Modified Cub

A perfect ending to a story I have thoroughly enjoyed! The ways in which Ben's family transformed was great to see - Mason holding a job and using a spreadsheet to budget, Rachel actually asking Ben and in advance, and Diane seeing that AI Julian hadn't changed Ben in detrimental ways. Thankfully, Tessa moved into advocacy to assist other Halcyon/human pairings. I especially enjoyed Vera and Sophie & Grace and of course Professor Stomps! Ben's transformation was the biggest and most needed and I'm glad to see him & Julian got their happily ever after. Another brilliant story @mastershakeme - can't wait to read your future projects!

Yes!!! Tessa saved the day! Ben & Julian will be eternally grateful to her for her diligent efforts to keep them together. My favorite line of this story is when Ben said Julian doesn't belong to him; he belongs with him! This has been an enjoyable story with a thought-provoking plot and interesting albeit flawed supporting characters which paralleled perfectly to real-life families. I can't wait to read the epilogue!

Obviously, Elliot. there's mutual attraction, so just go for it! That was either Theo's first time kissing a man or he has some kind of internalized struggle going on we don't know about yet.

HOLY SHIT! Didn't foresee the casual dropping of a $13.7 fucking million-dollar trust happening. I have to admit I was in tears at how well the guardianship and trust evolved so quickly and easily. So, that tells me there will be drama of some kind coming soon. Such an endearing story though!

Richard needs to move on from Nickolas. Sizzler King is obviously interested in him and would even go to the ball with him and complimented his shirt. Could Richard be wrong about his dad knocking up his co-worker? Vicky & Harriet are unique and add some flavor to Richard's life. And mom does seem to know about Richard's sexuality.

Vera was absolutely amazing and critical to the success of the retraction plan. Mason showed a side we hadn't witnessed before - his reliance on Ben isn't just because he's his ATM - he felt like he was going to lose his brother like he did his dad. Rachel just complained because she was scared she'd lose her automatic babysitter. Although Ben shouldn't have agreed to their demands, in some ways he's accepted that he's the glue that's holding his family together. Diane's warped vision that Ben was going to completely disappear from dinners and holidays was only going to happen should their complaints have caused Halcyon to recall and reset Julian. That could have led Ben to disengage from his family for good. This is one of those stories that does make you think about your own role in your family and how sometimes families can easily manipulate each other. Tessa seemed quite relieved and hopefully can get the transfer completed without much more fanfare. Only a few chapters left if I remember correctly?

The banter between the two was fantastic! But, of course, as Theo was making his move, the power came back on! Great cliffhanger, though! I wonder how they'll act towards each other now?

What a sweet, tender scene the bedroom was. Despite Julian's AI makeup, he still feels like he loves Ben regardless of his configuration or programming configuration. Ben loves the way he feels with Julian and how Julian has helped him change his own configuration.

Intriguing start! Elliot's constant need to talk though... is grating.

Ben definitely needs to give his family an ultimatum. HIs first call in the morning should be to Vera and have her set up a family dinner at Diane's. Once he delivers said ultimatum, Sophie will add her strong and intelligent opinion even though the adults (except Ben) will think she wasn't listening, but she's always listening! And Ben, for the sake of your future, do NOT leave Julian at home - even if he stays in the car!!!

Another wonderful chapter, although this one had me tense for Andy and the boys. Nice to see Mike & Sammy progressing so well. Andy's friends and security will need to stay on their toes throughout the campaign.

Glad to hear you have your Connor this weekend and hoping for the best for you both @mastershakeme ❤️ Tessa is an absolute angel and is on Ben & Julian's side, is amazed at what a great placement this is, and will be working diligently against the odds to insure they get to stay together. Hopefully, Ben can afford the fee. I can also see Sophie & Grace playing some kind of savior role should the family try to intervene. It was smart of Julian to prevent Rachel from coming up/in. I'm sure Ben's family will cause some kind of chaos that causes Ben to really tell them off - how he lost Brandon because of them and how he refuses to lose Julian too. Although the AI aspect of this story is somewhat creepy, it also adds a creative and thought-provoking element to a standard romantic dramedy. Well done as usual!

I'm glad Aiden did the right thing by telling the police and Julian about Sofia's planned meeting. It's a wonder she didn't kill Aiden right there. Arthur finally recognized Julian and got what was coming to him - a sound rejection. Aiden and Julian will likely bond over the whole thing. Julian is an honorable and good man and Dean is an awesome, supportive boyfriend. Hopefully, Sebastian is found before Sofia decides to finish him off and hopefully she'll face justice for what she's done. Another intense and riveting chapter @vanalas

Poor Kurtis had a day! Finding out your dad isn't your dad, kicked out at 14 with nowhere to go, finding out one of your "friends" is homophobic, and forced to temporarily live in a hotel. At least his mom sent him some cash and arranged the hotel along with giving him what little info about his bio-dad that she could. Hopefully, Anthony is progressive and willing to take in his wayward son. I'm definitely hooked now and eagerly await the rest.

Okay, I'm intrigued. Interesting start to a story.

A sweet short story about a pair of friends who've grown up together and who endure a rough patch. Heartwarming and shows the roller coaster of emotions teens go through when figuring themselves out. Great read!

Such a sweet ending to wonderful short story I'm glad I decided to take a chance on. I love romantic stories like this one and you should try your hand at writing more like this. And, as @chrstphrl mentioned, we all need a happy ending right now. Fantastic job @Lupus ❤️

A couple of surprising developments this chapter - Rachel/Mason arriving early for once and Julian, who usually has the organizational efficiency of what one would expect from an AI being, not realizing that his shirt had been haphazardly discarded the night before. Mason never actually thanked Ben in person for his work boots. If Kelsey thinks Mason is a catch that just emphasizes to me her lack of standards although he probably does blow his money on her because Ben is the one who supplies his actual needs. Rachel was probably on the phone to Diane the minute they were making their way back to the car. Ben's growth continues as he didn't seem particularly bothered that his siblings would run straight to their mom. Julian had asked Ben about Diane no longer financially helping Mason, and in what is not breaking news, she got tired of never being repaid. So, Ben gets to foot the bill. Sophie's perceptiveness and intelligence continue to amaze me. Ben would make an excellent father and elementary teacher for that matter.

Well, Erik did his due diligence and is working on a solution for Miles, so that's good. It's also a good sign that his uncle's death was ruled an accident and he won't face any legal obstacles for stealing Morgan's identity. However, there may be questions from CPS or a judge regarding Miles's judgement in running away and there may be regulations or laws in place that could prevent Erik from taking Miles back across state lines. Obviously, we're all hopeful those matters are resolved without conflicts, but, since this story is titled what it is and we have a great many chapters to go, there may be hurdles that arise because what would a @kbois story be without problems?!

Yet another sizzling adventure for Matt! Looks like he enjoys pitching & catching! Looking forward to the next 2 chapters and your next project!

A beautiful afternoon stroll, holding hands and kissing in the park, and Julian showing Ben the benefits of his research! And we were all curious about if Julian had a cock and so we found out he does. These guys are in trouble - falling fast for each other. And Tessa certainly has her work cut out for her!

My favorite chapter so far! I wonder if Mark's parents will catch the boys snuggling and call them out on their feelings for each other? Hopefully, these guys will get their happily-ever-after!

A necessary but depressing chapter indeed. Poor Celeste and Dana. I imagine Dana was devastated. Julian's instinct to call Orion was right and Orion's advice, though bleak, was invaluable to Julian. Maybe if Diane starts something that threatens Ben & Julian's future together, she'll end up doing something dramatic to save the day at the end? Food for thought. CALL TESSA, Ben or Julian!!! I fear Julian's promise to himself to tell Ben tomorrow will snowball into the next day and the next and so on, until it's too late!

That stampede was intense for us all but Morgan did a great job. Troy's reaction afterwards was so heartwarming. And we did get a shower scene after all! Once again, the food sounds amazing! I am glad that Erik reacted the way he did to seeing Troy trying to suck Morgan's face off. The confession at the end was much-needed for Morgan/Miles and was pretty much necessary at that point. You do know how to write a great cliffhanger!

My favorite chapter thus far! Three miracles at the beginning of the chapter, the lovely shopping trip for Sophie just because, and the tender moments during the cooking of dinner and afterwards. But, yeah, Ben needs to call Tessa!