Bolt

ao3

Project: Daedalus Eclipse SMP

P:DE Fic List ft. More Detail ???

Belladonna - If We Could Smile Without Effort ( Poppy Seeds )

Mystreet

Mystreet Fic List ft. More Detail ???

Zaronmau - We Keep This Love In A Photograph

MCD

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Art by MissMaddles

Summary  : Sometimes a father wishes to spoil his daughter... and sometimes a daughter hates the color yellow.

Word Count  : 883

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 Caelix was out shopping; he was supposed to be picking up a new outfit for an event he was going to with his wife, Elowen. He didn’t care for the fancy events his wife adored, but he couldn’t tell her no when she asked him; he loved to see her smile. Which is why he was buying new clothes; instead of wearing his favorite robes, he swore they were formal wear, and Elowen would argue that the last time his robes were considered formal was before the Dark Ages. This was an argument they had quite often; normally he would put the robes on and she’d stop fighting it, but this time it was different; this time he gave in to make her happy. Also because she promised to wear his favorite dress if he got something more to her liking, he would be ashamed to say he gave in quickly, but that’s his wife. Can you blame him? So here he was, looking for a new outfit, when a bright yellow… something caught his eye as he was walking by, making him do a double take. He took a few steps back, taking a look at what it was. It was a kids dress, bright yellow, covered in daffodils. It was perfect for his youngest daughter, his little Spore Blossom, as he so often called her, after the flower that reminded him of his sister. Caelix knew Fernweh’s favorite color was purple, but he figured a change in color would be good for her; maybe it could complement the purple tips of her hair. He thought it was perfect, so of course, after double-checking the size, he bought it. Then once again he went on the hunt for his own outfit.

  It was almost dinnertime when he walked in the door, yelling a greeting to everyone in the house. In response, he got two greetings, one from his wife and the other from his oldest daughter, Aphrodisia, who they lived with at the moment. The second set of greetings was two little kids, both screaming as they ran and hugged one of his legs. They were both talking fast; he couldn’t make out a word either was saying, so before they could continue, he put his two bags of clothes down, then picked them both up by the back of their clothes, being careful to avoid their wings. “Hello Fernweh, hi Callisto. Now, one at a time, please.” He said, then gave Fern a kiss on her forehead before setting the pair down.

  Callisto and Fern looked at each other before Callisto spoke, “Hi Opa! I can fly faster than Fern; isn’t that cool?”

  Which made Fern give the other a light push and a pout. “Only a little faster; it’s because I’m smaller than you!”

  Caelix laughed at the two; the banter between the two made him overjoyed. It almost reminded him of himself and his sister from so long ago; it was almost like another life. He looked between the two before interrupting their conversation, grabbing one of the bags of clothes, and handing it to Fernweh. “Here you go, my little Spore Blossom, I got you a new dress.” Which got Fern’s attention very fast; she loved getting new clothes, but normally her oldest sister, Aphrodisia, would be the one buying her clothes or giving her some of Callisto’s old ones from before he was Callisto. Fern took the bag, but before she could take a peek inside, Caelix stopped her. “Go try it on, then come show everyone, okay?” He explained he wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. Fernweh nodded before grabbing Callisto’s hand and walking away with him, leaving Caelix to smile and think about his family.

  It had been almost twenty minutes since he went with Fern to try on her dress; it made all three of the adults in the house worried.

  “Caelix, what did you give our daughter?” Elowen asked; she sounded like she was trying to joke, but it fell flat.

  “A dress, that’s it.” Caelix kept looking in the direction of Fernweh and Callisto’s room, waiting for the two to come out. “Okay, I’m going to go check on them.” Caelix said, sighing, then standing up and heading towards the room.

  As he got closer, he heard two children giggling, which only made him more scared of what was on the other side of the door. He knocked first, giving them a moment before saying anything.

  “Fern? Callie? I’m coming in!” He announced, opening the door to see Fernweh sitting on the floor, surrounded by yellow fabric, and no Callisto in sight. Fern smiled at her dad and held up a single fake daffodil to him, which he took and examined.

  “I take it you didn’t like the dress?” He asked, trying to understand what the sight before him was.

  “I don’t like yellow, Dad.” Fern responded, as if it was the most obvious fact that he should have known. Caelix only responded with a laugh and took a look around the room; that’s when he saw a bottle of glue toppled over, pouring on Callisto’s bedside table.

ART FIGHT TIME!

Fics Based In Minecraft Diaries | ao3 | masterlist

My Girl ϑϱ

Zoeymau

Summary  :  Zoey has had a crush on the former Lord of Pheonix drop since she met her; now she finally gets the chance to take her on a date, but she can't help but wonder what if things go wrong?

Word Count  :  1,368

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  Zoey didn’t know how it happened, but she sat in her house preparing for a date. She had worn a beautiful dress; Cadenza made it specifically for that. It had a black corset top; it had two ribbons that she had tied in a bow behind her neck, orange ruffles along the top, and two sleeves off the shoulders made of warm orange chiffon, the same as the asymmetrical overskirt, which started just above her knees and got longer in the back, while underneath was a solid orange skirt that went down to her mid-thigh. It was comfortable despite how it might look; she made it perfectly to Zoey’s measurements. She knew she was right to trust Cadenza with this. It had to be perfect; tonight had to be perfect. It was Zoey’s one chance to make this work; over fifteen years, she had been waiting for this, and it had to go perfectly. She has spent the past few days planning this evening for her, her lord, her friend, her co-parent, and her longtime crush, Aphmau. 

  One may ask how Zoey gained feelings for the former Lord of Phoenix Drop; she doesn’t understand how a person could ask that if they knew Aphmau personally, but she would tell the person about Aphmau’s eyes and how they shine in the sun as if they were the most beautiful gemstones you could find. Another thing she would say is how selfless and kind she was to anyone, even those she had never met before or those who disagreed with her. Zoey loved spending time with Aphmau, ever since they first met when she had brought everyone over from the village on the water. Zoey has loved Aphmau’s spirit as long as she had known her, the way she would always come back from adventures and tell Zoey everything she had seen, done, and experienced firsthand. It was more exciting than any book she had ever read up to that point; it was more exciting than any story she heard from anyone back home. It might have had something to do with Aphmau being involved and how her smile is so beautiful when she talks about her favorite stories.

  All these thoughts about the other in her head were driving her insane. She couldn’t calm down, but she had to hurry to finish setting up what she had planned for the two of them. She had put a lot of pressure on herself and didn’t ask for any help, so she had to set it all up alone in her beautiful dress. She would probably tear up, then never hear the end of it from Cadenza. She wondered if an outside date was a good idea; maybe she should have planned something else, but she had no other ideas, and the fall leaves were beautiful. She loved the fall leaves; she loved wearing clothes covered in warm colors and browns. A thing about Zoey is that she loved to match her outfits with the seasons; she always enjoyed it, but she hadn’t thought anyone noticed until last Christmas when Aphmau had given her a handmade snowflake hairpin. “For your braids; it would look good with your Christmas outfits,” is what she had said; it drove Zoey insane. She talked about it for days to the only two people who knew of her (obvious) feelings for Aphmau, the two children the women raised, Malachi and Levin. The same two who helped her get ready after she was dressed, Malachi braided her hair and Levin tried to figure out what the difference between blush and eyeshadow is.

  “Zoey, it’s going to go fine; you have plenty of time to get ready and go set up!” Levin said, looking between all the makeup. “We could help too if you told us what to do.” He was so enamored by the makeup that he wasn’t looking at Zoey as he said this, but it was clear he was sincere. “No, no. I’ve got this; I can do this! It means more if I do it.” Zoey tried to reassure but didn’t move her head as Malachi finished braiding her hair. “There you go, Momma. You’ve got this.” Zoey quickly stood up, grabbed a brush from next to Levi, and put a little more blush on her cheeks than she had previously. She decided it was perfect, grabbed her picnic basket, and ran out of the house. 

  As she was running, she tripped a few times but got back up and made sure the food was okay. She thanked Irene when she got there, and the food was okay; she hadn’t messed it up. She set the basket down in the field of purple wildflowers she had told Aphmau to meet her in. It had beautiful scenery, there was a lake nearby, and you could see the mountains where the sun later would set. Zoey knew it was just like Aphmau, perfect. She set up a few posts and fairy lights all around them, along with a forest green and white plaid blanket; it was a beautiful sight. She set up a few candles, making sure they were all safe to not start a fire in the field. All that was left to do was wait for Aphmau to arrive to start their date.

  After a while of waiting, Zoey heard Aphmau yelling her name; she ran over in a beautiful purple dress that went down to her knees and had off-the-shoulder short sleeves. Aphmau’s hair was in a high bun with bangs that perfectly framed her face. Zoey thought she couldn’t have looked cuter. Aphmau ran over and saw everything Zoey had set up; she had never seen the amber-eyed girl so speechless. “Zoey… this is beautiful.” She quickly sat down on the blanket, and Zoey realized there was a flower pattern on the bottom of Aphmau’s dress. “Thank you, I tried my best.” She avoided eye contact with Aphmau as she thought she would die if she had to look into them. “Thank you for this; I needed a break.” Zoey smiled at the other; this was a good thing, she thought. “Of course! I’m always happy to help, always.” She blushed and got the food out for the both of them, once again amazing the girl before her.

  Once they had eaten, they talked until the sun started to set, and they watched it as the colors in the sky bled together and looked like watercolors. They sat in silence as the sun went down, then switched to watching the stars, and it was the most fun either of them had in a long time. Zoey spent a lot of the time staring at Aphmau, but what she didn’t know is that when she looked away, Aphmau was staring at her. They enjoyed silence with one another, their comfortable silence with the person they loved. 

  The night had to end eventually, and despite Zoey saying she would clean it up herself, Aphmau insisted, so the two talked and got everything together, walking back to the village hand in hand. It had been almost everything Zoey had wanted from this night; she hoped Aphmau wanted the same as her, but she was scared to ask. She was scared to push the other girl away, the one she had wanted for so long. The walk was long and tiring, but it was beautiful at night. They kept looking at the stars again and pointing out the different constellations. 

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We Keep This Love In A Photograph ϑϱ

Aaron + Zaronmau

Summary  :  Aaron finds old photographs from when he was young, realizing that he has the family he used to dream of.

Word Count  :  1,203

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  Aaron had been looking around; Aphmau was finally asleep after everything, and Zane was watching her. He wondered if they had made the right decision, but it was too late to think too much about it; what was done was done. He was glad both of them had been so kind and understanding about everything since they had arrived at Starlight. He hadn’t expected the two to jump him with this question as soon as they did, but he knew it would be brought up one day. He wasn’t entirely on board until Aphmau had made it clear that she understood the risks and understood what was going to happen when they continued, what was happening now. Zane had decided that Aaron needed a break to rest, but he couldn’t bring himself to sleep, so now he was looking around the house and had found an old box of photos his father had brought. While going through them he picked up one that looked vaguely familiar.

  Aaron looked at the photo in his hand; the edges were torn, and the once perfectly white border was now yellowed from time and lack of care. It made him sad to look at it, but it also made him happy, the warmth a person feels while remembering their childhood. If you ignore certain pieces, he didn’t have the worst childhood. Did it have its issues? Yes, but Aaron understood where his father was coming from; he just wished it could have been different; he wished they both had understood one another better, but that was the past, and he couldn't change it. He hadn’t realized his father, no, dad. His dad. He didn’t think his dad still had any of these photos, let alone brought them to Starlight with him. He teared up thinking about it; his dad truly did care after all this time. It makes him wonder if they had stopped yelling and listened to one another and how different things would be.

  The photo in his hand was one of just the two, father and son, from when Aaron was little. Aaron didn’t recognize the background for a minute; it looked almost foreign, but then he looked at the wooden walls, there was a window in the background, and it was obvious the snow was heavy. It nearly sent him back, but he remembered his breathing, for one of the first times. “That… That’s the lodge.” He had to say it out loud, just above a whisper, to confirm it to himself. It was the place where he nearly died, just over a year ago. He was surprised; he knew he had played there when his father used to do business there, but the two looked so happy in this photo, it was like another universe. A hopeful dream for both of them, captured in one photograph. He'd never understood how he could have so many conflicting feelings towards a photo of all things, but he was feeling so many different things it was almost overwhelming. He stared at the photo, trying to remember what the memory was when this photo was from. 

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  Aaron was small, only about six years old, and very energetic. He was running around with rocks in his pockets, as he commonly did; he liked rocks and all their different shapes, sizes, and colors. He had a small collection at home and now had even more he wanted to add; he even grabbed a few to give to Melissa when he got home. The rocks clicked together in his pockets, like a bell announcing where he was as he ran through the halls, away from his dad chasing him to get him to empty his pockets. His giggles echoed through the halls, leading Derek to wherever his son would go. Derek enjoyed the time, making sure to give Aaron enough of a lead to make him think he wouldn’t catch up. As Aaron kept running into room after room, hiding, then taking off again once the coast was clear, every time Derek would come back again right behind him. It was the most fun Aaron had in a very long time; he loved his dad very much, but he never got to spend much time with him. He hoped this moment would never end, so he ran into a room and hid under the bed to keep the game going. He heard his dad run around, looking for him and calling his name. 

  Aaron hid there for about thirty minutes, then fell asleep. He has no idea how long he slept that day, but he knows he woke up when his dad pulled him out from under the bed. He doesn’t remember a lot; he was barely awake, but what he does remember is Derek pulling him close and hugging him so tight he was almost convinced he couldn’t breathe. He was confused, but he hugged his father, enjoying the touch; his love language was always touch, wasn’t it? He pushed him away and looked at him confused, but his father picked him up and spun him around. Aaron was laughing once again, and then they both heard the shutter of a camera, looking over to see Garte with a camera. “Garte, that photo is going to be awful.” Derek held Aaron up next to his face. “Try this one.” Garte laughed and took another picture of the two.

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  Aaron smiled to himself, looking at the photograph; he was crying now. That memory had been one he’d forgotten long ago, but now he remembered it as clear as day. He wiped his tears and put the photo down, then looked through the box in front of him, finding many more photos from over the years. He picked up one in particular; it was of Aaron holding a whisk, licking what looked like batter off of it next to his mom, who had oven mitts on. It was torn and yellowed, just like the other photo. Aaron looked a little older than in the first photo, maybe seven or eight? This was another memory he looked back on fondly; they were making a cake for Melissa’s birthday, and Aaron ate some chocolate a child had brought to the party, making himself sick, leading to the lie that the Lycan family is allergic to caffeine, which was inconvenient for Derek, who loved his coffee. Aaron always felt so bad about it.

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If We Could Smile Without Effort ( Poppy Seeds ) - ϑϱ

Fernweh was ready to leave; she was packed, but when Callisto asked to stay in town despite being hesitant to agree, she did. Little did she know, agreeing gives her the chance to hang out with a local witch who may give Fernweh another reason to stay.

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Tales from the Iliako Phos - ϑϱ

Sometimes a father wishes to spoil his daughter... and sometimes a daughter hates the color yellow.

Art by @missmaddles-uwu

Silly Happy AU - Belladonna

Summary  :  Fernweh was ready to leave; she was packed, but when Callisto asked to stay in town despite being hesitant to agree, she did. Little did she know, agreeing gives her the chance to hang out with a local witch who may give Fernweh another reason to stay.

Word Count  :  6,241

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  Fernweh has been staying with her brother in Thornbrook for the past three weeks. Well, not really her brother, but Callisto and Fernweh were as close as siblings were, and she was technically his aunt, so they were family in some way. The two were on vacation, getting away from their parents and school while on break; despite the two being in their now late twenties, their parents were still breathing down their necks to be extraordinary; even if it wasn't on purpose, it was a lot of pressure. The magic school was fun but stressful, especially as of late, as they were finally finishing up the last of their studies to graduate officially and find what they were going to do with their future. Fernweh wasn’t sure what she wanted to do; she knew she wanted a family, but that seemed like it wasn’t in the cards for her after her past romantic experiences, so she had given up trying to make it happen, even with Callisto telling her that it wasn’t worth giving up. That was easy for him to say; he had found his calling in his end magic and writings, so he only had to worry about the romance aspect, and even then his last relationship ended in the two agreeing to be friends, or at least that's what he had told her. So they decided to take a trip together to a small town, where Callisto’s parents had a small house the two could use for the length of their trip; today was supposed to be their last day, or that’s what Fern had thought.

  Fern woke up to a loud knocking on her door, her bags almost entirely packed and ready to leave. She was virtually dreading going home; she enjoyed the small and quiet town; it was homely. She could get used to life like this, with the people of Thornbrook, the friends the two had made. She knew that Callisto would stay if she did; he had gone everywhere she had gone ever since the two were little kids; he was protective over her. He would call her his “little sister” even though she thought it was a bit stupid; they were only two years apart, and she was technically his aunt. “Ugh, what is it, Callie?” Fern sat up, rubbing her eyes, as her long brown hair fell into place, the purple tips barely touching the bed. It wasn’t time to go, so why was he waking her up so early? The door cracked open, a set of horns, white furry cat ears, and blond hair poking in, followed by the two piercing, almost haunting purple eyes of her brother, the ones the two shared with her father. “So, you know how we’re supposed to be leaving?” His wings were twitching a little as if he was trying to fight the urge to flap them in excitement, and it got Fern a little concerned. He had been like this for the past week and wouldn’t tell her why. It wasn’t like the other to not tell her what was going on, especially if he was excited about something. “Just cut to the chase; I want to go back to bed.” Fern tried to sound mad, but she couldn’t, not when she had just felt the calmest she had felt since she was little, when she’d play hide and seek with Callisto and the other kids. When the two would play family with Metrodora and Bobbi, they would always fight over who would be the baby. From a young age, it was clear that the two were the best of friends and loved family, so of course they both talked about their kids being best friends. It was all okay back then, and it felt like it now too, the two of them looking for their way.

  “Can we extend the trip? Another week… or two even?” Callisto said as he walked over to the bed, giving her a pleading look; it was dramatic, but also genuine; he seemed to want to stay. “Tell me why, and maybe we can.” She raised an eyebrow at him; his recent behaviors made her more curious than she had been in a while. “Okay, so there's this guy… I want to introduce myself to him!” Callisto avoided eye contact with Fern and fiddled with his hands as he explained. “Get to know him maybe? I mean… He seems like a good friend or something. From what I’ve heard, I mean!” He kept rambling, mentioning small things he probably shouldn’t know about the man he admitted he’s never introduced himself to. “So, you want to stay this far from home to see if a man finds you cute?” Fern held back a laugh but let herself smile. “Three days, that’s all you got. After that, we can talk about it again.” Now Callisto’s wings were flapping, just enough to lift him off the ground and make a mess of all Fern’s perfectly packed bags. “On it! Wait till you meet him, Fern! He’s… He seems perfect.” Callisto exclaims and runs out; Fern can only assume to go talk to the guy he asked to stay for.

  Fern had intended on heading back to bed; she valued her sleep after all, but for one reason or another, she stayed wide awake. The bed was comfortable, surprisingly so, as she thought it was the same one Callisto’s parents had used before he was born. The room was clean; the two had made sure of that when they got there. They both hated dust and mold, but who didn’t, right? Something was keeping her up, a force, a feeling, something in her body telling her she couldn’t go back to sleep. It was aggravating, she wanted to enjoy her day and be comfortable, but whatever this feeling was, it wasn’t going to let her it seemed. “I have to make sure he’s okay.” What Fern wouldn’t admit is that Callisto can be overly trusting at times. She worried about his taste in men; they always tended to hurt him. Callisto had broken up with his last ex, Zephyr, a few months before coming to Thornbrook after he tried to get Callisto to make him poison from his blood, which concerned the family, especially when it came to this trip, but the two assured them they would be fine. 

  She stood up, moving over to her spilled bags to find an outfit to wear today. She picked a flowy purple dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves; it rested right above the ground so she wouldn’t step on it. It was beautiful, soft, and fit her style, yet she had no idea where it came from. She had no memory of buying this dress, and her parents had stopped trying to buy her clothes years ago, after the daffodil incident. She was looking at the outfit in the mirror when a small note fell out of the sleeve; she picked it up and read it, “Hey VeyVey! I had some extra fabric and thought you would like this for the trip! If I forget to tell you I made it, then surprise! From Callie.” She smiled to herself; of course, Callisto made her a new outfit for it; he was thoughtful like that, but she knew this wasn’t just from extra fabric. He never had any extra. He, of course, had forgotten to tell her; he must have gotten caught up in the excitement of being someone new and the boy he had been talking about. 

  She walked outside, planning to look around the entire town for Callisto, but she instead found him right next door. There was a small farm there; it seemed to be the only farm in town, so you can assume all the produce came from there, but Fern couldn’t tell you what it tasted like as she could only eat meat due to being a felvaxian. Callisto had tried to get her to try some, and it had ended with a long night in the bathroom and a lot of blood loss, which she noticed had thrown Callisto off of carrots. Why he could eat them and she couldn’t, she would never know. They both assumed it had something to do with his Stargazer bloodline, but even then they aren’t sure why it would change anything. But there he was, a bit far down the fence line, leaning over the wooden fence with his chin resting on his palm, talking to a guy quite shorter than Callisto, though he looked a little older. The only thing Fern could make out on the smaller male was dark curly hair, but Callisto’s smile was wide, and if she didn’t know any better, she would say he was blushing. She sighed a sigh of relief; he was okay; what reason did she have to worry again?

  She walked down the path; she didn’t want to seem like she was stalking Callisto, so she kept walking. Now a bit down the path, looking at the beautiful town, she wondered how a place so nice and calm could exist. She could live here forever if given the chance; maybe they should. That wasn’t more than a hopeful dream at the moment; for now, she needed to gather some potion materials and plants while she was out. One of the things on her list is poppy flowers since the seeds have healing properties; she likes to keep a small stash, and Callisto had gone through them all after nearly breaking his wing the other night. It was followed by her lecturing him about preening his wings properly, but besides that and a little bit of pain, he was okay but insisted on having some type of pain medicine, so she used the last of her poppy seeds. She sighed and shook her head, thinking about it; he was such a baby when he got hurt or sick. She felt bad for whoever he would end up marrying the boy, but she also knew whoever got the chance would be lucky; he was a good person. 

  She walked up to a patch of flowers, picking a few poppies, singing a song to herself. “When the sun loves the moon…” It was just below a whisper, thinking she had the area to herself until she heard. “Even the ocean feels her pull.” She jumped and turned to where the voice came from, holding her poppies to her chest like the stranger would try to steal them from her, but then she saw the long brown hair in its ponytails, along with the tall antlers and doe ears. It was Mycena. She and Mycena had talked a few times since they had been in town, especially since Mycena helped out at the flower shop in town when she was here, or that’s what Mycena had told her. Something about her sister living in town, so sometimes she stayed, but most of the time she lived in the nearby town of Norwich. Fernweh enjoyed talking to Mycena; she was a witch and knew a lot more about plants than herself, which is how she found out that tulips can be used to fight fevers. “Sorry, Fernweh, I just love the song and had to finish it.” Mycena chuckled, giving the other a playful smile. Callisto entertaining the idea of a romance in town made Fernweh think a little, looking at the girl in front of her. “It’s alright, Mycena, I was just gathering poppies.” She sighed, giving the other an exhausted smile. “Callisto went through all of mine the other night, so I need more.” Mycena walked over to the taller one, pushing her teasingly. “You have a troublemaker with that one; he’s sweet, though. He made me these sandwiches the other day that were delicious.” Fern shrugged, thinking about sandwiches that made her hungry; she hadn’t eaten all day. “He likes his sandwiches; they’re how he makes friends.” Fern smiled, looking at the poppies; they all had their odd love languages. “He is a bit of a pain, but he cares.” She said, leaning down and picking more poppies. 

  The two sat in silence for a while, both collecting different types of flowers for their reasons, but they were still hanging out, and Fern would be lying if she didn’t enjoy it. Fern wondered if she should leave soon, but that feeling returned that she had to be here, here and now. She would never be able to explain why she was feeling it, but the tingle down her spine, the pull on her finger, the feeling that if she moved from this spot right now, everything would go wrong. Fern knew she believed in fate and destiny, but this almost felt like more than that. By the time Fern had gathered a dozen, she was wondering if she should get more, but before she could finish that thought, Mycena grabbed Fern’s hand and started walking. Fern let out a yelp in surprise, “Where are we going?” She wasn’t going to fight the shorter girl, but she felt she had a right to know where she was being taken. Being pulled along by a pretty girl was nothing she’d complain about, especially if they were staying; maybe she should talk to the shorter girl more; maybe she could get closer to the people in town. “First, we’re going to stop by my place, get some food, then we’re going to head to the flower shop, and I'll get you some more plants.” Mycena started, then ducked under a branch before continuing. “Lastly, we’ll head over to Meteli! They have a great bar there, the only thing this town doesn’t have, but Cecil owes me a drink.” If Mycena was looking at Fern, she would see Fern’s face had twisted into a goofy smile, one that said she was enjoying the idea of spending the day with the girl. “I would, but I don’t drink?” She didn’t mean for it to sound like a question, but she was so out of her element that she didn’t know what else to say. “You don’t drink? How are you and Callisto related?” Mycena laughed as if her question amused her. “He drinks circles around me like it’s nothing.” Fern joined in the laughter, nodding slightly and resting her finger across her smile. “Sounds like him! He’s been a heavy drinker since the end… thing.” Fern said while motioning to her face, where Callisto’s patch of void sat on his face. “He doesn’t talk about it, but he drinks. It’s been less over the past two years, but he can still handle a lot.” She sighed, worrying about the other more than she should. He wasn’t her responsibility; he shouldn’t be. “Well, we’ll still go out for a drink. He has amazing non-alcoholic options too.” She gave Fern a finger gun, along with a smirk, and Fern would be lying if she said she didn’t find the other cute. Mycena was charming; she had seen how the others acted towards animals and the plants she took care of. She trusted the other enough to not lead her astray.

  Mycena opened the door to the small house, letting Fernweh go ahead of her. “Guys! I’ve brought a friend over! Behave.” Her voice sounded more friendly than she had with Fern before, but she didn’t have time to question it before three little heads poked around a corner. One looked about six, the second looked about four, and the smallest looked about one, following his older sisters as they ran over to Mycena, giving her a giant hug. They all started talking at once; well, the youngest was babbling, with two sets of little wings flapping in excitement. Fern would have found it cuter if it weren’t so loud, her ears folding down to try and block out the noise to no avail. The downside of having cat-like ears is that they are sensitive, so being inside was harder for her. Mycena looked at Fern, lightly tapping the tallest child’s head. “I’m going to count; you better hide.” As she said this, the older two took off, with the youngest slowly following behind, making Mycena laugh. “Sorry about them; they can be so loud. Kids.” She sounded sad at the last word; Fern knew that feeling; she knew wanting kids but not thinking you’d ever have them. Or she was overthinking it, not that she’ll ever ask. Her ears slowly moved back into a resting position. “Thank you, and yeah, I know; my little cousins used to be the same way.” She smiled at the other, one she hoped was reassuring, and gave the impression that she understood what the other was feeling. “Let’s go talk to my sibling and sister-in-law; they should have some food ready soon that we could steal.” Mycena grabbed Fern’s hand and led her over to the kitchen. 

  The room smelt of freshly baked bread, a smell Fern only knew when her aunt Aikaterine would come over, and it had been a long time since she had come over. Two figures were working in the kitchen, one with long, straight black and purple hair; she was the shorter of the two, with two long black horns that stuck over the top of her head. The other was taller, with short, curly, green hair, two wings attached to her head, and two wings on her back, showing where the two younger kids got their wings from. The taller one turned around, the wings on her head flapping at the sight of the two. “Mycena! You’re back! It’s good to see you, sweetheart.” She walked over, hugging Mycena, wrapping her wings around her, showing how much she missed the other dearly. “Aelia! I’m happy to see you too, but we have a guest…” Mycena pushed the other off gently; she seemed almost embarrassed by the other’s affection. Fern smiled, giving a soft giggle; she thought the sight before her was sweet and reminded her of back home with her own family. How Fern and her sister acted sometimes whenever she and Callisto would come over. “Right, right, sorry.” Aelia was the name Mycena said before, she said while her wings went back, softly flapping as they did. “Is this Fern? You said she might be coming over today.” Mycena’s face turned a bright shade of red, which made Fern give Mycena a questioning look; she thought this had been spontaneous. Had Mycena been planning on asking Fern over? That made her smile, knowing the other had wanted to hang out with her. If they had left this morning, it wouldn’t have gone this way. “I didn’t say anything! Shush! Please.” Mycena covered her face and looked away from Fern, finally getting the other person’s attention. They turned towards Mycena. “Mycena, don’t lie in front of everyone; it’s okay to admit you want to hang out with Fernweh.” They sounded done with the group, quickly turning to Fern. “Hi Fernweh, I’m Sylvie, and that is my wife, Aelia. I’m Mycena’s sibling.” They put their hand out, which Fern took a little too fast out of panic. “It’s nice to meet you, Sylvie.” Mycena watched the group while peeking between her fingers; she seemed worried about how Fern would react to new information. When she saw that Fern didn’t seem to have reacted negatively, she put her hands down. “Let us cook, Mycena; go show Fern around.” Sylvie’s tone scared Fern; she wasn’t sure if they always sounded this way or if they were mad at Fern. 

  Mycena ended up dragging Fern out of the room, bringing her down the hall towards the last room on the left. The inside was decorated with a mushroom blanket, pillow carpet, and so much more. The room had a lot of plants, it was clear that Mycena loved her plants, but that made sense with her being a gaia. “I’m sorry about them both; they love to embarrass me.” Mycena sighed, not making eye contact with the other. Anyone could tell she was embarrassed. Fern could go two different routes with what she says next, and Fern is a petty bitch. “So, you planned on asking me to hang out?” She said in the most teasing voice she could, one she commonly used with her close family. Fern felt comfortable with Mycena, like she could truly be herself. Mycena sighed loudly; she was more embarrassed by the second. “Yes, I want to hang out with you.” She sat down on her bed and finally made eye contact with Fern. “Is that… wrong?” She sounded scared. What was she scared of? Did Fern make her scared? “I don’t think so. I’m happy to hang out with you, but I need to be honest with you.” Fern said, sitting down next to Mycena, her wings twitching slightly. She wasn’t sure whether or not she could wrap them around the other, despite wanting to. She wanted to try and comfort the other. “Callisto and I were supposed to leave this morning. The only reason we’re still here is because he wanted to talk to that farmer boy.” Mycena moved closer to Fern when she said that, laughing just a little. “He’s finally talking to Felis? Good for him.” She hesitantly rested her head on Fern’s shoulder, letting herself relax against the other. Fern took this as permission to wrap her wing around Mycena, pulling her closer. “I hadn’t heard about him until this morning. Has this been a thing?” Fern laughed; she wasn’t used to being this out of the loop. It was fun. “It has been since you guys got here! If I keep hearing about it, I might just die.” Mycena laughed as she said this, but Fern would believe it if what she said was true. “The first day you both got here, Cossy came and said hi to everyone, but he fell and Felis caught him. He ran off right after, but Felis asked me so many questions! I knew as much as he did, besides that Callisto had introduced himself as Cossy.” Fern pulled Mycena a little closer as the two laughed together. They were both relaxed, enjoying one another. 

  After a while of silence, they heard Aelia call that it was lunchtime from the kitchen. Fern moved to get up but found that Mycena didn’t move. She looked down at Mycena to see her asleep; it made her smile. She moved her wing off of the other and slowly attempted to wake her up. “Myce? It’s time to get up.” Fern didn’t even realize what she had called the other; she was just focused on getting Mycena up so they could go eat and then continue the rest of their day together. She kept moving the other, and as Mycena stirred awake, she looked at Fern with an expression so tired she felt bad for waking her. “It’s time to go eat; come on.” Mycena shook her head, nuzzling into Fern. “I’m not hungry…” Fern had to admit, the sight was adorable; she was close to letting her fall back asleep, but before she could decide to do so, there was a loud knock on the door. “Cena! Momma made pineapple carrot cake!” Fern assumed it was the oldest child based on the speech pattern, but she didn’t know them well enough to say for sure. What she did know was that the mention of the cake woke Mycena up fast. Faster than Fern expected, and it made her jump. “Just a second, Violet! If you guys eat it all again, I swear to God.” Mycena stood up and ran towards the door, leaving Fern behind on the bed, laughing as Mycena ran out of the room. Mycena liked pineapple carrot cake; she should remember this in the future. Fern took one last look around the room, taking it in, then standing up and walking out the door to follow Mycena. 

  Fern walked into the dining room; the first thing she saw was what she assumed was the pineapple carrot cake in the middle of the table, and then on each plate was a piece of shepherd's pie. It was something Fern could eat; she appreciated that. Mycena was sitting to the right of the youngest, with the seat to her right the only empty one at the table, so Fern assumed that’s where she should sit. She took the seat next to Mycena, attempting to not look as uncomfortable as she felt at that moment. Mycena smiled at Fern, giving her a reassuring nod. Aelia and Sylvie sat down just a few minutes later. “Please eat; don’t let it get cold.” Aelia insisted; it made Fern wonder if she should have started soon, but Mycena hadn’t started, so she hadn’t. “Come on, Aelia, we had to wait for the both of you.” Mycena gave them both a giant smile. “You two worked so hard.” Fern could tell the two appreciated Mycena’s words; it seemed Sylvie was just naturally stern because she was smiling but still felt mad at Fern. She could breathe now; she didn’t do anything before, or she hoped. Soon everyone began eating, Mycena talking to Sylvie and Aelia. She was laughing with the two, enjoying lunch together; she even got Fern involved at one point, which was a big step for her. They laughed and joked with one another while they ate their meal until they finished, and it was time for cake. “So, why pineapple carrot cake? I mean, I’ve never even heard of it.” Fern asked; she didn’t want to offend; she was just curious. The response she got, she didn’t expect; it was Sylvie of all people laughing at Fern, and based on Mycena and Aelia’s reactions, it wasn’t normal. “Our parents used to make it all the time; for so long it was Mycena’s favorite. Not so sure now.” They explained, their laughter dying down. “But whenever Mycena stays with us, we make it at least once, though if she comes by more because of you, we might have to cut back on them.” Mycena made an offended noise and put her hand on her chest. “Don’t cut me off, please.” Which made the older four laugh altogether. Fern enjoyed their company; the children were funny, Sylvie and Aelia were enjoyable as well, and she could get used to hanging out over here. Maybe Callisto was right to suggest they stay longer.

  After a while their lunch was over; Mycena and Fern said goodbye to the five and went towards the flower shop. They walked down the dirt paths of the town, laughter filling the air; the two couldn’t be quiet for a minute. Fern was taking all the time they had to get to know Mycena; she could live in this town; she wasn’t serious before about moving to this town, just one like it, but Thornbrook could be home. Fernweh could imagine herself living here, getting to know Mycena, and being able to see her every day. Her heart hurt thinking of not being around the other; it was a weird feeling for Fern. She didn’t normally get attached to people like this; how did the short girl worm her way into Fern’s heart so fast? “Fern, watch out!” Mycena yelled as Fern walked into a branch, cutting her forehead. She yelped in pain; it was small, but it stung. Mycena looked worried; she got on her tiptoes to try and examine the other. “You’re cut; let me see.” Fern laughed a little, leaning down to give the other a clear view. “I can heal myself; I promise.” Mycena shook her head, getting the two to the perfect level so she could kiss Fernweh’s forehead, then ran towards the flower shop. Fern didn’t know what to do for a second; Mycena had kissed her forehead, and suddenly the stinging didn’t matter anymore. Instead, all she was focusing on was the feeling of the kiss that was left even though Mycena’s lips were no longer there. As soon as she realized she was just standing there, she ran after the other.

  Fern walked into the flower shop, seeing Mycena running around, grabbing different seeds and flowers, and putting them into a bag. She was going around fast; she knew exactly where everything was, and apparently, she knew exactly what she wanted to grab the other. “Mycena, are you alright?” Fern was worried about the other. A kiss and run was not what she expected today, but it was not unwelcome. “I’m fine, Fern! Just looking for something.” She started running around more, cursing to herself about whatever it was she was looking for. Fern was curious, but the entire shop made her feel that way. She walked over to the poppies, looking at the seeds. She knew she needed to grab some more, but this would be easier than going and gathering them herself. “Mycena, how much are the poppy seeds?” She asked without looking at the other, just looking at the seeds. “Just take them! I was going to grab you some of them anyway.” She heard Mycena running around behind her, and Fern wondered if they were going to be awkward now or if that was just something Mycena did to her friends. Are they friends? Fern didn’t know the answer to that, and before she could think more about it, Mycena ran over to her and handed her a bag full of what Fern could only assume were different plants from around the shop. “Oh! Thank you, you didn’t have to do this.” Fern smiled, holding the bag close. Mycena gave her a warm smile, reaching up and tucking a sunflower behind one of Fern’s ears. “There you go, it complements your eyes, sunflower.” Fern put a hand on her cheek, feeling her face heat up at the other’s action. Mycena giggled at her. “Yes, you are red.” She moved Fern’s hand off of her face and gave her a small kiss on her knuckles. It was so fast Fern wondered if she had imagined it. “Thank you, Mycena.” It was all Fern could get out; she wasn’t sure what was going on, but she wasn’t going to complain. A cute girl giving her two kisses in one day, it’s like a dream come true. “Of course! Now, we have got you covered, so let’s head over to Meteli.” Mycena sounded hopeful; she also sounded nervous. Fern wondered if Mycena overthought the way she did. “Yeah, let’s go,” Fern said with a nod, moving to leave the flower shop with Mycena behind her.

  Fern followed as Mycena walked behind the flower shop, heading down the path towards Meteli. As they walked, the two started laughing again. If you saw them in public, you would assume they’ve known each other longer than three weeks. “I’m sorry there isn’t a lot to do in town.” Mycena sighed, leading the other down the stairs towards the bridge. “Small-town things. It’s nothing like the capital.” Fern shook her head. “I prefer it actually; it’s nice to be able to breathe.” She explained as she picked Mycena up and then took off into the sky. Mycena screamed instinctively at being taken into the air; she knew Fern could fly, but a warning would have been nice. She covered her eyes, not wanting to look at the ground and see how high in the air the two were. “Fern, what the fuck!” Fern didn’t like the fear in Mycena’s voice. “Myce, it’s okay, I have you. Just look for a second at least.” Fern reassured the other, flying over the water towards the other town. She held Mycena close, but comfortably; she wasn’t scared to drop her. She knew what she was doing. Mycena listened to Fern’s words; she trusted the other, probably too much, so she uncovered her eyes and looked down at the water and the land ahead of them. Her eyes went wide at seeing the world below; it was beautiful. Fern flew closer to the water, letting Mycena look at it before speeding up and flying them both to the top of the hill ahead of them. She landed and set Mycena on the ground, giving her a proud smile. “I can fly pretty well!” She wasn’t wrong, but she still scared the other. Mycena made that obvious as she was clinging to the taller. “Give me a warning next time, please?” She clung to the taller tighter; she was shaking a bit and looked up to look Fern in the eyes. “But please let there be a next time.” Fern chuckled softly, giving her a nod. “Yes, I’ll warn you, and there will be a warning.” Mycena let out a breath Fern didn’t realize the shorter was holding and then let go of her, starting once again down the path. Fern watched for a second, smiling like an idiot. Mycena was good company; she wouldn’t deny that, and she was excited to keep hanging out with the others, at least for today. Before Mycena could get too far ahead, she ran to catch up with her.