#but i also want to get my computer screen repaired next week so maybe i’ll space The Purchases out a little bit more

[natbplease]

two of my socks have huge holes in them. does this mean i finally get to learn darning after following #visible mending for a year

[stardew-atlantis]

Wires

-Previous-

This is my version of Harvey's 8 heart event (featuring Farmer SJ). I went in a bit of a different direction for this one so bear with me. This is also a long ass post, you have been warned.

Takes place in the second week of Summer, Year 1.

Summary: It's been a week since "The Incident". Harvey's radio is broken, but Maru refuses to fix it for him.

Warnings: Mentions of blood/injuries, swearing

Word count: 7.1k (You have been warned a second time)

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

On a slow summer day, it wasn't very often that Harvey would receive any phone calls, let alone on his personal cell phone. He raised a curious eyebrow at the unknown number on the screen in front of him before he answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is Joanne from Zuzu Electronics. I'm calling about your appointment for the repair job you requested?”

“Oh, yes! Of course. I called last week about having some radio equipment fixed.”

“Right. So, I'm just calling to let you know we've had to move your appointment. Unfortunately, we're all booked up until winter, so we won't be able to send a technician until then. How does the 12th work for you?”

“Winter? I was told someone would be here on Monday between 10 and 4?” Harvey pinned the phone against his ear with his shoulder as he shuffled the papers around on his desk, looking for his appointment slip.

“Yes, but unfortunately there was a scheduling error in our computer system and your spot has been taken. The next available appointment is on the 12th if you'd like me to book that for you instead.”

Harvey sighed and took the phone back into his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. “No… no that’s fine. Don’t bother. I'll figure something out. Thank you for calling.”

As soon as Harvey hung up the phone, he began racking his brain for some brilliant plan that didn’t involve calling someone in the city. He'd already resigned himself to waiting almost a week to get his beloved radio fixed, he couldn't fathom going without it during his busy season. With the influx of flu cases and other various seasonal illnesses that inevitably came up during the winter, he needed something fun to help him unwind at the end of a long day. It’s not like there was anyone in town with enough knowledge to fix a 25-year-old radio. Well, maybe one person…

…

“What do you mean, no?” Harvey asked, a little desperately as Maru turned away from him to walk out the door.

“I mean no, I’m not gonna fix it for you.” Maru replied, without looking back.

He followed her out of his office to the area behind the front counter, not ready to let this conversation go just yet.

“But… why not? You’re good with machines. I’ll pay you whatever you want.” Harvey pleaded.

“Keep your money. I have a better idea.”

“And what would that be?”

“Call SJ. Ask her to fix it.”

Harvey shook his head nervously. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“I really shouldn't be bothering her right now. She just got her stitches taken out a few days ago. Wouldn’t it be a little hypocritical of me to ask for her help so soon? I don’t want it to seem like I’m taking advantage of her work ethic. Especially after…” He couldn’t even bring himself to say it out loud. Especially after he yelled at her for being reckless.

“You're overthinking this.” Maru said flatly.

“Does she even know anything about electronics? She’s a farmer, I doubt she even knows how to fix a radio.”

“She does. Trust me. Will you just call her?” Maru said firmly.

Harvey wasn't used to spending any length of time with SJ outside of treating her injuries from the mines. The only real conversation they'd ever had, that wasn't in the clinic, was at the flower dance. Harvey had awkwardly tried to ask her to dance with him, but she didn't seem to pick up on what he meant and turned him down. He wasn’t prepared to go through another awkward afternoon of overanalyzing his every word.

He hung his head in shame. “I… I can’t.”

“Why not?” Maru snapped.

“Well for one thing, I don't even have her phone number.” He responded in an equally exasperated tone. “I couldn’t call her if I wanted to.”

“Oh!” Maru said, as if all their problems were suddenly solved. “That's fine. I have it!”

Before Harvey could reject the idea, Maru was already pulling out her phone and dialing the number.

“Wait-”

It only rang once. Maru put it on speaker so Harvey could hear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, SJ? It's Maru. Got a sec?”

“Sure, what's up?”

“Do you-”

“Maru, don't-” Harvey interrupted.

She glared at him. “Shush, I'm on the phone...” She turned her attention back to the phone with a smile on her face. “Do you have any extra wire that you could spare?”

“Like, garden wire? Probably.”

Harvey impulsively reached for the phone, Maru caught his wrist before he could take it, holding the phone just out of his reach. Every attempt to stop her only led to his hands getting swatted away.

“No, like electronics. Do you have anything left from your PC?” Maru asked, carefully guarding her phone.

He eventually took to pacing back and forth, accepting defeat. This was happening.

“Yeah, I should have something. Might take me a minute to get to the mountains. I can get it to you in a little bit if that's alright.”

“Oh, it's not for me, it's for Harvey, can you bring it to the clinic?”

Harvey stopped pacing, counting about three seconds of pure silence before she replied.

“Um... Sure. I can do that.”

He tried not to let himself think that her hesitation was because she found out the wires were for him, but it was obvious that for a second, she considered declining Maru's request.

“Thanks, SJ!” Maru hung up the phone and grinned at Harvey. “See, was that so hard?”

“I can’t believe you just did that! What am I going to do with wires? Also how did you know to ask for wires? You didn't even ask her to fix the radio.”

“Will you relax? You’re going to ask her when she gets here.” She said, poking him in the chest. “I can't do everything for you.”

“I didn't ask you to do that! If I recall, I asked you specifically not to do that.”

Harvey could already feel his heart rate increasing by the second. He wondered how long it would take to fix the radio. What would they even talk about for that long?

“I can't believe you don't have her number by now.” Maru giggled. “She's here all the time. You've never asked her for it?”

Harvey couldn't picture any scenario where he could just ask the farmer for her phone number for no reason. He already had the number for the farmhouse in her patient file, there was no need for him to have her cell number. “That would be a bit forward, wouldn't it? I wouldn’t want her to get the wrong idea.”

“And what idea is that? You like her, don’t you?”

“Oh, not this again.” Harvey groaned. “Is this why you wanted me to call her? Maru, for the last time, I’m not interested in SJ.”

Maru had been teasing Harvey about the farmer ever since the flower dance. He got caught staring at her stunning white suit for a bit too long and Maru immediately concluded that Harvey was attracted to her. Was she beautiful? Of course! Maru thought so too. Did he want to get to know her better? Sure! Why not? But she was still one of his patients, and not to mention she was at least a few years younger than him. Just because she made him a little nervous didn't mean he was attracted to her... Did it?

Maru narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, unconvinced.

“What? I’m not!” Even with the air-conditioning on, the room suddenly felt a lot warmer. “I could never… She's a patient! Pursuing any kind of relationship with her would be unprofessional of me.” Harvey said, blush darkening his cheeks as he tried to avoid Maru’s piercing gaze. “And also, I’m not interested in her…” He added, as an afterthought.

It wouldn’t even matter if he had feelings for the farmer, it’s not like she would ever feel the same way.

Maru threw up her hands in defeat. “Fine. She's ‘just a friend’ then.” She said with exaggerated air quotes.

“I wouldn’t even go that far. How many people do you know that are friends with their healthcare providers?” Maru opened her mouth to respond but Harvey cut her off. “-Not including you.”

Maru gave him a knowing smile. “This'll be good for you. We haven't had anyone new move here in over a year, this is your chance. Even if you're not interested in her, which I still think you are, why not tryto make a new friend? I know you’re dead set on being ‘professional’ with everyone so they’ll respect you, but it’s been two years. They respect you enough. It wouldn’t hurt to try and get to know them a little better. You’re allowed to have friends too.”

Harvey had to admit there was at least some truth to what Maru said. With all his time spent working, he’d been a bit reclusive over the years. It wasn’t on purpose, four years of undergrad, four years of medical school, and another four during his residency in Zuzu City, he didn’t really have time for friends. He had classmates and colleagues. The only people he interacted with were the people he saw during his twelve-hour, sometimes more, shifts at the hospital. Somewhere along the way he just forgot how to talk about anything that didn’t have to do with medicine. In the two years since he moved to Pelican Town and took over running the clinic from his predecessor, Maru had been his only friend.

He often found himself wondering if it was too late for him. True, he’d been a bit apprehensive about getting closer to his patients, it wasn’t an easy task, but it wasn’t as if anyone had tried to get closer to him either. This really was an excellent opportunity to get to know the farmer outside of the five minutes a day they spent chatting about nothing in particular.

Harvey sighed. “I wouldn’t even know where to start with SJ. She’s just so… intimidating. I never know what to say to her.”

“How is she intimidating? She's a farmer.”

“Who kills monsters as a hobby.” Harvey pointed out.

As if on cue, the bell above the front door chimed. Both of their heads suddenly snapped toward the sound to see Farmer SJ walking into the clinic. Harvey was a little disappointed to see her wearing a pair of denim overalls and work boots. He hoped she wasn’t in the fields when Maru called. He had told her multiple times that farm work could be potentially dangerous to her recovery.

“She's here.” Maru whispered.

“Yes. Thank you, Maru.” He muttered sarcastically. While SJ was busy reaching into her backpack, he quickly straightened his tie and smoothed out his hair. “Good afternoon SJ.”

“Hey doc,” SJ grinned. “I didn't know how much wire you needed, but I have extra, so you can keep this one.” She placed a large roll of blue wire on the counter and turned to leave.

Maru began gesturing aggressively to SJ, signaling Harvey to say something before she left.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. “Um... SJ?”

She spun around.

“Hm?” she asked, eyebrows raised as she waited for his answer.

“Do you... want to see what the wire is for? If you have time, of course.”

SJ never asked people what their requests were for. Harvey always wondered if she was curious to see what people did with the items that she collects for them.

“Uh...” She quickly checked her phone for the time. “Sure. Why not.”

…

SJ had never seen the second floor of the clinic before. Harvey didn't actually expect her to say yes, and he was still in a state of disbelief, even after she had followed him upstairs to his apartment.

She stood in the doorway for a moment with her hands in her pockets, admiring the place. At least he hoped that's what she was doing. He couldn't seem to read the neutral expression on her face.

“You can come in, you know.”

She blinked as if he interrupted a very important thought. “Oh, okay. Sorry, no one ever does this.” SJ said sheepishly.

“Really? I swear you spend half your time delivering things to people's homes, no one ever invites you in?”

“Nope. You're the first.” She said as she stepped inside.

…

On the left side of the room was a large table, mostly covered in model airplanes, all in varying states of completion. Harvey could already feel his cheeks flush in embarrassment. When he invited the farmer upstairs, it completely slipped his mind that he left all of his modeling supplies out in the open. He braced himself for her reaction, hoping she would go easier on him than Maru did when she found out about his collection of miniature airplanes. Harvey had been adding to his collection quite a bit since his radio broke, but he suspected that he would go broke if he didn’t get it fixed soon.

SJ took one look at the table and smiled. “Did you build all those?”

“Yes. I did.” He said proudly. “I find it relaxing. I know it's not the most interesting hobby in the world but-”

“What do you mean?” she interrupted. “I think it's cool.”

SJ was known for being a bit sarcastic with people, Harvey wondered if she was just trying to tease him. “You do?”

“Yeah! I like this kind of stuff. Building things is fun, keeps my hands busy. I don't have any planes, but I have a pirate ship and a couple of rockets.”

“That's... very cool!” Harvey said, shocked that he and the farmer actually had something in common.

While scanning the room, the farmer's eyes eventually wandered over to the radio. “What's that?” She asked.

“That is actually what the wire is for.” Harvey replied as he moved to stand next to the desk. “It's radio equipment I use for contacting pilots.”

“Awesome! I didn't know you were a pilot.”

It made sense that she would come to that conclusion. Perhaps he should have worded it better. “No, I'm not actually a pilot.” He reluctantly admitted. “I just like using the radio to talk to them.”

“Oh, I see. So, what happened?”

He sighed. “Well... one of the requirements to become a pilot is to have perfect vision, which is clearly a bit of an issue. Not to mention I have a crippling fear of heights.”

The farmer nodded along, listening but not responding.

“It just never would have worked out. It's fine, some dreams aren't meant to... come true.” Harvey felt his shoulders stiffen, and the familiar heat returning to his cheeks as he realized that's not what she was asking. “You meant what happened to the radio, didn't you?”

She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling. “Yeah.”

“Right. Sorry.” He said, wondering why she didn't stop him.

“Don't worry about it. Everybody has that one dream from when they were a kid that never worked out.” She said casually.

“Really?” He asked, suddenly intrigued by the implication that she also had a failed childhood dream. In the spirit of finally getting to know one of his patients, and as long as they were on the subject, he figured it couldn't hurt to ask. “What's yours?”

She seemed taken aback by the question, but her mouth soon twitched into a hint of a smile. “Astronaut. I was a huge space nerd as a kid. I wanted to go to Mars.”

Even her dreams were more interesting than his.

“I actually did this thing online a few years ago where you could send in your name and have it etched into a microchip for one of the Mars rovers.” She added.

“They can do that?”

Her face lit up as she explained. “Yeah! They use a laser to print it on, and then attach it to one of the rovers that they to send to Mars. You can't actually see it without a microscope, they put millions of names on there, but still. I got to put my name on another planet, even if I'll never make it up there myself. You need 20/20 vision for that too.” She said, tapping the arm of her glasses.

“That makes sense. Astronauts and pilots both need flight training, but couldn't you get corrective surgery to fix your vision?” He suggested.

She shook her head nervously. “Oh no. You've seen how I am with needles, I'm not gonna try lasers thank you very much. And have you even eaten freeze-dried food? There’s no way I would survive up there.”

“Understandable.” He chuckled.

“Yeah... It is what it is, you know?” She shrugged. “Sometimes life doesn't go where you want it to, but it finds a way of getting you where you need to be. I guess we’re both proof of that.”

Her wise words surprised him. A majority of their past conversations involved lamenting over how much work they had left to do for the day. They never went into any deeper topics like their childhood dreams. It was a nice change of pace. Perhaps this afternoon could be more fun than he thought.

“They do say hindsight is 20/20.” He added.

That joke earned him a smile that almost made him blush again. “True. Anyway, what did happen to the radio?” she finally asked.

“Right. A few days ago, I accidentally spilled a mug of coffee on it, and it sparked. I managed to clean it up, but it still won't turn on. I hate to ask you this, but-”

“You want me to take a look at it for you?” she guessed.

“If you don't mind.” He said, nervously wringing his hands. “I know how busy you are.”

She was already taking off her backpack and unzipping it as she crossed the room. “Not at all. Let me get my tools.”

“Why do you have tools in your backpack?” Harvey asked.

Did she know what he planned to ask her? No, that's not possible. She didn't even know the radio existed until now.

“Well, I never leave home without at least a screwdriver. But, since I can't go mining, I've been doing some maintenance around the house.” She said, producing a screwdriver from her backpack and setting it down on the desk.

“How come you're dressed for the fields then?” He crossed his arms, hoping she wasn't lying to him again.

“The overalls have a lot of pockets, and the boots are steel-toe so they're a little heavy. I wear them when I'm walking around the farm. Walking is considered mild to moderate exercise, right?”

He grinned. Maybe she did listen to him after all. “Yes. That’s right.”

She placed her left hand over her heart and raised her right. “I promise, I haven't been doing any farm work, and Zephyr's been doing all my deliveries. Even though he absolutely hates it.” She joked.

“I heard. I got the pickles you sent.”

“And?” she asked, with a hesitant smile.

“They were delicious, thank you.” He quickly looked towards the kitchen. “I think I still have the jar if you want it back?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Keep it. I’m glad you liked them. It's the only thing I know how to make, so far. I wanted to get you something more than a cup of coffee to apologize for what I did. I should have listened to you.”

“Well, apology very much accepted.”

…

Harvey paced back and forth behind the desk as he watched SJ examine the radio. She had unscrewed the back panel to try and determine why it refused to turn on. Every so often she would mutter something unintelligible and then say, “Hmm. That's interesting.” which was only making Harvey even more nervous than he already was. Since SJ was sitting in Harvey's desk chair, he brought over a chair from his dining room table to sit next to her.

“So, what do you think?” He finally asked.

“Looks like the wiring's shot. How long have you had this for? It looks older than I am.”

“Honestly. It probably is.”

SJ put down her screwdriver and spun around in the chair to face him. “I hate to say this, but I think it would make more sense to just replace the thing.”

His heart sank to his stomach at the idea of getting rid of his antique radio. “Are you sure you can't fix it?”

She pressed her lips together in what he thought was an attempt at a sympathetic smile. “Come here, I'll show you what I mean.” She spun back around and pointed to a small crack in one of the wires. “The wires are splitting because the rubber coating is all dried out, so when you spilled the coffee, it caused it to spark when it got in those gaps. You waited too long to get it fixed, it's corroded now. I could replace them, but there's a lot of wires here, it would take a while. It might be easier to get a new one at this point.”

“I can't- I... It's got sentimental value.”

“I'm really sorry, doc.”

He sighed. “It's alright. I suppose I knew it wouldn't last forever.”

“Where did you get this thing anyway?” She asked.

“It belonged to my grandfather. He used to be a pilot, but as he got older, his vision started to decline, and he had to give up flying. After he retired, my grandmother bought him this radio as a birthday present so he could contact his pilot friends from the ground. When I realized I would never become a pilot, he offered to teach me how to use it so I could learn how to talk to pilots 'just in case'. I guess he just wanted me to have some hope. I knew it wouldn't happen, but it was still a fun hobby to have. After he passed away, he left the radio to me in his will, and I've been using it ever since. Maybe it's for the best. Planes don't fly over Pelican Town very often anyway, I guess I was just hoping that if I kept trying, I'd eventually find one.”

He looked over at SJ, staring at him with wide eyes and looking like she was on the verge of tears.

“Okay…” She said, her voice cracking slightly.

Without another word, she turned back to the radio and began unwrapping the new roll of wire.

“What are you doing?” Harvey asked.

“What- um.” She cleared her throat. “What does it look like I’m doing? I'm going to fix it for you.”

“Really?” He asked excitedly.

“Yup. I hope you like blue. I'm gonna be using a lot of it.”

…

SJ seemed completely content to sit in silence while she worked, but Harvey thought it would be too awkward if he didn't at least try to make conversation.

“Can I get you anything?” He asked.

“I'm good, thanks.” She replied, without looking up.

Another stretch of silence passed as Harvey tried to think of something else to say.

For as long as he'd known the farmer, he didn't really know that much about her. He just learned she wanted to be an astronaut, perhaps they could talk about space? Although, if she harbored as many negative feelings about her childhood dream not becoming a reality as Harvey did, perhaps it would be a sore subject.

He decided that small talk would probably be best.

“So, how's the farm doing?”

“Farm's good.” She said, measuring a section of the wire. “Zephyr made us a schedule, so now we take turns watering the crops on alternating days. I don't always have time to do it when I'm doing my deliveries, and I really don't like getting up at 6. I'm actually working on putting together a sprinkler system to automate the process.”

“That’s great! I didn’t know you were so good with machines.”

“Not really. Most of them come with instructions. One you see the pattern for how things go together, it’s not too difficult to figure out how to take them apart and fix them. I've built every PC I've owned since I was 16 and I had to replace the wiring in all the lights when we moved into the farmhouse. Don't tell anyone. It's only a matter of time before the town finds out I can do household repairs and I end up adding another line to my business card.” She laughed nervously.

Harvey was in the saloon one night when he overheard Gus telling Emily about SJ's business. It picked up rather quickly after word spread that SJ would hand-deliver anything anyone might need. She was the only one in town other than Marlon who was willing to go into the mines, and the townspeople often took advantage of that.

“I heard you stopped using the notice board and started posting your phone number so people could call you directly.” Harvey remembered passing by the notice board on his way to the general store one day, tempted to take one of the business cards, but he didn't know what he'd do with it.

She cut a new piece of wire and stripped one of the ends off. “I did, yeah. When everyone realized it was just me filling all the orders, I figured they could just call me if they need something. I don't regret it, but it's a lot of work sometimes. Well, you know...” She muttered, glancing down at her stomach.

It had only been a week since SJ had been badly injured by a rock crab and Harvey received a terrifying phone call in the middle of the night. The image of her with her shirt drenched in blood had been burned into his memory ever since. He remembered how angry he was when he found out the request was posted as a joke. That night could have gone a lot worse. If she didn't show up when she did...

Harvey preferred not to think about that.

“And how are you feeling?” He asked.

“A little better every day. The scar looks pretty badass, but it gets really itchy sometimes, is that bad?”

“No, actually, that's good. It means the wound is healing, but please try not to scratch it.”

“Thanks doc,” She grinned. “I'll try.”

“Has... Abigail apologized to you for what happened?”

“I think she learned her lesson.” SJ said, cryptically.

“And what lesson was that?”

“Don't fuck with me.” she said with a smirk, sending a shiver down his spine.

And Maru wondered why people found her intimidating. That right there. Just when he was starting to relax, that sentence was enough to make him squirm. Harvey often wondered where her confidence came from. Even after nearly dying in the mines while fighting monsters, she still wanted to go back. Nothing ever phased her.

He suddenly felt guilty for asking her to fix the radio, she probably had more important things to do than spending her afternoon with him.

“I really appreciate you making time to stop by. I know people ask a lot of you sometimes.”

She cut off one of the old wires from its plug and searched through her backpack, producing a small roll of electrical tape. “It's nice to feel needed. Besides, you're not like them.”

“I'm not?”

What was that supposed to mean? Was that a good thing?

She began counting on her fingers as she listed names. “Alex requests eggs five days a week for his strength training. Elliott has a recurring order for squid ink for writing his book. Pam wants me to start brewing ale for some reason. I'm not even gonna tell you where I get Maru's batteries from. The mayor has me looking for some of his... personal items. Emily already has an order for minerals for the next time I go to the mines-”

Harvey opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him.

“-Yes, I know. No mines for two weeks. I've already marked my calendar.”

Despite his endless protesting to her entering the mines in the first place, he was relieved she was finally listening to his advice about her recovery.

She continued. “Sebastian has my Sundays for helping him with his coding because I'm more familiar with this framework he wants to use, and Gus needs fresh fish and produce for cooking the specials at the saloon. You, on the other hand, have never requested anything.”

“I… suppose I just didn’t want to bother you.”

Harvey never wanted it to seem like he was taking advantage of the farmers kindness. Frankly, he didn’t even need to use the town notice board. The only thing he could ever see himself requesting is coffee, and SJ already brought him coffee several times per week whenever she dropped off Maru’s orders.

While SJ was preoccupied fixing the radio for him, he decided this was the perfect opportunity to return the favor for once.

He subtly glanced over to the kitchen. “Can I get you a coffee or something?”

“Isn’t coffee what got you into this mess in the first place?” she said with a mischievous smile.

He hung his head, stifling a laugh. “True. But I’m serious, I feel bad just sitting here while you work.”

“You're keeping me company.”

“Please, you bring me coffee all the time. I can run over to the Saloon if you prefer theirs.”

She wrapped some electrical tape onto a new connection and plugged it back into the radio. “It's not that. Don't worry about it.”

“It’s no trouble. I was planning on making some anyway.”

She set down the tape she was holding and turned her chair to face him. “I don't actually drink coffee.”

He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. “You- What?”

“Yeah. I just...” she shrugged. “Don't like it. Never have.”

“That doesn't make any sense. Gus said-”

She raised an eyebrow, a touch of amusement on her face. “You talk to Gus about me?”

His face felt warm all of a sudden. “Oh no, of course not! I mean... It was just last week. He asked if I'd seen you because you hadn't come in yet to order your coffee. He said you show up almost every day, so he was worried about you.”

“Oh...” She said, eyes widening in surprise. “Yeah, you weren't supposed to find out about that.” She resumed taping. “I can explain, it's just a bit embarrassing.”

Harvey couldn't fathom the idea of SJ having embarrassing secrets. Whatever it was, it couldn't be any worse than when she found out that Harvey routinely takes part in a dance aerobics class. He was grateful when she promised not to tell anyone, but he hadn't forgotten the look on her face that day when she walked into Caroline's house and saw him in his workout clothes with all the moms in town.

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

“It's fine, I guess I can laugh about it now. I walked into the saloon one day to bring Gus the produce he ordered from the farm, and he offered me a cup of coffee for the road. He already had it made and I didn't want to be rude. So, I took it, and since my next stop was the clinic, Maru suggested I give it to you instead. Then the next time I went back, Gus offered again, and I couldn't say no because I told him it was good the last time.”

“Why did you tell him it was good if you didn't drink it?”

“Because I panicked when he asked, and you told me it was good so that's what I said.”

“To be fair, it was very good.” He suddenly found himself craving coffee again.

“Anyway, it’s gone on for too long now, and I know coffee is your favorite so I just asked Maru what your usual order is so I could ask for that instead. Now Gus thinks we drink the same kind of coffee.”

“Are you telling me you bring me coffee four times a week because you're too shy to tell Gus that you don't actually like it?” That sounded a lot more judgmental that he meant it to.

“Pretty much.” She nodded. “I had just moved here. I didn't want to be an inconvenience. You know when someone tells you their name and you don't hear them the first time, so you just never use it and hope they don't notice because it’s too late to ask? It was kind of like that.”

Something about the way she said that struck Harvey the wrong way. It was an oddly specific comparison, and suddenly he wondered if there was another reason she only ever called him ‘doc’.

“Are you trying to tell me you don't remember my name?”

She burst out laughing. “No! I know your name. That was just an example.”

“Oh… I got worried for a second there, I don't think you've ever called me by my first name before.”

“I haven't?” she paused for a moment to think about it. “Well shit. I guess I haven't. I'm sorry. Everybody else calls you doctor. Doc just sounds a lot cooler. I can stop if you don't like it.”

Harvey found it very amusing that someone like SJ thought he was cool. “No, it's fine. I like it.”

“It was a poor example I'm sorry. I get really shy around people. It makes me do stupid things sometimes.”

“That's not what I meant. I was just surprised is all. You don't seem like the type of person who gets nervous around anyone. You're friends with everyone in town!”

“No, I'm not.” She chuckled darkly. “They only like me because I bring them stuff. You know they call me the “Town Gopher” behind my back because I'll bring them anything they ask for?”

“No… really? Even after... the incident?”

She nodded, sadly. “Yeah.”

“Oh... I didn't know that.”

Harvey didn't want to admit it out loud, at the risk of letting her think he was a loser with no friends, but he also felt distant from the townspeople. He couldn't help but feel guilty that he had no idea what was going on.

“Yeah. It doesn’t matter anyway. They’re still paying me. They don’t have to like me.” She said dismissively. Clearly it wasn’t Harvey that she was trying to convince.

“I’m sure they like you just fine. What’s not to like? I’m sure they at least appreciate all the hard work you do for the town. I definitely appreciate it.” He said in an attempt to cheer her up.

She let out a huff of a laugh, almost as if she didn’t believe him. “Thank you. That means a lot. I’m sorry, I don't mean to dump this on you, but I know you of all people will understand.” She went back to replacing wires and avoiding eye contact.

“It's fine, but what do you mean by that?”

She didn't look up. “I mean, you're not just a doctor, literally everyone in town is one of your patients.”

“And the next few towns over.” Harvey added.

“Really?”

“Yes. ‘Town Doctor’ is more of an honorary title. I’m actually the only licensed physician for about 20 miles in any direction. Closest hospital is about an hour from here.”

“Damn… I didn’t know that.” She blinked a few times, staring blankly at the wire in her hand. Harvey almost detected some concern in her face. “Either way. I can't imagine it's easy to get close to someone who knows your entire medical history.”

“That's true... They like you, and they respect you because of what you do for the town, but you still feel like an outsider among them.”

“Exactly! See, you get it. I just don't know how to approach people unless I have to. It's hard to walk up to someone like, 'Hey, let's be friends.' You know?”

He nodded. “I do.”

Harvey had no idea SJ felt this way too. He thought back to all the nights he spent alone at the saloon, and he realized he never really saw SJ interacting with any of the townspeople outside of her deliveries.

She was just as alone as he was.

…

After SJ reattached the last screw, she picked up the power cord for the radio, staring at it for a moment. “Okay... You ready?”

“It's done?” Harvey asked.

“Yup.” SJ got up from the chair, knelt down, and reached under the desk to plug in the radio. It lit up almost immediately.

“You did it!” He didn't mean to sound so surprised.

“You might want to make sure it works first.”

“Let's see.” They switched chairs so Harvey could sit at the desk and put on his headset. After messing with the dials on the radio for a minute he adjusted his microphone to test it.

“Hello? This is Dr. H at 52 North, 43.5 East seeking aerial response. Anyone out there?”

“Dr. H?” SJ laughed.

“Shhh.” He said, trying not to laugh as well. “You're not the only one who can go by their initials.”

“Maybe I should call you that instead.”

The radio produced nothing but static.

“So, is it working?” SJ leaned back in her chair, comfortable, but still interested.

“Seems to be. The likelihood of an actual plane flying overhead is slim to-”

Harvey stiffened when a voice from the radio spoke.

“Copy. Dr. H on the ground. This is Blackbird Fiver Fiver Zuzu, anything to report?”

He turned to SJ, who had quickly sat up when she hard the voice. “Someone's there...” He whispered.

“Oh shit.” SJ whispered back, a giddy smile on her face. “Well say something! What are you supposed to say?”

Harvey tried to contain his excitement long enough to respond as he turned back to the radio. “Right. Uhh. Standard ground report. Wind at 3 clicks, 36 degrees North of West. Ground Temperature at 43 kraggs. Humidity 53%. Dr. H out.” He immediately turned off the radio, his hands slightly shaking.

There was a long beat of stunned silence as SJ and Harvey stared at each other, soon dissolving into excited laughter.

“That was so cool!” SJ said. “I can see why you like doing that.”

“I didn’t think that would actually work.” Harvey said, still in shock. “You know we might still be able to see the plane from here.”

SJ was already out of her chair before Harvey had the chance to rip off his headset and join her at the small window next to the desk. Sure enough, off in the distance, a tiny plane was flying over the valley.

“There it is!” SJ said excitedly. “That’s so awesome, I can’t believe you were just talking to him!”

As the two of them watched the plane fly by, Harvey turned to look at the farmer. Seeing her genuine smile while she watched the sky, he thought to himself, perhaps getting a little closer to his patients wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

…

“Thank you so much for your help. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. What do I owe you?” Harvey said as SJ was packing up her tools.

He was already looking around for his wallet when she said, “No need. First ones free.”

“Please, I can't let you do that. Give me a number.”

“Seriously, I had fun today. You've never asked me for anything before. This one's on the house.”

“Do all your customers get that deal?” He said sarcastically.

“Only the ones that say they appreciate me.” She said with a wink as she threw on her backpack.

He sensed that she was joking, but he didn't like the implication that people didn't appreciate her work. Was he really the first one to say that to her?

“SJ, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

SJ was always so confident, Harvey wanted to be confident too. He took a deep breath and simply said what was on his mind without thinking too much about it.

“About what you said earlier... I know exactly how you feel. I don't really have any friends in town either. But I was just wondering, do you think that we could be friends? I'd like to get to know you better. Put aside our doctor-patient relationship.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he could feel his heart pounding. That didn't sound quite as bold in his head.

SJ gave an amused smile, but it quickly faded when she realized he wasn't joking. She looked around, almost as if to see if anyone was listening. “Oh, you're serious…”

He sighed. “I understand, if that's not appropriate or-”

“We’re not friends?” She asked, sounding a little distressed.

“Oh. Well, I mean, I didn’t think you’d ever… you think of me as a friend?”

“Of course I do! Talking to you in the mornings when I bring Maru’s orders is like, my favorite part of my day. You… don’t think of me as a friend?”

“No, I do! I mean… I’d like to! I’m sorry this isn’t where I expected this conversation to go.”

“It’s ok.” She giggled. “I think I get it. We could definitely hang out more. If that's what you're asking.”

He smiled. “Yes. Yes, I'd like that.”

“Cool.” She started to leave, but she stopped in the doorway first and said, “See you around, Harvey.”

Apparently, she did know his name.

…

The next day, Harvey walked into his office to find a hot cup of coffee on his desk with a note attached:

'Next time you want to hang out with me, you can just ask'

- SJ

On the back of the note, was the farmer's cell phone number. He wanted to call her to thank her for the coffee, but when his heart fluttered at the idea of calling her directly, he began to question Maru's theory once again.

He dismissed the feeling as being excited by the fact that they were officially friends. It didn't mean he had feelings for her... right?

.

.

.

.

.

.

… Right??

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

-Next-

[sugiwa]

Hi. I am the Advice Anon. Please ignore those asks! I am so sorry for spamming your ask box. I still need help, so I’ll paste the entire thing over here. Again, sorry and thank you! Have a great day!

My reply and the full ask are below:

Hello! I hope you’ve been having a great day so far. This is probably unlike all of the other asks you get on a daily basis, author. However, I am in dire need of help, and I have turned to you. Before I begin, I want to apologize in advance, as this ask is going to be long. Now, like I said before, I need some help. You see, I am a freshman in high school, and school hasn’t even been going on for a full 10 weeks (a quarter), and I am already in a huge, messy, sticky situation. You probably already know that in high school, you need a certain number of credits in each field to be able to graduate. I am going to be extremely vague about this because it doesn’t really matter, and I’d really like to remain anonymous, if you know what I mean. One of the fields is World Languages and Visual Arts. Obviously, I am not talented enough to do Visual Arts, so I opted for World Languages instead. My teacher for the course I chose this year… she’s nice. Really kind, and I love that she makes learning a whole new language and culture, which is extremely hard, so much fun. And the fact that she’s one of the nicest teachers I know makes the rest of this so, so painful for me. 4 days ago, for me, was a Thursday. In this class, we had a vocab quiz that day (background info: two days before every quiz, my teacher posts a practice quiz to be done before class starts). I don’t really want to discuss what happened, as it still brings tears to my eyes, but I will give you a vague summary of what was going on. Basically, I couldn’t access my quiz (it was online), so my teacher told me to come in after school to re-do it. I was supposed to close down my computer and work on homework from another class, but instead of doing so, I worked on the practice quiz. And… this was considered cheating, because I was getting extra practice in before taking the quiz– something that the other students didn’t get, you know? My teacher saw my computer screen, and told me that she’d talk to me after school, and she’d be calling home. I couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the class, because I was afraid of what might happen when she called home. After school, she told me to speak with her, and be honest about it. When cheating happens, at our school, the teacher will write us up for Academic Dishonesty and give it to the administration, who then decides the consequences. My teacher had told me that if I was honest with her, she wouldn’t write my up; she’d just give me a zero on the quiz and call home and tell them what I did. I was honest with her, because like I said before, I was afraid. Once I told her everything that happened, she told me that I could call home, let them know what happened myself, and I’d be off the hook (with a zero on the quiz, of course). So, I called home, like she had asked of me, but… they didn’t pick up. I told her that they didn’t pick up, and she told me that it was fine, and that she’d talk to my parents in-person before they picked me up from school. I’m not going to lie, that terrified me more than calling home. I don’t really remember what happened after that, because I was too busy crying, but I do remember that she mentioned something about me doing this before, and that it was not OK to do it the second time, but she’d let me off the hook. The thing is, I am 100% sure I haven’t done this before… or maybe she just didn’t approach me the first time. I told her that I didn’t do this before, and she told me that I was lying again, and began to write me up. I told her that I didn’t mean to do this, and that I was sorry, but she told me to stop lying. She said that she DID approach me the first time I did this, and that I was rude to her then. This brought tears to my eyes– my kind of favorite teacher telling me that I was rude to her. You see, I didn’t grow up here, and although I’ve lived here for 4 years, I am not used to the way people interact here. It was very different where I grew up. For example, you didn’t ask each other how their day was, or what they did during their day, unless you were REALLY curious or concerned, because that was considered nosy and rude. So, I tend to be unintentionally rude, and completely oblivious to it; I have no idea when I’m being rude or not, unless someone specifically says so. I also don’t really understand people well, so that’s a huge problem. So… hearing this from her, really hurt. I told her that I didn’t intend to be rude, and I was trying my best to change (I mean, I was & am reading a book to teach me etiquette and all), and she replied with “that’s good to hear”. Then, when my parents came to pick me up, she talked to them, and even asked one of my parents to walk with us to the Administration Office to turn in the write up. Stuff happened, I got called into the Assistant Principal’s office, and now I have a zero on my quiz (and my homework activity that I never finished), Saturday School, and a black mark on my record. But the thing is… that’s not what I’m concerned about at all. Sure, getting my grades up in time for Progress Reports is going to be an extremely hard task, and Saturday School is going to leave a huge black mark on my record, but that’s not what I’m worried about. My grades have been fractured, but so has my relationship with this teacher. I feel as though she hates me now, that she has lost all trust in me. (Background info: our school does Odd and Even days, so I have half of my classes on one day and half on the other, so that means that I didn’t face my teacher at all on Friday) 3 days ago, on Friday, when I went to school, it was an average day. It would have been an amazing day, had it not been for the situation I was in. All I could think about that day was my World Language teacher. And just thinking about her, and about that classroom, it… gives me a bit of anxiety. This is where I need your help. What would you do if you were in my situation? I really want to repair my relationship with my teacher, because I know that she’s really important; we’re going to be on the same campus for the next 4 years of my life, and even more importantly, she’s going to be my teacher for the next 8 months. I want to graduate with good grades, but more importantly, I want to graduate without holding a grudge against my teacher. I want her to like me, and I want to gain her trust again. Today is a Sunday for me, and I have to go back to school tomorrow, and I have her class then. A part of me is really scared to go to school, a part of me is really angry at my teacher for reporting me (even though it was the right thing to do), and a part of me wants to ditch school tomorrow, or even drop out or transfer from her course, all because I don’t want to face her after I did the wrong thing. It’s not only that, either. I’ve also been avoiding my friends. Would you like to know why I am confiding in awesome strangers on the internet anonymously instead of letting my friends know what’s going on? It’s because I’m afraid that they won’t like me anymore, and they’d ditch me or something. They’re amazing people, and I know that they won’t do that, but a part of me is still paranoid. I’ve been avoiding my friends since Friday, barely talking to them at school, and texting them a little bit in our group chat. They don’t really suspect anything, but that’s good. And that’s why I am asking you. Not just you, but actually anyone who sees this, if they helped me, I’d really appreciate it. I really need help moving forward in this situation, and I’m desperate for help. My parents don’t understand the situation I’m in, and I’m too scared to talk to my friends about it, so I’d really appreciate the help. It’s OK if you don’t reply to this, author. I know that this doesn’t affect you in any way, so you’re not obliged to help me. I’d like to thank you for taking the time from your day to read these extremely long asks. Have a great day. P.S: I absolutely love What Heroes Do! Izumi is such a well written character, and sometimes, I see myself in her. The way she handles situations is so inspirational! And your writing skills are top-tier! My best friend and I actually started writing a book 4 years ago (I mean, we wrote for one month in 6th grade, and then spent one day in 8th grade editing it, and we’ve only got a prologue and 1.5 chapters done, so… clearly, we aren’t doing a good job lol), and you’ve inspired me to go back to that book and re-do it! Thank you so much for being such an inspiration and an idol of mine! Ilysm ❤️

sugiwa:

I wanted to take the  proper time to reply to this. I think any adult willing to hold a grudge against a child is in the wrong. You clearly made a mistake and are now taking steps to improve and learn from it. Additionally, I think teachers tend to forget how much stress students are under in their academic and private lives, so a mistake should be used as an opportunity to teach not punish. I don’t think that you should worry about what this teacher thinks of you. Your teacher didn’t believe you, despite you telling them the truth. No matter how kind or nice someone is, their behavior towards you will always reflect their inner thoughts. If you’ve clearly made a mistake, you should fight to prove that. It’s not as if you intended to ‘cheat,’ given the situation we’re all in with the pandemic, online classes and quizzes are the norm. These kinds of things probably happen regularly. Additionally. I don’t think you need to concern yourself with being rude. My culture is rather blunt and when I first moved here, people weren’t fans of brutal honesty, so it was a big cultural shock.  If people aren’t willing to learn about your culture and understand, then I don’t think they’re people worth hanging out with. Lean on your friends, I don’t think they’d make a big deal over a couple of mistakes and if they do, then it might be worth reconsidering why you were friends with them. 

Thank you for your kind words about the story and I really hope everything works out for you!!

[effieduan]

Peskipiksi Pesternomi || Morgan & Effie (& Friends!)

TIMING: Present

LOCATION: Vulpine Voltage Repairs

PARTIES: @mor-beck-more-problems & @effieduan & pixies

SUMMARY: Morgan needs to get her phone fixed and stumbles upon an unsettling scene in Effie’s shop.

CONTENT: karen :///

“I’m just saying there’s grease on my screen.” The blonde said slowly, as if Effie couldn’t understand her. Truthfully, Effie didn’t understand her, but only because this woman was an idiot.

Effie let out a sigh, finally putting down the teeny tools she was using to replace some teenagers' cracked phone screen. She thought she was done with this particular customer -- she had even let herself hope she was done with this particularly customer. This woman’s laptop had a bad run in with a llama (apparently) and wanted it back in perfect condition. Effie obliged after she was screamed at for telling her that it would be cheaper to buy a new computer. Do I look poor? Perfect condition meant a deep cleaning of all the grime that was caked onto the poor machine.

“Ma’am,”Effie said flatly. “Your screen is just clean.”

“No! It feels slippery! Look!”

Effie watched, face blank as Karen dragged her finger across the smooth surface of the laptop screen, leaving behind a fingerprinted smudge.

“Yes,” Effie said. “Because it’s clean.” The door opened, her telltale jingling bells sounding through the small store front. Effie looked over Karen’s shoulder. “I’ll be right with you.”

“You most certainly will not!” The woman was outraged now, and Effie sucked in a deep breath, wishing that the other customer hadn’t walked in so she could just go lock herself in her workshop in the back. “You will take my laptop back and clean all this grease off it this instant! I didn’t pay all that money for you to be lazy - I wanted this in mint condition so i wouldn’t have to buy a new computer, and you’ve made it all...All… shiny! It’s slippery and I’ll drop it again and just have to come back - is this how you scam people? How dare you!”

Effie stared at the woman for a long moment, before stooping behind the counter and picking up a sign she only used on particularly irritating customers.

THE TECHNICIAN HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE. THIS MEANS YOU! GOOD-BYE!!!

After all the terrible things over the last two weeks, especially the thing with Erin and Betty, Morgan tried to kill her newly freed up time with Sundew and the pixies. Sometimes this led to impromptu spelling quizzes about the names of flowers. Sometimes this led to Sundew and Willowbud dropping her phone in the pool after trying to use it as a palanquin. Today was Actions Speak Louder Than Words, so the two tiny culprits joined her on the trip to the repair shop for ‘emotional support’ and to determine what they could do to make things better once Morgan found out just how bad the situation was. The rice trick hadn’t helped, so her hopes weren’t all that high.

Inside the shop, however, someone was having a much worse day.

“Her face looks like a balloon,” Willowbud giggled, hiding on Morgan’s shoulder.

“We should make it pop!” Sundew said, peeking out next to her. “And then make her get stuck on the ceiling so she can’t come down. Then she really really will be a balloon.”

“That’s cruel,” Morgan chastised softly, looking at the complaining woman. “Also, very conspicuous. And it’s...” She winced. “...human, in a bad way, to hurt someone just because you feel like it.”

“Does not,” Sundew hissed.

But the woman was being pretty human-bad too, and Morgan found herself wishing she’d put off teaching Sundew manners for another week. She had worked too many shitty jobs to have compassion for people who took off the edge off their existential powerlessness by yelling at service workers. Maybe this woman would look better stuck to the ceiling.

When the girl at the counter came to her, Morgan made a point of smiling extra bright as she brought out the phone. “I just have a uh...phone problem. Swimming pool accident. You can let me know if it’s not worth bringing her back to life.” She side eyed the woman, who was rapidly taking personal offense to everything Morgan said by the look on her face. “I can also wait a while, if you need to take care of other stuff.”

The sunny smile of the other customer was oddly disconcerting, though Effie knew it was just because the other was being such a bitch. “Your phone?” Effie managed to ask. She even managed to register her saying swimming pool accident - which happened to be her least favorite repairs, but at that moment she’d take anything. At least this woman looked like she would even get a thank you. “I’ll take a --”

Effie didn’t get to finish her sentence when her bitch of a customer interjected. “You most certainly will wait!” she snarled at Morgan. If Effie believed in God, she would pray for the strength not to strangle this woman. Thankfully, she did believe in the law, and murder was currently illegal, despite picturing this woman’s head exploding. “And you don’t want to get your shitty phone repaired here anyway, she’ll just make it greasy -- honestly, I want my money back, and I want my computer back to the way it was!”

“Smashed and hardly usable because of a llama accident?” Effie asked. “I’ve already informed you that I’ll no longer be servicing you. You can leave now. Uh --” Effie glanced over at Morgan. “Ma’am, if you’d like you can go towards the counter. This will only take a --”

“I demand you --”

“And I demand you shut up!” Effie had never been great at customer service and was born with the shortest fuse of all her sisters. “I’m running a business here and if you’re going to act like a child without a brain you can stick your head and your laptop into a pot of boiling water. Leave so I can look at this woman’s phone.”

Sundew and Willowbud thought this was hilarious. Morgan had to pretend to scratch her shoulder in order to keep them quiet. “If we’re the h-word for only supposing to make her a balloon, how many is she? Do you think she ate them?” Sundew said.

“At least four,” Morgan muttered.

This made them laugh harder. Morgan coughed to cover up the noise. “Excuse me, sorry,” she said, clearing her throat for good measure. “See, that’s what you do when you interrupt someone trying to peacefully go about their day. And then, if you’re trying to get someone to do you a favor and be nice to you, you get a little more specific and acknowledge they’re actually a person and not a text bot in a bodysuit.” Her voice was gentle, but her smile cut sharp. “Like: you look really distressed, ma’am. I can only imagine what horrible things must be happening for you right now, or how badly you’ve been hurt, that you feel like you need to be like this. But you really don’t. And this young woman has made herself really clear just now. So maybe if this is that urgent, you should try calling tomorrow.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna wo-oork,” Willowbud sing-songed.

Effie coughed, at least having the sense to hide her building laughter at her customers words. Oh, Morgan was so her new favorite customer, she would be getting a discount on her phone if she could fix the water damage. And if she couldn’t, maybe she’d toss in a free pair of headphones along with the cellphone recommendation pamphlet she’d give her. What confused her, though, was the soft sing-songing voice coming from the woman’s… hair?

Facetime, maybe? Or - wait, her phone was why she was here. Unless she had two? Effie was far more interested in the voice than she was her bitchy customer.

“I don’t think you have any involvement in this!” Karen snapped at Morgan, and Effie raised her eyes to the ceiling. Was this punishment for being an atheist? She made a mental note to tell that one to Eva the next time they spoke, she’d laugh.

“Actually --” Effie said, cutting off her tirade, “You are. She’s here to get a service done and you -- a person that will no longer be served -- are getting in the way of that. I guarantee she could have been out of here faster than this whole ordeal.” Effie paused, looking back at Morgan apologetically. “Not that I’m trying to get rid of you, of course.”

Karen stamped her foot. “I just want what I’ve paid for!! This is highway robbery! I’ll sue you!”

Sundew and Willowbud were doing that thing where they whispered and giggled and cackled at each other at the same time, and their already shrill voices were literally in Morgan’s ear and it was all she could do not to swat them away or laugh from how their wings tickled her neck. As they started scuttling down her sweater, she finally barked with laughter. “Sorry, sorry, uh. You’re very scary, ma’am. Truly.” Sundew’s feet were tickling her side and Morgan covered her mouth, snorting. “And uh, you really don’t have to worry about me,” she said to the girl at the counter. “I worked retail in Texas.”

As she spoke, the two pixies were writing on one of her post its and shoved their creation into Morgan’s hand. Morgan took one look at what they’d written (for writing in the dark, the penmanship was kind of impressive) and nearly choked on her voice. Maybe being on her own was making her lose her grip on her principles. Maybe she should stop spending so much time with pixies. Maybe a lot of things. But fuck it.

“Uh, but you know what, since all three of us seem to not want you here, why don’t you give me your name and contact info right here. I have some lawyer friends, and I’ll put you in touch. Sound fair?” She flipped the post-it as she handed it to the woman, obscuring the writing on the front.

Retail in Texas? Effie raised an eyebrow. “I… don’t think I want to know what that means,” she said. Truthfully she couldn’t think of a place she wanted to go to less than Texas. Except maybe Arizona… Or, really, anywhere in the south. Effie watched as Morgan produced a sticky note from out of nowhere. Who carried sticky notes on them like that? Effie wondered if Morgan really intended on passing Karen’s information onto a lawyer -- though even if she did, she was certain that this blonde woman would be laughed right out of a lawyers office. Greasy computer her left butt cheek.

“Ma’am, I suggest you do as she says,” Effie said. “Before I decide to call someone to escort you off my property.”

The blonde woman looked at her in astonishment, “Excuse me?” she asked like she couldn’t believe the words that just left Effie’s mouth.

Effie just reached into her back pocket, pulling out her phone and waving it threateningly. Of course, Effie would do no such thing. She was particularly fond of the police, nor did she feel like having more people crowded in her store. Even two was starting to make her a little nervous, if only because one of them was overtly hostile.

The blonde huffed in annoyance. “Well fine, then.” And she snatched the sticky note out of Morgan’s hand, looking Effie up and down as she did so, eyes lingering on the pair of bright blue gloves. “And I hope you choose a better wardrobe when I see you in court!!”

As soon as the woman signed the note, Sundew and Willowbud flew out of Morgan’s bag, tiny hands drawn into finger-guns. “Stick 'em up!” Sundew cried. “This here is a robbery! And you owe us big time!”

“Yeah!” Willowbud piped. “Highway robbery, missy!”

Sundew cackled. “Pew, pew!” Two bullets the size of melons shot out from her tiny fingers and zoomed straight for the woman’s face. She screamed, shielding herself, but on supposed impact, the bullets made a farting noise and erupted into a spray of rainbow fireworks.

“Sundew!” Morgan squeaked. In retrospect, she should have seen this coming. They had written When u rob me I will give all my money $$. Of course they would want to do the hold up themselves, supernatural secrecy be damned. She looked over to the girl at the counter, smiling through her panic. Please don’t freak out, please don’t freak out, please don’t freak out.

The woman, meanwhile, was wriggling in place as her arms forced themselves into her own purse for her wallet. Out came the credit cards, debit cards, store cards, wadded up bills, loose change, even a checkbook. Morgan didn’t even know people still carried checkbooks. The more the woman fought, the more her face turned a little purple, and for a second Morgan worried that she might actually burst like a human gore balloon.

As Sundew and Willowbud fluttered to the counter to surf and dance on their spoils, Morgan’s look at the girl at the counter turned desperate. “Those...drone robots the kids are making sure….look realistic, huh? I can...uh...make them give those back, if you want. Because, you know, the drones. Probably have...microphone...things. To listen with.”

Effie stared in utter disbelief. The little things with wings were cackling and shooting finger guns while this woman was making it rain the contents of her purse on the ground. Suddenly, the singsongy voice coming out of this other woman’s hair was making sense. Effie looked at her panicked smile and looked back at Karen, who was… Well, now she wasn’t very happy.

“Drones,” Effie repeated, eyeing the dancing creatures doubtfully. Drones her ass. Still, the look on the bitch’s face was really something to look at, and Effie let out a low laugh, shaking her head. “Drones! Right. Drones!” Effie was not the best actor in the world, but she was trying her best. “Well, it seems like maybe we should give the lady back her checkbook and cards. And I’ll take this --” Effie slide a wadded up ten dollar bill towards the little creatures, “-- as a fee for disturbing the peace. For the … Children, of course.”

“Maybe we should make her give up the rest!” Sundew said. She flew up to the woman, flitting this way and that, closer to her eyes. “What do you think, human? Do you think anything? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? Do you? DO YOU?” Sundew flicked her on the forehead. “Should we keep playing robber? Or maybe we should play tie ‘em to the train tracks instead.”

The woman, still a little purple and now definitely terrified for her sanity, took out a roll of bills from her cleavage and threw it on the ground. Finally freed from the request, she stumbled back and left the shop, too horrified to scream.

Morgan deflated, bending down to pick up the most conspicuous items off the floor and push them over the counter. “You should definitely take the checkbook and plastic,” she mumbled. “They’ve learned to type, and I really don’t want to learn what their taste in online shopping is.” She put her head over her arms and stayed there, looking sidelong at the girl. Sundew and Willowbud were too pleased with themselves to care much. Like many fae, they assigned value by shininess and aesthetic more than anything else. For now, at least. “You’re taking all of this really well. Tiny ‘drones’ flying out of a woman’s purse the middle of your store, harassing your customer, playing--” she looked back at them and shook her head, despairing. “I don’t even want to know. But, I appreciate it, and if you can handle mailing that harpy of a woman her sensitive stuff back, I can compensate you extra for the...mess.”

The woman fled from the shop, forgetting all about her greasy laptop and all of her personal belongings now scattered about the store. Effie stared after her in somewhat impressed astonishment. She looked at the woman bending to pick up the checkbook and plastic, and nodded as she grabbed it and the computer, automatically going to the safe. “I can ship it out tonight,” she said simply with a shrug. “She left her address on file, and I think her license is somewhere in that mess too.”

“Uh --” Effie looked down at the two little creatures. “Well, uh…” Actually, it was probably a good idea to check in to see how she actually felt about the existence of … these things. Fae. Had to be. Her grandmother’s warnings echoed in her head along with the insistence that she eat more dinner. “I’ve been around,” was all she said. “And I don’t particularly… ask questions unless I need to know.” It was simpler that way, anyway, and it kept people at arm's length, which is what she liked.

She stooped under the counter and pulled out paperwork -- the ones to start a ticket. “Your phone’s been waterlogged, right? Just fill this stuff out for me and I’ll take a look to see if there’s anything I can do. And you two…” she looked down at the two creatures. She looked back at Morgan. “Uh. I have candy??”

Morgan’s tired face brightened with relief. Slowly, she smiled. “Wow. I think that might actually be a first. I’m guessing that’s how you and this place are still standing.” She grabbed the paperwork and filled it out, writing a little ‘no promises’ in the corner, punctuated with a smiley face as a warning.

At the mention of candy, Morgan checked back in on the two pixies, who paused in their frolicking to proclaim, “We accept your tribute!” before going back to making the dollar bills roll like a mini ocean. “You really do know what you’re doing. I had to ask an expert to figure that one out,” she marvelled, sliding the pad over. “I know these aren’t the most auspicious circumstances, but my name is Morgan Beck and you just became my new favorite person in town.”

[when-they-write-stuff]

Imagine if after Stiles having her for so many years and the shit she’s been through, Roscoe just breaks down one day and Stiles is upset because that jeep was his baby. Derek suggests they go car shopping because Stiles needs a vehicle and Stiles gets very upset and offended cause he can’t just replace Roscoe.

Oh my gosh, nonnie. This is adorable.

- -

Derek was pretty sure there was something wrong with Stiles.

Or, something more wrong than usual. Of course, he already knew that Stiles had his many, many mannerisms and oddities. The boy was spastic, loud, and didn’t get close to enough sleep. Derek was pretty sure his diet consisted of Adderal and curly fries, and he was always getting himself in trouble.

But Derek thought there was something else wrong with Stiles. Like something on an emotional level.

He wasn’t used to seeing Stiles quiet and… sad?

Derek decidedly didn’t like it.

Things started when Stiles showed up at the loft after school one day, just like usual, and proceeded to ignore the rest of the pack all afternoon. He did his homework, flipped Peter off every time the man tried to speak and gave Isaac flat looks when he walked around in his scarves. But he was also acting off. He was acting weird.

Derek thought his scent smelled more sour than usual.

The thing is, he didn’t know how to approach this. Whenever one of the betas was feeling down, Derek would either give them a wide berth, train them until they didn’t have the energy to feel sad, or sometimes offer the beta a little extra attention. With someone like Isaac or Erica, that worked like a charm.

He didn’t know what to do about Stiles. The boy was grinning and laughing so often, Derek didn’t know how to react when he wasn’t anymore.

He tried to put Boyd on Stilinski duty. But the beta didn’t seem very excited about that.

“You want me to what, now?”

“Keep an eye on Stiles,” Derek said, trying to put as much Alpha authority into his voice that he could. “Make sure there’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Why don’t you just ask yourself?”

“Because,” Derek said. “I’m putting you on Stilinski duty.”

“I still have a job and schoolwork,” Boyd said flatly. Normally, Derek admired the beta for standing up for himself. There was a reason Boyd was a second right from the beginning, but at the moment all he wanted was to hear an ‘okay’ or maybe a ‘Stiles is fine’. Derek crossed his arms, glaring, but Boyd still didn’t look cowed.

“I’ll pay you.”

“You’ll pay me to keep an eye on Stiles.”

“One week.”

Boyd looked at him for a long moment. Then, shaking his head, he just turned away. Derek didn’t think that was the answer he’d been looking for.

He frowned after the beta before sighing to himself.

There was no way he was putting Erica on Stilinski duty. The last time he’d asked her to deal with him, she’d knocked Stiles out with a piece of his own car and then left him in a dumpster. Derek figured Isaac would probably go for the ‘I’ll pay’ deal, but that might not end well for Isaac or Stiles.

Derek rubbed a hand over his face and realized with a pang that he was going to have to deal with this himself. Because clearly, there was something wrong.

Stiles was at his desk when Derek pulled himself through the window that night.

The boy startled so hard, he went flailing out of his seat. Derek fixed him with an unimpressed gaze and crossed his arms, looming over where the teenager had fallen.

“What’s wrong with you.”

When he heard himself, Derek realized maybe he should’ve thought through this one or two times more. Because that didn’t exactly sound comforting.

Stiles glared up at him. “What the hell, Sourwolf?”

“You smell wrong.”

That didn’t sound too great either. Internally, Derek cringed.

Stiles apparently felt the same way. Because the boy shoved himself up so he and Derek were chest to chest, and glared. Derek smothered the urge to retreat a few steps back. He was the Alpha after all and he’d just come here to make sure Stiles was okay.

He was trying to do something good, dammit.

“Well, excuse me for smelling a little bad,” Stiles snapped. “I haven’t taken a shower in a couple of days because I’ve been drowning underneath homework, car troubles, and pack stuff. You want to tell me I need to bathe, Sourwolf? Because if that’s the case, you can take your furry ass right back out the window—”

“Car troubles?”

Stiles snapped his mouth shut, not looking happy at being cut off. But once more, Derek noticed his scent changed. The boy ran a hand through his hair before dropping back into his desk chair with a slight grunt. “Yes.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Why the hell do you care, Derek?”

“I’m allowed to care.”

“Yes, but that usually doesn’t happen, does it? Dude, the last time you asked about me it was when I accidentally forgot a pack meeting and you slammed me against a wall for good measure.”

Derek winced. Hadn’t that been like three months ago? He was pretty sure that had been a little while ago.

Stiles was looking at his computer screen miserably now. Derek shifted from foot to foot before sighing and turning away. 

“Fine, I’ll leave then.”

Half-way out the window, he didn’t get a reply. But then it sounded like Stiles was grinding his teeth and the boy turned in his chair, fixing Derek with a last look. “Roscoe’s broken down on me. My dad doesn’t think we can afford to get her fixed.”

Derek paused, one leg still inside of the boy’s bedroom. He blinked and then pulled himself back in. Stiles crossed his arms over his chest but only looked even more miserable.

“I tried taking her to the auto mechanic’s but he said it’ll be expensive. My dad thinks all the repairs aren’t worth it and I should think about just saving up for a new car.”

“I could…” Derek trailed off. What could he do? Offer to pay to fix it? Offer to take a look? Derek knew a thing or two about cars but probably not enough. “We could go car shopping. If you wanted.”

Stiles looked up at him with blazing amber eyes. “Seriously, dude? Car shopping?”

“... You don’t like car shopping?”

“No, asshole,” Stiles said, shoving himself up. “I’m not getting a new car! Roscoe is my baby! I’m not jumping to the next best model because she grinds in second sometimes!”

Derek blinked at him, surprised. What the hell was he supposed to say to that?

“Just go away,” Stiles said, dropping back into his chair.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Derek rolled his eyes and turned away again, pulling himself out the window. This time, Stiles didn’t say a word to stop him and Derek supposed that was fine. If Stiles wanted to be difficult, Stiles could be difficult. It’s not like Derek understood what the hell was going on.

It was a car. Just a car. Right?

Quietly, he thought that if someone ever told him to get rid of or sell the Camaro— Laura’s old car— he’d be pretty pissed too. But that was different.

Derek didn’t look back.

-

Lydia cornered him after the pack meeting the next week. 

Derek didn’t know why because he and Lydia didn’t often speak. They had this grudging but quiet respect between the two of them and Derek was perfectly okay with that. He’d never admit that the girl scared him a little and he knew better than to get on her wrong side.

He’d never admit that out loud, but he was also pretty sure he’d done nothing wrong. So he wasn’t sure exactly why the girl was looking at him with flashing green eyes while the rest of the pack filtered out of the loft.

“You,” Lydia said, pointing a finger in his face. “Have some things to fix.”

“What.”

“Stiles is moping more than usual. What have you said to him?”

Derek blinked at her. Then he scowled, starting to brush by. But Lydia caught his arm before he could make his escape and Derek swallowed down a growl, turning back toward the red-head.

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“So why is he acting like the world has ended?”

“I don’t know,” Derek said in a snarl. “The last time I tried to ask, he spouted some nonsense about homework, pack stuff, and his stupid broken car. Why don’t you try asking yourself?”

Lydia let go and Derek instantly regretted his words. He clenched his jaw and ducked his head.

“I don’t know what’s wrong. He won’t talk to me.”

“His mother’s car broke down?”

Derek looked back up at that, brows furrowed. Lydia raised a perfectly manicured brow at his expression and then signed, rolling her eyes. 

“Oh my god. You men really are thick sometimes, aren’t you?”

“What is that supposed to mean.”

“Roscoe is more than a ‘stupid car’, Derek. It was his mother’s. His dead mother’s. Why else do you think Stiles keeps the thing even though it’s held together by duct tape and chewing gum? It’s not like it attracts either the same or opposite gender.”

Derek stared at her. Then, as Lydia’s words sunk in, he cursed and brushed by. Derek could feel the girl watching him all the way out of his own loft but he didn’t look back.

Of course. Derek should have known.

If someone would have made fun of the Camaro, Derek probably would have disemboweled them. Because not only was it his car, his baby, but it had been Laura’s. She’d left it in New York with a promise that if Derek laid a finger on it while she was gone, she would be the one disemboweling him.

But she’d never come back. So he’d taken it as his own, if not to remember the time they’d spent together listening to 80’s music too loud and drinking crappy milkshakes from cheap fast food drive-throughs years ago. 

Derek didn’t pull him through Stiles’s window right away, though. Instead, he waited until the boy’s bedroom light had gone off and then he waited a little longer. Only when he was sure Stiles’s heartbeats were calm with sleep did Derek enter the house, creeping quietly around the boy’s room.

Stiles’s keys sat on his desk. Derek scooped them up and then pulled himself out the window again, moving toward the old crappy jeep that he sort of hated.

Not for a good reason, he thought. Other than the fact it was more likely to get Stiles killed one day than the monsters of Beacon Hills were, that is. Derek had always hated the thing with a passion because he was pretty sure one day, it would break down when Stiles needed it the most.

But maybe Derek could fix that.

The guy at the auto repair shop didn’t seem happy to see him.

“We close in thirty minutes, man,” he said, arms crossed. “And I’ve seen that piece of crap already. It’ll take a few hours at least and I don’t even know if it should be salvaged—”

Derek had the man shoved against the nearest wall in a second, doing his best not to flash his eyes. The fingers of one hand curling into the guy’s t-shirt, Derek pulled out his wallet with his other and flipped it open. He pulled out a few bills and held them up, before letting the guy go again.

“A tip. If you fix the car tonight.”

“Look, man—”

“Fix the car,” Derek said, a slight snarl to his voice. “Tonight.”

The guy’s gaze flitted from Derek to the bills in his hand, and then back. With a small, timid nod, he started toward the jeep and Derek smirked to himself, settling down in one of the waiting room chairs.

It took nearly five hours.

By the time the guy came back into the room again, Derek was half-asleep. But he sat straight up and raised an eyebrow, and the mechanic shifted nervously.

“That should do her.”

“The jeep is safe to drive?”

“I mean, she could be safer, but—”

Derek narrowed his eyes and the guy’s heartbeat picked up as he gulped. Wordlessly, he nodded, and Derek smiled, placing the bills into his hand as he ducked back out of the room. 

It was nearing five in the morning when Derek parked Roscoe back in the Stilinski driveway. He’d left the Camaro a few blocks down just in case Stiles woke up or the Sheriff came back from his shift early, but things seemed to be quiet. 

Except, when Derek pulled himself through Stiles’s window to place the keys back on his desk, the boy was wide awake and waiting.

“I’m not an idiot, Derek.”

Derek nearly fell right back out the window.

He froze with one leg half in the room and the other still on the roof. Stiles sat in his bed with his arms crossed and he didn’t look impressed. Slowly, Derek pulled himself the rest of the way into the room.

“I don’t—”

“Keys, now.”

Derek deflated. Silently, he tossed them to Stiles’s blankets and the boy snatched them up before fixing Derek with another glare.

“How much was it?”

“Was what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Derek! I thought someone had stolen her until I realized only one idiot would take the keys from my literal bedroom. Only one idiot who literally creeps around in the dark twenty-four seven.”

“I don’t creep around,” Derek said hotly. Stiles only raised a brow.

“So, how much was it?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Derek, I swear to god—”

“It doesn’t matter, Stiles,” Derek said, cutting him off. Stiles glared at him and Derek glared right back. “If it would have been the Camaro, I would have done the same. It’s your mother’s car, it means something to you, and I should have understood that.”

Stiles’s glare melted away. The boy stared at him for a moment and Derek felt his face grow hot, running a hand through his hair.

“I didn’t mean it like—”

“Derek,” Stiles said, cutting him off. Derek blinked at the boy and Stiles’s face softened. “Okay.”

“What.”

“Thanks,” Stiles said. “For uh… you know. Thanks.”

Quietly, Derek nodded. Stiles gave him a crooked smiled, dangling his keys in the air.

“Wanna take her for a ride then?”

“It’s two in the morning.”

“Yeah, but dude, I haven’t driven Roscoe in four weeks. And I could always use some curly fries, two o’clock in the morning or not.”

Derek gave him a long look. Then he rolled his eyes and allowed himself the barest hint of a smile which only made Stiles grin wider. The boy all but bounded out of bed and bounced around his room, grabbing actual clothes and throwing a sweatshirt over his head.

Derek watched in with… fond amusement, maybe. Or whatever. 

He just liked seeing Stiles normal again. Smiling, bright, with a scent like autumn and cinnamon. It was worth it, he thought. Stiles was worth it; he always was.

With that realization, Derek smiled a little more.

- -

Okay, I dunno if this was a prompt or just a very adorable ‘what if’ but I decided to run with it and oh my god. I adore you, nonnie. So cute. 

(if you enjoy my writing, consider supporting your struggling student writer? You can also request a prompt if you’d like!). https://ko-fi.com/rh27writer

[yourkeeperoftherunners]

6/7: Working From Home (Hedgehog Hybrid!Jungkook)

Rating: G

Characters: Hedgehog Hybrid!Jungkook x Reader (any gender)

Notes: Day 7 of my birthday surprise series. This is part of the Misunderstood Hybrid headcanons I wrote for BTS a while back. Please note that working from home can refer to anyone who does this and it does not specifically reference the current events. I got the idea to write short blurbs after seeing some comical pictures and moments in video conference calls of pets “helping” their owners work. All content is fictional. Please do not repost anywhere!

                                                   ————–

“Of course you don’t wanna work,” you grumbled as you fumbled under your desk, trying to restart the computer. You were trying to fix the issue quietly without waking your hedgehog hybrid Jungkook, who was still sound asleep.

Normally you would be asleep for another hour or so, but today your boss asked you to work from home. In addition, she put you on a last minute conference call with some of your business partners in Europe, which meant you had to get up earlier than usual to make the meeting. Your plan had been to close yourself in your home office, take the meeting, then make breakfast for yourself and Jungkook. But your home computer decided it was an excellent time to not cooperate and work...

You had restarted your internet modem and turned the computer on and off a few times. The screen would show the computer logo for a few seconds, then go black again. It was starting to frustrate you and you were wondering if you were better off hopping in the car and taking the call in the office.

“Jagi?” a sleepy voice murmured.

You nearly hit your head under the desk, but caught yourself as you slowly moved out from under it. You looked over your shoulder to see a sleepy eyed Jungkook outside the office, rubbing a hand across his face.

“It’s so early, why are you up?” he whined as he raised a brow.

You winced and cursed yourself for not closing the door. Damn his good hearing.

“Sorry Kookie,” you apologized, “I have to take a call this morning and I didn’t want to wake you. Only, my computer’s not working and I’m not sure what I can do.”

Jungkook straightened up and pointed to the computer as he shuffled into the office. “I noticed it was slow a few days ago. Can you use your cell phone for the meeting?”

You nodded as you slowly straightened up and picked up your phone from the top of the desk. The young man pointed to the kitchen and suggested you call from there.

“You know how to fix computers now?” you asked, looking a bit bewildered. You knew he was a handy guy, seeing as he managed to figure out how to fix some of the plumbing and other home repairs in your house whenever you were gone. Not that you asked or expected him to do those – he argued that he needed something to keep him busy while you were at work most of the week.

He politely guided you out of the office and insisted he would figure out the problem for you.

                                                  ————–

“I’m sorry it’s on my phone, but my computer had to act up of all days,” you sighed.

“No worries Y/N,” one of your counterparts in the Netherlands reassured you. “I had connection issues with this remote access app. It kept kicking me out until I tried a different browser to launch it from!”

“I’m glad you were able to join the call, period,” your boss replied with an understanding smile. “Great discussion everyone. I’ll have Natalie send out the recap by the end of our day. We’ll update next month, same time.”

Your partners in the Netherlands nodded and bid you goodbye before signing off. Your boss quickly thanked you for jumping on the call last minute, before asking if you could handle your workload at home.

Before you could reply, Jungkook stuck his head out from the office and beamed as he flashed you a thumbs-up. You looked back at your boss and said it looked like you should be all set to work as usual, thanks to your boyfriend.

“He says he fixed the computer,” you replied as you glanced up at Jungkook.

“Now that’s a keeper,” your boss replied. “If you have any problems, let me know and you can come in as usual. We need to work on getting more laptops.” She shook her head, muttering about the delays in getting approval for the request from corporate. “Well, I’m here if you need me. Good luck with the computer and hopefully the boyfriend fixed everything!”

“Thank you,” you replied. You hung up and pocketed your phone as you rose from the table and walked back to the office.

“So, what happened?” you asked as you entered the office. You noticed the screen was up and it had the internet operating like usual.

Jungkook stepped back and rolled your chair over to you. He prompted for you to sit down and you slowly sank into the chair. He smiled as he guided the chair over to the desk and gestured to the hard drive.

“Turns out you had neglected the updates and it was struggling to do them while the computer was shut down,” he explained. “I used your main phone to call I.T. and they helped me work through the issues. Also they were nice enough to run a diagnostics scan remotely and helped remove a questionable file that could have caused some problems if opened. Oh, your browser was out of date too, so I downloaded the newest version too.”

You turned and looked over your shoulder at him in amazement. “Wait, you did all this while I was on that one call?”

He nodded proudly and you stared back in amazement. Part of you was tempted to ask if he was considering a job, seeing as the I.T. team in your company had lost a few bright minds to a bigger company. But maybe that was something to discuss later...

“Thanks Kookie,” you murmured as you settled into the seat. Your stomach made a loud rumbling sound and you remembered you had planned to do the meeting, then make breakfast for him. “I’m so sorry, I had this grand plan of getting the meeting done before you woke up, then I’d make breakfast and keep working from home, and–”

“Y/N, it’s okay,” he stopped you, resting a hand on your shoulder. “And no, you didn’t wake me up. I happened to realize you weren’t next to me and wondered if everything was all right.” He glanced in the direction of the kitchen, then back at you. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Hmmm...maybe eggs? Some fruit?” you offered. “Kook, I’m done with the meeting, I’ll–”

He raised a hand and began heading to the kitchen. “I’ll make us breakfast, you continue working.”

You made a face and started to protest but he looked back at you, explaining he wanted to do this.

“I don’t mind,” he said. “Actually, I’m happy you’re working from home. It’s nice to be able to do little things for my jagi and see them smile. Besides, if you keep working, you’ll be done sooner, right?”

“Yes...technically speaking,” you replied.

He grinned smugly and closed the door behind him.

“I’ll bring it with your coffee just the way you like it!”

[itsomgitsgreenblogging]

Re-sublimity: A Critical Role Fanfic

I swear, I was just planning on writing a few small fics for @shadowgast-week. I swear. And then, this happened and I basically shoved all of the prompts into one gigantic fic, which will have to have a second chapter...at least. I do this to myself. So essentially...this is a Jupiter Ascending inspired fic. 

...enjoy!

Read on AO3

Preview: 

>Journey Log #105

>Entered Intergalactic Standard Time 23:04 

>Order: Read Transcript

Dear Traveler, 

You should have seen me today! We dealt with what Fjord calls a “clusterfuck” with no problem! It was space pirates, you know, like Avantika except these ones weren’t cultists to a Deep Space Snake thingy. Yasha said we should call them bandits, but I remember you telling me that all crime in space is actually piracy because space counts as international waters. So I’m going to call them space pirates, okay! I was able to channel your energy through my STAFF, and do some serious damage. Caduceus is getting pretty good with his STAFF, you know, he was still using an actual wood staff to channel the Wildmom’s energy when we first met him. The techno-staffs are so much easier to use, and I’m excited about showing him how to update his later just like you showed me.  

But the funny thing about these space pirates were that they were kobolds! Caleb said that kobolds originate from a planet called Darastrixhurthi, which was really hard for him to pronounce. I took a guess at how to spell it here, hopefully I did it right. He had never heard of them piloting a spacecraft before, but their ships were these super duper rinky dink ships that Fjord said they most likely stole from the nearby planet and fixed up to be barely space-worthy. I’m sure you’ve seen kobolds before, but they were so cute, even though they were stupid and still tried to shoot us down after we gave them food. Anyways, Nott’s getting really good with her vibro-crossbow, and Beau’s lightning punches really saved the day. And you should have seen Yasha, she just about cleaved a ship in two with her vibro-sword! But I promise, I made sure to give them food and tuck in a statue of you as we scared them off. I’m trying to give something just as you always teach me. 

It was too bad about Frumpkin getting punted, but Caleb said he could fix him up again once we get to the nearest planet. Everyone said that because we saw the kobolds and passed by Darastrixhurthi, we’ll be reaching the Xhorhas System within two days, so long as we don’t have any more run-ins with trouble. I really hope we don’t because this has been the longest we’ve journeyed without stopping and I’m getting reaaaaaal bored. It’s so much easier when we have a hyperdrive that actually works to, you know, space travel! But I don’t really want to explode or anything. I’ll find something to do for the two days, besides rewatching my holo-dramas. Maybe I’ll have Caduceus teach me how to use the wand that I picked up on that planet with the fish-people. 

As always, I hope I can see you sometime soon when you aren’t too busy. Please look out for Mama, and my friends, and me. 

Bye!!!

[Record, included below is an image of kobolds wearing funny hats and flying on ships shaped like dicks]

 >Postscript 1, Added by Captain Fjord: Jester, I'm begging you, please stop putting dick drawings in the official journey log. We have to turn these in at port sometimes. 

>Postscript 2, Added by First Mate Beauregard: Oh come on, Captain. These are so fucking dry, I’m sure people would find it entertaining. 

>Postscript 3, Added by Nott the Brave: I personally think that kobold on the far right needs a bigger hat. 

>Postscript 4, Added by Jester Lavorre: >:D

>Postscript 5, Added by Navigator Caleb Widogast: It’s 24:00

>Postscript 6, Added by Nott the Brace: ...your people did this to my people.  

>Postscript 7, Added by Caduceus Clay: Imjuhbdwpqidnamap

>Postscript 8, Added by Yasha Nydoorin: I don’t think Caduceus meant to enter that. 

>Postscript 9, Added by Captain Fjord: No, he told me he meant to ask Jester to please call the Wildmother by her name if she can...you know the Wildmother. Alright everyone, go to sleep. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. 

The solar system of Xhorhas was the place where the Kryn Dynasty had been born, a rising power that’s influence was only dampered by the ever expanding reach of the Dwendalian Empire. When the starship SS Balleater docked on the planet of Asarius, two things were made extremely clear. First, based on the look that the officers gave their ship, they were a bit worse for wear. Second, they took bureaucracy to a whole other level here. They had been waiting in a long twisting line at the Customs office for exactly two hours and twenty seven minutes, in darkened rooms only slightly illuminated by low green lights. It had frayed on all of their nerves, to be honest. The Mighty Nein had never done well with long waits, and tended to get into trouble when they weren’t doing something of pressing importance at every moment. The past twenty days of deep space travel without a functioning hyperdrive had made that extremely clear. To make matters worse, Caleb was sore over the loss of Frumpkin, who had been kicked to shit by one of the kobolds who had managed to board the ship. Familiars, or animal companion droids, could be hard to maintain but he would be able to repair him, as long as he could acquire the necessary parts.  

 Caleb was relieved when their crew reached the front of the line, and came face to face with an overworked and obviously underpaid Kryn officer who looked at them all like she was awaiting her last breath. She was drow, an alien species that was related to the elves that had colonized so many planets during the first space expansion. However, unlike the other species of elves, they were originally an earth-dwelling species. Their coloration was dark and their sensitivity to light kept everything dim in the official buildings like the one they were currently in.   

“Welcome to the planet of Assarius, is this your first time entering the Xhorhas system?” the officer asked, her voice dull and bored. 

“Yeah, it is,” Beauregard said, not sounding impressed by this officer’s obvious existential crisis. 

“Very well, then you will have to undergo the registration process. I will need to prick your finger and gather a blood sample, and ask you a few questions so we can complete the registration questionnaire. Denial of this means you will not have access to the Xhorhas System and we will have to ask you to leave immediately.” 

“So...we all have to register our DNA to get anything here?” Beauregard demanded of the Kryn officer behind the glass, who looked like she wanted nothing more than to slide the glass closed on Beauregard’s face. “Isn’t that...like...extortion or something?” 

“Clearly you are not from around here,” the Kryn officer said pointing to the sign above the desk...written unhelpfully in the language of their culture. None of them spoke it, and with a quick type into his wristband STAFF he was about to cast Comprehend Languages for a translation when she seemed exasperated by their quietness and did the translating for them. “What you need is a Kryn certified Identification and Navigation Aid, or INAV, which you utilize to transfer credits and license your spacecraft. You only receive an INAV once you have registered with our offices, and to be registered you have your DNA filed with us. Not only is this process used to prove the legitimacy of our monarchs and members of our dens, but also, yes, to prove you are who you say you are when you are paying for goods and services. Unless you want to give blood every time you go to buy food, you get an INAV.”   

“How do we know you aren’t using our DNA for shady shit,” Nott asked suspiciously. 

“Lady, I just work here,” the Kryn official snapped, motioning to the ever expanding line of annoyed and tired travelers behind them. “Either let me do my damn job here or leave the solar system.” 

“Let’s not make her life more difficult than need be,” Fjord said as he held out his hand. She put a device like a heart-rate monitor on his finger and Fjord flinched as it made a small “psst” sound. She clicked the device back into the desk, and typed something into her computer. “My name is Fjord.”

“Last name?”

“Tough,” Nott supplied, and Fjord gave her a long look. 

“Tusktooth!” Jester chirped. 

“Just Fjord,” Fjord clarified. 

“Planet of origin?”

“Nicodranas.” 

“Business here in the Kryn Dynasty?”

“Ship repairs, and mercenary work.” 

“Take two steps to the left and maintain a neutral expression.”

Fjord did as she said, and a picture was taken. The woman tapped her screen, and a confirmation ding was made. Out popped a drive that was about the size of Caleb’s index finger. She demonstrated how it extended and a tiny holographic image of Fjord’s face and his basic information as well as the genetic marker appeared. It was then handed off. 

“Alright, next,” the officer said, voice somehow more clipped than it had been moments before. They went down the line, Caleb taking up the rear as they did. He wasn’t excited for this at all...after all the last thing he needed was more traces of him where the Empire could find him. But sometimes you had to take a risk, after all, it would be far more suspicious to tap out of the process here surrounded by Kryn officers. 

Caleb held out his hand and felt the pinch of a needle before it was retracted. 

“Name?” 

“Caleb Widogast.” 

“Planet of origin?” 

“Outer territory Rex-33, Settlement BLU-MENTHAL.” 

“Business here in the Kryn Dynasty?” 

“Mercenary work and droid repair,” he said, showing her the currently out of commission Frumpkin who was in his side-satchel.  

“Take two steps to the left and maintain a neutral expression.”

Caleb did so, and heard the sound of the picture being snapped. However after she tapped something into her screen there was a different noise. An obvious alert noise that had him immediately tense up. The officer stared at her screen for a moment, then back at Caleb and then back at her screen...clearly doing a double take. Before anyone could move, she waved at a senior officer behind her. He was a tall bugbear, and made a strangely funny picture as he leaned over the small drow. He frowned. 

“I’m sorry, sir. Can you check this? I must have entered something in wrong,” the officer said, her voice confused...but not angry or suspicious as she pointed to something on the screen. The senior officer looked at what she was pointing at and then popped out the INAV and extended it, inspecting the genetic code. He double checked it with the screen, seemed content with whatever he saw, and he exited out from the glass door separating the officers and the lines. 

“No, that’s correct. Nothing wrong with the intake,” the senior officer said before addressing Caleb and inspecting him closely. “Sir, have you ever registered DNA with our system before?”

“No, I’ve never been to this system before.”

“And how old are you?” 

“I’m 33 according to the Intergalactic Universal Standard Calendar,” Caleb said, frowning. 

“Human, right?” 

“I would be.” 

“Yeah, Minryna, that sample was catalogued approximately 850 years ago. There’s no way it’s been accidentally re-entered. It’s legit,” another senior officer called back to the one inspecting Caleb. Other clerks had stopped what they were doing and had gathered around the screen, and Caleb felt the pinprick of a thousand eyes behind him and a rising tide of whispers. 

“Well, Luxon bless me,” whistled the officer before looking at Caleb. “I guess it’s someone’s lucky day isn’t it?” 

“Lucky day?” Beauregard asked incredulously. 

“Forgive me for the long wait. Congratulations on your Recurrence,” the officer said holding out his hand. Caleb, numbly, took it and let it be shook before the officer opened the INAV and signed the bottom with his finger. It glowed a silver color, as opposed to the blue of the others. 

“Recurrence?” Caleb asked, feeling more and more confused by the moment. 

“Follow me,” the officer said, and the whispers behind him grew louder. Officers moved out to seperate them from the obviously curious crowd. 

“My friends…”

“Of course you may bring them as well. We’ll make sure your ship is taken care of post haste, we’ll probably need to take off from here within an hour..” 

“Wait where the hell are we going?” Beau demanded as they all walked. 

“Why are you saying congratulations?” Nott asked as they all entered an elevator, and the officer punched the 110th floor. It was traveling up at a dizzying speed, totally glass so you could see the work on each platform as they rose. 

“Genetics carry a sacred connotation in our society,” the officer explained. “I’m sure you have heard of our practice of consecution...of the soul being reborn through the power of the Luxon Beacon. However every person is unique. In the vastness of space and time it is of course possible for a genetic code to be reproduced exactly. We consider that to be a true rebirth, a Recurrence.” 

“So...my genetic code has occurred once before?” Caleb asked. This was far less incriminating then he had feared, but also that idea was terrifying on so many levels. He could barely handle himself...the idea that there had been another one of him running around at one point was dizzying and horrible. Who knows what he had gotten up to, knowing him. 

“Yes,” the officer said simply. 

“And Caleb was someone really cool before?”  Jester asked, sounding excited. “I read a holonovel sort of like this once! Of course the discovery was wayyy sexier but-!” 

“I don’t think this is very sexy,” Yasha said softly. 

“It is neat,” Caduceus said, sounding extremely impressed. 

“So where are we going right now?” Fjord asked, trying to get them all back on track. 

“I am taking you to the upper deck, where they handle Genetic Inquiries. We just get an alert that a Recurrence has occurred and the year of the genetic sample taken of the previous life...in theory that is. We certainly haven’t had any recorded cases of Recurrence within my lifetime. Anyways, they will be able to assist with other questions, including and not limited to who your previous incarnation was, and matters of any titles they may have left you in their will." 

“Wills? Like money?” Nott asked, her interest thoroughly peaked. 

“It’s common to leave parts of your will for a future recurrence, especially amongst the nobility.” 

“This is all strangely morbid,” Caleb said, unable to help the way his mouth quirked. 

“That’s very thoughtful,” Caduceus said with a nod. “We should all be considering our futures and how we would like our affairs put into order.” 

“Of course you are into that,” Fjord said with an incredulous shake of his head, though the look he shared with Caduceus was fond. Caduceus was from a race of aliens who worshiped a nature deity and were essentially stewards of the dead. His interest didn't surprise Caleb in the least. 

They were brought to an empty looking office...well, in comparison to the line they had just been in it was downright barren. A single goblinoid looked at them from behind a desk that was laden with stacks of tablets and papers. Behind her was a seemingly endless sea of files. 

"This is the one?" she asked, looking at Caleb and his flashing silver INAV. She held out her hand and he handed it to her. She opened it, inspected the contents and the signature and then signed it herself before turning to her computer. "Very well, let me just type in this and...here we go. C-12B-Jg73_E05_8." 

She suddenly pushed with her legs and went skating down the hall with her chair. It was attached to the ground glided along easily and then with a tap of a button she was sent up to a second level. The goblinoid tapped in some code, opened a file, retrieved a holodisk, and then with a lever pull she was returned. She plugged the external drive of the holodisk into the computer checking it and reading it quickly. She then reached to plug the holodesk into the INAV. She pointed at a long document that Caleb skimmed before going to the bottom and signing with his finger. 

"Very well, congratulations, my Lord," the goblinoid said. "This highlighted section is the section of the will devoted to you."

Caleb felt the others crowd him as the goblinoid spoke on the com in Undercommon. It didn't truly surprise him to see this script written in Proto-Zemnian. That means the person had been alive Pre-Calamity or at least 800 years ago. It made sense considering talk of 850 years ago. And of course if he did share DNA with someone, it also was somewhat comforting to know it was with another Zemnian. He recognized some of the script, but utilized his techno-magic to translate typing into his STAFF and approving the magical sequence. 

"What does it say?" Jester asked excitedly. 

"He isn't gonna tell us," Beau bemoaned, now officially caught up in the excitement. 

Caleb ignored them and read it out loud. 

"And to my future recurrence, if one should ever appear and claim my title, I leave two things. First, my journal of spellcraft. If you are anything like me I am sure you will find it interesting. Second, I leave my second home on the planet of Rosohna to you if it is still standing. Both can be collected from the arbiter of my will...my…" Caleb nearly choked over the next words. "My beloved. If he still lives." 

"Oh, he lives alright," the goblinoid said as grim looking guards appeared from the side door. "Best of luck with meeting you husband again!" 

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

>Personal Log Entry #365242

>Entered Intergalactic Standard Time 01:11

>Order: Record. 

Current success on project RESONANT ECHO has continued, using my STAFF I am capable of pulling a version of myself from a discarded timeline for limited amounts of time. This has been not only thrilling, but also frustrating. They are still limited in what they can accomplish. I may have to go back to traditional spellwork and iron out the details there before attempting again with a STAFF. Sometimes raw mana cannot substitute for good old fashioned components. 

On a more personal note, I have decided to bench my idea of pulling a Resonant Echo of another willing creature for now. Firstly, I have no willing creatures to test this idea on. My solitary nature has thwarted me again, unfortunately. And secondly...I am not sure I could bear the idea of success. I do not care much for the moral quandaries of such matters, and that isn’t what stops me. I only worry that it might put me on a path that is ill-advised for my mental health. The only thing more important than progress is being able to enjoy the fruits of my hard work. I am still my own greatest resource at the end of the day. 

>Postscript: Add obsidian to shopping list, to be delivered to my personal address. Order for the delivery service to leave the package with TOWER. 

>Completed transcription, would you like to save, override, or delete this file? 

>Order: Save. 

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

Essek Theylss was in the most boring meeting of his whole life. Economics had never been his interest, though of course he understood them. He had been given a thorough education at his Den's hand, and being a long-lived species meant you had time to become knowledgeable in anything you desired. But, as always, he wished to be doing his own research as opposed to attending meetings. 

Just as he was making this wish, the meeting was interrupted by Taskhand Adeen.

"My Queen, forgive me for my interruption," the Taskhand said, as always his face was an impossible to crack study of ice. "But an urgent matter has just occurred, I was just informed of it by the guards. 

"Then speak," the Bright Queen ordered, now sitting at attention. 

"My Queen, it is news of the most importance. Shadowhand," he said suddenly, and Essek was thrown off guard because-him? What had been discovered? What one of his moving parts, his schemes, what-"there has been a Recurrence.  Congratulations, your husband returns." 

"What?" Essek asked as he stood and floated, the words hitting his skin and freezing over like icy rain. His brain, oddly, felt slow on the uptake. It was a thoroughly disorientating and dizzying experience. The words churning in a strange fog and then a rising panic. "I'm sorry, could you...could you repeat that?" 

"There has been a Recurrence of your husband, Shadowhand. He returns now, brought from Asarius. We have genetic confirmation from the Solar System database-" 

Essek knew his levitation dropped because suddenly there was a burst of pain in his knees. It was strange...suddenly he had no strength in his limbs...and his sight was swimming. Recurrence? His husband? No, it couldn't be true. His husband was gone, gone forever. Whoever this was...it wasn't him. It couldn't be him...he was just a stranger wearing his husband's face. Another ghost to torture him, to leave him behind-!

"Essek," a gentle, concerned voice said. "By the Luxon give the boy some room!" 

"Deep breaths," came another voice, echoing in his skull and rattling in his brainstem. "Deep breaths, Essek. In and out."

"Do we need a medbot? Merciful Light! What were you thinking, just springing that on him in public!" The Bright Queen...he knew it was the Bright Queen who chastised Adeen. He was following instructions, breathing in and out, and it was becoming easier to discern who was around him. The lights ceased their strobing, his heart receded from his throat and made it easier to swallow. The one keeping him from melting into the ground was Quana, the Dusk Captain and wife of the Bright Queen. The one coaching him through the essential process of breathing was the Skysybil. He was in the Bright Queen’s throne room. He wasn’t dying. He was having a panic attack. 

"Forgive me for my unsightly display," Essek said breathlessly, trying and failing at pulling himself together, welding the shards of his icy-exterior back where they belonged. This show of weakness...how could he have let himself succumb to that in public regardless of what was happening? There was always time later. 

"This is of course emotional for you," Quana said, with a gentle pat on his shoulder. "Your husband returns. Of course the feeling is overwhelming."  

"It is a joyous thing, a holy occurrence," the Bright Queen said, crossing the room and looking as radiant as a newly born star. "It is no weakness to be overwhelmed by the Divine. The Luxon has seen it fit to return your husband, and to give us all a sign of His favor. You must go and prepare for him, just as we must begin preparations to welcome him." 

The Luxon! As if the Luxon had anything to do with this! It isn't him, Essek wanted to scream. It isn't him! He's gone from my side forever. This stranger...it won't be him. This isn't divine...it's a cruel trick of fate and genetics. It isn't him, it isn't him. 

"Prepare, yes, I...I must prepare," Essek said before nearly fleeing the chamber before anyone could stop him. He must have teleported back, though all he felt was a blur of noise and light and suddenly he was there. Everything felt so strange. Nothing was right anymore. His usual sanctuary had been breached by the abnormal, and all he wanted was to make it stop.  

The hum of his levitation seemed to be the only noise that echoed from the halls of his home as he arrived. He sent the droids that acted as servants away, and slammed the door to the study close and locked it with a wave. For a moment he paused before continuing on in spite of his racing heart. The ocean between him and the desk seemed immense as he crossed it. Opening the locked compartment he removed his husband's will from inside gingerly. 

It has been at least a hundred years since he had looked at it. It was written on parchment...because of course it was, his husband had always been old-fashioned...even back then. He had kept it in a temperature and moisture controlled capsule to prevent decay ever since it had been written. He had memorized every line a long time ago, he was sure, and yet now looking at the last section he paused. The spell book and the summer home and that was it. On paper it was nothing. Hardly a blip on the radar of the vast wealth that Essek commanded at his fingertips. But he would have to give it up...more remnants of his husband that he clung to would disappear from his grasp forever.  

It wasn't fair, Essek thought, breathless with grief as he pulled his husband's spellbook from the same controlled compartment. He held back his tears stubbornly. Essek was unwilling to stain the cover of the well-loved book as he cradled it to his chest. Inside was his husband’s soul, the work that Essek had founded his magic on. This interloper would take from Essek what little he had left that he held sacred.

"Sir, your heart rate is elevated as is the saturation of stress hormones in your blood," TOWER, the AI that ran the home systems reported. The screen of his INAV lighting up the alert for Essek to see. "Are you in need of assistance?" 

"TOWER, what is the rate of Recurrence in the general population?" Essek asked, refusing to answer that question. There was no good answer, after all. Why waste his time? 

"The rate of Recurrence in the general population is one in ten trillion."

"One in ten trillion…" Essek murmured, truly grappling with that statistic for the first time in his life. He had heard that number before of course. Back when he was in school, in his courses meant to educate and indoctrinate him into the faith of the Luxon. But now it seemed so vast, so unlikely. Bards sang songs about this, subscribed entertainment was based on this. And yet somehow it was really happening to him. "And do these Recurrences...when they happen, is it reported that the person is...similar, to their previous incarnation?" 

"Physically identical, however the rate of Recurrence is so low there has not been the opportunity for true scientific studies on the phenomenon, sir. Only anecdotal accounts." 

"Give a general summary of the anecdotal accounts, TOWER,” Essek said with little patience. 

"It is theorized that though the core of a person may be written in genetics, environmental factors such as planet born, levels of sustenance during formative years, chemical and radiation exposure, family structure, socio-economic standing, and other psychological factors and epigenetics will have an effect on the individual. As such, the Recurrence may not be the exact same individual as the previous incarnation." 

"Good," Essek said as he finally drew in a breath. "Good...then this will just be an unpleasant meeting. But who knows? He may not be interested in the book and I'll be able to keep it." 

"Are you unhappy, sir? By my database's reading this is supposed to be a happy event." 

"Of course I am unhappy!" Essek snapped at the AI. "Some...some ghost wearing his face is coming here. A ghost who by sheer dumb luck is given a title to land and my husband's spellbook...and...well...my hand in marriage." 

"Would you consider it better or worse if he was the same as your husband, sir?" 

"Oh by the Nine Hells if I know!" Essek groaned. But he was lying to himself. Of course it would be worse if he was the same. If he was the same...if this ghost truly was his husband...Essek would fall apart at the seams. After all, there wasn't a worse fate than being happy, for all happiness turned to ash and ruin. He had a husband for only ninety years. In the lifespan of his people that was hardly a season, nothing worth fretting over. And yet, he was still so cold at night without him...he still woke some nights, expecting his husband to be beside him.  

Essek wouldn't go through it again. Not again, not ever. He wouldn’t allow it. 

"Contact the Theylss arbiter and have them prepare documentation for an annulment," Essek ordered TOWER as he stood. He looked towards the wide windows, the violet-blue interstellar clouds that shimmered with the radiance of distant stars. His garden called to him, his sanctuary pulled him to it like the indelible force of gravity.  He was one with it...drifting quietly as always. "I would like this to be over and done with quickly." 

Essek was about to say something else when the sound of a call going through interrupted him. He knew who it was without even looking, which is why he didn’t bother to say hello as the voice came through.  

"Essek," his Denmother said, her voice cold and commanding as her image appeared on the screen. "Congratulations. We have much to speak about."

---------------------- 

“What do you think your husband is like?” Jester asked curiously, bouncing in her seat in the flight deck. 

They were currently being escorted to Rosohna by the Echo-Knights, who’s speedy Moorbounder ships kept in tight formation around them. They had had their ship’s general needs repaired in record time, their ship restocked with supplies, and had been told that when they reached Rosohna their ship’s hyperdrive would also be taken care of free of charge. They had actually been offered a completely brand new ship that was so beautiful it had almost made Fjord cry. They had refused it, because as Beauregard pointed out if something was fucked with on their own ship, they would be able to tell easily. For now, considering the results of Nott and Caduceus’ quick investigation, it seemed like everything was fine and in working order. All of this somehow and for a reason that Caleb was still grappling with was due to the fact that Caleb was apparently married. 

“He’s not my husband,” Caleb murmured, arguing for the sake of arguing the point, though his protests sounded weak to his own ears the more he read about Recurrence and the significance it held to Xhorhassian society. 

“According to the laws of this Solar System, yeah, he is,” Beauregard said as she slid the holodisk at him and rotated the image so Caleb could read it. “Right there. Xhorhas General Law, Part 2, Title 3, Chapter 507, Section 258 on the validity of marriage. The clerk shall require written notice of intention of marriage, on forms furnished by the state registrar of vital records and statistics, containing such information as is required by law and also a statement of absence of any legal impediment to the marriage, to be given before such Xhorhassian accredited clerk under oath by both of the parties to the intended marriage. After a marriage is solemnized by an approved Dynasty religion or other official method, the marriage is considered binding until a time when an annulment is performed, see sections 280-320 for specifics. And then I looked down and here, in Section 283 it says, if one party to the marriage dies, the marriage vow is considered null and void and the living party shall receive the benefits given within the will, can apply for a remarriage, and shall be able to file for government aid if needed. However, if a Recurrence is found of the deceased the previous marriage shall be automatically renewed in the system and upheld until the time that both parties file for an annulment.”  

“Congratulations?” Fjord offered weakly. 

“Caleb isn’t married!” Nott half screamed. 

“It sounds like Caleb is married,” Yasha noted.  

“We don’t even know if this guy deserves Caleb!” Nott argued, nearly frothing at the mouth. 

“We are technically married until we file a divorce then,” Caleb clarified, feeling like his stomach was twisting in his belly. He wished desperately he had Frumpkin to hold, but the guards of Assarius hadn’t been able to supply the specialty parts he had needed. He had been told that they would be provided easily by his “husband’s” family.

His mind came back to the concept at hand. Marriage. Caleb wasn’t against the idea of marriage as a social construct. He had once even dreamed of marrying. He had wanted to marry the girl he loved more than anything else in this universe. He had planned to marry her, and die beside her in the name of his King and Empire in the great battles against the evil that threatened the security of that Empire. Of course, things didn’t turn out the way one planned… and apparently he had been married all along.  

“You are going to divorce him?” Jester asked, sounding heartbroken and drawing Caleb from his strange thoughts. “But what if he’s wonderful? What if you love him?”

“I can’t love someone I’ve never met before,” Caleb said, apologetically. 

“In a past life you did though,” Jester said, her pout deadly in its force. “That’s what Recurrence basically is, right? Being reborn.” 

“We would refer to it as reincarnation,” Caduceus added as he appeared with a teapot. He poured a cup for Caleb and gave his shoulder a gentle pat. Caleb accepted it, if only to have something to do with his hands. 

“It is a genetic anomaly,” Caleb argued, motioning at the page he was reading. “I understand that genetics and rebirth are an important aspect of the Dynasty’s religion but it’s just that. It’s just a religious belief. I don’t know this person that shared my DNA, but you wouldn’t assume that if I married someone that person would also be married to my identical twin, right?” 

“You have a twin?” Jester asked, her tail swishing excitedly. 

“I don’t have a twin,” Caleb sighed. 

“Twins don’t count as a Recurrence,” Beau mentioned. “Chapter 436, Section 23.” 

“I don’t...it was just an example. Besides, I’m sure it’s...I’m sure that person’s husband wouldn’t want to be married to me. I am not the person they loved.” 

“It must be painful for them,” Yasha said softly, eyes drawn dark with grief. “But I’m sure they might be grateful too. There isn’t much…”

Yasha trailed off, but Caleb didn’t need to hear the rest. After all, Caleb was also well versed in the language of grief. Yasha was right, there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for the chance to at least glimpse at the faces of the people he had loved the most again. 

"Den Theylss though, I've heard they are a huge deal in these parts," Fjord said quietly, tapping the steering thoughtfully. "They are one of the three most powerful families in the Kryn Dynasty, second only to the Bright Queen's den. When I was running the merchant routes back in the day, the merchant ships that came out here always said that the three dens own thirds of the Dynasty." 

"Maybe you ought to stay married to this dude," Beauregard said seriously. "He's rich. Their family did just totally mostly fix our ship in a day." 

"I want to be kind to him," Caleb said, and left it at that. 

They arrived shortly after. Rosohna was a distant planet, it’s orbit kept it approximately seven years out of the light of the sun and gave it one year with seasons. In space, it showed like a glittering jewel. It was the founding planet of the Kryn Dynasty, where the Bright Queen raised her people from the shadows underground and led them to the space age. As they entered the hemisphere Caleb immediately noticed the brightness of the city that built itself silver into the dark exterior as they landed on the loading dock.  

“Alright folks, gear up, let’s rock and roll,” Fjord said standing up. 

“Aye, aye Captain Tusktooth!” the rest of the crew shouted back, before grabbing the necessities and disembarking off the Balleater. 

They were met immediately by a group of Drow, one of the natural inhabitants of Rosohna. There were all dressed in robes, shaded darkly but with touches of glitter and shimmer, enough to catch the low light. That separated them from the woman who walked before the rest of the group. She was dressed the most exquisitely, in a dress made like it was gathered from violet clouds that moved and shimmered with an almost iridescent quality. Her silver hair was pulled back high on her head, and her ears were decorated with what had to be thousands of credits worth of jewels. 

“You stand before Deirta Theylss, Umavi of Den Theylss,” one of the group said. Fjord immediately bowed, and everyone else followed suit. When Caleb rose from his bow, he saw Deirta’s eyes raking over his face intensely. She was an attractive woman, older in the almost imperceptible way elves aged, but cold and austere. Something about her gaze set him on edge immediately. 

“How fascinating,” she said, reaching out to take Caleb’s chin. She turned him this way and that, and Caleb resisted every instinct in his body that screamed at him to shy away from this woman. He didn’t like looking people in the eye normally. This forced contact made his skin crawl. “It is truly, utterly breathtaking...how much like him you look. An absolutely perfect match if my memory serves. There is no doubt, we have been blessed by a true Recurrence. The Luxon truly shines it’s Light upon us and our den on this day.” 

She released him and folded her hands in her sleeves. Caleb could feel the rest of the Mighty Nein draw close to him, a semi-circle of protection that grounded him the present and kept him from scratching the skin off his arms. 

“It has been...a lot for a day and a half,” Caleb admitted, swallowing nervously. He understood the wariness of the others now. There were eyes on them everywhere, almost all of the movement in the hanger had ceased. 

“I am just happy to welcome my son in law home,” Deirta said with a smile that did not reach her eyes. “There is much we must discuss, of course. But the first order of business is the Reintroduction, the second is the will.” 

“Reintroduction?” Jester asked. 

“Between him and Essek, my son,” Deirta said. Essek. No one had yet said his name to Caleb. Essek Theylss was his husband by law in the Kryn Dynasty, a man that Caleb had never met before. He had the insane urge to speak it out loud, to run the name over his lips, as if that might spark something in him other than crippling anxiety. “This will be followed by the meeting with the Bright Queen tomorrow.”

“The Bright Queen?” Nott and Jester and Fjord and Beau all demanded at once, one with suspicion, one with excitement, and the other two with abject disbelief.

“You all clearly do not appreciate the cultural significance of Recurrence,” Deirta said lightly as they all walked to the transport ship. They were seated in a flying craft, with a large see-through lid that was sent up through a channel and then ported them out to the city itself. For a moment Caleb was too dazzled by the silver city itself, and almost didn’t hear Deirta’s command. “Smile for the cameras.” 

“Cameras?” Caleb asked before nearly yanking his own head back at the sight of the huge holo-screens lining the streets that lit up with their image. There was the sound of cheering audible from even up there. Jester waved manically, as well as Cad and Yasha...a bit more shyly.  

“You, child, are a phenomenon that occurs 1 out of 10 trillion,” Deirta said cooly, though she smiled sweetly for the camera that tracked her wave and the movement of the craft. “And even less likely to be discovered. You demonstrate the most sacred law of our deity, the chance for true rebirth. In such times as these, you are proof of the divine nature of our lives. And as if that were not enough, you are husband to a Theylss. Not just any Theylss either, son of the Umavi, Shadowhand to the Bright Queen, and considered to be one of the great beauties of our people. Any one of them would kill to be in your position." 

“You’re wrong,” Caleb argued as they passed the holo-screens and continued on, towards a castle of silvered metal towering from the ground. “I’m just...I’m just Caleb.” 

A murderer, a fugitive, a crazed lunatic, a self-made orphan, perhaps. But proof of the divine? Only if the divine was looking for a cosmic joke. 

“Perhaps before today,” Deirta said as she looked towards the castle. “Not anymore."

Soon enough they were out of the city proper and into the Firmaments District, as the captain of the ship informed them. The Bright Queen’s Cathedral was a massive castle-ship, currently docked in place and surrounded by the high pearly white walls that separated her and her court from the people of Rosohna. In the district behind were the houses of the other most prominent dens, laid out amongst the maze-like streets like small treasure chests. 

“Your friends shall stay with me in my household as honored guests,” Deirta Theylss ordered as they moved down to street level and moved through the city streets. She turned her seat to face them. “We shall go to your home to meet with your husband.” 

“No! Caleb doesn’t go alone!” Nott argued fiercely, planting herself firmly in front of Deirta as if she were three feet taller. “Either I go with Caleb, or he doesn’t go anywhere.” 

"The same goes for me," Beauregard said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, flexing the muscles there. She made a much more terrifying picture as Yasha sidled up beside her and echoed the same motion. Jester joined with Nott. 

"The Might Nein stays together," Fjord said, placing a hand on Caleb's shoulder, as did Caduceus. 

"Very well, I'm sure Essek will make the appropriate arrangements," Deirta said before turning to the officer who was piloting the transport craft. "Fine, go to Essek's residence." 

"Yes, my lady. Sit down, we'll arrive within a few moments,” the pilot of the transport ship said before closing the hatch and separating Deirta in the Captain's quarters from the Mighty Nein. 

"I don't think I like her," Jester hissed as she plopped down in her seat again and crossed her arms over her chest. "Your mother-in-law is mean." 

"She doesn’t have to be kind, she is an Umavi," Beau grumbled. "That’s like super nobility, but besides that she's a politician first, did you see the way she set us up?" 

Besides just the political boost, there was a more obvious reason now that he thought about it. Of course she wanted his face plastered on every holo-screen in the Dynasty. Now everyone would know his face, Caleb realized. She was far more shrewd then Caleb had given her credit for. If he tried to do something stupid, like escape without a functional hyperdrive in his ship, everyone on this side of the universe would know who he was. Tightening the noose, Caleb thought, his breathing suddenly funny in his throat. 

"This is all very complicated now," Caduceus said worriedly before stopping. "Are you alright, Caleb?" 

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Caleb admitted, gripping his hands hard to keep them from shaking. 

"Oh no, Caleb," Jester said, immediately taking residence at his side. 

“It’ll be alright,” Nott worried his shirt quietly before gathering his hands in hers. “It’ll be alright. I promise. We’ll find a way to get out of this, I promise.” 

“Thank you, my little friend,” Caleb said weakly, letting Nott press a kiss to his forehead. 

“Let’s be prepared, who knows what could happen,” Fjord said, looking seriously out at the street. 

They arrived at a residence that was really three towers connected by walkways on the ground and above. The towers themselves had a uniquely antique feel in the city so smooth and chrome, built to resemble stone. However in the flickering low lights they revealed a glittering effect. On the top of the tower spun some sort of mechanism that shifted like gears and seemed to be measuring something. Caleb’s curiosity was thoroughly peaked, though, he wasn’t sure that this was the appropriate time to sate his curiosity. 

A servant-droid greeted them at the door to the front tower, bowing before Lady Theylss. She didn’t give the droid a single glance. 

"Where is my son?" Deirta asked shortly, brushing out her skirts though there were no folds or wrinkles to be seen. 

"In the gardens, my Lady," the droid stated. 

"Of course," she sighed tiredly. “Lead us there.” 

They walked through the tower to the walkway between the towers. There was a garden, filled with Glowing Nightblooms, a flower that when blooming cast soft blues and violets and whites into darkness. He had read about them before. They were a staple in the cheap credit a dozen novels he brought from outposts or second hand merchants, but seeing them in person was another. The path led them past crystal statues of geometric shapes that made light fracture into rainbows and painted the air vibrantly. The garden circled a pond, a dark tranquil pool that was so still that it was almost a perfect mirror with the star-filled sky. A single small shrine stood in the middle of it. And there in the center a person standing before the shrine...almost appearing like a ghost as silver incense smoke curled in the air.  

"My son, come and greet your husband," Deirta said. The figure turned from the shrine, he crossed the lake. Caleb had been to the edge of the galaxy itself, and yet he didn’t think he had ever seen a more handsome man before. He was composed of sharp edges and elegant lines, his skin a smooth and peerless dark plum, and his hair perfectly tamed and coiffed. There were no ripples as he moved-no-skimmed across the water’s edge as weightless as fog. He arrived on the stone path, and immediately knelt, expensive dark robes shifting as he did. 

"Welcome home, my beloved," Essek said, bowing deeply enough to press his forehead to his fingers. Geometrical earrings caught the light, as did an impressive, elaborate mantle that was settled upon his neck."I have been awaiting your arrival.”

“Please, lift your head,” Caleb half-begged, feeling flushed and oddly ashamed. He hadn’t done anything to deserve this act of devotion from this complete stranger. 

“I hope you have found everything suitable," Essek said as he continued to bow, pointedly ignoring his request. Caleb could almost sense Deirta gloating from where she stood a few feet behind him. 

"Your home is...it's beautiful," Caleb said, not sure if the words even came out past his panicked choking. 

"It is your home as it is mine, I am happy it pleases you," Essek said as he stood effortlessly, robes swaying as he did so. The silver of his eyes illuminated his face, flecked with pale blue and violet in the shifting light of the pond and flowers. His expression was hard to read, though his mouth curled up in a soft almost-smile. "I am Essek Theylss, son of Deirta Theylss, Shadowhand of the Bright Queen."

"Caleb. Caleb Widogast," Caleb said softly. 

"Caleb," Essek said, something flickering upon the surface and dissipating just as quickly. "And your guests?"

"My friends. The Mighty Nein." 

"TOWER," Essek called, and a screen lit up along the wall. "Make sure the service droids prepare rooms for my husband's friends." 

"Your will shall be done, sir," the AI stated. 

"In your room you shall find both the spellbook and the deed to the home as stated in the will," Essek said, tone businesslike...formal. Caleb wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. Perhaps crying? Screaming? Anger or sadness or grief? And yet Caleb saw none of that as he looked at this stranger. There was only politeness...a cool sort of acceptance. "Both already confirmed by the arbiter and myself. Are you capable of translation or will you need assistance?" 

"Ja, I can," Caleb said lifting his wrist to show his staff. Essek reached out his hand and offered it expectantly...and Caleb did the only thing he could think of and laid his wrist in Essek’s grasp. His touch was cold and fingers soft, and just that was enough to raise goosebumps along his skin. 

“I have never seen this model of a STAFF,” Essek said, inspecting the device, interest sparking in his gaze. It was the first truly genuine thing he had seen from this man who was meant to be his husband, and it soothed something in his heart. Caleb caught a glint of a STAFF upon Essek’s own wrist as well. 

“I...ah...I built it myself,” Caleb admitted. “I could not afford one with the specs I desired, so one has to do what they must.” 

"Then we have that in common, I also built my own staff. You are a techno-mage, I see," Essek said, sounding unsurprised. "Wizard speciality I assume?" 

"I...yes, how did you…?"

"He was the same," Essek said quietly, releasing Caleb’s wrist. Essek didn’t need to say who “he” was, they both knew. Caleb drew it back, and resisted the urge to stroke the place where Essek had touched. His skin still tingled from the touch. “Is there anything else you all required?”

“Ah...my familiar,” Caleb said, opening his satchel to show the limp body of the companion-droid. “I would like to fix him, do you know where I can get the materials?” 

“As you may have noticed, I employ droids heavily. I have droid-repairing materials here, TOWER shall acquire for you whatever you need,” Essek promised. He paused before looking to Deirta. "I am sure you have more you wish to discuss with me, Umavi."

"Yes," she said, without a scrape of anything resembling maternal love or affection. Instead there was only business. 

"Very well, we will speak in my office. I shall take my leave now," Essek said, turning to address them all. "If there is anything you require, you may call for the home AI, TOWER." 

And with that, he drifted past them with the Umavi, leaving them all alone. Caleb felt that he could finally breathe as soon as he was gone. 

“Wow...this is just like that scene in Tusk Love,” Jester said, steepling her fingers and looking starstruck. 

“What part of Tusk Love?” Nott asked curiously. 

“The scene where Genieveve meets her fiance, you know, the one her dad wants her to marry instead of Oskar?” Jester asked. “And the fiance totally tries to seduce her over dinner by giving her that beautiful red dress and the necklace made of lumincrystal?” 

“Oh! I love that part, especially when the fiance put his hand-” Nott started. 

“I don’t think this is like that,” Fjord said, interrupting warily. 

“If anything I don’t think it was horny enough,” Beau complained. “Like...did this guy even like his husband? He sure as fuck didn’t act like it. Like, if I spent two weeks away from the person I loved the most I would be shoving them into the nearest supply closet with me. Imagine hundreds and hundreds of years!” 

“Would you?” Fjord asked incredulously, and Beau elbowed him hard. 

“We all deal with loss in our own ways,” Caduceus said as he looked on at the shrine still settled in the pond like a cloud in the sky. “But he loved his husband...that’s for sure.”

“What makes you say that?” Caleb asked, swallowing in an attempt to wet his tongue.

“Such a fine grave could only be upkept with devotion,” Caduceus said, motioning to the small shrine. And as Caleb watched the single curl of white smoke still rising from the incense, carved words upon marble meticulously polished he realized that Caduceus was right. This wasn’t a shrine...it was a grave. “It’s beautiful.” 

 Caleb looked away, unable to quell the ache in his chest. 

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

 He spent a good portion of the evening tinkering and repairing Frumpkin with the materials provided. He was unable to explain his relief when the usual start-up menu appeared in their shared link. The feline-droid meowed happily at being reawoken, and spent a long time cuddling up with Caleb and performing his usual therapeutic routines, before settling to be charged. After that he worked on reading over the spellbook that had been given to him, marveling at the notes (trying not to think about the handwriting that was his own from the way he crossed his z’s to the dashes he used for his i’s). The Mighty Nein ate dinner together, with Essek noticeably absent from the halls and rooms. They were given a spread of traditional Xhorhassian cuisine prepared by the servant droids, and Caleb came to the realization that there was not a single living servant in the home. They were all given their own rooms, and set to retire in them. It was decided to play nice...to make the show of gratitude. If there was one constant in almost every culture across the universe, it was to know better than to trample on hospitality given. 

“What do you want to do?” Nott asked him nervously before they separated for bed. 

“I don’t know…” Caleb admitted, scrubbing at his face with his hands as he watched Frumpkin charge. “I get the feeling they aren’t going to let me leave so easily.” 

“They said the hyperdrive would be fixed in seven days. That’s the soonest we’ll be able to escape,” Nott said softly, close enough that any bugs that may have planted in the room wouldn’t have caught it. “Think about it, but don’t worry, you're stuck with me regardless of what you want to do, alright?”

“Alright,” Caleb said, catching Nott’s eyes and smiling. And he tried to sleep...he did. But his mind was racing, and finally he could do nothing but leave the room. He figured a quick walk around would settle him, and did his best to memorize the corridors and stairs and rooms he could enter. All information at this point was power, things he could use to get the upper hand in a game that he felt completely outclassed by. 

Eventually though...he found himself back  in the cloisters...the high arches and beautifully carved pathway to the garden. And he wasn’t alone, as he soon discovered. Essek stood solitary, next to a pillar looking out onto the pond and the grave. The flowers themselves were pale as a moon, glowing with a soft ethereal iridescence that almost seemed to float up to the clouds of violet and amber dust. 

Caleb drew in a breath, and Essek stiffened. A slender dark hand curled against the pillar, but he didn’t move. 

"I'm sorry," came the voice from the figure. The accent was smooth, voice soft and thoughtful. He did not turn, and somehow just that felt more genuine then any words they had exchanged thus far. He sounded exhausted, and so very apologetic...as trapped and frustrated as Caleb did. "I'm sure this all must be very difficult...I know this has been the strangest two days of my life." 

"Ja, I would say so," Caleb said, and watched as the figure cringed. Oh...his voice. It must be the same or at least similar to...to his real husband. "I am the one who should be apologizing...I'm sure this has been harder for you in more ways than I could ever comprehend." 

“If you are as alike as I fear, I would say that isn’t true,” Essek said, the tired tones of his voice biting into Caleb’s skin. “My husband was always an intelligent man...and always managed to surprise me with his inopportune insights. If you are like him...then there is little hope that you wouldn’t understand me...and I’m afraid that’s far more terrifying than the alternative.” 

“All I can do is apologize it seems,” Caleb murmured. “Apologize and hope that you accept that as my truth.” 

For a long moment Essek didn’t respond, and he wondered if this was Essek’s way of asking him to leave. Caleb was about to...to say something when Essek shifted instead. 

"My husband…" Essek started, faltered and then straightened his shoulders, still refusing to look his way. "I can’t explain it, no matter how much I desire to. His love sustained me through so much. He was one of the first humans to voyage to the stars and come to this distant shore. He was brilliant and kind and so much better than me in almost every way. I love him...even so many years after his death...he has been the only one I have ever loved." 

"I do not...I wouldn't ever presume…" Caleb started...but faltered. What could he say to make this better? There were no words he could summon in this language or his mother tongue to even scratch the surface of this situation. Instead his voice petered out, running out of gas. 

“There will be many things asked of you soon,” Essek said, retracting his hand from the pillar and slipping it into his sleeve. “I am just sorry I will not be able to spare you from it...from all of it.”

“What do you mean?”

He turned around, and Caleb’s breath left his lungs. He was as beautiful as the heavens unfurling in the hours of twilight, a single solitary figure against the quiet light. Instead of drawing near, he seemed to recede further into the shadow cast by the pillars. His expression was empty...there was nothing there, simply a reflection. 

“I have been informed there will be no annulment,” he said cooly, as if he were talking about the weather. “We shall have a Vow Exchange and Marriage Ceremony in seven rotation’s time.”

“They would have us married?” Caleb asked in shock. 

“Remarried technically, as by law you are my husband.”

“Do they have no concerns for your feelings?” Caleb asked, suddenly infuriated for Essek’s sake. 

“I have none to be concerned about...not anymore,” Essek said softly as he drifted forward. He didn’t walk, that was certain. Instead he moved as if buoyed in his own gravitational field. “I am a loyal subject to my Queen first, a child of my mother’s den second, a citizen of the Dynasty third, and a person last. I have a duty I must fulfill...and by marrying you, I shall be furthering the aims of my government through the greatest single act of propaganda we have seen since our Queen’s famous speech at the Breach. Though I have nothing to do with that, after all, I have been told that I am living the romance of the millenium. I should be very grateful.”

“Seven rotations?” Caleb echoed. A week, a single week. That was how long it would take for the hyperdrive to be fixed. The same day...of course it had to be the day that he was sure the entire solar system of Xhorhas would be watching him. Nothing could ever be easy...he didn’t deserve that much. 

“If you are planning on escaping...well...I wish you the best of luck,” Essek said with a wry smile, a glint of fang twisting up Caleb’s heart. “I doubt you will get far. My mother has told me that this shall be the single most lavish affair our people have seen since the last marriage between the Bright Queen and the Dusk Captain, and no expense will be spared for things like security.”   

“It isn’t right,” Caleb argued, blood pulsing hot and rapid in his veins. The injustice of it wrenched at his insides. “It isn’t fair, that they should treat you like some...some tool! I-”

Suddenly, Essek crashed right into Caleb’s chest. Hands balled into Caleb’s shirt with bruising force, and he stood there dumbly as Essek pressed his face more firmly to his shoulder and shuddered as if he carried the weight of the whole planet upon his shoulders. 

“It’s not fair,” Essek gasped, voice fracturing into a million pieces. Bitter and desperate and hopeless and overwhelming. “Why does it have to be this way? You even feel like him...smell like him! Please...please stop being kind to me. Push me away...run from me, hurt me. Stop sounding like him! Stop...stop talking like him. I beg of you...I beg of you. If you stay...I won’t be able to let you go again. I’ll do anything I can to stop you. I’ll be cruel, and vicious, and I’ll hurt everyone and anything that gets in my way. That’s the way I am. I am the most selfish creature that ever crawled upon the surface of any planet. So please...abandon me.” 

“You are a victim too,” Caleb said, instinctively wrapping his arms around Essek’s waist. He felt so slender in his arms...so delicate, like he was a shard of the universe...like he would disappear if he held him too long. And despite everything...it felt so right. It was just an illusion, brought on by the stress. He had never held Essek before...but he could almost imagine it with how wonderful it was. “Will you forgive me...for trying to find a way to save us both?” 

“Never,” Essek said, looking up at him. His eyes were silver like the moon-dust freckles that shimmered upon his skin, glittering with tears. “I’ll never forgive you. Just gazing upon you gives me a glimpse of that which I most desire, and even if you are just a shade if you stay I will pursue you. Don’t you understand? I am your greatest enemy. So you must go...you must escape without ever looking back at me.”

“Won’t they hurt you? How could I just leave you?” Caleb demanded. “You are innocent. I won’t damn an innocent again for my sins...never.” 

“Innocent? Ha! Abandon that pride of yours, Light damn it! Why don't you understand? The only thing I can do is protect you from me!"  

"I won't. If I leave you here...like this, what will happen to you?" 

"Nothing I don't deserve after everything I've wrought," he said bitterly, pulling away and leaving his arms so empty and bereft of purpose. "Caleb...I have done everything to deserve this fate, I see that now. This is my punishment, but it is not yours. Escape, Caleb. Escape the Kryn Dynasty. Escape my fate. Escape me. That alone...it will be enough for me for the rest of eternity." 

Essek disappeared into the shadows, leaving Caleb behind. 

[donaldresslerfanfic]

It’s Over?

Rating: M

Warnings: Strong Language, Sexual Content.

Word Count: 2192

Donald Ressler X OC Maggie Waters.

Chapter: Eighty-Three

Chapter Index

Story on Wattpad

Maggie.

It never got easier. It never got easier for Don to see friends and loved ones be hurt, and it never got easier for me to see him like that.

I stared at him for a full minute, watching him talk to Cooper, feeling so defeated about Samar and not being able to help her. I knew he was trying hard but couldn't contain his tears to fill up on his eyes. When Cooper walked away, I resumed my walk to him, leading my hand to grab his before he repaired on my presence.

"Hey" I said quietly, not wanting to look in the room, because I knew I wasn't going to be able to hold my own tears "how are you?"

He didn't say anything, just leaned in to hug me, I held him by the shoulders and sighed, feeling him tense on my arms.

"You know how I get" he said in a little voice.

"I know" I replied, rubbing his back.

I think that the situation with Samar was different for him than how it was with Liz when she got hospitalized. Samar had been his partner for a while, they'd fought together and eachother, she came with Aram once a month at the house for dinner, we were all good friends. And now he didn't have the excuse of blaming Tom Keen for what had happened with Liz. Samar's accident had been under their watch, I knew it was going to be harder for him and for Aram to shake the guilt out of this one.

I pulled back and held him by the shoulders. He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes, clearly wanting to look though.

"What do you know?" I asked, finally looking in. Samar looked half normal, the other half being her on a ventilator. Aram was just being Aram, painfully optimistic, or at least trying to be.

"Nothing good. She's on a ventilator but they don't know for how long. And we will find out about her state if and when she wakes up"

I bit my bottom lip and tore my eyes off the window, I sighed and looked at my watch.

"I have to go to work but" I placed my hand on his forearm "call me later okay?"

"I'm going home" he said with a shake of his head "I'll see you tonight."

I leaned in to give him a short kiss, then headed to work.

Samar was luckily not in a ventilator or in a coma for long, but after she woke up, things with Don and the cases slowed down a bit, so he got to spend a few weeks at home.

I was checking on some prints I had to review before the weekend, and sometimes hours at work weren't enough to get everything that I needed to do cleared, so I often took work home.

"Mags" I heard the door knock behind me, I turned around on the chair when I heard the door open "are you busy?" Don's head peaked in.

"Hey, this'll take me-" I took a look around and through my papers "an hour maybe. Why?"

"Just checking" he said from the door, opening it a bit more.

"And Alma? You tired of hanging out with her?" I said moving my eyes to my papers again, getting ready to return to work.

"If I have to hear that frozen song one more time-" he said, entering the room and dragging a chair to sit down next to me. I gave him a chuckle.

"I have nightmares with that song"

"There's a second one coming up"

"Oh Jesus" I said with fake annoyance. I obviously loved to see my daughter act out the movie and sing and dress herself like Elsa.

I gave him a look after he sat next to me.

"Any chance they'll tell you when they're going to want you back?" He gave me a pout with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Another week maybe. Samar is having a wellness check next week to see if she's cleared for duty"

"Mm" I hummed and returned to the papers.

"Why is that whole text in French?" He said looking at the computer, I gave the screen a quick look before I continued.

"It's from a French client obviously"

"And why don't you translate it?"

I lifted my eyes to his with a cocked eyebrow.

"Because I know French"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Since when?"

"Since two years ago, when I was finishing the casino project and still pregnant with Alma the firm gave out French courses and I took them because I couldn't go to work. I got my certificate last month"

"I don't believe you. Say something"

I don't know why, it was like a spell when someone asked me to say something in another language, I instantly forgot everything I knew.

"Tu est le plus bel homme que j'ai vu dans ma vie entière" I said.

"That doesn't sound nice" I let my mouth fall agape and chuckled.

"I said you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen"

"That's a lie"

"Yeah, there's also Chris Hemsworth" I joked, that made him laugh. I laughed as well, shaking my head and looking back at the papers. I felt his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"I love you, you know" I tore my eyes from the papers again, giving him a smile and taking his hand in mine.

"I love you too Don" he pressed his lips in a thin line, rubbing my hand with his thumb.

"You know, things have been happening at the taskforce, and with Samar in the hospital, I've been holding onto hope that nothing was going to happen to me, or you"

I took his hand between both of mine and leaned to him.

"Nothing is going to happen to me" I assured "and I'm sure whatever has been happening at the taskforce, you'll be smart enough to avoid being involved"

"It's something about Reddington" he confided.

"It's always something about him. And I know you'll want answers." I patted his hand "just be careful"

He nodded, leaning in to grab my face and give me a kiss.

"I'll let you finish here" he said, finally standing from the chair and walking out of the office.

After Samar came back, Don still didn't tell me what was the thing that had him so eager to get answers. I didn't expect him to walk in the house angry one of those days, because he never got angry enough to drag it all the way home.

It started when the door of the garage banged shut, and Alma jumped a little startled, we were in the living room, I was finishing something on the computer and she was down with a coloring book in the mat in front of me.

Don walked in, taking out his badge and throwing it on the kitchen island behind us.

"Don?" I asked, looking over my shoulder, he walked across the kitchen towards the living room "what happened?"

"I had a suspect ran away from me after he shot up a person" he said taking the remote and turning on the TV.

"-most wanted fugitive Raymond Reddington, was arrested in New York this afternoon, after police officers responded to an anonymous tip"

"And then that" he said throwing the control on the couch. I shut down the laptop and left it on my side.

"So what... It's over?"

"Yeah, pretty much, we can't get him out of the system, and the taskforce is concealed from public knowledge. Do you know what's worst? Keen though I did it." He let out a dry chuckle "I know I hate the guy, but why should I wait more than six years before I decided to bring him in. Why would I do it on the first place?"

"I understand why you're upset" I said with a nod, he walked around the couch and sat next to me

"And she said that she knows I'm not sad about it. I am not sad about it, but I don't prefer it. I don't want the taskforce to shut down" he said, looking into his pocket with his hand. He looked at the phone and sighed, rubbing a hand on his hair. "Ressler" he replied. "yeah, I saw." He continued talking, sitting back on the couch with a defeated sigh "of course I'm happy. I'm just not the one who caught him" he save me a look, then muttered that it was James.

He has probably watched the news and called Don to tell him the good news. As far as James knew, Don had been in the Reddington taskforce, that information wasn't concealed from his record, and James must've probably checked that out long ago when they first met.

They continued talking, Don pretended to not be mad, and agreed to have some celebratory beers in a few days. When he hung up, he threw the phone in the couch and sighed angry again.

Alma was definitely not used to seeing Don angry, hell, I wasn't used to seeing Don angry. So she just sat there looking between him and me, not daring to do anything, just holding her hands together in discomfort.

"She's never seen you angry" I whispered to him. He looked at me questioningly, then down at Alma.

"Hey cupcake" he leaned and motioned at Alma with his hand "come here"

Alma stood up, then carefully walked to him. Don took her in his arms and sat her down at his lap.

"Daddy anwy"

"Dad is a little angry" Don confirmed "but I'm fine now"

"Ine?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm fine cupcake" he said caressing her cheek. Alma shrugged off of his lap and walked a few steps to her toys, getting busy again.

Don continued working with the taskforce, as far as I knew Raymond could still give him cases. He followed up with them for a while. He never really said what was happening with Raymond, how he was doing in jail, if they were going to be able to help him.

He came home one of those days, I was getting a snack ready for Alma when he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey love" I saluted. He gave me a smile, then grabbed me by the neck and kissed me, I smiled over his lips and kissed him more, placing my hands on top of his.

"Hi" he saluted as he pulled back, moving his hands to my waist and pulling me in.

"How are you?" I ran my hand in his neck and caressed his cheek.

"Mm, someone told me today I'm pushing forty with no prospects" he flashed his eyebrows and leaned in for another short kiss "she obviously forgot that I have you" I smiled, he left my waist and walked around me towards the fridge.

"Why would someone tell you that?"

"Mm" he hummed after taking a carton of milk and taking a glass from the cupboard "Keen and I were talking about a wedding I have to go to-"

"A wedding?"

"And she told me about this girl I could take, as if I wouldn't take you instead"

"Whose wedding?" I pushed. He gave me a dismissing wave of his hand as he poured milk in the glass.

"Some cousin I have, she hates cops though, so I'm not going"

"That's stupid, if she gave you an invitation-"

"We're not going" I pouted, he gave me a chuckle and stored away the milk.

A few days later, after we had finished with our day and I was done brushing my teeth and exited the bathroom when I saw him, sitting at the side of the bed with just his boxers on. What a sight indeed.

"Why aren't you in bed?" I asked walking to the bed.

"I was waiting for you to bring that" he motioned at me as he set his phone in the nightstand charging.

"Bring what?" I said looking at him with a playfully frown.

"That body of yours that drives me crazy" he leaned to grab me by the shirt and pulled my to him, his hands instantly landed on my sides as he pushed me to the bed. I giggled as he ran his hands on my sides and pulled off my shirt, leaving me with just a thong in front of him.

"If I'd known you were waiting I would've taken a lot less" I said when he leaned in to kiss me, he chuckled and trapped my lips in his, bitting on them playfully.

He grabbed my hands and pinned them up over my head, and I knew then I was in for a good one, because I absolutely loved when he pinned me under him and had his way with me.

"I'm onto something" he said over my lips after he was done kissing them, I felt them tingle and sore up, along with every part of my body that was getting ready for him.

"For my sake I hope you keep at it"

[lovehugsandcandy]

kiss me heavy heavy ('cuz you know we ain’t done yet) (Colt x MC, RoD) 

A/N: Title (and more herein) is a riff from Here with Me by Elina. For Choices September Challenge, Day 27 (barely made it whew), and the prompt was Family.

Pairing: Colt x MC, references to past Logan x MC

Rating: R (swearing, injuries, suggestiveness, drinking in excess and being furiously hungover)

Length: ~13,000 words (way way way too long and I apologize)

Summary: Ellie and Colt’s family breaks apart; Ellie and Colt’s family comes together.

When Colt broke his arm, he was 7. He had figured out how to work the lift in the shop. He had figured out when everyone went to lunch. And he had figured out how to fly, how to leap from heights and love the weightlessness in his stomach as his legs kicked out into thin air. But he had not yet figured out how to climb a hydraulic lift. When he fell, instead of the graceful landing he was expecting, he slammed into the harsh concrete, nowhere near as forgiving as the clear water of the Pacific. He shattered his ulna but, even worse, it was the start of the arguments between his parents about his trips to the cliff with his dad. Those trips became less frequent, the screaming fights became more, and then they moved, far from the shop and the cliff and the concrete floor that earned him his first cast.

When Ellie broke her arm, she was 12. She was scared; she had never been in a car accident before and the shattering of glass and sudden sharp pain made her cry, heaping sobs that her mom wiped from her face with careful hands while the paramedics poked and prodded. She was even more scared after, when the trip to the hospital revealed something was seriously wrong with her mother, and terrified for the following year, until it was only her and her dad and his fear of the entire world.

When their daughter broke her arm, she had just turned 5 and it was the end of the end and the beginning of the beginning.

~~~~~

"Please, Logan. I wouldn't ask if it weren't important. "

She heard his heavy sigh over the phone. "I can move things around. I'll be there. But Ellie?"

"Yeah?"

Logan's cautious tone interrupted her internal fist bump. "Why is this so important?"

"Because...because Colt asked if he could bring someone."

"Ellie..."

"I just..." She dropped her eyes, darting through the crowd, phone pressed to her ear so hard she thought she was getting a headache. But maybe it was this whole situation making her jaw tense and temples throb. "I just....I don’t want to go alone while he’s there with a new girlfriend."

"There is no way in hell Colt has a girlfriend."

"He asked if we needed tickets for a freaking dance recital." She thought back to the awkward conversation, stilted and strange, when she was distracted in her kitchen and he was miles across town, always too far. 

“I thought we actually did need tickets?”

“Not because it’s gonna sell out!” Ellie had to stop talking with her hands, her flailing accidentally hitting the person next to her. She mouthed an apology to the dour woman to her left and walked faster. “Because it’s a money-making racket where they want you to pay for a ticket and the photos and a freaking video of the thing.”

“This is sounding less appealing by the second.”

"Logan, please? He said he wanted to bring someone and I don’t think I can-” She bit her lip, thinking. It had taken them an excruciatingly long two years to get to this point. After the furious phone call and months of silence, it had taken Colt almost a year to thaw, to actually interact with her beyond the scheduling and logistical communication required in co-parenting their daughter, and then months after that to actually stop speaking in clipped words and bitter tones. Slowly, so slowly, they made their way back to something that flowed and worked but, sometimes, when the three of them grabbed dinner or when she caught his eye at a school event, sometimes she thought they were edging their way to something more, to something old, to something that felt like the last two years had been a nightmare that Ellie was ready to wake up from. His new girlfriend definitely proved that those hopes were all in Ellie’s imagination. “I don’t think I can do it alone."

"Maybe it's his mom."

"She’s still at that conference in Miami." So what if she cut Colt off before he could even explain? She couldn't reasonably expect to sit there while Colt was asking if his new girl could attend their daughter's dance recital. Urgh. That asshole. “Oh my God. Do you think he’s gonna bring her to Kira’s birthday party too?” 

“Ellie, he has the personality of a sociopath and the social ability of a troll. He's single.”

Ellie had to smile. Logan had always been in her corner. While Ximena, Toby, and Mona had their loyalties tested in the breakup, Logan had always had her back. He was her rock and, for a while, they tried to be more, when Colt was gone and Ellie was miserable and terrified and needed someone, but it had never quite worked out. Thankfully, they had managed to to remain thick as the thieves they used to be. "He’s also the father of my child, Logan.”

"And I'm so glad she takes after you."

"Ha ha.” Kira definitely took after her in a lot of ways; like Ellie, she worked hard and had an innate kindness about her that made care for her classmates and call her grandfather every night. But she also had a stubborn streak, an insistence on getting her way that was reminiscent of Colt, along with the smart mouth and an innate confidence that could only be from her father. She even looked like Colt, all thick black hair and deep brown eyes and constantly smirking lips. “Ok, Logan, I'm back at work."

"Alright, fine, see you Saturday?"

"Of course. And thank you, Logan."

Ellie hung up the phone and strode through the lobby, flashing her badge and giving a wave to the receptionist before taking the elevator to her desk and slinking into her seat. She had a major presentation next week, in front of the CEO of the entire company, and she was panicking. As she logged into her computer, she knew she had no time to worry about her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend and her broken family and a dance recital that she was decidedly not looking forward to; she had work to do.

~~~~~

Before (before, in the very beginning, when things were amazing...)

Ellie rubbed her growing stomach with one hand and bit at the fingernails of her other hand, considering. It wasn't that Ellie was worried, per se; Colt loved her with a single minded devotion that took her breath away, an intensity that made her weak in the best of moments and absolutely destroyed in the worst.

It's just that he wouldn't put down his phone, eyes on the screen at every spare moment. She didn't think he was cheating on her; with the crew and the shop, he lacked the free time needed for an illicit affair. But she just didn't know what else it could be.

And when she asked what he was doing, he would slide his phone away, almost bashful, revealing nothing. It piqued her curiosity and she couldn't, wouldn't leave it alone.

This time, when he threw his phone on the bed and left the room to take a shower, this time, she resolved to find out. She waited until she heard the water running and then reached for it, getting through the lock screen immediately. (Eight numeric digits? Easy. She only needed one guess.)

She looked through the messages (unsurprisingly, mostly to her), the calls (again, mostly her, though the pizza place by the shop was a close second), and finally hit pay dirt when she opened the browser, multiple tabs calling for her attention.

The first looked like a textbook, long words and citations everywhere; it wasn’t until she saw the first image, a chart with weeks and produce arranged in a confusing display, that she realized what it was. A baby book? 

The second tab was similarly confusing. ‘Abigail, Amelia, Audrey...’ It, again, took her a minute to realize that it was a list baby names in alphabetical order. She blinked, barely hearing the water turn off.

Her mouth was open when he walked in the room. “Colt?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this...” Her voice caught. “Are you reading a baby book on your phone?”

“Uhhh....yeah?” He ran a towel through his hair and shrugged. 

“And baby names?”

“Yeah?”

“I...” She blinked up at him, watching a water droplet slide down the side of his face. “I didn’t know that.”

"Well, I don’t have much experience with kids, you know. I don’t want to fuck it up."

She could feel tears starting to form, her happiness emerging as water from her eyes. Damn hormones. "Colt...." She pulled him to sit on the bed next to her. "You are gonna be a great dad. Really."

He just looked at her, taking in the weepy eyes and the pouting frown, and pulled her into a hug, grazing soft kisses across her brow. “I...I don’t wanna be my dad.”

“You won’t. Oh my God, Colt, you won’t.” She knew how worried he was about this, how the torn relationship with his father was never truly repaired before Kaneko’s fiery death. But she wasn’t worried, confident in every way that Colt would rise to the challenge, like he did in every other aspect of their life. She pulled him closer for a lingering kiss, trying to transmit some of her confidence through her lips; he deepened the kiss, hand falling to her waist to thumb the soft skin there, a moan catching in his throat.

He pulled back to curve careful fingers around her face. "I wish you had the baby already."

"Why?" She put her hand over her stomach, still insecure about the curve forming, unfamiliar and new and alien to her.

He slid his hands over hers, then up, further, teasing the soft skin underneath her breasts. "Cuz I'd give you another baby right now."

"Some if the stuff you say is not sexy." Still, she shivered and his hands slid higher.

"Then why are you taking my clothes off right now?" She looked down to where her hands were clutched in his t-shirt, moving of their own accord to get closer to the skin and muscle underneath.

She opened her mouth and closed it again. "You're damn lucky you're cute "

His eyes softened. "I'm just damn lucky."

~~~~~

Now (when things aren’t great but things are fine and things aren’t good but time flies on...)

The conversation with Logan was still fresh in her mind, even over a few days of life and logistics and thinking thinking thinking, when she slid into the chair with a sigh. “Riya, I am tired.” The large coffee cup in a death grip in her hand was proof of that. She had been busy, working as much as she could in order to make sure the most important meeting of her career would go off without a hitch. Thankfully, she and Colt had a fixed schedule, so she could work late some evenings while Colt had Kira and Ellie tried to put her fractured family in the back of her mind. “I have been working 24/7 and have to go to this stupid recital tomorrow where my stupid ex will bring his stupid new girlfriend and I just want a nap.”

Riya only laughed. “I can tell.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to vent as soon as I sat down. How are you?”

“I’m good!” Riya smoothed down her shirt and leaned forward conspiratorially. “But, you know, I would say that being so miffed about Colt’s date is a sign that-”

Ellie’s hand moved fast to whack Riya, a loving slap against her arm. “Stop it. I don’t want to hear it from you.”

“Ok, but I am just saying that, if you were as over him as you swore you were, you wouldn’t care if-”

“Riya!”

“Fine, fine, fine. In other news, I’m excited for the birthday party!”

“Urgh, I can’t believe it’s next weekend. You’re coming, right?”

“You know it. You wanted me to bring an appetizer?”

“That would be amazing.” Ellie sighed as the warm coffee hit her tongue, making its way down her throat. “You are a godsend, you know that?”

“I know, but it doesn’t hurt to hear you say it.” Riya flashed a smile but it fell as she glanced behind Ellie.

“What? What is it?”

Riya’s eyes widened. “Ummm....speaking of your ex...”

Ellie sucked in a breath; she knew it was a possibility, knew it was a risk coming here since the garage was so close to Riya’s work, but it was her turn to make the trek across town. They hadn’t spoken since he asked about the recital, their only communication being quick text messages, all functional, logistical, formal. 

“And it looks like he’s here with someone,” Riya continued.

Ellie was unable to stop the chair from spinning, turning to catch a glimpse. It was Colt, leather jacket and all, looking uncomfortable, hands stuffed in his pockets. And he was here with someone, tiny brunette next to him talking up a storm as they waited in line.

“She looks like a freaking teenager.” Ellie spun back in her seat to drop her cup on the table.

Even Riya looked incredulous. “Is he on a date?” 

Ellie’s breath caught as she turned again to watch them. The girl was pretty, hands flying around as she barely stopped to breathe, clearly and emphatically in the middle of some epic tale.

“Oh, I’m gonna find out.” Ellie stood and, taking a deep breath to center herself, strode over to the pair. The girl saw her first, glancing around in confusion; she looked younger than Ellie originally thought and the flash of red lipstick did nothing to age her. “Hi, Colt.”

He turned, eyes widening before quickly schooling his expression to neutral. “Hi, Ellie.”

“So....what are you doing here?”

He raised an eyebrow before tilting his head towards the front of the shop. “Getting coffee?” 

“Yeah...” She tried to shoot a significant look at the girl, but Colt ignored it. “That is what one does here. I’m here with Riya.”

Colt looked back and gave her best friend a small wave, hands settling back in his pockets as he studied Ellie. “Ok...”

She waited, but no introduction was forthcoming. Well then. “Who’s your friend?”

He blinked. “Ellie, this is Sam. Sam, this is Ellie. Kira’s mom.”

“Oh my God, Kiki?!? She is so adorable!” Ellie froze, staring at the girl. Apparently, Sam had met Kira and apparently, Sam knew her well enough to call her by her nickname.

“Ah, thank you.” She tried to get her bearings back and failed, just staring at her, taking in the hair that flew about her face as she spoke, the innocence shining in her eyes. She reminded Ellie a little of herself, once upon a time, and the thought made something twist deep in her heart.

“We were making origami flowers together the other day and she said that she was the flower princess but then she tried to put the flowers in a muffler so then we had to get pizza and Kira doesn’t like pepperoni so-”

Ellie blinked, dumbfounded. Who in the world-?

“Next!”

And, thankfully, the story was interrupted by the barista, calling for the pair to step forward.

“Ok...” Ellie looked between the two, jaw dropped. “Well, so nice to meet you. Colt, I’ll see you at the recital tomorrow, right?”

“Yep.”

Ellie slunk back to the table and dropped into her seat. “That was a fail.”

“What happened? Who is she?”

“Her name is Sam.”

“And?”

Ellie sighed, heavy through her nose. “Dunno but she’s met Kira.”

“Whoa.” Riya’s eyes widened. She knew what a big deal that was. Colt still hated all people outside of a core, select group of people that Ellie had once been a part of, as tightly encased there as she had been in his arms. So for someone new to be introduced to his daughter? Ellie hazarded a glace behind her, where Colt was paying for both of their drinks.

“Yeah.”

“You think she’s the girl he’s bringing to the recital?”

Ellie put her head in her hands. “I don’t know.”

The answer to that question came far too quickly for Ellie’s liking. The next day she found herself fidgeting in the cheap cramped seats of a local auditorium, toes tapping a quick beat on the floor of the auditorium as her whole leg jiggled.

“Why are you so nervous? And when does this start?” Logan shifted next to her, trying to move away from the elderly woman on his left who kept glancing over as if she were going to try and pinch his cheek. “This is awful.”

“I know. Thank you for coming.” Ellie knew how atrocious this was. And Logan wasn’t even the one who had to slick Kira’s wild hair into a semblance of a braid. “It should start soon.”

Movement to her right made her look up, relief painting her face as Colt squeezed through the row. And behind him?

“Hi, sweetie!” Ximena pushed Colt to the side to pull Ellie into a huge hug. “Thanks for letting me come! I’m so excited to see Kira dance.”

Elllie let out the breath lodged behind her collarbone. “Ximena! X, I didn’t know you were coming!”

“Of course, wouldn’t miss it! Hi, Logan!”

Colt’s face hardened, eyes glowering as he stared Logan down, barely giving him a nod before plopping into the seat next to Ellie. “When’s her first dance?” Colt and Logan had never had the best relationship but, since Colt was back, she felt like she was in the middle of a war zone and one wrong move would detonate a grenade.

“Fourth one.” Ellie said and fished out the program from under her chair. “First the teachers, then the actual dancers, some older kids, then her class.”

He nodded, staring straight ahead at the empty stage. “Why’s Logan here?”

Her stomach dropped. It seemed silly now. “He wanted to see Kira dance. Why’s X here?” The lights flickered above them, signalling that the show was going to start, the shadows flickering over his scowl.

“Same reason.” He crossed his hands over his chest with a huff; it looked like he wanted to say more but bit his tongue. Ellie studied him out of the corner of her eye. “How long is this going to be?”

She rolled her eyes. “Buckle up cuz you’re here for hours.”

“Are we going out after this?”

“Kira said she wanted to get ice cream at the beach.”

“Does he have to come?”

Ellie’s elbow shot out before she could stop it. “Come on.” 

“Shhh!” The woman behind them leaned forward in her seat as the tinny tinkle of piano started from the speakers. “It’s starting.”

Ellie grinned apologetically, Colt just huffed and sank lower in his seat. “God forbid we miss a moment.”

“Oh my God, stop.” She elbowed him again but, based on the laughter in her voice, she didn’t think it carried the right effect. 

And based by the smile she got in return, she knew he was emboldened. “What? You don’t want to miss-” He glanced at the stage and snatched the program from her, sighing. “Whatever the hell this purple monstrosity is?”

“Oh come on, you know you’re going to watch Kira when she comes out.”

“And sleep until that happens?”

“Going for Best Father Ever, here?”

He knocked into her shoulder; he didn’t need to move far, tiny seats pressing the audience into close quarters. “I already have a cup that says that, thank you very much.”

“Umm, hello? Kira made it before she could spell and it actually says Best Farter Ever.”

“And I will treasure it for the rest of my life.”

She laughed and then remembered where she was, shrinking into her seat. “If you get me kicked out...”

“Oh, because I’m always the one dragging you into trouble?”

“Umm...yes?”

“Fine. Yes.” He quirked an eyebrow at her. “But you get into enough trouble on your own, thank you very much.”

“I plead the fifth.” 

She leaned against him as he looked back at the stage. “Are those kids dressed up as sunflowers? What the hell is happening?”

“Colt!” She elbowed him in the side, again, digging in further, casting a careful glance behind them. “We cannot get kicked out of a dance recital.”

“You say it like this would be the worst place I’ve been kicked out of.”

She leaned against the arm rest to glare at him and his answering smirk back made her pause, quirk of his lip making her realize how close they were, squeezed into the audience, fake velour under her fingers the only thing that separated them. She leaned closer.

Her heart stopped as Colt’s hand dropped, almost as if her were going to clasp her palm in his, almost as if he forgot that wasn’t a thing they did anymore. Her breath caught. They were so close to touching, inches, when she could see the look on his face change, when he remembered, when he realized that he couldn’t, shouldn’t.

And the moment was over. He ran his hand through his hair. Ellie turned away, leaning back in her chair and staring at the dancing sunflowers on stage. She could feel the electricity underneath her skin, a counterpoint to the voice in her brain telling her this was a bad idea.

Ellie focused on watching every single dance and staying on her side of the fabric barrier between them.

~~~~~

Before (when things actually couldn’t get better so they had to get worse...)

Kira was screeching, counting numbers in some semblance of order (she would proudly proclaim that she was almost three to anyone who walked by but still thought eighteen came after ten). Ellie shook her head and walked into the bedroom, pulling open the drawer of her bedside table.

Who even used checks nowadays? Urgh. She had no idea where her checkbook was, but it definitely wasn’t there. She rolled her eyes, annoyed, and it was just then that she noticed her bed was vibrating. Well, more specifically, her comforter was vibrating, likely because of the person-shaped lump underneath it that was barely holding it together.

Ellie blinked and carefully lifted up a corner. “Colt?”

“Shhh!” He was beaming, smiling up at her in mirth, eyes shining.

“What are you doing?”

“Kicking ass at hide and seek?”

“Oh my God.”

“And I can try to sneak in a nap at the same time. Brilliant.” He had been working a ton recently, coming home dead on his feet after long days, but this was a little extreme.

“Daddy?” Kira’s quizzical cry came from the hallway.

“Shh!” Colt grabbed Ellie’s wrist and pulled, dragging her onto the bed. “She’ll hear you!”

“Jesus!” Ellie was shrouded into darkness as Colt pulled the comforter over her, pulling her close and effectively hiding them both. It was warm, underneath the down, encased in his arms; she could feel her body heating up in multiple ways as he pulled her closer.

“Hmm....” She could hear his voice coming from somewhere below her right ear and, before she knew it, his lips were teasing the sensitive skin behind her earlobe, open-mouthed kisses sliding lower. “I can think of something else this hiding spot is good for.”

“Oh my God, Colt!”

“Daddy?!?!” The shout was in the room now and Colt’s laugh was huffed against her. Ellie tried not to squirm but his hands around her waist and lips brushing against her neck made it a challenge.

Little hands threw the comforter on the floor. “I found you!”

“You did!” 

Kira squealed as her dad grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into bed with them, tickling her sides as she laughed and laughed and laughed and Ellie thought that she had never, in her entire life, been happier than she was at this moment, watching Kira struggle to breathe through her laughter, watching the worry lines on Colt’s brow fade to joy. She felt content. She felt whole.

“Alright, Kiki. I’m gonna find you now!” Colt clambered up, lifting Kira high over his head. “You better find a good spot.”

Their giggled echoed down the hall as Ellie lay, smiling, basking in the moment. What had she been doing? Oh yeah, the checkbook.

It hadn’t been in her bedside table; maybe it had wound up in Colt’s?

She pushed herself out of bed and wandered over, pulling the drawer open and feeling around. She didn’t see the checkbook immediately but paused when her fingers hit something soft. It felt like fur, maybe velvet, and she pulled it out to see.

And froze.

She checked the doorway to make sure she was alone and sank onto the bed, clutching the ring box in one trembling hand. One last look out the doorway, double-checking, triple-checking, and she opened it, millimeter by incremental millimeter; when she saw the gleam of a diamond, she gasped, shutting the box and throwing it back in the drawer.

They hadn’t really talked about it; she knew Colt was as devoted to her as she was to him but, with Kira and two demanding jobs between them, she never really paid attention to the legal status of their relationship. But, judging by the ring hiding in the back of his bedside table, he had. 

Holy shit.

Ellie couldn’t hold back the smile splitting her face. Her answer was never in doubt.

~~~~~

Now (when things aren’t so sure and things aren’t so good, and it’s still the beginning now...)

“What do you mean you were called in to work?”

“I’m sorry, Ellie.” She could tell that her dad felt bad, both that he was bailing on her and that he wouldn’t see Kira tonight. “It was a last minute thing since Silver got injured yesterday.”

“I understand.” She peered through the glass door into the hallway; it was empty, bright corporate signage taunting her as her mind raced. At least the CEO hadn’t arrived yet and she still had some time to come up with a backup plan. “I’m sure I can figure something out. Someone will be able to watch her.”

“I’m really sorry, kiddo.”

She frantically looked through her phone book as she paced in the conference room, fingers stabbing the digits to try to get to her friends. Riya had tickets to the Lakers game. Logan had to work late in exchange for getting Saturday off.

Ellie took a deep breath as she clicked on her last hope; she had one more person to try. Things had been fine at the recital and he didn’t mention any plans-hopefully, he was free.

“Hey, Ellie.”

It was loud on the shop floor, shouts and banging filtering through the line. “Hi, Colt. Are you busy tonight?” She could hear him step away from the ruckus and into the office; when he shut the door, it was blessedly quiet.

“What’d you say?”

“Are you busy tonight? I’m desperate.”

“Umm...”

“I have a huge work meeting tonight and my dad can’t watch Kira anymore. Are you free? Can you pick her up from school and stay until I get there?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh my God, thank you, thank you, thank you, you have no id-”

“Ellie, it’s fine. Jeez, she’s my daughter; I want to see her. Do you want me to have her sleep here and I can just drop her at school tomorrow?”

“No, I shouldn't be that late. Just bring her to my place.”

“Ok.”

She took a deep breath as she hung up the phone. It would be fine. She wasn’t going to be that late. 

...Except she was.

The meeting went well. Amazingly well. Astoundingly well. So well, in fact, that  she and her team had headed out to their local bar to celebrate for just one drink.

That had turned into two drinks.

That had turned into more, so many more that she couldn’t drive home and could only cling onto the bar when her legs stopped working as she chatted and laughed and reveled in a job well done.

But now it was late and Kira was probably in bed and she couldn’t get her damn key into the lock because the doorknob wouldn’t stop moving. She took a deep breath and rested her forearm on the door frame, stable enough to slow the spinning, if only for a moment, so she could slide the key in the lock and yank the door open and stumbling her way into the house, cursing how easy martinis went down and time flew by.

At least she had the peace of mind to throw her shoes off, to try to dull her footsteps as she stumbled in, feeling her way around the furniture to hit the lights.

“Colt?” She tried to whisper but she wasn’t sure she succeeded, voice echoing around her.

No answer.

“Colt?” She edged her way into her living room and stopped short, barely managing to stay upright before crashing to the floor. He was asleep on the couch, long legs dangling over the side, rise and fall of his chest visible under the wrinkled tee, hitched up so she could see the cut of his abs, treasure trail a tease that disappeared under the button of his jeans. He looked soft, vulnerable, and she could feel her breath catch. It was too intimate, watching him sleep on the couch that used to be his, in the house they used to share, with the daughter they made and raised just down the hall. It was too dangerous, seeing him this soft, as soft as he was in her memories, memories of a better time when her family was whole and she didn’t sleep alone.

And do a lot more than sleep in that bed. Because even in her drunken state, she could vividly recall what was under those jeans.

She watched him for a minute, taking in the long lines of muscles, the flawless eyebrows, the line of his jaw. “Colt?”

He started, turning to her as his eyes flickered open and fell on her. “Hey. How was your work thing?”

“Good. Sorry I was so late.”

“No worries.” He sat up, yawning.

“How was Kira?”

He blinked up at her, slowly, hair mussed into the bedhead that was all too familiar and that she wished she had forgotten. “Good. We went to the butterfly exhibit at the zoo.”

She could just picture them, hand-in-hand, looking at butterflies and stopping for ice cream before they left. It was the life she had and wanted and lost. She opened her mouth to speak but instead, she hiccuped. Loudly. And did it again, alcohol turning warm in her stomach, heating up the blood flowing throughout her body, setting fire to her face as she blushed.

“Let me...” Colt stood, staring at her uncertainly. “Let me get you some water.”

She nodded, following him into the kitchen, watching as he filled a glass and handed it to her. “Did your-hic-did your girlfriend go?”

He paused, eyes cutting to her. “Huh?” He handed over the glass and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Did your girlfriend go?”

“What girlfriend? And go where?”

Ellie’s hands flailed and she grimaced as the water sloshed onto the floor. “The girl. Your girlfriend.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“But...” She narrowed her eyes at him, sipping the water. “Can you stop moving around? You’re all floaty.”

“You’re all drunk. You should go to bed.”

“No! I’m-” She swayed and had to put the glass down, heavy hand clasping the counter for support. “I might be drunk.”

He chuckled, shaking his head, eyes almost fond. “I should go home.”

“I thought you were gonna bring her to the recital.”

“Bring who to the recital?”

“Your girlfriend, Colt, keep up.”

He opened and closed his mouth. “I don’t have a girlfriend, Ellie. I think you should-”

“If you don’t have a girlfriend, I think you should kiss me.” If she had any coordination left, she would have slapped her hand in front of her mouth as penance for speaking before thinking. However, as it was, she needed to hold on the counter so she wouldn’t slink onto the floor; with no extra hands, she bit her lip and flushed, face and body heating up in shame.

He gaped and ran a hand through his hair, rocking back on his heels. “Ellie, you’re drunk. And you have a boyfriend. We’re not gonna-”

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“But you do. I mean, you have since I got out.” His eyes narrowed. Ellie wanted to smooth the lines from his forehead. Hell, in her drunken state, she wanted to do a lot more.

“What? I don’t, I haven’t, not in a looong time.”

He stared, for so long she almost considered letting go of her iron grip on the counter to walk towards him, but wasn’t sure that she would make it without falling to the ground. Finally, he spoke. “It doesn’t matter. You’re drunk.”

“I’m not.” She was starting to get offended by the aspersions against her sobriety, but she didn’t know which of the three Colts in front of her she should complain to.

“You are.”

“Would you if I were sober?”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Would you kiss me if I were sober?” She was acutely aware of the distance between them- five feet, ten tiles, four steps, none of which she was currently capable of taking. She could feel the distance weighing heavy on her skin as she blinked at him.

“Ellie...” He walked forward, cautious and slow: three feet, two of his steps, and she felt braver. 

“I think you would. I think you should.”

His eyes trailed down her face.

“I think you should kiss me now.”

“You’re drunk.” It was a whisper, a breath, but loud enough to rocket through the static in Ellie’s brain as he stepped forward again.

“But if I were sober?”

He was so close that she could follow the path of his eyes, locking with hers, then down, glancing at the mole on her cheek, the freckle on her chin, before ending the circuitous gaze at her lips.

“If I were sober, would you kiss me?”

“If you were sober, I would carry you back to your bedroom and show you what you've been missing for the last two years.”

She blinked once and, when her brain caught up to his words, her hands leapt of their own accord, grabbing his t-shirt and pulling, pulling him closer so his chest met hers and their legs were tangled and none of that mattered because they were kissing, finally kissing, after two years apart, after missed connections and miscommunications and none of that mattered when he backed her into the counter, hands on her hips, mouth never leaving hers.

Heat immediately flashed through her body; was it the kiss? The booze? The fact that it had been two years? 

The world spun as strong hands under her thighs lifted her; suddenly, she was perched on the counter. He was slotted in between her legs, mouth dropping to her neck, to the spot behind her ear. She couldn’t think, couldn’t control herself, legs wrapping around him to pull, closer, please, closer. She moaned as his lips moved to up her chin, stubble scraping her jawline, warm friction the most welcome sensation in the world; she wanted to feel the rough scratch all over her. She let out a shuddery exhale, barely formed into his name, pulling at his shirt. His hands slid up her thigh and they were scorching hot, fingers ten lines of fire skating up her already overheating body, underneath her dress, higher still as she though she was going to burst into flames, burn up from the inside and explode. She was spinning when she closed her eyes, spinning when she opened them, the world moving as her head dropped back against the cabinet.

He was going to light her on fire and all she wanted to do was burn.

“Ellie-” His lips had somehow found her ear. It was so hot, so warm in this room, in this skin. The room wouldn’t stop moving. “Ellie, I-”

She grabbed at the edge of the counter, trying to make everything still. It was all spinning, her familiar kitchen curving around her. It must be the heat. It couldn’t be good to be this hot. 

He pulled back, only a blurry shape between the spots in her vision. “Ellie?”

She blinked.

Time was starting to bend, sway, change; she could have sworn that he had been right in front of her, hands and lips and taut muscles and stubbled jaw so close she swore they had been touching, but now, suddenly, he was across the room, feet away, eyes unreadable.

The lights in her kitchen were shifting too, spots of color flaring at the edges of her vision, warping and changing and disappearing when she tried to focus.

She blinked.

And he was in front of her again, hands on her waist to lift her onto the floor, smoothing down the lines of her dress, a dress that was not so professional, not anymore, not when it had made its way up her thighs to make room for strong, clever fingers dragging paths of fire along her skin.

The room was shifting too, floor moving, swaying, walls in funhouse patterns around her. She grasped the counter behind her, wrapped Colt’s t-shirt in her other hand, struggling to stay upright with the tilting of the room.

She blinked.

And Kira was there, talking, words coming too fast for her tired brain to understand, Colt filling a plastic unicorn glass with water as the spots of light grew in her eyes.

She blinked.

And the spots of light were a blaze. She opened her eyes to light, bright light, everywhere, and a pounding in her head that spread throughout her body with every throb, the roar of her heartbeat making her wince as it joined the jack-hammering in her brain. She squinted and managed to make out familiar walls, her desk, the large window that was allowing the painful sunshine to pour into the room. She was in her bedroom, somehow, feeling like hell. Everything hurt, she couldn’t think through the construction in her brain, and her mouth was dry and tasted like bad decisions. Crap. She knew these signs. She was hungover.

From the living room, she could hear the soft patter of tiny feet and muffled giggles. Double crap. Kira was up, which meant she needed to fight through the wreckage and somehow pull it together. She rolled over to grab a pillow to throw over her aching eyes and, while she thankfully caught the scream before it left her throat, she couldn’t stop the gasp.

She wasn’t alone in bed. She could see a hint of dark hair, a defined bicep muscle and strong shoulder completely out of place on her sheets. She hazarded a look down and winced. She was naked.

Oh my God.

“Stop freaking out, nothing happened.” Oh, thank goodness, it was Colt. Granted, not great, but, if she was going to wake up in a questionable position next to someone, he was definitely the best of some bad alternatives. “I’ll get her.” The sun slammed pinpoints of pain through her eyes as she watched him clamber out of bed, throwing on clothes.

“If nothing happened, why am I naked?” Triple crap. She was barely able to speak, hoarse voice fighting through chapped lips.

“Because you don’t listen to reason when you’re drunk?” He shrugged on a shirt and she watched the cut of muscles in his back move as he dragged his arms into the sleeves.

She licked her lips and even that small movement hurt. “Why are you here?”

“Because I didn’t think you would be able to function today.” He looked over his shoulder, eyes taking in her supine form, huffing out a sigh. “I wasn’t wrong.”

He wasn’t wrong. She felt like death, eyes falling closed as he left the room.

And eyes shooting open as she remembered.

She didn’t remember everything, had a sense that the night faded from her mind as the hours crept by, but she definitely remembered balancing on the counter as her hands slid though the short hairs at the back of his head and his hands slid up her bare legs. She definitely remembered words and kisses that took her breath away and she remembered leaning back against the counter, warm and pliant, held captive by his hands and his lips and the sparks settling in the base of her stomach. She lifted a shaky hand to her jaw; the skin there was still sensitive, the line of his stubble leaving a flush trail that tingled as her hand gently probed her chin.

Colt said nothing happened.

She wouldn’t call these memories ‘nothing.’

Fuck.

Her mind raced. She tried to think through the noise in her brain but was coming up short, memories refusing to return from whatever mental place the alcohol buried them in. She remembered the work meeting, the bar, coming home; she remembered them kissing, could still feel it in her toes. But then? Nothing. 

Urgh.

She was never drinking again.

If she listened closely, focusing on the world outside the pain, she could hear Kira and Colt in the kitchen.

“Daddy! You wore those clothes yesterday.”

“Seriously?” He coughed, awkwardly bumbling before he could respond. “You’re wearing a tutu and dinosaur rain boots while carrying a plastic sword and you want to talk about my outfit?”

“I’m a ballerina dinosaur hunter, daddy! Can I have toast?”

She pushed herself to a sitting position, waiting until the room stopped spinning, and then pushed to a stand, waiting until the floor stopped lurching. She had just managed to throw on some sweats when the door opened again, Colt ducking in with a glass of water and a couple painkillers.

“You said nothing happened.” She tried to glare at him but it hurt her eyes

He blinked. “Nothing happened, Ellie. I know you woke up naked but I swear to God we didn’t-”

“We kissed.” She snatched the pills from his hand, throwing them in her mouth. He handed over the water glass and looked away from her, guilty as hell.

“Yeah. We kissed. That’s it.”

“That’s not noth-”

“I know that.” He looked intently at her, voice dropping to a pained whisper, glancing behind him to where Kira was humming, still out of sight in the kitchen. “I know that. But I meant that we didn’t have sex. Because that didn’t happen.”

She looked at him uncertainly. “What did happen last night?”

“You came home drunk. You asked about Kira. We talked.” He bit his lip and sighed. “We kissed in the kitchen. Kira got up for water and I put you to bed. That was it.”

“Why was I naked?”

“That was all you. You said that you were too hot for clothes.”

“Why didn’t you sleep on the couch?”

“I tried!” He gaped at her. “You said, and I quote, ‘you saw me give birth, Colt, I think we can share a bed.’“

She put her head in her hands, both to cover her blush and to try and quiet the pounding in her head. She was never drinking again.

“Hey.” He touched her arm. “Hey. It’s fine. You go back to bed. I’ll bring her to school.”

She let her hands fall, flashing him a grateful smile. He turned to go but her hand shot out to grab his forearm, skin soft underneath her fingertips. “Thank you.” She tried to ensure her tone conveyed some of the gravity she felt but it sounded more like a croak from a ruined throat.

However, as he gazed back at her, not removing his arm from her grasp, she thought he understood.

~~~~~

Before (when shit comes heavy heavy, storm’s right here, let it in) 

Cake? Check.

Decorations? Check.

People? Check. Obviously, Kira was here. Of course, she didn’t exactly have a choice and was currently sitting on her grandfather’s lap, throwing her hands in the air with a delighted squeal at every bounce of his knees. Riya and Darius were in the corner, pouring over the piles of presents, while Logan, Ximena, and Toby had already started diving into the pizza.

Everything was perfect for Kira’s third birthday and, as soon as Colt got home from work, they were going to have cake.

But he was scheduled to arrive over an hour ago and she hadn’t heard a word. She was just about to light the candles without him when her phone rang.

“Mona? Where are you?” Her brow furrowed. Not exactly who she had been anticipating calling her but...

“I have some bad news.”

Ellie felt her stomach drop. “What?”

“Colt got picked up. We think they’re gonna hold him without bail but we’re not sure until the arraignment.”

“Wait, what?”

“I’m sorry, Ellie. He said to tell you that he’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Hold up. What?” 

Mona’s voice was uncertain as Ellie reached around, blindly, hand finally grasping a chair and sitting. “It’s gonna be ok. I promise. He’ll call tomorrow.”

Ellie blinked at the phone, staring dumbly until Riya walked into the kitchen. She was barely able to get the story out, shock and distress clouding her mind as Riya held her close and rubbed her back until the tears had dried and Ellie could fake it enough to stand and smile and not scream.

She was numb, completely numb, going through the motions, the candles, the cake, the smiles. She was lost, fear and anger and shame roiling in her stomach. 

And, the worst, the absolute worst of it was that, with every picture that was taken, she felt his absence stab her through the heart, knowing that they were documenting an empty space as they documented Kira’s third birthday. She couldn’t stand it and had to excuse herself so only the bathroom mirror would see her tears.

He did call the next day, when the presents had all been opened, when the cake had all been eaten, when the decorations had all been put away, and when the shock had faded and been replaced with blinding anger.

“Ellie. Baby.”

“I am going kill you.” She ducked into her bedroom, voice packing as much fury as she could into a whisper; regardless of how angry she was, she couldn’t wake Kira up.

“It’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Don’t even, asshole.”

“Baby...” Colt sighed, pleading. “I’m so sorry but don’t worry, the charges won’t stick and I should be out soon and-”

“Don’t worry? Don’t worry?!?” She could feel the angry tears start to cloud her vision. She closed her eyes but could only see red. “You missed her birthday.”

She could hear noise behind him and a rustle, voice louder as he pulled the phone closer. “I know... Ellie....”

“Don’t ‘Ellie’ me. What the hell did you do?”

“It’s a really long story and I can’t really talk about it here.”

“For fuck’s sake, Colt! I can’t believe you!” She blinked furiously, trying to keep the tears from falling. “I thought we were done with this shit, I thought your family was more-”

“But Ellie-”

“Don’t ‘’but Ellie’ me!”

His sigh was heavy. “I’m sorry but I promise-”

“No, you listen to me! I can’t believe you! Listen to your stupid excuses and stupid promises. You know what? You’re exactly like your dad.”

The intake of his breath was sharp on the phone line. “Ellie-”

“You said you weren’t your dad and look at you now,” she spit venom out over the line. “What if you don’t get out?”

“I will.” His harsh whisper was certain. “I will, give it some time and-” 

“No.” The tears were burning on her cheeks. “I’m not going to be waiting here for you. I’m done.”

His voice was pained. “You don’t mean th-”

“I’m done, Colt. Done. I can’t have my daughter around this. I can’t be around this.” She sunk onto the bed, weak legs no longer able to hold her up. “Don’t contact me. Really. Don’t call. Don’t write. If you ever get out, then maybe you can see your daughter. Until then, goodbye.”

“Ellie, wai-”

The silence on the line finally and completely broke her heart. She allowed herself five minutes, five minutes of hysterical, cathartic tears, then trudged back into the kitchen to make lunches for tomorrow. 

Colt or no Colt, she had shit to take care of.

~~~~~

Now (things are getting better so keep it steady steady...)

The birthday party was in full swing, Kira laughing and spinning in her princess gown, clad in a giant party hat with a bright pink five right in the center, when Ellie ducked into the kitchen to find Colt hunched over the counter. His body was angled just so she couldn’t see what he was looking at. Suspicious.

“What are you-?” She peered over, just enough to see the plate in front of him. “Are you sneaking cookies?”

He turned, eyes crinkling with mirth, boyish smile gracing his face. He looked young, innocent, presiding over his hoard with a smudge of chocolate on his top lip. “Shhh....she’s gonna hear you!”

“Thief! You goddamn thief! Give me one!” She stepped closer, hand out.

“No way! These are mine!” His eyes sparkled and, at moments like these, Ellie had to remind herself that they were over, that they weren’t together, that it was a distant history, her distant past.

“I’m so gonna tell Kira you broke into her stash.”

“My stash now.” 

“Just give me-” She reached over, trying to get at the cookies around him, and he started batting her away laughing.

“No, you’re gonna ruin it!”

“Not if you share!” She hip checked him, trying to move him, but he only pushed her back, each of them fighting for space in front of the heaping plate. Finally, Ellie managed to edge in between him and the counter, snatching a cookie, spinning triumphantly. “Got one!” The words died in her mouth as she realized how close they were, his hips pressing hers into the counter, lips inches from hers, the smear of chocolate on his upper lip tempting her, sweeter than any cookie she’d ever seen.

A soft thud caught her attention and she looked down, realizing the cookie had fallen out of her hand. She swallowed and looked back at him. “Colt?” He wasn’t blinking, eyes trained on her lips and his hands curling around her waist. Her heart jumped into her throat.

“Daddy!” Colt jumped back as if stung as Kira flounced into the room. “Are we gonna have cake?”

Ellie blinked at where Colt was still staring at her, eyes wide; apparently, she was going to need to recover her voice first. “Yeah, in a minute.”

“Ok! Yay! I love cake!” Kira answered as only a sugar-high five year-old could and danced off.

“I’m gonna-” Ellie licked her lips and gestured to the food behind her. “I’m gonna get-”

The rest of the sentence was lost in Colt’s mouth as he surged forward and pressed her against the counter. She responded eagerly, throwing her arms around his neck, licking the chocolate off his lip and then pushing her tongue to meet his and chase the rest of the sweetness. He moaned low in his throat, hands grabbing her hips and sliding against her back, shots of electricity that went straight down her spine. She kissed him like she was drowning, like she had been drowning for years and the breath she pulled from his lungs was what she needed to revive her, to awaken her nerves and the shivers down her back and the tingle even lower.

She had just slid her fingers into his belt loops, yanking him closer, grasping at every inch of skin she could reach, when footsteps registered at the edge of consciousness. It was impossible to pay attention to anything else, however, when Colt’s teeth made their way to her lip, a teasing bite that made her jerk her hips. 

But she was forced to look up when the door to the kitchen flew open with a crash and Colt jumped backwards, both of them gasping for breath.

“Holy shit.” Riya hissed, shock on her face fading into a knowing grin that Ellie despised. “I’m just gonna...” She put the dirty dishes on the counter and covered her eyes. “Carry on. I’m just gonna go back out and you guys can continue whatever it was that you were doing.” 

Ellie glared daggers at her back. When she turned to Colt, the moment had faded; he was looking at the ground, one hand rubbing the back of his neck, the other gesturing towards the door. “I’m gonna-”

She nodded, busying herself by fixing up the desserts. They said history repeated itself so you had to learn from it, but she wasn’t sure she understood this lesson. 

At least this time, she was sober.

~~~~~

Before (when things got worse, went from bad to worse, went from bad to worst...)

Ellie frowned, putting the phone down with a sigh. 

She should have known she wasn’t ready to jump into anything again, the breakup with Colt so fresh, so raw, but Logan was Logan. He was kind and caring and so undoubtedly attractive that she let herself believe that they could more from friendship to more without stopping to think. To think about what she wanted, to think about her broken heart and worried mind and her ruined life.

She had just been so lonely. And alone. And sad, as sad as she had ever been. And scared, terrified really, of being a single mother and having no one else to rely on, other than herself. She knew first-hand how cruel this world could be; could she and Akira really survive as a dyad, a pair, fighting through the storms together? She wasn’t sure.

But when her world turned upside down, Logan had been the person she could rely on. Ximena was around, often, but Ellie suspected that it was because Colt requested it, had asked her to check in and care for his family when he couldn’t. And, to his credit, he hadn’t called her, had respected her angry words, words that she sometimes thought she would take back if given the chance, if he had called. She wondered what they would say, if he would apologize and explain, if she would apologize and take back her rage. Those thoughts remained unspoken, though. He didn’t call. She didn’t visit. And she was alone.

But not always alone. Logan had been there, for the mundane, such as pickups from school or last minute grocery trips, and the less mundane, such as calming her tears when the stress and worry became too much. 

But jumping into a relationship? It was too much, too soon. She couldn’t...she just couldn’t... She sunk into a chair and put her hands over her face. He had even been so understanding about it all, vowing that they would stay friends, vowing that this wouldn’t ruin their ten year friendship. Regardless of what else they had going on, he had her back.

Her ruminating was interrupted by a knock at the door, three sharp raps that made her pause. She wasn’t expecting anyone and tiptoed over, peering through the peephole and gasping. 

The last person she expected to see on her doorstep was standing there, repetitively cracking his knuckles and rocking back on his heels, frown on his face. She threw open the door. 

He straightened and looked down at her; any nervousness she saw through the peephole was gone now as he stared in barely contained fury. “Hello, Ellie.”

“Hi, Colt.” She took a minute to drink him in; he was glaring at her, arms stiff at his side and hands balled into fists. She hadn’t seen him in four months and couldn’t stop her eyes from assessing him, looking him over under the dim streetlight above them to see how he changed. He looked harder, muscles in his chest more defined, tilt of his shoulders more aggressive, but it was him, alive and free.

“Can I come in?”

She dumbly nodded and stood aside so he could walk in, stooping to untie his boots and leave them in the entryway before stepping inside. She felt unmoored, lost. “When did you get out of jail?”

“Last week. They dropped all charges. Just like I said.”

She swallowed. His words were dripping with poison; while they had their share of fights, he had never spoken to her this coldly. He had never scared her; for all his criminal activity and illegal transgressions, he had also been tender hands and declarations of love with her. While she wasn’t scared of him now, she suddenly knew what it was like to be in front of Kaneko, instead of her Colt.

“You waited a week to come-”

“I’m here now. I wanted to talk to you about Kira.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay.” She wondered if he would let her apologize for her words or if it would be pointless, just like the last four months had been: pointless and long and unforgiving.

“We need to come up with a schedule so I can see my daughter.” He reached into his pocket to pull out a folded piece of paper and hand it to her. “Here’s what I recommend. It’s an alternating schedule; one week, I’l get her Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Then you have the following weekend and we switch.” His tone was short, business-like, serious.

She looked down at his careful writing on the paper. “Okaaay.” Her brain wasn’t keeping up. Apparently, she wasn’t going to get an apology either; maybe it was for the best. “This is fine. I guess. I mean...” She bit her lip, trying and failing to think.

“This is just a starting point. Modifications are fine based on schedule.” He hadn’t taken his coat off, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Then, yeah. Yeah, this is fine.”

“Good.”

“I missed you.” The words came out before she could reconsider.

His eyes narrowed, darkening dangerously. “I’d like to see my daughter, please.”

“She’s...” Ellie had to suck in a breath, blinking to try and keep the tears from her eyes. This is not exactly how she imagined the reunion. Thank goodness he hadn’t arrived any earlier, to catch her stilted conversation with Logan. “She’s asleep.”

“I just want to see her.”

“Ok.” Ellie sighed. “Fine.”

He nodded brusquely and walked past her towards Kira’s room, opening the door as softly as possible. She followed, slowly, feet padding behind as she stopped in the hall. Ellie wondered if jail had hardened him, if the tight jaw and narrowed eyes were an artifact of being inside for so long. 

However, as she peered through her daughters doorway and saw him sit carefully on the side of Kira’s tiny mattress, tears pooling in his eyes, gentle hand caressing her face with inexplicable softness, she wondered if it was she, herself, was the hardening force. 

 ~~~~~

And now (for the end of the end and the beginning of the beginning...)

“We should stop.” Her hands fisted into his t-shirt, pulling him closer so her hands could greedily start working on the button of his jeans. She had only come to pick up Kira, to take her home for dinner and bath and story and bed and another night of being alone. She had not come here to be pressed against the filing cabinet in Colt’s office, his lips sliding against hers and strong arms holding her hips steady.

His lips edged to her ear and he hissed as her hands found her target. “You’re kinda giving me mixed signals here.” 

She also hadn’t come here to see Sam, the young coffee shop girl with bright lipstick and rapid prattle, playing checkers with Kira on the concrete floor of the shop while Colt was in his office. It made something ugly burn in her stomach, ugly and nasty and painful; in the back of her mind, she realized that she understood what it was like to be replaced and how deep that hurt went. “We should stop, we’re in your office, Colt.”

“I’m well aware.” His hips bucked as she gave him a slow stroke, just how he liked. Some things were impossible to forget.

“And Kira’s outside.”

“Yeah, she’s fine.” The noise was huffed against her neck as warm hands slid up her back. 

She blinked. Kira was outside with the coffee shop girl and Ellie was in here, with her ex and her broken heart and her broken family that had never really been fixed.

“Stop.” He froze instantly at the word and her dead voice, his hands stopping their path up her sides. “We can’t do this.”

"Ok.” He took a few steps back, breathing hard. He looked debauched, standing in front of her, hair mussed, shirt wrinkled, cheeks and lips flushed a bright pink that continued down and disappeared into his shirt. 

“Listen, El-” He quickly fixed up his pants, taking a deep breath and another step back. “Ellie. I-” He rubbed his hand over his face. “This isn’t-”

His struggle for words was interrupted by a scream, piercing in the shop, and then a crash that trailed off into silence. Colt caught her eye for a split-second, fear clouding his gaze, before cursing. “Fuck, Akira!” He threw open the door to the office and sprinted into the shop, Ellie hot on his heels. 

And what she saw made her heart leap into her throat. 

Kira was on the ground, a crumpled heap, next to a cabinet of tools that lay on its side. Its drawers were askew, wrenches and screws and metal scattered around where her child lay, eerily still for a child who never stopped moving. Colt made it there first, turning her over as Ellie’s hand flew to her mouth. Kira’s eyes were closed, eyebrows and lashes stark against her pale skin, below a patch of blood that was steadily getting worse. 

“Kira? Hey, Kira?” He was under her now, sitting, crouched down, careful hands combing back her hair to get a better look. Her arm was splayed out at an odd angle, cradled in her dad’s lap, and Ellie thought she was gonna throw up.

Colt reached into his pocket, trying not to jostle the still bundle on his lap, and tossed his phone to Ellie. “Call an ambulance. Now.”

She nodded, shaky, fingers typing in the eight numeric digits without thinking, unlocking the phone with trembling hands as she sank to the floor so she wouldn’t drop the phone. Even sitting on the concrete, her knees were knocking against each other and she felt so cold, watching Colt pull their daughter to him; she dialed the number.

Sam came running down the stairs, dark hair flying behind her. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can you get me the first aid kit?”

“911, what is your emergency?”

“I-”

“Where’s the first aid kit?”

“Break room.” 

“911. Hello? Ma’am?”

“I-” 

“Hurry!”

“Ok, I’ll get it.” Sam’s footsteps disappearing into the break room brought her back into the moment. She had taken down corrupt cops and stolen multi-million dollar vehicles. She could call an ambulance.

“Yes, I’m here. I need an ambulance to Gramercy Park. My daughter is hurt...” She looked at the wreckage around her as she gave the dispatcher the information, her daughter cradled in Colt’s arms, shouts from the back as Toby and Ximena came running out. She sat and trembled like a leaf in a tornado, desperate to hold onto something for dear life.

She shook the entire way, as she watched the red lights flash throughout the street, the entire ambulance ride, clutching Colt’s hand until her knuckles were white and sore. Kira had woken up during the trip, eyes confused and frightened watching the strange equipment and paramedics bustling over her, crying when she told them that she only wanted to climb up the toolbox-she was so so sorry and she would never do it again and it hurt. Ellie shook and trembled and fretted as she watched the stretcher go down the hall, off to some scan with some machine that would tell them if something was seriously wrong, shook the whole way to the waiting room as they checked her baby out and she and Colt had to wait interminably as the local news blared on the television chained to the wall and she paced and paced and paced.

“Ellie, she's going to be okay.”

Ellie wringed her hands together. “I know, I know. I'm just...I can’t believe...”

“Yeah.” He plopped into a chair, long legs splayed in front of him.

She glared at him, flash of anger coming on the heels of the terror. “I thought your girlfriend was watching her.”

“Who?”

“Sam?”

“Who the hell’s Sam?”

Ellie blinked at him. It was like they were inhabiting completely separate worlds. But maybe they had been for the last two years. “The girl in the shop? Who was playing with Kira?”

“Wait, the receptionist?”

Ellie froze in mid-flail, hand returning to her side. “Who?”

“Toby’s cousin? Who works the front desk?” Colt stared her down. “Jesus, Ellie, that’s who you’ve been talking about? For Christ’s sake, she’s 18. And she works for me!”

“Toby’s cousin?”

“She needed a job. I needed someone to sit at the front desk and play solitaire and not blow shit up. It worked.”

She sank into the chair next to him, legs giving out. She was entirely drained, her body, her mind, everything; she put her elbows on her knees to cradle her head in her hands, boneless and tired. “Colt, how did we end up here?”

“Uhh, how did we end up at the hospital?” He watched her, warily. “El, did you hit your head too?”

“No. How did we end up here?”

He watched her, eyebrow raised, waiting to see if she would elaborate. When she didn’t, he sighed and crossed his hands over his chest. “You mean, the fact that you dumped me when I was locked up?”

“Colt, I was furious. And rightfully so.”

“I know. You were right to be pissed. Hell, you were right to kick me out.” He raked his hands through his hair.

“I was furious and then I stopped being mad. And started being sad.” She looked at her hands, trying to choose her words carefully. “And it was like you didn’t care. When you got out, you waited a week to see us and you hated me.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is true, it is, and our family fell apart.”

“I never hated you.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” She had to lower her voice; even though they were the only ones in the room, she didn’t want anyone walking by to hear the sobs of her broken heart. “You were so cold and so mean and you hated me, despised me. For months. I’m sorry that I was so mad but-”

“Stop it.” He turned to her, eyes fiery underneath the down-turned brow. “I never hated you. But you-”

“But I what, Colt? What the hell did I do?”

He looked forward again, staring at the television. “I came to see you, you know. The night I got out of jail. I came by the house.” He bit his lip, still avoiding her eyes. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“No, you didn't. I would have remembered that.”

“I did.” His arms were crossed and he looked past her, over her shoulder. “You weren't alone.”

“Of course I wasn't alone. I had Kira all the time.”

“No. That's not what I mean. You weren't alone.”

The realization was immediate. “Logan.”

He nodded and looked away, jaw set.

“Colt.... Colt.” Her eyes started to fill up with tears. “It wasn't like that. I was scared. I was scared and sad and alone and I thought you were gone. I thought you were gone and I thought I was a single mom and I really needed somebody. And you weren't there.”

He shrugged. His eyes were glassy, too. “Well, it didn't take you long to move on, did it now?”

“It wasn't like that.”

“Wasn’t it?”

They just stared at each other, the years and pain and heartbreak filling the space between them. Finally, Colt’s eyes dropped to the ground, to look at the magazine rack behind her, to look anywhere and everywhere but her.

She wiped a tear from her cheek. “What were you going to say?”

“What?”

“What were you going to say, the first time you came by?”

“Ellie, what the hell do you think I was going to say?” His voice shook slightly. “I wanted my family back. I wanted to move home. I wanted you.”

She sucked in a shuddery breath, tears coming faster now. “I would have said yes. Colt, I would have... I would have said yes.” She bit her lip, watching him take in her confession, saying nothing. The television continued to blare in the background, now the theme song of some game show. 

He opened his mouth. And reconsidered, thinking, before turning to her, serious look on his face. “Ellie, what if-”

“Excuse me.” They both turned, Colt leaping to his feet, as a nurse walked in. “You can come back now. The CT’s done.”

They arrived at her room to see the doctor hovering over her, Kira’s eyes open but blinking slowly. She looked drawn, exhausted. Ellie raced to her bedside, taking the tiny hand not encased in gauze and clutching it as tightly as she could.

“I’m ok, mom. I’m ok.” Kira was pale, propped up on pillows, bandage almost comically large for her small head.

“She really is ok. The good news is that it’s just a concussion. Scan revealed nothing abnormal so she should be fine, but she should stay here for observation tonight and then we can put her cast on tomorrow.” 

“They said I was tough and gave me a sticker.” Kira proudly showed off the unicorn on her shirt.

“You are tough, kid.” The doctor smiled kindly at her, and then turned to Ellie and Colt. “Would either of you like to spend the night as well?”

“I’m staying.” They both spoke in unison; Ellie shot a surprised glance over but Colt’s jaw was set, certain.

The doctor continued undaunted while scrawling on her clipboard. “I mean, you can both stay, it’s just a tiny room and the cots that we have are pretty small for two people.”

Ellie blinked as Colt answered for the both of them. “That’s fine.”

Ellie considered disagreeing but held her tongue. She almost spoke up when Kira slipped into a blissful sleep, painkillers and exhaustion taking hold. She almost spoke up again when the nurses gave her some scrubs to wear, pale blue and threadbare, but soft against her skin. She absolutely had to speak up when she saw the actual size of the cot.

“We’re not sleeping together on that.” It was made for one person, half the size of her bed at home, the bed that was hers alone and had been hers alone for years.

Colt dropped onto the mattress, frame squeaking as his long legs stretched. “What do you mean? I’ve seen you give birth, I think we can share a bed.”

She whacked him over the head, sitting down next to him with a huff.

“What, I can’t use your own words against you?”

“You’re incorrigible.” She looked down uncertainly. “I don’t think this will hold us both.”

He rested his hands under his head. Even though they had turned off the lights so Kira could sleep, monitors cast a eerie glow about the room. “It’ll be fine. And if it breaks and you get hurt, we’re already in the hospital.”

She rolled her eyes and stretched out, turning away from him but still acutely aware of his body, right behind her, warm and comforting and familiar. She shifted, trying to get comfortable in the tiny space, no room to move between Colt and the wall, hospital beeping and din doing battle with her tired mind. She was almost comfortable when Colt spoke. 

“What would you say now?” 

“Say now about what?” She turned to see him, profile visible in the dark as he stared up at the ceiling. “Huh?”

“If I told you I wanted to come home. In the waiting room...” He rubbed his palm over his lips. “In the waiting room, you said you would have said yes when I got outta jail. What would you say now? If I asked?”

Her stomach dropped. “Colt...” She sat up, elbow propped so she could study his face, the tears forming in his eyes. “Colt...do you want to come home?”

“More than anything.” He turned so he could face her fully. “Ellie, more than anything. I’m done with-”

The rest of the words were meaningless, mumbled and garbled as she leaned forward to press her lips to his. He pulled her closer, desperate, needy, hands flying over every inch of her as if to reassure himself that she was real.

His voice was hoarse when he pulled back. “You know how important family is to me. You know I don’t want to be my dad, you know this.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry I fucked it up.” She could see the remorse painted on his face, remorse and pain and maybe a little hope too. 

“I know.” She laid down on the cot, dropping her head on his chest, weary exhaustion seeping into her bones. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, El.” He kissed her forehead. “I missed you and Kira and my family. Every day. This is what’s important to me.”

Her eyes were blinking slower now, hospital noise fading from her mind.

She almost didn't hear his whispered ‘I love you, El’ as she sank into darkness.

~~~~~~

Ellie was still in the place between sleep and waking, where everything was warm and quiet and still, mind and body just floating in space, when a familiar arm curved over her, sliding just under her breasts to settle by her rib cage. Her eyes shot open as the body behind her leaned close to nuzzle the curve of her neck, breath warm on her skin, and she heard the sleepy sigh that had once been so familiar, as familiar as her own name.

No one else held her like this. And she knew, in her hearts of hearts, that no one else would ever hold her like this again.

She spun around and Colt’s eyes blinked open unsteadily. “Colt?”

“Wha-?”

“I didn’t-” Her brain was fuzz, eyes unsteady as she took in the sterile walls, unfamiliar medical supplies. “Did I dream this?

His hand was still around her, now drawing patterns at the small of her back. “Dream what?”

“Are we back together?”

“Yeah, well, that was the good part of the night. Kira also got a concussion and needs a cast on her arm.”

"And that was the nightmare part of the evening.” She blinked, her recollection of the day slowing coming into focus behind her eyelids

He pulled her closer on the tiny bed. “But concussions heal. Bones heal. She’s gonna be ok.”

“Do families heal?” Her breath caught in her throat. “Are we gonna be ok?”

He was silent, through thirteen low beeps of a monitor while Ellie held her breath. Finally, he shook his head. “Not just ok. I think we’re gonna be great.”

She settled against his chest and sighed, his heartbeat matching the droning beeps above them, matching her own heartbeat in her ear. It was a weird place to find happiness but she thought that maybe, hopefully, finally, she had her family back.

~~~~~

Two years later...because the beginning of the beginning segues into the middle too...

Ellie was distracted, lost in her own head and her own circling thoughts, anxious fingers keeping busy by cleaning the kitchen counter, but even she couldn’t ignore Kira’s screech.

“Wait wait wait! I want my unicorn cup.” 

“Which unicorn cup?” Colt shook his head as he walked in, their daughter bouncing behind him.

“My favorite unicorn cup....duh, dad.”

Ellie laughed as Colt stretched high to grab the requested cup, the same cup that Kira hadn’t taken a sip from in over a year. The grin her seven year-old gave was blinding as she filled it with water and flounced away.

“Duh, dad,” Ellie echoed, knocking into his shoulder with a smile, appreciative of some distraction to get her mind of the treadmill of thoughts she had been on for the last few days.

“She sounds like a teenager.” 

“What if I wanted the unicorn cup, Colt?”

“We have seven unicorn cups, take your pick.” He groaned. “I’m gonna get her into motorcycles. We could start a motorcycle cup collection."

“Hmmm....or have a boy....” Ellie mused out loud.

When she realized what she said, her heart stopped, mouth falling open, She tried and failed to cover it up with a cough, her mind inadvertently flashing to the shopping bag hidden in a pile of clothes on the floor of her closet, the bag she hadn’t get had a chance to open, waiting for a moment alone when the house was quiet and still and she would have the appropriate solace for a life-changing moment. 

But of course, Colt noticed everything.

“Ellie?”

She said nothing, couldn’t get the words to come.

“Ellie? Is there something you’re not....” She watched his eyes widen and trail down to her stomach. He stepped closer, lips quirking into a brilliant smile. “Ellie?”

“I don’t know for sure! I wasn’t going to say anything until I was sure.”

“Oh my God, you’re pregnant.”

“I’m not sure but...” He swept her into a hug, lips finding hers; she was giggling and kissing and seriously, deliriously happy. “I think I’m pregnant.”

“It’s a boy.”

“How are you so sure? I don’t even know if I’m really-”

“I know.” He smirked, leaning in to trail his lips up her jaw. “I know everything.”

“Really.”

“I know you’re pregnant.” Soft hands pulled her against him.

“Ok.”

“I know it’s a boy.” Soft lips traced the underside of her chin.

“Ok....”

“And I know you’re gonna marry me.”

She leaned away to look into his eyes, heart stopping. “You haven’t asked.” Her mind flashed to before, years ago, a distant memory of finding a ring by his bedside when she thought she was as happy as she could ever be.

He winked at her, cocky and sure. “I know. But you’re gonna.” Suddenly, she felt even younger, 18 again, watching a boy with a motorcycle take on the world. But this time, she was by his side.

“That’s not a proposal.”

He shrugged, stepping back and moving to follow Kira out of the room. “I know.”

“Wait.” She turned, unable to stop the grin from spreading over her face. “Just wait a second.”

“You’ll see. I know everything.” And with that, he was gone, out of the room, leaving behind more questions than answers.

She stood, frozen on the spot, staring at the space he just vacated, grin spreading over her face until she thought her cheeks would split in two. 

She thought it was a lie that broken bones healed stronger.

But maybe families did.

And maybe right now was actually as happy as she had ever been.

Tags: @choicesseptemberchallenge  

Perma @leelee10898 @emichelle @client-327

ROD @omgjasminesimone @mskaneko

Colt

@deimosensblog @alegria1580  @choicesarehard @thefarrari @moonlit-girl-wonder @going-down-downtown@soniadotalves@jolietmaraud @choicesgremlin @flowerpowell@poeticscolt @brightpinkpeppercorn @zaira-oh-zaira @umiumichan @akrenich @sibella-plays-choices  @maxwellsquidsuit  @liamzigmichael4ever @octobereighth @i-only-signed-up-for-fanfiction

[stardew-atlantis]

I posted 767 times in 2021

79 posts created (10%)

688 posts reblogged (90%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 8.7 posts.

I added 1,274 tags in 2021

#sdv - 455 posts

#stardew art - 292 posts

#sdv harvey - 202 posts

#sdv farmer - 72 posts

#stardew valley - 64 posts

#stardew writing - 64 posts

#asks - 37 posts

#stardew memes - 31 posts

#farmer sj - 29 posts

#sdv shane - 28 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#side note: farmer sj would absolutely wear a hawaiian shirt at the beach w/ a bathing suit underneath so she can wear the shirt unbuttoned

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Not sure if I posted this here but @macithemaci drew my farmer SJ and it's absolutely wonderful, so here it is for all to see ^_^

27 notes • Posted 2021-11-18 02:49:23 GMT

#4

I'd like to share my thoughts on CA's new game

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

That is all.

29 notes • Posted 2021-10-21 22:44:28 GMT

#3

✨Bestie Vibes✨

Harvey(left) drawn by @doctoraceus

30 notes • Posted 2021-08-24 18:53:13 GMT

#2

Wires

-Previous-

This is my version of Harvey's 8 heart event (featuring Farmer SJ). I went in a bit of a different direction for this one so bear with me. This is also a long ass post, you have been warned.

Takes place in the second week of Summer, Year 1.

Summary: It's been a week since "The Incident". Harvey's radio is broken, but Maru refuses to fix it for him.

Warnings: Mentions of blood/injuries, swearing

Word count: 7.1k (You have been warned a second time)

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

On a slow summer day, it wasn't very often that Harvey would receive any phone calls, let alone on his personal cell phone. He raised a curious eyebrow at the unknown number on the screen in front of him before he answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is Joanne from Zuzu Electronics. I'm calling about your appointment for the repair job you requested?”

“Oh, yes! Of course. I called last week about having some radio equipment fixed.”

“Right. So, I'm just calling to let you know we've had to move your appointment. Unfortunately, we're all booked up until winter, so we won't be able to send a technician until then. How does the 12th work for you?”

“Winter? I was told someone would be here on Monday between 10 and 4?” Harvey pinned the phone against his ear with his shoulder as he shuffled the papers around on his desk, looking for his appointment slip.

“Yes, but unfortunately there was a scheduling error in our computer system and your spot has been taken. The next available appointment is on the 12th if you'd like me to book that for you instead.”

Harvey sighed and took the phone back into his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. “No… no that’s fine. Don’t bother. I'll figure something out. Thank you for calling.”

As soon as Harvey hung up the phone, he began racking his brain for some brilliant plan that didn’t involve calling someone in the city. He'd already resigned himself to waiting almost a week to get his beloved radio fixed, he couldn't fathom going without it during his busy season. With the influx of flu cases and other various seasonal illnesses that inevitably came up during the winter, he needed something fun to help him unwind at the end of a long day. It’s not like there was anyone in town with enough knowledge to fix a 25-year-old radio. Well, maybe one person…

…

“What do you mean, no?” Harvey asked, a little desperately as Maru turned away from him to walk out the door.

“I mean no, I’m not gonna fix it for you.” Maru replied, without looking back.

He followed her out of his office to the area behind the front counter, not ready to let this conversation go just yet.

“But… why not? You’re good with machines. I’ll pay you whatever you want.” Harvey pleaded.

“Keep your money. I have a better idea.”

“And what would that be?”

“Call SJ. Ask her to fix it.”

Harvey shook his head nervously. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“I really shouldn't be bothering her right now. She just got her stitches taken out a few days ago. Wouldn’t it be a little hypocritical of me to ask for her help so soon? I don’t want it to seem like I’m taking advantage of her work ethic. Especially after…” He couldn’t even bring himself to say it out loud. Especially after he yelled at her for being reckless.

“You're overthinking this.” Maru said flatly.

“Does she even know anything about electronics? She’s a farmer, I doubt she even knows how to fix a radio.”

“She does. Trust me. Will you just call her?” Maru said firmly.

Harvey wasn't used to spending any length of time with SJ outside of treating her injuries from the mines. The only real conversation they'd ever had, that wasn't in the clinic, was at the flower dance. Harvey had awkwardly tried to ask her to dance with him, but she didn't seem to pick up on what he meant and turned him down. He wasn’t prepared to go through another awkward afternoon of overanalyzing his every word.

He hung his head in shame. “I… I can’t.”

“Why not?” Maru snapped.

“Well for one thing, I don't even have her phone number.” He responded in an equally exasperated tone. “I couldn’t call her if I wanted to.”

“Oh!” Maru said, as if all their problems were suddenly solved. “That's fine. I have it!”

Before Harvey could reject the idea, Maru was already pulling out her phone and dialing the number.

“Wait-”

It only rang once. Maru put it on speaker so Harvey could hear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, SJ? It's Maru. Got a sec?”

“Sure, what's up?”

“Do you-”

“Maru, don't-” Harvey interrupted.

She glared at him. “Shush, I'm on the phone...” She turned her attention back to the phone with a smile on her face. “Do you have any extra wire that you could spare?”

“Like, garden wire? Probably.”

Harvey impulsively reached for the phone, Maru caught his wrist before he could take it, holding the phone just out of his reach. Every attempt to stop her only led to his hands getting swatted away.

“No, like electronics. Do you have anything left from your PC?” Maru asked, carefully guarding her phone.

He eventually took to pacing back and forth, accepting defeat. This was happening.

“Yeah, I should have something. Might take me a minute to get to the mountains. I can get it to you in a little bit if that's alright.”

“Oh, it's not for me, it's for Harvey, can you bring it to the clinic?”

Harvey stopped pacing, counting about three seconds of pure silence before she replied.

“Um... Sure. I can do that.”

He tried not to let himself think that her hesitation was because she found out the wires were for him, but it was obvious that for a second, she considered declining Maru's request.

“Thanks, SJ!” Maru hung up the phone and grinned at Harvey. “See, was that so hard?”

“I can’t believe you just did that! What am I going to do with wires? Also how did you know to ask for wires? You didn't even ask her to fix the radio.”

“Will you relax? You’re going to ask her when she gets here.” She said, poking him in the chest. “I can't do everything for you.”

“I didn't ask you to do that! If I recall, I asked you specifically not to do that.”

Harvey could already feel his heart rate increasing by the second. He wondered how long it would take to fix the radio. What would they even talk about for that long?

“I can't believe you don't have her number by now.” Maru giggled. “She's here all the time. You've never asked her for it?”

Harvey couldn't picture any scenario where he could just ask the farmer for her phone number for no reason. He already had the number for the farmhouse in her patient file, there was no need for him to have her cell number. “That would be a bit forward, wouldn't it? I wouldn’t want her to get the wrong idea.”

“And what idea is that? You like her, don’t you?”

“Oh, not this again.” Harvey groaned. “Is this why you wanted me to call her? Maru, for the last time, I’m not interested in SJ.”

Maru had been teasing Harvey about the farmer ever since the flower dance. He got caught staring at her stunning white suit for a bit too long and Maru immediately concluded that Harvey was attracted to her. Was she beautiful? Of course! Maru thought so too. Did he want to get to know her better? Sure! Why not? But she was still one of his patients, and not to mention she was at least a few years younger than him. Just because she made him a little nervous didn't mean he was attracted to her... Did it?

Maru narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, unconvinced.

“What? I’m not!” Even with the air-conditioning on, the room suddenly felt a lot warmer. “I could never… She's a patient! Pursuing any kind of relationship with her would be unprofessional of me.” Harvey said, blush darkening his cheeks as he tried to avoid Maru’s piercing gaze. “And also, I’m not interested in her…” He added, as an afterthought.

It wouldn’t even matter if he had feelings for the farmer, it’s not like she would ever feel the same way.

Maru threw up her hands in defeat. “Fine. She's ‘just a friend’ then.” She said with exaggerated air quotes.

“I wouldn’t even go that far. How many people do you know that are friends with their healthcare providers?” Maru opened her mouth to respond but Harvey cut her off. “-Not including you.”

Maru gave him a knowing smile. “This'll be good for you. We haven't had anyone new move here in over a year, this is your chance. Even if you're not interested in her, which I still think you are, why not tryto make a new friend? I know you’re dead set on being ‘professional’ with everyone so they’ll respect you, but it’s been two years. They respect you enough. It wouldn’t hurt to try and get to know them a little better. You’re allowed to have friends too.”

Harvey had to admit there was at least some truth to what Maru said. With all his time spent working, he’d been a bit reclusive over the years. It wasn’t on purpose, four years of undergrad, four years of medical school, and another four during his residency in Zuzu City, he didn’t really have time for friends. He had classmates and colleagues. The only people he interacted with were the people he saw during his twelve-hour, sometimes more, shifts at the hospital. Somewhere along the way he just forgot how to talk about anything that didn’t have to do with medicine. In the two years since he moved to Pelican Town and took over running the clinic from his predecessor, Maru had been his only friend.

He often found himself wondering if it was too late for him. True, he’d been a bit apprehensive about getting closer to his patients, it wasn’t an easy task, but it wasn’t as if anyone had tried to get closer to him either. This really was an excellent opportunity to get to know the farmer outside of the five minutes a day they spent chatting about nothing in particular.

Harvey sighed. “I wouldn’t even know where to start with SJ. She’s just so… intimidating. I never know what to say to her.”

“How is she intimidating? She's a farmer.”

“Who kills monsters as a hobby.” Harvey pointed out.

As if on cue, the bell above the front door chimed. Both of their heads suddenly snapped toward the sound to see Farmer SJ walking into the clinic. Harvey was a little disappointed to see her wearing a pair of denim overalls and work boots. He hoped she wasn’t in the fields when Maru called. He had told her multiple times that farm work could be potentially dangerous to her recovery.

“She's here.” Maru whispered.

“Yes. Thank you, Maru.” He muttered sarcastically. While SJ was busy reaching into her backpack, he quickly straightened his tie and smoothed out his hair. “Good afternoon SJ.”

“Hey doc,” SJ grinned. “I didn't know how much wire you needed, but I have extra, so you can keep this one.” She placed a large roll of blue wire on the counter and turned to leave.

Maru began gesturing aggressively to SJ, signaling Harvey to say something before she left.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. “Um... SJ?”

She spun around.

“Hm?” she asked, eyebrows raised as she waited for his answer.

“Do you... want to see what the wire is for? If you have time, of course.”

SJ never asked people what their requests were for. Harvey always wondered if she was curious to see what people did with the items that she collects for them.

“Uh...” She quickly checked her phone for the time. “Sure. Why not.”

…

SJ had never seen the second floor of the clinic before. Harvey didn't actually expect her to say yes, and he was still in a state of disbelief, even after she had followed him upstairs to his apartment.

She stood in the doorway for a moment with her hands in her pockets, admiring the place. At least he hoped that's what she was doing. He couldn't seem to read the neutral expression on her face.

“You can come in, you know.”

She blinked as if he interrupted a very important thought. “Oh, okay. Sorry, no one ever does this.” SJ said sheepishly.

“Really? I swear you spend half your time delivering things to people's homes, no one ever invites you in?”

“Nope. You're the first.” She said as she stepped inside.

…

On the left side of the room was a large table, mostly covered in model airplanes, all in varying states of completion. Harvey could already feel his cheeks flush in embarrassment. When he invited the farmer upstairs, it completely slipped his mind that he left all of his modeling supplies out in the open. He braced himself for her reaction, hoping she would go easier on him than Maru did when she found out about his collection of miniature airplanes. Harvey had been adding to his collection quite a bit since his radio broke, but he suspected that he would go broke if he didn’t get it fixed soon.

SJ took one look at the table and smiled. “Did you build all those?”

“Yes. I did.” He said proudly. “I find it relaxing. I know it's not the most interesting hobby in the world but-”

“What do you mean?” she interrupted. “I think it's cool.”

SJ was known for being a bit sarcastic with people, Harvey wondered if she was just trying to tease him. “You do?”

“Yeah! I like this kind of stuff. Building things is fun, keeps my hands busy. I don't have any planes, but I have a pirate ship and a couple of rockets.”

“That's... very cool!” Harvey said, shocked that he and the farmer actually had something in common.

While scanning the room, the farmer's eyes eventually wandered over to the radio. “What's that?” She asked.

“That is actually what the wire is for.” Harvey replied as he moved to stand next to the desk. “It's radio equipment I use for contacting pilots.”

“Awesome! I didn't know you were a pilot.”

It made sense that she would come to that conclusion. Perhaps he should have worded it better. “No, I'm not actually a pilot.” He reluctantly admitted. “I just like using the radio to talk to them.”

“Oh, I see. So, what happened?”

He sighed. “Well... one of the requirements to become a pilot is to have perfect vision, which is clearly a bit of an issue. Not to mention I have a crippling fear of heights.”

The farmer nodded along, listening but not responding.

“It just never would have worked out. It's fine, some dreams aren't meant to... come true.” Harvey felt his shoulders stiffen, and the familiar heat returning to his cheeks as he realized that's not what she was asking. “You meant what happened to the radio, didn't you?”

She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling. “Yeah.”

“Right. Sorry.” He said, wondering why she didn't stop him.

“Don't worry about it. Everybody has that one dream from when they were a kid that never worked out.” She said casually.

“Really?” He asked, suddenly intrigued by the implication that she also had a failed childhood dream. In the spirit of finally getting to know one of his patients, and as long as they were on the subject, he figured it couldn't hurt to ask. “What's yours?”

She seemed taken aback by the question, but her mouth soon twitched into a hint of a smile. “Astronaut. I was a huge space nerd as a kid. I wanted to go to Mars.”

Even her dreams were more interesting than his.

“I actually did this thing online a few years ago where you could send in your name and have it etched into a microchip for one of the Mars rovers.” She added.

“They can do that?”

Her face lit up as she explained. “Yeah! They use a laser to print it on, and then attach it to one of the rovers that they to send to Mars. You can't actually see it without a microscope, they put millions of names on there, but still. I got to put my name on another planet, even if I'll never make it up there myself. You need 20/20 vision for that too.” She said, tapping the arm of her glasses.

“That makes sense. Astronauts and pilots both need flight training, but couldn't you get corrective surgery to fix your vision?” He suggested.

She shook her head nervously. “Oh no. You've seen how I am with needles, I'm not gonna try lasers thank you very much. And have you even eaten freeze-dried food? There’s no way I would survive up there.”

“Understandable.” He chuckled.

“Yeah... It is what it is, you know?” She shrugged. “Sometimes life doesn't go where you want it to, but it finds a way of getting you where you need to be. I guess we’re both proof of that.”

Her wise words surprised him. A majority of their past conversations involved lamenting over how much work they had left to do for the day. They never went into any deeper topics like their childhood dreams. It was a nice change of pace. Perhaps this afternoon could be more fun than he thought.

“They do say hindsight is 20/20.” He added.

That joke earned him a smile that almost made him blush again. “True. Anyway, what did happen to the radio?” she finally asked.

“Right. A few days ago, I accidentally spilled a mug of coffee on it, and it sparked. I managed to clean it up, but it still won't turn on. I hate to ask you this, but-”

“You want me to take a look at it for you?” she guessed.

“If you don't mind.” He said, nervously wringing his hands. “I know how busy you are.”

She was already taking off her backpack and unzipping it as she crossed the room. “Not at all. Let me get my tools.”

“Why do you have tools in your backpack?” Harvey asked.

Did she know what he planned to ask her? No, that's not possible. She didn't even know the radio existed until now.

“Well, I never leave home without at least a screwdriver. But, since I can't go mining, I've been doing some maintenance around the house.” She said, producing a screwdriver from her backpack and setting it down on the desk.

“How come you're dressed for the fields then?” He crossed his arms, hoping she wasn't lying to him again.

“The overalls have a lot of pockets, and the boots are steel-toe so they're a little heavy. I wear them when I'm walking around the farm. Walking is considered mild to moderate exercise, right?”

He grinned. Maybe she did listen to him after all. “Yes. That’s right.”

She placed her left hand over her heart and raised her right. “I promise, I haven't been doing any farm work, and Zephyr's been doing all my deliveries. Even though he absolutely hates it.” She joked.

“I heard. I got the pickles you sent.”

“And?” she asked, with a hesitant smile.

“They were delicious, thank you.” He quickly looked towards the kitchen. “I think I still have the jar if you want it back?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Keep it. I’m glad you liked them. It's the only thing I know how to make, so far. I wanted to get you something more than a cup of coffee to apologize for what I did. I should have listened to you.”

“Well, apology very much accepted.”

…

Harvey paced back and forth behind the desk as he watched SJ examine the radio. She had unscrewed the back panel to try and determine why it refused to turn on. Every so often she would mutter something unintelligible and then say, “Hmm. That's interesting.” which was only making Harvey even more nervous than he already was. Since SJ was sitting in Harvey's desk chair, he brought over a chair from his dining room table to sit next to her.

“So, what do you think?” He finally asked.

“Looks like the wiring's shot. How long have you had this for? It looks older than I am.”

“Honestly. It probably is.”

SJ put down her screwdriver and spun around in the chair to face him. “I hate to say this, but I think it would make more sense to just replace the thing.”

His heart sank to his stomach at the idea of getting rid of his antique radio. “Are you sure you can't fix it?”

She pressed her lips together in what he thought was an attempt at a sympathetic smile. “Come here, I'll show you what I mean.” She spun back around and pointed to a small crack in one of the wires. “The wires are splitting because the rubber coating is all dried out, so when you spilled the coffee, it caused it to spark when it got in those gaps. You waited too long to get it fixed, it's corroded now. I could replace them, but there's a lot of wires here, it would take a while. It might be easier to get a new one at this point.”

“I can't- I... It's got sentimental value.”

“I'm really sorry, doc.”

He sighed. “It's alright. I suppose I knew it wouldn't last forever.”

“Where did you get this thing anyway?” She asked.

“It belonged to my grandfather. He used to be a pilot, but as he got older, his vision started to decline, and he had to give up flying. After he retired, my grandmother bought him this radio as a birthday present so he could contact his pilot friends from the ground. When I realized I would never become a pilot, he offered to teach me how to use it so I could learn how to talk to pilots 'just in case'. I guess he just wanted me to have some hope. I knew it wouldn't happen, but it was still a fun hobby to have. After he passed away, he left the radio to me in his will, and I've been using it ever since. Maybe it's for the best. Planes don't fly over Pelican Town very often anyway, I guess I was just hoping that if I kept trying, I'd eventually find one.”

He looked over at SJ, staring at him with wide eyes and looking like she was on the verge of tears.

“Okay…” She said, her voice cracking slightly.

Without another word, she turned back to the radio and began unwrapping the new roll of wire.

“What are you doing?” Harvey asked.

“What- um.” She cleared her throat. “What does it look like I’m doing? I'm going to fix it for you.”

“Really?” He asked excitedly.

“Yup. I hope you like blue. I'm gonna be using a lot of it.”

…

SJ seemed completely content to sit in silence while she worked, but Harvey thought it would be too awkward if he didn't at least try to make conversation.

“Can I get you anything?” He asked.

“I'm good, thanks.” She replied, without looking up.

Another stretch of silence passed as Harvey tried to think of something else to say.

For as long as he'd known the farmer, he didn't really know that much about her. He just learned she wanted to be an astronaut, perhaps they could talk about space? Although, if she harbored as many negative feelings about her childhood dream not becoming a reality as Harvey did, perhaps it would be a sore subject.

He decided that small talk would probably be best.

“So, how's the farm doing?”

“Farm's good.” She said, measuring a section of the wire. “Zephyr made us a schedule, so now we take turns watering the crops on alternating days. I don't always have time to do it when I'm doing my deliveries, and I really don't like getting up at 6. I'm actually working on putting together a sprinkler system to automate the process.”

“That’s great! I didn’t know you were so good with machines.”

“Not really. Most of them come with instructions. One you see the pattern for how things go together, it’s not too difficult to figure out how to take them apart and fix them. I've built every PC I've owned since I was 16 and I had to replace the wiring in all the lights when we moved into the farmhouse. Don't tell anyone. It's only a matter of time before the town finds out I can do household repairs and I end up adding another line to my business card.” She laughed nervously.

Harvey was in the saloon one night when he overheard Gus telling Emily about SJ's business. It picked up rather quickly after word spread that SJ would hand-deliver anything anyone might need. She was the only one in town other than Marlon who was willing to go into the mines, and the townspeople often took advantage of that.

“I heard you stopped using the notice board and started posting your phone number so people could call you directly.” Harvey remembered passing by the notice board on his way to the general store one day, tempted to take one of the business cards, but he didn't know what he'd do with it.

She cut a new piece of wire and stripped one of the ends off. “I did, yeah. When everyone realized it was just me filling all the orders, I figured they could just call me if they need something. I don't regret it, but it's a lot of work sometimes. Well, you know...” She muttered, glancing down at her stomach.

It had only been a week since SJ had been badly injured by a rock crab and Harvey received a terrifying phone call in the middle of the night. The image of her with her shirt drenched in blood had been burned into his memory ever since. He remembered how angry he was when he found out the request was posted as a joke. That night could have gone a lot worse. If she didn't show up when she did...

Harvey preferred not to think about that.

“And how are you feeling?” He asked.

“A little better every day. The scar looks pretty badass, but it gets really itchy sometimes, is that bad?”

“No, actually, that's good. It means the wound is healing, but please try not to scratch it.”

“Thanks doc,” She grinned. “I'll try.”

“Has... Abigail apologized to you for what happened?”

“I think she learned her lesson.” SJ said, cryptically.

“And what lesson was that?”

“Don't fuck with me.” she said with a smirk, sending a shiver down his spine.

And Maru wondered why people found her intimidating. That right there. Just when he was starting to relax, that sentence was enough to make him squirm. Harvey often wondered where her confidence came from. Even after nearly dying in the mines while fighting monsters, she still wanted to go back. Nothing ever phased her.

He suddenly felt guilty for asking her to fix the radio, she probably had more important things to do than spending her afternoon with him.

“I really appreciate you making time to stop by. I know people ask a lot of you sometimes.”

She cut off one of the old wires from its plug and searched through her backpack, producing a small roll of electrical tape. “It's nice to feel needed. Besides, you're not like them.”

“I'm not?”

What was that supposed to mean? Was that a good thing?

She began counting on her fingers as she listed names. “Alex requests eggs five days a week for his strength training. Elliott has a recurring order for squid ink for writing his book. Pam wants me to start brewing ale for some reason. I'm not even gonna tell you where I get Maru's batteries from. The mayor has me looking for some of his... personal items. Emily already has an order for minerals for the next time I go to the mines-”

Harvey opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him.

“-Yes, I know. No mines for two weeks. I've already marked my calendar.”

Despite his endless protesting to her entering the mines in the first place, he was relieved she was finally listening to his advice about her recovery.

She continued. “Sebastian has my Sundays for helping him with his coding because I'm more familiar with this framework he wants to use, and Gus needs fresh fish and produce for cooking the specials at the saloon. You, on the other hand, have never requested anything.”

“I… suppose I just didn’t want to bother you.”

Harvey never wanted it to seem like he was taking advantage of the farmers kindness. Frankly, he didn’t even need to use the town notice board. The only thing he could ever see himself requesting is coffee, and SJ already brought him coffee several times per week whenever she dropped off Maru’s orders.

While SJ was preoccupied fixing the radio for him, he decided this was the perfect opportunity to return the favor for once.

He subtly glanced over to the kitchen. “Can I get you a coffee or something?”

“Isn’t coffee what got you into this mess in the first place?” she said with a mischievous smile.

He hung his head, stifling a laugh. “True. But I’m serious, I feel bad just sitting here while you work.”

“You're keeping me company.”

“Please, you bring me coffee all the time. I can run over to the Saloon if you prefer theirs.”

She wrapped some electrical tape onto a new connection and plugged it back into the radio. “It's not that. Don't worry about it.”

“It’s no trouble. I was planning on making some anyway.”

She set down the tape she was holding and turned her chair to face him. “I don't actually drink coffee.”

He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. “You- What?”

“Yeah. I just...” she shrugged. “Don't like it. Never have.”

“That doesn't make any sense. Gus said-”

She raised an eyebrow, a touch of amusement on her face. “You talk to Gus about me?”

His face felt warm all of a sudden. “Oh no, of course not! I mean... It was just last week. He asked if I'd seen you because you hadn't come in yet to order your coffee. He said you show up almost every day, so he was worried about you.”

“Oh...” She said, eyes widening in surprise. “Yeah, you weren't supposed to find out about that.” She resumed taping. “I can explain, it's just a bit embarrassing.”

Harvey couldn't fathom the idea of SJ having embarrassing secrets. Whatever it was, it couldn't be any worse than when she found out that Harvey routinely takes part in a dance aerobics class. He was grateful when she promised not to tell anyone, but he hadn't forgotten the look on her face that day when she walked into Caroline's house and saw him in his workout clothes with all the moms in town.

“You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

“It's fine, I guess I can laugh about it now. I walked into the saloon one day to bring Gus the produce he ordered from the farm, and he offered me a cup of coffee for the road. He already had it made and I didn't want to be rude. So, I took it, and since my next stop was the clinic, Maru suggested I give it to you instead. Then the next time I went back, Gus offered again, and I couldn't say no because I told him it was good the last time.”

“Why did you tell him it was good if you didn't drink it?”

“Because I panicked when he asked, and you told me it was good so that's what I said.”

“To be fair, it was very good.” He suddenly found himself craving coffee again.

“Anyway, it’s gone on for too long now, and I know coffee is your favorite so I just asked Maru what your usual order is so I could ask for that instead. Now Gus thinks we drink the same kind of coffee.”

“Are you telling me you bring me coffee four times a week because you're too shy to tell Gus that you don't actually like it?” That sounded a lot more judgmental that he meant it to.

“Pretty much.” She nodded. “I had just moved here. I didn't want to be an inconvenience. You know when someone tells you their name and you don't hear them the first time, so you just never use it and hope they don't notice because it’s too late to ask? It was kind of like that.”

Something about the way she said that struck Harvey the wrong way. It was an oddly specific comparison, and suddenly he wondered if there was another reason she only ever called him ‘doc’.

“Are you trying to tell me you don't remember my name?”

She burst out laughing. “No! I know your name. That was just an example.”

“Oh… I got worried for a second there, I don't think you've ever called me by my first name before.”

“I haven't?” she paused for a moment to think about it. “Well shit. I guess I haven't. I'm sorry. Everybody else calls you doctor. Doc just sounds a lot cooler. I can stop if you don't like it.”

Harvey found it very amusing that someone like SJ thought he was cool. “No, it's fine. I like it.”

“It was a poor example I'm sorry. I get really shy around people. It makes me do stupid things sometimes.”

“That's not what I meant. I was just surprised is all. You don't seem like the type of person who gets nervous around anyone. You're friends with everyone in town!”

“No, I'm not.” She chuckled darkly. “They only like me because I bring them stuff. You know they call me the “Town Gopher” behind my back because I'll bring them anything they ask for?”

“No… really? Even after... the incident?”

She nodded, sadly. “Yeah.”

“Oh... I didn't know that.”

Harvey didn't want to admit it out loud, at the risk of letting her think he was a loser with no friends, but he also felt distant from the townspeople. He couldn't help but feel guilty that he had no idea what was going on.

“Yeah. It doesn’t matter anyway. They’re still paying me. They don’t have to like me.” She said dismissively. Clearly it wasn’t Harvey that she was trying to convince.

“I’m sure they like you just fine. What’s not to like? I’m sure they at least appreciate all the hard work you do for the town. I definitely appreciate it.” He said in an attempt to cheer her up.

She let out a huff of a laugh, almost as if she didn’t believe him. “Thank you. That means a lot. I’m sorry, I don't mean to dump this on you, but I know you of all people will understand.” She went back to replacing wires and avoiding eye contact.

“It's fine, but what do you mean by that?”

She didn't look up. “I mean, you're not just a doctor, literally everyone in town is one of your patients.”

“And the next few towns over.” Harvey added.

“Really?”

“Yes. ‘Town Doctor’ is more of an honorary title. I’m actually the only licensed physician for about 20 miles in any direction. Closest hospital is about an hour from here.”

“Damn… I didn’t know that.” She blinked a few times, staring blankly at the wire in her hand. Harvey almost detected some concern in her face. “Either way. I can't imagine it's easy to get close to someone who knows your entire medical history.”

“That's true... They like you, and they respect you because of what you do for the town, but you still feel like an outsider among them.”

“Exactly! See, you get it. I just don't know how to approach people unless I have to. It's hard to walk up to someone like, 'Hey, let's be friends.' You know?”

He nodded. “I do.”

Harvey had no idea SJ felt this way too. He thought back to all the nights he spent alone at the saloon, and he realized he never really saw SJ interacting with any of the townspeople outside of her deliveries.

She was just as alone as he was.

…

After SJ reattached the last screw, she picked up the power cord for the radio, staring at it for a moment. “Okay... You ready?”

“It's done?” Harvey asked.

“Yup.” SJ got up from the chair, knelt down, and reached under the desk to plug in the radio. It lit up almost immediately.

“You did it!” He didn't mean to sound so surprised.

“You might want to make sure it works first.”

“Let's see.” They switched chairs so Harvey could sit at the desk and put on his headset. After messing with the dials on the radio for a minute he adjusted his microphone to test it.

“Hello? This is Dr. H at 52 North, 43.5 East seeking aerial response. Anyone out there?”

“Dr. H?” SJ laughed.

“Shhh.” He said, trying not to laugh as well. “You're not the only one who can go by their initials.”

“Maybe I should call you that instead.”

The radio produced nothing but static.

“So, is it working?” SJ leaned back in her chair, comfortable, but still interested.

“Seems to be. The likelihood of an actual plane flying overhead is slim to-”

Harvey stiffened when a voice from the radio spoke.

“Copy. Dr. H on the ground. This is Blackbird Fiver Fiver Zuzu, anything to report?”

He turned to SJ, who had quickly sat up when she hard the voice. “Someone's there...” He whispered.

“Oh shit.” SJ whispered back, a giddy smile on her face. “Well say something! What are you supposed to say?”

Harvey tried to contain his excitement long enough to respond as he turned back to the radio. “Right. Uhh. Standard ground report. Wind at 3 clicks, 36 degrees North of West. Ground Temperature at 43 kraggs. Humidity 53%. Dr. H out.” He immediately turned off the radio, his hands slightly shaking.

There was a long beat of stunned silence as SJ and Harvey stared at each other, soon dissolving into excited laughter.

“That was so cool!” SJ said. “I can see why you like doing that.”

“I didn’t think that would actually work.” Harvey said, still in shock. “You know we might still be able to see the plane from here.”

SJ was already out of her chair before Harvey had the chance to rip off his headset and join her at the small window next to the desk. Sure enough, off in the distance, a tiny plane was flying over the valley.

“There it is!” SJ said excitedly. “That’s so awesome, I can’t believe you were just talking to him!”

As the two of them watched the plane fly by, Harvey turned to look at the farmer. Seeing her genuine smile while she watched the sky, he thought to himself, perhaps getting a little closer to his patients wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

…

“Thank you so much for your help. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. What do I owe you?” Harvey said as SJ was packing up her tools.

He was already looking around for his wallet when she said, “No need. First ones free.”

“Please, I can't let you do that. Give me a number.”

“Seriously, I had fun today. You've never asked me for anything before. This one's on the house.”

“Do all your customers get that deal?” He said sarcastically.

“Only the ones that say they appreciate me.” She said with a wink as she threw on her backpack.

He sensed that she was joking, but he didn't like the implication that people didn't appreciate her work. Was he really the first one to say that to her?

“SJ, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

SJ was always so confident, Harvey wanted to be confident too. He took a deep breath and simply said what was on his mind without thinking too much about it.

“About what you said earlier... I know exactly how you feel. I don't really have any friends in town either. But I was just wondering, do you think that we could be friends? I'd like to get to know you better. Put aside our doctor-patient relationship.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he could feel his heart pounding. That didn't sound quite as bold in his head.

SJ gave an amused smile, but it quickly faded when she realized he wasn't joking. She looked around, almost as if to see if anyone was listening. “Oh, you're serious…”

He sighed. “I understand, if that's not appropriate or-”

“We’re not friends?” She asked, sounding a little distressed.

“Oh. Well, I mean, I didn’t think you’d ever… you think of me as a friend?”

“Of course I do! Talking to you in the mornings when I bring Maru’s orders is like, my favorite part of my day. You… don’t think of me as a friend?”

“No, I do! I mean… I’d like to! I’m sorry this isn’t where I expected this conversation to go.”

“It’s ok.” She giggled. “I think I get it. We could definitely hang out more. If that's what you're asking.”

He smiled. “Yes. Yes, I'd like that.”

“Cool.” She started to leave, but she stopped in the doorway first and said, “See you around, Harvey.”

Apparently, she did know his name.

…

The next day, Harvey walked into his office to find a hot cup of coffee on his desk with a note attached:

'Next time you want to hang out with me, you can just ask'

- SJ

On the back of the note, was the farmer's cell phone number. He wanted to call her to thank her for the coffee, but when his heart fluttered at the idea of calling her directly, he began to question Maru's theory once again.

He dismissed the feeling as being excited by the fact that they were officially friends. It didn't mean he had feelings for her... right?

.

.

.

.

.

.

… Right??

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

-Next-

38 notes • Posted 2021-09-06 02:53:11 GMT

#1

So it’s like this...

80 notes • Posted 2021-05-12 01:48:22 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[pb1138]

Very Well Rendered

auighj;fkj??? My first ever commission??? Oh my god??? Also, subsequently my first piece of Data smut lol. 

This was requested by @pinkmoontribe-blog!~ I hope you like it!! 

Warnings: Smut, unprotected sex, desk sex, holodeck sex

The fish drifted lazily past the window, illuminated by the lights from all around, the sounds of centuries’ old melodies drifting lazily in the background. You let out a contented sigh, a lazy grin spread across your face, pride in your heart. This program had taken you weeks to develop, your progress impeded by the heavily degraded source material, but the end result was…breathtaking, if you do say so yourself. The computer trilled a door bell, startling you a bit, but you cleared your throat and responded with, “Computer, open the door.” You turned in time to catch the fascination on Data’s face as he took in the surroundings. Shoving to your feet, you turned a grin to him and gestured towards the room. “Well? What d’you think?”

He cast his golden eyes about the room, studying the details and dilapidation before coming to stand near you, his eyes moving to watch the fish pass by the window. “It is… certainly detailed.”

You chuckled and folded your arms across from your chest. “It’s from an old video game from Earth called Bioshock.” He looked at you with a raised brow, silently asking you to explain. “It takes place in the 1960s. Your character is in a plane crash which strands them in the middle of the Atlantic, and they find a sort of door that takes them here, to the underwater city of Rapture. It’s a dystopia now after a sort of drug-like epidemic turned the denizens volatile, and the character has to make their way out of the city and back to the surface.”

He blinked at you and cast another glance around the room. “I… see. And this is… fun?”

“Well, not yet. I haven’t gotten around to programming the actual game. But look how pretty it is!” You gestured broadly out the window at the city, the glowing lights and signs illuminating the many spires and sighed happily.

“It does look very well rendered. My compliments, Lieutenant.”

You ducked a blush by moving to sweep your hair behind your ear and flashed a grin at him. “Why, thank you, Commander. I’m working on a deviation from it, actually, just a world exploration. The city outside goes for—”

“La Forge to Commander Data.”

Data gave you a rueful smile which you conceded to with a nod. After a quick tap to his comm, he looked back out towards the window. “Go ahead, Geordi.” You watched his reflection in the window, the way his hand drifted back to his side, the way his lips formed his words. He seemed too lost in studying the various life forms you programmed into the deep beyond to notice your roving eyes.

“Data, could you come down to Engineering? I need a second set of eyes on this analysis.”

“Acknowledged, Georid. I am on my way.” He looked at you with another guilty smile. “My apologies, Lieutenant.”

“Oh, no, please.” You flashed him a brilliant grin to hide your dismay at his departure. “I’ve got a few more things to work on in here before my own shift starts in a few hours. Maybe I’ll see you down there,” you purred.

He studied you a long moment before tilting his head ever the slightest in one final nod. “Yes, it is a possibility. Until later, Lieutenant.” With that, he turned and left back through the archway, leaving you alone in your program.

With a wistful sigh, you turned to look back out at the ocean you created and rubbed your face. “Leave it to me to fall in love not only with my best friend but with an android,” you grumbled.

You spent the next three hours hard at work on your creation, the first half hour or so of the game being put into it. The work was going so smoothly that you almost missed the computer reminding you that you had only fifteen minutes to get down to Engineering, like you’d asked it to. Though you were loathe to leave, you jogged quickly back to your cabin to wash your face and put your hair up before darting down to Engineering. As you stepped through the door, you couldn’t help glancing around, nor could you help the sudden wave of disappointment that hit you when you noticed that neither Geordi nor Data were there. ‘Oh well,’ you thought dismally. You’d see them sooner or later.

It was a routine day for once. No near explosions, no near ejections of the warp coil, not even so much as a stray bit of unusual radiation. It was a nice change of pace from the past few weeks which had brought quite a bit of trouble for the ship, and you allowed your mind to wander back to your holoprogram as you worked. From there, it didn’t take long for your mind to wander back to Data, and a smile touched your lips as you replayed his compliment in your mind a few times. So slow was this day at work that nobody seemed to notice when you zoned completely out for a solid hour and forgot to track the computer’s readings, the numbers across the screen replaced by the way Data’s eyes seemed to glow against the lights of Rapture. And then it was back to your plans for the program. You wanted to include an exploration feature for Rapture, with a glass-cased bathysphere you could pilot around out in the ocean. Just cozy enough for two… You got so lost in your daydream, in imagining pale hands along your body, in your hair, slipping your clothes off you, that you barely recognized Geordi’s voice coming across the room in time to snap back to attention and make it seem like you were working. He paused when he saw you and quirked a brow. “Y/L/N, what are you still doing here?”

You frowned slightly. “How d’you mean?”

“Well, your shift was over nearly an hour ago.”

You blinked and looked at your screen. “Oh.” He was right. How deep had you been in that daydream? Clearing your throat and turning your head to hide a blush, you stood from the terminal. “I guess I lost track of time. Thanks, Geordi. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that, you were off, darting your way back up to the holodeck to get some more work done.

Some hours later into your work, the door chirped, and you told the computer to open it again. You had your back to the archway, and you were so deep into the algorithms going into the computer that you didn’t turn to look to see who it was, didn’t even care that you’d removed the jacket of your uniform and were in just your pants and a tank top. “Whossat?” you mumbled.

“The program is showing considerable improvement.”

You squeaked and spun around to face Data, but he had his back to you, observing one of various plasmid bottles you’d written into existence. Clearing your throat, you looked back down at the screen. “Thank you. I’m pretty excited.”

“Lieutenant, I wanted to…”

You blinked and turned towards him. “Yes?”

But Data was facing you now, an expression upon his face that made your heart jump to your throat. His eyes were widened a bit as they roved over your body, his lips parted in the beginnings of a wide grin, and the way he stood was far more relaxed than normal. The grin burst across his face the same time his eyes snapped back up to your face, and he breathed out a soft, “Y/N.”

“D-Data? What are you—” You squealed, then, because Data darted across the room to you and swept you up in his arms, laughing heartily as he spun you around. “Data!”

He set you back down and looked at you, his golden eyes flicking across your face as if seeing it for the first time. “I never realized…” he breathed.

You blushed furiously and set your uniform straight. “Wh—What?”

A pale hand reached up and tucked a stray bit of hair behind your ear. “How beautiful you are.”

Your eyes went wide and your blush burned warmer. “I… What? Data, what’s going on?”

The hand moved to brush your cheek gently, and his eyes followed the movement hungrily. “My… my emotion chip has been repaired. And I…” He stepped closer as if unconsciously, his other hand moving to ghost across your arm, barely touching. “I’ve made a discovery.”

You swallowed thickly, struggling to keep your breath let alone your voice steady as you looked back up at him. “O-Oh? And uh, what um, what discovery is that, Data?”

His thumb swept across your lower lip, his head ducking closer. “I find myself preoccupied with thoughts of you. You elicit an emotion from me, something completely unique to any other person. It… It is consuming, as if the world around us is fading away, and it is just you and me.”

You watched his lips as he formed his words then looked up into his eyes and moved to press your hand against his cheek. You reveled for a moment at its smoothness, as you always did when the situation called for you to touch him, but this was different. The way he looked at you, the way he inched just the smallest bit closer, it set an electricity along your skin. “Data, I…” You shook your head and stretched up on your toes to press your lips to his, your arms snaking around his neck. A soft whimper escaped your throat as his arms went about your waist and pulled you flush against him, his head tilting to deepen the kiss.

He pulled back after a moment and let you catch your breath, a fascinated and awestruck grin on his face as he looked down at you. “Yes, I am sure now. I love you,” he whispered.

You beamed so brightly it nearly hurt and pulled him down for another kiss. Against his lips, you purred a soft, “I love you, too, Data.”

You squealed as he lifted you against him with one arm with ease, your legs going about his waist for support, and he carried you over to the desk near the window. He set you down with great ease and moved his mouth down to your neck, placing feather-light kisses that made you giggle. He paused, his cool breath ghosting across your skin, and whispered your name hoarsely.

You ran one of your hands down across his firm chest and managed to whisper out a soft, “Mm?” in your haze.

“I do not mean to… overstep.” He pulled back enough to look at you, a cautious earnestness in his eyes as he took in your flushed expression, your parted lips. “I must ask, is this… ok?”

You bit back a chuckle and nodded eagerly, moving your hand through his hair. “Computer,” you said. He raised a brow at you, and you grinned back. “Lock the door, please.” The grin that broke across his face with the chirping confirmation of the computer made your heart flutter.

He brushed your hair back over your ear, his eyes glued to the movement before he crushed his lips back against yours, his hands moving to the hem of your tank top. In the flash it took to get the fabric off, he moved his lips back to your neck and nipped ever so softly at your skin. Breathless, you pushed the hem of his shirt up and off his body, and were delighted to see the shirt underneath come off with it. You bit your lip as your eyes roved over his marble chest, and gingerly you reached to touch his skin. Data moved his hands down to the hem of your pants and placed another kiss at your neck, his hands paused as if asking permission yet again. You purred and nodded, leaning back against your elbows upon the desk. You watched as he slowly, carefully undid the fastenings and began to pull your pants off, his eyes glued to it as if savoring the experience. You blushed under his hungry gaze and lifted a finger, beckoning him to you.

He met your lips fervently, his hand drifting down to hold your hip, the other moving to your breast. You hooked your knee up to his waist and pulled him closer to you and couldn’t help the gasping moan that you gave when the hand moved between your thighs. A finger teased at your entrance for a moment, drawing slow circles in your wetness but not going in. It wasn’t until you let out a whimper and whispered a trembling, “Please, Data,” against his lips that he allowed the finger to go in.

His lips left yours and trailed warm kisses down your neck and across your shoulder before coming to rest at a nipple. You gripped his hair, clutching desperately as he licked ever so lightly at your bud. The finger inside you moved slowly, thrusting languidly into you as if he were trying to draw more desperate whimpers from you. And as his thumb brushed against your clit and you gasped a breathless, “Data,” he froze in his ministrations.

You watched as he slowly lifted his head and shivered under the heat of his gaze as his eyes roved your face. You were about to ask what was wrong when he scooped you into his arms, turning so that he was sat beneath you on the desk. His hands moved across your back, feeling the shape of your muscles, one moving down to grip the curve of your ass and the other drifting up to hold your hair. He pulled your mouth down to his and nipped playfully at your lip, squeezing your ass at the same time. It occurred to you then that his pants had disappeared, cast away in the fluidity of the switch, and you could feel him nestled against you, warmer than you’d expected. You moved your arms around his shoulders lifted your hips over him and settled slowly down onto him.

He fit so perfectly in you, as if he’d been designed with you in mind. You tilted your head back in a moan as he filled you, as his hands traveled along your body, as his mouth moved to suck at your nipple. He held you closer against him, and your hips lifted again, moving slow against him. It was soft, gentle, two years of waiting urging both of you to savor it, to savor each other. His mouth trailed along to your other nipple and the hand under your ass, after giving one final appreciative squeeze, ran along your thigh, his touch leaving electricity in its wake, until he brought it up over your hip and to your nub. Your deep moan seemed to spur him on again because his other arm snaked down around your waist, holding you firmly as he abandoned your breasts in favor of your mouth again.

Perhaps it was the two years of waiting, but the combination of him in you, upon you, around you, it was quickly too much. You could feel the edge coming, the heat in your stomach urging your muscles to tighten around him, and you whimpered against his lips. “Data, I’m—”

He broke the kiss and leaned back, hungry eyes watching your face as his teeth bit at his own lip. With a sharp thrust into you and a calculated brush of your nub, you were undone. As the ecstasy flooded through you, your body tensed, a cry torn from your throat, and you gripped tightly at him.

As you came down from your high, you slumped breathlessly against him, your forehead upon his shoulder. His hands rubbed delicately along your thighs, across your back. His lips pressed a soft kiss against your shoulder before turning towards your ear. “I love you,” he whispered, barely more than a breath, and he kissed the corner of your chin.

You grinned and buried your face into his neck, your arms dropping around his waist. “And I love you, Data,” you whispered back. Gently, as if he were scared to hurt you, he pulled out of you and cradled you to him to lie the two of you back. You pressed into his side and laid your head on his shoulder and breathed a contented sigh.

The two of you lay like that for a long time, not speaking, Data’s fingers trailing delicately along your skin as he held you, the two of you watching the bioluminescent ocean life drift lazily outside the window. Finally, after almost an hour, he spoke up again. “It really is a beautiful program.”

You smirked. “Wait until I get the bathysphere exploration sub-program running. I think you and I will… really enjoy that one.”

His fingers halted along your skin for just a moment, and you could hear the smirk in his voice. “I am sure we will,” he agreed.

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 110

It was hard to make heads or tails of any of the information you’d pulled after that night. Whether “Kilgrave” was a first name or a last name- or more realistically, probably was a fake name. It didn’t appear anywhere. No records. No whispers. No murmurs. But, you supposed that was easy for someone like him. Anyone he came across he could talk into unwilling subjugation until his time with them was over. ...except for you and that woman-

Jessica Jones. While you’d disagreed with Tony and told him you had no interest in watching her or spying on her, JARVIS had delivered his findings to your email the next morning. You sat in your office, third cup of coffee steaming away, you’d stared at the subject line for a long time. A long time, wondering if you should just delete it. 

Then… you clicked on it. And let your eyes look for all of two seconds. Enough to get her name. Place of residence- and then you deleted it. 

She’d been abducted, same as you. She’d found a way out, same as you. Now she was angry. Her path diverted there. You’d fallen into a deep depression and guilt after surviving that incident. She just seemed on a warpath. There was nothing you could do to help her, especially considering she thought you should have done more in the first place. Because if you had, she wouldn’t have been taken and forced to endure whatever he’d done to her. 

Were you a coward? 

A thought that plagued you the rest of the day. Maybe you were. Maybe you really should have done more. Gotten out of bed sooner. Talked to Fury. Went on a search effort with your team. Done anything other than waste away and suffer- ...which then led to other people’s suffering. Deaths, too. No telling how many. 

It was this dark cloud that formed over your head that kept your next week preoccupied. You tasked Pepper with pulling all the recent MTA bus accident reports- quietly. And when she asked why, you simply told her you needed to check up on something important. There was a quiet tense feeling in your heart… one that continued to grow the more incident reports you went through and found nothing. A great testament to the city you were in that there were so many accidents on record. Pedestrians getting hit and buses needing to be repaired. 

But as for fatal accidents…? None on record. There were a few buses that had reported significant damage, and the inquiries that had been done to get insurance to pay out had been all over the place for the handful you’d discovered. Was it possible that the city of New York was covering up hitting someone and killing them? Sure. You wouldn’t put it past the governing body. Especially not after all you’d been through. But… it was extremely troubling, to say the least.

Jessica had been telling the truth. You were sure of that. But she was telling a truth she thought she knew. Had she seen Kilgrave get hit by a bus in the middle of a road? Sure. Had she seen that his injuries had been devastating? Also sure. Had he died? ...not so sure. There was no record of it, if he had. And that was upsetting. 

Did he have healing factor, like you? Had he crawled his way somewhere and was resting up right now? It was entirely possible. Maybe even more likely than you wanted to admit. While Jess had blamed you for a lot, things that may have been true, even… part of you wanted to be done with it anyway. You didn’t want the universe to ask you to try and make this right. And yet- 

“Have a minute, honey?” 

You’d been staring blankly at your computer screen for the better part of twenty minutes now. Tony’s interruption was not entirely unwelcome, but it took a great deal of effort to muster a smile for him. “A few. I have to get ready for a couple meetings downtown.” An investor and pitch meeting respectively that you were a little under-prepared for, but it didn’t really matter. 

He came in and perched himself on the corner of your desk as you turned towards him. Reaching down, he took hold of your hands in his. “I was thinking about taking some time off. Call it an early Valentine’s vacation.” 

“Oh?” Smiling a little more easily up at him then. “Where are you going?” 

He shrugged. “I’m not particular. How about Fiji?” 

“I hear it’s nice. Do you want me to put you in for paid time off?” Teasing him, just a little. 

His small grin was worth it. “You, too, if you’d please. As long as the big boss thinks it’s okay.” 

“The big boss says…” Holding out the thought on a hum as you pretended to consider it. Was it wise to take off right now? Nothing needed your immediate attention. Your research was turning up nothing, and becoming more and more troublesome the more you dug and didn’t find what you were looking for… “...sure. Fiji. Why not.” 

He lifted both your hands to press a kiss to the backs of your fingers. “I’ll cook tonight. We can go in the morning.” 

“Oh.” Smile bright then. “Cooking, too? Must be a very special occasion. What are you making?” 

He pressed another grinning kiss to your hands before letting them go and moving to stand. “You’ll just have to come home and find out.” 

Leaning atop your desk, you let him get all the way to the door before you called out to him. “You say it like you expect I might not come back otherwise.” 

Raising his pointer finger in a little shake, “Always good to incentivize.” 

                                                       ----

Pepper came and got you when it was time to leave, and both she and Happy accompanied you in and out of your meetings. It was unfortunate that both meetings also ran unbearably long. The people within them wanted to give you every little facet of information possible, even when it was probably clear (rudely so) that your mind was elsewhere and you weren’t really interested. Nonetheless, you tried valiantly to put your best effort forward and take their folders and information when everything was said and done. 

You put in a call to Tony just as you’d left your last meeting of the day, letting him know that you were going to be home soon and, of course, you were sorry for being late. The sun had long since gone down and the city was unbearably cold, still. 

Even going from the warmth of the car to the warm lobby was terrible. And while your mind was on a million different things, especially as you half realized Happy and Pepper were both talking to you, passing by the main foyer on your way to the elevator, something caught your eye. Something… very terribly out of place. 

You left both your companions waiting for the elevator as you made a quick turn around to approach a child sitting, purposefully, as far away from the front desk as he could. He was wearing clothes that really were not suited for the freezing winter that was still holding over the city- just a small windbreaker and ripped jeans. Hat with some sports logo you didn’t recognize. Bulky backpack over on his shoulders. Head down, pretending to be engrossed in whatever game he was playing on a very obvious piece of beat up, perhaps well loved, Stark Tech. 

“Excuse me.” You called out to him, carefully, but he pointedly ignored you. Coming to a stop in front of him you tried again. “Hey- are you waiting for your parents? Are they upstairs?” Perhaps someone who worked was running late, same as you. 

He just shook his head, though, but didn’t look up at you still. 

No? “Are you lost? Did you get separated from a tour group or something?” Maybe he’d wandered into Stark Industries while his parents had their back turned. “Do you need me to call someone for you?” He mumbled out something and you leaned just a touch in. “Hello? Excuse me?” 

Heaving a terribly annoyed sigh, “I said no. Leave me alone.” 

Right now was not a good time for you to be interacting with a rude child. Your nerves were paper thin and you just really wanted to go upstairs and relax with Tony. But you couldn’t very well just walk away from this kid. “I’m afraid I can’t just leave you alone. You’re in my lobby, unattended.” 

“Your lobby-” Finally he lifted his head, reaching up to tilt the brim of his hat back to give himself more visibility. He had a dirty face, some wispy pieces of dirty-blond bangs hanging down from his hat, and blue eyes that widened just a touch when he leveled them your way. “Oh.” Realizing, finally, just who he might have been dealing with. “Good. Come on. Let’s go upstairs.” 

It was a little too much to ask of you to not make a face at him- which you promptly did. “Upstairs?” 

“Yeah. To like- you know. The place where you live- actually- I wanna see the labs first- see if it’s all it’s made up to be.” 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” When the kid just rolled his eyes at you and then turned his attention back to his game again- as if to say- I’m not talking to you anymore unless you do what I say- you decided to play this game for only a few seconds longer. Although… you did catch a bare hint of hurt rolling off him. “LUNA.” Turning away from him, you crossed one arm and pressed your earring to activate your visor with your other hand. Catching his now very interested gaze, at least until he got caught and looked down again, “Scan and identify please.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“How’d he make that?” Looking up again at you briefly, brows raised. 

“Nanotech.” 

“But how?” 

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask him.” 

The kid scoffed with another roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. “Psh. Figures.” 

Before you could reach down to yank him up by the strap of his backpack and throw him security’s way, LUNA spoke up. “That’s Harley Keener, ma’am.” A short profile window popped up. Twelve years old. Last known address somewhere in Rose Hill, Tennessee. 

The fight (that you would have had with a child) escaped you as you looked at him again. “You’re Harley- the kid that helped Tony in Rose Hill.” Saying it just a little in disbelief, as much as you were also parroting the information to let him know you now knew who he was. 

“I did more than help.”Proud. 

“Oh?” 

“I saved his life. Bet you didn’t know that.” Staring you down, now. Now a little insulted. 

“I didn’t.” Truthful with him. Tony hadn’t really talked a lot about what had happened while he’d been stuck there. Mostly because it had been shadowed in his mind by the importance of you being kidnapped and exploding. But… maybe you should have asked him about it… He served you with yet another eye roll and you tried to ignore it. “What are you doing here? Your parents know you’re here?” 

He looked very upset very suddenly. “I’m basically thirteen, I can go wherever I want.” 

So that was a no. “You ran away from home?” 

“Who cares.” Dropping his eyes again to press very hard at the buttons on his game. 

You tried to hold yourself very steady. “I care, Harley. Tennessee is a long way from New York-”

“It’s not even halfway across the country.” Making a face at you that very much implied he thought you were extremely stupid. 

“-for a child to travel, so if you ran away, they’re probably looking for you-”

“What do you know? Why don’t you mind your own business. Don’t you have papers to file or something? I don’t need you babysitting me. Leave me alone. Go away.” 

That was twice now, that this child had insinuated you were beneath Tony’s level. You wondered what he really thought of you. But- that’s what he was. A child. So you had to remind yourself not to give in to him. He’d run away from home, for who knew what reason- probably not a good one- and had come a long way seeking maybe the only friendly face he thought he could count on-

Harley looked up. “You just gonna stand there all night with your mouth open?” 

Forcing a very tight smile at him, you quickly turned away, holding a hand up to stop Happy who was lifting his shoulders at you, still waiting at the elevators. “LUNA call Tony, please.” 

The call connected in just a second, and his live feed popped up in your visor. “What’s up, honey? Traffic that bad? You could always just meet me on the deck-” 

“I need you to come down to the lobby. Now. We have a situation.” 

He looked a little unnerved. “...what kind of situation? Is this an Iron Man is needed in the lobby type situation? JARVIS hasn’t reported anything-” 

“No. This is a Tony Stark is needed in the lobby situation. Now.” 

Knowing better than to argue, “Coming, honey.” 

You kept a smart distance between yourself and Harley- he seemed uninterested, anyway, still playing his game- while you waited for Tony. It took him only a minute to get downstairs. A relief, really. But as he came out of the elevator with his hands raised in question, you went over to him, settling a hand on his chest and aiming only the sweetest of smiles up his way. “I realize now- in our five year talk the other night- we never discussed children.” 

He paled a little, arching one brow. “Children?” 

Pressing your lips together in a tight smile, you patted his chest. “I don’t think I want any.” Leaning up to press a little kiss to the corner of his mouth and then getting out of his way. You sensed he was looking at you as you walked away from him and into the elevator. 

But as you waved to him, and he waved back, the doors starting to close as he turned. And you heard his very surprised call. “Kid!” Happy to see him, maybe. Didn’t matter. Harley was waiting for Tony, so he could have him. Clearly you were not involved. 

                                                      ----

Upstairs you took a long series of deep breaths to settle yourself, slipped out of your heels, and dropped into a kitchen chair, eyeing the dinner Tony had made. Some kind of glazed chicken and sauteed veggies with rice- he’d really been stepping up his chef game lately, something you appreciated. Far more than just a breakfast man. A bottle of expensive wine was chilling in a bucket, glasses aside it. 

Waiting. Waiting for the both of you. This was supposed to be a nice meal the two of you shared together. You were supposed to be enjoying your time with him. And now… now instead you were pouring yourself a glass to drink by your lonesome while you wondered what on earth Tony was going to do with that kid in the lobby. 

The proper thing to do would be to call his parents. Tell them to come get him- or, more likely in the event that they couldn’t, put him on a jet with Happy and send him home. But… seeing as Tony didn’t return after fifteen minutes, you guessed that was not what was happening. Which was worrisome. 

Maybe they were just catching up. It had been a little while since they’d seen each other, and while Tony never talked about him, you knew he’d been looking out for him from afar. At least in the way of sending him some money and some tech to fill out his garage. But you thought that had been a one-off thank you sort of thing- 

And what had Harley meant by I saved his life? Things had been pretty dicey, during that little misadventure. You’d known he’d been fighting off those terrible AIM agents that had had their genes altered. To think they’d gotten in a scrap so bad that Tony had nearly died? Or maybe the kid was exaggerating, as children tended to do. It was hard to say. 

What you knew was that the two of you were about to have a serious problem. Because you were a quarter into your third glass of wine, going over work emails, when Tony finally returned- an hour and a half later- and he was not alone. 

The excited harried footsteps of that young boy spilled out across the foyer. “This place is so cool!” You heard him throw his backpack on the floor somewhere. “Where’s my room?” 

“Guest bedroom is two doors down on the left- just- take it easy. You’re making scuff marks on my floor.” 

“Can we order pizza??” His voice trailed off and you heard a door open and then slam closed and then open again. No telling what the hell he was up to. Looking around, maybe? 

There was a soft air of hesitance, same as his movements as Tony came up behind you. Dinner had gone cold, you didn’t want to eat without him. As he finally stopped next to you, laying a hand on your shoulder, you aimed a deservedly foggy look up his way. Quickly deciding to lay down what little bit of law you could. “He can’t stay here, Tony.” 

“Look- I know- I agree- but-”

“No buts. We can’t just- we’re looking at a kidnapping charge, honestly. How did he even get here? Call Happy and get him to take him back-”

“Alright, honey- just, will you lower your voice? Please?” Nervous. 

But he was right. You took a breath. The kid was no doubt listening. He’d run away. Probably for a reason. Whether or not it was a good one, you didn’t want him to hear you and Tony arguing. In fact, after the way he’d treated you- what he seemed to think about you- that was the last position you wanted to be in. For him to think you and Tony weren’t a team. 

So you stood suddenly, Tony having to help you as you wobbled only a little, and you took his hand, leading him to the elevator. Quickly you got in. “JARVIS drop us half a floor and stop.” 

“Descending.” 

The perfect place to be alone. Once the two of you came to a stop, you crossed your arms feeling a chill creeping in and looked up at him. “I don’t know what happened to him but he needs to go home. Tomorrow.” 

“His home situation is… not ideal. Best I could get out of him was his dad came back and sold all the stuff I sent to junkers. Mom doesn’t want any part in it. Works for a living with two kids. Hard enough as it is.” 

Being open and candid and honest with you. ...it also put a wrench in your plans that Tony seemed pained for this kid. Sad for him. “Was his father gone for a long time?”

“Six years, last we spoke. So. ...again, not ideal.” 

You drew a breath and tried to let it out as evenly as you could. “...so what do you want to do about it? We can’t keep him, Tony. He’s missing school right now. And even if his parents are shitty, they’re bound to notice he’s gone eventually. And that’s not a story we need out there. That we’re harboring a child that isn’t ours.” 

“I know. Honey, I know.” Reaching up, he smoothed his hands up and down your arms. “I agree. On all accounts. I just… I need a little time to figure out what to do.” 

He wanted to help Harley. It was burning inside of him. The need to try and fix this. You caught a small ripple from him- ...he felt… responsible for some reason. “...okay, Tony. A little time.”

“That’s all I’m asking.” Smiling at you then. “I work great under pressure. Should be able to knock this out in a couple of days.” 

Since the two of you were settled and agreed on this… you tried to get your brain to move. “I guess I can- we had a program on the docket. I can move it up. Stark Internships for gifted children- at least that way we can pretend he was invited or… something. And he can get school credit-” 

“See? This is why I love you.” He warmed very suddenly, drawing you further in. You laid your hands and face against his chest, just breathing him in. “Thank you.” 

“But- if he’s staying-” Craning your head back to look up at him. “He’d better watch that attitude of his.” 

“He can be a handful-” 

“I won’t tolerate him talking down to me.” 

“I’ll warn him.” 

“You better. He seems to think I’m stupid.” 

Tony grinned then. “Worst mistake a person can make.” 

You pursed your lips at him. “Yeah- well. He also seems to think I’m beneath you.” 

“Oh. Well he’s got it all wrong.” 

Sliding your hands up his chest to brush the sides of his neck, “You tell him that.” 

“I will. But- you know how kids are at that age- probably thinks you’re full of cooties.” Shifting half back, arm moving to hold you steady around the waist, he pressed the button to signal the elevator to go up to the top floor again. But, before the doors opened, he aimed a curious glance your way. “...you really don’t want kids?” 

“I- I cannot have that discussion right now. ...why? Do you?” Not sure what to make of that. Or what to think. The two of you had certainly never had a real conversation about it. And… to think Tony wanted a child? Was that right? Did he seem like the sort of person who would? ...maybe not before all of this. But now…? 

He hummed out a thought, leaning in, nose brushing yours. “No no. You have a fair point. Let’s table that discussion.” Retreating, quickly. 

It was a simple kiss he laid to your lips, but you wanted nothing but to melt into it. Your arms looped around his neck, holding him there. It would have been nice to go to bed after all this. But a very over dramatic sound of disgust greeted the two of you a few seconds after the door opened. “Eugh. Can you like- not do that in front of me? It’s basically child abuse.” Harley was sitting on the back of one of the nearby couches, swinging his feet- shoes still on- against the cushions. 

He seemed like an entirely different kid than the one you’d met in the lobby. Something about spending just a little bit of time with Tony had put some light into him. ...it was kind of sweet. 

“Get your feet off my couch.” Still. You had to take some charge here. 

He rolled his eyes, head lolling to the side. “He paid for everything, that makes it his.” 

Tony put his hands up. “Actually, kid, this whole Tower is hers. She designed it. Every room. And- between you and me- she’s kind of the boss around here.” 

He scoffed. “You’re lying.” 

You crossed your arms, waiting patiently. Seeing how this would get sorted. Tony went over to him. “I’m not. She’s the boss. Owns the company. ...you didn’t know that?” Grinning a little wryly at him. Baiting him. “Hey. It’s okay. We all make mistakes. By the way- even if it wasn’t true- I’d still side with her.” 

“Ugh.” Hanging his head back like he’d been dealt a terrible blow. Tony had picked his girlfriend over him? “Gross.”

 Tony simply smiled. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Stepping closer you hooked a thumb to the side. “Shoes off my couch. Now. ...and tell me what kind of pizza you want.” 

Harley looked at you, regarding you, perhaps thinking about what decision he should make. Wisely he pushed himself off the couch and stuck his hands in his pockets. A little shy suddenly. “I dunno.” 

Tony crossed his arms. “He wants anchovies.” 

Livening up again immediately, “I do not!” 

“Sure you do. You’re always telling me about your great love of little fish. I think it’s weird, but, hey, everyone’s got their thing.” Grinning at him again. Teasing him. 

Harley pushed him. “Stop it- I do not-!” Play-fighting with him as Tony laughed, holding him at bay. 

...maybe it was the wine talking but… For the first time since you’d been together the thought crossed your mind that… Tony might make a wonderful father. 

 ...some day.

[thewritewolf]

Inseparable Chapter 18: A Ticking Clock

Ladybug and Chat Noir pay a visit to Master Fu. 

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@ladynoirjuly2019

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Adrien closed the door behind him and set his bag on his bed with a sigh. It hadn’t taken long to find Marinette after the battle. Despite knowing she was alright since he had seen her race off as Ladybug, he caught her in a hug when he saw her running up towards him. Maybe that had been the right move - after all, she had seemed confused when he wasn’t still hiding in the bathroom. Or maybe it hadn’t been a good choice - she stiffened up when he held her, and she couldn’t meet his eyes the entire rest of the field trip. She could barely speak afterwards. Did he really bother her that much…?

“What was that, kid?!”

Speaking of being bothered… Adrien took a seat in his computer chair and waited for Plagg to berate him.

“I know… I couldn’t do it.”

“Yeah. I saw that much.” Plagg was floating in front of him, paws crossed and tail flicking back and forth. “I thought you said that today was going to be the day? Reporter girl even managed to do most of the work for you and got the two of you alone. You were all the way there and chickened out at the last second.”

Adrien rubbed at his face with one hand. “Trust me, I get that. I just-” He threw his hands up. “I don’t know! I’m scared, okay? I just want to enjoy what we have for a little while longer before I accidentally mess it up like everything else.”

There was silence as the words hung heavy in the air. “Is that what you think, kid? That she’ll care about you any less?”

More silence. A defeated nod from Adrien.

The quiet was broken with Plagg’s cackling. “Wow. I don’t even know what to say. Except maybe that you’re just plain wrong, but we both know that, don’t we?”

“Hey, wait a minute-”

“No. Listen kid - Does Ladybug care about Chat Noir?”

“I mean, yeah, I guess, but-”

“And does Marinette care about Adrien?”

“Sure, probably, but if you’d just-”

“Then why in the name of ME would anything be any different just because those two people she cares about are actually one person?”

Adrien opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t find any words to refute his kwami. Instead he groaned and leaned back. “You’re right, but that doesn’t make this any easier.”

“Oh no. A superhero will have to do something slightly difficult. How awful.” Plagg scoffed. “Anyway, you’ve got plenty of opportunities coming up, between school and all those akumas. If we can get to Fu’s next week with this out of the way, then it’ll be great for all of us.”

“I’ll try to bare my soul to Marinette within your precious time frame.” Adrien glared at his kwami, but his attention was already elsewhere.

“That’s great, kid. Now get me some camembert. Dealing with you has been almost as tiring as that akuma fight.”

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

Her eyes darted between the project she’d been working on all afternoon and the clock. It was late, late enough that her parents would be soundly asleep and on a school day she definitely would be too. There wasn’t much time left before Marinette had to meet up with Chat Noir for their meeting with Master Fu and she had to decide now if she was going to attempt to get this next patch done or leave it here for now.

With a sigh, Marinette sat down her fabric scissors and collapsed onto her chaise.

“I’m proud of you, Marinette. It’s very wise to know when to carry on and when is best stop,” Tikki chirped as she appeared in front of her.

“Thanks, Tikki. But that means I don’t have anything else to do while we wait.”

“Well… we could talk, if you want.” Tikki settled down on the chair beside her. “Is there anything on your mind?”

“Chat has been acting weird, I guess?”

“That’s very true. We don’t usually see him so… timid or shy. What do you think is going on with him?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Knowing my kitty, he is probably plotting to ask me to something again. Maybe he has a rooftop picnic or something in mind.” She glanced outside as a cold wind howled. A shiver shook her as she reminded herself she’d be outside in that before too long. “Although hopefully not.”

“So you aren’t too worried?”

“If it isn’t that, then what else can I do for him? Our hands are kind of tied with the whole secret identities thing.” Marinette shook her head sadly. “No, I’ll do my best to be here for him, but there is only so much comfort I can give.”

“It wasn’t that long ago that you two were trading little facts about yourselves. What happened with that?”

Marinette squirmed in place. She was aware that they’d stopped doing it and she had tried to tell herself that it didn’t bother her. But there was a part of her that was disappointed. Chat Noir often felt like he was larger than life, an exaggeration of a person. But little details like his favorite dish? They made him feel more real, more grounded. Maybe that was why she was scared - anything could happen in their fight. She’d already had to see him get erased or turned against her. What would happen if she knew who exactly was under the mask? Knew exactly who she had failed to protect?

She was startled out of her thoughts by a tiny paw patting the side of her head.

“I know it all seems scary, Marinette. But I’m here for you, one hundred percent. And I know that Chat Noir is with you completely. The best we can do is face things together, right?”

Marinette nodded before her eyes widened as she remembered to check the clock. Only five minutes until the meeting started.

“Tikki, spots on!”

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

“Ah, greetings to both of you,” Master Fu said as Marinette and Chat Noir entered the room together. It had been close, but she made it. Apparently Chat had also been running behind since they landed at their usual meet up at practically the same time.

They both gave awkward bows as they hurried to their spots. In front of each of them was already a cup of hot tea.

“I suspect that you have questions for me?”

Marinette shared a look with Chat Noir, who shrugged. How did he know…?

“Yes, master. There has been some weird stuff happening with our powers lately.” Marinette took a hesitant sip of her tea. Delicious as always.

Master Fu raised his eyebrows, but there was a glint of amusement in his tone. “Oh? What sort of ‘weird stuff’?”

“She purred, I got cold, she could see and hear pretty well. Not to mention the weird empathy, thought sharing… stuff that happens sometimes.” Chat Noir raised a finger for each point, but Master Fu seemed unconcerned as he raised his cup to his face. Chat’s cat ears perked up. “Oh! And there was that time we swapped who could do Cataclysm and Lucky Charm. Then that last akuma when we did something weird with Cataclysm.”

Fu jerked back in surprise. “The central abilities of your miraculous were swapped?”

“Yes, master,” they replied simultaneously.

“I see. This is excellent news!” Master Fu folded his hands together and smiled. “You two are moving quicker than I had anticipated.”

“This… is supposed to happen?” Marinette asked in confusion. She didn’t see how it could be helpful to have their powers randomly swap for no discernable reason. Although… the destruction orb had been useful.

“You need not worry. This is perfectly natural.” Master Fu stood and retrieved a tablet from the shelf. He flipped through the familiar pictures of the book they’d briefly stolen from Gabriel before settling on an illustration of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous. “It is believed that, in the beginning, the kwamis of creation and destruction were one and the same - the kwami of reality.”

“But they aren’t anymore,” Chat mused, as he cupped his chin. “When did they get split? And what does this have to do with us now?”

“Patience, young one. The kwami of reality was to be bound into one miraculous five thousand years ago, but their power was too great. The kwami was split into two parts - creation and destruction - and bound to separate miraculous. Even then, the legendary sorcerer only barely survived. But this origin is unique among all the miraculous.”

He flipped to the next page on the screen, showing another illustration. This one was of a person glowing with energy, the earrings and black cat ring worn simultaneously.

“These miraculous are the only ones that can be safely worn by one person at once.”

“Huh? Are the others really that dangerous?”

“Alone, no. But the miraculous were designed to be worn one at a time. Two at once can overwhelm an individual and cause terrible damage. To themselves, to the people around them, sometimes even to the miraculous.”

Chat sighed. “And there goes my dreams of Dragon Chat…”

Marinette elbowed him in the side. “Be serious!” Despite her words, there was a faint smile at her lips.

“The other unique quality is the power sharing you have mentioned. Essentially, once there is a powerful tie between the users, the miraculous begin reconnecting as well. Energy can be shared between them - minor quirks of those powers are often first, like with cat and ladybug tendencies. But this shared energy has incredibly versatile potential, culminating in the ultimate ability of the two - mastery over reality itself.”

There was silence as the two processed what Master Fu was saying. Eventually Chat Noir spoke up.

“So… a wish?”

Master Fu pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Chat Noir. A wish.” He fixed them each with a stern look. “But do not rush to that skill - it requires an immense amount of training to achieve and even then should only be used sparingly. Toying with reality often has dire consequences, although it is necessary at times as a final resort. There are some problems that can only be repaired with a wish.”

“I think I understand.” Marinette rubbed one of her earrings between her fingers. She narrowed her eyes in thought. “You said the kwami were bound to the miraculous. Was that by choice?”

“The kwami are benevolent beings who had yearned to assist mankind since the beginning. The sorcerer merely convinced them that the miraculous was the best way to achieve this.”

“But why?” Marinette tilted her head, remembering the events of Style Queen and her team up with Plagg. “The kwami seem plenty powerful by themselves.”

“Your question holds the answer: The kwami are powerful. Too powerful. The miraculous acts as a filter so that they do not harm the world around them by accident.” Master Fu frowned and stared at Chat Noir - or, more specifically, his ring. “Hiccups in that design have lead to… accidents.” He shook himself out of his memories. “Which reminds me. Hawkmoth has been clawing at these restraints for some time now.”

“What makes you say that?” Marinette ignored the spear of panic that pierced her heart. The idea of her nemesis breaking those filters worried her immensely.

“His akumas have grown more and more powerful, all the while becoming less and less cooperative. More often than not, the akumas turn on their master. Besides the obvious reasons, Hawkmoth dismantling these restrictions can have devastating consequences. At best, the miraculous gets broken, which is something that is not easily fixed. At worst… he gets the power he so craves. More than he could ever hope to handle.”

Marinette shared a look with Chat Noir and was pleased to find the steely determination in his eyes. “We will do everything it takes to defeat Hawkmoth before that can happen.”

“I am glad. For now, the best we can do - short of discovering his identity - is to hone your newfound abilities. I am certain that mastery of them will prove vital in the coming battles.”

With that, they spent the remainder of their time in meditation and the fine manipulation of energy. Once they had a handle on where to find their opposite power, it became easier to draw on it, however crudely they did it. The real difficulty came from their physical reaction to that power. Marinette quickly became nauseous using the power of the black cat, while Chat Noir became exhausted. Master Fu assured them that once they got used to the energy, these side effects would fade away.

It was in the earliest hours of the day that they finally left, Marinette wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep in. But she didn’t make a few steps out the door before Chat Noir had snagged her wrist.

“Um, m’lady? Can we… talk?” His ears were flat to his head and he struggled to meet her eyes. The poor boy was struggling.

She remembered her talks with Tikki. “If this is a romantic thing, Chat, can we please not-”

“No, no, it isn’t like that, I promise. But this is something that I need to tell you…” He looked around theatrically. “...Away from any prying eyes and ears.”

She sighed, already yearning for her warm bed. “Alright, Chat. Lead the way.”

[my-one-love-is-music]

Be My Player 2? Ch. 38

Also on AO3!

~~~~~~~~

Keith yawned and ran a hand through his hair, trying to wake himself up after the long day of classes he was back to. He was already missing the mornings he got to spend sleeping in over spring break and knew that the next week was going to be hell as he fought to get back on schedule.

He tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his jacket as he pulled open the backdoor of the restaurant. The weather was warm enough that wearing his usual jacket was becoming stuffy. It was almost time to put it away for the year.

“Hey! Look who’s back!”

Keith smiled and waved at the cooks as he passed.

“How was your vacation?” Lee called after him.

“Great! I wish I was still on break,” he said over his shoulder.

Lee’s booming laughter followed him down the hall. “None of us would work if we didn’t have to, kid!”

Keith shook his head and huffed. He paused at the time clock and punched his number into the system, waiting for it to beep before he made his way out into the dining room.

Happy chatter surrounded him as he crossed to the bar, the sounds of the patrons muffling the music that played over the speakers. He spotted George behind the counter, mixing drinks with a grin on his face. He spun and twirled, looking completely at ease despite the list of tickets Keith saw in front of him.

“Have no fear, the cavalry’s here,” Keith called as he swung around the back of the bar and slipped his jacket off. He tossed it into the bin underneath the bar and immediately rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, ready to dig into the pile of orders and help things along for them both.

“Hey! Welcome back, man,” George said, pausing just long enough to throw an arm around his shoulders in a quick side-hug. “You’ve got to tell me all about your vacation.”

Keith swiped the next ticket as George set his drink on an available tray. He scanned the scratched writing and nodded, turning to grab a glass and the three bottles he was going to need.

“I don’t really know what to say. It was kind of amazing.”

“Kind of?” George prompted.

Keith bit his lip, trying to hide his grin. “Okay, it was more than just kind of amazing. It was fantastic.”

George chuckled, intercepting his hand as they both took another ticket. “Sooooo things with the boyfriend are good?”

“More than good. Way more than good.”

George paused his stirring and raised an eyebrow. “Way more than good?” he asked. “Wow. He didn’t propose to you, did he?”

Keith chuckled and shook his head. He grabbed two beers and popped the caps, setting them next to the martini George just finished.

“Not at all. But…”

“But?”

“But I might’ve said yes if he had,” he murmured.

“What?!”

Keith blinked as George scrambled to get a better handle on his shaker, almost dropping it and spilling the drink all over their feet.

George carefully set the shaker on the counter and gripped the edge, taking a steadying breath. He raised his gaze and met Keith’s eyes.

“Did you seriously just admit to me that you would marry Shiro if he asked you to?” George said carefully.

Keith felt his face heat up and crossed his arms. He cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. “I guess I did.”

George’s disbelief faded and he grinned, chuckles slowly working their way up his throat until he was clutching his stomach and nearly doubled over laughing.

“Oh my god, that’s incredible,” he said, wiping away a nonexistent tear. He fought to catch his breath, keeping one hand on the counter next to him. “But seriously man, I’m really happy for you. You deserve to have someone like Shiro in your life. Especially when the two of you are so happy together.”

Keith smiled, shoulders relaxing where they’d hunched in the face of George’s laughter. “Thanks. I’ve kind of…never mind, it’s stupid.”

“No, come on. You can tell me, man. I swear it’ll stay between us,” he said, grabbing the shaker and finally shaking it above his shoulder.

“Well, I…I’ve been thinking about doing job applications for companies down in Florida. I figured that if I can get a job down there, I can move south and be closer to Shiro.”

George raised an eyebrow. “You’ve only been thinking about it?” he asked.

Keith huffed. “Okay, so maybe I haven’t just been thinking about it. I’ve been doing some applications. Pidge and Hunk have actually been helping me out.”

George nodded and pulled the top off the shaker. He poured the drink in the waiting glass and set it on one of the trays with the ticket.

“I’m happy for you, man. I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Keith whispered, swiping one of the last tickets from the pile.

“And I know you’re going to make it. I know you can get a job down there and be close to your boyfriend.”

Keith bit his lip and ducked his head, grabbing two beers from the fridge under the counter. He was glad to have so many supportive people in his life, but he didn’t want their encouragement to get the better of him to the point where he got his hopes up too much.

It was possible, but there was no guarantee he’d be able to make the move. He just had to remember that.

~~

Keith glared at his computer screen as he paced back and forth behind his kitchen chair. One half of the screen had half of a research paper he was putting together and the other half had a job application sitting open.

He had deadlines and as much as he hated to admit it, the end of his senior year was hurtling towards him. There was a lot to do and he there was never enough time to finish it all. Not after he was faced with two rejection emails for job applications that day alone, one coming five minutes after he’d submitted his info for review.

His phone vibrated on the table and he glanced at it, seeing Shiro’s name flashing on the screen. He smiled, reaching for it to answer the call.

“Hey,” he murmured, some of his stress already falling away at knowing his boyfriend was on the other end of the call.

“Hey baby,” Shiro said. “I miss you.”

Keith chuckled, laughter soft. He glanced at his computer before moving around the side of his couch to plop down onto the cushions.

“I miss you, too.” He stretched out his legs, propping his feet on the coffee table. “How are classes going?”

Shiro groaned and Keith could almost picture him rolling over to bury his face in his pillow. “Classes suck. I’m tired of doing homework and papers. I’m ready for it to be over.”

“Me too. And don’t even get me started on job applications on top of those,” he huffed.

“Yeah, those are…still a thing.”

“Takashi Shirogane,” Keith swore, leaning forward. “Have you been ignoring job applications?”

Shiro chuckled. “Not ignoring them per say…they’re just really fucking exhausting and I only have so much energy in the day to do homework. Job applications are a whole other monster.”

“Oh believe me, I know,” Keith muttered, thinking about the rejections he’d gotten earlier that day.

“How have they been going for you?”

Keith sighed, his good mood taking a dip. “I got two rejection letters already.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, babe,” Shiro said, sounding just as disappointed as he did. “Was it anything promising?”

Keith’s stomach sank further. The locations of both companies were within a few minutes of Shiro’s house. “Sort of? I think the opportunities would’ve been great. As great as they could be with a first job out of college.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure they would’ve been good fits for you. I know you’ll be able to find something even better that’ll make you happy.”

Keith bit his lip, thinking about the job application he had sitting open on his computer. “I hope so,” he whispered.

They were both silent for a moment, enjoying the few moments they had together despite the distance between them. Keith closed his eyes, brows furrowing. If he concentrated hard enough, it was almost like he was back on the couch or laying in bed with Shiro, head pillowed on his chest while they cuddled and talked. Maybe a movie was playing in the background they weren’t really paying attention to, sharing kisses in the soft space between them.

“Keith?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Keith grinned, biting his lip to try and contain the giddy butterflies that swarmed in his stomach every time he heard those words.

“I love you, too.”

~~

Keith scrubbed at his eyes, trying to focus on the clock in the corner of his computer screen. It was after midnight and even though he’d got another quarter of his paper done and submitted a handful of applications, he still couldn’t let himself rest. Not when he only had so much time to try and get a job near Shiro before the school year ended.

He yawned, eyes threatening to fall shut with his need to sleep and get rest before he’d have to get up the next morning and do another whirlwind of classes, homework, bartending, and job applications.

“One more application,” he muttered, fighting to focus on the words his sluggish fingers typed in what he swore were shrinking boxes. “Just one more and then I’ll go to bed.”

He blinked again, taking longer to force them back open to focus on the words in front of him. He was so tired, but he just had to get this done. A few more minutes and then he’d be able to sleep.

~~

Keith groaned when his alarm went off next to his ear. He smacked his hand on the table, fighting to silence the incessant ringing pulling him from the sweet rest he’d gotten during the night.

He forced his eyes open, feeling like a zombie. He blinked at his fridge, trying to figure out why it was in his bedroom.

Keith sighed and forced himself to sit up. He swiped his phone from the table and shut off his alarm. He glanced at the battery and sighed at seeing it under twenty percent. He’d need to get to class early and grab a seat by one of the outlets to charge his phone.

He rolled his shoulders, feeling his neck and back twinge from the awkward sleeping position all night. It was going to take more than one night in his bed to help repair the damage he’d done the night before. It would make standing on his feet at work absolute hell when he went in for his shift.

Keith pressed the spacebar of his computer and waited as it booted up. It was sluggish to start and he sighed when he was met with his still incomplete application he’d been forcing himself to finish. If he was lucky, he could grab a couple minutes between classes to finish it up and submit before moving on to everything else.

He closed the top of his computer and slipped it into his backpack. He grabbed the books for his classes that were in a pile on the kitchen table. He pushed himself from the chair and winced when his back cracked in two different places.

Keith groaned and stretched his arms over his head before shuffling down the hall to his bedroom. He yanked his shirt over his head and shoved his day-old jeans down around his legs, kicking them off to join the edge of his pile of laundry. He tossed his shirt on top and grabbed a new pair of boxers and jeans.

He dressed quickly and grabbed the first shirt in his drawer, pulling it over his head as he walked down the hall and turned into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection, taking in the bags under his eyes and the dullness of his gaze.

He turned on the tap as cold as it would go and cupped his hands under the running water, washing it over his face to help wake himself up. He shivered at the biting temperature and grabbed a towel to wipe off the excess water.

Keith grabbed a thin hair-tie from the sink drawer and pulled his hair back, tying it up in a messy ponytail.

He yawned and scrubbed at his eyes as he padded back to the kitchen. He grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet and tossed it into his backpack with the rest of his things. He grabbed his backpack and shoved his phone in his pocket, barely remembering to snag his charger from the couch.

He shoved his feet into his boots and grabbed his keys, sluggishly locking his apartment behind him. He shuffled down the hall, gripping the straps of his backpack tightly in his hands. It was going to be a long day and he couldn’t wait until he could go back to bed and forget about everything he had to do.

~~

Keith blinked when he heard his phone chime next to him. He pulled himself from his paper and the extra thoughts continually circling around job applications and grabbed his phone where it rested on the arm of his chair.

He’d found a secluded nook in his building, ready to settle down and do some work between classes. An empty coffee cup sat next to his foot, the caffeine kicking in after he’d downed his third refill.

Keith smiled when he saw Shiro’s name on the screen and quickly opened their chat.

Shiro: hey baby. How are things going today?

Keith settled back into his chair, his shoulders relaxing as some of the stress left him thanks to Shiro’s never-ending calming presence.

Keith: Not gonna lie, I’m exhausted. I ended up falling asleep at my kitchen table last night in the middle of doing a job application.

Shiro: ☹ Don’t work yourself so hard. You’ve already got all of your papers and reports for your classes.

Keith sighed, his eyes falling shut for a minute. His fingers hovered over the keys on his phone. He wanted to tell him. He wanted to spill everything that he couldn’t rest and he had to do as many applications as possible because it meant there was a tiny, miniscule possibility that they could be together again in a couple months and he was desperate to take advantage of that chance.

He bit his lip and forced himself to skirt around his thoughts, only giving Shiro the necessary information.

Keith: I know, but I can’t stop. I really want to have a good job lined up once school wraps up. As much as I love bartending and working with George, I don’t want to be doing that forever. I didn’t go to school for a degree just so I could mix drinks for the next year.

Shiro: I know, baby, but taking care of yourself right now is important, too. Promise me that you won’t lose too much sleep trying to get applications in?

Keith: Fineeeee. I promise. I’ll only lose the socially acceptable amount of sleep so I can get job applications in.

Shiro: ☹

Keith smiled, feeling some of the ache from the past few days disappear. It was by no means better since they were still a thousand miles apart. But it was better. Knowing Shiro missed him and was there for him…it was better.

Keith: Don’t pout too long or your face will get stuck like that.

Shiro: Call me when you get home and I won’t have a reason to pout.

Keith: Deal. But I’ll need proof that you’re not pouting.

Shiro: Don’t worry. I think you’ll be able to tell. Considering I’m always smiling when I talk to you.

Keith felt a burst of butterflies in his chest. He was never going to get used to Shiro. And he never wanted to. Shiro was a gift in his life and he was determined to cherish him forever.

Keith: You were just pouting a minute ago.

Shiro: Technicalities!

He huffed a laugh, voice quiet in the nook he was settled in.

Keith: Fine, fine. We can talk about this later. As much as I love talking to you, I need to get a few more things done before my afternoon classes start.

Shiro: Oh yeah. It’s Tuesday, isn’t it? And you have to work tonight?

Keith: Unfortunately I do.

Shiro: Sorry.

Keith: That’s just how it is. I’ll call you when I get home from work.

Shiro: Sounds good. Later, baby. Love you.

Keith: Love you, too.

Keith stared at his screen for a moment, looking at the matching love yous. He sighed and was about to lock his phone when it chimed with a new email. He glanced at his computer screen which still showed the paper he was working on.

He quickly changed apps, knowing it wouldn’t take long for him to check his email before getting back to work.

Keith opened his email and frowned when the first email came from a sender he didn’t recognize. He clicked on it and scrolled down to the body, eyes widening. He read through it once, and then a second and third time to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

 Dear Mr. Kogane,

Thank you for reaching out to us with regards to our open research assistant positions. Your academic background is quite impressive and we’d like to have the opportunity to discuss this position with you in more detail and possibly set up a Skype interview with you.

Please respond with your availability if you’re still interested in this position and-

 Keith swallowed, trying to keep his heartrate down. His fingers shook as he tried to calm himself down enough to write a reply. This was too much. All of the planning and job applications and wishing wasn’t enough to prepare him for the possibility of landing an interview for a company in Florida.

He slammed the lid of his computer and threw it into his backpack. He pushed himself out of his chair and barely remembered to unplug his phone from the wall before he was skidding around the corner and sprinting down the hall.

Pidge and Hunk would be getting out of class in the next few minutes. He had to tell them about this.

If you enjoy my work, please reblog or consider buying me a ko-fi!

[kallura-icedcoffee]

golden hour: a new beginning

A/N: This piece connects to my previous collection for Kallura Week 2018, My Favorite Color Is You. You don’t have to have read it necessarily to read this, but it will make a lot more sense if you do. Also thank you to @tybalt-tisk whose comment on that last chapter, At The End of the World With You, inspired the direction I chose to go in to start off this collection.

Rebirth

And if we get separated I’ll find you, just like I did in this life...

“I’m scared.”

Her voice broke and tears streamed down her dirty bruised cheeks. She hadn’t really cried much since all this happened, since the virus broke. She wanted to be strong for him, never wanted to be the weak link between the two of them, never a burden. He brought his free hand over and pulled her face toward his, kissing her temple, then her lips.

“I am too, but you know what? We’re together and where ever we go after this we’ll be together there too. And if we get separated I’ll find you, just like I did in this life.”

She wept and returned his kisses, long and slow and as passionate as she could give considering she could feel herself getting weaker and drifting farther away with each moment.

“I love you Keith. I knew I loved you from the first moment I saw you” she rambled while she knew she was still coherent enough to say it.

“I love you too Mrs. Kogane. You’re all I could’ve asked for.”

He looked into her eyes which were becoming increasingly faded and cloudy. She was going to turn soon. He had seen this before. He rested his forehead against hers.

The mop handle rattled in the door and started to push and crack as the groaning on the end intensified. They were like two sitting ducks, easily seen through the glass windows.

“Damn they sure know how to ruin a romantic moment don’t they?” He smirked.

More shoving, more groaning, more wood bending and cracking.

“I have three bullets in the gun.” She patted the holster at her hip.

“And let those monsters feast on my pretty wife’s body? I would never give them the pleasure.” He pulled a grenade out of his pack and shook it at her.

“You had one left?”

“In case of emergencies. If we go might as well take those assholes with us.”

“You think of everything…” she whispered, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder one final time, squeezing his hand tightly with her last remaining bits of strength.

“Which is funny because you’re supposed to be the brains, I’m just the good looks” he quipped.

She didn’t respond.

The glass in doors gave way and shattered on the floor as the wooden handle finally snapped. The sounds of moans and shuffling feet entered the store as Keith yanked the pin out with his teeth and rolled it at their feet.

“You know Lu,” he closed his eyes, rested his head against hers and waited, “if I had to see the end of the world with anyone, I’m glad it was with y-”

Allura jolted up in bed, sweat soaked strands of hair sticking to her temple, her tank top damp and clinging to her body. She snatched up the water glass on her nightstand, gulping down its contents until there was nothing left.

The dreams were getting more frequent, feeling more real. Flashes of moments with a man she didn’t know, that she’s never met.

When she closed her eyes it was like she was living a million different lives, a million different possibilities…with him.

Sometimes she was a brave paladin escorting a prince to a ball, a princess healing her lover’s wounds, an older businesswoman letting a stranger push her buttons in all the ways that she liked.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Allura asked at the breakfast table.

Alfor was hidden behind a newspaper which ruffled briefly.

“Let me guess, you met a boy” he replied as he reached for his coffee.

“Father I’m serious.”

“I’m not sure my flower, but I think things happen for a reason. So now tell me about this boy.” He lowered the paper from his face with a smile.

“There’s no boy dad!” Her mouth curled into a pout before she quickly shoveled toast into it in irritation.

There was a boy, but she wasn’t about to explain said boy only existed in her head.

Alfor chuckled at his daughter’s stubbornness.

“Will you be joining me for dinner tonight dear or do you have class?” He tried to change the subject.

“No class, work today so I won’t be home until 7.” Allura popped up and began putting her plate in the sink.

She kissed her father’s cheek and rushed out the door.

“You’re late” Shiro stood, leaning against a car with his arms crossed as Allura peddled into the driveway of Shirogane Autobody.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Allura hopped off her bicycle and walked it toward her boss. “I’ve been sleeping like crap lately.

“Studying for finals?” He popped the hood on the car he was working on before strolling over to the tool bench.

“Um…yes…” Her eyes darted nervously.

“Well let me know if you need some time off.”

“No it’s fine.” Allura waved him away.

“All right well then do me a favor and finish up on that motorcycle over there, needs tire replacement. I thought I’d have time to get to it before the client came this afternoon but I’m swamped.” Shiro pointed to the red bike.

Allura nodded while zipping up her jumpsuit, pulling her hair into a ponytail. She yanked her phone out of her bag, slipped earphones into her ear and got to work. Listening to music put her in a zone and she lost track of time. She didn’t notice the figure standing over her as she knelt polishing the bike as she finished up.

“You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.”

Allura was startled by the sudden sound of another voice and immediately plucked the earphones from her ears, nearly falling over as she did so. She turned and looked up toward the sound and her mouth fell open.

It was him. The literal man of her dreams. Her heart vibrated in her chest.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” His brow furrowed with the way she was looking at him.

“Uh…It’s fine. Your…y-your bike is ready” she stammered nervously.

He smiled and extended a hand.

“Can I help you up?”

Her hands trembled slightly as her hand approached his and the moment her fingers curled into his, the moment they touched, all her dreams flashed through her and him in rapid succession.

“You should smile more. It’s quite nice when you do.”

“Look I know I stated earlier I didn’t need an escort but, if you don’t have anyone to attend with do you think we could go together? I’m more nervous than I thought.”

“You said it yourself, this may be the only moments we have together for a long time…I miss you.”

“…I just moved in next door. I’m sorry to bother you and I know it’s late but I just had a hankering to bake some cookies and I realize I have like no sugar.”

“You know I’m not so sure about that. I think you like disobeying because then that means you get punished and you enjoy that.”

“I’m in love with you.”

“I am too, but you know what? We’re together and where ever we go after this we’ll be together there too. And if we get separated I’ll find you, just like I did in this life.”

And if we get separated I’ll find you, just like I did in this life.

I’ll find you, just like I did in this life.

I’ll find you…

He stared at her, eyes wide and fearful yet knowing because he saw it all and suddenly the dreams he’d been having lately all started to make sense. A woman with white hair whose face was always obscured from him, a puzzle he couldn’t solve until right at this moment. She held his hand so tightly she thought she might break it, realizing they weren’t dreams, that she was really seeing the person she was meant to be with in every reality, in ever incarnation of themselves.

“K-Keith?” she said, voice shaky and hesitant. She hadn’t known his name when he walked in but she knew it now. She knew everything about him now.

“Allura?” He’s eyes frantically darted about her face. “My god I actually found you…”

Tears began to well in his eyes.

“Hey Altea when you’re done with that motorcycle can you do an oil change on the-”

Shiro approached to see Allura and the customer holding hands. He stared, blinked.

The interruption, the sound of Shiro’s voice, surprised them both and they flinched, letting go of each other’s hands.

And when they let go, the clarity went with it, the memory of a million lives together extinguished like a candle in the wind.

“Am I interrupting something?” Shiro’s brow arched as he wiped his hands on a rag.

The two looked at each other, confused, shrugging.

“What are you talking about?” Allura said.

“Uh,” now it was her boss’ turn to be confused, “nevermind I guess, can you do a brake repair on the Ford when you’re finished here?”

“Mhm, sure thing!”

Shiro left them alone to get back to work.

“So um, if you want to follow me I can get you checked out.” Allura waved him over to the office.

“Thanks.” Keith followed.

Allura stepped behind the desk and pulled his information up on the computer.

“Mr. Kogane?” Allura looked up from the screen.

“Yeah.”

“Nice to meet you Mr. Kogane, my name is Allura and I hope you’ll be satisfied with the work we did today.”

She flashed him a smile and his heart fluttered a bit. Even in a grease covered jumpsuit she was awfully pretty.

“Keith.”

“Hmm?”

“Mr. Kogane sounds like my dad. Call me Keith.”

He leaned on the counter with a smirk.

“Ok.” She blushed and bit her lip. She was just now noticing how handsome he was. “Nice to meet you Keith.”

He liked the way she said his name in her accent. Maybe he would come by later in the week to get an oil change, even though his bike wasn’t really ready for one. He just suddenly felt like he needed to find another opportunity to see her, to get to know her, though he’d simply chalk it up to a small crush.

But it was more than that… 

We’re together and where ever we go after this we’ll be together there too.

(All works for Kallura Month 2018 will also be posted HERE on AO3)

[hexdream18243]

Fanfiction: Crush

Little thing: This fanfiction I wrote only in English. So PLEASE tell me if you find mistakes (or typos)! It’s everything. Enjoy your time!

Relationships: analogical (friends), logicality Warnings: mention about car crash? Nothing much or significant. Please tell me if I should add something. Word count: 1772 Summary: Virgil stole his roommate’s phone and found out that he has... a crush?!

Part two

AO3 link

Virgil was bored. So unbelievably bored. So he did the most logical thing he could do. He stole his roommate’s phone. Well, not exactly stole. He came to their room (they were there), stood next to their table and took the phone without question. Logan just looked at him and went back to work. He hope it was work, not some new strange obsession about something. Logan’s obsession were hard to deal with. If he found something interesting, he wanted to know everything about it. Just. Everything. It was no way to have a normal conversation in days while he was doing his “research”. For “Do you want coffee?” or “Do we have a milk?” Logan answers always led to random information about his “topic number 1”. Virgil knew that these information were interesting, really, but he started to hate the phrase: “Do you know that…”

But it looks like Logan was just working. What a relief.

Virgil came out of Logan’s room and sat at the kitchen table in the living room. They had too small kitchen for furniture beside necessary like fridge, sink or oven. After getting himself comfortable, he got to work. First, he had to unlock the phone. It was their unspoken game. Logan changed his password, PIN or code and left hints about it around their apartment. Every time Virgil was bored or had others troubles he could take Logan’s phone and play as detective. It was fun for both sides. This time Logan had a password. Unfortunately, Virgil immediately knew it, because his roommate’s favorite jam brand released a new taste recently. Jam was in every corner of the kitchen. An answer was obvious. He wrote “Crofters” and was welcomed with a photo of Pluto with text “Pluto is a planet! Viva la Pluto!”. So puzzle were solved what’s next?

He know that Logan’s phone also was boring. Of course not if you didn’t know about his obsessions and others things like interesting music choices (Classical music, rap, rap to classical music. He didn’t have many songs of the last, but just because they were a little uncommon. Also he has a folder with songs from probably all genre from Disney to hard metal, at least one of each genre.) or strange high quality of organization. So Virgil started to look into contacts. It was nearly impossible that Logan met someone new recently but maybe? Some minutes passed but suddenly… Here it is! A new contact! And description was… interesting at least. “Crush”. Did Logan has a crush on someone? And he didn’t mention it?! Okay, they were roommates but sort of friends also, he guess? Usually Logan would say something, but not this time, he had to hide it. Virgil checked if they were texting. Nothing. Not even one call! So… Why not to text the mysterious crush? Virgil considered it. Logan wouldn’t kill him for that and it will be fun to watch this nerd flustered. Yes. He’ll do it.

What to write? If he was Logan, what he would write to his crush? Hm… How would Logan flirt? That was a good question. It definitely won’t be normal flirting or some simple pick up lines. It’s not his style. In his style is using big complicated words and strange comparisons. Or random information. Virgil looked into folders to find inspiration. He found something named as “Love”. He opened it and saw enormous amount of documents, photos, videos, charts and voice files. Everything had a connection with love. One of documents was named: “Pick up lines”. More out of curiosity, he opened it. Ok. He didn’t expect this. Of course, he saw document full of pick up lines, but some of them had a small note: “Can be used”. Seriously?! Logan thought that he could use them? HE? Virgil could not imagine it. But… It could be funny. Now he should just find a proper line.

He scrolled through them.

“I’m not an astronomer, but I still promise to give you the sun, moon, and stars.” – No. Line was crossed with comment “But I AM astronomer”. And it could be too much for the beginning if you ask Virgil. Other one: “You seem to be traveling at the speed of light because time always seems to stop when I look at you.” or “You must be a red blood cell because you take the oxygen out of my lungs and bring it right to my heart.”

He wasn’t sure which line will be the best, but one of them drew his attention. Yes. It will worked.

He sent a text just in time because suddenly Logan came out from his room, calling:

“Virgil? I need my phone, where are you? I have to check something on my e-mail but I’ve already turned off my computer so if you… Oh, here you are.” – He entered to the living room. Virgil raised his head and smirked.

“Catch” – He threw a phone. Logan was surprised but he caught that (with difficulty).

“You knew password?” – Logan asked, looking at the screen.

“It wasn’t hard to guess.”

“I see. So I have to change it. I hope you had fun playing with my phone.”

“Yeah. I hope you didn’t mind that I texted your crush.”

Logan stopped in his tracks back to his room.

“What do you mean by ‘my crush’?”

“Stop pretending. I know you know what I mean. I saw your folders.”

“I am not pretending anything. I know meaning of the word “crush” but I do not know who you meant by using that term.”

“Really? Are you kidding me? You saved their number in label ‘Crush’. I don’t know who it is.”

“Wait. You texted ‘Crush’?” – Logan seemed a little panicked. - “What have you wrote?”

“I wrote only one of your pick up lines. Nothing much, really, only something to start.”

“Which one?!”

“Jezz, Logan, calm down, please. Look at your messages. It was something like: ‘Hey! You know, I think you must have a charge because I am finding myself feeling very attracted to you’. It’s not so bad.”

“IT IS! Listen, Virgil, do you remember last week?”

“Yes, of course, it was eventful week, a meeting, I got a job, you had a car crash…”

“Exactly! A man from the second car gave me his phone number and I gave him mine, because it was my fault and I asked him to text me about price of repair. And look again” – Logan put phone to his eyes. – “How I wrote a word ‘Crush’?”

“By ‘u’.”

“What?!” – Logan looked again at the screen with wide eyes. Then he muttered under his breath: “Stupid autocorrect”.

“So… It isn’t someone you’re interested in, I guess? Sorry…”

“O, I wouldn’t say that I am not interested in him. He…” – Logan stopped when he realized what he just said. He tried to dismiss it but Virgil already was smirking.

“You say so?”

“Please, forget it.”

“Never.”

Logan shook his head.

“Anyhow, you’ve already texted Patton. I think now I should explain ‘my’ behavior to him.” – He sighed looking at his phone. He started writing an apology.

“If you remember his name why you didn’t named his number like that?” – Virgil asked.

“Because I would remember his name but I wouldn’t remember who it is and how I met him. I am not forgetting names. However autocorrect…” – Just when he hit button to send a text, ring interrupted his saying so he stopped. And paled.

“What?” – Virgil asked.

“He answered for your message.”

“WHAT?!” – Virgil jumped from his place to stand next to his roommate. – “What did he write? Tell me!”

It took a moment for read a text. Next Logan locked a phone with blank expression.

“I didn’t saw an answer. He took it bad?” – Logan gave device to Virgil. A message said: “I didn’t know that but I would love to stick to you like glu-cose <3” It left him speechless but he had a big grin. Logan was irritated.

“Stop smiling! Okay, he responded but maybe he likes pick up lines and he doesn’t take them seriously. Anyway I just wrote him that all was a big mistake! What should I do now?!”

“Wait?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” – Virgil leaned on the wall with crossed arms. He tried. He fell because there was no wall behind him.

“Vigil! Be careful!” – Logan caught him just in time and pulled back on the feet. – “You can’t get hurt, you have to go to the job today.”

Vigil looked at the clock above them and cursed.

“Job! I have to go now! Good luck with your crush, Logan!” – He ran out the living room, caught a backpack from corridor and left a flat. Logan stayed alone in silence. The silence was broke by ring.

[You]: I’m sorry for that message. My roommate took my phone and texted you because he was convinced that you are my crush. Unfortunately, autocorrect in phone changed my description.

[Crush]: I didn’t know that but I would love to stick to you like glu-cose <3 <New>[Crush]: Oh! I didn’t expect this…

Logan winced.

[You]: I’m sorry again. [You]: Since we are talking, can you tell me if you went to mechanic with your car? I hope you did, it would be dangerous if you didn’t.

[Crush]: Um, yes! I went! It wasn’t a big damage, only a mirror.

[You]: So can you tell me about cost of repair? I promised that I will cover the costs.

[Crush]: Stop kidding, it’s nothing big!

[You]: I insist. Eventually, maybe I can make it up to you in another way?

The answer was almost immediately, but it didn’t make any sense.

[Crush]: hfmcdsvsd

[You]: ?

[Crush]: Sorry, my phone fell down. Perhaps we can have a dinner together? Tomorrow’s evening?

Logan’s eyes widened. He hesitated few minutes but finally typed an answer.

[You]: If you want, I do not mind. I can look for a good restaurant in the city and book the table. What time?

[Crush]: 5 pm?

[You]: Perfect. I’ll send you a name of the restaurant and an address. Should I pick you up or you want to go there by your car?

[Crush]: I don’t want to be a trouble, I can go by myself.

[You]: You wouldn’t be. Just text me an address and I’ll pick you up.

[Crush]: Okey dokey!

Logan sat down at the couch and sent Virgil a quick message.

[You]: I don’t know how but I guess that I have tomorrow a date.

[Virgil]: Cool. Does it mean you won’t change “crush” to “crash”?

[You]: … Probably not.

Quick note: I probably will write a second part of it from Patton’s perspective, because... This is how writing works. But I don’t know when I’ll finish, because I have exams at my university ^^”“ EDIT: I did it!