#perhaps it could be described as a projection on her part u know? bc who hasn’t imagined themselves on the iron throne ✨😌

[thedeadthree]

— IOVANNA DAYNE OF STARFALL + STYLE

👗 + iovanna requested by @chuckhansen (part 1/2) + @d-vx ty sm!

moodboard meme 💜🔮

[thegeminisage]

hey liz i've been thinking a lot about story structure lately and i wanted your take on how you decide what structure your stories will have? i know there's that "you have to do what your story needs and tells you to do" thing but these bitches dont ever tell me anything they just multiply so. thoughts? - bma

(as an aside, i don't know whether involving medium would change many things but it may be worth considering. mainly i think medium is just a matter of arrangement and that the story would be for most intents and purposes the same no matter how you choose to tell it. i guess you could argue that structure is arrangement in itself and intrinsically tied to medium but i sort of feel like it is secondary arrangement, if at all? like if you consider time as an element to outline -- the time IN the story (how things happen to your characters) is not necessarily the time you’re telling the story IN (how you are telling your reader that things are happening) aka internal chronology doesnt equal your work’s pacing? or should it??? does this make sense? i dont think so. i am sorry.) - bma :|

NOOO dont be sorry ur making total sense

i think there’s 3 thots to unpack here (medium, structure, & chronology) & i’m gonna start with medium bc it’s easier. im also putting it behind a cut bc it’s gonna get just stupidly long and rambly. i’m sorry in advance if it’s not helpful to you, i have a lot to say for someone who has never taken even one single class on writing and as a result doesn’t know jack shit (there’s a tl;dr at the end dont worry)

about MEDIUM: 

so like ok i’m just some goof-off with a HS degree who writes fanfiction but In My Very Super Qualified Personal Opinion, i don’t think that most of the time medium is intrinsically tied to STRUCTURE of the main storytelling arc...i think the art of storytelling itself is distinct from the medium you choose to tell the story IN. this post puts it better than i ever could but basically for me, i feel like the story itself is sort of the raw, malleable concept, and the medium you choose to tell it in is how you convey the information??

like in a book, you can say “she forgot her keys” and in a film you have to show her smacking her forehead, heading back into the house, and swiping her keeps off the counter. you can’t TELL in film, you have to show. similarly i regret every day i cannot perfectly describe a facial expression with words when i see it so clearly in my head. for audio-only podcasts that are dialogue heavy out of necessity you have different limitations than you would for, say, animated music videos with no dialogue at all. games allow for more interactivity and exploration while sacrificing accessibility, tv shows allow for more length while sacrificing, uh, a big hollywood budget...medium affects the kind of story you can reasonably tell which is why some stories are better suited to one medium than another. i think trying things in other mediums is a good way to stretch your storytelling muscles but with enough skill nearly any story could be told in any medium. i think when trying to decide on a medium you just gotta weigh the pros & cons and what you feel comfortable with/what you think would be most effective/what would evoke the strongest reaction

re: structure:

firstly “do what the story tells u to do” is a little silly like...the story isn’t sentient. come on. that’s like “i can only write when the writing gods inspire me” there are no writing gods! inspire yourself! it’s all in our weird messed up brains! ok anyway.

this is, again, just how i do things, and i am 700% self-taught so take it with a grain of salt, but when i sit down and start blocking out a story from scratch i don’t...actually consider the big structure at all! sorry if that’s not helpful to you. i like to make a list of everything i want to happen, and then put it together in a few different orders to see what looks best. and when i’m finished, whatever i have just like...IS the structure i go with, with perhaps minor tinkering to make it flow more smoothly. (i think this might be in the same spirit as “do what the story tells you” with less bullshit and more Agency Of The Writer.)

for long and more complex projects, i actually usually have several lists - one list of stuff that is, for example, the Action Plot (the kingdom has been cursed, i’m tracking down my serial killer sister to bring her to justice, i’m running from djinn who wanna kill my dad, i’m trying to bring my dead not-boyfriend back to life). then i have another list for Character A & Character B’s romance or whatever. and maybe a even another one for solo character development (magicphobic prince learns to love magic, former werewolf hunter figures out his family is a cult, half-demon learns to embrace his own nature). and as many lists as we need for however many Main Characters and or Plots/Sideplots

how i order the lists: individually first. don’t mix them together to start with. when deciding the order of an individual list i like to, for example in a romance arc, use escalating intimacy. “A and B have dinner together” is naturally gonna go way sooner than “A and B kiss” or “A and B talk about A’s angsty backstory” because that’s more satisfying. draw it out, good/important stuff last, dangle that carrot so we have a reason to keep reading! for singular character development, it’s basically a straightforward point A to point B...if i want my guy to start hating magic with everything he is and end up being very comfortable with it, i have to put “reluctantly uses magic to save his own life” WAYYY before “casually using magic to light torches and reheat his cold stew.” 

the tricky part for me is when i’m done with these lists and then i need to mix them together To Pace My Whole Story. (this is usually why i wind up with a rainbow colored spreadsheet.) i don’t like to put too many things too close together because then the pace feels uneven. even if my Action Plot is only a thinly veiled excuse for romance and character development, i still don’t want to focus on a romance for 30,000 words and then go “and oh yeah in case you forgot Serial Killing Sister is still coming for your asses.” the more sideplots and major character arcs you’re juggling the harder it is to get an even distribution, which is my main concern always

and like, generally, whatever i have when i’m finished...is my structure. (sorry.) 

i don’t know much about the classic 3-act or anything like that, but i usually can divide them up into 3-5 big arcs based on story turning points. sometimes i take a scene out of one arc and put it in another because it fits better and i like for my shit to be organized, but usually by the time i’m finished with all that, that’s what the final story is mostly gonna look like. (there have been a few exceptions when i realized i needed extra scenes/changes while i was MID-DRAFT and let me tell you that murders me EVERY time. it happened on the merlin fic i’m currently posting and that was like my own personal hell.)

this is also where thots about chronology come in:

i think time CAN be an element of this if you WANT it to be, but it doesn’t HAVE to be. if you want it to be, i would consider it just another “list” like character development or the romance arc. 

i usually plot without considering Time very much...to me, it’s all down to the events you want to show, and however much time it takes is the byproduct. if you want to show something from a character’s chilhood but then tell the bulk of it when they’re adults, that’s one thing. if you want to show a scene from their childhood, teenhood, young adulthood, etc, that’s a different kind of pacing?? i usually do it this way so i can regard time like wordcount: it takes as long as it takes. 3 days or 3 years, a 1.5k drabble or a 100k epic...overall, my LARGEST CONCERN is that even distribution. in the same way that i don’t want one chapter to be 30,000 words when the rest are 10,000 words, i personally am not a fan of huge timeskips offscreen

(because this where i think someone’s own internal chronology DOES matter...this is just a personal preference, as a reader i have a hard time really comprehending, say, a year timeskip or a 10yr timeskip when all i did was turn one page. like, a year is such a long time. i can’t even begin to describe how different i am now to how i was a year ago. it’s the same for character development. time IS development and as a writer i’m not really comfortable having that take place offscreen - for main characters, at least. it’s just too jarring. a little prologue with something happening 10 or 20 years ago is usually fine, but for the most part, i’m not a fan. ...i can do one chapter per year a lot easier than i can do two chapters in childhood and the other 8 in adulthood. of course you can play with this a LOT with nonlinear storytelling, which is a whole other very cool thing, and someone skilled in their work can keep me sucked in no matter what, but imo if you don’t want to risk throwing your reader out of your work it’s better to keep things steady)

HOWEVER sometimes time IS an element u wanna consider outside of just making sure your shit is evenly distributed...if your heart is moved to tell a story in a specific timeframe, over a year, or from solstice to solstice (this was almost the timeline for my merlin fic and then i changed it), for the first six months of a friendship, or even a huge journey in the span of a single day (toby fox had a lot of success with this one lol).

i think it can help to choose a start and end point for your chronology the same way you do for character development (prince goes from hating magic to being ok with it, story takes place from ages 8 to 25, or from new year’s eve 2038 to 2039, whatever) - that way you can keep your distribution even, if that’s a thing you want to do...even if you have a lot of skips you can still note what happens offscreen to make it work better in your head? like, if you just make it another List, another column on your spreadsheet, when you’re in the early stages of organizing you can be conscious of it and make sure it’s playing into the story the way you want it to

anyway these r my thots im SOOOO SORRY this is so long lmao. brain machine broke today which is why i had to ramble more to explain myself. the tl;dr in case ur brain is melting out of ur ears & u didn’t sign up for an essay:

imo medium is totally distinct from storytelling tho ofc some stories are better suited to some mediums

structure? i don’t know her. i plot w/o regard to structure and then if it looks funny i mush it into a more structurally sound shape

my main concern when structuring anything, including time, is an even distribution of Events and a steady rate of escalation

structure to me is just what i have when i’m finished plotting. i’m sorry one day i’m gonna take a writing class

internal chronology matters to me personally because i have a little bit of time blindness but maybe not to everyone, i know many very successful stories where they disregarded that entirely to no ill effect

writer’s block isn’t real! everyone just needs more rainbow spreadsheets

thank u for asking I HOPE i didn’t make you regret it too badly lmao and that at least a little of it was helpful!! 

[autisticstarseed]

if u could, perhaps, bless us with all the applicable symbols from that fic ask for hvh 👀

ooOoOOOoOO Rub s gay hands togehter omg ty friend 😍;;;;;;

💡 - What was the motivation behind the story?

hHH i hadnt written in 10+ years so when i latched onto this plot idea i just thought itd be a good time to jump the shark and try it again !! i just wanted smth really edgy and depthful bc im emo and the rest kind of snowballed

💎- What was your favorite part?

osdlfksd;lf it’s hard to pick a fav but the drunk scene was definitely the most fun to write at least

⛰️-  What was the hardest part?

THE SCENE WHERE THE GANG IS KIDNAPPED BY ENKI,,,, i debated toning down the violence but in the end i knew where the story was going (and where its still going) and that its gonNA be kinda dark so why hold back now ig

🎭- What was the feeling or mood you were going for?

BITTERSWEET AF,,, sort of just treading the line of ‘hopeful’ and ‘hopeless’ at all times to fully portray the feeling of being at your lowest, but with that classic tss ‘silver linings just around the corner’ kind of undertone

🏟️- Who was your intended audience?

mostly all the adults that watched tss as a kid and felt like spirituaLLY MOVED BY IT cuz i really tried to tap into that Emotion Tee Em we all felt when we found out that zak was [redacted]

🔬- Was there one scene you were building up to/knew you had to get just right?

hHH theres actually a LOT of scenes like that and i think a lot of my general motivation to keep going comes from that ‘WAIT FOR IT WAIT FOR IT’ vibe slkdf:SDF but the Plot Twist tm in the latest chapter was definitely a big’n, and theres a few more of those still to come :^)

🗝️ - What were you thinking when you wrote it?

kjdjFSDs:DF tbh whenever i start really writing, [’im shifting into soup mode’ seinfeld meme voice] im shifting into maladaptive daydreaming mode

🎥- Were there any tv shows, books, or movies that influenced this verse, if any?

:^) devilman crybaby pls forgive me for everytHing

📈- Was there a clear character arch you wanted____ character to go on?

i actually have a short list of what i somewhat consider to be the story arcs in my notes !! mostly just for organization and obvs i wont list the future ones but so far we’ve seen the kushtaka arc, the enki arc, and now we’re in what i call ‘the annunaki’ arc.

🎢- Were there any scenes you were nervous about? For audience reception or otherwise?

ALL OF IT JSHDJSKD, but again a lot of the enki scenes i was worried would be too edgy TM, and the whole annunaki plot as well i was worried might be too ‘out there’ for ppl, but it takes the story exactly where i always wanted it and lines everything up perfectly so i went for it lol. i was also ofc worried if people would like ila or not bc oc but most ppl love her actually which is so 😭❤️

☠️- Did you consider killing off any of the characters? Did you?

8^) [mickey mouse voice] this is a surprise tool that will help us later ,

✉️- Did you title your chapters? What title do you like best?

yes! the next one actually has my favorite chapter title yet, but so far i like ‘so strikes the harpoon’ since its a throwback to the first couple chapters

☀️- Was there symbolism/motifs you worked in?

o every single paragraph is an overly thought out middle school poem im entering in the talent show actually

🎵- Did you have a playlist/piece of music that went with this story?

Yes !! i have HVH insp part 1, Part 2, and an extra one for all those songs that have the vibes but just dont fit enough to make sense in a playlist

📜-Do you want to write something like this again in the future?

probably ! ive learned i definitely like the edgy/darker and emotionally driven stories with ongoing plot, so that trend will almost definitely continue. idk if ill write a dystopia again anytime soon, but i think my future stuff will at least retain that long and heavy vibe

💁- Did readers influence/change any part of this story?

oh yEA like basically i was ready to quit after the very first chapter before it was even written and kinda just got it all out on a whim of motivation but was expecting to flake on it like i tend to do with projects, but the invested response to it was just so uplifting that its what ive been riding on all ten chapters and im so grateful for it :’)))

✏️-Would you go back and change anything if you could?

hHHHHHHH yes and ok this is terrible but i actually tend to avoid re-reading my older chapters until i hAVe to bc i suffer from that sO much ,,, , its just little things like tiny words i wanna change or bits i wanna take out/put in and once or twice ive even caught a mistake or plot hole/smth i forgot to add that i rly do have to go back and edit and i just turn to dust every tim e

⭐- What’s a scene/paragraph you’re proud of?

i really liked the northern lights scene!! it was meant to be a pivotal moment of that ‘bittersweetness’ vibe i was talking abt and it was another one of those scenes i had been planning for a while;;;

“ I think of how much the rest of the family would love this. This isn’t like the moon and the sun, where I can see it and know that even if it looks different, they’ll see the same one soon enough, wherever they are. This reminds me only that I am not with them. It stings. It seems unnatural for something so gentle and natural to appear before us as if we aren’t in complete, total fucking chaos. After all we’ve been through, and the sky still dances. “

📣-What was the best piece of encouragement you got?

AVERY ALL OF UR LIVEBL OGS AND COMMENTS GIV ME SUCH L I FE, ,, ,, CRYIGN CAT FA ce

🔦-Did you learn anything while writing it? About yourself? Writing?

isdfhSDF YEs, part of my hesitation to write came from this thing where i always just assumed there was a wildly high standard of writing in fandom spaces like in original literature spaces, where you had to have like 10+ sentences to a paragraph and you had to describe every tiny detail of a setting and you had to follow every single grammar rule or it was unreadable but like. genuinely its like sculpting with words as long as you have a shape ppl get the idea which is such a weight off my shoulders lol, its still a lot of work but so much fun to know i can to an extent do what i want and ppl actually like it like that. i also learned that like most other writers i have to cause my favs emotional and physical pain,

🎁- Any writing advice for people who want to write something like this?

hhHHHH 1. please do it its so fun just give in to the edge my guy , 2. try to get comfortable re-reading your chapters, for me its like when ppl listen to themselves sing/act but im trying to do better bc its so much more consistent when i keep it fresh in my mind and it also boosts confidence when u can pick out the things u like instead of the things u dont, 3. trying to have at least one scene in mind for each chapter that ur excited to write so u can have motivation to update faster! for me it doesnt have to be smth i think would excite the audience either like it could be the most basic thing but just having an idea of it and knowing i want to see it come to life rly helps me stay on top of it all

TY SM FRIEND THIS WAS SO FUN x x )

[atmosphericflyboy]

Five times kissed bc fuck u i have a need

I NEVER REBLOGGED THIS MEME BUT IF YOU SEND ME THINGS I WILL WRITE THEM ANYWAYS? I GUESS? > @freckledcybernetics : always accepting? i guess?

Mild NSFW in section 3, continued under cut because this somehow became over 3,800 words and yeah wow it’s 7:46 a.m., I have no excuse.

Trying to think back on the beginnings of your relationship with your husband while playing tonsil hockey with him pinned up against your front door is—probably not a stellar idea, but Poe Dameron has never claimed to have good timing.

It’s just—he’s having a moment, okay, because after all these years he still can’t quite believes that Fergus is his and he is Fergus’ and they are theirs, ad infinitum. To have and to hold, for better or for worse—although in his mind there is no worse, has never been worse since the very first day they met.

Focus, Poe.

They break apart for air and Poe takes advantage of the brief pause to pick Fergus up. Still, he can’t stop thinking, This love story—how does it start?

Fergus’ lips find his own again, and his mind goes blank for a little while.

It starts, he thinks as he hitches Fergus’ legs a little higher around his waist and begins to walk them to the bedroom, gently kicking cats and dog out of the way. The two of us, we start, it starts—

1. With two cups of coffee.

The cute guy in a button-down and tie stutters. It’s adorable; Poe gives him his warmest smile and promptly gets caught up admiring those ginger curls and bright green eyes as he waits for the customer to finish his order. The early sunlight filtering in through the thick glass windows has a flattering effect on everyone, but especially so (Poe thinks) on this gentleman, painting a warm blush across soft cheeks that look positively delectable, they really do—

He jerks out of his reverie, realizing that the customer is done talking. “Alright, let me see if I got all that,” he says with a wink (because, as Finn is fond of reminding him, he is shameless). “One regular Americano with an extra shot and one large caramel macchiato, and can I get a name for your order?”

Rey shows up just in time to take over for him at the register. As he bustles about preparing Verin’s order, Poe keeps sneaking glances over at him, wondering who the other person he’s buying coffee for is. He pulls his special marker out of his pocket on impulse, adding a purple heart after Verin’s name on both cups before sticking them in a cardboard holder and handing the whole thing over to Verin with a smile. And, because he is truly, unapologetically shameless, another wink.

Verin takes a sip from the larger cup on his way out the door. Poe didn’t think he was a triple-shot-no-sugar sort of guy, anyways.

It takes close to four months of sporadic meetings and soul-sucking early shifts after even earlier-late night gigs, but Poe finally learns that A: the person Verin buys coffee for is his terrifying boss (Verin hadn’t actually described his boss that way, but Poe knows triple-shot-no-sugar types, and they are not to be reckoned with), B: Verin will drink anything with a lot of caffeine and sugar and milk in it, and C: the sunlight looks even better on those cheeks when said cheeks are already colored with a faint blush at one of Poe’s guileless attempts at flirting.

Oh, and D: Verin’s name isn’t actually Verin—that’s the boss. Cute suit guy’s name is Fergus.

(Somehow, the name makes cute stuttering guy even cuter. Albeit perhaps not so much when Poe remembers he learned that by mistakenly asking “Verin” out.

Fergus did say yes, though, so maybe the extra cuteness is warranted after all.)

Poe picks Fergus up at seven with a small bouquet of wildflowers and his most charming smile. Afterward, he walks him home, feels the blush he’s been admiring from behind the counter for so long warm the tips of his fingers as he leans in for a kiss.

It’s short and sweet and chaste, yet it makes the butterflies that have been in his stomach all evening shiver and flutter. He knows it’s too soon, but Poe’s falling for this man who kisses like he’s not entirely sure he knows how. Who looks at Poe with sparkling eyes and the softest smile, and always seems a little startled by his own laughter. Like he wasn’t entirely sure he was capable of making such a sound.

Poe hasn’t done slow and steady in a very, very long time, but he finds that he wants to, for Fergus. Wants to take him out to countless dinners and movies; wants to introduce him to everyone important to Poe, his father and godmother and band buddies (the coffee shop buddies have obviously already met him). Wants to have picnics in the park with him in summer and hot chocolate by the fire in winter, and to hold his hand until they have to kiss goodbye at his front door.

Wants his front door to be Poe’s front door, too, someday.

He strokes Fergus’ cheek and steps back before he can say something stupid like I barely even know you, but I know I’m stupidly in love with you. It’s too soon. Fergus deserves better. Poe knows how to do better.

“See you tomorrow?” he says instead. Fergus nods, mirroring Poe’s half-shy smile, and gives him the most adorable little wave before shutting the door.

Poe walks backwards down the road, hands in his pockets, reluctant to part with the sight of Fergus’ building just yet. A blonde woman looks down on him from an upstairs window with a gaze that could curdle fresh milk.

But then—a light comes on in the room next to her. The curtains are drawn, but Poe sees the fleeting silhouette of a slim person with a mop of tousled hair cross the window.

A grin spreads slowly across his face, and he turns and half-skips the rest of the way down to the subway station.

When Fergus comes into the coffee shop the next morning, there are two steaming hot cups covered in purple marker hearts waiting for him in a cardboard holder. And one barista (pretty hot, himself) behind the counter, with purple-stained fingertips and the dorkiest smile.

2. With a nightmare.

Poe has a secret.

It’s a good secret. He prides himself on being an open book (and no, L'ulo, it’s not just because he’s a terrible liar), but this is one secret he’s more than happy to keep.

The secret is this: He’s been taking private lessons in ASL in exchange for private guitar lessons. Paige is an old acquaintance, so he already knew Mrs. Tico raised her hearing children fluent in ASL and was quick to volunteer when he heard her sister wanted to pick up an instrument.

The not-so-secret part of the secret is that he’s doing this for Fergus. They’re going pretty steady at this point, steady enough that Poe’s settling in for the long haul. They’ve spent several nights together so far just cuddling and making out in bed like shy, awkward teenagers. And Poe knows he’s a sap, but already there’s nothing that makes him happier than getting to wake up and see that soft mop of red hair on the pillow next to him.

So, yeah, it’s a pretty great secret. A true act of devotion or whatever Finn calls it when he teases him about it at work; Poe may be a hopeless romantic, but he’s not doing this as some grand, symbolic gesture to be waved in Fergus’ face like a pennant.

No, he’s doing this because he wants Fergus to be comfortable around him, plain and simple.

Poe isn’t unobservant: Fergus doesn’t talk about his past before working for Verin and doesn’t like having attention drawn to his cybernetic implants. Has nightmares sometimes that leave him crying (and tried to hide it from Poe, the first time it happened when he slept over), and finds it difficult to speak aloud when he’s particularly sad or upset or tired.

Poe knows there must have been something deeply, terribly wrong done to him for him to act this way. For him to wake up in the middle of the night shaking with terror.

Poe doesn’t need to know how the cybernetics happened. He doesn’t want Fergus to tell him anything that Fergus doesn’t want to talk about. He does want the names of every single person who has ever caused his sweet boy harm, but he doesn’t need Leia beating him over the head to realize that that won’t help his cause. He loves Fergus, implants and all, and he never wants to push Fergus beyond his limits.

Which makes it difficult when he has to. When he has to get Fergus to put in his hearing aids just so he can ask “What’s wrong?“ in the dark. When he has to either guess blindly at what Fergus needs and wants or try and get him to talk, and by the time he gets the words out, the need or want has often been superseded by pure frustration.

It’s horribly uncomfortable for Fergus and it’s horribly ineffective for both of them, and Poe wants to understand when Fergus is unable to talk or type or write. He’s had enough of the heartbreaking loneliness in Fergus’ eyes as he signs over and over again like a broken record stuck on loop, because this is all he can say at present but Poe just doesn’t understand.

So, he’s taking ASL lessons, and he’s getting to be fluent enough that he means to tell Fergus soon. But Fergus’ subconscious, it seems, has other plans.

He’s a pretty light sleeper, so he’s alert and sitting up within moments of Fergus starting awake. There’s something different about the nightmare this time, something worse: Fergus is curling up into himself, shaking and sobbing, looking like he’s not entirely sure of where he is or whether the four walls of this room will hold against the force of whatever it is that plagues his dreams.

And Poe—Poe reaches out, almost without thinking, and gently taps Fergus’ hand till he gets his attention. Signs, slowly and a little gracelessly, You’re here with me and you’re safe, and I love you, and we’ll get through this together.

Fergus blinks. Poe signs it again, trying to project as much calm and reassurance as he can.

Next thing he knows, his arms are full of a sobbing Fergus. He hums softly and strokes Fergus’ hair, knowing Fergus can’t hear him but hoping the vibrations will soothe him anyways. Kind of like a cat purring, he reasons, except Poe-sized.

Afterward, he’ll blame his preoccupation with calming Fergus as well as his own exhaustion from squeezing those ASL lessons into his day on top of coffee shop shifts and band practices and gigs. But, in this moment, Poe doesn’t realize that that was the first time either of them had said I love you.

When Fergus’ sobs subside into small hiccups, he pulls back just enough to kiss him like it’s all Poe knows how to do.

You’re here with me and you’re safe, and I love you, and we’ll get through this together. He signs it again before pulling Fergus back down onto the mattress with him and tucking the covers in over them both.

When they wake up the next morning, Fergus signs it right back at him. And then, once he’s put his hearing aids in, proceeds to grill Poe on how he seemingly learned sign language overnight.

3. With their first time together.

Fergus is stammering and blushing, which Poe takes as a cue to stop putting his tongue to, ah, rather creative use. He pulls back, props himself up on his elbows, and raises his eyebrows instead.

Fergus gives up and curses him out in ASL. Poe smirks but relents, signing back, Tell me, what do you want me to do?

He—didn’t expect Fergus’ response to be quite so descriptive or profane. He’s impressed. He pushes himself up, ignoring the way his spine protests after standing behind the counter all day, and captures Fergus’ already swollen red lips with his own.

It’s not what Fergus just asked for, but Poe’s pretty creative with his tongue in this regard as well, so Fergus doesn’t seem to be complaining. A slight thrill runs through him at the thought of his boy showing up to work tomorrow, looking thoroughly kissed and very well fucked.

(This is followed by the realization that Verin will probably want to castrate him, and yeah, no, Poe’s never thinking of Fergus’ boss in the bedroom again.)

He pulls away, breathless and a little dizzy, to say “As you wish” like a total dork (he’d shown Fergus The Princess Bride for the first time a couple of dates ago). His back and arms both protest this time as he lowers himself slowly, trailing a flurry of kisses all the way down Fergus’ torso before setting about to do his love’s bidding.

When he looks up at a particularly well-timed moment, he’s lucky he has his mouth full so he can’t say something stupid like Now there’s an O-face I could get used to seeing. Not so lucky after all when the thought makes him choke, which results in the worst-timed bout of coughing and spluttering in the history of oral sex.

It’s embarrassing as hell and, once he recovers, Poe’s cheeks are flaming redder than Fergus’ well-kissed lips. Apparently, he’s a masochist, though, because he explains the whole thing to a thoroughly bewildered Fergus with a sheepish smile.

There’s a moment of stunned silence before Fergus bursts into peals of laughter. Poe finds himself joining in, the nerves he didn’t even realize he had dissolving under the weight of his relief.

They can barely look at each other for hours afterward without setting each other off laughing again. Poe’s whole abdomen aches and he can’t even see through his tears, and yeah, this is something he could really get used to.

(Even if Fergus never lets him live it down.)

4. With a home.

The day Poe’s band finally scores a record deal, he calls Fergus at work to ask, “Do you wanna move in with me for good?”

It’s something they’ve been talking about for awhile now. Admittedly, Fergus spends far more time at Poe’s than the other way around, but each of their places has long since been encroached upon by the other’s belongings to the point where cohabitation is no longer so much a possibility as a fact. Poe’s lease is up in a couple of months, anyways; it only makes sense to start looking for a place together, and the record deal means Poe can finally afford something a little bigger than the place he shares with Karé and Jessika and Snap in Washington Heights.

Verin, predictably, throws a fit and a half about Fergus leaving. She can’t exactly stop him, though, so they pack up the last of Fergus’ things and drive off one day while she’s out, giddy and giggling like students playing hooky for the first time.

Cinnamon, Raison and Toast yowl in unison when Poe’s dog greets them at the door.

Their new apartment in the Village still isn’t much to look at, but it’s enough for the two of them and BB-8 and Fergus’ cats. They spend their weekends putting together (then promptly christening) Ikea furniture; on weekdays, they make breakfast side-by-side while Raisin meows underfoot.

They hold hands on the subway all the way uptown until Poe has to get off, two stops ahead of Fergus.

He’s working fewer shifts at the coffee shop, but much longer hours in the recording studio. Fergus waits up for him. Poe feels bad about it, especially when he comes back one night to find Fergus already asleep on the couch.

He stands in the doorway for a long time, taking in the soft curves and lines of Fergus’ face in the flickering light of the TV.

When Fergus stirs and wakes, it’s to the gentle rocking motion of being carried to the bedroom in Poe’s arms. Poe sets him down carefully, then disappears into the bathroom: there’s the sound of running water, and the soft rustle of clothes.

By the time he returns, Fergus’ hearing aids are resting on the nightstand. Poe slides in next to him, signing Sorry I’m late and Love you and Get some sleep.

Fergus pulls him close and kisses him, sloppy and sleepy and utterly sweet. He’s asleep again almost at once. Poe wraps an arm round his waist, pressing another, lighter kiss to his forehead.

It’s not perfect this way. Far from it: once the EP is out, Poe will be playing concerts left, right and center to sell it. Then, if it sells, there will be a tour, and if it doesn’t, there will be another EP to make, or his band will be dropped by their label entirely.

He won’t go back to working early shifts at the coffee shop. They’ve come too far for that; he’s going to make this work, one way or another. That means sacrifice, and that means long hours at the studio or on the road, and that means days or weeks or months away from his love. He knows it’ll hurt them both and he hopes they’ll survive it, and he needs to talk about this with Fergus soon, because he wants Fergus to understand.

Fergus’ front door is finally Poe’s own. And it’s not perfect; far from it, when he’s too tired to even really see it as he stumbles through it after dark. But then he’s greeted by four soft fluffy bundles of fur and an even softer, even fluffier mess of ginger curls, and Poe knows he will never tire of coming home.

5. With a promise.

Poe loves touring with the band more than anything in the world—except his boyfriend and their cats and dog and cozy apartment on Greenwich Avenue.

Poe’s boyfriend also loves him and their cats and dog and cozy apartment on Greenwich Avenue more than anything in the world. Which is why, when the prospect of touring the world becomes a reality, it takes a great deal of time and effort for Poe to convince Fergus to leave the cats and dog and apartment behind and come on the road with him.

“A month,” he tells Fergus, time and time again. “That’s all it’ll be, a month! All these years you’ve worked for Verin and how much time off has she given you? She can spare you for a month. Come on, starshine, I want to see the world with you.”

In the end, Fergus only comes along because Poe’s dad flies all the way across the country to look after the pets and the apartment for them. Poe may have inherited his determination from his mother, but there’s a stubborn streak in old Kes yet.

The first three shows are in Dublin, London and Paris, which Poe and the band tackle alone. Nothing would ever make Poe force Fergus into coming back to the UK, not when it holds nothing but bad memories for him. Even France is too close for comfort. Poe looks hard at every middle-aged, red-haired man he sees, half-wishing [ Papa ] would cross his path so he could sink his fists into the bastard’s teeth.

Poe picks Fergus up from the airport in Amsterdam and makes sure he gets settled in at the hotel. Very, very well settled in, as it turns out. So well settled in that they both show up to soundcheck late, hair somewhat tousled and hastily dressed.

That night, Poe’s even more keyed up with nerves and excitement than usual; this is the first time he’s playing this particular set for Fergus, though he knows Fergus has heard the album a thousand times before and come to every single show the band has put on in New York. But then he steps onstage and the lights are blinding and the crowd is screaming and yeah, wow, Poe could do this for the rest of his life.

Fergus runs to him and throws his arms around Poe afterward, and yeah, wow, Poe could do Fergus for the rest of his life, too.

In fact, he will. Or at least, he hopes he will: the ring’s been sitting on the chain round his neck since he was six, and he’s known for awhile that Fergus is the one it belongs to. He’s just been waiting for the right time to give it to him.

The days blur into the usual rhythm of rehearsal-performance-rehearsal after that, interspersed with the small, self-contained bubbles of time that he gets to spend with Fergus. They get brunch together in Antwerp and dinner in Hamburg, walk along the remains of the Berlin Wall hand in hand and marvel at the Hofburg in Vienna. Karé and Snap tease the lovebirds but Jessika just waves them off with a knowing smile, and introduces Fergus to her girlfriend, so he’ll have someone to wander around town with during the long hours the band spends setting up for the show.

It’s Rome where Poe finally gets down on one knee, presenting Fergus with the ring on top of his coffee cup, which he’s covered all over with purple marker hearts. He wrote his speech in purple marker, too, on hotel notepaper that Fergus later has the good sense to find a sturdy envelope to pack in.

They’re both smiling a little too wide for the kiss to be anything but clumsy. Poe presses his forehead against his fiancé’s in the quiet, cobblestoned street, and together they laugh, and together they cry.

Karé is, predictably, the first person to spot the ring (which is half a size too large and keeps slipping off, they’ll have to get it resized) when they walk into soundcheck hand in hand the next day. Poe’s pretty sure her wolf-whistle reverberates around the entire world, but he’s honestly too happy to care.

(Wild fan theories about the lead singer’s obvious exuberance spring up like mushrooms in rain after the show that night.)

From Barcelona to Bangkok to Melbourne to Taipei, their wedding photo album begins to take shape. Fergus bought a little Polaroid camera for the trip; by the time they’re bracing for the fourteen-hour flight from Seoul to JFK, their suitcases are crammed full of glossy paper memories.

When they get home, BB-8 and Cinnamon and Raisin and Toast greet them at the door. Poe holds up Fergus’ hand with the ring for his dad to see; Kes looks at it for a long time before hugging them both tight, shoulders shaking as he cries.

It’s past midnight and they’re jet-lagged and exhausted and giddy with delight, and all Poe can think is that forever begins today. Maybe it began when Fergus first walked into his life stammering over his coffee order, or maybe it’s been beginning this whole time and the truth only sank in when he gave his love his mother’s ring.

Maybe there was never a beginning, only a forever that goes on and on and never ends. And yeah, maybe Poe’s a massive dork, but he’s promised Fergus his forever—and he can’t wait to spend forever promising his love to him, again and again.

[safyresky]

Fusion AU Part III: The Bernelle Bit

Part I: The History | Part II: When Elle Met Berline | Part III: The Bernelle Bit | Part IV: The Triumphant Return of Jackie Frost | Part V: Bad Luck | Part VI: Dream Team | Part VII: The Greatest Thing That’s Yet To Have Happened

e n j o y   t h e   s u f f e r i n g

(bc bernelle isn’t bernelle without avoidance tactics and running from communicating lmao @lovelypidge I joke i love these shitty elf children and their avoidance tactics)

(Also yes I have 3 more parts planned, GASP. I’m gonna fucking milk fusion AU. I’m having a bit of an issue with order with the last 3 parts but y’know, details, I just want you to know they exist ;D))

Berline and Elle appeared in the middle of town square, just outside of the Workshop. The elves milling about outside hopped back, staring up at the fusion in awe.

“I thought that the elves would be use to a fusion,” Elle murmured.

“Nope,” Berline replied. “Not a lot of them have met me, for starters. Plus, to them fusion is an emergency thing. Seeing me here is probably concerning them. I, uh, probably should’ve taken us right to Santa’s office but to be honest I’m not sure I would fit in there. I’m a bit taller than I remember being.”

“I’ll handle this,” Elle said, Berline placing her down. “Hey guys,” Elle began, addressing the shocked elves. “This is just Berline. They’re here to give something back to Santa that the two of us went to go grab. Everything is okay though! there's no need to worry, okay?” Elle finished, doing her best to project the safe feeling Berline gave her onto the elves closest to her. The elves eased up considerably, looking relieved.

“Berline.”

“Curtis! Always a pleasure,” Berline said dryly.

“What are you doing here?”

“Santa sent us on an errand.”

“Are you going to be here for long?”

“Depends. I have to talk to Santa, and I have yet to meet this one properly as myself. Which means--”

“You have to give him the fusion talk.”

“Yep.”

“Want me to go grab him?”

“That would be nice, yes.”

“Double nice for me, because the sooner I grab him, the sooner I don’t have to deal with you,” he mumbled.

“You flatter me, Curtis.”

“What’s his deal?” Elle asked, as Curtis went to find Santa. 

Berline grinned. “I like to bug him. Admittedly a bit more than I should.” Berline squatted, whispering now. “He thinks I’m a bit too much,” they said, laughing.

“You? Hardly,” Elle laughed as well. “I feel like there are plenty of other fusions who are too much.”

“Well, Jackie definitely, though I don’t quite enjoy talking about them. Diteline may be a bit too much at times.” Berline looked thoughtful. “She gets very excited very easily depending on the circumstances...”

“Elle! You’re back! And with--I’m sorry, who is this?”

Santa had shown up, Curtis by his side. They stopped in front of the doors to the Workshop, the balcony putting them at eye level with Berline, who stood up from their squat, clearing their throat.

“I’m Berline. We’ve sort of met, just never quite as myself.”

"Huh?”

“You know that fusion thing Bernard mentioned before we left?” Elle said, joining him on the balcony.

“Yes?”

“You’re looking at them, Santa.”

“So you are the...fusion?” he asked Berline.

“Sure am. Fusion is literally when two fae...fuse, to make one fae.”

“Berline...so you’re Bernard and--?"

“Jacqueline,” Elle supplied.

“Thanks,” Santa replied.

“Yes and no. I’m the physical manifestation of the two combined, but I’m my own person. You following?”

“Mostly. I think.”

“Well, let’s take it step by step,” Berline said, leaning on the railing.

“Alright. So fusion literally means fusion. It’s when two...fae?”

“Yup. Only fae creatures can do it. Specifically Pixies, Elves, Sprites, and Faeries. It’s a very advance magical technique.”

“Used for?”

“Depends on who you ask,” Elle interrupted, noticing Berline looking a tad conflicted. “Faeries are all haughty about it and will only fuse with other faeries, won’t even think about fusing with their cousins. Pixies were neutral but we really don’t know much more from there because they’re gone. Elves see it as a special technique best used in emergencies, and Sprites see it as this real wonderful...thing,” Elle finished, at a loss for words to describe how Jacqueline had described fusion to her. It was just special, she had decided.

“That’s detailed,” Santa said. “I guess you guys ran into the trolls after all then?”

Berline nodded. “Seven of them. They tried to eat Elle, not before she did a number on them herself, of course. I kicked their as--tooshies.” Berline’s blue eye twitched at the censoring.

“We were successful though!” Elle continued. “Check out what Berline has.”

Grinning, Berline reached into the satchel and pulled out the snow globe. “Voila. Perfectly intact and thankfully free of troll stench. Now stop taking it out of the hall. You’ll get your replica to keep to your aesthetic, don’t worry.”

Santa took the globe, grinning. “What a relief! Thanks, Berline. And you too, Elle. I’m glad you didn’t get eaten by trolls.”

“That makes two of us,” Elle added.

“Three, actually,” Berline said. “Technically four but, details. And! I have something else of yours, Santa, that I think you’ll like,” they continued, a very large grin on their face as they reached into the satchel again.

“My toe socks! I thought I’d never see these again!”

“How did you even know they were Santa’s?” Curtis asked, nose wrinkled as Santa grabbed the socks from Berline.

“They’re red and green toe socks with little Santas all over them, how could they not be his? I also found Jacqueline’s sword,” Berline added, pulling a silver double-edged sword out of the satchel. The hilt was inlaid with a few dull sapphires. “The sheath is in here too, somewhere.” They grinned as they pulled it out, placing the sword gently inside its scabbard. “Pretty productive night, I think.”

“Wow,” Santa said, not sure what else to say.

“Same,” Elle agreed.

“Now then! I would love to stay and chat but, ah, I have a replica snow globe to make and a sword to restore. Too bad I can’t be in two places at once,” they winked, hopping onto the balcony. “That was a joke, by the way Curtis. I can actually be in two places at once, that was the joke part.”

Curtis groaned as Berline disappeared in a bright light, Bernard and Jacqueline standing where the fusion just was, both in a bit of a bow, Jacqueline holding the sword.

“I get it now,” Santa said, understanding dawning. 

“Well, that was fun,” Jacqueline straightened up, glancing at her knuckles. “Bruises anyway. I hate bruised knuckles. How are yours?”

Bernard glanced at his knuckles. “A little bruised too. Could be worse though. We could all be fae stew right now.”

“And I’ve got my sword back!” Jacqueline said, grinning. “I better get moving, this is going to be a job let me tell you. I’ll be seeing you guys later. I think the two of you,” she continued, gesturing to Bernard and Elle, “have some chatting to do,” she finished with a wink. Before either of the two elves could say anything, Jacqueline disappeared in her usual shower of sparks and snowflakes.

“So, I get the fusion thing,” Santa began. “And I’m glad you got the snow globe back. What I’m not quite sure about is who exactly is Jacqueline?”

Jacqueline had had a good laugh when Elle told her later about Santa forgetting her for the third time. She was also relieved when Elle told her that they had said she was a friend of theirs, and Santa hadn’t pressed. 

Elle sipped a hot chocolate on her break, deep in thought about what Berline had said about her and B fusing. They had seemed so sure but since Berline had left, Elle had perhaps unintentionally been avoiding Bernard.

She was a little embarrassed of her jealousy before hand. It had been a day or two and really, she knew she should’ve gone to chat with B but for some odd reason, couldn’t make herself do it.

When you two do fuse–and I know you will–your fusion will be very different from me, Berline had said. And a lot more special. 

So that was great to know and all. Elle would have loved to prod Berline for more details. Facing them would be okay. Of course, Berline wasn’t there so it’s not like she could ask them. (In fact, Elle had no idea where Jacqueline was today, and her wintry friend was shit at communication sometimes--this being one of those times--so Berline was out of the question for now, and that was assuming B would have agreed to fuse with Jacquie because did Elle’s reasoning for needing Berline really count as an emergency?) Which meant she would have to talk to B. And facing B? Elle was still a little embarrassed to do that for...a bunch of reasons. Mainly the jealousy thing, and also specifically what Berline had said!

There was nothing left to do but to muster up the courage, get past the self-embarrassment, and talk to B as soon as she could. So, Elle made a split second decision. 

“Well, here goes,” she said out loud, topping off her drink and heading out to find him. She didn’t have to look too far because the moment she stepped out of the lounge, she smacked right into Bernard.

“Elle!”

“B! Hi,” Elle said, blushing. “I was just, uh, going to go look for you.”

“That’s crazy because I was doing the exact same thing. I think we need to talk. That is, can we talk? Are you okay to talk? Do you want to talk? Right now?”

“Yeah, sure. That’s what I was going to find you for, actually.”

It was silent for a bit, the two elves standing in the doorway, blushing and staring at eachother. Bernard cleared his throat. “Anyone in there right now?”

“No, it was just me.” With a nod, B gently put his hand on Elle’s back, leading her into the small lounge and closing the door behind them. 

“I wanted to--”

“So about--”

They both stopped, staring at each other. 

“Oh man, we’re a bit of a mess, aren’t we?” Bernard asked.

“When aren’t we?” Elle sighed.

“Most of the time, I like to think. You go first, Els.”

“I wanted to talk to you about what Berline said,” Elle said really fast, so that it sounded more like iwantedtotalktoyouaboutwhatberlinesaid. 

“Right. Me too,” B replied, with a little laugh. “Listen, I’m sorry they were so blunt with you. That’s just how Berline is. Fusions are like that sometimes. Not necessarily open or blunt, of course, but with certain traits more...prominent than others. Jacqueline is a very open sprite, and I may keep my feelings close but I do say them if necessary. So Jacqueline’s open-ness makes me feel a bit more open when we fuse and, well, Berline becomes a very...blunt person. I’m rambling. I said open way too much. Blunt, too.”

“No! It’s okay! I like it! I like when you ramble,” she said with a goofy smile. “And I absolutely love Berline, did I tell you that?”

“Technically yes,” B said, winking.

“Well I’m telling you now, I love Berline. I’m sorry I was jealous about them and you and Jacqueline. I...I don’t know if our fusion would have handled that as well as Berline did.”

“Berline’s been around. They know a thing or two. Listen Elle, I know...I know that Berline said a lot of stuff to you about, you know, us. And they were being truthful! I promise.” He closed his eyes briefly, breathing in. “I would like to fuse with you sometime soon but I don’t want you to feel pressured because of Jacqueline or Berline or even me.”

“B, I don’t feel any pressure. I’m the one who’s been pressuring you to fuse with me! And I’m sorry about that. I think seeing Berline in action kinda put a lot of things into perspective,” Elle said, placing her mug down. “They are their whole own person. Where did you and Jacquie even go?”

“We were there,” B replied, shrugging. “We didn’t go anywhere per se. We both physically became Berline. That’s how that works. It’s, ah, hard to explain,” he said, scratching the back of his head.

“Better to show me?” Elle asked, eyebrow raised, impish grin on her face.

Bernard laughed, grabbing both her hands in his. “Yes. Better to show you. Whenever you are ready.”

“Okay. Thanks, B,” Elle said, hugging him.

“You’re welcome,” B said, hugging her back tightly.

And then suddenly, they were both gone; neither had noticed it happen until they opened their eyes and saw nobody in front of them.

“I--oh,” Bernelle realized (their name the first thought on their mind), looking down at their hands. “Well that was unexpected. I feel like a too soon joke would work real well here.”

They blinked and took a step forward. And then another step. And then they lost their balance and stepped back, landing right on one of the couches.

“This is different. This is hard,” they thought out loud, frowning. “It’s okay. Just take it one step at a time.”

A deep breath. A determined look. They got up again, taking a few steps; Bernelle was finally getting the hang of their new form and realized something very, very important.

They loved themselves.

They loved everything about themselves; Jacqueline would probably say they were super chill, and that’s certainly how they felt. They felt happy. And lovely. And cozy, funnily enough. They were good, and it made sense to Bernelle; after all, they had worked hard for themselves. Everything was more or less fine. 

Except for the slowly growing unease in their gut. They were unsettled; something was...unsettling them.

“Are you okay?” B’s voice spoke, Bernelle looking concerned.

“I...I don’t know,” Elle’s voice replied, Bernelle looking frightened now. “This is...oh boy. I don’t think I can--”

They didn’t even have time to figure out what exactly it was before they disappeared, a very confused Bernard and slightly shocked Elle sitting where they had just been.

“Um. Wow,” Elle said. “That was, uh, something.”

“You okay Elle?” B asked, her shocked expression worrying him.

“I--uh, yes, I’m alright. I--you know what, that is definitely a thing we should reserve for emergencies, you were totally right B. Would you look at that time?” she said suddenly, looking at her bare wrist. “I gotta go...do, things. I’ll, uh, catch you around. Later!” And with that, Elle left, as fast as the two of them had fused.

That unsettling feeling came back; Bernard was sure something was wrong, and he was very afraid it may have been him.

Bernard stared at the large french doors before taking a deep breath and knocking repeatedly very loud. The door flung open, a disgruntled half-frozen Jacqueline serving him with an icy look.

“I know the house is big but you only need to knock once, B-Man.”

“Is fusing with me weird?” Bernard blurted out in one breath, startling the sprite.

“I--what?”

“Is fusing with me weird. Is it unsettling? Has Berline been weird this whole time and I never even noticed it because I was the cause for the weirdness?”

“Have you been drinking?”

“No! I...” Bernard sighed, frustrated. “Can we talk?”

“I think we need to talk. You need to chill out. Berline is a badass, and it’s never been weird being Berline with you and I’d like to know where this line of thought came from. Wanna come in or would you prefer to walk?” 

“I dunno, I’m a little scatterbrained.”

“I noticed.” She pushed the door open, moving to the side and gesturing him in. “Let’s pack some cocoa and go for a stroll then, B-Man, and you can tell me all about what’s got you in such a huff.”

“You were right,” Bernard said, walking in and following the sprite to the kitchen. “That’s what’s got me in such a huff.”

“Right about what?”

“How deep of a connection and special of a thing fusion is.”

“I’d be grinning more, but I sense that this isn’t really a good thing right now.”

“Yes and no,” Bernard said, leaning against one of the walls of the yellow kitchen as Jacqueline dug around the cupboards for a thermos and two mugs. The hot chocolate was fresh, and not instant (he could tell by the smell)--the best kind of hot chocolate. “I guess I’ve always seen it as a deep bond, but never really realized it until now.”

“You fused with Elle,” Jacqueline said, realization dawning. “Holy snowballs, everything makes sense now! For the most part, that is. I thought fusing would be helpful for the two of you, and y’know, good.” Running a hand through her hair (freezing it properly in the process), she headed towards the backyard doors. “Instead, you’re having a meltdown on my front porch.”

“We’re in your kitchen, actually.”

“And now we’re in my backyard. Let’s walk, B, and you tell me about what happened.”

So they walked through the backyard, toward the Northern River, and Bernard told her what had happened. He told her how they had talked, then found themselves fused. He told her how great it felt to be Bernelle; how confident and happy they were.

“Bernelle sounds like the chillest dude ever,” Jacqueline remarked, stopping as they approached the river bank.

“That’s what they thought, too. But then something weird happened.” He took a seat beside Jacqueline, taking the mug of hot chocolate she offered him with a mumbled thanks. “There was this feeling of unease. I didn’t know why, so I asked Elle if she was okay and then...”

“And then I guess you defused, because of that unsettling feeling. What happened after that? Did Elle explain?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Did you ask?”

“Of course! I asked if she was okay and she said that fusion was something and definitely something for emergencies then she looked at her wrong wrist, said she was late for a “thing” and left very fast.”

“That’s so Elle” Jacqueline mussed. “Did you go after her?”

“No. I got the sense she needed space and then wondered what it was that made her do that and thought what if it was me?” He got up and started pacing, Jacqueline watching him go back and forth.

“That’s so Bernard.”

“All she said was that she didn't think she could,” Bernard said, ignoring Jacqueline’s comment (for the most part).

“Could what?”

“She didn’t say! And I didn’t ask,” Bernard said, face palming. “I tried, but she left and...”

“And your crippling self-doubt kicked in and now here you are.”

“Yes and no. It kicked in slowly over a day or two.”

“Uh oh.”

“I spent the first day trying to figure what it was that unsettled her because everything felt fine to me, it felt great! I didn’t understand what it was and that’s when I realized, holy tinsel, it’s me, I’m the problem.”

“Awwh, Bernard...”

“I couldn’t figure it out! And She’s been scarce since--”

“--as Elle do--”

“--so my mind has been running, Jacqueline. She was so enthusiastic about fusing and now she’s suddenly approaching it with typical Elf thought. Did I do something wrong? Was it bad for her? What if she saw something in me that she didn’t like, or that scared her?”

“Holy fuck Bernard,” Jacqueline swore, her face shocked.

“You swore! This is real bad.”

“I’m surprised the source let me get away with that. Listen, you need to take a breather, okay? Just breath in...and hold it...and out...okay, good. Calm that big brain of yours down, my elf,” she finished, getting up and patting his head, stopping him in his tracks.

“Don’t do that.”

“That’s better, that’s the B-Man I know!”

“That’s why I came over,” he said, a tad calmer, face to face with the sprite. “I thought, well, who could possibly answer these questions for me since Elle is being Elle? And my first thought was you could, because you’re the only other person I have ever fused with.”

“Then trust me when I say this, B. There is nothing wrong with you. Fusing with you is not weird, and there’s nothing bad or “dark” in you, you blizzard brain. I’ve known you all my life,” she said, squishing his face. “There is nothing wrong with you. Got that?”

Bernard nodded. “Can you let go of my face now?”

“Yeah, sure.” she let go, returning to her seat and topping off the mugs, passing the now seated Bernard a fresh cup. “In regards to Berline, by the way, if anything would make them feel unsettled I would assume it would be me and my very deep dark fears.”

Bernard snorted. “Jacqueline, I’ve watched you grow up. Your fears are justified and perfectly understandable, all things considered. Why would they make me unsettled?”

“Exactly,” Jacqueline said. “So why would you make Elle unsettled? After all the work the two of you did just to be together, and the way you guys are together, why would she be afraid of you?”

“I...okay, I see your point.”

Jacqueline smiled. “Good.”

“I guess I’d have to talk to her to really figure it out. But talking to you has been very reassuring. Thank you, Jacqueline.”

“It’s the least I could do, considering how many times I’ve had to go talk to you throughout my entire life.”

Bernard smiled. “Yeah, I guess so. The problem now is talking to Elle. I don’t want to hound her to try to talk when she doesn’t feel like talking, you know? I want to talk to her when she’s ready to talk about what exactly it was that upset her.”

Jacqueline nodded. “Noble of you, B-Man. Do you want me to talk to her?”

“Would you? It would be a lot easier if I had a sense of what she was thinking. She’s been keeping her thoughts close and I don’t want to disrespect her by intruding.”

“Absolutely, considering she just reached out to me and asked to talk. I better get going,” Jacqueline said, capping the thermos and getting up, stretching. “You all good now, or do you want to talk more? I haven’t made a solid plan with the kid yet.”

Bernard got up, thoughtful. “No, I think I’m okay now.”

“Good. If you aren’t though, you know where to find me, for the most part. Oh and B-Man, one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“If your new take on fusion makes Berline weird, I will end you.”

Bernard laughed. “I don’t doubt that for a second. Don’t worry though, I promise I won’t make anything weird, Berline wise.”

“Good. Now let’s get back so you can get going and we can see what Elle’s thoughts are on this whole thing.”

“Sounds good,” B said, getting up and following Jacqueline back up into the forest, towards the backyard of Frost Manor.

Are you busy? Elle had blurted out suddenly, towards the consciousness that was her snowy friend. The immediate reply was shocking.

I’m finishing up with something that came up. Why do you ask?

We need to talk.

There was a brief silence before she got a reply. Am I in trouble?

Elle didn’t really know how to answer it. Maybe, she shot back, scowling at her work. Can you come down to see me?

...depends. It’s a little too close to late November for my liking.

Elle was briefly confused before she realized what Jacquie meant. He’s not around, I promise. 

I’ll be there just before dinner then. Tell me if anything changes?

Whether that meant if something came up for Elle, or if another particularly snowy (though Elle would call him more icy, really) persona made an appearance, Elle wasn’t sure. Either way though, she would warn her friend.

Yeah, sure snow buddy.

Cool, I’ll see you in a bit.

Jacqueline went silent, leaving Elle to her own distressed thoughts for the rest of the day. She was relieved when 5 o’clock rolled around and Jacqueline appeared in her flat, right on the softest of her couches.

“Hey Elle, how’s it going,” Jacqueline asked, drawing out the "o". 

“Horrible,” Elle blurted, plopping down beside her friend on the couch. 

“I had a feeling that would be the answer.” Jacqueline scooted closer, legs folded, and grabbed the nearest throw, bundling. “Well I’m cozy, let’s hear what’s got your mind in such a mess.” She grabbed another throw and tossed it on Elle.

“Bernard and I fused and it was...” she searched for the word.

“Different?”

“No.”

“Not what you expected?”

“Closer.”

“Overwhelming?” Jacqueline asked.

“I think a good word would be...enlightening?”

“Well that’s good!”

“But also terrifying.”

“That’s less good. Was it bad then?”

“No! It was great. Holy heck the confidence? And the love? It was all...great,” she said, smiling softly. “The thing is, it was a lot more than I expected it to be and. I didn’t realize when you said that the fusion knows everything each counterpart knows, all of the thoughts and feelings of each other, everything, that it was literally everything!” 

“Was that verbatim?”

“I have a really good memory, Jacqueline.”

“Dang.”

“That’s what made it so terrifying. At first, it was so cool, but then I realized that I knew everything he was thinking and feeling, which meant that he knew everything I was thinking and feeling!”

“I would’ve assumed with your telepathy and all that it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. You’ve thrown me here, kid.”

“With telepathy, I can hear other people’s thoughts if they want me to. With fusion, I can hear the thoughts and feelings whether the other person I’m fusing with wants me to, or not. And on top of that, they can hear my thoughts too! And feelings! Whether I want them to...or not.”

“Ah,” Jacqueline said, understanding dawning. “I get it now. It’s out of you depth, the extent at which the connection with fusion goes.”

“What?”

“Sorry, bad word choice. Um...the fusion connection is deeper than your mental connections even are, is what I was trying to say.”

“Yes! It is! It’s like... I can’t control what’s coming out and that’s super worrying, Jacquie. What if...what if there’s something I’ve been holding back, and it slips out, and it’s a bad thing? I dunno Jacquie...you’re the fusion expert, what should I do? How do you deal with that part of fusion?”

“I’ll add that to the list under Queen of Subtlety and Shitty Winter Child and what did you call me the other day? a Frosty Bagel?”

Elle laughed. “Yup.”

Jacqueline rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless. “What have you done about it so far? Let’s start there.”

“Well...not much, I guess. B asked me what was wrong but I honestly had no answer. I was just...terrified. Trying to make sense of what had just happened. So I...I left as quick as I possibly could and spent the past two days avoiding B and also overthinking like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Oh, I believe it.”

“I’m not in control when we fuse and I don’t like it! I don’t like not being in control of my own mind.”

“I know, kiddo. I know,” Jacquie said softly, squeezing her shoulder. Elle shot her a grateful smile. “The thing is, with fusion...it’s not like it’s a giant jaeger where you control one side and B controls the other side.”

“Is that not exactly what it is?”

“Not quite. It’s more like the drift than the actual jaeger itself. That is, if the drift became a person.”

Elle paused. “I think I see what you’re saying.”

“When you are part of a fusion, you don’t have control. Nor does your fusion partner. Your fusion has control. You become one person. You catch my drift?”

“Did you actually just pun?”

“Shit, I didn’t even notice. I’m turning into Blaise, good grief.” 

Elle laughed, leaning her head on Jacqueline’s shoulder. She sighed. “What do you think I should do, then?”

“I think you should just trust B-Man. Trust yourself, and most importantly, trust your fusion."

“Their name is Bernelle.”

“That sounds cozy, I love it.”

“Me too,” Elle replied, smiling.

“You need to just let Bernelle be.”

“You’ll need to elaborate, pal.”

Jacqueline looked thoughtful for a moment. “Trust Bernelle. Let Bernelle be Bernelle! They’re not Bernard, and they’re not Elle. They’re an experience that the both of you create. Make sure it’s a good one, Elle.” 

Jacqueline thought her chat with both Elle and Bernard had been very helpful, and that they would talk it out and realize that they both were fearing the same things. She knew that the moment they did that, it would clear up a lot for the both of them and Bernelle could once again appear.

Jacqueline, however, had forgotten that this was Elle and Bernard she was talking about.

That’s why, one or two days later, she found herself quite literally ghosting the two of them in the Workshop. She was carefully guarding her thoughts from Elle as she watched from a distance, invisible some of the time or coating a window in a lovely layer of frost the rest of the time. Elle had stopped avoiding Bernard, which was good. And it looked like he had stopped overthinking and was simply waiting.

That was the problem, Jacqueline found. They were both waiting. And Jacqueline could guess exactly why, seeing as how she liked to think these two elven dorks were her best friends and that by this logic, she knew them both fairly well. 

Bernard was waiting for Elle to be ready to talk; he didn’t want to push her. Elle was waiting for him to start, as she was feeling a little out of her depth and didn't want to push him.

Of course Jacqueline had thought of appearing and shoving them together and shouting “TALK” really loudly, but that would cause a scene that both elves would not appreciate. Elves, Jacqueline thought, sighing quietly. So what could she do? She wasn’t an expert in the fusion department, especially a case as special as Bernard and Elle’s. She wasn’t a love expert!

But she knew somebody who was. 

With a grin, Jacqueline poofed out of the Workshop silently and reappeared outside the Dome, where she took off up into the clouds.

It was chilly up in the Pantheon, as the Roman gods and goddesses referred to their cloudy home (despite contrary belief, they did not reside on Olympus as the Greek deities did and, well, they never got along well enough to occupy the same space, especially with how much their cultures differed). Jacqueline didn’t mind it; she never did, the few times she actually trekked up to the Pantheon.

Finding Cupid’s villa was always a bit of a hassle, especially when she wanted to avoid the other deities that may be roaming around the suspended streets (which was usually the case). Dealing with Cupid would be enough.

She ducked down beneath the clouds, finding the one shaped like a heart to confirm that she had gotten to the right villa. The moment she saw it, she zoomed through the clouds and stood on the front step, knocking as loud and hard as she could.

“Any louder,” a familiar grumpy voice said, Jacqueline nearly groaning as Cupid appeared in the doorway, a little surprised. “Jacqueline?”

“Hi Cupid,” she said, briefly waving before realizing that was silly and putting her hands behind her back. “Is, uh, Dite home? I need to talk to her about a thing.”

Cupid looked relived. “Yeah, of course, C’mon in, Miss Frost.”

“Thanks,” Jacqueline said, following him in. Immediately a group of cherubs swarmed him, all talking at once. “Where can I find her? You seem busy here, I don’t want to distract you or anything.”

“Second room to the left,” Cupid said, zooming off into the atrium, bickering with the cherubs.

“Thanks!” she shouted back, making her way to the room. “Knock-knock,” she said quietly.

“Jacqueline!” Dite said, sitting up quickly. 

“Were you on the floor?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“My wings were being stubborn,” she said, her feathers rumpled. “The chaise was not comfortable for us today.” She ruffled her wings and sat on the edge, making sure that they weren’t touching the back of the lounge at all. “You look distraught. What’s wrong? Is it a love problem?” she asked, grinning, her wings fluttering excitedly.

“It is! But not with me,” Jacqueline said, sitting beside her friend. “It’s with Bernard and Elle.”

“What? I thought that was going well!”

“It is! Well. For the most part. Long story or short story?”

“Hmm...” the blonde looked thoughtful for a moment. “Let’s hear a summary, then give me all the deets,” she said, scooting closer and grabbing Jacqueline’s hands.

“Elle and B fused after a lot of talking about it and some solid advice from Berline and it did not go as well as it could of.”

“Okay, wow, that’s definitely a problem. Though I don't quite understand why you're here. I can’t fuse myself; I’m not fae, I’m a celestial.”

“Right, but you and I have fused a few times.”

“I don’t think that qualifies me as an expert.”

“Maybe not, but you are a love expert. Here’s the jist of it,” Jacqueline said, launching into her tale. Dite listened intently as Jacqueline told her about Elle and Berline’s conversation, what Jacqueline had learnt from both elves had transpired when they formed Bernelle. She paid doubly close attention to the advice Jacqueline had given them, already beginning to see the problem the two were having.

“That was stellar advice,” Dite interrupted. 

“I know! That’s when I realized it was fast getting into love territory, to be honest. It seems straightforward to me--they just need to talk. But they just...aren’t! They’re not avoiding each other anymore which is great, but they also aren’t talking about the Bernelle thing, you know? I don’t want to force them to talk so I’m at a loss and that’s why I came here.”

“I don’t think we need to force them,” Dite said, deciding immediately that she was going to fix this right now. “I think they just need some outside perspective...maybe a nudge in the right direction. If someone else starts the discussion, then neither has to worry about making the first move. Hmm...” Dite rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “You’ve convinced me Jacqueline, I’m going to go talk to them.”

“I've done what now? You’re going to talk to them?”

Dite stood up, her wings already unfurled in anticipation. “Of course. This is driving you nutty, Jacqueline, and they can’t say no when a love goddess goes to them and suggests that they talk.”

“You’ll help them? You'd really do that for me?” Jacqueline asked, standing up.

“Yes! Of course!”

“Oh, thank you so much Dite, they’ve been driving me up the wall,” Jacqueline threw her arms around the goddess, a very big grin on her face.

Dite laughed, “You’re very welcome,” she said, hugging back tightly. There was a very bright lilac light suddenly and both girls disappeared, leaving one rather large winged fusion in their place.

“Alright, looks like we’re doing this together,” she said, grinning. With an experimental flap of her wings, she flew off, her sights set on the North Pole.

The Workshop doors burst open, a large gust of wind ruffling the robes of the very large figure in the doorway. A few elves went flying.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry,” she said, catching the elves before they hit the ground. “I forget how fast I fly.”

“For the love of tinsel,” Curtis said, righting himself up. “Another one?”

“There’s another fusion floating around? Oh, is it Bernelle? I need to talk to them! It's important!”

“No! You’re the only fusion floating around. I've just seen way too many of you this month alone. It’s a good thing the ceiling is so high,” Curtis mumbled as an afterthought. "I don't think fusions would fit in the Elfirmiry."

“High ceilings really are lovely! It gives the impression of crazy amounts of space, makes it breathable, and makes it less claustrophobic."

“Okay...who exactly are you?”

The fusion stood up to her full height, her curly ponytail bobbing a bit. “My name is Diteline and it is very important that I talk to your two head elves right now immediately,” she said.

“Are they in trouble?” asked another elf.

“They will be if I don’t talk to them.”

“What about?”

“It’s a matter of love! And my sanity.”

“What’s the panic--oh my.”

“Elle! That’s one of you! Hi!”

“You’re huge!”

“Thank you!” she grinned. “You are so tiny and fragile compared to me. Holy snowballs I did not realize how HUGE I am! I could crush you,” she said, as if the realization that she could in fact destroy Elle very easily was an unexpected plot twist in your favourite book that shook you to your core, making you stop for ten minutes to stare blankly and think ‘what on earth just happened’.

“Are you okay?”

“I worry about small groups of people a lot. Humans, elves, tiny woodland creatures...” she ticked each off on her fingers as she listed them.

“O...kay,” Elle paused. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Diteline! And I need to talk to--”

“We know!” Curtis shouted. “You need to talk to Elle and Bernard right now immediately.”

“Yes! Thank you! What a nice boy,” she said, patting his head.

“Boy? I have glasses older than you!”

“No you don’t,” Diteline said, glaring at him. “I’m old as heck.” she cleared her throat and knelt down, sitting on her knees and staring at Elle closely. “Do you and Bernard have some time on your hands? The sooner I grab you two, the sooner we can get outside and the elves can stop panicking.”

“I’ll take care of that now,” Elle said, beginning to project calm feelings as best as she could--Diteline had thrown her off completely. 

“Back to work, elves,” Bernard said, entering the room and quickly noticing Diteline in the middle of the doorway. “There’s no emergency, Diteline just likes to...”

“Help young lovers in need,” she supplied. The elves around them giggled, rushing back to work after noticing Bernard’s glare. He marched over to the girls, craning his neck and glaring at Diteline. 

“What are you doing here?” he whisper yelled. “You know how the elves get around fusions.”

“Okay well this is a bit of an emergency,” Diteline said. "And judging by the giggling children, one that we definitely need to resolve right now!"

“This is Jacqueline and Dite’s fusion, Diteline,” Bernard began, answering Elle’s silent question. “I’m assuming she’s here because Jacqueline went to talk to Dite and Dite, of course, decided to pay us a visit,” he said, rubbing his temples. "And I guess sometime between there and here, they fused. And you know full well they are elves, Diteline. Not children."

“Well yes, once Jacqueline told Dite about the two of you still avoiding each other after that beautiful advice she gave, I couldn’t not come see you guys.” her face fell and she looked genuinely hurt. “You two are so sweet together and it kills me to know that you aren’t talking about something as big as fusion!”

“I was waiting on Bernard!” Elle said. “I didn’t want to just bring it up out of the blue since, y’know, that’s all I’ve been doing for a good portion of the year.”

“I was...I was waiting on you,” Bernard said, his annoyance with the fusion in front of them gone. “I didn’t want to talk if you weren’t ready.”

“This is going better than I expected,” Diteline said.

“What were you expecting?” Bernard asked dryly.

“A lot of silence. I thought I would have to hurtle through the Workshop, find the two of you, grab you both in my fists and take you somewhere nice for a teary confession that results in hugs and maybe kisses and a closer bond and my heart not breaking at the thought of the two of you not talking because of something as lovely as this!” She said, gesturing to herself. “I mean fusion, by the way. I’m lovely but I am referring to fusion.”

“I think I understand what Berline said about Diteline being too much at times,” Elle said.

“I’m a helpless romantic, what can I say,” Diteline replied. “I suppose the two of you are ready to talk to each other then?”

“Are you?” Bernard asked.

“I was about to ask you,” Elle replied.

“That’s a yes!” Diteline said, grabbing the two elves in her hands and bringing them up to her face. “Let’s go somewhere a little less busy?”

“Yeah, I think you’ve done enough damage here,” Bernard said.

“I’m just trying to help!”

“We know this,” Elle said, gently patting her wrist. “And we appreciate it. Maybe knock next time? Or give me a heads up?”

“I was in a rush,” Diteline said, blushing. “The thought did not occur to me, and yes, I know how ironic that is,” she smiled. “Now do you two want to stay in the Pole? Or is it okay if we go somewhere with more room? I don’t want to squish anyone accidentally that would be awful! Like crushing a snail,” she said, paling considerably and looking close to tears. “You are all so tiny.”

“Yes, it’s fine if we go somewhere else. Please don’t cry, you won’t squish any snails here, I promise. Or Elves,” Bernard said. 

"Okay, alright." She took a breather, composing herself once more. "Let's go make love happen! I know the perfect place to talk! To avoid squishing these children--Elves, sorry, but they look like kids! Especially to me! I'm huge!--we'll just pop on over there quickly. Hang on tight, I don't normally teleport, let alone with multiple people, so this may be a bit bumpy!"

And before either elf could protest, Diteline disappeared in a burst of lilac sparks.

Much to the relief of all three of them, they arrived at Diteline’s perfect place all in one piece. She knelt down once more, placing the elves down gently and folding her hands in her lap, smoothing over her lilac dress. Or robes; it was a weird cross between Dite’s stola and Jacqueline's dress and Diteline wasn’t sure what exactly to call it.

"This is a beautiful place," Elle said, looking around. The grass was dark and soft, fireflies floating up and down gently. Crickets sung in the dusk, a light breeze gently moving the branches of the flowered trees around them. "Where are we?"

"We're at the Springs, of course! The temperature around the entirety of the Springs keeps everything around us lush and soft and lovely. It's a very nice area. Dare I say it, even a little bit romantic. I picnic here all the time during the day!"

"Do you now?" Elle asked, a knowing smile on her face.

The fusion blushed. "You stop that, Ellington. Now then, take a seat, make yourselves comfortable. Let's talk."

"I--"

"Listen--"

Diteline giggled, the two elves once again cutting themselves off. Bernard smiled sheepishly; Elle sighed. "This again."

"We're a mess," Bernard said, smiling.

"But when aren't we?" Elle replied, smiling as well. "I know, most of the time we aren't."

"I like to think so. And you should too. I'm...sorry about what happened. I should've talked to you after I talked to Jacqueline but I didn't want to push you."

"I didn't want to push you, either," Elle said. "Otherwise I would have gone to talk to you after I talked to Jacqueline. I can't believe we both did that."

"I can't either," Diteline said, in a very Jacquie way. She was staring intently at her hands, threading some nearby flowers together. "Oh please, don't mind me; I'm trying to distract myself so I don't mess up your talk."

"That's very considerate," Bernard said.

"I try," she replied.

"Right," he said, sarcastically, thinking back to her sudden appearance at the workshop. Elle laughed. "Listen Elle, I'm sorry that that happened the way it did. And I'm sorry that it freaked you out."

"Don't apologize, B. I'm the one who's sorry. I was pushing it and when it happened, I freaked out. I just...I didn't expect the bond to be as deep as it was. I could see all of your thoughts and feelings and everything, and you mine...whether I wanted to or not. It was strange to not be in control of my own thoughts. Terrifying, even. that's why I left as suddenly as I did. It scared me and all I could think was what if you saw something bad in me? What if I was trying to hide something, and it slipped out? I panicked."

Bernard laughed. "Elle. I could never see anything bad in you. I love you! I chased you across a whole other timeline! We've been through a lot and if that didn't stop me, then something bad about you wouldn't deter me from being with you."

"Really?"

"We've been through this much and made it this far together so yeah, really. I can't believe we were thinking the same thing. I thought that maybe you had seen something bad in me!"

"Something bad? In you? Oh, please. You're probably one of the nicest people I know, B. I could never see something bad in you! I love you!"

There was a brief silence before the giggles started. Soon, both Elle and B were laughing very hard.

"I honestly cannot believe how perfect for each other the two of you are," Diteline said, smiling as the laughter subsided.

"That makes two of us," Bernard said.

"Three, even," Elle added.

"I would never disrespect your thoughts or feelings, Elle. I want you to know that, and remember that. Fusion or no."

Elle smiled. Reaching over, she hugged B. “Thank you,” she said. 

He pulled her close, squeezing her tightly. “You’re welcome, Elle.”

What happened next happened very fast. There was a bright light as the two elves disappeared. Diteline screamed and jumped up, wings fluttering excitedly. Finally the light died down and Bernelle sat on the ground, blinking slowly.

“You guys DID IT!” Diteline shouted, now hovering. She plopped the flower crown she had made on their head. It was a funny sight, considering Bernard’s beret was taking up residence on their head.

“We did? We did. I’m back!” Bernelle grinned. 

“And how are you feeling?”

“Not uneasy!”

“I’m so excited I’m gonna fall apart, I’m so happy you’re here!” Diteline squealed, hugging the fusion tightly.

“Thanks Diteline but could you put me down, I can’t breath.”

“Oh, I am so sorry! Look at that, even fused you are still so small. I’ll have to watch my strength around you! Oh, isn’t this delightful? I really am gonna fall apart!”

Bernelle lay back in the grass, eyes closed and content. “I’m here.” they said.

“Now you just gotta get use to being here,” Diteline said quietly, faintly glowing.

“You weren’t joking about falling apart!”

“I’m barely keeping it together, I’m just so happy for you two! You should take a vacation, by the way. Stay here at the Springs! Explore! Get use to existing! It would do wonders for your stress you know.”

Bernelle looked thoughtful. “Hmm. Part of me likes that idea, another part of me is low key concerned about that idea. Every time I leave the Workshop, something nutty always happens.”

“Think about it,” Diteline said. “I think it’ll be perfect. Just like you two,” she finished, booping their nose and winking before disappearing in a bright light. In her place now hovered Dite, a grin so wide on her face that Bernelle was seriously concerned about it splitting open. She held Jacqueline bridal style in her arms and was, in fact, screaming, Bernelle realized.

“You two did it! Look at you I am so excited Jacqueline, look!” Dite said throwing her up in the air and catching her.

“I’m looking! I see! Nice to meet you, Bernelle,” Jacqueline winked, now being hugged very tight by a still squealing Dite.

“Thanks for your help, Jacquie,” Bernelle said, smiling. “I’m not sure I’d be here if you hadn’t listened to both parts of me.

“It’s what I do! Best friend privileges and all,” she winked, still being hugged tightly by a very excited Dite.

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“Just give her a moment.”

Finally Dite calmed down, still smiling very big. “You two really are one of our best matches,” Dite said. “I’m glad you worked it out. I need to celebrate. We need to celebrate Jacqueline, do you wanna get ice cream?”

“When do I not?”

“What about you, Bernelle?”

“I think I’m gonna stick around here and do some thinking. About that whole vacation thing. I mean, it could be a real great thing for me, you’re both right.”

“Suit yourself,” Jacqueline shrugged. “I’ll eat enough ice cream for the two of us.”

Bernelle laughed, waving at the sprite and the goddess as they flew away, Dite dragging Jacqueline by the arm.

They listened to the crickets and lay in silence for a while, the far off rushing of water from the springs reaching their ears as they thought about what Diteline had said.

“A vacation...hmmm...”

It only took a little convincing on Elle’s part once the two got back to the Workshop a few hours later, the realization of how long they had been gone causing them to defuse and rush back. Santa gave them the all clear and, leaving Curtis in charge (after much deliberation, all things considered), the two set off for Crystal Springs, where Bernelle got to get their own celebratory ice cream.

It was a nice vacation, seeing the sights and just being together. Diteline was right; it really did do wonders for their stress levels. Everything was going fine until Christmas Eve, when Bernelle felt a shiver run down their back and a shift as if something...odd had just transpired.

That’s when Judy had appeared with the news and Bernelle nearly fell apart out of surprise.

Someone had used the Escape Clause; and it wasn’t Santa.

(BERNELLE LIVES! That’s the alternate title for Fusion AU part 3! Thanks again to the Ana bean for reading over the bernelle bits to make sure it all works well!!! I’m happy I got to unleash Dite on everyone, AND Jacqueline acting her age, AND DITELINE!!! Isn’t she lovely? Anyway please let me know what you thought I live for feedback! 

Up next: The Triumphant Return of Jackie Frost, Fusion AU Pt. IV >:D)