#“oh you want to talk to me??? you can take it to thw wolf guy for all i care. im sure youll find him very charming

[yael-art-den]

I've been thinking about Karim post-epilogue, mostly about how his family is going to try to worm their way back into his life.

They knew that he was alive since Act 3 and didn't really care, BUT now that they know he's friends with THE Red Prince? Now he's useful again. They will try to hangle their love in front of him again because "Well look at you you're a hero now! We always knew you had it in you. You wouldn't be there without the tough love, you need to remember who put you in that ship and set you on that path" yada yada. C'mon Karim, they will even give their approval of your relationship! You can get their permission to get married? Isn't that nice?

It just so happens that Karim now has real friends and a real found family and it doesn't work anymore. He doesn't need anything that they can give him, and it becomes more about him trying to ignore the issue and them finding progressively more intrusive ways to harass him. Karim's grown a lot and has a spine now, but his relationship is still complicated and doesn't want to fully close the door on his family yet. He still fears them in a way; and though his friends/partner are VERY WILLING to fix that problem for him, he feels like he needs to handle it on his own.

Eventually one of his brothers just shows up to talk to him and maaaybe try to pressure him into coming back. For Karim that whole situation is MORE stressfull than fighting the fucking Kraken and he. freezes up. He actually goes back a few steps in his development and needs Ifan to act as an attack dog on his behalf so HE can tell them to back the fuck off because he's unable to assert himself.

I'm not sure on the detail yet, but it all ends with Karim actually confronting his mom and having a HUGE argument with them in which he eventually goes quiet. Thinks about it. And suddenly goes "wait. what the fuck am i doing. I actually don't care about any of this" and just walks out. He thought that he needed to have a "cathartic moment" but what he learns is that he no longer cares about them or their relationship.

He's not even angry he's tired and tells them to not contact him anymore. Straight-up asks the party that if his family comes back asking for him again, they're free to deal with them as they want.

[fb-20]

#8

"Hope, my love, it's Andy. I met mrs. Alonso today, your friend Aurora. She told me you were in the beach and talked with her. She said you're good, and I believe it. I won't take you home this time, okay? I promise. But we need to talk. If you want to leave me, so say it looking into my eyes. You can't just go away. I need to know why, Hope, that's the fair and you know it. I'm in my mom's place. Just let me know where you are. T-that's it... I love you. Bye."

That was the message letf by Andrew in Hope Mae's voicemail.

- Dear, what happened?

Sandra arrived home and saw her daughter holding the cellphone against to her chest, crying on the floor in the backyard.

- Why is this so hard, mom? Why is everything in my life so hard to deal with? - Hope Mae's small, delicate and bare shoulders shook with her little sobs in the midst of her crying. - I know that's a drama queen question, but still.

- Oh, dear... - Sandra bent down and hugged her daughter. - Are you having a crisis?

-Andrew left a new voicemail. - Hope Mae wiped her face with the back of her hands.

- That's why I'm back. I can't lie to him anymore. You need to talk with your husband, Hope Mae. He's so worried about you.

- I'll tell him I'm here, okay?

- Okay! That's great. It'll be alright, you'll see.

Beau saw thw whole scene. He couldn't interrupt them, it was their moment. Beau knew how it was important to Sandra, and he was so proud of his wife. She finally knew how deal with her daughter and that was all that he was wating for all these years.

***

- I did what I needed to do. Now it's with her. - Andrew said, closing the door of the car, talking about the voicemail.

- Hey, look. I need to come back tomorrow. - Wiles got out of the car too.

- The Law things?

- Yeah. I'm in a complicate case and I need to be there.

- What about Becky things? Andrew smilled mischievously.

- Not your business. - Wiles rolled his eyes.

- Exists some business!

- Andy, let's just do it, okay? I wanna get out of here as soon as I can.

- You didn't even deny, Tobiah. - Andrew said with a smile in his face.

- Why are you so annoying?

- For the same reason you're so boring! Listen, I'm not the best person to talk with you about anything, okay? I wasn't there in the last fifteen years, I didn't saw your life heppening. But if I still knowing you well, and I think I do, I risk to say that you're avoing your feelings for her all these years.

- What are you talking about? Becky is my second in the company. Nobody can't be as great as she is in this field. We just have The Law things in common, okay? I mean it. It's a professional relationship. - He tried. Didn't even Tobiah believed a word he said.

- And that's all that you guys have? A professional relationship? - Andrew arched an eyebrow, completely incredulous.

- Of course it is! - The older brother was getting a little mad.

- Bollshit! That same old "lonely wolf" bollshit! Tobiah, c'mon. Gow up and lear to be loved, damn it. If you think you have any chance with her, so try as hard as you can. If not to be her lover, to be her friend. Or anybody's friend. Get a pet! How you'll do it doesn't metter, just stop being so lonely.

- And finish as happy as you are? Seriously? You've spent the last whole week looking for the wife who ran away from you. Again! Your gallery almost closed its doors, Andy. This is what you can't wait to see me living?

- Yes! Yes, exatly!

- Okay, you're crazy.

Andrew laughed, putting his arms on the top of the car and laughed his head.

- You're a crazy man and I've a mom, who I don't really talk for almost fifteen years by the way, waiting right there. - Tobiah said appoiting in her appartament direction. - So I'm finishing this conversation. I'm done. It's too much for a single day.

Andrew noticed he said it with humor, but it was also a true for Tobiah, it was too much for him in a single day.

Tobiah had no idea what was going on with their mother, but he knew it was hudge, whatever it was.

***

- Hope Mae, my dear, let me come in. - Beau asked, calling his daughter behind of the door.

- Beau, let's call the doctor.

- No, Sandra. And if you do it behind my back, you'll see a thing. I let you do whatever you wanted, and it had a pretty hight coust for everyone in this family. But no this time. She just need some time alone.

- Wow! You don't need to be so rude.

- Yeah, I did.

- What a hell is that attitude, Beau?

- I mean it, sweetie. I'm tired of all this "calm dawn, babe", "take it easy, my love". You won't ruin it, Sandra. I love you, and I always respected you as mother, even when you were completaly wrong. This time, you will listen to me: live her alone. And make some tea. I'll call Drew.

Sandra hated must to admit that it was true, he was right about every single word he just said to her. And, unbelievably, without complaining, she went down to the kitchen and made some tea. Mad, but she did.

***

- Mom. You look gorgeous. - Andrew said, hugging her.

- You're the one who gave me this dress, but thank you. - Beatrice smiled, putting her head on his shoulder. Her dress was cream, with three-quarter sleeves and canoe neckline, and ended at her knees.

Andrew letf her and walked a little farther into the appartament. Tobiah, who was standing behind the brother, could barely keep his head up. Beatrice looked at her eldest son for the first time in years, and breathed so deeply that Tobiah could see her shoulders sway.

She looked at Andrew like a child ask permission. He smiled at her, granting it.

- Are you afraid of me or what? Come here. - Tobiah opened his arms to her.

Beatrice threw herself into her son's arms. She ran at him, and hugged Tobiah as hard as she could. Her tears wet his shirt at shoulder height. He had a knot in his throat. Tobiah enveloped her, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other on her head. That hug was the most beautiful thing that happened with him since his sister's death.

- We should have done this a long time ago... - Beatrice said, letting him. - We must to. - She cleaned her face with the back of her hand.

She went to the living room and they followed her.

And there he was, in the middle of the room. Tobiah looked at him with hate overflowing through the eyes. He clenched his wrists, swallowed and held his breath. It was possible to see that his heart rate had accelerated. Tobias' face turned red, and the face of the other, the one standing in the middle of the room, paled at the sight of Tobias so upset by his presence.

- Dad? - Andrew said. - What are you doing here?

[flowersoldier]

The Flower Girl and the Wolf

Aerith's living a normal live, until she met a shapeshifting wolf named Cloud... Formerly known as 'Beauty and the Beast' but completely rewritten.

AO3

Chapter 1: The Stranger from the Woods

It was night in Midgar and a dark, hooded figure jumped over seceral roofs. This town was weird, it had a gigantic plate and people lived above and below it. Cloud decided to hide below the plate and somewhere in the middle of these...slums, he stopped. He was on the roof of an old church. He pulled the hood of his cloak off, revealing a pair of wolf ears twitching at every sound. He smelled the air, but except for the bad smell of the town, there was no hint that anyone followed him. Nodding to himself, he turned to get going, but suddenly the wooden plates he stood on broke and he fell into the church, getting knocked out by the impact.

----------------------

"Mom, I'm off!" Called Aerith cheerfully, pulling on her little red jacket over her pink dress and bouncing down the stairs. Despite her twenty-one years of age, she was still being as cheerful and bouncy as a child.

"Where are you going, sweetheart?" Asked her mother Elmyra, stopping her daughter before she could leave the house.

"The church. Someone has to take care of the flowers." She said, smiling happily at her mother. Elmyra smiled back and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Be careful, Aerith." Said girl rolled her eyes playfully. Elmyra told her this everytime she left the house. Yes, she knew the Slums could be dangerous, but Aerith could take care of herself just fine.

"Always. See you later, mom."

-------------

Aerith walked happily through the streets of Midgar. Her braid that was fixed with pink ribbon swung back and forth with each step. Aerith kept looking around to see if there's anything dangerous nearby, but there was nothing. It was very early and there weren't many people outside yet.

The girl looked up at the upper plate that prevented everyone living below it, to see the sky. But Aerith didn't really care not to see the sky. She was...kinda afraid of it.

Just a few minutes later she arrived at the church of Sector 5 and entered it. It was very old, no one bothered to take care of the building, so now it was just rotting away. If it wasn't for Aerith of course. She took care of this place and even grew a flower bed in the middle, where the altar once has been.

But something was different today. As she came closer to her flowers she saw someone lying in them. She tilted her head at the unconscious man lying on her poor flowers, before looking up. There's a hole that wasn't there yesterday. He must've fallen down. Did he come from the uper town, or did he just walk on the roof?

The boy was had spikey, blond hair and he only wore black. A coat, a wollen shirt with only one sleeve -which was a different kind of fabric she noticed, and pants. Oh and a wolf necklace. After taking a closer look she noticed him having animal ears. And a fluffy tail, too! She wasn't an animal expert but it looked like they're from a wolf. Was he cosplaying? Tilting her head again, she knelled down and poked one of his fluffy ears and to her surprised it wiggled with every touch. As if it was real...

Then the man began to stir and groan quietly, snapping Aerith out of her thoughts. "H-hey, can you hear me?" Aerith waited for a reply, but none came. "Hellooo~!" She called and watched him stirring awake. "Hellloooo~!" Aerith called again and now his eyes fluttered open.

Aerith couldn't help but stare at his bright, sapphire blue eyes for a while. Was this how the sky looked like? If so then it wasn't scary at all. "Yay!" She exclaimed, when he looked back at her and sat up. He was staring at her, too, kinda like as if he never saw a human being before.

----------------

Cloud stared at the girl, not quite sure what to think. Was he dead? Was she an angel? Her eyes sparkled and shined and looked define on their own. And then there was her face and hair and dress and everything about her. No that wasn't an angel, she was a goddess.

"Are you okay?" She asked and her voice...Her voice sounded so...sweet. No, she couldn't be a normal human being...But then his eyes widened. No, she smelled like a human. He immediately reached up for his hood, but it wasn't there. She could definitely see his ears. And he knew they moved, too. Way to hide his identity...He had to get out of here.

"Hey." Her voice caught his attention immediately. "Do you understand me?" Cloud just nodded hesitantly. "Are you okay?" She asked again and Cloud answered with another nod. "So...what are you?" He looked away, having no idea how to answer this. Well, actually he did, but he couldn't get any words out of his mouth. "Can you talk?" She really had lots if questions. But he'd probably be just like that when he saw a weird creature. He nodded again.

She smiled at him then. It was...so radiant. So beautiful...He opened his mouth to talk, but was stopped by her voice. "Are these tiny fangs?" She asked amused and even though these are not the worst things she saw on him, he quickly covered his mouth and avoided her gaze.

Then, just a second later, he felt something tickling his ear. It wiggled on its own and the girl began to giggle. He glanced at her and saw that she was the one tickling his ear. It would be so much more annyoing if she wouldn't have such a beautiful, angelic voice..."So, these are real? Can you tell me something about yourself?"

Well, it was too late now, anyway, right? "I'm a wolf." He answered, looking away again. The girl hummed and he could practically feel her stare on him. It was kinda embarrassing...

"Well, except for your fluffy tail and ears you look like a normal guy to me." She said thoughtfully.

It was forbidden to reveal the identity to humans, but it was way to late for that. "It's because...This is a disguise. I uhm....can transform into a real wolf."

"Wow...Can you show me?" This question really surprised him.

"What?" He asked shocked leaning away from her. What kind of girl was this? Normal people would be afraid of him, but she was actually curious!

"Can you show me? I'd really like to see it." She asked again, looking at him hopefully with her sparkling green eyes.

"No." He answered, again trying to get away from her gaze.

"Why not?" She sounded so disappointed. So sad. This shouldn't have an impact on him!

"You'll be afraid." He took the lamest excuse ever. This girl should be aftaid of him, but for some reason he didn't want to scare her.

"Don't worry." She said and Cloud made the same mistake again and looked at her radiant smile. "Wolves are one of my favorite animals! I won't be afraid of you."

To be honest, he had no idea if she was brave or extremely naive..."Still no."

"You're no fun..." She mumbled, pouting like a little girl. "By the way...do you mind getting out of the flowerbed?"

His question confused him for a second, that is until he looked down and realized for the first time that he was sitting in the middle of many pretty flowers. "Oh..." He quickly stood up and jumped out of the flower bed. "Sorry."

The girl smiled, despite him crushing her flowers. "It's okay. They can handle it." So that's why it smelled so good. And he thought it was only her that smelled so amazingly flowery.

"Why...why are you not afraid of me?" He asked then, thinking that her lack of fear weird. Every other human hated and feared them, so why not her?"

"Why would I? You're a really nice guy. Wolf."

"People call us 'monsters'." He said, frowning.

"I don't think you're one. As I said, you're really nice. Say, do you have a name?"

The blonde was clearly hesitant, but then again he never met a human like her before. She looked very trustworthy. "Cloud."

The girl hummed, her smile never faded. "Cloud, huh." His ears twitched when she said his name and couldn't help but like how it sounded with her voice. "I'm Aerith. Nice to meet you." Cloud smiled back, slightly. Could anyone not smile in her presence? "Cloud. Please show me how you look as a wolf."

She looked at him like a wolf pup and he felt himself crumble under that gaze. "Okay..." He said, looking away from her. She was surely smiling brightly right now. Looking around, he found a back door. "Wait here." He left her standing there and went to the separate room. Then he undressed himself, since he still needed these 'borrowed' clothes and couldn't afford to rip them apart. As soon as he shed all clothes, he transformed into his wolf form.

He had a golden like fur color and his hair style was still there. His head and neck was all spikey. And to top it all off, he got the white spots from his father. A big part of his eight ear was white, his feet were white he had a big white spot on his left eye and the complete underside of his muzzle belly and all the way to thw tip of his tail were white. He was probably the most bright colored wolf on this planet. Well, except for the ones who were completely white or silver-ish. After stretching his legs and ruffling his fur with his paws, he hesitantly walked back to Aerith.

He still expected her to be afraid as soon as she saw him, but instead she looked at him in wonder. Not just because he was an actual wolf, but also because he was much bigger than a normal one. He was big enough to carry her on his back. "Wow." Cloud made sure to have a safe distance between them and sat down, just watching her reaction. To his surprise, she approached him and reached out, gently touching his head. "You're fur is so fluffy..." She said more to herself, as she petted him gently, running her fingers through his fur. Aerith traced the white spots on his eye and ear and if he'd be a human he'd surely blush. Actually he still felt quite warm already.

He scooched in, unconsciously, really enjoying the way she petted him. But then She surprised him by coming even closer and burrying her face in his shoulder. "W-what are you doing?" He asked, but it sounded more like a barking to her ears. Sadly, his kind couldn't speak with humans. There was a different, intelligent species that spoke the human tongue, though. They were close allies.

Aerith kept snuggling him and Cloud tried to ignore her sweet, flowery scent. It was more intense with his wolf form and it wrapped him into a sweet, warm bubble that he didn't want to get out of. But he had to. He won't stay in this weird, stinky place. All he wanted was to see the world and had to go back eventually. With that in mind, he backed away from her and disappeared into the back room again. Even if everything in him told him to stay like that with her forever. Before he could change his mind and go back to her, he transformed back and dressed himself again. When he went back to the girl, he saw her pouring.

"Why did you change back?" She asked sad, disappointed. It was almost enough to go back there and change back. Almost.

But he didn't have an answer to her question. While trying to calm his racing heart, he approached her again and sat down on the ground. "I don't understand you...You should be afraid of me. Every normal human being would be afraid and run away from me."

But Aerith ignored him obviously, as she was more occupied at poking his ear and tail. "Are you listening?" He asked her frustrated. She didn't bother looking at him and kept poking his tail.

"I hear you. I just don't care." Her honesty was really...something else. "'Oh my gosh, whatever should I do'? Is that what you want to hear?" Cloud just stared at her blankly.

"Every other wolf would've killed you instantly..."

"But you didn't."

"Yeah, but..." There was no use talking with her. She was just a crazy and insane person. "Can you show me the way out of this town?"

Now this got her attention. "You wanna go already?"

Cloud nodded. "This isn't really...the best smelling place I've ever been to..."

"You're right. It's the Mako. I think I got used to the smell...I've been living here since I remember." Silently Cloud wondered why anyone would want to live in this place. He had no idea how people lived above the plate, but down here...It must be like living in hell. "Hey, how about you stay here overnight? I can offer you a place to sleep."

Cloud took a moment to think. It wouldn't hurt staying here for the night. Until then he could probably talk with Aerith more. "Okay."

Aerith beamed at his answer. Her smile was blinding him. "Great! You can stay at my place. My mother's there, too, but don't worry! I know she'll love you!"

At the mention of her mother, he was nervous. "Are you sure she won't mind? And what about..."

"Don't worry! She's very good at keeping secrets, you know. Even if she kicks you out, you can still stay here. But it's worth a try, right?" She was very optimistic...But it was infectious.

"Right." After pulling the hood of his coat over his head, she followed Aerith out of the church and to her place.