#( i just should Never be allowed to touch html like i swear )

[paladin-lynx]

Prompt: “What’s so funny?” with your Human SQUIP AU

I’m sorry this took me for-freaking-ever to get to. Life has gotten in the way lately and my motivation has been low, but I’ve been thinking a lot about BMC lately so here’s the piece! I decided to go with this prompt instead of “Can you forgive me?” since I used that one for another piece. Hope you enjoy! I feel like I’m a bit out of practice at the moment with writing, heh.

Send me a character/ship/fandom and a prompt and I’ll write something!

Fandom: Be More Chill (musical)

Ships: None

Setting: Post-musical AU where the SQUIP somehow returned as a human and was redeemed/rehabilitated by Jeremy (with the help of the rest of the squad), and lives with him having had nowhere else to go. He looks pretty similar to how he looked in Jeremy’s head, and physically he looks to be around college age.

  There were a lot of characteristics that Squip still had that carried over from his supercomputer self, but the most noticeable one was his constant need for order.

Jeremy had a feeling it was because of how perfectionist the SQUIP had been, wanting to convert everyone’s emotions into neat little lines of code. That, and now that Squip had his own emotions to deal with, he desperately needed to feel in control of something as he adjusted to being a plain old human. Now that he was actually out in the real world instead of tucked away in Jeremy’s head just seeing everything through the boy’s eyes, it was no doubt everything seemed so much louder and more intimidating. And it was obvious that Squip didn’t like the fact that he could no longer just glance into the future and see the most plausible outcomes, even if he was starting to accept it as his new reality.

After all these months, Jeremy had learned that Squip would be doing one of a handful of things when he got back to the house after school: 1) sleeping, 2) hiding away in his room on his computer, or 3) cleaning. The Heere household hadn’t been this clean since Jeremy’s mother had left, and even then she had never been this much of a neat freak. Jeremy was half-convinced that one day Squip would run out of things to clean and he’d end up on a ladder just scrubbing the ceiling or something ridiculous like that. Jeremy had on many occasions wanted to joke to Squip about how absurd such an action would be, but he was worried Squip would do that thing where he would chuckle and then suddenly stop, get a thoughtful look in his eyes, rub his chin, and then wonder aloud if that was perhaps a good idea. Jeremy’s father had a habit of doing it, and Jeremy knew that he’d inherited it from him, and unfortunately it seemed Squip had fallen victim to the trend, as well.

Squip often got into a ‘zone’ when he was cleaning. Jeremy knew that it had a calming effect for him, and in a way he understood. It was something that allowed Squip to not have to acknowledge anything else happening around him and even the physical aspect of forcing the dirt off of something could act as stress relief. Jeremy likened it to how he and Michael used video games to escape reality for a little while, and when something was on their minds, maybe sometimes they pressed the buttons on their controllers a bit harder than usual or jerked this way and that more sporadically as they moved their characters across the screen. Actually, as of late, Jeremy also had that experience of going into the ‘zone’ when he coded. It was definitely a weird aftereffect of having had a supercomputer wedged into his brain, since he had never in his life even touched any coding language – except for maybe when he and Michael played around with the HTML on their Tumblr blog themes, but even then it had just been messing around and they’d joked that they had absolutely no idea what they were doing. But on a whim a little while after the SQUIPcident, Jeremy had installed an IDE and just messed around and somehow just knew what to do. He wasn’t an expert by any means, but he definitely knew more than anyone who’d never touched a programming textbook or even a simple tutorial online had any right to know.

Much like how Jeremy sometimes had to nudge Squip’s shoulder and tell him that hours had passed since he’d started cleaning, Squip often had to poke his head into Jeremy’s room and tell him that he’d been hunched over his computer – “even if I’m not shocking you anymore, I’d still recommend fixing your posture” – for God only knew how long.

When one was in the ‘zone’, though, it was easy to not really be aware of what people were saying to you. Jeremy and Michael found it hilarious that for someone who had once had the entire Internet at his figurative fingertips, Squip could be adorably oblivious sometimes. He fell for jokes, got confused at metaphors that he took literally, and oftentimes references flew right over his head until he took a moment. But when he was in the ‘zone’, it took even longer for him to realize he hadn’t caught on to something.

Michael, of course, was oft the one to take advantage of this and would nearly piss himself laughing as a result.

It was spring break, so Michael was over at Jeremy’s house more than normal. It was also the week of Passover, so the Heeres were doing their best to keep kosher for the holiday. Michael every year always incredulously asked how anyone could go a full seven days without bread, and every year Jeremy always just snickered at him. Squip had also been doing his best to uphold the restrictions for the holiday, but considering he was picky enough as it was when it came to food, Jeremy and his father were giving him a pass if he decided to ‘cheat’ – which Jeremy usually ended up doing a couple of times during the week each year anyway. But Jeremy wouldn’t forget how excited Squip had been to participate in the seders.

But because of the holiday and the rules about food, Mr. Heere had rearranged where they had everything in the kitchen, including Squip’s precious cleaning supplies. In hindsight, he and Jeremy probably should’ve realized that this would cause Squip to throw something of a fit, but they were so used to their routine every year that they hadn’t really thought of it.

In the midst of one of their hours-long video gaming sessions, Jeremy and Michael finally emerged from Jeremy’s room to pad downstairs and grab a snack. As much as Michael liked to tease Jeremy about not being able to eat a decent amount of his go-tos during Passover, Jeremy knew that Michael was a complete sucker for his father’s homemade desserts, just like on all the other holidays.

“Rich told me we should try a Nuzlocke one day,” Jeremy was saying as they made their way towards the kitchen.

Michael winced at the suggestion. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of it. And I damn-well know I’d cry if we lost any of our Pokémon.”

Jeremy smiled. “Then we’d just have to work extra carefully to make sure that doesn’t happen. And then we can rub it in Rich’s face.”

“You act as if he wouldn’t cry if one of his team died. Or you, for that matter!”

They snickered to themselves before halting as they got into the kitchen and saw Squip already in there, rummaging through the cabinets and muttering rapidly under his breath, switching between English and Japanese. Jeremy could only understand bits and pieces between how quickly Squip was speaking and also because he only knew so much anyway – another really weird side effect of having the SQUIP in his mind, and Jeremy had been told on multiple occasions that he himself sometimes randomly switched to Japanese when he was upset – but he definitely picked up on a few swears.

“Uh, hey, S,” Jeremy greeted carefully. He blinked when Squip didn’t even acknowledge him, closing the cabinet he was riffling through to open and scrounge through another.

Michael rolled his eyes, leaning on the kitchen island. “Yo, Squip-ster. What are you doing?”

Still no response. Michael thought for a moment. “What’s 24 times 83?”

“1,992,” Squip replied without missing a beat. That seemed to drag him back to reality and he paused, blinking, before he raised an eyebrow over his shoulder at the two boys. “Do you need something?”

“We were getting something to eat, but now we’re wondering what you’re up to,” Jeremy told him, tilting his head. “Are you okay? Are you…looking for something?”

“I can’t find my cleaners and sponges.” Squip turned away from them to continue looking through the cabinet. Jeremy had to smile a little as Squip referred to the supplies as his, considering Jeremy and Mr. Heere weren’t exactly known for keeping the house squeaky-clean. Jeremy’s room had never been cleaner than when he’d had his SQUIP, since it made him clean up the mess pretty much on day one. “I know your father moved some things around to hide all your chametz”—Jeremy couldn’t believe how natural Hebrew sounded coming from Squip when Jeremy had been learning it for years and still only sounded half-decent, but then again he supposed SQUIPs were programmed to be able to speak any language—“but I didn’t think he’d rearranged them to the point I wouldn’t be able to find anything…”

Jeremy would’ve loved to help, but truth be told, he only knew where the Passover foods were. In previous years, he’d just open a random cabinet if he needed to sneak a cookie or the like and hope he found something good. His father had some sort of system for hiding all the unkosher stuff and presumably for moving everything else to make room, but Jeremy had no idea what it was. He hardly knew where the cleaning supplies other than the dish soap were, and the dish soap was out in the open next to the sink.

Jeremy opened his mouth to apologize or maybe offer to help, but Michael suddenly tapped his arm and looked at him with a grin, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Jeremy immediately knew this wasn’t going to end well – you learned a thing or two when you knew someone for over twelve years – but he also knew just as well he was powerless to stop it from happening.

“Did you check under there?” Michael asked, biting back snickers. Jeremy rolled his eyes as he leaned on the island beside his friend and watched Squip rummage. As easy to trick as he could be, there was absolutely no way Squip would fall for that, especially not after Rich and Jake had gotten him with ‘updog’ just a few weeks earlier.

Squip peeked over at them again, brow furrowed when he didn’t see Michael gesturing to anything, and he quickly turned back to his task. “Under where?”

Jeremy’s jaw nearly dropped and his gaze snapped to Michael, who had pressed his hands over his own mouth to try and muffle his cackling. It was just a stupid and admittedly childish joke, but somehow the fact that Squip – witty, clever, intelligent Squip – hadn’t caught himself made it so much better. Jeremy quickly ducked his head to try and stifle his own giggling.

Squip, however, somehow still not realizing what had happened, just looked over at them again. Even if they weren’t laughing out loud, it was painfully obvious they were nearly choking in their attempts to keep quiet. “What’s so funny?”

They both just looked at him, grinning, Michael nearly with tears in his eyes, before realization seemed to dawn on Squip and he rolled his eyes, huffing. “Oh. Are you proud of yourselves?”

That seemed to break both boys and they burst out laughing, having to brace themselves on the island to keep themselves from falling over. Jeremy peeked over to find Squip leaning against the counter across from them, arms crossed loosely against his chest in that ‘chill’ way of his, a little smile on his face despite Jeremy and Michael laughing at his expense. Squip had always been good-humored about these kinds of things. Maybe a little embarrassed, but never upset. Just teasing in return with a promise he wouldn’t fall for it again. Seeing the people he cared about so happy seemed to be worth the slight humiliation.

It took a few minutes, but the two boys finally collected themselves, gasping for breath. Michael even had to pull off his glasses to rub his eyes and flashed Squip a smirk as he pushed them back on. “Sorry, dude,” he said, not sounding even a tiny bit sorry. “It was just too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Squip shook his head, chuckling softly. “I should’ve known better with you.” He let out a sigh, peeling himself away from the counter and putting one hand on his hip. “Well, if you’re feeling so sorry, you two can help me search.”

Jeremy sighed in turn, glancing at Michael. “I guess we owe him that, at least.”

Michael whined, lolling his head back. “Do we?”

“You do,” Squip insisted, waving them over. “Come on, enough with the drama. I’m not asking you to solve world hunger.”

Michael groaned once more but ultimately gave in as Squip cooed at them again in that ever-persuasive way of his. Even as a human, Squip had retained his ability to be rather convincing. It didn’t take more than a few minutes between the three of them to locate the cabinet that Mr. Heere had stuffed the cleaning supplies into, hiding behind a few boxes of forbidden candies that Jeremy had to keep himself from digging into.

“There, done and done!” Michael declared, wiping his hands clean of nonexistent dirt. “Come on, Jere, let’s grab something to eat and get back to our gaming sesh.”

Jeremy nodded, but before he could go anywhere, Squip draped his arms around the boys’ shoulders, pulling them over. He smirked at them. “Not so fast, sluggers,” he nearly purred. “I think you still owe me, so now you can help me clean.”

“What?!” Michael protested. “S, come on!”

“There’s probably nothing left to clean anyway,” Jeremy added. “If you clean the house any more than you already have, you’re gonna end up scrubbing away the paint or whatever.”

“Then there won’t be much you have to do before I let you run back to your games.” Squip gave them a little squeeze before releasing them. He handed Michael a sponge and Jeremy a bottle of spray. “Come on, then. Consider it a life lesson, courtesy of me.”

Jeremy scoffed. “How generous.”

Squip smiled, grabbing a rag for himself. “It’ll do you good. And it’ll be nice to spend time with me instead of in front of a TV screen, won’t it?”

(Author’s Note: I got the idea for the stupid “under where” joke from this comic)

[jvnstcrdust-blog]

i wanna add a tfa verse to my page but i’m a f r a i d to mess w/ the coding again after fucking everything up last time 😅😅😅😅

[marisheeran-imagines]

Lego House: Day Four, Part One - #EdSheeranForAFortnight

A/N:Hello Sheerios! So, a small ‘surprise’ for you today: there will be two posts! I divided the 4th chapter in two parts ‘cause I don’t want the chapters to have too much more than 2000 words. I hope you enjoy it! Next part will be posted at the original time (about three hours from now)! Thanks for all the support, guys, you’re so awesome! I love you all!

*Please, make sure to read the imagine using the Tumblr website (I use the HTML code so that you can answer some questions and interact with the story). If they (the questions) don’t appear immediately, press F5 (refresh the page) and they must appear after that. If they don’t, just let me know, please, and I’ll fix it as soon as possible! Thank you!

Title: Lego House Chapter Number: 4'1/15 Chapter Title: Day Four Part 1 Pairing: Ed Sheeran x Reader Point of View: Ed’s Rating: +15 Word Counter: +1500 Warnings: teenage Ed (16), teenage reader (15), fluffy, careful Ed, sweet Ed, encouraging Ed, rough father

Summary: Ed was caught skipping classes and now he’ll have to spend some time in detention… With the principal’s daughter, while he’s out of the town. What could happen between two teenagers with a “free time” for themselves, practically alone in the school?

var Mariana = prompt("What's your name?","Example: Ana, Taylor, Emma...")

var Mari = prompt("Do you have a nickname? Please, what is it?","Example: Tay, Bella...")

var small = prompt("What's the size of your bum?","Example: small, medium, big...")

var Renata = prompt("Can you tell me the name of your favourite aunt? The sister of your father preferably!","Example: Mary, Rose, Daisy...")

var Lima = prompt("What's your father's last name?","Example: Sheeran, Winchester, Jones...")

Ed’s POV - Thursday

“Hey, document.write(Mari)!” I smile at her on my way to the detention.

“Hey, Ed!” she smiles back, her usual shy little one with flushed cheeks, which makes me grin, she’s so adorable! “Do you want some help?” I ask, seeing her effort in carrying two boxes piled up in her small arms.

“It’d be great, please!” she nods, seeming relieved when I pick the box that was on top “Thank you!”.

I just smile and we keep walking together until we reach the room “What’s in these, if you don’t mind me asking?” I put the box in the teacher’s table and she does the same, opening them both.

In the box I was carrying, there are really good smelling muffins; they seem perfect and mouth-watering. In the other one, there is a big amount of clothes “They are for the St. Elizabeth Hospice downtown” she says, answering my silently question of what these things are for.

“That’s really nice! I’ve already heard about them, but I actually never went there! They look after people with terminal illnesses, right?”.

“Yes, they do, and these are donations for the thrift store they have” document.write(Mariana) explains to me “Would you… Would you like to come with me?” she asks “I mean, if you don’t have any other plans, of course”.

“No, I can go!” I’d love to spend more time with her, she’s got an incredible good heart and something has been pulling me closer to her, like a magnet. “Good!” she grins, touching my arm slightly, but restraining herself immediately, embarrassed, by keeping both of her arms along her body and looking down at her feet.

“Could I have one? They seem delicious!” I ask, trying to distract her from her shyness. Okay, the muffins seem delicious and I just like to eat!

“Sure!” document.write(Mariana) nods, looking at me. She stands on her tip toes to lean over the table to pick the muffin, because she’s short and the box is on the opposite corner and I swear, I swear I try not to peek at her body, but Jesus! When she bends over, her hoodie rises a bit, and I’m able to see everything she hides under her clothes.

Her document.write(small) bum is now visible in her jeans along with a bit of the contour of her waist. And I know it may have sounded really pervert, but it amazes me how I could be so dumb by not noticing her before! Not only because her body is amazing, but also for who she is! It also bolsters what I thought about her yesterday and makes me wonder why she doesn’t see her own beauty.

“Ed?” she calls me and I realise I’ve been staring at her body for a while; now we are both ridiculously red and I don’t know what to do. And for the second time since we’ve met, I ask myself if I should apologise or pretend I wasn’t doing anything.

“I… Well, here!” document.write(Mariana) hands me a muffin, and I decide to follow with the second option once more.

“Thanks!” I say, biting the soft dough, closing my eyes while I savour it, and also, I want to avoid her eyes for my embarrassment. “Oh, God, did you make them?” I ask, looking at her, after I had swallowed.

“Yes, I did!” she nods, smiling. “Wow, this is so good!” I sigh, looking at the eaten muffin, taking another piece into my mouth. “Thank you!” her smile grows. She seems proud of herself; not in that arrogant way people use to be. No, she’s just happy she’s cooked something so delicious.

The glow in her eyes is beautiful, like if document.write(Mariana) wasn’t expecting to get a compliment or if she didn’t trust her skills enough. Which, again, makes innumerous questions appear in my mind, it seems like she’s too much unconfident… Could I help her to change that?

…

“Hey, document.write(Mari), Ed, ready to go?” document.write(Renata) comes to pick us and takes us to the Hospice. “Sure, aunt document.write(Renata)!” document.write(Mariana) nods as we get into the car.

“I hope your father doesn’t kill me for leaving the school earlier” I say, fastening the seat belt as document.write(Renata) starts the engine. “Oh, it’s not that earlier, and if he complains about anything, I’ll take care of him, don’t worry Teddy Bear!” she winks at me through the rear view mirror.

“Jesus, aunt document.write(Renata)!” document.write(Mariana) blushes, hiding her face with her hands and I feel my cheeks getting red too. “Oh, c'mon, document.write(Mariana)!” her aunt rolls her eyes “He didn’t even say anything!”.

“That’s because he’s embarrassed as well!” document.write(Mariana) whimpers, her voice sounding muffled as she keeps her face hidden.

“Nah, I can see he doesn’t care, do you, Teddy Bear?” she looks at me once more and I shrug, I mean, this is not, by far, the worse nickname I’ve gotten, so I think it’s okay. “I think it’s fine!”.

“See, it, document.write(Mari)? You’re overreacting, darling!”.

“Nope, he’s just too polite to say anything!” document.write(Mariana) finally removes her hands from her angel pinky face and I giggle, holding her left hand from the car seat and squeezing it softly. “It’s okay, I’ve gotten worse nicknames before!”.

“Really? Can you tell me?” she asks and I blush, looking at the rear view mirror, her aunt staring at me, looking anxious to hear too.

I lean towards document.write(Mariana) as much as the seat belt allows me to and when I’m close enough to her ear, I whisper: “Fire crotch”.

Straightening myself back, I wait for her reaction. document.write(Mariana) presses her lips in a thin line, her eyes getting wet and she covers her mouth with her hands “I’m so sorry, I just can’t!” she closes her eyes, her body starting to shake as she tries to refrain her own laughs.

“It’s alright, you can laugh, I’ve overcome that a while ago!” I tell her and she finally lets it out; the sound of her laugh is so beautiful, and it’s being so natural and genuine I can’t help laughing with her.

“Oh, Ed, I’m so sorry!” she wipes a few tears from the corner of her eyes, a small smile still on her face. “I told you, it’s okay!” I say, looking at her, amazed with her expression, I try not to stare too much, but she’s so damn enchanting I just can’t help.

“What?” document.write(Mariana) frowns and I shake my head to avoid thinking about it for too long. “Nothing!” I smile and she makes a small pout with her lips, a very cute one. Should I say how I didn’t feel the need to kiss it immediately? Because I would be lying if I did so.

“Hey, children, we arrived!” document.write(Renata) says, pulling the car over “And I must say, Teddy Bear, I’m quite upset with you for not letting me know your other nicknames!” she shifts in her seat to look at me.

“Sorry, it’s a private game!” I joke, making them both laugh. “Oh, so it’s a game, and it’s private!” she raises an eyebrow and looks at document.write(Mariana), who just shrugs.

“He’s just made up this ”private thing, but it makes sense!“ document.write(Mariana) says, looking at me.

“Alright, guys, move your little asses and give the boxes for these people. I’m gonna make some purchases in the supermarket, so I’ll be back in about half an hour! You’ll probably end your activities before I do, so, please, stay around, and, boy, keep your hands to yourself in public. Everyone in the store knows her and her father, you wouldn’t want any of them talking about you to him, right?” her aunt says.

“Oh, Lord! C'mon, Ed!” document.write(Mariana) pushes me, not even giving me the chance to reply to her aunt.

“How can your aunt be so different from your father?” I ask while we take the boxes from the car trunk.

“Is it a question for the game?” she chuckles and I nod “Well, they have this really huge gap in their ages, aunt document.write(Renata) is almost twenty years younger than him and their personalities are totally opposites, as yourself noticed!”.

“Wow, she really looks younger, but I couldn’t have imagined that much!” I say, surprised. Let’s say Mr. document.write(Lima) is about 45, that would mean document.write(Renata) is nearly 10 years older than document.write(Mariana)!

“Yes, she is great, and she’s been an amazing company while father’s out!”.

I can clearly see that. I would even risk saying document.write(Mariana) enjoys her aunt’s company better than her father’s!

…

[silvershadow1711]

The Road Not Trekked (excerpt)

Fuck yeah, I'm shameless. Here's the first chapter of the prologue if my two branch, 40+ chapter Fates rewrite. If you don't hate it, then make my day by checking me out on ff.net and ao3 (just your friendly, neighborhood SilverShadow1711)

(also, this is my first time trying to use html on the tumblr app cuz I'm on my phone and I can't seem to code it in the browser, so sorry if it doesn't actually code...)

Prologue- “Where It All Begins”

“Where has my heart gone? An uneven trade for the real world...”

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Ch.1- “Family Ties”

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Autumn was quickly settling over the kingdom of Nohr, but it was known by all that the chilling winds where but a brief warning of the freezing weather that would soon follow. Farmers were busy harvesting their crops, whilst all others were making preparations for the winter season. But that was life far outside the boundaries of the Northern Citadel. In the fortress, routines rarely changed in relation to the passing seasons. And the most strictly followed routine was that of training.

Training was over for the day (the sun set so quickly in the colder months one had to be up before it even rose to make the most of the daylight hours), a fact for which Nerr was eternally grateful. Despite the cold, she was drenched in sweat and though she had felt overheated in the midst of her mock battle, the chilled air had quickly set her freezing. A fact only emphasized by her bare feet, which were fast turning an unflattering shade of purple. Even as she made her way in from the courtyard, she dashed across the worn marble tiles on tip toe, trying to let as little bare flesh make contact with the cold floor as possible. It always baffled her friends and family why she didn't just wear shoes, even in the dead of winter. The answer was simple- she didn't like them. They were uncomfortable and restricting- like stays, but for your feet. Besides, it wasn't like shoes did much more to keep out the cold.

It was slow going, running up the stairs on her bare, frozen feet, her armor clanking with every step and every muscle sore and screaming for rest, but Nerr pushed aside her discomfort and persevered, for she knew the reward that lay in wait for her at the top of the tower she called home. And as she finally made her way to the last landing, one of the doors opened as if on cue, a vision of sheer loveliness in Nerr's eyes emerging from it. It was a young maid, about the same age that she was, her icy blue hair tied in neat pigtails. And as the maid spotted the frozen girl, she smiled slightly.

“There you are, Lady Nerr. You must be exhausted. I've prepared a bath for you.” Nerr laughed in delight, rushing forward and throwing her arms around the maid. She knew it wasn't the most thoughtful thing to do, what with her sweaty, disgusting armor and all, but she was too happy to care.

“Oh, Flora, you are my savior. You are a gift from the gods themselves, and I thank them every day for you!” The maid flushed slightly and looked away, clearly not comfortable with the praises lauded upon her.

“Oh, not at all, Lady Nerr. I'm just doing my--”

By that time, Flora's audience had long since run into the room she'd just vacated. A loud clanking and several colorful swears could be heard from it's depths. Smiling and shaking her head in good natured exasperation, Flora went back into the room to find her ladyship engaged in a vicious battle with her own armor, pulling at the straps in an attempt to undo them. Were it anyone else, Flora would've been disgusted with their gross incompetence, but she could see the other girl's fingers were stiff from cold, and her armor was rather complicated.

“Here, milady. Allow me to do that.” Obviously relieved to have someone who knew what they were doing take over, Nerr smiled gratefully and tried to keep from trembling too much as her maid quickly dismantled her armor. There was a rather large tub in the center of the room, filled nearly to the brim with hot water. As the warm steam wafted over her, it carried the scent of jasmine. Nerr had only seen the purple flowers in books, but knew that they grew in the southern regions of Nohr, where the climate was warmer. For so long she'd dreamed of seeing them, not just smelling them in her bath water or on her clothes, or the dried, dead petals that came in sachets, but real, living flowers. Now, finally, that dream was withing shouting distance.

As Flora pulled off the last piece of her armor, Nerr quickly stripped her clothes off. She'd have tried to fold them normally, making such a mess of things that the maid would eventually beg her to just leave them alone, but she was quickly loosing the feeling in her toes. With as much restraint as she could manage (which was not much, given that she was almost completely numb in her extremities), she climbed into the bath, letting out a mixed cry of pain and relief as the hot water engulfed her. The heat was almost too much to bear on her frozen skin, and it felt like she had sat in a thousand needles, but she needed it. Eventually, the pain ebbed away, leaving only the relaxing pleasure that coursed through her body. Sighing, she leaned against the chilled tiles, goosebumps rising up along her arms. Flora had just finished organizing the various plates of her armor, and walked over to the tub, carrying a few glass bottles filled with different colored liquids.

“Your training must've been grueling today, milady. You look fit to collapse.” Nerr chuckled slightly, remembering her training. All in all, it had consisted of basic drills. The only thing that really made it difficult was the cold.

“It was fairly standard. But I'll tell you, Flora, after that hellish endurance training last week, I'm just happy to do something I can sleep at the end of.”

An unsuppressed shudder went through Nerr as she remembered the 'endurance training'. It was something all prospective Nohrian knights had to go through before they were actually knighted, at least five days of non-stop, grueling training with only the bare minimum food and sleep. It was meant to simulate actual battle conditions in the field, and very few squires actually made it through. She had heard from Leo that people sometimes died in the middle of it. Nerr hadn't believed that at first, but after five days of no food, no sleep and pushing her body beyond it's limit, she had literally begged for death herself. Or so Jakob told her- she honestly didn't remember anything of that last day.

“I had almost forgotten about that. You were unconscious for two days afterwards. Should you really be training again so soon?” Nerr tilted her head back to look at Flora. Even upside down, she looked concerned.

“I have to.” She answered simply. “Now that I'm of age, I have to prove to Father that I'm fit to join our armies on the battlefield. It's bad enough I have to be quarantined here just because of a little trauma a hundred years ago- if I can't shake off one tiny coma, I'll never be allowed outside!”

She tilted her head further back, dipping her hair into the water, warming her scalp and wishing she could just duck her whole face under for a minute or two. But as she watched Flora uncork the bottles, she knew her self indulgence would have to wait a while longer.

“I know that, Lady Nerr. And I know how much this opportunity means to you. I'm just worried that you might be pushing yourself too hard.” Nerr could not help but smile as she sat up again, the warm water cascading over her. The maid behind her made quick work of untying her hair and undoing the braids she wore in it. It was hard to remember a time when Flora hadn't been there to do that for her. It was hard to remember a lot of things that happened before, but she had a feeling that was more because she didn't want to remember than anything. Nerr only let her focus stay on the good things.

“I know, Flora. I'm so grateful to have you looking out for me. But really, you don't have to worry. I feel fine. Better than fine, I'm on top of the world! Training was a piece of cake.”

“Still, it seems unfair that you would have to train on your birthday.” Nerr tried to look over her should once more, but Flora set her looking straight ahead as she began pouring the contents of one of the bottles on her lady's head. She cringed at the cold that now seemed to creep down her spine, but quickly refocused her thoughts.

“I don't see why. You're from the Ice tribe, and they're all about having strong warriors. Didn't you have to train on your birthday?” She couldn't see it, but the maid was scowling deeply. She wasn't wrong, and had anyone else said such a thing, Flora undoubtedly would have been very upset with them, but it was clear to anyone who knew her that the Nohrian princess did not mean anything cruel with her words. She never strove to be unkind, and she truly was ignorant in the ways of the world outside the boundary of the citadel, so Flora quickly bit back her anger.

“I did train on my birthday, and that is precisely why I say it is unfair.”

Rolling her sleeves up, she began working a lather into her ladyship's hair, perhaps a touch more forcefully than she normally would've done.

“But I got to see my family today. And not just one or two of them. Everyone came out to wish me a happy birthday, and they all stayed until noon, so how can I complain about a little training? I say it's a small price to pay.”

Maybe there were other people who wouldn't think two whole hours spent with their family was a big deal, but to Nerr, those people were crazy. The citadel she was the liege-lord of was two hours from the main castle on horseback, and her sibling were all very busy with their own duties. As such, she cherished every moment she could spend with them. Visits were few and far between, and rarely lasted an hour, so for all of her siblings to schedule so much time for her was indeed the most touching gift they could ever give her. Flora smiled softly as she continued lathering.

“I'm sure it warms your family's hearts to know you think so dearly of them...”

After her hair and back were washed, Nerr quickly fished in the bath. She would've enjoyed staying in the warm water a while longer, but alas, the water was quickly cooling. Hot things did not stay that way for long in the drafty fortress, despite everyone's best attempts to close all the holes and cracks. Nerr wondered if it was warmer in the main castle. It probably was- that was where the king and royal family lived, after all. It wouldn't do for the crown prince to catch his death from a chill. She looked forward to the day she and her retainers and household could move in as well, to be nearer to her family, and the rest of the world in general. Flora helped her into her nightgown and braided her hair for her the way she always wore it to sleep. For the first time, the thought struck her that, if she truly did join the Nohrian army, chances were she would not be able to bring Flora along. That wouldn't be fair to all the soldiers that weren't royalty. She needed to ask the maid how to braid her own her before she went anywhere.

The excitement and physical exhaustion of the day was beginning to catch up to her. Flora, in her infinite kindness, offered to escort Nerr back to her room, though they both knew it was more because the princess was in the habit of falling asleep wherever she got tired, and it would do no one any good if she caught a draft sleeping on the floor. The thought of crawling into bed and pulling her comforters over herself was almost as happy as that of her siblings. She had been suppressing a yawn as she opened the door to her room and once she walked in, it was difficult to tell if she had opened her eyes or not. The room was completely dark. Normally, such things didn't bother Nerr- she often found she could see in the dark just as well as in the light, but she was too tired to make sense of what she was looking at.

“Flora, why's it so dark in here?”

“Oh dear, I must've forgotten to light the torches. Don't worry, I'll get a light.”

She pulled Nerr into the doorway and stepped away. The darkness was so soothing, it was tempting to just lean against the door frame and go to sleep. The young princess was seriously contemplating that thought when a faint light appeared in the dark. Several, actually, all crowded close together. It was the warm, flickering light of candles, in the center of her room. And illuminated in the dim glow were the faces of her retainers and servants, smiling up at her. A cake lay on the table in front of them. Taken aback, Nerr slowly approached them, making sure to keep her breathing steady. It did not do for a princess of Nohr to go to pieces at the slightest provocation.

“What's this?” She asked, knowing the answer, but still curious if it wasn't something different.

“It's a birthday celebration.” Jakob answered primly.

“You guys know you don't have to do this. My birthday is nothing special.”

“We respectfully disagree, my lady.” Gunther interjected. “This is the day the gods gave you to us. That is something very special indeed.” Felicia nodded energetically, her long hair bouncing about.

“Yeah! Not to mention today, you're officially an adult. We gotta celebrate that!” Lilith, the newest member of her household, smiled up at her shyly.

“You mean so much to us, Lady Nerr. This is the least we can do to show you.”

Nerr felt her throat tighten as she look at the illuminated faces. She swallowed the happy tears that threatened to overtake her (a princess must always be in control of their emotions), and beamed back at them.

“Thank you all. This means so much to me....”

“Well, don't just stand there getting emotional,” Flora teased. “Make a wish.”

She looked down at the candles, their tiny, fragile light reminding her of the stars she often looked up at, especially on cold, clear nights like this.They said if you saw a falling star, you could make a wish, but she had never been that lucky. She wished she could've seen at least one before, for now, there were so many wishes she wanted to make. She wanted to finally leave the citadel, she wanted her father to finally be proud of her... she wanted to know what it felt like to be loved by the person she loved... But as the memory of this perfect, happy day filled her chest, all of those other wishes fell away, replaced by something that mattered much, much more. Leaning down, she took a deep breath. 'Gods... please don't take this happiness away...'As she blew out the candles with as much force as she could, the room was once more thrown into darkness.

“Oh. That... wasn't smart...” There was a throaty chuckle from across the table.

“I'll put the lights back on, my lady.”

000

Nerr had smiled consistently throughout late birthday celebration. It was a strange feeling, to sit and eat with so many other people. Although there was a dining room in the citadel somewhere, she always took her meals in her room, and she assumed her retainers did the same. There weren't enough chairs for everyone, so Felicia, Lilith and (with some coaxing) Flora crowded together with her on her bed.

The cake was apple spice kugelhopf, since apparently there had been a decent crop of apples that year (though she was fairly certain she had overheard Xander mention something about the wheat crop failing). The princess delighted in the fact that she had been born in the midst of the harvest season when fruit abounded. Not that it benefited anyone else since, as Leo, and Gunther, and occasionally Jakob bemoaned, she ate all the damn fruit before anyone else had a chance to. They had to hide a secret stash just for this occasion.

“That was clever. I mean, it's also sneaky and insulting and disloyal, but very clever.” Jakob sat a little straighter in his seat, unable to keep the smile completely off his face.

“Thank you, Lady Nerr. It was my idea. The cake was also my work.”

“Hey!” From beside her- as in, right in her ear- Felicia protested loudly. “I helped too!” At once, Jakob's smile slid from his face, replaced with a deep frown.

“If by 'helped' you mean 'almost completely ruined everything', then yes. You 'helped' a lot.” Felicia gasped, affronted. It seemed that this disagreement was about to turn into a full-on screaming match. Lilith edged away from the young maid as the temperature around her began dropping. Nerr desperately wished she could do the same, but she was unfortunately sandwiched between Felicia and her sister. Sighing loudly, Gunther rolled his eyes skywards.

“For the gods' sake, can you two not bicker for one day? Is that truly too much to ask? Normally I'd tell you to go outside and settle your silly argument with combat, but I wouldn't want Lady Nerr's birthday further ruined with one of you losing an eye.” Jakob and Felicia awkwardly looked to the floor, shame-faced. Nerr felt her heart go out to both of them, and she smiled gently.

“Aw, they're not ruining anything, Gunther. I'm used to them arguing. We all are, I think. I, for one, can't imagine not waking up in the ungodly hours of the morning to the sounds of crashing and yelling.” Badly suppressed giggles came from either side of her, and both domestics looked up, clearly relieved they hadn't ruined her birthday. Besides, she added silently to herself, families fight. They argue and make up and go back to being families.

It was fun and surprisingly relaxing to share a meal with others, to talk and laugh. Sometimes she would read about families sitting down to dinner together. She wondered if her siblings ate like this, with father at the head of the table, discussing their lessons or training... It was a nice thought. She truly hoped they did and that when she could finally join them in the castle, that she could take part as well. But even if that was just a dream that could never come true, she was happy with this family.

It was quite late when the conversation finally began tapering off. Though Nerr was loathe to admit it, her exhaustion was catching up to her. Perhaps noticing her drooping eyelids, the servants quickly remembered the chores left to them before they could turn in for the night. Lilith had to feed the horses, Flora and Jakob had to tidy the kitchen, and Felicia... had to try not to break any more plates. They all excused themselves, wishing their liege a happy birthday one last time as they took their leave. Nerr was in the middle of contemplating the practicality of replacing all the citadel's ceramic dishes with metal ones to avoid another Felicia disaster when she suddenly realized there was still one member of her makeshift family in the room with her.

“Gunther. What are you still doing here? I thought you left with the others.” The older man bowed his head.

“My apologies, my lady. I'll be but a moment and then leave you to your peace.” Nerr frowned a bit. That didn't sound at all like Gunther. Normally, her retainer was the one telling her to stop dawdling and get a move on.

“Is something wrong?” She asked quietly. She prayed there wasn't. The thought of something being wrong with her oldest, dearest companion made her stomach clench painfully in fear. Noticing her concern, the old knight laughed softly.

“No. There's nothing wrong, my lady. Just the passage of time...”

“What do you mean?” He sighed, softly but she still caught it.

“It just seems impossible to me that fifteen years could have passed so quickly. I still remember when you were a little girl, begging me to pick you up and carry you about on my shoulders...” Nerr felt the heat rise in her cheeks at the memory. It was hazy, but it was there.

“Don't remind me of those things, Gunther. It's embarrassing. I'm not a child anymore.”

“I know.” His voice was quiet, as if he were speaking more to himself than to her. “I know that better than anyone. It's just so hard to believe that that playful little girl grew up into the strong, beautiful woman that sits before me now.” Her cheeks burned hotter, but pleasantly so this time. She could not help but smile a bit as she asked, somewhat shyly,

“You think I'm beautiful?” Perhaps a younger man would've been flustered, but Gunther possessed a nonchalance that could only come with age.

“I doubt there is a soul in this kingdom that does not.”

It was a non-answer, but Nerr was still flattered. The older man got to his feet and approached her, stopping a respectful distance from her bed.

“I'm sure Jakob would kill me in my sleep if he knew about this, but... I have a gift for you.” Despite her insistence that she was an adult, the princess could not contain the childish burst of excitement she felt at those words. Perhaps because it had been so long since she last heard them. When she was younger, back when Gunther still left the fortress to go on patrols with the rest of the active duty knights, he would always bring her presents from the town in the capital. Sweets and toys and books... it was not so much the presents themselves that she adored (though she truly did, and kept every one of those treasures squirreled away somewhere safe), but rather, what they represented. The world beyond the confines of her cage, places she could only dream of going.

As she got older, the gifts became less frequent until they stopped all together. She never questioned it, of course- that would come across as horribly selfish and entitled, and besides, she had probably just outgrown that little tradition just as she had outgrown everything else that served as a happy reprieve. Now, her heart leapt as she jumped to her feet, bouncing on her toes in joyful anticipation.

“Ooh, what is it? What is it?” Reaching into the pouch he wore on his sword belt, Gunther pulled out a small, plain wooden box. It was unwrapped, but his presents always were. Biting back a squeal of excitement, she reached out as calmly as she could, using all her restraint to not snatch the box from his hand- that would be a terrible show of decorum.

“Can I open it?” She asked hopefully. It seemed unlikely it was something that needed to be opened in private, but one could never be too sure. He smiled at her, that hybrid amused-slash-exasperated smile that was always accompanied with a shake of the head.

“That's why I gave it to you.” The box was hinged, and there was a small latch that she quickly undid, opening it. It was lined just as simply with dark cloth, and there in the middle was a rather large butterfly. Not a live creature, or even a dead one to be put on display, but a broach or something of that sort. It was sculpted of beautifully polished brass, it's body and the details of it's wings inlaid with some black stone- jet, she assumed.

“It's a hairpin.” He explained, silently gauging her reaction. “I know my lady rarely has use for such frivolities, but when I saw it, I could not help but think of you.” She looked up at him, confused. “Butterflies symbolize change, and I've given it to you filled with the hope that your life will change only for the better.”

Silently, Nerr looked back down at her gift. It glinted dully as it caught the light of the torches on her walls. Slowly, her smile had been fading, and now, she simply looked impassive. Though it did not show on his face, Gunther was surely apprehensive of his mistress's sudden change in demeanor. It could've been for any number of reasons; perhaps she thought him too forward, perhaps she felt such a thing was beneath her...That certainly seemed likely, so he spoke up once more, with a bit less enthusiasm than before, though...

“Of course, I understand that a cheap trinket is far beneath royalty. A princess deserves gold and jewels, but... I fear a soldier's salary is not so exorbitant--!!” He started as he felt her arms wrap around his waist. Sometime in the midst of his humiliating defense, she had set the box down on her bed and approached him, drawing him into a hug. That he didn't notice her until it was too late... it seemed his reflexes were going to seed...

For Nerr, this was another one of those happy things that she no longer had. As a child, Gunther had indulged her desire for hugs and affection freely, but one day, with no warning, he'd pulled away from her embrace and chided her. She was no longer a child, such behavior was unacceptable from a young lady, et cetera, et cetera. It seemed that from that day, a lonely, empty space had been born inside her. Of course, Elise and Camilla still freely gave hugs (it seemed that only hugging the opposite sex was bad, because hugging Jakob one day had resulted in a harsh scolding for both of them), and it wasn't as if anyone was cold to her, but still... The lesson she had taken away from that new rule was that being a mature, responsible adult meant giving up one's happiness. And though it made her sad, Nerr resigned herself to the fact that, if that was what was expected of her, that was what she would do.

While she told herself she was okay with that, in this particular moment, she could not force herself to think or behave like a dignified princess of Nohr. Just for a while, she needed to not be Nerr Von Krakenburg, and just be Nerr the girl. Gunther had not pulled away and begun chastising her yet, but it could've just been that he was in shock. She tightened her grip on his tunic just in case. He was right about one thing, though; the years certainly had passed. The last time she clearly remembered hugging him, her head barely came up to his stomach, and he'd had to stoop uncomfortably to return her embrace. Now, she could rest her cheek against his chest, her sensitive ears picking up the faint rhythm of his heart. There were tears in her eyes, and when she blinked, they stained the linen of his shirt a darker shade of purple.

“Lady Nerr? He asked, his voice quiet, but rumbling through her face and arms like distant thunder. “Are you alright?”

“I love it.” She sniffled. Clearly Gunther had not idea what she was on about.

“I don't--”

“Your gift. I love it, more than anything. It's the most wonderful present I've ever received.”

“It's just a piece of polished metal...” Nerr looked up at him, not bothering to wipe away her tears as they kept falling anyway.

“So is a crown. They're both just pieces of metal you wear- the value comes when someone says, 'this has value'. And so I say this hairpin is more valuable to me than all of the jewels in Castle Krakenburg.” Gunther gaped at her, ever so slightly.

“That's a bit of an exaggeration, I think...”

“I don't. It's the unmitigated truth. What would a handful of shiny rocks matter to me? This...” She glanced back to where the box lay on her bed. “This is something precious, given to me by the person I hold dearest in the world.”

“Lady Nerr...” She ignored him, pressing on as if she had said nothing wrong.

“It made you think of me, and it's filled with your hopes for me. I place more value on that than diamonds and gold.”

For a long time there was silence, and Nerr was too afraid to look up. Normally, her brain filtered out things like that before they got to her mouth, but today... she would blame it on her exhaustion. After a while, a low, deep laugh reverberated through her. She chanced a quick glance up and saw Gunther smiling down at her, a familiar, tender look in his eyes.

“You certainly know how to make a pauper feel like a king of kings. No doubt you could rally the world behind any cause you choose with those honeyed words.” Oh. So that was what he thought of her speech as- idle flattery. Reigning in her disappointment, she closed her eyes and leaned back against his chest (if he wasn't going to push her away, then she would enjoy the closeness for as long as she could), frustrated and tired.

“I spoke only the truth. I don't laud praise on things that don't deserve it.”

“I know, my lady. Your praise is the most honest critique. I truly do not deserve such distinction.”

“Nonsense...” she tried- and failed- to stifle a yawn. She was beginning to wish she was already in bed. “You're... a wonderful person, Gunther...”

“Heh. I think my lady might be sleep talking.”

Gently, he eased her back over to her bed, her legs giving out the moment they brushed against the mattress. Fighting another yawn, she used the last reserves of her strength to move her precious gift over to her nightstand, and swing her legs onto the bed as well. As she lay down, Gunther pulled the covers over her the same way he had done years ago. Reaching up, he brushed an ever-errant lock of hair from her forehead, another old habit, though it seemed his touch lingered just a little longer than it used to. Or perhaps that was wishful thinking from Nerr's half-dreaming mind.

“Good night, my little ladyship.” He whispered, using his old pet name for her. More asleep than awake, she smiled slightly.

“Good night, Gunther...” As his footsteps grew fainter and the door quietly squealed closed, she cracked her eyes open, a sliver of bright crimson visible in the darkness. She moved her lips silently. 'I love you...'