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dreamescapeswriting · 3 years ago

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I like you, Loser ~ LMH [Request]

⤜WORD COUNT: 3.4K

⤜PAIRING: Minho x GN!Reader

⤜GENRE: college au, Tsundere!Minho, Gender netural Reader, soft, fluffy, bickering between friends, Minho with a crush, grumpy x Sunshine,

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - May 2022

⤜MASTERLIST

⤜Tsundere Meaning: Tsundere is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with a personality who is initially cold, stern, stoic, harsh, temperamental, hotheaded before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time

A/N: I havent really written Tsundere before so I hope its okay!!!

It was small things at first, almost too small for other people to notice. But Minho noticed.

Minho knew almost everything about you after living with you for the last three years and spending most of his time with you from High School, so when he noticed he knew he had to do something. It was all of the classic signs of burnout and if people didn't know you well enough they never would have seen it.

It started with you putting off your work until the last possible second, or asking Minho to go and get coffee with you every two minutes when you'd barely begun working. It wasn't like you at all. You were never this distracted or even procrastinated this much if ever not that Minho minded hanging out with you more but he knew it was bad.

The final straw for Minho was when you began getting snarky with those around you, snapping at people who were trying to be nice and when you started having a cynical outlook on everything. He knew he needed to do something and that was why he was planning on it and had been for the last week.

"Who would have thought it, you're soft for them." Chan laughed as he helped Minho carry a bag through his apartment and into your shared kitchen. You and Minho had been living together since your first year in college, you'd been friends long before that though since you'd attended the same high school together.

"Shut up. I'm just sick of them biting my head off." Minho lied, putting all of the ingredients he needed to wash into the sink and turning to look at Chan who was smirking at him. There was no reason on this planet other than the crush Minho had on you that he would be doing this for.

Chan knew it.

Minho knew it.

The only person who didn't know about it was you. Mostly because Minho was grumpy around you and you were too blind to see that he had a crush on you.

"I only needed help bringing in the food, you can leave," Minho grunted, not wanting him to stick around anymore to judge him for what he was about to do for you. But Chan didn't move a muscle, instead, he looked around at the apartment and his smirk grew wider.

You had an exam which meant the apartment had been left empty all afternoon, not only was it spotless but some of the furniture had been moved to the side leaving a large space in front of the TV. Then blankets were piled in the corner waiting to be moved into a comfortable position for Minho and yourself to sit on later.

The Xbox that was usually held up in Minho's room was moved and in the living room which only meant one thing.

Minho was going to be sweet with you...As in, actually sweet and kind to you and share his things with you. Something he never did with anymore. Not even Chan who was like the boy's older brother.

"Out," Minho thundered already knowing where Chan's mind was and the older boy held his hands up in defence not wanting to get into trouble.

"You got it bad Lee Minho. Bad." He laughed wildly and he exited the apartment leaving Minho to look around. Chan had no idea what he was talking about. Minho did not have it "bad" he just didn't want you to be so burnt out you lose your love for your studies.

Plus. There was only room for one grumpy person in this friendship and the position had been filled long ago by him and you were going to have to fight him for it.

Dropping your bag onto the ground in the foyer you kicked off your shoes, sniffing a little as you smelt Minho's cooking your mouth practically watering at the smell of it all. The one thing that had kept you strong throughout the entire exam was the thought of coming home to his food. It was almost midnight and all you wanted to do was curl up on the sofa with some food and watch movies...Maybe even force Minho into watching them with you if he was still up.

Your mind went back to the food as the smell continued to fill your nose, your stomach growling at you as you made your way through the foyer door and into the open apartment setting. It didn't matter what he made he always made it well and you couldn't wait to dig into it,

"Minho, I'm going to demolish about five plates of your-" You stopped speaking as you looked up at the living room, all of the lights were out and the only thing lighting up the room was the TV set.

It wasn't like Minho to leave the TV running but then your eyes moved around to see the furniture had been pushed out of the way.

Your eyes drifted over the TV before you noticed Minho laying on the ground, blankets were underneath him and he was sound asleep on the floor. He must have been waiting up for you and the sight alone made your heart swell up.

"Cute," You whispered heading over to him, the controller was clutched in his hand as "The Witcher 3" played idly in the background. Laughing softly to yourself you knelt down beside his sleeping body just taking in his appearance.

It wasn't often you got to see him look so peaceful and you were going to drink it all up while you could. He was still dressed in the apron you'd gotten him for Christmas. It was a bright pink apron with cats spotted all over it, perfect for him and you couldn't believe he'd actually kept it.

You could have sworn he would have thrown it out, it was only supposed to be a gag gift but the fact that he'd kept it made you feel tingly inside. Seeing him in his apron meant that he had no doubt not meant to fall asleep while waiting up for you. If that was what he was doing in the first place. You stretched your hand out to swipe some of his hair from his face,

"You're home?" His voice made you jump a little and you whined, his eyes were on you as he stared directly into your eyes.

"Yeah, the exam took longer than expected and I'm ready for a long nap after about five bowls of food." You told him as he slowly began to sit up, his eyes half shut as he looked around for the clock. As if reading his mind you told him the time,

"It's midnight, I'm sorry I woke you up. Did you wait for me?" You bit down on your tongue as you stared at him, his eyes staring back at you blankly.

"No." He answered too quickly as you smirked a little, nodding your head as you decided to tease him just a little.

"Liar. It's cute." You stretched your hand out to move his hair out of his face and he moved away from your touch,

"Don't touch me. Go and eat." He grumbled meanly as he sat up properly, stretching his back as he looked at you.

"So cutteeee. Minho staying up for me," You gushed dramatically as you began poking his sides, his body jerking to the side as he groaned at you.

"You're so fucking annoying." He hissed as you sniggered, getting up and rushing to get you both something to eat. His eyes on you the whole time as he tracked you not wanting you to fall and slip, the last thing either of you needed was a trip to the hospital.

When you came back with two bowls Minho was more awake and watching you like a hawk. He wanted to scold you harshly as you began running a little with two hot bowls in your hands.

"Don't slip! It'll burn!" He cried out as you slowed down, carefully making your way over to him as you keep your eyes on the bowls in your hand,

"Spoken like someone who cares." You told him, your stomach doing summersaults as you reached the living room.

"Someone who doesn't want to clean up your mess." He mumbled as he reached up to take the bowls from you so you could sit down with ease.

As soon as you sat down he stared at you, sliding the bowl into your hand and watching you with careful eyes only looking away when you met his gaze.

"Did you do all this for me?" You asked, lifting the spoon up to your lips and blowing it carefully. The stew had been on the hob for hours and it was still piping hot, the only way you and Minho enjoyed eating it.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for me." He mumbled, eating some of the stew as you smiled to yourself about it all.

"Hmm mmm." You hummed sounding suspicious of him about it and he hated that. There was no reason for you to suspect his feelings for you and he wasn't going to let them on either.

He stared at you, watching you eat and groaning when you burn your tongue on the spoon. He shook his head as he put his own bowl down, giving you some water to cool your tongue down.

"Do you know what a pain in the ass it is to look after you?"

"No one said you had to." You reminded him teasingly as he stared at you,

"If I don't, no one else will. You're a loser." You rolled your eyes, you enjoyed the way he was grumpy with you. For some reason it always made you feel closer to him. You knew deep down inside of him somewhere that he did this all out of love for those around him.

Not that he would ever admit that to people but you could see right through him. You knew that the cold act was just that. An act.

"You're the loser," You joked as you spooned more food into your mouth, it had been too long since you had food like this and you let out a hum of appreciation.

"You seem better now. More like yourself," Minho suddenly spoke out and you titled your head at him. When hadn't you been yourself?

"You were being snarky lately and I didn't like it." He admitted as he spooned more food into his mouth, looking at you as you smiled a little. Minho had always told you he hated it whenever you were warm and bubbly around him, that it was exhausting for him to be around and yet, he never left.

Mostly because whenever he was around you and you were bubbly he felt warm inside like nothing could ever bother him.

"Because you like when I'm bubbly?" You arched an eyebrow,

"No. I don't like you at all. And being mean is my fucking job." He looked away from you, staring down at his food as he realised he must have been acting too nice to you lately.

"Liar. You like when I'm bubbly." You moved closer to him and he rolled his eyes, turning his gaze to you and biting down on his cheek.

"What are you doing?" His voice was harsh, you never sat this close to him unless you were scared of a horror film.

"I'm cold."

"So get a blanket or a jumper," Minho muttered, still not moving away from you when he had all of the possibilities to do so.

"Fine. I'll get a jumper when I'm done eating." You still didn't move and neither did Minho. Not even when he felt his heart beginning to speed up and his palms beginning to sweat from the feeling of being close to you. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last but he still couldn't help but grow tense whenever you leaned on him.

"Are you uncomfortable?" You questioned, breaking the silence which, Minho was very thankful for. He could have sworn at any moment his heart was going to leap from his chest and hand itself over to you.

"No. Why?" His voice cracked a little as he looked at you,

"You're tense. You look uncomfortable." You didn't think before you sat close to him like this, the last thing you wanted was to make him uncomfortable around you.

"No...No, It's not that I'm not uncomfortable...I just-" He blushes and shakes his head not finishing what he was going to say. It was way too late in the night for a deep conversation and he didn't want to risk pushing you away from him,

"Finish your food, dumb ass." He mumbled looking down at his food as he realised he didn't want to eat it anymore, he just wanted to sit comfortably with you like this.

You left to get a jumper, coming back in one of his and he groaned at the sight of you but his stomach flipped seeing you in his clothes. It always looked cute whenever you wore something on his on your body,

"That's mine." He tells you as you nodded your head,

"And it's warm." You told him as you span around on the spot, posing for him as he continued to stare you down with an expressionless face.

"Whatever. Sit down," You sat down beside him and he slid the controller into your hands, your eyes widened at the action as you stared from the controller to his face.

"Whoa...You're actually letting me play?" He nodded not looking at you as you began to play on a new save file. Not listening to anything the game was telling you or reading any of the instructions it gave to you.

Your mind was somewhere else entirely as you stared at the screen, walking around with your horse as you wondered what had bought all of this on.

"Why did you do all of this?" You questioned suddenly, your eyes still glued to the screen as you dismounted from your horse starting to battle with random NPCs that were in front of you.

"Because I wanted to spend time in the living room." He lied, you knew it was a lie since you'd known him for so long. Besides, you could feel his heart racing against your shoulder and so you hummed not believing him and he blushed. Physically and literally blushed in front of you and your mouth fell open a little.

"Fine. Whatever. I did it for you. Does it matter?" You stared at him, taken back that he did all of it for you. Surely there had to be some kind of selfish reason hidden away inside of him. Maybe he wanted you to do something in return? His homework? Assignments? Laundry?

"Yes. Why did you do all of this? Do you want me to do something for you? Because, I'm telling you right now there is no way on earth I am washing your disgusting socks," You teased nervously, letting out a small laugh as Minho stared at the screen. Your laughter only makes him feel shitty for doing this, did you really think that little of him that he would only do this for something in return?

"Do I need a reason to be nice?" He mumbled a little, his stomach sinking as he realised how grumpy he must have been around you.

"Yes, because you're Lee Minho. The Lee Minho I grew up for years and was never nice to anybody." He bit down on his tongue as he shook his head, suddenly something snapping inside of him as he stared at you.

"I did it because I could see you burning out...And I didn't-" He rolls his eyes at himself, he couldn't believe he was about to even say it out loud.

"I didn't want to lose your dumb ass." You smirked a little as you looked at him, your heart was now in your throat as you heard him admit it.

"So, you like me?" You arched a brow and he shook his head,

"No. I hate you."

"Liar, liar pants on fire." You sang out as he groaned at you,

"You're such a fucking child." He hissed and stared at the screen as you died. Sighing to himself he wrapped his arm around you and held the controller with you. Your hands pressed together as you both played the game, but your mind was no longer on the screen. It was focusing on the fact that he had his arms around you, holding you as he began pushing the buttons with you and helping you play the game properly.

"This is the first time I've ever seen you smile." You admitted as you looked up at him, your head was resting on his shoulder while he gamed. You'd given up trying about half an hour ago and were content with watching the way Minho seemed to lower his guard down around you.

"I like spending time with you." He spoke without thinking and his whole world seemed to stop for a second. His eyes widened as his fingers on the controller ceased to move.

"You do?" Your voice was so hopeful and he blushed, nodding his head. The cat was already out of the bag there was no use in fighting it back inside.

"Is this why you did all of this? To tell me you like me without actually saying it?" You quizzed as he began Rolling his eyes and dropping the controller down, you stared at one another in silence for a while.

"Minho...I- I don't want to get mixed feelings...Either you like me or you don't." You were beginning to let your insecurities get the better of you. The two of you had been friends for years, maybe you were reading too much into all of this.

"Yn, I do...I do-" He groaned at himself for not being able to find the right words to say, he could see the look of panic on your face and he held your hand in his.

"I'm saying..." Sighing he shook his head as if moving it around was somehow going to move the words to his lips,

"I'm saying I like you, idiot." He mumbled before you smiled in relief,

"I knew it, I'm totally going-" You hummed against his lips, wrapping your arms around his neck and deepening the kiss as you pulled him closer. The kiss was so soft and passionate as Minho snaked his arm around your waist, drawing you closer to him. He was afraid that if he didn't hold you right now he was going to wake up and have it all be some kind of sick nightmare.

"You like me," You whispered as you pressed your foreheads together, laughing to yourself a little as he sighed. He knew this was all going to go to your head eventually.

"Don't let it feed your ego, you're still annoying." He mumbled, leaning down and kissing your lips over and over again, in small peeks.

"How can I not? I'm the only person you're going to be nice to," You wiggled your eyebrows and he pulled back, looking at you with a smirk.

"Who said I was going to start being nice to you, loser?" You jabbed his arm playfully earning a grunt from him as you leaned forward and kissed him once again.

"Can we sleep out here tonight? I don't want to move." You admitted as you snuggled closer to him, his hands gently running up and down your arms smiling warmly at you.

"Sure. How did your exam go? I-I forgot to ask." He stuttered nervously as you laid down on the floor together, putting on a video to fall asleep to in the background. Minho had to find the creepiest one he could before snuggling into you,

"Pretty well. I think I aced it,"

"You always do well," He whispered, pressing a gentle and soothing kiss to your shoulder as you snuggled closer together under the blankets. Falling asleep together almost instantly as you enjoyed the closeness of being with one another just as you had always wanted.

Tagline: @minholuvs @taestannie @sw33tnight @acciocriativity @mwitsmejk @taeechwitaa @justbangtanthingz @stillwithlix @lolalee24 @yubinism @ethereallino @aerastus @kimahnjung98 @halesandy

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bonesofapoet · 4 years ago

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Melted Stars, Melted Sea

[arthur curry x you]

author’s note: me, deep in chaos territory atm: hey remember that aquaman thing you wrote over two years ago when you watched the movie ten times in three days? yeah you should post that since you havent posted anything in a While + you watched the snyder cut two times in 24 hours

words: 1370

He found you on the dock, eyes spellbound by the infinite celestial sky above you.

It was common, that he found you like this. Back pressed against sturdy wooden planks, hands tucked behind your head or mimicking the rise and fall of your abdomen. Air, cool from the ocean would caress your face, your hands, your skin - it kept you grounded just enough, so you wouldn’t forget you were still on planet Earth. Your eyes would remain glued to the deep lavender, cobalt blue, and midnight black. They would search the crystalline sprinkles above for familiar shapes, and then shapes you wished to know. You hunted for far off moons or tails of the galaxy and hidden planets you longed to see with your own bright eyes. You imagined what, or who, could be residing in the eerily empty spaces between the glitter in the sky.

Arthur Curry loved that about you.

It was ironic, he thought - his own head was usually down underwater, lost in the darkness below. Yours was tilted up and up and up to see where no human had gone before.

In the middle of your impromptu star-gazing session, soft footfalls on the dock began to bring your mind back down to your own rock in the cosmos. A nudge to your calf brought wandering eyes back down to land.

“Want to go for a drive, Stephen Hawking?”

You smiled at the sky; a grin that could put ethereal moonlight to shame.

“Always,” barely made it past your lips before you were hauled to your feet and into the arms of the Aquaman himself. He pulled you close for a moment, before he took your hand and guided you to the truck idling at the edge of the docks. You tilted your head back one last time; trusted Arthur to catch you if you were about to bite the dust.

You tripped over a rock.

He laughed. You shoved him.

This is what peace feels like.

It was the lone thought that thrummed through your entire being.

Brisk night air stained with the brine of the sea ripped through the open windows - a welcome comfort, just like the hand the meta-human had rested on your thigh with his other on the wheel.

“This never gets old,” your voice was quiet, but your eyes were alert. Clear. Drinking in the New England coastline, the rise and fall of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. The moonlight illuminated cresting waves and seafoam that kissed the shore. Cliffs from far up the road looked deadly and beautiful in the deep hours of the night, and you never tired of driving these winding paths. The hills in front of you, the depth-less, unforgiving sea to your right, and the man you loved keeping you close while he drove on your left.

“Nothing is, with you.”

You barely heard him over the howl of the wind in your ears, or the explosion of the waves rushing each other over and over and over. A small smile blossomed on your lips.

“We’re being so soft I want to punch us in the face.”

Arthur’s laughter roared louder than any crack of thunder you had ever heard.

The king of Atlantis was inclined to agree with you.

Your fingers mindlessly traced exposed tattoos of the arm in your lap the rest of the drive, more preoccupied with the movement than the silence that filled the air until you returned to the lighthouse. The quiet was nice. It was soothing. It was rare, spending time with Arthur like this; even more so now that he had a whole other world to look after. A whole other kingdom to live in and govern and protect.

You accepted his decision long ago, reassured him you would be fine, because you would, and you were. He had your unyielding support both while he was away, and while he was with you.

It made you love him more, even, for refusing to pull the age old cowardice bullshit: “I can’t give you the attention you deserve anymore, so I’m breaking up with you, sorry.”

No - that was far from Arthur Curry’s style.

There was no walking on razor sharp eggshells around the subject, no hiding behind false truths and white lies about your truest thoughts and feelings, no internalizing or projecting your worst fears and horrifying nightmares that suddenly became real because he was leaving and he was fulfilling his destiny and you were staying here, on the surface, without him.

And yet - neither of you questioned this was how it had to be. How you wanted it to be, even just a little. He wanted to be there for his people, and you wanted him to stop running from his responsibilities, to embrace who he truly was. So you wanted this, for him, even though you missed him more than the sun missed the moon and the constellations missed their previous lives on the Earth. You knew he felt the very same way.

The truck eventually crept to a stop. The full moon shone snow-white rays through the windshield, making your bodies glow in the radiant light. It was enough to convince Arthur that maybe angels were real, and he had been with one all along.

It was enough to convince you that instead of Poseidon incarnate, Arthur could rival that of Apollon, God of Light.

“It’s almost time,” he said into the quiet, breaking the hushed spell you both had fallen under. His eyes were trained on the monumental expanse of the ocean now. Serene urgency laced with his voice, but he hadn’t moved to untangle himself from you, hadn’t moved except to press a kiss into your lips slow and grounding.

You moved instead, when you broke apart.

“Then why don’t we get out of this truck so you can kiss me goodbye properly?” you teased. The process of leaving had begun once more.

He stood by your side under the starlight, who broke the darkness with it’s poetry.

Arthur took your face in his hands and kissed you so fiercely you felt like the world was about to burn into nothing. It was a kiss that could end wars and bring hurricanes crashing down to land. It was a kiss that stole your breath, stopped your heart and rose the dead from their graves, the kind of kiss that restarted the cycle of life after death. It was a kiss that spoke so many words, so many phrases and spoke of feelings that were deep enough no words in any language existed for them yet. It was a kiss that made the mere mention of happiness seem like a figment of your imagination, because there was no way happiness could compare to what you were feeling in that one moment.

You felt it in your bones, felt it melt your bones.

All with the sea as your witness.

You pulled away breathless, not remembering what oxygen felt like or how you were supposed to breathe. The only anchor to this world was the gentle spray of the ocean on your skin, the light embrace of a salt breeze that felt like it was breathing for you, instead of on you. The cool tendrils of darkness and contentment kissed your spine, and you shivered just for a second.

This was peace, you realized.

This was peace and it was always only temporary, but in those last moments before Arthur told you he loved you more than Atlantis and the Surface and more than the sea combined –

Before you watched the dark waters swallow him whole again, you acted on those feelings. You followed your gut and threw yourself into the icy waters before he ever had the chance.

(Metaphorically, of course.)

“Marry me,” it flew past your lips so effortlessly, so fast - your hands were still lost in Arthur’s hair and neither of you had the chance to catch your breath.

A beat of silence.

And another.

It sunk in for both of you at the same time, what you just asked.

The shit-eating grin that moved mountains in your stomach graced his lips in a heartbeat.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

#aquaman imagine #arthur curry x reader #justice league imagine #kas writes

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kyukun · 5 years ago

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Figment (OumaSai)

god i havent posted in a while but i am ALIVE!!! IVE JUST BEEN HELLABLAZY LATELY BUT UHHHHH YOU ASKED FOR ANGST AND I DELIEVERED LMAO HAVE FUNNNNN ;0000

title: figment

summary: Danganronpa is finally over. But the memories never faded. Especially the people.

word count: 1541

~~ prompt starts after cut! ~~

"Hey, Kokichi. How've you been?" He sat on the grass peacefully, his hat in between his legs as he crossed them. He turned his head, seeing flowers gently blossom over the grey stone. He smiled reminiscently, "I've been good. Though, things have been really quiet around here." He spoke softly, leaning against the gravestone beside him.

Shuichi fluttered his eyes open, noticing a mourning family walk along the pathway. "Danganronpa ended. That's all that matters, right?" Another silence had passed, the wind whispering through his ears as he gazed upon the other graves. He turned towards the rock, noticing the name embedded in it, feeling a wave of guilt wash over him.

"Do you hate me? Be honest. I… I wasn't the most kind to you. I judged your character without even attempting to get close to you… You were never evil, you were scared. And I… And I judged you for it." Saihara had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't erase, tears warming his face as they streamed down endlessly. He sobbed into his hands, setting the bouquet of flowers he had upside the grave.

"Geez, Saihara-chan. Didn't know you were such a sad sap."

His head whipped up as fast as lighting. That voice sounded all too familiar. Though, there was no way it was actually him. He was gone. He was just hallucinating. Yeah. Hallucinating.

"Aw, are these hydrangeas? Shumai, how'd you know these are my favorite flowers? Did you spy on me?"

Shuichi knew that it was him. There was no way he was hallucinating. He turned towards the grave, which is where the sound was the closest. At that moment, he could've sworn he was dreaming. As wind blissfully blew leaves across their bodies, he locked eyes with Kokichi. He was almost glowing? He was sitting on his grave, leg over the other as the flowers were in his lap. He grinned softly at Shuichi, whose tired eyes seemed to widen the minute they met with his.

"K-Kokichi? I thought you were--"

"Dead?" He finished his sentence, placing the flowers next to the rest. "I am."

"Then how are you…?"

"I have some unfinished business. Mainly with you. So wipe those drips of snot and tears and let's get talking." He giggled, swinging down from the grave onto the grass. He sat cross legged, directly in front of Shuichi. Despite him being a ghost, he wasn't transparent. Well, not fully. He sat in front of the sun, which allowed Shuichi to see right through him.

His heart ached seeing the slight transparency with his body. While Shuichi could see him, and to a degree feel him, he was gone. There was no shadow, no slight crevices in the grass where he sat, nothing. "You look so tired. Come on, don't tell me you haven't been sleeping much because of me!" He laughed, but Shuichi hadn't been laughing. He hadn't even dismissed it like he normally did either. Instead he stared at the ground, tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

Kokichi nearly panicked, feeling a bit guilty. He was dead for pete's sake. He didn't think anyone would actually miss him. No, he's being too selfish right now. He needed to comfort Shuichi.

"H-Hey, Shumai. I was kidding. Are… are you okay?"

Shuichi had no clue what came over him but he lunged for Kokichi. He gripped him tightly in a hug, both of them now in the grass. It was a weird experience. He could still somewhat feel Kokichi but he was cold. It felt like hugging a block of ice. Nonetheless, he hugged him. He sobbed into his scarf, releasing all of those inner feelings into his tears.

Kokichi had his eyes opened wide, shocked as a blush ran through his cheeks as the taller male greeted him with an embrace. Shuichi said nothing, tears meeting with the cold body beneath him. Kokichi had no clue why he was acting like this, he could feel Saihara's heartbeat against his lifeless, cold one. It made him feel good.

Shuichi, in a realization of what he was doing, stood up. Obvious tears streaming down his face as he helped Kokichi sit up. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Kokichi stared at Shuichi as he used the back of his sleeve to wipe his tears with a sad grin. His face was soft when he noticed how much Shuichi had cried. He used a hand to reach out and touch him hesitantly. A cold hand that bled through the sun cupped his cheek, wiping the pain away with one swipe. He used his thumb to wipe away the agony that had built up in those cold and lonely months he had experienced.

Shuichi looked up, sleeve gently falling down into his lap as he looked at Kokichi. Not just looked, but really looked at him. The sun cowered over his shoulders, still gleaming in his eyes but creating a shadow over them. His purple irises watered as a genuine smile took place of the once soft expression.

Shuichi placed a hand over Kokichi's, feeling nothing yet everything at the same time. "Saihara-chan, I love you."

Kokichi squeaked out those four words quietly, feeling himself being drowned in his own tears. "I really did… I… I'm sorry for pushing you away. I should've told you how I felt when I was alive but I could see the scorn in your face when you looked at me. You looked so much happier when I was away and… Shit, sorry."

Shuichi felt Kokichi's hand slip away from his, "Kokichi, uhm…"

"No, it's fine. I shouldn't be crying. I should be comforting you." He stood up, drying his tears. He hadn't even given Shuichi the chance to speak. He cleared his throat, adjusting his scarf away from Shuichi. "Just kidding! Sorry about that!" The latter stared bewildered as the liar swung back towards the front of him, perfectly fine in a mere matter of seconds. His eyes were still visibly puffy, wet even.

For a split second he showed his true emotions. No ulterior motive, no lies, nothing. He let his true self show but covered it as quickly as it was revealed. Shuichi could feel himself being pulled in his eyes, never wanting to look away from them. "Kokichi? Can I ask you something?"

"Mhm! Anything!"

"Why…" He trailed off, unable to find the words he once had but soon regathered his thoughts. He stood up, "Why do you hide yourself like that?"

"Hide what? I'm not hiding anything. Jeez, did you really believe that sob story? Saihara-chan must be really gullible, huh?"

"Kokichi, stop messing around. You know what I'm talking about. You… You just confessed to me a minute ago and you're acting like it meant nothing. You can't mess with people's feelings like that."

His face grew sour, but there was that hint of sadness that was there before. "Why not? It's not like you felt the same anyway."

"You don't know how I feel."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Kokichi turned from Shuichi, a faltering smile on his lips. "O-Of course I know! You had feelings for Kaede, didn't you? You two were really cute together." While he didn't outright deny that, he didn't confirm it either.

"Regardless of my relationship with everyone else, you never gave me a chance to reflect on my feelings for you. Doesn't that matter to you?" Shuichi, in a heap of emotions, gripped Kokichi by the hand. He forced him to stay put. "I know it's too late for that now but… I'm not saying I didn't feel anything." Sooner than not, Kokichi had begun to disappear.

"I have to go. See you around."

He panicked, quickly trying to stop the fading body from leaving but it was too late. He was left alone in the graveyard just as before, the sun setting into shades of purple.

He fell to his knees, looking at the palms of his hands as if searching for Kokichi's hand to reappear in his.

He was… gone.

He turned towards the gravestone with pleading eyes, not recognizing the letters engraved on it. He took a few minutes to process what had just happened. The name on the grave wasn't Kokichi's, but someone else's. He heard a voice pull him back into reality.

"Shuichi? There you are. You wondered off again. Are you okay? Why are you in a graveyard?"

"I was… paying a visit to Kokichi." Maki looked at him with a face of confusion, "Who is Kokichi?"

"We were in Danganronpa together, remember? He… He passed."

"Shuichi, we've been through this. Kokichi doesn't exist remember? Your doctor told you he's just an imaginary person you made up. Your memory is all messed up from the game. We should go."

No. That wasn't right. He… he was real. He wasn't fake. He could remember everything so vividly. The blood, the lies, the feelings. There was no fucking way he wasn't real. Shuichi brushed it aside for now, leaving the flowers by the gravestone, taking the hand that Maki had offered and stood up. "R-Right… let's just go."

He wasn't real. He wasn't real.

#oumasai #saiouma #kokichi ouma #shuichi saihara #drv3 #danganronpa #kyus post #BRUH I HAVENT POSTED IN FOREVER OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY LMAO #I SWEAR ITS NOT BC IM QUITTING OR ANYTHING ITS JUST #I HAVENT HAD MUCH INSPO TO WRITE LATELY BUT #ITS BACK DW

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5-falsehoods-phonated · 5 years ago

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So tumblr ate the ask of course, but @multi-fandom-remy (I hope this was you that requested this my memory is not good and if it wasnt I'm sorry) sent a fic request where Janus has alexithymia and Remy falls for him regardless. Gonna just post it this way, suck it hell site!

I had to do some research for this as I dont know anyone who has this and I dont personally experience it. I tried to write it as accurately and respectfully as possible but please let me know if you feel I wrote it wrong or in a way that's offensive.

Three Times Janus Didn't Understand and The One Time Remy Did

Summary: Janus has alexithymia and doesnt understand what hes falling for; Remy is perfectly content to teach him.

Warnings: none really. Just not understanding ones own emotions. Ts spoilers if you havent watched the most recent Sanders Sides episode

Ship: Remy (sleep) x Janus (Deciet)

WC: 1, 505

Remy's head snapped up as the bell above the door chimed loudly, letting in a rather peculiar character. Dressed in black save for bright yellow gloves, their long trench coat swept around their ankles as they turned to make sure the door was shut. Truly curious now, Remy leaned forward eagerly, excitement thankfully hidden by his dark sunglasses.

The glasses did little to hide his reddening cheeks however as the newcomer swept off his hat and turned fully to face the cashier.

Oh. Remy leaned forward casually trying to hide the flood of oh-I-am-most-definitely-gay panic rising up through his chest. Sharp eyes breifly met his before darting back down as they made their ways towards the counter. Thanking every god that could possibly be real that the shop was empty at this time of day, he smiled easily as they came to a stop in front of the counter.

"Morning coffee. What babe will it be?"

The stranger snapped their head up in confusion, giving Remy only a split second to retain that their eyes were very pretty, one a pale brown and the other almost gold before his brain caught up with what his mouth had just uttered. Red cheeks reddening even further he closed his eyes and mentally slapped himself over the head with an industrial bag of coffee grounds.

Opening his eyes once again, he chuckled. "You'll find me dont discriminate here. We got flat white, Irish cream, long black." He cupped his cheek and smirked. "Or maybe you're the shy, straight vanilla kind of guy?"

The stranger, to his credit, was unimpressed, almost making Remy pout if it weren't for the fact he was still trying to scrape his pride up off the ground. "A mocha with five espresso shots please."

Whistling low, he turned to complete the order. "I'm assuming to go?"

"Yes."

"Late night?" He grabbed a cup and fiddled with the machine a bit, turning to grab the pump for the espresso as it began to run.

"In a sense."

Snorting, Remy turned to look again at the stranger. Through his obvious good looks there were eye bags that could rival his room mates', slumped posture and rather ratty shoes completing the picture for him. "I always hated college exams. Theres never enough time to cram."

"We've all bean there."

Pausing in applying the lid to the cup, Remy smirked and turned. "Did you just-?"

Seeming uncomfortable, the stranger shrugged, taking the drink and handing over the money. Offering a quiet thank you they left quickly, coat flying out like a cape behind them.

---------

Janus shoved his hands deeper in his pockets on the way to his favorite coffee shop. He had only been going there for a week now, but the coffee was amazing, and the cashier/coffee maker was...interesting. Janus' cheeks still burned in what he now realized was second hand embarrassment at the way the other had flirted? with him the first day. Patton said he had been flirting so he'd have to trust his friend knew what he was talking about. His stomach gave another uncomfortable flip as the shop came into view, making him grit his teeth in annoyance. Everytime he came here the same thing happened with his intestines, like they were too tight and too loose at the same time, flipping his stomach around in a way that felt like the flu...but better? Regardless it hadnt started until he had begun coming to the little shop and Janus was determined to pinpoint the cause. That was why he kept coming back.

No other reason.

His stomach flipped again as he shoved the door open, grimacing as he made up his mind to buy some kind of pastry with his usual coffee to try to quiet down what he was now going to assume were hunger pangs. This early in the morning the shop was blessedly empty, allowing him and the cashier to have their odd conversations in relative peace.

"Morning babes!"

He glanced up and tried for a smile, letting the odd movement drop after only a couple seconds. Remy smiled and smirked enough for the both of them anyway.

He made his way up to the counter, startling as a to-go cup was pushed his way.

"Regulars get the Remy special. Their usual cup of hot coffee ready before they even come through the door." He winked as he leaned against the counter, hitting Janus with the realization that the man had apparently forgone his sunglasses for the day. Deep brown eyes stared back at him before he broke eye contact, snapping his gaze to the cup in front of him.

"I'd like a muffin with it today as well, if you would."

"Sure. What kind?"

Janus looked up hopefully. "Banana nut?"

Remy bit back a laugh, muttering 'nut' under his breath while retrieving the requested pastry. Rolling his eyes Janus dug out the cash; he was learning Remy was fond of unintentional innuendos, Patton pointing out that that had been what he was insinuating in their first meeting. He tried for a polite smile again as he grabbed his items after paying, stomach going it's odd flip again as the other man smiled back.

Maybe it was the air.

------

Remy perked up as the door chimed, smiling as his favorite regular made his way through the door right before closing time. He had somehow gotten the rather shy man to agree to a date (an outing the other had insisted) taking place after his shift had ended. He seemed tense and Remy was determined to take his mind off whatever it was that kept his shoulders up and head down. He grabbed up his sunglasses as he hopped over the counter, earning a confused smirk for his effort. Smiling easily, he readjusted his bag and whipped out the store key to swing around his finger.

"Ready to go, tall, dark and snarky?"

The man merely ducked his head and shoved his hands further in his pockets, strolling quickly out the door for Remy to follow.

"So I realized we're going on this date-"

"Outing."

"Alright babes. So we're going out and I still don't know what to call you?"

The man stared blankly. "You call me things all the time?"

Sighing in exasperation as the Prompt went completely over the man's head he gestured them forward. "I meant your name hon."

"Oh! My name is Janus."

Tilting his head in surprise, Remy regarded him for a moment. "Janus. I like it. Really suits your aesthetic."

Janus seemed unsure of how to respond, scuffing his toes along the sidewalk rhythmically. "My aesthetic?"

"Yeah. Janus is a Roman god right? I can see it."

Offering up a blank look, the other man pursed his lips in thought. "No one...well usually people say that Janus is...an odd name."

Remy shrugged. "I took some course or other in high school that taught about ancient gods or whatever. People are bitches."

Moving away slightly, Janus nodded. "Undoubtably."

-----

Alexithymia.

Janus watched as everything seemed to click into place for his companion. This was always the tipping point in every relationship, friend or otherwise. Patton had been the only exception thus far that accepted the fact that Janus was a lost cause when it came to emotions.

No, that wasnt fair to himself. There was nothing wrong with him, he knew that. It was only the fact that he couldn't understand the emotions being processed. He knew he had them, he just could never quite pinpoint which ones, at any given time and what the reasons for them were. Sure it made socializing difficult, people often labeling him as awkward or withdrawn in any given situation; when in reality he just was rarely given enough time to try and pinpoint what one emotion was before being put in a situation where a different response was needed. It was honestly exhausting.

He bit his lip as he looked back over to Remy, seeing that same smile he always gave him that made his stomach flip every time. He tried offering one of his awkward smiles, feeling that that was the most appropriate for the situation.

Remy softened as he took off his glasses, turning to face him fully. "You dont have to do that around me, it's okay. Just be yourself, and tell me if and when you get uncomfortable yeah?"

Janus' eyes filled with tears as he twisted his fingers in his jeans. An intense wave of emotions came over him, making him choke slightly as he tried in vain to process everything. He felt Remy take his hands gently and squeeze them, tugging slightly as he unconsciously leaned towards the other.

Just two people sitting on a park bench in the late evening, with about 15 shots of espresso between them holding each other with a confused understanding. Janjs smiled, a very tiny one, but the first genuine one in a long time.

Despite everything, he had Remy. He knew he'd be okay.

This work is also available on AO3!

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #sanders sides fic #remy sanders #remy sleep #deciet sanders #janus sanders #alexithymia

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letsdiscoverkitty · 5 years ago

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Review Update (09/01/20)

I am not going to lie, it has been one hell of a day, I am utterly exhausted and don’t really know what to say/where my head is at but here goes…(TW)

Apparently todays review was called to discuss another short inpatient admission because of my weight, which I was NOT made aware of or had any sort of discussions about before hand.

Let us just say that the whole session was utter shit.

Today I was told by my consultant that I will never recover in the community. That I was categorically a SEED patient. And that I will never amount to anything.

I was told that my thoughts around the residential unit are all anorexia talking and that it is very unwise to not want to go down that route (note: one of my main reason for not wanting to go is because they focus on maintaining illness/it is not full recovery focused and I WANT to be recovery focused)

She told me that I am all talk and always say the “right” thing but never actually change….she then told me that I will never manage to live without my anorexia but gave no suggestion/support.

The team are discussing me at the next team meeting to most likely change the care pathway that I am on...

I was made to feel like I have wasted everyone’s time and all resources because apparently I have had “so much psychological and EDP support and lots of admissions” (note: I have had THREE admissions, all of which have been SHORT and not been for weight recovery) and that it is my choice to not use any of the information that I have gained. (Please don’t get me wrong, I am SO grateful for the support I have had but the way that I was spoken to today was just awful)

This change in care pathway would be to a “monitoring” one where they would basically see me every few weeks or so to monitor my physical health but give no other support.

She completely breezed over and wouldn’t even acknowledge how hard the past few months have been for me due to losing a family member, someone who was basically family and lived next door (which also meant that I lost the dogs who were a huge part of my life) and then my cat passing away - she made me feel pathetic for finding things difficult during this time and like I was making up all these things as excuses. (note: I must say though that my EDP has been really supportive around this area of things)

By today they wanted me to have contacted some volunteering, which I have done and applied for and even went along to see what was possible but in the end I made the decision, due to the conditions there, that it would not be helpful for me.

However I HAVE gone a step beyond this and, since the beginning of the month/year, I have begun the process of applying for a part time role at my local library, which again, my EDP is super keen on and said this shows a shift, but no, my consultant would not even acknowledge this.

During the whole review I was made to feel about 5 years old and like I will never amount to anything in my life, I sat in the corner and hung my head, feeling myself growing smaller and smaller by the moment.

My consultant has now also decided that she is calling a meeting with my parents before they go away to NZ in February to tell them about this change in care pathways and to tell them that if they were to take me to NZ (it is my grandad’s funeral and I have, on purpose, not mentioned anything on here about it because I didn’t think it would be possible and yeah it has been a very difficult subject but there was the possibility of me going out...) then I could die/she would not advise it on any level due to my physical health and doesn’t think I would be able to cope with any of it , which she of course wants to tell them in person….(This is despite my GP actually being the one that got me to thinking properly about going out as she thinks it might do me some good/be helpful despite the fragility of me health and that staying alone at home in the UK whilst my parents are out there for a month could do more harm - I do love her and am so grateful that she is my GP)

So yep, I am now on a waiting list and if I lose any weight they want me to go in for another short admission. I just….I don’t even know. Where the hell do I go from here? I feel like everything is being taken from underneath me and I am being punished for doing things “wrongly”

Right now I feel so unsupported. My EDP sat in the corner not making a noise throughout this whole review/talk.

I feel like everyone has given up on me

Maybe staying with the service is keeping me unwell. idk. but I just dont get how we went from one minute an admission to then being sidelined and having all this said to me?!

My mind is a complete mess. I genuinely can’t think straight and don’t know what to say. One moment I am more than ready to throw in the towel and give up but then the next I am like “screw you and your service, you are not going to stop me from getting better”....

Right now I am utterly terrified of doing the wrong thing/saying the wrong thing/making the wrong decision.

I fell like I am have been penned into a corner. Being told that I will never be able to get better and that I am never going to be able to live without anorexia is brutal and has knocked me completely.

And that was it....that’s where it ended. I have not been given an alternative to consider or any support around this.

SIGH.

This afternoon I delivered a note to my GP surgery to try to explain a few things as I just dont know where to turn. My parents are, let’s just say, not happy about how I was spoken to today (I told mum on the phone afterwards whilst crying) and so we are going to try to see my GP before this appointment that my consultant wants to have on 21st January….

I’m sorry for being so crappy and distant and not sharing things on here about the job or NZ...I havent really known what to say and it has all been so up in the air. I also didn’t want to face the backlash which I thought I would get for it but yeah here is the truth.

I better bloody sleep well tonight.

#personal #update #tw

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purpleskiesandpaperflowers · 5 years ago

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Introducing me(us???)?

Ok no that's a terrible freaking title. We are not the jonas brothers.

Who's we? Haha honestly I'm not even sure anymore. This is a hard one to write because I literally don"t tell anyone about my "inner world" which is why I'm keeping my blog anonymous for now .

I guess I'm just a wierd human with a messed up brain that has no reason to be messed up. I'm in the process of figuring it all out .

Long story short "we" is me and my ... I'm not sure what to call them I used to think they were just imaginary freinds , but they have become something so much more real.

I remember being 5 years old and having imaginary freinds like any other child. I cant remember much but I'm pretty sure my home life was perfect. I have an amazing mum and dad and even had two grandparents at the time. I remember happiness and my cat who really wasnt a fan of me , but I adored her regardless , even if she did end up scratching the living hell out of me on many occasions. My main issue at the time was serious separation anxiety, I couldn't handle being away from my parents , it got better towards the end of the school year I think after a lot of spending most of the year screaming until my dad would pick me up. I found it hard making freinds as I was somewhat anti social and liked playing on my own often, but I found a freind in the end. I think we got on so well cause she was different too. Turned out she had Autism, something that I'll probably talk about a lot here. Anyway as I said back then was when I first remember having imaginary freinds , and constantly daydreaming . I used to watch my dad play video games a lot so a lot of my daydreams would be based off the video games . At the time It was perfectly fine. I was just a strange kid who had an over active imagination, zoned out a lot in school , and often enjoyed my own company, but couldn't understand why my peers didnt like the antisocial wierd kid. I remember getting teased as I have a harmless autoimmune skin condition that I developed aged 3 and I felt alienated for it . The serious bullying didnt start until later in primary school though .(I think age 11 or thereabouts, was when shit really hit the fan) Anyway the imaginary freinds were originally just that . Unfortunately things changed when my one freind from school left and moved across the country. I had no freinds so that's where I began to use my imaginary freinds to replace real people. By the time I was 13 I'd almost completely isolated myself , I didnt know how to interact with real people.

I eventually thought I'd got it all under control . I found a group of people that were all a bit wierd. Originally it was cool and I fit in okay.

When I went to sixth form college, stuff started to get weirder though. I'd been struggling throughout secondary school I'd spent a lot of time kind of going back into my alternate reality . Even at freinds parties I used to pretend that I was a different person in my alternate reality doing something with my inner world family. I mentioned it once or twice to someone at CAHMS (The british child mental health services) that I was seeing as I'd struggled a lot with anxiety and self harm , but I never wanted to be fully honest about it . I was embarrassed.

Aged 12 I remember "pretending" to be a character called Casey. At the time I was spending a lot of time pretending I was Kasey and I was making a talk show with my other imaginary freinds . Eventually another character called Paulie took Casey's place .

Paulie's whole existence is kinda embarrassing. They're a typical queer cringe OC That you know a 14 year old neurodivergent weirdo would make up. I kind of originally used them as a way to explore my special interests. And to understand things about the world . In many ways Paulie was kind of a reflection of myself and you know everything was fine . Paulie is a 5ft7 young non binary person . Born male but definitely presents more feminine. Some of the other details about them came from me incorporating things I'd learned from various medical documentaries and things I'd researched on the internet. (One of my special interests always was science , particularly biology, when I was young I wanted to be either a doctor or a vet or something like that. I dont know why I find it so fascinating. It's kind of my party trick - boring people with the details of a random medical condition that they absolutely did not ask for.) I'll go into full details at some point . I find it kind of embarrassing to talk about it all.

Anyway It used to be great we used to pretend to do makeup on our youtube channel that of course did not exist .(the deeper I get into this the more I want to delete my life) it became to the point where I was doing daily "vlogs" in the inner world as Paul , again just something I day dreamed about. It was getting beyond the limits of normal daydreaming.

At some point I came across a video about "Maladaptive daydreaming " for once in my life I didnt feel quite so alone. I couldn't believe that I wasnt the only one who did this! Ever since then I've toyed with the idea of opening up about it , maybe through some sort of blog or youtube video etc. However, I wasn't ready until now. I'm still not ready to be completely open with my freinds and family (the one person who even knows 1/3 of this stuff is my mum) which is why I'll remain anonymous for now .

In the last 2 years things have gotten increasingly more strange and confusing. When I was in sixth form college (british equivalent of high school) Paulie started to be kind of phased out of my daydreams. Then Eric showed up.

Again , it was just daydreaming that had gone a bit too far at this point, however I soon realised that my personality appeared to have changed to become much more like Eric. I stopped wearing makeup so often. I began to feel dysphoric about my body , I began to wish I was Eric.

From then it's just been confusing. It's never just been Paul , Casey or Eric . At first i thought I'd just made an imaginary family. I've been saying that I have literally no idea why because my family are great. But I wonder if it was because I lost my nan and then metaphorically lost my dad.

My dads not dead , hes alive (just about I mean he smokes like a chimney so it's probably only a matter of time) Our relationship is so wierd. I try to be grateful for him purely because hes not a completely bad person. He gave me a great childhood and has never laid a finger on me. But when I was about 13 , I lost him. He became self absorbed in his own past.

Around about that time one of my dads ex freinds died. Since then dads been remembering things from his past and is convinced that this ex freind emotionally abused him and traumatised him for life.

Hes told me the stories so many times because hes so caught up in it that I should probably remember more of what he told me but honestly I think after the third time I just gave up with talking to him. Dad never cares about what you're talking about . He only cares about himself.

I'll spare you the details for now. Maybe I'll make a post about it. I suppose that's his shit not mine though . I dont deny that his ex freind wasnt exactly nice to him and cheated him out of a relationship. But I just feel like he should maybe you know go to therapy rather than sitting at home , freeloading from my mum , mumbling to himself all day about things that happened in the past.

Its very selfish of me because I know even though dads not exactly had the worst life, and he is a little bit of a narcissist who thinks that hes had the worst life possible , I know hes hurting. But I used to have a dad , now hes just not there. We used to do stuff , and I used to adore him, However hes just not my dad anymore. Theres glimmers of him there . But hes so entangled with the past , (and also a bit delusional) that I cant have a normal father daughter relationship with him anymore.

I guess maybe the combo of that , the strain its put on my parents marriage (they're still together but they argue more now) and the fact that I'm a sensitive little snowflake who really cant deal with anything unpleasant, is the reason I created my imaginary family. I don't know if I want to put it down to that though. I feel like that makes me sound like my dad , blaming my problems on what feels like insignificant past events.

Anyway. I kind of hate the fact that I have another family on the inner world. Because even though my dads a bit of an asshat , hes my dad and as a multitude of people have told me " at least you have a dad , at least your parents are still together" and I adore my mum. Like shes as close to a perfect mum as you get in this world. Of course she has off days and it's not always sunshine and rainbows , but shes amazing. She loves me , she supports me through everything and she does so much for me. No matter how many times I screw up she just sighs and helps me move on. Mind you. I havent got anyone quite like her in the inner world.

Since I've been more honest with myself (and the boys) about the fact that I am in fact daydreaming and its not real , the boys have begun to accept my mum as their own almost. Obviously they have real mums, but I know they love her to pieces.

Anyway, so this big imaginary family. Has become more than that. A lot of the dudes are still just imaginary freinds but with a few of the boys , whom I've introduced you to two out of the three, have become scarily real. Eric is the main one. The last couple of years it's progressed to the point where sometimes , I'm not sure if I am me or if I am Eric , or if Eric is me. Sometimes I feel like I'm thinking in his voice. Sometimes I look in the mirror and see him. And sometimes he looks in the mirror and sees me. I think as Paul was so feminine. It didn't show so much. We could just pretend we were me on the outside. But when Eric is in my headspace, I hate my feminine body, I've bought a binder and my wardrobe is becoming less feminine. Because I just dont feel like the same person. I'm honestly so confused I really dont know what is going on or why it's happening.

In some ways the inner world is still just me navigating the world and my way of making sense of things. But it's also kind of like , parts of my personality, as little people that live in my brain , but not quite , I cannot begin to explain it .

And then of course, just when I'm trying to figure out the Eric saga and who the hell I even am anymore, Vlad pops up.

I'll always have a soft spot for Vlad. Hes Paul's older brother and has been in the inner world for quite some time , but has been more I suppose, in my headspace as I call it in the last six months or so. Hes the only one that I've managed to do a successful drawing of thus far although I'll try and do some of the other dudes at some point. Only issue is Vlad would much rather we doodle bugs than the other boys. Vlad has been my way of exploring the whole prospect of having Autism , I'm not diagnosed yet as the waiting lists are frankly ridiculous (yay for the tories?) but I've based vlads character around the traits that I have, and he helps me not be so ashamed of being neurodivergent. He also kind of helps me deal with my Emetophobia (the fear of vomiting) and my issues I have around food - which I honestly thought weren't that bad until I got told that the issues I've been having with my stomach and swallowing for the last year , are completely down to my anxiety. And it was at that point that I realised I may have been a teensy bit more traumatised by my phobia of vomiting than I originally believed. In fact vlads backstory is based off of my whole fear of being sick and what started it off (that time the norovirus kicked my ass, big time) .

Uhh so theres a bit about us . I'm not ready to fully open up yet . I want to eventually tell you more about the inner world but baby steps hey. I plan on trying to post more but , I'm useless so I wouldn't count on it.

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thetravelerwrites · 6 years ago

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A New Generation (Pt. 2)

Rating: Teen Fandom: 魔法使いの嫁 | Mahou Tsukai no Yome | The Ancient Magus Bride Relationships: Hatori Chise x Elias Ainsworth Characters: Elias Ainsworth, Hatori Chise, Chise Hatori, Silver Lady, Silkie, Ruth, Titania, Oberon, Shannon, Stella Barklem, Angelica Burley, David Burley, Althea Burley, Lindel | Lindenbaum, Merituuli Trigger Warnings: Pregnancy, Childbirth, Babies, Infants, Depression, Anxiety, Discrimination, Unplanned Pregnancy, Abandonment, References to Abuse, References to Abandonment, References to Child Murder Words: 8551

As Chise's pregnancy progresses, Elias is consumed with worry that his child will be rejected by both fae and humans, as he had been. Chise struggles with the fear that she might abandon or harm her own children, as her parents did.

When Elias returned home from London, he sat down with Chise and had a very long, solemn conversation with her about the pregnancy, and for the first time, they talked about a future that also involved their child. Or children, if Chise was correct in her belief that there were two.

He told her about going to speak with Lindel, Simon, and Angelica and what their advice had been. Like him, Chise found Angelica’s tale the most consoling. Knowing that the artificer had felt similar apprehension about procreating helped Chise feel less isolated.

Calling Angelica and talking to her at length also did much to improve Chise’s disposition, not just about Chise’s ability to parent but also about the pregnancy itself. It didn’t cure her of her worries, but having someone to talk to who knew exactly what she was going through was a great comfort to her.

Finally managing to convince Elias to install a landline in the house had been a pretty recent accomplishment. He fought this "modern indulgence" for quite a long time, but when he finally understood that it meant she didn’t have to walk to town to use the public phone every other day, he was more open to the idea, especially since walking long distances was going to become rather difficult for her as time went on. The noise the device made was annoying, but seeing her smile when she answered it was enough to keep him from being too bothered by the sound.

The change in her mood greatly eased Elias’s mind. Watching Chise spiral into a deep, black pit of terror and depression was difficult for him to bear, especially given there was little he could on his own to improve it. As much as he wanted to help her, he had eventually come to understand that sometimes people could only find solace in others who’d had comparable experiences. This was just not his ken, so it was better left to those suited to the task.

He tried to quash his own fears for her sake, but she knew him too well to let him get away with keeping those thoughts to himself. At night, before they slept, she would talk to him; just talk, not expecting him to respond if he wasn’t in the mood to do so, and it helped him. Hearing the sudden shift in her voice from cold despair to tentative hope had done much to alleviate his woes. She encouraged him to be honest with her about what he felt, but didn’t push him to talk if he didn’t want to. More often than not, though, he would. They would lay bear their worries to each other and try to find the bright side. They were both still afraid, but they were facing that fear together.

And it helped.

Summer was in full swing, and Elias was twice as busy as normal now that Chise was limited as to what she could do. He didn’t grumble about it much; after all, he had done everything himself before she had come along. But they had become a well-coordinated, efficient team over the years and he had come to treasure her reserved, supportive assistance in all things, whether practical or magical. He rather missed working in tandem with her.

Though she was no longer allowed to do any of her normal seasonal chores beyond a little light weeding and watering, she would often sit in the garden with him as he worked and help whenever she could, not content with staying in bed all day like an invalid. Besides, having Chise within Elias’s sight and hearing was good for his heart and mind.

Ruth spent his time keeping a close, watchful eye on her, reporting any physical ills that Chise might keep to herself to Elias. As long as she was at rest, though, they were happy enough.

Late one night, he walked into their bedroom to prepare for sleep and found her naked in front of a mirror, standing to the side, looking down at her belly.

“What are you doing?” He asked curiously.

“Look at my stomach,” She said, her hands gently probing her lower abdomen. “It’s bigger. And it’s hard, too. Feel.”

Elias came close and laid his hand on her stomach. It was indeed hardened, as though she had swallowed a large stone, and there was a swelling between her hips; not big, but definitely noticeable.

And perhaps he imagined it, but he thought he felt a strange swirl of energy embedded there underneath the flesh and muscle, lodged deep in her body. No, two swirls. Perhaps Chise’s instinct was more credible than he first thought.

“Hmm,” He said. “Why is that?”

“Angelica says the uterus thickens and becomes more solid to protect the fetuses,” She said, reaching for a book on her nightstand. “It says so in this, too. Alice sent it to me. I told her about the babies, by the way, but I swore her to secrecy. I haven’t told Stella yet, but she’s busy at university and I didn’t want to bother her during finals.”

Elias bent to peer at the book. “What is it?”

She flipped through the rather large paperback volume. “It’s a book about pregnancy and birth. It’s actually pretty informative. So many things make sense now.”

“May I read it, then?” He asked. “There is much I still need to learn. I have a distinct dearth of knowledge about this particular subject and I feel compelled to rectify that.”

“Sure,” she said, handing it to him. “I’ve read up to the third trimester, so I won’t need it for a little while. I hope it helps.”

In some ways it did, and in others it didn’t. During gestation, he learned, the woman’s body produces excess blood to carry extra oxygen to the baby, which in turn causes the mother’s heart rate to accelerate for the duration of the pregnancy, which in turn causes her core temperature to rise. That explained that part, at least.

But other aspects of pregnancy and childbirth were, to put it mildly, horrifying. Things like nosebleeds, strange cravings, extreme mood swings, increased sex drive, swelling of the extremities, sudden hair growth or hair loss, violent fits of vomiting that lasted for months, soreness almost everywhere, food aversions, heighten sensitivity of smell, touch, and taste… the list of physical oddities was extensive. Bones would often be pushed out of the way and change position to compensate for the growing child, sometimes even fracturing or breaking in the process. And all of this was considered normal.

And those were just minor possible symptoms. The more severe ones were downright ghastly. There was no end of ways that it could go wrong, no end to the possible damage to the mother, no end to the ways the child could be born ill or malformed, and that was just for regular, non-magical children. There was no telling what kind of ailments could befall the child of two mages, especially if both parents were cursed.

And the descriptions of the birthing process itself, including the many, many things that could go awry, was nothing short of nauseating. Several times, he had to shut the book and put it aside for a while, appalled at what he learned. He hated to admit it, but sometimes knowledge for knowledge’s sake wasn’t always a good thing.

Once the first physical changes had begun, time seemed to speed up. Chise’s body changed rapidly, her stomach growing larger every day to carry the new life safely. She seemed especially breakable these days, and Elias couldn’t help being even more protective than he had been before.

For years before he had bought Chise, nothing had changed. Things went on as they always had, and it was as comfortable as it was dull. Then, once he met her, things changed, but it was a slow change. Even though things happened that never had before, it came at a pace he could understand and absorb.

Now, everything was new and happening too fast for him to process, and he was trying his best to keep up. He did not adapt well to change.

One afternoon in late July, while Chise was having her afternoon nap, Elias awoke her with a touch to her cheek.

“I’m sorry to wake you, Little Bird,” He said softly. “But there is a guest downstairs who has come a long way to see you. Are you feeling up to greeting them?”

She smiled. “Sure.”

Downstairs, she saw a tallish, pale man standing in their sitting room in modern clothes, looking around the room curiously. His blonde hair was separated into two bunches and hung over his shoulders. The the pupils of his bright blue eyes were slits, like that of a wild predator.

“Lindel!” Chise exclaimed in surprise.

When he saw her enter the room, a wide smile split his face. “It’s good to see you, my daughter,” He said, his arms open toward her.

She rushed forward to give him a hug. “What are you doing here? The dragons--”

“Can survive me being gone for an hour or two. Besides, Merituuli is to inform me right away if anything should happen while I’m here. I haven’t heard from you in a while and I wanted to check on you.” He held her at arms length and looked at her belly. “You’re coming along rather quickly, aren’t you? I sense very strong life essences brewing in there. Your offspring will be incredibly powerful mages. I can’t wait to meet my grandchildren; you must bring them to the aerie once they’ve been born.”

“More than one?” Chise asked.

“Oh, yes,” Lindel replied. “Two separate, distinct energies, hale and healthy, growing well.”

“Ha,” Chise said quietly. “I knew it.”

“Now,” He took her hand and hooked it around his arm. “Why don’t you give me a tour and tell me all about your preparations for the little ones? I’ve never actually been to Thorn’s home, you know. The ungrateful brat has never so much as extended an invitation.”

Elias sniffed slightly and sat in his chair, picking up a book he must have been reading before Lindel arrived.

“Of course,” She said, turning. Silver was looking in shyly from the kitchen, where Ruth was having a snack. “This is Silver Lady. She’s a neighbor who runs the house and looks after us. She’s been a big help to me.”

Lindel bowed. “A pleasure.”

Maybe it was Chise’s imagination, but she could have sworn Silver blushed.

“Good to see you again, Ruth,” Lindel said pleasantly. “Keeping a sharp eye on our favorite girl, are you?”

“Of course,” Ruth said. “She’s been getting plenty of rest, but she’s not eating as much as I’d prefer.”

Chise sighed heavily. “Elias’s fussing is bad enough, but having a fae nanny breathing down my neck all day is really irritating.”

Lindel laughed softly. “I would imagine so.”

Chise showed him her old room upstairs with Ruth trailing behind, where Silver had surprised her one day by converting it into a nursery. Silver, at least, seemed very excited about the new additions to the family and was going to extraordinary lengths to make sure the house was ready for their arrival.

The brand-new cupboards were stacked with blankets and swaddling and dressing gowns and cloth diapers, all handmade by Silver. There were double changing tables and bassinets, set side by side, and even a rocking chair next to the window. Chise had no idea where all the new furniture had even come from. Silver had used neutral colors to decorate the room: a mix of light and dark browns and soft purples and blues. The walls had been painted with a mural of wildflowers and trees, and the floor was plush grass-green carpet, as though the room was outside in a meadow. It was beautiful. Chise had cried and hugged Silver for quite a while when Silver presented it to her.

Ah, mood swings.

Elias had not been prepared for these emotional outbursts and, quite frankly, neither had Chise. She’d go from really happy to really sad to really annoyed all in the span of a few minutes. It was rather dizzying for the both of them. Ruth tried to warn Elias when they were coming, but he couldn’t always tell, so they were often blindsided by a sudden explosion of emotion that even Chise didn’t always understand. He supposed there was some comfort to be found in the fact that she was just as confused as he was.

Chise showed Lindel Elias’s study, and her workroom beyond where she practiced her spellcraft, and then decided to take a break in the garden. Lindel sat with Chise, talking animatedly about the baby dragons and happily eating Silver’s sandwiches and cakes. It was probably a nice change from stew. He even coaxed a song from Chise, one he had taught her in Icelandic about a hungry raven that slept beneath rock rifts. She had missed singing with him.

The sound of their voices raised in song brought Elias out to join them. He hadn’t heard her sing in some time and was pleased to hear it. She only sang when she was in a good mood. The resonance of their voices made the trees stand straighter, the flowers bloom brighter, and the sunlight shine gently upon them without being overpowering. When Lindel and Chise worked together, everything they touched was magic. Elias couldn’t help but be a little jealous of that.

The visit was a splendid one that did much to brighten Chise’s spirit. Before long, Lindel felt the aerie calling his heart home and left Chise with a hug and well-wishes. He even shook Elias’s hand.

Lindel snapped and sparked and was gone in a flurry of snow and cinders. Chise was sorry to see him go. She really felt as though Lindel was a surrogate father. When he called her his daughter, there had been weight to it. He genuinely meant it.

Chise made to go inside, but Elias took her by the hand to stop her, looking off into the woods.

“I believe we may have further visitors,” He said, taking his veil and flinging it over his face. He pointed to the treeline.

There, almost invisible under the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, stood a fae woman of indescribable beauty. Her black hair trailed behind her and brushed the ground as she walked, and her skin was as smooth as the petals of a lily. Her eyes, the colors of which shifted as though iridescent, were locked on Chise from where she stood motionless in the shadow. How long she had been there, no one could say, but her attention was on Chise and nothing else.

“Lady Titania,” Chise breathed.

As though summoned, Titania stepped out of the shelter of trees and began to walk toward them. Spriggan stepped out of her shadow, the gold rings adorning his staff jingling as he walked. He looked as surly as ever.

“My dear, sweet robin,” Titania said, holding her arms out to Chise and she stepped forward. “Oh! Isn’t it so wonderful!”

“I assume the little folk have informed you of Chise’s condition,” Elias said.

“Oh,yes, my child. I can’t tell you how pleased I am! Oberon is beside himself.” She glanced back to the forest’s edge. Chise and Elias followed her gaze to see Oberon running to and fro, giggling like a child and throwing flowers into the air. Chise laughed softly and shook her head.

Titania returned her attention to Chise and touched her hand to Chise’s belly. “Look how far along you are! I must say, though, I am terribly put out that you hid it from us for so long.”

“I’m sorry,” Chise said. “I… it’s been… difficult.”

Titania took her face in her hands. “Poor child,” She said. “Do not despair. This is a blessing. What a wondrous gift it is to be mortal. The fae do not breed well with each other and as such, our children are rare. That’s why there are so many old tales among mortals about halflings, though such things are far less likely in this millenia.” Her gaze brushed across Elias’s tall form briefly. “I suppose it’s how your race proliferates so effectively. You’re like rabbits, in that way.” She giggled.

“Oh, what a wonderful turn of fate!” Oberon crooned gleefully, skipping around the group of them. “I can’t wait to see the new little mages. Is there any chance at all they’ll be blonde? Oh, nevermind, they’ll be adorable either way!”

“Titania,” Elias started, ignoring Oberon as he pranced around them, laying a flower crown on Chise’s head. “You have the gift of foresight. Can you…” He paused, clutching the fabric of his shirt over his chest, as though in pain. “Is there any way to tell… that is to say…” He stumbled to a stop.

“Elias,” Titania said kindly. “Ask your question plainly, and I shall answer as best as I can.”

Elias sighed. “The children… our children… will they be… like me? Half-creatures, hated and shunned for the sin of merely being alive in a world where they do not belong?”

Chise’s heart bled for him. It must have quite a blow to his pride to ask that question. She knew he’d never admit it to anyone, not even her, but the constant reminder that he was neither one or the other was something that caused him perpetual grief. The idea that he was terrified his own children would share this fate made Chise’s heart ache. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it consolingly.

“Oh, Thorn,” Titania said sadly. “I see branches; roads that split and diverge like serpents in the sea of potentiality. I see many possibilities, though some are more likely than others. I cannot give you a solid answer because the paths are still many and multiplying. I cannot tell you for certain what will be.” She laid a hand on his chest and smiled. “But would you like to know what I feel?”

He nodded, apprehensive.

“I feel love and joy,” She said. “I hear laughter echoing within the walls of this dwelling. Your children will have fragments of their father residing in them, as all children do, but they will have the protection and favor of all who love them. And there will be many who love them. They are blessed by the Queen of the Fae herself, and my blessing is no paltry trinket.”

“Titania, I…” Elias said, unable to continue.

Oberon slid over to his wife and winked at her, a wide smile on his face. He then turned to Elias.

“Do not fret, thorn child,” He said. “However tainted your lineage may be, you are still one of us, and your bride is beloved by our kind. Your children, then, will be doubly revered by all fae. You have no cause to worry.”

“Thank you. That is… very comforting,” He replied, though his tone said to Chise that he was still rather troubled.

Chise endured another few minutes of Titania and Oberon’s doting before they decided to depart. She felt rather relieved when they left. They could be a lot to handle all at once.

That night, lying in bed with Elias, the question he had asked the Faerie Queen revolved over and over in her mind.

“Elias?” She asked softly, trying not to wake Ruth. “Are you still awake?”

She couldn’t see his pupils, but he did answer. “Yes.”

She lay her hand on the back of his neck and stroked it. “Are you really worried about how the children will turn out?”

Elias sighed. “It does not matter to me what they will look like,” He said somberly. “But it will matter to humans. Experience has taught me well that mankind does not adapt quickly to things that are strange or unusual.” He turned his head to look at her. “The fae will not care about their appearance, either, but they will see them as my children, spawn of the halfling failure. That alone may be enough to draw the ire of the fae against them, despite what Titania and Oberon said. Those two have never failed in their kindness to me, but it is borne out of pity, not respect, and the rest of the fae are not so magnanimous. Some are indifferent to me, but most, like the Spriggan, are openly hostile. I do not wish for my children to suffer because of who their father is.”

“Oh, Elias,” Chise said, holding him close. “I wish I could--Oh!” Chise sat up abruptly, pulling the covers down and placing both hands on her belly.

“What?” He asked in alarm, turning to sit up. “What is it? Are you alright?”

“I felt them.”

“You did?” He asked.

“Yes,” She said, moving her hands around gingerly. “I felt a thumping on the inside. I felt some flutters before, but I was never sure what they were. That was definitely a kick.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, looking at her abdomen.

In response, she took his hand and laid it down on her stomach, instructing him to wait. He did so, and it took nearly five minutes, but there was a distinct nudge against his hand.

Chise looked up and smiled at him, but his heart was in his throat. He couldn’t decide if he was excited or panicked. Talking about the baby, seeing her belly expand, making preparations: for some reason, none of that made it feel real. But this did. Feeling the tiny movements of the child on his own skin from the inside of her body was what made it reality to him.

“We should call on Shannon tomorrow,” Chise said. “I’m twenty weeks. It’s about time for a check-up.”

“Y-yes,” He said vaguely. “Of course.”

She took his face in her hands. “Are you all right?”

“I do not know,” He answered honestly. “I am… frightened.”

“I know,” She said. She laid her forehead on his.

They stayed that way for many minutes, their foreheads touching, his hand on her belly, feeling the little jumps and thumps of his children moving about inside. Frightened was not an adequate word for what he felt. He didn’t know if there was a word strong enough.

Time seemed to move very fast for a while, and then suddenly slowed to a snail’s pace. Before they knew it, it was winter. Chise had grown very large, and Shannon expected the babies to come a few days after the new year.

Chise kept to the house exclusively now, since moving was more difficult, not to mention that Elias was highly paranoid about her catching an illness in her condition. She spent much of the time nesting, which is an instinctual habit among mothers-to-be to make sure everything was in its proper place and perfect. Silver had taken care of most of that for her, but it didn’t stop Chise from folding and refolding all of the babies’ linens and making sure things were just so.

As the time for the birth came closer, the atmosphere of the house grew more and more anxious. Chise was rather sick of being pregnant and was ready to be able to stand without assistance and not eat what felt like half her body weight every day. Ruth was restless and impatient. He could feel the time getting closer just as acutely as Chise did.

If Chise was anxious and Ruth was restless, Elias was downright terrified. He spent a lot of time alone in his study, unable to control this emotion. He didn’t want to worry her more than she already was, but he couldn’t push away the awful feeling of dread.

He had slowly grown accustomed to the idea of the children, but not the possibility that they would take after him. The idea that they could be subjected to cruelty and discrimination for simply being his children made his blood run cold. How could he protect them against that kind of hatred? How could he shield them from the animosity of both humans and fae? He could weather it just fine; he was used to it, and some of it was deserved. He had once been a monster, after all. But they would be innocent and guileless. They didn’t deserve to be treated as he had been.

As much as he tried to hide his worry from Chise, he knew she felt it. He could see it on her face when she looked at him sometimes. It wasn’t pity that she showed him, but empathy. If anyone would understand, it would be her, but this was just one thing he couldn’t talk to her about. She always tried to soothe him and tell him things would be fine, but she had no way of knowing that for certain. Blind optimism just didn’t work for him.

Very late on the night before Christmas eve, a sharp yelp of pain woke Elias from sleep. It had been Ruth: he had bounced out of his bed and shot to Chise’s side, immediately switching to his human form. Chise was sitting curled around her stomach, gasping.

“Chise?” Elias asked.

“I think my water broke,” Chise gasped. “I’ve been having contractions, but they weren’t bad until now. We need Shannon.”

“Shannon! Silver!” Elias called.

A flash shot through the room. Elias turned on the lamp and found Shannon standing next to Chise, trying to pull her to her feet. The silky came through the door in an instant, a tub of hot water and many towels in her hands. It was almost as if she were waiting for the call.

Shannon had Chise sit on a wooden chair with a curved back, urging her to recline with her pelvis tilted out, putting a pillow behind her to support her back. Silver helped Chise out of her underwear and flipped the hem of her nightgown up over her stomach, exposing her entire lower half. Chise didn’t have the wherewithal to be embarrassed about her tender bits out for the entire room to see. The pain was pushing everything else out of her brain.

“Is it supposed to hurt this much?” Ruth gasped, his arms wrapped around his stomach.

“There are two living creatures the size of watermelons attempting to tear their way out of her body, Ruth. Yeah, it’s gonna hurt,” Shannon said dryly.

“Sorry, Ruth,” Chise said, breathing heavily. “I’m trying to block it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ruth said. “I don’t really care about me right now.”

“What can I do?” Elias asked anxiously.

“You and Ruth, get on either side. Both of you hold her hand with one of yours and then let her use your other hand to brace her feet on. She’s going to need the leverage when she starts pushing.”

Elias and Ruth, took their positions. Chise had already begun to sweat profusely and was breathing shallowly. Silver stood at her head, stroking her hair gently and ready with a cloth to wipe her brow.

“Deep breaths, Chise,” Shannon said, kneeling on the ground and pushing a gloved hand into Chise’s body to gauge her dilation. “Nine centimeters,” Shannon said, removing her hand. “Not quiet ready yet, but it’s going to be soon.”

Chise could only nod, attempting with little success to take deep breaths as she was instructed. Her head rolled to look at Elias with fear in her eyes.

“It’s too early,” She said in a terrified whisper. “I’m not due for another three weeks.”

“It’s all right,” Elias whispered, knowing he might be lying. “It will be all right.”

Chise had no choice but to wait until her body opened up enough to start pushing, and it took a few long, miserable hours of pain and sweating. By the time Shannon got into position, it was only an hour before dawn.

“Okay,” Shannon said. “Elias, Ruth, take one foot each and push it toward her chest, but not forcefully. Chise, take several deep breaths. When I say, take a very deep breath, hold it, and start pushing. When I count to ten, you can let go and breath again. Understand?”

Chise nodded, already very tired from the waves of pain she had been suffering over the past few hours. She steeled herself and began to take slow, deep breaths.

“Ready? Okay, deep, deep breath and push!”

Chise pulled in as much air as her lungs could take and held it, bracing her legs against Ruth and Elias’s grip, and pushed with all her might, her face pulled back in a grimace of pain and exertion.

“One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten, and breathe,” Shannon instructed. Chise blew out her breath explosively and gulped in air.

“Okay, again. Deep breath, and push!”

It went on like this for quite a time. They only paused the pushing for Chise to drink water and for Silver to wipe the sweat from her face and neck. Elias talked in Chise’s ear during these brief moments of rest, telling her that she was strong and that he had faith in her. She seemed so tired, but she smiled at him and dotted a kiss on his nose in reply.

Finally, as the first rays of sunlight shone through the window, Shannon pulled a small, reddish-purple infant from Chise’s body. It shrieked as it took it’s first breaths of life, it’s color changing as it took in oxygen. Shannon placed the sticky ball of outrage on Chise’s chest for a moment, allowing the new mother to inspect the little creature for herself while Shannon detached the umbilical cord.

“It’s a baby girl,” Shannon said, smiling.

Chise let go of Ruth and Elias and wrapped her fingers around the tiny thing as it screamed it’s fury at them all. Chise was crying, too, but not in anger. Her face, red and sweaty though it was, lit with joy as she held her newborn daughter.

Suddenly, she seized up with a sudden contraction and hissed with pain. The baby was whisked out of her arms by Silver, who took it to a nearby dressing table to clean it.

“We’re halfway there,” Shannon said. “Let’s get ready. On the next contraction, we start the pushing again.”

Chise nodded, letting Ruth and Elias take hold of her feet and push them back.

Once the first baby was out, the second wasn’t far behind. It wailed more loudly than it’s twin, thrashing about angrily on Chise’s chest, though Chise clearly didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s another little girl,” Shannon said with a grin.

Tears poured from Chise’s eyes as she held her daughter, gasping from the effort of pushing. The touch of her mother’s hands had calmed the baby and she was no longer writhing spastically, but wiggling and making little grunting sounds, lying on her belly in Chise’s grasp.

After a moment, this child, too, was taken away for cleaning. Then there was more work to be done. The afterbirth had to be removed from Chise’s body, which caused a small fountain of blood to escape. Elias and Ruth panicked, but Shannon said this could happen sometimes and it wasn’t serious as long as it was contained quickly. She gave Chise a tea that would help stop the bleeding and once she had finished it, Silver lifted Chise as if she weighed nothing and took her to the bathroom for a proper cleaning. Shannon followed, leaving Ruth and Elias alone with the newborns, lying side by side and safely bundled up in the crib near Chise’s side of the bed.

While she was gone, Ruth went to inspect the babies up close. “Elias,” He called to the mage, who was still sitting in a daze. “Come and see.”

Elias stood with his heart pounding in his chest and walked to stand by Ruth, looking down at his brand new daughters with a lump in his throat. Now that they were cleaned, he could see them better. They were still wiggly and wrinkly, but there were distinct differences between the twins. One had a full head of white-blonde hair and a peachy-pink complexion, while the other had fine red fuzz on her head and was as pale as bleached bone.

“I remember the day that Isabelle was born,” Ruth said solemnly, lost in his memory. “I had only been with the family for a few months and I didn’t quite understand what was happening at the time. I didn’t know what a baby was. She was so tiny and weird-looking, but I loved her right away. We were together all the time after that. I existed for her; I’d have done anything for her.”

He stared down at the two sleeping infants, his eyes dark with recollection. “I took it for granted, thinking she’d always be there. I didn’t see the dangers until it was too late. I should have done more to protect her. If I had been a better brother, she might have lived a long, happy life. I didn’t do enough, and she died.” He reached out but stopped just short of touching the one with red hair. “For them, I’ll do better. I’ll be better. I promise.”

Elias did not respond. He stared down at his sleeping girls rather blankly.

Yes, He thought to himself. I, too, must be better.

Silver and Shannon returned with Chise, clean, wearing a fresh nightgown, and remarkably able to walk unassisted. Elias helped ease her back into the freshly changed bed, then Shannon handed Chise the white-haired baby girl. Shannon insisted that Chise try to breastfeed the baby, as it would help promote clotting. Silver went to work cleaning the gory aftermath off of the floor. Ruth, as a grim, sniffed each child keenly with his tail wagging.

It took a few tries and some urging to get the baby to latch to her breast; apparently babies weren’t born knowing how to do this and had to be taught, but once she found her way, she seemed to be content and fell asleep while feeding, her tiny arm resting on Chise’s skin. Elias watched curiously.

“You probably won’t be able to produce enough milk to fill both babies at the same time, so you might want to supplement with formula. You may even decide to go formula exclusively, which is fine. As long as they get the enzymes from your breastmilk at the start, it’ll be a big boost to their immune systems.”

Chise nodded without looking up, absorbed in the tiny little girl at her breast with it’s little fist around Chise’s finger. She seemed to finish quickly, and Chise lifted the baby for Elias to hold.

“Chise…” He said nervously. “I don’t… I can’t… I don’t think…”

“It’s okay, Elias,” Chise said with a smile. “You’re going to have to hold them at some point. Might as well be now.”

“Just remember to support the head,” Shannon said. “The neck muscles are underdeveloped.”

“Here,” She sat up and, holding the baby in one arm, used her hand to make a cradle of his. “Like this.”

Exercising more care than he ever had in his entire existence, he took the tiny bundle into his arms, cradling it gently. He could feel the warmth of it’s little body through the blankets, as though he were holding a glowing coal. He lifted her up so he could inspect her more closely. As he did so, she opened her eyes for the first time and looked up at him. Her eyes were the color of evergreens, like her mother. But unlike her, the pupils were not round but slits, like that of a wild creature. The eyes of a fae. The eyes of a mage.

“Chise, look,” Elias said, bending to show her. Chise, who had taken the red-haired babe and was feeding her from the other breast, peered at the child Elias held and smiled. Her smile faded and her eyes narrowed curiously.

“What is it?” Elias asked.

“Look at her head, a little bit above the hairline. There’s a bump. No, there’s two, one on either side. Do you see them?”

Elias brought the baby close to his face, examining her closely. There was, indeed, some sort of bump there. Carefully readjusting his grip, he felt the bumps with his finger. They felt like… bone? No, not bone…

“Horns,” Elias said softly. “She has horns.”

Chise laughed softly, her eyes warm with affection. “You certainly can’t deny she’s yours, can you?”

He looked down at her, a new warmth spreading though his chest. “No…” He said. “I cannot.”

“Have you decided on names?” Shannon asked, sitting on the other side, monitoring the mother and her little ones closely.

Elias was taken aback. It wasn’t something he had even thought about. He’d been so preoccupied with his doubts and fears that he hadn’t room to think of anything else.

“It is Christmas Eve,” Chise said, looking out of the snow covered windows. She looked at the little redhead, sleeping peacefully in her arms. “Her hair reminds me of holly berries, so why don’t we call her Holly?” She smiled and gazed at the white-haired child Elias clutched to him. “And with her green eyes, she should be named Ivy.”

Elias sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, bending to nuzzle her head.

“Yes,” He said fondly. “It’s perfect.”

After both parents had a turn holding both of their infant girls, they gave Silver and Ruth a chance. Ruth was anxious and attentive, fearful of being clumsy or accidentally jostling his new nieces and upsetting them, but Silver seemed overjoyed to hold the tiny babes, smiling brightly and giggling at their noises. A better nanny than Silver Lady could not be found anywhere, either in the mortal realm or the kingdom of the fae. Chise had a feeling she was going to be relying heavily on her for the next few months.

While holding Holly, Silver made a small noise of surprise.

“Silver?” Chise said. “What is it?”

Silver brought the baby to the bed and knelt down between Elias and Chise, where the parents could see the newborn’s eyes. The irises were solid black and didn’t reflect light, instead seeming to consume it. The pupils, however, were red. Not the bright holly red of her hair, but a dark crimson red, like blood on snow, and they too were mere slits.

“Oh,” Chise breathed. “Look at that. Aren’t they beautiful?”

Elias, seeing the trace his own eyes looking back at him from his daughter’s face, was at a loss for words.

His children were mostly human, it seemed, but they retained a piece of him, a fragment of his fae blood, just as Titania said. Before, this thought made him worry about their future, but seeing them now, he felt… what was this? It was a good feeling, but it carried weight with it. Pride? Was that it? Did he feel proud? Perhaps so.

After a while, Shannon insists that everyone leave the room to the new parents and their children, and Elias settled himself in a chair beside the bed, with Chise on his left side and the crib on the right. All three of his girls were sleeping peacefully. Ivy seemed content in being wrapped up in her swaddling, but Holly had kicked her way out of the blankets so that she could move freely.

He watched them sleep with mixed emotions, laying his hands on the stomachs of the babes, comforted by their warmth. As if waiting for this, they both reached out and gripped his fingers in their fists and held on with a surprisingly strong grip.

The world could have been falling down around them, but as long as they were safe and happy, it wouldn’t have bothered him. He found he didn’t care all that much at the moment about the concerns that had plagued him before the birth, though he knew they would come back eventually. He felt warm and calm, with none of the anxiety that had been gnawing at his mind for months. Was this feeling happiness? Peace?

He could identify at least one emotion well enough: love. It was different than what he felt for Chise, but no less consuming. Chains of gold and silver had wrapped themselves around his heart. They sprung from the touch of his tiny daughters’ small hands on his own, an unbreakable link that bound him to his newly-born flesh and blood. Instinct drove this behavior, and it was obvious what it meant. They had laid claim to him.

They do not belong to me, he realized. I belong to them. How fascinating.

He had lived for centuries never having tethered himself to any other being. Back then, loneliness and being alone were mutually exclusive concepts. He’d had friendships and acquaintances but felt no obligation to any of them beyond an occasional favor or trade. At the time, he had thought himself content.

When he had acquired Chise on a whim out of mere curiosity, he had not anticipated how his life would change. The connection that developed between them, as slow as it was to manifest openly, was unlike anything he’d felt before. It brought with it many good feelings, as well as many unpleasant ones. Chise’s love was easy enough to earn, but he soon discovered that while love could be unconditional, trust was not. He hadn’t known there was a difference between those emotions until he had betrayed them.

For a while after, their bond was fragile and could snap with any slight pressure he applied to it. It had taken much time and effort on his part to repair the damage he had done, and he had sworn never to do anything that could sever that link again.

But the bond he felt to these two new lives was instantaneous and indestructible, something over which he had no control. He was, for lack of a better term, spellbound.

“I don’t understand.”

Elias jumped slightly at Chise’s soft whisper. He looked over to see that she was awake and staring are her children.

“What is it you do not understand, Little Bird?” Elias replied quietly.

“I thought,” She said. “I thought when they were born, it would make more sense, but it doesn’t. I thought it would help me understand why they did it.”

“Your parents,” He said. It wasn’t a question.

“I thought that once I was a parent myself, I could see it from their perspective, and I’d understand. But I don’t. I would never, ever leave them. I could never hurt them. Never.” She looked at Elias and took his hand. “What they did still makes no sense to me. I guess you were right, Elias. I am different.”

“Yes,” He said, holding her hand to his cheek. “Do not be sad, Chise. That is a wonderful thing.”

She smiled, and her gaze returned to the infants. “You’re right. It is.”

During the first two months, which Chise and Elias used to get accustomed to the new routine of parenthood, the twins developed personalities that were as different as their appearance. Holly was an independent little thing and didn’t like to be swaddled or held for too long, while Ivy loved to be cuddled and preferred to be held by Elias over anyone else. He was more than happy to hold her at all times and soon became deft at doing things one-handed.

After this necessary adjustment time, they decided to have a small gathering of friends over to properly introduce their children. They had invited Stella, the Barley family, Alice, a few friends from the college including the brooding Adolf and enthusiastic Tori, and even Renfred. Over the years, Elias and Renfred had forged a tense acquaintanceship. Chise encouraged them to be better friends, but in the end, she figured anything was better than open hostility.

They had invited Lindel, too, but he didn’t want to leave the aerie again. He insisted they bring them to him instead, which they promised to do when the children were a few months older.

“Aren’t they darling?” Angelica said, looking at Holly sleeping in sixteen-year-old Althea’s arms.

“They really are,” Stella said, now nineteen, as she tickling Ivy’s feet while David held her. The baby cooed at Stella as she did so.

“Ya did good, Chise,” Alice said. “You cooked up some real nice babies in there.” She poked Chise’s stomach, which was now much smaller and thankfully no longer sore.

“That’s a weird phrase, Alice, thank you,” Chise said.

Renfred had been mostly quiet during the gathering. Alice had told Chise that babies make him nervous; he liked kids better when they were old enough to follow orders.

Elias was similarly uncomfortable with so many people in his house at once, and eventually, it drove him outside to the garden. Cold though it was, he sat at the garden table with his tea and sighed.

“Are they not lovely?” A voice said to him from his right. He turned to see a small, child-like figure standing there nearby. She wore a simple white gown made of thin silk and a crown of baby’s breath around her head. A circle of snow underneath her feet had melted away and flowers had sprung up all around her. Her hair was black, her skin like petals, her eyes like the wings of a dragonfly.

“Titania,” Elias said, standing. “You’ve come alone.”

“I have, though I shan’t be long,” She said, her voice belying her youthful appearance. “I bring with me gifts for your little ones.”

“Gifts?”

“Yes. The heartache you expressed when last we met has stayed with me. I felt compelled to do something to set your mind at ease.” She opened her hands, and lying in each palm was a ring carved of dark wood, one on a gold string, the other on a silver one. “I told you your offspring held my favor, did I not?” She asked. “That was not a lie. You need not worry for their safety from our kind. These will tell all fae creatures that your babes are my godchildren and therefore under my protection.”

Elias did not recall agreeing to such an arrangement, but accepted the rings with a bow.

“Thank you, my Lady,” He said. “This is most generous.”

“You must bring them to visit us, Thorn,” Titania said. “It’s been so long since there were children in the Faerie Kingdom. Oberon is dying to meet the new magelings.”

Elias nodded without speaking, not committing to this. He wondered if her favor extended to not trapping them in the faerie realm.

“Be well, Elias. Take care of our sweet robin and those beautiful children. Dwell no longer on the darkness in your past and look instead to your future. Your legacy now resides in those new souls that you created, and not the mistakes you have made. You have been given a divine gift. Do not take it for granted.”

“I assure you, Lady,” He said seriously. “I have no intention of doing so.”

She smiled at him, and the body she inhabited burst apart into flowers and floated away like the seeds of a dandelion, carried away on a sudden wind that smelled strangely of spring grass.

Elias lifted his gaze to watch the petals drift away, putting the charms in his pocket.

Once everyone had gone home and the house was quiet again, Elias picked up a wailing Ivy, who quieted immediately, and sat with Ruth and Chise as Silver laid out their dinner. Chise fed Holly with one arm and fed herself with the other. Once Holly finished, Chise passed her to Ruth to be burped and held out her arms for Ivy, who Elias passed carefully over the dinner table. Silver waited at Ruth’s elbow with a spit-up cloth. They all seemed to be easing into this new normal well.

Elias and Chise took the children to their room and laid them down for sleep, with Ruth curled up on the floor between them. He was better than a baby monitor. Ruth was taking his oath to Elias to protect the children very seriously and was just as involved in their care as every other person in the house. It seemed there was no shortage of babysitters to be found for the new parents, and Chise found that comforting. The nightmare she’d once had of being overwhelmed with caring for two children at once with limited help faded from her mind.

With the children abed for a least a couple of hours, Elias and Chise took this time to spend with each other, something they hadn’t had much opportunity to do since the birth. They sat together on the couch of the sitting room, Chise in Elias’s lap and wrapped up warmly in his arms. She was so tired, she could have fallen asleep if she let herself.

“I’m sorry the party got too claustrophobic for you,” Chise said, twining and untwining her fingers with his.

“It’s all right,” Elias said. “I am actually glad for it. I’d much prefer that the girls were introduced to all our friends at once rather than make many trips to achieve the same result.” Reaching into his waistcoat’s pocket, he pulled out the ring pendants he had gotten. “Besides, while outside, Titania left a give with me.”

Chise took the trinkets and looked at them curiously. “That was nice of her. What are they for?”

“Protection, she said. It’ll ward off any of her kind that would do them mischief.”

Chise smiled. “She’s very thoughtful for a fae.”

“Yes,” Elias agreed. “I wonder if she will extend the same blessing to any additional children we may have.”

Chise swung and looked up in surprise. “You want more children?”

“It's not outside the realm of possibility. We can talk about it later,” Elias replied.

“You're serious. You really want another baby?”

“I merely said we’d talk about it.”

“That’s not a no.”

Elias laughed.

“Give me a year, at least,” Chise said in exasperation. “My body isn’t ready for another one so soon.”

“If you wish,” He said, hugging her tightly.

They sat happily in each other’s arms for the next hour, taking a well deserved rest, until one of the babies began to cry. Elias released her and followed her up the stairs to the childrens' room, where he consoled Holly as Ivy fed. When Ivy was done, they switched. After feeding, the infants resumed sleeping. Before they left, Elias affixed the charms to the wall above their bassinets, the silver one over Ivy, and the gold protecting Holly. The parents, exhausted, climbed into their own bed and fell asleep at once.

Every day brought something new, and Elias was learning so much so quickly. His entire universe had shifted, and thought it had taken time to get used to it, he greeted each wonderful development as they happened with an open heart. He awoke eagerly every morning in his new life, looking forward to what might be.

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