#happy early birthday to my good pal

[vaguely-lavender-er]

This ending… it kinda left my heart shattered I won’t lie

[silverselfshippingchaos]

it's the 23rd... you know what that means...

Happy Ash Day!

[lowkeyrobin]

Oneshot where reader is Stevie's Older sibling and it gets angsty cause of the car crash and Stevie fucking DIES which then leads to reader basically lashing out on both their mom and beother and then blames fuckshit and is basically screaming because stevie was basically their child and is just crying over Stevie's body🧍(I made this too angsty for no reason...)

-♣️

you're crazy for this wth. ; listen to is it really you by loathe for this one ; also happy birthday to me!!! I'm 16 now 😔🙏

STEVIE ; is it really you?

summary ; in the crash, your little brother stevie is killed

warnings ; language, sexual jokes/innuendos, car crash, death, fighting

disclaimers ; no romance/all platonic, no established relationship other than siblingship between reader and stevie ; reader and stevie have different fathers obviously so you can look whatever you want to look like

track ; is it really you?, loathe

word count ; 2.6k

masterlist

"C'mon, c'mon! You can do it!"

"Oh my God, I did it!"

"You fucking did it!"

"I did it!"

Stevie runs to you, pummeling you into a hug. You spin him around, his feet of the ground as he laughs and smiles.

"You did it! I told you that you could!"

"I did it!"

He was able to figure out how to balance himself on his hand-me-down boogie board from Ian. He'd been practicing on the side of the road basically all night, trying to figure out how to ride it and not fall off within five seconds.

He looks up at you, a smile painting his face. His bare chest is sweaty, his little prepubescent body heaving as he begs his lungs for air. He hugs you again, burying his face in your chest, as he's much smaller than you.

"Thank you" He mumbles

"For what?" You ask, an eyebrow raised in confusion as you pat his back, just under his left shoulder blade. "You're the one who did it"

"For believing in me, and taking care of me" He answers, looking up at you again. "Love you"

"Love you too, kiddo"

"Ew, don't call me that" He chuckles.

"Sorry, I un-hipped myself. I'm not a cool kid anymore." You dramatically sigh, throwing your hands up in defense.

"You're so weird"

"Don't say that to the one who feeds and clothes you, little man"

"Don't be such a dick, Ian" You grumble, pouring some milk into your bowl of cereal. "We all know it was you"

"Shut the fuck up!" He whisper-shouts, like your mother would ever believe his word over yours or your youngest brother's. "Who eats cereal for dinner at nine?"

"Me, because I have a job, Ian. You should invest in one. Use your time wisely." You reply, an attitude lacing your each and every word.

"Shut the fuck u-"

"I'm paying for that dumbass field trip, pal. Close your mouth." You sternly speak, getting him to effectively shut up.

Your mother turns back to him and sends Stevie into the kitchen with you. You can hear her quietly scolding and grounding him, which he tries to fight and continue blaming Stevie to no avail.

You give the little boy a smile, "How's your day?"

"Good." He smiles, "I met these guys at the skate shop on fifth. I didn't skate or anything, but I think they like me."

"Awe, that's good, Stevie." You lightly smile, holding the milk up in a questionable form with a look on your face, silently asking if he wanted any. "Did I tell you about that chick Angela that I work with?"

He nods to the cereal, then shakes his head to the question.

"Oh my God, okay, so there's this kid... ugh.." You reach up in the cabinet for another bowl while he sits down at the table. "I dunno his name, but she's got some crush on him and will never shut up about it. Like, I'm not your friend, you probably would've bullied me if I was your age"

"Wasn't she the girl who stole your lunch?" Stevie asks.

"Yes! And I'm still mad about it"

You serve Stevie his cereal and head to bed once you're done, having been exhausted by your day at work, plus you had to get up early for a double.

You're awoken from your slumber around 11:30, hearing some sort of grunting across the hall. These walls were paper thin. You were praying it wasn't your mom in her room with some random man again. But these didn't sound like pleasurable sounds, they sounded painful.

You slowly raise your head from your pillow, confusion hitting you like a brick at this hour. The next grunt is louder, leading your suspicion that the sound was coming from your mom's room to be false. You stand up, walk out into the hall, and determine the location of the sound was in Stevie's room.

"You better not be jerking it this loudly, dude," you think, slowly and quietly placing your hand on the doorknob.

You push the door open and look over at Stevie's bed, a mattress on the floor. You see Ian over Stevie, repetitively punching him in the stomach.

"What the fuck?" You exclaim, "Ian! Get the fuck off of him!"

You rush to the youngest boy's aid, pulling the older boy off of him. Ian fights back, the both of you tussling in the middle of the bedroom. He yells in pain as you punch him in the nose, and Stevie runs up to try and separate you two. Your mother then runs in, probably having been awoken by your shouting.

She pulls you away from Ian and you see Stevie fall back onto his bed, clearly scared.

"What in the hell is going on in here?!"

"Mom, calm down-"

"I'm not calming down! Your brother is being given drugs by a group of older boys, probably your age!" She yells, her hand tightly gripping around Stevie's wrist.

"Mom, I'll go down there myself, you're gonna be late"

"No, you're not! You do everything to keep him out of facing the consequences of his actions. He's not going back there again!" She exclaims, pulling him toward the door.

"Make her listen to you" You whisper to him.

You watch the front door slam shut, leaving you and Ian alone in the home. You walk back to your room and grab your keys and wallet, preparing to go to work.

You look out the window, seeing your mom pulling out of the driveway, Stevie in the passengers seat with the most miserable look on his face.

"Christ, Stevie"

He didn't come home that night, but you wouldn't have known since you were working the graveyard shift. Even the next day, you hadn't heard from him at all. You just hoped that he was out skating with his friends, and making good decisions.

You had the day off, thank God. You decided to make dinner before any of the three came home from work or hanging out with friends. By five, you passed out on the couch thanks to the night shift and your exhaustion, plus the melatonin you'd taken to stay asleep.

At one in the morning, you're ripped from your sleep as the phone rings. You groan as it rings again, and stand up to answer whoever oh-so-desperately needed you at this God forsaken hour.

You pick up the phone and hold it to your ear, the sleep inside your brain about to consume you "Suljic residence"

"Hello, is this... Dabney Suljic?"

"Uh, no. This is her eldest kid, I can leave a message?"

"We'd prefer if you or she could come down to the hospital. You can get a hold of your mother here, Stevie was in an accident with some friends. We need papers signed by a legal adult and/or guardian"

Your eyes widen, your brain immediately waking up. 'What? Holy shit, is he okay?"

The man urges you to get down to the hospital, which you do after shoving shoes onto your feet and grabbing a jacket. Every minute that passed felt like an hour, an hour that you could be missing of your little brother's last breathes. You just wanted him to be okay, even if he was hooked up to machines forcing him to breathe and for his heart to keep pumping just a little longer.

You quickly speed through the automatic doors of the building and run to the reception desk, asking where he is and what happened. Apparently, the boys he'd been telling you about had been giving him drugs and alcohol, and the driver, at least, was driving under the influence, and the car flipped.

Now, your brother was living off of life support.

You weren't able to see him, and had to sit in the waiting room. You used every single quarter you had in your car to urgently call your mom, calling around at all her jobs, the home phone, the bar, even. With no answer after ringing the home phone again, and with no quarters left, you sit down, your leg bouncing like crazy.

Your head rests in your hands, tears streaming down your cheeks.

Your brother, basically your own son, was laying in the ER, and you had no idea of the extent to his injuries.

You watch the other boys, his friends, you guessed, walk out of the elevator, and come down to the waiting room. You sit next to the payphone and hope for any call to ring at the front desk, hoping it was your mom, or even Ian for all you cared.

The group of boys sit a little ways away from you, scratches and bruises littering their bodies. You walk back out to your car and scrape a few quarters from your middle console and rush back in, dialing the home phone again.

No answer.

408-299-2929

Finally, a fucking answer.

"Mom? Ian?"

"It's Mom, are you okay, Y/n?" Your mom asks.

"Did you not hear me call the phone fourteen fucking times?" You ask, "Fuck, Stevie is in the hospital. Get down here ASAP, please"

You hang the phone up and sit back down, leaving the spare quarters on top of the machine for others to use. You notice the boys all looking at you, considering your little outburst.

"Sorry," you mumble to them, leaning back in the plastic seat, eyes still on the floor.

"What do you mean he's dead?"

"He's gone, Y/n" Your mother speaks to you, tears falling down her cheeks.

Ian rushes out of the room, headed toward the bathroom, hopefully to have some empathy for once.

You look back at Stevie, laying lifeless in the hospital bed. He looks so peaceful, even with tubes running down his throat and wires stuck to his chest. His chest isn't rising slowly anymore like he was just asleep, he was just... there.

Dabney steps out of the way, as you'd been asleep when he flatlined, due to your exhaustion and overwhelming anxiety. You slowly stagger into the room, having it all to yourself.

The boys outside watch as you step in, shame and disappointment painting their eyes. The curly haired blonde is obviously the most shameful, being in himself for causing this. He'd hurt not only Stevie but Dabney, Ian, and you as well.

You stand next to the little boy's bed, and take a long look at his lifeless body. A hand runs through his fluffy brown hair, which circles down to rest behind his ear and on his jawline.

Tears fall from your eyes as you lean down, your other hand resting under his jaw.

What kind of last words were "make her listen to you"? He deserved better, especially from you.

"I love you, Stevie. I'm so proud of you. I'm-" You choke on your sobs, "I'm gonna miss you. I'm gonna miss you coming home and telling me all about your day, and going to the fair with you, and buying you snacks at the gas station"

He doesn't answer, his body becoming colder and much more pale over time.

"I'm never going to forget you, okay? Everywhere I go, everything I do, you'll be there. You'll see the world and what it had to offer you, kiddo."

You hug his cold body, wanting to imagine his arms happily wrapping around you again like he just successfully did his first kickflip again. But he never wraps his arms around you with a smile. His laughter only echoes in your mind.

You pull away and place a kiss on his forehead like you did when he was little, when you'd tuck him into bed all the way up til he was ten or so.

"Goodnight, I love you"

Not adding the "see you tomorrow" shattered your heart into a million pieces as you stepped outside, trying to keep your tears contained.

You wrap your arms around your mom, seeing her still crying as she was waiting for you. She gives you a little nod, needing to sign a million papers confirming his death and plans for everything else.

You sit down where you were at earlier, seeing the group of boys looking at you. The first to approach you is a dark-skinned boy with locs, wearing a blue hoodie and dark pants.

"Are you Y/n?" He asks softly, sitting next to you.

You nod.

"Sunburn told us a lot about you. I'm sorry for your loss"

"It's okay" You nod, wiping the tears from your eyes while you could. "Uhm, sorry, who are you?"

"Oh, he was uh, friends with us. Skate group," He clarifies. "My name's Ray"

"What... happened?" You ask him, "Like, what was his last day like" You speak quietly, almost too scared to hear it.

"Uhm, your mom brought him over to Motorz, went all crazy about drugs and the fingering-"

"Fingering?" You ask with confusion.

"Uh, I'll tell you about that another time, yeah?"

You nod, begging for him to continue.

"I talked to him for a while after he was done throwing his board around all upset. We skated til maybe ten, fell asleep on a fountain, and used our boards as pillows. Next morning, we went back to get with the others and go to a skater meetup type thing. A bunch of skaters and friends meet up to do drugs, smoke, drink and shit."

You nod, fidgeting with your fingers a bit.

"He got mad fucked up, thank Fuckshit" He mumbles, glaring at the curly haired blonde a few feet away. "Uh, got in a little fight with Ruben" He points over at a boy in a grey sweatshirt, hair buzzed. "Uh, got him to chill out with Fourthgrade for a while til the sun set" He looks back at another boy, about his age, with bleached hair and some pink streaks in it.

"Is that when...?"

He nods. "I tried to just get Fuckshit to take everyone home, we were all miserable, he wouldn't listen. He could barely keep his eyes open, and..."

You nod. "Thank you. I needed to hear it in detail, they wouldn't tell me shit"

He nods again, rubbing your shoulder as a sign of comfort. You could tell he'd gone through something similar like this, it was all spoken in his heartbroken eyes.

Fuckshit walks over, a look of self shame, regret, and sadness in his eyes. "Sorry, I'm Fuckshit. I just wanted to say sorry for your loss, and I wanted to share my condolences. " He speaks, hands tucked away in his pockets. He's clearly nervous, yet taking in your look as he'd never met the infamous Y/n that Stevie always talked about.

"He talked about you a lot, he really loved you, man. I'm so sorry-"

"Sorry for what?" You ask with a snarky tone. "Sorry for killing my brother? Sorry for taking away the only thing that kept me functioning in this fucked up world?"

He steps back a bit, not speaking for himself. He didn't want to cause any trouble, especially after what he did. His head hangs low as all of the boys look at him. Ray looks nearly disgusted.

"You're the kid who killed my brother?" You ask, standing up quickly as Ray follows your actions, trying to de-escalate the situation as much as he could.

Fuckshit solemnly nods.

"Go fuck yourself. I hope you learned your lesson, Fuckhead" You spit, quickly making your way toward the doors to go sit in your car and sob at eight in the morning.

Ray gives Fuckshit a gross look and a shake of the head before chasing after you, wanting to make sure you were alright. Fourthgrade sits quietly in his seat, fidgeting with his camera while Ruben next to him bites at his nails.

"Shit..."

[aziraphales-library]

Hi! I was wondering if you knew a fic where Muriel and Crowley are just like,, hanging out? Or if the soho gang (nina and maggie) comfort crowley or something? I really liked their dynamic in season two so I was wondering if there were any fics like that. thanks so much!!

Hello! We have a #crowley & muriel tag with a couple of posts. Here are some fics to add where Crowley spends time with Muriel, Nina, and Maggie...

The recovery of a bog body by Joseph_Amadeus (G)

On the third day of sitting in his car at the bottom of the Border Mires Crowley receives a prophetic vision — Dorothy Zbornak of The Golden Girls appears next to him, all gray curls and no-shit-taking attitude, and reminds him, as kindly as she can, that one shouldn't turn mourning into a way of life

Muriel And The Art Of Bookshop Maintenance by cosmic_day (G)

Muriel has taken over the bookshop, and is doing their best to run it, with helpful advice from Maggie and Nina, and occasional visits from the depressed demon who seems to come in a package deal with the bookshop. And for the first time in their life, they’re reading a book, a book called The Crow Road. All of it is new, and exciting, and wonderful, but it is quite a lot for one 37th class scrivener to handle.

Angels Like These by slapsticks (T)

They shifted back as Crowley stood up, smiling, "You know what? Forget about–all of this, Constable, I think I'll be going now." He declared, shoving the teacup into the startled officer's hands. "You know me, I've got errands, that terrible demon-y stuff," The cup and saucer clanked together as Muriel struggled to hold them. "But – you just arrived," They protested, almost sadly. "I'm..." The words died on their tongue. "Mhm, yeah-huh," Replied Crowley, hardly listening, or at least trying not to, sauntering towards the doors. "Nice seeing you – now, goodbye, for the forseeable future." "The forseeable future?" "For the forseeable future, Inspector!" in which crowley begins to form an unlikely bond with nina, maggie, and muriel ! birthday gift for my good buddy pal bro frank who basically wrote the last couple interactions with me and inspired the whole fic . i might be too dedicated. I Dont Care. happy birthday bro

In Nothing Else So Happy by Ducks Have Ears (NR)

"I count myself in nothing else so happy, as in a soul remembering my good friends." Richard II, Act 2, Scene 3 - Shakespeare Crowley had only ever had one friend and he was beginning to realise that maybe one friend simply wasn't enough. (Part two of the Crowley & Friends series)

That's What Friends Do by Barbarian_MP (NR)

Nina had found him, coming around the corner on her bicycle and at first not being at all surprised to see the car parked in front of her shop. The car seemed to be in that very spot on the daily. Little early for it to be there, sure, but maybe it had been there all night. She wasn’t all that worried about it until she noticed the car’s owner was inside, unmoving.

The F-Word by haleinedelail (T)

Post Series 2, how the living f**k is Crowley ever going to find solace or comfort? Whiskey? Coffee? Cursing? Antisocial behavior? Yes, all of the above. But HOPE is a puzzle that we all must put back together multiple times throughout our lives, and demons are no different. He will find it again, but it might take a village to get all the pieces together.

- Mod D

[fiiniaofficial]

Grekiska templet vid vårt gamla hem

The sketch itself is quite old now, and minor changes were made to it. I decided to not put in the flowers and removed the hanging leaves. Those were drawn in, but I liked it more without.

Thought colouring in those lilypads were going to be the end of me.

During this entire part I did not realize that the colours would look vastly different between my screens. The blue and purple hues looked so much brighter on the other screens.

When it finally came to colouring her, I was stuck on whether I wanted to keep the original idea or to change it up.

Did I want to keep the warmth in the middle so the focus would be on her? Or did I want to keep the colours fairly same all over the drawing instead, to make it all blend together?

Since the focus was the main point of everything, I kept it. During the time of the process I felt like I was doing the wrong choice, but the closer I got to the finish; the more I knew I chose right in the end.

Cue a little shading

Cue being stuck on neutral or warm tones

The biggest reason that I got stuck on this choice, is that the colours varied far too much between all screens. The warm tones looked good on the tablet, the neutral tones on my discord/roll20 screen and... both kind of looked bad on my main monitor for series and games.

So naturally I made it from two choices to four.

But hey! The lines went from black to coloured at least!

I had not drawn fairies in such a long time, so it felt a little off. When it comes to fairies I like making them flowing little stars, so that you can leave their looks up to your own imagination.

Cute enough to seem magical with those little stars.

Not too overly attention grabbing, but not too boring either.

I think that in the end, I liked them more when they only had one shade to them. But I didn't want them all to catch too much attention from her, just the one she was looking at since it's closer to her who is meant to be in focus.

I don't have a lot of screenshots of the process of this one, I ended up colouring most of this on separate discord streams. So comparing it from the start to finish...

My brother ended up helping me choose which of these four would be the main one to be posted everywhere.

There isn't much to be said about this honestly. This is a gift to a friend long gone, to you whom loved to draw

Girls with short hair and long dresses

Nature and water

Fairies and lilypads

I finished this much earlier than I had thought I would, so it is a little bit before your birthday still. Happy early birthday old pal. The memories we made by the lilypad river in the "magical forest" will forever be cherished.

In hindsight, maybe I should've drawn the eyes covered... You never did draw the eyes. "I haven't figured out how to draw those yet."

[obstinaterixatrix]

I have a friend whose favorite series is a•t, which, Yknow, I am trying so hard to be polite about having extremely different tastes. but I cherish & support her and when it comes to bday presents I’m either waiting for someone to express a need/want for smth during any time of the year & just buying it & going ‘happy early/late birthday’ OR I’m planning months in advance (& sometimes collaborating w/ folks) for The Perfect Present but I can never bring myself to get something I’m halfhearted on… I’ve been on & off scrolling thru mercari/ebay/amazon/aliexpress and feeling very Eh abt the quality/size/price and was almost close to just getting two small cheap but cute plushies (13 cm & 10 cm :/), then on ebay I saw smth that was 20cm (good size) and actually very cute, but it was like $50 for the plush & $20 for shipping and while I cherish my pal I am not dropping $70 on a plushie (AND ESPECIALLY NOT ON A•T MERCH). so I do a exact match search of the specific brand and find one (1) online store selling it for $20 (incl shipping) (they’re having a 20% off sale). which is suspiciously low so I made sure to look up reviews outside the site & it looks legit, so I’m gonna buy it & hope that even if it’s not legit it’ll be an acceptable quality bootleg, and if it isn’t even that then I still have a month and a half to get one of my backup plans. in a week we’ll see if I get a Perfectionism Win.

[awesomedurraworld]

Happy early Birthday! Congrats on another year older(soon). I’d love to get to know you better by asking questions for your birthday. That was a clever idea.

I really don’t know any good, interesting questions, but here we go anyway:

1. What is(are) you current favourite book and/or show? And what was(were) your first favourite book and/or show you can remember when you were younger?

2. If you could visit one place fictional or not without consequence, where would you choose? And on a side note, would it be a good place to have a birthday party? XD

3. Have writing and drawing always been some of your hobbies? And what are some your others that you find interesting?

4. Basic birthday question… What is your favourite cake flavour? And if you are like me and don’t like cake, what is your substitute?

5. Last question. I want to write you a gift fic for your birthday. What would you like for me to write for you? Tropes… Ideas… (Just note that the only fandom I know we share is fma)

Have a wonderful birthday!

thank you so much for sending your ask 🥹 and the birthday wishes! I hope yours was as magical as you wanted it last week 💖🫶🏻

okay, on to the questions!

Some of my favorite books and or tv shows! Funnily now, I don't read original books as much as I used to when I was younger, tho I do enjoy visiting and rereading my favorite seriess from when I was a young teen! If I saw another part of these series now that I dont own I would 100% buy it haha. My main three-book series are Dork dairies ( I own the whole collection!) Cupcake Diaries, ( I own all the books that my bookstore has 🥲.) and Whatever After ( up till book 7.)

I never was into the more famous book series, like Harry Potter or the Percy Jackson and his Pals series, even with us having these in our home library- for some reason they never interested me

As for Tv shows!! now that is an easier one 😌 Ages 4-8 The earliest favorite tv show that I could remember is Postman Pat and Strawberry Shortcake and Friends ( the 2009 show.)

Ages 9-11 of course as I grew older I fell in love with Sofia the first, Doc Macstuffines, Jack and the Neverland Pirates, and Handy Manny, and Heidi too, and wild Krats with odd squad!

when I turned 12 I fell in love with Ronja the thief’s daughter and the mysterious cities of gold, alongside little women and the Robinson family

14-17 As a younger teen, I loved loved loooved Young Justice alongside of different classics and the shows I liked as a tween.

17- now My young adult years I have enjoyed different animes such as Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Mob Psycho 100, Ranking of Kings, Kaguya-sama love is war, Spy x family, and Attack on Titan. And different shows like When Calls the Heart and timeless! And because I babysit some kiddos I also enjoy watching kids shows 😭 I legit follow the story line bahaha

My favorite books as a kid were many many many short stories that I know that they can't be found online since they were probably written in my mother language and were on the older side, plus many of them here translated to my language and might have changed the titles, BUT, “ the sick bear” and the “the scared bear” and “ the pegion that wanted to drive a bus?” Yes these are some of the ones I recall finding them online and in different languages

OKAY, moving to where I would like to visit! That is a tough question 😂 I always like to imagine myself in different universes and myself in different shows and stuff- so no idea. BUT probably neverland in the Tinkerbell movies? Or maybe like, Resembool because it is so pretty. I love the soft happy villages 💛 and yes these places are good place for birthdays 😌

Writing has been a hobby, that my parents, nurtured in me, since I was such a talkative person, they used to encourage me to write! I loved drawing as a kid, and not as much as a tween/ early teens. I loved coloring more then. Same with writing actually, I got back to it in March 2020 and developed my own writing style! As for my other hobbies, I love to sew felt things and stitch, I also am a paper crafter, and I collect a crazy amount of papers haha. I like also building Legos and wooden 3D puzzles! I also like fixing books and currently I found an odd joy in cleaning?

Birthday cake! Alright so, Up till I was 14, I would ask for either my mom’s chocolate cake or, vallinia cake with green apples and caramel on the side, BUUUUUUTTTTT, when I turned 15 and up till now, I asked for a huge cookie for my cake haha, It all started when my mom and I went to a cookie shop and we saw these huge cookies and she jokingly said, “ what do you think? Your next birthday cake.” I was like, “ bet.”

And yea! These are it hehe, I would love to share more about myself!

I am the firstborn in my family, I have younger siblings! I share a room with my sisters, and my favorite colors are pink and peach, but I do like all of the colors heh, I used to wear glasses and I took them off this January! Currently fighting some Hyperthyroidism, I never had the chance to date yet, and I graduated the third on my class, ( looking at my chemistry teacher 😒)

I guess that is it! If anyone wants to get to know more I would love to answer your questions 🫂 have a good day everyone! Love ya

( also, can you guess how old I am from the fact I shared? 👀)

[culpepper-pals]

(Dolly Vatore, Kirby Vatore, Caleb Vatore, Paolo Rocca & Sabrina Rocca)

Kirby Vatore (née Dee) is one of my original founders, and given that she’s an immortal vampire, the last one still alive. She married Caleb in Summer 1. Their daughter Dolly was born in Spring 2, and recently moved back home after divorcing Diego Lobo.

Autumn 4 for the Vatores:

The season started by dealing with the fallout from Max's affair - he chose to end his marriage with Taeko Kibo-Bell, and begin a new life with his affair partner, the much younger Keisha Hughes. It came to light that Keisha was pregnant, and whilst Kirby and Caleb were sadddened by their son's actions, they were excited about being grandparents again. Max left to be with Keisha, and Taeko moved to the city. Their daughter Bonnie opted to remain behind, as she is closer to her grandparents than her parents. The divorce may have had more of an impact than she realised though, as Bonnie impulsively got engaged to her boyfriend Riley - despite still being a teenager. She was still a good student though, and was able to graduate from high school early. Meanwhile Dolly called up old flame Paolo Rocca, and the two of them went on a date. Things went so well that Paolo moved in shortly after, bringing along his infant daughter from a previous relationship, Sabrina. Dolly found herself happy in the role of Sabrina's caregiver. Towards the end of the week, Bonnie celebrated her birthday and became a young adult. She and Riley found themselves lamenting that no one takes them seriously as a couple after their impulsive engagement, and came to the conclusion that impulsively getting married might help. The ceremony was held in the garden of the Vatore's farmhouse, and the couple combined their surnames to become the Titan-Vatores. They later moved out to start their lives together.

Kirby, Caleb, Dolly, Paolo and Sabrina still live at 2 Olde Mill Lane in Henford-on-Bagley.

Bonnie and Riley Titan-Vatore are currently living at 2B Jasmine Suites in Culpepper Pals, but I think I'll probably end up moving them before I play them - seeing as we got an entire pack based around renting property!

[kedsandtubesocks]

ERIKA, MY LOVE!!!!!!! i didn't realize it was your birthday and i DEEPLY APOLOGIZE 😭😭 school is frying my brain and it SUCKS i'm so sorry, hun 🥺 BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETIE!!!! for your game thing i will send 💖and🔮 because of course!! i just had to!! i hope your birthday has been amazing and sweet to you ♥♥

ERIN MY BELOVED OH MY GOODNESS YOU’RE THE BEE’s KNEES PLEASE doN’T APOLOGIZE!!

And my actual birthday is tomorrow I just wanted to celebrate early LOL so you really are all good!!! I’m sorry school has been icky I’ll go beat it up for you ☺️

But please you still taking the time to rush over and send the best birthday wishes you’re an actual angel I appreciate you 🥹 THANK YOU SO MUCH MI AMOR!!!

💖let’s get you a Pedro boyfriend babe

Okay maybe it’s been you writing for Frankie but even when I wanted to pair you off with Jack… dear catfish would NOT leave me alone lol! And I think that’s the sweetest aspect of Frankie, he’s sturdy, loyal and persistent without being overwhelming ya know? And that would just fit you perfectly with you Erin! You and him would just get each other, like there isn’t a need for big dramatic grand gestures of love but instead the steady understanding of trust that speaks even louder! Plus I see him and you having the cutest insides joke cause I believe in my heart he has the BEST sense of humor! He would love to help you study as well as remind you when to get up and take a fun dance break lol but yeah Erin and Frankie Forever I’m gonna go carve it into the side of his helicopter now heehee ☺️

🔮 oo, let’s do a tarot reading!

So I’m gonna keep the Erin/Frankie Vibes going and do my headcanons for y’all!

Frankie is a BIG rock fan I just Know It and the way you guys would talk music would last for hours!!!

He is…not very good as video games LOL and I see you teasing him about being a pilot and having to understand so many controls and buttons yet he can’t even play a simple Mario platform game but he’s so endearing!! So he LOVES to watch you play instead and becomes so invested in the storylines! Plus he does the cute thing when a boss is doing damage on your character he yells “Hey! Stop hurting my baby!” But out of all the video games you play he becomes such a animal crossing fan 🥺 (and yes boomer is his favorite villager lol)

Oh the way he would hit it off so well with your mom is making my heart MELT!! He’s such a “wins over everyone’s parents” boy and he always brings her flowers whenever he visits because his mama raised him right ☺️ plus I also see his family adoring you too!!!!

Erin you made my day so amazing and sweet! 💝🥺 I am giving you a million kisses thank you so much for being one of the best pals I could ever find in the chaos that is the Pedro fandom lol LOVE YOU!!! 😭💐💕

[kissy-leechie-blog]

Pete’s Birthday! (Early gift) 💙

💙 I decided to post this very early, because 1.) I’m inpatient. 2.) It gives me time to start creating something for Valentines’ Day. Anyways, I wanted to say that I’m very proud of this, even with the messy linework and cute background. I wanted to make it as simple, but special as possible.

💙 Ever since I watched a recommended video about Pete’s timeline or hear mentions of the character (back in April 2022), I immediately took liking in the villainous feline, especially Steamboat Willie and the musketeers’ Pete. Heck, even during May, I created Honey and ordered a Steamboat Willie Pete figurine (which I ordered before I left for school! Don’t be like 2022 me kids.) And that was just the beginning. This character has been keeping me in a good mood (last year), I can’t imagine how I would’ve been, if I didn’t include him as a comfort character. If anything, I would never gotten interested in other characters (like Cookie Monster or Fuzzy Lumpkins for example) sooner if it weren’t for him to be honest. With that aside, I’m happy I got to revisit this character and grew to like him. There are many things, I want to say, but to avoid crying my eyes out, I will end it off with Honey surprising Pete before saying happy birthday, then start off the day by pulling pranks on the mouse (that Disney milked to hell) including his two pals (Goofy and Donald) and have a good laugh afterwards. 💖

[yubel198]

Happy Birthday Tari

((I know Tari's birthday isn't today, but I figured I'd write something early for the occasion (as usual) this is also a small gift for my good friend Cree, who's a huge fan of Tari, and my pal in real life too. Hope you guys enjoy!))

*Cree’s seen doodling on a piece of paper*

Cree: okay… almost done…. *smiling* I know she’s gonna love this!

Yellow: *comes outta nowhere* who’ll love what??

Cree: *doesn’t even look up* hey Yellow.

Yellow: damn.

Cree: as for what I'm drawing, it's a sweet picture for Tari for her anniversary.

Yellow: Can I see?

Cree: *shows her* whatcha think?

Yellow: hmm...

*it's a picture of the two*

Yellow: ... *smiles* that's adorable.

Cree: thanks! *looks at the drawing* though, how do I give it to her?

Yellow: I have an idea~

Cree: *looks worried* is it putting me in a suggestive outfit?

Yellow: 0_0 ... am I that predictable?

Cree: yes.

Yellow: .... damn.

Cree: you have something else in mind?

Yellow: hmmm.... *lightbulb* I have one!

Cree: .... *as Jontron* I don't like where this is going.

*later*

Tari: *playing with her ducks*

Garcello: *walks up behind her, blushing*

Tari: hm? *looks and sees him* oh hi Garcy!

Garcello: hey Tari, h-happy birthday.

Tari: aww, thank you!

Garcello: *holds out a gift* I got you something, *still blushing*

Tari: *opens the gift, sees a new duck and a blue rose as well* aww, I love them Garcy! *hugs him* thanks!

Garcello: *hugs back* you're welcome Little Duck. *blushing madly*

Yellow: *walks over, sees* aww...

Garcello: hm? oh hi Yellow. what's up?

Yellow: well, I got something for Tari. Well, Cree has something.

Tari: oh? where is he?

Yellow: follow me you two!

*the two look at each other, nod and follow her*

*Yellow leads them to a clearing in the Showgrounds*

Yellow: okay Cree! I got Tari!

Tari: *looks worried*

Garcello: *puts a hand on her shoulder*

*Cree walks over, dressed in a nice dress shirt and tie*

Tari: *surprised* whoa, Cree??

Garcello: damn dude you look great man!

Cree: heh, thanks guys. *rubs his neck* um, anyway, I have something for you Tari. *hands her the drawing* for you

Tari: *sees the drawing, blushes* awww... that's really cute Cree! *hugs him* thank you!

Cree: !!! *blushes and hugs her back*

Mario: SIMP!

Garcello: *points* that old guy just stole your spaghetti.

Mario: WHAT?? *runs off* Mario's gonna kill some bitches!

Cree: *thankful*

Tari: *giggles*

Yellow: nice one Garcy

Garcello: *gives a thumbs up*

((Happy 5 year anniversary Tari!))

[noxtms]

happy monday, pals ! i'm a lil sick, a lil stressy ( both as always, really ), but making sure to pop by before i head to sleep a lil early to set good practices for the week ahead ! we're an appless and au golden trio group celebrating our fourth birthday this month with an edit meme that we're going to be continuing later today, a paused character limit for existent members, a temporary points system where everyone can earn some galleons to exchange for actual prizes and, you know, some other stuff<3 everyone is currently working through their meme night content on dash which is SUPER fun to see and read through, and in my very biased opinion, now would be a very chill time to perhaps join our ranks but who am i to tempt you ! ....

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

573 of 2023

What states have you been to in the past year?

I've never been to any state in my life.

Have you ever sleepwalked?

No, not that I know of.

What year was your house built?

Somewhere in the 19th century or whatever. I don't know, we only rent it.

Do you feel like you have more in common with men or with women?

What's sthat question lol. Everyone is different and genders have little to do with it. But if we go into stereotypes, I'm a dude. Technical job, nerdy interests, all that.

What’s your favorite superhero movie?

I don't watch movies. And superheroes are lame in my opinion.

Do you want children? Why/why not?

No, I don't. I think I'll never be ready for it. I'm fine being an uncle, though.

Do you have any credit card debt?

No, I don't own any credit card. Only a debit card.

Have you ever been really late for work because you slept past your alarm?

No, I never sleep past my alarm. If I'm ever late for work, it's because something happened on the way.

Are you good at reading people?

Nay. I got autism, pals.

Who do you go to for relationship advice?

Nowhere. I just get by myself and land in weird situations lol.

What was your favorite way to spend a summer day as a kid?

Playoing outside with other kids.

What’s the longest you’ve worked without a day off?

Several months.

Have you ever been scammed?

Almost. I got a message from the "tax service" and then I realised the website was fake.

Do you know anyone who works in the tech industry in Silicon Valley?

What is Silicon Valley?

Do you wear eyeliner?

No, I don't. I have nothing against the guys who do, though.

Did you ever take a personal finance class in school?

No, we don't have anything like that.

How’s your mental health? Are you feeling well??

Haha lol. I had to be put on antidepressants because I got horrible anxiety throwback over my overall health. They put me on fluoxetine and it works well for me. It even stopped my dermatillomania while nothing else was helpful.

Did you have a Xanga page back in the pre-Myspace days?

Never had either of these.

Around what year did you start using the internet, anyways?

In early 2000s or so. The sound of dial-up modems is still comforting for me, even though h-they haven't been in use for a long time.

Do you have any uncommon interests or hobbies?

Yeah, I'm fixated on trains (this is why I love my job), and I'm obsessed wiwth signal identification on the radio. That's definitely uncommon.

What’s something that would make you incredibly happy right now?

Bringing my cat back to life.

What did you do for your 18th birthday?

I was sick lol. Lying in bed with fever.

What temperature do you keep your thermostat set at in the winter?

Either 20°C or 21°C.

Have you ever been to the Caribbean?

No, never. But I would like to.

Have you ever fostered an animal?

Nah, I kept all the kitties I rescued.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Some veggie salad.

What’s your favorite form of exercise?

Walking. Back in time, playing basketball.

Have you ever drank so much that you passed out?

Yup, but I still remember I was crying over someone's death.

[someheartsaretrue]

I saw what you said in the notes on my post and I just wanted to say hey! I care about your December birthday, it's a hell of a lot cooler than Christmas cause you're the gift that keeps on keepin' on. Fuck the holidays and I hope this year is a good one for you! Happy birthday (whether it be early or late)!

Thanks pal!! Yeah fuck the holidays indeed. Hopefully they aren’t too traumatic for you and at least there��s only a few more days of customer hell to deal with. And thank you for the birthday wishes! I spent it sleeping 🤣

[haruwrites21]

Celebrating Your Buddy: 10 Unique Birthday Wishes for a Male Friend

Introduction

Our friends play a crucial role in shaping our lives. When it comes to a male friend's birthday, crafting the perfect wish can be a delightful challenge. The intention is to strike the right balance: a message that is both heartfelt and respectful, yet full of fun, indicating the camaraderie you share. This article offers 10 unique birthday wishes for male friend guaranteed to bring a smile to your friend's face on his special day.

1. The Classic Good-Vibes Wish

"Happy Birthday, Buddy! May your day be filled with good vibes, hearty laughter, and countless blessings. Here's to many more adventures together!"

This wish packs in positivity and optimism, perfect for a cheerful friend who loves a good laugh and a grand adventure.

2. From-Another-Mother Wish

"Happy Birthday, Brother-from-another-mother! Who would have thought we'd become such tight pals? Here's to another year of legendary memories!"

Use this for friends so close they feel more like brothers, emphasizing the bond you share.

3. Humorous Easing-In-The-Years Wish

"Happy Birthday, Old Man! Age is just a number until you can't remember it. Here's to another year of not growing up!"

This wish sprinkles humor into the sentiment, mitigating the realities of growing old.

4. Athlete’s Wish

"Happy Birthday, Champ! May your new year overflow with victory beers and stadium cheers. Keep shining, sports star!"

Ideal for a sports-loving friend, this wish combines the spirit of friendship and their sporting passion.

5. Blast-From-The-Past Wish

"Happy Birthday, my longtime buddy! From grubby school days to suave adults, our friendship journey has been one for the books. Here's to another year of fantastic stories!"

For friends that have been there since the early days, this wish conveys nostalgia and sentimentality.

6. Cheers-to-More-Life Wish

"Happy Birthday, Partner in Crime! Here's to more epic adventures, mid-night snacks, and spontaneous road trips. Cheers to more life with you!"

This suits an adventurous friend who's been your accomplice in numerous escapades.

7. Inspirational Wish

"Happy Birthday! May your year be filled with courage to conquer challenges, strength to weather life's storms, and belly-laughs to keep your spirit high!"

Ideal for an emotionally-supportive male friend, this message carries a strong, encouraging sentiment.

8. Straight-from-the-Heart Wish

"Happy Birthday, mate! Your friendship is like a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day—comforting and uplifting. Here's to you and another year of friendship!"

This simple, heartfelt wish conveys your appreciation for your friend's comforting presence.

9. Wish for the Workaholic Friend

"Happy Birthday! Here’s hoping this new year of life presents more opportunities to take days off, relax, and appreciate the world outside work. Here’s to work-life balance, my friend!"

This wish sends a supportive yet subtle cue to your diligent friend to enjoy life beyond work.

10. Toast-to-Health Wish

"Happy Birthday! Here's to another year filled with burpees, protein shakes, and salad plates. May your health remain as robust as our friendship!"

Perfect for a fitness-conscious friend, this wish humorously celebrates his healthy lifestyle.

Conclusion

When offering birthday wishes to your male friend, remember that the best greetings come from the heart. Regardless of the choice of words, conveying your appreciation and respect for your friend's individuality is what truly counts. However, these ten wishes serve as excellent blueprints to help you craft unique and heartfelt messages that celebrate your buddy on his special day.

[azuramarigold]

The Found Turnabout Ch 3

Summary: When Apollo Justice was literally shipped off from Khura'in back to his native country in America, he had issues from bouncing from foster home to foster home - that is until one day in the courthouse he met Phoenix Wright at the age of twelve years old. With a new found family and starting to learn the legal ropes early, Apollo joins Phoenix Wright on some of the earlier cases and the downfalls.

Chapter Summary: Apollo goes to a new family - they seem to be eccentric as one is really into magic tricks and the family goes to see a famous magic show.

AO3 Ch1 Ch2

Foster Home #2 – The Thompson’s

Christmas came and went for Apollo and Aria, and the trial for Emilio Rodriguez was shown on TV, where a random public Defense Attorney barely did anything to help him.

            Apollo thought that was awful of the attorney; they could have brought up how Emilio was being blackmailed and forced to be part of the drug smuggling, maybe give him a lighter sentence. But the defense literally didn’t care, and the Prosecution, who was Prosecutor Manfred von Karma, showed no mercy. Emilio was given the “Guilty” verdict on the spot.

            Once January hit and it was time to go back to school, Apollo unfortunately was not allowed back in the private elementary school. He was okay with that – even though the classes were very prestigious, and he was learning Spanish at a decent pace, he didn’t care for the attitude of the school. The other kids made fun of him and Sam for being in the foster system, and they also made fun of him for his accent and hairstyle.

            So, Apollo studied in the small room where he lived in once before. He loved the cramp space, it felt natural and normal; the walls were covered with years of pictures and drawings, and the floorboards itself creaked with memories. It felt a lot like his and Nahyuta’s shared room in Khura’in, they barely had room to think let alone sleep in, but it was home.

            Finally, when it was almost Mid-January there the pleasant chime of the doorbell rang through the house. The cats that were curled up at Apollo’s side while he was reading through a Spanish textbook jolted awake and bolted underneath the bed from the sudden noise. With a sign, he closed the book and made his way to the living room where he saw Aria greeting Detective Dick Gumshoe.

            “So, you’re sure this will be a good place for him?” Aria questioned, her voice uncharacteristically hard.

            Gumshoe grimaced. “Hey… I don’t choose the homes…” he dejected. “I usually don’t even take the kids there. But, because it was slow that day and I was the one who originally processed him… he’s just more familiar with me, it’s easier that I take him. It’s less confusing that way.”

            Aria sighed, pinching the corners of her eyes with her finger and thumb, “I was wondering why a homicide detective was doing this…”

            “Until Mr. Edgeworth tells me we have a case, I usually do some side runs. Sometimes it’s taking evidence to other precincts, or cleaning up Mr. Edgeworth’s office, or getting some coffee for the others at the station…” Gumshoe chuckled lightly. The scruffy detective then finally noticed Apollo. “Ah, heya, pal!” He gave a wave. “I want to mention ‘Happy Belated Birthday’! It was back in December, wasn’t it? December 7th?”

            Apollo gave a shrug. “I don’t know when my birthday is…” he replied sheepishly.

            Gumshoe looked taken aback. “Oh, uh… your birth certificate said your birthday was December 7th… so… you’re ten-years-old now….”

            Aria looked shock at the news. She didn’t know the information, or she would have got him a gift and a cake.

            “We didn’t celebrate it in Khura’in…” Apollo insisted. “It’s fine.” He then gave a depressed sigh. “But I know why you’re here, Detective… there is another home, isn’t there?”

            The detective scratched the back of his head. “Yeah… the Thompson family,” he explained. “They already have a couple of their own kids, but they wanted to foster one.”

            “Why not get Tyler or Sam…?” the brunette boy blurted out. “I ruined their lives, so they should get a home before me!”

            Gumshoe made a pained expression. “They’ve already been processed a couple of weeks ago… they’re in new homes already,” he explained softly.

            Wonder why it took me longer to find a new home…?

            “If you’re wondering why it took us longer for you,” Gumshoe continued, as if reading the boy’s mind. “I put in a special request to help ya out, wanted extreme background checks and everything. The process just took a little longer…” He then scratched the back of his head nervously. “Even the Mr. Edgeworth tried to speed things up, but…”

            “A Prosecutor was trying to speed it up?” Aria questioned; her eyebrow raised.

            Gumshoe gave a shrug, “The man has personal matters when it comes to kids going into the system… but I’m not prying.”

            Aria then gently told Apollo, “Alright, dearie, let’s get your stuff packed up…” there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

            So, once again Apollo went into the small room where he was staying, the two cats greeting him on the bed with softs mews. As before, he began to pack his suitcase with the clothes and books he had brought along; this time a second suitcase was issued to him as he happened to have a few more things this time. When he was finished packing, he sighed and slowly rolled his one suitcase to the living room before going back to retrieve the second.

            “Hey, an upgrade!” Gumshoe joked as he saw the second suitcase.

            Apollo couldn’t help but grin at that. He had to admit, this was a lot more stuff than he was used to in Khura’in. In Khura’in he and Nahyuta shared most of their things together, and whatever reading material was in the home was Dhurke’s.

            “Sí, ahora tengo más cosas,” Apollo replied in Spanish.

            Gumshoe laughed again, “Hey, that’s not that other language you speak! You can speak Spanish too?”

            Aria nodded. “He was taking classes at the last school and continued studying while here,” she explained.

            “I may have future clients that speak Spanish,” Apollo explained brightly. “Spanish is considered the most used language in the country next to English.”

            Gumshoe gave that some thought. “I guess that makes sense…” he replied slowly. “Mr. Edgeworth knows a bit of German… and a few other phrases in different languages for when he goes to Europe.” He then took both of Apollo’s suitcases in his hands. “I’ll get these in the patrol car, alright, pal?”

            Apollo nodded as he turned to face Aria. Aria looked sad once again that the boy was leaving. She then wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

            “Just like with the detective, if you need anything, please call me, dearie…” she pleaded with him. “I don’t want you in that kind of situation ever again…”

            The boy felt a wave of gratitude rush over him. He threw his arms around her and hugged her closely to him. “Thank you,” he whispered to her.

            Aria then grabbed Apollo’s hand so she can guide him outside to the patrol car. She then handed him a small pack of something she had picked up from the pharmacy earlier that morning. As she helped him in the car she received a bottle of water from the detective and handed it to Apollo.

            “These are motion sickness pills, dearie,” Aria explained to him. “This should help with the queasiness from the car rides you have to go on.”

            “I still got bags in there too for ya, pal,” Gumshoe chimed in.

            Apollo took the medication, his face twisting when the bitterness and saltiness of the medication touched his tongue. He downed the water in a matter of seconds, desperately trying to get the tase out of his mouth. Once he was done, Aria took the empty bottle from the boy.

            “Remember, please call me with any issues,” Aria reminded Apollo. Her gaze then went to the scruffy detective and her eyes hardened. “You too, Detective Gumshoe.”

            “YES, MA’AM!” Gumshoe shouted as he straightened up and shot his right hand to his head in a salute.

            Once again, Apollo was buckled into the car. Gumshoe started the vehicle and pulled away from the house slowly, him giving a small wave to Aria. Apollo rolled down the window and stuck his head out and shouted his goodbyes, this time he did have a smile on his face, albeit small; at least he had her phone number now to be able speak with her when he felt overwhelmed.

            The car ride felt a little better this time – his stomach felt less queasy from the motions, although his face was still flushed. He kept one of the plastic bags that Gumshoe had in his hands just in case though; he did notice that there was a stain on the floor from the first time he was in the car and had vomited.

            “Yeah… the Chief wasn’t happy about that!” Gumshoe laughed when he looked in his rearview mirror, noticing Apollo looking at the floor. “My salary got docked a little for the cleaning, but, hey, what’re gonna do, pal?”

            At least he’s very lighthearted about it…

            The car ride didn’t seem to be as long as going to the Rodriguez’s home. In fact, according to the detective it was only a few neighborhoods over from Aria’s place. That also made Apollo happy… maybe he’ll see Aria around town too.

            Gumshoe pulled over the patrol car to a quaint suburb, all the homes almost cookie-cutter the same. The only difference of the homes were the cars that were parked in the driveways and that the gardens contained. All the homes were either a white or off-white in color, with the roofs the same tiled red.

            It felt… uneasy.

            “How was the ride this time, kid?” Gumshoe asked genuinely.

            “A bit better…” Apollo honestly replied. “That medicine seemed to help a lot.”

            Gumshoe, like before, assisted the boy out of the car and got his suitcases out of the trunk. He gave the lighter one to Apollo and he rolled the heavier one himself as the two walked up to the door. As before, the detective rang the doorbell.

            A petite woman answered the door, her blue eyes almost sparkling like the sun reflecting on the ocean. Her auburn hair was tied up in a messy bun, loose hairs framing her freckled face. As it was winter, she wore a light blue cardigan along with jeans and house slippers; she honestly looked very cozy.

            “Ah, hello, are you Detective Gymshoe?” the woman asked nicely, her giving a warm smile.

            “Uh… Gumshoe,” the man replied lightly. Apollo could tell that this happened a lot.

            The woman then glanced down and saw the boy. “Ah, you’re Apollo, right?” she asked gently.  He nodded. “Well, welcome. My name is Olivia Thompson.”

            “Hap’piraki,” Apollo greeted softly. He had given a small wave.

            “Well come inside, sweetie,” Olivia then said. “You must be freezing!” She opened the door a little wider and let the boy inside, her taking his suitcase from him. “You can bring his other one in, right, Detective?”

            Gumshoe nodded. “Of course, ma’am.”

            The inside of the home was much smaller than the Rodriguez’s large manor-like house. Shoes piled up near the door of various types, sizes, and colors. Pictures hung haphazardly on the walls, each with a different child with similar features with large smiles. The air felt warm, and the smell of something baking filled Apollo’s nostrils.

            Thumping and screeching filled the home as well. It was very lively – something that Apollo really appreciated. Everything here felt alive.

            “Lukas and Lila, please stop your horseplay and come meet Apollo!” Olivia bellowed, her motherly voice cutting through the noise.

            Two blonde children came running down the hallway, both trying to push each other to get to the goal first. Both looked to be the same age, about eleven-years-old, so only a year older than Apollo himself. The girl, Lila, had her blonde hair in twin braids, while the boy, Lukas, had his hair almost a curtained style. Both had twinkling blue eyes, very similar to their mother, and both were wearing overall denims with Lila wearing a purple plaid shirt underneath and Lukas wearing an orange plaid shirt underneath.

            They must be twins…

            “Hello,” they both greeted in unison.

            Oh, I am not going to like this.

            “We are the twins,” they continued in their unison, their tones almost identical to each other. “Lila and Lukas Thompson.”

            “Um…” Apollo whispered uneasily, his brown eyes darting toward Gumshoe. The detective looked just as uneasy. “I’m Apollo… Apollo Justice…”

            Olivia gave a giggle, “Oh, don’t worry about the twins, they’re harmless.”

            Another boy came from down the stairs that was in front of the door. He was older than the twins and Apollo, not by much only a couple of years – so he had to be around fourteen-fifteen.

            “Mom, what is with the yelling?” the boy called. He had auburn hair like his mother, and freckles kissed almost every part of his face. His eyes were a deep gray, almost like stone. He then finally noticed Apollo. “This is the kid I’m sharing my room with?”

            “You’re the one with the bunk bed, Brayden,” Olivia pointed out. “And you know the twins don’t want to be split up.” She then turned to Detective Gumshoe. “Thank you for getting Apollo here safely, we can take it from here.”

            Gumshoe scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, okay,” he lightly said. He glanced at Apollo. “You still got my info, pal?” A nod from the brunette boy. “Alright, call me if ya need anything, pal.” He then set Apollo’s heavier suitcase down and with a wave left the home.

            Oh… please don’t leave me here…

            Apollo thought he would be better off living with Gumshoe where the scatterbrained detective was at than here. Even though the home was very homey feeling, something still felt off.

            “Brayden, how about you show Apollo to the room?” Olivia suggested, breaking Apollo’s frantic thoughts and conspiracies.

            With an irritated sigh, Brayden gestured for Apollo to follow him. Apollo grabbed the lighter of the two suitcases and followed the older boy up the stairs. The hallway upstairs was cramped, showing more pictures of the family doing various activities. Toys and other objects littered the hall, Apollo practically stumbling over them.

            He found it refreshing compared to the blank and openness of the Rodriguez house.

            Brayden then led them to a door that was covered in “KEEP OUT” stickers plastered all over the brown wood. The stickers were in bright red and yellow, a few with skulls and crossbones, others with biohazard symbols or with radiation symbols.

            “Are we allowed in this room?” Apollo asked as Brayden went to the turn the handle.

            Brayden looked at Apollo as if the boy grew an extra head. “Uh… yeah?” he sputtered. “This is my room.” He then opened the door to reveal a bedroom. The floor was a brown carpet, littered with wrappers and dishes, a TV on a stand was blaring a skateboarding game that Apollo was familiar with from his time at the old house, an oak desk that was piled up with books and papers that was about to fall over, and of course the wood-framed bunk bed.

            “If this is the bedroom…” Apollo began as he followed Brayden inside. “What’s with the stickers?”

            “So those brats and my mom don’t come in.”

            Brayden entered the room, Apollo following close behind. The door slammed shut, the doorframe rattling. The bottom bunk was already filled with pillows and haphazardly flung sheets, all various in colors and styles; it looked as though it was already occupied.

            “You’ll get the top bunk – so, try not to make so much noise,” Brayden declared. He then gave a sneer. “Also try not to fall, one of my friends during a sleep over broke his arm when getting down to use the bathroom.”

            Apollo’s left wrist felt uncomfortably tight. Brayden’s own left hand touched his right arm subconsciously.

            “I don’t think that happened…” Apollo said slowly. His brown eyes really focused on Brayden’s movements. The auburn-haired boy did touch his own arm when he mentioned the broken arm… “I think you’re trying to scare me, because you broke your own arm before.” Apollo then glanced at the bottom bunk. “That’s why you sleep on the bottom, so you don’t risk falling and getting hurt again,” he then formulated.

            Brayden’s gray eyes widened. “Wh… What do you know!?” he whined. “Get your other stupid suitcase and unpack your stupid stuff!”

            Apollo muttered in Khura’inese as he opened the bedroom door. He had a feeling there was going to be a lot of arguing.

            And a lot of lying.

            Now, Apollo always had this subtle feeling when people were lying. Everyone had a tell. Nahyuta always scrunched his face at certain times when lying, or Dhurke would fiddle with his shirt. Detective Gumshoe always scratched behind his head or darted his eyes. Aria always touched her stomach when talking about how she never had time to have her own children or her other tell for lying was tapping on her hip.

            But when people are telling stories, or recalling certain memories, they often expose their own exaggerations, or lies, by subconsciously doing an action. Many people when telling stories of how they won fights would always touch a body part where they were severely hurt where they say they hurt the other person, and many movements are embellished. Apollo was always able to tell which movements were embellished, and that’s when people were lying. Sometimes it was hard to pinpoint, but slowly as he got older it was starting to become a little clearer.

            Especially when it came to card tricks.

            He found that particular trait odd, how he was able to spot card tricks from a mile away. When he was small, he and Nahyuta would go to a shadier market with Dhurke, and one of the stall owners would try to use card tricks to distract people to pickpocket; however, Apollo was always to see the card trick ahead of time and tell Dhurke what was happening to stop the hustle.

And that was what was driving Brayden completely nuts as the two sat on the floor of the bedroom after Apollo brought up his second suitcase. The older boy seemed to try multiple card tricks. One was the old “Is this your card?” trick, and another was a “disappearing” card trick. Brayden would be shuffling the cards in every which way to “prove” that he was really shuffling.

            Except, Apollo knew that Brayden wasn’t really shuffling the cards. Apollo could clearly see him slightly using his thumb and pinky fingers to keep tabs on cards that Apollo “picked”. Or, he could see that Brayden kept his thumb tightly gripped on a card to “transform” one type of card to another, or make one disappear, which was just another card already hidden in his palm. These were all simple “sleight of hand” tricks, anyone who was paying attention could tell what he was doing…

            When Brayden was first showing Apollo the deck of cards, he had asked the brunette if he knew any “magic tricks”. Apollo didn’t know the meaning of the term, so he followed along. But as Brayden continued the “tricks”, Apollo realized these were the “scams” that he recognized from Khura’in.

            “You have my three of diamonds on the top and ace of clubs on the bottom,” Apollo deadpanned, almost stifling a yawn after the tenth time of going through the motions of yet another card trick.

            That’s when Brayden threw the cards in his face. “Are you kidding me!?” he shouted. “How can you see that!?”

            “It’s very obvious…”

            “That’s not how Troupe Gramarye showed it…” Brayden almost pouted.

            Apollo raised an eyebrow. “Troupe what now…?” he questioned.

            “Did you live under a rock or something?”

            “I lived in another country for nine years.”

            Brayden just blinked at that. “Troupe Gramarye are famous magicians.”

            Apollo then just… laughed. “Magicians…?” He then stood up, letting whatever loose cards that were on him fall. “That is ridiculous.”

            Brayden then stood up himself. “Are you saying magic and being a magician is a hoax?” he then demanded.

            The brunette nodded. “Yeah, I am. Magicians just seem to be con artists. I’ve dealt with a lot of them in Khura’in.” he stated. “Now, spirt-channeling… that is the real deal-”

            “Oh, you draw the line with card tricks, but ghosts are real!?”

            “Not ghosts, spirit channeling, it’s different!”

            Olivia then shouted from downstairs, “BOYS! Stop arguing and come down for dinner!”

            As Apollo went to go to the door, Brayden had shoved him away, him blowing a raspberry. With a groan, Apollo followed Brayden out of the room and down the stairs to a brightly lit dining room. The table was small and cramped, filled to the brim with lean meats and vegetables, and surrounding the table were mismatched chairs.

            Olivia sat near the end, an older blonde man at the head of the table. The twins sat next to Oliva, leaving Brayden sitting across and the only open seat was next to him. Apollo felt his hair droop – he rather not sit next to Brayden.

            “Ah, you must be Apollo,” the older man greeted. “Welcome to the Thompson family, my boy. I’m Terrance Thompson, but everyone calls me Terry.” He then gestured to the empty seat. “Have a seat, my boy. The detective mentioned that you have a specific diet, so we got chicken and vegetables for your first night with us.”

            Apollo gave a small bow, something that was common in Khura’in and thanked him in Khura’inese. “Thank you very much,” he then said in English.

            “They also mentioned your bilingual too,” Olivia commented, her already getting food for Lila and Lukas. “That explains your adorable accent!”

            Again, Apollo felt his hair droop and his felt his face fall into almost a grimace.

            Why does everyone think my “accent” is adorable? If anything, everyone else sounds weird and has an accent!

            “He sounds weird to me,” Brayden sneered, him putting a few pieces of chicken on his plate. He received a glare from his father. “I don’t know what he’s saying half the time.”

            Tightness. A subtle pinching of the tablecloth in front of him.

            Liar.

            “I’m also learning Spanish,” Apollo then offered, him finally taking a seat next to Brayden. As he went to take a piece of chicken from the center, Brayden went and snatched it.

            “Brayden Terrance!” Olivia snapped. “You have enough on your plate, you need to let Apollo have some!”

            “I can deal with vegetables,” Apollo stated, him not actually minding. Sometimes too much meat, even lean, made his stomach uneasy.

            Terry grumbled, “Nonsense! You can have some!” He glared at his son with his own gray eyes. “You start shaping up, or do you want me to give back those Troupe Gramarye tickets to my co-worker that graciously gave them to us?”

            Brayden’s eyes lit up. “Wait… you got the tickets?!”

            Apollo raised an eyebrow.

            “Brayden has been wanting to go to their show for some time,” the twins spoke up in their unison tone. Even when they were eating, their movements of picking up their forks and shoveling food into their mouths were identical.

            This is starting to be more terrifying than the Kurain Channeling Technique…

            “Have you ever been to a magic show, Apollo?” Olivia asked politely as she put some chicken on his plate for him.

            “We didn’t have those in Khura’in,” Apollo replied.

            Just channeling and Divination Séances from the Khura’in Royal Family … I guess that’s the closest thing we had…

            “I think you may enjoy this,” Terry commented. “I did manage to even get an extra ticket since we knew we would be expecting you.”

            An exasperated sigh came out of Brayden.

            Apollo had to bite the urge to sigh along with Brayden.

            “It’ll be fun, Apollo,” the twins said again in unison.

            I have a feeling it won’t be…

**

The show was two weeks later, in the meantime, Apollo was registered in a new elementary school, the same one as the twins as they were in fifth grade.

            This school wasn’t as prestigious as the last one he had attended, which was okay for the most part. Apollo was still able to take Spanish as an extracurricular activity, but he could tell he was already more advanced than the other students, often finding himself quite bored. In fact, he found himself quite bored with many of his subjects… often finding himself getting scolded by the teachers for not paying enough attention.

            So, he forced himself to read the horribly written textbooks, but once he was done, he brought his own books from home. He read his law books that he had received from Lucy and from Aria, he finished his Spanish texts he had from his last school that was purchased for him, and he even read a homicide detective book that Gumshoe had brought by one day for the heck of it.

            All in all, Apollo was bored. Even the library of the school had no other books that piqued his interest.

            It was finally the day of the Troupe Gramarye show. Apollo was dressed in his traditional color scheme, a red hoodie with a black undershirt, jeans, and white sneakers. He made sure to cover his golden bracelet with the sleeve of his hoodie; it always made him uncomfortable when Brayden and even other kids made fun of him for it – even a kid tried to steal it from him.

            The rest of the family dressed in warm clothes as well. The twins dressed in identical black hoodies and jeans with purple knitted hats. Olivia and Terry wore tan peacoats and black dress pants with burgundy sweaters – it almost looked as though they were going to a business meeting rather to a magic show. And then there was Brayden…

            Brayden was wearing what looked almost like a costume from a pop-up Halloween store – a cheap magician’s outfit. He was wearing all black with what was almost a plastic top hat and an equally plastic cape.

            Apollo made a mental note to make sure not to sit next to him – he rather sit next to the twins at this point.

            “Brayden,” Olivia sighed, almost with irritation. “I thought I told you not to wear that…”

            “I’m hoping they’ll notice me, and I can learn better magic tricks!” insisted Brayden.

            Never thought I’d see a fifteen-year-old act like they’re ten… and I’m ten.

            As they were about to pile into a silver minivan, Apollo was given the motion sickness medication by Olivia. She said to him that it was mentioned to her by Detective Gumshoe that he got carsick easily, so she had stocked up on medication for him and had grocery bags in the car for him. Apollo felt grateful for that, so he gladly took the medication.

            Even with the medication, Apollo still felt queasy in the van. This time however, he did not vomit, which made him happy; he doesn’t know how he would feel if Brayden berated him for feeling carsick.

            Soon the family made it to a large tent that was already having a large string of people lining up. Lights danced against the dark red tent, the chatter of people were buzzing around, and what caught Apollo’s attention was the large billboard that had the entire troupe on it.

            The largest image was the patriarch of Troupe Gramarye was Magnifi Gramarye in all his glory – him dressed in his traditional black, his Spade brooch proudly on his chest. In front of him, albeit smaller, were the other three performers. To the left was a man dressed in a yellow magician’s outfit with a Heart brooch front and center, his long black hair neat and tidy under his yellow top hat, and in his left hand was a long scepter. To the right was a man with tan skin in a more salmon-colored magicians outfit with a Club brooch, his mustache and sideburns neatly trimmed. In the center was a woman with light brown hair in twin braided pigtails, her deep sapphire blue eyes almost sad looking with her soft smile, and her powder blue magician’s outfit complimented her olive-colored skin very well, and holding her cape in place was a Diamond brooch, and her final touch was a red scarf around her neck. All three had the card motif pattern on their capes and all three wore white gloves.

            “Wow, that woman is so pretty,” Olivia commented when they passed the billboard.

            “That’s Thalassa Gramarye,” Brayden told his mother. “She’s the daughter of Magnifi Gramarye.”

            “She looks sad…” Apollo couldn’t help say, it was almost like the more he stared the more he could feel the pain in her eyes.

            The family entered the tent, the crowd of people’s voices filling the tent almost to the point where Apollo wanted to cover his ears. Terry took the twins to a merch tablet and bought them a couple of t-shirts, while Olivia took Brayden and Apollo to a different table and got them a couple of things as well; Brayden got a new deck of cards and Apollo got a stamp book with various stamps of the magicians.

            Apollo couldn’t help but continue to linger on Thalassa – for some reason, she just felt very familiar. Has he ever seen one their shows on television in passing and caught a glimpse? That couldn’t be it, he’s never even heard of Troupe Gramarye until the Thompson household. However, there was just something that was familiar about her…

            “Alright, let’s find some seats,” Terry announced once he was back with the twins. The twins were now wearing their new bright pink and yellow t-shirts over their black hoodies.

            Surprisingly, the family of six managed to find some seats at a decent height to be able to see the show properly. Once seated, the show began. An announcer bellowed into a PA system, greeting everyone, the cheers were nearly deafening.

            The show began with a tuft of smoke, and front and center was Magnifi Gramarye. He gave a bow and with a wave of his hand the other three magicians appeared in a flash of feathers as doves erupted and flew away. The crowd went wild.

            Valant, the yellow magician, began doing illusion tricks for the crowd. First, he had Thalassa seemingly floating in midair. Zak was then seemingly in the crowd with the patrons, Thalassa soon joining him with her small, yet sad smile.

            The crowd was eating it up.

            Zak’s part of the show was having Thalassa go into a box as he then set it on fire. Gasps erupted from the crowd. As the box was engulfed in the dancing flames, Zak then also proceeded to thrust swords into it as well. With three snaps of his right hand the box ceased to be engulfed in flames, and he opened the box to reveal it was empty.

            “Hello, everyone!” a cheerful voice called out. Everyone turned to the spotlight that shined into the crowd that happened to be next to VIP seating, revealing to be Thalassa. She took off her top hat and gave a small bow and gave a wink as she put her hat back on.

            Cheers and applause filled the tent, even Apollo clapped.

            Thalassa’s trick was different than the other two’s – she required a volunteer. Many people cried out and raised their hands, begging to be part of the show. Brayden was practically jumping out of his seat. Apollo was lowering himself deep into his seat, wanting to avoid being potentially picked. In the end, a little girl was next to her.

            The little girl couldn’t be no older than two or three years of age, and her outfit was nearly identical to Zak Gramarye’s magicians costume. The only difference in the costume was that her brooch was a Diamond like Thalassa’s. Thalassa then picked up the girl effortlessly, as if she had done it a million times.

            “I would like to introduce you all to Trucy Gramarye, my and Zak’s daughter,” Thalassa announced proudly, a true smile on her face for the first time that night. “Tonight, she will be my special volunteer for my trick!”

            “Yay!” the little girl, Trucy, cheered, her smile large and her deep blue eyes sparkling under the lights.

            The entire crowd awed.

            “She’s so cute!” Olivia exclaimed, her hands to her face. “Look at her in the little outfit!”

            Thalassa then continued, “Tonight will be considered her debut as officially a magician for Troupe Gramarye!” She paused so everyone can cheer and clap. The mother then whispered something in her daughter’s ear and sat her down.

            Trucy then ran up to the center of the stage that was set up and started lifting three large cards to stand them up, Thalassa soon joins her. Thalassa tells the audience to watch Trucy in the center as Thalassa put the giant card in front of her. The mother magician then placed one large card to the right and then to the left. Once she removed the card from the center, Trucy was gone. Then when she removed the other two cards, showing that all three cards were now on the ground, the little girl was still gone.

            “Oh dear!” Thalassa feigned worry. “Now, where did my little Trucy go?” She had both her gloved hands to her face in shocked expression. A glint bounced off her right wrist from the stage lights when her glove rolled up a bit, showing she was wearing a bracelet underneath, but it was heard to see what type it was from a distance. “Has anyone seen little Trucy Gramarye?”

            The audience began to whisper among themselves. Some were saying it was part of the show. Others were asking if the woman legitimately lost a toddler during a magic act.

            Thalassa then raised the cards again, standing all three in a row just as she had done before. After a moment the center card was pushed forward, revealing Trucy.

            “Ta-da!” the little girl cheered excitedly.

            The audience clapped and cheered. Many talked on about how adorable Trucy was and how beautiful Thalassa was. A couple stated that Trucy was most likely going to grow up to be a looker just like her mother and be as talented as her grandfather in magic.

            “And now, the finale!” Magnifi announced, him being front in center as a puff of purple smoke appeared. “Prepare yourselves!”

            Zak and Valant appeared in center stage, both with one of their hands to their sides. Thalassa was coming to the center of the stage as well, handing off Trucy to Magnifi. As Magnifi and Trucy began to walk off stage, Zak and Valant took places on opposite sides while Thalassa stayed in the middle.

            “Get ready everyone!” Magnifi’s voice boomed over audience, almost like magic without a PA system. “Get ready for ‘Zak and Valant’s Quick-Draw Shoot’em’!”

            The crowd roared. Brayden was practically jumping out of his seat with excitement. Apollo felt uneasy.

            “I can’t believe they’re gonna do it!” Brayden cheered. “They rarely do it at their smaller shows!”

            This is a small show!?

            And that’s when Apollo heard it.

            Gunshots.

            The popping, the banging. Those were the only sounds he heard along with his heart pounding in his ears. His blood ran cold, a cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The image of the gun in front of his face kept flashing in his mind… the bullet hole in the man’s forehead and the look of life draining from his eyes before he fell forward.

            “Apollo…?” he heard from what seemed like a distance, but he couldn’t pay attention now.

            He needed to leave.

            What seemed to be like a mind of their own, his legs just made him stand from his seat and began to move away from the crowd. He barely saw the faces of people laughing, cheering, being happy.

            I’m fine… I’m fine… Breathe in… Breathe out… I’m fine…

            He felt the corners of his vision blur, and with each heartbeat it was almost pulsating along. His blood roared in his ears, but he still heard each bang of a gunshot as though it were right next to him… as if a bullet was whizzing past his ear like he was running through the house that night.

            I’m Apollo Justice and I’m fine… I’m fine…

            Finally, what seemed like an eternity, he was out of the stands. He managed to hunch over a trash can and vomit, feeling his knees wobble in weakness. Apollo wanted to go home… but not at the Thompson’s… not even at Aria’s at this point… he wanted to go back to Khura’in.

            “Are you alright, boy?” an older gruff voice asked.

            Apollo barely looked up, but he saw it was the leader of the troupe himself: Magnifi Gramarye.

            “I’m… not feeling well…” Apollo rasped. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie, almost hitting his teeth with his bracelet that was hidden underneath.

            The older man looked at him intensely, as if he were studying an insect. “I can tell you’re not lying about that…” the man admitted. “Was there something that… bothered you?”

            “No,” Apollo lied, his right hand instantly going to his bracelet that was still hidden. When he lied this was his own tell he noticed, he always went for the bracelet, but he always touched it for comfort as well.

            “Now, that is a lie,” Magnifi declared, a sly smile on his face. He then crossed his arms across his chest.

            “I just don’t like guns…” Apollo then admitted, him then looking to the ground, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over him. But why should he feel ashamed? The older man gave a soft nod, almost like he understood.

 Magnifi then looked at Apollo very closely, as if the boy reminded him of someone. “You look a little familiar… have you ever been to one of our shows before?”

            “No sir,” Apollo honestly answered. “I have not.”

            Magnifi nodded with approval. “Not a lie…” he whispered. “What’s your name, boy?”

            “Um…”

            “Apollo!” he then heard Olivia call out. “Where are you!?”

            Apollo darted his brown eyes away from Magnifi’s stoney gray. “I have to go… my foster mom is calling me…” he rushed his words as he spun to turn away. He felt his hoodie sleeve, his left, get tugged, but he managed to pull it away, but it rolled up a bit, showing his bracelet.

            “Wa… wait a minute… where did-!?” Apollo heard Magnifi start to shout, a combination of shock and anger, but he never heard the rest of the sentence as he ran as fast as he could to the exit to meet the rest of the Thompson family.

**

Four months passed since the show with Troupe Gramarye, and Apollo couldn’t shake the feeling that possibly Magnifi knew something about him.

            But it was no matter, the Troupe had packed up and left for another part of California the following day after the incident. Apollo of course got a lecture about running off by Terry, but once Olivia pointed out that he mostly ran off because of the guns the subject got dropped.

            Brayden, however, made it a cruel game whenever he could during the next four months.   

            The teenager had bought a toy gun that made popping sounds and an airsoft gun. He hid them in the room, with the orange tip of the airsoft painted, so when Apollo discovered it one day in the sock drawer, he legitimately had a panic attack and almost fainted. Brayden would shoot the toy gun at random intervals in the night on random nights by Apollo’s ear just to watch the boy bolt up and nearly fall off the top bunk, screaming in Khura’inese nearly in tears.

            During these four months Apollo would call Aria and talk to her, and she suggested about going to therapy. He preferred not to, as it would be yet another person he had to deal with. Occasionally he called Gumshoe, asked him more about gun safety and possible firearm defense protocols.

            “Maybe when you’re a couple of years older, pal,” Gumshoe had told him. “I’ll show ya how to properly handle things if ya want. Safety is important after all, but right now with the laws you’re still too young.”

            It all came to a head when Apollo was looking at pictures in the hallway. He did notice the twins were in pictures of course, but there were many pictures of Brayden with another boy that was his age at the time in pictures as well. At one point, the pictures just stopped being the two of them and it was just Brayden being alone, but his expression was a bit… sadder.

            Olivia was walking by in the hall, a laundry basket on her hip. She said a greeting to Apollo as she walked by, but he then stopped her.

            “Hey, Olivia,” he said. “Who is the other boy in these pictures with Brayden?”

            Olivia looked over and smiled sadly at the pictures. “Oh… that’s Cayden,” she replied. “Brayden’s twin brother…”

            Apollo felt his face twist with shock. “He… he had a twin too?” he gasped. He looked more closely at the pictures. They weren’t identical twins, but they looked similar enough at a closer glance, but they weren’t eerily similar like Lila and Lukas.

            “Yeah…” Olivia sighed sadly. “He drowned about six years ago…”

            “D-drowned…?” the boy echoed.

            “Yeah… he and Brayden loved magic tricks,” she explained. “They saw a trick on TV of a magician being tied up and trying to escape a water tank… they tried to do it in our old pool we used to have in the backyard… Brayden noticed too late that Cayden couldn’t escape… and he couldn’t untie the knot he made.

            “By the time Terry got to the Cayden… it was too late.” Olivia concluded sadly.

            That explains why he has a bunk bed actually…

            After the explanation, Apollo finally went back to the room that he and Brayden shared. The room was always a mess, but Apollo kept his area – the top bunk – as neat as possible, with his shelves organized with the books he had accumulated. As he walked in the door, a loud pop! sounded by his right ear.

            He felt his heart race, almost like it was about to burst out of his chest. Without even thinking, he balled up his left hand into a fist and threw. His fist collided with Brayden’s face with a sickening crack and there was a loud scream. A sticky wet substance covered Apollo’s hand, and when he looked his hand was red… covered in blood.

            “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” Brayden screamed, his face in his hands, blood spewing between his fingers.

            “I… I didn’t… I didn’t mean-” Apollo stammered, his voice shaking, but his volume was still loud.

            Olivia came rushing in, her laundry basket forgotten. She screamed when she saw Brayden covering his face and all the blood, and she the blood on Apollo’s hand. She obviously made the connection.

            “What did you do!?” she demanded as she went to her son and tried to see the damage.

            “I… I…” Apollo couldn’t form words.

            “He just punched me for no reason, Mom!” Brayden cried, tears brimming his eyes.

            The tightness on Apollo’s left wrist said otherwise, Brayden was fidgeting with his loose strand of hair as he said that – another one of his tells Apollo had noticed over the time he had spent here. Apollo had mentioned over the course of the last four months what Brayden was doing with the popping toy and the airsoft gun to both Olivia and Terry, but they both brushed it under the rug.

            “Boys will be boys,” Terry had said.

            And now it had escalated to this.

            When Olivia had finally managed to remove Brayden’s hands from his face, his nose was clearly broken. Cartilage and bone busted through his skin, and his eyes were already starting to swell and blacken. Blood was everywhere, still streaming from where the bone and cartilage broke through and streaming out his nostrils.

            The ambulance and police were called immediately – and when the police were called it was mentioned that Apollo, the foster child, was the cause of the violence. The cop that arrived on the scene was none other than Detective Dick Gumshoe, who looked extremely confused that a call like this even happened.

            Brayden was loaded into the ambulance along with his mother and they were taken to the nearest hospital. Terry and the twins went and followed them via the minivan. Both the parents made it very clear to Gumshoe though – they did not want Apollo to be there when they returned, and they would try to find a way to press charges on the minor.

            Gumshoe had Apollo sitting in his patrol car, his suitcases already in the trunk packed away. The lights from the other cars were blaring red and blue against the home as the police investigated inside.

            “So, pal,” Gumshoe started softly. “What happened? I don’t think you would just attack another kid out of the blue.”

            Apollo explained everything. From the Troupe Gramarye show with how the gun trick freaked him out, how Brayden found out that was a weakness. Brayden had then purchased items to make it look like and sound like real weapons to torment him for the last four months.

            “I walked in the room…” Apollo was finishing the story. “I heard the pop in my ear… It was like that night… when I was running… I… I reacted… I just wildly punched…!” Tears were streaming down his face. He didn’t want to go to jail… did they put kids in jail in America?

            Is it like Khura’in…? Am I going to be executed!?

            “Am I going to jail or am I going to die, Detective Gumshoe?” Apollo cried, his voice high pitched in hysterics.

            Gumshoe looked panicked. “Whoa! Look, pal, no one is dying here, okay?” he stated. “I’m making sure things are being investigated, you’re not gonna get in trouble…”

            “I want to be a lawyer…” Apollo whispered. “Is this going to ruin it…?”

            Gumshoe then turned his attention to another officer that called out to him. “What is it?” he asked.

            “Detective,” the officer said. “There is evidence in the boys’ room of an airsoft gun with a painted tip and a popper toy.” He showed the detective the items in question in plastic bags. “We already dusted them for fingerprints, and since we already have this kid’s on file here -” he gestured to Apollo. “– we can already see his are not on these. The popper has recent residue, most likely fired within the last half hour – forty-five minutes.”

            The detective gave it some thought. “That timeline is accurate to when we got the call and when the Thompson’s left for the hospital…” He took the bags from the officer. “Looks like solid evidence to me. I’ll make sure Prosecutor Edgeworth is in the loop of this.”

            “Yes, sir,” the officer saluted.

            Gumshoe put the bags in his car and then gave Apollo the anti-motion sickness medication. “Don’t you worry, kid,” he told him. “Mr. Edgeworth will make sure this doesn’t even get filed with the court.”

            Apollo took the medication, him now knowing this means he is now going for a ride. “So… where am I going…?” he asked meekly.

            Gumshoe gave a sad smile. “I know I’m gonna get my ear chewed off… but I made a call,” he whispered.

            Once again, Apollo was buckled in the patrol car and the scruffy detective put it in gear. Apollo was still thankful that this car ride was not long… because he knew exactly where he was going.

            As soon as the patrol car pulled up the familiar home, Aria was already at Detective Gumshoe’s driver window knocking on it. With a terrified squeal, he rolled the window.

            “I thought this was going to be good home for him, Detective!?” she scolded him accusingly.

            “Ma’am, I don’t pick the places!” Gumshoe pleaded.

            “I heard that the woman is going to try to push charges on a ten-year-old!?” Aria screeched.

            “Mr. Edgeworth is not going to let that happen…” Gumshoe promised.

            “He’s a fresh Prosecutor… only a year under him,” Aria reminded the detective. “He already has that much influence?”

            “He’s a master tactician when it comes to prosecution,” Gumshoe pointed out. “He is considered a prodigy. He’ll make sure nothing is going to happen to the kid.”

            Aria then left Gumshoe’s driver window and when over to Apollo’s side and got him out of the car. She led him inside the house as the detective got his suitcases out of the trunk. When she noticed that his hand was still stained red from a hasty wipe from a rag, she led him to the bathroom to get ready for a bath. As she left Apollo to be alone to do his business, he could hear Aria and Gumshoe talking again through the cracked bathroom door.

            “What other options does he have now, Detective?” Aria asked solemnly. It seemed like her voice was shaky, as if she was holding back tears.

            “I’ll have to look into that in the morning, Ms. Commons,” Gumshoe replied seriously. “Hopefully no homicides happen over night so I can help with this.”

            With a sigh, Aria replied, “I do appreciate all your help…”

            “Hey, that kid had been through a lot…” There was a pause. “I feel bad for him too… even Mr. Edgeworth does too… but, he stated he couldn’t look after him right now because of all the cases he’s gonna be getting… and his age is a factor too.”

            A surprised gasp escaped from Aria. “Prosecutor Edgeworth was considering taking him in…?”

            “Yeah… but it’s not feasible right now.”

            “… I guess that makes sense.”

            “Don’t worry, ma’am, we’ll make sure Apollo is taken care of.”

            A pause from Aria. “… What’s shocking to me is… I know that you’re right and you have the best intention at heart… but I can’t… I can’t keep doing this either…”

            “I heard you’re unregistering yourself from the network…”

            “My cancer came back… and this time it’s more aggressive.”

            “Oh… I’m sorry…”

            Apollo didn’t want to hear anymore of the conversation, so he shut the door completely. He took his bath, but it seemed like no matter how many times he scrubbed his hand it was like he still saw the blood. After he was done, he dressed in fresh clothes and exited the bathroom, seeing that the detective had left for the evening and that Aria prepared him vegetable rice.

            “Are you sick, Aria?” Apollo asked softly.

            A shocked expression crossed her face. “How… how did you hear that…?”

            “I had the door open…”

            “Apollo Justice, you should not be eavesdropping on adult conversations,” Aria scolded.

            “I know… but if you’re sick and me being around is making it worse-”

            “It’s not making it worse, dearie!” Aria cried out, her taking him by the shoulders and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “You are never a burden! Never think you are!”

            “I mean… my mom left me in Khura’in, my foster dad that took me in sent me back here… and pretty much every family I’ve come in contact with was a disaster…” Apollo told her bitterly. He then gave her such a sad a pitiful look that no child should ever have, a look that was almost haunting and hopeless. “Maybe me being around is just a mistake…”

            Aria embraced him tightly to her, and she felt his body shake with sobs. “Oh, Apollo… no you’re not… you’re not…”