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jayeray-hq · 3 years ago

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Twin Kittens (Part 1)

Hey everyone! This is my part for the Paws and Claws Collab that was with @katslutski The theme of the collab was hybrids (puppy/kitty/bunny etc) so if you’re interested check it out!

Unfortunately as usual I got excessively wordy, so this is going to be split into three parts. This part alone is about 20K words and we're only about a third of the way through! so it definitely had to be split up.

If you like this feel free to check out my Atsumu or my Osamu masterlists!

While there is no smut in this part there will be in the future thus this story is 18+ minors DNI please!

TW: Previous mentions of past abuse, gaslighting, verbal, death threats, hybrids have been treated like slaves before

This story is Fem Reader x Atsumu x Osamu but there will be no actual incest. While there will be a threesome at the end the boys won't ever touch one another sexually.

“Are you alright?” your neighbor Ojirou asked, a concerned look on his face as he watched you listlessly stir your drink with the straw, playing with the melting ice in the glass.

The two of you were actually good friends, having lived peacefully side by side for over five years now. You’d met on the very first day when you moved in, you’d been struggling to open the door with a large box in your arms and he’d rushed to the rescue. He and his hybrids diligent Kita, the blue merle border collie, and sly, sleek Suna the Siamese cat, had all pitched in to help you get moved in and settled. You’d been good friends with all three of them ever since.

It was his turn to host your traditional Friday night dinner, so you’d gone over to his apartment determined to enjoy yourself. However, something must’ve given away the rough day you’d had, because all three of them had been casting you concerned looks all night and trading glances when they thought you couldn’t see.

It was apparently Aran’s job to confront you about it, though both hybrids were looking at you expectantly. Well, Kita was looking at you expectantly, Suna was pretending not to pay attention, his phone in his hands, but you could see him watching out of the corner of his eye.

“What makes you think something’s wrong?” you asked determined to at least give it a try.

The stern look you got from Kita and the sympathetic smile from Ojiro told you how ultimately fruitless the effort had been, so you caved in with a sigh, pushing your glass away so you could slump face down on the table burying your head in your arms. You’d tell them, but that didn’t mean you wanted to be necessarily looking them in the eye when you did.

“You know how I went to that thing with some of my girl friends today?” you asked tiredly.

There were acknowledging hums all around even from Suna who you saw from the corner of your eye was no longer pretending to look at his phone and instead watching you like some rare breed of animal in a zoo doing something particularly fascinating.

“Well it was fun, great even,” you told them with a small quirk of your lips, “Right up until we started talking about significant others. Apparently two of them are getting married soon, one has a baby on the way, and the rest are in steady loving relationships or have openly declared they aren’t interested in that kind of thing. So guess who was the only sad single there?”

“Ah,” Ojirou acknowledged a well of sympathy in his voice.

“And of course once they found out, they were like ‘oh I think my husband has a brother’ or ‘oh I have this great friend from work you’d just love,” you ranted, earning a quiet snicker from Suna, which prompted you to lift your head up so you could dig back at the cat hybrid who looked to be having far too much fun at your expense.

“They even asked me why I didn’t date my nice neighbor, the one I’m always hanging out with,” you added on ruthlessly, ignoring Ojirou’s shocked sputters, “But I told them he was in a committed relationship. They were skeptical at first, but then I told them that I was sure because someone is extremely loud, enough that I’m forced to use headphones to drown out the yowling.”

Poor Ojirou was coughing, clearly dying of embarrassment, and even Kita had the faintest red tinge to his cheeks. Unfortunately, Suna, unbothered as ever, simply smirked at you, which confirmed some of your suspicions that he’d been doing it on purpose, the brat.

Heaving another forlorn sigh you decided to give up and give poor Ojirou a break, making a mental note to make it up to him somehow. The poor guy really didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire between you and Suna.

“So, I spent the time being relentlessly hounded until it was time to leave,” you continued on, pretending not to notice Kita patting Ojirou’s back sympathetically, “I tried to explain to them that I just don’t have the time and energy it takes to go out and start dating people, that work was taking up too much of my time, but they weren’t having any of it.”

“It sounds like a rough time,” Ojirou told you, with genuine sympathy, the man too kind even after you’d embarrassed the hell out of him, “like when I go home and baa-chan asks when I’m going to settle down and get married.”

Suna let out an involuntary hiss at that, and Kita’s shoulders stiffened up a bit. Even though hybrid-human relationships were accepted and even almost expected between them and their owners these days, it didn’t mean that everyone accepted them as ‘true’ relationships. There were a good chunk of people, mostly conservatives and the older generation who believed that human/human relationships were the only valid ones.

This was no doubt because of the fact that most hybrid children, once they hit eighteen chose to go to hybrid adoption centers rather than staying with their parents. This was partly because it was one of the few good ways to get out from under your parents roof.

Hybrid rights had come a long way from when they’d first been implemented a few decades ago, back when they were considered something of a toy and a pet, not better than a slave. However, they technically still required a human ‘owner’ to do things like go to school, find a job, or even be out in public unsupervised.

There were people working to change that of course, and you’d donated heavily to the cause and actively supported it, but change was slow going, so for now it was what it was. It didn’t help that there were a good deal of people around like Ojirou’s grandma who viewed hybrids as less than human, and would probably never acknowledge his relationship or any children they had, especially if the children were hybrids too.

It was something you’d listened to him vent about more than once, happy to lend him a listening ear, especially since he’d done the same for you plenty of times over the years.

“It wasn’t quite that bad,” you admitted, giving him your own sympathetic smile, “but it was rather depressing.”

“Do ya even want a companion like that?” Kita asked her reasonably, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard ya talk about wantin’ a relationship other than rantin’ about a few failed dates here and there. If ya don’t I don’t see why it should be a problem, and not any of their business either.”

“Except I think I kind of do,” you admitted with a grimace, to the practical dog-hybrid who always gave solid, dependable advice, “I never planned to spend the rest of my life alone you know? I just always put my career first figuring relationships could come later, when I had more time, but now I’m starting to wonder if later will ever come.”

“And ya don’t want to date?” Kita asked with a slight frown, “I’m sure ya could make time if ya really wanted to, we could change our dinners around fer a while maybe?”

“No way,” you protested immediately, “Dinners with you guys are my only bastion of sanity. Plus I’m not even sure I want to go out and meet people, frankly at this point I’m not even sure I know how. It just… gets a little lonely coming home to an empty apartment sometimes you know?”

“So why don’t you get a hybrid?” Ojirou asked, his tone eminently reasonable despite the shock of what he’d said.

“A hybrid?” you repeated a little dumbfounded, “Me?!”

“Well why not?” he defended, stroking his recently grown goatee with his thumb and forefinger, “You’re wealthy enough to afford one, it would solve your companionship issue, and you wouldn’t have to date anyone, just go to a hybrid adoption center and find someone you’re compatible with.”

When he put it like that it did sound reasonable, even if it wasn’t an idea that had ever occurred to you. A lot of your friends, not just Ojirou, had hybrid companions, one of the weddings discussed earlier that day was even to a hybrid even if it wouldn’t be official until they could get proper legislature passed. You just had never really considered it an option for yourself.

“Do you think I could?” you asked with a light frown, turning the idea over in your mind, the question directed more at Kita than anyone else, both because he was always the most reasonable of the three and because as a hybrid you thought he’d probably be more qualified to answer whether you were a fit ‘owner’.

However to your surprise it wasn’t Kita, but Suna who answered first informing you in his normal lazy drawl, “You’d do well with a hybrid I think, probably something lower energy, like a cat, and we’re pretty self-sufficient as you know, so you wouldn’t have to worry about leaving it home alone like you would a pet.”

“He’s right,” Kita agreed, after a thoughtful pause, “Personally I believe ya would do well with a hybrid, ya get along with us well enough. Plus if yer worried we can help ya look after them. Suna needs a playmate anyway, he’s been getting’ up ta too much mischief lately when Aran and I ain’t here.”

Suna didn’t even bother to protest, just shrugged, completely unbothered by the accusation. Figuring you might as well take advantage of the situation you asked a few more questions, all of which were answered by your friends who all had a lot of input on what kind of hybrid you should get.

You left that night with your head stuffed full of information, after telling them you needed time to think it over. Getting a hybrid was a lifechanging thing and you didn’t want to run off half-cocked. It had gotten you an approving nod from Kita and a supportive pat on the shoulder from Ojirou. Suna had simply given you a knowing smirk, as if the smug cat hybrid already knew exactly what you were going to do as you walked out the door.

You stared up at the hybrid adoption center, not quite sure how you’d ended up here. For the last week or so, ever since Ojirou had brought it up you’d had hybrids on the brain. You’d found your eyes wandering to look at them when they passed you in the street and idly daydreaming in your down time what it might be like to have one waiting when you came home and fantasizing about what kind you might get.

Normally you were very focused and productive at work, but somehow, you’d found yourself scrolling through different sites, putting in research into what kind of facility you should visit and what you’d need to do. It had gotten bad enough that some of your coworkers had noticed your distraction, which was the final nail in the coffin.

You’d already known which center Ojirou had used to choose Kita and Suna, and so at the end of a particularly long day, quietly dreading heading home to your empty apartment you’d instead found yourself driving over to the center.

It was on the smaller side when it came to hybrid adoption centers, privately run and owned by Azumane Industries, a fashion line that created clothes that specifically catered to hybrids. Ojirou had, had nothing but good things to say, and so gathering your courage you left your car to head resolutely inside.

The lobby was rather quiet, only one other patron and two people manning the desks, both of whom looked up when you entered. You were a bit surprised to see the only two workers in sight were hybrids, one a silver cat of some type and the other clearly a German shepherd.

In hindsight it made a lot of sense to have hybrids be in charge of the adoption of other hybrids as they would likely know best how to match people up. However, you rarely saw that kind of practicality when it came to hybrids especially because you knew there was a lot of prejudice out there.

You offered the cat a hesitant smile, stepping up to the desk, the smile he gave back one that was both kind and welcoming as he introduced, “Welcome to Azumane Industries Hybrid Adoption Center. My name is Sugawara, how can I help you today?”

“I’m looking to adopt,” you admitted, unsure what else to say you tacked on, “My friend recommended this place to me, so here I am.”

“Well, we’ll take good care of you,” he assured you calmly, “Usually we do this by appointment, but you’re lucky. It’s a slow day and we have an opening, so I’d be happy to start the process with you if you’re willing.”

“Great,” you told him with a quiet sigh of relief, glad that he could fit you in. Honestly you should’ve known that a place like this would require a call ahead at least. It would’ve served you right for being so impulsive if they hadn’t been able to squeeze you in, “Just tell me what I need to do.”

Sugawara offered you a sly grin, one that reminded you of Suna as he promptly pushed a large stack of paperwork in your direction and handed you a pen. You grimaced at the sight of it but set to work, quietly filling out the forms one by one and handing each of them to Sugawara after so he could log them into his computer.

The forms reminded you of a loan or job application in a lot of ways, asking after your health, your income, your living situation, if you had a criminal record, any previous experience with hybrids etc. It took you quite a while to fill them all out, and by the end of it your wrist was sore and you’d signed your name more times than you cared to remember. However, since Sugawara had been filling in as you went you didn’t have to wait long to move on to the next step.

“Congratulations,” he told you with an amused smile, watching as you massaged your wrist, “You’ve been approved to adopt from our center, which means we now get to the fun part.”

“Fun part?” you questioned a little warily, having learned from Suna that a cat hybrid smiling at you didn’t necessarily mean good things for your sanity.

“Tell me about what kind of hybrid you’d like,” he told you leaning forward, elbows braced on the desk as he watched you intently, “Do you have any preferences? I’ve read all your information as we’ve gone along so I have some ideas, but I’d like to hear from you what you think you want.”

“I’m not sure where to start,” you admitted, feeling a little overwhelmed.

“That’s alright,” he assured you, “That’s what I’m here for. Let’s start with species, that’s always good and will narrow things down a bit.”

“I know I want a cat or dog hybrid,” you told him immediately glad to have some kind of answer for him, “Rabbit and rodent hybrids have heats and ruts too often for me to handle given how busy work keeps me.”

Heats and ruts were one of the big things that separated hybrids from humans and were part of the reason it was hard for them to find and hold down jobs. There were two kinds of hybrid within each species, alphas and omegas.

Alphas were usually more aggressive, stubborn, and willful. You needed to have a more dominant personality to have an alpha hybrid otherwise they’d walk all over you. Alphas also had a period called a rut, where their hormones skyrocketed and made them want to breed with anything and everything. It was a really uncomfortable time for them, and made them even more aggressive.

Omegas were generally more passive, quiet and compliant. They tended to be favored over Alpha hybrids as companions because of their more docile nature. They had periods called heats, which were similar to an Alphas rut, the only difference being they wanted to be bred rather than to breed. It made them needy and clingy the entire time.

Both heats and ruts lasted anywhere from a couple of days to a week depending on the species of hybrid. Dogs and cats had week long heats, but they only happened two to three times a year, whereas rabbit and rodent hybrids only lasted a few days, but happened every week and a half to two weeks.

You knew it wasn’t necessarily expected for a hybrid owner to stay home when their hybrid was in heat or rut, but you also knew it was those times that hybrids tended to be more reckless. Most of the research you did advised that you should if you could, even if you weren’t the one who was going to be sexually intimate with your hybrid. There were of course hybrid heat centers, where hybrids could go to find willing partners and get their needs taken care of, but you’d heard horror stories about places like that and didn’t want to use one unless you absolutely had to.

“There are medications to manage heats and ruts,” Sugawara pointed out reasonably, a slight frown on his face.

“I know,” you agreed, “But I did some research and it looks like most hybrids don’t like to take them because they have nasty side effects, like potential infertility, mood drops, and weight gain. If there’s a rodent or rabbit hybrid that wants to voluntarily take the medication then that could be fine, but I’ve heard only a few ever want to risk it.”

Sugawara looked surprised for a moment, then slowly nodded, “It’s good you’ve looked into things, and it’s nice to see someone who’s come prepared. I’ve heard a bit of that too, so no rabbits or rodents. Do you have any preference Alpha versus Omega?”

“Not really,” you admitted with a helpless shrug, feeling a little bad for not being able to narrow down the criteria for him, “I’m pretty open so long as they can fit into my lifestyle, are a little more independent, and think they’ll get along with me.”

“Well you’ll at least have lots of options,” Sugwara assured you, with a smile that told you he wasn’t off put by the fact that you didn’t know exactly what you wanted either, “Does that mean you don’t have a preference for breed either?”

“That’s right,” you agreed with a firm nod, “I just want someone who’s going to be compatible with me, everything else is secondary.”

“Okay,” he told you cheerfully, “I’m sure we can do that! Though it might take us a little bit to narrow things down. Since you aren’t picky you might as well come with me to start looking. Daichi can you manage the desk on your own?”

“Sure,” the german shepherd hybrid agreed, from where he’d been sitting quietly, keeping watch over the two of you and typing away on his computer, since there was literally no one else in the lobby, “Just keep a radio on you so I can call you back up here if it gets busy Suga.”

Your soon to be guide agreed with a smile, plucking one of the aforementioned radios up and attaching it to his belt, before standing up from the desk. He stretched in a very feline manner, then ushered you towards a door that led toward the back of the building, tail swishing peacefully behind him.

“Each species of hybrid has its own floor,” Sugawara explained as he led you through the hall, “Bunnies are on the top floor, rodents underneath them, cats on the second floor and dogs here on the first. Each floor has four separate wings, separated into categories depending on whether the hybrid in question is male or female, alpha or omega. These wings have private rooms in them and are connected by a shared space.”

“We’ll be going into the shared space,” he explained pausing outside one of the doors, “It’s where hybrids come both to hang out, and to meet people. If a hybrid isn’t interested in being adopted by a specific human they’ll simply return to their rooms until the human leaves. This way we ensure that no one gets coerced into adoption. We also keep a close eye on things with security cameras in the shared space, for both the safety of humans and hybrids. Before we enter the room, I need you to give me verbal consent to allow yourself to be filmed.”

“That’s fine,” you told him, more than a bit impressed with how thorough and organized the whole thing was, along with the lengths they went to, to ensure everyone’s comfort.

“Alright then, let’s introduce you to the dogs,” he teased, with a confident smile.

The minute the door opened, almost every head turned in your direction, making you feel a bit awkward and unsure. Some of the hybrids were in their human forms, ears and tails the only hint of their non-human status, while others were lounging around in their secondary animal form.

The animal form of a hybrid was indistinguishable from a normal animal of the same breed. The only thing that might give it away was the high level of intelligence. Your research told you that hybrids tended to act more on their instincts when in animal form, which could be both a good thing and a bad thing.

Case in point, the minute you entered with Sugawara one enormous grey and white speckled dog came bounding over barking his head off. He was absolutely huge, and only the madly wagging tail kept you from cringing back as he charged over, his barking immediately setting off a few of the others.

You got the wind knocked out of you a bit as he collided with you, though thankfully the door was behind you, and kept you from being knocked off your feet as he placed enormous paws on your shoulders, burying his face in your hair and sniffing enthusiastically. You froze, unsure exactly what to do in this situation, and more than a bit uncomfortable.

Luckily Sugawara immediately came to your rescue, shoving the big dog off as he scolded, “Bokuto! What have I told you about jumping up on our guests!”

The big dog immediately began to whine, tail tucked between his legs, and you wanted to feel bad for him, except you were still a bit unnerved.

“Sorry about him,” Sugawara apologized with a sigh, “He’s harmless I promise, just incredibly enthusiastic about new people.”

“It’s okay,” you assured him, hesitantly reaching out to Bokuto palms first to see if he might be interested, only to have him turn away. Unsure what to do you glanced at Sugawara, whose tail was swishing in clear agitation.

“Ignore him,” the silver haired cat hybrid told you, “He’s just sulking because he got scolded. In fact, better yet ignore all of them, since they can’t stop being rude and barking.”

This last bit, along with the fierce glare that accompanied it was leveled at the room in general, earning some sheepish looks from a couple of the dog hybrids who were in human form, and managing to quiet several of the barking ones who were in animal form.

“Come on,” he urged with one last flick of his tail, “I should’ve started you with the cats anyway. You seem like a cat person to me, and I assure you they’ll have much better manners. If you don’t find what you’re looking for there, we’ll come back, but let’s explore the cat option first and give them time to recall their manners.”

You allowed him to usher you out of the room and toward the elevator, trusting his judgment. It was funny that he’d said you were a cat person, as he was actually the third cat hybrid to have told you so, Suna being one and the Siamese hybrid of one of your coworkers being the other.

It took you less than a minute to get up to the next floor, and when Sugawara ushered you into the cat hybrid room you could immediately feel the difference. There was no noise for one, just a bunch of curious eyes turned in your direction, but it didn’t feel hostile at all.

Sugawara quickly introduced you to the cat hybrids, telling them you’d come to adopt and had ‘just been slobbered all over by the dog hybrids’ so if they could all ‘mind their manners’ that would be great. You were a little amused at the exasperated hybrid’s antics, and you weren’t the only one, if the quiet snickering from a hybrid with particularly messy hair was any indication. However you were also grateful to him for being so diligent as he introduced you to everyone.

Slowly, several cat hybrids meandered up to you, some in human form, some in cat form, though some also stayed in place clearly observing everything. You chatted lightly with the ones in human form, while letting the ones in cat form do as they pleased, answering their questions and asking a few of your own.

It was a much more relaxed experience, something you were infinitely grateful for after the sudden chaos of the dog hybrid room, and you had to wonder if the cat hybrids who’d pegged you as a cat person hadn’t been right after all. You were in the middle of quietly talking to a lovely female alpha hybrid named Shimizu when Sugawara’s radio blared to life. Apparently, the front had gotten rather busy and Daichi desperately needed his help.

“Will you be alright if I leave you here?” Sugawara asked you seriously, “This shouldn’t take too long, and Shimizu is more than capable of looking after you.”

“Sure,” you agreed, after a quick glance at the hybrid in question, who gave an acknowledging nod of her head, “I don’t mind.”

“Good,” he agreed with a bright grin, before rounding on the rest of the room, “And all the rest of you better behave or I’ll hear why!”

With one last warning glare around the room he turned on his heel and left, leaving you in Shimizu’s capable hands. The two of you continued to talk amiably as several cat hybrids came by in one form or another to sniff at you or listen in on the conversation from nearby. A number of them only came over for a few minutes, lingered a bit and then left, spreading back out to the room or going into the hallways that led to their private rooms, however a good chunk of them stayed nearby as well.

Chatting lightly with Shimizu and a few of the others you found you really liked the poised and graceful cat hybrid and might’ve looked into adopting her. Unfortunately, Shimizu quickly made it clear that she had some plans of her own, that included getting herself and her young and adorable munchkin kitten hybrid Yachi adopted by one of their frequent visitors.

She was however, more than happy to give her own opinion on some of the other hybrids around, most of whom seemed to respect both her and her opinion a lot. You were listening to Shimizu tell you a bit more about Yachi, who was watching from a safe distance, clearly anxious, but also unwilling to leave, when you felt something paw at your leg.

A quick glance down revealed a long haired fluffy looking cat, in shades of silver and white who was staring up at you expectantly. None of the other cat hybrids had actually dared to touch you, a few coming close, but none making actual moves to greet you.

A little intrigued you crouched down so you’d be closer to his eye level, and extended your hands for him the same way you did for Suna when he was in his cat form, giving him a choice about whether he wanted to be touched or not. The cat hybrid eyed your hands thoughtfully for a minute, before sauntering within reach, nudging his head against your palm.

Taking your cue you allowed yourself to pet him, gently rubbing at his silky ears and enjoying the feeling of his thick, plush coat. His back arched pressing closer into your hands, eyelids lowering in contentment as you carefully massaged your fingers through his fur in a way you knew Suna enjoyed.

A rumbling purr escaped his throat and you couldn’t help the pleased smile that crossed your lips at the sound as he pressed his way closer to your torso, entering the circle of your arms and keeping himself there. You were caught up in petting him for a moment and didn’t immediately notice, but after a few seconds you realized the room had gotten very quiet.

It had been quiet before, as cat hybrids didn’t make a lot of noise in general, but now it was almost deathly still outside the small purring sounds from the cat under your hands. You immediately froze and glanced up at Kiyoko who was watching the two of you with wide eyes.

“Is something wrong?” you asked, more than a bit concerned.

“You pet him,” Shimizu murmured, more to herself than to you.

“Should I not have?” you asked worriedly, moving to pull your hands away, “I’m sorry I didn’t realize. I pet my neighbor’s cat hybrid all the time when he’s in the mood for it.”

The cat hybrid under your hands made a noise of protest as you pulled your hands away, giving Shimizu what you assumed to be a rather annoyed look based on her baffled and slightly contrite expression.

“No,” she assured you quickly, “We like to be pet, physical affection is important to hybrids. It’s just that particular one doesn’t usually allow anyone to touch him.”

“Do you mind?” you asked the hybrid in question, holding out your hands again.

He gave an agreeing mew and pressed his head to your palm, which you assumed meant you could resume petting. The fur under your fingers was clearly well taken care of, soft and plush and you truly wouldn’t have minded continuing to pet him until he got sick of you.

However, you were interrupted by a furious yowling sound that immediately made you jump, your head snapping up to search for the source of the noise. It turned out to be another long haired fluffy cat, this one in shades of gold and white who came charging out of the halls and ran straight at you.

You didn’t even have a second to react as the cat that had been in your arms darted around to hide behind you. Not that it stopped the oncoming golden one who didn’t even bother to go around and instead went right over you, claws digging into your arm as he attempted to get at the silver one.

You let out a yelp of surprise and pain, as he launched himself off your shoulder at the silver cat behind you who immediately darted out of reach, running around you in dizzying circles with the golden one fast on his heels both of them yowling, hissing and spitting, clearly having some kind of argument.

It only took a moment for you to regain your bearings and decide you needed to put an end to whatever this was, since poor Shimizu didn’t look at all ready to step in, an utterly appalled look on her face. Luckily you had quick reflexes and managed to snag both cats around the middle and stand up quickly, the abrupt shift immediately silencing both, no doubt shocked by your interruption.

“I think that’s quite enough of that,” you scolded firmly, as you hefted the two carefully, keeping them firmly separated. They were a bit heavier than they looked but certainly not too much for you to keep aloft.

“You,” you scolded the golden one, gently shaking him, who had turned to stare up at you with wide copper colored eyes, “I don’t know what he did to you or why, but I’m sure whatever it was could’ve been resolved without the ruckus. I also don’t appreciate being climbed on or used as a spring board.

“And you,” you gently shook the silver one in turn, who looked equally surprised to be addressed, “I’m not sure if he deserved whatever you did or not, but you shouldn’t have been causing a ruckus either, and I don’t appreciate you using me as a shield.”

“From what I understand, in order to be here you have to be considered adults,” you continued firmly, “So I suggest you act like it, and figure this out between yourselves without dragging innocent bystanders into your mess!”

With that you loosened your grip, fully expecting both of them to jump to the floor. However, both continued to simply hang limply in your grasp, watching you with curious eyes that you realized rather abruptly were almost completely identical.

“Siblings huh?” you asked no one in particular, nodding to yourself, “I suppose that explains a lot.”

“Are you alright?” Shimizu asked you worriedly, “You’re bleeding.”

A quick glance at your arm showed you were indeed bleeding, small pinpricks of blood welling up from where the golden cat had dug his claws into you. It stung a bit, but you didn’t think it was too bad.

“I’m alright,” you assured her, kneeling down and releasing both cats, since they seemed disinclined to continue fighting, and you wanted your hands free, “Though I’d appreciate some disinfectant and some band aids if you’ve got them.”

“Of course,” Shimizu assured you with a quick nod, “Just let me get them and I’ll be right back.”

The elegant hybrid moved with enviable grace and speed as she exited the room, leaving you alone. A quick look around the room showed that almost every eye was now on you, and you heaved a sigh, not exactly pleased to be the center of attention, especially since none of them did anything but stare, none of them bothering to approach, just look.

You glanced down in surprise when you felt something touching your leg, only to find the golden cat headbutting your shin, rubbing his face against your calf affectionately as he twined his way through your legs.

“Does that mean you’re sorry,” you asked, crouching back down and offering your hands to the pretty, fluffy cat.

He immediately rubbed his face against your hands too, which you took as permission to continue your petting, rubbing your hand affectionately over his head and earning a happy purr from the feline who arched happily into your hands.

You were distracted from your petting by a paw, which came to rest on one of your wrists, the silver cat watching with obvious envy in his pretty copper colored eyes. Luckily for both of you, you had two hands, and you reached out to pet him too after assuring it was okay. The golden cat clearly wasn’t too happy about his brother’s presence, but didn’t kick up a fuss, instead pressing himself closer and becoming more insistent as he purred ever louder. The silver cat didn’t seemed to pay him any attention though, simply soaking up your attention and affection.

“Here,” Shimizu offered as she came back, first aid kit in hand, “Do you need any help getting bandaged up?”

You were about to accept her offer, as attempting to bandage your dominant arm was always a pain, when you felt something strange under your hand. You turned your attention back to the cat hybrids you’d been petting just in time to see the silver one shift, form becoming large, limbs extending, body lengthening and bulking up until he stood in front of you in human form.

You blinked, utterly startled as you stared up at him, taking in his appearance. He was incredibly handsome in his human form, with the same silvery grey hair as his fur in cat form in an undercut and bright bronze eyes that peered out at you from under heavy lids. He had a strong, slightly square jaw and thick eyebrows, with blunt cheekbones and cupids bow lips.

He was also surprisingly big, at least six feet tall, and maybe a bit more than that, with broad shoulders and a trim waist. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt that clung to his chest, showing off the definition of his muscles. To top it all off he had two cat ears poking out from his silvery hair and a fluffy tail that was slowly waving back and forth as he looked at you.

“I’ll do it,” he told the two of you, his voice pleasant and lightly accented, his hand held out to Kiyoko gesturing for her to pass him the first aid kit, “I’ll bandage ya up. It’s only fair since the moron who scratched ya is too busy bein’ pampered.”

That earned a hiss from the golden cat, who immediately began to shift under your hands. You watched in surprise and no small amount of awe as he turned into a carbon copy of the other man who’d appeared, only with golden hair, ears and tail. You’d realized the two were related, but you hadn’t realized they were identical twins. Twins were really rare for hybrids, even more rare than human twins. As such they were usually snapped up for adoption right away, so it was rare to see them in any sort of center.

“If ya hadn’t stolen my puddin’ I wouldn’t have chased ya and scratched her in the first place,” the golden cat hybrid hissed at his brother.

“Well if ya hadn’t eaten my onigiri, maybe I wouldn’t have had to eat yer puddin’” the silver haired one retorted, his tone and expression both flatter compared to his sibling who looked like he might lunge at his twin at any moment.

Not wanting to get in the middle of a literal cat fight you held your own hand out to Kiyoko, who gratefully placed the first aid kit in your hands, then plopped down to sit cross legged on the floor. Your sudden movement startled both cat hybrids who turned to look at you, but you pointedly ignored them as you worked on opening the kit, and pulling out the things you’d need.

“Here I got it,” the golden haired one told you, plopping down beside you, “That scrub ain’t right about a lot of things, but he is right about this. I scratched ya, and I should fix ya.”

You gratefully held your arm out to him, and watched as he gently dabbed the scratches with disinfectant, grimacing slightly at the sting. You were distracted enough by his careful movements that you almost didn’t notice the other twin, right up until he gently smeared Neosporin over the scratches, placing small bandages over the deeper punctures.

“Thank you,” you told them both when they finished, automatically reaching up to pet their heads, but then pausing as you realized the gesture might not be as welcome in their human form.

Your worries were quickly allayed through as the golden one practically fell into your palm, soft, happy purring noises leaving his mouth as you gently scratched the base of his ears. His twin however didn’t immediately move for you, and you turned concerned eyes on him, worried he might be offended. The minute he saw you looking though he immediately leaned forward, pressing his head to your palm, his own soft purrs leaving his throat as you carded your fingers through his hair.

“I’m back,” a familiar voice sang, the door to the room sliding open to reveal Sugawara, with a cheerful grin on his face, a grin that was immediately replaced by wide eyed shock as he saw you and the two hybrids who were nearly in your lap with how close they were pressing towards you.

However, shock melted into fury as his eyes saw the open first aid kit and the bandages on your arm, his words nearly a hiss as he demanded, “What happened?!”

Both hybrids immediately stiffened under your hands, drawing closer to you, either looking to protect you or looking for protection you weren’t sure. Either way you allowed it, rubbing your hands over the backs of their necks in a way that always seemed to sooth Suna as you answered, “We just had a bit of a mishap is all, but we’ve cleared it up.”

“Are you sure?” Sugawara demanded anxiously, “We were told when they were brought in that they’d had a bit of trouble before, but they never mentioned that they might attack humans.”

The golden-haired twin seemed to bristle, and if he were in cat form you were sure all his fur would be puffed out as he glared at Sugawara. His twin didn’t look nearly as bothered on the surface, but close as you were, you could see how tight the muscles in his neck and shoulders were as if he was about to spring forward at any moment.

Instinctively you pulled the golden twin toward you, tipping him over into your lap. Despite his size it wasn’t all that difficult given he’d been practically leaning all his weight on you. He let out a yelp of surprise, but stayed still as you buried your fingers in his hair, keeping his cheek pillowed on your thigh. Your other hand gently squeezed the back of the silver twin’s neck, both holding him still and reminding him of your presence.

“It wasn’t an attack, simply an accident,” you assured Sugawara, as you soothed your thumb over the tense muscles of the silver one’s neck, hoping to get him to relax, “A bit like what happened with the dog hybrid earlier.”

“If you’re sure,” Sugawara told you, watching your pet the twins with wide eyes, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, “Does that mean you’ve decided to take them then? I know you were a little worried about adopting one hybrid so I never imagined you’d want two at once.”

“What?” you asked, a little overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of information, and the assumption he’d made.

“You’d have to take both of them,” Sugawara explained gently, “Admittedly sometimes twins are separated, but we don’t do that unless they want to be separated, and in this case both of them have stated they want to stay together.”

“That makes sense,” you agreed, with a smile. It was good that the center accommodated things like that, and you made a mental note to thank Ojirou for directing you to such an upstanding place.

“Should I get paperwork started?” Sugawara asked, with an answering smile, “If you’re taking the twins it will take a bit more work than usual, so I’d like to get started right away. No pressure though, you don’t have to make a decision today if you don’t want to.”

“I hadn’t really thought about adopting them,” you admitted, and felt both twins stiffen under your hands, so hurried to reassure them, “We haven’t had a chance to chat much yet. I’d like to talk to them a little bit first before we make any decisions.”

“Of course,” the kindly hybrid agreed with an understanding nod, “We’ll give the three of you some space and let you get to know one another a bit better.”

“Thank you,” you told him politely, waiting until he’d ushered Kiyoko a little bit away, clearly trying to give you some sense of privacy despite the fact that they were still well within earshot for hybrids, and likely interrogate the elegant female about what exactly had happened while he was gone.

“Do ya not want us,” the golden haired one asked you, once the two were gone, rolling over in your lap to peer up at you with wide copper eyes, the hint of a pout on his lips, and a little bit of hurt in his eyes.

“I don’t know yet,” you told him honestly, gently stroking his golden hair away from his eyes, “We don’t know each other, yet do we? Do you even know if you want to come with me?”

The two cat hybrids glanced at each other, clearly communicating silently with each other for a moment before turning back to you. The golden haired one had apparently been elected spokesperson because he was the one to admit, “We wouldn’t mind goin’ home with ya.”

“But you don’t even know my name, do you? And I don’t know yours either,” you pointed out, utterly baffled that they’d apparently already decided.

“I heard mister pleasant over there when he introduced ya,” the silver haired one told you with a shrug, “But if it matters so much to ya, I’m Miya Osamu and he’s Atsumu.”

“I can introduce myself ya know,” the golden haired on hissed, doing his best to glare at his brother, though you were sure the effect was entirely lost considering he was apparently refusing to move from your lap and was upside down, “And I didn’t get to hear yer name.”

“That’s because ya were sulkin’ in our room,” Osamu pointed out.

“And whose fault is that huh?” Atsumu demanded with a grimace.

“Yer own,” Osamu countered, looking utterly bored as he peered down at his brother. Atsumu made to lunge out of your lap, but was stopped by your hand pressed firmly to his forehead holding him in place. You took advantage of his moment of distraction to introduce yourself, gently rubbing behind his ears until he started purring again.

“And ya wonder why we want to go with ya,” Osamu told you sardonically, watching the two of you, “I ain’t ever seen anybody who could get ahold of Tsumu like that.”

“Do the two of you always squabble like that?” you asked, a little amused and a little concerned, “If I didn’t know better I would’ve thought one of you was a dog hybrid with how well you’re getting along right now.”

“It ain’t always so bad,” Osamu told you, turning his face away though you thought you saw the faintest hint of pink to his cheeks, “We’re just a little restless is all. We haven’t been here long so it’s just new, not as much freedom as we’re used to either bein’ cooped up for most of the day.”

“Surely they let you out if you want out,” you questioned, a little appalled that the center might be keeping hybrids like prisoners.

“Well sure,” Osamu answered turning back to you, his head tilted to the side as he studied you, “But there are only so many places a hybrid is allowed without an owner ya know.”

You winced slightly at the blunt statement, but couldn’t refute it. The law stated that all hybrids had to have a registered owner, and it was then up to that owner to set limits on the hybrid, about where they could go and what they could do. This was because if the hybrid caused any trouble, it was always on its owner to take responsibility which made things quite limited for them at times. There were lobbyists working to change that of course, as it was viewed as inhumane, but for now the law was the law.

“Did you have more freedom before here then?” you asked curiously, “I’ve heard this place is pretty good.”

“It’s not bad,” Atsumu piped in, his voice content and rumbly as he turned languid eyes in your direction, clearly not wanting to be left out of the conversation, “Better than the first center we were at when we first went up for adoption.”

“So you’ve been adopted before? Or did you just get moved from one of the other centers?” you asked curiously, only to have Atsumu go absolutely rigid under your hands as Osamu hissed at him, clearly angry with his brother, who’d apparently revealed something he shouldn’t if the way he shrank away instead of hissing back said anything.

You glanced between the two of them warily, unsure what to do as Atsumu pulled himself out of your lap so he could look at Osamu. The two of them were clearly communicating, both their tails swishing back and forth in clear agitation.

“We had an owner,” Osamu admitted at last, his words clearly careful as he peered at you from underneath the fringe of his hair, “But we didn’t get along with him so he surrendered us ta the shelter again and they sent us here.”

A part of you really wanted to ask why exactly they hadn’t gotten along with their old owner, but given the way Atsumu was refusing to meet your eyes, his nails practically digging into his thighs where he sat next to you, you got the feeling it would be kinder not to. Instead you carefully redirected the conversation back on topic and asked, “And what makes you think you’ll get along better with me than your previous owner?”

“Yer nothin’ like him,” Osamu told you bluntly, effectively shutting that avenue of conversation down.

“If you say so,” you told him calmly, holding his gaze until he glanced away, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

It was clearly a sensitive topic, and you didn’t want to push. You’d just met the two of them today after all, you certainly wouldn’t have liked it if they tried to pry into your past, fair was fair after all.

“What do you picture yourselves doing all day?” you asked instead, figuring you might as well.

“Doing?” Atsumu repeated confused, tilting his head in a manner that you couldn’t help but find rather adorable.

“I’ll be at work most of the day during the week,” you explained patiently, “Which means you’ll be by yourselves for quite a bit of time. You’d be more than welcome to laze around if you really wanted to, but I figured I’d ask.”

“What kind of things are we allowed to do?” Osamu asked slowly, a strange look on his face that you couldn’t quite interpret.

“Anything within reason,” you told him with a helpless shrug, “I have money, it’s not an issue, so long as it’s legal, and doesn’t have the potential to hurt me, you or anyone else then I see no reason to place restrictions. My neighbor has a dog-hybrid who works a small rice farm that Ojirou bought him, but his cat-hybrid Suna spends most of his time either lounging around their apartment or playing sports with some of the other hybrids who live in the neighborhood.”

“Which sport?” Atsumu asked, eyes bright, all hesitation forgotten in the face of this new information.

“Volleyball I think,” you told him with a shrug, “Ojirou and I have gone to watch a few games, though I don’t think it’s just volleyball either.”

If Atsumu had been a dog-hybrid you were sure his tail would’ve been wagging a hundred miles an hour with how eager he looked, copper eyes bright in his face as he told you, “I like volleyball. Do you think he’d let me play?”

“You’d have to take it up with Suna, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t,” you admitted cautiously, earning a happy smile from the hybrid.

“What about you Osamu?” you prompted gently, “Do you play too, or is there something else you’re interested in?”

The silver furred hybrid looked startled to be addressed, but then slowly admitted, “I like to cook.”

“That’s amazing,” you praised, “I live on take out a lot of the time, unless I’m headed over to Ojirou’s or Kita, his dog-hybrid makes an extra bento for me. I really should cook more, but I tend to be on the go a lot and don’t want to dedicate the time.”

“It’s a bit of a shame though,” you admitted, feeling more than a bit sheepish, “One of the best features of my apartment is the kitchen and I hardly ever use it.”

You continued to chat lightly with the twins learning quite a bit about the two of them in the process. Atsumu was definitely the louder twin, always eager and a bit blunt with his words, always saying the first thing that came to mind. Osamu was quieter than his twin, letting his golden furred brother do most of the talking for the two of them. He wasn’t necessarily shy per se, and would answer when spoken to, but he seemed content for the most part to quietly observe before adding his two cents in.

The two of them together were utterly charming, which made you wonder just how they hadn’t been adopted yet. You were fairly sure it must have something to do with the reason they’d been returned to their adoption center, though for the life of you, you couldn’t guess what that reason might’ve been.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Sugawara cut in gently, interrupting Atsumu telling you all about the last volleyball game he’d played in, “But the center is closing to visitors in a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry,” you apologized immediately, hurriedly scrambling to your feet, feeling more than a bit guilty, “I hadn’t realized how late it had gotten.”

“That’s alright,” Sugawara assured you with a kind smile, “It sounds like the three of you are getting along well.”

“I think so,” you admitted, glancing at the twins who’d both risen to their feet as well, both of them far more graceful than you could ever hope to be.

Both of them were watching you, Atsumu with tentative hope clear on his face, and Osamu completely unreadable except for the agitated twitch of his tail which told you he wasn’t pleased your conversation had been interrupted.

“I’m glad,” Sugawara told you, “Do we have any kind of decision made?”

“I…” you started glancing between the twins, who were both looking at you. Gut instinct meant you wanted to say yes. You’d gotten along well and you thought you might continue to enjoy one another’s company. They seemed like they’d slot into your life pretty easily. However you were still a bit hesitant. Adopting one hybrid had seemed like a big deal, but adopting two?

Plus you’d only met them today. Maybe you were being overly cautious but a single day didn’t seem like nearly enough time to get to know someone before inviting them to live with you, no matter how much your heart urged you to say yes.

“Actually, it doesn’t matter,” Sugawara interrupted, an apologetic expression on his face, pulling you from your thoughts as he explained, “We wouldn’t have time to finish the paperwork before it’s time to close, so you wouldn’t be able to take them home with you anyway, not today at least.”

“But…!” Atsumu tried to protest, but quelled as Sugawara shot him a stern look.

“I think that it will be good for all of you to sleep on your decision,” the cat-hybrid told all three of you firmly, gently beginning to usher you from the room, before telling you, “You can come back tomorrow if you like. We’re open at the same times then.”

“Alright,” you agreed, following after him without a fuss, only to pause in your tracks at a heartbreaking mewling sound.

You turned around to see Atsumu staring after you with devastation written all over his handsome features, his hand outstretched like he was trying to reach out and physically stop you from leaving. Before you’d really thought about it your feet had carried you back, and you’d pulled the hybrid into your arms.

Atsumu clutched you tightly, burying his face in your neck and rubbing his cheek against yours in a move you recognized as scenting. You let him do as he pleased without protest, gently running your fingers through his soft golden hair. However, you were conscious of Sugawara waiting for you, so you gently extracted yourself after a few minutes.

Turning you saw Osamu watching you with an unreadable expression on his face, but you stepped toward him, offering your open arms anyway, waiting patiently. You were rewarded for that patience as he stepped into your hold, nuzzling at you the same way his twin had on the opposite side.

“I’ll come back,” you found yourself promising, “I have work tomorrow, but after I’ll be here.”

Osamu drew back and peered into your face, copper eyes boring into your own, clearly searching for something before nodding, “We’ll hold ya to that.”

You let Sugawara usher you out after that, but found yourself tearing up a bit as you followed after him. You desperately didn’t want to leave the twins behind. Somehow, someway you’d gotten terribly attached to them in just a few short hours.

Your sniffling apparently caught Sugawara’s attention, because he turned around and hurriedly fumbled a packet of tissues from one of his pockets.

“I’m sorry,” he told you apologetically, “I thought maybe you wanted more time to think things over. We can still do paperwork tonight if you want I don’t mind staying a bit late.”

You looked at him, startled that he’d apparently picked up on your hesitation as you gratefully accepted the tissues, dabbing at your eyes and blowing your nose before replying, “No, no you’re right. It’s not a decision I should make impulsively. I do want to think it over I just…”

You trailed off helplessly, unsure what to say or how to explain that you’d gotten incredibly attached and were currently having a crisis as your head and heart were at war with each other. However, Sugawara apparently understood as he nodded in clear sympathy.

“Don’t worry,” he assured you, “That’s completely understandable, adopting a hybrid is no small thing. Those troublesome twins will still be here waiting for you tomorrow, so take all the time you need to think it over.”

“I will,” you told him, then tacked on sincerely, “Thank you, for all your help today. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he told you with a bright, pleased smile as he walked you to the door, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” you agreed with a smile, letting yourself out and heading back for your car.

The drive home your thoughts were absolutely full of the twins, and what it might be like to have them with you. Your heart and your mind were at war with one another, your heart desperate to run back to the center as soon as it opened in the morning for the cat hybrids, and your head worrying about what it might mean to have both of them and why they’d been returned to the center by their previous owner.

You were so preoccupied with your thoughts that you almost didn’t notice Suna as you walked passed Ojirou’s door, headed to your own.

“What is that?” Suna demanded, his voice making you pause in your tracks.

“What is what?” you asked him baffled as he strode toward you nose in the air, clearly picking up something.

“You smell like hybrid,” he informed you his tone accusatory, watching you with narrowed golden eyes.

“Do I?” you asked mildly.

“You do,” he affirmed, “Doesn’t she Kita?”

“Doesn’t she what?” the collie hybrid asked, emerging from somewhere deeper in the apartment.

“Smell like hybrid,” Suna explained, his tail twitching languidly behind him and eyes alight with interest.

“You do,” Kita agreed, after carefully scenting the air, “Two of them actually.”

“Really?” Suna asked, clearly surprised, moving closer to sniff at you again, “You sure?”

You held still, too used to his behavior to be bothered by it, partly amused and partly annoyed at the cat hybrid who was clearly digging for information.

“Yes I’m sure,” Kita told him calmly, “They’re very similar, but there.”

“They’re identical twins,” you explained, figuring the jig was up anyway, and hoping maybe Ojirou or Kita would have some advice that might help you with your quandary.

“Ho?” Suna asked a purr of interest in his voice as he inhaled and nodded to himself, then asked slyly, “And what were you doing with these twins to have their scent on you so thoroughly?”

“Is Ojirou home?” you asked Kita, completely ignoring Suna’s question, earning a chuckle of amusement from the Siamese.

“He’s here,” Kita agreed, “Did you need to speak with him?”

“Both of you, if you have a minute?” you questioned hopefully.

“For you? Always,” Kita assured you kindly ushering you in.

“Oya, I think I’m hurt,” Suna told you as he followed along behind, a feline smirk on his face, “What about me? Don’t you want my advice too? After all they’re cat hybrids aren’t they?”

“They are,” you agreed with a huff as you plopped into your normal chair, “But are you going to give me good advice, or are you going to say whatever you think will be most amusing for you?”

“What’s this about cat-hybrids?” Ojirou asked, emerging from the hallway, where Kita had gone to fetch him.

“She’s thinking about adopting twin cat-hybrids,” Suna informed him before you had the chance to speak up, smug as the cat who got the canary.

“Are you really?” Ojirou questioned with a grin, taking his own seat.

“Yes,” you agreed, shooting the smug Siamese a look for interrupting and stealing your thunder, “I went to that adoption center you recommended today.”

“That’s great,” Ojirou told you, leaning forward in his chair eagerly, “How did it go?”

You explained your meeting with the twins, happily accepting the drink Kita pressed into your hands, which was your favorite, as the collie hybrid got everyone settled and then settled in himself to listen. You talked about how much you liked them, but your wariness about getting not one but two hybrids, and the strange issue with them having a previous owner and being so cagey about it.

“I can see why you’re wary about used goods,” Suna noted.

“Don’t call them that,” you snapped, despite the fact that you could hear the tinge of sarcasm in his voice and knew he didn’t really mean it, unable to help yourself, “people aren’t like items, and shouldn’t be treated like them.”

“She’s right,” Kita told the Siamese sternly, “Even as a joke, that was a rude way to refer to them.”

Suna slouched in his seat, looking thoroughly chastised as he admitted, “I know you don’t see them like that. You’ve always treated us just like normal people.”

“That’s because you are just like normal people,” you told him, stroking your fingers through his hair to let him know you forgave him, “Just with enhanced senses and a different set of instincts at times.”

“I don’t know why you think you need our advice,” Ojirou pointed out reasonably, “It sounds like you’ve pretty much already made up your mind, you clearly adore them already.”

“It’s just a lot,” you admitted, “Do you think I can handle twin hybrids? Especially since I’ve never even had one before? I mean, I’m not like you, none of my family ever had one growing up, and the only ones I really know are Kita, Suna, and a couple that come into the office with Tendou from time to time.”

“We’re not exactly children,” Kita reasoned, logically, “We don’t actually require all that much care outside of the basics, which I know you’re monetarily able to provide, and companionship, which is the whole reason you decided to seek out a hybrid in the first place. One or two, does it really matter? It might even be better as they’ll be able to keep each other company if they get lonely when you’re gone, and I see no reason we can’t help you look after them too.”

“You’d do that?” you asked the collie hybrid, surprised.

“Of course,” he agreed with a tiny smile, “We’re friends are we not?”

You smiled at him, touched, and extremely reassured by his ever cool logic. It did make sense, and quelled some of your worries, plus knowing the extremely reliable hybrid would help you out if you needed it was incredibly comforting.

“I wouldn’t worry about them being returned to their center,” Suna told you, surprisingly serious, “Hybrids get returned for all sorts of reasons, but most of the time its owner incompatibility rather than behavioral issues. Plus that center wouldn’t let you adopt them if they thought they’d give you trouble.”

“But Sugawara did say they’d heard the twins gave someone trouble,” you admitted, recalling the conversation with the worried cat-hybrid.

“Yes, but they didn’t give you trouble,” Suna pointed out, “We cat hybrids tend to make up our minds pretty quickly about people. It sounds like they decided they liked you, and unless something really terrible happens they’ll keep liking you, we’re terribly stubborn that way.”

“If you’re really worried you can always ask the center about it,” Ojirou told you, “They keep records, and would probably tell you, especially if it’s a concern about their adoptability.”

“I don’t want to pry into something and lose their trust,” you admitted, even as part of you was incredibly tempted to do just that.

“Then maybe try asking if the center if they think whatever the issue was, will be an issue with you,” Suna reasoned, “And if they say no then let it lie and adopt them, and if they say maybe or yes, then tell the twins you can’t accept them if they can’t tell you what the issue was.”

“That seems fair to me,” Kita agreed with a nod, “Just make sure you’re honest and tell them you asked, just in case.”

“Okay,” you agreed, letting out a relieved breath, “Okay that sounds really reasonable to me. It’s just… do you think I’m rushing into this too fast? I mean going to the center today was an impulse.”

“I don’t think so,” Ojirou assured her thoughtfully, “You’ve been thinking about it for a while, haven’t you?”

“She’s put so much thought into it she’s actually over thought it,” Suna interjected wryly before you had a chance to answer.

You made a face at him but couldn’t actually argue. He might have a point about overthinking it. Reassured you spent a good couple hours talking with your neighbor and the two hybrids as they answered more of your questions, and you told them about the twins.

Eventually however you headed home, determined now to get at least a little bit prepared for the arrival of your two new housemates tomorrow. Luckily it wasn’t dirty, but running a load of laundry and doing a little vacuuming never hurt anyone. You didn’t have a whole lot for them and didn’t know what kind of things they might have or need, but hopefully your office with pull out futon and guest bedroom would suffice for now until you could take them shopping.

Falling into bed that night you let yourself feel your excitement for the first time. You were adopting a hybrid, not just one but adorable twin hybrids. You couldn’t wait to bring them home and maybe put an end to your loneliness once and for all.

Osamu glanced slowly around the room, trying not to look at his twin, the clock, or the doors to the main area of the shared living space the way Atsumu was. Yesterday had been a bit of a revelation. He’d never actually expected to approach the woman who’d shown up looking to adopt. After what happened with their last owner he’d never expected to ever actually want to be adopted again. However, somehow he’d found himself entranced by her, and he had no one but himself to blame.

When he’d initially strolled over, it was because he’d known via his bond to his older twin that he’d finally realized that Osamu had snagged his pudding for himself and was throwing a fit about it. He’d thought that his twin wouldn’t dare make a fuss if he was with a potential owner.

The rules of this place were pretty lax compared to the first center they’d lived in. It allowed them a lot more freedoms. It let them come and go from their rooms as they pleased rather than on a regimented schedule, and allowed them to turn down any potential adopter that they didn’t like, which had felt utterly shocking and unprecedented when he’d first been told about it. They gave them a small allowance they could spend or save as they chose, and even let them deal with their heats and ruts in whatever way they chose, including with other tenants so long as birth control was used.

It honestly felt like heaven compared to the first center they’d been at, and maybe even better than living with their previous owner even before everything had gone to shit. He wasn’t sure he’d even ever wanted to leave, which he’d been assured by several other tenants was also an option if he so desired.

However, the one rule that was the same between both centers was that they weren’t allowed to cause trouble with the humans that came looking to adopt. This was only good sense considering how much the law favored humans in cases of hybrid vs human issues. However, unlike the first center they’d lived, this one at least didn’t threaten to put them down if they misbehaved.

They’d been young back then, everyone in that center was, all of them below the age of twenty-one, because anyone who reached their twenty-second birthday disappeared and was never seen again. Thus he hadn’t known it was actually against the law to kill hybrids, none of them had known and the caretakers had perpetuated the rumor that those who reached twenty-two were killed instead of shipped off to other centers in order to make them that much more desperate to be adopted.

It had made him more than a bit bitter once he’d been with their new owner long enough to learn more about what was and wasn’t allowed when it came to human hybrid interactions. The man had actually found their previous beliefs amusing and had laughed at them more than once for being so naïve.

It was positively galling, and had made his hackles rise more than once. However he’d known better than to lash out and had better impulse control than Atsumu who’d been punished by their previous owner more than once for acting aggressively. Fortunately, Osamu had never liked being made fun of, and spite was a powerful motivator, meaning he’d practically memorized any and all of the laws that had to do with hybrids.

It meant the few times their owner had toed the line with Atsumu’s punishments that he’d been able to cite the law to pull him back, right up until their owner had decided he no longer cared and pushed too far, leading to them being removed from his home and put back up for adoption at this new center.

They had been here for just over a month and while several people had been interested in adopting the ‘rare gold and silver hybrid twins’ he had absolutely refused to engage with any of them. It was probably why that female alpha hybrid had been so shocked when he’d first approached.

He’d fully intended to just use the human to keep Atsumu at bay, right up until she’d crouched down and offered her hands to him and he’d gotten a whiff of her scent. He’d known from the few lessons their ma had bothered to teach them that hybrids relied a lot more on their sense of smell than humans did, and that scent was the basis of the instinct that told them who would be a good mate and who wouldn’t.

He’d originally thought compatibility could only be found with other hybrids, after all he’d met plenty of humans before both when he’d lived in the adoption centers and with his previous owner and never once had he gotten a hint of compatibility with any of them. He thought he could be forgiven for completely losing his head and giving over to his instincts as he caught the scent of the most compatible person he’d ever met.

Her scent was honestly indescribable, and his instincts had him purring within seconds as he tried to rub her scent all over himself. She’d obliged, petting him with fingers that had felt magical, her touch kind and soothing and perfect as she rubbed his ears, carded fingers through his fur and rubbed her hand along his back.

He’d been lost in a dizzy haze of touch and scent and probably would’ve remained that way if not for the fury of his brother, which had jolted him out of it. It had been like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head pulling him from his happy haze and reminding him of the whole reason he’d come up to the human in the first place.

He probably should’ve run off, but hadn’t been able to bring himself to move very far, instead darting around to hide behind her. He’d thought that once Atsumu saw her he’d stop and at least hold off attempting to get vengeance until later, but he’d overestimated his brother again, who was apparently more incensed than he’d guessed about the lost pudding.

Instinct had kicked in and before he’d really thought about it he was running away from his brother, darting around her legs in a game of chase that was both amusing and a bit annoying, especially when he could tell how much it was pissing his brother off, his sibling’s annoyance pulsing down their bond in waves of sparks.

He wasn’t sure how long it would’ve continued, as they’d actually run around like this until someone got tired before, usually Atsumu as he got fed up and didn’t have the patience to keep going. However, he’d suddenly found himself plucked right up into the air.

He’d been amused when she’d scolded Atsumu, though the amusement had faded a bit when she’d decided to scold him too, leaving him feeling properly chastised. He’d been more than a bit pissed off with his brother when he’d realized the nice smelling woman was bleeding because of him, though there’d also been a small frisson of fear, wondering what the consequences would be.

However, to his surprise she hadn’t actually seemed all that angry with either of them. Instead she’d immediately accepted Atsumu’s apologies as his brother, who’d managed to get a lungful of her scent had cuddled up to her. He could feel Atsumu’s deep interest in the human. His brother clearly also scented compatibility with her, which wasn’t surprising given they’d shared almost everything else in their lives.

He’d found himself more than a little bit jealous as he’d watched his brother soak up her attention. It had always been like that to an extent. Atsumu had always been the more outgoing one, the one who attracted attention, who wore his heart on his sleeve and somehow managed to win people over despite his often crass personality. Osamu had always kind of faded into the background as he was much quieter and had better control over his emotions, the silver to his gold, the shadow to his light.

Normally he didn’t mind, but this time being forgotten had stung. They’d always competed with each other, but most of the time he’d been humoring his brother, or simply hadn’t wanted Atsumu to win rather than wanting the prize of winning himself. This time though it had felt like more than that. No way was he going to let his brother steal her all to himself.

Before he’d really thought about it he’d reached out a paw, and to her credit she’d immediately offered him a sweet smile and resumed her wonderful petting. Atsumu hadn’t been pleased, but he hadn’t cared a bit.

It hadn’t surprised him at all that when Shimizu had come back with the first aid kit that Atsumu had insisted on taking over when he’d been the one to offer first. The two of them had continued to quietly compete over her attention as they fixed up her scratches, though he could at least feel his brother’s guilt for inflicting them on her in the first place, which did help sooth some of his annoyance with his older twin.

It was utterly gratifying that even when she had Atsumu literally in the palm of her hand, she’d still looked for him too. He’d tried to shove the feeling down and away, trying to remind himself that neither he nor his brother actually wanted another owner, but found it wasn’t working well. The combination of her scent and her fingers as she massaged her fingers through his hair enough to make him want to curl up in her lap and never leave.

He’d thought they might get in trouble when Sugawara returned. His fellow silver cat-hybrid belonged to the owner of the center, and took his job very seriously. He wouldn’t allow any of them to make trouble, and while he respected him, and admittedly envied him a bit for the clear trusting and loving relationship he had with his owner it didn’t stop him from wanting to claw his eyes out for bringing up their past in front of her.

Right when he was considering attempting to verbally eviscerate the other hybrid and damn the consequences his brother’s shock had pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned just in time to see her pull his twin into her lap. The feel of her hand gently squeezing his neck from behind practically made him limp with pleasure as Atsumu’s own bliss at being so close to her combined with his own to thoroughly distract the two of them, though not so much he didn’t notice her excusing their behavior and ensuring they didn’t get in trouble.

However, both of them had snapped to attention when the other hybrid had asked her if she wanted to adopt the two of them. He’d been able to feel his twin’s building hope, his impulsive brother apparently forgetting all about not wanting another owner, already clearly more than half in love with her despite not even knowing her for a day.

It was a trait he both hated and envied in his twin, the ability to be so impulsive, to move on so quickly and let go of past hurts. It wasn’t something he was capable of. He knew he was a grudge holder and far slower to trust than his brother was. He liked to think it served him well and kept him from being as naïve as Atsumu could be, though there were times it made things difficult too.

He’d been unsure whether he wanted her to state her intention to adopt them or not, right up until she��d said she hadn’t even considered it. It stung more than he’d expected, his own small hurt amplified by his brother’s though both of them had been somewhat soothed by her explanation that she wanted to know them better.

It was extremely reasonable and made him like her all the more, knowing she was the cautious type, more like him than like Atsumu, even if he simultaneously wished she’d been a little more impulsive just this one time and said yes instead. Though he found himself heartened by her honesty. That she’d actually asked them if they wanted to go with her rather than making any sort of assumption had settled things for him.

He hadn’t needed Atsumu’s silent pleading to forget their original plans to agree that maybe they should give this human a chance, though it did make it easier in the end to agree as he wasn’t the only one who wanted it.

They’d both tried to win her over, and though they’d accidentally fallen into squabbling more than once she’d handled it like a champ, not at all put off and even amused by it if the smile was any indication. However, despite the fact that they were the ones trying to win her over, it seemed every word she spoke was actually meant to win them over instead.

She was nothing like their previous owner, who’d been strict with his rules and harsh with his punishments. In fact she didn’t speak about punishments at all. He wasn’t naïve enough to think there wouldn’t be any if they misbehaved, but the freedoms she was offering in turn more than made up for anything she might throw their way.

The biggest hiccup had been when Atsumu mentioned their previous owner. The horror and guilt he’d felt from his twin was the only reason he’d managed to keep himself from doing more than hiss at him. His stomach had sunk when she’d gently pressed them for answers, but he knew they had to give her something.

He’d tried to give her as little as possible unwilling to volunteer the information, both because he hated even thinking about their time with their previous owner and because he was afraid she might somehow decide she didn’t want them because of it. In the end she’d changed the subject herself, and not brought it up again, but as she’d walked away from them with Sugawara, leaving them behind he’d wondered rather despairingly if that hadn’t been a mistake.

It didn’t matter that she’d turned around to comfort them when Atsumu had been unable to keep his heartbreak quiet. He’d known the minute she walked out the doors the chances of her coming back were slim to none. That was the other thing that remained consistent between this shelter and the last. Once a potential owner walked away claiming they needed to ‘think on it’ they never came back.

Still he hadn’t been able to turn away from her embrace, or to stop himself from scent marking the opposite side of your neck from the one his twin had claimed, laying his own personal stamp with the faint hope it would remind you to come back for them. However, no matter what you’d said, he couldn’t bring himself to hope. He knew hoping would only lead to more disappointment, and he wasn’t like Atsumu he wouldn’t be able to bounce back from it.

Not that his twin was making it easy on him. His brother’s hope was so fierce it was almost painful and he could feel the slightly desperate edge to it. He’d gotten attached to her, not that he could blame him, he was more attached than he wanted to be too. However unlike him, Atsumu had fill faith you were coming back, so much so he’d actually packed up his room into the bags they’d brought from his old place and was ready to go.

Nothing Osamu or any of the others, who also seemed to understand how small the chance was that she’d come back for them, said could sway him. The moment it had passed three o’clock Atsumu had brought hjs bags out to the shared living area and began to sit vigil, waiting for her to come back.

Stubborn as ever his twin had ignored all the pitying looks sent his way and the fact that slowly but surely time had slipped by, leaving just half an hour until they were supposed to close. Though his face was resolute, his brother wasn’t actually stupid and Osamu knew it was only stubborn pride keeping him in place. He could feel the slow onset of his twin’s hurt and despair as each minute ticked down.

He’d contemplated leaving him, going to his own room to wallow, but he knew he could never abandon his twin. They’d been through everything together, and he certainly wasn’t going to leave him now.

He was trying to figure out if he could coax his brother into leaving his post when the door swung open, revealing Sugawara, who had a wide beaming smile on his face. His fellow silver hybrid cast a quick glance behind him before ushering his follower into the room.

He barely caught a glimpse of her before his brother practically launched himself at her, but it was enough to freeze him in his place, because it was her. She’d actually come back after all.

His brother had wrapped himself around her, burying his face in her neck and clinging to her like favorite a stuffed toy, not that she seemed to mind, if the hands she was running over his hair and back meant anything. He couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, the words too quiet to hear over the sudden near painful hope and the rapid beat of his own heart at the thought that she’d come for them.

Atsumu’s joy was practically burning through him, combined with his restored faith and smug satisfaction that he’d been right all along about her coming back for them. It probably should’ve annoyed him, but he found that all he could really feel was a bone deep sort of relief.

“Where’s your brother?” she asked, as she finally managed to gently extract herself a bit from his twin’s embrace, though he noticed he didn’t let go entirely, one of his hands laced firmly with hers.

He immediately stood, letting himself fall back into his more human skin as he made his way toward them, not waiting for his brother to out him. She seemed to spot him immediately and the relieved smile on her face was enough to make his traitorous heart skip a beat.

“Osamu,” she greeted warmly, more warmly than he thought he’d ever been greeted by anyone before as she opened her free arm in an inviting gesture. It was maybe a little pathetic how readily he accepted that embrace, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, as he fell into her hold, face automatically nuzzling against the side of her neck that Atsumu had left unclaimed. A rumbling purr left his lips as he felt her press her face against his affectionately, as he allowed himself to cling to her for a bit.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she murmured to him quietly, her arm squeezing affectionately around his waist, genuine regret in her tone, “My boss made me stay a little longer than usual, and then there was an accident on the freeway. I called ahead though and Sugawara has almost all the paperwork done. I just need to collect the two of you, do some signing and we’ll go home okay?”

“Really? Yer takin’ us home?” he almost didn’t recognize his own voice given how weak it sounded, the quaver in it making him feel utterly ridiculous and overly emotional, something that was supposed to be his twin’s job, and frustrated him enough that he bit his lip nearly hard enough to bleed as he wrestled with himself, trying to get back in control of his emotions.

“Yeah, as long as you want to come, then I’ll gladly take you,” she offered with a gentle smile that made his heart squeeze nearly painfully in his chest, “Though there’s something I need to admit to first.”

He froze a little at that, staring at her anxiously as Atsumu also looked on, his blabbermouth brother finally silent and clearly wary. She carefully released him, though she still reached for his hand, peering between the two of them, anxious but also obviously determined. He allowed her to grasp her fingers, squeezing them automatically, anxiety making his heartrate skyrocket and bile rise in his throat.

“I asked the center about your previous owner,” she confessed, the words automatically making his heart drop, as he wondered numbly what they could’ve told her. Had she asked for the details? Was she afraid now? Had she changed her mind or decided to add some stipulations to their adoption?”

“I didn’t ask for details,” she clarified, her voice managing to cut through the haze of panic that had been rising in his chest, “All I asked was if they thought whatever had happened with your previous owner would cause trouble for me, or put any of us in any sort of danger.”

That didn’t actually sound so bad, and was even fairly reasonable the storm of hurt and anger that had been building behind his anxiety slowly dispersing the more he thought about it. He noticed that his grip on her hand had loosened a bit, and he retightened his hold, hoping the center had responded in a way that reassured her. Given that she was here, talking to them, he thought it wasn’t unreasonable to be hopeful.

“They said none of us would be in any danger, otherwise they never would’ve offered to take you both in, in the first place, and that they were sure you’d be alright with me,” she explained, her hand gently squeezing his in return.

He wasn’t sure if the bone deep relief he felt was his or his brother’s but he couldn’t bring himself to care, too caught up in the surging hope that followed it as she asked, “So, even knowing that I asked that, are the two of you still willing to come home with me?”

“O course we want to go with ya, right Samu?” his brother replied instantly, nuzzling into her neck insistently, clearly begging for attention, attention she seemed more than willing to give if the affectionate smile on her face was any indication. When she looked at him for confirmation all he could do was nod in agreement, unable to find the words for how very much he did want it and unwilling to sound ridiculous again.

The next half hour passed in a strange almost dream like haze, as he packed himself up, his smug brother clinging to her and gloating over how he was already finished, soaking up her attention as he made a mental note to get back at his annoying twin later. Once he finished packing all there really was, was a couple of signatures before he found himself in a nice car that was speeding along the highway.

Atsumu was chatting away in the front seat, practically bouncing as he asked their amused new owner anything that popped into his head as he tried to digest what had happened. Somehow, someway, they had an owner again.

You smiled to yourself as you listened to Atsumu babble away happily in the seat next to you. The golden furred twin hadn’t stopped bouncing since you’d showed up at the shelter, clearly over the moon that you’d come back for him. Osamu was quiet in the back seat, and you might’ve been worried he was happy to come with you if not for the way he’d scent marked you, almost frantically his hand clutched tightly to yours as you’d signed the paperwork to take them home.

It was pretty clear both twins had thought you weren’t coming back for them, and it had broken your heart a bit, and made you even more resolute that you’d done the right thing for all of you. You’d been anxious the whole day to get back to them, not nearly as focused on work as you probably should’ve been, which had been part of the reason for your delay in the first place.

You’d panicked more than a bit when you’d encountered the accident on the way there, afraid that you’d break your promise to the twins. It had only been Sugawara’s kind voice, assuring you that he’d start the paperwork while you drove and even stay open late if necessary for you to get there, that had kept your guilt and panic at bay.

Now that you had them with you weren’t quite sure how you felt. Dazed that it was actually happening, excited for what the future might bring, and a little anxious about all the changes you’d have to make in your life even as you looked forward to those changes more than anything.

However, before you headed for home there were a couple things you needed to do first. Luckily you would hopefully find everything you needed in one place, at least for today. You wanted to give them time to settle in a bit, more shopping could come later when they’d decided what they needed.

“Where’s this?” Atsumu asked, pausing in his excited babble to look at you with confusion, as you pulled into the large parking lot, “Ya don’t live here do ya?”

“Don’t be stupid,” his brother huffed from the backseat, “Yer gonna make her think we’re some kind of bumpkins, ya know what a mall is Tsumu.”

“O course I know what a mall is,” Atsumu blustered, twisting around in his seat to glare at his twin, “I just thought maybe she had an apartment nearby is all. Who knows how rich people live?”

You huffed in amusement, reaching out without thought to ruffle his ears affectionately. The golden haired hybrid froze for a minute under your touch, and you wondered if you’d done something wrong, freezing as well, before a rumbling purr left his chest as he pressed his head further into your hand.

“You’re too cute,” you murmured almost to yourself as you gently scratched his ears and stroked your hand over his face and neck, unable to keep the smile from your lips.

“We’re only stopped here for a quick couple errands,” you explained to both twins, reluctantly pulling away from Atsumu who offered a pout but didn’t protest, “I noticed you don’t have as much as I thought you would, and I want to get you more comfortable collars to wear when we’re in public.”

Both twins hands immediately flew to the simple brown leather bands around their necks. All hybrids were required to wear collars in public to identify them as belonging to someone. The collars had a tag on them, which was essentially a small chip that had all their owner’s information in it, that when scanned would tell someone how to get in contact with their owner. It was to ensure they behaved and that if they didn’t their owner could be forced to take responsibility for their actions. Any hybrid who walked around without a collar immediately had the police called and was brought in and held until they could figure out why they were without.

You’d heard horror stories about the way such hybrids were treated, innocent hybrids who’d accidentally lost a collar somewhere and been so traumatized when they were finally returned to their owners that they were never the same again. Which of course was why you were determined it was never going to happen to your twins, even if a part of you balked at the idea of putting a symbol of ownership on another sentient being. Judging from the looks on their faces, Atsumu’s much easier to read than Osamu’s they’d heard stories too, and neither of them bothered to protest.

“Come on,” you urged gently, climbing out of the car yourself, “The sooner we get the unpleasant stuff done the sooner we get to the good stuff. I’ve got a couple things in mind I’d like to get you both as welcome home presents, but if there’s anything else you think you want or need feel free to ask.”

“Presents?” Atsumu asked eagerly, practically bounding out of the car.

“That’s right,” you agreed with a small laugh, watching him sulk a bit as he realized his brother had beaten him in securing your free hand, Osamu’s fingers laced with your own and a smug smirk on the silver hybrid’s face, “So keep close and let’s get going okay?”

Luckily the mall wasn’t too crowded, and while the twins got more then their fair share of admiring looks, doubtless both because of how good looking they were and how rare twin hybrids in general were, no one actually dared to approach your group, even as Atsumu practically bounced around glancing around the mall in fascination and reminding you more of an eager puppy than a supposedly slightly older cat hybrid.

Osamu was much more dignified and kept close to your side, though judging from his wide-eyed look that he couldn’t quite hide behind his stoic façade he was just as in awe as his brother. You were starting to get an impression of their previous owner and it was far from good.

You’d known that some owners kept their hybrids close to home, either because they were overly protective or possessive, and it had always rubbed you the wrong way. Ojirou had always allowed Kita and Suna to do as they pleased for the most part, treating them as capable adults and equals, more like roommates than the pets some treated their hybrids as and his was the example you were going to strive to follow.

It was why your errands today were so important, because while you would happily have let your twin hybrids run around as they pleased dressed however they pleased a collar was unfortunately the one thing they couldn’t be without, especially if they were going to go outside without you.

Luckily the mall was outfitted with several hybrid specialty stores and it didn’t take you long to find one dedicated entirely to collars. Both twins were a little wide eyed at the selection, and neither seemed to know quite what to say as you roamed through the aisles together looking at the selection.

Several of them made you grimace in outright distaste, the collars boasting accessories like inward facing spikes or tracking devices that would alert the owner if the hybrid tried to leave their home. It made you feel a little sick to your stomach, so you instead turned to the less intrusive ones.

“Do you see anything you like?” you asked the twins, squeezing Osamu’s hand affectionately, “You don’t have to wear collars in the house if you don’t want to, but you’re going to need them if you want to leave when I’m not home, which means you’ll probably be wearing them a lot, so make sure to pick something you like. You can even pick a couple if you want it to match your outfit for the day or whatever I don’t mind spending a little more to get a handful of chips programmed.”

Both twins blinked at you owlishly clearly startled by the offer, which made your heart hurt for them, even as they hesitantly turned back toward the displays, looking more closely than they had before.

“Do ya have any restrictions?” Osamu asked bluntly, not quite looking at you as he eyed a display of thick leather ones that didn’t look comfortable in the slightest.

“No,” you assured him, “I’m not the one who has to wear it.”

Osamu nodded slowly, and seemed to be taking his time as he perused the collars. You let him do as he liked, allowing him to lead. You’d only loosened your hold on him once, thinking he may like to wander the store like his brother and not have to tow you along with him, but the way his hand had reflexively tightened on yours in response had put paid to that assumption and you’d immediately re-laced your fingers together.

In the end Atsumu approached you first, holding a collar out to you hopefully. It actually looked like it was meant more for a dog hybrid, thick black leather with steel spikes on it, making it look fairly fierce. Personally you thought it was gaudy and was probably going to be uncomfortable, but you tried not to let your distaste show, after all you’d said anything they wanted and you’d meant it. Luckily in the end you didn’t need to say anything.

“What the hell is that?” Osamu demanded when he caught sight of the collar in his brother’s hands, the disgusted look on his face letting you know his feelings quite clearly.

“It’s a collar scrub, what else would it be?” Atsumu replied with a sneer for his twin you were beginning to think was automatic.

“I’m not the scrub you are,” the silver twin sneered, “Because only a scrub would wear somethin’ like that.”

“Oy,” Atsumu interjected, with a fierce glare, “She said we could have what we wanted.”

“Yeah but she probably thought ya had some sort of taste, she doesn’t know you well enough to know how scrubby ya are scrub,” Osamu hissed back.

“Alright guys,” you interjected gently, squeezing Osamu’s hand and reaching out to gently ruffle Atsumu’s ears, aware of the eyes of the cashier which had definitely turned in your direction given the twins were getting louder and louder by the second, “Let’s try to keep it to polite volume levels in public hmm?”

“Sorry,” both twins grumbled, identical pouts on their faces that made you giggle.

“It’s alright,” you assured them fondly, “Just try to be good okay?”

They nodded though Osamu clearly needed to get the last word in as he turned to you with pleading eyes, “Ya think it’s an abomination too don’t ya?”

“I said you could have whatever you wanted,” you told him diplomatically, “If this is what Atsumu likes, then of course he can have it.”

“Ha, see!” Osamu demanded of his twin, clearly seeing right through your attempt at diplomacy, “She thinks it’s ugly too!”

“Do ya really think it’s ugly?” Atsumu asked you sulkily eyeing the collar in his hands.

You’d known before that you were weak to pleading eyes, but it turned out you were even more weak to the pleading copper eyes of your hybrid, the thought that he might be sad tugging at your heartstrings.

“I just worry you’ll be uncomfortable,” you assured him, letting go of Osamu’s hand and gently cupping his face in your hands, rubbing your thumbs along his cheeks affectionately, the same way you did for one of the hybrids that occasionally came to your office to sulk when his owner brought him to work but didn’t pay attention to him.

Atsumu immediately leaned into your palms, heavy lidded eyes half-shut with bliss as you explained, “It’s summer right now, and there’s no padding so it will be hot, heavy and probably chafe. Plus didn’t you say you wanted to play volleyball? Won’t it get in the way? I can definitely get it for you if you like it, but maybe pick something else too, okay?”

“Kay,” your golden twin agreed, sounding completely and utterly content as he nuzzled into your hands, making your heart melt in your chest.

“What about this one?” Osamu offered, pulling your attention away from his brother.

He was holding a collar in his hands, one that actually looked more like a necklace a thin but sturdy looking cord of leather fastened with a silver chain in the front that clasped on both ends to a silver hoop that suspended a solid silver disc in the middle that on close inspection revealed that it housed the chip needed for identification.

“That looks really nice,” you praised, letting out a breath of relief at his choice. You weren’t a big fan of the collars in general, but seeing it look more like a necklace made it seem far more tolerable. Plus it was black and silver and thus would probably go with just about anything he chose to wear.

Letting go of Atsumu to take the collar from his twin, you completely missed the smug smirk directed over your shoulder by Osamu as you inspected it, though Atsumu certainly didn’t, giving his twin an annoyed glare above your head.

In the end, while Atsumu sulked and complained about it, he did actually put the original collar he’d offered back and go with Osamu’s choice, even though you offered to get him both. He refused, sulking slightly all the while, but remained insistent that he only needed the one, even though you ended up buying four collars total, so you could have two back-ups. Though he did insist on holding your hand to make up for the disappointment.

Luckily the manager didn’t seem to mind having to program all four collars, tapping away at the computer, while Atsumu sulked a bit by your side and Osamu somehow managed to all but radiate smug superiority. The cashier carefully ringing up your purchases for you as you pulled your wallet out.

“A word of advice?” the cashier offered as you waited for the programmed collars, surprising you with his forwardness.

“You’re too indulgent with them,” he continued on, not giving you the chance to refute the need for him to speak, “Hybrid’s need a firm hand. You’ll spoil them if you let them get away with raising their voices in public and causing a scene. Don’t ever let them forget their place.”

You felt more than saw both twins bristle on either side of you, and gently squeezed Atsumu’s hand, before laying your hand over the back of Osamu’s neck. You wouldn’t care a bit if they wanted to verbally eviscerate the man who was eying them with clear distaste, a distaste you were almost sure stemmed from jealousy given the lascivious looks he probably thought you hadn’t noticed levelled in your direction. Unfortunately, you also didn’t want them to get into trouble, and weren’t quite sure what the law said about how hybrids were allowed to defend themselves from humans, something you planned to rectify as soon as possible.

For now however you weren’t about to let the twins get in trouble and cut in your tone as cold as you could make it, “I don’t remember asking for your opinion, nor do I care about what you think in the least. I’ll treat them how I want to treat them, which means I’ll spoil and pamper them as much as I like. I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself in the future if you want to keep this business running. As it is I’ll be sending my complaint to your superiors. Let’s go guys, we can find other collars elsewhere. It’s not like they’re hard to find.”

“Wait! The chips are already programmed and you haven’t paid,” the manager protested, standing up from the computer looking utterly appalled.

“Should’ve thought of that before your employee opened his mouth, and decided to spew his unwanted bile everywhere,” you countered with a shrug, “I’d consider finding better employees in the future if I were you, or at least teach them to keep their mouths shut.”

“But the chips can’t be removed from these collars, they’ll be completely ruined,” the manager put in, sounding more than a bit despairing.

“I’m sorry,” you told her, feeling genuinely bad for the woman, after all it wasn’t her fault the other employee was an ass, “But that’s not my problem. I refuse to support any sort of business that would treat its customers like this.”

The glare she leveled on her fellow employee was utterly ferocious and had him cowering back in his seat. Not that you could blame her for being upset, each collar was about three hundred USD so the sale they were losing out on was enormous.

“I can offer you a discount?” she tried hopefully, “Fifty percent off?”

You tilted your head thoughtfully, but didn’t reply instead turning to look at the twins who’d clearly been more than ready to follow you out of the store, “What do you think?”

“Us?” Atsumu asked, clearly baffled.

“Yes, you,” you told him with a fond smile, “You’re the ones who got insulted, not me, and they’re your collars. I’m happy to buy you whatever you like from wherever you want it, whether that’s here or somewhere else.”

“Seventy-five percent off,” Osamu bargained from her other side, taking you by surprise. You turned to see him watching the manager with shrewd eyes, and when it looked like she would protest he added in, “Seventy-five percent off and we won’t leave bad reviews on every site we can or send letters of complaint to upper management.”

“Agreed,” the manager huffed, shooting another vicious look at her employee, one that clearly read that it would be coming out of his salary.

You huffed, amused at Osamu’s bargaining, gently massaging your thumb against the base of his neck affectionately before releasing both twins and moving to pay, only spending a quarter of what you’d originally planned.

“Nice work,” you praised the silver hybrid once the three of you were out of the store and out of earshot.

Osamu shot you a sly smirk, looking exceedingly pleased with himself as he walked beside you. Atsumu had claimed your hand this time, so he was carrying the bags, though it didn’t seem to bother him in the least.

“Now that, that’s taken care of, let’s go grab your gifts,” you told the twins, tugging them along to the PineApple store.

“Presents?” Atsumu asked eagerly, practically bounding along beside you, your intertwined hands swinging back and forth between you.

Laughing you simply pulled him with you into the store. Both twins were wide-eyed as you browsed through, clearly unused to the cutting edge technology on display, both of them exceedingly cautious with the expensive looking tech. It took some gentle urging, but eventually you managed to get phones and laptops picked out for each of them.

“Isn’t this too much,” Osamu asked you in an undertone, clearly worried as an employee walked Atsumu through getting his laptop set up. It turned out that of the twins Osamu was definitely more technically savvy and loved his new laptop, though Atsumu had already managed to download several apps and games on to his phone and was thoroughly enjoying them as well, “It’s expensive.”

“I have the money,” you assured him gently, “And besides, everyone has a phone these days. I want you guys to have them in case you get in trouble when I’m not home and need to reach me, like if you got lost or hurt or simply need a human to ensure you’re treated fairly. I’d feel awful if you needed me and I didn’t know.”

“The laptops are so you don’t get too bored at home, though I hope you’ll find things to enjoy outside the apartment too,” you continued, absently stroking your hand up and down his back.

“Will you be wanting hybrid trackers in the new phones?” the employee asked, her voice professional as she began to ring up your purchases.

You hesitated. On one hand you hated the idea of invading the twins privacy, and on the other you knew that you fully intended to let them roam as they pleased so wouldn’t it be better to have the tracker just in case? A quick glance showed that Osamu was impassive as ever, and even Atsumu just looked bored, not paying any attention whatsoever, instead tapping away at his new phone.

“What do you think?” you asked them, more than willing to hear their opinions on the matter.

“You’re the owner,” Osamu told her, apparently speaking for both of them as he gave an unconcerned shrug, which wasn’t helpful in the least.

You grimaced a bit trying to think of a compromise before finally pulling out your own phone and asking the employee, “Is there anyway to ensure all three of the phones will track each other?”

“Let me go ask,” she told you politely, turning away to go grab someone more knowledgeable.

“That’s fair right?” you asked hesitantly, “This way you know where I am too and can come find me if you need me.”

“Yeah,” Osamu agreed, giving you a look that you thought might be something as close to awe as you’d seen on the silver haired hybrid, “Yeah that’s fair.”

The employee quickly returned and confirmed they could indeed make all three phones track one another, and in the span of a few minutes managed to get your purchases complete. Feeling like that was probably enough for now, you led them back towards the car.

It was starting to get pretty late, and the minute you’d exited the mall Osamu’s stomach had given a loud rumbling growl. Atsumu had made fun of him for all of a minute, before his own stomach betrayed him. You’d shaken your head at their antics, but allowed a surprisingly eager Osamu to order whatever he wanted for carryout from the Chinese place near your apartment.

One quick stop for the food, and you finally managed to bring your new hybrids home. Both of them were a little quiet as you led them up to your apartment, staring around and clearly taking everything in. Either Ojirou, Kita and Suna weren’t home, or they’d decided to give you time to settle with the twins as they didn’t emerge from their apartment as you arrived in the hallway and fumbled the door open.

“Here we are,” you told them, hitting the lights, “Home sweet home.”

Both twins were laden with things, carrying their purchases, the food, and their things from the adoption center. Still looking at them was enough to make your heart clench. It had only taken one trip to bring everything up, but despite hybrids being stronger than normal humans it still made your heart clench to see how very little the twins actually had. Each of them only had a medium sized suitcase of things, and Atsumu had a worn volleyball but that was it aside from the things you’d bought them. It was something you were determined to fix for the future, but for now you’d make do.

“I know you’re hungry, so unless you want to settle in for a bit first we can eat and then I’ll show you around,” you offered.

The twins exchanged looks, but nodded in clear agreement. You pointed out the bathroom just in case, but then brought them to the kitchen, trying to show them where everything was as you pulled utensils from the drawers. Osamu clearly paid much more attention to her explanations than Atsumu did, though both diligently helped her set the table.

The food was really good, and thankfully sparked more conversation, even if it was more subdued than earlier, all of them worn out from the long day they’d had. Osamu was clearly very interested in food, and not just in eating it the way his brother was. You managed to coax out that he’d cooked for their previous owner from time to time, and told him that as long as he was careful he was more than free to use her kitchen and anything in it for whatever he wanted earning what felt like her first real smile from the silver haired twin.

Despite how tired they clearly were, both twins helped you clean up. For the first time since you’d first discovered the lovely little Chinese restaurant there weren’t actually any leftovers, the twins having consumed everything you said you didn’t want. As they worked you noted it really was kind of nice, even if things were quiet, to have the company as they went about their tasks.

“Alright, so I wasn’t sure if you’d want your own rooms or if you’d want to share,” you told them, gesturing for them to follow, “We’re going to have to do some shopping either way, since they’re your rooms and I want you to be able to personalize them any way you want, but I think they’re pretty equal in size.”

The twins stared at you, clearly surprised, glancing at each other, to the rooms you’d offered, to you, and back again, the gesture making her more than a bit nervous. You’d thought there was plenty of space for the two of them, but maybe they didn’t see it that way?

“We get our own rooms?” Atsumu asked at last, finally breaking the silence, his voice quiet and disbelieving, copper eyes huge in his face.

“If you want them, then of course they’re yours,” you assured him, concerned, “I still have to clean out my study, but I didn’t want to delay adopting you and I don’t think it will take too long. There’s a pull out futon in there, though you’re more than free to share if you want a bed, or I can take the futon and one of you can have my bed for now. I’ve certainly slept on the futon before and I don’t mind.”

“You’d give up your bed?” Osamu repeated, looking like you’d just smacked him over the head with a fish, more surprise on his face then you’d thought him capable of showing.

“Just until we find something for you,” you told him, a little puzzled at his surprise but with the sinking feeling that your suspicions about their former owner were correct.

“But, why?” Atsumu asked you, wide eyed and a little teary.

“Because, you’re mine now,” you assured him, unable to quite find the words you wanted to say, but hoping you were conveying your feelings at the very least, “And I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe and happy.”

The sad mewling sound he made in response to your words was enough to break your heart, as he pitched forward squeezing you into his chest and burying his face in your shoulder. You pressed your cheek to his hair, rubbing his back soothingly with one arm even as you automatically opened the other one for his twin, a gesture that was slowly becoming more and more familiar to you.

Osamu didn’t sob the way his twin did, but the way he squeezed you tight let you know he was just as moved as Atsumu even if he was quieter about it. Seeing their genuine gratitude for what you felt was common courtesy broke your heart, but even as it ached and you did your best to soothe them you swore to yourself, to love and care for your new hybrids so they’d never want for anything ever again to be the best owner it was possible to be after all they deserved nothing less.

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bewareof12metersfrogs · 3 years ago

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MDZS Nie Bros + Nieyao reincarnation AU where NHS is the only one who remembers their past life BUT it' romantic comedy instead of angst

So hear me out. They get reincarnated but NHS somehow is the only one who remembers their past life (maybe because he felt guilty? Because of his hatred? His desire to become NMJ's little brother again but better? His desire to protect his bro? Idk u choose), and he's determined to protect NMJ. It starts with dreams and then visions since he was a kid. The bros are gonna have a bigger age gap than in canon because of reasons and also tiny angry NHS is adorable. So instead of 5-6 years older than NHS, NMJ is like 8-12 years older. Maybe NMJ and MY/JGY can have a smaller age gap? Idk suit yourself.

Cue adorable little NHS going "NO! DAGE CAN'T GO!" and clinging onto his bro's entire body everytime he tries to go anywhere. After a few years, he remembers most of it but still in pieces--and it makes him absolutely loathe the short dimpled man clothed in gold who played cursed music for his dage (maybe he only remembers the face, the clothes, the music, and not the name? Idk).

But boy oh boy does life already have a short, sweet, smiling, music playing, golden loving, dimpled surprise for him.

Enters Meng Yao! (or maybe Jin Guangyao or even Jin Ziyao).

They meet somewhere, through Lan Xichen like in canon maybe? In college? At some coffee shop or store? I don't know but they meet somewhere and, like, are instantly attracted to each other because their bodies and souls are literally bound together inside a coffin for like a century. So yeah, they meet, talk, and after several exchanges of shy glances, awkward flirting from Mingjue, offerings (flowers, cakes, exotic and healthy treats for Baxia the cat and little trinkets for Huaisang, fancy dinner which means fancy meat) from Meng Yao, even more (slightly less) awkward flirting, and so many delicious lunches (which Mingjue absolutely makes with love and care) together, Nie Mingjue is ready to introduce his new bf to his little bro.

The big day comes and Mingjue tells Huaisang that they're gonna have a nice dinner together with his new bf. After preparing everything and sitting down, Meng Yao rings the bell and Huaisang answers it and--

All hell breaks loose :)

Huaisang screams ("YOU! HOW DARE YOU COME HERE! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY DAGE AFTER YOU KILLED AND DISMEMBERED AND BETRAYED HIM!") and tries to attack Meng Yao. Mingjue is horrified and also extremely confused. Meng Yao is mostly confused and only a bit scared because what's this tiny kid gonna do? Bite him?

Yes.

After a lot of screaming, crying, scratching, and biting, Mingjue can finally free his bf from the vicious clutch of his little brother. Dinner is officially ruined and Meng Yao is officially awed. Just, how can something so tiny contain so much energy and hatred? Also he falls deeper in love with Mingjue after watching him gently calming his little bro down and Mingjue falls deeper in love with Meng Yao after watching how gently he treats his demon spawn of a brother. So Huaisang's anger only "worsens" the situation.

After that, the comedic "little brother tries to sabotage his elder brother's relationship" part starts. Huaisang tries everything, from attacking and trying to murder Meng Yao (which he mistakes as playing and bonding, which is totally a normal thing to do between a normal child and their normal future sibling in law) to crying and begging Mingjue to dump his "stupid evil murderer boyfriend". Alas, Huaisang is a child and Meng Yao is scarily smart at picking and giving offerings (mostly because he's determined to marry the big brother so the little brother has to at least tolerate him).

After a lot of candies, paints, pretty fans, bird miniatures, an actual bird (prolly a cockatiel), going out to parks and petting zoos and whatever fun places that kids like, Nie Huaisang eventually starts to tolerate him (Mingjue's treats and heart-to-heart convos with him also help a lot). So, the "learning to forgive and move on to be able to build a new life" part starts.

It'll be comedic. It'll be wholesome. Maybe it'll be angsty cause nie bros and nieyao you know BUT it will have a happy ending. They're gonna have their happy ending.

(Wangxian still exists in the background, having playdates and petting bunnies. Jiang Cheng is still trying to kill Wei Wuxian but it's all platonic and full of love. Wen Ning is a gentle cutie and is trying to mediate between them. The elder siblings + Mian Mian (cause she's essentially Jin Zixuan's nanny + elder sister) have a group chat and are constanly sending pics of their baby bros and having a little "which little bro is the cutest?" competition with Mian Mian as the jury (Wen Qing and Nie Mingjue are odddly competitive). Nie Zonghui exists and is the bros' cool distant cousin cuz I love him. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan have a plant store together and are living happily and several years later, they're gonna meet their daughter A-Qing. Jin Zixuan is less of an asshole but he still has negative game and he's trying his best. He and Jiang Yanli love each other so much. Mo Xuanyu, Qin Su, Meng Yao, and Jin Zixuan go out together every Saturday (I call this "Weekly F*ck Jin Guangshan Party"). Nie Mingjue, Lan Xichen, Jiang Yanli, Wen Qing, Mian Mian, and Qin Su (+ Song Lan probably) are bffs cause they rock and I love them so much. They're all happy.)

Also, the real star is Baxia the Monstrous Maine Coon, the only cast member with a braincell.

#mdzs #cql #the untamed #things i want to write #but probably won't #alternate universe #fanfic prompt #nie mingjue #nie huaisang #jin guangyao #meng yao #nie brothers #nieyao #essentially everyone #comedy #no angst #no sir we have enough angst in canon #now it's time for #romantic comedy

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littlewinter1917 · 3 years ago

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𝔸 𝔻𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℤ𝕠𝕠

My blog is 18+ only. Minors DNI. 🔞 Don’t repost my work anywhere.

Series Masterlist

Words: 8.7k

Pairing: Steve Roger x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Steve make the most out of the last days of summer and decide to visit the local zoo. But as fun and romantic as the activity is, you also have to face the fact that dating a well-known Super Soldier isn't always easy.

Warnings: It's pretty much just pure fluff, with the tiniest sparks of angst. Pet names (mostly Sweetheart & Angel) and some teasing. Maybe an undetected swearword or two.

If there are any warnings, that you think are missing, please don‘t hesitate to reach out and tell me, so I can add them accordingly.

A/N: This is my first time writing and sharing a story, so if you're reading this, I hope you enjoy!

“Sweetheart, are you ready yet?”

Steve calls out from the bedroom, hoping you’ll hear him while you’re getting ready a few doors down in the bathroom.

“Yes! I’m almost done!” you shout back, straightening your t-shirt and taking one last look in the mirror.

The excitement you feel is clearly written on your face, and you can’t help but let out a small squeal at the thought of all the animals you’ll be going to see and pet.

You are so caught up in your little daydream, that you don’t notice Steve’s approaching footsteps or the soft opening of the bathroom door.

With your mind still occupied, you turn around to leave the bathroom, only to be met with the sudden and unsuspected sight of Steve leaning casually against the door frame, smiling down at you lovingly.

“Good God, Steve!” you exclaim startled, clutching your hand to your chest, trying to calm down your now rapid heartbeat. Steve’s adoring gaze quickly turns into a more apologetic one, once he realizes that he accidentally scared you.

“Sorry Angel, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” he concedes, while gently pulling you closer and placing a soft kiss on your lips. “Hm,‘s not your fault.” you whisper against them whilst playing with the soft strands of hair at the back of his neck. Steve just hums at that, before tightening his arms around you and gently kissing your shoulder.

“So, you’re ready to go?” he murmurs against your skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

You only manage to nod in approval, not wanting to disturb the little moment of tenderness that engulfs the two of you. But once Steve starts to draw soft patterns on your back, you can’t help but let out a small sigh of content, snuggling closer to his chest and basking in the feeling of his gentle embrace.

The moment is short-lived though, as Steve decides to break the otherwise comfortable silence. “We should get going soon,” he mumbles, voice low, as he gently untangles himself from you.

Even though you try not to, you let out a soft whine, voicing your displeasure at the loss of his touch, making Steve coo.

“You can get all the cuddles you want Sweetheart, when we’re back from our little trip.” A small huff escapes your lips before you demonstratively hold out your pinky finger to him.

The sight of your stubborn determination makes Steve laugh, and the warmth of its sound fills both the room and your heart, making you smile.

“I pinky promise that you can get all the cuddles you want, Sweetheart.” Steve adoringly whispers, intertwining your little fingers, before pulling you into him again, gently kissing your forehead.

Your hands instinctively grab and hold on to him, trying to get him closer, and your honest display of affection and longing for him makes his heart flutter.

“Oh, Sweetheart,” he coos, “I thought you were excited about going to the zoo, hm?”

Oh god, the zoo!

You almost forgot about that completely, and by your wide-eyed reaction, Steve can clearly tell.

“So, you want to keep the penguins waiting, or… ?” he teases, and you playfully slap his side before reluctantly letting go and trying to move past him.

“You know, if you’d rather stay in today and have the zoo-date another time, we can always reschedule.” He says, his eyes searching yours, trying to communicate the same reassurance that his voice transports.

“No.” you chirp. The excitement from earlier is already back in your eyes, and you shake your head to emphasize your stand. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to keep the penguins waiting.” you add.

“Alright, then let’s get our things and get going. There is only so little time, and so many animals to see.”

“And plants!” you add enthusiastically, being almost equally excited about the small botanical garden that’s incorporated in the more tropical segment of the zoo.

“And the plants.” Steve agrees, while following you down the hallway, smiling.

🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

While you were getting ready earlier, Steve had packed everything you two could possibly need into a big, sturdy backpack.

“I think we have everything.” Steve mumbles, more to himself than to you, while briefly going through its content again. “We have some sunscreen, sunglasses, water bottles and those sandwiches you helped me make, some snacks and fruits, money for the tickets, keys …”

He trails off, looking over the room once more, trying to think of anything he might have forgotten.

When he spots his baseball cap near the entrance, he speaks up again.

“Sweetheart, do you want to take a hat with you? The weather is supposed to get even hotter, and I don’t want you to get a heatstroke or something.”

“I think I’ll be fine, Stevie.” your voice is a little bit mumbled, since you’re currently kneeling on the ground, preoccupied with trying to tie up your sneakers.

“Alright! Well, I’ll be wearing mine, at least at the beginning …”

Steve doesn’t finish his sentence; he doesn’t need to – you already know what he is trying to say.

He’ll be wearing the cap not as a prevention for a possible heatstroke, but for the simple sake of at least some sense of anonymity, trying to lessen the chances of him being recognized.

It’s not like Steve hates the attention he often gets from the public. There are times when he is more than happy to stop for a quick photo or a handshake, but when he is out and about with you by his side, he does desire a certain sense of privacy, and so do you.

When you two first started dating, that was the hardest thing to get used to, and truth be told, you still struggle with it.

Obviously, you’d been aware of Steve’s public persona as Captain America, and the responsibility that the title entailed, long before you even started dating, but the visibility and public scrutiny that came with his occupation, was rather new to you.

Especially once the word got out, that the two of you were dating. Suddenly parts of the public interest that were initially focused on him also shifted on to you.

You used to joke, that if you’d get a dollar every time Steve and you get approached by people in public, you’d easily be able to compete with Tony’s net worth. And while you were obliviously exaggerating and making fun of the situation, Steve could also tell that it was taking somewhat of a toll on you.

To be fair, it wasn’t like you hated those encounters across the board. There were, and still are, a lot of times where Steve’s interactions with the public are nice to watch and take part of.

The number of times, for example, that random children would approach him, starstruck and starry-eyed, are as countless as they are endearing, which is to say, very - and, subsequently, many.

It always makes your heart gleam with a mixture of pride and joy when you get to witness those interactions.

You’re not quite sure if it is because Steve is naturally good with kids, or kids are naturally good with Steve, but each encounter is filled with a warmth and a gentleness, that makes your heart both melt and pop.

And so, you tend to stand there with your heart in a puddle, while Steve talks and engages with the children in such a carefree yet gentle way.

But there are also some encounters, that don’t spark as much joy.

Or none at all, if you’re being honest.

Those are usually the ones whose timing couldn’t be worse. Like getting approached while the two of you are having small romantic dates out in the park or in cozy coffee shops. Even your cute little trips to museums and art galleries once in a while aren’t spared from the casual interference of others.

There’s almost always someone, somewhere, shouting in both a mixture of disbelief and joy:“Is this Captain America?”

And then the heads start to turn, and the murmur starts, and your previous little date idea gets turned into a live meet-and-greet Captain America event.

And it sucks.

It’s not like you want to keep Steve all to yourself; it’s just that you don’t want to share him every single time you two go out in public together. Especially when it’s supposed to be a fun and romantic activity just between the two of you.

And so, because of that, Steve often tries to keep his recognizability somewhat more subtle and limited by wearing his baseball cap and some sunglasses, but there’s only so much that that supposed ‘transformation’ can do.

Tony once kindly offered that the department responsible for the Avengers suits and apparel could probably help, and come up with a more cohesive incognito look, but that didn’t work out too well either. Not for a lack of trying on their part, though.

You two had taken them up on that offer once, and they managed to turn Steve into someone so completely unrecognizable, that you almost walked past him when you’d come to pick him up.

Apart from his clothing, plaid trousers and a simple button-down shirt that emitted more the vibe of a hip history professor, the thing that threw you off the most was the 16 inches-long wig he was wearing. It made him look like Thor’s long-lost twin brother, and you could hardly take his appearance seriously.

When you finally managed to stop laughing, you pulled him into the living quarters of the compound, where the laughing continued, once everybody realized who they were looking at.

The Date to the planetarium that followed went great; not a single person recognized and approached the two of you. The only downside was that the date with Steve didn’t really feel like a date with Steve.

Apart from the reason that Steve’s long-haired wig made you feel like you were out and about with a beefier version of Jesus, rather than your treasured Super Soldier, the wig was also highly unpractical in a more tangible sense. Every time you turned to him and leaned in for a kiss, your hands and jewelry would easily get tangled up in his long strands of synthetic hair.

Neither of you were used to the hairy mess the Avenger’s apparel department provided you with – and it showed.

It did make for a fun date tough.

Steve was highly amused about the amount of double takes you had to do when you were looking for him.

You, on the other hand, had the time off your life once the two of you exited the planetarium, only to be greeted with a pleasant afternoon breeze, that took Steve – and his hair – by surprise. It looked like an unsuspected hair commercial in the making, and you almost tripped down the stairs laughing while trying to take a photo of Steve’s glorious mane in the wind.

All in all, it was a good time, but at the end of it, you both decided that it was neither worth the trouble nor a sustainable solution to your problem. And so, Steve traded his wig for his beloved baseball cap again, even if it heightened the possibility of him being recognized.

You knew that Steve was trying his best to give you some sense of normality in your experience of dating a super-famous Super Soldier, and you appreciated his efforts, even when they didn’t always work out.

Once you and Steve step outside of the Avenger’s Tower, you’re hit with both: The sudden brightness of the sun, and the common busyness and noise of New York City’s bustling streets.

One single ray of sunshine manages to find its way between the tall skyscrapers in front of you, making you squint. Instinctively you raise one hand in an attempt to shield your eyes from its blazing gaze.

Steve, who is already wearing his sunglasses, quickly gets out your pair for you and you gratefully take them. His attentiveness is something you’ll never get tired of; even when he sometimes has the tendency to dote over you, it’s rather endearing.

You make your way down the street. Hand in hand, because the craze of the city can otherwise easily separate the two of you.

Even without the frantic mass of people, that hastily bustles about the avenues, in a city that big, you will always seek out the shelter of your beloved Super Soldier, who still knows this place in a way you probably never will.

So, in an attempt to not get lost, or trampled, or abducted, your hand reaches out for his, and his hand does the same.

🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

Steve navigates himself and you through the city like he’s done it a million times before, and it never fails to amaze you how good his sense of direction is. It’s something you’re obviously lacking, and Steve can’t help but teasingly bring it up every now and then.

This time around though, he doesn’t. Instead, he keeps talking about the little, newly opened Italian restaurant that you two just passed by.

“It looked really cozy and busy – that’s always a good sign, right? Maybe we can check it out this weekend.” Steve offers, while gently swinging your joined hands back and forth.

You hum in agreement, more focused on not getting jostled by the oncoming businessmen and -women.

Gripping his hand tighter, you curl up more into Steve’s side, seeking out the protection and safety of his tall statue.

Once Steve realizes what’s going on, he immediately pulls you close to him, wrapping his arm protectively around your smaller frame and making sure you’re okay.

“I can always give you a piggyback ride.” he offers, and you shake your head, laughing.

As inviting as that proposal sounds, the fear of the potential attention it might garner makes you decline his offer. You’d rather be subjected to the ongoing pushing and shoving of some careless pedestrians, than the unwanted attention and possibility of recognition.

“We’re nearly there, Sweetheart.” Steve gently encourages you, while keeping you as close to him as possible, leading you down the busy streets of New York.

You must have picked a good time to visit the zoo, because the line in front of the ticket booth is almost non-existent.

It doesn’t take long for it to be your turn, and Steve immediately takes charge, getting the tickets. The woman at the counter also hands him some pamphlets with certain attractions, and a small map, which he gratefully takes.

You softly tug on his arm, trying to get his attention, before pointing at the small bags with dry food, that are arranged on a shelf behind the vendor.

“Can we buy some of that food for the animals in the petting zoo?” you ask, eyes bright.

Steve instantly agrees, and the small squeal of joy that escapes your lips is like music to his ears. “There you go, Sweetheart.” he says, as he hands you your ticket and the small paper cone, filled with little pellets of dry food.

“Thanks, Stevie!” The way you beam up at him has his heart doing flips.

God, you’re adorable.

“So, where do you want to go first?” he asks, while looking down at the open map in his hands.

“The petting zoo!” you chime while clapping your hands in delight. You have to suppress the urge to just grab Steve's hand and drag him to the enclosure, so instead you softly bounce on the spot.

Looking up from his map, Steve’s eyes soften once he sees how you’re barely able to contain your excitement. It radiates off of you in a way that’s contagious.

Well, contagious to him anyway.

“Alright.” he approves, and that’s all the agreement you need, before sprinting into action, grabbing Steve’s hand, and tugging him along.

You only come to a brief halt at the doors of the enclosure, while you read the small signs that introduce some of the animals inside of it.

The petting zoo contains mostly goats, bunnies, guinea pigs and some piglets, but there are also two donkeys and one of them is called …

“Steve!” you joyfully exclaim.

“The donkey is named after you!”

The man in question furrows his brow, and you point him to the part on the metal sign, where the donkeys get introduced.

“See, Steve and Sally. Aww, he even looks a little bit like you!” you coo, looking at the small picture they provide next to the profile.

“I don’t quite see it.” Steve says dryly, and you huff.

“He even has similar interests to yours. It says here that he likes sunshine, early morning runs, pets behind his ears and bananas!

Biting your lip to keep yourself from laughing, you innocently look up at Steve, who regards you with a fake scowl.

“You’re being awfully bratty today, Angel.” he chides, yet his words don’t have any bite to them.

“Me? Never!” your fake indignation is riddled with the giggles you’re desperately trying to hold in. That mission fails completely though, once you read the Interesting Fact they provide next to each introduced animal.

“Oh my god, Steve!” you croak out between laughter. “He even tried to eat an American flag once. God, I love him already!”

Before Steve has the chance to reply, you’re dragging him into the enclosure. “Come on, let’s meet my newfound hero!”

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The donkey is just as cute as in the picture, and even friendlier than you imagined. After you introduced yourself and Steve - you couldn’t help yourself from saying “Steve, meet Steve,” while pointing between the tall Super Soldier and the rather small pony-sized creature – you slowly started petting the animal.

The happy brays he lets out make you laugh softly, and your smile only widens once your eyes find Steve’s.

“Don’t you dare say he sounds like me too!” Steve exclaims, and that comment only fuels your giggles.

“I wouldn’t dream of it!” you say, while stroking the fur behind the donkey’s ears. “But you have to admit, he’s adorable!” you coo, before quickly adding: “Not as cute as you, of course, but it’s a close second.”

“Well, that’s certainly comforting to hear.” Steve retorts. “So, you’re not gonna leave me for one of those gray-haired fellas?”

“I already have my gray-haired fella at home, old man,” you counter, before whispering a small “almost.”

Steve still picks it up, and his reaction is instant. His strong hands reach out to you, playfully poking your sides.

“You take that back! You take that back right now!” he urges, laughing, as you try to squirm away from his grasp, the sweet sound of your giggles filling the air. Your antics only come to a halt once you’re breathlessly begging for mercy, and Steve pulls you in for a hug.

“You still have a lot of energy for a 103-year-old.” you whisper.

“Oh Sweetheart, you know, I can be relentless.” he counters, and you hum in agreement.

“You don’t actually look like a donkey.” you try to clarify. “It’s just that the donkey somehow looks like you.”

Before Steve can rekindle his attacks, you’re already apologizing again. “I’m joking! I’m joking!” you exclaim, as soon as you feel the tiniest brush of his fingertips poking your sides.

Hugging him closer once more, you whisper: “I’m sorry. I’m being mean. You’re still the prettiest man on the planet, and you always will be.”

Brushing your hands softly through his hair and gently cupping his cheek, you notice the small red tint that adorns them.

“Aww you’re blushing!” you quietly tease. “I guess I don’t call you pretty enough. I need to tell you that more, I think.” you observe.

His blush only deepens, and you coo again.

He really is the prettiest man alive. And the sweetest, and kindest, and bravest.

As you softly tell him all about your thoughts, his grip around you tightens, and he burrows his face in your neck.

“I love you so much.” you mumble against his shoulder, and even though you can’t see him right now, you know that he’s smiling.

“I love you too.” he whispers back, voice low, before gently kissing your forehead.

His lips lingers there for a moment before he speaks up again.

“I think we need to stop; there’s an older lady, who’s already giving us the stink-eye.”

“Oh, let her stare. If they look at you funny, you just look right back at them funny, that normally does the trick for me.”

“I’m not going to glare down a grandma!” Steve whispers exasperated.

“Well, you might not, but I certainly will, if she's making you uncomfortable.” you announce, and Steve just shakes his head, laughing.

🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

After moving on from the donkeys, you spend some time with the goats. Even Steve has to admit that they are rather endearing.

“Maybe we should bring Bucky with us next time. You know how he still gushes about the goats he had in Wakanda. I’m sure he’d enjoy some time here.” you suggest, while feeding a small brown doeling.

She softly munches the food right out of the palm of your hand, and the feeling of her rough tongue on your skin makes you giggle.

“If we would bring Buck, that’s going to be your liability, because I’m pretty sure he would never leave the goat enclosure again.” Steve observes.

“Can’t really blame him. I might have my donkey at home, but those goats certainly have character.” you tease.

Instead of answering, Steve decides to just throw some pellets your way.

“Hey!” you whine playfully, before making a counter strike. When you don’t hit your target, Steve just grins at you cheekily.

It’s that boyish smile you love so much, and it fills your heart with a joy that’s carefree and content. It feels just like the soft sunrays that are currently caressing your skin: Warm, light, and golden.

Your thoughts are only interrupted once another pellet flies your way, barely missing your face.

“Hey!” you exclaim once more, laughing, yet Steve’s eyes turn instantly apologetic when he realizes he almost struck your pretty face. You quickly reassure him that it’s alright, before walking over to the rabbits and guinea pigs, patiently sitting down next to them.

Rather than just grabbing one, you wait for one of the timid rodents to approach you instead. A small – and presumably younger – bunny seems curious enough, as he hops your way, and you manage to coax him with some food and a very gentle voice. His fluffy fur is in an off-white color with gray specks and his floppy ears twitch every now and then.

“Hey little friend.” you whisper once his wiggly nose brushes your open palm. It takes some more coaxing before he starts eating out of it, and you beam at that development.

Steve watches the interaction with a soft, adoring gaze.

God, Wanda was right. He really is head over heels for you.

But then again, how could he not be.

There’s a gentleness and kindness in the way you approach the world, and the fact that you’ve chosen him out of all people to trust the most, fills his heart with an endless amount of pride and happiness, that’s hard to put into words.

You’ve come into his life like a whirlwind, turning everything upside down and taking over his heart by storm.

Without your knowing, you made all of his previous priorities flip, until you were the only and most important thing on his mind. You still are, of course, and Steve is sure that this is something that will never change.

You’re the one.

The one who’s voice and laughter he’ll never grow tired of hearing.

The one who he comes home to after a rough mission, taking up the biggest space in his bed and in his heart – and he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

You’re the most precious thing on the planet, and he’d burn it all down if he had to, just to keep you safe.

“Steve!” you softly call out to him, and his focus shifts back on you.

The small bunny is now sitting contently in your lap, while you’re sporting the proudest look.

“His fur is so soft!” you quietly mouth to him, and he smiles before making his way to you, gently kneeling down by your side. “Here! Feel!” you chirp, as you carefully guide his hands towards the small bunny.

“Do you think we could get some of those?” you carefully ask.

“Of course.” Steve agrees without really thinking - he doesn’t need to. If you want it, you’ll get it; no questions asked. He’ll even fight Tony on it if he has to, or anyone else for that matter.

“Really?” you beam.

“I pinky promise, Sweetheart.” he whispers before kissing the top of your head and standing back up. You follow suit, after carefully moving the bunny from your lap.

“Let’s just visit the piglets, and then we can move on to the bigger animals!” you proclaim, while reaching for Steve’s hand again, gently tugging him towards the small, baby pink piggies.

🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

Once you’ve finished cooing over the small piglets while simultaneously feeding and petting them, you and Steve make your way back towards the regular path of the zoo.

Steve had just gotten out his map again, trying to visualize the vicinity, when you spot the panda enclosure.

Nice!

“Steve, do we have to consider the map? Can’t we just walk around and go wherever our curiosity takes us?” you ask.

“You mean, wherever your curiosity takes you.” Steve teases and you let out a small huff while folding your arms over your chest, defensively.

“Not true.” you whine, before adding: “I can’t help it if I’m younger and pick up more things, you know.”

“Uh-huh” Steve hums. “And patience is a virtue that …”

“I’ve never met once in my life.” you finish the sentence for him.

“That is not the quote I was going for, but it certainly rings true too.” Steve agrees, before folding his map up again. “Alright, so where’s your curiosity leading you to, this time.” he concedes with a warm smile and your eyes light up at that.

“Easy, this way!” you say, before grabbing his hand, dragging him along once more.

“Steve, look!” you exclaim, while excitedly pointing at the wild cat enclosure. There’s a tiger that’s currently taking a bath, and it completely seizes your attention.

At the risk of sounding like a total lovesick fool, Steve has to admit that he’s way more encaptured by your endearing reactions to everything, than the actual attractions and animals themselves.

You two already visited the panda and bear enclosure, looked at some monkeys, zebras, hippos, and foxes, and now you’re leading him towards the area with the wildcats.

Lynx, lions, pumas, cheetahs, and some tigers are what’s initially advertised; still, he’s barely able to focus on that.

With your hands closely intertwined, and your soft voice that calls out to him, his attention has a hard time staying away from you.

You’re especially excited by the cheetahs, and you enthusiastically tell him all the facts you know about them.

How they’re incredibly fast and powerful, yet often also anxious and shy. You tell him how some of the cheetahs living in captivity often need emotional support dogs, to help them cope with their high levels of stress.

They’re the true scaredy cat-cats.

After your ramblings about the wildcats, you start gushing over their emotional support dogs. “They must be so proud!” you tell him. “Imagine being a dog, who ends up working with those cheetahs. How badass it that? Like a mouse who’s a therapist for a housecat, or a sparrow that takes care of an alligator…”

Steve smiles at your excitement, while listening attentively to everything you’re saying.

How did he ever get this lucky?

But as your speech slowly comes to an end, another sound appears. It’s faint, but Steve’s Super Soldier hearing still picks it up. He’s heard it enough times to be able to identify it – It’s the sound of your tummy rumbling.

“Sweetheart, are you hungry?” he questions, and you look up at him like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Dammit, I had hoped you didn’t catch that.” you mumble embarrassed, and Steve laughs.

“How about we look for a more quiet space, where we can eat some of our sandwiches and snacks.” he proposes, and you agree.

This time, Steve takes your hand, leading the way.

After some searching, the two of you managed to find a little bench, shaded by a rather sturdy oak. The tree doesn’t just shield you from the blazing sun, but also from the curious gaze of others.

It’s a romantic little space, as you look out onto a small park area, not too far off from the peacock enclosure. You’d stopped there briefly, fascinated by their colorful display of shimmering feathers, before moving on.

And now, you're sitting here, next to Steve, eating your little sandwich and sharing some small snacks. It's calm and peacefully quiet, apart from some faint bird-chirping and the remote sound of children’s laughter, carried over to you by a soft summer breeze.

“This was such a lovely idea, Steve.” you comment quietly once you’ve finished your sandwich.

The man in question smiles at that. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Angel.”

You hum in agreement, before popping some fresh berries into your mouth.

The satisfied sigh you let out is making Steve laugh. “Are those berries that good?” he questions playfully.

“No, but the view right now is to die for.” you say, while locking eyes with him.

“Hm, I guess you’re right. This little park area certainly has some flair.” Steve agrees, and if it wasn’t for the blueberries in your hand, you’d face-palm right now.

“I’m not taking about the park, Steve.” you clarify, while giving him a pointed look, and he blushes.

“Oh, I see … “ he mumbles, red-tinted embarrassment tainting his cheeks and migrating up to his ears. Who knew a Super Soldier could get that flustered – and look so endearing while doing it.

You weren’t lying though – even with Steve just sitting there, wearing a light gray t-shirt and some washed-out jeans, he looks like a god; Completely out of this world.

And it’s not just his sturdy arms and muscles.

It’s in the way his kind eyes light up, framed by those rich eyelashes.

It’s in the way he looks at you; looks at the world with such benevolence, such compassion, even after everything he’s been through.

Maybe it’s also in the way that those small rays of sunlight, currently shining through the tree crown, illuminate his skin, giving him a golden glow.

But whatever the reason may be, he certainly looks good. Especially, when he’s blushing like that, you think, smiling.

Once you two finished your small lunch, you’re eager to get back to the animals.

The giraffes and elephants are next, followed by the penguins and some wombats.

You and Steve have also established a small game by now.

One of you steps up to the informational sign of the enclosure first and reads it, before letting the other person guess what the Interesting Fact about the animal is.

It’s currently Steve’s turn at guessing, as you two are standing in front of the flamingo area.

“Okay!” you chime, as you turn away from the metal sign, focusing back on Steve. Your eyes are sparkling with excitement, letting Steve know that this fact is going to be good.

“So, flamingos are known for their pink color and dorky looks, but there is something else that makes this animal quite badass. What could that possibly be?” you challenge Steve gleefully.

He ponders your question for a moment, looking over at the pink birds. “Hm, maybe they can stand on one leg for over 24 hours.” he contemplates.

“Is that your final answer?” you question, and the playful glimmer in your eyes lets him already know that he’s wrong.

Still, he stays with his entry and nods.

“Well, that is incorrect!” you announce. “Or at least, that’s not the fact they have written down.” you clarify.

“Okay, I’ll give you three options instead, and only one of them is the correct one.” you offer.

“So, once more, what makes the flamingo so badass? Is it a) they all have pink belts in karate; b) they can drink boiling water; or is it c) they can hold their breath for half an hour when diving for food.” you question, expectantly looking at Steve, who’s scratching his head, laughing.

“Well, it’s either b or c, but they both sound so unbelievable, I might as well go with answer a.” He jokes.

“Sir, I need an answer from you now, the time is running up.” you playfully chide and it’s making him laugh even more.

“Alright, show host, you can log in answer b for me.”

“B? Are you sure?” Steve just nods, and it makes your smile grow wider.

“Well, contestant, you won’t believe me when I say this, but your answer is …. ding, ding, ding – correct!” you exclaim excited, while wrapping your arms around his neck

“Wait, really?” Steve looks at you, dumbfounded. “Uh-huh. Flamingos can apparently drink boiling water.” you reiterate, before pulling him closer.

“Congratulations, soldier, you’ve won the main price!” you whisper against his lips before softly kissing him, and the sweet action makes Steve smile into the kiss, as his heart melts in the blazing sun.

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Moving from enclosure to enclosure, your little game continues. There are wolves, deer, beavers, and burrowing owls, and each stop at the gates is filled with your playful antics and shared laughter.

You only come to a short pause, once you notice a small ice cream parlor in the distance, and it doesn’t take much convincing to get Steve to go there with you.

Actually, it doesn’t take any convincing at all.

The shop is small and features only a select number of ice cream flavors. You order 3 scoops each, before happily making your way over to the American bison enclosure.

The area is less crowded and actually quite peaceful. The scenery of the meadow with the occasional grazing bull emitting a sense of tranquility.

While sharing your ice cream, you two watch these seemingly serene creatures, who are just standing there, munching on grass, and lazily gazing at the landscape around them.

There’s a timelessness to them, you think. The way they just stand there, unbothered, like they’ve seen it all.

And maybe they have.

Steve gently pulls you out of your thoughts, when he offers you his last bit of cherry ice cream, holding out his cone to you. You gratefully take him up on his offer, while simultaneously holding your cone out for him.

Sharing is caring after all.

Once your ice cream is done, you and Steve continue sitting there, just talking until Steve suddenly leans closer.

He gently brushes some lingering ice-cream stains from the corner of your mouth with his thumb before licking it off. He keeps his eyes locked on you, and the action leaves your cheeks feeling heated, and your heartrate in a frenzy.

“Two can play this game, Angel.” Steve whispers, giving you a knowing smile.

You let out a small whine, before burrowing your face in his chest, trying to hide your embarrassment.

Steve just coos at your flustered state.

“Steve, stop. You’re giving me heart palpitations,” you mumble into his chest.

“No can do, Sweetheart. It’s only fair that you get a taste of your own medicine.”

You bite back your reply to that; otherwise, you two might end up doing something entirely different.

Unaware of the questionable thoughts in your head; Steve changes the topic, reminding you of the activities you still have planned.

“Do you want to go to the meerkat and prairie dog enclosure, now? Their feeding should start soon.”

You’re still curled up into his chest, basking in the feeling of his strong embrace, and the gentle smell of his cologne. “Can we just stay here a little longer.” you request, voice mumbled, and soft.

Steve lets out a small laugh, that makes his chest rumble and vibrate. “Of course, if that’s what you prefer. You just sounded so excited earlier when you heard about the public feeding.” Steve tries to clarify, making sure that’s what you really want.

Steve’s right. When he told you about the attraction earlier, you could barely contain your excitement at the idea of watching the small animals nibble on some food. But in that very moment, you didn’t really think things through.

It was only sometime later, when your excitement had cooled down a bit, that you realized that this endeavor might not be the best idea.

There’s obviously going to be a crowd watching the spectacle, and those are something to avoid when you’re with your beloved Super Soldier. The chances of getting recognized there, are just a bit too high, yet you’re hesitant to tell those thoughts to Steve.

You don’t want him to feel bad, and you know that he’ll try to convince you that it’s no big deal. You already feel selfish for feeling so protective of your relationship, and the fear that he might think you’re overreacting lingers in your mind, even though he has never given you a reason to do so.

“Sweetheart, what’s going on? You’re being awfully quiet right now.” Steve pries. He can tell something is wrong; he just knows you too damn well.

“Nothing!” you chirp, but the sound is off. It’s too high and anxious.

“Angel.” his tone is stern.

Steve doesn’t often use his Captain America voice with you, but when he does, it works every time.

Just like now.

Playing with the fabric of his gray t-shirt and looking anywhere but his eyes, you quietly mumble: “There’s going to be lots of people, Steve. Lots of people to recognize you…”

“Oh, Sweetheart,” he knows what you’re getting at, and it makes his heart twist in guilt.

“You know, we can still …”

“No, Steve,” you interrupt him. “We can’t, and I don’t want to. This day has been nothing, but a dream come true. We haven’t been approached once, and I’d like to keep it that way. If I have to sacrifice a meerkat feeding for that, I’ll happily do it.” You state, and Steve sighs.

“I’m sorry, Angel.” he whispers, voice low and tainted with regret. “Maybe you could go there by yourself, while I stay somewhere in the background?” he offers, but you just shake your head.

“Steve, it’s okay. I’d rather see all the other animals with you, then one meerkat feeding without you.”

He smiles at that, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I’m still sorry about this.” he mutters, guilt clear in his voice. You sigh. That’s exactly what you were trying to avoid.

“Steve,” you whisper, gently cupping his cheek, making him look at you. “This isn’t your fault. Stop feeling sorry about something that you have no control over, whatsoever. If anything, I’m sorry for being so sensitive about this.” you state.

“No, you have every right to be!” Steve defends, and the conviction in his eyes makes some of your worry ease away.

“Well, if I’m not allowed to feel guilty about that, neither are you.” you assert matter-of-factly, and this time the smile that adorns Steve’s face reaches his bright blue eyes.

“Alright, deal.” he affirms, before taking your hand, sweeping you up from your seat. “Let’s continue. There’s still a lot to explore.”

You’re about to walk into the reptile house when you spot one more open enclosure.

“Oh my God Steve, look!” you call out, while pointing at one of the llamas. “Aww, he looks just like Kuzco!” you observe, and it makes Steve frown in confusion.

“Sweetheart, that’s a rude thing to say about someone.” he softly chides, and you give him a puzzled look.

“What? Are you telling me you don’t know who Kuzco is?” you ask, dumbfounded, and Steve just shakes his head.

“Is he a work friend of yours? I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned someone with that name?" he questions, brows still furrowed in confusion.

“Steve!” you laugh, “have you not seen The Emperor’s New Groove?”

“No, I don’t think I have.” he confesses, and you look at him in disbelief.

“Oh my God! I thought Tony introduced you to the best works of this century’s cinema.”

“Yes, but I don’t remember a movie named like that.”

“This is outrageous. I can’t believe you’ve never seen this masterpiece! We’ll have to change that once we’re home!” you proclaim playfully, before taking his hand and walking towards the reptile house.

🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

Stepping into the building, you’re immediately greeted by a sudden temperature drop.

The rooms are a lot darker and cooler then the outside premise, and you can’t help but shiver as goosebumps form on your skin.

Instinctively, you pull Steve closer, grabbing his hand tighter.

The animals that follow vary from adorable to absolutely frightening. The small turtles and geckos make you coo, but the bigger lizards and snakes already sport a more intimidating look.

There are boas, pythons, and mambas, and you have to remind yourself that you’re protected by both the Plexiglas as well as your trusted Super Soldier.

🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

Once you’ve finished exploring every room, you make your way to the small botanical garden. Its atmosphere stands in stark contrast to that of the dark reptile house.

There are colorful flowers and bright green plants and palm trees.

There’s light coming through the ceiling, illuminating the stone path before you, and the temperature is warmer and a little bit more humid.

After walking through the vicinity, hand in hand, the two of you spot a small, secluded bench. It’s placed next to a little pond, and a small bush of plumerias.

Sitting down, you sigh in content as you breathe in the sweet smell of the little white and yellow flowers. Steve gets out some left-over fruits, and you share a second, small meal. You can hear the soft splatter of water in the background, and it’s as relaxing as can be.

Looking at the man in front of you adoringly, your expression falters when you see the small furrow etched between his brows. He’s thinking about something, and it’s not a pleasant thought.

“What’s wrong?” you whisper, having learned the small signs of worry that sometimes cloud the face of your beautiful man.

Steve just sighs, before pulling you closer. So close, you might as well just sit in his lap.

“Was just thinking.” he mumbles, voice low, and still preoccupied with whatever’s going through his mind right now. “About?” you inquire, and the silence that follows makes you sigh in return.

“Steve, we talked about this. Don’t shut me out.” you whisper, knowing that your beloved soldier still has a tendency to keep his worries hidden from your view, trying not to burden you with it.

“I was thinking about the meerkat-thing.” he says, and you groan.

“No, hear me out, Sweetheart,” he continues. “You deserve the world, you truly do, and it pains me to know that everywhere we go, you have to sacrifice something, just because you’re with me. The meerkat-thing is just one of the many examples that reiterate that.”

“Okay,” you assess slowly, “what are you trying to say?” you carefully ask.

“I don’t know.” he whispers.

“I just keep thinking that you have to sacrifice so much, just in order to be with me. I wish I could give you more than that. I wish I could take you out on dates without us having to worry about being recognized, approached and disturbed.”

He looks at you with such turmoil and pain in his eyes, it makes your heart clench and curl up into a ball and cry.

“Oh, Stevie.” you murmur, before gently cupping his face and straddling his lap.

“Steve honey, listen. This whole getting-approached-by-strangers-thing sucks; I’m not gonna lie about that, but do you know what would suck a million times more? Not having you in my life! I could live without going out on anymore dates for the rest of my days, but do you know what I cannot live without? You!” you declare passionately, while looking into Steve’s eyes, which are somewhat glossy.

“Sweetheart.” he mumbles, voice thick with emotions, and you just pull him closer, nuzzling your face into the side of his neck.

“I love you, Steve. I love you even when we’re surrounded by what feels like hundreds of people, who all want a piece of you, and take over our dates.”

You feel a light wetness at the nape of your neck, and you gently brush your hand through Steve’s hair. Blinking away your own tears, you make a soft shushing sound, trying to calm him down.

“I love you. Don’t ever doubt me on that!” you whisper softly, and you feel Steve nod against your skin before whispering a small, timid “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I love you, and as long as you love me back, that’s all I need. That’s enough for me.” you try to clarify, before gently adding: “I know you feel a close kinship and obligation towards people, and you’re too polite to call them out when they approach us at the worst possible timing, but you’re allowed to tell some people off. The shield might be public property, Steve, but you aren’t. You’re allowed to have boundaries too.”

Your kind words fill Steve with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and it spreads on his face in the form of a soft smile. The love he feels for you keeps blooming and expanding, like the fragrant flowers growing all around you.

He’s not sure if he’ll ever be able to put it into words just how much you mean to him exactly, but he knows that he’ll try his damn best to show you every single day.

He hopes that that’s enough, hopes that it’s good enough for you. Losing you would be worse than dying, he’s sure of that. But all he manages to mumble out is a soft: “I love you so much.”

His words and voice are filled with such honesty, such devotion and conviction, you fear your heart might pound straight out of your chest, and into his lap.

“I know,” you whisper. “I love you just as much!”

He hums in content, and the silence that follows is the most comfortable silence you’ve ever experienced.

The two of you stay there, curled up in each other’s embrace, basking in one of the best feelings ever. Loving and feeling loved.

🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋 🍋

You’re not sure how much time has passed, when Steve speaks up again, but the sun is slowly starting to set, and it fills the garden with a golden glow.

“You’re ready to go home, Sweetheart?” he questions softly, voice full of affection.

No. You just want to stay in his loving embrace forever, but instead of articulating that, you let out a small whine, while shaking your head demonstratively.

The laugh that rumbles out of Steve’s chest is warm and hearty, and he softly smiles down at you.

“Come on.” he coaxes.

There’s something he’s sure he can beckon you with.

“I think they have a small souvenir shop near the exit with lots of stuffed animals.” he offers, and it makes you look up at him, wide-eyed and excited.

Gotcha. Steve thinks, a satisfied smile on his lips. The promise of stuffed animals works every time.

You slowly untangle yourself from him, before standing up and taking his hand.

“What are you waiting for, old man.” You playfully provoke him while he’s adjusting his backpack.

“Careful Sweetheart, or I might accidentally lose you in the middle of New York.” he says, yet you know it’s an empty threat. He would never even dream of doing something like that, not in a million years.

“Don’t underestimate the grasp I have on you.” you joke, referring to the way you’d normally cling to his arm and hand, but Steve thinks about how true those words are in a broader sense.

How you have the strongest possible grasp on his heart, in the gentlest way.

Unaware of his adoring thoughts, you drag him to the exit of the botanical garden, and he watches you with the warmest smile.

Once you step out of the garden your eyes instantly find, and fixate on the small souvenir shop, walking straight towards it.

The place is spacious and there are a couple of kids running around, shoving stuffed animals in their parents faces. The selection of stuffies is broad, but you already know what you want.

Steve thinks you’ll be going over to the cheetahs, yet he finds himself surprised, when he watches you walk towards… the donkeys?

He observes you carefully picking up a medium-sized stuffie and clutching it tightly to your chest, a satisfied smile on your lips.

“Stevie! Look!” you exclaim, as you turn your attention to him, holding the stuffie up proudly.

Little did you know, he was already looking at you the whole time.

Eyes soft and smile warm.

“Sweetheart, are you sure? Don’t you want something more… exciting?” he questions, as he points to the array of wild cats and panda bears.

“Nope!” you chirp, the look of content on your face clear as day.

He always wants to see you like this - happy, content, satisfied.

“Wait, Stevie! You should get one too!” you exclaim when you see him slowly make his way toward the checkout.

“The donkey will remind me of you when you’re gone on missions, but you need a stuffie that reminds you of me, too!”

“Sweetheart, you’re in the back of my mind 24/7. I don’t need a …”

“Not the point.” you interrupt him.

“You occupy my mind almost all the time as well, but it’s nice to have something tangible to remind you and to keep close sometimes.”

“Alright.” Steve concedes, before looking at the countless shelves of stuffed animals.

Which one should he even pick?

He thinks back to your interactions earlier, thinks about how soft you looked, with that small bunny comfortably sitting in your lap.

He thinks about how excited you were, when you told him everything you knew about cheetahs, eyes sparkling bright.

He thinks about how softly you’d kissed him at the flamingo enclosure, and how serene you looked while you were watching the American bisons - a dreamy look on your face, and ice cream in hand.

God, is picking your own stuffie always that hard?

His eyes continue to wander along the shelves when he spots it.

There’s a medium-sized cheetah stuffie wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt with little plumerias printed on it.

That’s you.

Cool, adorable, and with a questionable fashion sense.

Thinking back at how you were holding him close in the botanical garden, the sight of the small flowers instantly fills him with the memories of your comforting words and touch.

That’s the one.

Steve makes his way over to the stuffed animal, and it’s even softer than he’d imagined.

“Oh! It’s adorable!” you coo when you see his choice, and Steve smiles.

That’s the one.

He thinks, as he watches you.

The one, who has complete reign over his heart.

You made yourself quite at home in there, filled it with your sweet laughter and your little smiles, the softness of your touch and the kindness in your eyes.

He keeps all these memories of you safely tugged away, underneath his rib cage, in that little treasure chest he calls his heart.

You’re both, his most prized possession, and the strong protector that watches over it all.

The guardian angel of his heart.

“Steve!” you call out to him, from the checkout.

“They say they have a 10 % senior discount for people over 60! Come over here, and figure this out, please!”

It makes him laugh, and there’s only one thought in his mind:

God, how he adores you.

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

Ahhh, that's it! Thanks you so much for reading!

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers

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bunnyywritings · 4 years ago

Text

flying pigs

yukio okumura x gn!reader

day 5: pumpkin patch

word count: 1.4k

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢��𝐮𝐬; 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟒 - 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 - 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭; 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟔

[a/n: I’m sorry this was posted so late, but here is day 5! I know he’s not a very popular character but I absolutely adore him, he’s so adorable and ugh his two little moles are so so cute 🥺 enjoy! -yours truly, bunnyy ]

The soft sunlight coming in through the blinds made Yukio squint, his hand coming up to rub the tiredness from his eyes. At his subtle movement, he felt you move around just a bit before snuggling back into his chest.

“Good Morning.” He chuckled softly, a smile growing on his lips when you hadn’t responded. He could tell that you were awake, your chest was rising and falling at a normal rate. He could also feel you smiling against his bare chest. “I said good morning, sleepyhead.” He whispered in your ear, the sensation sending a shiver down your spine but you still hadn’t responded. “I can play games too, my love.”

Before you could even think of responding, he had flipped the two of you over and was hovering over you. A satisfied smile on his lips as he stared into your wide eyes. Your eyes squeezed shut once more as he leaned down and pressed feather-light kisses all over your face and down your neck.

“Y-Yuki s-stop!” You wheezed as he started to tickle your sides. “Yukio!” Your laughter and his stirred the quiet air as he continued his merciless assault on your sides before finally letting up and collapsing onto the bed besides you.

Lying on his side he reached out and cupped your cheek to turn your head towards him. “Good morning baby.”

“Morning Yuki.” You leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on his lips.

“We should start getting ready.” Yukio smiled against your lips before pecking them once more before the both of you finally got up from bed.

See, Shiro and the others at the church wanted to do a pumpkin patch on the grounds this year and he thought it’d also be a great way to meet his son’s fiance. You had never met Father Fujimoto before and while you knew he wasn’t Yukio’s birth father, he was a father to him all the same so to say you were nervous would be a gross understatement. Your hands wouldn’t stop shaking as you got ready. It wasn’t until you were struggling to get a bead of toothpaste on the brush that Yukio took notice of your nerves. He knew you were nervous, and so was he but he was also sure that they would absolutely love you.

Rin definitely did.

You got on with his twin quite well, which was both a blessing and a curse. Rin definitely bought out your mischievous side. Not that Yukio minded, that’s why he fell in love with you. You were silly and playful but serious when needed. You balanced him out. However, Rin was the gunpowder that always set you off and as much as he adored the fact that you got along with his, slightly, older brother...he wasn’t fond of the pranks that you both pulled. That’s when he was especially thankful for Shiemi who would, more often than not, calm Rin down with something as simple as a kiss.

Wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder. “Relax (y/n), they’ll love you. I promise. And even if they didn’t, that would change absolutely nothing.”

“But there’s a chance that they’ll hate me.”

“Sure, if we see a flying pig today then there’ll definitely be a chance that they will absolutely hate you.” That was slightly comforting because the chances of seeing an actual flying pig were very slim but there was still a chance.

Finally leaving, it was a slightly tense drive to the church but it went by in the blink of an eye. There were a few kids running around and playing in the hay and parents picking out the perfect sized pumpkins to carve.

Yukio’s hand slipped into yours, fingers interlacing as the both of you walked around in search of Father Fujimoto. As you both approached a rather large wall of hay, there was something that made you stop dead in your tracks and tug on Yukio’s hand rather harshly.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I-It’s….oh god….p-pig!” You panicked, stomach churning. Yukio was ready to brush it off and tell you that you were seeing things but he couldn’t.

There was a pig.

It wasn’t really flying? It was...hovering, which was slightly worse, over the huge wall of hay.

“What the-?” Yukio’s jaw dropped.

“Rin! Put that poor pig down! You’re going to drop it!”

Then came Rin’s ridiculous laugh before the pig disappeared. Both of you rushed your way around the corner and, sure enough, there was Rin with the little pig in his arms.

“Oh come on, old man, he’s fine!” The older twin turned the pig to face him. “Aren’t you, little guy?” He cooed as the pig seemed to squeal in agreement.

“Just put him back!” Father Fujimoto hissed and smacked Rin upside the head.

Rin leaned down and placed the pig back into the ‘petting zoo’ pen. Rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head before he caught sight of the both of you. “(Y/n)! Yukio!” He screeched in delight before running over and throwing his arms around the both of you. You chuckled at his enthusiasm and tried to hug him back as best he could.

As both of you greeted Rin, Fujimoto watched. He watched the way Yukio’s eyes practically glistened as he watched you engage a very excited Rin in conversation. He was looking at you as if you hung the moon and all its stars in the sky. His heart warmed at the sight.

“Oi Yukio! Aren’t you gonna introduce me to your fiance?”

“Oh right.” Yukio grinned. “Dad this is (y/n). (Y/n), this is my dad, Shiro.”

You gulped nervously. “It’s very nice to meet you Father Fujimoto.” You bowed before holding your hand out to shake his. He frowned. Your stomach dropped as a million thoughts raced in your mind. ‘Should you not have called him Father Fuimoto? Did he hate you already? Did he-”

“Oh there’s none of that, come here.” He gently pushed your hand away and pulled you into a hug, one that you gladly reciprocated as relief flooded your body. He then pulled away and held you at arms length and looked you over. “You're stunning...are you sure you wanna marry Yukio?” He was just teasing as his tone was playful and before Yukio could say anything witty back, a look of confidence and determination took over your features.

“Of course I want to marry Yukio. I love him with my entire being...he-he means the world to me.” Hearing the sheer certainness in your voice, Yukio swore that his heart would burst right then and there.

“Well then,” Fujimoto started to tear up a bit. “I’m glad Yukio found someone that loves him so much.” He squeezed your shoulders gently. “I hope you two are staying for dinner, we have much to celebrate.”

Before either of you could question why, Shiemi called out a greeting to you guys before coming over and sharing the news. Yukio was speechless as he saw Shiemi show off her engagement ring as you were now just noticing that Rin was also wearing one.

“Now go enjoy the pumpkin patch, we have some delicious candy apples over there.”

As the night went on, you and Yukio had gotten lost in the corn maze and played a few fun games before heading inside to eat some of Rin’s delicious cooking. Now you were all around the fireplace as Shiro shared embarrassing stories and baby photos of the twins who both had a permanent blush on their faces as they watched you and Shiemi coo at how cute they were.

“-and he would just cry and cry until rin came over and helped him out.” Shiro cackled as he recounted one of the many times baby Yukio cried because of a scraped knee or because a kid made fun of his moles.

“Dad…” Yukio groaned and hid his face in his hands before he felt you gently grip his wrists and move his hands away.

“I think your moles are adorable Yuki.” You leaned forward and placed a kiss on the moles that were just underneath his eye, your nose bumping the rim of his glasses in the process.

“I know baby, that’s why I love you.” He blushed even harder, heat basically radiating from his cheeks as he leaned forward to give you a proper kiss.

𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 (open): @soul-of-rwby @randomesk-yuku @angeltsukkis

#blue excorsist x reader #blue exorcist #blue exorcist x reader #yukio okumura #yukio okumura x gn!reader #yukio okumura x reader

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edward-or-ford · 6 years ago

Text

We’re a Family

So here I go again with a new story. Been awhile, I know!

This one is once again set in my “Unexpected” AU. It’s a pretty direct sequel to the original story, taking place a little over two years after the end of the final chapter, and includes some flashbacks to events I had only alluded to previously. As such, it may be beneficial for you to have already read the previous story, but I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary. I think there should be enough detail in the narrative to let you know what’s going on, if you’re new to my writing.

(This story also takes place at Christmas, and I was hoping to have it finished a couple of weeks ago so it would have been topical. No such luck, but oh well!)

Completely SFW story here, but with the obvious Pinecest implications.

December 25, 2017 Westfield, New Jersey

Mabel Pines is roused from her sound sleep by music blaring out of the tinny speaker of her phone, a 90’s-pop rendition of “Jingle Bells” from the Sev’ral Timez Christmas album. She throws back her covers and bounds to her feet in the small bedroom, happy for once to be awakened. After a fast glance out the window to take in the cold but beautifully sunny morning, she does a quick stretch and she’s ready to go. Man, has she ever been looking forward to today! Adult responsibilities be darned! Today’s a day when she should be allowed to be carefree, like every other “officially-an-adult-but-still-wants-to-be-a-kid” eighteen-year-old!

With no consideration to taking the time to change out of her mismatched sleeping attire of holiday pyjama bottoms and an oversized t-shirt, she quickly tip-toes her way across the hallway to the closed door of another bedroom and cracks it open. A thick mop of brown hair and an adorable little face sticks out from beneath the covers at the head of the toddler-sized bed. Oh good, Cassie’s still asleep! Mabel would hate to have missed any of Cassie’s experiences this morning. Getting to watch her two-year-old little Mini-me on Christmas morning is the best thing Mabel can think of!

But as excited as she is, Mabel knows someone else will be just as happy as she is to share in the moment. She has to drag dear “uncle” Dipper’s sorry old bum out of bed before she can wake up Cassie!

Grinning happily, Mabel carefully closes the door and then scurries towards the stairs down to the basement of the modest bungalow. She picks up speed as she rounds the corner at the front end of the hallway.

She bumps right into an attractive woman in her early forties, who is coming from the kitchen. “Oof!” Mabel grunts in surprise, perfectly in sync with a similar noise of impact from her mother. Then they both make a short laugh and apologize at the same time.

“Well, now that we’ve run into each other, good morning! And Merry Christmas, Pumpkin!” Mom says brightly.

“Aw! Merry Christmas, Mom!” Mabel cries back quietly, giving her mother a firm and fast hug. “But shush! I don’t want Cassie to wake up just yet, not until I go get Dipper up.”

Mom shrugs. “I was just on my way downstairs to get the turkey from the refrigerator down there. I’ll wake him up.” She waves Mabel to the kitchen. “Could you go ahead and break up some more bread crumbs for stuffing while I head down there? Thank you,” she says, already on the second step down the narrow staircase.

Mabel pauses a split second, very much wanting to go down and wake her twin brother herself. Then she dismisses it easily. “Gotcha, Momster!” she replies with a genuine smile, heading for the sink to wash her hands before attacking the dried bread.

Cassie finishes ripping colorful wrapping paper from a box that comes up past her waist, then pulls the box over, screeching with delight as she peers inside.

“Unca DIP-pah! Unca DIP-pah! AAAAAAAAA!!!!!” Cassie cries excitedly as she reaches in and pulls out a large pig-shaped neon-pink fuzzy toy.

Dipper laughs from his spot seated on the floor, at the feet of Mabel who is sitting on the couch recording the scene with her phone. He glances back quickly at Mabel, then returns his attention to the toddler. “That’s great, Cass! What’re you going to call him?”

“WAH-dle! WAH-dle!” shouts Cassie, squeezing the stuffed animal securely and spinning around in a circle with her arms full of porcine plush.

“Atta-girl!” Mabel calls out. She playfully kicks her brother. “Like mother, like daughter!” Dipper snorts back with amusement.

The twins’ father smiles and rolls his bespeckled eyes. “Oh great! We just finished finding a proper home for the last pig, now we’ve got another one?” he moans sarcastically.

“Pay no attention to grumpy Grampy!” Mabel fires back, beckoning the girl to come over for a quick hug. “You’re gonna show your new pig to the real Waddles next time we go out to visit him at the petting zoo, aren’t you?”

“YAH!” Cassie jumps up and down across the living room. “Wah-dle Wah-dle WAH-dlllllllle!” In her careless excitement, the oversized toy causes her to lose her balance. With a high-pitched cry of alarm, she starts to fall backwards.

The twins’ mother, with her usual parental instincts, has anticipated this and neatly catches Cassie before she hits the floor. “Whoops-a-daisy! Grandma’s got you!” Mom says cheerfully, sweeping the tot back to her feet and giving her a pat on the bottom as she sets off to continue running around. Then the woman casts a smirk at Mabel. “Like mother like daughter, indeed! You were always way too excited on Christmas morning, too!”

“It is not possible to be too excited on Christmas morning!” Mabel replies haughtily.

“Definitely not possible!” pipes in a grinning Dipper, raising an open hand above his head with his palm facing behind him, which Mabel immediately slaps in a blind high-five. “Excitement today is required behavior, Mom,” Dipper proclaims.

“Oh, of course,” Mom acknowledges. “I suppose it wasn’t that long ago the two of you were tearing around like whirling dervishes when all of Santa’s presents showed up under the tree.” She turns to her husband with a smug look. “Surely it wasn’t my fault they were always allowed to be so crazy on Christmas morning?”

“Are you kidding?” he retorts, his “dad bod” midsection shaking as he laughs. “You loved letting them be off the leash for one day a year.” He glances over to his children. “I guess you guys are passing that little tradition on to the next generation.”

Dipper scratches his scalp as he smiles self-consciously. Mabel just wiggles in delight. “Yay to family traditions!” she cries with a quick pump of her fist.

The morning continues this way. Cassie has several gifts to open under the tree, mostly clothes and small toys. The twins’ parents open their inexpensive (but lavishly hand-decorated by Mabel) gifts from their children. They in turn give each of their children gift cards, which Mabel thanks them for but good-naturedly scolds them for their lack of imagination. Dad raises his hands and accepts this, while Mom says they don’t want to give either of their kids a bunch of stuff they don’t need. Ever the pragmatist, Dipper congratulates his “wise” parents while Mabel pouts comically. But then Mom excuses herself and emerges from the basement with a wrapped present for each of the twins. Everyone, including Cassie, laughs at Mabel’s delighted antics as she enthusiastically rips the paper from her unexpected gift.

As Cassie starts playing with some of the decorations on the tree, her grandmother pulls them out of the tot’s hands and places them back onto the branches, humming “Oh Christmas Tree”. Mabel picks up the tune and starts singing with her mother. Soon everyone is singing, including the men who are mumbling along, faking the lyrics they don’t know. More singing follows, a mix of hymns and modern holiday tunes.

Mabel’s smile is enormous as she picks up Cassie and bounces around while singing “Holly Jolly Christmas” along with her family. Cassie is hugging her back and squealing right along with the melody. Dipper jumps up and joins them, and together they joyfully belt out the last lines of the song. Their Mom and Dad applaud while Cassie reaches out for Dipper. Mabel hands Cassie over, and as he squeezes the girl tightly Mabel hugs them both and makes a “Cassie sandwich”.

Then Mabel waves vigorously at her parents to get up and come join them. They chuckle and indulge her, embracing their children and their delighted granddaughter in a big group hug.

Relishing the moment, Mabel closes her eyes in satisfaction. Happy family times are perfect! It’s been way too long since they’ve all been together like this. All of them have been so busy! For now, she’s determined to hang on to this moment for as long as she can.

Times like this are so much better than they were, almost three years ago …

March 13, 2015 Piedmont, California

“So what is this all about?” Mom asked briskly.

Mabel swallowed nervously as her mother sat down beside her husband on the sofa in the spacious living room. Mom was a bit stressed. So was Dad. Since they were all scheduled to be on a plane to the Caribbean early the next morning for their all-inclusive March break vacation, there was a lot to be done.

But now there was something else that was about to be dropped on their plate. A pretty BIG something!

Mabel sat down in the love seat that faced the large sofa. Dipper sat beside her. Mabel glanced at her brother. He was putting on a brave face, but she could tell her fifteen-year-old twin was afraid. She obliquely wondered if she looked the same way.

“Dad? Mom?” Dipper began. “You’ve always said we should just get to the point, right? That we’re just wasting time otherwise?”

Their father looked back at Dipper. “Yes?” he replied warily.

“What’s going on?” Mom prompted, also looking concerned.

Dipper turned his head to Mabel. His face was now struggling to mask his fear. He nodded curtly at his sister.

Mabel nodded back and took a deep breath. Then she turned towards her parents, but was unable to look them in the eye.

“I’m pregnant,” she squeaked.

There were two loud intakes of breath from their parents. Mabel finally glanced at their faces, and she could tell they were shocked and upset. Of course they were! And there was more! Now she was truly terrified, and instinctively she reached out and sought out Dipper’s hand.

Dipper grasped her palm immediately and squeezed. He also drew a deep breath.

“And I’m the father,” she heard him utter, his voice shaking.

She braced herself for the onslaught.

Mabel pushes the memory away. Now is not the time for stuff like that! Now’s the time for Christmas cheer!

Mom extricates herself from the big family hugfest to put the turkey into the oven. Then she announces to her husband that because she and Mabel have been preparing their big dinner since before either of the men got up, she feels that it’s only fair if he and their son prepare brunch for the family. Mabel wholeheartedly agrees. Following a brief faux objection, Dipper laughs and heads for the kitchen, his father following with a resigned sigh and a lopsided smile. The “girls” of the house start to clean up the carnage left over from gift opening, Mabel coaching Cassie on how everything needs to be tidied up. Soon the living room is clean and the table is filled with pancakes, sausage, and french toast. Everyone gets a kick out of watching Cassie play with her food as the whole family enjoys their meal.

The Pines family may have roots in New Jersey on Dad’s side, but there are no remaining relatives on the East coast to share the holidays with. And of course it’s impossible to open their home up to anyone else, given the very awkward “family secret” of Cassie’s paternity that might be exposed. As a result, they have no one to invite over to share their time with. In their busy everyday lives, the family’s isolation is easy to overlook, but on a day like Christmas it becomes more obvious. After finishing eating and tidying up, things noticeably quiet down.

As Mom finishes putting dishes away, brunch is settling in everyone’s stomachs, and it’s time to relax. Cassie is playing on her own, her attention alternating between a wooden animal puzzle and the big box that squishy Waddles came in. The twins share the couch, Mabel picking up her yarn and knitting needles to make another sweater for her little girl, while Dipper pulls out his phone.

Dad has plans to watch basketball all afternoon and switches on the television to the pregame show for the Sixers and Knicks. Mom asks if he really needs to have that on now? Dad suggests that maybe he can do without it for now, on the proviso he not get any complaints when he watches his beloved Warriors play the Cavs later that afternoon. Mom shakes her head and agrees.

After the television winks off, Dad looks at Dipper, who is engrossed with his phone. “What’re you reading there?” he asks his son.

Dipper glances up briefly. “Nothing important, I guess. Just a blog I follow, by this paranormal investigator who lives out west.”

“That BS again?” says Dad with an amused snort. “I thought you’d moved past that nonsense.”

“Oh yeah,” retorts Dipper, staring down his father with a grin. “I guess I should be concentrating on important stuff, right? Like basketball, I suppose?”

Dad chuckles at that. “Yeah well at least my interests are about something real!”

“Leave him alone, Dad,” chimes in Mabel with a giggle. “He’s got his weird conspiracies, you’ve got your dumb sports. As far as I can tell, you’re both pretty much even in this ‘waste of time’ competition!”

“Fine, fine!” says Dad to Mabel, smiling and waving dismissively.

Mom walks in from the kitchen. “Mabel, when’s your next shift at the hobby store? Were you able to get tomorrow off?”

Mabel grimaces. “No, I wish!” she says with disappointment. “I have to be there when they open up. They say the morning after Christmas is usually a really busy shift.” She’s determined to not be a sourpuss about her job, so she forces an upbeat attitude. “But hopefully I’ll get to see all the cool things the customers are starting to work on. That’s the best part of my job, helping people do their bestest and craftiest!”

“Yes, I know,” her mother replies. “I’ll watch Cassie tomorrow, so it’s no problem. I’m happy you get to work in a place where there’s things that are kind of up your alley.”

“Yeah, I wish I could just keep all the stuff that are on the shelves for myself!” Mabel sighs dreamily. “You know me, the master of arts and crafts! If only I’d-”

Mabel cuts herself off, not wanting to verbalize the end of that thought. She had just about said she wished she’d gone to art college. She knows that it should have been a perfectly feasible goal for her. If not for … Mabel glances at Cassie on the other side of the room, playing quietly. She loves Cassie so much, she’d never go back and change her mind. But still, she’d be lying if there weren’t a few regrets, as well. She tries to get back to positive thoughts as she looks fondly at her daughter.

Mom doesn’t press Mabel to continue, having sensed what caused Mabel’s sudden surge of melancholy. Dad, on the other hand, is oblivious. He turns back to Dipper. “I forgot to ask if you got your final grades for first semester.”

“You didn’t tell him, Dipper?” Mom says excitedly. “Go ahead!”

“Yeah, they were posted on Friday” Dipper replies, shrugging modestly. “I did pretty well, I guess.”

Mabel nudges her brother with her elbow, happy for the change of subject. “Pretty well? Dip, you said you received an email from NJIT that you got the highest average in your entire program this term!”

Dipper nods bashfully. “Really?” says Dad, raising an eyebrow. “Well, then! Congratulations, that’s an excellent accomplishment!” He leans forward in his recliner to reach over and grip his son’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son. Good work!”

“Thanks, Dad!” replies Dipper, a grateful expression spreading on his face. “I worked pretty hard this semester.”

Dad nods. “I know you did. You’ve developed a really good work ethic these past few years.” He leans back into his chair again. “You would have done so well at MIT.”

Dipper’s smile doesn’t waver, but his eyes fall to the floor. “Yeah, probably.” he says.

Mabel instantly feels for her twin. Darn it, why does Dad always have to make those little digs? The New Jersey Institute of Technology might not have the same level of prestige as that uppity place in Massachusetts, but she knows his college isn’t exactly chopped liver. She’s seen the projects Dipper has been working on, and although she doesn’t understand engineering, she knows he’s doing amazing stuff!

But before Mabel can say anything to that effect, her mother has chimed in. “So what about next semester, Dipper? What do your classes look like for January?”

“Okay, I think,” Dipper says. “There’s an introduction to biotech course that sounds really interesting, and everything I’ve learned up until now has been good. There’s just …” He makes a frustrated noise. “The only thing is the schedule! They’ve got me down for three evening classes. That means three days a week, it’ll be really late before I can get home.”

Mom sighs. “Oh, Dipper, I’m sorry. That sounds awful, you’re going to be on the train at all hours of the night.” She shakes her head. “You really should have taken one of the rooms in residence on campus. You would have been walking distance to all your classes.”

“Mom, we already talked about this,” Dipper moans. “It’s too expensive! My scholarship doesn’t pay for room and board. I can’t afford it, and you can’t afford to pay it for me.”

“We’d have found the money somehow, we tried to tell you that,” Mom scolds gently.

“Even so, it’s not that bad. If I catch the trains right, it’s only a little over an hour.” Dipper shakes his head. “I’ll be fine, even if it sucks next term.”

Dad looks intently at Dipper. “Of course, you had the opportunity to accept a full scholarship to MIT, including residence. Living on campus would have been no problem there.”

This time Dipper doesn’t look away, and he stares back at his father. He says nothing, but the temperature in the room seems to drop several degrees. No ones says anything for several seconds.

Mabel is about to try breaking up the tension with a funny comment. But Cassie stands up and looks around, distracting Mabel. Cassie looks tired, and she’s late to go down for her nap. She also seems to sense the unease in the room. Looking for someplace safe, she makes a tiny whining noise and toddles over to the nearest comforting set of arms, which happen to belong to her uncle. Dipper picks her up and holds her, giving pats on the back and letting her relax against his chest with her head resting on his shoulder. Everyone watches in silence as Dipper whispers soothing noises to the girl, lulling her quickly into sleep.

“She’s had a really big morning,” Mabel says to no one in particular, forcing a smile on her face as she watches her daughter snooze peacefully in Dipper’s arms. “All those new toys and stuff to play with, it was bound to tucker her out. I’ll bet-”

“Pumpkin … that’s enough,” Dad says with quiet authority. “I’m sorry, but please don’t change the subject. I don’t think it’s healthy to avoid what’s on everyone’s mind here. I didn’t want this to come up today, but …” he crosses his arms with deliberation,“ ...here we are! We need to address this whole issue of Dipper’s education.”

Dipper stiffens. “What’s the problem, Dad? You just finished telling me you were proud of me. I’m at the top of my class, but now that’s not good enough?”

“I am proud of you, Dipper!” responds Dad. “Clearly, you’ve done extremely well this term. And NJIT is a fine school, no doubt.” He straightens up and gestures emphatically. “But I think it’s time for you to admit that you are holding yourself back! You were granted a full scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology! You always dreamed of going there! It’s the best technical school in the country! And clearly you would have been brilliant there! You must realize how many more doors would be open to you if you’re an MIT alumnus, how many more lucrative and exciting opportunities might present themselves!”

“I get that,” Dipper replies, his voice measured. With Cassie’s ear right beside his mouth, he can’t get too loud. “But it doesn’t matter, Dad. Boston is just too far away! I thought you understood that when I turned down their offer.” He embraces the girl a bit tighter. “I don’t want to be so far away from Cassie. Going back and forth to school in Newark allows me to see her every day. She’s really important to me, you know that!” He gives the side of her head a gentle kiss. “NJIT is a good school. And I’m fine with going there.”

Dad exhales heavily. “It’s just a waste of your full potential!” he mutters with exasperation.

“Now, Honey!” Mom says, lightly admonishing her husband. “Think about how Dipper must feel. There’s nothing wrong with his university. And he can’t be expected to just up and leave his … niece …” she clears her throat quickly, “all at once and not be upset by it.” She gives Dipper and the sleeping child a fond look. “Going to a school near home and commuting to the city every day this year is a good first step for you. Maybe next year, you’ll be more comfortable and you’ll live on campus. Or at least in the city where you’re closer to your classes. You’d be able to come home on the weekends!”

Dipper refrains from saying anything, he just continues to slowly rub Cassie’s back as she sleeps.

“I think that’s a good idea!” proclaims Mabel suddenly.

Dipper casts a strange look her way as she puts down her knitting. Seeing that Dipper is under a lot of pressure from their parents, Mabel has decided to do something about it. She needs to get everyone off of this subject, and she has experience with the fact that sometimes she just has to agree with some of what her parents are saying to make them happy. Or just tell them what they want to hear so they at least leave her alone for awhile. No, it’s not the healthiest way to deal with conflict, but … this is Christmas, man! All this talk about Dipper leaving home can wait for a different day!

“Maybe Mom and Dad have a point, and you should start thinking about when it’s time to bein’ all foot loose and fancy free!” As she says this she turns to face her brother, away from her parents. She tries desperately to communicate to Dipper with her face that she’s not serious about the subject. Dipper nods subtly, telling her he understands. “It’s not like anyone’s moving out tomorrow, or anything. I know it’s weird for me, of all people, but we could stand to talk about it sometime!”

To Mabel’s silent dismay, the attempt to diffuse the conversation fails. “You know, it isn’t just Dipper, Pumpkin,” says Mom. “A day will come that you won’t be living here, either.”

A deer in the headlights has nothing on how Mabel feels now. She’s just put herself in the high beams. “Oh wow. Yeah!” she mumbles.

“It’s not that we don’t adore Cassie, or love having both of you here,” Mom reassures her. “You’ll be here as long as necessary. But someday you won’t be needing us anymore.”

“I haven’t, you know … really thought that far ahead.” She nonchalantly reaches over to Dipper and motions for the sleeping tot with her hands out. Dipper carefully passes her over to Mabel. “I mean … there’s been Cassie, and high school … and now work … it’s just been so busy …” she laments, shifting Cassie into a comfortable position on her shoulder.

“Well,” says Dad, “it seems to me that you won’t be moving out anytime soon.” There’s a long pause, then he continues. “Certainly not until you’ve found yourself some support. You know …” he raises his eyebrows, “support of a … significant other kind!”

Mabel flushes in embarrassment. “Daa-ad!” she groans.

“Oh goodness, Honey, stop being awful!” scolds Mom with a grin as she swats her husband lightly.

“Hey, this is a real issue!” Dad says. “She has a small child. She’s going to have a tough time finding the right fellow. Sure, there’s no hurry, but … why not start looking now? What’s the harm?” He looks at Mabel directly. “Aren’t there any nice young men around your workplace? You ever talk to any of them?”

Oh god, Mabel doesn’t think she’s had a more awkward conversation with her father in a long time. Aren’t Dads supposed to, you know, discourage their daughters from seeking out men? Then again, most fathers don’t have daughters who have been … biblical … with their sibling, either. Her gaze shifts involuntarily to her brother.

Dipper is already defending Mabel. “C’mon, Dad!” he says with a forced chuckle. “Isn’t it kind of old-fashioned to be pushing Mabel into finding herself a …” he pantomimes air quotes with his fingers, “... good man in her life?”

Dad appraises Mabel and her daughter on the sofa. “I’ve never been ashamed of being the old-fashioned type,” Dad responds. “I’m not telling her to go out and marry the first guy who looks at her, for pete’s sake! She should know she’s found the right man, and being a single mother that could take a lot of time. But I see nothing wrong with wanting to see that my little girl is going to be well taken care of. She just has to be open to the possibility.”

Then the man’s gaze shifts back to Dipper. “And that goes for you, as well, son. Sure, you’re in an engineering program, which is still dominated by men. But there must be some young ladies that you’ve met in school? You’ve mentioned several new friends. Why have I never heard about any girls?”

Dipper is stone faced, but Mabel swears she can see a thin film of sweat about to burst onto his forehead. “There are only a few women in my classes, Dad,” he manages to reply. “I haven’t really talked to any of them.”

“Well, don’t wait forever! Any girl would be lucky to grab you!” says Dad with a small laugh. “I’m sorry for being on you about MIT. You’re still going to earn a fine degree, and have a very good career. You’ve got a great future ahead of you! Don’t you think you should be looking for someone to share that future with?” He waves back and forth at the twins. “Both of you should be thinking about this!”

There are many things that Mabel would say to that, if she could. But it’s impossible. And nothing that she can say is coming to mind, with the way her heart is pounding from stress. The room is unbearably silent. Mabel can’t stop herself from looking to Dipper for support, and finds he is staring right back at her, looking as uncomfortable as she probably does.

“I see.” Their mother’s voice is cold.

Mabel’s heart leaps into her throat. Mom hasn’t said anything for some time. She’s just been watching and listening!

Dad looks at his wife, confused. “What?”

“Look at them!” she says curtly. “They have no intention of looking for relationships, and they never have.” She takes a deep breath. “They said that everything that happened in California was over. That they weren’t interested in being … together … anymore.” She fixes the twins with a withering stare, her voice sharp. “But that’s not true at all, is it?” she demands, daring her children to deny the accusation.

Dipper struggles to recover. “Mom, we … we haven’t … it’s not-”

“No, Dip,” interrupts Mabel softly. He looks wide-eyed at her, but with a glance she lets him know that the jig is up.

After a fearful nod of understanding from Dipper, Mabel turns to their stern-faced parents. Cassie now feels ten times heavier on her shoulder. She swallows down the huge lump in her throat, and confesses the obvious truth.

“Dip & I … we’re still in love.”

“What … WHAT did you say?” stammered the twins’ stunned mother.

“You’re PREGNANT?” demanded their father to Mabel, then he wheeled on Dipper. “You … YOU got her PREGNANT?”

Mabel offered the only defense she could. “We love each other,” she whimpered.

Mom looked to be in deep shock, making noises of incomprehensible hysterics. Dad was on his feet, his face wild. “You’re NOT serious! You CAN’T be god damned serious! PLEASE tell me this is a joke!!”

Dipper was just as scared as Mabel by the furious response. Speechless, the twins were rooted in place, unable to respond in any way.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god,” chanted Mom, her voice squeaky and her face buried in her hands.

Dad was apoplectic, completely losing his composure as he stormed around the room. “What the HELL were you … how did … JESUS you two! WHY???”

Getting no response from two terrified young teens, he stalked over and loomed menacingly over them. “I asked you a question, and so help me god, you will answer me! WHY? How did this happen?” He focused on Dipper, an ugly snarl forming. “If you did ANYTHING to force this on Mabel, I’ll-”

“No, Dad!” Mabel cried as Dipper shrank back in fear. “It was BOTH of us! We …” Mabel had no other explanation, only the one she’d already offered. “We LOVE each other!”

“LOVE?” yelled Dad in astonishment. “You CAN’T god damned LOVE each other! You’re brother and sister!” He cut off Dipper with a vicious glare before the boy could respond. “And you’re only FIFTEEN! You don’t know what love even IS! Guess what, love isn’t FUC-” He stopped himself short, flinching violently. “Love isn’t having SEX with your sister!”

Mom began to cry loudly, distracting her husband from his verbal attack on their children. He sat and held her, both of them unprepared and angry, and trying to gather themselves. The twins cowered on the love seat in silence while they waited.

After the shock began to fade, Mom was beginning to get her sobbing under control. “Are you … are you absolutely sure … you’re pregnant?” she asked Mabel shakily. “How do … you know?”

“I … bought a test. It’s upstairs,” Mabel responded meekly. “And I … I kinda feel all the ways you’re supposed to feel when you’re pregnant.”

Her mother inhaled a stuttering breath. “And you’re SURE that … that Dipper is … he’s the …”

“Yes!” Mabel’s reply was almost indignant, as she was a bit insulted that her mother would think she had more than one sexual partner. It took her a second to realize that her mother might actually have preferred to think that she had slept around with other boys, at least in this case. She withdrew beside Dipper even further, watching her mother’s disappointed face.

Dad made like he was going to begin berating the twins again. “No, that’s enough!” Mom interjected firmly. “We have to stop this right now!”

“We can’t just DROP this!” Dad exclaimed, incredulous.

“Of course we can’t! But nothing good can come of any of this until you and I have a chance to calm down and talk about it, first. We’re done for tonight!” She sighed. “And clearly we’re not going anywhere in the morning.”

“Christ!” Dad groaned, remembering the vacation plans, and immediately agreeing that the holiday could not happen anymore. “That’s just great! Did we buy cancellation insurance?”

“I don’t CARE about that right now!” Mom grumbled back, irritated. “Let’s … let’s just go upstairs!” She frowned at Mabel. “You will go up to your room and stay there! And YOU,” she addressed Dipper sternly, “will sleep in the guest room down here!” She rose to her feet and pointed the way for her daughter. “Get going NOW!” Mabel bowed her head and started reluctantly for the stairs, her parents following closely behind.

Dipper needed to try to protect and comfort Mabel. “How is that fair?” he argued. “You both get to talk and everything … get support from each other. Mabel’s all alone! She only told ME less than two hours ago! She … we need to be able to talk to someone, too!”

Dad whipped around at the base of the stairs, clearly still agitated. “You listen to me!” he growled. “Apparently you two have already had PLENTY of time together, and doing a lot more than just TALK!” He turned his back to Dipper and continued up the stairs, giving Mabel no choice but to go up ahead of him. “One thing you’d better believe is that … THIS … is over!” he shouts. “The two of you will stop this! I WON’T let this continue!”

“I don’t believe this,” grumbles Dad with disgust.

For a moment there’s complete silence, interrupted only by Cassie’s light snoring. Mabel desperately searches for anything approaching sympathy from her mother or father. Dipper can’t meet the intense gaze of either of their parents.

“You both said over a year ago that you were over this!” Dad continues, his voice rising. “You assured us! This sick infatuation was done! And now you’re telling us it’s not?”

“Dad, please!” cries Mabel. “Just listen for a min-”

“Listen to why you’ve been lying to us?” shoots back her father, growing incensed.

Dipper pulls himself together. “Could we please just stop for a second?” he interrupts. “We need to put Cassie down to bed in her room.” He gently touches Mabel’s arm. “C’mon.”

Mabel sniffs and nods in agreement. The twins avoid looking at Mom or Dad as Dipper helps Mabel to her feet under Cassie’s weight. They make their way down the hallway to the toddler’s bedroom, and Mabel lays the girl down carefully. Although Cassie shifts and moans, she immediately relaxes as Mabel pulls up her blanket and returns to a sound sleep.

“I’m sorry Dip,” Mabel whispers shakily.

Dipper hugs her. “It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” he murmurs back, kissing her head. “I love you. That’s what matters, right?”

Mabel nods and wipes her eyes against her brother’s shirt. “I love you too.”

As they nervously return to the living room, their parents quickly abort a hushed conversation. Mom has a firm look of judgement on her face. Dad seems to be back in control of his emotions, but looks decidedly unhappy. His eyes narrow even further as he sees the twins holding one another’s hands. Mabel draws a breath and pulls Dipper to the couch.

“So …” Mabel begins, interpreting her parents’ lack of comment as permission to explain, “... me and Dipper … we wanted to try to move on from each other. We really did!” She glances with uncertainty at Dipper, and he nods reassuringly. “When we moved here, we were still hanging on to everything we were feeling for each other. And you knew that. But we stayed away from each other like you told us to, even though it was really hard.

“And then we got so busy after Cassie was born! I’d come straight home after school every day to look after her. Dipper had all his tutoring students. And we had all our homework! For five days a week we barely saw each other. And even on weekends or during the summer, anything we did that wasn’t work was with Cassie. We were just overwhelmed, we never had time for each other anymore, to even think of each other as a couple anymore. When you talked to us about our feelings last year, about if we had moved on … I thought we had! It was the truth!

“But then Dipper got that letter about the scholarship to MIT. And … I couldn’t stand it! I was sure he’d take the offer and he’d be gone! I expected to miss him a lot … but I didn’t know how much it would hurt to face that! It was devastating!” Mabel paused to wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

“We were both working so hard, just keeping our heads above water, I think … I guess I wasn’t thinking. But when I was faced with it, I just knew …” she turns to Dipper again, “... that everything he meant to me hadn’t gone away. I still loved him, more than ever!”

Both parents sit stoically, waiting for their son’s explanation.

Dipper clears his throat. “I’ve always tried to be what you’ve wanted me to be,” he says, sounding reluctant. “When we moved here, I really applied myself. I wanted to prove to you …” he squeezes Mabel’s hand, “... to all of you … that I would do everything possible to make the best of what happened to us. I’d earn money. I’d get good grades in school. I’d help out at home … and be a good uncle for Cassie. I’d do everything right!

“Last winter was when we were getting ready to put in college applications. I felt really bad for Mabel, that she was going give up any hope of going to college and would be starting work full time instead. You were counting on me. And I vowed to put my education first, so I applied to every big name school because it was … the right thing to do!

“When the package from MIT arrived, you were both so excited. I knew I should have been excited, too, but I wasn’t! Mabel had been acting happy for me, trying to cheer me on, saying I’d do great at MIT. But I looked at her … and knew ...” he blinks back a tear as he gazes at Mabel, “... I knew I couldn’t leave her. The tiny bits of Mabel that I’ve been able to hang on to over the past couple of years … I need that! I can’t live without that!”

He tilts his head towards where the young girl was sleeping. “I told you the reason I turned down MIT was that I’d miss Cassie too much, and I wasn’t lying. I might keep the secret from everyone outside this house, but she’s my daughter! I love her and I want to be near her, and that’s the truth!” He swallows hard and stares back at his twin again. “But she’s only half of it. Leaving Mabel would have been just as bad! With all we did for Cassie, it ended up just making everything I felt for Mabel even stronger. I had to stay!”

Mom finally speaks up. “That’s precisely the problem!” she exclaims, frustrated. “The two of you are still reacting to these … feelings you had! Reacting in ways that you can’t afford anymore! You were just children when this happened, but you aren’t any longer!” She gestures to Dipper. “Think for a second about what you’re giving up for this. How you’re not moving on to finding someone you can actually share your life with!” Then she waves at Mabel. “And you know Dipper can’t be the husband and father that you and Cassie need! It just isn’t possible!”

“Exactly!” grunts Dad in agreement, his arms folded tightly against his chest.

“You can’t function this way, you can’t exist this way!” Mom continues. “It doesn’t matter how painful it is, you have to put this behind you! Like any other brother and sister, you need to … grow up! Now that you’re adults, you need to face your problems as adults!”

Mabel is weeping quietly in despair. She should have known that they wouldn’t understand! Dipper had always said as much. They will simply reject any possibility that the twins could remain in love, that they could always be there for each other. The only options, in their parents’ minds, are that the twins move on to find other relationships, or the twins simply move on alone. To their parents, Dipper and Mabel remaining so close emotionally was an impossible outcome.

Dipper slouches forward, his palm over his forehead. “You don’t get it, Mom and Dad,” he laments. “We can’t just move past this.”

“You can’t be serious,” fumes Dad. “Of course you can move past this! You just don’t want to! But you don’t have a choice, you’re going to have to.” His neck twitches, his agitation growing even as he keeps his tone quiet. “What you and Mabel did was unnatural! It was immoral! And it was illegal!”

Mabel tenses, trying to psychically will Dipper to resist being pedantic at this moment. She fails.

“Technically, it wouldn’t be illegal now,” Dipper mutters. “There’s no law against, you know … adult incest … in New Jersey.”

“That doesn’t mean anyone would think it’s acceptable!” Dad snaps back, his voice dangerously low.

“That’s right,” agrees Mom. “Just because nobody could call the police on you, that doesn’t mean that even if you wanted to, you could ever be together!” She fidgets in irritation. “Imagine trying to live that way! You could never get to be serious. You could never be open. Don’t you ever want to be married? It can’t be with each other! That’s certainly not legal!”

Now Mom is really wound up. “And you know what else is never going to be legal, either? Children! And you already have one! How exactly does Cassie fit into any possible future you two might have together?”

March 14, 2015

The twins were seated at their customary spots across from each other at the big dining room table. Exhausted from lack of enough rest and fighting a bout of nausea, Mabel wasn’t allowed to be in the same room as Dipper all morning until this meeting. The nervous teen couldn’t help noting the location for this conversation, directed by their parents, kept her and Dipper physically separated.

Dad sat down at the table with the kids. His face was inscrutable, and he was avoiding looking directly at either of his children. Mom stood by the china cabinet, considering her words. The bags under their eyes provided evidence of their all-night private discussion.

“We’re VERY disappointed in you,” Mom finally said without preamble. “We’re not interested in how long this has been going on, and we will not be listening to any reason or justification you might have for why you have done this. What you did was wrong, and it will NOT happen ever again!”

The twins made no reply. It was clear that none was expected.

“But …” Mom continued with a deep sigh, “what’s done is done. Regardless of the mistakes you’ve made, we have to deal with what’s happened. Obviously, I’m talking about you,” she nodded soberly at Mabel, “being pregnant.”

Mabel was now very much alone under the microscope, feeling like her womb was an object that was isolated and under examination.

“Your father and I talked at length all night about what happens next.” She drummed her fingers on the surface of the cabinet, staring at her feet. “We have no idea what issues the fetus could have. From what little research we could do overnight, it seems there could be significant birth defects, or there might be nothing wrong at all. We don’t know.” She looked up at Mabel. “We also had to consider what this means to your future. How a pregnancy at your age could be devastating. For both of you,” she added, glancing sharply at Dipper, “if the truth were to come out about who the father is.”

She pulled out her chair at the table and sat down, pursing her lips and then interlacing her fingers in front of her. “We have always been of the opinion that life begins at conception. We haven’t changed our minds about this. But-” her voice broke for an instant, “in a situation like this, we understand how opinions sometimes need to be … flexible.”

After a long pause, Dad finally spoke. “What we’re saying is that as much as we dislike this, we think the best option for you is that you get an abortion,” he said to Mabel.

Mabel looked up to her father, then back to the other end of the table to her mother. Both of them appeared to be looking for acknowledgement from her. She could tell that they thought they had just made a significant concession, and that Mabel should be thankful to them. It was clear that they believed Mabel would welcome the opportunity to end the pregnancy.

Then she looked across the table to Dipper. He made a tiny, meaningful nod of his head, and she knew he would stand with her.

“I …” she swallowed hard, “... I don’t WANT to have an abortion,” she said, her voice squeaking.

Her parents were obviously thrown for a loop by her response. They stared blankly at one another, unsure if they had heard Mabel correctly. Both of them then turned their attention to Dipper, who gravely nodded his solidarity with his sister. Mabel sat silently on her side of the table, timid but trying to appear determined. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, the twins’ parents were again unprepared to react to unexpected news from their children.

Dad was flummoxed. “So … you want to have the baby?”

“Yes,” replied Mabel, her gaze locked on the table.

He absorbed this. “And what, exactly ... are you planning to TELL anyone? About who got you pregnant?”

Mabel lifted her eyes to Dipper, who was already looking at her, scared but supportive. “We don’t know,” said Dipper softly.

“Well I think that’s something you NEED to know!” Dad demanded, his attention see-sawing from one twin to the other. “If you have no idea what you’re doing, how can-”

“Please, Dad!” exclaimed Mabel with sincerity. “I can’t do it! This isn’t the baby’s fault! I can’t k-” She took a shuddering breath as tears spontaneously leaked from her eyes, “I can’t KILL our baby!”

Mom sobbed and began crying, triggering Mabel to start as well. Mabel instinctively reached out for her mother, who rose and went to Mabel’s side in an instant and they hugged tightly. But the moment only lasted a few seconds. Mom pulled herself back away from Mabel’s grip, visibly struggling to control her emotions. “Keep it together, stay focused” she muttered under her breath as she stepped away. Mabel was hurt by the retreat, but she understood it. Her mother was fighting an internal war: sympathy for Mabel and her unborn baby on one hand, and despair for the baby’s conception and Mabel’s future on the other.

Dad held his tongue for the moment, doing his best to not let the discussion descend into an emotional powderkeg.

Soon his wife had composed herself again. She faced the twins from across the room, but her eyes were closed, her arms braced across her stomach. “Have you … thought at ALL about what will happen when the baby is born?” she asked tentatively. “Surely you must think that … that you can give the baby up for adoption?”

Mabel nods, again wordlessly receiving acknowledgment from her brother. “We talked about it a little, last night,” she said timidly. “But we’re … not sure.”

Dad exhaled hard, his annoyance bubbling up. “You’re not sure?” he repeated. “Mabel, of COURSE you’re going to go the adoption route! You need to think straight about this, and realize what you’re facing!” He leaned forward, elbows and closed fists on the table, closing in on his daughter. “You are in Grade 10! You’ll have two more years of high school after this baby arrives! How would you manage that if you’ve got a kid? And even if you did, how would you go to college? Or get a job? Or go travelling? Or ANYTHING else you might want to do? Keeping this baby will RUIN your life!”

Mabel sunk lower in her chair as her father continued. “This doesn’t even include the fact that this baby is a product of … incest! Can you imagine what it would be like if that gets out? That would harm this whole family even more!” Then he raised his chin. “And it could have health issues. Do you want that heartache? Do you want to put yourself through that? And think of the baby! What if you sentence it to a life of dealing with some awful birth defect?” He paused deliberately, letting his words sink in.

The ramifications were swirling in Mabel’s mind. Darn it, was her father right? How terrible would her life get? Would it be her fault if keeping this baby hurts her family? If the baby has problems because of genetics, would that be fair to it? Might it wish it were never born?

Her father sat back a bit, giving Mabel some space. “I don’t think we can dismiss ANY of the options.” He reached out and placed his hand on Mabel’s arm. “Yes, there’s still adoption. And … perhaps it’s really painful to think about, but … as your mother just explained, we still think that termination is what’s best for you.”

This was all very overwhelming to Mabel, and her father’s persuasion was extremely effective. Her gut was churning with reluctance and regret, but perhaps she needed to acknowledge her father’s logic. She felt herself starting to nod her head in agreement when-

“That’s not for you to decide, Dad,” Dipper firmly interjected.

The man’s attention was diverted to his son, his demeanor instantly less gentle. “I beg your pardon?”

Dipper steeled himself. “You’re trying to manipulate her. You’re trying to make Mabel feel guilty for not wanting an abortion.” He flinched as his father’s stare intensified, but he didn’t back down. “It’s her choice! You can’t make that decision for her!” he declared in a louder voice.

“Is that so?” Dad replied coolly, “Let me tell you something. Parents make decisions all the time for their children. This is no different.” He leaned closer to Dipper. “The two of you are only fifteen years old, and you’re too young for adult decisions. And by getting your sister PREGNANT,” he emphasized forcefully, “I’d say you’ve both definitively proven that you’re not ready for adult decisions!”

“Yes, we screwed up!” shot back Dipper desperately. “Yes, we were irresponsible! We should have used better protection!” His father started to respond, but Dipper kept going. “Or MAYBE we shouldn’t have been doing anything in the first place! All right!?” His breaths started coming closer together, nearly hyperventilating. “We’re SORRY!! Okay?!? We didn’t want this to happen!”

Dipper’s wide eyes found Mabel’s, holding them in determination and devotion. “But Mabel WILL be keeping this baby, if she wants to!” he declared firmly.

Mabel shivered involuntarily from the intensity of Dipper’s defense of her. She couldn’t imagine being capable of loving him more!

But then the question that immediately came to Mabel’s mind was what their father would do next. The product of old fashioned values, he had raised his children to respect his experience and authority and to obey their parents’ directives. The children had likewise been granted reciprocal respect through age-appropriate freedoms as they grew up, so they were always satisfied to comply with their parents. As a result, the twins had never needed to test what serious punishment might arise. Mabel had absolutely no idea what their father might do to them now!

Their father rose slowly from his chair, glaring with intimidation at his son. “Are you DEFYING me?” he growled dangerously.

Dipper managed to meet his father’s stare. He was plainly terrified of what could happen, but he didn’t waver.

“If you’re so set on making your own decisions, you think you’d like making ALL your decisions? Out there, all on your own?” Dad continued menacingly.

Oh my god, thought Mabel in a panic. Could their father throw Dipper out of the house? And her as well?

“Honey …” implored Mom uneasily, then was silenced by a severe scowl from her husband.

Dipper was shaking noticeably. His voice was quivering with fear. But his words were strong. “I’m sorry, Dad, but I don’t care! Last night, before we told you about all this, we talked about what we should do. We even thought about running away, but we decided to tell you instead. So just know that if you don’t want us here, I’m ready! If Mabel wants to have our baby, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she can!!”

A minute went by as father and son engaged in a silent war of wills. Dad made multiple wordless twitches, feints that implicitly made the twins believe that he could push Dipper and Mabel out to survive on their own, unless his son would back down. But Dipper would not yield.

And in the end, it was an empty threat. With a loud outburst of frustration, Dad turned and stalked out of the dining room. He may have been furious with his children for their actions and defiance, but was unable to abandon them.

The teenagers and their mother gasped repeatedly, their breathing slowly returning to normal after the tense standoff. Dipper reached across to take Mabel’s hands at the table, an action their mother saw but could not forbid, at least not at that moment.

Finally Mabel had collected herself a little bit. “Mom?” she asked uneasily. Her mother swiped at her eye with a finger, then nodded that she was listening. “Dipper and I came to you and Dad last night because we need you,” Mabel continued, pleading. “We don’t want to leave. We need your help to figure out what we can do. We want to talk about everything! Everything except …” she took a shuddering breath, “... everything except KILLING our baby! Can you please understand that?”

Mom couldn’t handle her own emotions any longer. Again she flew to Mabel and embraced her, despairing for her daughter. This time she didn’t pull back, and didn’t want to let go. “Oh, Mabel!” she cried as she and Mabel wept together. “I don’t know how to fix this!”

“I’m sorry!” Mabel sobbed back, devastated but determined again that she would bring this little life growing within her safely into the world.

“How is that little girl going to grow up in this rosy future that you’ve obviously not thought through?” Mom demands, her rant continuing. “It’s obvious to anyone that Dipper loves her, and he treats her like a father would.”

“So what?” Mabel cries, defending her brother. “There’s nothing wrong with an uncle who loves his niece! He’s allowed to be affectionate, and Cassie deserves it!”

“But if you and Dipper want to somehow be together again, because of your feelings, what is that little girl going to think when she sees you having … feelings … for each other?” Dipper tries to interject, but Mom just keeps going at him instead. “I suppose you’re planning on having Cassie call you ‘Daddy’, right?” she accuses.

“NO!” Dipper fires back immediately.

“Mom!” Mabel cries. “Nothing about the way Dipper and I feel about each other changes what we do with Cassie!”

“We’ve never wanted Cassie to know!” insists Dipper, nodding at his sister in agreement. ‘We still don’t!”

“Yeah, we know that she can’t ever find out that Dipper’s her father, or that I feel that way about him. It’s wouldn’t be fair to her.”

“She’s only ever going to know me as ‘Uncle Dip.’ That’s it!”

Mom is obviously unconvinced. “And if you continue the way you’re going, you can’t think you can hide those feelings from Cassie as she gets older. She’s going to see that her uncle and mother aren’t like other siblings.”

“Oh yeah?” fires back Mabel. “If that’s right, why didn’t YOU see it until just now?” Mabel is suddenly emboldened, feeling like she can make her mother see something her way. “Dipper and I have apparently been doing a pretty good job of hiding our feelings from you, until today! You had no idea until you started asking weird questions!”

“Plus you have the advantage of knowing what you already know,” Dipper adds. “Cassie doesn’t know anything about what happened in California between Mabel and I, and she doesn’t know who her father is. She’ll have no reason to be suspicious.”

Mom ponders this, and Mabel knows her mother doesn’t want to admit that her kids have a point. “We’ve had a lot of practice hiding our true feelings, Mom,” Mabel says gently. “We’re actually pretty good at it.”

For a moment Mabel sees her mother consider what she and Dipper have said. Could it be they’ve gotten through to her? Might she start to-

“Oh for GOD’S sake!!”

Mabel, Dipper, and even Mom jump at the sudden outburst. All heads jerk towards the twins’ father, the source of the angry exclamation. The man is obviously out of patience.

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this! This is god damn ridiculous! Are you actually listening to this?” he nearly shouts at his wife. “After everything that happened in Piedmont! What they did, and the baby! We pulled up stakes, gave up everything!” He spins towards his children, who are rocked back on their heels in fear.

“Why are having to deal with this again now?!?”

March 19, 2015

“We’re leaving Piedmont.”

Dipper had just entered the living room after being called by his mother. Mabel had barely sat down on the sofa herself when Dad had made his simple proclamation. “Huh?” she exclaimed.

“We’ll stay here until sometime in June, after you finish your school year,” Dad explained without much enthusiasm. “Then we’ll be moving East. To New Jersey.”

Mabel was dumbstruck. She had been kept in the dark the last few days after the big confession. The twins’ parents had kept a close eye on Dipper and Mabel, not allowing them to be alone in the same room together. For long stretches of time, Dipper was confined to his new sleeping quarters in the guest bedroom and Mabel in her own room, while their parents talked privately. They gave their children very little indication of what was up, though Mabel knew they obviously were making arrangements of some sort. But moving away? To New Jersey? She didn’t see that coming at all!

Dipper, on the other hand, seemed to almost be expecting the news. “Wow,” he muttered softly as he slowly lowered himself into the sofa. “You’re really gonna do this!”

“We don’t have much choice,” replied Dad in a matter-of-fact manner. Mabel noticed that Dad seemed to be less angry than he was before. She was certain that he wasn’t happy, either, but it was as much as Mabel could expect, she supposed.

Mom also seemed to have steadied herself in the intervening days. “When Mabel decided she’s going to carry the baby to term, we thought very hard about what that would mean,” she explained, looking at her daughter. “Have you thought about how you’re going to explain how you got pregnant?”

Mabel shrugged self-consciously. “Kind of, I guess … I just thought I’d say I had a boyfriend, and he dumped me when he found out I was, you know … preggers.”

“Yes, but WHO, Mabel?” pressed Mom. “That only works if you can invent a biological father, someone nobody will question! Here in Piedmont, the name of the father is going to be everyone’s question. If you can’t identify this ‘boyfriend’ then people will naturally be curious, or suspicious. The truth could then come out.”

“If there’s any question as to the identity of the father of the baby, then there’s a real chance someone will speculate about the two of you,” said Dad, cringing. “Particularly given how well you two have famously always … you know, “got along”.”

“We think we’ve broken down every scenario,” said Mom, “and there’s no getting around it. You being pregnant wouldn’t just be embarrassing, Mabel. It could be dangerous! For BOTH of you!” she emphasized.

“For ALL of us,” corrected Dad. “We’d all have a lot to try to explain if rumours start flying.”

“So the bottom line is we can’t stay here,” concluded Mom. “If we’re going to concoct a story of an unknown father of this baby, we have to do it somewhere else, and soon!”

Mabel let the implications sink in, trying to mentally counter the conclusions laid out by her parents. She couldn’t.

“Why New Jersey?” asked Dipper, ever the more analytical of the twins.

“The company has a branch office in Newark where I could do roughly the same job I have now,” replied Dad. “I went to my boss on Monday, spun a story about needing to move soon to the New York area because of a family issue. He got back to me today, and said yes.” He twitched, attempting to cover his frustration. “They’re cutting my salary because of this.”

“I’m sure I can get my real estate brokerage license in New Jersey,” Mom suggested. “I can pick up my career, we’ll be all right.”

“Maybe,” replied Dad, “but we can’t count on that. And housing there is about as expensive as the Bay area.” He glanced around the living room, already reminiscing. “Whatever place we find, it won’t be as nice as here.”

There was a brief pause as everyone thought of the memories they had of their Piedmont home.

“But until then,” continued Mom with reluctance, “we all have to act like nothing has changed. Other than your father’s coworkers, no one is to know that we are moving away. We need to leave as quietly as possible.”

“What?” cried Mabel suddenly. “What about my friends? I’ve got tell them where I’m going!”

“I’m sorry, Pumpkin. You can’t,” replied Mom sadly. Dad shook his head.

Mabel’s voice got louder. “But I HAVE to tell the gang! I can’t just-”

“They’re right, Mabel,” interrupted Dipper. She gaped at Dipper, who looked back at her with sympathy. “If we tell anybody we’re moving away, they’ll want to know why. And if we can’t answer, all the other questions will follow. Plus they might find out you’re pregnant anyways, if you stay in touch.”

Dad nodded. “Both of you have to finish your school year at Piedmont High, but you can’t mention to ANYONE about us planning to move away.”

“You might want to start knitting a few bigger, baggier sweaters,” Mom suggested. “You’ll … probably be starting to show by June.”

All of these changes hammered at Mabel, coming from every member of her family. The impacts to her life seemed to just keep coming, unrelenting!

“This next bit of information is mostly for you,” Dad said, addressing Dipper. “You need to know that I checked on my company benefits plan. I’m covered for my spouse and dependant children, but NOT grandchildren. We need medical insurance for the baby, not to mention all the clothes, diapers, furniture, and everything else that goes with raising a child.” Dipper gulped as he began to see where his Dad was going with this. “As this baby’s father, you have responsibilities. You need to help financially support your son or daughter. You will have to find a job, with every bit of that money going towards the baby’s expenses. And all the while I expect you to continue to get good grades. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Dad,” Dipper replied without hesitation, though Mabel could tell he was a bit shellshocked.

Mom gave Dipper a comforting hug, then went to kneel in front of her daughter, looking very compassionate. “I’m sorry, Mabel, but things aren’t going to be easy. I speak from experience when I tell you that THIS,” she put a gentle palm on Mabel’s abdomen, “is going to be uncomfortable, painful, and … just draining!” Mabel bit her lip and nodded. “The last month is the hardest,” her mother continued. “And … since your due date is around the end of September, you’ll be enduring that month while starting classes in a new school.”

At Mabel’s wide-eyed realization of this, Mom tilted her head meaningfully. “Oh yes! You still have to go to school, before AND after the baby comes! We’ll work out babysitting times, I’ll probably do all of it in the beginning at least. But you are NOT dropping out of school!”

“I … I don’t want to drop out! I just … I didn’t THINK about school!” stammered Mabel.

“You didn’t think about a LOT of things,” muttered Dad under his breath, drawing a stern glare from his wife. He sighed and raised his hands in surrender. “You’re right, you’re right!” he conceded.

“We don’t want to be discouraging, just realistic,” Mom commented, wanting the twins to know that they were trying to make the best of the situation. Then she turned back to Mabel. “When you told us that you’re determined to have this baby, your father and I really weren’t prepared for that. We reacted badly, and we’re sorry. As Dipper correctly pointed out, it’s your body and your child, and it’s entirely your decision. We aren’t going to pressure you again to change your mind. But … you DO need to deal with all the ramifications of your choice. We ALL do!” she added, looking at Dipper. The twins nodded back, nervous but more secure in knowing where their parents stood.

Mom straightened to her feet and went to her husband. They touched hands lightly, looked at one another and nodded with understanding, then turned back to their children.

“Before we talk about one final thing,” said Mom, “we just want you to really understand the enormity of what is about to happen to this family. Everything is about to change, and it’s going to be much harder than it could have been.”

“We do understand,” said Dipper, looking genuinely contrite. He shifts in place uncomfortably. “You’re … sacrificing a lot for us … so … thank you.”

As overwhelmed as Mabel felt, she couldn’t help but agree. “Yeah, thank you, Mom and Dad,” she said, then glanced at her brother. “‘All of this is our fault, and we’re sorry.”

Dipper nodded. “Yeah. We’re really sorry!”

Dad’s face softened. “We accept your apology, and thank you. We want to … just move forward, and take life as it comes from now on.” He gave each of the twins a small smile. “We forgive you. You don’t have to apologize for what happened any more. As far as I’m concerned, we’re done with this. It’s over.” Mom also smiled in agreement.

Mabel felt so good to hear those words, to know she’d been forgiven. She could tell Dipper felt the same way.

But then Dad’s voice tightened once again. “We’re DONE with this. This is OVER,” he repeated ominously.

As quickly as Mabel’s heart had begun to lift, it sank again. She saw precisely what was coming. And even though she already knew what he was going to say, it didn’t hurt any less.

“The final thing we need to talk about is about the two of you, and your relationship, Regardless of why you two seem to think you feel the way you do, what you’ve been doing is intolerable!” Their father was firm and unyielding. “You have to start living your lives as normal brother and sister again, from this moment forward. What you did was a mistake, and you will NOT let it happen again!”

Dipper tried to provide a meek explanation of his feelings for Mabel. “Dad, we-”

“No!” interrupted Dad curtly. “This is not up for debate! There is NO future for any … unnatural relationships in this family! I expect you to put those feelings behind you and focus on the welfare of the baby.” He crossed his arms. “I may have flown off the handle on Friday night when you told us about all this. But there’s one thing I said that night, something that is still ABSOLUTELY true today. You will NOT be allowed to be together like that again!”

“I’m in complete agreement, by the way,” added Mom succinctly, just in case the twins might have wanted to think that she was going to be easier on them.

Dad took a step forward, looming over the seated twins. “This rule is non-negotiable! We want to be crystal clear about this! Everything else, like your responsibilities and chores surrounding housework, or school, or even the baby … we know stuff will happen. You’ll mess some things up. That’s normal, everyday teenage stuff, and we’ll deal with that. But NOT! THIS!” he emphasized, pointing his finger in turn at Mabel and Dipper as his voice rose in volume. “I promise you there will be EXTREMELY unpleasant consequences if this happens again! All this, all the plans we’ve now been forced to make, all the things that are going to have to change …” Dad was almost wild, panting from the conviction he was feeling, “... this is AS FAR AS I WILL GO! … I love you kids! And I forgive you, I REALLY do, but …”

He paused for a moment. His face fell as he realized something about himself.

“... but I honestly don’t know if I could ever forgive you again,” he finished sadly.

There was total silence in the house. Dipper and Mabel had been good kids, and had never been on the receiving end of a threat anything like this before. They were given the “scared-straight” treatment, and it was very effective. Both of the twins were thoroughly intimidated.

“It’s the ONLY firm rule,” Dad said quietly. “Do we understand each other?”

The twins had no reply. Mabel suspected none was wanted.

“Good!”

“There was one rule that was not to be broken! ONE!!” Dad stands in front of the couch, yelling down at the twins. “Everything else, I could deal with! But not this!”

“Honey, calm down!” implores his wife, grasping the front of his shirt..

“Why should I?”

“Because we need to be fair! Whatever we think about what they did back then, I suppose it felt real to them.” She purses her lips and rolls her eyes. “I suppose it might still feel real to them!”

“So you’re going to ju-”

“What I’m saying is we told them that their relationship was over, and we forbid them to be together. I don’t think we can expect them to control the way they feel. But what we can expect is that they keep control of what they DO!”

Dad nods. “All right!” he acknowledges, and turns to face down the kids, doubt written all over his face.

Mom also turns, hopeful but worried. “You have kept that promise, haven’t you?” she asks them, almost pleading. “I might be able to understand if you still have feelings for each other. But please, please tell me you haven’t acted on them again?”

Oh jeez, thinks Mabel. She wonders what a person’s face looks like when they can’t answer a question with the truth, and they are unable to answer believably with a lie?

Mabel can’t turn her head to look at Dipper. But she actually hears him gulp.

A second is all it takes. Their parents know everything now. It is now painfully apparent that “feelings” are not the only thing that the twins have shared together since Dipper turned down the MIT scholarship.

His suspicions now seemingly confirmed, Dad scoffs dismissively and turns away, stalking away to the other side of the living room. Mom is aghast, fearing the implication of the twins’ silence. “You … you’ve had se- … you’ve been together again? Recently?” she stammers at her children.

Dipper hangs his head in defeat. Mabel looks pleadingly at her mother. “Mom … we’ve … it’s only been a few times …” Her mother makes a high-pitched noise of disbelief, her face looking horrified. “We used protection!” Mabel argues loudly.

“Oh yeah!” barks their father from the entrance to the kitchen. “I recall you were supposedly using protection three years ago, too!” he says with derision. “Look what happened then!”

“Dad, I’m sorry!” pleads Dipper. “I know that we screwed up before, but this time we …” But his father is already gone, waving a disdainful hand and marching back to the master bedroom. The sound of a door slam echos down the hall.

“I don’t believe this!” Mom is shaking her head, her mouth agape. ”How could you do this?”

The twins don’t try to answer. Mabel realizes in dismay that there is no correct answer.

“Do you fully realize the impact of what happened in Piedmont? Not just for you!” Mom is trembling with suppressed fury. “Do you know how much leaving the West coast damaged your father’s career? Do you know how deflating it has been for me to lose my career in real estate? To know I’ve probably sacrificed any hope of starting over again here because I chose to help you raise your daughter?” Her eyes narrow and her lips tighten into a thin line. “Your father is right! After everything we sacrificed for you, this is how we’re repaid? Lying! Sneaking around! Doing ... depraved things! Risking getting pregnant again! Betrayal of the only rule we laid down!

“A rule that wouldn’t have even been necessary if you both could just have been a NORMAL brother and sister! Like EVERYONE ELSE!”

The last invective hurts the most. Mabel bursts into tears. This is terrible! She couldn’t possibly think of anything worse that could happen on Christmas Day!

But then she hears something, and she knows it did indeed just get worse! The sound is the whimper of a small and frightened child, awakened by the angry and loud voices of a family who had forgotten that their youngest member was sleeping just down the hall.

Cassie doesn’t know what’s going on, only that there are loud noises, every person she loves and relies on is shouting and crying, and nobody is happy. Her security shattered and her entire world upside-down, she does the only thing she is capable of. She starts to bawl.

June 27, 2015

Mabel was crying. She couldn’t help it. She felt like she was losing her entire childhood.

She rushed back to her room. Her empty room. Her furniture was already loaded on the moving truck, and the boxes with all the rest of her belongings were stacked by the door with everyone else’s. She looked around at the room that used to be so comforting to her, and now it made everything worse! She cried harder, her sobs reverberating off the bare walls and echoing loudly in her ears.

Looking down, she cupped the bump around her belly button that had become more prominent the last month or so.. Why does she want to keep this baby so badly? Why did she let herself get pregnant? Why was she having sex with her brother? Why did she fall in love with him? Why was she even born in the first place?

Her mother slipped through the door and wordlessly went to Mabel, enveloping the teenager in a warm hug. Mabel clutched her mother desperately, sorrow pouring out of her. “I’m sorry, Mom!” she cried as tears ran down her face. “This is all my fault! I’m sorry!”

“Shhhh,” whispers Mom into Mabel’s ear, stroking her long hair. “What’s done is done, Pumpkin. Nothing will change that, no matter how upset you get. What matters is making the best of our lives as we go forward. Don’t look back.” She kisses her daughter gently on her hair behind the ear. “Now that you’ve decided you’re going keep and raise the baby, we’re not going to have the TIME to look back!” she muttered with a forced smile.

“But …” Mabel whimpered, her chin buried over her mother’s shoulder, “... everything is so messed up because of me … How can you be so … FINE … with everything I’ve done?”

“Oh Mabel! I’m NOT fine, trust me on that!” Mom sighs, hugging the girl tighter. “But I’m doing the best I can! And now, you have to do your best, as well! Your father and I, we are really counting on you and Dipper, so we can all pull through in our new surroundings.”

Mabel nodded, sniffing as she gathered herself. Mom pulled back and looked her daughter in the eye. “I love you, Mabel,” she said earnestly, “and your father loves you. And Dipper, too! Everything’s fine. We’re all going to stick together, and we’ll be okay!”

Mabel leaps to her feet the instant she hears the beginning of Cassie’s desperate keening. Through her own tears, she rushes past her now-silent Mom to scoop up the toddler. Dipper is right behind them as Mabel clutches tightly to Cassie and flees to the girl’s bedroom.

For many minutes, Mabel can’t stop the torrent of sorrow erupting from within her. This is all so unfair! She’s known that their parents wouldn’t approve if they ever found out their kids were still in love, and couldn’t stop themselves from acting on that love. But she didn’t imagine it would have been this awful!

She loves Dipper! And he loves her! Why can’t it just be that simple? And why can’t she ever imagine a time when it will be that simple?

Eventually she starts to collect herself, whispering comforting words through her own cries to Cassie, who is still weeping hysterically. She feels Dipper’s strong arms around them both, holding them all close together. The tight embrace seems to be working, as Mabel feels some of Cassie’s panic being released along with her own. The girl’s cries fade to hiccuping sobs.

“What’s … wong … Mommy?” Cassie manages to ask pitifully.

Mabel kisses her daughter’s head. “Nothing,” she whispers. “Everything’s fine!” Mabel idly ponders why she can lie to Cassie so much easier than to her parents.

She feels Dipper drawing a deep breath. “Mabel, we need to talk about all this,” he murmurs gently. “Can we go for a walk?”

Nodding in agreement, Mabel presses her lips to Cassie’s temple again to apply another quick kiss. “Mommy and Uncle Dip need a little time, Little Miss!” she tells the tot in a shaky voice. “You gonna be okay to stay for a bit?”

Cassie doesn’t reply, but doesn’t start crying harder, either. She is solemn and unresisting as Dipper picks her up from Mabel’s arms and purposefully carries her back to the living room, Mabel following meekly behind.

Mom is sitting alone on the couch, fingertips to her temples. She looks up as Dipper approaches, and in a brief glance Mabel can tell her mother has been crying as well. But like her daughter, she’s in the process of pulling herself together. Mabel turns her eyes away again.

“Can you please watch Cassie for us, Mom?” Dipper asks formally. “Mabel and I need to go out for a while.”

“Of course I will,” she responds instantly, her voice cracking. “Where are … h- how long will you be gone?”

“I don’t know,” Dipper replies curtly, then he forces an upbeat tone as he turns to his little girl. “You’re going to play with Grandma for a little while, okay?”

Mom also puts on a happy face. “Oh yes! We’ll play with all your new toys! Would you like that?” Cassie nods glumly.

Dipper kisses Cassie again. “Everything’s fine, Cass! Mommy and Uncle Dip will be right back.” He sets his daughter down and pats her on the back. “Go play now, okay?” he encourages her.

Mabel can’t look at her mother as she and Dipper pull on their coats and boots. The twins leave the house and into the chilly afternoon without another word.

August 31, 2015 Westfield, New Jersey

“Haaaaapy Biiiiirth-daaaay Toooooo Youuuuuuuu!!!” sang Mom happily, with Dad doing his best to sing along.

Mom had baked and frosted a cake for the occasion, topped with “1” and “6” candles that were burning brightly. She set it down in front of the twins, who were seated at the table in the small dining alcove. Unpacked moving boxes were stacked against the wall, a constant reminder of the fact that the bungalow just didn’t have enough space for all the belongings they brought from California, and there hadn’t been time yet to do any downsizing.

A very pregnant Mabel was beaming as she complemented her mother on how cute the cake looked. Dipper, sitting across the corner of the table beside his sister, teased his father on his singing voice. The man chuckled, telling his son to listen to his own voice sometime. Everyone was in an upbeat mood, a welcome relief from the chaos of getting ready for the start of classes in a new high school in only a week’s time.

Mom noticed that hot wax was threatening to trickle down the cheap candles onto the cake. “All right, hurry up, you two!” she ordered with a laugh. “Blow out the candles, quick!”

Mabel grunted and struggled to her feet, her belly getting in the way as she leaned partly toward the cake. Dipper made sure she was steady, then got into position as well. “Ready?” he smiled.

“Ready!!” exclaimed Mabel.

Together they leaned all the way forward and blew out one candle each. Dad applauded sarcastically, causing Mom to giggle. Still hovering over the cake, the twins turned to each other, grinning happily.

Their faces were only an inch apart, looking directly into each other’s eyes. And in an instant their smiles were gone. Mabel’s heart jumped almost painfully, and Dipper’s breath was unsteady.

They straightened up, still locked in an intense gaze, the electricity between them plain for anyone to see. For several seconds, no one said anything.

Mabel turned to her parents. “Mom, Dad, please! It’s our birthday! Can we please just have one kiss? Just this once?”

A few seconds passed without an answer. Their parents looked at one another, unprepared for the sudden re-emergence of this uncomfortable part of their kids’ relationship.

When she didn’t hear anyone saying she couldn’t, Mabel spun back to Dipper and pulled his head down to hers. Her lips pressed firmly against his as she moved her hands down around his back and hugged tightly. Dipper responded immediately, driven by instinct to push into the kiss heatedly, his arms wrapping securely around Mabel’s head and body.

The fiery passion of the moment lasted only a second, followed by only immense relief and comfort. The twins relaxed into each other’s arms, sighing out loud with contentment, their mouths delivering gentle kisses of months-long suppressed affection and love to their soulmates.

Mabel could have stayed there forever!

“All right, that’s enough,” muttered their father gravely.

Ripped back to reality, Dipper looked like he was in pain as he backed away from Mabel’s face. The twins reluctantly parted, Mabel not knowing where to look or what to do with her hands anymore. All she wanted to do was fall back into her brother’s embrace, back to where she felt like everything was the way it was supposed to be!

The cake was cut and served, but the household was quieter and far more awkward. The twins’ feelings were the obvious elephant in the room, but no one was willing to point it out.

Finally, Mabel couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “It’s just … it’s just REALLY hard!” She put her fork down dejectedly.

“No one is saying it isn’t, Mabel,” replied Mom softly, her attention focused on her plate.

“So you can try to understand?” Mabel was trying to be meek and obedient to her parents’ rules, but needed to try to express herself. “To feel the way we feel, to always be near each other … and not be able to DO anything about it?”

“No, we DON’T understand,” said Dad firmly.

Mabel sunk low into her chair, as low as her distended belly allowed. Dipper stared longingly at his sister, desperately wanting but not daring to go to her and comfort her.

Finally Mom cleared her throat. “Look guys, your father and I were serious when we told you this must stop,” she said, pleading for compliance. “It’s just … so WRONG! You might have these feelings now, but eventually you’ll move past this! For your own good we have to stop you now, and someday you’ll be glad we did!”

“What if we don’t, Mom?” Dipper sounded wounded. “What if you’re wrong, and we don’t move past this?”

The woman exhaled heavily. “Dipper … we CAN’T entertain this. Certainly not now, not with the baby coming just a few weeks from now!”

Dipper pounced when he saw an opening. “But you might, someday? If not now, if we still love each other, at some point you’ll at least consider changing your mind?”

Dad scowled. “Dipper …”

“A year from now!” Dipper pleaded, trying to make a reasonable case while he still could. “I promise we won’t even mention anything about it for a whole year! Just say we can talk about it on our next birthday!” He focused on his mother. “Okay?”

Mom stared back at Dipper, and then at her daughter. Mabel mouthed “Please?” silently, imploring to her mother to not reject the request.

After a long moment’s consideration, Mom turned to her husband. “A year,” she said simply. “We promise them nothing, other than that we will talk about it. Fair?”

Dad shot daggers with his eyes at his wife, but didn’t contradict her.

The sun is setting when the twins return to the house. As they open the door, the smell of roasted turkey and stuffing wafts over them. Mom is setting dishes on the table, and is relieved to see Dipper and Mabel come back.

Dad has come out and is in his chair with Cassie on his lap, reading his granddaughter a story. Cassie is happy again, and she squeals with glee when she sees her mother and uncle. Dad puts her down and watches the girl scamper over into Mabel’s arms. After the twins have removed their coats, he clears his throat. “What do you both say we … we all just have a nice Christmas dinner, all right?”

Mabel finally gives her father a timid look and nods. “I’d like that!” she says gratefully.

“Thanks, Dad,” adds Dipper softly, acknowledging his father’s olive branch.

For Cassie’s sake, the next few hours pass uneventfully. The twins and their parents tiptoe around the eggshells of their earlier discussion and mostly keep their focus on Cassie. The family eats a lovely meal, followed by watching a few classic Christmas cartoons on television.

By eight o’clock, Cassie is growing quite tired. She has never been a happy camper at bedtime, and tonight is no exception. Mabel had already given her a quick bath, and Dipper fights to get her into her warm sleeper. As the twins kneel beside her bed and perform a tag-team of storytelling, the girl finally stops battling her fatigue and falls into blissful sleep.

Dipper gently strokes Cassie’s back. “She’s beautiful!” he whispers, then turns to Mabel with a small smile. “Like her mother.”

Mabel’s finger brushes across her daughter’s forehead, lightly tracing the pattern of the Cassiopeia-shaped birthmark. “And her father,” Mabel replies, returning the tiny smile. Then she bites her lip. “I guess … we’d better do this!”

“Yeah,” Dipper nods reluctantly, pulling Cassie’s blanket up to her chin. Dipper straightens up and takes Mabel’s hand, giving her balance as she also rises to her feet. Their fingers intertwine, and Mabel looks up into Dipper’s eyes.

“I love you,” they murmur together. Their lips touch briefly.

Then the twins turn and make their way back to the living room. Their parents are still sitting in front of the television in their respective chairs, and they look up at the twins’ approach. Mom and Dad both silently note their children are still holding hands. Dipper self-consciously coughs, then leads his sister to the empty sofa. Their parents wait for the kids to start the conversation.

“Okay,” Dipper begins, “while we were out ... we decided we’re not going to lie to you anymore. It’s not fair to you, and getting caught was too hard for us, anyways. From now on, you’ll know everything.”

“We know that doesn’t mean a whole lot now,” Mabel adds. “I’m sure you don’t trust us anymore, and … I guess you don’t really have any reason to.” Mabel notes Dad’s small nod of agreement.

“Regardless,” Dipper continues, “it means that we don’t have the option of continuing to be together while telling you we’re not.” He shifts uncomfortably. “So Mabel and I have a choice. We either have to finally move on from each other, or we … we hold on to what we have and be open about it with you. And … and ...”

As Dipper struggles with how to articulate the next thought, Mabel gathers herself and says it for him. “And we can’t move on from each other.” she confesses.

Dad slumps in his chair, and Mom’s eyes close as she exhales heavily. “We really considered it, Mom!” Mabel cries. “We talked about everything you and Dad said. You’re right! Everything would be so much easier for us if we were … normal. But … we’re not normal! I love Dipper! I’ve loved him for years, and I don’t know how I could ever put that genie back in its bottle!”

“Mabel isn’t just my sister, she hasn’t been just my sister for a long time,” Dipper says with earnestness, staring his father in the eye. “She’s my soulmate ... she’s my love, and … she’s the mother of my child!” He swipes at his eyes. “It’s not possible for me to move on from that!”

The twins’ father looks like he wants to say something. Mabel doesn’t let him. “We know you don’t like this. We know we defied your rules! We even get that nothing came of that promise you made for our seventeenth birthday. You didn’t reconsider back then because you’re never going to be okay with it! We can’t expect that’s ever gonna change!”

“What we’re saying is w- … we don’t expect you to accept us,” Dipper says. “We don’t think you can do that any more than we can let each other go.” He feels Mabel squeeze his hand tighter in support.

“We won’t … we can’t wait for you to get so mad that you don’t want us here anymore.” Dipper continues, his voice heavy with emotion. “The best thing … for everyone, is for us to …”

Dipper takes a deep breath,

“... is for us to leave.”

Mom’s hands fly up to her mouth. “No-ooo!” she whispers.

Dad is taken aback. “Kids! You d- … you don’t have to just up and leave right this instant! You can-”

“We’re not,” Mabel interrupts, struggling to stay calm. “But we’re gonna start making plans. Tonight.”

Mom’s eyes widen. “Cassie!” she gasps. “You’re not going to …”

“Yeah, Mom,” confirms Dipper sadly. “We’ll be taking Cassie too.”

“You can’t- … you’re only eighteen … I mean surely …” Mom pleads, turning to her husband in near panic.

The man appears shocked, not expecting this news. “Maybe we … we can work this out,” he stammers. “I mean, you don’t have t-”

“Yeah, Dad, we do!” says Mabel desperately. “We love each other! We will be together, and be there for each other! Are you ever going to be okay with that? If we stay here, will you let us be in love?

He can’t answer. His tries to force himself to say he could live with that, but he can’t.

Mabel turns to her mother. “Will you?”

Mom’s mouth moves, but no words emerge. Finally, she also realizes that Mabel is right: she cannot condone her children’s relationship together. “Oh Mabel! … Dipper! … Please …”

“If we stay, this will only get worse, Mom,” Mabel says weakly. “But if we leave, we can be who we are.”

Dipper looks at his father, forlorn and apologetic. “There just isn’t any other way,” he sighs.

Resignation envelops the room, as everyone accepts the truth. Their family is shattered. The twins will be leaving.

October 2, 2015

Mabel was already exhausted. It had been less than a day since coming home from the hospital. But Sweet Sally, she was tired!

Cassie was being blessedly quiet at that moment, as Mabel tried to eat some breakfast. It was awkward, though. The only reason the healthy newborn infant was being quiet was because she was greedily suckling on one of Mabel’s breasts. Still, this was one of the first times since Cassie had burst out into the world that Mabel’s head was clear enough to think. Balancing a baby across her chest with one arm while eating with the other? Surely she could handle this!

Dipper and Mom sat eating at the table with Mabel and the baby. Mabel thought they looked about as tired as she felt.

Dad strode in from down the hall, pulling on his jacket and getting set to leave for work. “You almost ready, Dipper?” he asked. “I can drop you off at school.”

“Yeah okay,” replied Dipper, trying to stifle a yawn. He reached over to fondly squeeze Mabel’s fingers, and lightly stroked Cassie’s thin hair with his other hand. “I’ll be home as soon as I can, but it’ll probably be after dinner.”

Dad harrumphed and glanced meaningfully at his wife. She sighed, and then addressed the twins. “Kids, today marks the start of what’s going to pass for normal, from now on. I hope you’re ready, because right there,“ she nodded at the bundle in Mabel’s arm, “is the focus of everything you’re going to do for a long time.”

“Last night, after you got home, Dip,” their Dad said soberly, “your mother and I let the two of you have a little moment together. Don’t get used to that.” He stared at Dipper’s hand, which still held onto Mabel’s. Dipper reluctantly let go. “As much as Cassie is your daughter, that doesn’t mean we’re any more willing to let you two be together.”

“Besides,” added Mom, “you won’t have any time for each other anyways, if I’m right.” She exhales heavily, giving her children a look of pity. “Everything gets even harder now.”

“Where will you go?” Mom weakly asks.

Mabel looks to Dipper for strength. “We don’t know,” she whimpers. “Not yet.”

A long pause. Then Dad quietly speaks up. “There’s only so much we could do to help you out. How will you support yourselves?”

“We don’t know that yet, either,” replies Dipper, shifting uncomfortably. “but I’ll need to get a job. Maybe two. And as soon as possible.” He scratches the back of his head for a long moment as he stares at the floor. “I’ll probably have to drop out of college. At least for a while.”

“Oh my god,” moans Mom into her palms, as she collapses into her chair.

“Jesus,” mumbles Dad under his breath. Mabel doesn’t think she’s seen her father ever look so sad. Then she looks back to Dipper, an identical expression of sorrow on his face as well.

She rushes to her brother, wanting to be supportive, needing his support in return. They embrace as a tear threatens to begin leaking once again down her cheeks.

She has Dipper, but right now she needs Cassie as well! She needs to feel the warmth of both of them, her lover and her child, right now! She quickly drags Dipper to Cassie’s room and picks up the sleeping girl, snuggling her without waking her. Dipper pulls them both in securely.

Their parents watch from the doorway, trying to comprehend the bond of love that their children share.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Dad asks, his voice as soft as Mabel can ever remember.

Mabel didn’t want to be discouraged, but the ominous lecture from her parents felt very heavy. The baby was still busily nursing, but Mabel was no longer hungry. Dipper looked pretty down, too.

Mom saw they state they were in and came around the table, bending over to hug her teenage children. “I’m so sorry for you two!” she lamented. “This is so hard, I know.”

Dad stepped forward as well. “But we’re all going to get through this,” he said, putting his palm on Dipper’s shoulder and gripping reassuringly. Dipper and Mabel both looked up at their father. His demeanor was authoritative, but encouraging. “And you know why?” He smiled warmly. “Because we’re a family!”

Dipper looks up at his parents, protective arms around the two most important people in the world to him. “We have to do this,” he replies, his voice firm yet barely audible..

Mabel raises her face and Dipper lowers his, their foreheads resting together. They gaze at each other with pure commitment and devotion.

“We’re a family,” Dipper whispers.

#pinecest #unexpected au #sfw

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