#which probably surprises u considering how soft it still looks XD

[wispscribbles]

I want to say your style is soft and whimsical? If that's the word. Its a nice variation to a lot of the others I've seen. Sorry if my words are not wording. I love your style is just so fluffy and sweet between Ghost and Soap.

daww thank you! That's so sweet!! Drawing big buff military men has been a challenge for me, it's very different from my usual stuff - but it's fun to love a piece of media so much that it forces you to leave your creative comfort zone. I used to only draw animals when I started out, so that's definitely shaped my style into what it is. But Ghost and Soap deserve a little softness, as a treat, so it’s ok that my style is sorta mismatched with the source material

[lordxgrinnyxboy]

rewatching tgm, wifi being useless edition 2/?

every time i hear puppet!Dea say “when a story is raw and real” i see Mr. Gordon Ramsey memes, they just scroll across my vision and there’s nothing i can do to stop it u-u

ngl im kinda in love with Mojo Puppeteer

the foot shimmy during this scene, like right as Ursus gets up off the floor Gwyn/Mr. Maskell does this little ankle squirm. u-u

foreaaaaaaaaaarmmmmssssss

love how mr maskell doesn't emote w/his face while puppeteering but ms. brisson's just facially so into this performance and honestly so's ms. onitiri

also love all the different bits of ribbon and such puppet!Dea’s hair is made of. several different textures in there

kay but the way he makes the prince puppet kinda bounce in place as he sings “only those three words could ever free me from the curse” it just makes it look like the prince is kindof adorably excited about this

im just now realizing that one part of the puppet is supposed to be the prince’s mouth and not his chin or something.

Dea’s soft “oh” when their hands touch

foreaaaaaarmsssss

Gwynlit always looks so shook as they step back from each other after the aging up sequence like he’s full dear-in-headlights (i know it’s ‘deer’ in headlights but he is Dear to Me so)

and really so is Dea for a second there

oh god her look of alarm  changes to a smile the second Gwyn starts singing. i need a minute.

i love these two so much

the harmony will never not end my life why is it so powerful

idk what they put in this song but every single time my aroace self is like “shfjshfsj play this at my wedding” and then i have to be like “wait.”

Dea’s adorable and i hope she knows how adorable she is

im cry they’re so cute they’re so cute i love these two

Quake is on it about letting ppl know entertainment’s cancelled due to the king dying Quake is ready Quake loves her job so much

oh so  the barrels are just there for Dirry-Moir and Osric to have somewhere to sit while Ursus tells the story okay

wait how quick did dude just throw on his Clarence costume and climb in the coffin that was. super duper fast

he’s literally offscreen for 24 seconds and managed to

holy cats how does he do it

wait also mojo tho. mojo had to put on his priest costume

wait also Osric and Dirry-Moir had to put on their Lord attire

and they say movies are supposed to be magic

just continuing to absolutely love every character played by ms. obianyo

love how they just. have trombones. 10/10

i mean i guess the costume changes aren’t super complicated like throw on a robe and a wig but STILL within 24 seconds? i think it’s impressive

oh hey jojo-as-a-random-lord is also here

ohhhhh is that why Jojo’s costume is Like That then? to make it easier to switch characters real fast? but no actually???

the hats on the lords tho. we’ve got Fish Lord, Bunny Lord,,, maybe some kind of Bird or Chicken Lord...

so it’s a Pig’s Foot that killed Clarence and the name of the holy relic translates to like, “pig’s flower” ...thematic....dots.......

oop there’s Only a Clown

ngl i kinda love Archbishop Kupsak. a weird dude.

would love to know why Angelica thought she needed to ‘make a law’ regarding traitors being brought to justice. just curious about her thought-process. heck she could probably have her own musical.

WAIT MS OBIANYO PLAYS THE TROMBONE. SICK.

wait hey, hey. hey. petition for ms. obianyo to play a FATE.

oh god it’s my least favorite scene

skip? no...but? no u-u

jojo apologize to the trash clown

scene too stressful

genuinely have no thoughts, head completely empty

CART SCENE CART SCENE CART SCENE

is that a bowl and spoon on th-

separate post separate post gentlefolks of the jury i

jaw twitch

okay but Dea gets this Look when Gwyn asks Ursus “who did this to me” she looks a little Surprised

does not react however to “who carved me into this freak”

the hand flex as Gwyn walks away from Ursus after Ursus Won’t Let Him Talk

oh Osric you absolute delight

beauty and the beast ii destroys me every time gwyn’s just steadily wilting but trying to hold on but he can’t and Dea’s so supportive

would love to know what Ursus’ take on all this would’ve been if he hadn’t been involved. like would he still be hell-bent on not letting Gwyn remember or would he have been more chill about letting Gwyn make that decision for himself

like on the one hand i can see why Ursus would think that maybe Gwyn would be better off not remembering, but also making him forget clearly didn’t actually help him suffer any less, it just gave him a different kind of suffering. He’s wrung-out tormented and Ursus can’t/won’t help him because of the potential repercussions of Gwyn learning the truth. which do include some Worst Timeline options for how that could go but. also include a few Gwyn’s Able To Move On And Live Well, With Or Without Ursus options so.

idk i just feel like after a certain point of seeing how Gwyn’s basically falling apart over all this Ursus really should’ve considered having that difficult Discussion bc that boy was Not getting better on Ursus’ Plan A

also the whole dismissively invalidating ur kid’s struggle is not a good look Ursus

i love him and absolutely believe he is definitely Trying His Best but he’s #Problematic_Dad for sure

that bit where Ursus notices Josiana as if for the first time and does that little bow to her oh my goodness XD

also him just trying so hard to keep it together in the lead-up to Born Broken. debating whether Ursus sticking his head through the curtain is the funniest part of this show. probably not but it’s real close

Dea’s so pretty and i love her outfit u-u

and her blue makeup

and her lovely lovely eyes like wow she’s Perfect

this girl is in her element and im fully convinced that in the version of events where Gwyn and Dea stay on as Lord and Lady Dea does some addressing of parliament or whatever, has speaking engagements, she’s all kinds of involved.

there’s tears in Ursus’ eyes during this bit and i don’t agree w/him but i do feel bad for him. he does want to do right by these kids but he’s just...it’s not working out for him because he can’t have it both ways.

i mean genuinely tho Ursus is so desperate to forget/bury/escape/move on from the past but in adopting Gwyn and trying to be a family and a fresh start for him...that shut down any chance of that actually happening.

no but fr Ursus’ face when Dea says “it doesn’t keep us safe, Father, it turns us against you” which is like. probably the exact thing he’s afraid of happening if they ever learn the truth.

*strums lyre* it’s a sad tale, it’s a tragedy!

Musical Ursus is fully a good dude who did one Stupid Thing and spent the rest of his life trying to control the damage only to make it Worse and then he died and i’m so! 😭

at the end of the second 30minutes but im keep going

Dea and Gwyn are holding hands so intently im feeling feelings about

harmonyyyyyyyy

ngl though i wonder if given Ursus’ “dear god, you pick your moments” and “who did what to you” if maybe this is something that’s just been festering and hasn’t been verbally brought up until the show’s events

“What do you want?! BLOOD?!” i mean u did script him as saying he wants to kill a man

“I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know” i mean technically that’s true bc technically Gwyn does know, he just doesn’t remember, which is pretty much the same as not knowing but ayyyyyyyyyy

would love to know what Ursus thought was coming when Gwyn said “I can only tell them what I know I am” like

wait no but “I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know” being followed by “I can only tell them what I know I am” idk how to say but oh heck oh heck oh heck heck oh no.

but yeah Ursus’ little glances at Gwyn and then the Turn as Gwyn starts to sing. i just wonder what Ursus is thinking just then

ohhhhhhhhh wait a minute now. stars stripped from the sky. the play on the lyrics from within Ursus’ show. the conversation they just had. is Freak Show (partially?) a vaguepost at Ursus 👀

no but the Wiggle before that next to last “watch me smile” tho

needs the backbend 🍹

hello Puppet Helmet Thing. i’ve developed a fondness for you, you unexplained and kind of weird yet near-infinitely interpretable element of the show.

and cutting here for length uwu

[nebulous-frog]

That’s the Plan

Summary: “Do you think you and Phil will be best friends forever?”

“That’s the plan”

Word Count: 1376

Genre: Fluffiest fluff, some introspection

Warnings: Food mentions

Author’s Note: I’m a teensy bit late whoops but June 2nd, 2019 was apparently the 10th anniversary of Phil first replying to Dan and so I thought “what if this is the day they recognize as their friendiversary” and here we are 

Link to AO3 Fics Masterlist

2010

For the first anniversary of the day Phil replied to Dan, they were in Portugal on holiday.

It was their last day before they had to leave and each go home. It had been a busy and exciting trip spent in close company with Phil and he so wished they could stay together like that forever, but he also was looking forward to having nothing to do. As fun as the trip had been, Dan was reaching the end of his energy from all the activity they’d done.

But, as it was their last day there, they decided to make the most of it. They toured the city, taking pictures all the while. Neither of them wanted to post the pictures anywhere; these photographs would be a sacred vault of memories of their time together. In these pictures, they could be as affectionate as they wanted. They usually weren’t too concerned anyway, only refraining from blatant PDA in what the put online, but it felt good to be so carefree.

That night, they went to a restaurant with outdoor seating and a lovely view of the city. They couldn’t afford anything too nice after what they’d spent on the trip itself, but it was warm and comfortable and perfect.

They exchanged sappy words about how glad they were to know each other and how excited they were for the future. Later, neither would remember exactly what was said, the words escaping into the warm night air and leaving behind only the impression of giddy love, and that was plenty enough for them.

 2014

By their fifth anniversary, they had lived together for three years. Their careers were taking off, exciting ideas were swirling in their minds and the quiet space of their flat in London.

Dan woke up that morning to find himself alone in bed, an unusual occurrence given Phil’s adoration for morning cuddles. He glared at the cold sheets as though they had something to do with Phil’s absence. When that didn’t magically make Phil appear, Dan sighed in annoyance and rolled over to find his phone on the bedside table. He pulled up Phil’s name on his phone and sent him a text.

Where r u I want cuddles

Not long later, Phil’s reply came in.

XD guess you’ll have to come to the north for that

Dan’s brow furrowed. The north? Phil hadn’t mentioned visiting his parents recently.

What are you on about

While he waited for a response, Dan looked around the room. It didn’t seem like Phil had packed a bag and left while Dan was asleep. His eyes kept scanning and finally settled on a piece of notebook paper taped to the door. It appeared to be a sign and read “Wokingham”.

Lol you’re in wokingham, im very far away? Did you somehow forget?

You’re a dork

With a groan, Dan rolled out of bed and opened the door. On the floor was a cardboard box, open so Dan could see the carpet. At least, some of the carpet. Most of the floor of the hallway was lined with more cardboard. All along the cardboard, Phil seemed to have drawn lines that Dan had to imagine were supposed to be train tracks. The side of the box read “Train: Reading to Manchester”.

Dan fondly rolled his eyes before leaning forward out of the doorway to see what other surprises waited down the hall. An incoming text interrupted his inspection. He glanced down at his phone.

(Step in the box and walk down the hallway to find me)

Dan sighed dramatically. Down the hall, he called, “You’re ridiculous, you know that?” When he got no answer, he sighed again but did as he was told. The box was tall enough that he had to hold it up around himself by the edges, which wasn’t a very comfortable handhold, but he resigned himself to it anyway as he shuffled down the hall.

For a fleeting moment, he considered how ridiculous he probably looked and the fact that Phil wouldn’t even see whether he wore the box or not. It was exactly what he needed: another reminder of the fact that Phil could ask him to do anything and he would agree in a heartbeat.

At the end of the hallway was the lounge, or rather “Manchester”, given the sign on the door. Dan set the box down and flexed his fingers for a moment before pushing the door to “Manchester” open.

Phil had converted the lounge to a mockery of his first apartment. The sofa was still against the wall but now had Phil’s duvet and pillow resting on it like a made-up bed, a single small table next to it. He had rearranged the furniture so everything felt smaller and more cramped together, blocking off an entire wall with stacked-up furniture. On the coffee table (since their dining table had been sacrificed for the sake of the set) was a stack of fluffy pancakes, a Starbucks coffee, and a rather large bouquet of flowers. Origin of Symmetry was playing quietly in the background.

Sat on the floor next to the coffee table was Phil, hair pushed back and still in his pyjamas.

“Surprise!” he giggled. “Happy friendiversary!”

Dan grinned. “You’re such a nerd.”

“A nerd you stalked and harassed for months,” Phil reminded him teasingly.

“Yeah, well, you’re the one who replied to a stalker so…” Dan trailed off, raising his hands as if to say so there you go.

“Just sit down and eat your pancakes, Howell.”

Dan complied and they ate quietly for a while until he spoke up again.

“Thank you for this, Phil,” he began. “It’s cheesy as hell, of course, but it’s really sweet of you.”

Phil smirked. “As if cheesy romantic gestures bother you.”

“Oi, shut it,” Dan warned, though it lost its effectiveness when he giggled. “Somehow, I think I kinda like you.”

“Wow, Dan, thanks for that,” Phil deadpanned.

“Okay, okay! I love you. Like, a lot. And I’m really glad you decided to talk to me.” He tried to keep his tone just a tad snarky, wanting to stay away from too much of a true display of emotion, but the soft smile that grew on his lips gave him away.

Phil leaned in over the table. “I love you, too,” he whispered. He kissed Dan gently, pulling back after only a brief moment.

Dan whined and reached forward to grab the front of Phil’s pyjama shirt and pull him back in. Phil let him, laughing into the kiss.

When they came up for air a while later, Dan breathed, “Happy friendiversary, Phil,” before diving back in for more.

 2019

Their tenth anniversary was special only in that they both took the day off. They’d had an exciting night just before, having seen Muse live for the fifth time. They’d used their anniversary as an excuse, but really they both knew what they wanted for their anniversary this year: peace and quiet together.

The day began slowly with cozy cuddles. Closeness had always been important to them, amplified by the difficulty they’d had finding a time and space to be close on tour. Even though the tour had been over for so many months, they still remembered all too well how separate they had to be in that time. They were no longer making up for lost time, but they couldn’t seem to kick the habit of clinging to each other any chance they got.

They finally got out of bed when they got too hungry to ignore their rumbling stomachs any longer. In the kitchen, they moved in perfect synchronization with the muscle memory of years of such a routine. They sat on the sofa watching their current anime, Dan resting his head on Phil’s shoulder when he finished eating.

Ten years on and anniversaries didn’t mean the same thing anymore. They were still important and still meant a lot, but not in the same way. Now, staying together for more years didn’t seem like a surprising accomplishment but rather a promising, stable future. Anniversaries like this, then, didn’t need grand gestures, cheesy celebrations (although Dan did still love those), or even words. All they needed was each other.

[badstoriesaboutgoodpeople]

Amnesia

AN: Hey! This is the first fanfic I’ve written in years, so please be nice to me lol. It’s based on the song Amnesia by 5sos, basically I wrote about Tyler breaking up with his girlfriend to move to Dallas, and of course I also wrote their eventual reunion. It’s really cheesy and I kinda hate it, but that’s ok. I hope you guys enjoy it because I read a lot of fanfics and I know how frustrating it is to read poorly written/boring work. Also I know I said this was going up on the 8th but I didn’t really want to wait because I have my Jujhar Khaira fic to post, I just posted something about PLD on my ao3, I’m in the middle of writing another fic about Tyler, and I have fics planned for draisaitl and mcdavid.

Warnings: none really, it’s sad for a bit but then it’s fluffy

You got home from work to find Tyler sitting on your couch, which wasn't an uncommon sight. You'd given him a key to your apartment when you'd moved in, and he'd often come over to watch movies after a game, or come help you make dinner when he had nothing better to do. You’d been dating for a few years, you got together before his NHL debut. What was uncommon about seeing him sitting there were the tears on his face.

"Tyler, what's wrong?" you asked, placing your purse on the ground and kicking off your heels before walking over to sit next to him on the couch. He didn't respond, he merely buried his face in your neck and continued crying.

"Ty, hun, tell me what has you so upset."

"I'm leaving."

"What do you mean you're leaving Ty, what's going on?"

"I got traded Y/N, I'm moving to Dallas."You sat there stunned, not knowing how to respond. You felt your eyes water at the thought of being without him, but you knew you couldn't let yourself be upset right now, Ty needed you to be strong. You feel his arms squeeze you tighter, and you were forced back to reality.

"What are we gonna do Y/N, you just got a promotion, you can't leave."

"We can try to make it work Ty..... we can Skype every night?" you offered, knowing this wasn't a solution, but not wanting to think about the reality of what would likely end up happening to your relationship.

"Y/N..... you know how busy I'll be, there's no way we would be able to make that work," Ty said while sniffling.

"I know, I just can't imagine being without you Ty. I'm happy for you though, maybe a fresh start will be good for you. You're a great player, Dallas is lucky to have you."

You spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, fearing what would happen once you let go.

Three Years Later

You were driving home from work one day, and you passed the restaurant Tyler and you used to frequent after he'd won a game, remembering the nights you spent there together with the rest of his team celebrating.

I thought about our last kiss, how it felt, the way you tasted

You thought back to the last time you kissed Tyler, in the airport before his flight to Dallas. He tasted like his favourite peppermint gum, and his lips felt soft and familiar against yours. You had agreed to break up before he left and he got a girlfriend shortly after his arrival, so the few times you'd been able to make it to Dallas to visit him, you weren't able to kiss him, and it's something you missed dearly.

Even though your friends tell me you're doing fine, are you somewhere feeling lonely when though she's right beside you?

You had made friends with some of Tyler's teammates the few times you'd travelled to Dallas, and you made a point to text Jaime regularly to make sure Tyler was doing alright. You still talk to Ty, but knowing him he won't tell you if anything is wrong. You still wonder if he's hiding something, but you have to tell myself there's nothing else you can do.

If what we had was real, how could you be fine? 'Cause I'm not fine at all

You haven't been able to find a date since Tyler left, knowing nobody would be able to fill the void that Ty left. It wouldn't be fair to date someone when you’re still pining after your first love who now lives almost 2,000 miles away. You tried dating apps and even blind dates set up by your friends, but they all fell short compared to what you'd had with Ty. You still wonder how he managed to find someone just months after moving to Dallas, how he was able to get over the years you had together so quickly.

I wish that I could wake up with amnesia, and forget about the stupid little things, like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you.

The first few months of sleeping alone had been torture. You'd become so used to falling asleep next to him that you found it impossible to sleep without him. No amount of pillows could replicate the feeling of him next to you, snoring quietly and occasionally mumbling in his sleep. You would often lay awake at night wondering what your life would be like if you had fought harder to keep him with you. You think about what would've happened if you'd quit your job and moved to Dallas with him. Truthfully you still do think about it, when you can't sleep or when you sit alone at my desk at work eating lunch.

October

One day your boss called you into his office, with a proposal. He told you they're planning on opening a new location in the south, and that they'd love to have you there working for them. You swore you misheard him because it sounded like he just said it will be in Dallas. You immediately took the offer, willing to take any opportunity you had to get closer to Tyler after three years without him in your life. You pulled out your phone to text Jaime once you returned to your desk.

Y/N: hey uh weird question but do u know if ty is single rn?

J: he's painfully single, he complains about it every chance he gets

Y/N: on a scale from 1-10 how happy do u think he'd be if he found out I'm moving to dallas for work

J: probably a 10 tbh, he misses you more than he'd like to admit

Y/N: I'm planning on surprising him will u help me? make sure he doesn't find out I'm moving!!

J: will do, look forward to seeing ur stupid face again

You also texted Ty, and begin laying the foundation for your surprise.

Y/N: hey ty, i know i said id try to make it to dallas for ur bday but I'm getting really busy at work rn :( my boss says it doesn't look like ill be able to get time off until march. i promise ill come down then, I'm really sorry i won't be there for ur bday

T:Hey! No worries Y/N, I understand. I look forward to seeing you in march :)

January 28th

You arrived in Dallas two weeks ago, and avoiding Ty had been pure agony. You met up with Jaime and a few of the other guys for dinner, getting all the updates on their lives and Tyler's. You found out he has three dogs now, and you must say you're not surprised. Tyler and you were going to adopt a puppy but then he got traded, and you knew it was only a matter of time before he finally got one. You decide to text him to put the finishing touches on your surprise.

Y/N: hey stranger!! I sent u a bday gift, it should hopefully arrive sometime soon :D

T: aw thx, you know you didn't have to get me anything

Y/N: hey, i had to make up for missing ur bday somehow. I hope you like it!

T: ill love anything you picked out for me :)

Y/N: oh shut up XD

You decided his "gift" is going to arrive on the 30th, considering you wanted to be with him on his birthday, plus you didn't know how much longer you could wait to see him. You texted Jaime and tell him to make sure Tyler doesn't have any plans that day, and you went to  buy some balloons. You bought some green and white ones for Dallas, and some yellow and black just for good measure. You squished them in my car and drive back to your apartment buzzing with excitement.

January 30th

You woke up an hour before your alarm was set, unable to contain your excitement. It was only 8AM, but you decided to text Tyler to let him know his "gift" would be arriving soon.

Y/N:hey ty, just checked the tracking and it says ur gift should arrive this afternoon

T:ooooh any hints?

Y/N:no!! be paaaaaaatient

T: but that's no fun :(

You smiled as you set your phone down and began to get ready. As 1PM rolled around you could hardly contain your excitement anymore. You still felt a slight bit of anxiety, worrying Tyler won't be as happy to see you as you were hoping he'd be. You heard your phone buzz, and see a text from Jaime.

J: hurry up and go take back your bf, if i have to hear him bitch about being lonely one more time i s2g ill scoop my own brain out w a spoon

Y/N:stop being so dramatic I'm just about to leave

You gathered the balloons and the gift bag containing some snacks from back home in Boston, a card from all his friends, and a nice watch you'd picked out for him. You glanced at yourself in the mirror and took a deep breath as you walked out the door of your apartment.

You soon find yourself in his driveway, and you could barely contain yourself as you got the balloons out. You slowly walked up to the door, unable to believe what you were about to do. You knocked loudly, and heard a dog begin to bark.

You heard a familiar voice shout, "Gerry! Be quiet! It's just the mailman for god's sake," and hear footsteps approaching.

You felt a huge smile form on your face as Tyler opened the door and was greeted with a face all of balloons.

"Surprise!" you yelled, feeling what you assume was Gerry jumping all over you.

".......Y/N? What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't get time off?" Tyler said in disbelief, and you felt two strong arms wrap around your shoulders and squeeze you tight.

"That may have been a lie...." you said sheepishly, handing him the balloons and gift bag. He looked so much different than the scrawny boy that left Boston, now sporting a full beard and tattooed arms. You took a moment to savour being around him again, before he ushered you inside.

"So how are you? I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever?" you asked, sitting down on a large couch in his well decorated family room.

"You literally texted me this morning," he replied, sitting beside you while the other two dogs attempted to climb over him to come say hi.

"Don't be a smartass, you know what I mean. We haven't had a proper conversation since before the season started."

"Things have been great. I love it here, the weather is so much better than Boston. The guys here are awesome, the chemistry we have as a team is amazing. I still miss home though, those guys will always be my family. I miss you too, you know. I tried to replace you but I just couldn't. Hell, I bought three dogs and even that didn't work. You're clearly pretty special Y/N, if even three cute labs can't replace you," said Tyler, with a hint of sadness in his eyes. It hit you then that you had to tell him you weren’t leaving, that you could finally be together again.

"Hey, you gotta open your present, I traveled a long way to deliver it personally," you joked, handing him the gift bag. You watched his eyes light up as he saw the snacks, and a large smile form when he read what his former teammates wrote for him. You told him you can return the watch if he doesn't like it, but he insisted he loves it. You laid on the couch for a bit, and you could tell he wanted to get closer to you but won't.

After a while he asked, "Hey Y/N, how long are you in town for?"

"Well I was gonna wait to give you the last bit of your surprise but since you asked I guess I can tell you. I moved here, Ty. I've been here for two weeks. The company is opening a location here and they wanted me to come work here. Once they told me it was in Dallas I couldn't resist."

You watched a look of realization develop on his face, and the next thing you knew his lips were against yours. They were just as soft as you remembered them, and he still tasted like peppermint. Without saying a word you felt him pick you up.

"Tyler what are you doing?!" I shriek as he begins walking somewhere.

"Making up for the three years I spent without you," he explains as he carried you down the hall towards his bedroom.

[getyouraoion]

Another drabble for @riseofthephoenixfallofdestiny who needs all the smiles and deserves every one of them. <3 And requested I write this one- though neither of us had any idea how long it’d be XD It was so much fun, tho! owo

~Aster and Aoi have been dating for well over a year now, even moving in together shortly after her graduation. He’s even starting to open up some, which thrills the charmer duelist... But it also opens up the possibility for all kinds of nasty surprises, including one with ties to Aster’s past.

Warnings for kidnapping and death mentions.

Part 1 of 2.

“It's a party in Domino to celebrate the new season.”

“...Pros have seasons?”

“Even we need breaks, Aoi. Come with me?”

In hindsight, she probably should've said no.

For the billionth time, Aoi fluffed her bangs, much to her boyfriend's amusement beside her. “You hush. I've never been in t' a party like this before,” she argued upon catching a glimpse of his grin from the corner of her eye. Honestly, she'd have yanked on his tie and dragged him home an hour ago... If not for the fact he enjoyed it when she took control and they'd likely end up vanishing to a side room for reasons other than leaving. “I don't want t' embarrass you, you know that.”

Aster simply shrugged, though his grin grew wider with the movement. “Aoi, dear, you could never embarrass me. You could stop fluffing your hair like a preening bird-”

“And you could remember I know how y' love your tie pulled.”

His cheeks flushed a pale shade of red, drawing a grin to her lips. If there was one way to counter Aster's horrible teasing, it was to remind him she knew his weaknesses, and how willing she was to use them against him. Maybe not in public, but it was enough, the pro lifting a fist to his lips to cover a cough. “All right, I'll concede this round to you. I wouldn't get used to it, you know-”

Grin fading into a soft smile, she leaned over and rocked onto her toes, a delicate hand laying itself on his chest seconds before their lips connected for but a second. Like always, the tender kiss sent a shiver down her spine, only amplified with knowing that for the first time, he'd been dropping his guard in public and letting the world – or at least those at the party – know the great Aster Phoenix was a man off the dating 'market'. And to have his hands automatically migrate to her waist, hold gentle and full of affection, added a second shudder and a smile to his own lips.

“I won't get used to winning,” she whispered, sliding her hand up to cup his cheek, “but I'll always love the 'war'. After all, I love you- how could I not love the battles we share?”

He chuckled, the sound full of fondness and amusement, and pecked in another kiss to the tip of her nose. “I'll remind you of that the next time you complain about my smirk.”

“You smirked 'cause I almost lost Hiita.”

“Again. I should tape your deck to your hands.”

Aoi huffed, pulling back from his hold, though her smile never faded. Was it her fault the wind loved to snatch her fire charmer from her hands whenever it got? Granted, it had been how they'd met and- “You know, I just thought of th' irony? We have a pretty heated relationship, yeah?”

“Your temper is part of it-”

“And so is how y' act in bed.”

The tease forced his parted lips back together, blue eyes flashing with a mixture of a promise to get her back for it, and a reminder that he held enough of her secrets to thoroughly embarrass her if she continued on that particular topic. “But think about it. Which charmer did y' catch three years ago?”

“Hii-” Aster paused, then laughed, remembering the wind carrying the card to him outside of Duel Academy's front doors. Back then, he'd been posing as a new student, there under Sartorious's orders – though he'd never expected it to bring him the raven before him. “I'll give you that, too. A glimpse of destiny perhaps?”

She laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Mhm- Maybe Hiita knows us better than we do... Though that I won't push. Jay can see spirits, an' if one of us starts I'm blaming him.”

“Agreed.” Both pro and raven let a brief frown pull at their lips; neither could stand the distance that kept them from their friend, least of all Aoi. Along with Aster and their mutual friends Chazz and Whisper, Jaden had been her closest friend since she'd arrived at the academy four and a half years prior. Though she talked to him on a nearly daily basis, be it by letters, phone calls, or emails, she still missed her 'pup'  immensely.

Taking note of her switch in mood, Aster brushed his fingers over her cheek, the gentle touch bringing back her smile. “Would you like a drink, dear? The refreshments table is clear- I may not get swamped by fans this time.”

She couldn't help but giggle; the moment they'd arrived, they'd nearly been tackled into the mud caused by the day's earlier rains, nearly everyone who didn't see him on a regular basis and fans new to the pro circuit determined to get an autograph... Or a touch, despite him announcing he was there with a date. “If you d' get swamped again, just yell 'hey look over there' and take off. Always work f' me.”

“And that is why you're here,” he joked, taking her hand long enough to kiss her knuckles. “I'll return shortly. Don't stray far.”

“I couldn't stray at all. You'd be lost without me.” But the tease fell on deaf ears, the silver-haired pro out of earshot before the words even left her lips. The moment he was out of sight, she fluffed her bangs again; why had she agreed to this? Being beside Aster always made her feel safe – she knew nothing could hurt her so long as he was there, something he'd proven rather often in the years since they'd met. Like Jaden, he'd protected her from Sartorious, Yubel, and all manner of nasty opponents, as well as teachers determined to see her either fail or end up in detention for years past her graduation date. Having her boyfriend nearby was a definite source of comfort.

But being alone in a party for the pro circuit, especially one as packed with people as this, was nerve-wracking. Ignoring the fact she was working at a ranking in the rookie leagues and spent just as much time making clothing for Chazz and Aster, and thus would never be on the same level as those in attendance, she was incredibly aware that her relationship left a target on her back. Aster still had enemies, even without The D and Sartorious in the picture, and even she knew they'd do anything it took to get at him – she didn't need to be a genius to figure it out. So long as he was a world-famous pro with the incredible skills to match, anyone close to him would be something to be used. Still, she wasn't too worried; he wasn't that far away, and she doubted anyone would try anything, squirming out of the people crowding around for a distant glimpse of her lover in favor or checking out a large, leafy houseplant. Unlike the rest of the crowd, she knew exactly how his backside looked in those pants; she'd made them for him, and spent more than enough time staring at it herself – especially when he seemed to realize she loved how good he looked in them and took to wandering about shirtless for much of the morning. Those were the time she both loved and hated moving in with him a month earlier, fingertips trailing over an oversized leaf. Maybe he'd know what kind of plant this was? A corcus? Ficus? No, those were trees, weren't they? Maybe a bush... Bluebe- Nah, that made no sense-

She'd barely had time to think of the word 'avocado' before someone had their arm around her waist, pressing a rag against her nose and mouth. Behind her, various chatter and 'Ooh' and 'ahh's rose from the crowd, likely a product of Aster sharing the results of his last duel.. Or was it the last time he'd gone snowboarding? Whatever it was, it was enough to drown out her muffled screams, trying to ignore the sweet smell from the rag and attempts to elbow the form dragging her to the corner. Why wasn't anyone looking?

Slowly, the world around her started to spin, her attempts to fight missing more than they connected. The wind hit her skin before she could even realize they were on the back patio... And within minutes, she could barely keep her eyes open, fighting the urge to sleep until it claimed her.

“You just don't know how to wake up, do you?”

A soft groan worked its way free, Aoi wriggling a bit to try and get comfortable. A comfortable that ended with a shove of her head to the side, drawing her attention to the dull headache throbbing in her skull; when had that happened? And why wasn't Aster waking her like he normally did, with a gentle nudge and a combination of a kiss and a tease, lest she be late for breakfast?

Because the one waking her wasn't Aster, she realized, slowly blinking green-blue eyes open to meet vibrant emerald green rather than the wonderful blue of her boyfriend. Whoever this was, just being close to him left her stomach in a knot and her shell rising nearly immediately, the raven trying to squirm backwards into the wall she'd been propped against. “Where's Aster?”

“Clueless.” The man before her chuckled, rocking back onto his heels and standing to his full height. Even having him out of her face didn't help the knot in her stomach; what did he mean by clueless? “And you're my ticket to getting back at him. Consider yourself lucky – As long as you're useful to me, I can't just kill you.”

Kill? That was one word that made the knot sink into her gut; she'd effectively 'died' once, back when they'd been battling Yubel, and had no intention of finding out what a real, permanent death felt like! “I'm not u-useful to you-” Aoi paused, swallowing hard to rid herself of the waver in her voice. If she wasn't useful, though, did that mean she'd be forfeiting her life? And if she did, would it keep Aster safe? “I'm not useful, and I won't let you at him. I'd sooner let you kill me.”

“Brave words.” He canted his head to the side, slipping his hands into his pockets as he stared down at her. “But I don't need you to grab him. I need you to completely shatter him. After all, he destroyed my mentor... And in D's name I'll destroy him, starting with the one he holds closest to him!”

“The D was a jerk,” she answered automatically, patting down her dress for any signs of tears and damage. When she found none and her deck still in the case strapped to her thigh under the skirt, she heaved a sigh of relief; he'd taken her, but done nothing else. That was enough to turn her attention to the threat at hand: A man who had ties to one she'd only heard about in brief stories, Aster's former legal guardian not someone she wanted to press him on.

Slowly, she eased herself up and off the floor, knees shaking with the effort and head throbbing in protest. Whatever he'd drugged her with had left her feeling oddly heavy and still tired, though the need to protect both herself and a man who'd claimed her heart was something that won out over it all, even if she was nauseous in the midst of adrenaline-fueled bravery. “He was a sick jerk who hurt Aster and tried t' cover it up by taking him in- That' n' mentor, that's a sick, twisted monster! An' y' think I'm gonna hand y' Aster s' you can 'honor' th' guy's memory? Sorry, buddy, you picked the wrong girl to mess with.”

The man shrugged nonchalantly, alerting her to the fact he blocked her escape – she'd literally been dumped into a corner, and the only way out of it was past him. “I don't care what you think, kid. And I don't need you to 'hand' me anything. But I'll give you this much, if you're so eager to play the hero-”

“I'm not. I'm protecting someone who means everything t' me. But since your mentor was a criminal and you're clearly followin' in his footsteps, I shouldn't expect y' to understand.”

“Sassy. I can see why he likes you. Too bad I don't care.”

That one actually stung, her gaze moving past him at the pair of duel disks on a table across the spacious room. “...A duel?”

“Mm. You must duel, if he likes you. I'll give you this, then: We duel. If you win, I'll let you go free. Simple as that.”

“...Doesn't sound simple. And if I lose?”

“You stay.”

“Still doesn't sound simple. What's th' catch?”

He stepped aside then, unblocking the rest of the table from her line of sight. The collars sitting beside the disks made her shudder; it was hard not to recognize the shock equipment Zane had gotten addicted to and even demonstrated for them in a match against Syrus. “You wear that. Win or lose, you're not leaving here.”

A part of her wanted to chirp she'd just not take damage then, but even she knew that was impossible. She was no pro; taking no damage for the entirety of a duel was something any of her friends could do, but not her charmers – No matter what she did, an attack on her would be inevitable. But at least she had the advantage of being a healthy teen... Her body could take a little shock, right? “...Fine. But if I win you turn yourself in f' this and never bother Aster again.”

“Deal, kid. Now pick your disk and duel.”

Aster Phoenix was livid.

Or at least, livid was the word whispered around the party, the wide berth around him ensuring nobody else got caught up in his search for his missing girlfriend. He'd not seen hide nor hair of her in over an hour, not since he'd left to get them drinks from a refreshment table.. That had oddly been out of of refreshments.

At the time, he'd thought nothing of it and entertained the growing crowd around him with stories of his latest conquests, ignoring any questions he got about his private life, per the norm. What he did at home was his own business, though he had rather happily talked about his suit for several minutes when requested to – he wasn't about to squash Aoi's chances at getting clients for her clothing line by keeping her talents to himself. There being no punch was odd, but otherwise, things had progressed the way they always had.

Until he'd returned to the plant he'd left her at, that was, finding nothing but... Well, plant. A bit of questioning told him she wasn't in the bathroom, nor had she gone outside... And it was then the glasses had dropped from his hands, shattering on the polished marble floor. If there was one thing he knew about Aoi, it was that she wouldn't just up and leave him alone without a word.

His hands balled up into fists at his sides, short cut nails digging into his palms until he was sure they were cutting through layers of skin. She wouldn't willingly leave him, so how had she vanished? He'd explored nearly every inch of the parts of the mansion guests were allowed to roam, forced back by security when he'd hit those limits. If they wouldn't let him thorough, there was no way they'd have let a stubborn five-foot-three woman through, either; he didn't have to worry about her being elsewhere in the massive building.

He couldn't stand to lose her.

The sudden thought cut through his rage for a brief moment of clarity; had he gotten so dependent on having someone beside him that he'd let himself get so attached? The thought of going back to living alone made him nauseous- at one time, he'd even preferred it over the loud bustle of having anyone aside from his assistant in his home. These days, he'd found himself rather enjoying having someone to share his days with, one hand uncurling from its fist so he could run the pads of his fingers along a seam in his suit's jacket. Someone who owned his heart, made him want to come home and actually relax even on the slowest days.

A sharp, repeating beep cut through the air, drawing his gaze to the screen against a nearby wall. The party's host hastily pressed a few buttons – he'd recognize the small man anywhere – and within seconds, the image had changed from a seasonable pumpkin display... To a smirking man. Well, he could safely say he'd not expected it to be a viewscreen.

“Aster Phoenix is still in attendance, yes?”

Normally, he'd have replied with a snarky comment, nudging through the crowd to put himself up front, within clear view, but this was an occasion he simply couldn't get out much more than a glare. Thankfully, that seemed to be more than enough, the man on the screen chuckling at the sight of him. “There you are. And you look so very happy – Did you find her missing?”

The question set his blood boiling; had he been where she'd gone? “Where is she?”

“Safe, for the moment.”

He hated those words.

And Aoi hated pinching collars.

Her captor turned the screen, her own glared pinned first on it, then the man while she tugged at the shock collar fitted to her neck. It was her own fault for agreeing to it, she supposed, giving the metal another sharp yank, watching the man put on his own. “You didn't actually call Aster, did y'?”

“Aoi!”

He had, Aster's voice coming from the relatively small screen easing her fears some and ceasing her tugging. Without a thought to what her captor could do, she darted closer to the screen, leaning against her hands on the table and willing a soft smile to her lips. “Aster... I'm okay. I promise y' I'm okay. Don't worry so much.”

His lips quirked into a grin, though she couldn't find any trace of the usual light in his eyes that came with it. She was so used to the vibrant blues sparkling in delight every time he smiled, so much so that she was less afraid of his temper, and more so that he'd finally lost that sparkle after everything he'd lived through. “I'm coming for you.”

“As much as I love hearin' that, no. You're not.”

“Don't fight me on this, Aoi. I'm coming.”

“And if you come this guy's gonna have what he wants. Stay. There.”

“I won't let him have you!”

“He already has me! An' I'm not gonna let him have y' too!”

“Aoi-”

“Stop. There's a chance I can get my freedom and keep you safe by dueling him. Stay at the party and I'll be home soon.”

“This isn't home.” He crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a pointed stare. “And I'm not about to listen to the argument of a stubborn fool wearing- … Take it off this instant.”

Aoi tugged at the collar, willing a smile to her lips. “This? Can't.”

“And why not?”

“...It's a little locked in place an' the key's on the ceiling.”

“Why is it on the ceiling?”

“Because you're dating a fool t' focused on making sure you're safe an' doesn't care about herself.”

“Sounds accurate,” he muttered, shrugging slightly, though she couldn't find a trace of insult in his voice, just a familiar tease. “You never did think about yourself.”

“Exactly. So stay there?”

“No.”

Her shoulders slumped, head hanging. Why was he so stubborn? Maybe that was what'd brought them together, but for the moment it was also a trait they shared that she couldn't quite deal with. “Please, Aster. I promise I'll be fine. Stay there an' I'll see you at home, okay? Don't risk yourself by comin' here. I refuse t' lose you.” That said, she pulled away from the screen, hiking up her skirt just enough to take her deck from the hidden case on her thigh and slip it into the duel disk on her arm. “I won't lose you. Get yourself ready, 'cause I'm doin' this one for him!”

The man smirked, the disk on his arm shifting into place along with hers. He seemed more at home in the collar than she felt in her dress, wishing she'd been able to wear jeans for the catered affair. It'd certainly be easier to duel in, too, waiting for his nod of approval for her to go first to draw her opening hand. At least her deck hadn't let her down; she'd already drawn her wind charmer and the familiar-possessed form of the earth, along with one each of her fire and light monsters. At the rate she was going, she'd be able to keep this duel going in her favor without issue!

Yet playing Alexandrite Dragon wouldn't do her any favors just yet, despite having a high attack. Without any clue to what he had in his hand, her best bet was to play it safe and place down her fire monster, instead, smiling at the sight of the small of appearing on the field before her. “Then I'm gonna start with m' Fox Fire- Don't underestimate th' little guy, now. He's coming with two face downs-” a pause to add them to the field, “but he's pretty fierce all his own.” Even if his small attack wouldn't get her far, at least she could use him for a shield, mumbling her apologies to the fox under her breath.

“How cute. A pile of ash.” Her captor chuckled, the sound sending a chill through her, much unlike the warmth of Aster's. She didn't doubt he had something planned... Something that turned out to be an ice barrier monster, their strategist, if she remembered right, quickly summoned and staring down her fox. “Look at it cower and tremble in fear. Why don't you join it?!”

Her Fox Fire had barely been destroyed before the collar activated, the sparks of electricity coursing through her body far stronger than she'd initially considered and drawing a sharp cry from her lips. If that was what taking over a thousand points of damage did, she was ready to clock out, go home, and hide in bed until the world came to an end, stray jolts still making her fingers twitch long after the shock had finished. It was all she could do to slip her card into the graveyard, then remove it again, placing it right back where it was. “A-And you don't know 'bout my fox, clearly. I can bring him back at the end of a t-turn he's been destroyed on. I've got myself a really loyal fluffball, h-huh?”

And she'd need it, she realized, suddenly feeling far smaller than even a mouse. How.. Was she supposed to protect Aster if she was already losing?

Footprints in the mud.

Tire tracks leading away from the mansion.

A dropped handbag he'd recognize anywhere.

By the time she'd lost more than half of her life points, Aster had seen enough. Coupled with the viewscreen suddenly dying and no way to get the feed back, the pro had fled from the mansion, adjusting his tie and putting in a phone call for a helicopter with the clues he'd found. The surrounding area was still muddy enough that he could follow the tracks, and above all else, he was ready to knock someone's head off their shoulders. The moment he found them... The kidnapper wasn't the only one who had it coming to them.

How dare she tell him not to follow? Didn't she realize how dangerous this was? He knew all too well how much she loved to have fun and slack off, even if she had grown up quite a bit in recent years. Her life was no game-

Aster stopped, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms. He knew better; the girl he'd fallen for wasn't that clueless, and thinking of her such, even out of anger, wasn't going to get him far, nor was it right. She was just as protective as he was, if not more so, going as far as to tailor her deck to reflect a self-imposed role as Jaden's guardian after seeing his heartache and pain after their return from the alternate dimension. That had been over a friend... And now she was trying to sacrifice herself to keep him safe.

She knew exactly what she was doing, and it was making him sick to his stomach to know that by the end of the night, he could be going home without her.

He'd been used and left behind so much, he'd kept his heart off limits to anyone and everyone. Everyone, that was, except for the sweetly smiling girl the wind had brought to him on a crisp, clear autumn day. Even when he'd been against her, she'd forgiven him. Introduced him to a world of peace he'd never before known. Took every loss he'd handed her, both in duels and in their typical playful 'fights', with a smile so vibrant he wasn't sure how to make heads or tails of it. She'd taken his entire world and turned it on its head faster than he could blink.

It'd taken until almost graduation for him to admit aloud exactly what she meant to him. For months, she'd been contently and happily telling him how much she loved him, splitting her time between staying with Jaden and with him on his yacht whenever he was at the academy. Having her nearby had always been a blessing; with her the nightmares weren't as bad, and he'd never quite gotten enough of her sleeping with her head on his chest. Having her on the yacht was... Honestly, it was like being home, something he'd not had since before he'd lost his father. And no more than two months before graduation, he'd managed to get out the words 'I love you'... And not stopped saying them since.

He couldn't go home without her. To lose her would be to lose the last chance he'd had at being happy – she'd shown him an entirely new world. How was he supposed to find it again without her? How could he find his way back out of that darkness without her to guide him again? No, he was going after her, whether she wanted him to or not. His mind was made up.

He'd not be alone again.

And neither would she.

[greysfanpage388]

‘ What were you both doing, Auntie Amy?’

This is based on a prompt sent by @cizavilation to @omeliafics

Thank you @jia911 for helping to proofread this fic- you’re the best! <3

Prompt : With the girls from the Omelia group chat we were talking about the 12x21 scene where Maggie and Meredith caught Owen and Amelia at the couch naked, and given that we also know that Zola took a glimpse of them lying naked together there… the prompt is: Can someone write something related with Zola asking Amelia what they were doing there? xD

Amelia Shepherd had just returned home from a tiring day at work after having back to back consults and surgeries. As she entered her sister- in-law Meredith Grey’s house, all she could think about was a warm shower and her comfortable bed. And Owen Hunt.

She smiled to herself as she recalled the events from two nights ago.

After Owen’s heartfelt confession to her in his office about his sister Megan and how he felt responsible for her disappearance, she felt a deeper connection to him. The fact that he decided to open up to her and tell her his innermost feelings and regrets meant a lot to her. It signified that he was ready to move on to the next phase of their relationship, which involved trust and mutual understanding. After she hugged him from behind and comforted him- he relished in her comforting touch and they remained in that position for a few long minutes before he finally stood up and turned around to hug her back. The warm hug eventually escalated into a kiss. The kiss then got heated until they had to pull away from each other before someone entered the room and caught them in their intimate moment. Still in a bliss from the kiss, Amelia had casually invited Owen to grab some dinner together as she was starving. They went to a cozy Italian restaurant within walking distance of the hospital and chatted throughout dinner. Owen spoke fondly of his sister Megan, telling Amelia about wonderful childhood memories he shared with her, how she fell in love with Riggs and how his heart broke for her when she cried in his arms after discovering that Riggs cheated on her. He told Amelia that he could never forgive himself for suggesting that she get on the plane. His sister’s disappearance had affected him more than he would have liked to admit and every single day he wished for her to return safely to him.

 Amelia had listened sympathetically to Owen’s story- holding his hands as a gesture of support, not interrupting him even once, which was rather uncharacteristic of her. After their scumptious dessert of icecream with chocolate pudding- Owen had invited Amelia to spend the night in his trailer. As tempting at it was for her, Amelia declined as she needed a long hot bath and a fresh pair of clothes to sleep in. Seeing Owen’s disappointed look- Amelia had the brilliant idea of inviting Owen to sleep over with her at Meredith’s house, stating the reason that both Meredith and Maggie were on call and the children and nanny were probably asleep upstairs.

 They barely made it to the front door of the house, when they started kissing passionately again. By the time they entered the house, they could only make it as far as the living room before the sparks ignited between them and they were lost in each other’s bodies. After that, they had collapsed beside each other in postcoital bliss and gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes before dozing off in each other’s warm embrace.

 They were both not prepared for the following morning when Meredith, Maggie and the Shepherd kids found them both lying naked on the living room floor. They both felt like deers caught in the headlights. How embarrassing it was for them!

 After Meredith and Maggie left with the kids, Owen had hastily put on his clothes and rushed out of the door, muttering that he was running late for work. He seemed to avoid her the entire day at work. It made Amelia anxious as she thought he decided to call their relationship quits. However, when she decided to walk over to Owen’s trailer after some encouragement from Meredith- she was pleasantly surprised to discover that he genuinely wanted to pursue a stable relationship with her. It was a blissful night in the trailer, as they had sex the entire night, without any interruptions.

 Amelia was so glad that they both had finally agreed to go stable in their relationship and there were no more uncertainties about the status of their relationship.

_______________________________________________________________

 Currently, Amelia smiled to herself as she received a text from Owen. How timely considering she was thinking about him.

 ‘ Hey- where r u now? I’m just about to sign off from work. So my place or your place tonight? Xoxo Owen’ it read.

 She was about to reply to the text when the front door barged open and in entered a flustered looking Meredith with her 3 kids in tow.

 ‘ Amelia- I’m sorry but could you watch over my kids for the night? I’m not on call but they needed another extra general surgeon in the hospital tonight due to the patient load. And Maggie is on call. The nanny is ill with a bad flu…’Meredith rambled in her usual manner, bouncing Ellis on her hip.

 Even though she and Meredith had a complicated relationship and weren’t always on good terms- Amelia had a soft spot for her nieces and nephew. They were Derek’s kids after all and were the only reminder she had left of the brother she never got the chance to say goodbye to.

 ‘ It’s ok Meredith.’ Amelia interrupted politely. ‘I can look after them I promise. This isn’t the first time I’m babysitting them remember? They’re my nieces and nephew after all.’she said sincerely.

 ‘ Well, ok then, thank you so much.’ Meredith said hurriedly. ‘ The kids have had a late afternoon snack so they’re still full. But there is some frozen pizza and pasta in the fridge for dinner later. And I’ve prepared Ellis’s milk bottle and food already- you just need to warm it up.’

‘ Ok- ok…just go and save some lives’ said Amelia gesturing towards the door with her hands.‘ Seriously, we’ll be fine.’

‘ Right Zola?’ she crouched to eye level with her niece to look at the little girl in the eye.

‘ Yes auntie Amy.’ Zola replied, flashing her aunt an adorable smile.

Meredith handed Ellis over to Amelia, who bounced the baby on her hip.

‘ Bye Zozo, bye Bailey, bye Ellie! Love you! Be good for auntie Amelia ok?’ said Meredith, giving each of her children a kiss on the cheek before running out of the door.

‘ Ok mommy.’Zola replied grinning. She adored her auntie Amy and loved to spend time with her. Auntie Amy would take her and her siblings to the park for a walk, treat them to icecream and let them buy their favorite toys. Besides, she knew how to make delicious waffles for breakfast.

______________________________________________________________

As soon as the door closed behind Meredith, Zola tugged on Amelia’s arm.

‘ Auntie Amy, I’m hungry, I want some icecream.’ the girl looked up at her with those pleading eyes she couldn’t say no to.

 Bailey stood beside his sister with pleading eyes. ‘ Want ice cream.’he added.

 Meanwhile, baby Ellis fussed in her arms.

 Amelia sighed internally. She knew that if she gave the kids ice cream at this hour, they would become hyper from all the sugar intake and this would ensure a sleepness night for her.

 ‘‘ No Zozo.’ she answered firmly but gently. ‘ No icecream for now- it’s too late in the day for that. How about I make you all some dinner instead?’

‘ But I want icecream.’ Zola pouted.

‘ Want ice cream.’ Bailey parroted his sister.

They knew that when they pleaded with auntie Amy like that, she would cave in to their demands. Which was why they loved auntie Amy. Their mom would never let them eat ice cream at this hour of the day, and they seldom get to spend quality time with her.

Sure enough, auntie Amy gave in to their demands.

‘ Well fine - I believe there’s icecream in the fridge.  I’ll scoop some out for you.’Amelia relented. ‘ But just one scoop, ok? And then I’m going to prepare dinner and you’re gonna eat your dinner, you hear me?’she said as she walked into the kitchen with Ellis on her hips and Zola and Bailey trailing behind her.

‘ Yay! Ok auntie Amy.’ the little girl exclaimed as she did a happy twirl, her pigtails flying. She gave Bailey a high five, and little boy returned it enthusiastically.

Amelia smiled at Zola as she placed Ellis on the baby chair in the kitchen. The baby cooed happily and clapped her hands upon seeing her siblings’ excitement.

A few minutes later, Zola and Bailey were both happily picking at their vanilla icecream, and Amelia was warming up Ellis’ bottle and baby food.

She then remembered that she had to inform Owen that there was a last minute change of plans.

Maybe she could invite him to come over to Meredith’s and help her take care of the children.

She smiled dreamily as she texted him, inviting him to come over to Meredith’s.

‘ Who is it?’ Zola’s voice brought her back to reality.

‘ Who is what?!’ Amelia looked up from her phone, puzzled.

‘ The person you’re texting, auntie Amy.’ Zola replied as if the answer was obvious.

‘ Oh- it’s some one from work.’ Amelia replied hastily. ‘What do you want for dinner, Zozo?’she asked, hoping to divert the conversation to another topic.

Just then, her phone notified her that there was a new message from Owen.

‘ Ok babe- will be there in a bit. Xoxo’

Zola’s face suddenly lit up the way it always did when she made a new discovery or had an epiphany.

‘ Is it uncle Owen?!’ she asked excitedly, as her brother, sitting beside her, looked up questioningly at their aunt.

‘ Huh? What makes you think it’s uncle Owen?! ’Amelia asked, a little harsher than she intended.

‘ Because…..I saw you both together on the sitting room floor that day.’ Zola pointed out.

Before a dumbstruck Amelia could reply, she added,‘ Only people who love each other do that. Like my daddy and mommy used to lie together on the couch or on their bed when daddy was still around.’ her voice trailed off at the mention of her father and a sad look overtook her face.

‘ Oh Zola’ Amelia looked at her niece sympathetically. ‘ I miss your daddy too, you know. He was my only brother.’

‘ Daddy.’ Bailey echoed, a sad expression on his face.

‘ Daddy and mommy loved each other very much.’said Zola. ‘ Do you and uncle Owen love each other very much too?’

Amelia hesitated for a moment before replying with a smile on her face. ‘ Yes we do.’

‘Auntie Amy?’ asked Zola, her face now smudged with the icecream.

‘ Yes dear?’ Amelia replied as she wiped the icecream off Zola and Bailey’s faces.

‘ What were you and uncle Owen doing on the living room floor that day?’ Zola asked innocently, looking earnestly at her aunt for answers.

Again, Amelia struggled to find a suitable reply for her niece. Sometimes she felt that Zola was too smart for her age.

‘ Well….we were, just lying down there talking.’Amelia answered, hoping that her answer would be good enough to satisfy her ever curious niece.

Zola seemed satisfied with the answer, and it was quiet in the kitchen as Zola and Bailey continued enjoying their icecreams.

Ellis’s food had been warmed up and Amelia placed the bowl next to her niece, intending to feed the baby before preparing dinner for her, Zola and Bailey.

‘ Auntie Amy.’ Zola called for the hundreth time.

‘ Yes Zozo?’ Amelia asked, ever so patient with her niece.

‘ Were you and uncle Owen having S-E-X? Because you both love each other.’

‘ What?! Where did you learn that word from?!’ Amelia asked, aghast. ‘Kids nowadays,’she thought.’ Learning these words at such a young age.’

‘ From my mommy.’ Zola shrugged.  ‘ One time I heard her saying the word to auntie Maggie. Then she remembered that I was in the room. When I asked her what the word meant, she said that it was when two adults love each other so much.’

Amelia made a mental note to have a heart to heart talk with Meredith later about how her eldest daughter was picking up things fast and to watch her words around her.

‘ Well, yes- it’s true that two people who love each other so much have S-E-X.’Amelia said, going along with Meredith’s answer.

Zola was about to open her mouth to ask her poor aunt another question when the doorbell rang.

‘ Saved by the bell.’’Amelia thought to herself in relief.

She opened the door and smiled, her dimples showing, as she saw Owen standing at the other side of the door.

‘I’m so glad that you’re here.’she whispered to him as they shared a quick kiss.

‘Oh really?’ Owen teased, winking at her. He was wearing his favorite plaid shirt, and Amelia thought he always looked damn handsome in that outfit.

‘ Zola was asking me about sex. Damn Meredith and her inability to filter in front of her children. I don’t know how to answer her.’she muttered. ‘ She was asking me whether we were having sex that day on the living room floor. Can you imagine that? A 6 year old asking about sex?’

‘ Well children nowadays pick up things really fast.’ Owen chuckled. ‘ I don’t know whether it’s due to the formula they’re taking.’

‘ Maybe.’Amelia agreed as she led him towards the kitchen. ‘ I was about to fed Ellis while answering Zola’s umpteenth question. And I haven’t even started preparing dinner yet. You came at the right time.’

‘ You mean I came to save you.’ Owen pointed out. ‘ Admit it.’

‘ Alright yes, you’re my savior, my knight in shining armor.’ Amelia admitted, rolling her eyes at him playfully.

‘ Uncle Owen!’ Zola exclaimed excitedly as she ran towards him, almost toppling her chair over in the process.

‘ Uncle Owen!’ Bailey trailed behind his sister.

Meanwhile, Ellis cooed happily from her baby chair.

‘ Oh - hello there kiddos! How are you all doing?’ Owen asked as he lifted Zola up and twirled her around as she giggled happily.

As he gently placed her down, Bailey lifted up his arms to him.

‘ My turn.’ he demanded.

Owen lifted the little boy up and twirled him around as he laughed heartily.

Watching from the corner of the kitchen, Amelia found herself imagining for a moment Owen twirling their children around as laughter filled the house. She shook the thought off her mind. They had only just decided to go steady, it was too soon to be thinking about this. But deep in her heart, she knew that this was what she wanted, a family with the right person.

‘ Hey little one- I see you’re about to have your dinner?’ Owen asked in a voice he reserved only for babies as he approached Ellis’ chair and kissed the little girl on the  top of her head.

The baby cooed in reply.

‘ I tell you what- you can feed Ellis- while I start preparing dinner.’ Owen suggested to Amelia.

‘ I like that idea.’ she winked at him. ‘ I was about to prepare some pasta. There aren’t  many choices left in the fridge.’

______________________________________________________________

A few hours later- Owen and Amelia stood in Ellis’s nursery, watching the baby sleep peacefully in her crib.

All three Shepherd children have been fed, showered and put to bed. Zola miraculously forgot all about her question as uncle Owen kept her and her siblings entertained for the whole night.

‘ Thank you so much for coming over and helping out with them.’ Amelia whispered, looking up at Owen as their eyes met. ‘ I couldn’t have done it without you. Sometimes I wonder how Meredith does it. But then again, she has help from Maggie and I.’she smirked.

‘ It’s no problem at all- you know how much I adore your nieces and nephew.’ Owen answered, smiling at her.

‘ You saw the look on their faces when the pizza arrived?’ Amelia chuckled. ‘They were so overjoyed. And when you sat down in the living room to play legos with Zola and Bailey, they seemed the happiest I’ve seen them in a long time. You’re so good with kids.’

‘ Well, I do love kids. I would love to have my own someday.’ Owen said, staring at the baby. ‘ Look- she’s so adorable, don’t you think?’

‘ Yes, I may be biased but she is.’ Amelia agreed, smiling as she looked at her niece.

‘ Well- I would love to have my own someday.’ Owen repeated. ‘ With you.’ he added in a whisper. He could already picture both of them standing in their own daughter’s nursery in the future, staring at her peacefully sleeping.

Amelia felt a tingling sensation going down her spine as she blushed. The truth was, she would love children of her own too. And she couldn’t imagine having kids with anyone else. But she had to get over her fear of having another anencephalic baby- something which Owen was still in the dark about.

‘ Same here.’ she whispered back.

Owen pulled her close for a hug, and she leaned her head against his chest, seeking comfort in feeling his heart beat.

They both remained silent- lost in their thoughts about the future. The future was uncertain, but they both felt that they were ready to embark on the unknown together. Little did they know then that a few years later- they would both be staring at their own eldest daughter, Charlotte as she lay sleeping peacefully in her crib. They also wouldn’t have guessed at that moment that in the subsequent years- they would be doing the same thing to Charlotte’s siblings- Noah and Olivia. They couldn’t have predicted the wonderful future which lay ahead of them.

Comments, reviews, reblogs and messages are very much appreciated. I would love to know what you guys think! :)

 p.s I couldn’t come up with a more original title for this, sorry :P

[ashethehedgehog]

OKAY U GUYS LMAO TY FOR THE ASKS <33333 I’ll do ygo for all the letters here! It’s long so I’ll put it under a read more! So dive on in for some talk about my writing and puzzleshipping fics! (Also some snippets I posted below so wink wink)

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Not like directly, but I definitely put some of my influences into them. Like Yugi wanting to be a knight in The Beast Within was 100% because I used to want to be a knight lmao. 

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Ohhh off the top of my head? Gosh mmmm. Okay so off the top of my head there’s this one scene in an AU I’m probably going to abandon actually, so it’s kinda ehhh to show it now and tease u all like this lmao, but I did really enjoy writing the interactions between Yugi and Atem in them, so I’m going to put one of those for this! I just like the way they butted heads and Atem refused to relent, but then so did Yugi so they just tip toed around each other looking for the weak spot while referring to ‘the pharaoh’ as if it’s someone else and not Atem lmao. For context, it’s from an AU where everyone is an anthro animal, felines are considered the high ranking ones, spotted cats (Yugi’s species) is endangered and highly revered, Atem is a lion.

“You’re under the protection of the pharaoh, and as such are to remain in the palace where said effect can be carried out.” Atem answered as dully as he could manage. It seemed to work, as Yugi’s expression dropped.

“That order can be extended and revoked by the pharaoh himself should he wish. Do you think the pharaoh realises that? I wonder…” Yugi clicked his tongue, a thoughtful hand tapping his chin.

“I believe the pharaoh wishes for the spotted cat to remain within the palace walls, where he would be safest. I wonder if he realises that he could have servants fetch anything he needed from the city.”

“He wants to go look at what the city has to offer. With his own eyes, not those of servants not belonging to him.”

“You have your own staff I have assigned to you.”

“They’re not loyal to me.”

Atem paused, finally giving his full attention to Yugi. So that’s the kind of game Yugi was playing today. It seemed he had slipped up, however, and Atem wasn’t beneath taking advantage of this blunder.

“You question the good intentions of the pharaoh, who has given you his place as residence while asking nothing of you?” Atem tsked, turning back to his scroll, attention slipping from Yugi. He knew that would irritate the little cat, and sure enough, Yugi gave a soft growl in warning.

“I do not question the pharaoh, only wonder if he remembers whether or not he will honour his agreement.”

“What agreement?” Atem rolled his eyes.

Yugi pushed off the desk, slamming a hand down on the table, tail lashing angrily behind him. “You cannot keep me locked up here, pharaoh. Protective rules or not, if I leave, you cannot stop me.”

“No, I can’t,” Atem responded calmly, adjusting the scroll in his paws. “But you lose my protection if you venture into the city. You go alone.”

"I will be going into the city, pharaoh. And you will provide me with the necessary guards."

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I tend to write random scenes around as I get inspiration for them, but mostly I write it chapter by chapter to keep it consistent! But if I’m in a slump, I write scenes that I had the motivation to work on, even if it’s for like three chapters ahead. I did this a little with my Big Bang fic because I had a deadline and needed to be working on it lmao. Fun fact tho, The Living Daylights I started off with the opening scene from chapter nine! Yeah nine chapters in right crazy ahaha, but that was what inspired the AU! xD

H: How would you describe your style?

I dunno? Semi-decent descriptions enough to understand locations and a fuckton of travelling montage work and fighting scenes. I couldn’t tell u dude I dunno my own style lmao.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

Sure, why not! So my list of fics I’m currently writing are:

Prince and King on AO3

Dragontaur AU/ Opportunities in Unexpected Places on AO3

The Demon Prince Yugi and Knight Atem AU, which will be my next multi chap fic after PaK is done.

A naga!Yugi and vampire!Yugi AU that I’m writing, buuuuut they’re both for my smut blog, where I post them exclusively, and I’m not going to move them to AO3 either soz (anyone is welcome to IM me for the link to the blog, but it’s on private so access is message only lmao).

Magic AU, which u can find some snippets of here! I don’t plan to take this further than a longshot, even with the potential for more there, I just don’t have the time for another fantasy AU world to build rn lmao. But I hope to have something of this to share soon!

Lion Atem, which I gave the snippet of above, where they’re all anthros. I never wrote much for this, and although I liked the concept, I don’t think I’ll work on it anymore. Maybe I’ll post the 6K I wrote just as a ‘read if u want but don’t expect more pls’ kind of thing. But yeah, at this stage this one is p much discontinued because I don’t have the time to work on it. 

And that leaves Elf King Yugi, something that has definitely been on the back burner for MONTHS now (ever since Trial and Error, so u do the maths lmao) which I have written a fair amount for, but need to do some serious plot work before I consider doing more. Since there is a chance I’ll continue to work on this one tho, I’ll post a snippet here!

"You know the council isn't going to like this Yugi. You're in for a long and dangerous fight with this one."

"I know Anzu- you don't need to treat me like a kid." Yugi scolded her with a quick frown.

"I'm just warning you. Be prepared to argue into the night."

"I am- believe me." Yugi groaned, a hand rubbing his forehead as if to still a headache.

Yami tittered at the edge of the room near the door, unsure if he should interrupt what looked like a conversation (or argument) between friends.

Luck wasn't (or was) on his side though it seemed, as Yugi took that moment to crane his neck to where Yami was standing, his eyes lighting up. Yami suppressed a groan as he waved him over. Yami stepped lightly, his steps hesitant as he approached the two.

"Oh wow Yugi is this him? Your narcissism is showing with this one." The girl’s eyes gleamed with something predatory, like she was sizing up how long Yami would last in... Something.

"Would you please stop saying 'this one?' It implies I do this frequently- which I don't." Yugi said, shooting Yami an apologetic look. "This is Anzu- she works at the castle here-"

"You forgot to mention I'm your best friend." Anzu said in a sing song voice. Yugi shot her a look this time.

"Yes, and you're my annoying best friend." He turned back to Yami. "She's going to give you your tour, alright?"

Yami nodded. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go to court today. We'll see each other later, my dear Yami." Yugi smiled at him, reaching out to pat his shoulder as he passed him, disappearing out of the room.

Yami turned back around to immediately jump in surprise.

Standing way too close for comfort in front of him was Anzu. She had a wild grin on her face, like she knew a secret Yami didn't.

"Well well Yami. Looks like it’s just the two of us for the rest of the day." She practically purred.

"Uh... Okay... Should I be worried?" Yami frowned, not liking the glint in her eyes. It's like a maze of demons here, Yami observed. You turn away from one only to find another.

"Not at all," Anzu hummed, patting Yami's shoulder. "We're all friends here I assure you. Yugi wants me to take extra good care with you. And I must say- I can see why. You're a keeper."

"A keeper?" Yami's frown deepened, and he suppressed a sigh of exhaustion. Just what have I gotten myself into here? He was beginning to seriously regret his decision to break the elves' border seal now.

"Never mind." Anzu waved him off, trotting over to the door only to swing back around, her hand on the handle. "You coming? Yugi wants you to see the castle."

"Oh, right, of course." Yami muttered, following Anzu as she made her way out into the hallway.

"Alright, first things first- unless Yugi gives you public permission to travel around, don't go anywhere without an escort, okay?"

"Why? I'm not a kid." Yami scoffed.

"Mmm, technically you are to a lot of these folk. Most of the population in the kingdom are elves, and they tend to be a lot older than they appear."

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

LMAO YEAH REALLY WISH I DIDN’T HAVE TO WRITE THE REST OF PRINCE AND KING BUT WELP IT’S MY FIC AND I’VE COME THIS FAR SO I GOTTA FINISH IT RIP. I just reaaaaaally crave the day I can slap a COMPLETED on it :’’’’D

O: How do you begin a story–with the plot, or the characters?

The plot! Mainly because fanfic so the chars already exist lmao. I usually start with one thing that catches my interest, and work out from there. Sometimes my AUs start from dreams, like Demon Prince started because I had a dream Yugi was a demon in jail trying to seduce Atem to come work for him so lmao there u go. 

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I’m much more of an architect, because without a decent plot written out in front of my, in like a chapter by chapter format, I will easily lose motivation and focus because I won’t have a ‘oh yeah that’s what’s happening next!’ sort of thing. It helps with building up foreshadowing and stuff too for me. The stories I try to ‘gardener’ for I guess are the ones that often don’t see tumblr or AO3 lmao. AKA u will never hear of them because I have a few lmao.

Q: How do you feel about collaborations?

Interesting question! I suppose it depends what kind! I like collaboration ideas, in fact my first multi chapter fic The Living Daylights was a collaboration in ideas between me and my pal Ren! But I still wrote the entire thing lmao. I guess I like to have control over the writing for style consistency, but I think tackling the entire concept with another writer would be fun! I’ve never tried to write something with someone else so I dunno how that would go!

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

[kinda nsfw] INNOCENT PURE YUGI MUTOU WHO MUST ALWAYS BOTTOM FOR ATEM BECAUSE ATEM IS SEX GOD AND YUGI IS VIRGIN WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT SEX. Listen nothing rustles my JIMMIES more than that that troupe which is EVERYWHERE in puzzleshipping. I don’t understand why it’s so popular??? Like, this isn’t to say Yugi 100% CANNOT bottom because he totes can! But of ALL the puzzleshipping I’ve ever read that involved smut, especially in multi chapter fics, Yugi topped like... once, maybe??? ???? That’s SO MANY fics where Atem almost NEEDED to top. It kind of feels like people were too scared to write it at times? Like some stories I could totally see it either way, but it was ALWAYS with Atem topping, always. I don’t really understand why people are so against Yugi topping in puzzle but auuuugh I just wish there was more of it u know? Like if I want top Atem material shit man I got hundreds of fics for that, but top Yugi? Man, I can list them on my fingers...

Long story short ppl shouldn’t be afraid to let Yugi top pls. I’m not saying he ALWAYS HAS TO TOP, but more of that than Atem always topping would be real nice? A nice mix instead of everything seemingly so bias would be cool? Sometimes I want top!Atem, and sometimes I want top!Yugi, isn’t that the same for everyone lmao. Like they’d totes switch it up all the time so why is there so little for top!Yugi? The mystery of my life lmao. Let Yugi Top 2k17.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

Probably Atem, sorry to the kid but he’s the one who ends up suffering the most in my fics opps. I think there’s like ONE fic where Yugi suffers more maybe? The rest is all like nope lmao soz bro but ur the punching bag ahaha.

W: Do you like more general prompts, or more specific ones?

(this is the one I picked myself lmao) I like really specific ones! I like to know exactly what I’m writing, and unless I get a burning idea in my head I’d rather do (not often) I’d prefer prompts that give me more to work with, or at least more detail than like a one line simple prompt lmao. 

[mithoen]

More Ageswap AU Stuff Because I Love This AU Except It’s Mischief Trio + Quail Boyfriends Focused

SURPRISE, THERE’S M O R E BECAUSE I’M A SELF INDULGENT FUCK WHO LOVES HER OWN AU’S TOO MUCH

THIS IS BASICALLY JUST A SKYPE CONVERSATION BETWEEN MYSELF AND @sproson-ya​ SO ENJOY

WARNING; SENSITIVE MATERIAL IS DISCUSSED HERE SUCH AS THREATS OF VIOLENCE, ACTUAL DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC ABUSE, PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION

Please don’t take any of it too seriously, especially the parts where we’re fuzzy on certain things - yes, they could be researched but at the time it was spur of the moment and this is just a vague concept for something that could happen.

Kyn: HITORI AND KAZOO DON'T GET ALONG WITH THESE THREE, RIGHT?? I said tohri might be friends with them because he's the Nicest but 

Vincent: hitori is a Little "e h " about tohri but Kazuaki probably likes him. xD or at least is not afraid of him when he's alone

Kyn: poor hitori I imagine souma and ryuuji might try to rope him into some pranks sometimes 

hitori: "I-i'm not going to help you guys-" 

ryuuji, on one of hitori's sides, holding hitori's arm in his own: "oh c'monnn, u-zu-ne! you're too stuck up,, being the teachers pet must be boring sometimes, right?" 

souma, on hitori's other side, also holding hitori's arm: "indeed. you should relax sometimes, uzune. research says that a little fun is good for your health."

hitori: "it's not fun if you're hurting people!!" 

souma: "oh?? I don't know, I find it's quite fun to watch nanaki cry while I pull his hair out strand by strand." 

hitori: "gh- don't you dare!" 

souma: "who knows? i guess it's up to you, uzune." 

Vincent: hitori, gives souma his very known sharp-eyed look; "if you even dare to touch him, i will pin you to the wall and Punch out your teeth." meanwhile Kazuaki is probably sitting there nervously and talking to tohri it's really.... easy to win his trust kjsdhvkj 

Kyn: souma: //smiles cruelly// "mm, i'd like to see you try." //tugs on the others arm a little// "i am aspiring to be a doctor,, and i'm not afraid to get dirty. i could dislocate your arm before you even got the chance." 

ryuuji: "isa, reel it in a little." 

souma: ",,,is that a yes or a no, uzune?"

tohri: //sweating and trying to distract kazoo from his friends 'persuasion' tactics// "so!! you say you like to draw, hm?? i have never seen your artwork! artistry is very important to one such as myself, so i'd love to see it sometime!" 

Vincent: Kazuaki; small gasp, "you??? like art too?? do you draw or something else?" suddenly he's very interested and just omg, tohri you actually make him kinda happy how can you be such an asshole. look at this pure golden and freckled Boy... 

Vincent: and hitori ksjhkcj 

Vincent: he'd never agree to it and just protect Kazuaki better or get hurt himself 

Vincent: he aint taking no threats from no one 

Kyn: tohri: //blinks and then flushes, a little embarrassed and a little sad he's tricking this poor Boy// "i,, sculpt, sometimes! and i,,, well, they aren't very good, but i,,,, i draw clothes,,,,, i want to become a fashion designer,,,,,,,," //blinks again and realises what he was saying// "b-bUT ITS NOT LIKE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME OR ANYTHING- IT'S JUST A STEPPING STONE IN THE LIFE OF THE GREAT NISHIKIKOUJI TOHRI!!"

Kyn: hitori: "grr,,, i'd never agree to your dumb pranks!! whether or not they're harmless - you're still causing trouble in the school! now get off of me!" //pulls himself out of souma and ryuuji's grip 

souma: "hmph. as usual, you're uncooperative and annoying." //pulls out a scalpel from the inside of his blazer and sneers at hitori// "maybe if we skin you we'll find somebody a little easier to work with on the inside-" 

ryuuji: //holds his arm over souma's chest// "no, isa, leave him be. fight on your own terms, in your own time. if he won't help, we'll just have to make it extra mischievous, right?" 

souma: ",,,of course. fine. but we aren't done here, uzune." 

Vincent: FUCK. FUCK. NOW I JUST IMAGINE HITORI RUNNING AND SEARCHING FOR KAZUAKI. BUT SOUMA AND RYUUJI OF COURSE KNOW WHERE HE AND TOHRI ARE SO THEY FIND THEM SOONER. AND JUST RYUUJI AND SOUMA WALKING UP TO THE TWO OF THEM SOUMA GRINNING LIKE THE EVIL FUCK HE IS AND KAZUAKI JUST "o h no.." probably tries to text hitori quickly but ryuuji snatches his phone away and aa aaaaa aaa 

Kyn: AHAHAHAHAH Y E S. 

kazoo: "p-please don't!! please!! i-i'm sorry!" 

ryuuji: //holding kazoo still by his wrists// "haha! i'm not." 

tohri: ",,,wait- wait, ryuuji, souma - do we have to hurt him?" 

souma: //sorting through his 'equipment', turns his head to look coldly at tohri over his shoulder// "what, have you come to care for him now that we left you alone together for half an hour?" 

tohri: "n-no, i just,,," 

souma: "remember where your loyalties lie, nishikikouji." 

kazoo: "tohri!! tohri, help me please!!" 

tohri: //falls silent, looks away from kazoo with a painful expression// ",,,sorry, nanaki." 

ryuuji: "awright!! what're we gonna do with him, i~sa?" 

souma: "i was thinking of leaving some light scarring along his stomach. perhaps we should sign our names into his skin and let uzune discover them as a present, hm?" 

Vincent: Kazuaki fucking PANICS; "N-no!! please! don't touch me!! don't touch me there - it's inappropriate, please please please-- i'm gonna throw up, please -- ,, please,,, " he's still pretty scared of touch holy shit. and for them to get to his stomach they'd need to undress layers of clothes the boy would be v traumatized in many ways 

Vincent: hITORI RUN!! RUN AND SAVE YOUR BOYFRIEND!! god,, 

Kyn: HITORI'S GONNA H A V E TO FIND THEM AND QUICK BECAUSE SOUMA'S NOT ABOUT TO STOP FOR ANYONE, RYUUJI DOESN'T CARE AND TOHRI'S TOO POWERLESS TO STOP THEM BOTH 

souma, bent over kazoo as he unbuttons the other's shirt: "you're annoying. stop moving. kawara, hold him steadier." 

ryuuji: "hey, it's not as easy as it looks, isa!!" 

kazoo: "no!! get off me!! please- please, stop, please-" 

souma: "annoying. nishikikouji, come here." 

tohri: "wh,,, what? what do you want??" 

souma: //looks around before grabbing a loose brick off the ground and handing it to tohri// "hit him." 

tohri: "what?! I can't-" 

souma: "hit him, nishikikouji. all you have to do is knock him out - or at least give him a concussion. just get him to stop moving." 

tohri: ",,,,,," 

kazoo: //outright crying// "t-t-tohri,,, please,,,, don't,,,,," 

ryuuji: "go on!!" 

tohri: "mmnph. fine, fine... stay still, nanaki, it'll only hurt for a moment,," 

Vincent: Kazuaki; "no, no please i'll hold still please don't hit me. I'll hold still won't tell anyone. please, not the head.." still sobs and tries to hold as still as possible so tohri doesn't smack him over the head 

Vincent: hitori probably,,, wont find him in time,,, they probably arent even in School anymore??? and if he finds them by trying to run in the direction they went in that would take too Long and Kazuaki would be in pain already,,,, 

Vincent: at least hitori would be able to call the Police on them and then catch souma one day off guard and Punch his nose bloody 

Vincent: ryuuji and tohri will get revenge too but a more quiet one that wouldn't be able to be tracked down to him as easily :'D 

Kyn: I WAS HOPING YOU'D MENTION HITORI CALLING THE POLICE 

Kyn: they'd probably find these three before any Actual harm could come to poor, poor kazoo

tohri: "ghhh,,, I can't believe this,,, arrested, again, because of you two and your stupid messing about!!" 

policeman: "shut up. you were obviously going to hit that kid-" 

souma: "let him go, please. I told him to." 

policeman: "you're... isa souma, right? you have a record, boy, why should we trust your word-" 

ryuuji: "no, he's right!! tohri's innocent! please don't get him into trouble." 

policeman: ",,,we'll be investigating into this, but for now you're free to go." 

tohri: "oh, thank god-"

Kyn: ryouta: "ryuuji!!" 

ryuuji: "ah, dad. hi." 

ryouta: "I can't believe you- again? really? we've talked about this! you promised when we made up that you'd stop getting caught up in this sort of thing and focus on your studies!" 

ryuuji: "it's not like i'm doing terrible in school, dad. and we weren't actually going to hurt kazoo - it was just pretend! right, isa?" 

souma: ",,,indeed." 

ryouta: //massages the bridge of his nose// "we're,, talking about this seriously when we get home, ryuuji. come on." 

ryuuji: "oh, looks like i'm getting bailed out. see you tomorrow at school, isa!" 

souma: "bye." 

//RYUUJI AND RYOUTA PASS A VERY ANGRY LOOKING MAN IN A SUIT AS THEY LEAVE// 

ryuuji: ",,,wait. wait, wait-! souma! dad, get off, souma's-" 

ryouta: "??? we're leaving, come on - hey, ryuuji!" 

ryuuji: //arrives back in the holding cells just in time to watch souma's dad hit souma across the face 

Dr. Isa: "you're a disgrace to this family! you have a criminal record!" 

souma: "sorry, father." 

Dr. Isa: "you will hand over all your research and equipment to myself and your mother immediately after getting home, do you hear me? your phone, too." 

souma: ",,,yes, father."

Vincent: YOOOOO HITTING YOUR CHILD IS NOT COOL MAN HE MIGHT BE AN ASSHOLE THAT JUST TRAUMATISED KAZUAKI P BADLY ( good luck being able to snuggle up onto your soft boyfriend ever again hitori ) BUT YOOOOO O O NOT COOL. And that with the police in sight! You're going to get to hear something from them, too :T Guess the police at least sees where the roots lie...,,, Considering that souma is not of age yet and already has a record I'm pretty sure a social worker would visit souma at home and try to at least look around in his environment??? I'm pretty sure they would talk to souma and question his parents too... mmmm 

Vincent: No money would really be able to be enough for souma to stay in that family,, He probably gets in a home for abused children for a while ;w; If he's lucky 

Vincent: If not his dad is mightier and just owns everyone 

Vincent: Which might be p  b ad 

Vincent: I'm basing this off on the German system btw 

Vincent: Idk how it would be in Japan but I can't imagine that it would be much different,, 

Kyn: aaah yeah i was gonna say i imagine souma's family is. Pretty Rich and they're likely to fork out a lot of money to keep souma out of real trouble - and themselves out a lot of trouble for being cruel to him, too 

Kyn: IDK HOW THE POLICE WORK IN JAPAN EITHER BUT IT DOES MAKE SENSE YEAH

Kyn: in any case, souma ends up running away to live with tohri later on s o

Kyn: tohri: "you two are late!! i was getting worried you'd had to spend the night in jai- WHOA SOUMA, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR-" 

souma: "i don't want to talk about it." 

ryuuji: ",,,maybe we went overboard this time." 

tohri: "if even you're saying that, i guess we must have done,,, what happened?" 

ryuuji: "his dad came to bail him out." 

tohri: “oh...”

Vincent: O h n o 

Vincent: They better apologise for what they've done qwq Hitori won't show any mercy otherwise, and nageki doesn't need this,,, 

Kyn: souma Might have a bruise on his face but he certainly doesn't have a bruise on his pride 

Kyn: he's not going to apologise for jack shit, ryuuji and tohri are gonna have to defuse the situation for him - or let their friend get what's coming to him

Vincent: Yeah... Hitori.... is more than only angry... he's dead set to see souma bleed because holy shit really anyone else deserved this but not his already anxious boyfriend ; w ; Ryuuji and tohri can talk as much as they want to him but he ain't gonna forgive haha,, 

Kyn: mmmm souma might be prideful but he Knows he goes overboard sometimes and he Knows this time he definitely fucked up so even if he won't apologise, he's not going to fight back against hitori either 

tohri: "what do you mean, you're 'going to go find uzune'?! he's going to kill you, souma!" 

souma: "well. maybe i deserve it." 

ryuuji: "don't say that,, it was all our faults-" 

souma: "no. i'm always dragging you two into my messes. let me deal with it." 

tohri: "now isn't the time to be selfless, you idiot!"

Vincent: SOUMA ARE YOU REALLY SURE BECAUSE WOWIE IF HE WON'T FIGHT BACK THEN HITORI PROBABLY WON'T do as much tbh... he's not as cruel to beat someone who's already on the ground xD 

Vincent: But he sure as hell will lecture him good

Kyn: SOUMA WOULD BE SO CONFUSED 

souma: "wh,, why did you stop?" 

hitori: ",,,why aren't you fighting me?" 

souma: "unimportant-" 

hitori: "its not fair for me to hit you if you aren't going to hit me back. i'm not you." 

souma: ",,,alright, i deserve that, but- you've chosen the worst time to be kindhearted, uzune, as always." 

Vincent: Hitori; "well then. Glad that I didn't need to punch your lights out first to calm you down. What you did to kazu was beyond terrible and your understanding I assume. It's not only that you scared him... He always had a paranoia of people touching him. I don't know if this even gets in your stupid overly spoiled head, but he's even more terrified now. I can't even hug him anymore... speaking of holding him... Do you understand?” //actually cries a little because of his soft boyfriend Souma if didnt noticed earlier probably noticed now that Hito and kazu have a closer relationship than just friends :'D

Kyn: YEAH HE'S A LITTLE TOO DENSE TO NOTICE THAT THEY WERE IN A RELATIONSHIP, TBH 

Kyn: dense or just doesn't care, at any rate 

souma: ",,,i'm not going to apologise because frankly, I couldn't give two shits about how nanaki feels. let him be afraid, see if I care. i'm not here for a lecture, uzune - are you going to hit me or not?" 

Vincent: Hitori; "...I didn't expect any different from the son of the Isas." he'd stand up, blow his knuckles a little since they were all red from the first punch he used on souma to knock him of his feet 

Vincent: Kinda just dusts himself off and wipes his tears away "I won't dirty my hands on scum like you. You don't even deserve being beaten. I thought you were just one of these kids but.. Kids like you grow up to end up with a bullet in their head." And he just fucking leaves because NOT EVEN WORTH IT 

Vincent: He thought he could beat some sense in him?? He uses fits and words but like wowie if souma doesn't even react to that he'd just see him a lost cause,,,

Kyn: souma: //blinks, left lying on the ground in surprise. sits up and puts a hand to his chest, expression twisting into a small frown// "son,, of the,,,,," //closes his eyes// ",,that's it?" //gets to his feet unsteadily, face half anger and half panic// "that's it?! you can't just walk away,  uzune! you can't- ,,aren't you angry?! don't you want to hit me?? I don't,, I don't understand, I don't,,," //puts his hand to his cheek where the bruise is// ",,being hurt,, is all i'm good for,,, I deserve it,," 

Vincent: Hitori; stops and narrows his eyes at souma. feels a Little weird Hearing that. "Listen. I dont know what your parents taught you or what bullshit you're into. Maybe you're just getting off out of this. But i dont enjoy beating People up or being in rage. and what's even the Point if you don't get it? you'll learn that Actions have far more consequences than just a bloody nose soon enough... but i don't want to be the one to grant you that favour. now fuck off, isa. and dont let me see you anytime soon." 

Kyn: souma: //wraps an arm around himself to grip at the other arm, eyes downturned as hitori walks off and mouth twisted into a frown// ",,,,,"

tohri: "!!!! souma!! you're back!! thank god, I thought uzune was going to murder you!" 

souma: ",,,as did I. I was sorely disappointed." 

ryuuji: "at least you're okay!! come over here and play cards with us!!" 

souma: //blinks before shaking his head with a sigh, smiling lightly// "alright. what're we playing?" 

Kyn: tohri and ryuuji understand souma better than souma understands himself :'D in any case hitori's words definite made him feel something 

Kyn: he's probably the reason why souma runs away, actually he realises being stuck with his shitty parents is only going to make him just like them and while he's okay with being a dick he doesn't want to be a rich asshole who doesn't care about anyone because he does care about his friends 

Vincent: bless hitori but..... god when he Comes home though hitori would have such a breakdown because "Kazuaki i am sorry that i couldnt do more.... i love you so much but i couldnt do anything...." what do you even do when you actually have morals?? :'D 

Kyn: WOULD HITORI EVEN TELL NAGEKI ANY OF WHAT HAPPENED?? LIKE. HE'D CERTAINLY BE NOTIFIED BY KAZOO'S PARENTS THAT HE WAS PROBABLY ESCORTED HOME BY THE POLICE,,, AND HE'D DEFINITELY NOTICE KAZOO'S RECLUSIVE ATTITUDE 

Vincent: OF COURSE NAGEKI WOULD KNOW EVERYTHING 

Vincent: Kazuaki is more at hitori's place than he is at his home :'D 

Vincent: and i am p sure Kazuaki sat nervously with nageki in the kitchen when hitori came back 

Kyn: you know who'd be even angrier at souma than hitori 

Kyn: n a g e k i 

Vincent: OH B O Y 

Kyn: he'd be fucking livid 

Kyn: nevermind himself burning to death, he'd set souma alight

Vincent: NAGEKI HOLY FUCK 

Vincent: I THOUGHT HE'D BE SOMEWHAT PROUD THAT HITORI DIDNT BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF SOUMA 

Vincent: B UT OK AY :'D 

Kyn: LMAOOO oh no he'd be very proud that hitori didn't resort to violence 

Kyn: because it means he can do it himself 

Kyn: doesn't help that he's the school librarian 

Vincent: NAGEKI DONT BEAT UP KIDS 

Vincent: YOU NEED THIS JOB 

Kyn: ryuuji: "okay!! lets go get those books out of the library that mr. shirogane told us to get!" 

tohri: "you know, I've always wondered what mr. fujishiro and mr. shirogane's relationship was,,," 

souma: "probably unimportant. don't get excited, nishikikouji." 

ryuuji: "good afternoon, mr. fujishiro!!" 

nageki: "...mr. kawara. mr. nishikikouji.... mr. isa." 

souma: ",,,,i get the distinct feeling,,,, that i'm not welcome here right now,,,," 

nageki: "no. no you aren't. in fact, you aren't welcome here at all." 

tohri: "um-" 

nageki: "surely you're rich enough to just buy the books you want, right, mr. isa? get out. don't come back." 

souma: ",,,,,,yes, sir. sorry, sir." 

Vincent: THAT'S FUCKING LIT NAGEKI 

Vincent: SOUMA PROABLY FEELS THE RELATION BETWEEN NAGEKI AND HITORI :'D

Kyn: EVERYONE KNOWS THEY'RE RELATED, THEY DON'T EXACTLY HIDE IT 

Kyn: souma didn't think about it too much though 

Kyn: nageki's always been a quiet but kind teacher, he didn't think the other could get so angry

ryuuji: ",,,isa, you oka-?" 

souma: "don't bother, kawara. i deserve it, so it's fine." 

tohri: "you keep saying that, but really,,," 

Vincent: no no i know that everyone knows it but like SOUMA ACTUALLY FELT IT because that was very hitori of nageki :'D

VIncent: ryuuji; "insane idea; but what about you try to apologise for a Change?"

souma; "insane idea indeed" 

Kyn: LMAOOOO

Kyn: they're Brothers, alright

Kyn: i think after running away souma might be inspired to apologise on his own terms directly to kazoo 

Vincent: wowie good luck Kazuaki will start crying when he only sees souma getting Close to him 

Kyn: LMAO WHOOPS 

souma: ",,,,!!! um." //swallows// "er,, n-nanaki, um,,,, uh,," 

Vincent: kazuaki; Looks around for hitori,, takes out his phone in a hurry, Drops it, kneels down it pick it up, cries more "i swear i didnt tell anyone-- they all found it out on their own-- please dont " 

Kyn: souma: ",,,,,i did this to you. i made you like this. i'm,,, i'm so sorry. i'm so, so sorry. you don't deserve to cry like that- because of,, because of me. i understand if you can't forgive me, i'm just- i'm sorry."

Vincent: kazuaki; blinks a few times, stares up at him, just hiccups, "wh-.... i-is... this some k-Kind of joke... " picks up his phone, stands up and presses his Hands against his chest "... i... didnt know you c-could feel regret.... y-you arent lying right?..." 

Kyn: souma: "no, i'm,,, I'm not lying. you have every right to be suspicious of course but - no, i mean it. i never liked uzune and he certainly doesn't like me, but you didn't deserve to be hurt like you were because i'm a petty asshole, so. i'm sorry. and i say that with all the compassion, for what little of it that i have, left in my heart." 

Vincent: kazuaki; Looks around again, just to make sure that there is no one to just kinda grab him and hold him "ah.... mm... - then I am.. g-glad i... i guess i can accept your apology but uhm... please dont mess with hitori like this anymore.... h-he cares a lot and... he really doesnt deserve to be heartbroken like this... he already worries so much about his brother.... ... i apologise that he had to beat you up because i couldnt protect myself..."

Vincent: Baby kazoo is just too pure and naivee 

Kyn: souma: //squints at kazoo, irritation slowly growing on his face// "we haven't spoken in quite a while now, so I think I forgot the reason why I never liked you - but i'm beginning to remember. you're weak. pathetic. stand up for yourself more, nanaki, stop letting uzune fight your battles - and stop worrying about him over yourself! I'm here apologising to you, - you are the one I held a knife to, you are the one who has spent the last few months in constant fear of me. focus on your own feelings for once, not uzune's!" 

Vincent: kazuaki; seems to be quite surprised at the tone of voice. weak? yup.. pathetic? yup yup, he knew all of that,, ".. i am sorry- I ... uh... i know but i uh... can't really uhm... i dont know what to say........" 

Kyn: souma: //sighs// "ugh, I don't know why I bother with either you or him. I came here to do what I felt I was needed of me, and I have completed that task. Goodbye, Nanaki. See you in school." 

Vincent: that Feeling when you wanna say something but you are still too scared of the Person :'D 

Vincent: sorry souma there is nothing much to dooo 

Kyn: ka z o o he's le a v I n g say somethinnnnng 

Vincent: but kazuaki thinks now that you didnt actually m e an i t 

Vincent: WHAT SHOULD HE SAY HE'S AFRAID THAT HE'LL REGRET I T 

Kyn: LMAO SOUMA STOP BEING SO COARSE YOU GAVE OFF THE WRONG IMPRESSION AGAIN 

Vincent: kazuaki; "teachers always force their students to apologise to the Person they bullied but the bully never means it. it makes us only more scared that well see something worse coming because of the humiliation the bully went through.... " 

Vincent: poor kazuaki proably gets bullied constantly and he doesnt know how to fi g ht it 

Vincent: he tried talking back but that only made it worse probably because he never knows what to say :'D 

Kyn: souma: //pauses, his back to kazoo// ",,,I do mean it, but I suppose if my words aren't enough proof for you, then... if you continue to have bullying issues with other students, you may come to me if you so wish. I can easily make those issues... Disappear. Or worse. It's up to you, of course, but it is a very real offer. I do not provide services for just anyone and I would like it if you believe me when I apologise, considering how you are literally the first person I have ever apologised to in my life, if you're willing to believe that as well."

Vincent: kazuaki; "THAT'S EVEN WORSE! Why would you even offer to hurt others?? you hurt me and you're sorry.... ok ay,,, i believe you then... y-you just sounded less.... like you really meant it... but why would you hurt others? Hitori... talks to them and they stop... sometimes tease me about it.... but it's alright ut why would you...... do worse....... that's terrible?...... did,, did you really try to kill me back then, too?...."

Kyn: souma: "I wasn't trying to kill you, Nanaki. just damage. hurt. scar. those sorts of things. even if the blade never touched you in the end, I suppose I managed to scar you in a worse way. as for why..." //goes quiet for a second// "it's all I know how to do."

Vincent: kazuaki; "huh.... that's actually... pretty sad... aren't uhm... your friends helping you?..... i mean haha... th-they do ... but i mean.... are they like that too?.... do you maye want to hang out with me and hitori then? he's very smart and nice! he'll forgive you! he knows a lot of things..... uh.... s-sorry I uhm..... anyway I forgive you........" //reaches out his Hand to shake souma's

Kyn: souma: //blinks in surprise// ",,,oh." //hesitates for a moment, hand half outstretched before accepting kazuaki's awkwardly, shaking it slowly as if unsure about what he's doing before letting go and staring at his own hand for a few moments// ",,,uh, what? Hitori? Uzune? N,, no, I doubt that he'd want me around. he told me as much. ,,,thank you for the offer, however. and thank you for accepting my apology. as for kawara and nishikikouji... no, they aren't much like myself. kawara probably has his own issues, but they aren't much like my own. nishikikouji is a very well-rounded individual. he's sorry too, by the way - he was very distressed afterward about almost hurting you - although I suppose you'd rather hear that from his own mouth."

Vincent: kazuaki; "hito! isa apologised to me!" 

hitori; "???? HE DID WHAT? you didn't accept it did you -" 

kazuaki; 

Hitori; 

kazuaki; "... i think we are friends now" 

hitori; "kazu, oh my god,,, i love you but this is too much even for you...."

Kyn: SOUMA WOULD AGGRESSIVELY TRY TO AVOID BOTH HITORI AND NAGEKI UNTIL THE END OF TIME TBH 

souma: //returns to the other two, expression confused// ",,,," 

tohri: "you're back!!" 

ryuuji: "how'd it go?? did he say you guys were good now??" 

souma: "I,,, believe that I have managed to,,, befriend nanaki, although I am unsure as to how I accomplished this." 

ryuuji: "ah!! we've been replaced, nishikikouji!" 

tohri: "oh well. didn't really see the appeal in isa souma's friendship, anyway." 

souma: "wh- hey!" 

tohri: "i'm kidding!!" 

souma: //grumbles// "i'd never,,, replace you both,,, you are my,,, most important people,,," 

ryuuji: "wow, that was mushy!! come here and let me hug you!" 

souma: "no- get off-!!" 

tohri: "too late!!" 

Vincent: GOOD 

Vincent: VERY N I CE 

Vincent: GET SANDWICHED SOUMA 

Kyn: souma loves his friends and his friends love him and each other 

Kyn: they're very gay tbh 

Kyn: people Suspect things but they're too afraid of incurring mischief wrath to say anything 

Kyn: they aren't dating tho

Kyn: yet, anyway