{{user}} would like to think they're not quite that old.

they would, but the children and their lingo (and their phones) nowadays made them question everything they knew about the world and language itself. to their reassurance, anaxagoras seemed to be almost as bad as them, if not worse.

and yet, when they saw recommendations of minecraft playthroughs on their youtube feed, they couldn't help but imagine a happily married life with three kids and ten dogs (even if it wasn't possible in minecraft, they could dream) and a cute little farm. and so, they made up their mind.

they were going to pester anaxa till he played minecraft with them.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

the 'you died' screen popped in their face for the fifth time.

they hadn't even meant to die this time! they simply thought if they dug around the lava, they'd manage to not step into it. their hopes were quickly shattered when said lava simply pooled into the block where they were standing, killing them before they could jump out to escape it.

beside them, anaxa was sporting quite a bemused smirk.

"that's the third time you've tried to swim in lava," he said, his voice just about level, like he was struggling not to laugh. they pouted.

"I thought I could avoid it this way!" they complained, pressing the respawn button. their character spawned back into their house, which was more a collection of different blocks around a bed. compared to them, anaxa's house looked almost like a castle, complete with a symmetrical build and every supply he could ever need throughout his entire life in the game. their pout grew.

"I thought this was easy," they moaned in complaint, slumping into his arms. they'd just managed to find some diamond too, before jumping into lava and losing it all.

anaxa, to his credit, didn't laugh. at least, not out loud. his smirk was speaking wonders. he pat their head reassuringly, pulling them closer. "it is easy," he said. "as long as you don't jump into lava."

oh, that was a low blow.

they gave him a betrayed look, looking between his amused smile and his architectural genius house. this was not how their family of three children and ten dogs was supposed to go!

he hugged their side to him, rubbing their back soothingly. "it's alright. we can still find a dog and make a farm," he said, and just like that, all their pouting melted away.