#I plan on makin her a card of course since we have her tomorrow as well :>

[c00kietin]

sorry for no art, today was just really nice and I honestly was too distracted to draw :')

[deanbrainrotwritings]

—  SWEET KANSAS HONEY

SUMMARY : invited by her friend to a bee farm, but Dean wasn’t invited to their cute day out. Dean gets pouty… and, ya know, horny.

PAIRING : dean winchester x fem!reader

CHARACTERS : lavender mcclenic (oc), athena fonseca (oc)

WARNINGS/TAGS : explicit(18+), phone sex, dirty talk, sexting, voice kink, masturbation 

WORD COUNT : 1.5k

A/N : jamies elsewhere song title. this fills the free space square on my @jacklesversebingo card. lavender is based off of my best friend (athena is based off her gf) we have fictional plans to live on a farm, and have a tunnel connecting our houses LOL xxx

“Ah, this is exactly what we said our future would look like,” Y/n grinned, fixing the sunglasses on her face. She turned to face her friend, who did the same, walking towards the little shed where they could change into protective gear.

“Not really,” Lavender laughed, “you’ve got a boyfriend you love with all your cheesy heart. We don’t have a tunnel under our house like we said we’d have,” she listed, playfully. Y/n rolled her eyes and kicked the door open gently, sliding her foot along the bottom of the door as she stepped in before Lavender, looking around curiously. 

“Well, at least we’re still here, on a farm, makin’ money,” Y/n grinned, letting the door shut once her friend was inside collecting the white suits for them to slip into. Y/n placed her phone on the wooden table inside, the walls decorated with tools, and other items she didn’t know how to use. 

She changed quietly with Lavender, lifting the white suit over her regular clothes. They looked up at the same time and bursted out laughing for no reason at all. They were both bad at emotions, at least at saying them out loud, but Y/n had a feeling that laughter was a wordless I missed you. The phone on the table buzzed and Lavender looked over curiously when Y/n didn’t look. 

“It’s that boyfriend of yours,” Lavender teased, “you were so against dating, remember that?” Y/n shook her head and laughed, making sure she was ready to leave as Lav finished up.

“Whatever. So were you,” she dismissed, grabbing her phone with bare hands at the text notification with Dean’s name. She smiled, but she didn’t open it, and Dean sent another message. Her smile got wider.

“We grew up then,” her friend suggested, walking towards the door to open it with her back. 

“Sort of, I still like bees and honey,” Y/n told her, taking her own gloves before following her friend out.

“And I still think we should build a tunnel connecting our two houses. There’s plenty of land. I’d… do anything for you,” Lav hesitated with the last part, her cheeks turning pink. 

“Lav… that’s sweet, but-”

“The offer stands. Five years, or tomorrow—until we lose it all.” Lavender waved her hand to dismiss it and walked faster to avoid the embarrassment of being, well, loving. Dean texted her once more and she groaned softly. Either it’s an emergency or Dean’s just trying to get her attention. 

“I’m gonna…” Y/n trailed off and Lavender turned around and tilted her head at her friend. She lifted her phone and shook it. 

“Yeah, go, before I embarrass us both and keep saying sappy shit like that. I need a cleanse,” Lavender grunted, meeting her girlfriend who had the honey collecting tools on standby.

“Me too,” Y/n smiled, then turned around to check Dean’s messages. 

dean : Good morning, sexy, it’s been fifteen hours since I last saw you and I’m bored. So bored. How did I go through my childhood without you? :((

She laughed softly. 

dean : I woke up early and I was so cold because you weren’t sleeping next to me. 

Liar. He wears socks, pyjama pants, and a Henley to sleep. He’s the one who provides the warmth. Of course, he was just trying to be cute. And it was working. 

dean : I did a whole bunch of chores though. I cooked. Took Miracle out for a walk. Cleaned our room. And the Dean Cave. But I’m done now.

She smiled as she imagined him doing all of that. He’s undeniably adorable. He knew that. He knew how much he meant to her. She saw three speech bubbles appear, so she waited for his next message. 

dean : Oh. Hi, baby. I see you’re reading my texts now. I just want you to know… I’m picturing you coming home with a whole bunch of honey. And guess what? I’m licking it off your body. Yummy. 

She bit her lip as heat bloomed across her face. 

me : Good morning, handsome. I miss you, too. You’ve finished doing all that? Why don’t you watch a movie now? Read one of those books you’ve been wanting to read. Go to that bar that serves your favourite nachos, boys’ night out. I’ve got loads of suggestions if you run out. 

me : Also, you weren’t cold, but that’s cute. 

me : Second also, you can’t text things like that when we’re not together… very naughty, I don’t appreciate it. X

She saw the speech bubble again and she bit her lip, looking across at Athena and Lavender laughing together while they scraped the panels for honey. She smiled at them and missed Dean even more. 

She didn’t expect to see a photo. Not one quite like the one Dean sent. 

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered, looking back up. She clicked the photo anyway, a smile growing on her face, and arousal dampening her underwear.

Dean was in the shower. 

Of course he’d take his phone with him. Of course he’d take the chance to get off. He had a high sex drive. He was daring. Unafraid. And he knew how hot he was. Especially all naked and wet. With his body all taut and flushed pink from the heat of the water. With his face distorted in delicious pleasure as he touched himself, his lip plump and trapped beneath his cute teeth. With his hand wrapped tightly around his cock. 

dean : I fig read what you seny 

She laughed softly. And decided to call him instead. He picked up instantly. She heard the water falling against tile and skin before she heard his heavy breaths or his husky voice. 

“Dean,” she whispered, her cheeks on fire.

“Hi, babe,” Dean moaned and she gasped, her stomach twisting with excitement. “I was expecting a text, a photo, not a phone call, but, uh, I appreciate it.” She shook her head, listening closely to the loud, lewd, sound of his wet hand moving quickly along his cock. 

“You’re jerking off?” She blurted out, looking up at Lavender and Athena who were waving her over impatiently. She smiled at them and nodded, putting her finger up. 

“Mmm, my morning’s been good, too. Well, kinda, thanks for asking, beautiful,” he replied sarcastically, moaning occasionally as he spoke. Her clit pulse and she squeezed her thighs to stop the discomfort of her arousal. 

“Dean…” She moaned, but there was a hint of hesitation that he picked up on. He groaned. 

“I’ll hang up, but please, text me something dirty so I get at least a bit of reality in my fantasy,” he begged. She heard him swear quietly and then he laughed breathlessly. 

She closed her eyes and thought about what to do. What to say. He sounded so hot, groaning and moaning her name, pumping his cock through his fingers faster and faster. 

“Dean,” she purred. He hummed softly, distracted by his pleasure. “Be a good boy and cum for me,” she instructed, smirking when he groaned long and loud. “I want to hear you, baby. Fuck, I wish I could see you. I wish I had you in my mouth right now so I can swallow every ounce of your cum.” Dean cursed loudly, brokenly moaning her name as he came.

He panted into the phone and she bit her lip, waiting patiently for him to recompose himself. 

“Ah, fuck,” he murmured and she lifted a brow curiously. “That was hot, baby. We should do it often. Like… even when you are here. I’ll be in the dungeon and you can be in the garage,” he laughed softly to himself and she rolled her eyes. “I miss you. I know it hasn't been that long and that I’ve been sleeping for a majority of the time… I guess I’m just not used to being alone anymore. Without you. I’m sorry for interrupting your time with your friend.”

Her smile softened. “I miss you, too, Dean. And it’s okay… I’ll be back Sunday evening. That’s tomorrow, by the way,” she teased and Dean laughed shyly.

“You didn’t say yes or no to my idea,” he reminded her. 

She smiled. “Of course it’s a yes.”

“How about tonight? Can we set up a time for it?” He asked excitedly, then the water shut off, and she heard his wet footsteps, then the soft sound of his towel. 

“Yes, I’ll text you,” she breathed out. “Now, stop doing… whatever it was that turned you on, and get some proper work done,” she laughed, putting one glove on as she prepared to go with her friends.

“I… just got horny suddenly when I was taking a break. I was reading… ya know, All About Love,” he hesitated. 

“What? Why?” She laughed, but she knew him well, and she’d read the book. “Stop thinking of me. It makes me wet,” she pouted playfully and he laughed again. “And next time you take a break, don’t touch your dick… Until I tell you to do so,” she added with a grin.

“I love you.” She could hear the smile in Dean’s voice, the open and shut of doors. 

“I love you, Dean,” she responded lovingly. She could hear him breath softly and hum shyly, a whispered bye, and she hung up. 

“Wow, you just throw around the L word, now, eh?” Lavender teased as Y/n walked closer to them, ready to join them. Y/n laughed sarcastically and Athena giggled. 

“Shut up,” Y/n grumbled, playfully snatching the tool in Lavender’s hand to help them out.

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[phthalology]

Touch prompt list: #20, Ikora/Drifter?

Prompt #20: bandaging/stitching up an injury

It happens to everyone the first time.

Lightbearers aren’t used to such concentrated Darkness. They especially weren’t before the Enemy itself folded humanity’s planets away into seething pockets of gravity and entropy. The first time you play Gambit you get a burn, like a sunburn in reverse, from the proximity of whatever it is in that Bank.

And then it goes away easy, and you become, well, any of the things you can become nowadays: outlaws and Dredgens and sports stars.

It took a long time for Ikora to decide to try Gambit. It wasn’t right, she thought at first. Then: it wouldn’t look good. Then: Darkness is everywhere else, I need to hold this line. Then: Darkness is everywhere else and the Drifter does have a silver tongue and Ophiuchus won’t speak up to stop me and

I miss Crucible.

I’m lonely.

What does it hurt?

So, Ikora plays. Ikora wins. Ikora sits in that musty, cold ready room while black sludge swirls behind glass and the Drifter turns the feeds off and busies himself, disappearing with a data pad into a back hall. Everyone else who played is already gone. He is done for the day, he says, and that match would give them enough to talk about for weeks (although of course it’s back on for tomorrow), he says. He doesn’t gloat, exactly, just lets her know from the grease in his voice and the swagger in his movements that he’d won. Maybe he always moved like that after a game.

Ikora feels good too — proud of the win, and she had missed the simple satisfaction of gaining the top of a leaderboard. Maybe the high of that too is why she keeps looking as the Drifter walks away, thinking about his hands.

The darkburn prickles. Ikora still sits on the stairs, the ache running up and down her leg. It’s concentrated midway between her right knee and ankle.

She works her right boot off. Once she rolls her pant leg up the wound reveals itself: a black-edged burn, wide and shallow.

The Drifter clatters up the gangway and stops at the bottom of the stairs. He traded the data pad for a wet washcloth and a dry roll of bandage.

He holds the cloth out. His expression is unusually serious after the crowing during the game, or the slimy persuasion he had turned on her the last time he had tried to convince her to play Gambit. “This’ll take the sting out of it. Cancels itself out.”

“I expect you want me to ask what’s in it.”

He laughs. “Not if you’re as smart as they say.”

She doesn’t take it, not because she doesn’t want it but because the idea of applying it herself feels exhausting. “Maybe a Ghost could fix this right away. But Ophiuchus and I don’t talk.”

She knows exactly why she’s revealing things to him. She doesn’t talk to Zavala much any more. The Vanguard have been keeping secrets from each other, so it hasn’t felt right. The Drifter is known to be untrustworthy. There’s no alliance there to break. That’s comforting.

He crouches below her on the stairs so he’s eye level with her, one hand on the railing, the unguent dripping from the other. It makes black dots on the metal step. His expression looks like he’s swallowed something foul. His breath smells meaty and sour. “I know what that’s like, sister. But sometimes it’s right to heal on your own. Take pride in it. Letting them bring you back is so easy.”

Tower rumor says he’s been a predator, a cannibal. Everybody has rumors. Many of the more frightening ones about Ikora’s abilities to see truths, to read minds, are true.

In the Drifter she reads lies upon honesty upon lies upon … down and down and down into a past with a Ghost like hers.

“I’m tired of pride,” says Ikora. “Where has it gotten us lately? I just want to … “ Her eyes almost shut. It’s quieter here than in the Tower, only the one locked-down mutter of the Drifter’s thoughts and the crashing-wave presence of the thing behind the glass. “Rest.”

The Drifter hefts the cloth next to her leg and meets her eyes for permission. “You want me to do this myself, you just say so and lay back there.”

She does. She leans back on the steps and tells him, mind-to-mind, what she wants.

It’s a flex, and the fact that she scares him makes her lips quirk. Still in charge. The Drifter leans back and whistles low, and then there’s some real anger in his expression and his dim voice in the Light.

“We coulda been something great together back when,” he says. “Get the Guardians to work together instead of fighting, forget the trinkets and the choices and just work on stuff. Your buddy Eris was down for it. Why not you? And there’s no good makin’ rules in wars. But I gotta ask. Don’t do that mind-reading stuff on me. I’m feeling watched down here every minute by every weird bit of space dust anyway. That work for ya, Vanguard?”

“Fine.” She hadn’t planned on doing it again anyway. “I didn’t need it to win that game, and I don’t need it to talk to you.”

The Drifter laughs and kneels on the bottom step to slap the wet cloth against her leg. That stings too, but soon enough the unguent works. The pain fades, left behind with the wide circles he makes on her skin. Ikora shuts her eyes again, thinking of what else she told him mind-to-mind — of the way she watched him, of her loneliness, of the barriers she will not bring down and the promises she will not break.

The salve eases the pain and the red and black burn, leaving her skin looking untouched. After he’s done, but before he picks up the bandage, the Drifter cups the back of her leg in a gloved hand. Ikora enjoys the solidity of the touch lingering there.

He’s close enough to her that if she sat up and bent forward she would be able to put her face against his hair. Besides his breath he smells clean, keeps his hair neat. Looking down as he is to start wrapping her leg, she can’t see the greasy sheen on his face or his cannibal lips. He wraps the bandage, cuts it with a knife from nowhere, secures it tight. Inside his head float greed and opportunistic jumpiness and fear and an endless hunger, but no desire to hurt her.

As he sits up from the finished bandage he gives her leg another light slap on the side like she would pat a repaired Sparrow. “Good as new.” The words are soft. The tone would be a surprise except for what she put in his mind before.

I just want a little bit of time. No strings. Just someone to touch. Gloat about it as much as you want. You look good when you gloat. Just expect nothing back.

So, she leans forward and presses a kiss into his hair on the top of his head. His hair smells clean, just a hint of something sour on his skin. She lingers, shutting her eyes, breathing in the smell of another person, enjoying herself.

Then she sits up, the pain in her leg gone, energy enough for another game singing in her loud heartbeat. The Drifter looks up at her with a smug, crumpled grin.

Ikora murmurs with a laugh in her voice. “No one will ever believe you.”

In response he cups her leg again. Before, he could have been operating with the clinical competency of a battlefield medic. Now he hungrily caresses the hard muscle, tracing sharply defined dips and curves with fingers still gloved. He leans in to kiss her knee, and Light she likes the way he looks there. The Drifter kisses from her knee down to where the burn had been. The Drifter kisses from her knee down to the bandage. He is undone or pretending his best, his face out of view but his mouth warm and wet against her skin. She watches his heavy breaths move him. Clarity fills her, every touch messy and precise at the same time. At the bandage he stops, his breath on her skin, as if considering what to do next.

“That’s enough,” she says, and reaches for him. Her gloves are thin enough she can tell the texture of his beard but not tell whether his skin is slick. She lifts him by the chin until he’s standing up off the stairs, looking at her with a slack satisfaction that she can feel mirrored in the pit of her stomach. As she stands she pushes him farther away, giving her space to move to the top of the stairs and roll her pant leg down.

He’s watching her for a long silence. “You oughta play the game more often,” he finally says as she buckles her boot. When she looks up he’s licking his lips, then looks around the ceiling as if for their Ghosts.

What a thing to have in common. Not speaking to our other halves.

“You’ve taken enough of my Guardians. I won’t encourage any more,” Ikora says. “But there is one secret I’d like my Guardians to pas among themselves. When the Darkness is everywhere, we need it.”

“What’s that?” The Drifter’s expression is closed and suspicious now, a card player’s screen.

“We all need some rest and some comfort sometimes," she says.

When Ikora transmats out it is with a smirk of satisfaction and a lightness in her limbs she has not felt since Crow arrived. Maybe she’ll visit the Derelict again, and maybe not. A cure with a kiss was just what she needed for now.

[fluffymcu]

Letting Loose

Part FOURTEEN

This series is TICKLE related.

Series Summary:  You’re the little sister of the one and only Captain America. You’re also the youngest girl on the team, so that automatically makes you the avengers’ little princess. And they spoil you as such. They have become your amazing family and you don’t know where you’d be without them. This series will show random adventures and fluffy events in the daily life of the reader and her family, along with an unexpected turn later on as you read.

A/N: I’m so excited to be writing this series! This is my first time writing one and I’m a bit nervous but I hope it all goes well. :)  Hope you enjoy!

Word count: 3,656

Previous Next

———

Ruby Anne sat up in her bed looked around her room briefly, sighing and rubbing her eyes. After the little argument between you two, she had decided to take a nap, hoping a little sleep would take her mind off the subject. But it didn’t. Waking up only reminded her how painfully lonely she felt. Maybe the death of her mother had finally set in and now it’s hitting her harder than before. She needed... comfort. That’s something she didn’t think she’d need, actually. But, she did. She finally began to feel guilty about pushing everyone away. All they were trying to do was give her comfort, and make her feel like she belonged. But she refused to accept their help, and it ended up here; alone and depressed. She stared at the wall in front of her, determination painted on her face as she thought of a plan to start over. When she concluded that she would have to change her attitude and let the team help her, she sighed as she realized another thing she would have to face willingly: Tony. With a deep inhale, she got out of bed and put on some clothes and made her way down to the lab for the first time since the tour. 

You were in the living room with Peter and Steve playing UNO when you saw Ruby Anne walk down the hall. You 3 exchanged surprised looks, trying not to make it look obvious. You turned to look at them with your jaw dropped when you saw her go in the one way direction of the lab. “Is she going to the lab?” You whispered to them. They both shrugged and raised their eyebrows. You felt a bit of hope flashing inside you, but you couldn’t celebrate yet. You still didn’t know what she was going down there for.

To say Tony was surprised to see Ruby Anne knocking on the glass door to his lab would be an understatement. He quickly stood up, wiping his grease covered hands on a rag before motioning for her to come in. “H-Hi, come in. I was just working on some old suits. Got nothing else to do heh.” He chuckled awkwardly, leaning on a table. “Is there something you need?” To his surprise, he was pretty nervous, since Ruby had never come to visit him; let alone talk to him at all.

Ruby stood there, gathering her thoughts and sighing. “I guess.... it wouldn’t be so lame to go shopping... with you.” She said, shifting in her weight a bit. Tony stood there for a moment before smiling lightly, but deep inside, he was overjoyed.

“Of course, yeah. Let me just uhh let me just put on a clean shirt.” He smiles, rubbing his hands on the shirt that was muddied with dirt and oil. Ruby nodded and left the lab to wait for him. Tony’s smile widened as she left and quickly went to his room to get dressed, already planning on the many things he wanted to buy her.

——

A few minutes later, you see Tony and Ruby walk by the living room dressed up to go out. Your eyes widen in shock and you bow your head, suddenly extremely interested in all the little creases in the uno cards. As soon as the main door closes, you scream and throw your cards up in the air, jumping on the sofa. “ OH MY GOD THEY’RE ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING TOGETHER AND TONY WAS SMILING!” You squeal, Steve and Peter chuckling beside you and nodding. “Ooh! What do you think they went to do? They were dressed pretty casually, so you think they were going to the park? A movie? Shopping? I hope they went shopping. Ahh! This is so exciting!” You squealed.

“Okay okay, calm down, Princess. Things are looking good at the moment but let’s not get our hopes up so high right now. Let’s wait to see how it goes.” Steve said, smiling at you as he grabbed you arm to pull you to sit down. “Now. I’m going down to the gym, I give up this game. Peter’s clearly winning and I don’t want to be here for his braggy victory dance.” He chuckled, giving Peter a sarcastic smile before getting up to leave. Peter rolled his eyes and smiled. 

“Well, if I’m being honest I have a lot of work due by tomorrow so imma get started on it. We’ll finish this some other time when your brother’s not being a complete SORE LOSER!” Peter sang, shouting out the last part enough for Steve to hear. You snickered and nodded. “Alright. I’ll go see if Clint wants to play a little since he has no life.” You smirked, getting up and going to find Clint.

About half an hour later, you and Clint are still playing UNO and Clint was in the lead. I guess some of that “Steve’s sore loser attitude” rubbed off on you, because you were really considering cheating to get back to #1.

When Clint turned on the ground slightly to drink some water from his cup, you quickly leaned over to get a glance at his cards to see what color he didn’t have, so that you’d change it to that. But he turned back around quicker than you expected, startling you a bit and making you lean back and act as normal as you could. It was too late by then.

“Were you looking at my cards?!” Clint asked, his jaw dropping in shock and amusement. You quickly shook your head and denied it. Clint’s smile grew. “Yes you were! Oh you little cheater! Come here!” He growled, grabbing a hold of your legs. You screamed and began to resist, scooting away as much as you could.

“Nohohoho Clihihint!” You beg, Clint wrapping your feet in a headlock, making you very nervous. You didn’t really mind being tickled most of the time, but you hated your feet being tickled. It was unbearable. The team knows this, but it doesn’t stop them from doing it when they want to be evil.

Clint chuckles at your stuttered protests and tightens his grip on your feet. “This is what you deserve. I hope you learn from your sins!” He quips before mercilessly scratching his blunt fingers over your soles.

You shriek and thrash around as much as you could, kicking out your feet. You were in stitches in under a couple of seconds, cackling as he scratched under your toes.

“STOHOHOHOP IHIHIT I CAHAHAHANT!” You cried, rolling around to distract from the unbearable feeling. Clint chuckled and only shook his head.

“Oh, you can, y/n. If you had what it took to cheat, you have what it takes to take the punishment.” He smirked, scribbling his fingers over the arc of your foot.

Your hysterical laughter caught Wanda’s attention as she passed through the hall. With a small smirk, she entered the small reading room and approached your hysterical form.

When you noticed her presence, you immediately reached out to her for help. “WANDAHAHAHA! HEHEHELP ME PLEHEHEHASE!” You begged.

Wanda smiled sweetly, making you get your hopes up before saying something that made your stomach drop.

“Okay, I’ll help...” She led, taking a seat on the couch and lifting her hands up, twirling her fingers a bit. Suddenly, red wisps of power held your wrists down to your sides, unable to move.

“NOHOHOHOOO!” You cried, trying and failing to wrench your hands out of the hold. Clint turned to look at you and smiled widely.

“Yeheah! Thanks Wanda!” He cheered and turned around you target your hips. You arched your back with a loud squeal and shook your head side to side. If only someone could actually help you!

Your stomach began to cramp from all the laughter and restraint when Clint moved up to digging his fingers in between your ribs, ruthlessly tasing them. “Is there something you might wanna say y/n?” He asked. Wanda smirked beside him and used some of her power to gently swipe across your neck. You helped and erupted into louder giggles, trying to shield your neck but everywhere you’d recoil, it’d find another spot.

“YEHEHEHES! IHIHIM SOHOHORRY!” You squealed, praying that that was it. Clint chuckled and lifted up your shirt to blow a big scratchy raspberry on your belly. “AHHH!”

“Sorry for what? Huh?” He asked, shooting his hand under your arms, making you throw your head back.

“FOR CHEATIHIHIHING!! IHIM SORRYYYY!” You cried, falling into silent laughter. Wanda let you go with a giggle and so did Clint. You brought your arms to hug yourself and layed on the floor panting with your eyes closed.

“I really hate you both sometimes.” You sighed. Wanda stood up to crouch down next to you and poke your side.

“Oh, you don’t mean that.” She chuckled, before leaving the room. Clint was still chuckling as he helped you sit up a bit.

“Well, now that we got that corrected, I suggest we start over, since you’ve already seen my cards,” He chuckled, giving you a playful glare. You sighed and nodded you head, the both of you getting back in the game.

——

About an hour had passed and you had finished your game with Clint a bit ago, so now you were making yourself a sandwich with some Doritos when Steve walked in the kitchen. “Whatcha makin’?” He asked, circling the island to stand next to you. You finally finished with putting the other half of bread on top and bringing it up to your face a bit.

“A sandwich. With chips.” You said. Steve hummed and bent down to get a bite but you moved your sandwich away. “Nooo,” You sang.

“Just a bite!” He whined, attempting to bite the food again. You turned away to shield your sandwich with a smile.

“Your definition of ‘bite’ is shoving the whole thing in your mouth.” You chuckled. Steve sucked his teeth, trying to hide his guilty smile.

“Share.” He said, poking your side. You flinched and slapped his hand away.

“Don’t.”

“Then share!”

“You’ll eat it all!”

“No I won’t.”

“Liar. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah a little.”

“Then I’ll make you a sandwich.” You smiled, taking out the ingredients again.

“Yeah?” He asked with a grin. You nodded, standing a few feet from your plate. “Great, thanks! I’ll have a bite outta yours while I wait.” He smiled, grabbing your sandwich and taking a bite before leaving the kitchen.

“I-” You gasped, freezing in place as you watched him leave the kitchen with a smirk. You narrowed your eyes and groaned in mild annoyance before making his sandwich. Just then, Tony and Ruby came through the front door and you smiled widely. Ruby Anne muttered a small “Thanks.” to Tony before going up to her room to set the many shopping bags down. Tony approached the kitchen and you bounced on your heels excitedly. “So... how’d it go?” You asked.

Tony smiled, crossing his arms and leaning on the counter. “It was okay! She didn’t talk much but we went out together, did some shopping, so that’s a step; I’m proud of it.” He shrugged.

You nodded with a wide grin. “You should be. I’m so glad you guys did something together! Hopefully it’s not the last time.”

“Yeah, hopefully not. What’d you do when we were out?” He asked.

“Not much, just played cards with Clint and practiced some ballet for a few minutes. Then I got hungry so I made a sandwich and is I’m making Steve one, since he was hungry too.” Tony hummed and nodded.

“Alright then. Imma head back down to the lab, call me if you need anything.” He says before leaving the kitchen. You nodded and finished making your brothers food and called him down.

“STEVEN, YOUR SANDWICH!” You heard him faintly respond with a “coming” and you were about to take your plate and leave, but stopped in your tracks. You turned to look at his food before a mischievous smirk found its way onto your mouth.

With a giggle, you took a bite out of his sandwich to even the score and happily skipped up to your room.

————

The next morning, you, Peter and Ruby Anne go to school, and you notice that she’s wearing some new clothes. You smile and compliment her as you all walk through the halls. “I really like your outfit! It suits you.” You say. Ruby doesn’t say anything in return, but she smiles lightly and nods at you before continuing to walk to class.

“Hey, hey y/n!” You heard Jeremy whisper over to you from across the room. You sighed and rolled your eyes, ignoring him as best you could. You were starting to think maybe he did like you.

But why would he expect me to like him back if all he does is annoy the crap outta me?

“Hey, y/n/n look over here!” You kept your attention in the teacher, despite all the calls, texts, paper airplanes, notes, paper balls hitting your head. Your while desk was basically covered in paper balls and notes. You felt someone tal your shoulder so you turned around to see Camila, one of your classmates. She hands you a note and you take it and open it.

Look to your side

You turn to look and you don’t know why you fell for it, but there he was. Wiggling his eyebrows at you. “Hey.” He nods. You inhale deeply, showing your frustration and turn to look back at the whiteboard. You couldn’t wait for the bell to ring.

After what felt like forever, the bell rang and dismissed the class. You gathered your stuff and rushed out the room before Jeremy could catch up to you. Thankfully, Peter was at the lockers already and so was Ruby. You all met up and went outside to go home.

——

You’re home practicing ballet in your room when you hear a knock at your door. You get up from the ground and open the door. “Ruby. Hey!” You’re surprised that she’s come to your room. “Come in. Is there anything you need?”

Ruby steps in and she has a neutral expression in her face. Something different from the usual scowl or furring of the brows she wears all the time. A moment passes before she shrugs and speaks up. “I was uhh... thinking about what you said the other day. And,, I guess I have have been too harsh on you and Tony. And the whole team actually. You were right. You were only trying to help make me feel welcome. And I pushed you away.” She said, taking a deep breath. “So, with that in mind, I think it’s time I finally start letting you guys in, and pushing the grudges away instead. So. I’m gonna lit all this behind me and... hopefully you guys aren’t too mad at me to do the same.” She nods, staring awkwardly at the ground.

You stood there for a few moments, processing her words before smiling widely and engulfing her in a hug. “Yay.” You sigh. This caught her off guard, but eventually she returned the gesture, wrapping one arm around you and patting you awkwardly on the back. After you break from the hug, ruby smiled a bit before turning and leaving without another word. You stand there with a smile on your face. You feel good.

Things are finally turning around.

———

A few days have passed by, and you noticed Ruby Anne was a little more present around the team, actually going down to the table for dinner, even though she’d leave right after she’d finish her plate, and accepting your offer to hang out with Peter in your room. This was one of those times

You had a movie playing in the background while you and Peter were trying to decide on what game to play. Ruby was sitting in your bean bag a few feet away and you and Peter were standing next to your bed, a bunch of board games and cards laying on the mattress. After a small argument about which game to play, you both decided to pick monopoly and sat down in the floor close to Ruby. “Okay. So, ruby have you ever played monopoly before?” You asked. She shook her head and leaned forward to get a better look at the game.

“That’s ok. We’ll show you.” Peter said, smiling at her. She timidly returned the gesture and you both explained to her how to play the game.

The time flew by, you had finished your game of monopoly, ate some pizza that Thor brought home, watched half a movie, and now you were about to play another game.

“Ooh! How about we play twister? That’s always fun.” Peter suggested. You perked up at the idea. You hadn’t played twister in a looong time.

“Oh yeah but all three of us are gonna play and we need someone else to watch us and score.” You sighed. Peter hummed.

“I can score.” Ruby shrugged.

“You don’t wanna play?” You asked

“I’m fine for now. I can host the game if you want.” She said.

“If you’re sure, then sure.” You smiled, handing her the spinner. You and Peter stood on the mat, waiting for instructions.

——

You were now in the middle of the game, and you and Peter were tangled up in a knot almost. You were in a back stand and Peter was sprawled over you, one of his arms looping under you on yellow, and his leg curved under your knee. You were panting a bit, having to basically carry Peter’s weight on you while being in the uncomfortable position.

“Okay, Peter, your hand on red.” Ruby said. Peter groaned as he spotted the red dot on an almost unreachable place. He leaned over a bit, now mostly off of you and placed his hand in red. This caused him to almost tip over and fall. You giggled a bit at his attempt to stay up.

“Just give up Peter, you’re bound to fall. I, on the other hand, am in a stable position.” You quipped, tilting your head up to brag.

“Oh yeah?” Peter smirked, looking at you from upside down and using his hand to poke around your sides repeatedly. “Are you sure you’re stable?”

You squeaked and let out nervous giggles as you struggled to stay upright. Since your back was arched, your whole torso was stretched, making it more sensitive to touches. “Hehehey! No tihihickling, you cheheater!” You cried, dissolving into more laughter as he began you skitter his fingers over your belly. You squeal as you feel your arms become weaker and you start to tremble. Ruby smirks at the sight and shakes her head slightly. She’s seen the both of you get into these play fight almost every day since she’s been here. And if she’s being honest, it was pretty entertaining and amusing. Though she’d never admit it.

“Things aren’t looking too good for you, y/n/n. I see you’re struggling a bit. Why don’t you just ‘give it up’?” He teased, using your words against you. Fine, if he wanted to play dirty, so should you.

You lifted a leg, careful to keep your balance and pushed at Peter’s hip, to get him to fall. Peter chortled and resisted your push, sneaking his hand under your shirt and dipping his finger in your belly button. “AaaAhH!”

It took so much for you not you crumble up and shield your belly. “PETEHEHEHER!”

“I think I’m winning!” He sang, risking his position to move up and flutter his fingers in your neck. You screamed, unable to resist from crumbling down to the floor and shrugging your shoulders up. You were a giggling mess and instead of stopping, Peter continued. “Yes! I win I win I win!” He cheered, letting himself down from the position to continue attacking your neck. Ruby let out a small giggle at the whole scene, covering her mouth quickly when she did. Neither of you heard it, since you were to busy being tortured.

“OKAHAHAHAY, STOHOP IT!” You squealed, arching your back when he began to shake your ribs mercilessly. Your laughter went silent and your body instantly went in survival mode, slapping at his chest. Peter sat back with a chuckle and let you go. “Gohohod. You’re such a loser.” You whine.

“If I recall correctly, you’re the only loser here.” Peter smirked, giving your belly one last pinch before standing up and helping you up.

“Ugh... whatever. I would’ve won if you hadn’t cheaten.”

“I wouldn’t have cheaten if you wouldn’t have provoked me.” He quipped, smirking at your defeated look.

You decided to leave it at that and roll your eyes. “Fine. So, changin the subject, what should we do next? And this time, you gotta play, Ruby Anne.” You said, pointing at her accusingly, making ruby crack a small smile.

You played a few more games, making sure Ruby felt included in everything, and over the next couple of days, you three began to hang out more often, and Ruby started to become a regular in your friend group.

However, Ruby found that the more she hung out with you guys, the more she secretely started having feelings towards Peter...

Whenever he’d smile at her, she’d smile back openly. And she found herself feeling more eager to hang out with you both, because she knew Peter would be there. And now, when you and Peter would play around and be platonically intimate with each other, she found herself wanting that. With him. In a not-so-platonic way. And as if she didn’t already have 100 million things going through her head, now she had to keep her feelings under control around one of the people she sees most of every day.

Great. She thought

_____

Hopefully this chapter was okay,

[fishy12233]

Chronicles of Sturgia

Prologue Part 2: “The Wacky Week”

It was a quiet night in Citrione City. The date was Friday, May 18. There was only one week left until summer vacation.

A group of kids sneaking out in their pajamas interrupted the peaceful night in the suburbs. They quietly made their way towards a hidden treehouse; it was their clubhouse, and a secret meeting was about to take place.

The clubhouse was filled with all sorts of objects, such as walkie-talkies, binoculars, toys, spy gear, game consoles, and most importantly, piles and piles of books. In the clubhouse, the kids would talk about their plans for summer vacation, studying for final exams, and possible rumors and adventures. However, the biggest thing that the kids worked on together was a guidebook of places they’ve been to. The guidebook had information about Citrione City and the neighboring Spookyville, but there was still plenty of blank space for their future adventures. They never expected it, but the kids’ guidebook would be almost completely filled up before the end of summer vacation.

“I can help you guys study in the library on Sunday, if you want,” said Chris, with a hopeful look in his eye.

“That would be great Chris, but me and Susan still have to go to church,” said Maddie, looking a bit more gloomy than usual.

“You guys can go to the library early, then we’ll be over later. There will be plenty of time for us to be there!” Exclaimed Susan, who wore a warm smile on her face.

“Now that that’s settled, what are we, like, going to do this summer?” Asked Lisa, with a bored but energetic expression.

“None of us have plans this summer, but I’m sure we could find adventure somewhere in our town,” said Peter, who wore a thoughtful look on his face.

“We can do it! It’s going to be so much fun! We’ll go camping, exploring, eating, and just doing whatever we want!” Exclaimed Annie, who looked as gung-ho as ever.

“Alright then, so we’re still on for the park tomorrow, right?” Chris asked. He was hesitant, but hopeful.

“Of course,” said Maddie. “We’ll meet up tomorrow. Well, goodnight everyone.” Maddie quietly left, while the others followed. Everyone returned to their homes, falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

The date was Saturday, May 19.

For every kid, Saturday morning was the time for their most important ritual: Saturday morning cartoons. While these cartoons have become rare in recent times, kids always found a channel that still played Saturday morning cartoons. All the kids in the neighborhood were watching cartoons on Saturday mornings in their pajamas while eating colorful, sugary cereals.

After the cartoons stopped playing on TV  in favor of boring adult shows, the kids would all go out to the park to play. Some played on the playground while others played on their portable gaming consoles. The kids weren’t the only ones at the playground, however. Teens who lived in the neighboring town of Spookyville would often hang out at the playground. There were a series of popular home movies that featured some of these teens as stars of a sort of horror movie parody. Many kids gossip about them, creating rumors that the events in the movies are real. However, nobody ever believes these rumors. Peter’s older sister Jessica often goes to the park to sit at a homemade stand she made that sold advice. Her business was popular among both children and teens alike. This is how Jessica knew all the latest gossip and drama. It was also how she got extra cash. Like many of the kids in Citrione City, Jessica was a schemer.

Each of the kids loved going to the park for different reasons. Maddie and Chris loved looking for bugs or reading books together. Susan always liked to set up a nice picnic with bento lunches for everyone. Peter would always walk his dog Biscuit or play super spy with Lisa. They had walkie-talkies, binoculars, and a bunch of other spy gear that a spy kid would need. They loved to spy on people in the post office or watch people from the vantage point that came with their clubhouse. Whenever Peter wasn’t walking the dog or playing super spy, he would play video games, find someone to play trading card games with, or do tricks with various skill toys like yo-yos. Annie was always volunteering on Saturdays, helping clean up the park or helping maintain the garden. Sometimes, Chris and Annie liked to feed the ducks at the duck pond. They always thought there was something shining in the water, but they weren’t allowed to dive in. Sometimes, all the kids would get together to play tag or hide and seek. One of their favorite games was sardines, a variation of hide and seek where there were multiple seekers who would go hide in the same place as the first hider.

Today, Lisa happened to be listening to a popular band on the radio: The Crazy Eights. She was dancing her heart out while wearing round, rose-colored sunglasses. This band happened to be in town, which made Lisa pretty excited. Rumor says that they’re in debt with the local music venue, trapping them in Citrione City. Lisa was hoping to meet them and hear some of her favorite songs from them, such as “Utopian Train”, “Soaring Guy”, or “Makin’ Pals”.

“Tomorrow, after we go to the library,” said Lisa to Peter, “I want to sneak into the local theater and get an autograph.” Lisa had a scheming gleam in her eye, a look that Peter knew well.

“But Lisa,” Peter said, “We’ll get in trouble again! Remember the mailman incident?”

“I had to break into his house!” exclaimed Lisa. “He was too suspicious! I still think he’s an alien.”

Despite Peter’s pleas, Lisa was determined to get an autograph.

By the time the kids got home, the sun was already setting. It had been a long day. Lisa slept over at Peter’s house while everyone else returned to their own houses. Saturday night was the best time to stay up late watching movies or playing video games.

Despite being close friends, the kids’ families were all different in their own way. Maddie and Susan were sisters, and they lived with a mom who owned a church gift shop, a dad who was an English teacher, and their Uncle Samuel, who was a gemcutter. Peter had an older sister and a younger sister, and they both lived with parents who were dealing with financial problems. He also had a loving Border Collie named Biscuit. Lisa was an only child, and she lived with parents who were just as free-spirited as she was. Annie lived with her older brother, who recently graduated college. Her parents lived far away. Chris lived with a younger sister named Ash, who often spent time drawing on her tablet, away from other people. He also lived with a dad who was a scientist, but his mom left when Chris was only two years old. Chris and Ash would often see their mom on the news, living her life as a successful programmer.

Saturday was always a day of fun for the kids. Tomorrow, they would have to get ready for their last week of school.

* * *

The date was Sunday, May 20.

Today was the day that the kids would go to the library and study, even though Maddie and Susan could not go for the first hour because they were with their mom at the church gift shop. The library can be a cool place to explore, especially modern libraries. Many libraries house art galleries and may have bizarre sculptures. Books are also fun to find, because anyone can find a book interesting to them. For the first 30 minutes, the rest of the kids were having fun at the library, hanging out and getting help from Chris. The six coordinated girls who went to their school were there as well, hanging out by a nearby table. However, things quickly got boring without Maddie and Susan. So they decided to go wait for them to get out of church. When Maddie and Susan got out of church, the kids played tag, had donuts, spent time at the gift shop, and played around the fountain and fire pit. The kids’ favorite thing to do there was play with the wind chimes in the gift shop. Afterwards, they returned to the library to study.

After a few hours, Lisa left the library and ran off towards the theater. Of course, her friends immediately noticed and ran after her. Lisa snuck around the back side of the theater. She saw the Crazy Eight’s bus. It was yellow and was painted with colorful swirls and citrus patterns. Lisa pulled out a picture of the band so they would sign it. When she saw Cool, one of the original members of the band, she screamed with joy so loud that his sunglasses fell off his face. She rushed to him, speaking so fast that no one else could understand her. The other kids remained in hiding, watching her talk with Cool. He was weirded out by her sudden arrival, but happily signed her poster, anyway. Some other members came out of the bus, including Retro, who looked like an alien with a hippie outfit and a black shirt with a red ghoul on the front, making Lisa practically faint out of excitement. The other kids watched as they all signed her poster and sent her home.

“Did you see that?” she exclaimed. Lisa was shaking like a chihuahua. The other kids nodded nervously. Then Lisa leaned in and whispered, “You know Retro, right?

I think he’s an alien.”

“Not this again!” Peter exclaimed.

“I’m serious! That definitely does not look like a costume, does it?” said Lisa. “His face moved and everything!”

“I believe you,” said Maddie. “He is definitely an alien.”

“Thank you, Maddie!” said Lisa. “At least someone gets it!”

Chris shot a doubtful look at Retro, then at Lisa.

“Alien or not, that’s not what we need to worry about now,” said Annie. “We need to go home and get a good rest! Our final exams are gonna be hard, but I know we can do it!”

By the time the kids got back home, it was time to get ready for bed. When there is a school day the next day, time at home always seems to fly by, since the kids have to go to bed earlier. Sometimes, kids like Chris would prepare for school too much, leaving them laying awake in bed all night thinking about nothing but what they would do the next morning. By the time they finally fell asleep, their ten alarms would go off, indicating that it was time to get ready for school.

* * *

The date was Monday, May 21.

Mondays is definitely the worst day of the week. The transition from weekend mode to vacation mode always left the kids tired and unwilling to go to school. Luckily, it was the last week of school before summer vacation, so it was slightly more bearable to get up earlier. Some kids, like Chris, were heavy sleepers. Even though they may have set ten alarms, they would always sleep through them, pressing the snooze button five times before actually getting up.

After getting ready and eating a nice breakfast, the kids would walk to school. Their school was only one block away from the kids’ houses. Unlike weekend mornings, when Citrione City was lively and busy, weekday mornings were peaceful and serene. The soft glow of the rising sun coming to wake up the sleepy town was a beautiful sight. It didn’t make up for having to get up early for school, but it helped.

One of the strangest things the kids saw on the way to school was the neighbor’s house. Chris described it as Art Nouveau, which was an art style that focused on natural forms and structures. The house had been around for about seven years, so the kids had gotten used to seeing it all the time.

The nice thing about the last full day of school was that the kids didn’t have to do much work. They had plenty of time to study and enjoy themselves and reminisce on the past year. They remembered field day, when they got to play fun games and get soaking wet. Afterwards, they would eat ice cream and frozen fruit pops. The book fair was one of their favorite events, since there were plenty of cool books and toys to buy. It was all the rage at school. Kids always loved reading the latest book series, whether it was about time traveling tree houses or secret organizations that fought fires. Science fairs were Chris’s favorite. He won first prize for the first time at the most recent science fair. There were so many fun events it would take hours to talk about all of them. Through the fun memories, and even the trials and tribulations, Citrione City was home sweet home.

After school was over, the kids went home to study and relax. The late afternoon was the time of day when the kids just sat around or walked around the house looking for something to do. Some kids just watched TV or played board games. Others rummaged through their toys or bookshelves, leaving a mess that their parents would make them clean up. However, this afternoon wasn’t like other afternoons. It was the beginning of something strange.

Maddie was sitting in her room, which was decorated with many spooky things. She was busy reading a book series on wizards. That was when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. The wardrobe door was open. Curious, Maddie slowly walked up to it reached for the door. Suddenly, it snapped closed. Then, something unbelievable happened. The wardrobe came to life, jumping towards her. It opened its doors and started sucking everything inside. Terrified, Maddie leaped for the door. She threw whatever she could find at the wardrobe. After struggling to not get eaten, she finally escaped, closing the door inside her. Thankfully, the wardrobe was too big to fit through the doorway. It couldn’t open the door, even if it knew how to.

She ran to Susan’s room and told her everything that happened.

“Really?” Susan asked. “That’s scary. You could sleep in my room if you want.”

“No thank you,” said Maddie. “I would rather sleep on the couch bed.”

Then, Maddie and Susan went to their parents and uncle and told them what was going on. Their parents laughed, but Samuel believed them.

“I’ve seen stranger things than an evil wardrobe,” said Samuel. “Compared to the weird stuff that’s been going on in Spookyville, this is nothing.”

Meanwhile, Peter’s family was freaking out over the vase and boombox that had come alive in the kitchen. Peter was intrigued, but when they started attacking everyone, he bashed them with a baseball bat until they ran away.

Back at the Avarell household, Samuel was wondering what to do. “We can’t make the wardrobe leave,” he said.

“Then what are we going to do?” asked Maddie. “Is it going to live in my room forever?”

“Maybe we can fight it,” said Samuel. “What do you have on you?”

“I just have some old books that I got from the Spookyville library last week,” said Maddie. “I should probably return those soon.” Samuel looked at the books. They were actually spell books that taught simple magic attacks.

“Why does Spookyville have all this weird magic stuff there? I guess that kind of stuff would be normal there, but I’m pretty sure it used to be just a normal town a few years ago.” Susan asked.

However, there was no time for questions.

“Are you ready?” asked Samuel.

“Yes,” said Maddie. She was hesitant, but Samuel could tell that she was shaking not only from fear, but from excitement.

Maddie bravely marched inside her room. She felt the strong winds. While she had read over the spell book many times already, she never tried out the spells. The wardrobe relentlessly tried to suck her in. She stood her ground. If this was real, it would be a dream come true for Maddie.  The winds became stronger. Maddie began to lose her footing. Samuel was right behind her, just in case. Hesitantly, she chanted the spell. A shot of electricity hit the wardrobe. The winds died. She did it. The wardrobe was shaking in fear. It wouldn’t bother her again.

After some celebration and confusion, everyone returned to their rooms and went to bed. Maddie got to sleep in her room that night, but was still apprehensive of the wardrobe that quietly slept next to her bedside. That night, Samuel couldn’t help but worry about why these things were occurring, especially since it’s been only three days since the seventh anniversary of the day he was separated from his fiance.

* * *

The date was Tuesday, May 22.

Today was the first day of final exams. The kids couldn’t afford to worry about the strange occurrences that happened last night. Only Peter, Lisa, Susan, and Maddie knew about the inanimate objects that attacked them that night. None of them had the opportunity to tell Annie or Chris that day.

Anyone who has taken a test can testify to how difficult, tedious, and terrible it is. Hours of complete silence, having to resist the urge to cheat, and not knowing the answers to many of the questions is unbearable. The only strategy is to study and be a good test taker. Thankfully, Chris could help his friends study. But even with the knowledge, tests are still impossibly difficult for bad test takers. Imagine only hearing the sounds of writing, coughing, and the ticking clock, working quickly before time runs out. When the students took their tests, time felt tediously slow yet frighteningly fast. It took forever to get through the test, but there was still not enough time to answer all the questions.

After the long hours of test-taking, it was finally over. However, there was still two days of test-taking left.

The kids left the school worried about their grades but relieved that it was over for the day. Since the school didn’t serve lunch on half-days, the kids went to the pizzeria. There were two pizzeria’s in Reality Valley, the area where both Spookyville and Citrione City were located in. Everyone went to the pizzeria in Citrione City, but no one went to the one in Spookyville. Despite it having a full arcade and an area for kids’ parties, it had a history of ghost sightings, dangerous incidents, and bad service.

Maddie and Susan told the group about what happened to them last night.

“You too?” asked Peter. “Lisa and I were attacked last night.”

“So it wasn’t just us,” said Maddie, with a meditative look on her face. “Were you or Annie attacked last night, as well?”

“No, of course not,” said Chris. “Uh, this has to be a joke right? I mean, that isn’t scientifically possible!”

“Didn’t you see Retro the other day?” asked Lisa.

“But, that must have been a costume,” Chris said, “There are plenty of costumes with moving facial features like that.”

“What about those happenings in Spookyville?” asked Maddie.

“Um, those have to be fake, right?” Chris asked. He was notably more anxious after Maddie started questioning him. “They just, um, faked those home videos to gain publicity. That has to be it.”

“I believe Chris. After all, nobody believes those rumors, so neither should you,” Annie said. “Listen, Chris and I need to get going. We’re volunteering at the food bank today. My brother’s taking us. See you later.”

After Annie dragged Chris out with her, the other four kids were alone.

“We can just show them the wardrobe in my room, right?” said Maddie. “They’ll have to believe us! After all, there’s no way for the wardrobe to leave, right?”

Maddie wouldn’t need to show Chris and Annie the wardrobe. The events that transpired that afternoon would be all they needed to be convinced of the strange happenings in Reality Valley.

The food bank in Citrione City provided many volunteer opportunities. Annie was a regular volunteer there, but her friends also came along with her sometimes. Since she needed an adult with her, her big brother would always go with her. They always volunteered on Tuesdays for a couple of hours. The food bank always needed people to help pack food to send off to people who needed it. Working there was pretty boring. However, it would stop being boring once a good conversation started between volunteers. Then, work went by very quickly. Annie always prided herself in her many volunteer hours. It was one of the few things she felt she was good at. She always felt safe when she volunteered.

However, that would soon come to an end.

Chris, Annie, and her brother were busy packing lunches into small, disposable lunch boxes. The one thing Annie didn’t like about volunteering was how the food she was packing always made her hungry. She often stole  snacks for herself. Her big brother noticed this, but never said anything. He knew how much Annie loved eating food.  Annie even saw kids from her school there, including some of the girls who dressed in coordinated clothes. The afternoon was fun and peaceful.

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud crashing noise from the warehouse. The coordinator in charge asked someone to volunteer to go investigate with him. Annie’s brother volunteered and went with him. After a few minutes, they never returned. However, everyone could still hear noises. The rest of the volunteers cautiously entered the warehouse. There, they saw an unbelievable sight. A bunch of inanimate objects had come to life and made a mess in the warehouse. There were many strange creatures and animals devouring the food scattered by the mess. The volunteer coordinator and Annie’s brother were busy fighting them off. Chris and Annie could only watch in shock and disbelief. The look in their eyes was the look of someone whose life has been turned upside down. It was the look of someone who was facing the shock of having been betrayed by their knowledge of how the world works.

The sight froze Chris in place. What could he do? He was only a kid, and he had to come to terms with the supernatural creatures that stood before him. As a lover of science, Chris couldn’t process how this was happening. Annie was also in shock, but she quickly realized that her brother was in danger. She had to snap out of it, there was no time to waste. While she tried to grab Chris and drag her along with him, he wouldn’t move.

“Stop moping around!” yelled Annie. “There’s no time! We need to help, you can question everything later!”

“O-okay,” said Chris. He slowly started running with Annie to help defeat the enemies. They grabbed whatever they could and threw it at the creatures attacking Annie’s brother and the volunteer coordinator. Having distracted the creatures, everyone had the time to evacuate.

Everyone was standing outside, staring at the food bank. The news had arrived to report on the mysterious incident that occurred. Chris’s family and the other kids quickly arrived to check on him, Annie, and her brother. Everyone was in utter shock and confusion.

“Is everyone all right?” Chris’s dad asked.

“Y-yeah,” said Chris.

“I guess you were right about those weird creatures,” sighed Annie. She had a weak smile on her face.

“How do we stop them?” said Maddie. “It will only get worse.”

“Do you think Uncle Samuel could help?” asked Susan. “It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

And so, the kids made their way to Maddie and Susan’s house. Uncle Samuel was running out of the house.

“What is going on, Uncle Samuel?” asked Maddie.

“I should be asking you that,” said Samuel. “I saw the news, and I’m afraid of what could be happening.”

“Of what happening?” asked Susan.

“You might find this hard to believe, but there’s another world beyond the mountains behind our house. I used to live there, but an evil queen separated me from the love of my life and banished me.”

“This is ridiculous,” said Annie. “How can we believe you?”

“Look around,” said Samuel. “The unbelievable has occurred before your eyes. I know it may be hard to accept, but it’s true. Remember the meteor from seven years ago? It was on the news.”

“Yeah, I remember!” said Peter. “I was only a kid, but I remember seeing the meteor outside my window. The news the next morning said it was two meteors colliding with each other, but what does that have to do with our current situation?”

“I don’t know,” said Samuel. “But it happened the night I was banished.  I can only imagine how devastating that must have been for the citizens of Sturgia.”

“Sturgia?” asked Lisa. “Is that, like, the name of that place?”

“D-do you really believe we can only believe your word on this?” said Chris.

“Chris!? What are you saying?” said Maddie.

“It’s okay,” said Samuel. “You don’t have to believe just my word. There’s someone else who can testify to what I’m saying. Do you see that strange house there?” He pointed towards the Art Nouveau house that the kids walked by every day. “An old friend lives there. She can tell you everything you need to know.”

“But how come we’ve never met her?” asked Susan.

“You’ll understand when you meet her,” said Samuel. “It’ll be best to get some rest tonight, then we can meet up with her after school tomorrow.”

Everyone said goodnight to each other. Then they went to bed. Most everyone was worried, not only about the supernatural occurrences, but also about the final exams. Only two days left.

* * *

The date was Wednesday, May 23.

Everyone was tired and confused. In two days, the kids’ lives were turned upside-down. They could barely focus on exams. Who was the woman who lived at the strange Art Nouveau house? How was she connected to all of this? Did the meteor have to do with any of this? There were too many unanswered questions.

After school, the six kids met up at the strange house with Samuel. The group slowly approached the house, seeing the strange flowers growing on the vines that crawled up the wall. They also saw a large group of birds playing in an ornate birdhouse. There was also a broomstick against the wall next to the door. As they came up to the door, the kids noticed a strange symbol on the door’s window.

Samuel knocked on the door. After a couple of minutes, someone opened the door. It was a woman with short black hair and glasses. Her eyes were filled with distraught and worry. She wore a long, flowing dress that was swirled with green and white. When she saw Samuel, her expression became gentle.

“It’s been a while, Samuel,” she said. “Come in.”

The inside of the house was cramped, but just as bizarre as the outside of the house. There was a casserole that smelled like it was fresh out of the oven. It didn’t look like the house was connected to any gas or electricity. The house appeared to be completely self-sustaining. There were plants everywhere. Everyone sat around the dining table.

“I see you brought everyone,” the woman said. “It’s nice to meet you all. I’m sorry I couldn’t come and visit you Avarells.”

“By Avarells you mean me and Susan?” asked Maddie.

“Who else?” said the woman. “Anyway, I should introduce myself. My name is Caroline Porter. I should probably explain this situation.” Caroline leaned in closer. “Seven years ago, Samuel was getting married to the love of his life, Gabriella Reyes. But the evil queen, Mareen Tarlington, split them up. She’s been acting strange for so long. The night after the wedding, she hosted a Royal Parade and seriously injured my husband. He’s been in a coma ever since, and I’ve been waiting for him to awake for seven years. Sturgia has become dangerous and desolate. I would help everyone out myself, but I can’t abandon my husband.”

“But what does that have to do with what’s been happening here?” asked Peter.

“That’s the thing,” said Caroline. “May 18 was the seventh anniversary of that fateful day. I suspect that the queen is the one behind it. She’s become too powerful. I can only suspect she’s been influenced by an old enemy.” Caroline stopped and took a breath. “Anyway, the important thing is that I want you six kids to go to Sturgia.”

“What?” said Susan. “Why?”

“Because,” Caroline said, “I want you to talk to someone there. Go see Gabriella Reyes and tell her that there is a plan. Tell her not to lose hope. I also want you to find someone names Liana Culiseta and tell her that the items are ready to be retrieved.”

“Items?” asked Lisa. “Like, what items?”

“Liana will explain when you get there,” said Caroline. “I need you to know this because you will go through the cavern in Eagle Mountain to get there. But there is one more reason you’re going through the cavern.”

“And what is that reason?” asked Maddie.

“I need you to retrieve an item for me,” said Caroline. “It’s a pair of blue diamond slippers. They’re one of the eight items you need to bring to Liana. She’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“But we have exams,” said Chris. “We’re only kids. What can we do?”

“Tomorrow is the last day of school, right?” asked Caroline. “Tomorrow, you can start your journey. It’s a pretty simple task, but it’s also a crucial one. I believe you’re the only ones who have the attitude and the free time to accomplish this task. Are you in?”

Annie put her arm out. “I’m in. What about everyone else? We can do this!”

Chris reluctantly out his arm out as well. “O-okay, I’m in too. I’m still sort of confused, but I think that we’ll figure it out along the way. We just need to get used to it, right?”

Lisa excitedly put her arm out. “Me three! This sounds like fun!”

Peter put his arm out too. “Me four! I can’t just shy away from my friends!”

Finally, Maddie and Susan decided to put their arms out. “It is a difficult decision,” said Maddie. “But I think it is important for us to do this. This situation is bigger than us now. If we do nothing, we will only be part of the problem.”

“I’m not really as good with words,” said Susan, “but I’m in too!”

“It’s settled then,” said Caroline.

That night, the kids would have to say goodbye to everyone. Maddie and Susan felt that their parents wouldn’t understand. After all, they didn’t even believe the news story. Uncle Samuel promised to tell them after the kids left.

“I’m sorry I can’t come with you,” said Samuel. “If I could go, I would have gone seven years ago.”

Peter’s family held a going away dinner that night. His mom always made the best food in Citrione City. Her food was so good that she wrote her own cookbook. Tonight, they had a fancy steak dinner with meatloaf. It was a family favorite. Their dog Biscuit had plenty of leftovers.

Lisa said goodbye to her parents, who fully embraced her decision. They went to Peter’s house that night to visit and play board games.

Annie said goodbye to her brother, who was pretty cool about the situation.

Chris gave a heartfelt goodbye to his dad and sister, but he was still sad that he could never say goodbye to his mother. They watched her on the TV that night as she announced her latest programs.

Everyone went to bed. It would be the kids’ last night in Citrione City for a long time. They were nervous, but they were sure that things would go well.

* * *

The date was Thursday, May 24.

It was the last day of this wacky week.

It was the last day of school.

It was last day the kids would be in Citrione City for a long time.

The morning was as peaceful as always. The kids got up, knowing that today was the day that their adventure would begin. They silently walked to school, appreciating the last time they would see the sleepy town awake for a long time. People never truly appreciate something until they lose it. School was bustling with the same kids and the same garbled gossip as always. The kids saw the coordinated girls walking down the hallway, the bratty kid who liked pranking everyone, and even Ash, who was drawing on her tablet as always. There was one thing that was different, though. Everyone was excited, talking about plans for summer vacation and signing each other's yearbooks. Now that school was over, it didn’t seem so bad. During final exams, the bratty kid began bothering Peter.

“Hey Parker!” he said.

“It’s Peter,” said Peter.

“I don’t care if your name is Peter or Parker!” said the bratty kid. “What’s up with that weird stuff that’s been going on? All of the students are completely ignoring it!”

“I dunno, Lincoln.” said Peter. “Leave me alone.”

“The name’s Landon, Parker!” said the bratty kid. “Everyone here’s such a weirdo!”

Peter tried to focus on his test while Landon kept throwing stuff at him. Thankfully, he wouldn’t be seeing Landon for a while. Kids like that have always bothered Peter and his friends. One of the best things about summer is not having to see annoying kids in school every day.

The final minutes of the school year are the most exciting. This is when all the students count down to their freedom from school. Once the bell rings, everyone cheers. It’s time for celebration as the students say their goodbyes.

After school, the kids went to buy supplies to take with them on their adventure. It was their last outing. Peter’s mom gave him some cash to use to buy supplies and anything they would need. The kids wandered around the mall, having fun and buying supplies. Malls are the most popular hangout spots. They’re large and have a variety of cool stores. Peter decided to buy some video games to use with his portable game console. Annie bought all the food that would be long lasting, filling, and cheap. She also bought a bunch of the survival tools they would need. Shopping at the mall was almost an adventure in and of itself. By the time their visit to the mall was over, Peter’s bag was stuffed to the point where it couldn’t close. The kids needed to use other bags to hold everything they needed.

After visiting the mall, the kids met Samuel behind the Avarell house. Maddie and Susan said their goodbyes, then all of the kids entered the cave. They hesitated at first. It was dark, and no one knew what lurked inside. However, they needed to face the great unknown in order to proceed. They entered the cavern, bravely facing the future that lay before them.

[maxbegone]

Pikelan: Their first date!

Ok I really got carried away with this one. Also, I didn’t edit it because I’m tired and that’s effort. Which is not a thing I’m into giving right now. 

and here will be a crescendo in our story 

Once things settled again and everyone had somewhat parted ways, though only for a short while, Scanlan found Pike. 

It was set back a few months, understandably. The fall of Vecna hit everyone hard. Vox Machina was morning the passing of Vax’ildan, especially Vex and Keyleth, and dealing with the fact that Grog pulled a card and had his soul transported to another plane of existence. On top of that, everyone was healing.

Scanlan’s main focus for the better part of the next month was Kaylie. The girl, as stubborn as she was, was having trouble coming back from whatever happened with Vecna. Nightmares, struggling to remember what happened between the time she was taken and the time she was teleported out of the tower with Gilmore and Cassandra.

Scanlan stayed with her most nights, sleeping on the lounger in her room. He wouldn’t say anything if she woke up, just walk over and hold her until she calmed down or fell asleep again. After having missed out on so much of her life, being a father who was always there was the least he could do.

Once things settled again and everyone had somewhat parted ways, though only for a short while, Scanlan found Pike. She was sitting in her room in Whitestone in the candlelight, a book in her lap.

“Hey, Pikey-Pants,” Scanlan uttered sheepishly.

She looked up and smiled. “Hi, Scanlan.”

Scanlan was rocking back and forth on his feet nervously. Hell, he was always nervous talking to her.

“So,” he began. “I wanted to come by and say hello and…maybe see if you were still up to going on that date?”

The room got silent and Scanlan immediately recoiled. “You can say no! It’s really not-“

“Yes, of course.” Pike was smiling brightly at him, eyes soft and ever-loving.

“Really? I-ok! Good, alright. Is-are you free tomorrow?”

Pike chuckled. “Yes,” she nodded. “Tomorrow sounds wonderful.”

“Alright. Well…I’ll leave you to…Sarenrae, then.” He gave her a nod and practically skipped back to his room.

*

And he was nervous. And pacing. He was nervously pacing.

Scanlan promised to meet Pike in the courtyard the following afternoon. He dressed nice, but casual; no formalwear, nothing extravagant. He wanted to look good, but not overwhelming and scare Pike away.

“Scanlan.”

A gruff voice caused him to turn around. Walking towards him with a stoic expression was Grog. And suddenly, Scanlan was sure he needed to go back and change his pants. 

He choked back the nerves and greeted his friend. “Oi, Grog! Where are you off to?”

“I’ve come to talk to you.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“About?”

“Pike.”

“Oh. Alright then. What about her?”

“If you even think about hurting her,” he started. Suddenly, this man was frightening to him. “or leaving her, or doin’ something where you break her heart I will split your tiny body in two.”

Scanlan laughed nervously, but cut himself off when a low growl came from the barbarian.

“Grog, you know I would never hurt Pike. I care for her too much to ever even think about it. I know I’ve done you all wrong in the past but I think I’ve matured enough that I’ve realized how to properly treat a woman. Anyone, actually. And you know I would do anything for her. And Kaylie, and you, and the rest of our family. I promise I’ll treat her well, Grog. I really do.”

Grog’s posture relaxed. “And if you hurt her?”

“I would hate myself. I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore.”

“What are you two talking about?”

Wonderful.

Pike came strolling through the courtyard towards them, now, dressed in a tunic and pants, casual and free of any armor.

“I’m just makin’ sure Scanlan does right by you.”

The cleric rubbed Grog’s arm in comfort. “Don’t worry, Grog. I can handle myself. Scanlan’s a good guy.”

Scanlan’s heart soar in happiness and he was sure it showed on his face.

“Come on, Pikey. It’s time for our date!” He linked his arm with hers and gave one last wave to Grog. Scanlan swore he saw him smiling.

*

They’d gone to a nicer establishment than a tavern for a round of drinks like Scanlan was originally planning. He wanted everything to be perfect although relaxed.

They ate and exchanged stories back and forth, like the time Keyleth and Grog were kicked out of the Luck’s Run Casino in Marquet, and smiled as they shared their favorite memories of Vax. It was a little somber, but they enjoyed the memories nonetheless.

They found themselves in the woods afterward, sitting on the bench Pike had built only recently in honor of their friend. Nature was silent around them, but it was peaceful as the breeze passed around them.

“Can I ask you,” Scanlan began after a few moments of silence. “what made you change your mind about me?”

Pike smiled, thinking for a moment. “Well…you’re rather charming,” she laughed. “And you care. You really do. I’ve seen how much you’ve grown since Kaylie came into your life. We all have. You’re a real gentleman since you’ve come back to us, Scanlan. And there’s something there, but I’m not jumping to anything yet, and neither should you.”

“I want to take this at a respectable pace,” he muttered sheepishly. “I don’t want to do anything too brash, I suppose. So…slow?”

She grabbed his hand and nodded. “Slow.”

Before he could say anything else, Pike was kissing him. His stomach was doing flips of excitement but his mind had froze completely. When she pulled away after a few seconds, a rosy blush on her cheeks, Scanlan blinked quickly in shock.

“I…What happened to slow?”

“This is slow,” Pike retorted. “This is slow…right?”

He smiled. “Of course it is. But-“

Scanlan feigned becoming faint and fell dramatically onto Pike’s lap, beret toppling onto the ground. “Ioun. Sarenrae, help me I think I’ve been kissed by an angel!”

She laughed in response and began running a hand through Scanlan’s hair. “You’re still entertaining. Don’t change that.”

“You know, Pikey,” Scanlan whispered after a moment. “I care for you quite a bit. I hope that’s not overstepping any boundaries.”

“It’s not,” she assured. “And I care for you quite a bit, as well. I’m excited to see where we go from here.”

“Me, too.”

Scanlan Shorthalt, he thought to himself. You devote yourself to this woman. Don’t do anything to scare her away or hurt her. She’s your family.

He swore there was golden light being cast down through the clouds, and that in itself was assurance enough that Pike Trickfoot was everything to him.

[hrhduchessoflancaster]

Chapter Sixty-Four: New Title, New Life

A/N: Thank you for reading and commenting! It means the world to me :) xx Bea Disclaimer: see Prologue __________________________________________________________________

Their journey back to England was bittersweet to say the least. Harry and Elle begrudgingly left the comfort, bliss and seclusion of their private villa in Italy, their little cocoon away from prying eyes, to return to the busy and thrilling life of British society, now as Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Their first event as newlyweds was the National Thanksgiving in honour of the Queen, at St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was followed by one of the most awaited and watched events of June: Trooping the Colour, celebrating that year, the 90th birthday of their sovereign, Queen Elizabeth.

Leo was there to pick them up from the airport, along with Ronald. Now the senior staff member, he’d control most of Harry and Elle’s engagements together. Their own agendas would be handled separately by their personal secretaries, as would their wardrobe, speeches, letter’s they’d receive, and so forth.

“ Welcome back, Your Royal Highnesses.”, said Ronald smiling. “ I trust you had a good trip?”, he continued, noticing their beaming smiles.

“ We did, and thank you, Ronald.”, replied Harry. Nodding, the secretary guided them to the black Land Rover, while Leo climbed into the driver’s seat, having John and Alfred in the following car, behind them.

Soon, Elle could see the skyline of the city and her heart started thumping. As they reached High Kensington Street, Elle became anxious, for their home was just around the corner. In the two weeks they had spent in Italy, the renovations on apartment 1, next to William and Catherine had continued and hopefully, would soon be over.

She was dying to set foot on her new home. For as cosy as Nottingham Cottage was, she longed for more space to have all of her things with her, specially her enormous collection of books, which Harry had said was more than enough to supply the entire household and residents of the palace. Elle however insisted that she still didn’t have enough of them.

************

Will, Kate, George, Charlotte, Lupo and Sir Lancelot were waiting for them on the courtyard inside Kensington Palace when they arrived. As they emerged from the SUV, Sir Lancelot bolted to their owners and showered them with kisses, much to George and Charlotte’s amusement, who giggled loudly. “ Yes, I’ve missed you too you fluffy ball of fur.”, said Harry, snatching its ears.

The older couple then stepped forward and embraced them. Kate and Elle shared a secret smile while the brothers laughed and whispered to each other, smirking. Rolling their eyes, the royal wives chuckled. “ Come on, let’s get you inside. I want to know everything.”, said Kate grinning.Elle nodded her head and, before going in, she kneeled down and gave both expectant children a kiss on the cheek. Charlotte, now properly walking by herself, demanded to be taken into her new aunt’s arms, and Elle gladly carried the little girl inside, while Harry hold onto George’s hand.

“ So, tell me all about it. Where did you go?”, asked Kate as they entered the spacious living room of apartment 1A. The children where promptly urged to play on the floor at a safe distance from the adults while they talked.

“ We went to Como, in Italy. Harry completely outdid himself.”, said Elle smiling. Harry smirked and received a clap on the back from his older brother.

“ Really? How so, dear sister?”, asked William, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

“ Well, we stayed at this private villa by the banks of Lake Como. It was all very quiet and secluded. No one bothered us or payed any attention to what we were doing. We drove through the beautiful countryside, drank wine, bathed in the glorious mediterranean sun, visited the town’s historical sites of course, ate marvelous food… it was very romantic, very thoughtful.”, said Elle, sighing.

“ Well, I’m impressed, Harry. I didn’t think you had in you to be as romantic as your older brother.”, joked William.

“ It sounds wonderful, Elle.”, commented Kate smiling. “ And when can we expect nieces and nephews?”, William asked smirking. Elle and Harry looked at each other and smiled, Harry caressing her arm.

“ Hopefully, very soon.”, replied Elle.

“ We’re trying but there’s no certainty yet.”, continued Harry. Kate and Will looked a little startled by this confession but smiled nonetheless.

“ I figured you were going to try soon enough. You’ve always wanted to be a dad.”, said William. “ But let me tell you, it is as wonderful as it is tiring.”, he continued chuckling, and Kate did the same nodding her head.

“ You better prepare yourselves. If your future child is as adventurous and boisterous as George, you’ll have your hands full!”, said Kate.

************ After a long and joyful afternoon with the Cambridges, Harry and Elle finally retired to their own home with Sir Lancelot. Their little cottage was a sight for sore eyes for her, and Elle leaped to the front door, ready to step into it. But before she could put her right foot inside, Harry picked her up in one swift motion into his arms.

“ Harry! What in heavens name are you doing?”, she asked amidst giggles.

“ Why, carrying you inside our home, dear wife. Isn’t it the custom?”, stated Harry smiling. Elle giggled once more and together, they entered their home, smiling at the little pieces of decoration here and there that showed their personality traits: from the pictures of Harry and his Walking with the Wounded team to Elle’s books, Nottingham Cottage reflected them as a couple.

New pictures were soon to be added to the wooded shelves as the official photographer, Hugh Burnand was to release their wedding photos. From the ones that would be on display for the public to see and would, eventually, be turned into post cards and so on, to the more private, more sentimental pictures, like the ones they took dancing their first dance together, or the ones of them cutting their cake and being silly with each other.

“ Home sweet home, right Sir Lancelot?”, said Elle, kneeling on the floor to scratch the dog’s ears, who wiggled his tail in delight.

“ I’ll take that as a yes.”, she continued, chuckling. “ Gosh, I’m beat. I think I’ll have a hot shower than sleep until tomorrow.”, said Elle as she walked towards their bedroom, with her husband following closely behind.

“ Can I join you, wife?”, asked Harry mischievously as she passed him through the bathroom door. Elle chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, waiting for his reply. Stripping down, she turned on the faucet and entered the steamy shower, closing her eyes as the water fell into her tired body. Soon, she felt a pair of cold hands sneaking around her waist.

“ Your hands are cold!”, she said out loud, turning to face her smirking husband. Shaking her head, she encircled her arms around his waist and put her head on his chest, as he hugged her; the water now falling on them both.

“ I love you so very much, Harry. I hope you know that.”, she whispered. Picking up her chin with his hand, Harry smiled and looked her deeply in the eyes.

“ Of course I do. I’ve never doubted it. Not once, since we confessed it to each other.”, he replied, caressing her cheek, making her smile.

“ And you, my dearest and most beloved wife, are my whole world. I love you to the end of the universe, time and space.”, he continued, placing a gentle kiss on her wet lips.

************

The following morning was back to work for Harry and Elle. The new Duke and Duchess of Sussex had their hands full with events for the coming months, including a visit to their duchy and their first trip overseas. It wouldn’t be exactly a Royal Tour yet but the couple would be spending a week in the United States for the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida. They had less than a fortnight until they crossed the pond to another continent and their office was buzzing with all the preparation for it.

Lisa and Elle had spent a good part of their morning accessing all of the itinerary for their Invictus Games trip, as well as the details for the more imminent events such as the Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Trooping the Color and the Patron’s lunch. Apart from the protocols to be followed and all the pomp and circumstance that now involved Elle, as she stepped into the role of a member of the Royal Family, there were more practical details such as her outfits. From now on, all of her choices would have to be checked and double checked - from the designer, to cut and colour of the dress or suit she’s be wearing. Elle knew this would happen but she hopped for a little more independence in that department.

“ Your style and preferences will be kept, Your Royal Highness. We’ll just have to make a few adjustments, specially regarding the length of your dresses and skirts. It’s per Her Majesty’s suggestion.”, said Lisa, emphatically. Elle sighed but nodded her head, understandably. Well, at least I’ll be able to choose something, she thought.

Later that day, after a long morning with Lisa, discussing all of her own engagements, Elle and Harry sat with Ronald, their chief secretary and the staff, about their joint events. “ As previously announced, the Invictus Games will take place in Orlando, Florida this year and both Her Majesty, the Prince of Wales and Their Royal Highness believe it to be the perfect right-foot forward into their marriage. This will not be a Royal Tour as of yet, but a visit, which will showcase not only the best of our Armed Forces but as well, as Their Royal Highnesses public figures.”, said Ronald to the staff.

“ We will keep it simple, since it’s a week’s length competition. No white-tie nor cerimonial events are planned so there’s no need to concern yourselves with it. We shall begin preparations tomorrow. That’s all”, he finished and the staff was dismissed.

“ He’s right to the point, isn’t he?”, whispered Elle to Harry, making him stifle a chuckle. They shared a smile but quickly recovered themselves when the man in case turned to face the royal couple.

“ I believe that was all for today, Your Royal Highnesses.”, said Ronald, smiling.

“ I believe you’re right, Ronald. Excellent work, as always.”, said Elle, congratulating the man who bowed his head.

“ My pleasure and my goal is to serve you both with the utmost efficiency, ma’am.”, replied Ronald seriously.

“ And you do so marvelously.”, said Harry, trying to contain his laughter. Thinking himself the subject of the highest of praises, Ronald puffed his chest and bowed his head once again, thanking the couple and leaving the room. Once he was out of the door, Harry and Elle laughed their heads off, letting it all out.

“ Thank God we still have Daniel and Lisa as our private secretaries. Otherwise we’d have been doomed to a life of boredom…”, commented Harry and Elle nodded her head agreeing.

“ I hope he losses up a bit. Let’s give him time. He doesn’t quite know us yet.”, said Elle. Walking towards an arm chair, Harry sat and pulled Elle into his lap, caressing her leg, gently.

“ So, what are your plans for this afternoon, dearest wife?”, he asked her.

“ Work, dear husband. Lisa and I still have a few things to work through for the next few events. Then, tea with my parents later on.”, she said and he nodded his head.

“ I haven’t seen them since we came back. You can join me, if you want to.”, she told him and he gave her a gentle smile.

“ Yeah… that will be nice. Do you know if Ed will be there too?”, he asked her.

“ I don't know, but I guess so. Why don’t you text him? You know how my brother can be… always disappearing on us.”, commented Elle.

************

Tea with Elle’s parents and her brother, as it turns out he was indeed at home for the time being, was enjoyable as ever. Victoria inquired about their honeymoon and their future plans; Rupert asked the couple about their work and charities Elle would be taking on and Ed, ever the family clown, pegged them about his future nieces and nephews.

“ You know there’s not a very likely chance I’ll ever get married, mate. Let alone have children.”, said Edward to Harry, making the later chuckle.

“ It’s true! And I’ve made my peace with it. I’m past thirty, single and with no perspective of settling down in the near future. You, on the other hand, has married my wonderful, smart and beautiful baby sister. So you, as my best friend and brother-in-law, must fulfill any parenting desires I might have by giving me little Harrys and Elles to spoil.”, continued Edward.

“ Oh Ed, surely you haven’t given up hope yet?”, said Elle to her brother.

“ I’m not sure I’m cut out to be husband material, dear sister.”, replied Edward.

“ Of course you are. The right woman just hasn’t found you yet. Because God knows you’re terrible at people skills.”, joked Harry. ************

Elle had her first taste of a Royal life on June 11th, as she stepped out of the car and into the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral for the National Thanksgiving Service in honour of Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. Dressed in a pale yellow dress coat with a matching fascinator and her hair down, she took Harry’s hand, as they were met by flashed and cheers from the public. She gave them a small wave and a smile and ascended the staircase, meeting Charles, Camilla, William and Catherine at the top.

“ Someone’s very popular today.”, commented William, giving Elle a cheeky smile.

“ Oh stop it! You’ll make me even more nervous than I already am!”, she replied and the group chuckled.

“ You’re doing very well so far, my dear.” said Camilla, encouraging.

“ Let’s hope I don’t trip or do something stupid in front of everyone.”, said Elle and Harry shook his head.

“ That’s impossible. My wonderful wife would never do something like that. You’re perfect.”, he said, kissing her cheek lovingly, then locking gaze with her and smiling.

“ Ah… marital bliss.”, said Charles smiling kindly at the couple who kept on gazing into each other’s eyes.

“ Come on love birds, granny is almost ready to make her entrance.”, said William braking their loving stare. Side by side, Harry and Elle walked the length of St. Paul’s cathedral along with other royals for Elle’s first duty as an official member of the British Royal Family.

After the service, a luncheon was conducted at Buckingham Palace for representatives of the Queen’s many charities and patronages, as well as foreign dignitaries and politicians. In a much more relax mood, Elle enjoyed talking to new people and a few familiar faces, such as that of Christopher Simmons, the Prime Minister.

“ It’s good to see you again, Your Royal Highness.”, he said greeting her with a hand shake. “ I believe you remember my wife, Pamela.”, he continued as the women exchanged a smile.

“ I do. How are you both?”, Elle asked politely. “ We’re doing very well, Your Royal Highness. And congratulations once again on your nuptials.”, said Pamela. Elle smiled and thanked the woman. Soon, the trio was engrossed in a lively conversation, branching out many different subjects.

“ And, if you don’t mind me asking, how is marriage life been treating you, ma’am?”, asked the Prime Minister.

“ Incredibly well. Though I must say, I still feel a little weird being called Your Royal Highness all the time.”, she joked and they laughed.

“ I’m very glad to hear it. And I do hope to see great things from you in the near future, ma’am.”, said Mr. Simmons.

“ We all do.”, emphasized Pamela. “ It’s plain to see that you and His Royal Highness have the potential to do so.”, the older woman continued. Great, Elle thought, as if we don’t already have enough on our shoulders to begin with. But hey, no pressure. She gave them a nervous laugh and excused herself in search for Harry. She found him near a corner, glancing at her direction. Sighing, she approached him.

“ Good conversation with our dear Prime Minister?”, he asked her.

“ It was… up until five minutes ago when he and his wife began with all the ‘we expect great things from you and your husband’ talk.”, she said to him. Harry shook his head and sighed.

“ Even though we’re married and got what they wanted, they’ll never let us out of the hook, will they?”, she asked him, rhetorically.

“ I’m afraid not, my love.”, Harry replied and Elle sighed once again. “ Still, as much as we will have to make a few compromises along the way to please the government, this is our life and we’ll live it according to our wishes. Parliament and their rules be dammed if they so much as meddle with a single thing in our lives that outsteps what they ought to.”, said Harry, making Elle chuckle and smile at him.

************

Trooping the Colour was every bit and more what Elle had imagined. Having taking part in the festivities for a few years, she knew the didst of it all, but there was something about riding in a carriage and standing in the balcony at Buckingham Palace, just a few weeks after being there for the first time, that made it all feel surreal to her. Dressed in a soft pink dress coat, Elle stood beside her husband as the flypast went by and the anthem was played. George, who stood closest to her waved at the planes, while baby Charlotte - in her mother’s arms - gave a small wave to the crowds, surely winning everyone’s hearts.

Back at Kensington Palace, still at Nottingham Cottage since the renovations on apartment 1 had yet another two weeks to go before they could finally move into it, Harry and Elle discarded their fancy clothes and put on some track trousers, big light jumpers, trainers and baseball caps; it was past the time they took a walk in the park. Putting Sir Lancelot on his leash, they headed to Kensington Gardens, which was pretty deserted for this time of the year, for some quality time together.

“ You know, I can't remember the last time we’ve been to the park together.”, said Elle. Turning his head to face his wife, Harry sighed and nodded his head.

“ Neither can I. It feels nice to be out here, though, doesn’t it?”, he replied. “ Besides, I think Sir Lancelot is having the time of his life.”, he continued and the pair glanced at the small Jack Russell, who, as if sensing their masters’ gaze on him, wiggled his tail in joy, making the couple laugh and smile. They walked a few kilometers from the palace before deciding on setting the dog, while they sat together on the grass.

The puppy gladly ran through the green field, dashing from side to side, while the pair watched, snuggled together in each other’s arms. From afar, Harry and Elle saw a couple with two children, walking hand in hand, and Elle smiled from the corner of her mouth at the scene. Catching her gesture, Harry took hold of her left hand, gently toying with her engagement ring and wedding band, tracing the edges with his thumb.

“ Just imagine, my love…”, he began. “… in a couple of years, that family will be us.”, and gave her a grin. Elle smiled back and laid her head on his shoulder, with Harry placing his on top of hers, watching Sir Lancelot chase a few pigeons.

“ We should know in a few weeks how soon we’ll… you know… if I am…”, said Elle sighing. Harry lifted his head and they looked at each other. “ Really?”, he asked, almost whispering; a gleam of hope in his eyes. “ Really.”, replied Elle, happy but unsure, giving him a small smile. “ But I’m not getting my hopes up just yet. Remember what Georgiana told me. I don’t want to give you false hope…”, said Elle, squeezing his hand.

“ I know, my love. And, whatever happens, we’ll face together.”, said Harry, smiling from the corner of his mouth.

************

And as Elle had predicted, there was no baby. But they’d keep trying.  

The following week, preparations began at full speed for their first official trip overseas as a married couple: the Invictus Games in Orlando, USA. Their staff had countless meetings with their secretaries and they, with Harry and Elle, to discuss the minute details for their week-long trip to the USA.

Elle was beyond excited to be going to Florida, specially since she’s never been there before. Much to her child-self demise, her parents hadn’t take neither her nor her brother to Disney World; the only place Disney related they’ve ever been to was EuroDisney in Paris.

“ But we will have time to visit, at least two of the parks, right?”, Elle asked for the nth time. Her husband chuckled and nodded his head.

“ Yes, Elle.”, he replied still chuckling. “ We will visit at least three of the many themed parks and yes… Harry Potter World or whatever it is, is included.”, he continued and she rolled her eyes at him.

“ You keep making fun of me only because you’ve already been there.”, she complained, pouting her lips. Harry chuckled once again and moved to her side, kissing her cheek.

“ Come wife, what do you say about some quality time with your dear husband and lovely dinner?, asked Harry, giving her his signature smirk. Shaking her head, Elle smiled and gave him a nod and a quick peck on the lips before joining their hands together and leaving the office towards their little cottage.
 ************

On the week before their trip, Elle had a get together with all her friends at Nottingham Cottage. Rick, Mary and little Rose were there, as were Valerie, Melissa and Trevor. She had prepared a lemon drizzle cake and Eton mess, along with a refreshing lemonade and strawberry juice.

“ Oh my goodness, when did she get so big!”, exclaimed Elle, taking hold of little Rose who was now almost an year old.

“ It’s incredible how fast they grow.”, replied Rick smiling.

“ Rosie is walking now practically walking and starting to babble a few sounds. I can hardly believe it!”, Mary confessed it. As they sat together, with Elle still doting on her goddaughter, they chatted away about work and family but there was no escaping from the ultimate matter.

“ So, how was the honeymoon?”, Valerie asked and everyone’s heads turned to face Elle.

“ Simply wonderful.”, Elle replied with a nostalgic smile. “ We went to Italy, on Lake di Como near Milan and stayed on a private villa for a week. It was… so peaceful… just us two… it was the best of times.”, she continued and Valerie sighed.

“ Sounds incredible. I want a husband to dote on me…”, said Valerie and everyone laughed.

“ But in all seriousness Elle…”, began Melissa. “ How are you? Truly? With all of this new life, new title and all the obligations, the pomp and ceremony that comes with it?”, she asked.

“ Well… it’s been good so far. I’ve adjusted to my role fairly well and I think I’ll progressively take on more things to do as the time goes by. The staff is great, my private secretary is phenomenal and I have Harry’s support in everything. He’s my partner, my friend, my… everything. It’s easy to adjust when everything falls into place.”, Elle replied and another round of awns could be heard.

“ You’re both so perfect together! Don’t tell your brother in law, but I prefer you and Harry as the Royal Power Couple.”, said Trevor and everyone laughed. “ Seriously! You are more down to earth, more relatable to the public… it’s easy to like you. They already love you.”, he continued.

“ I’m just being myself, as is Harry. I think the people see us more easy-going because we are not under the same pressure William and Catherine are. They are the future monarchs not us.”, said Elle and they nodded their heads. It was true. Without the weight of being the direct heir of the state, the weight of being the next king and queen - even if the role is figurative - brought easiness to Elle’s life. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what Kate must go through everyday. Thank God that will never happen to me., thought Elle sighing in relief.

[coolmiddlename]

adventure time season 7 part 2 review

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

ok im going to admit: i have no idea what to discuss here 

but season 7 part 2 was just filled with so much humor and good vibes!! i havent felt this elated after a stream since season 4 at the very latest. season 4 was amazing. 

so im going to do something different... rank moments via FEELINGS!!!

Sweetest moments: the robomo telling bmo that it has the power of imagination. the ending scenes of The Thin Yellow Line. the entirety of The Music Hole. finn reuniting with jake in Hall of Egress. most of Dont Look, espeially the scenes where everyone is trying to tell finn how much they care about him. bun bun. Normal Man apologizing to his brother. everybody loving neptr lol. that moment in the finale where susan tells finn theyre waiting for a message from home. then jake saving finn. there’s something very nostalgic about beyond the grotto, it could fit in season 1.

Funniest moments: every jake scene in the season, especially the thin yellow line (the exception being daddy-daughter card wars where jake wasnt funny but charlie was). all of pb and gunther’s scenes in “broke his crown”. patience st pim in general. lumpy space princess in general. gumball and butterscotch scottish butler.  bmo blackmailing finn and jake with sentient sandwiches. THE BLANK EYED GIRL. those poor banana guards in reboot. tiffany and dr gross. i have to admit, the part of this stream that made me laugh hardest was President Porpoise Goes Missing, when finn and jake said “theres nobody else hiding in this house right?” and leave and then e v e r y o n e  comes out of their hiding places. id never seen that ep before. what a great gag.

tensest moments: bmo nearly getting killed and contemplating after. finn vs lichjake. starchys plan against the blankeyed girls failing drastically lol. watching marceline get sad at the knowledge she cant speak to crown simon. betty getting fucked up by the digital rewrite. finn reimagining himself as martin!  charlie exploring her future. finn breaking the grass sword!!! tiffany sacrificing himself sorta kinda. and of course, the fight against susan strong.... the emergence of grass finn.

i like how it’s way easier to describe my enjoyment of this season with feelings. it perhaps rivals season 1 i that sense. later seasons of AT (starting immediately with season 5) were just so absent of emotion... but the back end of season 7 brings it back. and it stays with us until the end of season 8!!! i hope it never goes away. well doen AT you made yourself interesting to watch again.

it was nice enjoying the “fillery” eps, the standalones, because they are the last of their kind. season 8 is all killer no filler.

worst moments: scamps is my leastfavourite ep. it should have theoretically been my favourite (THE CONCEPT IS GOLD) but it kept recycling the same gag over and over with no wittiness, like someone had seen “make them scam nature” on the outline and didnt think anthing more of it. i said “hit me in the head every time someone says ‘scam’” and if that had happened i think my head would be mush now. wasted potential in every way.   i also didnt like herpich finn at the start of reboot. there is just... something about herpich finn that completely lacks humor. this is a weak criticism cos i loved every moment of reboot after that first shot of finn on the dragon. all i can say is i saw herpich finn and went “bluh” and that was it. pretty harsh, huh? guy did a wonderful job with “hall of egress” though. eps like that suit his tone much better. 

jesse did a great job of makin  huntress wizard boring as fuck. he had a SERIOUS problem with a lack of emotional expression in his girl characters (but somehow does FINE with side characters like magic man) and his humor in eps like this has never been enough to make up for it. 

and finally i didnt pay attention to “president porpoise goes missing” after the above joke. i, do not like AT’s random romance eps. except dream of love. thats a good episode.

favourite episode: the thin yellow line.  its a combination of humor, beautiful worldbuilding for the candy kingdom, rich expression, and a lil bit of post-stakes character development for pb. this ep hit me in all the right spots and it ties with varmints as my favouite episode in season 7, with bonie and neddy in third place. 

so this is the emotionally biased end to this emotionally expressive review! tomorrow we have the final stream - SEASON 8!!! are you hyped? i’m hyped. i want to watch islands and elements again, relive that excitement i felt with the finale.

[baelorfinn]

Pairing: Finn Balor x Becky Lynch

Description: Becky doesn’t know what to do and Finn is sad.

N/A: This one just like 100% got away from me tbh. Like??? I don’t even know what this is bye. Are they together are they not together? I dont know and neither do they. read my stuff @balorbate and @dillingertye

She had to hide her signature orange hair beneath a black hoodie when she’d sneaked in with Finn earlier in the day. With the brands separated and the company actually trying to keep them apart she’d had to hide from the fans as best as she could. Finn had smiled weakly at her attempts, his eyes sad at why he was in the building in the first place. 

Becky had hardly left his side since they’d arrived, following him into one of the quieter parts of the building and sitting beside him on the crate. He wasn’t saying anything, just sitting and watching the title on his lap. Once in a while he’d bump his leg against hers and she’d return the gesture, letting him know she was there and didn’t plan on leaving his side until he gave her the okay. Her phone was blowing up with messages from their friends, knowing he wasn’t actually going to answer any of them and contacting her instead. She replied with a ‘we’re fine’ to most of them, only giving Sami and Charlotte longer replies and telling them not to worry. She could feel the excitement in the air as the show came closer to starting but all she could feel was dread in her stomach. 

His leg was shaking enough that she had to reach over and place her hand on his thigh, stopping his movements and causing him to glance over at him. “You’re makin’ me crazy.” She glanced over at him. “Shows 'bout to start.” She commented, they had a few minutes left but he was opening the show. He gave her a short nod before carefully getting off the crate and trying to hide his wince from her. Becky followed after him, taking his extended hand in hers and walking with him towards gorilla. 

There were far too many people waiting for them and if she had it her way she’d tell them to leave. Finn was far too nice for that and he simply nodded at them before taking his spot behind the curtain. Mick Foley was still talking, breaking the news to the fans. Tears began gathering in her eyes again, and this time it was Finn squeezing her hand. Giving him a teary laugh she brushed at her eyes, blinking the tears away and giving him the best smile she could.

His music hit seconds later and he was letting go of her hand to make his way towards the ring. Becky caught bright blonde hair beside her and she knew exactly who was slipping their arm around her. “Hey Char.” She greeted, bitting down on her lip as Finn spoke. “You okay?” Beckly tilted her head at the question, hair falling over her shoulder as she shrugged. All things considered she was okay, she wasn’t the one injured, but then again she wasn’t okay at all. 

Leaning against Charlotte she kept her eyes trained on the monitor. Her vision became blurry as he continued to talk, tears trailing down her cheeks as Mick takes the title from him and Finn promises to come back. Wiping at her tears almost angrily she stubbornly refused to continue crying when he would need her as soon as he stepped backstage. 

Normally she kept her public displays of affection to a minimum, their coworkers being a group of gossips, but she doesn’t hesitate in stepping towards him and clutching his hand as soon as he’s backstage. Becky hovering by his side as people pull him into conversations and wish him a speedy recovery, squeezing his hand every few minutes to remind him that she’s there. 

When she can’t ignore the way his body tenses beside her any longer, she excuses them and leads them back to where they had been sitting before his promo. “Wanna go?” She asks, hoping he says yes so they can leave. She doesn’t know what plans they have for the title, his title, and she doesn’t want to stay back and find out. 

Becky does’t expect him to give her a nod but when he does she’s quick to start walking them towards one of the exists. She’s not giving him the chance to change his mind. Pulling the hoodie over her head she ducks her head and peaks outside the door before opening it. He’s grinning at her antics and it makes her warm inside. With a quick text Sami and Charlotte, she slips behind the wheel of his rental car and begins the ride to the Hotel. 

Silence between them is usually of the comfortable kind, but she’s feeling restless as they drive to the Hotel. She doesn’t speak up though, she’s scared of saying something incentive or right down stupid. When the Hotel comes into sight she let’s out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and he looks over at her with a crooked smile. “Ya know, I don’ think you’ve ever been this quiet in yer life.” He jokes and she has to smile at that. 

“Oh hush you-” She playfully says, turning the car off and sitting in her seat in silence. Of course he has to go and break the comfortable silence with a question about Dallas. She shifts in her seat at his question, “I can drive up there tomorrow.”

She knows what it’s like to be injured and not allowed to do the thing she loves the most, so she’s not going to leave him alone to dwell on things if she can help it. “You arguin’ isn’t gonna make me change my mind, Balor so don’ even try aight?” She gives him a stern look and he gives her a sheepish smile in return. Despite his protests she can see the relief in his eyes at having her for another day. “Now let’s go, we both need sleep.”

Her voice doesn’t give him room to argue and so he begins to follow her to the hotel. They’d rented one room but neither was under the impression that they’d sleep in their respective beds. “Ya know, you can come to Dallas with me.” She mentioned casually, watching him slide their key card into it’s slot and watching the light turn green. “Watch your favorite lass kick some arse."  

It earns a little laugh from him and she feels accomplished for all of one second before he reminds her of all the appointments set up for him back in Florida. Surgery, rest, rehab and more rehab. ”’s okay, I’ll kick some arse for you.“ She replies as casually as she can, though the thought of saying goodbye fills her stomach with dread. 

Dumping their bags on the floor, because she wasn’t going to let him carry anything, she begin looking through them searching for her sleeping clothes before giving up and grabbing one of his shirts instead. "Are you going to watch Raw, 'cause I’m gonna need a drink if ya are." 

She’s walking to the bathroom when he answers her by turning the television on and cheers filling the room. Her hair goes up in a messy bun and shirt get’s replaced by one his much bigger ones. He’s sitting on the couch, a beer in hand for her and water for him when she joins him. She almost giggles at the look on his face when he sees far too much leg and her in his shirt. 

"For the record, I want ya to know this is a terrible idea.” Becky says, taking the beer from him and sitting herself on his good side. He makes a face at her and she laughs. They have an hour and a half left of Raw to go and so he watches intently and she watches him. She’s trying to catch each and everyone of his emotions, but his control is perfect and even she can’t see past the cool face he puts on. 

When the show comes to an end she’s quick to turn the television on and declare it’s time to sleep. He follows her to one of the beds after a bit of prodding and soon they’re trying to figure out exactly how they’re going to sleep. She ends up on his good side, her frame at the very edge of the bed to give him some room and her arms under head head as she watches him. The day seems to be catching up to him, and his eyes water but he won’t let himself cry again so she just scoots closer to him, intertwining their fingers together and whispering a “G'night, Finn.”

She hopes to God tomorrow will be a better day.