Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Laozi

"Blubber...bubba...penguie..."

God, she talks even more in her sleep.

It's her birthday today. And her graduation. This idiot thought I'd forget so she purposely avoided the subject, going as far as to hiding most of the calendars. She even took it off my phone. It's the day the love of my life was born, there's no way I'd fucking forget.

We went shopping yesterday and got things for the house, along with parrot food. Every minute after that trial feels like a damn dream. It's hard to believe that things are changing. Mayella's so excited for her graduation and even tried on the cap. She looked so fucking mine.

I'm so proud of my girl.

"Mhmm..." I hear mumbles sound from my side and I turn in case she's having a nightmare. Mayella, half-asleep, sits up straight and opens her arms to me with her eyes still closed.

"Dalaric. Warmth, please." I sigh, placing her on top of me before wrapping us in a thick blanket in her burrito style. She needs the sleep. She adorably smiles on my chest before laying a kiss on it, murmuring something about biting.

She bit me a night ago. I'm not talking about the normal bites. She bit my neck for real. And when I asked her why, she said it was because mates have to 'mark' each other. Sometimes my little bundle of happiness really fucking scares me.

My eyes wander to the clock. Two in the morning. I can't fucking sleep. Not after the good news. Knowing she's staying with me is so fucking comforting. I would be crying if it wasn't for the girl in my arms. She's everything.

My minds race with thoughts of uncertainty. What happens next ? The fuck am I supposed to do without a job ? There's just so many damn things and it'll be hard to choose. But I don't have to worry if I've got her. So I won't.

For now, might as well just shove my face into her chest and call it a night.

I don't mind doing that for the rest of my life.

␈ ␈ ␈

"Eeeeee!" She squeals. "I'm graduating! Babycakes, can you put this on me ?" Mayella hands me her cap before trying to set down some of her flyaways. I do it for her and put the cap on her head, making sure it won't fall off because of her bobblehead tendencies.

"I think it starts now, we should head in. It's a shame they don't let parrots in. Kipp was really excited." Mayella mumbles holding on to my arm. That feels so fucking good for some reason.

"Mhm. We'll take pictures." Mayella nods at my idea, grabbing my hand and walking towards the entrance of her highschool. I've never been inside before but I fucking hate it. Mayella went through a lot on these grounds.

"Look- it's where I used to have my-"

"-lunch." I complete for her. She furrows my brows at how I came to know about it. She doesn't need to know that I dropped by to see her in the middle of the day sometimes, always when I had just got done with a kill or had a bad day. Seeing her just...made me feel fine. I'm a fucking stalker. I should work on that.

We walk into the ceremony hall and Mayella's eyes glitter at the crowd of parents and their children. I wish her mom was here to see how far my girl made it. But she's not. And I am. So I'll do whatever the fuck I can to make this a day she'll always remember.

"Aight, where do we sit ?"

"Um- I have to go backstage and then they'll call me name to give me the certificate and all. So you might have to sit alone...only for a while ! And um..." Mayella looks uncertain as her words die out and I narrow my eyes.

"And ?" I insist.

"And will you clap for me, please ?" She murmurs, her eyes staring at a random spot on my shirt.

"Of course I fucking will. The loudest in the room, baby." Mayella blushes a pretty pink and buries her face into my chest before giving my cheek a kiss and handing me a croissant. When did she pick this up ?

"Eat this if you're hungry. And if you're bored, you can play candy crush on my phone. I'm on level 78 so make sure you don't lose the streak. Oh and-"

"There's no way I'm going to be bored when you're on that stage, Mayella." I state blankly. For a smart ass, she sure is an idiot sometimes. Mayella sighs and nods to herself determinedly before giving me a fist bump and walking away.

She's probably thinking about whether or not she might trip on the stage. I love her, a fucking lot, which is why I know she'll probably trip. Just like she does when climbing that fucking bathroom counter. If she damages that ass one more time-

"Alright, Ladies and Gentleman. Please take your seats and clap for our graduates." I sit somewhere in the first row. A man Mayella introduced as Mr.Gnawshire is sat right next to me and gives me a round, orange ball-like sweet to try, saying that it's tradition for special events. Tastes kinda good so I take more, saving some for Mayella and thanking him.

"Clancy..." The first name is called. I don't bother having a look since he ate all the damn peanut butter. But he's been a good friend to Mayella. Still an idiot.

"Shay..."I only glare hard, which she notices before scurrying off quicker than she should with the certificate in her hand. Mayella forgave her. I don't want to, but I know I should. With time, I guess.

"Mayella Morrison." All I can do, all I ever do when I see her, is smile. I'm happy as fuck. That's my girl right there. She walks steadily across the stage and shakes hands with the principal, only to slightly trip on her way back.

That's my girl too.

I never knew what it was like to feel so much damn pride for someone other than myself until I fell, so fucking hard, for her. I clap even harder, so much so that it scares Mr.Gnawshire. I smile when I meet her eyes which tell me exactly what I want her to believe. 'I made it.'

I wanna be with her for the rest of my life. I want to be by her side when she achieves even the smallest things. Even when she beats a new level of candy crush on her first try.

Mayella gets down the stage and comes rushing into my arms, showing me her graduation certificate with a grin.

"Lookie lookie, Dalaric. It says my name." Mayella says ecstatically, jumping up and down like a rabbit. I kiss her forehead, letting her scroll through the photos I took. Once the ceremony is over and we bid goodbye to Mr.Gnawshire who insists we take more sweets, Mayella tells me she's hungry.

␈␈␈␈

"Can I have a frostie with that please ? If its not too much of a bother," She mumbles into the drivethrough machine.

"Baby, that's their job." I say absentmindedly, grabbing the bag from the window and thanking the guy. Mayella makes a face of realisation, nodding to herself and trying to 'fly' a fry into my mouth. She gets upset when I don't open for the airplane.

"Can you do the ordering, please ? I'll do the eating." She giggles at her own words and continues to feed us until we reach home. Fuck, I have to give her the present. Will she like it ? Fuck, why does my stomach feel so damn wierd ? My hands tighten on the steering wheel and Mayella lays her hand on them, continuing to eat her food. Come to think of it, I can't find my damn gloves anywhere. Wild fucking guess but I think it has something to do with the bunny that's messily eating her ice cream.

I hope she'll like it.

If anything, she would even treasure a bar of chocolate. Even a fat penguin pencil from the grocery store. Idiot selfless girl. I park the car before helping her get down. Suddenly feeling like I need a refresher, I rush to take a shower before she can sense anything. Mayella waves me off anyways, telling me she needs to have her own time with Kipp.

She better fucking like it.

␈␈␈␈

That feels better. I'm less nervous now. I think. Fucking hell, it's just a gift. But it's for her.

"Babycakes, are you done showering y-" Mayella stops at the doorway as I continue to dry off with a towel, another one wrapped around my waist. I smirk at her dumbfounded expression as she takes in my form and scoff knowingly when she covers her mouth with her hand. That does shit to my eg-

"Are you crazy !? It's freezing in here and you're coming out with just a towel ? You idiot. If you get sick because of this, you'll be sleeping on the meeting room table, got that ? What're you looking at me for ? Go wear your clothes. Now." Mayella says it all in one breath. Her face is red and she is glaring at me.

Oh, she's really fucking angry.Where are my damn pants ?

"They're on the bed, idiot. When I come back here, you better be fully clothed. You have no business coming out like that shamelessly." Mayella wiggles a finger at me and I nod, crossing my arms when I start to feel self-conscious. Did I just ruin her birthday ? You had one damn job, Ricky.

I sigh putting on the clothes and taking out the gift from the side table drawer. Mayella expectedly walks in with a pout before hugging me from the back, passing me the hairdryer.

"You scare me when you do things so carelessly, y'know. I can't always be your blankie when you're feeling cold." Mayella grumbles and lays a kiss on my back, her voice carrying an apologetic tone.

"Never again, promise."I unwind her arms from around me and sit her on the edge of the best taking out the gift. Mayella incredulously takes the paper from my hand with her brows furrowed as she reads it.

"W-wha...what is this, Dalaric ?" I can make out an excited grin ready to breakout when she looks at me in disbelief.

"You said you wanted them. So," I clear my throat. I can't think straight when she has that look on her face. "Happy birthday, baby."

Mayella pulls me down to sit next to her, her hands covering her face in shock. I take them away because I don't like it when she does that. Her eyes are teary as she speaks, wanting to confirm.

"Y-you adopted t-two baby penguins ? F-for me ? I-I- this makes me so happy," She shakes her head again, pinching herself. "A-and you named them-"

"Maya and Ricky." I finish for her which results in even more tears falling. I hope those are tears of happiness or some shit.

"I love you. I love you. You're the best." Mayella repeats those words endlessly while kissing me all over the face. She checks the adoption papers again which include the attached penguin pictures. They're even fatter than the ones we have. Mayella mumbles to herself, confusing me.

"So you are rich, huh... and you can afford baby penguins which means..." She continues talking to herself, looking at the pictures in awe.

She likes it. I hope she'll like the other one.

I clear my throat, setting her on my lap when she gets too damn excited about the kisses. Her eyes glitter as she stares at the adoption certificates. the money goes to taking care and feeding them, it took time to get them named,but it was so fucking worth it.

"Maya and Ricky live in Namibia ? Are they a couple too ?" She wonders out loud, a smile on her face when she snaps photos and sends them over to Fatima.

I clear my throat when she doesn't give me any damn attention and Mayella turns in my lap.

"More gifts ? You shouldn't-" She asks, after seeing the hesitant expression on my face. I scout the side table drawer once again, picking up the small black box.

"If you don't like it, I'll buy you a better one. But uh-" Don't be a damn pussy, Ricky. Not now. "-the boys and I spent a week on the damn workshop and this is what I came up with so-" Mayella's eyes go wide when I open it up to reveal the silver ring I bent into shape myself. Turns out none of us are good at jewelry making, but I think it turned out alright.

"This is where you were in the afternoons ? Wh-Y-you said that marriage-after colleg-" She tears up again and I mentally groan. Her eyes get too fucking sore when she cries a lot.

"I know. This is for now. A promise ring or whatever the fuck you want to call it. I gotta keep that finger occupied somehow." I say before grabbing her soft finger and putting it on. My heart beats too damn fast when it fits perfectly. Good job, Ricky.

"It's so pretty." That fucking word-

My thoughts are interrupted when Mayella lays her lips on mine, murmuring something so sincere that it makes me want to pounce on her right fucking now.

"I wanna be your wife so bad, babycakes. The wait will be worth it if it's you, though. I can't wait to prank Fatima and Raf with this." She hugs me close, her eyes admiring the ring which has a round emerald stone in the center. It suits her.

After a few minutes of telling her how much I love her, her lips end up swollen and her breaths come out in small pants. She takes a gulp of water before holding my face.

"I feel really really bad for saying this but I won't be able to sleep if I don't. Are you sure this isn't too expensive ? I mean- the adoption would've been costly, and the ring ? It looks so well made- good job baby- and it's just so shiny," She gets momentarily distracted by the ring before getting back to the topic almost shyly. "It's just, with you quitting the job and all, isn't it better if we be a bit more mindful ? And when do you think we should move into a smaller house ? I can pick up double shifts too. The water and electricity bill isn't very cheap, y'know. I've actually been meaning to tell you this for like two days now. But every time, I just end up sounding selfish and bratty. Like right-" I lay my hand on her mouth that always manages to spew some weird shit.

Does she think I'm broke now ? Better yet, did I, or did I not, tell her I was a damn millionaire ? This fucking girl.

"Yeah, we should move into a smaller house soon. Raf said he found us an apartment in the city, you up for that ?" I ask, trying not to smirk. I'm an ass for doing this.

"Yeah, yeah definitely. Can we take Kipp too ? Some buildings don't allow that." Mayella says sincerely, not even an ounce of hesitancy in her eyes.

"No, baby. No pets. And I don't think we'll have space for the penguins either. It's only a small room, you understand, right ?" Her face visibly falls and she resorts to playing with the ring after averting her gaze.

"Oh. Okie. Yeah . I, I understand. Not even Mr.Jones Sr. ?" There's a small pout on her face as she asks this and my mind tells me to stop playing with her oblivious ass.

"No, not even him. You sure you can deal with that, Mayella ? It'll be tough. Without the stuffed fatti-animals and all." I stop myself from insulting them, considering how her pout grows and she stuffs her face in the crook of my neck.

"B-but you'll be there, right ? So it's fine. I'll be okay." Mayella lays a kiss on my skin and my heart squeezes. It fucking squeezes. She can't love me that much. You love her that much, though ? Right.

"God, I'm such an asshole. Hey, hey baby." I take her face out of my neck and kiss her the tip of her reddened nose. "Look here, we're not broke, okay ? I've invested in land all over Canada too, Dan's made sure of that since before the trial. So we're safe, I promise."

"Oh. S-so we can keep Mr.Jones Sr. right ? I-You promise ?" Mayella's brows are furrowed in worry as she holds one of my hands in both of hers.

"Yeah. The small one too. I promise." She smiles softly, choosing to wrap a blanket around us and laying herself on my lap.

"Oh. Yay."

We turn off the lights and call it a day. I frame her certificate, not forgetting to tell her how damn proud I am. She blushes and hides away under the blankets. Under our blankets. Dumbass. Once I crawl in with her, my hands instinctively pull her close as my fingers tangle themselves in her soft hair. This is the fucking life.

"You excited for college ?" I ask as I make her the little spoon, glaring at her when she places one of the penguins in front of her. She calls it a 'spoon train'.

"Yup, very. Do you know T also goes there ? He's doing the same course and he's in his second year. He's a bit of a goof, I like him. He can be my college bff."

"I don't wanna hear 'best friend' and 'boy' in the same sentence, understood ?" I say, a bit agitatedly. T's family and that's what he should stay as. I'm sure he has a girlfriend. Either way, it comforts me that I have someone trustworthy with her in there.

"That's too bad." Mayella holds back a laugh. "I was going to say that my best friend is my boyfriend...but oh well. Maybe another time." Mayella leaves my hold and snuggles up with the penguin instead, giggling quietly to herself thinking that I can't hear it.

"Nah, that is fine. I'm your best fucking friend, got that ?" She laughs when I pull her back into my hold, kissing her head before pinching her cheeks for always being so damn cheeky.

Mayella's phone rings and she picks up, accidentally putting it on speaker. She instantly regrets doing so when a very loud Fatima shouts.

"I leave for one week and you're already married ?!? Ricky, I know you're there. You quit ?! Why does all the drama happen when I'm not there !? Y'all better be ready when I'm back, I swear to..." The rant continues and Mayella replies quickly, explaining that it was a joke. I sit back and watch her ecstatically tell Fatima that there are real baby penguins named after us.

I lay my head in her lap when I realize that they're not going to stop talking anytime soon. Mayella instinctively strokes my hair and I sigh in pleasure, truly knowing that I really,

really wouldn't mind doing this for the rest of my damn life.

_________________________

3250

! I think we all can guess which one is which.

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