#WHY YES GORDY I WILL MARRY YOU

[altaruwusmolboiz]

Corn reprise is BARS

[forest-falcon]

Adding again to my WIP. I'm terrible at thinking of titles or writing things in order, so apologies again!

OC Lieutenant Tamara Fielding is recovering on Tracy Island from the mecha attack. (I'll join the two bits up eventually!) Virgil suggest they play a board game and chaos ensues! Thunderpuns ahead!

Content Warning for language.

****

"Hey, Virgil was wondering if you'd be up for playing a board game of some kind? He thought you might like some company?"

The youngest Tracy poked his head around the infirmary door. Youngest...that must be Alan?

"That'd be great, but don't feel the need to entertain me if you're busy. First responder. I get it." Tam spoke out of duty rather than want. She was sociable by nature, and the infirmary, while pleasant, was not overly interesting.

"Ah, we're off-duty right now. Even first responders have to rest, right?"

"Tell that to Chief McCready!"

"Yeah, Scott's the same to be fair."

"But yes - I'd love a board game."

"Awesome. I'll message Gordie on the group chat. I'm sure he'll be up for playing."

The youngest tapped away on his phone, before the sound of heavy boots announced Virgil's return.

"I come bearing gifts!"

The older Tracy signalled the ladened tray he was carrying by lifting it slightly.

"Coffee?" Tam smiled at him hopefully.

"And cookies."

"Oh! Marry me!"

Virgil chuckled.

"No fair, I can't play that card!"

"Oh quit whining you; I brought enough for all of us."

"Love you Virgie. So...whatcha got?"

Alan peered over the tray, displaying the level of self-control demonstrated by most four-year olds.

"Chocolate Chip or Snickerdoodles."

"Nice! Wait...Grandma didn't bake them, did she?"

The teen visibly deflated.

"No, you're safe. These were baked by yours truly."

"Awesome! Did you bring me coffee?"

"Milkshake."

Virgil handed over the dewy glass.

"Love ya bro!"

"You not a fan of coffee?"

Tam gratefully accepted her steaming brew.

"Hot bean water? Nah! Give me a chocolate shake anyday!"

Virgil rolled his eyes

"Like you need more sugar." .

Alan gently bounced on the foot of the bed.

"Something's gotta fuel all this energy!"

He took a long slurp of the chocolate shake.

"So! What we playing?"

"Mahjong? Gordon messaged saying he's gonna join us in a minute. We can start building the wall while we wait." Virgil said, tipping out the tiles.

"But first, cookies!" Alan announced, swiping one from the plate.

"Oooh, just you wait until I tell Grandma that you didn't offer the plate to our guest first!" Virgil wagged a finger at him.

"You wouldn't!"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you love me? And you're totally my favourite bro?"

"Nice try kid."

Alan was such a suck up.

"Besides, I have to take the chance now before Gordon gets here 'n' devours them all."

"Fair point. Nevertheless! Manners!"

Virgil sipped his coffee, trying to maintain an air of disapproval.

Alan gave Tam a sheepish smile.

"Sorry Lieutenant."

The words were churned out alongside a myriad of Snickerdoodle crumbs.

That earned another eye roll.

Virgil offered the plate to Tamara.

She smiled at him.

"Please, call me Tam."

"Alright! Cookies!" Gordon exclaimed, leaping over the back of a chair before sitting in it.

Virgil quickly snatched a triple chocolate one before Gordon could hook the plate.

The engineer looked furtively for a safe place to stash the cookie before deciding that holding the treat between his lips would be the safest bet. He began stacking the Mahjong tiles.

Gordon began stacking the cookies.

Tamara helped with the tiles then paused with a frown.

Virgil's soft-baked cookie, though valiantly attempting to defy gravity, was beginning to break under its own weight.

Instinctively, she lurched for the falling treat; attempting to catch the confectionery before it could hit the floor. Her hand collided with the snack...and failed to stop. The act somehow resulting in crumbled cookie being rammed rather unceremoniously up Virgil's nose.

"Oh God, I'm sorry!"

Virgil attempted to wave off her concern.

F*ck, that stung.

"The cookie - I was just trying to catch it!"

Tam flustered, visibly dying of mortification before his eyes.

Don't sneeze, don't sneeze! His eyes streamed with the effort, but it was no use.

Gordon was laughing.

Of course Gordon was laughing.

"Hey, at least we have a third flavour of cookie now! Choc chip, Snickerdoodle and bisnotty!"

Alan choked on his drink.

Urgh, he was surrounded by idiots.

He sneezed into his elbow, desperately trying to shield Tamara from the projectile crumbs now raining from his nose.

Alan was in hysterics. His laugh nearing a pitch only dogs could hear.

"Geez Al - you sound like some kinda constipated peacock!" Gordon laughed.

That observation set Tamara off too.

Fantastic.

"S'not that funny!" Virgil mumbled from somewhere behind the hospital-blue tissue he was dragging across his face.

"Snot funny?" Gordon roared.

Alan slid from the bed, shrieking in hysterics; the laughter infecting them all.

"Yeah Allie, now you're really taking the biscuit!" Gordon managed.

"I think Virgil's nose did that!" Tam cried.

Alan's shrieking intensified.

Tam wondered about the vague danger of the astronaut swallowing his own tongue.

Gordon had tears rolling down his face.

"Ooooh it hurts, it hurts!" Tam wailed, holding her midsection through her laughter.

Virgil's heart skipped a beat. It was good to see Tam laugh. She really was beautiful when she smiled. Well, she was beautiful when she didn't smile. She was beautiful. Damn.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Tamara was still laughing, but her eyes suggested that pain was beginning to rival her mirth.

"Right. You two. Out!"

Gordon, struggling against his own laughter, began to drag his younger brother across the polished infirmary floor by an ankle.

"Chrissake Gordie, he's not a rag doll! Get him on his feet!" Virgil bellowed above their laughter.

Gordon made a valiant attempt in trying to get the young astronaut to stand, but Alan's laughter had apparently rid his legs of their ability to bear weight.

With some flailing of limbs; he managed to scoop his younger brother into a fireman's lift. And the amused aquanaut staggered out of the door.

"You okay?"

His eyes were on hers, searching for any sign of distress. If his brothers' antics had managed to set back her recovery; he'd kill them himself.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"Tamara..."

"Tam. You can call me Tam. And I'm fine, Virgil. Better than fine, in fact. I've not laughed like that since training!"

"Ah yes. I fell victim to a fair few pranks myself when doing my fire training."

"Flour in the pillowcase on night Shift?"

"Nah, they just ran off with my towel and all my clothes when I was in the shower."

"Nice!"

"Captain Porter never let me live that one down."

"I bet."

"Still, from what I've heard; Scott and Gordon had a worse time of it in the military. They were pranked pretty much non-stop. Scott, I remember, was sent for some camouflage paint and a long stand."

"He seriously fell for that?"

"We were all rookies once upon a time."

"And Gordon....he had someone detonate a small explosive full of talc like two minutes before inspection."

"No way!"

"Yup! Don't think there was a single piece of kit that wasn't covered!"

Virgil smiled.

"I'm guessing you're the one doing the pranking now you're higher up in the ranks."

"Of course. Gotta keep those rookies on their toes!"

He hesitated.

"You miss your team?"

"A little...but there's worse places to vacation."

She gestures to the palms beyond through the infirmary window.

"And the company's not too bad either."

"Not too bad?"

"Yeah, you'll do." Tam flashed him a wicked grin.

[keefsteef]

Smash, marry, kill and explain why.

David Lee Roth, Bobby DeBarge and Jermaine Jackson?

I am SOOO SORRY 😭☠️ I know you were probably afraid thinking I'd have some 8 page essay for this but in reality I kept it drafted and was switching around the names every few hours ☠️☠️☠️

AS FINE AS HE IS AND AS MUCH TROUBLE I HAD WITH COMING TO THE CONCLUSION, I'M KILLING JERMAINE! I had trouble because like I said i think he's so fine, but I think him in general makes it easier to say I'm killing him lmaoo. I read about the hazel gordy thing and what not 🥴

I'm BODYING BOBBY 😩✨😩✨😩✨😩✨😩 I still don't know enough about him yet to claim I'd be Mrs. Debarge because I'd plainly be saying that just because he's fine, so yes I'm bodying him 🤩 that way I wouldn't have to worry about him coming home and telling me he's going to jail because he HIT A GUY INTO A BUSH WITH HIS CAR!!!!!!

💢💢💢 can't believe I'm saying this but I'm marrying David 😩. I guarantee we're getting divorced within a year though. Between his diva tantrums and whoever whatever, I would NOT make it 😭 I know he's a Libra and libras are apparently the sign of affection, but no amount of hugs and handholding would aid me in surviving his loud motor of a mouth xoxoxoxox

Again this should not have taken so long, I was just conflicted on whether I'd axe David or Jermaine 😩 I think it was the "and explain why" that made me sit and procrastinate it hahah

[kaz3313]

Why Em, despite definitely getting the most bitches, is losing on Nope ship Fics in AO3, (joke) essay under the cut:

Now- I personally see Em as bisexual who prefers women and will not really date men. She is canonly wlw and I will be talking only about f/f ships and one (joking) f/nb ship~

So let’s start with how most fandoms simply don’t like OC/Canon. Whether it’s outright hate or people will avoid the fics of their own personal preference- fics and art with OC/Canon get less traction then not. This is not counting fics in which Em is with a character who’s only mentioned since those are very much background relationships.

I will be listing off all the women that could be within “suitability” (take this lightly) and the pros and cons. I believe besides Bonny Clayton (that bitch from the commercial) and Phyllis Mayberry (Gordy Home Actress who played the “Mom” role) I will have talked about every woman character.

Unnamed Woman at Fry’s Electronics: Starting off strong with a character that doesn’t a have name! Pro’s- she looks like she has a big house and Em calls her pretty. Cons- the audience barely see’s her, she doesn’t respond and has no name. At least, unlike some people coming up on this list, she is likely still alive by the end of the movie.

Therapist: An actual canon relationship! Pro’s- Em and this woman have hooked up! There is no evidence in the movie that she has died! So she is also alive Con’s- We never see her and she has no name. Falling into the same hole as our friend above us.

Mallory: first named woman lets gooo. Pro’s- Oh My Gosh!! She has a name!! And an appearance!! She is not dead by the end of the movie!! Con’s- The way she shows up is a deleted scene. So if someone has only seen the movie in theaters… they may assume she is an OC anyway. Poor Mallory- I love you dearly

Nessie: Hot Cheeto girly! Pro’s- has a name, appearance, doesn’t die, And has a few lines. Con’s- Has never met Em and would only know her through Angel (but hey! Fanfic bring those possibilities to life— pls someone—)

Amber Park: Ah Yes. The one woman that Em doesn’t flirt/talk extensively with that she encounters Pro’s- Woman! She is there! They have kinda met?! There could be a plausible story idea where if Amber wasn’t on the phone at that time that maybe Em does talk to her. Con’s- She’s married, has a significant scene with her husband and three children. She appears to be on board w: her husband’s plan on buying the ranch which is not ideal either. Also she does die so 👍 yeah

Mary Jo Elliot: Ah yes, despite her very few scenes we as an audience know her tragic backstory. Pro’s: … She’s. In the movie? She could potentially get along with Em. Con’s: They have never met, there is likely a significant age gap between the two, Mary Jo Elliot’s character itself is hard to pin point since there’s such little time with her, and unfortunately she does die.

Now last but not least presenting: Me ☺️. No I don’t mean Reader X, I just mean me. Pro’s: I am most definitely alive! I also canonly think Em is very pretty so Yknow. Con’s: I am not a fictional character. 🥲✌️

So that wraps everything up. I will write Em getting all the bitches one day. Until then- peace out

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! July 3 - July 16, 2023 (Part 2)

A double update since AO3 was down last week and other technical difficulties stopped us from getting the fresh crops to you! The newest fics and chapter updated for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

The Shy Newcomer - by durotos; WIP, 127/?, 609k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/M, Multi Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Cliff; Characters: Claire, Cliff, Gray, Karen Additional Tags: Slice of Life, Romance, Coming of Age, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, very slow burn, PROBABLY THE SLOWEST BURN EVER, Multiple Pairings, Mental Illness, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism Summary: Claire, aching for something new in life, moves to Mineral Town and realizes at once that she has left everything she has ever known. At heart, a story about a young woman discovering that there is more to life if she just looks around her. A story of true love, friendship, hard work, and being part of something bigger than yourself.

Calluses - by Dinomilkshakes; WIP, 4/10, 12k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: Other, F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Rock/Reader-Insert; Characters: Rock, Takakura, Vesta, Matthew, Cecilia, Ramona, Sebastian, Ruby | Lou, Tei Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to make the post Safe for Tumblr. Please see all tags on AO3** Blood, unemployment, Reader is Non-Binary and Trans, And likes to dye their hair. so sue me, Romance, Yes I'm sorry it's Rock I have brainrot, there will be children later. its A Wonderful Life so expect it, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Sweethearts, Childhood Friends, they/them pronouns Summary: In which the farmer marries Rock. "My hands are calloused so that his won’t need to be." - Shakespeare, probably. Uncaring people in the city suck! SO you make the move to the Forgotten Valley. Awesome. This fucking guy won’t leave you alone and you run into him everywhere! Unfortunately you become fond of him- on days where he’s gone and Takakura is away it’s just like the city again- you’re awkward at making friends and some of the people are completely unfriendly or just seem like they’re trying to be polite by humoring you. But who is this bum who won’t leave you alone, and why do you never see him working!? And could you possibly put up with him for the rest of your life..? In which we examine a situation in which the farmer has to marry Rock because no one else will marry them (maybe Cecilia would but she is much too busy and most likely marrying Matthew.).

从小养大的孩子哭着求你[gb] - by tzz6; Complete, 1/1, 2.7k; Language: 中文-普通话 國語 (Chinese - Mandarin)

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Harvest Moon 3 GBC Relationship: 狼人你×人类; Character: 你和他 Additional Tags: 年上 Summary: 狼人你×自卑养子 蒸汽朋克

Love Me, Please. - by InnocentGoldfish; Complete, 1/1, 1.7k

Rating: Mature; Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/F Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Molly/female farmer; Characters: Female Farmer, Molly Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to make the post Safe for Tumblr. Please see all tags on AO3** First Time Summary: From the budding start until the wedding night, a gentle look at Molly and the new farmer's relationship.

Summer Heat - by StarMuse99; Complete, 2/2, 1.9k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationships: Gordy/Reader, Gordy/Pony | Maya | Jill; Characters: Gordy Additional Tags: **NOTE: Some tags have been removed to make the post Safe for Tumblr. Please see all tags on AO3** Reader has a vagina, Friends to Lovers, Not Beta Read, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, how do tags work, Sweat, Condoms, PRACTICE SAFE SEX, Praise Kink, Light Dom/sub, Dirty Talk Summary: The summer is hot in Forgotten Valley, and you can't seem to tear your eyes off your friend's arms. Good thing you just bought a pond to cool off in.

And two Not Safe For Tumblr fics by Thefallen1986 titled "Molly's doggy time" and one with a NSFT title "A [redacted] at the cafe"

[orangeypopsicle]

Ruminating on the commonly asked question, “Why didn’t Jupe ever go to therapy?” I believe that the question has a variety of possibilities.

A singular event, even one lasting six minutes, can have severely mind-altering effects that may take a long time in therapy to unravel. However, there are many misconceptions about healing from trauma, especially childhood trauma. We don’t know enough about what happened after the Gordy’s Home event or Jupe’s parents, but perhaps he did go to therapy, and it didn’t go on for long enough for it to have a lasting impact. Perhaps therapy sessions were voluntarily cut short by Jupe, who is shown to consistently downplay his trauma. There is a pressure to speed run recovery and get back to “normal” again, perpetuated by even the most well-meaning uninformed person and internalized by the survivor. If one were to reach a more simple conclusion, there also exists the possibility that Jupe simply never went to therapy. We should consider the context of the Gordy’s Home incident happening at the end of the 1990s. The societal attitude surrounding mental health has shifted radically since then, so the stigma surrounding therapy could have been a real issue. Not to mention that his trauma also could’ve been downplayed by other people, potentially overshadowed by the cast members who left with permanent damage, including and especially Mary Jo. For those who are unaware, there is an incredibly informative Fangoria article about Gordy’s Home as a collaboration with Jordan Peele that gives more insight into the chimpanzee attack.

“But wait,” you may ask, “there’s so much work against the stigmatization of therapy in the current day. You’re implying that he went this long without seeking help despite that?” Yes, this is an unfortunately common reality for adult survivors of traumatic childhood events. As you get older, recovery sources for childhood trauma shrink to nothing. I personally have experienced this problem as a person in the recovery process from childhood trauma. Despite the overwhelming concern for children who go through trauma, it goes radio silent when they grow up despite them needing support. There’s this overwhelming feeling of people wanting you to “just get over it” because you’re so much older now, and certainly, you’ve healed mentally after all these years. While seeking to exploit his pain to regain attention from the public and dealing with the mockery of his trauma from the media are contributing factors to Jupe’s dismissal of his trauma, I strongly feel another is that he is now a married adult with three children and the incident happened as a young child. I feel emboldened to write so extensively on Jupe Park because he captures a reality for survivors of childhood trauma that I rarely see. Recovery is a long, complex road, and the processing of trauma, and lack thereof, can oftentimes look unpleasant. It’s why I consider Jupe being more sympathetic in the story as more than other people would. The things he did were wrong, but trauma can make you do really weird and awful shit.

[sussux-zel]

💐Gordon and Henry getting married lol💐

💐They got married two years after Edward and James.

💐 Gordon proposed. He talked about it with Edward and James. While the former gave him advice and made him understood that he should respect Henry's answer, the latter said “Aw, now I owe Thomas fifty pounds. Thanks, Gordie ”. Gordon blushed and Edward hissed at him and scolded him for making bets with a twenty-year-old who is also his step-son. Gordon should have asked Toby and Henrietta instead.

💐One day, Henry took his boyfriend to a small forest near their shared house. They were sharing a picnic when, soon out of nowhere, Gordon stood up and walked to a big bush. Henry wondered why he was nearly screaming to a bunch of leaves, albeit when he turned back, there were Thomas and Percy holding a banner that had written “Will you spend the rest of your life with your dork?”. Henry almost fainted. He turned back again and saw Gordon on one knee with James on his right and smirking. Henry f*cking cried. Everyone knew he had said yes.

💐Much to Gordon's dismay but also little joy, the Flying Scotsman arrived to Sodor a week after the proposal, affirming that there was no way he wasn't going to be part of his little brother's wedding (“FFS, SCOTT! I'M OLDER THAN YOU!”). Dowager Hatt also joined with the organisation of the reception.

💐Now, Gordon and Henry did not want to invite Spencer. The former's cousin had already had a bad relationship with them. Also, less than two months before, they witnessed him making a comment about Percy and then Rosie and Emily holding Thomas so he could not behead him, and James punching him straight to the face after making a joke about Edward's age. However, Toby (bless him even though Spencer also treated him badly) convinced them of giving him a second chance (all of them might regret it later).

💐Their wedding was even more chaotic than James and Edward's, to say the least.

💐They got married by the law. Percy, Emily, Toby, Henrietta, James, Thomas, Hiro, Spencer, Edward, Duck, Donald, Douglas, Flying Scotsman, Nia and Rebecca (because I started to like them but not as Edward and Henry's replacement, but as new members of their group of friends) joined them at the notary.

💐They usually thought doing a simple reception. They thought wrong.

💐No one knows how or why did Sir Topham Hatt ended up on the roof dancing.

💐Percy, Emily, Philip Rosie, Nia, Bill, Ben and Kevin organised a choreography that left BoCo with a purple eye thanks to a flying heel.

💐A really drunk Spencer tried to kiss a equally lost James. If it wasn't for a sleepy Thomas over his lap and a already passed out Rebecca whose head was resting on his shoulder, Edward would have committed a crime. In the end, it was Lady that avoided a terrible ending to the night.

💐Scott made a video with Gordon's baby pictures and recordings and showed it to Henry, who was having a hard time by trying to not laugh at his husband.

💐Victor had to listen a sudden-anxious Gordon about “What if Henry wants kids and I don't?; What if I like surrogacy and he prefers adoption?; What if I want a cat and suddenly he's allergic to them?; WHAT IF HE WANTS A CREPE FOR BREAKFAST AND REALISES THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO MAKE CEREAL WITH MILK!? HELP ME VICTOR! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE A HUSBAND!”. And poor ol' Victor is about to take his fifth wine glass.

💐The Scottish twins almost threw Duck out of a window for no reason.

💐And Dowager Hatt and Hiro were the only sane ones during the wedding. They even shared their secrets for making excellent tea.

[vulnonapix1234]

What if Hop and Marnie got married? How would everyone react? (I kinda see them keeping their relationship a secret)

First things first:

They held the relationship a secret, because they didn't want the media breathing down on them. They already grew up being a target, because of their oldest siblings.

But they didn't tell their siblings either, because a) Leon and Hop do not spend much time together and when they do, they talk about other things (mostly their work) || b) Piers and Marnie are mostly non-verbal when they spend time together (though he did knew that Marnie was really happy when around Hop)

They started dating shortly after the Champion Cup. When people saw them together, they would normally think that they were training together or that Marnie was helping Hop with his studies.

Marnie was actually the one that popped the question, or more the promise of it. Hop was going away for his studies (to Kalos, to find out more about the similarities between the mega evolution and dinamaxing) and she knew that she couldn't just let him leave like that. So she asked him if he wanted to marry her if he came back. He said yes (nearly crying) and got gifted a choker Simliar to hers (what he wore everyday from that day on).

Well, before he came back home, he bought engagement rings and when Marnie was waiting for him at the airport, he did what he wanted to do for the last 2 years. He got onto his knees and asked if she wanted to marry him.

She said yes of course.

It could have been a really beautiful moment, if it wasn't for the fact that marnie wasn't the only one to welcome him back home.

The gym leaders (who he had grown quite close to) and Leon where there and big chaos broke out.

Now the thing you actually asked for. The Reactions of everyone:

Milo:

He was one of the least surprised. It sometimes happens that 'friends' suddenly get married on the country side, so he was mostly just happy for them. Even if they are pretty young, he saw couples younger than them. For him, they are quite the perfect fit. (He and Hop used to spend a lot of time together, just talking about wooloos and stuff and thinking back, Hop always seemed to want to do something for the girl.)

Nessa:

She was really confused, but mostly seriously worried for a moment. It has happened to her, that some people just came up to her and asked them to marry her. Then she remembered that it wasn't just somebody, but Hop. One of the sweetest person she knew. (She and Marnie spent a lot of time together, since Marnie wanted to become a fashion designer and some things seemed to make sense now. Like she would always design clothes that would look good on Hop, or how she sometimes got this far away look when talking about love things).

Bea:

She really didn't care so much about it. She was a bit surprised, but didn't think much about it. (She would often help both of them with training and studying, but she isn't really good with emotions and relationships. So she thought that she just 'overlooked' it)

Allister:

He was shocked and honestly heartbroken. (Hop was one of his first friends and the only one that was able to get him out of hid shell. He has had a crush on him for some time now and seeing that his heart was already with someone? It hurt. But at the same time he wanted to be happy for them)

Kabu:

He was mostly confused and thought that this was maybe the 'young people way of saying Hello after being apart for such a long time?'. (Kabu spent a lot time with them, (before Hop left) and would always make sure that they are alright and healthy. He is sure that they will be happy together, even if their personality is quite different.)

Opal:

She is all knowing and Happy that there will be festivities soon and that everything is so pink around them. Even if the others are destroying it right now. (Whilst she isn't an gym leader an gym leader, she's still in business and makes sure everything is in order. That means checking up on the other gym leaders.)

Bede:

He was suprised, but also a bit pissed, because it was finally confirmed that he was third - wheeling all along. (He has gotten really close to them, after starting therapy and would have loved to help them set things up).

Gordie:

He thought that this was a bit of a weird joke. They are the same age as some of his siblings, so he feels really, really old.

Melony:

She thought that it was really romantic and adorable. She is a sucker for these kind of things. (She has been 'moming' over them since their brothers once brought them to an meeting when they were little. She really feels like a proud mom)

Raihan:

He cried and made a lot of privat pictures. (He sees Marnie and Hop as his little siblings and seeing them happy together made him happy. He also understood why they wanted to keep it a secret, being always in the eye of the media)

Sonja:

She knew, because Professor Sycamore told her that they were ring shopping. She was quite shocked, but couldn't stop laughing after that. The situation was just a bit stupid for her. Then she started to play detective to find out who was Hops beloved, so she wasn't so suprised when it actually happened

Piers:

Piers took it the best. He had his speculations, but didn't think that they where so far in their relationship. But when he saw the choker around Hops hops neck? He knew everything and honestly? He couldn't been happier. Hop was one of the few people he trusted and liked spending time with. Part of himself already thought of Hop as family, so it was a match send by heaven.

Leon:

He felt betrayed and hurt. He still sees Hop as a small child, as his baby brother, so seeing him propose, without telling him hurt. The thought that Hop kept his relationship with Marnie secret was torturous, that Hop wasn't trusting him enough to tell him such an important thing. He knows that their relationship wasn't what he wished it to be, since both of them had so much work to do. But he still thought that Hop would tell him such important things. He wanted to be happy, but he was also hurt.

I hope you like it.

[pechadream]

Why has Milo a strained relationship with his parents?

Okay- So- Tumblr straight up didn't post my answer any of the nine times beforehand so let's see if it'll post now-

Anyways- This got kinda long so it's gonna be under the cut as per usual when I reply to hc/explanation questions :)

Tldr: Milo's parents pushed Milo pretty hard with running both the gym and also running the farm, and on top of that they weren't the most supportive when he came out as gay.

(as well as them having a side dish of favoritism towards his younger brother-)

Fair warning in advance, angst is one of, if not, my all-time favorite genre of fiction or art or anything really- And because Milo is one of my favorite characters, I'm going to have a lot of angst for him, so this is gonna get pretty angsty-

I swear I love milo but sometimes you just gotta give your favorite characters some of your favorite genre y'know- even if it just so happens to be angst-

Starting off with Milo's dad:

I hc Milo's dad to be the previous gym leader of turffield. So he passed it along to Milo when Milo became the gym leader, which means, from a young age Milo has been trying to learn to become a gym leader plus how to take over the farm, which already put a lot of unneeded stress onto him. It did not help at all the turffield's gym was actually higher up because of how the ranking changes.

So for example, it went as in:

Motostoke.

Hulbry.

Stow-on-side.

Turffield.

So it did not help at all that from Milo's different style of battling it moved down to being the first gym. Milo's dad was a tough gym leader, he only cared about winning. If someone lost against him at best he'd give a "Better luck next time." then walk off, or he'd just straight up go back to his locker room without another word. He'd only spend time training his pokemon and wouldn't even consider helping anyone train. If he lost he'd train his pokemon twice as hard.

Milo on the other hand? He goes out of his way to see how the trainers are doing before the battle, especially if it's their first time doing the gym challenge. He gives them a little pep talk, and occasionally if they ask he'll even give a hug! If they lose he gives them advice after the battle on where they messed up and how they could fix it, hell! If he has time he'll even go out

of his way to help them train! He wants to help people through that first step of their lives and he loves giving advice, he wants it to be an easy and fun step into the league and he'll do anything to make it happen! Yes, Milo trains, but never as hard as his father ever did. He feels awful if he ever pushes his pokemon too hard, despite his father telling him that they'll never reach full potential.

Milo and his dad have had arguments that lasted days over how he runs the gym, or if Milo spends too much time at either the farm or the gym and not an equal amount.

And it didn't help in the slightest when Milo came out as gay when he was a teen.

Milo's dad is e x t r e m e l y homophobic, at least at the start he was. You thought him and Milo argued a lot before? Well now the arguments have tripled, Milo's dad tried limiting Milo's contact with Peter (Milo's younger brother) but Peter adored Milo so that never really worked as Peter would sometimes sneak past to spend time with Milo. Milo's dad did try to make him 'act normal' on several occasions though. When Milo moved out he was so relieved to be away from that, Milo felt like that night he first slept there was the best sleep he'd ever gotten.

Eventually, sometime between when Milo and Gordie got married and when they had their first baby through a surrogate, Milo's dad did calm down and mellow out, and now he does have somewhat of a relationship with Milo, a distant relationship, but still a relationship.

(Also yes, I gave milo and gordie kids, are you even surprised I have yrmk fankids though at this point-)

Milo's mom:

Pretty much the opposite of Milo's dad personality wise, a sweet timid woman who usually kept to herself when running her family's flower shop, if you asked Milo he wouldn't be able to tell you how his mom and dad fell in love because even he doesn't understand it.

Now, you may be asking. "How does Milo have a strained relationship with his mom? she has a flower business and is gentle and timid!" and buddy...

It's resentment.

Her and Milo's dad were young when they had milo, think about early 20s, not even a year into marriage yet. Milo wasn't planned by any means but they still kept him for multiple reasons, at first they were excited, then when he was born they realized they had to give up some parts of their life that they weren't ready to give up yet, Milo's mom wanted to go to several different regions, she wanted to do so many new things, but she couldn't. So who did she blame? 

Milo.

She blamed Milo.

Milo usually avoided his mom when he lived with his parents, sometimes she'd act all caring on some days, then other days she gets really nasty towards him, when Milo still lived there he usually just kept to his room or worked on stuff around the house so he'd always be busy all the time. When he came out as gay she really just did not really acknowledge it, either not taking it seriously or just ignoring it all together, not even Milo knows which one it is.

She did get her act together before Milo's dad did though when Milo and Gordie announced they're going to have a baby and slowly started building up a relationship with Milo as well, (and also building a very v e r y distant relationship with gordie, they're not close enough to have a conversation longer than a bit of awkward small talk though) they're close enough that if Milo and Gordie needed an emergency babysitter and literally everyone else was busy he'd let his mom and dad watch them- but they're like, the v e r y last option-

Little bonus: When Peter was born, their mom and dad both favored him more than Milo, as in he was showered with constant affection and praise and gifts. Not that Milo really cared though, Milo was just happy to have a brother that he absolutely adored with all his heart, so despite their parents favoritism they're actually really close and they have a good relationship.

And now, since I feel somewhat bad for making Milo go through all this angst,

Hc as soon as Gordie and Milo started dating and came out and all that Melony instantly accepted him as a part of the family :))

[draconicks]

Eyeball Chambers x Male Reader

TW: Blood Mention, Slight NSFW, Cheating Mentions, and Hurt/Comfort

He had a secret crush on you for about two solid years, and he watched you enviously, you doing the same. You both shooting eachother blushing looks and brief, tiny smiles. You both thought about eachother frequently, but it wasn't obvious to those around you.

Ace had been suspicious on how Eyeball acted around you though. He noticed how Eyeball would stop what he was doing and would watch your every step, his eyes traveling hungrily up and down your figure. Ace had figured he had some sort of beef with you,,,

But he never asked any questions.

When he finally gathered the courage to ask you out, to which you said yes to, he wasn't touching you as much as he wanted to.

However in private, he would hold you on top of him and he would gently rake his fingers up your spine, feeling you shudder against him.

You both also linked arms often and you would stroke eachother's wrists, gripping tightly at times, and other times you both would randomly kiss eachother's hands.

Also, dating Eyeball means you have to join their gang, The Cobras, no matter how many times you expressed your anxieties and your worries.

You were, of course, reluctant at first, because I mean, they were gonna carve a fucking word into your arm but he cooed to you and told you that it would be fine <33

He said that if it made you feel any better, he would do it himself so that way none of the other guys could accidentally mess up or something :))

But the real reason why was because he knew he would get antsy and jealous because another guy was touching you ASHSHLMAOK

On the drive to the field where they were gonna finally make you one of them, he taunted you all the way there on how you were "shaking like a leaf"

When you both got there, he grabbed one of the razors and when you started releasing shaky breaths, he kneeled into your ear and whispered as low as possible, "It's only gonna hurt for a little while, baby." winking swiftly at you blushing.

The guys weren't paying attention to what was going on between you two, but again, Ace was all eyes, his icy diamonds slanted in suspicion and his mouth pressed in a firm line.

He had never seen either of you with girls before, and he also had never seen you guys act the way you were now. So, he had a few thoughts running in his mind, but neither of you guys,,, "𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘢𝘺" as Ace had put it mentally.

Eyeball, however, had made sure to do the cutting fast and not too deep. The last thing he ever wanted to do was seriously hurt you, so when put the razor down that was coated in blood, he took his shirt off and handed it to you

But, if the guys weren't around, he would have wrapped it around your arm for you and kiss you deeply in reassurance as a way to remind you that the hard part was over and done with.

After handing you his shirt, he told you how to keep it clean and how to let it heal correctly, with ofc, Ace telling you both in a not so nice tone to get a room :)

After you guys then left together, and when you finally got home, he gripped your waist, his lips latched molding onto yours and his fingers tugging onto ur jean loops, grinding his hips against yours.

You giggled into the kiss, swatting his hands away and then told him that your parents were in the other room, so he had to be extra careful.

He then responded by growling into your neck and holding you as close as possible against him, his face buried into the crook of your neck

He is 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 very possessive in your relationship ngl

He isn't one for really leaving marks on you to let others know that you belong to someone, but instead he would kiss you when you were both somewhere private and he would give a "reminder" (wink wonk)

Everything would go pretty smoothly for the first several months,,, but then he wasn't seeing you as much for some reason. It didnt bother you at much, but he wasnt returning your calls, nor was he telling you where you were going.

You became an anxious mess and you were calling him everyday! Until,,, one day,,, you found out from someone that he was seen messing around with some girls, which left you stunned

This then led to you not answering your home phone, and you laying in bed, not leaving your room :(

You were beyond heartbroken, and you felt a deep betrayal, but then you reminded yourself that he was just some thug after all and that was all thugs were good for, was for breaking hearts and taking people for granted.

One day though, you woke up to someone banging loudly on your front door, and when u angrily swung it open, your heart dropped to your stomach.

Eyeball stood there impatiently, and his hair was a mop of fluff and wasnt slicked back like how it usually was. Your eyes watered and you felt a strong lump form in your throat at the sight of him.

A moment of silence passed between you two and he then sighed, "I didn't cheat on you, baby. Me and the others were just out getting drunk and fooling around, alright?" a pause, "Besides, you know that I'm not into girls."

At that moment, you bursted into tears and threw yourself around him, and then waddled you both into your house and kicked the door shut behind him before pulling his head back and kissing your lips hard.

His hands traveled down to the back of your thighs and he then picked you up, wrapping your legs around his waist, as his hands then moved up your shirt, kneeding your skin slightly, causing you to pull back from the kiss.

"Do you promise me? I mean, do you 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 promise that you would never cheat on me?" you asked him, your eyes boring into his.

He furrowed his eyebrows and his scar turned downward, tugging his features into a slight frown/pout, "Yes. I promise you until the day we marry, baby."

Afterwards, you both became more affectionate and some changes were made in your relationship.

You both would call eachother often, if not daily, and you both would start spending more time with the Cobras and not just one on one (they were all getting v v suspicious then)

But, besides that, you both remained happy :) and you would remind him to take it easy on Gordie and his friends, to which he would roll his eyes playfully at you.

On a more serious note though, he actually did start taking it a lot more easy, and he even 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 Vern one day, to which he boasted to you, feeling proud of himself for doing something good.

You were changing him into someone good,,,and he liked it,,, :)))

[480pfootage]

Plants and Rings (Milo x Gordie)

An early Christmas present for @superpunzie :D Milo proposes to Gordie after a bit of trouble. You can also read it here. WC: 1,550

It was a bright sunday morning.. Well actually not morning, it was afternoon when Gordie woke up. He groaned softly and rolled over, hiding his face in the pillow. After laying in that position for a while he rolled back over. His eyes were still bleary and he yawned. Maybe some of Milo’s farm-grown coffee will get him up.

Gordie got out of bed and walked downstairs, waving to Milo’s brother on the way there. “Milo’s doing farm work outside by the way! And I already ate!” He yelled from his room. Gordie hummed in acknowledgement and went to the kitchen to start up some lunch for him and Milo.

Speaking of him, Milo had just walked into the kitchen. A smile appeared on his face as he noticed Gordie. “What’re you makin’? Smells good.” Gordie looked back at Milo and flashed a smile, “Just makin’ some of my famous curry, it’ll be done in a bit.” Milo snickered and hugged Gordie from behind.

“Oh Arceus, get off me you’re sticky.” Gordie whined as Milo nuzzled his face deeper into his back. A muffled response came from Milo, “I just helped a Dubwool give birth, Gord. Please let me do this.” Gordie whined again and wiggled around, trying to get MIlo off of him. Milo didn’t budge.

Milo took his sweet time getting off Gordie. Taking some moments to admire Gordie and sometimes even giving little kisses on his shoulder blades. Eventually he did let go of Gordie, leaving one last kiss, this time on his neck. He had to go on his tippy-toes to do that and it made Gordie snicker a bit. Then he went off to take his well deserved shower.

The shower was refreshing. Milo’s not sure how long he was in there but Arceus was it good. He went downstairs humming a light tune. When Milo entered the kitchen, Gordie was sitting down at the table just playing on his phone. “‘Bout time you finished mate! The food’s bouta get cold.” Gordie looked up at Milo. Milo laughed, a very pretty laugh in Gordie’s opinion. It almost made him blush! “Sorry mate! I got too carried away! The shower was too warm.” Milo rubbed the back of his neck.

Gordie got up and just hugged Milo, “‘M just jokin’ mate, you can take as long as you’d like.” Milo hummed in appreciation and leaned up to give Gordie a soft kiss on the lips, it almost made him melt. “Well can we eat your ‘famous’ curry now?” Gordie snickered, “Yeah sure mate.”

Throughout the whole lunch, they were holding each other’s hand, stealing a glance at one another sometimes. They acted like they were teenagers just finding out they loved each other even though they’ve been a thing for a whole five years. A few dad jokes slipped out of Milo’s mouth smoothly, they always made Gordie laugh. His smile was bright enough to light up Milo’s whole world in his opinion.

“Oh yeah Gord?” Gordie hummed in response, “Yes mate?” Milo tapped his fingers on the table nervously. “I have a… Uh.. Family tradition that we gotta go plant flowers at the base of one of the hills near the farm… The hill we uh… Usually have dates at.” Gordie smiled, “Ah so that’s why there’s a buncha flowers there.” Milo nodded. “Right so are we gonna do it now?” Milo nodded again.

When they reached the hill, Gordie realized something. He does not know how to plant something without killing it. Something about the roots? He just doesn’t know. Gordie feels like Milo would make fun of him, he draws his jacket closer to him.

Milo noticed and smiled at Gordie, “C’mere mate, I know you have a hard time replantin’ things.” Gordie’s face immediately went red, “How’d ya know t-that!” Milo gave a nice hearty laugh and kissed Gordie’s hand, which he was already holding since they arrived at the hill, “Your sister told me ‘bout it. She said you stole ‘er snom without ‘er knowin’ and it made her pissed.” Gordie hid his face in the collar of his jacket, there goes being cool.

Milo let out another laugh and leaned up to give Gordie a short kiss on the lips. “Let’s just start with digging out the holes alright Gord?” Gordie mumbled something out in response and grabbed the trowel Milo handed to him.

Gordie was tired, well mostly his arms were tired. He didn’t know how Milo could do this with such ease. It also didn’t help that he was wearing a jacket. At least he found some nice looking rocks to add to his collection. Gordie grunted as he rolled his sleeves up again, it kept blocking his way!

Milo noticed his frustration and held Gordie’s hand softly, “Here love, like this.” Milo’s voice was so gentle, Gordie felt warmer and it wasn’t from the blaring sun. Gordie’s hand felt sweaty as Milo guided him through the whole process. “T-Thank you.” Gordie stammered. Milo gave a gentle smile and left a kiss on Gordie’s cheek, “‘S no problem.”

The holes were dug and now it was time to plant the flowers. Milo gave options for Gordie to choose, “If you don’t like any of these we can drop by the flower shop, dear.” Gordie looked at the flowers and thought. He was specifically eyeing the daisies in one pot. It sorta reminded him of his sister. “I uh… I’ll plant the daisies Milo.” Gordie gave an awkward smile as he picked up the potted flowers. Milo smiled and nodded, he grabbed a pink flower from the pot. “Oh this one’s a peony by the way.”

They took an hour to replant the flowers they had picked and after that they went back into the house. Of course they washed their hands and Milo went over to  his brother to talk about something. Gordie looked out to the flower field around the hill. He squinted his eyes as he looked at the flower, those were a lot of peonies. Maybe it was a family flower? Are family flowers even a thing-

Milo plopped himself right next to Gordie and squeezed Gordie’s hand to get his attention. Milo seemed to be nervous? Wait no excited? Nevermind, “Hey Gord, wanna go have a date at the hill?” Milo quickly blurted out. “Oh- yeah! Sure.”

It took around half an hour for them to set up the picnic; Gordie was packing the food and Milo was setting it up at the hill. Gordie hummed as he refilled the food bowl for Milo’s yamper, who was a blind and old rescue pokemon that Milo got a few years ago. Gordie also gave it some wanted belly rubs. He then picked up the picnic basket and walked to the hill, yamper trotting behind him.

Once Gordie had reached the hill, he saw that Milo was sitting down on the picnic blanket, lighting up some candles. Gordie chuckled softly. “Well today looks more romantic than usual.” He teased. “‘S a special occasion, Gord!” Goride raised an eyebrow, “Special occasion for what, mate?” Milo started stammering and looked away from Gordie. Gordie gave a soft laugh and sat down right next to Milo.

“So what did you make?” Milo scratched the good spot behind yamper’s ear as Gordie set their dinner down on the blanket. “Oh i just cooked up some of that wooloo meat you had in the fridge.” Milo hummed and laid his head on Gordie’s shoulder. Milo had to keep yamper snug against him or yamper would probably try to steal the steak.

Yamper eventually fell asleep somewhere along the night, tired after his afternoon antics. Soft chaste kisses were shared in between the two lovers as they watched the stars.

“The stars look pretty tonight..” Gordie whispered softly. Milo nodded and moved himself closer to Gordie, “They really do.”

“Gordie?” Milo shifted himself so that he was sitting up. Gordie yawned softly and looked at Milo, “Hm?” Milo coughed and shifted again into a more comfortable position, “I.. Uh..” Milo was reaching for something in his pocket. “Do you want to… Uh… Marry me?” Milo coughed again.

It started with a snicker and then full on laughing as Gordie stared at Milo. Tears started to form in Gordie’s eyes from how hard he was laughing. “Gordie?? Did I do somethin‘ wrong?” Gordie quickly composed himself and cleared his throat, “No! You didn’t! It’s just.. I was plannin’ to propose today too! I even got the ring ere’!” Milo started to laugh too. They held each other close like one of them would’ve disappeared if they didn’t.

“So? What’s your answer Gord?” Milo said through chuckles. “Yes of course!” Gordie was grinning widely as they shared a nice and long kiss. The rings were slipped onto each other’s hands, Milo giving Gordie a kiss on his knuckles once he put it on. Yamper had been woken up at this point and started to bark at them. They laid down together once more and watched the stars, glimmering rings on both of their left hands. Yamper squeezed in between the both of them. Milo snuggled closer to gordie, now less tense and more happy than before. Gordie smiled softly, enjoying the warmth of his fiance.

[rexcoatlarchive]

Attachment

Gordy: ok Rex wth is going on with you?

Rex: dafuq you talking about?

Gordy: I'm talking about all the different versions of your wife!

Rex: what are you yelling at me for!? She's not even the only servant like that. There's like 3 Jeannes a fuckton of Artorias and so on

Gordy: but you specifically are linked to the creation/summoning of all of them! It feels like you might be doing something on purpose.

Rex: that's ridiculous! Listen I love my wife more then anything but the idea of having a small army of her never crossed my mind and you can only argue that Ququ was kind of on purpose.

Da Vinci: director can you relax for a second. Why even get upset in first place? This just means more fighters for the war against the lostbelts.

Gordy: it's just so suspicious. First he falls for the goddess then marries her now there's 4 of them! Not even including when they change classes for summer or Christmas or whatever.

Da Vinci: well... I do have a theory

Rex: what is it?

Gordy: yes, please enlighten us.

Da Vinci: we already see that heroic and anti-heroic spirits are naturally attracted towards Rex and the twins, possibly because they're normal humans fighting a near impossible fight. Which is why so many great heroes, terrible villains, and so on join their cause. Even Moriarty who Holmes was sure would never love anyone but himself decided to join up. But maybe with Rex and Quetzalcoatl there's even more.

Rex: more...?

Da Vinci: now this might be me reaching a bit but maybe you and her are linked in some way? One could even call it destiny.

Rex: really? While the idea sounds nice I dunno if I've ever been one for the idea of destiny.

Da Vinci: while I understand the sentiment, it feels like there might be something to it. For one thing she's never had a lover before you, thousands of years of nothing then all of a sudden you come in and suddenly thay changes? Bit odd don't you think?

Rex: I mean... yeah I guess. But she says no one even seemed to show interest until me so... it could just be that.

Da Vinci: while that's a good point also consider the point the director made in the first place. You keep attracting more of her. You're always linked to us recruiting another one. And they also all are attracted to you in literally too

Rex: yeah but it's not intentional. I love the other Quetzes but the attraction they show towards me kinda strains the original. She's annoyed by it all, and I don't like seeing her upset like that. Besides I specifically married her so she's number 1 anyway.

Da Vinci: but it still happens. Unintentionally or not it keeps happening, so you have to consider the possibility of some kind of link.

Rex: ...maybe there is.

A/N: I've tried to get it across in subtext in a few stories but basically I've been trying to go for a destined pair angle for RexCoatl and thought that all the other Quetzes could help get it across more directly this time.

Failing tags but whatever

@panyum @hasereshdoneanythingwrong @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @hasabbydoneanythingwrong @hasastolfodoneanythingwrong @castlecsejtespeakertechnician @grievouslyxorvia @valiantstrawberrymilk

[epicspheal]

Hello! Just popping by to ask about Calla! I've reread your oc post for the hundredth time now, and she just so interesting! Like what's her relationship with everyone and such. Not to mention she reminds me of Kipo in a way.( She seems the optimistic sort, not to mention insanely smart)

Also if you haven't, pls watch Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. It's animated, but it has a good story and music. Majority poc cast is a bonus.

Hi there ihopethisendswell!

I have definitely watched Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts, although I need to finish it (after I get done with studying for the MCAT, that test is *shudders*). I can definitely see Calla reminding your of Kipo they do have some similarities (there’s also one other champion OC of mine that has similarities to another Kipo character) Definitely putting everything under the Keep Reading tag because this is long.

Her outgoing, friendly nature is also very much in part due to the fact that as child genius she didn’t really get a chance to spend time with children her age as she went to college at 8. So she’s been kind of lonely and thus always eager to make a new friend. She can be a little too blunt with her words, but she’s aware enough to know when she might have crossed a line and will apologize profusely afterwards

Obviously her closest relationship is with Hop. Calla actually lived in Wedgehurst and not Postwick but Hop spent a lot of time Wedgehurst (because that’s where the primary school). They became friends over the summer at the berry shop and pretty much became joined to the hip when Calla wasn’t away at Motostoke University doing her chemistry degree. Hop (being a budding science nerd himself) enjoyed hearing from her about what she was learning in college and he would share stuff about Pokemon that he learned from Leon’s college textbooks. The two also bonded from being lonely with Calla being isolated from people her age because of being a child genius and Hop was ostracized for being Leon’s brother (in the fact of the kids in Wedgehurst loved Leon, but they found Hop annoying and only pretended to care about Hop if he mentioned something about Leon coming home). Calla was the first kid he met to be interested in Hop as a person, and not as Leon’s little brother so their friendship means the absolute world to Hop. They balance each other out as Hop is known to be impulsive and patient whereas Calla is far more cautious and deliberate. You would think given those descriptions Hop is the Sword Hero and that Calla is Shield Hero but it’s actually the reverse. Throughout their journey Hop and Calla learned the value of the way the other acts. Hop learns to be a little less impulsive (as his impulsiveness combined with his tendency to get flustered cost him many battles). Calla learned that’s okay to make bold decisive moves without meticulously planning them out which helped her in the long run against tough opponents (such as Rose who has a steel type team that walled her poison types or Leon who has a team fast heavy hitters that even with poison set up could still absolutely maul her team given the chance to do so) Also I should note Calla is not a Victor/Gloria stand-in. Victor and Gloria very much exist in my “Pokemon canon” but they were some of the fake friends to Hop who secretly thought he was annoying. Basically Victor and Gloria in my universe are those Pokemon fans who hate Hop and find him annoying. :(

Speaking of Leon, Calla of course was a fan of him from the start. She did get a little upset with him constantly keeping her and Hop away from the berserk Dynamaxed Pokemon, thinking that he didn’t think they were capable of helping out. Which wasn’t the case it’s just and this going into some of my broader personal headcanons, Leon and his cohort (Piers, Sonia, Nessa, and Raihan) were at the mercy of a jerk Champion (my OC Jack, the last champion on that OC Post). He didn’t want to take away from their gym challenge like what to happen to his. Of course once the Darkest Day and Sordward/Shieldbert arcs are over Leon and Calla ended up working well together as fellow champions and friends. As I alluded to in my oneshot Midnight Snacks (shameless plug) Calla has a tendency to be a night owl and if she’s stressed she’ll call Leon over to one of the battle cafe’s to have pastries and chat. Leon loves listening to her science theories (and yes he actually understands her rants on chemistry and toxicology) and Calla loves having a cool older brother she never got (she’s an only child). They also end up as in-laws when Hop and Calla get married at 23. Leon is also very protective of her, giving her less responsibilities than Rose gave him and helped to warm the public to her as some of them didn’t take too kindly to her using Eternatus in her champion matches. 

But in terms of the adult she most looks up to, that’d be Sonia. Strong battler (unlike in canon, we get to see why Sonia used to be Leon’s rival in my personal Pokemon verse) and a smart scientist lady. Calla was immediately awestruck by Sonia and always enjoyed her time talking to Sonia helping her with her theory about the truth of the Darkest Day. Sonia, Hop and Calla end up being the science trio once the SwSh events come to a close. Sonia was the one to encourage Calla when she becomes 18 (and has now held the title of champion for 5 years) to go back and pursue her PhD in Toxicology giving the Galar region their first ever champion professor! If Leon is the big bro she always wanted, the Sonia is definitely the big sister she always wanted. 

As far as the league goes, Calla is pretty much on good terms with everyone not named Klara. Klara choosing the poison type as her go to because it wasn’t as  popular as other types and she thought she’d have no competition in that realm. As someone who is very much passionate about breaking the negative stereotypes of the poison typing, she found Klara’s reasoning to be absolutely insulting.

When it comes to the league, Calla in particular is close to Marnie and Bea. You can often find Calla, Marnie and Bea hanging out together shopping for clothes or eating pastries at a battle cafe. Gordie, Nessa and Calla frequently have competitions to see who can do the best backflips or the best splits. It did take Calla a bit to warm up to Bede at first given how he treated Hop and how he almost wrecked her the first two battles (if wasn’t for her Stunky she would’ve been wiped by psychic trainer Bede), but they are kind of like how the player is with Gladion in SM/USUM. Not friends but not enemies.

Calla has mixed feelings on Rose and Oleana. Rose actually gave her a scholarship to go to Motostoke University when she was 8 (her parents wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise) so she’s indebted to him (he saw her as he saw Bede, Oleana, Leon- talents that can help the future of Galar). And on a personal level Rose was never rude to her. Oleana also kind of took her under her wing because of them both being science gals. But seeing how badly they miscalculated everything really shook her to the core. 

As far as my other champion OCs go, Calla gets along with everyone but Jack (but then again no one gets along with Jack). Calla and Marsha have a particularly close bond as Marsha taught Calla how to cornrow her hair and play spades (Calla was not blessed with parents who knew how to cornrow...or play spades). Marsha is another big sis for her. Calla and Jabari bonded over being type specialists (Jabari is a water type specialist) and Jabari taught her how to rollerskate in exchange for Calla teaching him how to do cartwheels. Calla was of course very interested in meeting Valen (a talking robot who’s a skilled trainer? that’s a dream come true for her). They delight in battling each other and eating Alolan Pancakes. 

[askgalartop3]

I have an idea. Fuck, marry, kill: featuring three gym-leaders of each of your choosing.

what are we in high school?

Yes! 😁 Romance. Highschool AU. Slow burn. This is the trigger that starts us all to think that we might have a crush on the other two 😳

What did any of that mean just now!?

But I have an idea OP. How bout I pick three for Piers, Piers picks three for Lee, and Lee picks three for me? You two down for that?

fine...

I... Alright, sure. I'm not getting out of this anyway.

---

Piers! Your three are Nessa, Kabu, and Gordie!

mmm... fuck Kabu marry Nessa kill Gordie. sorry Gord

Wow harsh! 🤣

and hug Marnie

Aaww! 🥺

---

alright lets see... Milo Melony and Opal

Really...?

yep

Okay um... Fuck Milo, marry Melony, appreciate Opal.

thats fair

But cheating! 😑

---

Okay Raihan, since you're so keen on playing to the fans: Piers, me, and Nessa.

Ooh now we're getting somewhere!! Fuck Piers marry Nessa kill you

pft

Why thank you for that...

Oh c'mon you had to have seen that coming

Honestly? I should have.

[mymanskabu]

Piers and Gordie Drabbles

Over your head

Anonie Requested: ❝;; Hi!! May I request something with Gordie or Piers trying to confess or drop hints that they have feelings for their best childhood friend (who eventually does become their s/o but is pretty dense and can’t catch the hints) Thank you so much!! Hope your day is great!💕✨❞

Two characters I don't get requests for as much! Though a lot of my recent ones are actually Gordie !

Hope you enjoy!

Aidan that just finished writing this: Genre that pulled these drabbles through were Rock and Kpop, oddly enough jsjsjs

Side note: Sorry about the time I take for these, I have a lot of personal projects I need to tend to as well!

Piers:

You and Piers have known each other for as long as he can remember, he was always able to speak freely with you. You two were inseparable children since you met one another, the day this one boy/girl showed interest in what he liked and didn't find him weird in any insulting way. You'd both gone through the Gym Challenge together when you had been able too, Piers made for an amazing rival, and you two were constantly trying to grow from each other.

In the end, neither of you beat the Champion, but you both were proud of the other for making it so far. Later on, when Piers became a Gym Leader (much to your surprise), you would try your best to be there for his battles, support his wins and his losses. You knew his passions were in singing and song writing so you were also there to help with that to the best of your abilities. At times you were just there, watching him concentrate on lyrics, humming to himself, and you being there was enough to get him through an entire song on some occasions.

He didn't think much of it, not until recently did he realize he had feelings for you. He never thought he would be in this position where he wanted you to be his s/o. At first he thought it was a close friendship thing, or a sibling thing but Marnie pointed out that he was just denying something that was quite obvious. She was right, when he sat down and contemplated his emotions he knew Marnie was very accurate with her words.

He had no way to hide how flushed his face got around you nowadays, especially when you initiated any sort of physical contact with him. He did attempt to drop subtle hints that he liked you that slowly turned into more bold hints when you were not catching on to any of them. He hardly starts physical affection, it's out of his comfort zone, but he did just that for you to perhaps please take the hint. He would nervously grab hold of your hand, tucked hair behind your ear (if applicable)/or wiped food off your face, all actions he would not normally do. You noticed the new behavior he was exhibiting but it didn't cross your mind that it may have been because he had feelings for you. Even if the thought did appear in your head, you would be too afraid to ask in case you were just assuming things.

Piers thought he could be dense but you managed to convince him otherwise. He realized this after a particularly successful concert he had, for some reason it had a different energy than his other ones and it was one of his favorite times. You ran up to him after to give him a hug and tell him how amazing the concert was.

"Thanks," He replied a bit breathlessly. "(Name), I love you." He didn't know how his brain let him say those words, but he stared at you intently, waiting for a response.

"I love you too! What are friends for?" There was maybe a more direct way to tell how he feels. That felt direct enough but apparently what he meant behind those three words went over your head. He had to muster up some courage and express his feelings as bluntly as possible.

"(Name), listen," He said as he puts his hands on your shoulders, "I love you, I want to date you, I want you to be mine. Did that make sense?" He did his best to ignore his warm face as he kept his eyes looking directly into your widened ones.

"Yes, that made a lot of sense." He sounded a little frustrated as he told you this and understandably so. You felt kind of dumb since he probably had been pushing far beyond his comfort to tell you that and that's probably what the change of behavior was meant to imply to you. "I would love to date you and be yours as long as that means you'll also be mine."

"That's exactly what it means," He responded. Relieved, he smiled and pulled you into his arms. It was a different feeling to have you here now, it wasn't as casual and it was more intimate. Something he had been wanting to share with you for a long time.

Gordie:

You weren't much of a trainer when you were younger, unlike Gordie who was definitely going to participate in the Gym Challenge. You knew how to battle enough to help Gordie, but your interests were more in the science and care part of Pokemon. Melony got to watch you grow into a fine young person, someone that Gordie truly liked and couldn't hide it from his mother.

"Do you two remember when Gordie kept saying he would marry you, dear?" You covered your face with both your hands as Gordie smiled at the memory that his mother brought up. "You would always agree, I thought you two were really going to get married!"

"It was a childish thing from a long time ago," You said, waving your hands as if to dismiss her words. Melony knew the liking was mutual, she was keen on how her son felt and since you had also grown up a bit under her care, she knew how you felt. She never said anything though because not only was it quite funny when you would somehow find a way to connect Gordie's advances to friendship, she also wanted one of you to just confess to the other.

Gordie has been having feelings for you since forever, he knew it when you would always help him despite not following the same path he was, you were one of the first to know of him becoming a Gym Leader and you had your arms wrapped around him before he could even finish telling you.

He couldn't hide his intrest in you, he made it painfully obvious that he fancied you. Especially when you both had alone time, does not hesitate to cuddle you, kisses the top of your head when he can, sleeping in the same dang bed, and complimenting you until you couldn't even look at him because of how embarrassed you were.

Yet, your brain could either not identify signs of person wanting a relationship or you acknowledged them and didn't want to respond or didn't know how to. Please stop connecting everything to friendship is magic, (Name). He is begging in his head.

Gordie has always been physically affectionate with you, not as much as now but still, it didn't feel that different to you. Therefore, you remained clueless to many of his attempts to show you he likes you. You two took care of one another, had consistently been there for each other through almost everything, and he has never failed to provide comfort in whatever way you needed it. Yes, it felt like a couple thing but that's why you mentioned to him that whoever he ends up with will be a very lucky person.

"I want you to be that lucky person."

"What... what do you mean?"

"Do you have a boy/girlfriend?" He asked.

"No...?"

"I can change that."

"How... oh!" Realization hit you as if a Snorlax fell on you. "Are you asking if...? Well, do you want to be my... boyfriend?"

"That is precisely what I was asking and what I wanted you to ask me for a very long time."

Then there was absolutely no way you could associate the kiss he planted on your lips to any sort of friendship thing. He definitely wanted to be with you as a couple and that did not go over your head.

[nehswritesstuffs]

The Thick of UNIT - Part XXXVIII

This was really awkward to write and you’ll see why in a hot sec.

Chapter Index - FFN - AO3

Kate drops in on an old friend of the family [Malcolm/Kate, a Malcolm Tucker working in UNIT AU] 

The calendar quietly turned to 2015 and things continued as they were. There was no invasion as was worried (which made the Brigadier-Director and her husband feel all the more justified in both taking the holiday off) and alert levels were brought back down to their normal, non-panicky, watchfulness. Even so, time went on and waited for no one.

“Ow! Mum! That hurt!” Fiona snapped, jerking her head. Kate ignored her and attempted to regather the strands of hair needed for the braid, wondering why this side was not going as well as the other.

“It’s either I do it or Miss Angela does, and which would you rather have?”

“Miss Angela.” The teen smirked as her mother tapped her shoulder with the comb. “I’m joking! I’m joking! Jeez—you’re just cross because you can’t come.”

“It’s not your fault that Marco proposed to Dan at Christmas and then they want to be married less than a month later,” Kate frowned. She adored her former stepson, though there were parts of him that reminded her too uncomfortably of his father—Loris wanted a quick engagement and never enjoyed waiting either. The elder Ferrero sibling’s saving grace, it seemed, was that at least he had been living with the man he was going to marry for over a few years at that point and marriage was more about dotting Is and crossing Ts and less rushing into a shit situation. It smoothed over many worries she would have possessed otherwise, with one of the few remaining being that she was merely irritated that she had already locked in her schedule for January and therefore couldn’t attend the ceremony or the reception afterwards.

“It’s our impulsive Italian blood,” Fiona joked.

“Then what’s Dan’s excuse?”

“Marco.”

Rolling her eyes, Kate tied off the end of the braid and began to pin it in place to mirror the other one. She took a can of hairspray to both and waited for the last of the mist to settle before admiring her work.

“Looks good—you’ll be the groomsmaid with the best hair, we can at least say that.”

“More importantly, is the muffin safe?”

“Yes, the muffin is safe,” Kate groaned. Fiona removed the baked good from under her pajama shirt and resumed munching on it now that it was no longer in danger from errant hairspray and inconveniently-launched hair fragments. Her mother went about getting them some more tea, taking solace in how peaceful it was otherwise—Malcolm was already at work for a morning shift and the two would at least get to have lunch together.

“Shit! I’m going to be late!” Fiona cursed. She shoved the rest of her muffin in her mouth and ran out of the kitchen. The teen reappeared mere minutes later, having changed into her dress and was now fighting with her coat.

“Did you get our gift?” Kate asked.

“It’s in the car!”

“Are Gordon and Kanda meeting you there?”

“Yes, and she’s driving both of us back to Gordy’s place, where I’m gonna crash for the night—we went over this, Mum!”

“I know.” Kate helped her daughter untangle her coat sleeves and got the garment on her. “Just relax—you’re going to do fine. Give my love to the happy couple, alright? They don’t visit often enough.”

“Maybe the whole being married thing will make visits to an ex-stepmum not nearly as weird,” Fiona chuckled. She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and turned to leave. “Thanks Mum—love you.”

“Love you too; hey, tea.” Kate shoved a travel mug in her daughter’s hand, which made the girl laugh. “Drive careful.”

“Always do.”

Within moments, Fiona was in her car and headed down the drive, going towards town. A couple minutes and half her cuppa later and she received a text from Kanda—her and Gordon ready to attend the wedding, her dress and his tie and waistcoat all the same soft shade of pink. It made her smile to see at least a glimpse of the pair dressed nicely, even if they wouldn’t see one another in person. Her son was absolutely smitten; why else would he consider wearing pink?

Finishing up her pre-work routine, Kate began to head into work with half a mind to bunk off and attend Marco’s wedding service anyhow. Having decided against it by the time she crossed into Inner London, she treated herself to a nice takeaway coffee from a nearby food truck, the outside air cooling it to perfect drinking temperature by the time she entered the false front and went down the lift.

Calm; everything was as close to calm as it possibly could get. There was a gathering of several departmental heads in the atrium, though considering the fact that the Elder Osgood and Glenn Cullen were laughing, no alarms were raised.

“Having fun without me?” Kate teased as she approached the group. She accepted a peck of the lips from Malcolm and glanced about—the gathering was the only suspicious bit in the entire atrium. “What’s going on?”

“Ji-Yu and I were just going over those tech protocols from the other day; we’ll be phasing them in soon with everyone and we found our way out here,” the Elder Osgood said. He glanced at his Tech and Maintenance equivalent and furrowed his brow in thought. “Did we go over it all?”

“All I need are updated Biometrics and we can begin implementation,” Ji-Yu said. She glanced down at her tablet and exhaled heavily. Tapping at the screen, she rolled her eyes in irritation. “Tucker, your pet raven’s found its way out again.”

“Junior is more intelligent than you’re aware,” Malcolm snarked. The two began to trade a couple (mostly) good-natured barbs, while Kate used the distraction to pull her Head of Security aside.

“How’s surveillance on Subject Twelve?” she asked, keeping her voice quiet. Fajr simply shrugged and handed over a file folder.

“Holding steady—I get the feeling that he’s simply biding time, laying low until he can disrupt the most effectively,” she replied.

“How annoying,” Kate frowned. She handed back the files—there would be no time—and checked to make sure that her keys were in her jacket pocket. “I’m going over there.”

“Ma’am, you can’t be serious,” Fajr gasped. “We don’t know anything about what’s going on, why he’s there, what he’s doing… it could be a trap.”

“…and if it’s a trap, then it’s been laid for me,” Kate stated. “Besides, it’s Saturday—too many students are going to be off on benders to bother with getting in the way.”

“Benders…? What…?” Fajr narrowed her eyes and gave Kate the most confused expression she could possibly muster on her Human face. “What are you talking about? What is there to bend at a university?”

“Remind me to explain a bit more about being an existential uni student when I get back,” Kate said. She walked towards her husband and briefly kissed him. “Going on a field trip—be back by dinner.”

“I’ll stroke myself into a nap while I’m waiting,” he replied.

Straight back up the lift and Kate quickly returned to the normal world as though she’d never stepped foot inside UNIT. She got into her car and pulled out her mobile; Bismuth had sent her the address and directions, as well as the Doctor’s faculty listing. It took only a minute to punch into the satnav before she was off; there was over a hundred miles to drive and she wished to waste no time.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Bristol.

It felt as though the couple hours it had actually taken was no time at all despite the distance, and she was glad for it. After finding a parking spot, Kate got out of her car, glanced down at her mobile, and checked the address on the building—yes, it was the correct one to find the Doctor in, during office hours, even. The campus seemed mostly how she had imagined—young, angry, busy over by the pub—and it nearly made her nostalgic for her own uni days. She pushed that from her mind, however, as it would also involve other, more frustrating times, and she needed to remain concentrated on the mission at-hand:

Find the Doctor, determine his position, evaluate any potential changes to his mental status, and leave intact. No big deal… it was only an ancient extraterrestrial who could potentially lash out at any moment if he happens to be brooding or whatnot. Nothing to worry about.

A deep breath and Kate went inside, navigating the corridors until she found a door labeled “The Doctor” via a brass nameplate. Then again, even if it wasn’t labeled, there was a hand-written sign taped to the wood saying “GO AWAY HUMANS”, and if that wasn’t a hallmark of this particular face of the Doctor’s then nothing was. Opening the door, she found that it merely was the entrance to an ancillary office, where a bald, stuffy-looking man was sitting at a desk doing paperwork. He glanced up at her and pouted in irritation.

“He’s not seeing anyone today,” the secretary snipped. “Go away.”

“These are his regularly-listed office hours,” Kate reasoned firmly. “He has the time.”

“No, he does not.” The secretary raised a brow and adjusted his glasses. “Are you even a student? You look a bit old for it.”

“You are going to go in there and tell the Doctor that Kate Stewart is in to see him, and if you do not comply all I need is to send a prewritten text my husband for all of UNIT to magically show up on-campus.”

“Oh, it’s one of you,” he huffed. He came out from behind the desk and toddled over towards Kate, seemingly puffing himself up for some sort of intimidation factor that he believed he possessed (yet decidedly, to Kate, he did not). Any being that was merely a series of smooth egg-like shapes had no chance of intimidating anyone, let alone her. “You better get a move on, or you are very quickly going to find yourself in another dimension of suffering.”

Already bored, Kate kept her face straight as stone as she looked the secretary dead in the eyes. “Is that an underserviced Gerffiad motherboard that’s making your arm twitch like that? Underserviced means unlicensed, and unlicensed, those things are banned in several systems, including ours, and it would be a shame if someone alerted… higher authorities to come and retrieve their property, as the last I checked, none were supposed to be in this system.”

The secretary flinched, clearly caught off-guard by the threat. He considered her words and shuffled over towards the other office door, poking his head in first.

“A Missus Stewart is here to see you, sir; says it’s important,” the secretary said. An indistinguishable voice answered something and the bald man opened the door properly. “You can see him now.”

Kate stepped into the Doctor’s office to find that he was sitting at a desk, putting a pause on paper-marking for the time being. It was a grand space, with a split level and packed with books and relics from around the world and across the ages, all the chaos seeming centralized on a desk covered in papers and framed photos. The TARDIS sat alone in the corner and it hummed lightly in greeting; it recognized her, and it was glad for the change in company.

“Ah, Kate, it’s been a long time,” he said. The Doctor stood from his chair and walked over to greet her; they hugged, which surprised the human greatly. “I didn’t realize the world was in danger.”

“It’s not,” she replied. “I simply caught word that you were working for St. Luke’s. How long have you been here?”

“A long time—the domestic bug caught me while I was with my wife on Darillium. You remember her, don’t you?” He plucked a photo frame from his desk and showed it to his visitor, who did her best to hide her surprise and terror when it was not the person she originally thought. “I see a new ring on your finger; you remarried since we last saw each other, so you must understand how a functioning marriage needs constant work. River and I were hardly ever in sync chronologically, and the linear time together did us plenty of good.”

“…which led you to watch an entire city form from nearly nothing over the centuries? Keeping still and quiet, despite all the invasions and other extraterrestrial happenings?”

“Yes and no, but that’s not important. What’s more important is how you discovered me; did Alistair tell you about me being here, or was it something else that caught your attention? I didn’t think I was getting sloppy…”

That made Kate double-take, narrowing her eyes slightly. “My father’s been dead for over five years now.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if there was an old journal or file you needed to look over and found that he wrote about having seen me,” the Doctor said. He had Kate sit down as the secretary came back in with tea. Once he was gone again, the Time Lord leaned against his desk as he sipped the drink sloshing about in his saucer. “He was sent here as a fresh UNIT recruit to see something about some errant Sontarans, and then again a couple times as a brigadier by the time he realized who I really was and that I could change faces. This face was one of the ones he saw the most, to be honest, even though he kept quiet about it. Very good about keeping his mouth shut if I asked him, Alistair was—it’s one of the things I always give him, despite any flaws as to otherwise.”

“Why keep you being here a secret?”

“Previous to this face, I thought that this regeneration would be kept from me, that the one right before this one was supposed to be my last. I might have lived differently had I known there was another face waiting for me after the one with the bowtie and square jaw, and that is a dangerous fact that needs to be contained at all costs. Alistair was a good man, a man of principle despite his militaristic shortcomings, and he obviously kept my secret well.” He raised an eyebrow at Kate, watching as she stirred her tea. “Are you here to expose what I’ve been doing?”

“If I was, then no one outside of UNIT and a select few would believe me, branding us as tin-foil nutters yet again,” she replied. “No—I just wanted to know why you’re here, of all places, and thought you deserved the dignity of being asked in-person by someone who is neither armed nor a simple lackey before we place a mandatory shadow on you.”

“I appreciate the courtesy.” He took another sip of tea and attempted to stay quiet. Shifting in his seat and quickly looking about the room, he couldn’t help but look uneasy about their visit.

“What are you doing here?” Kate implored refusing to accept the non-answer. “You can’t be here simply for the abundance of sun and West Country charm.”

“As I said, it is a domestic bug, nothing more,” he insisted. “Nardole’s been here this entire time, which has been annoying, but it’s useful having someone else around with a lifespan that extends far past what humans are capable of living. If he weren’t around then things would be peaceful beyond compare, though I’d have no one to fetch crisps.”

She wasn’t buying it for a minute, yet Kate nodded as though she did. “I take it that soon enough you’ll be running around causing havoc again? My son needs some training if he’s going to be a Lethbridge-Stewart worth your company, you know.”

“With you as his mother, I’m certain he’s already there,” the Doctor replied. He seemed to stare off into nothingness as he took another sip of tea from the saucer, showing his guest how incredibly weary he looked. Weary and sad was not the Doctor, not one bit… and neither was a Doctor whom had not mentioned Clara yet, whether he had spent time with River Song or not.

“Thank you for your time,” Kate said. She stood to leave, which made the Time Lord jump to his feet.

“You just got here,” he mentioned. “Please, at least stay long enough to have another cup. It will irritate Nardole greatly.”

“I can hear that, sir,” the secretary deadpanned from the outer office. He shuffled into the room again, a feather duster in his hand. “I would prefer if you don’t irritate me; I can kick your butt, you know.”

“You keep on saying that phrase and I don’t think you entirely know the meaning of it,” the Doctor snipped. He sniffed the air experimentally as he walked with Kate over towards the door, at least wanting to see her out. “You married Malcolm? His scent is all over you.”

“In September—Benton did the honors. Since when were you part bloodhound?”

“Since whenever I need to be,” he joked. “Don’t be a stranger, Kate.” They then exchanged hugs and a quick kiss on the cheek. “I mean it: let’s irritate Nardole sometime with old stories. At least let the intern you have shadow me come up and introduce themselves. We need someone with at least half a brain to pop in every once and a while.”

“I know how to find you,” she half-chuckled. Kate walked into the outer office and shut the door behind her once she was in the corridor, carefully listening to what she could discern from behind the wooden surface.

“I’m beginning to think you have a thing for blondes, sir.”

“You don’t know everything about me, Nardole, so stop acting like you do…” The Doctor’s voice trailed off and it was all Kate could do to walk away and attempt to not panic the entire way out to her car.

‘He’s forgotten Clara,’ she thought, absolutely horrified. ‘He found River Song again and forgot Clara… he remembers Malcolm and my father, yet he forgot Clara... he has a photo of his granddaughter on his desk, yet not one of Clara, or their child…’ She made sure she was back on the M4 before ringing Fajr.

“Yes, ma’am?” the Zygon answered, voice pumped out of the car’s stereo. “Find anything?”

“Are you around anyone?” Kate half-snapped.

“No…? I’m in my office, the door’s shut, and you’re not even on speaker…”

“Good, because I’ve got bad news.”

“He’s two steps from going… what’s it called… Valeyard on us…?”

“Worse: he’s forgotten Miss Oswald.” The call went quiet and Kate glanced quickly at the screen on her dashboard—yes, it was still connected. “Bismuth…?”

“Don’t males from your general species typing often forget those with whom they mate?”

“Not this male, and not this mate,” Kate clarified. “He seems like such a shell of his former self that if it wasn’t for the cyborg secretary and the TARDIS in the corner I would’ve thought we caught wind of a look-alike.”

“Oh…” Fajr was silent for nearly an entire mile and she said something in a language Kate was incapable of speaking before resuming in English. “What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know; he could only remember time spent with River Song, with no acknowledgement of Miss Oswald despite this being her home space-time coordinates. Something tells me it’s connected to either the cyborg-secretary that was so conveniently attempting to stop me from visiting, or whatever is the real reason he’s sitting on his arse marking papers… possibly both.”

“What did he say he was doing?”

“Sitting through a domestic bug—the Doctor is not easily domesticated, nor is Bristol’s entire history merely a bug to let run its course.”

“I’ll put my best agent on his detail, effective immediately.”

“Give him roughly a week, then put a tracker on him—he’s going to expect one anyhow and this way it at least shows that we are not completely attempting to babysit him.” Kate flicked on the headlamps and frowned at the fact it was already so dark. “I highly doubt he’ll do anything in the meantime, let alone at all, but protocol is protocol.”

“I’ll be sure to keep any information about this as far away from Miss Oswald as possible,” Fajr said. “I’ll await further instruction when you get back.”

“Wait for it tomorrow—I have a dinner to make and this sort of thing shouldn’t be decided on lightly.”

“Understood.”

The call ended and Kate spent the rest of the drive with varying news stations on the radio, only wanting them on as background. She pulled into the drive long after turning over to music and sat in the car after putting it in park. Allowing her mind to go blank, she didn’t even realize how long she’d been sitting there until Malcolm knocked on the window, making her jump.

“What the…?!” she gasped. Malcolm opened the door and allowed her to step out of the car before gently grabbing hold of her shoulders.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “You’ve been sitting here in the dark for twenty minutes. I thought you were on a call or something at first, but…”

“Get inside,” Kate ordered. She grabbed her bag and headed towards the kitchen door. “This is massive—we need to be inside.”

“Kate, love, what’s wrong…?” Malcolm followed his wife inside and watched as she began to pace around the kitchen. “Where the fuck were you that’s got you shaken this badly? It’s so late…”

“Bristol.”

Malcolm stayed quiet, allowing himself time to go over the possible scenarios in his brain. “What’s the matter with the Doctor? Did he threaten you?”

“The exact opposite: I have an open invitation to come over whenever I want to have tea and irritate his cyborg secretary. He’s… just… there…”

“No threats, no nothing?”

“None.”

“…then I don’t see what the problem is, love,” he frowned. Malcolm grew increasingly uneasy while he watched Kate panic, something he knew she was only doing outwardly because it was him and no one else as her audience. “What happened? Is he monitoring Miss Oswald closer than we feared?”

“He’s not monitoring her at all—he’s completely forgotten her. There’s no monitoring because he doesn’t even realize there’s anything to keep tabs on…”

“They have a child together,” Malcolm scowled. “Didn’t think he was the kind of low-life cunt to forget someone as important as the woman he has a child with.”

“No—he merely is one who was never told, nor has figured it out yet,” Kate said. Her chest began to feel tight as panic was fully enveloping her now and sat down. She accepted some water from her husband and slowly sipped at it. “If we aren’t on our best behavior, he’s going to find out, and he’ll be the crossest thing in the entirety of the universe.”

“…and you don’t want to be collateral damage,” he surmised as he sat down. She nodded in reply. “We’ll be fine, Oswald will be fine, the kid’ll be fine… just, what’s the Doctor like, other than still ugly?”

“Calm, docile, kind, welcoming; I get the feeling he’s a bit more harsh when it comes to his secretary or certain students, but he’s generally not the same Doctor that nearly killed you with the Kantrofarri, accident or not, despite it being the exact same face.”

“What about the secretary?”

“Irritable and irritating—just wants to be left alone, seems like. He might be behind the memory loss, he might not, he might just be inadvertently enforcing it…”

“Then that just means they won’t prod into our business,” Malcolm stated calmly. “As long as neither of them decide to get up our shit, there shouldn’t be much of an issue... not when it comes to the bairn.”

“We can’t tell Clara about the Doctor and I don’t even know how telling the Doctor about Clara would go over considering the circumstances,” she said, voice wavering. “I’m just terrified, Malcolm. This isn’t like him. Even with the people he generally likes he is loads more abrasive.”

“Then ignore it,” he said. “Did you tell Fajr?”

A nod.

“Good—then have her put a security detail on him and let your staff do their job,” he insisted. “Now don’t you think about that ancient, crusty cunt for another moment, yeah? Don’t waste more energy on him than he’s worth.” He leaned in and kissed her, trying to make her concentrate on what was in front of her instead. “I’m fucking mad about you.”

“Positively mental,” she chuckled. She leaned against him, their foreheads touching and resting her elbows on his knees, before a loud squelching sound came from her stomach. “Fuck…”

“Then it’s a good thing you came home to dinner,” he replied. She sat up straight and sniffed the air—it did smell like Malcolm had been cooking, yet she had been so preoccupied that she didn’t notice until just then. “The fish and veg are probably drier than a dusty MP’s fanny at this point, but the potatoes kept well enough, and not enough can be said about the magic of a well-paired wine…” He went over to the oven and opened it, pulling out two plates of food that he subsequently placed on the table. Everything had definitely dried out, but the thing was that it was still there… both of their dinners were.

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” she frowned. She watched as he returned with two glasses of wine—one normal for her and one with half the amount for himself.

“Yes I did; you deserve the chance to eat with someone today,” he replied. His mobile chirped and he pulled it out of his shirt pocket, placing it on the table so he could check the message while eating. He chuckled and turned the device towards his wife. “To be this young again.”

Kate took the mobile and looked at the photo: Fiona taking a selfie on the dance floor while her eldest brother and his husband both kissed her on the cheek, one on each side.

“She sent you this?”

“Yeah, been texting me most of the day, honestly. I think she wants to show me off to her other relatives, and texting me is the closest thing…” He took a forkful of veg and shoved it in his mouth. “That’s fucking weird, isn’t it?”

“Not entirely,” she replied. “You being around shows that not only have I moved on from her father, but that we’re happier together than we ever were with him around. Speaking of Loris, did he ever show up, or do I need to inquire myself?”

“Inquire; I’m smarter than to bring up a previous year’s model. You didn’t marry me for the accent and dashing good looks.”

“…though they are perks,” she mentioned. She hooked his ankle with hers underneath the table, the couple eating like that until Malcolm stood when their plates were empty.

“I hope Marco and Dan don’t lose that,” he said, kissing the top of her head on his way to the dishwasher.

“Lose what?”

“The little things… the perks…” He put the plates and utensils in the dishwasher and turned it on before going back to her to wrap his arms around her shoulders. Ignoring his mobile’s buzzing to alert him to another text, he nuzzled the crook of her neck and grinned as he could feel her humming in anticipation. “How good this domestic shite feels.”

“I hope they never lose that either,” she agreed. They then began to kiss, the taste of dinner still on their tongues, and realized that things were beginning to intensify when Malcolm’s arse bumped into the island counter and he realized that Kate’s leg was already attempting to wrap itself around his own.

Up the stairs they went and proceeded to ignore more than a few texts as they proceeded to get handsy and giggly in the comfort of their bed. Malcolm made certain that for just a little while (though not that little, for fuck’s sake), his wife was able to forget about work. He distracted Kate so fucking thoroughly that she temporarily forgot about security protocols and intergalactic bogeymen. It was nothing but the two of them as they shagged each other until neither could think, which was precisely the plan.