#althea writes

[mill-3-rd]

TUTORING m afton

being forced to tutor the school's biggest bully, michael afton, was a pain in your ass. if anything, it was a waste of your time. michael would have to repeat the twelth grade if he didn't pass his final exam and you were his last hope.

warnings — degradation, praise, reader is implied to have a big bum, breeding, panty stealing, facefucking + blowjobs, talking you through it, masturbation, fingering, breathplay, hair pulling, spanking, teasing, crying, virginity loss, speedbump pos, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, orgasm control if you squint, scumbag michael

wc — 3,439

© MILL3RD 2023 — all rights reserved. mature content. please do not steal my works.

michael wasn't exactly nice to be around, he was dirty and had the mannerisms of a pig. for one, he walked his shoes through your house as if it were his own and kept them on as he got comfortable in your bed.

you'd spend atleast ten minutes picking up your fallen cushions and plushies that michael had kicked off in his process of achieving luxury before you could start the tutoring session.

he was so frustrating. you would be fine with him failing because he didn't try. michael picked on you inside your own home: he pulled your hair when he felt like it, he pinched and prodded at you when he was bored, he raided your fridge around your mother. the summer heat did not mix well with michael's antics.

for an eighteen year old, he acted like he was nine.

you were so close to going into a heart attack from the stress michael was currently giving you. you sat on your knees infront of michael while he was laying back on your headboard. as you were explaining, michael was making a catapult out of his pen and an elastic band. he misplaced it and the band flung onto the pencil pot beside you, making it fall onto your floorboards. you cringed at the contact and sighed.

giving michael a glare, you got off your bed and dropped down onto your knees to pick up the fallen pencils. unfortunately, some went a bit further which made you reach forward onto all fours.

to michael's perverted pleasure, you wore an old, tight pair of striped sports shorts so when you bent over in front of him, he got to witness your ass basically fall out of the straining fabric.

he chuckled, readjusting his position, "d'you wear those for me?"

you sat on your heels and turned around, "what?"

infront of you was a clearly turned on boy. his cheeks were slightly red, which you would assume it was the heat if you didn't know any better, his eyes were hooded, and his arm had tried to subtly cover his hard on.

your eyes widened before you quickly finished picking up the stationary, "no.." you felt so embarrassed. this time, you put the pot on your nightstand and got back onto the bed, crossing your legs.

"can we just wrap up this session for today?" you huffed, eyes watering due to the mortification, exhaustion, and frustration. michael pouted mockingly, "aw but we still have half an hour left.."

"then that can go into next session's time—you seem stressed," michael interrupted you as he moved towards you. he knelt infront of you and leaned in. his lips were hovering just above yours, "you wanna know what helps with stress?"

michael's hands went to your thighs, slipping his hands underneath them. you let out a breath, too flustered to say anything. his lips dodged your own and drifted across your cheek until he got to your ear, "sex."

using the leverage he had over you, michael dragged your bottom half towards him and made your top half fall backwards onto your bed. you squealed as your clothes lift up with the drag of your duvet and michael climbed on top of you.

"wanna try it out?" michael's voice was just above a whisper, his face just centimetres away from yours. your lips quivered, you'd never been so nervous in your life but you couldn't deny the heat pooling between your thighs. unconsciously, your thighs rubbed together which michael caught onto, "see, you need it baby.."

he leaned down and nipped at the column of your throat, making you inhale shakily and squeeze your eyes shut. it took maybe two more hickeys to get sucked onto you for your eyes to snap open and for you to push michael away. his expression was neutral while yours expressed worry.

"i can't- you.." you uncontrollably stutter, your eyes watering again, "michael, you're horrible to me! you can't expect me to just have sex with you because you're too immature to control your boner.."

he laughed at the use of boner, but its not what it looked like to you, "this isn't funny!" michael calmed down and apologised. it surprised you when the word sorry came out as he wiped his eye.

"c'mon, it'll be a one time thing," he said it so casually it concerned you, just how many girls had he done this with? he leaned in again and you began to panic, "michael, my door is open, my mom will hear! i'm also a virgin.." you mumbled the last part, looking away in embarrassment.

"the door is barely open and i'll be gentle," michael reassured you, making you relax into the matress. maybe if you weren't so turned on at the moment, you would've said no but instead you muttered a shy okay which made michael grin at you and continue his blemishing on your neck.

he sucked on a particular spot on your throat that made a moan come out of you. silently, michael acknowledged this and continued to suckle on it. your hands went to his hair, tugging at his locks and twisting them between your fingers. you let out continuous whines as you tilted your head to the side to try and muffle your noises with you duvet.

michael took notice of this and grabbed your jaw, guiding it back up, "wanna hear you.." your worries of your mom hearing were momentarily forgotten due to michael's words. he continued sucking until there was a dark purple mark the size of a bottle cap. he chuckled, knowing how hard it would be to cover that up.

then, michael leaned back and got comfortable in your pillows once again. he gestured for you to come closer, telling you to kneel infront of him. you did just that and watched wordlessly as michael's hands pushed you up by the underside of your ass. he lifted you so you were relying on your shins to stay up. there was eye contact between you two as michael took your shirt off before your shorts to reveal an innocent pair of light pink underwear with a frilly bow on the front.

"cute.." he mumbled, now focusing on the material covering your private parts. michael hooked his finger on the band before letting it snap back on your skin. you gasped as michael's thumb went back under and soothed the sting.

"you ever given a blowjob before?" you shook your head, "never done anything like this apart from touch myself.." you admitted bashfully and michael awed before taking off his shirt, "i'll teach you how."

"move backwards," he ordered and watched you shuffle away from him. michael nodded and smiled, "good, now lean down and arch your back."

your chest made contact with your hands and your head made contact with michael's left thigh. looking up at him, you saw his eyes focused on your perched ass. the fatness of it spilled over the hem of your underwear and he could see the back of it in the mirror that was—thankfully—behind you.

"what's next..?" you looked up at michael, expectantly and he cleared his throat, "i'll take it out for you.." all you could do was watch with wonder as michael pulled his cock out from the confinements of his shorts and briefs.

"okay, now just grab the base," michael's cock wasn't massive or anything, but he was definitely above average. he was maybe six inches and had girth about the size of your wrist. doing as instructed, you wrapped your fingers around the base and waited for the next task.

"suck on the tip," the way he demanded was so vulgar but it did turn you on. you swallowed before hesitantly wrapping your lips around the tip. it had small beads of precum coming out which you tasted instantly: it was salty and bitter but atleast it didn't taste like he didn't care for himself so that was a plus.

just the tip itself felt heavy on your tongue as you suckled. michael sucked in a breath and shivered, "okay, now take a bit more in and stroke what you can't get."

talk about easier said than done. maybe it wasn't that hard, but you'd never done this before. you pulled off him and offered a sheepish smile, "can you repeat that?"

"should i show you instead?" michael asked and you nodded, "please." he guided his hand to the back of your head, "slap my thigh if it's too much, kay?"

michael guided you back onto his cock and began to push your head down. you felt a few veins slide against your tongue and cheeks which oddly aroused you. when the tip entered your throat, you gagged and slapped michael's thigh.

"go about that far and then stroke what you can't."

you did just that, stroking the base until about half way whereas your mouth got maybe a third way down. michael groaned and huffed as you went and when you added your spare hand into the mix, he was just about done.

"touch yourself f'me.." michael asked, exhaling with a shudder, "loosen yourself up."

you took your right hand away, sliding it down until you reached your clit. you began to rub, your fingers slipping around easily due to your arousal. you moaned around michael's dick, glad they were muffled so nobody but you and michael could hear. your arm went further, allowing your fingers to penetrate yourself. your eyes squeezed shut as you pumped yourself, your secretions already slipping down your fingers and allowing you to go faster and further with ease.

michael grabbed your head, pushing you further onto his dick. tears escaped your eyes as you gagged. his hand kept you at the base of his dick, your nose brushing against his pubes. then, he yanked your mouth off of him. you sputtered and coughed while your fingers still remained inside you.

"the nice guy act's done, y/n," michael smirked at you before sliding his dick back in your mouth. you gagged repeatedly as you were pushed on and pulled off his dick. the noise was so loud, you were sure if your mom was at the bottom of the stairs that she would be able to hear the activity going on in the room.

you went back to rubbing your clit, finding it easier to achieve an orgasm that way. slick sounds came from the contact between your fingers and clit, joining the gagging and moaning in the room. you applied more pressure and rubbed a few more times before slipping your fingers into your cunt again and using your palm to stimulate your clit. you pumped and rubbed, shuffling uncontrollably to try get to the high you craved. then, with three hard thrusts from your fingers in sync with slaps from your palm, you came. you squealed around michael's dick, squeezing your thighs together and riding out your orgasm. you kept your fingers in to keep you open.

michael watched as your ass jiggled and sighed.

"fuck, y/n," michael tossed his head back and moaned. you kept bobbing your head and rolling your wrist. suddenly, michael tugged you off of him by your hair. you whined, spit and precum dripping in strings from your lips.

while panting, michael ordered you to move over. he shuffled to the side and let you take his spot. on your stomach.. he praised you as you crossed your arms to rest your head on as he got behind you, not caring that the remnants of your orgasm still remained on your fingers. michael's shadow cast over you when he reached over you to grab a pillow.

"lift your hips," you did just that, allowing him to slide it under your pelvis. michael's hand massaged your plush ass, his hand sinking into it. he straddled your thighs and lined himself up with your cunt.

"this is gonna hurt for a few minutes, kay?" michael warned before sliding the tip in. it probably would've hurt more if you didn't finger yourself just a second ago. it stung. a lot. but it was bareable. you whined, trying to keep your muscles loose to make it easier for both of you, "shit.."

you dug your forehead into your arms, wincing in discomfort as michael slowly inched himself deeper into you. both your breathing picked up as he pushed himself in until he was fully sheathed inside. you shuddered, feeling abnormally full and a heavyness in your stomach. you both remained in your positions until you were comfortable. michael massaged your hips, ass, and thighs until you gave him the okay to move.

"you can move now.." you sighed, getting used to the feeling of michael's cock inside you. carefully, he slid out of you until halfway before sliding back in. michael then slid all the way out. you gasped, missing the fullness. you heard him chuckle, "i know, i know.." he ignored the blood slowly beginning to seep out. it might've been his first time popping someone's cherry, but he wasn't stupid. it filled him with pride, if anything.

michael went at a medium pace, watching your ass jiggle at the slightest contact with his pelvis. you moaned, tightening your hold on your elbows. the sensation had turned from uncomfortable to pleasurable. it was like that until you were one hundred percent comfortable, which michael had you verbally confirm.

"pussy's so fuckin' tight," he groaned, spreading your ass and spitting onto your cunt. michael watched his spit gradually get pushed inside you as he thrusted. it made the squelching sound much more noticeable.

"fuck..! " you mewled at how good it made you feel that michael was speeding up, but your mom could be listening to all of this!

"michael, slow down, my mom.. ah! " your head was shoved into the mattress, your nose pushed upwards against it, "shut up and take it.."

his hand remained on the back of your head, allowing you to suffocate as he fucked you, "since you wanna be quiet so fucking bad, you're gonna be quiet..." michael's pace increased, pounding into you as you let out broken moan after another.

michael rutted into you, selfishly seeking his own pleasure. he groaned, raising his hand and bringing it down on your ass. hard. hard enough to leave a red knuckle mark in its wake. a gutteral moan escaped you, sinking into the mattress and hiding away your sweet sounds.

"you like that? such a dirty thing.." michael purred and slapped your other cheek with his palm, leaving a stinging sensation. your ass shook with every moment and it had michael mesmerised.

"i wonder what your mom would think of you walking around in those shorts? y'know, with my handprint clear as day because that thing covers nothing.." he was sassing you and it made a chuckle leave your lips which turned into a single pant. you were struggling to keep your eyes open with your air being limited by michael's hand and the mattress.

"m'gonna cum," you cried out into the bed, involuntarily pushing your ass back into michael's pelvis and searching for ecstasy. the air limitation was oddly arousing to you.

"no you're not," michael soothed, stroking your spine, "you can hold it."

"c-can't!" you shivered, reaching forward to grab at anything and finding purchase in a raggedy ann doll. you heard michael awe behind you, "how cute.." he then leaned over your back and trailed kisses down it, only to start back at your shoulder once he hit the small of it and trail bites and hickeys down you.

your pussy clamped down on michael's cock as your body jutted and convulsed. he didn't stop you, only warning you, "if you wanna cum, you can do it all you like.."

you let out a strangled, choked moan as black spots dotted your vision and your orgasm washed over you. michael thrusted harder into you while you fought the urge to pass out. it was all too much: the overstimulation of michael jackhammered into you with fluent, well-trained hips and the last bits of air in your lungs barely surviving with your restless pants.

white cream coated michael's cock, creating a ring at the base of it. your walls were pulsating erratically, greedy for his seed. your brain wanted to stop, but your cunt was loving every second.

michael stared at your braindead form with an animalistic grin in his eyes, "i'm gonna cum, sweet thing. want you to cum again."

all you could do was moan and shake your head, trying to tell him that you couldn't do it again. plunging into you a few more times, michael took his hand off of your head and used both of them to spread your ass again as he came inside you. you let out a weak whine as you felt just as full as before with michael's thick load inside of you. he grunted as he finished riding his high, but he didn't stop.

"gonna fill you up again," he sighed almost dreamily as he listened to your mixed secretions sloshing inside of your womb and leaking down the side of his cock and into your bed.

suddenly, your head was yanked back by your hair. michael had wrapped your hair around his wrist like a leash and pulled. broken breaths came out of you with every harsh rock of michael's hips. your moans were uncontrollably, whimpers and whines escaping you non stop.

your bedroom door no longer concerned you. the skin slapping put you in a trance. your hand planted itself unsurely on your doll for balance.

"michael—awh!" you wanted to cry. his dick was too fucking good. michael cooed in your ear, "s'okay baby, just one more and i'll be out of your hair.." loud moans escaped your open mouth, the dryness being replaced by drool that was now beginning to trickle from the corner of your lips and fown your chin.

"fuck, its so good.." you winced in pleasure, "gonna cum againn!" you squeaked, squeezing your thighs together and getting friction on your clit. "awh! awh! awh! "

"me too.." michael admitted, "let's cum together, yeah?" you nodded, letting out a mhm! you didn't think michael's hips could go any faster, but you were sure there would be bruises all over your ass later into the day. his hand slapped your right ass cheek repeatedly in the same spot, making you yelp and jolt as your orgasm came around again. you gasped and panted, your raspy voice struggling with the intensity of the sex. michael joined you not too much later, filling you once again.

"just a few more f'me, please? i love watching you cum.."

michael made you cum a total of six times and definitely overstayed his welcome by a whole hour. but even now, he was trying to bring you to a seventh by guiding both your fingers inside you to fuck his cum back into your spent cunt.

you were on your back, panting uncontrollably and teetering on the edge of a blackout. both of your fingers were covered in your combined semen. it squelched inside your pussy as michael pushed his and your fingers inside of you. he knelt behind you, your fingers under his.

"can't do it againnn.." you whined, tears spilling down your cheeks and your thighs quivering. your hips would be hovering up and down if it wasn't for michael's free hand pinning you down. the mirror gave both of you a perfect view of the two of your digits deep inside your cunt.

"yes you can, i've seen you," michael bit down on your shoulder which made your head tilt back. you were so close already. just one more pump of your joined fingers and..

you passed out, going limp in michael's arms. your breathing was quick, only the white of your eyes visible as the iris and pupil made a home in the back of your head.

"poor baby.." michael tutted with a hint of a smile. he took your fingers out and got off the bed. he redressed himself, staring at your sleepy form and dragged your duvet over you.

he picked up your discarded underwear, pocketing the pair and leaving you to deal with his cum when you woke up.

[fiore-rosewood9]

loid x Yor headcanon married and wedding

Loid x yor headcanon eden academy au

Loid x yor headcanon

I don't know if you meant one of them or all of them as a mix so I will do a small mix of all.

LOID X YOR MARRIAGE/EDEN ACADEMY/ORDINARY HEADCANONS

Loid goes behind Yor's back and guides her hands as he teaches her how to cook

Yor loves to fix Loid's ties before work

Yor loves to watch more action and horror movies while Loid is actually the more romantic one and loves more fantasy and romance

Yor and Loid spend a few months trying to choose on things like theme colours, cake design and flowers they would have for their wedding

Yor goes to more parent teachers meetings than Loid does

Loid loves to sing to Anya to put her to sleep while Yor reads fairytales

[devourable]

drunk cuddly darling + sober yan

vs

sober darling + drunk yan

do yans have any preference on either scenario or is it just no bueno either way

im just gonna simplify this ask down a bit. m!yanderes + f!yanderes x cuddly drunk gn darling 🫶 (no poly/non humans for the sake of my sanity)

⛪️ ;; abe is not the type to drink, never has been and never will be, even if you pressure him to drink more, so while he doesn’t exactly approve of you getting drunk either, he just cant bring himself to be mad at you. not when you’re being so sweet to him! he’s happy that you’re content to just be held by him until you fall asleep rather than get into any trouble that he’s not prepared to deal with. be ready to wake up to a scolding by him though, you could get sick if you go overboard! even if he kind of likes it when you do.

[cw dubcon] 🖥️ ;; god bless any darling who gets drunk around gene because if he can tell you’re inebriated he’s either trying to fuck you or is equally as hammered (if not more). so when you get drunk and start getting all touchy with him he sees it as an invitation to take things further. you wanted the attention, you can’t get mad at how he chooses to give it! it isn’t his fault, you just make really cute faces when you’re wasted. he’ll give you a little apology gift for your sore insides when you’re up the next day — one most likely made up of painkillers and your favorite takeout.

🪶;; it irritates sterling to no end that you got drunk. don’t you know you have an image to uphold? he’s prattling on and on about how he’s sick of your disgraceful behavior and how unbecoming it is for you to waste your time fucking up your brain, until your arms are around him and you’re snuggling up against him. then his words are all caught in his throat and hes tripping through his sentences, half heartedly trying to reprimand you still, but he eventually settles down and (begrudgingly) holds you until you’re asleep. he’ll swear to himself its only this one time; if you remember the next day and try to tease him about it he literally wont talk to you for a week.

💪 ;; valentina had already planned to simply cuddle you till you went to sleep, so the fact that you initiated it makes her elated. she likes how it feels when you squirm in her arms, too out of it to be able to do anything but what she wants. it’s like she’s handling a living doll! she carries you around like one, too, going about her day with one hand and holding you you with the other. yes, it makes doing things way more difficult and yes, the arm she carried you with will be sore for days, but it’s well worth it to her.

[cw dubcon, again] 👑 ;; althea ordered you to go to bed the moment you stumbled into her presence in your inebriated state. when you instead clung to her and insisted on cozying up instead, while it annoyed her, she took it upon herself to make sure you got to bed and couldn’t get into any trouble. but you insisted on her staying with you! and the way you tangled her body up with yours and dragged your hands across her form in a move that couldn’t have been entirely innocent (to her, at least), allie couldn’t help but help herself to your body. you practically owed it to her, anyway; and the way you whimpered and sighed for her proved that you didn’t seem to mind too much anyway.

🥩 ;; rhodes doesn’t particularly care for drunks, they’re used to them being loud and obnoxious. so they’re not exactly happy when they find you after having a bit too much to drink. they’e expecting a tedious night of making sure you don’t hurt yourself or others, so it’s a pleasant surprise when you seek them out for comfort instead. they still would prefer you being sober so you’d be able to better appreciated them taking the day off to be with you, but they’re satisfied with the time you spend with them regardless.

[gilly-moon]

first draft/WIP of a Nightlight thing where he loses his glow and is Very Unwell about it. This fic is shaping up to be long and ✨️angsty✨️ but here's a little preview of a more wholesome moment from chapter one:

.

“You must be the Nightlight.”

Twisting where he sat, Nightlight expected another member of the staff, come to ogle at him with the others. He straightened up when he found a finely-dressed lady standing at the door instead, her dark eyes reflecting the soft smile on her lips.

He nodded, rising to his feet. There was an instinctual voice in his head telling him to bow to the woman, but he hesitated. Certainly her dress was that of a noble, its dark blue velvet embroidered with gold at the cuffs and collar. But unlike the nobles he’d seen in the Capital City, she seemed otherwise unadorned, auburn hair falling in loose waves down her back.

“Was the journey here bearable?” the woman asked. She pressed a hand to her chest, a simple golden ring glinting on her finger. “I do apologize, we’re so far out of the way…”

Nightlight shook his head, resting the base of his staff on the ground to lean against it. The woman’s eyes followed the movement, but her expression remained pleasant.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for the delay, as well. It seems there was some…miscommunication about when we should expect your arrival.”

Of course. But why wouldn’t the Lunanoffs do everything in their power to be rid of him as soon as possible? He was nothing more than a reminder of their pain. A dead weight to be shipped off to anyone willing to bear him as a burden.

“Well, bygones, I say!”

His eyes lifted from where they’d fallen to his feet. The lady was still smiling, her cheeks rosy with warmth. She actually seemed…pleased that he was here.

“My name is Althea,” she said brightly. “If any of the staff insists I be called ‘Lady Pitchiner,’ they’re fooling with you. We’re all family here in this quiet little corner of the universe.

“And you…is it just Nightlight? Do you have any other name you like to go by?”

Nightlight shook his head emphatically, fingers wrapping tighter around his staff. A Nightlight was a Nightlight and nothing more. He’d already lost his shine. He wouldn’t lose his name, too.

“Very well,” Althea conceded. A touch of concern dimmed her features, but she seemed adept at smoothing it down. “Nightlight, then. Have you been given a tour of the house yet?”

[miralines]

One thing I think is interesting/useful to note about the Rose Red book is that it is a book that was published in the OUATIS galaxy a little under ten years after the war, and that it has an in-story author— and, crucially, that author is not necessarily an entirely reliable narrator.

More rambling about this under the cut

The author, Althea, is a normcivilian with an unusual amount of sympathy for the now-decommissioned Rose Reds. This is not a popular position, and between:

A) her rhetorical goal of changing the minds of people actively against the Rose Reds being allowed to survive

B) the constraints of mainstream publishers, who are under social/political pressure to not threaten the new government, requiring her to be both neutral and not too challenging,

C) her own corresponding bias in believing that neutrality is both possible and desirable,

and D) her limited viewpoint as a normcivilian (not a Rose Red) from a privileged background,

There are quite a lot of places where events, people, and viewpoints are presented in ways that are somewhat misleading. Althea has a degree in journalism, but she does not live in an entirely free society, and both external forces and her own biases do color the narrative she presents throughout the book.

In short, she’s the equivalent of a left-leaning ally to a marginalized group who’s a bit more centrist than one might hope and is presenting herself as even more centrist in order to be published at all through mainstream channels and taken seriously by people who are biased against her cause.

[haveyoureadthispoem-poll]

"If I am killed for simply living, let death be kinder than man."

Read it here | Reblog for a larger sample size!

[hand-made-sweater]

Let Death be Kinder than Man, Althea Davis

[jaxaliel]

robin hobb should be writing yuri

[zorphie]

this is where i go to yap about my ocs fr... hi chat im back in the fucking building again

ok anywayyyy for awhile ive been working on how erin and quinn's magic affects them (in the nicest way possible they are not normal) so here are some of my coherent thoughts under the cut , as scs bc i am too lazy to turn it into a text post oops

[topoet]

Stafford’s Zipper

By Squirrel Nut Zippers I have stand-alone cd Hot (1996). They were a retro swing band with a big band sound and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.I picked it up 2nd hand at a now-gone lp/book store that used to be around the corner from me. Great fun & sexy. In an mp3 collection I have Jo Stafford’s The Ultimate. Stafford is a classic jazz vocalist with clear emotive voice & every song os a strandard,…

[grindeldorefanatic]

Guys I really need help with this, and not the typical generic answers. Tell me - what makes you really like a character? What features, personality traits etc do your faves have that make you really like them? Even if it's just little things

[shipwreck-letters]

Happy Birthday! 🎂🍰🎇✨

For my amazing friend @bennytotting Happy birthday!! I hope I did Althea justice, and I hope you have a fun, happy and wonderful birthday!

Word Count: 1,161

Everything was almost complete. It would just be a matter of minutes, now. It was Althea’s birthday, and the two monsters of the House had already planned long before to make it a memorable birthday. 

As best as they could, anyway. Neither of them had actually celebrated their own birthday, but Althea was special to them. They were determined to try their best. 

Casimir followed the smell of baked goods--Sweet and airy, and the warmth of the oven opened, just as he suspected before peeking around the kitchen door. 

He wasn't quite prepared for the feast set out across the kitchen island; Tiered cakes, roasts, ranging from tooth-aching sweet and delectably savory, all aesthetically pleasing to the nines. 

"Nom de Dieu. When you said you would handle the food, I didn’t expect you to go this far.”

“Is it too much?” Rainier’s eyes widened. Casimir quickly shook his head before Rainier’s spirit could be dampened. 

“Not at all! I’m just surprised, is all. The dining room is all decorated, everything is ready.” Although Casimir feared he would need to set up even more tables than the four he had already arranged. He walked around the kitchen island, peering at the multi-tiered birthday cake.

"It seems like you're almost finished?"

"Not even close!" 

Casimir's eyebrows raised; Rainier was focused more on working, but the shock in his voice was clear. 

"Humans always have huge feasts, right? And birthdays are important? And I like to cook! Win-win."

"I suppose. I cannot remember the last time I celebrated my own birthday… Is there something I can do?"

He wasn't sure what exactly he could do, as all that seemed left was the guest of honor to be celebrated. 

Before Rainier could answer, Casimir's stomach  growled instead, and Rainier's ear twitched, a grin blooming on his lips.

"If you want to, I'll handle everything here. You can find Althea, and bring her here. Oh, but keep it a surprise! Is that alright? Are you hungry now? I can hurry if you're hungry!"

"Non, that's alright!" Casimir quickly interluded, shaking his head. "I, ah- I'll let you finish in peace. It looks fantastic, Rainier."

Tail thumping against the counter, Rainier's grin stretched even more. Casimir took his leave, ignoring his stomach growling again, to duck out of the kitchen and wander the House once more. 

~

Quiet sounds of paper filled the room, as Althea carefully removed faded wallpaper from the empty room, lost in her thoughts and the task at hand.

She jumped slightly when Casimir knocked softly on the doorframe, relaxing her shoulders when she realized who it was. 

"Good evening, Casimir." She smiled, setting tools aside to rise. "What's got you looking like that?"

"Like what, mon cher?" Casimir asked, although he was failing to hide the soft smile on his lips as he watched Althea's face warm. "Seeing you simply makes me happier than ever." 

He leaned over, lacing his fingers with theirs and planting a kiss on their cheek, then the other. Althea squeaked, covering her face with her elbow to hide her flustered state. 

"Casimir!" 

She squeezed his hand, taking a moment to come back down before facing her love. "You're up to something."

"Me? How so?" Casimir hummed, and Althea poked his chest. "I only came to remind you that dinner is almost ready."

"Is Rainier cooking?" Althea parted from Casimir to tidy up their workspace, listening to Casimir as she did so. 

"He is. It's quite significant this time, he says. A spring festival, I believe."

"That's the only occasion?"

"Hm...I believe so." Casimir cleared his throat. He waited patiently for Althea to clean up, before extending his hand once more in invitation. 

"You've been working all day. Let us take a break tonight, and celebrate something special." 

Althea gently took his hand, smiling at their fingers intertwined. "That sounds lovely, Casimir. I'm excited."

Casimir smiled. He felt a little bad about dodging the real purpose of the dinner, but he remembered Rainier's request to keep it a secret. 

Together, they headed back through the halls of the House towards the dining room. 

Althea could smell Rainier's cooking from a mile away. Always delicious, but there was an air of difference--She glanced at Casimir, tilting her head. She passingly remembered it was her birthday, but as long as she could spend time with Casimir and Rainier, she was content and satisfied. 

Casimir stopped at the doors, knocking first. Althea tilted her head. 

"Is it a surprise?"

"You could say that." Casimir said, before the doors flung open inward, and Rainier scooped up both Althea and Casimir in his arms.

"You made it!!" 

Althea peeked over Rainier's shoulder and her eyes widened. 

'Happy Birthday!' banners fluttered, strung up across the room with balloons in her favorite colors, hanging decorations and galore, including the mind-boggling food set out across multiple tables.

"Wha...?" Althea blinked as she was set on her feet again, one hand in Rainier's and the other in Casimir's. 

"It's your birthday, right?" Rainier said. "Casimir and I made this for you!" 

Althea's face exploded in blush, and even Casimir's face reddened as he cleared his throat. 

"We, ah- We wanted to give you a proper celebration. You deserve it, after all."

"I don't know what to say..." Althea felt her chest flutter with so many emotions, all hard to contain, but she smiled, hoping she could show it through her shyness. "Thank you both, so much."

Rainier's tail waved with glee. "Did you see the cake? Do you like it? Do you want to eat? I hope I made enough for everyone."

Althea glanced between Casimir and Rainier, laughing quietly. "I love it so much. Are we ready to eat?"

"Yes, please." Casimir's stomach growled again. "I'm starving." 

~

“You light the candles on the cake. Every year you add another candle to wish upon, and one more for the next year.” Althea explained, gently pushing colorful candles into the cake. 

Rainier watched with awe, and Casimir hummed as he helped Althea. 

“Now…” Althea stepped back. “We light it. Ah…Would you like to do the honors, Rainier?” 

“Please be careful.” Casimir warned, not wanting to see the table be set aflame. Rainier puffed out his chest.

“I was made for this! Watch!” 

Althea could see Casimir tense as flames billowed out, lighting all of the candles in one breath (And melting some of the candle wax, and the icing…). She laughed, winding her arm around Casimir’s, her other hand embracing Rainier’s. 

“It’s perfect. Um…” She took a deep breath, looking at the both of them. “I can’t thank you both enough. This is…This has been really special to me. I don’t usually celebrate my birthday but…I’ll definitely remember this forever.” 

Althea closed her eyes, her chest warm and fuzzy. “I wish…” 

For all the things she could ask for, she couldn’t think of much that hadn’t already come true. 

She took a deep breath, and made her wish.

[likeafairytale]

“ Come here, Bubbles. We have to talk about today. ” – Althea to young Calypso

❛Am I in trouble?...❜

Calypso was too afraid to come closer to her mother. She stayed near the door, just in case she had to swim away, and was nervously playing with her hair. Somehow, she knew what she did was wrong. She knew it, by the way Nathaniel took her away and made her promise to never tell Triton about what happened. She knew it, by the fact that her mother disappeared for half an hour after the incident, letting her and Nate alone, which was unusual. But most importantly, she knew it, by the way that little girl's face turned all blue, and she stopped moving, when she dragged her deep into the ocean.

The mermaid was young. She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know human couldn't breathe underwater, neither that human children couldn't swim the way she could. All she wanted was to play with someone, and that little girl, who was playing on the beach unattended, was the perfect playmate for her. She looked nice, and Calypso was thrilled to find someone who was willing to play with her –sure she had siblings, but it wasn't the same, they were often too busy for that. The young princess succeeded to escape her mother's and big brother's surveillance to come closer to the little human, and drag her under the sea. She obviously resisted, which Calypso didn't understand, she thought it was a part of the game, and the deepest she was brought, the less she was fighting, and eventually, she drowned. The mermaid let go of her when she felt they had enough place to play, and was confused to why she wasn't moving, or responding. She was blue, and cold, and deep down, Calypso knew it wasn't normal. Even more when Nathaniel and their mother arrived and took her away from the poor little girl.

Then everything was so fast that Calypso's little brain was barely able to process what was happening. Her mother was gone with the human girl, and her brother repeated to her, again and again, that she couldn't tell anyone about what happened. The only way for her to stop it was if the youngest agreed, which she did, even though she still didn't really understand why she couldn't say anything. Since then, they came home, and they didn't talk about it, and when Malachai asked her where she was, all Calypso said was that she was just swimming around with Nathaniel and their mother to find new shells for her, and he didn't insist. Now, she thought it would be the end of it, with her not knowing what went wrong, but then, Althea wanted to talk to her in private, and poor little Calypso was scared.

She wasn't usually scolded, but she knew how strict her father was, and a little part of her was scared that her mother could be the same. That she will be yelled at, and grounded, for something she didn't understand yet. But she was ready to swim away if needed, and hide as far as she could. Althea noticed her daughter's nervousness, and she couldn't help but have a reassuring smile, while showing the empty sit next to her, and automatically, the little mermaid came closer, even though it was still visible that she was scared.

❛No, Cally, you're not in trouble.❜ Althea said, with the sweetest voice, and it was enough for Calypso to relax a little. For a moment, both of them were silent. The Queen was trying to find the most appropriate words to explain the situation to her daughter.

❛Do you know why you can't tell anyone?❜

❛I won't tell anyone. Natty told me I can't tell anyone.❜ Calypso whispered, which quite surprised her mother. Althea wasn't expected her to talk first, and for a moment, all she did was strocking her daughter's cheek.

❛... No...❜

❛Oh, Bubbles...❜ Althea sighed, and Calypso frowned.

❛What you did... You see, humans can't swim as good as we can. They have to learn it, and even by doing so, they can never be as skill as we are. Because... because they cannot breathe underwater...❜

The woman was struggling; this never happened to her other children before. Well, with Nate only, but this was due to the fact that he was a siren, and not a mermale. She never thought one of her biological children would do such a thing, so never thought she would have to have this conversation, especially with the youngest, who was also the purest. Althea was a bit afraid of Calypso's reaction, to learn that she just killed an innocent little girl, but what scared her the most was Triton's reaction, if ever he learnt of this incident. He would be prompt to assume that she wasn't his daughter, for none of the others did such a thing at her age. After all, he exiled Ursula, years before Calypso's birth, just because she used fire on her sister, what would he do to his beloved daughter who just drowned a little human?

❛They cannot?❜

❛No, Bubbles, they cannot.❜

After that, a silence. Calypso was processing her mother's words, looking the void in front of her, the brunette was reliving the previous hours, while Althea, way more nervous now, observed her daughter without a sound. She knew the young Blackwater was analysing the situation, trying to see what and when it went wrong, and she wasn't sure if she understood what the meaning of her words yet. But quickly, Calypso big grey eyes opened, when she finally looked at her mother, sadness all over her face, which broke the Queen's heart.

❛But... If the little girl can't breathe underwater... that means she is... dead...?❜ Althea could hear the distress into her daughter's voice, and how sad she was at this perspective. The Queen wanted, more than anything, for her children to know the truth, and only the truth. But Calypso was a little girl, she had so much to learn yet, and this event could shape who she is forever. The wrong words and Calypso could be broken. Althea took a deep breath, smiled a little before bringing her daughter closer:

❛She is not, Bubbles. She was just asleep, but I brought her back to the surface just in time. This is a lesson to learn, Calypso, humans are very different from merefolks. You should not be trying to approach them alone, you should always be with someone, is that clear?❜

❛Yes, mother.❜ The little mermaid said, and her mother could hear relief in her voice, but this relief broke her heart, she hated to lie to her children. ❛Her mother must have been very worried about her... I'm sorry, I won't do it again.❜

Althea said nothing. She remembered the mother screaming, when she saw the body of her little girl ashore, with no doubt, she'll think she drowned by herself, because of the waves, and not that a mermaid took her underwater. The scream was still into Althea's heart, and she hoped she will never have to scream the same, to feel the pain to lose a child... After a while, the mermaid shook her head and looked at her daughter, a smile on her face.

❛It's alright, Bubbles. Let's forget this incident. Now, we should get prepared, your father is organizing a reception tonight, and you know you have to practice using the light.❜

Calypso pouted to that, which amused her mother, but all was forgotten when the mother shown to the daughter a new necklace she promised her. And just like that, Calypso's sunshine came back and she pratice, the best she could, to not disappoint her father.