#anyways i adore him and the lighting bouncing off his beautiful brown eyes and princess eyelashes make this video actually hypnotizing

[tobealonemp3]

plugging this interview bc every time i think i cant fawn over this man even more it proves me wrong. the way he speaks so open and excitedly about all the music he chooses makes my heart do backflips (x)

[whaleofatjme1920]

A Little Outside the Doorway of Your Home (Various Creepypasta X F!Reader)

A Little Outside the Doorway of Your Home (Various Creepypasta X F!Reader)

[Various X F!Reader]

[Warnings: none? Like, children I guess and slight angst.]

[AN: it's like a half fic half scenario thing that I originally intended to be shorter, but here we are.]

You wake in your house to the sound of your little girl running through the hall of your house. As you open your eyes to the ceiling where rays of lights dance through the open air. You can tell she’s padding towards your room - it’s become a daily event.

“Mommy!” She cries out as she bursts your door open, jumping onto the bed with all her might.

“There’s my little princess,” you hum with a small smile, giggling as you scoop her into your arms.

She laughs - it sounds so much like her father - before she situates herself on your sheets. She sits up. “Do you know what today is?” She asks, happiness in her eyes.

You pretend to feign ignorance, “no, I don’t. What’s today?” You question as your face pulls an expression that tells you’re obviously playing.

She rolls her eyes playfully and pushes at you with all her tiny might, “really?” She says in an exaggerated tone.

You break your feigned ignorance and pull your daughter in before peppering her face with kisses. “How could I forget? You’re six years old today!”

That statement isn’t false, you wouldn’t forget her birthday for anything. Her birthday is a place of happiness and sorrow. Happiness, because she’s growing older and experiencing the world and living a life you always wanted her to have, and sorrow, because it was the day you said goodbye to someone you loved.

Every time you looked into her darling eyes, you saw her father’s looking back at you. Every day she grew to be more and more like him; it was undeniable that she was his just as much as she is yours.

“What do you say we make a special birthday breakfast?” You say as you slip out of the sheets before turning back to your bouncing little girl who climbs onto your hip.

“It sounds so good,” she says, nodding faster and wildly than she can even get the words out. “Can I help you make it?”

“Of course,” you reply. “I can’t make a special birthday breakfast without the birthday girl’s assistance,” you giggle, tapping her nose gently as the two of you head down the hallway to the kitchen.

Once there, you set her down and get the things she can do out on the counter top. She’s so tiny that she needs a chair to stand up on just to reach them all. You watch from the corner of your eye as you handle the things you’re not comfortable with her doing just yet. She’s surprisingly efficient, your little one. She has the curiosity and skill that outruns her peers by miles. A part of you says it’s because of her father, but you know it’s because you’ve been raising her. Nurture is greater than nature, after all.

Your little birthday girl gets to stirring the pancake batter after she measures it and you’re cutting up fresh vegetables for an omelets alongside some other things. The kitchen already smells heavenly. When she’s done mixing the batter, you pour it into a heated pan and make them just the way she wants them - with butterscotch chips and chocolate chips. You let her put it on a plate and watch as she carefully cuts some strawberries. Once she’s successfully transferred the delicious pancakes onto her plate (and adorably one for you as well), she goes to the table.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Can I have some tea with honey?”

You smile and wordlessly get to brewing some tea. You decide you’ll have some too, so you decide to use the kettle over the Keurig. As you wait for it to whistle, you get the rest of the breakfast together and place it all at the table for just the two of you.

“It looks good,” you note as your child waits patiently for you.

“It smells good,” she agrees.

The kettle whistles and you find yourself flitting over to its side before procuring two cups. You make her cup of tea just the way she likes it, and finally, you’re able to settle at the table with her.

“Go ahead,” you say as you sit down.

She beams and digs into her food. “Thank you,” she says in a momentary lapse between eating and stuffing her face.

You laugh slightly, “slow down,” you remind her.

She pauses slightly before going back to her fast eating.

You also begin to cut your pancakes and omelets. Once to your satisfaction, you pour some honey into your tea, stir it and bring it to your lips. You’re barely able to get in a few sips before you hear a knock at your door. Your eyebrows raise as you see your little girl setting down her silverware. “No, let me get it. Stay here and finish your food,” you say as you begin to slide out of your seat. “I won’t be too long. You can get your tablet until I’m back. Sound good?”

A large smile curls from her lips as she rushes out of her seat back to her bedroom. You hear her rummaging around her room, and with that, you get up and head to the door to see who it is. As you near your front door, you can’t help but get that sinking feeling in your stomach. You don’t even need to open the door to know who it is. You can feel it in your bones.

Still, as you twist open the doorknob, you feel your heart flutter. You were expecting him, but seeing him in the flesh for the first time in a year has you feeling like you’re meeting him for the first time all over again. He still sets your heart on fire.

Masky - Timothy Wright:

“How’re you doing, sweetheart?” A low male voice asks, a small smile tugging at his lips. There’s bags under his eyes that tell you he hasn’t slept in days but seeing you has his eyes shining with a light that not even the sun can compete with.

“Tim,” you breathe as you catch his eyes. “I’m - I’m well, and you?” You sputter out, stepping out of your house slightly to close your front door behind you. You look over him to see he’s got a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a wrapped present tucked under his other arm. He lets them go gently before taking you into his arms. You wrap around him like a snake, allowing yourself to be swayed by him for a few moments before he lets you go.

“You know how it goes,” he hums in response, moving slightly on your front porch to let you stand beside him. He never says too much of what he does, and to be completely fair, you’re not sure you want to know. All you know is that it’s dangerous, and it’s because of that danger he can’t be close to you or your child.

“You wanna talk?” You ask. It’s more a formality, really. Every time he visits he stays to talk for a few minutes or so. You never see him outside of your baby’s birthday.

“Don’t need to ask me twice,” Tim replies with a breathy chuckle as he takes his seat on the stairs alongside you. “Got these for you.” The brown haired man holds out the pink flowers for you after he’s reached back on the porch to get them. Roses and carnations. They’re beautiful.

“Thank you,” you say as you take the flowers into your arms. “I hope they didn’t cost you too much-”

“It’s nothing,” he waves off. “Would you mind if I uh,” he gestures down to his breast pocket where you’re greeted to the outline of cigarettes.

Normally you’d tell him no, but this time, you let it slide. “Go for it.”

Tim raises his eyebrows but uses his free hand to fish out his pack of cigarettes anyways. He places one in between his lips. “That’s weird,” he says as you on instinct reach into his coat pocket and grab his lighter. “Something wrong?”

You flick it on and light his cigarette for him, watching as he inhales with appreciation. “It’s nothing,” you attempt to wave off.

“I know you better than that,” he says as you drop his lighter back into his tan coat pocket. “Sounds cliche as hell, but you know I’m right.”

You sigh and decide to bite the bullet. “I just, we-” you finger the petals gently and feel their velvety surface. “We could use you around, you know that, right?”

Masky hums as he takes another drag from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke in rings that dissipate the further away from him they go. This isn’t the first time you’ve had this conversation with him, and unfortunately, you know it won’t be the last. “I know.”

“That’s never good enough-”

“I’m sorry,” he cuts you off. “In this situation,” he continues. “My hands are bound.”

“Is your boss really that bad?”

Tim’s face pales slightly as you mention his ‘employer.’ That’s not someone you mention lightly. “If it was that simple I’d be with the two of you now.”

You know he’s not lying. Tim has never been one to like like that. “Is that for her?” You ask suddenly, wanting to change the subject.

He nods and places the package on his lap. “It’s nothing special. Just did what I could,” he mumbles.

You place the bouquet on the patio and take the package off his lap and onto yours. “You sure you’re not spoiling her?” You say with a small smile upon feeling its weight. “She’ll be really happy.”

“Good,” he hums back.

A silence falls over the two of you. It feels like there’s so much to say with so little time. You wish he were around more just to speak with him.

“Are you staying in this area long?”

“No,” Tim says with a frown. “Pulled out some stops just to be here today. My partners and I are really off schedule just being here.”

You can’t help but feel a little bad. “It… It means the world to me,” you say quietly, looking at the wrapping paper that surrounds the package.

Tim’s hand moves to your thigh before he squeezes gently. It’s a nonverbal way for him to say how much he cares for you and your little one, regardless of how far the distance is between you two.

He wants to tell you he loves you before a voice comes calling from inside. It’s muffled, but you can hear your little girl calling out for you.

“I should go,” you say sheepishly.

“Sure, sure,” Tim brushes off as he helps you up, picking up the bouquet so you can focus on holding the present. “Give her all my love, yeah?” He always ends the conversation like this.

“Of course,” you reply, hand on the doorknob. “I’ll see you soon?” You ask, knowing it won’t be until next year.

Tim nods, a sad smile on his face as he leans down slightly to kiss your forehead before he nods for you to go inside, carefully resting the bouquet of flowers on top of the present.

You do so, making it fully past the doorway before looking over your shoulder for a man you love who cannot stay, only to see he’s gone.

Hoodie - Brian Thomas:

“It’s been a while, darling,” a voice with a slight southern accent greets, hazel eyes looking at you with such warmth that it rivals the Sahara in summer. “Give me a hug,” he chuckles before being momentarily caught off guard by how hard you slam into his chest.

You giggle quietly into the fabric of his yellow hoodie, not even noticing how his other hand softly closes your front door behind you to ensure the agreement the two of you have. He’s not to see your little girl because she’ll be heartbroken he can’t stay.

Once you finally stop clinging to him, you and Brian take a seat on the front steps, watching the morning sun as it rises over the trees.

“What have you been up to?” You ask.

Brian leans back on the porch slightly to get both a package and a small thing of flowers. “Work. Same as usual, really,” he says as he places both of the things on his lap. “Nothing too exciting. What about you and-”

“We’re good,” you say as he holds out a small bouquet of fresh flowers to you. “Thank you,” you smile, taking them into your hands before smelling them. They’re so sweet.

“How is she doing in school?”

“Top of her class,” you say, beaming with pride. “I know she’s only six, but goodness, she’s so bright.”

“She gets it from you,” Brian compliments. “Six already? They grow so fast,” he says softly in a tone you can only understand as regret.

You frown as you look over the soft petals that dance between your fingertips. “I wish you were around more often to see her.”

Brian pulls a slight face, one that tells you he wants nothing more, but the conversation will be the same as all those before. His work is too dangerous, and while you don’t know anything about it, you know he fears for your safety whenever you mention it. “I want nothing more, and you know that more than anyone,” he begins as his posture visibly changes to something that conveys discomfort. “But I can’t and won’t risk her.”

“What kind of work are you even in?” You attempt to ask. You know he’ll never say.

“It’s a nice try,” Brian chuckles as he ruffles your hair. “Y’know, I’m not supposed to be here today.”

“You’re never supposed to be here,” you reply, only the slightest bite coming into your tone.

“Sure, but,” he glances down to the package that sits on his lap. “We’re way off course just being in this area.”

“Are you now?”

“Yeah,” Brian sighs. “I had to pull a lot of favors with my associates to get out here,” he says as he lightly taps the package. “But it’s worth it to be near the two of you.” He wishes he could see her.

“It’s never enough,” you reply, a passing ‘this is where we’re at’ coming into your tone.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes.

A slight silence falls over the two of you as you feel the breeze pick up. You can’t stay out here for too much longer.

“This is for her,” Brian suddenly says, gesturing to the beautifully wrapped package on his lap. “I think she’ll like it.”

“She likes everything you get for her,” you smile as you take the package gingerly into your hands. “You spoil her.”

“I don’t spoil her enough,” Brian playfully retorts. “One of these days I’m going to get a U-Haul truck of stuff for her.” He’s only half joking and the both of you know that.

You giggle slightly, wanting to continue speaking with him before you hear a muffled voice calling out for you.

“Dang, gotta call this one short,” you say as you begin to stand up.

Brian follows your actions, his brows furrowing slightly as he helps you up. “What a shame,” he agrees half heartedly, his voice turning into something more somber.

You flash him a reassuring smile, but can’t help but feel overwhelmed by how gently he helps you up. “I’ll uh, see you soon, right?” You ask, eyes glimmering with the possibility he’ll be back faster than just next year.

“Sure thing,” he says. It’s a promise you both know he can’t keep. “Give her all my love, please,” he finishes gently as he pushes open the front door for you.

“Of course,” you reply, looking up and into his hazel eyes that show nothing but sorrow.

Brian smiles at you before leaning down to kiss your forehead, and just like that, he’s heading down your stairs and back out of your life until next year.

Eyeless Jack:

“What a sight for sore eye sockets,” the grey skinned man greets with a small smirk pulling onto his lips. He dips down for a moment to deposit both a bouquet of freshly picked sunflowers and a nicely wrapped present on the porch before he leaves his arms open for you.

You smile widely in response, softly close your front door before getting a good look at the man who stole your heart all those years ago. “I’ve missed you so much,” you say as you wrap your arms around his midsection. You take in his scent and revel in it.

“I missed you too,” he says softly, swaying the two of you on the porch. “C’mon, sit with me and talk for a moment.”

You don’t hesitate and take a seat next to him on the steps. “What have you been up to?” You ask, looking longingly at the man you only see once every year.

It’s strange, the way you met Eyeless Jack, and it was mostly an accident. He’d broken into your dorm room and intended to get your roommate but woke you instead. You fought him, he liked that, and the two of you had formed some weird friendship romance. Eventually, that oddity that called itself a relationship blossomed into a child. That’s when things got strange, and odd, and in order to protect her, decided that the best course of action would be him not being around her. It hurt to admit that it was for the best. The both of you wanted normalcy for her.

“Same as I’ve always been,” Eyeless Jack replies as he listens to the sounds of the house. When he’s this close, he can hear his little girl. It’s almost as if he was there by her side. “Travelled around some, but my boss has some tasks for me to do on the opposite end of the country than here.”

You hum slightly in response. “We’re a major detour, aren’t we?”

Eyeless Jack cracks a smile and shakes his head slightly. “I would never consider the two of you detours. You’re the only good things in these parts,” he finishes. “Oh, I also picked these from some farmer’s fields on the way here. Thought it might liven up your house a bit.” He hands you the hand plucked sunflowers.

You chuckle and lightly slap at his shoulder before taking the golden flowers into your hands. “You’re so kind.”

“Right?” He teases slightly in agreement. “How is she?”

“She’s doing great,” you say. “She’s so smart and sociable. We get requests for playdates all the time.” You’re not lying, your little girl really is a social butterfly and she’s so intelligent and inquisitive for her age.

“Is she? She definitely gets it from you,” Eyeless Jack says as he thinks back to his own days as a student. Granted, he can’t remember as far back as childhood, but he can remember what it was like being in love with the world and all she had to offer.

“Y’know the funniest thing?” You begin. “She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.”

If Eyeless Jack had eyes, you knew they’d be lighting up. It’s what he wanted to be before he became whatever he is now.

As he smiles, you suppress the idea of telling him that the eyes your little girl has now are the ones that were stolen from him all those years ago. She’s the spitting image of a human him, and you know his inky black heart would break if he knew. Instead, you let a comfortable silence fall over the two of you before one of you inevitably breaks it.

“Will you be staying around this place for much longer?”

He shakes his head slightly, a small sag coming to his shoulders as he does so. “I’d love to stay longer just to catch up with you, but there’s some things I really, really need to do. Looks like it’s gonna be a while until I pull out all the stops again.”

You frown and rest your head on his shoulder, wanting to say so much to him before you hear a muffled voice calling out for you. You feel heat rush to your cheeks as you stand up, holding the flowers tightly in your hands.

Eyeless Jack mirrors you, holding the present. “Here, before we forget,” he lightly reminds as you fumble with it for a moment. “I gotta spoil her every chance I get,” he lightly jokes.

You giggle and test the present’s weight. “I wish that were more than once a year.”

“I wish to too,” Eyeless Jack says, a slightly forlorn look shading over his face. “I’ll be back before you know it, okay?”

You throw him a look, momentarily hurt at the implication it’ll be another year before you see the man who still awakens butterflies in your stomach. You still want to say so much more to him.

“Give her all of my love,” he says softly before he dips down slightly to press his lips to your forehead.

You close your eyes in content, allowing the feeling to wash over you before it’s gone in a flash. When you open your eyes, he’s gone, and you head back into your house to attend to your daughter.

Jeff the Killer:

“It’s so good to see you again, princess,” a man with an eternal smile carved onto his face beams.

“Jeff,” you breathe out as you look into darling blue eyes. “It’s been forever,” you say as he drops the items in his arms, thankful they’re not fragile before you launch into his grasp.

He closes the door softly behind you before he wraps his arms around you, spinning you there on the porch, a gentle laugh bubbling from his chest as he holds someone who’s given him the world and more. “It’s so nice to hold you again,” he mumbles into the crook of your neck.

You smile and squeeze him tighter, wondering why you can only hold him like this once a year.

Reluctantly, Jeff lets you go and brings you to the stairsteps where the two of you will spend a few moments talking about things that should be held over a conversation that’s more than a few mere minutes.

It really never is enough sometimes.

“What have you been up to?” You ask, barely noticing how he reaches back on the porch to get you some fresh wildflowers he plucked on the way here. You instinctively smell them once they’re in your grasp. They’re beautiful, really.

“What haven’t I been up to?” Jeff lightly jokes as he relaxes on the porch. “I’m sure you’ve seen some of the news articles.”

You pull a slight face, roll your eyes but nod regardless. It reminds you of when you first met him - which was frankly, a mistake on both of your parts. He’d gotten hurt, you were not thinking clearly and took him in, patched him up and he refused to leave. Now, he’s the father of your child. It was decided before you had your sunshine that he wouldn’t be directly a part of her life to ensure no harm would befall her. As Jeff has said he is no stranger to enemies.

He’s worried something bad will befall the two of you everytime he leaves, knowing that his presence is the most dangerous force and the biggest threat to your safety. He stays away as far as he can, and with him now working more closer than ever to the tall man in the woods? He’ll be farther away than ever before.

“You’re so bold, how could I avoid you?” You hum in passing, gently brushing the petals of the wildflowers with your fingertips.

Jeff chuckles slightly. “How’s our little sunshine? She doing well in school?”

“Of course,” you grin. “She’s so smart and soaks up information like a sponge. She’s also kinda athletic, but y’know, she’s only six so there’s so many directions she could go,” you inform. In a way, she reminds you of what you think Jeff would be like as a child. She’s certainly outspoken, but never in a disrespectful way. You know she’s going to grow up to be someone good.

Jeff whistles low before he cracks a grin. “Six already? Sunshine’s gonna be seven before we know it. And then she’s gonna be a teen-”

“Slow down!” You giggle, lightly punching Jeff’s shoulder. “I wanna cherish these moments while I still can.”

“If I wasn’t doing what I do,” Jeff begins as he watches the trees sway with the passing breeze. “I’d be where I belong. With the two of you.”

You sigh and rest your head on his shoulder, feeling your lover’s warmth. “We could make it work now, couldn’t we?”

Jeff shoots you a slight glance to tell you that he knows you know how it’s all going to play out. He doesn’t even need to say it. If he had any faith that the two of you would be safer with him around, he’d be at your side and never leave. But with Jane and his brother in his trail and the Slender Man never letting him breathe plus the cops that get too trigger happy? He refuses to take that risk with his two most important girls in the world. “Princess,” he says softly as he slings his arm over you. “You know the rules to this game.”

You furrow your brows and nod hesitantly, “I do.”

His hand grips your bicep slightly as the two of you spend some time in silence together. There’s so much you both want to say, but neither can bring themself to say it. So for now, silence with someone you love.

“Oh,” Jeff suddenly says. “I brought these things for her,” he says as he gestures to the presents he’s pulling on his lap.

“You’re spoiling her again this year?” You say in a teasing tone as he gestures to the giant basket filled to the brim with stuffed animals. “Of course,” Jeff beams. “I had to. Besides, I heard she’s taken a shine to giraffes.”

“She has,” you say as you look over all the toys and other fun things. “She’ll love it.”

Jeff chuckles. “Good.”

Before you can say anything else, a muffled voice calls for you inside the house. You immediately get up, ready to attend to your daughter and Jeff follows in suit.

Internally, he’s just a bit sad that his moment with you is up, but hearing his daughter’s voice makes his heart sing. He helps you up, ensures you’re able to hold everything he brought and helps you open the door just a crack before the two of you pause.

You look into those blue eyes that set your heart on fire and butterflies in your stomach in motion and smile sadly, trying to reassure him you’ll be okay with him leaving. “Will I see you soon?”

“You know it,” Jeff replies, a promise on his lips that doesn’t reach his eyes. He knows he won’t be back until next year or unless there’s an emergency. He hopes it’s just next year and that no one dear and near to his heart’s life is on the line. “Take care, princess, and give all my love to her,” he says softly as he tilts your head upwards.

“Anything for you,” you whisper as you feel his lips on your forehead, planting a love that only comes once a year.

Jeff chuckles softly before gesturing for you to head inside.

When you turn your back on him to be with your little girl, you feel his presence linger, and then it’s gone.

Slender Man:

Wait, no you didn’t. No the hell you didn’t lol. Mans looks like a Ken Doll below the belt y’aint doing me like this. You go back inside, wondering why you answered a call in which no one made.

[alkae]

Green Isn’t Your Color

“A ball?”

The boys all gaped at Nuru as she announced that the next kingdom they were going to was hosting a ball and, as a princess, she was invited to join in on the pleasantries.

And since she really, obviously, didn’t like her friends, she invited them too. Yong, however, seemed excited. “Will there be food?” he asked.

Nuru nodded enthusiastically. “Oh the best food.”

He grabbed Varian’s sleeve. “Varian, we have to go!”

Hugo snorted to himself as Varian looked down uncomfortably. “I, uh, I don’t really like parties that much. Especially the ones that require socialization.”

“Varian, all parties require socialization.”

“Exactly.” He looked up at Nuru. “I didn’t even really attend my friends’ wedding. I asked specifically to be in charge of fireworks because I didn’t want to sit in a crowded church.”

Hugo remembered Varian mentioning that before. He had laughed at him then and now, he felt a little guilty laughing.

Just a little.

“Goggles,” he drawled, “are you that terrified of meeting new people?”

Varian locked eyes with him and Hugo took the time to admire how blue they were. “Yes.”

Nuru sighed. “Varian, please. I really don’t want to go alone. And plus, if you say yes, then Hugo will say yes.”

“He will?”

“I will?” This was news to Hugo.

“He agrees to everything that you agree to,” Nuru explained. “If you do it, he’ll do it.”

Varian bit his lip. “I don’t know…”

Yong pulled at Varian’s sleeve. “You don’t have to talk to anyone. You can hang out with me and Hugo by the snack table.”

Hugo saw Nuru’s lips purse but she said nothing. Varian smiled slightly. “Okay. But we don’t have any nice clothes.”

“Clearly,” Hugo said. Varian glared at him.

Nuru stood and Yong followed. “Well, we’ll visit a shop and have outfits made for you. I’ll need new clothes too. I don’t think this will cut it.” She gestured to her dress.

“I think it’s pretty,” Yong said. Nuru smiled at him.

Varian stood too. Hugo remained sitting, watching Varian closely. He still seemed uncomfortable. “Alright,” he agreed. “I could use some more clothes.”

The three of them look over at Hugo expectantly. He shrugged. “As long as you’re paying, princess.”

She threw a stick at him and Hugo laughed.

The group arrived in town and went into a nearby dress shop.

Hugo crinkled his nose. “Why are we at a dress shop, princess?”

“I need a dress. Plus, they don’t just sell dresses here. They have suits.” She makes a wide motion with her arm. “Go on, Hugo. Take Varian and look around.” She accompanied this last statement with a smirk. He glared.

Nuru knew that he liked Varian. Yong probably did too but Nuru most likely swore him to silence. Or she bribed him. Probably that.

Varian and Hugo initially only looked at dresses as a joke. Varian pulled a long, poofy, lacy hot pink dress off the rack and held it up to him. Even if Varian was to wear it, it would’ve been too long for him. It dragged on the floor. “How do I look?” he asked.

Hugo gave him a once over. “Beautiful. You’ll be the belle of the ball.”

Varian snorted and put the dress back. He pulled another one out, this one a bright yellow. “How about this?”

“It’s perfect. If you want to look like the sun.”

Varian laughed. “Maybe that’s the point.”

“You’re already hard enough to look at, hairstripe, don’t make it harder,” Hugo retorted. Varian shot him a warning look before he put the dress back on the rack. He looked at one that was actually very beautiful. It was a nice shade of turquoise with fine gold trim. “Wow. Do you think Nuru would like this?”

Hugo examined it. “No. She’s a purple kind of girl. Plus, I doubt she’d wear anything that doesn’t have stars on it.”

To his surprise, Varian didn’t argue. He continued to stare at the dress. “I like the colors,” he said. “I wonder if there’s something like this in a suit instead.”

“We do,” a voice said behind them. They turned to see a girl with long dirty blonde hair worn in a low ponytail and deep brown eyes with a tape measure draped on her shoulders like a scarf smiling at them. Well, not them. Just Varian.

Hugo felt something hot boiling in his stomach as he noticed the way she looked at him.

Varian smiled back. “Oh cool! I, uh, take it you work here?”

The girl nodded. “Yes. I’m Eleanor. You can call me Lenor. I’m the dress maker’s assistant. She’s currently helping out your friend. The princess, right?”

Was she eavesdropping on their conversation? Hugo scowled at her as Varian seemed to just blow past this. “Yeah, Princess Nuru. She’s actually why we’re here today. See, she was invited to a ball and she wants us to be her guests.”

Lenor’s eyes brightened. “You guys are going to the ball?”

“He just said that,” Hugo grumbled. Varian elbowed him. Lenor’s face soured slightly but she said nothing. “Anyway, we’re just here to get some nice clothes and then bounce. So if you don’t mind showing my friend here the suit so we can pay for it and leave, that would be great.”

“Hugo,” Varian hissed. “I’m sorry about him. Oh and uh, yeah, that’s Hugo. I’m Varian.”

“Nice to meet you Varian.” Lenor paused. “And uh, you too, Hugo.”

Hugo rolled his eyes. “Uh huh.”

Lenor pushed on, focusing only on Varian. “Anyway, I’d be happy showing you the suit. We have some in the back, I think. I just need your size.” She grinned deviously as she grabbed Varian��s arm and led him off. Hugo followed reluctantly. She better not try anything.

Varian stood on a stool as Lenor “measured” him. Hugo slouched in the background, arms crossed and pouting. Lenor certainly was making the most of this. She was currently scraping her arms over his chest under the guise of “measuring”, leaning in close so their cheeks practically collided. Hugo watched as she “tripped” and nearly knocked Varian off the stool. “Oops,” she giggled. “Sorry.”

Lucky for her, Varian was very nice. He just smiled and said, “Oh, no problem!”

Hugo made a noise. “Are we finished here?” he asked. He didn’t bother to keep the snark out of his voice. Lenor shot him a nasty look before pasting on her happy face again.

“Oh yes! But unfortunately, we are out of suits in your size.” She batted her eyelashes at Varian innocently. Hugo repressed the urge to gag. “However, if you come back here later, we can make one for you.”

“I wouldn’t want to be trouble…” Varian started but Lenor cut him off.

“No trouble at all.” She batted her eyes at him again. Hugo scowled. “How about you come by at around 5ish? I should be here.”

“Sure, sounds like a plan.”

Hugo decided to butt in. “Okay, Hairstripe, I think it’s time we headed out. Nuru’s giving us a dirty look from the other side of the store.” She wasn’t but he needed some excuse to pull Varian away. Varian smiled at Lenor apologetically and something inside Hugo simmered.

“I’ll see you at 5?” he asked her.

She grinned. “It’s a date.”

Varian waved and turned. “Nuru’s calling us over. Come on.” Huh. So she was eyeing them angrily. Convenient.

Instead of going with Varian, he and Lenor stared at each other, locked in a silent battle. “Look,” Lenor said. “I’m sure you’re his close friend and all. But it’s completely wrong to keep us apart when it’s so clear that we’re destined to be together.”

Hugo wrinkled his nose. “You just met.”

“Haven’t you heard of love at first sight, Herbert?”

Herbert? Oh she did not. “I have indeed, Luna, but I’ve been told that only fools rush in.”

Lenor rolled her eyes. This certainly wasn’t the nice, helpful girl she was just seconds ago. “Whatever. Just stay out of our way. Nothing will stop us from getting together and if you try, I will destroy you.”

Hugo eyed her. She hardly went up to his chest. “I’m terrified, Lexi. Now, I must go. My friend, Varian, is waiting for me.” He turned to leave but stopped and turned back around. With one hand, he did a cocky little wave at her. “See you at 5, babe?”

She gave him a rude gesture and he laughed and stalked off. Oh he was so accompanying Varian when he came back here. If only to annoy Lenor some more.

At 5, Varian and Hugo went back to the shop where Lenor was waiting eagerly at the door like a puppy waiting for their master.

“Hello, Varian!” she said. She gave Hugo a once over. “You.”

He looked at her coolly. “You.”

Varian, socially oblivious boy that he was, just started walking to the back of the store. Lenor mouthed, “I will destroy you.”

Hugo mouthed back, “I’d love to see you try.”

She made an “ugh” gesture and whipped around. “Are you ready for your fitting, Varian?” Her voice was annoyingly sweet.

Varian smiled at her. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said, albeit a little nervously. He sat on the stool. “So, uh, how, uh, how long will this take, Lenor?”

Varian wasn’t close to her but Hugo was and he heard her whisper, “As long as it takes to make you mine.” She pointedly glared at Hugo who scoffed.

“You don’t own him,” he whispered back.

“Neither do you,” she hissed.

“Uh, Lenor? Hugo?”

Varian was perched on the stool, adorably awkward. Lenor straightened and smoothed her skirt. “Right! Sorry, Vari.”

She was already giving him pet names? Not for the first time that day, Hugo’s nose wrinkled. That, her whispering, and the fact that she touched him excessively while “measuring” him set off warning lights in Hugo’s head.

Speaking of which, she was already touching him. Her measuring tape wasn’t even out. “Alright! I’ll get the fabric and be right back.” She flounced off to the backroom as Hugo made his way to the back and stood in front of Varian.

He gave a small smile to Hugo. “She seems nice.” He seemed uncertain.

Hugo shrugged. “She’s got energy,” he said.

Varian laughed. “Well, I mean, you aren’t wrong.”

Hugo felt himself smile. Just a little. “When have I ever been wrong, Goggles?”

Varian tapped his chin in false thought. “Hmmm, I wonder?”

Hugo lightly pushed Varian. “That was a rhetorical question.” Varian laughed again and it sounded like music.

“I’m back!” Hugo startled when he saw Lenor standing behind Varian, a bundle of fabric clutched in her hands. Her smile was wide and forced and when Varian turned back around, her stare was withering as she looked at Hugo. He raised his hands innocently. He did nothing. Was it a crime to talk to his friend/longtime crush?

Lenor set the cloth down. “Alright, Varian. I’m going to need you to change your clothes into this-” She held up a skin tight, plain white outfit that Hugo had seen people wear while they were getting fitted, so he gave her that. “-and then we’ll get started.”

Varian took it from her hestitantly. He looked at Hugo, a silent question passing between them. Hugo nodded in affirmation and Varian stood to go to the changing room.

“Where are you going?” Lenor asked.

Varian hesitated. “Uh, to change?”

Hugo butted in. “What, you want him to just strip here in the store?” He liked Varian too, but he accepted that a man must have his dignity. Lenor appropriately flushed and shook her head. Varian smiled appreciatively at Hugo and then rushed off to change. This left Hugo and Lenor alone, which wasn’t a very good idea.

“So,” he said.

“So,” she said.

“Is there a reason you’re obsessively touching him?” he asked.

Lenor blushed again. “It’s my job, Henry!”

Hugo scoffed again. “Your job should not require that much physical contact without a needle, cloth and/or measuring tape, Leandra.”

Her blush deepened. “Shut up.”

He crossed his arms. “I’m fine if you flirt with him.” That was a bit of a lie. “But refrain from being a creep, please and thank you.”

“I am not being a creep,” she snapped.

“Then stop touching him obsessively.”

Lenor huffed and then crossed her arms. “Fine. To prove that I’m not a creep, I won’t touch him for anything except my job. Happy?”

He smiled cheekily. “Thrilled.”

They were at a standstill again when Varian came back, face red at the tightness of the undergarments he was required to wear for his fitting. Hugo whistled. “Looking good, Hairstripe. Very ball ready.”

Varian glared at him and shoved his clothes at Hugo. Even though he wasn’t wearing his clothes, he looked extremely naked without his gloves and goggles. Hugo found himself looking for them subconsciously. “Can I not call you Goggles now?”

Varian shoved him, lightly. “Be quiet, Hugo.” But there was a slight lift to his lips. He went to stand on the stool, visibly uncomfortable. Lenor picked up the fabric and grinned.

“Alright! Let’s get started shall we?”

The fitting was rather uneventful. Hugo was mostly staring at the wall but was occasionally drawn to Varian and his nervous face. To calm him, Hugo gave a not helpful thumbs up which distracted Varian from the fitting by annoying him.

Finally, Lenor put down the needle and stepped back. “Okay. I think we’re about done here, Vari.”

Hugo looked up to see Varian, standing there in a turquoise suit with golden trim and a white dress shirt. It was just a suit but something about the color matching with the stripe of blue in Varian’s hair and the way it brought out the blue in Varian’s eyes made his jaw drop slightly. He picked it up before Varian noticed.

“Looking good,” he said again, this time serious.

Varian picked at his sleeve. Lenor batted his hand away. “Don’t do that,” she scolded but she sounded as in awe as Hugo was.

They were just clothes but somehow, Varian seemed… older. Handsomer. More confident, even as his expression was worried and anxious. He mustered up a somewhat happy expression that he aimed only at Hugo. “Really?”

Hugo nodded. “Now all you need is goggles and gloves and boom, you’re all set!”

Varian narrowed his eyes. “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”

Lenor clasped her hands. “Well, you’re all set. Just one thing.”

Hugo was immediately suspicious. “And what’s that?”

She gave him a nasty look before saying, “There’s a loose strand on the back of the suit. Now I would just do it now but it’s in a place that may hurt if I poke you. So I’ll take the suit, fix it and you can pick it up tomorrow?” Her face was innocent but her eyes were scheming.

And Varian just nodded in agreement. “Sounds good. Thank you, Lenor.”

She gushed at the compliment. “It’s my pleasure, Varian. Anything you need, just ask.”

Hugo exhaled loudly through his nose in frustration. “Right. Now, why don’t you change, Hairstripe, and we can head back to Nuru and Yong before they send out a search party.”

Varian changed and Lenor and Hugo got in a few extra glares before Varian and Hugo left. On their way out, Lenor called after them, “Noon, okay?”

Varian waved. “Noon it is!”

Hugo could see her smug look from 5 feet away. The door closed behind them and they were out in the town. Just the two of them. Hugo cleared his throat. “So, Hairstripe. What do you say we get dinner?”

This statement made Varian give Hugo a questioning look. “You want to buy something? Well that’s new.”

“Don’t insult me, I’m trying to be nice.”

Varian’s look was skeptical but he didn’t protest. He looked more like himself now, with the goggles pushed into his hair and his gloves that were stained with who knows what. Even though he looked amazing in the suit, he looked even better as himself.

The two went to a nearby shop where Varian ordered and Hugo paid. They made sure to get some food for Nuru and Yong so the two weren’t completely left out. However, they still sat at a table together and ate their food. It was pretty empty so there were a lot of tables around.

Through a mouth full of sandwich, Varian said, “You still need to get a suit, Hugo.”

Hugo picked out some tomato from his sandwich. “What, you’re saying this isn’t ball worthy, Hairstripe?” He gestured to his clothes, which were also slightly stained from an experiment. “I am insulted. Insulted, I say!”

Varian snort laughed and then choked a little on his sandwich. Swallowing, he said, “Come on. You know you like buying nice things. When we pick up my suit tomorrow, we’ll find one for you.”

Hugo disliked the idea of giving Lenor any more business, especially after Varian, Yong and Nuru (as Hugo predicted, she did buy a purple dress with stars on it) already bought from her. But then he reasoned that she didn’t own the store and she was an assistant. So he might as well.

Then he wondered why an assistant was doing a fitting instead of the owner of the store. He chewed his sandwich in thought.

Varian continued. “You’re the only one without a nice outfit. There must be something for you.”

Hugo raised a brow. “Nothing will make me look nicer than I already look.” He took another bite and winced as he tasted tomato. “Just get me something green and call it a day.”

Green was what Hugo wore everyday. Similar to how Varian wore blue, Nuru wore purple and Yong wore red. But Varian still looked him up and down and then leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know, Hugo. Green just isn’t your color.”

Hugo gasped. “Hairstripe! I am appalled!”

But Varian was laughing and his laughter was contagious and soon they found themselves laughing together in a sandwich shop.

Soon, they finished and headed back to where they were staying, Yong and Nuru’s sandwiches in tow. “In all seriousness,” Varian said suddenly, “I think you look pretty good in green.”

Surprised, Hugo turned and tried to read Varian’s expression. He was looking straight ahead, face purposefully blank.

Hugo couldn’t help the goofy grin that creeped its way onto his face. “And you,” he said, praying he had the boldness, “look decent in turquoise.”

Now Varian let that smile loose, the one that showed off his buckteeth that he admitted to be a little embarrassed about. “I’m an adult,” he had said to Hugo one day. “I shouldn’t have these. They’re not cute in adulthood.”

Hugo had paused and then replied, “I don’t know, Hairstripe. Adults beavers look pretty cute with them.”

Varian had thrown a stick or something at him that day but he could tell that Varian was feeling better about himself.

The two walked back together, both grinning to themselves. And Hugo didn't even mind getting yelled at about being late that much.

The next day, Varian and Hugo found themselves back at the dress shop.

Instead of going straight to Lenor, Varian dragged Hugo through the racks, searching for a suit for him. “This would go faster if you would help,” Varian said, annoyed, as Hugo stood, arms crossed, behind him.

“I’d love to, Hairstripe, but this really isn’t my thing.”

“Hugo!”

“Alright!” Just to make Varian happy, Hugo fake looked through the racks, barely skimming through the suits. He didn’t really want to go to the ball. He didn’t think he could stand seeing Varian looking like that for an entire night. But to make Varian and Nuru and possibly Yong happy, he decided to go along with them.

“Hey, what about this?” Varian asked. Hugo looked up, ready with a quip, when he stopped short. Because, dammit, the suit actually looked good. It was green with silver trim and a matching green tie with a crisp white shirt to go along with it. And the suit looked relatively shiny and nice, something that won Hugo over immediately.

He gingerly took it from Varian and, subtly, checked the price and the size. It was perfect. What diety came down and blessed him with this suit? How was the day going so right so far? This never happened.

“Vari!”

Oh wait. Nevermind.

Hugo’s face soured as he spotted Lenor bounding over to them like an overexcited horse seeing their rider. He noticed Varian’s face falter slightly too. “Hey, Lenor.”

She stopped right in front of him, nearly colliding with him. “I’m so glad to see you! You’re suit’s all done and in the back. Come on, I’ll show it to you!” Lenor led Varian and Hugo to the backroom where, low and behold, there sat the suit. “Tada! Do you like it?”

Varian nodded. “It’s amazing, Lenor. I’m impressed.”

Hugo folded the green suit over his arm, faking boredness. “Yes, well done, Luan. Now how’s about we pay for this and head out?”

Lenor made a face but Varian agreed and the three headed up to the register to pay. But before they could finish and leave, Lenor stopped them. “Hey, Vari, I saw you at the sandwich shop last night.”

Varian and Hugo both paused. “What? Really?” Varian asked.

She nodded. “Yes! I didn’t know you liked Kylian’s Sandwich Shop. Maybe we could go there sometime.”

“Oh, uh.” Varian fiddled with his gloves. “I’m sorry but I’m not sure I have the time, Lenor. I mean the ball is tonight and right after, we have to leave.”

Lenor sighed. “Oh the ball.” She sighed again, dramatically. Hugo eyed her skeptically. “I always wanted to go but, alas, a dress maker’s assistant would never get an invitation.”

Hugo saw where this was going but couldn’t get a word in before Varian said, “Well why don’t you come with us?”

Hugo was shaking his head no as Lenor lit up. “Oh really? You’d take me? Oh, Vari, that is so sweet!”

This time, Hugo did interrupt. “We’re going as a group, Lori. That means we’ll have to check to see if it’s okay with Nuru and Yong before you can actually go.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine with it,” Varian said. Hugo shot him an annoyed look. Was he really doing this? Did he really want Lenor to come with them to the ball?

Lenor clasped her hands. “I would love to go, Vari. Why don’t you and, uh, your group come down and pick me up around a quarter to 7? That would give us enough time to get there.”

Varian nodded as Hugo put his face in his hands. “Sounds good. We’ll meet you there.”

On their way out, Hugo resisted the urge to scream at Varian. Did he seriously want a total stranger to come with them to the ball?

“Hairstripe,” he said through gritted teeth. “What the fuck?”

Varian stared straight forward. “I was being nice, Hugo. It’s not hard.”

“She’s a stranger! Who may have stalked yo-us. And you’re inviting her to the ball? Are you kidding?”

Varian stopped and sighed. “Look, Hugo, I know you two don’t like each other. But please, give her a bit of a chance.”

“What? Why?”

“I gave you a chance, didn’t I?” Varian reminded him. Hugo fell silent. Varian pressed on. “You stole the totem when we first met and you were a total stranger who ‘schmoozed’ his way into our group. But I still trusted you.”

“And you trust her?” Hugo asked.

Varian shrugged helplessly. “I… she reminds me a bit of me. She’s clearly not used to other people and I was just like her. I want to give her the chance to be our friend, Hugo. I want to give her the kindness I never received.” He looked up at Hugo, eyes big and blue and lovely. “Please let me give her that chance.”

Hugo bit his lip. As much as he didn’t like Lenor, as much as he didn’t trust her, he knew that Varian had a big heart and didn’t trust easy. So if he thought she could change and be better… “Okay, Hairstripe. But if she turns out to be a murderer…”

“I’ll know how to deal with it,” Varian finished. He smiled at Hugo and it was so kind that it melted his heart. “Thank you.”

Hugo shrugged and continued forward. “You did the same for me.”

“Are you boys ready?”

Yong stumbled out of the bathroom, tie undone and hair messy. Nuru sighed. “Honestly, Yong,” she said as she tied his tie for him.

Hugo was already dressed, tie done, hair slicked back, and jacket buttoned. Nuru looked at him with begrudging approval. “You look nice, Hugo.”

Nuru was wearing a long, elegant purple dress with star patterns on the bottom. She wore her signature clip in her hair, which she pulled back. “You look nice too, princess.”

She smoothed her dress. “Thank you. Now, we just need Varian.”

And speak of the devil, there he was, coming out of the bathroom with a hand shoved in his pocket awkwardly. He looked as he did in the store but nicer, what with his hair done and maybe something was done to his face too, because he looked radiant.

Hugo was staring. He knew it. And Varian was staring too.

“Uh,” Varian said. He cleared his throat. “I picked the right suit, huh?”

Hugo breathed a laugh. “Don’t give yourself too much credit, Hairstripe.” Then, kinder, he said, “You clean up good.”

There was a slight reddening to Varian’s cheeks. “You look good too, Hugo.”

They stood there, staring at each other for seemingly forever until Nuru clapped her hands. “Okay boys! We need to pick up Lenor and then to the ball.”

Varian was nervous about wrecking his suit but Nuru assured him that he couldn’t possibly ruin it in the 5 minutes it took to walk to the dress shop. When the entered, they saw Lenor with her hair braided wearing a seafoam dress with a bow around the waist. “You look nice, Lenor,” Varian said. Hugo pointedly adjusted his tie.

Lenor sighed breathily. “And you look amazing, Vari.”

Hugo caught Yong mouthing to Nuru, “Vari?” Nuru shrugged. Hugo coughed. “Shall we?” He locked eyes with Lenor, who provided him with an icy stare.

The walk to the castle surprisingly wasn’t very long either. Lenor talked to Varian the entire way, leaving Hugo with Nuru and Yong, both of whom were confused. Yong whispered to Hugo, “Is she Varian’s girlfriend?”

Hugo glanced over his shoulder to see Varian uncomfortably walking at Lenor’s side, eyes wide. “I’m guessing not.”

“Then why is she acting like it?”

Hugo shrugged and that was that.

The ball was bustling by the time they arrived and Nuru was immediately called on by the king and queen. She dragged Yong with her, claiming that he could distract them with his explosions when the conversation got boring.

That left Hugo, Varian and Lenor.

Immediately, Lenor was bugging Varian to dance, pulling at his arm and bouncing on her heels. “It’s tradition, Vari!”

“What a concept,” Hugo muttered. “Dancing at a ball.”

Lenor glowered at him. “Whatever.” She grabbed Varian’s arm firmly and dragged him off. “Come on! I’ll show you.” She ignored his protests and vanished into the crowd. Hugo watched as they went and then sighed.

Soon Yong was coming up to him, cheeks red with excitement. “What happened, kid?” Hugo asked.

Yong shrugged. “They sent me away. They said I was ‘too much’ for them.”

This cheered Hugo up and he suggested they hide at the snackbar while Nuru and Varian “socialized.”

An hour or so passed before Varian hobbled over to Hugo (Yong was taken away again by a desperately bored Nuru). “How’s your new girlfriend treating you?” Hugo drawled.

Varian rubbed his feet and groaned. “If I have to do another dance, I might actually keel over.” He looked up frantically as Lenor called his name from the crowd. “Hugo, quick.”

“What?” He didn’t have time to think before Varian was pulling him away, away from Lenor and Nuru and Yong and out of the ballroom. They had no idea where they were going and that was fine. They ran down corridors and hallways and soon they found themselves out on a balcony, staring out at a garden.

Hugo snorted at the sight. “Of course they have a garden.”

Varian leaned on the railing and closed his eyes. Hugo watched him. “You good, Hairstripe?”

“No,” Varian said immediately. “I’m tired and exhausted.”

“Pretty sure those are synonyms.”

“You know what I mean.” Varian rubbed his eyes. “Lenor has been dragging me around all night, dancing. I just want a break. I didn’t even want to come tonight. I just wanted to hang out with you.”

Hugo was surprised. “Me? Like just me or like with Yong?”

Varian shrugged. “You’re a pretty fun guy to be around Hugo. You know, when you’re not being pretentious.” Hugo laughed. “I’m serious. It’s nice to hang out with you. You’re funny and smart and you always seem to know what to say to make me feel better.”

Hugo leaned on the railing too. “I could say the same about you, Hairstripe. I mean, you did trust me enough to let me join your merry band of misfits.”

Varian cocked a brow. “Is that seriously what you call us?”

“What else would fit?”

Varian laughed and Hugo joined in. A comfortable silence fell on them. Varian broke it. “You know, the best part about these two days in this town was getting to hang out with you. I’m glad I chose to trust you, Hugo.” He looked up at him with those eyes. Hugo swallowed.

“And I’m glad you trusted me, Varian.”

Varian bit his lip. “I like you a lot, Hugo,” he continued. He brushed a stray hair from his face. “Like, a lot. I hope you know that.”

Hugo narrowed his eyes at Varian. “As a friend?” He needed clarification.

The look in Varian’s eyes was enough. “What do you think?”

Hugo swallowed again. “I think I like you a lot too, Varian.”

And the smile on his face was so bright it could’ve lit an entire town. Varian leaned in and Hugo was determined to meet him. They kissed, nice and sweet, with Varian’s hand resting on Hugo’s neck and Hugo’s arms around his waist. They broke apart for a second so Hugo could say, “You look beautiful tonight.”

“I do?” Varian sounded breathless.

“Yes. The belle of the ball.”

Varian giggled and closed the space between them again. They stayed like that until a voice said, “What?”

They broke apart and saw Lenor standing in the doorway, jaw practically to the floor. She was looking at Varian, then at Hugo, then at Varian again. Hugo was cool while Varian looked embarrassed.

An awkward silence passed between them before Varian cleared his throat. “Are you, uh, enjoying the ball?”

Hugo burst out laughing.

[peaches-of-1]

Day 10 | On Tip Toes

Black!Reader x Dad!Namjoon

An excited dark tan little human woke up to their own inner clock and looks around. Mama or Dad must’ve brought them in here after they fell asleep on the couch. Either way, the young girl knew what day it was and excitedly climbed down the pipe like ladder.

She had wanted them painted like the candles in the Kwanzaa display on the special table, but Mama had never gotten to it. Mama was a busy woman and--

Wait, what’s this? There was a camera in the corner of the room. Ah, them again. It was Christmas Day, so of course the aunties and uncles came to visit and set up the cameras while they slept. Sparkling white teeth showed off to the camera and a small hand waved before the roundest face in the world turned to see its only match.

She quickly used her tiny feet to walk towards a face similar to her’s and kneel on the step before the doorway beneath the dark gray sign that read “SANTA’S WORKSHOP” in English and tapped a shirt covered in candy patterns.

“별자리, Byeol-iiiii. Wake up! Our grown up friends are here.” She notified her twin sister just like any good sibling would. “And it’s Christmas.”

Hazel eyes suddenly sprung open, “Is it really Christmas?” 

A stern nod before adorable yawns left 초승달’s mouth and soon two 3 year old bodies were fully awake to make a heart for the cameras like they usually did when are red carpets with their parents. Then they changed the date on their “color by day” calendar and began to hop around in their pajamas.

“It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas!” they were just as excitable as their parents for the holidays.

The two girls then opened their sliding door before holding hands and walking to their parents’ room down the hallway, knowing they were asleep but also oh so ready to wake them up to spend the day together.

However, they got distracted by the white lights that had fallen from the hallway as RapMon trotted beside them. The dog sat next to the wall and let the children enact their little plan before they continued on their way.

The uncle in the green tent decorated like a Christmas tree tried not to laugh too loud as he was the only one at the right angle to see this.

Dark skin and hair in a green bonnet was held closely by tan skin with dimpled cheeks that were even more noticeable as husband opened brown eyes when wife got wiggly. A parental Spidey Sense of sorts went off in both adults as she turned to face him.

“What time is it?” I asked in a groggy voice as a farewell to all the sleep I would’ve gotten if it were not for being a mother as well.

“Not yet. Pretend they’re still asleep for a few minutes, ok?” Large and protective hands enveloped slightly smaller ones and rubbed the back of them, the gentle touch almost willing slumber into his spouse’s eyes.

I suppressed a yawn before ignoring the door being opened by two giggling little elves. The door was always unlocked in case of emergency such as an early morning boo boo or a nightmare in the late evening. This was neither, thankfully. Simply two of the cutest little girls on the planet launching themselves onto Mama’s and Papa’s soft embrace.

The usual morning tradition of a four person hug and kisses for everyone ensued. Mom to Byeol, Byeol to Choseungdal, Choseungdal to Dad, and then Dad to mom before it reversed. Cross over and then the kids were excited and bouncing up and down once more.

“Mama, Papa! Mama! Papa! Guess what? Guess what?!” The twins said, jumping on the bed and claiming the hug of a parent for themselves.

“What is it?” Idol and father Kim Namjoon asked.

Byeol spoke up, “It’s Christmas morning! We get to open presents now, right?”

Choseungdal looked from her sister’s face to her father’s, “I really wanna open the big red one!”

I gasped in an overexaggerated way, “A gift before breakfast, isn’t our hug enough?”

“No.” She said, honestly.

“Fair enough.” I replied with a giggle while my husband laughed.

Then he spoke up, “Alright, let’s open a present then, shall we? One before breakfast and then we get all~ cleaned up to eat Mama’s yummy food, ok?”

“Ok!” They replied 

“Wait, Choseungdal.” Byeol said, “We have to show Mama and Papa how we decorated RapMon this time.”

The parents blinked and shared a look. This time? They decorated him again? They literally pulled us into the living room to see the white fluffy dog sparkle with glittering Christmas lights. So that was what you heard in the middle of the night. You had decided to ignore it since you had believed it to be a sound from whatever dream you had been having.

And he was just there smiling like a goofball. Namjoon said that they shouldn’t do stuff like that because it could hurt the dog, and he was too nice to do anything about it. It was a light scolding and more of a teaching moment because no one wanted any sad faces on Christmas. As my husband and I unwrapped RapMon,, Byeol-ie decided to go around and greet all of the aunties and uncles.

They were in Christmas themed tents to help make the young kids more comfortable. The crew of The Return of Superman always came around every once in a while, and it was usually the same ones unless someone was sick or quit or got fired, y’know. Choseungdal had taken a liking to one unnie in particular.

She kissed Camera Unnie on the cheek to greet her while shyly waving to the others. The twins had gained personalities rather quickly according to the family counselor we went to see. Byeoljali...had a more outgoing personality and would often speak up for Choseungdal who was rather non verbal. I had a suspicion that she was like me, and so we were always extra clear in instruction and repeated stuff a lot to make it easier for her to understand.

Byeol was Byeoljali’s nickname. We named her as such since she had light hazel almost amber eyes. Choseungdal was often shortened to Cho-ie.

They were both cheeky sweethearts, though. Both girls enjoyed creative things, so the crafts room sometimes took over the living room. Currently, the girls were not allowed to use rhinestones because it had taken nearly a whole day to get all of them out of RapMon’s fur. The older dog understood that they were only little and they had apologized in the form of treats, so he wasn’t mad.

My two girls sat down after picking out which gift they wanted and I was there with my own camera to take pictures of them opening up their gifts. Luckily, they had similar hobbies, so gifts were easy.

“On three, start ripping them open.” I said. “Ask Dad for help if you need it.”

“Appa!” Cho-ie said. “Help me, please.”

He chuckled and went to sit in between them just in case. I counted to three, and the box opening began. Byeoljali began to open up the gift with raptor like swiftness while Cheoseungdal made sure it was unfolded properly with hardly any rips. Yep, we literally had a moon child. How could we not?

Our love for space and the unknown was mutual, and celestial names were so beautiful.

Cho-ie had gotten a collection of new canvases with a custom easel since the other one was missing a few pieces now. That’s why it was so big: the easel had been set up top of the canvases and already put together.

She hugged her dad and thanked us. Byeol had revealed a new set of paints that included glitter glue too. Maybe it wouldn’t get everywhere if they were in some sort of adhesive already...or it would be harder to get off of furniture. Only time would tell. She sprinted to hug my legs and then did grabby hands for the phone so she could record us.

She didn’t have the best hand-eye coordination or grasp, so I said that our darlings didn’t need to take pictures of us since we already had other adults to do it for us. I just didn’t want another broken phone. Namjoon had gotten us matching chokers that we would surely be wearing out today.

I hugged him and kissed him on his lips, excited to see his expression when he got his gift from me. He opened the bag and gasped, almost in tears as he lifted out the headphones he had been yearning over for the past four months. My husband has said he wouldn’t get them since he didn’t need them and they were too expensive anyways.

He hugged me tightly. Then it was time for coloring the picture of the day while I made breakfast. Namjoon had prepared some stuff last night while I helped get the kids to bed which made cooking much easier. In fact, he had finished making the entire fruit salad and it was wrapped in the fridge.

“Thank you, yeobo! That saves so much time!” I called over to him.

Namjoon just smiled, “It’s my pleasure. I was extra careful too, so no hurt fingers this time.”

I giggled and Christmas music played while I cooked and The Return of Superman got footage for their Holiday Special. My voice sang along as I filled pie crusts with a mix of rice, spinach, and cheese before sticking the first batch into the oven for ~18 minutes. Although he tried very hard, Namjoon-yeobo was still a bit of a hazard in the kitchen. He mixed things very well, though.

Like the vegetables that would become part of our omelettes. I still wasn’t a big fan of omelettes, so I would just be making three for my husband and kids. Also, I knew two of the crew didn’t eat eggs. So a total of five. I glanced over into the living room and saw him handing the girls whatever color they asked for.

Every time he got it wrong, he would say, “I’m sorry, my princess.” and then give them the right one eventually. He soon came over to show me a pictue of our girls in front of their finished mini Christmas tree in their playroom. He took it yesterday and forgot to show me.

It was so cute. All of the eggs were done, so you cut two of them in half as soon as the timer went off for the breakfast pockets. I gave them a quick call to ask if they washed their hands after coloring. The three looked at each other and ran to the bathroom as I set up the plates and washed my own hands.

I looked at the camera people who were in tents, “What are you waiting for? I didn’t make this much food just for the four of us. Use the one in the guest bedroom.”

They were so surprised and decided to take turns to make sure at least two were recording while the others ate. However, they were family at this point and this was a family breakfast. All of them were to sit at the table and enjoy the homemade meal.

I told them that if their boss had a problem, they could bring it up to me directly. I was a child of four, so I knew how to make a lot of food in a short amount of time and still have it taste good. I had even made a few pockets without cheese because a few were lactose intolerant.

Then everyone was ready to dig in. Namjoon made sure that the two elven twinsies thanked me for the meal before eating. It was a very warm breakfast. It was lots of chatter but still quiet and kind. Choseungdal made sure to feed Camera Unnie a few times, getting a thank you in return. Then it was time for me to clean up while my love got the girls cleaned up, getting them to brush their teeth and all that jazz.

The camera people went back into their tents while one stood in the bathroom doorway to record.

Since Joon was an idol, he was usually very busy doing TV shows and making music and all that stuff. So, he got to spend most of the time directly helping the kids on his days off.

Once the dishes were in the dishwasher (the first Christmas gift we bought together) and Cho-ie was in her little Christmas dress, I started on making the cookie dough with the mini sous chef. Both Byeoljali and Cheoseungdal were adamant about bringing cookies to Taehyung’s holiday party. He and his huge family held one every single year, and we always attended.

My apple cake was always a hit, so I was bringing that. However, the kids wanted to do something too. I was glad to have the extra help in making cookies. It was a good distraction while Namjoon got ready first. He’d do their hair and pack up the cookies when it was my turn. The apple cake was a family recipe from this cookbook we’ve had since forever. I was stumped five years ago as to what to make since I had been bringing boozy eggnog the last couple of years before everyone started having kids.

Ever since then, I’d make two cakes just so we would have enough. Namjoon always bought eggnog or vanilla ice cream to go along with it. Every year had a theme, and this time it was pearls. I had found the perfect skirt for it and was able to get two of them. The second one were made into child versions for the young ones if they wanted.

“I’m gonna decorate this one all by myself.” Choseungdal said, grabbing the white makeshift piping bag and adding “snow” to the already frosted Christmas tree.

Byeol was decorating a snowman with edible glitter before Namjoon came in to swap places in the kid duty.

“Why don’t we let Mama finish up the rest of these so she can take a shower?” He said and the kids agreed, getting tired of decorating but not eating as the kitchen smelled of butterscotch and chocolate with a hint of gingerbread.

So, I finished up the rest of the cookies and was able to decorate them after they cooled and surprised them with an extra cookie for them each before heading into the shower to get all dolled up. I loved matching with my family so much! It was something we did often.

Namjoon had put on his black pants with pearls scattered about the legs and green oxfords with pearls in the heels. Pearls also lined his black velvet jacket that went over his green sweater. He put on the more simple looking choker out of the set he had just watched me unwrap meaning I got the bowtie one. He was also wearing his red beanie because he knew how much I loved him in it with a simple pair of gold and pearl drop earrings.

I was in my black skirt that reached just above my ankles with my red sweater tucked into it but outside of the green stockings I slipped on to make walking in my pearl adorned red ankle boots easier. With the pearl and bowtie choker, I put on pearl and chain dangle earrings. I decided to wear a green beret as well.

“Don’t forget this, Mama!” It’s the gift me and Choseungdal got you.

“Oh, really? Thank you~” I said and opened the box, smiling when I saw it was a classic Pandora bracelet.

My hazel eyed girl said, “We helped Dad pick out the charms to go on it.”

Then we turned to our kids and asked them what we did most every day, “Who do you want to dress like, Mommy or Daddy?” which basically was asking if they wanted to dress more masculinely or femininely. I was a girly girl most of the time and Joon-ie was more laid back but still well dressed as most Korean men seemed to be.

Choseungdal pointed to her father while Byeol pointed to me. That was that then. Namjoon helped our little girl into matching pearl pants and jacket with a green knitted sweater underneath while I helped our other little girl into her skirt and stockings with a red sweater that was covered in pom poms that were used to make hearts all about the top. Then we helped put them each into pearl studs that they had worn before.

Namjoon did their hair while I finished up my makeup and we double checked to make sure RapMon was ready to come with. He was by the door waiting for his leash like a good doggo.

“Good boy.” I said and rubbed his head.

The five of us hopped into the car, singing Christmas carols and watching Papa Joon get shy every time a song he sang with the other BTS uncles came on. Sometimes he’ll say which ones he helped to right and we’d talk about that while he two Christmas fairies played make believe in the back seat.

“Hiiii!” I said with two apple cakes in my arms while The two youngest ones held boxes of cookies.

Hugs upon hugs and bows galore occurred while talking overlapped in the forms of greetings and barking. J-Hope’s husband helped me take the cakes to the kitchen while Jin called for the host and his wife.

The children played with their friends while I was handed some sparkling cider by Yoongi, whose facial hair scratched my cheek a little as he hugged me.

“Long time no see.” He said.

“Oh my god! You’re back from America? Since when?” I gasped.

“Two days ago. I wanted to surprise you guys.”

Namjoon chuckled, “Well, it worked. I’m surprised.” and hugged his dear friend tightly.

He had been working on a bunch of stuff in America for the past couple of years and usually sent gifts for the holidays. A young man with raven black hair and pale skin approached both me and Namjoon and bowed.

“It is nice to see you in person, uncle Namjoon and auntie Y/N. Father has told me a lot about you two.” He had to be about 13 and…

I gasped and looked at Yoongi and back to the kid, “You can’t be 시우. The 시우 I know is this tall, and you’re a whole tree.” I put my hand near my hip.

He giggled nearly at eye level with me, “I am 시우.”

“Oh my gosh~” I beamed. “Well, it’s nice to see you again. What have you been up to? How’s school and your hobbies?”

“I got in a bit of trouble recently, but school is going well. I kept skipping one of my classes since the teacher is super ignorant. He is my history teacher and tried to incorrectly explain the Joseon area to me. I always show up for test days, though.”

Namjoon chuckled, “It seems that righteous rebellion doesn’t fall far from the tree.” and took a sip of his own cider.

Siu chuckled, “I have to choose an extra elective to do outside of school if I don’t want to be suspended, but I’m not really a creative guy.” he pulled at his ear like Yoongi did when nervous.

His father spoke up, “Your auntie here is a pretty famous actress.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t say famous.” I replied, my cheeks getting warm.

“Would you suggest I take acting? It is the only one I have seriously been thinking of doing.” Siu looked up at me with his deep blue eyes that he got from his nameless mother.

I had to nod, of course, “Stage acting is a very good skill to have. Although you’re not lacking any confidence, it can help you feel a bit more comfortable in public spaces. Keeps you accountable too. You have to learn your lines or you let the cast down. More importantly, it is a lot of fun.”

He nodded. Namjoon kissed my cheek and said he was going to check on the kids while I continued my conversation with the young teen. I enjoyed telling my theatre stories, but I am sure Joon was tired of hearing them over and over again.

Namjoon walked into a curious scene of nearly 10 children sacrificing his moonchild who was tied up with a jumprope to the side of a bookcase like contraption. He could just stare at the kids in various wigs and holiday clothing reenacting something.

Hoseok entered asking, “Why did it suddenly get so qui--”

Taehyung’s second youngest child came in with a bucket of water which Namjoon scooped out of their hands rather quickly, too in shock to say anything.

“What’s going on?” Hobi asked instead.

“Daaaaddd, we’re reenacting Uncle TaeTae’s TV show.” A darling little kid with blonde pigtails reached for the bucket of water. “We need the water to splash on Choseungdal’s faaaceeee. It’s her punishment for fighting on sacred ground.”

The brown haired father shook his head and Namjoon silently walked back to the bathroom to pour the water out while his hyung told the children to use fake water and their imagination instead of real water and to make sure the jump rope wasn’t too tight.

Not exactly the type of parenting the dirty blonde man was hoping for, but as long as they were safe, it was ok. He then recorded the children’s antics for a while to show Taehyung.

Although, it was another Hwarang member that he saw kissing his wife on the cheek.. Do Jihan and her had won favorite TV Couple nearly every year for the past 10, even that time he played a stalker. So the three knew each other well.

“Jihan-hyung, it is nice to see you again.” Joon slapped his friend’s back, making his wife giggle at the facial reaction.

“Ah, yes. Ouch. I’m doing well.”

Y/N giggled, her teeth like marshmallows on top of hot chocolate and Namjoon wanting to sip every last drop of her. Taehyung lifted her up and spun her around all of a sudden.

“You guys are here! I’m so sorry it took me so long to come see you. I was finishing up something for my daughter.” and then set his friend’s wife down.

She kissed him and his wife on the cheek before they hugged Namjoon. The older man had hopped things wouldn’t be as awkward this year since Tae was married to Joon’s ex girlfriend, but she was an awkward girl. She wasn’t sure if it was ok to hug him or if it was better to bow or just shake hands.

“지현,” I begged, “Please, just hug him or bow. It’s not that deep, fam.”

The three men laughed at how straightforward I was. It was like this every year since Tae got together with Jihyeon, and I was sick of it. I could not care less that she was an ex to my husband.

Jihan put his arm on one of my shoulders, “That is why you are my favorite co-worker.”

I laughed and asked how the kids were doing, not expecting my husband to show me and the others our kids playing “Hwarang” since the youngest ones were now learning how to read and Tae’s children were natural thespians.

“I need to sit down.” I said as soon as it was time to open presents.

The cookies and the cake were hits, and I had my fill of the food that was there. Gifts and friends were amazing. Whatever troubles we had been having throughout the year and were still probably were going on could wait until next year a week from now. Right now, it was time for an outing to the park for the boys’ performance.

It was a medley of all the title tracks they had done throughout the years with the last one being done by the kids that weren’t too grumpy. The boys were idols after all, not even fully disbanding or retiring, just not performing as often as a group.

Jungkook and Jimin with their spouses revealed that they were going to have their first children soon. Jin’s 10 year old asked if she could name the baby, making everyone laugh before it was time to pack everyone up into cars and head to the park.

Namjoon squeezed my hand, “Our kids will be fine. You will do a great job, and I will be there to help you as soon as possible.”

I nodded and he kissed me before going off to perform for his fans. Some older than me and some younger. I was there with the other spouses talking and momentarily checking on the kids who were being watched by the older children. Siu was the second oldest to Jin’s triplets, two girls and one guy who made 14 this year.

When the boys were on stage, it felt like I was 20 again, staying up late nights to watch them on award shows and festivals in the states due to the 15 hour time difference. Sometimes it was like that even when Namjoon and I were dating.

Now I was much older with two of his kids, Cho-ie sleeping on my shoulder and Byeol-ie in my lap. They would wake up soon because this song was their song.

“To my children” Suga and Namjoon said.

“Yeah.”

“To my stars and my moon. To my children.” Namjoon continued.

“Yeah.”

“I hope that I’ll see you soon. Your dad loves you no matter how far away and every time I look up at the sky I know you’re looking at the same one, same sun, same moon, same star, same love. Love you. Be home soon, ya don’t give mom too much trouble.”

He wrote a song years ago that was a B-side that got more popular than the title tracks. By that time, Jin already had his kids. Hobi and his husband had adopted their first child. Yoongi was back in the states for this comeback while 11 year old Siu was being raised by his nanny for a bit since the mom left after stealing several things and dumping the child on him.

서준, 민서, and 윤서 said that the children were ready for the stage and got the point choreo down as good as possible. My little elves woke up and yawned, ready to show off their skills. Both of them had gone after the microphone and the paintbrush on their first birthday, and it was no surprise that fate had decided they would be in the arts.

Choseungdal said in her small voice, “I don’t wanna dance today.”

“It’s ok. Do you still wanna go on stage, though?”

She nodded and held onto me as we brought 13 kids on stage to help close out the holiday concert in the park. Everyone went wild as several of them had on noise cancelling headphones since they couldn’t keep their eyes open so long.

The others danced and sang along with their dads having a grand old time. Byeol-ie ended up being carried by Namjoon while I had Cho-ie in my arms. Looking out at all the faces that loved my husband and their father, I recognized a few who had been with them since the beginning. They had kids too now.

In the car ride back home, our little elves had tinkered themselves out and were fast asleep with RapMon by their feet. I was exhausted as well, knowing the crew of The Return to Superman crew would be back tomorrow for Kwanzaa and the cameras would still be there.

Namjoon took one hand off of the wheel to hold my hand, causing my attention to turn from the hypnotizing city lights that passed by to the comforting fingers rubbing the back of my hand.

“Thank you so much for being the mother to my children. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.”

I smiled and kissed his hand, making him smile and scrunch his nose, “Merry Christmas, yeobo.”

He giggled, “Merry Christmas, yeobo.”

[theteller-marvelandtarot]

Perspective (Loki O.C. Part One)

Plot:  Vega is to become Queen of Asteria, but she can’t do it alone. Her parents try to set her up with the God of Mischief, but things don’t really go as planned.

Note:  This takes place before the first Thor movie

-Vega’s P.OV.-

I finish doing my makeup before Thor and Loki arrive in Asteria, Planet of Stars. The planet I will soon be queen of, which I do not want to happen. I’m a warrior, not a leader. Leader in the battlefield? Yes. Leader of an entire planet? No thank you.

I finish swiping my eyeliner to make a wing to finish off my brown and gold smokey eye. I sigh heavily and check myself over in the mirror. My parents advised for me to wear my usual “formal wear”. I look my face over first. I did my foundation lightly so that my freckles and my natural gold shimmer is still visible. I check to make sure my matte, red lipstick is not going to smudge or get all over my teeth. I spray my hair to ensure my flyaways stay in place for once. I looked at my hands and quickly fix up my chipped, black nail polish by adding a little more. I stand up and pick the little bits of lint off of my black, skin tight jumpsuit that has a sweetheart neckline and sleeves that fall off the shoulders. I do a little turn in the mirror, smiling a little at my figure that goes from my relatively large breasts to my small waist to my relatively large butt to my thick thighs. I walk a bit to make sure I won’t fall in my ridiculously tall, black, velvet dagger heels. I adjust my black velvet choker before I put on my tiara. My tiara is gold with two snakes that meet in the middle, each touching the oval shaped emerald that is in the middle. I take a deep breath and quickly check my teeth again in the mirror. I walk out of my room and see my sister, who I envy with all my heart.

My sister, Nova, is definitely the favourite of the two of us in the eyes of the kingdom, and my mother. She is 6’0”, thin with a nice, toned, hourglass figure. She has long, straight, platinum blonde hair, deep blue eyes, pale skin with rosy cheeks, a relatively thin nose, perfectly shaped lips. I look at her formal wear and it makes me envy her even more. She’s wearing a silk, white dress with spaghetti straps and a deep, v neckline, white lace high heels, a silk white choker, a light blue mesh cape with white sparkles through it, and her tiara with a set of diamond and sapphire wings. She has very simple, blue and light brown eyeshadow on her face and no other makeup. Her pale skin is so smooth and blemish free.

“That is your formal wear?” she asks me with a raised eyebrow.

“I like to be able to freely move my legs,” I shrug.

“Don’t shrug, Sweety,” Mother warns.

“But be yourself,” Dad assures me.

I smile at Dad. He smiles back.

“If he doesn't like your shrugging then he’s not worth your time,” he tells me.

“She’s soon to be Queen of Asteria, Dear. Queens don’t shrug,” Mother tells him.

“Not yet, anyway,” Dad smirks.

Mother chuckles and rolls her eyes before hugging Nova. Dad holds my hands and looks me in the eye.

“Vega, just be yourself. I mean it. Be your goofy, fun, lovable, beautiful, loud self. Stand out the way you do best. You may not be as graceful and classy as your sister, but you’re more fun and charismatic. So just be you, okay?” he tells me.

I smile widely and nod.

“Okay, Dad. Thank you,” I say.

He squeezes my hand gently before walking me to the stop of my half of the staircase. Mother leads Nova to her half of the staircase. The top of the staircase is blocked off by two curtains so that Thor and Loki cannot see my sister and I until we are announced.

-Loki’s P.O.V-

Thor and I stand at the bottom of the staircase once Orion and Comet, the servants of Vega and Nova, lead us into the palace. Nova and I had secretly communicated beforehand. I am being paired with Vega, who does not want to be queen, but is being coronated soon. Our plan is for Nova to reject Thor, and for me to convince Vega that she should run away from Asteria, leaving Nova and I with the throne. This shouldn’t be a difficult plan. If Vega is anything like Nova described her, hurting her should be easy. Nova described her as short, fat, blemished, loud, manly, with an obnoxious voice.

“Prince Thor, meet Princess Nova,” Comet tells Thor before pulling a white rope that was laying on the floor.

I have never seen Nova before, so I am pleasantly surprised when the curtain is pulled.

She has long, straight, platinum blonde hair that falls down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. Her eyes are the bluest I have ever seen. She’s is only slightly shorter than me, maybe an inch or two if she had no high heels on. She is pale with perfectly consistent skin, aside from her rosy cheeks. Her lips are a perfect shape, round with a pointed cupid’s bow. She is thin, but has a beautiful figure. Her outfit is absolutely beautiful as well. The white and blue suit her nicely. I smile at her a little as she walks down the staircase. She smiles back before beaming at Thor. She approaches him and shakes his hand. He smiles widely at her, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

“Prince Thor, it is a pleasure to meet you,” she says, her voice as smooth as her silk dress.

Her voice is breathy, soft, and clear.

“I can assure that the pleasure is all mine,” Thor flirts with a wide smile.

“And Prince Loki, meet the future Queen of Asteria, Princess Vega,” Orion smiles before pulling a black rope.

A green curtain is pulled and I am shocked to see the woman smiling a wide, mildly nervous, smile. She is much, much more attractive than I had imagined. She is, indeed, short, even with the tall black velvet heels on her feet. She is wearing an all black, skin tight ensemble. It hugs all of her perfect, large, curves well. The tight jumpsuit also outlines a bit of her abs, which are very sexy. The sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves help her show some cleavage, but I certainly am not complaining. Her skin is tanned and has a natural, gold shimmer like she bathes in gold sparkles. Her face is also covered in freckles, which I love. She has an adorable button nose, dark red pouty lips, and dark green, emerald eyes. Her long, silky, curled, black hair that falls to her hips bounces as she walks.

She walks so gracefully, allowing her hips to swing seductively as she loosely rests her hand on the railing of the staircase. That is, until she nearly trips over nothing. She catches herself and laughs as she walks down the stairs, no longer trying to be seductive. Her laugh is so deep, loud, and genuine. I smile at her bright smile and contagious laugh.

She bows slightly once she sees me. She holds her hand out for me to shake and smiles at me sweetly.

“Hi, I’m Vega. It’s nice to finally meet you, Prince Loki,” she says to me, her voice catching me off guard as well.

Her voice is, indeed, deep but it has a gorgeous rasp to it. I smile at her and bow as I take her small hand gently and hold it between both of mine.

“Likewise, Princess Vega,” I tell her.

“Now, the four of you may feel free to explore the palace and get to know each other,” Orion tells us.

“Thank you, Orion,” Vega smiles to Orion. He returns the smile.

I notice that Nova just ignores her servant. I look back to Vega.

“Come on, I’ll show you around. You’re going to love the bar, I can tell. It’s very black, gold, and green,” she tells me, leading me down some more steps, continuing to hold my hand.

“Don’t get attached,” I hear Nova’s voice in my head.

I ignore her and continue to walk with Vega. We enter the bar and it is oddly tasteful for a bar. The floors are black and gold marble, the walls are black, and the accents are all gold and green.

I smile widely.

“You and I have very similar taste,” I chuckle.

She also chuckles and smiles.

“I noticed. If this thing does work out for us then interior decorating should be rather simple,” she says.

I chuckle and smile at her charm. She’s very confident with herself.

“Sorry about my outfit by the way. It’s not exactly what you’d call formal wear but, hey, it’s comfortable,” she says, stepping behind the bar.

“I can assure you there is no need to apologize. You look beautiful,” I tell her.

She smiles at me widely.

“Thank you,” she says, “You look really, really handsome. Which is why I am mixing a drink, I am very nervous so I also apologize for the awkward banter.”

I laugh and smile widely at her.

“I think it’s charming, and cute,” I tell her.

“Did you also want a drink?” she asks through a giggle, holding a bottle of whiskey.

“Sure,” I reply.

She smiles and pours us each a drink. She leans over the bar, her breasts pushing up. I smile at her and take a drink.

“So, you are going to be the Queen of Asteria. Are you excited?” I ask her curiously.

“I would be if the entire planet didn’t hate me. I have about seven months to find someone to be with me, to learn the political history and ways of Asteria, and to make millions of people learn to tolerate me. So I’m mostly stressed and nervous,” she chuckles before taking a drink.

I’m confused as to why she thinks the entire planet hates her. Thor and I explored the land a bit before coming to the palace and there were murals of her everywhere, there were magazines with her on the cover all over the place. They seem to adore her.

“Why do you think everyone hates you?” I ask her curiously.

“My mother and my sister told me everyone hates me…” she says, looking down at her drink, trailing her fingertip along the rim of the glass.

“You don’t get out much, do you?” I ask her.

“No, I can’t leave the palace the year before my coronation unless I have someone with me. Orion and my dad are always too busy and my mother and sister are scared to be seen with me out there,” she answers.

“I’ll come with you. You need to see what it’s like within Asteria,” I tell her, standing up.

She raises her eyebrow at me.

“What if we get attacked or something?” she asks nervously.

I give her a look.

“Nova, you’re the second known strongest being in the universe. No one is going to try to hurt you,” I tell her.

She tilts her head to the side in confusion.

“The second? I didn’t think I was that powerful…” she says.

Queen Cassio and Nova are definitely brainwashing her without King Atlas knowing. I feel like she needs to see the truth.

“Vega, do you ever get the feeling that your family is hiding information from you at all?” I ask her.

“Sometimes, but only what they can’t tell me yet…” she says, starting to seem suspicious.

I hold my hand out to her.

“Let’s go,” I say to her.

She looks up at me suspiciously.

“You won’t be hurt, I promise,” I assure her.

She’s very hesitant to leave this palace. I can tell she’s scared that her family is right, but at the same time she’s afraid to find out the truth. I know this will likely affect my plan with Nova, but without Vega knowing the truth this will be far too easy.

“Trust me,” I say, looking her in the eyes.

She smiles a bit and takes my hand. She stands up.

“We’ll need to sneak out. Mother will freak out if she founds out I left,” she says before leading me to a secret doorway hidden behind the bottles of liquor on the wall.

She leads me through a dimly lit tunnel.

“You’ve had this all along and have never left the palace?” I ask her curiously.

“I leave,” she says, opening a door that leads to the outside, “But sitting right in front of this door is as far as I ever go.”

She walks out the door and I follow her. The two of us walk into the city. When we step foot into the village she squeezes my hand gently. I look down at her and see that she looks nervous. I intertwine our fingers. She looks up at me with a look that shows that she wants to leave.

“It is alright, Vega. Nothing can hurt us. Okay?” I say to her.

She nods and takes a deep breath.

“Okay,” she replies.

The two of us walk through the village together. She sees a large mural of her on the side of a building. She smiles, seeming surprised. She leads me to the mural.

“Our glorious future Queen of Asteria. Princess Vega, Goddess of Destruction and Peace,” she reads with a wide smile.

She looks up at the painting and smiles at how beautiful the painting is.

“There’s not even any vandalism on it or anything…” she says under her breath.

“Your people love you,” I tell her.

She continues to walk with me, a big smile on her face.

“It’s Princess Vega!” we hear a young girl yell.

The two of us turn around and see a group of five children, three girls and two boys, running towards her.

“It’s Prince Loki from Asgard, too!” one of the boys yells.

I’m taken aback by this. It’s not often that people are excited to see me, especially children.

“Oh yeah, the people of Asteria love Asgardians,” Vega smiles at me before kneeling to be on the same level as the children.

Two of the girls and one of the boys give Vega a big hug. I smile at how sweet Vega is with the children. I kneel down to the same level as the young boy and girl who are looking up at me.

“What are your names?” I ask them with a smile, loving the attention I’m getting.

Vega spend about twenty minutes or more with these children before their parents make them leave.

“I am so sorry about that, they can’t get enough of you, Princess Vega,” the mother apologizes.

“No, don’t worry about it. They’re very polite, sweet kids. You two are doing a great job with them,” Vega smiles at the parents.

The mother and father smile at Vega widely.

“Thank you. We’re happy to be having a queen as compassionate as you,” the father says to her.

“And pretty!” one of the boys yells.

Vega giggles and smiles widely.

“We’ll leave you two be now. Enjoy the rest of your day,” the mother tells us.

“You, too,” Vega smiles.

“Thank you for allowing them to speak with us,” I add.

“No, thank you for speaking with them. Any other heir we meet from the palace won’t give us the time of day, except for King Atlas,” the father replies.

Vega and I smile and say goodbye to them. The two of us continue to walk around, talking to residents of Asteria, going into shops. We spend the day just getting to know Asteria.

The two of us find a garden that evening. There are lights all over the place and the sky is covered in stars. The two of us sit on the ground near a rose bush, sitting across from each other. I smile at how beautiful Vega is, the lights making her gold tinted skin glow and her green eyes shine.

“So, are you still nervous to become queen?” I ask her.

“Not as much. It’s good to know that they don’t actually hate me. But now I know that my mother and Nova are lying to me… I know Nova wants to be queen, but if it works out with Thor then she will become a queen. Just not the Queen of Asteria,” she says, “But I’m really happy to see how good you are with the people if this does work out. You’re really kind and loyal. Just what Asteria wants in a king.”

“I’m surprised to see that your people like me. I’m surprised they even know who I am,” I tell her.

“We love Asgard and we learn a lot about you guys in school. Asgard and Earth are our two favourite worlds to be allied with. So our two worlds coming together is incredible,” she tells me.

I smile and nod.

“It is incredible. I think it will do both of our worlds some good,” I reply.

The two of us head back to the palace a few moments later. We successfully sneak into the wing where the bedrooms are located.

“I had a lot of fun with you today, Loki. Thank you,” she says with a smile.

“You’re welcome. Good luck with Thor tomorrow,” I say to her.

She chuckles and kisses my cheeks softly.

“I doubt that he can do better than you,” she says, keeping her voice quiet.

I smile at her in surprise. She winks at me before she goes into her room. I go into my room and sigh heavily. I take off my clothes and lay back in bed.

I learned something today. I do not want Vega getting hurt. But I’m worried that I made her want to stay. Perhaps I could convince Nova to come to Asgard with me and set up Thor with Vega. They’re both light hearted, outgoing people with a love of war in the name of peace. I just need to be careful to not fall for Vega, which will be harder than I had thought. But tomorrow I get to spend the day with Nova, and Vega and Thor get to spend the day together.

@ima-fucking-nerd think you might like this 

[liv-andletdie]

@ultrafrank23 how does 2 babies sound? 

I LIVE for Fluffy TP Zelink! However this took me WAY longer than I wanted thanks to a complete re-write halfway through, too many ideas I wanted to work in, and a pause to work on my other fic. Also there's not even a plot it's more like a collection of cute shorts. But it’s here now! Sorry for the long wait.

 Ao3 link [x]

The Queen of Hyrule was rudely awoken by the wailing cries of her newborn. The screams echoing around the old stone walls of the royal chambers, the cold night air whistling past the windows. Zelda threw the blankets off at the first piercing sob, the action awakening her husband.

“Love?” he said, his voice thick with sleep. Link rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up “where are you going?”

“It’s Tina” Zelda replied, pushing herself out of bed. The feel of cold stone against her feet causing her to jump slightly. Link seemed to notice his daughter’s cry, pushing the blanket off of himself.

“I’ll go” he said, letting out a loud yawn “you rest. It’s my turn anyway” Zelda rolled her eyes, pushing him back onto the bed.

“You said that last time. It’s my turn now” She threw the blanket over his chest, ignoring the look he gave her. “Besides, if she needs feeding you’ll have to wake me up anyway” Link opened his mouth to reply, before promptly shutting it when he realized she had him beat.

“Fine” he sighed, letting himself settle back against the pillows “but next time it’s my turn” Zelda held back a giggle at his annoyed pout, moving to press a kiss against the tip of his nose. He seemed pacified at that, letting a small smile show on his lips.

Another wailing cry cut through the air, Zelda turned her head at the noise, her heart going out to the new Crown Princess. Link took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles, his eyes telling her silently to go to their child.

The Crown Princess, Augustine Zelda Marie Hyrule, lay in her cot screaming. Cushioned by white linen and pale blue wool. She’s beautiful, Zelda thought, even when her face is red and scrunched up from crying. That crying stopped once Zelda held her in her arms.

“You just wanted a little cuddle didn’t you?” She asked, her voice low and light. Augustine looked up at her, sky blue eyes like her father, taking in shapes and colours but not objects. A pale face, brown hair, and a pink smile all meant Mummy. “It’s okay, I won’t tell. Your secret is safe with me my darling girl”

Zelda presses a soft kiss against where a heavy crown will rest later. But for now, cradled in her arms, the next Zelda to take the throne is simply Tina. Free of all responsibilities and expectations.

She bounces her softly in her arms, humming her ancient lullaby. The sound of rustling sheets behind her draw her attention.

Link was sitting upright in the bed, the blankets smoothed out beside him, a content smile on his face. He didn’t speak but his eyes said it all. Zelda felt her cheeks warm slightly at the look of adoration he gave the two of them.

He’d been so excited when she’d told him she was expecting. She remembered clearly how he had lifted her from the ground, spinning her around in his joy. He’s laid gentle, almost terrified, hands against her stomach. Uttered prayers of thanks and protection for the two most important people in his life.

He patted the pillow next to him, a silent invitation. Zelda smiled, holding Augustine closer to her chest. She made her way along the freezing stone floors, the cold biting at her toes. Everything is so cold now she thought to herself, noting how even the satin sheets stung through her nightgown 

Link pulled her close to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he held her from behind. He kissed the top of her head, glancing down at the precious bundle in his wife’s arms.

“Did she need feeding?” he asked, running a hand up and down her arm, feeling her skin warm under his touch. Zelda shook her head, gaze fixed on Augustine as she settled back to sleep. “What did she need then?”

“I can’t tell” Zelda whispered, careful not to wake her baby. “I promised I wouldn’t” She felt Link smile into her hair, a soft laugh warming her heart.

“Okay don’t tell me” he relented, sleep returning to his voice. He had to be up early, she knew, The Knight initiates needed training and he didn’t trust anyone else to do it. Something about securing a safer kingdom for the children of Hyrule. It was admirable, if tiring, work 

“Get some sleep Link” she said, turning her head to press a light kiss against his cheek, “I’ll make sure Tina settles in her cot. You rest”

“I’m fine” he mumbled “I’ll put Tina down you rest” Zelda rolled her eyes, at this rate he was likely to drop the baby with how exhausted he was.

“Link, I’ll put her to bed. Tell her you love her so I can move” Link pushed himself off of the head board, bringing his head down to where Augustine lay in her mother’s arms.

“I love you” he whispered, pressed a kiss to her little head, “I love you, my little princess”

---

Link wiped the sweat from his brow, the hot summer sun beating down on his skin. Training in the summer was always difficult, when the weather got warmer his weapons seemed to get heavier, his clothes stuck to him more making it hard to move.

He dropped down on the bench next to the training grounds, taking the moment to catch his breath. He looked out over the sea of knights and soldiers, brave men and women working and training tirelessly to keep Hyrule safe. They had improved drastically in the years since the invasion. And since Tina was born he’d been working day and night to make sure that the army didn’t slack in their efforts.

“Daddy Daddy!” a young voice called out, causing the soldiers in the yard to stop what they were doing. An entire army moved in synch to watch the Crown Princess race across the sand of the sparring grounds and into the waiting arms of her father, The Prince Consort.

“Hello my Princess” he said, sweeping her up in his arms, her happy childish cries echoing across the yard. “What are you doing here?” he asked, settling her weight on his hip. Augustine giggled, holding onto his shoulder so she wouldn’t fall.

“Mama said to come get you” She sang “We’re going on a picnic!” Her eyes shone with unconcealed joy! She was practically shaking with excitement and Link found himself unable to hold back his own smile.

“A Picnic?” he said, fake surprise coloured his tone but Augustine was too excited to notice. She only nodded frantically, Link was scared her hat was going to fly off. He reached up, securing it soundly over her hair. She giggled, reaching to mess with his hands.

The sound of a hundred feet echoed across the yard. Men and Women coming to attention all around them. Link looked over his daughter’s head to see what caused the sudden change in his army.

Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, strode through the training grounds. The midmorning sun glinted against her golden brown hair, the white ribbons tied around her braids reflected against her face giving her an ethereal glow. Her long purple dress floated behind her as she walked. Not for the first time, Link was caught by her beauty. I’ve married a goddess

“Look it’s Mama” he said, turning his body so Augustine could see Zelda walking towards them. Augustine reached out, her hands grabbing at air in an attempt to make Zelda walk faster.

“Mama!” she cried as Zelda got closer “Daddy’s gonna come picnic with us” Link relinquished his hold on his daughter as Zelda took her in her arms. Balancing the child on her hip she smiled, her eyes lighting up with Augustine’s infectious excitement.

“Well that’s wonderful. Daddy needs a break don’t you think?” Tina nodded and Zelda turned to look at Link, a winning triumphant smile on her face.

Oh I see He thought, watching as his wife tried to balance his overactive daughter on her hip She’s trying to get me to stop working… well… I suppose I can take a break for one day.

“Give me time to wash up” He said, leaning in to press a kiss to Zelda’s cheek “Then I’ll meet you two in the stables”

Zelda nodded, moving to return the kiss. Augustine swung in her mother’s arms, desperate to get moving. She pulled on Zelda’s sleeves and hair, and yet the Queen remained unaffected by her daughter’s actions.

“Come on” she whined, ignoring the looks Link and Zelda were giving each other, “Daddy smells he has to have a bath”

Link let out a laugh, stepping back and bowing to his Queen. “I’ll see you in the stables” he said picking up his sword and heading towards the bathrooms.

---

True to his word, Link met them in the stables. Their horses already saddled and waiting, their lunch already packed and stored away safely in their saddlebags along with blankets. Zelda was already atop her horse, Augustine waiting for Link to ride with her. She’d start her riding lessons in a few years, at five years old they feared she would be too young.

“Where have you been?” the little Princess demanded, her arms crossed stubbornly over her chest. Link held back a small laugh at his daughter’s act, kneeling down so he was eye level with her.

“You said I smelled, I had to get clean so I wouldn’t be all stinky” Augustine let out a giggle at his words, her fake annoyance fading away. Link lifted her, placing her atop Epona, before moving to sit behind her on the saddle. He pressed his ankles into Epona’s flank and the small family were off, racing towards Hyrule field and their picnic.

They found a spot in the shade of a tree, far enough from the bustling noise of Castle Town to relax, but close enough to be under surveillance from the Royal Guard. Link set the blankets out as Zelda laid out the food. Augustine was lost in her own little world, running through the thick grass and playing with the bugs she found.

“Augustine” Zelda called out once everything was laid out. She watched the grass for any sign of her daughter, stifling a sigh of relief as her head popped up from the long grass, small streaks of dirt marking her cheeks. “Come over here”

The Princess ran over to where they were seated, her hat coming loose, long strands of blonde hair falling across her face. She fell into Zelda’s arms, loud breathless giggles colouring the air. Zelda wiped the dirt from her face, pulling back her hair and replacing her hat.

“There you go my darling girl” she cooed “doesn’t that feel better? Nice and tidy” Augustine relaxed under the attention, smiling as her mother played with her hair. Link pulled a plate out of his pack, selecting different fruits and cheeses from the assortment provided. He left the plate next to Zelda for Augustine to snack on while her mother worked.

The three sat in relaxed silence, just listening to the sounds of the birds in the distance. Link laid down on the blanket, having eaten his full. He could hear Zelda singing softly as Augustine stole grapes and berries from her plate. What did I do to deserve such happiness? He wondered reaching a hand out to brush against Zelda’s ankle.

“Daddy? Are you sleeping?” Augustine asked crawling over the blanket to poke him in the cheek.

“I was” he responded, keeping his eyes shut to the bright sunlight. “Mama’s singing made me feel sleepy” He could imagine Zelda’s joking pout, her hand coming to rest against her heart in mock shock.

“Don’t blame me just because you’re being lazy” She said, throwing a grape at his head. It hit his nose causing him to sit up in shock. Zelda let out a laugh at his bewildered expression, his mouth hanging open his eyes wide.

“Very funny” he pouted, moving to lie back down on the blanket, his hands cradling his head.

“It was actually, you pull the most amazing faces my love” he tried to ignore the way her laugh set butterflies loose in his stomach. He moved his hand back to her ankle, giving the skin there a soft pinch which caused her to squeak.

Augustine watched her parents in abstract confusion, while she didn’t understand the joke or what her mother found funny, she had to admit Daddy made some silly faces. But soon she began to grow bored of sitting and listening to them talk, the long grass looked fun to run through, the trees looked like they wanted to be climbed.

“Daddy” she demanded, poking his cheek again “play with me”

“I’m sleepy Princess, let me have a nap first then I’ll play with you” he replied, fighting back a yawn. Augustine’s little pout broke his heart, he couldn’t say no to her when she looked like that I blame Zelda he cursed she does the same thing He was about to will himself into wakefulness when Zelda spoke breaking the spell.

“Daddy’s tired” she said reaching behind her for her saddle pack. Link knew she had packed books in there to read in the sunshine, she was never one to pass up an opportunity for learning. “Let him nap, then he’ll take you on a ride with Epona. Won’t you Daddy?”

Link nodded, locking eyes with his daughter. “I promise” he said crossing his heart. Augustine looked crestfallen, eyes tracing the shapes and patterns woven into the blankets. She’d be bored out of her mind with Daddy napping and Mama reading.

“I wish I had a little brother or sister” she mumbled, causing Zelda to almost drop her book in shock. “Then I wouldn’t have to wait for Daddy to stop napping, I could play all day” Zelda marked the page in her book, setting it to the side.

“Augustine” she cooed, holding her hand out to the little girl “why don’t you go and find those bugs you were looking at before? Miss Agitha lent you that book on bugs remember? I can help you find out which one is which”

The little Princess seemed to perk up at that idea, getting to play in the dirt AND learn with Mama! It seemed to good to be true. “Okay!” she cried getting up and running into the grass before Zelda could change her mind.

Zelda watched her daughter run around, bugs momentarily forgotten as she just enjoyed the freedom of running through the field. Link’s voice broke her from her thoughts, his soft questioning tone causing her to look at him.

“How come you ain't playing in the grass with her? You used to love that. Are are not feeling well?” Zelda felt herself blush at his concern, shaking her head shyly. She shifted so she was closer to him, her hand resting over his heart. The steady thump thump thump was reassuring and comforting under her palm.

“I’m alright” she said “But… what Tina said…. About wanting a little brother or sister… well, she might get her wish sooner than she realizes”

Zelda didn’t hold back her joyful laugh at his expression, eyes wide and smile shining. His heart raced under her fingertips.

---

The Prince of Hyrule was born in the early spring. He was small and quiet, much weaker than his sister had been. Julius Russell Daphnes Hyrule, the second child of Queen Zelda Antoinette Harkinian Hyrule, was rumored to be too weak to last till the summer.

Zelda clung to her son for months, watching over him every second of everyday. Link feared it would drive her mad, that the goddesses would remain deaf to her silent prayers. He kept Augustine away, scared of upsetting her if the worse were to pass.

The Priest from the castle sanctuary came daily. He tried to convince Zelda to let go, to let the baby Prince sleep. But she refused, nursing and caring for her tiny son. Link began to stand guard, to turn the Priest away, to let Zelda and Julius rest together.

Summer came and went, and soon winter was spreading her frozen talons across the land.

The Prince lived, getting stronger everyday. He was as silent as his father and as still as his mother, he lacked the boundless energy of his older sister. And yet he lived.

Augustine adored her brother. She spent every free second with him, shaking his rattles and singing the songs her father taught her. Julius always smiled more in his sister’s company. Link would often say that she shared her strength with him, Zelda didn’t seem to think it was far fetched.

As Julius reached his first birthday, Augustine passed her sixth. Her excitement for her brothers party grew with each passing day.

“I think Julie would like chocolate cake!” she cried wanting to have her say “It’s sweet like him!” Link had laughed at that, knowing full well chocolate was Tina’s favourite. He played along, watching as Zelda playfully rolled her eyes at the two of them.

“I agree” he said, bouncing Augustine on his knee “Chocolate is the perfect dessert” He felt Tina smile at him, pride shining behind her big blue eyes at his support. She’d stopped wearing her hat, letting her long hair fall in braids down her back like her mother. Link enjoyed playing with his daughter’s hair, braiding and unbraiding the fine golden locks. The action always helped to calm her down, to relax the overexcitable Crown Princess.

Zelda held Julius close to her chest, listening to his quick even breaths as he slept. She sat at her desk, the prince held in a sling over her heart so she could work. Listening to Augustine and Link agree on cake flavours and what kind of sweets should be served, she made notes to give to Chef.

“What else do you think Julie would like at his party?” she asked, a hand coming up to rub her son’s back gently. Augustine seemed to think seriously about that, bringing a hand to her chin, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Zelda bit back the urge to tell her to tuck her tongue away, such behaviour was unbecoming of a future monarch.

“I think he would like it if everyone wore green!” Augustine cried, practically leaping out of Link’s lap. “It’s his favouritest colour!” Link chuckled lightly behind her, catching Zelda’s eye.

“Why do you think that?” he asked, unbraiding her hair again. Augustine looked proud of herself, holding her back straight and throwing her chin out in an attempt to look serious and smart.

“Julie always smiles more when I wear green” She said “he waddles faster when he sees me and the gardens make him happy. And Daddy wears green so Julie’s gotsta like it!”

Zelda leaned forward, tickling her daughter’s nose with the tip of her feather quill, causing her to giggle loudly and almost wake the prince from his nap.

“I think he smiles more because he’s happy to see his big sister” Zelda said moving to tickle Augustine’s chin. “But if you think everyone should wear green then we’ll make everyone wear green”

Augustine’s smile lit up the room, her excitement for her brother’s party bringing joy to both Link and Zelda. She bounced up and down lightly on her father’s knee, happy that her ideas were being listened too. She was going to make this the best birthday ever!

Julius shifted in his sling, his sister’s happiness rousing him from his sleep. He let out a cry causing Zelda to pull him from the sling and bounce him on her knee. Augustine shifted off of Link’s lap, desperate to see what her little brother was crying at.

She raced around the desk to stand next to Zelda’s leg as her mother pressed kisses against Julius’s head. His crying quieted down, the nose only serving to show he was awake, as he looked around the room with wide and curious eyes. Augustine reached over Zelda’s lap, trying to tickle her baby brother’s toes. He seemed to notice his big sister, letting out a happy gurgle at the sight of her smiling face.

“Do you want to hold him?” Zelda asked. Augustine looked at her with a mixture of shock and awe 

“I can hold him?” she asked, amazed and scared at the prospect. For almost a year Julius had been held exclusively by Zelda and Link, Augustine had only been able to play with him when he was placed on the floor or after he started crawling.

Zelda nodded, lifting Julius from her lap and kneeling on the floor next to her daughter. She could tell Augustine was nervous about holding him, scared that she would drop him. Link shifted in his chair to get a better look at the three of them.

“Don’t worry” Zelda said, holding out her son, “I’ll tell you exactly how to hold him so you won’t drop him. Okay?” Augustine nodded back, holding her arms out to support her baby brother. With steady hands Zelda lowered Julius into her arms, taking care that his head was well supported in his sister’s elbow.

Augustine looked down at her brother, listening to his happy squeaks and giggles. He knew a few words, mostly “Mama” and “Dada”, Augustine was hopeful that it would be her name he would learn next. She’d tried teaching him before, even though Link had explained to her that “Augustine” was a difficult word for a baby to say. But she had faith that Julius would be as wise as Mama.

“Hello” she cooed, giggling as he reached for her long braids. “Hello Julie, what’s my name?” Julius looked at her, her braids forgotten as he listened to her soft lilting voice. “It’s Augustine, can you say Augustine?” she asked, bouncing him slightly as she’d seen Zelda do before. Link moved from his chair, coming to kneel beside his wife.

“Tina” he said “It’s a long name, he’s not even a year old yet” Link watched as Augustine shook her head, little Julius giggling in her arms delighted with the way her braids swung in front of her.

“No, he can do it I know he can” she said, remaining stubborn and steadfast. She looked down at Julius, smiling and trying again “Aw-gus-teen” she sounded out. Julius giggled at her, his mouth moving to try and learn the strange sounds she was making.

“Tina” Link said again, shifting on his knees so he was closer to the two of them. “Maybe an easier word? Something short might be a better place to start?”

Julius listened to his dad, the small word he’d used to refer to his sister sounded funny to the infant. He began to move his mouth, trying to speak like his father.

“Tee...teenah”

---

Augustine wiped the sweat from her brow, the hot summer sun beat down against her skin. Despite her discomfort the Princess always enjoyed riding in the sun. She’d been given a horse for her seventh birthday, one of Epona’s foals which she’d named Sleipnir. Link had been giving her lessons for three years and in that time she had improved greatly.

Looking down at her handkerchief, a gift from Julius, she lamented her brother’s young age. It would be two more years until he would be taught to ride, two more years of waiting for the young Princess. Julius didn’t seem to mind being stuck indoors however, he actually seemed to prefer it.

The Prince would often spend the long days at his mother’s side just watching her work or practicing his embroidery. Sometimes he would take strolls in the garden with either Link or Zelda, but for the most part he was content to sit and read to himself while his sister studied or went riding.

“You alright Tina?” Link asked realising that his daughter had stopped behind him. He was taking her on a ride around the Castle Walls, “getting some exercise” was his excuse, but Tina saw right through it. He just doesn’t want to be stuck inside like Mama and Julie

“I’m okay Daddy” she said, leaning forward to scratch between her mount’s ears. Sleipnir let out a happy whinny at the touch, his ears flicking back and forth. “I just wish Julie could come with us”

Link led Epona back to where the young Princess had stopped, his shoulders sagging slightly. “He’ll learn to ride soon enough. Anyway I’m sure if you just asked him he’d love to come” “But he can’t ride” She challenged, fingers tracing over the uneven threads of her handkerchief. It had been one of Julius’ first projects, Zelda had led him through it step by step. It wasn’t his best work but Augustine treasured it more than anything. He’d embroidered her initials in blue thread, her favourite colour, The A and the Z were two different sizes and the M looked more like a zigzagging line than a letter. It was perfect.

“So? That didn’t stop me from taking you on rides when you were his age. Remember that picnic when you were five?” Link leaned over in his saddle, a gentle hand coming to rest on his daughter’s wrist.

“But I sit sidesaddle. Julie wouldn’t be comfortable riding with me” She held his hand, playing with the worn leather of his glove. Even as a young child she found comfort in the feel of her father’s riding gloves. She could remember him holding his hands out to her, just so she could play with the stitching and the creases where his knuckled bent.

“He could ride with me, unless you don’t want me hanging around with you two” Link teased, watching his daughter’s face come up in shock “You’d be too embarrassed to have your old man join you I get it”

“No that’s not true!” she defended, noticing too late the mischievous glint in his eye. Link let out a loud laugh, squeezing her hand in his. She let herself pout at his joke, hands reaching for the Sleipnir’s reigns.

“Poo to you Daddy” she said, throwing her chin to the side, turning her face away from him. Link was caught for a second by how similar she had looked to her mother. Augustine took after him more than Zelda, both in looks and in attitude. However there were moments when he swore she was Zelda’s double.

“I’m sorry Princess” he sighed, letting his chuckles die down “do you want to go back to the castle? See if Julie’s been missing you?”

The mention of her brother caused Augustine to smile brightly, her long ears perking up in excitement. She nodded her head, to energised to speak. She pulled on the reigns giving Link a clear message.

Race you

And the two were off

---

Julius sank in his seat, the embroidery hoop in his hands forgotten as he watched the lazy clouds float past. It was such a lovely day, the sun shining down made the gardens too hot for walking in, but it wasn’t like her could go walking anyway. Mama was working and Daddy was out with Tina, so unless he went with one of the nursery maids he was confined to the shade of his mother’s study.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like the nursery maids, it was just that they weren’t as fun as Tina, or as quiet as Daddy, or as smart as Mama.

“Are you well my Cherub?” Zelda asked, noticing her son’s slouched position. He had been practicing his embroidery while she studied harvest reports and letters from dignitaries, but the steady sound of needle against thread had stopped a while ago.

“Yes mama” he replied, tired eyes still watching the sky.

"Is there anything I can get for you?” she asked, noticing her son’s almost melancholy mood. “A drink? A snack?”

“No thank you” he sighed, moving the embroidery hoop to sit at the spot next to him. Zelda got up from her spot behind her desk, coming to kneel in front of the sofa he sat at. She held his hands in his, soft silk gloves ghosting over his tiny knuckles.

“Are you bored my dove?” she asked, watching as he nodded his head slightly. “Do you wish to go for a walk? I could call Selena…” she trailed off at her son’s disgruntled expression.

“Selena’s boring” he whined, kicking his legs slightly “She doesn’t like running or playing”

I see Zelda thought, shifting closer towards him. “Do you want to play with Tina? Is that it?” Julius nodded, eyes drifting back towards the calm blue sky. She was out there right now with Daddy, having fun without him.

“She’ll be back soon” Zelda said, trying to pacify her son’s bad mood. “You can play with her then”

Julius rolled his eyes, a very undignified action for a royal such as himself. “I wanted to play with her now. But she and Daddy left before I could go with them” Zelda moved to press a kiss to his hands, his sad expression causing her heart to break. I can’t imagine it’s any fun to watch me work all day she thought, pulling him into a hug. Julius wrapped his little arms around her, his head tucked under her chin. His soft brown hair tickled her nose.

“Do you want me to talk to Daddy?” she asked, a hand rubbing up and down her son's spine. He shook his head, only clinging tighter too her. She rocked them back and forth, humming her soft lullaby as she did.

Suddenly the door was flung open and the Crown Princess of Hyrule came running in. She was flustered and out of breath, her hair coming loose from her braids, her riding gown caked with mud around the hem. And yet she wore the brightest smile the Queen had ever seen.

“Julie!” she cried “I beat Daddy in a race! I won!” Her smile melted from her face when she noticed that he hadn’t moved to look at her. Julius still clung to Zelda refusing to look at his sister. “Julie?” she asked “what’s wrong?”

“He’s been bored to tears watching me work” Zelda said, pressing a kiss against the top of his head. “He wanted to play with you but Daddy got there first… where is Daddy?”

As if on cue, Link appeared around the side of the door, out of breath and in a similar state to his daughter. Zelda raised a brow at his appearance, silently asking what took him so long to get there.

“Her highness locked me in the stable” he answered, shooting a glance at Augustine who seemed very pleased with herself.

Julius shifted in her arms, burying himself closer to her. Zelda squeezed him in response, glancing between Link and Augustine. The two of them were now watching Julius, worry etched on their faces. Augustine stepped forward, coming to kneel next to Zelda.

“Everything alright?” Link asked, removing his riding gloves and throwing them on the desk. Zelda shrugged in response, rubbing her son’s back as he avoided eye contact with everyone in the room.

“He wanted to play with Tina” she said eyes following Link as he sat down on the sofa, pulling Julius’s embroidery into his lap. “But you took her out riding before he could, so now we’re just having a little cuddle”

Augustine laid a hand on Zelda’s shoulder, silently asking for the chance to talk to her brother. Zelda leaned back, pulling Julius from his hiding spot in her arms. He still wouldn’t look at Augustine, his eyes burning holes in the plush velvet cushions he sat on.

“Julie” she tried “do you still want to play? I found some really pretty flowers I wanted to show you” Julius tried to remain impassive, but his ears gave him away. They perked up at the idea of going to see new flowers, especially with Tina.

“That sounds nice” Zelda chimed in, moving to brush his hair away from his face “I think that would be really fun” Link got up from his seat, handing the embroidery hoop back to Julius who took it without looking.

“I agree” He said “why don’t you two go sit outside? You can work on your embroidery in the sunshine” he saw Julius hesitate, his hands running over the delicate stitches he’d done before “I’ll keep Mama company don’t worry” Julius seemed satisfied at that, happy that Mama wouldn’t have to do her work alone. 

“Okay” he mumbled, kicking his legs out, “as long as you don’t distract Mama” Link let out a happy chuckle, helping Zelda to her feet. Augustine took his hand, a happy smile growing on both of their faces.

“Come on” she said, pulling him towards the door “I wanna see what embroidery you did” Link and Zelda stood and watched as their children disappeared down the hall, the sounds of laughter filling the air. Link wrapped his arms around Zelda’s waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. She let herself melt into the hug, taking the time to enjoy the moment. Her husband’s strong hands running up and down her spine, her children’s joyful cries floating around the castle.

“I love you” she murmured, resting her cheek on his shoulder. She felt him smile, his hands holding her close to him.

“I love you too” he whispered