sweetestsurrender | { The AU meme }

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{ The AU meme }

Ever played out something and then later wondered "What if?" Ever wondered what it'd be like to play your character a different way, but didn't feel like making a full thing dedicated to it? Now's your chance to play it out!

Using RNG you'll roll 1-3 for the level of the change, and 1-6 for the change itself, or if you want, pick your own based on what you wanted to do.

1)  Small Change: The flap of a butterfly's wings can cause tsunami's on the other side of the world.

-1: "A minute too late"- What if you missed something by a minute, or more? You missed the big meeting, the girl, helping that person, all because you were too late, what happens next?
-2: "The nick of time"- Just like the first, only that instead of missing something you got, that if you got something you missed because you were either too late, or just messed up? Congratulations! Let's just hope it's what you really wanted.
-3: "A little too early"- One more, what if you showed up early? It's suppose to be a good thing, is it this time?
-4: "The other choice"- You had two choices, left or right, heads or tails, Coke or Pepsi, now you get to see what would have happened with the other choice.
-5: "Oops!"- You slipped up, and made a mistake. Is it bad, or a blessing in disguise?
-6: Wild card/Pick your own- Thought of a slight change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

2)  Medium Change: Didn't really see that coming, did you?

-1: Turning point change- That one thing that would have turned things in your favor went against you, and vice versa. How will you handle this critical change?
-2: "A Razor's edge"- That one moment that could have went either way has gone the opposite way of before. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?
-3: Crossroads- You reached a point in your life where you had several choices before you, now's the time to go down another road and see where it leads.
-4: The Road less traveled- "Two roads diverged in the woods, and I took the one less traveled" Will it make all the difference?
-5: Interference- Something blocked you from getting something you were going for. What do you do once the moment is gone?
-6: Wild Card/Pick your own-Thought of a medium change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

3)  Large Change: Why do all the people here have goatee's?

-1: Good/Evil- Use to be a good guy? Welcome to the dark side, here's your cookie. Former bad guy? Hand over the cookie tray and join the side of good. How will the change of moral compass change you?
-2: A different person- You're now a completely different person, literally. Are you taller? Shorter? A robot? A pony? Powers? No powers? Your call.
-3: The other sex- Rule!63 is in effect. Now how does this effect your relationships with the other?
-4: A change in history- Something that happened in the past now has completely change or is now gone. One domino toppling the rest. Now that you've changed your past, how will it effect your future?
-5: Giving up- You walked away from something important to you? Do you regret it? Are you happy?
-6: Wild Card/Pick your own- Thought of a large change that'd make all the difference, or had one you wanted to play? Here's your chance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Nothing wrong with plain. But yours isn't plain." He grinned when her phone was tucked away and then used the hand that was curled around her waist to lift and lightly brush through her hair. It really was just as silky as he'd always imagined it to be.

"You can do whatever you want with it, Wu. But... Do me a favour? Don't cover it up completely." At least not with a wig.

She smiled, leaning into his touch with a quiet hum, letting out a quiet sigh. "Okay," she replied softly. "I'll make sure you can see it, and maybe even touch it," she grinned. It might be difficult to find a style, but she was sure she could manage it.

"You can take the pigtails out, if you want. I'm sure seeing with my hair down will be just as jarring as doubling the number of tails," she grinned.

Duo thought about it a moment and then nodded. He had to put his cup down to free his hand, but once he had and he'd wiped his hand on his jeans, he reached up. He was gentle as he tugged the ties binding Wufei's hair. First one and then the other. Both hair ties he put around his wrist before he raised his hand once more to comb his fingers through her hair, straightening it some.

"See?" he said with a warm smile. "Beautiful. Not plain at all." and she was. Truly a beauty like no other. With her hair down it softened her features, it seemed a little longer than he'd remembered it had been during the war, but still just as soft and silken. Duo loved how dark it was, how it seemed to catch the light and shimmer with hints of a deep blue. No, it was most definitely not just plain at all.

They slipped free easily, twisted five times over just to hold her hair without slipping on their own, and smiled easily for him as he combed his fingers through. "I'll take your word for it," she replied, letting her gaze linger on his face, on the way he looked at her. It melted her a little bit inside, made her smile a little softer at the edges.

She thought of telling a joke, or saying anything at all, but she didn't want to interrupt whatever was happening here. It was something soft and precious, and she didn't even bother committing it to memory, she just stayed in it and let it linger around her as she lifted a hand, stroking her thumb along his cheek.

Whatever little spell he'd put himself under was broken when she touched his cheek. He blinked and realised what he was doing, his fingers buried within her hair. A pink flush warmed his cheeks and he pulled his hand free with a low laugh.

"Ahem... Yeah, yeah you should. I mean if anyone knows a thing or two about hair it's gotta be the guy with way too much of it." He laughed again did his best to ease some of the embarrassment by leaning forward enough to grab his can of soda to fill up his cup. "So, you're thinking of doing fancy things to your hair, huh? Is that traditional or something?"

She hummed softly, drifting free of it a little more slowly than he did, and chuckled at his reply. "It is," she agreed, "I'm probably going to get a dress from a Chinese designer since red isn't used by many Western ones, and they tend to lend themselves to pairing well with ornate hair. Do you want to help me pick one, or follow the tradition of not seeing it until the day?"

"I'll help with ideas if you want 'em, but whatever your final choice is... I don't wanna see it." Duo decided with a firm little nod. "Maybe it's just a silly superstition, but I don't wanna push my luck." And he felt they'd need all the luck they could get. The thought of starting off their marriage on the wrong foot made him feel uneasy. It was best to play it safe this time around.

"Okay," she replied warmly, picking up her water to take a sip before toying with the end of his braid again. "I thought you might want to respect that tradition. What about the rhyme? Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?" She'd been doing her research on western traditions.

"Could be fun?" Duo grinned widely. "Never understood that one though. But can't hurt, can it? Are there any traditions like that in China?" He had no idea if he was honest. Maybe he should have done his own research into that area. But until Wufei had brought it up, he hadn't even considered those traditions before.

He watched in amusement as she continued to play with his hair. It had always amused him how people would go for his braid. Whether to touch like this or in an angry way that would quickly get them punched in the throat.

"Most of the traditions would require us to go to China for the wedding and spend an inordinate amount of money," she replied with a little shrug. "There are a few we could do here. We can use a fortune teller to pick the date, and do the hair-combing ceremony," and then she paused, grinning. "You know, there's a very fun, lively part that I think you'd like. Traditionally, the groom has to come pick the bride up on the wedding day, and makes a ruckus on the way over. Then he's put to a test, to win over her friends and family, it's very lighthearted and fun, and at the end you'd get to carry me out of the house," and she thought it sounded like it'd be right up his alley. Loud, fun, joyful.

"I don't mind going to China. Or spending the money. Not like I'll be saving for a second wedding." He laughed. If this one didn't work out then there was no hope for him.

He looked more than a bit amused by this 'lively' tradition that she thought was perfect for him. "And what if your friends and family disapprove of me?" Duo couldn't help asking. He didn't think their friends would say much, if anything. But what if they did? He laughed though. "But sure, we can do all of those things. Makin the day as fun as we can works for me."

"Well, a few centuries ago, you'd be out of luck," she said lightly, "but I think you'll be hard pressed to find a friend of mine who actually disapproves. We have most of them in common, anyway."

"As for going to China, that is one place where I will put my foot down -- I do not want my family throwing the wedding and dictating the details, and that is exactly what would happen if we held it in China," and she didn't think he'd be too keen on their demands, either.

"Good point. Anywhere but China then." Having Wufei's family telling them what to do would piss him off. Would piss them both off. It would be easier to just avoid them at all costs.

Since he wasn't playing with her hair anymore, Duo had dropped his arm back down and curled it around her waist comfortably once more. "We'll do this for us then." And if they wanted any part of it then they'd have deal with having no say whatsoever.

She nodded. "There is another tradition, if you're open to it. Someone close to me is supposed to prepare the bedroom for the wedding night. Putting red sheets on the bed, setting out a few traditional items. Things that represent happiness and fertility, snacks with a predictable reputation. It's supposed to be done by someone with a large family, so..." Quatre was the obvious choice.

Duo's first instinct was to laugh. His second was to ask if they'd even need any of that stuff. Unless he was expected to 'preform' on the wedding night? It wasn't something they'd actually discussed and something Duo was actively avoiding because he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it. But it was also something Future Duo could deal with.

"I think... if we ask him he'd do it." Quatre would be willing to help in any aspect they let him. They were going to stop him from fussing over everything else, if he was given this one task he'd have it done to perfection. Probably.

Wufei nodded. "I'm sure he'll want to be involved somehow, and this is a nice thing that he can do that he won't be able to go too far overboard with. It might even help keep him from trying to help in other ways," which would be ideal. As for what they were going to do in that bed, well, a plane was too public of a place to have that conversation.

"Is there anything special you want to incorporate?" she asked, one hand toying with his braid again.

Which was why Duo didn't ask, he wasn't even sure he'd be ready to have that talk in private. But when the time came he would treat it as seriously as the rest.

"Yeah, I think he'd like being useful. As for me? I'll have to think. Right now no." And he realised what a cop out that was but it couldn't be helped. "I've no family. Our friends are the same. There aren't many traditions I can think of." He smiled, again watching her playing with his hair. "So long as you're there and our friends, I'm a happy guy."

She nodded, and cast a glance around before lowering her voice. "What about something to honor your family?" she asked. "The ones you got your name from. Having small memorials to include the memory of lost family isn't uncommon in western weddings," and it was something he might feel strongly about.

Duo went a little still then. He could... Except those where his private ghosts. They weren't things that he had broadcast to others, nor told the story of. And he didn't think he wanted to have to explain it to people now. But more than that, he wasn't even sure what he could even use as memorials for them.

"Technically..." Duo spoke quietly. "I'm a living memorial to them..." Without quite meaning to he'd started to lightly rub and play with the fabric of Wufei's jacket at her waist. "I've no pictures of them. I've nothing I could use that wouldn't raise questions I don't wanna answer." From his perspective anyway. These days the Maxwell Church Massacre was part of history. There was a memorial plaque at the site where the church had once stood and even a day of mourning every year in memory. It was too little too late and Duo was more than a little bitter over the whole thing. And as for Solo... No one remembered him but Duo.

Wufei nodded. "Then perhaps something for just the two of us," she suggested, keeping her voice soft, to ensure no one would overhear. "I have a shrine, to honor my ancestors. If you'd like, we can have tablets made with their names and add them," she offered. "Give their memory a place in our home." She released his braid to rub her hand along his arm and shoulder.

He thought about that. Sometimes he'd considered doing that himself. Solo would have laughed and mocked him for being sappy. But the others probably would have liked to have something...

"Yeah, if you don't mind?" Duo blinked and gave his head a little shake before he turned his gaze to Wufei. "It's not like anyone else really remembered them but me. The only thing I have..." He set down his cup once more and brought his hand up to fish out that cross from around his neck. The golden crucifix he'd worn all through the war and that he still hadn't taken off. "... This is the only thing I have of them. Of any of them. My name and this. Maybe my braid too. I don't think there's really a unique thing about me." He was just a mishmash of painful memories in human form.

"I don't mind at all. Your family is my family now," she reminded him with a soft smile, and let her gaze linger on the cross. "We are all bits and pieces of the people we love, it doesn't make who you are any less distinct. It just means that when you've loved, you've given it everything you have," and she sounded a little breathless as she said it, as she felt it and understood it. "Adding them to the shrine means I will be able to give them my most profound gesture of gratitude for having helped you find your way to me."

He lightly brushed his thumb across the face of his cross before he let it drop upon his chest and he lowered his hand again. Once more letting it rest on Wufei's legs where they draped across his own.

"You're a bit of a romantic, huh? Or a poet." He smiled softly, there was no teasing in his voice, just warmth. "Maybe you're right. I wouldn't be me without them at my back. However I started, however I came to be, I'm me now." Duo lent his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, still smiling. "Alright. We'll add them... Solo. Sister Helen. Father Maxwell."

"Some days, I'm not sure what I am," she replied softly, but she smiled sweetly as she said it, and nodded as he agreed to add his family. Her heart ached with each name, and when he was done she leaned her head on his shoulder, whispering a few words in Chinese.

"You're whoever you want to be. And now you've the time and ability to find out." Duo curled his arms around her a little more. And when that head fell onto his shoulder, he took the initiative this time when he turned his head to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Thanks. Thanks for... for being you." And for giving a shit about him.

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