're both stupid, I love them.

__________________________________

A group walking down the corridor on the other side of the glass before six a.m was unusual. And given the volume and rapid chatter, something had either excited them or had them nervous. But when one stopped to peer through the window, looking for Prowl – they would not see him, he refused to be gawked at – there was a possibly it had something to do with him.  

Prowl suspected that if that was the case, his mobility played a key part. The humans had been more skittish since he had first left the hammock yesterday. Their fear was not misplaced, with the returned ease of swimming, his threat value had more than doubled.  

While he would not act unless pressed – as it would be wasted effort with the current situation – Prowl was not completely against whatever illusion that the humans had of him. Let them fear him. It would keep most away and leaving fewer for him to deal with; those brave or stupid enough to still come near him. 

The elated shout of Jazz that came from beyond the wall drew in his attention. Prowl sighed softly, recalling the current state of the language barrier. What he wouldn't give for a stylus and a data-pad. Even a simple drawing one would suffice. 

He didn't get to linger in dismay as he heard Jazz swim by, but not stay. The view port on the gate was still shut from yesterday so maybe Jazz had just come to check if they would open it? But then he came by again a few seconds later, and then again.  

Swimming laps. But was it excitement or anxiety?  

Prowl silently approached the gate and rested his forehead against it, listening. The body of water on the other side was much bigger, that much he already knew, but most of the walls and floors of this place were like stone, leaving empty spaces all over his vision. Places sound bounced off of, but didn't pass through.  

Metal wasn't necessarily any better, but it tended to reverberate; depending on its composition, and if one was skilled enough, you could see what was beyond or within the metal.  

But the gate was metal, and Prowl was that skilled. Tuning his sonar with careful precision, he eventually found the frequency that gave him the best image.  

Inside, it was primarily hollow, with large connecting rods and cylinders leading to alien machinery that was too complex to make out with outside noise causing glitch-like distortions across what he could see. But the guts of the wall weren't his goal currently. 

Outside was where he drew in his focus. Towards the centre he could very faintly see Jazz as he circled. His sonar images may be in terrible quality, but Prowl had become quite familiar with the other orca's particular blob. It was like watching something move from darkness to light or adjusting the contrast of an image. Jazz was bright and his silhouette shape clearly a mer when he was close, while dim and barely a lopsided oval when he was far.  

He was tempted to calculate the distance and overall, the space Jazz was swimming, but – to the right he had picked up on a platform. One that more and more humans seemed to be gathering on. At first, Prowl was worried that the other mer might be in danger, but after a few more laps Jazz approached and waited at the edge. 

For a few minutes, nothing changed. Until Jazz moved to somewhere in the middle, almost straight out from the gate, and the humans began to spread out. Something was up and Prowl kept searching and listening for anything that might give him insight.  

Till the screeching hiss of the machine attached to the gate suddenly came to life, causing Prowl to recoil. Losing his sonar temporarily as he worked through the noise. It was like a camera flash that blinded you for a second, only this one was a flash against your mind and a bang in your ears at the same time. But Prowl was used to ambushes and this certainly wasn't the worst sonar attack he's experienced, so this wouldn't hinder him, it was just annoying. 

Pressing himself against the floor and the wall out of view of the door, he waited. After the passageway had slid completely open, Prowl remained only for an extra moment, just long enough to tell that nothing was coming. Then he cautiously moved to investigate. 

With the recovery of his sonar and the obstacle removed, Prowl sent a few quick clicks to pinpoint all the humans. There were seven he could find, though there could be more outside his currently limited range. A poorly laid out ambush regardless, if that was the plan, and chances were very low – seeing as the humans were providing him with medical treatment, they clearly wanted him alive – but it wasn't zero. Prowl really didn't want to fight at this stage of his imprisonment, firstly; his wounds still posed a risk to his overall survival, secondly; he needed to gather more information before he could put together a plan of escape.  

When Jazz waved at him, Prowl resigned to the fact that he – or perhaps they – were being closely monitored and there was nothing that could be done about it. So, for now, he would resume gaining an ally, or at the very least a cooperative collaborator. The other captive orca remained at the top of his priority list for making any future plans have greater odds of success. Working out the communication issue aside, he needs this 'first meeting' to go properly and smoothly before anything else could proceed.  

And it looked as though the audience had Jazz tense and on the defensive. Nothing a little show of reassurance of Prowl as an ally couldn't remedy surely. 

So, Prowl approached with an appropriate speed for closing the distance between an acquaintance, with his arms set at a relaxed, yet polite place along his sides. When he stood before Jazz, he made sure to keep a respectable space, posed with and holding a practised expression of polite professionalism. Choosing to have his most vulnerable side forward in a grand gesture of trust, further expressing that he had no intentions of bringing him harm. 

He anticipated a moment of hesitance, allowing Jazz the time to observe him, to look for signs of deceit. But when his roaming eyes became fixed on his wounded flank, admiration showing in his expression, Prowl flicked his tail for Jazz's attention. Prowl wouldn't look too deep into it, but past experience made him keep note. 

Jazz showed that he was at least slightly embarrassed – good – but when he did not make a move to greet Prowl with the same gesture of goodwill. Continuing to face him head on had Prowl now searching for signs of what his intention were. But while he did, Prowl began to express slight irritation, in hopes the other would cease and desist.  

The other mer reacted by rising and Prowl tensed. Jazz must have had trust issues from past bad experiences if he was attempting to intimidate him with the present state of their body. Where he had been found gravely wounded, Jazz must had been found starving… Or there was the very slight chance that he had recently hit his last growth spurt and he was just a lanky cocksure young adult wanting to show-off. 

Jazz quickly paused, pointing and waving for Prowl to follow. Obviously wanting to move to the surface to speak. Fine.  

But then he smiled, and not in a friendly way, no, this one was clearly practised. Smooth, confident, and forward. Prowl had dealt with plenty of celebrities and politicians to know what a charming smile looks like, and very aware it was an illusion of friendliness to lure or entertain. Cocky youth had adjusted from 'very slight' to 'likely'. So, Prowl readied for a foolish game of posturing. 

{Sorry, Prowler.} Was the first thing out of his mouth and his smile diminished to a more acceptable nature.  

Good, Prowl thought at first, maybe Jazz had realized that he would not sway Prowl. However, Jazz still refused to back down, flaunting confidence with lax posture. Speaking in an almost gentle reassurance, {it's okay. Prowler, it's okay.} 

Then everything started coming together – prolonged staring, hints of interest, slight embarrassment, insistent forward facing, too friendly of smiles aimed at a stranger – and the almost certain likelihood of Jazz's youth. Prowl was both irritated and bewildered at his own conclusion; Jazz was flirting with him. 

Primus, he wanted to be wrong. But… nothing else made sense about Jazz's behaviour! 

Not wanting this nonsense to continue, Prowl kept his formal disposition of his side facing Jazz and backed off just enough to show refusal, but not a sign of submission. Prowl firmly said, {no.} 

{Wait! I —– } Jazz started to approach.  

{Stop,} he said as his scowl had grown into a harsh glare and he quickly turned his body to face him fully, but didn't back away. {trying okay.} 

Jazz did stop his advance. Though now apparently, they were locked in some sort of stare down. How else could he express his rejection without this braking out into a physical confrontation? 

Again, Jazz moves, this time slowly opening his arms to boldly offer a hug and still keeping a steady friendly smile. Like he's asking for a chance. But was only baffling Prowl further. Why are you so instant? 

" 'tzz." He said, the other mer's name was still difficult to pronounce, but he wanted to be clear. Speaking with a warning as he readied to strike. It wouldn't be the first time a pursuer needed a smack to take a hint. But Prowl really didn't want to fight. {Stop.}  

Jazz was back to rambling in the human's language, his tone was wavering between calm and frustration. But when he pulled away; after his words had done nothing to change Prowl's stance, Jazz squared up. 

Prowl did not hesitate and made a clean charge to Jazz's chest, forcing them both under.  

While Jazz recoiled and darted away to collect himself. Prowl rolled his shoulder in discomfort. The impact had still jostled his injuries, but it had been the best option. Biting would have been taking it too far, using even his right arm would have been agonizing, and spinning around to use his tail would have allowed Jazz time to react. No, this was good enough.  

Or so he thought when he returned to Jazz to see if he was willing to be respectful of the situation. While Prowl was willing to try and start anew with a mutual understanding, side-ways faced and still offering trust with showing his wounded side.  

Jazz looked upset, understandably so as that harsh of a rejection was never pleasant. But this language barrier was really getting in the way. He was speaking human words again, irritation clear in his voice. But then he took a deep breath and started slinking towards him. Still openly refusing Prowl's offer of peaceful intentions. 

And... now we've come down to a battle for dominance. Wonderful. Prowl had a slight bit of respect for the other's determination in not wanting to submit when clearly out matched, but this was hardly the time nor the place. Prowl fixed Jazz with a glare, promising punishment as he started to plan out his attacks that would not cause too much pain, but enough to humble the punk. 

{Please, Prowler, stop.} 

Gladly, but you first. {No, you stop, ['tzz.]}  

He did, {what,} but not without pointing back and forth between them, {why?} 

WHY!? 

Despite his mounting frustration of being unable to explain or even have Jazz possibly clear things up on his end as well. Prowl did his best to make it as physically clear as he could by returning to the calm request and offer to have no ill intentions between them, that they can be on equal ground. He even went as far as to break eye contact and look away, just in case that was feeding into his miscommunication with Jazz. 

{Prowler,} Jazz sighed, calling out to him softly, and daring to inch closer.  

Prowl tensed; he had tolerated that nickname due to his own inability to say Jazz's properly. But him using it��� using it like that was–  

That was not– I'm not submitting to you, you punk!  

Bristling, Prowl twisted and lunged for the other mer. Only clipping him this time, but was swift with a sharp turn to follow through with his earlier threat. And Jazz tried and failed to escape him. Charge after charge, Prowl battered him with carefully made strikes. Making it clear that when he stopped and let Jazz get away, that he had allowed it to happen.  

When he met Jazz on the surface once more. Prowl remained facing him head on, silently asking if he wanted another round of showing just how out of his league he really was. Regardless if that kind of movement put strain on his healing body, that he could feel the sharp pull of new tissues fighting against the flex of muscle. He could probably get away with a few more attacks before something popped open. 

{Please, Prowler. Please, stop.} Jazz begged. 

But Prowl waited to see if Jazz was being honest about putting this to an end. After a minute of neither of them making a move. Prowl once again turned so his side face Jazz and this time Jazz mirrored him.   

Prowl then gave a loud breath of relief and laid down to float on his back. Finally! No more idiotic posturing.  

Jazz also followed him in releasing the tension and floating, though he looked humiliated. 

Good, you should be embarrassed. 

__________________________________

I hope you found this as funny as I did. XD And now that the boys can be in the same pool, it's time for bonding and shenanigans!! >:3c

Prowl: doing everything by the book and reading into every micro expression to aim for the best results.

Jazz: trying to restrain his overflowing excitement and desire to make a friend. (but also has a budding crush) be cool, be cool OuO;;

Prowl: sees Jazz's not-so-hidden excitement and desire. what – here – right now – but also why? … sigh, you're just a shameless flirt aren't you? :/

IS IT really a jp fic if they aren't– Check List ✔ Arguing at least once ✔ Fighting at least once ✔ Jazz being an absolute flirt (unintentional currently, but still counts!) ✔ Prowl greatly misunderstanding a situation with Jazz at least once

Also, I've seen the pleas of the lovely readers!! I will post this fic on ao3 in the next day or so. But since this is my gift to my platonic love ♡♡♡Keferon♡♡♡ updates will be delivered here first.

Until you want me to stop dropping the fic in your inbox♡ -GLC

Previous

Next

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE oh my god they're fucking stupid ahahajjakfkfmgndb

I was wroNG ahaha I was completely wrong. Jazz wasn't saying "fuck you" in the last part it was "let's fuck" /j

To be fair. If I was held captive with the other random human and they greeted me by staring at my ass and then enthusiastically approaching despite me showing that I'm not okay with them flirting with me? Yeah no I completely understand Prowl haha.

Also. This isn't directly related to this part but. Sigh. I made some doodles of Blaster after reading the previous part and then.uh. completely forgot to show them. So I guess I'll throw them here now lol

[arrowsperpetualcringe]

Don't mistake my threat for bluff

You have lived more than enough.

[fycoren]

"Should there be Deceit, I shall embrace it. Should there be Doubt, I shall accept it."

[moraent-keys]

Experimenting with colors

Also I gave him wukong’s eyes for funsies :3

[tadc-harlequin-au]

This doesn't happen in this amazing short story but leave me be to my vices HAHAHHAHHAHAHAHA the fucking 2nd anon request is killing me-

gosh, this is just so wholesome omg,,,,, first of all, love the showtime bits they are so real to me married harlequin!showtime shenanigans my absolute beloved I need them injected into my bloodstream

secondly, WHY IS CADE SO CUTE HE ISN'T EVEN FULLY FORMED NOR DOES HE HAVE A PHYSICAL APPEARANCE YET BUT HE'S ALREADY WINNING MY HEART OVER AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M SCREAMING CRYING SOBBING AND BITING AT MY PILLOW FROM THE CUTENESS OVERLOAD I AM DYING

third.... Caine being afraid of being a dad..... it's okay Caine I'm pretty sure even planned parenthood has it's moments of "oh god what if we mess this up"

THE NEWLY FORMED PUPPET FAMILY,,,,, UEUUEUEUUEUEUEE SCARLET WHEN I GET YOU, WHEN I FUCKING GET YOU /POS

CLAWING AT THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE

The events leading up to Cade? Hurt/Comfort, near death experience. The relief. The happiness.

A/N:ooooooh here we go! ✍️

SOUL BEARER

A HARLEQUIN SHOWTIME ONESHOT

WARNING: rough pregnancy, hurt/comfort

~~~

The first sign Caine had that Pomni wasn't herself was how exhausted she seemed after a simple retrieval mission of a charm. She didn't fight any bosses or even leave the City of Circuits, and yet she was dead on her feet. Naturally, she denied any assistance or examination. She's fine. Stop worrying.

Caine did not stop worrying. Pomni was sleeping later and later into the day without pulling all nighters. He had Bubble prepare a salmon sandwich for her. Maybe it would help her feel better. When Caine checked on her later, she barely touched it, and she was bent out the window throwing up into the bushes below.

"Pomni, my dear, please tell me what's going on. I've never seen a puppet get so violently physically ill like this, not without heavy binge drinking, but that's beside the point." Caine held her hair out of her face as she finished ejecting the contents of her pseudo digestive tract.

Pomni wiped away black bile dripping down her chin. "I'm...fine. Just...bad fish."

Caine didn't believe that for a second, but he wasn't to the point of forcing her to the workshop for an evaluation. "You can tell me if you're not okay, Pomni. Do you remember what I told you?"

Pomni ran her hand through her hair, her head was throbbing and her chest felt heavy. "...that you love me."

"Exactly. Through sickness and through health. I'm here for you. Please don't hide it from me. Let me care about you." Caine guided her back to bed and did a visual examination as he tucked her back in. Aside from the signs of exhaustion, she seemed healthy. Maybe he's pushed her too far with the amount of missions, but this is the first time he's ever seen her run out of steam.

Caine kissed her forehead and left her to rest. He has Bubble stay outside her room under orders that if she needs anything, to contact him immediately. He spent the next few days pouring through his notes on puppet physiology. How the internal flesh reacts to different physical and mental stressors. Nothing was adding up. Whatever was happening was new, and that scared him.

~

Pomni's health continued to decline. She tried to force herself out of bed out of boredom, but the extreme exhaustion would force her down every time. Caine couldn't take it anymore. He carried her down to the workshop and laid her on the examination table. Her letting him take her without so much as a grunt of protest out urgency in his step.

The first thing he did was open her chest to check her heart. Her internal flesh that sprouted from her D.I.E had almost completely retracted back. The fleshy vines were thin and brittle, starved of energy. Caine's hands trembled as he opened her heart, exposing the D.I.E that contained her soul.

Pomni was barely conscious on the table beneath him. She had just enough energy to lift her hand and grab his shirt, getting his attention. "I love you..." She said weakly and passed out.

Caine's eyes widened and he cradled her face. "Pomni? Pomni??" Now he feared he waited too long. He went back to her D.I.E. It's glow was very faint. He carefully extracted it from her heart, her body going dead still.

He focused energy into his palm, giving her soul a taste of his own. "There you go. Drink up. You poor thing. What is happening to you?" The more he interacted with her soul, the more he could tell what was off about it. The energy he was giving her was being syphoned elsewhere. He followed the flow of energy to a second presence within the D.I.E. "What in the world?"

Her type of D.I.E was designed to house only one soul. The presence of a second led him to the conclusion that Pomni's soul was fragmenting itself. He got a blank D.I.E and proceeded to extract the secondary soul. Afterwards, the larger fragment of Pomni's soul came back to it's original glow thanks to him feeding it his own energy.

The secondary soul flickered softly in his other hand, like low candle light. His energy examined it curiously. It felt like Pomni, but also...not? It was strange. "Where did you come from, little one?" The small soul reacted positively to his presence, like it recognized him.

Caine held the secondary soul right in his palm as he returned Pomni's D.I.E to her body. It took a few minutes, but Pomni opened her eyes. She sat up slowly, Caine helping her up. "Fuck...that was awful. For a second, I thought-..." She turned and embraced Caine.

Caine held her tightly to his chest. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I went ten rounds with every boss I've ever fought all at once, but at least I can stay awake for more than five minutes. What happened to me?"

Caine opened his palm and showed her the D.I.E containing the secondary soul. "I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but it seems your soul fragmented itself. Say hello to the little troublemaker that knocked you on your ass." He chuckled.

Pomni took the D.I.E and looked at it closely. The small soul reacted excitedly, flaring up in her hand. What little energy she had to spare reached out to it, and it felt like interacting with Caine....but also not. "Are you sure this isn't just a part of you that clung to me when we...uh...bonded?" She asked with a subtle blush on her face as she remembered what they did.

Caine held her hand holding the D.I.E. "I really don't know. When I inspected it, it didn't feel like a part of me, but it also didn't fully feel like you either. Whatever- WHOever this is, they're new. However...because this came from your heart and it was such a hassle, even becoming dangerous to your health...I'll let you be the judge of what we do next. Do you wish to keep it?"

They sat in silence for a moment, just basking in the glow of the new soul. It felt like it was reaching out to both hands cradling it. Pomni felt a connection to the soul. It was new, but also a part of her and Caine. Was this...a child? "He stays."

"He?" Caine asked. "How can you tell?"

"I just can. Caine...I think we have a son."

Caine blinked in astonishment. The new soul being the result of esoteric procreation was not on his list of possibilities. He hand closed around Pomni's, who in turn closed around the new soul protectively. "We made new life..." He was still in complete disbelief.

"Cade." Pomni said softly.

"What?"

"His name. Cade." Pomni used her free hand to cover Caine's and held the combined parental embrace over the new soul to her chest. Somewhere, deep within her heart, her soul rejoiced in the presence of her new son. Perhaps the person's soul she holds always wanted to be a mother.

"That's perfect. I'll get on building him a body right away. If he is who you believe...maybe I should include physical traits from both of us."

"You don't think this is your son?"

"I don't know what to think, Pomni. I thought I was watching you die, so I'm a bit drained myself. It does have an interesting reaction to my presence. Otherwise...I just don't know yet. But, if you are certain this is our child, then I won't question you. It was literally inside you for who knows how long. You would know better than I."

"You're afraid." Pomni said flatly, looking him in the eye.

Caine sighed. "I never thought I'd be good father material. I suppose this just...has me feeling defensive. Not that the concept of children has even been considered possible since the fall of humanity, so this is extraordinarily unexpected."

"Yeah....you're right. I feel caught off guard too but, it...I don't know. I feel...connected to him. I can't just let him go. This is mine now."

Caine smiled softly and kissed Pomni's temple. "Congratulations, on becoming a mother."

"Thanks, daddy." She sniggered at her own joke the second it left her lips.

"WOW. I mean, wow Pomni. Thanks for ruining the moment." He tried to sound annoyed but he was half laughing.

Pomni leaned into Caine and kissed his lower jaw softly. "Let me try again. Congrats, you're a dad, and you're going to be the best."

"Maybe...I've certainly had enough practice wrangling all of you weirdos that live in the manor. What's one more?"

"Our little weirdo." Pomni smiled.

"Ours..." Caine smiled back.