#and that shiro was born on a day that only exists once every four years

[discordiansamba]

Happy birthday to Shiro, you finally get to turn another year older.

[speeding-fox]

The Wrath of Tiirubon! (Part 1)

~~

Some things to note before getting into the story:

- The "----" means a scene change, while "~~~~" means the same same scene, but takes place in a different area.

Now with that out of the way, onto part 1 of the story!

~~

It was Tiiru's birthday today, and Tiiru were eagerly rambling to their sister, Shianbon, what they wanted at the party and how they wanted everything to go as they walked through the mansion's halls. "I know that, you told pretty much everyone up to this past week." Shian said, trying not to sound too annoyed. 

Tiiru rubs the back of their head sheepishly. "Sorry sis, but I can't help but be excited! This might be my biggest birthday bash yet!" They shout excitedly.

Shian smirked. "Didn't you say that during your past four birthdays?" Small pause from Tiiru. "Yeaaah, but I have a feeling it's gonna be bigger than the last one, I'm sure of it! Plus, Polka and Dot are gonna be there, I want it to be fun for them too!"

Shian blushed lightly at the mention of Dot's name, then chuckled somewhat awkwardly. "Y-Yeah, we'll see if it'll be bigger than your last one." 

Tiiru went on excitedly babbling about their special day, while Shian listened, as annoying as it is to hear Tiiru ramble on and on about their birthday, she is going to let them have this since it is their special day, and as long as her sibling is happy, she's content. Tiiru kept talking until they hear voices coming from the room ahead of them. "You hear that?" They ask Shian. "It sounds like Mom and dad, and Mr. Shirobon and Kiirobon."

Tiiru's gaze returned to the door, curiousity piqued. "What could they be talking about?" They wondered aloud. "It's probly nothing important." Shian told them. "I think we went the wrong way because of your rambling. Let's turn around. I'm sure the back door is-" She stopped when she noticed her sibling was no longer beside her. "Ti?" She looked ahead of her and saw Tiiru tiptoeing to the door in question, and face palmed. "Oh bother." She muttered. She can't lie, she was also a tad curious about the commotion, so she followed them.

"Can't ya git offa' yer lazy butt and help with the decorations, Mizuirobon?" Tiiru overheard Kiiro say as they got close enough to the door, which was cracked open big enough for Tiiru to peek through, but not be noticed right away. When they did peek through, they saw a bunch of green and blue decorations all about the huge room, their eyes sparkled. "Wooow..." They whispered.

Shian caught up with Ti by now, and peeked though the opening as well, she rolled her eyes at her sibling's airheadedness, they've already seen this many decorations before, then again, they are easy please. She was going to whisper something, but when Mizuiro replied "I've already done enough, Kiirobon.", she went quiet to listen in and watch.

"Done enough? You've done nothing but jus' sittin' there on yer darn phone the whole time!" Kiiro shouted to the other. "I've been filling out the orders for the pizzas, the catering, and bounce house, that's more work than you think." Mizuiro replied calmly while glaring at Kiiro. "Fer you, maybe. You jus' didn' wanna do the heavy work ya' lazy-"

Midori then piped up as he was decorating the wall. "Kiirobon, quit harrassing Mizuirobon and help Shirobon blow up those balloons." He commanded while gesturing to Shiro filling up said balloons with helium. Kiiro turned to the Sarge with disbelief. "Sarge, are ya' serious?! He isn' even-" "As much as I want him to help, he has done enough work. Leave him be." Midori interrupted with an authoritive tone.

Kiiro turned back to Mizuiro, whom had a smug look that Kiiro hated. "Yer lucky you have yer husband stickin' up fer ya'." He grumbled as he went over to help Shiro with the balloons.

It was quiet for a bit, then Shiro decided to speak up. "Ya know, I'm surprised by how much Tiirubon has grown over the years." "Yeah, neither can I." Kiiro joined in. "It felt like only yesterday I first held that kiddo, they were so Tiiny then." 

Midori rolled his eyes at Kiiro's little pun, but he did get where he was coming from. "I can't believe it either. They've grown up so much." He sniffled. "I'm so proud of them."

"Hun, are you going to cry again?" Mizuiro teased, and Midori got flustered. "Huh? Cry? No! Why would I be crying?! I'm not crying!" Mizuiro chuckled. "Why were your eyes watering then?"

"Eh!" Midori hastily wiped the tears away. "Something got in my eyes!" Shiro and Kiiro laughed. "Sure you did, Sarge, sure you did." "Man, yer sucha' dork." Mizuiro chuckled again. "That's one thing I agree with you, Kiirobon."

Midori was now all red in the face. "I am not a dork! All of you hush about that!" He bellowed as everyone in the room laughed.

Shian and Tiiru snickered quietly. "Our dad is such a huge dork." Shian whispered. "I'm with ya' there, sis." Tiiru murmured. Shian glances to Tiiru. "C'mon, let's go before they notice us." Tiiru returns the glance. "Right."

They both begin to walk away, with Tiiru following close behind Shian. "Y'know, Cashbag, you and the Sarge have grown as well, I distinctly remember when ya' both wanted nothin' to do with Ti when 'dey came to be." Hearing Kiiro say made Tiiru's heart drop and stop in their tracks, while Shian didn't until she noticed her sibling was no longer walking behind her, making her turn around. 

"Ti, you coming?" She called out softly, but Tiiru ignored her, their gaze fixed on the partially open door. "Ti?" Shian called out again. Tiiru once again ignored their sister, and softly stepped back to said door and peered through the small opening.

"Well, Midori and I weren't initially keen on the idea of having kids, let alone one that spawned from one of you and Shirobon's mischievous antics." Mizuiro stated. 

"It is not a good idea to test an invention on unsuspecting biidaman if you have no idea what it even does." Midori joined in.

Shiro takes a small break from pumping up balloons to rest against the wall, one arm behind his head while he waved with the other. "Yeah yeah, we were young and stupid, learned our lesson, having Kiiro and I watch them while you two went through your crisis period of whether or not you wanted to keep them was punishment enough."

Tiiru couldn't believe what they were hearing. They weren't...wanted? Because they were the result of a joke? Not only that, but they lied about how they were born?! They clenched their fists and started to tremble.

Shian, behind Tiiru and having heard what was said, thought it was a good idea to get her sibling away from here right now. "Tiirubon, I think we should go now." She grabbed them by the arm and tried to pull them away, but they wouldn't budge. "C'mon, Tiirubon we need to go." She pulled their arm again, but they still refused to budge. "Ti! Stop being-" Her last attempt at pulling them away made her accidentally bump the door until it was more than halfway open. The noise it made was enough to make the adults turn their attention towards there, all their eyes widen when they saw a clearly upset Tiiru standing at the doorway with an equally wide-eyed Shian whom attempted to pull them away, she let them go, Kiiro let go of the balloon he was filling up, and said balloon deflated until there was no air left, then it went dead silent.

No one said a word, until Mizuiro got up to slowly approached the trembling Tiiru and broke the silence. "T-Tiirubon, you...you d-didn't hear all of that, d-did you?" He stammered out. Whom on Mercury forgot to close the darn door?!

"You... lied to me." Tiiru spoke lowly and shakily. "What..?" Was all Mizuiro could think of saying.

"I was told I was created from that machine because you and Dad had a mutual agreement on having a child for so many years, and here, I find out I was the result of a practical joke?!" Tiiru bellowed, their voice raising in volume with every word. "And above all, I wasn't meant to exist?! Is that what I am to you guys?! A JOKE?!"

"Now now, Tiirubon." Mizuiro waved both hands around while trying to speak calmly. "I don't know how much you heard, but let me explai-" Tiiru cut him off. "SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE OF YOUR LIES!" They bellowed, hot tears rolling down their face, their outburst made Mizuiro take a step back, and Midori a few steps forward.

"Don't you take that tone with your fa- er, mother, young biidaman!" He shouted authoritively in an attempt to get Tiiru to back down.

Tiiru simply death-glared at him, unfazed. "Why should I listen to you?! You didn't want me in the first place!"

Midori spoke more calmly. "Tiirubon, that is not true. Just let us-" "NO!" Tiiru interrupted. "I know what I heard! I was an unplanned child! I was never meant to exist! I wasn't wanted! You didn't want me because I was an unexpected result from two idiots wanting to play a joke!" They turned to face Shiro and Kiiro as they said the second part.

"Hey! We're not idiots!" Shiro piped up. "We just didn't know that's what the machine di- mmph!" Kiiro covered Shiro's "mouth" with his hand to shut him up. "Shut up! You'll jus' make it worse!" He muttered to him. Meanwhile, Shian just stood there, watching all this go down, not knowing what to say or do to diffuse the situation without possibly making Tiiru more upset, she's only good at starting fights, not stopping them. Even on their worse days, she's never seen her sibling this upset before. She hated that she has no idea what to do.

"Tiirubon! That's enough! You're being irrational! Go to your room at once!" Midori commanded as he points to the direction of Tiiru's bedroom.

"NO!" Tiiru refused vehemently. They got into a defensive stance as Midori began approach them. "Tiirubon, do not make me have to carry you to your room!"

Their biidama starts to glow teal. "Stay. AWAY!" As they screamed "away," they fired a shot at their father, it hits, and they send him hurdling into the stacks of boxes of decorations and sent most of the boxes tumbling down on it, Midori let out a loud yelp as they did, then let out more as boxes and decorations fell onto him. Mizuiro gasps audibly as he saw this happen. "Midori!" He cries out as he rushes to his husbands aid.

Not long after their action, Tiiru sprints away from the scene, with Shian, after getting over her shock, bolts after them, while Shiro and Kiiro simply stood there, dumbstruck at what they witnessed Tiiru did, and wondering what the heck did they just witness. Tiiru was rushing through the halls, making their way to the front door, they needed to leave, and Shian was close behind, trying to catch up to her sibling, but they were just out of her reach. This was the fastest she's seen her sibling run.

"Ti! Wait! Slow down!" Shian shouts with an arm outstretched.

"Leave me alone, Shianbon!" Tiiru shouts back to her.

"Where do you even think you're going?!" She asks loudly.

"Out and away from here!" Shortly after yelling that, they make it to front door and escape, once outside, they jump into Tenacious-Tealer, start it up, then begin taking off as Shian caught up to them. "Tiirubon! TIIRUBON!" She cried out to them, only to be promptly ignored by them.

Mizuiro helps Midori up. "Will you be okay, hun?" Midori groaned. "Aside from some bruising, I will be fine."

Their attention, along with Shiro and Kiiro's, shifted towards the open window when they hear the noise of something ready to take off. They rush to said window, hoping it wasn't Tiiru's vehicle, only to find Tenacious-Tealer taking off into the horizon, and Shian calling out Tiiru's name, they really did leave... They all hoped Tiiru will return home after all that, so they could properly explain everything.

----

At Aka's home, Tosukana and Sora are helping Aka with making Tiiru's birthday cake, well, Tosukana moreso, Sora has been staring intently at the cake batter in the mixing bowl, waiting to sneak a taste, but Tosukana is keeping a close eye on him. When he thought neither of them were looking, Sora attempts to stick a finger into the batter, but was promptly stopped by Tosukana. "Don't." He said sternly.

Sora pouts. "Come ooon, Tucker, can't I have just one little taste?"

"Do you want to get sick?" Tosukana scolded. "The answer is still no."

Sora grumbled, then went back to helping out with the frosting ingredients. Shortly after getting the ingredients set out, both the kids' phones vibrate, they check to see why, and find a text left by Midori. "Did you also get a text from Midoribon-san too?" Tosukana asks while not looking up from his phone. "Yup." Sora replies, also not looking up from his phone. "Does your text say we're needed at the mansion?" Sora nods. "Yeah. I hope it's not another training drill."

They immediately get another text from Midori, stating it's not a training drill and he needs help. They gaze up from their phones to eachother. "Guess that answers that." Said Sora.

"Knowing how extra he is, he probably needs help setting up." Aka says as the two boys turn to her. 

"Mom, will you be fine handling the cake on your own while Sora and I had to Mercury?" Tosukana asks his mother.

"I've made many cakes on my own before, don't worry about me." She assures her son.

Sora waves his hand at Tosukana. "Actually, how about I stay behind helping your mom make Ti's cake while you head off to Mercury to see what's up." Tosukana gives him a blank stare, then grabs him by the antenna. "Yeahhh no. He texted us both, we're both going."

He drags him by the antenna towards the doorway while Sora flails his arms helplessly. "OW OW! NOT THE ANTENNA! OW!"

"Bye Mom. I love you!" Tosukana calls out over Sora's shouting.

"I love you too, sweetie! See you at the party!" She calls back to him, then the two boys left.

----

(Somewhere in a heavily wooded area:)

"I can't believe it." Tiiru sobbed as they were huddled up in Tenacious-Tealer. "This whole time, I wasn't really wanted, and I'm the result of practical joke! Is that all I am?! Is my existance nothing but a cruel joke?!" They yelled into the forest before crying into their knees.

Unknowst to them, hiding in the dark brush nearby was the mysterious Dark Desire, having followed Tiiru as she sensed their negative emotions. "Your heart broke from being told a lie all your life, what's worse is you had to find that out on your birthday, what a terrible birthday gift. Maybe you'll accept my gift to you, child." She whispers as she creates a purple broken heart with her dark power in her right palm, then blew it over to Tenacious-Tealer, it hovered and spiralled around in the air until it made it front of Tiiru. 

"Poor, poor child." The "heart" feigned sympathy.

Hearing a feminine voice speaking, Ti looked up from their huddled legs. "H-Huh? AH!" They jolt back from seeing it was a floating broken purple heart. "Wha-What?! What are you?! Did you just talk to me?!"

"Do not fret, child, I'm here to help you." The "heart" said sweetly.

"He-Help me?" Tiiru was uncertain about that, like, they may be an airhead, but they know a talking purple heart coming out of nowhere is not normal, in addition, something about it was suspiciously familiar. They gave it a glare before turning away. "I don't want your help, I want to be left alone! Go away!"

Hmm... Seems like this kid was a bit smarter than Dark Desire thought, she'd thought they'd be easier with them being an airhead. No matter, their anger and hateful emotions alone should still be enough to corrupt them, even if they aren't willing. Too bad they didn't bother shooing the heart away, that could've saved them from it absorbing itself into their biidama.

Tiiru let out a yelp as soon as the heart got absorbed into their marble. They felt a strong tingling feeling throughout their whole body, and they couldn't move. "Wha- What are you doing?!" They stammered.

They heard the female voice begin chanting in their head. "Your heart aches of the truth of your origin. If they stand in your path, then hit those whom wronged you, and are trying to stop you with the force of your wrath!"

As the chant finished, Ti felt their anger turn into blind rage as darkness clouded their mind. They let out a growl as their light-blue eyes turn into a dark purple along with their biidama. "They will pay..."

----

By the time Sora and Tosukana arrived at the mansion in their respective vehicles, Shian, Polka, and Dot were already gathered outside the mansion's entrance along with the four adults. "About time you two showed." Polka remarks.

"Sorry, I literally had to drag Sorabon here." Tosukana says as he exits his vehicle along with a disgruntled Sora rubbing his antenna and groaning. "Ugh, so lame."

"We have no time for idle chit-chat. Do you know why I asked you to come here?" Midori asks the group.

"'Cuz you needed some help with some lame decorations?" Sora inquired. Tosukana elbows him hard. "Ow!" He glares at Tosukana as he rubs his hurt arm.

"No, it is something far more serious than that." Midori answered with a serious look. This got the kids' attention, except for Shian's, she wore a scowl, and had her arms crossed. "Tiirubon is missing."

A collective of "WHAT?!" was shouted by the kids, with the exception of Shian, as she already knows, and the reason why. "Tiiru going missing on their birthday?! That's not a present anyone wants!" Polka exclaimed.

"Oh no, that's terrible!" Dot screamed.

"Midoribon-san, do you know what happened before they went missing?!" Tosukana asks loudly.

Midori hesitated coming up with an answer. "Err... they..." He clears his throat. "They've left to blow off some steam, and they usually take around an hour or less to calm down, but they haven't returned since then. That's why I called you all here, to help search for them!"

"Count me in!" Tosukana proclaims, and the rest of the kids (except Shian) agree to join the search, while Shian continues to scowl at the adults. Why couldn't they just swallow their pride and fess up the truth to why Tiiru disappeared? She'd do it for them, but she was told to keep hush about it, or else she'd get reprimanded.

Midori started giving out orders. "We'll split up to cover more ground. I will scout the woods on ground-level while Shirobon and Sorabon will both scout from above said woods." "Understood!" "Tosukana Akabon, Porukabon, and Kiirobon, you three search the city." "You got it, sir/Sarge!" "Dottobon, Shianbon, and Mizuirobon, you three will stay behind at the mansion in the garage's security area in case they return."

"What?!" Shouts Shian. "Are you kidding me, Dad?! I don't want to stay behind! I want to help search for them too! Ti's my sibling!"

"I know you do, Shianbon, but you don't have a mode of transportion that will allow you to aid us, you do not have much of a choice." Midori stated. She growls, she really wants to help find Tiiru, but her father is right, unlike everyone else, she doesn't have anything that will cover ground quicker. She lets out a low "Fine!" before stomping into the mansion.

"Everyone, move out!" Midori orders. There was chorus of "Yes sir!" before everyone in their vehicles took off. Mizuiro watches them as they leave, while Dot turns to face the entrance Shian went in through with a concerned look, hoping she'll be okay.

"I hope they find them before the storm arrives..." Mizuiro mumbles as he stares at the dark clouds encroaching in the distance.

----

(Above the skies of Mercury:)

"Anything yet, Sorabon?" Midori asked through the telecommunication device as Sora scanned through the woods. "No, I haven't seen them yet. Dad and I split up to cover more woods, but we haven't found anything. I'm beginning to think us splitting up isn't helping much. I can't see anything from up here, ugh, so lame, we've been looking for them for hours!" He responded while letting out a exasperated sigh.

"... It has only been fifteen minutes, Sorabon." Midori says flatly.

"Feels like it's been longer." Sora muttered. "Any luck with the others?" He questioned.

~~~~

(On Polka, Tucker, and Kiiro's end:)

"Polka, are you, Tosukana Akabon, and Kiirobon having any luck in the city?" Midori asked through the telecom. "No luck sir." Polka replied. "We checked all the possible places they could be on ground-level. Tucker and I are double checking each of their favorites places to see if we somehow missed them, and dad is checking from above. Any luck, dad?" "Nope." Kiiro's voice piped up through the monitor. "I thought I did, but it jus' found a biidaman with a simila' cap ta' Ti's."

~~~~

"Midoribon." Shiro called out through the telecom. "Any sign of them in the woods on ground-level?" Midori shook his head. "No..." He responded solemnly.

~~~~

(With Shian, Dot, and Mizuiro:)

"Shianbon, Dot, Mizuirobon, did they return home, or at least is there any sign of them on the tracker?" "Sorry Mr. Midoribon, they haven't, and we're not getting anything over here either." Dot replied. "It's like they just upped and vanished." Shian added. "That's...very worrisome..." Mizuiro said whilst gazing down. "They're not picking up their calls either, and they always have their phone on them... They couldn't have gotten far... They shouldn't have..."

"That is very concerning." Dot spoke as she gazed down at the radar, only to see nothing. "This isn't like Tiirubon."

"Exactly." Tosukana commented. "They usually state where they're going before going some place, not telling anyone of their whereabouts is attypical."

"Yeah, they usually do that, but they upped and left without saying anything to anyone. What the heck is up with that? Which reminds me, you guys still didn't say why exactly they took off." Sora stated, unaware that something is watching him below the thick trees.

Midori, Mizuiro, Shiro, and Kiiro went awkwardly quiet, each waiting for another to say something, but no one did, except Midori. "Look, we will explain why once we find them." Shian knew exactly why Tiiru left, so she piped up. "No, you'll all explain now. I know what happened, so one of you grown-ups explain why, or else I'll do it for you." She proclaimed, speaking in an accusatory manner. She glanced to Mizuiro first, then to the three other adults on the monitor, all four of them shared the same look of guilt and adverted their gaze from the screen. "Well?"

"Dad? What is Shian on about?" Sora inquired.

Before one of them could explain, Sky-Soarer's right wing suddenly got struck by a surprise shot, causing Sora to yell out. "SORABON!" Shiro was the only one whom shouted out his name as everyone else was stunned by what just occured.

"Mayday! MAYDAY! I'M GOING DOWN!" Sora cried out.

"What happened?!" Screamed Shiro.

"Something hit my right wing! I'm going down!" Yelled Sora

"Sorabon! Engage the emergency protocol!" Dot shouted to him.

Frantic button mashing can heard on Sora's end, then appeared an expression of grim realization. "I-It's not working! NOTHING'S WORKING!" Sora's screen then went to static before it disappeared from the monitor.

"Sorabon?! SORABON! ANSWER ME!" Shiro futilely called out to his son, then eerie silence fell for a moment.

"We lost contact..." Dot muttered grimly.

"No..." Shiro uttered softly, then repeated over and over for the next seven times, each one raising in volume, until he suddenly went offline.

"Shirobon?! Do you copy?! Shirobon!" Called out Midori, but he got no response back. "Dottobon, where is Shirobon?!" 

"The northern part of Victory Woods, Sergeant Midoribon!" Midori nodded. "Thank you! Everyone! Move out to Victory Woods!" A chorus of "Right!" was heard through the telecom before they all went offline.

Dot held a hand to her chest. "I hope Sorabon will be alright..." Shian put her hand on her back to console her. "Sorabon's a tough kid, I'm sure he'll be fine." "I hope so..." Shian shifted her gaze from Dot to Mizuiro, and gave him a cold glare, making him flinch. "S-Shianbon, d-don't look at me that way!" He stammered out.

"Pop, while we wait," She quickly glanced to Dot, then back to Mizuiro. "why don't you explain to Dot why Ti ran off."

----

Shiro was first to make it to the wreckage of Sky-Soarer. As soon as he landed nearby, he jumps out of Crys-Whiter and bolts to his injured and unconscious, shouting his name. "Sorabon!" He lifts his son up and gently tries to shake him awake. "Sorabon! Wake up, please!"

Sora groaned as he was being shaken awake, and he opened his eyes half-way. "D-Dad..?" He uttered weakly.

By this time, all the others arrived at the wreckage. Midori was about to reprimand Shiro for going offline before stating his location until he saw the full extent on the crash and his injured son in his arms. "Oh god..." He muttered.

"Holy carp, that's some crash." Polka remarked.

Shiro didn't pay attention to them as he was too focused on his son. "Sorabon, who shot you down?" He asked sternly.

"I... I don't know..." Sora replied. "It came out of nowhere...and...it was...too fast...ugh..." He blacks out.

"Sora?! Can you hear me?! Sora!" Shiro cried out to no avail, then sobbed and held his son close.

Midori called Mizuiro through the telecom. "Mizuirobon, do you copy?"

Mizuiro picks up and responds. "Midoribon, have you found Shirobon's kid?"

"Yes," Midori answered. "but he's not in a good state. I need you to have the mansion's nurses at the ready when he's brought back, as well as have the repairmen in secondary garage ready, his plane sustained heavy damage."

Mizuiro nods, he now dawned a serious expression. "Okay!" He tunes out.

Very shortly after their call ended, a biida shot shoots from seemingly out of nowhere and hits Crys-Greaver, nearly making the tank flip over, but thankfully the trees prevented that! The rest of the group shout the Sarge's name as he was suddenly attacked. Polka and Tosukana hurriedly went over to his side.

"Midoribon-san! Are you alright?!" Tosukana shouts worriedly.

"Do not worry about me, I am fine." He reassured the two, then he furrowed his brows and glares into the direction the shot came from. "Reveal yourself, coward!" He commanded.

Everyone turned their attention to the sounds of heavy mechanized footsteps as they echoed from the direction, getting louder as they trudged towards the group. The figure soon exited the shadows of the brush and revealed themselves. The mechanical figure had dark colors with a purple hue, but aside from that and a few other differences such as the sharp edges and their emblem on their head (it was in the shape of a bat), something about them seemed very familiar to Midori, however, Shiro did not care if they did look familar or not, he immediately assumed this was the biidaman that shot down his son, and he wanted to pay them back.

"Tosukana, you, Polka, and Kiiro take my son and Sky-Soarer back to the mansion." He spoke lowly.

"Shirobon-san-" Tosukana started, but was quickly cut off.

"NOW!" Barked Shiro.

Tosukana no choice but to comply. He gets out of Tuscan-Dragon, and takes Sora from Shiro. Once Sora was in safe hands, he armors up and enters his mechanical form, all while charging at Sora's assailant without second thought.

"Shirobon! Graah, that kid!" Midori groaned loudly.

Polka, now in his robotic form as well, rolls up next to Midori. "Midoribon sir, what do you need us to do?!"

The Sarge turns to him. "I need you to escort everyone safely back to the mansion, then return here! You got that?"

As much as Polka wants to stay and fight, Sora needed help, and nobody knew if there was more than one enemy and if they were planning to strike on their way back there or here. He nods. "Got it!" He helps load Sky-Soarer onto Cargo Yäger, and after Tosukana gets Sora secured, he and the others take off. Once he knew the three were out of sight, Midori armors up, and transforms into his mechanized form to assist Shiro.

Midori fires off two shots to stun the foe when they were going to attack Shiro after they downed him. "Shirobon! You mustn't be so brash!" His voice echoed. 

"Stay out of this, Midoribon!" Shiro snapped back as he got back up. "This fight's between me and them!"

He once again charged before Midori objected. "Shirobon! Now's not the time for foolishness!" Midori's words fell on deaf ears as Shiro fires off a barrage of Hyper Biida Shots and tries hurling a flurry of punches at Sora's assailant, however, they kept dodging, not one shot or punch was hitting them, the shots that did hit seemed to barely leave a mark.

Shiro kept at it, refusing to let up until this jerk was taken down! He was ready to throw one more punch. "Stop. DODGING!" The punch didn't land, instead, the enemy grabbed his hand before it could. The next thing they did was grab his entire arm with their free hand, and flipped Shiro like he was nothing, making sure he hit the ground extra hard, Shiro cried out as he was being flipped and thrown to the ground!

He grunts as he attempted to get back up from that attack, but nothing would respond, he was immobilized! "Grr, why can't I move?! Get up!"

The enemy watches him struggle, then their head slowly turns to Midori. Midori was astonished by what he witnessed. The fact that Shiro was defeated after one swift flip had him somewhat intimidated, but he wasn't willing to back down, he had his kid to find, and this fiend coming out from nowhere was wasting precious time in finding them! "I do not know who you think you are," Midori bellows at the foe. "but I have my child to look for, and you showing up from nowhere to fight is wasting valuable time! I suggest you leave before this escalates further!"

The foe simply stares at him as he was giving his little spiel, after a couple seconds, they fire at him, to which Midori promptly dodged out of the way. "Okay then, have it your way!" The battle continues.

Several minutes pass, neither side is backing down, and Midori was getting more and more aggitated, he just wants to look for Tiiru, not be stuck a fight with this fiend, but foe seems to know his every move and acts accordingly. The Sarge, tired of this battle, fires off many Double Metal shots, hoping this will work. The smoke left behind from the shots exploding envelopes the target. Midori thought this was effective and he finally had taken the enemy down, however, when the plume of smoke dissipates, the foe was nowhere to be seen.

"What?!" Midori headed for the spot the enemy was last standing in and looks around. "Where did they go?!"

The one direction the Sarge failed to check was behind him. "MIDORIBON, BEHIND YOU!" Shiro tried to warn him, but Midori was slow to react, he was grabbed by the arms and they were pinned to his back.

He screams "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! LET ME GO!" They would do that, but the fiend had something else in mind. With Midori in tow, they fly several stories upwards, do a frontflip, then make a beeline towards the ground with the intention of doing serious damage, what followed was a plume of dirt and dust filling up the area. That move was a doozy.

Midori grunts as he tries to get back up and fight, but he couldn't move his mecha's limbs, he wasn't only stuck, he was immbolized, the only thing he could move was his head. How could he have let his guard down?! One rule in the army is to remain vigilant during a battle, how could he have forgotten about that?!

As the dust clears, Midori could see this menace towering over him aiming their biida cannon at him and Shiro. "Who do you think you are?!" He repeated with less strength in his voice.

This time, the opponent finally says something as they chuckle darkly. "You haven't figured it out yet?" The voice was low, yet familiar.

Nothing else was spoken as this mysterious foe charged up one final shot to finish off the both of them. They thought it was going to be over, however, they heard someone firing biida shots at them, so they jumped away accordingly. Who fired those shots? Tosukana Akabon, now in his robotic form, and Polka.

"Stay away from Shirobon and Midoribon-san, you fiend!" Tosukana bellows.

"Tosukana Akabon! Porukabon!" Midori calls out.

"Midoribon-san, Sorabon has been delivered to the mansion safely!" Tosukana reports

"Seems like we came back just in time, huh, sir?" Polka quipped.

"Your arrival may be timely, but that wouldn't matter once you both end up like the adults!" The enemy fires at the both of them, to which they both get out of the way.

"Not if we take if we take you out first! Hyah!" Polka returns fire.

Midori shouts to them both. "Be careful you two! They're incredibly strong!"

"As if we hadn't noticed!" Polka shouts back. "Yo bad guy, what's your beef with us?!"

The enemy stops firing and responds with "Perhaps the grown-ups could answer that for you.", then resumes firing at them.

'The grown-ups know?' Tosukana wondered as he dodged and fired off biida shots. Did one of them anger someone, or their relatives? Then again, not just anyone has a mecha that they can transform into, so it can't be that. Perhaps... it is someone they know? He has a hunch that's the case, but he isn't jumping to conclusions just yet. "Midoribon-san, Shirobon-san, what do they mean by that?"

"I haven't a clue of what they mean!" Midori grunts as he's trying to get his limbs to respond. Shiro yells "You think we know? We just met this guy!" in response while attempting to move his limbs as well to no avail. "C'mon, move!"

Polka growls. "Grrr, they keep dodging our every move!" He turns to Tosukana. "Tucker, can't you shoot your Fire Shots at this guy?!"

"I rather not risk burning down the woods, Polka!" He argued.

Polka grumbles. "Then do you have ANY sort of plan?!" "Actually, I do!"

As Tosukana whispers the plan to Polka, their opponent used this opportunity to fire off two biida shots at the duo. "Look out!" Tosukana shouts. The duo dodge in separate directions, but what they didn't realize were those biida shots fired were homing shots!

Whatever plan Tosukana had immediately fell apart, all he could think of was to get away, Polka on the other hand had an idea: hit the enemy with their own homing shot! Tosukana notices what Polka was trying to do, so he tries to do the same thing from above, but the homing shot caught up with him and hits his left wing, seriously damaging it, needing both wings to keep him airborne, he begins to plummet to the area below, Polka being too focused on his own plan to see his falling friend. Polka charged at his target with the homing shot close behind. The opponent wasn't trying to move, he thought they had finally given up, he thought he was going to win!

Just when victory seemed to be within his reach, Tosukana crashlands infront of him, catching him completely by surprise. Polka tried to make a sharp turn to avoid ramming into his friend, but fails to do so, and he crashes into him, what immediately followed was a loud "BOOM!" as homing shot makes impact. The smoke left behind from the explosion clears and reveals Tosukana and Polka spawled on the ground, dazed and defeated.

The menace laughs darkly. "Did you two seriously think your sorry ploys of yours were really gonna work? Foolish!"

"Oh no, Porukabon and Tosukana Akabon are down as well. This isn't good!" Midori mumbled to himself.

It was right this moment that Mizuiro, Shian, and Dot came over on Midori's holographic telecom monitor. Mizuiro and Dot gasp immediately and Shian went wide-eyed when they see the beat-up state he's in, followed by a collective of  "Hun!"/"Midoribon-san!"/"Dad!" being shouted by the three of them at once. "Midori! Are you alright?!" Mizuiro shouted. The voices coming the sarge's telecom caught the villian's attention. 

~~~~

"No!" Midori exclaimed. "I've been taken down! Shirobon is down as well along with Porukabon and Tosukana Akabon!"

The prospect of her father, being the strongest biidaman she knows, and her friends, especially Tosukana, being defeated did not sit well with Shian. She stood up, then slammed her hands down on the control panel, her reaction startles Dot and Mizuiro. "WHO?! WHO DID THIS?!" She screams that at the top of her lungs.

The villian takes the place of Midori on the monitor. "I have." They reveal.

"WHAT IS YOUR BEEF ATTACKING MY DAD, TUCKER, AND EVERYONE ELSE?! THEY DID NOTHING TO YOU!!" She bellows through the telecom, ready to punch a hole through where the villian is.

Dot calmly tries to usher her back to her seat. "S-Shianbon, please sit back down." Her suggestion went unheard as Shian shakes a fist and continues to scream at the bad guy. "WHEN I GET OVER THERE, I'M GONNA MAKE SURE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

They laugh darkly. "Go right on ahead and try, Shianbon, but you'll simply end up like everyone whom tried to defeat me anyway."

Hearing them call her name made Shian pipe down, she was taken aback by this. How does this guy know her name?! "You...you know my name..?"

Mizuiro turns to the villian. "Who are you..?" He utters in a grimly calm voice, not ready for their response.

They chuckle. "Heh, you haven't figured it out yet? You of all biidaman should've known who I am by now, Mom."

'M-Mom?!' Mizuiro pales as if he saw a ghost, then felt like he was just punched in the gut, he now knows who this is, as there's only one person that refers to him as "mom" nonjokingly. "No, it can't be..."

"Pop?! Pop! What's wrong?!" His daughter calls out him.

"Thi-This fiend... I know who they are..." He utters softly, not taking his eyes away from the telecom's monitor. "Spit it out! Who are they?!" Shian demanded.

"Th-They are-" Mizuiro couldn't finish, as the villian glows purple as they're reverting from their robotic form to their armored form. The purplish glow soon fades, and they stand up from their seat. There was a collective of shocked gasps and "No ways" once everyone saw whom the villian was.

"TIIRUBON!?!" As if on cue, lightning lights up the surrounding area.

"Heh heh heh, it's Dark Tiirubon now." They state. "Shocking, I know. Since you all now know who I am, I'm feeling generous. I'm going to spare everyone I've defeated here and allow them to return to the mansion, and give you all time to say good-bye, before I come destroy the mansion and everyone in it! You all better hope you have a plan to stop me!" They laugh more as lightning once again lights up the area, and they disappear in a flash as it begins to pour.

~~~~

Once Dark Tiirubon has left, Shiro and Midori could finally move their limbs again, but their armored bodies were in no condition to continue fighting, they only had had enough energy to get Polka and Tosukana back to the mansion. They silently stared at the spot Dark Tiiru once was. "I can't believe it..." Midori uttered softly.

~~~~

"Tiirubon has..." Shian adds on.

"Gone evil..." Mizuiro finished.

[To be continued...]

[palallura]

i was made for loving you

on ao3

The light flickers once and vanishes so delicately that he wonders for a second if he had not always been in the dark.

“I thought I saw his eyes opening for a second,” comes a familiar voice. He does not find his own to answer it.

Keith’s breathing is a ghost with no one to haunt. It oscillates, yes, but his heart’s pulse is firm. A victory, at least. A single one. Victory is a word that tastes heavy on his tongue – although he has not spoken it aloud. He cannot remember exactly where his mouth is or how it feels to use it. Victory, victory. Keith feels that he has actually lost something; he feels that it does not matter that his heart is beating steady if it is a lonely melody. Loneliness. Hadn’t he moved on from it? Where is his team – his friends?

Where is Shiro?

Not being able to understand your own reality is a curious thing. Shapes, feelings, perception. Awake, asleep, in-between. Dead. They are all possibilities. They are all realities, somewhere, sometime. Keith contemplates them. He forgets whatever conclusion he might have gotten to. Time passes. He remembers. He contemplates them again: he surely exists. He is real. His feelings are real, and he loves deeply.

Something crawls on the back of his mind and his entire body aches, aches, aches.

“He’ll awake soon enough.”

He does, a few hours later.

“Mom?” Is the first thing he asks, because Krolia is the first thing he sees. For a second, he feels as if he is being born a second time and his Mom is everything. She is all warm hands on his face and indistinct phrases. He has to focus twice to understand what she is saying. It turns out to be something simple, yet incredibly complex. Miraculous, even.

“You’re okay, Keith.”

“I guess I am,” he whispers. The reality of the hospital room unfolds in front of him. He looks at Kolivan and shakes his head with a small smile of recognition. The gesture hurts and Keith winces. Kolivan sighs.

“Rest for now,” it is not an order, but it is slightly more incisive than a simple request.

Keith takes a deep breath and enjoys the sensation of rubbing his hands together for a second; they are cold and pale. He stretches his arms and feels the body snapping at the right places. His throat feels like the very desert where he grew up. As if she can read his mind, Krolia passes a cup of water to him. He accepts it gladly.

“Are you warm enough?”

“I’m fine,” his voice manages not to crack, barely. “How long have I been….?” Asleep does not seem the right word, so he trails off.

“Almost a day.”

He shudders. So much could have happened. “Is everyone okay?”

“They’re okay. Safe.” Krolia promises.

He pushes a bit from the bed, daring his body to get up. “I want to see the others.”

“The others,” she echoes. “Shiro?”

“Well, yes,” Keith exhales, caught by surprise, “him, too.” Krolia keeps looking at him – a stare that is both kind and compelling. “Okay. Shiro first.”

“He came in here,” she takes his hand. Keith always feels somewhat like a child when she does that, so much smaller than her. He used not to like feeling small, but it is different with her, now, after the two years they spent with each other. “When you were asleep. He seemed sad for not being able to speak to you.”

“He made quite the speech earlier. “ Kolivan adds, and Keith is suddenly curious. “The man surely is good with his words.”

“And his actions,” Krolia smiles. Then, the smile wavers, as if Shiro reminds him of something or someone, and she shares a quick look with Kolivan. He nods.

"I must go. There is a lot to do."  He shakes Keith's hand, more gentle than the usual. "My best wishes, soldier."

Then, he is alone with Krolia, and she slowly moves her hand away from Keith's, putting it on her lap. When she speaks, the way she looks at him is almost defiant, as if she is fighting with herself not to back down.

"When you're free to go, I want to do something."

"Dad," it feels good to catch her by surprise this time. "You want to see Dad."

"His resting place, yes," she sighs. "I want... to say a few things to him." To the man I love goes unsaid, and Keith feels an odd sort of sadness by being reminded that his parents cared for each other so much; that he was born from love in its purest form, not loneliness or fear or regret, but that love could not breathe anymore. Part of it had not died with his father, not exactly, but still was lost forever. In a different reality, they would have been a happy little family. "After all this time, there's still so much I want to say to your father."

"I can only imagine."

Krolia locks her eyes on his again. "Son."

"Mom." He answers immediately. "What's on your mind?"

"I want to give you some advice. I know you just woke up, but, when I saw Shiro here earlier, I realized I should say it as soon as possible."

“What is it?”

“Don’t take the person you love the most for granted, Keith.”

“I don’t,” he says firmly. “I know I can lose him at any second. I have lost him, more than once.” He thinks of the many times Shiro has been away from him, in danger, alone, hurt, yet a light that refused to go out. He thinks about how he could have saved Shiro, how he failed to protect him.

And the times he did succeed to bring Shiro back to him, it was as if they were not close enough to each other.

Krolia hums, a bit thoughtful. “What’s stopping you, kid?”

Keith’s breath gets caught on his throat. “What do you mean? Stopping me from what?”

She parts her lips slightly and a sigh comes out. Shaking her head, Krolia says instead, “You want to know how I knew I loved him?” When Keith nods silently, she goes on. “When I realized that every distance with him felt too far.”

“Every time you speak about Dad – the way your voice sounds, it’s too much. I keep thinking of what we could have had together, the three of us.”

Something inside him wants to add one more. The four of us sounds just right.

Krolia takes his hand again. “I am sorry. I know that kind of wishful thinking very, very well. You must not get caught in it.”

“I know,” he whispers. “I’m also sorry.”

“What for?”

Keith forces down a sob, low and raw. “For not saving him when I had the chance.”

“Keith,” his mother gasps, eyes wide.

“If I had done something, he still would be here. For me. For you. When you came back, you two could have…”

Krolia interrupts him, not unkindly, “We’ve talked about this before. You were a child.”  She runs her fingers though his hear. “There’s nothing you could have done. But there are things you can do now. To save the people you love. To be with them and never part ways again.”

“That… sounds nice.”

“You’re used to think that you don’t deserve nice things.” She sighs. “And I know deep down you already have figured out who you want to be with.”

A noise from outside makes them both jump slightly. The door opens to reveal a very hopeful-looking Takashi Shirogane. When he sees that Keith is awake, his mouth and eyes smile in harmony. Keith forgets how to breathe for a moment, taking in how the light shines on Shiro; with the silver hair, he is almost angelical. 

“Hello, Captain.”

“Ma’am.” He says, polite as ever, but his eyes are not on Krolia. “Keith, is so good to see you.”

“I’ll let you two catch up.”  She pats Keith on the head and leaves, a peaceful smile gracing her features.

“Captain,” Keith repeats. “I like the sound of that.”

“It was kind of a sudden thing,” Shiro says a little bashfully. But there is pride shining on his eyes. He makes his ways to a chair near Keith’s bed, perhaps a little too slowly, and Keith takes the hint.

“Come here,” he pats the mattress and Shiro sits down. Now that he is not smiling anymore, Keith can see the lines of exhaustion on his features, how old he seems.

“Is… everything okay?”

Shiro chuckles. “Nothing gets past you.”

“Not from you,” Keith says and admires the way Shiro’s cheek tint with a lovely shade of pink.

“You’re becoming more and more observant.”

“Again, it’s easy when it’s you.” Keith smiles. “You make everything easier.”

The nice moment fades away quickly, though, and soon enough Shiro seems to be holding himself together just barely. His back is somewhat curved, there are bags under his eyes and his breath is uneven.

“Tell me what’s bothering you, please.”

“I don’t want to drop anything on your shoulders with now. You just woke up.”

“I know,” Keith says, “I just woke up and every second that goes by I can only think that you guys could have needed me when I was out.”

“Keith,” he chides gently.

“So, please, trust me. Need me. You can need me, Shiro, and I’ll be here whenever you do.”

Keith feels more than he sees the way Shiro looks at the scar on his cheek.

“I can only hope to be here for you just as much,” he sighs. Then, adds, almost inaudible: “It’s Adam.”

Keith’s stomach drops. “Oh. So you guys talked?”

Shiro shakes his head. “No, we didn’t. He… He didn’t make it through Sendak’s invasion. There was a battle before we got here and…” He trembles. “He was already gone when we arrived, Keith. I couldn’t to a single thing.”

He whispers Shiro’s name, once, twice, not knowing what to say other than that. Shiro is right there, at his side, and he cannot just watch him fall apart. He finally takes Shiro’s hand – the one just like his own, flesh and blood – and gives it a firm squeeze. The words I am sorry hang from his lips, almost falling. They don’t. Keith thinks they seem insufficient, hollow. Instead, he says a truth he knows too well,

“Losing people we love is never easy.”

The word love seems to catch Shiro’s attention.

“I…” He gulps. “I did love him. I guess a part of me always will.”

Keith’s heart aches more than the rest of his body now.

“We were going to get married,” at the last word, something that is not quite yet a sob escapes from Shiro’s mouth. He takes a deep breath. “But that’s a future that will never happen. I want to talk about the futures that still have a chance. The futures I want to live.”

“There are so many,” Keith wants to reassure him, despite himself. “Here on Earth and maybe even out there.”

“Space,” Shiro smiles somewhat sadly.

“Your heart belongs in the stars.”

Shiro squeezes his hand. “And maybe somewhere else too.”

“Somewhere else?”

“Keith,” he begins, and Keith sees a new kind of fear in his eyes. “I did love Adam. But that love is a love from somewhere long gone. And I am okay with it being just the past. When he died, I already didn’t have feelings for him anymore. I don’t.”  He coughs. “Romantic feelings, I mean. I will always treasure what we had together, but it has been a while that I don’t want anything with him.”

“How long?”

“Since I met you again.”  The pink tints Shiro’s cheeks one more time. It is barely noticeable, but Keith’s heart feels like combusting. “I want us to explore space together. Come with me, Keith. Then we can settle in a nice place here on Earth for a while, when this mess is over, and just be happy.”

Keith gives a shaky laugh, “You have no idea how afraid I am that I am reading things wrong.”

“Let me explain, then.”

Shiro’s lips are heaven on his, warm and soft. Keith yanks him even closer by his shirt, tasting everything Shiro has to offer, starting slowly; then, he loses whatever self-control that remained, almost too eager, almost too hungry. Shiro tries to slow him down for a moment, but gives up and lets himself be carried away, his tongue exploring Keith’s parted lips first, then his neck. Shiro’s breathless laugh on his skin is the best sound he has heard in years.

“Are we clear, cadet?”

Keith grins and does a tiny salute. “Cristal clear, sir.”

“You won’t be a cadet for long, though.” Shiro backs away slightly to look at him, in awe. “You have grown up so much. And I don’t say this as happy as I do only because I’m proud. I very much like what I see.”

This time, Keith is the one that goes pink. “Shut up.”

Shiro kisses him again. “Gladly.”

[t3hwh1t3p4nth3r]

Lotura Week Day 6! (Late)

“Pidge, Hunk and Coran have always enjoyed tinkering with things. This time, though… I fear they may have gone too far.”

 Lotor tilts his head, an eyebrow raised, as he stares at the curious contraption.

 “What is it, exactly?”

 Pidge beamed.

 “We worked out the theoretical details all last week. I think I made slept three hours tops the whole time.”

 That doesn’t seem far from the truth. Pidge’s eyes are bloodshot and crazy, dark circles ringing them. There are also many empty cups of the closest thing to coffee Coran had to offer. Hunk pushes forward, too excited and wired on caffeine to let Pidge explain all the science.

 “We made a Time Machine!”

 Shiro looks a bit skeptical.

 “A Time Machine? Is that even possible? And if it is, don’t you think that’s dangerous? What if something got screwed up? We’ve all seen the movies…”

 “That’s the beauty of what we’ve done! We created it so that we can travel through time, but can’t interact with it. We can only observe. And the Machine itself will be hidden, using the same cloaking technology I programmed into Green. It can only travel on the timeline that it’s set on in the present, though. See, with every decision that gets made, it slightly alters what timeline our consciousnesses are currently traveling on. This ties into the multiple reality theory. Usually only big decisions will REALLY effect the timeline, but there are butterfly effects that can cause unknown, huge consequences. Like when-“

 “What Pidge is saying is that there’s no risk for us to ruin the past and the future we see will only exist if things keep going basically the way that they’re going now.”

 Pidge pouts.

 “Well… Yeah… That’s the REALLY simplified version… Also, I’ve programmed it to lock on to the D.N.A of whoever touches the control panel so that it can visit the corresponding D.N.A in any era that they existed. It can also accept information put in manually for location and such.”

 Though still wary of the idea, everyone is rather intrigued by the concept.

 Coran jumps forward, eyes and moustache twitching.

 “So! Who wants to give it a try! We should all be able to fit!”

 Shiro shakes his head.

 “I think you three really ought to get some rest.”

 “NO!”

 Pidge’s voice made all of them recoil slightly.

 “We have been DYING to show you guys all the progress we’ve made! We’re doing this NOW! We can sleep when we get back!”

 Shiro looked just as startled as the rest of them.

 “Alright then. You heard her. Everyone in.”

 It wasn’t as crowded as it seemed it would be.

 “Alright! Whose past and future do we wanna visit? Allura! How about yours!”

 The princess gave a small nod.

 “Alright.”

 She stepped forward, placing her hand on the pad. Coran entered a date from 10,000 years ago into the Machine.

 They found themselves inside what looked like a laboratory. The land outside was not Altea. They all looked around, trying to spot Allura. The entire Machine was see through for them. Allura turned around and froze. There were her parents. With a past version of Zarkon and Honerva. Lotor’s reaction was rather similar, seeing this version of his parents, particularly his father.

 “He looks… Happy. Is he smiling?”

 Lotor didn’t seem aware that he had spoken out loud. Everyone else had to admit: the sight of a young, smiling Zarkon was indeed very strange.

 They watched as King Alfor handed baby Allura to Honerva. Allura gasped, her eyes widening and an excited smile passing her lips.

 “Honerva held me! THE Honerva held me!! And I pulled her hair!”

 They all watched as Zarkon presented a small helmet to King Alfor. A gift for the Princess. It was little too big for her, but she seemed to enjoy it all the same. Lotor shakes his head lightly.

 “What a relic, even then. Those haven’t been used practically for centuries. They’ve long been relegated to purely ceremonial purposes. Though it does mean, at that time at least, he was extending a promise to protect you.”

 Allura looks to him, meeting his gaze. She still had the helmet, but she had never known the meaning that it held.

 “That’s pretty ironc, given how things turned out.”

 Pidge tended to have next to no filter when she was this exhausted. She wasn’t wrong, though.

 It wasn’t terribly long before baby Allura spat up on her father’s shoulder. Allura’s cheeks turned very red as she reached for the panel.

 “I think we can see a different time, now. “

 She pressed one of the buttons on the console, taking them a few years into the future.

 Allura is now a little girl. She looks to be somewhere around 6, perhaps a little older. She’s running around in the dining hall of the Castle of Lions. She gets scooped up by a large man with bright eyes. He looks a little like a bear, but far nicer. She giggles as he tosses her into the air and catches her.

 Allura smiles, watching the scene.

 “Gyrgan. He was always so sweet and kind to me.”

 “Gyrgan? Who was he?”

 “He was the original paladin of the Yellow Lion.”

 The scene seems to be a gathering of the paladins, though it doesn’t seem to have a very somber air to it. They looks down the table at all who are seated there. Honerva and Zarkon are near the end of the table, near Alfor and his wife. They look noticeably different from the previous memory they had just seen. Both are rougher around the edges, their features looking sharper. Zarkon’s eyes are purely yellow now, where before they had held irises similar to Lotor’s. Honerva looks far more changed, though. Her face looks hollow, her eyes no longer hold the spark they had before, and her smile seems weaker. Her hair was down, where it had previously been put up, and she conceals herself in a dark cloak.

 With the way she’s seated, though, the cloak does not very effectively conceal her larger stomach. They listen to the conversation and realize that must be the main reason for them all coming together: They’re celebrating the news that Zarkon and Honerva are expecting.

 They all comment on how sweet the occasion seems, especially when little Allura scurries over to Honerva and places a hand on her belly while asking questions. “Is it a boy or a girl? Do they have a name yet?” etc.

 The only one who seems to realize how hard this must be for Lotor to watch is Allura.

 “I think this is enough dwelling in the past. With the alliance, we really ought to be looking to the future.”

 She places her hand on the panel once more, entering in a time that’s 10 years beyond the present.

 The scene that emerges before them is Allura and Lotor sitting alone in the dining hall of the Castle of Lions. They seem to be doing research. No one is terribly surprised by that. They both look tired, but happy. It takes everyone a moment to realize that the pair is holding hands as they scroll through the information on their holo-screens. The group looks to the pair in the Machine with them. Both Allura and Lotor are blushing, having noticed the same detail.

 Their blushes grow deeper and their eyes wider when the door to the dining hall opens and two children enter. Both are perfect blends of Allura and Lotor’s features.

 Everyone in the Machine not currently paralyzed proceeds to freak out. Pidge and Hunk have started chanting “Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God” while wearing smiles that border on terrifyingly enthusiastic. Lance has ceased speaking coherently, attempting to communicate using only unintelligible sounds and flailing gestures. Coran looks as though he may pass out, yet still looks pleased at the sight of the children. Shiro has remained rather calm, but his expression looks like a deer in the headlights. His eyes are wide and his mouth forms the shape of a small “O”.

 Once the shock starts to wear off, though, they watch the future scene play out. They learn that the children are twins, one a boy and one a girl. The boy takes more after Allura but inherited Lotor’s claws. He enters holding his cheek, tears in his eyes. He had had a nightmare. While he was scared, his claws had come out and he had scratched his face. It wasn’t too deep, but it was bleeding. Alllura and her daughter went to get the kit to clean him up, leaving Lotor and his son alone.

 They watch as Lotor helps his son sit up in the edge of the table and try to help settle him down. He explains that the same thing happened to him a lot too, explaining that their claws tend to emerge when they’re under stress.

 “It isn’t always a bad thing. It’s true, they come out when you and I are scared or angry or nervous. But they can show up for good things too.”

 “Like what?”

 His tears were subsiding as he talked to his dad.

 “Well, like when I married your mother. Or when you and your sister were born. When you took your first steps, and said your first words. My claws were there in all of those moments, and it was because of how happy I was. I couldn’t have retracted them if I had wanted to.”

 They did all glance at the hands of the Lotor in the Machine with them. His blush continued burning as he tucked his hands out of sight.

 “Yes, my claws are out… Shut up…”

 They all continued watching the family interact. It ended with all four of them deciding it was time to return to bed. Coran pressed the button that returned them all to their present time.

 “I think we’d all do well to follow their lead.”

 Pidge and Hunk nodded, both evidently starting to crash. They all bid each other goodnight, heading to their own quarters until only Allura and Lotor remained in the room. Neither really knew what to say about what they had seen. Both wanted to say something, though. Though it had come as a bit of a surprise and though they had initially been a little embarrassed, they couldn’t deny that watching that future had made them very happy. Both wanted it to become reality, even if they weren’t sure how to voice it yet.

 Without thinking, Lotor leaned in, pressing a kiss to Allura’s lips. He gave a small bow as he pulled away.

 “Sleep well, Allura.”

 He seemed a little stiff as he left to go to his room. Allura smiled as she noticed that his claws were out.

 000

 Allura was the only one still awake. Her thoughts tormented her. She doubted she would ever again be able to sleep soundly. So many happy memories had turned painful after everything that had happened yesterday.

 She still didn’t know how to feel about all of this. How could Lotor have done such a thing?!? And how could he have kept such a major secret between the two of them?!? She felt so used and stupid and… and heartbroken.

 Her eyes drifted over to the Time Machine. Did she dare? She was certain she wouldn’t like anything that saw. How could she after all that had happened?

 She stepped into the Machine, her gaze locked onto the panel. After what felt like hours, she reached out and entered the time for 5 years into the future.

 The image she saw was not resolved like all the others had been. They weren’t fixed. It kept jumping between two images. The one image was a familiar type of scene: She and Lotor were together and happy. They both had hands on Allura’s stomach. It must be that she was expecting.

 But then the image would change. The image was not bright and happy like the other. Everything was darker, possessing a reddish purple glow. There was destruction everywhere she looked. She was no longer looking into the Castle of Lions. She wasn’t sure what she was seeing. But one thing she was certain of was that it didn’t bode well. The paladins lay on the floor, all badly injured. She was no exception. The cause of it stood above them all: Lotor. But not as they had come to know him. His appearance was rather unchanged, except for his eyes. They glowed purple, just as Zarkon’s had. He wasn’t Lotor anymore. She watched as Lotor approached her.

 The image shifted to him smiling, placing a gentle smile to her forehead.

 And back. He had her by the throat, raising her into the air. His expression was hollow, empty. It seemed as though he felt nothing anymore. It was as similar to the look on the faces of Haggar’s past puppets and Robeasts.

 As the images continued to shift, she sank to the ground. She cursed the tears springing to her eyes. How? How had everything gone so wrong? And how could they do anything to set it right?

  (Late. I’m sorry. *shame corner* I hope you enjoyed it)

 (prompts: time travel AU / past and future / family)

[bingbong21]

Domestic Desires

Summary:  Shiro attempts to make his boyfriend's favorite muffins to help ease some of his stress. Keith has other ideas on how Shiro can help. 18+ content. 

A/N: For @aceofspeight, who said so long as I made blueberry muffin porn I could do whatever the hell I wanted with. Thus this was born. You can read it on ao3 here or on FFN here. 

When Keith stepped into his apartment, he quickly became aware of two things; one, that the small kitchen looked like it had been the host for a no-holds barred turf war between rivaling bakeries, only to have two lovers from opposing sides rush to the middle, make a passionate speech about “making love, not war”, and inspiring a drunken orgy of baked goods. Two, his boyfriend stood in the middle of ground zero holding a pan of what could only be described at the unholy illegitimate children of the affairs that transpired. He took a tentative step inside, afraid that one wrong move could trigger a hidden pie landmine.

“So…” internally Keith was proud of the nonchalance he exuded in the face of such culinary carnage, “What uh…what happened here?”

Shiro sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, spreading flour more evenly throughout, “You’ve seemed kind of stressed lately, and I know blueberry muffins are your favorite, so I asked Hunk for a recipe. And, well…” He gestured helplessly at the tray in his hand, “Ta-da.”

Keith peered at the tray, nose wrinkling at the sickeningly sweet scent of singed blueberries. The tops of every single muffin had caved in; the ones in the center were a blackened crisp, while the outermost muffins were barely baked. Although the ones in the middle looked delicious and edible with the blueberries staining the moist tops, Keith knew from past experience that just because Shiro makes something that looks good doesn’t mean it won’t give you food poisoning. He learned that one the hard way, and now had difficulty looking at chicken without feeling phantom cramps.

“You know you could’ve just gotten me a box of mini muffins right?”

Shiro stared at a corner of the room, a slight flush on his face, “I know, but Hunk made it sound so easy, and you deserve better than just crummy junk snacks.”

Keith pressed a kiss under Shiro’s jaw, taking the tray from his hands and placing it on the counter, “Hunk literally makes five-star crème brulee for fun Shiro, of course he’d make it sound easy.”

His reassurances that Shiro wasn’t a hopeless case fell on deaf ears, Shiro’s frown deepening as his brows furrowed together. Keith sighed, looping his arms around Shiro’s neck and standing on the tips of his toes to press his forehead against his boyfriend’s, “You know, if you’re really dead set on this whole homemade thing, we could, you know, make them together?”

Shiro’s reaction was instantaneous; his face lit up like someone plugged in the lights of a Christmas tree. Keith couldn’t muffle the yelp that morphed into laughter as Shiro leaned down, nuzzling into his neck and pressing light kisses, “I promise you won’t regret it,” Shiro murmured, pressing a light kiss to his lips.

Keith chuckled, a small smirk on his face, “Oh really now? Because I believe we have a security deposit from our last place that would beg to differ.”

The slap on the arm was worth the exaggerated scandalized look on Shiro’s face, “I told you, that was all Lance and Pidge!”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Keith presses a kiss to his cheek before pulling away. “So where is this so-called easy recipe?”

Shiro presented a piece of paper, the handwriting clearly Hunk’s. Keith quickly read through the ingredients and directions, eyebrows raising at the massive amounts of underlines, stars, scratched out sentences, and diagrams? He snorted; leave it to Hunk to give baking instructions so thorough that they circled back to being confusing. Even with the years of practice he had with deciphering Shiro and Allura’s handwriting Keith struggled to understand the print, the large letters piled on top of each other and crammed into every space available. He glanced over at Shiro, who was currently reading over his shoulder with arms wrapped around his narrow waist with brows cutely furrowed in concentration, and thought that it was honestly a miracle the muffins came out resembling muffins if this overly detailed mess was what he had to follow. Still, if homemade was what Shiro wanted to do then who was he to deny the love of his life such a simple request? It helped that no matter how mundane the challenge he was never one to back down, and baking with Shiro using Hunk’s instructions was quite possibly the definition of ‘mundane challenge’.

He sighed, begrudgingly pulling himself from Shiro’s embrace and pocketing the instructions, “Alright, you dump the first batch and I’ll scrub out the bowl. Is the oven still at four hundred degrees?”

“It should be,” Shiro opened the trash can, shaking out the botched remains from the pan, “Unless Pidge, Hunk, and Coran finally succeeded in making it sentient and it turned itself off.”

Keith shuddered at the memory as he turned on the water; the Toaster Oven Incident of 2014 was a setback for culinary advancements everywhere. Scrubbing out the bowl was easier than he thought, most of the batter so runny that it only required the water from the faucet running over it to disappear down the drain. There were some patches where the batter was thick like dough; those areas required Keith to scrub and chip away until they flaked off. He was glad that he had the foresight to remove his jacket and gloves after he had entered as water had already splashed onto his bare forearms. He grabbed the dish towel hanging beneath the sink to not only dry the bowl but his arms in the vain hope that flour and baking soda wouldn’t be attracted to them. He glanced down as if just remembering that he was wearing an all-black t-shirt, the ultimate magnet for pure white messes. Sighing he turned around with the bowl in hand, already resigned to his fate, and nearly dropped the clean bowl in surprise as his breath catches in his throat at the sight before him.

Shiro stood in front of the counter, fingers deftly dropping paper wrappers in the cupcake pan. The muscled expanse of his back was bound only by a thin grey shirt that clung so tightly to his body that it appeared painted on. The tight black jeans he wore weren’t any better as they accentuated his ass, making it appear so round and temptingly squeezable. As enticing as these simple clothes made him appear what had stolen Keith’s breath away was the sight of Shiro in their apron, the strings tied behind his back in a bow like a present just begging to be unwrapped. The strings hugged the gentle curve of his waist, pulling the simple black cloth stained with batter and flour tight against the hard planes of his body. Like a beacon the simple white text drew the eyes to his broad chest, forcing the reader to momentarily ogle Shiro’s impressive pectorals as they read “When I cook, I wear my cape backwards”; not the most titillating sentence in existence, yet the dorky humor somehow added to the sensual allure that Keith attributed to the apron. He wasn’t sure why the sight of his long-term boyfriend wearing the apron sent his pulse racing and blood boiling. It certainly wasn’t because they selected it together, as it had been a housewarming gift from Hunk after they had moved into their current apartment. Perhaps it was because he considered the apron part of his personal wardrobe, given how frequently he wore it, and the sight of Shiro in something of his provoked a previously unexplored possessive side. Or perhaps it was because the apron paired with his normally doting boyfriend filled his mind with scenarios of coming home from a long day to be greeted by the love of his life, like some housewife in a fifties advertisement come to life.

Yes, Keith decided as his cock grew fat and heavy in the tight confines of his jeans, that was most definitely the reason why. Especially if tie ant those chiseled cheeks would be flushed a rosy red as sweat ran down his perfectly sculpted face. Or if those beautiful steel grey eyes would shine with untamed desire instead of their usual kindness and worry. Or if those deliciously plump lips would only say his name instead of-wait, no, that’s not the fantasy, Shiro is actually trying to ask him something.

Keith snapped back to attention, shaking his head free of the increasingly dirty thoughts, “Sorry, what was that? Kinda…spaced out there.”

Shiro’s lips pursed as he looked Keith over, eyebrows furrowing together, “Maybe we shouldn’t do this. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately and this isn’t exactly going to be a walk in the park.”

Keith watched in horror as Shiro’s hands moved behind his back in preparation of untying the bow. Before he realized what he was doing he had already grasped Shiro’s wrist and yanked it away. Shiro eyebrows were almost in his hairline with how high they were raised; quickly Keith removed his hands, palms facing Shiro in a placating gesture.

“No! No, I’m totally fine. We’re going to do this, and you’re going to keep wearing that apron.”

Mentally Keith slapped himself for the addition of the apron comment. Not only was it totally unnecessary, but it was as transparent as Lance trying to get in a girl’s good graces. Shiro gave him a once-over; finding nothing noticeably wrong he shrugged, taking the bowl out of Keith’s hands and placing it on the counter. Keith made a mental note to handwrite a lovely thank-you note to whatever deity was watching over him in that moment.

“I was trying to ask how we should start this,” Shiro began, ignorant of the inner workings of Keith’s mind. He pulled out measuring cups of varying sizes, each having lingering remnants of the previous attempt in them. “When I did it I just put everything in the bowl and just mixed it together. But seeing how that didn’t turn out so well, I was wondering if you had a different idea how we should start this.”

Keith glanced down at the recipe, eyebrow raised, “Well there’s your first problem; it says to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately first.”

Shiro paused as he turned to look at Keith, his head tilted in that adorably confused way that always reminded Keith of a puppy, “But Hunk wrote that it was a one bowl recipe at the top.”

“Yeah but underneath that is a little note saying that it’s actually going to take two bowls,” Keith held out the piece of paper for Shiro to look. Shiro squinted as he struggled to make out the cramped handwriting beneath the large writing for the recipe. Realization dawned alongside a cherry pink flush as he finally comprehended the writing underneath.

“I cannot believe…” Shiro grumbled, scrubbing his face; he sighed, giving a tired smile. “You take wet and I take dry?”

Keith nodded, opening the cabinet to his left and pulling a medium sized bowl from the shelf. Briefly he was thankful that all of their frequently used cooking utensils were within his reach instead of Shiro’s. He could only imagine what it would feel like to have Shiro pressed against his back, the muscles of his torso taut as he reached upwards to procure the bowl. He wondered if he’d be able to feel those dark brown nipples pebbling against his back, the faint friction through too-thin clothing lewdly stretched across them more than enough to turn them to stone. Or perhaps they’d already be peaked, serving as his only warning before Shiro grabs his hips to pill his flush against his crotch in a slow dirty grind. He shivered, feeling Shiro’s hot breath as he mouthed up his neck before nosing under his ear. He spoke, voice a seductive whisper, about how he was going to fuck Keith on that counter and how the only assistance he’d get to his dick would be when it knocked against the drawers from the force of Shiro’s thrusts. Keith leaned his head back against the broad shoulder behind him, knuckles turning white from his grip on the counter, and rolled his hips back to further entice-

A startled yelp preceding a flurry of dusty white was enough to snap Keith out of the fantasy. He turned to see Shiro staring at the flour bag with a mix of betrayal and surprise, the white text of the apron hidden beneath a layer of flour. Shiro lifted his gaze to Keith, a slight pout already forming.

“All I did was open the bag…” Keith couldn’t help the chuckle he gave at the petulant almost whine that was Shiro’s voice; leave it to Shiro to make a mess. He grabbed the one-third measuring cup lying in front of him and held it over the bowl as he carefully poured the vegetable oil, making sure to avoid spilling any excess oil on the countertop or himself. He should be able to avoid at least spilling it on himself, Keith thought as he reached for the milk, but if cooking with Shiro had taught him anything it was that absolutely any situation was possible. Although if Shiro managed to spill oil on himself it wouldn’t be the worst occurrence in their kitchen, especially if it somehow managed to soak through that tight shirt. Keith could see it now; Shiro would curse, ripping the top half of the apron off to reveal a gradually growing dark stain. He’d pull his shirt off in record time, revealing a six pack achieved from countless hours in the gym. But the real star would be those bulging pectorals, glistening with a slight sheen from the oil having soaked through the shirt, and the biceps as they tossed the shirt out of the kitchen. Shiro would look over at him, lips formed in a perfect pout at the mess he had made. Keith would drop whatever he was doing to go over and let him know it was alright that he made a mess; oh yes, he thought as he massaged the oil into his skin, it was more than alright, appreciated even. In fact, it was so appreciated that Keith crowded Shiro into the counter to show him just how appreciative he was.

“Keith…” That’s right, beg for it, “Keith, the milk!”

Keith looked down, still caught in the throes of his poorly scripted personal porno, to see that the milk had overflowed the one-third cup and was currently splashing into the bowl. He jerked his hand back, milk splashing onto his shirt and the counter, and poured the one-third cup into the bowl. Judging by appearances it roughly looked as if there was one-half cup of milk in there instead of the previous one-third. Luckily Hunk’s recipe gave a good margin for error, saying anywhere between was acceptable; in that moment Keith decided that Hunk was a saving grace whether the baker knew it or not.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Keith waved his hand, grabbing an egg from the carton. “Just…thought I’d try a little something different, you know? Go a little off script.”

Shiro smiled, giving his face that soft fond look Keith had fallen in love with as he watched the egg crack perfectly, “Going off script was how I got the first batch babe.”

Keith returned the smile, reaching for the teaspoon set and the vanilla extract, “True, but even following the script has never helped you much. I mean remember the iron compound lab?”

“To this day I’m still baffled,” Shiro replied, whisking the dry ingredients together, “I followed it to the letter, it turned out green, and then the second part of the lab says there wasn’t any iron in it. How the hell can it have no iron when it’s green?”

“Not sure, but the look on the TA and professor’s faces was priceless,” Keith began whisking the liquids together, becoming foamy and a pale yellowish brown. Once he deemed it mixed enough Keith began pouring the mixture into the dry ingredient bowl as Shiro continued to work. He watched as the pile of white flour and baking powder gradually turned the same color as the liquid mixture, already resembling muffins more than Shiro’s first attempt. The batter even appeared to have a more even consistency, the entire bowl being a little thicker than cake batter but far below the pizza dough-like mess that he had to scrape out when preparing it for this batch. Based solely on its appearance it would be easy to scoop into the pan just as Hunk had described it would be; as Shiro began to fold in the blueberries a part of Keith’s mind whispered just how spreadable it looked as well. He couldn’t help but agree, imaging just how easily it would slide over Shiro’s skin if his boyfriend grabbed a handful and allowed it to drip down his body. How that batter would dribble down the hard planes of his torso, gathering in the crevices as the blueberries sporadically stained the skin purple in a mockery of the hickeys Keith wanted to leave all over that alabaster skin. It was almost as much of a tease as Shiro running a finger through the mess, the clean trail disappearing as soon as it appeared, to gather a thick dollop on the pad of his index finger that he then offered to Keith.

Fine, Keith thought as he grabbed Shiro’s wrist, two could play at the tease game. His eyes slid shut as he guided Shiro’s hand to slip the digit into his warm wet cavern. He hummed as he teasingly swirled his tongue around the finger, lapping up the batter that dripped from the edges. It was sweet with the blueberries just adding the barest hint of tart to keep it from nauseating; Keith made sure to hollow his cheeks and suck to swallow the last drop. Always one to be thorough Keith bobbed his head, tongue swiping up and down in search of any leftover batter and making sure Shiro’s finger came out cleaner than it had entered. It wasn’t his fault if, while watching enraptured, Shiro was reminded of how Keith knew to suck his cock just right to get every last drop cum and then coax back to full hardness. And if it just so happened that it did remind Shiro of such activities and resulted in Keith being bent over the table, then so be it. These were Keith’s thoughts as he slowly pulled off the digit, hooking it in his mouth so that it released with an audible pop. He looked up at Shiro under half-lidded eyes, cheeks flushed, only to feel his face burn with something other than arousal as he came to his senses. Standing in front of him wasn’t a Shiro with his top off, bathed in slick batter and oil, but rather his Shiro whose top was still very much intact and whose face was flushed a brilliant red to the tips of his ears as he stared down at his boyfriend having imitated a blowjob on his previously battered finger.

If the Earth could just swallow him whole to save him from impending embarrassment in that moment, it’d be greatly appreciated.

“W-Well, that tastes great,” Keith barely manages to squeak the sentence out before he’s pushing past Shiro to grab the bowl and a scoop. With a speed rivaling Hunk’s but with not nearly as much finesse Keith begins pouring the batter into the pan, smudges landing around the rim of each liner. “Should really get these in the oven, not a good idea to let them sit out for long.”

The acknowledgement to his panicked rambling is Shiro coming up behind him, strong arms wrapping around his waist; for a moment his word vomit ceases alongside his breathing as Shiro nuzzles his neck. It returns with a vengeance though when one of his hands moves downwards, cupping his embarrassingly hard cock through his jeans. While Keith successfully holds back the whimper, he’s helpless to stop his hips from bucking into the touch.

“P-Plus the…y-you know, the oven being on for so long…ngh…i-it’s a fire hazard,” he was impressed that he was able to form a coherent thought, especially with how Shiro was nipping at his earlobe. He was less impressed with the whine that was dragged from his throat with a mere grinding of Shiro’s hips into his ass as he bent to put the pan in the oven. No sooner had he straightened up, Shiro was turning him around; before he could gather his bearings Shiro sealed their mouths together, hands pulling hips to be flush against his. The gasp Keith emits is the opening Shiro needs to slip his tongue into his mouth, chasing the taste of raw blueberry batter mixed with the always favorite flavor of his boyfriend. It takes only a second for Keith to get control over himself again, but as soon as he’s back online he’s raking his fingers through Shiro’s hair as he enthusiastically returns the kiss. Together their tongues dance a well-rehearsed sensual choreography, pushing and pulling against each other in a mimicry of how their bodies moved when thrusting against each other. When they pulled apart Shiro wasted no time diving down to kiss and suck at Keith’s neck, leaving a trail of red splotches in his path; Keith tightened his grip in Shiro’s hair, not caring of the trail of drool that had formed when Shiro pulled away so quickly.

“I thought I was imaging it,” Shiro muttered hotly, “Thought it was just a crease in your jeans. But after that little show you gave me there’s no denying what’s got you so distracted.”

“Sh-Shiro…”

Shiro looked up at him, cupping his cheek with a tenderness that belied the blatant want brewing in his gray eyes, “Tell me what you want babe.”

Keith sucked in a breath, trying to steady himself so that he could finally voice the thoughts that had been plaguing him this entire time, “I…I-I wanna lick you clean…wanna watch you suck my cock in that apron.”

The sultry smile Shiro gave him warmed his stomach less than the gentle kiss he pressed to his forehead after pushing black bangs back, “Of course love, anything you want.”

He pulled back just enough to lift the loop of the apron from around his neck. The black cloth folded at the waist, revealing the tight gray shirt that had taunted Keith throughout their baking adventure. He reached down, tugging the shirt free of the strings keeping the apron tight to his body, allowing a tantalizing glimpse at what was to come. Watching Shiro slowly tug the shirt over his head, muscles flexing with every movement, Keith decided that no matter how steamy his fantasies got nothing could compare to the real thing. Nothing compared to actually feeling the heat radiate off his body like a furnace, or feeling the hard planes of that toned body pressing his smaller one into the stove. Even watching the cotton drag over his skin was better with the knowledge that he’d be touching that body with his hands and tongue soon enough. Keith followed every movement Shiro made, mesmerized with how his body moved; he didn’t miss how he reached over to dip his fingers into the batter bowl, gathering the dregs that failed to make it into the pan into his hand. He met Keith’s gaze and, with a smile and playful wink that had Keith forgetting how to breathe, smeared the batter all over his chest. Keith was helpless against the desire to watch the tan batter spotted with dark purple paint such a subtle contrast to his lover’s chest, the mixture filling every crack and crevice better than he could imagine. Once satisfied with his work Shiro held his hand palm-up in front of Keith, lips quirked in a sultry smile.

“Bon appétit babe.”

Keith wasn’t sure he’d ever moved so quickly as he did in that moment to grab Shiro’s wrist and tug his palm up to his mouth. He inhaled deeply as his eyes slide shut, the sweet scent of blueberry muffins dizzying when mixed with his arousal, before laying his tongue flat on the proffered fingertips. He dragged his tongue through the batter, moaning at how the flavors mixed perfectly with the natural taste of Shiro’s skin. Keith was unsure if he’d ever be able to enjoy a blueberry muffin again if it didn’t have the slight tang so indicative of Shiro’s body mixed into it. Keith tugged him closer, tongue dipping between the spaces of his fingers to collect the mix that had previously escaped him. He mouthed along the skin before engulfing the thick digit, intentionally reminiscent of the nights when he would tease and taunt Shiro before swallowing him almost to the hilt; judging by the deep groan Shiro made at the sight, he was successful. Just like before he imitated Shiro thrusting into his mouth, cheeks hollowed so his lips would provide that delicious suction on every inch as it penetrated his willing cavern. Once it pushed through that tight ring of muscles his tongue welcomed it, caressing and enfolding the finger like a lover returned from a trip abroad. Eventually he began to pull off, the action so agonizingly slow that it would be easy to think being separated was physically painful for him; the notion was only reinforced as he quickly went to work on the other finger, humming in delight at the taste. Keith repeated the drawn out process, making sure to shower each and every digit with the same love and attention as he gave to the first. It was only after he was satisfied that he had thoroughly cleaned and memorized the taste of each digit did he allow his eyes to flutter open to half-mast to stare up at Shiro.

Shiro’s face and upper chest were flushed, pupils blown wide to capture every subtle movement Keith made. His other hand was fisted in front of his mouth; Keith caught a flash of white, a sign that Shiro had been biting into the flesh to ground himself. Keith smirked, flipping Shiro’s arm over to expose the pale and delicate skin of his wrist. He raised his left hand to rest on Shiro’s shoulder and, with the same meticulous attention he had given him to cleaning his hand, began pressing soft close-mouthed kisses up the length of his arm. As he watched desire freely cloud Shiro’s expression he could feel the muscles quivering beneath his lips, usually so strong but rendered as helpless as a newborn lamb when exposed to his touch. Even after all the time they’d been together it always left him in awe how strong, self-assured Shiro was willing to let his guard down, allow him to see the vulnerable parts that he hid from everyone else. This knowledge, paired with the alluring scent of Shiro’s musk mixed with the sweet smell of batter growing stronger the higher he moved up Shiro’s body, emptied his mind of any thought that didn’t pertain to worshipping Shiro.

Dimly Keith realized the angle he was holding his body in order to keep his shirt free of the batter was uncomfortable and, more importantly, keeping him from pressing fully against Shiro’s body. He pulled back just enough to yank the offending cloth over his head, tossing it to the side of the room before pressing himself tightly against Shiro’s torso. He groaned, eyes sliding shut at the feeling of the wet batter sliding over his skin creating a slick friction between their bodies. With his face buried in Shiro’s neck pressing wet kisses along the pale column while he inhaled deeply of Shiro’s unique sex smell that never failed to arouse him, Keith was helpless to stop himself from grinding his groin against Shiro’s; the resounding moan was almost convincing enough to yank the rest of their clothes off and forgo the original plan. But even through the haze his most basic instincts created Keith was determined to follow through this opportunity to indulge in a newly discovered kink. It was with great reluctance that Keith pulled away from the crook of his neck to dip down until he was level with the sight of a pale brown nipple standing proudly erect like an island surrounded by a sticky sweet sea. Mouth watering he dove forward, capturing the pert bud in his mouth to suckle like a babe at its mother’s teat. The breathy gasp preceding a hearty groan from Shiro only succeeded in spurring Keith onward with his goal, tongue swirling around the areola and gathering the batter that stuck there. He pulled off with a slick pop to admire his handiwork; the skin was pink and raised, glistening with the saliva of his mouth. Keith hummed in appreciation at the sight, dipping back down to begin lapping up the rest of the batter on that pectoral in a circular motion.

Once Keith deemed the area sufficiently clean he dragged his tongue through the slick to the other side. He feels Shiro tangle his fingers into his hair, blunt nails scraping against his scalp as he scrambles to ground himself against Keith’s sensual onslaught. Keith smirks, wedging his thigh between Shiro’s legs to give the older man something to grind down on as he circles the nipple, mouth teasingly inching closer to where they both want it to be. In a stroke of what Keith would describe pure generosity he latches onto his target at the same time as he digs his thigh upwards into Shiro’s hard cock; the punched out moan that Shiro releases sends a shiver down his spine. He purrs, content to let Shiro ride his leg and shove his head more into his chest while he laps up the sweet aphrodisiac the two of them accidentally created despite the throbbing arousal begging for attention between his own legs. He is normally not a patient man, either in the bedroom or outside of it, but he knows from experience that with the right amount of coaxing Shiro will abandon any ideas of teasing in order to get to the main event. All he has to do is wait for a sign, the signal that Shiro is at the end of his rope and delirious with desire.

He doesn’t have to wait long when, as soon as he pulls off his chest to inspect his work, Shiro hauls his face upwards to mash their mouths together. Keith moans into the kiss, his arms slinging themselves around Shiro’s neck to press tightly against the glistening muscles of his boyfriend. Somewhere in the back of his mind was a voice chiding him about how all his hard work will be ruined by the batter on his body smearing against Shiro’s recently cleaned one; it was drowned out by a louder voice purring at the way the freshly greased up Shiro grasped his hips to shove him back against the stove. Both were silenced as Keith struggled to remember to breathe when Shiro returned the favor, pushing his muscled thigh between Keith’s to press into the firm bulge that had been present ever since he saw Shiro in that apron. Keith knew that if they continued like this there was a high chance they’d both be cumming in their pants; it wouldn’t be the first time, and certainly wouldn’t be the last if their exhibitionism streak was anything to go by. But through the fog created by his pounding pulse and labored breaths, Keith knew that wasn’t what he really wanted. What he wanted was Shiro on his knees in front of him looking thoroughly debauched with a mouth stuffed so full of cock that when he came, he could watch his seed leak out the corners of his mouth.

Willpower restored by that mental image, he pulled Shiro back by the short hairs at the nape of his neck. The whine that left Shiro was so endearingly arousing that he almost abandoned his previous goal. Keyword being almost; Keith was a man on a mission, and by God he was going to get his dick sucked by his hot boyfriend in that apron if it was the last thing he did. He leaned forward, tongue tracing the shell of his ear, relishing in the full body shudder he elicited from Shiro.

“You know that’s not what I want,” Keith panted, “I said I want you to suck my dick. Think you can be a good little house husband and do that?”

He wasn’t sure where that had come from, but after watching how Shiro practically fell to his knees and began mouthing at the front of his pants he swore he’d retrace his mental steps at a later date; for now, he was content to assist his desperate boyfriend with pulling his achingly hard erection from his jeans. As soon as his swollen tip emerged from the confines of his jeans, Shiro pushed his hands aside to engulf it in his mouth, hands swiftly beginning to work the shaft. Keith groaned at the feeling of Shiro’s mouth suckling on his dick, that had been painfully hard for what felt like eternity, like it was the sweetest popsicle in the world. He fought against the urge to tilt his head back and shut his eyes tight, wanting to watch as Shiro slowly swallowed his cock inch by mind numbingly glorious inch. He carded his fingers lovingly through Shiro’s hair to coax him to sink deeper onto his rod each time he bobbed downwards; Shiro was rewarded with fingers running through his hair yet again when he obeyed.

“Such a good little house husband,” Keith purred, “Takes such good care of me, makes sure I have everything I could ever want. Ngh, let’s me use his bo-ha-ody however I want.”

Shiro whines, sinking to a little over halfway onto his cock; Keith laughed, hand coming down to stroke Shiro’s cheek. He couldn’t stop the jolt of his hips when Shiro leaned into the touch, looking up at him with damp grey eyes. “What, is my little house husband embarrassed? You shouldn’t be. I love how desperately slutty you get for my dick. All those little noises you make…It’s, hngh, i-it’s my favorite thing about you.”

In response Shiro groaned as he bobbed back and forth, the sound vibrating around Keith’s overly sensitized cock. Keith moaned in reply, grip tightening in Shiro’s hair as he succumbed to the need to tilt his head back at the sensation of a tongue dancing along the shaft. His eyes would have slid shut as he panted, had Shiro not decided to go the rest of the way and swallow him down to the base. As it was his eyes flew wide open, mouth hanging open in a gasp as he felt Shiro nuzzle the coarse hairs surrounding his base, throat spasming uncontrollably around the plush tip.

“I take it back; this is my favorite! Love having you choke on my cock, shit,” Keith hisses, hips jerking slightly as his tip retreats from the warm haven of Shiro’s throat. He moaned loudly as Shiro tongued at his slit, lapping up the precome dripping from it like it was the nectar of the gods. “Fuck yes, just like that. God, treat me so fucking good. Shit, Shiro.”

Shiro chose that moment to speed up, cheeks hollowed so that the smooth inside rubbed up against the sides of his cock. Keith shouted a curse, eyes rolling into the back of his head; the sensation so painfully similar to the nights when he would be buried balls deep inside Shiro’s ass, yet so uniquely different in terms of the glorious sounds coming from fucking Shiro’s tight throat, that he knew it wouldn’t take much longer before he was spilling into Shiro’s willing mouth. Already he could feel the tightening low in his gut, the tingling at the base of his spine, the curses falling freely from his lips all signs that he was toeing the edge of the cliff leading to sexual nirvana. He weakly tapped Shiro’s cheek in an attempt to get his attention; he groaned when Shiro looked up, face flushed from exertion and lack of air and tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“Guh…gonna cum. You better,” Keith swallowed back a moan, watching as Shiro worked his cock faster than before, “Better swallow every last dro…ah, ha, ah!”

He doubled over, pushing Shiro by the back of the head to swallow more of his pulsing cock, mouth hanging open as he gasped desperately for air. His eyelids fluttered at the feeling, unsure and uncaring if the reason his orgasm was so mind numbingly incredible was because he’d been hard and on edge since he’d stepped foot into the kitchen, or because Shiro was swallowing his cum while his recently spent cock sat in the back of his throat. Either way his release had been so strong that as soon as Shiro pulled off he was sliding to the floor, chest heaving as he leaned heavily into the oven door. Once he was sure that he was still tethered to this plane of existence Keith forced his eyes open and shot a smirk at Shiro.

“Very good,” Keith leaned forward as he pushed Shiro to lying on his back on the floor. He crawled, settling himself comfortably on top of Shiro, arms caging the face of his boyfriend; he gave a slow grind against the bulge in his black pants, drawing out heated moan from the man beneath him. “I think my sweet little house husband has earned himself a treat.”

A half hour after they’d been put into the oven, the now ruined muffins joined their fellow fallen brethren in the trash.

[bluelionlogs]

Blue Lion Log: Entry 2

It’s been about two days since my last log and things haven’t changed all that much. Blue’s systems seem to be undamaged from the crash, so they’re working perfectly fine in keeping the air fresh and temperature bearable for now. I have no idea how long that will last. If Coran were around, or Hunk, or even Pidge, they’d be able to calculate the time remaining with scary precision, and then would probably be able to double, if not triple, that time with their equally scary mechanical abilities. But, of course, they aren’t here. It’s just me. The most useless paladin of this Voltron group.

Why am I the one still left here? I just don’t get it!

I mean there was Shiro, and he was just… just everything really. A legend, even before becoming a paladin. A natural leader, a genuinely good person. He was the best of us. And then he was…

And Hunk! Hunk should have outlasted us all with his strength and genius! No one in the universe can match his mechanical abilities! He and Pidge should have been able to build their way out of what happened, or come up with some plan, or something. Especially Pidge, who was too smart for this whole thing. Too smart for all of us.

And… and Keith… Godammit Keith...I just…

I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this. I feel like I’m going crazy here, but I can’t tell if it’s because of the situation or because of the noise. You would think a deserted planet would be too empty and too quiet and that’s what would send a man into insanity, but no. These blizzards just slam right up against Blue and surround us with screaming, and honestly I don’t know how much more I can take before I’m trying to mutilate my own ear canals. And the overwhelming amount of whiteness when I look out Blue’s windows— I swear I’m starting to go blind from it. Won’t be long before I start hallucinating, and then who knows what’ll happen to me.

Heads up: if you find my body frozen somewhere out in that wasteland, it’s probably because I went insane and thought I was taking a nice, long stroll along some beach or something.

That actually doesn’t sound like too terrible a way to go, to be honest.

This would all be so much easier to handle if I just had someone to talk to. I’ve always been surrounded by people, ever since I was born. And even when I was floating out in space billions of miles from home, I still had all of the paladins and alien beings we met along the way to keep me company, so this whole solitude thing really isn’t working for me. Like at all. I need conversation, and warmth, and the feeling of having someone on my side.

You’re on my side, aren’t you? Whoever you are? I mean I know we’ve only just met— in like the vaguest possible way of meeting anyone without actually ever meeting them— but I really feel like I can confide in you. Like we have some sort of bond.

And, to be frank, I really need someone to talk to and you’re the closest thing I’m going to get, so you’re just going to have to deal with my rambling. And if you don’t want to, well… screw that, I’m going to do it anyways.

But since we’re just meeting each other and all of that, I guess I should start by telling you a little about myself and where I come from. Maybe a bit about my family too, because, to be honest, my family is the absolute best. And I’m not just saying that because I’m biased.

See, I was born the youngest of four siblings in a tiny, private institution near Cardenas, Cuba called Galaxy Garrison Outpost #3, because yeah, my parents are awesome like that.

Now I get that you, whoever you are, probably don’t understand why this can be considered awesome because either a) you aren’t from Earth at all and these words are all meaningless, or b) Earth has changed so much by the time you find this that Cuba and/or Galaxy Garrison no longer exist and therefore hold no significance to you, so let me just say once again that my parents are awesome.

See, where I come from, Galaxy Garrison exists as a space exploration agency that was originally founded as a military project. It still holds a lot of military influence in the way it’s run, what with all the personnel rankings and specialized academies and a rulebook the size of a fully-grown Arusian, and that kind of makes being a Garrison officer and a parent at the same time really difficult.

That’s only counting for one kid. My parents had four. And they were still the best parents any kid could ever ask for. So yeah, they’re just a little bit badass.

Galaxy Garrison kind of runs in my family, to be honest. I’m pretty sure I have at least one great-great-great-grandparent on both my mom and dad’s sides that were part of the original organization, and every generation after that usually had one or two Garrison officers. All four of my grandparents had at least some connection to the Garrison that ranged from secretary (my paternal grandfather) to fleet commander (my maternal grandmother). My aunt on my mom’s side eventually inherited that fleet commander position when I was about six or seven-- a responsibility that meant I always saw less of her and my uncle than I liked.

(My uncle, surprisingly, actually wasn’t part of the Garrison, but he was still badass in his own way. He owned a surf shop near the Garrison outpost in California, and taught me how to surf when I eventually moved there for the Academy.)

My parents, in comparison, were pretty low-ranking officers, and they liked it that way. They met when my mom was sent from California to Cardenas to help establish a training center for the Garrison outpost and had to work side by side with my dad for several months. From what she’s told me, she originally hated my dad’s guts when they first met, but then they ended up engaged by the time the project was finished so that first impression apparently didn’t last long. And my mom was happy to pick up a desk job in the newly-expanded outpost so they could stay together, just as long as my dad took her last name when they married, which he did, and Mom always gloated over that fact.

“He got the place, but I got the name,” she’d crow whenever the story came up. Then my dad would huff and start talking about how the only reason she agreed to marry him was because he was willing to take the McClain name when all her other suitors wouldn’t, and Mom would smile but she’d never deny it. Not completely. I don’t know for sure why that was so important to her. It might have been a legacy thing. Or maybe she just didn’t like the name Sanchez.

That’s one thing I really wish I had asked when I had the chance. I guess I’ll never know now.

But anyway, despite being officers, or perhaps because they were so lowkey about it, I was the only one of my siblings to actually pursue a career with Galaxy Garrison. My oldest sister thought about it for a while, but she ended up deciding it wasn’t the path for her the year before she needed to apply to the Garrison Academy and instead pursued a passion for teaching that led her to a local primary school, a loving husband, and two impossible children-- my niece and nephew.

(I’m afraid to say they took a little too much after me and drove my sister nuts. Hopefully they won’t choose to follow in my footsteps. We don’t need more McClain’s disappearing into space, after all.)

My other sister didn’t even consider joining Galaxy Garrison. Just hopped on a plane as soon as she had the money and worked her way around the globe doing odd jobs, like the free spirit she’d always been. My brother, on the other hand, decided his future was in medicine. He was making his way through med school when I found Blue and… disappeared on them, I guess. For almost five years...

God, that must have been painful when Galaxy Garrison contacted them. I wonder what they said about me. I wasn’t even cleared for space stuff yet, so they couldn’t do another cover-up like with Shiro’s Kerberos mission. Maybe it would have been better if they had though. At least my family could have gotten some closure. Could have felt like I died for something important.

Not to say that I regret joining Voltron, but-- well no, actually I do regret it. At least a little. I mean, I wouldn’t be in this situation if I hadn’t joined Voltron. I wouldn’t be stranded alone on this godforsaken planet, just waiting to die because there’s nothing else I can do. Wouldn’t be going insane from the screaming of wind and ice scraping against Blue. Wouldn’t be alone and grieving for the two families I loved and then lost.

If I hadn’t joined Voltron, I wouldn’t have known this pain existed.

The only thing I’m thankful about right now is that, by joining Voltron, no one else had to suffer this in my place.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: 30 Best Kindle Unlimited Romance Books Available Right Now

If you’re new to Kindle Unlimited, here’s your chance! Amazon is offering a free 2-month subscription to new customers, giving you access to thousands of ebook and audiobooks. Below is a 30-strong list of some of the best Kindle Unlimited romance books I’ve read. I’ve divided them up by subcategory of romance, and tried to spotlight many brilliantly-written, lesser-known books which deserve your attention. As of writing, they’re all available on KU.

Book descriptions are taken from Amazon, but for some books I particularly enjoyed I’ve added extra notes. It’s worth saying here that Amazon are very generous with their free KU subscriptions. I got a whopping six-month one back in 2018, three months in 2019, and I’ve just taken them up on another one-month trial they (inexplicably) offered me. Worth it!

Best Kindle Unlimited Romance Books: Fantasy Romance

#1. Red Winter (Red Winter #1) by Annette Marie

Emi is the kamigakari. In a few short months, her life as a mortal will end, and her new existence as the human host of a goddess will begin. Carefully hidden from those who would destroy her, she has prepared her mind, body, and soul to unite with the goddess – and not once has she doubted her chosen fate.

Shiro is a yokai, a spirit of the earth, an enemy of the goddess Emi will soon host. Mystery shrouds his every move, and his ruby eyes shine with cunning she can’t match and dares not trust. But she saved his life, and until his debt is paid, he is hers to command – whether she wants him or not. On the day they meet, everything Emi believes comes undone, swept away like snow upon the winter wind. For the first time, she wants to change her fate – but how can she erase a destiny already wrought in stone? Against the power of the gods, Shiro is her only hope…and hope is all she has left.

[I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS SERIES ENOUGH. It’s a beautifully rendered fantasy world grounded in Japanese mythology, with a breathtaking romance and incredible plot. Technically YA but absolutely don’t let that put you off. I’d also recommend Marie’s Guild Codex: Demonized series, a new adult paranormal series available on KU.]

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#2. Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts #1) by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti

What happens to the students who anger the cold-blooded Dragon Shifter, vicious Vampire, black-hearted Werewolf and cruel Siren who run this school?

They pay in blood. But what’s that got to do with me? A helluva a lot more than I’d like…

I just discovered I’m a Fae with unspeakable power, an heir to an entire kingdom, and a threat to those four ruthless supernaturals who are also in line to rule this world.  And I’m a twin. So she’s damned to the same fate too.

They want to hurt us. They want to break us. And they’ll stop at nothing to make us bow at their feet.

My Gemini sign meant little to me until now, but the stars rule this world. They define my Elemental magic, determine my nature and twist my will. But I’ve never bought into daily horoscopes, so I’m not gonna start now. I’ll determine my own fate. And I’m here for one thing and one thing alone: the inheritance my royal parents left in their wake.

There’s just one catch…

We have to graduate before it’s given to us. So until then, the heirs won’t stop fighting to get rid of us. And I have the awful feeling they don’t just want us gone, they want us dead.

[While it’s not quite Harry Potter, this is an insanely fun New Adult enemies-to-lovers romance which has wonderfully assertive heroines and great world-building. Another trope it features is teacher-student romance – the student is 18 – if you’re into that!]

#3. Stolen (Alpha’s Control #1) by Addison Cain

No one will take what’s his…

The Commodore stole her off the streets in broad daylight—the first Omega female discovered in Bernard Dome in generations. He took her with violence while none intervened. He broke her, swearing he’d put her back together.

Brenya Perin was ordered to submit.

Bernard Dome is the jewel of Europe, a bastion of art and culture, pleasure and decadence. But life in the city depends on the occupation chosen for you at birth. There is no subversion, no question of who rules. There is no freedom. And there is no interference from foreign Domes… until a new threat arrives from a distant continent. Shepherd’s right hand man, Jules.

Peace has a price, a price the Commodore of Bernard Dome is willing to pay… so long as the rare Omega remains his.

[This is technically a sequel series to Cain’s bestselling Born to Be Bound books, but I prefer it to that series and it can be read as a standalone. It’s a dark, scorching Omegaverse romance featuring total power exchange, disturbing but incredibly memorable. For a few more details on Cain’s background and Omegaverse in general, click here.]

#4. Trickery (Curse of the Gods #1) by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Willa Knight: Dweller. Slave. Non-magical being.

In Minatsol, being a dweller means that you are literally no better than dirt. In fact, dirt might actually be more useful than Willa. Her life will be one of servitude to the sols, the magic-blessed beings who could one day be chosen to become gods.

At least her outer village is far removed from the cities of the sols, and she won’t ever be forced to present herself to them… Until one small mistake changes everything, and Willa is awarded a position to serve at Blesswood, the top sol academy in the world—a position that she definitely did not earn.

Under the sudden, watchful eye of the gods, she will be tasked to serve the Abcurse brothers, five sols built of arrogance, perfection and power. They are almost gods themselves, and under their service she is either going to end up sentenced to death, or else they are going to ruin her so badly that she will wish for it.

Either way, she is in trouble.

[An absolutely hilarious series; I love how it actively undermines a lot of romance cliches. Note: the heroine ends up with more than one hero. See here for a fuller explanation. The series straddles the line between YA and NA, becoming more explicit in later books.]

#5. Air and Ash (Tides #1) by Alex Lidell

After a lifetime of training, seventeen-year-old Princess Nile Greysik, a lieutenant on the prestigious Ashing navy flagship, sails into battle with one vital mission—and fails.

Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battleworthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile’s blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

But when disaster threatens the ship, Nile may have no choice but to unleash the truth that will curse her future.

[Astonishingly good world-building and a deeply satisfying romance. Reminscient of Tamora Pierce. This one is YA.]

#6. Wicked Ugly Bad (A Kinda Fairytale #1) by Cassandra Gannon

Scarlett Riding is NOT an ugly stepsister. Cinderella is the evil one in the family and Letty is determined to prove it. Unfortunately, that’s kinda hard to do from behind bars. After the debacle at the ball, Letty and her sister Dru were dragged off to the Wicked, Ugly and Bad Mental Health Treatment Center and Maximum Security Prison. While Cindy’s planning her dream wedding, her two stepsisters are being forced to endure life in the dreariest dungeon in the land.

Luckily, Letty has a plan to change that unhappy ending. If she can just get to Prince Charming and prove the glass slipper doesn’t fit Cinderella’s foot, she can reclaim her life. In order to do that, though, she needs to convince The Big Bad Wolf to lend a hand in organizing a jailbreak.

Marrok Wolf isn’t sure what to make of the idealistic redhead in his group therapy sessions. With fifty counts of Badness on his criminal record, Marrok’s used to being surrounded by crooks and scumbags. Scarlett wants to lecture him about equal rights for trolls! When the little do-gooder comes up with an elaborate plan to break their entire “share circle” out of prison, though, Marrok is certainly willing to go along with the plot. And not just because he wants to see her naked. The woman may not be wicked, ugly, or Bad, but she’s definitely the only one who can save him.

Together with a wicked witch, a timid bridge ogre, an evil prince, and other villains straight out of a storybook, Scarlett and Marrok are about to make sure that Baddies finally have a happily ever after.

[A wonderfully funny adult spin on Little Red Riding Hood, and one of the best romances anywhere – let alone KU. Gannon deserves a lot more attention than she gets.]

#7. Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith

He ascended from the darkness years ago—Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death—bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.

For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.

[This book is very hard to describe. It’s part psychological horror, part dystopian romance, part fantasy. I have never read a hero like this one. It’s very long, and not a feel-good book, but so unforgettable that I return compulsively. Hands-down one of the best Kindle Unlimited romance books out there.]

Best Kindle Unlimited Romance Books: Paranormal Romance

#8. The Baker’s Guide to Risky Rituals (Sweet Pea Mysteries #1) by Kathryn Moon

Josie Benoit, gourmet patissier and kitchen witch, may not be a Sweet Pea native but she’s made the small town her home and she intends on keeping it that way. When trouble rolls into town on the seats of shining motorcycles, and the safety of her home and her own reputation are put at risk, Josie bands together with her coven to protect her world from a dark influence.

If only that dark influence wasn’t so deliciously handsome.

King Beleth is not a demon to be trifled with. Leader of the Hell’s Bells MC and one of the great warlords of the Bowels, Beleth takes pride in his work and has the patience of a… man who knows what is best is worth waiting for. Known as Bell—to his friends, which you are not—he’s come to Sweet Pea to dismantle the core of good at the heart of the little town. But upon arrival he discovers three things that might just get in the way of his work:

Sweet Pea is more disgustingly adorable than they were warned. The town has a coven of witches protecting it. He’s developing a sweet tooth.

[A funny, not-totally-cosy paranormal romance mystery. Features a heroine with Haitian roots who practises voodoo; great insight into non-European cultural systems!]

#9. The Unlikeable Demon Hunter (Nava Katz #1) by Deborah Wilde

Nava Katz cares about two things: perfecting the art of being a hot mess and her hard-working twin brother. But she accidentally torches his life-long dream when she disrupts his induction into a secret demon-hunting fraternity and steals his destiny.

Horrified she’s now expected to take his place, Nava is faced with something she never wanted: a purpose.

The society isn’t cool with a woman in their ranks and teams her with a surly but smoking-hot ex-rock star to keep her in line. Too bad he’s exactly what Nava’s always wanted: the perfect bad boy fling with no strings attached, because a hook-up with him is as dangerous as the vengeful demon out for blood–her brother’s.

And Nava’s the only one who can save him.

Odds of survival: meh.

Odds of a good time before she bites it: much better.

[A snarky, kickass heroine paired with an Indian hero, enmeshed in Jewish mythology. What more could you want? Admittedly I have some issues with the way the romance develops in later books, but this first installment is gold.]

#10. A Dead and Stormy Night (Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries #1) by Steffanie Holmes

After being fired from her fashion internship in New York City, Mina Wilde decides it’s time to reevaluate her life. She returns to the quaint English village where she grew up to take a job at the local bookshop, hoping that being surrounded by great literature will help her heal from a devastating blow.

But Mina soon discovers her life is stranger than fiction – a mysterious curse on the bookshop brings fictional characters to life in lust-worthy bodies. Mina finds herself babysitting Poe’s raven, making hot dogs for Heathcliff, and getting IT help from James Moriarty, all while trying not to fall for the three broken men who should only exist within her imagination.

When Mina’s ex-best friend shows up dead with a knife in her back, she’s the chief suspect. She’ll have to solve the murder if she wants to clear her name. Will her fictional boyfriends be able to keep her out of prison?

[Another reverse harem romance, this time where the heroes are characters from English literature. Holmes pulls it off impressively well – much better than I expected; it’s funny, sexy, and sweet. There is also a disabled heroine (she’s going blind).]

#11. Rhapsodic (The Bargainer #1) by Laura Thalassa

Callypso Lillis is a siren with a very big problem, one that stretches up her arm and far into her past. For the last seven years she’s been collecting a bracelet of black beads up her wrist, magical IOUs for favors she’s received. Only death or repayment will fulfill the obligations. Only then will the beads disappear.

Everyone knows that if you need a favor, you go to the Bargainer to make it happen. He’s a man who can get you anything you want … at a price. And everyone knows that sooner or later he always collects.

But for one of his clients, he’s never asked for repayment. Not until now. When Callie finds the fae king of the night in her room, a grin on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, she knows things are about to change. At first it’s just a chaste kiss—a single bead’s worth—and a promise for more.

For the Bargainer, it’s more than just a matter of rekindling an old romance. Something is happening in the Otherworld. Fae warriors are going missing one by one. Only the women are returned, each in a glass casket, a child clutched to their breast. And then there are the whispers among the slaves, whispers of an evil that’s been awoken.

If the Bargainer has any hope to save his people, he’ll need the help of the siren he spurned long ago. Only, his foe has a taste for exotic creatures, and Callie just happens to be one.

[While I didn’t find this NA paranormal romance to quite live up to my expectations, it’s still well-written with an intriguing premise.]

Best Kindle Unlimited Romance Books: Contemporary Romance

#12. Fear Me (Broken Love #1) by B.B. Reid

I don’t believe in fairy tales and Prince Charming.

I believe in fear.

He taught me how to be afraid.

We first met on a playground on a wonderful summer day. It was the first time he hurt me and it wouldn’t be the last. For ten years, he’s been my tormentor and I’ve been his forbidden. But then he went away, and yet I was still afraid.

Now he’s back and wants more than just my tears. You see…he thinks I sent him away so now he wants revenge…and he knows just how to get it.

[Warning: a dark enemies-to-lovers romance. While the writing is a little stilted at times, and there are plenty of grammatical errors, I found myself unwittingly sucked into the engrossing plot.] 

#13. Ruthless Knight (Royal Hearts Academy #2) by Ashley Jade

Cole Covington is the most popular heartbreaker at school. Every guy wants to be him and every girl wants to screw him. Except me. His devastatingly good looks, golden arm, and flirty smiles don’t do it for me anymore…because I know what’s lurking underneath the star quarterback’s gorgeous armor.

At least I thought I did.

Sometimes the most beautiful people…hide the ugliest truths. And sometimes the only way to save someone… is to walk beside them through hell. _ Sawyer Church is the bible-thumping nerd of Royal Hearts Academy. Girls pick on her and guys don’t notice her. Except me. Sweet, curvy, and sarcastic, she’s impossible to ignore. No matter how much I try. Everyone at school has her pegged as the chubby, Jesus loving geek, but unlike them—Sawyer’s real and never pretends to be someone she’s not.

Until I ask her to be my fake girlfriend.

Sometimes the most beautiful souls…hide the greatest pain. And sometimes the only way to save someone… is to fight for them.

[I promise this is much, much better than the blurb might suggest. It features a plus-sized heroine who’s confident in her beliefs and doesn’t let the hero (who’s incidentally half-Indian) walk all over her. I was really impressed with the way the author tackled some of the heavy issues in this book, namely drug abuse and body-image issues. The prose is a little overwrought at times and I loathed the first installment in the series, but this book is awesome.]

#14. Untouchable by Sam Mariano

Senior year was off to a rough start: lube in my locker, panties on my front porch, unimaginative name-calling. See, I got a player suspended from the football team for harassing me, and in my small Texas town, you don’t mess with the football players—even if they mess with you first.

I didn’t care if it was an unpopular thing to do; I stood up for myself… and in doing so, opened Pandora’s Box.

I never dreamed I would attract the attention of locally worshipped star quarterback, Carter Mahoney. Never imagined his coveted attention would turn out to be such a nightmare. Beneath his carefully constructed façade lurks a monster, a predator looking for the perfect prey to play with. Now, since I’m the girl no one likes or believes, I guess I’m the perfect target for his dark games and twisted desires.

After surviving my first encounter with his casual depravity, all I really want is for Carter to leave me alone.

But all he seems to want is me.

[Warning: this is a very dark, though very emotional and well-written, ‘bully romance.’]

#15. Heart Thief (Black Market Billionaire #1) by Skylar Sweeney

Billionaire Rex Bennett broke my heart, and now I’m coming for his—for real this time. My greatest enemy stole a miracle heart from its maker, and I’m going undercover as his Sexy Secretary to take it back, at least if his offers to fondle his gun and spice up his coffee don’t drive me to the wild side first.

Rex shattered my heart years ago, and I was sure it would never beat the same… until a single kiss from the man I despise pieced it back together. Do I stay true to my vengeance and steal the heart he needs to survive or do I succumb to passion and allow the maker of the heart to die?

[This debut novel is a little rough around the edges, but there’s an original premise + hilarious banter between the protagonists!]

#16. More than Enough (Postgrad #1) by Bria Felicien

All Jamila wants to do is figure out this “adulthood” thing. Step 1: Find a new job.

With his second career about to begin, TJ is ready to settle down. Step 1: Start dating again.

When TJ and Jamila meet, they don’t know what to do with each other. Other than complicate everything.

#17. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Vanessa Mazur knows she’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she’s beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

[Zapata’s books are famed for being emotionally-intense, slow-burn romances. While my personal favourite is Under Locke, this is worth a read too.]

#18. The Kingmaker (All the King’s Men #1) by Kennedy Ryan

Power. Passion. Betrayal.

Raised to rule, bred to lead and weaned on a diet of ruthless ambition. In a world of haves and have nots, my family has it all, and I want nothing to do with it.

My path takes me far from home and paints me as the black sheep. At odds with my father, I’m determined to build my own empire. I have rules, but Lennix Hunter is the exception to every one of them. From the moment we meet, something sparks between us. But my family stole from hers and my father is the man she hates most. I lied to have her, and will do anything to keep her. Though she tries to hate me, too, the inexorable pull between us will not be denied.

And neither will I.

[Some great diversity here – the heroine is a member of Yavapai-Apache Nation, and the culture constitutes a large element of the book.]

#19. Giving Chase (Havenwood #1) by Riley Hart

KELLAN I wasn’t supposed to fall for my older brother’s best friend. Unfortunately, that ship sailed when I was a teenager, even though Chase Hawthorne always treated me like nothing more than a younger sibling. Things were worse after my parents died. Chase was sweet and supportive, which only strengthened my feelings for him. But then he’d act like I couldn’t take care of myself, and that part didn’t go over well with me. Yeah, I had a habit of screwing up. I’d always been the weird boy in our small town, but just like my big brother, he took overprotective to a new level. Until one night when I was eighteen and Chase and I hooked up. It was a ding to the ego that he left town right afterward. Ridiculously, I’m still not over him.

CHASE I betrayed my best friend, Griffin, the night I messed around with Kellan. So I ran–first to the Marines, then into law enforcement. Ten years later, I’m back home, this time as a patrol officer rather than a troublemaker’s son. Oh, and unable to keep my hands off Kellan Caine. There’s always been something about him…the way he stands strong in who he is, even when he’s standing alone. I’m trapped between someone I want more than anything and Griff, the guy who’s like family to me. Yet the more time I spend with Kellan, the harder it becomes to deny there’s something real between us.

With my dad stirring up trouble, and me going behind my best friend’s back, everything’s a mess. The more tangled the web gets, the more I realize I need Kellan. And that there might be something in the Hawthorne family history that’ll make me lose both Kellan and Griffin for good.

#20. Permanent Ink (Art & Soul #1) by Piper Vaughn & Avon Gale

At twenty-three, graffiti artist Poe Montgomery is going nowhere fast. His second chance comes in the form of a job offer from his father’s best friend, Jericho McAslan, owner of a popular tattoo shop, Permanent Ink.

Between their age gap, tension with Poe’s father, Poe’s struggles to focus, and Jericho’s determination to keep their relationship strictly professional, their chance at love seems as fleeting as a tattoo stencil.

But when Poe makes his deepest desires abundantly clear, Jericho can no longer resist their burning attraction or the idea of his own fantasies becoming reality. If they can find a way to rewrite their rocky start, they might have a chance at transforming their temporary arrangement into something that lasts forever.

[A cute May-December romance featuring a bisexual hero and some daddy kink.]

#21. The Sergeant (Cuffs, Collars, and Love #1) by Christa Tomlinson

Sergeant Logan Pierce: He leads his squad with cool efficiency, taking down rough criminals while keeping his team safe. But behind closed doors he sets a darker part of himself free. As a Dom, he’s controlled many submissives, but never had one for his own. That’s because there’s only one man he wants: Officer Clay Foster.

Officer Clay Foster: Over the years he’s noticed his Sergeant’s secretly admiring glances and suspected his attraction. One night, with one kiss, he’s proven correct. Clay dives headlong into the rough passion of BDSM that Logan introduces him to. He submits to Logan’s control, accepting the sweet shackles that bind him to his Sergeant. But secrets, both his and Logan’s, force him to leave the newfound safety of his Dom’s arms.

Logan refuses to let go of what he’s wanted for so long, Clay as his own, proudly wearing his collar. Can he safely guide Clay through the obstacles that separate them until he can claim his submissive once more?

#22. Call the Coroner (Staniel #1) by Avril Ashton

A clash of wills between predators…

He’s been living underground for a long time, but the only thing guaranteed to bring Daniel Nieto back to the surface is the identity of his wife’s killer. With the whisper of one name, he puts it all on the line for vengeance. He’s got plans for Stavros Konstantinou.

The title of monster fits too well for Stavros to want to be anything other than what he is. Time spent in Daniel Nieto’s dungeon, chained and tortured, will never change that. Starved of food, sunlight, and freedom, he waits for an opening to turn the tables on the only man who’s ever come close enough to scare him.

Somewhere between the slide of knife against skin, and the drip of blood on cold concrete, things change. Grief and hatred collide with lust and obsession, and this time Daniel and Stavros are on the same side. This time, they’re fighting a losing battle against a connection forged by much more than a love of violence and bloodshed.

In a war this bloodied, what do you do when the bodies start hitting the floor?

[Warning: a very dark M/M romance.]

#23. Nothing Special by A.E. Via

Detective Cashel ‘Cash’ Godfrey is big, tattooed and angry so people typically keep their distance. He’s fresh out of the police academy, however, no one is looking to partner with the six foot four beast with a huge chip on his shoulder and an inability to trust. When Cash scans the orientation room he wasn’t expecting to find sexy hazel eyes locked onto him. Eyes of the handsome Detective Leonidis ‘Leo’ Day.

Leo is charming, witty, hilariously sarcastic and the only one that can make Cash smile. He’s proud, out and one bad-ass detective.

Together Cash and Leo become the most revered and successful narcotics detectives Atlanta’s ever seen. Able to communicate and understand each other, without even having to voice it, they quickly climb up the promotional ranks.

When Cash saves Leo’s life in a raid that turns deadly, Leo begins to see something in the big man that no one else does…something special. But Leo fears he’ll never break through the impenetrable wall that protects Cash’s heart.

#24. Vicious (Sinners of Saint #1) by L.J. Shen

Emilia They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true. The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover. Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious She is a starving artist. Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down. She paid the price. Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate. That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t. So she hates me. Big fucking deal. She better get used to me.

#25. Six of Hearts (Hearts #1) by L.H. Cosway

When Jay Fields, world-renowned illusionist, walks into her dad’s law firm Matilda is struck speechless. Not only is he one of the most attractive and charismatic men she’s ever met, he’s also a mystery to be solved.

Jay wants to sue a newspaper for defamation, but all is not what it seems. Matilda is determined to discover the true story behind Jay, however, when he becomes an unexpected roommate, she is not ready for how he will wheedle his way into her affections and steal her heart.

The man is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and though she can’t yet see the bigger picture, Matilda can’t resist following along for the thrilling and heart-stopping ride.

[A bit of a fever dream of a book, full of tricks and illusions.]

#26. Titanium (Breathless #1) by Anna Katmore

My world shattered when I met my match.

I pride myself on keeping control of everything. Always. My only weakness?Reckless challenges. After losing my car to the new street racer in town, Sebastian gives me a chance to get it back. His condition: two hours in my playroom. No safewords allowed. While I only ever do girls in there, I accept. And when he kisses me, I reach my fucking limits.

Once in a lifetime, you meet a unicorn.

Raffael is pure Nordic ice. Controlled. Determined. And drop-dead gorgeous. Winning his car was a lucky strike. Winning his heart when he’s so afraid of the truth, turns out to be the hardest challenge I’ve ever raced to complete.

[While this an adult M/M romance, Katmore really excels at YA contemporary romcom. Her Grover Beach High series is also on KU and I highly recommend it!

#27. The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar

They say it takes twenty-one days to form a habit. They lie.

For twenty-one days she held on. But on Day Twenty-two, she would have given anything for the sweet slumber of death.

Because on Day Twenty-two, she realizes that her only way out means certain death for one of the two men she loves.

#28. Melt for You (Slow Burn #2) by J.T. Geissinger

Socially awkward Joellen Bixby has a date every Saturday—with her cat, a pint of ice cream, and fantasies of the way-too-handsome Michael Maddox. She’d give anything to win over the unattainable CEO of her firm, but how can she when she blends in so well with her cubicle? The answer may be closer than she thinks.

Cameron McGregor is a cocky, tattooed Scottish rugby captain who just moved in next door. He’s not Jo’s type—at all—but the notorious playboy is offering to teach the wallflower everything he knows about inspiring desire. Though a lot of women have rumpled Cam’s kilt, Jo is special. Far from the ugly duckling she thinks she is, in Cam’s eyes she’s sharp, funny, and effortlessly sexy. Now, thanks to him, Jo is blooming with confidence and has the man of her dreams within reach.

Unfortunately for Cam, he’s just helped to push the woman of his dreams into the arms of another man—and now he’s in the fight of his life to keep this beauty from getting away.

[SUCH a great book, with sizzling UST between the characters. Also one of my favourite tropes! Can be read as a standalone.]

#29. The V Girl by Mya Robarts

In post-apocalyptic North America two emerging nations are at war and sexual slavery is legal. Lila Velez desperately wants to lose her virginity before the troops visit her town and take it away by force. She makes plans to seduce her only friend. Lila does not love him, but he is the only man who has shown her true affection, an affection she is willing to take as a substitute for love.

Lila hides a secret that will bring her closer to Aleksey Fürst, a foreign, broody man who she distrusts because of his links to the troops and his rough, yet irresistible appearance. He offers Lila an alternative to her plans, a possibility that terrifies her…and tempts her in spite of herself.

With threats looming at every turn and no way to escape, Lila fears that falling in love will only lead to more heartache. The consequences of laying down her arms for Aleksey and welcoming hope might destroy more than her heart. They might force her to face the worst of her nightmares becoming a reality. Is love possible in a world that has forgotten what the human touch is?

#30. Falling for a Knight (The Wild Knights #1) by Té Russ

While vacationing in Trinidad, world-renowned photographer Roman Knight unexpectedly acquires a new muse, Cynthia Tremaine. Their chemistry is off the charts and they can’t resist giving into a night of passion together.

Neither of them expected to see each other again after they parted ways…but fate seemed to have other plans.

See here for more recommended KU books!

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