#epilogue 4

[sephirthoughts]

Father: Verb

Epilogue (Part 4 of 4)

link to prev. chapter

THE FINAL ABSOLUTE LAST CHAPTER!!!! It's all fluff. Just a cute little wrap-up, that I thought was fun. Not tagging the mentioned couples because I don't want people coming here for those pairings and being disappointed. This story was a joy to write and is very dear to me. Thank you all for enjoying it, with me!!!

“Seph, what are you planning?” Cloud’s blue eyes widened. “No…no, no, no! Don’t you dare! Seph, are you listening to me? Don’t you fucking—��

Too late. Sephiroth’s enormous, snow-white wings burst from his shoulders and unfurled majestically behind him, knocking over a large floral arrangement. Now—in his white tuxedo, with his thigh-length silver hair cascading magnificently down his back—there was basically no visual difference between him and an actual angel.

He tightened his arm around Cloud’s waist and with one beat of his seraphic wings, the pair shot heavenward, leaving behind an explosive blast of displaced air, that blew off people’s hats and knocked over several more floral arrangements. White feathers fluttered down like snow on the astonished guests, as they stared up into the sky.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself!” Cloud shouted, over the wind roaring in his face. “My mother came all the way from Rhadore, for this! We haven’t even cut the cake or taken photos, yet!”

“Worry not, my love. We’ll go back and do all those things,” Sephiroth said, nuzzling Cloud’s cheek, as he slowed to a more leisurely pace. “But you are mine, now. I wanted a moment alone with you, before your friends celebrate your marriage by stealing you away from your husband, all evening.”

“They’re our friends,” Cloud contended, “and you’re the one who invited half the population of the Planet. We agreed on a small wedding.”

Sephiroth looked innocent. “I thought the guest list was rather conservative.”

“You slippery bastards!” a voice bellowed, from about thirty meters below them.

“Did you truly think you could escape your wedding coordinator, so easily?” a second chimed in.

“And your best man?!”

“Think again, fools!”

“Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess! We seek it thus, and take to the sky!” Sephiroth shot back, before putting on a sudden burst of speed and darting away.

“You—! How dare you use Loveless for evil!” Genesis shouted after them. “Get back here!!”

Streaks of vibrant light raced across the sky, as the two sped off in hot pursuit of Sephiroth and his captive spouse, taxing the limits of their respective pairs of polychromatic-red and marine-blue wings. Their quarry, meanwhile, was laughing and toying with them, spiraling and looping back, almost letting them catch up, only to zip away again.

“Seph, you gotta stop,” Cloud groaned, after this had gone on for some time. “My motion sickness…I’m gonna puke.”

Sephiroth halted so abruptly, that Genesis nearly slammed into his back, and was only prevented from doing so by Angeal, who pulled him to the side, just in time.

“Tired you out a—already, huh?” Genesis panted. “You’d best give it up!”

Sephiroth held up a hand. “Hush. Cloud isn’t feeling well. Hearing your voice can only make it worse.”

“Oh ho-ho! You can’t hide behind your tiny husband, this time! Geal, get him!”

“Ha—fuck. I’m way too out of shape for this,” Angeal puffed, pinching his very trim, muscular side. “Just come back, before Mr. Highwind gets drunk and starts singing dragoon songs.”

“He’s right. We’d really better prevent that,” Cloud said, suddenly seeming to have miraculously recovered.

Sephiroth looked aggrieved. “A ruse, my love? Is that how you use my genuine concern for your wellbeing?”

“Yeah, it’s literally the only thing that works, you stubborn asshole,” Cloud retorted. “Now take me back to my wedding. You can act like a jealous cat after the guests go home.”

“He is like a jealous cat, how precious!” Genesis exclaimed, clapping delightedly. “All he needs is a collar, with a little tag that says ‘Sephi’.”

“No one calls me Sephi, but you,” Sephiroth scowled.

“But they would, if it were written on your collar,” Genesis put forth.

Meanwhile, Angeal had pulled out his phone and was looking at the screen. “Director Valentine says if you two haven’t returned in ten minutes, Chaos is coming to retrieve you.”

“Wow, I can’t believe dad really used the ‘don’t make me come get you’ threat,” Cloud laughed. “Are we eight years old?”

“I suppose we’d better go back,” Sephiroth conceded. “It would be quite embarrassing to be dragged back to my own wedding, by my father’s ancient demon form.”

Genesis raised his eyebrows. “More embarrassing than being abducted by your husband, from the altar?”

“It was really more of a podium.”

“Guys! Guys, look!” another voice shouted, from a little distance below. It was a young, masculine voice, that sounded both exuberant, and more than a bit winded. “My wings finally came in! They finally—ah! oop! Hoo boy, you all make this look so easy!”

“Zack, what the hell are you doing!” Angeal scolded. “You can’t fly this high on your first time out! You’ll get yourself killed!”

Zack immediately put on his most pitiful puppy expression. “But everyone flew away all the sudden, and I didn’t want to be left out. Besides, I’m doing awesome! Hey, what kind of wings are these?”

“Steller’s jay,” Cloud answered, without missing a beat. Everyone looked at him. “The primary flight feathers are dark blue, the secondaries have that black and blue hatching, and the tertials have grey tips.”

“What—why do you know so much about bird feathers? What are mine?” Angeal asked.

“Magpie. Genesis, yours are phoenix, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Genesis sniffed, with a flutter of his shimmering, multicolored feathers.

“What about mine?” asked Sephiroth, who was fully aware that his huge, snow-white wings were gloriously angelic, especially bathed in the golden glow of the last afternoon sunlight, as they were now.

Cloud looked his husband directly in the face. “Goose.”

Zack’s mouth fell open, Angeal gave a snort, which he attempted to pass off as cough, and Genesis proceeded to nearly fall out the sky laughing.

At that point, the game was at its best, and the five friends glided back toward the wedding venue. Said venue being a veritable city of pavilions and tents, which had been erected, in the lush and idyllic valley outside Kalm, to host what was universally termed the wedding of the century.

The Turks were out in force—and in their iconic black suits—and the rank and file WRO troops were patrolling, keeping the more intrepid paparazzi at bay, but most of the public respected the involved parties far too much, to attempt to intrude upon the private event.

The young men landed behind the service tents, to avoid notice, but Zack came in too hot and went sprawling forward, nearly smashing into a large cart, loaded with dishes and flatware.

“Yeah, you’re doing great,” Angeal said drily, grabbing the back of his jacket and lifting him off his feet, like a mother cat scruffing a kitten.

“Come on, it’s my first time out,” Zack protested. “It wasn’t that bad, was it, Commander?”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Sephiroth assured him. “In fact, as I recall, Angeal’s first landing was much worse. He wound up in a cactuar patch, and—”

“Ah—ahem! No need to rehash all of that right now,” Angeal cut in hastily. “Don’t we have a wedding to get back to?”

“Indeed, we do,” Genesis agreed. “I’m off to wrangle the staff and make sure the guests are behaving themselves. I’ll tell your father you’re back. Don’t keep everyone waiting, too long.”

“I’m going to return this stray puppy to Aerith,” said Angeal, who still had Zack by the collar.

“See you guys later! Congratulations!” Zack called to them, as he was pulled away.

Thus the group parted, and the newly-married couple went off to the bridal tent, to freshen up, before going out to face the gauntlet of celebratory socializing.

Cloud only took off his tie and jacket, keeping his black waistcoat. Sephiroth removed his tie, jacket, and waistcoat, then unbuttoned his collar down to the sternum, and rolled up his sleeves, at which Cloud laughed and shook his head. 

“You’re just not comfortable unless your tits are out, are you.”

“My chest is too wide for most garments,” Sephiroth complained, as he sat down at the vanity. “They restrict my movement and make me feel as if I’m suffocating.”

“Even your bespoke-tailored wedding tux?”

“I…must’ve grown a bit, since I was measured.”

Cloud draped his arms over his shoulders and rested his chin on top of his head. “Do you remember that day on the beach, back in Costa del Sol, when you first told me you wanted to marry me?”

“Of course I do. You behaved as if you were an offended maiden, and I was a rogue who’d made an indecent proposition, to you.”

“I was six years old, Seph, what did you expect?”

“I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t ever met another child. Now that I’ve interacted with many children, I’ve come to understand that you were a highly precocious one. Six-year-olds don’t tend to be so coherent and introspective.”

“Most people just called me weird.”

“You called me weird, that day. You also said I was your guardian angel, whether I had wings or not.”

“And you told me you really did have wings. The funny thing is, I believed you, without a second thought. Even back then.”

Sephiroth took his hand and laced their fingers together, before pressing a kiss to it. “You were right to. I have never lied to you.”

“Oh, really?” Cloud said, raising his eyebrows. “Because I seem to recall a certain occasion in which you said you were going out of town with dad, and had to miss my birthday, and when I got home, you were in my apartment, with a hundred people, and what could only be regarded as an antagonistic number of balloons.”

“Using a pretext to conceal a surprise is not the same as lying,” Sephiroth contested. “Lying implies ill intent.”

“If making me socialize with a triple-digit number of surprise birthday guests isn’t ill intent, I don’t know what is.”

“You were turning twenty. It was a significant event, and warranted proper observance. If I’d asked your opinion, first, you’d have insisted upon a small celebration.”

“I think you just love birthday parties.” Cloud reached over Sephiroth and picked up the brush from the vanity. “It doesn’t even matter who they’re for. Just the mention of an upcoming birthday, for anyone even tangentially connected to you, and you light up like a firework.”

While he was speaking, he began to run the brush through Sephiroth’s mane of heavy, silky, moon-silver hair. Gradually, the catlike eyes fell closed, and a low reverberation sounded from his chest. Cloud smiled to himself, as he pulled his husband’s beautiful hair up into a stylishly messy ponytail, leaving plenty of loose strands to frame his face. He finished it with a kiss on the top of his head, and returned the brush to the vanity.

“Purring is definitely the cutest thing you do,” he said, sliding his hands down onto Sephiroth’s half-exposed pectoral muscles, unabashedly ogling them in the mirror. “You better not purr for anyone else, though. We’re married, now. That means you’re my legal property and I own you.”

“Mmm, I like being your property,” Sephiroth hummed, without opening his eyes.

“Damn right. Every woman on the planet has their sights on you, so I gotta make sure you know your place. You’re lucky I don’t put a collar on you, like Genesis said.”

“I would like that, too.”

“Oh yeah? You want a collar that says ‘Property of Cloud Strife’?”

Sephiroth leaned back to look up at him. “Yes, I do. I want everyone to know, at a glance, who I belong to.”

“You want a bigger declaration of ownership than a wedding ring, and taking my last name?” Cloud smirked. “You’re such a simp, babe.”

“I know you’re being ironic, but I like when you call me babe, too,” Sephiroth said, pulling him down for a kiss.

“Gross, get a room!” came a voice from the entrance of the tent.

“This is our room,” Cloud rejoined. “Why don’t you knock, before you go barging into off-limits areas.”

“You ever try knocking on a tent flap? Besides, I’m your mother, no areas are off-limits to me. Hey, Seph, you look beautiful.” Claudia narrowed her sky-blue eyes suspiciously. “Radiant, even. You’re not pregnant, are you? Am I a shotgun grandmother?”

“Tch, you’re one to judge,” Cloud snorted. “Where’s my stepfather? I need to tell him his woman is out of control.”

Just then, there was a tumult, at the tent flaps, as a white and grey dog came barreling through, pursued closely by two men, who stumbled over each other trying to prevent the animal running inside, and wound up tumbling in after it.

Ignoring the cries of “Nalu! Nalu, no!” the intrepid canine leapt blithely into the lap of the white-clad groom, and proceeded to enthusiastically demonstrate its feelings, via big, slobbery kisses, all over his face.

“Apologies, brother and brother-in-law,” the younger of the two men said, as the older one pulled him to his feet. “Nalu is not well behaved. He has shamed his father.”

“Aw, he’s just happy to see his bestest friend,” the older man refuted, in the dog’s defense. “Don’t gotta bring family honor into it.”

“It’s only an idiom, that doesn’t quite translate,” Sephiroth clarified. He had risen to his feet, still holding the full-sized dog in his arms (though it didn’t look like more than a lapdog, since he was so much bigger than a regular person, himself). “How have you been, Glenn? I trust you’re taking good care of my mother-in-law?”

“Clearly not,” Cloud piped up. “She’s running wild all over my wedding, breaking into private tents, and accusing people of being pregnant.”

“Look at you, Cloudy boy!” Glenn said, with a bluff, paternal slap on the back. “All grown…well, not up, since you’re not a hair taller than you were last time I saw ya, but grown older!”

“Thanks,” Cloud grumbled, crossing his arms.

Glenn was already patting Sephiroth on the large, muscular shoulder, looking him appreciatively up and down. “Seph, you haven’t grown in years, but that’s probably for the best. I used to think you’d just keep growing and growing, till you had to live in the ocean, like one of those giant sea monsters.”

“That’s enough out of you, you old clod,” his wife chided. “Comparing my son-in-law to a giant sea monster, on his special day!”

“Sorry, Seph. I meant one of those giant sea creatures.”

“You!” Claudia hmphed, while Glenn snickered at his own joke.

“It is good to see you, my friend,” Sephiroth was saying to the dog, much in the same tone he’d use to address an adult human, as he set it on its feet. “But you are no longer a pup. Now that you have inherited Refu’s position, you must act judiciously, and set a good example for the younger generation.”

The dog stopped thrashing its tail and sat up straight on its haunches, putting on such a solemn air, that everyone burst out laughing (except Sephiroth, who only smiled mildly). While the others were busy admiring the dog, he stepped over to greet the person, who’d come in with Glenn.

The formerly skinny teenaged boy had become a beautiful young man, in the intervening years, with deeply sun-bronzed skin, and a slender, agile frame. He was dressed in Rhadore’s traditional celebratory garb, and his long, sable-brown hair had beads and colorful ribbons braided in, here and there. His eyes were the same as always. Dark and profound as the deep ocean, seeming to be burdened with cares far beyond his years.

“Rosen.” Sephiroth’s smile didn’t falter, as they clasped hands, but there was something searching and almost desolate, in his gaze. “How…how is everything, on your islands?”

“Things are stable, thank you,” the other young man answered, with a nod. “You need not worry. You know I would alert you, the moment anything felt wrong with the Planet’s energy. My adoptive parents live there, too, after all.”

“And your people?”

“Flourishing. The WRO’s assistance has allowed us to build better hospitals and schools, while paying proper respect to our traditions, and our natural environment. You are quite the hero, on Rhadore. There are even talks of naming the new university after you.”

“I wish they wouldn’t,” Sephiroth frowned, casting his eyes down. “I’m just a foreigner with a lot of money, who saw opportunities to invest in Rhadore’s development. I don’t deserve any such honors.”

“Not even you believe that,” Rosen said, smiling faintly. “Besides, you have now married into our tribe. Your parents-in-law are naturalized Rhadoran citizens. And I, the Eye of Rhadore, am your brother-in-law. As far as the Rhadorans are concerned, you are one of our own.”

Cloud’s mother was fussing with his hair, and Glenn was saying something about the hotel beds on the continent being too soft, so the others weren’t paying attention to them, at the moment.

“Do you remember the day we met?” Sephiroth asked, in a lower tone, using the Rhadoran native tongue.

“How could I forget?” Rosen answered, in the same way. “That was the day everything changed.”

“Sometimes, it seems that not so many years have gone by, and at other times…that past seems so distant.”

“It was another life, my brother.” As he looked up into Sephiroth’s eyes, Rosen’s words seemed freighted with some hidden meaning, only intelligible to the two of them. “All that matters now, is what we do with the lives we’ve been given.”

Glenn and Claudia’s jovial chatter, interspersed here and there with Cloud’s monosyllabic responses, was interrupted, just then, by someone clearing their throat, at the entrance to the tent. It was a man in a fashionably streamlined black suit, with long, black hair, pulled neatly back at the crown of his head.

“What the—how long have you been standing there, Tseng?” Cloud demanded.

“Long enough,” Tseng answered mysteriously. “I came to inform you and the Commander that President Tuesti and Vice President Shinra have arrived.”

“It’s about time they showed up,” Claudia said disapprovingly. “I can’t believe that man let Tifa travel here, all by herself, this close to her due-date.”

“No need to worry, ma’am,” Tseng assured her. “The Turks have been keeping a close watch over Mrs. Shinra, in the Vice President’s absence. She is in good spirits, and Ms. Gainsborough and Knight Fair were with her, when I last checked.”

“Why are those two so late, anyway?” Glenn asked. “Not a good look for the heads of the WRO to miss two of the founding members’ wedding.”

“They apologize for their tardiness, but their negotiations with the Wutaian king went long,” Tseng explained. “Or so they claim. From the smell of them, I’d say they were all drinking together, again.”

“Wutaian king—they didn’t bring that lunatic princess back with them, did they?” Cloud asked, alarmed.

Tseng arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow. “How would I know? She’s a ninja.”

“Oh, Shiva, you’re right! She could be here, right now, for all we know!” He grabbed Sephiroth’s arm and peered anxiously about, as if expecting the lunatic princess in question to spring upon him, at any moment.

Sephiroth looked exceedingly amused. “Are you afraid of the little girl, my love?”

“Yes! You’re my husband, so this is your problem, too! You have to protect my honor!”

“Oh, honey, she just had a little crush on you,” Claudia admonished. “That was two years ago, anyway. I’m sure she’s gotten over it, by now.”

“A crush?! Is that what you call bursting out of trash cans and bushes, throwing shuriken at me, all the time? I still can’t walk past a dumpster without having a panic attack!”

“Not to call attention away from the important issue of Knight Strife being afraid of a teenaged girl,” Tseng interjected, “but I was asked by Commander Rhapsodos to cordially remind you that the guests are anxious to see the bride and groom.”

“Oh yeah?” Glenn laughed. “Which one is the bride?”

“Sephiroth is,” Cloud said.

“I am,” Sephiroth said, at the same time.

“Those were Commander Rhapsodos’ words, not mine,” Tseng replied diplomatically. “He also said, and I quote, ‘If they’re not in their places to cut the cake when it’s wheeled out here, I’ll cut it my goddamned self.’ Though, I doubt Director Valentine will allow that.”

Cloud made a face. “You calling our dad Director Valentine is super weird.”

“I always thought you calling him dad was kinda weird,” Glenn said, scratching his chin. “You know. Cause of you and Seph.”

“It’s perfectly natural that Cloud should address my father by a paternal epithet,” Sephiroth replied, coming to his husband’s defense. “He raised us as brothers, after all.”

“Thank you, Seph,” Cloud sighed. “Now it sounds even weirder.”

“You are most welcome,” Sephiroth answered blithely.

“Your dubiously fraternal relationship notwithstanding, paying proper respect to one’s elders—particularly one’s employers—is simply good manners,” Tseng maintained. “Director Valentine is a founder and majority stakeholder in the WRO, a former Turk, and my elder, by many, many, many years.”

“Would you like it if he called you Agent Tseng?” Cloud challenged.

“He does, and I do,” Tseng riposted.

There was a beat, then Cloud’s eyes went wide and he pointed an accusing finger at Tseng. “You—how could you! My pure, innocent mind! Keep your gross kinks to yourself!!”

“I meant nothing untoward by it,” Tseng said loftily. “But, you have given me an interesting idea.”

“Gah! Seph, make him stop!”

“Why should it trouble you that father and his partner are sexually adventurous? I, for one, am very happy for them.”

“I can’t believe you’re enabling this!”

“If only I could’ve enabled it, sooner,” Sephiroth lamented. “Agent Tseng was in love with him for years, but father is tragically dense. I’d begun to fear it would never happen.”

“What, really?” Cloud said, turning to Tseng. “You mean, you fell for him while you were spying on us for Shinra? Like a forbidden romance in a movie?”

“Not exactly. I had met him once, before that. When I was fourteen years old, I was sent on my first field assignment with the Turks, here in Kalm. Director Valentine, our target, held me at gunpoint, in an alley. I’ve known he was the one, since that day.”

“Aw, that’s beautiful, Tseng,” Claudia said, with a wistful smile. “Young love is so sweet.”

Cloud grimaced at his mother. “Most young love doesn’t involve threatening one another with firearms. Also, it’s only young love if they’re both young. Dad is old enough to be your father.”

“There seems to be some mystical significance to the age of fourteen,” Rosen mused. “So many of our futures have hinged on a moment, in that year of our lives.”

“Not mine,” Cloud said staunchly. “I’ve been on a steady trajectory, since I was six.”

“You’ve had like, thirty different jobs, honey,” Claudia reminded him.

“It’s called finding yourself, mother. And I was talking about my trajectory toward marrying Seph. I would’ve had a steady career a lot sooner, but he wouldn’t let me be a SOLDIER.”

“What I wouldn’t allow you to do was join Shinra’s private military, back in the days of children killing children, at the whims of a corporation,” Sephiroth said.

“See? He’s an ogre! He may as well lock me in a tower!”

“Nonsense. I made no objection to you becoming a Knight, the very moment you were old enough.”

“You say that, but every time I try to train with the others, everyone’s too scared to fight me seriously, because of you, so they just let me win.”

“No one lets you win, my love. I specifically forbade it. You’re simply stronger than they are.”

Cloud squinted doubtfully. “Even Weiss?”

“Have you ever beaten Weiss?”

“Well…no. But he doesn’t count, anyway, cause the Tsviets aren’t really Knights. Speaking of which, your creepy half-brother is always giving me the evil eye, when I go down there. I don’t think he likes me, very much.”

“He dislikes all humans,” a new voice said, as the tent flap was pushed open, yet again. “But you’ve no need to worry about Nero. He and Weiss will not break the oath they swore, to me.”

“Father!” Sephiroth beamed, hurrying to embrace Vincent, just as he always did, any time they’d been apart for more than a few hours.

“Oh hey, dad, come right in. Literally everyone else has,” Cloud groused.

Vincent was dressed in a gorgeously made Victorian suit, in jet black, and matching short cape, lined with crimson brocade. Under the fitted waistcoat he wore a blood-red shirt and cravat, upon which gleamed a little silver locket, on a chain.

“Congratulations, Seph, Cloud,” he said warmly. “I’m so happy for you. As are many other people. You boys are neglecting your guests.”

Cloud was the picture of injured innocence. “It’s not our fault! Your fiancée came in here and started talking about his weird kinks, and everyone got sidetracked!”

“In that case, I’m sorry to have missed it,” Vincent remarked, as Tseng slipped an arm around his waist. “Hurry and come out. Everyone’s waiting.”

Claudia and Glenn went out after Vincent and Tseng, followed by Rosen and a very serious, well-behaved Nalu.

Before they followed the others, Cloud stopped at the entrance of the tent, and took Sephiroth’s hand in his, looking up at him, with sparkling eyes. “This is it. Are you ready to face the world, as Sephiroth Valentine Strife?”

Sephiroth smiled, pulling him closer. “Everything I have done, has been with the hope of living this moment, with you. I have been ready for a hundred lifetimes.”

“Wow,” Cloud said. “You are…so fucking dramatic.”

“I suppose I am. It does run in the family, after all. Ah? Are those tears, my love?”

“No! Shut up!”

“Yes, I think they are.”

“I was chopping onions! I mean, an eyelash got in my eye! No—Seph, put me down! Seph!”

🎊🎊🎊🎊THE END🎊🎊🎊🎊

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY 

This is a Steller's Jay. Tell me this bird is not literally Zack

LOOK AT ITS LIL HAIRDO AND EVERYTHING 

Tseng and Vincent got married in a private ceremony, performed in the traditional Wutaian style, three months later, with only family in attendance. Tifa had twin boys, neither of whom were named after her husband's horrible and long-deceased father. Zack and Aerith got married the next year, in spring.   And they all lived happily ever after.

[diabloku]

How about that drink?

You read my mind ~ 🥂

Canon slow burn yall

[blconnoisseur]

Honestly I didn’t expect anything less of Jaekyung’s shittiness I’m just glad he didn’t punch the lights out of Dan of trying to be lovey dovey BUT i was also re-reading Red Candy’s epilogue and DAMN Hajun leaving his car by the side of the road to sprint to Shihyeon’s house just to confess his feelings again and propose to him LIKE???

Honestly I dropped Red Candy when it first came out cuz I thought it was dumb and like any other BL and in a way it still is BUT mannn when Hajun travelled halfway across the world to look for Shihyeon, just wanting to listen to Shihyeon’s voice as Sh was telling him to fuck off whjsjdkjr and when he picked up Sh when Sh was half dead EYE- JWJEJFJKFKFK real love????? Crazy love??? From a former fuckboy 😭😭😭

[pancakemolybdenum]

happy bday!! suit suit for u on this lovely 413

jake

dirk

roxy

alpha kids

beta kids from last year

[rileyclaw]

new TOH animatic on my channel!

[ahhrenata]

for @hamartia-grander ‘s fic Another Time 🧡

this scene in the epilogue got me 🙃 i love them.

[astranauticus]

Director of the False Last Act

[akiacia]

cake night highlights

[spacetimeaccordionfolder]

I love the intersection of Narrator and character. Character who is the narrator or a narrator who is also a character but not the main character. Guy in the corner who announces what will happen and also gets boo'd or high five by the main characters. Exists in the 4th wall but sees through it. Or perhaps exists outside the 4th wall but peaks in and says hi. The characters say hi back. Sometimes the Narrator is all knowing. Sometimes they only know a little, perhaps the script or what has previously happened. Sometimes the Narrator character is kind and helps the other characters along. Sometimes they laugh in the other characters faces. There is a chart here that I haven't conceptualized yet.

Some examples:

The narrator in Into The Woods

Alan-A-Dale/ the Rooster in Robin Hood

Hoid/ Wit in the Cosmere

Steve/ The Jester from Galavant

Also the Head Monk from Galavant

the Narrator from Winnie the Pooh

The Narrator from Word Girl

If you can think of other examples, please add!

[polarsirens]

an epilogue to the epilogues

[an0nymousmessenger]

When the Sun Rises Again

Five Hargreeves x Reader Synopsis: In which you see a familiar boy with a mannequin at a park after saving the world. Word Count: 2.7k tags. Fluff, Comfort, s4 epilogue continued, more than friends less than lovers A/n: A little continuation of the epilogue of when you see Delores in the end credits with an unidentified person ao3 link

On August 8, 2024, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. It would be no exaggeration to say that this day was completely normal. The sun was shining, and the weather was the best it had been in a long time.

The wind blew gently, rustling the nearby trees and bushes in this small sanctuary.

It was a nice afternoon in August, perfect for people enjoying their outings at a small, lesser-known park. Picnics dotted the grassy areas, and people strolled together, enjoying each other's company.

Laughter filled the air as children chased each other in a harmless game of tag. A couple walked their dog, deep in conversation. Nearby, a man led a meditation session among a group, while a woman sat with her daughter, braiding her hair.

The moment seemed fragile and almost unreal, at least to the eyes of the newcomer. It was a tranquility you weren’t quite used to, and you found yourself struggling to take it all in. Still, you continued forward, focused on one main objective.

You passed the meditating group, the mother and daughter, and many other familiar faces you didn't dare acknowledge. Everything seemed to slow, as if memories from a past time were beginning to overlap.

In the midst of all this, by a rather old but beautiful tree, a few gentle marigolds grew from within the ground, sprouting out enchantingly, showing off their petals to the world. They shined golden, and perhaps with a little magic too.

You took your hands in the pockets of your light jacket as you walked casually with your new sneakers through the grass.

Eventually, you stopped in your tracks, and stared at a specific pair, glowing in the summer’s light. You hesitated, your breath caught up in your throat as some unfamiliar feeling began to bubble in your chest, threatening to overspill.

You wondered if it would be okay to disturb them, questioning whether you should just stay still and take in the scene a little longer. Just for a while. After all, time was on your side this time.

You squinted, fighting against the bright summer glare.

You looked onward, afraid that if you closed your eyes even for a second, the scene in front of you would disappear—that the feeling of the wind and sun had been just your imagination. That the boy sitting there with a gentle expression, one you’d only seen a few times in your life, would vanish with the wind. Fleeting, and brief.

As if he were never there.

A sweet but deceiving dream.

Even if it were a dream, you would be satisfied because, to you, everything was fine. Everything was as it should be.

But alas, the tangy summer scent was real, and the reality you were currently walking through was undeniably real.

So incredibly real.

It was terrifying.

The sun’s warmth shone generously on the pair—a boy who seemed to be in his teens, accompanied by a rather unique mannequin that only had its upper body. They sat at a plain table, enjoying each other’s company.

The boy held a newspaper in one hand and a cup of black coffee in the other. Another cup sat by an empty seat, while the mannequin rested by a nearby tree.

At first glance, it almost seemed as if the two were having a pleasant conversation. The boy looked relieved, his shoulders relaxed, legs crossed in comfort as his dark eyes browsed the weekly news.

It seemed as if he had no worries on his mind, no stress or problems weighing on him. Although his eyes still carried that tired look. It was a look not commonly found in the kids his age. Some would even go on to suggest his eyes give off the feeling the boy was much older than he let on.

But even if that were true, they had nothing to prove such a statement.

You took in this sight with a little sigh, a mental click, as if forcing yourself to capture this moment and lock it away in your heart, hiding it carefully from the world before anything else tried to take it away.

Just in case.

Just for safe measure.

You looked around again before making your way toward the empty seat opposite the newspaper-reading boy. He wore a plain white collared shirt, the top buttons undone, paired with simple dark shorts, giving him a youthful yet old-fashioned look.

As you approached, the boy noticed you and looked up, raising a questioning brow, which greatly amused you.

You gave a small smile before asking in a rather level voice, “Is anyone sitting here?”

“Well, it’s not exactly occupied, now is it?”

A familiar tone of dryness, tinted with a grain of sarcasm, dripped from the boy’s reply.

Your smile grew as you pulled your hands out of your pockets and gestured toward the seat. “Then do you mind?”

The boy, usually armed with harsh and sharp remarks, shook his head.

You sat down and picked up the cup, noticing that it contained your favorite drink, as if the boy in front of you knew something you didn’t. As if he had almost expected you to come and find him.

You brought the cup to your mouth, took a sip, then another, before gingerly setting it down back upon the table, a warm feeling spreading in your chest. Then, you took another look around.

This time, your attention was mainly on the boy in front of you, who seemed a little out of place in such a peaceful setting. The wind gently tousled his hair and rustled his shirt, causing him to clutch the newspaper a little tighter, pretending to be uninterested.

You decided to also pretend you didn’t notice his occasional glances toward you. You pretended you didn’t notice the searching look in his eyes, a habit he tended to have when he hadn’t seen you in a while. A habit of his that you would keep to yourself, hidden away from the dangers of the world.

“It’s a nice day, isn’t it?”

The boy sighed, looking away while taking a sip of his black coffee. “If you say so.”

You leaned against the table, one arm supporting one side of your face as you put on what he dubbed your ‘shit-eating grin’. “Why don’t you play with the kids over there? You know, kids your age.”

With a sharp, unamused glare, he responded, "I'd rather chew on concrete," his voice flat and unamused.

You huffed in your seat. “Somehow, even on such a nice day, you still manage to make it old and boring.”

"Maybe if you raised your standards, you’d actually appreciate reading the newspaper and having a simple drink while at it. But I won’t hold my breath."

“Prick.”

“Amateur.”

You sat up, narrowing your eyes. “Hey, says the one who looks like a–”

“One more word and I’ll have you up in that tree over there.”

“...”

You smirked, leaning in. “As if you could stand being apart from my charming company.”

He rolled his eyes, but a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Aren’t we full of ourselves today?”

“What? Can’t I enjoy myself on such a lovely morning?”

He scoffed, glancing away from your teasing expression, and mumbled under his breath, “I suppose some people have to.”

You look at the boy, the way he was looking away from you as the tips of his ears turn a slight red. You twirl the cup in your hands that contains your preferred drink, the one you usually order when out and about, and can’t help but think to yourself:

What a liar.

Though, you guess you’ll cut the boy some slack, he after all has worked quite hard for way too many years to count. You’ll let him have this one, just this one.

And so, instead of teasing him anymore, you rest your hand on your elbows and stare at the scenery of the park, soaking in his presence and the fact that he is finally here with you.

He was here safe and sound.

Ah. You suppose you were both liars.

“You're doing it again,” spoke the boy out of the blue.

You turned towards him with a cheeky smile, “What exactly am I doing?”

“That ridiculous face.”

You rolled your eyes and stuck out your tongue, “Bleh,”

He gave you a disgusted look as if he couldn’t believe you’d done something so childish, but you couldn’t care less. After everything you’d both been through, you deserved to indulge in such small matters.

Certainly, it was not the end of the world, was it?

He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose before muttering, “I can’t believe I somehow have to put up with you…”

And yet, he made no attempt to move. Instead, he seemed to settle even more comfortably into his park chair.

You paused for a moment, taking in his ‘I’m seriously done with you’ expression before adding, “Yeah, and I’m a grumpy teenager who’s emotionally constipated in apparently every timeline.”

The boy shot you an unamused glare. “I'm not.”

"Yeah, you are."

"Idiot."

His retort was lacking in bite, something you’d come to recognize as his way of showing that he couldn’t find anything harsher to say.

“Fine! Then ask her,” you said, pointing at the mannequin beside him.

The boy let out an exasperated sigh, clearly used to your antics, before turning toward the object of your pointing.

“Delores doesn’t think so.”

"Oh yeah? Is that what she really said?"

He put on a sly grin. "Why don't you ask her yourself and find out?"

You turned toward the mannequin, playing along. "Has he been mistreating you while I've been away?"

He took a sharp breath, his voice dripping with mock indignation. "How dare you insinuate such an outrageous—"

“Oh, you’ll live,” you muttered as you took another sip from the cup.

“Prick.”

“Ass.”

“Annoying.”

“...”

You and he shared a small staring contest before you broke into a fit of laughter. The childish insults hadn’t been lost on either of you despite the years. Even with his usual sharp and witty remarks, it seemed that your banter had devolved into a playful exchange, bringing you both back to simpler times.

He looked at you with an exasperated expression, but couldn’t hide the corners of his mouth from twitching upwards.

But of course, you were unable to see this, too caught up in your own little laugh. This also caused you to miss the way he had briefly looked at you, as if he too were saving this moment in his mind, causing his usually sharp persona to soften, if only slightly. He’d never admit it, not in a hundred years.

The laughter died down, and you noticed the silence that settled over you. You looked up at the boy, finding him already looking at you. A comfortable silence enveloped the three of you, including the mannequin, and you couldn’t help but let out a soft smile.

And he looked at your smile, one that he would never tell you that it made him want to look away as a burning feeling crept up his ears. He’ll never tell you he noticed the light in your eyes as you did so, the way your eyes looked at him made him feel some sort of way. He’ll never tell you it was that smile, along with everything else, that had him crawling through time to get back to you, to see it again.

To see you and his family again, alive and well.

He’ll never tell you that he missed that smile, and he often wondered when he would see it again. He would never tell you that he had gone to your favorite coffee shop and bought two drinks instead of one, he’ll never tell you he had been sitting here all morning, waiting.

Instead, you two simply shared the silence in the distance.

Perhaps at another time, you would do something about this silence, you would reach out, and touch upon all the things you two were too afraid to say.

Perhaps one day, this silence would allow the two of you to be vulnerable without hesitation and caution. And perhaps one day, you’ll be able to reach over to take and take his hand in yours, to invite him to dance with you in the late of night or rain. You’ll both wear a smile, perhaps a tired smile, but a smile nonetheless, and you’ll both be listening to the best 90s bangers of the ages on an old record player.

But at least for today, the two of you will take your time.

Because today, you’d enjoy each other’s presence and the trivial banter. After all, you had all the time in the world.

It had been a while since you last bickered with the boy, much less joked and laughed. It was nice. 

Really nice.

Was it sad to say that this was all you ever wanted? To sit down, share a drink, and talk about useless and stupid things? That you wouldn’t trade this for the world, that you would fight to keep this moment in your hands.

The boy looked back at you before straightening his newspaper, effectively regaining your attention.

“Stop zoning out.”

“My bad.”

He rolled his eyes, muttering something along the lines of how he didn’t go through all that shit just for you to start staring into space and feeling sad or whatnot.

Your foot brushed against his for a brief moment. At first, you meant to pull it back, but instead, you left it there to gauge his reaction. He didn’t move his foot away, and you couldn’t tell if he was ignoring it or deliberately letting it stay there.

You stare at him, silently, before a question tumbles its way from your mind and to your lips, “Are you happy?”

The question lingered in the air between the two of you, like an untouched subject that none of you had dared to ask in the past. It was out of reach back then, and there had been much more pressing things to be worrying about.

And maybe, just maybe, that between you and him, one of these days you can truly rest. It’ll be a day just like today, and the distance between the two of you will be like a distant memory, and you can once again lean on him, as you had always done, and he can melt into you, as he had once done before.

The boy looked away from you and into the distance, observing the lively park as the sun enveloped him in the warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Nothing was out of the ordinary—if you didn’t count the teenage-looking boy drinking coffee with his mannequin and the newspaper he was reading in the middle of a park.

He looked down and smiled, the sun gently caressing his features as a genuine smile graced his face, but of course, it wouldn’t be him if he didn’t try to hide it as he answered in a soft uncharacteristic voice, “Yeah…yeah I am.”

You looked at him, seeing the way he was trying to hide his emotions, and rolled your eyes. It seemed no matter the time or place, he was still the same, and for that, you couldn’t have asked for more.

Perhaps, in a way, this meant the future was bright. That a time would come when this tranquility, so unfamiliar now, would become all you know. Even if today was just the beginning.

You took another sip from the cup and smiled.

“I’m glad.”

Extra.

"Hey, you should tell me where you got these drinks."

"What now?"

He rolled his eyes, feigning uninterest.

"Seriously! I know you bought these for me."

He continued flipping through the pages of the newspapers.

"Oh, did I? And what if I said they’re for Delores?"

You held up the drink.

"Delores prefers lattes, not this."

"Does she? How fascinating."

"Prick!"

He set the newspaper aside and gave you an amused look.

“Fine. I’ll take you there next time. Happy now?”

You don’t point out that this was his way of admitting he did buy the drinks with you in mind, but you’re too content to press the issue. You decided to let him off the hook... again.

[shinakazami1]

Birthday boy!!

[ryuki-draws]

Slowly becoming yourself again

[madness-and-folly]

and then they lived happily ever after <3

[khytal]

puyo puyo tetris is great because it's a competitive puzzle game where characters fight each other with squishy blobs and/or tetriminos while yelling a variety of themed words/phrases which is very silly but there's one guy who shouts "DARK RHOMBUS" and I can only interpret that as "BEHOLD MY EVIL AND FUCKED UP QUADRILATERAL"

[carpathiians]

im just drawing whatever now