#reason was i mean that our grandpa is a redhead but no one else was so the gene just popped back up I guess

[the-acid-pear]

I really expressed this before but it's kinda sad I didn't find DSaF back when my sibling issues were at their peak bc I'd have been like straight up Branded if I met this guy who is a middle child and is rotting and has a strained relationship with his older brother and used to have to take care of his little sister who on top of everything is a redhead and 6 years old and is extremely guilty but also can have an awful relationship with her like my ass wouldn't have survived brother. My ass would have never came back.

[epic-potato-crisp]

Caramel Syrup

Note: Dear @gingerrhd, I was your secret santa this year! You mentioned KouKei, autumn, sarcasm, and the worst coffee date ever in the prompts, so I decided to go with a coffeshop! AU for the story. I hope you enjoy!  ^-^

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The bell jingled over his head as Kei pried open the heavy door of “Fantôme.” There weren’t many customers around, which is what he had been going for for when he decided to pick a small, secluded coffeeshop to study in favor of the larger franchise store down the road. It had been his go-to-place, before Kei discovered just how many students from his High School spend their free hours and afternoons there.

No thank you. Kei could do without the obligatory socialization every time he tried to get ahead in his homework. Also, their management had changed and for some absurd reason he had a strange feeling about the new shift manager behind the counter, an old man approaching pension age who graced him with a downright unsettling smile every time they met. So Fantôme it was. As it turned out, not only was the store empty, and offered “Free Wifi” if one were to believe the obnoxious signs plastered throughout, it also held a large amount of seating opportunities. That was welcome news to Kei, who despised encountering his classmates almost as the lack of free tables. “Welcome!” The red-haired boy behind the counter shouted as soon as he spotted him, bowing promptly. Kei grimaced at the ear-splitting volume. “A gingerbread latte please.” he ordered, after a customary glance at the menu. “That will be 600 yen.” Kei nodded, and handed over the required amount. “Alright. Please take a seat. Coming right up!!” the barista responded, flashing him an irritatingly cheerful smile. Kei rolled his eyes and went to find a table.

  “Here you go, sorry for the delay.” A good ten minutes later, a steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of him. Kei had already spread himself out over the desk, his laptop turned on and class notes on his side. “Thanks.” Kei graced the barista-server-whatever he was with a court nod, before turning back to his screen. “Oh, what are you doing there?”

Someone save him.

“Homework.” “Oh, cool, for what subject?” The redhead didn’t seem the slightest bit deterred by the venomous look Kei shot him, sliding into the empty next to him. On the contrary. “History.” “Oh man, I hate that subject. But you know what I hate even more?” Kei did not remember asking, but the barista generously provided him with an update anyway. “Biology. Seriously man, I didn’t know there were so many complicating things to know about plans. Don’t you just water them?” He gestured wildly as he spoke. “Oh, and don’t get me started on Japanese Literature-“ “Don’t you have work to do?” Kei cut across him. “Nah, actually, my shift break just started. Lucky, eh?” the barista grinned.

Oh God, he should have gone to his old place. Not even his classmates talked this much.

“I’m Nakano Kou, by the way! Nice to meet you!” He held out his hand. Kei grimaced, but forced himself into the polite response and shook it briefly. “Likewise.” He replied monotonously. Nakano tilted his head, his bushy eyebrows travelling skywards. So much for privacy. “I’m Nagai Kei.” Kei grumbled, “And I have work to do, so if you excuse me-“

It was at that moment a tall man with glasses and silver hair appeared behind the counter. “Nakano!” he barked, as soon as he spotted the pair of them, “If you have time to harass the customers, you might as well get to work! The tables won’t clear themselves.” Nakano winced, caught and got to his feet with a sigh. “Sorry, my shift manager is no fun. I’ll see you around, yeah?” Kei didn’t dignify that with a response. He got to work.

  “Welcome! Oh, Nagai, it’s great to see you back!” “Likewise.” Kei ground out between clenched teeth, cursing his luck. The shop was fuller this time, the tables being occupied by elderly people enjoying their afternoon treat and college students typing away at laptops alike. Did the Fantôme not employ anyone else? Either Nakano was the epitome of obliviousness, or he purposefully ignored Kei’s hostile tone. He took his order- Kei went with his regular, with an extra helping of caramel syrup- chatting away merrily as he did. “Honestly, I’m really glad you chose our store. You know, the bigger franchise one down the road?” “Hard to miss.” Kei deadpanned. “Yeah, that one! So, they drive away most of our customers. But Hirasawa-san- that’s my boss, you know- he says not to worry. That the Phantom has its own unique charm, ya know?” The coffee machine beeped shrilly. “Oh, whoops, gotta refill the water tank. Just a second!” “It’s Fantôme.” Kei couldn’t help himself. “What?” Nakano appeared genuinely confused, as he filled a large container under the sink. “The shop. It’s pronounced Fantôme.” Correcting other people’s pronounciation had always been one of Kei’s biggest pet peeves. It hadn’t exactly helped him in making friends at school. “Sure, if you say so! French confuses the heck out of me.” Kei was about to spitefully remark what doesn’t, but held his tongue.

Nakano, who had meanwhile successfully managed to get the machine working again, turned his back on the cup filling with coffee and grabbed a chocolate pastry from showcase, placed it on a tiny plate and handed it to Kei.” “Voila!” “I didn’t order that.” Kei said. “Yeah, I know. Consider it on the house.” Kou winked and rang him up.

Kei managed about an hour of successfully typing away at his essay before a certain redheaded menace decided to join him again at the table.

“Hey, hope you don’t mind!” He declared energetically, before taking a seat next to Kei, armed with a piece of cake and sparkling glass of soda. Kei did mind, but apparently that was obsolete.

“So what are you doing today?” “History again. Citing my sources.” “Ugh, that sounds boring.” Nakano said emphatically. “Tell me about it.” “So you’re going to Kaisei?” Nakano said, with a nod to his blazer. “I guess.” “Isn’t that crazy hard to get into?” Kei shrugs. “Maybe. I didn’t think the entrance exam was that difficult.” “Woah!” If Kou’s eyes widened any further, they would have popped out of their sockets. “You’re really fucking smart, aren’t you?” Kei, much to his disagreement, felt his cheeks warm at the unexpected praise. “So, you’re in High School too? What year?” Kei asked, in an attempt to redirect  the conversation towards Nakano himself. “Year 2.” “Same as me.” Nakano groaned pitifully. “End of term exams are going to kill me once I start studying for them.” Kei stopped his typing. “What do you mean once you start studying for them? They’re in February.” “Yeah, so? “It’s December.” Kei knew it wasn’t his place to advise the other boy on study methods, but he was adept at spotting a train wreck in the making. Or perhaps, that was just his OCD talking. “When were you going to start?” “End of January?” Nakano responded. It sounded like a question.

Oh dear God.

“Anyway.” Nakano said, misinterpreting his stunned silence for agreement, “You know how I said that the larger store drives our customers away? Know why that is?” His eyes sparkled excitedly. Kei glanced at the counter, hoping the coffee machine would decide to act up again and save him from the rest of this conversation. “Other than that they’re an internationally renowned franchise with stores all over the world? No. Couldn’t possibly imagine.” Kei replied sarcastically, which went right over Nakano’s head. “Nah, that’s not it.” Nakano said, dismissing Kei’s perfectly logical statement with a wave of his hand. He grinned conspiratorially. “Listen to this. There are rumors that their new manager is cahoots with the yakuza. The Yakuza! Crazy, right?” “Wow.” Kei said, not knowing what else to respond to this. Indeed, the grandpa behind the counter did look like he could murder his him in his sleep and get away with it. It would probably a merciful death by comparison, he thought, side-eyeing Nakano, who rambled on as though there was no tomorrow. A few minutes later, he was saved by the same sour-faced shift manager that had come to his aid the other day. “Stop trash-talking the competition, Nakano! Table 3 wants to order!” “Ah, yessir!” Nakano yelled, making Kei wince. He jumped up and gave a wave. “Laters!” Kei pinched his forehead, and returned to his sources.

For someone who had vowed to never return here, Kei thought glumly to himself, as he walked into the Fantôme a week later on a rainy Thursday afternoon, he was really bad at keeping promises. Even to himself. The lady behind the counter was tiny. “Good afternoon.” She greeted him monotonously, staring at him with dark, soulful eyes that looked like they’d seen enough. “What would you like?” Kei thought decisively that he didn’t miss the exciting chatter that had accompanied his earlier orders, and got out his wallet.  

“Oh, hey! Nagai! Izumi-san, I’m taking this one.” Kei didn’t know what exactly possessed him to return the very next day, but there was work he had to yet finish, and the atmosphere of the coffeeshop had provided to aid his levels of productivity. Well, for the most part. “Alright.” The petite woman from yesterday replied, eyes even more weary than the day before, and moved on to the next customer. Fridays were busy, even at the Fantôme. “Gingerbread latte?” Nakano asked, as soon as Nagai reached the counter. Nagai nodded. “And, one of these pastries, please.” he said. “Coming right up! And, sorry, but I guess I’ll have to charge you for the pastry this time. Tosaki-san- that’s my shift manager said I’m not allowed to give out freebies.” He shrugged. “That’s fine.” Kei said. “But I’m starting to convince him of the fact that you’re a regular, so that might change!” Nakano winked. “Don’t count on it.” “Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say.” Nakano said teasingly, and rang him up.

Kei was impressed to learn that even a rush on a Friday afternoon was not enough to deter Nakano from bothering him at his table. Strangely enough, he found himself not really minding the company. Even if it did keep him from his statistics homework. “Fun fact.” Nakano said, “You know that this store was originally gonna be called IBM? But you know, that’s trademarked, so Hirasawa-san didn’t go ahead with it.” “What the hell would IBM even stand for?” Kei shut his laptop screen, deciding that perhaps a small break would not completely ruin his progress. He took a bite out of his pastry, which tasted more delicious than it had any business being. “I don’t know, man. International Brewery Masters?” “You literally have one store.” “Point taken.” Nakano grinned.

Kei rolled his eyes. “Shouldn’t you be at the register?” “My coworker’s handling it.” Nakano said, making large puppy eyes at him, “I have a double shift on Saturday, give me a break.” “Your coworker?” “Well, yeah, Izumi-san. You’ve met her, right?” Nakano’s voice picked up, excitedly. “She’s really hot, isn’t she?” “What exactly is hot, Nakano-kun?” a quiet voice asked behind him asked. Nakano choked on his soda. The woman in question had approached with the stealth of a panther. She narrowed her eyes at the younger employee. “I-Izumi-san!” Nakano responded, flustered, “I, uh, I meant the coffee! Right, Kei? It’s really nice and hot, isn’t it?” “It’s very good, indeed.” Kei responded, after a delighting moment of watching Nakano struggle in embarrassment. Izumi left, but not without shooting last glare in Nakano’s direction. “I feel like she doesn’t like me.” Nakano whined, as soon as she was out of earshot. “How on earth did you reach that conclusion?” Kei asked, raising an eyebrow. He glanced at his watch. It was already close to 6 pm. “I’m sorry, but I’m leaving in a bit.” Eriko was home from the hospital for the weekend. And as strained as their relationship might be, Kei did feel guilty for not spending as much time with his little sister as he probably should have. “Oh, that’s perfect!” Nakano replied, “I’ll get off in half an hour. Want to walk to the station together?” Oh well. He needed to catch his train either way. “Sure.”

   Nakano, predictably, talked the entire way to the station. Which suited Kei well this time, as it saved him from having to make awkward small talk. He learned that Nakano had been working at the Fantôme for a year already. He was one of two High Schoolers the shop’s owner, Hirsawa-san had employed. Most other employees were college students. There was Tosaki, who was studying for his masters at Keio University, and Izumi, an undergrad student at Sophia. He also learned that Nakano lived on his own, and had barely scraped by his first year in High School. When asked about his parents, he shrugged. “They didn’t pay the rent, and got us kicked out of our place. My uncle’s helping me pay for a room, but I’m pretty much on my own with all other expenses. Sucks, but that’s the way it is.” “I’m sorry.” Kei answered, not knowing what else to say. “Don’t be.” Nakano gave him a smile that seemed genuine, “I do like my job. Even though Tosaki-san can be a pain at times.” An awkward silence fell between them. “Want to exchange LINE ID’s?” Nakano asked, just before they reached the station. “Sure, whatever.” “You can call me Kou, by the way. Nakano’s so freaking formal. And can I call you Kei, too?” “Whatever.” Kei repeated, ignoring the pleased feeling in the pit of his stomach when he realized Nakano had bothered to remember his first name.

Ten minutes later, on a crowded train heading back home, Kei muted his phone notifications when Kou wouldn’t stop spamming their chat with rilakumma emojis.

  Despite his better judgement, Kei started showing up at the Fantôme once a week. His visits fell mostly on Mondays, which was coincidentally also the day that Kou was on his regular shift. Kei blamed it on the workload the school assigned with the beginning of every week.

He had slowly developed a craving for the Fantôme’s coffee specials, and the place did offer a rather peaceful study atmosphere, if he left aside Kou’s chattering during his impromptu visits at Kei’s table.

But even those, he secretly grew to like. Not that he would ever admit to it.

  “Welcome! Your order?” The barista at the counter was not Kou. A shadow fell over Kei as the man towered above him at what was easily two meters of height. The Fantome’s signature apron barely reached his midriff. The accompanying cream-coloured frills provided a striking contrast to his perpetual scowl. Tanaka, the name tag read. “I, um-“ “Oh, hello Kei.” Izumi greeted him, emerging from the kitchen with a rare smile. He did know when exactly she had learned his name, but somewhere between his first and his fifteenth visit, he had apparently made an impression. It was what came with being a “regular” , he supposed, which wasn’t nearly as beneficial as Kou made it out to be. Even though he enjoyed the occasional complimentary pastry. Where was he, anyway? It was a Monday like any other. “Nakano’s not working today.” she said, apparently having read his thoughts, “He’s at home studying. His exams are coming up soon.” “Oh, I see.” Kei said, “Then, well…” he glanced at the mountain of a barista that looked like he could take him out in one ill-timed blow, “I just wanted to get drinks for takeaway. One gingerbread latte, please.” he said. “600 yen.” “Actually, can you make that two?” Tanaka grunted, which Kei understood as a confirmation. “Visiting a friend?” Izumi-san asked, a knowing look in her eyes. “Just for my sister.” Kei responded. His heart was racing, which was a little odd, he thought. He was yet to consume any amount of caffeine. “I see.”

  This was most likely a bad idea, Kei thought. In between spamming him with memes, links to prank compilations on youtube and various emojis, Kou had also written his address.

“What would I need that for? ”Kei had texted back. “In case you ever wanna hang out!” Kei had left him on read.

Now, standing in front of his door, he considered turning around. But he had already come all this way, to a ward on the suburbs of Tokyo. Also, the coffee was getting cold. He sighed, and pressed the doorbell. “Kei!!” Nakano’s surprised expression gave way to a joyful one when he noticed his unexpected visitor. “Come in, please!” He beckoned him inside eagerly. “Please excuse the intrusion.” Kei mumbled, taking off his shoes and stepping into Nakano’s apartment. It was tiny. There was bed and a dresser, a floor table and seating pillows. A fridge, and a single stove with a microwave took up one corner of the room. Kei spotted a door in the another one, probably leading to a bathroom. Also, it looked like a bomb had exploded in here. “Please have a seat. Sorry, it’s not very tidy.” Nakano said, That put it lightly, Kei thought, stepping over books, socks and empty bottles. Nakano brought him a glass of water, and they sat down at the table. “I heard you were studying for exams.” “Yeah, I have some tests coming up.” Kou sighed, “Tosaki-san told me to take the week off and study. When I came into work this afternoon, he yelled at me, so… I guess I’m here.” He laughed embarrassedly. “When are your exams?” Kei asked, with an impending feeling of doom, taking a sip of his water. “Thursday. Friday.” Nakano said. “This week?” “Yep.” He should have just gone home. “Do you have trouble with any of the material?” Nakano flashed him a saccharine smile. “Perhaps you could tutor me?” Kei could feel a headache coming on. “Depends on the subjects.” “Math, I can mostly do, but I am struggling with biology.” Nakano said, giving him the largest puppy eyes Kei had ever witnessed. “Alright, fine. Let’s do this.” Kei agreed with a sigh, opening a textbook. How hard could that possibly be? He aced biology every time. Surely tutoring someone else was not that vastly different.

One hour later, their styrofoam cups were empty and Kei was about to lose his sanity. “What exactly are you not getting about the polymerase chain reaction?” He snapped, twisting a pen in his hand, ink smudging all over his fingers, “It’s not that hard!”

“Yes, it is.” Nakano yelled, desperation clawing its way into his voice. “Well, what part?” “Everything.” Nakano moaned, burying his face in his hands. “Oh man, I’m sorry. Nagai. I’m a lost cause. You should just go home.” Kei felt very tempted to do just that, but he took a way at Kou’s room and the tense way he hunched his shoulders and the staple of bills on the corner of the desk, and felt like an asshole for even considering it. But wait. He still had an ace up his sleeve. He stepped out onto the balcony, and made a call.

“I came as fast as I could.” Kaito leaned against the doorframe, motorcycle helmet underneath his arm, “Lucky I live nearby.” “Thank you. I owe you one.” Kei said. Kaito waved him off. “No, believe me, you’ll call in that favor once you see what I mean.” Kei said dryly. Kaito laughed at his pained expression. “It’ll be fine.” “Kei, are you leaving?” Nakano called, emerging from the bathroom. He paused in his tracks once he saw Kaito. “Oh, hi, you are-“ “Your new biology teacher.” Kei said coldly. Kou tilted his head in confusion. “A friend of mine. Who’s good at biology. He agreed to teach you. That’s all.” Kei grumbled. Immediately, Kou’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Hey! Wow, thanks for doing this! I’m really an idiot, so sorry in advance for taking up your time. I’m Nakano, by the way. Come in!” “Kaito. Pleasure.” the blond replied, giving him a warm smile. “I’m gonna go and get some food from the conbini down the road.” Kei responded, “Have fun.” “Get me some tuna onigiri, yeah?” Kou called after him. “In your dreams.” Kaito laughed.

  Three hours later, they sat at Kou’s table together, feasting on rice balls, soba noodles and lemon tea. “Kaito, you’re seriously the best.” Kou said, mid-chew. Kei turned his face away in disgust. “I feel like I really understood the stuff for the first-time!” “You’re welcome.” Kaito replied, “And by the way, Kou, don’t be so hard on yourself. You do understand more than you think. I think you just have trouble remembering the detail, but that’s okay. It’s what you study for, after all.” “You’re so nice, Kaito.” Kou fawned, “You’re much nicer than Kei.” “Hey. Remember who got him here in the first place?” Kei snapped, irritated. “I know, sorry. That was pretty great of you.” Kou said apologetically, grinning at him cheekily. Pretty great of you. Kei felt his cheeks heating up. “Bathroom.” he said, leaving as quickly as he could, and ignoring the smile on Kaito’s face.

  “So, what’s the result?” Kou’s shift manager had apparently been waiting for them already when they walked into the store on Monday. “Hello, Tosaki-san, nice to see you too.” Kou said, rolling his eyes. Tosaki glared at him. “Okay, okay, fine!” Kou held up his hands in defeat. “I passed. Both exams. B in maths, C in biology.” “Just a C, after all the tutoring that Kaito gave you.” Kei comments acidly, “Were you even trying?” “Hey, I passed, okay? Wasn’t that the goal?” Kou pouted at him. Kei sighed, wishing that his puppy eyes didn’t have that much of an effect on him.

“I guess you did. Well done.”

Kou smiled at him. Kei felt his heart flutter, and looked away. “Well done, Nakano-kun.” Izumi said, who’d apparently overheard a part of their conversation, “Nagai’s drink is on me.” “Thanks.” Kei said. “Well then, get to work.” Tosaki adjusted his glasses. “Seriously, that’s all? Don’t I get a reward or something?” “Your reward is the tables you’ll be clearing.” Tosaki says haughtily, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “You’re late, so get moving.” “Yes, boss.” Kou sighs. “…Well done.” Kou turned in his tracks. “What was that?” “Move it!”

“Your regular?” Izumi asked, just as Nakano trudged off to get changed, “It’s on me.” “Is the gingerbread latte even a seasonal item anymore?” Kei said, seriously. “We make exceptions for our frequent customers.” Izumi responds, lowering her voice secretively. “Well, then I won’t say no.”

Izumi hummed and got to work preparing his drink. “Oh, in case you were worried. Nakano-kun still has all his vacation days. I guess that’s a type of reward, isn’t it?” “Hadn’t crossed my mind to be worried at all.” Kei answered, too quickly for it to be true. “I see.” Izumi said, with this knowing smile Kei hoped he interpreted too much into. “Here you go.” “Thank you.”

Kou came out from the staff room at this very second, wearing his work-shirt and apron. “Grab a seat, yeah?” he told Kei, “I’ll be with you as soon as I get a free minute.” “You don’t have to-“ His voice cut off, his brain short-circuiting in shock once he realized that Kou had kissed his cheek. “I-“ “That’s your reward.” Kou said, smiling at him, gentle and invigorating like summer rain, and for the first time in months, Kei was speechless.

[justmewoo]

A wish (Tony’s Big Brother) | Avengers x Male Reader|

Chapter Two: 

a/n: for the person who asked me to tag them on the story I apologize I accidentally deleted it so please send me a message and I can tag you on the next chapter. Enjoy! 

Jennifer got the baby ready while I waited for them downstairs. I had gone to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror and saw my reflection. I still looked young, no changes were made and as for my body, it was toned something that I didn't have before. My hair was still the same color as the last time I saw it and noticed I was wearing a blue suit that felt a bit tight. "I need to look for Tony." I talked to myself unaware that my "wife" was in the doorway spying on me as she was carrying the baby. "You ready to go? I have Maria ready hopefully we get to meet Santa Clause since it's her first Christmas." I nodded turning around and walking out of the bathroom. 

We gather our things including a phone or two that I had to carry because of work and got inside a nice car that had no idea what it was called. She put the baby in the back in what seems to be a car seat as she called it. Jennifer then drove to this place called a mall where people shop because of all the small stores it had inside. During the ride there, the car ride was silent except for the Christmas music playing on the radio and the sound of my phone vibrating every two minutes.

After a few more minutes we had arrived at the place. I got out of the car while she took the baby out in some sort of barrier so she wouldn't fall. She handed me the baby and carried her with my left hand so Jennifer could carry a bag that had things inside which I guessed were the baby's things she needed. 

Once inside people were coming and going with bags or shopping carts with gifts. Christmas music was blasting everywhere, there were kids laughing or crying because of the Santa Claus that was taking pictures near at the end of the mall. Small trees filled with lights stood almost everywhere. A gigantic tree was near Santa Claus with some fake snow on the ground. I watched in awe as I took a look around this mall had at least two floors with tons of stores. 

"Are you kidding me? He's going to be super mad if I don't find something for him to give to pepper! I will be toast you here me." A man passing by yelled talking on a phone. He was a bit tall, he was wearing a black suit and carried bags in one hand. I looked down for a second when I heard the baby cry. "Jennifer the baby's cr-" I stopped in mid-sentence when someone screamed I turn around to the see the man falling from the second floor. My reflexes quickly took over me and in an instant, I ran over to the man with both hands and carried him with no problem. As for the bags he was carrying I managed to save them from falling. I placed down the baby on the floor and slid her with my leg towards Jennifer so she wouldn't get hurt. Everyone around us stared at the sudden action, some began to applaud and recorded or took pictures while others continued on with their day. Soon men in black suits came over to us. 

I have to admit I was shocked myself too. Never in my life have I had those reflexes. "A-are you okay sir?" I asked as he fixed his posture. I quickly turned around sending a relief glance at the baby who was now in Jennifer's arms. 

"I- yeah... I'm fine thanks for saving me. I was too busy talking on the phone that I failed to notice the stairs. You are a lifesaver, there has to be a way I could repay you back." I defended myself with my hands. "Don't worry sir it's fine with me just please try to be more careful where your walking. If you excuse me I have to get back to my family." I said making my way back, but the guy continued to watch from afar as Jennifer and I left the scene. 

'He looks a bit like Tony..'  he thought.

_______________________

We were in the mall for about two hours or if not more shopping for Jennifer's and other's Christmas gifts. While she walked into the stores I stayed taking care of the baby near a bench sitting down. I was making funny faces down at the baby making her giggle. "You have your grandmother's eye and your uncles smile," I whispered under my breath. I made little farting noises in her tummy and tickles. "You know daddy really isn't from this timeline because I'm still only twenty-seven." She looked up at me confused. "I know sweetie daddy is really confused too because one moment he was with grandma and grandpa, then I wake up with a wife and the fact that I have a beautiful little girl. But of course, your mommy doesn't know about it and might think I'm crazy. But I really miss my parents especially your uncle Tony." I sigh looking at the ground.

Flash Back: 

"Anthony where are you I have something to show you, little brother." I shouted all over the house happily caring something in my hands. I ran all the way up to the room we both shared. I was only twelve and Tony was six years old. 

I opened the door to our room and found Tony playing alone with some robotic toys. I walked slowly behind him and placed the item on the bed before sneaking behind and grabbed him by his waist planting tons of kisses on his cheek only to get rejected by him. 

Tony wiped the kisses from his cheek hurting my feelings a bit. I didn't show an upset face instead I acted like it didn't matter. "Look a friend of mine gave me his older brother's baseball hat that was signed by Captain America, isn't it cool Tony? Now I have something signed of his." I showed him the hat to his face. But he knocked it out of my hand and threw it out the window. 

"Oh no, it fell out the window what a tragedy." He said with a fake worried tone there was not a hint of remorse what so ever.  "What the heck Anthony that's not cool." I yell storming out, "I'm tired of you and dad always talking about Captain America he's not alive anymore!" He yelled back. I ran out of the house and ran back outside to look for the hat. "I can't find my hat, you're really mean Anthony why are you always so mean to me!" I yelled walking in front of our room window. "Because you deserve it. You're just like him and I don't like you." He yells back pointing a finger at me. 

"But Anthony I'm nothing like him. I want to spend time with you but you don't want me to." I looked around in the ground looking for the hat. "Sheesh, I can't find the hat." I murmured to myself, Tony then closed the window slamming it shut. I looked up and saw the hat on the big tree that was next to our house so I began to climb up the tree to retreat the hat. I was close to getting it with my fingers but my feet were slowly slipping down so I quickly tried to grab the hat but when I did I began to fall down to the ground realizing it was too late. 

The sound of crying snapped me back to reality and saw Maria crying in my arms. I tried to rock her back and forth but a sudden smell made me guess it was something else. "Does someone need a diaper change? I have no clue how to change a diaper guess we have to go get mommy." I got up with her in my arms while carrying her bag on my shoulder. 

I walked to the store where Jennifer was in and when I arrived I saw her through the glass looking at clothes and smiled at her. Maybe I should try my best and put effort into acting like a normal husband and father maybe there's a reason why all of this happened. Smiling like an idiot, I took a small step forward when the glass from the store suddenly shattered. It felt like everything happened in such slow motion, Jennifer slowly fell on the ground as a drop of blood fell down from her chest. Her eyes looked into mine making me remember the same way that my mother had died. 

The sounds of gunshots drew in closer, in sudden seconds they were near me. I then quickly covered the baby with my arms trying to protect her in any way I could. Everyone in the mall ran in different directions making it impossible to even see who was the perpetrator that was causing all of this.  I saw blood coming out from beneath her and forming into a pool of blood. I was going to make a run for her when another gunshot was heard, my eyes turned to the left and saw two people running away from the person. They went passed me almost knocking everyone in their way, then he appeared from the crowd it was him. Suddenly the people that ran weren't the targets anymore it was me, that same man who killed my parents was coming after me now. 

His eyes were dark, there was no sign of remorse what so ever it looked like he was brainwashed by something that made him want to kill. The gun he pointed was aimed towards me, my legs then began to move to try to run away as fast as I could. I unbutton my shirt and placed Maria inside protecting her from any glass that was shattered as I passed the stores, his footsteps were getting closer. "Go I'll cover you from here!" someone yelled my head turned to see a man standing on the second floor shooting at him. The two people who were running from before were right in front of me, I still didn't understand what was going on everything seemed to be so confusing. How did he manage to even find me? 

A loud bang was heard then fire suddenly erupted from one of the stores, the explosion then through my body off to the side in quick moments I made sure I fell on my back to protect her head and held her tightly against my chest. I groaned feeling the glass break, it felt a lot worse on your back than anything else, "Are you okay Maria?" looking down her eyes were filled with worry "Hey...everything is going to be okay I promise." The man turned around trying to look for me, the blonde man from earlier then went up against him. A grunt was heard coming from him, I couldn't help but look seeing how hard he was trying to fight him. 

"Steve! We need to take him down there are too many civilians here!" the redheaded yelled trying to help him as well, another gunshot was then heard coming from the second floor. The man kept shooting trying to take the metal arm man down but kept shooting at the wrong places. I felt my heart beat rapidly in despair, frightened to find a way to keep Maria safe but also help them out. Civilians were still running passed me, they kept tripping over one another trying to flee the scene and get somewhere safe. I looked down at her she stared right back at me, sighing I set her down and covered her with a plant that wouldn't give her away. 

"I'll be right back...everything is going to be okay." I pressed a kiss softly on her forehead and left running towards both of them making sure to crouch down so he wouldn't be able to see coming from behind. The blonde guy made eye contact with me but never said anything, as soon as I had a good opening I grabbed him by his neck trying to make him pass out. He moved his chin down and stepped to the side as he grabbed my forearm trying to escape. I tried tightening it harder to make him stay in place, his left arm then moved back and hurt my leg before his elbow hit my neck directly making me stagger back. 

Right on that second, he immediately threw himself at me with full force making the both of us crash through the glass windows. I groaned feeling the impact affecting my back, his hands were then around my neck trying to choke me. His grip was too strong for me to try and take them off of me. Steve then came up took his off of me, I began coughing not being able to breathe. "Get out of here!" he exclaimed standing in front of me as he tried to defend himself. 

"I-" the coughing was making it worse for me throat, "I-I can't! Y-You need help!" the metal arm man picked up his gun and began shooting again, Steve picked up his shield and used it to protect both of us from the gunshots. "Why are you here?!" he exclaimed, "I was just in the mall...then he showed up out of nowhere and began to target me!" I yelled as the gunshots grew louder. There was a look in his face that was quite unexplainable, the girl from earlier then came over to us both and she took me away from Steve.  

"Ler's go!" she exclaimed taking my forearm as she ran pulling me with her, my eyes immediately went to over where Maria was. "Wait!" I headed into a different direction, "What are you doing?!" I didn't listen I kept going rushing to her risking it everything to make sure she was safe. The man followed my movements and retreated from Steve before going over to me, she was still safe and sound. Her eyes grew wide with a soft smile, "I'm here baby girl." carefully I picked her up in my arms and carried her. 

"You have a daughter?" she asked, "This is going to be more complicated than I thought." The loud sound of footsteps landed was heard, I pulled her close to my chest his eyes were focused on me and Maria. I had a gut feeling, something was about to happen. I tried to look brave but I was afraid that she would be in danger, Jennifer was gone and I wasn't going to lose my daughter. Nat and their friend came in at the right moment, they tried so many things to keep him down. I took the opportunity and ran away, all the moments I've lived from before began to come back to me. From the relationship that Tony, I had, to find out I had a daughter...and wishing to have gotten more time to fix things. 

I was alone in this world now. 

The doors then opened and a women came running over to us, "Come with me!" she exclaimed, I looked down seeing them fight against him. A feeling of regret began to wash over me, feeling guilty of leaving them behind but my daughter was the number one priority right now. I followed my instincts and went with her the only thing that could be heard were the sounds of glass shattering and the sound of bodies being thrown onto the ground. 

[pyropsychiccollector]

So, we don't know if Fairy Tail is coming to an end or not - sure seems that way, with Zeref and Acnologia seemingly the last huge hurdles to overcome. But who knows? Maybe Mashima will throw us a curveball and there'll be another arc with Ankhseram or something completely different.

Setting aside that possibility, FT is quite likely reaching its end. It's been quite a ride with lots of bumps in the road; no series is perfect. Speaking for me personally, I only started tuning in for the better part of half a year now. You can tell me all your gripes about the series, and I'll still tell you more than a few things I like about it. Even arcs like GMG.

Buuut this post isn't about that. With the series coming to a close and shippers clamoring to support their ships, I figured I'd post a little something for Natza shippers who might be feeling down about Nalu and Jerza shippers POSSIBLY  'getting their way'. Just consider this a little reminder of some of the reasons you supported Natza in the first place. Out of respect to other shippers, I'll try and tone down 'anti-nalu' and 'anti-jerza' talk, but it might still come up in a few places. Kinda unavoidable...

First up, these two have history. And I don't mean 'slaves trapped constructing a cultist tower', I simply mean prior to the first chapter/episode, these two had seven years together, working and living together at Fairy Tail. That might not seem like much, since Erza became S-Class in X780 and kinda left Natsu and Gray in the dust, but they most certainly associated with one another. Igneel provided a base for Natsu's education, but Erza built up on that. Natsu couldn't read the job request flier he picked out on his own, and Erza made sure he could... Admittedly traumatizing him in the process. You want more than reluctant student and teacher? In a manga chapter we got not too long ago, we got flashbacks of Natsu, Gray, and Erza (as kids) doing stuff together; Erza breaking up fights, Erza teaching them hunting... and yes, even the times they bathed together. You might say, "Well... wait. That's not Natza!" And I'll agree. I'm simply pointing out that Natsu and Erza have history - seven years of it. It's not a case of Natsu being 'scared' of Erza for all that time; yes, he has those times where Erza intimidates him into behaving, but you know that little Pyro. He's just gotta challenge Erza and catch up to her. Erza's not someone unbeatable; she just really... really... strong. And of course Natsu admires that.

So now we're to current events as the series officially begins. Admittedly, it takes a few episodes before Erza gets her debut, but she shows up, and we get our first impressions of the scarlet knight. She's a tough disciplinarian, but she knows Natsu and Gray well enough to know they're capable in their own right. Moreover, Natsu really shows determination here as he makes Erza promise to have a rematch with him after the mission. And that's how they, Lucy, and Happy wind up going on their first conquest of a Dark Guild. Ah, but Erza comes with her own quirks, just like Natsu and Gray. She totes around a HUGE pile of luggage, and to make the train ride easier on Natsu, she... knocks... him... out. Still by far one of my favorite moments of the series. I can see why some might label Natza as a brotp with this kind of scene, but our time will come.

So they beat Eisenwald and Lullaby, and Natsu and Erza get their rematch. Whoo hoo. But their rematch gets broken up as the Council comes to arrest Erza for the destruction of the Guild Conference meeting hall in Clover Town (at least officially...).Of course Natsu won't let that stand, and he makes quite a scene in the courtroom as he tries to save the redhead. ... Well, instead of that slap on the wrist like they'd initially attended, the Council locks the two Fairy Tail mages in a cell for the night. Understandably, Erza is quite frustrated with Natsu's lack of perception, but nonetheless, she thanks him for standing up for her.

As we'll discover throughout the series, there are lots of instances where Natsu and Erza are concerned for one another; but moreover, there are plenty of instances where they strongly believe in one another as well. And it's not just misplaced trust - they DO get the job done, such as when Natsu beats Gajeel and saves Lucy, and when Erza withstood a blast from the Jupiter Cannon for her Guild and still had the energy to take down Aria a short while later. I don't know about you, but I think that's a basis for a healthy relationship right there. Worry and trust come in fair shares; as time goes on, these two become less and less worried for one another even in the face of overwhelming odds. They know the other can handle the situation and come out on top; the worry never goes away fully, just decreases in the face of mutual respect and trust.

And then we reach the epitome of our Natza ship... Nalu's worst nightmare...The Tower of Heaven Arc. I am going to try and sidestep the icky love triangle that Mashima tries to make here - I'll make it as simple as possible. This arc is where we learn about Erza's past. Why she is the way she is, why she doesn't get along with Councilman Siegrain, why she can find it hard to open up to people. Erza tries to keep her Fairy Tail family out of it, but they get dragged into it anyway. She mends bridges with her old friends, thanks to Simon; but on the flipside, Erza acts very much unlike herself here (at least from what we've seen up to this point). In this conflict, Erza is ready to throw her life away to protect both of her families. Despite being a seasoned warrior by this point, she can't summon the same strength that she did when she tried to fight Jose Porla! And she's in better shape than she was at that time! Perhaps some will argue that this is simply who Erza is - strip away her armor, and she's a traumatized little girl with a *tragic* past. Ugh. Nope, nope, nope. By no means am I arguing that Erza can't have her tender side; it'd be hard to like her character if she didn't have such a side. What I am saying is that when Erza left the Tower of Heaven, she was alone and lost when she wandered to Fairy Tail. But in that time there, she acquired a new family, recovered the strength she once had when Grandpa Rob died and she inspired the slaves to keep on fighting. In fact, you could say she surpassed that strength - she became S-Class, didn't she? Yet the moment her past comes back to haunt her, Erza horribly reverts; she goes into that fight with Jellal with a defeatist's mindset. Thankfully, Natsu is up to the task of helping Erza bury her past. He fights Jellal, who is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, who took over the management of the Tower of Heaven, and who killed the mutual friend he and Erza once shared - the guy who made it possible for Erza to reconnect with her old family, Simon. He fights Jellal knowing most if not all of this, even when Erza desperately pleads with him to abandon the fight. Natsu can't and won't abandon her, though. In the end, Natsu makes a gutsy move of eating Etherion, and that gives him the strength to beat down Mr. Wizard Saint. Say what you will about that, how the fight 'should' have gone, but I think it worked very well symbolically. Erza's past warred with her present and future, and guess which came out on top? The scarlet knight picked herself up yet again and moved on with her life, despite lingering thoughts on Jellal and Simon. We can probably agree that Natsu had similar moments of getting worked up over villains hurting other friends - Lucy (present and Future), Yukino, etc. - but for me personally, I feel like there's something fundamentally different in how those moments feel compared to the Tower of Heaven. For Lucy, Natsu saving her happens a little too often without Lucy doing the same as much for my tastes (in other words, those hero moments don't feel as deep and meaningful to me). And for Yukino... well. I think anyone would get worked up over Yukino's treatment by her Guild (especially her Master). I feel like Erza and the Tower of Heaven is different because Natsu connected with her more deeply than he ever had prior to this; he saw her pain, and wished for nothing more than to end her tears. He panicked after she sacrificed herself to stop the Tower from exploding. And in that dreamlike vision of the future brought about by Etherion, Natsu didn't believe that Erza had died. Everyone else had given up, but not him. And whose arms does she wake up in, after realizing someone had saved her from being fully absorbed by Etherion? Natsu's. He even makes her promise not to do such a suicidal move again. On Erza's side, she recognizes his growth the moment he took down Jellal, and she tried to get him out of the Tower before it exploded. After seeing how affected Natsu would have been with her death, Erza cites that, "You don't die for your friends. You live for them." It was a pretty good shippy moment right there, but then the rest of their friends find them and rejoice that they're all alive.

We can whine about it all we want, but when the Oracion Seis arc hit, that's when the Jerza ship began to get a little more wind in its sail. After all, the man that brought Erza pain in the past returned, but he had... amnesia. You gotta be sympathetic to a guy like that, right? They had such a tragic past, and now Jellal can't remember it. What a pity. ... Okay, enough bashing. But it is a bit annoying for us Natza shippers; after the high that we got from ToH, we're suddenly smashed back to earth with Jellal's return. You can say that Natsu came to forgive Jellal in this arc, but that isn't the case when you inspect the arc carefully. After all, what's the first thing Natsu does when he first hears that Wendy revived Jellal? He's intent on making sure Erza never has to see him again. Not out of jealousy - but out of sympathy for his friend. Natsu doesn't want to see her cry again, but despite this, Erza finds the blue-haired mage anyway and comes to the dissatisfying conclusion that Jellal really can't remember all of his past atrocities. Later, Jellal goes off to help Natsu fight Zero, and the Pyro tries to fight him off as well. Sure, Jellal ended up helping Natsu in the end, giving him something equally as potent as Etherion so that he may attain Dragon Force again, but that anger that Natsu holds hasn't vanished. They're tentative allies against a greater threat. And when the Rune Knights come to take Jellal and Oracion Seis away, Natsu doesn't fight for Jellal's freedom because he's a swell guy that helped take down Zero; he does it for Erza, because the redhead is conflicted about resisting the Council's authority. Despite his personal feelings about the blue-haired mage, he tries to resist for Erza's sake so that the two can resolve their past. Of course, Erza tells him and the others to stand down in the end, and the Dragon Slayer grudgingly complies. Erza goes back to angsting about her past.  

I'm not gonna say my interpretation of events is the one, true way to look at the series. I AM saying this is how we Natza fans see the relationships between Natsu, Erza, Jellal, and Lucy. Some of you naysayers will argue Natsu and Erza are siblings; Jellal and Erza have such a tragic and *amazing* past together; Natsu brought Lucy to Fairy Tail and totally fell in love; you're perfectly fine with believing in any of that. Just don't shove your theories down our throats. From a Natza fan's perspective, such as mine, Natsu brings out the best in Erza; he doesn't make her think about her past every five minutes or force her to be the ever-shining beacon in their relationship. On the flipside, Erza doesn't require saving all the time; she stands alongside Natsu, and is a pillar for him when he is sad or has doubts. Natza is mutual, and I think there's something deeper there than sibling love. Heck, there are still Natza moments floating throughout the series, it's just that whenever Jellal gets involved... yeah. You can tell what Mashima is likely pushing for, just not very convincingly. It's fine if Erza becomes Jellal's redemption, but it's such a shame that a mutual, passionate relationship like Natza goes out the window in favor of giving Jellal a relationship to go with his redemption. Just look at all the various moments they have together...

So yeah! Criticize the Natza ship all you want, but you'll never stomp us out completely. Even if Mashima cedes to you Nalu and Jerza fans, we'll still have all these moments and more to look back on - canon, filler, omake, you name it. I think we have reason to be proud of our ship to the very end. We're not a brotp or a fanon couple - if Nalu can be argued to be semi-canon, when it wasn't in Mashima's original plan, then I don't see why we can't make a case for it being at least semi-canon. I've certainly reflected long and hard on it over the past half year I've been into FT. I'm still going to be bummed if Mashima follows the crowd and forces Nalu and Jerza to happen, but I won't falter in my love for this ship. I encourage other 'unpopular' ships to do the same. I certainly don't mind other ships with Natsu involved; Natza is just my OTP.

[crossroadsdimension]

Lucky!Ford ch 2

So, uh...you guys remember that drabble I posted a while back for the start of Forduary? I’ve decided to keep going with it. Just...gonna pick up right where we left off with Ford getting dropped into the attic right in front of Dipper. Heh heh.

@howtotrainyournana, I know you’re gonna want to read this. @leukaraii, @blankrslate07, and @happy-fazzbear-ponies2 might be interested in it, too.

Here we go!

Dipper’s wordless shriek quickly turned into mile-a-minute questions and excited babble -- mostly the latter. Ford was only able to catch “Are you the Author of the Journal??” out of the excited, stumbled-over mess.

“Y-you know about my journals?” Ford asked in surprise, looking down at the boy who was looking up with bright, eager eyes at him. He heard footsteps slam down on the stairs below them -- someone else was coming up.

“Yeah!” Dipper scrambled over to his bed and pulled a familiar red and gold book out from underneath it. “I-I found it in the woods on my first day -- wait, did you say journals? I’ve only got the one! Does that mean that there are more hidden around Grav--”

“Ford?!”

Ford turned his head sharply at the gravely voice, for a second expecting to see a one-eyed mirror with a golden fish embroidered on an eyepatch. He blinked in surprise when he saw that the fish was on a fez, and two normal eyes were staring back at him, wide with shock.

Dipper trailed off and looked at the old man, blinking in confusion. “Y-you...you know him, Grunkle Stan?”

Ford and Stan -- for it was Stan -- stared at each other for a moment. Stan in Filbrick’s suit -- something that Ford was sure he had buried in the back of a closet somewhere -- and Ford in his survival gear, black from head to toe, and still carrying his weapons.

A moment later, Ford found himself trapped in a bear hug from his brother.

“You’re okay!” Stan let out a laugh that carried and released so much all at once. “You’re okay….”

Ford blinked a couple times out of surprise at Stan’s show of affection, and he saw three figures standing in the doorway -- a little girl who appeared to be Dipper’s age wearing a sparkle-covered sweater, a red-headed teenage girl, and what looked like a hairless gopher (how one happened to have come to be here, Ford had no idea).

“Uh...Grunkle Stan?” Dipper asked.

“What’s going on?” the girl asked in confusion. “Who’s this guy? And why does he look like Grunkle Stan?”

“I don’t know, he just dropped into our room from out of nowhere -- literally! Some kind of...portal, I guess, opened up in the ceiling and he just dropped right through it! There was this teenager with him too, and he was wearing some kind of armor and he knew who I was without me having to say anything!” Dipper waved his hands about. “It was so weird and awesome at that same time!”

“Portal?” Stan repeated. He let Ford go and looked at him with an odd expression, eyebrows furrowing together into a confused frown. “I’ve been working on your damn machine for thirty years and you find someone who can get ya home?”

“Machine?” Dipper repeated. He frowned and put his hands on his hips. “Grunkle Stan, what’s going on?”

“Yeah!” the girl spoke up in agreement.

“Come on, Mr. Pines, you’re not going to leave us hanging, are you?” asked the redhead in typical teenage fashion.

Stan snorted and looked around the room. “Yeah, yeah. Well, cat’s out of the bag now, I guess.” He clapped a hand on Ford’s shoulder, a wide grin appearing on his face while Ford still stood as stiff as a board. “This is my twin brother. The real Stanford.”

The hairless gopher gasped. “Another Mr. Pines?!”

“Wait, what?” the teenager blinked in confusion as Ford’s eyes widened -- partially because what he had thought of as a hairless gopher was actually human, and partially because of something else.

“You stole my name?!” he hissed at Stan. “Stanley, why did you--”

“Did you really expect that this house would still be standing after 30 years if you weren’t around to pay the bills for it?” Stan shot back. “I had ta find a way to get you back, and I wasn’t about ta just let this place fall apart and find a new spot in town.” Stan’s brow was furrowed in a frowning glare of sorts. “Besides, there was that monster machine in the basement, and I had ta work on it.” His face relaxed, and he shrugged. “So, I faked my death, basically became you, and that’s the end of that.”

“Stanley, that machine is extremely dangerous -- don’t tell me you turned it on--”

“It’s not working yet!” Stan shot back. “I should know -- I know the ins and outs of that thing, and I’ve been working on it for the last 30 years! All the stupid thing does is throw sparks. And now, all that work’s been for nothing because you got to go and find a way back here on your own! Couldn’t you have done that sooner?!”

“Like it’s possible to meet a World Jumper on purpose!” Ford snapped in reply. “I’ve been relying on natural rifts between dimensions to go from one to the next; I wasn’t ever expecting that I would ever be given a route home, much less one from someone who travels across dimensions as a job!”

Stan jerked back at that.

“Was that who the guy in the armor was?” Dipper frowned, then pulled a pen out from somewhere and started chewing on the end. He pulled out a notepad and started writing, as though he was taking notes on the conversation. “I wonder how he knew who I was, though….”

“What guy?” Stan demanded.

“A-a teenager in this blue and green armor who dropped through the portal with -- Dipper cut himself off as his eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, the Author of the Journals is my Great-Uncle!” He squealed loudly again and started writing in his notepad more vigorously.

“Wait, this guy’s the Author?” the girl asked as Stan looked between the two of them sharply.

“Great-Uncle?” Ford repeated, blinking in surprise.

“Oh, yeah. Right.” Stan motioned to the two kids. “They’re Shermie’s grandkids. Dipper and Mabel. Twins, too -- like us.”

“Sh-shermie...Shermie has grandkids?” Ford looked down at the two of them with wide eyes.

“And Dipper, what was that about a journal?” Stan turned to look at Dipper and frowned disapprovingly, hands on his hips.

Dipper ducked his head, hands gripping the notepad and journal underneath it a little more tightly. “I found it at the beginning of summer.”

“Hand it over, kiddo. It’s too dangerous for you to be carrying that around.” Stan motioned for Dipper to hand the journal over.

The boy held it tightly to his chest for a moment, reluctant, but when he saw the look Ford was sending him over Stan’s shoulder he reluctantly handed the journal over to Stan, who handed it to Ford.

“How was it that you didn’t know he had this?” Ford frowned at Stan as he hid the journal away in his coat.

“I wanted to keep the kids away from that junk; they went behind my back!” Stan motioned to Dipper. “What number was that one, three?”

“What does it matter?” Ford replied tersely.

“Because number two might have been found too, dum-dum.” Stan poked Ford in the chest. “Did you really think that hiding them was a good idea, you idiot?”

“Hid them?” Dipper frowned. “Why did you hide them, Great-Uncle Stanford?”

Ford’s eyes narrowed at the question. “I had my reasons.”

“Uh huh.” Stan folded his arms across his chest. “Considering how you were acting thirty years ago, I wonder how much of that was because you’d gone nuts.”

“Hey!” Mabel suddenly popped up between the two of them. She looked up at Ford and smiled sweetly. “Hi, I’m Mabel.” The smile faltered a little. “And I’m really confused. Could you fill us in a little on what’s going on? I mean, Grandpa never said we had another grunkle.”

Ford looked down at the girl -- his niece! -- for a moment, his mouth pressed thin and his brow furrowed. After a moment he sighed. “Oh, all right.”

“Can we start with what happened between you guys?” the human/hairless gopher asked. “Because it sounds like you’ve had a lot of drama.”

Stan snorted. “That’s one way to put it, Soos.” He went over and sat down on Dipper’s bed; Ford moved to stand with his back to the window, hands behind his back as Dipper sat down next to Stan and the other three sat down on what Ford guessed was Mabel’s bed. “If you really want to know the full story, it started back in 1960-something, when we were kids.”

Ford rolled his eyes, but Stan kept going, ignoring his brother...mostly. The mention of the Stan o’ War caused his mouth to tighten up a little at the memory, but he managed to keep his emotions in check -- especially when it came to the incident with the science project later.

“West Coast Tech?” Dipper frowned. “Dad said that they were a hoax school that just wanted to be known for getting really, really smart people in. A lot of the people who have graduated from there are really stuck up -- he has to work with a few of them.”

Ford jolted a little in surprise at that, losing his composure rather quickly. “Wh-what?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Mabel put a finger to her chin and cocked her head to one side slightly. “Didn’t he tell us one time that he was just about ready to deck a guy over something that he’d said that turned out to be completely wrong, only for some other guy to end up getting the blame?”

“Yeah.” Dipper nodded. “The boss didn’t want to get sued by the guy’s parents for firing him or something like that.”

Ford couldn’t believe what it was that he was hearing. He shook his head slowly as Stan snorted and the teenage girl and Soos rolled their eyes.

“Sounds like someone needs to grow up,” the teenager commented.

“You said it, Wendy,” Stan agreed. “Maybe I oughta find this guy and deck him myself.” A sneering grin crossed his face. “Or, y’know, lighten him of a few bucks. That place is majorly expensive -- I bet he uses hundred dollar bills for tissues.”

“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper and Mabel both yelped at once.

“You could get our dad fired if you do that!” Dipper yelped.

Stan snorted and waved Dipper off. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Ford didn’t get to go to his nerd school and he thought I was the one who broke his machine when I hadn’t, so Pa kicked me out.”

“That’s horrible,” Wendy muttered. “I’d like to find your old man and deck him one for that -- you don’t do that to kids!”

“You can deck his tombstone back in Jersey -- the old man died a couple years back. Could’a gone to the funeral, but…” Stan shrugged. “Ma’s still around, though -- she’s living in one of those old folks’ homes somewhere. I’ve got the address somewhere in the house. Anyway, I roved the country for a bit after that, met some people, picked up a few skills, that kinda thing. Then Ford contacted me, and I came up here.”

Ford got the feeling that Stan was glossing over a few points.

“What about you, Great-Uncle Stanford?” Dipper looked over at Ford.

Ford shook his head. “Ford is fine, Dipper.” His expression soured. “Well, after I wasn’t able to get into what was at the time my dream school, I was forced to fall back on the last option that I had.” He was going to have to look into West Coast Tech and see if what Dipper was saying was true, obviously; for now, he let the comments about WCT slide to the back of his mind. “Backupsmore. In a place like that, I had to work twice as hard. I got my Ph.D a year ahead of schedule and received a grant for any future research I could undertake.”

From there, Ford launched into a rather dramatic retelling of events: how he had decided that, since he was an anomaly himself, he would study anomalies -- and that Gravity Falls was a hotspot for them. He described how he had hit a roadblock, decided that building a portal to another dimension was the best way to solve it, and called up his old college friend Fiddleford McGucket in order to get his help.

He saw looks exchanged between the others at the mention of Fiddleford; Ford decided he’d look into that later as well and filed it into the back of his mind next to WCT.

Then came the day they’d tested the machine, and Fiddleford’s running out on him. Ford left Cipher out of the tale, simply saying that something had gone wrong and he needed to shut down the project and hide his research materials.

“It was at that point that I managed to locate Stanley and request he come up here,” Ford said. “I had been planning on giving him a portion of my research so that he could take it and hide it somewhere I would never know about it, but he apparently had other plans.”

“Well of course I did!” Stan snapped back. “Ten years without contact from anybody and you suddenly show up out of the blue with ‘Please Come’ and nothing else?! I wasn’t expecting you to just push me away again, that’s for sure!”

“So...why the portal thing?” Mabel asked. “And how come we didn’t know that the Shack has a basement, Grunkle Stan? I haven’t seen any stairs to the basement!”

Stan muttered something about a vending machine, causing Ford to look at him sharply.

“I hid the entrance behind a bookcase, Stanley,” Ford said pointedly.

“Well, not anymore. Did you really expect me to be able to keep the house without paying the bills?” Stan frowned back at his brother.

“You mean, the Mystery Shack is--”

“A cover so that you could get Mr. Pines 2 home?” Wendy finished Dipper’s question.

Soos hid his face in his hands as he started bawling. “That’s so beautiful, Mr. Pines!”

“Mystery Shack?!” Ford repeated. “Stanley, what have you done?!”

“I did what I had to do, okay?!” Stan snapped back. “Conning people is the only gig I know -- you try living out of the backseat of a car for ten years, Poindexter! You try to find a living, jumping from job to job and never knowing if you’re gonna find a place to call home again!”

The attic fell silent at that. Even Soos stopped bawling as they all stared at Stan with wide eyes. Well, everyone except for Ford, who frowned grimly instead.

“Try that for thirty years,” Ford said shortly.

Stan’s angered face fell in an instant, eyes widening at Ford’s words.

“After the fight that led you to push me into the portal, I have been traveling from dimension to dimension, never staying in one place for too long because there are bounty hunters after every single version of me from here to the Nightmare Realm. There are people out there who would be more than willing to find my head and bring it to--” Ford cut himself off and shook his head; they didn’t need to know about Cipher; this was his burden, not theirs. “The point is that my life hasn’t been easy, either. If you think that you can one-up me on how bad each other’s lives has been, think again.”

The others all stared at him with wide-eyed expressions; Soos seemed to be gnawing on his fingernails as Dipper gripped his pen tightly.

“Whoa,” Wendy said.

Mabel looked at Ford with a concerned, furrowed brow, then slipped off her bed and came over and hugged him about his waist. “Well, you’re home now. So you shouldn’t have to think about it anymore, right?”

Ford looked down at his niece with an uncertain expression, then nodded a little. “No, I...suppose not.” His eyes flicked up towards the door of the attic, and his expression hardened. “Which reminds me.”

“Reminds you of what?” Dipper asked.

“I have a portal to dismantle.” Ford slipped out of Mabel’s hug and strode out of the room and downstairs, nose crinkling up in disgust when he saw how much Stan had changed what had once been his place of research.

Stan moved down the stairs after him and went through a swinging door that was on the other side of what had started as a lab and had been repurposed into a living room. Ford frowned at the dinosaur skull that was being used as a table as he passed it…

...and stepped into a gift shop.

This was the last thing that Ford had wanted to see.

“Stanley, what the he--”

“Watch it.” Stan sent a pointed look at the door Ford had just came through. “Those kids are twelve, you know.”

Ford gritted his teeth as Stan hit the buttons on the vending machine where his bookcase had been, opening the hidden door to his basement lab. “What the heck have you done to my house?!”

“Did what I had to.” Stan shrugged. “And hey -- I’ve got some good money coming in anyway, and people like the place. So I’m not planning on putting a stop to it anytime soon.”

Ford brushed past Stan as the door to the basement opened up, and he flew down the stairs and into his basement lab. Of all the things that Stanley could have done, turning his house into a -- a tourist trap had to be the worst thing possible. He had chosen this location because he wanted to be alone, not because he had wanted to be bothered!

At least Stanley had had enough sense to keep the portal away from the children, if their confusion about the mention of the machine was any indication. Although, that hadn’t kept Stan from tinkering with it.

Ford felt a chill run down his spine as he entered the one room that he had hoped never to see again. He moved passed the security cameras and other controls and paused at the door leading into the larger part of the laboratory.

The dark, dead, triangular portal rose up over everything.

“You know, I questioned your design choices for that thing after a while.”

Ford jumped and whirled, only to see Stanley standing back by the entrance into the lab. He frowned.

“I mean, if ya had come through it, you’d have landed flat on yer face because of that drop,” Stanley added. “You have a thing for triangles now, Ford?”

Ford’s shoulders stiffened at that, eyes narrowing. “Had.” He turned and walked into the main portal room, Stanley trailing behind him. “Go back upstairs, Stanley. I can handle this myself.”

“Yeah, no. You’re just going to throw all this out when it can be reused, like that old science project.”

Ford paused at that, turned and looked back. “What?”

“Yeah, see, there’s this thing that people are going on about called recycling now and--”

“No, no, not that!” Ford retraced his steps and frowned at Stan. “You saw me throw it out?”

Stan scratched his neck, averting his gaze from Ford’s. “Well, yeah. I didn’t leave Glass Shard Beach right away. Did ya really think that I’d hoof it as soon as Pa kicked me out?”

Ford hesitated at that, looking at Stan with an expression that was mixed.

Stan noticed, then snorted and moved around Ford. “Well, we’ve gotta demolish this thing, right? I can think of a few parts I could use to make sure my car still runs, and I bet that Soos can find a way to use some of the other bits. Could get a pretty penny for recycling the metal, too.” He pulled off his suit jacket and shirt, revealing a sweaty undershirt and a pot belly that Ford hadn’t expected to see on his brother.

“Stanley, a lot of this technology wouldn’t work well with Earth--”

Stan grabbed a part of what looked like metal and yanked off a strip of silvery material.

“...is that duct tape?”

“Well, yeah. Best thing to hold stuff together when it’s falling apart, y’know?” Stan grinned at Ford. “Come over here and give me a hand, huh?”

Ford’s fists clenched. “You attempted work on my portal and used duct tape?!”

Stan finished pulling off a strip from the base of the lever and looked over at his brother, grin fading. “Come on, Ford, did you really expect that I would have been able to afford ta get this thing looking like new when I’ve only got a third of the instructions?”

“You didn’t hide the Journal?!”

“Course not! I wanted to get you back! Why would I hide the damn thing that would help me get you back, huh?” Stan waved his arms about, the length of duct tape flapping in the air and following his hand’s movement.

“Because I told you that this was dangerous!” Ford motioned to the portal wildly. “You saw what happened! This machine could have very well ended the world!”

“Then why’d you build it in the first place?!”

“Because I didn’t know any better!”

The basement echoed with Ford’s yell; Stan stared at him with wide eyes.

Ford took a moment to collect himself, breathing in deeply for a moment before relaxing. “If you want to help me, then fine.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a short baton before flicking his wrist; the baton expanded into a large staff before what looked like the large head of a sledge hammer expanded out from one end.

“Whoa.” Stan stared with wide eyes.

Ford hefted the hammer over his shoulder and stalked over to the main part of the portal, muttering math calculations and scientific compounds under his breath as old memories resurfaced. Stan turned and watched him as Ford gripped the hammer’s handle tightly in both hands.

He stopped in front of the thin tip of the portal that was buried into the ground, lifted the hammer off his shoulder, and swung.

The metal crumpled under the head of the hammer, and the entire portal groaned as Ford jumped back, bringing the hammer with him. The entire triangle listed to one side, then collapsed slowly, colliding with the rocky floor and causing the entire room to shake.

“Hot Belgian Waffles!” Stan yelped, trying to find his footing as the shaking subsided. “You got beefy, Poindexter!”

Ford grunted, letting the hammer head hit the ground and leaned against the handle for a moment, looking the toppled portal over. Then he picked up the hammer again and started towards the toppled triangle.

There came the sound of running feet as Ford slammed the hammer against the triangle again.

“Grunkle Stan, what -- whoa!”

Ford let the hammer down and looked back sharply at Dipper’s cry. Upon seeing the boy standing a short distant away from the entrance into the basement lab -- along with Mabel, Soos, and Wendy -- he glared at the group of four and pointed back towards the entrance. “Back upstairs, now! This is no place for children!”

Dipper backed up a couple steps at Ford’s barking tone.

“Go back up, Dipper,” Stan replied. “We’ll be up later. Stay in the house, don’t let anybody in, and don’t go runnin’ out in the woods for no reason. You got me?”

Dipper hesitated, then nodded a little.

“It’s cold down here,” Mabel commented. “I’ll make hot chocolate for you when you’re done!” She turned and disappeared from sight.

“So that portal thing was real,” Wendy commented. “Sweet. Why are you taking it apart?”

“Because it is dangerous and highly unstable.” Ford hefted the hammer again, then swung it at the portal again, denting the metal. “Now, I would appreciate it if you left.”

“All right, all right. Mr. Pines, mind if I crash here for a while?”

“Do what you want, Wendy,” Stan called back.

“Thanks. Come on, Soos.”

“S-sure.” As the larger man left, Ford could have sworn that he heard him mutter, “This is nothing like what I had written in my fanfictions….”

Ford looked over at Stan with a pointed look and raised an eyebrow. Stan shrugged.

“They’re curious kids who don’t know any better, what do you expect?”

Ford sighed irritably. “I expect them to have sense. Now are you going to help me or not?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna help, Poindexter. Don’t give me that look.”

Time Break

Stan and Ford tore the portal to pieces in a matter of hours, but there was still tension in the air even as Ford gave the remains of the portal one last slam with his hammer.

“So, uh….” Stan looked over at Ford as he leaned against his hammer again for a breather. “What now?”

“Now?” Ford replied crisply. “Now I recover my second journal and reclaim my house. What month is it?”

“June. The kids are staying here for the summer.” Stan’s shoulders sagged. “So...yer gonna kick me out, huh?”

Ford was about to respond, but then the World Jumper’s voice echoed in his head again.

“And get to know your great-niece and nephew while you’re here? It wouldn’t do if they simply knew you as the strange man who lives in their basement and plans to kick out their other great-uncle at the end of the summer.”

Ford paused, looking away from his brother for a moment. During the time that it had taken them to tear the portal apart, he had seen the work that Stan had done in order to keep the portal together. It had looked shoddy, to be sure, but it had done its job of holding everything together.

If he was completely honest with himself, he would have admitted that there were times when he had done something similar on his travels with whatever materials he could find.

Still, he was angry that Stan would attempt to do this, but...if he was open to revealing his feelings….

“First, I need to find my second journal,” Ford replied. “Then I’ll consider any possible future actions.”

Stan relaxed and let out a sigh of relief, even though he didn’t seem to register the fact that it was relief. “Okay. Good. The kids are gonna want to get ta know ya now, anyway. Wouldn’t want ta keep ‘em in the dark, right?”

“I...suppose not.” A smile flickered across Ford’s face. He had a niece and nephew. He hadn’t expected to return home and discover that he had more family than when he had left.

“We’ll have to see about cleaning up this garbage later.” Stan kicked one of the dented metal plates that used to cover the inner workings of the portal. “Man, thirty years of work, down the drain. Doesn’t exactly seem right that it never got used ta bring ya back.”

Ford’s smile disappeared abruptly as he frowned at the comment. “If it had been used, it would have created a rift in space and time and who knows what kinds of monsters would have followed me through. Gravity Falls would have been placed in the hands of a Weirdmageddon.”

Stan snorted, but he looked serious. “I would have still gotten you back. And you and that nerd brain of yours would have still thought of a way to fix it.”

Ford tapped the bottom of his hammer’s handle, and the staff shortened as the hammer head folded in on itself. Snatching the short baton out of the air before it could fall to the floor, he hid it away in his coat again. “Maybe. But even I have my limits, Stanley.”

“Really? Considerin’ how we were as kids, I’d have thought you didn’t think you had any. Especially with how ragged you looked when--” Stan cut himself off, appearing suddenly uncertain. “How did ya end up like that, anyway? Was there someone already houndin’ ya fer your research or somethin’?”

“...something like that.” Ford took one look around the large room, nodding in satisfaction at the large pile of metal and other materials that were scattered around the room and bludgeoned to the point that it was hard to tell what they could have been used for in the first place. Then he turned and started back upstairs, leaving the rest of the machinery intact.

For now, anyway.

“Yer not gonna tell me everythin’ about what happened back then, are ya?” Stan came up behind his brother as they started up to the main floor.

“Some things are best left buried where they were,” Ford replied grimly, not looking back.

There came a grunt from behind him. “Got it.”

The tone in Stan’s voice almost made Ford stop on the stairs...almost like there was something about Stan that hinted at how he might know more than he let on.

Ford shook his head and kept going up, back into that abomination of a room that Stan had turned part of his home into.

He was going to figure out something to do with that abomination after he’d gotten his own affairs in order. There had to be something that he could do about Stanley….

[reytonbleyer]

The Things We Do For Love - Chapter Eight

The worst part of loving someone is realizing you need to let them go. Unless you didn’t have to… Unless you never knew.

ff.net // wattpad

CHAPTER EIGHT: Words of Wisdom

It was beautiful. The way the sunrays slipped through the cracks on the roof setting an angelic glow over all the most ordinary things piling around the barn. Lucas sat in silence on a heap of hay that could have easily been mistaken for gold as it shimmered under the sunlight, observing the world awaken around him. He could hear the horses' steady breaths and the roosters in the distance announcing a new dawn. He was engulfed in the epitome of peace and yet his heart was filled with anything but. Two years today, he thought to himself, two years away from her.

He had hoped it would get easier over time, he'd hoped he might move on. Lucas had been trying to live life as best as he could and, even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself... he was still trying to live a life that would make her proud. He may have not been good enough for Riley then, but it didn't mean Lucas would give up trying, it didn't mean he didn't want to be worthy of her still, even if she'd never know, he owned it to himself and to her to become the best man he could possibly be.

Lucas rubbed his eyes, burning from the little sleep he got that night. He stretched and forced himself up to his feet, walking over to the horse. Not even twelve hours ago, Pappy Joe had called saying Sophia had gotten worse. Lucas didn't need him to finish, a moment later he was speeding from College Station back to Austin, in the pickup truck his grandfather had surprised him with as a welcome gift, when he moved back to Texas.

He was thankful his classes hadn't started yet, though deep down Lucas knew he would have gone regardless. He had to be there. It was already dark when he arrived at the ranch, going straight to the barn where a worried Joe waited for him. Of course Sophia meant a lot to Lucas, that horse had played an important part on one of the biggest decisions of his life. However, if he were completely honest, he had mostly come for his grandpa, not for her.

Joe wasn't the most sentimental of all people, but when it came to his loved ones, human or not, his devotion knew no limits, reason why Lucas had to assure him about a million times that he would watch Sophia all through the night, in order to convince his grandfather to go back inside and get some sleep. The old man hadn't been feeling so well lately, he wasn't the same strong Joe that welcomed Lucas back to his hometown two years ago. He had lost a lot of weight, which he insisted was something to pride himself for, but Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, despite Pappy Joe's easiness about it all. And it wasn't just that, Joe got tired a lot easier and faster nowadays and his once insatiable appetite was gone. Still the man was stubborn as a mule; he insisted he was fine, ignoring his grandson's persistence that he saw a doctor.

The blonde did his best to shake his worries away as he entered Sofia's stable. She wasn't getting any better, though it was already a small miracle she was still standing. She'd been doing poorly long before Lucas moved to the lone star state and things had only gotten worse since. She was old and tired, but a true fighter. Nevertheless, he doubted she would make it through another night. Lucas hugged her neck and patted her back, just like he'd done over a decade ago when he helped deliver her baby on this same barn, suddenly feeling like that terrified little boy again, except this time it wasn't the birth or a life that scared him, but the death of one.

"How's our girl doing?" Joe limped into the barn, smiling at his grandson, though it didn't quite reach his worry filled eyes.

"Not so good." Lucas looked from Joe to Sophia and back, his heart breaking for both of them "Pappy Joe, I'm going to be honest with you, I don't think she will make it through tonight." Joe nodded, averting his eyes to the ground as he chewed on his bottom lip "I'm really sorry."

"I know you are, boy. I am too." He took a deep breath, his expression softening ever so slightly "Do you have to be back on Campus yet? I was planning on making us some breakfast. What do you say? Care to spend some time with your old man?"

"I'd love to." He smiled sadly, watching as his grandfather turned around, walking with difficulty back to the house.

Lucas wasn't lying. Over the last two years he'd grown much closer to Pappy Joe. They had always had a good relationship, but their bond had strengthened considerably since Lucas's move. The first six months were hell, he'd admit to that. Back then, Lucas resented all things Texas. During those dark months, he had barely seen his grandfather at all, always coming up with excuses not to visit, he either had to study or he had a test or a project, whatever it was, there was always some matter he couldn't possibly postpone keeping him busy, which was funny considering he damn near failed his first semester.

He couldn't find it in him to focus. He hated college, his classes, his dorm room and even his roommate, with whom he wouldn't exchange anymore words than strictly necessary. He'd also drink. A lot. Lucas was spiraling, a small part of him knew so, but for the most part he didn't care. Until one night, when he picked a fight with a guy in a bar, over something so stupid he couldn't even remember now. Lucas went back to his dorm late that night, bleeding, bruised and more than a little drunk, trying to reach the bathroom as silently as he could, but failing not to wake up his roomie, Nate, who much to Lucas's surprise didn't hesitate to help, even though he had no reason to show him any kind of mercy.

He had treated the guy like crap for months and still the redhead didn't give it a second thought before leaving their room only to return a few minutes later with an ice bag and a first aid kit. Lucas laid in bed that night unable to fall asleep. He had done his best to keep his mind off of her since arriving in Texas, but for the first time since leaving New York Lucas allowed himself to openly think about Riley Matthews. It might have been Nate's kindness, the fact he cared for Lucas when no one else did, when he didn't even deserve it... it reminded him of Riley. Hell, he hadn't gotten into a fight ever since she'd walked into his life, he'd thanked her over and over again for helping him accept and control that side of himself, for believing in him, for being his calming influence. Now look at me, he thought bitterly. Lucas suddenly felt disgusted.

He woke up the next morning determined to turn his life around. He would make her proud. He apologized to Nate for his behavior over the previous months and thanked him yet again for being there for him when no one else was. Lucas dived into work, tearing through his books and whenever his will wavered he'd just look himself in the mirror, staring at the scar above his right eyebrow, a permanent reminder of that fight and the man he refused to become. It wasn't easy, but he managed to pass his practically unsalvageable semester.

Even though his college life finally started to ride on the right tracks, Lucas knew he still had a lot of making up to do family wise. Lucky for him, his grandfather and parents were ready and waiting with open arms for their prodigal son to return. It took a while for things to be like they were before, Lucas had been lost and angry for a long time, said and did things he regretted, things that hurt his loved ones, but eventually they found their way past those wounds.

With time, he became good friends with Nate too and, because of his constant support, Lucas decided to try out for the football team on the beginning of his second year. Now, a year later, he was the best student on his class and the star quarterback. He should be happy, he kept telling himself that. To anyone on the outside looking in, Lucas Friar had it all. But he didn't. He had managed to put himself back together pretty well, and for that he was grateful, but there was a part of him missing, a huge part, one he could never replace.

"Luke! Are you coming or what?" He heard Pappy Joe yelling from the porch, snapping him back to reality.

"Coming!" He yelled back, leaving Sophia's stable and jogging back to the house.

He was welcomed to the kitchen with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon. Lucas sat on one of the stools behind the counter, observing as his grandfather worked through the cabinets, the ever present limp in his right leg making it harder for him to move around.

"Need some help? I make some mean pancakes." He chuckled, trying to sound more relaxed than he felt.

"Oh I know you do, I taught you how for Christ's sake! It's your grandma's recipe though, so I won't take all the credit." Pappy Joe focused back on the stove "And I don't feel like pancakes. Today is more of a scrambled eggs day."

"If you say so... hey, grandpa" Lucas bit the inside of his cheek as he thought through his next words carefully "How's your leg doing?"

"Great! Just like the rest of me." He laughed "Why do you ask?"

"Hum, nothing, it's just, it looks like your limping is getting worse."

"Yeah, well, you know, just regular old man's issues. You'll understand someday." Joe waved his hand around dismissively, quickly changing the subject "So I hear you're going back to the city for the holidays this year." When his grandson shot him a curious look, Joe chuckled "Jen told me."

"Of course she did." Lucas laughed along. His mother just couldn't keep anything to herself "But yeah, I am. We talked a couple days ago and decided it was about time I go back, hum, home." Even as he said it, Lucas knew the word sounded weird coming from his mouth. New York didn't feel like home, though for some reason Texas still didn't either.

"You mean they decided?" Lucas's words failed him, his mouth agape as he stared at Joe "Oh come on, Luke. You've been avoiding New York like the plague since you moved here and you haven't stepped foot in the city again. Don't get me wrong, I love having you and your family over for the holidays, but we both know your mother is a sucker for Christmas in New York and your dad finds that stupid New Year ball drop incredibly amusing for some reason. And I know you. You're doing this for them."

"Well... yeah." He muttered, playing nervously with his fingers.

"Look, I know you didn't leave New York under the best circumstances, but whatever happened then is now two years behind you. You're better now, stronger, more mature. I don't know what you're afraid of, but it really doesn't matter. You know what we say about fears. You either ride them..."

"Or they ride you." He nodded, forcing a weak smile "Thanks, Pappy Joe."

"I'm always here for you, boy." He fixed Lucas his breakfast, placing the plate on the counter before him with a smile "I always have been."

"I know."

The rest of their morning was filled with much easier conversations than that one. Lucas helped Joe with the ranch's chores, mostly feeding the animals and cleaning after them. Soon it was noon and the Friars returned to the kitchen to cook lunch together. They watched some TV and finally gave in to their tradition, finding their way to the porch's rocking chairs.

The afternoon flew by while Lucas filled Joe in on how he was doing on the team. He loved playing football and it kept him busy during those few free hours he had between classes. His social life suffered from it for sure, but that was one of the perks if you asked Lucas. His packed schedule served as the perfect excuse to dodge his way out of most social events, so he only ever went to the parties he absolutely had to, he was the quarterback after all, he was required to make some appearances with the team.

Nate would constantly give him hell for it; he was always saying Lucas was very likely the quarterback to get laid the least in all history. He knew his friend had a point, even through his troubled start on college, when he was all kinds of messed up, Nate hadn't yet seen Lucas with a girl and that hadn't changed to this day, though he never asked why and Lucas didn't intend on giving him an opening to do so. Riley... she was off limits. It hurt a little less if he didn't talk about her.

But it wasn't like he had completely closed himself up. He talked to most people on his football team and he was pleasant to his classmates and teachers, he'd just rather maintain a safe distance. He'd made the mistake of getting too attached once, he wasn't looking forward to doing it again. He had his family and Nate and Lucas found that to be more than enough. He still talked to his friends in New York on occasion, mostly Zay, but it wasn't the same anymore. Time and distance had taken their toll on all of them. As for Riley, he hadn't seen or talked to her since the break up. He'd never ask about her either, afraid of what type of news he might get. Lucas knew she'd likely moved on and he wanted nothing more than for her to be happy... He'd just rather be spared the details.

Pappy Joe asked him about his classes as well, he always did, and as usual Lucas told him how in love he was with veterinary medicine. It was the right career for him, but that they'd both known for years. He described his whole schedule to his grandfather, who listened intently to every detail. Lucas then explained about the volunteer tutoring he had been doing and the extra credit he would start getting this semester, for the work he would begin at A&M's Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. He wasn't required to work there just yet, but his favorite teacher Mrs. Collin, given Lucas's great promise, had suggested he took an early start, so he could get more experience.

It wasn't until he was done rambling about his routine that Lucas realized he had been the only one talking for over an hour, while his grandfather simply stared at the horizon, seemingly lost in thought.

"Pappy Joe, is everything ok?"

"I don't know, Lucas, you tell me." He frowned, looking back at his grandson.

"Hum, I'm not sure I know what you mean." He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, a little intimidated under his grandfather's stare.

"You've just spent the past two hours telling me about all the exciting things you're doing on college and, while I'm happy for you, I'm also worried. You're always either on class or studying or practicing or playing or volunteering and, God, now you're about to start working at the hospital too."

"I still don't see the problem." Lucas muttered, not meeting Joe's eyes.

"It's too much, Luke. When are you living? When do you have time for yourself, for your needs, not as a student, not as the quarterback, but as Lucas Friar? Look, all I'm saying is... be careful, I know you're doing your best and you should, this is your moment to shine, just don't burn yourself out too quickly."

Lucas nodded "I'll try." He hated to lie to him.

His grandfather didn't get it. That was exactly the point. Yes, Lucas had a lot on his plate right now, but it was a win win situation. By packing up his schedule, he was not only making the most of his college experience, but he also kept himself busy enough not to think about Riley. Whenever he had too much time to spare, his mind helplessly wandered back to the pretty brunette who stole his heart in seventh grade. And no matter how fond of their memories Lucas was, the knowledge those moments were forever behind him was a knife to the heart. So he worked. Lucas worked through his every waking moment so he wouldn't get too caught up in his thoughts of Riley all the while, inwardly, doing his very best to make her proud. He decided not to argue with his grandpa about it though, he sure wasn't going to try and explain his reasons, Joe wouldn't understand even if he did. Instead, the two Friars just fell in a comfortable silence, watching the sun hide behind a distant hill.

"This was your grandmother's favorite time of the day." Joe declared softly, a unique kindness to his voice Lucas only ever heard when he talked about his late wife "We'd sit here just like this for hours. We never ran out of things to talk about. Oh Katherine, she... she never ceased to amaze me. She used to say people were like sunsets, a balance of light and dark, always different, but beautiful in their own way."

"You miss her." It wasn't a question. Pappy Joe simply rolled his head forward, a half smile gracing his features.

"Every day."

"Does it still hurt?" Lucas asked carefully. His grandfather rarely talked about Nana Katy and Lucas genuinely wanted to know, even if mostly for his own selfish reasons.

"It did. For a long time. You'd think the hardest part about losing someone you love is the separation, that very moment when you're pulled apart from the person you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with. But it isn't. The worst part is living through the aftermath. The next morning and every other one after that, when you have to get up and go about life as if a huge part of it hadn't been taken away."

"How do you make it stop?" His voice was almost inaudible, asking the question Lucas wanted more than anything to have answered.

"You don't. You wait. You do your best to keep living, even when it feels like you're just surviving. And someday, you wake up and it hurts less. Someday you wake up and the pain has turned into something else, a resigned longing, wrapped in the comfort that comes with knowing you made the most of the time you had together."

He was taken aback by his grandfather's words. Throughout his life, Pappy Joe had taught him many lessons, shared various pieces of advice, so Lucas was no stranger to his wisdom. Still, this was unlike any other conversation he had ever had with Joe. And he just so happened to have chosen today, of all days, to... That's when it hit him. Coincidence? Maybe. But Lucas didn't believe in those, something he'd learned from his grandfather himself.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I know what day it is." He admitted without a trace of hesitation, his voice calm and steady as he continued, ignoring Lucas's surprise "You might be fooling everyone else, Luke, maybe even yourself. But you ain't fooling me. And I know you don't like talking about this, so I'm only going to say it once. If you believe there's even the slightest chance you can save your relationship with Riley, do it. Do everything you can. Because that comfort I was talking about, you'll never find it if you give up. And you deserve better than to live haunted by your past and all its what ifs."

Lucas's eyes were locked on his grandfather's, but it felt like he was looking right through him, his gaze empty as his mind wandered somewhere else, on someone else, and Pappy Joe had a pretty good guess as to whom. Hopefully Lucas had understood the message. Joe had watched him hit rock bottom, rise against all odds and fight every day since to be his very best self. But beneath all that, the boy was still just as broken as he'd been when Joe picked him up at that airport. He couldn't just stand by and witness his grandson's suffering. None the less, he knew Lucas needed time, so he changed the subject.

"It's getting late, we better check on Sophia."

"Yeah. Of course."

They walked to the barn together, Lucas's mind racing with a million thoughts per second, thoughts he hadn't allowed anywhere but in his dreams for years. Had he not left all his hope at that airport back in New York? Was it possible that after all this time there was still a chance for him? For them? Was he willing to risk putting himself through all that pain again? And could he even survive it this time if it came to it?

All those questions disappeared a second later. The voices in his head went silent as he opened the door to the barn, his eyes scanning over Sophia's stable. He couldn't see her and, unfortunately, Lucas knew exactly what it meant. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, forcing his legs to take him closer to the stable, where Sophia laid lifeless on the ground. His grandfather said nothing as he walked past Lucas, crouching next to the horse, losing his balance in the process. Lucas hurried to his side, helping Joe steady himself and finally kneeling next to him, watching the old man caress Sophia's belly.

"Of course this would happen today." He muttered underneath his breath, frustrated.

"It's life, Luke. It's just life." Pappy Joe sighed "She was suffering. I hate to see her go too, but she deserves the rest." He finally looks up, his eyes finding Lucas's and a small smile curling the corners of his lips "Thank you. For helping me take care of her these last couple years and for being here today, just... thank you."

"No,Pappy Joe." He smiled back at his grandfather, Joe's words of wisdom once againreplaying through his head, a warmth he hadn't felt for a long time taking holdof his Lucas's heart "Thank you."