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asterrrific · 6 months

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The moon is beautiful, isn't it?

-Woozi x Y/N

-fluff, angst if you look for it

-i think i made this one long, but I loved the thinking process I put into this.

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It was an hour before midnight when y/n decides to go to the lagoon. It was very out of the blue, especially for someone like y/n who believes in the power and magic of having planner journals and an organized life in general.

But things had been pilling heavily on her shoulders lately. Academics, org work, her assistantship to their department, and other personal matters that's been bothering her for ages. So maybe, her conscience had enough and forced her to break habit and get a breather...

...by the sea. Before midnight.

The sky was clear, and a few stars are sprinkled on it. The beach, clean from light pollution since there are no cottages or businesses there, is illuminated by the light of the full moon.

"Peace... I hope." Y/n mutters, as she gets out of her car, hugging her cardigan to herself as the evening breeze greeted her. The crisp, October scent of the sea hugging her.

She believes she's alone in the area tonight, except for maybe a few university kids not too close but not too far from where she's walking towards, are having a bonfire. There are tents surrounding the DIY pit, and the music reached from there to where she stood.

By the light of the moon, she sets up her inflatable pool on the sand. She then throws in her favorite knitted blanket, some throw pillows, her small speaker, and her snacks.

Stepping away to admire her handiwork, y/n smiles to herself as she snaps a photo that will probably never make it to her private instagram dump that only a few close friends are aware of. Maybe because she's feeling extra emotional tonight, and she didn't really feel like sharing that info to her small followers.

But y/n doesn't go inside her little fort. She stands there, staring at it, then kicks her sandals aside, only to head towards to where the waters softly lapped at the tiny rocks on the lagoon.

Shivering slightly, she lets her feet meet with the cold water, and she lets out an exhale.

Slowly, she looks up at the sky, towards the moon, and the longer she stood there in awe, the more her tears threatened to spill.

"How could you be so beautiful, even in your different phases?" she whispers to the moon, wishing it could hear her and reply.

"How come you're always admired, doesn't matter if you're full or not?"

She blinks, and she feels a stray tear trickle down her cheek, and that alone was enough to make her look away.

As she brings her head back down, her tears spilled too. And she furiously wiped at her face with the sleeves of her cardigan.

"I wish people would look at me the way they look at you too." she whisper shouts to herself and the moon.

"They'd even go as far as too wait until the clouds part, just to get a glimpse of you." she furiously adds.

She walks away from the waters, and flops on the sand. She takes one quick look back at her fort, then lies back down, tears still streaming down her face, and hiccups building from her throat.

She sobs in silence, the gentle waves drowning any of her noise, as she continues to jealously look at the moon.

Until she suddenly feels angry.

"You know what. I actally hate you. Little miss have-it-all." she picks a fight with the moon. Childish and silly, she's aware. But she does ít nonetheless.

"Who do we hate tonight?" a voice suddenly comes to being, making y/n sit bolt upright.

"Who- Woozi?" y/n asks, in what she hopes is a defense position incase the familiar voice did not belong to the Woozi she knows.

"Calm down, yes, it's me." Woozi confirms as he comes closer, plopping on the sand beside y/n.

As Woozi lies on the sand, y/n lets out a frustrated breath as she glares at the man beside her, looking back at her with a stupid grin on his face.

"Did I scare you?" he asks, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, and apart from that, you ruined my good cry." she replies sulkily as she lies down on the sand too.

There was a few beats of silence before Woozi asks again.

"I thought you wouldn't make it to the bonfire. But why are you so far from the rest of us?"

"Okay, first off, what do you mean bonfire? I wasn't informed." y/n replies, finally realizing that the guys at the bonfire are actually her classmates. Screw her episode tonight for making her mute her phone notifications that she missed on a class gathering.

"Well, now you now." Woozi shrugs, earning himself another side eye from y/n.

"I don't feel like socializing anyway. So it doesn't really matter." Y/n sighs, drawing Woozi's attention.

This time, Woozi turns to his side, anchoring himself as he leans on his elbow in the sand.

"Why ARE you here crying by the way?" He finally asks. Y/n saw it coming, but she wished he would never ask.

Screw the moon.

Suddenly, she's mad again. Like a child, she blames the moon in her head. "Did you tell Woozi about my rants? How dare you!"

"I... I'm just overwhelmed." she says quietly. Her whispers swallowed by the sea.

"Happens to all of us, love." Woozi says, emotionless as he often sounds like, though y/n knows he's sincerely trying his best to come up with something to comfort her.

See the thing is, Woozi and Y/N have been best friends since the dawn of time.. well, at least for both of them. That's why they're that comfortable with each other, going as far as calling themselves names whenever needed or when they feel like it.

Their parents were best friends in high school, which was how they knew each other, and they lived in the same subdivision until they moved out for college. Even then, they moved together in the same apartment complex and enrolled in the same university, 4 hours away from home. The only difference is that though they're in the same department, they took different programs.

Despite y/n's belief, Woozi DOES know her like the back of his hand. He knows when her anxiety kicks in. He knows when she needs ice cream and when she needs coffee. He knows when she needs to hear him say "it's okay," and knows when she needs a hug instead.

Y/n on the other hand, is the same for Woozi. She knows when he wants company and when he wants to be alone. She knows when he needs beer and deep talks and when he needs chips and a movie. She knows when to keep her distance, and when he wants to have hugs.

What she doesn't know, is that because she knows Woozi so well, the guy actually fell for her, his best friend.

That's why when Woozi saw the familiar black Chevy roll into the beach parking, he knew y/n needed someone to talk to... only it's one of those times she feels like she's a burden, so she doesn't really hit Woozi or any of their friends up for a talk. And so despite the bonfire swinging in full, Woozi exits as quietly as he can, and walks towards y/n and her small fort.

"How come you're always so calm and collected, Uji?" Y/n asks after a few beats, stretching like a cat on her back then rolling to her side to face Woozi.

"I'm not. You know well enough there are times when I want to let go and let loose, right?"

Y/N nods.

“There. That's my secret." he deadpans.

Y/n rolls her eyes at him as she gets up and dusts herself off as she makes her way to her fort. Woozi following close by.

"It is!" he laughs, catching up to her.

"Shut up." she says, trying not to laugh.

Y/n and Woozi take one last dust-off then settle into the fort, snuggling together like they would usually do as kids and even till now that they're grown, especially during movie nights with emotional films.

"What I meant, y/n, is that... I think, in order to be whole, you have to lose some parts of yourself too. Do you get what I mean?" he asks, as he grabs her hand, letting his thumb draw lazy circles at the the back of it.

"Uh-huh. Kinda." y/n whispers back, wanting to bask in Woozi's warmth that's never failed in making her calm down.

Woozi let's out a sigh, to which y/n looks up at him.

"Okay. How about this. Think of a tree. A tree has to let go of some leaves in order for it to grow new ones so it could still be a tree." Woozi explains, as his eyes train on y/n's.

Y/n blinks twice, letting the example sink in, and she finally understands.

"OH!" she exclaims, unconsciously squeezing Woozi's hand in the process. "I get it now. Okay."

Woozi laughs softly as he brings y/n's head close to his chest. Y/n follows and she snuggles further into Woozi's warmth.

"You know... same goes for the moon. It has to look incomplete to us at some point, then go back to its full form, for it to be considered OUR moon. Because if it stayed full forever, then our world might have a major problem." Woozi teases, but y/n still sees the sense in it.

"I know, I get it now. Stop rubbing more examples to my face." y/n snaps, rolling her eyes playfully at her best friend to which he just laughs.

Seeing Woozi laugh, or even making him laugh like tonight, was no easy task. Rarely does y/n see and hear Woozi's laugh like that, because the guy always just snickers or in most days, just smiles and keeps the rest of his emotions and expressions to himself.

So y/n laughs along, infected by the energy that Woozi gave.

After a few moments, they stay silent. The comfortable one. And they found themselves looking at the moon together.

"The moon looks beautiful, doesn't it?" Woozi suddenly says, rubbing small circles on y/n's shoulder, where his arm was draped, keeping her close to him.

Now y/n is no stranger to romance. The reason why she took literature as her program was because she loves the hidden meanings in words ever since she started reading at the young age of 9.

She also knew damn well that Woozi, despite being so silent and cold looking to the rest of the world most of the time, is a hopeless romantic who also knew about the language of literature... and that what he just said, actually means "I love you.".

But y/n, clueless y/n, just took the words literally. She let her emotions show it at least. Because deep inside, she wished it did mean what she hoped it would.

The words "I love you."

She liked Woozi. She loved him dearly. But she's so scared. She didn't want to risk their long term friendship incase something goes wrong if they ever attempt to dip their feet into romantic relationships together.

Plus, incase the sentence did mean what she hoped it would, then damn, that's sudden.

"Y/n, are you listening?" Woozi suddenly pulls her out from her thoughts. His voice a whisper that only the both of them could hear.

"Hmm? You said the-"

"The moon looks beautiful, y/n." He repeats.

And y/n sees it. The glimmer in his eyes. Something is there, and she is filled both with a sudden surge of hope, longing... and fear.

Y/n plays it dumb as she looks swims back up from the addictive abyss of Woozi's eyes and turns her gaze to the moon.

"Yeah. Yeah it does." she replies, hoping she could just say "I love you too" instead, if ever Woozi meant his earlier statement that way.

But then the unexpected happens for y/n, the second Woozi opens his mouth to say another sentiment.

"The moon looked very beautiful to me every night, in any phase, ever since we moved into the same complex." He started. And y/n knew where it was headed.

Her heart hammered on her chest, and it took all of her braincells to make her heart calm the fuck down.

"And when clouds are blocking it, or when it doesn't appear at all... well, at least there's you." He adds rather softly, like it's a secret he only wants to share with her and not to passerbys who could hear.

Y/n's breath hitched, and Woozi's eyes widened at the realization of why Y/n reacted that way.

"I... Woozi, I-"

"You don't have to say anything, you know. I know the risks. But I'll dive in head first and take it anyway." he chuckles, looking away.

Y/n stares at her best friend for a full minute, and when she found her voice, she says:

"I like you too, you know."

Woozi's head whips back to look at y/n, his hair tickling her cheeks in the process. She smiles as she looks at his bewildered expression, as if he didn't see this one coming.

Y/n was rather calm as she faced the confession, knowing that she herself was scared shitless at first, and even back then when she first realized that she had feelings for her best friend. All these was very unexpected after all.

"Are you for real right now?" Woozi asks, suddenly out of character, shocking even himself.

Y/n just smiles as she brushes off the hair that covered his eyes. "Yes," she then whispers.

Woozi wanted to shout, to scream, to jump around like a kid that got a bag full of candy in halloween, but instead, he tears up.

"Oh no, why are you crying?" Y/n asks, in between suppressed laughter as she gently wiped at Woozi's tears.

"I just... I thought..." he rambles, trying to collect himself.

"Hey, breathe, it's just me here. Go on," y/n encourages, though she herself is as nervous as he is right now.

"I just thought maybe I'll never get the chance to be with you as more than just friends who knew each other since birth. I thought I was a loser for life as long as I had these feelings for you because I thought you'd never like me the same way I like you." He suddenly gushes, no longer able to control himself.

Y/n smiles with adoration as she continued to caress Woozi's cheeks, catching the falling tears from his eyes with the pad of her thumb.

All of her earlier worries are gone now. Probably thrown to the depths of the sea in front of them.

"Dummy. I was scared of the same thing. I thought you would be so distant from me... nothing more, just friends. I know the risks too, and I'm scared of crossing the line. But Woozi, here we are. YOU crossed that line." she slowly says, still careful of her words.

Woozi looks at her, his eyes prodding her for more, until she says,

"I'm meeting you halfway, Uji. Don't you worry." and she gives him a smile that sets fireworks in his chest and he swore he could see stars falling even if there weren't much of them in the sky tonight because of the bright full moon.

Woozi was dumbstruck and lovestruck at the same time, that he couldn't stop himself from swooping in to kiss y/n swiftly on the nose.

She gasps, and covers her face as soon as Woozi pulls away, and the other finds it so endearing that he bursts in a fit of giggles as he gently pried her hands off her face, which was, blushing rather aggressively.

"Please don't do that again," she whispers in tiny, still blushing, but her lips tugging upwards in the corner says otherwise.

Woozi didn't listen, because he swooped in again to kiss her on the forehead this time.

And y/n gasps and squeals and jolts, but she immediately calms down and melts and sighs right after.

And it was perfect.

Woozi's eyes were closed as he pulled away, and y/n looks at him, smiling.

Minutes ago, she was expecting this night to be filled with rants and drama and getting things off her chest and her best friend comforting her and probably dragging her to the bonfire.

But this one works even better.

"I take it back. Keep doing it." Y/n says, unable to stop herself. The other just grins and sighs as he pulls her closer to him again.

"Alright, whatever you want." He says, this time, dropping another kiss to her head.

She smiles.

There was silence once more, but this time, it was heavy with anticipation of what's going to come next for the both of them.

They both did not see this coming, because they were blinded by their fears and what-ifs. But now that everything's out there, with the waves and the moon as their witnesses, then they could feel themselves let loose again.

"Y/n, you have absolutely NO idea how much I wanted to kiss you like that in so long." Woozi breaks the silence first. Y/n giggles.

"I swear." He furthers presses, laughing at himself for suddenly being so talkative and defensive. But he didn't care.

"It's okay, Uji. You can do it as much as you want now, I guess." y/n consoles him.

"But are you truly in this? Do you really want this as much as I do? I gotta know... I don't wanna overstep.."

Y/n gathers all her courage and prays to every existing higher being out there as she looked up at Woozi.

She presses a small kiss on his cheeks to answer him "Yes."

"I will wait for you, y/n. Take your time, yeah? I'll be here like I've always been." Woozi smiles as she pulls away.

"Don't wait for too long though. You know I'm in this too like you are." she grins, and it melts Woozi to his core so he pulls her even closer if that's even possible and he nuzzles his face on to her hair.

They bask in the moment and even exhale in unison, which makes them laugh again.

Woozi forgets about the bonfire, and y/n already forgot about her earlier reasons on why she came to the beach in the first place.

And they both just drift into comfortable silence in the company of each other's heart under the light of the full moon above.

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Hi hello~ I'm back💃🏻

This took me three days to write because I wanted it to be perfect the way I envisioned it. It started when we went to the beach last week and we watched the full moon rise as the sun had set.

I've put a lot of emotions and attention to details here, and I loved every step of the process I took to finish this. So I hope you love it as much as I did and as much as the other fics y'all have loved as well.

As always, please like and reblog if you love it so other people could find my works as well🥹🙏🏻 hehe

Thanks loads, love y'all loads🫂🤍

#svt imagines #svt scenarios #seventeen #svt au #svt x reader #svt fanfic #svt fluff #svt oneshot #svt woozi #woozi x reader #woozi fluff #woozi imagines #woozi scenarios #woozi x you #woozi angst #woozi

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jerzwriter · 10 months

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First Father's Day

Book: Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing: Tobias Carrick x F!MC (Casey)

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Brief mention of late father

Category: Domestic Fluff

Summary: It's Tobias's first Father's Day, and he's happy to celebrate with Casey and their eight-week-old daughter. But as happy as he is, Casey senses something is amiss and helps him deal with emotions that arise.

Words: 924

A/N: @choicesjunechallenge, Father's Day; @choicesholidays, Father's Day.

The morning had been just perfect. It felt like something out of a dream Casey had long ago. A dream she shelved somewhere along the way, assuming her life would be too complicated to ever see it come to be. Yet, here she was. It was a bit different for Tobias. He never imagined this and certainly never dreamt of it, but as he had learned, the best things in life are often the things we never see coming.

Casey returned from putting baby Samantha down for her nap to find her husband staring solemnly out their front window. His mood visibly shifted from a short time ago when he happily cradled his eight-week-old daughter in his arms, marveling at how she cooed and smiled at his silly faces and the funny songs he made up that always contained her name.

“Someone sure knows how to make Sammy smile,” Casey beamed while setting the breakfast table. “Not during diaper changes,” he sang, continuing to entertain their little girl. “I don’t know, I’ve seen you do it even then,” she grinned. “Face it, Tobias, you know how to charm the ladies.” “Yeah,” he smirked, wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist, pulling her onto his lap. “Well, the only two ladies I have any interest in charming are right here. But damn, I must be good… because I got you to cook me breakfast?” “Damn right, it’s even edible! I have to take care of you on your first Father’s Day.” “You take care of me every day, baby,” he smiled as his lips met hers. With a bright grin, Casey pulled back from the kiss, “Happy Father’s Day, Tobias.” With her pudgy little arms and legs flailing, Sammy let out a cacophony of happy little gurgles. “I think she’s saying Happy Father’s Day, too,” Casey gushed.

Tobias lifted Sammy out of her bouncy seat, placing a loud kiss on her cheek. “Best day ever!” he enthused. Casey placed her hand over her heart, filled with warmth and joy as she watched her two greatest loves nuzzling. “Could you have imagined this three years ago, Dr. Carrick?” “I was an asshole three years ago,” he simpered. “I think I finally got it right.” “You think?” She replied with mock horror. “Don’t make me get your mother on the phone.” “Don’t you dare,” he chuckled. “Now come here and snuggle with Sammy and me; it’s almost her nap time.”

She had only been gone about fifteen minutes but returned to a very different man. Looping her arms around his waist, she gently kissed the crook of his neck and was pleased to see him smile, despite his dampened mood.

“What’s the matter,” she asked with concern. “You seem down.”

“I am,” he sighed, taking her hand and leading them to the couch. “I’m going back to work in a few days and… I feel like I’m going to miss so much not being home with the two of you.”

“I know,” she replied with a sympathetic smile. “It will be hard for me when I have to go back, too. But like our moms told us, the key to parenting is accepting that we will be in a constant state of adjustment for a while. But we’ll adjust together, T, and it will be fine in time. I know it will because we’re a great team.”

He felt his trepidation melting away as he looked into her earnest eyes. He knew that she was right; there was nothing they couldn’t take on together.

“We’re the very best team!” he grinned. “And I’m grateful for the time I’ve had home with you both. Even these extra days, I was supposed to return last week.”

“I meant to ask you about that. Did you add some vacation days?”

“Didn’t have to. Ethan just adjusted the schedule. He said he saw no reason for me to come back before my first Father’s Day.”

“That was sweet!”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “It’s good to have an in with the boss.”

“Well, that is the only reason we made him godfather, you know,” she laughed. Tobias’s mood had improved, but she couldn’t miss the distant look still present in his eyes. “Hey, are you sure it’s nothing more?”

“It’s just…” he tapered off, pulling Casey closer. “I’m missing my Dad, you know?”

“I know,” she said, holding him tightly. “But I’m sure he is somewhere looking down at you… I’m sure he’s very proud.”

“You think so?” he asked, voice cracking with emotion.

“I know so, and if you need more validation, you know your mom is but a phone call away. She knew your father better than anyone, and she can’t stop going on about how happy he’d be.”

“I wish he was here for all this.”

“So do I.”

They embraced for a few more moments, the Tobias sat upright.

“OK,” he announced. “Enough sadness for now. This is a happy day.”

“That it is,” she agreed. “So what do you want to do?”

Tobias wiggled his eyes playfully. “Want to try to have a second one here for my second Father’s Day?” He teased.

“No freaking way,” she laughed. “Samantha is enough for right now, but… are you saying you’d like to get in some practice.”

“Later, absolutely,” he grinned. “But for now, how would my beautiful wife feel about cuddling on the couch and watching the Red Sox with me.”

“You’re beautiful wife is happy to comply. It’s your day, baby. Happy Father’s Day.”

Tags in reblog.

#choices fanfic #open heart #open heart choices #choices open heart #open heart fanfic #tobias carrick #tobias carrick x mc #tobias x casey #samantha carrick #playchoices #playchoices fanfic #choices the stories you play

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27dragons · 5 months

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New Year Countdown: Dec 4

I almost forgot to post today's fic! It's been a busy day. Click through for the fic!

Dec 4 - Winteriron - Regency AU - Hot chocolate

Tony settled back into the settee cushions and let his gaze be captured by the flickering flames on the hearth. This was his favorite time of day, when his parents had retired to their rooms and the big house was still and quiet and he could be alone with his thoughts. Winter’s chill had quite settled over the estate, and he was just considering ringing one of the servants to bring him a throw for his lap when the door opened to admit Jarvis to the parlor.

“M’laid,” Jarvis said with his usual aplomb, “Lord Barnes is asking to see you.”

“Lord Barnes?” Tony’s heart leapt and began running like a rabbit. “What could he possibly be doing here at this hour of the evening?”

“I couldn’t say,” Jarvis admitted. “Shall I tell him you’re not prepared to receive visitors?”

“Don’t be silly,” Tony said. “Show him in.” He straightened his posture and brushed his hands over his wildling hair to try to settle it, though that was a hopeless task without an attendant and half a jar of pomade.

“Lord Barnes, your laidship,” Jarvis announced, stepping back to let the man into the room. Barnes looked quite wild, his face flushed and his hair nearly as untidy as Tony’s own.

“Good heavens,” Tony exclaimed, jumping to his feet and rushing to capture Barnes’ hand. “Is something wrong? What’s happened? Your skin is like ice, you must be half-frozen! Jarvis, ask Cook to send up some drinking chocolate, please.”

“I wouldn’t wish to be any trouble,” Barnes protested.

“Nonsense, she was already making up a pot for me,” Tony said, all but dragging him toward the fire. “You’d only add an extra cup to the tray. Jarvis?”

“Of course, m’laid,” Jarvis murmured, letting himself back out of the room.

Tony drew Lord Barnes down onto the settee. “Sit here, warm yourself and tell me what’s brought you out here in such a state!”

Barnes took the seat Tony nudged him toward, but rather than extending his hands to the fire’s warmth, he reached out to catch Tony’s other hand, holding both of them delicately between his own. “It’s you,” he said. “I’ve not slept properly since the Rogers’ ball, and I... I couldn’t go another night, another hour, without seeing you again.”

If Tony’s heart had been a running rabbit before, it was now a thundering stag. “Lord Barnes--”

“I know it’s beastly of me,” Barnes said, half-desperately. “I shouldn’t have come so late, and looking like this, and you’d be within your rights to cast me immediately back out like some sort of madman. But if I am mad, it is for dreaming of your beautiful eyes and the sound of your laugh and the touch of your hand. I had to know if you could possibly accept my suit. Say you will, and I swear I’ll go at once and then do everything properly; I’ll come again and speak to your father--”

Tony could only see one way of stopping the frantic flow of words. He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against Lord Barnes’.

“--if he... Oh. Oh!” And then Barnes was kissing Tony back, his hands clasped almost too tightly around Tony’s, as if he were holding himself back from pulling Tony entirely into his arms.

Barnes drew back after only a moment, eyes wide and shining. “Is that a yes, Laid Stark? I may call on you tomorrow?”

Tony reluctantly tugged his hands free of Lord Barnes’ grasp and moved to put a proper distance between them as he heard the servants’ footsteps in the hall, bringing the chocolate. “You may call upon me whenever you like,” he agreed, smiling through the blush that threatened to betray his own madness. “And I think you must call me Anthony.”

#my writing #countdown to 2024 #winteriron #regency au

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soft-bellied-tannies · 6 months

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One Year Older and Another Size Up

I'm back with Jimin's birthday fic...finally! Thank you for your patience and kindness! I'm grateful for all the people who checked in and sent well wishes. I actually only had bad weather on Friday and Saturday, thankfully passing without too many problems. I then unfortunately had some technical difficulties and one of my stories got reported so I had to resolve that before I could post. But we're good now!

So, a few days late and a little stress later - here is my Jimin birthday story. Hopefully, I'll get back to the Chubtober prompts starting tomorrow! <3

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Read here or on AO3!

Jimin had honestly not expected to wake up alone on his birthday. He would be the first to admit that he is spoiled by his pack, especially as the only omega, but it was strange that he didn’t have a clingy Tae or an excited Jungkook plastered against his side.

After taking a few minutes to get his bearings, Jimin realized that a considerable amount of noise was coming from their kitchen. He sat up and stretched a bit, listening for any hints of what his pack was setting up for him but heard nothing aside from quiet bickering.

Quickly moving through his morning routine, Jimin tugged on his silk robe and tied it around his waist as he made his way out to the kitchen. It likely would be surprising to people that a pack of college mates lived as domestically as they did, but knowing who your mates are by the first year of high school makes that easy.

Jimin stood at the edge of the room, watching his pack hustle around to finish setting everything up with a fond smile on his face. His mates had clearly prepared every single one of his favorite breakfast foods, unsurprising but appreciated.

It was never directly addressed, but Jimin knew that his mates had a motivated interest in pampering him as their pack omega and the physical effects of that treatment seemed to be a source of their pride and attraction as well.

Plump omegas were a sign of a healthy pack and Jimin knew that he more than fulfilled that image. On most days, it was a lot of scenting and cuddling with his mates regularly checking in, walking him to class, and ensuring that he ate all his meals.

However, on a day like his birthday, Jimin knew that he was in for the pampering of a lifetime. He would not be hungry, unscented, or lonely all day and he certainly wasn’t going to complain about that.

“Good morning, my loves,” Jimin finally said, breaking the chaotic state of his pack preparing for his special breakfast. He couldn’t help but laugh as they all turned to him wide-eyed, somehow not realizing that he had joined them.

After a beat of silence, everyone seemed to jump into action with a chorus of “Happy Birthday” ringing out through the house. Jimin’s laugh grew louder as various arms wrapped around him in tight embraces.

Before he was sat down in front of an impressively high-piled plate, Jimin received all his morning affection - a little extra from each of them considering the celebration. Jin was the last to greet him, holding him a little longer and whispering all the sweet words he could muster while Yoongi somehow managed to add even more to their omega’s large serving of breakfast.

As meals like that tend to be, Jimin’s morning seemed to be a blur. He ate with no hesitation, grateful for a pack that cared for him so well and appreciative for a body that showed it. His mates talked about their plans for the day and shared their words of love and appreciation for Jimin.

Nearing the last few bites on his plate, Jimin loosened the tie on his robe - reminding himself how silly it was to knot it tightly around his soft waist. He had been in that position many times before and knew better than to limit his stomach space to grow.

While he wasn’t slim by any means, Jimin had always been more bottom-heavy with his weight. He also knew that his appetite had grown with his size thanks to his mates and that his not-as-prominent tummy became much more noticeably round whenever he was presented with Jin and Yoongi’s delicious food.

Jimin just giggled at the smirk on Jin’s face; the beta always seemed to catch the omega’s moments of needing to adjust whatever he was wearing while eating. With less tension on his stomach, Jimin finished his breakfast and a couple more bites that he was offered as he tried to leave the table and get ready for the day.

As it was his birthday, Jimin had a very specific outfit in mind - his favorite lavender skirt and black knit cardigan with flowers. He loved his wardrobe as most were gifts from Taehyung and Hoseok, but those two items, in particular, were his go-to for special days.

With the help of his white bodysuit, the pretty skirt still had a little give, meaning his big breakfast hadn’t been too big. Jimin certainly had clothes that could no longer accommodate a full day, fitting snugly on an empty stomach with no chance of making it through his meals.

After styling his hair and finishing the last touches on his makeup, Jimin did a little twirl for himself in the mirror and loved the way he looked. He knew some omegas didn’t love the natural weight that came with mating, but Jimin liked knowing that his pack’s love and affection were evident every day.

Thursday was the one day when all seven of them had a morning class so Jimin got to walk to campus with his entire pack. Namjoon insisted on stopping by the nearby coffee shop to get him a frappe and his favorite chocolate croissant as if they hadn’t just eaten a massive meal, but the omega would never turn them down.

Jimin ate and drank as they walked, excitedly talking about building a big nest in the living room and watching ‘The Notebook’ for their evening plans. He finished his croissant and accepted the last few bites of Taehyung’s as the alpha claimed it was a gesture of love the omega could not turn down.

Jimin felt the presence of his growing-tighter skirt waistband after the ‘dessert’ to his barely digested breakfast as the pack led him to his Creative Writing class and dropped him off with promises of a midday lunch at Jimin’s favorite campus cafe afterward. He sipped on his water throughout the class and hoped that his first meal of the day would be fully digested before they sat down for lunch.

His class went by quickly, accepting some kind birthday wishes from a few friends and even a cookie from Taemin that Jimin definitely should have saved instead of eating it during class. Knowing that he had an extra thirty minutes before the others were out of class, Jimin decided to take a little walk.

Making a few laps around the quad, Jimin was hoping to gain some more space for lunch. He knew his mates would once again get all his favorites for their second birthday meal of the day and the last thing he wanted was to tap out of eating or break out of his skirt.

Yoongi and Namjoon’s music production class ended early and walked Jimin to the cafe, deciding to get a table and at least order drinks before the others arrived. Somehow, Jimin was convinced to get a milkshake even though he had just had a frappe a few hours earlier and it was lunchtime, but Yoongi reasoned that it was his birthday and he deserved it.

The others approached the table soon after, Jungkook setting down a large taro boba tea in front of Jimin who was already drinking his salted caramel milkshake. The omega’s eyes widened, but he also would never turn down their sweet gestures or a boba tea.

Jimin wasn’t even focused on what was ordered, knowing his pack would pick all his favorite dishes anyway. He instead listened to Taehyung’s story about the drama in his and Jin’s acting class while he finished his milkshake and moved on to his boba tea.

Mindlessly drinking while listening to his mates talk hadn’t been Jimin’s best choice as he was feeling quite full and sloshy when their food arrived. He had managed to finish the entire milkshake, over half the boba tea, and the Diet Coke he initially ordered before being handed a bowl of spicy jajangmyeon and an order of dumplings just for him.

Against his better judgment, Jimin decided that the heavy carbs might help fill his stomach more substantially than the large amount of liquid already weighing him down. He ate his noodles enthusiastically, finishing his boba tea and his Diet Coke refill not once but twice to combat the spice.

Jimin felt inappropriately full for early afternoon, but he also felt thoroughly and deeply loved with all the intentional decisions from his pack. On top of all those feelings, Jimin was ready for a nap and maybe a more comfortable outfit.

Excusing himself to the bathroom, Jimin immediately saw the burden on his waistband as soon as he crossed in front of the mirror. It looked as if he was a few bites away from splitting the fabric right at the seams.

After a struggle to undo the creaking clasp, Jimin took in the most satisfying deep breath that expanded his stomach well beyond what his skirt allowed him before. The zipper put up a fight of its own as he forced it down to take all pressure off his sensitive middle.

Taking some time to breathe and fix his hair since he was there allowed Jimin to relax and start digesting. He stood in front of the mirror with his skirt undone until the door swung open and another omega stepped inside the bathroom. Jimin ducked into the first open stall so he could reclasp his skirt in privacy.

However, it was not that easy.

As soon as Jimin gave his stomach more room to breathe, his body had no intention of stuffing itself back into his skirt. Sucking in as much as possible a few times while leaning up against the wall finally allowed him to latch the clasp. Zipping it back, though, was definitely not going to happen.

Jimin tried to hide the fact that he was breathing heavily as he walked back out to the mirror, taking a look at how obvious his unzipped skirt was. He ignored the blush high on his cheeks as he avoided the eyes of the omega washing her hands. Jimin waited for her to leave before stepping back and looking at how noticeable the zipper was without hiding it.

Normally Jimin wouldn’t mind the need to make some room for his bloated stomach, but it wasn’t often that they were out in public when this happened. He intentionally wrapped his cardigan around him tightly to cover his side, praying that the clasp held firm until they got back home.

As he returned to the table, his pack looked up at him with confused expressions - likely due to the fact that he was gone for a while and that he was hiding himself under his sweater which was not like Jimin at all.

Namjoon opened his arm, offering Jimin to sit on his lap as a gesture of comfort, but Jimin simply shook his head. The omega knew that if he sat down now, he had no chance of getting home with the skirt in tact.

“Can we go?” Jimin asked quietly, a bit anxious which was odd.

“Everything okay, baby?” Jin asked in reply, concerned that something happened in the omega’s time away from the table.

Jimin looked around a few times before pulling back his sweater to reveal his zipper. “It won’t be okay if I even take a deep breath at this point so let’s please go,” he replied quietly and then tugged his cardigan back around him.

A moment of silence passed before his mates burst into laughter, only further endeared by Jimin’s embarrassed smile and pink cheeks. They all stood while continuing to laugh, a few placing gentle kisses on Jimin’s cheeks and forehead. Jungkook offered to take the omega’s bag as well as they left the restaurant.

As they walked, Jimin felt the pull of the fabric and continued silently hoping that nothing happened to split the clasp open. He was caught up in his head until Taehyung wrapped around his back, matching his steps.

“It’s fine, Min. No one can tell,” the alpha whispered in his ear, hands gently resting on Jimin’s bloated middle. “Honestly, babe, I don’t think you’ll lose this skirt even if the clasp breaks anyway.”

“Hey!” Jimin cut back, unable to hide his giggle as he leaned into the teasing alpha’s chest. His mates all joined in laughing, having heard Taehyung’s remark.

Jin picked up the pace to walk beside them and pinched the omega’s cheek. “Don’t worry, baby. You can change when we get back and relax. We wouldn’t want you to split your favorite skirt.”

Jimin’s entire body warmed up with embarrassment but also love from Jin’s words. He knew it was only a matter of time before he outgrew his favorite outfits with the way the pack was feeding him, but he also knew they would find him equally cute clothes.

Yoongi and Hoseok assumed that his silent consideration was Jimin thinking about losing his favorite clothing, leading Hoseok to comfort him. “We can always find a tailor or get you a new skirt for your birthday next year, Minnie. I know you love that one.”

Before Jimin could respond, Taehyung jiggled his full stomach from behind and kissed his cheek. “Hmm, this one isn’t making it to next year, Hobi. Maybe new skirts for Christmas,” the alpha teased again.

Jimin’s jaw dropped. “Kim Taehyung!”

There was another beat of silence until the pack burst into laughter yet again; Jimin leaning his weight into the alpha’s chest as he joined in. He certainly wasn’t bothered by the teasing, especially when it was true and he loved that it was in response to the proof of their pampering on his body.

They laughed as they walked until Jimin stopped, feeling a snap at his side. The omega pulled Taehyung’s arm back and slipped the fabric of his cardigan away to look at his skirt - clasp now long gone, having snapped under the mixed pressure of his stuffed belly and joyous laughter.

A deep red tinge filled Jimin’s cheeks as he saw the remnants of his skirt’s clasp flared open on his side, the fabric not having moved an inch without the clasp that he thought was his saving grace to get home.

Taehyung smirked again and encouraged Jimin to keep walking. “See, birthday boy, I knew you had nothing to worry about.”

Jimin groaned again with a faux pout as his pack laughed at the continued teasing. He never thought he’d say ruining his favorite skirt would be the highlight of his birthday, but his mates’ love for him proves itself every day.

#soft bellied tannies #chubby bts #bts weight gain #bts feedism #chubby jimin #sbt chubtober #omega jimin #bts abo

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pallastrology · 8 months

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surviving mercury retrograde 🫖

since the often-dreaded transit affectionately known as mercury retrograde is coming up, i thought i’d write a little post talking about how i personally get through it. some of you may know that i’m a virgo rising with mercury retrograde in the first house. so mercury retrograde tends to hit me like a ton of bricks! over the years, i’ve worked on a little survival guide of sorts, and decided to share it in hopes of easing the transit for you a little bit.

firstly: it will pass. mercury rx only lasts about three weeks, which, yeah, feels like a lifetime when it’s not going well. but it does pass, and in the grand scheme of things, three weeks is almost nothing. when you feel like everything’s falling apart at the seams, take a moment to remind yourself that whatever is going on for you won’t last forever, and calmer seas lie just past the storm.

stay on top of your schedule. mercury rx tends to cause problems with communication, travel and timing; plans go awry, time escapes you, the bus doesn’t show up. this is all completely normal, and there are things you can go to mitigate the effects. personally, i make sure to stay more on top of my to-do list than normal, try not to pack too much into a day (because things will inevitably take longer than normal, or i’ll end up sidetracked and having to rewrite my whole week!). leave enough space in your diary to add things on if you need, and then if you have free time, enjoy it! use it to get ahead of the game, or just take a break – we all need and deserve them from time to time. another thing i do is try to prioritise what needs to be done today, and what can wait if i do get overly busy. these are all handy skills to have in general, but when everything goes a little haywire, it really helps to be able to focus on the important things and reorganise the rest without too much stress.

look at your chart. mercury rx will affect us all a little differently, and this is due to where it lands in our chart, and which of our placements it activates. i’ll use a personal example here: for me, it lands in my fourth house – the house of home and family – and will form a conjunction to my natal mercury. disaster, right? well, it doesn’t have to be. at least i’m prepared, and when i’m going through a crisis and feeling overwhelmed, i can take a breath and remind myself this is just part of the transit. i know in advance to really watch my work schedule so as not to overbook myself, stay on top of my workload, and put in 110% to keep things running efficiently while making time for my family and rest. having a sense of why this is happening, and the foresight to be able to plan ahead and feel a little more in control, brings a sense of power over your situation. personal power is so important for your wellbeing, so make the most of the power of foresight here!

add extra travel time. this might sound silly, but the amount of times i’ve been late, or had to massively rush to get somewhere on time, or to get something handed in or completed on time, during mercury rx is shocking! nowadays, as part of my personal survival guide, i make sure to add an extra five minutes to get ready and to get to my location, i check deadlines more carefully and make sure to finish before them in case there are problems, and i’m careful not to go for back-to-back engagements when possible. it’s more for peace of mind than anything, but it definitely seems to help keep life calmer during a hectic time.

communicate clearly. because retrogrades tend to send energy inwards, communication can get tricky. you might find it’s harder to make yourself understood, or you misunderstand others more. old arguments, often over silly things, can pop up like daisies. people from the past can reappear and bring up all sorts of emotions. i would recommend journaling to anyone, but especially if you’re struggling to make sense of your thoughts and feelings, journaling can be an amazing tool to help you reflect and analyse what’s going on for you. i find it really fascinating to read back through old journal entries too, and look at the themes of the transit through my own words. when it comes to communicating with other people, if you’re dealing with professional situations, i would recommend following up communications with an email or letter reiterating your points. this helps keep the record straight and prevent crossed wires later down the line. in your personal life, it can be helpful to remind yourself that the person who is driving you mad right now is someone you love and care about, and you don’t want to hurt them. you can give criticism without being harsh, though it’s more difficult during this transit. take breaks if you need to during arguments, and make sure you’re being clear with what you want. sometimes i find i go round in circles while trying to express something, and my original point gets lost. taking a breather to reassess what you’re trying to say and then coming back to the conversation can be really helpful here.

stay grounded in the present. when any planet goes retrograde, it’s easy to focus on the past. old issues seem to swing back around to meet you in the present, and you may encounter full-circle moments. so when you’re feeling overwhelmed by old arguments, old friends and lovers, and old thoughts, take a moment to ground yourself in the present. you could use mental grounding to affirm where and when you are, or utilise an anchoring object. i have a post that talks about grounding techniques in more detail here which may be helpful if this is something you would be interested in, but essentially, you are helping yourself to emotionally understand where and when you are, as opposed to logically knowing but feeling stuck in the past.

lastly: it might not be all that deep. transits definitely have an affect on our day-to-day lives, i’m not going to dispute that. but perhaps they don’t have as much power as we feel they do. is there a bit of placebo effect that comes into play when we’re running late for work during mercury rx? probably, yeah! our brains are incredibly powerful organs, and our beliefs can hugely impact our perception of, and feelings about, our current situation. if you’re feeling overwhelmed and at the mercy of a transit, it might be time to take a step away from astrology and just let yourself live in the moment. more than anything, we are at the mercy of our own perception, and that’s something that we can work on.

i hope this guide helps you feel a little more prepared, and a little less scared, of mercury retrograde. take care of yourselves readers,

kira xo

#pallastrology #astrology #astrology blog #astrology post #mercury #mercury retrograde #surviving mercury retrograde #mercury rx #transits #retrograde

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peppertaemint · 4 months

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Dear Peppertaemint,

This unnecessary mess with Taemin and fan behavior has made me think about different levels of disclosure within the fandom community, the industry, if there are limits and who should be aware of them. I have some questions, more like openings to get some food for thought because I don't think there's some definitive answer to this.

Do you think an idol should be more careful when they disclose information regarding career management? I couldn't help but think of a similar situation with Jimin when he casually revealed in an interview with Japanese media that BH considered having a music video for the entire album an unreasonable request. That led to uproar and I admit I was surprised and angry myself. But then again, Jimin didn't elaborate more on that aspect and the matter hasn't been brought up again. I believe that the situation with Taemin is sort of similar, as in he made a statement on a live stream which was taken as an indication of mismanagement by SM. Do you take they should be more careful on how idols phrase their statements? Perhaps either elaborate more, knowing how the fandoms are behaving lately? Should they take that into consideration? Or perhaps they have no part in how fans are reacting?

Hi @reflections-in-a-critical-eye <3 I love that you sent an official Ask, lol.

I've been thinking about this since the mess started, and although it is complicated, I think it's a mix of pervasive low EQ as well as the Western savior complex at play.

It would be a shame if artists felt they couldn't share what they already do with us. I appreciate Taemin's honesty, even if it creates chaos. I wouldn't want him to stop being himself because of fan behavior. Apparently, that's what happened with NCT Ten due to fan behavior, and now he barely comes to Bubble or anywhere to speak to fans. :( And we know Jimin really limits what he shares, too, so we wouldn't want that relationship damaged further.

What I think is required is EQ on behalf of the fans. This feels silly to write, but it's sort of EQ 101 that is helpful for everyday life. Emotions can be contagious and some people are more prone to catching them than others. Having healthy boundaries means not accepting everyone else's emotions. If an artist says "I'm upset" that doesn't mean you have to take on that upset.

Another part of EQ, complicated by social media, is how we interpret each other's emotions. In-person, someone can say, "I'm disappointed by this," and as the listener, we're using verbal and non-verbal cues to understand the full meaning of what is being said. How upset is the person, how much has it affected them, do they seem okay, are they sharing to unburden themselves, does the issue seem resolved? These are all questions that often go through a person's head when they're confronted with someone sharing their thoughts and feelings. When this happens in person, it's a natural process for most of us.

When we're encountering a piece of media, for some, it's much harder to engage in these EQ processes. When Taemin sends Bubble messages, unless he adds a specific marker of tone (like the Korean "haha" or "keke" or some other emoji or face), it's up to us to interpret the extra bits. We don't know if he was crying while sending these messages or playing Nintendo or something, totally fine (I don't think he was crying, btw; I am just using that as an example!).

I'm not sure what Jimin's non-verbal communication was when he dropped the bit about the label denying him music videos for all songs on his album. If he was smiling while saying it, that would be a signal that although a disappointment, what happened is okay. When Taemin said he was disappointed, he wasn't sad or distraught. Those non-verbal cues told me that, although it wasn't what he'd hoped for, things were okay and this wasn't something to dwell on. Instead, many people latched onto his disappointment and took an emotion that maybe seemed to be at like, an intensity of 3 (to me) and ratcheted it up to a 10. This isn't good for anyone, and especially not him.

The other side of this is fan as a Western savior (colonialist!). It's a constant issue when it comes to international fans of Kpop, many who are Western and perceive that Western ways are superior, and that success in the West is of greater value than success in any part of Asia. They also feel that they "know better" than industry people in SK (and often even their artist!), and that they must demonstrate activism on social media to "save" their artist.

A good example of this is that even when international SHINee fans were confronted with K fans asking them to stop engaging in online activism about Taemin's performances because it would be damaging to him to continue, they did not stop. Being confronted with cultural context (K fans were explaining that what they were doing wasn't good culturally and was reflecting poorly on him), they did no self-reflection but carried on, trying to "save" their artist.

There are a lot of nuances of Korean culture that feel counterintuitive to non-Koreans. I had a Korean friend tell me that I should use filters on my thoughts and opinions in writing so people understand clearly that I'm stating my thoughts and opinions, such as "I think that..." etc. At the time, I thought it was odd and a misunderstanding of rhetorical writing (LOL, me being an asshole), but later in my study of the Korean language, I learned that this is how people are expected to express thoughts and opinions in Korean and the language is set up to enable this. It's considered impolite or aggressive to use different constructions. So, in this way, I'm not surprised that international fans struggle to understand the Korean perspective. It's subtle and nuanced and might feel counterintuitive to them depending on their home culture.

There is one other facet to consider, and that's just plain bias. We are biased toward our favorites and want them to have everything. And how dare anyone not give them exactly what they want. Fans are like out-of-control parents at their worst, lol. So, even if a calm and perfectly fine Taemin says "I'm disappointed because of X", a swathe of people will go into crazy mommy mode. Give my baby boy everything!!!

Anyway, this is probably a too-long reply, but this is my take on what's happening here. I don't think idols need to change their behavior, even if part of me thought, Taemin, you've really done it now. LOL. There is a fundamental difference between sharing honest emotions and fans struggling to parse them versus situations where bullying and harassment are thanked or congratulated (RM), or someone saying they received death threats from fans is met with silence (BTS). Even though Taemin's words did spark the fan debacle, he still took responsibility for it all and spoke about Yeonjun when his junior was being slammed online. While it's true he made no mention of the girl group who covered Guilty, I think he mentioned Yeonjun specifically because of the fan's bad behavior.

Jimin may have deserved an infinite budget for his debut album, and I certainly would have loved to see more beautiful, dance-focused MVs from him, especially in a larger project a la Lemonade. But, that wasn't in the cards this time, for whatever reason. It's understandable to be disappointed by this. If I heard Taemin wanted a visual album and didn't get it, I'd be so sad. But I guess there is a final EQ point to be made. Just because we feel sad or angry, as you mentioned, that doesn't mean we have to act on it... Were you secretly emailing expletive-laden missives to Big Hit, hmm? Did you launch "akgae" campaigns online against other BTS members in hopes that they'd be sidelined so Jimin could get a bigger budget? Do you have a secret DC Gallery account?

#Ask #it's such an interesting subject #I don't think artists are absolved of responsibility when it comes to fan behavior #and I think he knows that and that's why he said something

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insertlatestfictionalcrushhere · 2 years

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Modern!AU Pride with Sevika ♡♡♡♡

Going to Pride with Sevika means:

Waking up early because you are nervous as heck and eager to get ready, being met with Sevika who is still quite sleepy pulling you back into bed because she knows that you’ll tire out sooner if you begin right now.

You argue a little because there’s putting the outfit together (layers baby), doing make up and hair, eating breakfast, getting the anxiety shits out of the way, etc…

But she’s smooth, so she tightly hugs you, rubbing circles into your back and pressing lazy kisses wherever her mouth is closest to on you.

You don’t resist much after that.

Fast forward to later in the day, you’re pumped and dancing happily while making breakfast. Sev keeps chuckling at your silly moves but relishes in seeing you so happy.

You do a twirl with a pan in hand, and manage to gracefully slide the egg off without missing the beat of the music playing loudly throughout your home.

Sev grabs hold of you once you put down the hot pan, and pulls you toward her seat and into her lap.

Queue the gushing and the blushing

“You gotta stay still and eat breakfast. Save your energy for when we get there”

You roll your eyes playfully but ultimately agree and settle down a little bit (not all the way, we gotta stay pumped!)

Sharing breakfast from the same plate. It’s extra cute and you soak in the precious moments of her putting a piece of toast into your mouth. You do the same and laugh when you miss, leaving smudges of egg yolk or fruit around her mouth.

“Oh funny funny, but now you have to clean it.”

“I can do that”

Yea, you know already, you lick it off which leads to some light kisses which lead to some heavier kisses because today was about love and you both felt it immensely.

“Ya know we could find a different way to celebrate pride…won’t be as many people but I don’t think you’ll mind.”

Oooo that is H A R D to resist because she kisses you so well, and she knows that she can melt you into a puddle if she wanted.

Some heavy breathing later you barely BARELY manage to utter how much you want to go to PRIDE because you’re excited and have never gone with anyone before and you really want to show her off.

That last part makes her cock her head a little and smile at you with genuine affection. Gods you wished you had a camera cause she was so fucking pretty right in that moment.

Eventually, you both transition to the bedroom

Not for that

But to get ready finally.

Sev keeps it simple, wearing a crop top with the phrase “I like my tequila straight and my girls gay” and some cargo pants. She sports a pair of shades and a rainbow fanny pack across her shoulder packed with things either of you might need in a pinch.

You go all out in a skimpier type style – a rainbow bralette with a matching leather harness over your chest, and a rainbow bikini type bottom with fishnets to boost.

Oh no! Sevika was not ok with the look at first because it showed so much skin!

WRONG

This woman is high class. You were nervous to show her the outfit the day you got it because of receiving backlash before from others over the showier stuff you had worn. But upon stepping out from the closet, she grinned immediately and asked you to do a 360.

“You look so hot right now. Make sure you bring sunscreen when we go so you don’t get burned. You better take it off now or it won’t make it to Pride.”

You might’ve been up late that night….

After finishing your hair and makeup, you both walk towards the door going down the checklist of items to bring along. Your minds and chemistry click well so this simple action became quite routine and has helped you both a lot.

Arriving at Pride has you giggling with excitement, adrenaline coursing through at seeing so many people celebrating love of all kinds.

You hastily grab Sev’s hand and begin merging into the parade of people.

As you walk along, she hoists you up onto her shoulders (with ease might I add) and the both of you are shouting and laughing and having fun.

People are amazed at how well she can practically throw you around like a rag doll but you find it quite fun whenever she does. Makes for some good times in the bedroom.

Lots. Of. Kisses. Because you both want to! Because people are asking to take photos! Because of homophobes screaming that you burn in hell so you both DEFINITELY make out in front of them for a while until they get uncomfortable!

Sev almost getting into a fight with some particularly aggressive homophobes because of them targeting you with insults.

You pulling her back because they aren’t fucking worth either of your time and that you’re really fine, the insults don’t bother you.

She double checks a few minutes later once some distance has been put between you and the homophobes. “Are you sure you’re ok? I’ll turn around and make ground beef out of them. You want a hug? We can head out if you need space.”

You hug her tightly because this level of caring is out of this world and fills your heart up so much and you couldn’t be happier knowing you had her.

Fast forward some more and lots of pictures are being taken. Of the both of you. Of you guys plus others. Of you alone cause you’re rocking your outfit and you’re incredibly hot (don’t you dare shake your head, you are.) many pictures of Sev because she’s a muscle mommy and people are blushing on site.

You try not to get too jealous and it helps that after every picture, she turns back to you with a smile and wraps her arms around your waist and gives you a big ol’ smooch (she can sense the jealousy a little).

There’s some marriage proposals!!

You can’t help but get teary eyed at the scene because it’s just so touching and is the cherry on top of today.

Your hands absentmindedly tug at Sev’s shirt as you watch because it’s just too much. You look at her all pouty, almost suggestively hinting with your eyes that you want her take note.

She chuckles and a lil roll of the eyes but ultimately holds you close and kisses your forehead.

“You know I’m gonna marry tf outta you one day.”

As the Pride event comes to a close, you’re both exhausted from the amount of energy the day has sucked up (but there are no complaints). A few have approached asking to keep in touch to have brunch some day soon because it was a thrill to share the experience together.

Getting home late and ordering take out only for the both of you to soon collapse on the couch side by side, bellies full, and hearts overflowing.

You lazily turn your head to look at Sev, and she soon follows.

This one last moment of looking deeply into each other’s eyes, no words needed to express just how much you both enjoyed today.

The night ends with light whispers of “I love you” before nodding off to sleep.

A/N: Happy Pride y’all!! I know it’s pretty late in the month to be saying it but I’ve been wanting to post this one forever. Also I've never been to pride so if some of this is inaccurate, I'm sorry ;-;. If you went to Pride, I hope it was wonderful! If you didn’t, like me, I hope you still found a way to celebrate! I hope you all know that you are valid, you are loved, and the world is a better place with you in it! All the kisses! All the hugs! ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

#arcane #sevika #sevika arcane #sevika is my wife #sevika x reader #arcane x reader #arcane lol #arcane fanfic #lol arcane #sevika x y/n #piltovers finest #fanfic

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mini-games · 9 months

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-BEGINNING LORE/SUN SAGA-

In the beginning, most everyone lived in Item’s (@item-shoppe) basement, eventually escaping one way or another to Nefarious’s (@nefarious-exclam) tower or to set up their own place.

I, Mini, came along through anon. An anon (a different one) had supposedly been quoting the lyrics to a song, but none of us knew the song and took it seriously. So we killed the sun. How? Well Nef tried (and failed) to shoot it with a water gun, and one of his gimmick posts was shrinking someone down to the size of an ant. So, if they’re able to do both of those things, I figured “Why can’t he do both on the sun?”

I sent in an ask, on anon (before I had become a gimmick blog. I was wanting to be one at this point but didn’t know what my gimmick would be) telling him to shrink the sun down to the size of an ant and shoot it with a water gun. It worked, the sun was extinguished, and it all went dark in the universe. And cold.

After figuring out what gimmick I wanted to be, I quickly made a profile picture for the blog and made the blog itself, now being able to interact with everything easily. The first interaction I had was with Vance (@advancement-made), and they asked me why I would do that. I didn’t think it would actually work, but it did and I have been advised to not underestimate Nef again. I was also forgiven.

Meanwhile, the Ice People had come out of the ice caves (looking at you, @solidwater05. I know what you did. /silly) and were attacking Nefarious, trying to get him to become an Ice Person as well. Nefarious uses a lot of mana during this period of time, trying to fight them off. Also Vance and Glitches (@glitches-and-bugs) can glow, we found out.

Boss (@bossfight-messages) ends up making a deal with the Ice People, telling them that they’ll be an Ice Person if they are given blankets. This deal was never completed, however, as Boss never turned into an Ice Person. Guess it’s too late for that now, though.

In the meantime, Vance and I forged a plan to relight the sun by making a large bonfire and throwing the sun in it, since Nef still had the sun in their hands. Small fires went out pretty quickly, but we figured a large bonfire would take a while to go out. Vance ended up leaving to get some wood, whilst I left to get something to light the wood with. I found some matches, before the Ice People found me.

The Ice People tried convincing me to join them, eventually telling me about how they are lonely and just want a friend. I ended up breaking, and they infected me, turning me into an Ice Person with them.

Before I could do anything as an Ice Person (infecting others, hiding away in the Ice Caves, etc.), the sun returned to the sky, having been re-lit. Normally, I would’ve melted since I was ice, but it was night-time. So I still had time.

Status (@status-updates) ended up watching as everyone panicked about me being an Ice Person, as he sat on a thawing machine. Nefarious ended up making a bargain with Status for the thawing machine, and when Status agreed on the price, he took 50 extra gold from Nefarious for renting the thawing machine. Nef used the thawing machine on me, thawing away the ice. I was back to normal, and everything was right and good in Exclamania once more. Well, except for Nef. Especially since he was angry at Status for swindling them.

Nef also gave me one of his cloaks, since I was still quite cold after having been frozen for about an hour. They also revealed that he knew the Ice People once. This seems to be a pretty big part of both Nefarious and Select (@character-selecton) lore.

If anyone else has anything to add to the Beginning Lore/Sun Saga lore, feel free to add to it!

If needed, I can also post a plaintext version. If you need a plaintext version, just ask and I can post it!

#not a mini-game #sun blackout #sun saga #ooc speaking #this is entirely from my perspective of the sun saga so please please please tell me if theres something to be added or changed.#i also wasnt planning on using color but i did anyways? because theres a bit of pronoun soup in some places #so i figured it would make it easier for some people to have the colors #which is why im offering a plaintext version just in case ^^"#i also wasnt there in the beginning lore which is why its so short but i dont think there was much in the beginning anyways #documenting the beginning #part 1/3 #im gonna be documenting the sun saga (complete) the interrobang war and the gnome armada! 3 separate posts for this lmao

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msmargaretmurry · 11 months

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i've been on an ethel cain kick lately so mattdrai + long cold war

i feel like with a title like "long cold war" you gotta lean hard on the rivalry angle, right? i'm not sure if i have anything new to add to the battle of alberta-era canon at the moment, but i am interested in the dynamic if they were to pick the rivalry up again in a couple of years. like, say, leon hits free agency and signs in tampa.

i do feel like by the end of matthew's time in calgary, the level of personal vitriol had been dialed back a notable amount from, like, 2020 levels. i mean, come on, they were flirting in the faceoff circle before game one of that playoff series. maybe there was some flirting off the ice, too. at the 2022 asg, matthew wasn't selected for the game, but we all know he and robby thomas were there in vegas to party with brady — maybe that's where the flirting really started, after years of poking at each other on the ice. running into each other out on the town, the chirping turns into flirting turns into a furtive little hookup in the bathroom or something, and yeah okay obviously they're still rivals on the ice but now they also have this sexy flirty little text thread going. they don't text a lot, probably an average of a couple times a week, but there's definitely this undercurrent of — yeah, we're gonna hook up again. they're not gonna go out of their way to arrange it, but as soon as they're put in a situation where it's convenient, it's probably gonna happen. leading up to the playoffs there starts to be an undercurrent of, like, not quite explicitly making a bet about it but whoever wins gets to call the shots next time.

except then they actually play the playoff series, the flames win that first one and then the oilers take four straight, and matthew is devastated, and leon with his one working leg is in too much pain to have an ounce of sympathy for anyone, and then the oilers get swept by the avs and leon is sad and embarrassed and mad and secretly a little relieved because god he is in so much pain all the time, but no one is sending any sexy flirty little text messages during any of that. leon thinks later that maybe he could have sent a "good series, good luck next year" text but, you know, too late now, so whatever. they'll see each other in preseason next year and maybe they can pick where they left off.

but then, obviously, matthew signs in florida and they do not pick up where they left off. they play each other twice a year and kind of see each other at all-star games or other league events, but they have separate circles of friends, and that whole hookup/flirtation situation becomes just this kind of weird blip of a thing that happened, and leon — he feels like he shouldn't take it personally. it wasn't anything serious by a long shot. but they could have stayed friendly, right? but as soon as matthew went to florida it was like leon dropped off the face of the earth for him and that feels kind of shitty. maybe, leon decides, matthew tkachuk really is just out for himself. so whatever — back to just not knowing each other.

that's just the backstory, though; the actual fic would start when leon comes to tampa in free agency. so, matthew's been in florida for three years at this point. maybe the panthers and the lightning had a nasty playoff series the seasno before so the florida rivalry is going extra-strong right now. leon's in a very weird place, mentally; he chose tampa for a lot of reasons, and he's optimistic about being there, but it's weird not being in edmonton, weird not having connor by his side. he's secretly irrationally worried that he's going to find out now that connor was actually carrying him all those years, even though that's objectively silly. the point is he's not really thinking about matthew at all until before the first tbl/fla game of the season and a journalist asks a question like, hey, you're back to being regional rivals with matthew tkachuk, what do you think about that? leon really hadn't thought about it at all. he gives some nothingburger answer about how he's heard the florida rivalry games are fun and obviously matthew's been great for the panthers so it should be a good game. internally he's like, playing against matthew four times a year won't be that different from playing against him twice a year.

he is sorely underestimating how much these teams hate each other, though. the game is chippy from the start, and literally the first moment leon sees matthew do something annoying on this ice a flip switches in his brain and he's just like: fuck that guy. FUCK that guy. it's not rational, he's just filled with sudden, bone-deep annoyance and the desire to just flatten the guy. so he does. the game gets super messy, matthew and leon get into a few scuffles, matthew is extremely like wow what the FUCK is your damage about it but also like, the man lives for chaos, he gives as good as he gets. the panthers score the gwg while they're both in the box with matching roughing minors and just like that they are real rivals again.

so the fic is like, this first season for leon in tampa, him being way too preoccupied with his renewed rivalry with matthew and very insistently being like, it's because he's ANNOYING and a JACKASS, while both sorting through his feelings about leaving edmonton and slowly peeling back this backstory about the hooking up and text-flirting until it hits a point where it's like, oh okay. you're actually just mad because he doesn't want to fuck you. lmfao.

THEN, OF COURSE, to bring it all full circle, they're both selected to the all-star game, and once again they're on the same team, and there's a whole round of media about like, oooh, leon are you gonna be salty about playing with him again, what's gonna happen if you guys have to share the ice, all of which leon finds very stupid and annoying, especially since matthew is once again out here like ":) the rivalries are just on the ice, obvoiusly he's a great player to have on my side for once :)"

whoever the atlantic division coach for the asg is obviously understands the assignment and plays them together a bunch, and they score a bunch of goals together, which is very funny to everyone else and at a certain point starts to be funny to them, too. by the end of the second game, leon is having such a good time winning that he forgets to be mad for a little while. they all go out afterward and leon once again hooks up with matthew in a bathroom, and matthew laughs and says something like "okay next time we do this there's gotta be a bed involved," which on the surface sounds great but it also reminds leon that he's supposed to be mad, and instead of handling it with grace he just kind of abruptly takes off when they're finished. feels kind of like a dick about it, but also. whatever, he likes his little grudge. it keeps him warm at night.

cue the rest of the season, cue matthew starting to text leon again and leon being kind of a jerk about it. he's also, like — connor, back in edmonton, told leon he understood his choice to leave, but leon can tell he's kinda mad about it, and it's making leon feel like a jerk, especially because the lightning aren't doing as well as they should be doing this season. leon isn't lifting them up the way he's meant to be lifting them up. the oilers aren't doing too hot either. so he left one team and made them worse to go to another team and not make them better. he's got way more important things to deal with than another tkachuk situation.

the tkachuk situation, though, just won't take its claws out of him. they have a couple more games against each other, have some scuffles, have some texting, have some words in an arena hallway, maybe have a drunken phone call, and then is becomes clear that, oh. you're actually mad because you like him and he clearly doesn't take any of this stuff between the two of you seriously.

(matthew likes him plenty, of course, he's just had his own shit going on.)

not sure how the last act of this would play out, but obviously matthew and leon have to sort their shit out. maybe they sort some of their shit out over that drunken phone call and agree to get together to talk before the last regular season game against each other, but of course talking turns into having sex, but in a bed this time, and they have time to take their time, and it's really good and kind of intense and, honestly, a little too much, so they part ways still not entirely sure what they're doing because leon turtles emotionally at the last moment. "look," matthew sighs on his way out the door, "just let me know if you decide what you want."

which, like. that's the whole thing, right? leon thought he know what he wanted coming to tampa and feels like it's biting him in the ass. so if he trusts what he thinks he wants with matthew, that's just gonna bite him in the ass, too, right? so he has to go through a whole character growth thing to get right with himself again, and get right in his friendship with connor again, and drag the lightning into a wildcard spot before the end of the season. (with some help, of course. there are other good players on the lightning. it really helps once he figures out he doesn't have to feel like he needs to carry half the team by himself.)

let's end on a tampa/florida first round where tampa gets a little bit trounced — which is what everyone expects, but it still stings. leon's not happy about losing, but for the first time in years he really feels like he knows what to do to make next year better besides just grinding away training all summer, and so it's not as bad as it could be. he and matthew haven't really spoken since they last time they slept together, unless you count getting into it on the ice, and those were all more shoving than talking, but as leon is changing and packing up after than last game, he has this feeling like, you know what? fuck it. he's spent his whole life grabbing for what he wants with both hands, it'd be stupid to stop now. so he goes over to the panthers' locker room and asks someone to get matthew for him, pulls matthew to somewhere relatively private, and kisses him soundly on the mouth.

matthew, slightly dazed, says, "what was that for?"

"for luck," leon says. kisses him again, with no less bite to it. "good luck. get your wins in now, because i'm going to kick your ass next season."

and also keep kissing him next season. obviously.

#ask #writing meme #matthew and leon #hockey for ts #i really thought this was gonna be a shorter one but then i looked up from typing and had missed almost the entire first period lmao #also still not sure if this fic idea quite vibes with the title but once i got into it i couldn't stop #anyway i feel like i could hit the right tone with the prose to make it work #if i were writing it. which i am not

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shadamyheadcanons · 2 years

Text

Headcanon #272: Shellshock

This is the sequel to that headcanon with Blaze, Silver, Shadow, and Amy at the pizza place. They’re cross-posted as a set on AO3.

It’s such a shame that so many people only know Silver from Sonic ‘06 when he’s usually such a cute, lovable dork:

Shadow teleported to Seaside Hill, bringing Amy along with him. He held onto her hand as long as he felt he could without being too obvious about it, then let go and took a look around the empty beach. “How long do you think it’ll take Silver to get here?”

Amy checked the time on her phone. “Not too long. He’s punctual like we are. It’d be pretty ironic if the chronic time traveler always showed up late, right?”

Shadow’s heart fluttered at her charming smile. Secretly, he didn’t mind if Silver took his time, as he cherished every moment he got to spend one-on-one with Amy; he’d even shown up at her house a little early that morning just so he could spend a few extra minutes with her.

Oblivious to Shadow’s thoughts, Amy wandered off to take a look around, then made a small sound of excitement when she spotted something at the base of a cliff. Shadow followed her over and examined the plants she was admiring.

“These flowers are so pretty! I was in such a rush last time I was here that I never noticed them.” Amy grinned brightly, stooping down to inspect the plants more closely. “What do you think they are?”

“Rosemary,” Shadow replied easily. “It’s lucky that we’re here now. They only bloom for a couple months in the summertime.”

Amy turned her brilliant smile Shadow’s way. “You sure know a lot about plants!” She hopped back up and dug her toes into the sand, almost looking shy. “I’d love to stop by and see your garden again, if that’s alright. You take such good care of it!”

“I’d be honored,” Shadow answered immediately. He cleared his throat and tried to rein in his excitement. “I’m free this Sunday. If you want to, that is.”

She nodded. “I’d love to!”

Shadow considered leaving it there at the small victory, but he packed up his courage to add, “I’ve been growing some red roses lately. They made me think of you.” Suddenly afraid he’d spook her, he hurriedly added, “You know. Because of your last name.”

Any fear that he’d gone too far vanished when Amy beamed and playfully shoved him. “You’re too sweet!” He couldn’t hide his own smile.

After that, though, her expression turned distant. “You know, that actually would’ve fit my dad’s name better.”

Shadow’s ears perked up. Amy rarely spoke of her late parents. “So...your dad’s name was Red Rose?” Unexpectedly feminine, but I guess I don’t have much room to talk when it comes to unusual names.

“Mm...kind of. His first name was actually ‘Swift.’”

Shadow frowned in confusion. “’Swift’ is a fine name for a hedgehog. Why did he go by ‘Red?’”

“Because ‘Swift’ was also his dad’s name, and his grandfather’s, and his great-grandfather’s,” she explained. “It’s kind of a tradition at this point. They go...went...by their fur colors to clear things up: Red, cousin Crimson, Grandpa Vermilion, uncle Copper...heh. I even had an uncle Blaze. Threw me off when our Blaze turned out purple.” Amy’s smile turned sheepish. “It’s a little silly, isn’t it? You’d think they’d just pick something else! It’s a weird tradition, but...” She fiddled with her fingers. “If I ever have a son, I...kind of feel like I might do that, too. Just...to feel a little closer to them. Is that weird?”

“Not at all. I think it’s very meaningful that you have a way of connecting with your family.” He averted his gaze. “I wish I could have something like that. It sounds nice.”

Amy gazed at him for a moment, but then her sympathy made way for a grin. “So make one!”

“Huh?”

“When you start your own family someday! You’ve said you want kids, right?” He nodded slowly. “Then you’ll be able to start your own traditions. I’m sure you’ll do great!”

Shadow’s heart pounded. “...Thank you!” She nodded. He bit his lip. “That means a lot coming from you, because I’ve always thought...that you’d be...”

Silver appeared in a bright green flash, temporarily blinding Shadow. “Hi, guys!”

Damn it.

“Morning, Silver! You--” Amy gasped. “Oh, no!” She stepped forward and took his face in her hands. Shadow’s eye twitched. “Silver, you look exhausted! What happened?”

“Oh, I’m fine!” Silver brushed aside her concern. He grinned despite the bags under his eyes. “Tails showed me this game called Creature Crossing, and I’ve been playing it nonstop! You can grow plants, go fishing, dig for things, talk to these cute animal characters...”

You mean like in real life? Shadow thought, unimpressed.

Amy put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot rapidly. “I’m glad you’re having fun, but you need your sleep, Silver!” she scolded. “I know you get headaches when you’re tired. It could affect your powers. I don’t want you getting hurt!”

“Pfft, I can handle it. Today won’t be too tough!” She didn’t look convinced. He changed the subject. “I’ve been trying out those new quillstyles you showed me last weekend. Did I get it right?”

He gestured to his quills. The ones in the back looked the same as always, but he’d side-parted the ones in the front to frame his face.

I have to admit he does look better, Shadow thought. At least they’re actually doing something instead of just sticking up like usual.

“Hmm...” Amy scratched her chin. “Almost. Let me see...” Just as she had a few days ago, Amy ran her fingers through Silver’s quills to tweak them a bit.

“Amy, you don’t have to! I can do it!” Despite his words, Silver didn’t sound particularly upset and even leaned his head forward to give her more access. He was grinning fondly down at her.

“I won’t hear it! I know what this is like,” Amy reminded him, standing on her tiptoes as she worked. “I want to help you look your best!”

Shadow looked away pointedly. He scratched his chin, silently contemplating the possibility of purposely leaving his quills messy when Amy stopped by on Sunday in the hopes that he could enjoy her attentions, too. The concept warred fiercely with his compulsive need to keep his quills pristine at all times, and it worried him that the dumb idea held so much sway over him.

“Okay!” Amy’s peppy declaration snapped Shadow out of his silly thoughts. “Does everyone remember the mission?”

Shadow stayed quiet, secretly admiring Amy’s cute energy and trying not to look as smitten as he was. Silver raised his hand and stood on his tiptoes excitedly, looking just as excited as Amy. “I do!”

Amy giggled into her hand. Shadow tried to ignore how charmed she was by Silver’s antics. “You don’t have to raise your hand, Silver.”

Silver dropped his hand and rubbed his upper arm, but he didn’t stop smiling. “Sorry, I’m just excited. I’ve never seen a Seaside Sunshell turtle before, let alone a whole bunch of hatchlings.”

A hint of sadness crossed Amy’s face. “Not many people have. They’re critically endangered, after all.” She shook it off and brightened up. “But that’s why we’re here!”

Shadow nodded, and Silver pumped his fist in the air. “Yeah!”

“So what’s the plan, Amy?”

Her face turned serious. “We need to make sure as many of those hatchlings get to the water as possible. The conservationist I’ve been in contact with said the turtle nests are over there at the base of those cliffs,” she explained, pointing to a spot halfway down the beach. She pressed her fingers together. “Now...Sunshells are fragile and need to imprint on this sand specifically, so they have to make it to the ocean on their own. We can’t just pick them up and bring them to the water. And that is where you come in, Silver!” she said, turning to him. “You can use your psychokinesis to clear obstacles and help protect them on their way to the ocean!”

“Hmm.” Shadow glanced in the direction of the nests and eyed the soaring seagulls warily. “That’s a good idea. Baby turtles are prey for just about everything.” He turned back to Amy. “So what about the two of us?”

“You see the cracks on those cliffs?”

Shadow narrowed his eyes and spotted the crevices she was pointing to near the top. He nodded.

“For some reason, these cliffs have been weakening and crumbling in recent years, and no one’s sure why. It’s degrading the turtles’ habitats, and the rocks fall and crush them sometimes, too. It’s one of the biggest threats to their survival.” She clasped her hands in front of her sadly.

“What can I do to help?”

Shadow’s bluntness set her back on track. “There’s not much we can do about the crumbling, but I figure you can use your Chaos Spears to break up and deflect any falling rocks. You can also help scare off any predators. Just aim carefully, okay?”

“Hmph.” He waved off her concerns. “That won’t be an issue. I was built for precision.”

Amy giggled. “’Built for precision?’ You’re spending too much time with Omega!” Silver’s laughter joined hers. Shadow just shrugged, seeing no reason to feel insulted.

“So what’ll you be doing, Amy?” Silver asked after a moment.

“I’ll be keeping a lookout from the peak. Someone needs to redirect people away from the site.” She narrowed her eyes and scratched her chin. “And I’m hoping I can figure out what’s going on with the cliffs, too.”

Shadow’s heart sank as he examined the height of the cliffs and realized he wouldn’t be able to talk to her. She caught his look and pouted. “Is that alright?”

“Of course it is!” Silver answered for him. He threw an arm around Shadow’s shoulders. “Shadow and I can handle this!”

Shadow looked down at the arm around his shoulders and fixed Silver with an unimpressed look, the kind of blunt stare that would scare off most people. Silver kept beaming brightly at him, seemingly oblivious to his disapproval. Shadow sighed. “We’ll be fine.”

Amy’s bright smile tempered his disappointment. “That’s the spirit! We can do this!” She marched down the beach, and the other two followed her.

She scanned the ground as she went, clearly looking for something. “My contact couldn’t be here this morning, but she said she marked the locations of the nests so we could...aha!” She jogged over to a small shrub with a length of blue twine tied around its base. She knelt down beside it, holding up her arm in warning. “She said you can tell the hatching’s about to start when the sand collapses down like this,” she explained, gesturing to a sunken patch of sand about two feet in diameter. “And the other nest should be riiiight...there!” she added, pointing to another shrub a little ways down. She wrinkled her nose sadly. “I wish we could’ve found that last one...the conservationist said there were supposed to be three nests, but she could only find two.”

“What happened to the last one?” Silver asked, drooping noticeably in disappointment.

Amy crossed her arms. “I don’t know, but I’m not going to stop looking. And in the meantime, we can still help out the rest of them!” Silver perked up and nodded along.

Past them, Shadow heard a soft noise. He angled his ear toward the nest to listen more carefully. It was low and muffled by the sand, but he could hear it. His eyes widened. “Huh. So it is true.”

“What is?”

“Turtles vocalize to communicate with each other even when they’re still in their eggs,” Shadow explained. “They coordinate their hatching times so they can all come out at the same time. There’s safety in numbers.”

Amy and Silver both made intrigued noises. They bent down low to the ground to try and listen as well. Shadow shook his head. “You won’t be able to--”

“I can hear it!” Silver chimed in immediately, sounding excited.

Shadow remained skeptical. “You must be hearing something else. It’s way too quiet for normal Mobians to pick up on it.”

“What does it sound like?” Amy asked.

“It’s like a low chirping sound. It’s kind of cool!”

Shadow stopped and uncrossed his arms, baffled. “I have enhanced hearing. How can you hear it?”

Silver stood back up. “Just runs in my family. All our senses are off-the-charts for some reason.” Upon seeing Shadow was still staring at him in surprise, he shrugged and half-smiled. “It’s kind of overwhelming sometimes, isn’t it?”

Shadow hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. It really is.”

Amy glanced between the two of them and grinned. “Well, so long as you two are bonding, I should get going to do my part.”

A part of Shadow ached at the impending loss of her company. He only felt sadder as something occurred to him. “If you leave now, you won’t get to see any of the baby turtles.”

“Oh...yeah, that’s right,” she realized, deflating. After a moment, though, she recovered. “It’s okay! This is more important than my desire to see baby turtles! Even if it would be adorable...” she lamented, pouting.

“If you want, I’ll switch places with you,” Shadow offered. “I’ve seen you break rocks with that hammer of yours.”

Amy’s eyes shone in gratitude and indecision. It warmed his heart. If she says yes, she’ll be spending time alone with another guy who’s clearly head over heels for her...but if it’ll make her this happy, it’s definitely worth it.

But she shook her head furiously instead. “No, no. It’s alright! Your Chaos Spears are much more precise than my hammer, and precision is essential here! I’ve got my role, and you two have yours.” She nodded definitively. Shadow’s heart softened further at her dedication.

“So selfless!” Silver gushed, echoing Shadow’s own thoughts.

Amy snorted good-naturedly and lightly punched his arm. “Don’t patronize me!”

“I wasn’t!”

She tried to wave it off, but Shadow was having none of it. “I agree with Silver. It’s generous of you to stick to the original plan.”

Despite her best efforts, a genuine smile spread across Amy’s face. She pulled the two of them into a quick, tight hug. “Thanks, guys.” She pulled away.

Shadow thought for a moment. “You could always stay for the first few and then get going,” he suggested.

Amy shook her head. “No can do. All it takes is one unsupervised dog off-leash for things to get out of control.”

“Very well.” Shadow looked back down at the sunken sand, then added, “I’ll take pictures for you.”

“Thanks, Shadow.” Her smile returned, and she clenched her fists eagerly. “Alright. It’s time. Good luck, you two!”

“Right!” Silver agreed, matching her enthusiasm. Shadow just nodded. Amy turned and started to leave, and Shadow watched her go. When she was about twenty feet away, though, she froze, as if remembering something. “Shadow! C’mere!” she called out.

Shadow glanced at Silver and exchanged a curious shrug with him. He jogged over to Amy.

When he got there, she took out a radio. “I almost forgot! I brought these so we can keep in touch.” She pressed it into his hand, but she didn’t let go afterward. After casting a furtive glance over Shadow’s shoulder, she took his upper arm to pull him closer. He ignored his heightened heartbeat as she spoke. “This is kind of silly, but...” she started, murmuring so they wouldn’t be overheard. “I know Silver’s older than me and he can look after himself, but I always kind of worry about him. It’s stupid, but I can’t help it for some reason. Do you think you could, um...” she trailed off.

“That’s not stupid.” He looked over his shoulder to see Silver was gazing dreamily around the admittedly scenic beach, not paying attention to his surroundings at all. Shadow scoffed. “Don’t know what it is, but I feel the same way sometimes.” She was looking up at him hopefully, so he added, “I’ll make sure he doesn’t try to make friends with a crab or anything.”

Amy sighed in obvious relief. “Thank you, Shadow. I know I don’t have to worry about you!” Pride swelled in his chest, and his stomach flipped when she grinned warmly and squeezed his hand in both of hers before dashing off. He gazed fondly after her for a moment, then turned back to Silver, who was grinning expectantly down at the nest, the very picture of innocent enthusiasm.

Maybe I’ve been too harsh on this kid lately. It’s not a crime to have great taste in women.

Silver gazed after Amy as well, then smiled up at him. “She’s the best, isn’t she?”

Shadow held back his feelings of jealousy and examined Silver’s expression more closely. “You really like her, don’t you?”

Silver’s smile turned sheepish. “Is it that obvious?”

Dammit. Dammit. Why did I have to say that? I don’t want to have this conversation! Shadow nodded in response, doing his best to hide his inner turmoil.

Silver scratched the back of his neck self-consciously. “This is a little weird, so don’t tell her, but...”

How should I react? Am I supposed to tell him I like her, too? What should I--

“She reminds me of my mom.”

Shadow’s thoughts ground to a halt. “What?”

Silver chuckled shyly. “It’s a little embarrassing.”

Shadow barely heard him as the pieces fell into place. She does act kind of motherly towards him, and he never seems to mind. Have I been stressed over nothing all this time?

Silver looked uncomfortable. “Is that weird?”

Realizing he’d been staring intensely at nothing, Shadow snapped out of it. “No, that makes sense. What is your mom like?”

Silver stooped down in front of the nest and gazed absently at it. His face was impossibly fond. “She was...amazing. I’ve never met anyone quite like her.”

Shadow winced in empathy. ‘Was?’ So he’s already lost his mom?

Silver’s affectionate smile didn’t fade as he spoke patiently of his lost loved one. “She was as compassionate as anyone I’ve ever known, but it was a fierce kindness. She wouldn’t just sympathize, she would fight for you. For anyone who was hurting.” He laughed softly. “Dad always said she was too forgiving, but she never let up. She always said that everyone--everyone--deserves a second chance.”

Shadow thought of his own history with Amy, and his heart softened with affection. That sounds exactly like her.

Silver picked up a stick and started drawing aimless patterns in the sand. His brow wrinkled in slight pain. “I was so young when I lost her. I wish I’d gotten to know her better.” His lips quirked into a half-smile. “I know I’ll never really have her back, but when I spend time with Amy, it makes me feel closer to her again.” He chuckled. “She even has the same soft green eyes Mom had.”

Shadow’s heart clenched. He squatted down opposite of Silver. “She sounds wonderful. I won’t tell Amy, but for the record, I think she’d feel honored to be compared to someone like that.”

Silver beamed up at him. “You might be right. My dad always told me I was a lot like her. It was the best compliment I could ever think of.”

His dad ‘told’ him? Past tense again? Don’t tell me this poor kid’s already lost both of his parents. Shadow was afraid to ask, so he just responded with a solemn nod and waited to see if Silver would add anything. He did.

“When I was really little, she used to sing this song to me when I couldn’t fall asleep. I wish I still remembered it. It was kind of sad but hopeful, if that makes sense...?” Shadow nodded, and Silver frowned in thought. “It was something about the stars and constellations, and how I’d always be okay...”

Shadow’s eyes lit up. Could it be...? He started to sing softly, experimentally.

“As the stars start to align I hope you take it as a sign That you’ll be okay Everything will be okay

And if the seven rings collapse Although the day could be my last You will be okay--”

Shadow stopped. “Silver? Are you alright?”

Silver had been staring at him with wide eyes. At Shadow’s words, he snapped out of it. He wiped a tear off his cheek and looked down at it in surprise. “Oh! Ah, sorry! I just haven’t heard that in a while, is all.” He laughed nervously and averted his gaze, hurriedly wiping off his face. Clearly embarrassed, he kept the topic moving. “How do you know that one? I’ve never heard anyone else sing it.”

“Professor Gerald taught it to Maria, and she sang it for me on the ARK whenever I was upset. It always calmed me down.” Silver was smiling again, but it still looked a bit strained. It tugged at Shadow’s heartstrings. He hesitated before adding, “...I don’t get to sing it very often. If you’d like, I can sing it for you some other time.” Maybe sometime when we both feel comfortable crying.

Silver’s grin turned sincere. “I’d really like that.” Shadow nodded.

Just then, the little squeaks under the sand grew louder, drawing Shadow and Silver’s attention. They spotted a bit of movement on the ground between them. The sand sank and shifted just slightly at first, then made way for a tiny, wrinkled head. The baby turtle lazily blinked its eyes open.

Silver gasped. His eyes went wide. His gaze snapped briefly up. “Shadow, it’s happening!” He looked right back down as the turtle started pushing its way up, sluggishly trying to shake off the sand as it went. “This is incredible!”

Shadow kept quiet, though he couldn’t help but agree. Remembering his promise to Amy, he took a few pictures as more tiny turtle heads pushed their way up. Flippers emerged to drag the turtles up through the sand, and the turtles started working together to fight gravity. Soon enough, ten or fifteen turtles had escaped the nest and were dragging themselves determinedly toward the water as one, aside from one or two confused, misdirected stragglers. Shadow peeked over his shoulder and found a few turtles were escaping from the other nest, too. Silver was completely captivated by the sight, but Shadow focused on the challenges ahead.

“We should clear some of the rocks and vegetation if we can. It’ll give the turtles a clear shot.”

At his words, Silver snapped back to the task at hand. “Right!” They worked together to shift boulders out of the way--Silver with his psychokinesis, Shadow with his strength. Shadow looked back at the cliffs behind him when a low hum emitted from them. He frowned as he felt a slight vibration.

“Do you hear that?” Silver asked. Shadow didn’t answer. He was too preoccupied with the crack that grew along the top of the cliff. Soon enough, a large hunk of rock fell. Shadow gritted his teeth.

“Chaos Spear!”

Shadow flicked his wrist as he hurled the projectile, making it curve to smash through the rock and hook away from the fragile cliffs at the last second. He threw a few smaller spears in the same way to break up the larger chunks until only harmless dust fell to the beach.

“Wow, nice job!”

“Stay focused,” Shadow shot back, brushing off the compliment and pointing to some seagulls that were swooping in. Silver turned around and quickly projected a barrier to deflect them, keeping it malleable to push the gulls away without hurting them with the impact. Shadow relaxed and activated his radio.

“Amy? You there?”

“Yup! Any turtles yet?”

Shadow sighed in relief. “Yeah. They’re safe so far, but the cliffs are crumbling, just like you said. Avoid the edges if you can.”

“Aww, thanks! I’ll be careful,” she replied, sounding endeared.

Shadow opened his mouth to say something along the lines of ‘I wouldn’t be able to stand it if something happened to you’ or ‘I’ll always be there to catch you if you fall,’ but he lost his nerve and instead opted for a simple, “Good. Shadow out.”

With the excitement out of the way, Silver squatted back down to admire the baby turtles as they scuttled toward the sea. He held up a hand to maintain the forcefield above his head, while he leaned his free elbow against his knee and rested his chin in his palm. He smiled dreamily at the cute, determined little creatures, each adorned with the vaguely sun-shaped pattern on their backs that gave Sunshells their name.

Shadow rolled the remaining boulders into place to block the turtles from going the wrong direction. He snapped a few more photos before addressing Silver. “You’re really fond of them, aren’t you?” Silver nodded absently. Shadow’s expression grew concerned as he kept working. “I can tell why you want to help them so much. They’re still rare in your time, aren’t they?”

Silver’s smile barely changed. “They’re extinct.”

Shadow’s head whipped over to him. After a few seconds of silence, Silver looked up at him and panicked. “Oh--oh, crap! Sorry! Uh...pretend I didn’t say that!” He hid his face in his hands and groaned. “Man, Blaze is right. I really am going to break something, aren’t I?”

Shadow shook off his surprise. “That’s...uh...” He paused, then asked, “What do you mean, ‘break something?’”

Silver looked back up. He was cringing. “Yeah, as in, breaking the timeline. She’s always stepping in to keep me from telling people things they’re not supposed to know. It’s really hard to let everyone make the mistakes they need to make, you know?” He let out a laugh that was half affectionate and half embarrassed. “I sometimes say that I’m useless without her. It’s not entirely a joke.”

Shadow wasn’t so sure about that, but he shifted the topic out of curiosity. “If they’re extinct in your time, why are you bothering with this now? You know it’s pointless.”

At that, Silver stood back up and squared his shoulders. “’Pointless.’ People always say that, and I’m tired of it. They say one little misstep can ruin the whole timeline, but they never believe that good deeds can do the opposite!” Shadow blinked in surprise at the switch in his demeanor. He stayed quiet while Silver continued. “If I can mess up the future with just a few words, then why can’t I fix things just as easily?” Silver noticed that one turtle had gotten flipped over onto its back and was flailing its flippers uselessly. He made a hill out of sand with his psychokinesis to flip it back over. “I’ll change the future with my own two hands!” He lifted more sand behind the turtle, making it slide down. The turtle flailed for a moment, but then it used its momentum to resume its scramble to the sea. Silver put his hands on his hips and nodded proudly.

Shadow just gaped like a fish for a moment, thrown off by the powerful, optimistic message--coming from the mouth of such a normally goofy hedgehog, no less.

He really is a good kid.

Oblivious to Shadow’s feelings, Silver scratched his chin, then grinned. He started pulling the waves farther up the beach to meet more of the turtles halfway, helping them into the ocean. Shadow took a step forward and watched him work.

“You’re well-suited to this. You could probably handle the whole job by yourself.”

Silver beamed, flattered, but his smile turned sheepish. “Thanks, but...no. I’d get way too distracted. I can never get over how beautiful nature is from your time period.” A soft noise on the sand nearby drew both of their attention, and they turned to see a hermit crab scuttle over toward the turtles. Silver’s eyes lit up. “Oh, how cool!”

He held out a finger and tried to get closer, but Shadow stepped in front of him. “Hmph.” He carefully threw a small Chaos Spear near the crab, aiming it just in front of the animal to startle it without actually hitting it. The scared crustacean scurried away.

Silver looked heartbroken. “Why’d you scare it off?”

“Crabs are one of the worst predators of baby sea turtles,” Shadow replied, crossing his arms.

“Oh.”

Shadow examined Silver’s slumped shoulders and disappointed expression. He shook his head. I was kidding about you befriending a crab. I really can’t leave you alone with this job, can I?

Silver scratched the back of his head. “I don’t like working alone anyway,” he admitted, mirroring Shadow’s thoughts. “I get too lonely. I’ve spent way too much time fighting by myself.”

The way Silver held himself after he said that called out to Shadow, prompting him to respond in a way that surprised even him.

“I can understand that.” Silver looked up in confusion. Shadow looked away and smoothed down a lump of sand that a few turtles had gotten stuck on. “Nature on the ARK was practically nonexistent. When I first came to Earth, I was floored by every plant and animal I came across, and I hunted down every scrap of information I could find about them.”

Silver’s eyes widened. “You, too?!”

Shadow nodded. “My past and your future aren’t so different.” He paused. Before he could stop himself, he added, “I tend to a garden at home. It’s pretty expansive. Amy’s visiting me on Sunday to take a look at it. You can join us if you want.”

Silver smiled wider than he had all day. “You mean it?!” Shadow nodded. “I’d love to!” He sprang to his feet and jogged in place in excitement.

Inwardly, Shadow nearly facepalmed. Hums and vibrations emitted from the cliffs behind them, alerting Shadow to more falling rocks, and he welcomed the distraction of shattering them once more.

I can’t believe I just did that. I gave up a chance to spend time alone with Amy--and in a romantic setting, no less! He looked back to where Silver was pumping his fist, still giddy over the simple invitation.

Why am I being so nice to this kid? Do I just feel bad for him? He watched as Silver hurriedly re-conjured the forcefield he’d accidentally dropped in his delight, blocking a rogue seagull in the process. I guess it’s kind of hard not to. He acts like a lost puppy, and he probably hasn’t ever seen half the flowers I look after. Shadow sighed in sympathy. I think I’m starting to understand why he likes “Creature Crossing” so much.

“Thanks again, Shadow!” Silver enthused, having run over to stand close to him while he was distracted. Shadow took an automatic step backward at the proximity. “Hmph.” He roughly ruffled Silver’s quills to distract him in response.

“Hey, Amy just fixed those!” Silver laughed as he tried to preen them back in place himself.

Shadow heard a giggle over the radio before Amy chimed in. “Did you know you two groom your quills exactly the same way?”

Shadow blinked in confusion, then realized he’d been subconsciously mimicking Silver’s motions. He took his hands away, then smirked as he replied. “Can’t take your eyes off me, can you?”

Amy laughed again. “I can’t help it! There’s nothing to do up here. No one’s come by at all,” she whined.

Shadow grinned at the opportunity. “Come down here.”

“Hmmm, I dunno...”

While she hemmed and hawed, Silver jogged over to Shadow, taking the radio from him to reply, “I can help! I’ve been working on a new skill lately. I can sense the presence of other life forms. I can pick up on anyone passing by for you!”

Amy squealed in excitement. “Oo, that’s so cool!”

Shadow glared and snatched the radio back. “Yeah. How useful.” Would’ve been nice to know that twenty minutes ago. We could’ve been spending time with Amy this whole time!

“That settles it, then. Incoming!”

Shadow was confused until Silver pointed up at the cliff. Amy leapt off of it. Before Shadow could panic, she whipped out her hammer and spun, using it to glide down slowly. She landed gracefully in the sand at the base of the cliff. Shadow relaxed, at least until he felt the hum and bizarre vibrations once more. The rocks above Amy started to crumble, then fell.

“Amy!” Shadow and Silver cried out in alarm.

Shadow instantly hurled a Chaos Spear, neatly splitting the biggest boulder in half. “Silver!”

“On it!” Silver constructed a hasty, wedge-shaped barrier over Amy’s head. It redirected the rocks to land on either side of her with blunt thuds in the sand.

Amy looked on with wide eyes. She then vanished the hammer she’d planned on using to defend herself and dashed toward them. “Wow! Thank you! You two make a great team.” Silver beamed proudly. Shadow responded with a simple nod. Amy pouted. “I wish we knew the source of the crumbling, but we’ve got nothing to go on.”

Shadow rubbed his chin. “What about those weird hums and vibrations that always happen beforehand?”

Amy cocked her head. “What vibrations?”

“I can feel them, too,” Silver chimed in. “It happens every time.”

The three of them thought for a moment, but then Shadow frowned. Wait a minute... He looked up. “G.U.N. sent us on an underground mission not too long ago--literally underground--to investigate minor recurring earthquakes that were damaging Sunset Heights. We found out Eggman was using this new, updated, more mole-shaped version of his old Burrobots to drill around down there, undermining foundations and generally wreaking havoc.” He growled as he remembered the pests. “Every time we got a lock on one, it just burrowed back into the ground, and more would pop up. It was hell trying to eradicate them without weakening the ground further.”

At this, a fire lit behind Amy’s eyes. “I’ll take care of this!”

“Are you sure you don’t want help?”

She shook her head furiously and conjured her hammer, posing proudly. “No need, Shadow. I've got the perfect weapon!”

Shadow hid his disappointment. “Can’t argue with that,” he admitted fondly. Amy nodded and ran back toward the cliffs. Shadow raced after her and kept a wary eye above her.

Amy ran her hands along the wall. “If they’re drilling around in here, there’s gotta be a way in...” She slid along the wall, lightly tapping her knuckles against the rock as she went. Her ears perked up when the rock emitted a more hollow sound. She excitedly wound up her hammer, then stopped when Silver put a hand on her shoulder.

“Ah...that might be overkill,” he pointed out. “Let me...”

Amy stepped back. He lifted his hands and levitated the boulders that had just fallen and set them aside, revealing a small crack that had appeared in the wall, leaving a tiny crevice behind. “Alright!” Amy exclaimed.

Shadow was more apprehensive than she was. “Are you sure you feel safe doing this alone?” Silver nodded in agreement.

Amy crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed. “Shadow, if there’s anyone who’s equipped for this, it’s me. You guys have been doing all the work so far, so it’s time I do my part! Besides, there’s no way you two can fit through that hole, and we can’t risk widening it with another hit.”

Shadow examined the crevice. As much as he wanted to argue, he couldn’t; with her petite frame and lack of back spines, Amy was clearly the only one small enough to fit. He sighed reluctantly. “Alright. Radio us if there’s anything we can do.”

“Don’t worry, you two. Have no fear, Amy Rose is here!” All three of them couldn’t help but laugh at her cheesy old catchphrase, even Shadow. She turned toward the wall and stooped down as if to crawl into the hole, then paused and peeked over her shoulder at them awkwardly. Shadow looked down at her dress and caught her meaning. His ears reddened. He took Silver’s arm and hastily turned him back around. “Let’s get back to work,” he insisted. The oblivious look remained on Silver’s face, but he shrugged and let Shadow lead him back to the turtles.

Their gazes immediately landed on a raccoon that had hopped over the rock barrier into the path of the turtles. It had picked up one of the hatchlings in its tiny paws. Before Shadow could react, Silver cried out, “No!” He swung his arm forward to shower the raccoon with a array of green sparks, leaving it dazed and disoriented. It dropped the hatchling and looked around in confusion. Silver took hold of the clump of sand under the raccoon with his psychokinesis and rapidly swept it away, sending it down toward the far end of the beach. Silver slumped and sighed in relief.

Shadow looked between Silver and the distant raccoon, impressed. “That was pretty fast.” For you, at least, he thought wryly. He kept that part to himself.

Silver crossed his arms and nodded proudly. “Swift’s my name and my game!”

Shadow stared at him blankly. “Your name is Silver.”

Silver cocked his head, then laughed. “Oh, right! I guess you wouldn’t know, huh? Silver’s just a nickname. My real name is ‘Swift.’”

Shadow froze, then slowly looked back at Silver in trepidation. “What did you just say?”

“Yeah! It’s actually ‘Swift.’ Weird, huh?” he replied, oblivious to Shadow’s turbulent thoughts.

“Why do you go by ‘Silver’...?” Shadow spoke slowly.

“Because ‘Swift’ was my grandpa’s name, and my great-grandpa’s name, and a bunch of my uncles’, too,” he explained, counting off his relatives on his fingers as he spoke. “We just go by our fur colors to clear things up. It’s a little silly, isn’t it? You’d think they’d just use a different name, but it’s tradition at this point.”

Shadow stared off into space as the pieces fell into place. She’s just like his mom. They have the same quill-line. They both have psychic-based powers. They’re both naïve, optimistic, and passionate about justice...dear Chaos, they even have the same smile, now that I think of it! How the hell have I never noticed this before?!

“Uh...Shadow? You okay?”

Silver’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He opened his mouth, deliberated, and then said, “...Don’t ever tell Amy your real name.”

His nose wrinkled in confusion--exactly the way Amy’s always did, his brain pointed out. “Why not?”

Shadow gritted his teeth. “Because you’ll break something.”

Silver kept frowning, but then he lifted his shoulders. “I guess asking why would defeat the purpose, huh?” Shadow nodded. Silver sighed. “Will I at least know in the future?”

“I’ll tell you someday.”

“Are you sure you won’t forget?”

Shadow let out a sudden bark of laughter, startling them both. “Trust me, I will never forget this.”

Silver still seemed curious, but he chuckled and set it aside. “Honestly, I’m fine just being called Silver. ‘Swift’ doesn’t really fit me. It’s kind of embarrassing to be a slow hedgehog.” He rubbed his arm shyly.

“I don’t know about that. Amy’s a hedgehog, too, and you’re about the same speed as her.” Shadow flinched as he felt the similarities continue to pile up. Of course they’re the same speed...

“Yeah, but it’s not like my whole family is like that,” Silver pointed out. “My grandpa Blue was as fast as they come! He could’ve given you and Sonic a run for your money.” He winked cheekily.

Shadow barely noticed. He felt his heart shatter. “Did you say...‘Blue?’”

Silver nodded happily, not picking up on Shadow’s pain. “Yup! I have a few blue relatives. Grandpa Blue, Uncle Cobalt, my cousin Sky...you get the picture!”

Shadow clenched the fur on his chest tightly. Of course she’s going to marry Sonic. Everyone knew that would happen.

Shadow heard sounds of metal clashing from inside the cliffs. When he felt vibrations again, he welcomed the chance to smash more rocks, throwing much more aggression into his Chaos Spears than before.

Everyone knew that...except for me.

Evidently spooked by Shadow’s sudden anger, Silver laughed nervously and tried to diffuse the tension. “You know, my family was actually relieved when I turned out silver. They were starting to run out of synonyms for blue and black.”

Shadow froze again. His head snapped back up. “Wait...you have black relatives, too?!”

Silver tilted his head. “Uh, yeah! There was my Great-Grandpa Black...my Uncle Pitch...heh. I even had an Uncle Jet. I was thrown off when I met present-Jet for the first time and he was covered in green feathers--”

Shadow rushed forward to grab Silver’s upper arms, startling him with his intensity. “Were there others?”

Silver snorted, thrown off by Shadow’s uncharacteristic enthusiasm. “Actually, my mom was black, too. She just didn’t need a nickname.” He chuckled again. “My dad always got the impression that her family was relieved when she married him because he was a white mink so we weren’t adding more blue or black to the family, but they never actually said it out loud because you can’t just say ‘Thank Chaos you married a white guy,’ haha! You know?”

Blue...and black...what does that mean? Do our kids marry each other somewhere down the line? What if she doesn’t marry either of us?! It could be anyone who’s blue or black...but I’ve never heard of any other blue hedgehogs...but what if it’s not a hedgehog at all?! Is there any chance in hell that it’s me? How can I win against him?!

“Uh, Shadow...? This is starting to hurt...”

Silver’s strained voice brought him back to reality. He realized he’d been staring intensely at him and gripping his arms too tightly. He immediately let go of him and stepped away. “...Sorry.”

“Are you okay?”

Shadow held Silver’s nervous gaze with his own for a moment, then sighed and looked away. “I’m fine. I just spaced out.”

If I keep interrogating this kid about his genetics, I’LL probably break something.

Shadow was spared the burden of explaining himself fully when a triumphant cry erupted from the cliffs.

“HAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!”

A boulder was effortlessly hurled aside. Amy stepped out of a hole in the rocky wall and thrust her arm above her head in a dramatic pose. She was holding a metal object in her upraised hand. She whacked it away with her hammer and let out a satisfied cackle of victory.

The object landed at Shadow’s feet. He recognized it as the disembodied head of one of the mole robots. Silver recoiled at the morbid sight. “Eugh!”

Shadow’s heart thumped a little faster as he looked between the head and Amy’s proud stance and smile.

She’s incredible.

Amy strolled over to them. “I hope you guys know you just missed the best game of whack-a-mole in history. I was on fire!”

Silver shuddered, most likely relieved he hadn’t been there. Shadow didn’t feel the same way. “I wish I’d been there. No one fights Badniks like you do.”

Amy held her hammer behind her back bashfully. “Aww, thank you! I do wish I could’ve found that last nest, but at least we solved one mystery!”

“I wish I could’ve been more help in finding the Badniks, but I can only sense organic beings, not robots,” Silver lamented.

Amy paused. “Wait...” She placed a hand on Silver’s shoulder. “What beings are you sensing on this beach?”

Silver pressed his first two fingers to his temple and squinted one eye shut. His tongue poked out of the side of his mouth endearingly as he concentrated, just as Amy’s did whenever she was focusing on something. “Well, there are the baby turtles,” he started, nodding to the few determined stragglers. “I can feel you two, plus the seagulls, hermit crabs, and that one raccoon...and there’s one spot farther down the beach where there are a whole bunch of little ones! I’ve been wondering about that all morning.”

The other two exchanged a look. Shadow facepalmed. Amy partially covered her face and sighed. “Silver? Sweetie?”

“Hm?”

Amy dragged her hands down to address him. “Why don’t you bring us over there?” Her smile held all the patience only a mother could have.

Or a great-great-great-grandmother, Shadow thought wryly.

Silver glanced over his shoulder. The last few turtles seemed to have things under control. “Alright! Why not?”

Silver led the way down the beach, pressing his fingers to his temple for guidance. He stopped at the base of a cliff just in front of some large ferns. He knelt to the ground and squinted. “I can feel it! They’re right in front of me, but they’re...underground...?”

Shadow and Amy looked at each other, dumbfounded. Amy pulled the ferns aside, while Shadow carefully removed a few boulders that had fallen. Thankfully, they’d landed in such a way that they’d propped each other up instead of falling directly at the ground, sparing the dip in the sand and its residents from damage.

“Wait a minute...” Silver pressed his ear to the ground, and his eyes widened. “I can hear it again! The–” He gasped and looked up at the other two. “No way!”

Amy giggled, and Shadow fixed him with a blank stare. This kid...

Soon enough, another set of turtle heads started poking up from the ground. Amy squealed, happy that she’d get to see some turtles hatch after all. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

With the late start, it took until the afternoon to get the rest of the turtles to their destination. The later time brought more predators, but with the cliffs standing strong and all three of them working together, they didn’t have much trouble. The conservationist showed up just as they were finishing escorting the last of the turtles to the sea.

“Oh, you three have done wonderfully! I knew I could count on you, Amy!”

Amy hopped forward and shook the human’s hand. “All in a day’s work, Myrtle!”

Silver poked his head around Amy to lock eyes with Myrtle. “How do you know it went well? Was Amy keeping you updated or something?”

Myrtle looked confused. “Oh, no! I was keeping up with the livestream on my way back here. The way you used your powers to save the cliffs and escort the turtles safely was a sight to behold!”

Shadow and Silver gaped and exchanged a nervous look. “’Livestream?!’” they chorused.

Amy giggled. “Sorry, guys! I never told you because I was afraid you’d get camera shy if you knew.”

Silver cringed. “You’re probably right. I don’t operate well under that kind of pressure.” Shadow had to agree. His eyes flicked around the beach, wondering where the cameras were hidden.

“We’ve been trying to raise as much awareness as possible about the Sunshells lately, and this year, I think we’ve finally done it!” Myrtle took out her phone and opened an app showing the tail end of a livestream. The last few turtles were dragging themselves to the sea. There was no sound from their location, only ambient music, and Shadow breathed a sigh of relief that their conversations hadn’t been broadcast.

Myrtle scrolled down to show them some of the comments.

“OMG, this is so. Cool!” “Aww, they’re so cute!” “Those hedgehogs make such a good team!” “The pink one’s cute--oh, God, did she decapitate that robot?!” “Awesome!” “Adorable!” “Amazing!” “I can’t believe Sunshells are endangered. They’re incredible.”

Myrtle beamed and closed the app. “Between the cuteness of the turtles and your dedication, you’ve inspired people to support us more than ever. Donations and volunteers have been pouring in! We’ll finally have the support and funding to give the turtles the resources they need!”

“You can thank Silver for that,” Amy said, taking one of his hands in her own. “He’s the one who found the third nest!”

“And he protected the turtles better than anyone else could have,” Shadow added, placing a hand on Silver’s shoulder. “No one else could have done this the way he did.”

“Aww, you guys are making me blush!”

Myrtle bent down to shake Silver’s free hand. “If that’s true, Silver, then thank you. I can tell today is the turning point for the Sunshells. We’ve got all we need to bring them back from the brink now!”

Silver, Amy, and Myrtle all smiled brilliantly. Even Shadow wore a small grin.

I guess you were right, Silver. One kid really can make all the difference.

Silver waved goodbye and teleported away with Chaos Control. Shadow took Amy’s hand to do the same, warping them both to her front doorstep.

Amy squeezed his hand instead of letting go. “Thanks for all your help today, Shadow! And it was really sweet of you to invite Silver to join us on Sunday. I can’t wait!”

“It was my pleasure. I’m looking forward to it as well. I...”

When he trailed off and didn’t let go of her hand, Amy frowned in confusion.

Shadow deliberated for quite some time. Silver’s sentiments from earlier echoed in his mind, enriched by the possibilities he now knew existed. He took a deep breath.

Time to shape my own future.

“Amy...I’ve...developed some feelings for you. Romantic ones.” He knew she could feel his hands shaking in hers, but he persevered, keeping his eyes shut solemnly. “I’d like to take you out sometime on a date, if you’d be interested.”

He slowly opened his eyes again. Her soft green eyes shone up at him in genuine surprise. It was several seconds--the longest several seconds of Shadow’s life, he’d later decide--before a casual smile spread across her face.

“You know what? Yeah! Why not?”

A wide grin spread unbidden across Shadow’s face. He pushed down the light, elated feeling in his heart long enough to say, “Yeah! Great! Um...can we figure out the details later?”

Truth be told, the confession was spur-of-the-moment and he hadn’t expected her to say yes, so he had nothing prepared. Luckily, she didn’t mind. She nodded, and he contained his excitement long enough to make sure she got into her house. He teleported back home and celebrated properly, mirroring Silver’s own jubilation from earlier in the day.

For those who need more proof:

Semi-edgy bois *almost* swearing to keep it E-rated. Like father, like son...kind of.

The song Shadow sings is “You Will Be Okay” from Helluva Boss. @w0lp3rtinger introduced it to me ages ago, and it still makes me cry.

#shadamy #shadow the hedgehog #amy rose #sonic the hedgehog #Silver the Hedgehog #SDS #Shadow: ''Uh...Blaze? You ever wonder who Silver's descended from?''#Blaze--not even looking up from her book-- ''No.''#The Ultimate Wife Form #hc

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