#and he would ask to “go home” a lot

[mizaruwu]

HIHI I was thinking about Necromancer Hyrule au, amazing btw <3, and it got me thinking.

If he did manage to find the remains of the Hero of Time; this wouldnt be the same Time he knows. It wouldnt be the Old man. It would be a young hero in green who failed against Ganondorf. A hero who never got married, who never found a happy ending.

Would Hyrule be almost disappointed hes not his Time? Or would he feel guilty, seeing this, basically child, who id assume would be terrified being brought back to life?

Just the concept boggles my mind a bit

He knows full well that the hero he's going to revive isn't Time, but at this point any connection to his family counts.

How could this be a bad idea? It isn't the old man sure but it's close enough! This child, he must've been so lonely too- now he can experience what they did, tiny Time deserves to be happy as well! Now they can all be happy together!

(playing make believe, pushing that bubbling heavy feeling down where he cant feel it anymore, everything is fine, everyone is happy like this)

[clownsuu]

Ok so we’ve seen obsessed Howdy, Colt, Robbie- what about Dusty?? I’m curious👁️👁️

Dusty gets a liddol sad

[biblicalhorror]

Aroace Riz real but also Fabian is SO clearly in love with him and Riz has no idea

[ohitslen]

College (uni??) AU catering to my own interests as it should always be hehe :)

[brucie-baby]

pls share your ocd Bruce thoughts. as in your thoughts about Bruce having ocd. Pls and tanks

[big warning for intrusive thoughts, compulsions, paranoia. i do list specific ocd thoughts in this post. please be careful and don't read if those might affect you in any negative way.]

his compulsions mostly lie around keeping his family safe. he spends a while each night after patrol doing a perimeter check and ensuring all the security is online/working (one night he accidentally fell asleep in the cave and didn't wake up until morning - alfred woke up startled to see bruce checking his pulse because you fell asleep without checking and now he's dead he's dead and it's your fault).

he struggles a lot with intrusive thoughts; they're quite difficult to combat because he knows they aren't real but also a fair few of them are based on things that have happened to him in the past so he's more than aware that they're still possible (e.g. your son is dead somewhere, go find him; your friend has turned evil, check you have your defence against them and get ready to use it). he often just gets incredibly graphic images in his head, and he digs his nails into his skin until it goes away.

another thought he struggles a lot with is 'this person is an imposter. they are wearing someone else's face. this is not the person you know'. this is one that he definitively knows isn't true but also it's happened before so it can happen again. it makes him feel a little silly whenever this happens, because his way around it is to find somebody he does trust in that moment and stay near them whilst keeping a subtle eye on the 'imposter', and it makes him feel like a little kid hiding behind his mother's legs at a gala all over again.

there are some positives though!! he's not too sure why but these paranoid thoughts aren't often in regards to j'onn, so occasionally he'll request for j'onn to scan someone's mind to check if they are who they say they are, and j'onn does it with no questions asked. j'onn doesn't fully understand why bruce needs him to do this but he does recognise the spike in anxiety just before bruce asks and the relief bruce feels after, and so he does it because he knows it helps his friend, even if he doesn't know why.

(sometimes, when it's just him and the 'imposter' in the room, he just leaves. he doesn't explain. he doesn't say goodbye. he just leaves. he tells himself that it's to ensure his own safety. he ignores the way it feels like fleeing.)

he has a lot of little compulsions too, like rapping his knuckles against a specific part of the wall before using the zeta tube (if he doesn't, the transport will rip them apart). whenever somebody questions it, he says it's for luck. this leads to the team believing batman to be incredibly superstitious. the only people that know the truth are dick, jason, tim and alfred. eventually he does tell clark and diana, and he stops trying to hide it around the rest of the batfamily, but he does not like people knowing about it.

[astarlightmonbebe]

it's easy to read the situation between li tongguang, ruyi, and yuanzhou as a love triangle on a superficial level, but looking even one step further, it's clear that there's no triangle about it. li tongguang is obsessed with ren xin; ning yuanzhou is devoted to ren ruyi. ltg's obsession is fervent and all consuming, but it's not devotion. like ruyi herself notes, his feelings to her are on the basis of her as a mother figure in his life, as a replacement for what he never received from his mother. is there an element of romantic/sexual love/desire to it? maybe. more likely he's deluded himself into thinking that, because the truth is, it's doubtful that ltg even understands what love is (platonic, filial, familial, romantic, all of the above, etc), because he has no basis for understanding. ruyi's teachings and actions towards him are the closest thing he has to hold up as an example. what he wants is ren xin, is a replica of the master he had. he doesn't want ruyi, because he doesn't actually care about ruyi. therefore, he doesn't care if she's sad, angry, mad; he just can't bear her 'abandoning' him. we saw this way back when she first meet and left him, both at thirteen and seventeen. although he distrusts her first, she saves his life and cares for him in the way no one else has, hence her first being raised on a platform in his mind. when she leaves for good, ending their master-disciple relationship/training, even though it's for official business and she's not abandoning him, in his mind that's exactly what it is. so now that she's in his life again, he won't let her leave again. he was powerless before, a child with no proper name, but now he's a recognized member of the imperial family, a man who can meet her as 'equals' (even when that's far from the truth). as a child, he could only cling to her legs and beg her, but now he has the power to keep her by his side. it's telling that when he finally gets confirmation of her identity, it's not ning yuanzhou he seeks to harm (even though he detests him and their relationship), but yang ying. yang ying is ruyi's new disciple, and as ltg doesn't know she's a woman, he only sees her as his direct replacement.

ning yuanzhou, on the other hand, is devoted to ruyi. he wants to build a new life and future with her, instead of slotting her into a spot in the life he already has. he's someone who accompanies her on walks and makes her midnight snacks, who holds her when she needs to be held and lets her go when she needs to do things on her own. when she speaks her mind, he listens, even when it makes him discontent/it's not what he wanted/wants to hear. he sees her unabashedly as his equal, and though he acknowledges her skills and abilities, or points out her naivety, he never does it to belittle her; to him, she is his peer, deserving of the highest honor and respect. he trusts her to have his back, and she has come to trust him to have her. he did what she might have thought no man would ever do: he proved himself reliable, so she came to rely on him. yuanzhou gives her freedom and autonomy as both ren ruyi and ren xin. of course they run into problems, but they both learn and grow from them, as individuals and as a couple. yuanzhou's belief in her is unwavering, but adaptable, whereas ltg's is unwavering, but frozen in time, disallowing for any new information to be presented. yuanzhou works with ruyi to accept the changes thrown her way; he seeks the core behind her actions in order to better understand her. li tongguang cannot accept the changes in ruyi's character, because they run contrary to the master he has on a pedestal in his mind.

what li tongguang wants is to return to the past, but yuanzhou offers ruyi the promise of a future, even one that might never come to fruition. there's no triangle about it.

[good-beanswrites]

And a sort of alternate version for the last Fuuta/cry prompt, from a normal au that lives in my brain -- some hurt/comfort with Mappi :')

Mahiru hummed as she stirred. The apartment was filled with the wonderful aroma of her cooking. A door around the corner clicked. Perfect timing, she thought with a smile.

She hadn’t been sure Fuuta would wake up in time for dinner. He’d been out cold ever since she picked him up from his dorm room. Well, he’d probably recount it as kidnapping, since he was in no state to actually agree to come along. But that was the very reason she’d dragged his weak form out of there – no one at the school had noticed that calls stopped going through to him, or that his social media pages all vanished overnight, or that he’d stopped attending classes. When Mahiru finally made her way to his dark, trash-piled room, she discovered him with a 39 degree fever and rambling frantically about death. She needed to take matters into her own hands.

And that’s exactly what she did. Fuuta could hardly keep food down, after his diet of instant meals, energy drinks, and painkillers (if the discarded containers around his room were any clue), so she replaced them with homemade soups and teas. She traded his rumpled bed for her own, which was sweet-scented and well-lit. Mikoto had even helped with a change of pajamas for him. 

Mahiru had taken the liberty of calling Fuuta’s sister to let her know the situation, though it was difficult to find her information without Fuuta’s phone. She couldn’t find it anywhere in his dorm. She’d also given Shidou a call, and he’d stopped by the first day to check in. He said Fuuta should be more coherent by day three, at least.

Mahiru could always count on him for reliable information. Sure enough, soft steps approached from behind. 

“Good to see you, sleepyhead~” She smiled over her shoulder. Though in a better state than when she found him, Fuuta was still a bit of a mess. He looked pale and thin in Mikoto’s clothes, which were already big on him. His eyes were bleary. Strands of bright hair stuck out at all angles. His expression was dull, taking in the cozy apartment. 

“Mahiru made your favorite for dinner! I bet you’re hungry.”

“I… don’t want it… ” His expression was uncharacteristically blank. 

Mahiru giggled; he must be really tired to be denying food. “Oh, of course you do!”

“No, you… you don’t understand…” 

“Come take a seat, it’s ready now.”

He took a step forward. “Mahiru…”

“You should be more careful, Fuuta-kun! Next time you come down with something, you should really let somebody know. It’s a miracle I came and found you in time, hm?”

She spun to set things on the table. The pride in her masterpiece faded away as his expression twisted up. His hands drifted up shakily to his face, and he started to sob. 

“Fuuta-kun!”

Mahiru hurried to him. His knees gave out as she wrapped her arms around him. He leaned down into her, his breath hitching and hiccupping as he tried to tell her something. “You shouldn’t… if you knew what I… I…” 

“Shhh, hey. Shhh...”

After a moment of broken phrases and body-wracking sobs, he regained his balance and pulled away from her. There was a look in his eyes Mahiru had seen in the last few days, when he was trying to talk through his delirium. She’d chalked it up to feverishness, but she now saw that this raw, revolted horror was something real. 

“I fucked up.”

The simple sentence sent him into a fresh wave of panic. He tried to step backwards and hide his face away, but she tugged his sleeve backward. Normally she wouldn’t be able to forcibly move him anywhere, but for the second time, he was too weak to stop her.

“Just breathe,” she said. “You can tell me.”

Mahiru had known Fuuta for long enough to hear the range of his voice – the excited chatter, the snarky muttering, the grating yelling. In all that time, she’d never once heard him sound like this. His words cracked and wobbled. Sometimes it was so hushed that Mahiru had to press her ear closer just to understand.

And by the time he finished, she understood why.

“I didn’t know,” he kept repeating. “I’d never h-have done it if… if…”

“It’s okay,” was all Mahiru could repeat in turn, through her own tears. It wasn’t quite the truth, but it wasn’t a lie, either. It was what Fuuta needed to hear, and that’s all that mattered.

“I just want to take it back… but there’s no way… What am I – what am I supposed to do?” 

“We’ll figure it out, alright? It’ll be okay.” She guided him around. “Let’s get you back to bed, okay? I’ll bring the food in to you.”

He paused. His teary eyes studied her in bewilderment. “W-why?”

“Eh? Well how else are you supposed to eat from there…?”

“No, I mean,” he swallowed hard. “Why would you do that? You… you don’t hate me…?” 

“Oh, Fuuta-kun.”

She wrapped her arms around him again. This time, he willingly returned the gesture. He grabbed onto her for dear life, and Mahiru was suddenly struck with just how much of a miracle it really had been, that she’d found him in the state he was. 

She held him close, one palm spread on his back, the other twisted through his hair. 

“Not at all. Now, let me feed you something, okay?”

“... Okay.”

[faaun]

procrastination is starting to have its consequences finally

[amethystina]

Hi <3 I just wanted to reach out and wish you all the strength and comfort in the world as you navigate this difficult time. Your writing brings so much joy to readers like me, and I hope you’re surrounded by support and love.

If you don’t mind, could you share a bit more about Yohan's thoughts in "Thou Shalt Not Covet"? I’m intrigued by your take on him as someone with darker thoughts and sides, and I’d love to understand your perspective. (you previously mentioned that he had not-so-nice thoughts, which intrigues me greatly! and i wanted to ask if u could talk a little more about them)

Thank you for all the effort you put into your stories, they’re truly inspiring!

Thank you so much 💜 Admittedly, things are still pretty rough. I keep feeling stressed and disoriented and that just adds to the overall exhaustion I'm already struggling with. But I'll get through it eventually. I always do :)

As for Yo Han and his thoughts during Thou Shalt Not Covet?

WELL.

He's a right bastard, that's what he is x'D I mean, aside from the more obvious things he does to Ga On? Like taking his phone away — which is Ga On's only way of getting a taxi AND calling someone for help should the situation escalate — more or less blocking the door to keep Ga On from leaving, and interrupting whenever Ga On tries to speak?

As if that's not enough, Yo Han also does a lot of subtle manipulations to make sure that he maintains the upper hand and that Ga On is easier to nudge in the direction Yo Han wants him. Because while Yo Han starts out confused, unsure of what's going on, he soon realises that a) Ga On is now aware of the attraction between them, b) Ga On is very insecure about said attraction, c) Ga On is unhappy with Yo Han's commitment to their attraction, and d) Ga On is outright jealous.

And that's something Yo Han can work with.

Because this is Yo Han from around episode 10 of the drama and he's not a kind or considerate man at that point in time. So while he does give both himself and Ga On what they want in the end, make no mistake — the way he goes about it is problematic.

Aside from the aforementioned physical ways Yo Han is directing the situation, he also bluntly says: "Yes, I did have sex with him." And that right there? That's him trying to throw Ga On off balance. He wants to keep Ga On in a heightened emotional state so that he's easier to manipulate. And sure, while they both want the thing Yo Han is aiming for with his manipulations, that's still a red flag. Because Yo Han doesn't have to take that route. He could be much more understanding and gentle.

But he chooses not to be.

And the main reason for that is that Yo Han still has limits to how far he's willing to go — and how much of his own pride he's willing to forsake in order to keep Ga On with him. He chose to follow Ga On back to his room, sure — which I agree is pretty monumental — but he's not giving an inch until he's sure he's actually going to be gaining something from it. He keeps asking Ga On questions, figuring the situation out, then basically launches an attack to discombobulate and convince Ga On to give a relationship a try. During the majority of that conversation, Yo Han is intentionally making Ga On more desperate because he knows that'll make Ga On more likely to succumb.

And the fact that Yo Han wants Ga On to succumb isn't just because he cares about him and wants to smooch him — far from it. Because this is Yo Han and, naturally, he's already thought through every scenario and reached the conclusion that, hey, being in a relationship with Ga On will probably be beneficial for his revenge plot because it'll tie Ga On to him more firmly. It'll make Ga On less likely to leave and Ga On is very useful to Yo Han.

(not to mention that Yo Han wants to own every tiny fraction of Ga On's body, heart, and soul)

Starting a relationship with Ga On is a good strategic move, in other words.

It's a tactical decision more so than it's an emotional one.

And, in a similar vein, Yo Han would have chosen not to pursue Ga On if he'd reached the conclusion that it would risk his plans. Because, at this point in the drama, in Yo Han's mind, Ga On — and Yo Han's own desires — are below his revenge on his list of priorities. If their relationship jeopardised his plans, he'd end it. Without hesitation.

So while it may seem pretty romantic that Yo Han follows Ga On to his room and asks him those questions that prove just how many exceptions Yo Han has made for him, you gotta remember that nothing Yo Han does is accidental. He knows just what to say to make Ga On more dependent on him and, when you look at everything he said? Yo Han never once mentioned his own emotions. It was all Ga On reading between the lines and giving Yo Han the benefit of the doubt. He even dodges Ga On's attempt to trap him with the "What do you want it to be?" question by turning it on Ga On, asking if he hasn't figured it out yet.

Not once does Yo Han give an actual verbal answer — he just asks questions and allows Ga On to fill in the blanks.

Because Yo Han knows that he's made Ga On desperate enough that Ga On will fill those empty spaces with what appeals to him the most. By not offering any words himself, Ga On will add the ones he wants to hear instead — and they'll be sweeter, more emotional, more romantic — without Yo Han having to do a thing or surrendering any more of his pride by actually admitting to caring about Ga On.

Ga On does it all by himself.

That doesn't make the emotions any less true — Yo Han does care about Ga On a great deal — but he's not willing to say it at this point in their relationship. He's not willing to leave himself vulnerable or at Ga On's mercy. Because, deep down, Yo Han isn't ready for that kind of commitment, nor does he feel that level of trust towards Ga On.

So, instead, Yo Han makes sure to remain in charge during that whole conversation and uses every trick in the book to manipulate Ga On to his liking.

And sure, that may sound harsh, but that's who Yo Han is. If you look at the drama, that's how he behaves. He is this much of an asshole. He would use Ga On's emotions against him and exploit every weakness he can spot, just to get what he wants.

He's just lucky that, this time, Ga On wants the same thing.

That's not to say that Yo Han comes out of this unscathed, by the way. He thinks he has, being all aloof and untouchable, not realising that he's put himself in quite the pickle once they actually start growing even closer, both physically and emotionally. Which they'll do much quicker than in canon.

Because suddenly Yo Han will be getting fond little kisses whenever Ga On is near. And soft, warm smiles whenever Yo Han does something that makes Ga On happy. And he'll find out what sounds Ga On makes when he's so overwhelmed by pleasure that he can't even form words anymore. And he'll be struck dumb by how angelic Ga On looks in the mornings, sleeping peacefully next to Yo Han.

In short: Yo Han is doomed.

He'd soften a lot quicker than in the drama and his priorities might start shifting without him noticing. Because we all know he's helpless against Ga On's doe eyes and, sooner or later, he'll become that sappy, lovesick old man we all know and love.

So sure, Yo Han is abusive and toxic during this fic — which I don't think should be forgotten or excused — but he's also given Ga On the opening to manipulate him back. And while Ga On won't do it knowingly, Yo Han still won't stand a chance.

And I don't know about you, but I love that for him.

Yo Han won't know what hit him until it's already too late and then his only option is to accept his fate and love and cherish Ga On for the rest of their lives.

A+ scheming there, Mr. Abyss.

That didn't backfire on you at all.

[weezerlvr228]

they look half dead ☹️

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

it sucks that so much of my family has also dealt with cancer but it's really lovely that they were able to give me warnings about things

[rapidhighway]

knuckles farm is my everythiiingg tell me abt what he grows :)

Well I like to think of what my family grows or used to grow when I was little ^^ I'm sure a big part of all the crops are fields and gardens that had probably overgrown, that Knuckles found when exploring Angel Island. There could be potatoes, beetroot, cauliflower. They all could be different types than you find on the continent, maybe ancient ones that you can't find anywhere else, or native to Angel Island's climate, maybe some completely new ones. I dream of drawing Knuckles in a greenhouse!! He could grow tomatoes, cucumbers, maybe some peppers. I don't think a greenhouse would survive this long with no one around so maybe Sonic and Tails could help him build it, or rebuild some old one. It's very important that there are grapes! I used to have grapes where they would climb up from the ground in the backyard and surround the balcony and I would sit there and just eat them so I think he deserves the same. Maybe in whatever house he has on the island there could be a grape vine that climbs to his window. An entire grapevine would be cool but I don't know much about that.. I think what's also important are sunflowers. Knuckles gives me a grandma with a farm vibes and that image can't be complete without him eating an entire sunflower daily, he'd much on those seeds like crazy!

Of course there's chao fruit, lots of it probably grows wild but there could be some very old orchards or something like that. There could also be some vegetables that are completely unknown and only grow on the island

He would probably learn how to grow some of them from various texts left by his tribe, and the others would have to be trial and error until he figures it out. Maybe he would accidentally kill some vegetables until he got off the island and he would see someone growing them in their yard or something and he would ask about that.

[sonknuxadow]

Everybody in Green Hills just trying to ignore that their neighbor has alien kids in the roof meanwhile those alien kids are making up new and exciting games like ‘how far can knuckles hit sonic with this lead pipe he found’ and ‘can tails hotwire every car in town before someone gets mad at him’

im always wondering just how many people actually know sonic is living there . like obviously a lot of people must have seen him considering the stuff that happened at the end of the first and second movie. but how many people know he LIVES there and is tom and maddies kid how many people have met him and actually talked to him and stuff.

at certain moments in the second movie he seems to be more comfortable with letting humans he doesnt know see him without a disguise or anything on but the prequill comic said that sonic still isnt allowing himself to just casually walk around town and let people see him and is still doing that thing where he runs around and pretends to be friends with everyone

so does everyone know hes there and its just an unspoken rule to not say or do anything about it. or did they assume he just disappeared after the events of the first movie or convince themselves they imagined it. i need answers

[herbofgraceandpeace]

😅

[wildflowercryptid]

⚠️ spoilers for some year 3 + 4 dialogue with gustafa's child below! ⚠️

[ some of the text in the second image is cut off, the full dialogue is likely meant to be "hold on a second. has gustafa been riding your coattails this whole time?" ]

no, because why is bea so brutal towards gustafa oh my god?? like you're really just gonna ask that question when he's within earshot??? 😭😭😭

[goldeneyedgirl]

Is there any chance we'll get more snippets from the og babyverse fic? It's such a fun story, I feel it might be less anguish-y than the 'final' version (?) Literally, if Hybrid Babyverse has zero fans, I'm dead

Anon, I am absolutely stunned that anyone wants more of that fic - in a good way!

The original Babyverse is a hot mess - and one of the reasons there are currently six-ish variations of baby-verse as it stands. It makes things way too easy for everyone. But yes, it is far and away happier on a family level with a lot more parallels to Breaking Dawn - the Cullens accepting Alice, Alice practically moving in, the baby etc. And whilst family fluff can be fun, we don't need a retelling of BD. We can do better than that. Especially since elements of BD appear in Hybrid baby-verse, I needed to mix it up a little.

Honestly, I'm still on the fence about a lot of the timing in baby-verse and how it goes down. I'm wondering if Alice and Jasper need to have their come-to-god moment with the baby before Alice reads the riot act to the Cullens; maybe Alice isn't quite as recovered from the pregnancy when the Cullens return? So much of it depends on the main Hybrid fic, I need to put a pin in it till I've established the foundation lol.

The enthusiasm you have for this version though makes me determined to make sure we have more happy moments in the final version of baby-verse. Not all drama needs to be depressing and full of anguish.

I dug this little scene out, and I hope you enjoy it.

Peter and Charlotte were more bewildered by Ollie than enchanted, and stunned at Jasper’s handling of him. Ollie had become a noisy little guy, cooing and babbling and shrieking his opinion, and Jasper was one of his preferred audiences.

Charlotte had knelt, transfixed, as Ollie gummed his own fist, before looking up at Jasper and cooing happily, Jasper affectionately stroking his hair.

One thing I'd realised was that, in the Cullen household, the 'youngest' member was Emmett and he'd died before WW2. Not exactly a great era for father-son relationships, honestly. And there was a huge variation in how each of the Cullens had been raised, from Carlisle's Puritan origins, to Emmett's poverty-stricken family, to Jasper's deep Southern traditions. The only similarity everyone in the family seemed to have was having little-to-no relationship with their fathers and leaving most of the car to their mothers. Rosalie, who remembered her human life the best, had no recollection of her father ever hugging her or telling her that he loved her. Meanwhile, Simon left for work every morning telling Cynthia and I that he loved us. Dad and Simon had raised Cynthia to be so secure in their love of her, and had immediately brought me into the fold of a strong, secure family.

And I was determined that my baby was going to have the same thing - that Oliver would grow up knowing that both his parents adored him, especially when it would inevitably come out that he wasn't a planned child.

For the first few weeks of his life, Jasper had treated Ollie like he was an extension of me – slightly less distant than the way he treated Cynthia. He held him and changed him and went through all the motions, but he wasn’t bonding. He was holding himself back from his son, and I didn’t understand why. Jasper hadn't been raised in a wealthy, society family that outsourced familial affection to household staff; the Whitlocks' had been ranchers and the very few memories Jasper had of his human family indicated that he had worked alongside his father before the war.

It took awhile to pry out of him, but in the end, he crumbled. He was worried.

Ollie and I were still essentially human. We ate and slept and bled. As an infant, Ollie was even more fragile - Carlisle's tests indicated he was entirely human, with textbook human results across every category. He was so much more breakable, especially if Jasper was distracted for even a second.

I knew the years in the Southern Wars haunted him; but since Ollie was born, Jasper had been brooding about them. That with all that violence and all that blood on his hands, he didn’t think he was capable of being a good father. He barely thought himself capable of loving me, let alone a child he shouldn’t have been able to have. He had been given too much, and he simply didn’t deserve to have an opportunity he hadn't even wanted when there were good people - like Esme and Rosalie - who wished for nothing else.

Besides, according to him, I was doing a perfect job. I had the 'mom' thing down, and he was content to watch over us. The transition had been easier than I anticipated - mostly because Esme and Rosalie were delighted to take the night shift so I could get some sleep, I had my parents who had newborn-experience and were willing to help out at any time of the day or night. I had Simon and Carlisle on call for any medical questions I came up with. So it was easy to make it look like I was good at this when I was getting twelve hours of unbroken sleep, showering twice a day, had on-demand baby advice, thousands of dollars of luxury infant supplies, meals and snacks prepped for me upon request, and was now the proud owner of a credit card that was so exclusive that it made store staff call me 'Miss Brandon'. This was the kind of motherhood married women dreamed of; it was certainly not reality when it came to accidental teen pregnancy and it was eye-opening to discover that Jasper thought that it was just my natural ability to be a mom.

So I did what any self-respecting person would do. A quick consultation with the ladies of the house – and Carlisle – I left Ollie in Jasper, Emmett and Edward’s care one day, without warning, claiming that Cynthia needed me but was stuck at home with a cold. Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie had already taken off to Seattle for the day – some exhibition of some kind.

The look of absolute panic on the faces of the three young Cullen men was something I would cherish forever.

“You can’t leave him here!” Emmett’s voice hit a brand new pitch.

“I can’t take him home, Cynthia has a cold. His immune system isn’t up to it,” I said flatly, stepping into my shoes. “I’ll be back tonight, and his bottles are in the fridge.”

“We can call Bella,” Edward said suddenly, and I shot him a look.

“Yes, call Bella. I’m sure she’d be just as much help as Jacob Black in this situation,” I said sarcastically and looked at a stunned and silent Jasper. “You will be fine. He’s your son. You have your gift – feed him when he’s hungry, change him when he’s wet, put him to bed when he’s tired. That’s all I’ve been doing."

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Jasper managed, and I could practically feel his fear.

“It’s necessary. Rose and Esme might beat me back here, anyway,” I said, standing on my tip toes to kiss his cheek. “I have my phone. As long as no one eats the baby for lunch, everything will be fine.”