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nautiscarader · 4 years

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Wendip Week day 5 - Time Travel

(Ao3)

Also this was supposed to be short and yet it is 2.5k and still has no plot

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- I'm really glad you agreed to help us. - Wendy gave her best friend a kiss to the cheek and waved her children goodbye - We're gonna be by ten. Tyrone, Emma, be good to auntie Tambry. - We'll be back before you know it. - Dipper said, as much to his children, as to the babysitter.

The door to their cozy, two-storey wooden house closed, and the sound of engine soon reached them from the outside, as Dipper and Wendy left for a well-deserved evening alone to celebrate their anniversary. Tambry grabbed a can of Pitt Cola from the kitchen and jumped onto the sofa.

- So, what do you guys want to do? Play some board games, or do you want me to tell you stories? Heh, I have some pretty embarrassing stories about your folks and-

It took Tambry a paralysingly long moment to notice that she has been talking to no one the whole time. She jumped to her feet and frantically looked around, trying to spot all the possible places for a seven- and ten-years old, quickly coming to realisation that there were way too many of them.

But there was only one where a noise was coming from.

The basement.

At once, Tambry dropped her can and rushed downstairs. Other parents might have worried that their children would accidentally break bottles of wine, or cut themselves on some of daddy's tools, but in Dipper and Wendy's case, the consequences of wandering into their basement unprotected were far, far more severe. Apart from the sharp tools and bottles of intoxicants, their basement was a home to their treasure vault.

In the past twenty or so years, the couple (with occasional help from Tambry and others) have travelled around States and the world, to all the places Ford has marked as "of interest". And over the two decades, they have collected many treasures, as well as many objects of interest they kept in their ultra-secure vault, locked not only with technology, but also spells and enchantments.

And when Tambry saw it it wide open, it did not surprise her in the slightest. After all, those were Wendy and Dipper's kids. Tambry's mind went berserk, trying to imagine what the kids could have touched, and as she got into the vault, she saw the Time Tape, a relict from Wendy and Dipper's short-lived part-time job as time agents.

The kids turned their heads around, and just as they began disappearing, Tambry launched herself forward, and as her finger brushed the wobbly, ephemeral surface of time rift, she was pulled forward, but instead of slamming her head against the opposite wall, she began falling, deeper than she ever had, flying though time vortex itself, filled with clocks and occasional telephone boxes, some of which contained two stoned guitarists.

Just as she thought she would feel sick, she felt pain in her arm when she collided with ground.

Tambry turned around, her mind still on Wendy and Dipper's kids. She recognised the place already: she was on the same hill where Woodstick concert was taking place, evidently still with the crowd of attendees. The whole place was filled with people, but as she looked around, Tambry immediately saw two familiar figures: one red-haired boy and one brown-haired girl, just on the verge of the forest, and she leapt towards them, shouting with her last breath.

- Tyrone! Emma! - she grabbed their shoulders Why did you-

But as she looked at the two children, her heart sank as she began noticing subtle differences. Emma didn't have green eyes. Tyrone's hair wasn't as long. And he wasn't as tall as he used to be a moment ago. Emma didn't have a beauty mark on her cheek.

The strange kids stared at her in confusion, but as she was about to ask what happened, she heard a murmur from the crowd behind her. And when she turned around, she nearly fainted. She suddenly realised that the crowd she passed by weren't random people.

As the dozens, if not hundreds of children turned their heads at the same time, in a near-synchronised motion, Tambry began noticing the same features over and over again: red hair, freckles, chestnut hair, birthmarks, brown and green eyes...

- Hi, Aunt Tambry! - spoke the children in blood-freezing, eerie, collective cheer. - What the fu-

And then, she was falling again, through the asphalt, the ground, and the vortex again, but this time, with all the red- and chestnut-haired children. She was still frantically looking for Tyrone and Emma, but she quickly realised it was a futile attempt, and by the time she thought that, she felt pain in her back again, as she landed, this time, in a spacious, gold-and-marble hall.

She expected she would hear hundreds of cries of the children, as they would landed and sprain her ankles or broke their arms, but so far, she was the only one who mis-landed, while every sing;e child or teenager around got onto their feet as if they just exited a school bus.

- Emma? Tyrone?

Tambry asked, being helped by two children, and to her relief, she finally found them, rushing towards her with tears in their eyes.

- Auntie Tambry, we-we are sorry... - Emma cried, closing her arms around her waist. - Yeah, we messed up... - the older boy spoke, without meeting her eyes and joined his sister. - That's... that's okay, kids, everything is fine...

Tambry knelt and brought them into a tight, warm hug, glad things finally started making sense.

And as she opened her eyes, she saw a giant, floating head.

- EMMA AND TYRONE PINES!

The Time Baby boomed, filling the air in the courtroom with its mighty voice.

- YOU HAVE BEEN PULLED FROM YOUR ORIGINAL TIME STREAM TO ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAIN THE TIME ITSELF. - it continued, reading from a piece of paper - TOGETHER WITH YOU, WE BROUGHT ALICE PINES, DAN PINES, PETER PINES, STAN II PINES, STANFORD II PINES, STANISLAU PINES, TERRANCE PINES, DEBORAH PINES, ANNE PINES, DANNY PINES, TYRONE PINES, TYRONE PINES, PHOEBE PINES ...

For the next five minutes, the giant, floating baby continued listing - from the sound of it - names of every single son and daughter of Wendy and Dipper present in the hall. And then it spoke Tambry's name as well, as if she was a punchline to a very long joke.

- DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? - Uh, yeah, about that, I don't. - Tambry spoke, crossing her arms. - Who-who are you guys? I know Wendy and Dipper have been busy once they retired from adventuring, but not THAT much...

Immature snickering erupted around her.

- Auntie Tambry, it's real simple. - Emma tugged her shirt to bring her attention. - All of us here are kids of our parents from alternate universes. Our time-siblings if you will. - Yeah! - another girl, around age of fifteen agreed - Like, in our timeline, our mom and dad are bad-ass freedom fighters... - ...our parents were the same age when they met! - ...my dad moved to Oregon permanently! - ...my mom moved to California! - ...our parents first broke up but then got together again! - ...our parents attended the same sports school! - ...our parents run a coffee-shop!

Everyone in the hall, including the primordial, pan-dimensional Time Baby, collectively groaned.

- Okay, is there *someone*, who can explain to me how to untangle this mess? - Tambry cried in anger - Because I didn't sign up for this... - "Untangle" is, in fact, the correct word.

The crowd of one purple- and many chestnut- and red-heads turned towards the new voice, and just when Tambry thought that something would start making sense, she hiccuped when she understood who just greeted her.

- Waddles! - the crowd of Wendy and Dipper's offspring cheered in unison, and ran towards the chubby pink pig that flew into the courtroom in his leaving chair, Tambry more perplexed than a moment ago. - Indeed, I am Waddles, though not the one you know. I am a distant descendant of the one, brave pig you call Waddles, and who is known in our civilisation as the "Oink-Father". - I need a drink... - Tambry hid her face in hands. - But Tambry here is right - Waddles continued, as he circled the room, until he flew towards the screen - It would seem that one set of children travelled back in time, modified the past, altering their future. Then, another set of kids travelled from the now-changed future, their present, to the same past, hoping to fix it, but modifying it again. Repeat that around, er, seventy-two times, and you get the results!

Waddles spread his stubby trotters, pointing to the crowd of time-travelling children, and continued.

- Your many time travels have twisted the time continuum into a knot-like structure. What's worse, the many parallel universes you've created have ended some of them, and began new ones.

As he spoke, the singular line on the enormous screen began twisting and turning, until it resembled a ball of yarn that has been a target of a whole litter of hyperactive kittens.

- However, hope is not lost. You will find that in order to solve this multi-dimensional conundrum, we must simply use a trivially easy algebraic property of inverting the product.

At least a dozen of children around Tambry let out a collective gasp of understanding and began nodding.

- Er, come again? - Tambry spoke to the talking pig, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. - Simply speaking, you first put on your underwear, and then your pants. But if you want reverse the process, you must first take off your pants, and then the underwear.

The future Waddles looked down at his body.

- I assure you, this analogy is true, even though I have very little experience in that matter. - So... you mean that we need to find which groups of kids brought which one with them, put them in order, and then, like, escort them back, one by one, from the end? - Precisely!

Tambry cursed her best friend under her breath.

- I will never babysit any of you. - she grumbled - I might even never speak to Wendy again either. - she threw a paralysing glare at the crowd of children around her. - Heh, funny story - one of the teenage boys spoke - In our universe, you and our parents... er, kinda-sorta... Ah, never mind, you'll find out. Maybe. - Okay, someone give me some ultra-strong coffee from the future, or something, and let's do this.

And so, it began. Tambry lined up each group of kids together, and after much reorganising they began jumping through time. From universes that looked completely similar to hers, through those still aflame in Weirdmageddon, to those that were literally the mirror ones of hers, complete with traffic signs flipped horizontally, Tambry began the longest school trip of her life, escorting the cavalcade of children, trying her might to keep them holding their hands in line, which was much easier said than done when you are attacked by pterodactyls, or have to swim through the river of chocolate.

After hours, maybe days - she couldn't tell, and she was afraid to ask the children, who she suspected had an answer - she was left with just two kids. The ones she swore to protect, and whom she has failed miserably.

- Okay, guys. Can you tell me WHY IN HECK did you decide to do this?!

Emma and Tyrone looked at each other with shame, and showed her a photo on Tyrone's smarter-phone. A photo only they could have taken. Wendy Corduroy, age 15, kneeling in front of 13-year-old Dipper Pines, as she was telling him goodbye after their first summer spent together. Their future father was still perplexed by Wendy's act of taking his hat and swapping it for hers. She was saying something, but only they knew what they talked about, though Dipper's reddened cheeks gave Tambry a good indication what was Wendy's farewell message.

- We... we wanted to give our parents something for their anniversary. - And we thought we could go back to when they first met, you know, and take a picture. - Emma looked at her younger parents - Look how cute they are! Especially dad! - Yeah, he was heads over heels about your mom. - Tambry smiled. - Except we messed up... Turns out it really matters if you spook that goat and she runs left instead of right! - Hey, it's okay. - Tambry ruffled the boy's hair. - You put all the things back in place?

The two nodded eagerly.

- Okay, we can go back.

Tambry took the time tape, and was about to pull it one last time, but she decided to give it to the children.

- You do it. You know better than me how to use it.

For the last time Tambry felt the now-familiar feeling of her insides somersaulting, and, for the first time, she has managed to land on her feet. Seventy time travels taught her when to flip instead of flopping, something the children seemed to have grasped instantly.

She opened eyes. They were back in the vault, in one piece, and just as she was about to say something, she heard the familiar sound of engine.

- Quick! get into positions!

She prompted the kids to run upstairs, while she closed the vault's door and followed them soon. By the time Wendy and Dipper opened the door, Emma and Tyrone have managed to bring the plates of snacks, open, empty, and scatter a dozen of cans of soda, and set up entire board and pieces of "Crippling Economy" on the table, to make sure their parents wouldn't suspect anything.

- Hey, kids! - Wendy spoke, knowing she shouldn't worry too much as their house was still standing. - Did you miss us?

The two adults couldn't even take off their coats, before their children jumped to greet them with the most affectionate of hugs.

- Alright, alright! - Dipper smiled - We got you presents, don't worry... - No, mom, dad, we got you one!

The two nodded and presented to them the freshly printed photo, and watched as their parents' faces brightens in awe.

- Dipper... - Look, we were so young... - You were so small! - But you were as beautiful as today.

The kids let out a simultaneous "yuck" as their parents kissed, knowing to prolong the moment for maximum embarrassment.

- Wow, kids, thank you. - Dipper hugged them again - But where did you get it? - Auntie Tambry was going trough her phone and she found it. - So... we decided to frame it! - That's very thoughtful, you guys. And, hey, where's Tambry?

Just as Wendy asked, a loud snore reached their ears, and the four fund Tambry sleeping on the couch in the living room, the same one she expected to slack off on the entire night.

- You must have seriously tires her out. - Dipper spoke with hushed voice. - Eh, you know how it is - Emma shrugged.

The Pines family tip-toed from the living room in order not to wake Tambry up. Just as Wendy was about to hang the new picture on the wall, she started thinking "Was Tambry even with us when Dipper left..?". But she was too tired to remember this, and she let out a prolonged yawn, ready to tuck their kids in their beds and join her husband in their bedroom soon.

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Also, this fic contains names that coincide, completely coincidentally, with Wendip kid OCs by @fereality-indy, @nina-a-pines, and Supergroveraway.

#wendip #wendipweek #wendip week 2020 #nautiscaraderfics #time travel

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splendidlyimperfect · 5 years

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Written for @fyeahstingsu Stingsu Event 2019; prompt: parents

Also written for Nonbinary Month 2019 (Sting + Trans, Natsu + Trans)

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Natsu and Sting are ready for kids, but what Natsu wants might not be the easiest path.

Chapter Summary: Natsu and Sting are ready for kids, but what Natsu wants might not be the easiest path. Chapters (3/5): 1 | 2 | 3 Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Sting Eucliffe Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Sting Eucliffe, Lucy Heartfilia Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flowers, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, they're adorable and i love them, Natsu is awkward as hell, and Sting loves him for it, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, Marriage Proposal, Weddings, Wedding Fluff, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Pregnancy, Trans Male Pregnancy, parenting, Trans Sting, Trans Natsu, everyone's gay because reasons

*Author’s Note: I didn't tag this as mpreg because it's not a magical pregnancy. Trans men having children is definitely something that happens in real life, and it's becoming more common as people are more accepting of gender and alternative ways to make a family. I tried to portray this as respectfully as possible - I have two children, and wanted to share that joy and sweetness of being pregnant and becoming a parent. <3

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“You’re sure you want to do this?”

Natsu’s head rests in Sting’s lap as they sit on the couch, and Sting combs his fingers through Natsu’s wild hair as he asks the question. Natsu’s got both hands resting on his stomach, and he’s staring down at them intently. He takes a deep breath, then tips his head back and looks up at Sting.

“Yeah,” he says quietly. “I’ve always wanted kids. And you have too – we talked about it on our first date, remember?”

Sting nods as memories of that night flood through him. They’d gone to a festival of lights and met under a string of lanterns shaped like fireflies. The night had ended with them kissing on the beach while stars spread across the sky above them. Sting had known that night that Natsu was the one he wanted to be with forever.

“I know,” Sting says eventually. “I just always thought we’d adopt, y’know?”

Natsu grabs Sting’s hand and kisses his palm, giving him the soft smile that makes Sting’s stomach fill with bubbles. “I know it’s…” Natsu sighs. “I know it won’t be easy. Lots of people won’t get it.”

“Like my dad,” Sting grumbles.

“Your dad’s gonna be an asshole no matter what,” Natsu replies, kissing Sting’s fingertips. “And I don’t care what other people think.”

“I know you say that, darling,” Sting says gently, “but this isn’t gonna be something you can hide. And nine months is a long time.” He squeezes Natsu’s hand. “I just wanna make sure that you’re sure.”

Continue reading on AO3

“I am,” Natsu says, and his voice carries no trace of hesitation. “I want this. Want them – him or her or whatever – to be part of me.” He scrunches up his nose. “It’s hard to explain. We’ve always been different about our bodies.”

Sting hums, returning his fingers to Natsu’s hair. To Sting, the idea of his body changing in that way – swelling with life, getting round and soft and unfamiliar – it makes him feel itchy. Wrong. Like he’d felt before he’d started transitioning; skin not fitting quite right. But Natsu’s always been more comfortable being this way, and Sting loves him for it.

“Okay,” he says, leaning down and kissing Natsu’s forehead. A warm, contented feeling spreads through him as he reaches down and rests his hand on Natsu’s stomach. “Let’s be dads.”

Natsu’s right – lots of people don’t get it. Even their friends are hesitant at first; uncertain how to talk about it with them. Strangers make rude comments at the grocery store when Natsu starts showing, and Sting nearly punches a guy in the lineup at Starbucks who calls Natsu a freak.

But the first time that they hear the baby’s heartbeat, all the teasing and frustration and awkward explanations dissolve into happy tears. The hormones make Natsu more emotional than usual, and Sting’s always cried at strong feelings, so the two of them are a complete wreck after the doctor’s appointment. Luckily Lucy and Cana come over with cookies and milkshakes and they end up all cuddling on the couch and watching ‘Queer Eye’ until Natsu falls asleep between them.

They’re at Gray and Rogue’s place the first time the baby kicks. Gray’s the closest person to Natsu, so Natsu grabs Gray’s hand and holds it against his stomach as a grin spreads across his face. Gray looks startled for a second, then his eyes widen as he feels the tiny movement beneath his fingers.

“Holy shit,” he whispers, sitting down on the couch next to Natsu. Sienna, who is three and repeats everything she hears, toddles over and says, “shit.”

“Language,” Rogue chides mildly, but he crouches down next to Sienna as Sting hops over the back of the couch and wraps his arm around Natsu.

“Here,” Natsu says, taking Sting’s hand and pressing it to his stomach. It takes a second and Sting’s worried he missed it, and then he feels a tiny flutter underneath his fingertips. He’s so surprised that he makes a noise that’s halfway between a yelp and a sob.

“That’s our baby,” he says softly, and in that moment, it hits him full force that there’s something tiny and precious and alive inside Natsu. His chest tightens and he presses his forehead to Natsu’s, laughing when Natsu wipes away the tears on his cheeks.

“We cry too much,” Natsu says, laughing when the baby kicks Sting’s hand again. “See, they agree with me.” Then he makes a face. “And they also seem to be doing gymnastics right now.”

“Baby?” Sierra asks. She frowns at Natsu’s stomach for a second, then clambers up into Sting’s lap and pats his hand. Sting takes her chubby fingers and puts them where his hand has been, and Sienna squeaks when she feels the movement.

“Yeah,” Sting says, still staring at Natsu’s face in awe. “Yeah, that’s our baby.”

Natsu swears a lot, but the curses he manages when he goes into labor are impressive, even by his standards. When the ER attendant offers him a wheelchair to get to Labor and Delivery, he’s very eloquent about where and how they should go fuck themself.

“God fucking son of a bitch,” Natsu hisses, squeezing Sting’s so hard that Sting’s pretty sure his fingers are going to break. “What were we thinking?”

Sting’s about to tell him that this was his idea but thinks better of it when their midwife Wendy appears in the doorway and shoots him a glare that days don’t you fucking dare.

“You can do this,” Sting says, kissing Natsu’s forehead and brushing his sweaty hair out of his face. Natsu just groans and clenches his teeth, and Sting feels so helpless. If he could take the pain for Natsu, he would, but all he can do is squeeze Natsu’s hand and tell him how brave he is.

Labor feels like it goes on forever. Natsu manages to nap for a bit after the epidural, but Sting stays awake, running his hand over Natsu’s stomach and talking quietly to the baby.

“Try to be nice to your dad, okay?” he murmurs, pressing a kiss along Natsu’s side. “He’s been through a hell of a lot to have you.”

Six hours later, when a tiny, noisy red bundle is placed on Natsu’s chest, Sting gets it. The look of complete awe and adoration on Natsu’s face is like nothing Sting’s ever seen before, and he understands why Natsu wanted this – why he wanted to have this precious, living thing inside of him.

“I love you so much,” Sting murmurs, reaching out and running his finger over the baby’s tiny nose. Their skin is so soft, and their hair is thick and curly like Sting’s. “Did you decide which name you want?”

They’d come up with a list, but Sting had insisted that Natsu pick once the baby was born.

“Jacen,” Natsu says eventually, hands trembling as tiny fingers wrap around his thumb. The name seems acceptable to the baby because Jacen makes a soft, sleepy noise and cuddles into Natsu’s chest.

“They’re perfect,” Sting whispers, wrapping a gentle arm around both of them and kissing Natsu’s cheek. “And so are you. You’ve been so brave and amazing, and I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Natsu whispers, curling up against Sting.

Sting shifts on the bed until he’s holding both Jacen and Natsu, knowing that everything he needs is right here in his arms.

#fairy tail #ftlgbtfics #ftlgbtales #stingsu #nbm2019 #stingsu2019 #nonbinary month #sting eucliffe #natsu dragneel #sting x natsu #fluff #parenting #prompt: parents #trans #trans character #fanfic #my fic

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angrycollectordaze-me-blog · 6 years

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北美作业代写：A hero in an American animated film

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的assignment代写范文- A hero in an American animated film，供大家参考学习，这篇论文讨论了美国动画电影中的英雄形象。英雄，是人类理想的化身，他们具有明显的人类共性文化和特定历史时期的独特文化特征。美国动画电影通过英雄的主题和形象创造出了一种大众英雄的文化价值观。随着后现代文化的崛起，美国社会进入了消费时代，消费主义、经济全球化、现代科技的发展使美国动画电影在价值观上进入了一个转型期。在21世纪的美国动画电影中明显地具有后现代文化的印迹，在英雄形象的塑造上也呈现出个人主义、享乐主义、物质至上等明显的后现代特征。

In the early American animated films, the hero images of animation were mainly classical heroes. Classical heroes refer to people with noble blood and extraordinary ability. They are the embodiment of human ideals. In them, we can see the spirit and noble quality of perseverance, sacrifice one's life for righteousness and courage. In the early American animated films, aristocrats with noble blood lines were the main group being shaped into heroes. Take the 1959 Disney animated film sleeping beauty, which tells the story of a prince who awakens a princess imprisoned by a spell with his true love. The prince in the film is a classic hero image created by the film. He has noble blood, perseverance and courage, is the hope to save the princess and a country, and is the only hero who can fight against the witch. The prince in the film is approachable. When he first met the princess like a country girl living in seclusion in the countryside, his noble identity did not become an obstacle for the two to love each other. He even gave up his previous engagement with the royal princess for this love. This view of love and marriage at the cost of love adds a modern touch to the heroic image of the prince. Prince went on a journey to save the princess for love, fighting the witch is the most important way for prince shows heroic, under the arrangement of the filmmakers, the prince got protect the princess of the strong support of the three fairies, get a prince from the fairy magic shield and sharp sword of truth, use them to defeat the evil witch. The film takes the love between the prince and the princess as the main line, and creates a typical hero image for the audience. He pursues true love with the spirit of adventure and self-sacrifice, and bravely breaks through numerous obstacles to pursue his own happiness. In the film, the sword of truth transforms the heroic image of the prince into a universal truth, and combines his heroic behavior with the group ideology. Such a heroic image has a kind of charisma and convincing power.

In the early American animated films, people with extraordinary abilities were also the focus of the shaping of hero images in animated films. They realized the ideals of human beings and protected the people around them with their extraordinary abilities. Such as Disney launched in 1953, another film "Peter pan", tells the story of a hero with extraordinary abilities? Peter pan with his magical mana guarded the story of a group of children don't want to grow up. In the film Peter pan's neverland an elf never grow up. He Wendy doesn't want to grow up in order to meet the little girl wishes to her and her two younger brother together to neverland, sinister captain hook to kill Peter? Pan Zhanling neverland and rule, finally Peter pan and captain hook in the form of a hero of the battle won the victory, to protect the children of the island. Peter pan is a human guardians keep their childhood dreams, his own magic ability and extraordinary wisdom protects all the children and the island of Indians. He was greatly loved by the people and was rewarded by the chief. He gave up his super power in the battle with captain hook and met the challenge of captain hook with one hand, winning the victory in a fair way. The film shows us a classic hero image with magic and noble status.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, American culture was changing, and American social culture developed from a mainstream social idea to a diversified one. Under the influence of the multi-culture conflict, the hero images in American animated films gradually turn from the original classical heroes to the humanized heroes. In American animated film, a mere mortals hero to remove the body of the divine, abandoned the past the spirit of sacrifice for others and save others, pay more attention to self-centered, maximizing personal interest and value concept, they are born, character and the motives of encouraging people to overthrow the traditional way of "tall" hero image, reflects some imperfect and the secular, presents a sense of the elite. For example, Aladdin, the hero of the film Aladdin, is a street scoundrel. He and the monkey ABU stole things everywhere and were hunted down. But there is good dream in his heart all the time, he got the divine lamp in odd cave by right of the ability that enters miracle cave magical, help king success subdue the jia fa that tries to seek authority to usurp the throne, let lamp god obtain free identity, also captured the heart of princess at the same time. The hero in the film has changed from the classical hero image with noble birth and extraordinary ability to a special title of realizing his life value through hard work. It emphasizes Aladdin's mortal identity and conveys the idea of equality that ordinary people can achieve great things through a kind heart and heroic actions.

With the development of multiculturalism in the United States, the American society began to accept the differences between different cultures and gave equal treatment to the cultures of different RACES, classes and religions. This diversified ideology is also reflected in the animated films. The mortal heroes in the American animations from the 1980s to the early 21st century also show the trend of diversification, with the emergence of diverse heroic images such as female heroes, minority heroes and humble heroes. With the development of the women's liberation movement, the status of women and men in society has achieved equality. In animated films, women have changed the image that they needed to be rescued in the past and started to replace the role of traditional male heroes, bravely pursuing happiness and saving the world. For example, the film mulan created a legendary female hero who joined the army for her father. In the legend of hua mulan, we can see the self-identity of a hero in western culture. In addition to female heroes, the American animated films of this period also featured some alternative mortal heroes, such as Tarzan in the film Tarzan and pocahontas in pocahontas. Tarzan is the story of Tarzan's rescue of the chimpanzee family. Tarzan in the film is an idealized hero who defends the interests of animals rather than human beings. In him permeated with ordinary people's self-identity and full of democratic and free spirit of choice. Pocahontas, on the other hand, features an ethnic heroine who takes action to resolve conflicts between the tribes and the colonists. Pocahontas, the heroine of the film, is a sincere, kind, brave and nature-loving girl. As the daughter of a native American chief, she saved the white captive chong mai regardless of her own life for love, and successfully defused the hatred between the native americans and the white people with the power of love. The creator transformed pocahontas into a figure who had direct contact with the gods, transformed the divine power of traditional heroes into the spiritual power of mortal heroes, and guided the hero to make the right choice.

With the rise of postmodern culture, American society has entered the era of consumption. Consumerism, economic globalization and the development of modern science and technology have made American animated films enter a transitional period in terms of values. In the 21st century, American animated films are obviously imprinted with postmodern culture, and the shaping of hero images also presents obvious postmodern characteristics such as individualism, hedonism and materialism.

Under the influence of post-modern culture, people begin to lose their heroic dimension and pursue a kind of self-centered, narcissistic and vulgar happiness. They no longer advocate the spirit of sacrifice and sacrifice for others, but care about the power contained in themselves, which leads to serious consequences such as alienation from others, separation from society and damage to public morality. Most of the American animated films in this period are the hero images of personal supremacy, including the heroes who give up their duties and the "pseudo-heroes". Paramount pictures released a 2010 animated movie called "megamut," featuring two alien babies who come to earth after their planet is swallowed by a black hole. One becomes a superhero, the city superman, and the other a supervillain. In the battle of two people in the super villain McMai defeated city superman and use the city superman DNA to create a new hero helios justice. However, this hero USES his super power to do nothing but evil. In order to prevent the evil deeds of the sun god, the super villain McMai becomes the new guardian of the city. However, as the hero in people's eyes, city superman exchanges his personal freedom with feign death and realizes the ideal of becoming "music superman".

In addition, under the influence of post-modern culture, some "pseudo-hero" images with moral defects that unexpectedly become heroes have also become the hot spots of American animated films. In drag racer, reg is a pet chameleon living in a fish tank, unsatisfied with the status quo and dreaming of becoming a great hero one day. A travel accident lets his sweet dream be broken, fell in the desert of the nowhere to be visited in the person, for survival he crosses desert hard came to a small border town of American west, began him to have the life journey of another paragraph of legend color. In order to survive in the town, he bragged that he was the legendary hero who killed countless enemies with three bullets. When the fierce eagle hit, escape from the reg but accidentally ended the eagle's life, the accident made reg realize his dream for many years, become the town people's true hero. Oscar, in "shark business," is a vain undersea unknown who dreams of becoming a famous celebrity when he is thrown into shark-infested waters by creditors for gambling debts. A coincidence has made Oscar the accidental "shark killer", with the fame, status and money he has dreamed of. Oscar relies on lies to make himself a pseudo-hero. Reggae, like Oscar, has a strong desire to be identified, and rather than feel insecure about their heroic identities, they have chosen to maintain the lies they have made and place themselves in the public's good graces. Although Oscar and regal cheat the public at the beginning, they still rationally help the public to solve the crisis when the danger comes. Their heroic actions have solved the moral defects and become the real heroes.

Basically in the traditional sense of the hero is the embodiment of kindness, justice and courage, but in the modern society, due to their own desires, too much anxiety, lack of life goals, the hero image was gradually abandoned, in animation film began to appear a lot of negative image, these roles are often inversion along with the development of the story gradually become heroes. There are also many ways to shape the anti-hero image. In the American animated films, the anti-hero image identified by the other, the anti-hero image created by his own desire and the anti-hero image repressed by his growing environment are the main three kinds of anti-hero images. The anti-hero images identified by others are often limited by objective conditions and unable to choose their own roles. They have certain passivity when doing bad things and have to appear as negative images. As in the 2012 animated film "invincible king of destruction of alpha, he is the opposite of a others recognized hero characters, such as film again the MaiKeMai super big, bad, he is also the opposite of a recognized role in the film, initially MaiKeMai also wanted to be in a group hard to become a normal person, but failure, he began to lose hope, feel now that can't be approved to become a hero, then try not to become a neglected the bad guys. McMai finally realizes the transformation from villain to hero because of the heroine's love. The anti-hero images created by their own desires are quite representative in American animated films, such as Caroline in 2009's "mother monster", igel in 2008's "frankie" and Michael and drew in "golden city". They are not heroes in themselves, but when the moral bottom line is challenged, they finally make the right choice and become heroes to save the world. The classic anti-hero who was repressed by his upbringing is despicable me, which was released by universal in 2010. It tells the story of a super villain, gru, who plans to steal the moon. The film is a typical villains as leading role animation, global is a super villain is not due to childhood mother recognition, although in order to attract the world's recognized global became a villain, but he is not kind of loss of nature, at the time of their actions may endanger others he revised in time, in the end in order to save three little girls, global transformation into a real hero.

Heroes are the embodiment of human ideals. They have obvious common human culture and unique cultural characteristics of specific historical periods. Through the theme and image of "hero", American animated films create a cultural value of mass heroes. From the perspective of the development and changes of American society, history and culture, this paper analyzes the changes of hero images in American animations in different stages of development, so that we can have a deeper understanding of the national characteristics and cultural forms of the United States.

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deannawads · 7 years

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MM Historical Fiction–14 authors, 13 great deals

Get swept away to times long past. Fourteen authors share their love of history through fiction. Follow the website links after my post to read the authors’ articles about their books and then go pick up a great read for half-price or less from December 12 – 24!

Welcome to the M/M historical romance tour!

WRECKED is on sale December 19th for 89 cents

the Dreamspinner website.

It is more than half off for the entirety of the tour at ony $2.99

Deanna Wadsworth Wrecked Era: pre-Civil War Key West, Florida Dreamspinner .89c Dec.19 only

Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads| Facebook

“Key West is a little village of hardy seamen undisturbedly reaping a rich harvest

from the enormous losses of commerce on the Reefs.”

—Gov. William P. Duval; 1st civilian governor of Florida, 1832

“WRECK ASHORE!”

Such a fabled warning was not issued from atop one of the four merchant lateen towers in Key West, nor did it echo across the islands, as romanticized stories have often told. Neither did a magnificent rush of fishing smacks and spongers begin sailing out from the harbor when a vessel wrecked along the two hundred miles of coral reef on the eastern coastline of the new American state, Florida.

When word that a ship had met trouble eventually reached the mainland, it was kept quiet, whispered among merchants and ship captains wanting to stake their claim before their competitors.

For in the Florida Keys, one man’s loss was the gain of another.

With nearly one wreck a week, despite all the efforts to build lighthouses and update charts, the wreckers patrolled the Straits by sailing back and forth between wrecking stations. They were on the lookout for vessels caught on the coral or beached in the shallows so they could hire out their services. While some of the old Bahamians had earned their reputation as pirates, the American wreckers were licensed by the US Federal Courts, offering a much-needed service to misguided seafarers.

Although these brave seamen knew the dangers that lay beneath these waters all too well, wrecking was in their blood. Months could pass idly at sea while waiting to find work during a wrecking sloop’s watch. And when it did come, the seamen worked blue blazes, because if a wrecker didn’t salvage, he didn’t get paid. Yet more than merely salvaging valuable cargo, the heroic Florida wreckers had another, nobler reason to patrol the Straits. They saved lives….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WRECKED was a long time in the making. In 2009 I went to Key West, Florida where my hubby and I visited the Key West Shipwreck Museum. I knew there would be relics from under the sea, but I never expected to be inspired to write this book. In the 1850s Key West was the wealthiest city per capita in America. That money was brought in by salvaging–a dangerous occupation which left many wreckers with a reputation as pirates. Rumors abounded that they tricked mariners into hiring them, or even had a hand in wrecking the ships to begin with. My hero, Mathew Weston, is forced to hire the wreckers after his ship wrecks, and now he must sell all his rescued goods in Key West where it seems the merchants have deals with the auction houses. His goods sell at half price! Yet despite the financial loss, Mathew cannot stop obsessing about how attractive he finds one particular wrecker, Rief Lawson.

I had a lot of fun serching for historical quotes to open each chapter. Chapter One, when Mathew has been thrown overboard, begins thus:

“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life

when a man takes his whole universe for a vast practical joke.”

—Herman Melville; an American novelist, 1819-1891

I was also quite lucky to discover a little book called The Young Wrecker, where the author recounts his personal experience as a boy working on a wrecking sloop in the 1850’s. True to books of the era, The Young Wrecker literally pauses in the middle of the story to describe in detail what the streets of Key West looked like. Talk about a hidden treasure! I poured over books about the history of the Florida Keys, and even endevored to mix real historical figures in with my cast, such as the lighthouse keeper Mrs. Mabrity. Rief and Mathew climb the Key West lighthouse, which you can still visit and was only a few years old when WRECKED takes place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blurb from WRECKED:

Off the Key West coast, Rief Lawson works as a wrecker, salvaging ships and their cargo. Exiled to the outskirts of society because of his mysterious gift of sight, Rief’s only respite from his loneliness is painting an unknown blond man. When a merchant ship wrecks during a violent storm, Rief rescues a drowning victim and comes face-to-face with his destiny.

It is the man from his art!

Heir to an English barony, Mathew Weston entered the merchant trade with his greedy father and soon-to-be father-in-law. Dominated by his father and smothered by the people around him—including his sweet but tiresome fianceé—Mathew is terrified to follow his true desires. Marriage and obedience seem safer than a life of secrecy and possible prison.

After the daring rescue, a fire ignites between the two men. Powerless to resist his desire, Mathew learns what it means to be a man in Rief’s arms. With this newfound confidence, Mathew teaches Rief through gentle touch that he deserves the affection he’s long been denied. Yet their affair is doomed from the start. Two desperate men, wrecked in heart and mind, must find a way to salvage the chance at love fate has given them.

Get your copy of WRECKED December 19th for only 89 cents in the Dreamspinner store!

If you miss out, don’t worry, WRECKED is more than Half-Off for the entire tour!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Visit all the authors participating in this MM Historical Fiction Blowout.

(NOTE: Sales prices & website links may not be active until Dec. 12)

Discover a new author.

Find a new book to read.

Click on the “website” links to read the authors’ posts

Alex Beecroft The Reluctant Berserker Era: Early Medieval/Dark Ages Saxon Amazon All Other Formats $0.99 Website | Amazon author page | Facebook | Twitter

JP Kenwood February and December (Dominus Calendar Series 1) Era: Imperial Rome Amazon Worldwide $0.99/.99p Website | Facebook | Twitter | Archive of our Own

Brita Addams Beloved Unmasked Era: Early 20th Century New Orleans Dreamspinner | Amazon $3.00 Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter

Anne Barwell On Wings of Song Era: WWI – 1920 Dreamspinner $2.50 Website | Twitter | Queeromance Ink | Newsletter |Facebook

Joanna Chambers Unnatural Era: Regency Amazon Amazon (UK) Nook iBooks Kobo GPlay $1.99 Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Wendy Rathbone Ganymede: Abducted by the Gods Era: Bronze Age, fantasy, alternate myth Amazon $1.99 Website | Facebook | Newsletter (get a free copy of “Letters to an Android”)

Michael Jensen Man & Monster Era: 1799, America Amazon $1.99 Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Charlene Newcomb Men of the Cross (Battle Scars I) Era: Medieval – 12th century Amazon $0.99/99p Website | Twitter | Facebook

Ruby Moone Memories Era: Regency Only $2.99 Amazon | JMS Books Website | Twitter | Facebook

Charlene Newcomb is currently working on Book III of Battle Scars, 12th century historical fiction filled with war, political intrigue, and a knightly romance of forbidden love set during the reign of Richard the Lionheart. There will be more to come, so sign up for Char’s Newsletter. It will be used – sparingly – to offer exclusive content and and to let you be the first to know about special offers.

Dec. 12 Alex Beecroft

http://ift.tt/2B78vUj2/mm-historical-fiction-christmas-bonanza/

Dec. 13 JP Kenwood

http://ift.tt/2B5gS2y

Dec. 14 Summer Devon & Bonnie Dee

http://ift.tt/2B7fFbd12/08/simon-and-the-christmas-spirit-on-sale/

Dec. 15 Christina E. Pilz

http://ift.tt/2B68uQjtwelve-days-christmas-historical-fiction-sale/

Dec. 16 Anne Barwell

http://ift.tt/2B71yCn.com/2017/12/10/the-12-days-before-christmas-mm-historical-fiction-blowout/

Dec. 17 Brita Addams

http://ift.tt/2B55y6sgle-post/2017/11/28/The-12-Days-Before-Christmas-MM-Historical-Fiction-Blowout

Dec. 18 Silvia Violet

http://ift.tt/2B55zr2017/12/10/mm-historical-fiction-holiday-sale/

Dec. 19 Deanna Wadsworth

http://ift.tt/2BBDE37hives/696

Dec. 20 Joanna Chambers

http://ift.tt/2BBEfln7/12/10/awesome-christmas-historical-sale/

Dec. 21 Michael Jensen

http://ift.tt/2B4cGAencategorized/the-12-days-before-christmas-mm-historical-fiction-blowout

Dec. 22 Wendy Rathbone

http://ift.tt/2B5P7a7.com/2017/12/christmas-book-sale.html

Dec. 23 Charlene Newcomb

http://ift.tt/2B5raQa17/12/10/mm-historical-fiction-sale

Dec. 24 Ruby Moone

http://ift.tt/2B3nmz04

from MM Historical Fiction–14 authors, 13 great deals

#MM Historical Fiction–14 authors #13 great deals Deanna Wadsworth

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splendidlyimperfect · 5 years

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It’s been thirteen years since Natsu and Gray met in a program for troubled youth - since they both fell apart and helped put each other back together. Now they’re married and happy, loving each other and the shared family they found. But the past doesn’t always stay past, and when the things that broke them come back into their lives, Natsu and Gray have difficult decisions to make - ones that could change their lives forever.

Chapter Summary: Natsu tries to decide what to do about his father, and Gray gets some upsetting news.

Chapters (7/?): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Rating: Mature Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney, Sting Eucliffe, Freed Justine, Laxus Dreyar, Wendy Marvell, Chelia Blendy, Ultear Milkovich, Lyon Vastia, Lucy Heartfilia Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aged-Up Character(s), Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Married Couple, Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Drug Addiction, Mental Health Issues, Foster Care, Family Issues, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, Grief/Mourning, Childhood Trauma, Bipolar Disorder, Adoption, Families of Choice, Nonbinary Character, Trans Character, Genderfluid Character, Forgiveness, Absent Parents, they’re really in love but are sometimes dumb, Natsu is a stubborn shit Series: Part 14 of the only hope for me is you, Part 3 of if you jump i’ll break your fall

-----

Several days went by, and Natsu still couldn’t tell Gray. The more time passed, the heavier his chest felt, but every time he tried to say the words they disappeared.

I found my dad.

He loved me.

I broke your trust.

I’m sorry.

Sometimes, Natsu was tempted to delete the messages and pretend it hadn’t happened. Every time he tried, though, Neelan would send him another photo, or another story about Natsu as a little kid.

You were always brave, Neelan texted him a couple days later while Natsu was curled up on the couch with Happy. Always climbing stuff or getting into things you shouldn’t. You cut your thumb open at the playground one day and you didn’t even cry when you got stitches.

Natsu stared down at his hands; at the scar on his thumb that wasn’t from playing, but from broken glass. He’d been eight years old and had hurt himself because he’d missed his dad and had just wanted a hug. Natsu didn’t have a scar from Neelan’s story.

He’s lying, a tiny voice in Natsu’s mind whispered. He left you and he didn’t care. None of it is real.

The voice sounded a lot like Gray, and Natsu tried to ignore it.

Continue reading on AO3

Instead he flipped through the pictures Neelan had sent him. There weren’t many, but Natsu already had them memorized, even though he could barely recognize himself in those gap-toothed smiles. He didn’t remember any of them.

Natsu sighed, tipping his head back against the couch and looking down the hallway toward Gray’s office. Gray had been busy lately – his company was releasing a new game soon, and Gray spent most of the days at the computer, tweaking code and talking on the phone.

Natsu’s phone dinged again and he looked down at another message from Neelan.

I know it’s only been a few days, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot. If you aren’t ready, I completely understand.

Natsu frowned, but as he read the rest of the message, his eyes widened.

Do you want to meet?

The words swam on the screen and Natsu immediately set the phone down on the coffee table as a rush of adrenaline crashed through him. It left him breathless and shaky, and he picked his phone up and set it down several times before pushing it across the coffee table and covering his face with his hands.

Meet his dad? Natsu knew, theoretically, that Neelan was only a boat ride away – just across the water to a city Natsu had visited hundreds of times before. Him and Gray had gone to the aquarium there a few years ago for Gray’s birthday.

The urge to tell Gray hit Natsu, suddenly, and he pushed himself up from the couch. He pulled the sleeves of his sweater down over his hands and stared up at the ceiling, exhaling sharply. Happy appeared, rubbing himself against Natsu’s legs, and Natsu bent down to pick him up.

“C’mon,” he said, kissing the top of Happy’s head. “I gotta fix this.”

The door to the office was open and Natsu could hear Gray talking on the phone. He was about to knock, but stopped when he heard the concerned edge to Gray’s voice.

“Bien sûr je lui fais confiance,” Gray was saying. “That’s not it,” he continued in French. “I just... I’m scared, and I don’t want to make him upset.” The person on the other end of the phone – it had to be Freed, since Ultear was at the cabin with Xavier and the kids and Gray didn’t speak French with anyone else – said something and Gray shook his head. “No, he’s been taking them. I checked.”

Natsu took a step back, chest tightening as he realized that Gray was talking about him. Irritation flared up as he thought about Gray checking his pill container – he’d already told Gray he was taking them. Gray didn’t trust him.

“I don’t think that’s it,” Gray said in response to a question from Freed. “I think he’s still stuck on his dad.” He tipped his head back against his computer chair and rubbed his face. “I almost wish we’d never run into Wendy. He’s been off since then, and I don’t know what to do.”

A hot flush crept into Natsu’s cheeks as he set Happy down, then leaned against the wall of the hallway and rubbed his face with both hands. A spark of anger lit amidst the guilt Natsu had been carrying around.

“He says he doesn’t, but I’m pretty sure Natsu wants to find him,” Gray continued, then paused for a response from Freed. “No, it's a terrible idea, but I just... I can’t talk to him about it. He gets so defensive.”

Do you want to meet?

The spark flared into embarrassed resentment as heat flushed up Natsu's neck and into his cheeks.

“No,” Gray said into the phone, shaking his head. “Even if Natsu could forgive him, I don’t think I can. Natsu went through so much shit because of that asshole, and I know he thinks he’ll get answers, but he’s just going to get hurt.”

Natsu’s jaw tightened and he exhaled shakily, balling his hands into fists. Gray was wrong. Part of Natsu wanted to slam the door open and yell at him – my dad loved me, he’s talking to me, he’s not dangerous, he wants to meet. But an image of Gray’s concerned, cautious expression filled Natsu’s mind and he shook his head.

“No, he doesn’t need to hear that.” Gray’s voice softened and Natsu tipped his head to look through the door again. Freed said something else and Gray sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk. “I’m just tired,” he said quietly.

Natsu stared down at his hands where his nails were making dark marks in his palms. The ache spread through his chest, equal parts anger and humiliation, and he took another step back down the hallway.

I’m just tired.

Tired of Natsu, tired of his ups and downs, his medication changes, his stupid fixations, his anger and sadness and tears and the way he fucked up over and over again. Tired of him, just like Neelan, just like his foster parents, just like Don who had told him go survive on your own.

Gray said something else but it was drowned out by the roaring in Natsu’s ears. Suddenly he needed to be anywhere but here. He backed down the hallway to the front door, slipping on his sandals and closing the apartment door as quietly as possible.

He took the stairs two at a time, and when he got to the front door of the building, he turned toward the beach and started running.

Gray yawned, pushing his chair away from the desk and rubbing his eyes. The code on the computer screen was starting to blur together, and when Gray reached for his coffee, it was disappointingly empty.

“C’mon, Happy,” he said, nudging the cat off his lap. Happy meowed disapprovingly, then sauntered off into the kitchen as Gray followed close behind. He was about to turn on the coffee maker when his phone started to ring. Ultear’s name popped up on the screen and Gray frowned. She and Xavier were supposed to be at their lake cabin with the kids this weekend.

“Allo?” he said, tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear as he started to scoop coffee into the filter. “Quoi de neuf?”

At first there was no answer, and Gray frowned. Then Ultear’s voice came through, quiet and shaky. “J’ai besoin de te parler.” She sounded like she’d been crying.

“Qu’est-ce qu-il y a?” Gray asked, setting down the coffee as a cold thread of panic twisted in his stomach. “Are you okay?”

“Are you home?” Ultear asked instead of answering the question. Gray made an affirmative sound, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his chest as he heard her car starting in the background. His mind immediately went to Natsu, but that made no sense. Natsu was at work, with Sting.

“Ultear, what’s—”

“It should be in person,” Ultear said, letting out a shaky sigh. “I’ll be there in soon.” She hung up before Gray could argue and he stared down at the phone, frowning in concern.

Gray spent the next half an hour alternating between panic and confusion. He sent a quick text to Natsu, but there was no answer, and he was just about to call Freed back when there was a knock at the apartment door.

“Qu’est-ce qu’il se passe?” he asked as soon as he saw Ultear’s tear-stained face. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and there were dark smudges of makeup under her eyes. “Are the kids okay?”

“Yes, they’re fine, that’s not...” Ultear trailed off as Gray gently took her arm and led her into the living room. He perched on the edge of the coffee table as she sat down on the couch, not-quite-looking at him. “C’mon, you’re scaring me,” Gray said softly, taking her hand and squeezing it. The mild panic from before was quickly turning to something closer to terror.

Ultear shook her head, squeezing Gray’s hand as she started to cry. Gray’s chest ached and he quickly shifted onto the couch next to her, pulling her into a hug as her shoulders started to shake.

When she was finally able to catch her breath, Ultear pulled back from Gray’s embrace and wiped her face. She looked away from him, taking a deep breath.

“It’s Lyon,” she said softly. “He’s getting a parole hearing next week.”

The words floated in the air between them for a minute, then slammed into Gray’s chest. A hundred memories hit him at the same time – his parents’ deaths, his uncle murdering Ur, moving to Magnolia, the gang he and Lyon had joined, calling the police, Lyon nearly killing him fourteen years ago.

“He…”

“They called me this morning,” Ultear said. “They can’t say for sure, but they might let him out on parole.”

A dizzy heat washed over Gray and he swallowed a few times, trying to push down his own tears that were threatening to spill. The vague memory of drifting snow and hard, angry eyes flashed through his mind, and suddenly, all Gray wanted was Natsu.

“I th-thought…” Gray whispered, crossing his arms over his stomach, “He… it was longer. It’s only been—he’s not—there’s…”

“I know,” Ultear said, sighing and reaching out for Gray. He shook his head, pulling back from her, and she made a sad sound.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, rubbing his arms. He brought his hand up to the scar on his shoulder, closing his eyes and trying to breathe. “I don’t… I can’t…”

It had taken him so long to be even remotely close to okay – years of nightmares and flashbacks and guilt and anger. He remembered dropping his goodbye letter to Lyon in the mailbox the day he’d proposed to Natsu, and the feeling of relief it had brought him. Then his memories skipped to their wedding, to him and Ultear standing on the beach and Gray wishing that Lyon had been there.

Everything tangled into an uncomfortable mess in his stomach that made him feel like throwing up.

“I set up a meeting with Claire on Friday,” Ultear said. “From Victim’s Services, remember?” Gray couldn’t even nod. Everything was too loud, too much – this was a dream, one of the bad ones. “We’re going to have to talk to them and decide what you want to do... he’d be living in Magnolia so his probation officer could keep an eye on him.”

Living in Magnolia.

“I know it’s a lot,” Ultear said gently. “I’m sorry.” Gray didn’t say anything, just stared at the hole in the couch that Happy had made years ago. “Do you want me to call Natsu?” Ultear asked.

Gray nodded slowly, still touching his scar through his shirt. The memories were so blurry now – it felt like a lifetime ago that Lyon had hurt him. Anger and frustration mixed with a soft sense of longing, and Gray shook his head to try and separate the feelings. It was too much.

A buzzing on the coffee table interrupted Gray’s thoughts and he frowned, realizing Natsu had left his phone there. He picked it up, about to swipe the call to decline it, when he saw a message on the lock screen.

Neelan Dragneel [14:45] Do you want to meet?

#fairy tail #ftlgbtales #ftlgbtfics #gratsu #gray x natsu #gray fullbuster #natsu dragneel #fanfic #angst #new chapter #update #my fic

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splendidlyimperfect · 5 years

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It’s been thirteen years since Natsu and Gray met in a program for troubled youth - since they both fell apart and helped put each other back together. Now they’re married and happy, loving each other and the shared family they found.But the past doesn’t always stay past, and when the things that broke them come back into their lives, Natsu and Gray have difficult decisions to make - ones that could change their lives forever.

Chapter Summary: Natsu and Gray celebrate their tenth anniversary.

Chapters (3/?): 1 | 2 | 3

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney, Sting Eucliffe, Freed Justine, Laxus Dreyar, Wendy Marvell, Chelia Blendy, Ultear Milkovich, Lyon Vastia Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aged-Up Character(s), Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Married Couple, Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Drug Addiction, Mental Health Issues, Foster Care, Family Issues, Grief/Mourning, Childhood Trauma, it's not as sad as it sounds, Bipolar Disorder, Adoption, Families of Choice, Nonbinary Character, Trans Character, Genderfluid Character, Forgiveness Series: Part 14 of the only hope for me is you, Part 2 of if you jump i’ll break your fall

-----

Natsu felt like he’d just fallen asleep when his phone buzzed under his pillow. He grumbled sleepily, sitting up and rubbing his face as he frowned at the time on the screen – 5:58 am. Then he realized who was calling and his face broke into a smile.

“Hey, Noah,” he said softly as he answered the video call. He glanced over at Gray, who was still fast asleep, then flipped on the light next to the bed.

There was no response from the little boy on the other end of the line, but Natsu didn’t expect one. Noah was in his pajamas, clutching a well-worn stuffed dragon to his chest and gazing at Natsu intently.

“Sorry for waking you up.” Sting’s voice came from behind Noah. Natsu saw him settle down on the bed behind his son and run his fingers through Noah’s blond curls.

“No worries, you know you can call anytime,” Natsu said, settling back against the headboard and giving Noah a gentle smile. “What’s up, buddy?”

Noah shook his head, turning and pressing his face against Sting’s chest. Sting kissed Noah's forehead, then yawned and rubbed his eyes.

“He’s having trouble sleeping,” Sting explained. Natsu looked at the time again and did the mental math – it was three in the morning back in Magnolia.

“Bad dreams?” Natsu asked gently. Noah nodded, staring down at Sting’s pajama pants and playing with a loose thread on them. “The dreamcatcher’s not helping?” Noah shook his head, clutching the stuffed dragon tighter.

“We had a meeting with the social worker yesterday,” Sting explained as Noah curled up tighter against him. “Kylie was there.”

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Sting and Ryos had adopted Noah just over a year ago after fostering him for two years, but the adoption was tentatively open with Noah’s biological mother, Kylie.

“No,” Noah said, voice muffled by Sting’s shirt. Natsu saw Sting pull out his phone and type something into it, and a text popped up at the top of Natsu’s screen.

She’s been clean for six months and wants to visit him, but he doesn’t want to see her. He cried the whole way home yesterday and wouldn’t eat or talk... it feels like we're slipping backward again.

Natsu gave Sting a sympathetic look. Before Sting and Rogue had fostered him, Noah's life had been traumatic at best. When Natsu had first met him, Noah hadn’t quite been two, and hadn’t even started walking. He hadn’t talked until he was almost three, and even now he struggled to express himself.

Ryos wants to tell her no, Sting added. I don’t know what to do. She doesn’t know him. She doesn’t know what he needs.

Sting rested his cheek on Noah’s head again, brushing the curls out of his face and kissing Noah’s forehead. Natsu stared at the text, trying to push away the angry sense of protectiveness he felt. Noah’s myriad of special needs weren’t easy to manage, and keeping him stable was a delicate balancing act.

Natsu sighed, then looked at Noah again.

“Guess what?” Natsu said. Noah peeked up at Natsu, frowning. “Uncle Gray and I are getting your birthday present later today. You remember how old you’re gonna be?” Noah nodded, holding up five fingers and giving Natsu a tentative smile.

“Wow, five! You’re gonna be bigger than me soon! You excited for your birthday?”

Noah nodded again, but his face quickly turned serious. “Home, home, h-home… when?” he asked.

“Three sleeps,” Natsu said reassuringly. Noah pouted and rubbed his eyes. “You think you can go back to sleep if I tell you a story?”

Noah considered the question, looking up at Sting and then nodding.

“Okay, get your butt back into bed,” Natsu said. Noah made a face but let Sting tuck him back in, then set the phone on the bedside table so Noah could still see Natsu.

“Dad stay?” Noah asked. Sting curled up on the bed behind Noah, giving him a fond smile as Noah snuggled back against Sting’s chest. Sting mouthed thank you to Natsu before closing his eyes and almost instantly falling asleep.

“Okay, little man,” Natsu said quietly, settling back down into his pillows and holding the phone up against his knees. “Once upon a time, there was a dragon and a brave prince...”

-----

Gray woke up slowly to the sound of Natsu’s soft snores. Natsu was curled up against Gray’s back, and when Gray rolled over, he saw that Natsu’s phone was curled up in his hand with the screen still on. On the other end, Gray could just see Noah, curled up against Sting, both fast asleep.

Gray smiled, shaking his head before taking the phone and hanging up, then setting it on the bedside table. Natsu mumbled something, nudging Gray’s arm out of the way and curling up until his head was on Gray’s chest. He threw his leg over Gray’s thighs, trapping Gray against the bed.

“Hey, you,” Gray said, combing his fingers through Natsu’s hair. Natsu made a muffled sound against Gray’s chest, pushing his head up into the touch. “You get a late-night call from Noah again?”

“Mm.” Natsu yawned and slipped his hand under Gray’s shirt, running his fingers over Gray’s stomach. “He couldn’t sleep.”

“He probably misses you,” Gray said. “You haven’t been away from him for this long since you met him.”

Natsu nodded, rubbing his thumb over Gray’s hip. “I miss him too,” he said. “It’s not just that, though.” He sighed. “Kylie wants to see him.”

Gray didn’t say anything, just combed out the knots in Natsu’s hair with his fingers and waited. Everything about Noah was complicated, but Natsu had dove head-first into the little boy’s life as soon as Ryos and Sting had decided to foster him. Natsu was more of a third parent to Noah than a family friend.

“I know she’s his mom,” Natsu said eventually. “It’s just…” He tipped his head up to look at Gray, who drew his fingers up the scars on Natsu’s arm. “It’s complicated.”

“You wanna talk about it?” Gray asked.

Natsu shook his head. Gray’s fingers continued up the path of Natsu’s scar, tracing the edges of it where it ran over his cheek, and the pale white marks at the corner of his lips. The sunny summer days had dotted freckles across Natsu’s nose, and Gray traced the lines between them while Natsu closed his eyes and hummed happily.

“How about a distraction?” Gray suggested, rubbing his thumb across the tension in Natsu’s temple and then sliding his fingers back into Natsu’s hair. He dragged his fingernails across Natsu’s scalp and Natsu made a sound that was almost a purr.

“Mmm. That feels nice.”

“Yeah?” Gray smiled, shifting until he was up on one elbow. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Natsu’s neck as he kept running his fingers through Natsu’s hair. Natsu shivered, sliding his hand back down to Gray’s hip and pulling him closer.

“Yeah.”

Gray tightened his fingers in Natsu’s hair and tipped his head to the side, trailing kisses across his collarbone. “Guess what?” he murmured against Natsu’s skin. Natsu hummed. “’s our anniversary.”

Natsu’s fingers tightened on Gray’s hip and he nudged Gray’s head up until they were looking at each other. Natsu’s smile was bright and sweet, and he pressed it to Gray’s lips as he nudged Gray up to straddle his legs.

“Can’t believe you’ve put up with me for ten years,” Natsu murmured, rubbing his thumbs in circles over Gray’s hips, then running his fingers over the hem of Gray’s shirt and tugging it up over Gray’s head. “I’ve heard I’m kind of a pain in the ass.”

“Mm. You are.” Gray sighed happily as Natsu ran his hands up Gray’s stomach, then dragged his nails gently back down Gray’s sides. “But since you’re pretty, I think I can overlook it.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Natsu teased, slipping his thumbs into Gray’s boxers. Gray shifted his hips up, trying to move Natsu’s hands where he wanted them, but Natsu just laughed, sliding his hands around to grab Gray’s ass instead.

“I think you’re gorgeous,” Gray replied, rocking his hips down and leaning down to catch Natsu’s breathy moan with his lips. “And mine.”

Natsu pulled Gray against him, thrusting his hips up until they were grinding against each other and panting.

“We’re gonna be late for breakfast with everyone,” Natsu said as he tugged Gray’s boxers down. “And they’re totally gonna know what we were up to.”

Gray laughed, leaning down and nipping at Natsu’s ear. “It’s our anniversary,” he said, pressing kisses to Natsu’s neck. “Let them think whatever they want.”

-----

Natsu leaned against the tree at the top of the hilly cemetery, staying in the shade and watching Gray lay a bouquet of flowers across his parents’ graves. The afternoon was already hot, and Natsu could feel beads of sweat trickling down the back of his neck as he pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees.

Ultear approached Gray and Natsu watched as he laughed at something she said. It was nice to see Gray happy here. The first few times they’d come, Gray hadn’t been able to do much but cry, but time had helped soften the pain.

Natsu thought of the candles Gray had set up at their wedding in memory of his parents. Three blue lights for those people who had loved him so much.

And a tiny red one for the people who hadn’t loved Natsu enough to stay.

Natsu growled in frustration, pressing his forehead to his knees and squeezing his eyes shut. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about this?

He chose to leave, Natsu thought, swallowing against the sudden press of tears behind his eyes. He left me, and he doesn’t care.

Natsu pulled out his phone, opening the text from Wendy and staring at it. His thumb hovered over the ‘delete’ button, but he couldn’t bring himself to press it.

Instead he flipped to his photos, scrolling up to one of him and Noah. It was from Noah’s second birthday party – six months after Rogue and Sting had started fostering him. Natsu had gotten Noah to smile for the first time that day, and Gray had caught it on camera – Noah’s pudgy hands on Natsu’s cheeks, eyes wide as he grinned.

An ache pulled at Natsu’s chest as he stared at the photo. Noah had changed Natsu’s life, and the idea of leaving him made Natsu feel sick. Even when Noah had fits, when he screamed or broke things or refused to talk, the idea of quitting on him had never even entered Natsu’s mind.

So what had Natsu done that had made his dad leave?

The curiosity was starting to outweigh the anger, and it terrified Natsu. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and rubbed his face.

“Uncle Natsu?”

Natsu looked up to see Sylvie standing over him, holding out a coffee cup.

“Hey, sunshine,” he said, pushing himself to his feet and dusting off his pants before taking the mug from her and wrapping an arm around her. “Nice shoes.”

Sylvie grinned and scuffed a mark into the ground with Natsu’s old, well-worn combat boots. “Wanna go get our nails done later?” she asked, holding out her hand for inspection. Her black polish was chipping, and when Natsu looked at his own fingers, the sparkly blue was also peeling away.

“Tomorrow?” he suggested. “Uncle Gray’s taking me on a fancy date tonight for our anniversary.” He bumped her with his hip, then added, “probably gonna be lots of kissing.”

Sylvie batted him away, making a face. “You guys are so gross.”

Natsu laughed, poking her and dodging out of the way of retaliation before skipping backward down the hill. “In fact,” he said, sticking his tongue out at her, “I think I’m gonna go kiss him right now, just for good measure.”

The eye roll that Sylvie gave him was spectacular.

“Hey, Snowflake,” Natsu said, slipping up next to Gray and kissing his cheek. “How’s it goin’?”

“Good,” Gray said softly, wrapping his arm around Natsu’s waist.

Natsu was quiet for a moment, looking down at the headstones. It hit him, suddenly, that he didn’t know where his mom was buried.

Did it matter, though? She was nothing more than a stranger who loved drugs more than him.

“You ready?” Gray asked, turning and kissing Natsu on the nose. Natsu could hear Sylvie groaning in embarrassment behind Gray, and the familiarity of the moment pulled him away from his thoughts.

“Mhmm,” Natsu said, tucking his hand into Gray’s back pocket. “Let’s go celebrate.”

-----

“See, the problem with this date,” Natsu said as they stared out of their glass cabin at the river, nearly two hundred feet below them, “is that you’ll never be able to top it.”

Natsu leaned against Gray’s shoulder as he gazed down at the lights shining on the streets of Old Montréal. From the top of the giant ferris wheel, they could see for miles in every direction. The river wove beneath them, flashes of green and blue reflecting off its surface from the fireworks that exploded in the night sky.

Gray laughed, leaning his head against Natsu’s and slipping their fingers together. Natsu brought their joined hands up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the ring on Gray’s finger, sighing happily as their cabin moved higher up into the air.

“Happy anniversary,” Gray said softly.

“Mm,” Natsu replied, tipping his head up to catch Gray’s lips in a kiss. “Je t’aime.”

“Je t’aime aussi, mon coeur,” Gray murmured against Natsu’s lips, shifting until they were facing each other and he could run his fingers through Natsu’s hair. He pulled Natsu closer, deepening the kiss and enjoying the soft, contented sounds Natsu made.

“You think we’re gonna be up here long enough for me to get you undressed and dressed again?” Natsu teased, shivering as Gray’s fingers ran across the back of his neck.

“You’re incorrigible,” Gray said, rolling his eyes. Natsu slid his hand up Gray’s thigh, nudging Gray’s head back until he could kiss Gray’s neck.

“’s why you married me,” Natsu replied, breath hot against Gray’s skin. The fireworks continued behind them, lighting up the glass-walled cabin with brilliant shades of color. Gray sighed happily, running his fingers through Natsu’s hair.

“I married you,” Gray said softly, “because you’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’d be a wreck without you.”

Gray could feel Natsu’s smile against his skin. “You’re such a sap,” Natsu said, pulling back and gazing at Gray. He brought a hand up and brushed Gray’s hair out of his face, his eyes dark and much more serious than they were a moment ago.

“What?” Gray asked, frowning. Natsu smoothed his thumb over the wrinkle that appeared between Gray’s eyes, then kissed Gray’s nose.

“I just love you,” Natsu said. He took both of Gray’s hands in his, looking down at the scars that ran across his arms – both from the fire, and from himself. “I know I’ve been kind of out of it the past few days. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Gray said, shaking his head. “I know…” He hesitated. “I know you don’t like talking about it, but if you do wanna talk about your dad—”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Natsu said quietly. “You’re my family. You’re all I need.”

Gray sighed, running his thumb over Natsu’s cheek. “Natsu,” he said gently, but Natsu interrupted him with a kiss.

“Just...” Natsu trailed off, looking down at their joined hands. His voice turned very small and quiet as he said, “promise you won’t leave?”

There it was. That quiet, sad desperation that had been following Natsu ever since their run-in with Wendy. Gray could feel it like a tangible thing around Natsu, and it made his heart ache.

“I will never leave you,” Gray said, pressing their foreheads together and squeezing Natsu’s hands. “Never. That’s what this means, remember?” He ran his thumb over Natsu’s wedding ring, where the word always was engraved on the inside of the band. “Always and forever, okay?”

Natsu nodded, and Gray could see the tears he was trying to hold back. Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu, pulling him close as they both stared out the window and listened to each other's heartbeats.

“I’ll always be here,” Gray said gently. “No matter what, we always have each other.”

#fairy tail #ftlgbtales #ftlgbtfics #gratsu #natray #gray x natsu #gray fullbuster #natsu dragneel #sequel #new chapter #update #my fic

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splendidlyimperfect · 3 years

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Chapter Summary: Gray works through the aftermath of Lyon's trial, and gets a call he wasn't expecting. Natsu tries to explain to Noah what happened with his dad.

Chapters (15/?): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 Rating: Mature Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney, Sting Eucliffe, Freed Justine, Laxus Dreyar, Wendy Marvell, Chelia Blendy, Ultear Milkovich, Lyon Vastia, Lucy Heartfilia, Cana Alberona, Original Characters, Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aged-Up Character(s), Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Married Couple, Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Drug Addiction, Mental Health Issues, Foster Care, Family Issues, Grief/Mourning, Childhood Trauma, Bipolar Disorder, Adoption, Families of Choice, Nonbinary Character, Trans Character, Genderfluid Character, Forgiveness, Absent Parents, they're really in love but are sometimes dumb, Natsu is a stubborn shit Series: Part 15 of the only hope for me is you, Part 3 of if you jump i'll break your fall

-----

The rest of the trial was a blur, and before Gray knew it, they were back at home.

“Gray?” Natsu’s voice broke through the fog Gray’s mind. He looked up and realized he was still standing at the front door, shoes half-off, letter clutched in his hand. Natsu was in front of him with a concerned expression on his face.

“I’m sorry.” Gray’s voice was hoarse.

“For what?” Natsu reached out and took his hand, pulling him into the living room and maneuvering him down onto the couch. Then he sat beside Gray, one leg tucked under him, the other resting against Gray’s knee.

“I didn’t tell you.” Gray stared at the letter, at the smudged ink that was worn from years of dragging his fingers over the words.

Natsu shook his head and gripped Gray’s hand tighter. “It’s okay.”

“We said no more secrets.” It felt like he was watching the scene from across the room, and Gray hated it. It was too much like the days after he’d been shot, when he’d sat in the hospital bed and stared out the window at the flowers until his head hurt.

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“That’s not the same thing, Snowflake,” Natsu said gently. He reached out and took the letter from Gray’s hand and set it on the coffee table. Happy, who had been sleeping in the armchair, yawned and let out a sleepy meow before hopping down and stalking over to the couch. “Are you okay?” Natsu asked as Happy rubbed himself against Gray’s legs.

Gray thought about the question for a minute. His chest didn’t hurt anymore. He couldn’t stop thinking about the tears on Lyon’s cheeks, but he could breathe without it sticking in his throat.

“I think so.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, exhaustion hit Gray like a wave. He let out a heavy sigh and leaned into Natsu, who wrapped an arm around him and kissed his cheek.

“I’m so proud of you,” Natsu murmured. He tugged on Gray’s shoulder until they were both leaning back against the couch, with Gray’s head resting on Natsu’s chest. Gray could feel Natsu’s heartbeat, strong and steady through the thin fabric of his shirt. He felt like home.

“I was so scared,” Gray admitted. It still felt like his hands were shaking even though they were still.

“But you did it anyway.” Natsu hugged him tightly. “You’ve come so far, you’re so brave, and I love you so, so much.”

A lump formed in Gray’s throat, and he tried to swallow it, but it was quickly followed by a wave of tears that he couldn’t stop. Natsu made a comforting sound and ran his fingers up and down Gray’s arm.

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” Gray whispered, wiping at his eyes.

“I never know why I’m crying,” Natsu said, and Gray let out a wet laugh. He gave up on trying to hold it in and leaned into Natsu as he let the tears fall. As Natsu hugged him tightly, Gray tried to sort through the jumble of memories rushing through him. Some were with Lyon, both of them young and playing tag in the back yard. One was of his mother and her bright smile. Ur was there, too, sliding letters under Gray’s door when he was six and scared and refused to talk.

Most of the memories were of Natsu, though. His wild smile the first time they met, the way his hand fit perfectly in Gray’s when they snuck onto an abandoned boat and watched the stars. Him crying at the hospital in Gray’s arms after he tried to kill himself. The two of them curled up in Gray’s bed on Christmas, naked and flushed and smiling at each other like nothing else mattered. The way Natsu’s eyes never left Gray’s when he said his wedding vows. Natsu, lying in the hospital bed on a ventilator after nearly losing his life in a fire. Natsu in lace and lipstick, kissing Gray and trusting him with everything. The two of them sitting on the kitchen floor, laughing so hard they cried over a broken kitchen table.

“I love you,” Gray said softly, pressing his face into Natsu’s neck and wrapping an arm around his waist.

“I love you too,” Natsu said softly. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

Gray wasn’t sure he believed it, but he was willing to try.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the afternoon sunlight spill across the living room. Gray’s tears eventually subsided, leaving him exhausted but content.

“Do you think they’ll grant him parole?” Gray asked once the room was filled with the orange glow of sunset.

“I have no idea,” Natsu admitted. “Do you want them to?”

“Yeah,” Gray said. He was surprised by the certainty of his answer. “I think I want to see him.” He looked down at the bracelet on his wrist – the one that Lyon had given him when they were seventeen. “Even if he doesn’t get out. I want to talk to him.” He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out the photograph of him and Lyon that he’d shown Freed on the beach. “I miss him.”

“That makes sense,” Natsu said as he studied the photo. “The way he was looking at you, in the courthouse… he still loves you.”

“I know,” Gray said softly. “I love him, too.” He looked up at Natsu. “You don’t think that’s weird?”

“No weirder than anything else we’ve been through.”

Gray rolled his eyes and was about to reply when he was interrupted by a loud, plaintive meow.

“I think someone’s hungry,” Natsu said. He gestured to Happy, who had meandered toward the kitchen and was now pawing at his food dish. Gray laughed, sitting up and disentangling himself from Natsu’s embrace. Natsu stood and stretched, then leaned down to kiss Gray’s temple before heading to the kitchen to feed Happy.

Gray rubbed his shoulder, then dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His screen lit up with twelve texts, two missed calls – one from grand-papa and another from a number he didn’t recognize – and several emails from work. He yawned as he swiped to his messages. All of them were from friends and family, all variations on the same sentiment. We’re proud of you, we love you, you were so brave. Gray considered responding to them all, but the idea made his head hurt.

“We have a problem,” Natsu called from the kitchen. Gray frowned, pushing himself off the couch and walking over. “We don’t have food,” Natsu said solemnly from where he was standing with the refrigerator door open. “Only ingredients to make food.”

Gray rolled his eyes, laughing and pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Well, there’s obviously only one solution for that,” he said.

“Yep.” Natsu closed the fridge and reached out for Gray’s hand, pulling him close as he smiled. “Takeout it is.”

It wasn’t until two days later that Gray finally managed to reply to his messages. Natsu had gone to work, leaving Gray to a quiet apartment and a cat sleeping on his desk. The last number on his missed calls list was the unfamiliar one, and he considered not returning it before shaking his head and clicking on ‘call.’

“Good afternoon, this the Sunshine Health Recovery Center, Melissa speaking. How can I help you?” The woman’s voice was bright and cheerful.

Gray frowned. “Uh, hi… my name is Gray? I missed a call from someone there a few days ago, but I’m not sure who this is.”

“What’s your last name?”

“Dubois-Tremblay.”

“Let me put you on hold for a moment and I’ll figure out who called.”

The phone beeped and hold music began to play. Gray’s stomach twisted uncomfortably and he pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at the ‘end call’ button. Something didn’t feel right. He hesitated with his thumb over the button for a second, then shook his head and waited.

A minute or so later, Melissa returned. “It looks like one of our patients was trying to contact you,” she said cheerfully. “A Neelan Langdree – does that sound right?”

Gray froze. The words ‘Recovery Center’ finally registered in his brain, and he quickly put the pieces together. Natsu’s dad was calling him from rehab.

“Uh, yes,” Gray said quickly. “I know him. Did—is he still there?”

“He is! He’s just in an appointment right now so he’s not available, but I can let him know that you called if you’d like?”

“No,” Gray said quickly. “Please don’t.”

“Would you like me to block your number, sir?” Melissa’s bright tone turned serious. “If there’s a no-contact order in place I’m happy to—”

“No, that’s… it’s fine,” Gray interrupted. “He’s my husband’s dad, I know him, he’s just…” He rubbed his face, trying not to think of Neelan’s unfocused gaze as he drunkenly swung at Gray. “How long will he be there? Can I call back once I talk to my husband?”

“I can’t give out patient information over the phone,” Melissa said apologetically. “You can definitely call back, though! We also have visiting hours on the weekends – eleven to six on Saturdays and Sundays. Just make sure you call ahead of time to let us know you’re coming.”

Gray looked at the calendar. Tomorrow was Saturday. “What’s the address?” he asked before he could change his mind.

After he hung up the phone, Gray stared at the photo of him and Natsu on his desk. The heartbreak of their visit to Victoria was still fresh in his mind, and a protective anger spread through his chest when he thought of Natsu’s tears and disappointment. Part of him wanted to throw out the address and delete the call. Natsu didn’t need to deal with this pain all over again.

Then he thought back to their fight from a few weeks ago and the angry words they’d both said.

I don’t want you to keep me safe. I’m not a child.

Gray sighed. Then he flipped to his messages and started to write one to Natsu.

As soon as Natsu walked in the door of the shop on Friday afternoon, Noah jumped up from where he’d been sitting with Chewie and ran over, crashing into Natsu’s legs and hugging him tightly.

“’su!”

“Hey, bud,” Natsu said, crouching down and sighing happily when Noah wrapped his arms around his neck. His blond curls tickled Natsu’s cheek as he held on tightly, pressing his face into Natsu’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Noah pulled back and put both hands on either side of Natsu’s face, gazing at him seriously. “Sad?” he asked.

Natsu shook his head, laughing. “No, I’m not sad.” When Noah frowned at him, he held out one hand with his pinkie extended. “Super promise.” Noah accepted the gesture, then looked behind Natsu and tapped his forearm with a frown on his face.

“Uncle Gray’s not coming today,” Natsu explained. “He’s working.” Noah pouted and Natsu ruffled his hair, adding, “You’ll see him on Sunday at the picnic, remember?”

“H-how, how, how, how many?” Noah asked as he followed Natsu behind the counter to the back room. He shook both hands out in front of him as he walked.

“Two sleeps.”

Noah pouted. Before he could get upset, Natsu quickly set down his bag and sat on the pile of pillows, then reached out his arms. Noah immediately plopped down his lap, and Chewie joined them, leaning his head on Natsu’s knee.

“Where’s dad?” Natsu asked as Noah started to play with the leather bracelet on his wrist. Noah pointed to the back door and covered his left eye with one hand – his sign for Laxus.

“You dad?” Noah asked, looking up at Natsu.

Natsu sighed and rubbed his face. The only time he had seen Noah since they’d come back from Victoria was the day at the beach, and Noah had been too preoccupied with Bix to ask Natsu any questions about Neelan.

“He wasn’t…” Natsu hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain Neelan’s behavior to Noah. “He wasn’t nice.”

Mean? Noah signed. His eyes widened and Natsu quickly shook his head.

“My dad is sick,” he tried again. “It makes it hard for him to be a good dad. I didn’t feel happy seeing him, so Uncle Gray and I said goodbye and went home.”

“Bye?”

“Yeah.”

Noah frowned and tugged at the bracelet. “Dad gone,” he said.

“He’s not gone,” Natsu said, but Noah shook his head and gestured to the iPad sitting on a nearby cushion. He took it from Natsu and opened it to his photos, then clicked through several folders until he found the one he was looking for and pointed at one of the pictures.

“Dad gone,” he said again.

Natsu’s heart ached as he looked at the picture. It was of Noah’s biological dad, Dylan, and it reminded Natsu so much of the photo of himself and his own father that it hurt. In the picture, Dylan was sitting cross-legged on the ground with baby Noah in his arms and was making a face at him while Noah gave him a wide smile.

“Bye,” Noah said, waving at the picture. “You, you, you… dad bye?”

Natsu shifted and pulled his phone out of his pocket, then pulled up the picture of his dad holding him as a baby. “That’s me,” he said, pointing to the tiny infant in the photo.

“You?” Noah’s eyes widened. “’su?”

“Yep.” Natsu laughed as Noah stared at the picture.

You’re a small baby, Noah signed. Then he pointed at Neelan. “You dad?”

“Yep.” Natsu sighed. “I said goodbye to him, too.”

Same, Noah signed. You and me.

Natsu smiled sadly and pulled Noah closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “We have lots of other people who love us, though, right?”

Noah nodded, tapping his forearm for Gray, then signing dad and papa. Then he reached out and patted Chewie’s head, who panted happily. Natsu felt the ache in his chest recede a little as Noah kept naming other people – Laxus, Freed, Lucy, Sylvie, Bix. Natsu might not have had anyone when he was little, but Noah was surrounded with love, and Natsu was determined to make sure he never felt alone.

Natsu’s phone dinged and he glanced down at it as a text popped up on the screen.

Snowflake [15:27] Hey, can you give me a call when you have a chance? Je t’aime.

#fairy tail #gratsu #gray fullbuster #natsu dragneel #lyon vastia #fanfic #ft fanfic #the only hope for me is you #we are unbreakable #new chapter #update #my fic

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