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(Its okay @Painted-Iris Im not on very often anyway!)
Depression and Choccy Milk (OXO with Caustic)
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"Mhmm! You're really good at making potions, dad. I'm sure you'll invent all sorts of super cool things." Nathaniel moved a bit closer to Zedd, resting his head on the man's arm while he clung to his hand. He was still smiling brightly and seemed to be in very good spirits for the time being. "Earth is really weird. It's different than heaven. In a good way, though. I think, anyway."
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“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Zedd replied, both referring to Nathaniel’s opinion of Earth and the good mood he seemed to be in. It was nice to see the boy smile after how broken he looked just the night before. Maybe he could put Nathaniel to bed a bit early and make an appointment with a therapist? Maybe distract him with the possible toys and things they’d get him today? Even if he heard some of the phone call, he wouldn’t hear the other end. Zedd didn’t really need to hide the call as they talked about therapy last night, but Nathaniel needed something to do rather than just wait on him to finish talking.
They had passed the next few shops, none of them being what they were looking for. Instead of crossing at the corner of the block, he turned to the left to look around the area he usually didn’t visit. As they walked, people noted the two walking. It wasn’t common for people with wings to walk when their hands were free. And there was also the fact that it was Zeddicus with a small boy. He usually seemed cold towards people in general, but approachable enough to do business with.
After a few minutes, a store across the street seemed to showcase a few of the newer toys in the store front. There was also a small bubble machine outside to attract children, in turn causing them to beg their parents to go inside. “Feel like going to check it out?” Zedd asked, pointing to be sure Nathaniel knew what he was talking about.
Nathaniel noticed people giving him and Zedd strange looks, but he clearly wasn't making the connection as to why. People walked all the time in heaven despite having wings, after all. It was good exercise and angels liked to stay fit. He didn't like the stares, though, and shifted to be a little closer to Zedd's side to feel more safe.
He glanced up when Zedd addressed him and looked over to where the man was pointing. "Oh! Sure! Do they have whatever we're looking for in there?" He asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever been in a store like that before." Kids weren't often allowed to have toys up in heaven. They didn't have much free time what with their hours of training, after all. Most children were so exhausted after a long day of training that they just crashed as soon as they got home. On the rare occasion that a child had a toy of some kind, it was usually only simple things that they made themselves. Toy stores simply didn't exist.
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“Most likely. It depends on if you find something you really like,” Zedd answered. They waited for the traffic to stop, leaving the crosswalk clear before going towards the store. A small bell gave a light jingle to signal their arrival. Thousands of toys lined the shelves, ranging from little robot figures to a large bin full of stuffed animals.
Luckily, Zedd was correct in guessing when the store would be less crowded. Most kids would be in school at this time.
Wait. Nathaniel would need schooling too if he stayed with him too, wouldn’t he. Damn it, that was another thing to add to the list. They probably wouldn’t let him in without a proper legal guardian anyways. Even if Nathaniel did call him dad, there were no documents that said the same.
Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this…
But he couldn’t let Nathaniel down. This would get sorted eventually. Eventually…
"Ooh, soft things!" Nathaniel grinned, his voice interrupting Zedd's train of thought. "Look, dad!" He pulled a plush wolf out of the bin and held it close to his chest. "I've never seen this kinda thing before! What else do they have?" He held tight to Zedd's hand as he wandered around, looking at everything curiously. He seemed to be intrigued by everything he saw, but he had the most actual interest in plushies. Zedd already knew that he loved cuddles, of course, so it wasn't exactly shocking that he was drawn to soft, cuddly things.
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It was almost comical how excited Nathaniel was. He had never seen him so happy before. Even when the forge was finished, he wasn’t this overjoyed. Did they really not allow angels to have their own toys and such? Zedd allowed himself to smile again instead of worrying. If Nathaniel was happy, then that was good enough. “I’m guessing we won’t be leaving with just one plushie today, hm?” he joked, noting how Nathaniel couldn’t seem to hold one for long before noticing another.
Nathaniel grinned sunnily as he looked up at Zedd, clutching a few plushies close to himself. "You'll let me get more than one?" He asked, clearly very excited. "There's so many things here, dad!" He didn't realize that he was being far more excited than any normal child would be. It didn't matter, anyway. He was happy. Genuinely happy.
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Zedd hummed his approval, hoping Nathaniel wouldn’t try and take home the whole bin. He noticed there was a small section with art supplies. There were crayons, washable paints, markers, pads of paper, and coloring books. “Nathaniel, here’s the art things if you were wanting those?”
"Oh! Okay!" Nathaniel carefully picked out a few art things, humming idly to himself as he did so. He was obviously having a lot of fun with this. He grabbed onto Zedd's hand after he'd collected the art supplies and started towing the man around the store again.
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As soon as Nathaniel stopped, Zedd grabbed a small basket that was at the end of one of the isles. “Here, put some of that in here so you don’t drop it,” he suggested, holding it in front of Nathaniel so he could have a free arm again.
"Okay, dad!" Nathaniel did as he was told before continuing on with his arms a little bit freer. He was smiling brightly as he wandered around, clearly having a good time here. "What else should I get?" He asked curiously, looking around at the plushies and art supplies already in the basket.
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(Apologies for lack of replies! I started school today and got scheduled for work 4 days in a row so I’ve been very tired lately. I’m off work tomorrow so I’ll try and get replies done then!)
(Ee okie)
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Zedd glanced around the current isle, but only shrugged. "That's up to you. I don't know what you would or wouldn't like," he replied. And it was quite accurate. He had only known Nathaniel for… what, three days? There wasn't much that he knew about the angel aside from the fact he liked chocolate milk, hugs, and that his past was quite dark.
(:00)
Nathaniel happily wandered around the store with Zedd, purring nonstop as he walked. He didn't grab a ton of things, preferring to only pick out what he really liked. Zedd had already spent a lot of money on him, after all, and he felt bad despite not knowing much about how money worked. He seemed to have the most interest in stuffed animals, a simple, floppy wolf one being his particular favorite. "What else do they have here, dad?" He asked curiously.
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("what else do they have dad")
(me: uh toys bud. they have more toys)
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(idk what to reply ffff)
(Lmao just throw something at him and he'll be happy tbh)
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(bro my brain is drawing a bigggg blank)
(Fuckn find the webkins or something lmao)
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(those are fricking plushies they'd be over there bro)
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(okay um hi yes stalker here- what about toy swords or something?)
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(omg frick yes that way it's like 80% less likely for Nathaniel to harm himself)
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(yeeeee, glad to help)
(stalker out-)
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(:00)
Nathaniel happily wandered around the store with Zedd, purring nonstop as he walked. He didn't grab a ton of things, preferring to only pick out what he really liked. Zedd had already spent a lot of money on him, after all, and he felt bad despite not knowing much about how money worked. He seemed to have the most interest in stuffed animals, a simple, floppy wolf one being his particular favorite. "What else do they have here, dad?" He asked curiously.
Zedd glanced around the room again. "I've never been here either, so I'm not really sure," he replied honestly. That was when something caught his eye. They were unrealistically shapen, but that was besides the point. On one of the walls hung plastic swords. What relieved Zedd was the fact that the edges of the blade were pretty well rounded. It was safer than a real blade by a longshot. "Nathaniel, they've got fake swords over there," he suggested. He wanted to be sure the boy knew they were fake rather than get his hopes up about a real lethal weapon, casually hanging in a children's store.
"Ooh! And you'd let me use that?" Nathaniel asked curiously, fluttering over to the swords and jumping up to grab one from the wall. He examined it with a thoughtful hum, running one hand along the blade. "The craftsmanship is poor… edge isn't sharpened at all. And it's remarkably light and… pliable? This isn't any kind of metal I've ever seen. Who made this?"
(Zedd: Hey look a fake sword
Nathaniel: This is shit, who did this?)
(AAAAA I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET ON NOTEBOOK IN AGES AND I MISSED A LOT AND I L O V E)
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(Lmao i’m back really quick, last week of my job and then i’m 100% done)