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#really seems entirely dependent on whether or not it’s gonna affect the release date
gb-patch · 3 years
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Ask Answers: August 8th
Well, doing big posts all together worked for a while but lately I’ve been putting it off because it takes a long time to get them done. I think I’m gonna try switching back to answering asks whenever I can fit it in and posting them one at a time instead of waiting until I’ve filled out one of these major collections.
But for now, here’s more ask answers! Thank you for the questions and for all the kind words along with them ^^.
Hello!! I'm here to ask if its possible to get  the game and its dlcs on steam and play it on android?
I’m afraid not. Steam doesn’t have Android builds on their own site and Steam is not cool with keys for other sites being given out for Steam purchases, so you don’t get the Itch version from buying on Steam.
Hello! Sorry to bother you but, I had a question, if we buy the Game on itchio do we get steam keys or would we need to purchase it twice? 
You would have to buy it twice if you want it in both places, I’m sorry. To repeat myself a little, Steam doesn’t like the key trading thing. Itch may support giving keys for another site, but the reverse isn’t doable with Steam and Steam doesn’t even really want you to get a Steam key for buying somewhere else either. So we just don’t mess around with that.
hey, sorry if this is frequently asked, but is step 4 free dlc or paid for? some of your sources are contradicting each other. 
It’s free! There’s a paid wedding DLC, but Step 4 itself is entirely unpaid.
Hello! I just had a quick question, for the Baxter and Derek DLC's will we be able to confess our feelings to them or let them confess to MC? or will it only be one way? (they confess to MC)
Both type of options will be available!
Hey there! I wanted to ask whether or not the Derek DLC is still on track to be released in August since on the steam discussion board it says it will be released mid 2021. I totally understand if it isn't, I'm just really looking forward to it! If you answer then ty! And keep up the amazing work :D 
It’s not, aha. Unfortunately, 2021 wasn’t easier than 2020 as we hoped so things are still slower than planned. It’ll come out late 2021 or early 2022.
Hi! Firstly I just want to say that I LOVE Our Life. I have played a bit of similar games but this one instantly wins for the best one! Everything about it is amazing! I just wanted to ask if Derek would ever lose feelings for MC, like if they make the deal and then MC gets with Cove would he move on? and even if you don't, after "losing contact" would his feeling fade or would he still like MC? 
If you don’t really keep in touch with him and clearly move on with your life, Derek will too and he’ll be over it. But if you are still close as best as you can be, he’ll still think the MC is special. Though, he’ll always support your relationship with someone else if that’s what’ll make you happy.
Hello! Sorry if you've answered this before but: 'How's Lee related to us? Though which momma? And does she share our player-chosen last names? Also, do you know if Noelani took Pam's last name or did it happen the other way round? 
She’s related to Pamela and Pamela’s last name is the one they use, so the MC has the same last name as Lee.
Will we be able to choose which (they or he) we tend to call Qiu by more often, or will it randomly change depending on the moment? 
Qiu knows which pronoun they’re comfortable with at a time and you’ll call them what they’re happy with. And it doesn’t change between lines, it takes multiple scenes or even full Steps for it to switch. So for extended periods Qiu will be totally a guy or fully agender.
Will Step 4 of OL2 have moments?
It’ll be an epilogue like it is in OL1, so it won’t have a bunch of different Moments.
Hello! Just a quick question, is Sunset bird from OL1 based on a real location? If so what's it called? I wanna visit it +_+
ps i love your games so much <3
It isn’t based on one specific town you can go to, but there are a lot of little coastal towns in Cali that have a similar vibe!
Heyaaa ( I hope you're all well ), umm… it might seem kinda stupid to ask but did Patreon members can have a key for the dlc's ( all the steps-released dlc ) even if they became a member this month or later ? (me? saying this cuz it's my case? maybe ;-;), and once again thanks for absolutely all the amazing works on all the games ! u-u 
You wouldn’t get the DLCs for backing there. The Patreon is for extra bonus content/early access, rather than being a storefront to purchase the normal DLCs. Rarely we give them out as a side gift, but it hardly happens and if what you want is the DLCs it’s best to ignore the Patreon and  buy keys for those directly from Itch or Steam. I’m sorry for the confusion.
Hey y'all, love what youre doing w/Terry. Trans rep outside of player customization is so rare and important to see more of so thank you so much. I do have a question and its that does he have a canon sexuality? I know Miranda was said to be straight ace but I dont believe anything was stated for Terry probably because he wasnt revealed to be a guy which changes things. Im also curious if well get answers on how long hes liked Miranda since he may have liked her in step 3 before she liked him 
Terry likes women and Randy likes men! And he did like Miranda back in Step 3.
Will the Wedding Dlc release at the same time as Step 4? 
They’ll come out separately with Step 4 releasing first.
I really love Our Life so much! I've spent over 20hours playing it even though I only got it a week ago! I was wondering if I could make a fangame for Our Life with a different love interest but same plot. Next-door neighbors romance, multiple steps, etc? I'll probably make it on Google Slides though- 
Sure! I hope you have fun with it and I’m glad you love the game.
How does Cove feel about poly relationships? 
He’s got nothing against them for the people they work for, but he’s 100% monogamous and would only be comfortable with a partner who was willing to be monogamous with him.
Idk if this has been answered before but will Step 4 include the option to advance your feelings towards Cove? 
Yep, you’ll be able to determine your feelings and what your relationship is.
In step 4 will there be a chosen to say we live with Cove even as just friends? 
Yeah, you can choose to live with Cove and that can be done when you’re friends.
I just played the game with the MC and Cove being best friends and omg it’s still so damn cute like the wholesomeness of it all is too much for my heart I swear ^.^  Now with that all said I was wondering can we still marry Cove? if we only love him as a friend like let’s say we’ve made deal with him similar to the one we can make with Derek because let’s real no one could compete with what the MC and Cove have even if they aren’t in love. 
It’s great to hear you enjoyed the friendship story! You can live with Cove, but you can’t marry him platonically. Cove has familial affection for the MC if they’re best-est friends. He wouldn’t think to marry someone he loves like family and even grew up with as though they truly were siblings.
Are you still going to be making a DLC for XOBD? :] 
Yes! We’re slowing adding voiced lines and fixing errors.
It makes me laugh that Shiloh's last name is Fields because that's what I put as my last name! So in Our Life when he talked about "Ms. Fields" picking him up I was extremely confused, lol. That dude mimics personalities so much that he stole my surname!
Oh, wow, that’s a very funny coincidence, haha.
hi !! i cant seem to be able to get the scene where mc is able to propose to cove despite being at the 'love' stage and telling him i'd want to get married, are there any other details that im missing out on? the options just dont appear at the end... 
Maybe you missed telling Cove you were in love with him even if you mentioned wanting to get married or you might’ve accidentally said earlier in the game that you don’t want to progress your relationship further with Cove. We haven’t removed them, so you can get the scene again. It’s just kind of easy to miss since there’s multiple requirements. You can read a little guide in the FAQ.
wait what di you need to do to be able to propose to cove? I've been trying but haven't had much luck 
You can check out the FAQ linked above!
does cove only develop a crush on the mc if the mc is also at crush/in love with him? 
Technically, yes. We treat the non-romantic relationship options as truly non-romantic since we don’t want to bait and switch people. But there’s nothing wrong with headcanoning that Cove does have feelings developing for the MC even before the MC has.
Is there a way to make/allow Lee and Baxter to date?
No, they just don’t have enough time together.
We also got a group of asks related to Tamarack in OL2, but I’m afraid the way they talked about people with larger bodies made me not want to post their words, even if the person didn’t say they’re trying to be hurtful. I will separate out the core question and answer it though, so people can know that info.
Does Tamarack lose weight in later Steps?
No, she doesn’t. As for the other questions included, to be honest, I don’t have to explain/defend having romance options of different sizes. I’m sorry if you’re dealing with unhappiness that’s connected to body image, if that’s where the negative emotions are coming from, but even so I can’t meet you on that level and pretend it’s a problem that needs an answer. A girl who simply isn’t thin being a main love interest is just not an unreasonable concept. Also, Tamarack isn’t a lesbian. Yes, she can date a female MC, but that doesn’t undo her actual sexuality, so I’m not sure where that one part at the end was coming from.
I wonder... can we "fight" with Qiu over leader status? 👀
Not really, haha. No matter how cool your MC is, they’re never gonna replace Qiu for the other kids around. So you can either partner up with him, follow him too, or not be a part of all that group politics stuff.
So when I play the game, sometimes I mentally call Cove “Covie/Covey” and that made me wonder, how does Cove feel about being nicknamed? Not like Romeo/Space Cadet/etc. but like pet names relating to his actual name
It’d depend on his age, personality, and your relationship with him! When he’s younger he’d probably be embarrassed, when he was grown he’d probably be more casual or happy about it.
will you be able to date baxter in step 3 while at crush with cove (but not dating him ofc) sorry if this has been asked already. i really love baxters step 4 design btw!! 
Yeah, you can be crushing on Cove and date Baxter if you weren’t already dating Cove. You just can’t be truly in love with Cove and then switch to Baxter.
I just got my friend into our life, and they adore shiloh and derek sooo will there be more of them in the second game? 
I’m afraid not. But you can see plenty more of Shiloh in XOXO Droplets/XOXO Blood Droplets, haha.
I see you haven't gotten any xoxo droplets asks recently but I'm still obsessed with these boys!! I was just wondering if Nate would curse under any circumstance? 
Yeah, Nate does use certain swear words (damn, hell, bastard) on very rare occasions.
Hi there! I have a question about the wedding dlc. Will we be able to plan a honeymoon during the planning stages of it or would it be something that Cove and the mc would rather plan later on? Thank you! Absolutly love the game by the way, definitely one of my favorite games! 
The focus will be on the wedding day itself. The topic of the honeymoon might come up a bit, but there won’t be any choosing of the exact location and such.
Hi! I have two questions and it's completely understandable if you only answer one/neither and I'm sorry if you've already answered either before! First, is there a set year in which OL:B&A takes place (ex: Step 1 being set in 2010 & Step 2 being set in 2016, etc.) or is it simply up to interpretation? Second, have you guys thought about doing a coming-of-age game where the MC has a tough home life or upbringing? (like one of their parents is an addict, a parent being transphobic whilst the player has the option to be trans, or having friends that are influencing them to do drugs, etc.) That's all! Thanks for making beautiful games. <3 
There is a set timeline!
Step 1: 2006 Step 2: 2011 Step 3: 2016 Step 4: 2021 
And we don’t currently plan on making a game like that. The Our Life series exists to be a safer environment for people to play around in and if we did do a brand new series that was harsher edged it’d be something more fantastical and/or plot-driven instead of a different type of modern day slice-of-life growing up story. I’m sorry.
i don’t know if you’ve already answered this, but do you have a guess on when phase 4 will come out? as well as ol2? i’m so excited for both of them, the inclusivity in this game is amazing, you guys should be really proud of it! 
Step 4 will be coming out very soon! OL2 is gonna take until 2023 to be anywhere near completion. But we might episodically release the Steps one at a time as they get done instead of waiting for three to be finished before launch like we did with the first game.
Hello, I was curious if there was an official or unofficial discord server for the game? 
We do have a discord! You can join by clicking this link HERE.
how long do you plan to keep ol's patreon running? 
Hopefully for at least a few more years.
Are you considering ever making merch? 
Yeah, but I don’t know when it’ll happen or what exactly we’ll make, aha. It’s something we want do, just nothing is set.
hi! i just found out about your game a couple of days ago on tiktok (so sorry if you’ve already answered this question) and i was wondering if y’all are ever planning to release it on iOS? 
I have no idea. It’s hard for a small group to get Apple approval and I honestly can’t say if it’ll ever happen or not. Maybe someday, though!
Hi, I love the art style of Our life and I would like to know if the artist has a Twitter? Also, could it be possible to fund more CGs for the game from him/her? So many times, I wish there was one like when the cutscene of the sunshower. 
That’s nice of you to offer. He doesn’t have a Twitter, at least not one that’s public enough to be shared with me. And I’m afraid not. The issue is that the CGs take huge amounts of time rather than there not being a budget for it. He’s gotta make CGs for Step 4, the DLCs, and new character sprites, too. There isn’t space in the schedule for even more. Sorry for that.
Hi, how are you?!
Are you planning on accepting new writers or is it always the same people who write your stories??
Thanks!!
Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t be getting new writers, but we will be hiring a new team of writers for Our Life: Now & Forever eventually!
perhaps this counts as nsfw and I'm sure it has been answered before but what does Cove prefer, chests/boobs or butts? or perhaps both :3c thank you for this wonderful game (and the patreon bonus moment, it was worth all the waiting and more ♥) 
He’s a “chests of all shapes and sizes” kind of guy, haha.
i was wondering- did any of the writers actually grow up by the beach? as someone who's lived in a beach town all their life it really did feel nostalgic to play through our life 1 
I was born and raised in Cali! Though, not right by the beach. We still had to make trips out, but the setting is based on my own childhood memories of small beach towns we went through.
In Derek’s upcoming DLC, will we be able to reference the pact we made as teens? (love olba and xod/xobd so much btw you’re literally amazing) 
Yep, you will be able to talk about that!
Oh, sorry about the Cole being secretly L ask, then!
If you wanted context: Death Note is about this one guy who finds a notebook that kills anyone who you write the name of in there. The guy eventually develops a God Complex and starts mass killing criminals and stuff. L is the one trying to find out who is killing all these people.
Me and my sister first joked about it because I couldn't remember how to translate a word about the way Cove was sitting, so I just did the pose, and it looked a lot like how L himself sits! Then we just snowballed from there, with more and more nonsense connections.
That’s okay! Thanks for explaining. I’m sorry I didn’t know what you meant.
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forkanna · 3 years
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NOTES: Wow, that was quite a response to just reposting the prologue! Hopefully you all enjoy the rest of this fic as much as you've been anticipating it; I know it's been a lot of buildup to it, unintentionally I promise you. Here you go, better late than... well, you get it.
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The next morning had been a hard one for Anna. School just felt strained and weird without knowing for sure where her mother was. Punz helped her through it, and she managed to do most of her classwork, but her mind kept wandering off.
Tomorrow was the earliest they could report her missing to the police. Of course, she had a feeling that it wouldn't matter one way or the other, but it was the strongest hope that she and her father had. Knowing what they knew about time travel, they had refrained from calling John or Wendy for the time being; she might come back.
She had to come back.
So when she walked into the living room after school and saw her mother sitting on the couch, looking quite weary but whole, safe, normal, she ran into her arms. It didn't even occur to her to ask about her father, or what she was doing there, or anything else. Need overrode curiosity.
"MOM! Oh my god… oh Mom, you completely freaked me out, I didn't know what happened!"
Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna, hugging back just as a tight as a sound halfway between a laugh and a sigh spilled from her lips. "My angel… I'm so sorry for worrying you like that. Really."
Anna felt her eyes well with tears. She had been unwilling to truly face the idea that Elsa was truly gone, but seeing her here threw into sharp relief just how much she had been terrified. Her arms grew tired as she held on, but there was nothing that could make her let go. Not at this moment. Even the mere thought had her arms tightening their hold, squeezing just a little harder.
"Please don't leave again," she said softly. "Not- not without telling me first. Dad- Dad came home last night and we were gonna go to the cops and-"
"Shh…." Elsa hushed her, inhaling deeply. "I promise I'll never do that again without telling you. I'm so sorry, Anna."
Tearfully, Anna drew her head back, just enough so she could look in Elsa's eyes. "Where did you go? Did I… did I do something?"
Oh God. Elsa could see the forty-something version of her daughter, asking that same exact question. "No, no, baby. No you didn't do anything."
"But you just left me…" Anna's words, cracked and small, were also so heartfelt. So sincere in their pain that it made Elsa want to cry, too. How could she even have thought of giving this up? Of leaving the person who, truthfully, had become her entire world?
"I waited until the day your father would come home. That way, you wouldn't be without someone to… look out for your well-being, no matter what came to pass."
Clearing her throat and sniffling, Anna pulled back and gazed at her mother. "What… came to… Mom, what happened? Where did you go?"
"I was figuring some things out. Took a few weeks. And I've come to some decisions." She took a deep breath, then let it out very slowly before she took both of Anna's hands. "I'm not leaving you."
"Okay. I'm… b-but you made it sound like you… wanted to?"
"Not 'wanted'. But I thought it might be best." She released her hands. "However, there are going to have to be a few changes around here."
Still incredibly relieved at not losing her mother, Anna slumped downward. Then she said, "Okay, okay. You want me to stop hitting on you? Is that pretty much it?"
Elsa nodded slightly. "For now. I'm… willing to revisit that at a later date, but you have to promise me something. From now until you are in college, this stops. We have to learn to keep our hands to ourselves. It's going to be difficult, I know; we've already proven that it will be. But that's very important to me. You might technically be of age, but… you're my child, and you live in my house. There's no pretending that won't affect which of us has the power in a… in… well, in a romantic relationship."
"O-oh." Anna wasn't sure what to say. This sounded like bad news, but it also sounded like there was some good news attached. "But… what about when I'm in college?"
Only now did Elsa smile slightly. "Depends. I want you to really take this time to think hard about you and I. We both will. And we'll try our best to be a normal family. I'm never, ever going to stop loving you!" Her smile faltered slightly, and she looked away with red cheeks. "And if, once you're out on your own, not… being 'parented' by me, you still want to be something more than mother and daughter… we can try that. I know it's a long time-"
"Oh, Mom," she breathed, crushing her with her arms again, sore as they still were. "God! Of course, I… oh I'm sorry, I'm so dumb, I kept trying to… I d-don't know, I'm stupid, I'm so stupid!"
"Shhhhhh." It was soothing and sweet, and she kissed the crown of her head. Anna hummed a little through her tears, glad for the gentle gesture. "It's okay. Everything's okay, Anna; you're going to be just fine."
"B-but what if we try it, and I hurt you somehow? Make you sad th-that your daughter is… disgusting?"
"Don't ever think that. Even if I've been a little disgusted by your desires, by my own, that does not mean I think you are 'bad' or… or anything! And it never did. Do you hear me, sweetie? You'll always be my sweet Anna, whether or not I can handle you being my Tori at the same time. Always."
With renewed vigour, Anna hugged her mother so aggressively. Elsa returned the expression – and, where once she would have hesitated, now there was no sign of that reluctance. It was just what Anna needed.
"I should… really call Punz," she said finally. "Let her know what happened."
Elsa's lips quirked. "I should probably ring your father," she said. Still, neither of them moved. If anything, Anna seemed unable to stop herself pressing closer.
"What if… what if I can't?" she whispered. Even in that low tone, it was obvious she was scared – terrified – of something. "You want me to stop until college, but what if I can't? Or, if I slip up? Mom, I can't lose you just because my balls get ahead of my brain sometimes."
Squeezing tight for a second, Elsa chuckled and closed her eyes. "Accidents happen…" she began. It wasn't good enough.
"No! How can we trust that it would even be an accident when I want you so bad? It hurts, Mom!" Anna sniffled. "It hurts to have you so close sometimes when I want so much more but you… don't…"
"Anna, listen to me." Elsa had Anna's face clasped in her hands, giving her the ability to look directly into her eyes. "You have no idea how much I want you. But right now is the wrong moment. For you, for me… and sweetheart, you need to think of Punz, too. That girl adores you. And-" Elsa lowered her voice, though she smiled now, too. "I would love to be her mother one day, too. Well, mother-in-law."
"That still doesn't solve this problem," Anna said. Her words were monotone, but she felt herself blushing at Elsa's suggestion. It was easier to deflect than it was to think on the future and whether or not Punz would be part of hers.
"You're right. But I guess what I've realised is… this problem is not worth me leaving you behind. I want to work on it together. And if we slip up again, we will deal with it like adults. We aren't animals who have no willpower."
"Are you sure?" she asked with a weak laugh. "You came pretty close that morning."
At that, Elsa leaned in and whispered, "I really did. I was very close." The double meaning made Anna's cheeks grow yet rosier. "But I'm serious; I won't try that while I'm 'in charge' of you. That's not right. Even if we try to treat each other equally, we can't be equals until you're out on your own. And I'm not going to let you drop out of school or anything like that, before you ask," she warned.
"Damn, you caught me," Anna hissed, and Elsa chuckled. "Still Mom with your freakin' parenting chess moves, ten steps ahead. Man… that's so long, though."
"Is it? I know it seems that way to you, because you're young."
Sighing, Anna admitted, "Maybe not. And you're right, like… the past couple of weeks have been great! Not just the parts where we flirted, but everything. All three of us hanging out together was nice, too."
"See? We can make that work. And as I said, if I know you're making advances on purpose, then I will have to leave until you've graduated. Just for my own sanity, and to make sure I don't hurt you – and then I'll come back. But a few slip-ups here and there can be forgiven, Anna."
Anna's hand stroked up and down Elsa's side for a moment. Again, she didn't flinch away, but she started to look a little less comfortable, so Anna stopped. "Okay. I… don't really get the whole 'I can't be in charge while we're dating' thing, because like, you parenting me is totally separate. But I do trust you, Mom. So… so I can try it."
"Not as separate as it should be. But thank you, Anna," Elsa said honestly. She was smiling, too, so that was a good sign. "Now I really must contact your father." She got up and was halfway to the kitchen before Anna spoke.
"Hey, Mom?" she asked. Elsa turned.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
Suddenly, Anna felt very gun-shy and guilty. Like she was going to ask her mother for a treat after her father had already said no. "Can I ask a favour?"
"Of course!" Elsa turned more fully towards her daughter, and Anna felt her mouth grow dry. Just for a second, but it was more than enough, really.
Swallowing hard around a lump in her throat, Anna looked away. "Can I… have a kiss?"
Her mother answered with a sigh, but it was more weary than truly upset. "That would seem to defeat the purpose of giving us this dry period, wouldn't it? Unless you just mean a cheek-kiss."
"I didn't," she admitted readily. "Um… and I do kinda get what you mean? Cooling off to make sure this is what we really want, cause we can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. But like, I already did that. The past couple weeks were me trying not to feel things for you, and it didn't work. But if you want to try for longer…"
"I think, if a few more months go by and you still want me the way you did a couple of days ago, then it will prove that we're really intended to be that for each other. And if the feelings fade for you, then won't it be better that we never went too far? That we never… crossed the line that cannot be uncrossed?"
Anna was having trouble wrapping her mind around what Elsa was trying to get through to her. What would be the difference at this point? She already let her go down on her once before, even if it was her younger self and not this mother standing in front of her now. But she supposed there was probably some wisdom in this plan that she simply hadn't considered.
"Just tonight," Anna whispered very quietly. "Like, to get it out of my system. Then tomorrow, we can go back to 'Mom' and 'daughter' and all that, and… see where we end up when I go to college. And I know, I sound like an ungrateful brat, and it's demanding, a-and… I'm sorry. But I think it'll drive me nuts if I never get to touch you from now until I'm out of the house!"
"It's not a good idea, Anna." But she relented. "Fine. But you have to make all the moves. I already basically attacked you in 1985, and now that I really am your mother…"
That part, Anna could understand. Especially after she explained the whole 'being in charge' aspect; if she was worried about wielding power over Anna, she would give it all to her. Smiling, Anna placed her hands on Elsa's waist. "Just a kiss. Maybe it won't even feel right and we won't have to worry about anything more."
Both seemed to realise at the same moment how silly a thought that was. Anna could feel it already, that pull. Her mouth was no longer than dry – no, she was almost salivating at the thought of doing this again. Her cheeks warmed and her heart picked up, trotting in her chest as she took a step closer.
"Just a kiss," Elsa echoed, though her voice had suddenly lost its power.
Biting the inside of her cheek, Anna leaned forward. Elsa wasn't much taller than her – wasn't much taller than she had been in '85 – but still Anna missed. Her lips found Elsa's chin, and Elsa let out a snort of what could have been laughter.
Anna didn't correct herself upward, however. Contrarily, she moved away from Elsa's lips, grazing hers down to lave at her mother's throat.
"Anna…" Elsa tried. It was meant to be a warning, but instead it came out hoarse and throaty. A small noise slipped from Anna as she wrapped her hands more solidly around Elsa's waist. It was more of a hug now, and it had the side effect – intended or not – of bringing them even closer together.
Eyes sliding shut, Anna merely enjoyed the taste of her mother's skin. She felt gentle fingers tangling in her hair, and was prepared for when Elsa tugged her away. Even if it was a gentle distancing.
"This isn't quite what we agreed to," she sighed nervously. But she could see her mother was uncertain. Guilty. There had to be a way she could remove that guilt. What would make this woman she adored more comfortable with her how much she adored her?
"Elsa… you can call me 'Tori' tonight if you want," she murmured. "If that makes it easier. I could even dress up in 80s clothes or something? Like… since the whole problem is me being your daughter, I could be her instead."
At that, Elsa let out a soft laugh. "I didn't know we were doing an all-night affair. But… well…"
"Well?" Anna asked after a few seconds passed and her mother didn't finish the thought.
"I did ask Kristoff to get a hotel room. Give us space enough to figure things out." Anna drew back to see Elsa looking ashamed, but also smiling very slightly. "Not that this was what I had in mind. Just wanted to be prepared for any… eventuality."
For a few seconds, Anna had to suppress the tingles burbling up through her body. From very specific places. Elsa had planned for them to sleep together. Not as an intention, but a precaution – though that was still more than she had hoped lips pushed into Elsa's neck again, hearing a sigh. Then she whispered, "What if I just keep kissing? All over?"
"An- Tori," she corrected, and Anna smiled against her neck.
"You don't have to do anything back. I'm good. But… I want to try this out. See how far I can get before you need me to stop. Or before I need to stop."
"Let's just stick to kissing above the waist." When Anna pulled back to grin at her, head starting to duck downward, she hastily added, "Above the shoulders! Jesus Christ, how did I raise such an opportunist?"
"You didn't; the other Anna probably wasn't as bad as me. And she also wasn't as hot for you as me…" Knowing she was pushing her luck, she leaned up to whisper into Elsa's ear, "And I'm pretty hot for you right now."
Elsa let out a sharp breath that was probably covering something else. "Anna…" she tried one last time. This one felt breathier and needier than before, and Anna could feel the warmth pooling just below her navel.
"I just want you," Anna said softly. "To touch you… in whatever way you let me." Her hips rolled very slightly against Elsa's – not enough for any real friction, but certainly enough to give truth to her words. Elsa gave out another shuddering breath. "But for now, a kiss will do…"
And she did just that, sealing their lips together once more. Elsa sank down into it as if it were a warm bath, perhaps grateful that she no longer had to speak. It didn't really matter.
Slowly, Anna began to back away, leading them back to the couch. It seemed safer than heading for one of the bedrooms. It took Elsa a moment to realise what she was doing, but when she finally caught on she wasted no time in guiding Anna. Despite what she had said, she seemed to be a little less willing to stop now.
But finally they were seated, a strange parody of that moment in Doc's car. Anna had little doubt that she wanted to try paying her mother back for what she had done there, either. Hopefully Elsa felt the same.
Anna slipped her tongue between Elsa's lips, and she only groaned and accepted it with her own, leaning back until she was lying on the couch with Anna over her. Her arms never tightened around Anna, and she never gripped her shoulders; only laid her hands gently on her biceps. Seemed she was deadly serious about not making any 'moves', after all.
When they broke apart again, Anna's hips still grinding, Elsa warned her breathlessly, "This is… more than a kiss."
"Yeah. But hey… tonight is our night, huh? Like, the last one to be Tori and Elsa."
"It is. Even though we aren't going as far as you think we're going," she told her, resolve returning as she pointed a finger up at her.
"Right, I get it. So…" Biting her lip, she got up from the couch, leaving Elsa briefly confused. "Let's do it. Let's dress up."
What an adorable blush crept into the middle-aged woman's features. "Oh, you… were serious about that?"
Dancing backward a little, she said, "Remember that outfit I made you buy? The one that you said you wouldn't wear out of the house, short-shorts and crop top? You can put that on, and I'll find some stuff in my closet that makes me look really… different. Really Tori for you. And I'll change my hair, and wear the shoes from the dance!"
"Oooh," Elsa sighed at the mention of the shoes. Apparently, that was such a strong tie to the memory of going down on Anna that it instantly heated her up. Then she cleared her throat. "Well… I suppose it wouldn't hurt to simply look the parts. Might help create necessary boundaries."
She knew what her mother really meant; it would help assuage her guilt if they were recreating the past, instead of forging a new, sinful future. Clapping her hands, she started to head for the hallway. "You just wait! This is gonna be amazing!"
"I hope you're right," Elsa chuckled as she started to follow her. They were both going the same way, after all. "But I just wanted to reiterate..."
Hesitation. So she prompted, "What?"
"No matter what happens… I'm always going to love you. That was never in danger at any point, Anna."
"I know. Don't worry, we got this. Promise-promise."
"Now, that sounds familiar..."
Anna had no way of knowing what Elsa meant; she hadn't said it yet, after all. But she was all smiles as she retreated to her room with glee, only sparing Elsa one last glance over her shoulder to see her mother was standing in the doorway to her own room with a bemused smile on her blushing features.
Still so beautiful.
                                         To Be Continued…
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injusticeff · 5 years
Text
Chapter Twenty-One
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Dom
Once I left the court room, a small smirk found its way to my face.
Like I had planned, I won the case against my trifling ass baby momma and I'd say that this was grounds for a celebration. Usually the mother of the child would end up being granted full custody, but I made her so used to being locked up in the house everyday with no one to depend on but me.
She's never had the luxury of going out and finding friends, or searching for a job, or even being surrounded by family members because of the way I've held onto her her for years. She's accustomed to living that isolated and secluded life and somehow, I knew that would still be the case although she hasn't been staying with me. She wouldn't know the first thing about being a real adult, except for the fact that she was a mother. And I knew that.
Her temper tantrum after she had found out that I'm the one that gained custody over our son only proved my point. She's not a woman, she's a scared little girl. And she always will be because she doesn't know how to do things for herself.
The abrupt ringing coming from my phone broke me out of my thoughts as I dug into my pants pocket and pulled it out, looking at the caller I.D before holding it up to my ear once I answered. "Yea?"
"Yo, she got arrested." His deep voice responded back to me as if I didn't already know that.
She started breaking things in a whole court room, there was no way she was going to be let out of there with just a warning. They locked her ass up. I only let out a low chuckle, finding amusement in this entire situation. "Sucks to suck, don't it?"
There was silence on the other end. "Well what do you want me to do now then?"
"I'll bail her out. You just do what I asked you to do." With that, I ended the call and asked Siri to lead me in the direction of the nearest bail bonds business. Conveniently, it was only a six minute drive from the courthouse so it wasn't long before I was pulling up and entering the establishment.
The entire place smelled like a cinnamon and spice candle which immediately unsettled my stomach. I hated the smell of anything cinnamon, it damn near burned my nose hairs off. There was a slim, fragile looking older man sitting at one of the computers that were there when you first walk in. He hadn't even looked up from what he was doing to address me, but I still took it upon myself to sit in the chair right in front of his desk. It was like he had just noticed that someone was even in his presence once I took a seat. All I could think about was why the hell they got this old man in here by himself?
"What can I help you with?" His voice fluctuated from high to low unwillingly as he peered at me through the square glasses sitting on his face.
It had been a couple hours since she had gotten arrested, so I knew she would have been processed through the system already. It usually takes them some time to process someone because they have to have their fingerprint, a mugshot, and other paperwork that has to be put into the system. I was sure that she had to be in there now. "Yes, I wanna post bail for someone. Simone Wyatt." I continued by spelling out her whole name for him as he slowly typed on the old fashioned keyboard.
"Detained today?" He asked, earning a nod from me as I watched him move the mouse around, clicking on things I couldn't see since the boxed computer had its back facing me. I could barely catch the reflection in his glasses so I just sat there and patiently waited. He asked me various other things such as her middle name, date of birth, and when he asked where she lived, I just gave him my address. "And you said you wanted to post her bail?"
Immediately rolling my eyes, I let out an annoyed huff due to having to repeat myself like I hadn't literally just said that a few minutes ago. "Yea."
"It looks like..." He scrunched up his face as he peered closer at the screen. "Someone already paid her bail. She's been released."
My eyebrows instantly furrowed at the news because I had no clue who would be close enough with her that they were willing to pay hundreds of dollars to keep her from rotting in a cell. I mumbled out a low 'thank you' before standing up and heading back to my car. I was hoping my connect did their job and witnessed her being released but since he didn't know when, there's no telling at this point.
All I could ask myself was who the hell posted that girl's bail.
***
"Daddy!" Junior ran up to me and I instantly hunched down to catch him as I pulled him up into my arms, spinning him around a bit. His small arms wrapped around my neck as he cuddled close to me, his skin warm from being inside.
My mom rounded the corner rocking her usual bonnet and house slippers as she glared at me. I had already told her about the situation and where I was going when I dropped Junior off this morning so I knew that she was expecting the verdict without really wanting to ask me out loud. Setting my son back to his feet, he immediately scampered off towards the back where his own room resided since he's over here half of the time anyway.
My mom never took her eyes off me as her hand found its way to her hip, propping itself up as she shifted her weight to that same leg. "So?"
"So..." I repeated causing her to give me a stern look. A low sigh escaped my lips. I honestly didn't feel like explaining anything to anyone right now, all I wanted to do was take my boy home and celebrate my victory. She was making things way more complicated than it had to be. "I was granted full custody."
I finally relented after a few seconds of silence, knowing that was what she wanted to hear. She slightly jumped in shock and a look of excitement presented itself on her face. "Are you serious?! Oh my goodness, I thought the worst. In those types of cases..." She trailed off, putting her hand over her mouth as tears began to form in her eyes.
She seemed more excited about this than I was.
Pulling me into a tight embrace, she rubbed my back and I instantly relaxed, a feeling of comfort taking over my body. My mom always made me feel some type of way; whether it was annoyed or happy, she was always helping me to remember that I still had this soft spot. I hated it. "I'm so proud of you. When you told me about all the things that she was doing, I couldn't believe it. She never seemed like the type but you can never judge a book by its cover."
Of course, she had to throw in some cliché ass quote. I chuckled and playfully mushed her causing her to look at me like I was crazy. "You always saying something corny. I knew I was gonna win, she's a bad mother."
My mom stayed silent, neither disagreeing nor agreeing as a look of discomfort made me furrow my eyebrows at her. "Dominick... even though I'm proud of you for proving to the court that you were a capable parent, don't you think it's a little harsh to take another woman's child from her like that—"
"Ugh, ma, not this again. After all the things I've told you that she's done, you're still feeling sorry for her? She brought this on herself."
I suddenly felt a soft hand grab my face and roughly turn my head so that my full attention was back on my mother. "Look, I know what she did was wrong but... as a mother, I know a bond between a mother and her child is unbreakable. I couldn't even fathom having you being taken away from me in any way, God forbid." She rested the hand that was previously gripping my face onto her chest. "All I'm saying is, maybe you should have at least allowed her visiting rights. Not seeing her child... it'll take a toll on her like no other."
I knew that she was right, she's right about a lot of things but what she fails to realize is: I don't care. None of this would be happening if she didn't run off with some new nigga and my child like they were some big happy family. That nigga is dead and now, Simone's dead inside. My mission was successfully completed.
"I know ma, maybe later we'll be able to work something out but as of right now, I don't feel that Junior is safe around her." I responded calmly so that she'd get her little lecture over with faster. She nodded and pressed a light kiss on my cheek as she stepped away from me, heading to the back where Junior had been while we were talking.
A few minutes later, she came out with him following closely behind her all bundled up in his favorite jacket and his velcro shoes on. My mom handed off his bag which had been in her hand previously before crouching down to be face to face with him. "Alright, be a big boy and don't give your daddy any trouble or you'll have to answer to me. You hear?" He let out a laugh in response and nodded his head causing her to smile and pull him in for a hug. "I love you. Be good baby."
After pulling out of the embrace, he made his way over to me and immediately sat his small hand in mine, letting me know that he was in his touchy feely mood. Sometimes he wanted to be independent and walk by himself, then there were other times where he just wanted to be in someone's arms or holding someone's hand. I didn't mind it. I was beginning to know my son like the back of my hand and usually after spending some time with my mom, he became a big baby who wanted some attention and affection. "Alright bye momma. Say bye to grandma." Junior looked back at my mom and waved before I allowed him to guide me outside and to my car.
After strapping him in, I hopped in the car and started it up making the engine roar to life. Before I pulled off, I glanced in the rear view mirror at Junior who had already been looking at me. "What? You gotta problem?" I joked causing him to giggle and throw his hand over his eyes in attempts to hide his face. "I can still see you, you know." I chuckled and pulled off in the direction of my plug's house.
With all the bullshit that has been going on, I just needed a quick fix right about now. And what better way to celebrate my winning case than by getting high off my ass? It was the perfect way to end today.
The vibrating sensation coming from my pocket immediately caused me to reach into it and pull my phone out, answering the call without bothering to see who it was. "What's good?"
"I found out where she's staying." Those words instantly made me sit up in my seat, keeping quiet so that he could continue. "When she got released, her and some yellow light bright nigga hugged and she got in the car with him. I followed them and turns out, it's his place that they went to. She lives with him."
My blood boiled not even a second after hearing those words come from the other end of the line. I clenched my jaws as my hand subconsciously gripped the steering wheel harder than I anticipated. I literally just killed one wack ass mark not too long ago and now, she's playing house with a whole new nigga? She had to be cheating on me when we were together because there's no way she had this many guys to fall back on so quickly. And that fact only pushed my rage even further.
She's going to make me fuck this whole city up behind her ass.
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Arion
Noticing the familiar matte black SUV pull up beside me, I hopped out of my car as I toted the duffel bag full of money in my hand and got ready for the usual transaction I participated in once a month with my plug. 
People on the streets were always asking for something new and a lot of them only knew about certain guns by hearing it from movies and shit so those were the weapons that sold the fastest and I had to re-up every once in a while to continue being the best guns dealer in the city.
I always did my deals in person to ensure that the transaction was done right the way I wanted them to be done and also make sure I was never getting taken advantage of when it came to how much I owed and for which weapons. Niggas be quick to try and get over on you. And I wasn't going for none of that when it came to my business.
After a few seconds, a familiar figure stepped out of the vehicle and made his way around to the back before opening up the trunk, revealing the two large black bags that were sitting on the inside. I made my way over, knowing the bags were going to be heavy since they held an excessive amount of metal inside of them.
As always, Mino stuck his hand out towards me and I followed suit as I respectfully shook his hand. "How's business?" Mino asked, attempting to make small talk as he turned around and unzipped both bags to show me all of the weaponry that was inside.
"Going good, as you can see I had to buy a little extra because the Glock 19 is in popular demand." I answered as I held my duffel bag out towards him and we both took the opportunity to make sure that everything we asked for was present and non-damaged.
Mino shook his head in response as he began counting off the money I owed. "People nowadays can't handle the recoil of a real gun."
I laughed lowly because this nigga always had something to say about the smaller guns being purchased instead of the 'real' ones as he referred to it. I honestly didn't mind what gun was being bought, as long as I was getting paid it was none of my business. Checking in one of the side pockets, I quickly glanced over the untraceable bullets and made sure that everything looked good before zipping the first bag back up and moving my attention to the second one.
I immediately halted once I felt the pressure of cold steel pressing against the back of my head, hearing a light click from behind me as Mino cocked it. "Now Arion... I wanna believe that you wouldn't play with me like this, out of all people, but the shortage in your payment is telling me that you thought you could get over on me."
My face instantly scrunched up in confusion. I was never short on money, everyone always knew that I was good for it. The first thought that came to me was that he was probably trying to get over on me. Say that I shorted him when I actually didn't and then I would have to pay him some more money. Ain't no way in hell I was going out like that.
With nostrils flared, I turned to face him causing him to raise an eyebrow as if mentally asking if I was really going to challenge him when I had a gun pointing straight in my face. I wasn't looking to die, but respect is the only thing that's worth anything in these streets other than money. "What I look like? Some bum ass broke nigga? There's fifty thousand in that bag. Nothing more. Nothing less."
"Check again." He threw the bag at me causing me to glare at him and sit the bag down before going through each stack and counting everything up, being sure not to miss a single bill seeing as all of the bills in this bag were one hundred dollar bills.
My eyebrows furrowed once I counted the last stack of cash and I instantly dug through the bag to make sure that there were no other stacks between any folds or crevices. "The fuck..." I mumbled out more to myself as I turned to face him again, his gun never shifting from its trained position on me. "There's fifteen grand missing from this bag."
"Don't you think I know that? Why do you think you gotta gun pointed at you right now?" Mino remarked in a 'duh' tone as he pushed the barrel up against my cheek threateningly. "Now, am I gonna get the rest of my money? Or am I gonna have to pay someone to clean your blood off my shoes tonight?" His tone was cold and his glare was menacing as he stared me in the eyes expectantly.
My jaw clenched as I snatched my head away from the metal pressing against it. "You gon' get ya money but ima need you to put that gun down." I gritted out through clenched teeth. "Clearly there's been a misunderstanding 'cause when I checked two days ago, the full fifty was there."
"Well it's not there now so what would you like me to do with that information?" He retorted, the annoyance in his voice evident as we both glared at each other's eyes, basically fighting for dominance.
I smacked my teeth. "I just said you gon' get your money. Just put the damn gun down." Roughly shoving the gun away from me caused a shot to sound off loudly beside me and barely miss me, instantly alerting the both of us.
As soon as the first shot went off, the transaction unexpectedly went left as I heard another shot go off and ducked off behind my car, immediately pulling out my own gun. I shot back at him wildly, not caring that the both of our vehicles were getting sprayed up at the moment; just as long as I made it out of this alive.
Hearing a sudden shriek of pain, the bullets coming from his end stopped and instead, I heard the sound of a car door slam as tires screeched against the pavement and made a quick getaway. My eyes trailed over my own body, ensuring that the adrenaline coursing through my veins didn't cause me to unknowingly take a bullet. I sighed in relief once I didn't find any blood or holes on me and stood to my feet, noticing all of the bags now on the ground with some of its contents spilling out. Quickly making my trek over, I grabbed them and hustled them all into my backseat before hopping in the driver's seat and speeding off before Mino surely sent some goons my way.
My mind racked as I sped through traffic wondering how and why the hell fifteen thousand dollars was missing from my bag. I hadn't had anyone in that room in the last couple days and even if I did, there was no way in hell I would have shown them a duffel bag full of easily accessible money. That's the quickest way to get robbed.
Hell, honestly I don't even remember having anyone over. Except...
My tires loudly sounded like a banshee against the dark road as I made a sharp turn in the opposite direction of my home, where I had been headed to originally. I breathed heavily, my chest heaving up and down as my anger clouded all rational thinking. I was almost killed tonight and possibly made an unnecessary enemy now over some bullshit; someone had to pay.
Pulling up in the driveway, I hopped out without bothering to stop to turn off my car and made my way up to the front door, banging loudly on it once I reached it. "Ayo, Dom. Open up!" My tone came off more harsh than I intended and although I wasn't exactly mad at him, I was definitely mad at the world right now and anyone could get it. I was too far gone.
After a couple seconds of silence, I banged my fist against the door again, this time earning the annoyed glare of a sleepy Dominick who had swung open the door not even a second later of me knocking. "Bruh, fuck you doing knocking like you the po po for? My son in here sleep." He gestured towards his bedroom as if I'd be able to see his child resting peacefully through the walls or something.
"That girl that was here the other day, what's her name?"
I had no time to beat around the bush because every second that passes is money she could be spending and I could be losing. Dom scrunched up his face for a quick second before waving me off. "I ain't have no broad over here. You needa go to sleep, it's two in the morning and you talking about some girl." He was about to close the door in my face but I swiftly stuffed my foot in the way and pushed open the door before stepping through it and closing it behind me. "You know you left your... never mind." He shook his head.
"Forget all that, it's fucked up anyway.” I retorted, knowing that he was referring to my car that was still running. “The other day, I ran into some girl coming out of your crib. Fucked her and now some money is missing." I summarized for him since I didn't feel like explaining the situation in its entirety.
A smirk instantly formed on his face causing me to roll my eyes because I just knew this nigga had something to say. "You let a hoe rob you? Damn, you going out sad. How much?"
"Fifteen g's."
His face got a bit straighter, but the amusement never left his face as he chuckled and shook his head. "What she look like?"
I had to really think back on what the girl looked like because I had honestly only been viewing her ass that whole day anyway. "Uh, brown skin. Big lips—"
"I know damn well you ain't let Tiarra bird ass rob you. You've officially been hoed." He cut me off and instantly began cackling, but my face remained straight because I didn't see anything remotely funny. "Fifteen g's." He repeated more to himself than to me.
"Where does this Tiarra chick stay?"
Dom shrugged causing me to narrow my eyes, thinking that he was trying to protect her since I had no idea what their relationship to each other was. It couldn't have been that serious if she so easily fucked me though, I knew that much. "She got a hit out on her right now so she moving from place to place as far as I know. I can't help you with her whereabouts potna." He spoke as he clapped his hand on my shoulder, obviously sensing my irritation. "Lesson learned though, don't give random broads the luxury of going back to your house. You got too much expensive shit to lose. Me, on the other hand, would only miss my TV."
I waved him off, not trying to hear anyone lecture me right about now. Without another word, I nodded towards him as a way of saying goodbye and walked out of his house.
My only priority in this very moment was finding this girl and my money and making her realize why messing with someone else's cash flow is always a bad idea. "Her last name Wyatt by the way." I heard Dom call out before hearing his front door slam closed not even a second later. I was going to find her regardless but that extra piece of information would definitely save me a lot of time and he knew that.
Swiftly pulling my phone from the back pocket of my dark washed jeans, I dialed up one of my friends who was always down for some reckless shit whenever it was presented. He would probably kill people for free in all honesty, but making money for doing something you love is ten times better. After a few rings, I heard his deep groggy voice mumble through the speakers of my phone, letting me know that I had just woken him up but that was the last thing I cared about. "Yo?"
"Yea, I got a job for you."
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Bree
My eyes shot open as if I wasn’t just sound asleep and I swiftly jumped out of the bed, scurrying to the bathroom so I wouldn’t cause any unwanted messes in our bedroom.
The contents of my empty stomach immediately spewed into the toilet bowl, getting on the seat a bit due to how wildly it came out. My breathing became unsteady as I attempted to keep down the vomit that was threatening to come up again, leaning against the cabinet in the bathroom with low eyes.
Ok, I knew that morning sickness came with the territory of pregnancy, but waking me up out of my sleep to throw up? You've got to be kidding me.
I gently rubbed small circles onto my stomach with my hands, inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth as I closed my eyes to concentrate more on my breathing. "What's going on?" Jumping from the sound of his deep voice unexpectedly booming throughout the bathroom, my eyes shot open to see Xae standing over me and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Baby! I thought you were sleep." I replied, keeping my seat on the ground because I was still a little nauseous and didn't want to get up too quickly.
He shrugged in response. "How can I with all this blegh!" He mimicked me vomiting, his hand acting as the pretend throw up causing me to giggle a bit and shake my head. "Seriously though, what's wrong with you? This is the fourth day you've thrown up. I don't think eating bad food lasts that long, it should have passed through your system already."
Looking away from him with uncertain eyes, I let out a shaky sigh as I slowly stood up and stepped around him, heading over to our closet. I dug into one of my shoe boxes and pulled out the positive pregnancy test that I kept as a reminder because sometimes I wake up wondering if it's all real. My hope in having children had depleted a long time ago and I just couldn't believe that I was actually pregnant, despite what all the doctors that I went to see had told me. It was a one in a million chance and I guess I was that one.
Once I grabbed ahold of the stick, I held it behind my back and walked back out to our bedroom where Xae was staring at me confused from the edge of our bed. My heart was beating out of my chest as I watched his eyes trail down to my arms, immediately noticing that I was hiding something and then back up to my face with raised eyebrows.
I decided not to say anything and just stepped closer to him until we were only a couple of inches apart, reluctantly pulling the test from behind my back and placing it in his hands. His eyebrows instantly furrowed as he looked down at the small stick, looking at the result for what seemed like an eternity which only made my nerves act up even more as anxiety welled up inside of my chest. I had no idea how he was going to react to this new information and I didn't want him to be mad at me for hiding it from him. But with the way I was throwing up, it was obvious that I wasn't sick just because of something I had ate.
His head slowly came up and we began staring at each other in silence before I cracked a nervous smile to break the awkward tension that was evident in the air. "You're pregnant?" He asked after what seemed like forever and I couldn't exactly pinpoint which emotion resided in his tone. It sounded like he was asking a casual question when in reality, it was life changing.
I nodded hesitantly. "Yes..."
Looking back down at the test result that remained in his hand, I began to feel a bit hurt at his lack of emotion. We had been talking about wanting kids for forever but now that I was actually showing him that I was indeed pregnant, he had nothing to say? "Xae?" My voice was shaky as I slowly reached out to touch his shoulder.
Suddenly, I felt myself being lifted off of my feet and spun around as Xae held me tight in his arms causing me to get a bit nauseous from all the circles we were going in. I giggled. "Baby, you're gonna make me throw up again." With that, he quickly set me back to my feet but still kept me in his arms as he smiled down at me with the widest grin I had ever seen him wear.
"You're having my baby?" He asked excitedly.
Although the question was a simple one, a pang of heartbreak shot through my chest at how happy he was. I just couldn't take seeing that smile disappear from his face only to replace itself with hurt. So I nodded. "We're having a baby." I replied with a smile. He pulled away from me and sat back on the bed, burying his head in his hands causing the grin on my face to quickly disappear as I sat down beside him. "Xae? What's wrong?"
When he looked up at me, there were tears streaming from his eyes and dropping onto the basketball shorts he was wearing. My chest ached seeing him cry because he didn't do it often and I hated seeing him hurt. "But I thought this was impossible. H-How—"
"I don't know but... I'm happy that the doctors were wrong about me. It might only be one but we can finally have the child we've always wanted." I gently rubbed his back in attempts to comfort him as he gave me a smile through his tears and leaned in to press his soft lips into mine.
The kiss was filled with so much love and passion, sweeping me off my feet as my eyes fluttered closed and I pulled his body closer to mine. I had forgot about anything else in that very moment and just focused on us and our happiness.
Once he pulled away, we were both out of breath as my eyes popped back open and found him grinning at me like he just got the best news of his life. "You know what this means right?"
My eyebrows came together in confusion at his question and I shook my head. "No, what?"
"You're not having my baby without being my wife too. I want to make sure our child is in the best possible living environment and we're already planning our wedding." He began rambling causing me to become even more baffled.
"Well yea, but we didn't plan to have it until next year because of how booked the venue was..."
He nodded as if it was clear what he was trying to say and I responded by raising one of my brows, telling him to continue because I still didn't understand what he was getting at. "Let's move the wedding up."
"What? But the venue—"
"Fuck the venue." He quickly interrupted as he stood up from the bed and got down on his knees in front of me, holding both of my hands in his. "Marry me Bree. And in nine months, have my baby. I don't care if you only have one kid, I'm gonna love him or her like... like... ugh, I can't even put into words how much I'm gonna love our baby. But I can't wait to finally be a family."
My eyes instantly watered as his words touched my heart, making me fall deeper in love with this man than I ever knew I could. "When do you want to move it up to?" I asked as I frantically wiped my eyes but it was no use because the tears continued falling anyway.
"Next month?" He said as more of a question than an answer and my mouth fell ajar.
"But where are we gonna find a venue on such short notice?"
He stood to his feet, pulling me up with him as his hands remained tightly intertwined with mine. "We don't need some big ass wedding to be happy. Let's just get married so I can finally call you my wife and baby momma."
A playful smile instantly formed on my face as I hit him in his bare chest because he knew how much I hated that label. "You better fucking not, Xae. I swear." I didn't get to say anything else before his lips were massaging with mine once again.
This time, his strong arms wrapped around my waist and held me like I was the most precious thing he ever had in his arms. I melted into his embrace immediately, allowing his lips to take control of how they moved against mine as he stepped forward causing the back of my knees to hit the edge of the bed and we both fell onto the soft mattress, him on top of me. He never pulled his lips from mine even with all of the moving around we were doing.
At this moment, I couldn't believe that I was so nervous to tell him about the situation. There was a new spark that I had never felt between us now that the secret was out and I couldn't complain about it at all.
He pulled away and stared down at me as his eyes darted all over my facial features making me blush and look away. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"What? I can't look at the woman who's about to be my wife and have my baby?"
I snuggled up more comfortably underneath him and gazed into his dark brown eyes that were filled with love. "You're really excited about this, aren't you?" He looked at me like I was crazy for even asking him that question.
"You know what, I ain't even finna entertain you because you already know the answer to that." He retorted, playfully mushing my head as he leaned up from on top of me and laid beside me instead, eyeing my flat stomach. "It's funny because I knew something was up but I didn't wanna just jump to conclusions. Especially since the topic was so sensitive for the both of us... Damn, I really can't believe this." He let out a giddy chuckle.
"Believe what?" Both mine and Xavier's head snapped in the direction of our bedroom door where Simone was standing in the frame, holding some money in her hand causing me to instantly roll my eyes. This bitch was always interrupting a moment. "I know it's not enough to pay you back for bailing me out but it's all I got left." She added as she held it out towards my fiancé.
I raised an eyebrow at Xae, fully expecting him to refuse taking her money since that was just the type of person he was. He didn't do things to get something back, if he did something for you it was out of the kindness of his heart. Instead of addressing what she came here for, he excitedly stood up and walked over to her. "Guess what?"
"What?" She giggled at his reaction as she furrowed her eyebrows.
He took a glance back at me with a grin then turned back around to face her. "Bree's pregnant! The doctors were wrong."
"O-Oh." Her smile suddenly fell but she quickly plastered it back on before Xae could notice causing me to smirk. "Congratulations." She then addressed me as Xae looked back and gave me a knowing look but instead of being a bitch like I normally would, I thanked her. I already knew I had won and had nothing to worry about when it came to her and my man. At least not after what I just told him. Simone held the money out to him, looking everywhere but his face. "Here."
"You know damn well I'm not gon' take that so I don't even know why you came in here trying." He retorted, but she only shoved the money into his chest and turned around to head back to her room I'm guessing since I heard a door close soon afterwards. Xae turned around to me, looking completely baffled as he held the money in the same area he had received it in. "What's wrong with her? What I say?"
I sighed. I swear sometimes he could be so damn oblivious to the obvious.
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gb-patch · 3 years
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Ask Answers: May 15th Part 2
And here’s the next part of the long answer set of the day!
When will OL: N&F take place? Beginnings and Always took place during summer breaks, will now and forever take place during a fall break or will the characters be going to school at the time of the events we play through? 
It takes place over all of the fall season, so school will be happening in OL2. Some events do take place in school, though many times events only start after school is already out for the day, haha.
Hey!! I have kind of a weird question?? I’m sorry if it’s been answered before and I just haven’t seen it but is OL 2 taking place during the same years as OL 1? I’m just curious, thank you for such amazing games!!! 
It’s a similar time frame, but not 100% exactly same.
Do you have any idea when the demo for now and forever will be available? 
Hopefully this fall! But that’s not a guarantee.
Okay the crime show in Step 2: Growing up. Long blonde hair, police station, crime series? Was it The Closer? Because I’m the same age as MC and Cove and my mom was constantly watching that when I was 13. 😂 
Haha, yeah! The Closer and, to a lesser degree, Medium were the kind of shows I was referencing there. My mom also used to watch those back in the day.
Hey um this might be an odd question but if the setting of OL: N&F is  fall/autumn, what country or city will it take because my mind tells me it is either Poland or Canada. Also I can't wait for the game I am hyped 
It’s set in the USA again. We’d like to be able to have cameos and that’s easiest to do if the OL games take place in the same country.
Is it possible for the PC of OL to have non-seriously dated other people in the in between years even if they’ve had a consistent crush on Cove? 
You can causally date Baxter in Step 3 if you get his DLC and then ultimately choose Cove in Step 4. If you mean off-screen people, it doesn’t really come up, but you can certainly headcanon that. The game never says Cove is the only partner you’ve ever had.
Is there going to be a Kickstarter for Now and Forever as well? For like voiced names and stuff again? Didn’t find B&A until after it was released and I’d really love the opportunity to hear my name in the game 🥺 
Yeah, we are gonna have a Kickstarter with getting a voiced name as a reward! Though, it will be more expensive than it was for OL1. I feel bad to raise the price but we realized too late the first time around that it was being super undersold for the amount of work it took, aha.
Do you know how much the remaining DLC for OL will cost? (Step 4, Derek, Baxter) 
Step 4: Free
Wedding DLC: $2.99USD
Derek DLC: $4.99USD
 Baxter DLC: $4.99USD
Has an artist for the new position been picked yet?! I'm super excited for the new game! 
We did fill that spot. Thank you so much for taking the time to apply!
hmmm what would it take to get each of the XOXO jerk squad to feel the need to hug you? 
They’d have to first like you a fair amount, otherwise the most you’d get is maybe a pat on the shoulder. If they were attached, they might hug you if you broke down crying or if you gave them super good news.
Unless it’s Shiloh, of course. If you want a hug you only have to ask!
May i ask how the Derek DLC will work? I believe that there aren’t any memories in step 4 and doesnt derek’s dlc take place during that step? So will the dlc add memories? Thank you! 
Derek’s DLC will add five Moments to Step 2 (a new page will appear on that screen if you get the DLC). Then in Step 4 you’ll have to choose between playing the default epilogue or going through the Derek romance story.
Is the pc version on itch,io different from the steam version? Like an offline one or something? 
Steam has achievements, but that’s about it. Both can be played offline, if you prefer.
I've been wondering this for awhile, what determines if cove winds up with a ponytail in step 3? I've done multiple runs with different MCs with varying hairstyles. Or does it have to do with a particular moment in step 2? 
I’m afraid I can’t say exact choices that determine things. But generally it’s preference based options in the Step before that decide those things.
Any Floret Bond updates? 
No, the artist had to leave the project and it’s been on-hold. I’m not sure if I want to try working just with what we have or replacing it all entirely. The design is a bit too specific for us to easily find someone who could mimic it. Hopefully we’ll work things out later, though.
In step 3 is Cove's plan always to stay in sunset bird? 
Yeah. He is never ready at 18-years-old to make a big life change.
I love your content! If it's alright to ask, you answered in a previous ask about how Jeremy was too particular with what he likes his types to be romanceable with just any MC and it's sort of got me wondering.. What /are/ his types and/or preferences and such? Sorry if it's a lot! 
Jeremy likes stubborn jerks and will not date someone who’s sweet or even generally a decent person, haha.
uh, excuse me if you said this somewhere before, but how will step 4 be actually? Will it he like an actual step and have moments and dlc and all? Or will it be more like a long epilogue of some sort?
Will the step 4, the wedding and extra routes dlcs be paid too? Im just confused, sorry if im asking too much
Step 4 is only an epilogue, so it’s just a long series of scenes one after the other rather than a collection of Moments you can choose from.
The Step 4 epilogue is free, the wedding DLC, Derek DLC, and Baxter DLC cost money.
i’m not sure how much of the wedding dlc you have planned already, or if this would be to spoilery, but what kind of wedding traditions will be included? i keep thinking about how flustered cove would get over a garter toss & was wondering if we’d see a scene like that haha. obviously no worries if it’s not included, i’ll enjoy literally anything cove related 
I don’t know for sure yet, haha. Right now we’re focused on the parts before the big day. We’ll see how many scene alterations we can include for the wedding itself later on.
Hello! Firstly, thank you for creating such an amazing game like OL, and I couldn’t be more excited for OL2! Out of curiosity, are you looking for any writers to come on for OL2 or are you all pretty much set in that department? Just thought I’d shoot my shot haha but I’m still excited regardless ^^! 
We will be hiring writers for OL2 later this year! Thank you for the interest.
Will we be blessed with a spin-off Yandere Cove, like XOXO Blood Droplets? 
Sadly, no. It’s a shame but there’s not enough time to keep making OL1 bonus/spin-off content.
How is Q pronounced?
I’m afraid Q’s full name hasn’t been publicly announced yet so I can’t answer here (Q and T are the first letters of the names for the new LIs in Our Life: Now & Forever).
Question; is the steam version getting a Mac update?  I purchased the dlc there thinking it had Mac support without realizing it and just wondered if I’d need to refund it to purchase on itch.io 😭 
I’m really sorry, you will need to get a refund from Steam. We do hope to have it there for Steam eventually, but have no idea of when it’ll happen. Apple requires special notarization to be an officially accepted app for their devices. We don’t have that. Steam requires having that, Itch will let you release it as an non-notarized third party app. That’s why Itch is the only place that has the Mac version right now.
would you mind posting outfit sheets for Cove in every step? it would make things a lot easier for us artists. it would save a lot of time spent looking for references 
I think we did do the earlier steps when they were finished way back in 2019 (this game took a long time to make, aha), but we can probably repost them sometime!
In our life n&f, will we be able to get into qprs/will there be more options in regards to having deep platonic relationships with the love interests? Because as an aroace individual, it would be great if there could also be emphasis on platonic love so that it's more aspec inclusive. 
It’s a little hard to say at this point. There may not be things like a wedding DLC for OL2 and so the relationship for platonic and romantic feelings might not go as far as it did in the first game. We’ll kind of have to see how much we can do based on timeframe/budget constraints that will only be set near the end of the year. But we will be keeping things like that in mind at least.
hi! i really really like your game and im absolutely in love with it! i cant wait to try your other games like xoxo droplet and future OL NF :))
during the step 3 erands moment i got curious, which fudge flavor is his favorite? it seems like he likes all of them, but which 4 do you think he would like best?
also i noticed that in some playthroughs cove would let me give him a piggy back ride, and in some he wouldn't, how come?
how does your choices affect cove's interests or looks? i replayed the game without changing any choices but i got cove to look different, is it just random?
thank you!
Cove’s favorite flavors are ones with nuts and that are fruity! But he appreciates them all. Whether or not you can give him a piggyback ride depends on if your MC is fit/large enough to hold a muscular 6-foot-tall beach boy, haha.
Cove’s appearance does depend on choices and it’s generally tied to choices that are preference based rather than emotion/action based, such as which key chain you pick in Step 1.
Is it possible for cove to reject MC's proposal at the end of step 3? 
Nope. He’ll always accept.
hi! i was wondering how heavily the side characters will be featured in the our life wedding dlc? obviously it'll be cove & mc focused, but i was thinking it'd be sweet if we could take lizzie dress / suit shopping or dance with cliff at the wedding or something. 
The side characters are there about as often as they are in normal events. So, it’s clearly focused on Cove but he’s not the only person you have any meaningful moments with.
When will responses be sent out to applicants? 
I’m afraid we don’t send responses out to all applications, only ones we’re interested in offering the position to. Not everyone likes rejection emails and the amount of applications is too high to contact them all to say we’re not hiring them. We post updates on the job page when a position has news. Right now we’ve filled every role that was open.
Is there also going to be the option to keep your relationships with the love interests platonic in Our Life: Now and Forever? That's something I really appreciate in Our Life: Beginnings and Always
Yeah! OL will never force you to end up in a romantic relationship with someone.
I was wondering, in the Step 3 Happiness moment, what are the different fishes Cove can compare MC to? I got "you'd be a paradise fish, because being with you is paradise," but my friend got "you'd be an angelfish." Are there more variations? 
He says paradise fish if you’re a couple, angelfish if he’s just crushing, and then a royal dottyback/queenfish/emperor tetra (based on your gender) if he likes the MC platonicly.
Hello! So, in one of the Step 3 DLCs, Cove's arm was gone. I think it was to show him putting his arm behind his back. But if that wasn't the case, did it get yeeted? 
Thanks for letting us know. That was an error we tried to fix a little while back. When did you make the save file you were playing? If it was older that might be why it happened. Or maybe the error wasn’t fully fixed after all.
Asking for your opinion, but do you think Cove would at all be into ABBA? Because all I could imagine during the car trip in step 3 was him and the MC belting to Mamma Mia. 
Haha, yeah, there’d definitely be some ABBA songs he was into.
So throughout the game, Cove can develop different interests depending on the player’s choices; does this mean that he can have different careers in Step 4? Or his is line of work in adulthood never mentioned at all? 
He can have different career paths in Step 4!
Hi!! I'm so so sorry if this has been asked before but I just acquired knowledge about the so famous nsfw dlc for OL and nearly chocked on my bubblegum 💀💀💀 So, my real inquiry is if that specific moment will have any kind of impact at some point of the fourth step OR if it will just be treated as a side-story-ish “what if” scenario.Also, is there any chance there'll be something similar for Step 4? Haha jk,,, unless 😳Questions apart let me thank you profoundly for making the best visual novel I've ever played 😭 Really really looking forward the epilogue and OL2 💕 Have a nice day 
It’s just a bonus side story that’s fully separate from the main game.
It would be nice to have one for Step 4 too, but I sadly don’t see us having time to actually do it. I don’t know, if people are still asking for more OL1 content several months from now it might be doable and worth doing.
I'd just like to ask, when is Baxter's birthday :0 -- I'm really curious esp with their zodiac signs so ;w; 
I don’t know, haha. Maybe I’ll come up with one someday.
Please help!! I bought the Step 3 DLC but I still have no idea how to get to where you can propose to Cove - any tips? 
&
How do I get the option to propose to Cove at the end of the game?
You can click HERE for a discussion on that.
I love that Miranda and Terry are getting together! I'm curious if you have canon sexualities for them? Also just wanted to say how much I love OL and how much joy it brings me everytime I play it <3 
Terry likes ladies and Miranda likes dudes!
ngl Step 4 Terry's design reads like y'all see trans guys as their assigned gender more than you see them as men to me (a trans guy)... like maybe if he isn't heavily dysphoric, I could see it, but everything you've said about him doesn't line up with that. Even then, immediate warning bells go off in my head looking at him. I wouldn't have touched the game if I saw him ahead of time.
I’m sorry you aren’t comfortable with the way the design looks. The situation with Terry is that he’s now open about who he is, but the body he was born with is still physically the same. He only came out recently as an adult and hasn’t gone through any treatments/procedures yet (his chest is flatter because he wears a binder). However, even though his body hasn’t transitioned at the point Step 4 happens, no one treats him as anything other than the guy he is. Having a trans character who’s identity is supported/respected from the start is what we’re going for in this case. But what we’re doing with Terry isn’t the only trans content we’ve ever had/ever will have in the future.
how would baxter react to bae pyoun and vice versa? and can you please detailly explain both love interests personalities from our life 2: now and forever? i was just curious, sorry for dumb question!! 
I imagine it’d be pretty opposite experiences, haha. Bae would initially think Baxter is pushy and thoughtless, but would quickly realize, oh, he’s instead a soft, considerate boy. Very cute. Baxter would first be struck with the impression that Bae is charming and gentlemanly, but then would realize that, no, he’s a sarcastic asshole. And I’m afraid we can’t reveal the personalities for the next game yet.
Sorry if you've already answered this, but I have a question about the patreon exclusive moment you're working on. I was wondering if it's mainly going to be CGs or if it's mostly character sprites + backgrounds with some CGs.
Either way, thank you for doing the Lord's work and not only making Cove, but making this bonus moment as well 😌😌😌
It’s mostly sprites/backgrounds with two CGs!
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Thank you again for the interesting questions everyone :D
We released a new FAQ! It answers common questions and we’ll keep adding more to it. Please check there before sending an ask. FAQ   Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog
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