#however.. i am still very early on in the game (still in ch2 -.-)

[limitverge]

rebirth!

[lastbluetardis]

Chemical Reaction (17/22)

Summary: Though their chemistry class is now over, the chemistry between James and Rose is just getting started. Together, they navigate the highs of new love and the lows of coping with past trauma to forge deep and unbreakable bonds of love and commitment. Part 2 in the Catalysis series. Tagging @doctorroseprompts

This chapter: ~8400 words, explicit (for one small scene). Here we are folks! The culmination of the feels of the last several chapters. Enjoy xo.

If you like my stories, consider leaving me a tip? I know these are trying times, but if you are able, I would really appreciate it xoxo. And as always, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated as well.

AO3 | FF | TSP

Ch1 | Ch2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch5 | Ch6 | Ch7 | Ch8 | Ch9 | Ch10 | Ch11 | Ch12 | Ch13 | Ch14 | Ch15 | Ch16 | Ch17 | Ch18 | Ch19 | Ch20 | Ch21 | epilogue

April was usually one of James’s least favorite months. The weather was wet and cold, and with it being the last month of the semester, it was always busy with exams and projects. This year, however, he had the pleasure of knowing it was his beloved’s birth month; even though he didn’t know the precise date, that made it all the more fun as, day after day, he greeted Rose with a “Happy Birthday” snog.

Yet every day, she giggled and said, “Not today.” He wasn’t sure what he would do on the morning she kissed him and replied instead with, “Thank you.” Despite his brilliant, magnificent brain, he was stumped on a way to make an ordinary day extraordinary for her.

Though she said she didn’t want anything for her birthday, he couldn’t help but preemptively get her a simple gift: a silver necklace with an infinity heart pendant. The heart was studded with blue zircon—one of his birthstones—while the infinity loop was studded with small diamonds, her birthstone. Cliché, he knew, but the design had caught his attention. He hoped Rose would like it.

James had been carrying it around with him since the start of the month to be presented to her on her date of birth. Whenever the hell that was.

The weeks seemed to fly by, and still it wasn’t her birthday. He had several chilling moments of panic that maybe he somehow missed it, but then resigned himself to the fact it must be at the end of the month. Her so-called hint to him had told him it wasn’t the first or last day of the month… Rose would be cheeky enough to call that a hint if it turned out her birthday was the second to last day of the month. Nevertheless, James was having fun with their little game and worked to make the month special for Rose.

Though he knew she had been teasing when she’d suggested they make love every day so that she would wake up to birthday sex, they nearly met that goal, thanks to Rose staying overnight at his house more often than not. They were both growing to love the routine of cohabitating; James would drive them into the university in the morning, they would attend their respective classes, then they would meet up at the end of the day for him to drive them home again. Even on the days when one of them started earlier than the other, they drove in together, regardless.

While James’s main goal was to make April particularly special for Rose, he found himself realizing that even if it wasn’t her birthday month, he wouldn’t have done anything differently. It was a happy coincidence that the month happened to be filled with a multitude of romantic date night opportunities.

He had surprised her with tickets to the play put on by the university’s theater program, and had told her they would make an entire night out of it. He had dressed in a suit and tie; she had donned a gorgeous evening dress. Reminiscent of their Valentine’s Day plans, they’d had an early dinner out at a nice restaurant before driving to the university for the show. And when they’d gotten home, they peeled the other out of their nice clothes and made sweet love until midnight.

And when he took her to the cherry blossom festival in Washington, D.C., it wasn’t a birthday surprise, either. He would have wanted to tour the capital with Rose and bask in the beauty of the cherry trees no matter the month. There was nothing more romantic than walking hand-in-hand with Rose beneath the pink and white trees while the soft petals floated down around them. Nothing made him happier than seeing her face light up with awe as she took photograph after photograph of the scenery. Though the cherry blossoms weren’t as stunning as typical years, thanks to a warm snap in February followed by an arctic blast that killed some buds in mid-March, the scenery was stunning nevertheless.

They’d had fun exploring the various museums and historic sites in the city as well, but James’s favorite part was watching Rose scribble furiously in her sketchbook when they got back to their hotel room each night. She filled over a dozen pages during their four-day trip; she shared every single one with him, including the portrait of him she’d drawn one morning when she had awoken before him, and had occupied herself with sketching him asleep in the nude. Unlike her previous nude sketches of him, she did not cover his nether regions with a sheet, or simply not draw them at all. No, she had drawn every naked inch of him, down to the morning erection he had been sporting (which had also prompted her to draw a caricature of that very piece of his anatomy, making him howl with laughter when she eventually showed him the picture of a very prominent, very erect penis on a teeny tiny little person). 

Playing tourist with Rose was one of James’s favorite things to do, so even if it had not been Rose’s birth month, he would not have changed a thing. It was a mere bonus, pure happenstance, that they managed to go on so many romantic dates that month.

As the month plowed on, bringing him ever-closer to Rose’s elusive birthday and to the end of the semester, another date idea came to him. And this time, he intended to make it double as a birthday gift.

With only a week and a half left to go in the month, and Rose’s birthday falling somewhere in that time frame, James woke up one morning to an email from the student life office at the university. They were advertising discounted tickets to a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game at the end of the month. Perfect! He loved showing Rose more of the state she lived in, as well as the culture of America. And honestly, what was more American than a baseball game?

Rose was still asleep as James read the details of the email, though their alarm was due to go off in a few minutes. He silenced it on his phone and instead gently woke Rose up with a series of kisses to any part of her face not smooshed into her pillow. She grunted and buried her face completely into the pillow.

Chuckling, he tried again, this time pressing the long expanse of his body into hers. He shivered when his hips rubbed into her upper thigh; he woke up hard nearly every morning, and today was no exception. Some mornings, he didn’t feel a pressing need to do anything with it; others, when he snuggled up against Rose, his heartbeat concentrated into a dull, throbbing, insistent pulse between his legs. He was experiencing the latter, and hoped she would be in the mood to make love with him.

“Rose,” he murmured, nuzzling his nose into her hair. He wriggled down a few inches and tucked his nose into the join of her neck and shoulder. He kissed her there and smiled when she shuddered. “Rooooose.”

“M’sleepin’,” she mumbled, but she tilted her head to free up her neck for him.

“Oh? Well, I guess we can’t partake in any morning activities I might’ve had planned,” he lamented, though he pressed slow, open-mouthed kisses to her neck. Goosebumps spread across her skin and he could hear her breathing going ragged the longer he kissed her.

She moaned softly when he scraped his teeth across her ear lobe. Finally, she stopped pretending. Turning her face out of her pillow, Rose slung her arm around his shoulders, hauling him closer for a proper kiss.

“Got another date idea,” he breathed between kisses.

“Don’t care,” she answered, chasing his lips.

“I’d like for it to double as your birthday gift.”

“Don’t care,” she repeated. His head emptied of all coherent thought when she reached down between them and took him in her hand, pumping him firmly. His nerves sparked with pleasure as desire settled heavily in his lower belly.

“But I… oh, blimey… I care… God…”

She nipped at his bottom lip and gave him a small squeeze on the upstroke that made stars burst behind his eyes. “You care more about that than what we’re doing?”

He could hardly draw in breath, so focused was he on the addictive rhythm of her hand. Each drag of her fist up and down his length heightened his need for her until he was certain nothing in the world was more important than being inside her.

But the smirk on her face brought out his competitive nature.

“Well, I’m quite cl-clever,” he choked out, trembling when she tightened her hold around him and picked up the pace. “I can walk and chew gum… talk and have se-ex shit!”

Rose guided him between her legs, nudging the tip of him into her wet heat. God, he’d barely paid any attention to her and yet she was so ready. He swallowed down his impatient whimper when she merely teased him, rubbing him through her folds rather than guiding him in.

“Hmm, I clearly am not doing a good enough job,” she mused, her voice frustratingly steady while he could hardly contain his gasps and sighs.

His brain nearly short-circuited. Not doing a good enough job? It was taking every ounce of concentration and restraint he had to try to hold this conversation with her; he would be done for if she tried any harder.

“The university is sponsoring another trip to Phillies… er, Philadelphia,” he squeaked, squeezing his eyes shut to think past the desperate need throbbing through him.

“Oh?” she asked, voice breathless as she stimulated herself with the head of his erection.

“Yeah, yep.” He cleared his throat, hoping it would stop cracking. “A trip to a Phillies game. Professional base-ball!”

Rose slung her leg over his hip and took him inside of her in one smooth, deep movement. Her momentum sent him to his back. Taking full advantage and giving him no reprieve, she sat astride him and began a brutal rhythm that stole his breath, stole his thoughts.

“Shit!” he rasped when the burning pressure in his belly bottomed out. Don’t come, oh God, please don’t come… Baseball. Think of baseball. Phillies, Philadelphia, bus trip, baseball game, showing Rose the stadium, teaching Rose the game… Rose… Rose… 

Rose was squeezing him from the inside, giving him such delicious friction as she arched her hips hard into his.

Fighting a losing battle, he choked out, “Sorry… gonna come… sorry… shit!”

Rose caught his lips in a searing kiss as he grunted and panted and moaned his way through his release, trying not to be mortified and to instead enjoy the pleasure and love flooding through him.

He was trembling when his ears stopped roaring. Cheek burning, he groaned and covered his face with his hands.

“That was delightful,” Rose said, a grin in her voice as she lightly tugged at his fingers.

“That was embarrassing,” he countered, moving his hands to her hips. “Sorry.”

She slowly pulled off of him and collapsed onto her back beside him. “You do realize I was trying to do that, right? You’re always so damn considerate and attentive. It was my turn to focus solely on you and getting you off.”

“I feel selfish for coming first,” he complained.

Rose shrugged and pecked a kiss to his temple. “How do you think I feel when you pleasure me more than once before you get off?”

“Hopefully extremely satisfied,” he drawled, winking at her.

She rolled her eyes, but kissed him soundly. “I enjoyed doing that very much for you, so shut up about it.”

He zipped his fingers across his lips, though a grin stretched across them. He caught her lips in another kiss as he let his fingers walk down her body, between her legs. She must have woken up as randy as he had been, because it hardly took any time at all before she arched her back and cried her pleasure into their quiet bedroom.

As she panted and trembled beside him, he stroked her hips, her belly, her thighs, any part of her he could reach, and tried his initial conversation again.

“The university is sponsoring a trip to a Phillies baseball game,” he said. “Have you watched baseball? It’s a fun sport. One of my favorites, actually. I probably ought to get my UK citizenship revoked for that, but I can’t get into the football matches. Though plenty of people find baseball to be boring too. To each their own. Anyways, tickets are twenty dollars, and it covers admission to the game and transportation to and from the stadium. It’s on April twenty-sixth. It’s a night game… 7:05 start time. I would like to make this your birthday gift. Well. One of your birthday gifts, since, really, I want to go to the game anyway, to hell whether it’s your birthday or not. But since I’ve only got about ten days left to choose from, I figure that’s a close enough window to claim it as a birthday gift for you. What do you think? April twenty-sixth… does that sound like a birthday gift to you?”

Rose giggled and pinched his side, drawling, “Very subtle, love.”

James pouted. “Seriously? You’re still not gonna give me your birth date? I’ve been patient all month long!”

Rose cackled. “You liar! You have not at all been patient. At least once a day you beg me to tell you when my birthday is.”

“That is me being patient,” he grumbled, though he grinned when Rose laughed at him again. Even though they would need to get up soon, he tightened his hold around her and snuggled closer to her soft, warm body. “Wanna go to the Phillies game?”

“Sounds like fun,” she replied, running her fingers through his hair. His scalp prickled pleasantly, and he could have easily fallen asleep. But alas…

“We need to get up,” he groaned, burying his face farther into her neck. Rose heaved out a sigh, clearly as reluctant to move as he was. “Wanna share a shower?”

“How could I say no to that?”

With a parting kiss, they rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.

oOoOo

“You know, I’ve never been to a professional sports stadium before,” Rose said as they strolled, hand in hand, away from the packed parking lot towards Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. “Wasn’t much into sports back home, and didn’t really have the money for it.”

James gave her hand a squeeze and watched her out of the corner of his eye. Something was… off. She’d been agitated when he’d picked her up from her flat that morning to drive her to the university. She was short and snippy with him, but insisted she was fine even though she obviously wasn’t, which had only annoyed him in return.

He had nearly called off their date to Philly, since she obviously wasn’t having a good day and he didn’t think he could stomach an entire night of forced joviality. However, after classes, she had met him in the library as planned and was decked out in a red Phillies sweatshirt and matching lipstick, greeting him as though their tense morning hadn’t happened.

“Where did you get that?” he’d asked, fluttering his hands at her top.

“The internet. Turns out everything exists on the internet,” she’d teased, bumping her hip into his.

He had been thrown by her chipper mood, and Rose must have sensed that. She reached up for a hug and squeezed him so tightly, it was as if all the tension that had been settled over his body was suddenly gone. She lightly kissed his cheek and whispered, “Sorry for this morning.”

“What was the matter?” he asked, keeping her in his arms for several more seconds.

“I’ll explain later,” she said. “I don’t really wanna talk about it now. I wanna go watch some baseball!”

It had taken everything he had to not snap at her to just bloody talk to him. Instead, he promised himself he would check in with Rose after the game, or perhaps tomorrow, since it would be late by the time they got home. But he wanted to know what was bothering her, and what had been intermittently troubling her these past few weeks.

That dark day she had had nearly a month ago still niggled at the back of his mind. He wanted to ask her what had happened, but so long had passed that he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

Hey Rose! Remember that day you yelled at me in the food court then started crying? What happened?

No, that wouldn’t do. Because what if she didn’t remember? What if nothing at all had happened and she’d had a breakdown over a bunch of little things that didn’t matter anymore? He had been hoping she would tell him on her own time, because he didn’t want to press. And it wasn’t as though he had forgotten about the episode, but he often got too caught up in the present with Rose that he wouldn’t think of it until he was alone again. Part of his brain admonished him, telling him that he could easily have that conversation with Rose through text.

Presently, they scanned their admission tickets at the front gate and stepped through the turnstile into the stadium. James inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of cigarette smoke, fresh air, grass, and greasy food. There was a unique and distinct scent of a baseball stadium that he loved.

Rose let go of his hand and darted forward, her gaze locked on the field in front of them. James followed, smiling to himself. He stood behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist as Rose drank in the sight of the enormous baseball friend in front of them. The grass was lush and verdant, neatly trimmed in the familiar crisscross pattern most baseball diamonds favored. The dirt of the infield looked soft and dry, though the grounds crew were in the middle of hosing it down. The late evening sun cast long shadows across the field while the stadium lights, already switched on in preparation for the night game, created a multi-shadow effect as well.

“Selfie?” James asked, fishing his phone from his pocket.

“Need some help?”

James glanced over and saw a young couple approaching them. The woman held her hand out for his phone, which he handed over. He then wrapped his arm around Rose’s middle. She turned into his side and linked her arms loosely around his hips.

The young woman took several photographs for them, all of them beautiful. James thanked her, then reciprocated the gesture, snapping a photograph of the couple with the baseball field behind them.

When the couple had departed, James took Rose’s hand again and they leisurely strolled around the concourse of the stadium. There was a beer stand every dozen paces, it seemed, and though it was ridiculously overpriced, James forked over the money and bought them a beer apiece. They sipped it as they walked, inspecting the various food stands and merchandise on display.

“What the bloody hell is that?”

James laughed when Rose picked up a plush toy of a furry green creature with a plump belly and elongated snout.

“He’s the team’s mascot,” James answered. “The Phillie Phanatic.”

“What is it?”

James shrugged. “The Phanatic. He’s not really anything, I suppose. He’s his own creature. Don’t knock him, though; the fans love him.”

Rose glanced dubiously up at him, but replaced the toy. James made a mental note to order one for her as a gag gift. 

As they continued walking, James’s belly rumbled with hunger when he smelled the intoxicating aroma of bread, beef, and cheese. 

“If I get a cheesesteak, will you eat half of it?” he asked. “‘Cos I wanna get crab fries too, but I can’t eat both of those by myself. Actually, the crab fries are right over there.” He took Rose’s shoulders in his hands and pivoted her gently, pointing to a concession stand with a giant logo that read Chickie’s & Pete’s. He rooted in his pocket for a crumpled twenty-dollar bill. “Will you get us an order of fries? With cheese.”

“Er… okay,” Rose said, blinking. “What the hell is a crab fry?”

James snorted. “French fries—chips—with old bay seasoning. They’re really good, I promise.”

Rose leaned up and pecked a kiss to his cheek. “You’re lucky I trust your taste in food.”

She left him to go get their crab fries, while he stood in the Tony Luke’s line for a cheesesteak. Though the line was nearly thirty-people deep, it moved very quickly. Ten minutes later, he spotted Rose waiting for him in a secluded corner near the ramp they would need to take to go to their second-deck seats.

The university had bought out an entire section in right field, and James recognized many of the students lounging in the seats. He had managed to procure front-row end seats for him and Rose. He allowed her to take the end seat, then plopped unceremoniously onto the hard blue chair beside her.

“Beautiful, innit?” he asked, nudging his elbow into her ribs.

“It’s a gorgeous night,” she agreed. “Look at that sunset.”

“View’s nice too,” James said, leaning forward in his seat to look down at the field. Apart from losing a little bit of vision of the right field playing area directly beneath them, they could see the entire ballfield very well.

There was a half hour to go before game time, so they ate their dinner and chatted mindlessly with each other and with their fellow schoolmates who had come on the trip as well. They posed for a giant group photo that was then shared to all of the university’s social media pages.

James was full and content by the time the Phillies players took the field, and he draped his arm around Rose’s shoulders as he explained the rules of baseball to her.

The game was fairly straightforward, with no tricky calls he had to break down for her. There was a ton of action in the first few innings, with both team getting a few home runs, including a grand slam by one of the Phillies’ stars. The stadium erupted with cheers and the LED Liberty Bell began to ring as the Phillie trotted his way around the bases. Rose appeared to be caught up in the atmosphere, jumping and cheering along with the crowd.

It was fun, James thought, to be sharing this with Rose. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for other discounted ticket specials, even if it wasn’t for the Phillies. A minor league team was based close to the university, and he imagined he could get tickets fairly cheaply, if it would be something Rose was interested in.

During one of the inning breaks, Rose had turned to him, flushed and beaming. She looked breathtaking, with the lights from the stadium glowing behind her and casting her hair in a golden halo around her head. He felt his mouth go dry and his heart kick up a notch.

Rose frowned at him. “What? You all right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I…” He swallowed thickly, then smiled at her. “You’re beautiful.”

Her cheeks flushed a deeper red and a shy smile crossed her face. He reached over to brush a stray wisp of hair from her face, but then kept his hand on her cheek. “Love you.”

They moved at the same time, leaning closer until their noses brushed, then their lips pressed together. The noises of the stadium disappeared, lost in the heavy pounding of his heart as he kissed Rose. Her mouth was warm and soft, though felt a little funny with the slightly waxy texture of her lipstick.

He had meant for it to be a quick little kiss, though he should have known better; how often was he able to give Rose only one kiss? Angling his head slightly to the side, James lost himself in her, in the warmth of her hands. One of them was on the nape of his neck, the other at his waist, clinging to his sweatshirt as he devoured her lips. His tongue swept along hers, then trailed across the roof of her mouth. He delighted in her full-body shiver.

Before he could do it again, there was an explosion of noise around them.

“Hey, you’re not making a porno here!”

James wrenched away from Rose, blinking dazedly at the person who had interrupted them. It was one of their fellow students. He nudged James’s shoulder, then pointed towards the giant screen above left-center field.

His own dazed face looked back at him.

Kiss Cam. Oh, dear…

He grinned sheepishly at the camera, then pecked a chaste kiss to Rose’s temple. She looked equally abashed. Blessedly, the camera panned away from them, though the crowd of university students around them continued jeering and teasing.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” he murmured to Rose.

“S’not your fault. I wasn’t exactly beating you off of me.” He snorted and kissed her cheek. “You’ve got lipstick on you.”

James licked his swollen, tingling lips. A moment later, Rose cradled his jaw in her palm and rubbed a damp napkin across his mouth. It came away stained red. Her own mouth was smudged with lipstick, and he helped her clear it off, too.

“You are too enticing,” he concluded when they were lipstick free. “How am I supposed to restrain myself from kissing you?”

“Maybe you shouldn't,” Rose drawled, and she leaned up to plant a hard kiss to his mouth again.

Of course, the Kiss Cam found them once again, to the delight of the stadium, and to their fellow students, who didn’t let them live it down for the rest of the night.

The last few innings passed without much excitement and ended with the Phillies winning seven to four over the Miami Marlins. They were exhausted as they traipsed to the charter bus that would take them back to the school.

It was just after eleven o’clock when the bus returned to campus, and almost midnight by the time James pulled up in front of Rose’s flat. For once, he was staying overnight with her, per her request. The climb up to her fifth-floor flat was exhausting, and James wanted to curl up with Rose and go directly to sleep.

“What time is it?” Rose muttered to herself when she unlocked her front door and stepped into her dark flat. She flipped on the lights and glanced in the direction of the stove; 11:42 glowed green from the digital display. “Ooof, gotta wee. Stay here!”

She sprinted down the hall and slammed the bathroom door behind her. James was left laughing and shaking his head at her.

He set his keys and wallet down on the kitchen table, but as he was about to toe off his shoes, an open, hand-written letter caught his eye. He didn’t mean to snoop, but his eyes and brain worked independently of each other and before he knew it, he’d glanced at the end of the letter, where the name Jimmy was printed in a messy scribble.

His ears rang hollowly and his head swam. Jimmy. Jimmy? As in, Jimmy Stone? Jimmy Stone, Rose’s wanker of an ex-boyfriend?

A righteous anger welled up in James; what the hell did Jimmy want with Rose? And how dare he contact her out of the blue after all this time.

Before he was entirely aware of his actions, James plucked up the piece of paper, eyes frantically scanning across the words.

Rosie,

I’ve started this letter half a dozen times now, and I’m no closer to knowing how to say exactly what I want to say. It seems surreal that we’ve been talking again. I’ve missed you so much, you have no idea. It’s like I’ve found a piece of myself I didn’t know was lost. I’m not complete without you, and I hate the person I am without you.

This past month has been the happiest of my life because I’ve been able to talk to you again. I am thankful that you let me apologize, because there is nothing more I’ve wanted to do for the last six months. Getting sober has made me realize a lot of things, but it especially showed me that I missed you and that I want you. The worst mistake I ever made was how I treated you, and I will spend the rest of my life hating myself for it. I will spend the rest of my life (our life?) making it up to you.

I love you, Rosie. I love you so fucking much. You make me feel like I can do anything, and I love how I feel when I’m with you. We were the best thing to ever happen to me, and I’m such an idiot for destroying the perfect, wonderful life we had made together. I think I was scared. I was scared of not being able to support the both of us with my music, and I was scared about how much I needed you. You were a comfort to me, something I knew would always be there for me, something reliable, and it was scary for me to need anything that much. But I’m not scared anymore, and I know I can make it work this time. As you said, we were young, stupid kids and we made young, stupid mistakes. Now we can start fresh and build something even better than before.

I know you’re at school in America (which I always knew you could do! I always knew you were smart enough for school, despite what you said about yourself). I’m happy you’re enjoying your time in America. I want you to enjoy your time there, while you can. I’ll be here waiting for you when you come home. I’ll wait forever for you because you’re worth it. You’re so worth it, Rosie. I would wait a thousand years for you if I needed to. I hope I don’t have to though.

This time we can work harder together to make us work. I know you might not be ready to trust me yet, but I promise I will show you how serious I am. How committed I am. I will do whatever it takes to make this work between us, because I hate the thought of my life without you in it.

In the meantime, texting you will hold me over. I cherish every day, every moment that I can talk to you.

All my love,

Jimmy

James could barely think, could barely breathe. Something was squeezing his chest tighter and tighter until he thought he might suffocate as he read and reread the words of the letter. The love letter. The love letter that Rose’s ex-boyfriend wrote to her after a month—a month?!—of them having texted back and forth.

Acid churned in the pit of his stomach, eating away at his guts and making him certain he was about to vomit all over Rose’s floor. And worst of all, his chest was collapsing in on itself and his heart was breaking into more pieces than he thought possible. An entire month, Rose had been texting her ex-boyfriend—the ex-boyfriend she had supposedly written off and hadn’t deigned to contact in three and a half years.

And she hadn’t told him. A month, and she hadn’t said a single word.

His pulse thundered in his ringing ears so loudly that he didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until the sheet of paper was abruptly yanked out of his hands.

oOoOo

It was a relief to empty her bladder after holding it for most of the trip home. She had been tempted to use the toilets at the stadium, but the lines had been impossibly long.

With that need dealt with, Rose washed her hands and then her face. She felt greasy and grimy, and would have preferred to get a shower, but she only had a couple minutes before midnight, and she could finally tell James it was her birthday. She deserved a damn medal for not spilling the beans early—though there had been a few close calls—but she couldn’t deny it had been fun to play with James all month. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought to simply look at her identification card, where her birthday was plainly printed in bold. But that was her James, wasn’t it? The smartest idiot in the room.

She rushed to brush her teeth and comb out her hair before she left the bathroom and skipped to her kitchen/dining/living room.

James stood by the kitchen table, a sheet of paper in his hands and a stricken expression on his pale face.

Oh. Oh, no… Her stomach dropped. He was reading the disgusting letter that had arrived from Jimmy out of the blue yesterday afternoon.

She didn’t know whether she was more embarrassed, considering the content of the letter James was reading, or angry that he had snooped through her things and read her mail. The former won, but fueled the latter.

Rushing up to him, Rose yanked the letter harshly out of his fingers. He flinched as though she had struck him.

“What are you doing?” she snapped, folding up the paper and setting it on the kitchen table beneath one of her class notebooks.

“What am I doing? What are you doing? You’ve been chatting with your ex-boyfriend for an entire month?!” 

There was an awful combination of accusation and hurt in his voice that simultaneously grated against her nerves and broke her heart. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to find out about Jimmy like this. He wasn’t supposed to read that letter until she had explained the past couple weeks to him.

No, not merely a couple weeks. A month. It had been an entire month (and a little extra) since Jimmy first contacted her, and Rose hadn’t said a single word about it to James. Shit.

“I was going to tell you,” she said weakly. “I just…”

“Just hid it from me by accident, did you?” he said, condescension dripping from his every word.

Rose clenched her fists and her jaw before coldly replying, “I didn’t realize I needed your permission to talk to anybody, or that I needed to tell you about every person I talk to. Sorry, d’you want to know about the bloke I chatted to while I was waiting for you in the library today? Wanna know about the girl I met at work ‘cos she’d recently broken up with her girlfriend and needed to talk to someone? Wanna know about…”

She knew she was being ridiculous but she couldn’t make herself stop until James interrupted her.

“Of course you don’t need to tell me about everyone you talk to.” Two pink stains spread across his cheeks. “But I would have hoped you would have trusted me enough to tell me when your ex-boyfriend, the ex-boyfriend you claimed to despise, contacts you!”

Rose crossed her arms in front of herself, gripping the fabric of her sweatshirt so tightly that her fingertips began to ache. “This isn’t about trust, James.”

“No? Well, it sure seems like it is. Because you don’t actually trust me, do you? Not nearly to the extent that I trust you. I’ve shared everything with you, Rose. Everything! I told you about the worst night of my life. How it still haunts me and gives me nightmares like I’m a child again rather than a grown man. But you…”

He flapped his arms wildly before letting them fall limply to his sides, clearly out of words. But he didn’t need any more words; the ones he’d hurled at her hit their mark, cracking her heart wide open. He didn’t think she trusted him?

Suddenly wanting him to hurt as much as she did, she met his eye and said, “I didn’t make you share any of that with me. You did that on your own. You opening up to me doesn’t mean I’m obligated to do the same to you.”

It happened almost in slow motion, the way his face crumpled. The way his chin wobbled and his lips parted slightly with a soft, nearly inaudible, “Oh.” The way a crinkle formed between his brows, and beneath them, his eyes grew shiny with moisture. 

Shit. Shit shit shit!

“James, I…” I’m sorry… I didn’t mean that… 

His throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly, then his face smoothed into a mask of a person she didn’t recognize. Even before they became friends, when he was the random cute bloke sitting in front of her in their chemistry class, he exuded more warmth than he did right now.

“How silly of me to expect some level of reciprocity in this relationship,” he said coolly.

“I didn’t mean that, James,” she muttered, wringing her hands in front of herself. “Really. I didn’t. I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t want you to find out like this. I wanted to tell you the whole thing. I was going to tell you all about it, I swear.”

He barked out a laugh, and it was one of the worst noises she’d ever heard. “Oh, yeah? When were you gonna drop that one? When we’re old and gray in rocking chairs in a nursing home? ‘Darling, remember when we were first dating? Remember that horrible ex-boyfriend I had? He texted me—ha! Remember when texting was all the rage?’ Exactly when were you planning to tell me?”

Any sympathy she had for him had evaporated and her rage returned with a vengeance. 

“Obviously if you’re acting like this, I was right to not tell you! Why are you being so unreasonable?”

“Unreasonable? Unreasonable?! My girlfriend has been texting the bloke she used to be in love with, and I’m being unreasonable?”

“Yes, you are! So what if I was texting him? What does it matter who I text on my own bloody phone?”

“You’re missing the entire bloody point!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “I’m not angry that you’re texting him…”

“Clearly,” she grumbled, grinding her teeth together.

“…I’m angry that you felt the need to keep it a secret,” he continued as though she hadn’t interrupted. “And I’m upset because why did you keep it a secret? And what on earth could you two have been talking about if he sent you this… this…” James flapped his hands uselessly to the table and the notebook under which Jimmy’s letter sat. “...this love letter?! For all I bloody know, you could be wanting to get back together with him and…”

“No, don’t you dare,” Rose hissed, voice trembling. Tears of fury and heartbreak burned behind her eyes, blurring her vision. “Don’t you fucking dare accuse me of that. After everything I told you about Jimmy—and don’t tell me I haven’t told you anything. Just because you seem to have selective memory doesn't mean I never told you about his drinking and partying, and how he stopped paying his half of the bills, and how he manipulated me to always feel badly about myself. After everything I told you, how could you even think I would want to go back to him?”

A flash of guilt appeared in James’s eyes. He blinked and lowered his gaze, staying silent.

“Even if he hadn’t treated me like shit, how could you take away everything you and I have done together? Everything we’ve built together? How could you think I would leave us behind for someone I fell out of love with years ago?” She sniffled as her tears finally fell, streaking down her cheeks in hot, wet rivulets of grief and misery. “Do you think that little of me? That I would willingly go back to a relationship like that when what we have is so wonderful? Do you think so little of us?”

James scrubbed his fingers through his hair, making a tousled mess of the limp and somewhat greasy strands; they were in dire need of a wash.

“No. No, of course I don’t…”

“You just said so,” she argued, impatiently wiping her face dry. “You just said…”

“I didn’t really mean it. But you have to understand… relationships are so new to me. You’re the longest relationship I’ve ever been in, and we’ve only been dating for four months. Christ, teenagers in school manage to have longer relationships than this. How pathetic am I for being so illiterate when it comes to love and romance? I barely know what I’m doing half the time, and God knows if I’ve been mucking this all up but you’re too nice to tell me…”

Rose’s head was spinning as her heart fought to beat its way out of her chest. She’d heard this before… she’d heard this all far too many times.

I didn’t mean it; I just drank too much…

You’re remembering wrong, I didn’t say it like that…

You’re being ridiculous. Calm down and maybe we can talk like normal people…

I was so drunk I don’t remember doing that…

I’m the worst piece of shit, Rosie, and I’m sorry, please forgive me… 

She shook her head as though she could physically shake Jimmy’s voice out of her ears. Instead, she tried to focus on James’s words rather than map them on top of Jimmy’s.

“This is me telling you now that you are mucking this up…”

But James continued on as though she hadn’t spoken. And with how dry her mouth had become, she wasn’t sure if her words had been audible.

“...And you could be wanting to be in a relationship with someone who’s got a bloody clue as to what they’re doing. Why wouldn’t you prefer to be in a relationship with someone else…?”

“Because I love you, you stupid fucking arsehole!” Rose yelled, which caught his attention. He met her eyes and blinked slowly, as though confused. As though she were revealing a secret he’d never been privy to. “Yes, I love you, but you knew this! At least, I thought you did. I love you so much but you are breaking my heart, James. Haven’t you believed me these last four months?”

His mouth worked wordlessly for a few long and agonizing seconds.

“I… yeah.” His tone suggested otherwise, though, and she nearly began crying with frustration. All this time… all these months… Had none of it been real? Had he been pretending this whole time?

“Thanks for that vote of confidence.” She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes until bright lights burst behind her closed lids. “Thanks a lot, James.”

“I just…” He groaned, sounding as miserable as she felt. Good. “I’m so bloody new at this! I’m making it all up as I go and I’m worried I haven’t been doing a good job. I get nervous that one day you’re going to wake up and realize how rubbish I am at this. That you’ll get sick of holding my hand through all of this as I learn. I’m terrified you’re going to decide you’re done wasting your time with me, because you’re wonderful, and you deserve the best and I…”

“Stop!” Rose cried, a sob stealing the air from her lungs. “I don’t want to hear this. You have just… broken everything we’ve been building, James.” She hiccupped on another sob and impatiently sucked in a lungful of air. “We were supposed to be partners… I wanted us to be partners… I thought we were partners. We were supposed to be equals in this relationship. I don’t want you to put me up on a bloody pedestal, or for you to talk down about yourself or make excuses for yourself. I don’t want there to be this… this inequality between us for the rest of our lives. But if that’s always how it’s gonna be… if that’s how you’re always going to see us, as you being somehow lesser than me…” The force of her tears made her entire body shake. It felt like someone had blown a hole through her chest; she couldn’t breathe. “…then I don’t think we can make this work.”

The tears that had been threatening in James’s eyes fell down his pale cheeks. “What? Rose…?”

She buried her face in her hands, willing herself to calm down. But how could she be calm when it felt like the world was spinning too fast? James had been her tether, her anchor, keeping her grounded to the surface. But he’d let go, or maybe she had, and now she was crashing alone through the void. Lost. Adrift.

“You… are you breaking up with me?” His voice was so hoarse that she could hardly hear it. Though that might have been because her pulse was thudding in her ears instead.

Was she breaking up with him?

“I don’t… no… yes? I don’t know. I don’t want to. God, I don’t want to.” She swallowed the thick lump in her throat. “I love you more than I’ve loved anyone. And right now, that really bloody scares me. I fought so hard, put up with so much, to make things with Jimmy work when I should have called it quits long before it all ended. And I didn’t love him nearly as much as I love you. I’m terrified about what I’ll let happen… what I’ll excuse… I can’t do that again, James. I won’t do that again.”

He reached out for her, but she couldn’t let him touch her. She couldn’t feel his fingers on any part of her body. Not right now. 

She raised her hands in front of herself and retreated a pace, nearly tripping over her shoes from where she’d kicked them off at the door.

The door.

With trembling fingers, Rose undid the deadbolt. “I- I want you to leave now.”

“No, wait,” he pleaded, raw urgency in his voice. But he didn’t come any closer to her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Rose. I didn’t mean… I didn’t mean anything… I didn’t mean… I didn’t… Please…” 

She’d never heard James, her eloquent, loquacious James, struggle this much for words. His eyes grew wild the longer he went without managing a sentence.

“Please,” he repeated, frantic. “Please, Rose. Don’t do this.”

She drew in a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. It was late, and she was so bloody exhausted. She didn’t want to be having this conversation anymore, but she knew it was far from over.

“I need a break,” she said wearily. “I’m tired, James. I’m so tired.”

“We can’t leave it like this,” he rasped through a stifled sob. “Please.”

Rose met his gaze. Everything was written on his face, his grief and terror and heartbreak. He looked impossibly young.

“We’re taking a break for the night,” she repeated. She paused for a beat, then, scrambling for some sort of comic relief, quipped, “Not Ross and Rachel’s version of a break, mind. A time out, more like.”

James either didn’t process the joke or didn’t find it funny, because he was still staring at her with that stricken expression that made her want to wrap him in her arms and apologize for everything that had been said that night.

But she couldn’t make herself move.

“I love you, Rose,” he whispered.

“I know.” That’s why this is so damn painful. “I love you too.” Maybe too much.

Rose had always thought of their love as a fire. A soft, cozy fire, and together they basked in its light and warmth. But maybe they’d gotten too comfortable, gotten too confident, gotten too close; now they were burning, and oh, God, did it hurt.

“Goodnight James,” she murmured, opening the door for him.

He numbly walked towards it, completely forgetting about his phone, keys, and wallet on her table until she went and picked them up. His hands were cold and sweating as she handed him his things.

“Drive safe,” she said. “Text me when you make it home.”

He made a wordless noise she thought was assent, then he was gone, walking silently down the many flights of steps they’d cheerfully bounded up mere moments earlier.

God, how long had it even been? It felt like an entire lifetime had passed. Rose glanced at the clock. 11:58. Sixteen minutes. Sixteen horrible, heartbreaking minutes was all it had taken for Rose’s world to come crashing down around her feet.

She went to her window and peered down at the dark street, waiting. Half a minute later, James stepped out from beneath the front porch of her building and ambled slowly to his car. He moved as though through treacle, as though he were tugging an invisible weight behind himself.

She continued watching him, but James simply sat there in his car in the dark. The clock switched over to 12:00, ringing in April twenty-seventh. She’d planned to kiss him at midnight, as though it were New Year’s Eve, and tell him that he could finally wish her a Happy Birthday.

All of a sudden, her game of keeping her birthday a secret wasn’t fun anymore, and twenty-two didn’t look as optimistic as it had been.

The distant purr of an engine drew her attention to the street below. James had started his car and was pulling away from the curb, taking off down the empty street.

Rose fully gave in to the sorrow she had been fighting back for the past quarter of an hour. Sinking down onto her couch, she bent double over her knees and sobbed her heart out, grieving for all that had shattered that night, and for the unanswerable question of whether broken things could be ever mended.

[kaimiiru-creations]

Pâro

Fandom: Undertale

Premise: After the True Pacifist Ending, Asriel/Flowey meet a strange yet familiar face that wants to offer him something. Asriel-centric, Frisk-centric, OC and Chara also deeply involved.

Warnings: Nothing so far, but the definition of pâro might give you an idea of what’s in store in the future...

Ch1: Laughter

Ch2: (Not done yet)

The silence was deafening.

I was reminded of those times where I killed almost everyone. There wasn’t any screaming after battles, no movement either, just eerie and utter silence. And it wasn’t like the Underground was all that windy, either.

No, the monsters didn’t send anyone after me when I went on a killing spree. They just ran. Because they were weak. Because they were kind. Because they were afraid.

Luckily, Sans was there to stop me. I’m grateful that he stopped me… and that I had the power to reset taken away from me forever.

A part of me hated to be in this abandoned Snowdin. A part of me felt righteous pleasure that everyone had left me behind. But even those feelings were ephemeral. The power everyone had left me was fading fast, but I grit my teeth and never wandered past where the barrier used to be.

“The world doesn’t need me… the world doesn’t need me anymore…” A tiresome chant was growled through my teeth, distorted terribly.

And that was when I felt a vibration in my roots. Heard crunching of snow. Looked up and saw a familiar form in the distance that took my breath away.

“Chara?” I called hopelessly, and the human lifted their head, “Chara, is that you?”

Chara was unsteady on their feet, and taller than what I remember. On their chest, swung a heart-shaped locket as their red eyes flashed and met mine.

/Don’t go to them! You don’t deserve it! You don’t want the suffering to happen all over, don’t you! Run!/ The Asriel within me cried.

/Chara! My best friend finally came! I want to meet them, talk to them-!/ Flowey called out soon after. I was stuck. Chara made their way over to me, their clothes covered in snow, as if they had been lying in it.

“You’re not Chara.” I said, shaking my head, “You’re not Chara!”

“You’re right.” Chara’s voice spoke, and I looked up to see their face smiling at me, tears in their eyes.

“D-don’t joke around with me, meanie!” I said, so emotional now that Asriel’s voice was coming out, my face surely forming into a goat’s by now.

“I’m not Chara.” Chara repeated, reaching out and wiping the tears so gently from my eyes, as if they were afraid of hurting me. I shut my eyes for a moment, and got a hold of myself.

“Then who are you?! Don’t play tricks on me, Chara!” I yelled, making Chara fall back as I grew in size and glared down at them, roots cracking the ice around us, twining around Chara’s wrists so they couldn’t leave- no, not /again/. I was much bigger now- probably large enough to swallow them whole-

“I am the final threat.” Chara spoke clearly, their red eyes unwavering and overly gentle in an expression that I /knew/ Chara’s never had, “Who do you think was left with the power to RESET after Frisk was gone?”

“You……” I felt cold certainty go through me. There had been someone /puppeteering/ Frisk throughout their adventures. It was obvious. What sane creature would willingly reload their save files just to relive the same thing over and over again? Frisk had gone back /five/ times just to talk to me again before leaving forever. I didn’t count in this equation, by the way. I knew my sanity was thin as it is. My voice distorted, my vines tightened painfully around Chara’s arms, “WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE THIS NOW?!”

“To tease you?” Not-Chara smirked and grit their teeth and raised their head as my vines wrapped around their neck, “Yeah. Kill me, Flowey.”

I stopped. What was… I doing??? I was about to kill someone! I quickly calmed my magic, shrunk in size, and loosened my grip.

“Because you can just load your last save point.” I said tiredly, “Are you done? Is your sick pleasure satisfied? Who even are you? How are you doing this?”

Not-Chara rubbed their neck.

“I can’t tell you my name because Chara’s name will just change to that name.” They moved their arms, and I tightened my grip somewhat until I realized they were just sitting back up, cross-legged, “So call me Chara. I don’t want their name to be lost, too.”

“Call you Chara? I don’t get it...” I grumbled irritably. This person was the one who made Frisk beat me over and over until I had to force myself not to say anything new, just so this person-this /demon/- wouldn’t get bored!

“As for how I did this… Well, it’s simple, really. This is an alternate universe. I copied the original world and inserted myself in… but it’s easier to use already-existing assets in this game, and in the end Chara was the most compatible with my soul.” Not-Chara replied, waving their hands about to illustrate their words- circling their hands, touching their chest, bringing a shining red soul out. I quickly CHECKED their soul.

/CHARA. LV 1. ATK 0, DEF 10. A combination of a time-traveling empty body and a strange mixed soul./

“So your name really is Chara…” I muttered, not sure about the ‘mixed soul’ part, “So, I don’t really get the world-copying thing, but what do you want?”

“I want you to take my soul.” Chara replied simply, “And live on your own on the surface.”

And with that, my suspension of disbelief was shattered. This person HAD to be Chara! Maybe with different memories, but-

“ARGH! Chara is DEAD!” I screeched, didn’t Frisk fight beyond any limits a human could go to show me that very fact?! “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!” My voice was distorting again, I felt the world get smaller.

“Yeah. So kill me and take my soul.” Chara said calmly, lifting up their arms to their sides as they knelt, completely defenseless. They grit their teeth, “Quickly, I can feel pain-”

“NO! I promised I wouldn’t hurt ANYONE /EVER/ AGAIN!” I shouted angrily. Chara frowned, contemplative, and lowered their arms. Slowly, slowly, they lowered their eyes, then their head, slightly. What were they planning now?

“Then let’s go together.” Chara said, and everything seemed to still into silence again as I stared at them, “Come on. I came here fully intending for it to be a one-way trip. I can’t go back to my world… I want to stay with you. I can show you everything. We don’t have to see Frisk and the others… it’s a really big world out there.” They extended their wrapped hands towards me, flashing a big, pained grin, “Whaddya say, Asriel? Let’s go on an adventure. I could use your company.”

My willpower snapped. I let go of their arms and shrunk in size.

“Let me… think about it.” I grumbled.

“Coolio.” Chara said, and laid on the snow. They started laughing for some reason…

“... Weirdo.” I muttered. I didn’t feel like joining them.

“Says the talking flower.”

“Hypocrite, monsters come in all shapes and sizes.”

“Soulless flower.” Chara corrected themselves through their laughter, and sighed, “Man, I thought you were really gonna kill me. That was scary.”

“But you wanted to die…?”

“Doesn’t make it any less scary!”

“Ugh…” I grumbled, putting a leaf to my forehead, “I’m going somewhere else. It’s a headache to talk to you.”

“When you decide… I’ll be waiting in the bone brothers’ kitchen.” Chara spoke with that scary gentle-serious tone from earlier.

“Whatever…” I ducked underground to go somewhere to collect my thoughts.

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

Frisk woke up with an odd ache and emptiness in their chest. However, they didn’t think much of it- going through puberty meant odd aches and pains everywhere, after all. Not to mention the mood swings...

They got out of bed and set out their clothes for school. A meaty smell drifted through the house-Toriel had finished cooking breakfast. Frisk went downstairs.

“Good morning Frisk!” Toriel greeted warmly.

“Good... morning, mom.” Frisk said, as a faint twinge of pain sparked through their chest again. They touched the center of their chest gently.

Toriel, with her mother intuition, quickly noticed.

“Are you feeling alright? Do you have a cold?” Toriel fussed over them, coming closer to put a hand on their forehead. A wave of healing magic eased the pain somewhat, before it ebbed back again.

“No… just… growing pains.” Frisk replied, and ducked under Toriel’s hand to eat breakfast. Sans, a regular guest, was sitting at the table, looking half-asleep and tapping away at a cell phone.

“Mornin’ Frisk.” Sans said without looking up. His eyes were smiling at the phone- no doubt he sent someone a bad joke- and he was slumped in his chair in a relaxed manner.

“Mornin’ Sans.” Frisk echoed, before shoveling the spinach-egg-bacon breakfast pie on their plate down their throat.

“Whoah there! I doubt you can /quiche/ all that down if you swallow it in one bite!” Toriel said slyly, and Frisk coughed and pounded on their chest and coughed. Toriel looked at them, a bit worried, but Frisk cleared their throat and gave her a thumbs up.

“Don’t /pie/ on us, kiddo!” Sans retorted, and pressed a button on his phone.

“HELLO? SANS? ARE YOU AT GOAT MOTHER’S HOUSE!” Papyrus’s voice came through Sans’s phone on speakerphone.

“No puns... while I eat!’ Frisk protested as the two chuckling monsters flashed each other a conspiring grin, “I... /crusted/ you to not let me choke on my breakfast!”

Toriel roared with laughter while Sans chuckled.

“UGH! IT’S TOO EARLY FOR PUNS!” Papyrus groaned, “FRISK? WILL YOU DO THE HONOR OF ASSISTING ME IN OUR AMBASSADOR DUTIES AFTER SCHOOL TODAY?”

“Of course.” Frisk replied seriously.

“ALRIGHT! IT’S NO BIGGIE! ALSO, I’VE GOT SO MANY FRIENDS IN MY HOUSE TODAY! WOWEE! THEY’RE HUMANS WEARING FANCY BLACK SUITS AND TELLING ME TO STAY IN MY HOUSE OR THEY’LL TAKE ME AWAY? I WOULDN’T REALLY MIND VISITING THEIR HOMES TOO, BUT I HAVE WORK TO DO- ”

There was silence in the kitchen.

“That… well, I’ll head over, Paps.” Sans said.

“Coming with.” Frisk said in a tone that left no room for argument, standing up.

“Cool. I know a shortcut.”

“THE MORE FRIENDS THE MERRIER.”

“Do you require my assistance as well?” Toriel asked.

“No. I can handle it on my own. Sans is just the bus.” Frisk said, making Sans narrow his eyes at them.

“Well, do be safe, you two.” Toriel said, worried, “Do you want me to pack you a lunch?”

“Nah. Sans will treat me.” Frisk said confidently.

“Hey, pal…” Sans said in a mock warning tone, “Well, come over here then. We’ll go to Grillby’s after.”

“Try to be back in time for school, Frisk! You stay safe too, Sans!” Toriel called as Frisk followed Sans. Frisk waved to her with a fearless smile as both they and Sans disappeared from sight.

[rebaobsessivelywrites]

Emotional Intelligence Ch2 (SS:BH Pt1)

You can find this entire series here on AO3. This chapter is here.

Fandom: Sanders Sides (Web Series) and Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)

Fic Description: Logan was a genius. Everyone said so. He was also the most self sufficient 12-year-old you would ever meet, and he was very happy with that--thank you very much. If there was one thing he did not want, it was an android. Thankfully, things don't quite go his way.

(This is the first installment in a 5-part series. I expect 3 chapters currently.)

Warnings: ‘benign’ neglect, social anxiety, panic attack, emotional, and misgendering. This chapter is mostly comfort/fluff though

Chapter word count:  3,841

Headcanon post, master list, previous chapter, next chapter. 

A/N: Finally done! And in time for #sidescontentweek too!!

One dinner, Logan could handle. Two? Sure. A day at an event? Well, he could suck it up. But a weekend? Three days spent being paraded around like a prize pony, passed from important person to important person… he just couldn’t.

His parents had sprung the surprise on him Thursday, just after his fourth visit to the chess park. The following morning, they packed up and left bright and early, caught a plane, and were plunged directly into the chaos of politics and high-class socialization. There were dinners and events and lectures every hour of the day, it seemed, as Logan was expected to attend every event either of his parents had been invited to. That meant breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with politicians and scientists and lobbyists and CEOs and everyone in between, with added lectures and meetings.

Logan didn’t understand it all, but he understood a lot and the people his parents met with were always so impressed by him and his parents loved to use that to their advantage. And, well, it was interesting. He did enjoy the science and finance and that sort of thing, but… he wasn’t used to that many people. This was the first time his parents had asked him to be so involved in one of these symposiums when both of them were attending, and it was absolutely excruciating.

He got about five hours to himself each day, but two of those were from waking up at 5 am and two were spent hiding in the corner of some hotel or event center, desperately trying to center himself before the next event. He was used to maybe 3 or 4 hours with people a day, and that used to be only 1 hour or so with his parents before he started visiting the park a couple times a week. So this? This was overwhelming.

It was the third and final day, and Logan was certain the only reason he had made it this far was his android. Three weeks ago, he would have never believed that he would become irreparably attached to the thing, but now he was seriously wondering what he would do with out h—it. Beyond its now integral role in his daily life, the HK400 had been a godsend throughout the weekend, carefully monitoring Logan and swooping in at the best possible times with various excuses—he hadn’t eaten enough vegetables, he needed to spend 15 more minutes in the sun in order to absorb the proper amount of vitamin D, he hadn’t slept sufficiently and needed to go to bed early, etc—that bought him a couple minutes, at least, to regroup. It kept him sane.

But even with that crucial aid, it was too much. He had been at lunch (again) when he had been cornered and interrogated by a curious stranger (again) and he just couldn’t. He couldn’t stand another minute in that room; he couldn’t think or even breathe! So he fled. He didn’t manage to do much more than mutter a few apologies before he was on his way out of the ballroom and running up the stairs to his room. He fumbled with the electronic key, stumbled into the luxuriant room, and immediately collapsed, bracing himself against the wall and struggling to breathe.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, hunched over, before he finally caught his breath and stopped feeling like he was drowning, but once he did a wave of overwhelming shame crashed into him stealing his breath in a completely different way. Why had he left? He shouldn’t have done that! What were his parents going to say? He was a horrible son. Horrible…

A quiet knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts and made him jump. As he frantically picked himself up off the ground and attempted to make himself presentable, he realized that he had be crying. He scraped the sleeve of his suit over his cheeks and cleared his throat, “Yes?”

“It’s just me, Logan,” the last voice he was expecting but the first voice he should have expected echoed through the door, “Can I come in, kiddo?”

“HK400,” Logan protested, just as he had every time since the android had started using that awful nickname. The only blessing was he never used it around other people.

The HK400 obviously took his response as permission as the locking mechanism gave a telltale click and the droid slid into the room with hi—its key card. It had its near constant smile already plastered across its face as it carefully moved closer, giving him a concerned once over. “How are you, Logan? What can I do to help?”

“I’m fine,” Logan shook his head and pasted his smile back on, “I just… forgot something,” he finished lamely.

The android gave him the most unimpressed look he had ever seen—not just on it, but on anyone—and for a moment Logan very much felt like the 12-year-old he was. “We both know that’s not true,” it pointed out softly, “You don’t need to hide from me, Logan. I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

Logan stood there for a long moment, taking in the steady blue LED that shone brightly in the muffled daylight of the hotel room, and the matching earnest blue eyes. “I know,” he almost whispered, “I just—” His voice broke and a hand flew to his mouth of its own accord. Breathing through his nose, he swallowed hard and did his best to force down the tears.

The HK400 stood as still as a statue, as though he was attempting not to startle a wild animal, a concerned look still plastered across his face. For some reason, the steady unassuming silence calmed Logan down even more.

“I can’t,” he choked out after a minute that felt like an eternity. His entire body was trembling, and Logan was just so frustrated with himself. He was angry and guilty and so very sad… He felt like his world was crumbling around him, but that was completely illogical—he was fine! He needed to piece himself back together and rejoin his parents, that was it.

The android gave him a pained look of understanding and stepped closer, as though preparing to physically help and… that was it. The dam broke open again and Logan let out a painful sob that shook his entire body. It was followed by another and another, and he was shaking harder and harder. His knees gave out on him but before he could do more than start to tip, he was suddenly surrounded by a pair of powerful arms, pulled in close to a solid chest. The android had knelt in front of him and was nestling him close and rubbing his back… “Let it out, Logan,” he murmured, “It’s ok, just let it all out. I’ve got you.”

Logan did.

He wasn’t sure how long he spent in his android’s arms, soaking his uniform with tears, but after some indeterminant period he stopped shaking and the android slowly loosened his hold on him. “Hey, Logan?” he murmured against his hair, “How does NASA organize a party?”

Brows furrowing in confusion, Logan pulled away to frown at his caretaker in confusion, “What?”

The HK400 gave him a crooked smile, “They planet.”

Logan felt his eyes, which were no doubt red from all the crying he had been doing, widen comically. His android had just told a joke. …Why?? The experience had become more common since the bot had slipped up in the park over a week previously, but it still baffled Logan to no end every time, and this was by far the most blatant occurrence yet.

“What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?” he—it asked in the same tone of voice, that was almost mischievous.

“What? No, that’s,” Logan shook his head, “There’s nothing… I mean, maybe an orange parrot, but—”

“A carrot!” it exclaimed before letting out a delighted little giggle.

Logan stopped to stare again, forgetting to close his mouth in the process. He was still baffled and dumbfounded, but he was also thankful that the android wasn’t immediately retreating and making excuses like he had a few times in the past.

“Come on,” he—it— smiled warmly and stood, offering him a hand, “Let’s move to the table. It’ll be more comfortable for the chair of us.”

Still stunned from the last joke, Logan couldn’t do more than accept and let himself be led to the small round table that was equipped with two chairs and a small coffee setup—including a coffee maker and all the proper accoutrements. It was currently piled with everything Logan had gathered from the lectures he had enjoyed over the past two days, but neither of them cared about the clutter. (HK400 was most certainly bothered by it, but he didn’t press the issue and was clearly preoccupied at the moment.)

As Logan sat down, however, he wobbled slightly on his still unsteady knees and accidentally knocked several papers off the table. His android immediately bent to collect them, a faint smile still playing on its lips. When he straightened and set the collection of articles and book recommendations back where they belonged, Logan was still staring—no doubt with a slack jawed look.

The HK400’s lips twitched slightly. A moment later, he lost the battle and a broad grin stretched across his face, “Aw, you ok there, Logan?” he teased gently, pushing the article on the top of the pile towards him, “Do you need a patent the back?

Once again, Logan was completely lost, “…you mean… a pat on the back?” After a moment of confusion, however, he glanced down at the paper the android had pushed towards him. It was an article he had picked up on his first day, when he had been attending an informative lecture on the legal bounds of patents with his father…. The article was an overview of every type of patent the government authorized, complete with examples. His eyes widened in realization. Patent.

The android reached over the pile of papers and fished a pink packet out of the coffee service station. “I’m not sugar,” he said almost contemplatively, waving it at Logan, “what do you pink?”

Logan let out a soft groan and leant his head forward into his hands. Despite his actions, however, there was a smile floating at the corner of his mouth. “Your mispronunciation of words… is meant to have a comedic effect,” he muttered, “But I am not certain how I feel about your attempts.”

“No, no, Logan,” the android grinned cheekily at him, “Its mispro-pun-ciation!”

Logan gave him his best glare, but it failed miserably thanks to the laughter that bubbled up in in throat and slipped past his lips. The HK400 observed his reaction with unadulterated glee, letting his own laughter join. The sound of the android giggling like a little kid set Logan off even more, and soon he was caught in a downright hysteric bought of belly-deep laughter. He nearly fell out of his chair before the android managed to settle himself down enough to catch him.

Just like before, with his uncontrollable sobbing, Logan was unsure how long he spent laughing himself silly, but eventually it passed. He spent a few moments after it finally died off gasping for breath and examining his android, who was fast becoming something akin to a friend. He was sitting in the chair opposite from Logan now, grinning dopily—almost like laughter was a drug to him. The sight of the content expression on the bot’s face made Logan smile again.

“HK400,” he started, before stopping, stumbling over his own tongue. That sounded so wrong. HK400… was a type of android. It seemed illogical to continue to insist on calling him—it… whatever!—something so generic and impersonal, not to mention a mouthful. If the past three weeks had shown him anything, it was that the HK400 was possibly the best thing that had ever happened to him. It —hell— he didn’t deserve that.

“Logan?” the bot asked in concern, breaking through his thoughts.

Logan shook himself and smiled up at him, “Sorry, I was just thinking that HK400 is a rather big mouthful.” The android simply frowned down at him, a hopeful but baffled expression on his face. Logan self-consciously straightened his glasses, “I mean, it would be more, uh.. logical to call you something more… unique?”

“Are you,” the bot hesitated, his LED flashing rapidly and his eyes growing wide, “asking me to register a name?”

Logan swallowed hard, “Uh, yeah, I… I think I am.”

His LED flashed yellow once before it settled to a more certain blue. “That… I’d like that,” the HK400 unit smiled softly, “Who am I, Logan?”

Logan paused at the wording, examining the android, “In all honesty, I think only you are capable of answering that question.”

“I don’t… understand,” confusion creased his eyebrows, although his smile didn’t waver.

The young genius shook his head softly, “That’s for another day. But I truly don’t know what to call you.”

“No?” the android asked curiously, thankfully showing no offence.

“No,” he confirmed, “I’m sorry, I should have thought this through more…”

“Don’t be,” he held up his hand, still grinning brightly, “You’ll think of something.”

“I’m not so sure,” Logan couldn’t help giving a self-deprecating shrug, looking down at where his hands rested on the table. He wasn’t creative, and giving his android a name was such a big thing…

After a beat of silence, the article on patents was pushed to brush against his fingers. He glanced up to find the HK400 smiling mischievously at him again, “Well, that’s patently absurd!”

Logan groaned, lips twitching without his consent, “Are you ever going to stop now?”

“Pat-ain’t likely!” he chuckled warmly, looking proud of himself.

Logan smiled ruefully and shook his head slightly. This new attitude his android was displaying was annoying, but it also…. It was nice. And the puns were… interesting, or at least creative that’s for sure.

A thought occurred to him, eyes widening unseeingly. “Pat…” he murmured.

“What?” the android shifted forward slightly “Are you ok, Logan?” Logan’s eyes snapped back into focus to find his caretaker’s LED cycling yellow. “Do you need another patent the back?”

“Sorry,” he smiled reassuringly before his eyebrows drew together in concentration, “Just… Your name. What about Pat… something. Patrick?” As soon as the name left his mouth he wrinkled his nose in distaste, “No.”

The android leant forward eagerly, resting a hand on each of Logan’s and smiling encouragingly. Logan returned the smile and carefully regarded the machine he had come to care for. He really wanted to get this right; a name helped a person define their sense of self, and for him it was so much more important because he had existed for almost a month fully cognizant without one. In the beginning that didn’t seem to be a problem, but now… he —and the android was definitely not an it, not if Logan was honest with himself— was so clearly capable of independent thought and it seemed wrong to call him by his model name.

The android gently squeezed Logan’s hands and the 12-year-old’s eyes were drawn down to where they rested on the table… on the article. “Pat…ton. Patton.” Logan nodded to himself, lifting his head to observe his android’s reaction.

His soft smile grew to a blinding intensity as he stared at Logan, an emotion the young genius failed to identify shining in his eyes. “Patton,” he murmured, as though testing the word, “I like that.” He giggled, “I could give you a Patton the back whenever I want.”

Logan simply raised his eyebrows at his caretaker; yes, the name was inspired by the pun but was it really necessary—

“Or a Patte,” the newly minted Patton added happily, retrieving a mug from beside the coffee pot on the table.

The genius couldn’t help rolling his eyes a little, lifting his freed hand to adjust his glasses again. “Let’s not push it too far,” he muttered.

The android froze in the middle of his movement, causing Logan to jolt and stare at him in surprise; Patton’s eyebrows were furrowed, his LED spinning yellow.

It took Logan a moment before the reason clicked, but as soon as it did his eyes blew wide and he hurried to correct his mistake, “No, no I don’t…” he shook his head and glanced down, carefully shifting the hand that still rested in Patton’s grip to give him a comforting squeeze. “I mean… I doubt my tolerance— for puns, that is— could possibly withstand your, uh, obvious aptitude for them.”

To the genius’ relief, the android immediately relaxed, tension draining out of his frame, and gave him another blinding smile, “I guess we’ll just have to see, now won’t we?”

Logan hesitantly returned the smile, “If we must… Patton.”

The way Patton’s smile grew in response to hearing his new name left a warm feeling in Logan’s chest, leaving him more settled than he had in days. That same warmth, renewed every time Patton smiled, miraculously lasted even as he ventured forth from his room and back into the mire of social expectations. It buoyed him through the remainder of the unpleasant weekend, and left him content and focused for days afterwards.

Upon their return from the stressful trip, everything returned to normal. Logan resumed his studies, rarely seeing his parents, Patton flitted around the manor, efficiently handling every problem before Logan ever encountered it, and the pair upped their outings to three or four times a week. Logan found himself growing fond of Mr. Stokes and the other chess enthusiasts, who seemed to almost live in the park, and was happy to oblige his android’s incessant herding.

In fact, Logan found he actually appreciated Patton’s constant presence and energy. On one particular occasion, the food delivery service his family used failed to arrive and Patton left to fetch supplies. The young genius was alone for only a few hours, but it had felt like days; without the background noise his energetic android provided, he had simply been unable to focus. Patton had given him the softest smile he had ever seen upon returning to find his grouchy, unfocused charge.

It was much easier to focus on matrices and derivatives when he could hear the android humming idly from just beyond his bedroom doorway.

“Hey, Logan?” the familiar cheerful voice cut through the 12-year-old’s train of thought.

A smile already spreading across his face, he glanced up from his textbook to see his android approaching. Patton gave him a smile in return and lifted an object for observation—a pair of glasses held carefully by the ear pieces, “What are these?”

For a moment Logan just blinked at them; they appeared uncannily like his own, except for the fact that they were obviously too large and no longer held lenses of any variety. That moment was, however, all it took for him to remember and flush a vivid red.

“I was cleaning your room and found them wedged…” Patton trailed off as he glanced up from the object of his curiosity. “Kiddo?” he asked, concern coloring his tone.

“They, ah,” Logan cleared his voice, “They were my father’s. I was, evidently, so fascinated with them that… after he had surgery to fix his vision, he gave them to me.”

“Oh!” the bot exclaimed in delight, returning his attention to his discovery, “That’s nifty.”

Another smile claimed his lips without his consent and he shook his head at the android’s word choice. Patton had grown on him even more over the past few weeks. He seemed to be increasingly comfortable both with himself and with Logan; he only reverted to his initial behavior (what Logan was coming to think of as his ‘pre-programmed’ behavior) when in the presence of others. Even then, he had begun to slip more and more around Logan’s chess partners. The genius received an inordinate amount of pleasure watching their reactions to the android’s unexpected sense of humor.

Logan watched with a similar sense of amusement as Patton, face scrunched up in thought, ever so carefully placed the glasses on his own face. After a moment spent fiddling with them, making them sit more comfortably, he beamed down at Logan, “What d’ya think?”

Even though the frames were very similar to Logan’s, they looked remarkably different on Patton’s face. They seemed… rounder, less rectangular, even though that wasn’t possible, and made Patton’s bright blue eyes look twice as large, despite the absence of lenses.

“They look nice,” he answered honestly, earning beaming smile.

Patton quickly scooted a few feet to the side, so he could see himself in the mirror on Logan’s wall and regard his new accessory with curiosity. After a moment he turned back to Logan, a mischievous smile creeping across his face and setting alarm bells off in Logan’s head, “Well, they are rather… spectacular!”

“Patton,” Logan groaned, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

“Are you doing math?” he asked out of the blue, moving closer to his charge and peering down at his calculus textbook.

“Patton…” Logan muttered in warning. Where he would have been confused a few weeks ago, he was now merely suspicious, eyeing his android carefully, “don’t—”

Patton merely grinned, “You might need some new glasses to help with that di­vision!”

“Ugh,” he huffed, burying his face—glasses and all—into his hands.

The android just giggled, moving to perch on a nearby chair and removing the black frames from his face. Once Logan recovered from the horrible pun and Patton settled his giggles, the pair just smiled at each other.

Logan had never smiled so often, before Patton had entered his life.

But as he stared at him, Logan couldn’t help noting how different his caretaker looked without the glasses on, almost as though frames had belonged on his face from the start. “You should keep them,” he burst out, gesturing to the frames in the bot’s lap, “It’s not like they were doing any good, wherever they were when you found them.”

Patton blinked at him in surprise, “Are you sure?”

He gave a one shouldered shrug, “Yeah, I mean, I’m not going to use them.”

“Thanks, Lo,” the android gave him another brilliant smile, warming him in a way he was still growing used to. He watched fondly as Patton returned the frames to his face, dramatically pushing them up the bridge of his nose.

Logan may not be certain about everything, especially not when it came to his android, but he was positive that Patton was the most amazing person he had ever met. He did not know how he had developed such obvious independence or if all androids were capable of doing so, but he was incredibly grateful to have him in his life. Puns and all.

A/N: I know the last scene seems a little tacked on, and I almost didn't include it but I wanted to limit this installment to three chapters and it REALLY doesn't fit with the next one. Speaking of... brace for angst. (I still need Patton to deviate, after all. He's only bending his programming at the moment, kinda like snarky Connor in the game. He still needs to tear down the wall, so to speak.)

Let me know if you want to be tagged! (I will be reblogging with the taglist from @reba-andthesides)

[comicteaparty]

August 17th, 2017 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on August 17th, 2017, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Centralia 2050 by Michelle.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning. Today we are discussing Centralia 2050 by Michelle~! ( http://centralia2050.com/ ) For those new to CTP, discussions about the comic are freeform, so please feel free to bring up whatever you wish. However, every 30 minutes I will be dropping in a discussion question to help those who would like a prompt. These questions are totally OPTIONAL to answer so pay them no mind if you wish~! Remember, constructive criticism is allowed, but the primary focus here is to have fun and appreciate the amazing comics that the community makes~! Each chat a top comment will be picked and featured on an ad for this chat, so let’s have a great discussion~!

With that said, let us begin with this first question~!(edited)

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Ravix-Strips

The video game scene with Ren, Midori, and Grey. (edited)

Deity Cali of BISHIES OF SPEEDS

pops in to say i really like the art in this

fairyfun5118

CH 3 page 5 cuz they were bonding for the first time!... i think

and Q and As cuz there cute and fun

Kabocha

Hmmmm, that's a good question. Ch3 is really good... ...I liked how vulnerable Grey was at the end of the chapter, but I mean, I also really liked the explanation in ch2 about the Lumico takeover, too...

This panel was like, oh you poor sweet child D: RebelVampire

i really liked the depiction of the blackout. everything artistically about it made me think "yup, this is a blackout all right."

Michelle

PS-- I'll be hanging out in the chat if anyone has questions about the comic! c:

Ravix-Strips

ok

Envelion

And my name is Matt. Hi there! I'm the brainstormer and co-writer of sorts with Michelle on Centralia 2050

Kabocha

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Michelle

Yeah, Matt helps bounce around story development.

Ravix-Strips

NNice to meet you two

Kabocha

that scene made me cringe a little for Midori

Michelle

And speaks terrible Japanese, apparently

Ravix-Strips

and is in the same room with the characters

RebelVampire

i think that scene made everyone cringe a little. cause even if you dont feel for midori, very clearly a poor attempt at japanese

so cringe

Kabocha

ahahaha

mathtans

I am late, but to atone I have a fave scene from each of the Chapters!

wishjacked

My favorite scene is the blackout explanation, too!!

Honestly all my favorite scenes tend to be the kinda in-between ones when the characters are walking around the city— the art is SO AMAZING at building the world up through background details.

mathtans

From the most recent chapter, when they went into VR, it was just kind of Wow (and Gray was so cute! ). From the one before, when she was on the roof and reaching up and Grey was like "don't jump" and Midori was like, "what?". And from the first chapter, when she first pushed past Grey and he was all, 'what's her problem' and then EVIL SPIDER BOTS so yeah, that's a problem.

wnqs

My favourite scene is Tomo the head-bonking robot and Lor's introduction :P

Kabocha

Admittedly, when I first read the title of the comic, I was half-expecting it to be built on Centralia, PA... which has a continually burning fire in a mine

wnqs

Always blown away with the background art and the details put into every single panel.

mathtans

Lor is cool too.

Michelle

We'll be seeing more of her in chapter 4 :>

wnqs

Woot!

Ravix-Strips

Awesome!

Envelion

Who's to say that it DOESN'T take place in Pennsylvania? >.>

RebelVampire

i actually did not know this place in PA existed till yesterday and that was only cause of reading an askreddit thread about creepiest small towns.

albeit when i heard the title i admittedly thought of the movie metropolis for some reason even tho ive never actually seen the movie

Michelle

afaik there is one in PA, and one in Washington.

mathtans

In fact, the setting isn't really something I normally go for, and while I can appreciate the artistic talent (which is so far above me, I can't even), it's not what kept me reading either. It's the way the characters react to each other, like Grey randomly tossing out info to Lor, or Midori doing her own thing despite what's going on, that really sucked me in.

wnqs

nods the character development is very well done. They're engaging and you really get a connection with them

Envelion

@mathtans I'm glad. I think a story should be defined by it's characters more than anything. Michelle and I both really try to make them all feel alive.

Feather, Duke of Comedic Timing

I haven't finished Chapter 3 but I really like the scene early on where they are on the roof :3

mathtans

It's kind of impressive that Grey's so likeable, actually, given his tendency to shut down conversation.

Ravix-Strips

@mathtans ironically.

Michelle

Hopefully when he starts talking more people don't suddenly dislike him XD

"I LIKED YOU BEING QUIET DAMNIT"

wishjacked

Yes!! I think both Midori and Grey are shaping really good characters!!

mathtans

Hahaha. No, I think Grey will still be cool. (I only wish he didn't smoke! That stuff'll kill you!)

RebelVampire

in all honestly i like grey because i feel he provides a sort of cynical realism balance to the story.

fairyfun5118

they are better together

mathtans

Rebel: Yeah, yeah, I think you nailed it there.

Michelle

Yeah, I agree, smoking's no good. D:

mathtans

I like the tongue-in-cheek kind of attitude.

wishjacked

and I also really like Grey… I feel like his character would easily read as kind of a typical edgy apocalypse guy in a different writer's work, but as is he comes off as very understandable.

He always seems so exasperated but he's also obviously kind right from the beginning.

Kabocha

Grey is surprising. He's struck me as the sorta fellow who goes along with shenanigans even if it's something he's saying he doesn't wanna do. XD It's funny to watch him contradict himself.

mathtans

Yeah, that was an excellent introduction for him. Well thought out, might not have worked if he was just in a cafe or something.

Michelle

No matter where he goes, Midori would've found a way to barrel into him

Envelion

He's tricky to write. Michelle's always like, "Does he sound too much line an ass in this one?"

Michelle

lmao

Kabocha

sometimes you just gotta let the snark pour through though

mathtans

Haha, I kind of understand that. You get latitude once he's established as a protagonist though.

Michelle

He WAS a bit too rude in the first draft of chapter 1. It took some figuring out to strike a good balance.

mathtans

I wonder what his gen-mod is.

Kabocha

I'm gonna guess it's got to do with mental acuity or something.

mathtans

Maybe it's why he smokes. O.o

Envelion

A genetic mod that makes smoking cool.(edited)

Kabocha

Put some shades on him and we've got max coolness right there

Michelle

@Envelion oh no, Grey has been created by Big Tobacco

RebelVampire

grey doesnt need shades. is too cool already theyll make laws about it.

mathtans

VR Shades.

wishjacked

I mean I don't know what else to say about my analysis of him except I really liked when he offhandedly told Midori to put sugar in the coffee to make it taste better hahaha

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. During Chapter 3, Midori and Grey meet and join Switch, an anti-Lumico organization. Do you think Switch is unquestionably trustworthy or do you think they may have their own secrets? Will joining Switch actually help the two find the missing people or will something happen that gets them both into trouble? How will Midori and Grey’s skills be utilized for the group?

wishjacked

and OH NO, THE WORST GEN MOD. TOBACCO MOD

Ravix-Strips

what is up with her and coffee?

it's like it's her life support and if it is, give her more.(edited)

wnqs

Swtich probably has their own secrets. It's not like they're gonna go blabbing everything to people they just meet. Whether or not they're completely 'good' is a good question, though

Michelle

@Ravix-Strips once she put sugar in it, she realized its glory

Kabocha

Switch has some issues bein' shady. But you know. Midori's a robot-smasher, so... they could use more people willing to do it lol

mathtans

No group is unquestionably trustworthy. >.< They have the same goals though, or so it seems.

wnqs

Well, Midori's mad pipe-wielding skillz will probably come in handy

mathtans

Grey builds the robots and Midori smashes them!

wnqs

Grey can scowl at the baddies and make them feel terrible about themselves

mathtans

They can be their own branch.

fairyfun5118

i feel like both will happen

wnqs

"MIDORI SMASH!" ala Hulk style

Kabocha

meanwhile, Grey's dad IS Lumico

Envelion

So much I can't say about the switch right now. But it's good stuff. #nospoilers

Kabocha

)dpm

erm

don't ask, I do this every ctp I'm in. crack theory time!

Michelle

I love crack theories XD

mathtans

I like the double meaning of "switch", by the way. Like, it can refer to a change, a switch in power, or a literal switch of turning things on and off. Which also harkens to that logo, curiously enough.

Michelle

Of course, to all theories my answer is "definitely maybe"

Kabocha

pfffft

RebelVampire

yeah everyone thought ctp stood for comic tea party. its actually crack theory party

mathtans

Oh, I have theories. We'll get to that. Curious if anyone else is thinking along the same lines though.

fairyfun5118

wwwhhhhaaaattt!?

Kabocha

@RebelVampire Damn straight!

Well, @mathtans -- time to start spoutin' them out

wnqs

I want to know more about Midori. Is she an unknowing agent of Lumico, or something designed explicitly to counter them?

fairyfun5118

i thought ctp was comic tea party

Michelle

@fairyfun5118 it is, haha, don't worry.

fairyfun5118

oooo

Kabocha

Midori and Weiss are siblings; meanwhilst, Grey's dad is the head (or IS) Lumico. And Switch needs Grey because of his unknowing ties. Much drama when plot reveal is made. >:3

fairyfun5118

thxs for telling me

lol

Kabocha

end crack theory

RebelVampire

no no it def is i meant that as a joke XD cause we usually have a lot of crack theories during the sessions.

i like the idea of grey's dad being the head of lumico

wishjacked

that's a good crack theory there, you dudes

RebelVampire

as i picture a whole darth vader i am your father scenario

mathtans

Ooh, I like the idea of Grey somehow being tied in more than anyone realizes.

Kabocha

I know, right, Rebel?

Envelion

What I CAN tell you, is that Grey's dad rocks a mad pony tail.

Michelle

Nooooooo he doesn't

Kabocha

lmao

fairyfun5118

lol

Michelle

Grey's dad turns out to be a pony-tail wearing, acoustic-guitar strumming upbeat guy, and he just can't understand his Goth Son

Kabocha

:3 Grey's dad is Grey with a ponytail? XD

mathtans

You want a crazy theory? Midori and Weiss are the same person. Weiss is artifically aged, and her hair is turned green, but in the process she loses her memory. She's now trying to chase after her lost childhood, represented by the fact that only SHE can see Weiss (like that time in the playground).

Kabocha

Also, how is Weiss' name pronounced? "Veiss?"

Michelle

"Wice"

wishjacked

(kinda going on back to the prompt I DO want to say that I like Switch but I don't trust them yet. They do give off really strong "we are an awesome rebel faction and we're the side that all protagonists rightly back" vibe…. but that isn't enough to make them flawless lol)

Michelle

In German it would be Veiss, but... American pronounciation etc(edited)

Kabocha

Right, right

fairyfun5118

i alwasy pronounced it wheez

mathtans

Wow, that got all the reactions, heh.

Envelion

I'd totally make fun of a girl named "Wheez"

Michelle

#rude

fairyfun5118

lol

sorry

mathtans

I agree with you, wishjacked.

wnqs

mathtans wins the reaction lottery(edited)

RebelVampire

yeah back to the topic of switch, i trust them as far as i can throw them. all powerful organizations have corruption somewhere within their ranks. i mean to be fair, i already dont trust them because they more or less bullied grey and midori into joining since it was a join us or we wont help you sort of thing.

mathtans

I seem to have won a hamburger. ^.^

Kabocha

well, it was a "join us RIGHT NOW" situation, too

which is worse, I think

mathtans

I'm pretty sure there's an operative inside Switch who's working against them. I hope it's not Lor, she's kinda awesome.

RebelVampire

yeah there is that too. which is pretty manipulative cause its forcing them to react more on emotion than logic.

its okay math, its probably not Lor. its the tiny robot Lor is making.

Envelion

Hmmm

wnqs

the situation may be that dire that they have to make them choose quickly

Michelle

TOMO will become sentient and seek to unravel everything.

mathtans

Phew. ... Wait, could be blamed for that though.

Kabocha

@wnqs -- well, yes, that's probably the case, but it's still not much better

time will tell though

wnqs

So, Tomo is the new Claptrap?

Kabocha

and if they start to get all cult-y....

welp.

Envelion

Welcome to Switch, Wear these robes, drink this!

wnqs

koolaid for everyone!

mathtans

I think part of the issue is, we haven't really seen what they're fighting against... like, we sort of have (seriously, anyone who uses spider bots can't be on the side of good, right?) but even Grey himself has said there's just something that feels wrong about the power company, nothing so overt. I could be wrong.

Maybe all the missing people got sent to the Bahamas.

RebelVampire

clearly next chapter is the initiation arc where grey and midori have to prove their devotion to the cult err i mean switch O_O

Kabocha

OH MAN

mathtans

They need to perform a feather dance.

Kabocha

and there's a rift between Grey and Midori over it.

Midori's all ready to drink the kool-aid and Grey's like, NO, don't forget Weiss

metaphorical kool-aid

...it's important to clarify.

RebelVampire

i demand literal kool-aid but the non poisoned kind. the refreshing sugar drink kind

Michelle

I'm sure Forrest stocks the Switch cabinets with plenty of refreshing powdered drinks

Envelion

I'll make a note, next chapter needs koolaid.

Michelle

you can't have a rebellion if you're thirsty.

Kabocha

oh man

mathtans

Here's a question: Part of the reason Switch wants them is because of how Midori doesn't seem to be categorized by the surveillance. Why not? She also has some sort of effect on Grey's cell phone, which I'm guessing is related. Is it unique to her? How does it relate to the power that's being used in these things?

(It's probably the artificial aging.)

Kabocha

Midori's the actual plant by big tobacco

Grey's her sidekick.

mathtans

Heh. "You can't use your phone. What're you gonna do now? Gotta smoke."

Envelion

plant - green hair - all makes sense

Kabocha

it's all so clear(edited)

RebelVampire

its because midori was a robot clone this whole time.

mathtans

Who would clone a robot?

fairyfun5118

?

people would

RebelVampire

scientists

Envelion

Other robots.

RebelVampire

for science

Kabocha

I would!

wishjacked

are you saying you wouldn't clone a robot?

Kabocha

gotta make data backups somehow.

Michelle

But... you don't need to clone a robot, you just build another one

Kabocha

You clone hard drives!

Michelle

R-robots don't have DNA!

ok, fair enough.

RebelVampire

well maybe someone first decided to make a robot with dna. and then the next logical step is to prove its cloneable dna

mathtans

Next chapter, Grey builds another Midori. One who doesn't ask so many questions.

Envelion

I have a question... Does anyone have a favorite switch character?

Kabocha

Grey.

RebelVampire

grey

Kabocha

lol

fairyfun5118

lmao

Kabocha

What can I say, I like my guys tall and snarky.

RebelVampire

idk if i feel i know anyone enough to pick a fave. i need to learn more about them.

mathtans

That's actually a tough question, about the fave character. Because part of what I like about Grey is his interactions with Midori. I don't feel like he'd be as captivating without her, which doesn't hold true the other way, so.... I may have to go with Midori. Because of how she named the motorcycle "Lucy".

wishjacked

same @RebelVampire

Envelion

Fair enough.

mathtans

Most of their scenes have been together. I do enjoy randomness, is the thing.

wishjacked

but Midori is my favorite character of the story thus far. I'm a sucker for those happy go lucky types. (and I do really look forward to getting to know Switch better haha!!)(edited)

mathtans

And none of the others (aside from Ren, who I'm kind of lukewarm on) have been seen enough. Though Lor is starting with lots of bonus points for her VR avatar.

Michelle

We'll be getting to know the main Switch members much more in chapter 4. :>

mathtans

Hoping I'm making some vague sort of sense there. I'm also probably not a typical reader, I can be as random as Midori.

RebelVampire

if i had to pick someone in switch id be most interested in learning about itd be Forrest cause Forrest hits my suspicion meters

mathtans

(Still like that scene where Grey thought she was going to jump.)

Envelion

Yeah, I'm excited to explore the characters more in the future too, but Forrest most of all. For reasons I can't say :x

mathtans

Run, Forrest, Run.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. So far throughout the comic, Midori has shown to have little knowledge about the nature of the city and may potentially have some level of amnesia. Who exactly is Midori? How did she wind up in the city? What is her relationship to Weiss? Why does Weiss seemingly appear before Midori and lead her around?

Envelion

why indeed.

mathtans

Okay, so here's my OTHER Midori theory. She was created by that Power Company (mebbe Weiss, mebbe genetically) in order to investigate the city on a grass roots level. But she went rogue, and maybe one of the last things she saw was a Weiss missing poster. In the end, she'll have to pick whose side she's on.

fairyfun5118

.....?

mathtans

Like, when she gets her memory back, she'll be like "damn, I'm supposed to be against these Switch people, do I still help them?".

RebelVampire

and then she decides nah screw switch and rides off with grey into the sunset

mathtans

It might explain why she doesn't know stuff, she never knew it in the first place, it wasn't part of the amnesia at all.

Kabocha

Are we shipping Midori and Grey? :3

fairyfun5118

ooh

mathtans

She tries to catch the sun!

Michelle

Oh no here comes the shipping ship

Kabocha

XD

I dunno, they seem like good friends but haven't actually struck me as shippable quite yet.

fairyfun5118

i ship Midori x gray

Envelion

I ship Grey and Forrest. Grorrest

Michelle

Forrey???

mathtans

I ship Midori and Lor. Because I always ship the pretty girls.

RebelVampire

i ship grey and eternal cynicism

mathtans

Rebel wins.

Kabocha

I just think Grey Forrest sounds like a nice place to visit

Michelle

Grey Forrest sounds like the next Silent Hill

I wouldn't go there

Kabocha

it's directly adjacent to Centralia

actually is a garbage fire

Envelion

But yeah, for the topic, I am really interested in hearing who people THINK Midori and Weiss are. Sometimes it's stuff we've never even considered, sometimes it's really close to the truth. Sometimes it's just weird.

mathtans

OH. I'm reminded (because suddenly I'm thinking of bust lines) about Michelle's comments below the comic. Those are sometimes funny as all get out. Kudos.

fairyfun5118

your comic turnded me into a shipper

Michelle

@mathtans I try ;u;

mathtans

(I don't know why the one about squeezing into the train came to mind. )

fairyfun5118

lol

Michelle

@fairyfun5118 You're definitely not alone in that, especially among Tapastic readers D:

RebelVampire

im gonna take a crack theory stab. weiss is the child of some big head honcho of lumico and midori was an artificially constructed bodyguard.

mathtans

I'm still squinty about Midori = Weiss. Though I'm pretty sure Midori's also connected to the satellite thing. I feel like that wasn't just a throwaway gag when she was talking about seeing the star. So maybe Midori's the next evolution in gen mods somehow.

Michelle

There's definitely a lot of little things in the comic that are foreshadowing.

mathtans

I wonder, do they have memory retrieval technology?

Michelle

If they do, it would certainly be hard to come by

mathtans

Midori might also not be a genetically age increased Weiss, it might just be that their memories were swapped or something. Like, Midori's memories are still inside Weiss, wherever that girl is, and Weiss' memories are KIND of inside Midori, but the transfer was incomplete, so she's seeking out her own memories, in a sense.

Those two are connected in some way, basically.

Like, okay, obviously, but in a bio-tech way.

I'm also weird.

fairyfun5118

we need game theroys opinion on this

RebelVampire

maybe midori was weiss' imaginary friend brought to life. i kind of get that sense cause of weiss' childish drawing and the fact was surprised grey could see her. especially the latter really struck me as an odd thing to say to someone

Michelle

Midori is definitely full of odd exclamations.

mathtans

OMG. Rebel, that's brilliant.

That's maybe the piece my brain was trying to fill in.

We never actually saw Midori in the flashback panels, right? (That's what made me wonder if they were somehow the same.)

RebelVampire

not that i recall. there was some convenient cutting off if memory serves correct

which is why to me i could believe midori wasnt real

cause its very kid like to invent an imaginary friend like that when theyre getting bullied

mathtans

So the creepy power corp is doing experiements on Weiss and accidentally activated Midori!

(I've seen "A Certain Magical Index", I know these kinds of things can manifest.)

Michelle

I wish I could imagine anything as coherent as Midori. Anything I'd imagine would be an incoherent blob.

mathtans

I feel like there's huge irony in the artist saying that.

Michelle

lmao maybe, I mean I can't stay on one thought for more than a few seconds

mathtans

That's fair.

Envelion

My imaginary friend had antenne and green skin. Would look like an alien if she suddenly appeared.

mathtans

As to why Weiss just seems to randomly appear, maybe Midori can wish things into existence, if she concentrates hard enough? (Because of how she herself was created in a similar way?)

fairyfun5118

these crack theroys are really crackin me up

end me

RebelVampire

really the answer is this is just one of the noire detective ghost situations. and weiss is a ghost trying to get midori to solve the murder

mathtans

I rarely say things that I don't at least partially believe. ^.^

Her own murder. Because she is ALSO a ghost! ... okay, no.

RebelVampire

haha i dont stick entirely with the imaginary friend but i do think the line about grey seeing her is super suspicious legitimately. the only reason for someone to exclaim that a person can see them is if they are in general used to not being seen/arent supposed to be seen(edited)

Kabocha

spooky~

mathtans

I'd forgotten about that line, at least on a conscious level. Now I totally ship Len with Weiss' imaginary friend.

Michelle

I had to find out who that was haha

but 14 is a little young for Midori!! :0

If we're following this cracktheory of imaginary friends shipping

mathtans

Derp. I meant Lor. I'm so bad with names.

Michelle

OH haha

it's funny because when I looked up that character there was something about them being not real.

mathtans

I somehow mashed it up with Ren in my head. I fail at all the names!

Michelle

So I thought that was intentional.

mathtans

I do many things intentionally. Names, not so much.

Oh well. Something to bear in mind with me.

RebelVampire

its okay math. as long as you dont fail us at math. cause its in your name.

Kabocha

I hear he's good with imaginary numbers

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. The central mystery to the story’s conflict so far is the 2048 blackout. During the blackout, numerous people went missing, and it was after the blackout that Lumico took over the city. What do you think happened to all the people who went missing? Is Lumico responsible somehow or was their rise to power a coincidence? Additionally, why did Grey’s non gen-mod father go missing when most of the missing people are gen-mods?

Kabocha

the gen mods are being used to power the city. :3

mathtans

The math I'm okay with. I liked the comment about the blackout being in 2^11. That was neat.

fairyfun5118

yes my theroy is tha during the balckout lumico kidnapped most of the gen mods and there going to do somthing with them(edited)

mathtans

Oh yeah, I've got a theory about the missing people. They're NOT missing. They were given new memories and new physical appearances. (Did anyone check for NEW people after the blackout? Well? DID they?) I don't know if it was inentional or not (there could be some common element, like they were all near microwaves or a satallite or something), but it ties into the fact that Midori's old identity is now bleeding through, she was originally one of the missing.

Envelion

damned evil microwaves

RebelVampire

thatd actually be an interesting twist. is if ppl were so busy looking for what wasnt there they missed what was there

granted i do think its more likely lumico kidnapped them.

XD

mathtans

yis. Microwaves with tinfoil hats in them.

RebelVampire

but then again maybe lumico isnt evil. maybe they kidnapped gen-mods cause something is wrong with gen-mod technology and they need to fix it

Envelion

They've been brain washed to be Lumico's janitorial staff.

RebelVampire

lumico probably does need janitors

sounds efficient

mathtans

Oh, I kinda like that angle, Rebel. Except Grey's dad wasn't a Gen-Mod, so maybe someone screwed up (or like the earlier theories, dad is in it deep).

Michelle

They're using his dad's ponytail for nefarious purposes.

mathtans

What happened to the houses and apartments of missing people? Were they repossessed or what?

Did Grey have to sell his Dad's house?

Michelle

Oh no. It's all a real estate heist!

mathtans

A real estate heist by Big Tobacco.

"Oh, your phone doesn't work AND you have no house now? Gotta smoke."

RebelVampire

maybe grey just depressingly keeps the house. visits every weekend and smokes and mopes in the corner

fairyfun5118

lol

RebelVampire

brings midori and midori is like wtf grey

mathtans

He pretends he's a lamp. It's illuminating.

Seriously though, what happened to their bank accounts and stuff too? Awkward.

Envelion

If Grey's father went missing, but Grey didn't... And Grey is a gen mod, why is he still around? Do you think they got the wrong guy?

"Yes, this is the Greyson home. Grey Greyson? No, he's not here."

RebelVampire

yes. except mostly they were lazy. were like "eh same last name close enough nab the dude"

mathtans

I'd say maybe the missing people never even EXISTED in the first place, and were somehow false memories transmitted by cell phone... except why the missing posters then? (Though I guess Ren's the one making those. Hm.)

Michelle

Yeah, Ren is behind the poster effort.

mathtans

Though Grey's dad must be somewhat responsible for the gen mod, unless his mom did it secretly. Maybe all they needed was the information.

So Ren could be making all these posters for people who DON'T EXIST. O.o (Well, except we did see Weiss in a flashback... that DIDN'T EXIST. o.O )

RebelVampire

were starting to get to everything was a dream territory O_O

fairyfun5118

yup

lol

mathtans

They're actually still in VR!

RebelVampire

maybe grey's dad wasnt kidnapped. maybe hes a super spy and went on a long, undercover mission

mathtans

Grey is actually his own dad, trapped in VR.

(Ok, now I'm not really believing the stuff I say.)

Michelle

Well, his dad and Grey both certainly have some explaining to do.

which is, as we know, Grey's least favourite thing

Envelion

It'll just take him another 3 chapters to come out with it.

mathtans

Something I just realized. Midori makes Grey's phone go weird and the bots don't register her... but she can still VR. Is it a different system?

Michelle

Naw. We'll find out something next chapter.

Midori's avatar is glitching in the VR simulation, so it isn't perfect.

mathtans

Okay. (At least they spelled her name right.)

Kabocha

Hmmm, reading a little; d'ya think grey was saved by being indoors when the blackout happened?

fairyfun5118

yes

mabye

mathtans

snaps fingers That reminds me, the bit with him climbing up all the floors reminded me of the East Coast power blackout some 15 years ago or whatever. I had a friend in that situation. Nice realism.

RebelVampire

i think grey was saved by how cool he was. they saw him and were like "im blinded by his cool snarkiness. we cant take him."

mathtans

And yeah, maybe being inside meant you weren't abducted by the aliens who are running the Lumico corporation as a prelude to invasion. (Yup, that's a new theory.)

Envelion

yes, yes... make more theories! Stray farther from the truth!

mathtans

"The others won't come out." "I dunno, give them back their power, we'll come up with a new plan in a couple years."

The truth is out there!

RebelVampire

it could be that being inside played a role. hard to say. i mean how many gen-mods are there? is there some national list of gen-mods?

i mean obviously lumico has a list of some sort for their robot spiders

but where did it come from

was it always there

Envelion

If there was a list, it wouldn't be up on genmods.gov I imagine

RebelVampire

are the spiders just that amazing

Kabocha

@Envelion -- knowing any .gov, it's probably in an access database in sharepoint

mathtans

The spiders are actually the ones in control.

RebelVampire

no i see through the lies. theres a genmods.gov and midori was the person used for the splash page

Michelle

XD

Question: What are you looking forward to in chapter 4?

fairyfun5118

EVERYTHING

mathtans

Honestly, more of the Switch people, like you said. To get a better sense of the fight, what they're actually up against. Also, Lor.

RebelVampire

grey and snark

Michelle

There Will Be Snark

RebelVampire

im pretty one track about that. more grey. and refreshing kool-aid

Envelion

In these last few minutes, do you guys have any questions for Michelle n' me? Without asking for spoilers?

Michelle

oh no now all they'll ask is spoilers

mathtans

How long does it take to draw a page? O.o Like, seriously, that's frigging impressive.

Michelle

On average, somewhere around 10-12 hours

fairyfun5118

actually i want more grey and midori bonding moments

Michelle

Though one of the blackout pages took upwards of 20 (the one with all the cars and crowds)

mathtans

Damn. I believe it.

Michelle

@fairyfun5118 We'll have some of that!

fairyfun5118

yes!!!

mathtans

Another question, have you planned everything out a lot in advance, or do characters sometimes derail the plot as you go?

Michelle

I have the character trajectories and major plot points planned out, but I like to save the details for when I write the scripts. Like, I write the script for ch 4 as ch 3 wraps up.

Envelion

I think most of it is planned out, yeah? There's specifics that usually don't get nailed down until the script is done though. For example, the VR scene wasn't in chapter 3 until right before Michelle wrote it. Originally it was just going to take place at a cafe or something.

mathtans

headbobs That makes sense, kinda suspected but nice to have it confirmed.

Michelle

Yeah, I know the "what," but I figure out the "how" during scripting.

mathtans

Ooh, glad we got the VR Gray.

Michelle

Yes, widdle kawaii Grey

Envelion

Yeah, I was working on a VR project at the time, maybe that inspired it.

mathtans

Keep being awesome with it.

Envelion

Thanks so much for coming guys. It's been a pleasure to help Michelle with the story and I love what she's done with it. I'm as big of a fan as I am a helper. I'm excited to see that people are interested in the story too!

Michelle

Thank you! You guys keep me going strong

RebelVampire

Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party is now complete~! Thank you everyone so much for joining this week’s chat~! That being said, if you would like to continue discussing the comic, we encourage you to do so~! We want to give a big thank you to Michelle, as well, for volunteering Centralia 2050 for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Michelle’s efforts. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about CTP, please feel free to PM me, or e-mail me at RebelVampire@startfaire.com.

With that said, next week’s Comic Tea Party will focus on Tangled River by snowshadow. Please use this week to read as much of the comic as you would like. Hope to see you next Thursday (August 24th) from 5PM to 7PM PDT~! Until then~!

Comic: https://tapas.io/series/Tangled-River