#diego X varyyn

[marmolady]

Valinorim (Estela x F!MC)

Cetus is vanquished (for now!), the Island's Heart has cured Quinn (but at what cost?) and it's time to celebrate the new Elyyshar with the traditional festival of games and fun-- the Valinorim.

As she lets her hair down for once in a very long time, Estela finds herself growing closer to the rest of the Catalysts... and to one in particular.

Some slight adjustments to canon: --here I'm assuming Taylor went back in time after Varyyn's attack on their room in The Celestial to a point AFTER Estela told her about her mission on the island (so, Estela knows that Taylor knows), either that or she took her aside and told her. Because she would have done. -Estela gets in on more of the fun-- in Taylor's place at one point. I wanna see her finding her place as part of the group, damn it! -I'm putting the scavenger hunt after quuk'tanoi. A little change, but a change nonetheless.

#might do some art to go with it later #endless summer #playchoices #estela montoya #estela x mc #estela x taylor #diego soto #varyyn #diego x varyyn

[yukkimons]

These two goofballs fr

#endless summer #choices #choices stories you play #playchoices #playchoices endless summer #choices endless summer #yukkimons art #choices fan art #diego x varryn #diego ortiz sogo #diego soto #varyyn

[whatisreggieshortfor]

After Vaanu

Five years after you left with Vaanu, they’re ready for you to come home.

Jake x M!MC

Their faces flashed in front of your eyes. Diego’s bright eyes as he talked about some movie you had never seen, Grace’s cautious smile as she talked about something she was afraid no one would find as interesting as she did, Michelle’s concentration as she worked to help dress wounds on the others, Quinn’s unwavering optimism even as her body fought against her, Jake’s lazy grin as he asked you to marry him- even though no one imagined they’d actually get out alive.

Five years, my child. You are living in your memories again?

“Huh- Oh, uh, I’m sorry, Vaanu. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate that you allowed me to continue living with you, rather than absorbing my energy back into yourself. But I-“ You shook your head.

You miss your friends. You miss your love. I understand. I could not fix the world if I left you behind. My essence needed to be cleared for the world to be repaired.

“It’s okay, Vaanu. They got their families back. They got their futures back. And I- well, I still carry them with me.” Your mind once again filled with memories of laughter, and love. Fear and bravery.

Vaanu looked over at its missing piece, watched the love and grief that filled your eyes, and wished it could be honest about what it knew. But then the surprise would be ruined.

“To five years, everyone.” Diego raised a toast as the rest group raised their drinks in return. The nine other former Hartfeld students, the pilot, and the former Vaanti ely’shar sat on a beach together, reminiscing, “And to Y/N.”

Jake’s eyes were misty, the ghost of a smile on his face, “Do you think Boy Scout’s happy?”

Quinine gave him a gentle smile, “I want to say yes. He made the decision he did to give us a chance to see our families again. And think about what we’ve managed to do since then? Grace and Aleister got married and had a baby. Zahra and Craig, Sean and Michelle, Diego and Varyyn. I think he’d be happy to see us now. And he loved you so much-“

“Loves, Quinn.” Grace interrupted quietly, “Don’t forget that Y/N didn’t die that day. He just left with Vaanu.”

“Right.” The redhead gave a firm nod, “He loves you. You finally got to make your case and earned your freedom to be able to see your family again. I’m sure he’d be overjoyed to know that you finally got to make Rebecca proud.”

“If only he could know, Ariel.” Jake sighed.

“There is a way for him to.” Aleister interjected, gently, as if trying to gauge response.

“What are you talking about, Malfoy? My husband’s lost somewhere in space. We got no idea where. So unless-“ Jake narrowed his eyes at the poorly hidden excitement in Grace’s face, “Unless you two have something to share with the rest of the class…”

“Oh, Aleister, I can’t wait any longer. Can we please tell them?”

The taller man sighed happily as he gazed at his wife, “I suppose we have to know. Zahra, if you would please join us over here while we explain.” He paused as the three of them stood in front of the rest of the group, “Over the course of the last five years, Zahra, Grace, and myself have been at work. As my father was deemed insane by his spouting of Crystal people, I was able to use my access to his DNA profile to assist Zahra in hacking into his systems. I’ve inherited Rourke International. With my financing, Zahra’s technical skills, and Grace’s gift for science and mathematics, well…”

“Last week, we were able to finally track down the end of the trail of Vaanu’s energy!” Grace excitedly interrupted, “Zahra and Aleister have been at work for years developing a ship that will take the willing parties into space. We can get Y/N back!”

Jake’s face was slack, disbelief clear as his eyes welled with tears, “If you’re pulling my leg, Brain Trust, I swear-“ His voice cut out, a choked sound leaving him as Michelle and Sean reached over, each gripping one of his shoulders.

“I assure you, we are quite serious.” Aleister answered, a small smile on his own face, “I will not be taking the mission, as I promised Reginald all the love and care my father would never give. Grace and I agreed that one of us should stay behind with our son.”

“But I rigged up Iris’s old hologram program, made a few adjustments to it, and a piece of Grace will stay behind with him. The hologram will also serve as our communication system, and I’ve updated her to understand your pop culture nicknames. The real Grace will be riding as my copilot, so to speak.” Zahra smirked. “But we aren’t sure how long this will take, so if any of you don’t want to go, or if you can’t get away from responsibilities-“

“Ah, Skrillex, you already know my ass’ll be on that ship. Even if Vaanu absorbed Y/N back into itself, maybe it’d let me see ‘im again one last time.” Jake couldn’t help the hopeful smile on his face, “The rest of these guys might have things they need ta do, but me- I just gotta let my sister know I’ll be back this time.”

“You’ll need a doctor for this trip, no doubt. Space does funny things to the human body.” Michelle grinned, “I guess I can tag along.”

Estela shrugged, “I just took down a dictatorship, I need to get away for a while anyway.” The others blinked at her, unsure if she was serious, before deciding it best not to question it. “Besides, Vaanu may not be the only alien form out there, and most of you are probably still useless in a fight.”

Diego snorted, “I’m coming! That’s my best friend!”

“You’ll need someone to cook food every day! So I’m in! Resident chef back in the hoooouse!” Ran cheered.

“I think all of us are.” Craig and Sean grinned.

Aleister nodded, “For all of you that will need to step away from work, my assistant is already preparing documents to show you taking part in an outreach through my company. There will be virtually no existence of this trip.”

Jake just gave him a watery grin, “When do we leave, Aleister?”

Within two days time, the eleven of them were onboard a shuttle that seemed impossibly large. Grace defended that by saying that Aleister insisted each couple have separate rooms, in case they were on different watch shifts, to ensure one didn’t interrupt the others sleep.

“Okay, everybody!” Grace spoke enthusiastically, “For the beginning of the trip, we’ll just take turns running the show, but after a couple of weeks, we’ll be taking turns in the hyperstasis tubes that Rourke designed to save oxygen and food- but don’t worry! Zahra and I changed them so there won’t be any medical issues upon awaking, and the two of us will be alternating our shifts so that one of us will be able to operate them safely!”

It wasn’t long before they were breaking atmosphere, most of them marveling at the stars, except for one.

Jake sat almost completely still, nearly looking like a statue as he sat in the seat Grace had guided him to. The others shared worried looks, wondering if he was okay, before Quinn finally decided to voice their concern, “Hey, Jake…” she waited, but it was as if he didn’t hear her, “…Jake?”

Sean looked a little concerned, but Diego’s eyes lit up with an idea, before anyone could question it, he called out, “Yo, Top Gun!”

Jake’s head snapped over immediately, retort ready, the old nickname sticking in his instincts to respond before he realized who it was, “What’s up, Pop Culture Petey?”

“Quinn called your name a couple times, dude. Wanna tell us what’s on your mind?”

Jake looked almost pained, like he was still wrestling with the idea to open up to them again, but the words seemed to dislodge from his throat as he realized how much he trusted them, “…what if- what if he doesn’t remember us? Remember me? What if he- what if he doesn’t feel the same anymore?”

Various ranges of shock filled their faces, before a snort rang out and everyone turned to see Zahra trying to hold in her laughter. Craig was the first to follow suit, until eventually everyone was laughing as Jake scowled at them. Quinn took his hand, giving him a bright smile, “The chances of Y/N not still loving you, are about as good as the chances that I had a healthy childhood.” Jake’s scowl vanished at the mention of her Rotterdam’s, but Quinn continued, “From the moment he entered that cockpit to check how much longer the flight would be, we could all see it. The way you both looked at each other. And I know you know that. You two are meant to be.”

“Heh.” The pilot cracked a small grin at her, shaking his head, “I said that to ‘im once. After me and Katniss over there found ‘im, when we got separated after the whole MASADA b.s.” His eyes took on a nostalgic appearance, “We were sittin’ in a time rift of a place that looked like home. You’re right, Ariel. Guess I’m jus’ nervous.”

“And that’s okay!” Quinn beamed, “We’re all right there with you!”

When the hologram announced what would have been night time for them on Earth, Diego wandered over to Jake as they joined Varyyn, Zahra, and Craig for the first watch. “Jake…I’ve got a question for you. And I don’t want you to feel like you need to be defensive or- I mean he’s been gone five years and-“

“You wanna know if I saw anyone else while Y/N was gone. That right?”

Diego gulped back a small number of nerves at the look in the pilot’s eye, “….yes.”

Jake sighed, “I ain’t been with nobody since he left. My sister set me up on a date. Once. About two years back. But I made ‘im uncomfortable. He could tell I was comparin’ ‘im to my husband. He left within the first ten minutes. She ain’t tried since. I’ll be honest with Y/N about it.”

Diego nodded seriously, “I don’t mean to make it seem like-“

Jake shook his head, “Naw, I get it, Petey. He’s your best friend, you’re just looking out. Just…let me wait for a day before I tell him. Just enjoy seeing him first.”

Diego shook his head, “As far as I’m concerned, that wasn’t anything. But I trust you to know what’s best for the two of you. Even if you had- ya know, I think he would have understood. He’s been away…gone, for five years. I don’t think he expected you to go through life alone when he left.”

“I ain’t been alone.” Jake shook his head, smirking, “I’ve had the Odd Squad backing me up.” Your best friend laughed, knocking his shoulder against the pilot’s.

They were getting closer, following the trail Grace had mapped out. It was close to three months, floating around in space and taking turns in hyperstasis. Michelle insisted on staying out of the tube, just in case anyone had any medical issues that would need tending to, and no one was dumb enough to fight her about it. Sean was on watch when a beeping on the control panel snagged his attention, “Hey! Grace, what’s this indicator?”

Grace hurried over, looking over the instruments before beaming back at him, “That means it’s time to wake everyone up.”

You were lost in your memories again when you heard it. The voices, talking to each other as they seemed to be searching for something. Climbing onto a crystal formation, you followed the sound until you saw them. “Vaanu! You promised you’d stop with the mirages!”

It is not me, my child.

“If it’s not you then what else-“ the words lodged solidly in your throat as you stared back at Vaanu.

They have traveled a great distance for you. Are you not going to greet them?

You vaulted off the crystals without another word, racing across the planet’s surface, until you collided with the first body you could reach, “If this is a dream, I never wanna wake up again.” You muttered desperately into their chest.

The laugh that rumbled through felt like your memories, as did the arms that wrapped around you, “Come on, Y/N! We came all this way, let us see your face!”

You pulled back to look your best friend in the eyes, grinning at him with a watery smile, “You’re- you’re real this time.”

“Aw, you’ve been dreaming about us again?” You turned to see Sean, and sped over to wrap him a hug as well, when he pulled back he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, “Come on, now, the others are over this way. We split up to search.”

You couldn’t focus on how long the walk was as you followed the two of them, but you heard Craig clear as day, “Chyeah, boiiiii! Y/N!” He rushed over to you this time, lifting you off the ground, while Zahra offered you a lazy fist bump. Though even she couldn’t hide her grin.

Estela and Quinn were next, and you lifted Quinn onto your back to keep moving when it became clear she wasn’t going to let go on her own. Grace wrapped both of you in a hug when you found her and Varyyn.

“I can’t believe you guys came all this way…” You sniffled, happy but tearful to be reunited with so many of your friends.

And then you heard him.

“Believe it, Boy Scout. I told ya I’d cross every mile of space to get ya back.” You barely registered Sean lifting Quinn off your back as you blinked, trying to clear away the daydream.

“Top Gun…” Your voice was choked, and your feet moved before you could tell them to, carrying you into his waiting arms. “I’m so sorry, Jake. I didn’t want to leave you- but it was the only way and-“

“Shhh, baby, I got you.” Jake pulled back long enough to wipe your flowing tears with his thumbs, even as his own streamed down his face, “I get it. Yeah, it sucked. But at least I wasn’t alone. Thanks to you, we all found a family to hold onto. People we could remember ya with. I would’ve given anythin’ to have ya with me, but thanks to the Brain Trust and Skrillex over there, I get to have ya back in my arms where ya belong.” You sniffled, at a loss for words, and just wrapped yourself firmly around him. Belatedly, you noticed Michelle watching the scene with her own teary smile, and you reached out to clasp her hand in your own, hoping she understood how much you loved her as well without letting go of your long lost husband. To your mild surprise, she threw her arms around the two of you, and you felt the others join, until you were in the center of a group hug of your favorite people. Pulling away, you dabbed at your eyes, keeping a firm hold on Jake’s hand, “I missed you guys more than you could possibly imagine. Vaanu tried to help- it used to make visions of you, but I couldn’t hold them.”

Vaanu floated over, I apologize. I thought it warranted the surprise this time.

“Whoa! Poltergeist can talk!”

You snapped your head over to Jake, “You guys can understand it?”

Unlike on Earth, here in my home planet I can project my words directly to each of you.

“Speaking of your home planet, how is it that we can all breath here and stuff?” You had never really pondered Craig’s question before, assuming that you could because Vaanu could.

Y/N has a body developed for Earth’s conditions. To sustain his form I had to alter the conditions here to match.

“Vaanu…” You hesitated in asking your question, unsure how much the answer would hurt, “How long can they stay here?”

You watched as the ghostly shape cocked its head, They can survive here as long as they like, did you not want to return with them?

“I-I can go back?”

It nodded, and you could almost feel it’s happiness, I could not take you back, without risking leaving an imprint of my energy again. But they have found you. They can take you back.

You looked into each of their faces, tears still streaming down your cheeks. Jake gave you a smile, “What d’ya say, Boy Scout? Ya ready to go home?”

“Home…” you mumbled the word to yourself, “I don’t think I have one.”

Diego shook his head, “Course you do. You’ve had one this whole time, it’s been waiting for you.”

Your brow furrowed as you looked at him, and he just sent a pointed look at Jake. You smirked, “That sounds pretty good actually.”

Jake hadn’t let go of your hand the entire trip back to the ship, until he handed you a bag. You looked at him curiously, noting the way his cheeks flushed and he wouldn’t look at you, “It’s- it’s your clothes and shit from the island. Kept it in case.” He shrugged, but you surged forward and pulled him into your arms. He inhaled shakily, tightening his hold for a few seconds before he pulled away and cleared his throat, “Julio Child is toiling away in the kitchen. Hurry up so we can get down there.” You snorted to yourself, turning around and pulling some clothes from the bag, not particularly caring which outfit you chose, before starting to pull the old clothes off. You heard his sharp intake of breath as you pulled on new pants and tried to find the front of your new shirt, and attempted to suppress the smile you felt twitching onto your face as he fingertips brushed with a featherlight touch over your back. “This is…this is new.”

“Vaanu did it. So I could carry everyone with me. Everyone that had my back is immortalized on it.” Neither of you spoke above a whisper as he marveled at your tattoos.

“There’s Petey’s dog…Katniss’s dragon…Cap’s Eagle…Ariel’s mermaid…Malfoy’s snake…” you followed the pattern in your head as he whispered each one, and you could almost feel the frown in his voice when he reach the end. “You- There’s no wolf?”

You felt your lips curl into a smile as you mused out loud, “That pesky lone wolf. Where did he run off to?” You turned to your husband, face twisted in faux concentration, finger tapping your chin. You recognized the moment he saw it, his eyes alighting on the wolf design emblazoned on your chest, as his fingers slowly reached out to trace it.

Jake groaned, low in his chest, as he buried his face in your neck, “Ya makin’ me not even want to join the others.”

You chuckled to yourself as you brushed your fingers through his hair, “Just for a little while, please? I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

He heaved a sigh, “The things I endure for ya. Fine. But no shirt. Let them see your pretty new ink.”

You laughed loudly as he pulled on your hand, dragging you out into the hall and toward the dining area.

You felt light for the first time in five years. Back with the people that brought you to life, and gave you the love that made it worth living.

Masterlist

#endless summer #choices #choices fanfic #choices endless summer #choices es #jake mckenzie #Jake McKenzie x mc

[sceptilemasterr]

Endless Winter (ES Book 2) Act 2, Scene 5 - A New Year Dawns

Title: Endless Winter

Main Pairings: Estela x Ian (M!MC), Jake x Alyssa (F!MC)

Other Pairings: Craig x Zahra, Grace x Aleister, Michelle x Quinn, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for swearing, violence, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: It's New Year's Eve on La Huerta, and the Catalysts are determined to make the most of it.

Previous Scene: Any Port in a Storm

Masterlist: Link

INT. ELYSIAN LODGE RESORT - LOBBY

Several hours later, the sun is just beginning to set outside the windows of the Elysian Lodge’s expansive lobby, which has been completely transformed into an ornate party room, complete with marked-out dance floor in the center of the area. A series of tables laden with food have been set up near the walls, with a haphazard arrangement of various candles scattered around. Craig, dressed in a tight-fitting dress shirt and tie, leads Furball around the room as the little fox freeze a series of impromptu “ice coolers” around the bottles of champagne and other drinks scattered about.

CRAIG: Nice job, little guy!

FURBALL (proudly): Mrrrrrffff!

Raj emerges from the kitchen, dressed in a suit and tie with an apron over it, bringing another food-laden tray out into the lobby. Quinn follows close behind with a tray of desserts, a similar apron to Raj covering her ornate blue dress.

QUINN: Where should I put these?

RAJ: Over here is good!

He indicates a table, and she sets her tray down. Raj looks down at one of the fruit trays and frowns.

RAJ: Hey… has someone been eating all the strawberries?

CRAIG: Don’t look at me… but I think I spotted Alyssa usin’ some strawberries to practice her Time Lord stuff.

RAJ: Aww… (brightens) Ah, never mind! Good for her. If I know anything, it’s that the Time Twins are gonna be the key to getting us out of this place. Besides, there’s still a bunch more fresh strawberries in the kitchen fridge!

FURBALL (excitedly): Ffrrrruuulll!

A few of the Vaanti trickle in, all wearing haphazard mismatches of formalwear. Varyyn, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie, accompanies them.

VARYYN: Hello, Centaurus. I am told today is your people’s New Year celebration. I thank you for inviting us.

Varyyn bows deeply. Raj blushes and laughs.

RAJ: No need to be so formal, Varyyn! You invited us to your festival the other day, the least we can do is return the favor!

Michelle and Ian enter the lobby, chatting animatedly about school. Michelle is wearing a sparkling golden dress, while Ian is dressed in a black tuxedo with matching bowtie.

MICHELLE: --so I think you’d only need one more bio elective if you already finished Genetics and Ecology. And the MCAT, of course, but I’m pretty sure you can take that anytime…

Michelle’s voice trails off as she sees the newly redecorated lobby. Behind her, Sean and Grace walk in, chatting excitedly to one another.

MICHELLE: Wow! Look at this place; Raj, you did all this?

Raj turns and grins broadly at her.

RAJ: Yep! With plenty of help, of course. Quinn here was--

He stops abruptly when he turns and sees Quinn is no longer in the lobby. He frowns, puzzled.

RAJ: …Uh, Quinn was right here a minute ago. Huh.

IAN: This place looks amazing! Perfect for a Raj party!

RAJ: Haha, thanks!

ALYSSA (O.S.): Alright, let’s get this thing started!

Alyssa strides confidently into the lobby, wearing a long white dress with a plunging neckline. Michelle looks her up and down approvingly.

MICHELLE: Wow. Looking good, Alyssa!

ALYSSA: Thanks, Michelle! You too!

Alyssa frowns as she looks around the room, evidently searching for something.

RAJ: Hey, Alyssa, everything okay?

ALYSSA: Yeah, I’m fine, just.. y’seen Top Gun anywhere?

It takes Raj a moment to realize who she is referring to.

RAJ: Oh, you mean Jake? Actually, I haven’t seen him since--

A sudden commotion from the top of the lobby stairs draws Raj’s (and everyone else’s) attention. Emerging from the second-floor hallway, Jake, Estela, Quinn, Diego, Aleister, and Zahra stand on the landing, all fully done-up and impeccably dressed. Alyssa, Ian, Michelle, Varyyn, Grace, and Craig all stare open-mouthed at the sight of their respective significant others, completely lost for words. Estela frowns.

ESTELA: What? What are you all looking at?

RAJ: Hey, there you all are! Come and join the party!

All of them descend the staircase, though Estela is blushing heavily as she does so. She doesn’t look entirely comfortable in her formal dress. When she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she beelines immediately for Ian.

IAN (stunned): I… uh. You. Wow.

ESTELA (shyly): I… I know Raj wanted us to dress up for New Year’s, but I never… really went to big parties or anything. Is this right?

Ian smiles warmly at her as he takes her hand in his.

IAN: More than right. Wow. Uh... I actually can’t even think of any other words right now.

In spite of herself, Estela giggles.

ESTELA: You… uh, you’re looking pretty good yourself.

Ian blushes heavily. Near the back of the room, Raj plugs his phone into the stereo system, but nothing happens. He frowns.

RAJ (frustrated): Damn, and here I thought this would work…

Craig and Zahra approach him.

CRAIG: Man, can’t believe it’s been a whole year already.

ZAHRA (frowning): …It hasn’t. We skipped six months, remember?

CRAIG: Oh. Right. Duh. I knew that!

ZAHRA: Raj, y’need some help?

RAJ: Yeah, I’m tryin’ to get the music working, but…

Zahra takes his phone in her hands and fiddles with it for a few moments. Before long, party music starts playing through the whole resort.

RAJ: Awesome! Thanks, my dudes!

CRAIG: Anytime!

ZAHRA: Craig, you didn’t do anything.

CRAIG: What? Naw, I… uh…

Any retort he may have had is cut short when he looks back at her in her formal dress. Craig can only stare open-mouthed.

ZAHRA: Huh. Guess there may be perks to dressin’ up like this after all…

Zahra playfully reaches out a finger and closes Craig’s mouth for him. Near one of the tables, Jake pours himself a glass of whiskey and raises it into the air.

JAKE: So! Who’s up for a toast?

ALYSSA: Personally, I can’t believe I’m still sober. Drink, please!

ESTELA: What are we having?

Jake grins and glances toward Ian.

JAKE: Why don’t we let Hero Boy pick?

IAN (surprised): I… what?!

ALYSSA (smirks): You heard him, “Hero Boy.”

Ian looks nervously at the assortment of drinks laid out on the table, feeling put on the spot.

IAN: I, uh…

Alyssa nudges him, glancing meaningfully toward the glass of whiskey in Jake’s hand.

IAN: Alright, how about this one?

He grabs a similar glass to Jake and pours himself some whiskey as well, then pours two more glasses for Alyssa and Estela. Estela takes a sniff of her glass and frowns.

ESTELA: What is this? It smells like sawdust.

JAKE: Trust me, there’s an art to whiskey. Now, the key to appreciating it is--

ESTELA: Getting it over with. Cheers.

She clinks her glass against Ian’s and throws back the whiskey. She winces.

ESTELA: It burns.

IAN: That bad, huh? Sorry, I--

ESTELA: Pour me another.

JAKE: Looks like Dragon Rage’s a fan, y’all.

Ian pours Estela another shot of whiskey as the four of them clink glasses and toast to the new year. In another area of the party, Varyyn and a few of his Vaanti warriors sip their own drinks as they chat with Diego, Lila, Raj, and Quinn.

VARYYN: It is interesting that your people count your years. You say this year is…?

DIEGO: Well, in a few more hours, it’s about to be 2018.

RAJ: Y’know what Varyyn here needs? One of those party sunglasses with the year on ‘em. Then he’ll never forget!

He, Quinn, Lila, and Diego burst into laughter. Diego claps Varyyn’s shoulder and pulls him into a hug.

DIEGO: Varyyn, I know you probably don’t get it right now, but we will take a picture next year while wearing those, okay?

VARYYN (warmly): I trust your judgement, my light.

Diego and Varyyn snuggle into one another as Quinn glances wistfully across the room. The camera follows her gaze to where Michelle stands chatting idly with a few of the others…

Some time later, the sun has set and most of the Catalysts are noticeably tipsier than they were previously. Several of the Vaanti warriors excitedly clink glasses of whiskey together with a triumphant cheer, then all down their drinks in one shot as Zahra looks on approvingly after downing her own glass.

ZAHRA: Doin’ great, guys! Now this is a New Year’s party!

Behind her, Aleister takes a seat at the grand piano as Michelle stands beside him. The others all crowd around. Aleister begins to play Auld Lang Syne.

MICHELLE (singing): Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never come to mind…

Aleister accompanies her, infusing each note with a delicate, classical touch. A few people sniff back tears, including Quinn and Grace.

MICHELLE (singing): For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne…

Alyssa looks pensively up toward the ceiling while Jake wraps an arm around her. Estela and Ian look deep into one another’s eyes. Raj sniffs back a tear. As Michelle begins the final part of the song, Quinn stands up and joins her:

MICHELLE AND QUINN (singing): We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang syne!

Everyone bursts into applause. Aleister stands and takes a formal bow. Quinn and Michelle look at one another; Michelle is the first to blush and look away. Jake walks up and claps Aleister on the back.

JAKE: Nice job, Schroeder. Didn’t think you had it in you.

ALEISTER: Ah. You are most welcome. I did enjoy that quite--

RAJ: Whoa! Everyone, hold up! I almost forgot; we still gotta sing “Happy Birthday!”

Everyone looks back at Raj. He grins broadly and gestures to the crowd.

RAJ: Dunno if I mentioned it to everyone yet, but with the skip forward in time, we missed a bunch of birthdays! Including Aleister, and the Time Twins here! …Not to mention myself, of course!

He steps between Alyssa and Ian, pulling them both into a group hug.

RAJ: Anybody else we missed? Who’s had a birthday between… uh…

GRACE: June 6th and December 26th!

Aleister, Michelle, Craig, Quinn, Estela, Zahra, Raj himself, and the Czasa twins all raise their hands.

RAJ: Alright, cool! Aleister, if you don’t mind?

He gestures to the piano. Aleister nods and takes his seat once again at the keys.

DIEGO: Are we even allowed to sing it? I heard it was copyrighted--

CRAIG: Who’s gonna stop us, bro? Unless… (completely seriously) Dude, does Rourke own the rights to Happy Birthday? That’d be his most evil plan yet!

Zahra shakes her head and sighs. Aleister begins to play, and everyone else starts singing along, with the Vaanti catching on after the first few bars…

EVERYONE (singing): Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear…

A variety of names are all shouted out at once. Ian makes a point to sing Estela’s name rather than his own, and she likewise sings his name in return. They both smile warmly at one another.

RAJ (excitedly): Dudes, that was flawless! Best birthday song ever!

CRAIG: Ha! Take that, Rourke!

Everyone applauds and hugs one another after the song. Lila stands off to one side, glancing around at the others with a strange expression on her face. She glances around furtively for a moment, then quietly slips upstairs as the others continue celebrating.

SEAN (shouting): Hey! Don’t forget, it’s only a few minutes ‘til midnight!

Everyone startles at this pronouncement, glancing at various clocks… which all show completely different times. Sean shrugs.

SEAN: Well… as close as I can tell, anyway. Who knows on this island?

ALYSSA (laughing): Fair enough. Alright, let’s do this!

RAJ: Craig, you ready for our master surprise?

CRAIG: You know it!

Craig and Raj lead the others up onto the roof of the Elysian Lodge. A large crate full of red flares has been set against one edge of the roof; Craig rushes toward it excitedly with a lighter in his hand.

MICHELLE (worriedly): Uh… guys?

JAKE: Are those flares?

Craig stops and turns around, grinning broadly.

CRAIG: Yup! One of those commando dudes dropped ‘em! Me and Raj thought--

JAKE (fiercely): Don’t you dare light those--

RAJ: Aww, c’mon, don’t ruin our fun! I’d have thought you’d be all about this! What’s the harm in--

Estela crosses her arms and steps closer to Raj, glaring angrily.

ESTELA: So, right now, we’re hiding from a death squad of highly trained, well-armed mercenaries… and your plan is to shoot off a bunch of flares directly over our location.

She holds her death glare on the two of them. There is an awkward silence before Craig and Raj finally glance at each other, both clearly embarrassed.

CRAIG: Okay, when you put it like that…

RAJ: Sorry guys. No fireworks this year.

Raj looks down dejectedly and starts heading toward the stairs, when suddenly:

GRACE: Wait! Look!

Everyone follows her gaze off toward a distant mountain range, where the sky is lighting up in beautiful, otherworldly colors. Jake and Alyssa exchange a shocked glance: the colors are identical to those they had seen during their first day on La Huerta, back at the airstrip.

SEAN: What is that?!

VARYYN: Ah, the Lights of Vaanu. Among our people, they are believed to be a sign of good fortune to come.

JAKE: Dunno about y’all, but I’d say we could definitely use some good fortune right about now.

Raj shrugs.

RAJ: Well, it’s not fireworks, but it’s close enough for me! Fifteen seconds ‘til midnight!

Everyone starts looking around at one another, most of them pairing off: Alyssa with Jake, Aleister with Grace, Craig with Zahra, Diego with Varyyn, and two of the Vaanti with one another. Quinn looks as though she is about to approach Michelle, but shies away at the last minute. Ian nods toward Estela, who approaches him. Ian starts to turn away, when Alyssa not-so-subtly kicks him with her heel, pushing him back toward Estela.

IAN (annoyed): ‘Lyss!

He bumps into Estela, who awkwardly catches him in her arms.

ESTELA: Oh! …Hey.

IAN (awkwardly): …Hey.

Everyone else starts counting down from ten. Ian scratches the back of his neck and glances away from Estela. Alyssa shoots him an “are you kidding me?” glance, while Diego raises his eyebrows so far that they nearly vanish into his hairline. Ian sighs and nods in acknowledgement, then takes a deep breath.

EVERYONE: Five… four… three…

Estela steps close, the brilliant otherworldly lights reflecting in her deep brown eyes as she and Ian gaze at one another.

ESTELA: I…

EVERYONE: Two… one… HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The other couples all pull one another into New Year’s kisses as those who are single celebrate in their own ways. Ian starts to hesitate, then relents and pulls Estela into a deep kiss. When they part, Estela smiles up at him.

ESTELA (laughs): I almost thought I would have to do everything myself. Again.

IAN (laughs): Guess I just thought… I was worried you might not want--

He is interrupted by Estela pulling him back in for another kiss. Elsewhere, near the rooftop jacuzzi, Diego and Varyyn sit side-by-side, just breaking apart from their own midnight kiss.

VARYYN: This tradition of yours. Kissing at midnight.

DIEGO (awkwardly): Well, it’s not exactly my tradition--

VARYYN (warmly): I enjoy it quite a lot. Does it apply only to midnight?

DIEGO: Well, uh, if you’re asking if we can kiss again… I won’t say no.

VARYYN (ecstatic): Wonderful! Then, may I…?

Diego nods, and he and Varyyn kiss once more. In the background, Raj can be seen nodding at the two of them, and Craig groans and hands over some cash. Elsewhere, Jake and Alyssa stand hand-in-hand, gazing off at the multicolored lights.

JAKE: Looks familiar, huh?

ALYSSA: How could I forget? That was kind of a big day for me. Y’know.

JAKE: Why, ‘cuz you met me?

ALYSSA (teasingly): Don’t get too excited, Top Gun. A lot more happened than just that.

JAKE: Alright, answer this: were you really looking at those lights the whole time?

ALYSSA: I--

She laughs and rolls her eyes in tacit admission that her attention had indeed been elsewhere at the time. Jake wraps his arms around her and pulls her in close.

ALYSSA: What do you say we take this somewhere else?

JAKE: What were you thinkin’, Princess?

ALYSSA: Somewhere with a bed, if you know what I mean…?

JAKE: I am never gonna say no to that. Lead on.

Alyssa takes him by the hand and leads him back downstairs. As the night continues on, several other couples do the same. Diego and Varyyn are on their way toward the stairs when Diego stops for a moment near where Ian and Estela are sitting.

DIEGO: Go ahead, Varyyn, I’ll catch up. I’ve just gotta check on something first.

Varyyn nods and continues down the stairs. Diego approaches Ian and Estela, resting a hand on the former’s shoulder.

IAN: What’s up?

DIEGO: Can I talk to you for a sec?

IAN: Uh… sure?

Ian gives Estela an apologetic look, and she nods in response. Diego leads him over to a secluded area of the rooftop and lowers his voice.

DIEGO: You know the night’s not over yet, right?

IAN (genuinely confused): What?

DIEGO: Ian! Seriously! Surely you noticed the other couples heading off, right? Me included?

IAN: Yes… and?

Diego seems to be fighting the urge to facepalm.

DIEGO: You. Estela. Do I need to say anything more?

IAN (nervously): Okay, I get what you’re saying, but… where would we even go? It’s not like the lobby is exactly private, and--

DIEGO: This is a hotel, Ian! Are you kidding right now? All the bedrooms you could possibly want! Just go find one!

IAN (laughs): Alright, alright. I’ll ask her. You know, she might say ‘no’--

DIEGO: With how she’s been looking at you all this time? If she says ‘no,’ I’ll literally eat my shoe. Not even kidding. (sighs) Just ask her, would you?

IAN: Will do, Diego. And thanks for the push.

DIEGO (shrugs): What can I say? It’s kinda my job.

He nods at Ian, then turns to rejoin Varyyn and head back downstairs. Ian steels himself, then heads back toward Estela.

ESTELA: What was that all about?

IAN (awkwardly): Diego. He, uh, not-so-subtly hinted that… we should… y’know, ‘find a bedroom.’

ESTELA (coyly): Oh? And what did you think about that?

Ian scratches the back of his neck awkwardly.

IAN: Well, uh… if you said ‘no,’ I’d definitely understand--

ESTELA (genuinely confused): …Why would I say ‘no?’

IAN: Dunno, guess I just thought--

She holds a finger up to his lips and smiles.

ESTELA: You think too much.

With a wink, she takes him by the hand and leads him downstairs…

_______________________

Note: If anyone was wondering, Ian was born at 11:59 PM December 31st, 1995, and Alyssa was born at 12:01 AM January 1st, 1996.

Next: The Fourteenth Vaalta (Coming soon!)

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0 @shaylan211 @griselda1121 @acanthisorbis @marmolady @choicesbabie @mauvecatfic

Endless Summer Tag List: @mysteli @edgydepressedchoicesthot @endlessly-searching-for-you @lovelywrites

#choices endless summer #choices stories you play #csyp #endless summer rewrite #es book 2 #endless winter #choices interconnected universe #ciu project #craig hsiao #zahra namazi #furball #raj bhandarkar #quinn kelly #ian czasa #estela montoya #michelle nguyen #diego soto #varyyn #alyssa czasa #jake mckenzie #aleister rourke #grace hall #estela x mc #jake x mc #grace x aleister #craig x zahra #michelle x quinn #diego x varyyn #still salty that estela never got a canon birthday #grrrr

[gaiuskamilah]

the mal x lakan art kinda looks diego and varyyn if im gonna be honest shgkjdfhgjdhgd

#mals hair cut and lakans horns are the only things making it look Not like diego and varyyn

[choices-binglebonkus]

Of all the things in Endless Summer, I have to say this one fucked me up the most

#choices stories you play #playchoices #choices stories we play #pixelberry #pixelberry studios #playchoices fandom #choices stories you play fandom #choices stories we play fandom #endless summer #choices endless summer #choices es #es #variego #diego x varyyn #varyyn x diego #varyyn #diego soto

[endlessflame]

Diego and Varyyn - realistic art style

For Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈

#diego x varyyn #variego #diego ortiz soto #endless summer #playchoices

[whatsernamerps]

#varyyn #endless summer #playchoices #varyyn x diego #diego x varyyn

[marmolady]

Reunion: 2023

Main Pairings: Estela x (F)MC, Variego, Michelle x Quinn, Graleister, Namasiao

Part two of my Reunion Project! In this one we see the arrival of Taylor and Estela's daughter, and some Variego fluff. You know... all the stuff that soothes a soul.

Do feel free to shout out a year between 2022 and 2097 if you want me to write a specific one next. You can find the full series (in progress) here on AO3.

Word Count: 1898

Tagging: @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, ​@mauvecatfic @rhemenway888

Thanks for reading! Comments and re-blogs make me EXTRA happy.

______________________

7:15 AM

Varyyn’s expression was so soft as Diego turned to him.

“What is it?”

“My love, you are so beautiful this morning,” Varyyn replied, voice brimming with warmth and tenderness. “To see this joy in you… my heart could grow wings and fly.”

Diego flushed, a little giddy. The past twenty-four hours had been the best kind of a roller coaster; the excitement of his Catalyst family arriving back on La Huerta, the nervous trepidation and long, anxious wait when Estela went into labour before the reunion feast was done, and then this morning… he would soon hold in his arms a new family member, one he knew he’d love unconditionally until his dying day. It was a lot.

He fell into Varyyn’s arms once more-- they’d been embracing one another almost more than they weren’t since the reunion began-- and buried his face in a firm, muscular shoulder.

He wasn’t really a father, well, unless when Liv got bigger she wanted him to have that role. Taylor and Estela were little Liv’s parents, the ones raising her, making the hardest decisions. But she was something special to him. It wasn’t lost on Diego what it meant coming from Estela when it was put forth that he be Liv’s ‘special tio’. He was basically chosen by Taylor to be ‘her side of the family’. That kind of acceptance and belonging, being so dearly wanted as the person he was, it had never come from any blood relatives and the force of it now was staggering. Between Varyyn, and Taylor and Estela with their baby girl, and the rest of the Catalysts, good as brothers and sisters to him, he couldn’t move for feeling loved. If he could make sure that little kid grew up feeling even half of that… he would be a pretty damn good tio.

“My sweet one,” Varyyn said gently, “do you think you could sleep some more? I do not think we will miss much; our friends have much drinking and dancing to sleep off themselves.”

Diego chuckled. True, it seemed pretty unlikely anyone would be raring to go anytime soon. Certainly, for himself there hadn’t been a whole lot of sleep had that night prior. Exhaustion wasn’t a match for his incessant need to check for updates from Taylor.

“Are you trying to tell me I look like death warmed up? I thought I was ‘so beautiful this morning’.”

Varyyn kissed his love’s forehead. “You are. Very beautiful and very tired.”

“Heh, I’ll take it.”

________________________

7:30 AM

The message tone of her phone awoke Quinn with a start, the bright screen blinding out of the darkness. Blearily, she reached for it, for the long-awaited update from either the expectant parents, or Michelle, who’d been assisting them through. She held a breath… it was from Taylor; a photograph of a newborn baby, face swollen from the delivery and damp dark hair plastered to her head.

‘Liv Andromeda Montoya, newest member of the fam, born sometime around 5AM. Mom and baby doing fine! Proper intros tomorrow, will keep everyone in the loop. Right now, delivery team in serious need of some shut-eye, so please don’t reply. T & E’

Beaming, Quinn scrolled back up to look at the photo, then down to the message, then rinsed and repeated again and again. Another baby in the family! Looking at the little face, she was saw she could see a look of Diego in there-- oh, he’d be over the moon.

Her phone buzzed again-- Michelle this time.

‘Hey, babe! Missing you-- staying close by just in case, but everything’s looking perfect. Hopefully we’ll relax a bit more soon, and we can take the med team off high alert. Ravyya is keeping me company on the night-watch, she’s just as much fun as she usually is. I’m so fucking exhausted, god knows how Estela feels. I love you so much, babe, can’t wait to share with you. It’s just been incredible.’

Quinn tapped back: ‘I love you so much, too! You’re amazing, you know? The bed feels too big without you next to me. Just make sure you get a good rest after the intense night you’ve had, and give our new mamas a TON of love from me. Kisses.’

_______________________

7:30 AM

“Al!” Grace gushed, sitting up in bed and gently shaking her husband’s shoulder. “The baby’s here!”

Aleister wearily opened his eyes. “The buh… the baby?”

He sat up, a little groggy and confused. “Are… are they all right?”

“They’re all fine, honey. It’s a girl! We’ve got a little niece!” Grace showed him the message, her heart warming further at the undisguised joy and affection that lit her husband’s features as he took in for the first time the sight of his baby niece.

“I knew it would be a girl,” Aleister said. “Didn’t I say so?”

“Well, it was fifty-fifty!” Grace laughed. “Oh, isn’t she beautiful? She looks just like Estela. They must be completely besotted!”

“Yes, she is rather lovely.”

“I had a feeling they might name her after Estela’s mom. My guess was as a middle, but it makes sense they’d want to give her a really special name.”

“Yes,” Aleister agreed, his sleepiness still clearly coming through in his voice.

A cry from the next room made it clear that he’d have to come to terms with waking up whether he liked it or not-- Reggie was awake, which meant the tired parents were back on duty. Aleister shared a look with Grace.

“Just one of the joys Estela and Taylor have to look forward to.”

Grace gave a laugh. “They’re going to love it.” She rose quickly; all the excitement of the new arrival had her wanting to scoop up her own little one and smooch his sweet face until he was giggling fit to burst. “Come on-- better share the good news with Reginald!”

Aleister watched her go, full of affection, then took just another few sweet moments to rest as he took in the news. He was an uncle! From the pitiful scraps of familial connections he’d long been accustomed to, it was… rather wonderful.

________________________

9:00 AM

Zahra prodded at the concoction on her plate with a spoon, her grimace in stark contrast to the gusto with which Craig was tucking in to his own portion of Raj’s patented hangover cure.

“I think we can now safely say that I will never get used to this shit…,” she grumbled. This garbage would need to be washed down with a large coffee.

“You know what’s crazy, Z?” Craig prompted, his enthusiasm undampened by Zahra’s sour expression.

“You’re going to tell me, aren’t you?”

“Look, last year it was just us-- dream team!-- getting all drunk and having a good time, just like the old days.”

“Pretty sure the old days had a lot more death and despair, but I get what you’re going for….”

“And this reunion, there’s two whole babies in the group! I know we had some big responsibilities saving the world and all that, but babies… now that’s some real adult responsibility shit right there.”

“You realise you and I aren’t parents, right? It’s important to me that you know that.”

Craig puffed out his chest. “I’m Big Uncle Craig! Who else is gonna teach them what’s important in life?”

A smile tugged at Zahra’s lips. “I guess we’re not gonna let poor Reginald take video game lessons from fucking Graleister.”

“Heh, you can teach baby Liv how to hack into her moms’ computer and order McDonald’s!”

“Yeah, they’d like that.”

“I was just thinking,” Craig said, “it’s probably not going to be the same anymore. Everyone’s kinda getting their lives on track, and this--” he gestured around with his arms “--it could just get all left behind. I’m not saying I’m not excited about my future-- I am, and that’s crazy-- but I don’t want us to lose all this.”

Zahra put her spoon down, officially giving up on attempts to stomach Raj’s creation, and looked Craig in the face.

“D’you really think you could shake these people? Like, even if you wanted?”

Sean came over to join them, grasping Craig’s shoulder as he sat down. “I know you think I’m a sap--”

“A little bit, yeah, but I still love ya!”

“--but I really believe we’re tied together now by some invisible bond that could never be broken. We became family. Well, you and me, we already were.”

“Yup, my brother from another mother! I know you’ll never leave me behind, even if you have gone pro now…”

“Craig, we are going to be back, year after year. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be growing old to the tune of Jake’s ever-lengthening list of nicknames.”

“God fucking save me….” Zahra muttered.

“See? Zahra knows we’re pretty much doomed to be together. So just… enjoy it. I know I can’t wait to watch everyone living their dreams, and growing their families.”

“Sheesh, QB, sap is right”, Jake laughed, taking a swig of his coffee as he at down at the other end of the table. “You might wanna lay off the treacle before Lich-queen here combusts.”

Zahra scowled, not quite decided on how she felt about Jake’s use of her self-appointed moniker. It was, at least, better than ‘Hot Topic’, so she shook it off. “Hey, Raj!” she called out instead, “you’ve got a couple more customers out here!”

Raj came over with the pot and scooped out another couple of bowls. “Hey-presto-no-hangovers!”

Jake sighed. “If only magic didn’t have this lumpy texture, ya could just be on to a million dollar recipe, Pineapple Express.”

“Thanks-- but it’s Citrus Krush today, man.”

“You know what, close enough.”

Sean looked at his bowl and took a deep breath. This right here was the price of a hangover. He had to admit, though, that Raj knew how to throw together a pretty effective cure. “We are going to get a proper brunch once everyone else is up and awake, aren’t we? Bacon? Eggs? That kinda deal?”

“Have you seen the kitchen in this place? Any chance to play around in there, I’mma run with it!”

“So, uh, in the meantime,” Sean said, a grin coming to his face, “how about we raise a bowl of Raj Hangover Special 9000 to the new arrival? Just in the hope it makes it go down easier?

“Hit me up with some more, Raj,” Craig cried out, “I inhaled that shizz!”

So, they all raised their bowls. To friendship, to a hopefully more edible brunch, and to baby Liv Montoya.

_________________________

10:00 AM

“Diego, beloved,” Varyyn cooed, gently shaking his husband’s shoulder as he lay tucked against him in a hammock overlooking the beach.

Diego stirred, grumbling sleepily. “Wassit?”

“Your phone has sounded. I think it might be Taylor.”

“Crap!” Diego yelped, jumping awake and almost up-ending the hammock. He fumbled with the phone, finding that it was indeed a message from Taylor.

‘Hey, Diego! We just woke up a little while back. Diaper changed and now Bub’s having a feed. Might be a good time to come by if you want to catch her awake. We’re so excited for you to meet her!’

“Darling, are they well?”

Diego’s heart hammered. So, this was it. “Yeah, they’re great. I, uh… I think I’m going to go and meet my niece.”

#endless summer #playchoices #diego soto #varyyn #variego #michelle nguyen #quinn kelly #michelle x quinn #aleister rourke #grace hall

[mind-reader1]

Searching for You (Part 1/4)

A/N: This is part of an ES mini-series! Potential title included “Fuck Uqzhall” courtesy of @brightpinkpeppercorn😂😂😂 along with some others of Uqzhall hate. 

Warnings: angsty af, fluffy 

Word count: 2,541

You can find the series masterlist here!

I woke up late and rolled over, Jake was already up for the day as his side of the bed was cold. When I checked the clock, I saw that it was already ten, I never slept in this late, but I hadn’t been sleeping well recently and Jake knew it so that’s why he let me sleep in. He didn’t press me about it, he knew I’d tell him in my own time, but I could tell he was getting worried. It had been two years since we defeated Rourke, Jake and I built that cabin on the hillside like he talked about on our honeymoon, it was perfect, our life was perfect...until now. I chewed on my lip as I got dressed, I had been agonizing for a week about how I was going to tell Jake, I couldn’t wait forever, I was just nervous! We were going to have a baby, we had talked about kids before, we both wanted them, but I wasn’t ready! I don’t really think Jake is ready either, I know that losing Mike still bothered him, even if it was getting better. He wasn’t in our little living room, and so I wandered out to the small garden we had planted, it wasn’t much, but it was ours and it was perfect. It was our little haven away from the bad memories of the Celestial, and our endearing but overbearing friends. I could see his head before I saw the rest of him, he was kneeling down probably picking something.

“Hey, Jake! Can you come here?” He didn’t move, I got closer thinking maybe he couldn’t hear me.

“Top Gun! We- I need to tell you something!” As I got closer, I saw a flash of blue, and then Jake fell forward. His back was soaked in blood.

“JAKE!” I ran towards him and found a Vaanti knife in his back, I turned him over, but it was too late, he was already dead. I began sobbing, holding Jake tight, this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Time always reset itself, that didn’t make it any easier though. I looked up and saw a familiar face staring at me, Uqzhall. No one had heard from him since the Endless died, we all thought he was gone, happy that we had picked the Endless’ ending, apparently not.

“Uqzhall! Why did you kill him? Why are you back?” He didn’t say anything at first, just held my stare as I sobbed over Jake’s lifeless body. Why hadn’t time reset yet? It was always instantaneous, a headache, and then back in the moment, seconds before.

“You lied to us for generations, you must pay for your actions.”

“Bring him back Uqzhall! I’m not responsible for the Endless and neither is Jake! She’s gone! Leave us alone!” So, he did, he ran, and I sat there holding Jake waiting and waiting. I would have given anything to be back in bed with him last night, last night had been incredible. I had been reading in bed when Jake surprised me, tossing the book out of my hands, climbing over me. I think he knew I had been worried about something and he wanted to try to ease some of that stress, pampering me and focusing all on me. It was sweet and slow, not like when we first got together, but still just as good as the first time if not better. I laid there on my side after, just a sheet covering our waists. He had hiked the sheet up, so he could run his fingertips over my leg slowly, just barely brushing my skin, his eyes hooded as he fought sleep, a lazy content smile on his face. His hair was messy, as it always was after we had sex, but it was my favorite look on him, unadulterated happiness. I focused on that moment as I cradled his cold stiff body, rocking back and forth, unable to stop the tears. He wasn’t going to die like this, I was determined to bring him back to that moment. I must have sat there for hours, the sky had grown dark, the only light the stars above us. The cool breeze coming off the water left a cold sting on my cheeks from where my tears had wet them. Something was wrong, the time loop hadn’t reset itself, I had no idea who to turn to for help. Jake was dead, he was gone, maybe Varyyn would know something. The problem was I had to get to him though, what if while I was in Elyystel Jake came back? He didn’t even know he was going to be a dad! Oh my god, now I had a baby to think about, a baby.

I wasn’t sure what scared me more, the idea that Jake might never come back or the idea that I was going to be a mom. It was times like this that I would give anything to have my own mom and dad, someone to turn to when I had no idea what to do. Jake was my only literal family, Diego and the others were the next best thing, but they were just as young and naive as me, none of them were parents yet. Parents, god I needed to stop calling myself that. I scribbled out a note for Jake that I went to go see Varyyn, hoping that this was all some nightmare and that he’d be back soon, something told me that wasn’t the case though. I packed some food and was on my way out the door when I turned around, I couldn’t leave Jake’s most prized possessions behind. I peeled his tags off of him and grabbed his jacket from our room then started the trek to Elyystel, it was a couple days journey on foot.

It was hot and humid, as it always was on La Huerta, but it seemed more intense on this journey, every morning I was waking up and already felt like death. The food I packed didn’t seem appetizing at all, I wrote it off as being nothing, and then I started puking up everything. Everything. Morning sickness? Already? Maybe it was just nerves? Again, I had a feeling that wasn’t the case though, it seemed too early for that. God, I wished more than anything that I had just sucked it up and told Jake, then maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess. I was pregnant, my husband was dead, and I had no idea how to fix it. I had to cling onto the hope that Varyyn would have answers, maybe he had more of those gemstones like the one that was in his necklace, the one that brought Jake back the very first time he died. I finally reached Elyystel by mid-day and began the trek up towards the throne room.

“Cat-a-liss!” Taari came bounding up to me on T’Kals back. I gave the boy a small smile and rubbed T’Kal’s head.

“Hey! Where’s Seraxa?” She might also have answers for me. Taari shrugged.

“What are you doing here Cat-a-liss? Where’s Jake?” He looked around hopeful and my heart shattered again, Taari loved Jake like a father. Taari and Jake always played together when we visited, begging Seraxa to let him come stay with us for a few days.

“He...um...I… he…” I struggled with how to tell Taari why I was there, tears threatening my eyes again.

“Cat-a-liss?” he looked up at me concerned and slid off T-Kal wrapping his arms around my legs in a tight hug. I lost it. I sat there on the bridge and fell to my knees as Taari held me, not understanding why I was upset, but knowing I needed a hug. It was Taari who made Jake even bring up the idea of kids, I smiled wiping my face and thinking back to that day.

************

Jake and I were in Elyystel to visit Varyyn and Diego, we often came into the city for supplies or when we wanted to see our friends. Taari spotted us as we were all leaving, headed to the Celestial.

“Cat-a-liss-es!” Jake stuck his tongue out at him playfully and Taari did it right back. I threw my head back laughing and playfully elbowed Jake for encouraging the bad behavior.

“What was that for Princess?” I rolled my eyes.

“You know exactly what that was for Top Gun.” Taari wrapped his arms around both of us before he took a step back with a big grin on his face.

“What are you doing here?”

“We’re going to go see the other catalysts. Are you staying out of trouble?” Taari got a goofy smile on his face and looked around, pretending he didn’t hear the question. That was a no.

“Can I come with?” We all shared a look, we knew Seraxa would kill us if she didn’t know Taari was with us.

“Taari, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Seraxa will want you home, we’re going to be gone a few days.” Diego said making the little boy pout.

“Will, you at least play with me then?” He gave us all his best puppy dog face, looking up at us with big pleading, watery eyes. Jake was the first to cave, the weak link.

“It wouldn’t hurt to play with the kid for a little bit.” He looked at all of us, his eyes landing on me, knowing if he stared long enough that I’d give in.

“Fine, only a little bit.” Jake grinned and Taari yanked his hand, pulling him towards the beach ahead of everyone else. Jake looked back worried about what he had gotten himself into as we laughed, following slowly behind them, catching up on what we had missed since the last time we saw each other. Diego had taken to being Vaanti royalty well, his long hair braided back, a similar crown to Varyyn’s adorning his head. He had ditched that ratty old purple button-up for traditional Vaanti clothes, it suited him well. As we meandered down to the beach, Taari had already roped Jake into chasing him around the sand, wrestling with each other. I loved seeing Jake so carefree and happy, he had struggled since Mike’s death just over a year ago. He was a very different man than when I first met him, I loved watching him grow, his walls finally crumbling, revealing the man he was today, who he had always been underneath. Diego nudged me, breaking me out of my thoughts, giving me a knowing smile.

“So, when is there going to be a baby McKenzie?” I laughed and Varyyn looked at me quizzically.

“What is funny? In the Vaanti culture, once a couple becomes one from their one year and a day together they have children if possible.” I smiled and ran a hand through my hair as Jake looked over at me and winked.

“Jake and I aren’t ready to have kids yet. We’re young, we’ve still got plenty of time. He still misses Mike; a baby would just be too much right now.” Diego raised an eyebrow at me.

“Are you sure that he’s the one who isn’t ready? Or is it maybe you who isn’t ready?” I didn’t know how to answer his question, I thought it was both. I loved Jake with all of my heart, nothing would change that, but we hadn’t talked about kids yet.

“Come on, Princess! I need some help over he-oof!” Jake got tackled to the sand again by Taari who giggled with pure delight as I scooped him off of Jake.

“Hold him down Taylor! The tickle monster is coming for him!” Taari struggled against me as Jake wiggled his fingers, getting closer and closer. I leaned in to whisper in Taari’s ear.

“I’m going to let you go, and then we’ll both get Jake. Okay?” He nodded giggling. Just as Jake got ready to strike, I let Taari go and he tickled one of Jake’s side while I got the other. Jake couldn’t fight off both of us, we overpowered him, and he fell to his knees, all of us laughing so hard we could barely breathe.

“I give up!” He got out between breaths. Taari triumphantly ran off to go after Diego and Varyyn next, Jake grabbed my waist and tackled me to the sand, hovering over me, breathing hard.

“That was a cheap move, Princess.” I grinned and leaned up to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

“You know I can’t resist the chance to tease you.” Jake chuckled and dipped his head low, his sandy hair hiding our faces.

“I love you, Taylor.”

“I love you too Jake.” He kissed me slowly, and deeply before pulling away and helping me up, aware that we had an audience.

“We should be going,” Varyyn said looking at us. Taari sighed.

“Can we play again soon Jake?” Jake grinned and ruffled Taari’s hair.

“Yeah kid, we’ll play again soon.”

“Go find Seraxa so they can come back Taari!” Diego told him, and the boy ran off to find his adoptive mom. They made the trek to the Celestial together, Jake and I took our time, strolling behind Diego and Varyyn who were caught up in a debate over Star Wars.

“What’s on your mind?” Jake had been quiet since we left the beach, his grip on my hand weak, distracted. He looked down at me and smiled, I recognized it well, it was a smile he reserved for me. The first time I saw him smile like that was when he said he loved me in the tent outside of the MASADA complex.

“You want kids, Princess?”

“Yeah, someday. Why? You’re not trying to say I look fat, are you?” I teased. He chuckled and shook his head.

“I know better than that. I just, I had fun playing with Taari today, I imagined our own little ones running around. They look like you, got both our sass and they love their mom so much.” He kissed the top of my head, but an uneasy feeling grew in my stomach.

“How long have you been thinking about this?” He shrugged.

“Not long.”

“Really? You’ve got an awful lot of details mapped out.”

“Okay. Maybe when I pictured our house on the hill, when I showed you on our honeymoon. The second I pictured a future with you I saw that. I’m terrified that I won’t be a good dad, Princess, but I know with you by my side that we’d figure it out.” He squeezed my hand.

“Maybe we can start working on that little family tonight.” His voice tickled my ear and he kissed my neck making me squirm.

“Oooor maybe we can wait. I’m not ready for kids Jake.” I saw a flash of disappointment cross his face, but he tried to hide it, my stomach dropped knowing that I was the one who disappointed him this time.

“I love you Jake, and I want a family with you. I just need some more time to wrap my head around it.” He nodded and kissed my cheek.

“You got it, Princess.”

Perma-Tag:  @brightpinkpeppercorn @sleepwalkingelite @ooo-barff-ooo @endlessly-searching-for-you @agent-bossypants @roonarific @likethetailofacomet @zaffrenotes @mysteli @vickypoochoices @kayann9 @jlouise88 @zigortega4life @findingdrake @bbaba-yagaa

Endless Summer (Jake) Tag:  @endlesstaylormckenzie @sophie-summer @feartheendlesssummer @darley1101 @emomoustache

#endless summer #esapw #esaw #endless summer appreciation week #jake mckenzie #jake x mc #jake x taylor #vaanti #diego x varyyn #taari #uqzhall #searching for you #ansgt #fluffy #day 1 #princess #top gun

[brightpinkpeppercorn]

Wonderful You (MC, Diego)

Inspiration: Round 70 of #choicescreates - “Old Habits Die Hard” - hosted by @clonedhayden

Summary: MC (Millie) and Diego talk about his insecurities (Diego x Varyyn)

Rating: G

Word count: 822

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, Pixelberry Studios owns them.

The sun was starting to set on the island, dark pink and purple hues ushering in dusk. Millie, with a rare moment to herself, sat on the sandy beach and watched the waves crash in the Caribbean Sea. Her attention moved to the Wolf Mask sitting next to her and she picked it up, inspecting it – the craftsmanship was impeccable, no detail left behind. After a quick survey of her surroundings, she put on the mask.

Diego had spotted his best friend several yards back and attempted to jog over to her. He never was very skilled at running on a beach. Since their reunification a few days prior, they hadn’t gotten a chance to spend any time alone together. Six months had passed and there was a lot to catch up on. “Hello there, Vaanti warr – aah!” His scream was a few octaves higher than he would have liked anyone to hear. Dropping next to her, he reached for the mask and pulled it off her face. “Warn a guy next time.” Laughing, Millie wrapped an arm around him, giving him a squeeze.

With her arm still around him, she studied her friend. Though it’d only been six months, his hair had grown past his ears, almost to his shoulders. His usually bare face was covered with a mustache and beard. Sighing, she smiled. This look was good on him, made him seem happier, freer.

As he moved his leg to cross it over the other, Millie noticed him wincing. “You alright, Diego?” He nodded, rubbing his shin.

“Yeah. Went for a long run with Varryn this morning. Limbering up for Valinorim.” She cocked her head towards him, raising an eyebrow. Diego Ortiz Soto did not go for runs, especially long ones. “Hey! During those six months, we spent a lot of time running and practicing sparring. I like it. It’s fun.”

Slowly shaking her head, she patted his arm. Millie knew Diego far too well. Her eyes shifted to the horizon, the sky quickly darkening. “You did great today with that sparring match. Especially against Craig.”

“Thanks.” He let out a deep breath. “Not like you, though. You were a badass climbing up on Jake’s shoulders and getting that disc … goal … point … thing.” The Wolf Mask was between them and he picked it up. “I wish I would have gotten this. Impress Varyyn.”

“Diego …” That confession alone affirmed her suspicion. “You don’t need this mask to impress him.”

“He’s the freaking Elyyshar, Millie!” Diego whined helplessly. “Why would he like a guy like me? I hate running. My sparring skills are rudimentary at best.” His speech sped up, “I never want to be on one of those hang gliders again. He doesn’t get my pop culture references!”

Luckily, it was dark enough that Diego didn’t see the look of sadness on Millie’s face. Her friend never seemed to be confident in the amazing person that he was – unless when it came to his writing and pop culture references. Tilting her head back and closing her eyes, she thought about when they first got to know each other at Hartfeld. He had evaded discussing his upbringing, making vague comments about his parents’ blue-collar careers – especially when trying to rush at the Alpha Theta Mu frarority. Not wanting to pull a four year ‘Romy and Michelle’ scenario, pretending his parents developed a popular small business iPhone app, he dropped out of contention.

Millie moved to crouch in front of her friend. At her new angle, Diego could make out her face with the lights of Elyys’tel in the distance behind her. “Maybe, just maybe, that’s not what he likes about you.” Looking down, she took Diego’s hands into her own. “After we won that wind disc game earlier, Varyyn sat Taari down and actually went through the entire Star Wars storyline.”

“Including the prequels?!”

“Including the prequels.” Millie adjusted to a seated position. “He hangs on to every word you say.”

“Yeah,” Diego pouted, “to learn English.”

Shaking her head, she squeezed his hands. “You were there for him after Ximaedra died. When he was crowned Elyyshar.” Her hands moved to either side of his face. “Diego, do you trust me?” He nodded. “First of all, he’s literally been living on a rock so he won’t understand the pop culture references … yet. Second of all, he likes you. For you. For the wonderful person that you are.”

Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, Diego pulled his best friend in for a hug. “Yeah, I trust you.”

They held each other for a few moments until they heard someone coming towards them. Pulling away they saw Varyyn. “I have found you!” Reaching out a hand to both of them, he pulled them up. “I thought I had seen you two but Seraxa said I was wrong.” He beamed. “Could I BE any more right?!”

#choicescreates #choicescreates70 #choices creates #choices fanfiction #choices fanfic #diego x varyyn #endless summer #diego soto #playchoices fanfic #endless summer fanfic #playchoices

[choices-binglebonkus]

And in the next book, they get married. Silly Diego denies his feelings because he’s an idiot, your honor, and ends up in the best damn relationship in the entire Choices game.

#variego #varyyn x diego #Diego x varyyn #choices stories you play #playchoices #choices stories we play #pixelberry #pixelberry studios #playchoices fandom #choices stories you play fandom #choices stories we play fandom #endless summer #choices endless summer #choices es #es #Diego Soto

[softmahito]

a/n: soulmate au in which soulmate always sneeze at the same time summary: diego can’t be sure but he and this new kid in his french class just sneezed at the same time and he doesn’t know if that means they’re soulmates or if that was just a coincidence so he does everything he can to sneeze and see if the kid will sneeze as well disclaimer: in this fic, there are people who were trapped on la huerta but it wasn’t our gang (beside varyyn) - basically es but with other characters +varyyn bc i wanted to be a little crazy with this fic lmao words: 1k+                                                                     🌈 MLM APRIL CHALLENGE 🌈                                                                               ⭐ MASTERLIST ⭐

“We have a problem.” Diego whispered to Ashton which made him jump because Diego appeared out of nowhere.

“We do?” Ashton raised his brow.

“Yes. C’mon!” Diego ushered and tried to drag Ashton with him but since Ashton was sitting on Sean’s lap there was no way.

“I’ll be right back.” Ashton murmured to his boyfriend and got up to follow his best friend wherever he wanted to go. They stopped near Diego’s locker and after Diego stopped looking around he finally explained what’s going on.

“Remember this new kid from History classes?” He started.

“Varyyn? Of course, I do! It’s kinda hard to forget someone with blue skin.” Ashton answered.

“There are literally superhumans in Northbridge who can fly or slow time and stuff like that and you’re surprised by a guy with blue skin? Really? Also, I’ve heard he was one of the people from that island.” Diego scowled at his best friend. “Okay, whatever. So he and I have French together and I don’t know if this means anything or if that was just a coincidence but we sneezed at the same time and now I kinda think he might be my soulmate?” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh.”

“Don’t ‘oh’ me! I don’t want your pity! The guy is super hot!” Diego pointed out. 

“Right, so why do you want from me exactly?”

“Remember how you thought Jake was your soulmate?” Diego teased and in exchange Ashton glared at him. “I take that as a ‘yes’. And remember how you tried to make yourself sneeze to see if you’re right? We’re gonna do the same thing right now. So go and give Sean a goodbye kiss because we're going to the library right now.” Diego looked at Ashton expectantly.

Ashton rolled his eyes but decided not to say anything and just do as Diego said to avoid more arguments. He said a quick goodbye to Sean and after he made sure he’s still up for the date today he came back to Diego who without saying anything more started heading out to the library.

“Quick question. Why the library?” Ashton asked when they were almost there.

“Because Varyyn is there, obviously.”

“Yeah, obviously...” Ashton chuckled silently.

After they entered the library Diego led them straight to the table next to the one Varryn was sitting at. For a moment they were just sitting there in silence. Ashton was tapping his fingers against the wood and looking around the place while Diego just stared at Varryn biting his lips until Varyyn looked up at him. At first, he was a little confused but then he recognized Diego and smile at him before coming back to the book he was reading.

“So? What’s the plan, boss?” Ashton asked finally bored with sitting around and doing nothing.

“Go on Google and search how can I make myself sneeze,” Diego ordered.

“’Kay... Let me see...” Ashton mumbled. “The first one is to wiggle a tissue in your nose but that would be super unattractive so we’re skipping this one.” He said. “Wait aren’t you like allergic to almost everything? Can’t you like rub something on your face?”

“Oh believe me if I just rub something on my face it’d end up being more unattractive than wiggling a tissue in my nose.” Diego asserted. “Gimme something else.”

“It says here that some people sneeze uncontrollably when suddenly exposed to bright light. So maybe look at the sun?” Ashton proposed.

Diego got up and went to the window. He even took his glasses off hoping it’d help. But unfortunately it didn’t work and he only spent a good minute standing there and staring at the sun.

“Nope.” He sighed and plopped down back in his chair. “Next one.”

“Since you can’t sniff a spice since we don’t have any... You want me to tweeze your brows or pluck a nose hair?” Ashton asked and then looked at Diego putting his phone down to take the tweezers from his backpack.

“Do I even wanna know why you have that? Y’know nevermind, let’s go with the first one.” Diego shrugged and positioned himself. “And how’s that supposed to make me sneeze?” He furrowed his brows.

“Supposedly this irritates the nerve endings in the face and stimulates the nasal nerve. Also, you may sneeze immediately, or it could take a few tries.” Ashton said and before Diego could react started tweezing his brows. And as they’ve found out later it didn’t work either.  

“Is there anything else?”

“Yeah but I don’t think any of this will work.” Ashton hinted. “Gum?” He offered Diego who only nodded and then went back to googling ways to make someone sneeze. “I think this one-” Ashton started again but was cut off but Diego actually sneezing.

His eyes immediately went wide and he looked at Varyyn to see if he sneezed as well which he did.

“Dude!” Ashton grinned. “You’re totally soulmates.”

“Really?” Diego looked at him and he looked almost scared. “You sure?”

“Positive. He sneezed as soon as you did!” Ashton assured him and patter his shoulder. “And just so you know he’s heading towards us.” He quickly added and quickly went right back to his book pretending he had no idea what was happening.

“Hi,” Varryn said standing by their table. “Can we talk?” He asked Diego smiling sheepishly.

Diego looked at Ashton but he still was pretending he’s not interested in the situation so Diego took a deep breath and agreed. He got up and followed Varyyn to the sofa in the back of the room.

“What’s up?” Diego asked casually like he didn’t just make himself sneeze to see if they were soulmates.

“I think you’re my soulmate? I mean I’m sure you are since we sneezed at the same time twice today.” Varyyn chuckled. “And I think you were suspecting it too... unless you tried to make yourself sneeze just for fun.” He added after second.

“Wait, you saw that?!” Diego turned red immediately and covered his face with his hands. “Ohmygod this is so embarrassing.”

“I think that’s cute.” Varyyn shrugged. “So considering we’re on the same page... Wanna show me the town later?” He smiled encouragingly.

“Yes, I’d love to.” Diego smiled as well and after they exchanged numbers Diego came back to Ashton. “Ashton... I’m in love.” He bit his lip and sighed happily.

#diego ortiz soto #varyyn elyyshar #diego x varyyn #endless summer #playchoices #mlm april challenge #kingaftwriting #long post

[endlessflame]

#jake x mc #jake mckenzie #mike darwin #diego ortiz soto #diego x varyyn #variego #endless summer #playchoices

[whatsernamerps]

#diego soto #diego x varyyn #varyyn x diego #endless summer #playchoices #varyyn

[marmolady]

Reunion: 2024

Main Pairings: Estela x (F)MC, Variego, Michelle x Quinn, Graleister, Namasiao

Part three of my Reunion Project! In this one we see the gang enjoying the peace and tranquillity of Neptune Cove. Lots of Sean in this one, @yukkimons!

Next up will be a trip to the distant future (about sixty years' distance!), and then it's Jake x Sean time.

Do feel free to shout out a year between 2024 and 2097 if you want me to write a specific one next. You can find the full series (in progress) here on AO3.

Word Count: 3719

Tagging: @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, ​@mauvecatfic @rhemenway888

Thanks for reading! Comments and re-blogs make me EXTRA happy. Always happy to nerd out about these characters with other fans.

_____________________

Thirteen figures-- or fifteen if one included the two toddlers being carried-- trudged along a winding jungle trail, taking a well-trodden path where the foliage was not so dense that the travellers couldn’t see a way out to the coast. Varyyn led the way, having made the trek from Elyys’tel to Neptune Cove countless times prior. He had slung across his back a rolled-up tent, as did several of the friends panting along the trail behind him.

Diego looked over his shoulder to Taylor and Estela, a grin on his sweaty face. “Which one of you do think got the better deal?” he asked. Seeing the force of Liv’s attempts to wrestle herself from Taylor’s grasp, he was already convinced that Estela had done herself a favour carrying the tent and sleep mats. He loved his niece to bits… but was more than a little grateful not to be the one lugging her through the rainforest.

“I--” --puff-- “--don’t know what you’re talking about--” --puff-- puffed Taylor. “This is--” --puff-- “a walk in the park!”

“Mama Baman!” Liv cried, kicking her chubby legs.

“That’s your cue, Craig,” Estela laughed. Having the whole crew on hand for baby entertainment duty sure made their job easier.

“Hey! Not just me! We’ve all gotta do it!”

And so, they all sang “Na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na--”

“Baaaatmaan!” Liv and Reginald both shrieked, delighted.

“For heavens--” Aleister grumbled, adjusting the carrier on his back as Reginald flung himself around in excitement, “are we almost there? I am so very, very close to being ‘Batman-ed’ out.”

They trudged on, with Varyyn’s reassurance that they were indeed getting close.

“You guys should have time for a nap before heading off again to Quarr’tel,” Taylor observed. “Unless you’re still feeling energised?”

“Nope,” Zahra said, scowling, “as if anyone can be ‘energised’ in this humidity?”

“I am so sticky…,” said Craig.

“We know you’re fucking sticky!”

Aleister snapped; “There are children present!”

“And you can blame the potty mouths they pick up on Craig’s incessant need to give us updates on his perspiration every goddamn minute.”

“One thing I’ve never understood,” Sean said, seeing a good point to swerve the conversation. “How is Quarr’tel still here? Wasn’t it snapped back into existence because of the time anomalies? If the anomalies got  fixed when Vaanu left, shouldn’t the whole city be gone?”

Estela looked to her wife. “Taylor? You’re probably the closest of us to having your head round it.”

Taylor nodded. “Yeah, in theory it should be gone. But in theory, I should be gone. Time’s pretty much been healed, back to running like clockwork you could say, but when I wanted to stay, it made the fix incomplete. Vaanu left a tiny footprint behind to sustain my life, and it meant other things remained unchanged here. Basically, Quarr’tel is a scar left behind. I was scared the Vaanti would be zapped out of existence because they evolved drinking the sap from the tree, but they’re left behind as remnants too.”

Michelle frowned. “So, it’s similar to why time passed in the rest of the world even though we were sealed in our bubble. You made the fix imperfect.”

“Yeah. That’s the gist I managed to get. Unfortunately, Vaanu’s not present here in any kind of consciousness. I can’t ask what the hell happened, so piecing it together in a way that kinda makes sense is the best I can do.” Taylor readjusted Liv, who was once again wriggling. “What I do know is, Vaanu’s leaving hasn’t done much to slow the party mood out there. Seems a lot of folks like having a good revel for-- what did The Clockmaker say?-- for hedonism’s sake.”

“You know what, dudes?” Raj said. “Preach.”

____________________________

Neptune Cove, it was pretty unanimously agreed, was worth the hot and sweaty trek. The shallows were alive with colour-- there was not a place off the whole island to go snorkelling, and while those readying for a night of wild partying did some preparatory resting, the remainder of the group took to the pleasantly cool sea.

Two-year-old Reginald sloshed around in the calm shallows, one hand holding onto his mother’s, and the other flailing in excitement as colourful fish swam around his stubby legs.

“What that?” Reggie cried, splashing an arm into the water and frightening away whatever ‘that’ had been.

“Fishie, Reggie, fishie!” Grace coached.

“Fissie!” he parrotted, a grin upon his face.

“Hey!” Quinn said encouragingly, “you’ve got it! Fishie-fishie!”

To her delight, Reggie reached out for her hand, which she gently took. “You know, you have gotten so big since I saw you last.”

“Big boy!” he said proudly.

Aleister waded towards them, holding baby Liv in his arms. The toddler screeched with happiness as she saw her cousin, and poor Uncle Al winced at the noise.

“Still quite the set of lungs on her,” he muttered, and her lowered her into the water to splash around.

“Estela and Taylor gone with the others to the reef?” Grace asked.

“Yes,” said Aleister, “I didn’t fancy it myself, so thought I’d take Miss Mischief off their hands, let them have a break.”

“Baaaa,” said Liv, and she too reached for Quinn with a gaping grin.

Quinn laughed, gently splashing the gigging infant. Life had been hectic-- a flourishing cupcake business and her fledgling non-profit took up a lot of time-- and she’d watched the little ones grow up by means of regular Skype calls. That she was being greeted in person like a long-lost friend was a great relief-- these kids were family, after all, and there was no way in hell she was missing out on their lives.

“They definitely recognise me,” she commented.

“Oh, it’s clear,” Grace agreed. “Reg wasn’t shy with you and Michelle for even a moment! It’s nice to know that the weekly talks we have are helping him make a connection.”

“Certainly helps make the distance bearable. Can’t have the kiddos not knowing their Auntie Quinn and Auntie Michelle!”

Aleister looked up from his charge, confident that she had plenty of hands to hold should she need them. “Ah!” he said. “Speak of the devil….”

“Ah, there’s Auntie Michelle now! You gonna wave, Livi? Wave, wave!”

“Hi, Annie-sell!” Reggie cried.

“Did you hear that?” Quinn called out, ecstatic. ‘Auntie ‘Chelle’? They were winning at aunting.

Michelle called back, over the soft sounds of the gently rolling sea. “How could I miss it? That was clear as a bell!”

“Annie-sell, fissie!”

“You saw a fish? Wow!” It was an effort to be animated after the long trek, but Michelle managed to just about be convincing--at least to Reggie’s standards.

“Hey, babe,” Quinn smiled, “I take it you landed on opting out of a Quarr’tel rager?”

Michelle groaned as she trudged through the water. “There are less exhausting and hangover-inducing ways to unwind. Reef, sunbathing and maybe a massage.” She gave Quinn a wink. “That’s letting my hair down.”

Scooping up her little son, Grace laughed. “I’m with you on that one. It’s not every day you get a chance to be able to just totally relax-- and somewhere as beautiful as this.”

_____________________

By the time the group snorkelling at the reef returned to the shore-- in Estela’s case with the spoils of an hour’s spear-fishing in hand-- Raj, Craig, Zahra and Jake were rested and preparing for the next hike, this time on to Quarr’tel. As Jake had taken the route more than a few times prior, he was designated guide.

“Hey,” Taylor said, pulling him over with a serious expression upon her face. “You keep everyone safe, Top Gun.”

“A little credit, Princess. I do know my way around this rock by now.”

“We mean it,” Grace said teasingly, “everyone back in one piece!”

“Cross my heart. Happy?” He turned to get going with a smirk over his shoulder. “But I’d like to see you get these clowns back through the jungle of death sporting hangovers any better than whatever I pull off.”

Taylor could only sigh. Oh god. It was a damn good thing everyone would have their phones on them-- and a damn shame that the handy time and space portals stopped appearing after Vaanu left. With Liv and Reggie chorusing ‘buh-bye!’ and waving off the ‘party group’, there was little to do but breathe through her worries. Everyone was fine. She just needed to work on trusting it.

“Okay, Livi,” she sang, bouncing the little girl on her hip. “How about we rustle you up some dinner? Chef’s outta town tonight, so this could be interesting….”

Dinner was simple, but by the standards of everyone present, a success. No one caught fire, and although it was early to assume that food poisoning had been avoided, it looked like a win.

As the sun went down and everyone started yawning, Taylor found herself immensely glad that she and Estela had politely rejected offers to babysit so they could have a night off in Quarr’tel… a relaxing night on the beach was where it was at. But first, it was sleep time for Liv.

Taylor crawled into the small tent, getting booped in the face by her laughing daughter as she did so.

“Come here, you!” Estela chuckled, heaving Liv back onto her lap so that Taylor could get comfortable. “You’re going to need to contain your excitement for just a moment.”

Liv squirmed and fussed, but in no time, both moms were settled and their daughter was allowed to resume her exploration of the tent and its inhabitants.

“Ouch, that’s my nose!” Taylor exclaimed, gently redirecting pinching little fingers.

“Mama-ma,” Liv babbled happily, oblivious.

Taylor and Estela had camped with Liv before, just the once. Experience had them already expecting a fight for their little one to settle, but even if everyone had a bit less sleep than was ideal, the togetherness was nice. The hope was that it would be enough to get Liv drifting off, so they could join her to sleep a bit later.

Thankfully, the long day’s trekking and socialising had done their job of wiping Liv out, and she flopped herself down in the space between her mothers after just a few minutes. It seemed pretty goddamned lucky, to the point neither woman wanted to acknowledge that luck for fear of jinxing it.

Instead, Taylor put out an example of calm contentment for her daughter, breathing deeply and letting herself be fully present there, sharing the cozy space with the two people she loved most in the world. The tent smelled like beach, their bedding was already gritty with sand. Liv didn’t seem to notice, and Taylor watched as her little eyelids drooped, and drooped, until she drifted off to sleep. Seeing her baby girl so peaceful like that, it was one of the things she loved most about motherhood. Liv felt safe and secure, even as they took her on these adventures into an exciting world. Estela, too, was serene. Motherhood had been good for her-- Taylor had seen it with every passing month. Estela’s soft-- even goofy-- side had been allowed to blossom, growing as she became more sure of herself, as she came to trust with greater conviction that she could be that figure of warmth and tenderness.

Estela met Taylor’s eyes and gave an affectionate little smile. “She’s sound asleep,” she whispered.

“Yeah. Nice job, team.” Taylor leaned in to place a peck of a kiss upon Estela’s lips, then carefully, slowly, backed out of the tent, secure in the knowledge that her little one’s sleep would be closely monitored thanks to the combined talents and tinkering of Zahra and Iris. She and Estela could comfortably socialise nearby-- Liv would be safe and well.

Sean was soaking up the sun on the blinding white sands just a little way outside.

“She’s off to sleep already?” He commented. “You really are a pro at this.”

Taylor laughed dryly. “I give a good impression of it, don’t I? I’d say, Estela has the magic touch, and I’ve just about fumbled my way through.”

Sean gave her a reprimanding look. “Parenthood is about as big a challenge as a person can take on. You’ve more than fumbled through, Taylor. But you’re right that Estela’s a natural.”

“Thanks,” came Estela’s voice from the back of the tent, making both Taylor and Sean smile.

“So, do you think this is you done now? Kids-wise.”

Taylor glanced back towards the tent, but her smile didn’t fade. “Yeah. Yeah, this is us. Obviously, neither of us can say that we’ll never change our minds, but when Liv was born, I know I just felt like our little unit was complete. We both said we’d probably be considering a second child if we didn’t have such a close tie with Reggie, but the way things are, Liv’s got an almost full-time playmate. Reg has been absolutely gorgeous with her pretty much since she was born, and she just adores him.”

“It must be pretty idyllic,” Sean said, a little wistful, for not much was idyllic about his own life as his career headed toward its peak, “both your families-- well, you’re a whole family really-- just taking things at your own pace and letting the kids grow up surrounded by nature. Seems like you’ve really got it made here.”

Taylor stretched out on her back beside her friend, tucking an arm behind her head as she got comfortable. “Pretty much paradise,” she admitted.

“It just… never really stopped being home. We’re going to enjoy it while Livi’s still little, but if we want her to go to school, this can’t last forever. It might be back in the States-- probably near Northbridge again, but that might depend on where everyone else ends up-- or maybe things in San Trobida will be stable enough that it’s an option for us to raise her there.”

“That’s nice you’ve got your options open,” Sean said. He was quiet for a few moments, lost in thought.

“I’m sorry,” he said at last.

“What? What for?”

“It’s been a year. You’ve been out here, raising a baby, and I never once came out to give you a hand, or even just properly catch up.”

Taylor shook her head in disbelief. “Sean! When would you’ve had time to go jetting off to the Caribbean? We’re crazy lucky you’re even able to pull this trip. Neither of us would want you jeopardising your dreams for us.”

Sean pulled a face, as though swallowing past a lump in his throat. “I swore if I made it pro, I’d never let it keep me from the things that matter most. My mom, my brother, my friends-- maybe I’ve kept on top of some relationships, but I know I’ve let you down.”

The tent unzipped, and Estela emerged, expression stony. “You don’t get to decide if we’ve been let down. We haven’t, so give yourself a break.”

For a moment, Sean was reprimanded into silence, the blunt force of the words making them sink in. A small smile tugged at his lips… somehow that force really did something to take off the weight he’d insisted on putting upon his own shoulders. Good old Estela.

“I… guess I can’t argue with that.”

“No, you can’t,” Estela said gruffly. “Why the hell would we want you hurting yourself on our behalf? We could just as easily say we’ve been shit friends because we haven’t been to any of your games--”

“--but you have a baby--”

“Yes. We have our commitments, you have yours. That doesn’t mean the care isn’t being felt.”

Taylor had to hold back a loving chuckle. Estela was fierce in everything, including in how she loved… which definitely had its uses when it was necessary to push a friend into a little self-kindness.

“We’re keeping in touch,” Taylor said, “it’s sometimes a pretty big effort when everyone’s lives are so full right now. But we’re doing it, and I can’t see any of us ever letting that be lost.”

Sean looked her in the face and nodded. “I believe it too. You don’t go through as much crazy together as we did and not be stuck together for life.” He gave a small sigh. “It’s just old, emotional fears.”

Taylor laughed dryly. Boy, were those familiar. “Yeah, those are tricky things. Anyway, we’re all stuck with each-other, and we’ll just have to deal with it.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sean said. “The time we all shared, I think it made me. I’m the man I am today because of everything that happened, and I know I’m not alone in that. Do you ever feel like everyone else is just existing in a different world to us? Or is that just me going crazy?”

“Yeah, I get that. I know back at school I could get along well with people, but it was hard to get close ‘cause there was so much of me that I couldn’t share. I don’t want La Huerta to make up my whole personality, but….”

It was Sean’s turn to laugh this time. “But it is pretty massive.” His face quickly fell. “Honestly, it makes me wonder if I ever have a chance at finding love. Even aside from all the secrets, and all the on-going trauma from what we went through, I’ve got the limelight to deal with as well… and everything that comes with that.”

Estela frowned. “A lot of two-faced people who only see you as a way of getting themselves forward?”

“Yep, that’s a problem. And I can tell you, the media pressure on my to be dating as the poster boy for bi representation in pro football isn’t helping either.”

Estela gave a snort of disgust. The media was slime, pure and simple. They’d been lucky to get away with being as private as they had been surrounding the collapse and re-branding of Catalyst International, but they’d felt quite enough media scrutiny to have a severe distaste for the whole circus. She didn’t envy Sean in his high-profile career.

“I guess it’ll be nice when you wrap up your career and you can just tell ‘em all to fuck off without so many consequences.”

“That’s the dream,” Sean agreed with a wry smile. “Anyway, with so much that needs to be kept secret, and the media practically on my tail, it feels like romance is out for the foreseeable.”

Instinctively, Taylor shuffled closer to put an arm around him. She couldn’t deny that she was incredibly lucky to have found her soulmate out of all their adventures and misadventures; in that side of her life, she really had no uncertainty to keep her awake at night. “That really sucks.”

“It does,” Sean sighed. “I’m a huge romantic at heart-- but everything with Michelle got screwed up and now… well, feels like that was my only chance blown.”

“How are you… how are you doing with that? With Michelle and Quinn?”

Sean laughed, warm and genuine, even with the sadness underlying his greater fears. “Oh, that ship has sailed. Michelle is so much happier than she ever was with me, and I’m happy for her. I love her like a sister, wouldn’t trade that for anything. I won’t let myself have regrets; she found the relationship she needed. Just hope there’s still one for me out there!”

Estela studied him with her dark, brooding eyes. “I think there will be. You’ve got a lot going for you-- a lot of the things that actually matter the most. Whoever that person is will be lucky.”

“Your life won’t always be like this,” Taylor assured. “Sometime or other, you’re gonna come up to breathe.”

“And then,” he said, “there’s the pressure of finding that someone in enough time to have the family I’ve spent my whole life dreaming of.”

“You want a big family?” Estela asked.

“That’s the dream,” he said proudly. “I always thought, ‘I want to be the best dad’. Be there for my kids emotionally, spend time with them, be a role model.” He looked out to the sea, watching the gentle swell. After a few moments of quiet, he shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t just make romantic love happen, but I will be a dad. If it’s me on my own, I know all you guys will be supporting me through it all.”

Taylor grinned. “We sure will! Do you have any idea how much Craig would adore any kid of yours?”

That made Sean laugh. “Settles it really, huh? I owe it to my brother to make an uncle out of him.”

And Taylor laughed with him. “You’d better! The image in my head is just too darn cute to not come to fruition.”

____________________

With the stars twinkling overhead, the rest of the group joined the trio, two-by-two; Michelle and Quinn, Varyyn and Diego, and finally, Aleister and Grace, who’d had a little struggle with an overtired Reggie.

“Let’s walk to Neptune Cove, they said,” Aleister huffed, and he groaned as he lowered his thin frame to the sand, “it’ll be fun, they said….”

“One of those nights?” Diego asked sympathetically. He’d babysat enough times to know what those nights were like.

“He’s down, he’s out for the count, and Mother has ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’ playing on repeat, so I think we might have cracked it.”

“He’ll sleep well,” said Grace confidently. “Dreaming of little fishies and adventures with his big family.”

Michelle stretched out, put her head back and exhaled deeply. Paradise made for the perfect break from the pressures of med school. It would be over all too quickly, but while it lasted… bliss.

Beside her, Quinn was looking up at the stars. “No matter how long it’s been,” she said quietly, “I always expect to see our stars. And then I think how enormous it is what we did together. We brought back the old night’s sky.”

Taylor gazed upwards, and wondered if Vaanu could have any inkling of what they’d left behind, that she was thriving under a pattern of stars she’d never been expected to see, and that her friends who she loved so dear were thriving with her.

“It sure is beautiful.”

#endless summer #marmo's reunions project #playchoices #sean gayle #estela x taylor #estela montoya #taylor montoya #grace hall #aleister rourke #quinn kelly #michelle nguyen #es fanfiction