#aldjghlkasd IM EXCITED

[lilacponds]

OKAY JUST A LITTLE BIT OF BAXTER WARD DLC BRAINROT (yes theres gonna be some spoilers)

so i made my mc originally shy and anxious, though they cracked out of their shell with time, just a little bit. she met baxter at the soiree - she was taking dance classes and LOVED it, so even with all her anxiety, she wanted to dance! she didn't expect to be swept off her feet by a mysterious stranger though, and she definitely had her heart beating out of her chest (and this time, not just because of anxiety!). she proceeded to think about him for the next five years. by the time baxter came around the neighborhood again, she was a little nervous and a little shy, but loved to meet new people. but baxter wasnt exactly new either - meeting again with that mysterious boy from five years earlier? she was excited, and already crushing, and honestly? she believes in fate. there was a part of her that told her to not let the opportunity go - fate brought them together again, after all!

when baxter asked her out, she was floored (in a good way). when baxter specified it was just for the season, she was floored (in a less good way). she was torn for a second, but decided that it was worth it. if fate had brought them together, how could she decline dating him? if by the end of summer he still decided to stick by his word and break up, she would not hold it against him - after all, he was upfront and clear, - but she still hoped things might change before then.

well - things did somewhat change. in those three months, she fell in love with him. all the little things, added together. all the moments she got to see through the front. all the grins and the twinkles in his eyes. she held their dates dear to their heart. (seeing more of his mischevious side at the hike? the mess he is in the mornings - and how he still tried to take them on a nice date with all the hatred he had for the hour? how deeply caring he was, how he went out of his way to help with the birthday planning multiple times? how he never, ever, thought about himself first, only others?) she fell so deep, and it saddened her to see how little he thought of himself.

then summer ended. and they had to say goodbye. she did not make a scene. she did not beg him otherwise. she did not ask for hope. she smiled at him even though her eyes started tearing up, and thanked him for the summer. she had hoped, at least, that some of her words, some of her love, would stick to him. that he would learn to be kinder to himself.

another five years pass. they change. they are less shy, more outgoing. incredibly affectionate. and also, out as nonbinary! they started cutting their hair short, and... dying it black. on one side, they wanted a color less bright than their natural one (blue), on the other... baxter never left the spot he had in their heart. so imagine their surprise when they go out to help their friends get married, and the planner is baxter!

theyre speechless and a little hurt most of the time. they had tried to reach out in the years, but never got an answer, so eventually they gave up. they had hoped, so dearly, that ending things in a nice way would mean they could keep in touch, and it hurt them that he didnt seem to think about them ever again. but now he was right there, in front of their eyes?

they tried to keep the peace. tried to pretend everything was fine - they were doing this for their friends, after all, and what they had was in the past. it hurt, that they cared for him so deeply still and they were together again but he was so distant. they didnt blame him, but it hurt.

and then, throughout the week, all the little things. just like five years ago: all the little things. the way he cared, the clever little ways to make things better. the so familiar grin. the way he looked softly at jude and scott. the way he was so himself, still, after five years. all the references to the times they spent together lulled them into reminiscing and joking about it too. referencing something only the two of them know, sharing a knowing glance and smile, and it was like no time had passed. like their heart was never torn. like he was there, and he was theirs, and they were his.

they thought, they were there again. fate had brought them together, again, for the third time. they had left on good terms, they thought - they had never told him how their heart was broken, they had understood, so they had left on good terms, right? and he was back to referencing things only the two of them know, and looking at them in a so familiar way... maybe they could talk again. just maybe. but he kept on pushing them away again and it was driving them crazy. no talk seemed to close the gap he kept on making, and they didn't know what to do. they just wanted to be friends again, nothing else, nothing more, just to have him in their life again.

the groom cake. thats when that changed, for them - when they looked at baxter, and he earnestly offered to bake and decorate a whole cake, the night before the wedding. shit, they thought, i love him. im in love with him and i dont think i ever stopped.

after the wedding, when they went to talk to him... they were determined. this was their last chance, after all. to get through his stupidly thick skull that they didnt blame him. that they didnt hate him. that they still cared for him, and that he deserved that care goddammit. when he turned and walked away, they felt their heart being torn again. they couldnt force him, after all.

and then he turned around. and he marched right back. and they knew, in that moment, in the moment he chose to go back to them, that things would be okay. that their heart was safe. that he was theirs, and they were his. that fate knew third time's the charm.

they had wanted to be friends again, when they first got to spend time with baxter again. but if he was brave enough to turn back, to really face his feelings - so could they. and they told him they loved him. and they reassured him that they loved every little thing he thought would be a deal-breaker.

fate had brought them together, three times. and everyone knows, third time's the charm. :)