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sinner-as-saint · 4 years

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Afterglow - 2.

Mob!Seb x Surrogate!Reader.

Part 2 of the Afterglow series.

Run-through: The mob boss had everything one can ever want from life; power, money, fame. He was well respected and had people almost worshipping the ground he walked on. And yet, each day he came home to an empty, cold house; no warmth, no love around him. And each day, he tried changing that. Until one day he finally figured out how to; and he met you along the path. Having found each other, nothing in both your lives is ever the same again.

Themes throughout the series: mob!seb, surrogacy, fluff, smut, angst

Within your first month of living together, things changed for the better.

You were almost halfway through your first trimester, and Sebastian and you were just as inseparable as ever. And over the first week or so, you had developed a little routine.

And you still followed it, both of you. Breakfast in bed became a thing. And he always made sure you ate right, and made sure you had healthy snacks in between each meal. He tried limiting your junk food intake but he couldn’t resist your puppy dog eyes and ended up giving in each time.

You had doctor’s appointments, which he took you to and again, glared at the doctor the moment he laid his hands on your skin.

Sebastian pampered you a lot. Too much even.

“Keep treating me like this and I won’t know how to be on my own when I go back.” You joked while Sebastian made the two of you dinner in the kitchen.

He mentioned that he liked having you around when he cooked, so you sat at the kitchen island and watched him move around.

“You don’t have to go back.” he mumbled under his breath, with his head hung low as he chopped veggies on a board.

You didn’t quite hear him. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch that, what did you say?” you asked.

And he just chuckled and shook his head. “Oh nothing.”

He had been thinking about it a lot lately. Between sharing the same bed, and waking up to your face each morning, to having you around at all times and feeling like he belonged there, beside you; he didn’t want you to leave even after the baby was born.

He’d think about it often, while you slept safely by his side at night. He thought about what it would be like to raise this baby with you. He could never stop smiling at how great of a mother you would be. You would probably raise the best-behaved child; one who would share you love for reading and poetry.

Or maybe the baby would turn out to be a little trouble maker like himself, and you would love the kid anyway.

Sebastian knew he was moving a little too fast perhaps, or that he needed to control his emotions better, but with you – everything felt right. Things made sense.

This, whatever he was feeling, wasn’t lust, or infatuation – it was something deeper. Something more meaningful. It was an unusual but comfortable bond.

He’d spend a lot of time just walking up to you and placing his hand on your tummy during the day, always very respectful still. And he always had one question;

“When are you going to start showing?” he’d always ask.

You’d always laugh and tell him “Not until the beginning of the second trimester.” and he would pout slightly.

He could be so adorable at times. Like each night when he’d help with getting the bed ready; removing all the decorative pillows and fluffing others to help you sleep better. Or how each morning he’d make sure that you are well looked after.

And how each night he’d help you rub oil on your belly, in sensitive spots to reduce the formation of stretch marks in the near future. Or how he’d always say, “Good night, doll.” before going to bed. And how, thinking you would never notice, each night as he slept he’d just inch closer to you.

He’d even help you with your morning yoga, even though you didn’t need any help yet. He would always assist you with everything he can. And you genuinely liked having him around. Because just like him, you’ve never ever been this close to anyone, or shared such a magical bond with anyone before.

He told you all about his life, once, when the two of you were curled up on the couch in the living room; a movie playing on the screen but neither of you paid much attention.

“I’ve never really…had anyone all my life. Friends, yes. Close friends even. But nothing I could call family, you know?” he confessed, looking down at his lap.

You felt the need to place your hand on top of his and tell him hey, it’s okay now. You’re not alone anymore, you won’t ever be alone now. But you didn’t say it, worried that it might be too soon to overstep that line.

“Well, that makes the two of us. I have a family, but we’re not close. Never have been.” You two had that in common.

Sebastian laced his fingers with yours and gave your hand a firm squeeze. But look at us now, we’re not alone anymore. We don’t have to be. You can stay with me, and we can be so much more. But he didn’t say it, scared he might cross a boundary.

Yet somehow, the two of you felt what the other wanted to say. And that’s one of the many reasons why you were always on each other’s mind. This pull, the fact that you didn’t have to voice out what you wanted to say, yet having the other understand perfectly, this invisible thread which undoubtedly linked you to one another – it drove both you and him insane.

But the two of you were too careful to even talk it out. Both of you wanted to clearly figure out your emotions and feelings, rather than dive into it head first and ruin what you have.

Another month and a half went by, and you were in your second trimester, and had just begun showing. A little, very little baby bump. Barely there yet, but Sebastian was already obsessed with both you and the bump.

You began having late night cravings and felt a little nauseous at times. Also, since you weren’t having caffeine anymore, you were beginning to get somewhat grumpy and broody at times, and Sebastian surprised you with how well he handled it. He remained calm, and patient and everything one needs to be while dealing with a pregnant woman.

And all of it just showed how much he cared. Some days were great, some days not so. But he stayed by your side through it all.

However, as some more weeks went on, his protective manner; his possessiveness was a quite a lot to deal with. Like this one time you went out with your close friends, and accidentally didn’t pick up some of Sebastian’s calls and he went crazy when you got home.

“Where were you all day?” he asked, quite bitterly, as soon as you stepped inside the house. You could read him well now that you had lived with him for months, and you could tell he wasn’t his usual sweet self right now. He wasn’t Sebastian, he was the mob boss at the moment, interrogating you.

You could hear the worry, the fear, the anger and the slight hint of protectiveness in his voice.

“Sebastian, I was only gone for a couple of hours. I went to meet up with some friends.” You remained calm but you could see him getting more upset.

“You weren’t picking up my calls, you didn’t reply to any messages, that’s completely irresponsible. Don’t ignore me like that next time.” He sounded like he was trying to contain his irritation, and made it seem like you had done something terrible by missing his calls. He sounded a little angry.

You sighed and looked down at the, now slightly bigger, growing bump you had. You placed your hand over it instinctively, shielding it from its dad’s sudden change in behavior.

We got this, baby. Don’t worry.

“I wasn’t ignoring you. I was living my life, Seb. I have the right to see my friends.” You hated how you had to defend yourself for doing something so ordinary. This situation wasn’t so grave, but your hormones were acting up lately and you were very sensitive.

You felt your eyes starting to water and you felt even more terrible.

“I get that. I just needed to make sure my baby’s fine. I have the right to know!” he argued, still keeping his emotions under control, still he sounded a little bitter – maybe more than he intended to. His tone was very authoritative. And the slight change in his voice made you tear up.

Also, he said ‘my baby’ which seemed to you that he only cared about the baby, which he a hundred percent should but it hurt. It felt as though you meant nothing to him, and that hurt. It created an invisible distance between you and him.

“I get that I’m carrying your child. And you’re worried all the time, but I have a life too. I wouldn’t go anywhere which would put your child in danger, I’m not stupid.” Your tears fell, rather big ones so they didn’t go unnoticed by him despite the large distance between you and him.

You purposely laid emphasis on ‘your child’ and it hurt him just as much as it hurt you. He felt the distance being created as well. And he hated it. Sebastian cared about you and the baby equally, but he had phrased his previous words wrong. He wasn’t just concerned with the baby, no. He was worried about you as well.

He opened his mouth to say something but at the sight of your tears, all his anger vanished and the guilt settled in.

Oh no. He didn’t mean to upset you, he was just worried.

“I may be pregnant with your baby, Mr. Stan, but you don’t own me. You don’t get to have a say in what I should and shouldn’t do. I’m here because we signed a legal document, nothing more.”

Not Seb, but Mr. Stan. And that caught not only his attention, but the guards’ as well. And your last sentence hit him like multiple bullets at the same time. And he’s been shot in the arm before so he knew what kind of pain he was talking about.

It hurt after you said it. You didn’t mean it. But the hormones amplified everything you felt inside and the bitter words just slipped out, no filter.

You crossed the living room, placing a hand on your bump pretending that you were blocking out the bitter words from reaching the baby, and you walked over to your room. And just before you stepped inside you turned around and faced Sebastian again; who now stood in the middle of the living room, hating himself and regretting everything he just said.

“I get that you care about your baby but don’t try to control me like you own me. The baby might be all yours, but I’m not!” You said and rather dramatically slammed the door shut.

The sound of the door echoed in the living area. And not only Sebastian, but the guards were just as stunned as him because they had never seen this side of you. The guards knew the kind, gentle, sweet you. No one had ever seen the fiery side of you.

To a point where even the guards gave Sebastian a slight glare because he was being too much and too possessive.

Sebastian noticed the dirty looks he got from his own people, and he sighed and faced the one guard he’s known the longest.

“I just fucked up, didn’t I?” he asked him. And the guard just nodded slightly and Sebastian felt terrible. He lingered around the living room for a bit, drowning in guilt but he didn’t hear you cry so that was good.

He figured you wouldn’t want to join him for dinner so he had his people order your favorites and had someone bring it to you in your room. He didn’t go near you, because he was certain that he was the last person you wanted to see right now.

But when one of the ladies who worked in his kitchen went to give you your food, Sebastian caught a glimpse of you from afar and he wanted nothing more than to just get on his knees and beg for your forgiveness. But he didn’t want to rile you up anymore, anger was bad for both you and the baby. So he kept his distance; drowning in guilt.

Seeing you accepted the food made him feel loads better, but that relief was temporary because he realized that he wouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed as you tonight.

He tossed and turn in his cold bed at night, upstairs in his bedroom. Far from you, and his little baby. Sebastian was miserable, he missed your warmth, and your little quiet snores which he had gotten used to. He missed how you shifted around and stole all the blanket and how he’d always have to grab the spare one.

Or how you would gravitate closer to him in your sleep and how many times he had whispered, “I think I’m falling for you, doll. Hard.” and kissed your forehead before drifting off to sleep. Or how many times he had woken up in the middle of the night just to make sure you’re okay while using the bathroom. And then waited for you to come back to bed again, so he could sleep again.

He missed the smell of the oil you used every day; which he didn’t get to rub on your bump today. And the sweet smell of your hair, and your favorite body lotion. Or how sometimes you’d get up and walk to the kitchen for ice cream and Sebastian would follow, trailing behind you and starting to notice the very brief change in the way you walk. He thought it was adorable.

He missed you. All of you.

Alright, fuck this.

He got out of bed and walked downstairs quietly. He got worried for a second, seeing that the door to your room was still slightly open and the dim night light was on. But then he calmed himself down because the guards were all there. So maybe you had just returned from the kitchen, after a late night snack. Perhaps you went for the dark chocolate ice cream you’ve been loving lately.

And his heart ached at the very thought of what he did and said to you earlier. You didn’t deserve to hear that. You were perfect, you could do no wrong.

He sheepishly walked over to your room and leaned against the door frame.

You sat on the edge of the bed, on the side where he usually slept. And you had your back to him so you didn’t notice him yet. And he caught you talking to your baby bump and he melted instantly.

“… come on now, baby. Let’s just try to go to bed. We can’t trouble your daddy for every little thing now, can we? Besides, your daddy was a real butt today. And him and I are not friends right now, but he still loves you so much. He loves you more than anything, okay? Let’s just go to bed, honey.” He saw that you caressed your bump while you talked to it.

And then he remembered that as you neared your fifth month, you said that baby was beginning to move a little. And some nights, you had trouble falling asleep. And Sebastian felt like shit again because judging by the sound of your voice, he could sense that you were a little tired.

He walked into the room and shut the door behind him. The sound of the door let you know that he was in here with you. And your heart fluttered. Your anger had vanished, and so had his. So the two of you were just mushy for each other at this point. Either of you too scared to tell each other that nothing made sense when you were apart, or when not talking.

“I’m sorry.”

Both of you apologized at the same time. And you began standing up but Sebastian rushed over to you and knelt down in front of you while you remained sat on the edge of the bed.

“I shouldn’t have yelled.” He said, lowering his head and reached out to hold your hand in his.

“I shouldn’t have either.” You said, squeezing his hand gently.

He looked up, his eyes glossier than earlier. He felt terrible, but didn’t glance down at your bump even once; which you found weird because normally he was obsessed with it. But Sebastian needed this moment to be between you and him. And as much as he loved his baby, he needed you as well. And he needed you to know how much you mean to him, and why he’s possessive sometimes. Or all the time rather.

He took a deep breath and began.

“My dad was… never good to my mom. Made her suffer a lot.” He took a pause and although he tried to hide it, you noticed the slight crack of his voice. And you began tearing up as well as you read in between the lines.

“He took her for granted. Things were never good between them, ever. And then one day, she just up and left.” He continued and stared deep into your eyes while he spoke. “I don’t blame her, because God knows my father was terrible. And she didn’t deserve the life he gave her, so she left him. Left me.” You could tell he was having trouble talking because you figured maybe he has never allowed anyone to see this side of him, ever.

“He didn’t cherish her like she deserved. And I was pretty young, I was barely an adult but I made a promise to myself that I will never, ever mistreat the mother of my kids like my father did.” He spoke, without breaking eye contact. And you knew what was coming.

“I can’t help what I feel for you, I just do. And I know I’m a lot to handle, and I get jealous and possessive but I- I don’t want you to leave me. I just want to keep you safe.” His voice cracked again.

And you had hot tears streaming down your face again. You were unable to find your voice to tell him that it’s okay, you’re not going anywhere.

“I love you.” he finally confessed, and looked down at your lap – where your intertwined hands laid on your warm skin. “And I’m so sorry about earlier. I got scared.” He looked up again and you saw the sadness in his eyes. “There’s a lot of… bad people out there. People who are willing to hurt everything and everyone I love. And if one of them ever hurt you and I wasn’t there to protect you, it- it would kill me.”

He brought your hand to his lips and gave it a kiss, letting his lips linger on your skin. “I got scared. I got so scared, I’m sorry.” He apologized again and kissed your hand again.

And you finally stopped crying and spoke up. “Hey,” you ran your other hand through his hair gently, affectionately. “I’m sorry too. And I love you.” You finally confessed and noticed how his entire face lit up. “But you need to calm down just a little bit, okay? I’m not careless with the baby, I promise.”

He nodded quickly and inched closer to you. And he immediately felt loads better when he caught the smell of your familiar scent; it calmed him down. “I know. You’re perfect, I shouldn’t have said that.” He admitted and you gently caressed his face to let him know that it was okay.

“I need to know, doll. Please tell me we’re more than just those legal documents.” He pleaded. And you cracked a little smile and looked down, wishing you could take back what you said.

“We are more.” You confirmed and he smiled.

He leaned in and touched your forehead with his; it was an innocent, intimate gesture. You stayed like that for a while. Nothing had to be said, you both understood what the other meant.

“Be mine.” he said, after sometime and pulled away to look you in the eyes again.

You giggled and decided to lighten up the mood a little.

“I’m already pregnant with your child, what else do you want?” you joked, leaning in to gently rub the tip of your nose with his.

He had a big smile on his face as he finally looked down at your bump and leaned in to kiss it, caressing it with his other hand.

“Speaking of who, I heard that someone wasn’t letting you sleep.” He referred to what he had heard when he walked into the room. Sebastian gave your bump another kiss and looked up at you.

You smiled and nodded. “She’s being a bit of a trouble maker today.” You replied, looking down at your bump as well.

Sebastian gave you a funny look. “She, huh?” he pointed out.

“I have a feeling it’s a little girl. I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like you’re gonna have a daughter.” It was true, something told you that it was a little girl in there.

Sebastian smiled and kissed the bump one more time, his soft lips lingering on your skin. “We, doll. We are gonna have a daughter.” He corrected you and when he looked up at you again, you sensed a shift in the air.

Everything felt warmer, and brighter. Like someone had flipped a switch and suddenly, everything was much clearer now. Like being in the shadows for long and just now discovering daylight.

“We.” You repeated.

Such a small word, but it meant so much to the two of you.

Sebastian seemed like he was lost in his thoughts for a moment, and you could almost see the mischief in his eyes when he looked back in yours again.

“Well, guess daddy has to make sure both his girls get some much needed rest.” He said, voice barely above a whisper as he leaned in close to you. “Do you trust me, doll?” he asked, needing your consent before he showed you just how much he loved you.

“Yes.”

And as soon as you said yes, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours; kissing you deeply and passionately while still being soft and gentle. His hands reached up to cup your face and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss while he gently pushed you down on the bed.

He kissed you deeper again and then pulled away to look into your eyes. His body leaned over yours and he admired you for a moment, with a lovesick smile on his face. Then he got off you and knelt in between your legs again.

He gently lowered your satin PJ shorts down your legs; getting rid of it and kissed your bump again.

You giggled and tried sitting up, but he pushed you back down gently and leaned in to kiss your inner thighs. He placed both his hands on either one of your knees and separated your legs, settling in between them like he belonged there.

His hand slowly dragged your underwear down your legs and threw it around somewhere behind him as he inched his face closer to your already dripping core.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” He mumbled and brushed his soft lips along your inner thighs, making you giggle and moan quietly under your breath.

Your bump hid half of his face but you could feel his warm breath hit your wet skin. He kissed his way up to your bump again and held your stare as he peppered your skin with kisses.

He kissed his way down to your core yet again and you moaned out loud when you felt his warm tongue lick from your entrance up to your clit. You felt your heart flutter and a warmth washed over you immediately.

Your hand immediately flew to his messy bed hair, and you grabbed a fistful of it, tugging on it gently as his mouth teased you. His tongue slowly circled around your clit and he earned another moan out of you. As though your senses were heightened, you felt even warmer and tingly as his mouth moved against you.

There was not an ounce of shame in his actions, he ate you out eagerly; satiating both your hunger. He looked up at you and you saw the pure hunger in his eyes. And he saw the need in yours. So he gave you his all. He had you squirming, moaning – a complete mess under him in no time.

He would alternate between kissing his way up to the underside of your bump and back down to where you needed him the most. Your skin was warm, and your scent was familiar and he was hooked to your taste almost immediately.

He did ask you the occasional, “You okay, babe?” and you would reply by tugging on his hair and he’d smirk and get back to it; pleasuring you and making up for all that happened earlier.

Your eyes shut and your legs trembled as you felt his tongue against you, and he locked his arms around your thighs and pushed your core further into his mouth and making you cry out of pleasure. The lower half of his mouth was drenched with your wetness but he still couldn’t get enough.

With a couple more strokes of his tongue, he had you coming undone; gushing out all over his tongue as he lapped up whatever you gave him; making you gasp and moan. The wet sounds erupting whenever his mouth sucked on your sensitive clit were downright sinful.

You felt tingly as the warmth washed over you. You felt him kissing his way up your body; leaving warm, wet kisses all over your skin, especially around your bump, until he reached your mouth again. His kiss was gentle. When he pulled away, you finally opened your eyes to stare into his blue orbs.

“You have no idea how much you mean to me.” He whispered, looking deep into your eyes, body hovering above yours. “You’re all I have, babe.” He spoke again, and leaned in to kiss along your jaw and down your neck.

“You’re all I have too.” You whispered, sliding your hands into his hair. He pulled away from your skin and looked into your eyes again.

“I love you.” he said again.

You smiled.

“I love you too.”

He leaned in for a kiss again. He kissed your skin; from your mouth to your neck as he lowered his sweats and carefully slid into you. Your walls welcomed him perfectly and he moaned under his breath as he filled you up entirely, inch by inch.

He knew he had to be just a little more careful and gentle, but that was okay. That only gave him more time to feel all of you, and bask in your warmth.

He gave you a few seconds, watching you intently to see if you showed any sign of discomfort or pain but when you didn’t, he slowly rocked his hips against you. Gently, removing himself from you and then pushing back into you again, just as slow as the first time.

You whined in pleasure and your back arched off the bed just a little as you felt his thick cock filling you up; snug inside you. Sebastian felt your warm bump press against him while your walls wrapped around him just right, and he wished he could spend forever there on that bed with you.

He laced your fingers together and pinned both your hands above your head as he sped up just a little into you. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head once he started rocking in and out of you. He leaned in and kissed your lips again, groaning and panting against your lips as he fucked you slowly.

The air around you got warmer again, his movements were gentle, and passionate and loving. His hips rolled against your body perfectly, and his body weight pressing down gently on you was comforting. His grip around your hand tightened each time you’d moan his name out loud; something told you he liked it.

He stopped at some point and let go of your hands and lifted his upper body off yours momentarily. He kept his cock buried deep in you while his hands unbuttoned the top of your PJs in a haste. As soon as the top was unbuttoned, he leaned in to kiss your skin from your collar bones to down your chest. And you giggled when he took one of your sensitive nipple into his mouth and teased it with his tongue.

You lowered your eyes to look at where his mouth latched on to your body, also the mere sight of his cock being buried deep within you was enough to make your arousal flow out of you even more.

His mouth left your breast and his reach out to gently massage both of them with his hands as he leaned in to kiss your lips again.

“You’re mine.” he whispered against your lips, and leaned in to kiss you deeply as he started moving his hips again; rocking in and out of you again.

You felt all of him; each inch of his skin, each vein on his cock against your walls as he deliberately stroked your walls as slowly as he could just to make you whine and whimper in pleasure.

You moaned as you looked into his eyes; his stare was intense, but loving. His lips were parted as he looked down at you like you were as important as the air he breathed.

Messy hair, a thin layer of sweat covering both your bodies, swollen lips and marks of his adoration all over your neck and chest; you were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And in that moment he knew, that he would protect you with his life and never let you go.

You felt his cock hit all the right spots each time he moved against you, and his lips parted and he groaned the moment your walls started clenching around him.

His brows furrowed as he tried so hard to hold back and make you cum before he did, but it was hard. Sebastian knew he wouldn’t last very long the moment his name left your lips; sinful and hot – but also so innocent and pure; like you needed him more than anything.

He smiled and leaned down to whisper in your ear. “I’m here, babe. I’m right here.” He whispered, voice strained and gravelly; which sent chills down your body.

You felt the pressure building in between your hips. Sebastian noticed how your walls squeezed around him and he smirked as his hands reached down and grabbed your hips gently and kept you in place as he sped up into you; his cock slipping in and out of you with ease. Your bodies moved perfectly against each other.

He held you as close to him as he could, pushing his face into you and nuzzling your neck as he made you cum around him.

With a few more strokes of his cock, you came undone; gushing out all over him. You came around his cock with a loud moan; grinding against him hungrily while he moaned against your lips as he came right after you.

You felt his beard tickle your skin as he kissed your forehead and covered your tangled bodies with the soft blanket. You sighed in his arms and instinctively snuggle up to his side, and he held you close.

“I think she likes your scent. She always calms down whenever I smell your cologne.” you whispered and Sebastian chuckled and leaned in to kiss your forehead again and his hand caressed your bump gently.

He then slide down the bed a little to talk to bump like he had the habit of doing ever since you began showing.

“Think she is daddy’s girl already.” He said and gave your bump a kiss again. “I love you so much.” He said to the baby and did this adorable thing where he pressed his entire face against your bump. You giggled when he did that and you slid your hand through his hair; playing with the dark lengths of his soft hair.

“But we have to let mom sleep. She’s tired, and I upset her today. Which I apologized for, don’t worry mom and I are talking again so, we’re all good here…” Sebastian went on to talk to your bump, filling the baby in with all that’s going on but you zoned out.

Mom…

Guess with all that was going on you didn’t realize that given you and Sebastian end up together, that meant that he wouldn’t be the only parent anymore. You would be a mom as well. And you hadn’t realized that you had been silently crying at the thought of all that.

The sound of you sniffling caught Sebastian’s attention. And he gave your bump one last kiss and slide his body up to you again.

“What’s wrong, babe?” he asked softly, wiping away your tears.

You bit your lip and looked at him. And you began overthinking again. What if he’s just attached to you now because of the baby? What if that goes away once the baby is here and not a part of you anymore? What if what he feels for you changes?

And you ended up asking him all those questions, unable to hold back.

Sebastian just sighed as he heard you, and wrapped his arm around you and pulled your bare body closer to him.

“Hey, don’t you dare doubt my feelings for you.” he said softly, his tone calm and gentle. “I’ve liked you since day one. So technically I fell for you even before our baby happened.” He sounded just a little playful. And his choice of words made you crack a little smile.

“I’m not in love with you just because you’re pregnant with my baby.” he caught your full attention. And held your stare while he spoke.

“The baby just amplified all that I felt for you since the beginning, babe. When I met you for the first time, I knew deep inside me that I needed you to be in my life, for a long time. I didn’t know it was love, then. But I do now. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, babe. The fact that you’ll be giving birth to my baby is just bonus at this point.” He explained and gave you another kiss on your forehead.

“I know it feels like we’re moving fast babe but, I’m sure about us, okay? I need you to stop questioning what we have. We’re okay. We’re gonna be okay.” He gave you the reassurance you needed. And you wrapped your own arm around him and pushed your face into the crook of his neck.

You sniffled again, no longer tearing up. “I love you, Seb.”

He smiled and rubbed your back gently. “I love you more. It’s late babe, go to sleep,” he mumbled under his breath and that was the last thing you heard before drifting off to sleep.

It wasn’t long before Sebastian heard your soft snores, and he made sure the blankets covered your bare frame well, and he held you close to him. He was grateful that you were here with him, thanking fate, or the universe or whatever it was that helped him find you.

He had never felt so happy, warm and content. He looked down at you, safe in his arms. Then he looked at the bump you had; inside which his baby was safe and growing steadily. He smiled at how he would soon have a little family.

“I love you. Both of you, more than anything.” He whispered and kissed the top of your head before he drifted off to sleep as well, excited for the coming days.

---

Afterglow Tag List (OPEN):

@ground0baby

@nikishadow

@justanothergirlwithdemons

@anarchyandchaos2713

@ntlmundy

@shawn-mendez-is-a-babe

@nothingqueens

@lavalampskyy

@thepastrecedes01

@anqelicstarc

@youngblood199456

@young-romanoff

@arrowsandmixtapes

@sweetlittlegingy

@ownsmyheart

@scar1etwriting

@secretspellman

@jennmurawski13

@disneylovingal

@littlelunaticfringe

@love-cherie

@hurricanerin

@tomisagod

@avocadofreak

@kimmie113080

@ceeellewrites

@koremis

@katelyneannn

@bucksgoat

@barnesfanatic

@littlekidsteve

@eileen-94

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Seb Tag List:

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@great-goddess-of-sin

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Permanent Tag List:

@softboibarnes

@grayxswan

@buckybarnesatemyheart

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Everything Tag List:

@charmed-asylum

@ravenmoore14

@stangirl-fangirl264

@xbuckxnastyx

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@bellascrap

@thecurlsofgod

@briarrose125

@xoxabs88xox

@cherryslibrary @kenzieam

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arsenicpanda · 4 years

Text

Bughead Appreciation Day 1 Except It’s Day 2

So I spent yesterday nice and cozy in bed and put this off (good choice, tbh, I was very snug as a bug), but now, now comes the time for me to gush about some people in the fandom! This is definitely not a comprehensive list, I have absolutely left some people out because I am very forgetful, but, in no particular order and under a cut because I’m a wordy bitch:

@tory-b: A delight and a dear, leading writer of monsterfucker!Betty, co-runner of @riverdaleprideandjoyzine, a legend and a friend, we have no choice but to stan. Her stuff is so good and varied and just *chef’s kiss* a delight, two favorites of mine are Fangs/com/Match (Betty/dragon!Jughead meet via monsterfucker Tinder, has some great friendship moments with Kevin and Veronica and is v sexy and funny, features the horniest Betty) and Sticky Sweet Serenade ((past)-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers bughead, mixes up some statuses in Riverdale, excellent mystery, I remember reading it and going, “holy shit, a believable take on Northside!Jughead”). I’ve also gotta mention Whats in a Name? (Betty and Jughead meet on tumblr, Betty writes poetry and Jughead is a shitposter, they slowly connect, it’s great) and To Balance the Scales (scientist!Betty/mermaid!Jughead, currently a slow build, I cannot wait for you guys to see the excellent worldbuilding she’s done). I could keep going, or you could binge all her fics today, an excellent use of your Saturday, I assure you, because I’ve left a lot out.

@stillhidden: Always good for some great thoughts on the show, one of the best reasons for my your thoughts on Riverdale please show them to me tag, I get psyched every time I see a Riverdale text post or ask answer because I know I’m in for a good time. Thoughtful and funny and nice, what a combo!

@satelliteinasupernova: So talented! Author, artist, co-runner of @riverdaleprideandjoyzine, funny, haver of good thoughts on Riverdale is there anything she can’t do? No, there is not. Every time I see her art I’m like !!!, the colors! how well-drawn the hands are! the accuracy of their hair! the backgrounds! the way I can see the love in their eyes! I cannot even, there are no words. Also! Her fics! So original! One of my earliest memories in the fandom is reading The town called Riverdale (a sort of mystery about the meta fuckery going down in Riverdale, explores time loops, stories that control lives, the roles the Archie characters are “supposed” to have, a mash-up with concepts in Princess Tutu that requires zero knowledge of Princess Tutu) and going !!! is this a Princess Tutu mash-up? Have I been #blessed enough to see a mash up between Riverdale, a story that fucks with archetypes, and Princess Tutu, one of the shows about fucking with archetypes and the way stories ontrol lives? I was and I am and I raved to my non-fandom but Princess Tutu liker friend about it. Has also wonderfully tackled eldritch horror in return to Eldervair and gothic horror/romance in The Lady of the Manor, does fluff, does angst, does it all, so go check her out!

@go-ldy: An angst and time skip queen, tbh, and always has some great thoughts on Riverdale, another reason I’m glad I have that tag. Every time she answers an ask, I’m like, “Yesss, incoming Good Thoughts, I am HERE for this”. But do not sleep on her as an author! Into the Deep is some delightful dark!bughead, and I’ll walk with you in the shadows is such good time skip angst and a mystery and there’s a certain surprise I love but is a spoiler but you simply must read this, you must. The Time after Time series is giving us that good angst bughead content that season 5 is not going to, and I’m so glad it exists and just thrilled that she trusted me to beta it. I’m leaving a lot of stuff out though, so you should go check her out!

@milajovovich: One of the best gif makers in the fandom, I will fight you on this. Makes absolute miracles with footage, the way she makes season 4 webrips look like they’re actual blurayrips is godly, they’re so crisp and so smooth and the coloring is always great. And like, jesus, the way the bluray footage looks? Fucking outstanding, the talent is off the charts. Go marvel at their gifs, go, go.

@imreallyloveleee: A prolific, talented author and funny to boot! loveleee is one of the people who has been here since the beginning, a mainstay in the fandom, and we are so, so lucky she hasn’t left. How do I even begin to rec you some of her stuff? She can write smut with fics like burn, baby (a 3x16 missing moment of bughead fucking in the car as the trailer burns, what a gift to the fandom, I can’t even), is queen of pining with fics like boy problems (season 1 post 1x05 canon divergence, a bughead get together but with that quality pining) and her i’m just a shot away series (two fics, one from Jughead’s POV and one from Betty’s, that are fully of pining and sexual tension and miscommunication and major teenage vibes, you gotta read them), and writer of one of the funniest fics in the fandom and one of my favorite, like spirits in the night (the core four + Kevin perform a seance to contact Jason Blossom and yes, it is just as funny as it sounds, perhaps even funnier). And there are countless others, so settle in and go check her out because she does it all, fluff and angst too, I just don’t have time to rec them all.

@meditationonbaaal: Absolutely one of my all-time favorite fic authors, like across fandoms, the talent, I cannot even properly describe it, like the quality of the prose, amazing, iconic. the devil’s daughter (a season 2 rewrite with some differences in season 1, jumps back and forth through time in the best way, has the best and creepiest dark!Jughead, has some great smut that includes dom!Betty and dom!Jughead can you believe we are so blessed, such a good rewrite of season 2, and you know how I love season 2, so that is some high praise, let me tell you) is easily in my top 10 all-time favorite fics across the many, many fandoms I’ve read many, many fics of, and you simply must check it out, you will not be disappointed. develop, stop, fix just blew me away as a kink week fic of bughead playing with bdsm in a dark room, the layers, the smut, the trust, the feelings, I cannot even. And doll parts! doll parts is so good, just such an amazing take on drop dead gorgeous, a fabulous Jughead and Betty as per usual, dare I say even better than an already fantastic movie. I am behind on loose lips sink ships, but I can already tell it’s going to be a great exploration of the Stonies and a great take on season 4. Keep an eye on her stuff here and here, do not miss out!

@dieqohargreeves: An icon and legend in gif making, just makes the most beautiful and intricate and creative gifs. The coloring is amazing, the techniques are amazing, that shit is Art, I will fight you on this. You gotta check ‘em out, you just gotta, I can’t do their work justice.

@sullypants: The wit! The humor! The observational skills! The talent, my god! Sully is the genius behind @bettycooperoutfitwatch and @riverdalearthistory as well as a fabulous writer of both meta and fic, yet another excellent reason for me to keep up with others’ thoughts on Riverdale. Her a comic miniverse series is so funny and sweet and such a great take on the Archie Comics version of bughead, and the after-party series (Betty and Jughead attend a, well, prom after party, and the events that happen, and I am not doing it justice, but it is v good, I promise) has such a great vibe and such great characterization. And young adult friction (librarian!Jughead is in a kind of competition with librarian!Betty, it’s so funny and so great) is such a delight, and we do not have time to get into everything great she’s written, but go check it out here.

@lilibug--xx: The queen of bughead smut, can you believe she has graced us with her stuff? It is steamy and it is in character and it is amazing. Dark Cherry Chutney is still a fandom favorite of mine, just some great dark!bughead who are unaware of each other’s darkness (but oh, they find out!) as well as some excellent smut. And Pressed for Time (Betty teasing Jughead with her skirts in an effort to get him to fuck her and he is barely holding on until he isn’t, alternating POVs in the best way) is sexy af but makes you work for it, it’s a delight. And give you mine (Betty and Jughead fuck at work and it is so hot, I can’t even) is so goddamn good, just some of the best dom!Jughead out there. Has also written monsterfucker!Betty, which you know I’m a fan of, in once upon a midnight (werewolf-hunter!Betty/werewolf!Jughead with sex pollen where she does not shy away from some wolfy-ness and it is hot af) and has written monsterfucker!Jughead, a rarity but always a delight, with reap what you sow (witch!Jughead/undine!Betty and Betty is so delightfully otherworldly and it is so sexy but also sweet), and there are countless other smut fics, we would be here all day if I went through them all, so you gotta check her out here. One more thing though: she can also write fluff with Lemon Drops and Chocolate Chips, a sweet fic of Betty and Jughead as neighbors that you should definitely check out.

@thatiranianphantom: Funny and thoughtful and talented and has correct opinions on musicals! Writes such good explorations of post-4x17 (and post-4x17 adjacent) scenarios. Like, the we are a masterpiece series is v good and so interesting, and no one else is singing my song is such great angst as a post-4x17 fic and a great use of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songs. I am forgetting a lot of stuff, I know I am, and I think I might be behind like a fool, so let’s go check out all her stuff together here, yes? Yes. Also? Great for Riverdale speculation, especially about the season 5 musical episode.

@heartunsettledsoul: So talented, queen of canon missing moments, and funny to boot! I love reading her liveblogging of the episodes, and I cannot recommend her stuff enough. Her Forgotten Moments series of canon missing moments is iconic, you must go read all of it, especially there’s witchcraft in your hips, a post-2x13 fic of Betty and Jughead being such teenagers and Jughead being a dweeb about his cheerleader girlfriend and I am not doing it justice but you gotta go read it, man, you gotta. But the series is full of gems from the beginning with Midnight Silence (Betty and Jughead talk post-1x04 about the Grundy debacle and it’s such a delight) and going all the way through to the most recent it might’ve been a nightmare (a 4x12 through 4x16 fic that gives me a wide range of emotions and is fantastic) and your eyes look like coming home (Betty’s diary entries throughout season 1, simply inspired). But she’s also so good at AUs! a dark world aches (for a splash of the sun) is already looking so good as a bughead mystery with some varchie fun on the side, just some quality core four content, and won’t be the same (if you’re not here with me) is a favorite of fake dating, Christmas, and there was only one bed, just the best tropefest. And there are so, so many more, so you must check her out here.

@lovedinapastlife: She writes such a variety of AUs, I am just in awe of them all! The talent, I am amazed. The dark!bughead in The Society is peak dark!bughead with a simply iconic yandere!Betty, and you are seriously missing out if you have not read it yet. Oh, and there’s some more dark!Jughead with a side of dark!Betty in the key to harm(ony) that you must check out because it’s such a great ride and is sexy, what more could you want? Every movie AU she does really takes the source material and makes it her own from works You Drive Me Crazy (but I'm gonna keep on loving you), based on Drive Me Crazy and definitely better than the movie, to the most recent to all the boys (but especially you), based on To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and just so sweet. But also can write otherworldly fics like Heart’s Desire with genie!Betty and The Second Coming with fae!Jughead, as well as regular aus like Detention (Betty and Jughead in detention and it gets a little sexy but also quite cute), and pure porn like Eye of the Beholder (Betty and Jughead as sorcerers who hook up over sorcerer Tinder and it is sexy but also sweet), as well as some of the best ABO in fandom with her A/B/O Mine series (alpha!Jughead/omega!Betty in high school and holy shit is it hot as hell). I am only just skimming the surface here, so definitely go check her out!

@kyloren aka @jughead-jones: Mila is so talented at making gifs, like goddamn, and also so funny, but I bet you didn’t know that she also has written some damn good fic! She hides it, but it is out there and it is very good, my favorite being let me hang my hook on your splendor, a fandom fave of a Scooby-Doo au that is so much more thoughtful and clever with its casting, and also very amusing, you must check out the rest of her stuff here.

@elizabethbettscooper: A delightful person and a delightful writer who is largely retired from the bughead fandom but still such a talent, like seriously. Her Twin Peaks Riverdale AU The Past Dictates the Future is so good, you simply must check it out, like you must. And yours was the first face i saw is such a fun AU of “what if Betty’s crush on Archie was a front for her crush on Jughead”, you must go read it. And holy shit, her i may be bad (but i’m perfectly good at it) series is peak dom!Jughead/sub!Betty taking place when they’re in college and fucking in so many varied ways, like if you are into that, you must go read these fics, you must, you will have a great and sexy, sexy time. And there’s so much more good stuff, you gotta go read it all here.

@bettycreeper: She does so much for the fandom and she makes such gorgeous gifs! Like, the coordination she does on the @bugheadfamily server and @bugheadfanfictionawards and @riverdale-events and probably elsewhere cannot be understated, she is such a valuable presence in the fandom. And have you seen her gifs? Gorgeous quality, just gorgeous, and her movie poster gifs for fics are simply inspired. Also? She’s an amazing beta, just outstanding.

@stillscape: A very thoughtful person and excellent writer who I can’t seem to tag. Dianthus Caryophyllus is still one of my favorite fics in the fandom, a high school bughead fic with some amazing pining from Jughead with an oblivious Betty, I can feel it, it’s so good. And of course there’s Ninia, an amazing take on the soulmates trope, just so good, I cannot do it justice, you must check it out. The for the life of me series is also such a good AU for Betty and Jughead getting together pre-Riverdale at a summer internship, I have such fond memories of it. And la peste (the plague)! So good, I cannot even. We don’t have time for everything, except you should make time and go check all of it out here.

@theheavycrown: God, where would we be without Sarah? She does so much work for the @bugheadfamily and @bugheadfanfictionawards and @riverdale-events and @riverdalecentral and I’m probably forgetting some, tbh. And so sweet and talented! Her gifs are fantastic and so are her fics. Like, Rain Comes Down (Betty and Jughead fucking in the car on the side of the road while cars drive by)? Iconic, some amazing exhibitionism. you had me howling(Betty in heat in the woods and then Jughead finds her and fucking ensues)? Fantastic ABO, so horny, so desperate. Beneath the Silver Moon Rising? Excellent dom!Jughead, excellent sexy times. You must go check out all of her stuff here, you must.

@50shades-of-bughead: Just some of the absolute cutest art that you must check out, especially their series of dark!bughead that is just fantastic.

@thepointoftheneedle: The variety of work here is phenomenal, the talent, I cannot. Took my ridiculous double fake marriage/draft-dodging concept and turned it into an excellent, thoughtful period piece with phenomenal characterization and a great mystery with Never No Locomotive, I cannot recommend it enough. And Ghosts and Clouds and Nameless Things (ghost!Jughead/grieving-dead-Jughead!Betty with a side of mystery) gave me so many emotions, I think I almost cried, and I am not a crier, I assure you. Hey Pixie Dream Girl, I’m Coming for Your Man! (Betty in her bookstore saves Jughead from his date with a Manic Pixie Dream Girl) is so delightfully funny, and Sunflowers (Betty and Jughead share a working space and fall in love) is so goddamn cute. I have actually found myself behind on her work, which is a crime, it all looks so amazing and I know it will be, and you must check all of it out with me here.

@hellodinoflower: Such an amazing presence in the fandom, such a delight, so clever and funny. She ran @bugheaddrabblechallenge this past summer and gave us all so much joy in the process, and, while her fics are deleted now (as is her right), I promise you that they were amazing, you all missed out if you slept on her. She’s such a great follow, you gotta follow her.

@bluevelvetvideo: A delighful soul, great character insight, great writing. Like, her smut is fantastic, have you read Arsenal (a double feature of Betty and Jughead fooling around in public and then having some sexytimes back in private with some quality dom!Jughead, let me tell you, v steamy)? Because you should. Christmas Lights (Jughead ties Betty up with their Christmas lights, it’s fantastically sexy) is a delight, and you can’t blame gravity (for falling in love) is a very fun take on soulmates and soulmarks, and you simply must go read it. She is a master of smut, let me tell you, and you must check out all her stuff here. Also? An excellent beta, 10/10, I’m so lucky to have her.

@a-true-janian-reply: Very funny, has excellent thoughts on Riverdale! Like, truly, every time I see an original text post or a reblog from her, I am PSYCHED because it’s always going to be SO GOOD.

@writeradamanteve: Such great talent across genres, really impressive. Drive (illegal drag racing Betty and college student but former-ish Serpent Jughead, just fantastic) is one of my earliest fandom favorites, I remember excitedly telling my non-fandom friend about it because I thought it was so clever, and we all know how good Daemon Bound is, yes? Yes, I’m sure we do. Let’s go make sure we’ve read all her stuff here.

@thugheadjones: Has some great insights, some great responses to dumb anons, and some fantastic art, like holy shit, I cannot even.

@bugggghead: A delightful soul, so nice, so talented. Writes some amazing smut, like, have you read intimately acquainted (alpha!Jughead/omega!Betty, meeting up on an app to help Betty with her heat in a heat retreat, four chapters of excellent smut)? Because you should if you’re even kind of interested in ABO. And en pointe is the bughead knifeplay fic of dreams, you gotta check it out. And there are so many other ones, we do not have time to cover them all. She also does cute fics, btw, and Message Me (fanfic-author-who-is-actually-the -real-author!Jughead/gif-maker-and-fangirl!Betty meet on tumblr and fall in love and it’s great) is such a delight, definitely go check it out. In fact, go check out all her stuff here. Also a fantastic beta, I really owe her for that.

@heavy-lies-the-crown: A talented soul who has written so much high quality fic, from the hilarious red ribbon winner (a Christmas fic comedy that I cannot describe well but I assure you is both hilarious and sweet) to the emotional and moving road to me (Betty and Jughead break up, find themselves, and come back together and it’s perfection) to the heart-ripping angst of apizza (a semi post-4x17-speculation fic of bughead together but apart at Yale and the way they will come back together and it is so good and so angsty) to many, many more. You gotta go check it all out here.

@lurker-no-more: Yet another funny person, we as a fandom are so blessed, you must check them out, you just must.

@iconic-ponytail: Another excellent writer! a revelation in the light of day is SUCH a great slowburn and SUCH a great take on both FBI!Betty and Sheriff!Jughead and the two of them falling in love as adults. Also, the side varchie is fantastic, and the mystery is amazing. I have not yet checked out the nighthawks, but I already know it’s going to be good, I can tell, you can trust this author to be quality, so go check all of her stuff out here.

@soyforramen: Funny! Very funny! Also? Writes some great ficlets that are, I think, exclusive to tumblr, which is a tragedy, tbh, but as is their right. But I do have the link to this genius fic about bughead and a platypus in honor of the platypus anon that was going around this summer. Definitely go check them out!

And now I am very tired, I have used up my energy, and I am so sorry if I forgot anyone!

#Riverdale #fandom #fic recs #I mean they're buried in there but they're THERE #can you tell I ran out of steam at the end?

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jacksonxschuester · 3 years

Text

Not Cut Out for This | 29/11

Who: @asherkarofsky and Jackson (And a robot baby) Date: November 29th, 2020 Description: Jackson attempts the baby assignment alone, but discovers very quickly that he probably should have asked for help from the start. Luckily, Asher happened to stop by to check in on his friend when he hadn’t heard from Jackson for a few days. Asher was crucial in helping Jackson rebuild enough confidence to keep going with the assignment. Notes: This is the accompanying para for Jackson’s robot baby assignment. CONTENT WARNING: Jackson locked the baby in a closet. Thankfully it’s just a doll, but I’m putting a warning for it because it can be potentially upsetting. Also, as with most Jackson paras, there are some strong themes of depression, grief, and passively suicidal thoughts.

Jackson hated this assignment. It wasn't just difficult, it was impossible. The baby hadn't stopped crying for well over three or four hours. Jackson was exhausted. It was only his second night with the baby and he hadn't slept even a little bit. Neither had the baby. He'd tried feeding it, changing it, all the obvious things. But it still wouldn't stop. So he did what any sane person should do... he wrapped it in five or so blankets and shoved it in the closet and curled up on the floor and covered his ears. If he couldn't hear it, it wasn't there, right?

Asher hadn't heard from Jackson for a few days and honestly he felt the absence. He had pulled out his phone earlier intent of just sending a text, but in the end he'd decided to drop by, maybe see if he wanted to go for a walk. He gave a quick 'shave and a haircut' knock and waited. There was a strange muffled mechanical wailing coming from inside and when no one answered the knock he started to get worried. He was prepared to just knock the door down, but made himself check the doorknob first. It turned so he knocked again as he opened the door. "Jackson? Door's open. Is it a'right if I come in?" He did just that, following the wailing sound deeper into the suite. In the bedroom, he found his friend curled up on the floor. Running the last few steps he was soon on the floor next to him arm wrapping around his back. "Jack! Sugar, you okay?"

Jackson didn't hear the knock. Or Asher's voice. He didn't hear anything until Asher was right there in front of him, and his surprise was obvious in the way he jumped. "S-sir! Hi... um... it... it won't stop. M-make it stop..." he said, pointing at the closet with a trembling finger.

The jump only proved that Jackson was very out of it. He hadn't heard anything until he was right on top of him. He regretted the fright he'd given him. "Okay... okay, just take a deep breath for me a'ight? I'mma take care of it." He followed the shaking finger to the closet, from where the mechanical wail was coming, even louder now. He swung open the door and started unpiling blankets. He folded them neatly and set them aside. Ah, one of these things. His church had done this at some, the month after Silas left. It was supposed to be some sort of abstinence lesson, but he only had fond memories of it. He'd been missing his brother painfully and then he had this little mechanical creature to take care of. It had felt good and unknown to anyone he'd hidden in a closet and cried the day they had to turn them in. He smiled and picked it up. Dressed in a simple onesie and a pink hat it was actually kind of cute. He cuddled it and started to rock, putting his finger to it's lips. Depending on how all out the school went it might or might not accept that as a bottle. The way it started to quiet down, the wail softening and softening until all that could be heard was a whirring sort of sound that he assumed was supposed to be simulate the sucking sound a real baby would make. He sighed in relief and turned his attention to his friend. This was just a hunk of plastic and circuits. Jackson was real and his pain meant a shit-ton more. He came closer and sat down, cradling the baby pointed away in case it started to cry again. "Hey... hey, all quiet now. No more noise."

Jackson watched intently as Asher dug the baby out, the wails grew louder in the absence of the blankets and his hands found their way into his hair to pull at it. He was an absolute wreck... but then suddenly, the cries began to quiet. Jackson looked up again. How was Asher doing that? It didn't take long for it to stop entirely, and when Asher sat down beside him he just stared. "How... How did you do that?" He asked.

Poor kid looked a mess. He wished he could let go of the doll and just love on him for a little bit, but having seen what the loud noise did, kind of made him think better of it. "I did this thing a couple of years ago. I know all the tricks." He winked and when the whirring sounds stopped lifted the doll on his shoulder and started to pat its tiny back. It started to cry again and he involuntarily started to make shushing sounds and rock a little. It made what he assumed the makers thought sounded like a burb but really was more like a record scratch and then quieted completely. "Alright, so let's figure this out. You got another room in this place right? We'll make that the nursery. Won't be so loud for you when it starts up to cryin' again." What he did next he did without thinking, without worrying about what it meant at all. He reached out and took Jackson's hand. "Wish I'da known you had this assignment. Ain't an easy job for just one. Damn near impossible really."

"You did?" Jackson asked, weakly. He wished he had known that... maybe he would have asked for help "I... yeah I have a spare room." He said. He wiped at his eyes and took a deep breath. "Assignment said i can do it by myself and I just assumed..." that he'd have to do it on his own cause he does everything on his own, is what he wanted to say. But he knew that sometimes his gloomy outlook on life made other people uncomfortable. He looked down at where Asher had grabbed his hand, a little startled to realize he hadn't even noticed when that had happened. He tightened his grip a little though, not wanting to let go now that it was there. "I-I'm really bad at this." He said, emotions overwhelming him again. "If that was a real baby I would have killed it just now..." he realized, the thought making him almost hyperventilate.

"Yep. Had to do it for church youth group. They figured havin' to take care of a crying robot for a week would cure us of ever having sex." He shook his head. "Sure, technically you can do it alone, but dang it it's one hell of a job." He took a deep breath and squeezed the hand in his for a moment before letting go and readjusting the 'baby' in his arms. It looked a damn sight more realistic than the one he'd had. The school could afford the good ones. She was cute as a bug in a rug. He rocked it back and forth. "Well, thing is, you know it ain't real. Your brain knows that. Now I ain't sayin' if it was real you woulda magically known what to do. I spect not, but you wouldn't a done that either. You woulda brought it to someone you trusted. Your mom most like. But see you knew that it wasn't a real baby and you knew you couldn't bring it to your mom and you also knew that it was driving you damn near crazy right?" He didn't want Jackson to think that this was somehow akin to murder. It hurt him just to hear the pain in his friend's voice. "You got thrown for a loop no doubt about it, but you got some back up now and we'll figure it out yeah?" He hoped that he wasn't overstepping any boundaries. "Let's go see if we can make a cradle or crib or something for the little darlin' They're a damn sight cuter when they ain't squalin' ain't they?" He tipped her up toward Jackson, now that she was 'sleeping' peacefully. "It can be anything really. Laundry basket, empty drawer." In the corner of his mind he pictured building a cradle out of beautiful oak.

Jackson didn't know who would ever trust him with a real baby. He certainly wasn't ever going to accidentally end up with one of his own, that was for sure. He'd never given much thought to whether he ever wanted to intentionally have any, but if this experience was telling him anything, it was that he probably shouldn't. Ever. He was shaky as he wiped the tears from his eyes again. He only got a good look at the baby when Asher tilted her up so he could see it better. She was actually kind of cute, he had to admit... "There's a laundry basket over there that I've been using." He said, pointing to a basket that had a few blankets lining it for padding. "I.. Thank you." He said, and then he frowned. "Why are you here anyway?" He asked, "Not that I'm not grateful..."

Asher looked over at the basket. "Perfect. See you were gettin' the basics right. It was just the crazy noise that threw you. Why don't you get the basket and I'll carry our little sweetie." He hadn't really meant to say our didn't even really notice he had. He just smiled and stood up, rocking back and forth. "Oh.. well, hadn't heard from you in a couple of days and," I was worried about you, I missed you, I really missed you "I figured I'd come say howdy. Wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't say hey and check in on the regular. I know you got a lot going on. Hope you don't mind I mighta wanted to check in and make sure you're doing alright. Also wanted to see if you might be up for a walk. But seems like we're gonna have our hands full."

Jackson blinked. Our? Why did that sound... kind of nice? It wasn't supposed to. Jackson wasn't supposed to think like that anymore. After a moment he stood, and went to retrieve the basket. He carried it to the spare room with Asher following behind. "Oh. I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. I've just been..." Busy. Overwhelmed. Depressed beyond belief. "Well. This." He gestured to the baby. "I don't think a walk is in the cards, they didn't provide a stroller or anything anyway." He said dryly. "You um... you don't have to stay if you've got other things going on." He said, wanting to make sure that was clear.

"Busy with this crazy thing. I know." He chuckled as he bounced the baby gently in his arms "Don't fret over me. You been a real friend to me. Just let me know if I get too... well too much I suppose. I ain't had too many friends. Might not be to versed in how to do it." He nodded. "That's alright. It's bit frosty out anyway. Might be snows comin'. Inside suits me just fine." He ticked his head to the side. "Nah, like I said this suits me fine. I'd like to help you with this little lady as long as you'll have me." When the made it to the spare room, he looked around. Alright well it ain't nearly far away to need a baby monitor or anything of the like, but it's far enough away from the livin' room to make the crying less panicky. Besides you got me to deal with that stuff. Maybe you can be the organizer though. Babies do real good when you got a routine. I ain't ever been good at charts and such. Think we can use this sleeping time to write something up?"

Jackson didn't think Asher could ever be too much, at least not in a bad way. If he'd met Asher a couple of years ago, he could easily see them having been best friends almost instantly. As it was, Jackson was pretty sure Asher was his best friend now anyway. He'd fallen out of touch with Jamie and Nick, and it was awkward to talk to Mateo for obvious reasons. Adam had moved away and Beau almost never spoke to him anymore. That left Madeline and Asher, and who was it that had thought to check up on him after only a few days of non-contact? Jackson set the basket up on the bed, and stood back so Asher could place her in it. He wasn't brave enough to touch the baby again just yet. He was pretty convinced she hated him. "Charts? Um... Okay." He said. Routine was something he could definitely relate to. That didn't sound so hard... Once the baby was tucked in and they'd made their way out to the living room, Jackson took a breath. It was quiet in the suite, finally. After hours of screeching and yelling... it was quiet. He turned and without thinking, he just threw his arms around Asher and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Sir." He whispered, scared that anything louder might wake her up again.

Asher quietly and softly laid the baby down in the basket and practically tip toeing out into the hall. He was about to make some joking remark when he suddenly found himself with an armful of Jackson. It was far from unpleasant. Very far indeed. He paused for only a second before closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around him and hugging back. "You're welcome Sugar," he whispered. "It's my pleasure. Promise. I got your back."

Jackson stayed in the hug for another moment or two, before he pulled back and wiped his eyes again. He was a bit of an emotional wreck lately, especially with the lack of sleep. He led the rest of the way to the living room where he grabbed a piece of paper from a nearby notebook and a pen. "Okay... Charts." He said, and stared at the blank page. "Charts... Start with feeding maybe?" He mused out loud, and then stifled a yawn.

Ash found himself breathing in Jackson's scent - clean and fresh. When he let go, he had the weird urge to reach up and wipe those tears away. It as probably the paternal instincts brought up by the baby. He shook his head and smiled as he followed Jackson into the living room. Sitting down he nodded. "Yep. Feedings are a great place to start. When mamas breast feed the ain't as regular since it's a bonding time too. But for formula you gotta stay pretty regular. Then you can use a binky between feedings to soothe 'em. Here let me check how often we should feed her." He tapped away at his phone. "Okay I'mma assume she's not newborn. Seems bigger'n that, but probably not older than six months. Let's decide she's four months. It says one to two ounces every three to four hours. Even says you should keep the schedule even if you gotta wake 'em up." He turned his wrist out so he could look at his watch. "Alrighty we just 'fed' her so should we go every three and a half hours from now?"

It was a lot of information to take in all at once, but Jackson did his best, he jotted down the amounts and drew out a set of blocked time slots. He filled in feedings three and a half hours apart on the schedule and stifled another yawn. "Okay... there's some "formula" in the bag they sent. You've got to mix it up to feed her." He said, and yet another yawn threatened to break his chain of thought again.

"Oh yeah? Cool. I might let you do the mixin' and I'll do the feedin'." He made a mental note to see what they had given them to work with. "Now if I remember right, the things the doll measures most is feedin', diapers, burping, and holding." So let's work in a diaper checking schedule. If'n she gets to crying and nothing else stops you gotta change the diaper even between schedule times, but if we schedule changes might be we can head off the worst of the cryin. How's about every hour during awake times?"

"Every hour?! Really?" He said, realizing he'd already been doing that part very wrong. "And this is just one infant... A lot of people have to do this with two or three." He said, despair evident in his voice. He penned a not about hourly changes during her awake hours, but since he didn't know yet how much she'd be asleep for or for how long yet he didn't put it in the actual schedule. The lines were starting to blur together on the page but he shook his head to keep himself awake.

Asher nodded and laughed. "Can you imagine? I'm one of three. Me and my mama got a complicated relationship, but I know my pops didn't change one damn diaper. I gotta admire that she did all that by herself." He could hear the note of panic in Jackson's voice. "Most times it's just a little wet and modern diapers absorb right quick. Don't imagine these little critters make poops, but I guess I don't know." He moved from the chair across from him to the one next to him. "We're a team. Not gonna leave you to do this all by yourself. You'll find the stuff you're good at and I'll do the stuff I'm good at. By the end of the week, you'll actually be sad to see it go." He chuckled. "But you'll be happy that screeching is gone that's for sure."

"They really went hard on the "realism" thing." Jackson sighed. "They poop." He'd not been thrilled to make that particular discovery. He frowned. "Your poor mother..." He said, though as he said that he realized he wasn't actually sure how hands on his own father had been when they were young. He certainly wasn't very hands on now, anyway... "Do you want to stay here all week?" He asked. "You might want to go home and pack a bag at some point, in that case." As he made the suggestion, he realized how much he really wanted Asher to stay. He didn't want to be left alone with this thing, he was really scared he'd try to kill it again. He hoped it wasn't going to report that little incident... He was trying to keep his grades up enough that he wouldn't make his father look bad to the school board.

He chuckled. "Well, I'll be on poop duty. I've done enough messy jobs that I'm not bothered by it none." He nodded without even bothering to think about it. He wasn't going to abandon Jackson now. He didn't even want to. "I can stay. I don't even need much. Later when she wakes up we can walk on over. Babies love going for walks. I'll grab some clothes and we'll be set. You, me, and baby. Hey, that reminds me. Does she have a name?"

Jackson shifted on the couch to lean against Asher, feeling immensely grateful for his friend right now. "Thank you..." he whispered. "Um... no. She doesn't." He hadn't even really picked a gender for her until Asher decided it was a girl, so a name hadn't even occurred to Jackson. Were other people naming their electronic babies? Was that a normal thing?

He smiled softly. "Might help to make it feel less... roboty. Do you have a favorite name?"

Jackson shook his head. "Not really, I guess. Never really thought about it." He shrugged. "What about you? Any favourites?"

Asher thought about it for a while. "When I left home, I wasn't some kid or anything, but I'd never been away from home. Never been away from my church and every awful thing I'd been raised with. I was lost and alone and had no idea what to even do. I'd used every dollar I had to buy a bus ticket to get me as far from home as I could. But then what? I had no idea. I was sleeping on a park bench and stealing food out of a dumpster out back of a restaurant. One day the lady who owned the restaurant caught me at it. She coulda chased me off. Coulda ignored it. But she didn't. She cleaned me up, fed me, and gave me a job. Her name was Zadie. That's a real pretty name ain't it?"

"Zadie..." Jackson repeated. " yeah, that could work." He didn't think he'd ever name a really kid that, but this was a robotic doll that he would only have for another 4 nights. And Zadie was a cute name. He liked that it had significance to Asher, for some reason.

"Well there we go. Zadie." He winked. "Bet she's the cutest robot baby at the whole school." He took a deep breath. "Now how about you get some rest. It's gonna hard to get as much sleep as your used to. I remember overhearing a mom at a diner telling her grown daughter to always sleep when the baby sleeps. Seems like good advice." He planned on staying awake and making sure the baby didn't scream and wake him for at least a little while. November 16, 2020

Jackson didn't bother telling Asher he was fairly used to a small amount of sleep lately, but he'd never experienced a lack of sleep due to a screaming infant before which somehow made him more exhausted. "Sleep sounds good." He said softly, his eyes already closing.

Ash smiled. "It does." He moved closer and with gentle hands guided Jackson to lay down, reaching up to the back of the couch he grabbed the throw blanket there and started to tuck it lightly around the boy. The action filled him with a strange, unfamiliar kind of warmth. Unfamiliar, but not unpleasant at all. The baby was starting to make some noises though so that feeling would have to be looked at some other time. He hurried down the hall and picked up the baby, putting his finger to her mouth to quiet her before going to look for the bag of things. Before long he found a largish duffle bag that didn't look like it belonged. Inside he found some baby things. "Bingo Zadie. Now let's make a deal. I'mma change your diaper and good long cuddle to your next feeding time if you agree not to cry and wake up your daddy. Alright?" He tip-toed past Jackson and set up in the spare room to quietly do baby duty.

Jackson was asleep before Asher had finished laying him down. And he continued to sleep for at least two more hours. When he finally stirred, he found the suite to be relatively quiet. It was nice. He wasn't sure where Asher was though... did he leave? He stood up and decided to go check on the baby first, then worry about Asher. But the sight that greeted him in the spare room was almost too precious for words. Asher was cuddling the doll, sitting on the bed... it was rather sweet to see. Jackson was almost a little jealous about how good at this Asher seemed to be. He didn't say anything as he moved toward them and crawled onto the bed himself. He settled himself next to Asher to look over his shoulder at the baby.

Asher wasn't sure how long he was at it. Some part of him felt some shame that he was enjoying this so much. How sad was it that he was a grown man, supposedly a big, strong Dominant and here he was having a damn good time, taking care of his friend and a doll. But he was. He'd been rocking the baby, occasionally going to check on Jackson, smiling when he saw him sleeping soundly. It gave him a sense of peace and security being there. He was just finishing getting ready to feed the baby when Jack came padding in. "Hey," he said quietly. "Have a good sleep? I was just about to feed her." He tilted his head and smiled gently. "Want to give it a try? I'll be right here."

Jackson shrugged. "I slept, so... that's the bar, I guess." He didn't remember what good sleep felt like. "Uh... maybe you'd better do it." Jackson said, biting his lip. He wasn't ready to even hold her again, let alone feed her. His confidence (not that he had much to begin with) was totally destroyed. Logically, he knew it was a robot and he couldn't actually hurt it, but still... What he'd done had scared him. What would he have done if it was a real baby?

He filed that comment away for further investigation later. He was getting the distinct feeling that Jackson wasn't getting enough sleep. "Tell you what, we'll do it together. Here, scoot on over." He gently wrapped an arm around Jack and scooted him closer. "I'll hold her and feed her, but she'll really like it if you talk to her. Maybe rub her little toes." It seemed like a way to ease his friend into touching the baby and trusting himself.

Jackson scooted in a little closer, clearly still very wary and unsure of himself. He didn't speak to the baby, and he didn't reach out for her little toes either. He just sort of stared at her, at the thing he'd tried to kill only hours before. He could feel the familiar bubble of panic rising in his chest, but he forced it down by clenching his hands into tight fists.

Jackson was clearly not ready for all that yet. That was okay. Things took time, especially after the baby practically cry exploded as soon as he'd gotten her. Asher didn't push anything. He held the bottle to her lips and listened for the 'sucking' sound again. He didn't have a free arm anymore though he really wished he could put an arm around him. He started to hum and then lightly sing, as much, he hoped, to ease Jackson as to the baby. "Down in the valley. The valley so low. Hang your head over and hear the wind blow...." He started to rock side to side, hoping that he would actually be rocking Jackson. "Did you have a favorite song when you were a little polywog?"

Jackson just watched and listened. The baby was so life like, the way she took the bottle in her mouth and actually drank the liquid inside. It was surreal. And Asher's voice singing a soft little lullaby, it was a bit wild to think that this was real. It was probably the closest he would ever get to domestic life. In a few years Jackson would be a slave and suddenly he found himself wondering if he'd be made to look after someone's children as a slave. He'd be terrible at that... He thought of Lucia, the slave who looked after the Sylvester children, and wondered if she ever thought she'd be in that position when she went to the auction house. He shook his head in response to Asher's question. "No... My dad sang us lots of songs though. Mom too. Mostly show tunes or classic rock... My dad has this obsession with Journey that none of us have ever really figured out." He shrugged.

Asher chuckled. "Journey? Well, I can't say as I dislike 'em." He looked over at Jackson. "There's places in this country where the only thing on the radio are revival tent preachers and Journey." When the baby was done with the bottle He set it aside and lifted the baby to his shoulder. "Okay, now I know you're feelin' awful worried 'bout this baby, but I'mma take your hand and we're gonna burp her together. Promise, I won't let anything bad happen. No cry explosions." He winked, and took Jackson's hand lacing their fingers together. "Ready?"

Jackson definitely didn't like that idea. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure she hates me..." He said, but his protests were useless as Asher was reaching for his hand and once he had it, Jackson didn't want to let go. "No, I'm not." He said, but despite not being ready, he knew it was going to happen anyway.

"I know. Spent most of my life not bein' ready. Just keeps coming though don't it?" He held on to Jackson's hand and lifted both hands to his friend's chin lifting his head so he's looking up at him. "Just look into my eyes. Just keep lookin'" He looked into those impossibly large eyes, blue as a summer sky in Montana and didn't look a way as he moved their joined hands over to the baby on his shoulder and patted just hard enough to percolate the bubbles up. Zadie makes a little hiccup sound and he laughs. "Success. And by the way... she don't hate you. Pretty sure no one, even a little robot could ever hate you."

Their eyes locked and Jackson forgot for a moment about Zadie and the point of this exercise. Nothing seemed impossible as he stared into Asher's eyes and when he heard the little noise the baby made he blinked in surprise. They did it... That wasn't so hard. He broke the eye contact to look at the doll again. Jackson took a breath, "I locked her in a closet and ignored her for three and a half hours." He pointed out. "She's got to resent me at least a little..."

Something shifts inside of Asher when Jackson blinks and has a look of wonder in his eyes. And then speaks with such heartwrenching honesty. The shift is small and maybe he missed it or maybe he ignored. Anyway, he doesn't stop to think about it that's for sure. "I know, but I promise, it's just a doll. Looks real, sounds real to give us practice for the real thing. That's all. This is just practice." He cocked his head to the side. "Not gonna lie it's gonna be a long week, but I think you're gonna be proud of yourself at the end of it. Just you wait and see."

Jackson chewed his lip. He knew Asher was right, it was just a doll. Nothing more than a training tool... He has no logical reason to be as shaken up by his experience so far as he has been. He released a breath and just rested his head against Asher's shoulder. This was more physical affection than he'd received for a long time, and he was almost starved for it. "I'll just be happy if I pass the assignment at all." He said softly, setting the bar low for himself. He didn't need pride or success, he just needed enough to get by.

"You will." He had no doubt about that. He thinks if he'd not barged in that Jack would have figured it out, but he is there and he's going to do everything in his power, whatever that is, to make his friend to not only get that good grade, but also feel successful. "Nothing wrong with feeling bad about the closet thing. Feelin' bad about a thing is how you make sure not to do it again." He can remember being at protests at soldiers funerals and having a shamed feeling in his stomach. He knows now that the feeling was teaching him that what he was doing was wrong. "But there's also nothing wrong with forgiving yourself." He released Jackson's hand so he can turn the baby, who is now making cooing, contented noises. "Huh Zadie?"

Jackson gave Asher a skeptical look. It was pretty hard to forgive yourself for Almost-Homicide. Zadie was making really cute noises right about now though and Jackson couldn't believe how happy she was with Asher around. He finally lifted a hand and reach out to take one of her little hands in his, ever so gently. That was about as brave as he was getting, for now.

Ash felt a swell of pride for Jackson. Thing was in this world people just never seemed to recognize the small, but actually big braveries. He's seen those small/big braveries. He's seen Silas, answering their father's questions first and fast, knowing that Asher wouldn't be able to talk stuttering until his father would strike out. And now Jackson, pushing past his own feelings of shame and fear to touch the little 'baby'. Might not look like much to someone else, but he knew how big it really was. He put his arm around his friend without even thinking about it; without thinking how they might look like a family if someone was to snap a picture just then.

Jackson settled further into Asher when he felt the man's arm come around him. This was comfortable... almost too comfortable. But Jackson wasn't ready to let it end just yet. He felt his eyes closing again, surprisingly feeling sleepy once more.

He felt Jackson relax against him more and he stayed right there, holding firmly so that he could hold him up if he fell asleep. He was definitely going to have to talk to his friend about whether he was sleeping or not. He'd let him and Baby Zadie rest and they'd deal with some dinner after. "Roses love sunshine, violets love dew. Angels in heaven, know i love you If you don't love me, love whom you please. Put your arms round me, give my heart ease. Give my heart ease love, give my heart ease. Put your arms round me, give my heart ease." He continued to sing very quietly. He knew it was just a silly assignment, but it was just about the best time he'd had yet at school. It beat some silly old dance by a country mile.

Jackson listened to Asher sing, his voice was soft but he could feel every note in the man's chest. It was calming, peaceful... He didn't know the lyrics, but it sounded like a sweet little song. Perfect for a little baby, even a robot one... After a bit he pulled in a breath and shifted to sit up a little bit, not wanting to fall completely asleep and trap his friend there for who knows how long. "Are you hungry, Sir?" He asked, "I can make dinner..."

Asher looked over as Jackson sat up. "Matter of fact, I'm feelin' hungry as a hippo. I'd be awful grateful for some dinner." He was hungry, that was true and he had also grown very fond of Jackson's cooking, that was also true. However mostly he felt that getting them both into a routine would do them and the robo-baby well. "Think the little angel's asleep for a bit. We can have an adult chat." He winked and moved over to very carefully place the doll into the improvised crib.

It was all he needed to hear to get up off the bed. He didn't want Asher to be going hungry while he was a guest in Jackson's house. Especially after how helpful he'd been today already. Once the baby was secure in the "crib" Jackson led the way out to the kitchen, where he began to assemble the ingredients and supplies for... Well it looked like they were having pasta tonight. Jackson hadn't gotten his weekly grocery delivery yet. Past was all right though. Jackson could often dress up a pasta dish to seem a lot more fulfilling and interesting than your typical spaghetti-and-tomato-sauce type of deals. "Do you prefer pesto or alfredo?" He asked, trying to decide.

Ash followed after watching with interest as the other man pulled this and that out of the cabinets. "Oh, gosh, don't know if I ever had a favorite between 'em." He chuckled. "That alfredo one is the cheesy one, yeah? Makes me kinda want to pick that one, but I'm trying to grow myself a little. No sense being a dumb hick my whole life. Let's try pesto. Do me some good to have green things right? Don't think I ate much vegetables before you made me all those awesome meals."

Jackson chuckled, "Alfredo is more creamy than cheesy, sometimes. but you're probably right about needing more green things." He concurred. Although 'dumb hick' was probably the last phrase Jackson would ever use to describe the man. "Pesto it is." He set to work getting the water on the stove to boil for the pasta, and then assembling the ingredients for his homemade pesto. It was luckily pretty easy to make, and he kept a few pots of fresh growing herbs in his kitchen so he never had to worry about not having them. He pulled a few stems off the plants and began to chop them up finely.

Asher sat at one of the breakfast bar chairs, absolutely fascinated watching Jackson work. There was nothing more attractive and impressive than a person who wasn't just competent at what they did, but confident. He watched his fingers fly and smiled at the beautiful aromas that were already filling the air. "That smells amazing Sugar. Don't know if I ever smelled something so good. 'Cept that one time I was working on a fishing boat. But after a stint on a fishing boat a plain old piece of toast smells like heaven. He chuckled. Wasn't well cut out to be fisherman."

Jackson smiled at the compliment. He'd really not done much beyond just cutting herbs yet, and while they did smell amazing, he couldn't but feel Asher was just looking for reasons to compliment him for nothing. Pity compliments, surely. "You worked on a fishing boat?" He asked, steering the conversation that direction. "Are there any jobs you haven't done, Sir?" He chuckled softly, feeling this had to be about the third or fourth occupation Asher had told him about.

Asher nodded and laughed out loud. "Feels like it sometimes. In the beginning, when I first left home I just kept moving. Didn't really need to, but, well my pops threatened me with the cops the one time I called home and I was such a dumb kid." He shook his head remembering how paranoid he'd been. "But you know, kinda grateful now. Learned how to do all kinds of things. Hopefully I can be handy when... if I can get myself a claim. Not really the kind of jobs people admire though huh?"

Jackson felt that redirection to the word "if" in his soul. He of course had no doubts that Asher would find a claim someday, it would be impossible for him not to. He was sweet and charming and conventionally attractive. But he knew the fear behind that "if" all too well. "I think it's great that you have all this experience, actually." Jackson said genuinely. "Useful for all sorts of things really." He pointed out as he moved on to measuring out the pasta now that the water was boiling - fusilli, instead of spaghetti. He always felt it went far better with pesto than the longer stringy pastas ever did.

"Don't know what job I'd like to settle on. Woodworking I suppose. Maybe making furniture or something." He steepled his fingers. "How about you? Do you got an idea what you'd like to do for a job?" He watched Jackson's sure and confident fingers working and wondered what it would be like if the other boy was encouraged to have this kind of confidence in other areas of his life. He knows of course the broad strokes of what recently happened with the Dominant Jackson loved. He supposed that kind of thing broke your confidence. It made him feel pretty angry on his friend's behalf if he let himself.

"You'd be really good at that, Sir." Jackson said with a smile. "That easel you made me has held up really well, I use it all the time." He told him. "Oh um..." He honestly hadn't thought that much about his career path lately. He'd sort of just began to assume he wouldn't ever have one. He'd be lucky to find a claim at all, and if he did manage that by some stroke of luck there was no guarantee his future dominant would be okay with him working. He shrugged. "I guess something with art? But it really depends on whether I ever find a claim or not, I guess."

Ash perked up. "Oh yeah? I'm real glad. You deserve something good for your art. I was worried it would fall apart on you." His brow furrowed. "Oh... 'course. I'm still new to a lot of this. Seems a little unfair, but seems like submissives kinda end up having to leave some of this stuff up to their Dominants." His expression turned thoughtful and a little confused. He looked up finally and focused on Jackson. He wanted... really wanted to make sure his friend was protected and got everything he wanted out of life. "You're gonna be a hell of an artist. Probably famous and everything." It actually didn't occur to him that Jackson wouldn't get a claim. He was so smart and so sweet. Who wouldn't want to scoop him up and make him their own?

Jackson shrugged as he stirred the pasta in the pot. "I don't mind the idea of leaving some of it up to a Dominant." He said, "In theory, anyway. In an ideal world my future Dominant would know how important art is to me and would let me pursue it professionally. But realistically... I may end up having to settle for a Dominant who wants a stay at home sub and doesn't want me pursuing any profession whatsoever. Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose."

Asher listened and nodded. "There's so much more to learn about the system and all these dang choices everyone has to make." As a child he was completely shielded from the system except to think of it as evil. And as an adult out on his own he really only just saw it like a stranger looking in a window. "There are a lot of compromises people gotta make huh? Really want you to be able to be a chooser Jackson. If it was me I'd be proud for you to keep doing your..." He was interrupted by a sudden piercing cry. "Oops. 'Nother country heard from." He hopped off the stool and hustled back to the spare bedroom.

"Sometimes I forget you didn't grow up with this stuff like I did..." Jackson said softly. He was about to carry on with that thought when he heard the cry, and instantly he tensed up a bit. He hated that noise. He was happy to let Asher deal with it while he finished up with cooking supper, and by the time Asher returned he had their meal ready and served on the table.

Asher scooped up the baby and started talking nonesense to it tickling her tummy and rocking back and forth as he came in. "Oh my lord Zadie, your daddy sure can cook." He hoisted the baby onto his shoulder and as he sat down. "This really does look delicious Jackson. Thank you. Swear I'mma happily put on ten pounds eating your food." He used one hand to eat while the other continued to jiggle the baby who just made some cooing noises. Seemed she might be one of those babies that liked to move around. For his part Ash couldn't help making a few pleased noises himself. He hadn't been so sure he'd like the green sauce, but it was amazing. So many flavors all in each bite. "Did you learn to cook from your mom or dad or didja teach yourself?"

Jackson tried to hide his grimace at the fact that Asher once again referred to him as Zadie's daddy. It was pretty clear, Asher was the natural parent here, and Jackson had absolutely no parental instincts whatsoever. "My mom." He answered. "She got me started, anyway. Food Network and Youtube did the rest." He said as he tucked into his own plate. He watched the baby as Asher held her against his shoulder, admiring Asher's ability to multi-task.

Asher smiled brightly. "Can't tell you the things I learned watchin' a Youtube video." He chuckled. "Sometimes I done failed too, but mostly it's a good way to learn something when you ain't got someone to teach you." He stopped talking for a while so he could just enjoy the meal. When he stopped to readjust the robobaby to the other shoulder to give his arm a break, his mouth was finally free to speak some of the thoughts that had been rambling through his mind. "Your mama seems like a real nice lady. She was awful nice to me when I first got her. Made me feel real welcome." He huffed a laugh and looked over at Jackson through his lashes. "Now your dad... for a friendly lookin' fella he sure can be intimidating when he sets his mind to it. No offense meant of course. I'm sure he's a real fine man. 'Spose he's got to be stern with the students though."

Jackson smiled at Asher's kind words about his mother. He knew he was lucky to have her in his life. "Yeah, my mom's pretty great." He said softly, but he couldn't hide the grimace that clouded his features at the mention of his father. "Dad gets a little intense about his job... Before I enrolled here I was his son and things were all right, if a little rocky at times, but now... I'm just another student." He shrugged. "I know he doesn't want to get accused of playing favourites, or anything, but... It's almost like he doesn't care unless I'm making him look bad."

Ash frowned not expecting what he heard. He'd thought he'd find out all the ways Jackson had a different perspective on his dad. "Well, far as I can tell, his kid deserves a little favoritism." He wanted to bring some lightness to it, but he could tell it fell flat. "I get it. Your pops don't want people thinking his kids are getting special privilege's or anything, but ain't anyone here would think it's weird y'all are his favorite. Y'all should be. That don't mean he's giving you something he won't give all of us. Just means you're his kid and he loves you." He does take a moment to admit that he maybe has outsized, romantic ideas about parent and children and the love between them. There was none of it with his parents so he'd latched onto it as an idea.

Jackson just shrugged. Everything Asher was saying was everything Jackson wanted, not special treatment or clear favouritism, but some acknowledgement that he was Will's son and he was still loved even as a student of his. But allowing himself to wish for it, to miss what he wasn't getting... that was opening a dangerous door. Jackson had spend nearly three years now building walls. It had started with compartmentalizing, separating the father he knew growing up from the Headmaster who sent his children into a dungeon knowing full well they'd come out emotionally scarred for life. And then he'd had to start building more boxes, separating his grief over losing Steven from the demeanor his teachers expected of him to move forward. And then those boxes started to form together, behind a wall Jackson built to keep them all contained when he had a glimmer of hope that someone could love him and build a life with him. And then the biggest wall of them all, when that too was taken from him. There was no room for doors. No windows, no cracks... But of course, walls crack anyway, especially when they bear a lot of weight. That was where it was very clear to see the amount of pain he was in underneath it all. There was something about Asher that seemed to make his walls crumble just a little more every time they hung out, no matter how hard Jackson tried to keep them standing. "Think we can squeeze in a movie tonight?" He asked, changing the subject, "Or will it be too hard to do that with the baby?"

Asher ticked his head toward his shoulder, just watching the expressions that crossed his features. There was a whole lifetime of emotions there for him to read if only he knew the language. It was a book written in some language he'd never even seen before, but wished he understood. "Oh sure we can. Let's take her for a little stroll to get my things. e nice for all of us to get some fresh air. Then we come home and feed and change her. Full tummy and a warm cradle and she'll sleep like a bug in a run. Then movie time. Is it wrong if I leave you to clean up these dishes while I do baby time. Feel like I'm monopolizing all the sweetheart's time." He smiled brightly, giving him a wink.

"That sounds like a good plan, Sir." Jackson said, already standing to collect the dishes. "Not wrong at all, you can have as much time with her as you want." He assured, "As soon as I'm done the dishes we can head over to your place."

Asher wouldn't have said, hell wouldn't have been able to find the words or even the self-awareness to say how much he was enjoying this slice of domesticity. He smiled at Jackson as he stood from the table and started to bounce the baby on his shoulder sing-songing every nursery rhyme he could dredge up from his memory. It speaks volumes about who Jackson is and how Ash feels about him that he doesn't even feel embarrassed. It's not even a conscious thing. It's just as though deep down where all of the really true things are his subconscious trusts Jackson. He has 'Zadie' laying down on the couch pinching her toes and describing what each piggy would do when his friend finished the dishes. "And this little piggy cried wah, wah, wah all the way home." On the last words he crawled his fingers up to her stomach and tickled her. In his mind he could hear little baby laughter. He looked up over his shoulder with a wide grin. "All set Sugar."

Jackson had to admit, it was pretty cute to hear Asher singing to the baby, playing little games and just really embracing the whole thing. It was pretty clear that Asher was going to be a father someday, and a damn good one at that. The dishes didn't take very long, and when he was done he approached Asher and the baby to see if they were ready to go. "Let's get going then." He said with a soft smile, and he grabbed his coat from the hooks by the door as well as some shoes. "Wait, I think there's a little coat in the bag for her. She's temperature sensitive, apparently." He recalled being told by his teacher when he'd picked her up. "And maybe we should take a blanket or something too, just in case?" They wouldn't be outside for very long, but she was pretty small and it was pretty cold out that evening.

Asher had planned on putting the baby into his Jacket to keep her warm, but Jackson jumped in with all the solution they needed. He nodded and grinned. His friend was picking up on things faster than he figured he knew and thinking like a parent. Jack was so hard on himself. It made Asher want him to be so, so successful and see his gigantic worth. See it just like he did. When he returned with the jacket, he carefully guided the baby's arms through while the blanket was retrieved. "Do you wanna hold her? I feel like I really am being a baby hog."

Jackson hesitated again at the prospect of holding the baby. He was still really nervous about it, he knew he shouldn't be, but he was. "She likes you." He said, "I don't mind if you keep holding her." He figured maybe if he phrased it that way, Asher wouldn't pick up on the fact that he was still too scared to hold her.

Not ready yet, Well that was alright. Asher wasn't going to push Jackson. He had a feeling that he'd been pushed his whole life in one way or another and he just really didn't want to be another person who did that. Jackson had a whole week. There was no need to pressure or push him. They had lots of time. He'd agreed to help with this and that meant they were a team, supporting each other to support the baby. He didn't let any of these thoughts show on his face though. It was easy enough because he really did love playing 'daddy' for a while. He pulled the jacket hood over the baby's head and grinned. "All set." He set a strolling pace. Looking up into the darkening sky. "Feels like a storm coming up. Gonna get a bit of snow I think."

Jackson led the way out of his suite, locking the door behind them and then followed Asher out of the switch building and onto the path. He took in a breath. "Yeah, I think that's what the weather report said." He agreed, shivering a little. "It's kind of nice out right now though. Quiet, and I like the way it smells right before it snows..." He admitted. He was in a minority of people who actually kind of liked winter.

Asher nodded enthusiastically. "And then after a really good snow, when you go out before anyone else and everything sounds so.... crisp. Like you can hear just about every gosh darn thing. Quiet enough to hear the birds a mile away." He has the distinct urge to take his friend's hand, but that wasn't something friends did right? It's just because it's cold out, but yeah probably better not to. "Always liked the snow. Now mind you it can sure get in the way of work, but," he shrugged. "well, it's awful beautiful."

Jackson smiled, glad someone finally understood, rather than being shocked and almost offended that he liked the snow. "One of my favourite things is curling up with a mug of tea or hot chocolate and watching the snow fall from the window." He said. "Especially at night, when the streetlamps are lit." He got a warm feeling just thinking about it. It really was the little things that kept him going sometimes, and he had to remember to hang on to those feelings more often. They soon arrived at the entrance to the Dominant building and Jackson held the door open for Asher.

Asher nodded, smiling and cuddling the baby to resist reaching out and putting an arm around Jackson as much as anything. He listened to the submissive understanding completely. "I'm more of a coffee man myself." He winked and chuckled. "You know most people don't see it like that. They see the trouble, y'know, but it ain't trouble, it's beautiful. People just movin' so fast they miss the beautiful things just because they take a little more time." He shook his head.

"Coffee's okay, but I'm not supposed to have a lot of caffeine." He explained, as they walked down the hall to Asher's place. "I mean, I don't necessarily blame them... Snow can be a pain to travel in, and lots of people don't like to be cold, but I'd much rather be too cold than too warm anyday." He shrugged.

He nodded. "'Spect with taking medications for OCD, caffeine would play havoc, hmm?" He probably should learn more about those things so that he can be the supportive friend he really wants to be. "Sure, sure. Like I said, I never was a fan of working in the cold, but still.. no reason not to see the good of it right?" He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. "Couldn't agree more. After all, you can put on more clothes but ya can't get more naked."

Jackson grimaced, "Yeah... the medication definitely doesn't react well with caffeine. Same reason I can't have any alcohol or anything either." He said. Once they were inside Asher's suite, Jackson realized he had two choices here, choice number one was to take the baby while Asher gathered his own stuff. He wasn't particularly fond of that idea, but choice number two was to gather Asher's stuff for him which the other man might see as a slight invasion of privacy or too burdensome. He said nothing, and decided he'd let Asher make that decision.

He nodded in sympathy. "Well, way I see it, you ain't missing anything with the alcohol. I try to avoid the stuff more'n a beer or two now and again." The times he'd gotten drunk, he did not like the person he became. Too much like his father. Ash unlocked his door and flicked on the lights. He started down the hall but stopped at the painting. "Look Zadie. Your daddy painted that. Ain't it just the prettiest thing." He looked over his shoulder and looked a bit abashed. Though his words were true. Continuing down the hallway he used his foot to open the door that was already slightly ajar. He lay the baby on the bed and turned to Jackson. "Don't suppose robo-babies can roll right? Think she should be safe." He turned in a full circle trying to figure out how to do this as quickly as possible. "Think you can help me get some things." He pointed to the dresser. "Just some jeans, shirts, and somethin' to sleep in. I'll get my.... uhh.. my bathroom things and skivvies." He blushed a bit, not something he did often.

Jackson followed Asher down the hall and was pleasantly surprised when the Dom came up with a third option Jackson hadn't considered. He smiled and nodded, "Yes, Sir." He replied, even if Asher hadn't meant it as an order. He started to select some things out of the dresser while Asher went to go round up stuff from the bathroom. He picked stuff he thought Asher looked good and/or comfortable in, but he was only half done when the doll began to cry. Evidently, she had noticed Asher's absence. Jackson turned to look at her, hesitating. "Um... Sir?" He called, but his voice was drowned out by her increasingly loud wails. He felt a bubble of panic rise in his throat and he approached the baby, clearly very unsure of himself. Finally he reached out and picked her up, for the first time all afternoon. He awkwardly patted her back but she just kept growing louder and louder.

Ash heard the baby cry and finished grabbing things and throwing them into his kit bag. He stopped when he saw Jackson had the baby. He waited a moment, but when the cries only grew he knew he wouldn't leave him to handle it alone. However he also knew that he couldn't just keep hogging all of the baby time and ruining the experience for Jack. His compromise was to come close and start to rock side to side next to his friend. "Like this. Like you're dancin'. Just side to side, up and down." He smiled and nodded encouragingly. Together they'd get her settled down.

Jackson wasn't a dancer. But he tried to follow what Asher was telling him anyway. Anything to make that noise stop... but it wasn't working. She cried and cried and Jackson could feel his own panicked emotions getting in the way of actually calming her. He turned and damn near forced the baby into Asher's arms. "T-take her, she likes you, she'll calm down for you." He said, believing his words with every ounce of energy he had.

Ash took the baby without any argument. He knew how hard this was for Jackson. The baby was definitely in a full cry mode. "I think she's hungry." He bounced the baby and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "Can I tell you a secret?" "We left the formula back at my place." Jackson said despairingly, dreading the idea of hauling a crying baby back all that way. "W-what?" He asked, wondering how the hell Asher thought now was a good time to divulge a secret.

He moved the baby to cradle in his arms, putting the tip of his pinky finger to her lips, waiting for the sucking sound before giving his attention to Jackson. "I, uh... Remember how I told you I done this before? For church? It didn't go so smooth at first. Thing cried so much my pop smacked me upside the head." He made a face and quickly moved on away from the bad part of the memory. "Anyway, reason I'm so good with her is I kept that other baby a whole week longer then I was s'posed to." He chuckled. "Ain't no magic ability. Just practice. I loved that doll something awful. Skipped school so I could stay home and figure it all out. Pretty damn stupid thing for a guy to be doing. Leastways that how I felt then. Way my folks saw it men don't do babies, but Jackson, I loved that baby doll something fierce. Didn't have nothing else really, so I really pretended it was real. Thing is you're smarter'n that. Smarter'n me for sure. You know it's just a noisy doll. A real noisy doll. Don't be so hard on yourself. 'Kay? You'll figure it out. Just need some practice."

Jackson listened and watched as Asher managed to pacify the baby with only a finger. He knew that wouldn't last long though. She was hungry and the formula was back at Jackson's suite. They needed to get her back there, and soon. He finished gathering clothes for Asher while the Dom spoke, needing to keep his hands busy. There was something about Ashers words that struck a chord with him though. Jackson didn't have much else either, he'd pretty well closed himself off to most of the relationships in his life and perhaps it was possible that he was even closing himself off from bonding with the robot baby. Was he really so broken he couldn't even love a doll? His hands were shaking as he finished folding Asher's clothes and he realized he still hadn't even said anything. "Its not stupid." Was the only thing that stuck out enough for him to comment on. "Just means you're more compassionate than most." He said, matter of factly. "Did you get all your stuff? We need to go if we're going to get her fed on time..."

"Yep. That's more'n enough for me. Let's get this little lady back to your place so we can get her fed up." He smiled at Jackson, thankful for his simple kindness. The thing is that he didn't think his friend would say something simply to say it. He was an honest soul who didn't do that whole subtext thing that so many people did. He headed back out to the living room and to the door wrapping the blanket back around the baby as they stepped into the drafty hallway. "It is tiring though ain't it? Can't imagine having three of 'em to take care of." He knew that sooner rather than later, Jackson was going to see how nurturing he was and how he had so much to give to a baby.

Jackson carried Asher's bag for him, since the Dom was carrying the baby. He followed out into the hall and as they walked he replied, "I can barely handle one, let alone three." He shuddered. It wasn't likely he would ever have to deal with this again though, he realized. It wasn't super likely that children were in his future at all. Unless he was purchased as a nanny slave or something, he realized. But even then... he probably wouldn't live that long. He wondered why he was still hanging around as long as he had, knowing he had no future. But as he walked a little bit behind Asher and watched as the Dom carried the little bundle of blankets so carefully, talking to her and the way the moonlight bounced off them both... maybe he was hoping that someday things would change. Maybe in ten years he would be watching his Dom carry their child under the stars. Whenever he envisioned a future where he had a Dom lately the person was always faceless. Nameless. It was hard to picture anything good. He tried not to let himself picture much of anything at all, though.

The stars were shining brightly over them now as they walked back. He speaks without thinking. "I'mma show you the stars in Montana someday. It's like there are nothing but stars. Just a big ole sky packed full of 'em." He rocked the baby, looking over his shoulder at Jackson with a giant grin on his face. He rarely just felt simple happiness. No shadows of his childhood. No worries about who or what he was. He just felt content. "So what movie should we watch?"

Jackson felt something within him when he saw Ashers smile. He couldn't quite identify it yet, but perhaps many months from now he might describe it as more cracks forming in the walls. "Are you opposed to Christmas movies in November?" He asked, "I think I'm in the mood for The Polar Express."

"I ain't opposed at all. My parents, well, we celebrated Christmas a little different. Think I got a lot of catching up to do. Si is talking all about parties and mistletoe and what not." His smile didn't fade as he slowed a bit for them to walk abreast. "Polar Express. Think I've heard of that."

"How did you do Christmas before?" Jackson asked, curious. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer. He didn't like most things he heard about the Karfosky family.

"Church mostly. Protesting. Santa and all that was considered devil stuff, you know? Pops would 'celebrate' his own way." He shook his head and laughed. "It ain't really as bad as I make it sound. Had a roof over our heads, food in our bellies. Might not have done the whole presents and traditions things, but goin' to church instead of gettin' presents ain't the worst thing a kid's gone through by a long stretch." He smiled and nodded his head. "'Sides, now we get to experience all that stuff new."

Jackson blinked, "Santa was considered devil stuff?" He asked, and then chuckled at a memory that popped into his head. "I mean I used to be absolutely terrified of Santa, but I never thought of him as being Satanic. We just had a big Assembly about Stranger Danger in school and I thought it was just wild that now we were supposed to let this strange man into our house, through the chimney of all places. Why couldn't he knock on the door like a proper guest?" He shook his head at his childhood self as they reached the door to the Switch building. He held it open for Asher as they entered. "This'll be Dave's first Christmas here too, won't it?" He asked. "Silas is going to have a blast." He was happy for Silas that his brothers were here, finally. They may not talk on a frequent basis, but Silas was one of those people Jackson could reliably say was his friend no matter how long it had been since they last talked.

"You know, thing is with my mama, most everything is devil stuff. She caught me looking at a lady's shoes at the Piggly Wiggly and I got a whooping for being 'Satan's Puppet'." He chuckled. "I was nine, hardly knew what kissing was, never mind what a foot fetish was." He listened with a happy smile as Jackson described a childhood memory of Santa. He chuckled picturing a very small Jack making a smart argument as to the safety or lack thereof of letting some old guy they don't know just shimmy on down the chimney into their house. "I 'spose so. Don't know how he feels about that. Yeah, Si's already making plans I think. There's a party apparently. He pulled the blankets down some now that they were inside the switch dorm. "Do you got any special traditions? Seems like that's what the holidays are mostly. Traditions."

Jackson's eyebrow raised at the story about the lady's shoes. He led the way up the stairs to the second floor, where his suite was. He unlocked the door to his suite and let Asher go in first, before following him. "She didn't even consider that maybe you just liked shoes?" He asked, half joking to try and keep the mood light, but half feeling quite upset on his Friend's behalf. "A party, hm? I know that's not your thing, but I hope you have fun anyway." He said genuinely as he set Asher's bag down by the sofa. "Oh... Um, well I haven't really gotten to do too many of our family's traditions since I came here. Everything's changed so much, you know? This year I'm sure Layla's going to be enjoying her first Christmas with Lucas. I might go have dinner with my parents on christmas eve, but other than that, don't really have a lot going on right now."

"They were shiny," Asher confirmed. "Just kinda drew my eye. But that's just not the world she lives in." He thinks that if not for Silas being the brother he was and also leaving they way he did, he might have been drawn into that world. Maybe he would have been strong enough to fight it on his own. No way to know he supposed. He's just glad that he broke free. He's pretty sure Jackson wouldn't like him one bit if he was like that. He shrugged his shoulders. "Si promised I can step out if I need to." He shrugged again, kind of hating that his brother is still having to protect him. "Layla's your sister and Lucas is her claim, right?" He'd been doing a little bit better getting to know people. "Well, I ain't got any traditions at all. Maybe you can teach me some of yours." He waited for Jack to open the door before pulling away the blanket entirely. "Well, should we fix little miss her dinner? She's had lots of cuddles and adventures so I think with a clean diaper and a full tummy she'll sleep through at least a movie."

Jackson was already gathering the supplies needed to mix up the formula as he listened. "Yeah, that's correct. Layla and Lucas only claimed a little while ago. They're happy." He said, and while he was genuinely happy for his sister, there was an element of sadness to his voice. After all, he wasn't as important a figure in his sister's life anymore. He often felt she got very swept away by all the amazing good things in her life that sometimes she failed to stop and realize how much Jackson needed her, or anyone, to meet him at his speed and just spend a little time with him. "Sure, I could teach you a few." He said as he tested the temperature of the formula in the bottle. "There, that should do it." He said as he passed the bottle over to Asher.

Asher nodded. "Nice to see your sibling happy, right? Seein' Silas smile makes me feel real good." He watched as Jackson mixed up the formula and check the temperature. Ash took the bottle but then held it back out. "Wanna give it a try?" He was riding the edge very carefully. He didn't want to push Jackson to do anything he wasn't ready for, but he also didn't want to hold him back. November 27, 2020

Jackson hesitated, the memory of the baby screaming in his arms but calming down almost instantly with Asher still fresh in his mind. That shouldn't bother him as much as it did... he stepped a little closer, almost brave enough to try it, but - "Are you sure I should? I'm positive she doesn't even like me..."

Asher took a seat on the couch and ticked his head to gesture Jackson over. "Sometimes I 'magine people find out about the OCD issues they get jittery like and them bein' all nervous probably sets somethin' off in you. Like they bein' nervous makes you feel awful nervous. Might be Zadie's got something like that. Ain't that she don't like you. Nothing like that at all. She's just feelin' you feelin' nervous. That's a'right. You both feelin' nervous and a little scared. Seems like that's probably how it is for real parents." He gently transferred the baby to Jackson's warm arms. "You can tell her how your feelin'. Seems like there ain't no one better to talk to."

It was kind of remarkable that Asher seemed to know that, about his OCD. He wondered if Asher had done some research, or perhaps he'd known other people with the disorder. He followed Asher to the couch without a word, regardless. Something in his was telling him to just do it, and that maybe spoke to how much he trusted Asher without realizing it. Before he knew it he had the baby in his arms and he swallowed down the anxiety that built up in his throat. This was ridiculous, his brain told him. She was a robot. She couldn't sense anything from him, and he couldn't really sense anything from her, either. Maybe that was the problem... maybe with a real baby things would be different. Jackson didn't want to tell her how he was feeling. He didn't really talk much about his feelings anymore to anyone, and with Asher right there, there wasn't much he could say without feeling completely exposed. He glanced up at the Dom and so far, Zadie hadn't started screeching yet, so that was a win. He reached out to take the bottle from Asher and took in a breath as he offered it to her. Before too long, she was happily suckling away at the bottle and Jackson was starting to feel a little bit more okay about this.

Asher gave Jackson the bottle and just settled back to give his friend some space. The truth was that while he maybe had done some research about OCD and anxiety, there was no way on the whole wide Earth for him to completely understand Jackson's perspective or the way he felt. However he did know that the robot baby didn't have negative feelings toward the other boy. It was... well, just a robot, but Jackson had negative feelings about Jackson because of what had happened when he'd first brought the baby home. He knew that he needed something positive and needed it right quick. He was silently praying that the baby didn't start squawking. He held his breath and didn't let it out until she starting making happy, sucking noises. He smiled at Jackson. "See, you're plenty good at this. Good as me leastways." He winked and leaned his head back against the couch, giving Jackson the space to have this moment.

Maybe he could do this, he decided, as he watched the baby eat. Not alone, absolutely not. He needed Asher there, that much he was willing to admit and honestly... it felt kind of nice to have someone there for him right now. But he wasn't quite feeling like it was a lost cause anymore. He didn't feel like shutting the baby in a closet and covering his ears and hoping it would all go away on its own. "Thank you, Sir..." He said suddenly. "For coming over, I mean. If you hadn't have showed up I..." he had no idea what he would have done. "Just... thank you."

He nodded and smiled. "You're welcome. Been my pleasure honestly." He loved taking care of the baby, but more than that he was just enjoying being there with Jackson. "I think you woulda worked things out, but I'm real glad I came by. Don't think parenting is one of those things anyone is supposed to do alone. Takes a village and all that stuff, right?"

#asher #para

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365elephantsoap · 4 years

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MAY THE FOURTH

I was in the middle of a desert fighting Nazi’s with Indian Jones when Michael nudged me. I woke with a jolt, sweaty and eyes swollen. “Did you make a $33 purchase from Disney?” He asks me. Confused, I answer his question with another question “An online purchase from Disney?” I have no idea what he’s talking about and so he asks me very carefully “Have you made any online purchases recently?” I shake my head and say “No” and then flop back into bed. He replied that he would call the bank to contest the purchase. I laid there for one or three breaths and then I fly up out of the bed to catch him. I open my door and point at him and say “baby Yoda.” He raises an eyebrow and says “baby Yoda?” I nod and say “Yeah, baby Yoda.” Then he laughs because he finally understands my sleep ramble and says “Okay.”

Months and months ago, I pre-ordered a baby Yoda plush doll from Disney. I had almost forgotten about it. I guess the purchase finally went through and I should be expecting a delivery. Michael and I watched the Mandelorian together and I don’t know what came over me, but when The Child, who everyone immediately started calling ‘baby Yoda’, showed up on the screen, I melted into goo. I almost couldn’t stand the cuteness; it was almost painful. I would squeeze Josephine and tell her she’s my real life baby Yoda. I became obsessed and a little bit mad the Chris wasn’t here to see for himself just how cute baby Yoda is. As soon as I found out about the pre-order for Disney, I had my bank card out and ready. Yes, take all of my money. I don’t care, just give me that baby!

Today is Star Wars Day. Disney’s not stupid. What’s a better day to finally release their baby Yoda than Star Wars Day? I haven’t received an official email with a tracking number yet, but I can feel that my baby Yoda is on it’s way to his new home. I have adventures planned for him with photoshoots of him frolicking around the city. People talk about the crazy online purchases they have made since the stay-at-home order and I can’t even use that as an excuse because this purchase was made well before we even knew COVID-19 existed. I did almost buy $150 coffee maker the other day, but is good coffee really considered a ‘crazy online purchase’? Now that I’m thinking about it, I might just go put that coffee maker back in my cart. I’ll do it for Chris. In the meantime, I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of my baby Yoda.

It’s giving me something to live for.

Side note: The cotton candy dipped ice cream cone from Dairy Queen is also giving me life, but it is also the closest thing I had that looked Yoda like.

#Star Wars Day #Baby Yoda #May the fourth

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fallen029 · 5 years

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Crush.2

Previous Chapter

Some pleasant scent floated about the tidy little apartment and Lisanna was kind of shocked, honestly, that this was Bickslow's place of residence. It was spotless, light, bright, inviting. Not at all like something she'd imagine the seith keeping.

Then she noticed the sword propped up against the wall, beside the coat rack, and knew it all wasn't the masked man's doing.

"Shoes off and all," the seith was grumbling as he struggled to get his own boots off. This as mainly because he was refusing to get down there and actually take them off, rather just trying to kick one off with the other and, well, it wasn't going so well. At all. "I wouldn't care none, but Freed-"

"I think most people actually don't like shoes in their house, Bickslow."

"Well, I wouldn't. If I lived alone. Who cares if a little mud and dirt get caked in? I sure don't! Adds to the piles of it that I would be accumulatin' anyways."

"Why would you be-"

"Ah, Bickslow, I thought I heard you loudly making the same speech you make to every visitor you have over." Freed was coming into front room then, staring curiously over at them. "And...Lisanna. I do not think I have had the pleasure of having you as a guest. I-"

"Yeah and you ain't now either." Bickslow finally was able to kick off one boot, it flying across the room as he himself stumbled a bit, nearly falling flat on his face. Still, even for all this, he managed to get out, "Lisanna is my guest."

"I am merely being courteous," his friend assured him. "Although, I am also curious. Why exactly are the two of you together?"

"Well-" Lisanna tried, but the seith kicked off his other bot with much more ease that time, the loud bang this provided cutting her off effectively.

"Can't have friends now, is that it? Eh? Freed? I'm just such a hopeless, lost in the darkness, down on his luck knight that there's no way that a kind, sweet, nice girl might take pity on me and accompany back to my definitely not dimly lit, dark, dangerous home? Is that what you're saying?"

"I...I'm not even sure what you are saying," Freed admitted.

"And I'm really not liking the implication of it," Lisanna added.

"We're going to be having a super secret meeting, yeah?" Bickslow only looked to Freed. "We can't have any interruptions. At all. I let you have your meetings here."

"You," the rune mage pointed out, "are part of the meetings."

"Yeah, well."

Freed waited. Then, slowly, he asked, "Yeah, well what?"

"What?"

They stared at one another for a long few moments, the pair did, before Bickslow lifted up his visor and squinted.

"I guess," he broke with a slight shrug, "you could help out. Freed. If you wanted. Basically, we're plotting. And scheming. Wheeling and dealing. Me and Lisanna. Outlaws, cast aside by society. Dark knights who-"

"I do, actually," Freed gave in as he turned to walk back the way he came, down a hall and no doubt back to his bedroom, "have some work to be getting back to. Decoding spells and such. So I would enjoy it greatly if you two kept it down. I do not mean to offend you, Lisanna, with this suggestion. Bickslow merely has a habit of getting rather...rowdy, when he has guests."

"Rowdy?" The man dropped his head back and laughed, loudly, much to the amusement of his dolls who began to do the same. "Me? No way!"

"Yeah," Lisanna whispered to the rune mage softly as she took to looking around. "I see what you mean."

But after Freed bowed to them and truly left them alone, Bickslow's cackles stopped and he only moved to pull of his hood, toss his visor to the side and then go fall face first into the couch.

"Uh...Bickslow?"

"Papa's waiting, Lisanna," his babies explained for him as they began to circle about.

For what?"

"Ideas! Ideas, Lisanna," some chanted.

"For plan! For plan, Lisanna!" replied the others.

"I thought," she griped, but at them, "that we were coming over here to come up with one together."

"I gave my part." Bickslow lifted his head then and motioned her over with one hand. Slowly, she came to stand before the couch. "We gotta figure a way so that the boss and your sister, you know, get it on or whatever. Will brighten the boss' day, get me out of the doghouse with him, and your sister, oh man, your sister is in for the shock of her life. Get it? Eh? Why aren't you laughing?"

"It's not really that witty." Slowly, Lisanna went to take as seat in the nearby chair. "I can think of some things though, for us. Yeah. Yeah! Okay, so we need to get Laxus and Mirajane together. And how do you do that? Well, they're both at the bar a lot. Mira has work tomorrow and, do you know what Laxus' schedule is? Surely, you can get him there, even if he's not planning on coming around."

"Don't call me Shirley."

"What?"

"What? It's wit."

"I really don't think you understand- If you throw one more coin at me-"

"Alright," the seith was talking over her because he'd sprung up, so suddenly, to fling the coin he found on the couch cushion her way, but now was just sitting there, eyes expectantly turned to hers. "So the boss and your sister are at the bar. Then what? That happens everyday. My boss, that sly dog, he's real heartsick over her, yeah? Just sits around and watches her. Watches and waits. Knows her schedule. Why, he might even follow her home, he's so smitten."

"Uh," Lisanna began as second thoughts began to surround her head, "that sounds kind of stalkerish."

"What? No."

"Yeah, Bickslow."

"I do that all the time! Peek in a window here, leave love notes full of threats of violence there. A true love story!"

"I'm really regretting coming to this apartment all of a sudden."

"Hey, you know what we need?" Bickslow took no note of her discomfort and only snapped his fingers together. "Code names."

"Code names?"

"Sure, sure, code names, yeah? We're a team, ain't we? Partners in crime."

"Actually, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this whole thing-"

"Come on, Lisanna." And his face changed then, back to the serious look he got when something difficult was taking place down at the hall. "You don't really think I'm insane. Do you?"

"Papa's not crazy," his dolls complained as they flew all about. "Papa's sane!"

Well, she wouldn't go that far, but as she let out a slight breath, she did concede that she was nearly certain most of the things he did were just put on. For show.

"I know he is," she told the dolls steal and the seith only beamed as they cheered. "But just...cool it some, okay, Bickslow?"

He could do that.

Well, he could try.

It was always exciting to him when he got someone knew to play with. That's what all this was, really. Play. Sure, he wanted the boss to be happy and he was nearly certain that Mirajane was what he was pining after, but at the same time, no one said work couldn't be fun.

Other than, like, Freed and Evergreen, who were frequently annoyed when he showed up on a job chipper and jovial. Because that meant he was just going to goof off the whole time. And as Lisanna was finding out on their little mission, he was just going to goof off the whole time.

"How about," he hummed as he walked about the living room eventually, tapping a finger against his lip, "Return to Sender?"

"What? Why would that be my nick-"

"That's what the anima did to ya, huh? Returned ya to your sender? Imagine going to meet your maker, only to be sent back. Wow. What a low blow."

"You know, I don't be here right now."

But she didn't leave.

"Well, you turn into a cat, right?" Eventually, the seith pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and began to smoke. "So something that rhymes with cat. Or kitten. Kitty. Mitty. Tit-"

"Bickslow." That didn't come from Lisanna though. No. It was called from the back. Freed. "Did you just light up a cigarette? We've spoke on this many times-"

"Nah, not me, man," he said around the literal smoking gun as it hung from his lips. "Nope."

"I can smell it."

"Cannot."

"If I came out there right now-"

"Might be Lisanna. The kid. She might be smoking. Not me. And you wouldn't want me to tell a guest no, would ya? Come on now, Freed. The guest is always right."

"The customer," the man complained, still from his room, "is always right."

"She purchased the cigarettes off me. Don't wanna mar her image, yeah? Buyin' 'em? Filthy habit. I tried to caution her, but-"

"Stop," Freed finally just yelled at him, "smoking in the apartment, Bickslow. Take your little...meeting somewhere else if you want to smoke."

"I'm done anyways, thanks."

But not with his cigarette. Walking with it in his mouth to the door, he just motioned to Lisanna to follow and, with a groan, she rushed to slip on her shoes and do so. As she called out farewell to Freed though, Bickslow had a hell of a time stumbling back into his boots and he was complaining, as they left, about the whole process.

"Where are we even going?" she asked him. "To finish planning? We could go to the park or-"

"Plannin'? We're all done plannin'!"

"How do you figure?"

"How do you figure not, kid?" He took a deep drag as he led her out of the apartment building. "We get the boss and Mira both in the same place, force a conversation and bam! They're fuckin' like hounds. The boss is just that smooth. And your sister-"

"I'm really starting to regret ever coming over here."

"Look, what more do you want, eh? That's the plan." He even nodded at her. "Don't you think so, babies?"

"Great plan, papa," they assured the man. "Best plan!"

"But it's not a plan," she told them and him both. "It's an outline. We have to fill it in, for it to be a full-fledged plan. What conversation are we going to strike up between them? And how? We have to think about these things. Plan them out. If we don't-"

"If we do," he countered because he was really just tired of listening to her talk and was hoping to shove her right out of the apartment building door when they got to it, "then it won't feel natural. When they start talking. And the boss, he's a tough one. He'll figure it out, yeah? And he'll realize that I had my sticky fingers all in it. And that's not want I want him to realize far too late that I had my sticky fingers in."

He didn't have to shove her out. Lisanna easily walked out. And, well, all was done for the day.

Now he had to go figure a way around smoking in the apartment….

The next day arrived with some nerves from Lisanna, but resolve regardless. As she and her sister put in their dual shifts up at the hall, she was pleased when she saw Laxus walk in. He wasn't accompanied by Bickslow in the slightest, which meant he'd come ther3e all on his own and now, without the seith to weigh her down, maybe Lisanna could actually do the plan.

Because she had a bad feeling Bickslow arriving would only ruin the plan.

"Oi, boss, I was looking all over for you."

He was going to ruin the plan.

Lisanna had just suggested that Mirajane go over and take Laxus' order (she'd actually been behind the bar while the younger of the pair was walking about, but she only agreed with an easy nod, thinking nothing of the suggestion), but as Lisanna took her older sister's place, she was dismayed to find the seith slank right into a seat across from Laxus.

"And Mirajane, right on time, yeah? I'm glad you took my suggestions into consideration," the man was saying as the head barmaid appeared at the side of their table. "Not interrupting at all today. Wow. A quick one on her feet, this one is, Laxus. Would you like a tip? I have a coin around here some-"

"Bickslow!"

Lisanna, suddenly, had coming running over and was glaring at him, hand poised to toss the coin at her sister. He only shifted direction before hitting Lisanna squarely in the eye instead.

"Hey!"

"There ya are, kid." To Mira, who moved to pat her sister on the shoulder while Laxus only began to seethe, the seith said, "It's a game, yeah? I throw a coin here, the kid gets hit by it there-"

"I am not," she growled at him, "a kid."

"Lisanna, why are you even over here? Was it to speak with Bickslow?" Mira made a face. "I thoguht you wanted me to take Laxus' order."

"How come?" The dragon slayer was glaring at the youngest Strauss then. Something smelt like fish. And well, yeah, Happy was close by sucking on a fish head, watching it all unfold as Lucy, who he was sitting with, was just glad to not be on the receiving end of the slayer's wrath. But there was a strong stench of treachery all about! "Since when are the two of you all buddy buddy? Huh? Bickslow? Lisanna?"

"I think he blinded me," Lisanna complained, "so we're definitely not."

"One in a million shot!" Bickslow declared with a cackle.

"Lisanna and Papa go back," the babies insisted. "Way back."

"We do," the woman in question informed them, "not."

It was more than a bit disheartening to hear.

"W-Well," Mira offered then with a bit of a frown, "if you want to take their orders then, Lisanna, someone should really be behind the-"

"I'm good, thanks." Laxus rose then and Bickslow felt a cold shiver run up his spine. "Suddenly not very thirsty."

And as the slayer left, Mira was still confused, but she went through most of life that way, so she only shrugged and went back to her post as Lisanna, rubbing at her eye, glared with the other at Bickslow.

"Good going, Lisanna," he retorted simply with a shake of his head. "Wow, babies. Didn't Do Not Resuscitate just drop the fucking ball or what?"

"DNR!" The babies were just having so much fun with the woman. She was the best,. "DNR!"

"I'm really close, Bickslow," the youngest Strauss threatened, but as she'd never threatened someone before, she wasn't too certain what she was close to. She just knew she was nearing it. "Really close."

"There are no losses, Lisanna, only chances at redemption." He banged a fist on the table. "We will rebuild! Or regroup, I guess. Say, my place? Same time?"

"N-"

"Perfect."

Next Chapter

#Miraxus #Bixanna #Bickslow #Lisanna Strauss #Lisanna #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction #Laxus Dreyar #Mirajane Strauss #Freed Justine #2 of 5

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rubykgrant · 6 years

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Updated! Big List of Spooky Movies and Books!

Get ready for Halloween~

I’m a notorious list-maker; I love collecting stories, and I also love sharing them with people who are either looking for ref or just want to find something interesting. “Spooky” is a pretty broad term, so I listed different categories below that will hopefully make more sense. Some movies/books fit into more than one category, so I picked one and stuck it there. Some stories have a film and book version that are both worth taking a look at, so I put a *by those titles (and they appear in the movie and book list). These range from being for kids to more mature, so if that is a concern for you be sure to check out the rating/content yourself

I’ve updated this since I’ve added a few more titles to my collection, and added more categories (but I think I’ll call this done for now, I can’t update it every couple of months)

I wanted to limit myself, at least a little (otherwise the list would have gon on forever). So each category has at least 3 titles listed, but no more than 7. A few of these are more funny than scary, and some might not really be “spooky” at all, but they still fit the theme. Something to keep in mind, I only listed stories that I own. This is not a complete list or a “best of”. I went with the ones from my personal collection because I know them best and I enjoy them. Hopefully I listed a few that will help somebody with research, or at least entertain them for a bit!

Enjoy~

Halloween

Movies- Hocus Pocus (1993), *the Halloween Tree (1993), the Nightmare before Christmas (1993), Trick r Treat (2007), Monster House (2006), Halloweentown (1998), the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)

Books- How to Drive Your Family Crazy on Halloween by Dean Marney,*the Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, the Haunted Mask (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Ghosts

Movies- Poltergeist (1982), the Haunting (1999), Casper (1995), Ghostbusters (1984), the Haunted Mansion (2003), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), *the Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Books- Stonewords a Ghost Story by Pam Conrad, Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, Ghost Beach (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, the Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein, Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn, *a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Witch

Movies- *Practical Magic (1998), *the Wizard of Oz (1939), *the Witches (1990), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost (1999) *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), the Craft (1996)

Books- *Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, *the Witches by Roald Dahl, Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, the Unwilling Witch by David Lubar, *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, *the Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum

Vampire

Movies- Blade (1998), the Little Vampire (2000), Hellboy Blood and Iron (2007), Hotel Transylvania (2012), Fright Night (2011)

Books- Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe, Dracula by Bram Stoker, ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Werewolf

Movies- Alvin and the Chipmunks meet The Wolfman (2000), Ginger Snaps (2000), Van Helsing (2004) Wolf Children (2012), the Wolfman (1941)

Books- Wolfen by Whitley Strieber, Red Rider’s Hood by Neal Shusterman, the Werewolf of Fever Swamp (Goosebumps) by RL Stine

Zombies

Movies- Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (1998), ParaNorman (2012), Night of the Living Dead (1968), *Pet Cemetery (1989), Zombieland (2009), Resident Evil (2002), Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Books- *Pet Cemetery by Stephen King, the Haunting of Derek Stone by Tony Abott, Welcome to Dead House (Goosebumps) by RL Stine

Demons/Devil/Possession

Movies- the Omen (1976), Insidious (2010), the Exorcist (1973), *Christine (1983), Fallen (1998), *Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Bedazzled (2000)

Books- *Christine by Stephen King, Needful Things by Stephen King, On the Devil’s Court by Carl Deuker, HECK where the bad kids go by Dale E Bayse,* Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Curse/Transformation

Movies- *Beauty and the Beast (1991), the Princess and the Frog (2009), Penelope (2006), Kubo and the two strings (2016), the Swan Princess (1994), the Thing (1982), the Mummy (1999)

Books- *Beauty and the Beast translated by Richard Howard and illustrated by Hilary Knight, the Witch’s Boy by Michael Gruber, Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl, the Invasion (Animorphs) by KA Applegate

Monsters

Movies- Monsters Inc (2001), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), Godzilla (1998), *a Monster Calls (2016), Pokemon the First Movie (1998), *Jurassic Park (1993), King Kong (1933)

Books- *a Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, *Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Cryptids and Mythology

Movies- Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Darkness Falls (2003), Atlantis the lost empire (2001), Song of the Sea (2014), *the Last Unicorn (1982), Urban Legend (1998), Tall Tale (1995)

Books- Sasquatch by Roland Smith, *the Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle, the Moor Child by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, the Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan

Giants/Tiny Folk

Movies- Honey I Blew Up the kid (1992), the Borrowers (1997), Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947), *Thumbelina (1994), the Princess Bride (1987), Gulliver’s Travels (1939), *Horton Hears a Who (2008)

Books- *Horton Hears a Who by Dr Seuss, Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand by Gail Carson Levine, Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett, *Thumbelina (Hallmark pop-up book)

ESP/Psychic/Mental Powers

Movies- *Carrie (1976), *Firstarter (1984), *Matilda (1996), the Last Mimzy (2007)

Books- *Carrie by Stephen King, *Firestarter by Stephen King, *Matilda by Roald Dahl, Scorpion Shards (Star Shards Chronicles) by Neal Shusterman

Dolls and Toys

Movies- *Coraline (2009), the Adventures of Pinocchio (1996), Child’s Play (1988), Toy Story (1995), 9 (2009)

Books- Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell, *Coraline by Neil Gaiman, No Flying in the House by Betty Brock

Circus/Carnival/Fair

Movies- We’re Back a dinosaur’s story (1993), the Care Bears Movie (1985), Little Nemo adventures in Slumberland (1989), *Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), *Charlotte’s Web (1973), Dumbo (1941)

Books- Joyland by Stephen King, *Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, *Charlotte’s Web by EB White

Gothic

Movies- the Others (2001), the Addams Family (1991), Rebecca (1940), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Mama (2013)

Books- the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe, the Shining by Stephen King, Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark

Dark Fantasy

Movies- Legend (1985), the Dark Crystal (1982), *the Princess and the Goblin (1991), Labyrinth (1986), *the Neverending Story (1984), *the Secret of NIMH (1982), Anastasia (1997)

Books- Well Witched (Verdigris Deep) by Frances Hardinge, Poison by Chris Wooding, *the Neverending Story by Michael Ende, *Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien, Zel by Donna Jo Napoli, *the Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, a Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Dragons

Movies- *How to Train Your Dragon (2010), the Pagemaster (1994), Mulan (1998), the Flight of Dragons (1982), Shrek (2001), *the Hobbit (1977), Quest for Camelot (1998)

Books- *How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville, *the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Other Worlds

Movies- Spirited Away (2001), *Alice in Wonderland (1951), Space Jam (1996), the Book of Life (2014), *Hook (1991), Pleasantville (1998), *the Phantom Tollbooth (1970)

Books- *Peter Pan by JM Barrie, Malice by Chris Wooding, * the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Mystery/Thriller

Movies- Clue (1985), *Holes (2003), Get Out (2017), Hot Fuzz (2007), Minority Report (2002), Kidnap (2017), Saw (2004)

Books- *Holes by Louis Sachar, the Lost (the Outer Limits) by John Peel, We’ll Meet Again by Mary Higgins Clark

Psychological

Movies- Cube (1997), *Secret Window (2004), Silent Hill (2006), the Sixth Sense (1999), the Good Son (1993), Psycho (1960), Donnie Darko (2001)

Books- *Secret Window Secret Garden (Four Past Midnight) by Stephen King, House of Stairs by William Sleator, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Action/Adventure

Movies- Anaconda (1997), Dire Hard (1988), National Treasure (2004), the Goonies (1985), *Treasure Planet (2002), the Mask of Zorro (1998), *James and the Giant Peach (1996)

Books- *Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, *James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl,

Space Aliens

Movies- MIB (1997), Mission to Mars (2000), Galaxy Quest (1999), Alien (1979), ET the extra terrestrial (1982), Independence Day (1996), Spaced Invaders (1990)

Books- a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, the Dark Side of Nowhere by Neal Shusterman

Robot/Technology

Movies- I Robot (2004), the Iron Giant (1999), the Terminator (1984), AI artificial intelligence (2001), the Stepford Wives (2004), Wall-E (2008), *Screamers (1995)

Books- the Terminal Man by Michael Crichton, Feed by Matthew Tobin Anderson, *Second Variety (Screamers) by Phillip K Dick, *I Robot by Isaac Asimov, Cell by Stephen King

Nature/Animals

Movies- Lake Placid (1999), *Animal Farm (1954), Jaws (1975), *Cujo (1983), Ferngully the last rainforest (1992), Wild America (1997), the Lion King (1994)

Books- *Cujo by Stephen King, Cat in the Crypt (Animal Ark Hauntings) by Ben M Baglio, Congo by Michael Crichton, *Animal Farm by George Orwell, Watership Down by Richard Adams, Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

Illness/Medical

Movies- Outbreak (1995), Balto (1995), Osmosis Jones (2001), Repo the genetic opera (2008)

Books- Breath by Donna Jo Napoli, Because of Anya by Margaret Peterson Haddix, a Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Comedy Horror

Movies- Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Beetlejuice (1988), Army of Darkness (1992), Gremlins (1984), Arachnophobia (1990), Jawbreaker (1999), Tremors (1990)

Books- Aliens Don’t Wear Braces (the Baily School Kids) by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Jones, the Cuckoo Clock of Doom (Goosebumps) by RL Stine, a Dirty Job by Christopher Moore jr, Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Slasher/Gore

Movies- Scream (1996), a Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), *IT (2017), *I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Kill Bill (2003), Happy Death Day (2017), the Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Books- *I know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan, the Dark Half by Stephen King, *IT by Stephen King

Dystopia/Disaster

Movies- Waterworld (1995), the Matrix (1999), Escape from New York (1981), Demolition Man (1993), the Day After Tomorrow (2004), Volcano (1997), the Fifth Element (1997)

Books- Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, the Road by Cormac McCarthy, the House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Time Travel

Movies- Frequency (2000), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Back to the Future (1985), *the Time Machine (1960), Planet of the Apes (1968), Lost in Space (1998)

Books- *the Time Machine by HG Wells, Found (the Missing) by Margaret Peterson Haddix, the Jaunt (the Skeleton Crew) by Stephen King

Anime and J-Horror

Movies- Akira (1988), Perfect Blue (1997), Ring (1998), Dark Water (2002), Ghost in the Shell (1995), Digimon the Movie (2000)

Manga- Claymore by Norihiro Yagi, Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi, Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

Super Hero

Movies- Hellboy (2004), Ghost Rider (2007), the Incredibles (2004), the Mask (1994), Batman Beyond return of the Joker (2000), TMNT (2007)

Comics- Animal Man (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, Swamp Thing (New 52, 2011) DC Comics, BPRD Dark Waters (2012) Dark Horse Comics, Nextwave (Agents of HATE, 2006) Marvel Comics

TV Shows and Cartoons

Invader ZIM, the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Beetlejuice (animated series), Gravity Falls, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grimm, the Twilight Zone, So Weird, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Danny Phantom, the Munsters, the Addams Family (animated series), Tales from the Crypt, Scooby-Doo Where Are You/What’s New Scooby-Doo, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (animated series), Gargoyles, Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, Aaahh Real Monsters, Tutenstein, Goosebumps, the New Spooktacular Adventures of Casper, Futurama, the Venture Bros, Rick and Morty, Metalocalypse, Over the Garden Wall, Star VS the Forces of Evil, People of Earth

#long post #ref #books #movies #tv shows #spooky #horror #halloween #ghosts #witch #monsters #vampire #werewolf #gothic horror #sci fi #dragons #movie list #book list #zombies #manga #anime

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itsalliepg · 6 years

Text

Domestic Life (Drabbles) - Zig x Scarlett (MC) - Part 2

SUMMARY: An anthology about the life of Zig and Scarlett (MC) in their apartment.

PAIRING: Zig X Scarlett (MC)

RATING: Everyone

WORDS: 2.198 in total, divided into 6 drabbles

NOTE: Hey! Here’s my second entry for Favorite LI Week about my OTP Zig Ortega and Scarlett Thomas (MC). I got the ideas from this post here. The first six are here and I’ll post the others still this week. I’ve already written some drabbles before, click here to read.

English isn’t my native language. I write to practice and learn, so please sorry any mistakes. I hope you like it, and if you do, I’d appreciate if you like/comment/reblog!

Tagging: @kinkykingliam @mfackenthal @maxwells-nut @seawhite-seafair@molly7998 @ziggy-o @purpledinosaur4ever @writtenbycandy @chenchen731 @thatspicegirlssong @christopher-powell

- Person A waking up to person B cooking breakfast. Person A hugs them from behind, gives them a smooch and whispers a soft “Good morning” in their ear. Person B smiles and replies with a “Good morning”. Words: 335

On a Saturday morning, Zig woke up with the sun warming his face. He rolled over on the bed and saw that Scarlett wasn’t there. After stretching up, he kicked off the blankets and stood up. When he left the room, a noise in the kitchen denoted Scarlett was making breakfast. While she put some raw dough into the waffle maker, he placed behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

_Good morning, beautiful – he whispered.

_Good morning, handsome – she turned her face to him, smiling, and kissed him passionately – the courier delivered my new waffle machine today!

_Today? And how couldn’t I hear the bell?

_I don’t know. I wanted to wake you up to see it, I was crazy to test it but you were sleeping so soundly, and I didn’t want to bother you. Sorry to leave you in bed.

_Hey, I’m not complaining, it’s good to wake up and find breakfast ready – he kissed her again.

_What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t make such a surprise to my wonderful boyfriend? – she put a piece of waffle with maple syrup in his mouth – what’s the verdict? – he pretended to think deeply as he chewed.

_You’re the best girlfriend in the world.

_Thanks, but I was talking about the waffle – they laughed.

_I know, I was just messing with you – he nuzzled his nose on hers – this waffle maker was one of the best things you ever bought.

_I told you! Now I just need to set the table, make coffee and we can eat – she turned to him again – can you help me?

_What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t make coffee for my wonderful girlfriend? – he kissed her temple and she giggled, then left her and went to the expresso machine.

_Well, you being a barista, probably the worst boyfriend in the world – they laughed and had a lively conversation that morning while they had breakfast.

- Person A making a grocery list for person B. Person A writes a small note of how much they love person B each time. It never fails to make B smile. Words: 292

Scarlett came back home after her classes that morning. She opened the apartment door and saw Zig sitting at the kitchen’s table, writing in a little notebook.

_Hey, Zig! – she greeted and walked over to him, who lifted his face to kiss her – what are you doing?

_I noticed our fridge and cabinets a little empty – he showed her the grocery list he was writing – but I’ll have to work now, one of the guys can’t go work today. So I was wondering if you could go to the grocery…you can go by car, and I’ll walk to the campus.

_Of course! I have a meeting with Reyna about the newspaper this afternoon and I can go later.

_Perfect. You’re awesome – he got to his feet and kissed her again – I made some noodles for lunch, is in that pot on the stove – he grabbed his backpack and his keys – I’ll see you tonight, babe.

_Have a nice day. I’m going to cook a dinner for us tonight – they shared a smile and Zig left the apartment. Scarlett put the food on a plate and sat down at the table. While she ate, she read the list. A little note at the end caught her eye: “Take a last look if I have forgotten something, as I did so many times before. But one thing I don’t forget is that I love you, my princess”. Scarlett grinned. He also never forgot to write those little notes for her. That’s why she always let him make the grocery list, even forgetting to write something every time. While she looked at the fridge and the cabinets, she took her phone and texted him: “You forgot the eggs. And I love you too, my angel”.

- Person A is working late. They come home to person B sleeping on the couch with 3 empty cups of coffee close to them. Person B was waiting for person A to come home. Words: 305

Zig entered the apartment slowly. The lights were off, but the TV was on in a newscast. He found Scarlett lying on the couch, sleeping, a blanket covering her. He noticed some dirty cups of coffee on the table in front of her. He smiled. He knew coffee had never been able to keep her awake.

_Scarlett? – he whispered as he nudged her softly – Scarlett, I’m here – she woke up, and yawned.

_Hey, Zig – she said in a sleepy voice – what time is it?

_Nearly midnight – she startled.

_Were you working so late?

_Didn’t you received my text? – she picked up her phone on the table and saw a text from Zig saying that he had a problem in the coffee shop and would come home later.

_I think I was already sleeping… - she rubbed her eyes – something happened?

_Yes. I was supposed to get there at 10, but one of the machines broke and we lost almost two hours trying to fix. We need all the machines to work, or we’ll have a huge delay tomorrow – he stroked her hair – sorry for making you wait.

_No problem, baby, it’s not your fault – she kissed him – but if you’re feeling guilty, I have an idea to make up for it.

_Really? What? – he grinned.

_I want you to take me to bed and cuddle with me until I fall asleep again.

_This I can do – after another kiss, Zig took Scarlett into his arms and walked to the bedroom, and lay down beside her after undressing.

_And so? Did you fix the machine?

_Yes. We read the manual a thousand times but I found the problem and tomorrow morning it will be working – he told, proud.

_My hero – she kissed him and tucked her head under his chin – good night, Zig.

_Good night, Scarlett.

- It’s raining. Person A and B stay at home to do some spring cleaning. They put on some music and work, soft rain noises still hearable. Every now and then, they stop for a small kiss. Words: 456

_It’s a pity that it’s raining – Scarlett said looking to the window covered with raindrops – we could make a picnic today.

_Or, we could finally do that cleaning we’ve been putting off for so long – Zig approached her, hugging her from the behind – we need to clean the windows, the ceiling fan in the bedroom, the kitchen walls, vacuum and brush the rug, take off the curtains to take to the laundry...

_Aw, we really need to do it? Couldn’t we just do a simple cleaning like last week? – she complained, and he giggled before kissing the top of her head.

_Yes, we really need to do it. I can see a web on the ceiling. Soon the spiders will be Aylmer's friends – they looked at the lobster on Scarlett’s desk and smiled – but just because we need to work doesn’t mean it can’t be fun, we can put music, and talk while we work together – Scarlett sighed, and turned to Zig.

_You now what? You’re right, let’s do it! – soon, they were cleaning the window of the living room, listening to Scarlett’s songs in her cellphone. She was singing happily to her favorite song – I’m in love with somebodddyyy, found someone who completes meeeee, I’m in love with somebodddyyy, oh yeaaaah, and it’s not you!

_I didn’t know you could sing too, Scar – he nudged her.

_Oh, no! I like to sing but that doesn’t mean I can do it well! – he giggled at her wide eyes and kissed her quickly.

_You aren’t as bad as you think, baby – he winked and she rolled her eyes, smiling – this band is pretty nice, how did you say it’s called?

_Halestorm. It’s my favorite rock band. After TBD, of course.

_Totally agree. The Beatles are also my favorite after TBD – they chuckled, and noticed the sound of the raindrops hitting the glass – this rain won’t stop so soon ... I just had another idea ...

_Really? What?

_Who said we can’t have a picnic here, in the living room?

_Good idea! But let’s do it before I vacuum the rug, please – he laughed.

_Fair enough – Zig bent to kiss Scarlett – you’re adorable, you know that? – she flushed slightly and patted his nose with the rag she was using to dry the window.

_So do you – suddenly, another song started playing – hey, I love this song!

_We can make a duo – he grabbed the flask of glass cleaner and pretended it was a microphone – don’t go breaking my heart…

_I couldn’t if I tried… - she did the same with a broom.

_Honey, if I get restless…

_Baby, you’re not that kind… - holding hands and still singing and smiling, they went to the room to continue cleaning.

- It’s not only raining, but there is thunder! It’s late and person B is terribly scared of thunder. Person A hugs them closely, calming them down. Person B falls asleep in their arms. Words: 405

_Mmm…the rain is coming – Zig said looking at the window. He and Scarlett were sitting on the bed. He was reading and she was filing her nails, but a loud noise made her wince and look for her rag doll.

_Can you…close the window, please? – she hugged the doll and snuggled into the bed.

_Scarlett…are you scared? – he arched an eyebrow.

_No, I’m not – she did her best to disguise her tremble voice, but he noticed she was lying.

_Oh, my God, you are! – Scarlett blushed deeply.

_Fine, I am! Thunder really scares me! – she buried her face in the pillow – go ahead, make fun of me, I know it’s ridiculous – Zig leaned over and kissed her head.

_I’m not making fun of you, I’m just worried, Scarlett – she turned her head to face him, and he smiled – look, I’m going to close the window and hold you until the storm is over, okay? – she nodded, and he kissed her forehead before getting up and closing the window and the curtains. Zig turned off the lights and lay back on the bed, pulling Scarlett comfortably into his arms. He could feel her muscles relaxing – better?

_Much better – she sighed, relieved – it’s a childhood trauma. When I was little, during a storm, a thunder made a tree in front of my house fall. The noise was so loud, and the tree also burned, it was so scary…

_I can imagine that – he kissed her cheek – but let’s change the subject for something happier – he pointed to the doll in her arms – where did you get this?

_Her name’s Giovanna, she was made in Italy and my grandma gave to me for Christmas when I was five. When I’m scared or nervous, I like to hug her and remember nonna – she smiled – I still can remember her voice calling me bambola, doll in Italian…

_Is that why she gave you this doll? – Zig also smiled as he saw Scarlett calmer.

_Yes, she’s always called me like that, since I was a baby. And as a tribute, I named my doll after her – they kept a cheerful conversation, and Scarlett even forgot the thunder. After a long time, she fell asleep still hugging Giovanna and wrapped in Zig’s arms. He kissed her temple and snuggled even closer to her.

_You may be your grandma’s bambola, but you’ll always be my princess – he whispered before fall asleep as well.

- It’s not only raining, but there is thunder! It’s late and person B is terribly scared of thunder. Person A hugs them closely, calming them down. Person B falls asleep in their arms. Words: 405

_Can you…close the window, please? – she hugged the doll and snuggled into the bed.

_Scarlett…are you scared? – he arched an eyebrow.

_No, I’m not – she did her best to disguise her tremble voice, but he noticed she was lying.

_Oh, my God, you are! – Scarlett blushed deeply.

_Fine, I am! Thunder really scares me! – she buried her face in the pillow – go ahead, make fun of me, I know it’s ridiculous – Zig leaned over and kissed her head.

_I can imagine that – he kissed her cheek – but let’s change the subject for something happier – he pointed to the doll in her arms – where did you get this?

_Is that why she gave you this doll? – Zig also smiled as he saw Scarlett calmer.

_You may be your grandma’s bambola, but you’ll always be my princess – he whispered before fall asleep as well.

- Person B’s white shirt ends up in the wrong section of the dirty clothes for the washer, sorted by person A. Their white shirt is now a colored mess. Person A apologizes deeply, even though person B isn’t mad at all. Person B cannot help but wonder how he fell in love with this dork. Words: 398

_Scarlett… - Zig entered the room with his hands behind his back. Scarlett looked up from her laptop, and noticed a strange look on his face.

_Zig, what happened? – she asked worriedly, and set her laptop aside.

_Something happened when I was washing clothes today, but it was an accident – he revealed what he was hiding: one of her shirts, once white, was now all stained with different colors – I swear I didn’t see how it ended up with the colorful clothes! – he said, his head bowed.

_Oh, Zig, that’s okay – she said sweetly.

_That’s not okay, Scarlett! It was one of your favorite shirts and I screw it! I’m so sorry…

_Baby, really, no problem – she stood up and took the shirt from his hands – it’s not too bad, maybe I can still use it.

_You’re kidding, right? – his eyes widened – now we can use it only as a floor cloth – Zig ran his hands through his hair – I’m so, so sorry, Scarlett…

_Zig, I already said everything is okay…

_I can buy you a new shirt, it's going to be the first thing I'm going to buy once I receive my salary.

_Don’t worry… - she giggled.

_Scarlett, you’re mad at me, aren’t you? – he took her hands – you can say, be honest with me, please.

_Fine, Zig! I’m so mad at you! – she almost shouted, pretending anger – you ruined my shirt and now I want to kill you! And you’re also a dork who can’t stop apologizing even when I say it’s okay! Your luck is that you’re handsome, otherwise I don’t know how I’d fall in love with you – she arched an eyebrow to him and he smiled sheepishly.

_I’m really a dork, aren’t I?

_The biggest I know – Scarlett stroked his cheek fondly – did you really think I’d fight with you over of a shirt? – they shared a grin and Zig hugged her – but hey, if you want to give me a new shirt I won’t complain – he laughed and held her tighter.

_And I’m the dork one – she turned her head to face him and caught his lips in a passionate kiss – I love you.

_I love you too – they smiled again – now stop apologizing and let’s make some popcorn, come here to watch a movie with me?

_Sure – after a quick kiss they left the room and walked to the kitchen.

#favoriteliweek #long post #zig ortega #zig x mc #zig x scarlett #the junior #tj #fanfic #choices fanfic #choices #playchoices

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