A/N: Sorry again for the lack-of-update last week! CHRISTMAS TOTALLY JUST SNUCK UP ON ME WOW I'M SORRY! GUYS! I posted the concept art for this chapter on Tumblr! post/70712584472/concept-art-for-the-next-hghs-tnc-chapter-while I post lots of concept art of my characters so feel free to follow me! :D

Chapter 21: Schemes

Mr. K is pacing as the students gather in the choral room that Wednesday.

The bell rings and he stares at the floor.

"You alright, Mr. K?" Nate asks.

Platinum sighs, "No!" He sits on the floor with a sigh. The club forms a circle around him, all of them sitting on the floor, as Arrow and Linus walk in as they have almost every day that week.

"Are you alright, Mr. K?" Athena asks, concern in her voice. He simply shakes his head.

"I haven't told anyone this…" Platinums says quietly. "But my sister's having a baby and it's due today!"

Upon hearing this, the club perks up. "Mr. K, that's great! You're going to be an uncle!" Rue says.

He shakes his head. "No… My sister and family actually hate my guts. But that's beside the point."

Everyone shuts up and listens.

"My sister got kicked out when she said she was pregnant, and she was never willing to abort it. So she expects me to take her baby and raise it. But… I'm not ready for it!"

"You'd be a great father!" Tanner says and everyone agrees. Platinum smiles slightly, "Thanks, but no. That's not the worst problem I have right now, though."

"…What is?" asks Marvel.

Platinum sighs. "There's someone I haven't exactly told you about yet. I have a, uh, boyfriend."

"You do!?" Elijah asks. "Why didn't you tell us!?"

Platinum laughs, running a hand through his hair nervously, "I, uh, I was going to. But that's not really something for a student teacher to mention right off the bat. Anyways, I have him and we're sharing an apartment currently while we're here. And he's terrified of all things fatherly considering he was forced into prostitution by his parents and then abused by his father. He doesn't feel ready, and neither do I!"

There's a pause. "How long have you been dating?" Bonnie asks.

"We've been friends with benefits since my freshman year of college. But we got serious junior year. And we've been living together for a couple months."

"...'Auve ya told 'im?" Edward asks.

Platinum shakes his head sadly. "I was too scared to. I'm just… Terrified that he's going to get upset and leave, all because of my sister!"

"If you've been together so long, that seems unlikely," Skeeter points out.

"I know. But… I'm scared that we'll grow apart by it. Slowly and gradually. And that's the last thing I want to happen because I…" his voice gets quieter from sadness, "I really love him."

"You'll find a way," Locke says. Daphne nods in agreement with him.

"She's rioght," adds Kelley, "Tru' luv' aulways finds'a way!"

Platinum looks doubtful. "I'm horrified of telling him. Horrified."

"It'll go fine, when you decide to tell him," Prim says quietly.

"I sure hope so," Platinum mutters. "She's bound to go into labor soon so I'm telling him about the baby tonight. But I'm not mentioning the whole parenting part."

There's yet another silence.

"Why don't we sing something to get our minds off of it!?" Athena asks, hoping to make him smile.

"You can," he says, "But I think I'll pass this time around." He gets up and with him everyone else does, and they all find their seats. Mr. Everdeen, seeing the state of rehearsal, decides to take over for today, and Platinum is nothing but thankful.

"Guys! It's Christmastime!" he says, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"It is!" Rue says, "I've been so busy with life I've forgotten!"

Santana smiles slightly, "Me too!"

"Who wants to get us into the spirit?" he asks, looking around.

Marvel raises his hand, slightly timid at first. "Sure, I will." He walks over to the piano stand and puts his Bible on it. He needs it for this song, for sure.

"Last year around this time I was confused. I didn't have anyone to go to, really. It was all because of Gloss's ex that I ever went to church, and I haven't stopped going since they broke up. And now I think I'm finally ready to sing a hymn as a solo." He plugs in his iPod and picks a track. The words he sings come out as nothing but a quiet whisper at first,

"O holy night… The stars are brightly shining! It is the night of our dear Savior's birth!"

As he gets used to singing in front of an audience of students, his voice crescendoes. When he feels unsure he looks to Edward, who flashes him an enthusiastic smile and sometimes even give his brother a wink. Other times, he looks to Skeeter, who strokes Rue's hair gently and smiles approvingly. And it's all he needs to keep going.

As the song increases in intensity, Marvel's voice grows in its confidence and volume. "Faaaaaall on your knees… Oh, heeeaaar the angel voices! Oh niiiight divine! Oh niiight when was Christ was born…" Some of the notes sound sour, but overall he gets through the first part and settles his nerves for good before moving on.

Santana listens to the flute player on the track and practically swoons at the pureness of the sound.

Then Marvel sings again, thinking about how Gloss's voice sounded ten times worse than his in church and finding confidence in that. "Truly, He taught us, to love one another! His law is love, and His gospel is peace!"

Santana takes Nate's arm and lays against his shoulder. Rue leans against Skeeter and smiles sleepily. He continues to stroke her hair gently. Both of Kelley's arms are occupied: one by Posy, one by Bonnie. He smiles and lets his two best friends lay on his shoulders.

Edward gives his brother smiles and winks to motivate him and it makes Marvel smile.

"Christ is the Lord! His name forever praise we!
Noeeeel, Noel! Oh night… oh night divine
Noeeeel, Noel! Oh night… oh night divine!"

His voice succeeds in a very dramatic crescendo with the music, "Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! Oh night divine… Oh night when was Christ was born…

Oh night…." He squeezes his eyes shut and prays for the big note. Though it's wobbly on and off of pitch, it's there for more time than Marvel expected it to be, on the word, "Divine!"

Then, smile pasted on his face, Marvel finishes the song, "Oh night… Oh night divine!"

After the typical laughter and applause of the glee club, they all sit in a silence before Marvel speaks up again.

"The Bible says… That you're supposed to help others who need it. And I really want to help people this season, using our voices."

Elijah thinks. "That's a nice thought." Linus is sitting in his lap, but the club is used to this by now.

"It would be nice to help someone," Locke says thoughtfully.

"We should!" Prim says enthusiastically.

"But who?" asks Bonnie, "And how!?"

All of them think.

"I've got nothing," Daphne says.

"Me neither," many of them echo.

There's a long pause and suddenly Linus pipes up, "I know! I have the perfect idea!"

Elijah grins. "Well?" Nate asks, "Spill!"

Linus smiles. "I think we should take all the kids in the orphanage to the auditorium and entertain them for a day with a Christmas show! Then, when it's all over, we can sing them to sleep and take them back. It would surely take some pressure off of Mr. and Mrs. Young for a night."

"Linus… You're a genius!" Arrow says with a laugh, "That's genius!"

"Great idea, Linus," Mr. Everdeen says with a smile, "Why don't you talk to your orphanage parents tonight and arrange it?" Linus and Arrow both nod happily and Daphne wears a small smile because she thinks it could work.

"Good work, everyone! We'll meet back here to start planning tomorrow!"

Everyone says their goodbyes and leaves, except for one. Arrow stays in the room, picking up a guitar and holding it gently in his hands. He pulls some music out of his backpack and plays it for a while, in thought.

"Hey," says that familiar voice from the doorway. Arrow looks up from the guitar in his arms and music lying on the floor. "Why aren't you using a stand?" Tanner jokes. Something in his voice doesn't convey the joke, though. Arrow forces out a laugh, "Oh, uh, guess I'm just not used to one. I picked up guitar to try to lull the kids to sleep and I guess it didn't work as well as I had hoped. But there were lots of nights that I couldn't sleep and I just lay on the bed with the music in my lap. Li never stirred."

Tanner sits across from his boyfriend and says quietly, "I think it's… Sweet… That you have a pet-name for him." He tries to sound joking but the bitterness really shows. Arrow looks up from where he looks at his fingers. "Oh… uh…" he tries to think of something to say to smooth it over but instead Tanner wraps his fingers around Arrow's on the guitar and says, "We need to talk."

The orphan heaves a hurt sigh and mutters, "There's not a lot to say."

Tanner looks so upset it hurts Arrow to simply look up. But he does, just as Tanner separates his hand from the orphan's.

"I think we're trying to make this relationship more than it is," Tanner says simply. "I'd been thinking a long time about how to say it and those are the words that came to me."

"Why do you say that?" Arrow asks, voice an octave lower from muttering.

"Elijah and Linus are so damn happy together. I think that their getting together was probably part of the cause of… This…" he gestures from himself to his friend and back again, "To happen. I think at first both of us were in love, but I think in the end it was just a trick. God, I know I just want to find a love like Elijah and Linus. But I think both of us realized we'd been tricked and tried to save the relationship by not mentioning any of it, just because we were convinced that it would become something like theirs." He gives a shrug and mumbles in the softest voice, "It hasn't." It's all he can do to fight the tears that are coming to his eyes.

Arrow takes a second to process this, even though he knows the second Tanner says it that it's true.

Finally he stares at the sheet music on the floor and mutters sadly, "I'm sorry. You're… You're exactly right. It's just so stressful. It felt so unfair to me that Linus finally found someone who makes him happier than I ever did and it shocked me. But I felt like, since he had someone, I should too, and they should make me equally as happy. But it was wrong of me to get involved with you. Saving you from Ben is one thing, but shocking you into a relationship is a complete other. I want to be as happy as they are, and I thought maybe, if I believed enough, I could. But I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to hurt you so much. And I never meant for it to end in so much heartbreak."

Tanner shakes his head and forces a smile on his face, but neither boy is fooled by this.

"Did you love him?" Tanner asks, tapping the ground with his fingers. "The time to be honest is now."

"I, uh…" there's a pause. "Yeah. I did. But I got over it before you and I swear I didn't use you at all-"

"You might want to think about that one," Tanner whispers, crawling forward. He kisses the corner of Arrow's mouth gently and whispers, "I'm sorry. Maybe you're just meant to be my best friend… But you and I both know it's… Not this."

Arrow nods. He can't take it anymore and he stands up, "I'll, uh, catch you later." But the shakiness of his voice is obvious as he walks away.

Tanner doesn't know what to do. He wipes the tears from his eyes and a sob just comes out on its own. He buries his head in his knees and makes every effort not to cry. But he feels, once again, like his own worthless self, unloved in the eyes of humanity and always coming second. He walks over to the top of the organ and pulls off the Bible that sat there from before Marvel's song.

He takes a seat and opens the book to the page that was marked by Marvel last year. Tanner reads out loud, so quietly that it's barely audible. "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

It's his favorite part of the story. It reminds him that he does have worth. Tanner gently closes the book and buries his head in his knees. Being a Christian and being gay is an odd combination but Tanner still wants to serve and he wants to be forgiven at the cross.

He keeps his head buried for a little while before sniffling and standing back up. He decides that he has to get home sometime, and now's going to be the best time. He walks out of the room and down the hall before Ben catches up to him. He was staying after school for detention, and now that it's over, Ben feels free.

"Cooper!"

Tanner says nothing, even though it seems Ben had been standing out there.

Probably waiting for him.

"How've you been!? Still fag as always, I see."

Tanner rolls his eyes but fear builds in his chest. Ben laughs but something sounds off with even him today.

"Not talking today?"

"I don't care," Tanner confesses, "I'm worthless in everyone's eyes, why would I care in specific about yours?" Your olive green ones, Tanner thinks, in the very back, dark depths.

"Because these eyes have a fist, Socrates!" Ben cackles.

Tanner sighs, "Just punch me please. I've been stupid. I deserve it."

Ben stares at him with a stare cold as ice for a while. Then he lets Tanner go. "Get the hell out of here!" he says loudly. Tanner stands there, in shock. Ben walks past him, out the door. On his way past, Tanner hears the faintest sound of his bully muttering under his breath, "…Merry Christmas, Cooper."

Then the blue-eyed boy follows him out the door.

Platinum's sister goes into labor the next day and he's not in school.

The students in glee club, after a day of planning their Christmas celebration with the kids, end their meeting and pack up their things. Mr. Everdeen has a meeting and is out of the room with haste, leaving the kids to pack up as they please.

Suddenly a whirl of cold wind makes them look up and when they do they see a stranger.

He has dark hair, brown eyes, and Italian skin and he wears a black coat that's wrapped around him tightly and dusted with the snowflakes that are falling outside at that moment.

He's chewing on his lip and looks up at the kids.

And the kids look back at him.

If he's learned anything from his endeavors in Panem, it should be talking in front of kids.

"Who's the dude?" Santana asks, shattering the silence in the room.

"I-I'm Mario. Mario Eckles." As he talks his voice grows quieter and quieter and then fades off awkwardly, "I'm your student teacher's, uh… boyfriend."

"You're him!?" Elijah asks.

"Wow, he scored well!" Athena teases. At the comment, Mario's face flushes but he smiles slightly.

"What brings you here!?" Nate asks.

He walks in the room and takes a seat. "Well… Plat hasn't been himself lately. He's been so… Stressed. Which I know the holidays kind of do to him, but it's something else. He's not talking to me, and that's frightening. He told me that before we met he tried to kill himself and I'm so scared that he's going to try it again and succeed this time and then… Then… God, I don't know what I'd do if that happened. Has he told you anything?"

The kids exchange looks.

"He's not really suicidal," Skeeter mutters.

"You sure about that?" Mario asks, "He's good at hiding it. Back when we were friends with benefits, he was still harming himself and he figured out exactly where that I wouldn't notice until months later. He's tricky."

Rue shrugs. "You seem to make him too happy for that."

"First time I've ever heard that," Mario says, mostly to himself.

The kids exchange a look. Telling Mario about this might get them murdered personally by Platinum. But it might just be the thing to do. Finally, Santana speaks up, "Platinum's snotty sister is trying to force him to take the baby and raise it."

"She's WHAT!?"

This was the reaction they were hoping they didn't get.

"He's trying to prevent it," Daphne adds.

"In fact, he's terrified that you're going to leave him because of it," Linus mentions.

Mario stares at all of them dumbly, "Why the hell would he think that?" He knows why. It's because Platinum is Platinum and that's how he was made and that's his initial reaction to everything.

All the kids, however, simply shrug.

"Well, you know what this calls for: scheming!"

Panem exchanges a look.

"You're serious?" Marvel asks.

Mario nods, "I tend to scheme a lot. And Plat's so oblivious he never notices when I plan things."

"What are you thinking?" asks Arrow.

"Well, he told me about what you're doing. For the orphans. I think it's very sweet of all of you. I told my glee club and they were all eager to get involved, too."

Every kid in the room looks shocked.

Mario looks around, awkwardly waiting for them to say something.

"You student teach here!?" asks Tanner.

"Uh, yeah. We're living together while both of us get our student teaching hours."

"He never told us this!" Bonnie says.

"Wait…" Skeeter says, "…Where do you student teach at?"

"Capitol Academy," Mario says, still looking awkward.

The Panem High Glee Club exchanges a look. They balance their hatred of Capitol Academy along with scheming with their student teacher's boyfriend.

"Well," Athena speaks for all of them, "We've never gotten along with Capitol Academy… But, I think this is an important-enough-event for us to team up. This once." Everyone likes these words and they all nod enthusiastically.

"Good! Let's make a plan, then!"

When Platinum walks to the auditorium and he's shocked to see it full with twice the number of kids, with a large pit.

He blinks dumbly as Marvel looks up and greets him with a cheery, "Hi, Mr. K!"

Platinum decides not to ask about the kids yet and snaps back into it, "Right. So I think it's pep-talk time!"

Suddenly he looks up and sees a very familiar figure sitting on the stage and dangling his feet. He smiles sweetly at his boyfriend and says, "Give us a pep talk, Platty."

Panem's student teacher blushes and says, "What'd I say about calling me Platty!? And what are you doing here!?"

Mario laughs, hopping off the stage. "We decided to surprise you. And you know that I'll never stop calling you Platty."

"You schemed with them!" He faces the two glee clubs, in shock. "You schemed with him! You all schemed!"

"You bet we did!" Athena says.

"Why would we not!?" Rue asks.

Platinum stares dumbly at everyone.

Arrow, Linus, Daphne, Elijah, and Edward went to collect the kids, but the rest of the students in the room beam at their student teacher.

Platinum blinks. "God, you guys… Just…Wow…" he smiles.

"Merry Christmas, Platty," Mario says, giving him a quick kiss and grinning.

Platinum mutters to Mario, "Don't call me Platty." Then he smiles again and says to everyone, "Alright, pep talking time! This group is a lot bigger than I thought it would be… But we just need to have fun and sing our hearts out, right?"

"We're still a little antsy about singing with… Them…" one of the boys from Capitol Academy points out.

"I think it's fun!" the smallest girl squeals.

"Come on, guys! It'll be fun. In fact, I think I smell a damn awesome, super-mega-sexy student teacher duet!" he says with a smile. The pit starts to play and a smile spreads across Mario's face at Platinum's enthusiasm. "This is one of my favorites," he says, "Because I minored in Spanish in college."

Everyone laughs as he starts, "Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Prospero año y felicidad!"

He takes Mario by both hands and pulls him up on the stage with him. "Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Prospero año y felicidad!"

He gives Mario a peck on the cheek and the other boy looks shy to sing in front of all the kids, but does so anyways, "I wanna wish you a merry Christmas! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!"

The Panem higfgfdh glee club joins him on stage and sings with Platinum, "Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Prospero año y felicidad!"

They repeat the phrase and Platinum spins Mario around, laughing. Singing with his boyfriend makes Mario feel comfortable and even enthusiastic about the musical number. The Capitol Academy club joins Mario on the stage and they sing the English lines together. "I wanna wish you a merry Christmas! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!"

This time, Platinum leads but everyone sings. ""Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Prospero año y felicidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! Prospero año y felicidad! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas! I wanna wish you a merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!"

With the last refrain, the two clubs merge into one and everyone dances together, laughing and being filled with the best of all holiday cheer. Platinum and Mario spin each other around and laugh all the way, while the kids each find a partner from the other club and spin and laugh and smile all the way.

The last note hits and everyone strikes a pose, grinning.

"SO FUN!" the smallest girl, named Marley, squeals.

"You're really good, Mr. K!" Ariadne says.

"And you're amazing, Mario!" Rue adds.

"Aw, stop that," both guys say at the same time, and everyone laughs as the Panem seniors and sophomore lead the little children into the room.

The club sings, dances, tells stories, and has fun. Each of them enjoys every moment they had with each other and the kids, until it's time for the last number of the night.

"Ready?" asks Jack, the leading senior of Capitol Academy.

"Wait!" Platinum says, "Where's Mario? He left without telling me why and he's been gone for a long while… Is he scheming!?" Platinum asks, once again feeling like an idiot that he's been oblivious to his boyfriend's sneaky plans.

Platinum looks up and sees his boyfriend, freshly covered in snowflakes, coming out from behind the curtains with a little girl attached to his leg and a wad of cloths in his hand.

"Mandy…?" Platinum asks in a whisper.

The little girl is a daughter of Mario that was a result of his forced prostitution. It took a while for Platinum to be able to show her love, but she's become practically his daughter, too.

"I love you, Daddy!" Mandy says into Mario's pant-leg. "And I love you, Uncle Platty!"

"Don't call me-"

"Cradle your arms," Mario says. Platinum does as he says and the wad of cloths is placed gingerly in his arms.

"What is this?" Plaitnum asks. "What's going on?" The baby's eyes open and Plaitnum looks on in amazement.

"This is your nephew, Dutch," Mario says. Platinum's eyes fly up from the baby and meet with Mario's brown ones. "Why do you have him?" Platinum asks.

"To show you that you could be a Dad… That we could do it, possibly… And that… I'll try. We can try it, if Paradise is going to force us. Just look at that face," Mario whispers affectionately and Platinum looks back down at the child. Mario gives the group of students a cue and they all start singing their acapella lullaby, Away in a Manger.

All of the boys sing quietly and Platinum's voice is more prominent among the rest.

"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed… The little Lord Jesus… Lay down his sweet head…"

Platinum looks down at his little nephew in his arms. Dutch smiles at him and his eyes are full of wonder at Platinum's bright orange and red bangs hanging in his eyes. Platinum fights tears upon seeing the sweet baby Dutch in his red, scarred, rough, rugged arms. He's never regretted cutting himself more than he is in this moment, except maybe the time way back when Mario had found the cuts when they were still open and bleeding. It just makes him think of how far he's come and how hard the battle has been for him against the temptations. Tears spill out of Platinum's eyes and hit the ground as Mario puts an arm tightly around his waist. Dutch looks up at Mario and his smile widens.

Athena's voice is solo among the others, "The stars in the sky… Look down where he lay… The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay…" She holds a little toddler girl that smiles and curls up in her arms to the soothing melody of the song.

One of the seniors from Capitol Academy named Emma's voice rings out from the others as she takes the melody, and her twin brother Jack sings with her. "The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes… But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes! I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky! And stay by my cradle, till morning is nigh…" Both of them were orphans that got adopted, and Emma holds a baby boy that sleeps in her arms and smiles. Emma's eyes have long-since been teary and she tries not to let them drip on the baby.

Daphne holds two children: one is a little boy that sleeps in her arms, the other is a toddler girl that is attached to her leg. Daphne fights tears away as the memories of her parents and the person she used to be flow back to her head. She quietly continues the song, "Be near me, Lord Jesus… I ask Thee to stay… Close by me, forever, and love me, I pray… Bless all the dear children, in Thy tender care… and take us to Heaven, to live with Thee there..."

By the end of the song, Daphne is in tears and the kids are asleep, including Dutch. The orphanage isn't far away from the school, so everyone bundles up the kids and they walk back together. It's a team effort to get all the children tucked in and to bed, and when they get to the orphanage, their orphanage Mom and Dad are catching up on much-needed sleep.

When all the kids are tucked in, they see a teenage girl at the door and she smiles. "That was a really good thing. That all of you guys did. Mr. and Mrs. Young were absolutely thrilled for you guys. And I think that it was… So incredibly sweet of all you to do that for them and for us."

Arrow smiles in the dim light. "Thanks, Hope."

She smiles and says quietly, "Nah. Thank you. All of you."

Everyone smiles as Linus whispers, "Let's go somewhere else so we can speak in normal volume."

They file out of there and towards the exit.

"We did a good thing," Marvel says.

"Really good," agrees Finn, a boy in a wheelchair from Capitol.

"Thanks, Panem," Jack says, "It was really fun."

"That was amazing, thanks to you," Athena says. The leaders of the two clubs smile and hug.

"It was awesome scheming with you," Mario says quietly, smiling, "Surely we'll have to do it again sometime."

"Yeah!" Nate says in a whisper. Platinum rolls his eyes, "I'll catch you this time, I know it!"

Mario shakes his head slightly and everyone laughs.

"Have a wonderful winter break, everyone, and Merry Christmas!" Bonnie says.

"Yeah! Merry Christmas, everyone!" Marley chimes in. And with that, the clubs disperse and Platinum and Mario drop Dutch back at the hospital, and Mandy back with her mother. Then the two boys walk home, hand-in-hand in the cold weather.

"You'd be the best Dad ever," Mario whispers to Platinum on their way.

Platinum sniffles and shrugs, finally wiping his eyes.

"And I'll really try," Mario continues. "It'll be hard, considering we're both still in school and student teaching. But that's why there are daycares, right?"

"Oh God, Mario… Just seeing Dutch in my ugly, scarred arms brought me to tears. It made me regret everything even more."

"I regret it too, you know. I regret letting it happen."

"Well you'll be glad to know that I'm never going to even think of it again. They're scars. They're the past. They're my life when I was denying my bisexuality and trying to be someone I wasn't. They're me when I was insecure. Me when my parents kicked me out. Me when I felt unloved. To make it simple… The scars are my life before I started loving you."

Mario throws his arms around Platinum and hugs him tightly, noticing how his voice was catching with tears. "God, Platinum, I love you so much… Please… Without you, I don't know what I'd do. I can't think about it. Because I'm in love with you. And I'm attached to you…"

"But in a good way," Platinum adds. Mario nods.

"I don't think I can live without you. If you ever feel upset, think of that. Then come find me."

Platinum nods. "Yeah… I know that we're in love and we're strong together, but… Can we really be Dads? Do you really think? There are so many problems we'd have to think about… There are so many-"

Mario puts a finger over his lips, keeping his other arm tight around Platinum's abdomen. "Sh. Because… We're… Us. We're in love. We'll find a way."

"You're right," Platinum says. "True love always finds a way."