#soon I’ll know if I make any viable eggs at all

[grizzcore]

August and Amelia don’t even exist yet and sometimes I cry because I miss them so much

Lesbian baby fever is a horrible thing actually �� cannot believe my kids are behind a paywall

[starshipsofstarlord]

Jim and Jody - Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary; it was one of the biggest decisions of your life, but will you change your mind before your future is sealed?

Warnings; angst, mentions of abortion (everyone is permitted to do what they want with their body, in this imagine the reader wants to keep the baby, but pro choice, as everyone deserves control over their bodies and all 🤍), brief mention of sex and threats

Masterlist Link

To see him so relaxed, so completely and utterly himself was a paradise all on its own. There was a heaviness aboard your shoulders, but as you watched him goof tirelessly about, you had no other concerns, not even as you subconsciously raised your hand over your stomach. You shook your head at the sentiment, the two of you had already made the decision to abort this child, it was unknown how the poor fellow would turn out to be; with the combination of your powers and his super everything, it was sure to be quite the complication, and not one that you supposed was to be an easy course.

A smile pried at your face, simply from viewing him with the pack of children, the wind from the docks swept your hair into your face, and in turn, you swept the locks out and away from your vision, so that you had further access to watch the man that you loved in his absolute element. Through the years, past and recent, he had lost so much, and this child was just to be another mantle on the wall of memorial in his mind, it was sad really. If the two of you were normal, with average and lives that had perceptions with no regards of being heroic, there’d be no query about it, you’d keep the baby.

That life though, to your grave misfortune, did not exist, it was merely a fantasy living painfully inside of your mind, haunting you whenever you closed your eyes, with the flashing images of a resolution and end to the errors in your lifestyle. There’d be a big house, yet nothing to prissy, just enough room for the pair of you and few children of your own, a grand garden with a swing set and sand pit, where the infants could grow up and play in once they were older. Then there’d also be a shed for Bucky to work on small projects, such as attaining some love and care to his motor bike, as well as storing the supplies that he’d need to do so.

All that is a universe away, muffled from possibility by the stars expediting through the gorgeous veil of the galaxy, corrupting the possibilities of ever gaining access to such... peace. That was the one thing that the pair of you wanted, however catching a break was rather rare within your predicament. A stifled laugh reeled from the conjunction of your lips as you simply and endearingly surveyed how the boys, specifically Sam’s nephews hung from the vibranium branch of his arm. It was all your attention was focused on, until an extra person took a seat on the picnic table beside you, his sweet yet musky scent detailing whom it was. “If your not going to eat that, I’m sure Barnes Junior might want an opinion on that.”

The underlining of the words caused an abstract grimace to forlorn your features, as you stared not at the speaker of whom you were close with, but instead the slather of cake that was planted on a paper plate before you, the icing beginning to become slightly sick from the beating of the viable son. “You’re glowing, you know? Motherhood is a good look on you y/n/n, I wouldn’t be so soon to let that go.” Your fingers pried at the dismantled crumbs off your section of desert as you looked to your new captain, a resonating conformation fo bridled suffering and hopelessness clouding your view of his attempt at making you atone before you made a sin that you’d forever regret.

He, like many others, knew that the family life was what you wanted; you wanted to be your child’s hero, tending to their each necessary (and unnecessary) need, them being your main focus and project and life. Instead, you had been handed your options on a short stick, and thus, your decision, albeit somewhat of a sensible one, didn’t make it hurt any less. “Sam.” You spoke his name, observing from the corner of your eye how Bucky paraded around the dock with Jim and Jody. It’d be nice to give him a slice of this kinda life, he was thriving as an adult around children, you could only imagine him in the case of this one being birthed into the world. “It’s not that easy.”

“No one said it was going to be easy.” Sam responded quickly, affirming your fears to your nerve wrecked face. “I get it, I do. People will be after this kid, and that is no way to live, but you two aren’t alone in any of this, nor will you be in that. You have me, along with many other old friends of ours, hell even the Wakandan’s. Do you really want to sacrifice this one life so you can continue living this one? You and Bucky have both lost so much, you don’t have to force yourself to willingly give away something else. The decision can be changed the last minute, it’s a lot to take in, I get that, but I see the way Buck is with my nephews, and how you watch them when you think nobody’s looking over at you. With your state pardon, you two can retire, and go far away, and abandon everything for this one little guy or gal, because I know that if you do, no matter what, they’ll be worth it.”

Bucky wailed a warrior’s shout as Jim and Jody playfully struck him down, his unsheathed metal hand grasping at the cloth that was tightly aboard his addictive chest. He rolled on the ground as the children ran to retrieve their toy lightsabers, leaving him to be expendable against their weapons. There was a giddy and fitting smile smouldering his usual stoic expression. It was no wander why he found calm in visiting Sam and his sister’s small, and accepting family. The kids brought out another side of him, which he had been tortured to refrain from showing, but you had seen, and were contemplating many things within your mind. You were lapping up the image, as though you were dehydrated and the sight of him appeased by the company of young ones was a source of water.

Sam was right, he always was and had been. “The decision was on both of our parts, you don’t think Buck’ll change his mind, or do you?” You were invested in getting a responsive answer, yet the man spluttered a laugh at your confused expense. He heaved for a moment, bracing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. There was nothing stopping him from gaining it back, unlike Bucky whom had grabbed a saber of his own and lightly began to paddle against the one that was directed against him, other than another round of hysterics that abandoned him. A reasonable smile resonated a comfortable position upon the former falcon’s face, as he tentatively patted your knee, watching as you broke off a small rupture of cake and popped it in your mouth, feeding not only yourself but the inmate within your womb.

“There isn’t really much for me to say, it’s easy, look at him. He will be fine with whatever decision that the pair of you succumb to, after all, it’s your body, but it will pain him like nothing else ever has if you go through with the abortion, and if not, then trust me, we’ve both seen how hard he fights; think of that but ten times the mass in consideration of this baby, because I am certain that he’d do anything for them. He lost his entire family when he awoke from his mode of hydra assassin, this could be him getting it back. Different members, but a family all the same.” He stole a little of your cake, making you lightly elbow him as a smirk rendered a beauty upon his face.

“What’s that going to make you, the patriotic uncle who just can’t keep himself from flashing his shield?” Now it was his turn to retaliate, he lightly scuffed your ankle with a feather light tap of the toe of his shoe, causing you to promiscuously roll your eyes. “I’m joking, that was Steve’s aesthetic, this new version of cap is your baby, I have great faith in you to make this world a better and safer place. The funny thing is, when you finally accepted that shield was yours, that’s when my mind shifted to the possibility of keeping this kid. It was and has always been a sign of hope and protection to Bucky, maybe it could be the same for our little one. It was just a thought, I’m not meaning to put pressure on your or anything bu-“

“I get it, and I’m honoured. And if that is how it seems, then I want you to know that I’ll be there to protect them too. The main bump in the road for now is for you to talk to that grumpy ass boyfriend of yours and figure this sperm plus egg equation out, send Jim and Jody over here, I got somethin’ to show those two anyway.” With a nod and a grateful pat upon your friend’s head, you slowly plodded over to where Bucky was being cornered against the side of the truck by the boys. His blue orbs danced around their small and imaginative beings, until they landed on you, it was as though his pupils were calling out for help, begging for you to spare some mercy upon him.

“Jim, Jody, your uncle Sammy has something for you two to see.” They groaned lightly, having been pulled away from the narrative of their play time, but nevertheless their faces were clean slates as they expressed hyper smiles, and bolted their route towards their mother’s sibling, carrying their lightsaber replicas along with them. “Two kids beat an infamous, deadly badass with a metal arm. I think you might be getting too old for these kinda battles Buck, you were losing, and quite terribly if I say so myself.” Crossing your arms, as he came to an upright stand, hoisting himself off the ground, so that he could be more level with you.

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in. Thought you were supposed to be supportive of me and all that, as you said to Zemo, you’d quite happily cut his dick off if he compared me to the shadow that I used to be.” His brow raised, as he reminisced on the thought of you threatening Zemo; it was hot, and certainly had gotten him going, which had shortly left you in this predicament, trying to save the world and execute the one last thing that exhumed hope to either one of you. The baby. It was almost a certain and solid fact that the little one inside of you had been procreated on the Baron’s private jet, more specifically, the small and clean bathroom that had became dirty with your primal sins.

“And I still regret not doing that, he’d have had much less leverage in any sense of the word of phallic if he had it sectioned off.” Silence emitted between the two of you, although a humoured smirk tantalised upon Bucky’s graceful face. For a change, he was not prompting the expression of a grumpy cat that was refused its nip, no, instead he could be compared to a future - actually, he already was a father to the bean held in the shield of your body, having been an ample ingredient in bringing the small person into being. “So, you having fun with Sarah’s kids, sure looks like you were quite in your element before I cut in.”

“I’m always in my element when you’re around doll.” He smiled, wrapping his uncoordinated hands around the oval of your waist, and tugging you sentimentally closer, your hips bumped with his, as your eyes ogled infatuatedly up at him. “They’re great kids, makes me realise exactly what we’re gonna be missing out on.” Bucky gulped, sparks of emotion taunted the behind of his eyes, like saucers of resentful fire. “You’d be the perfect mother, you know that right? After all you’ve done for me, you’ve nurtured me close to the man that I once was, the only difference is that I want to settle, but I don’t know how to go about dropping everything. This kid is killing me, he’s making me question everything.”

“That’s what kids are supposed to do, unborn, or very much avidly attacking grown men with false lightsabers.” Bucky deeply into your frustrated and corresponding eyes, your hands reaching up to play defiantly with the smooth dip in his chin that could be seen through the shading of his light stubble. “What if we did have a Jim and Jody of our own some day? We could keep him or her, they’d be our greatest concern, we don’t have to go down this painful and longing, rusted road. We could bring something good into this world, protect them against all forces that threaten to disrupt their life, I want this with you Bucky. We could move far far away, or go somewhere close to home.”

“Brooklyn.” He stated, causing a line to crease gently in the plain of his forehead. “I want to call them Brooklyn, if I am to fight the rest of my life for something, I want it to be my home. Last time I had to leave there, but it’s my amends to never leave this child of ours, if we’re going to do this, we need to put them in front of everything, and I mean everything.” He spoke, in reference to the other avengers and other aliases that you had stood by for so long. Bleakly you nodded, grasping his jaw down for an amorous kiss, humming against the palette of his lips, as your hands entwined behind his neck, pulling his face closer to your own, prompting his tongue to travel deeper within the realm of your mouth.

“Brooklyn is a nice name. How about Brooklyn Margaret Barnes? I think that has quite the ring to it.” You offered, and he hardly reacted, instead quickly appraising a pleasant smile onto the canvas of his work of art face, as he ducked his head down, conjoining the pair of you into a passionate and meaningful collide of your lips. Sam smiled as he watched the pair of you, pointing at you two from afar, as his nephews from afar. He was giving them a man to men talk, offering them advice that they would have valuable usage of in the future.

“Now that is love. You don’t give up for the one thing that connects you, and those two, well Bucky and y/n have been through a hell of a lot. They deserve this, and when you meet a woman when you’re older, and your mum is watching on towards the two of you, I want you to make her proud by treating your girl like a princess, willing to sacrifice everything simply to create the future that she wishes for you.” He emotionally wiped his eyes, rushing to stand before he grasped a lightsaber, leaving the other to spare for one of them. “Now Jim and Jody, which one of you will be my padawan?”

[bedbellyandbeyond]

Contraband

(Story Post)

“Dax, sorry to keep you waiting,” Syd said as they came into the exam room. “No, it's fine,” Dax said. “I'm just happy to get some possible answers today.” Syd sat down at their desk and crossed their legs. “First of all, have you recently been in contact with either Jeffrey Matthews or Oliver Larson?” “Yes, Jeffrey has been over to my partner's house a lot, and I met his cousin over a week ago. Why?” “I had Oliver in today and he informed me that he shared a substance from this container with you, is that correct?” Syd took out the container of protein powder and placed it on the edge of his desk.

Dax blinked and turned it around. “Yes, he let me try some. I was looking for a new protein powder. Why? Is there something wrong with it?” “Yes, unfortunately Mr. Larson was mistaken of its contents,” Sydryn explained. “The container has been misused to carry alien made contraband that is almost certainly the cause of your incident a week ago.” Dax stared at the container. “…That caused me to do all that?” Sydryn nodded slowly. “It belonged to and was created by one Bler 9 Tid, a Prilarian formerly acquainted with Jeffrey Matthews. It has the ability of altering one's internal anatomy to create a womb capable of bearing viable live offspring in persons without one. It also increases the consumers libido and hormone production, causing the consumer to go into a chemically induced oestrus. Tid gave the contraband to Matthews to be able to impregnate him.” Dax was still for a few moment, unsure what to say. Piecing the events together in his mind, it all started to make sense. “…So, you're saying that the ‘protein powder' I added to my smoothie that morning actually made me grow a uterus and put me in a manufactured heat?” “Correct.” “So…” Dax was still searching for what he wanted to say. “…I was in heat, I tried to have sex with my boyfriend and when that didn't work…I just went to the next closest guy I knew… And now what, are you saying I could be pregnant?” Sydryn exhaled. “Yes, that is why we need to draw blood again.” “What happened to the blood you drew last week?” Dax asked. “We only tested it to check your hormone levels,” Sydryn said. “Also, a pregnancy cannot be confirmed until the second week.” “But it's only been one week,” Dax pointed out. “Yes, I failed to add earlier that this contraband you consumed also doubles the speed of a human pregnancy,” Sydryn said. “One week for you is two weeks for a pregnancy, if an egg was successfully fertilised.” Dax put his head in his hands trying to process all this information. “…After all that…I could be pregnant…with Kent's child?” Sydryn uncrossed their legs and leaned forward to place a hand on Dax's shoulder. “I understand that this is a lot to take in. We cannot confirm a pregnancy yet until the results of a blood test, but we can confirm the formation of a uterus now with an ultrasound.” Dax took a deep breath. “...Okay. Do whatever you have to do, I guess... I need to know.” “When was the last time you ate or drank, by the way?” Sydryn asked. “I had water on the way down, but I haven't eaten anything since last night, at like 8pm,” Dax answered. “How much did you drink and have you urinated since drinking today?” “Uh, maybe half a litre? And no. Is that bad?” “No, a full bladder is ideal to lift the organ we are looking for. A full litre is ideal, but we should be fine. I will have to press which may cause some discomfort.” “Okay.” “Alright. Please lean back and lift you shirt. Unbutton your pants as well,” Sydryn directed as they got up to start the ultrasound machine. Dax did as instructed and they proceeded with the ultrasound. Syd was able to confirm the uterus as well as a thickening of the uterine lining. Afterwards, they drew a sample of Dax's blood. “It will take some time, but this has been prioritised so you should hear from me tonight or tomorrow,” Sydryn explained, as they put away the test tubes. “Do you have any questions for me?” “If I am pregnant, what do I do?” Dax said. “Can I even really have a baby? Like, carry to term?” “The research is new, however yourself and Jeffrey's family are not the first to have been exposed to this particular Prilarian contraband,” Sydryn stated. “So far, all who've taken it and carried out a pregnancy have carried healthily to term.” Dax blanched. “And if I don't want a baby?” “You have all the same options as any other pregnant person,” Sydryn said. “Since we have not confirmed a pregnancy as of yet, you should abstain from receiving unprotected anal penetration during intercourse. If you have done so within the last 72 hours, you can take a morning after pill.” “I haven't,” Dax said. “But will I have a uterus forever now?” “No, if you are not pregnant, it should pass within a month. The same would occur after a pregnancy,” Sydryn said. “We can go over the details of that later, once we have your results.” Dax nodded slowly. “Okay...” “Did you have a talk with the therapist like we discussed last time?” Syd asked. “No, not yet...” Sydryn woke up their computer. “Let's make you an appointment to come talk with me, how about that?” “Uh, sure,” Dax agreed, nodding. “Monday at 1pm?” Dax took out his phone out and opened his calendar. “Sounds good.” “I will be calling you as well as soon as I have a result for you,” Syd reminded, getting up. “How are you feeling? Do you think you'll be alright for now?” “Yeah, I'll be fine,” Dax assured getting up as well. “This is just...a lot to take in.” “I understand.” “Well, I wouldn't be surprised about Jeffrey, but his cousin,” Dax inquired as he started walking out. “Is he alright? I imagine he's been taking that stuff for a while without knowing...” “I can't share such information on my other patients,” Sydryn stated as they escorted him. “Ah, yeah... Maybe I'll try to contact them,” Dax said. “Nathan should have Jeffrey's number...” “I wouldn't stress yourself with their well-being for now,” Sydryn said. “You should take some time to yourself. Relax.” “I just, I don’t know if it's the teacher in me, but I worry about those kids,” Dax said. “I don’t know if you know, but I taught Jeffrey in high school. A good teacher cares about all their students.” Sydryn placed a hand on Dax's shoulder. “That is admirable, but he is not your student anymore. Neither of them are your responsibility.” “I know...” When they got to the lobby, Reid was sitting waiting for Dax. He got up as soon as he saw them. “So? How did it go? Is he dying, doc?” Sydryn furrowed their brow. “You're here for Dax?” “No, I thought I'd come in for a shift,” Reid said sarcastically. “Aye, I made sure to get him here in good time. We're friends now, you know.” Sydryn sighed. “We’ll have a talk about that later, but anyway, are you driving him home?” “Well actually, he drove us here,” Reid said. “Why? Should he not drive? I can drive if I have to. You didn't answer if he's dying or not.” “He's not dying,” Sydryn stated. “He can drive, but you, however, are not clear to drive yet.” “I'd like to talk about that, actually.” “Bring it up in our meeting on Monday,” Sydryn said turning to go back to the exam rooms. Reid patted Dax's back. “You alright? What'd Syd tell you?” Dax sighed. “I'll tell you on the drive back, alright?” “Sure, sure. Let's go then.”

[genderqueerwhohatesithere]

so i decided i want to be pregnant some day. obviously being trans masc, my options are limited so i’m going to do ivf and freeze my eggs as soon as possible. i requested an appointment consult. the egg freezing itself is 8k. the medicine is estimated to be about 5k. i’m going to finance it but it’s still a lot, and i need to figure out my credit score and if i need to get a credit card. there’s not many resources on trans pregnancy. there’s a few articles on success stories, and a new 2022 study showed that being on testosterone makes ovaries stiffer making it harder for eggs/viable eggs to be made. it’s been recommended for a while to freeze eggs before going on testosterone. i’ve already been on it a year, so i just want to do it as soon as possible. being young also gives me a better chance. if anyone knows of any resources i’d appreciate it. my cashapp is also $chamomileflowers if you’re able to donate anything id really really appreciate it. all of this is very scary and intimidating, but i want this. i really want this. i’ll post updates about it all.

[stellocchia]

Here’s an analysis of the “Tommy’s Plan To Kill Dream” stream (part 2)

Continuation of this here (though it really isn’t needed to read that one to read this as I will be recapping a bit as I go): https://stellocchia.tumblr.com/post/645995202162671616/heres-an-analysis-of-the-tommys-plan-to-kill

This is the less intense part of the stream. They already talked about their plans to kill Dream (well, Tommy’s plan that Tubbo is VERY reluctant about and Ranboo agrees with). We’re moving into the gathering resources for the surveilance post part now. 

As always moving forward I’ll be soley talking about the characters and, for the dialogue, this are the respective colors: Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo, Ghostbur.

Analysis under the cut as always

So let’s start off with the obvious: I absolutely love how protective Tubbo and Ranboo are of Tommy, I’m glad he has people who actually care in his life right now. We have various examples of this throughout the stream, but the first one is Tommy seeing a creeper, backing off immediatly (because of his hightened fear of pain, aslo known as algophobia apparently) and them immediately destroying the threat. Of course this is also because they don’t want Snowchester blown up, but it’s still sweet nonetheless. 

He also opens up about his algophobia right after to them and asks for some armour, which Tubbo actually provides.

“You’re wearing Dream’s armour, aren’t you Tubbo?” “Yeah” “Okay, I wouldn’t- I genuinely would advice not. Anything that that man’s fucking been too near you don’t wanna be using” Tommy’s fear of Dream by now is just all encompassing. It is also quite peculiar that he would say this while still using Dream’s trident (right? It’s still his right?), though that could simply be because he puts himself in the category of “things that have been too near Dream” by now and really can’t be affected more then he already has been, though this is just a theory. 

Same thing as with the creeper happens with a skeleton a couple minutes later.

“What happened? Holy crap” “Tubbo he beat me to death, he punched me to death” Bee duo starting to realize how serious Tommy’s situation is right after the scheleton encounter because Tommy was just genuinely panicking. 

“Pain it feels so much more real now, ‘cause I know what’s on the other side” “Surely doesn’t that give closure?” “No... no it gives quite the opposite Tubbo” And what a good choice that was narratively speaking! If death did give closure as us and the characters in the story themselves expected, with resurrection it would be meaningless. This way though, death has just as much narrative weight as if resurrection wasn’t there, which is what you want in a story. 

“On a side note for you two: Sam Nook great guy! Really lovely guy! Awesamdude is a bastard and does not deserve to be running that prison. If he let me die he failed his job” We can see that Tommy’s perception of the warden’s duty is strickingly different from Sam’s. To Tommy the top priority should be protecting others from Dream (even if it means compromising the security of the prison), while to Sam the top priority is keeping Dream locked up.

“My therapy update!” We all knew I had to include this one. It’s actually really great because: 

1) Him actually reacheing out to Puffy to get therapy means that he actually recognises that he needs help and is willing to ask for it, which is the first step towards healing

2) Him acting so happy about it is actually such a good message for the younger viewers to see that therapy is nothing to be afraid of and it’s not taboo

One more thing we had him wanting to remove his own statues as they’re a grim reminder of his death in a scene that is very similar to Tubbo on the 16th asking to remove the decorations of the day of his execution. 

“I don’t think it’s a particularly good idea to... try and kill Dream. I don’t know how canon lives work for you anymore, but I only got one left” As I pointed out in the other post the 2 main reasons why Tubbo is reluctant about the plan are that he’s on his last life and that he managed to build a life for himself with Snowchester and Ranboo that he doesn’t wanna loose. 

“Listen guys, I’ve experienced death now, it doesn’t matter how many lives I have left now, I’m NOT willing to go through that again” “Yeah that makes sense actually, that makes sense” This is an interesting question though of how many lives he re-acquired. We know Jack came back with 3 when he did it, but then again, normal rules don’t seem to apply to Jack Manifold. Also I wanted to include Ranboo’s quote there just because he’s literally been nothing but supportive and I love him for it. 

Also all 3 teens decide at once that ignoring the Egg will most definitely make the problem go away, because that has always worked in the past of course! (Also, honestly, good for them. Let the adults take care of something for once!)

“I’m not very god at smal- that’s not true” “Mhmm” “So eh... you guys heard The News?” “The news about what?” “The news about...?” “You know... what-what’s been happening...” “What’s been happening?” “About- about umm... George”  “About George? What happened with the Gogmeinster?” “Oh yeah, he got banned! Twice” “No no, he... he grew a third ear” “Really? Oh man!” “Oh yeah! I’ve seen a photo of that on instagram!” So, aside from this being so funny, the reason I’m highlighting it is because if there is one thing Tommy never struggled with in the past it was small talk. He could literally start blabbering with anyone about anything, no matter how dumb, with absolute confidence. Now he’s struggling with everything (both here and later in the Nether we have similar scenes for it). He is insecure about everything he says and socializing seems much harder for him. Regardless both Tubbo and Ranboo still go along with everything he says with absolute confidence, which seems to help him quite a bit. Considering that his biggest desire seems to be to be treated the same as he was before having them not pointing out his obvious insecurity (while still very obviously noticing it) is probably quite a big thing for him. 

“Why are Punz’s eyes red?” “Why? Oh- Where is Punz?” “Oh, that might mean we have to kill him, he might kill us on sight” “Yeah, he might try to kill you. Where are you Tommy by any me- where are you?” “Yeah, stay away from him” “No I can fucking take him man!” “No because you get scared of damage...” “Tommy... yeah” “I don’t get scared of damage!” “That’s not true” “Tommy where are you?” I loved this scene so much! Tommy didn’t actually even see Punz here, he only saw his face on the players tab, but the other two were immediately on the defensive. Also this is what I mean when I say that it’s not that they don’t acknowledge Tommy’s situation, they’re just trying to give him some normalcy, because, as soon as he is in any actual or perceived danger they’re immediately in high alert. 

“You’re like a living ghost” “I think that’s just called a human Tubbo” “You’re like a human” “That’s just called someone who is alive” “You’re treating me differently” So two things here: 

1) Tubbo still has a lot of confusion towards the whole revival process an that’s what he was trying to express. Ranboo was not particularly happy with his choice of words though and kinda got the defensive tone again

2) Tommy shuts down very fast any time any kind of change is mentioned. In this case the change being Tubbo’s perception of him.

That said they manage to recover the situation really fast with Ranboo making a comparison between Tommy and Jesus (they’re teenagers, what can I say?)

“Tubbo I feel like we’ve grown less close while I’ve been in prison and dead” “That’s ‘cause you’ve been gone for such a long time...” “Do you like me less?” “Nope!” “Well it feels like you do” “Well, that’s all in your head then!” “No” “Maybe you superpower is immagination” “Maybe my superpower is anxiety” Well Tommy, do my job for me, will you? But yes, these kind of thoughts (fretting about what others, especially your friends or family think of you) is extremely common for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders. Also what Tubbo did here was really important, even if it is the bare minimum, he still provided the ressurance his friend needed and that’s good of him. Also, while Tommy’s dependence on Tubbo does shine through quite a bit during this stream Tubbo does continuosly set up healthy boundaries for them (introducing and keeping firm on his relationship with Ranboo and admitting that they did grow apart a bit and he is still confused about Tommy for example), which is extremely good. Ranboo is also presenting himself as a viable option for emotional support, which will actually be good for Tommy in the future as this would mean breaking out of the habit that was ingrained in him of relying on one single person every time. 

“I’m not afraid of anything! The only thing I’m afraid of is, you know, waking up in the morning and...” “The- the thing your afraid of is waking up in the- are you alright? Are you- are you alright man? Are you good?” That’s concerning! But, again, very fitting with his newfound extreme anxiety he seems to be experiencing. Also ConcernedBoo, he just care about his friends and is worried. Pretty sure Tommy fits together with Michael and Tubbo in the circle of people he’s willing to protect.

Also, in case people were wondering, Ghostbur wasn’t handing out sugar because he was a fake Ghostbur, but just because Ranboo gave it to him and it was the only thing he had. Same goes for Tommy calling Ghostbur “Wilbur” and acting as if he was Alivebur and Ghostbur only correcting him after quite a while: it’s not because he’s fake, it’s because he gave permission to Tommy specifically to do so before. As I mentioned in the other post their relationship is complicated, but Ghostbur very much cares for Tommy a whole lot and he came back specifically because he heard Tommy needed help again, it’s not so weird he’d allow him to do stuff he doesn’t allow for others.

“Last time I spoke to you was like a few days ago...” Now, as some people pointed out this could simply be Ghostbur memory being sort of foggy and him not realizing how much time passed. But the OTHER theory is that he remembers talking to Phantommy (which we know happened thanks to Quackity’s lore, as they visited Glatt’s gym together). Honestly both are plausible (if the first one was true then meeting Phantommy may have simply made him upset and he could have forgotten about it, or perhaps he could have just forgotten that Tommy was dead). 

“Ghostbur do you want him (Wilbur) to come back? Because I- I don’t. I don’t think that I do ever” “It’s... I... umm, hm. The-the world needs structure and order and he- he was good at that. He did that-” “No. The world needs less villains and he was a villain if I’ve ever seen one” “But a- a villain is just- is- sometimes the line’s a little blurry. You could say a little blurry, a tiny bit, it’s like a- a villain it’s just a hero you haven’t convinced yet” Now, as much as I love Ghostbur he’s half wrong here. Let me explain: 

Simply put not all bad people can be redeemed for one thing (for example someone like Dream could never be redeemed because he hurt so many people in such horrible ways without ever regretting it), and secondly describing a villain as a “hero YOU HAVEN’T CONVINCED yet” puts the responsability of that persnon’s actions on their victims. As a matter of fact it’s most definitely NOT up to the ones who’ve been hurt to reabilitate the ones who hurt them (which is why Sam managing the prison now is considerable a conflict of interests). They shouldn’t even be forced to forgive that person if the person DOES change for the better. And here’s the crux of the issue: Wilbur hurt a LOT of people. He hurt Tubbo, he hurt Niki, he hurt Fundy, he hurt everyone who joined Pogtopia. And more then anything else he hurt Tommy. He was abusive and manipulative towards him and Tommy has every right to never forgive him. He has every right to be scared of him and regard him purely as a villain, because that’s what he was for him towards the end of his life. 

Ghostbur bringing him back in the hopes that he’s changed at all just means that, once again, the responsability of his possible reabilitation will be left entirely on the shoulders of the teens of the server and the same goes for if there is NO reabilitation. The destruction will, once more, be left for them to deal with. Tommy specifically will have one more person who abused him to deal with. Wether Wilbur will or will not ally himself with Dream doesn’t matter, because he was still a destructive individual on his own (despite of course being that way because of his own mental spiral, but that just makes him more sympathetic, it doesn’t justify his actions nor make them any less hurtful for those around him). 

Also Wilbur’s been dead for 10-12 years in Limbo time, I can’t imagine that doing wonders for his mental state...

There is a scene after that conversation where Tommy was talking about how being dead was, Tubbo asked a question about it and Tommy got upset. Of course the others got confused about his reactions since ha was already talking about, so, to clarify: the probable reason why anyone (aside from Ghostbur apparently) asking him questions about it upsets him is probably because of Dream. He mentioned multiple times now that Dream treating his death as a science experiment when he revived him was extremely traumatic for him. He hates the idea of being “just science” to the people around him. Ghostbur seem to be an exception to this, but that may be because Tommy seems predisposed to just trust Ghostbur more from an emotonal stand-point (perhaps because he reminds him of how Wilbur used to be before he spiraled). 

“I love monster energy” “Monster energy is kind of scary...” “Mhm, it’s for monsters...” Man the very low-key constant self-deprecation sure it’s kinda worrying... I really do hope that someone will help him with his very obvious sef-esteem issues at some point.

“He (Wilbur) spent a lot of time around a bad guy. He spent around a decade, you said, around Schlatt and Schlatt- Schlatt’s the bed guy, Right?” “I don’t think Schlatt’s the only bad guy” “Him and Eret are the bad guys, right?” Once again Ghostbur’s view of things is very naive and still very much stuck in the past. It’s been so long now since Eret betrayal, and they tried to redeem themselves since. Meanwhile it’s also been months since Schlatt died, and, even back when he was alive, he was far from being the only arguably bad person, Wilbur being right there along with him if we consider what his actions caused. And now we have Dream and the Egg, we have Quackity indulging in torture, we have the syndacate having a gestapo arc, we have Jack back on his goal of killing a teen. We can be sympathetic toward many of this people, but this doesn’t change the fact that they hurt others a lot or that their objectives or actions are objectively morally wrong in some cases. By now it’s honestly pretty hard to draw the line of who IS and ISN’T a bad guy.

“Cobble is GOOD, people don’t like it when I use cobble though...” Again, the usual self confidence is completely lacking. This is worse then post exile: back then he still had the full confidence to build an ugly cbblestone tower on Techno’s front lawn, now even using a bit of cobblestone makes him self-concious. 

Also apparently Sam instructed Sam Nook to keep Tommy specifically away from the prison for his own safety. Man’s still looking after him even if he probably won’t manage to do it directly for a while (at least until Tommy forgives him, if he does).

That’s pretty much it! It’s everything I’d consider important that I could find in the stream!

@mysweatymakerstudentworld

[avengerscompound]

The Surrogate - Chapter 8

The Surrogate:  A Clintasha Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Clint Barton x Natasha Romanoff x F!Reader

Word Count:  1789

Rating:  E

Warnings:  Pregnancy, talk of miscarriage, medical proceedures

Synopsis: A freak end of the world incident leads to meeting your two best friends, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff.  While your friendship with the two Avengers is anything but conventional, they are your all-time favorite people.  When you find out that Clint and Natasha want to start a family but have exhausted all their options, you realize your powerset might allow you to give them what they want.  Having your best friends’ baby might seem like a good idea on paper, but when you are as close as you, Clint, and Natasha are, will doing something so intimate mean feelings get a little mixed up?

Chapter 8

Everyone had told you there was nothing to worry about.  The embryo implantation was one of the easiest parts of the whole surrogacy process.  No harder than a pap smear and there was nothing you needed to really worry about doing differently.  You just had to wait and see if it worked.  Yet, as you say in the chair with your feet in stirrups and the doctor crouched between your legs you were filled with intense anxiety.

It was strange really.  Natasha seemed to have deployed the self-preservation technique of expecting the worst so she wouldn't be hurt when the worst happened. She'd gone in to have her eggs harvested saying there probably wouldn't be any.  When she was told they were happy with the number they harvested, she decided that none would become viable embryos and when she was told they had at least five good looking embryos to implant, she decided that none of the three they were using would take.  You assumed that if they did take she'd start saying there would be a miscarriage just to prepare herself for the potentially bad news.

Clint on the other hand seemed to be cheerily optimistic about it. You weren't sure if that was just his way of trying to balance Natasha out.  He had his moments where he was so sure it was going to work that he'd start freaking out about the idea of being anyone's dad that seemed genuine.  Otherwise, it did just seem like he was trying to get Natasha's head out of the dark cloud that was surrounding her.

You knew it was going to work.  It had to.  Everything made sense and this was going to happen and they were going to be parents and you were going to give that to them.  You knew it was the truth, right down to your core.  Yet, as you sat in the chair as vulnerable as you’ve ever been, you couldn’t help but think; what if you were wrong?

You clung to Natasha’s hand and she held it close to her chest as Clint stood with his arm wrapped around her waist, his eyes darting everywhere like he was trying not to look directly at your vag on display, as if he hadn’t been all up in it before.

“Okay,” the doctor said, pulling the catheter and then speculum out.  “All done.  You can get redressed.  You don’t have to do anything special today.  Take it easy but you shouldn’t just go home and get into bed. Get up.  Walk around.  Watch TV.  Use the bathroom if you need to.  Just no vigorous exercise.”

“Are you sure?  There’s nothing we can do to increase the odds?”  Clint asked.

She shook her head as she began to clean up.  “Now it’s just a waiting game.  But you’ll be back in two days for a blood test and we’ll know if it worked, so this stress of the unknown you’re all feeling will be over soon and you can hopefully have the stress of preparing for a baby instead.”

Clint laughed. “Yeah, that’s much better, isn’t it, Nat?”

Natasha forced a smile and you got up.  “Make an appointment for two weeks for a blood test and when we know the result we’ll work out what appointment to make next.”

“Will, do,”  Clint said.  “Thanks, doc.”

I went and redressed and met Clint and Natasha out in the waiting room.  “Alright?”  Clint said.

“Yep,” you agreed.

“We made an appointment for two weeks,” Natasha said.  The way she spoke was stiff and forced.  Almost as if she was afraid that saying too much would cause the embryos to fail their implantation.

“Great,” you said, with a nod.

Clint slung his arm around your shoulders and pulled Natasha close.  “Can I tell you both a secret?”  He whispered conspiratorially as the three of you headed out to the hospital parking lot.

“What is it?” You asked.

“I hate being the together one,” he said.  “Come on you two, let’s try not to think about it, and in two days we’ll know right?”

You nodded.  “I just… I know this is going to work.  This is what I do.  But if I’m wrong, I don’t want to hurt either of you.”

“Oh, babe,” Clint sighed.

Natasha stopped walking and stepped in front of you, she looked directly into your eyes.  The green of eyes seemed to pierce right into you.  “If this doesn’t work, it’s not your fault.  I’m not going to pretend it won’t hurt, because it will.  But I will always be grateful that you even gave it a go.  This is our only chance to have kids, and the fact you were willing to give it to us, however small it is, is the greatest gift anyone has ever given to me.”

By the time she had finished talking you were weeping.  She pulled you into her arms and you buried your face in her neck.  You felt an overwhelming urge to tell her you loved her but the fact you didn’t even know what that meant right now made you hold it back.  Maybe it was just that you loved her because she was your best friend, but the more time you spent with her and Clint the more you felt it wasn’t just friends.

“Alright,” Clint said, rubbing both of your backs.  “Let’s get easy-bake back home, we’ve got doctor's orders sloth happening.  We don’t want to waste it.”

You spent the next couple of days taking it easy.  You had taken the week off because of the doctor’s appointments taking up so much time.  So you just caught up with tv shows and ate food that was probably very bad for you.

Two days later Clint and Natasha took you in for the blood test, and then you just went back to work as usual.  Not that there was a lot going on.  There were a few agents out in deep cover and Steve and Tony had some appearances to make.  So for you, it was just honing your skills.

You were on the firing ranging trying to improve your accuracy with a handgun when you felt your phone vibrate.  You flicked the safety on your gun and holstered it before answering.  Unfortunately, the room was still full of the sound of gunfire and it wasn't until you got into the armory that you could hear the other person on the line.

“Shit, sorry,” you apologized.  “Noisy room.”

The woman on the other end told you she was from the doctor's office and confirmed it was you as you bounce nervously from foot to foot and went about the procedure for locking your weapon back up while juggling your phone.

“We have the results of your pregnancy test,” the woman said.

“Yes,” you replied.  “What…? Is it…?  Am I…?”

“The results are positive,” she said.  “Congratulations…”

The receptionist kept talking but you didn't hear anything past that point.  It was all white noise as your excitement took you over and all you could think about was putting the god damned gun away so you could tell your best friends they were going to be parents.

“Sorry,” you said, quickly.  “Sorry, what was that?”

“You were transferring your care to… Uh… The Avengers facility?” She repeated.

“Yes, right,” you said.  “In-house.”

“Okay, well we’ll forward all the records on to them.  You should have your first appointment in four weeks with an ultrasound.  Then they'll go from there.”

“Thank you,” you babbled.  “Yeah, thank you very much.  I'll go speak to them.”

“You're very welcome,” she said.  “Congratulations again.”

You disconnected the call and shoved your phone in your pocket as you hurriedly locked the gun back up and dashed out of the armory.

“FRIDAY,” you said as you sped out of the hallway and across the grounds.  “Where are Natasha and Clint?”

“Agent Barton is training behind building C with Miss Bishop,” the AI replied.  “And Agent Romanoff is in combat room three with Miss Maximoff.”

“Ah, shit,” you cursed, stopping dead in your tracks.  They were in two different directions and if you went and collected Clint before you went to get Natasha, which would be the most logical thing to do, he'd just bug you for the results the whole way.  “Tell them to come to the function room.”

You changed direction and headed to the main building.  The top floor was a function room that was primarily where parties were held and contained a full bar.  You took the elevator up and took out a bottle of champagne and hid it so it was sitting in the sink under a dish towel the foil already removed so you could easily pop the cork, and quickly poured yourself a drink that would look like a cocktail without being one using grenadine and orange juice.

You were sipping on the slightly too sweet drink when Natasha rushed into the room and stopped dead.  Her eyes darted from your face to the drink in your hand and her face fell.  Right away you regretted the ruse.  “No, no, no,” you babbled, putting the glass down.  Clint skidded into the room behind Natasha and stopped dead.

“What?  What's going on?  You got the results?”  He asked looking around the room for some clue as to whether you were pregnant or not.

“I did,” you said, quickly trying to waylay the sadness that had struck Natasha so suddenly.  “I am.  Pregnant that is.  You're going to be parents.”

“What?” Natasha said, blinking at you.  “But the drink…?”

“It's orange juice and grenadine,” you said, getting out the champagne from the sink.  “I got this out for the two of you to celebrate.”

“Oh my god!” Natasha exclaimed.  “You little… I'm gonna kill you!”

“After the baby’s born right?” You asked as she and Clint approached you.

“Immediately after,” she said, wrapping her arms around you and pulling you close.  Clint wrapped his arms around both of you and squeezed you both into a huge bearhug.

“Congratulations, guys,” you said, softly.  “You're gonna be parents.”

“Thank you,” Natasha whispered.

The three of you stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before slowly pulling apart.  Clint kept his hands on Natasha’s hips and you popped the cork on the champagne.  “You guys should celebrate.”

Natasha looked up into Clint’s blue eyes and smiled. “Hey, Nat,” Clint said.  “You're gonna be a mommy.”

Natasha made a soft sound and he leaned in and kissed her.  You grabbed two glasses and poured the drink.  Even though this was their moment and you planned to leave them to it, you couldn't remember ever feeling this happy before.

// NEXT

[moonflower-31]

I Won’t Forget You - Spencer Reid x Reader

Masterlist 

Part 17  

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader 

Warnings: Wounds, Blaming ones self, etc. 

Tags: @dra-reid, @eevee0722, @ceeellewrites, @anotherr-fine-mess, @ssahoodrathotchner, @egg-boy03, @helena-way07, @l0ve-0f-my-life~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The car stopped a few moments later, not giving any sort of indication as to where they were. Derek cursed softly, unable to tell where they were only by sight. He only knew they were somewhere in rural West Virginia. He had seen a sign near a fork in the road that showed him a town name he knew to be in West Virginia. So at least he knew there was civilization. 

"Out, both of you. And don't even think 'bout running." Peter scolded you. You had been silent the entire car ride, knowing what Peter planned to do with you before he could announce it. 

You got out of the car slowly, unable to convince your body to move any faster. Unfortunately, this message wasn't broadcasted to your captor, who put a stop to your 'laziness' quickly.  

Peter’s hand collided with your back and a fist gripped your hair by the roots, pulling your head back harshly. You would've normally loved having your hair pulled by a partner. But not him. Never him. 

"Faster, dammit! I don't have all damn day!" Peter scolded. You felt exhausted just from the verbal abuse. He finally let go, shoving you forward. Your door had already been open, so when he pushed you you fell from the car and landed in the gravel. A few stones dug into your palms and a few others into your arms and shins. 

"Great, see this is why you're such a damn cunt. You're useless unless it involves putting out. Such a damn whore." Peter gritted his teeth. 

Derek felt nauseous and disgusted by Peter’s actions, hurrying as fast as his knee would let him to your side once he was out of the car. 

A hand shoved him away, causing him to stumble. "Stay the fuck away from her. You aren't to touch her. Ever. Understand?" Peter hissed. Morgan felt bile building in his stomach. He had always dealt with guys like this in cases, but he'd never been a victim. He could completely empathize with the fear that they felt now. 

"L-leave him alone, Peter." You cough, spitting out a pebble that had entered your mouth. Peter growled and gripped Morgan’s shoulder tightly.  

"Or what? You fight back, I'll dislocate his shoulder. You run away, I kill him. I thought we went over the rules, pet?"

Peter sauntered over to you, and kicked your stomach, causing you to cough violently. "You shouldn't have left, pet. Then just maybe your brother would still be alive. Maybe you wouldn't be in pain right now. You'd have little ones to keep you company. But you left." Peter sneered, delivering another harsh kick to your abdomen, stepping on your chest when you landed on your back. You had blood on your cheeks and in the corner of your mouth from the abuse, feeling weaker with each kick. 

"Come on, (Y/N)! Don't worry about me dammit! Fight back!" Morgan called, finally freeing his hands from the knot he had been working to get off of his wrists. 

"Why don't you tell him why you won't fight back, hm? Tell him why even after learning to defend yourself in many different ways, you won't fight me?" Peter gritted his teeth, smirking down at your helpless form. 

You already had tears in your eyes. You knew he had to be lying about your brother. But even then, he was still in danger. Everyone you knew was in danger if you fought back. You coughed and looked over at Morgan weakly. 

"Because, everyone would get hurt. N-not just you. E-everyone…" you sputter. Morgan straightened his lips into a strained line, watching you helplessly. If he pursued Peter, he'd get another injury. Then what help would he be to you? 

"That's right. Now, mr. Derek Morgan. Why aren't you playing hero and knocking me out? Isn't that what ladies love? The hero?" Peter asks evilly. 

"D‐don't… don't answer… D-derek please-" you beg. Peter growled and pressed harder with his foot on your chest. 

"You don't speak unless spoken to, bitch." 

Peter turned his head and looked towards Morgan. He smirked and tossed him a ring of keys. "Since you have open hands, unlock that door over there. The dark wooden one." He demanded. 

Derek gripped the metal ring in his hands, glaring at Peter. "And say I don't?" He asks. 

Peter rolled his eyes and pulled out a gun from his back. "She dies. And then you do." Peter threatens, putting the gun barrel against your temple. You swallow and stare at Morgan, shaking your head gently. 

Morgan sighed and gripped the keys in his hands. He then wandered over to the cellar-like door and unlocked it once he found the right key. 

"There." Morgan deadpans, tossing them back to Peter in an attempt to avoid yet another conflict. 

Peter catches them in his hand, a dirty smile on his face. "Finally learning your place. It's about time, D." 

Derek fought off a growl. He hated that nickname. Anything Garcia came up with was fine. Hell, he'd accept Der. But not that. Never that. 

Peter pulled you up by your hair and shoved you forward. "Get inside. Now." 

Your head was tender now with how harshly he was gripping your hair. It almost felt like he was pulling your hair out. You bit back a whimper and got to your feet, barely able to see in front of you from all the previous abuse you endured. 

You entered the small cellar cut out of the mountain, finding the smell to be revolting. Whatever had been in here before you had died. And knowing Peter? They probably did. 

You entered and stood still, waiting for your next instruction. Morgan watched you with pity in his eyes, trying to refrain from speaking. 

"Go put those chains on her. Then put the other set on yourself." Peter growled into Morgan’s ear. Morgan felt his anger boiling hotter in his veins, but after what he had caused before, he wasn't going to risk it. 

Morgan entered the cellar and gripped your wrists. You gave him a reassuring look, and laid yourself onto the ground. You propped up against the rock, holding out your wrists for him. Morgan gritted his teeth and clamped the first shackle around your left wrist, soon repeating it with your right. 

"Good, now you do it yourself. I can't have you open to touching her." Peter sneered, pushing Morgan towards the right wall of the cellar. He was to your right, and you were to his left. But just far enough away that you could only reach up to his knee. His restraints were much tighter than yours, making you feel terrible. He didn't deserve to be involved in this because of you. 

Peter twirled the keys with his finger a few times before he put them on a hook. "I'll be back. Can't have the mother of my children starving, now can I?" He asks, glaring at you expectantly. You felt the pit in your stomach grow, but you didn't say anything. 

Peter turned around and exited the cellar, slamming the cellar door behind him. You jumped slightly and squeezed your eyes shut. 

Both of you stayed quiet for a good few minutes. The silence was unbearable, knowing so much about yourself was just revealed. You pulled your knees close and took a heavy sigh, knowing Derek would be asking questions soon. 

"Go ahead… ask away." You murmured, feeling exhausted and tired of staying awake. 

He took a few moments, but eventually asked "Are you okay?" 

You chuckle weakly, leaning your aching head against the harsh stone wall of the cellar. "That wasn't what I meant." 

"Well too bad, kid. But really, are you okay? He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?" Derek asked. You shook your head, never looking down from the ceiling as you let out a sarcastic and tired laugh. 

"My stalker just took you along with me when you have nothing to do with this. He just made you lock me up to try and get me to hate you, and he plans on trying to get me pregnant. Whether I want it or not. And knowing him he'll do it in front of you t-too." You whimper, your voice cracking as you squeeze your eyes shut and let yourself cry. 

"Kid… don't think like that. Without me you'd have to deal with this asshole all on your own. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him hurt you like that. I don't care if both of my legs get shot up." Morgan huffs. 

You let a small smile come onto your face. He was such a good friend. For him to not regret walking you to your car. For him to not want to leave you here. 

"Speaking of which, I should probably get that bullet out." 

"What? (Y/N) you heard him, kid. If I touch you he-" Morgan began. 

"He said if you touch me. He never said if I touched you." You insist and allow yourself to pull him slightly closer so you could treat his wound. 

Morgan stayed silent as he watched you, bracing himself for the pain. You looked up at him pitifully before you dug into his leg gently and pulled out the bullet that had thankfully not gone in too far. 

You looked up again, seeing Morgan’s grimace as he held his head against the wall. "There, I'm sorry. It was gonna hurt no matter what." 

"Don't apologize, dammit. It's that son of a bitch's fault for shooting me in the first place." He groaned in slight relief of his wound being empty. 

You shrugged off your jacket, ripping the sleeves to get it completely off of you. Morgan raised an eyebrow at you, but soon figured out what you were doing once you tore a sleeve off and wrapped it around his knee. 

"There. Just don't move it a ton." You advise, sighing gently as you backed yourself against the wall again. 

"Kid… we're gonna get out of here. Hotch, Prentiss, Reid, they're gonna find us. You know that pretty boy won't let you stay missing." Morgan chuckles somewhat. You appreciated the attempt at cheering you up, but at that moment, all you wanted was to sleep. Pass time until the devil came back and made you eat something probably packed with nutrition for a pregnant woman. 

"Derek… even then. He's gonna try in a couple days. A week at most. And he's gonna figure out I got an implant. Any pregnancy won't be viable." You alert him. "And once he does, he'll dig it out of me. And try again." 

Morgan stared at you in disbelief, unable to believe you'd know all of this was going to happen. "Wha-how-?" He began to ask. 

"You forget that I was 'engaged' to him for a year. I know him because he made me stay by his side almost 24/7. So I know how he thinks. How he behaves. And that he rarely ever lies." 

You sighed and laid a hand on your stomach. "And if he ever does, we're screwed."

○●♡●○ 

A few days later, they thankfully were getting somewhere. 

 "Hotch, do you have that list of his properties? I wanna go over them and put them in the geographical profile." Spencer urged. 

Hotch raised an eyebrow at the mention of his name and nodded. "Sure, I'll have Garcia print them out for you. Anything else you need?" 

"No, I plan on analyzing the letter again, trying to see if I can gather something from the way he writes, his grammar, how hard he presses on the paper-" 

"Understood, Reid. Get to it as soon as you can. But please, don't overwork yourself. You've been here since 4 this morning." Hotch warned. 

"I'm fine Hotch. Just trying to find them." He quickly answers, walking away from him and quickly heading towards Garcia's cave. 

If he were to tell the truth, he hadn't truly let himself rest. He hadn't so that he wouldn't wallow in the guilt he felt for your kidnapping. No matter how much JJ, Prentiss, Garcia, or even Hotch tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that had he not left without you, you would still be here. 

Spencer knocked on Garcia's door, taking a deep breath as he braced himself to face a very upset Garcia. 

The door swung open almost as soon as his first knock completed. Garcia looked up at him with worried eyes, almost on the brink of tears. "Please tell me you guys have a lead, because I am losing hope here and when I lose hope I eat ice cream and I can't do that here." 

"We don't know yet. But I was asking if you could print me that list of properties. And any clients of his that tried to sue him." Spencer asked. 

"What would that be for? He took (Y/N)!" Garcia asks. 

"I want to get a better understanding of what he's like. How he'll react to us going after him. I can't risk him hurting her because we made it overt that we were pursuing him." 

Garcia sighed and nodded. "Okay… I can get that for you. Just watch the printer and you'll find it." 

Spencer nodded and began to leave, turning around once more for a moment. 

"Garcia," he started. 

"Yes, Genius?" She asks with an exhausted sigh. 

"Do you… do you think you could open up her file?" 

"What do you mean?" Garcia asks. 

"I-I mean, maybe there's something there she… she forgot to tell me. Maybe I can find something there that tells me something about him." Spencer expressed. Garcia smiled gently at him and nodded. 

"I'll just add that to the print list and I'll get it to you as soon as I can. Godspeed. Now out before I cry at how pitiful you look." She says with a sad tone to her voice. She gestures and almost pushes him out, making him chuckle gently. 

Spencer shook his head and headed towards the printer to wait for his papers. 

○●♡●○ 

Spencer connected the properties, finding no real apparent pattern. He had already scoured over the letter a few dozen times, but was still waiting on your file. He circled an area in the middle of the map where Peter's main property was. That was the only thing he could find. None of these properties contained any sort of cellar or basement. Which was weird, considering the amount of money spent making these homes. Not even his own property had one. So none of the properties were viable to search. And they were all in a separate city and state entirely. Spencer realized he should have had Garcia narrow it down to Virginia properties. Or at the very least the tri state area. It had been a few days, and they had only received a location from Morgan’s phone once, and it proved them to be somewhere in-between Virginia and West Virginia. 

Spencer turned around and walked back over to the letter and tried to look over it again. Most of the language was possessive. He used plenty of 'me, my, mine,' and plenty of future tense. And the graphite was pressed into the paper pretty hard. So he was angry when he wrote this. 

Then his phone rang. Spencer widened his eyes and immediately answered it, hoping it to be one of the clients he had called. 

"Spencer?" 

Spencer was suddenly taken aback and found his concentration fall apart. "Mom?" He asks. 

"Spencer, how are you? I didn't expect you to answer my call this late." Diana asked. 

Spencer rubbed his face and felt an ache in his chest add to the rest of the weight he was carrying. "I… I'm fine Mom. Just… we have a really stressful case and I'm stuck on finding an answer." Spencer explained in as simple terms as he could. He suddenly realized why his mother was calling, and felt immediately guilty. 

"I'm so sorry about the letters. I would have sent them had this case not gotten so… personal." Spencer rubbed his forehead, suddenly feeling the weight of the bags of his eyes. 

"I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you that she wouldn't want you blaming yourself." Diana replied. 

Spencer widened his eyes for a moment and blinked a few times. "H-how did-" 

"Crash, you've never acted like this before, unless it was about a girl you said you liked. Which was rare. But I still remember when you said you liked that…What exactly was her name?" Diana asked. 

"I don't want to remember, Mom. She…" Spencer sighed. "There's just a lot of things I have to figure out. They're all relying on me. She's relying on me to find her. I just…" 

"Don't want to let her down?" Diana finishes. 

Spencer sighs. "Yeah." 

Spencer squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip, failing at his attempt not to cry. He wiped his eyes and inhaled sharply as he looked up. 

"Mom, I love her." 

Garcia walked into the room soon after, a grim look on her face. Spencer narrowed his eyebrows and looked up at her, mouthing 'What is it?' 

Garcia gave him a warning, uneasy look. Spencer sighed. 

"I actually gotta go. I'll call you when I get home." Spencer promised, letting his mother say goodbye before he hung up.  

"Did you get her file?" He asks, standing up and facing her. Garcia nodded wordlessly. Spencer tilted his head and looked at Garcia unsure. 

"Is there something in it I didn't know about?" He asks, looking at the manila folder in her hands. He stared at it, wondering what could be inside it that would make Garcia act like this. What terrible thing in your history would be that bad? He already knew the bad and the ugly, right?

Garcia took a deep breath. "Let's just say there's a lot to unpack in here. Like, a truckload. And not one bit of it is good." 

[storiesforallfandoms]

what if i can’t ~ machine gun kelly

word count: 1804

request?: yes!

“Hey! I love your writing could you do one with MGK where you’re trying for a baby with him but struggling to get pregnant and he’s super supportive?”

description: after struggling to get pregnant for some time, you start to worry that you may not be able to have kids and what that will mean for the future of your relationship, but your boyfriend is there to assure you

pairing: machine gun kelly x female!reader

warnings: swearing, mentions of infertility

masterlist

Colson and I sat on the bathroom floor as I watched the seconds tick away on the timer on my phone. Colson put a hand on my leg, drawing my attention to him.

“Watching the clock won’t make it go any faster,” he told me as he laced his fingers through mine. “You just have to have faith.”

“I’m starting to lose faith,” I sighed as I rested my head on his shoulder. “Babe, we’ve been trying for months and every time I take a test it comes out negative.”

Colson squeezed my hand tightly. “Well, they say when you give up is when it happens, so maybe this time is the time.”

I didn’t respond. I had very little faith in me being pregnant. There was just no signs of it happening; I wasn’t having morning sickness or strange cravings, I wasn’t feeling bloated (which many of my mommy friends have cited as their main tell for being pregnant), and my period wasn’t irregular, and hadn’t been irregular at all in the past few months.

I was starting to believe that I wasn’t meant to have kids, which was starting to worry me. Colson and I had decided months ago that we wanted to start a family of our own and had been trying ever since to no avail. If I couldn't have a kid, how would Colson react? I know he already had a daughter, but he was so excited for another baby, would he be upset if I couldn’t give him one?

My phone beeped, alerting us that the five minutes were up. I grabbed for the test so quickly that I fumbled and nearly dropped it. It took me a second to look at the results before throwing the test across the room in anger, hot tears forming in my eyes.

“Negative?” Colson asked.

“What the fuck do you think?” I snapped as I got up from the floor and stormed out of the bathroom.

I tried to combat my tears before they fell but it wasn’t easy. I was so frustrated. It felt like there was no use in trying anymore if the result was always going to be the same. It was becoming more and more evident that having a child of my own was not in my future.

Colson followed me into our bedroom as I threw myself onto our bed and buried my head in the pillows. We had tried so many times, there were so many nights where we declined the offer to go out with friends because I was supposed to be at my most fertile. I cut out all the foods and drinks that were supposed to be harmful to babies. I started working out and eating healthier, just to make sure my body was strong and healthy enough to hold a child.

Why did all of our efforts have to fail like this?

I felt the bed dip next to me as Colson sat down. He gently placed a hand on my back, rubbing it soothingly, as more tears fell from my eyes.

“It’s okay,” he said. I peaked up from the pillow to see he was laying next to me now. “We can go back to the doctor and see if there’s any treatments we can do, or any other options that might work. It’ll happen eventually.”

“But what if it doesn't?” I asked as I sat up. “What if the next visit to the doctor, we’re told that none of the treatments or options are viable because I can’t have kids? What if there’s something wrong with me that means I can’t get pregnant?”

“What if it’s me?” Colson responded. “It’s possible that it could go either way, but we can’t assume that’s the problem until we know for sure.”

I shook my head, more tears welling in my eyes. I wanted to stop crying, but I was so upset and frustrated, it was hard to stop.

“It can’t be you, you’ve already had a child,” I pointed out. “And we’ve tried everything, we’ve followed the advice from doctors and specialists and other professionals on the internet, we’ve been doing everything we’ve been told, following it all to a T. If I’m not pregnant, it’s probably because I can’t get pregnant. I can’t give us a baby.”

Colson wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I buried my head in his shoulder and started to cry, letting out all the frustration I had been holding in recently. I had been fearing for a while that the reality of our situation was that I couldn’t get pregnant.

At first, I thought we had just been having a hard time. I had plenty of friends, and had read plenty of stories, about couples trying to get pregnant and it taking some time. Some couples had even been trying for years and were on the verge of giving up when they finally learned they were pregnant. I knew it wasn’t impossible for it to just take some time until one of my eggs was fertilized.

But, as time went on, I began to grow more and more worried. We went to see doctors that confirmed that we were perfectly healthy and capable of having babies, and were given many options and talked to many times about ways to get pregnant. At this rate, I was sure I could go to school to become a pregnancy doctor and pass with flying colours with all that I knew. But still, despite everything we were doing, there was no pregnancy. Not even a sign that I could be pregnant.

Colson rubbed my back, soothingly, as he tried to reassure me, “It’ll all be okay. You’ll be okay, baby. People try for years for children, you can’t put yourself down after a few months.”

“What if it’s genetic?” I asked. “I have aunts that can’t have kids, what if it skipped mom and went to me instead? What if I can’t have a baby?”

“We’ll deal with that when and if the doctor tells us that it’s not possible. For now, we can’t just blame ourselves.”

He was so calm. I knew I should be grateful that he was, and that he wasn’t also taking part in blaming me, but part of me felt angry. I pushed him away from me, a little more violent than I meant, and got up off the bed.

“You don’t understand!” I snapped. “If I physically cannot have a baby, it means that I can’t give you another child! Do you really want to be with me if I can’t do that? Do you want to be with someone who can’t give you another baby?”

Colson stood and put his hands on my arms, forcing me to face him. “Is that what this is about? Do you think I’m going to leave you if you can’t get pregnant?”

I felt another lump in my throat, but I swallowed it and nodded instead of talking. Colson pulled me to him again and held me tightly.

“Baby, I’m not going to let something like not having a baby be the end of this relationship. I don’t care if we can’t have a baby that’s ours, I’ll gladly adopt a baby. Or we don’t have to have one at all. But I’m not going to break up with you if you can’t get pregnant. There are other options we can try.”

I looked up at Colson, my face drenched in tears yet again. “Really?”

He smiled and wiped my face with his thumbs. “I promise baby. If it’ll make you feel better, we can book you for a doctor’s appointment and see if there’s anything else that can be done.”

I nodded. “I’d like that, I just want to know for sure if there’s anything wrong with me.”

~~~~~~

A few days later, Colson and I sat in the doctor’s office, waiting for him to return with the results of the tests I had just taken. My legs were bouncing with anxiousness as we waited for the doctor to return. Unlike a few days before, Colson didn’t try to calm me down this time, as he was just as anxious as I was.

My heart began to beat a little faster as the doctor walked in with a clipboard in his hands. He pulled up a chair and sat across from us, scanning the clipboard. His prolonged silence made me even more anxious.

“Miss. (Y/L/N), if you don’t mind me asking, when was your last menstruation cycle?”

The question took me by surprise and I wasn’t sure if it should worry me or not that he asked. “Uh...like a little over a month ago I think.”

The doctor nodded. “And you said that the test you took a few days ago came back negative?”

My heart slowly began to sank as I solemnly nodded. Colson squeezed my hand to try and reassure me, but I knew whatever the doctor said next was not about to be good.

“Congratulations, Mr. Baker and Miss. (Y/L/N), you’re pregnant.”

I covered my mouth to stifle the scream of shock that came out. Colson was to his feet in seconds, lifting me up and hugging me tightly. He planted a deep kiss on my lips and for a second, both of us forgot that we were in a doctor’s office. It wasn’t until he laughed that we pulled away.

“But wait,” I said once Colson set me down. “The test came back as negative, and I haven’t had any other signs. How can that be right?”

“You’re in the very early stages,” the doctor explained. “Only a few weeks along. At this early on in the pregnancy, a false positive on a test is possible. If you test too soon after a missed menstruation cycle, there’s a high chance the test will come back negative. It’s why so many people might not think they’re pregnant after getting a negative on a test a day or two after they missed their period, only to find out a week later that they were actually pregnant.”

It was at that moment that I realized my period had been late, for the first time ever. I was so focused on hoping that I was pregnant that I didn’t even question how long it had been since my last period.

I turned to Colson, who’s smile mirrored mine. The doctor gave us some advice and booked us an appointment in a few months time to see how the baby was developing. Once we left the office, Colson took me in his arms again and kissed me deeply.

“We’re gonna have a baby,” he murmured against my lips.

“We’re gonna have a baby!” I repeated before kissing him again.

[thewritewolf]

Multiple Second Chances Chapter 1: Pranks

When something goes wrong with the miraculous of the main duo, they each choose a hero to take over for them while Marinette tries to make things right. Of course, with so many former heroes now compromised, they can't let old guardian rules drain their pool of heroes even more.

A Snekmouse story.

@adrinetteapril

First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Read on Ao3

“Hey, sugarcube!” Plagg said as he phased into the purse where Tikki was hiding.

“Plagg!” She hissed at him. “You aren’t supposed to be here! Go back to your chosen right now!”

“Yeah, yeah, in a minute,” Plagg said, irritably waving a paw at her as he peaked out. It quickly returned to clutching his prize.

“No not in a minute, right-” Tikki suddenly froze. “What are you holding?” Her voice became edged with panic. “What are you holding?”

“What, this?” Plagg hefted the black orb he held. To a human eye, it would look like nothing more than a black pearl. But to a kwami? They could see the rolling clouds of crackling dark energy in it. “Just a little gift for a too-handsy little snake.”

“Get rid of it! That can cause some serious damage in the wrong hands!”

“Relax, sugarcube,” Plagg said, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t charge it that much. Just enough for some bad luck and maybe some illnesses. Real ones, to go along with her many fake ones.” His ears twitched as he sensed a good opportunity to cross the room. The moment he tried, he was pulled back. He looked around to see Tikki grabbing at his orb.

“While I agree she isn’t good, this is too far! And you might endanger our chosen with this recklessness. Not to mention their identities!”

“Then it's a good thing I wasn’t asking for your permission!” Plagg tugged at his pearl, but Tikki refused to let go. Being the ancient being of immense cosmic strength he was, he did what came naturally - he pulled back even harder. “Gimmie my ball!”

“No!”

“Spoilsport!”

“Instigator!”

As they each drew on more of their energy, the orb - fragile enough already - began to crack. White energy, no doubt Tikki’s doing, poured out.

The orb shattered, driving them into opposite corners of the purse.

“See what you-” Plagg coughed. “See what you did?”

“Me?! You- You’re the…” Tikki trailed off as she rubbed at her forehead, whimpering. “I don’t feel great…”

Plagg couldn’t reply, all his attention focused on gripping his stomach and trying not to be sick. Outside the purse, there was a commotion and Plagg slinked away into his chosen’s bag just before the class emptied.

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

Adrien wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but after what had sounded like a small explosion, the room had filled with a horrible stench that had effectively canceled their Physics lessons for the day. And since that was his last class of the day, Adrien quickly found himself back in his room.

“That was super weird.” Adrien set down his messenger bag and opened it. “Any idea what it could have been, Plagg?” His heart dropped when he found his kwami curled up into a ball, shivering. “Plagg!” He gently grabbed his kwami and held him in his palm. “What’s the matter?”

“Blegh…” Plagg opened an eye and looked at him. “I, uh, I won’t bore you with the details but you’d better transform. Ladybug will be looking for you.”

“Wh- Huh?” Adrien frowned. “Are you sure? Will you be alright?”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry, pigtails has a good head on her shoulders. She’ll know what to do.” Plagg gagged, his fur standing on end. “Or at least she’ll be able to figure it out with all those musty old Guardian books around.”

“If you say so… Plagg, claws out!”

Something immediately felt off. Besides being more than a little nauseous, he didn’t feel as strong as he usually did. But there was something that he couldn’t quite define that wasn’t right about this either. It was almost like there was something heavy in his gut, like a stone. Shaking it off, he got ready to leave.

After locking his door and turning on a piano recording, Chat Noir slipped out of his bedroom window and began running over rooftops. Just like Plagg had said, it wasn’t long before Ladybug was calling him. He answered quickly.

“Hey bugaboo.” With Plagg’s health on the line, he got straight to the point. “My kwami said you might know what to do?”

Ladybug bit her lip, a sure sign of worry. “I do, but I don’t like it. We’ll talk about it in person. Meet me here.”

Her face was replaced with a map of Paris, a blinking red dot showing her location. He raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t any of their usual haunts - the top of the Eiffel Tower, the spires of Notre Dame, any number of rooftops across the city. Instead, it was a garden filled with hedges. With how early into spring they were, they weren’t likely to see many civilians around, but still. He had a bad feeling about this, but followed her dot anyway.

“M’lady,” he said with a bow as he landed beside her. “What’s the news?”

“Plagg is sick, right?” Chat blinked in surprise but nodded. “My kwami is too. This isn’t the first time she’s gotten sick but, well…” Ladybug began pacing. When she started talking it was like a dam breaking down and everything came flooding out at once. “Last time I had Master Fu, but now we don’t have Master Fu and he was supposed to teach me everything but then, you know, and now he’s gone and I have his notes but I might be able to decipher them but I don’t know if I can do it and I-”

“My lady.” Chat caught her shoulders and stopped her in her tracks. “Take a breath, please. Okay? You can do this. If there is an answer to be found, you’re the one that can do it.”

To his surprise, Ladybug wrapped him in a hug. “Thanks, chaton.”

“No problem, bugaboo. Now,” he said, “is there anything else I can do to help? I want Plagg to be better as soon as possible. Plus, I don’t know how well I can fight feeling this weak.”

“About that…” She stepped away and pulled out an egg shaped item and opened it. Chat’s eyes widened as he saw all the miraculous ever seen fight alongside him. His wonder turned to dismay when he looked up to see sorrow in her eyes. “We’re going to have to take a break, kitty. Plagg and Tikki can’t get any better unless they get some rest.”

“You… want to take my miraculous?” A pit of dread opened up in his stomach. “But-”

“I know, and I’m sorry. But I promise it’s only temporary! I’ll even let you pick your… the person who will be filling in for you.”

“Okay…” That was something, at least. “So what miraculous would I be handing out?”

“I’ve actually given that some thought,” Ladybug said as she sat down. Chat followed her lead and watched as she sat the miracle box on the ground between them. “So the main issue to us taking a break is that we have to purify akuma, right?”

“Right. That’s why Master Fu brought out the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous in the first place, right?”

“Exactly! Now, I was doing some research and found out that the Yang-aligned zodiac miraculous can also purify corruption.”

“So…” Chat screwed his eyes shut as he struggled to remember his Chinese lessons. “Monkey, Tiger, Dog, Dragon, Horse, and… Rat?”

“Well, in our case the Mouse. Very good!” Ladybug smiled and Chat’s heart skipped a beat. “So those six miraculous could replace me. Well, mostly.”

“First, no one could ever replace you,” Chat said firmly. “But what do you mean ‘mostly’?”

“Only the Ladybug has access to the Cure. Which is why I think this one,” Ladybug pulled out the Snake miraculous, “would be the perfect choice to pair with one of the others.”

“The Snake?”

“Yes. It’d be the best way to reduce collateral damage until we can get the Cure back. If worst comes to worst, I can transform, but we have to avoid it whenever possible so Tikki can recover.”

“Smart as usual, m’lady. Who do you plan on giving it to?”

“Chat,” she chided. “You know I can’t tell you that.” She clapped. “Now, I know I usually choose all the new heroes, but given the circumstances, I’ll let you pick the other.”

Chat perked up a little and looked very carefully at the six miraculous. He had never seen the Tiger or the Dog in action and ruled them out. Monkey? Helpful, but too random. Horse? Too situational. Dragon? Maybe. But then he saw the Mouse and remembered the last wielder of that miraculous. He grinned as he picked it from the rest.

Marinette would be perfect! She was smart, just like Ladybug so she could definitely help take the lead. Not to mention Multimouse made for an excellent hero. He wasn’t super certain on how viable that powerset would be, but knowing Marinette, she’d find a way to make it work.

“The Mouse?” Ladybug said with a little confusion as he slipped the necklace into his pocket. “Not the one I was thinking you’d pick, but it’ll work just as well as the others.” She pulled the bracelet out and stashed it in her yoyo. “We’ll meet up tomorrow evening so you can give me your miraculous.”

Chat Noir smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Careful, you’re sounding like Hawkmoth.”

She rolled her eyes and gently punched his shoulder. “Go home, Chat.”

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

Naturally, Chat Noir did not go home. After all, his mind was already made up on who he wanted to give the Mouse miraculous to. Pulling his civilian phone out of his pocket, he sent a text to Marinette and asked about homework. Once she responded, he knew she’d be home. Hopefully alone in her room.

It took longer than he thought it would, but after a few minutes Marinette responded and Chat Noir went on the prowl. He couldn’t see much as he looked in from afar, but what he could tell was that there wasn’t anyone else in her room as she paced it frantically. In a few heartbeats, he had crossed the distance and landed on her balcony. His cat ears twitched as he heard her talking to herself.

He crouched down and knocked on her skylight and sat down while he waited.

The trapdoor opened just a crack. Blue eyes peering up at him, first curiously, then in shock.

“Chat Noir?!”

He bowed his head. “The one and only!”

“What- Why are you-”

“Can I come in?”

“I- Sure?”

Marinette opened the trapdoor completely and he slid inside, landing on the floor of her bedroom.

“So, um what can I-” Marinette was cut off when he pulled out the little box holding the miraculous. “No…”

“I, uh,” Chat Noir rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Sorry, I know Ladybug has a whole little speech, but I’ve never heard it in person.” A lie, but he wasn’t about to admit he had been so caught up in Ladybug’s eyes that he hadn’t committed her speech to memory. “I’m sure she told you it when you got picked to be Multimouse last time, but…”

“Chat, I can’t be-”

“I know, you’re worried about the identity thing,” Chat said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It really wasn’t a big deal that I found out. I’m surprised Ladybug took your miraculous over it, but I know that you’re more than up to the task. You’re smart, you’re brave, and you made a great hero!”

She looked between him and the box. While she was clearly torn, it was also very clear that she had been touched by his praise. Slowly, she took the box from his hands.

“I… accept.”

“Good. Let me fill you in on everything that’s going down. Or, at least as much as I’m allowed to tell you.”

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

Several hours later, Adrien was back in his room, playing the piano for real this time. It wasn’t his usual arrangement, but rather a jaunty ragtime tune, the kind that he knew Plagg liked. His kwami was resting in his favorite trash can, the last time he’d do so for who knows how long.

The prospect of not being a superhero weighed heavily on Adrien. What if he never got to become Chat Noir again, and he was shoved back into his regimented life with no hope of escape? What if Multimouse and his replacement were too good and Ladybug decided that he didn’t need to come back?

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. Ladybug cared about him, she’d never just abandon him. And he had meant every word he’d said to her - he knew that if anyone could heal the kwami, it was her.

But still the lingering fears remained…

At least until he heard a knock on his window. Framed against the dying light of the setting sun was Ladybug holding onto the string of her yoyo, face pressed close to the glass as she tried to look inside. His heart began beating a million kilometers an hour as he jumped up from his seat, nearly falling flat on his face as he rushed to open the window.

“L-ladybug!” He said, poking his head out the window. “What, um, what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry to ask you this, given how awful your previous experience with this miraculous was, but…” Ladybug pulled out a black box with red markings and presented it to him. “Adrien Agreste, here is the miraculous of the Snake, which grants the power of Second Chance. You will use it for the greater good.”

“I accept!” He eagerly took the Snake miraculous. The excitement of being a hero became tinged with fear. “...Are you sure, though?” He frowned. “I kind of made a mess of it less time…”

Ladybug smiled warmly at Adrien. “It showed that you have determination. Not many people would be able to go that long trying to make things work. It also shows you are patient.” She took his free hand and set it over the miraculous. “Plus we both know how kind and caring you are. Perfect traits for a hero.”

“And what about Luka?”

“Hawkmoth knows his identity,” Ladybug said with a shrug. “Besides, I know you have the makings of an excellent hero. Now,” she said, moving past him to sit on the edge of his bed. “Let me tell you why we need you…”

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

The following day came far too swiftly. After giving Plagg all the hugs the kwami would allow, Adrien had transformed to meet up with Ladybug. He must have looked like a mess since her blue eyes softened immediately when he landed, and in a moment her hand was cupping his cheek.

“I’m sorry, kitty. I know how much this all means to you, but I promise you’ll be back in the cat suit before long.”

He sniffled and put a hand over hers. “I’ll miss you.”

She got a thoughtful look in her eye and looked away. He let her hand slide off his face, where it took up position cupping her chin.

“You know… we could still keep in contact.”

“How?”

“Master Fu had a dropbox that he prepaid a couple years in advance. We could leave letters there for each other, if we’re really missing each other.”

Chat perked up. “Really?”

“Mhm,” Ladybug hummed. She reached into her yoyo. “Here, you can have the spare key. It should have the location written on it.” She closed her eyes and turned around. “Detransform, hand me your miraculous and I’ll leave a letter when I’m done.”

“Right. Claws in.” Adrien gave one last sad look to Plagg before he took off the miraculous and he vanished. He pressed the ring into Ladybug’s hand. “See you soon, m’lady.”

“We’ll be back before you know it, chaton.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Adrien said. He ran away until he was out of the gardens before slipping on the Snake miraculous. In a ball of green light, a new kwami appeared. “Hey, Sass. Miss me?”

[lia-jones]

Growing Together - Chapter Seven - Storms and Earthquakes

Author’s Note: A special thank you to @aim170, for the beautiful quote. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruits in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1:3

Victor had heard many life stories filled with hardship and sorrow that usually ended with the protagonist rising above it all. He had heard more than he could count, but the one that warmed his heart the most was the one of the woman with whom he was sharing a bed.

He had said it before, and he would say it again: Andrea was a tree. He hadn’t seen the abuse, but he had witnessed her valiantly take everything that made her life ugly and turn it into beauty with love, perseverance and a touch of stubbornness. He watched her as she faced all the seasons, with courage and faith, and he was the one that sat beneath her luscious branches and ate from her fruit, proud to see her still standing tall, even after the wind, rain, and snow.

For that, and so much more, he loved her. There was nothing he wouldn’t in the name of love. And this was important to her. This was her lifelong dream, the thing she wanted the most, so he would give it to her. He wanted nothing more than to see his tree grow, thicken her trunk and stretch her branches to the sky, embellishing the landscape with her vibrant leaves and beautiful flowers.

When she mentioned the fertility clinic in Switzerland, he carefully read every piece of literature she provided, along with the information obtained by his private investigators. She led him to that doctor’s office and he gladly followed, with a patient smile on his face, open-minded and cooperative, even though his heart was filled with worry.

He listened to the doctor explain how Andrea would receive newly developed hormonal shots to stimulate ovulation, and how her eggs would be fertilized and inserted inside a surrogate womb. That woman would stay under the clinic’s care, and they would be informed of every step in their child’s growth and health. Victor had already prepared a set of questions to ask the doctor, and he posed every single one of them and remained receptive, although surrogacy was something that made him extremely uneasy.

When the doctor left them to discuss their options, Andrea looking at him with pleading eyes, Victor had no choice but to hold her lovingly and kiss her. He walked into that room filled with distasteful porn magazines and ignored them, making love to his wife in his mind instead. She didn’t even need to make her case, she had already won.

The first injection barely had any consequences. Andrea spent the majority of the first day sleeping, probably due to jet lag as well, only mentioning some mild nausea. After the second injection, however, Andrea’s health took a turn for the worse. Victor found her kneeling by the toilet late that night, heaving painfully, her face swollen due to the effort. Her body soon followed, to the point where Andrea found it hard to button her pants or even walk, due to her swollen feet.

Victor brought her every kind of meal he could think of, in hopes of finding something that she could keep in her stomach, only to see her run to the bathroom minutes later to empty it. While she slept, the only thing that seemed to bring her any kind of comfort, Victor would call the doctor, worried that, in the attempt of creating life, Andrea was actually killing herself.

Every night, every single night, he would ask her if she wanted to quit the treatment and fly home. Every single time he would tell her he loved her, that she was all he needed, that their life of two was already more than he ever imagined for himself. He would try to talk her out of it, saying that he didn’t like seeing her make herself sick like that, that he wanted nothing more than his wife happy and healthy. And every time she would put on a strong face, tell him it was not that bad, that she wanted to keep trying. Victor found himself with no choice but to kiss her forehead, secretly checking for fever, only to tell her to get ready for another injection. He would clench his shaking hand to steady it, torn between the feeling that he was helping her make her dream come true and simultaneously making her sick.

The day after the last injection she started eating again, preparing herself for the next phase. The color returned to her cheeks, as well as some of her energy. That allowed Victor to feel some relief, even though the concern never went away. The first battle was over, but the war was yet to be won.

He held her hand lovingly as the medical staff put her under anesthesia, promising her that his would be the last face she would see as she fell asleep, and the first one when she woke up. He never left her side. He witnessed the doctors take from her eight eggs, the seeds that would make one baby hers, and take them to the laboratory for fertilization. He stroked her curls as she slept off the medicine, knowing she would wake up with anxious eyes and a heart full of questions. He would be prepared for all of them, and he would soothe any worry in her heart. The ground was shaking violently under his tree, making her shake due to the consequences of abuse, so he would keep her rooted.

Victor watched as her eyelids fluttered open, a groggy look on her face. His face was the first thing she saw. And his hand on hers was the first thing she felt. He gave her a soft smile.

“When are we starting?” She was still half-asleep. Victor chuckled at his sleepyhead of a wife.

“It’s already finished.” His hand caressed her face, like he could remove the remnants of the drug-induced sleep. “It went very well. They collected eight eggs.”

Andrea started to fidget. Victor’s hand rested on her chest, steadying her.

“Are you in pain? The doctors said you could experience some soreness or cramps.”

“I’m fine, I just need some help sitting.” Victor’s hands immediately rested on her waist and back, supporting her as she tried to sit up. “They just collected eight? They said fifteen was the go-to number.”

“It’s an estimate, they don’t need fifteen eggs. They just need one good egg.” Victor squeezed her hand lovingly. “They are on fertilization as we speak.”

“So it went well? We are going to have a baby?” Her eyes filled with tears. “Is this really happening?”

“It appears so.” Victor smiled, trying to hide his concern.

In all honesty, he should have told her that she should wait, she shouldn’t hope this much, this battle wasn’t over, they weren’t winners yet. But that was the grey, dark, cynical part of him, which used to be all of him before she came into his life. When she did come, she filled his life with sunshine, flowers, branches heavy with leaves, the cool shade for his aching heart, so much in need of a place to rest. He couldn’t repay her with shades of grey when she needed light. So he allowed her to hope, a bit selfishly, because her colors made his colors so much more vibrant, the world becoming a better place when she had a smile on her face and hope in her eyes.

So he wiped away her happy tears and allowed himself to laugh with her, feeling his heart also becoming lighter. That was the power of her smile.

Unfortunately, her happiness would be short-lived. The doctor appeared shortly after, a grim look on his face, making Andrea’s smile fade instantly. Victor took her hand again, offering her his strength.

“Is something wrong?” Andrea questioned before Victor could, and he could swear he felt something shaking in her core.

“I’m just returning from the laboratory.” The doctor explained. “The procedure was a success, however, upon more thorough analysis, we came to conclude the eggs aren’t healthy enough to undergo fertilization.”

There was a long pause. Victor and the doctor were expecting Andrea’s reaction.

“Well, ok.” She nodded after a long deep breath. “We’ll try again, then. We can return next month and-”

“Mrs. Lee.” The doctor interrupted her, and Andrea drew in a ragged breath. “I am so very sorry to tell you this, but despite our previous assessment, your ovaries may not be as healthy as we thought. If we stimulate ovulation again, there is no guarantee that the next eggs will be viable, and doing so could lead to dire consequences to your health. I can’t in good conscience advise that.”

Again, the room fell silent. Andrea’s eyes focused on the comforter covering her legs and she remained still, reactionless. It was Victor that broke the silence.

“Thank you, doctor. My wife and I will reassess our situation and figure out the next course of action.” He looked at her, hoping for her to return his gaze. She didn’t. “She may be released today?”

“Yes, she will be more comfortable at home. I’ll come back in an hour with her release papers and to perform a final examination.”

Finally alone, Victor waited patiently for her to speak. She seemed to be taking a long time forming the words, her eyes watering, sadness seemingly building a deep pit inside her, and she was falling. He took her chin in his hand and made her face him, letting her know he was there, he wouldn’t let her fall.

“We can get an egg donor.” She finally surfaced from her thoughts. “I don’t care if it doesn’t have my DNA, it will still-”

“No.” Victor stopped her.

“Victor, we-”

“No.” He reinforced. “Either it’s from both of us, or it won’t happen.”

“Didn’t you hear the doctor? Mine aren’t...” Her voice failed. He hated to be the one giving the final blow that would crush her dream, but he wouldn’t want a child from another woman. Andrea was the woman he loved.

“Andy…” His voice was soft. “It’s over.” Victor’s heart broke as he spoke the words. He hated to be the one giving the final blow that would crush her dream, but he wouldn’t want a child from another woman. Andrea was the woman he loved.

“That’s it?” She looked down, her brows furrowing in disbelief. “We lost?”

“I’m sorry.” He wiped one of the tears that fell. He hated to see her cry. He wanted to give her everything she could possibly dream of, but it was painstakingly obvious that somethings can’t be bought.

“I should be the one apologizing.” Her voice trembled once more. “I’m the one with a broken body, I’m the one who can’t conceive a child.”

Victor pulled her closer to him. Andrea quickly broke the embrace.

“A hug won’t help. It won’t change the fact that I’m malfunctioning. It won’t ease the fact that I’m a disgrace of a woman, of a wife, I can’t give you a family. And it’s just so unfair!” She smacked the comforter in rage. “I don’t get it, women get pregnant all the time without even wanting to. Why can’t I? Why, Victor?” She turned to him, her eyes full of pain.

“Andy…” He tried to caress her, only to have her evade his touch.

“No! I don’t need comforting, I need answers!” She yelled at him, her emotions out of control. “I want to know, if there is a God, why would he do this to me! Why does he think that it’s fair that some women give their kids away or mistreat them, and I have to suffer through this! We would be such great parents; we have so much love to give, we have the means, the education, everything to make it work. You would be such a great father, we could be such a happy tight family, and I WANT IT SO FREAKING BAD, WHY CAN’T IT HAPPEN?”

The ground was shaking harder, stones coming to surface, her core shaking violently, and all Victor could do was watch. He could hear the storm rumbling inside her chest, the heavy rain taking away the ground, leaving her roots exposed. For a moment, he didn’t know how to stop it.

“This is all my fault! I let that asshole into my life, let him beat me into a worthless piece of crap, who can’t do something as simple as PRODUCE ONE SIMPLE DAMN GOOD EGG, LET ALONE BEAR A CHILD!”

Victor couldn’t stand it anymore. Pulling her towards him quite forcefully, he buried her face in his chest, holding tight to his tree. He would not let her roots be released from the earth. He wouldn’t let her topple over. He would face the storm with her. She wasn’t alone.

“Enough of that!” He commanded the storm. “I understand you are hurting, that you are disappointed, but you are never to speak about yourself in that manner again, do you understand me?” His voice spoke powerful and low in her ear, perhaps a little more sternly than he intended. “You are the most amazing woman I have met in my life; you are so far from being worthless. And you are not a disgraceful wife, you purposefully made yourself sick so I could have a chance at becoming a father. I’ve never had anyone in my life go to such lengths for me, ever! It’s only fair that you are sad, more than legitimate to be angry, but not at yourself, do you hear me?” He pushed her shoulders back and leaned his forehead against her, making her face him. “I understand that you feel like throwing punches, and the world does deserve some of them, but never at yourself! Am I clear?”

Her body shook with sobs, and she finally let herself be properly held. Victor kept her pressed to him,  so close that for a moment he feared she would suffocate. He could feel the rain beating hard against her now naked roots, threatening to wash her away, as the earth broke beneath her. He wouldn’t let it happen. They would weather the storm together; he would allow no rain, thunder or lightning to ruin the most beautiful thing in his world. And at that moment, he too became a tree, and he buried his roots deep in the ground, entangling them with hers.

[galenfm]

          ·ﾟ☀ i am already so tired of myself and i have class soon aGAIN ........ ugh well again , i am teddy , a she / her pronoun user and current mun to two muses in this delightful shining star of a group ! i now present galen , my newest gaming gf creation who just wants everyone to fucking include each other ! my preferred plotting method is via discord over at 𝐤𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 !#6439 , i’ll make a plotting call there and i’ll reach out to everyone who likes this !

      *       read   all   about   galen sorenson ,   otherwise   affectionately  nicknamed   the champ.   the   twenty - one  year  old  gamer  and  blossoming  actress  is   widely   known   for   being   uninhibited,   magnanimous,   self - deprecating,   capricious   and   recently   made   headlines   when   they   allegedly   dropped a sponsor due to their support of autism speaks .   apparently   judas   claims   to   be   sitting   on   an   even   bigger  story   involving   them   -   whatever   the   truth   may   be,   i'm   sure   it   won't   stay   hidden   for   long.   &    a screaming laugh following a jumpscare waking the whole house , overthinking an interaction hours after it’s passed , a childhood spent begging to be read the ugly duckling and lingering on every word , neurodiversity stickers pasted all over a gaming pc. ◜   ⭒  ic:   alisha boe.   cis woman.   she / her.    

BIO : mohammed and karina sorenson have never been a conventional pair . to start , they meet when he , the biggest male model of the 80′s , is hired to walk for her winter collection , being one of europe’s top knitwear designers who never seems to go out of style . he’s eccentric and as magnetic as can be , she’s demure and has never said a word regarding anything but her work . they don’t make sense , but they’re married two years in secret before finally making their relationship known . mohammed , progressive and independent minded despite his traditional somali family , takes her last name and relocates to norway , where karina gives birth to a stunning baby girl that steals the hearts of the eu as the tabloids go crazy over her . 

elissa is nearly 18 when her mother has the news to shock a nation : she’s miraculously pregnant , once more , far enough along that she intends to keep the baby despite both her and mohammed being into their 40′s . karina , having named their first baby , gives the reigns over to mo for their second child , but isn’t too happy with his pick

galen literally translates to mad , to incorrect , she argues , elissa firmly on her side

it gives her a chance to choose her own path . it gives her something to make for herself , mohammed counters , and that ends that .

galen is born in olso and is every bit as precious as her sister , now old enough to even potentially be her mother . her parents , busy with their ventures but over the moon to have a new baby in the house , raise her for her first few years in a small norwegian town to shield her from the prying eyes of the public

mohammed is first to notice that she doesn’t respond to her name or seem interested in looking at him , keeping her focus on whatever toy catches her eye for the day . he and karina write it off when she doesn’t hit her talking milestones or hold crayons the way other toddlers do , or figure she’s just an introvert when her preschool teacher mentions she doesn’t enjoy playing with the other kids during free time

they can’t ignore it any longer when she hits grade school , instantly falling behind with the rigorous private school pace and eventually warranting a visit from the school psychologist . she remembers the worry that paints her parents weathered faces when , at six years old , she’s given a laundry list of diagnoses and recommended for “ alternate ” schooling

something about the way her teachers treat her , so broken and unworthy of respect , makes her shut down , regressing with any progress she had shown and really refusing to cooperate with most adults she comes by . elissa is a budding starlet taking weekends off from film roles to spend time with her little sister , knowing that behind the quiet dark eyes of the child who wouldn’t look at you was a bright mind teeming with unsaid thoughts

her parents go to all ends to hire her private tutors and special therapists , which help her keep up at grade level . she’s in middle school when her science teacher , noting galen’s aptitude on exams and incredible recall , says she may fare better in an american school , recommending one he knows will accept a prestigious line such as the sorensons . 

she moves to pennsylvania at 12 and the change is hard . she again regresses and suffers at the hands of her peers at the private catholic school she attends , her parents reaching a level of despair thinking they’ve failed their daughter , unable to get her the help she deserves despite their best attempts . galen , sick of being deemed the broken doll , seeks out an escape from the world to try and give her some reprieve from the constant pity she wishes she could express is only doing more harm than good

she likes makeup but sucks at it , enjoys art but can’t seem to draw for the life of her . she knows she’s tone deaf as all hell and doesn’t like sweating enough to be willing to dance . for once in her life , despite all the years of trying to ignore the well - meaning comments of those around her , galen starts to believe maybe there is something wrong about her .

it’s elissa’s celeb boyfriend who buys her an xbox for christmas , figuring the two could play it as a bonding experience . brimming with quiet gratitude , galen spends hours on the damn thing in between study sessions . tutors notice an improvement in focus , more motivation to work and get things done so she can finally hop back onto the console and escape into a fantasy .

she begs her parents to let her do homeschooling for her high school years , to which they agree and she thrives . she upgrades now to a gaming pc and plays through everything she can get her hands on . people on her teams don’t know her , and they don’t treat her any differently than anyone else , so before long she’s unlocking a bubblier side to herself that just feels content .

she records her playthroughs in silence ( she’s gaining confidence , but still shy , and god knows how the internet treats female gamers ) and uploads them to youtube under a stupid channel name with only a few hundred subscribers . noting the accuracy and speed with which galen destroys shooter games , someone suggests she try overwatch .

galen is hooked in an instant . she plays matches in between daily activities and quickly climbs ranks to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the competitive community . after finding a team where she feels particularly at - home , they launch to stardom due to their sweeping wins and incredible cohesion . galen becomes something of an overnight sensation , quiet and unassuming , and this recognition feels like the validation she’s been seeking for herself this whole time

she blossoms and cements her legacy as an overwatch competitive titan by the time she graduates , reaching grandmaster status and being known throughout the community for her strategy and technique . her youtube channel grows exponentially , and after realizing this is a viable future for herself , galen posts her playthroughs with her commentary and finds that people love what she does . she moves to new york in order to collaborate with other big gamers , and on her channel , she does a combination of horror games , overwatch trainings , and new release reviews and builds a following similar to markiplier or jackseptic eye , with a second vlog channel to document when she goes off to tournaments or simple things from her days

she’s 19 when her repeated wins get the attention of a massive gaming studio who invite her to come record some lines as an easter egg of sorts for her fans in a new game they’re developing . her work is met with rave reviews and suddenly game titans are nearly breaking down her door for more voice acting work . galen , who’s always felt like the ugly duckling compared to her sister’s perfect legacy , takes this opportunity to emulate her sister’s career , and nearly doubles over when a film studio approaches her with interest of casting her as a supporting role in a project of theirs . though she’s never pictured herself to be in front of a camera quite like that , with some coaching , galen nails it , and finds the high of acting catapults her from relative fame into newfound stardom .

she’s one of the newer members of the brat pack considering her youtube fame was more inconspicuous than her film work , though she still is adjusting to life in the limelight . she stays close to her roots and continues to post regularly to her channel and streams on twitch , collaborating with other increasingly big names to gain her more views . 

galen’s most notable push since rising to fame has been her advocacy for neurodiversity and recognition for how poorly people with learning disabilities are treated in society . she doesn’t go in detail with her diagnoses but she does make jokes about them on her stream in order to normalize their mentions . she recently dropped a sponsor for their support of autism speaks and donates a majority of her merch revenue and tournament winnings to advocacy causes . she’s proud of who she is and hopes the future can be shaped into what kids like her needed when they were growing up .

galen lives up to her father’s prediction this whole time and changes her channel’s name to galengaming , proud to tout the moniker that spurred her to create a path she wanted rather than be told who to be by the world around her . 

PERSONALITY : galen has an energy about her that is like the sun hidden behind a cloud . upon first impressions , she’s a bit more timorous and nervous as she gets her footing of wherever she may be , especially with some of the more public - eye type settings she’s been put in since sort of being sucked into the brat pack . she wants to make sure she’s acting appropriately for whatever the situation calls and may often seem tense or apprehensive .

once she’s loosened up or seen a familiar face she can latch onto , she blossoms into a ball of unfiltered energy . she loves humor and memes and can often be found competitively launching memes she’s found into her team’s group discord server . she’s witty and often makes herself the butt of her own jokes in order to lighten the mood , though she’ll be sure to clarify that she loves herself and only does so to keep herself humble lmao . 

her playthroughs are VERY stream of consciousness but its this lack of filter that seems to be her fans’ favorite thing about her , a willingness to say whatever unhinged thing she may be thinking followed by a shrieking scream after a jumpscare or a string of screeching expletives after missing a goal

she can perhaps sometimes be too unfiltered and unwittingly come across as harsh or blunt , though she’ll often realize this after the fact and feel incredibly remorseful . galen has a habit to overthink and will panic for the rest of the night if she fears she’s inadvertently offended you , but won’t apologize due to being too nervous to figure out exactly how to do so ssksksks

one of galen’s most notable qualities is her heart , her benevolence and empathy that lead her to want everyone to feel included regardless of how different they may be . though she tries to give everyone a chance , there’s a fair amount of people perhaps too materialistic for her to get along with , and her polite way to ignore them is simply keeping her distance and pretending to not know them

which . in her own way . comes across as shady sksksk “oh you know so and so ? ” omg no i dont haha who are they “ u literally met them last night ” hahaha no i didnt x

she can be prone to mood swings simply due to a sensitivity to her own feelings and a tendency to overthink . she’ll wonder why she feels weird and even if it’s just because she’s hungry she’ll assume it’s because she said “thanks you too” when the cashier told her to enjoy her meal and then she has to sulk and play animal crossing alone in the dark for an hour before she can come out and be chill again even tho she feels worse than when she started bc shes just HUNGRY ASKSKKS

she’s used to being infantilized so she tends to be sort of short tempered if people talk down to her . this is when the wit kicks in as she is really just tired of being treated poorly by people who don’t even know her and has decided she will refuse to take any more shit ! can be a bit snippy even without realizing it but if she’s close to you she’ll usually be like “ oh my god that was rude as fuck im so sorry ” and feel bad for 20 minutes even after you say its okay lmaoo

random blurbs : um DONT ask me who she plays in her overwatch tournaments bc im using opossum and wikipedia to figure shit out as i goes , but i know for sure she calls out a lot of misogyny in the gaming world on social media !

always has her switch with her i KNOW this for a fact

anime nerd ....... nobody call her out on it she will deny until she is blue in the face and then hum the one punch man intro in her streams as if hundreds of thousands of people arent witnesses LMAO

this is so stereotypical nerd but she hates the outdoors ! says the US is so dirty and stuffy she says scandanavia is the only place she’ll ever like to be outside , she slips into norwegian when she’s recording if she gets jumpscared so she doesnt get demonetized for over - swearing lmao

also speaks french because she picked it up from her mom ! her dad usually only spoke english or norwegian , so galen didn’t get to pick up on much somali or arabic but she def knows at least a few words here and there

she vlogs a good amount of her life but she’s kinda shy about talking about who she’s dating , will probably try to keep her romantic life to herself !

excited as all hell to get into acting but the super fame that’s coming with it kinda freaks her out . she knows it’s a trade off bc she loves the feeling it gives her but hates how people are now overstepping a lot of boundaries that they didn’t before when she was just a popular youtuber

inspos are juno from the iconic movie juno , toph beifong from atla , louis theroux YES THE DOCUMENTARY GUY LEAF ME AL ONE , & amy from booksmart !

[thiswasinevitableid]

21, Indruck (for the Mermay minifics)

Note: Duck’s design is based on a Grouper (aka one of the strongest fish) and Indrid’s is based on an Oarfish.

Every mer in Kepler Cove knows not to go near the strange lights. Lights that glow bright orange or deep purple, flicker gold to green or fade from blue to silver. But Duck is desperate. 

And so when night falls, and all sensible creatures are safe in their beds or dens or buried beneath the sand, he swims across the flat, empty patch of sand to the cave on the outskirts of town, green lights guiding his way tonight.

The house is cluttered with bottles and shells, with drawings and discarded pufferfish quills, and all around him the lights swirl. They’re solid when they bump him, but when he holds one in his hand, it isn’t an object his eyes understand.

It’s when he looks up to find two red lights, glowing more dimly than the others, staring him down that he remembers the warnings.

“Uh-”

“I am surprised to see you, Duck Newton. In most future, you decided on the prudent option and stayed far away.” The mer comes into view, his silvery tail, streaked with a red fin, matching his silver hair. The tail is much longer than Duck’s own, even though it ends in a standard fin. And he’s grinning. It’s not a Great White grin, but it doesn’t put Duck at ease. 

“You gonna make me regret it? And how do you know-”

‘Your name” The mer says along with him, “I can see the future. Or futures, I suppose, churning and changing, flitting in and out of view like sardines in a school.” He circles Duck slowly, his form long and lean next to Duck’s, which is built for power and unassuming in it’s mottled green, black and white. He remembers the stories of sea serpents, of mers with strange tails and angular faces who would lure the unsuspecting out into the deep trenches, never to be seen again.

“Then you know-”

“-why you are here? I can see it coming, but perhaps you would like to tell me yourself.”

“Do you know what’s been happenin to folks around here?”

“The plague? Yes. I...I tried to warn your predecessor that such a thing might come on the tides. He chose not to listen. And now you are here, a new chosen guardian, forced to bear the results of his disregarding me.” 

“There ain’t any record of you tellin him that.” Duck says cautiously. 

“Is there mention of someone called Indrid Cold?”

“Yeah, now that you mention it.”

The mer points to himself without another word, then swims to his wall and removes several drawings, the images evaporating as he does. 

“Oh. Uh, didn’t know that’s your name.”

“Of course not. Everyone calls me the witch. Or worse. And only the desperate would seek out a monster mer, and I watched the futures as you narrowed your options little by little until deciding on me. This spell” he catches a smaller light in his hand, “will produce a special plant that when ingested will cure those who are ill. But it will cost you.”

“Ah. You’re that kind of mer.” Duck crosses his arms with a roll of the eyes.

Indrid whirls, knocking lights aside as he hisses, “No, I am not. This is how magic of this caliber works. It cannot be given for nothing, no matter how much I wish I could do just that. I do not desire anything from my fellow creatures other than peace and respect, and yet I must demand a great deal to deliver what they ask of me. The choice is yours, Duck Newton; seek my help or do not, but do not act as though I am some predator laying in wait in the dark.” He flicks his tail dismissively, goes back to what must be his desk, fin tense as he waits for Duck to respond. 

Duck looks at the spell, “What’s the price?”

“Ask it.” Indrid sighs, jerking his tail towards the spell.

Duck gazes at the light, repeats the question, and gets a flash of two luminous red pearls. 

“Ah fuck, those only turn up in the oysters near the damn Nettle Eels.”

“Unfortunate.” Indrid continues drawing, back resolutely towards him, “if you decide to attempt it, bring the asked for items here. Only then can you release the spell.” His fin is limp now, his shoulders sag. 

“I’ll do my best. And, uh, Mr. Cold?”

“Indrid is fine.”

“I believe you. About it not bein’ your doin’.”

With that, he swims back to town. But as he glances over his shoulder, still not certain if Indrid is dangerous, the other man is watching him. When he notices Duck has turned to look at him, he lifts his hand in shy wave farewell.

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

“You still got that spell?”

Indrid turns, knowing what he’ll see yet smiling all the same when he does; Duck Newton, arms clearly stinging, with two red pearls in his hands. He retrieves the spell, takes the stones and places them with other items the magic has demanded. As soon as Duck touches the spell, the light bursts into a thousand little specks.

“It is done. The grove of plants should be ready by the time you return to your home.”

“Thank fuck.” Duck slumps against the wall. Then he holds out his hand.

Indrid cocks his head, perplexed. Duck makes an awkward sound in the back of his throat, hand returning to his side. 

“I just, uh, wanted to say thanks. For helpin’ me. Lotta people are gonna be alive because of you.”

“More would be if I had convinced your predecessor of the severity of the plague.”

“Hey now” Duck swims closer, and Indrid finds he has no instinct to back away, “he was a dipshit. Don’t gotta take the blame for that.” He holds out his hand again, and this time Indrid takes it, shaking it. Duck smiles when he does.

As the other man swims towards the exit, he pauses, “There was another spell, wasn’t there? One that woulda cured it without the plant step.”

Indrid swallows, “Yes.”

“What was the price?”

‘I believe it requires a stone from the valley surrounded by the mer-eating eels. The one, ah, almost no one returns from.”

“That’s what I thought. Thanks, Indrid. Thanks for lookin out for me.”

Indrid wishes he could curl his tail all the way around him so he no longer has to deal with the sensation of Duck looking at him with unfamiliar kindness. 

“You are welcome. If you ever need my assistance, you know where to find me.”

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

“Damn thing bit straight through my sword. Minerva’s too.”

Indrid examines the snapped metal, then begins swimming between the lights, “Do you think an increased offensive capability or a defensive one will be better for ridding the reef of the Giant Scorpionfish?”

“Ain’t sure, futures don’t happen to have any clues?”

Indrid pauses, tail waving lazily, then shakes his head, “it seems the two show about the same outcomes of success.”

“In that case, let’s go with somethin’ that’ll keep us safe while fightin it. Don’t really feel like havin some super-powerful weapon floatin around after this is done.”

Indrid picks a golden light from the air, hands it to Duck. This time, he doesn’t immediately move away, instead waits for him to learn the price. 

Duck shuts his eyes, gets an image of deep blue eggs. Then he shivers, Indrid’s tail having brushed along his by accident.

“Eagle Ray eggs. Do you think it wants all of ‘em? Seems kinda rude to take the whole nest.”

“Hmmmm, looking at the futures, it seems two or three will suffice.”

“Gotcha. It may think that’s some tricky quest, but I happen to know where a lot of different nests are around here. I’ll be back in an hour.”

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

“Got your message, you said a tidal storm was comin?”

“Yes, we have about five hours at maximum before it hits here. I already found the protection spell and learned the price, to expedite things. It wants a black pearl, a rare red sea flower, and gold from a sunken ship.” Indrid swims back and forth between drawings, erasing and recreating as the futures change.

“Fuck, okay. Uh, I’m allowed to have help, right?’

“Of course.”

“I’ll send Juno after the flower, Dani and Aubrey can help her. And Ned’s real good at findin gemstones in a hurry. I know there’s a wreck about a two mile swim thataway, but it’s been picked over.”

“I may be able to help; we can use my powers to locate the stray, remaining gold. Come, there is no time to lose.” He darts out of the cave and Duck follows him, watches the light glint off his scales, the way his body twists and speeds through the water.

Even if they fail, at least his last mission will have had a hell of a view.

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

“‘Drid, I was wonderin if you...uh, didn’t know you had pets.”

“I do not. Or, ah, I did not, The Eagle Ray eggs hatched. The spells almost never want animals, so it never occurred to me that the eggs would remain viable--AH! Careful with that, I know you are getting used to your wings but those are fragile. Anyway, what do you need?”

“Not a spell, but could you use your future vision to see if the issues with the Kelp fields are gonna lead to somethin bigger?’

“Why Duck, are you really giving me the honor of being an advisor to a Chosen?”

“ Damn right I am. Also that ray is chewin on your desk chair.”

“AH!”

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

“Hey ‘Drid, can I uh, um, I need some help.”

“Of course, let me just finish feeding Spot and Speckle their dinner. Is it a spell or a future?”

“Uh, it’s, uh, fuck, a, uh, spell? Yeah, a uh, fuck, spell. I need some help findin my, uh, fuck, keys? No, fuck, I mean-”

“You don’t have a reason for coming, do you.”

“Nope.”

“There is no need to lie about one. Wanting to visit is reason enough. You are welcome here any time, my friend.”

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

“Nice, ain’t it?”  Duck stretches out on the warm rock, sun soaking into his chest. 

“Mmmmmhmmm.” Indrid hums beside him, long tail draped off the edge and into the water. 

“You said you don’t come up here much.”

“I had some run-ins with sailors I tried to warn off oncoming disasters. I became a bit of a local legend, an omen of doom, and so decided it was best to lay low.” The words are detached, but Duck rolls over to find Indrid staring wistfully up at the sky, “I do enjoy it up here. I like watching the stars, seeing all the snippets of a new and different world. Some days I think I love the surface as much as I love home. Perhaps that is silly.” 

Duck rolls onto his side, “Ain’t nothin silly about lovin’ somethin’ incredible. I mean look” he points the forest, the tangle of green looking down on the shore from the hills, “look at that. How does it grow? What lives there? There’s so much to know about nature, up top and below.”

Indrid is on his side now as well, “Thank you. It is nice to know I am not alone. In, ah, in my thoughts, that is.” 

Duck reaches for his hand, and when Indrid scoots close enough to give it, Duck presses their tails together. Indrid sighs at the contact, and soon his tail is draped over Duck’s, his fingers tracing abstract patterns up and down Duck’s arm. 

“‘Drid? Would, uh, would you ever wanna maybe...move closer to town? I know Barclay’s been visitin more, Dani too. Seems like you’re startin to know more folks in town. There’s, uh, a house near mine that just opened up. We could be neighbors?” The note when his voice turns up at the end is steeped in vulnerable hope that he prays Indrid can’t hear. 

Red eyes regard him, “No, Duck. I do not think I could be. I am a solitary creature. The spells I help usher into the world and keep safe can be dangerous in their demands, attract dangerous beings in search of them. I ought to remain so, more for the sake of whoever wishes to be close to me than for my own.”

“But-”

“I need to return home. Farewell, Duck.” He slithers off the rock, and by the time Duck is in the water there’s only a flash of silver, disappearing into the darkness on the edge of town.

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

“Barclay, you seen ‘Drid lately?”

“Uh huh, saw him yesterday when I ran some food over. I wanted him to try my new red snapper wraps.”

“Oh. So he’s, uh, fine then?”

“Seems to be. Why?”

“The last few times I gone to see him, he ain’t been home. I’m worried I mighta done somethin’ to offend him.”

“Nah, I bet it’s just a run of bad timing. Indrid likes you more than anyone else on this reef.”

“...If I send someone else to get spells or info, he’s always there.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

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

“Mr. Cold, I am here on the utmost urgent business.”

“Hello to you too, Ned, and Indrid is fine. What is…” He sees the oncoming answer and blanches from top to tail with fear.

“Duck is ill?”

“He hasn’t been able to get out of bed for a week. Barely consumes food or drink. The lovely Dani took a look at him, but it does not seem to be an ailment know to her.”

“Show me the way to him. Please.” Indrid follows Ned, and the lights follow Indrid, his foresight not showing him enough to know which spell may be needed. They wind through town, whispers darting from house to house as they do.

The night is only made worse by what he discovers when he reaches Duck’s side.

“He is heartsick. That is why Dani was unable to find means of healing him. Only one exists.”

“One of your, like, spells?” Aubrey asks hopefully, red tail twitching with worry.

“No. It can only be cured with a kiss from one who loves him. Romantically, I should add, as the illness is brought on by a romantic love that one tries to repress or destroy. Do any of you know someone who loves Duck that way?”

All heads in the room shake. He sighs, “May I have a moment of privacy to think?”

When they’re alone, he strokes Duck’s brow, tail curling protectively around him without him truly meaning too.

Then he leans down and plants a single, tender kiss to Duck’s lips. 

Mismatched eyes flutter open.

“‘Oh thank goodness.”

“Fuck, whole body feels like I just got over the fin-pox.” Duck rolls his shoulders. Indrid realizes he hasn’t moved away from him, can’t bring himself to do so.

“‘Drid? Did, uh, did you just kiss me?”

“I, I did. I am sorry, it was the only-”

He’s yanked into the bed, one hand tangled in his hair as the other traps their hips together. Ducks tail flaps excitedly and Indrid’s curls around it as many times as he can. 

“I tried so fuckin hard, darlin, I thought you were angry with me, or that you were pushin me away for my own good, and as much as I missed you I didn’t wanna push you so I tried not to think about you, but, but I, I just started feelin’ sicker and sicker whenever I pushed thoughts of you away.

“Oh my, love, I am sorry. I only meant to keep you safe. I never meant to hurt you so.”

“It ain’t your doin’; I’m the dipshit who couldn’t tell you how I felt. I know you didn’t want to be with anyone-”

“-you are right, I thought it would be dangerous. But, well, in the last few weeks, I have realized that while my powers make for an oft-dangerous time, so does your position in the reef. And I, I missed you terribly. I want to be by your side, Duck Newton, if you will still have me.”

Duck runs a firm hand down his tail, grinning brighter than the lights still spinning around them, “You know, darlin, I think I’ll do just that.”

[megamanxfanfics]

Looking back at the 1st Nightmare Arc

Well folks, here we are.  It’s the end of the year and I successfully completed Season VI’s first arc!  Today, it’s all about celebrating with an honest take on how I feel it all went down. No backstories on what took so long this time.  Just all Mega lore and analyzing whatever I’ve managed to create in the Fanon.  So let’s dive into it.  This was an interesting one:

tl;dr?  -  Ep. 1: Boring Beginning, Exciting Middle Ep. 2: Steady Solid Stage! Ep. 3: Long Stage, Big Payoff Ep. 4: Strong Start, Very Expository Ep. 5: Another Long Stage, but not Draining Ep. 6: Reverse Pacing Ep. 7: Epic. As. Fuck.

Ep. 1:  I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Boring Beginning. I wanted it to start just like the game with the exciting narrative intro, except.. written out, it’s not all that exciting, but instead - expected.  The same goes for Gate’s immediate monologue when you press start.  I took the safe, easy route and just added stage directions to his discovery of Zero’s “piece”.  Regardless, this was “A Broken World”, and I loved that title for a new Season #1.  Honestly, I feel like this one really picks up from the middle, onward.  Once we get into X’s first mission, the addition of the new reploids from the X5 ending didn’t really help at all.  I got rid of them almost as soon as I introduced them, but it was supposed to serve a purpose.  It was supposed to show us just how dangerous it is out there for noobies - especially the ones who think they know it all, like Cody.  Once X fights High Max though, we almost mirrored the X1 feeling, which is exactly what I wanted.  From here on, it’s pretty exciting and interesting to me.  Because now X is all intrigued and worried about these new “Investigators” that have sprouted up.  Giving X someone to fear again with High Max made for a really refreshing touch, too.  Once he gets home to learn about them from Alia, the episode heavily leans on flashbacks from Xtreme 2, but they serve as a nice re-introduction to our 8 Investigators. I also really liked their Re-activation scene.  That mirrored the vibe from Mega Missions when Doppler revived his select batch of Mavericks.  Once they pinpoint their locations and X finds out that 3 of the Investigators are in Brazil, he wants to go there first.  I feel such a hyped jolt of excitement at that Cliffhanger.

Ep. 2:  Steady Solid Stage! It took forever to write out, but upon reading it, the pacing is surprisingly smooth as X explores the Amazon Forest. Calling it “The Nightmare Is Real” based on a random Rescued Reploid’s words was a little weak at first, but it comes back around to get real meaning by the end. During the stage, X’s dialogue with Iso kept things interesting, while he pursued that near-impossible sub-tank. [I swear, you can only acquire this with a jump part equipped, or exposing AI with the fire blade or something...]. I really really didn’t want X to use his Ultimate Armor so soon, for nothing, because I’ve added stakes to such a game-breaking power up.  If he uses it, he blows out all of his stamina and needs to rest.  Period.  Using this to rescue Iso was not only a waste, but things probably would’ve gone down very differently, later.  Anyway, that fight with Commander Yammark was perfect. At first, I thought it was a little short, but looking back on it, I love how they both get solid blows in, but then come to a standstill when they realize they’re on the same side. Having Nightmare Zero intervene was absolutely the right choice!!  It gave us a new hook for something to come back to, as yet again, X had someone new to fear, like in X1.  Since it’s an evil Zero, I’ll even say like X2.  This is where the title “The Nightmare is Real” works, because... the Zero Nightmare was absolutely a sentient problem.  And it wasn’t going away any time soon.  X had to retreat and get out of there.  Thank God for Alia’s force-teleporting. Pushing Alia's Love Interest during the debrief was also a very exciting development.  I knew I wanted to do this, but at first I wasn’t sure if it was too soon to happen right here.  Now, I feel like it was just right. 

 Ep. 3:  Long stage, big payoff. Starting with Isoc’s report to Gate was actually not as boring as the 1st episode canon scenes. I made more of an effort to wake the scene up with stage directions or dialogue that makes more sense...  Them talking about the possibility of Zero still being alive also sets up mysterious intrigue.  Is he still out there??  And if so, how???  Will we see him???? Naming the entire episode, “The Outlier”, however is misleading.  I suppose that could connect to Ground Scaravich, who wasn’t one of Gate’s original creations (in my Fanon).  Still, giving X & Alia that slice of life romantic wake up scene at the near-beginning was absolutely refreshing.  Not only that, but I think it was very necessary. Things are all Doom and Gloom this Season, which is my forte, but this shows that at Home you can still find happiness in Loved ones.  The actual stage itself was an absolute pain in the ass and I knew it was going to be. I'm just glad it didn't completely burn me out.  His fight with Ground Scaravich was bad ass though.  X had the rare upper hand from the get-go as the menacer that Scaravich was afraid of.  So he came in with confident energy and tried to beat him down for information.  Of course, Scaravich didn’t let up and only revealed worse information, that those Reploids were being used for DNA Data.  But that cliffhanger I left at the end, with Zero Nightmare applauding X for his kill...!  It definitely helped me pursue a much sooner Chapter 4. 

 Ep. 4:  Strong Start with the Zero Nightmare fight. I had a big challenge here, because I didn’t want X to win yet.  We needed to build this feud and drag it out as much as possible. Zero Nightmare was gaining new motivation. He apparently knows about Zero’s existence, but thinks of him as a Fake.  And thus we have the title “Where Is The Fake?”. Having X get weakened and willingly teleport away was a really mature choice. I think it shows growth.  He could’ve done that plenty of times in the past.  But here we go, X is wounded again.. I didn't want this to become a trope or slow us down, but it brought upon some very necessary world building and character development for the new reploids. Very much, the expository episode, this was an important chapter, because it set up things for future episodes and kept me on track, months later when it was time to think about the bigger picture. Kassy & Hal went to the Magma Area while Tack checked out the Laser Institute.  The Nightmare System was in full effect now, and the goal was to show how dangerous the Nightmare actually is to some red shirts, before X goes in there.  How effective that actually was in my execution, remains to be seen.  At this point the episode title remains prominent, because X expresses sincere interest in finding the Real Zero, but they have... zero leads. (Sorry, I had to.)  The Villains even had an interesting follow-up about Scaravich’s death and there was an interaction, which vaguely eluded to something new happening, from Metal Shark.  So that will be something fun to look forward to.  Ending at the beginning of a new stage is always a cool cliffhanger. Believe it or not, I wanted this to go all the way through the Rainy Turtloid stage, which would have given the title prominence for a 3rd time.  But that’s okay.

 Ep. 5:  Another Long Stage, but its not half as draining as the Central Museum. In fact, all of the Reploid Interactions kept it really lively. Especially by the end. The Inami Temple was the first stage that I could hint at our location with the episode title - “Nightmare Rain”.  I wish I could’ve done that for the previous episodes, but it’s alright.  I took some interesting risks, during this stage write-through.  I almost forgot about that frickin Monbando Reploid unit. I took a real risk by giving him an AI, but he keeps things interesting, giving X someone to talk to, which actually added levity to the situation where appropriate. That Nightmare Zero encounter mid-stage was what it was all about for me, though. I'm really proud of that one, using the stage layout to my advantage in an innovative way. All of that Levy stuff with Rescue Reploid 6 was another interesting choice. I have more in store for her, but I'm really hoping there will be more of a payoff, than just an Easter Egg Cameo. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to seeing what else I can do with her in the next arc.  Need I bring up X’s Reploid rescues in the Gaia Armor!??  That was a bright idea that I came up with after post-planning.  The original plan was to have X revisit the stage later, but I thought about how this Acid Rain was killing them, so...  time to settle the issue of an unused Armor. [X6 granting us the gift of using a modified Fifth Armor was nice, but it made me wonder, why can’t he access the Gaia anymore?]. The answer was just that he doesn’t really like it.  But he used it to his advantage here, and now I had a new challenge ahead of me. I had to get rid of it. Another challenge was posed when X discovered a fucking portal in one of the tunnels.  I wasn’t prepared for that!  But thankfully, I was able to come up with a viable excuse rather than just X being scared of the portal.  He ran out of teleporter rings!!!!  This gave me new Fanon Mega-science to add to the stakes.  Teleporter Rings now need a day to recharge, and it was clear that plenty more needed to be made.  This gave Alia & Douglas something to do, so in the end, this was all good.  But now it was time for X to face off against Rainy Turtloid.  He’d have to come back for the others later. [Time will tell, how well or poorly that is handled, depending on how long it takes X to actually get back there.]

 Ep. 6:  This one basically had Reverse Pacing, but I liked it. It started with a Climactic, Rainy Turtloid fight. I mean, this was Epic and fucking Brutal.  Thanks to my brilliant bring-back of the Gaia Armor, now Turtloid had to take it away and break the shit out of it. This is where “The Fight Becomes Dire” and I thought it was amazing.  In my planning phase, that was never remotely on the table, but it worked out wonderfully.  What was on the table was X possibly using his Ultimate Armor if the battle got too brutal, but I wanted to avoid that.  [I had done practice playthroughs where I managed to get X to win in Normal Armor and definitely in Falcon Armor with some select weapon spamming and pattern memorizing.  I was open to keeping it simple, I really was.]. But after X got smacked around like a bitch, it was time for payback.  Especially considering Turtloid’s motivation to fight was “But I have to listen to Master...”  Here we had the interesting case that both Men respected each other and didn’t want to fight, but they had to. {Even though X thought the Reploid Trapping and Nightmare acceptance was reprehensible}. X primarily focussed on that and tried to change Turtloid’s mind, but once his Gaia Armor was destroyed and X nearly died, it was time for some Ultimate payback.  I’m really surprised by how epic and dark it got. I’m very proud of it.  After the mission, due to some very necessary stakes and power limiters, X had to sit out for a day again, once again slowing our pacing down to a screeching halt. This one hurt me, I think.  At least he wasn't injured this time... As I stated before, when I made the decision to include the Ultimate Armor into this Season, I did so knowing that there needed to be a price. It comes with him using up all his stamina. Therefore, he can't spam it with every mission or battle. The same rules applied to his shotokan moves in Season I & II, which have basically been replaced by the Ultimate Armor at this point. With more opportunity at exposition, however, I was able to follow up on the new reploids, who were now in trouble at their respective missions. [This is the stuff I needed to give X motivation for his mission choices during the planning phase, but it just wasn’t there]. And yet, one was debatably set up too soon. I had a new dilemma, where X was forced to sit out, while Kassy & Hal are stuck at the Magma Area, hurt.  The choice to show X training the recruits in the meantime was a fun risk to take though. It showed productivity and progress in the downtime, hopefully eluding to the idea that these newbies can fend for themselves, while it inevitably takes X a while to save them in the future. I also got to develop Levy more and even create some juicy tension between her and Alia, which wasn’t originally planned. I had intended for a 2nd sex scene with Alia to happen at some point, but I didn't want it to be forced. Just more of an implied - ‘this is what’s happening while we wait’.  But the addition of Levy’s flirting played into Alia’s insecurities, which gave it more of a purpose.  And poor Douglas! Hahahaha.  I was so tickled when I put that in out of nowhere.  We got some much needed levity when he wanted to show X a new part, but instead he overheard them having sex and walked away with a “Nope!” lol!!! Its becoming very clear that I enjoy the in-between mission slice of life stuff Way more than the missions themselves. But then, when we get back to it... after X gave it a night, he and Signas found every excuse not to save Kassy & Hal yet, because my Stage Order plan still needed to be in play...  At least Tack discovered that Portal at Sheldon’s stage. This saved my Stage Order Motivation, but it was still weak.  If only Zero was around, then they could split the difference.  But what I liked about this was that it showed just how bad of shape that X and co. were in.  Yet again, the episode title remained prominent.  “The Fight Becomes Dire”!  The truth is, they were all over the place and X didn't know where to go first. For the first time in a while, our Hunters are overwhelmed and understaffed. And that was really noticeable here.  I still think the ending is kinda weak though. There's no real cliffhanger other than knowing that X will pursue Shield Sheldon next. But overall, I liked the flow of this. There's a lot of forced slow downs in the momentum to have us sit with the characters and their decisions. It makes for a very different, sort of dismal pacing, which adds to the atmosphere of this looming Nightmare that won’t go away.  One noticeable thing, however is that I failed to follow up on the Villains this time around. I had an ample opportunity to follow up on Gate’s thoughts for losing Turtloid again, who was debatably his favorite creation.  I really botched that up, but I simply didn’t think of it at the time before posting.  So who knows?  That could be possible room for improvement in a future edit.  Either way, the Villains are sure to be due for a check in soon. 

 Ep. 7:  Epic. As. Fuck. But it took a minute to get there. Shield Sheldon's stage was more complicated to write through than I originally thought. Its the shortest stage in the game and yet all those damn lasers and their angles made for quite the challenge. This in itself, was a “Laser Light Phenomena”. Another immense challenge that I wasn't expecting was Sheldon's battle completely Flipping the Narrative on X. Admittedly, I really had a hard time finding motivation for those 2 to feud. Especially since he wasn't holding a grudge based on the past. I noticed a while ago, all of Gate's creations are so very willing to sacrifice themselves for Gate's cause. Like, to a nonsensical degree. Maybe that's their degree of Maverickism. They're just crazy... Anyway, this Deadlock Standstill might really play into my favor, since this recent Portal Experience is going to change X's motivations. I... don't want X to take a backseat, but... Rescuing the Reploids is going to be his 1st Priority from here on in. Especially since he wasn't able to save Tack and the bunch. Again, thats where stakes come into play. I didn't come into this episode knowing I was going to make that decision. But when I saw the layout of the "Pocket Dimension" as I'm calling it, and I factored in the time Tack spent in there, trying to rescue the Reploids by himself, there was no way I could have them all just hang out at a narrow ledge by the gate, or stuck in the gateway, scared. I wasn't gonna pull a lame idea that they managed to somehow unlock the gate, like I did with Data. (That can be the one trait that makes Data special and could play into his advantage in the future. But no one else's). Nightmare Zero wouldn't spare them either. He'd absolutely kill them in bloodlust. So... stakes were created. X took too long to catch up to him and thats what he gets. That last battle with ZN though... I'm really proud of where it went. I had some obvious limits this time compared to past Zero fights. That could be an analysis for another time.. But, I was happy to get pretty gorey by the end, there. And that pay off Cliff Hanger was so satisfying! It gives me all the feels. 

The 2nd Arc is going to feel very different. But we ain't out of the woods yet. Rereading the 1st Arc served as a dual purpose. Not only could I gush about my favorite moments or be open about my choices and how things came out, but it is starting to reveal where else it's going. Kassy & Hal still need rescuing at the Magma Area. Cody & Data are at the North Pole! Tekk is at the Weapon Center. X still needs to save whoever is in the portal at Inami Temple!  Let alone revisiting the Amazon and Central Museum again.  Exposition is just waiting to happen, and now that Zero is back?? Things are going to get easier, but also a little bit harder for X. One thing I can definitely say is that seeing him will bring back some Unwanted Memories. And its gonna be very interesting to see how he deals with that. I'm definitely looking forward to writing the 2nd Arc out in the New Year.

Until then, folks.  I hope you enjoyed reliving this with me.  See you in 2021, which should hopefully prove to be a far more stable year than 2020. [God, I hope I didn’t just jinx everything...]

[livelovesimallways]

“…Ready for the Life to Live…” ♫

(Previous)

Regardless of anything life has thrown my way, moving forward is something I’ve come to embrace, especially in these past few weeks. As soon as we returned from our vacation, Moses and I made securing another IVF cycle our first priority. We contacted multiple clinics, but unfortunately none of them were willing to work with us. As one put it bluntly, "Our main focus is on results and viable embryos. It simply won’t happen with cases involving bad eggs.” Although this reality will always be a sore spot for us, we’re moving forward...We’re still going to have our family through adoption, and if luck has it, Mo knocking me up. For now, the next step we’re focusing on is moving in to a bigger space. We put in an offer for a beautiful home outside of town that hopefully will be accepted soon. 

Earlier in the day, Nica called wanting to have a “Ladies Night”, since Moses is away on business. The two of us haven’t hung out by ourselves in a long time, so I definitely welcomed this. Our last official “Ladies Night”, ended up with me crying my eyes out to my friend after my shitty ex husband rubbed his infidelities in my face. Humph, funny how things turnout in the long run. That friend is now the love of my life and Sleaze, as Moses calls him, is a non factor. Damn, things actually can fall into place can’t they? Thinking about that has me feeling really good about life right now. Even with a few setbacks by things out of your control, moving forward can bring you peace, happiness and nice surprises along the way.

On our way to Luxe Lounge, Nica and I talked about everything that has led to this point. It brought out a flood of emotions that neither one of us were prepared for. As tears turned into smiles and I fixed myself to appear club ready, I realized our driver had taken a detour. We ended up at the same park Moses and I went to that “Ladies Night”. The area was beautifully decorated, filled with candles and roses stretching from the parking lot to the gazebo we were once in. As our car pulled up, I spotted Mo sitting on one of the benches. I was stunned, wrecking my brain trying to figure out what was going on.

"Nica???”

“Hmm???”

“This ain’t Luxe Lounge...What happened to Ladies Night????”

“Hmm??” She said again, making me quickly turn my head.

"Okay look...” *both smiling* “Mo called me earlier to say he was back but not to tell you. Then, he asked me to get you here and make sure you were dressed up. I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of any other way.”

“Humph, I can...Had me all excited...” *grinning*

“I know, me too. I promise, next week we'll hit up any lounge you want. Tonight, just focus on you and your man. Okay?” She said as her voice started to crack.

“I’ll try...” *smirking* “Are you good though?”

“I’m fine babes. Just knowing everything and seeing you with Mo...I’m really happy for you.” She said, wiping the corner of her eye. “Now you need to to get out this car and go over there. I can’t be lookin all crazy, cryin like this.” 

“And neither can I...” I said, giving her a hug goodbye.   

“Took you long enough to get out of that car, beautiful….” *smirking*

“Yup, That’s what happens when you’re caught off guard and need answers.” *smiling* 

“What’d you find out?”

“That you had her trick me into coming here.”

“Trick???”

“Mhmmm…” I said, as we smiled at each other. “This setup is beautiful though so you’ll get a pass...As long as you tell me what’s going on. I see a dinner table, champagne, but no chairs?”

“Well damn...observant much??” *both laughing* “Alright so the truth is, I wanted to come back to a place that was really sentimental for us. I feel like this spot laid the groundwork for what we have now.” He said, gently grabbing my hand. 

“My feelings for you were on a different level that night. We always vibed, but hearing what you overcame and seeing that it didn’t break you, that shit stuck. We learned so much about each other. Not only were you cool as hell to me, you deserved the best and I wanted to be the one to give it to you.” He said, as we both smiled.

“Wow, I had no clue you felt that way back then.” 

“Yup…” He said, smiling and shaking his head. “You know what’s even crazier? When we finally got together, I had this whole notion that I was gonna be the man to change your life. It never occurred to me that you would be the one to change mine. You made me better, Leah ...showed me what real love was all about.” 

He came closer and put his arms around my waist. I was left speechless and fighting tears as he continued.

“I brought you here because I felt it was the right place to do this.” He said as he whispered in my ear. “Don’t forget what I said on that balcony beautiful...no hesitations…” 

“Oh, shit…” I said, wiping the corner of my eye.

“Teeleah Renee White...Will you marry me??”

“Yes, baby...of course I will marry you”

“So do I get a pass?”

“Hell yes! Everything was perfect...this set up, your words and this nice ass ring!” I said, kissing him again. “Hell, even using Nica. By the way, did you tell her to jog my memory with the promise of another ladies night? I was thinking about it before we left the house.”

“Nah, that was all her, once I said it was gonna be here.” 

“Wow...this is too much right now.” I said, fighting tears again.

“You deserve it, baby.” He said, kissing my forehead, nose, and lips. “Now we have one more stop to make, but after that, we can go home and soak all of this in.

Next 

[longneckreach]

Interlude: Huntress

A stiff breeze was rising from the North.

Broken and treacherous, the wind snaked in whistles and low gusts between the pillars of the Ascent. A billow of uplift here, and mere meters away a vicious downdraft; it eddied, pooled, unexpected pockets of deadly still air in the lee of the larger pillars as the wind rose and fell and twisted.

Far below, the rapids roared.

Far above, the wind filled Sigrid’s wings with a sharp, satisfying snap. She hung in the air on powerful wings, riding the tiger, breathing in the scent of clean grass and wet stone. This far above the whitewater, the salt had been cleaned from the air, leaving only the intoxicating taste of the open sky.

Vivid arcane eyes scanned the inrushing tide. A wild buffet snuck around the nearest stone pillar and threatened to slam her into the side of a cliff; but it would take more than the trickery of the wind to overpower a Banescale in flight. She compensated, concentration unbroken.

Her gaze sharpened. Nostrils flared, long talons flexed once to work out the stiffness of her battle against the winds. With deliberate care, she relaxed her jaw. White fangs dripped, flashing in the sunlight. Her tailtip twitched.

She flapped once, and dove.

It was an unconventional flight path, at first glance; into the wind and with the sun at her back. Slower than it could have been, and any prey ahead of her would be long forewarned by her descending shadow. She’s young, an observer might have thought. New to the region, with those eyes. She’ll learn…

But Sigrid’s target was not ahead of her.

Suicidally low, salt and foam coating her tongue and stinging her eyes, the roar of the rapids deafening, she rolled and flared her wings.

Her right wingtip sliced through a cresting wave as she was ripped backward by the force of the wind. Momentum carried her on a diagonal, back from her original dive, around the front of one of the massive sea pillars in her path, racing into the sun with the wind and the tide now instead of against them, and outstripping all three with the force of her dive and the wide sail of her wings.

This low, all the elements were her enemy. There would be no escape to the sky if she lost her concentration and monitoring of the fickle winds, no time to course-correct if she made a single mistake. Without a bird’s-eye view of the Ascent, walls of hard, sea-weathered rock loomed up sharp and sudden with no way to navigate them except by her own memory and hair-trigger reaction times; with her eyes locked on her prey, the change in air pressure, shadows and reflections on the ocean, were sometimes all the warning she could count on.

And any contact with that water was death.

It roared like an Emperor in its death throes, twice as powerful and ten times as ancient. Anywhere the Sea beneath the Ascent wasn’t whipped into a frothing, rabid killing frenzy, it raced sleek and dark through a passage far too narrow to accommodate its sheer mass. The Maren spoke in whispers of awe and hard warning of innocent-looking passages that were not to be touched or approached or even named, where the deceptively swift current seized the foolish or ignorant and tore them from the surface, never to be seen again. Where research equipment and magical constructs were ripped apart within seconds and even attempts at scrying the contents revealed only blackness and howling whitewater, the madness of the void.

There were whirlpools hundreds if not thousands of feet deep, strong enough that by the time a hapless dragon realized she had touched the vortex she would have been dashed to pieces on the rocks, some with gaping maws, deceptively small at first glance until you let the wind carry you higher and saw the way the rapids for a mile in every direction fed into them.

Sigrid flashed over one such behemoth, twisted her wings to dodge right around a pillar and then left again to veer over its twin, eyes locked on the prize she’d seen from the air—

Powerful legs plunged into the killing current, dapple-green and the cheerful murderous blue flashing in the sunlight, as the ocean foamed and roared in defiant joy, her wild headlong plunge pulled to a heart-stopping halt by the impact—

And then she pulled toward the sky, muscles straining to get free of the rush, twisting back into the wind. Her prey thrashed, but couldn’t break free; and in a moment she was clear, wings flaring and filling as she pulled around, and the wind tore her up and away from the gauntlet with a dying tuna in her talons and a triumphant, bugling shriek rising over the ever-present surge of the rapids.

The wind was her friend now, carrying her higher, safe and clear between the pillars. Eyes shining, Sigrid filled her lungs with clean air and adjusted the angle of her wings, rising slowly, softer as she wheeled again.

Near the zenith of a high, sturdy pillar, but not quite at the top, was her destination. She dipped her wings to dump air and speed, nearly stalling before angling them once more to catch the air; the maneuver carried her to the lip of the cave with no more force than a whisper.

The most beautiful creature in the world was waiting for her.

All but invisible against the grey stone and grass, Tetra turned soft eyes to her mate as Sigrid landed. Recognizing Sigrid’s eager, nervous expression, she raised one wing to reveal the trio of rough-shelled, perfect eggs wrapped securely in their mother’s tail. Still safe and warm.

“I love watching you hunt,” Tetra murmured. 

Sigrid hummed deep in her chest, arching her neck just slightly. She was a good hunter. She prided herself on that. A good hunter and a worthy mate, bold and powerful and intelligent enough to hunt the rapids. Reliable. Able to provide safety and security for her family and her flock. Good enough, she hoped, to deserve Tetraodontidae as a mate, as the mother of her children. No one could ever be good enough to deserve the hatchlings they would have soon; but Sigrid was going to try, every day.

“I love you,” she said simply. She pinned the tuna to the stone with one foot, slicing its belly open with a flick of her sharpened tailspines. “And them. Knowing you’re waiting for me makes me stronger with every flight.”

Tetra crooned. Belly fluttering, Sigrid dipped her head to the tuna. She used one razor-sharp dewclaw to hook into the dead fish, slicing off the fatty meat along the belly and catching it carefully between her teeth to place like an altar sacrifice before her mate. 

“It’s yours,” Tetra protested, like she did every time. “You made the kill.”

“You guard my clutch,” Sigrid retorted. Just like she did every time, she promised, “I’ll take the next belly cut.”

Tetra sighed softly, nuzzling into her neck and hooking their horns together with a click. Locking Sigrid’s teeth next to her throat, where she couldn’t pull away quickly if she wanted to. The highest possible show of trust and adoration.

After many long minutes, she hummed again, carefully unlinked their horns, and snapped up the tender belly cut. 

She was never able to resist, not when it made Sigrid so happy to be able to give her the best of what simple things they had.

“Do you want to fly?” Sigrid asked her, tearing off a chunk of tuna for herself now that she’d given Tetra the choice piece.

Tetra shook her head, accepting a ragged tuna steak from her mate with grace and wolfing it down before she answered. “Later. Hold me?”

Sigrid would like nothing more in the world. She dragged the tuna carcass closer, so it would be within easy reach, then carefully lay down at Tetra’s side and covered her in a wing. Her mate relaxed into her, sharp spines settling along her back. “Is everything all right? Just tired?”

Tetra was quiet for a moment.

When she spoke, it was soft, almost hesitant. “I don’t want you hunting the rapids anymore.”

Sigrid closed her eyes, breathing slowly. They’d had this conversation before, more frequently since the eggs became viable. Tetra had always understood. “I know you worry. But you said you take pride in watching me. Knowing that I’m good enough and I’m yours.”

“I do.” Tetra nuzzled her neck. “I know I’ve told you before that I worry something will go wrong. Maybe something you can’t control. But I’m not telling you that this time. I’m asking you to stop. Please. I can’t watch you die like that. And the little ones…”

The very thought made Sigrid’s heart clench. Of course, if Tetra watched her hunt, then the hatchlings would too. And of course, if Tetra worried...it was a mate’s prerogative to worry, but Tetra was a grown dragon, and had known the dangers when she took a warrior and a huntress as her chosen mate. She would never ask Sigrid to hold back from a challenge solely for her peace of mind. And for her part, Sigrid had sworn never to seek danger for its own sake. A challenge was only meaningful if the reward was worth it, and if she had the skill to reasonably expect that it was one she could overcome. She would never ask someone like Tetra—would never ask any dragon, but especially not one so strong and brave and steady, a rock in a storm—to commit her heart and body to a fool. 

So for her own sake, Tetra would take her fear as the price of her love, in the same way Sigrid took the danger as the price for the strength and pride her skills gave her. And Sigrid could listen to things her mate said, and talk about them reasonably, and give her the respect of really, truly thinking about, and still ultimately make her own decision. 

But for the sake of their children, she had the right to ask anything. And she was correct. Sigrid could not do that to a hatchling.

“I’m not sorry,” Tetra murmured, close to her neck. “But I know what I’m asking.”

“I’ll fly further out,” Sigrid told her, soft and quiet, feeling the pain of it in her chest but not hesitating. The challenge was no longer worthy of the danger; the chance of her hatchlings seeing their father die was not a risk to be run simply for the sake of catching dinner. “Or hunt overland. It will mean being away longer; I worry about leaving you alone. My place is at your side.”

“If our hatchlings are threatened, I can fight as well as any dragon,” was Tetra’s immediate response. “But I would feel safer with you nearby. When the hatchlings can fly, we can dig a new den.”

Sigrid nodded, beginning to warm to the idea. After all—the pride of a huntress was in acting as a provider. There was no inherent worth in hunting the rapids, only the fact that it allowed her to use her considerable skill to provide rich food to a worthy mate, and allow them both to survive in a hostile environment. There was as much honor in killing deer in the forest as in her fishing. And it would require polishing of new skills, a new kind of challenge.

She settled more comfortably against the den floor, looking out over the stunning view of the Ascent. Their den was west-facing, allowing them to sleep as long as they wished in the mornings and enjoy breathtaking sunsets over the distant Crystalspine. In the early afternoon, the sun was still high enough overhead to make the waves beneath them glitter without getting in her eyes.

Her gaze flicked to the shape of a large band of dragons, below and in the distance. She registered them with alertness, but not alarm; not yet. Travellers were not inherently a threat, and if they proved dangerous, Sigrid knew this area better than anyone and was not afraid of them, even the largest warriors.

She observed their movements for safety’s sake. Some were in the air, flying around one another. More were on the ground— 

Not a large band, she corrected, more focused now. A small one, trying to fend off a medium-sized one. 

As she peered closer, some of the dragons’ movements seemed...off. Not dragons, she finally realized. The smaller group was equal parts dragon and beastclan, the larger containing only dragons.

Still, that wasn’t her business. Nomad bands fought all the time, and their dispute was not Sigrid’s responsibility unless it interfered with the safety of her family. But the danger was more likely now. And something about this felt wrong. At the very least, she needed to get a closer look.

“Lie still,” she murmured to Tetra, and got to her feet.

[gyromitra-esculenta]

It’s got a name now~~! ‘Jack the Stag, and Other Works Penned by the Esteemed Songstress Sombra’. It’s an inside joke, probably.

Otherwise: a bad Witcher AU but not because of the TV series (rest is somewhere here either under totally not witcher au or murder-deer tag). Part 2. Unedited, at the moment, but getting close to that since I hit 5k.

Warnings: Violence, giant bugs, idiots, weasels, and flying pigs.

*

"That's why you love me," Jack sing-songs, unsheathing his own sword, twirling it around once in his hand with an added flourish - grinning like a madman with half his face soaked in blood.

"I tolerate you, that's different!"

"And that's why I love you too!"

As always, a discussion best saved for a time they're not having it over two giant insects that had managed to separate one from the other just now, and preferably to be undertaken at some nebulous future moment when Gabriel feels like being philosophical and questioning.

And shitfaced drunk.

"Take the..." Before he can finish, the male centipede hisses and lurches at Jack, probably seeing him as the immediate threat - and Jack dances out of the way, visibly leading it away from the female. "...yeah."

"I'll get the first kill," Jack taunts him.

"As if."

It's on, and regardless of the circumstances Gabriel smiles, moving into the female's field of view, noting how there is a kink where the chitin segments curl around the wound his sword had inflicted, and along with the smell of the carrion wafts acrid aroma of the burn.

With the centipedes, and the majority of other giant insectoids, there were only four strategies viable: wolf pits where it impaled itself under its own weight, severing the nervous cord behind its head, doing enough damage from below, or magic. The fifth method, though...

They were certainly one disposable angry peasant mob short for it to work.

Gabriel keeps from the female's range - circling it as it turns after him, considering his approach, and in the end deciding to utilize the same maneuver as previously, fingers forming the sign again.

Mid-jump, he slips a dagger into his left hand, and wedges it behind a plate without delay to gain support as he lands - a bit too far from the centipede's head. Not a problem as he's still a little out of the reach of its maw but he needs to move further on its back.

He jams the sword sideways under the next plate and shifts, sliding forward - alternates with the dagger until the centipede looks about ready to roll over to get him off its back. The short blade breaks under the pressure the segments he has it forced between put on it.

But Gabriel's already bracing with the sword raised and pushes it down below the edge of the looser plate the female has over its head with all his strength, more feeling than hearing things snapping and crunching under the steel.

Then, he twists the blade from side to side.

The centipede crumples to the ground with the grace of a flying pig that just got disenchanted even though the impetus carries it few meters along its path.

It starts spasming the length of its body erratically as its scant nervous systems tries to make sense of the damage done.

Gabriel repeats the twist and cut again, to be sure, and rips the sword back - now jumping off the centipede and putting some distance between himself and its death throes - to the litany of 'fucks' screamed from the side with the varying volume, the most more muffled than not.

Which is fair because Jack, smeared from head to toe in brownish green blood and some dirty yellow remains of the other insect insides, is just about crawling from under the other centipede successfully. Also, frantically ripping his slowly blackening in places shirt off.

"Do you need any help?"

"Fuck you! There's bug guts all over me!" Jack tosses the smoldering now fabric to the ground. "That was my favorite shirt!"

Gabriel only rolls his eyes withholding any scathing remark and walks to him with a small detour to retrieve the pack on the way.

"Sit, and get at least some of it off," he throws Jack a cloth. "And give me a minute, I need to clean your cheek."

"Needn't bother, little cub."

"It's still open. You're not healing properly, so don't 'little cub' me, you horned dolt, am I clear?"

Jack at first opens his mouth but then there's only an angry snort coming from him, and he dutifully starts to wipe with the provided cloth, letting Gabriel sit in front of him and rummage in the pack for the supplies he needs.

"Okay, but the horned dolt was actually good."

It's Gabriel's turn to snort, and then laugh, as he tries to glare at Jack.

"You are a horned dolt, after all. Get down." He points to the ground. As soon as Jack complies, Gabriel rubs his face with the antiseptic - ignoring the hissing. The wound is still open and bleeding.

"See. It's healing."

"Not as it's supposed to. There should be stitches."

"If I see you with the needle, I'm kicking you in the face!"

"You were thrashing all around then." Gabriel finishes cleaning the cut. "Did you get burned anywhere?"

"I should be asking how's your arm."

"It's fine, don't try to change the subject, turn around," Gabriel orders Jack in spite of the comically annoyed face he pulls as he complies to show the extensive swath of blistered skin below his shoulder. "That's it. You're wearing armor until this thing gets sorted out."

"It's constraining."

Gabriel dabs the wound with more force than necessary, maliciously enjoying the resulting yelp.

"It's keeping you from getting your dumb ass hurt," he punctuates each word with another swab, noting how the destroyed layer of the skin does not peel off. The last time Jack got splashed with a corrosive fluid, the dead skin had been already flaking off by itself in the span of minutes, and the scar tissue had faded after a week or two. "Shut up," Gabriel adds preemptively and shifts to lean his forehead against Jack's shoulder. "I don't... You're in more pain than you should be because something's not right and you're not telling me."

"So you do care," Jack responds with a note of triumph in his voice and Gabriel sighs deeply as he curbs the overwhelming urge to punch him out of sheer frustration.

"Yes. Yes, I do care, you dumb fucking moron, so what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong, little cub. I just need to recuperate, and that takes time."

"What time exactly?"

"I don't know, a few months, maybe a year." Jack shrugs.

"You're not weaseling out of proper armor now."

"I'm not 'weaseling' out of anything, they're damn chirpy murderous anklebiters and I resent the comparison."

"Of course you object to that one, out of everything," Gabriel laughs, patting Jack's other shoulder lightly.

"You know what's in those little heads non-stop? Murder!"

"You made your point."

"It's like they wake up and ask: 'hey, what's for breakfast?', and the answer is always 'bloody murder'."

"I think I get it."

"And then, 'hey, let's do something fun', and other weasels are 'what?', and the answer is 'bloody murder', and they all cheer!"

"Yeah. I see absolutely no similarities, at all. None whatsoever." Gabriel chuckles to himself, still staying with his forehead pressed against the warm shoulder as Jack leans back a bit. "You're still not getting out of properly gearing up."

"Well, fuck."

"We should get to the grove before the morning breaks because you need to wash all this off, you stink worse than the goat now."

Jack sniffs loudly, his whole frame moving with the action.

"I think I've lost my sense of smell. Weird."

"No, that's the antiseptic."

"Really? It can do that?" Jack huffs the air with a renewed interest.

"Because your whole cheek is covered in it. Get used to it until we get you sorted out." Gabriel shifts back with reluctance and climbs to his feet. "C'mon. We should get going."

"Whatever you say, little cub."

"Bug guts. All over you. You hate..." Gabriel loses the line reasoning when Jack, with the cloth thrown over his shoulder and the sword in hand, passes him - stalking towards the corpse of the female centipede. "We can leave that for after we..." And Jack takes a swinging kick that connects with the underside of the insectoid, sending its whole frame wobbling. "Bugs. You hate bugs."

Jack takes to looking attentively at the centipede while pacing down the length of its body, ultimately squatting in a chosen specific spot. He slits the belly and waits as the insides start to spill through the cut, between them fall slightly misshapen spheres, milky, partially translucent.

"They're fertilized, and they usually keep only one adult pair around." Jack brushes his fingertips over the surface of the eggs He pauses only to pick some out and puts them all on the soiled cloth, ready to bundle them up.

"Feeling gracious?" Gabriel muses over the unpacked supplies he's gathering.

"Maybe. Because there will be a gap they won't be able to fill, and that could kill the whole population."

"I didn't think you'd see a problem with this."

"They're controlling the numbers, or at least they were, until those slipped the leash. I find them icky and disagreeable but there's a need for them."

"Ecology at its finest and most murderous." Gabriel shakes his head.

"Oi!" Jack turns and sticks his tongue out at him.

It's easy to forget things Jack is - or isn't, for that matter - but then he slips. He always slips. He is vain and pernicious, but no more than the nature itself is; demanding and unreasonable, yet caring when no-one expects it.

A strange thought it is, this question that nowadays rears its ugly head more than ever, and Gabriel can't help wondering how much of what Jack is, is Gabriel's own doing? Wouldn't he be better off away from here, never having taken pity on a child in the woods?

But then, he is selfish. Even daring to imagine the constant of Jack's presence being gone is something he dreads - and now it's a possibility it may happen not because he's bound to grow bored and leave, but because whatever's wrong with him will kill him.

"What, the bugbear's got your tongue?" Jack looks at him quizzically, the bundled in the cloth eggs held in hand, the sword sheathed already. "I'll toss a coin for your thoughts."

"Nothing." Gabriel shakes his head and shoulders the pack. "Let's get going, you look dreadful."

"I look great, always. Majestic, even."

"Yeah, not right now," Gabriel turns, trying not to dwell on his now foul mood as he marches, Jack fast on his heels keeping quiet - and this again is unsettling because the banter, the jabs and the barbs, leaves an absence of distraction.

And without the distraction, his thoughts run in circles of worry and anger, and something else he cannot put the name to - or the other way around, he knows what it is and still refuses to name it.

"Just fucking say something," he grinds out without looking back.

"So you could be more vexed with me?" The tone is level, and maybe curious.

"Don't..."

"I don't need to be in your head to see it. You're really angry with me, then," Jack continues with a note of dejection in his voice, "if you think I'd seek your thoughts on my own."

"That's not what... I trust you not to." The strangest of it all is, he truly does, but it's something easy to fall back on when angry.

"You're still accusing me of it," Jack points out.

"Because you're fucking lying to me, so maybe you're lying about this too."

"I had never lied to you, why would I start doing it now?"

"Omission is a lie." Gabriel refuses to look at Jack who know keeps to his side, and with no answer incoming he only grows angrier.

"Then you should ask," Jack responds with a click of his tongue as he overtakes him. Gives him a hard lingering look paired with a crooked half-smile, too, before he turns and skips forward. "You wanted to hurry, cub."

"This is not over."

"Of course it is, cub, because you never ask, do you?" The remark itself is full of reproach and disappointment.