#gotta keep my sweetie in luxurie

[dramat-ique]

will you still provide for us if we get unemployed

I have no clue who you are but no sorry I have a gorgeous partner to spoil. I can't afford to support the rest of you :/

[eldritch-spouse]

Listening to Jayde vent about recent his work frustrations and offering to give him the sloppiest sucky wucky for compensation

" I think you're stressing out over nothing. "

Your lips wrap around the straw of the fancy caramel milkshake Jayde bought you, eyes focused on the bags under his, the way he keeps tapping at the table and seemingly mumbling to himself in infernal.

The imp sighs, trying to calm down, a fruitless effort if the constant batting of his tail on the chair's legs is any indication. " ... I'm sorry, I just have to get this perfectly right, you know? My job depends on it. "

Your eyes nearly roll. " I don't think anyone in Sloth is lining up to be King Zizz's head imp... "

And you're sure that's the case. Jayde holds a spot this high in Sloth's hierarchy not because he's the most professional in the field but because he's the most hard working. He's always available and ready to do any manner of odd jobs, which is a level of agency almost no one in that Ring manifests. Realistically speaking, right now, he has no direct competition and is too expensive a loss to the royal court. Because, after all, losing someone who's already intimate with Sloth's routines and inner workings implies having to teach a newbie everything. It all seems like a whole bunch of work neither the King nor his servants are looking forward to.

This is practically a non-issue.

The green demon in front of you shrugs, as tense as a plank still. Jayde places a hand over yours on the table. " But I gotta be careful now, bijou. Maybe a few months ago I could afford to lose my position, but now I have someone to take care of... "

His jagged smile attempts to be reassuring when he squeezes your hand. Take care of sounds about right, this is the same demon who won't let you out of his luxury apartment, much less out of Hell...

You try to prevent bitterness from showing on your face. One step at a time, you'll find your way outside. Or go insane trying.

" Someone to spoil. "

A grin furnishes your face. " I think you spoil me plenty already. " Beneath the table, your feet push his chair back slowly, making Jayde give blink vapidly.

The imp tries to say something but quickly shuts his own trap when you playfully slip under the table cloth, crawling your way to him. Soft hands trace up his legs through his pants, until you kneel before the King's head servant and tap at his zipper idly.

" You always give so much to your job, it must be exhausting... "

Jayde's tail is rapidly whacking into its surroundings again, this time not from stress. That mint-green face takes on a darker shade and he looks down at you as if you were made of diamonds, clad in the dress he bought you, the pendant and bracelets he almost begged you to accept.

" W- Well... I do work pretty hard. But it's nothing. I can take it. "

" I know you can. "

As much as you loathe your general circumstances right now, you can almost lie to yourself and say it's worth it when you feel him harden under your palm. Because it's so easy. He's so easy. Content with so little from you. This is by far a much more lavish lifestyle than the one you had, even if you're shackled to this monster... All you really have to do is keep him happy, put a hand around his twitching cock and tell him you're so happy to be doted on by such a wonderful man.

" You don't have to, sweetie. " He has the audacity to say, already leaking like a fucking faucet right in front of you. " I just wanted to bring you something nice. "

" Oh, do you want me to stop- "

" No! " Jayde gulps. " ... Please. "

You can't hide the little smirk when you move to finally wrap your glossed lips around his length. " Alright. "

The imp makes a rattle of a shudder as soon as you take him into the warmth of your mouth, a relieved moan hanging in the air as his legs spread and he pets your hair.

" Go on, tell me about the rest of your day. " You taunt, giving him only time to gasp before starting a pace that has him nearly choking.

" O- Ohh- Okay... "

As if he'll even try.

[sloppysequinz]

Mona and Lacy's Saturday Night In

Mona's world spun around her.

Fuck it felt so good. The warmth and looseness...her body felt like it was floating. Her softness felt luxurious and decadent, the curves of her body an indulgence in themselves.

There was a bottle of wine in her hand. She raised it to her numb lips and tried to gulp deeply. Sticky red wine spilled down her chin and she giggled. She could feel the warmth of the alcohol spreading through her tits and hips and straight to her cunt. She was dripping. It felt sooo fucking good.

Following the trail of wine down her chest, she passed her hand through Lacy's pretty blond hair. Lacy was leaned against her chest, barely conscious enough to suck on Mona's soft and generous tits. Lacy was straddling one of Mona's thick thighs, and a sticky pool of liquid pooled under Lacy's soft cock, evidence of her evening of desperation.

Mona giggled again and groped around the couch cushions with wine-numbed fingers. Finally, she found her prize: the vape Lacy had dropped who knows how long ago. It was pink, just her color.

Mona pressed the vape to Lacy's lips. "C'mon, sweetie, it's time for a little more..." she cooed. Lacy slowly raised her head, eyes struggling to focus on Mona's face. Drool dripped from her lips. Mona might be drunk, but Lacy was braindead. Braindead and perfect.

"Whuuu...no, can't," Lucy slurred. "Soooo fuckinnnng high, can't...."

"Don't be shtupid, babyyyy," Mona replied. Her desire to destroy her pretty blond girlfriend's brain was overpowering her drunkenness. She nestled her wine bottle securely between couch cushions and ran her hand down Lacy's face. Lacy went in for a kiss, but Mona stopped her in her tracks by pinching her nose. Mona's hand pressed the vape into Lacy's mouth even more insistently.

"You've gotta breathe in, shilly. C'mooooon, breathe. It'll feel good, I promish!" Mona insisted. Lacy's bloodshot eyes rolled back in her head as she resisted, but she was too far gone to put up much of a fight. She breathed in. One, two, three breaths. Vapor came rushing out of Lacy's nose, fogging up both of their vision even more. Mona knew that this was when Lacy was the most beautiful.

"Gooooood girl," Mona purred. "Just breathe...I'll descide when you've had enough."

Despite her earlier protestations, as she was forced to inhale far past her limits, Lacy's hips began to roll unconsciously. She rutted her soft cock into Mona's soft thigh, whining as she exhaled more vapor. Mona grinned and pressed her thigh into Lacy's cock, making her whimper and shudder.

"Seeeee, honey, I know what's good for you. If it feels good, it ish good. Just breeeeathe, it's all you need."

When Mona finally released Lacy's nose and pulled the vape away, her girlfriend sat crosseyed and swaying for a couple of minutes. Her mouth gaped open.

"Babyyyyy, are you there? Need some help?" Mona could hardly keep from giggling.

"Uhhmmmm...."

"Do you know where you are?"

"Nooooooo...."

"I'll make it easy baby. You know who I am, right?" Mona asked. She reached down and smeared the slick on her leg against Lacy's cock. Lacy yipped and rocked into Mona's hand, suddenly alert. "Who makes you feel this good?"

"Mommy does, mommy, you're mommy, my mommy, please, please--"

Mona grinned and removed her hand, ignoring Lacy's whine of protest. "Sooooo smart! And does that mean you know who you are?"

"I'm uhm, stupid," Lacy grinned and giggled as she said it. "I'm stupid cumslut puppy! That's meeeeee!"

"Very good! I knew you were in there, shtupid puppy. Don't say no again, ok? Just let mommy make you a stupider cumslut puppy."

"Yes mommyyyyy" Lacy responded, leaning in to suck Mona's tits again.

"Pretty little bitch~" Mona, satisfied with her girlfriend's current lack of brainpower, pulled her wine from the cushions and leaned back. As she raised the bottle to her mouth, Lacy's hips started to roll again. "You like when your mommy gets this fuuucking washted, do you, puppy?" Mona asked between gulps. Lacy was watching her through crossed, unfocused eyes, humping Mona's thigh like a dog.

"Pleaaaase drink more, mommy, please" Lacy panted. Her damp bangs were plastered to her forehead. "I want you to drink mooooore please want mommy wasted...."

"How can I shay no to that?" Mona drawled. "But! You first." She held the bottle toward Lacy. Lacy's hips stuttered as she pulled back slightly.

"Nooo, but, I'm sooooo hiiiiiigh.....mommyyyyyy..."

Mona grinned, a plan coming together slowly in her alcohol-addled mind. "Yoooou drink the wine and I'll switch to the vodka, okie?~"

Within seconds, Lacy's lips were on the bottle, her clumsy fingers scrabbling against the side. Mona giggled and helped pour wine into Lacy's slack mouth.

When she finally had a secure grip and was suckling down the wine, Mona turned slowly to the side table. It was hard to judge how far away the bottle was, but she'd put it close by on purpose. For a second, she eyed the shot glass beside it, but decided not to bother. She clumsily grabbed the full vodka bottle and wrenched the top off just as Lacy finished her bottle.

Mona tipped back the bottle. It burned her throat and she shuddered in anticipation. "I hope yooou're....ready, " she slurred, going in for more vodka. "Mama's about to be fuuuucked up."

Fire burned to her cunt as she gulped the vodka. Lacy frantically ground against her. The world spun around her.

It felt so fucking good.

[fritextramole]

moments i play in the dark

part 3 of a Serena van der Woodsen playlist - best heard in order

tracklist and quotes under the cut

Writer In The Dark ~ Lorde

I still feel you, now and then Slow like pseudo-ephedrine When you see me, will you say I've changed?

Dancing With Tears In My Eyes ~ Kesha

It's all my fault I'm dancing with tears in my eyes Just fighting to get through the night I'm losing it With every move I die

Wildest Dreams ~ Taylor Swift

Say you'll remember me Standing in a nice dress Staring at the sunset, babe Red lips and rosy cheeks Say you'll see me again Even if it's just in your wildest dreams

Tomb ~ Angelo De Augustine

I walked into your life at the wrong time Never quite been perceptive of real life It was not your fault or a fault of mine But it's hard to let you go this time

Lookalike ~ Conan Gray

Don't you know we're done? And I'll admit that I sometimes, maybe, might Think about you at night, well, almost every night No matter how I try to hide And erase you from my mind I'm dying To find a lookalike

Supercut ~ Lorde

Cause in my head (In my head, I do everything right) When you call (When you call, I'll forgive and not fight)

Better in My Memory ~ Rebecca Black

Cause I've had way too much I'm gonna turn it off, turn it off Reprogramming our history so it's perfect in my mind Changing the way it ended so you never see me cry

Other Lives ~ Hazel English

I'm going under Get out of my head I'm running away From things that don't make sense

Golden Touch ~ Razorlight

That kind of girl, yes, she's never alone You leave a thousand messages on her phone But you know you never get through And you could have it all if you wanted, girl You could have it all if it matters to you

Alphabet Boy ~ Melanie Martinez

You think you're smarter than me with all your bad poetry Fuck all your ABC's, alphabet boy

Tears Dry On Their Own ~ Amy Winehouse

Even if I stop wanting you A perspective pushes through I'll be some next man's other woman soon I cannot play myself again I should just be my own best friend Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men

Heart Of Glass ~ Blondie

Once I had a love and it was divine Soon found out I was losing my mind It seemed like the real thing, but I was so blind Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind

Funplex ~ The B-52’s

Faster pussycat, thrill, thrill I'm at the mall on a diet pill Oh, broke my heart at the Funplex Yes you did, yes you did

Circus ~ Britney Spears

Don't like the back seat, gotta be first I'm like the ring leader, I call the shots I'm like a firecracker, I make it hot

Pretty ~ Coco & Clair Clair

Yeah, I'm sitting pretty but I'll leave you scarred 'Bout to pop some bottles on the fuckin' boulevard

So Good ~ Klischée

Lost inside the hype, I can taste it as I move You want to join the ride, don’t be scared to break the rules Roller coastin’ flippin’ minds around Tell me why it’s wrong if it feels so good Can’t help being bad, I got no excuse

Bubblegum Bitch ~ MARINA

Don't care if you think I'm dumb, I don't care at all Candy bear, sweetie pie, wanna be adored I'm the girl you'd die for I'll chew you up and I'll spit you out 'Cause that's what young love is all about

Liquid Smooth ~ Mitski

I'm pulsing, my blood is red and unafraid of living Beginning to end I'm liquid smooth, come touch me, too And feel my skin is plump and full of life I'm in my prime

Get This (Bang Bang) ~ Klischée

It gets me high, sweet sugar bang bang Won’t let me down, gold trigger bang bang Living life in luxury Want it all right now Think you can keep up with me? You should try and chase me down

Actors, Rappers & Wrestlers ~ Kari Faux

Only sip tequila, thirsty for the limelight Claim he wanna settle down but only when the time's right But he can’t pin me down, cause I'm not the wife type I might just spend the night or shit I might just catch a flight

Show & Tell ~ Melanie Martinez

I'm just like you, you're like me Imperfect and human, are we? Show and tell I'm on display for all you fuckers to see

The Family Jewels ~ MARINA

Family said that I decided to live a loveless life Is it my fault we stay divided? 'Cause I got too much pride Pass the parcel, wrap, unwrap, and open up the locks Out come flying all the secrets of Pandora's box

3am ~ Halsey

My insecurities are hurting me Someone, please come and flirt with me I really need a mirror that'll come along and tell me that I'm fine I do it every time I keep on hanging on the line Ignoring every warning sign Come on and make me feel alright again

Bang Bang Bang Bang ~ Sohodolls

So we put on our eyeliner And a bit of glitter dust Life at night is always finer Neon streets are full of lust

Sea Hearts ~ Honeyblood

Creatures that live just for the night I can stay out as long as I like 'Cause no one's calling me to come back inside So what we put off the rest They're so awkward in our presence We don't give a fuck, they're not our friends

The Passenger ~ Siouxsie and the Banshees

I am the passenger I stay under glass I look through my window so bright I see the stars come out tonight I see the bright and hollow sky Over the city's ripped backsides

[melancholy-mikey]

New perspective | C.H

summary: reader has never managed to get herself off, and in the middle of a rather disappointing masturbation session, Calum comes to her rescue.

word count: 1950+

pairing: Calum Hood x fem!reader

includes: intense sexual themes, brief mentions of masturbation, oral (female receiving)

song rec: new perspective - panic! at the disco

a/n: thoughts and feedback are greatly appreciated, my loves :)

With a huff, her shoulders slumped disappointedly, her lips curling down ever so slightly out of frustration. She muttered a couple inaudible expletives under her breath, her body just not cooperating with her like she had wanted it to.

Yet again, she had attempted trying it, though to no avail, and she hadn't a clue what on earth she could be doing wrong. Was it her fingers? Were they not long enough? Maybe she was doing it wrong. Whatever it was, she just couldn't get herself off. She had tried countless of times, over and over again, and it felt good, really good, however the build up she had worked so hard for just never seemed to release. The feeling in the pit of her stomach never erupted, her legs would tremble, the feeling so astonishing, as if she was at her peak. She wasn't. She never let go, just came down from a load of worked up pleasure, not an orgasm. And even though she knew she couldn't help it, she still decided to blame herself, fingers fiddling with the blankets that barely covered her naked bottom half as she lay in her bed.

She had been staying in a rather luxurious villa with her friends, Luke insisting that she tag along on their holiday, claiming it would be a good time to get some inspiration, though it was a given that all he wanted was a bit of freedom, some sun and sea would do him good. So, with a room all to herself, she certainly wasn't going to put it to waste. She would relax herself as much as she could, and she had a method in mind, she was just very unfortunate. This wasn't at all different to any normal day. She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face in misfortune, the sheets shifting along her bare breasts, the little droplets of sweat she had earned still accumulated her forehead.

"Need some help, darling?" Her head snapped to the intruder, eyes widening before quickly shoving the sheets over her body, trying her hardest not to let that strawberry blush coat her cheeks, though she became noticeably flushed and if the room hadn't been so dark, she was more than sure he would've seen it. He would've smirked, but that would've been no different to what was painted upon his lips already.

"Please. Go away," she spoke exasperated, chest heaving, not only from her friend Calum, but from the built up frustration she had given herself.

He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, easing himself away from the doorframe and quickly closing the door. It had only been open a crack, though maybe it was the noises she had made, disappointment and satisfaction. She had a feeling that was it.

"Come on, baby," the moonlight reflected off his eyes as he moved deeper into her room, "you seem so frustrated," he was extremely right, and the enticing look in his eyes almost immediately made her want to say yes, however she wasn't so sure, her mind flickering with possible scenarios of the morning after. She just hoped to god it wouldn't be awkward.

"You'll be able to finally cum, and I," he smiled whilst biting that pretty bottom lip of his. "Well, I get to see this gorgeous body of yours, don't I, pretty girl?" She whimpered slightly, though loud enough for Calum to hear. He smirked, crouching down next to her side of the bed, grasping the covers and peeling them away from her body. She was completely naked, a light sheen of sweat coated her body and made her look so deliciously sexy, he couldn't refrain his cock from twitching under his jeans at the sight.

His eyes flickered to the sight of her two fingers, her slick noticeably coating two of her digits. Grabbing a hold of her wrist, he brought them to his mouth, letting her slip her fingers into his mouth at her own accord, humming around them from the taste, mouth detaching from them with a pop.

"Tell me, sweetie," his one hand trailed along her jaw, thumb stroking her cheek causing ear eyes to flutter shut. "Has any man made you cum?"

She shook her head, no, completely under his spell, utterly smitten and her submissive side coming out to play.

"Good," he smiled, "I'm the only man that can," she bit her lip, looking up at him from under her lashes, his body now on top of hers, hovering over her dominantly.

"I-I'm not sure if you can," she muttered, not intending to sound playful nor cocky, but more insecure and shy. She didn't want to disappoint, and he could see that as he stared at her with glossy eyes and smiling lips.

"Well, we'll see about that," his face was inches away from hers, mouth ghosting over her lips, teasing her by pulling away before she pushed towards him. "I'm gonna make you feel so good, pretty girl."

His mouth attached to hers firmly, their lips coming together into a hard but nonetheless passionate kiss, one hand supporting him above her, while the other weaved itself into her hair, tugging and pulling ever so slightly earning little groans in response.

Her heart rate grew furious, thumping in her ears from the close proximity of Calum. He had always been a flirt, though she had the idea that he was like this with anything that had a pulse. She just shrugged it off, she didn't consider herself as anyone special, though the moment he stepped foot into her bedroom, she couldn't ignore that hint of excitement and need in the pit of her stomach, not even beginning to acknowledge the crush that she had built up on him for god knows how long.

Strong hands traveled down her sides, squeezing her hips before stopping in their tracks, smoothing over the apex of her thighs softly, feeling her skin beneath his rough fingertips. Spreading her legs apart at the knee, he took in the sight of her, her bare pussy in front of him completely catching him off guard by how wet she had become.

"Oh, sweetheart," he breathed, "you're dripping." Her hands stroked up and down his already bare back - Calum decided on discarding it way before he had even gotten outside of her door. "Messy girl."

With a quick peck to her lips and a slight adjustment in his position, his head was between her legs, his already bruised lips trailing up the inside of her thighs, switching sides between every kiss. Her hips bucked up impatiently, whining every now and again for him to get on with it, though she inwardly enjoyed the attention he was paying to her, the time he was taking and how attentively he spent it, she enjoyed that very much.

"You have no idea. How long. I've been waiting to do this." His voice was muffled by her skin as he spoke through kisses. "How long I've been waiting to kiss you, to taste you," he paused all movements, using this time to gaze into her pretty eyes. "To fuck you," she let out an involuntary moan, chest puffing up and down from how heavy her breathing had gotten. It was all because of him, because of Calum.

"God, babe, we've been friends for years and seeing you with other guys, it makes me- it makes me jealous," he nipped at a patch of skin on her left leg, so, so close to her pussy it almost hurt from how frustrated she had gotten. Though it was nothing compared to only moments ago, this was the good kind.

"And knowing that they didn't pleasure my baby girl- I gotta make you feel good, my darling," he stuttered slightly, the look in his eyes getting harsher, irises getting increasingly darker, his words made the thumping of her clit increase in pace, causing her to struggle in his tight yet tolerable grasp.

"Only I am able to make you cum, princess," he smirked, "nobody else. Just me."

Without even a hint of a warning, his lips were around her peaked clit, throbbing furiously and finally getting the satisfaction she needed. His tongue swiped over her bundle of nerves, sucking harshly whilst collecting her arousal for extra lubricant. Breathy moans and whiny whimpers sounded throughout the room, y/n couldn't help but to let the noises slip, even after trying ever so hard to keep them in. She knew she was a goner the minute his tongue slipped inside of her, thrusting in and out of her so skillfully, for a second she had wondered how many girls he had possibly done this to. Though she quickly shook that from her mind, she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could, afraid she wouldn't ever experience this kind of pleasure again.

"O-oh, Cal!" Her head snapped back, eyes squeezing shut, such obscene noises falling from her lips, she hadn't a clue she had it in her.

"Feels so good," she could feel him smirk against her heat, joyous to have his gorgeous girl moaning his name like that.

He knew he was good, but he didn't quite realise how much exactly.

The cockiness soon faded, however, as she tugged at his short hair, her lips stuttering as she tried desperately to get her chosen words out.

"I-I'm going to cum, Calum." her voice came out in gasps, her breathing far from steady as she braced herself for the impact that was about to come. She knew it would be big, after all, she hadn't really ever experienced an orgasm before. "Cal, I'm so close. I'm so, so close. So close,"

"I know, darling, let go for me," he decided against adding a finger inside of her, knowing that if he did, it would be too much. She hadn't ever felt this good before, God, Calum felt like a dream. Course, she had been with other men, though the few she had been with never managed to make her feel as good as he did, let alone get her to cum. "I want you to make me proud, babe. I want you to cum on my tongue."

With one last swipe of his tongue and a couple kitten licks towards her clit, her legs had started to shake, her orgasm washing over her like an immense tidal wave she would be lucky to get away from. No words, nor noises (except the little grunts that managed to escape) fell from her lips. Her body stuttered silently, pussy quivering, clit still throbbing though not in need, in satisfaction. Satisfaction from letting go. Letting go after such a long time of building up her release though never managing to chase it down, always letting it slip through her fingers at the last second. Not this time.

Coming down from her high, she began to laugh, her sweet little breathy giggles bouncing off the walls and becoming a new form of music to his ears as his mouth detached from her, smiling up at her cheekily, though the adoration and awe was evident and obvious in his smiling eyes.

"D'that feel good, princess?" He questioned, already knowing her answer, just wanting the satisfaction of hearing how good he had been, letting out what sounded like a purr from him as a response to her grateful answer. He climbed up next to her, being ever so careful where he put his hands, knowing how sensitive she had gotten, her pretty figure still trembling.

"Rest up, my love." His hands cradled her cheeks warmly, nuzzling his nose against hers, though eyes still dark with what she guessed was lust. "We've got a lot to get through."

-

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[emmy-writes-sometimes]

Whatever It Takes

Sebastian’s daughter spends half the time with him and half with her step-mother. Her step-dad goes too far, causing her to run back to her father.

A/N: I ended up combining two requests with this since they were both such good ideas! I hope both of them love it! 

-

           “Please don’t make me go,” you begged your dad as he looked through the apartment to make sure you weren’t leaving anything. “I hate it there.” He, of course, thought you were bluffing. He knew your mom wasn’t the best, but he had full confidence in her as a mother, at least. And he’d seen the house she lived in. It was fine. But he didn’t see how things really were.

           “You have to. It’s what…” He sat down on the arm of the couch.

           “What the court says, I know. But I’m old enough to decide for myself, and I wanna stay with you. Please?” You didn’t know how bad things would have to get for him to let you stay. He was your best friend, and you’d already bent the rules to be able to spend most of the summer with him. But today you absolutely had to go back before your mother threw a colossal fit.

           “You know I wouldn’t let you go unless I absolutely have to, and I absolutely have to. Unless you want to petition the court, there’s no way around it. You have to spend half the time there, it’s what we agreed on.”

           “Yeah, when I was five! Before everything hit the fan!” As soon as your mother had divorced Sebastian, she’d moved in with some crazy guy in his mansion in the Hamptons. And the guy treated you like absolute shit, so your mom did too. They bought you off their backs; every time you threatened to tell the court something, another Louis Vuitton headed your way. You were sick of it, and you were ready to make your own decision and decide to stay with your dad. He was an actor, and he was gone between Atlanta and California and New York, but at least he loved you. You knew he loved you, unlike your mother. Your mother loved the image of a perfect family, even if on the inside it was every kind of abuse but physical. You didn’t want to worry your dad unless you absolutely had to tell him, so you kept your mouth shut.

           “Things didn’t hit the fan, your mom married an asshole and now you don’t want to be there. I get it. Really. But we’ve been over this time and time again, sweetheart. You have to. Unless you have evidence that something’s wrong, they’re not going to change it now. And they already hate me because I’m an actor, because apparently that means I’m not stable.” You knew that wasn’t true. He was the most mentally stable person you knew. You could tell he was at his wit’s end, but you wanted to keep pushing. You wanted to stay. Any bad day with your dad was better than a good day with your mom.

           “Fine,” you said softly. You tried to hide the fact that you were about to cry. You really didn’t want to leave. You had left in the middle of a fight and you knew things were going to be even worse when you came back, especially if you told them that your dad had taken you to California with him without asking them first.

           “I love you,” he said as he stood up, noticing that you were visibly upset. “You know that. I’ll call the lawyers again and see what they say. It’s been a few years since anything happened, so maybe they’d be willing to hear you out. But don’t get your hopes up, okay?” You nodded and hugged him tightly, trying to regain control of your breathing before it got worse.

           “Okay.”

           “I’ll help you load up.” One by one, you got your bags in the overly luxurious SUV your mother had bought you, and before you knew it he was handing you a twenty for something to eat along the way. “Please get real food and not just iced coffee,” he insisted. You got into the driver’s seat and smiled. At least he knew enough about you to know that was your plan.

           “Only because you asked nicely.”

           “Drive safe, babe, okay?” You nodded and started the car, checking the blind spot monitor before driving off toward the highway. You spent most of the time in the car making an internal list of all of the terrible things your mother had done, even though you knew it wouldn’t be enough and you would never care to write it down.

           You settled with cruise control for most of the drive, even though it was a bumpy road back to East Hampton, and finally pulled into the perfectly landscaped driveway of your step-dad’s mansion. There weren’t any other cars in the driveway, so you assumed your mom was off shopping, as usual, and your step-dad was probably cheating on her because that was just how things worked. You were only half joking when you thought about it.

           “Hello?” You called when you reached the house, just to make sure. You strained your neck to look up to the balcony, the huge chandelier reflecting in the bright sunlight. No one was home, except maybe one of the housekeepers. You took your things up the elevator, because the house was just that crazy, and settled back into your room. Your room there was gorgeous. Blair Waldorf would be jealous of it. But it wasn’t you. You and your dad had painted all of the furniture in your room at his house, together, and you’d picked everything out until you had to leave. Your dad had finished the room, too, and he knew you so well that it was perfect. You loved it. You hated this room. What a problem, right? Sheets getting changed every day, a private closet full of designer clothes… What a terrible life it was. That was how they reeled you in; if things looked good on the outside, it meant that nobody would dare look on the inside. It was a dollhouse. A shitty, expensive dollhouse.

           You spent most of the afternoon unpacking everything and changing out of the clothes your mother hated seeing you in. Instead you changed into an uncomfortable but put together outfit and waited. You were unpacking your makeup, thinking about seeing if one of your friends wanted to go to the beach later, when your door blew open. It was your mother, fresh from a shopping trip.

           “I see you’re back,” she responded. “How was it?”

           “Great,” you said. “How is everything here?” Your mother shrugged.

           “It’s the Hamptons. Roger is having some friends over tonight, so don’t ruin things for us.” You internally rolled your eyes. “That means…”

           “Stay in my room,” you interrupted. “I know.” That was another thing – your mom and step-dad wanted you out of their way as much as possible. That meant being all but locked in your room when guests came over. It was like you didn’t even exist. That was another difference – your dad couldn’t wait to show you off, especially because you were interested in film.

           You did what she said. You stayed in your room, thankful that you kept snacks up there, and watched TV for most of the night until everybody left. You could tell that they were ridiculously drunk, but that wasn’t new. You wanted out of there, once and for all, and just in case someone tried anything, you set your phone to record sound before putting it in the pocket of your sweatshirt. You walked down the stairs, seeing the cleaning staff working in the kitchen, and made a beeline for it. Before you could get there, though, your step-dad grabbed onto your arm.

           “You’re back, I see,” he said. He was too close for comfort and you tried to wrestle your arm away, but you couldn’t. He was too strong. You could feel a bruise forming on your arm. That would be a fantastic picture.

           “Yeah,” you replied.

           “Thank you for not making any noise earlier. This was too important to have you mess up.” You knew he was just being an ass, but it hurt. Were you really that bad?

           “Yeah, whatever. I’m going to bed.” You started to walk, but he didn’t let go. “Can you let go of me?” He did what you asked, finally, and when you pulled your arm away there was a bruise on it. You hoped it would fade, but not before you took pictures of it. Maybe them being like this was a blessing in disguise. Still, though. They’d never gone so far as to put a hand on you.

           You were careful in the coming week. Beyond careful. You slipped in and out, minded your own business, and made yourself as scarce as possible. But they had a rule that you had to come home each night, so you did. As soon as the town curfew kicked in, you were home. They always found a reason to come to your room, whether it was lecturing you about leaving your car in the wrong spot in the driveway or taking the wrong towel out to the pool. And your step-dad kept getting more and more violent. As soon as one bruise would fade, another would start on your arm or your shoulder from him just grabbing onto you too hard. Of course your mom wouldn’t do anything about it. She only looked out for herself. You didn’t want to worry your dad, so you just pretended like everything was okay.

           “I’m glad things are going well,” he said over the phone one night. “Maybe they just needed some time.”

           “Yeah,” you responded. You were being fake as hell and you prayed that he didn’t notice it. You were also trying not to cry. That night had been a bad one; they’d had guests over without telling you and you’d gone down the stairs. You had another bruise on your wrist, and this time there was a fingernail mark, too.

           “Listen, I gotta go, I’m meeting up with some people for a dinner meeting.”

           “Okay.” You felt stupid, but you didn’t want to let him go. Your eyes filled to the brim with tears. You just wanted him. “I love you.”

           “I love you too, sweetie.” You hung up the phone and crawled back into bed, letting the tears roll down your cheeks. You wanted to go home. You had friends, sure, but you felt so lonely in that huge house with people who hated you. You were sure your mom and step-dad wouldn’t even care if you left. You wanted to test it, but you were scared. You let yourself cry a little more, just to get everything out, and decided to watch TV until you felt a little better. You wanted to watch LOST, the show you and your dad had been watching all summer together, but you didn’t want to watch it without him.

           It was late before you finally went down to the kitchen again, bare-footed so your feet wouldn’t make much noise, and tried to get some water. Unfortunately, you weren’t the only one with the idea. Your step dad was sitting there, at the table, drinking. As always. He was draining a bottle of rum that probably cost more than your car did.

           “Well, well, well,” he said. “Haven’t seen you the past few days.” That was right. Because you were avoiding him.

           “Yeah,” you tried to hide it with a shrug as you reached for a glass. The last bruise he’d left had disappeared, and hopefully it wouldn’t be replaced. “Haven’t been feeling well. I think I’m getting sick or something.” Your step-dad smirked.

           “Sure you are. Or maybe you just don’t want to see us. You want to run off with your real daddy, I know that, but you could at least try to be a part of this family.” Your eyes were filling up just as quickly as your glass was with ice. You switched it over to the water. You had a bad feeling in your stomach.

           “Okay,” you responded calmly. “I’ll try and make a better effort. I’m sorry.” He walked up to you then, like he always did, but he didn’t do anything. Not at first.

           “Sorry for what? Being such a little bitch all the time?” That was crossing a line. He’d never called you that, not to your face. You were always just the brat to him. Not bitch. You wanted to end the conversation. Fight or flight kicked in and you wanted to run away. Maybe you could take the back staircase. It was quicker, and you could lock your room so he couldn’t get in. You were frozen in fear, breathing heavily, about to start crying again like the little kid you were. He grabbed your arm, for real this time, and you noticed that you were shaking. This was going to leave a darker bruise than normal, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to see you upset.

           “That’s what I thought. Cry-baby. Go run off, see if we care. We’ll get full custody, anyway.” So you decided that’s what you would do. You walked away, noticing that he didn’t follow you, and he probably didn’t think you were serious. He was probably thinking you were going upstairs to cry, which you were. But you were going to pack, too.

           You packed as many of your clothes as you could get in a suitcase, a full backpack with your laptop in it, and the few pictures you knew you would want. You threw your makeup bag into another bag and started cleaning up the room. By the time you made up the bed and cleared the closet out, it was like no one even lived there. You went out to the balcony. He was in bed. Your mom had gone to bed long ago. So you lifted up your suitcase and brought it down to the entry hallway. It was pouring rain outside, but you didn’t care. You had to get out of there, fast. You started your car with your phone, turning the lights off so you wouldn’t be seen from their window, and loaded everything back into the car. The time to drive back to the city was two hours normally, but you could cut it down. It was nearly three in the morning, you knew that, but you had to get out of there. The last thing you did was leave the house key on the kitchen table, along with the two credit cards they gave you that you almost never used.

           You must have looked like a mess to anyone driving alongside you – you were still in your pajamas and a wet raincoat, your car was packed full, and you were crying. But you hit traffic at the bridge and, by the time you pulled into your dad’s garage, you could tell that the kitchen light was on. He was awake. You shut the car off and took your phone with you, walking up the stairs to the first floor.

           Your dad was standing there, making one of those protein shakes he always drank. He looked like he was about to go for a run. He looked over at you as you entered, eyes wide, and shut off the blender he was using.

           “You’re supposed to be at your mom’s!” He said.

           “I had to get out of there. I can’t stay there,” you explained. “I have it recorded, but I had to get out. Please just let me stay.”

           “Hold on, hold on, you drove here in the middle of the night by yourself?” You nodded. “Do they know?”

           “No.”

           “Jesus, Y/n. I need to call the lawyers right now. Do you know what you just did?” You took off your rain jacket, letting it fall to the floor, and held out your arm. The bruise was dark purple and clear as day. “Did he do that to you?”

           “Yes. I have all of the pictures and I recorded all of our conversations. I’m sorry I came here without telling you but I had to get out of there.” You could see the rage burning in his eyes, but it wasn’t for you. The first thing he did was wrap you in a hug, tightly, and that was enough. You let yourself start crying, again, just because you were so relieved. Nothing could hurt you here. Not your mom, not your step-dad.

           “I need to call the lawyers. Go un-pack for me and we’ll figure this out, okay, honey?” He rubbed your back for a second as you prepared to pull away from him. You went to go unpack your bags and your dad started calling everyone he knew to call. You doubted they would even care that you were gone, but you definitely didn’t want to cause a media frenzy that would make your dad look bad. That was the absolute last thing you wanted to do was screw him over. Finally, the calls were all over and your dad walked into your room. You’d taken a shower and changed clothes by then, warming up from the cold rain. You’d driven with your air on full blast the entire time without even realizing it.

           “Hey,” he said. “I called the lawyer. They’re sending some police and CPS over to talk things through, but it looks like I can get full custody at least temporarily. You might have to go to court for it, but…”

           “I don’t want to. I just want out of there.” He sat down beside you on the bed, pulling you in.

           “I know you don’t want to. And it’ll be hard. But they hurt you. Multiple times. And you literally have all of the proof you need on your phone. They’re not gonna hurt you again, I won’t let them. Whatever it takes.” You nodded, sniffling a little. You were such a crybaby. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it before.”

           “Nobody did. He never started acting like that until I got back.” He ran a hand through your hair.

           “It’s over now, okay? You’re home with me.” You were resting your head in his shoulder when there was a knock at the front door, followed by the shout that it was police. He offered you a hand and you took it, like you always did, and walked down the stairs.

[capricornus-rex]

Bad Ideas Make Good Memories (2)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by @queen-destenie​ | Prompt:

i live for you qUEEN! i LOVE your writing. if you have the time, could you do a fic where reader is the most reckless badass and Cal is like ‘wait don’t do THAT’ and she is just ‘im living life BABYY’. she does the most insane things that always somehow work and Cal is literally like what the F*CK’. reader is basically a GOD. please and thank you

Additional tags: Rebel base, Rebel fleet

Previous: Part 1 | Next: Part 3 | Masterlist

2 of ?

Both Jedi Interceptors hovered out of the covered hangar, following the standard operating procedures of the ship—with the help of your astromech droids and BD-1 for Cal only—your ship’s speed warmed up as the landing gears folded in and you’re starting to feel the altitude.

A medley of starfighters and gunships of different make followed at your flank. As all of the ships poured out of the hangar and hovered above the treelines, the two Jedi enhanced their ships’ communications so that it reaches both the command on the ground and the Mantis.

“Wings are now out of the nest,” a scout from the watchtower reports, he repeated the words twice until his voice came through to the command center on the ground.

“All wings report in,” a commander from the ground radioed through all communications.

“Interceptors, standing by.” you and Cal reported.

“Guns, standing by.”

“Aqua Squadron, standing by.”

“Maroon Squadron, standing by.”

The leaders of the Aqua and Maroon Squadrons commanded all of the pilots to report in their call signs—each squadron had eight pilots. The ships were not uniform, but they have the streaks painted across the exteriors of their fighter ships to distinguish them from the other.

R-12 beeped anxiously at you as its scanners picked up the signatures of the incoming TIE Fighters.

“Yeah, I see them, buddy. Good job,” you affirmed.

“Interceptor Two, what’s the current status?”

“Picking up seven signatures, they’ve cut through the atmosphere,” you reported coolly while keeping calm breaths. “TIE Fighters.”

The speeds of the Jedi Interceptors are picking up, the distance between those TIE Fighters is gradually shrinking, and the two of your prepared yourself to attack.

“Stay close, [y/n],”

“I’m gonna have a hard time doing that!” you chuckled.

The TIE Fighters were the first to open fire, all the ships scrambled from their line of fire, causing the TIEs to disperse and chase after their targets—each one has caught an Interceptor in their fronts, both of you were trying to shake it.

In the first few minutes, fighters from the Aqua Squadron have been shot down but the Maroon Squadron backed up the numbers. From the ground, the operators are working real-time as the skirmish occurs in the air.

“Cal and [y/n]?”

“Interceptors One and Two are still online!”

Cere released a sigh that has been choking her since the ships have been deployed. She spotted the twin blips glowing white against the transparent screen, behind those twin blips were the other ships in their designated colors; one by one, each mark vanished from the screen faster than the red ones flying on the other side of the screen.

“Come on, you two…” Cere mumbled under her breath.

The TIE Fighter persisted in tailing you and shooting you until you’re in its range. Glancing only for a second on your radar, you knew you had to think fast.

“[y/n], that TIE is still on your tail!” Cal pointed out.

“I know, I’m trying to shake him. He’s slippery too!”

Cal’s Interceptor and the TIE chasing him flew in your view at your windshield, a lightbulb flickered bright as the sun in your head.

“Cal, I have an idea!”

“Hoo boy, here she comes!” he remarked jokingly. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

“Cover me and I’ll cover you!”

He immediately understood your idea and continued darting through the skies. You gently pushed the steering wheel forward.

“R-12, can you crank up the attack speed!”

“Bee-woop!”

“Attaboy!”

The droid accelerated your Interceptor’s speed to level three. You and Cal’s Interceptors with the TIE Fighters behind you made a swerving bee-line in the sky. The targeting device activated, a white-lined grid glowed over the red screen and the icon of the TIE Fighter registers on the screen.

The enemy’s icon finally settled in the center circle and without a moment’s hesitation, your thumbs crunched the trigger, blue twin lasers shot out of your ship’s guns and damaged the TIE’s wing; you let out another shot and decimated the second wing until it bursts into flames while spinning out of control.

“Alright, my turn, sweetie!”

Cal did a somersault with his Interceptor and placed himself right behind your pursuant. He manually boosted the Interceptor’s attack speed until he was within shooting range. He rested his thumbs over the trigger.

“Watch this, BD!”

“Woooo!”

Ion cannons sputtered out of the barrels and Cal hit a bullseye straight into the TIE Figher’s cockpit. The excited redhead celebrated from the cockpit of his ship and he didn’t realize that his headset in linked in communicating with yours. His celebratory howling busted your right eardrum that you flinched and your ship quaked when you lost a split-second’s worth of control.

“Show-off!” you exclaimed while massaging the crevices of your ear.

“Oh sorry, too loud?”

“No worries, but I’m not gonna let you one-up me, honey!”

“Oh, it’s on!”

The Interceptors flew back into the heart of the skirmish and helped out the other pilots with persistent TIE Fighters on their tails. You and Cal split up to cover the pilots—especially the gunships.

“Keep those TIEs out of the gunships! Guns pack a punch but they’re not built for easy maneuvering!” you barked through the shared-line communications.

“Copy that, Interceptor Two!” the Aqua Seven pilot responded to your call, speaking on behalf of everyone.

All of the smaller and nimbler fighters drew the fire of the TIEs, away from the big gunships that also served as transports for the soldiers; the slippery ones were the ones you pursued, hanging tight in your seat as you maneuver your ship in spins—something that was once a luxury for you when the moment in opportune—and reducing those TIEs into shrapnel with your shooting.

“Nice shooting,” Cal complimented.

“Thanks!” you beamed in a high-pitch, almost too-effeminate tone.

An urgent transmission from the ground cut off your fun, private banter, “I’m picking up some signatures… THEY’RE HUGE!!”

“That can never be good,” you muttered, the playful smile in your face dissolving.

R-12’s scanners have picked up the said signatures as well and reflected them on your radar. Before you even had the time to glance at your screen, they emerged like the undead out of their graves—AT-ATs rising up, rearing their hunched metal backs and heads, and breaking down the trees that stood in their way as they erected themselves.

“Okay, now that is overkill!” you exclaimed at the sight of the pair of AT-ATs.

“Interceptors, I’m picking up another signature—but it’s in the air!”

“Can’t catch a damn break, can we?”

A TIE Assault Shuttle comes to you in full speed and pulls a barrage against you! You barely dodged the hail of blasts it sent your way; only affording a second, you peered at the window at your side while maneuvering your Interceptor—the AT-ATs surely aren’t taking their time, their walking pace doubled from their usual, keeping their sights set on the rebel base after the trees.

Big radar signatures and SHE is going towards it? Great. Cal thought to himself as soon as he saw you zooming past at the corner of his windshield.

“I’ll cover you,” the firm tone in his voice indicated that he doesn’t want to hear a counterargument.

You orbited the walkers and then caught sight of the TIE Assault Shuttle, you only have seconds to come up with a plan; in the blink of an eye, the craziest idea borne from that little disadvantage popped into your head.

“[y/n], you’ve been quiet now. What are you thinking?”

There was a nervous tone in Cal’s voice as he continued to fly by your side while observing the enemy lines. The ground base can also hear everyone’s transmission in designated receivers, and most of them had their ears on you and Cal’s; they detected that unusual silence in your end, they all blankly stared at the holograph that relays your transmissions—anticipating to hear your voice. Cere’s eyes wandered across the flat surface of the illuminated holotable—she stopped observing the other friendlies’ blips, she focused at that one quadrant of the radar with you and Cal’s blips circling the AT-ATs’ signatures.

“What’s happened to her? She’s not down, is she?” one of the head operators blurted.

“No, she’s not—she’s still there,” Cere answered, even if the question wasn’t for her to answer.

You ignored Cal’s question and tightened your grip around your steering wheel. Your fingers dexterously danced across your dashboard.

“She’s prepping her droid… but for what?” the operator relayed.

“R-12, remember when you said you’ll have my back?”

“[y/n]!?” Cal prolonged the syllable in your name as he called you again for your attention.

“Well, you gotta have my back now, R-12!”

“Be-bee… BEEEE?!!?”

Cal saw your starfighter’s cockpit dome opening up in the middle of flight. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He still can’t comprehend what plan is running in your mind—and why, of all things, this kind of plan—and how are you going to execute it.

“[Y/N]!!!” he screamed, he didn’t think that you’d hear him with just his bare voice. The microphone of his headset was so overwhelmed by the volume that feedback crackled through your headset—nevertheless, you ignored his voice and for good reason.

Feel… don’t think. You chanted in your mind as you prepared yourself to execute your plan alone.

“R-12, override now!”

“BEEEEE!!!!”

You released your grip from the steering wheel, the Interceptor was now in full control of R-12, and you ejected yourself out of the cockpit, surfing on the wing as your starfighter did a fly-by near the larger TIE. You timed the moment of your jump across with a pinpoint precision that you basically have no backup plan if you don’t make it.

The Jedi Interceptor’s wingspan did little in bridging you to the top of the TIE Assault Shuttle. You kept your feet planted on the wing and then sprang off towards the large enemy ship. You didn’t realize the gap in between was great and you’re afraid that you might have miscalculated yourself.

[spotsuns]

lone wolf poem

you’re at a standstill, fully surrounded, and it’s one tick away from blowing up into an all-out shoot-em-out.

it feels too real, hits too close, to you—who has spent more days feeling like an animal as of late than a boy.

it’s not a self-made choice, not anymore, not when this is how the world sees you. you wish you had the luxury of being a little boy again.

you’re ten years old and there’s an army of guns pointed at you. you’re ten years old, and you’re so young, so small, that even when you know you hold all the power, you still look to him and ask what you’re supposed to do.

his hands shake, and you can see it in his eyes, he’s all spent out. he wears resignation like a funeral shroud, and that’s how you’ll remember him if it goes like this. you don’t want it to go like this. you can’t let it go like this.

he panics and throws the keys out the window, throws up his hands, and all you can think is, they’re about to have him.

he’s about to be apart from me.

he’s about to be apart from himself.

no room for wolves in jail.

‘it’s not who we are’, he says. you don’t understand. if this isn’t who you are, then what does that make of all that you’ve already done? where does it go now? you know this will keep you up at night if it ends like this. you don’t want it to end like this.

‘now it’s my turn to take care of us.’ you say.

‘everything will be alright, i promise.’ you say.

you lock the doors and you hit the gas, and all you can see is all the people ahead that you’re offering as sacrifice for this. they left you no choice, you have to believe this.

you have to believe this when you flip the cars; when you throw them into the sky and don’t look to see where they fall; when you don’t look back to see their mangled bodies twisted up into something of your own making. you have to.

the bullets tap against the car like raindrops on the tin roof, just like that cabin in oregon you once called home. home. almost there—almost there.

you blow through all the people and all the barricades and their cars and their weapons and everything they have that exists solely to keep you from this like shoving papers on a desk.

you see the stretch of the motherland, spread out wide with open arms for you, and you smile so big you can hardly even believe it. you did. you did it for him. finally, you’ve paid it all back. you point out the window, tapping on the glass, all that separates you from everything you’ve dreamt of for months and months. ‘sean, look! it’s mexico! it’s—“

you turn in hopes that his smile exceeds yours, you hope that there’s teeth, that his only eye is shining wet with happy tears, and there’s high apples in his cheeks, and—

something’s wrong.

everything’s wrong.

there’s too much red in this picture—there’s not supposed to—this is wrong. this isn’t how it was supposed to go. his hand is on his throat. there’s red on his hands, on his chin, down his chest and soaking the collar of his hoodie.

his favorite. the one you’d curl up into on the cold nights in washington. the one you’d grip the hood to when you rode around on his shoulders, like the reins on a horse. the one he’s sewn back together again and again because even after all this time, it’s still his favorite. you wonder, for a moment, if the blood will come out. like there’s any point.

you grab onto him, his hands in yours, and you hold onto him as he breathes his last breath. and then you scream louder than you think you’ve ever screamed.

you don’t know how many hours pass after that, but he’s cold. you’re not sure what you are. you’re not sure it matters anymore.

you drive until you see a place befitting of him. somewhere where nobody can bother him anymore. somewhere worthy of him, where he can finally rest. they can take your dead body over his.

you take everything that you have left of him—all you’ll ever have. his eyepatch. his bracelet. your father’s lighter, the one that reads ‘puerto lobos’. even his last pack of cigarettes, one left inside. he was probably saving it.

you reach for the hoodie. you drop your hands. no. that’s his. he’ll need it up there. he wouldn’t be sean without it.

you’re too young to be burying your brother. you’re too young for anything you’ve had to do. we’re sorry it ended up this way. please know it’s not your fault.

your arms are too weak to pick him up, so you use your godforsaken power to lift him out of the car. he’s too heavy. he’s heavier than anything you’ve ever lifted—any tree, any car, any army. you can’t stand it. it’s not right. it’s all wrong. it wasn’t supposed to be this way.

you try and lower him down. no matter what, it doesn’t feel right. this isn’t how the story of the wolf brothers is supposed to end. how would it go, exactly?

the big brother was shot by the hunters, and died in the paws of the little wolf.

no, no, no.

the little wolf found a quiet place on the side of the road to lay his big brother down to rest, one last time.

no, no, no.

then the little wolf headed home all alone, without his big brother by his side.

it’s a bad story. you were never the one telling it, though. that was his job. he wouldn’t have ended it this way, it would have been better. he would have been in it.

you can’t stand seeing him floating there anymore, suspended flat on his back like he’s in an invisible coffin. you stand him up, where he seems to be on his feet, alive just enough to play this out.

you lift his arms and extend them towards yourself. you walk into them, and you fold them behind your back, and you grip his hoodie tight in your fists as you cling to his. you don’t look at his face. you don’t look at the blood. he doesn’t cradle your head to his chest like he usually does. he doesn’t call you enano. he doesn’t say anything.

you finally lower him down. you don’t want to look, but you do. he looks like he’s finally home. you resist the urge to crawl in there with him and just wait it out.

you pick all the wildflowers that you can find and slowly lower them down on top of him, like a shower of all your broken promises. this is as right as it’s going to get. that’s the worst part.

you think of the speech you gave when mushroom died. you think about the one you never got to give at your father’s funeral. you have no good point of reference for what to do next.

thank you for keeping me safe, sean. i’m sorry i couldn’t do the same. i tried my best. i’m sorry it wasn’t enough. i’m sorry for all of this. we were just kids. i love you. i’m sorry that it had to end this way. i really didn’t mean for it to. i’m sorry it did anyway. pet mushroom for me. tell dad i love him. i’ll never forget.

diaz brothers. always.

they’re all things you don’t say out loud. all you can get out is ‘i’m so sorry.’ before you crumple up like paper in a fist. you get back in the car. you drive home.

the first thing you do when you find where home is is kill two people. you had no choice, they aimed their guns at you for walking in the front door. you know with crushing weight in your chest that this is your life now. your brother isn’t here to baby you anymore.

the years go by like a prison sentence of your own ruling. you decided to live with this. you do bad things because you have no choice. you realize it’s the same exact thing he had to do on your behalf. you realize when you finally get the guts to read his journal that you had it easy with the superpowers. he would hate to see you living like this, and you know it.

mexico is never where you wanted to be, and you know that if you had turned back then, you would have gotten off easy. but you wanted him to have this. you wanted all of it to be worth something. so this is it, then. your life sentence.

you get a tattoo of your father on your chest, over your heart.

you get a teardrop tattoo under your right eye, for sean. his face would have been too much, you already look at it every day in the mirror.

you get a tattoo on your right arm of the grim reaper. he’s won, you’ve got nothing left. an easy enough reminder to take nothing for granted ever again, if you’re lucky enough to have it.

you get a tattoo on your left arm of an hourglass frozen in time. branches and leaves wrap around and inside of it, and a skull hovers over it. between life and death. you’re not living, you’re just waiting.

the closer you get to his age when he died, the more you look like his spitting image. sixteen. it was just a month before his birthday. he’ll never be any older, and you’ll die older than him. and it’s not right. and it’s not fair. but it’s how it is.

on your sixteenth birthday you bleach your own hair in the bathroom sink. anything to change it, to take him away. you don’t want to imagine what he would have looked like now, at almost twenty-two. would you be taller? would he look more like you, or esteban? would you be happy? would he?

over the years, you build the closest thing he’ll ever get to a memorial from anybody. you figure that they probably searched and found his body where you left it, it wasn’t too far from the border. you hope they left it. you try not to think about claire and stephen, or karen, or lyla, or any of your old friends you met on the journey.

finn. he told you just the day before that he had kissed finn in on the farm. you found his number written on a love letter in his backpack when you went through it.

‘give me a shout out when you get to mexico. always wanted to go and this might be a place i’d like to chill in. as long as you’re around. we gotta smoke a bowl. i think about you more than you might believe. finn.’

you typed the number out on a payphone several times. you never ended up calling it, though. you’re too afraid that you’ll hear ‘sweetie!?’ on the other end.

it’s hard enough living with your own mourning. you hope nobody mourns you, too. save it all for him. you’re going to become ocean foam eventually. that’s all that’s left for you here.

but until then, you have to keep going, until the story of the wolf brothers gets the ending that you like. the one you tell your children and grandchildren, where there’s happiness at the end. the one where the wolf brothers are together again with their papa wolf, just like how it started.

until then; it’s once upon a time—in a wild, wild world.

[diegoh4rgreeves]

Sleepover

Story Summary: A domestic Diego Hargreeves and reader are married and have a daughter together. Her name is Grace and she’s sleeping over at her cousin Claire’s house for the night. The busy couple take advantage of their free night with some intense sex...

Pairing: Diego Hargreeves x Female Reader

Chapter: 1/1

Word Count: 1,836 words

Warning: Smut (specifically mommy/daddy kink), fluff, swearing

A/N: I’m not usually someone who likes the mommy/daddy kink. I thought this would be cute for a married couple with a kid though. Hope you all like it!

“Mommy! Where’s my knife?” a high-pitched squeal erupts the room.

The room is small and messy. Toy weapons are all over the floor and the bed isn’t made. You tell your daughter, Grace, to clean her room before going to her cousin Claire’s sleepover tonight.

You sigh. You wonder how your daughter has the nerve to put off cleaning her room all day. Now she’s packing up for the sleepover. Her backpack with the Umbrella Academy logo has some of her things inside it already. “Grace sweetie, you could find your toy if you clean your room first!”

“No!” Grace yells out.

You take a deep breath. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to!”

“Well, Grace,” you begin. “Life isn’t about doing what you want. You have to clean up after yourself, okay? Someday I won’t be he—"

Your husband, Diego Hargreeves walks in and clears his throat to interrupt you.

Your family upbringing isn’t the best thing ever, nor is it the worst. Diego, on the other hand, has never met his biological mother. Claire is the daughter of his adoptive sister, Alison. He was raised by his robotic mother who he was really close with, unlike his neglecting father. Diego’s mother is who his and your daughter were named after. He is very sensitive when it comes to telling his kid she’ll be on her own someday.

You nod respectfully to Diego as a signal for him to speak to your child. “Now Grace.” Diego crouches to her. “If you listen to mommy, you get to go to Claire’s sleepover, okay?”

The rebellious child stomps her foot, pouts, and crosses her arms. “No!”

Diego smirks. “Can you do that? I’ll take away your toys if you can’t.”

She groans one last time before picking up her toys and tossing them in the large toy bin.

Diego put his arm around you and kisses your temple with his warm lips. You smile from the tingle his kisses still give you. You lean your head on his shoulder and he rubs your back. You both watch your daughter clean her room and then make the bed.

“I found it!” Grace exclaims. “Mommy, I found my knife!” Grace runs over to you as she holds her toy with both hands.

You chuckle and crouch to Grace to give her a hug. “You see, sweetie. This is why cleaning up is important. You can see where your things are! Do you understand now?”

Grace let go of the hug and she nods. “I understand.”

“Good.” You kiss the top of her head. “Now let’s go pack.”

 -

"I miss her already.” You just dropped Grace off to her cousin’s house. You put your choice of drink down on the coffee table.

Diego and you are cuddling on the living room couch. Diego let one arm hang out the ledge of it. He’s holding out a can of beer. “I miss her too.” He leans in and whispers to you in a hot breath, “Just think of how I’m going to screw your brains out tonight though, mama.”

You giggle as he playfully munches your ear and growls. Your flap your arms, and you tell him to stop.

“Make me…” he purrs.

You grab his face and give him a hard kiss. He tastes like beer, and his scruff scratches your face. You let go and you look at each other. You want to keep the play-fight going. Instead, you can’t help but to smile at each other. “Gosh, when was the last time we had the house to ourselves?” You lean on Diego’s chest and put your arm across his chest.

He puts his free arm around your neck. He tilts his head. “I actually don’t know… Before we had Grace?”

You smirk. “Yeah, that was a looong time ago.”

“She’s such a blessing.”

“Yeah, she is.”

You both take a moment before looking at each other and pressing your lips together. “She’s so smart, like you,” you said in between a kiss.

“And she’s so pretty…just like you,” Diego smiles. He put his beer next to your drink on the coffee table.

“The fact that she worships you… A girl who loves her daddy.”

Diego releases you and gives you a serious look. “Do you also love daddy?”

Chills ran down your spine when he asks that. “Mhmm…” You blush.

He smiles with satisfaction and pulls you closer to him. He signals for you to straddle his lap, so you do. “Well, I love mommy…” He whispers in your ear. “She works so hard and is such a good girl…”

You can’t tell if Diego is expressing a mommy kink or BDSM, or both. Whatever is his sexual mood tonight, you like it. At least it’s a break from all the quickies before getting your kid ready for school. “Aww, well you’re just such a good obeying boy yourself.” You giggle and moan as you plant another kiss on him. You thrust him. He moves his hands from your waist to your butt. He squeezes one cheek. As you gasp from this, he twirls your tongue which tastes fresh of your drink. He also rubs your back with his free hand.

“Mommy, can we play here?” His deep voice arouses you so much when he says that.

“Of course, sweetie.” You smile in the kiss. “Anything you want…”

He smiles back. He likes you playing along with this. He plays with the hem of your shirt. “Can I take this off?”

You moan and lift yourself to his bulge. “Yes, please.” You touch his bulge with your clit and grind on him. He kisses you harder. It pleases you how excited he is so that makes you grind faster.

He lifts your shirt. You assist him in taking it off by pulling your arms up. He let the shirt fall beside you on the couch. You lean in and give him multiple hard kisses. He slides his hands underneath both cups of your bra and he fondles your breasts. You moan and unclip the back of it. You throw it across the room.

He salivates when he gazes your breasts. He puts his head down and helps himself to licking one of your hard nipples in circular motion. He pinches the other one. Then he shoves his mouth in the same breast he was licking. You tilt your head back and move your breasts towards him. He is so concentrated on this.

You dry-hump him again to get his attention. This gets him to take off his shirt. He reveals his muscular torso which you so badly want to lick. You put your head down to lick his chest. You look up at him. He’s smiling over your eagerness at his body. You smile back. Then you come back up to kiss the tip of his nose. You also pat his hardness, which gets him to unbuckle his pants. “Can’t keep mommy waiting…” You whisper. You can’t believe what you just said. Maybe this mommy kink is going better than you thought it would.

“Sorry mommy…” He lays you down on the whole couch and nuzzles you as he pulls his pants down and reveals his hard cock. He towers over you with his deep stare. He pulls your panties down to your ankles and stays down there. He spreads your legs and lays himself in between them. “Is mommy ready for her spa treatment?”

Your face gets hot when he says that. This freeing experience really does feel like a luxury. You blush and nod.

Suddenly he licks your clitoris and stuffs two fingers in you. You gasp. He pays no mind to your shock as he rapidly fingers you and he sucks on your clit. You thrust on his face. He puts in 2 more fingers which makes you yelp. You like it though. You tell him to keep going, so he does. He pushes his fingers in deeper.

Then he comes back up and gives you one last deep kiss before getting a condom out of the pocket of his pants on the floor. He looks at you and rubs himself before sliding the condom on. He slowly slides inside you and your wetness. You are so wet from this kink and open from 4 fingers in you just a moment ago. His entrance goes smoother than you both think it would. He takes a chance on thrusting fast in you. You look up at him with your mouth hanging. He looks at you with as much intensity.

He rubs your clit up and down with the tip of his index finger. You let out a thrust. He stops you and whispers, “Mommy needs a break. No more work for mommy.”

You moan and say, “Okay, sweetie. Do what you must.”

He raises his eyebrows. He really likes you playing along. He wasn’t sure how you were going to react to this new approach to sex earlier. He holds your wrists down and thrusts harder this time. “You just sit and relax, mommy. I love you.” He pants as he thrusts hard and fast. He looks as focused on this as he is when he’s boxing at the gym. You love watching him box at the gym…

You are shaking, and your loud moaning is in an odd rhythm. You call out Diego’s name as you grab your breasts and pinch your nipples. You suddenly tremble, and you roll your eyes. You clench inside him and he groans as he feels you press hard against him. He pulls out and jerks himself as he watches you orgasm. You call out his name multiple times, and you breathe out the first syllable of his name in the last call. He straddles you and he aims for your mouth as he rubs himself again. You open wide and catch as much of his semen as you can. Some bits of it falls on your shoulders which arouses and finishes him.

You pant and try to catch your breath. You look at Diego before you lean towards him and softly kiss him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he coos. “Also, I got us dinner reservations tonight…”

You gasp. “Is it at that one fancy place we always pass on the way to get groceries?”

He laughs. “Yeah, that one. Our dinner’s in an hour, so how about we take a shower?”

“Diego… You’re a naughty boy tonight… Round 2?”

He raises his eyebrows at you. “If you want… mommy…”

You giggle. “Thank you for the spa treatment.”

“It’s open all night… We just gotta have a dinner break.” He grins at you.

You chuckle. “That’s totally fair.” You put your hand out for him to help you up with.

Instead of helping you up, he puts you over his shoulder. You let out a yell and a hysterical laugh. He spanks you from behind as he walks you upstairs. He knows what mama likes…

[lcyalty]

i don’t feel like making a joke to break the ice so here’s one of my favorite tiktoks: https://vm.tiktok.com/s1rSS5/ . anyways, hiii, fed admin sabrina here :) time to check off the introductory personality checklist: i’m 20, a leo, a slytherin, a woc, a pre-law major on the east coast, uhhhh harry styles and marvel trash, i play over 10 instruments, i prefer the thigh over the chicken breast, and i’m really happy u all r here and joined my little creation :’) smack that read more to learn abt my children daisy moretti and jude valentine so we can plot !!

                                                             DAISY MORETTI.                                                  pinterest: https://pin.it/7unKPi8                                                                     the basics: full name: daisy mia moretti | hometown: the bronx, new york | zodiac: aries | orientation: bisexual | employment status: intern on the news broadcasts floor | positive traits: social, determined, hardworking, attentive, confident, smart | negative traits: rude, irresponsible, cunning, cutthroat, insensitive, selfish

the backstory:

here’s the best way i can describe daisy: take the love for fashion and luxury of carrie bradshaw and cher horowitz, mix it with the power and intensity of olivia pope, and add in all the meanness of every single rude, b*tchy person you can think of. that’s her.

daisy was born to a huge italian family who all had odd jobs; her dad specialized in fixing the batteries on smoke detectors. her mom ran the laundromat down the street. a lot of her uncles owned car detailing businesses and she had a couple of older cousins who were janitors or low-level staff members at the local middle schools. while her family was fine with this, because hey, it paid the bills, daisy, who had always had expensive tastes from the start, turned her nose at it all.

she, unsurprisingly, became the first in her family to make it past high school. daisy did absolutely every major, resume-boosting thing while she was in school, because she learned very quickly that she liked power and being better than others. there was something she loved about coming home from school and getting to brag about her debate team win while her cousins could only nod. 

she was great at school, and she made sure everyone knew. she did mock trial, debate, sga -- she even joined the environmental club just for the clout. and then one of the people in her model un group said she should run for president one day.

it made sense. daisy likes power, she likes bossing people around and always being right, and she doesn’t take shit from anyone. she’d be a fantastic fucking president. so, naturally, after finishing college and pushing through an internship she didn’t really like just so she could have another bullet point on her resume, daisy applied for an internship at masters international. she knew she’d get the gig, obviously.

daisy loves fashion and luxury. she spends majority of her money on vintage chanel tweed matching sets to wear into the office, she has red bottoms that give her four extra inches of height, and her foundation costs over a hundred dollars. you’d think she’d want to be on the floors that deal with vogue and help organize new york fashion week, but that’s not going to get her a presidency, duh. daisy interns on the floors that handle the news broadcasts so she gets firsthand knowledge on all the shit, political or otherwise, that goes down in the country.

i would love to type more but i don’t want to hint at anything that points to her secret, so i’m going to explain a little more about daisy’s personality

she’s so, so controlling and bossy. she wants to be the absolute best at everything, and the shining star of it all. daisy’s definitely an attention hog, and she’ll bust her ass on her work to make sure she’s better than everyone else on the floor with her. 

daisy’s very picky about who she hangs out with. as a future presidential candidate, optics are very important, obviously. she only surrounds herself with people she deems to be good for her image, and she’ll gladly let you know that she thinks you’re too shitty to be around. she cares a lot about how she appears to other people, you know.

daisy is selfish and rude, and truly doesn’t care if she hurts someone’s feelings. she speaks her mind and has absolutely no filter -- which gets her into a lot of trouble, i’m sure you can imagine. 

wanted connections:

enemies: if you need a bad guy or work rival in your character’s life, i wholly volunteer miss daisy moretti as that bad guy. it’s not hard for her to make enemies when you consider her personality.

ex: please please give me an angsty ex plot filled with depth and all the details. there’s gotta’ be a reason why daisy wants to be not only the first female president, but also the first president without a spouse, after all.

hookups: listen. she has needs.

                                                            JUDE VALENTINE.                                                   pinterest: https://pin.it/1dfK9dE                                                                 the basics: full name: jude lee valentine | hometown: tuscaloosa, alabama | zodiac: gemini | orientation: heterosexual | employment status: corporate attorney for masters international | positive traits: friendly, warm, sociable, extroverted, smart, witty, energetic | negative traits: compulsive, secretive, disloyal, impulsive, ignorant, desensitized

the backstory:

picture it with me: a ranch. nice pale green shutters and a huge yard. there’s cows in this picture, too, and horses. there might even be goats. there’s a tractor by the two ford trucks, a dog sleeping on the porch, and not another house for another twenty minute drive. this is what jude valentine is used to. he’s a country boy from alabama, equipped with the southern accent and everything. yes, he has a pair of cowboy boots. yes, he brought them to new york with him. yes, he pronounces creek as ‘crick’.

jude is a very sweet boy. he was quarterback in high school, got good grades, and every sunday he went to church with his family because Bible Belt things. homeboy is named after a book in the Bible. he’s all about southern manners and hospitality, about treating people kindly and always putting others first, and he always keeps his morals in check. or, he used to.

when you’re home it’s hard to stray away from what you’re used to. the same held true for jude in college, because even though he went to u of alabama (can you hear him yelling roll tide), he was still in his home state so he felt those morals still stuck with him. but then he applied for law school and got a full ride to nyu law, and whew, the Temptation

‘cuz you see, jude was always a sweetie pie. he still is! in high school he was super popular because he was tall and cute and athletic but funny and brought extra biscuits from home to hand out in homeroom. i’m not gonna lie, he’s charming af. he’s smooth and he has good jokes. the girls loved him but the little sh*t had a purity ring.

but then he got to nyc for law school and let me tell you. alabama is not close at all to manhattan, now is it. jude was fine the first couple of weeks, just worked on his case briefs in his shoe box of a starter apartment... but the women. homeboy started sleeping around a LOT after a while. y’know wet dreamz by j cole where he’s like haven’t been inside p*ssy since i came out one? yeah, that was jude until ny, and he’s very much still like that

is jude still the sweetest, nicest guy ever? yes. is jude still the type of guy to knock on your office door and ask if you want to walk to get coffee with him even though you guys have probably never met? yes. is jude the first guy on the dance floor when there’s a midnight party on the rooftop? yes. is jude the type of guy who’ll fuck with you and say no, he only listens to music made by a spoon and a blade of grass if you think he only listens to country music? yes. but he also has slept with at least twenty different interns and employees at the office, so.

he also dabbles in the occasional little pill when he’s got eight depositions to write up before tomorrow but he was too busy screwing some chick the night before. he first did this in law school. but we don’t worry about that.

stop it, i know what you’re thinking: sabrina, come on. so he sleeps around, okay. what’s the big deal about that?

here’s the big deal: he’s engaged.

lil (i say lil but he’s 6’3” while i’m only 5’0”, so lemme stfu) cupcake jude is a cheater. he’s got a whole fiancée and yet he still sleeps with other women, and each time he’s like no, okay, that was the last time for real, but then there’s a new intern at the office and the higher ups always throw the new people at him because he knows how to make people feel comfortable, and his country accent is cute and refreshing among all the new york bs, and the whole attorney thing certainly isn’t a negative, and, well. he gets tempted. and afterwards he always tells the girl okay, please, can this stay between us.

u wouldn’t know he’s engaged either bc it’s not like he’s wearing the engagement ring, now is he

i’m staying hush on daisy’s secret but jude’s is that he’s cheating on his significant other with people in the office. is he still a nice guy? heck yeah, but also, you have to be a certain kind of messed up to keep cheating on your s/o and just not tell them. that’s a lotttt of lying you’re just comfortable with. oh, what’s that? you’re threatening to tell his fiancée that you two slept together because you think she deserves to know? well. he’d hate having to do it, but... jude’s not above knocking someone down if it means his secret stays hidden.

wanted connections:

hookups: literally i will take as many hookup plots i can get. doesn’t matter if they’re an intern or an employee; jude will sleep w them and then make them promise not to tell anyone in the office afterwards because “wE’rE nOt sUpPoSeD tO sLeEp wItH cOwOrKeRs” but we all know why he wants to keep it under wraps. this also doesn’t have to be an only connection; he can be friends w someone but also hook up w them on the low too

fiancée: this one is huge for me so pls pls message me if ur seriously interested in this plot and we’ll talk !!

friends: this one is so easy bc jude will literally make conversation with a chair. he’s super sociable and fun and approachable and he loves making friends !! give me some ppl he can pester during lunch break and throw balled up pieces of paper at

best friend: he’s gotta have that one person that he just clicks really, really well with. jude talks to everyone and he’s super friendly but this person is his confidant. he goes to them w almost all of his problems and rants to them and asks for advice and likes to just be around this person. trusts them w his entire life. hmuuuuu :)

ex: listen. we all need a good ex plot and this person is probably the only one in the office jude isn’t bringing a complimentary donut to

sister: jude has a younger sister and honestly she was gonna be a npc but the idea of him looking out for her at the office and getting all (ง•̀_•́)ง when ppl r mean to her is smth i reeeeally like. or maybe they actually don’t get along that well and bicker a lot but there’s still that underlying hey i’ve got your back. you piece of shit. type feel going on !!

[blackleatherjacketz]

My Brother’s Keeper: Chapter 11

Negan x Reader

Summary: Your brother runs away from the Sanctuary and you pay the price. This Chapter: A few weeks after Negan finds your brother, you attempt to return to your normal life.

Warnings: Lemons, Cunnilingus, Coercion, Sex, Grief, Medical Jargon, A Star Trek Joke

Word Count: 3237

Read the rest of the story HERE!

Mary’s leg was red and painful as you ran your palm slowly down her shin, nearly dwarfing the size of her other leg. You took care to press gently, measuring the amount of swelling that had caused her to stay home from work that day.

“Did you fall or injure yourself in any way?” You asked, looking up at her from your crouched position at her feet. “Any cuts, scrapes of bruises? It could be something minor that opened a pathway to infection.” You hoped that it was something as simple as cellulitis, but your gut told you otherwise.

“No, honey, I just sit at the shop all day. But this morning when I got up out of bed, it hurt to even move it.” She told you, leaning forward to touch her calf.

You kept your eyes down as you feared the worst, feeling for a pedal pulse which was barely palpable. “Have you had any trouble breathing? Any chest tightness or heaviness?” You remembered all of the patients like Mary you treated at the hospital before the world stopped turning; people who were lazy, people who were active, the young and the old. It didn’t matter then and it didn’t matter now, disease was an unbiased son of a bitch.

“No, none of that, sweetie.” She leaned back in her chair and patted her chest, thrumming a small rhythm onto her skin.

“I’m gonna have Doctor Carson start you on Eliquis tonight,” you explained. “It’s a blood thinner and will help get rid of that clot I think you have in your leg.” You paused, smiling as you looked into her tired and weary eyes. “In the meantime I’m gonna need you to take it easy for a few days, okay? No more half marathons.” You winked at her and stood up, dusting the dirt off your knees.

You often had to resign yourself to defeat in the apocalypse, coming to terms with the half lives and expiration dates of critical medications. In the old world you would have given her a Heparin drip, ordered an ultrasound of the veins in her legs and drawn labs to check her clotting time until she was stable. But this wasn’t the old world, now, was it? This was the Sanctuary, and Eliquis was all you had.

“Thank you, dear,” Mary’s hands clasped around yours, her many rings brushing against the dry skin on your palms.

“You’re welcome.” You smiled at Mary’s gratitude, the one thing that brought you joy in the past couple of days, and walked out of her room.

You pulled the notepad out of your jacket and wrote down her information: Mary Jackson, 67F, DVT LLE, Eliquis QID. You grinned to yourself as you entered the common area, putting your notepad back in your pocket as you were finally able to go half the day without thinking about your brother. No more tears to blur your vision, no more fatigue to keep you in bed, no more anger to make you strike out at your peers. You were practically yourself again.

You walked past Mary’s usual market stand that was now run by her husband, Jim, and gave him a quick little wave. He waved back slowly, his NASCAR hat unable to hide the joy in his eyes when he saw you.

“How’s she doing, Doc?”

“Damnit Jim, I’m a nurse, not a doctor.” You stopped in front of his table, waiting for the joke to register on his face before frowning as he failed to get your Star Trek reference. You shrugged it off and looked over his merchandise before spotting a tiny porcelain tiger.

“Well, you’re the best we’ve got, and certainly a lot better than Dr. Personality over there.” He nodded toward the infirmary.

“Every doctor needs their nurse!” You reassured him, not ready to badmouth your colleague. “Mary most likely has a blood clot in her leg. I didn’t see any cuts or scrapes indicating cellulitis, so I’m gonna start her on a blood thinner tonight; break that sucker up and have her back to work in no time.”

Jim took in a deep breath. “A blood clot? Is it serious?”

You opened your mouth to answer him but stopped as an eerie whistle sounded, wrenching Jim’s wrinkled face into shock. His brown eyes darted past you, following a slowly moving object before kneeling down onto his knees behind his station. The whistle only got louder, Negan’s voice freezing you in place as everyone else in the room followed suit. Jim looked at you with caution, pointing to Negan with his eyebrows before you eventually decided to turn around.

“On your knees, Princess.” Negan seemed taller than you remembered, growing in height as you lowered yourself to the ground. “Word on the street’s you’ve been getting your hands dirty, making house calls, being a real Mother Teresa type.” Negan waltzed up to you, lifting your chin with the tip of Lucille.

It was true that you were burying yourself in your work, trying to take your mind off the eternity of grey each morning brought as you did your best to find some color in the Sanctuary. You strove to be that good person Alden saw in you, but it didn’t matter how many people you helped, you still couldn’t quite shake the darkness inside.

“Yeah?” You tried to ignore the proximity of the weapon that bashed your brother’s brains in a few weeks ago. “Did you come here to canonize me into sainthood?”

Negan turned his head as he tried to register what you said, laughing instead of asking exactly what you meant. “Not really.”

“What do you want, then?” You asked, the tip of Lucille tilting your chin upward.

“I wanna talk,” he started. He lowered his bat down to your neck, tracing the outline of your clavicle as it’s barbs scratched little white lines into your skin.

“Then talk.” You stood up against his bat, crossing your arms over your chest as you rose to your feet.

“Huh,” he chuckled at your audacity. “I’d rather have a private conversation.” He dropped Lucille to his side and leaned in close, the heat from his breath setting your skin on fire. “That is, unless you want everyone else here to watch.”

“No,” you answered, looking back at Jim and his porcelain tiger. “Private is fine.” —————————

Negan’s room was just as luxurious as you remembered it, the giant bed spurring memories that blocked out the painful ones you kept reliving every night. You were nowhere near ready to be alone with him in such a small room, to look at his handsome face and smell the cologne on his neck, but here you were.

You followed him here against your better judgement, knowing full well what he intended to ask you without knowing if you had the conviction to stand your ground. Perhaps you were just tired of mourning, of seeing your brother’s ghost in the hallway and your mother’s in the kitchen. That ache he’d placed in your heart never quite outweighed the ache he’d placed between your legs.

“You want a drink?” Negan got comfortable after closing the door behind him, setting Lucille down and shrugging out of his leather jacket.

God, yes. You wanted a drink more than anything. You wanted to taste that warm whiskey and forget everything that had happened; to let it pulse through your veins and push you into his arms even though you knew it was the last thing you needed right now.

“Yeah,” you decided out loud. “Yeah, I’ll take that drink.”

“Good.” Negan walked over to the bar and got two glasses from the top shelf, pouring an amber liquid into each of them. “Now I know what I did was kind of fucked up and everything, but I just gotta ask,” he trailed off, collecting the glasses in his hands before turning to face you. ”Are you still pissed at me?”

Was he kidding? How could you not be? He murdered your brother right in front of you, and now he was acting like nothing had happened? Like he was innocent? Like you should be grateful? If he was anyone else in the world you might tell him all of that, but he was Negan, and so were you. You had to choose your words carefully.

“Maybe,” you whispered, taking the glass from him.

“Maybe,” his voice was as smooth as the whiskey going down your throat. “Maybe not.” His hazel eyes glowed in the pink of the summer sunset. You hated how beautiful he was, how sinfully stunning his mere presence was as you actively tried to despise him.

“I should hate you… for what you did,” you braved, staring at his frustratingly pleasing form.

“Yeah,” he smiled and took a sip. “Yeah you should.” He stepped toward you, his quickening proximity sending a rush of heat between your thighs. “But you don’t.” The look on his face was more than victorious, the wrinkles around his eyes telling you that he knew things would turn out this way, no matter how badly he hurt you.

“You wanted to talk…” you began, refusing to respond to his taunt. “Let’s talk.” You felt the heat spread throughout your body as he advanced on you, taking a step backward until you found yourself seated on his bed.

Negan bit his lower lip as he watched you rest on his mattress, eyes dancing over you while his hand slithered over the top of your thigh. “I was thinking we could do more that…”

“I thought this was over,” you tested him, taking a sip and lowering your glass.

“I wanted to give you time to get back on your feet.” His hand traveled inward, fingertips brushing against the denim that contained your needy sex. “I’m a stand-up guy like that.” He winked and finished his drink, setting it down on the nightstand next to Lucille.

“Plus, Rick the prick took a little longer to break in than I imagined.” He squeezed your thigh and tipped the bottom of your glass upwards, smirking as you reluctantly chugged the rest of the liquid down your throat. “Good girl.” He purred, taking your empty glass and setting in down next to his.

“He did, huh?” You’d heard about the new community Negan found and how they massacred an entire Savior outpost in one night. You didn’t know much about who they were or where they came from, but you did know that Negan made it pretty clear they were messing with the wrong people.

“Yeah, but I’m not here to talk about that.” He smoothed a strand of hair away from your face, tucking it behind your ear. “After everything that’s happened, I just wanna make sure you’re still who I think you are.”

He smiled and snaked his hand up the front of your shirt, sliding your stethoscope off your neck and setting it down beside him. Grinning like a kid in a candy store, he pushed up into your shoulders, grazing his calloused hands over your arms before taking the sleeves of your work jacket with them. You took in a deep breath and let him undress you like you always did, pushing the memory of your brother out of your mind as he stood you up and took off the rest of your clothes.

Instead of forcing you onto the bed in some demeaning position, Negan took your face in his hands. He stared at you endlessly, those hazel eyes turning an electric gold in the warming sunlight before gently kissing your lips. Well, that was new.

“I’m Negan,” you whispered into his mouth, hoping that was what he wanted to hear. The taste of the whiskey heightened your senses as his tongue brushed against yours, sending little jolts of pleasure into your brain. “I’m still Negan,” you reassured him.

“Good.” He pushed you onto your back, feathering his fingers up your thighs until they reached the junction between your legs. “That’s what I thought.” The smile that graced his lips was purely demonic, baring sharp teeth as he lowered them to your pelvis to finally take a bite.

You hissed as he wantonly feasted on your flesh, writhing beneath him as his mouth made that deadly concoction of pain and pleasure you loved so much. You watched him lick the moisture between your folds, bringing his tongue up on your clit like a cat giving itself a bath. His eyes darkened as he took you in, watching your face change with each lick, each lap of arousal coating his generous and eager tongue.

You let yourself leave the present time and place, closing your eyes and focusing only on how he made you feel. Warm wet strips of delight excited your juicy center as his whiskers brushed against your thigh. You never imagined you’d feel this good again, every pulsing inch of your heat begging for more as he sucked and tugged on your raw flesh. He hummed a deep tune into your body, vibrating your very bones in a song as if you were his favorite wind instrument.

Knuckles white against his scalp, you rolled your hips into him, guiding his hungry mouth exactly where you wanted as you felt your thighs begin to quake. Those feelings of anger and doubt all washed away as a heavy tidal wave of bliss crashed over you, forcing your back to curve and flatten like waves upon the ocean. Every swear word you had in your arsenal left your lips as you came, the ebb and flow of your orgasm giving you an excuse to use the language you wanted to shout at him for the longest time.

Your eyes fluttered open as he pulled his mouth away, lips and beard wet with your juices as he began undoing his pants. Part of you wanted to deny him, to put your foot on his chest and keep him at bay, but you were too tired. Too tired of consciously avoiding him, of being strong for your family and burying your feelings of grief. Instead you sat up on your elbows, watching him undress in the heavy lavender of dusk as his clothes finally hit the floor.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, welcoming him back as he pressed into you without ceremony. Your walls stretched and adjusted to his girth, your time away from him erasing that muscle memory as your eyes rolled into the back of your head. More waves built up as his body pushed and pulled, hitting those bruises he’d placed with his mouth as a tsunami of pleasure built up inside you.

He grunted and groaned as he tasted your neck, recklessly thrusting until either of you could take it any longer. His eyes shut as he came inside you, biting your throat as he pushed himself up to the hilt, filling you up with all he had. His hips crashed into yours with that final wave, his white hot liquid spilling inside you as he held you close, twitching and spasming with his final efforts.

You’d never admit it, but you didn’t want to let him go. You wished you could stay here like this forever, with him deep inside you as your sweat mixed with his in the most primal of ways. If you didn’t think about it, it was like there was no one else that mattered but the two of you. No one else in the world.

You kissed his forehead as he leaned into you, the sweat from his brow coating your lips as he slowly pulled out and collapsed on the bed.

“Shit, doll,” he mumbled, “You must have really missed me.” He kissed your clavicle and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling as he tried to collect himself.

“I could say the same thing about you,” you countered, teeth still chattering from your orgasm. “For a minute there, I thought you were going to ask me to be your wife.” You couldn't stand the suspense any longer.

“Are you shittin’ me? And ruin what we’ve got goin’ here?” He chuckled and ran a hand down your arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its path. “I got a better job for you, something I think you’ll like a lot more than being locked away with a bunch of broads.”

You turned your head to look at him, wondering what on earth he could be talking about. “A different job than being a nurse?” For once in your life, you wanted to know what was going on in that head of his.

“Sorta,” he paused. “Rick’s group got me thinkin’... maybe we don’t have as tight a hold on our communities as we thought.” He bit your shoulder and turned you on your side, taking time to rub the sore muscles in your back. “I’m gonna send you to the Kingdom to do a little recon for me.”

“Recon?” What did he just say? The Kingdom? Send you there? Didn’t he want you here? Wasn’t that why he lured you up here, so he could… You closed your eyes as your stomach wretched in disappointment, the acid bubbling over the top and into your throat. “I’m not a Savior, Negan, I have no business being a spy,” you protested.

“I know.” He kissed your neck, tugging on your skin with his teeth before sliding his tongue gently over it. You were still sensitive as he sucked the new bruise into your flesh, tiny little neurons firing the last of what they had into your system.

“I don’t understand,” you whispered between moans. It dawned on you now why he wanted to get you into bed so quickly; you couldn’t say no to him while you were naked in his arms riding the high of an orgasm. He never had any intention of asking you to be his wife at all, did he?

“I just couldn’t shake how Zeke looked at you when we were over there. I mean, not that I can blame him,” he explained, grabbing your breasts and pulling you into him.

You gasped at the sudden contact, instinctively writhing your exhausted body into his. “I don’t think…”

“No, you wouldn’t. Which is why you need to be over there. No one will suspect a nurse.” He paused. “Rick the prick didn’t get his information out of nowhere, and I need to know which community’s to blame.” He smoothed his hand down your body, overworking your pleasure center as he curved it around your hips.

“We’ll drop you off, make it look like you’re some kind of traveler,” he whispered, cupping your ass and spreading your cheeks. “And then every week during their offering I get to eat that pussy until I’m not hungry anymore.” He slid his fingers up between your thighs, still wet with your arousal. “Pull all that sensitive information out of that big ole brain of yours.”

“I uh… oh my God, Negan…” You couldn’t help but rock into him, relishing the sensation of his fingers as they entered you again. “What if I say no?” The question was more for yourself, but you decided to let him hear it, too.

“Do this for me baby, and I won’t have to harm a single hair on your dad or sister’s head ever again.”

--------------------------

Tags: @irrelevantwriter @genevievedarcygranger @letsby @annablack1102 @negansdirtygirl22 @negans-network @rasa1945 @chamberofsloths @namelesslosers @collette04 @haleyea @bishsposts @bodhi-black @mblaqgi @ptite-shit @jamiekingofmen @ibelongtonegan @divadinag @dxloverpunk @tylersblurrylittleface

[ladyseaheart1668]

Endless Summer Book 4 : Daughter of Vaanu (Chapter 42)

Description: Alodia faces disappointment. Meanwhile, in Northbridge, Caleb finds himself in trouble.

Thank you to all my readers who show me such infinite patience when I don’t update for almost two months. I’m so sorry! ;_;

Tagging: @endlesshero1122 @mysteli @whatmcsaid @xo-endlessmayhem-xo @feartheendlesssummer @tigerbryn11

Chapter 42: Friendly Fire

Michelle

I am in Elyys'tel. I am concealed within a flower-draped marriage hut, naked in the arms of the man I love. Outside, the Vaanti city is cloaked in the tropical night, and the warm breezes that slip off the sea are trickling through the cracks in the hut's exterior. They hit my sweaty skin and I shiver a little, but Sean curls closer to me and pulls the blanket up to cover me.

“Well, Dr. Gayle. Here we are. Back in Elyys'tel.”

“Makes a change after a private jet and the luxury yacht,” I quip. “...But it's appropriate that we're here. ...We took the first steps towards healing the damage to our relationship here...”

“...This is the place where I fell in love with you all over again.”

“So soon?” I can't help grinning a little as I trail my forefinger over his chest. “I thought you spent most of our time here smitten with Alodia.”

He makes a face. “Am I ever gonna live that down? It was a passing crush, and you know it. She and I never would have worked.”

“No, you wouldn't have.” I kiss him. “She wouldn't have put up with half of your nonsense. And the half she let you get away with wouldn't have been very good for you.”

“Whereas you keep me firmly in my place.” He rolls toward me, cupping my cheek. “...Are you worried about her?”

“Aren't you?”

He shrugs, but his nonchalance is a little forced. “She's having a baby. Of course I'm worried. But you seem particularly distracted.”

I wince a little. “I...keep wanting to check my phone. See if they've sent news.”

He laughs. “Did you put your phone on silent?”

“...No.”

“I don't think we were loud enough that you wouldn't have heard it go off. Besides, they'll radio Seraxa if anything happens while we're here.”

I smile sheepishly. “They'll probably radio her anyway to check up on us.” I shake my head a little, clearing it. “Okay, you're right. Everything's under control and I'm not going to spend my whole honeymoon worrying.”

Sean grins, kissing me warmly. “That's my Michelle. Now, how about we head over to the village? Pretty sure I can hear the dinner horns sounding.”

Jake

I'm back in California the day before Alodia's appointment. I don't think she sleeps very well that night. I'm not sure if it's nerves, or if the baby is just making it hard for her to get comfortable, but I wake up several times to feel her shifting restlessly, and when I wake up in the morning, her side of the bed is already cooled.

I find her downstairs at the kitchen table, delicately eating a piece of toast with something green on top, a glass of orange juice beside her plate.

“What's that?”

“Avocado on toast.”

I chuckle. “With orange juice. Could you be any more California right now?”

She smirks back at me. “The orange juice is vegan.”

“Can orange juice be not-vegan?”

“Hell if I know. But this stuff is. Pretty sure the only way I could be more California right now is if I were smoking weed. But I don't think that'd be a good idea in my present condition.”

I make a face, shaking my head as I take the seat beside her. “I'm a little surprised that you're not having toast with peanut butter.”

She gives me a sheepish smile and holds up her toast to show me the edges. “What do you think I used to stick the avocado slices?”

I laugh. But then a thought occurs to me, and I feel my smile slip. “Is it okay for you to eat? With the procedure today?”

“They recommend I fast for six hours before hand. It's seven now, and the procedure's about three, so I think I'm good.” Abruptly, she puts down her toast and holds out her hand to me. I fold it between my palms and kiss her fingertips. “...You'll stay with me, won't you? While it's all going on?”

“You know I will. I won't leave your side for anything.”

“I'm scared, Jake.”

“'Course you are, Princess. Ain't no surprises there.” I scoot my chair closer so that I can reach out and stroke her cheek. “That's why I'm coming with you. Why I'll be there holding your hand the whole time. I don't think I can stop you being scared, but you won't be alone.”

This time, she's the one who scoots closer. Close enough that she can lean into my embrace. She lays her head on my chest, and I'm suddenly concerned she'll be able to hear how hard my heart is pounding. I don't want her to realize that I'm scared, too. She needs me to be strong right now. Anything I feel can wait.

* * *

We arrive at the hospital in the early afternoon. They want us there in case Alodia goes into labor during the procedure. They get her in a gown, and lend me a set of scrubs. Once we're changed, they run a battery of tests, checking on her and the baby before they give her an IV of something to make her uterus relax. We sit mostly in silence while we wait for the doctor to come back. I hold her hand and stroke her hair, and I think I murmur something comforting. At least, I hope it's comforting. She's smiling faintly at me while I mutter, but there's fear in her eyes, and it's making my heart ache.

When the doctor comes back, she's wearing a cheery smile. Her voice is bright as she asks how Alodia's doing, and if she's ready to start. Alodia puts on a brave face and says she's ready as her grip on my hand tightens. I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her knuckles.

“You got this, Princess.”

“Not so sure I do, Top Gun,” she replies softly. “...This might be a moment where I have to let go.”

“Maybe,” I admit. “Just don't let go of me, okay? 'Cause I ain't letting go of you.”

“In case you haven't figured it out by now, McKenzie, I am never going to let you g-go...” Her breath catches and her grip tightens again as the doctor takes hold of her belly. I slip my free arm over her shoulders, leaning in close. She turns her head toward me, and I touch my brow to hers. We could be in for a couple hours of pushing and prodding. All I can do is let her feel me beside her.

Diego

Classes do a fairly good job of keeping me distracted so I don't spend the day worrying about Allie. But when I check my phone between lectures and see I have a missed call from Jake, I can't ignore the strong twinge of fear that lances through my belly. My breath feels a little shallow as I press the call-back button and put the phone to my ear. Jake answers before the second ring is complete.

“Hey, pup.”

“Hey...you called?”

“Yeah.” His voice is weary, and that concerns me. “Thought you might want an update.”

“From the sound of your voice, it doesn't sound like good news.”

“Alodia's fine,” he quickly assures me. “So's the baby. But they couldn't get her to turn.”

“Oh.” I feel my heart sinking, sharing the weight of their disappointment. “So...what now?”

“Doctor thinks we could try again in another week or so. But...after today, we ain't too keen on that idea.”

“Why not?”

Jake hesitates for a moment before answering. “...The procedure wasn't easy to endure. For her or me.”

I close my eyes, my heart squeezing in sympathy. “Shit...”

“What we're probably gonna do is just wait for her to go into labor naturally. Doctor says a natural birth might still be an option. Something about the way the baby's positioned now, and if she stays that way, she might still be able to come out safely without a C-section. But...the surgery's always an option, too.”

I exhale, my breath shaking. “So...are you guys home yet?”

“Not yet. They wanna keep an eye on her for a few hours. But then they'll let us go. ...Will you be late tonight?”

“My last lecture is over at seven. I didn't have any plans after that. Why?”

“I kinda think she's gonna need some extra care tonight.”

“...I'll come straight home after work. ...Can I talk to her now?”

“If you don't have to rush off, I'm sure it'd be a comfort to her. Hang on a sec.” There's a moment of silence on the other end. Then I hear her voice, weak and wobbling.

“...Diego?”

“Hey, sweetie. How're you feeling?”

“It didn't work.”

“I know. I heard. ...I'm sorry, Allie. I know that's gotta be disappointing.”

“The doctor said it doesn't help that it's my first pregnancy. Something about how my uterus hasn't been...broken in, I guess. They gave me something to relax my muscles before the procedure, but it still hurt...”

“Oh, Allie...”

“I just wanted everything to go smoothly...”

“I know. Of course you did. It sucks that you've been thrown this loop. But River is still healthy and strong, right?”

“...Yeah. No problems other than the fact that she's not upside down yet.”

“And you're strong and healthy, too. I know this is a bummer and it's not ideal. But you and River being healthy and safe is the most important part. ...Still, I won't tell you not to be disappointed or worried.”

“Good. Because I couldn't listen if I wanted to.”

“I'm probably going to be home before you guys. Anything you want me to pick up for you?”

“If you mean food-wise, don't bother. I can't think about eating right now, and I have no idea what River'll be demanding by the time I get hungry. I'll figure it out later.”

“What about not-food-wise? Painkillers? Earplugs? How are you on toothpaste? You want a pair of fuzzy socks? A magazine? A kitten? I could build you a blanket-fort in the rec room and load it up with Babysitters Club books.”

The nostalgic reference finally gets a weak chuckle out of her. “Maybe just load up every episode of The Crown and the Flame so I can watch it until I fall asleep.”

“Anything you want. ...Te quiero mucho, mi hermana.”

“Te quiero mucho, mi hermano.”

Caleb

I'd be lying if I said my hopes of getting in good with Tahira and her heroes haven't been fading since I accidentally figured out Talos' identity. It was one thing when all I'd done was run him through with a flaming sword, but I also tried to kill his mother. And she was my target, not just random collateral damage. At the least, I know it's gonna take more than information about their enemies to win Talos over. But what else do I got?

I swear I'm going through my smokes faster than ever these days. I've gotten to know the cashiers' schedules at the convenience store way too well. Not that there are many there. Dylan's there most times I go in. And he always works Tuesday evenings. Which is why I'm surprised that he isn't behind the counter when I come in on this particular Tuesday. Instead, the manager stands behind the counter.

“No Dylan today?” I ask as he rings me out. He raises an eyebrow at me.

“You a friend of his?”

“More like an acquaintance. Just kinda used to seeing him around here.”

The manager purses his lips and pauses, one hand on the six-pack on the counter in front of him, and one hovering over the keyboard where he's been punching in my items. He stays still long enough for it to be weird.

“...Something wrong?”

He shakes himself out of whatever stupor he was in, and punches in the price of the six-pack. “...Dylan was supposed to be on today, but he didn't show.”

“And he didn't call in sick or something?”

“No. That's what's worrying. He's never missed a shift before. He's only been late twice, and both times, he called to let me know he was coming. I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up.”

I feel myself frowning as I slide my cash toward the old man. “So...you think something's happened to him?”

“I hope not.”

I shrug, trying to ignore the nagging dread in my gut. “I'm sure he's fine. He's probably just playing hooky.”

“I sincerely hope that's all it is. Honestly, if he comes in for his next shift, I'll be so relieved, I'll let him off with a slap on the wrist.”

I mutter something vaguely optimistic as I pocket my change and snatch up the plastic bag with my shit in it. Fact is, I think the old man has reason to worry. If this were any other teenage guy, I'd say he was probably just blowing off work. But Dylan isn't working this job because he doesn't have enough allowance. I've gotten aquainted enough with him to know that even if he were desperate for a day off, he wouldn't just not turn up. I could see him calling up with a fake cough maybe, just to make sure the job would still be there tomorrow.

Weather in the middle of March is unpredictable as fuck. All day long it was sunny and pleasant. Now the sun's gone down, it might as well be winter. My hands shake with the cold as I pick at the edge of the cellophane wrapper with my thumbnail. I manage to wrestle it open and tap a cigarette into my palm. I place it between my teeth and summon a flame with a snap of my fingers. The flood of carcinogens into my systems and the warmth of the flame dancing over my skin immediately relax me. I let the fire spread over my hand like a glove, then draw the other hand out of my pocket and call a flame to that one, too. I lean against the store's facade, cigarette gripped between my teeth, inhaling on one side of my mouth, and exhaling smoke out the other, savoring the pleasant tingle of fire on my skin.

“Well. This is just too perfect.”

The voice makes me groan. I turn to scowl at Roach as he slinks out of the shadows.

“Fuck off, Roach. I got nothing for Gigi and I'm not in the mood for your shit, either.”

“Yeah, you're not in a position to be telling me to fuck off right now, Caleb. Gigi knows everything.”

I feel my blood start to turn cold in my veins. I scowl harder, hoping I can disguise any fear that may have crossed my face with cold anger.

“And just what kinda 'everything' is she supposed to know?”

“Just that you're sleeping with the enemy.”

“The fuck I am,” I scoff. “Can't even remember the last good fuck I had. Even Rosie Palm and her five sisters aren't so eager as they used to be.”

“Oh yeah? 'Cause word around the squat is you've climbed into bed with a dragon. And Gigi's super pissed. Sent me to find you and make sure you knew she's gonna teach you a lesson.”

I throw my cigarette down to the pavement, grinding it out under my heel. It's not even half gone, but for once, the fear that's tying my gut in knots has killed the craving for nicotine.

“...What kinda lesson?” I manage to ask, focusing all my attention on making sure my voice doesn't shake. I'm getting a real bad feeling I know where this lesson is gonna start. Where it already has started. Roach's smirk only solidifies my fear.

“Didn't know for sure you were gonna come by here tonight. Glad you did. Makes it so much more dramatic. You know how Gigi likes things dramatic.”

I lunge for Roach, grabbing him by the front of his coat and lifting him bodily off the ground. I take some satisfaction in seeing a look of panic skitter across his face as I pull him toward me.

“What the fuck has Gigi done with the kid?” I growl.  

Roach grips my wrists, squirming in my grasp. “He...he's at the abandoned clock tower! The dragon's lair!” He manages a bit of a smirk. “Which you know already, don't you?”

“So it's a trap for Dragonness, is that it?” When Roach doesn't answer immediately, I shake him. “Answer me, you little cockroach! What's Gigi's game here?!”

“Sh-she's got liquid prism! Enough to take out Dragonness for good!”

“Oh, she thinks that's possible, huh?! She thinks she's got any kind of fucking chance?!”

“You think she doesn't?”

I don't answer that. I throw Roach down with a snarl, stalking away down the sidewalk. This is a trap. It's obviously a trap. The question is whether it's as simple a trap as it looks like. Not likely. But right now, that doesn't matter. Soon as I'm far enough away, I pull out my phone and call Tahira. She doesn't answer the first time. I don't wait for voicemail. I call back immediately. She doesn't answer the second time either. But the third time, she picks up on the fourth ring.

“...Caleb?”

“What took you so long?! Where the hell have you been?!”

She pauses briefly.“I'm not sure you want me to answer that.” There's enough cheek in her tone of voice for me to read between the lines, and I groan.

“Well, you're gonna have to get off your boyfriend's dick. ...Actually, on second thought, stay on him. Stay on him, and don't go anywhere. The clock tower's been compromised.”

“...What do you mean 'compromised'?”

“Look, I don't know how it happened, but somehow Gigi found out I've been talking with you, and she knows where you've been making your base. She's laid a trap for you there.”

“Wait, she found out you've been talking with me? Are you in danger?”

“Probably, yeah. Pretty sure this is as much about teaching me a lesson as taking you out of the picture.”

“So where are you? Are you someplace safe?”

“Not at the moment. But I will be. Just...stay where you are and warn Talos and Minuet. I'll take care of business at the clock tower.”

“Business? What business? What kind of trap are you walking into?”

“Not exactly sure.”

“You shouldn't be going there, Caleb. Any trap they set for me is going to be dangerous for you, too.”

I resist the urge to groan. I can't tell her they've got Dylan. Hero types don't really care about putting themselves in danger if they can possibly save an innocent.

“Right. Yeah. I'm sure you're right. Okay, I'll lay low. Just make sure you warn the others. I'll letcha go.”

“Caleb, wait! ...Does Gigi know who I am?”

“Not to my knowledge. At least, not that her lackey told me. But she might. Look, I gotta go. We shouldn't talk too long.” I hang up before she has a chance to reply. I don't know how much time we've actually got here. I'm not wasting any of it trying to convince a hero not to be a hero. I just had to try.

Tahira

“...That didn't sound good,” Grayson remarks needlessly.

“I can assure you it wasn't.” I give him a summary of the conversation I just had with Caleb.

“...Do you believe him?”

I frown. It honestly hadn't even occurred to me he might be lying. “Not sure what the advantage would be in telling me to just stay here with you. But I don't like how quickly he agreed to lay low. I definitely think there's something he isn't telling me.”

I throw off the blankets and slip out of bed, searching the pile on the floor for my underclothes. The backpack in the corner contains my supersuit, and I head for it as soon as I have my bra and panties back on.

“Where are you going?”

“I'm gonna call the others, and then I'm gonna go to the clock tower.”

“...Is that a good idea?”

“Probably not. There's a trap laid for me there. ...But the thing about a trap is that it's usually baited.” I turn back to him as I tug on my suit. “...Stay here, okay? Lock the doors and windows once I'm gone and don't open them until I get back.”

“I'll be careful,” he promises. He gets out of bed and comes to embrace me just before I slip my mask on, kissing me deeply. “Just make sure you're careful, too.”

“I'll do my best. I love you, Grayson.”

“I love you, Tahira.”

Caleb

My van gets me from the store to the clock tower. I park illegally and rush inside to pound up the stairs, pausing only to catch my breath a few steps from the top. It takes a few minutes to get my wind back. Maybe I oughta consider cutting back on the Camels.But I'll worry about that later. Right now, what matters is getting Dylan back where he belongs.

It's not easy to see into the tower loft from below without being seen myself. I almost wish I had let Tahira come along, if only for her powers of flight. But the tower room isn't so big that I can't get at least a decent look. And at the moment, all I see is Dylan—gagged, blindfolded, and bound to a chair in the middle of the room. I take the last few steps into the tower, and when no one jumps me after thirty seconds, I make my way over to the kid. He flinches at my footsteps, whimpering.

“Easy, kid. You're okay.” I bend down in front of him, reaching around to undo the blindfold so he'll be able to see me right away. “Just me, see?”

Dylan's dark eyes go wide as he starts to struggle against his bonds. He's trying to talk, sounding frantic, but the gag is getting in the way.

“Okay, okay! Calm down and let me get this gag off you. Won't take a second.” I tug apart the knot at the back of his head and feel him push the gag away with his tongue.

“My family!” he cries. “She's going after my family!”

“What?!” We both startle at the new voice as Dragonness suddenly swoops in from the balcony. “What did she say? Where are they?”

“I thought I told you to stay put!” I growl, earning myself a reproachful sneer.

“And since when do you expect me to take orders from you?” she snaps back. “Dylan, where are your brother and cousins? Do you know?”

“They should all be home tonight. But I don't know if she got to them before they got there, or...”

“Okay, say no more. I'm going to go ahead and check on the house. Caleb, you and Dylan follow behind, but keep Dylan at a safe distance until I give you the all-clear. It's the rectory at Saint Catherine of Siena church in Bayside!”

She doesn't wait for a response before she rushes out and takes to the sky. I roll my eyes. “Typical. She won't take orders, but she's just fine giving them and expecting me to obey.” I sigh, pulling a switchblade from my pocket. “Hold still, Dylan. I'm just gonna cut you loose.”

“She is the leader, isn't she?”

I roll my eyes. “She ain't my leader!” I slice through the bonds with a little bit of elbow grease, and pull him to his feet. “C'mon. I can't fly, so we're gonna have to get outta here the old-fashioned way. My van is parked outside.”

We take the stairs down two or three at a time. And who should we spy as we surge out the door at the bottom but Kenji Katsaros, getting off his motorcycle. I roll my eyes.

“Ahh, Jesus! Didn't Tahira even call you?”

Kenji freezes, and it suddenly hits me that he isn't in bronze yet. And he doesn't know that I know.

“...What?”

I snap out of it, shaking my head. “Look, I know. I know who you are. You can grill me on the details later, but right now, we gotta move. The kid's family is in trouble. Tahira's heading to the reflector house at St. Catherine's in Bayside and we gotta follow.” What is actually going through Kenji's mind as he stares at me is anyone's guess. As the silence stretches on, I start to fidget. “...Look, come or don't come. But we're going. I got a feeling Tahira's gonna need backup.”

“...How are you getting there?”

“I got my van.”

Kenji shakes his head. “Van can't make it through the shortcuts my bike can. I've got two helmets and enough room to squeeze you both on. Get on. Helmets, both of you, and hop on. No arguing.”

We're not interested in arguing. Though Dylan does hesitate as he puts the helmet on. “...Don't you need one, too?”

Before our eyes, Kenji's skin transforms, from flesh to bright bronze. “...No.”

Tahira

“Dragonness?” Kenji's voice crackles through my earpiece. “It's Talos. I ran into Caleb outside the tower, and he filled me in. I'll make sure Minuet's updated. You okay?”

“Fine,” I reply a little sheepishly. “I probably should have made contact myself, huh?”

“Probably, but never mind. We're on our way.”

“Thanks. I'm gonna go quiet now. I'm approaching the church. Marci, dim the lights for me.”

Marci obediently turns down the lights on my suit as I descend. The night vision feature on my mask casts everything in an eerie, unnatural green hue. From the sky, everything looks peaceful, but I know better than to trust a bird's eye view. I touch down on the lawn behind the darkened church, creeping through a garden of stone saints and angels toward the rectory. Everything is quiet as I approach. There are lights on at the front of the small cottage-style house. And now I'm wondering how best to proceed. Should I creep through the shrubbery to peek in the windows, potentially alarming Father Li and the kids and possibly alerting my enemies to my presence? Or do I definitely alert my enemies by just knocking on the front door? Ultimately, stealth seems to be the best option. I slip behind the shrubs and press myself flush against the brick wall, stepping carefully around twigs as I ease my way to the lighted window.

Everything looks peaceful inside. I'm looking into the living room, where I can see all four of the other children. Alex and Zig are watching television, Ysabel looks to be doing homework, and RJ is playing tug-of-war with the dog on the floor. I don't see Father Li anywhere, but no one appears to be in any sort of distress. And that makes me nervous. I ease out of my hiding place and make my way around to the front door. I don't see a doorbell, so I raise the brass knocker and tap it a few times against the door.

Immediately, I hear the dog barking, and RJ shouting from inside, “I'll get it!” Then one of the other children shouts something I can't make out. There's the sound of scrambling little feet and doggy claws. Then there's a long pause. Long enough for me to get nervous.

“Uh...hello?” I call. There's a soft creak and a click, I look down to see that the letter slot on the door has been pushed out.

“Who is it?” Ysabel calls through the flap. I have to get on my hands and knees to peer in the slot and show her my face.

“It's Dragonness. Can I come inside?”

“Sure, just a minute!”

The lock clicks, and the door opens. Zelda, her tail wagging wildly, pushes past Ysabel to sniff at my feet and scratch at my legs. I obligingly pat her, but my attention is focused on the task at hand. Something definitely feels off here. My veins are sizzling with a warning.

“Is Father Li here?”

“Uh-huh. He's in his room saying his prayers. He always says his Rosary after dinner.”

“Please show me which room is his. I need all of you to come with me, Father Li included.”

Ysabel frowns, exchanging glances with her cousin and brothers. “...Why?”

Oh, great. How do I explain the situation to an eleven-year-old without terrifying her and her family? Or sounding like the kind of sketchy stranger mothers warn their children about? Before I can answer, RJ wrinkles his nose.

“Eww, who farted?”

It's about then that everything starts to happen at once. The smell of rotten eggs hits my nose. Marci starts to shriek in my ear, “Warning, Tahira! Warning! Carbon disulfide is detectable in this environment! Immediate removal is recommended!” And then I catch sight of a shimmer in the darkened corridor leading to Father Li's room. A kind of shimmer that's become familiar to me in the time I've fought with and beside Eva. The shimmer of light reflecting off the surface of a stealth suit.

“Kids, get outside! Get outside! Now!” I hear them scramble for the door, and I lunge toward the corridor. “Father Li! Father Li, get out of the house!”

Before I can reach the priest's room, a massive wall of fire springs up in my path, licking rapidly up the walls, poised to consume everything in its path.

Eva

I arrive on the scene about the same time as Talos drives up with Caleb and Dylan. I don't immediately see the flames, but they become visible only a breath after Tahira stumbles out of the rectory with the other four kids and the dog, coughing into the crease of her elbow. Dylan immediately runs to embrace his family. Talos and I spring into hero-mode, rushing to confer with our leader. I can faintly hear the smoke alarm shrieking inside the house.

“Are you all right?” Talos asks anxiously. Tahira nods, gulping the fresh air with ragged breaths.

“Take a moment to catch your breath,” I advise her, but she shakes her head.

“No time,” she manages to croak. “The priest is still inside. Talos, you're with me. We're going back in. Minuet, I need you and Caleb to go after the arsonist.”

“Arsonist?”

“That's right. They're wearing a stealth suit, but they can't have gotten far. I'm counting on you two to catch them. Go!”

Tahira doesn't wait for either Caleb or I to answer before she rushes back toward the house with Talos behind her. I glance over at Caleb, who looks a little bewildered.

“You heard the woman, Fire Man!” I snap. “Come on! Fire's the perfect light to reflect off the stealth suit, and you can help me look for a trail! And I need one of you kids to call 9-1-1! Now!”

Talos

Even with me as her shield, Tahira is thankfully not reckless enough to charge right back into the burning rectory the same way she went in. We circle the rectory until we find a window into a dimly lit room at the back of the house where the priest lies unconscious on the carpet in front of a crucifix surrounded by battery-powered tea lights on a linen draped table. From the window we can see the glow of the flames under the door and the thick smoke pouring through the cracks underneath and on the sides to tumble toward the ceiling.

“I guess that explains why he didn't respond to the smoke alarm,” Tahira mutters grimly. “Whoever it was must've taken him out first.”

“You think he's alive?” I ask.

“Only one way to find out.” She grasps the edges of the window screen and rips it off without any visible effort, tossing it casually aside before she braces her hands on the window pane, gets herself into a lunge, and pushes upward. The locked window resists her efforts at first, but the locks are really not any match for her strength, and it's only a matter of seconds before they yield, twisting beyond repair as the window slides open, sending a cloud of smoke spiraling into our faces. In one graceful motion, Tahira sails effortlessly through the opening. I follow, less gracefully, and immediately run to the door while Tahira checks on the priest. I let the bronze fade away from my hand just long enough to place my palm gingerly against the door.

“He's alive! No visible injury. I don't really want to move him, but I don't think we have a choice. We need to get him out of the house.”

“Well, we're not getting out through the door,” I reply flatly, turning back to her. “It's hot. The fire's right on the other side.”

“Here. Help me get him onto his back. If you can support his head, I can get him up onto my back and out the window. Hang on, Father Li. We're gonna take care of you.”

Caleb

The arsonist may have been stealthy in setting the fire, but they aren't all that careful in making their getaway. Minuet and I follow footprints left in the grass until the flames dancing along the lengths of my fingers start to reflect a shimmer ahead of us.

Minuet throws out her hands, and the slow-motion field flows out of her in a visible shockwave. After a moment where she appears to be concentrating deeply, she begins to twist her hands, curling her fingers.

“All right, Caleb, I've got them trapped. Let's see about getting them unmasked.”

“...How do we do that?”

She rolls her eyes, glaring reproachfully. “You walk up to them and take the stealth suit off! How else?”

“But...does it have...like...a zipper?”

Minuet looks like she's trying not to facepalm. “For fuck's sake...”

A faint chuckle comes from the air in front of us. Both of us snap our eyes forward to focus on the figure shimmering vaguely in the light of my flame. And then comes the voice, feminine and familiar, with the annoying nasally pitch affected by particularly snobby teenage girls.

“Okay, Cal, you got me. But it was all in good fun, right?”

Samara. Another one of Gigi's proteges, and a particularly vicious one at that. She's only fifteen, but she's right up there with Roach as one of Gigi's most trusted. She's like the psychopathic teenager who was Lucy Liu's bodyguard in Kill Bill. Except slightly less likely to disembowl a teenage boy for flirting with her. Slightly. I grit my teeth, marching over to the shimmering figure and extinguishing my flames as soon as my hand finds her shoulder. As I search for a fastening, I'm careful to keep my hands out of the way of anything private, but she still titters.

“Ohh, Caleb, I never knew you cared.”

“Shut the fuck up, Samara! You're fifteen, and I'm a whole lot fucking older, so don't you dare! I'm not a fucking pedophile.”

I find the edge of a mask near her collarbone and tug it away from the collar of her suit. This seems to break some vital connection, because the rest of her becomes visible as I pull the mask off over her head.

She grins at me, her eyes glittering with malice. “So uptight. I thought you knew how to take a joke. Especially one that involves fire.”

“Minuet, any chance you can put her mouth in slow-mo, too?”

“Doesn't seem like it's possible. I can gag her, though, once I've got the cuffs on her.”

“Not that it matters,” Samara says blithely. “Since I've been caught, I'm going to be questioned. And I mean to make sure the police know Caleb helped me plan the whole thing.”

Minuet scoffs as she pulls the handcuffs from her belt and works around her slow-mo field to get Samara's hands behind her back. “You really think that's going to work? When three trusted supers are going to vouch for him?”

“Not to mention the manager at the convenience store,” I point out. “He's got no beef with me, no reason not to say where I was.”

Samara just shrugs. “Believe what you like. But I for one find it hard to believe that the cops won't still suspect you had something to do with it, Man of Fire. Even if it's only briefly. And even if they didn't, your past criminal record means they can still make your life very, very difficult. ...I wonder, do you have that much confidence in your new friends to protect you?”

Tahira

Father Li is still alive when Eva and Caleb return. He's alive, but he hasn't come around. Ysabel at least had the presence of mind to grab her cell phone before rushing out of the house, and she assures me that the fire department is on its way. I look back up at Eva and Caleb, approaching with what looks to be a teenage girl bound and gagged walking between them.

“One baby arsonist, bagged up and ready to go,” Eva quips mirthlessly. I frown.

“Was the gag necessary?”

“She was winding Caleb up. Suggesting that she was going to implicate him as an accomplice, and that her word would stand against ours.”

“She's not wrong,” Caleb declares grimly. “Me on the scene of an arson? I'll be arrested before you can get a word out. ...I gotta get the fuck outta here before the cops get here.”

“I agree,” Talos says, startling me slightly. I look up at him questioningly. “...It's better if we ease the DA into the idea that the three of us have been working with the Man of Fire. ...Considering that before we got you back, Dragonness, Minuet and I promised her access to the only prison that's ever held him.”

“You what?!” Caleb yelps.

“Relax. She doesn't have it yet. The point is, we need you to not be here as much as you need to not be here, so go.”

A protracted silence crescendos as Talos' words hang in the air, broken only by the roar of flames behind us...and then the distant wailing of sirens.

“They're coming, Caleb! If you're going to get out, this is your chance!”

And before I have a chance to protest or question, the Man of Fire is away like a shot.

[thdorkmagnet]

Light of the Sun and Stars Chapter 19: Blood Moon Ball

Time for the Season 2!

Summary: His whole life Marco Diaz has been raised by monsters, living under the cruel rule of their leader, Toffee. But one day Marco escapes into Mewni where he meets a magical princess and Mewman like himself, who begins teaching him all about her world. Together they will learn about life, love, and the lights within each of them, as they change their world forever.

Chapter Synopsis: It’s a very special night on Mewni as the long awaited Blood Moon has arrived and Butterfly Castle is quick to celebrate by throwing a grand and extravagant ball. And for Star and Marco this is an even more special occasion, as they chose this night to have their very first date, the young couple hoping to be chosen by the century old bonding ritual. Will they be selected or will a new threat to Mewni get in the way of their plans?

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Index

Disclaimer: Star vs and all its characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

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The sky was tinted red as the night on Mewni began, the stars shining brighter than usual on that special night, while the moon in the sky had turned a blood red color, casting a red shadow upon the world below. All of Mewni had been eagerly awaiting this moment for quite some time, everyone excited to celebrate the rare, once-in-a-lifetime sight in their own way since the blood moon only came about once every six hundred and sixty-seven years. Most in the kingdoms simply threw small parties inviting friends and family to come and celebrate the glorious night, but for those blessed and rich enough, they could spend their night at the luxurious Blood Moon Ball deep within the Butterfly Castle. But whether rich or poor, one thing was for sure, all young couples and lovers would be staying close to one another that night and making sure to keep a weary eye on the sky in the hopes that the light of the blood moon might fall upon them, sealing their love and bond forever.

Within the ballroom of Butterfly Castle, the guests had already begun to arrive, royalty and nobility alike quickly filling up the large ballroom, lively chatter mixing in harmony to the peaceful symphony music that had been hired to perform that night. Everyone was excited for the event, though possibly no one more so than the young blond princess who was looking over the large crowd in hopes of spotting someone. She resisted the urge to stand on her tiptoes, trying to stand up as straight as possible, remembering to keep up appearances, but found herself struggling to remain still, as a nervous energy continued to build inside her.

Where is he? she wondered to herself, chewing on the inside of her cheek. He should be here by now, right? Star figured Jackie must have taken a little extra time to get him ready, but the anticipation was killing her. Star took a moment from her needless worrying to look herself over for probably the hundredth time that night, checking to make sure she still looked okay, fiddling with the pink single-sleeved dress she was wearing, the same one from the Orphan's Ball, making sure there was not a crease or hem out of place.

“Relax,” a voice said beside her, causing Star to jump slightly. She turned to see Janna sipping on punch, the royal so preoccupied with her thoughts that she had forgotten that her creepy friend was there. “You look great.”

Star released a shaky sigh, trying to relieve some of her built-up tension, putting a gloved hand to her racing heart. “Thanks. I just want everything to be perfect for tonight,” the blond admitted.

“Star, dear,” came her mother's voice from behind her, Star turning as gracefully as possible in her uncomfortable boots, making her once again question why she had chosen to wear them. Queen Moon, along with King River, were equally dressed up for the event, both giving their daughter concerned looks.

“Yes mom,” Star replied, trying to keep the squeak out of her voice.

“You're twitching,” her mother said, in a semi-scolding tone. Star instantly straightened out, putting her hands steadily at her side.

“R-Right, sorry,” Star apologized, trying to keep the anxious edge out of her tone.

“Is everything all right?” Moon asked in concern.

“Of course,” Star said with a far-too-wide smile, her parents instantly able to tell that their daughter was faking. The blond let the smile drop, knowing they had seen through her charade based on the skeptical looks they were giving her, as she sucked in a deep breath. “Okay maybe not.”

“Is this because we denied your request about Buff Frog?” Moon guessed.

“No, I get it,” Star said shaking her head. She knew it had been a long shot when she had asked that Buff Frog could be there for the Blood Moon Ball, hoping his position as new leader of the Monsters would earn him the right to be there, but she hadn't been surprised when the answer had been no. Even though they had come a long way in helping achieve Monster rights since Toffee's death, the Mewmans were still weary and skeptical of their long-time enemies, not enough people open-minded enough to see the creatures as anything more than evil.

“I'm just a little nervous about tonight is all. I'll be fine,” Star explained.

“Oh that's right, tonight's the big night?” River asked, with a knowing, almost teasing, hint to his tone.

Star nodded, the worry on her face clear.

Moon, seeing her daughter's distress, stepped forward, putting a hand just under her chin and giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, before looking deep into her sky blue eyes. “Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure everything will go great tonight.”

“Thanks mom,” Star said, giving her mother a grateful hug, already beginning to feel her body relax.

“You're welcome,” Moon replied, sweetly, patting her daughter on the back. As the two pulled apart Moon added, “Just try to relax and enjoy your evening, Star.”

Star nodded, holding back saying what she was thinking, Kinda hard to relax when all eyes are on you, before turning and starting to walk away, Janna following close behind. But her parents seemed to have noticed the slight shift in their daughter's eye, sharing a look as both guessed what was on her mind. And so River added, “Oh and Star one more thing.” Star turned back to her parents in surprise, waiting for them to speak. “Just for tonight we are officially relieving you of princess duty.”

“Really?” Star said, shocked.

Moon nodded, “Yes, for one night only you are an ordinary Mewman girl, no strings attached, no having to put on heirs. Just go and have fun, alright?”

Star shot them both grateful smiles. “I will,” she said, before turning to her beanie-wearing friend. “Come on Janna, let's go see if we can find Marco!”

The king and queen watched as their daughter raced away through the crowd, dragging her friend behind her, a wide, happy smile on her face, and the two felt smiles rise up on their own faces, glad to see their precious little girl, stress-free and just enjoying herself, even if it was just for a night.

…

Someone else at the party was excited for that night, the boy having already taken the time, a lot of time, to plan out what he was going to do on the magical evening, most of it specifically centered on the young destined monarch. He had been waiting, with much anticipation, for the moment when he would be face to face with Star Butterfly, his bestie again. And now here he was, at the Blood Moon Ball, standing amongst the crowd of finely dressed Mewmans, his moment at hand.

He just had to be careful not to blow it... again, his memory of his last encounter with Star still a little upsetting, still unable to believe she had yelled at him and Pony for doing literally nothing wrong.

Tom took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. No, no, Tom. Don't get angry, he mentally reminded himself. Don't lose your cool. That's what got you into trouble with her in the first place. All you gotta do is find Star and apologize. Maybe then she'll actually talk to you again.

Tom looked around for any sign of the girl, his eyes finally spotting her golden locks shimmering in the crowd, watching as she seemed to be making her way across the ballroom in a hurry, as if she were desperate to be somewhere. Concerned he would miss his chance, the boy immediately went over to head her off, sliding into place in front of her, forcing her to stop and stare at him in surprise. He gave her a wide smile, while trying to think of the best greeting possible for this situation.

“Hey there, Starship, didn't see you there,” he said, in the most cool, nonchalant tone he could. His eyes slowly drifted over to beside the young royal, feeling his heart pound at the sight of Janna, who was giving him that same smirky smile she always had on. Tom felt the familiar stirrings in his chest, his mouth going suddenly dry as her brown eyes dug into his skin, the purple boy resisting the urge to blush, his cheek flames for just a moment flickering like a heartbeat. Great, Tom sighed mentally, hating this strange feeling he always got from the creepy girl. As if this wasn't going to be hard enough. “Hey Janna,” he greeted dryly, trying to keep any emotion out of his voice, shooting her a glare.

But Janna didn't seem concerned by the cold-shoulder he was trying to give her, shooting him a flirty wink saying, “Hey there hot stuff, glad to see you remembered me.”

Tom tried to hold back the growl that was rising in his throat, while within, his heart skipped a beat. “Hard to forget,” he grumbled before directing his attention back to Star. But the blond didn't look happy to see him, her arms crossed as she shot him a very annoyed glare. Tom tried to ignore the look as he said, “So, Star, you look great tonight.” The boy gave her a wide smile, but the girl wouldn't even look him in the eye, her foot tapping impatiently, as if waiting for him to move out of the way. He felt the awkwardness continue to form between the two, but he tried to keep his cool, as he continued to try and make small talk with the girl.

“This is a pretty nice party,” he said, admiring the fancy ballroom, before looking back to the still-scowling girl. “Pony wanted to be here too, but she got held up by another one of her sisters' schemes to take her throne. So it's just me.”

“Greeeaaat,” Star said sarcastically under her breath, rolling her eyes.

“Um, so I heard about you and Marco, y'know, beating Toffee. That's pretty awesome.” He paused for a second before asking hesitantly, “Are you and he...”

“Yes,” she responded immediately.

“Oh.” Tom didn't know what else to say to that.

“What do you want Tom?” Star finally snapped, with much irritation, just wanting him to get to the point already, knowing he was just stalling.

The boy felt his gut twist at her angered tone, but tried to maintain his confident air, as he shrugged, saying simply, “I just wanted to come over and say hi to my bestie, is all.”

“Well, I'm still not talking to you,” Star said, irritated, looking away from the boy. “And we're not besties anymore.”

Tom tried to keep the hurt from showing on his face. “Oh come on, Star,” the boy pleaded, dropping the cocky act, deciding to go the sincere approach. “You've been ignoring us for weeks. How long is this going to go on? You can't stay mad at us forever.”

But this seemed to be the wrong thing to say, as she huffed in annoyance, saying angrily, “Oh yeah, watch me.” With that she pushed the boy out of the way and stormed off. Tom quickly realizing his plan was falling apart, reached a hand out uselessly towards her as called, “Wait, Star! I didn't mean it like that! Please, come back!”

But the girl had already disappeared into the crowd. The boy let out a frustrated growl, his cheek flames burning out of control for a second. While behind him, unbeknownst to the troubled teen, the punch bowl erupted into flames, even the ice within doing nothing to control its rising temperature as it melted into oblivion, several of the servants trying to put out the flames in panic.

“Ugh why did you say that?!” he scolded himself, pounding a fist into his forehead as a way to punish himself for the slip of the tongue. “All you had to say was sorry. Now she hates you even more. Stupid!”

Tom groaned, burying his face in his hands. It had been an accident, the boy sure he was being sincere, but it seemed his out-of-control attitude had gotten in the way once again. Tom had difficulty telling when he was being nice or not, his temper often getting in the way of simple small talk with others. He was trying his best to work on it, but it just never seemed like it was good enough. Why did he always have to say the worst possible thing and ruin everything for himself?

The boy was pulled out of his gloomy thoughts, as he felt something smack the back of his head. Tom cried out in pain and surprise, reaching a hand up to feel the sore spot for any damages, the hit far stronger than he was use to. He felt anger overtake him again, as growled loudly, turning to glare at whoever had dared to do such a thing to him, his eyes turning red, only to stare into the smirking face of Janna, who looked completely relaxed facing down Tom's flame-fueled death glare, the smirk on her face unmistakable.

The angry teen felt any negative emotion extinguish as his face grew hot once again, only this time not from any fire, all three eyes widening, Tom having forgotten the creepy girl was there. “Janna!” he shouted, his voice cracking against his will, as his heart thumped dangerously away in his chest. He cleared his throat before he snapped in the deepest voice he could, “What the heck did you do that for?!” He continued to rub furiously at the spot, avoiding her eye.

Janna leaned in closer to the boy, close enough that Tom was able to pick up her scent, the only thing he could come close to describing the smell of the half-monster girl was a mixture of flowers and decay, an oddly intoxicating scent to the boy. The girl shrugged, Tom finding the simple act downright adorable, though he would never, ever say it out loud. “Just snapping you out of your little pity-party before you burnt the whole castle down.” She gestured to the still flaming punch bowl and the servants who had pulled out fire extinguishers in the hopes of gaining control of the situation.

Tom was silent for a second, before he released a short sigh, making a show of crossing his arms. “And how is purposely making me angry protecting the castle in any way?”

Janna shrugged, raising her hands in surrender, “Okay you got me. Honestly, I don't really care what happens to this place. If anything I think a little chaos would help liven up all these stiffs.” She looked around at all the regal guests acting all snooty and pampered, the girl rolling her eyes. “But tonight is an important night for Star and Marco and I promised I would be on my best behavior and try to help everything go smoothly.”

Tom's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. “Why? What's happening tonight that's so special?” he asked.

“It's their first date,” Janna answered.

The boy looked sadly at the floor. “Oh,” he said, downtrodden. It seemed his worst suspicions had been correct. Ever since he saw the video of the Orphans' Ball, he had known deep down how Star felt about Marco, though he had tried not to make himself believe it. But now he couldn't deny it anymore, both Janna and Star herself confirming it, Star was in a relationship... with someone else. Tom felt awful, wondering if he really had lost Star for good, her words from before still stinging.

Janna, once again, snapped him out of his despairing thoughts as she punched him lightly in the shoulder, the boy rubbing at his arm, while looking at her quizzically. “Jeez calm down,” Janna said, shaking her head in disbelief at his behavior. “Don't be such a drama queen. Star still cares about you, okay? She's just a little sore at you right now is all, she'll come around.”

“Yeah well I'm getting a little tired of waiting,” Tom replied, honestly. The hot-headed teen let out a defeated sigh, saying exasperated, “So much for making up with her tonight.” He started to walk off, about to open a portal back to the Underworld. “I'm going home.” But he was stopped when Janna suddenly grabbed onto his arm, pulling him back toward her.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Tom asked the smirking girl, trying to ignore the fact that she still had yet to release her hold of his arm.

Janna shrugged. “Well, since you don't have anymore plans for tonight, would you like to dance?” Tom gulped, feeling suddenly nerve-racked, caught off guard by the question. He opened his dry mouth, preparing to turn her down, but he stopped, able to tell how badly she wanted him to say yes. Though she was trying to act nonchalant, Tom sensed a second of anxiety from the girl, as her brown pupils flashed her desperation to him, squeezing his arm tighter and tighter as she awaited his answer. It seemed Janna had exposed her true self to him just then, the boy unable to think of a time when she hadn't hidden behind her cocky, joking mask.

He wanted to see more of that Janna, for some reason the boy badly wishing to know more about the girl, wanting to know everything he could about the Impure, thoughts of her often plaguing his mind whenever he wasn't paying attention. So he swallowed down all his worries and nerves, trying to calm his racing heart and simmer his flaming cheeks, as he flashed her a cocky, flirty smile replying, “Sure, why not? What harm could one dance do?”

…

Jak and Dex, who had been assigned to watch the hallway just outside of the ballroom that night, were chatting happily with one another, when they heard footsteps approaching from down the hallway, both going silent. They turned and watched as two young fancily dressed teens approached, the red light of the blood moon shining into the hallway through the windows, casting a strange glow within. The guards instantly recognized both of them as Jackie and Marco, the two wearing the same outfits from the Orphan's Ball, Marco still wearing the mask from before.

“Hey Jackie!” Jak greeted, both guards smiling at the girl.

“Hey,” she replied, with a smooth smile. Then suddenly, she shifted her attention to the masked boy beside her who was keeping oddly quiet. Jak and Dex also turned to Marco, who was keeping his head down. They were confused by the boy's behavior, worried he was upset about something, until they looked back over to Jackie for a second, who shot them a wink, both suddenly understanding what was going on.

“And who's this strange masked boy you brought with you?” Jak asked, pretending to put on a suspicious face, Dex doing the same. “I don't think we've ever seen him before.”

Marco immediately pulled the mask up revealing his smiling face, his suns spinning endlessly due to his excitement. “No Jak, it's me! Marco!” he exclaimed giddily.

Both guards did fake gasps. “Marco?” Dex said in mock surprise.

“Yep,” Marco said, with a short nod. He leaned a little bit closer to the two, before asking, “Did I really trick you both?”

“You sure did,” Jak said. “We had no idea it was you.”

Marco immediately turned to Jackie, his body shaking with unparalleled excitement. “It worked, Jackie! They couldn't tell it was me!”

“Yep, good for you Marco,” Jackie praised, holding back her giggle. She then directed her attention back to the two guards, saying, “I'm surprised to see you two here. Don't you guys ever take a night off?”

“Yeah, but Skullnick wanted to make sure there was extra security during the ball, just in case,” Dex explained.

“Just in case, what?” Marco asked, curiously.

Dex shrugged. “No idea,” he admitted.

Jackie and Marco shared a look of concern. “Hey, don't worry. I'm sure it's probably nothing,” Jak comforted not wanting the two to worry over anything on the special night. “You know how paranoid old Skullsy can be.”

Jackie and Marco nodded, both looking relieved. “Well as long as you two are sure,” Jackie said.

“Positive,” Dex said, convincingly. “You two just enjoy your night, let us worry about the rest.”

“Oh we definitely will,” Marco said, with a curt nod, his voice regaining its full excitement. “It's my first date with Star!” he blurted, his eyes shimmering with love and joy in equal measures.

“Congrats!” Jak commended, shooting the boy a smile.

“Glad you two kids ended up together!” Dex added, equally thrilled.

“Thanks!” Marco said returning the smile. He then immediately grabbed Jackie's arm, his patience finally worn out, as he shouted, “Now come on, Jackie! Let's go find Star!”

“Alright,” she said with a giggle, allowing the eager boy to lead her into the ballroom, Jak and Dex opening the doors for the two of them. Marco stared in awe at the ballroom's transformation, taking off the mask so he could get a better look, the Orphan's Ball having nothing on the sight before them. The lights had been muted to a low glow, red spotlights shining down on random spots in the ballroom and the whole area had been decorated to perfection, red ribbons circling the pillars that surrounded the ballroom. And, in keeping in theme with the blood moon, small crescent moons hung on strings around the ballroom. It seemed whoever had been hired to make ready for the ball had outdone themselves.

“Wow it looks incredible in here!” Marco whispered.

“Thanks,” Jackie agreed simply, still soaking in the view, looking over her work with satisfaction.

Marco turned back to his friend with surprise. “You did this, Jacks!” he asked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Jackie replied modestly. “Well, me and Janna both. Took us all day to get everything ready. But we wanted your night to be extra special.”

Marco gave his friend a heartfelt smile. “Thank you so much, Jackie! I-I don't know what to say!” Jackie noticed the tears beginning to well up in his eyes and gave him a friendly push.

“Aww, don't mention it, dude. No need to get teared up it isn't that big a deal.”

Marco wiped a hand over his eyes before saying, “Right, sorry. I just can't believe how much work you put into all this! I mean we hadn't even thought about this being our first date till you suggested it, but this... this is perfect!”

Jackie smiled at her friend. “I thought you might like it.”

But Marco's attention had wavered as he looked back across the crowded ballroom hoping to catch a flash of golden hair. “There sure are a lot of people I hope we find Star soon,” he commented, looking a little concerned.

“Don't worry I'm sure we will. We just gotta start looking,” Jackie comforted, as she put an arm around him, leading him into the crowd of Mewman nobility, Marco remembering to slip back on the mask at the last minute. Marco kept a vigilant eye open for Star as they made their way across the ballroom, his eyes constantly scanning for any sign of the beautiful blond or Janna. Though he was quite surprised by some of the guests he saw. While most were simply Mewmans or humans there were the few odd looking creatures. A girl with a giant red lump on the side of her head, some goat guy with bat wings, and... Marco blinked, was that a chicken with legs.

Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, Jackie pushed him away from her, now holding him at shoulder length, breaking him away from the strange sight, as he now came face to face with a far more beautiful one. Star gave him a breathtaking smile, her face just inches away from his own, her whole face perfectly framed by the soft red glow from the spotlight above and Marco felt his heart leap out of his chest. “Hey,” she greeted shyly, her cheeks turning slightly pink, though it was hard to tell from the lighting.

“Hey,” he replied back in an awed murmur, his cheeks equally flushed, though his were hidden under the mask.

“Well he's all yours,” Jackie said, as she released her grip on his tensed up shoulders, the boy's whole body relaxing as he looked into the bright eyes of his girlfriend. “I did my part.”

“Thanks Jacks,” Star said, breaking away her gaze from Marco for just a second as she shot her friend a grateful smile.

“You look great,” Star complimented the boy, looking his fancy suit up and down for a second.

“Uhhh, so do you,” Marco said in embarrassment, having been too entranced in Star's unearthly beauty to have realized that now was the part where he was supposed to say nice things about her. That, plus, this was his first date and he was still unsure how this was supposed to go, even after Jackie and Janna's three hour lecture on the subject.

“Thanks,” Star said, looking at her feet for a second, her hand absentmindedly fiddling with one of the pink bows that made up the lace of the dress. She leaned forward so she could whisper into his ear. “For the record, I never told you this, but the mask is a nice touch,” she added and Marco felt a shudder run up his spine as she gently kissed him on the cheek as she pulled away.

“It was Jackie's idea,” Marco confessed, gesturing to the skater girl behind him, but never breaking off his gaze from Star. “Well Janna's the first time, but Jackie said I should wear it again for this.”

“And it looks like I was right,” Jackie spoke up. “She can't take her eyes off of you,” she added, with a teasing wink despite the fact that neither were looking in her direction.

“True,” Star said, with a loving sigh, just adoring the boy in front of her in every way.

Jackie looked around for a second realizing something was missing. “Uhhh, Star, where is Janna? I thought she was with you.”

“Huh?” Star blinked, snapping herself out of the daze she was in from staring into Marco's chocolate brown eyes. She looked around, expecting the creepy girl to be there beside her, but surprised to find she wasn't. “She was here a minute ago,” she said, frowning as she looked over the crowd in search of her.

Jackie released a frustrated sigh. “Where did she run off to this time?” Jackie murmured, concerned what kind of trouble her roommate could have gotten herself into on her own. She had to squint so she could see as the lights dimmed even more, a gentle melody beginning to fill the area, as the next dance of the evening began. “She swore she would behave herself.”

“Uhh, isn't that her over there?” Marco asked, pointing to the dance floor. The two girls followed his direction, both of their mouths dropping open in shock as they spotted Janna, her arms draped around Tom's neck, his hands holding onto her sides as he guided her in a elegant dance across the dance floor.

“That traitor,” Star huffed in annoyance. “I can't believe she is dancing with that jerk!” Star's cheeks puffed up in anger.

Jackie pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. “We're all doomed,” she said uncharacteristically serious, certain there was no way this would end well for anyone.

Meanwhile, Marco's eyes were twinkling as he watched the two, both looking quite happy and comfortable in each others arms, their eyes locked in a permanent flirty gesture. “Awww, they're so cute together!” Marco gushed, Star and Jackie turning to him in surprise.

“What?” they both said, confused.

“Well I mean, just look at how happy Janna is,” Marco explained. “I don't think I've ever seen her smile so much, ever.”

And as the two looked back at Janna and her long-time crush, they too noticed how happy their creepy friend seemed, as she allowed herself to be led across the dance floor by the hot-headed prince, a bright, almost infectious smile on her lips. They both had known she had feelings for Tom, but the two thought it was nothing more than a small crush, nothing serious. Sure she often openly flirted with him, but the two had mistaken that for mere teasing, just a way to get under his skin and annoy him, nothing more. Now though it seemed pretty apparent that she felt more for him than they had previously thought, a lot more. It seemed their little Janna had fallen for Tom, right under their noses, and both were a little ashamed they had never noticed, Janna doing a little too good a job hiding her emotions from people sometimes. Kinda the exact opposite of Tom, actually.

“Yeah, me neither,” Jackie finally agreed with Marco, feeling a swell of pride for her friend.

Star just sighed. “Well, at least she is enjoying herself,” she murmured, crossing her arms, trying to continue to act mad even though she thought they were pretty adorable together, too. And this way I don't have to worry about Tom trying to get in the way of me and Marco's date, she thought. With that thought her smile returned, as she was determined to let nothing get in the way of her big night. She had been through a lot to get to this moment, saving Marco from Toffee, helping create a new world for Monsters and Mewmans, forcing her feet to squeeze into the very uncomfortable boots she was currently wearing, and she planned on making the most of her night, going to enjoy her first date with Marco to the fullest. She turned back to her boyfriend, offering him a hand, not wanting to waste another second.

“Okay then, Marco, let's get going,” Star said, excitedly.

“Right,” Marco said with a nod. He took Star's outstretched hand ready to begin their date. “Oh wait,” Marco suddenly said, reaching into one of his pockets and pulling out the small black cellphone Star had recently bought for him, the particular one he had chosen had the design of a dinosaur wearing a birthday hat on the back of it, which the boy had mistaken for a dragon when he had first seen it. “I promised dad and the others I would take some pictures of the date to send to them,” he explained. “That way that wouldn't feel totally left out.”

“Awww, what a great idea, Marco!” Star praised.

“Thanks!” Marco replied with a smile, holding back his blush as he focused his concentration at the phone in his hands, the screen lit up and ready for use. But the boy's smiling face quickly switched to one of concentration and confusion as he tried to figure out how to use the device, his eyebrows pinching together as he squinted at the bright screen. “Umm, how do you...” he mumbled, turning the phone over in his hands looking for the button that made it work and Star and Jackie both had to bite their lips to keep from bursting out into laughter at his adorable naivety.

“Here,” Jackie finally said, taking the phone out of his hands. “Maybe let me take the pictures,” she offered.

Marco released a relieved sigh, still quite confused by all the technology and electricity stuff, before giving his friend a grateful smile. “Okay. Thanks, Jacks.”

“Ready?” she said, letting them in position, holding up the phone in preparation for the right moment, Marco and Star both smiling, Star clinging tightly to the boy's arm. “Smile,” she said. There was a click and a small flash from the phone as the picture was taken.

“Let me see! Let me see!” the boy immediately screamed, practically jumping up and down with enthusiasm.

Jackie laughed, before turning the phone around so he could see the picture. “Wowwww,” he breathed, Marco's eyes shimmering at the sight of him and Star together, nodding his head in approval. “We look amazing!” he cheered. Star just smiled at her boyfriend/bestie's excitement.

“Yeah, you're right,” Star agreed, resting her head on his shoulder for a second, as she stared at the phone screen. “We should probably get some more, though. Y'know, just to be safe.”

“Right,” Marco agreed.

He and Star posed for several more pictures, as Jackie spent the next couple of minutes taking photos of them, trying to get the perfect set to send to Buff Frog and the rest of the Monsters, sometimes directing them on where to stand or tell them to try a certain pose. The two fell into a giggle fit as Jackie finished taking a picture of them doing their 'stuck inside a creature's belly and were slowly drowning in its toxic stomach acid' pose (which had been Star's suggestion), the couple making fake dying noises as they leaned against one another dramatically.

Jackie laughed at their cute display, before saying, “Well I think that's probably enough, right?”

Star stood up straight again as she said, “Yeah, that's probably good.”

“So should I send hit send or...” Jackie asked, her finger already poised over the send button.

“Wait,” Marco said quickly, holding up a hand to stop her. “We still need one more...” He held up a single finger. “Just to be safe.”

Jackie and Star shared a look. “Of course,” Jackie said, nodding.

“Just to be safe,” Star added.

“What did you have in mind, Marco?” Jackie asked.

“Well, I kinda wanted one with you in it,” Marco explained. Jackie's cheeks blushed, surprised by the request.

“Me?” Jackie asked.

“Yeah of course, you're my friend after all,” the masked boy said, matter-of-factly. “And we wouldn't be here without you. I would ask Janna but...” he gestured back to the dance floor, where her and Tom continued to dance, along with several other couples. “Y'know.”

“Okay, then,” Jackie said, excitedly. “Let's do it.”

The three friends got into position, Marco wrapping his arms around their necks, as the two leaned in as close to him as they could, their cheeks close to touching, Jackie holding the phone out above them, her finger poised on the button. “Ready...”

Like all the other times there was a click and a snap as the picture was taken, the three pulling away and looking at the picture on the tiny screen. “That one turned out great,” Jackie said, proudly.

“Yep, it sure did, they all look great, good work Jacks,” Star agreed hastily, before grabbing onto Marco's arm already dragging him away. “Now come on, Marco, let's get going!”

“Bye Jacks! See you later! And be sure to send those to Buff Frog and the others for me, okay?” Marco called back to Jackie as he was dragged away, not that he minded.

“Will do!” Jackie called back, chuckling to herself as she watched the young couple eagerly begin their first date together, shaking her head. “Those two never change,” she murmured to herself. Her gaze slowly drifted back to the dance floor, watching Tom and Janna's graceful, if not flirtatious, dance for a second, before a thought came over her. “Kinda wish I had someone to dance with.”

“Fear not, gorgeous, cause your knight in shining armor has arrived,” a familiar, cocky voice called behind her, Jackie turning to glare at the same stuck-up jerk from the Orphan's Ball. The teen froze, as he recognized the girl in front of him, a look of fear crossing his face, as he hands instinctively shot up. “You again,” he squeaked, in a very unmanly voice.

“Just keep moving, hotshot,” Jackie hissed and the boy slowly backed away, keeping his hands raised the whole time, the skater girl just watching him go with an intense glare. Once he was out of sight, Jackie returned her attention to the dance floor. She was silent for a moment before saying to herself, “On second thought, I think I'm good.”

…

While most of Mewni had the pleasure of enjoying the magical night there were two knights who felt left out of all the celebrating, assigned to watch the most boring position in the castle, the lush garden area within the castle grounds, pointlessly watching the door that led to the ballroom. There really was no reason for them to be out there, unsure why Skullnick had specifically asked them to keep an eye on this particular position, since the anti-portal generator had been fixed, there was no chance of anyone appearing into the castle unsupervised. Which is why, as the muted sounds of orchestra music drifted through the doorframe behind them, the two knights were left wondering how they had been left with this measly position when it should have been passed down to a couple of simple guards.

One of them released a tired sigh, shifting uncomfortably on his feet, before asking between clenched teeth, “What are we doing out here?”

“I couldn't tell you,” the other replied, equally annoyed.

“It isn't fair,” the first one grumbled.

“No it certainly isn't. We should be home with our families, not doing the work of those lazy guards because General Skullsy is still paranoid about the Monsters attacking again.”

“Exactly! I promised the wife that we would watch the blood moon together, instead I'm stuck here with you, bored out of my mind.”

“Yeah, I'd much rather be fighting Monsters again, than this. Nothing ever happens here.”

As soon as those words had left the inconvenienced knight's mouth, the two suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching... very loud footprints, as it seemed the universe was intent on proving him wrong. The two immediately went on high alert, returning to their training, as they drew their swords, staring at the dark woods with intimidating stares. “Who's there?”

“Show yourself.”

Suddenly, a large something stepped out of the shadows. He towered over the two, at least a foot taller than either knights, but they showed no fear toward the stranger's looming presence. The two couldn't tell if the shadowed figure was a Mewman, Monster, or what... his whole body wrapped up tight in a thick black cloak, giving him a mysterious and suspicious air. This was increased greatly as the two were confused over how the stranger had entered into the lush garden in the heart of the Butterfly Castle. They held their swords out toward the black-clothed figure, one of them hissing, “This area is off-limits to civilians! Raise your hands and drop any weapons you may be concealing!”

But the creature didn't obey, instead taking a step toward the knights. The two tried not to show their sudden burst of fear as the unknown creature stalked closer, keeping their swords raised, their faces set in hard glares.

“Stop right there! Don't come any closer!” one of them warned with a threatening yell. But the stranger never stopped coming, continuing forward with confident strides, his footsteps echoing off the stone-castle walls, creating an unnerving tone to the increasingly anxious knights, the swords beginning to shake in their grip.

Finally, one of them screamed, lunging toward the figure, preparing to run him through. But in half a second the sword was knocked out of his hand, as the figures arm- or claw (the knight hadn't been able to tell he moved so fast) was knocked out of his hands, pain shooting up his arm, the knight half-afraid this creature had broken it with a mere bat of his hand. The knight clutched onto his aching arm, trying not to cry out in pain, as he took a step back, away from the hostile stranger.

He gritted his teeth at the figure, who had actually stopped walking for a second, just staring at them from the depths of his hood, the knight surprised as he saw a single yellow serpent-like eye flashing from the darkness within and he felt his blood run cold. He risked turning to the other knight as he shouted, “Alert the general! There's a Mon-”

But the knight wasn't given a chance to finish, as the figure suddenly lunged forward with ridiculous speed, the unsuspecting knight never even aware of the attack, as the creature struck him in the back of the head, the world disappearing in a swirl of nauseating colors. The unconscious knight fell against the stone steps with a resounding thud, his partner frozen in fear at how easily this stranger had taken out his highly-trained friend. The figure merely stepped over the knight and continued forward, now stalking closer to his remaining target.

The knight tried not to show his fear, as the black-clothed figure came ever closer, his heart pounding away in his chest. Finally, he recovered enough to move, turning as he was about to run back into the castle to fulfill his rushed order. But he never got the chance, as something grabbed onto his collar, slamming him hard into the wall, the Mewman falling unconscious at the figures feet a second later, his sword clattering against the stone floor. For a few tense seconds, the only sound that could be heard was the chilling ring of the blade as it echoed off the stone steps.

Until finally, the figure feeling the coast was clear and no one had heard the short struggle, opened the door and entered into Butterfly Castle.

…

Jackie leaned against the railing overlooking the ballroom, having decided to climb up to the balcony above, wanting to get a good look on what was going on at the party without being disturbed by all the stuck-up royals that waited below. Though Jackie did appreciate Star for inviting her to the event and knew that her and Marco would have a good time there, this just wasn't her scene, the skater chick much preferring to spend her time with people a bit more on her level, feeling a bit out of place amongst the fancy, important guests.

She did take a moment to admire how great the place looked, though, her hard work paying off well it seemed, the place looking both festive and elegant at the same time. Maybe I should think about being an interior decorator if the skating career doesn't work out, she thought jokingly to herself. But Jackie's attention was drawn back to the dance floor, as the music suddenly drifted off, the musicians having finished their current piece, the dance ending. But just as suddenly as it stopped, the next song began, as the musicians finished their seconds of rest, picking back up their instruments and beginning the next melody in their set, this one sounding not that different from the last, Jackie feeling all of the music sounded too similar, all of it elegant, orchestrated, and slow. Several couples pulled apart and bowed to each other, before walking off the dance floor, ready to call it quits for at least a while and let their aching feet rest, as more eager young dates took their place. But there were two young teens who seemed to be in no hurry to leave, as they just continued their dance, staring deep into each others eyes, Jackie not sure if they had even realized the music had changed.

The skater girl shook her head at her roommate and her crushing dance partner. “Well, they haven't managed to cause a panic...” she muttered to herself. “...yet,” she added, regretfully, knowing that couldn't last. So she just tried to enjoy the peace while she could.

Her eyes slowly drifted across the crowd looking now for Star and Marco, hoping to see the progress on their date. Finally, she spotted them, close to the dance floor, and she smiled. So far so good, she thought. She pulled out her phone, checking the time. The blood moon would be in position in just a few minute now and Jackie crossed her fingers, hoping Star and Marco would be the ones to be caught in its glow, the plan being to use that to strengthen their already inseparable bond. If all continued to go smoothly, then she would be not only twenty bucks richer but would have proven Janna wrong... and also of course her two best friends would be that much closer as a couple.

...

“So what are we gonna do first?” Marco asked Star as the two stopped to eat some snacks from the refreshments table, watching the dancing couples and talking like they always did, their hands intertwined. Now that the date was officially started he had no idea what they were supposed to do, hoping Star had some kind of idea. “Do you wanna dance or...”

“Actually, I wanted to show you something,” Star said, shooting him a smile, a hint of mischievousness hidden in her eyes.

“Like what?” Marco asked, his curiosity already peeked.

“It's a secret,” she said, putting a finger to her lips and winking at him.

“A secret,” he whispered, his voice shaking a little with excitement, as the anticipation started to build inside him.

“Yep,” she said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling him after her, heading for their unknown destination. “Follow me.”

Marco kept up pace with the girl as they raced across the large ballroom in a hurry, several guests having to move out of the way to let the young couple pass.

��

Jackie was surprised as the two moved away from the dance floor, the pair now racing across the ballroom, hand in hand, bright smiles on their faces, as they pushed their way through the crowd and she herself smiled at their eagerness. Wonder where they're headed? She thought, considering following them. The blood moon would in position soon and if they weren't on the dance floor when that happened then they might not be chosen, it could ruin her whole plan. Then again, this was their first date and she didn't want to disturb them on the special occasion, figuring Star had some kind of plan of her own up her sleeve, one that probably would still lead to them still inevitably dancing under the light of the blood red moon. So, Jackie decided to trust Star and give her and Marco their space.

She allowed her eyes to drift away from the two, looking for something else to occupy her mind until the main dance of the night began, when her eyes landed on a peculiar sight. It was a large figure, his whole body hidden in a thick, black cloak making him look suspicious and exposed amongst the bright and colorful suits and ballgowns the rest of the guests had on. He definitely stood out like a sore thumb, keeping close to the edges and least populated areas of the ballroom to probably try to attract as little attention as possibly. Jackie wondered how he had gone unseen by the rest of the guests and had yet to be interrogated by the knights considering how much on high alert they had seemed to be. Jackie had a bad feeling about the mysterious figure, something about him just feeling off, more so than just his bizarre appearance. So she concluded to keeping a close watch on him, see where he was going and what he was up to.

…

Once Star and Marco got close to Star's surprise, the princess had her masked bestie close his eyes, guiding him the rest of the way, his hand remaining trapped in hers. Finally they reached their destination, Star stopping and Marco accidentally bumping into her back, but made sure to keep his eyes closed until she said, not wanting to spoil the surprise.

“Okay Marco,” Star said, watching him intensely for his reaction. “You can open your eyes now.”

Marco immediately obeyed, excited to see what surprise Star had in store for him, but his joy switched to confusion as he looked at the large painting of a sailor. “Ohh, it's a... painting?” he said, trying not to sound ungrateful. He cocked his head to the side, before giving his girlfriend a quizzical look. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”

“Not exactly,” Star said, with hidden meaning in her voice. “The truth is there is a secret behind this painting. One you can't tell anyone, okay?” She gave him a very serious look, once again putting a finger to her lips.

Marco's face switched to one of determination, as he nodded, quickly looking back and forth to make sure no one was watching.

“Good,” Star said satisfied, before turning back to the painting. She reaching behind the large frame, lifting it up enough to reveal a hidden room behind the massive picture.

“Wow!” Marco exclaimed, before immediately covering his mouth, blushing at his mistake. He once again did a short scan at the party guests and was relieved that he hadn't attracted any attention. He stepped closer, peeking around the frame at the tunnel that lied within. “A hidden room. So cool,” he whispered in disbelief. Marco turned back to Star. “Where does it lead?” he asked, looking at her quizzically.

“Well that's the surprise,” she responded and Marco's eyes shined with intrigue. The boy didn't even hesitate as he entered into the passage, Star following right after, lowering the heavy object back into place once they were both through, masking their presence within.

…

After watching the cloaked stranger very slowly make his way across the ballroom, still trying to figure out what was so weird about him, Jackie started to notice something off about the way he walked. On first glance, he seemed like he was wandering aimlessly, but their were some tell-tale signs that he was moving with purpose, heading off in a very specific direction. It almost seemed like he was stalking someone. And the fact that he seemed to be watching something intensely only helped add to her theory. Jackie frowned, deciding to follow his gaze to see what had so eagerly captured his attention, but her heart stopped and her body went cold as she spotted Star and Marco, now standing by a large painting.

No, it couldn't be, Jackie thought, her eyes drifting back to the stranger. But now there was no mistaking it, he was following her friends, keeping at a safe distance so as not to be spotted, but his eyes must have never once left them, the two too distracted in each other to notice the sinister presence stalking near. She had to warn them, save them, do something. She couldn't let anything bad happen to the two. She quickly ran back downstairs, going to try and warn some guards or knights and, of course her two besties of the dark presence that everyone was oblivious was now present at the event.

But once she got downstairs, she realized she had somehow lost sight of both the figure and Star and Marco. She tried to remain calm, taking deep, slow breaths as she pulled out her cellphone, turning on the bright screen.

…

Tom had never felt happier, never known the emotion that now washed over him as he and Janna continued on with their dance, caught in their blissful oblivion, the girl's close presence almost more than he could take. His whole body was tingling, his mind numb as Janna clung to him. He could feel her fast pulse from against him and he felt the sensation strangely calming. She never once looked away from him, her brown orbs a strange mix of longing and curiosity and all at once he was tempted to lean down and kiss her, wondering what she tasted like. He felt his cheeks heat up at the thought, the area burning even more than normal as his cheeks were stuck in a constant state of simmer. Though what he didn't know was that they had taken the shape of a flaming heart, Janna just smiling mischievously at her little secret.

She pulled him in a little closer, resting his forehead against hers, her lips almost tauntingly close to his and he knew, by the look in her eyes, it had to be intentional, as she seemed to almost be daring him to do it. Tom gulped, unable to think of the last person who had dared to get this close to him, most too frightened of him to even try, but then, that was Janna, always taking risks and breaking down the barriers he had unintentionally set up without a second thought. How did she always manage to do this to him, what was it about her that turned him into such a blushing, flustered mess?

Without knowing it, he moved in closer to her, his lips reaching out for hers. She was infuriating, always so strange and unpredictable, teasing him when he least expected it and always with that smug smile on her face... that darling, adorable smile. She was different from the others, they all treated him like he was some freak, though they tried to hide it, but she never looked at him that way, she looked at him as if he were just another guy, like he was her friend.

He was getting closer, able to feel her breath against his skin. This was stupid, he didn't like her, did he? Did she like him, was this her attempt to get him or was this just another trick he was falling for? At any second now she was going to flick his face and then laugh at his naivety. Or maybe she did want him to kiss her and this would become his first kiss. But he wasn't sure if it mattered either way. That was just Janna, she was unpredictable, he could never tell what she was going to do or say and that just made him like her all the more.

But just as their lips were about to brush, Tom heard a ringing sound, the sound shattering the perfect moment, as he released an unmanly squeak.

Janna pulled away from Tom and the hot-headed boy felt a rush of regret and sadness, as his dance partner pulled out her phone, checking something, her face for just a second looking worried. She looked back at the boy, who was trying not to show his annoyance over the interruption. “Sorry, something just came up, gotta go,” she said, starting to pull away, but Tom grabbed her arm, holding her in place for a second. “Now wait just a minute!” he said, confused and angered. “What about our dance?!” Tom asked, his voice a startled squeak.

“Well we'll just have to do it again, sometime,” she said, giving him a flirty wink. Then out of nowhere, she leaned in, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, Tom releasing her arm as he put a hand to his blushing cheek. “I had a great time,” she said, before racing away, Tom just watching her wide-eyed, not sure what to think or feel, still unable to believe that that had really just happened to him. But he was thankful no one was watching as a small smile slowly graced his lips. That was before his annoyance resurfaced, realizing Janna had just ditched him, huffing, as he stomped after the girl.

…

“Got your message,” Janna said, coming up behind Jackie, the skater surveying the crowd, looking for something. “So what's the big emergency with our crushing lovebirds?”

“Well they... wait, I never told you it was about Star and Marco,” Jackie pointed out, her attention directed to the creepy girl for a moment, as she raised an eyebrow for being able to guess right so easily.

Janna shrugged. “It's always Star and Marco,” Janna said simply. “Anyways, it has to be something more important than just awkward date stuff if you interrupted my moment with Tom.” There was slight annoyance in her tone and Jackie gave her a sheepish frown, before she went back to looking around.

“Right sorry,” the skater girl said, still slightly distracted. “But yeah, it's a lot worse. I saw some guy in a black cloak following them around.”

Janna looked unsettled at that, unable to mask her concern, but she still asked, “Did he do anything?”

“No, but... I have this really bad feeling. I think Star and Marco are in danger.”

“Well then why didn't you go and warn them, first, then go get me?”

“I lost track of them! I can't find them anywhere!”

“Well, did you try calling them?”

Jackie shook her head. “No point. I have Marco's phone and Star left hers in her room.”

“Great,” Janna deadpanned. She thought for a second, before asking, “Well where did you see them last? Maybe we can track them from there.”

“Ummm,” Jackie hummed thoughtfully, before she pointed off in a direction. “Over by some old painting.”

“Wait.” Janna leaned in closer, giving her an intense glare, causing Jackie to turn back to her in surprise. “Did you say a painting?”

“Yeah.”

“Did it have an old sailor guy on it?”

“Think so.”

Janna nodded, a confident smile on her face. “I know where they are.”

…

Marco kept close to Star as the two traversed the large spiraling staircase, feeling a little uneasy in the dimly lit area. And the further up they went the worse Marco felt, as the familiar tings of dread clung to him, surfacing recent, unwanted memories. It wasn't the first time he had been plagued by the horrid thoughts since the incident, but this one felt far more real than before. Suddenly, he was back in Toffee's lair, being ruthlessly dragged through the dark underground, Marco helpless as he was taken further and further away from Star and the others. A ghost of an ache appeared in his hand and he rubbed at the spot, remembering feeling the backlash of Toffee's tail as it painfully lashed out at him.

He tried to keep his calm, reminding himself that was in the past. Master Toffee was dead, he couldn't hurt him anymore. He was safe now. He was with Star. But he began having trouble breathing, as if he was being chocked by his own dread. That or Toffee had come back from the grave to get his revenge.

“Marco?” The masked boy jumped at the voice, before he looked over at the blond beauty, who was giving him a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Marco said unconvincingly, giving her a tight smile, unaware that he was still rubbing at his wrist. “What would make you ask that?”

“Well you're breathing pretty heavily, is something the matter?”

Marco paused for a second, before telling her the truth. “I-It's just that... this place kinda reminds me of, y'know, when Master To- I mean Toffee kidnapped me is all,” he admitted, trying to sound nonchalant but Star could hear the strain in his voice.

Star gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. “Oh, I'm so sorry, Marco,” Star apologized, guilt evident in her tone. “I didn't even think about that. Do you want to turn back or-”

“No, no,” Marco said, quickly, brushing the thought off. “I'll be fine. I want to see the surprise.”

Star was silent for a moment, watching the boy intensely. Though his expressions were hard to make out through the mask, Star could tell he was still anxious, his hands twitching at his side and his breathing still a little erratic. So, she gently took his hands in hers, giving them an affectionate squeeze. When his eyes locked with hers, she gave him a comforting smile, before saying softly, “Then just keep hold of my hand, okay? It shouldn't be too much farther, but if you feel scared, just remember that I'm here for you.”

Marco smiled, his eyes shimmering, and he nodded, Star's touch filling him with bravery. Once he seemed calm again, Star released one of his hands, leading him through the rest of the way as quickly as she could, Marco just following right after her, keeping his focus on Star's back and listening to the steady echo of their footsteps, refusing to think about the past, concentrating instead on right then and there. For a second, though, he thought he heard a third set of footprints echoing, but decided it was just paranoia and shrugged the thought aside.

Suddenly, Star came to a stop as they reached the top of the staircase, reaching an old, wooden trapdoor in the ceiling above them. Star smiled. “We're here,” she said, before opening the door hatch, helping the excited Marco climb up through the entrance, before following after him.

Marco gaped in awe at the sight before him, as he stood on one of the tallest towers in the castle. It seemed to be an old observation tower, showing the expanse of Mewni from its height and the sight of the sleepy kingdom below and the beautiful star-filled sky lit up red by the glow of the moon was truly a sight to behold. But while the sight was fantastic and unlike anything Marco had ever experienced before, this wasn't what caused Marco's eyes to well up with tears. That was the small little picnic blanket that had been set up for them, a romantic dinner laying out on it, complete with already lit candles which glowed pink, probably made special for that night. Marco turned to Star, the girl giving him a wide, loving smile. “Did you- Is this- This is-is,” Marco stuttered, at a loss for words, just so touched Star had gone through all that trouble for him, staring at the little dinner in silence.

Star put her arms around the boy neck, hugging him from behind, drawing him closer allowing their cheek to touch, both lighting up for a second. “Well we wanted our first date to be special,” Star explained, both of their eyes locked on the picnic. “And since we've already danced once before, I wanted this to be different. So I found out about this tower that had been blocked off years ago and I thought that would be absolutely perfect!” She paused for a moment, staring intently at the masked boy's covered face. “Do you like it?” she asked, biting her lip, slightly worried.

“Are you kidding? I love it!” he exclaimed, rubbing his cheek against hers. “Thank you, Star!”

Star breathed a sigh of relief, releasing her hold on the boy's neck. “Oh I'm so glad you love it, it took forever to bring everything up here,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Marco started to giggle and Star joined in. “It's perfect, Star,” he said, shooting her one of those cute signature smiles that just made Star melt.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice squeaking against her will. “Then let's eat, we have to be back before the blood moon waltz starts.”

The two sat, hand in hand, as they ate the delicious meal, Marco taking off his mask to make eating easier. Nachos, the perfect romantic dinner (in their opinion) as they shared the somehow still warm treat, talking and laughing and just enjoying each others company for what felt like hours. Time seemed to pass slowly as the two became engrossed in one another, sharing a kiss here and there.

Once the food was all gone and the two were properly stuffed, Star moved closer, resting her head on the boy's shoulder, and they both sighed, feeling happy and content, as they just watched the stars in silence, caught up in the beautiful, perfect moment.

But, like all good things, the moment came to an end, as Star noticed the moon was nearly at its peak, realizing that the big dance of the night would start any minute. “Oh no,” she said, sitting up, Marco giving her a confused look. “The dance is gonna start soon,” she explained and Marco gasped, immediately jumping to his feet.

“Then we better hurry!” Marco exclaimed, offering Star a hand up. She smiled and allowed the boy to pull her to her feet.

But as the two turned to leave, they both gasped in shock at the large figure standing on the tower with them, his features hidden under a thick, black cloak of some sort. He just watched them in silence, making the two feel instantly ill at ease. And if that wasn't bad enough, he was also blocking them off from the only exit, the trapdoor still opened wide, meaning he had been able to sneak up behind them, completely unheard. And it was either Mewmans' guess how long he had been watching them, making them both feel quite creeped out.

“Who are you?” Star asked, trying to keep the terror out of her voice, as she moved protectively in front of Marco, shielding him from the unknown stranger. The young royal was now really wishing she had brought her wand with her, knowing it was still in her room, laying on the nightstand next to her mirror phone.

The figure took a single step forward, causing both Star and Marco to take a very abrupt one back. The mysterious stranger threw his hood back, revealing himself to the two and both teen's mouths dropped open, as they stared into the icy, dead eye of a large lizard Monster, one of his eyes missing and replaced with a red ruby gem. He pulled back his cloak as well, all of it resting on one of his shoulders, the two now able to see that his left arm was made out of some kind of high-tech metal and that, even more terrifyingly, he was currently holding a large chainsaw in it.

The lizard smiled sinisterly at their frightened and confused faces, saying in a gruff voice, “My name is Rasticore Chaosus Disastervaine.”

“You're a... Monster,” Marco whispered in disbelief.

“Very observant,” Rasticore commented, sarcastically.

“What do you want from us?” Star asked, mentally scolding herself for allowing her voice to tremble a little.

“I am here because it is time for you to pay for your past misdeeds, Princess Star,” he explained, with a cold smirk. He raised the chainsaw up menacingly, revving it a couple of times to try and frighten them more.

“Please, wait!” Star tried to plead, while moving Marco and herself as far away from the Monster as they could in the limited space of the tower. “You don't have to do this!”

“Yeah, the Monsters don't have to fight with the Mewmans anymore,” Marco pitched in, hoping he could talk the Monster over to his side. “We're at peace now, thanks to Star. She's on your side.” But Rasticore didn't seem fazed by the small speech, as he continued to give them a hard, determined glare, so Marco switched to a different tactic. “Look, you can trust me on this, I'm the son of Buff Frog, the new leader of the Monsters.”

“I know who you are, Marco Diaz,” the lizard replied, as he spat the boy's name. Marco gasped, never having heard anyone call him that before. Diaz? Was that his last name? The word felt unfamiliar to him and yet... strangely right at the same time, as it echoed around his head for a moment. Marco Diaz? His full, real name.

“And it makes no difference to me who you are,” Rasticore continued, cutting into Marco's inner inquiries. “I was simply waiting for the moment when I could catch the princess alone, but since you seem eager to stay by her side, then you too, can share her fate.”

“Look I'm sure whatever it is that the Mewmans did to wrong you, we can help resolve it,” Star said, even knowing that there was little chance of a peaceful solution to this, hoping instead to stall him long enough to find a way out of this mess. She tried to discretely scan the area, but found nothing that could be of any use in escaping the vengeful Monster. The only options the two had was to jump or fight, neither option seeming like it would end particularly well. Still, if she could manage to hold him off long enough then maybe Marco could escape. But without her wand she didn't know if she could be any match for the lizard.

“I could care less about the affairs of Mewni,” Rasticore snapped. “I am only here, because I was hired to capture Princess Star Butterfly.”

Star and Marco were both taken aback by the revelation, Star asking in demand, “What?! Who hired you?! Another Monster?!”

But Rasticore didn't seem interested in answering, as he simply said, “That is none of your concern right now. Besides, you will both know what you are up against very soon.” He tensed himself, ready to quickly overpower the two fancily-dressed teens, now being the perfect moment, both still fazed by his words, leaving them vulnerable and open. He was told not to underestimate the princess, hearing she was far craftier than she let on, but it seemed like she was not the great threat she had been built up as being, not without her wand at least. Of course, the boy was an unexpected development, but Rasticore was sure that capturing him too would work out in their favor. If anything they could use him to get the princess to cooperate if need be.

The lizard let out a battle cry about to lunge toward the two, both Star and Marco screaming, ducking and clinging to each other in anticipation. But their assailant was stopped as something pressed down hard against his tail, pinning Rasticore in place, as he instead almost clumsily fell to the ground. The lizard, feeling momentary confusion, turned around to see what could be preventing him from his catch. Only to find, to his surprise, a smirking Mewman girl stepping on his precious limb. “Oh, sorry, did I come at a bad time?” she asked, with fake sheepishness.

Star and Marco were both relieved to see their half-Monster friend as they shouted, “Janna!”

“Hey get off, brat!” Rasticore growled, swinging a claw at her, which she easily ducked, grabbing his arm at the last second.

“Gladly!” she said, finally pulling her leg off, before easily throwing him over her shoulder and down the opened trapdoor, Janna slamming it shut immediately afterward and locking it tight. The three heard screams and clatters as the Monster began falling down the long staircase, all of them watching the area cautiously. “Janna, thank goodness!” Star cried, throwing her arms around her friend in gratitude, Marco doing the same.

“You saved us!” Marco yelled as well, giving the girl a tight squeeze.

But Janna didn't take the time to enjoy the praise, hearing now only silence below. She quickly peeled the two off of her and pushed them behind her, as her body shifted to it's Monster form. “Not over yet,” she said, seriously.

And it seemed Janna's instincts were correct, as a chainsaw began cutting through the trapdoor from beneath, slicing easily through the thin wood, before some kind of blast destroyed what was left of the door, the three covering their faces from the wood shavings and splinters that now rained down on them.

When the dust settled, they all watched as Rasticore easily hauled himself back up through the hole that was once the trapdoor, an angry gleam in his one eye. “You will pay for that!” he hissed as he did. But his anger switched to surprise as he spotted Janna's sudden change. “An Impure,” he muttered. That was before a sinister smile widened on his face and he chuckled to himself. “Even better.” He revved up the chainsaw menacingly. “Haven't killed one of those in a while.”

“Hah,” Janna laughed dryly, as Star and Marco backed away, giving her her space for the incoming fight. “Like you ever killed one of us with that tacky weapon,” she said, pointing at the chainsaw with a roll of her eyes. “Seriously, that thing is like the loudest, most obnoxious weapon possible, what kind of an assassin are you?”

“The kind that is about to kill you,” he shot back.

“Oh I bet you use that one on all the Impures,” Janna said in a mock flirty tone, shooting him a wink. Star and Marco shared a look with one another, as the two opponents continued to taunt each other, back and forth. Though they were both glad that Janna was there (being the most capable fighter at the moment) and they had silently elected to let her handle the assassin, it did concern them that their half-Monster friend didn't seem to be taking this very seriously. She was acting like this was just another outing with her friends and not a life or death crisis that continued to spiral out of control around them. Then again, they figured it had become a bit of a recurring theme lately for them to be threatened by some dark force with evil intentions in store for them. The two teens wondered if that would ever change or if this would just become the norm for them.

Meanwhile, it seemed Rasticore had finally grown tired of Janna's incessant teasing as he growled darkly, “Enough. Quite stalling, Impure. Come and face me if you dare.”

“Oh, all business, I see,” Janna sighed in annoyance, rolling her eyes. “Alright then, if that's how it's going to be,” she continued, getting down into a fighting stance with a smug, cocky grin on her face, Star and Marco doing the same from behind her. “But I feel I should warn you, you did just interrupt the greatest moment of my life, so don't expect me to go easy on you.” Her eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance.

Rasticore laughed harshly at that. “By all means, freak, don't hold back,” he chuckled. Suddenly, though his tone became dark as he added, “I don't plan to.”

“Okay then, big guy, let's dance,” Janna said, the confidence just radiating off of her.

“Wait, I thought we were going to fight?” Marco asked in confusion, turning to Star with a quizzical look.

…

Jackie quickly made her way through the crowd, searching for any signs of King and Queen Butterfly. After a quick explanation from Janna about where Star and Marco had gone, the creepy girl had taken off to go try and help them out, while Jackie went to warn the royal monarchs about the danger their daughter was in. But so far she had had no luck in finding them, the normally level-headed skater growing frustrated that now, of all times, Star's parents had suddenly disappeared. She just hoped that whoever it was that was stalking Star hadn't gotten to them first.

To say Jackie was panicking by this point was wrong, she was far beyond panicked, though she tried to keep a blank face, not wanting to scare the other guests just yet. If mass panic broke out, she might have even more difficulty finding Star's parents. Plus, she was afraid to reveal to the intruder that his cover had been blown, otherwise who knows what he might end up doing to her two friends. No, it was better to do this as indiscreetly as possible.

“Hey Jackie!” The girl jumped, as a hand landed on her shoulder and she swerved on her heels far too fast. There she stared into the confused face of Ferguson, who was giving her a skeptical look, his hand raised in the air, awkwardly.

“Ferg?” Jackie said, her voice a startled squeak.

“Hey, something wrong?” Ferguson asked, a look of concern crossing his face.

Jackie took a quick deep breath, to calm herself, before she gave him one of her smooth smiles. “Nah, all good. You just startled me a little,” she said, her voice regaining its signature coolness.

“Oh, okay,” Ferg said, looking relieved. “So where's Marco? I've been wanting to say hi to him all night, but I've been having trouble getting away from the wife. You know how protective she can be towards me sometimes.”

More like overbearing and jealous, Jackie thought, but of course didn't say it out loud. “Umm, he's with Star right now. They, uhh, wanted some time alone,” Jackie said, instead.

“Oh, ho, ho, really,” Ferg said, a knowing look on his face, looking quite proud of his friend. “So he did end up with Star. Good for Marco. I totally called that.”

“Think everybody did,” Jackie pointed out. But all she could think about was warning King and Queen Butterfly, her eyes still absentmindedly scanning the ballroom for them, feeling pressured to find them, knowing all three of her friends could be in great danger while she was making awkward small talk. So she tried to very politely and calmly back out of the conversation, saying, “Look, Ferguson, it's been nice talking and all, but I got somewhere to be. So I gotta go, sorry.”

With that, she turned and walked away without another word, leaving Ferguson alone. “Huh, well that was strange,” he muttered to himself.

“Ferguson!” a new voice yelled, a look of fear on the chubby king's face, as he instantly recognized the angry, high-pitched tone of his wife.

He turned to see the Pixie Empress glaring at him, her arms crossed as she seemed to be fuming with rage. “Oh hello, my love,” he started, with a half-flirty, half-frightened smile.

“Were you just talking to another girl?” his 'lovely' wife asked, accusingly.

“Well, yes,” Ferguson admitted sheepishly, before quickly adding, “But she's just a friend, I swear!”

The fairy queen huffed in irritation before grabbing her husband by the ear, dragging him away. “Ow, ow, ow, ow!” Ferguson repeated over and over again in pain, while his wife simply scolded him about his behavior.

“This is not acceptable. This night was supposed to be about us. Not you flirting with the first girl you come across. Honestly, first you sneaking out to go to some dirty peasant's ball and now this!”

“I'm sorry, my love! Ow! Whatever you say, my love!” Ferguson cried, hoping to calm his jealous wife.

Meanwhile, Jackie sighed, glad she had been able to duck out of that conversation quickly, now she could focus on finding-

“Jackie!” The skater girl groaned, as she recognized the boy yelling, turning to see Tom stomping over to her, looking as angry as ever. “Not now,” she muttered to herself, still feeling rushed to find the royal monarchs.

“Have you seen Janna?” Tom asked, once he caught up to her.

“Tom, I'm kinda busy right now so-” Jackie started.

“That girl is so frustrating!” the flaming boy shouted, his cheek flames growing some in size, as he pouted to the girl. “First, she asked me to dance and then she just takes off without even an explanation for why!”

“Tom, look I don't have time to-”

“Can you believe that?!” he continued his rant, ignoring the girl, his eyes starting to glow red and his voice beginning to deepen. “I mean, seriously, what is her deal?!”

“Tom!” Jackie shouted, finally getting his attention, as he turned to her in surprise, his eyes going back to normal. Now that the boy was silent, Jackie was able to take in a deep breath, saying in a much softer tone, “The reason Janna left is because she is helping me with something important.”

“And what's that?” Tom asked.

“I can't say,” Jackie replied.

“Wait, seriously?!”

“Yes, seriously,” she shot back. “And I'm kinda in a hurry, so-”

She started to take off, but Tom moved so he was blocking her path. “Oh no, I'm not getting ditched by two girls tonight, one is bad enough,” he said, firmly.

“Tom,” Jackie started in a scolding tone. But when he still didn't budge, she sighed, pinching the bridge of her noise in annoyance. “Look, I don't have time to explain everything, but I need to find the King and Queen as quickly as I can. It's an emergency.”

Tom hesitated for a moment, before his determination returned full force. “Well, I'm not moving until you tell me what's wrong,” he said, her pleading doing nothing to shake his resolve, crossing his arms and giving her a hard stare, much to the skater's annoyance.

Jackie could feel the seconds ticking by and knew she didn't have time to stand there and argue. She bit her lip, still not sure if she could trust the over-emotional teen, but she didn't feel she had any choice anymore. “Fine,” she said, with an exasperated sigh.

…

Rasticore rushed Star, Marco, and Janna with a yell, moving at a far faster speed than any of them were expecting, Janna ducking under the spinning chainsaw at the last second, feeling the air whoosh past her at breakneck speeds. But she was the lucky one, as Rasticore's tail whipped out, wrapping around Star's waist and throwing the princess into Marco, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Janna, seeing this, quickly sent a well-timed kick into the lizard's stomach, forcefully pushing him back, his boots sliding across the cold stone, but he managed to remain standing under the impact. In fact, it was far lighter than most of the other Impures he had faced before, still quite strong, no doubt, but manageable. Rasticore held back a smile, this would be easier than he thought.

He wasted no time at all as he charged again, clutching the spinning blade tightly in his claws, as he readied himself to strike the half-monster girl, but this time Janna was ready for it. She easily dodged his attack and the next one and the next, moving out of the way of the assassin's noisy weapon, weaving around the trained killer, as he slashed at her again and again.

But Rasticore was far from discouraged, as he simply waited patiently for an opening to present itself, knowing the girl's inexperience would eventually leave her vulnerable. And he didn't have to wait long, as she accidentally stepped into a bad position dodging out of the way from the sawblade that came dangerously close to her head, too focused on avoiding the noisy weapon to notice, as she almost tripped. And in that second of hesitation, Rasticore kicked her feet out from under her, causing the girl to fall backward.

Janna felt the air knocked out of her lungs as her back slammed into the rough, stone ground, leaving her coughing as she tried to regain her air flow. But she didn't have long to recover, as Rasticore, now standing over her, thrust his chainsaw down at her, Janna catching it between her hands at the last second. It then became a battle of strength, as Rasticore pushed down on the sawblade, trying to overpower the girl and hit her with the deadly weapon.

Meanwhile, it was taking every ounce of strength for Janna to keep the sawblade at bay, even her enhanced strength no match for the lizard's metal claw, as the deadly weapon hovered dangerously close to her head. She tried not to show it, but Rasticore could tell by the strained look in her eyes that she was struggling to hold him off.

“What's the matter, Impure?” he taunted, still only griping the blade at half-strength. “Not as strong as you think you are.”

Janna only gritted her fanged teeth in response, as the Monster began to slowly overpower his victim, pressing down even harder on his prized weapon. The sawblade began to hover closer and closer to the girl, moving slowly toward her, inch by precious inch, the roar of the chainsaw now deafening to the half-Monster girl.

Rasticore, knowing he had won, said in harsh voice, “Goodbye Impure!” the gears in his metal arm tightening as he prepared to force the chainsaw down with all his might. But just before he could give one final push, he heard a yell behind him. “Leave her alone!” The next thing he knew Star and Marco, now recovered from his first attack, jumped onto his back, kicking and punching at him, as they clung tightly to his cloak. Though, their brave display did nothing to harm him in the least, it did distract him from his task, focusing on prying the two annoying teens off of his back, his grip loosening some on his chainsaw, allowing Janna to finally push the spinning blade some away from herself and give her a bit of breathing room.

Meanwhile, Rasticore, annoyed and frustrated with the two, managed to knock the two off of him, as he swerved and hit them with the back of his claw, the two once again falling to the floor, releasing a pained grunt.

Janna seeing her friends hurt, felt a rush of anger course through her and she quickly shifted to her bat form, flying out of the way as the chainsaw suddenly fell to the floor with a loud clunk. The Monster assassin stumbled, still leaning heavily on the blade, thrown off by the sudden disappearance of his opponent. He swerved back around in confusion and that was when Janna turned back to her Monster form, punching him as hard as she could in the face, sending him flying back.

Rasticore slid across the rough stone ground, breaking it beneath him as he went, until he finally came to a painful stop, hitting his head against the brick wall.

He sat up, rubbing his aching head, looking for his weapon, which had slipped out of his grip when he fell. He spotted it laying close by and he reached out to grab it. But Princess Star picked it up at the last second, holding it awkwardly in her hands as she backed away from the Monster, keeping a close eye on him.

“Give that back, princess,” he growled as he rose to his feet, Star trying not to show her fear as he stalked closer, his serpent eye narrowing on her form. Janna tried to interfere, as she ran at the Monster with a raised fist, but the assassin easily backstepped the swing, before grabbing onto her arm and throwing her into the brick wall. Janna hit the wall with a thud, before collapsing to the ground and Star screamed in panic, “Janna!”

That was when Rasticore chose to pounce, quickly closing the distance between him and his prey. Star tried to move out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough with the uncomfortable boots on, her choice in fashion betraying her it seemed, as the assassin easily overpowered her and reclaimed his chainsaw. He now held the spinning blade in his good claw, while keeping the girl's arms pinned behind her back with his metallic claw. “Let me go!” Star screamed, struggling as she tried to somehow break free from the Monster's literal iron grasp.

Rasticore, on the other hand was just focusing on his mission, pleased that he had just accomplished his main objective, his target finally captured. Now all he had to do was bring the pretty princess back to-

“Hey!” a voice yelled, snapping Rasticore out of his inner thoughts, not even having time to react as something was thrown over him... something hot. The next thing the lizard knew, his skin felt like it was on fire, a burning sensation spreading across his face and shoulders.

Marco just watched as the lizard monster screamed in pain from beneath the flaming picnic blanket, still holding one of the lit candles from their dinner, the boy thankful he had been right about the lizard's crystal eye being a blind spot, making him capable of sneaking up on the assassin. Rasticore became more and more frantic as he tried to pry the burning thing off of him, dropping his hold on the chainsaw in his flame-filled panic and releasing his grip on Star.

The girl immediately pulled away and ran into the arms of her savior, wrapping her arms tightly around him. “Thanks for the save,” she said, giving him a grateful squeeze.

“Anytime,” Marco replied gladly, his cheeks turning bright pink. But remembering the dangerous situation they were still in, he pulled a little out of the hug, quickly adding, “Now let's hurry and get out of here.”

“You're not going anywhere!” Rasticore's angry yell cut through the moment, the two turning to see the lizard glaring at them, holding what was left of the burnt blanket in his hand, small patches of flames on his cloak, which he seemed to be ignoring. His serpent eyes narrowed on the two, clearly infuriated with the Mewman teens. “I have had just about enough of your little, childish tricks!” He held out his metal claw, a spark of energy beginning to gather around his iron palm. “This ends here!” he hissed, the energy growing and expanding, until it covered his entire claw, before it all was released in a hot blast of unstoppable energy.

…

Queen Moon and King River wandered around the party for awhile, greeting all of their guests and tending to any problems that arose, which so far were few and far between. Moon, however, was keeping an eye out for her daughter, having not seen Star for quite a while now. She figured she could just be off somewhere with Marco, since she had been excused from having to deal with any regal matters for the night, but still Star had seemed rather eager to partake in the festivities, so the queen found it rather strange that she had just vanished into thin air.

Where is that girl? she wondered to herself.

But Moon was pulled out of her thoughts, as River suddenly said, “It's almost time now, is it not, my love?” When Moon turned to her husband in confusion, he gestured upward and she quickly followed his gaze to the ceiling of the ballroom.

There she could see the large stone hand, which had a crescent moon shaped crystal embedded in it, which was slowly starting to glow red, signifying the blood moon was about to be in position. “Yes, it would seem so,” Moon agreed, making her way to the stage, River following closely after. She ascended the steps with a delicate grace that only a lifetime of training could allow, before moving to the front of the stage, where some servants had just finished setting up the microphone.

Moon whispered her thanks to the bowing staff, before she cleared her throat, respectfully. The lights and music dulled, the chattering crowd going silent as all eyes were directed on the Queen of Mewni. She waited until everyone had completely settled down, before saying in a regal, dignified voice, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to announce that it is now time for the main dance of the evening. In a moment, the light of the blood moon will shine down and selects its chosen couple, and through their dance it will bind their souls together for eternity. So it is now, that I ask that you turn your eyes skyward as we witness an unspeakable magic that can only be seen once every six centuries. ”

Everyone eagerly turned to stare up at the glowing crystal, waiting for the big moment, their fingers crossed in the hopes that they would be selected.

…

Star was just about to try and dodge the lizard's incoming beam, but Marco beat her to it, instinctively moving Star out of the way of the burst of energy, doing the only thing he could think of at the moment, resulting in him pulling her into a graceful dip. Star lost her breath, as she clung tightly onto Marco, not expecting the sudden dance move, the boy suspending her there in mid-air, as the laser blast sailed over their heads, harmlessly. But the two felt their cheeks grow hot as their eyes locked, both wide with surprise.

And at that exact moment, the moon reached its peak in the star-filled sky, casting its blood red beams down on the world below, lighting up its selected targets in its crimson glow. Star and Marco were rendered speechless, as the red light fell upon them, the world seeming to slow to a crawl, as the wondrous moment seemed to hold them there, trapped in time. Everything else vanished in an instant, the danger and the fear and the hurry, until all that was left was just the two of them, caught in the blood light's hypnotic glow, their cheek marks changing to red crescent moons without their knowledge.

The two were seized by an overwhelming emotion, feeling a strange sensation spread through them as, suddenly, the couple could feel the other's heartbeat beating in time to their own, pounding against their chest like a lifeline. And, for just a moment, their minds linked, hearing each others thoughts ringing through their head. Space and distance didn't seem to matter anymore, vanishing into nothingness, and suddenly they were no longer Star or Marco... they were now Star and Marco. Starco. One soul, bound together beneath a single crimson light.

Meanwhile, Rasticore just glared at the two with growing disgust and irritation. He had been caught off guard by the sudden bright beam shooting down from the heavens and landing on his prey, freezing up for a second. He had of course known about the blood moon, but he hadn't expected it to start its binding ceremony or whatever right in the middle of their fight. He looked up at the source of the bright light, as he growled at the crimson moon in annoyance, “Really?!”

He wished stuff would stop getting in the way of his job. And as he looked back at the two, he almost gagged at the love-struck look in their eyes, not even aware he was there anymore it seemed. But Rasticore recovered quickly, once he realized he could use this to his advantage, raising his metal claw again, aiming right at the two lovebirds, as it began charging with energy.

“That's right, princess, enjoy your moment with your little boyfriend,” he muttered to himself with an evil grin. “It'll be your last.”

But just before Rasticore fired the blast, Janna tackled him, knocking him to the ground and sending the beam sailing harmlessly over her two friend's heads. Though they were undamaged by the failed attack, it did manage to snap the two out of their moment, as Marco quickly lifted Star back up to her feet and the two pulled away from each other, though their eyes remained locked. Once they had separated, the red light ceased its shine, the moon's brightness fading back to its regular luminosity, and their cheek marks returned back to their signature form, though they were still glowing brighter than usual due to the teens' blushing.

The two just stood there, breathless, as they tried to make sense of the feelings and emotions they had just experienced, not sure what to make of the magical moment, both wondering the exact same thing, What was that?

…

Queen Moon frowned, watching in growing disappointment as the light from the crystal finally faded altogether, the blood moon passing over the ballroom it seemed, selecting its two lovers outside of their area. Poor Star, Moon couldn't help but think to herself as she heard several grumbles and dejected sighs from the guests.

She had been so excited at the thought that her and her boyfriend might have had their loved sealed together in the once-in-a-lifetime magical ceremony. Personally, Moon found that a bit forward, since they had only been dating for a few months but still, she hadn't wished her daughter to be disappointed. Besides, considering how close she was to the orphan boy and how much he had done to help her daughter grow and be joyful again, she had admittedly been a bit hopeful herself that the two would be chosen.

She scanned the crowd in search of finding her most-likely disheartened daughter, wanting to at least try and comfort her. But again, Star still seemed to be missing, which was extremely confusing and a little concerning to Moon. Why would Star not be present for the blood moon?

“Queen Moon! King River!” Moon turned in surprise to see one of Star's orphan friends, Jackie she believed her name was, running over to them, looking quite upset about something. But Moon's was even more surprised to see Prince Tom being willingly dragged behind the girl, his face set in a worried frown.

“Jackie? Thomas?” Moon said in shock, raising an eyebrow in confusion, as the two finally reached the Butterflies, not even bothering with the stairs as they climbed up onto the stage.

“Your Majesties, something's wrong!” Jackie quickly blurted out, but making sure to keep her voice down enough so it wouldn't be picked up on the microphone.

“What seems to be the trouble?” River asked, also looking baffled.

“There's an intruder in the castle and I think he's after Star!” Jackie immediately replied, her voice tight with worry, not even bothering to take any time to ease them into the bad news gently.

Moon and River's eyes widened, their blood going cold at the girl's words, fear consuming the two parents at the thought that their daughter could be in danger. “Star,” Moon repeated numbly.

…

Rasticore, infuriated with his half-breed opponent, shoved Janna off of him with his metal claw before rising back to his feet. He tried to once again fire a quick blast at Star and Marco, who were still staring at each other in a love-struck daze, but was stopped by a punch in the face from Janna. Once the lizard had been knocked back, Janna risked a look over at the couple, saying in slight annoyance, “Hey look I know this is a big moment for you two and I hate to ruin it and all, but could you please not just stand there like sitting ducks!”

Star and Marco finally looked over to her with wide-eyes, blinking, as they suddenly seemed to remember the danger they were still in. “Oh right, sorry,” they both said at the same time, sheepishly rubbing the back of their necks.

Janna was about to comment on the weirdly synchronized moment, but was distracted as Rasticore rushed toward her, swinging his chainsaw toward her side and she had to instead focus on not getting cut in half by the infuriated Monster. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding the spinning blade, before shifting to her bat form in an attempt to dodge his furious assault. He was becoming more and more venomous with his strikes, having clearly lost any and all patience as he held nothing back on the half-Monster girl, who was weaving her way around the chainsaw from mid-air.

Meanwhile, Star and Marco were about to try and lend their support, Star taking off her boots to make moving around easier. “Hang on, Jan! We're coming!” Star shouted, as she struggled to remove the uncomfortable shoes.

“No, you two stay back!” Janna shouted, shifting back to her Monster form a safe distance away from her opponent, keeping a weary eye on him for any sudden movements. “I can handle this guy!” She gave them a smug smirk to show her confidence, but Star and Marco looked far from convinced, surprised by the response, not sure how to feel about sitting out the rest of the fight. But at the same time, neither wanted to risk endangering their partner, so they stayed put.

Rasticore, however, merely smiled before saying in a gruff voice, “Still so confident, are we, Impure?”

He lunged forward with incredible precision, the girl side-stepping out of the way of his swinging blade with a bored look on her face, making a show of stifling a fake yawn. “I'm always confident,” she answered, provokingly. Janna then, kicked the lowered blade away, causing Rasticore to stumble slightly. He growled at the girl, before swinging the blade at her in retaliation. She dodged another precise swing from the lizard's chainsaw, before turning into a bat, flying even farther away from where Star and Marco were, trying to lure him as far away from them as she could. Once she felt she was in right spot, she shifting back, landing gracefully on her feet. “Especially when I'm about to win,” she added, her fangs flashing at him from beneath her smug, obnoxious grin.

Rasticore felt white-hot anger rushing through his blood, but he quickly subdued it, keeping a steady, focused mind. He chuckled, as he calmly walked closer to the girl, allowing his chainsaw to drag the ground behind him, sparking menacingly. “You must think you're so clever, Impure,” he spat at her harshly. “Think you can just taunt me into losing control so that you can beat me, oh so easily, and look like a hero in front of your friends.”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Janna shot back.

“Than you are just like every other Impure I have ever faced. They all thought that that would work, too, thought that they could get me to slip up and make a mistake. You freaks are all the same. Thinking that silver tongue of yours can save you, but it can't.”

“Hate to break it to you, pal, but I'm not like the others you've faced before,” Janna said, still showing no signs of fear in her tone. “Seriously, I helped to kill Toffee. The leader of all Monsters. So what do you got that can take me on? You're just a half-baked assassin. This is nothing compared to him.”

Rasticore's eyes seemed to narrow even more. “So that's how the princess was able to kill the Invincible Monster, she had the help of an Impure,” he muttered to himself. “Regardless,” the lizard continued, much louder. “You cannot win this fight.”

“Really?” Janna chuckled, obnoxiously.

“Yes,” Rasticore growled in reply, before lunging at her, his chainsaw spinning away. Janna smiled at the predictable attack, waiting until the last second to jump, using the lizard's thrusting arm as support as she sailed over his head, leaving Rasticore unable to stop as his chainsaw rammed instead into one of the stone blocks that surrounded the tower. There was an ear-bleedingly loud screech, as metal collided with brick, his spinning sawblade forcefully cutting its way through the thick mortar, before becoming jammed within. The chainsaw turned itself off, as it lost its battle against the troublesome stone, Rasticore gaping in horror as his prized weapon was now trapped inside a block of stone.

He quickly began pulling on it with all his might, trying to free the blade, but it seemed it was stuck tight, not even budging against the lizard's powerful grip. “Come on, you stupid block! Ugh, just move already!” he hissed in frustration.

Meanwhile, Janna ran over to join Star and Marco, who could only stare open-mouthed at what had just occurred. “Janna, that was amazing!” Marco praised his creepy friend.

“Thanks,” she replied, looking quite proud of the praise. “I just bought us some time, but that probably won't hold him for long.”

“Then let's get out of here!” Star and Marco said as one, even their actions and tones mimicking one another perfectly. The two looked at each other in surprise, covering their mouths as their faces both blushed bright red.

“Okaaayy,” Janna said, raising an eyebrow at the two. “Well that was new.”

Before either Star or Marco could respond, they all heard a familiar blast, turning to see Rasticore lifting his chainsaw from the pile of crumbled stone he had just created with his laser.

“Ugh, seriously, does this guy ever give up?!” Janna shouted in frustration, rolling her eyes.

“Run!” Star shouted and the other two obeyed her, all of them heading for the trapdoor as fast as they could.

Rasticore saw his prey escaping and didn't even hesitate as he quickly shot off after them, running at them full speed, quickly gaining on the three teens. He raised his metal claw, firing off another beam of charged energy in their direction. But it missed the three, rocketing between Janna and Star, and instead hitting the ground in front of them, creating a small explosion that threw all of them back.

As Rasticore drew ever closer, he reached out a claw toward the fallen princess, who was trying to recover from the unexpected blast, looking quite disoriented as she clutched at her aching head. Just before he reached her, Janna jumped in the way, grabbing onto Rasticore's metal claw and digging her heels into the ground, managing to stop him in his tracks. She then quickly grabbed his other, regular arm, to keep him from hitting her with the deadly chainsaw. It once again became a power struggle as Janna tried to hold Rasticore off and the assassin tried to overpower the half-Monster girl.

“Janna!” Star shouted in worry, finally recovering enough to see the position her friend was in, Marco laying unconscious next to her.

Janna was struggling to hold the Monster off, giving everything she had into pushing him away, her arms shaking as they began to give out under his far stronger hold. Rasticore, with his metal arm, was clearly superior to Janna, it taking everything she had just to hold him at bay. “Still getting in my way, Impure,” Rasticore hissed, darkly. “That is a mistake you will soon regret!”

“The only one who made any mistakes here is you for thinking you could mess with Star,” Janna shot back, straining to hold him back.

Rasticore laughed cruelly at that. “Hardly. Once you're out of the way, taking the princess will be child's play.” He then, still holding a steady grip on the girl, allowed the energy to gather in his metal palm, all of it coursing through Janna, causing the girl to scream in pain as her body went numb, being electrocuted by the cruel assassin.

Star rose to her feet, screaming, “No! Stop it, let her go!”

Rasticore smiled evilly at this, obeying the princess as he released his grip on the half-Monster girl, Janna's body going limp as she collapsed to the ground in front of him. Rasticore then held the chainsaw up over the Impure's form, the chainsaw spinning ominously in his grip and Star's eyes widened in horror.

“Janna, no!” Star cried, tears filling her vision, as she raced over to her friend, intent on stopping the cruel Monster from carrying out his promise. But Rasticore knew the blond royal couldn't reach him in time and so he smiled victoriously at the hated Impure, who seemed for the moment to be unconscious.

“Goodbye, half-breed,” he hissed, raising his chainsaw to strike. But he stopped as something flaming and hot hit him directly in the face, causing him to stumble back, screaming in unexpected pain as he covered the now burning part of his body. He growled in anger, believing the attack to have come from Star's annoying little boyfriend, foolishly throwing candles at him or something and he swore to end him. But as he looked up, shooting the boy a death glare, he froze in surprise at who he saw instead. It was another teenage boy in a fancy white tux with purple skin and flaming red hair. His eyes glowed a sinister red and his cheeks were lit by a roaring and out of control flame, much like the one that covered his own body at the moment. He hovered in the air above the destroyed trapdoor, small flames below his feet allowing him to do so and Rasticore cringed as he recognized the boy as none other than the Prince of the Underworld himself: Tom Lucitor.

“Get away from her, now!!” the boy screamed in a deep and terrifying voice, even Princess Star having stopped to watch the young prince, though judging by the conflicted look she was giving him, she clearly didn't know how she felt about seeing him there. It was also at this moment, that Marco seemed to have awoken, sitting up and rubbing at his head, looking up at the flaming teen with surprise.

Before Rasticore could even react, Tom held out a hand and sent a fireball spiraling toward him, the lizard moving out of the way just in time to keep from getting burned. He began backing farther and farther away as Tom flew closer. “How dare you attack her, you jerk!!” he continued, his voice a deep rumble, the flames around him growing in size and strength, as his red-tinted eyes narrowed on the Monster's form. “I'm gonna burn you to a crisp!”

Before the hot-headed teen could follow through on his anger, though, they all heard a voice call from below the trapdoor, “They're up this way!”

Star and Marco gasped as they recognized the voice to be Jackie, followed by what sounded like a large group of people's footsteps racing up the staircase. Rasticore felt his blood run cold as he recognized the tell-tale sounds of trained soldier's approaching. He was a good enough assassin to know when it was time to give up and accept defeat, his cover was blown and his capture was now inevitable. Not to mention, if he stuck around there much longer he was also at risk of Prince Tom vengefully setting him on fire. His mission was now officially a failure.

He gave one last glare at the princess, saying in a definitive voice, “This is far from over, Princess Star. Someday soon we will make you pay for your crimes.”

“We?” Star repeated. “Who are you working for?!” But Rasticore didn't answer, as he then held up his chainsaw. Star, Marco, and Tom watching in disbelief as he used it to cut open a dimensional tear right in front of them. “Hey!” Tom screamed seeing his opponent about to escape, shooting another fireball his way. “Don't you run away from me!” But Rasticore was already gone, stepping through the make-shift portal, before it vanished altogether, the flames hitting the spot where the assassin had been just a second too late.

Tom surprisingly didn't dwell on this, however, as all at once, all the anger seemed to leave his body, replaced instead with fear, as he flew over to where Janna lay. Star and Marco did the same, the princess helping the boy to his feet, before joining Tom by the creepy girl's form. “Janna, are you okay?” Star asked, as the three knelt down to examine the dark-haired girl, though they all instantly sighed in relief as they noticed that she had thankfully woken up, rubbing at her sore head, even taking off the beanie to do so.

“Yeah, I'm good,” she responded in typical Janna fashion, though she sounded exhausted. “But just so you know this is by far the worst dance I have ever been to.”

Star shook her head at the girl's attempt to lighten the mood, responding tearfully, “Noted,” before she swept her up in a tight hug. “Thank you,” she muttered into the girl's ear and Janna smiled sweetly at her royal friend.

“Uh, do I get a thank you, too?” Tom asked pointing to himself, giving the girl a hopeful smile.

Star thought for a moment, giving the boy a hard look, before saying, “Yeah, I guess so. Thanks Tom.”

Tom's face seemed to brighten at the that, until Star added, “But I'm still really mad at you!”

Tom flinched, before silently nodding in understanding, not wanting to make things worse by speaking. At least it was still some small progress. He decided it was best to leave it at that.

Marco looked back to the trapdoor, as Jackie finally led the guards to the top, all of them quickly spreading out on the tower, Skullnick barking orders to all of them. A thought suddenly struck Marco as he nervously whispered over to the girl, “Janna, you still look like a Monster.”

Janna, realizing the boy was right, quickly shifted back to her Mewman form, as Tom and Star helped her to her feet. Jackie raced over to the group, quickly asking, “What happened? Are you guys alright?”

“Yeah, we're fine, Jacks,” Marco replied, giving her a comforting smile.

Jackie let out a relieved breath, as she pulled both Star and Marco into a tight hug. “Thank goodness, I was so worried about you two.”

“I'm fine too, by the way,” Janna said, sarcastically, still leaning against Tom as support.

“Where's the intruder?!” Skullnick's voice boomed directly behind them, making all of the teens jump. They hadn't even heard the troll general approaching.

“He got away,” Star explained, once she recovered from her shock. “He used his chainsaw to somehow open a dimensional portal, it must be how he got into the castle in the first place.”

“An unsanctioned dimensional transporter?” Skullnick roared, sounding beside herself at the idea. “Ohhh, Heckapoo is gonna get an earful for this!” But before, the ranting general could question her further, she was interrupted as Star heard two very familiar voices calling her name.

“Star!” The young blond felt her throat becoming chocked up as she saw her parents now standing on the old tower as well, accompanied by several knights, the look of worry on their faces melting into one of relief as they saw their daughter unharmed. “Mom! Dad!” Star cried, as she quickly ran over to them and threw her arms around them in a hug.

“Oh, my dear, we were so worried!” Moon said, squeezing her back, Star able to hear the fear still laced in her mother's voice, something they had no doubt been feeling for the last several minutes. General Skullnick just stood by at firm attention, awaiting for the right moment to speak, watching as the Butterfly Family reunited in silence, knowing better than to interrupt this important moment.

“Are you alright, darling?” River asked, seriously.

“Yes, I'm fine,” Star chocked out, tearfully, soaking in the feeling of her parent's warmth.

“Good,” River said. But as Star finally pulled away, her father's face shifted from one of relief to one of pure anger, as she rumbled loudly, “Now then, tell me where is that vile villain who dares to try and harm my daughter?!” River began looking feverishly around for his daughter's attacker, his barbarian roots returning as his parental instincts pushed out any regality he had gained over the years, sounding like he was ready to rip the guy in half with his bare hands. Which, in all likeliness, was probably true.

“He's gone, papa,” Star replied, reassuringly. “He escaped.”

“How on Mewni did you manage to avoid his capture?” Moon asked, ignoring her husband's outburst, as she brushed a stray hair out of her daughter's face. She surveyed the half-destroyed tower for a moment, taking in the destroyed brickwork that looked like it had been in some sort of explosion and the array of burnt wood fragments scattered around the tower. “It looks like a battlefield up here!”

“Umm, well, we just got lucky, I guess,” Star said, looking back at her friends, who were just quietly listening to the Butterfly family's discussion, though they all tried to hide their troubled look at this question, none of them not wanting the king and queen to know the truth about Janna.

River laughed at that. “Hah. Luck probably had nothing to do with it,” the king said, patting his daughter proudly on the shoulder. “My daughter is resourceful and skilled, just like her old man. You probably gave that assassin what for.”

“Well, however you did it, I'm just glad you're safe,” Moon said, though Star could hear admiration in her voice as well and Star felt her cheeks heating up against her will.

“Thanks,” Star said with a shy smile, still not used to her parents praising her like that.

“But who was it, Star?” Moon asked. “Do you know who did this?”

Skullnick leaned in a little to hear the answer better.

Star hesitated before answering. “H-He said his name was Rasticore,” she said, carefully.

“Rasticore,” Moon muttered, clearly trying to think if she had heard the name before.

“Yes, but...” Star looked back at the general for a moment, who was watching her intently with piercing eyes, her arms folded in waiting. The blond royal quickly pulled her parents away and out of earshot of the general, much to their confusion and slight worry. “But there's one more thing you should know,” she said, in a lowered voice, looking between both of her parents seriously. She took in a sharp breath, before admitting, “The assassin who attacked me was a Monster.”

“What?!” Moon said in disbelief.

“But I don't think he was with the other Monsters,” Star quickly added, before her mother could get any angrier. “I mean, he did say he was hired by someone else, but I just... don't think any of the Monsters had anything to do with it, he said he wasn't interested in Monster affairs.”

Her parents shared a look.

“And who do you think it was then?” River asked.

Star paused, before answering in a soft whisper, “I-I don't know.”

Moon put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, looking deep into her eyes as she said reassuringly, “We'll find him, Star. As well, as whoever it is he is working for. They won't get away with this again.”

Star said nothing else, just nodding numbly to her parents.

…

The ball was quickly concluded after that, the Butterflies giving a hasty and rushed ending speech, before shooing the regal guests away, thanking them all for coming before sending them on their way to their respective dimensions. The party goers, of course, obeyed the request of their gracious hosts, but couldn't help but feel there was more to the story than they were being told, the normally level-headed rulers seeming bizarrely on edge that evening. Still, most of them concluded that they were probably just stressed out over trying to establish a diplomatic relationship with their longtime enemies, the Monsters. None of them aware of the real reason for their lead rulers stress, Queen Moon and King River making sure to keep them in the dark about the almost disastrous incident, knowing it could prove to be problematic if word got out that a rogue Monster had attempted to take out the future ruler in what was supposed to be the safest and most secure place in Mewni. They just hoped they could get it to stay that way.

Once the castle was cleared of any prying, quizzical eyes, the knights and guards began searching every inch of the castle for any signs of any other intruders, just in case the assassin wasn't acting alone, and looking for any forms of clues that could help them capture the Monster, including interrogating the two knights who had been knocked out by Rasticore when he snuck inside, as well as Star and her friends.

After answering a long and exhausting amount of questions from General Skullnick herself, Star, Marco, Tom, Jackie, and Janna had finally been dismissed and allowed to go about their business as usual. Somehow Star ended up sitting on the front steps leading out to the castle gardens, lost deep in her own troubled thoughts, so deep she was unaware of the knights that constantly paraded around her... or the young fancily dressed Mewman slowly coming up behind her.

“Can I sit?” Marco asked the girl, Star not even turning to acknowledge him.

“Sure,” she replied, softly.

But Marco took the invitation, as he down next to Star, watching her intensely. “Wow, so... that was crazy,” he said, not sure what else to say.

“Yeah it was,” Star agreed sadly, refusing to meet his eyes, instead focusing on one of the ribbons of her dress, which had been ripped somehow during the ordeal.

The two went quiet after that, neither sure what else to say, Star just staring off into space, while Marco shifted uncomfortably next to her, silently pretending to look out at the lush gardenscape, while eying his troubled bestie out of the corner of his eye. The moment continued to stretch out for far too long, Marco beginning to feel an awkward tension starting to form between the two, coughing once to try and lighten the mood a bit, as well as clear his tight throat.

“Sooo, that Monster, what do you think he wanted?” Marco risked asking.

“I have no idea,” Star replied, rubbing a hand up and down her arm as if she were cold. “I just hope this doesn't ruin everything we worked for.” Marco knew exactly what Star meant, the same questions and worries now plaguing his own mind. Though they were at peace, it seemed it was a very fragile one, the years of hatred and oppression causing unrest between the two sides and any incident like this, regardless of why, could prove to be fuel to reignite the violent nature of the two races.

“I'm sure it'll work out,” Marco said, encouragingly, still refusing to give up hope. They had to keep the peace, he wouldn't allow anymore Mewmans or Monster to kill one another needlessly. “Right now nobody even knows about any of this yet.”

“But what happens if they do find out?” Star cried, her voice filled with desperation, as she nervously played with a strand of her hair. “The Mewmans might end up blaming the other Monsters for the attack! They'll be afraid of them all over again! They might even try and get revenge! What would we do then?!”

“Then we'd find a way to make it right,” Marco said confidently. He paused for a second before adding in a strong, sure tone, “But it's not gonna come to that, Star. You, me, your parents, Buff Frog, we won't let what Toffee did to happen ever again. Things are different now, we have each other.” Marco blushed on the last word, his mind drifting to earlier, remembering how it had felt when he and Star had been caught in the light of the blood moon, remembering the feeling of her heartbeat inside his chest and her loving words drifting through every corner of his mind, wondering how much of that had been real.

Star sniffed, wiping a frustrated tear out of her eye. “I guess you're right,” she said, sounding slightly reassured, a small smile gracing her lips for a moment. But it vanished in a flash, as she went back to playing with the ripped fabric on her dress, still not even looking in his direction, which caused Marco quite a bit of concern, the boy realizing there was something else causing her so much distress.

“Star, what's really wrong?” Marco asked, worriedly, placing a hand ontop of hers, preventing her hands from fiddling anymore, as she looked over into his eyes, Marco still left breathless by the beautiful sky blue irises focusing on him.

Star looked deep into the chocolate brown of Marco's eyes for a moment, still quite amazed how easily Marco had seen through her. She couldn't keep anything from him for long, he knew her too well. “It's just that,” Star said, before releasing a depressed sigh. “I just... I wanted our first date to be perfect... not nightmare inducing. And now the whole night was ruined.” She propped her head on her hand, as she looked out into the dark woods, the dejection in her actions, unmistakable.

Marco thought for a second, trying to come up with a way to cheer his bestie up. Honestly, he couldn't pretend being almost kidnapped by a Monster wasn't terrifying and hadn't left him feeling on edge, the boy now left with quite a few things to think about, outside of just the unrest between his two families. Most notably being the name Rasticore had called him. Diaz. He would have to talk to Buff Frog soon, ask him if the assassin was telling the truth about that being his last name, the name he shared with his parents, the last remnant he had of them.

But that would have to wait until a later date, right now his focus was on his girlfriend and making her happy. So he forced out all the questions and worries as he looked around for an idea. His eyes, eventually drifted up to the night sky, his eyes landing on the blood moon. Though it was no longer at its peak, lowering further and further toward the horizon, its crimson glow was still breathtaking. Marco smiled, an idea coming to him, as his red suns, for a moment, turned into blinking lightbulbs. The boy stood, causing Star to stare up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Well the nights not over yet,” Marco said, looking down at the girl with one of his signature smiles. He offered her a hand, before adding, with a soft blush on his cheeks, “So Star Butterfly, would you care to dance?”

Star eyed the hand for a few seconds, before nodding, shooting him a grateful smile as she took his hand in hers, allowing him to pull her to her feet. He led her out onto the soft grass, Star realizing she was still barefoot, but she kinda liked the way the grass felt on her toes. Once they were far enough out, Marco turned back to the girl, putting a hand on her side, just like he had before and Star placing her hand on his shoulder, waiting for him to begin the dance.

But the boy stood still for a moment, looking a little embarrassed about something. “What is it, Marco?” Star asked.

“I, uh, just realized I don't know how to dance without music,” Marco said, sheepishly.

Star chuckled slightly at his cuteness, before pulling closer to him, giving him the softest kiss on the lips. “I can fix that,” she said. She then began to hum a tune, Marco instantly recognizing it as the song they had danced to at the Orphan's Ball, and he sucked in a breath, surprised by how sweet and perfect Star's singing voice was, able to clearly and easily carry the melody without pause. He had never heard her sing before, but he hoped he got the chance to hear it a million times after, the sound frying braincells with every note.

Then without warning, she pulled him into a dance, leading him into a graceful twirl, her voice growing louder and more sure as she did. To his credit, Marco kept up with the girl, quickly getting into the steady rhythm of Star's dance, matching her movements perfectly, the two once again in sync with one another, almost as if they knew what the other was about to do, moving as one.

Then, even though he had only heard it once before, he began to hum the tune as well and Star faltered a bit in pitch, surprised by how lovely the boy's own voice sounded, her heart cheek marks beating once. But as she found her voice once more, she found that it matched up perfectly with Marco's, the two harmonizing with one another in every way. They continued on like that for a while, their dance becoming more and more fluid and confident and their voices growing louder with every shared note, finding courage in the knowledge that their partner was following along with them, feeling safe and comforted in each others arm's.

Meanwhile, a less pleasant scene was going on inside the ballroom, as Jackie, Janna, and Tom just silently watching the knight's frantic search. The three had yet to say anything since they had been released by Skullnick, Marco even quickly abandoning the teens to look for Star, though they did continue to share looks with one another, none sure what to say now, after everything.

Tom especially seemed jolted by the experience, standing between the two girls awkwardly, his calm facade fading in their presence, or more specifically Janna's. Every time he cast a glance toward her, his cheeks inadvertently heated up and he began to lose any and all functioning of his brain.

He wanted to try and talk to Janna about the... thing she had done earlier before she left, but something about the fake relaxed smile she was giving made him hesitant. He understood why she was acting so eerily calm, she had come close to being exposed as an Impure, Skullnick's pestering questions detailed and difficult to lie through. She was trying to protect herself and so, as much as he didn't want to, he decided it was best just to leave things where they were for now.

He cleared his throat, breaking the tense moment at last, the two girls turning to him and he made sure his voice was as smooth and lacking any form of an unmanly squeak as he could as he said, “Well, since the ball is officially over, I don't really have much reason to stick around, so I guess I'll see you two around.” He quickly turned away, about to open a portal back to the Underworld and save him from anymore embarrassment, until he strangely heard Jackie's voice call out to him, “Wait Tom!”

The boy turned back to face the skater girl and she gave him a wide, warm smile. “I just wanted to say... thank you so much for your help back there,” she said gratefully.

“No problem,” he replied, with his own smile.

Jackie's face became slightly sheepish and she tucked a stray hair behind her ear, adding reluctantly, “I guess I misjudged you all these years. You really are a great guy, Tom.”

Tom was taken aback by the white-haired girl's praise, but tried not to show his surprise as he said, “Th-Thank you.” He wasn't really sure what else to say.

Then Janna caught him even more off guard as she suddenly leaned in with that same smug, irresistible smile dancing on her lips. “I enjoyed our dance, we should do it again sometime,” she whispered playfully. The boy gulped hard, his throat becoming far too dry to respond. And as she continued to stare at him, Tom's felt his heart rate spike as he tried desperately to keep his skin from heating up anymore, for some reason the young pyro powerless to control his body temperature when Janna was involved.

“Y-Yeah, right,” he managed to gasp out.

He was about to turn away when Janna quickly grabbed onto his tie, holding him in place as she added in a sugary-sweet voice, “Oh, and thanks for the save, hot stuff.” She surprising him with another kiss on the cheek, the boy's whole body going stiff. “See you around,” she whispered seductively in his ear.

Tom laughed nervously, as he struggled to recover from the experience, moving out of the girl's grasp, backing nervously away from the girls. “C-Cool. Yes. S-So I'm just g-gonna go now,” he stuttered, averting his eyes from either of them, mortified by his awkward behavior, wondering if he could ever live this down. But Janna just enjoyed watching the boy fumble with his words, his cheek flames snuffing out altogether as soon as her lips had touched one of them. “S-so bye,” he said in barely a whisper, giving the tinest of waves, before his body disappeared into flames, never once looking up as he did.

The second the smoke had cleared, leaving no sign anyone had been standing there a moment ago, Jackie shot her roommate a glare. “That was really mean,” she scolded, feeling bad for the boy, knowing how much his reputation meant to him.

“What was mean about it?” Janna asked innocently, though the mischievous look in her eyes gave her away. “I was just thanking him for saving my life.”

“Uh, huh,” Jackie deadpanned. But she smiled again, as she leaned in a bit closer to her friend. “So, you and Tom, huh?” the white-haired girl asked, a slight tease in her own tone.

“Maybe, we'll see.” Janna tried to act nonchalant, shrugging carelessly, but the joy in her eyes was unmistakable. The two began walking across the now empty dance floor, side by side, and Janna decided to change the subject back to the other important matters of the evening, saying in a very businesslike tone, “Now then, about the bet...”

Jackie immediately sighed in defeat. “Well, I think it's pretty obvious who won,” Jackie said, gesturing to the hectic mess of the ballroom.

“You called it. It's Star and Marco so, of course, something crazy had to happen,” she added, sounding genuinely disappointed, crossing her arms in front of her and staring at her feet. “It was stupid of me to think I could plan the perfect first date.”

“Yeah it was,” Janna answered honestly and Jackie shot her a quick glare. But she stopped as the two reached the door to the garden, a small smile on her lips, as she added, “But you weren't totally wrong.”

Jackie gave her a questioning look and Janna gestured out to the palace garden, Jackie following her look. She froze, seeing Star and Marco happily dancing together in the picturesque type scene, giggling and humming to themselves, their love and joy obvious even from a distance, looking so content just to be with one another. Jackie didn't even blink, as Janna draped an arm across the girl's shoulders. “See the problem was,” she said, matter-of-factly. “You forgot the most important thing about Star and Marco. They thrive on chaos, it always brings them closer together. Guaranteed, every time.”

Jackie said nothing, but her face changed from one of shock to one of delight, as the young couple finally ceased their dance, stopping mid-step as Marco suddenly kissed Star on the lips, the urge apparently too strong, the two closing their eyes as they just enjoyed the moment of bliss. And as the kiss deepened Jackie said softly, “You're right, Jan. I really didn't have to try too hard. Looks they found a way to get closer even without my help.”

The two went silent for a moment, just watching as Star and Marco remained in their kiss, Star wrapping her arms around the boy's neck to draw him even closer to her. Until finally, Janna added quickly, “Plus, they were actually in the blood moon's binding ceremony during our fight with that Monster guy, so there's that.”

“Wait what?” Jackie asked in surprise, but Janna was already gone. “Janna!” Jackie yelled after her sneaky friend, who had turned into a bat, flying away into the star-filled sky to escape her angry roommate's reprimanding. “Come back!”

Star and Marco were too lost in their own moment to even notice the disturbance, the world consisting of just the two of them once again. They both sighed against each others lips, so thankful how the night had turned out, despite everything. While above them, unbeknownst to anyone, the blood moon's glow intensified, looking almost like a crimson red sun, as the stars around it began to sparkle with an incredible light, as if they two were dancing to the night's silent song.

…

Rasticore emerged from his self-made portal, singed and defeated, as he pulled off the burnt remains of his only cloak, holding back the annoyed growl that began building up in his throat, not sure who he was more infuriated with. Though he was fairly sure the Impure easily topped his list. He ignored the stale air of the abandoned temple, as he sat down on a crumbled pillar that had long since fallen, fiddling with his precious chainsaw, wanting to make sure it wasn't too damaged from the Impure's annoying trick.

“How did your mission go, Rasticore?” a voice called and the lizard looked up from his work to see his beneficiary coming closer, an older woman in a very fancy dress. “I see that the princess isn't here with you,” she replied, looking around the lizard with a slight glare.

He immediately rose to his feet out of respect to his client, clearing his throat before replying honestly, “I, unfortunately, was unsuccessful in capturing Princess Star. Her and her friends proved to be more... troublesome than I expected them to be.”

“Troublesome? I was under the impression that you were a professional.” Rasticore heard the judgment in her tone and felt a twinge of anger.

“My cover was blown,” he explained, trying to hold back the venom in his tone. “I had no choice but to leave.”

“Well, if you were just going to give up so easily, perhaps I hired the wrong Monster.” Rasticore tried not to grit his teeth as the Mewman began tapping her fingers against her arm, impatiently.

“I will not fail you again, I swear. Next time, Princess Star, will be yours.”

The woman looking pleased at the idea, a small, evil grin on her face. “Good,” she said, before quickly retaining her regal pose. “But for now we will simply move on to the next princess on the list. It's too risky to try another attack at this point. We will just have to come back to Princess Star when the time is right.”

“Yes , Miss Heinous,” Rasticore responded, bowing his head to her.

Heinous smiled bitterly, in response, before turning away from her lackey, already thinking on how to reacquire the next rebellious mind that had dared to defy her perfect vision.

[fluffyheretic]

I’m so fucking tempted to say “every single question with Kazushuu or Hitoshuu (except for the nsfw ones i guess)” But I don’t want to singlehandedly kill you

ok let’s do it

as a side note sometimes the answer is the same or similar for both ships just bc shuu is uh. the same person. but ofc not always

under cut for lengthhhh

1. Who makes the first move and how?

hitoshuu: normally im gonna say definitely hitori. he probably decides to be direct and just straight up ask. in iwasweetie au specifically tho i want it to be sweetie if only bc i need to make him get over his shit. he also asks “directly” but it actually involves a lot of stuttering and beating around the bush so it ends up not being very direct

shuukazu: im not sure if it would really be one of them specifically, i can see them as the “this kind of just happened” couple. maybe kazuaki is the one after several months whos like “so um… what are we…. lol………..”

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better?

hitoshuu: shuu, not that hitori is the paragon of confidence but shuus like “wtf hes the ideal young man and im Bastard Supreme but ok i guess”

shuukazu: BOTH LMAO but kazu is more vocal abt it and shuu is the Bottle Up EVERYTHING type

some good ol body positivity cuddle sessions work in both cases

3. Who is the most romantic?

anyone but shuu for obvious “i dont even know what feelings ARE” reasons

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves?

again anyone but shuu for obvious “i dont even know what intimacy IS” reasons but specifically hitori is just more confident and kazuaki isnt necessarily confident but is more just. shameless

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?

not shuu for similar reasons as above. there’s a trend here, you see

6. Who would they ask if they ever had a threesome?

THIS is a CHRISTIAN blog

7. What do they get up to on a night out?

hitoshuu: going to dinner at a place thats nice but not TOO nice. like good comfortable atmosphere and good food but not posh

shuukazu: they probably just wander around, maybe go shopping, kazuaki keeps pointing out stuff he wants and dr iwamine “i dont know what to do with my money bc i dont want for material things” shuu just buys it for him. shuu please stop enabling him. stop it.

8. What do they like in bed?

hitoshuu: cuddling :)

shuukazu: snuggling :)

9. What is the most embarrassing thing they have done in front of each other?

i feel like shuu considers every single new couple-y thing he does to be the new most embarrassing thing he’s done. we’re holding hands? embarrassing. i kissed you? god now THATS embarrassing. you caught me wearing your sweater that you accidentally left at my place? well put me in the fucking ground thats literally the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to anybody. how dare i show sentimentality. despicable

kazuaki is similar in that he’s constantly one-upping himself and getting a NEW most embarrassing thing but his things include stuff like getting caught watching really strange anime and scream-singing pop songs and anime OPs in the shower

hitori probably like tripped on the sidewalk once

10. What two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island?

these questions are difficult bc man idk what media exists in 2188 bird japan

11. What do they hide from one another?

in both cases shuus answer is “just about everything” hes terrified of the mortifying ordeal of being known. pretty much everything you learn about him has to be squeezed out

hitori hides how troubled he really is because he wants to seem like the responsible one everyone can depend on so that they dont have to worry about him. he does his best to hide when hes struggling but since shuu has that exact same impulse they pretty quickly start to see through each other, but are also very understanding about it.

kazuaki probably doesnt have as much to hide but he might be shy about portraying how REALLY in love with shuu he is too soon because he doesnt want to scare him away. he also hides the weirder shows and games and stuff that hes into lol

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious?

hitoshuu: i can see them having that kind of relationship where at first its casual and almost competitive in a way, like a “i think youre sexy and the only thing i know to do about it is see what i can do to make you flustered, then act smug when i succeed” thing. but over time when the novelty of that starts to wear off they both kinda realize they just straight up like each other and start being more genuine and soft.

shuukazu: again its a similar thing with shuu where he starts feeling more comfortable with letting himself be a little more genuine and START opening up. kazuaki picks up on this as a good sign and starts to worry less about trying to impress shuu and more just enjoying their time together.

13. When do they realize they should get together?

this is another one that i think is a similar answer in both cases, at least for shuu’s part he has a “dammit. i cant lose him” moment. since hes a person of very few words he tries to communicate “i want us to be serious” via letting down his walls a little bit, which hitori/kazuaki hopefully notice is happening and then are like “oh maybe we can work”

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do?

for shuu and hitori its “responsibly take care of you, bc its what i should do but also secretly i get STRESSED AS FUCK when someone i care about is sick so i gotta make sure youre okay”

for kazuaki its “take care of you, although i dont really know what im doing, also i thought since youre bedridden we could cuddle but its not as enjoyable as i wanted so like I’m Here but also im gonna watch tv okay? ill get u crackers and ginger ale”

15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote?

hitoshuu: shuu’s gonna say he doesn’t care, but hitori also doesn’t really care so eventually he’ll get shuu to admit that he’d like to watch a nature documentary. especially if it’s marine-themed. hitori likes that too so hey there you go

shuukazu: shuu WILL watch the 76th pokemon movie OR ELSE

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together?

hitoshuu: both are cutthroat bastards that do anything it takes to keep each other safe. their reliance and trust in each other is probably 99% of what keeps them going.

shuukazu: again shuus gonna do literally anything it takes to keep kazuaki safe, but to be real i dont know if kazuaki is making it out of this one. and if he doesnt then shuus not either.

17. When they find a time machine, where do they go?

shuu’s answer is going to be at various points in prehistory to study organisms that are now long-extinct (side note god thats definitely my answer too). his bf is worried abt the dangers but comes with him to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.

i think hitori might not have anything specific in mind but going to historical sites in their heydays seems like a good choice.

since kazuaki likes literature he’d probably want to see historical stuff related to that, like seeing shakespeare plays when they first came out and meeting his favorite dead authors to ask them questions.

18. When they fight, how do they make up?

hitoshuu: hitori doesn’t like to dance around that kind of thing, after a little time has passed for them to both think about it then he’ll just be direct and say “hey lets talk about that thing that happened” if he feels he was in the wrong then he’ll then follow that up with an apology. i can see hitori being a little grudgy but then quickly getting tired of it and just wanting things to be resolved. shuu hates talking things out because hes bad at it but he knows its best so he’ll just try to explain how he felt at the time but also what he’s considered since then. even if he’s not good at explaining himself, hitori is good at understanding him anyway so they usually work it out pretty quickly.

shuukazu: they can be messier since kazuaki gets really emotional really quickly and sometimes says things he doesnt mean. theyre both bad at dealing with it afterwards though until after a few awkward days, kazuaki cant take it and is like “waaa i dont want us to be fighting anymore 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺” and shuus like “ok.” because yeah he’ll take the easy way out. they could probably improve their communication tbh

19. Where do they go on their first date?

hitoshuu: they probably decide to do something simple and casual to make it less awkward so they just get coffee. shuu feels like, from what he knows, that he should be expecting hitori to make a move on him. hitori doesnt because he wants to be considerate of shuus comfort level, but shuu takes it as a sign of disinterest. luckily shuu realizes hes wrong about that when hitori quickly invites him on Another date where they take a stroll in the park, and thats when hitori goes in for the tactical hand-hold maneuver.

shuukazu: kind of the opposite of hitoshuu in that they dont really declare it officially as a date. kazuaki just asks shuu if he wants to see a movie with him, not really calling it a date but kind of implying it to be one. shuu probably doesnt care about the movie but thinks this might possibly maybe be a date so he should go. kazuaki then uses it as a chance to Put On The Movies, as awkward as that might be, including the classic “stretch with my arms up and then let one down over your shoulders” move. shuu doesnt really know how to indicate his own interest in response but hopes the fact that hes also not complaining in any way gives a hint. despite it not REALLY being an official date at the time, later on theyll look back on it and decide that yeah that was their first date.

20. Where do they go on holiday?

shuu hates taking time off work, but if he must, then he’ll be content as long as theres something scientifically interesting there like a museum or an aquarium.

hitori doesnt really mind where they go, hes just grateful to get to go on holiday at all, so he’ll let shuu pick. and again, that’s going to be somewhere with a natural history museum, probably a very nice one and they’ll both enjoy it.

kazuaki is similar in that he’s just happy to be there but his ideal holiday destination is probably just…. akihabara. so shuu relents and goes there with him occasionally. kazuaki does like to visit aquariums with shuu though! they do both

21. Where do they get nervous about going with one another?

hitoshuu: the cemetery, at least at first when they arent used to being that vulnerable in front of each other

shuukazu: well shuu sure as shit is nervous about going to anime cons with kazu

22. Where does their first kiss happen?

in both cases, definitely at one of their homes, because shuus too much of a wreck to have a moment like that in a public place.

for shuukazu, i picture it that theyre just hanging out at kazuakis place and relaxing, and they end up cuddling a lot, and kazuaki kisses him kind of impulsively. hes then very apologetic about it before shuu manages to assure him that its fine.

hitoshuu, maybe hitori walks shuu home after a date and goes for the classic end of date goodbye kiss, but just on the cheek. then when once again hitori has walked shuu home, shuu wonders if he should expect a real kiss this time, but hitori goes for the cheek again. shuus disappointed and grabs hitoris sleeve before he turns away because he doesnt know how to say he wants more. but hitori takes the hint and kisses him for real this time.

23. Where is their favorite place to be together?

in both cases it’s at home, because shuu finds it much easier to be intimate when they’re in privacy. i think all three of them really appreciate just getting to relax together.

24. Where do they first have sex?

what did i say about this being a christian blog

25. Why do they fight?

usually its because shuu said something a little too tactless. hes not so clueless that he’ll say something really obviously offensive, but sometimes he really doesn’t know what’s too much. but his bf is hopefully understanding of this and corrects him Still Firmly but still with some “but i know you didnt mean it like that, we’re okay” way, because chances are he really didnt.

for hitoshuu specifically, hitori has to be on shuu about eating properly and can sometimes get kind of annoyed about it. shuus kneejerk reaction is to then be offended because hes an adult who can take care of himself. but they calm down and make up when shuu remembers that hitori just worries for him, and hitori remembers that shuu doesnt not eat just to spite him.

for shuukazu, i can see kazuaki’s lack of responsibility and aloofness start to get on shuu’s nerves, and when he brings it up kazuaki thinks he’s just being mean. again, similarly to hitoshuu, they get over it when kazuaki reminds himself that shuu wants him to be able to take care of himself, and shuu reminds himself as well that he can be too abrasive and should work on it.

26. Why do they need to have a serious chat?

hitoshuu: they dont have to right away but over time it would be good for them to be honest abt their respective traumas and the shit theyre dealing with instead of hiding it

shuukazu: similar, shuu should probably get around to being more open abt his shit. they might also want to have a talk abt what a serious relationship is gonna look like for them

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them?

hitoshuu: i answered this already! but again, its bc theyre so ~responsible~

shuukazu: ppl either see kazuaki being super clingy and think “man hes so overbearing, his poor partner 😒” or see shuu being emotionless and think “man theyre so cold, their poor boyfriend 😒” actually they gotta mind their own damn business

28. Why do they get jealous?

hitoshuu: i feel like hitori actually gets hit on a pretty decent amount. shuu is never happy about it, but the death glares he starts sending usually scare the person off anyway

shuukazu: both of them think the other is too good for them so if anyone looks at them with even a little too much interest the other is immediately like “well i guess this is it”

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love?

hitoshuu: little moments shuu loves is when hitori asks him how he is, how he slept. when he makes him dinner. hitori loves when shuu looks deep in thought, tucks his hair behind his ear, and he definitely likes to see him get along with nageki, which he does.

shuukazu: shuu loves when kazuakis eyes light up with excitement when he sees something he likes, especially when shuu realizes that hes one of those things too. he also loves kazuakis really nice hugs, especially when shuu just woke up from a nightmare. kazuaki loves how shuu listens to him intently, and asks questions about the things hes interested in, and sometimes rests his hand on him when hes getting tired.

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them?

hitoshuu: both are important figures in each other’s lives, obv shuu helped nageki but also hitori is probably the first person to get even a little close to shuu after ryuuji died. theyre both just pockets of trauma but are doing their best so it would be good for them to support each other and try to heal. theyre both pretty dependable so when the going gets tough they’re each other’s rocks

shuukazu: theyre definitely the “it will never work” couple that ends up working anyway. shuu might think kazuaki is annoying at first but if ryuuji is any indication shuu definitely seems to gravitate towards people who are more chill and even a little silly, and when shuu realizes that kazuaki isnt as dumb as he makes himself seem that helps a lot. for kazuaki shuu definitely has a ~mysterious~ aspect that draws him in initially but when it wears off as he learns more about shuu, instead of the magic being gone he just starts finding him more relatable and endearing so their relationship actually improves.

[supercasey]

“You know it would never go in our favor, right hun? That you ‘n Skout ain’t gonna stand a chance ‘gainst El Rey?”

“... I know.”

NoN Twins AU: Separation (Story Below Cut)

It’s late October; the trees outside are shedding their leaves, and despite the omnipotence of magic in their little briar, Annabeth can’t help but worry that the leaves might not grow back this time. Shaking the thought away, she looks to her two children, the three year old twins playing together in the wooden playpen their father built. Speaking of which... Anna looks up just in time to see Benjamin enter the room, the wizard immediately taking a seat at the table with her. Together, they watch the twins for a few minutes, enjoying the momentary calm while they can. After all, even with one twin being mute, the two toddlers are still quite rambunctious.

“Hunny, ‘ook!” As if demonstrating this, Skout picks up a stray Critter, shaking the tiny rock like a rattle. “Hee hee hee! ‘Ook at ‘em wiggle!”

“Skout, sweetie, please put him down. Critters don’t like to be shook.” Anna explains, though she refrains from raising her voice. After all, the kid is only three, so it’s not like she knows better.

Skout pouts but obliges, setting the rock Critter down. The poor thing sways and walks like a drunk man, much to Skout’s amusement. Even Hunter moves his shoulders in an obvious laugh, eyes crinkled at the corners to show his happiness. Smiling, Anna looks to Benjamin to see his reaction, only for her grin to dissipate at a moment’s notice. Instead of chuckling at the antics of his beloved children, Benjamin has the most concerned, fearful look on his face, tears trailing down his face. Once he notices Anna looking his way, he tries wiping the evidence away, but it’s no use.

“Ben? What’s wrong, hun?” Annabeth keeps her voice down when she speaks, as to not draw too much attention from her children. Not that it matters, as they’re too busy toying with their dolls to notice the mood shift.

“Nothin’, babe,” Benjamin assures, using his poncho to clean off his face. Upon earning an unimpressed look, the wizard gives a weak chuckle, shaking his head. “Aw, there ain’t gettin’ nothin’ past you, angel... suppose I’m just concerned for ‘em, that’s all.”

“Concerned? Concerned how?” Annabeth has a feeling she knows the answer already, but considering how secretive her husband can be, she figures asking for clarification is better than assuming the worst.

“Well... honey, Hunter’s already showin’ signs ‘a magic. Jus’ last week we caught ‘im bringin’ his bottle to life! But Skout... she ain’t showin’ the same signs, babe. I’m startin’ to think dat... she might not have The Gift. She’s still plenty smart- that much is obvious- but we can’t be certain dat she’s magic.” Benjamin is very careful with his wording, not wishing to make it sound like his daughter is weak or anything of that nature.

“Magic ain’t everythin’,” Anna points out. Her husband might have grown up reliant on his abilities, but Anna knows that such things are a rare gift, and can’t be guaranteed. Not even through blood. “‘Sides, maybe she’s a late bloomer?” Still, she wouldn’t exactly mind if Skout had powers... magic seems a hell of a lot more fun than Benjamin makes it out to be.

“She might be... but what if she ain’t? You know, I never wanted to talk ‘bout it much, but... magic attracts magic. Enough of it in one place, and El Rey... he might catch the scent, ‘spite my best efforts,” Benjamin looks deeply into Annabeth’s eyes, not even fighting it as tears trail down his face. “Normal weapons won’t work ‘gainst a man like him; only magic stands a chance. Dat means... dat means you ‘n Skout ‘re vulnerable to ‘im. If he managed ta find us ‘n tried to come after me ‘n Hunter, you two could get hurt.”

“Benny... what ‘re you sayin’?” Anna begins crying prematurely, more than capable of connecting the dots, but again, she can’t afford to assume anything when it comes to her husband.

Benjamin offers her the weakest of smiles, trying to comfort her, but it doesn’t work at all. “... Got the feelin’ you already know, baby.”

Annabeth breathes- in and out, in and out- before bowing her head, sobbing as reality hits her like a freight train. Thankfully the twins don’t hear it, as they’re fast asleep, tuckered out by their playing and curled up together on the play mat. Benjamin stands up, circling around the table. He stops in front of Anna, merely holding out his arms to the woman. Anna practically tackles him in a desperate hug, sobbing even harder at the thought that this might be their last embrace. Benjamin nods his head to nothing, rubbing his wife’s back as he mutters under his breath in a different language.

“I know, I know,” Benjamin says in common this time, ditching the use of his native tongue. “It’s gonna be alright, dear. I’ll pack ya ‘nough money ‘n gear ta last ya a lifetime... you’ll be alright.”

“Not without you I won’t,” Anna mutters in a matter-of-fact tone, eyes downcast and still streaming out tears. “I can’t lose you, Benny... you’re the best worst thing that’s ever happened to me. If it weren’t fer you, I’d still be livin’ with my folks, or worse, I coulda been married off... I don’t wanna be alone out there.”

“You won’t be alone; you’ll have Skout,” Benjamin offers, but it doesn’t do much to comfort her. There’s a long, pregnant pause, before the wizard tries again, this time going for a bit of questionable reasoning. He hates to scare her- scaring his loved ones is one of Benjamin’s worst fears- but he’ll resort to it if he has no other choice. “You know it would never go in our favor, right hun? That you ‘n Skout ain’t gonna stand a chance ‘gainst El Rey?”

“... I know.” Annabeth admits, forcing herself to wipe away her tears. “So... when should I leave with ‘er?”

“We’ve got some time. Could wait a whole ‘nother year, but not much longer than that,” Benjamin explains, the grief in his tone heartbroken, yet determined. “After all, we’re gonna want the twins separated ‘fore they’re old ‘nough to remember anything... can’t have one ‘a them gettin’ themselves killed lookin’ fer the other.”

“They’re gonna grow up feeling like a piece ‘a them’s missin’,” Annabeth points out, feeling her heart grow heavy at the sight of the twins still cuddled up together, their arms wrapped around each other’s torsos. “You really think we should be doin’ this? Could always jus’... stay on the run. Can’t track us if we ain’t keepin’ still.”

“That ain’t no life fer our kids, honey,” Benjamin shakes his head, not seeing any other options. “‘Sides, if we’re on the move, we’re bound to get noticed, and that’s a surefire way ta get killed... you ‘n Skout don’t look nothin’ like me, so yer able to have a life outside of this; me ‘n Hunter don’t got that luxury,” Again, he hugs Anna to his chest, petting her hair as he sways a little in place, as if he wants to dance with her one last time, but can’t bring himself to go through with it. “Like I said, you ain’t gotta go jus’ yet... still got a few months left, maybe even a year, but the sooner yer out, the safer yer gonna end up bein’.”

“And if Skout starts havin’ powers? What then? I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout teachin’ her magic, much less how ta suppress it!” Annabeth can’t help but worry; she’s still half convinced that her daughter might just be a late bloomer.

“If she starts showin’, come on back home. It’s gonna be hard as shit, but we’ll figure it out.” Benjamin assures, unable to hide a small smile at the thought. Deep down, he almost hopes that’s the case. After all, it’s not like he wants his daughter to be taken away.

“Shit.”

The couple look to the crib, finding that Skout’s woken up, the redheaded toddler standing up in the playpen, giving her parents an adoring grin. “Shit!” She repeats, amused by the word.

“Now, come on, baby girl,” Benjamin scolds lightly, walking over and scooping the little girl up. He playfully ruffles her hair, grinning at his young daughter. “We don’t say that word, alright? Can’t have you as foul mouthed as yer daddy!” The wizard pauses, sharing a glance with Annabeth. “So, um... we’ll talk ‘bout this some more later, alright? Don’t gotta worry ‘bout it too much right now.”

“Yeah, we can... do that,” Anna agrees, already dreading the conversation. She wishes Benjamin had never even brought this up with her, but she knows it couldn’t be helped. Catching sight of Hunter yawning awake, she quickly scoops the boy up, to which Hunter begins to wiggle and huff. “Aw, ‘nough ‘a that, squirt,” The mother teases, amused by her son’s behavior. “You fussy right now? You even fussier after yer nap?”

Hunter scowls- at least, he scowls as much as he can- patting his mouth with his palm. “Oh, yer hungry? That it, son?” Benjamin asks, recognizing the nonverbal request.

Hunter claps excitedly in a definite ‘yes’, which causes one of the dolls in the playpen to come alive. Before anyone can stop it, the doll climbs out of the playpen and leaps to the ground, running off to God knows where. Annabeth bursts out laughing at the sight, while Benjamin panics. “Oh, goddammit!” He mutters, handing Skout to Anna. “Hold on, I’ll git ‘em!” He assures, taking off after the toy. “Come back ‘ere, ya little varmint!” The wizard orders, although he goes ignored by the newly born Critter.

Anna shakes her head, giving her son a small smirk. “’Spite not sayin’ much, you sure do know how ta cause trouble,” She observes, before making for the kitchen. “You kids wanna help Mama make dinner? Got a feelin’ Daddy’s gonna be-” She’s interrupted by a loud ‘boom’, as if something exploded. “... busy.”

Benjamin comes back a few minutes later, holding up the doll Critter by one of it’s legs. “Um... got ‘em?” He offers his wife a sheepish grin, clearly having broken something. “Don’t go outside... at least fer a few hours.”

Annabeth sighs, again shaking her head at her husband’s antics. “Whatever’s broken better be fixed by sundown, or you ‘n me ‘re gonna have a problem, mister. I do not wanna have ta replant our garden... again.”

Skout and Hunter just giggle at this, amused that their father is in trouble for once. Secretly, both Benjamin and Anna are comforted by their children’s laughter, just glad that their kids aren’t aware of how dangerous their living situation really is, and this just proves it; magic is loud and sometimes dysfunctional, even for experienced users, and it’s for this reason that non-magic users are in so much danger around those with ‘The Gift’... it’s just not safe. Come a few weeks, and Annabeth will leave, taking Skout with her in order to keep at least one of her children safe. But for now, she and Benjamin can pretend that everything is fine, and that nothing will ever take their kids away... not even themselves.

A/N: Somewhat of a spontaneous fic (wrote it all today) but I’ve had this drawing done on my laptop for almost three months, and I only just now got around to writing a short fic for it. Kinda really liked doing this tbh, so I might do something like this again in the future (possibly a part 2 to this fic in particular, or the “Hunter meets El Rey” scenario I keep wanting to write)! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it enough to reblog/comment!

[somerandomwriter1234]

Riley and Maya: I Think I Wanna Marry You - Chapter 7 (Wedding Day!)

*Author’s Note - Attention! This is not a tease! This is the highly anticipated pivotal chapter that is all about Riley and Maya’s wedding day (and night). Enjoy and please like and share! ;)

Inside of a small room of a church, Riley was sitting in a room wearing a white mermaid lined dress with long soft white gloves and small earnings. She looked into in a mirror while brushing her hair when Topanga walked in. A smiling Topanga then said, "There's my blushing bride to be." Topanga then stood behind Riley and began to comb her daughter's hair while Riley said, "Aw, thanks for brushing my hair mom. You've always been the best at it." Topanga then said, "Thanks sweety. I guess this is the last time I'm gonna get to do this since you're probably gonna have Maya do it for the rest of your life since she'll be..." Tears began to appear in Topanga's eyes as she said, "I'm sorry. The wedding hasn't even started and I'm already crying." Riley then said, "Come on mom. It's my wedding today. I should be the emotional one." The two then heard a knock on the door and Riley said, "Come in." Cory then stepped into the room and said, "There's my baby girl." Riley stood up and said, "I'm not your baby girl anymore dad." Cory smiled and said, "Only for a couple of more minutes. Wow. Sweetheart... you look beautiful." Riley then said, "Thanks. So... are you ready to give me away?" Cory put his hands on Riley's shoulders and said, "No. But if you're ready to do this... somehow I think I'll manage."

In the church sanctuary, family and friends sat as they watched Cory and Riley walk towards the alter together with their arms locked. Cory then eventually let go of Riley and let Riley stand in the middle of the alter by herself. Near Riley were her three brides maids: Topanga, Smackle, and her Aunt Morgan. As they four girls stood still, Smackle leaned over to Riley and said, "I must say I'm surprised Riley that your wedding dress didn't have a purple cat on it or something like that." Riley made a little smile as she said, "I didn't want to do something Maya would think would be too weird. I mean, marriage is all about compromises right?" Then suddenly everyone saw Maya and Shawn enter the church as Shawn (whose arms were locked with Maya's) began to walk her down the isle. Maya wore a puff sleeved dress that went down to her feet but the first thing Riley noticed was a special bouquet of purple flowers in Maya's hands. As Maya got closer to her, Riley then realized the bouquet of purple flowers were cut and trimmed in a way that the bouquet looked like the shape of a purple cat's face, with four black stems glued to the top of the bouquet to look like whiskers and two small yellow flowers mixed into the bouquet to look like cat eyes. A huge smile went across Riley's face as she saw the bouquet. Then once Shawn let Maya step up to the alter by herself, Maya handed Riley the cat shaped bouquet. Riley then said, "Peaches. You..." Maya smiled and then said, "I know. I know what makes you happy." Riley then said, "But I didn't get you anythi..." Maya then put a finger on Riley's lips and said, "It's okay. You're about to marry me. That's more than I could've ever hoped for." Riley smiled as she handed the bouquet of flowers to Smackle and then used her two hands to hold Maya's.

Then suddenly Riley's uncle Eric stepped up to the alter and said, "Hello ladies and gentleman. My name is Eric's Matthews. And because I'm a senator and Riley is my niche, I've been asked to minister this wedding. Now as you all know, true love is rare. You can just ask the moose I met when I used to be the mayor of Saint Upid Town. We've been married for years and have never even needed counseling. Now even though I haven't known Moesha here for as long as Riley, I know that they're perfect each other. Why do I know that? Because of all of you people sitting here. Because you all wouldn't be here today if you didn't believe in their marriage and would be willing to support them today. Either that or you're all undercover agents from the Planet Glorkat that have taken human disguise and... Oh, sorry. Agent Coulsen told me I wasn't supposed to spill any of that declassified information to you. But with that being said, I believe our two brides have vows prepared for each other."

Riley took out a piece of paper and glanced at it while she mostly looked at Maya and said, "They say best friends don't fall out of thin air. And yet somehow you fell through my bay window and immediately were a perfect match for me. Sometimes my head would float into space like I was an astronaut. But like a horse that stubbornly wants its; rider back, you would keep me grounded on Earth so we could ride through life together. And I never want to stop going through life with you. I would call you the girl of my dreams, but I can't because my dream is a reality every day. And I can't wait to see what the rest of our life will be like together." Maya then looked into Riley's eyes as she said, "I was once a sad and lonely girl. And when I climbed through your window, you nearly instantly began to sprinkle my life with nothing but love and happiness. You did everything you could for me and more. You played a part in repairing my relationship with my mom. You even gave me an amazing new dad. You healed my family and then healed my heart. There's nothing I could do to completely thank you for all of you've done for me. But hopefully loving you for the rest of my life as your wife will be enough." Eric then said, "Ladies, will you both promise to love and care for the other, for richer or for poor, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Riley and Maya looked right into the other's eyes and souls as they both said, "I do." Then Eric said, "Then I now pronounce you Moesha and Niche. You may kiss your bride." Riley and Maya then looked into each other's eyes, smiled and then each held one hand out and clasped them together. Maya then in a loving voice said, "Thunder." Riley smiled back as in a happy voice she said, "Lightning." Maya smirked and then said, "Done." Then Riley and Maya both grabbed a hold of each other and kissed the other immediately. Everyone in the sanctuary clapped and cheered as loud organ music began to play celebrating the start of the two young women's married lives.

Hours later, Riley and Maya both carried bags into a large hotel room. As they put their bags down Riley said, "Wow. Our first place." Maya then said, "Well technically our first real place is gonna be my college dorm we're going to move into next week but you know what... yeah... for a week... this is gonna be our place." Riley then fell on a large bed as she said, "Wow. Such a soft bed. And look. A hot tub and large shower. And an already stocked frig. This place has everything," Maya then fell down on the bed next to Riley and said, "If this room had nothing except you, then I'd still say it had everything," A smiling Riley said, "Aww. Thanks Peaches." Then Maya said, "Well, it's our first night together as a married couple in a luxurious room. What do you want to do first?" Riley then said, "Hmm. Oh, I know." Riley then began to whisper into Maya's ear. After a moment, a surprised looking Maya said, "Really?" Riley then said, "I know it seems really dirty. But you know what, we're married now... SO LETS DO IT!"

Minutes later Riley and Maya were sitting on the floor eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as Riley stuffed a few in her mouth. As Riley did this, Maya raised one eyebrow as she said, "So this is the most dirty thing you can think for us to do on our wedding night?" Riley then said, "Well I know putting extra peanut butter and chocolate syrup on the peanut butter cup makes this room dirty and health-wise it's so wrong but... I figured we gotta do something crazy on our wedding night." Maya smirked as she said, "Well when you're done eating, how about we..." Maya then leaned over and began to whisper into Riley's ear. After a moment, Riley's eyes widened and said, "What!? Are you sure we can legally do that!?" Maya smiled and said, "Yes Riley. Married couples are indeed allowed to do that." Then Riley said, "Well okay. But I'm not sure about doing this."

Riley laid on the hotel room bed with only a blanket covering her body as with a look of surprise and amazement on her face she said, "I can't believe I wasn't sure about doing that." Maya then appeared poking her head out from under the blanket and said, "I can't believe you giggled nearly the entire time." A smiling Riley looked at Maya and said, "I'm really ticklish down there. I know that makes me really weird and..." Maya smiled and said, "No honey. It just makes you adorable. So... you ready for round two in a few minutes?" Then Riley said, "But it's 9:53." Then Maya said, "Yeah. I want us to get started with another round at ten." A wide eyed and surprised looking Riley said, "You wanna start at ten?" Maya then raised an eyebrow and looked right into Riley's eyes. Riley smiled and then said, "Okay. I'll do it for you Peaches. For you, I'll stay up all night if I have to."

A clock in the room read: 10:03 as Maya lay in bed covered by a blanket looking up at the ceiling as Riley lay completely asleep next to her. Maya had a slight look of disappointment on her face as she said, "She passed out right at 10:01. Who falls asleep at the very beginning of..." Maya then turned her head and saw a perfectly innocent looking Riley curled up in a ball and sleeping with a smile on her face. Maya then began to smile as well as she said, "Oh, how can I stay mad at you?" Maya then curled up next to Riley and kissed her on the forehead. Maya looked into Riley's face as she said, "Sleep well Riley. Sleep well... my beautiful wife."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Upcoming Chapters For the Series:

-Chapter 8: Married Life Begins (Coming 3/22)

-Chapter 9: The Difficulties of Adulthood (Coming 3/24)

-Chapter 10: The Secret is Revealed (Coming 3/26)

*Note - To read the entire series in one convenient location, click here - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13229693/