#he needs content as much as zack does

[narryffdreaming]

A TOAST TO THE FUTURE — THREE

Summary: Aurora and Harry used to be friends, but life happened and they grew apart. Now, 6 years later, they meet again.

Rating: +18

WARNINGS: The story contains explicit language and mentions a past abusive relationship (mostly the consequences of psychological/emotional abuse). Some chapters also contain explicit sexual content.

PART THREE: 6,9k words Author’s note: ngl I thought this was "too short", and then I saw it's around 7k and realized that maybe this isn't short, but the other parts are just "too long", lol. Clearly I can't control myself. But anyway, this is part three and Aurora and Harry (finally) arrive in Italy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

PART ONE || PART TWO

As it turns out, both Aurora and Harry completely forgot about the one hour time change, so whilst they thought they'd arrive around eleven, by the time they landed in Naples it was actually a few minutes after 12. 

They realized, then, that since they would go together to Amalfi, sharing a taxi would be cheaper than taking the train — like they had both initially planned to do. Which is how Aurora ends up leaning against a white wall at arrivals, watching their bags while Harry wanders around and does some research for them. 

Outside, the day is bright and sunny, something she's been admiring non-stop through the huge glass wall in front of her. Rays of light keep the exposed skin in her arms and chest warm, so there's no need for her to wear Harry's jacket anymore — although a part of her wishes she still had a reason to, just to keep smelling his cologne. 

"Hey!" Harry calls, and Aurora turns her head to the side. 

He approaches her confidently, pulling his hair back and smiling while strutting through the airport as if he owns the place. It's kind of impossible not to follow every one of his movements, and she's pretty sure anyone who lays their eyes on him would think exactly the same. 

"It's done," he says, then raises both hands and gives her a double thumbs up. "Got us a taxi." 

Summer looks good on him. It makes his skin glow, it highlights his tattoos, and it makes his happiness seem… Well… Even happier. 

"Oh," she says, blinking and stepping away from the wall. "Great."

She clears her throat and glances to her phone, double-checking for the fiftieth time that her texts to Zack remain unanswered.

It's been over four hours since she texted him, and although she isn't surprised by his lack of interaction, she can't deny that it sucks to know he intentionally avoids replying to her texts — and that she probably won't hear from him until Sunday night, when he drops Noah off.

"No words from him yet?" Harry asks, now standing only a couple of steps across from her. 

Aurora shakes her head and locks the screen, then looks up and faces him again. 

"No… But hey," she says, offering him a sarcastic smile and fake enthusiasm as she adds, "if I'm lucky enough, maybe he'll pick up the phone tonight. Isn't that great?"

Harry pauses for a moment. 

And then he snorts. 

He flicks his gaze down and breathes in, filling his chest with air while taking one hand up to his face and rubbing his brow. 

"Jesus Christ," he murmurs and chuckles shakily, almost as if he can't believe what he just heard. 

Aurora feels herself softening in front of him, and her fingers itch to touch him somehow.

"I mean, it's okay," she says, tightening her phone inside her fingers and closing her other hand into a fist. "I knew this would happen when I decided to spend the weekend away."

Harry drops his hand to his side and shakes his head, then looks at her again. 

Bright, sunny, warm summer seemed to turn into dark, cold, empty winter around him. He's clearly tense, and the look in his eyes is heavier now. 

"For his sake," he says, voice sounding just as deep as she feels him in her bones. "I really hope he doesn't cross my way anytime soon."

It's unbelievable how quickly Aurora's mouth fills with water. As if she's salivating because of him. 

The way he soaks up her worries and eases her sadness is certainly endearing, but the way Harry physically reacts to this specific situation gets her nerves stirring. He seems to be ready to stand up for her. Ready to fight the battle for her. Ready to be her armor and shield her from all and any attacks that Zack throws at her. 

And as much as Aurora doesn't want things to get to that point, and as much as she isn't looking for that kind of attention from a man, the honest truth is that her insides respond too quickly to his behavior. Like she's craving for that aggressiveness. Or maybe like she's craving for someone to finally treat her the way she wishes to be treated. Someone who will throw a punch for her, and not at her. 

Even just metaphorically speaking. 

Aurora blinks, breaking away from the intensity of his stare as she hunches down and grabs her bag from the floor. She takes the opportunity to swallow all those new feelings down, hiding and locking them away, then stands upright again.  

"I appreciate that," she says, curling her lips into a smile. "But we're in Italy right now, so I think I'm ready to leave Zack behind. At least for two days."

Harry focuses on her for a moment, flickering his eyes all over her face. Studying her. Almost like he's making sure she is telling him the truth. 

She tilts her chin down and lifts her left eyebrow, and Harry meets her stare once again. 

"You're right," he says, and closes his eyes. "Gimme a minute."

Taking all the time of the world, Harry breathes in deeply through his nose. When his chest is full, he freezes for a moment, and then lets all the air slip out through his mouth. Loudly and heavily. 

It's a little bit dramatic. A little bit over the top. A little bit exaggerated. But Aurora can tell that he's intentionally forcing his movements. That he's getting on board with her and leaving things behind. And that he's making a big deal out of it because it's supposed to be a symbolic moment between them. Like drawing an imaginary line and setting a before and after for that trip. 

Especially when he rolls his shoulders, tilts his head side to side vehemently, and then drops all the weight off his body. 

"Ok," he says, opening his eyes while clasping his hands together and smiling at her. "I'm good!"

He leans down to grab his bag, too, and a foolish grin grows on Aurora's face. 

"As I was saying," he adds, placing the strap on his shoulder as he looks at her again, "I got us a taxi. It's supposed to be just an hour and a half drive, but they said it can take us at least two hours to get there."

Meaning they will get there around what… 2:30? 3?

Aurora pouts. 

"That sucks. Lucy had this whole thing planned in the morning."

"I know. But we'll make the best of it, anyway."

"Yeah…" 

She puts her phone inside the front pocket of her bag, then looks around the airport. 

They're still inside the crowded terminal, and it's safe to say that she has no idea where she's supposed to go next. She's been following Harry's steps since they landed — or maybe even since they took off — and she isn't actually interested in taking the lead right now. 

"So… Where should we go, then? Can we get this taxi now or…"

"Mhm… Yes… We sure can…" Harry nods. "But first… There's something I have to tell you."

Aurora's face falls, and she drops her shoulders.

"Oh God… What?"

"It's nothing bad… At least I don't think so, but…"

Harry scratches his jaw and shrugs, then smiles sheepishly at her.

(Which, to be honest, does nothing to reassure her.) 

She rearranges the bag on her shoulder with one hand, and encourages him to speak with the other, rolling her fingers in the air. 

"But…?"

"Well… I might've lied a bit to the guy from the taxi company."

"Okay…" She narrows her eyes. "Why? What did you say to him?"

"That we just… Y'know… Got married?"

Aurora drops her jaw.

"Married?!"

Harry chuckles.

"Mhmm..." 

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah…" 

His face is bright with amusement, and even though Aurora can't understand what's so funny behind that joke, she can't help but mimic his emotion.

"Harry!" She laughs. "Why would you even say that?!"

"Because he gave me this whole speech, ok? About how he couldn't get us a car 'till five, and how we should've booked one at least one day before and… Well. Y'know…"

He rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed at the lecture he got because of their poor planning skills, but the joy is still there. All over him. Radiating from his entire presence. Blooming into her.

"I see." Aurora nods, pursing her lips as she mulls over his words. "And us being married changes that because…"

He pulls his eyebrows together, as if the answer is the most obvious thing and he can't believe she's even asking that. "Because we eloped, duh. So of course we didn't have any time to plan or book anything."

"Oh my God." 

Aurora laughs. 

"So I guess this is our honeymoon now."

"You're insane."

"Hey, it worked, ok?" He raises the palms of his hands to her, then smirks, all proud of himself. "We didn't have a taxi, now we have one. So… You're welcome." 

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms on her chest, but the smile never falters from her face. 

"Fine. Whatever. Anything else I should be aware of about this lie?"

Harry takes a moment to think about it, hiding his hands inside his pockets and then shrugging. 

"Nah… Don't think so." 

"Good."

"Only that you're madly in love with me and couldn't wait to be my wife." 

"Right."

"But that's pretty obvious."

"No, yeah. Of course." 

"You also can't wait to get our honeymoon started, by the way."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep. So you're kind of desperate to get to our hotel."

Aurora snorts. "Okay then."

"Apparently," he says, stepping closer and nudging her side with his elbow, "you just can't get your hands off me."

She cackles, then, and shoves him off with one hand. "You wish!" 

The small joke rolls easily and happily from her mouth. Mostly because she's determined to not ruin things all over again, but also because he brings that side out of her. 

And Harry laughs, too.

"Hey," he says, shrugging and tilting his chin up, "a man can only hope."

"You're ridiculous."

"I mean, it gets you laughing so… Yeah. I'll take it." 

She shakes her head, finding herself out of words. Even if she knows they're both just teasing around and that she doesn't need to worry about him misinterpreting her, there's only so much she can joke at once. 

Unlike Harry, of course, who apparently can roll lie after lie out of his mouth. 

"Ok, c'mon," he says, tilting his head and leading their way from arrivals to outside the airport. "They said there'll be a car waiting for us."

Aurora follows him in silence, and then she clears her throat. 

"So, you really told them we got married?"

He smiles, and nods. "Yes."

"And they really think we're going to a hotel?"

"Mhmm." He looks at her over his shoulder and shrugs. "I didn't want to get into the whole yacht thing… Seemed too much trouble to explain."

"Right." She smirks, and raises her eyebrows. "But creating a lie about our marriage was easy-peasy, right?" 

Harry purses his lips, clearly trying to hold himself back. 

"I mean… Yeah. Had the whole story on the tip of my tongue." 

They both look at each other for a moment, and then they both laugh. 

See? That's the good thing about Harry: he makes Aurora laugh. 

And he makes her laugh a lot.

Which isn't exactly news, because he always made her laugh, but still feels nice to remember. 

Back in the day, the way Harry and Niall lived their lives used to be one of the reasons why she liked to hang out with them so much — they didn't have too many worries in the world, and they only cared about having fun. So whilst most people around her were planning for their futures and preoccupied about having everything figured out, they made her laugh about the most silly and random things, offering her a break from the pressures and expectations of adult life.

Of course, their lifestyle wasn't one that she could keep up with all the time, and at certain moments their behavior used to resemble childishness, but they definitely were good and fun people to keep around. 

So much so that here's where they are right now. 

"C'mere, wifey," Harry says, stepping out to the sunny day and pulling her to his side by her shoulders. "Time to give our driver a show." 

She grimaces, then places her arm around his waist.

"Okay," she says, narrowing her eyes and adjusting her sight to the warm and natural brightness, "rule number one, you're not calling me wifey."

Harry squeezes her shoulder and laughs, throwing his head back and slowing their pace down. 

"Right. Ok." He nods. "What should I call you, then?"

"What about… Nothing?"

"Oh c'mon! You're my wife now. We need to play the part." He guides her smoothly down the sidewalk, dodging strangers and skipping through a long line of white cars. "Does honey sound better? Or what about apple of my eye, huh? Cupcake? Pumpkin?" 

She chuckles. "Harry—" 

"Buttercup?"

"Stop."

"Kitten?" 

"Ew, no—"

"Other half? Or what about…" He leans closer to her ear, then covers his voice with sweetness and cheesiness as he annoyingly murmurs, "My lovey-dovey?"

At that, Aurora cackles. 

"Oh God," she laughs, squirming and shoving him off. "Stop. No nicknames for you." 

"Ahhh, why?" He pulls her closer again, exuding pure joy and happiness as he speaks. "Nicknames are fun. I can be your honey bunny if you want me to."

"Absolutely not."

"Honey boo?"

"Nope."

"Lover boy, then."

"C'mon… You can't seriously—" 

"Man of your dreams?"

Aurora snorts, but before she can say anything, Harry speaks again.

"Prince charming? Jellybean?"

"Harry, c'mon—" 

"Hot stuff?" 

"Stop!" 

"Babylicious?"

And then she laughs again. Probably way louder than she should. Leaning into him and covering her face as she struggles to keep up with his feet. 

"Oh my God! You're just so annoying. I can't even—" 

"Mr. and Mrs. Styles?" a thick italian accent calls, and they both stop walking.

Aurora is still laughing, trying to catch her breath while she turns her head to the side. A gray-haired man dressed in a black suit steps away from a black car and walks forward, holding a polite smile and gentle expression as he approaches them with nothing but determination. 

Harry squeezes her shoulder and leans in, getting closer to her ear.

"If you ask me," he murmurs, and the tone of his voice is suddenly so low that it becomes almost painful, "that should be the one. Mrs. Styles."

A shiver runs down her body, and she swallows. 

"Scusi," the man says, thankfully sparing her from having to find any responses or reactions. "Signor e signora Styles?"

"Giusto!" Harry says, squeezing her shoulder and chuckling as he straightens his posture and pulls her closer to his side. "Signor e signora Styles. Sì."

"Piacere! Come stai?" The man stretches his arm, and Harry takes a step forward, shaking hands with him. "Sono Francesco, il tuo tassista."

"Francesco!" Harry smiles. "Buongiorno! Mi chiamo Harry e questa—" He squeezes her again, making a deal out of it as he kisses the top of her head. "È mia moglie, Aurora."

Aurora bites her lip, watching in silence as the man turns to her and stretches his arm once again. 

"Aurora. Piacere. Un nome bellissimo." 

"Uh…" 

Truth be told, she has absolutely no idea what's going on, or what they are talking about. So she chuckles nervously, but makes sure to shake his hand anyway. 

"I don't…" She says, tilting her chin up and glancing at Harry. "Sorry. I don't speak Italian." 

Harry's expression softens, and the playfulness in his face turns into pure tenderness. 

"Oh. No problem," the man says, the Italian accent still thick as he communicates in a different language. Aurora faces him again, and he adds, "Aurora, sì? Beautiful name." 

"Oh." She smiles, cheeks getting slightly warm. "Uhm… Gra… Grazie?"

She turns to Harry, again.

"That's thank you, right?"

Still staring at her, Harry smiles, then nods.

Aurora looks back at the man. 

"Grazie," she repeats.

"Non c'è di che! Andiamo, sì?"

Aurora tilts her chin up, looking at Harry and waiting for him to take over the conversation. 

He shakes his head, then, and turns his attention back to the man. "Sì. Andiamo. Sì."

The man chuckles. "Sposi novelli, eh?"

"Mhm." 

"Congratulazioni! Lo immaginavo. So riconoscere lo sguardo di un uomo innamorato." 

Harry chuckles and looks down, then scratches his jaw with his free hand and clears his throat. "Così ovvio, eh?"

Aurora doesn't know if it's possible, but she feels her own eyes twinkling as she tilts her chin up and lands her gaze on Harry one more time. 

He beams under the gorgeous sunshine, eyes greener than she's ever seen and cheeks flushed as he engages into a conversation with that man. Not only rolling Italian words out of his mouth, but also effortlessly putting them into sentences. 

And she's so hypnotized by the whole thing, that she can't even be bothered by the fact that she's not being included or doesn't understand a single thing. She'll gladly let him take the reins for the entire drive as long as she gets to entertain herself with that view.

"Auri?"

Harry squeezes her shoulder, and Aurora blinks. She darts her eyes away from his face, swallowing while he steps towards the car and slides his arm off her shoulders. 

"Shall we?" he asks, reaching for the strap on her shoulder. 

Aurora is too starstruck to fight him, so she nods and lets him grab her duffel bag, then follows him with her eyes as he and the gray-haired-suited-man place it in the trunk, along with his. 

And from then on, Harry plays his part like a true gentleman. 

Their driver starts by opening the backseat door for them, but then Harry offers his hand for her to hold and get in first, kissing her temple when she walks past him. She chuckles, but only because of the effort he's putting on just to cover his own lie. 

Once they're both inside, he doesn't complain about taking the middle seat when she chooses the window, and even makes sure she's comfortable and has her belt on. 

"Possiamo andare?" the gray-haired-suited-man asks.

Harry peeks at her. "Good to go?" 

"Mhmmm..." 

He nods, then puts his belt on while answering their driver. "Sì, grazie." 

The engine starts working, and they're officially on the move to the Amalfi Coast. 

"Can I?" Harry whispers to her, hovering her hand with one of his. 

"Oh…" Aurora looks at his inked forearm, reaching for her while he keeps his elbow tucked to his side. To be fair, after sobbing into his chest and sleeping on him like a koala, she truly doesn't think holding hands would be awkward at all right now. So she nods and turns her palm around, offering it to him. "Yeah, sure."

And when he places his palm on top of hers and intertwines their fingers, she can actually see herself benefiting from his lie — because Harry's warmth keeps her warmth, as well. Just like she needs to be. Just like she wants to be. 

"Credo che Amalfi ti piacerà moltissimo," the man says. "È perfetto per gli innamorati!"

Harry chuckles and scooches down, comfortably spreading his long legs open and pulling their hands to rest on his thigh. "Grazie. È la nostra prima volta in Italia."

"Per quanto starai qui?"

"Solo due giorni. Domenica torniamo a casa."

Aurora is lost in the conversation, but she's also… Physically uncomfortable. Her arm is tense as she stretches it to lay on his leg, and she doesn't want to spend two hours like that. So she shuffles closer, tucking her elbow under his own and fully linking their arms. 

"Bene, dovrai tornare un'altra volta per visitare più città," the man says.

Harry sits upright again, then slips his fingers off from her hand.

"Di sicuro," he says, lifting his arm and placing it across her shoulders. "Forse la prossima estate."

He takes his other hand to her palm, then, and intertwines their fingers once again. 

It's like they need a moment to get comfortable and find a position that suits both of them, but eventually they get there. With Aurora melting onto his side and him brushing patterns on the skin of her arm. 

The man nods and smiles, but says nothing, and silence finally settles in the car.

Until Aurora takes that as an opportunity to speak again. 

"So…" she starts, watching their touching hands. "Did I miss something important from your private conversation?"

He freezes next to her. Stiffening his muscles and stopping the movements of his hand on her arm. 

"Shit. I didn't even… Sorry." He spreads his hand open on her shoulder, and squeezes her gently. "We were just chit chatting about the city, that's all. But I'll keep in mind to translate now, yeah? Sorry." 

"It's fine." She smiles, appreciating the sentiment. 

To be honest, she doesn't really care. She wishes she had prepared herself a little bit better for a new country and a new language, that's for sure, but at least she's with Harry now. It will be a lesson learned for the next time — if there ever is one. 

"When did you learn how to speak Italian, anyway?" 

A smile grows on his face, and he tilts his head to lean it on top of hers. 

"I don't know." He shrugs slightly, resuming the brushing of his fingers on her arm. "My mum… I learned from her, that's all."

Aurora frowns. "Is she Italian?"

"Uh… No, she… I mean, my grandfather was."

"Ohhh… Didn't know that. So you've always spoken Italian?"

"I guess? I don't know. I just can find my way around it… That's all."

Aurora hums, and turns to look through the window, admiring the view of a country she's never been to before. 

And then she shrugs, making sure she sounds teasingly when she says, "Well… Now that you've brought up your mum, then I guess it'll be inappropriate to mention how incredibly hot and sexy you sound when you speak Italian, right?"

Harry chokes. 

He literally chokes. Straightening up and coughing while letting her hand go to smack his palm on his chest. 

Aurora sits upright as well, holding back a smile as she tries to catch a glimpse of his face and murmurs questions like "what's wrong?" and "are you okay?". 

The driver says something, too, and Harry shakes his head, raising his free hand waving a finger at him.

"I'm…" He coughs again, and brings his hand to his throat. "Sto bene—" (cough) "Grazie."

"Ugh, see?" Aurora murmurs, leaning against the backseat and grabbing his hand on her shoulder, making sure he doesn't pull his arm away. "Told you. Incredibly sexy."

Cough. Cough. Cough.

Cough.

"Shit."

Cough.

Cough.

Cough.

Aurora giggles.

Yep. That's actually pretty fun.

They park at what first seems a dead-end street, but in reality it continues turning right and going up the hill. 

Aurora gets out of the car slowly, feeling the hardness of the concrete under her feet as she straightens her back and tips her neck back. The sun is shining, and she rests the side of her hand on top of her eyes, blocking out the brightness and taking in the view — the hills, the rocks, the shades of green, the colorful houses and buildings. 

She places her free hand against her breastbone, and slowly releases the air inside of her lungs. She doesn't want that surreal feeling to end, so she stands frozen in the spot for another moment, or two. 

She's heard about people going through moments when all their concerns and worries fall away, but it has never been a first hand experience of hers. Not until that day, at least. 

The closest she can imagine to that feeling was the moment she finally physically met Noah, the exact second his tiny crying body was placed between her arms. That didn't last too long, though, with her body hurting and the exhaustion taking over every inch of her — both emotionally and physically.

Earlier that day, when she woke up  snuggled into Harry's arms, she also experienced something very similar to that — the same sense of calm and peace. Then again, it also didn't last too long, since she knew she was overstepping and had to pull herself from his embrace. 

(Besides, to be fair, she isn't sure if it's the same thing, or if she's just really confused right now.) 

Still, there she is right now, standing in an unknown city, where she doesn't know anyone and can't even speak the language, feeling as if all of her concerns and worries have fallen away. It's pretty similar to those other two occasions, only this time the feeling doesn't seem to be going anywhere. 

It feels as if it's settled to stay.

The trunk of the car slams shut, and Aurora turns on her feet. 

On the other side of the taxi, Harry chats excitedly with their driver. And behind them, opposite from the city, is the ocean. 

It's a little after three in the afternoon, and they are finally at Marina Coppola, the port of Amalfi. 

The gray-haired-suited-man looks at her and nods, saying things she can't even try to understand. The only words she somehow recognizes are "amore", and "buona giornata", but still, she isn't sure she really knows what they're supposed to mean. 

So Aurora simply smiles, watching as Harry does — once again — all the talking for both of them. 

"Grazie!" he says, clasping one hand on the man's shoulder and firmly shaking his hand. "Anche a te!"

The driver raises one hand at her, and she lifts one hand, too, waving and blinking slowly as he gets inside the car. 

Harry moves to the sidewalk with both duffel bags, and Aurora waits for the man to drive away before getting closer to him.

And then she reaches for her bag, but Harry dodges her and taps her hand away.

"Nuh-uh, Mrs. Styles."

Aurora's cheeks warm up, and she rolls her eyes. 

During their ride, their driver referred to her as Mrs. Styles more than a few times. He'd ask questions about the view, or chit chat about the weather and ask her opinion about it. And Harry, of course, would be the one to always translate the questions, making sure to not only include Mrs. Styles, but also emphasize it. 

"Well… Marriage is over, so…" 

She shrugs and smiles, but maybe her joke hits a little too close to her heart, because she doesn't feel like fighting him anymore. Instead, she allows her curious eyes to shift around and capture as many details as she can. 

It is nice to see the ocean again. Long, wide, far-reaching. She's also seen a restaurant at the marina's entrance, and although the street is filled with cars, there aren't many people walking. 

She remembers Lucy explaining in their group chat how they chose a weekend in May exactly because of that — because it wouldn't be so filled with tourists, but the weather would still be perfect for a swim. Aurora can't deny she'd been scared of rain ruining their plans, but the sun is, in fact, shining with no signs of any clouds around — which is probably also helpful to set that magic scenario around them. 

And as Aurora admires the postcard worthy sight, it dawns on her that Amalfi looks exactly as she has seen in pictures. Maybe the colors aren't as bright and intense as Instagram usually made it seem, but it is still colorful. Still captivating, still mesmerizing. 

Being there, she can actually smell the fresh water, the fish, and the sunscreen. She can also feel the prickle of sunburn on her arms, and the wind pulling at her dress and her hair. She can even actually hear the small waves, the boats motoring past on their way to water, and the laughter and excitement of people at the docks.

The atmosphere is real, and yet still impossible to describe. It fills her with life, with hopes, and with dreams. 

It is… Surreal. 

Magical. 

"This is unbelievable," she finally murmurs. Her voice is soft and delicate, though — as if she doesn't want to break the spell surrounding them. 

"I know," Harry says, mimicking her tone. "'S really beautiful, innit?"

She turns her head to look at him, and finds him watching the hills across from them, the same ones she was watching just minutes before. She can see him furrowing his brows under his sunglasses, his head moving from one side to the other. 

"Yeah," Aurora breathes out. 

Harry is beautiful. The daylight makes his skin look tanner, and the wind messes with his hair, too —  although he doesn't seem to mind. And the facial hair glows on his face, somehow screaming at her how grownup he is. Somehow turning into a reminder of how good he took care of her, of how good he made her feel. 

Shit. 

She swallows, and faces the port again.

Can she still blame these thoughts on her lack of sleep?

Maybe she's being delusional. Maybe she is still so confused that she doesn't know what is reality or dreaming anymore. Or maybe she's spent so much time without interacting with any men that she doesn't know what's friendly or not anymore. Maybe she's mixing things up. Maybe Harry has just been protective of her. Like Theo and Niall are. 

Shit.

The wind pulls her hair to her face, and she takes her arms to put her locks into an improvised knot.

Hundreds of various-sized boats are lined up along the docks, and they are all so different from each other that she realizes she's never stopped to think about their different names. 

Are they boats? Are they all yachts? Is there even a difference? And what would that difference be?

"So…" she says, pausing to clear out her throat and rub the tip of her nose. "A ferry is one of those that you can get into with your car, right?"

Harry glances over his shoulder, watching her silently for a moment. 

She can feel his eyes on her face, but she resists the temptation of looking at him. 

And then he nods and turns around, standing next to her and facing the ocean as well. "Yeah… Have you ever been in one?"

Aurora shakes her head. 

"No… I remember from the movie 'How to lose a guy in ten days'. Have you seen it?"

He turns his head and stares at her in silence once again, until a loud laugh erupts from him.

She turns her head, too, and tilts her chin up, looking at him. 

"What?" she asks, lifting her left eyebrow. 

"Sorry… It's just…" 

He shakes his head and scratches his jaw, waiting until calming down before explaining himself. 

"Oh God… You made me watch that movie soooo many times," he says, voice filled with amusement while he tilts his neck back and looks at the sky. 

Aurora keeps her eyes on his shoulder, focusing on the flamingos in his shirt.  

"I did?" She frowns. "I don't—When?"

"Movie nights at your place, remember?" He pulls his hair back, smiling at her, and then at the horizon. "We used to do them once a week for a month or two. Usually everyone fell asleep and we were the only ones awake. Somehow, you'd end up always making tea and putting that DVD on." 

He shrugs, as if recalling that memory it's just the most common thing in the world. 

To Aurora, though, it isn't. 

"Wow…" She blinks, staring at the port again. "I can't… I honestly can't believe how many things you remember and I don't."

"Oh, it's okay, we were—"

"No, it's not. It makes me feel like shit."

"Auri—"

"You know I really like you, right?" she asks, focusing on the way the waves crash against one specific boat. "It's not you… I mean, I don't remember so many things, it's like I blocked stuff from my memory, but it's not because they didn't mean anything to me… I promise. I've always enjoyed our friendship, I just—"

Harry places his hand on her shoulder, and Aurora twists her neck to look at him.

"C'mon…" His sunglasses are on the top of his head now, pulling his hair back, and he stares firmly into her eyes. "I don't expect you to remember the same things I do, ok? We're fine. Everything's good. You don't need to be so tense about everything you do or say. Not around me, at least. Ok?" 

"Okay…" She nods once, then twice. And then she shakes her head. "Yeah, okay. Yeah."

"Okay," he repeats, a smile forming on his lips and his hand slipping away from her shoulder. 

Aurora can still feel his fingertips burning on her skin, though, and it dawns on her that, after spending the entire drive holding his hand and relaxing under his arm, now it's weird to not be able to just… Touch him again. 

"And just so you know," he adds. "I've been on a ferry. A couple of times, actually."

Aurora gasps, then grins at him, gladly accepting the change of subject. 

She asks when, and where, and why, and Harry chuckles. He answers while putting his sunglasses back on, then keeps the conversation going as he leads the way to the docks and to their friends. 

And they walk together, of course. All the time. 

There's a white arch they have to get through, and Harry raises his arm, gesturing for her to go first. She smiles shyly, looking at him over her shoulder as she steps onto the aluminum gangway. 

She walks across what looks like a green carpet before getting to the actual dock — a narrow wooden path stretched out into the water and leading to all different yachts — and then they are walking side by side again.

Always side by side.

Even when they have to dodge people on the way, some simply standing and chatting, some prepping their boats for sailing, some just returning to land. 

Then it gets to a point where all Aurora can see are bare masts reaching into the sky, birds flying, and ropes around their feet. 

They turn left on the dock, and sweat trickles over the back of her neck, just like her inner thighs sting from brushing against each other. She sighs and scratches the tip of her nose, listening to Harry as he chats about how he stopped eating meat a while ago, but was willing to eat fish again during the weekend.

Aurora nods at him, and then the growl of an engine starting up makes her jolt and gasp. She widens her eyes and takes her hand to her chest, and Harry chuckles next to her. 

She rolls her eyes and relaxes, smiling as she pokes his side with her elbow. "Shut up…"

He nods, pursing his lips and stopping himself from laughing even more. 

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Styles." 

"Ughhh. I won't be hearing the end of this anytime soon, will I?"

"See? That's why I married you. You know me too well."

She snorts, and then Harry slows down walking. 

"Ok, all jokes aside now. Aurora Fletcher, are you ready to have some fun?" 

Aurora smiles. 

To be fair, she's been having fun for a while now, but her body still sparkles with excitement at his words. So she moves her head quickly in agreement, just to make sure Harry can see it. "Yes, please."

"Good, because if my eyes aren't messing with me," he says, raising his arm to point out ahead of them, "I think those up there are our friends…"

Aurora looks up, tilting her chin and squinting her eyes when the sun strikes right into her line of view. Like she did before, she places the side of her hand against her eyebrows, blocking the brightness and blinking to focus where Harry seems to be pointing at.

When she recognizes the silhouette of some of their friends, she realizes they aren't just on a yacht — they are standing at the top floor of a massive, luxurious yacht. 

Aurora's mouth falls open, her eyes seem to bulge out of her face, and her body freezes. 

"What the hell?" she murmurs. 

Or, in other words, what the hell were Lucy and Theo thinking?! 

"Now I see what Niall meant about it blowing my mind," Harry says next to her. "Fuck yeah, this is gonna be great! C'mon." 

His joyful and energetic voice is enough to wake Aurora up from the half-conscious state she's fallen into, but he still puts his hand in between her shoulder blades and pushes her slightly, encouraging her to move along with him. 

"They're waiting for us, yeah? It's gonna be fun, but if it gets too much let me know and we'll just take a break from everyone."

Aurora blinks.

"I don't… I don't know if I'll be able to," she blurts out, not moving her feet from the spot. 

Her eyes are still wide open, but she darts them up to stare at Harry. 

He pulls his sunglasses back to the top of his head and takes two steps closer, standing right in front of her and letting their bags fall to his feet. His figure is tall enough to block the movements ahead from her view, allowing Aurora to focus on him, and only him. 

"I mean—" She shakes her head, organizing her thoughts. "I don't know if I'll be brave enough to ask for help."

Harry nods, and a wave of understanding engulfs Aurora's body. She drops her shoulders, and her eyebrows, then lets a long breath out of her nose.

"Maybe we could come up with a sign then, yeah?" He puts his hands right above her elbows, then gently moves them up and down. Rubbing her upper arms and soothing her down. 

"A sign?"

"Mhm. Just, y'know, something to let each other know we could use some company? For both of us… Maybe I'll need it, too."

Aurora chuckles and rubs her forehead, knowing damn well he won't need it. 

Still, she nods. 

"Maybe, okay… Yeah."

"Good. Any suggestions?"

"Hmmm… I don't know. Pinching the tip of the nose?" 

"No, nuh-uh." Harry shakes his head. "You already do that a lot."

Aurora frowns. "No I don't."

"Trust me, you do." Harry tightens his fingers around her arms, then loosens them up. "Scratching our jaws? I mean, your jaw… You scratch yours, I scratch mine…" 

Aurora purses her lips, and his own mouth twitches in amusement. 

"You know what I mean…"

"Yeah…" Her eyes wander around his face for a moment, and she sighs. "But no, because that's something you already do a lot."

Harry turns the corner of his mouth into a smirk, and Aurora squeezes her hands into fists to stop herself from poking the dimple on his cheek. 

"I do?"

She shrugs. "Mhm." 

"If you say so…" 

He stays put inside her eyes, capturing her inside a mesmerizing green spell and forcing her to just wait there. Powerless and helpless. With no other option but to stare back at him.

Letting time go by — letting time run by. 

As if they weren't already late. 

As if they weren't the last ones to arrive.

As if they didn't have a massive, overpriced yacht waiting for them. 

"What about our ears, then?" he offers, his voice huskier and somehow slower. 

Aurora swallows. And her stomach flutters just as much as her chest tightens. 

"Y'know," he adds, then takes a step closer. "You tug yours, I tug mine…"

He moves one hand, letting go of her arm as he drifts it to her face. 

He touches her cheek first, breezily, then slides to her ear, brushing her skin in the process and making it tingle. 

Aurora holds her breath, and as she stares at him, she feels her earlobe being touched by two of his fingers. 

She closes her eyes for a moment, and when she opens them again, she drifts her sight to his mouth. Unconsciously and unintentionally. 

Harry slides his tongue between his lips, getting them wet before he turns them into a smirk.

"Like this," he murmurs, then gives her ear a little tug. 

Shit.

Aurora looks back at him.

Everything he's doing right now feels soft, intentional, and… Extremely and weirdly right. 

There's a feeling deep down her stomach that she's unable to name. Maybe a flush, maybe a tingle, or maybe a throb. Or maybe all of them.

She can't describe it, she can't understand it. 

She can't name it.

But it's there, and it's doing things to her. Things she hasn't felt in a very long time.

"Hm? What do you say?" he asks, so softly it almost makes her whine.

Her heart picks up, and she doesn't think she'll be strong enough to move away from his touch. Not then, not ever again. 

"Okay," she whispers. "Yes."

His smirk turns into a smile, and he leans in, pressing his lips firmly against her forehead. 

It only lasts a second, and then Harry pulls away from her and hunches down to pick up their bags. 

W—What? 

Why…

Aurora blinks at him. 

Why did he stop?

Why did he move away? 

"It's settled, then," Harry says. "C'mon, let's get this party started."

Hiii :)

I thought about adding some more scenes here, but tbh I feel like these two should be together and get all the attention, so this is where part 3 officially ends. Next part it's a long one and includes meeting all of their friends, so I hope you've enjoyed their last moments by themselves hehe 🤭

Thanks for reading!

Dani

(if you've made it here, pls talk to me and say Francesco lol)

--

PART FOUR (I)

[ff7-has-taken-me-over]

This one’s gonna be a first to see around here but the thought struck me and I saw someone say that if Zack survived, him, Aerith and Cloud would’ve been a triad and I one thousand percent agree.

So! Zack and Aerith would dote on Cloud so fucking heavily. Not in any, outstanding, buys him gifts and whatever he pleases sort of way but just in all the small gestures they do for him.

Cause Cloud is so effortlessly thoughtful despite being so painfully awkward sometimes. He hears Aerith has run out of tampons and he goes and gets her favourite brand even though her period is still weeks out.

Zack mentions his bike is making funny noises and he’s gotta wait for the next pay check to take it to a mechanic and he’ll just go and fix it himself without prompting.

Aerith complains one time about him and Zack hogging the blankets again and Cloud wraps her in her own blanket that same night, putting Zack in the middle so he can still cuddle both of them but will only fight Cloud for the blanket since they’re the two sharing.

It’s just all these little actions that he does because he’s so endlessly caring and he doesn’t even realise it sometimes and Zack and Aerith wanna return the favour however they can. But Cloud’s so quiet and is always content to just go along with them and whatever they want.

It’s embarrassingly hard to return such thoughtless actions when Cloud usually looks after himself whenever he needs or wants something. Always putting their priories ahead of his own and thinking it too bothersome to ask anything of them.

So they dote on him in other ways. Any way they can get away with and that won’t make Cloud clam up and isolate cause he thinks he’s being too much. Which is ridiculous cause he’s quite literally dating the human embodiment of a puppy and the sun, but they’re still working on that.

So Aerith gifts him flowers. Making crowns and placing them in his hair when it’s a day he can just sit back and relax. Or tucking them away in places he can find them easy when he’s moving around their shared spaces for jobs.

Zack goes out of his way to pick up food from Cloud’s favourite Junon place every so often, always lying and saying it was on the way back so Cloud doesn’t pout at him.

They both shower him in affection near constantly, brushing fingers through his hair and placing soft kisses on his cheeks and shoulders. Wrapping arms around his waist and leaning up against him or pulling him down, into their laps and simply holding him quietly.

Sometimes they manage a gift when he’s in one of his better moods. A new set of wrenches cause he somehow lost a few in the last set. A pair of riding goggles cause when he got tossed from his bike the last pair came off and broke. A new book or some graphite pencils for him to sketch the landscapes he sees when he’s out on deliveries that take him away from them.

It’s all in the little things they do for him. Cause they love him dearly and only wish for his happiness. Cloud had lived a tough life, they all had really, but Cloud always seemed to struggle with it the most. Still woke up panting and looking around frantically without actually seeing anything.

Still looked at them with so much longing and heartache that it broke their hearts to know they were technically the reasons it was there. Still sometimes hesitated before coming to them for affection. Like he was scared they’d turn him away or disappear the second he so much as breathed on them.

So they tried to dote on him as much as they could. Tried to return his effortless care and quiet affection in any way they could manage. Just for the hope that one day he wouldn’t be quite so scared anymore. That maybe he wouldn’t hesitate in letting them know when he needed them, and just so he knew they loved him. No matter how long any of it took.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Hiya! To start, you are amazing!! I look forward to your content every single day, and it never ceases to make me smile 💕 Keep doin' you 😊

My husband and I recently had a convo about the First's comfort items. Obviously, Gen would have Loveless or like a cozy blanket. He mentioned Angeal possibly having a teddy bear or other stuffed animal (which I think is absolutely adorable!). What do you think they would have?

Thank you so much! ❤️🩷🥰 God their comfort items are so in-your-face in Crisis Core, so let's make them sadder

Genesis: His comfort item will forever be his copy of Loveless, the first one he found in his parents' study and annotated the heck out of. He has the margins scribbled with thoughts, doodles, and ideas, along with sticky notes and highlighted lines he finds inspiring. He developed a habit of slipping keepsakes between its pages, so sometimes a theatre ticket will slip out, or a napkin with a messy poem scribbled on it. The book represents everything that he is and cares about, so there's also a polaroid of him, Sephiroth, and Angeal when they were baby-faced teenagers. He keeps the book close when he deserts, and hates how the polaroid fades and crumbles just like his body as the years pass.

Angeal: His attachment to his buster sword becomes something of a joke amongst the 2nds and 3rds, which them jokingly wondering if he also sleeps and showers with it. The truth is that he does keep it beside his bed when he sleeps, and sometimes, when his anxiety is bad, he likes to keep an eye on it at all times. He takes extra care of it, cleaning and polishing it even if there's no need. No matter what he tells other people (and himself) the sword doesn't just represent his family's honor⏤it's the last thing he has of his father. His real father; the man who raised him. The care he gives to the sword is the care he wishes he could give to the man who passed. Years later, after Angeal dies, all these "quirks" slowly integrate themselves into Zack's routine. And then Cloud's.

Sephiroth: He learned pretty early on that developing attachment to items would only bring him pain when they were eventually lost or taken away later. It was one of the many downs of being raised with R&D + Hojo monitoring his every move. Sephiroth never got to bond with a teddy bear, a blanket, or even a toy before it got taken away (if it was ever given in the first place). All of that served to strengthen his problem later in life⏤he found comfort in people. First it was his mother, even if he never met her, the became attached to friends. First Glenn, who provided comfort he had never known prior to meeting him, and then Genesis and Angeal. He values his friends, and would sacrifice everything to keep them as safe as they make him feel. Because friends, unlike objects, can never be taken from him. Right?

[strayheartless]

Todays thinky thought: the Soldier first class fan clubs

I've got to be honest I need more fan fics where the fan clubs are hard at work with fan art, fics and edits. And look I know Crisis Core is set in the very early 2000 and thus the internet (if we are super imposing actual historical timelines over FFVII timelines) would be in its very early infancy at this point come on man.

Give me Cloud being aware of, and participating in, the fandom;

give me Genesis moogling himself out of morbid curiosity and getting weirdly misha collins level invested in the fan fictions written about him.

Give me Angeal being shown mildly explicit fan art of himself on a talk show and going so red the host is worried he'll pass out.

Give me zack having secret social media accounts to lurk in his own fandom and to collect black mail content for the other firsts.

Give me Sephiroth being blissfully unaware of how unhinged the silver elite are about him until he meets cloud who is all like "oh you sweet summer child"

Give me Genesis and Zack live tweeting Clouds dramatic reading of a fandom wide notorious Y/N x Sephiroth fic that had both Sephiroth and Angeal curled up in agonising embarresment while Gen is pissing himself laughing and Zack has fallen off the chair after snorting beer through his nose.

Give me Clouds social Media then blowing up and him becoming internet famous as the "normal guy that hangs around with the trinity elite and Zack fair". He gets so many questions and while he respects the boys privacy he does get them to answer some of the less prying ones.

Give me Hojo trying to sue a really popular fanfiction site for copy right infringment on the Sephiroth trademark and Sephiroth himself shutting Hojo down.

Give me Genesis being asked to talk at a convention and him getting so much fan art and gifts they have to hire a van to pack it into.

Give me Zack doing a running commentary on some of the footage edits on youtube that he has seen and likes. "dude that one with sick beat behind it was so well editted I'm gunna have to do more acrobatic stunts for you guys!"

Just give me all of it!

[ninibeingdelulu]

A headcannon of fluff for kissing/comfort on a rainy day for zack fair? perhaps a day hes upset due a bad mission or something like what he'd like to be comforted how he wants to be kissed? similar to the request you just wrote for cloud? thank you so so much

—headcanons ft. zack fair

A/N: hii thanks for requesting that. I was going to do a zack fluff post soon anyway but I like this idea. I hope you’ll like it, enjoy xoxo

When the battles have been grueling and the weight of his responsibilities as SOLDIER weigh heavy on those broad shoulders, Zack Fair seeks solace in your tender affections. His usual exuberant spirit dimmed to something achingly fragile and childlike in those vulnerable moments of fatigue and frustration.

physical reassurance:

The most effective balm for Zack's anguished soul is the grounding press of your body nestled against his own.

He'll wordlessly enfold you in his arms, face buried against the crook of your neck with each inhale saturated in your comforting scent.

Trembling fingers splay across the small of your back as if mapping every groove and dip like braille - anchoring the wayward pieces of himself back together through your joined warmth.

Zack nuzzles into you with such desperate, starving need, grip flexing tighter at each soothing stroke you skim through his disheveled ebony spikes.

Only once your steadying embrace begins dispelling the shadows haunting his bright spirit does Zack's body uncoil from its taut rigidity.

Low, broken rumbles of contentment start bleeding into every ragged exhale as you as his living tether to peace and serenity.

kiss reassurance:

While still clinging to you like a buoy in tempestuous seas, Zack will initiate a trail of tender, worshipful kisses cascading from your collarbone up the vulnerable column of your throat.

Each brush of his pillowy lips is featherlight and tremulous - less a heated passionate and more like honoring you as a sacrosanct offering to soothe his anguish.

Zack pours every ounce of wistful yearning and childlike adulation into each caress of mouth against skin.

You can taste each shuddering breath and aborted whimper bleeding from the very depths of his soul on his lips as he maps your body like a blind man relearning the world anew.

Only once he's attained some semblance of stabilizing tranquility will those revering, barely-there brushes shift into something warmer and more ardent.

His arms loop fully around your waist, hefting your body flush to his powerful frame in a cradling embrace as Zack's lips slant hotly over yours in drugging reverence.

Despite his ravenous hunger, there's still a profound gentleness infusing each velvet sweep of his tongue and greedy inhale gulping down your intermingled breaths.

Zack kisses you intently like committing every ridge and dip of your mouth to somatic memory.

Like you alone provide the grace to exorcise his demons and anchor him to purity once more.

verbal reassurance:

While Zack does appreciate soft-spoken platitudes and tender words murmured through his tousled locks, your SOLDIER needs something a bit more visceral to pierce the haze saturating his mercurial heart in those darker stretches.

Nothing permeates Zack's churning turmoil like spontaneous, uproariously affectionate bouts of verbal indulgence showered directly from your lips to his raptured ears.

Sprawled with his head cradled in your lap, azure eyes fixated up at you in rapt, childlike wonder - this is the prime opportunity to saturate Zack in a deluge of playful, adoring praises and endearments.

He'll grin like a boy hoarding the world's sweetest candy with every crinkle-nosed giggle that erupts whenever you extol the virtues that make up your Zack Fair.

Kiss the tip of his nose and call him your 'courageous puppy' for weathering the harshest storms unscathed.

Trace his swoon-worthy jawline and teasingly laud what a 'dreamboat' he is for all the ladies of Midgar.

Beckon him up for an impromptu snuggle session as you revel in being his 'Zack-attack's favorite hugger.'

At the crescendo of your syrupy-sweet avalanche, Zack will haul you in for a blitzing flurry of grateful smooches - peppering your giggling features until you both collapse in hoots of laughter.

It's only once your breathless cachinnations have echoed out into the room that Zack's usual vibrancy gleams with renewed radiance.

Having his ego stocked on such a sugary diet of affirmations and playful titillation is often the perfect panacea for lifting Zack's spirits back to their full sunbeam zeal.

Nothing ignites that childlike spark better than immersing himself in the doting, frenetic joy you bathe him in like a pure baptismal font.

So keep that fountain of sugary saccharine and worshipful baby-talk flowing freely whenever your Zack needs liberating from the blackest depths of despair - and you'll have your irrepressible, black-bright puppy back in full force once more!

[woodsfae]

B5 S04E07 Epiphanies previous episode - table of contents

The denizens of B5 have an aerial show to go along with their party over the Vorlon-Shadows proxy war being over. On episode seven! I have only vague theories about anything they might get up to by the end of the season. 

John Sheridan watches the party and has heavy thoughts till he sees Delenn and is immediately turns his mood around. Cute. 

Bester!! Is back! Thrilling. I have my fingers crossed for him to acctually achieve his telepathic society on some secret colony. 

It's awfully obnoxious that he's taking orders to dismantle B5 instead of off stealing all of PsiCorps. The threat of the great powers may be over, but Earth's government is still its own biggest threat. 

Bester wants to know why they don't just do a military takeover. Minister says...we tried and failed. Gotta do this blackops style. 

I now have high expectations for shenanigans, but I hope it's a multi-episode arc rather than wrapping up in this episode. Bester vs B5 could be a great seasonal arc. 

On Centaur they need to pick a new Emperor, but putting off the decision for awhile. By appointing a Regent for the Emperor, which is the guy Londo is telling all this to. 

Huh, Londo's skipping out to B5 now. I did not expect him to dump all the homeworld issues on a patsy and flee, but that very much in character for him. Dealing with problems is not Londo's strong suit. Unlike causing problems. 

G'Kar has phanton itch in his missing eye. Oh how I hate how he can never catch a break. Dr Franklin wants to try to adapt a human prosthetic for G'Kar so he can have partial vision back. And the medical update also serves as exposition for Dr Frankin to remind the audience that G'Kar was offered rule of Narn and turned it down. 

Garibaldi struggles with not remembering, then his sleeper routine activates! badadada! Bester-level shenanigans engage. Huh, and he resigns. 

There's a Disney planet. That tracks. But, interesting gambit. Demoralize the senior staff by having his secretly implanted trigger be disillusionment in the conflict and want a chance of pace that's more peaceful. 

Does this mean Chief of Security Zack Allen? Please no. ugh. If this happens, I will try to be sanguine with it, but whyyyy. 

I mean I don't believe Garibaldi is leaving leaving, but I would prefer more Garibaldi than Zack Allen.  Who is checking Londo back into B5. 

Bester and his jackbooted thugs have arrived. And his banter remains delightful. They're always on point with his script and he's such a good antagonist. It's funny but I almost think of his as fae....he allows himself to be trapped by logic battles and legal snarls, he's very precise with his wording in a way that feels a bit otherworldly, and he's threatening as shit. ergo, fae. Just him though, the rest of PsiCorps doesn't strike me as fae at all, very mundanely human. 

Garibaldi is very happy to see Garibaldi. Garibaldi says he is sorry G'Kar had to go through a lot of shit. G'Kar says no, thanks to Garibaldi for being his friend so much that he risked getting, and got captured. And in his captivity was able to help save his people. Garibaldi says o.O what.

Another mirrored arc with Londo, who curses the narrative and denies anyone's ability to choose. G'Kar thanks the narrative and chooses to see the best of the current circumstances.

Yeah, Zack Allen's Security boss now. The news announced that Earthforce has banned all travel to and from B5. Big moves. 

Zack goes to get Lyta and we see she's starting to replace the belongs that not-Kosh forced her to get rid of.  

Apparently Lyta has been shunned by basically everyone on B5...and it's because no one quite trusts her due to the time she spent in close proximity to the Vorlons. But Zack Allen offers to help her unpack her new stuff. They gotta stop making him be so considerate or I'll stop being irritated by him. 

G'Kar casually threatens Londo. I'd want to disappear Londo so bad in his shoes. 

Bester is difficult because it's in his nature, while also being very helpfully informative. lol. 

Bester wants to go loot Higher Beings tech from Z'ha'dum and see if they can use it to free the Shadows-wired-in telepaths, including Bester's forbidden lady love. And has quite an uncontrolled telepathic spasm of visions! Lyta? Susan? Something he did to himself or PsiCorps did to him?? 

Bester tells them that Earthforce sent armed patrols to maintain a B5 blockade, and a second force to destroy the first force and frame B5 for the hostilities. That's ice fucking cold. 

I notice Garibaldi may have resigned but he's still in what look like pretty spacious officer's quarters. Zac is hanging out and trying to persuade Garibaldi not to resign. 

omfg. Garibaldi says mistakes are a part of life and in fact, he took on Zack Allen even though he had a terrible record. And says he's the best second Garibaldi ever had. Um.!!! He totally told them out to Earthforce sprang at the first and every opportunity, and only felt a little bad about most of it till he switched sides at the literal last second. They can't make me forget that with a few episodes of him being considerate and intelligent. They gotta put in more effort for him to win me over. 

Sheridan and Delenn being cute again on one of the White Stars, heading to Z'Ha'Dum. Sheridan says he wants a little chill and Delenn says lol, you love nothing more than a problem. And if you had to spend ten seconds relaxing on a beach your head would explode. 

He thinks her deducing that is hot. It is. 

Ivanova gets to go out on a space battle in the little fighters! Good for her, she almost never gets to go flying! She and the B5 fighters save the sacrificial force and establish some cred as nonaggressors. 

Bester admits respect for Lyta, but tries to convince her to share what has given her an increase in telepathic ability. The Corps is mother, the corps is father. Lyta turns him down and he immediately jumps to threatening blackmail. How very Bester. He isn't so much an iron fist in a velvet glove, more like a ceramic-coated frying pan on a long handle. 

Z'Ha'Dum blows up. No high level tech upgrades from that angle. Bester has a regretful heart-to-heart with his beloved's stasis chamber. He really acts the shit out of it. "I'd do it again." shivers! And he blames B5 for not having her back and swears his personal animosity for B5! That's a little bit of a leap, but I suppose the next most logical person to blame is himself and he can't afford to take that onto his cracked shell of a psyche. (affectionate)

Sheridan also comes to visit Lyta, really thoroughly ending her long drought in visitors. Bummer that it isn't positive - he thinks she set off the Shadows' self-destruct of Z'Ha'Dum! Sheridan is interestingly not angry about it. Just acknowledges that she must be very powerful and skilled. And wonders why. Lyta gives several answers as hypotheticals, ranging from buried command triggers to personal grudge. 

Ah, and now Sheridan's mad comes out. If she does anything audacious like that without orders again, he chucks her straight into PsiCorps' custody. pain of death threat, basically! Be good or face being effectively murdered through mindwipes or controls. 

Really, PsiCorps is such an existential threat I find it to be overly harsh. Threat of general exile from B5, sure. But PsiCorps is a really brutal threat for Lyta as a rogue telepath in possession of secrets of power boosts. More ice cold choices made by people in authority! 

Epiphanies this episode is called...but bearing down on cold ruthlessness is rather a depressing epiphany to give the main players in the human political scene.

And the Centauri Regent has a...vision? And/or a growth? It's unclear. 

Much to think on, much to try to start to fit together into plausible theories! This has definitely been a highly expository episode but it was still well done and managed to be engaging while also doing a lot of telling-not-showing.

Onwards!

[leapypeanut]

What do you feel like the Remake does BETTER/WORSE compared to the OG ff7?

I like how they expanded a lot of the characters. I feel like they came more to life in the remake games (probably because of the graphics so they’re more expressive than those polygons, also the voice acting and way more dialogue) also I’m a very big Clerith lover (as you know) and the remake series is very Cloud and Aerith heavy which is nice because before the remake trilogy all the extra ff7 content we got was AC (after Aerith died) and CC (before they met) so to get so much more screen time of them interacting and really showing their chemistry in such a beautiful way makes me really happy!

Also in the OG Tifa was a very minor character that’s whole character revolved around Cloud. which i really dislike for obvious reasons. Tifa was actually originally outsourced from another studio and they only added her last minute after they decided to kill off Aerith. They didn’t really expect the fandom to get so attached to Tifa. But because of the love for Tifa from the fandom they gave her a lot more screen time in the remake trilogy. Which imo is kinda a double edged sword. Cause on one hand it sometimes feels like they’re trying to shove her in the narrative where it’s not necessary so she has the same amount of screen time as Aerith. Which is odd because Tifa is a side character and Aerith is a main character. And since they’re both technically the “heroins” of the game I feel like the developers kinda felt pressured to give Tifa more screen time to appease her fanbase. But on the other hand, while Tifa does still have a lot of the problems she has in the OG and is still very codependent (duh, she’s still the same character) but I feel like they’re gonna give Tifa more of a character arc in part 3. Where she realizes she doesn’t need Cloud and she doesn’t need her self worth tied to him. They kinda started going in this direction in the OG with Barret telling Tifa “"we did just fine before without him (Cloud), what happened to the strong girl l used to know?” But we never really got closer for that so I have a feeling they’re gonna go in that direction and if they do I’ll like Tifa a whole lot more. I also think Tifa going to the life stream by herself in Rebirth instead of with Cloud like the OG helped a bit in this. Because although what she saw in the life stream was still Cloud, and she still said “Don’t take him away, I need him” abt Cloud to Sephy in the life stream (showing she’s just as codependent as ever) further in the game (cosmo canyon) she talks abt how she feels closer to the planet and more motivated to save it since she fell into the life stream. Which I like because it gives her her own motivation because of her own experiences outside of Cloud yk?

I do think Cloud just randomly remembering Zack outta no where in Rebirth is kinda a cheap way to do it but I can kinda excuse it a bit because it does help with the plot further in Rebirth so it’s just a bit of a nitpick.

Something that did bother me was after cloud literally tried to KILL Tifa and push her into the life stream Cloud just walks into her room casually and Tifa’s not even remotely wary of Cloud at all, even tho he literally just attempted to murder her just a few hours ago. Also right after Cloud opens up to Tifa (the only time he’s ever really willingly remotely opened up to Tifa within the whole FF7 compilation) and tells her about why he almost killed her and how he’s having an identity crisis, this is a very vulnerable moment for Cloud. And Tifa thinks this is a good time to try and KISS HIM?! And Cloud looks completely confused. I don’t wanna accuse Tifa of trying to take advantage of Cloud in a vulnerable moment, I don’t wanna think Tifas that typa person, but that’s kinda how it comes across. the whole scene is very awkward and out of place. I’m very glad Yuffie, Nanaki, and Aerith walked in tbh.

Also I know this is kinda an unpopular opinion within the overall fandom but I like the multiverse stuff. I’m glad it’s not a 1 on 1 remake. Because the “remake trilogy” although it’s called “remake” it’s more of a sequel to the OG. So if you don’t like the remake trilogy it won’t affect the OG. The remake isn’t trying to replace the OG but just add onto the narrative. And honestly the multiverse stuff is a great way to market the game tbh. Because the Remake trilogy is gonna take at least 8 years to completely finish it. And nobody’s gonna be excited for 8 years if it’s exactly like the OG. That doesn’t make ppl excited, because they already know what’s gonna happen. But because of the multiverse stuff we have no clue what’s gonna happen in part 3. And that’s what makes you anticipate it, it’s the fun part. It’s fun to look forward to how they’re gonna take the narrative and making theories.

One last thing that kinda disappointed me was Cloud going insane. It was quite underwhelming compared to the OG tbh. Like I was expecting him to go completely crazy and the entire party to ostracize him and is completely scared of him under Sephiroths control. But that didn’t happen in Rebirth like in the OG unfortunately. But I do think they’re gonna include this within part 3! What i think they’re gonna do for part 3 is that they are not only scared of Cloud being controlled by Sephiroth but also creeped out because Cloud still thinks Aerith is alive. which she is alive in another time like that Cloud created right before she died in the main timeline but the party members don’t know that and just think Clouds going completely crazy because of grief and is just acting schizophrenic and hallucinating Aerith because he misses her so much.

[letoasai]

Hi, back again to bug you lol.

First off, I’m living for the strifehart week content. I’m hoping to join in for 2025, and your writings getting me though my dissertation. ❤️

Second (because it wouldn’t be a Flo ask if I didn’t question you with fic related questions.), In the Secrets universe, If sora we’re to disappear like he does at the end of three (after the manakin battles), how do you think the fam would come. Would it be better because they’re all together or worse because they keep loosing eachother? Would Squall do something stupid again, or would they all work together to find Sora?

I promise one day I will stop being so obsessed with that fic. Also if you can’t answer -cause I know you plan to continue the secrets stuff- that’s totally cool!

Hello! You know i love questions!

I'm really glad you're enjoying Strifehart week! I still need to finish the last two prompts but i hope it gives you more fuel for your dissertation. ^_^

If Sora were to disappear it would definitely be all hands on deck. Riku and Vanitas would absolutely be at the helm of that search. They'd be convinced that Sora was somewhere, given that in the beginning of Secrets, Sora had been looking for Kairi and then Vanitas. If Sora could do it, and find them, then the entire Strifehart family should be able to find Sora.

There's also the fact that i threw in so many little bits of magic in Secrets. Riku would use the dowsing with his keyblade that Sora taught him. And Cloud has a piece of the Lifestream attached to him that he would use to look for Sora. (Send Zack!) Squall would be a mess! but determined to find his son.

Do they need to threaten a sorcerer for his help!? They would. Though lets be honest, Ventus was hidden in his home and no one thought to look for him in the Land of Departure/Castle Oblivion. (that dang magic lock) So there might not be too much help in that corner.

I think about this series often, i just need to wrap my mind around the next part and work out the length of it. I do hope to work on it soon, but i know i've been saying that. I'm glad it's something you can keep coming back to!

[tentacledwizard]

tumblr user tentacledwizard reviews: Employee of the Month

 

  So recently [read: a few hours ago], @cgtg hosted a sort of movie night. The movie was Employee of the Month, starring Dane Cook. I joined it because I am always willing to expand my cinematic repertoire and also cgtg’s Davekat stuff is really good. Like I don’t even ship Davekat that much but their content is excellent. And the Sandler rap perfectly encapsulates my opinions on Adam Sandler as an actor, because ever since my dad played Billy Madison my life has been ok I’ll just do the review now.

So okay, I was prepared to have an ironically good time. I was convinced the movie would be 100% shit tier, just like Dave Strider said. But I should have known that Dave is not a reliable source. Because this movie was fun. I had a great time. When it comes to official reviews, I’ve seen mainly lukewarm/frosty attitudes towards Employee of the Month but *clears throat* Whatever. 

Now, those who know me know of my passionate love for Home Depot. And if you didn’t know about this, now you do. I wrote a Home Depot/necromancy story in like 7th grade. Home Depot is paradise on earth. You could survive a zombie apocalypse in there. It has everything you need for survival- shelter, crops, energy drinks, etc. This movie basically takes place inside a Home Depot. I forget what the store was actually called. It doesn’t matter. You just need to understand that I love Home Depot so I will generally enjoy movies set inside Home Depots. That was a pretty big factor in my enjoyment. Never mind the fact that this was filmed inside a Costco.

Now onto the actual movie. By rom-com standards, is this a good rom-com? Ehhh. No. The main romance between Dane Cook and “Blond Tart” was half-baked. I saw nothing that distinguished the fair-haired love interest from the other rom-com love interests before/after her, except maybe her big ears. The pair had like nothing in common, mainly because I don’t really know about their interests? Gotta say that Dane Cook had far more chemistry with the other blond tart (aka the antagonist). I wasn’t rooting for the main couple. This is also partly because of the movie’s intense homosexuality. I am not even kidding. Their date was cute though, I just wish they actually had some things in common and we learned more about the love interest.

So basically the plot is that this guy Zack (Dane Cook) works at Fictional!Home Depot and he seems like kind of a “slacker.” He is rivals with a smarmy blond Eminem cousin named Vince (Dax Shepard), who seems like a “stand up guy.” Obviously he is a douche bag who flirts with everyone in a very unprofessional way. There’s some kind of subplot about the store trying to beat another retail place. Then this new employee (Jessica Simpson) waltzes into the place. (I could say she “breasted boobily,” but nah.) Her name is Amy and she allegedly has a thing for employees of the month. So Zack falls in love, but obviously Vince starts making some moves on her. Now Zack has to win Employee of the Month to get the girl, or else Vince will. (There was nothing to worry about though, he dates Amy without even getting the position yet. Also Vince is super awkward/gay.) 

So let me just bullet point this. I’ll cover the characters/plot points/romance plots.

CHARACTERS:

Zack: The main character, Dane Cook. For everyone watching, there was this process of thinking oh no he’s cute and then falling in love with him. Look, he is actually pretty cute. I don’t make the rules. That dorky smile of his is great. He does have his flaws, like being focused only on his own problems. Dude just apologize. But they do get addressed. He’s a pretty good main character, and he really knows how to treat a girl. Home Depot date? SIGN ME UP. That’s going to be me some day, ok? I will meet some dude who shares my love for Home Depot and together we will wander the dusky aisles filled with all manner of appliances. Welp I kind of lost the plot. Anyway he has great date ideas. His little yellow car thing is a complete travesty but I will let it slide. Jorge has the better yellow vehicle but of course he does. Jorge is gangsta. 

(guy has that Kubrick stare)

Vince: The main antagonist besides the nebulous “corporate.” At first he seems like a blond flashlight that draws in the ladies like moths. He truly seems like a suave douchebag. As the movie goes on, you learn that this is untrue (the “suave” part). He is really awkward. Probably the only person in love with him is my main guy Jorge (Efren Ramirez). More on that at ten. Anyway, Vince is really good at cashiering. He does an unprofessional little circus act with the products that makes the ladies allegedly swoon. He gets Employee of the Month many, many times. Can Zack possibly usurp him?? Who knows! So yeah, Vince is a sopping and pathetic fellow. At some points you want him to shut up, but at other points you feel this deep well of pity for his plight. Negative points for using the r-word once >:( but also hey this is 2006. 

Amy: Uh. Ummm. Well she seems very friendly and… like a love interest. Uh… I’m sure there has to be more to her. Right? Oh well. Her big ears are pretty cute. Sadly, she doesn’t exactly have a personality or agency over the plot. I don’t really like plots that are just two guys fighting over a girl, except that turned out to not really be part of the movie so it’s fine. At least she called out Zack when he was being stupid, but that was mainly just to milk some drama. I think she and Lily should date.

Jorge: Jorge, the man that you are. Look, he is amazing and I cannot lie. What even is a salmon churro? The entire chat was yelling every time he was on screen. He first appears as Vince’s lackey, and he mainly helps out Vince with his various sabotage attempts. But he turns out to have more depth than that. He is like a short bug. He is willing to stab an old lady. Jorge is what we call “gangsta.” Everything he does is cool in a Jorge sort of way. He really made the movie. You can fight me on this. 

Lily: The Human Resources manager. Okay, so she doesn’t have dialogue (I think) but I wanted to include her here because she is cool and really pretty and I had a minor sexuality crisis once she arrived on screen (it happens every other day. Don’t worry about it). I like the lily in her hair. She was so real for accepting a bribe and eating that Butterfinger. <3

Grandma: She could be referred to as feisty. You could also say she’s bisexual. Kudos to her for keeping it real with Zack. The “seed of love” speech was…really dubious!

Boss man: Whatever is going on with him, it’s very gay. He outright says that he thinks/has thought about kissing guys. Maybe there’s something between him and the policeman? Anyway, I feel pretty bad that his older brother emasculated him. Not much else to say. He’s not exactly a paragon of professionalism, which is what makes this movie fun. He totally wants to be the fatherly boss but he fails. His lackey’s name is Dirk. Strider reference? You know it. (This was made 3 years before homestuck started).

BOSS Boss Man, aka Corporate Incarnate: Boss Man’s big brother, in the age sense. Okay, this guy kind of scares me. He is way less relaxed than Boss Man, and he certainly can drub people with canes. He runs a tight ship, so obviously he won’t stand for the main character mayhem going on. 

Iqbal: I don’t remember a ton of stuff about him, but he is like a lot of my family friends. He deserves good stuff because he had to put up with Zack’s crap for longer than necessary. Do I have to cover every single character? How about we move onto the main thing: shipping. It’s not really the main thing, but I'm going insane over it so for me it is.

SHIPS:

  Oh man okay, here we go. I already covered my very few thoughts on Zack/Amy so here are some ships that I find interesting.

Zack/Vince: Basically, the plot of the movie revolves around these two and their rivalry. I kind of doubt their hate is platonic. At one point Vince compares them to a pair of “old gay sailors.” Zack’s face really says it all, honestly:

Their scenes together had a ton of sexual chemistry. Intense Kubrick stares. Toreador-ish mop fights. Breaking into the other person’s house to make them late for work. You know. Like that. We all agreed that they are best summarized as “toxic yaoi.” Essentially, they are kismeses. Also, Vince is a complete mess around Amy but seems way more comfortable antagonizing Zack. I don’t think Zack is really into Vince, but it’s an interesting thought.

Vince/Jorge: Now this. THIS is the true romance of the story. You think I’m kidding? This is pretty much canon (or at least heavily implied). Where Zack and Vince had some sexual tension, these two have a Home Depot’s worth of romantic tension. They have so many little moments, like when they just kind of solemnly listen to music in a car (which turns out to be a bookend). They’re constantly around each other, and their relationship actually has an arc. Vince starts out kind of using Jorge as a henchman, but then Jorge goes against that. There’s a temporary breakup, and Vince kind of loses it. He has no one to talk to now. But he’s willing to pull himself together and give Jorge the space he needs to think things through. And THEN they have this big moment where they get back together as equals and it’s beautiful and okay it’s easier to just show you. 

(Previous image) Here we have Jorge helping Vince with his dorky-ass heelies because Vince is trying to be a coolkid like Zack.

And then we have that whole moment over there. They’re holding hands! (Hurt/comfort moment tbh)

THEIR VICTORY DANCES?? HELLO?? This is adorable i can’t

Okay, this is blatantly romantic. The words “please, come home” imply that they share a home. Perhaps they are even… roommates? But look, the normally rude Vince is actually being considerate. And he calls Jorge “homes.” Jorge normally calls him that!

Full access to the cashier’s lounge? Jorge you mad lad. 

Awww-

Okay I gasped aloud at this part. They are married. Or like they will be at some point in time. “It just feels right” yeah they are SO married. Look at the height difference. They are everything, as of four hours ago. This is cinema.

I can’t do this man why did I start reviewing this. They use each other’s pet names. Shit. Fuck you, Dane Cook movies. I hate feeling emotion like this.

yes, Jorge and Vince were the real romance subplot all along. They’re literally the last scene of the movie.

Look at the smile on Jorge’s face. Jegus. This ship is everything. These two were the real emotional core of the movie. Without them, I’d just be like “eh whatever at least it was fun.” But damn, they really delivered on the romance subplot.

Uh… Yeah I can’t really think of any other ships that I like. Vince/Amy sucks and they had nothing to say to each other. I like the idea of Amy/Lily, though! I think either of them could make employee of the month. I guess Amy/Zack is good for now though.

OTHER THINGS:

That clubhouse is awesome. Probably a big hazard considering it’s on top of that big shelf. But hey I want a Home Depot buddy lair too!

Vince saying he can get a little anal…. >:? Sir what.

Amy’s really out there auspiticizing for Zack and Vince huh? She deserves good things for having to put up with that

Why did it suddenly turn into a sports movie for a few minutes? Why were they playing softball against another hardware store? We may never know.

Banger soundtrack. 10/10.

And that’s a wrap everyone, catch me crying over the hug or making “ironic” fanart of Dane Cook and co. I really enjoyed this and I will hopefully be there for the next flick. Wow I wrote a lot about this movie. Uh. Consider it ironic, I suppose.

[preposterousgreen]

Because literally nobody asked at all, here are some scent-related idle musings that may or may not qualify as headcanons:

Sephiroth doesn't wear fragrances per se, but there's a reason he uses thirteen out of the fourteen different scent options of his favorite line of shampoos, and the reason is the fourteenth one makes him sneeze all day even if he likes how it smells.

Genesis is rather picky about apple notes, so he actually doesn't wear many fragrances that include them. But when he finds one that works for him, he sticks with it. Apart from that, he has very broad tastes. Sometimes he puts on the rawest, dirtiest, most polarizing thing he can find, but sometimes he smells like the color pink.

Angeal would like to content himself with rubbing fresh herbs on his wrists and neck for special occasions, but he gets Genesis' point about how quickly the scent fades (plus he doesn't like hurting his babies except to eat them), so he accepts occasional gifts of fragrance with grace. Please don't tell him how much it cost.

Zack's first and last adventure with fragrances involved him spraying exactly one cologne perfume onto a test strip, smelling it, and saying out loud in the middle of a crowded, very fancy department store, "It smells like ass but in a good way?" in complete bewilderment.

Kunsel occasionally dabbles in samples of extremely niche and conceptual stuff, the weirder the better. One day, he gets forcibly sent through the hazmat decon booth for smelling, literally rather than figuratively, like the moon.

Lazard prefers discreet scents that only reveal themselves to him and to those who get up close and personal. His secretary, who has a lot of allergies, appreciates this very much.

Aerith doesn't need a product to smell like flowers. (Or dirt!) She does like nice soap, though, and when she has a chance to splurge, she goes for green or marine scents. Sea salt soap is so exotic to her! Does the ocean really smell like that?

Tifa dreams of having nice perfumes and fancy soap but the only thing available in Nibelheim is a tiny selection of trashy stuff at a huge import markup. Yuck! When she does get her hands on the goods, she is baffled to find that what she thought she'd like (airy flowers and tropical fruits) is not at all what she actually likes (dark leather and darker booze).

Cloud is—say it with him, folks!—not interested.

[silver-wield]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review Chapter 6 & 7

Okay, this collection of posts will be filled with spoilers, including clips and screenshots, so if you don't wanna see things, then don't look. Some of the things I'm gonna highlight will include references to Remake and other sources to link with the overarching plot. This is a straight path playthrough with no sidequests or extra content.

Time to hit the beach!

But first we run into some friends. Johnny's been scammed into running a hovel of a hotel but he gives us rooms for free.

The whole Johnny bit was kinda much, but it could've been worse.

Literally can't go to the beach unless it's in the right clothes, so Cloud does a few fun activities to earn tickets and then joins sailor Barret. Boi gets in his feels over soldiers degrading and then it's time for a pov change.

As fun as all the other possible scenes are, I think this is the most plot relevant. Aerith and Red talk about the white materia, the whispers and what was stolen from her.

And then it's right back to the fun doing stuff to earn swimwear! Tifa gets to play her theme in a concert at one of the hotels and we hear how the original person ran off with their lover. You can find them both at the Cosmo Canyon hotel.

After everyone's changed, Cloud indirectly calls Tifa hot and there's some mild flustered flirting.

And then Hojo shows up. Honestly this still seems so freaking random having him lie on a lounger while girls fawn over his wrinkled skanky ass.

Eventually we hit a boss fight, and weirdly enough it's Yuffie and Johnny to the rescue!

After that comes some conversation where Tifa speaks the line in her profile.

After a night's sleep we meet Yuffie again and you can choose how to answer her a bit like her OG recruitment, but no matter what she's coming with.

And it's a trek up the mountain. Literally.

Aerith is the slowest. Literally.

The party splits into two. Yuffie, Barret and Tifa go first. Yuffie leaves drawings on the cliffs to direct us and tell us a lil story.

Yuffie winds up Barret, who yells at her and makes her cry. Tifa tells Barret off and makes him cry. They all make up and become good friends.

Anyway, while we're climbing we get a moment with Rufus, who tells off the board for letting Midgar get ruined and not stopping his crazy father from dropping the plate. The weapons are talked about briefly, but overall, Rufus has different priorities than his dad.

Then we get another interlude with Zack. Elmyra comes to take Aerith home, and Zack comes along with Cloud.

Then it's back to Mt Corel and Yuffie explains the interim government in Wutai and we see more hints about Glenn and his team.

They find a weapon in the reactor, then head to the bridge, which needs lowering. Cloud has a funny turn so it's left up to Yuffie, Tifa and Barret to do the thing.

Yuffie's level is mostly swinging and throwing her star at stuff, and culminates in a boss battle to protect three baby chocobos. There's a super cute part after where Tifa says the baby bird looks like Cloud but cute 🤭

We take a trip on a minecart with more throwing star and shooting things and reunite with the group at the bridge.

And in Corel, Barret finds a less than warm welcome.

Cloud has another funny turn. Sephiroth can't have Cloud feeling confident about Tifa having a scar, so distracts him when Tifa finds doc Sherain, who saved her life after Sephiroth's attack. He says someone from Shinra helped too, so maybe we'll find out in part three.

Barret gives us a brief history of Corel and the reactor and his part in it. We're heading into the start of one of the most emotional character arcs of the game.

If you don't cry over Barret's story you have no soul!

Honestly, Costa del Sol has always been filler material. And I seem to be saying that about a lot of chapters so far. Tbf Corel and the prison give us true meaty storytelling and Barret's arc has always been one of my faves and remains one of my faves. John nailed every line ❤️😭

[bigdealsgoddog]

Lookism character father hcs p 2

Note: just some hcs of characters finding out you’re pregnant and what they’re like as fathers (vasco, Daniel park and Zack Lee). Minors and ageless blogs DNI

Content warning: zacks hc is a little suggestive/breeding kink mentioned

Euntae Lee(Vasco)

For starters before your kid was even born while you were pregnant with his kiddo you know damn well he was doing everything he could to make sure you were comfortable at all times. He’d get extra pillows for you even if you were already being swallowed by the mountain of pillows he already gave you. Everytime he came home from work hed either bring home the exact thing you were craving or something completely off the mark but it’s the thought that counts. After dinner he’d always give you a new squishmallow you’d protest and say if he kept bringing home more squishmallows there’s be no more room on the bed for you two and that you didn’t need anymore squishmallows. Sweetheart would still bring another squishmallows the next day, saying something along the lines of ‘we gotta hold onto this one for the baby’

He would get so upset when he finds out how much your back starts to ache and all the morning sickness you go through. Don’t tell this poor man about what birthing the child is gonna do, he already tried drunkenly offering to ‘carry the baby for you’ and you and Jace had to explain to him that unfortunately doesn’t work like that and when that didn’t sink in you convince him with a “how are you going to protect burn knuckles when you’re carrying the baby? I’ll protect the baby and you can protect burn knuckles it’s ok”

That kid is gonna be so spoiled with love oml

For the baby shower burn knuckles had showered you guys with gifts one of those gifts being a baby sized burn knuckles outfit

As soon as vasco could get your kiddo in it he took so many pictures posing with your kiddo

Don’t think you’re not getting your own outfit. It’s family photo time!

Vasco would absolutely take his kiddos to the burn knuckles anytime he knows they’re not doing anything necessarily dangerous. Like training days! He’s absolutely doing push-ups in the burn knuckles hangout with your kiddo sitting on his back.

The burn knuckles love your kiddo too, they’d absolutely babysit them and even try to train em in different fighting styles as they get older. They’re gonna be fighting and destroying bad guys just like their dad!

After a long day of hanging out with the burn knuckles(and vasco excitedly showing your kid anything and everything about burn knuckles) both of them got tuckered out and are probably sleeping at the hangout, your kid out cold sleeping on Vasco’s chest. The rest of the burn knuckles are still awake doing whatever they really wanted but you noticed they appoint at least two people to stand nearby vasco and your kid to make sure no one 1 wakes them up and 2 comes near them to hurt them. Even though there’s no real threat.

Burn knuckles absolutely volunteers to babysit your kid while you and vasco go on date nights to spend some time alone with each other.

Vasco absolutely gets his kangaroo in the end in the form of a plushie.

Hyeong Suk(Daniel Park)

Ok but he would absolutely sing that song him and duke sang together to your baby while you’re pregnant and once the kiddo is born as a lullaby to help them go to sleep

He always did it when you were asleep or you weren’t paying attention. He’s still shy with his voice but seeing you sleeping so peacefully and (once the kid is born) seeing his kid sleeping so peacefully he’s just so happy he can’t really help it. He always sang that song whenever he needed a pick me up and whether or not he realizes it he does get really worried that his kid would go through the same things he did with the four major crews, all of the fighting and bloodshed. Don’t even mention the part about having two bodies either-you’re gonna have to pull him out of his own head once in a while because that poor guy will spiral.

You’ve caught him singing a few times, he gets so red every time you catch him

Absolutely the type as soon as he can will bring his kid to his mom to show her she’s a grandma and to meet her grandkid. I like to think that at this point Daniel would be much older and able to help his mom out with living arrangements and getting her a stable job or even better for her to retire and she’d absolutely offer to babysit your kid on occasion. She absolutely loves her grandkid and it wouldn’t take her long to ask if you and Daniel would be making anymore anytime soon

Daniel absolutely totally hasn’t thought about it. Not once. Nope.

He’d bring his kiddo over to his relatives house too with his cousins, almost bragging rights like not only did he get an amazing s/o but now he has an amazing kid!

I feel like once the kid gets older he would teach them a little self defense? Definitely wouldn’t try to turn them into a fighter but he knows how fucked up the world is, how he got bullied in his formative years to all of the things that happened with the crews. He doesn’t want any of it to happen for his kid but he’ll absolutely teach them self defense god forbid some jerk wad at school overstepped their bounds a little. God help the kid if he has a daughter he would be so protective of her.

Jinsung Lee(Zack Lee)

The moment he finds out you’re pregnant the entire house is getting baby proofed, even things you really didn’t think was necessary to baby proof.

It wasn’t really a problem. Till it was 3 am hand you woke up for a little snack cause your cravings were hitting you like a truck and the only thing stopping you was the baby proof lock on the pantry. Some of the baby proofing was immediately lifted after that incident.

I feel like Zack would enjoy seeing you pregnant a lot more than he thought he would.

Like a lot more

He’s already thinking of names for the kid and any other future kids he convinces you to have

Absolutely has ‘fun’ with you while you’re pregnant. I don’t think he realizes it before but definitely knows now he has a breeding kink.

He’d totally be like vasco in the sense that he’d take pictures of/with his kid(s) with his old boxing gloves on. They just look so big on them!

He would also be really protective if he had a daughter, somewhat like Daniel just a bit more unhinged. Like when she���s just two playing with the other little kids at the daycare. He tried squaring up with the little boy she was playing fire trucks with her because “he was trying to make a move on his baby”

[salternateunreality2]

I’ve got to ask, because the video you linked in chapter 80 makes me think I’m right…

Are the firsts parenting styles based on Gwenna’s (pleasant peasant media) parenting videos? Cause I’m living for the comparison.

Great chapter btw. I really want to cuddle Kadaj!

Answering your question:

She definitely influences them. I like to think there's an FF7 Gwenna out there making content that Angeal watches religiously. He's right there, cocoa and dressing gown ready, for Every Video.

They all have their own styles and did their own research, but her basic concepts around respect for the kids and gentle parenting are things all the Dads keep in mind. They also bend towards those principles naturally for various reasons.

I didn't set out to make her influence the story, but since I watch her stuff, it's going to bleed over. (My other sources are watching parenting irl, reddit, other fics, that weird phase I had where I got super into adoption for a few years and read a million blogs and things, and my own experiences with kids.)

Excited rambling because I can't help myself:

Angeal is a big fan of Gwenna and gentle parenting. He's also a natural by nature and his experience with Zack. He's not the "fun" parent--he's probably the most strict about everyday and risky things alike. Bedtime is always at bedtime. No playing "yeet the baby as high as you can", even if the giggles are EPIC. Healthy food. Educational field trips.

Sometimes it can be hard for him to let himself or Cloud off the hook for crazy kid stuff, but especially himself, and he needs those reminders from her about taking a deep breath and remembering that it does work. Patience yields focus.

You don't have to and can't be perfect, but you can be the perfect Dad for your kid by loving him and trying your best. And sometimes your best is collapsing on the foldout couch holding onto the baby all night despite what the books say about sleep schedules because your baby needs you.

-

Genesis respects Cloud and treats him like a small adult because that's how Genesis expects to be treated (minus the small part. Genesis is tall. He is! He just has mammoth friends. Shut up). Genesis also doesn't want to helicopter/tiger mom his baby; he got enough of that growing up and he's over it.

He wants the world to take him seriously, so he offers that same courtesy to Cloud. He offers it to everyone unless they prove themselves to be unworthy, in which case Bitchesis comes out.

He's more likely to risk Cloud's physical and emotional health than Angeal, but less likely to risk Cloud's physical health than Sephiroth. He has no qualms about teaching Cloud the hard way about the ways of the world; if Cloud gets smart with him, he says "bet".

"I cursed at Heidegger because he's a bitch." is a perfectly rational response to Cloud asking why Papa cussed, in Genesis' mind.

-

Sephiroth strives to do The Opposite of what Hojo did to him, so he treats Cloud as a tiny but respected new recruit SOLDIER under his command. He strives for excellence from both himself and Cloud, but the instant he starts feeling too much like Hojo, he re-evaluates. He tends to be more risky with Cloud's physical safety, because when the bar is set to "don't make a 2yo fight a monster", letting a 4yo handle a weapon doesn't seem like a big deal.

He also feels inadequate and a little out of his depth emotionally with Cloud; to combat this, he regularly seeks advice from Tifa, Angeal, and Zack to understand Cloud and provide appropriate responses.

-

Zack is definitely one of the funnest dads. His philosophy is to meet Cloud where he's at. Both he and Genesis are great at engaging Cloud's imagination and playing with him, but Zack gets way more into it.

Zack gives Cloud freedom and respect because he's a kid and he deserves to have fun. As long as no one's getting seriously hurt, why the heck not?!

---

They all drive each other a little batty sometimes with their choices (see: the petting zoo incident + any and all motorcycle outings), but ultimately their main goals are: physical needs fully met, emotional needs fully met, then education and other things. They love their baby 🐥 and he loves them! ❤️🐱🐶🐻🦜🐥❤️

[thebridgetonarnia]

ive had some thoughts about a Try Guys AU for the fruity four, but mostly Steddie. so here we go:

In a fruity four try guys au Robin is Zack, Eddie is Keith, Nancy is Eugene, and Steve is Ned.

Except obviously Steve is genuinely a good “I love my partner” guy and the reason he never says their name is because they are very private person who does not want to be on camera.

Eddie is always joking with Steve that this partner of his sounds fake and Steve will always roll his eyes and say, “You’ve met them! Stop making the internet think I'm making up my SO.”

A large part of the fanbase actually ships Steve and Eddie because they’re dynamic in videos is always fun and lightly flirty. People also love the bromance and think their friendship is so pure and a genuine show of nontoxic masculinity.

Then everything changed when the pictures were leaked. Steve and Eddie were photographed at a concert dancing and hanging out, they also were photographed at a bar after where they were making out in the corner, probably thinking no one could see them.

The drama lasted a couple of days, people were blowing up their social media. A lot of people were saying things like, “We all as an internet need to find Steve's girlfriend and make sure she knows he's been CHEATING ON HER WITH HIS COWORKER!”

After letting everything simmer down they post a video to the chanel that's just steve and eddie. The two of them are sitting on a couch holding hands. They cut to the chase pretty quickly. 

“We all know why you're here, you would like an explanation,” Eddie starts. “I’m sure by now you’ve all seen the photos and the videos, and well, we are here to apologize… sort of.” There’s a shit eating grin on his face, that makes it clear that he’s not really sorry about anything.

“I have been in a relationship for many years with my partner, but what you all didn’t know is that my partner is eddie.”

“Yeah, a lot of you thought he had a girlfriend, which was very heteronormative of you.”

“Don’t mock the fans, I’m bi, I could have had a girlfriend.”

“Well you’re stuck with me now.”

“Yeah I am.”

Robin gags at them from behind the camera, “God, now that the cat’s out of the bag, you two are gonna be so much worse.”

Turns out they were keeping their relationship a secret because they wanted their channel to be about the work they were doing, not the fact that they were in a relationship, they also didn't want their relationship to become part of their job.

And, honestly after this reveal, the content doesn't change, they keep lightly flirting on screen, Steve just names Eddie now when he’s talking about his partner, they get married, and continue working together with their best friends.

And when they finally get married, they only release a 10 minute or so video of the day, because their relationship is still just theirs. They even have a child a few years down the road, and while they do post about the new addition to their family, they never reveal their kids name or gender, or even how their child came to be.

They attempted 1 singular video with their new kid and the numbers on the video freaked Steve out so much they scrubbed it from their channel and said, “Never again.”

Steve does make a lot of dad content though, he loves talking about being a dad and how much he loves his child and how much he loves Eddie and being on this journey with him.

It surprises literally no one when soon after they had their second child, the Try Babes create a nonprofit advocating for children in family channel vlogs.

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

Zack SFW Alphabet

A/N- Yay!! a new character 🥰 i’ve been working on some things for Zack from the Kill Switch for a while, and i had a pretty difficult time deciding wether or not i was going to choose him or Graham from Banned in Boise and i’m glad i went with Zack c: i hope you all like the content i post for him 🖤 (also i should add that there’s no gifs for him anywhere so i had to make my own c:)

A- Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they like to show affection?)

When you first got together he wasn’t very affectionate. He was scared that it was just something that wasn’t going to last very long but after you stuck around for longer than the first week, he realized he should be acting and behaving like a boyfriend to you. He’s always affectionate with you now, always wanting to hold your hand or kiss your cheek, and of course he loves it when you do the same.

B- Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

As a friend, he’d be a bit weary of you wanting to be around him, just like he would if you were in a regular relationship. He’s never had a close friend before, so he tried his hardest to not scare you away by being himself. He wouldn’t really talk much about his interests in case he got too hyper fixated on it and rambled on and on until he couldn’t talk anymore. He tried not to cling as much as he normally would, he just likes knowing that someone wants to be around him. Eventually you had to have a talk with him about how you thought he didn’t want to be your friend just because you felt like he was distancing himself, you just wanted to be his friend because you liked being around him.

C- Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He adores getting to cuddle you. And he loves to be held. It gives him a sense of security he didn’t know he needed beforehand, and every day when you’re getting ready for bed he gets so excited to lay with you again. You can never just sit with each other on the couch either, you have to be snuggling, but you’ll never complain about it. He even has a playlist made for when you snuggle so you’ve got some nice background noise to help drown out some of his not so nice thoughts.

D- Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking, cleaning, etc.)

He hasn’t thought about it before, he didn’t think much about his future because he wasn’t sure how long he was going to be around for, but as soon as you started suggesting taking bigger steps in your relationship he was so excited. Just hearing you mention wanting to get your own place with him after you were together for a while got him excited for a new chapter in his life.

E- Ending (If they had to break up with their partner how would they do it?)

Politely refusing to do this one 🥰

F- Fiancé (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Just like domesticity, it’s never been something that crossed his mind. He never even thought there would be someone that would WANT to marry him, but he knows that without you he wouldn’t be as well off as his is today. He just wants to be with you forever, wether that means you get married or not.

G- Gentle (How gentle are they? Both physically and emotionally)

He’s very gentle with you, both physically and emotionally. He’ll still ask if it’s ok to hug or kiss you, and when he reaches out to hold your hand he’s always very hesitant. Emotionally, he always asks you first if he just needs to get his feelings out because he doesn’t want to overwhelm you with some of the things he has on his mind.

H- Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

He’s always likes to hug you for long periods of time, and he does it as often as he can. He’ll wrap his arms around your waist and rest his head on your shoulder and it always helps him relax when he’s not feeling right.

I- I Love You (How fast do they say the L-word?)

He wanted to say it very quickly after your relationship started, but he waited until you said it first just so he didn’t scare you off. He didn’t want you to think he was moving too fast, but being able to finally have a partner made him want to move things as quickly as possible.

J- Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

It’s not so much jealousy, more so insecurity that he feels. He knows that you’ve dated other people before him and that doesn’t bother him, but every now and then he’ll think he’s not good enough for you, that you’d be happier being back with one of them. You always make sure to give him lots of reassurance.

K- Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

His kisses always start out slow and gentle, and he always likes to put his hands on your waist when he does so. Every time you pull away and see his cheeks he always has the brightest blush, even after you’ve been together for a while.

He loves to kiss your cheeks. It’s his favorite way of showing affection other than giving you hugs, and he likes to hear you giggle as soon as his lips touch your cheek.

He loves it when you kiss his forehead, especially when you hold him. He always smiles after you kiss his forehead, and he loves it when you pet him first and move his hair out of the way.

L- Little Ones (How are they around kids?)

Not the greatest, but he’s not good around other people in general. He tries his best to get along with them but it usually doesn’t work out in his favor, he just gets too shy like he does with everyone else.

M- Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Mornings with him are always slow, but you usually manage to get him up and out of bed before 10 am. He’s not the best in the morning, especially when it comes to keeping up with his routine, but as long as you go along with him he doesn’t mind it.

N- Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are usually much better. He’s exhausted from the day, but he knows that he gets to spend the rest of his evening with you doing whatever makes you both happy.

O- Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything at once or do they open up slowly?)

He would open up very slowly, honestly it might take a few weeks for him to be fully open with you about his mental health, which you fully understand. He needs to be comfortable with telling you and you understand that it might take some time.

P- Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He doesn’t get angry with you over much of anything, his anger is only seen when he’s pushed past his limit. If you get into an argument he basically just shuts down emotionally and wants to be left alone so he can calm himself down before coming to you to talk things out. The last thing he wants is to lose his temper with you.

Q- Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they mention every little detail in passing or do they kind of forget everything?)

He can remember mostly everything about you, but sometimes he needs some help remembering. He knows all the basics, your favorite color, your favorite genres of music and movies, and he can remember a few of your favorite dates but he always asks you if he needs help with something. After a little bit he started to keep track of everything in his phone so he can look back at it when he wants to get you your favorite flowers or bring home your favorite drink.

R- Remember (What is their favorite moment of your relationship?)

His absolute favorite part of your relationship was when you still came around the day after he told you about how bad his mental health affected him. He was so scared to tell you about everything, but he knew that in order for things to work out he needed to be honest, and he was so relieved that you still wanted to be with him after he told you.

S- Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He’s a bit protective of you, but nothing too severe. If he sees you talking to another guy he’ll slowly walk up and go to hold your hand, or if he knows you’re going out for a bit he’ll ask if you want to wear one of his hoodies just so you can have a little bit of him with you while you’re gone. He just likes to make sure that other people can see you’re still his.

T- Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

He would always do his best to put as much effort in as he can. It gets tough for him sometimes, but he never forgets you or your relationship, and he knows that he needs to still act like a boyfriend. He’ll bring you home flowers every now and then and he’ll sometimes get you little trinkets that remind him of you. He always wants to make sure you know he still cares.

U- Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Of course his mental health and anxiety gets to him a lot of the time. He’ll shut down and he won’t eat or talk or do much of anything, but you of course will help him through it every step of the way.

V- Vanity (How concerned are they with their appearance?)

He’s not very focused on his appearance much, it’s not something he’s incredibly worried about. Unfortunately, that means that sometimes he forgets to keep up with his personal hygiene so you have to remind him to brush his teeth and shower when he needs to.

W- Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Absolutely. Without a doubt he would feel so lost without you there. You’ve been someone who’s shown that you love and care for him, and you’ve helped him a lot with getting better and he can see how much you care. Losing you would mean he loses everything.

X- Xtra (A random headcanon for them)

You’re the only person who he’ll never complain for when you ask him to take his meds. He hates having to take them, always has, but all you have to do is put the bottles in front of him and he’ll take them with no hesitation.

Y- Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

If you’re someone who physically cannot handle how he gets when his emotions get the best of him then it’s not going to work out at all. He knows that it can be a bit much, it’s a lot to handle, especially if you’ve never had much experience with someone who has issues with his emotions but if you can’t handle him when he’s at his worst then he doesn’t want to be with you.

Z- Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

He doesn’t so much talk in his sleep, it’s more so just whimpers and groans while he dreams. He’ll also toss and turn all night unless you’re laying with him, the only time he can get an uninterrupted nights sleep is when you hold him.

[creamypudding]

Siren Songs

Rated E 15 Chapters

Tags: Alternate Universe - Pirates, Omega Verse, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Sexual Reproductive Parts, Anal Sex, Blood and Violence, Bonding, Dubious Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling in Love, Fluff and Smut, Marking, Multiple Sexual Partners, Murder, Stillbirth, Uncontrollable Heat, Unplanned Pregnancy, Happy Ending. Fic Summary:

Cloud is a lowly omega, 'serving' aboard a SHINRA naval vessel. Zack is a pirate captain with a two-fold agenda: make life hell for SHINRA and rescue wayward omegas, taking them to safety. Cloud never met anyone who genuinely seemed to care for him or made him feel like he was worth more than what was between his legs. He wishes Zack would stop being so damn respectful. He wishes they could find a way to be together, but he knows the end goal the pirate captain has in mind for him, and he couldn't disagree more with it.

Chapter 4 Summary:

It's laundry and wash day on the Howling Storm and everyone needs to scrub clean.

Excerpt:

Cloud doesn't stay holed up in his tiny room when the next morning comes. Maybe it was the Captain's words or the fact that after the breath of fresh air he's come to realize how much his quarters stink. Whatever the cause, he hangs around the poop deck, watching the crew work on the lower deck. He’s exposed, feeling eyes on him, but there is also no other way up here without getting past Kunsel, who keeps the ship on track, and the Captain is also around: sometimes taking over the steering, or helping crew with their tasks, or coming up to the poop to check up on Cloud.

“Let me know if you need anything,” is what the pirate captain says everytime he leaves after his welfare checks during which Cloud just nods to indicate he is fine. 

He doesn't understand why the Captain checks up on him without taking something from him, but by the third time that day, Cloud's kind of getting used to it and turns away to face the sea with a smile on his lips. 

He definitely doesn't trust the Captain or the First Mate, but he does trust them slightly more than the rest of the crew, who he keeps a watchful eye on. He's hyper-aware of glances thrown his way, and shrinks to the very back of the deck, hiding from view, when people come up to check the sails or look for tools in the crates. 

They acknowledge Cloud with a nod, or a cheerful word or two, all the while keeping a wide berth.

Cloud appreciates that and it's only a day later that some of the vigilance leaves his bones. He's spending more time looking out to sea and focusing on the salty sea breeze whipping his long hair about and blowing against his skin than hawkishly observing the crew. 

At some point, there is commotion coming from the front of the ship. Crew shout. The sails are furled. The anchor is dropped.

They've reached land and Cloud's stomach sinks to his feet. He’s dreamed of land but now where it’s almost within reach…

“Bring out all your linens before you go swimming to shore. Everyone's to be back here by sundown,” Kunsel yells over and over again, making sure everyone's gotten the message.

It doesn't take long for the cockboats to be filled with sacks of linens and after they get lowered into the water the crew jump into the ocean and make their way to shore which isn't too far off, but for Cloud it might as well be on the other side of the world.

He squeezes in behind a crate, hugging his knees to his chest.

“Cloud. Oi, Cloud," comes the Captain's calls.

Cloud covers his ears and breathes while he rocks. He can't. He won't. He won't, he won't, he won't.

Keep Reading on AO3