#her two swimming lessons gave her more confidence than I expected

[tea-time-terrier]

The growth of this little creature even just compared to last year (but especially her first months home) is wild!

Her confidence is ever growing and this weekend she participated in multiple swim times, walking over her first suspension bridge, and jumping off her first dock!

[justabigassnerd]

Summer of Love pt. 2

Pairing - Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x reader

Word count - 3,275

Warnings - mentions of medication, injuries

Summary - while in the final stages of recovery after a mission gone wrong, Bradley signs himself up to work at a summer camp just for something to do since Maverick has barred him from Navy work for the time being. meanwhile, you're in between jobs and figure working at a summer camp is some good experience. you meet Bradley and experience a romance you could've never expected (along with some very nosy kids)

Summer of Love masterlist

A/N - ya girl is back from the dead people! (did anyone cheer?) anyways I'm so sorry for the long break and I'm sorry this isn't the most exciting fic to return with like I'm fully aware it's mostly filler but I hope it can tide y'all over. if you guys have any ideas of what you'd like to see in the series you're more than welcome to let me know. as per y'all, please send in requests, feedback, and enjoy!!!

With counsellor orientation now in full swing, you were spending a lot of your time getting used to the schedule of working at a summer camp. Early starts were no problem to you and neither was making lesson plans but getting used to the camp and the people you worked with was something you had to settle into. Thankfully, working alongside Bradley meant you already knew one person you’d be around a lot and he helped you feel a lot more confident when you met the other counsellors who’d be teaching field sports. You and Bradley had also been briefed on hikes that you’d be leading and you were able to map out appropriate trails for the hikes.

After a long day of going through lesson plans, running potential drills you could do during activities, and taking your swim test in case you wanted to go in the lake at any point, you were just about ready to collapse. You entered the staff lounge and flopped face down on the sofa with a dramatic groan, hearing the laughs of your friends you entered the room with after dinner.

“Tired?” Ella jokes, easing herself down on the other sofa as you turn your head to look at her.

“Just a little.” You reply with a laugh, flipping yourself onto your side as you greet other staff members who enter, moving to sit upright so people can sit on the sofa with you.

Bradley is among the last people to enter the room and by that point, both sofas are almost packed but upon spotting him, Freddy moves over on the sofa, leaving just enough space for Bradley to squeeze in between you and him.

“Hey, Bradley. There’s a space right here.” He points out, hand patting the free space with a grin as you fight the urge to roll your eyes. You knew Ella had already caught on to your schoolyard crush on Bradley, and you were sure she’d told Bradley’s friends too and that’s why they spent so much time trying to force you two to sit near each other when they could. You knew the chances of Bradley feeling the same towards you were slim so you were more than content to sit within the comforts of your friendship knowing after camp ends you’d go your separate ways and never talk to each other again. You just wanted to enjoy the time you had getting to be his friend without your friends forcing you close and potentially making Bradley uncomfortable.

“Is this okay?” Bradley’s voice shakes you from your thoughts as he eases into the gap between you and Freddy. You nod with a small smile, fighting back the flame you felt building behind your cheeks as Bradley’s leg brushed up against yours. The group of you continued to chat until the sun started to set and one by one people began to retire to their cabins for the night and you and Bradley were among the last to leave the staff lodge and took a moment between the two of you as you stepped out onto the grass and took in the night sky.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of the sky at night.” You mumble, more so to yourself than to Bradley but seeing him look at you out of the corner of your eye gave away the fact that he had heard you.

“I wish I could show you how beautiful a night at the beach is where I live.” Bradley murmurs in response, his soft voice unknowingly fanning the flames that lit beneath your cheeks. You were sure he was just saying that to make conversation.

“I’ll just have to trust you on that one.” You say with a slight chuckle, glancing over at Bradley and locking eyes with him, bringing a small smile to your face as you do.

“That you will. Maybe I’ll send you a picture or something once I’m back home.” Bradley says, his smile mirroring yours. A silence falls over the two of you and you glance over your shoulder, breaking the eye contact for but a brief second to consider your next move.

“I should probably head back to my cabin to get some sleep.” You say, silently hating how awkward you sounded.

“I should probably do the same. We can’t exhaust ourselves before the kids have even arrived.” Bradley then says, watching as you bid him goodnight quietly before turning around and heading in the direction of your cabin.

“y/n, wait!” You stop in your tracks at Bradley’s voice. Loud enough to get you to stop but not loud enough to disturb anyone nearby. You turned around and waited as Bradley approached you.

“I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to run a couple of soccer drills with me tomorrow. I have some ideas for some warmups but I’m going to need a partner to make sure they work before the kids arrive.” Bradley says, hoping and praying you agreed to help him out. He could’ve asked anyone on the field sports team for help but he wanted you to help him.

“Okay, but you know I’m not the best at soccer so if I mess up, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” You say, a smile breaking out across yours and Bradley’s faces as he lets out the smallest of relieved sighs at your agreement.

“You’ll be great, I just know it. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Bradley says, smiling as you nod and wish him a good night before you both retire to your cabins for the night. When you reach your cabin you enter quietly, aware of the people sleeping and quietly get ready for bed before crawling under the covers and falling asleep.

Meanwhile, Bradley entered his cabin and immediately got jumped by his cabin mates who were demanding to know what he said to you.

“You know, I’m going to be so grateful tomorrow when I no longer have to share a cabin with you guys. I swear you give the Daggers a run for their money.” Bradley jokes as he sits down on his bed, rubbing at his eyes.

“We’re just invested now come on! Did you ask her out?” Nathan asks, placing his book down on the bedside table by his bed and giving Bradley his full attention.

“What? No! We’ve only known each other a week. Besides, once we leave camp we’ll probably never speak again. That’s just what happens.” Bradley says with a shrug, leaning back and lying across his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“Dude, you can just get her number or something.” Cameron shrugs, confident he has solved all the problems singlehandedly. Bradley couldn’t help but let out a gentle sigh at his words.

“I thought some friends I made in the naval academy were going to be people I kept in contact with but the moment we got our deployments that was it. None of us spoke again.” Bradley says, thinking back to the recruits Bradley had befriended during training and then again at flight school and Top Gun. Outside of the Daggers, Bradley had made no solid connections with any other Navy personnel. He of course appreciated the efforts of his cabin mates, but he was sure their efforts were in vain.

“That doesn’t mean y/n would do that to you. I can tell she likes you.” John then says, a quiet falling over the group as all focus ends up on Bradley.

“Okay, well if you didn’t ask her out. What did you ask her then?” Nathan asks when Bradley doesn’t respond to John’s words.

“I just asked if she wanted to run some soccer drills with me tomorrow to potentially add to lesson plans.” Bradley replies, propping himself up on his elbows and glancing around at the group as they all exchange looks.

“And she said yes?” Cameron prompts, the three breaking out into smiles when Bradley nods. They all exchanged a look when Bradley returned his attention to the cabin ceiling. They knew they couldn’t force you or Bradley to admit anything but they could at least nudge you both in the right direction.

“We should probably get some sleep, huh?” John says after a couple of minutes of silence, followed by the agreement of everyone else who quickly get themselves ready for bed and switch off their cabin light to get some sleep.

The next morning, you awoke to your alarm and slowly dragged yourself out of bed to get yourself changed and ready for the day. Once you were dressed, you made your way to the dining hall to grab breakfast, located your cabin mates sat at a table and joined them once you had your food. As you ate, Kerry stood at the front of the room and addressed everyone, letting you know that the first port of call for the day was to find out your cabins for the summer and to move your stuff into your new cabin before creating a poster to hang up on the outside of the cabin to make the kids feel a bit more welcomed and to give their cabin a sense of community straight out of the gate before you’d spend the rest of the afternoon after lunch finishing up your last few chances to prepare lessons for when the kids arrive. After you all finished breakfast, you were dismissed and each grabbed an envelope with your name on it to find out which cabin you’d be in for the duration of camp and once you got out of the dining hall you opened your envelope and flipped the postcard over, studying the writing on it.

“Hey, y/n, what cabin did you get?” Ella asks, sidling up alongside you with her own postcard in hand.

“Cabin eleven. What about you?” You reply, tearing your eyes away from your postcard to look at Ella.

“I’m in cabin five with Alex as my co-counsellor. I’m so excited!” Ella says happily, embracing you excitedly before rushing off to find her co-counsellor. You watched her leave before focusing your attention back on your own postcard. You knew cabin eleven would be a cabin of four girls so you wouldn’t have a co-counsellor but you were okay with that. You were just excited for camp to start properly. When you notice some of the other female counsellors beginning to make their way back to their cabins to move their belongings to their new cabins you begin to follow the crowd, chatting with some of them as you go.

Meanwhile, Bradley had just finished telling his friends about what cabin he was going to be in and turned around in search of you. His smile faltered when he couldn’t find you and instead saw the back of you as you disappeared down the girl's cabin line. He wanted to go and talk to you about your new cabin placement but he also knew he needed to worry about moving all his stuff to the new cabin. He spared you one last glance before turning around and heading in the direction of the boy's line of cabins.

After moving all of your belongings from cabin six to cabin eleven, making your bed and tidying your bags away after putting some of your belongings on the bedside table such as your alarm clock, hairbrush, a book to read, and your notebook filled with lesson plans. After sorting yourself out, you headed over to the arts and crafts room to join everyone in making posters and chore wheels for the cabins. There weren’t many people present when you first arrived but as you began to work on your poster more people slowly trickled in. Kerry had gone around and given everyone a list of names of the kids in your cabins so you could learn their names before they arrived and put them on the chore wheel and poster. You got to work, creating a poster and chore wheel for your cabin. As you finished the poster and moved on to the chore wheel, carefully writing out each chore, a sheet of paper appeared in your peripheral vision and you glanced over to see Bradley easing himself down next to you, and you didn’t miss the way he winced a little as he sat down.

“Are you okay?” You ask quietly, not wanting to draw attention to Bradley potentially being in any pain if he didn’t want you to.

“I’m good, must’ve pulled something in my back moving all my gear. I had a feeling I packed too much.” Bradley says with a chuckle, trying to ease your mind so you didn’t worry about him and trying his best to ignore the way the lie tugged at his heart.

“Maybe take some painkillers later if it’s still sore.” You say sympathetically, briefly averting your gaze back to the task at hand as you write a name on the wheel before returning your attention to Bradley who nods minutely.

“I’ll see how I feel later.” Bradley says with a slight shrug, not wanting to dwell on the subject any longer than he needs to. You nod silently and the two of you remain in the comfortable silence between you as you work on your posters and chore wheels.

“You know… I’m not sure how much a cabin of four thirteen-year-old boys will appreciate a poster on the outside of the cabin, let alone a chore wheel.” Bradley mutters, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye as you let out a small giggle at his words.

“I don’t think my cabin of twelve-year-old girls will appreciate it much either but you gotta do what you gotta do. Besides you might win cool points with your naval aviator career. I’m sure they’d love hearing some of your stories.” You say, shrugging lightly as you put your pen down, satisfied with both your poster and your chore wheel. You stay put for a few more minutes, continuing to chat with Bradley until his friends come over and you excuse yourself so you can go and put the poster and chore wheel where they needed to be.

“I’ll see you at lunch.” You say as you grab your things and address the group, but mostly aiming your words at Bradley as you smile softly.

“See you at lunch.” Bradley echoes, his smile matching yours as you then turn to head to your cabin to put the items in their respective places before heading to the dining room where they are just beginning to serve lunch. You grab yourself a plate and dish up the food in front of you before grabbing a seat at one of the nearby tables, and slowly but surely your friends arrive and sit with you. Ella arrived first with Alex, having had the ability to split the task between two people, and then Bradley and Freddy came up next and spotted the three of you, quickly grabbing their food and joining you at the table with smiles.

“All done with setting up your cabins?” Alex asks after finishing a mouthful of food.

“Just about. It’s starting to feel like a real summer camp now.” Freddy says with a laugh.

“Was the fact that we’re in the middle of the woods with a lake nearby not enough of a hint?” Bradley jokes, making everyone laugh. When you all finish lunch, you clean up and then head outside to enjoy the rest of your afternoon.

“Hey, y/n, let’s grab a soccer ball so I can run that drill with you.” Bradley says and you nod, following him to the equipment cupboard and waiting for him to grab a ball before heading to the field to practice it. Bradley talks you through what he wants to try, making sure his instructions are clear and taking any advice you have to offer to make it clearer for when he teaches it to the children. Once you have been briefed on what the drill would entail you start the activity. After gaining some confidence, you’re able to tackle the ball off of Bradley a couple of times but when you decided to attempt a shot on goal just for a bit of fun you somehow missed the ball entirely and ended up sprawled on your back on the floor staring up at the sky.

“y/n! Are you okay?” Bradley’s face suddenly appears above you, his worried expression soon becoming a look of amusement when he realises that you’re laughing at the whole thing.

“Trust me to fall over literally nothing.” You laugh as you begin to sit up, stopping when Bradley offers a hand to you which you accept with a smile, allowing him to haul you to your feet but your smile faltered when he winced once more.

“Bradley, are you okay?” You ask, now even more concerned at him being in pain.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My shoulder’s acting up again.” Bradley says, making you fight the urge to speak up. He’d claimed his back had a pulled muscle earlier and now it was his shoulder? You were confused at his contradiction but you weren’t going to call him out on it. The most you could do is keep an eye on him.

“Just… take some painkillers. It’ll really help.” You say softly, picking up the soccer ball and walking with Bradley over to the equipment shed to return the ball.

“I will.” Bradley replies. Hating himself even more for lying but the lingering pain from his accident was manageable, he had just wrongly assumed that missing one day of his prescribed medicine would be okay since the pain hadn’t been bad recently, even with the activities he was partaking in.

“Maybe we should spend the rest of the afternoon going over our hike plans, just to make sure we have them sorted.” You offer, wanting Bradley to relax a little and not overexert himself. You may not know the cause of his pain or even where it lies but you did know you wanted to help your friend however you could.

“That sounds like a plan. Let’s grab our notebooks and meet on that bench just by the dining hall.” Bradley says and you nod before parting ways to return to your cabins to grab your notebook before heading to the bench and meeting Bradley. The two of you spend time comparing notes and revising anything that needs a second look at before it comes time for dinner and the two of you make your way up into the dining hall and have dinner, still discussing ideas before your friends join you.

When you all finish dinner you exit the dining hall and instead of heading to the staff lounge like you usually did in your evenings, you decide to head back to your cabin to prepare yourself for when the children arrive tomorrow afternoon. You bid your friend's goodnight and head back along the path that leads you to your cabin and enter the small building, flipping the light on as you do so. You decide to get a headstart on getting ready for bed and so go for a shower and change into your pyjamas before returning to your cabin, lying on your bed and reading your book as the sun finally sets. When a wave of tiredness overcomes you, you decide to close your book, set your alarm, and hit the hay, closing your eyes and allowing yourself to fall asleep both excited and nervous for the chaos that is to come tomorrow.

taglist (comment or ask to be added):

@noz4a2 @kim-stark @jessicab1991 @myxticmoon @burningwitchprincess @casuallyeating @adoringanakin @iamabeautifulperson18

[criticallyacclaimedstranger]

For the kiss ask, I will exercise some self control and ask for only one, even if I want to ask for like twenty 😅

For the pairing, I'm thinking Frankie and Bonnie (which oddly enough, the last time you did a prompt ask, I requested the same pair) and #27 "Kisses exchanged while one person sits on the other's lap". Please and thank you 😄

Thanks very much for the ask! Oh, Frankie and Bonnie, how I've missed them! I'm happy you decided to go with those two.

Pairing: Frankie x chubby!reader (aka Bonnie). For more of this pair, go to my Forever Starts With You masterlist.

Warnings: reader is self conscious in a swimsuit but everything is fine because Frankie is perfect, and then there's kissing.

Summary: You and Frankie go to a pool party.

Okay so that gif is not by a pool but whatever

You have no idea how Frankie got you to agree to this. This is literally your nightmare.

The sun is shining, the audio system is pumping out something upbeat, people are talking and laughing – and everyone is in swimwear, or something tiny and summery. And no one is fat, of course, no one except you.

One of Frankie’s military buddies invited the two of you to a pool party and it’s really not your scene, least of all because of your size. You fretted for weeks before the party, went to the most expensive lingerie store in town and bought a disgustingly expensive swimsuit that looks amazing on you – but you are still overweight. Your skin still turns lobster red in the sun. You spent even more money on a kaftan dress that you probably won’t wear again, and only then did Frankie realize that you were dreading the party.

”We don’t have to go,” he told you, but you shook your head.

”You want to go.”

Frankie loves the sun and summer. You don’t mind it but you burn easily and with your weight and body, everything is sweaty and slippery and uncomfortable in the summer. And to put your body on display like that.

”You don’t have to wear a swimsuit,” Frankie tried.

”Then everyone will know exactly how uncomfortable I am,” you pointed out. ”It’s a pool party, of course I have to wear a swimsuit!”

So here you are, in your expensive outfit, with sparkly sandals on your feet and a straw hat on your head, your flickering gaze hidden behind dark sunglasses.

”You look amazing,” Frankie assures you in a warm whisper at your ear. ”I’m proud as hell to have you by my side.”

His arm is around you, and you feel more confident as he kisses your cheek, before steering you to wards the host couple. You are introduced, your kaftan is admired, you’re handed drinks, you make small talk until the next guest arrives, and you can retire to the side. You wave at Benny, who’s in the pool with someone in a triangle bikini on his shoulders. She shrieks when he tosses her into the water.

”You wanna go swimming?” Frankie asks, but you shake your head.

”Absolutely not.” You sip the margarita, and make a little noise.

”Christ, this margarita is good.”

”Lemme have a taste.” Frankie’s holding a beer, but you hand him your drink, and he sips it, licking his lips as he hands it back to you.

”That thing’s deadly. Enough of those, and I’ll get you to not only come swimming with me, but also perform a whole musical, Bonnie.”

You scoff at the nickname his friends once gave you after a particularly wet night during which you performed Total Eclipse of the Heart.

”I learned my lesson that night,” you shudder. The hangover you suffered from the following day was epic and you have no wish to repeat it, ever.

You mingle, talking to people, getting another drink and some snacks. You relax as you realize what you already knew deep inside: nobody cares about your size and what you’re wearing, all everyone wants is to have a good time.

You stay later than expected, and when the sun has set and the pool area is lit up by string lights, you finally go swimming. The pool water is a little warmer than you prefer after a day of sunny weather, but that just makes it nicer to get out of the water, into the cooling night. You walk around the pool, heading for Frankie in a chaise lounge, and you smile widely when you see that he is ogling you, a new beer in hand. When you reach him, he reluctantly hands you a towel, like he doesn’t want you to cover up just yet.

”Good swim?” he asks you in a low voice that vibrates along the length of your spine. You have to lick your lips before you can answer.

”It was okay. The water was too warm.”

He makes a sympathetic grimace but says nothing more. Instead, you can see how he caresses the curves of your body with his eyes. You give him a little shove.

”Hey, stop eye-fucking me.”

”Never.”

He smirks at you, and you grin back.

”I don’t think this is the right place for that, baby.”

”Anywhere is the right place with you looking like that.”

You roll your eyes to let him know just what you think of him being so simple about a woman in a swimsuit. Frankie takes your hand and gives it a light tug.

”Come on, sit.” He pats his thighs with his other hand.

Normally, you would hesitate. Sitting on his lap, even in the privacy of your home, isn’t something you enjoy much, because of your weight. But you’ve had a great day, you’re crazy in love with him, and you’re buzzing from several margaritas over the course of the afternoon, so you yield. Sitting down, you carefully try to distribute your weight, but Frankie doesn’t care as he slips his arms around you, happily staring into your cleavage that is, conveniently enough, right in front of him.

”Perfect,” he sighs happily, and you have to giggle.

”You are such a man.”

”Totally am.” His finger traces a feathery line along your spine, making you shiver. ”And you don’t mind at all, do you?”

You have to admit that it boosts your self esteem to have him look at you like that.

”I mind that I’m sitting here all hot and pretty, and you haven’t kissed me once yet,” you tell him off, and Frankie laughs before leaning in to brush his lips against yours.

”You could have asked, querida.”

”I thought you were clever enough to understand what was expected of you,” you retort, your tongue flicking out at his lips.

”Clearly not...” His mouth closes over yours in a soft kiss before opening, moving a little, then closing again. You cup his cheek with one hand, the other losing itself in the curls at the nape of his neck. Frankie rests one hand on your wet thigh, innocent-looking enough, but his fingertips are digging a little into the soft flesh, reminding you of how he can grip you when his face is buries in the apex of your thighs. His other hand is on your lower back, making slow little circles on your wet skin as you kiss.

”Maybe it’s time we go home?” you suggest in a soft sigh against his lips. He smiles, and shakes his head.

”Not yet. I want to show you off a little longer. Okay?”

You smile back, cheeks feeling warm.

”Okay.”

[little-mad]

Downsides of Thievery Pt. 6

~ Previous Part ~ Next Part ~

Gavin was tired of being scolded and threatened. He’d been able to brush it off at first, but in the end it hadn’t taken all that long for him to lose the willpower to be insubordinate.

It wasn’t as if he was...broken or whatever. He wouldn’t describe himself as too afraid to speak altogether. He just...well he just needed a break. Trying to outmatch a giant was exhausting. Plus, Gavin was beginning to wonder whether it was really worth it. Sure it gave him some kind of sense of personal pride and satisfaction, but surely it wasn’t worth getting himself nearly pulverized by an enormous hand.

“This is such a shit storm,” Gavin moaned internally. Leave it to him to make his absolute mess of a situation somehow even worse.

As tempted as he was to glance up at Rael to try and get a read on his current mood, Gavin resisted. If he was going to be quiet, he was going to do it in the most pouty way possible. He’d act almost as if the alteon didn’t exist--which was pretty difficult considering he was literally attached to the guy, but whatever.

For about fifteen minutes the two of them went on in complete silence. Gavin’s urge to run his mouth was growing more and more intense, but he forced himself to hold his tongue. Just when he thought for sure he’d blurt something out, Rael’s walking suddenly took a sudden turn.

Gavin lifted his gaze to peer out through iron bars. He was met with the sight of what to Rael was probably no more than a stream, but to Gavin looked like a terrifying torrent of fast running water. He had never been particularly afraid of water, his parents had forced him to take swim lessons when he was eight after all. However, literal giant sized bodies of water were quite different from the chlorine filled pool at the local YMCA.

Before Gavin could argue with himself about whether or not he should ask Rael what he was doing, a pair of giant hands swooped into view. In a matter of moments, the cage was once again unhooked from Rael’s belt. “What’s happening?” The words flew out of Gavin’s mouth before he could stop them. So much for the silent treatment.

“I figured you wouldn’t like to dangle over the water while I’m getting a drink,” Rael responded. Gavin tightened his grip on the bars of his cage as his captor moved to set the thing down on a nearby rock.

Of course Gavin wasn’t going to say so to Rael, but he was grateful to not have to go anywhere near that stream. Plus, he was happy for any chance to be on solid ground and not hanging from a giant's belt.

“That can’t be all that sanitary,” Gavin thought to himself as he observed Rael sipping the stream water from a cupped hand. Although the water was probably moving fast enough for it to be considered safe, Gavin still didn’t trust water that fish could pee in.

It was at that moment that a deep rumbling caused Gavin’s cage to shudder slightly. The quakes were repetitive and had a rhythm similar to Rael’s footsteps. However, the tremors couldn’t have been caused by Rael, because he was still leaning over the creek.

A feeling of dread began to rise up in Gavin, but before he could call out to Rael, his cage was snatched up into the air. He was thrown around harshly from the movements that were somehow even sharper and more violent than Rael’s. When the tumultuous experience came to an abrupt halt, Gavin looked up to see the face of a giant stranger staring in at him.

-

While the weather was fairly pleasant, without any uncomfortable humidity, Rael had found himself feeling quite parched. Perhaps he’d dried out his throat from shouting at the human. He supposed it would serve him right for losing his temper. Either way, Rael decided a quick stop at a nearby stream to get a drink wouldn’t hurt. Gavin was still being quiet and well behaved, which continued to unsettle Rael, but at least it meant he wouldn’t kick up any kind of fuss if they stopped for a moment.

After setting the cage and its occupant aside, Rael went to scoop up some handfuls of water. The cool, clear water was quick to soothe Rael’s throat. He was in the middle of taking a nice long sip when he heard a sudden commotion coming from behind him.

He whipped around to see two alteons, a man and a woman. The woman’s skin was a touch lighter than Rael’s own. Her curly auburn hair was cut short above her shoulders, and she was dressed in makeshift armor, with a sword hanging from a sheath at her hip. The man’s skin was tan, but the lack of melanin suggested he hailed from a different region from that which they resided in. His dark brown hair was closely cropped, and he had a distinct scar underneath his right eye. However, what stood out most to Rael about the man was the fact that he was currently holding Gavin’s cage in his hand.

Rael had failed to bring a sword with him on this assignment, primarily because he hadn’t expected to need it when dealing with humans. Aside from that, the woods surrounding Ostrad were considered to be quite safe due to the relentless patrols the Emperor sent out. It was for this reason that Rael had felt fairly confident he wouldn’t have to worry about encountering any kind of brigands or ruffians. “This really isn’t my day,” he sighed internally.

Catching sight of Gavin cowering inside his cage, faced with a giant stranger whose intentions were unknown to him, Rael felt an unexpected wave of sympathy. Those tiny hazel eyes stared back at Rael in desperation, as if silently begging him to come to his aid.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” the dark haired man asked in amusement as he observed the human in his grasp. “Don’t tell me this is a real life human?”

While the man seemed unfazed by Rael’s presence, his companion didn’t appear to feel the same way. She stood a ways back, eyeing Rael nervously. Chances were, she suspected he had some kind of affiliation with the palace despite the fact that he wasn’t wearing the official Imperial emblem or colors.

“Damn, when people said they were tiny, I didn’t think they meant this tiny,” the thug mused, now holding Gavin’s cage at eye level so he could get a closer look. “I’ve seen rats bigger than this!”

While Rael didn’t have a real weapon on him, he did have a small dagger strapped to the back of his belt. Though he was itching to make a grab for it, he held back. There was a chance he could handle the situation without threat of violence. Already, the woman clearly didn’t seem eager for a fight with him.

“Excuse me, but that human is under the protection of his majesty the Emperor,” Rael stated coldly, taking a few slow steps closer to the man. He was pleased to see the smirk the brigand was wearing waver slightly as he realized exactly what he was interfering with.

“You’re a member of the Imperial Guard,” the woman surmised, speaking up for the first time.

The man glanced back at his partner briefly before returning his gaze to Rael. He had a smile on his face, but it was stiff and almost forced. He no doubt was aware that he was in a precarious situation, dealing with the Imperial Guard, but was attempting to put on a confident facade. “Ah, I guess it makes sense to only send one guard if all you’re guarding is this little thing,” he remarked.

Rael narrowed his eyes. It was obvious the man was fishing for information, trying to determine whether or not there were other soldiers lurking around. If he thought he and his partner could take Rael, then he would likely try to make off with Gavin. A human would sell for a hefty sum on the black market. Aletons would probably even pay just to catch a glimpse of a real life human.

“If you’re intending on attempting to take that human, I would suggest you rethink,” Rael said darkly. “Even if you manage to overcome me, you will soon have the entirety of the Emperor’s army pursuing you.” He wouldn’t pretend to have backup hidden somewhere in the trees, that was a bluff that could easily fall short. Instead, he would once again make fear his tool. “Once you’re caught, your punishment will undoubtedly be death.”

There was no need for Rael to lie. Within recent years, death had become less and less prevalent as a punishment with the Emperor. However, it was still utilized in extreme cases, such as treason. Knowing how cautious the Emperor was with human-alteon relations, Rael could only assume he would consider kidnapping a human to be treasonous.

Fear instantly flashed across the curly-haired woman’s face. She took a small step back, as if to distance herself from the entire situation. Meanwhile, her companion appeared to have become provoked by Rael’s words. An angry scowl replaced the sly one he had been wearing, and he was clutching Gavin’s cage in what seemed to be a possessive manner. “As if you have any right to be possessive over him,” Rael growled mentally.

“If we kill you, no one will have any idea who nabbed the little rat,” the man hissed, shaking the cage in a way that made Rael strangely furious.

-

Gavin had thought the way Rael handled him was about as bad as it could get. It really sucked being proven wrong. He didn’t know who the hell this random alteon that had grabbed him was, but he was somehow worse than Rael, which was quite the feat.

Ever since being snatched up, Gavin had no doubt developed a countless number of bruises as a result of this man’s rough treatment. It was like he didn’t even take into account that there was a living, breathing person inside. “There’s not going to be a living, breathing person inside for much longer if this doesn’t let up,” Gavin thought as he was again thrown against the bars by a violent shake from his new captor.

Rael seemed to be attempting to talk the man down, though of course he could only assume as much considering they were speaking in a language he couldn’t understand. Whatever it was was taking much too long for Gavin’s liking. He couldn’t believe he actually wanted to be back in Rael’s hands. But at this point, anything seemed better than being jerked around like some kind of toy. The lesser of two evils and all that.

As much as Gavin wanted to shout out obscenities at the alteon, he managed to bite his tongue. Rael seemed like he knew what he was doing, and Gavin didn’t want to screw it up by saying something stupid. His willpower really was being severely tested today.

Gavin heard someone shout something. The voice sounded feminine, and though he couldn’t see nor understand the alteon woman, he could hear the urgency in her voice.

Gavin’s captor, whom he had gathered was named “Kaydin”, jostled the cage. Most of what the man was saying went right over Gavin’s head, but he did catch him rubbing his fingers together in a money gesture. It was then that Gavin realized what exactly these people wanted him for. He had taken a lot of hits to his ego in the last couple hours, but being treated as merchandise to sell was really doing a number.

Why exactly alteons would spend money buying a human was beyond him. All the possibilities that flashed through his mind made him feel even more sick to his stomach than he already did thanks to Kaydin’s manhandling.

The woman shot back an angry retort, which was quickly followed by the sound of retreating footsteps that announced her departure. This left only Kaydin to face off against Rael.

Kaydin spat out more vicious words. Gavin glanced up to see sweat droplets beginning to form on the giant’s forehead. The guy knew he was in trouble.

Rael spoke up in his own language. It was still strange for Gavin to hear. Rael’s English was so good, he sometimes forgot it wasn’t his native tongue.

Gavin stared up at Kaydin’s face, trying to determine what his next move would be based on his facial expressions. He didn’t know what Rael had said, but he could only hope it had been convincing.

If it came down to it, he felt fairly confident that a trained soldier like Rael would win in a fight against this man who seemed to be the alteon equivalent of a mugger. The only problem was, Gavin wasn’t sure he’d survive being caught in the middle of a clash of giants.

[ickle-ronniekins]

sugar rush

request from anon: hiiiiiiiiii! c: i love your stories, and the way you write a fluffy george gets me every time. can i request a super shy, easily flustered, head in the clouds, gryffindor fem!reader with a hilariously soft and smitten george? 👉🏼👈🏼 i just really need my fill on fluff and fluff and fluff ;-; if that’s okay? thank you

pairing: george x gryffindor fem!reader

word count: 4.4k oops

A/N: i love flustered reader and i love flustered smitten george even MORE; hope she’s flustered enough? hope he’s flustered enough??? this literally took me 12 hours to write lol

tag list: @mintlibri @georgeweasleyx @seppys-return-to-madness @fopdoodledane @fredd-weasley @iprobablyshipit91 @bobduncanlover @darling-details @laneygthememequeen @lupinsx @keoghans @helloallthethingsilove | message me if you’d like to be added loves!

George Weasley doesn’t normally find himself so very easily nervous around girls. If anything, his charm normally puts forth a bit of confidence. But with you, it’s different. He finds his heart hammering in his chest, sometimes he’s at a loss for words, or your actions take him by surprise in the most wonderful of ways.

When you both go for the last sugar quill at Honeydukes, the clerk behind the desk shrugs his shoulders as if to say, That’s the final one—work it out amongst yourselves.

When he turns to look at you, his face flushes red and he feels as though his feet are cemented into the ground. He’s frozen. He blinks a few times—it’s almost as if you aren’t real, you’re so beautiful— “For the lady, then,” George says and smirks at you. As a nervous smile tugs at the edges of your lips, he spots the Gryffindor colors when you pull your scarf out from your coat pockets. Your sparkly eyes are intriguing.

“Thank you,” you reply nervously, paying the clerk and turning back toward George. “That’s really nice of you.”

And before he can say anything else or get to know you better, even your name, you float out of the store and out of sight. George stands there, still frozen, before coming out of his daydream-like state, and rushes out of the store.

“Wait!”

He runs out of Honeydukes, leaving his very confused brothers and friends behind, and catches you before you get back to the castle. Blimey, you’re a quick walker. You freeze, whirling around to face him.

“I’d at least like to know the name of the girl I gave up my favorite sweet for,” he says, panting a bit, and smiles softly at you. When you grin back, he feels a tug at his heartstrings.

Your face goes rosy, and you shake your head in utter embarrassment. “Oh my, I’m so sorry—I can’t believe—should’ve introduced myself.. I’m Y/N—”

He can’t help but laugh a little at your flustered form. “Y/N,” George repeats, your name swimming through his mind. “I’m George.. Weasley, by the way. Thought I recognized you.” He points at your Gryffindor scarf. “We’re in Potions together, yeah?”

You nod in reply, biting your lip, giving the same smile that you had given him in Honeydukes. He comes to realize this is a huge hint to your nervousness, finding amusement in the fact that your eyes shift down toward your shoes, as well, avoiding any and all eye contact. Then you glance up at him, “Really brilliant match last week, by the way.”

George is caught off guard by this. “Oh—thanks,” he says brightly, excited to know that you’ve been watching Quidditch matches. He points to the Ballycastle Bats team pin you have on your bag, “Northern Ireland fan, are you?”

“Think I’d be shunned by my family if I wasn’t.”

“Won’t be able to convert you to a Cannons fan, I reckon?”

Your lips twitch. “Afraid not.”

He laughs as he watches you tuck a piece of hair behind your ear nervously, “Ever play before?”

“Oh, god,” you reply, nearly dropping your sweets onto the muddy ground beneath you, “No—I’m complete, complete rubbish.” George can see your cheeks go rosy again, but is it from the cold, or the nerves? “No, I mean, I’d love to play, really would, but I reckon I’d send Gryffindor’s rep plummeting.”

George slams his hands into his pockets, as if this is going to help him fight his own nerves, “I’m sure you’re not that bad.. maybe you just need a few lessons,”

Was this an offer? He doesn’t break the gaze you two are holding. You say softly, “Yeah—maybe. But not Seeker—my eyesight is awful.”

Again, George laughs. “Well what would you play?”

You tilt your head in thought. “Always wanted to be a Chaser. Or Beater, maybe.”

This impresses him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you reply very shyly, “but I wouldn’t be nearly as good as you and your brother.”

His insides turn gooey and warm at this compliment and he thanks you. It’s now aware that George’s brothers have found him as they call out to him from behind, and he’s wishing that they hadn’t. He wants more time. “Well—it’s nice to meet you, Y/N. Careful with that quill, now, don’t want to go and give yourself a sugar rush.”

Your shy laugh catches him by surprise. He didn’t think his comment was particularly funny. He sucks in a breath as you adjust your scarf, giving him a tiny grin once again and raising your hand before turning back around and heading toward the castle. He runs a hand anxiously through his hair, thinking to himself, What the bloody hell was that? but then pauses, because he remembers that whatever the hell he’d said—it had made you laugh—and he’d say it over and over if it meant he could continue to listen to that sound escape your lips again.

Behind him, he can still hear his friends calling out his name in confusion, but it’s easy to ignore them as he watches your scarf move slightly in the wind before you’re back into the castle and out of sight yet again.

“Mate,” he hears Fred say, as the other Weasley brothers and friends finally catch up with him, “you are rubbish at this flirting thing.” They all fall into a fit of raucous laughter—guess they’d heard more than George originally thought.

But he just ignores them and turns back, staring at the spot you just were, merely a few feet away from him, the echo of your laugh still playing back in his mind on repeat. With a small smirk, he tries to suppress the butterflies in his stomach and he says to nobody in particular, “Reckon I’m better than you think I am.”

The Great Hall is absolutely buzzing during dinner—finally, the weekend. George is completely ignoring the game of exploding snap in front of him, when Ron smacks him across the face.

“Oi!” George yells, bringing a hand to his stinging cheek, “what the bloody hell was that for?”

“Quit ignoring the game!” Ron says a bit angrily.

“Do I need to play Weasley mediator?” Harry asks sarcastically.

Ron softens a bit, grunts something that slightly resembles a sorry, and waits for George to take his turn. He does this quickly, and turns back toward the end of the table, where you’re sitting, reading intently some book clutched tightly in your hands. Fred stifles a laugh and a female voice beside him says, “What’s up with him?”

George is caught off guard and whips his head around, only to see Ginny and Hermione take their places next to Harry and Ron. He’s ready to tell his sister that there’s nothing up, nothing at all, because George hates it when his siblings get involved in his personal life, but regrettably, Fred beats him to the punch.

“Oh, not much,” Fred replies, stretching his arms back behind his head, shoving a treacle tart into his mouth, “Georgie boy here is just in love with Y/N and can’t handle his own feelings. ‘Tis adorable. Never seen the bloke so flustered before.”

George shoots his twin an angry look and the feeling of dread creeps up inside his chest. Ginny’s eyes widen. “Oooh,” she prods a bit teasingly, “since when?”

“I’m not in love with her,” George snaps, making everyone go silent for a moment as they all try and hold back their laughter. “I—just—don’t know her very well—”

“But he’d like too.”

George flicks a treacle tart at Ron, who catches it at the last moment and glances toward Hermione, who he’s sad to see doesn’t look quite as amused at his teasing as he hopes she would. He focuses once again on George, whose ears are bright red. A little bit more quietly, he says, “Caught them together in Honeydukes the other day—” another tart hits Ron right across the face.

“She’s really sweet, she is,” says Ginny brightly, the mocking tone to her voice now gone, “you know, if you’re looking for that sort of thing.” Almost immediately as it had gone, the sarcasm came back. Fred playfully nudges his little sister in the ribs.

George tries his best to hide his curiosity about how his sister knows you by pretending to be distracted by a game of exploding snap and picking at the food on his plate. When you stand up from your seat, clearly making your way toward the Gryffindor common room for the night, George’s eyes lock with yours and he raises a hand and grins before he realizes that everyone is watching him.

You smile back and hug your book tighter before heading out of the Great Hall, and even as the cackling and teasing around him continues, George can’t seem to take his eyes off of you.

When he’s trudging through the hallways with his twin, watching as passerbys head into their next classes, he doesn’t expect to see you.

You should be in class already, no?

Fred catches this. “Oh boy,” he teases, nudging his twin in the ribs, “going to get more than a smile out of her today?”

George shoves him into a nearby wall when Fred begins to snicker as George yells your name down the corridor. “Hey, Y/N!”

He catches up with you in the now empty corridor and you grin shyly at him. “Hello, George.”

“Coming to the match this weekend?”

He tries not to get his hopes up, but is pleasantly surprised to hear you say yes. “Wouldn’t miss it,” you tell him, now walking toward him. “Versus Ravenclaw, yeah?”

George nods in agreement.

You look around the corridor, making sure nobody else is around, and when you are finally satisfied to see that the coast is clear, you tell him, “Their team is rubbish this year. You guys have it in the bag.”

He beams at you. “Thanks,” he replies, “well—hopefully, you never know with Quidditch. Maybe afterwards we could have those lessons I promised?”

You peer at him in surprise, a little taken aback. “Was—was that a promise?”

“Well, I’d certainly like to—if you still do.”

His heart flutters when you agree. Switching the books in your one arm to the other, albeit clumsily, you stand across from him, careful not to drop your belongings to the ground. “Yeah—that, um, sounds nice.” A small, nervous chuckle escapes your lips.

There’s a bit of comfortable silence between the two of you as he processes this, excited beyond belief. His insides are swirling nervously and he fixes his bag across his shoulder.

“Free period?”

“Yes,” you reply breathlessly, clutching your bag tighter around your shoulder. “Just heading to the library to finish that Potions essay,” you roll your eyes. George grins sheepishly at you, remembering the assignment but figuring he’ll worry about that later. “Did you have a good lunch?”

“Yeah—good, really good,” he replies, tugging at the edges of his robe sleeves, “and you?”

You smile sweetly. “Very good, thanks.” There’s another bit of silence between you when George realizes he has absolutely no idea what to say next, but thankfully, you come to the rescue—for more than one reason. “You have a free period, as well?”

George’s eyes widen in horror when the realization hits him like a ton of bricks—only mere seconds have passed, but he should be in his Transfiguration class by now. It’s as if the thought of her brings her out of her classroom, because Professor McGonagall pokes her head out of her classroom and says, “Mr. Weasley, please make your way in for your lesson. Now is not the time to flirt with pretty girls, I’m afraid—I’d rather you leave your teenage mischief for the common room.”

When McGonagall ducks back into the classroom, George peers back at you, his cheeks a bit rosy and his mind swirling with anxious thoughts.

“You should go,” you tell him sheepishly, nudging him gently toward the classroom, “wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of McGonagall’s outbursts.” You laugh a bit and turn to head toward the library.

“She’s right, you know,” George says, not ready to leave just yet.

“About what?”

“The flirting thing,” he tells you with a cheesy grin, “even if I am rubbish at it.”

Your face flushes red and you immediately peer down at your shoes, nervousness boiling up inside you. George laughs haughtily at your flustered state, throwing his head back before glancing at you once more. He watches as your face changes from anxiety-ridden to very, very cheeky.

“And the pretty?”

George swallows over the lump in his throat and sucks in a breath. He hadn’t expected you to say anything about this, but it takes every ounce of his being to not go off about your beauty. “Well of course she was right about that.”

Feeling quite pleased with himself, he winks, noticing the smile tugging at the edges of your lips before you both turn and head off in your respective directions.

It’s obvious, now, that Professor Snape is in a worse mood than he normally is. The Dungeons seem darker, colder, less appealing (as if that’s possible) and George is crossing his fingers that this class flies by—that is, until you walk in. It seems as though the room brightens up.

It’s the first assignment of the year that Snape breaks you apart into groups—by houses, of course. George’s heart begins hammering in his chest when you slide into the seat next to him and across from his twin, whose eyes are going back and forth between the two of you as you all take out your textbooks and place them on the table.

Fred notices the Quidditch pin on your bag, just as George had that time in Hogsmeade. “Think we can get you to switch over to the Cannons?”

“No such luck, sir,” you reply softly, laying out the ingredients for your potion neatly next to your cauldron, “I’m sort of exclusively dedicated to the Bats.”

Words are escaping George’s lips before he can even register what he’s saying. “Her family would have her head if she fancied any other team.”

The two of you peer at each other, exchanging soft smiles, while Fred just shakes his head, as if to imply he was feeling some type of secondhand embarrassment from the rubbish flirting going on between you and his brother. It is then revealed, Fred realizes, that George has absolutely no plan whatsoever on how to continue this conversation, as he finds himself tripping over his words—so unlike him. “So, er, we need—what do we need exactly?” George kicks his brother underneath the table after a mocking laugh, leaving a red faced Fred doubled over in pain.

Snape’s constant glances at your group seem to be making George more nervous than possible. Normally, he doesn’t worry this much when it comes to classes, but with you sitting next to him, he finds himself incredibly focused on his assignment in front of him.

“Okay,” he says eventually, his body language exuding nothing but confidence, “Reckon we can finish this rather quickly, now—just need two more bezoars?”

“No!” you nearly jump out of your seat, but you aren’t quick enough. “George, just one!”

The potion erupts in the cauldron and George is left with soot all over his face and in his hair. Fred bursts into raucous laughter next to him while you cup a hand over your mouth. From the table next to yours, a Slytherin asks jokingly, “Seamus Finnegan isn’t in our year, is he?”

You hurriedly head to the supply closet, pull out a clean rag and race back over to your table, nearly tripping over your robes. George is almost happy his face is covered—the black soot is hiding the very obvious tomato-red color of his face now. But still, he can’t help but laugh at himself.. just a little bit. “Don’t worry, I—I can fix it,” you tell him tentatively.

You sway your wand above the cauldron, bringing it back to it’s correct dark green colour, and gently dab his face and run a hand through his hair. You’re starting to see that bright red again. And then it’s as if everything around you stops, and the world goes still and silent. You’re still running a hand through his hair, and George is peering at you with solemn eyes, his breathing becoming heavier, when Snape very rudely interrupts you both, making you jump.

“Had it not been for Y/N L/N’s quick fix, it would’ve been easy to mark this abysmal,” Snape tells you all, looking disgusted when he glances inside your cauldron at the potion you’ve concocted. “Respectable, I suppose.”

When you both finally notice that everyone around you is watching you in surprise, you quickly rub some of the soot off of George’s robes and quickly swing your bag over your shoulder, eager to leave the dungeons and regroup. You bite your lip and offer a small grin, “Erm—see you later,”

As George trudges behind his twin up the stairs for the next class, still trying to wipe away the soot from his face, Fred tells him teasingly, “Well—that went well,”

George shoves him as they both continue to laugh. “She’s—just—things are fine,” he says through gritted teeth.

“You’ve just got to do it already, haven’t you?” comes the voice of Ron, who slips next to them as they wander through the corridors, Harry by his side. “Just kiss her already, mate.”

“C’mon, ‘m taking my time. I don’t want to.. scare her away.”

“Ah yes,” Fred begins sarcastically, bouncing down the hallways now, “don’t kiss her as soon as you possibly can—girls love that.”

It’s nearly eleven p.m. when the common room finally clears. You’re sitting near the fire, many pieces of parchment on the table in front of you, and you’ve got the back end of your quill in your mouth. George continues to steal glances at you whilst trying desperately to finish homework of his own.

“I can’t do this anymore, I’m heading to bed,” Fred announces, standing up and closing his spellbooks with a loud smack! “Coming, George?”

“Yeah—soon, mate,” he replies, not looking at his brother, but instead, keeping his eyes transfixed on you, as if he’s in some sort of a trance. He licks his lips impatiently, and then begins to bounce his feet up and down on the ground.

“So—she your girlfriend yet?”

George tosses a throw pillow from the couch in Fred’s direction. Through gritted teeth, he says, “Shut up, will you? She’ll hear you!”

Fred pauses for a moment and considers this.

“Maybe that’s what you both need.”

“What?”

“For her to hear it. If she’s not going to hear it from you how much you bloody want her—”

George sticks out his foot when Fred begins to cross to the other end of the common room, when he trips slightly, but catches himself before he faceplants, “Oi,” Fred says, rolling his eyes, and then lowers his voice, “would you just go for it already? So you can quit being all moon-eyed—”

George rolls his eyes at this. “I don’t want to rush things, Freddie. Don’t want to frighten her off. She’s not like us—she’s more subdued, quiet. I’ve got to take it slow, don’t I?”

“Merlin’s sake, Georgie,” Fred says, making him jump. “It’s so obvious she likes you back. Do something before she bloody finds someone else, would you?”

“Get out of here, you absolute git,” George playfully kicks his brother in the shin, who heads for the boys dormitory. He thinks on this for a moment, though. Was it too late? Nerves were once again bubbling up inside him, anxious thoughts eating him alive. George had always been patient—he wasn’t going to change his ways now, was he? But still, the talons of Fred’s words are entrenched in his mind. Had he already missed his chance with you?

Finally, the two of you are alone—completely on separate ends of the common room, immersed in your own work—but alone, nonetheless.

Of all the things George expected to happen late that evening, you suggesting heading town to the Quidditch pitch in the dead of night isn’t one of them. “Get your broom, then!” you tell him excitedly.

“Now?” he asks you, looking down at his watch. It’s nearing midnight. “You want to go down to the pitch now?”

“Oh,” you sputter, now feeling like an absolute idiot for suggesting something so sneaky. You shake your head at him. “I—I’m sorry—we don’t need to, really, it’s okay—I just thought, since you’re so used to sneaking out of the castle at night, it might be fun? I reckon we’d probably get quite a tongue lashing from McGonagall if we were caught, though—just forget I said anything, it’s fine, really, we can go another day—”

George can hardly hide his smile at your hysteria. He grabs you gently by the arm and turns you back toward him, your face rosy and eyes skittish. He places both of his hands on your shoulders and laughs. “I think it’s a really great idea.”

“You do?”

“Yeah,” he replies, lying completely through his teeth. “You’ve got to learn to play in all conditions, haven’t you? Nothing quite like a dark day on the pitch.”

“You don’t think I’m completely out of my mind?”

George tilts his head in thought. “Well—maybe a bit,” he lets a laugh escape his lips before heading to his four poster to grab his broom, “but it helps that you’re cute. You’re always going to surprise me, aren’t you?”

You beam at this. “Guess you’ll never know with me.”

Regrettably so, the two of you don’t even make it to the pitch. You were so very close to exiting the castle, when you heard footsteps rounding the bend. Quickly, George grabbed you and dragged you quickly to some secret passageway he and Fred had found many years before, stumbling very clumsily as you went, which is exactly how you both ended up in this particular situation.

You’re both extremely close to one another, out of breath and exhilarated, listening to the low mumbles of Severus Snape and Argus Filch coming from the corridor you had just left. George brings his fingers to his lips, as if to say, Stay as quiet as you can! Once their footsteps retreat into nothingness, you both let out sighs of relief, George’s body flooding with adrenaline of narrowly escaping the wrath of Filch—a feeling he knows quite well.

“I am so sorry—are you alright?”

“Yeah, yes,” you tell him breathlessly, bringing a hand to your chest and sucking in a quick breath. “Reckon that almost-disaster just took a few years off my life, though.”

“You get used to it after a while,” George tells you, tightening his shoelace, “if I had a sickle for the amount of times I’ve almost been caught, I’d be a very rich man.”

You giggle sweetly. “And how many times is that, exactly?”

“Oh, somewhere near two hundred and fifty,” he says. He sticks out his hand and pulls you to your feet and the two of you make your way to the entrance of the secret passageway, George keeping a strict eye out for any more professors or ghosts wandering the corridors.

And that’s when you trip over your own two feet, and a muffled thump! echoes through the passageway.

Your hand flies to your face, covering your mouth, as you erupt into a fit of laughter. George is pretty sure tears are escaping your eyes, but he can’t tell if it’s because you’re laughing so hysterically, or because you’re hurt in some way. He can’t read your expression, and it frustrates him to no end, as he frantically bends down toward you to see if you’re alright. “Are you okay?”

You nod quickly, still laughing.

He rests his hands gently on both of your knees and begins to laugh, too. “No more falling, yeah?”

And when you both regain your composure, you’re both looking at one another, that strange, still silence floating in the air as the tension rises between you both. And with a surge of confidence, you pull gently on George’s shirt and press your lips lightly to his.

You feel his shock against you, but it’s mere milliseconds before he’s melting into it, his lips molding perfectly against yours, his heartbeat increasing rapidly inside his chest. He’s sure you can hear it. He thinks he can hear yours, too.

And before he knows it, he’s the one who’s falling.

Falling, falling, deeper, faster.

The kind of falling you can’t help—it’s just overtaking, overwhelming. The kind you can’t stop, no matter how hard you try.

But George doesn’t seem to mind.. not even in the slightest.

He isn’t sure if you want to walk hand-in-hand back to the common room as you both stealthily make your way through the corridors. But he figures, since you’ve already kissed him, hand holding probably wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

So he intertwines his fingers in yours and feels relief flood through him when you bite back a large grin.

You both hop through the portrait hole after he says the password, “Lemon Drop”, ignoring the Fat Lady’s questions about what you two are doing out so late, and the entire room seems to ease up when you’re finally safe inside.

“I know we didn’t get to practice any Quidditch,” George begins, squeezing your hand a bit, “but I still hope you had fun tonight—besides the almost getting caught part.”

But little does he know, that was your favorite part of the entire evening. He notices that nervous smile again, something he’s found himself to be quite fond of.. it doesn’t help that you’re so bloody adorable. “I did,” you tell him straightforwardly, both of you thinking back to the kiss.

He swallows thickly, suppressing down any butterflies in his stomach. “Good—great—‘m glad you did.”

“And George?” you start, standing up on your tippy toes, getting as close as you can to him.

He can barely get the word out. His heart is going to explode out of his chest, he’s absolutely sure of it. Oh no. “Yes?” he gulps.

“I suppose you can tell Fred I’m your girlfriend now.”

He shakes his head in admiration, trying not to smile like a complete goof. He calls to you from the staircase opposite yours, “Reckon you’re always going to surprise me?”

You pull your cardigan tighter around your shoulders, cross your arms shyly and reply with a cheeky, albeit nervous, grin, “Guess you’ll never know with me.”

[thejosh1980]

I was lookin' back to see if she was lookin' back...

Yesterday Alex, Mum and I celebrated...

It's been one year since Alex and I arrived at Mum's place in Ocean Shores, NSW Australia.

If you've read my earlier blogs in 2020, you'll know that we had a lot of trouble getting home. Between the government and airlines, at one point it looked like we'd never get here; we were stranded. I was living in constant worry, stress and hopelessness - in fact, we all were: Alex's family in Germany and Mum's family down under.

Our July 2020 flights were cancelled or rescheduled many times, and eventually we decided to buy new, more expensive flights, on another airline through an agency, which gave us some assurances we'd be on the flight. Our new flights booked and confirmed for early September.

We flew Frankfurt to Adelaide, which was not our original plan. Adelaide had no COVID, and the chance of getting on a flight and getting into the country was higher than say, Brisbane, or Sydney. We could quarantine in Adelaide for 2 weeks and then fly on to Brisbane, which is closer to Ocean Shores.

That was like.... so last year...

This area where we now live is known as the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, and when we arrived at Mum's there was no COVID in the area. We are only about 35 minutes south of the Queensland border, about 8 hours north of the big smoke, Sydney.

Now, a year on, COVID has arrived here.

It's been biting at the heals of tourists and essential workers travelling north since Sydney went into lockdown a couple of months ago.

It's not our idea of a good time.

Right now it's school holidays, which is meant to be 2 weeks of families holidaying in caravan parks and hotels, an essential part of this tourist attraction mecca. Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, and surrounds are usually very popular places; so popular that most locals complain about how busy it gets here during the holidays. You just can't get a parking sport anywhere!

The Northern Rivers was locked down for about 6 weeks through August into September because cases from Sydney were getting into regional NSW. These regional areas affected by COVID weren't near here, but they made a blanket rule for everywhere outside of Sydney, just to be on the safe side.

Honestly, I don't blame them for the rule, regional outback Australia can't cope with COVID, there's few hospitals, beds, or COVID experience in the scrub and farm land.

Anyhow, I digress...

After those 6 weeks or so in lockdown, they lifted the restrictions here in the northern rivers (and other areas of NSW).

And now, after 2 weeks, lockdown is back on...

There are a couple of cases in the area. Snap lockdowns are the government's preferred method of containing outbreaks. Lockdown areas wherever cases pop up for a week or two (or longer) to limit exposure.

It reminds me constantly that life can change quickly at any time. I have decided I will not waste time once this current lockdown has ended (who knows when that will be). I will visit friends, family, and musicians who live close by. I want to see as many folks as quickly as possible, before another lockdown kicks in.

Besides the boring, never ending tale of COVID, there have been a few things happening this past year...

Alex has been working consistently in the real estate industry since her temporary visa kicked in late last year.

Her first job was a few more miles away than any of us locals would consider driving, and the position wasn't as enjoyable or rewarding as she had first hoped. She really dived in the deep end, and while she didn't drown, she probably needed a few swimming lessons before the attempt. It was a life lesson, one she took on board, and when a new job came up closer to home, she nailed the interview (as she always does), and hasn't looked back.

The 2nd job is less than half the distance away, strictly 9 to 5 and in a company which she enjoys. There's a strong company structure, good work ethic, and entertaining colleagues. Her supervisors, colleagues, and managers are all very supportive; I think she'll be sitting tight on this one for a while.

Alex has also found her creative side again, scrap book journalling, instant camera photography, and some kind of couples diary/journal/photo book too. It's become an almost nightly affair of focusing, creating, and having something to show for it fairly quickly. She's very proud of her work, and it's something she does just for herself. I don't expect you'll get a chance to see a photo of what she's done, and she likes it like that.

I had a bit of work late in 2020 and early 2021, nothing special really, but wait until the premier!! It's interesting to think that some day soon I'll be able to go to the cinema and see my ugly mug on the big screen (even if it will most likely be out of focus). I'll be on Netflix too.

Having the opportunity to be an extra on film and TV was a real boost for my confidence after being off stage for so long. I felt creative, met some great people, made some friends, and had a few bucks in my pocket. Happy days.

By jumping into an industry I hadn't been in before right after arriving here, it reminded me that Australia has a lot to offer. I found myself comparing Germany and Australia, and Australia often feels like it comes up short. This was a chance to prove to myself that there are adventures awaiting here down under.

So, I decided to go back to school.

The last time I was in a class room was in 1998!! I am studying a Diploma of Counselling, and am currently half way through my studies. I've found it very challenging, but have passed every assessment so far, and gained some handy skills too. I have a good connection with my teachers, and I really enjoy the company of my classmates; some of which I can even call friends.

I chose counselling for a few reasons, but the first step was really just a process of elimination. Besides being a freelance professional musician for several years in Germany, I had worked in offices, shops, warehouses, kindergartens and various other jobs. While I could go back into IT or something similar, I wanted to use this opportunity to try something new.

I had my fair share of mental health issues in the past (and present). I thought maybe those experiences could help me connect with folks who need support as well. When looking at course options, the counselling course stood out. So now I'm making a mid life crisis gamble that I'll pass the course, and feel confident and knowledgeable enough to take on the role that many others have taken on for me over the years.

The course has helped me find a routine too, one that I didn't know I needed, until it happened. When you're jobless and unfocused, the mind wanders, the days pass. Now my mind is focused on study, and I feel better for it.

Up until the lockdown hit, we were in class 3 days a week and then I'd study from home 1 to 3 days a week. When lockdown hit, we had to go online. However, being on the computer so much has worn me out, and I really start to enjoy those rare days where I am not looking at a screen!

To be honest, it's been challenging every step of the way, and I even thought about quitting several times in the past few months. However, my confidence has steadily risen to each challenge and I felt better for it.

That's the kind of vicious circle I enjoy.

In July I had my first live show in 13 months! In fact, to date I've only had 3 since the pandemic started! Fingers crossed I can cross the border next month and add a 4th.

I was approached by Cherry Divine to play guitar for her. It's a relatively easy gig for me. The songs are fun rockabilly tunes, Cherry sings great, and she already has a band and gigs. I'm helping her write a few songs too, for her next album. I can't thank her enough for sparkin' the fire in me to keep music alive in my life; for a while there I thought it was all a thing of the past.

With the spark has come the possibility of “The Josh” solo band coming together. While the band isn't moving at any great speed (the recent 2nd lockdown kicked in right as I was about to arrange a rehearsal), I'm finally eager to get a band together. I miss playing live, and I miss having musicians in my life. I miss the spontaneity of a show, life on the road, and crowd reactions.

I've even started to write some new material, and get those ideas on “tape”, well, on the computer. Slow and steady, between studying, family, pets and surfing, music is coming back into my life, and it feels good.

Our family unit here is doing well. Alex and I have been under mum's roof and mum's care for a year now. There are some ups and downs, but mostly I'd say they're ups... The house is big enough to give all of us space, all of us get time outside of the house (except during lockdown, I was mostly stuck at home, but that's OK for me)...

Last night we couldn't go out for dinner, but we did have take away from the local Indian which was really good, and a special treat for us, we don't eat out often.

Alex and I plan to get away every 5-6 months for a visit to somewhere we haven't been. In March we were on the “Sunshine Coast” and checked out Australia Zoo, and in June we went south to the mid north coast to pick up BB Junior.

It's nice to get out and explore. A bit hard to do at the moment, with the restrictions, but we've agreed another trip away (before Christmas if possible) is in order. Those trips are part of the reason why I came home, to see some of Australia, and I'm lucky I get to make those experiences with Alex.

It's also nice to get away from it all. I know we live in a beautiful spot near the ocean, but here, at home, there's the computers, the life and routine, and getting away keeps us fresh and focused on each other. It's definitely something I look forward to!

Speaking of BB Junior, he's almost 7 months old now, and a real character. While he's not the easiest cat to train, I've been getting a few tricks out of him, and he enjoys his time outside, with his harness and long lead. He visits his cousin each week for play time, Charlie, who is another ragdoll of a family friend who loves to play chase all day long with Junior. Alex adores Junior, and Junior adores Alex; they can't wait to cuddle when she comes home from work. He's very vocal too, so even when everyone is at work, I have someone to talk to!

Losing our little boy Mijo was a real difficult experience. I know I've written about him before, but he deserves a mention here, as he was a big part of our first year here. He was full of character and strength, he and I bonded very quickly and not a day goes by I don't think of him. He also brought Alex and I closer together. When she chose him for me, and when he passed, and all points in between, he brought us closer.

I've been focused on sport a fair bit since getting back and settling in. I bought a RowErg, also known as a rowing machine, and I row about twice a week, in addition to riding my bicycle about twice a week. I try to surf every chance I get, which unfortunately ends up being only a few times a month. It's my goal to do something sporty to get my heart rate up every day, and of late, usually I get there too. I don't really do it for any other reason than I love to snack and I can't snack if I don't do sport!

A benefit of my sport/snack workout routine is it helps me stay calm and focused and connected with those I ride and surf with.

I haven't asked Mum how she's feeling about having her middle aged son and his wife living with her recently. Maybe I should, but do I really wanna know the answer? Well, I think she's OK with it. After all, we drive her wherever she wishes! I suspect it goes a little deeper than that, and in all honesty, we enjoy each other's company.

Since Alex and I have been here, I'd like to think Mum has been living a little bit fuller life. I don't think her eyesight has deteriorated much in the past year, but we've been able to provide her with support, eyes to read the small print, driving and help with google, or something around the house. When Mum was diagnosed with celiac disease earlier this year, Alex took her shopping to check over the ingredients of Mum's favourite food, and when needed, found alternatives. It definitely made the transition to gluten free a little easier on Mum and it was a load off my mind that we were around to help her through that phase.

Winter 2021 was over before it even started. I forgot how warm this part of the world is, and I don't know why I own so many jackets! Returning from Europe, where I was wearing a jacket daily for about 9 months of the year, here it feels like, if it's really needed, and I mean if you're desperate, you might need one for 9 weeks of the year. I think the heater was on a handful of times, and the sun was shining just about every day.

I tell ya, it's some kind of paradise here.

It's been a bit difficult keeping up with our European friends and family. I sometimes find it hard to find the time to be proactive to contact the 20, 30 or more friends I'd like to keep in touch with regularly. I know our lives keep on keepin' on, but time passes by so quickly too, and next thing you know it's been 4 months since I last contacted you!

Sorry about that!

Don't take it personally, and I'll get back to you, eventually!

My overall mental health has improved over the year, I'd say it's become quite stable since I started the course. I mean, can't you tell? I write less and less in this blog, because I have less and less to process. I'm not sure if it's the fact there's a lot of self reflection that is inherently a part of doing that kind of mental health course, or if it's the routine of being a student or the new friends I've made and classmates I study with.

It could be that it's taken a year to come to terms with being back here, cause when I first arrived I felt uncomfortable, depressed and worn out... There were a lot of questions; is this a mid life crisis? What am I doing here? Will I ever feel good again? Is my music career over? What am I going to do now? Is Alex OK? Is Mum OK?

My journalling, blogging, and support from friends and family has helped a lot too this past year. Processing my thoughts in words, by clarifying and reflecting, has helped a lot. I've been trying to care for myself a bit more now and then too, I think people call it self care, sometimes I call it sport! Alex has helped me to recognise my achievements, however big or small, and focus less on what I haven't done.

I'm not perfect, but definitely improving.

I was hoping that Alex and I would be in a position to start looking at buying our own house around this time, a year in, but unfortunately, with one of us being a student and the ever rising cost of housing, we have to sit tight on that idea for a while longer. Sorry Mum, you're stuck with us.

There's been many smaller things happen during our first year here. Lots of moments of gratitude, love and support. There's some stuff we've forgotten, or that has been overtaken by something bigger. All in all, I'd say it's been a real rollercoaster home coming!

We're still here, a year on, still going strong, making motions, taking chances, being in love, talking shit, laughing, smiling, misbehaving and focusing... What more could we ask for?

Thank you for reading, for your support and love. I love you too.

Josh

[a-forgotten-spirit]

Love Isn’t An Illusion (7)

Pairing: Todoroki x Bakugou, Todoroki x Reader x Bakugou, VERY SLOW BUILD

Summary:  Getting supplies for the camping trip with some fun rivalry swimming.

Words: +-7600 (I have problems)

Warnings:  bad parenting, overbearing parents, overthinking, talking about bathing suits, fear of public places, over planning, wearing a skirt, anxiety, protective Shoji, being noticed by fans, social metres, explaining swimwear, saying you have a chest (sorry if you dont, itty bitty titties are good too!), explanations of clothing, the league, undressing and people looking at you (not sexual), being self conscious, overly competitive, 

Tagged:  @kittycatspervertedheart​ @lemorrite​ @gwendlynn​ @marleps​ @thicctati2​ @saitamastamaticsoup​ @succulent-momma​ @aurorahoneybuns​ @imjusttireddudes​ @misconceptualised​ @ochabby​ @katsukisuwus​ @gayverlinq​ @star-witchs-blog​ @fallbb123 @icyhotpie​ @kyrah-williams​

A/N:  I wrote this for the fans. I do not own My Hero academia or the characters, I don’t own most of the plot for this story, I had watched the show and re-written the dialogue and plot as if the reader was the main character. Everything is centred around the reader. Please comment, makes me happy. Ask if you wish to be tagged. Patreon is still in the works as I’m not confident to do it however, for now I am doing commission stories if anyone is interested

Masterlist

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

Walking into the house my mother walked up to me hands on her hips and she looked ready for a fight. I was tired and just wanted to go lay down. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her right now or at any given point if I was honest but after the exam I had, I quite enjoyed turning my brain off for a few days. 

“Who dropped you off” she inquired immediately. I sighed and hoisted my bag onto my back more comfortably as I looked up to see her. My head was pounding and Bakugou's jumper was so warm and fluffy I just wanted to go to sleep. 

“Friends from school” I answered, my heart did the weird thing where it decided to not work and beat quicker then it should. I was there with my friends. Todoroki was always ready to help me move around and helped me through the panic attack while Bakugou had brought me food and gave me his jumper. I was thankful for both. Her hand moved in a continuous motion as if to continue “Bakugou and Todoroki” I answered. 

“Todoroki, like Endeavor Todoroki,” she asked and I nodded slowly “His son, with the fire and ice. You’re friends with his son” I nodded again. She’s never been interested in heroes, at least whenever I talked about them “Oh darling look at you. He is a fine choice to swoon. Money and looks, he will make a great friend. I have to meet his father” 

I was blank. She had to be joking right. I did not just fight ten Pro heroes for my mother to go on about how I'm friends with someone as if I had something to gain “I’m friends with Todoroki for Todoroki, not Endeavor. I do not like Endeavor and I never will. I like Todoroki for who he is not who he is related to” I said slowly as if I had to sound it out. 

“Oh sure” she huffed and I knew this wouldn’t leave so I left it, she could think all she wanted, it meant nothing to me. “Bakugou, Bakugou” she whispered and hand on her chin. What was she doing? “Bakugou like the fashion designers” my head fell as I sighed out and shook my head “You are going for the top aren’t you. Just like your mum” 

“Ok, whatever. Think what you want but I like them for them” she continued to go on as I shook my head again and then walked away up the stairs and into my room. Placing my phone on to charge I wiggled my arms into the jumper and unzipped my hero costume before falling into bed and falling asleep. 

-

This morning was long, filled with questions about the boys and what they did, who I liked more. I didn’t answer a single one. I was not in the mood. I pulled on my uniform folding Bakugous’ jumper and left it on my bed. If he didn’t want me to keep it I could say I just forgot it, easy. I chose to pull on the UA jumper I had specifically asked for and then I was ready for school. My mother offered to drive, I accepted and put in my music to ignore her. Headphones covering my head and ears. Arriving I thanked her and I was off to class, as I was walking down the hall I could hear Kaminari yelling, he didn’t pass. 

Aizawa walked in and I quickly followed “Sorry” I could see the looks but one glare from Aizawa and everyone was quiet. I made my way to my seat quickly, sitting down and placing my headphones in my bag out of the way, looking up and paying full attention. 

“Morning, unfortunately, there are a few of you who did not pass your final exams. So when it comes to the training camp in the woods” he paused then his head raised a wide smile as his eyes did the same “Everyone is going” that was good. Kaminairi and Mina looked quite upset. They all asked if he was being honest and that they got to come with the rest of us “Yeah. The good news is no one bombed the written exam. Five failed the practical badly. Two teams of course and Sero failed as well” I could hear a quiet yell. I forgot he got caught with Midnight and fell asleep the whole time. “Allow me to explain, the practical the teachers made sure to leave a way for the students to win” my eyes fell and I shook my head “Except Y/N” he nodded and I looked away. They did no such thing. “Otherwise you never would have stood a chance” I rolled my eyes. 

“I think I did just fine thank you” I whispered and played with the ends of my sleeve. I spent three days in the hospital to win that goddamned test. I knew some people heard that at the little chuckles around me. 

“We were interested in observing how each of you approached the task at hand. The training camp will focus on strength” this was going to be a long camp, my head rested on my palm as I looked to Aizawa. I need to work on harnessing my quirk and not passing out every time I go overboard. “Those who failed will need those lessons the most, we were never going to separate you” leave it to the teachers to absolutely scare everyone in the class for no reason “That was just a logical deception we used” his smile was bright, he was quite proud of himself. 

“He tricked us all, I should have expected this” Iida voiced I turned seeing him quickly lunge up from his seat “Mr Aizawa this is the second time you’ve lied to us aren’t you afraid we will lose faith in you” he was standing straight his hand up in the air as he yelled. He had a point but I don’t think the teacher cared. 

“That’s a good point, I'll consider it” No he won’t, he enjoyed making us stress and try our best “But I wasn’t lying to you about everything” this man was full of surprises and it was making my head fuzzy. “Failure is failure” I smiled so not a topic for me. “We’ve prepared extra lessons for the five of you” the mood dropped drastically amongst the five. “Frankly they’ll be far tougher than what you’ll face at summer school” at least he was honest. 

The rest of the day went by as usual and I talked to Bakugou and Todoroki mostly a few people coming up to me to give their congratulations and a few telling me they thought I had died when I just fell. I laughed at that comment. 

“I had about a hundred thoughts playing at once so I overworked my brain” I smiled and scratched the back of my head, a nervous habit I picked up when I was younger. I saw confused faces. “Each illusion is a single thought if they act differently so by the end of the match I had about a hundred independent thoughts going through my head at once” 

I was bombarded with questions as I answered them without giving too much information away. I had Mina hugging me tightly at one point in tears about how worried she was, I swear my hair was wet by the end of it. I smiled, genuinely. I did have the best class anyone could ask for. This was one of the first days I wasn’t rushing to study or do anything, it felt nice and I had friends.

“We’re at the training camp for a full week” Iida readout, he seemed shocked and I nodded to myself. Another week without my parents, what more could I wish for. My parents had signed off on it earlier in the year not caring for what I did. 

“No way, I’ll need a bigger suitcase” Midoriya pondered and I thought to my belongings. I had a big enough suitcase. When I got along with my parents we had gone on a few holidays so I just had to find it. 

“No kidding, I don’t even have a bathing suit” the thought sent shivers down my spine. I would be fearful to get into the water knowing if Kaminari sneezed I could be electrocuted and die. He had control but still, it was worrying. I didn’t often go swimming so I too would need to buy one. “Guess I need to buy some stuff” 

“Guys since we are off tomorrow and we’re finished exams I have the best idea” Torus’ happy voice sang out her uniform moving indicating she raised her arms in excitement. Everyone seemed interested now. “Why doesn’t class 1-A go shopping together” it wasn’t a bad idea. I preferred to go shopping with people I knew then alone I had to admit I feared to be alone in public places just as much as the next person. 

“Hey yeah, we’ve never hung out as a class before” Kaminari smiled as Uraraka nodded enthusiastically. I could hear everyone agreeing and getting more excited about the weekend's events. I too was quite excited though, did they mean everyone in the class? 

 “Bakugou, see you there, right” Leave it to Kirishima to always ask if the explosive blonde would attend a get-together. I like that Bakugou had friends and seemed to get along with people, even if it was only a select few.  

“I can’t think of anything more annoying” his eyes were closed and face distasteful as he grimaced at the mere thought of seeing anyone in school out in public. I smiled and rolled my eyes silently as he walked off from the group hands in his pockets and back slouched. 

Everyone was talking and I smiled happily though I could hear Midoriya ask Todoroki if he was going to join the class on our little adventure “I visit my mum on days off” he smiled, small but it was there. Did he live with his dad but not his mum? Maybe they were divorced or something. I was sad he wouldn’t be there but I could understand why. I didn’t blame him. 

“Party poopers, don’t you ever get tired of being so serious” Mineta shouted, I would’ve liked both Bakugou and Todoroki to come but they had their things on. I had made friends with the class so hopefully, I wouldn’t be left to my own devices but if so I was more than capable of shopping on my own. 

“What about you Y/N” I turned to look at Jirou who had asked the question “Are you going to come” she smiled and I saw a few of the other girls smile in response. I was being offered, I had friends. I would never regret coming to this school. 

“Yeah” I nodded and stood from my desk patting my skirt down to my legs “I need some swimwear and hiking clothes” I scratched the back of my head nervously “I live in jumpers and long pants so I’ll need some outdoors clothes” I didn’t leave the house much before this year. I stayed in my room and played games now I was studying non-stop. 

“We can help with that” Uraraka put her fist in the air and I nodded unbeknownst that a few boys were more than interested in the conversation I was having. “You’ll be an outdoors person in no time” I laughed rather loudly and nodded. 

“I look forward to it” and I wasn’t lying I was beyond excited for this camp, the whole thing a new experience and I hadn’t gone on ‘holiday’ in quite some time if I was honest. 

We all walked out of the room and set up a group chat for the weekend, I waved everyone goodbye and began my trek home. Headphones on and music blaring to calm myself through the walk, it was long but when I arrived home I could see my parents were home. I walked up to the two of them turning down my music and pushing the headset from my head to my neck. 

“I’m going out with the class over the week to go shopping for the camp” I stated, they didn’t care what I did. I could see my mother think for a moment and then nodded, remembering something. 

“Yes you did make it into that camp, my bank is still connected to your card, get everything you need. A week was it” she asked not looking up, they had no concept of money because they had so much. I didn’t spend a lot of money but I did need things for the week trip. I nodded. “Ok” then I was off to my room. 

I searched my room for my suitcase, it was just a plain black hard suitcase that was big enough for a week's trip. Suitcase, done. I got out my phone and began to make a list of the things I would need. It was long but I wanted everything to be perfect and if I had no purchase limit why not spoil myself for once. 

Once the list was done I looked at the group chat and saw all the details Iida had set up sending a quick “Thank you” and mentioning Iida I was off and ready for bed. I had had dinner between rummaging through my room and making my list. 

-

Waking up the next morning I did my usual routine and stretched, I felt so relaxed no studying for me though I liked that I was still busy in away. I liked to keep myself busy. When you do things for so long and then stop you have to find something to replace it. I walked out into my room in my underwear and sighed, what was I going to wear? What was everyone going to wear? We were going to the shopping centre so casual but something I could easily take off if I needed to try things on. I laughed, I could use my illusions to see how they would look. Cute it was. 

I opened my wardrobe searching through my long-sleeved shirts until I found a black long-sleeved shirt with holes in the sleeves held together by an F/C lace-like strip that crossed over each other to the bottom of the sleeve. Short black skirt with my shirt tucked into baggily. I moved to my accessories drawers and opened it to see my belts. My F/C belt would go perfect matching the strips of lace, I placed it through the hoops in the skirt and smiled. Some simple boots and the look was complete. I brushed my hair and placed my little backpack on my back. Pull of a portable charger, my wallet and just my everyday things. Walking out I walked past my parents and I was off on my adventure sending a message I would be a few minutes late due to buses not matching up for me. 

 I hopped off the bus saying a quick thank you before I left to go into the centre, turning on my phone one last time to check I had the right information. I looked up and saw the group then looked down, was I too casual? I began to panic and shook my head. These were my friends, these were my people. 

“Hey guys, sorry for being a little late” I called out and watched as they turned to me smiling lighting up and waves being thrown though I didn’t miss the double takes I was receiving from a few of them. I walked up to them and stood in the little group we had formed. 

Everyone seemed quite excited but Midoriya was looking around in awe and muttering to himself about how all the shops captured almost every single quirk known. I laughed and felt my arm get hooped to Mina who was jumping around and full of energy like usual. I smiled. 

“You’re going to scare the children” Tokoyami blandly stated and shook his head crossing his arms in fake seriousness, at least, I thought it was fake. “Stop” I heard a few laughs as Midoriya blushed in embarrassment. 

“Wow, aren’t they UA students” a bystander called out and I turned to see a little group of people forming, this was a downfall of being in the top school but there was nothing we could do. I was going to become a hero and having fans was part of that. 

“1-A” another called out as I looked to the three men looking overly excited to see the group in public. After the sports festival, I couldn’t blame them but still yelling across the mall hallway was a lot for my anxiety. I hadn’t even thought about if anyone recognised us.

“I saw them on TV” so my accusations were right, they had seen us at the festival most likely and then the thought of my video saving people and Hero Killer Stain came into my mind. I gripped the straps of my backpack, Mina having left my side a few minutes ago. I moved to stand behind Shoji who immediately moved to shield me from the view.

Even with all the people talking and fanning Jiro and Momo were just talking about what they needed to get and see, they chose to go together. They were such good friends. I smiled at the interaction. 

“You ok,” Shoji asked his mask moving slightly with the question. I nodded and saw a few people turned to look at my still slightly shielded figure. I flushed and turned away from the looks. 

“I’m just anxious about people looking at me” he nodded and rubbed my back to calm me down “Sorry about that” I could see people shake their hands and smile, it made me feel a lot better. 

“We all have our weaknesses, though you seem so confident when fighting” Kirishima pointed out and again they nodded in agreement. My hand came to my chin to think, they were right. 

“I’m far too competitive to lose it just comes off as confidence” I laughed and scratched the back of my head my cheeks reddening at the confession “I’m one of the most competitive people you’ll ever meet. One of the downfalls of my personality” I nodded and heard a few laughs in response. 

When everyone was done saying what they needed or wanted for the trip Kirishima spoke up “Why don’t we split up and look around, we can meet up here when we are done. It’s noon so let’s say we all meet up here at three” I heard a chorus of sure's and yes’ as we all broke off.

I walked off with Shoji and Tokoyami having asked if I could tag along to the supplies store. I said I’d meet up with the girls later so I could buy some swimwear with them. We were talking and walking around until we made it to the store. Shoji grabbing a basket for us. I had moved my headphones to my bag but when I walked I could hear the keychains bounce. 

“What do you need Y/N,” Tokoyami asked and Shoji came back into the conversation from looking around. I hummed for a second taking out my phone and unlocking the device showing them both a photo. 

“I wanted to buy this, It’s a PowerPoint that has four docks for plugs and then three USB hubs. Just in case there aren't enough powerpoints I thought this would be good to bring” I explained and then pulled the phone back scrolling down “It says this store has them but I’ve never been here so I might have to ask someone” I whispered looking back up to the boys. 

“I didn’t even know they had those kinds of things but that is a very good idea” Shoji nodded impressed with the find and I handed him my phone saying to scroll as they also had others he might be interested in. 

“Yeah Y/N has a good point, we have no idea where we are going and it would be good to be prepared for anything” Tokoyami nodded and moved to look at the phone as well “They are very practical” he added and I nodded. “Anything else,” he asked my phone being handed back to me. 

“A flashlight maybe, I don’t know where we are and if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of nowhere I would like to know where I am going” a hum from Tokoyami and a firm agreeing nod from Shoji we began our quest for the items. 

It was an enjoyable trip as we rushed through each aisle and tried to find the products. The workers had told us isle five near the back to the left though all three of us stared at the shelf. “Are you guys seeing something I’m not?” I asked, turning to them. 

“No” Shoji shook his head and then tilted to shake his head, “They said isle five” we all looked up, we were in that aisle. “To the back” we were to the back of the isle “On the left” his voice went to nothing as I moved to crouch down. 

I moved a few boxes looking at the signs and then I saw them “Found them” I called out and heard a sigh of relief as I leaned forward to grab them from the back of the shelf, there were three left. I hugged them to my chest. “There’s three left” I sighed and moved to put them in the basket “No one in the class can get them” I smirked and we all laughed at the situation of us being overly prepared. 

Moving onto finding flashlights and a few other things including bug spray and a travel utility kit. “What about portable charges, there may not even be electricity. We could be camping” Tokoyami spoke up and I shrugged nodding. 

“Good point, we have no idea where we are going. I have one but when I was looking for the ports I saw one that can charge your phones up to four times in one charge” they were both interested in this new information as I showed them my phone again. “It’s pretty cheap too, sales” I smiled. We were off again looking for this device. Finding them we added them to the basket and we were leaving the store, finally. We paid for our things. I put my things in my bag and we were off once more. “Kaminari and Mina are picking out swimwear if you wanna come” 

“I need something to fit my arms, hopefully, they’ll have something” Shoji nodded as Tokoyami looked less than comfortable at the idea of trying on swimwear. I smiled and looked up the store. 

“Hey Tokoyami” his eyes turned to my own and I showed him the picture of the pitch-black swimwear set that was long-sleeved and came up his neck and down his legs. “They have a black pair that covers your whole body” I sang with a smile. 

“I guess I do need a swim set” he crossed his arms as we made our way to the store, keeping our chatter casual and easy. I put my phone away as we came into the store and met up with the two, Mineta and Kirishima had joined them. 

“Hey, guys” Kirishima waved smiling widely, happily. I waved back and we all began to browse. Mina and I moved over to the women's section even though the rash shirts in the men's section were looking more than appealing. 

Mina and I began to look through the swimwear as I sighed out, there was far too many to look through. “What do you usually wear in the water” she bounced over happily already holding a few things to try on. I, on the other hand, had nothing. 

“I don’t go swimming” I could swim quite well my parents have cared for me not drowning to get me a lesson at a young age. Though I didn’t go swimming often, we didn’t have a pool and I was very focused on studying to get into UA from a young age. 

“What’s a colour you like,” she asked and began to go through the swimwear I was looking at “This is just all shirts” she whispered more to herself then I as I nodded and she smiled “You’ll have to buy a bikini to go underneath as well” I hadn’t even thought about that. 

“I like F/C and black and yeah I do need to get a bikini” I sighed and put my head back, this was a lot for my social metre to take, my body anxious but Minas’ bubbly personality was helping my anxiety lessen. Taking out my phone I sent out a message to both Bakugou and Todoroki asking if they needed anything while I was out.

“Already got everything” was the message from Bakugou simple and easy then as I was about to click out “Thanks though” I smiled and was about to send a reply when the phone vibrated again “You should plan next time idiot” of course he couldn’t end on something positive. I replied and then moved onto Todoroki. 

“No, it’s ok. I’ll go after visiting my mother. Thank you” even though his typing style was neat and formal. Only saying what he needed too and then ending the conversation whereas Bakugou wrote whatever came to mind in that second and sent it off. I replied to him as well and then put my phone away. 

“Black isn’t a colour but I'll allow it” she stood quickly smiling out and then moving around the store grabbing Kaminari and Kirishima to help her find something for me to wear. I laughed at the awkward faces but they both went to work. 

“Y/N” I was called over to Mina who was holding a bikini set that was F/C, it was modest and covered everything that needed to be covered. I nodded and then looked to the fabric taking it, it had a nice texture as well. 

They looked nice, the bottoms weren’t held together by a string which I instantly liked and the bra part looked rather nice. The bra had little ruffles along the rim which were cute. I looked at the size and laughed. She looked confused as the boys walked overhearing the commotion. “You got a size far to small at least for the top” she tilted her hand and then looked down to my chest. 

I moved to hold my shirt against my body and her eyes widened “That’s some voodoo magic” she called out and I could see a few boys blushing as Mineta fell to the floor. “No what” she called out and looked amazed. 

I let go of my shirt and she shook her head “I just wear baggy clothing and jumpers to school. I appreciate the thought though” I laughed and moved to grab the size that fit me and she looked about ready to faint I laughed again. “It’s not the first time” she nodded and we went looking for the rest of the swimwear we all needed. “Kirishima” I watched his head turn and I held up a red swim shirt that had a picture of Crimson Riot on the back. 

“I need it but I don’t usually wear shirts” he whispered and looked overly happy that I had found it. Leaning down I showed him the matching bottoms a little picture of the hero on the bottom of them. “There we go” he nodded and got both of them “Isn’t this kinda childish though” he frowned. 

“If they had a swimsuit that had my favourite character on it, I’d get it. It’s manly to be you” I nodded and his eyes lit up as he jumped putting his arms together. He was so happy that someone had simply let him be a fan

“You’re right” he nodded and went to go show the others who were more than interested to listen to him babble about how much he loved Crimson Riot. I didn’t doubt he had far more merch then those two pieces of clothing. Though I was surprised to see the merch for such an old hero.  

I looked around as the others did, Tokoyami having grabbed the black pieces of swimwear I had shown him prior when we were walking over. Mina found some pink swimmers that complimented her and I walked further into the store seeing something I knew one of my friends would be interested in. Grabbing the colour I assumed he’d like I walked over to the group. 

“Shoji” I held up the seemingly normal swimsuit and I watched as everyone was confused until I pulled down an almost invisible zipper down the sides of the shirt and his eyes lit up. 

“You seem to find what everyone needs Y/N” I could see the smile through his mask and I nodded handing over the shirt showing him where the zipper was. “I have bottoms so I’m all done” I looked back and watched as the boys went off Kaminari having picked some yellow bottom with Pikachu on them, I smiled as they went to try on their clothes. 

I walked around until finding a nice black rash shirt with F/C strips along the ribs. Picking my size I walked over to Mina “Do you think I should get shorts or with the bikini bottoms be enough” I asked. She turned and looked at the outfit I was holding up. 

“The shirt seems pretty long so I think you should be fine” she nodded and then moved to feel the rash shirt “That’s super soft” her eyes widened and I did the same nodding. “Go try them on” I looked down and tilted my head. Creating an illusion her eyes widened “You never need to try on clothes, I'm so jealous” she cried out and I laughed “But they look super good”

I nodded. A few more minutes and trying on clothes we were ready to move on with the rest of our trip. Paying for the clothing and a reusable bag to put it in we were off everyone having bought something. We walked and talked as we moved on to different stores buying things and talking about what we would need. It was a fun trip and I had messaged my mother if she could pick me up having bought all the things I needed and it is quite a lot. She said yes, she was acting nice the last few days but I didn’t mention it. 

“I think that was a successful trip” Tokoyami pointed out and we all agreed. “It’s almost three so let’s all meet up with the group” we stopped by one more store to buy some new pillowcases and then we made our way back to the centre, being the first to arrive. 

Throughout the trip we had been stopped a few times by people interested in our school and other things, we mostly thanked them and then went on with our day. I smiled at my ‘fans’ and then we were off to the place where we said we would all meet up. Having arrived we weren’t the first, of course, Iida was here before us all, bags in hand. He dressed like a dad and I loved that he wore such formal but casual clothes. Though when we arrived we were told that Midoriya had been attacked per se by Shigaraki. The league of villains so-called leader. I was practically shaking when we were told. Then asked by police if we had seen anyone. I hadn’t even thought about the league or Stains little followers. I wasn’t safe, we weren’t safe. The police conducted a sweep but Shigaraki wasn’t found and I didn’t know if I wanted him too. Midoriya was taken to the police station to file a report. 

I stood with the rest of my peers and waved them off with a “Please be careful getting home” as I walked to the carpark placing all my new things into the boot while my mother was on the phone to someone. Getting into the passenger side I waved to the group getting waves back and raised my phone pointing to it mouthing “Message me” I got nods and then I was off on the drive home. 

My mother complained to someone on the other side of the line, but their conversation ended quickly. Her eyes glazed over to my body for a moment before talking “Did you get everything you need” she seemed very calm which was odd. 

“Yes, I did” I responded and she nodded stopping at a roundabout “I’ll be gone for a week as of the camp, I don’t know if I’ll be able to message as we don’t know where we are going” I explained as she drove through turning to the main road, the road home. 

“That’s fine, you still have your suitcase” I hummed a yes and she nodded “Your father and I are going on a week vacation while you are gone” so that’s why she was being nice. She didn’t want me there anyway. “I’ll drop you off on Monday and pick you up when you get home” I nodded and the conversation was over. 

Arriving home we went our separate ways. I moved into my room and began to get messages from everyone that they got home. I sent a message that I arrived home safely. I was so worried about the league but shook my head and began to pack my bag for the trip. I arranged everything and then began to pack, Aizawa saying they had beds for us so I didn’t need to bring Tatami to the trip. I packed my pillow and then packed around it, the piece is the biggest. Clothing folded perfectly and then placed inside. I packed the PowerPoint and extra chargers just in case. I had to charge my headphones tonight. I lifted myself from the floor and put them on to charge. 

Then came dinner, it was simple and easy to eat. Down with some ice water I was in a good mood, and excited mood. A few moments on my phone then I was back to packing. I finished well into the night having made sure I had everything but leaving a note in the bathroom to pack my toiletries the day I was leaving before I left. I believed I was ready for bed as I stretched and then looked back to the bag. Amongst shopping, I had bought some t-shirts and shorts, ready for the outdoors. My boots were thick but flat so I could wear them without care if we had to do a lot of walking. I moved to pack a few jumpers for sleeping or if it got cold. I packed Bakugous without a thought.

I had gotten a message in a new group titled “The girls” I smiled when I was informed that I was being asked if I wanted to join the rest of the girls using the schools' pool tomorrow before the camp. “Use the school swimsuit,” I said I’d be there.

-

I had arrived at school the next day wearing the school swimsuit under my regular clothes and going to the changing room to undress when I saw the rest of the girls changing. I waved as they began to talk about nothing in particular and I joined in a few times. 

“I am so excited for camp,” Toru yelled, voice high and full of energy even though it was rather early in the morning. I was still just waking up, not quite remembering how I got to school. As I peeled off my shirt I watched as the girls stopped talking.

“It’s so weird, right” I was confused and I followed their gaze to my chest as I flushed and looked away “Oh sorry Y/N” Mina apologised and I waved a hand as it was ok. It was I didn’t mind. “We went shopping  and I was amazed” 

“I can see why your outfits make you look flat” Jiro bluntly stated and I nodded looking down at my breasts. I wasn’t flat I thought I had nice breasts. We continued to get changed and then walked out into the pool area. “We got permission off Aizawa to be here so there was no need to worry” I nodded, I didn’t think about it. Momo had planned this and I trusted her. 

We were just chilling stretching off to the side of the pool when the boys began to show up. The swimsuits weren’t too bad, covering my body, I should have brought something like this for the camp but I didn’t mind too much, I thought my outfit was cute. We stretched and then we began to play volleyball. We were having so much fun playing and joking with the girls. 

“Serve”

“Chance ball” 

“Got it” 

“Mine” 

We were having so much fun with I was smiling though I kept most of my body under the water being a little self-conscious of the tight clothing I was having fun nonetheless. I threw myself back aiming for a ball and hitting it over the net as I splashed into the water on my back gaining us a point. 

When my head rose I heard a loud voice “The next time I beat you, I want you to be at your strongest, you damn nerd” I turned seeing Bakugou in all his glory, shirt off and tight pants on. I watched him storm his way towards Midoriya and my heartbeat quicken. He was so attractive. The girls and I watched on confused as to what was happening. 

“Hey I got your message, sorry I'm late” Kirishima waved his hand around smiling. His arm was out holding Bakugou from the green-headed shaking male “It took a while to convince Bakugou to come out” I wanted to thank Kirishima for trying his hardest this is all I could have wanted. He was so muscular as I sighed out and flushed glad no one was paying attention to me. 

“So Deku, you wanna settle who's the best of us right now” Bakugou was sure in a mood, his arm raised and hand outstretched to allow his palms to pop with small harmless explosions. He was sure fired up “Huh” he yelled. Midoriya stepped back shaking his head. 

“You know what we could make this training a contest” Iida spoke more to himself then the group and my ears picked up on the chatter. “Hey everyone I propose we see which of the boys can swim 50 metres the fastest. A friendly race” he smiled and I couldn’t help the way my hands twitched. There was no such thing as a friendly race, at least in my books. 

I ducked beneath the water and swam over quickly as they all rounded up. I popped out of the water on an illusion raising myself in front of them in all my glory. “I hope I’m welcome” I smiled and saw their fearful faces. Licking my lips I dropped down in front of the water falling from my body as I smiled. “I do enjoy beating you all” I was not met with smiles but determined faces of my peers.

“OK then, the boys and Y/N” Iida nodded and I moved to crack my knuckles rather loudly as I saw a few of the boys look rather excited and some just look nervous. I think I saw Kaminari wince to the sound of cracking bones. 

“Iida why don’t you let us help you out with this” Momo asked the girls now out of the pool and looking excited as the rest of us. I was bouncing around, I was far too competitive for my good. I hated not being apart of competition but this was something else. This was a real competition. Iida agreed to the help, from the girls. 

“And quirks,” Ojiro asked slowly his hand raised with a towel around his neck “Are we allowed to use them” I could win easily if we did. Just set them on a little course that wasn’t in the pool and I could easily win. 

“Well, we are at school” Iida pondered, yes, just say we can. “So there shouldn’t be a problem with that” I smiled to the group and moved my hand letting out a little mist for emphasis I saw wide eyes and worried faces. “However you cannot cause damage to your classmates or the building” I could agree with that.

Bakugou walked forward and just past me to stand in front of Midoriya, they needed a new hobby “I’m going to annihilate you Deku” clenched fists and hard stare he spoke calmly, honestly. “And you too Icy-Hot” I turned to where his eyes were to see Todoroki sitting on the floor, without a shirt. The lords have blessed me today. “You bastard” he was in a bad mood, like always. Then the explosive blonde turned to me “You especially” then he walked off and I smiled. 

“I look forward to it” I called out behind him. We all moved into lines. I was in the second heat so I watched the first five boys race. Then the whistle went off. 

Bakugou was flying through the air landing on his feet at the end of the pool. “How was that you sidekicks” he called out hand raised and I smiled when he got backlash from his friends “It’s called freestyle swimming” he had a point it was a freestyle. 

Then it was my go with Todoroki, Sero, Kirishima and Sato “On your marks, get set, go” the whistle was off and I watched as an illusion came around them jumping in as I jumped off the ledge and walked to the other end of the pool stepping up and letting the illusion fall. Sero taping his way across the surface of the water and Todoroki surfing on ice.

“You’re supposed to be swimming” Kaminari and Mineta yelled as I simply shrugged my shoulders. Watching Sato and Kirishima get to the end of the pool. Todoroki looked at me as well. 

“What can I say. I like to win” I smiled and moved back to the lines “At least I touched the water” I put my hands on my hips and lined back up “Beside quirks are allowed and I didn’t hurt anybody or property” I wasn’t wrong. 

“It’s time for the final race. Bakugou, Y/N, Todoroki, Midoriya you had the fastest four times. You will fight for first place” his hands were on his hips as I nodded Midoriya and Todoroki making a verbal response. 

“Listen up scarface" I believed that to be a little harsh to the ear but then again that was Bakugou "Don’t you dare hold back as you did at the sports festival” his voice was so angry, he really still thought about that, did he forget I had beat him? ‘Bring everything you’ve got” I didn’t take it personally, I think Bakugou had a thing for people who didn’t take him seriously, while I did. “You too fight to win” he turned to Midoriya they were all agreeing and talking. 

“Are we forgetting I beat all three of you” I voiced and it went silent. “I mean” I laughed lightly an aura of danger being released. “I don’t like when people don’t take me seriously” I smiled and saw the nods.  

We got into place and I smirked standing on the pedestal. I could hear yelling and other things as I smiled seeing the boys activating their quirks and I sighed. “Get set” this would be easy. I smiled. “Go” as I went to jump I saw no illusion appear.

I heard the yells of my opponents as I fell into the water, having just stepped in instead of swimming. I rose to see Aizawa his hair up and quirk activated “It’s five pm, your authorised pool time is officially over. Hurry up and go home” did he have to do that. It was one race that would have been over in less than a minute. Kaminari and Sero voiced my complaints. “Are you questioning me” his eyes shone and I was glad I hadn’t been the one to talk.

We all rushed to get changed and go home once we were allowed. I sighed and got out of the pool feeling my quirk return to me, it was a weird feeling when it was off. Then I was heading home having to get ready for the camp. 

I ate once I was home and then began to repack making sure I had everything I needed when I finished packing for the night and laid down being rather exhausted more then I would like to admit. I sighed out and went on my phone seeing a message I had missed about a quarter of an hour before. “Do you have a spare charger I spent longer with my mother and left mine with her” Todorokis’ message read. I smiled, he had messaged me. 

“Yeah, I’ll pack it and give it to you at camp” I responded, I was never one for emojis or the little stickers but when I received one from Todoroki it being a little cat saying ‘Thank you’ I couldn’t help the blush rising to my cheeks. “No issues” I replied and stared at the ceiling for a moment to calm my racing heart. 

I was tired but that didn’t stop me from watching a video I wanted to catch up on, a few hours passed and it was getting close to midnight, I had to get some sleep. I moved to place my phone on charge, pulling the blanket over my body and the warmth and sleep consumed my form. Hello, summer break. 

_______________________________________________________________

Chapter 8 

[houseofhurricane]

ACOTAR Fic: Bloom & Bone (4/32) | Elain x Tamlin, Lucien x Vassa

Summary: Elain lies about a vision and winds up as the Night Court’s emissary to the Spring Court, trying to prevent the Dread Trove from falling into the wrong hands and wrestling with the gifts the Cauldron imparted when she was Made. Lucien, asked to join her, must contend with secrets about his mating bond. Meanwhile, Tamlin struggles to lead the Spring Court in the aftermath of the war with Hybern. And Vassa, the human queen in their midst, wrestles with the enchantment that turns her into a firebird by day, robbing her of the power of speech and human thought. Looming over all of them is uniquet peace in Prythian and the threat of Koschei, the death-god with unimaginable power. With powers both magical and monstrous, the quartet at the Spring Court will have to wrestle with their own natures and the evil that surrounds them. Will the struggle save their world, or doom it?

A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter -- so many gowns and flowers! people who are doing what they love to do! Nesta! -- but also it's hard to keep putting Elain through the wringer. That said, I am very excited to show you more of What Is Going On With Elain. You can find all chapters here.

“I didn’t think that Tamlin’s gardens extended so far into the forest,” Mor says, leaning against a tree. She’s been delivering flowers from the continent over the past three days, and once the plants are handed over to the gardeners, she finds an excuse to hover over Elain while she gardens. Elain is sure that Mor has received instructions not to leave her alone, but she doesn’t mind chatting with Mor while she gardens, preparing all the special plots she’s not sure she could convey to the Night Court gardeners in words.

“I’m trying something new,” Elain says, patting the soil around a columbine, the blue and white flowers bobbing in the fragrant breeze. “These flowers are happier in the wild.”

“Any news from Tamlin?”

“You may be scaring him away.” She aims a smile at Mor to show she’s mostly joking. “I’ve seen him in the gardens a few times but we’ve only exchanged pleasantries about the renovations. Feyre warned me that he takes hardly anybody into his confidence.”

She feels the golden weight of Mor’s gaze, the frank and generous assessment that Elain has always loved and admired, even those first months after the Cauldron. Mor sparkles like champagne, effortless and loveable and impossible to forget.

“You have the makings of an excellent spy,” Mor says, apparently out of nowhere.

Elain snorts, and Mor laughs at the sound, the way she always has, the overwrought daintiness that, she’s told Elain a dozen times, she can’t quite believe is real. Elain has never told Mor about the hours she spent practicing the sound until it was pretty, the way she was always expected to be.

“I’m not trying to flatter you,” Mor continues when she’s collected herself, settling herself more firmly against her tree, so that her golden hair catches on the bark, “I mean it. A good spy is a person you’d never expect, a pleasure to talk to, someone who listens well.”

“Azriel never said--” Surely the spymaster of the Night Court would have recognized her potential if it had ever existed.

“Az can be a little blind when it comes to the people he cares about.” There’s a strain in Mor’s voice, which Elain thinks she’s being allowed to detect it, because she’s heard Mor’s effortless diplomacy in a hundred more trying situations. “He likely wouldn’t want you to come to any harm.”

“And you do?” Elain asks, to keep the conversation going more than anything, while she works on the hole for the bleeding hearts, her favorite forest flowers, the pink and white blooms almost too good to be true. Give her enough time at the Spring Court and she’ll adorn the forest with them, all the way to the human lands, to their wretched cottage and straight on to that little village that never cared if the Archerons lived or died.

“Of course I don’t want you to be hurt,” Mor says, firm enough that Elain realizes she angled the question too harshly. “It’s only -- I think that maybe you are tired of beauty alone. Not that it isn’t enough. I’ve spoken with so many people who have found healing in the gardens you’ve helped them build.”

“But you think I could be useful in other ways.” Elain looks up at Mor from her crouch on the forest floor, and sees the other female’s worried expression. She wipes a scraggle of hair off her brow, feeling the dirt as it forms a smudge. “There’s something you aren’t telling me, Mor.”

“Do you ever get tired of being seen as easily broken?”

Elain finds that her hands are grasping air, the bleeding heart having fallen from her gloved hands and into the ground with hardly a thump.

“Only when I can’t --” she starts saying when she knows she won’t begin to cry, because what’s inside her is pathetic and dangerous enough, and therefore must be spoken as prettily as possible. “I think there is something truly wretched and useless inside me. I think that’s what you see when you tell me I could have this other life.”

Mor takes Elain’s shoulder in her palm and squeezes, then says, “I grew up in a place where I was a beautiful object to everyone but my own heart. I worry, Elain, that you have fooled yourself and believe that’s all you could be.”

The vision swims up through Elain’s mind, so vivid even on repeat that she almost gasps with the force of it, the sheer power of the Crown on her head, Tamlin looming over her, the life in him banked in the gloom, though he’s still broad and tall and handsome and breathtaking in spite of everything, though these are thoughts she would never admit, not even if the vision were pulled from her by force, even if a knife were held to her throat. Before, considering the vision, she thought they’d be in his ruined estate, but that’s changing thanks to Laella and her builders, fixing the rooms wrecked by Tamlin’s rage and the obliging elements, and adding all those sparkling windows and interior gardens, so apparently she will one day go and build her own house of horrors.

She does not know the first thing about being useful, has no idea how to prevent this fate, except for her certainty that her jealousy and wretchedness will lead her there. And perhaps she was born to be more than a sweet and pretty girl who men could easily fall in love with. Perhaps that is how she can unravel the vision, make a new future in which she can be approximately good. Or perhaps that is how she becomes the crowned monster on the throne. The visions never contain sufficient instruction for Elain to know that she’s avoided the future until the moment passes by, the danger suffocated by a new reality. She’s all too aware that, for example, there are other battlefields on which Cassian could be killed.

She does not tell Mor any of this, only: “Tell me how to be a spy.”

And calmly, in her sparkling voice, Mor begins the lesson.

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

On Elain’s last night at the Night Court, Nesta enters her room without knocking.

“You thought I’d let you leave without a goodbye?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest, the ring Cassian gave her at their mating ceremony brilliant even in the candlelight.

“I knew I’d see you at dinner.”

“You left without a word to anybody.”

Gwyn and Emerie had been there, and everyone had laughed, and a small cross part of Elain had felt as though they would all be fine without her. Azriel, across the table from her, had been smiling and laughing, content as she’d never seen him, his hazel eyes golden when he so much as glanced at Gwyn. Elain had left as soon as she finished dessert, telling Feyre she had a headache, and her sister had squeezed her hand firmly enough that Elain knew she’d heard the lie in her words. In the morning, she would start her residence in a new court. For a little while at least, she’d be able to leave these feelings behind.

But of course Nesta had found her.

“Did you really ask Rhysand to send you to the Spring Court?” Occasionally Nesta will still believe the worst of him, despite all the witnesses to the contrary.

“It was my vision,” Elain tells her. “I’m the one who--”

“You know what Tamlin did to Feyre.”

“I’m not--” She stops, not sure what she’s going to say next. Without a plan, the next words will surely be too revealing. “You were the one who once said I could stand to be more useful in this world.”

“If he so much as lays a hand on you, I swear to you I will un-Make him.”

“I expected nothing else,” Elain says, and the smile is easy. All her life, she has been comforted by Nesta’s growling, known that she’s always been safest inside the circle of her sister’s wrath.

“And in spite of everything, I’m glad that you’ll finally see the Spring Court.” Nesta’s words are a grudging grumble, their impact lessened by her hand in Elain’s, the two of them in a long embrace that says everything they have a hard time saying, now that everything has changed. “I heard that Tamlin is unleashing you on his gardens.”

Elain knows that Nesta truly loves her because her sister listens to her plans and ideas and dreams for the garden for an hour, despite the fact that she has no more than a passing interest in even the most exquisite blooms. She even asks Elain about the arrangements of colors and fragrances, and Elain pulls out her parchments and perfumes so that Nesta can have the closest thing to a full garden experience it is possible to conjure indoors.

“Who knows, maybe one day you’ll bring one of your novels to the finished gardens.”

Nesta makes a sound between a snort and a growl, totally unique to her sister, that prickly glee, but then her face grows somber.

“I keep thinking that he’s finally got what he wanted, when he showed up at our cottage years ago.”

“Tamlin isn’t dragging me out into the snow,” Elain says, though she doesn’t remember the scene, a side effect of the glamor that turned Feyre’s disappearance into a joyous reversal of fortune.

Sometimes she wonders what memories her mind has hidden from itself, what secrets it’s been forced to keep silent.

Nesta’s hands are around hers, squeezing until Elain can feel their pulses beating, aligning as they look at one another.

“I never wanted to give you up,” Nesta says. “I would have let him shred me to pieces before I let him touch you.”

Elain knows she should tell Nesta she’s not as fragile as her sister thinks, but that would lead to a conversation which would be deep and cutting and maybe devastating. Instead she reaches for Nesta and holds her close, murmurs that she will be all right, until Feyre enters and hugs them both, and when the three of them wake up hours later in Elain’s bed, warm and sleepy, Elain wonders, half-asleep, why she ever thought of leaving.

But when her sisters have gone to their mates’ beds, and Elain is alone again, her sleep is not dark and dreamless as before. Instead she dreams of her father as she last knew him alive, the straight back and broad shoulders and thinning hair and the kind smile that made his lips disappear. When Elain was little and bold enough to ask about such expressions, he told her that his joy had swallowed up his lips, he was so glad to see her, and then he would whirl her around until she’d give unladylike whoops and get scolded. After what feels like an eternity of watching him, it occurs to Elain that she has never been to the place where they’re standing, a gray-blue blur that looks like the inside of a cloud or wall of seawater.

“Where are we?” Elain asks, with none of the certainty she experiences in dreams.

Her father’s face clouds, the smile winking out, and she begins to wonder how, exactly, this dream will turn nightmarish. She’s already seen his corpse.

“There is only one thing I can tell you, sweet one.” Her father’s eyes are glinting, his fingers balled into fists, the knuckles the same skimmed-milk color as the air around them. “The thing you seek is inside of you. It is inside of--”

He is reaching for her, as if to indicate the location of the thing, and then he vanishes, and Elain opens her eyes in bed, the light through her window still gray, her mind racing, the way she always feels after a vision.

A thousand questions immediately surface. How can her father appear to her in the future? Where is he, that she can find him and receive directions? And who has silenced him? Has he seen the monstrosity inside of her? And if he has, she does not understand how he can smile at her in that way, so lifelike and tender.

Elain breathes deep again and again, trying to will herself to sleep, hoping she will see him, hoping for even just another second of his smile. She’d always loved the way her father beheld her, that delight. For years she’d imagined a similar expression on her husband’s face. His features shifted depending on her circumstances and feelings, except for the light in his eyes, the smile with joy that would gladly pay whatever cost was required of it.

Morning arrives and she is still staring at the ceiling, trying to puzzle everything through.

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Elain’s arrival at the Spring Court is more uneventful than even she anticipated. Tamlin greets her and Rhys and Mor in a smooth and practiced way that leaves his rage only an assumption, even when Rhys makes veiled threats during his goodbyes, promising to return whenever she’d like for a visit to the Night Court. When he’s gone and Tamlin has left her to the company of the newly hired servants, while Mor winnows to the continent for the last of the tulips, Elain makes her way to the newly renovated room that will house her at this estate.

The room is perfect, in shades of pink and white, the white warm and bright, and the pink-upholstered sitting area almost mauve. On every flat surface, there are flowers, their scents carefully considered so that the room is fragranced but not oversaturated, and the outside wall is nearly all window, with a view of the woods, the growing hedge of tulips which is even more gorgeous than the last time she’d seen it, two days ago. The curtains are gauzy pink, thin enough that she’ll always be able to wake up to this view, the blossoms and the gentle fluttering of leaves in the breeze.

She had explained her favorite colors to Laella, hoping the dryad wouldn’t think she sounded like a little girl, and instead she walked into the most beautiful space she’s ever been able to claim. Tamlin told her that a maid would arrange her things, but Elain hangs her dresses and stores her jewelry in the cunning little box that keeps each chain and thread from tangling, arranges her perfumes on the vanity until there’s a knock at her door and the maid enters, not looking Elain in the eyes as she walks over to the trunks and boxes. She’s half Elain’s height and her skin is pink and her hair is alabaster, so that for a second Elain wondered what lengths Laella took, to make this room so perfect.

“I am sorry to be late, Lady,” the maid says, her voice a buzzing hum, the sound of bees drowsy on nectar, an accent Elain adores immediately.

“Nonsense,” she says, reaching out to squeeze the maid’s hand, gentle and watching in case the faerie flinches away. She never forgets her training. “And please call me Elain.”

“The High Lord said--”

Elain waves her hand, trying for imperious, in command, the kind of person Tamlin would trust with his military stratagems and political intrigue. “Leave the High Lord to me. You can call me whatever you’d like in front of other people, but I’m just Elain.”

“There are whispers about you, Lady. The winds say that the Cauldron granted you great powers.”

Elain would say that unreliable bits of the future don’t seem like such a remarkable gift, but she’s not sure whether the deprecation would help or hurt her cause.

“What is your name?” she asks instead, shifting her tone so it’s gentle as the petal of a rose.

“I’m Melis, Lady.” The faerie’s hands have not strayed from Elain’s clothes, arranging them on the hangers so that the pleats and ruffles fall just so, and there’s a longing in her eyes that reminds Elain of the way she’d look at roses in those years when she was poor and they would not grow in her pitiful garden by the cottage.

“Would you like one of my dresses?” Elain asks, after Melis has hung the golden gown she never feels quite ready to wear but loves to admire among the other dresses, a ray of sunlight in her wardrobe.

“Lady, the offer is generous, but I do not know where I would wear such a fine gown.”

“There are no celebrations in the village?”

“Nothing that requires a gown so… elaborate. And the High Lord allowed me to design the servants’ liveries.”

For the first time, Elain looks at the maid’s dress, the green-gray muslin gown which is moulded perfectly to Melis’ shoulders and torso, the skirts light enough to allow an easy movement but sufficient to sweep aside for a dramatic moment. The color makes Melis even rosier, her sparkling white hair striking. Even the white fichu at the neckline is soft and light and lovely. She thinks of the elegance of the new footmen, the muted green of their tunics. No doubt Melis had designed their garments. Elain feels slow, not to have caught these details right away.

“You have quite an eye for clothing.”

“I learned from my mother. She was employed by the High Lord, for the ladies of his court, before Amarantha. I grew up learning the possibilities of fabrics.” Another darting look at Elain. She’s sure that Melis is thinking of Feyre.

“I don’t want to give you more work, but I’m sure that most of my gowns could use some adjustments.”

Melis smiles, her teeth flashing white and pointed. “I would love that, Lady, though I doubt your dresses will need much improving.”

Elain shrugs and smiles while she reaches for a simple muslin gown, a dusty pink from which Nuala and Cerridwen have removed a hundred garden stains. As Melis helps her with the buttons, Elain jams a broad-brimmed hat on her head, her pointed ears squashing against the braided straw.

“If anyone asks, I’m in the garden,” she says as she heads toward the door, Lucien’s gloves in her pocket. The thought of seeing him today is warm in her stomach, and she can’t tell if the feeling is anticipation or anxiety. She’s my mate, he’d said, and though she’d barely been able to understand in those moments of terror and confusion, the first of her new life, the words have clung to her, defining too many aspects of her existence. She knows she would feel differently if she’d wanted him, if she’d felt the curl of affection and desire that Azriel roused from her as she awakened into her new life, the first beacon she’d been able to glimpse. Even what she felt for Greysen was stronger. Even knowing what she knows now, how he would reject her new self.

Whenever she sees Lucien, there’s a great whirling inside Elain: all of her wants to want him, and that swarm of hoped-for desire swirls around itself, centered on nothing. She’s encountered this feeling before, as a young debutante, but she always knew that at the next ball, another gentleman might catch her eye, that her father or else Nesta would save her from anyone particularly daunting. Now her father is dead and mates are a certainty and tonight, Elain will be face-to-face with Lucien again, practically alone with him in Tamlin’s estate.

She’s halfway across the grounds before she launches herself against a broad chest. Her hat lands in a lilac bush with a bristly sigh, and Elain knows she’s too slow to realize the sheathed knife that’s pressed against her nose, the dagger that would cut her cheek except for the leather around it.

When she finally meets them, Tamlin’s eyes are not as annoyed as she anticipated.

“Someone told me these gardens would be so beautiful that my guests would be compelled to linger,” he says, his fingers ghosting her shoulders as she rights herself. “I had assumed this meant they would be preoccupied by the flowers, not their own thoughts.”

He stands there for a moment, hands dangling at his sides, as if he’s waiting for her to laugh, but Elain’s not sure if he’s made a joke, and anyway nothing he said is particularly funny. Why she would use the Crown to compel him, Elain has no idea. Still, guided by both her mother’s training and Mor’s rudimentary instructions on spycraft, she schools her lips into a gentle smile, and averts her eyes. Let him think she’s shy, awed by the presence of the High Lord of Spring.

“Is everything to your liking?” he asks, finally. His thumb strokes the jeweled hilt of the dagger strapped to his chest. “I know the builders are still filling the place with noise, but, for example, your room...”

“My room is lovely,” she says before he can fumble for another phrase. Their previous conversation, their first time alone together, had been almost too easy, too revealing, and she wonders if he’s remembering it now, is determined not to revisit that swarm of truths. She herself feels too exposed already, even if she’s checked to determine that her mental shields are still in place. “It makes me feel as if I’m in the center of a flower.”

His smile is barely a quirk of his lips and Elain remembers all the stories she’s heard about him, particularly rumors that he’s spent the past two years as a beast, and she wonders if all that time in his other form has made certain expressions difficult. If conversation is difficult, and now that Rhys isn’t present, Tamlin has allowed a bit of that discomfort to show.

A generous bumblebee examines the crown of her hat, which is still perched in the branches of the lilacs.

“There was a story I heard when I was a little girl,” she says, almost without thought, only wanting to put them both at ease, “about a girl who was only the size of a human thumb. She lived inside the flowers and her friends were butterflies and birds and squirrels. The pages fell out of the book right where the story was written, from all the times my governess read me the tale.”

“You have always wanted to be smaller?”

Elain blushes at the question and she’s not sure why. Maybe because of the truth nestled inside the words.

“Maybe,” she says, not wanting the awkwardness between them to expand further. She wants pleasant conversation, light and meaningless. He will never trust her if her emotions are ragged, if she demands too much from him all at once. “But I have always loved the feeling inside a garden, the idea of beauty and nature all in perfect harmony. There are so many dark and dreadful corners of the world. A garden is never one of them.”

“I’m afraid I don’t agree with your assessment. That beauty could banish evil seems a tall order.”

“Now you will speak to me of sacrifice and war.” She’s slipping into the tone she found so easily at their last meeting, a veneer of confidence that makes her sound unbreakable, which perhaps glosses over her more unsavory truths. “But will you tell me, what happens when the war is over, when the time for sacrifices has ended?”

“I have rarely known such a time.” He looks so grave and certain and miserable that Elain knows she should make her way to the tulip fields, and at the same time, that she will needle him a little longer, until the expression is gone from his face. Her one little act of well-intentioned mischief.

“Then what keeps you fighting when all hope and certainty of your own goodness has left you?”

“In those moments I don’t allow myself to think. And you are thinking that I am some tragic hero, Elain Archeron, but you have never been in battle. Thinking is dangerous. It is easiest to empty the mind and unleash your body on its enemies.”

She is wide-eyed for a moment too long.

“I have offended you,” he says, “but I am only telling the truth.”

“I am only thinking, how sad it is, to be forced to sacrifice so endlessly.”

“One begins to think of any spark of joy as an earned reward.” His face is grave. He is thinking, she knows, of Feyre, the words the barest suggestion of an apology.

“Thank the Mother, then, for your gardens,” she says, and plucks her hat from the lilac. “I will see you at dinner?”

“Lucien and Vassa will arrive shortly after sundown. I imagine you would like to greet them, and then we will all dine.”

She nods and allows her skirts to swirl as she makes her way further into the garden, letting the blooms fill her vision until she’s only thinking of the proper arrangements, the groupings of plants that would make any being happy, and calm, and nearly overtaken by gratefulness that such simple beauty, such sweet fragrance, could exist.

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

Elain is sweetly tired when she makes her way into the great hall of the Spring Court. She’d spent the day amidst the tulips, supervising the arrangements of color that she wants to look disordered but still correct, no corner dominated by red or violet blooms but rather as if a meadow’s riot of color had been transfigured into a mass of tulips.

Tamlin waits at the foot of the staircase, and when she’s halfway down and he looks up at her, Elain is glad she wore the deep blue dress which makes her skin glow like a pearl and her bearing a little more regal than usual. She feels, just for a moment, like the rightful emissary of the Night Court, not the High Lady’s sister who lied her way into someplace she’d never been.

Right as she’s made it to the bottom of the staircase, the servants sweep open the large wooden doors, and Lucien and Vassa appear, both of them gleaming bronze despite the lack of sunlight. As the pair of them approach, Elain dips into a deep curtsey that befits Vassa’s rank, a gesture she’d learned as a girl and always assumed would be useless.

Out of the corner of her vision, she watches the queen’s cheeks go pink. For a moment, Elain thinks that this is strange, that the proper greeting would be so discomfiting, and then she wonders if all the time that Vassa has spent as a firebird has caused her to startle at human gestures. Then Vassa and Lucien walk nearer, and Elain knows the true reason.

She can smell Lucien on Vassa’s skin. And she can smell the scent of the queen, amber and lemon, and Lucien. She has been High Fae long enough to know how these scents are intermingled, how difficult it is to wash off the scent of another after a while, how Feyre and Nesta will always carry the scent of their mates.

She’s my mate, Lucien had said, and those three words had changed her life, circumscribed it. Her mind fills with images, not of him, but of Azriel, about to kiss her, of Rhys looming at the top of the stairs. Her love and longing now a matter of politics between courts.

Now her mate has fallen into bed with another woman.

Elain knows that silence is the proper way to bear this indignation. She can envision, already, the proper smile that should appear on her lips: sad and a little knowing, but mostly hopeful. She tries to find the expression, but when she looks at Lucien, she sees in the furrow between his eyebrow and the gleam in his eye, equal parts guilt and badly concealed happiness, that he knows exactly what she’s realized, and that perfect little smile of the good mate scorned dies on her lips. Inside her there is such a writhing confusion, a rage that she knows will explode from her the moment her lips part.

She turns away from the group and runs away as fast as her silk slippers will allow, not caring that she’s making a scene, that she looks like a scared little child. All she wants is the cool night air on her skin, the proximity of her flowers, the knowledge that nobody is looking at her. She pushes through door after door, stumbling over the tools the builders have left for tomorrow’s work and nearly tripping over loose tiles, but finally she is in the garden.

The moonlight silvers the leaves and the air is fragrant with lilacs. Instead of pushing her thoughts away, Elain feels the writhing inside her grow stronger, as if a monster has taken residence inside her body, turning all her thoughts into a whirl of angry colors, jagged reds and black shards shot through with bright exploding lights.

All those years she believed that beauty and sweetness and delicacy would save her, and maybe they would have if she’d stayed a human woman in the thick-walled manor which had so nearly been hers. Instead she has been discarded, over and over and over. She cannot stop imagining their eyes as they look at her, the pity and scorn and guilt and the joy of finding someone who is not Elain Archeron.

She cannot wield a sword or summon flame, so instead Elain’s hands are frantic, tugging first the petals of the lilac and then her own hair, hard enough to bring tears to her eyes, and then she’s sobbing so hard she’s nearly screaming, so that when there’s a hand on her back, she does scream, the sound shrill and rough in her throat, and when she turns toward the intruder, before she can determine who has touched her, she doesn’t mind the realization that she might die right here in the Spring Court gardens.

Instead she sees Lucien, and there is such regret on his face, etching lines around his eyes and mouth. Elain has been taught kindness until it’s second nature. Before he can say anything, apologize or explain, she reaches toward him.

Except that where her hands should be, there is only empty air.

[himbowelsh]

Hello Darling! I just read the valentines alphabet you wrote for Shifty and omg I absolutely loved it! So, if it’s not too much to ask, may I request the same for Bull Randleman? Thank you and have a wonderful weekend 💛

@noneofurbusinez asked:   balentines balphabet for my man bull blease ,,,

here’s the big boy

valentines day alphabet  ( accepting! )

A   :   AFFECTION.   how does your muse show affection?

Bull’s love language is very much acts of service, so that’s what he’ll do, all the time. He’ll fix something before the person he cares about realizes it’s broken; he’ll do favors, help them with simple tasks without saying a word, and generally be there when needed. He’s not too liberal with words or touch, so Bull says everything through what he does. If he’s really feeling affectionate, he’s got a tiny smile that could melt butter, and only the people closest to him have it directed at them.

B   :   BOUQUET.   does your muse like flowers? which ones are their favourite?

He enjoys flowers in a purely aesthetic sense, but could name...  daisies and roses, probably. That’s it. He likes them, but does not understand them. The sort of man to pick a lone-ass flower and give to someone, like that’s an acceptable thing. It’s kind of cute, but also goofy. (He’s always had a soft spot for buttercups.

C   :   CHOCOLATE.   does your muse like chocolate? which one is their favourite?

If he is hungry, and a chocolate bar is in front of him, he will eat it, but there are about two dozen snacks he’d enjoy a lot more.

D   :   DATE.   what is your muse’s ideal date? where / who with / etc?

Give him a country fair and some carnival games any day. Watch him win everything, eat multiple corn cobs, go on the ferris wheel just because it’s his favorite, and have a lovely night. If he’s got good company with him, well, that’s all the better.

E   :   EMBRACE.   does your muse like hugs? what are their hugs like?

It’s like hugging a bear, but...  in the best way. Bull gives Dad Hugs. Absolutely reassuring, wraps you up completely, kind of hard to breathe but it feels good...  if Bull Randleman’s hugging someone, a bomb could drop directly on their heads, and they’d be perfectly safe. Nothing can get through a Bull Hug. People miss it after it’s done.

F   :   FLIRT.   is your muse good at flirting? how do they flirt?

Umm...  flirt? Bull? Bull flirt? Nah, man, he...  he’s, uhh...  he’s a big guy. He’s got eyes. He can make eye contact sometimes. That’s the best he’s got. This man flirts like a brick.

G   :   GIFT.   is your muse good at gift - giving or do they struggle to get it right?

Look. Bull’s out here trying, okay? He really does put a lot of thought into gifts, because it’s important that he gets something his loved one is going to appreciate. This does not make him a...  “good” gift giver. Bull’s gifts tend to be very practical, very small  ---  he’s not going out to buy jewelry or putting a bow on anything, because he will have no idea what he’s doing. Somebody needs new oil for their car, or they’ve been looking for grill charcoal? Someone wants a particular shade of paint but has no clue where to get it? Bull will get it for them, and paint their house on top of that. Honestly, he’s better at doing things than giving things, so his gifts tend to be favors.

H   :   HEART.   is your muse quick or slow to give their heart away?

For Bull Randleman to fall in love, he first has to trust someone completely. That’s no easy feat. He also needs respect in a relationship, and if he hasn’t built that up, he can’t really give his heart to anyone.

I    :   I LOVE YOU.   does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

Shhh. Nah. He’s maybe said it...  four times??  In as many years, once he’s been in a long-term relationship. Possible less than that. Bull doesn’t say “I love you”, he shows it. If he’s not able to do that, then he doesn’t deserve to love the person he loves.

J   :   JEALOUSY.   does your muse get jealous in a relationship?

He’s really not a jealous guy. If someone tries to flirt with his partner, he’ll be overall unimpressed by it, and step in if needed, but he’s not hot blooded like certain people he knows.

K   :   KISS.   is your muse a good kisser? why / why not?

Shy boy. Unexpectedly shy, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience. This is the one time when he doesn’t quite know what to do with...  all of himself. There’s a lot of Bull, and when you’re kissing you have to know exactly how to move, how to match your rhythm with someone else’s...  he’s a bit of a clumsy kisser, and would appreciate someone else taking the lead. Quite soft, won’t use tongue at first; prefers to put hands on his partner’s upper back / shoulders; if he can lift them up and put them on top of something, like a tabletop, so they’re at an equal height, that’s just perfect. Not above lifting his partner up while they’re kissing.

L   :   LOVE.   who does your muse love?

His Mama has to take first place here, forever and always. Bull would move mountains for that woman. He’s very devoted to his family overall; he’s got friends he’d drop anything just to help. In general, when Bull decides to love someone, it’s long-lasting and steady. He’s not fickle with his affections, and definitely not into second-guessing. Even when they say hurtful things or quarrel, he won’t stop loving them.

M   :   MOONLIGHT.   is morning or night a more romantic setting?

He’s a morning person. Always has been, always will be. There’s something about early morning that Bull just finds peaceful, and he’d love to share it with someone he cares about.

N   :   NAUGHTY.   what is your muse like in bed?

Again, you gotta understand...  there’s a lot of Bull to go around. And he knows what to do with exactly none of it! At first, he’s definitely uncertain of himself, prefering to let his partner take the lead and guide him how they want. A very physical lover; all about body movements, instinct and rhythm; breathes heavily. As he gets more into it, he’ll gain enthusiasm; at this point, he can sometimes get rough without meaning to, though he tries to be mindful of it. Once Bull works his confidence up, he becomes quite an intense lover. This is an intimate experience for him, and he wants to savour the sensations...  but he’ll always be focused on his partner, to ensure they’re enjoying it too.

O   :   ODE.   does your muse have a way with words?

He has a way with word. As in, like...  one word. He can shoot out monosyllabic answers really well. Bull’s not a talkative guy  ---   very much an “talk less, do more” type.

P   :   PARTNER.   what does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?

Well, he’d like someone shorter than him  ---  that’s not hard  ---  preferably someone he can pick up easily. He wants someone...  gentle isn’t the right word, but someone who’ll be gentle with him. At the same time, not someone delicate, who’ll break easily. If they know their way around a horse, that’s downright perfect. He’s got a thing for eyes  ---  expressive ones, eyes that dance, eyes that laugh, eyes that sometimes tease. He likes brown ones most of all. And any partner Bull chooses is going to have to be way more talkative than him, sorry  ---  while he doesn’t dislike silence, he also enjoys having that silence filled, and not having to carry a conversation is a massive weight off his shoulders. He’s more than happy to just listen to the person he loves chatter, smiling benignly at their thoughts.

Q   :   QUESTION.   would your muse ask the big question or expect their partner to?

He’s neutral either way. While he wouldn’t mind if his partner asked him first, if he’d already decided he wanted to marry this person, he’d definitely muse on different ways to do it. Nothing elaborate, that’s not Bull’s style  ---   maybe a proposal during a quiet countryside walk, or after going for a swim, or even at the end of a big day, during the quiet moment when all the festivities are dying down. Bull wouldn’t make a scene out of it; his proposal would be simple, soft, and very sincere.

R   :   ROMANCE.   is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

Not a cynic at all. He’s a practical guy, but he’s got a tiny romantic streak buried deep down in there. A part of Bull just really liked the idea of getting to love someone. He’s lowkey about it, but has a definite romantic side.

S   :   SWEETHEART.   did your muse have a childhood sweetheart?

He had a crush on a little girl in his class  ---  Wendy something-or-other  ---  for a solid few months, because she had beautiful red curls, tied up in bouncy pig tails. Honestly, Bull might have been more in love with her hair than Wendy herself, but they promised to marry each other under the oak tree outside school. Wendy got cold feet the next week, broke it off, and gave Bull back the straw ring he made for her. It didn’t break his heart, but it taught him a valuable lesson: never fall for anyone just because they’ve got nice hair.

T   :   TRUE LOVE.   does your muse believe in true love?

Nah. That sort of thing belongs in fairy tales. Love has to build itself up in order to really matter.

U   :   UNREQUITED.   has your muse had their heart broken?

Bull’s heart is like a slab of steak. Very beefy, very tender. He doesn’t give it away easily, but it would break easier than he likes to admit. Hasn’t happened yet, because he hasn’t found the right person to hurt him yet.

V   :   VALENTINE.   how does your muse feel about valentine’s day?

Honestly? Not a fan. Look, if Bull wants to go on a date, he’ll go on a date  ---  they can do that any night of the year. If his partner’s into Valentine’s Day, he’ll try to make it special, but otherwise he doesn’t have a problem ignoring the holiday.

W  :   WEDDING.   would your muse get married? why / why not?

Yes! This is actually something he feels quite strongly about. He wants to have a traditional relationship/marriage; he would really like to be a husband one day, to have a ring on his finger and dote on his spouse. It’s not about starting a family for Bull (he doesn’t have any strong feelings about having kids, though he’d be a great dad) but very much about...  stability. About someone loving him enough to tie the knot. and getting to love someone that much in return. It’s hard for him to articulate, but he’d really want to get married.

X   :   XOXO.   does your muse use / like pet names?

He’s not really the pet name type...  so on the rare occasions he does use them (simple one’s  ---  “darlin’” is his go-to) it stands out that much more.

Y   :   YOURS.   does your muse get protective easily?

Look, no one’s gonna mess with Bull. He’s a big dude with a withering stare, and could probably flip most people over his shoulder without trying. Bull doesn’t need to put on a show; if someone’s messing with the people he cares about, he’ll stare them down, decimate them with a well-timed remark, and that’s usually all it takes to break up the situation. Not afraid to use the old “arm-around-the-shoulder” trick to show he means business.

Z   :   ZZZ.   how many people has your muse slept with?

Not many! He’s a conservative guy in bed  ---  he’d prefer one steady partner whom he knows well to a series of strangers. He probably had a girlfriend or two when he was younger, but even then they didn’t do it much; Bull was quite careful, and always respectful.

[nicklangfordmuse]

The Bachelor Party | Part 2

The groups were arrested and were held behind bars for the night. It was already 2:30 in the morning and bails weren't accepted until 6 in the morning.

"Officer, come on. They started the fight!" Donnie tried to explain to the cop but he wasn't buying it. "Even if Barney started the fight, you're to be kept here until 6 in the morning once bail is possible." The officer said as they sat on benches. They were held in two different, opposite cells so they could still see each other.

This is not how Nick was hoping to spend the night of his bachelor party to be. He was even hoping to go for that night swimming they promised so this is really a bummer. But still, thinking about that dance off and how he got to punch Mateo, Nick had to chuckle.

"Dude, Nick is still drunk." Sam told the guys which made Nick laugh more. "Yeah, well, he won't be laughing his ass off anymore when Katrina bails us out of here." Tyler said with a chuckle but Nick shook his head. "No, no. Okay. No one's calling Katrina. She's with Shawn. I don't want her to stressing about us anymore." Nick said, still laughing a bit. "I'm just...it's so funny how we won a dance off with the gummy bear song." Nick said and the boys làughed along. "Oh my god, my wife's gonna kill me after this but I hope she finds the humor in it. I danced in public!" Nick said, making them laugh more. "Yeah, plus you gave Mr. Know It All Jelly Legs a black eye. That'll teach him a lesson." Grant added and Nick smiled, looking at the guy who was holding an icebag over his eye. Mateo got up and made his one phone call, which alerted the boys.

"Who are we gonna call, guys? We wouldnt want to wait till 6 in the morning to call someone to bail us." Joe said. "We can't just call anyone. Rachel's pregnant, Katrina and Polly are with kids, Rowena's on a business trip. Just...let's just wait and ask if we can bail ourselves in the morning." Nick suggested, hoping the guys are okay with that.

The hours felt so long but finally, it was 6 in the morning and bails are allowed. Surprisingly, a guy showed up in between the two cells, looking at both Nick and Mateo. "Paul?" Nick asked in surprise, as well as confusion. "Finally!" Mateo said out loud, standing up and holding the bars to get closer to the older gentleman. "Paul. I knew you'd still have my back. Thank you. It's just...just us 5. Let's get the papers rolling so we can go home." Mateo said, feeling confident. Paul saw the black eye so he went closer to look at him. "Who did that?" Paul asked. "There! Your jack ass future son in law." Mateo said, still taunting Nick. Nick went closer to the bars, confused why Paul is still helping Mateo after everything. "You should've went for both eyes. Eh, one is enough." Paul told Nick, smiling at him. "Come on. Let's get you guys out of there. This is the most embarrassing place to spend your bachelor party, you know?" Paul said teasingly which made Nick and the boys laugh.

"Wait, wait. I called you to bail us. And you're gonna bail him?!" Mateo asked angrily. "Yes, I'm bailing him. You know why? Because he's my son-in-law and my daughter's future husband." Paul said just to mock and piss Mateo more. Nick and the boys laugh as they were lead out of the cell.

"This isnt over, Paul! You're gonna regret this!" Mateo shouted, trying to break the cell even if it was impossible.

Going out, Paul bailed Nick and his best men and Nick still couldn't believe this. "How did you know we were here?" Nick asked curiously. "Well, I got a call in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep so I was up watching TV. And then, it was Mateo, asking me to bail him because he got into a fight with you at a club. Then, I remembered you said last night was your bachelor party. So...I had to go over here and...bail you out instead of him." Paul explained which made Nick smile. "Thank you. We didn't want to call anyone because...well, we didn't want to bother anyone. But I'm glad he called you. Guess his mistake is our luck." Nick said, signing his name on the paper given to him. "Oh and um...do you mind driving us back to the hotel?" Nick asked one last time to which Paul agreed.

Once they got to the hotel, the boys got out of the SUV one by one, feeling extremely tired and slightly hung over still. "Hey, come up with us. Have some coffee. It's the least we can do." Nick asked and Paul nodded, glad that he was offered that at least, not that he wanted anything in return.

The guys went up to their suite, needing to sleep off the exhaustion they've gone through all night. Tyler and Grant slept in one room, Sam, Donnie and Joe in the other. The dining area was reserved for Nick and Paul to have coffee. Pouring them both a cup, Nick sat across Paul as they took a sip from their coffees. "Does Katrina know about what happened?" Paul asked and Nick shook his head. "I'll just tell her when I get home. I don't want her to worry while I'm away." Nick said to which Paul nodded to agree.

"You know, I had a memorable bachelor party too." Paul shared and Nick was surprised because he didn't expect that. "Really? What happened to yours?" Nick asked. "We spent it at a strip club. Very old school, back when...men think they needed one last hurrah with other woman before they get tied down." Paul explained before continuing. "Beth found out and...even if nothing happened between me and the strippers, she was really hurt and got mad. She almost called off the wedding." Nick didn't know about this so now, he's eager to hear more. "Our wedding was on hold for two months. It took her two months to forgive me and agree to continue with the wedding."

"What happened? How did she forgive you?" Nick asked.

"I stayed by her side. And when I couldn't, I still kept a connection with her. I took her on breakfast dates. During lunch time at work, I'd call just ask how her day was and to tell her I loved her. And then, I'd come home to her after work. Until I need to go home, and then I'd call her one more time before I slept." He told the bachelor. "Two months of that, and then I didn't stop. Even after the wedding, it just because second nature to me, to always call her and to assure her that she has me on her side no matter what."

Nick smiled, appreciating that story from Paul. "That's really sweet. And...some good advice. I...I don't really have a dad to...hear from, to ask advice from, before the wedding so..." He let out a breath before taking another sip of his coffee.

"Well, you have me. I can give you an advice. You wanna know the secret to having a successful marriage?" Paul offered and Nick listened closely. "The secret to a successful marriage is...a secret between the two of you. Only the two of you know how to make this last. You know Katrina well enough. She knows you more than anyone, I'd assume. You know the ups and downs of each other and you know what's right and wrong for each other. Stick with that, be true and honest with each other and you'll go a long way." Nick smiled, really glad that he got this talk with Paul. "Okay, I'll keep that in my mind." Nick assured the father, taking a sip of his coffee again. "Thanks again...for everything. I know we're not there yet but... we're getting there. And we're gonna get there." Nick said as Paul clinked his cup to his. "As long as you take care of my daughter. You're already a good dad, Nick. Keep it up." Paul added and Nick couldn't be more grateful to end his bachelor party with this.

Thanking him one more time, they quickly hugged it out before Paul went down to his car. Nick went to the mattress and laid down, feeling really happy about his party. Pulling his phone out, he saw that Katrina sent him a couple of pictures of her and Shawn. He was glad that they had a great time together but soon, it would be time for him to go home to them.

"Good morning, my love and my big boy. I love you two so much and I can't wait to come home to you. See you in a couple of hours." Nick sent, putting his phone down as he tried to get a bit of sleep before they'd need to check out.

[hardforbenhardy]

tutor | rogerxfem!reader

summary: when roger is asked to tutor a younger student, he internally groans at even the thought. that is, until he meets the student he is teaching.

warnings: references to sex and the tiniest bit smutty, but nothing major

word count: 3.1k

don’t have much to say about this one - it’s set while roger is in college but, for the sake of the story topic, she is 17 and roger is 18 and both are past the age of consent so it is perfectly fine; not that anything happens, but sex is implied and mentioned :)

"Mr Taylor, meet me outside the library at lunchtime please - I have something to consult you about." Mrs Andrews instructed, pushing her glasses down to the tip of her nose, revealing a small red mark they had engraved into the bridge. Roger nodded, the words storming his head as he tried to decipher what his teacher may want of him when she barely even recognised his existence in lessons. Rather, all his attention came from the ladies of the classroom, who would spend the whole of class trying to draw in his recognition or simply swooning over his gorgeous looks. The thought had crossed Roger's mind that this may have been the topic of Mrs Andrews's request, but he didn't see why she would be bringing it up now, when it had been going on for the past year or so. Roger spent the rest of the lesson raking his mind for reasons why the woman would bother him when he could spend his lunch in the music room – was it that he was distracting other students? Was he failing chemistry? Biology? Physics? Sure, A-levels were difficult, but he knew he wasn't failing. He couldn't have been.

As he turned the corner, he could spot the back of his teacher's head ahead of him. He jogged over, hoping to get this whole ordeal over with so he could get back to the music room and practice with his drumming; it meant a lot more to him than learning about science. "Ah, Mr Taylor, thank you for meeting me – I noticed you are yet to sign up for any enrichment since starting your 13th year, so I signed you up myself. You'll be tutoring a Year 12; you will be helping her  with Chemistry and Physics"

Roger subconsciously groaned, the idea of having to spend his lunches in the library trying to teach a younger student, who most likely had no clue what she was doing, the subjects he could barely get through himself. Though he couldn't help but wonder who she would be; mainly, if she was good looking or not. Mrs Andrews opened the door to the library, holding it open to allow Roger to walk in behind her as she led him over to a girl sat at a table by alone. What confused Roger was that she had no textbooks or work notes in front of her, rather just an empty coffee mug and an old, tattered copy of Frankenstein which seemed to have been read a hundred times. He admired her choice of novel, it being one of his favourites, yet acknowledged that she didn't seem like the type of girl who would be into such literature. She was focused intently on the novel, holding it in her hand as her feet were placed crossed on the table, a second coffee mug in her other hand. He admired every one of her features as she took a long sip of the steaming drink, and going to turn the page. He was first drawn to her choice of clothing, considering he had never seen quite a unique look on a girl before; Roger was used to seeing girls in vibrant, patterned dresses or short, pleated skirts. However, this girl was different; she was wearing peach flared pants and a matching blazer, with only a mesh black cropped top underneath it which clearly showed her revealed breasts. The only thing covering them was the lapel of the jacket which was pulled across her chest. She had paired it with a pair of heeled black boots which you could barely see under the flares. It was distinct, but he liked it. Loved it, even; he may have said he preferred it to the overdone frocks and dramatized petticoats every other girl seemed to wear. The next thing he noticed was her hair; even that was different. Most girls had flowing locks of hair that seemed to be permanently stuck up due to the masses of hairspray used to give it a so called 'volume' – all of which was then paired with a white headband. Roger liked the hairstyles, but he couldn't help but fall even more in love with this girl's hair; it was just reaching shoulder length and was very clearly but very naturally wavy. There were blonde highlights which stood up against the soft brunette strands, and the bangs which splayed across her forehead topped the whole look off. She was simply gorgeous. And Roger hadn't completely anticipated for her to become even more beautiful, but when she finally made eye contact with the young man, she did just that. Her eyes were purely mesmerizing, pools of ocean blue that Roger knew he could swim in for hours on end and never get tired. Her skin was a soft tan, smooth and delicate, speckles of brown and orange dots covering her cheeks. Her lips were a perfect pink, plump and pouty, and Roger couldn't help but imagine them pressed firmly against his as they kissed – of course, he also had other places they could go in mind. Everything about her appearance was completely different to what Roger usually saw in girls, but in a way, he preferred it. She looked him up and down intently, seemingly taking in his appearance too, and he immediately felt self-conscious. Yet of course, he didn't know what the feeling exactly was – he was used to being so confident in his looks, considering all the girls practically worshipped him. Under the eyes of this mystery girl, however, he suddenly felt like the only opinion that mattered was hers. She gave a small smirk, before turning to give Mrs Andrews a sour look and shook her head as if questioning why the fuck these two people were interrupting her reading time.

"What? Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to piss off and let me read?" She questioned, sarcasm running deeply in her tone. Roger was a little taken aback by her voice – he didn't expect such a sultry, deep voice from such a beautiful woman. He also certainly was not expecting the bold and callous attitude she carried, yet he couldn't help admit – it was hot.

"Mrs L/N, watch your language. And I'm not sure that your choice of clothing is appropriate for the college campus grounds."

"And I'm not sure your choice of clothing is even a choice – I mean, were you forced to wear that? Surely no one in their right mind would pick an outfit so... hideous. You're still single, aren't you? Maybe try dressing more like you are living in the 60s rather than the 1800s" She sassed, looking up and down Mrs Andrews with a face of pure disgust and hatred. Roger couldn't help but snort at the joke, gaining a smirk from the girl and a slap on the back of his head from the teacher. He could not believe this girl had such a careless attitude, though he found it extremely attractive. He knew she would be hard to get, but that only made her more enticing to him. He always wanted what he couldn't have, and this was the perfect example.

"Mrs L/N, watch yourself - I don't want to have to give you a third detention this week" Mrs Andrews warned, Rogers eyes widening at her words - third detention? "Anyway, you have been slacking in class lately - so I've set you up with a tutor for Chemistry and Physics. This is Roger, he's the year above and is at the top of his class in both lessons. Though he doesn't study it, he may be able to help you with maths alongside the other two subjects as Mr Tribell has mentioned you're slacking in his lessons too. You'll have sessions every Tuesday lunch, like today, and Thursday Period 6"

"And if I don't turn up?"

"Then you'll fail your exams and receive a detention for every session you do not attend" The chemistry teacher explained, making the girl groan loudly and slam her book on the table loudly, making the room of people studying turn their heads in annoyance of the disruption. One guy behind the girl shhhed her, which earned nothing but a raise of her middle finger in his direction. On that note, Mrs Andrews walked off, leaving Roger and the girl, who he still did not know the name of, alone.

"Er- Uhm, so what's your name?" He stuttered, trying to get his words out in a way that didn't sound weird if creepy - he knew for sure he did not want to get on the wrong side of the girl, afraid he may get beat up or even more likely murdered. She slammed her chemistry textbook down on the table out of nowhere, which made Roger jump a little at the sudden sound. She made eye contact with Roger once more, yet her eyes were more filled with annoyance at his question - why did he care?

"You know you don't have to be here right?" She questioned rhetorically, raising her eyebrows in Rogers direction and returned her legs into the crossed position they were previously in. "I'm not stupid, and I'm not incapable of fucking studying"

"Oh, er, well Miss asked me too" He was stuttering as if he was stood in front of Jimi Hendrix, his idol, and he was confused as to why this girl had such an effect of him when no other had ever done this to him. The girl snorted at his admittance, finding it funny that Roger seemed such a suck up. "What, so you're like teacher's pet or?"

"Oh, well n-no, she barely even notices my existence in class to be honest. Trust me, I don't want to be here just as much as you don't. I would much rather be in the music room right now, but Mrs Andrews has told that librarian woman to keep a tight eye on what we do and I can't afford to be getting detentions now." He explained, looking over in the direction of the aging woman sat behind her library desk, who they both thought should've retired many years ago, or more likely decades by the look of it. Roger noticed that the girl furrowed her brows when he mentioned the music room, but didn't bother trying to explain because he was afraid she would just scoff or leave. He brought his own textbook out of his satchel, placing it on the table and taking a seat beside her; which meant she had to move her legs off table, something she wasn't particularly pleased about, but she couldn't deny she had some attraction to Roger and it was something she desperately wanted to explore. Of course she had heard of him, he was the epitome of 'sex on legs' and had slept with almost every girl in his year. Though, like Roger, she always knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it; therefore, she'd be playing the long game for this one, to inspect if he truly was worth it or not. Hence why she was acting standoffish and was yet to reveal her name; she saw that as a form of privilege that he had to earn. "What is it you are working on at the moment then?"

He was being friendly - something the girl wasn't used to at all; everyone avoided her, considering she stood out from the societal norms of 'beauty'. That didn't stop her from being confident in the way she looked however; she loved her fashion style and if she had the choice, she would make everyone wear the same clothes she wore and have the same hair she had. She knew she was beautiful and that's because she truly was.

"Erm, at the moment I'm on unit 1, section 6 - Andrews rushed me forward because I was ahead of the rest of the group but it has me stumped. And I guess I haven't had much time to focus on it so I haven't been able to properly study it" She explained, opening her textbook to the correct page and grabbing her pen. Roger took one look at the page in front of him and was in complete shock; the paper was covered top to bottom with handwritten notes annotating almost every single sentence and diagram the book had the offer with extra information and important ideas, which were all incredibly neatly colour-coded to perfection. Her handwriting was almost calligraphy, every peak of each letter curved. Roger flicked through the entire book, to reveal every single page was exactly like this. She looked up at him in confusion, furrowing her brows as if to ask what he was doing. "Sorry, just your notes are incredibly neat and organised, they're so gorgeous to look at."

No matter how hard she was trying to tease him, she couldn't help but blush at it, her cheeks reddening and the corners of her mouth rising a little to form a smile. She noticed him slow his pronunciation and lift his eyes to meet hers through the last few words, making her wonder if he was talking about her rather than the notes. All she could manage to muster was a small "thanks" before scooting closer to Roger so that they could both see the book. Her thigh was rubbing against his, the rough contact making her shiver a little. She pushed it down, and decided to keep teasing him; though that immediately seemed to reverse the moment Roger placed his hand firmly on her knee, pushing it slightly up her leg to rest it on her thigh. If he were to be looking her way, he would've seen her breath hitch in her throat as she swallowed, and her eyes widen, but luckily he was intensely reading her notes.

"Ah, I see the mistake - you are mixing oxidation and reduction. You've said that oxidation is the gain of electrons, when it's the opposite - same for reduction. So therefore, and oxidising agent would accept electrons and get reduced, and a reducing agent donates electrons and gets oxidised" He explained, making his own notes on a piece of scrap paper to tuck into the book so she could look over it later on. The way he explained it, his eyes glazing over the books as she saw the cogs turning slowly in his brain reading the book; it was surprisingly attractive to her, she couldn't help but get a little turned on at the sight. She scooched a little closer, which caused his hand to move to the inside of her thigh, and she tucked her hair seductively behind her ear. She took the ultimate move and moved the lapel of her blazer slightly to the left, exposing one of her breasts that was clearly seeable through the mesh shirt.

"That makes so much more sense now" she breathily laughed, grabbing her pen to jot it down onto the page like the other pages of the textbook. He watched with admiration as her hand slowly glided across the page in perfect motions to make the neatest words. He was yet to notice the exposed breast she had carefully planned, so this time she decided to bring out the big guns. She began to fan her hand in front of her face, before pulling the sleeves down her arms and removing the blazer completely, hanging it carefully on the back of the chair. "Sorry - it's just really warm in here"

That's when Roger caught sight of what she was doing - her shirt covered nothing, just tinting the look of her otherwise-tan skin black. His eyes widened as he swallowed the lump in the back of his throat, he could barely tear his sight away from the view in which he could only describe as heavenly. In a way to distract himself, he decided to change the subject away from chemistry and ask her more about herself - "S-so, erm, I saw you were r-reading Frankenstein earlier?" He mumbled out, coughing to clear his throat at the end of his question.

"Oh yeah, it's my favourite book, I've probably read it like 100 times by now. My mother gave it to me before she passed, and I've never put it down since - she told me that she loved to read it when her mother gave it to her, has been passed down for generations through my family and I still read it to this day." She grinned, something he hadn't seen on her face yet but with the mention of her mum, she couldn't hold it back. She missed her a lot, life had been a lot different since it happened but she tried to stay as positive as she could. Meanwhile, Roger was still trying to tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him, no matter how many dirty thoughts were racing through his head. Thoughts of what he could do, what she would look like without the rest of her clothes, what she could do; it was all storming his mind, meaning of course he couldn't help the blood rushing downstairs at a rapid pace. In an attempt to keep hidden his otherwise-obvious boner, his only option was to take his jacket off and place it on his crotch in an attempt to cover it up. Of course, she took notice of this movement and a small smirk grew on her lips as she made eye contact with his mesmerising blues.

"O-oh, it's my favourite too. I didn't take you to be someone into such classic literature" Roger admitted, attempting to avoid meeting eye contact with her once again. She giggled lowly - "Well I didn't take you to be someone into a person like me"

"W-what?" He stuttered, eyes widening at her words, whilst she just sat there laughing.

"You heard me. You're you and I'm... me. Yet you are still sat here with a massive boner" She chuckled, grasping onto the growing bulge before winking and whispering into his ear "Didn't expect it to be that big though"

She saw him swallow the lump in his throat in shock, eyes widened and mouth ajar, making her chuckle. She packed her stuff away and wrote a quick note before scrunching it and handing it over to Roger. He could barely process what had just happened, therefore not noticing she had left the table. Unwrapping the paper, he read the neat words

Call me ;)

Y/P/N

-btw, the names Y/N

His heart swelled as he thought what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

[shadowphoenixrider]

(I wrote more Katla/Kabu stuff because why the hell not. Sometime after this fic here. Katla is 26 years old.)

“Alright Sirfetch’d, finish it off! Brick Break!” Katla cried.

The Wild Duck Pokemon uttered a loud cry, charging into the fray. His Snorlax opponent swung out an arm to stop him, only for Sirfetch’d to parry the blow with his leek shield, accompanying sword glowing bright white.

“Sir-fetch’d!” He slashed the sword up and into Snorlax’s immense belly, causing the Sleeping Pokemon to utter a deep, defeated moan, tottering back before crumpling to the floor with a loud thud.

“And you win again...” Hop groaned, returning his Pokemon back to its Pokeball as their impromptu crowd erupted into applause.

“Yup.” Katla smiled, giving her Sirfetch’d an affectionate pat on the head before she too returned him to his ball. “But you don’t do too bad for yourself, Hop. Get your Pokemon rested up, and you’ll be ready to take on Gordie straight away.”

The younger man brightened, scratching the back of his head.

“You really think so, mate?”

“Sure!” The young woman nodded, slipping her hands into her hoodie pockets. “You gave me a good fight, and I’ve only just come out of there. So you’ll be just fine. Go for it!”

“Alright!” Hop grinned widely, already on the move again. “Look out Gordie, here I come!”

Sonia chuckled, shaking her head as the young trainer bounded away.

“Seems like he finally shook off that gloom.” She commented. “I’m glad - Leon’d worry if Hop wasn’t feeling alright.”

“Yeah.” Katla nodded, hiding her scowl. One of these days I’m going to give Bede what he deserves. “I worry too. Kid’s a ball of sunshine. If I can keep him blazing bright as long as I can, I will.”

“Sure.” Sonia nodded, curling her orange hair around her finger. “You wouldn’t want your rival to be down in the dumps, after all.” The trainer was about to retort it had more to do with the fact he was her friend when the researcher continued: “Anyway, I’m planning to look into things in the Slumbering Weald a little more. See ya!”

Katla waved her goodbye, noticing that the crowd that had mostly dispersed now the action was over, chattering excitedly about the two Gym Challengers, and who they were supporting in the upcoming matches. The trainer hadn’t expected a history lesson to have resulted in a Pokemon battle, but when Hop was raring to go, there was little that could dissuade him. At least everything was still as they found it.

She was about to make her own way towards the Pokemon Centre when she glimpsed a familiar black and red coat, just visible behind one of the ancient stone columns. Her heart skipped a beat, and the trainer wandered idly over, pretending to just pass by.

“Hey stranger,” she said, glancing at the older man out of the corner of her eye. “Shall we find somewhere a little quieter?”

“Lead on.” His soft, deep voice replied, his smile clear within.

The pair walked away from the Hero’s Bath, making their way through Circhester’s numerous winding streets until they found an empty patch of land on the edge of town, a copse of snow-laden trees guarding them from curious eyes.

“I did not expect to find you and Hop having a Pokemon battle in the middle of the Hero’s Bath.” Kabu commented, a warm smile on his lips. “Especially so soon after your stupendous battle with Gordie.”

Katla blushed, chuckling shyly.

“O-Oh well, it wasn’t anything special, just a nice tough fight, went through all the motions...”

“Perhaps, but I'm very glad I had the good fortune to be in the crowd.” Kabu replied. “To witness the bond between you and your Pokemon is a privilege, whichever side of the field I’m on.”

“Aw, thanks.” Her face was burning up now, despite the chill in the air. “But you’re definitely flattering me now.”

“Nonsense.” His smile widened, twinkling in his eyes. “I am merely giving a masterful trainer the honours she deserves.”

“Stooop!” Katla giggled, waving a hand at him. “I’m not toast, don’t butter me up like this!”

The Gym Leader chuckled, making her heart skip its next beat and Murkrow feet crinkle in the corners of his eyes.

“You’re fun to tease, Katla,” he said, something soft to his tone that made her heart do a somersault, another in the series of gymnastics it was apparently performing.

“Don’t tell me the only reason you were watching us fight was to torment me later.” She replied, trying to salvage some composure from the situation.

“In truth, I was hoping to cross paths with you again.” Kabu said. “It was lucky coincidence that I happened to notice your sparring with Hop.” His smile widened. “More so that we now have this fleeting time to ourselves.”

“Yeah.” The young woman nodded, glancing around them. Aside from the occasional soft whisper of wind through the trees, the snow absorbed all sound, cloaking the pair with silence. “It’s nice. Just wish it was warmer.”

“Yes. I like to think I have adapted to Galar’s fickle weather patterns, but I have never managed to insulate myself from the cold, especially here.” The Gym Leader commented, creases appearing between his eyebrows. “You’re not too cold, are you Katla? We can find somewhere warmer if you need-”

“Oh no no!” She replied hurriedly, pulling her hoodie a little tighter around herself. “I’m alright, thanks Kabu. I just...I’m not really a fan of chilly places either. The only place I went to that had an Ice type gym that wasn’t freezing cold was Mahogany Town in Johto, and even that place had a chill in the air.” Katla gave a lopsided smile. “I guess that’s why I don’t tend to have many Ice type Pokemon. Prefer the heat over the cold.”

“Perhaps.” Kabu’s concerned frown remained for a moment, before he opened his arm out to her. “Regardless, if you are cold, come a little closer. I’m told I run hot.”

Katla hesitated for a moment, glancing behind her. Yet, safe in the knowledge that no-one would see them at a cursory glance, she took his offer, moving to stand at his side. To her surprise, he curled his arm around her, pulling her close into his body. Katla felt herself warm up, but she didn’t think it was just from Kabu’s heat.

There was a pause.

“Better?” He asked softly.

“Yeah. Thank you.” She shifted slightly closer, noting how nicely her body fit against his.

Another brief moment of silence passed between them before Kabu spoke again.

“You’ll be leaving for Spikemuth tomorrow, I presume?”

Katla nodded.

“Yeah. Hopefully it’s a little warmer than this place.”

“Once you pass through the icy stretch of Circhester Bay, you will be pleased to find it warms up again.” Kabu smiled. “Unlike the other towns and cities you have been to, however, it lacks a Power Spot.”

“Oh, so no Dynamaxing, then.” The trainer lifted a shoulder, smirking. “No skin off my back - pretty much back to basics for me.”

The Man of Fire’s smile was amused.

“Of course. Then Piers should pose little challenge for you.”

“Oh no, the last time I was that confident was against Opal, and, well, we know how well that went.” Katla replied, glancing away. “Besides, considering he’s just behind Raihan in rankings without access to a Power Spot, that probably means he’s a force to be reckoned with.”

She swore she saw Kabu’s silver eyes sparkle.

“Very perceptive. Now I see another facet in what makes you such a skilled trainer and Gym Challenger.”

Katla blushed.

“C’mon Kabu, we’ve been over this! Stop buttering me up.” As the older man chuckled, a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Wait. I don’t remember a Piers. He wasn’t at the opening ceremony, was he?”

“You’re correct, he wasn’t.” Kabu sighed. “Piers is very...independent. He and Chairman Rose have clashed numerous times. Piers cares deeply for the future of Spikemuth, and he blames the town’s misfortunes on its lack of a Power Spot.” The Gym Leader shook his head. “Whilst he prefers to keep to himself, it is clear to see the issue troubles him deeply. I only wish I could offer him answers for his problems.”

“I can understand why he’d probably not want to go to the opening ceremony, then.” Katla commented. “What does he specialise in?”

“Dark types.” The older man replied.

“Huh.” The younger woman hummed. “Reminds me of a guy I met in Alola. Kinda abrasive and aloof, but deep down you knew he really gave a shit.”

For a moment, she let images swim up from her memory - red eyes; glowing in the dark, a smirk; full of promise, his face between- and then she quickly pushed them down again, blinking hard and hoping that she wasn’t blushing. Again.

She glanced back up at Kabu, who was looking down at her thoughtfully, his eyes glazed as his gaze was turned inwards. His face didn’t betray his thoughts, however, when he resurfaced.

“Yes. Indeed...” A small smile pulled at his lips. “I don’t suppose I need to ask you if you've ever fought Dark types before, do I?”

“No.” Katla replied. “I’ve fought them before, and the Alola guy was specialised in them, so I know what they’re like in the hands of a master.” And weren’t those hands masterful- she quickly squelched that thought by adding: “Trouble. Very troublesome. I was lucky to beat him. Which is why I’m not gonna get drawn in to thinking I’ve already got this.” She stuffed her hands into her hoodie pockets. “Like I said, learned my lesson the last time.”

“Of course.” Kabu nodded. “Yet forewarned is forearmed.” His smile widened. “I have every faith that you will do well against Piers, Katla. I look forward to seeing your match.”

“T-Thanks.” The young woman couldn’t help but smile shyly, her face flushing. “It means a lot to hear you say that. I’ll do my best.”

The Gym Leader nodded again, satisfied, and a brief silence settled around them, like the snow that was beginning to fall.

“Guess you’ve got stuff to be getting back to as well.” Katla said, looking up at him.

“Yes. I will be taking a taxi back to Motostoke this evening to resume my duties. There are still trainers attempting my Gym Challenge, though it will not be long before their window of opportunity will close.” His silver eyes slid over to meet hers, a smile pulling at his lips. “I don’t think it will be long before at least two trainers will qualify for the Semifinals.”

The trainer arched an eyebrow at him.

“Putting the cart before the Mudbray a little there, Kabu. I’ve gotta beat Piers and Raihan. Either one could put an end to it.”

“Perhaps.” Kabu turned to face her properly, reaching out to gently take her hands. “But I have faith you can do it. I see the spark in your eyes, Katla. You have a burning flame that cannot be extinguished. I sensed it when I first met you, and felt it in our battle. I am sure you will make it through to the Semifinals.”

‘The Ever-Burning Man of Fire’ seemed an appropriate moniker for the Hoenn Gym Leader, with the way his touch seemed to cause Katla’s face and heart to heat up, the latter skipping a beat. His smile was as warm as his hands, and for a moment, they remained like this, Katla wondering how fate had brought her to this point in time.

And then Kabu leaned closer, paused, before he tentatively pressed a kiss to her lips. It only took a second, maybe just two, but the heat it caused, rippling out from the Galar trainer’s heart, seemed to sharpen every sense she possessed as if Katla had awoken from the deepest, most restful slumber she’d ever had.

She blinked Rowlet-ishly up at him, noticing the older man’s sheepish expression - despite his bold move, a blush was beginning to darken across his cheeks, and he glanced away.

Suddenly his scarf poked its head up, peering up at him with an inquisitive: ‘Si?’ Kabu’s blush darkened, and he chuckled at his little companion’s confusion, Katla unable to resist giggling too.

“It’s alright, little one,” he said softly, stroking the Radiator Pokemon’s flat head with his finger. “Be at peace.” The Sizzlipede’s eyes closed, and it trilled with pleasure before returning to its duty around Kabu’s neck, the young woman wondering if her blood was made of magma, the amount of warmth she could feel leaking from her heart.

“Looks like you took your friend by surprise.” Katla spoke, and almost kicked herself for trying to make light of the situation. He smiled shyly, an expression she never thought she’d ever see on the older man’s face.

“Yes. And several others.” He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. “I...I apologise, Katla. That was...foolish of me.”

“No no, it wasn’t.” She shook her head, stepping closer. “You surprised me, sure, but, but it wasn’t unwelcome.” If she kept blushing like this, her face was going to get stuck this way. “I liked it.”

The trainer had to admit it was amusing to see his composure slip out of his fingertips again, his blush creeping across his face.

“Oh? Are you sure? I don’t want to- you mustn’t feel like you should accept my advances because-”

“Kabu.” It was Katla’s turn to grasp his hands, squeezing them between her own. “It’s fine. If I didn’t want it, you would know.” A pause, deciding not to provide the example. “I promise, I will let you know if we start going too fast or too far. I know this might be the first relationship I’ve ever been in, but I’m twenty six - I’ve been around long enough to know what I want and who I want it with.”

Her blue eyes met Kabu’s grey, the older man watching her intently. “Trust me, please?”

“I do.” He nodded. “I’m just-” A pause. “Forgive me, Katla. I worry.”

“I know.” She squeezed his hands again. “It works both ways, though. If you feel uncomfortable, or like I’m the one going too fast or too far, you let me know too, okay?”

“Of course. Of course.” He replied, giving her hands an answering, if more tentative squeeze. Another pause, before a shy smile graced his lips. “For this being your first relationship, you show considerable wisdom.”

“Heh, I’ve just been working from what I picked up from various places.” Katla chuckled weakly. “I’m pretty sure I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

“As have I.” Kabu smiled, giving her hands one last squeeze before he pulled away. “Anyway, I fear I have taken up more than enough of your time, Katla. My apologies.”

“It’s fine, Kabu. I’m more worried that I’ve been the one taking up your time, with you being a Gym Leader and everything.” A half-smile pulled at her lips. “But, before you go...”

As the Hoenn man gave her a quizzical look, Katla leaned up and pressed her own kiss to his lips, unable to hide her smile as he blinked widely, his blush starting to reappear on his cheeks.

“...Oh.” He uttered quietly, lifting a hand as if to touch an imprint she left behind.

“I, I better go.” Katla said, stepping away. “I-It’s been nice chatting with you, Kabu. We’ll talk again sometime soon, yeah?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” The Gym Leader replied. “Safe travels, Katla. Best of luck for Piers.”

“Safe journey back to Motostoke!” She waved, before turning to walk back into Circhester, trying restrain the excited skip in her step.

---

“Siiizz?” Kabu had been watching the young woman leave when his Sizzlipede called to him again, having uncurled just enough to give him a Look, one that he couldn’t quite identify.

Despite the cold snow settling over his bench coat and into his hair, his face felt as hot as his Pokemon’s belly scales, and Kabu swore his lips were still tingling from Katla’s kiss. He managed a lopsided smile at his companion.

“It’s, it’s fine, little one,” he said, again, although he found his gaze drifting back to where the trainer had gone. “She’s just...a very special friend.”

The Radiator Pokemon did not look convinced this time, tilting its head and quivering its fiery moustache. Kabu sighed softly.

“Perhaps...Perhaps a bit more than that.” He admitted.

[jelanisaeed]

Round 2: VS Piplup - Legends Part 2

And here we go with Chapter 2! This one took a lot of different tries. But once I settled into lessening the new for fight scenes, it became easier. I hope y'all like it!

Oh, and just like the last chapter, this chapter was inspired by the Calling All Lovers Album by Tamar Braxton. The song that helped the most was Circles.

…

Pokémon Adventures: Turquoise, Jasper, & Ammolite

Round 2: VS Piplup – Legends Part 2

Location: Lake Verity Date: August 4th , 3000 Time: 11:00am

"I'm the guardian of Lake Verity. My name is Turquoise. Turquoise Yukule."

So much for relaxation. After a stressful week, Turquoise just needed one day to himself. Even planned it out himself! Sure, it wasn't much—just a morning swim and some parkour later—but it helped plenty. Then again, he should have expected this. No plan of his ever failed to hit a snag along the way.

Just like now. Morning swim ruined by some stranger fighting Motha. Cute guy with his glowing, short green coils and fade against his soft sienna skin. Not the worst sight by any means. Especially with inviting emerald eyes like his.

"Guardian…?" The stranger frowned. "So, the legend's real?"

Turquoise nodded. "Aye. All legends have some truth to 'em, ya know?"

The stranger pursed his lips. A strange fire burned just beneath his skin and oozed red light. Anger, Turquoise realized. The blaze licked the air in thin wisps of lips only Turquoise saw. Most won't see the emotions take form around them. Or their power. His pokémon knew and squirmed in his hold. Poor girl. Good thing Turquoise kept some pecha berries in his bag.

"What's the big deal, huh?" Stranger snarled. "Attacking people with your ugly bug?"

"Motha's very protective." Master Doryu ensured it with his training. "I'm sorry she attacked you. I have some pecha berries if ya—"

"—I don't need your pity!" Stranger snapped, grinding his teeth. "Your bug attacked a kid too! Left him with a burn—the hell's wrong with you?"

A kid? Turquoise frowned. Motha wouldn't have done that. If the kid came, she drove him off. But burn him… Turquoise kneeled to her and ran her hand through her fur. At once, her emotions and memories flooded his mind in an array of colorful pictures. Yet none told the tale this strange claimed.

Not that he believed it anyway. Motha can't burn anyone.

"I think you got it wrong," Turquoise began slowly as he raised to his feet. "Motha didn't attack anyone other than you."

The stranger rose with his partner to his chest. Lips thinned as he grounded out, "bullshit." Those inviting eyes hardened into cold stones. "So that kid burned himself? Or was that just you, huh? You the monster?"

Turquoise saw those cold eyes on so many faces. And they all hailed him the same. Monster. Maybe there was some truth to it. Through all the shoves and blows, maybe that stuck for a reason. Followed him no matter how much he cried. Even if he couldn't see it in his own reflection. The monster stayed inside him. Without a cure to cleanse him.

"I'm not a monster." He spoke, but he didn't believe it. "I think it's time you left."

The stranger scoffed. "Yeah, right." His lips twitched into a mocking sneer. "Then freak should do better, right?"

They were just words, he knew. Simple letters weaved together by people and given meaning. Power, even, but only if he claimed it. Master Doryu drilled that lesson into his head over and over. Eventually, it got easier. Taunts rolled off his skin and he held his head up higher with each turn. Confident. Empowered.

Not like now.

Turquoise blamed it on the stress. It weighed on his spirit and waned his walls. And allowed those sharpened words to plunge through the cracks and stab his heart. Tears welled in his eyes, but he refused to cry. No bully would ever have the satisfaction.

"Well, whatever you are, Professor Kapok wanted you to have this."

The rude trainer returned his pokémon and pulled something out of his knapsack. A box of some kind wrapped neatly in blue paper. Turquoise accepted the package but never met his eyes. Even as the flames died down and a strange emotion sprouted within him.

"Now I'm outta here. See ya, freak."

Stranger left. And Turquoise stood alone with his package. At least something positive came from this. Even if it unearthed buried feelings in the process.

…

There we go, Turquoise tied his blue bandana to his forehead. His short black coils, lightly dried, curtained over the fabric. Just as he liked it. It matched well with his heavy black t-shirt and cargo pants. And complimented his blue short and sleeveless open vest, utility belt, and hiking boots.

Getting dressed always released the tension locked in his bones. Especially in the comfort of his room. Surrounded by trinkets and posters he collected over the years. After a day like this, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with a good book. But today he had his own story to start. His own chapter to write.

(Trainer,) Empola the piplup waddled to his side. She gazed at him with her sparkling eyes and smiled. (I like it.)

Professor Kapok gave him his own starter pokémon. Him! Little Turquoise from Twinleaf Town—he couldn't believe. But it became the best gift he ever received.

Well, it wasn't the only one, Turquoise grinned. Right on his bed sat a strange handheld painted turquoise and light green. Even had his initials inscribed on the lid. Another gift from the good professor. Along with two letters, of course. Professor Kapok had a way with words.

"Thanks Empola," He clipped his luxury balls to his belt and gathered up his rope.

He spent hours packing up his finneon print travel duffle with the essentials. Finally, he was ready. Rooms cleaned and he left a note for his mom when she got back. She had to be on the plane with Celeste by now. He hated to leave on the terms they did, but he felt for the best. Once he came back, they would settle things. For now, though, he needed to take a chance.

Turquoise hooked the rope to his belt with a sigh. That's it—he's ready. At least, he should be. Yet trepidation chained him in place. He didn't deserve this opportunity.

Just send it back! A part of him nagged. You'll just mess it up! Like everything you do.

Maybe it's true. This wasn't the first time he tried to leave and start his journey. Not day went by when he didn't stare off into Route 201. Enticed by the sounds of nature luring him closer. With each step, their sounds found a rhythm. And a beautiful song filled his ears. It lulled him forward and just before he stepped foot in the grass, that nagging voice cut through and his confidence died away.

Master Doryu would be disappointed. Not that he blamed the man. At thirteen, Turquoise wanted nothing more than to take his journey like his classmates. To evolve as they did. Even his bullies came back changed and apologized!

"Empola, do you think I should go?" He pocketed his device and frowned. "Do you think I'm ready?"

Empola huffed. (Trainer, shape up!) She puffed up her chest and held her flippers at her hips. (You ready! I'm ready! We're ready! Now let's go!)

Maybe it was that simple. Mama always wanted this for him. And, deep down, so did he.

But Empola wasn't finished. She pounded her chest with her chest and smiled. (I'm with you, Trainer.) She spoke softly as a blush bloomed across her face. (For everything.)

Turquoise smiled and pulled her into his embrace.

Monster or not, Turquoise wouldn't trade this blessing for the world. His pokémon became more than friends. They were his family.

Normality's overrated, Turquoise gazed at his room. Three, long, unhappy years spent in these four walls. The next time he came home, he'd have new memories to fill it. More posters and pictures of the world that yearned for him.

Time to take the world by storm. Just as Professor Kapok said.

I hope this letter grants you the clarity to move forward, the letter began. To grab onto the horns of the tauros and race forward. With the world watching your back for a change.

…

The setting sun was the perfect backdrop. It bled swirling rays of orange light whose warmth caressed Turquoise's dark skin. He smiled. He stood tall at the archway to Twinleaf. A new addition to the town that he helped pain all those years ago. And not a bad job, if he said so. Way better than the dreadful tan they envisioned. A little purple went a long way, after all.

He always passed through the archway whenever he left town. But now was different. It could be months before he ever set foot here again. So much could change by then. The daycare could receive new kids for all he knew! Most of all, however, he knew he would change.

And he hoped for the better.

Ight, Turquoise took a step forward and Empola mimicked him. Albeit clumsier as she stumbled over her feet. Time to go.

Adjusting the straps of his travel duffel, Turquoise stepped through the arch. With each step, they got closer to the tall grass. And farther from Twinleaf Town. A rush of guilt filled his heart, but he pushed forward.

Empola led the charge through the tall grass. And got her first battle from an overzealous bidoof. A clean fight that earned her a few scraps. She came out on top, of course, and puffed out her chest with pride. Turquoise laughed. Only she made confidence look so adorable.

They had not made it far when he felt it. A disturbance, Thick, and heavy dark emotions slithered through the breezes. His sensed cringed, but they moved unperturbed. Coiled around him. Hissed in his ears and flooded his veins with their presence.

Turquoise gagged and found Empola trembling.

He knew this aura anywhere.

The trees behind him erupted in flames. Mr. Stranger trembled out. Followed by a beautiful lizard pokémon with dark skin highlighted by pink markings. She stared at them with glowing, purple eyes. Drenched in an eerie dark purple aura.

"A Shadow Pokémon."

…

And there's Chapter 2!

For Turquoise, I kind of envisioned him as mix of the Pokemon Breeder and Pokemon Ranger, just more on the Ranger side for now. Incorporating the Breeder look was hard though so I settled on a bandana for now!

I love Turquoise lol. I hope y'all do too. And don't worry about Paxton, he'll get better lol.

As always, feel free to leave a review or PM me!

[mimiplaysgames]

Beloved Memories, in Notes (Vol. VII)

Pairing: Aqua/Terra Rating: T (for horror elements) Word Count: 11,074

Summary: His mission was to be her friend, but she didn’t want any. Terra and Aqua meet. Terra is 9, Aqua is 8.

Read on AO3

A/N: This chapter was always going to be the angsty one of this collection (kind of, it ends well). This specific story is honestly my favorite in this collection, and I’m so excited to move on with it. I’m very proud of the ending to this tale, and I just want to be able to cover it lmao.

****

A Tale of Stars, Pt. 2

It was hot, and it sucked.

There was still hay sticking to Terra's arms after he brushed them all off, his sweat just as sticky as the humidity that clinched him. The Master was in just as much of a grumpy mood.

Cows always made Terra laugh though, and Abigail's moos were a welcome cheer for a morning that could either go really well or really badly. Terra needed to be on his best behavior, for this was his very first mission - and he barely even started real Keyblade training.

He already had a to-do list to make him successful. The first step (and the most important): to be Aqua's friend.

But this was also the hardest.

Aqua was in the backyard, pumping water into a pail out of an iron press, before dragging it back to the Widow Tweed's quaint farmhouse, with Tod the fox tailing her feet closely. He noticed that she barely gave either of them the courtesy of a glance when they strolled out of Abigail's barn.

An owl stood at a tree watching them, and Terra didn't know which was weirder: that an owl was out at dawn, or that it enjoyed the company of a sparrow and a woodpecker.

Mrs. Tweed handed them their breakfast (plain old sausage with a sprinkle of salt), and Terra only finished half when Aqua appeared again, hair in classic long pigtails as usual, with Tod following her like he was her best friend. She straggled toward the woods in a daze that made her seem more like a zombie than anything, as if this was the most basic routine for the most basic day and she didn't know what else there was to do.

"You should join her," he heard the Master say.

Terra chewed on his meat with spite. "She doesn't like me."

"She does not know you as a person."

"Still hates me."

"Then she'd be the fool," Eraqus said with confidence. "To pass judgment on mere glance would say much about her and nothing of you… You still have your responsibilities, however, so you must try."

Terra stopped a piece from reaching his mouth, his fingers grasped tightly around his fork. "What if she says no?"

"Then you respect her decision."

A more frightening possibility crept into his mind. "What if she says yes?"

"Then you join her." Like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Terra stuffed as much sausage into his mouth until his cheeks almost burst because he hated all the answers and pouted at his Master. It didn't work.

"Continue with that and your cheeks will sag," the Master grinned.

The image of long flabby cheeks terrified him, so brave Terra faced his fears, swallowed all the sausage at once (which hurt), and raced over before she disappeared into the trees. This was still a mission, and he was still being tested.

"Aqua," he panted, and she at least treated him with the decency of acknowledging his presence. "Are you going out to play?"

"Yeah," she said lowly. Honestly, she looked super-exhausted, despite that it was morning.

"Can I join you?"

She turned and left him behind. "Sure."

Now what was Terra supposed to do? Follow, he supposed.

Aqua walked with the grace of someone who memorized where all the uplifted tree roots would snag her, barely putting any thought of where to step her feet while Terra took an extra second or two just to make sure he wouldn't trip. Tod led the way, excitedly rushing onward only to have to come back because they were going too slow for him.

They walked in silence - Terra didn't know what to talk about.

Toys - does she still have any? Pets - I don't know a thing about them, much less foxes. School - well, we obviously don't take the same classes, and I don't study math, so we can't even talk about something we hate.

Her silence sucked just as much as the heat, and why, oh why did Terra have to deal with this?

They reached a pond, where a creek ran the end of its trail into its reservoir, and willow trees overlooking the surface and dragonflies dancing on longrass.

"Do you want to skip rocks?" Terra asked. "It's really fun."

She sat on a log, bringing her knees to her chin and saying nothing in return.

Tod went ahead and buried his nose in the crooks of pebbles that littered the ground, sometimes yipping at something he found, which were mostly uninteresting - frogs, maybe.

"It's really hot," Terra said, and he didn't know if she agreed - she said nothing.

"Maybe we can swim?" he asked, and immediately blushed. Normally he'd strip to his shorts but he probably shouldn't be asking girls to take off their clothes to go swimming with him.

Again, she said nothing, her eyes drifting off into some made-up land. Terra had never seen a child, even at the orphanage, who looked this horrible.

The adults running the orphanage always said that having parents was the best thing that could ever happen, and that each child could have a pair as long as they behaved well. Terra never really wondered if having them (or losing them) would hurt just as much, too.

It was suddenly too quiet. Tod stopped his hustling of innocent forest insects, and slumped his shoulders while he waited.

He and Aqua looked the same: abandoned.

Finally, she spoke. "Copper is late."

"The hounddog?"

"He always comes," she said with a tighter grip around her knees, like she was remembering a punishment.

Copper was late and Tod was sad about it, too. That was what hurt them: missing someone.

Aqua huffed, willing whatever cloudy thoughts that haunted her to go away and stood up with her head held high, marching deeper into the forest. If Terra didn't know any better, he'd say that she was ready to punch somebody.

He and Tod followed, and it turned out that they hiked somewhere uphill, where they eventually reached a rundown farm within several acres of empty land, half-neglected and half-loved.

She gasped - Copper was there, a rope tied around his neck for a leash, where the weight of an empty barrel kept him grounded. Nearby, a much, much bigger gray dog snuggled in his own barrel and snored.

The children sneaked up to the wooden fence that marked the beginning of the forest and the end of this farm's territory. Aqua held Tod closely, quieting his fidgeting and stopping him from racing across to the dogs.

"Mr. Slade is so mean," she whispered with disdain. "He's always trying to keep Copper and Tod apart. Who would do such a thing?"

It was still Terra's opinion that a fox and a hound were strange friends indeed considering their nature.

Maybe he expected Aqua to know better, and yet here she was on the verge of going back to hiding in her mind.

Well, his mission was to be her friend, and he read in books in that friends made each other happy. If she wanted Tod and Copper to play together, as weird as that was, then he was going to do just that.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, Tod squirming more in her arms.

Terra had lifted one leg in between the logs barring up the fence, and ducked under to get to the other side. "I'm getting Copper, what does it look like?"

"Chief will hear you."

If she was talking about the snoring dog, then he didn't know what she was so worried about. Terra was training to be a Keyblade Master, after all, what was a mangey old mutt going to do?

"I can sneak."

"You're going to get in trouble," she barked like a mean teacher.

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will."

He liked her less when she talked.

"Calm down." He dismissed her with a wave and crept, keeping his body close to the ground as he waddled over, the grass patches taller than him. This farm really needed a lawnmower.

Aqua huddled behind a bush, watching him closely and mumbling small prayers to herself as she kept a firm hand around Tod's snout. She worried too much.

Terra, on the other hand, crawled confidently - he was more afraid of Mr. Slade catching him in the act than of an old, tired dog sniffing him out.

He chose to do this for her, and was going to see it through.

Copper was very smart and perceptive, understanding the consequences of being caught by a large quadruped such as Chief, so he shied away from Terra at first.

Of course, Copper was still a young puppy, and the moment Terra followed through on some unspoken promise of releasing him from his prison, he yipped.

"Shhh," Terra said, ever so gently holding Copper's snout. He held his breath for a few seconds, Chief wiggling and kicking his feet from the sudden noise -

Only to go back to sleep.

Terra was more relieved than he wanted to admit. "Don't you wanna play with your friend?" he whispered, and started to head back to Aqua and Tod with the puppy riding in his arms.

But then Chief finally got a whiff, and finally started barking.

Chief spit, Chief noticed exactly who was in Terra's arms, and when he did, Chief lunged with a loud growl. Terra's heart jumped straight up into his throat at the sight of such carnivores, and he swallowed it back into place.

Luck smiled on him though, since Terra only managed to escape because Chief, too, was leashed.

Aqua immediately bolted back into the thicket, with Terra and a pup in his arms following closely, the bark of an angry, old man inching closer, throwing a gunshot for a warning but even then, that faded into the background, too.

*****

Tod and Copper reuniting turned Aqua into a different person - though she was still stuffy, ungrateful at worst, as she yapped about how they were teaching these little innocent animals terrible lessons that could get them into trouble later on, and wasn't this considered dognapping, blah blah blah.

(Honestly, it wasn't dognapping if they were going to return Copper, right?)

But - and that was a huge but - Aqua was at least more willing to talk, more brave to look him in the eye when she did (he realized she had very large, bright eyes, making it hard not to stare).

Who knew that all he had to do was steal someone's pet to open her up?

He could have snarked back by saying that she wasn't a perfect princess either since she was now happy that Tod and Copper were together, but he kept his mouth shut.

She did make some good points, after all. If the Master ever found out what he did, he'd fail the mission.

But... if he didn't do this for her, then she would definitely refuse to be his friend, and that meant he failed, too.

Ugh, Mr. Slade shouldn't have been a jerk in the first place because he made Terra's life miserable (and everyone else's included).

As Tod and Copper rolled in the dirt, Terra kicked a rock and said, "No one should know."

She fiddled with her apron, her dress sprawled over the log they sat on. "Okay. I won't tell a soul."

The worst feeling was keeping this from the Master, and Terra never expected this would ever happen in his entire life.

Was it worth it?

He didn't know. He knew he felt content when Copper approached him with a wagging tail, when the pup crawled onto his lap for a short snooze, alongside his best friend Tod, who helped himself to Aqua's lap.

They looked peaceful, like they had been given a second chance at something important to them. Terra felt like he was a hero, which was always what he wanted to be… and the Master did always say to do what was his heart told him was right.

So would he really get into that much trouble if Terra argued that this was the right thing to do?

Maybe.

That uncertainty was too much of a risk, and Terra didn't know how to feel.

It suddenly dawned on him - this was his first secret that he shared with someone else. Anyone else in his entire nine-year-life!

Wait, it wasn't like they actually promised to keep it to themselves - they merely agreed to never speak about it. She gave him a simple nod when she complied, afraid of the consequences that would chase her if it ever got out. It was not a pinky-squeeze, not a handspit, or a blood oath.

He understood perfectly. This was about survival, not friendship.

*****

By evening, Mr. Slade blamed Tod for the dognapping - he didn't actually see the fox though, and therefore had no basis for his arguments.

The Master's presence was imposing enough to shut it all down. Eraqus was so much taller than Amos Slade that a shotgun to the chest didn't really diminish how intimidating he was, and since everyone thought of him as an investigator, his dismissal of the Case of the Missing Puppy was final.

By morning, it was time for Aqua to go back to school, and Eraqus offered to take her (for protection protocol).

The three of them traversed twisted, muddy backroads to the town square, since the main road would take her right by her destroyed house and it was best to avoid all of that for now. It would have been a pretty stroll, tucked away in the forest trees with the sun shining through the canopies, if it wasn't for the heat. Terra couldn't wait to leave this world and never come back.

It didn't help that Aqua wasn't very receptive to Eraqus trying to open conversations with her, and it left Terra feeling like he had to start back at square one all over again. It was a wonder how the Master didn't feel so personally attacked by her silence.

Being such a small world where everyone knew everything, the people in town cast looks on Aqua as they walked by, whispering gossip and identifiers as they pointed to the girl whose parents were brutally murdered in a town where such things never happened.

When they approached the schoolhouse, children gathered in the windows to look down on her as she crept closer to the entrance, and while Terra couldn't hear what they were saying, they were absolutely riled up like she was a spectacle at a zoo. It was rude.

Since Terra couldn't join her because he wasn't a student, Eraqus took him to the public library - a small wooden thing that was pathetic in comparison to the castle's massive archive.

Eraqus left him behind so Terra wouldn't be in danger, since he was going straight to the outskirts of the town to investigate the last sightings of the demon wrecking this town apart, appearing as a man seemingly named Ardyn.

The Master had only one request: "Let us not kidnap any more puppies today, shall we?"

Terra feigned innocence. "Sir?" When that didn't work, he continued, "Yes, sir."

Equipped with only one ceiling fan for reprieve (it barely worked to keep him cool), Terra busied himself to a number of random books; a good Keyblade wielder spent his time studying about the world he was investigating, as it helped him fit in better.

He tried really hard to be quiet - really, he did. He was the only one there aside from the librarian, a young woman wearing a bun and glasses that made her look older. But he did a spectacular job at being noisy even though it wasn't his fault; the wooden floorboards under him just wouldn't stop squeaking with every step he took.

It turned out that Terra didn't have to be so respectful with keeping up the integrity of the library - a young guy marched into the library, his muddy boots stomping like crackling whips onto the wood beneath.

Immediately, he and the librarian hit it off like they were flirting, and Terra wondered why he ever tried so hard being quiet.

Much of the talk was boring - news of someone's married cousin, and whether she had time Saturday night to go look at some horses… Hopefully she realized that this guy chatting her up was the lamest of the lame and she wouldn't agree to it.

She dodged his question entirely by changing the subject, acting like she didn't hear him. This was where it got interesting - she brought up the subject of the murderer, and asked the guy if he heard anything new.

"Yer tellin' me you didn' hear?" he gargled. His teeth were yellow. "They found the preacher's daughter."

The librarian hesitated. "Is she…?"

He shook his head. "All mangled up by the river. Funny thing is the fog's still rollin' when it shouldn'." He wasn't creeped out about the death, but acted like he was important enough to deliver such news. "Word is she was covered in oil when they found her."

The librarian at least had the decency to be upset. "The poor thing. Who found her?"

"That investigator comin' from the city." They were talking about the Master. Terra pretended to read, with one stack of finished books to his left, and a dwindling shorter stack of unread ones to his right, but he inched a little closer to listen more. The man continued, "If he hadn' found her, she'd continue ter sit there and rot."

Images of the Master finding a dead body burned in Terra's mind. Eraqus was strong, always had been - a hero had adopted Terra the day they met. But suddenly it scared him to think about the Master following Ardyn's trail.

"Makes me wonder," the man continued, his finger lifted in the air as if to make a point, "if Jim Bob'll get his fair share."

"Jim Bob, was that the one who beat his horses?"

"Is that what you 'eard?" He pulled on his suspenders. "Ha! I 'eard he poisoned 'em."

"Well, I don't believe any of it. Jim Bob loves his horses, I figured that nastiness was the work of that creeper."

"Did ya hear? Jim Bob claims the creeper doin' all of this lives in his paintings. Crazy loon. And 'pparently the creeper fancies hisself a fedora. Can you believe that?"

The librarian leaned forward, making sure she heard correctly. "You don't say?"

At this, Terra stood up, and the two adults suddenly quieted, as if their conversation was too inappropriate for a kid.

Not like Terra cared, waltzing up to the front desk with a very specific task in mind.

"Ma'am," he began, giving her a smile. "May I ask for a book about fedoras?"

She blushed at the proof that he heard their every word. "W-what are you needing, exactly?"

"I want to know what one looks like." Terra smiled wider, ignoring the way the man cleaned his own teeth with his tongue.

The librarian nodded quickly, like she had just been given orders by someone very important, and rushed off to find a book from a nearby shelf. She did Terra the favor of flipping through it for him, handing it over with pages showing off hats: fedoras, some with large rims, others short, all of them with similar dips at the top.

"You're a very smart boy," he heard her say, making him look up.

"Thank you, ma'am."

She squealed with glee. "And so very polite, too, they don't make kids like you these days no more." She leaned on her hands, looking down on him from her desk. "I've never seen you 'round here before."

Terra cleared his throat. He was instructed to tell very specific stories should anyone ask. "I'm from the city, miss."

She leaned further at the sound of his answer, like he was just as much of a specimen - it reminded him of the way people gawked at Aqua. "You don't happen to be the investigator's son now, are you?"

My dad?

That was right, if anyone asked, he was supposed to agree. Eraqus was so focused on proper obedience that the most proper way to address him was always "Master," and Terra wondered if it meant he was doing something bad if he lied about their relationship.

Was he, really, if he was lying for a mission?

Either way, it made him feel good to say yes.

*****

When school was over, Terra had instructions to find her.

He'd spent so long being the only kid at the Land of Departure that seeing a mass of children rummaging through the school grounds was like a punch to his heart, reminding him of the orphanage. It made him wonder how the ones he left behind were doing… did they find parents? Did they still hope for some or did they give up? What about Miss Quistis, the lady who ran the orphanage - was she still there? She always smiled.

Terra spotted Aqua, surrounded by other girls and one boy, who asked her incessant questions and ate all of her answers. Aqua was either uncomfortable or shy - he couldn't tell.

This was where Terra was completely useless, making new friends. He was going to be a Keyblade Master, a hero and savior to anyone who needed help, so sure, he'd be brave in the face of danger, or in the game between life and death.

But he remembered the lesson he kept facing again and again at the orphanage: other kids didn't want him around.

So he did what he thought he'd never do again: sit on a bench by himself and watch the others talk and play ball.

He was already so good at staring at rocks that he didn't notice that another child approached him -

Aqua, with her hand extended. He almost thought she wanted him to save her from her nosy friends, but he wasn't going to be fooled that he was necessary in a predicament like this.

"Come play with us," she said.

What was that about being a savior when she was the one to save him?

He was shaking when he took her hand, and didn't know if he was shaking harder as she led him through groups of wandering kids that broke off into their own cliques. Mostly he just stood there when she introduced him to her friends, and needed verbal permission to play skip rope with them.

Terra was smart and got the hang of it, and let himself enjoy some of the games - that is, until the other kids gaped with eyes wide open at someone behind him. The yard surrounding the school dulled into silence - and it wasn't because the kids went home.

Some pudgy kid with a round face, a mean look, a swollen eye, and oily hair approached their group, and with such vigor that everyone else made space for him, like he was king and they were terrified of him, and he knew he terrified them and he took pride in that.

"Looks like the cursed girl is back," he chipped in, and no one had anything to retort.

"Shut up, Pap," Aqua snarked, and the other kids stared in shock.

"Best be on the lookout or else being 'round her will curse your parents, too," he said with cackle, searching for nods of agreement from the other children nearby. He was a giant of a child, definitely a head taller than Terra.

What was most surprising was how literally no one mentioned how cruel that was to say - it nearly made Terra want to punch this Pap in the face… but adults always punished him for getting into fights.

Aqua's lip quivered for a moment before she went cold. "The only reason why no one went after your dad was because his breath stinks. Who'd go near him?"

Pap's face twitched at the sound of giggles from the other kids. "You know," he said with a crunch of his knuckles, "Preacher said your parents must have sinned an awful lot to get what was coming to 'em."

Terra searched for any adults who might be watching. There was no one.

Pap continued his crap. "So yer one to talk. I normally don't hit girls."

"Try me!" Aqua shrieked, pushing him like she didn't care in the world what could happen to her.

That pissed Pap off.

He went ahead, fist in the air for a clean strike.

Despite urging him on, Aqua scrunched her fists into her skirt, like she didn't know what she got herself into.

Terra had no choice.

Grabbing the fist, twisting the arm over, and tripping Pap by the ankle came so fluidly, so naturally, that all the children blinked once just to realize that his huge butt landed on the ground before he even got close to Aqua.

"That was easy," Terra smirked, now standing in between an idiot covered in dirt and Aqua.

It was easy. No one compared to Master Eraqus.

There were some loud gasps and name-calling from the crowd, followed by silence.

"Y-you don't belong here, ain't got no reason to-" Pap's surprised stutters and the drool coming out of his mouth was the first sign of him turning his heel and leaving them alone, yelling something like "I'mma tell my pa!" before he disappeared.

The crowd dissipated slowly, giving Terra and Aqua stares like they were the next most dangerous thing. Like they were freaks, even though Terra had just stood up to the one bully terrorizing them. Why? Not even her friends wanted to be near her, acting like she wasn't even there.

Aqua sniffled behind him, but she just left him alone when he asked if she was okay, taking a place on a bench near the road.

Maybe Terra was used to that by now, but he followed her, paying no mind how she refused to look at him. "Don't think about Pap, he's stupid," he said.

"He is stupid," she croaked, before raising her voice to a yell. "And school is stupid and everything is stupid."

She glared at her lap and Terra didn't know what to say. The other children eventually left the school in droves, some walking together to wherever they've decided to go, while others had their parents pick them up.

"Who usually picks you up?" Terra asked after a while, hating the silence.

Aqua raised her head to meet him in the eye. She didn't cry, but she looked like a pet anxiously waiting at a windowsill for its owner. She looked like Tod.

"My daddy."

Terra didn't have a good reply to that. Eraqus wasn't around - Eraqus wasn't around, and a horrid thought lurked in his stomach. What if they were both now left alone here for good?

It lasted for merely a second. Thankfully.

"I apologize for my late arrival," the Master said, which didn't matter. He still came and Terra found his breath again. "Would any of you like treats? Maybe some flavored ice for this dastardly weather?" He wiped his brow with a handkerchief.

Aqua didn't reply, but reached out to hold his hand with both of hers, and hid her face in his robe. Terra was still processing whatever it was that made him nauseous.

Eraqus smiled but acted like nothing out of the ordinary happened. "I am quite fond of lemon flavor myself."

******

The walk back to Mrs. Tweed's farm seemed longer, and the Master filled it with random stories of the games he used to play as a child. Terra had heard some stories about the past before, but Eraqus left out certain key details that would have marked him as a foreigner to this world, and one day Terra would have to do the same.

Aqua didn't say much, just gripped the Master's hand tightly as she followed him, her eyes lazy and missing, like the road she was staring at didn't exist.

It didn't matter that she never spoke back, the Master kept looking over his shoulder to see if she was listening, smiling at her like she gave him acknowledgement of his words.

Then, she stopped on her feet, and the Master complied. By now, the sun was halfway down to setting.

"I told them," she whimpered.

"Told who what?" the Master asked.

"I told my parents about the bad man."

What dropped first was the Master's smile, then he knelt before her. "The bad man?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded. "We met him at the summer fair. At night. He sat at a table drinking ale and we passed by him. He asked about me, and my parents answered some questions like I went to school and I danced."

"Was that all?"

She shook her head. "I told them he was bad."

Eraqus cocked his head, more attentive than ever. "How did you know this?"

Her face contorted, her brows scrunching into wrinkles and her lips bending at the center. "I just knew he was bad. I pulled on mama and told daddy to stay away, but they said I was rude."

Then the first tears Terra saw on her face fell, and she struggled to breathe. "They didn't believe me," she said.

She wailed, the most horrid sound Terra had ever heard, and it was so loud that it filled his ears and invaded his chest, and he nearly cried from it, too. It hurt to hear it and it hurt to think about why.

Eraqus picked her up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist, with words that said, There, there, you are safe and sound, safe, safe, safe, as they trudged down the road, leaving Terra to carry her bookbag.

She was limp, all her energy seeping into sobs on the Master's shoulder, and all the noise she made frightened the rabbits and the birds nearby.

******

Since they got back, Abigail fussed hard like the air was suffocating her.

"She's doing a little better," the Master observed when he found Terra alone in the barn, brushing the cow, which really helped her calm down.

But now it was Terra willed into silence, Abigail's chewing of hay filling the room.

"Are you alright?"

Terra nodded. "Is it true you found the preacher's daughter?"

Eraqus' nostrils flared and he inhaled. "Word surely spreads far in this world. Yes, Terra, I did."

The Master took his place on a short stool normally setup for milking, but instead of fetching a pail, he rubbed on the hairs of his mustache with his thumb and forefinger.

"This man, if he could still be called one, is very predatory… I saw him today."

Terra nearly dropped the brush. "What?"

"Ardyn, I came into contact with him at the horse farmer's home. It's become a dreary place. Even with the sunshine, the halls of that house stay dark." Eraqus cleared his throat and took the milking pail, though he did nothing with it. "A terrible thing, the darkness. Being near it for too long will compel anyone to commit atrocities they otherwise would not do with a sane mind." He raised a finger at Terra, ready to lecture. "This is why you must never tread on that path, lest you want regrets, Terra."

"Yes, sir."

"Ardyn had found refuge within the oil paintings across the farmer's house, and I've chased him. He would appear and disappear at a whim, taking occupancy in frames he didn't belong… until he stepped out of one."

"And then what happened?" Terra asked quietly. "Did you fight?"

Eraqus nodded, and Terra's stomach dropped. "Unfortunately, he melted into his own shadows, escaping." He took a side glance. "I do not believe this beast is blind like it describes in my records."

"Sir?"

"Terra, do you remember your lessons about the nature of light and darkness?"

Of course he did, he was a good student. He recited, "Light attracts darkness, and darkness will hunt down the light. They are designed to recognize each other."

"Yes. Yes, indeed." Eraqus stared at nothing, gathering thoughts before he put them to words. "Aqua's intuition in recognizing the darkness only asserts my suspicions - I believe he hunted her down for the immensely bright light within her."

"... Why did he go after her parents?"

"Hmmm… the more I ponder over it, the more I see why the records have him labeled as blind. As a hunter, he is barely decent. When I fought him, nothing about his movements and his aversions to my presence gave me the impression that he couldn't see. It was more of… he can sense light when it is near. It alarms him but it deceives him. What I have noticed is his breath, it is so deep when he fights it as though he is drowning."

"So he sniffs the light when it's around?"

"In a way. He approached Aqua's house in daylight, when she was in school, so it would be sensible that her presence would be smeared all over her home, where her parents resided unaware."

"Then why doesn't he find her now?"

Eraqus, pensive and tense this entire time, sighed, like he just remembered that he was talking about human beings. "She is grieving. We all have light and darkness within us, Terra. Grief and rage will cloak our very best selves, and while she is under that state, it hides her from him.

"This is why," Eraqus continued, needing Terra's attention, "it is important that she understands there are others who care about her. To give her inner light a chance to shine again, and remember what it feels like to be happy. A dark mind lends to a dark heart and too much of that will warp her. Do you understand what I am saying, Terra?"

"Yes, sir. I've been trying to make her smile."

"Good. I know I can count on you." Eraqus' smile was brief as if he didn't have the time for it. "As for the preacher's daughter, unfortunately I believe she was mere collateral. A source of light that he found confusing, and he attacked her as such. There is so much darkness to be found in many worlds, Terra, and they wear many faces but this is the most gruesome that I've seen in my lifetime."

So Ardyn could find anyone with enough light, and just… end it all.

"Why?" Terra choked. "Why would anyone do that?"

Eraqus rubbed his student's head. "The reason will differ for each, but it is all senseless and primitive."

The tears were hot and Terra wasn't strong enough to stop them.

Eraqus reached to hold him, alarmed at the sight. "What has gotten into you? Are you frightened?"

Terra sniffed quietly and nodded, using his forearm to wipe his face.

"What if you die?" he squeaked.

"Terra, look at me." He was gentle, but firm. "I will not die."

"Aqua's parents died. And the preacher's daughter."

His Master sighed, rubbing Terra's arms before brushing his hair out of his tear-stained face. "Terra… they had no means of defending themselves, but I am very different. You have no reason to fear. Dry those tears."

He swallowed. "Y-yes, sir."

"If this is too much for you, I can send you home where you'll feel safe."

"No, sir." He stared at his Master's shoes. Under no circumstances did Terra want to go home, abandoning the mission, wondering for days if everyone was okay. And Aqua was so sad, today. "If I leave, then Aqua will be all alone, and I want to be brave."

"You possess an extraordinary amount of courage, capable and necessary for any true Keyblade wielder." Eraqus leaned over to make sure that Terra understood correctly. "The amulet I gave you, Terra, do you still mind it?"

"Y-yes, sir." Terra hurried to pull the knotted, looped cross from under his shirt. "I don't even take it off for a bath."

"Very good. You remember what I told you?"

"If anything-" He swallowed. He didn't want anything to happen. Now he wanted to go home and have Eraqus all to himself. "If anything happened, I need to stay calm and find you."

"And it will protect you. Be mindful of the fickleness of protection spells, Terra. They are powerful but they expire."

"Yes, sir."

The Master wiped Terra's face with his robe, and brushed through his hair with his fingers. Then he took the pail near him, ready to take on Abigail. "You are dismissed, Terra. Take some fresh air outside." He gave a smirk. "Let us hope the next time we speak of such evils, you would be a stronger, braver Keybearer ready to take on the challenge."

"Yes, sir."

******

Dragging his feet on the ground as he welcomed the cool breeze that hit his face, the vastness of the stars above him made this world seem bigger than it truly was. The forests beyond faded into darkness, the shadows mean under the moonlight.

At least Aqua was there, settled in the grass where Tod curled on her lap, his bright red fur the only spec of color to be seen in a night like this one. She was watching the forest but she was not really on her guard, like she didn't consider that something dangerous could be hiding where she couldn't see.

She wasn't crying anymore but her face was still puffy, and Terra took a spot next to her. She nudged over to give him more space, lending him a half-smile as a greeting. The grass was soft but itchy, too tall and in need of grooming.

"Everyone at school now knows me as the girl with no parents," Aqua said, eyes downcast with her hand sunk in Tod's vibrant red fur, and a tone that said she'd rather be known as literally anything else. She sounded tired, too - sick of being sad.

"I don't have any parents either."

She gaped at him with a pity he didn't comprehend. "Mr. Eraqus…?"

For once, Terra shook his head. "He's my teacher."

"Oh…" And there she was again, sad, and he got the notion that it was for him even though he didn't need it. "What happened to them?"

"They gave me up when I was a baby," he said simply. He lived with this knowledge all his life; it wasn't a big deal. Well… it kind of was. All the children went through a phase at some point that maybe they didn't deserve to have a family. But it really wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't. "I grew up in an orphanage… but I have Master Eraqus now. Everything's great."

"But you live with your teacher."

"The best teacher ever."

She quieted. "...Do you even go to school?"

Terra didn't know what to say. He was supposed to talk about Eraqus being his father this entire time that he didn't have backup answers. "Sorta. I'm his only apprentice. We live in a special academy up in the mountains."

"Really?" She eyed the West, toward the direction of what these townspeople called mountains in this world. "Where?"

"Uh, very far away."

"Hm. So is it a lie that you're from the city?"

"No!" He said too quickly. "I come from a city - a really big one. All the buildings there are taller than your mountains here."

She gave him a… snooty look. "There's no such thing as a city like that."

"Yes, there is."

"No, there isn't."

"It's true," he pleaded. She was such a hard nut to crack. "Okay fine, there's more to it but... can you keep a secret?"

She lit up. "Yeah."

"You have to promise not to tell anyone, or I'll get in trouble."

"Cross my heart."

If she put her heart on the line, then she was serious. "The Master and I aren't from around here."

"Well," she scoffed, "duh."

"No, I mean…" He waved to the sky above them, stars twinkling like they wanted to be noticed. "We're from very, very far away."

It took her a second to think about what he was saying, then she rolled her eyes. "Are you saying you're aliens? That's ridiculous."

He laughed – it wasn't the response he expected, but it wasn't exactly the wrong interpretation either. "Kind of? We are from a distant star, and we flew from there."

"Pfft."

"I'm not lying."

"Sure, you're an alien."

Why she had to be such a snob at all times, he didn't know. Still, Terra felt like a complete idiot – here was someone finally willing to listen to him, to share a secret with and be his friend, and he blew it. He hated the silence penetrating between them now.

Aqua suddenly threw her hands in the air, as if she had enough exasperation to last her the day. "Aliens are supposed to have green skin, okay? They look like bugs, with antennas, and they're bald-"

Like she was the expert.

She said it in a way as if asking him to prove her wrong, and he swayed right back into smiling. Maybe he didn't blow it after all.

"There's more to the stars than you think," he said smugly.

Aqua crossed her arms and studied him for a bit.

What she said next surprised him - not because she believed him, or because she had her own secret to tell, but because he never really experienced someone who missed him before.

"Does that mean you'll have to leave soon?"

Those brief moments where she was smiling were so short.

"Maybe…" And Terra found himself sad, too. "Yeah. When the Master catches Ardyn, we'll have to go back home."

He didn't know if she was going to cry, but she didn't. She turned her nose up at him.

"You can't leave."

"Why not?"

"Because you're my friend now, and I won't let you."

Terra laughed because he had no other reaction. He didn't want to leave either, but he didn't say that out loud. What he realized instead was why she was so attached to Tod and Copper staying together: friendship meant a lot to her, maybe even as much as him, even though he didn't have any.

"We should find Copper tomorrow," he said. "It's wrong that they're separated."

She lit up. "Tod is lonely without him."

And Terra didn't want Tod to be lonely. "We could think of ways to get him back so we aren't caught."

"Promise?" She leaned near him, scanning his eyes for his oath.

Terra traced over his heart with one finger, and swore his first promise to someone who wasn't Eraqus. "Cross my heart."

******

After school the next day, Aqua minded her chores with such focus and speed that she finished earlier than expected and sought out Master Eraqus in the barn.

When she asked, "Mr. Eraqus, can Terra come out to play?" it was proof that yes, Terra did have a new friend. She was ready for the woods, replacing her dress with overalls and an excitable Tod by her feet.

Eraqus of course was pleased to hear that and sent Terra a smug grin before agreeing, which was probably the first time that Terra could remember being let go from his chores early.

Finding Copper was easy, and getting him out wasn't as hard as anticipated. Amos Slade relied too much on his intimidations, apparently, because Copper was there just the same. It took stealing a dog muzzle to contain Chief's barking so no one would be alerted.

Terra felt bad. He promised Chief that they'd all come back, even though Aqua told him that Chief hated Tod and wasn't nice either to anyone either.

Little Copper though was delighted.

And it turned out, babysitting small animals was tiring, and the two of them still went at it with their games while Terra and Aqua took turns lazily guessing the shapes of clouds.

They even talked some more about what he did as Eraqus' apprentice: what kind of classes he took, how far into defense training he had progressed so far, and whether he ever had to tolerate something dumb like math.

His answers were pretty honest except he never once mentioned the word Keyblade. It was a Keybearer's most important clause to keep that secret.

Watching dog and fox toss and tumble, practicing their survival skills on each other, gave Aqua a peculiar idea.

"Can you teach me how to fight?"

"That'd be fun. You're gonna show Pap's who's boss?"

"It's something I've always wanted to do, but Mama said it wasn't ladylike. It's too ferocious."

Terra stood up, at the ready. "It's not hard."

She hopped to a stance, her hands already in lifted. "Then show me."

"Well first…" He grabbed her wrists and brought them closer to her face. "You need to always protect yourself, and this will make it easier."

Then he lifted one open palm. "Try hitting me."

She threw her fist, and it smacked enough to sting.

"Ow," he whined.

Aqua's knuckles were already red from one punch, and she winced.

Terra shook his hand to relieve the pressure. "You hit hard, which isn't bad, but you're also hurting yourself." He lifted his other palm to spare the first. He remembered the way Eraqus spoke to him when he taught, going back to his earliest lessons. "Try thinking about your strength coming from your back, and use that to direct the punch."

It took several times, and Terra often switched palms for her to strike (it helped ease his pain). But Aqua took his lessons much faster than he expected, honestly, finally getting the proper amount of force in her punches without expecting her fingers to break.

"We use the same advice in ballet," she said.

"Really?"

"It's to make sure you're in alignment and you're moving properly."

"Oh!" He dropped a hand after she finished another throw straight into the center of it, now leveled off so that it didn't sting him anymore. "The Master and I talk about that stuff all the time. I didn't think it'd be useful in dance."

"Pfft." Suddenly she leaned off her focus on slugging and stood as straight as a rod. "Observe."

With feet turned out and a curve at her elbows, Aqua started to… well, bend her knees repeatedly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"It's called a plié," she said as though he should know better. "Try it with me."

Turning out his feet was more uncomfortable than it looked, and he copied her movements, even when she brought one arm out to her side and swept the other across and over her head.

It looked easy to copy and honestly he got bored, but she started laughing -

He realized he never really heard her laugh before. It sounded like small bells, with a sparkle to her eyes. She looked different, alive almost.

"What's so funny?"

She mimicked what he was doing: hunched over, with his arms so curved that it looked like he was about to scratch his side and his head. "You look like a monkey."

"I do not."

He gave up, stomped his foot on the ground and swore to himself that he'd never dance again.

"Aww," she breathed, swallowing the rest of her loose laughs to regain some composure. "I didn't mean it that way. We can try something different."

"How about this," he interrupted, with a finger to command her attention. "We do a little competition and whoever wins gets to decide what game we should play."

Terra already had an idea in mind where he was sure he'd win.

"That sounds fun! What should we do?"

"Whoever does a handstand the longest wins."

Initially, he expected her to be intimidated, but she replied with, "That sounds easy. Let's do it."

It sunk his stomach, but he knew that he was good with this, so he should still be fine.

They bent over, and on his count of three, they lifted their legs into the air and balanced on their hands.

The blood rushed to his head, but he'd done this so many times that he breathed through it.

"Should we count it out?" he heard her say, his gaze somewhere off to the forest where Tod and Copper took a break from their roughhousing.

"What?"

"Count it out, like how many seconds it takes to do this?"

What was harder than breathing was talking in this position. "Nah."

"Okay." She sounded like she had no struggle in the world. "I used to take lots of gymnastics. I really miss it."

He really wished she would stop talking so he could concentrate on staying still.

"Cool," he muttered.

"I had a teacher who thought I would do well in competing," she continued, "but Papa wanted me to stay in school."

"Okay," he huffed.

"I've always wondered-"

He groaned, falling over onto his stomach into the thick grass underneath him, his head light. She glanced behind her, and with a smirk, gracefully went back on her feet and looked over him.

"I win!"

"Obviously."

"And I choose the game of…" She took a finger to her chin, very proud and very dismissive of his utter disappointment. "Hide and seek."

"Seriously?" He was going to refuse because he had pride and hurting it made him fume.

"I won, so we have to play. But Tod and Copper stay with you."

"Why?"

She waved her arm at him, already on her way, like he asked her a silly question. "They'd give my location away, and I'm not gonna let you cheat."

"Fine." He buried his face in arms against a tree and started to count out loud, listening closely to the direction of her steps so he had as many clues as possible; he was going to find her so quickly, she'd know immediately that he was worthy of respect, and she shouldn't ever laugh at him again.

"... Eight, nine, ten. Ready or not, here I come!" he yelled, the branches and bushes that surround him lightly swaying to a song he couldn't hear. The wind was just as gentle, leaving him alone to hear his own breath.

Copper sniffed the air, and Terra had the sinister thought of asking him to track her down - but that would be cheating, and Terra was better than that.

When he started his trek, the animals took notice. Tod's ears perked a little too much, like trying to decipher a sound that was garbled.

Terra went down the trail he believed she took. "Aqua?" he called - this never worked in hide and seek, but maybe it would trick her into giggling.

Tod and Copper followed closely at his ankles, never running ahead, never falling behind - which was weird, wouldn't they immediately react if she was nearby?

"Aqua," he called again, listening in for any ruffling.

It was quiet, like the forest was dead despite its lush green vitality, despite that it was daylight.

At this point, Tod's fluffy tail curled underneath him, and Copper dagged himself too close to the ground, chasing a scent in the dirt that took him in circles.

At this point, Terra spotted an owl - an owl - up at this hour, watching him like he was prey.

Getting into a staring contest with an owl was useless, and the longer Terra looked at her, the more he realized that she was waiting for something to happen.

The owl hooted, and against such quiet, it was thundered in his ears. Tod and Copper perked up at the warning -

And split from him, sprinting so quickly it was like they had to win a race to be allowed to live.

"Wait a min-"

They were gone, the owl leaving with them.

Aqua probably would yell at him for losing them.

If he'd ever talk to her again, that is.

"Aqua?" he called again, desperate for an answer. Praying that he'd find her fast, tripping over loose tree branches, hearing nothing but the noise of his own footsteps.

"Looking for someone?"

The voice came from behind.

A tall, tall man watched him with a diabolic smile. Wavy hair to his shoulders the same color as wine like it begged to be touched, thickly dressed in messy layers like he was homeless, like he was cold (it was way too hot for that).

Terra's heart beat and it went cold the moment he noticed the large-brimmed fedora.

"I-" Terra swallowed. A Keybearer was supposed to be brave. "I'm not, mister."

"Hmm," the man named Ardyn rubbed his chin. "I was wondering if you could point me in the correct direction," he said, words clearly pronounced and laced with an amusement that'd never die even if threatened. "I seem to have lost my way."

Terra nearly asked to please not hurt him, he didn't do anything wrong. "Town's over that way, mister." He pointed north, away from the Widow Tweed's farm.

Another voice rushed to his side. "Terra, don't!"

It was Aqua, breathless when she grabbed his hand. Her pupils shrunk to the size of flies, and she whispered to his ear, "It's the bad man."

"Aha!" Ardyn exclaimed like greeting an old friend he forgot about. "How long it has been to see you, Aqua." Ardyn slipped off his hat and bowed his head to give her a more respectful greeting.

Aqua shuddered, her grip on Terra's hand cutting off circulation to his fingers.

Terra didn't know what to do. This man looked bigger than his Master, and Terra never defeated his teacher in hand-to-hand combat before.

So he froze.

Worse - the moment Ardyn straightened out, his face was different: glowing yellow eyes, black oil seeping from them and from his scalp and from his mouth. He was already a dead man who spoke.

"It's been a pleasure," he said as he wore his hat again. "Good night, sweet child. Sleep will certainly hurt less."

Terra gripped her hand back.

Aqua hid behind his shoulder.

Ardyn raised a palm, the glow of magenta and black puffs of smoke electrifying at his fingertips.

Terra looked away, shut his eyes, got closer to her.

It hurt. It was sore like a dull hit to his chest and it banged loudly -

But he flew, with Aqua grabbing him by the waist and flying with him, as the blast threw them background and they used the momentum to float away, past the trees, past Tod and Copper who were still running, until they were dropped to the ground, rolling in a mess of fallen leaves.

Terra was alive, and finally he breathed. They were near Mrs. Tweed's house, her chimney sticking up above the trees.

He scurried to his knees and fiddled with his necklace, pulling out the knotted symbol. It disintegrated into dust after carrying them here.

The plan! Stay calm. Find the Master. Immediately he stood on his feet, and slipped on leaves.

The mission! He still had to protect the mission. He turned heel and went back to Aqua.

"What was that?" he heard Aqua mumble. She was still picking herself up, removing leaves from her hair.

"Magic. C'mon." He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her, running as fast as he could.

"Master!" he cried when they got near the farmhouse, Tod and Copper yipping from their fright.

Abigail fussed and she was loud enough that they heard her from the barn. In the distance, Chief wouldn't stop barking. The wind howled, and the clouds darkened. A gunshot ruptured in the distance.

Eraqus stepped off the front porch, telling the widow to stay indoors. "Step inside," he instructed Terra and Aqua. "And stay inside."

"Master-"

"Now."

Another gunshot, closer this time.

Copper and Tod followed them inside the house, rushing under furniture. Mrs. Tweed locked the door behind them as Eraqus continued his way into the field. Terra climbed the kitchen counter to take a look.

"Stay away from the windows!" she commanded, and Terra jumped off to head upstairs.

"Wait for me," he heard Aqua squeak but he paid no attention to her.

He rushed through the upstairs hallway, into the master bedroom, right to the windows where he threw the curtains open.

Moments ago it was broad daylight but now it threatened to storm.

Eraqus summoned his Keyblade in a crackle of light, Ardyn now creeping close.

The demon hunched over, the oil dripping out of his coat-sleeve. Sparks of purple light surrounding him, and the ghosts of swords and axes and cleavers swirled in the air in a cycle, a record of ages that passed by for how long this thing had been living.

He used them to strike the Master, slicing and dicing and scratching metal with metal.

Deflected, far enough to strike a tree nearby the second-floor window and Terra and Aqua had to duck.

"Your Master is a sorcerer?" she asked.

It wasn't incorrect. "Eh?"

"I read about them in books," she said as they peeked over the windowsill.

"Shh."

Eraqus summoned chains, gold and blinding and huge, to whip Ardyn - it was the coolest thing Terra had ever seen him do.

Ardyn said something indecipherable, and with a yell, Eraqus summoned something larger: a giant warp that swallowed the demon away before reshaping into a giant keyhole in the sky.

One that the Master promptly locked, the sound of the turnkey snapping everything into silence.

The sun fought through the clouds, and the wind calmed slowly.

Eraqus trudged back to the house, holding his arm as he dismissed his Keyblade, and he limped enough for Terra to bolt back downstairs, leaving Aqua to follow him once again.

The house was messier, like it survived a small earthquake with books toppled over and desks in the wrong position.

He found the Master settled on a loveseat while Mrs. Tweed rushed to get him water.

"I was unable to vanquish him," Eraqus said through large breaths. "But he has been barred from ever coming back to this world."

"Miracles do exist!" Mrs. Tweed exclaimed as she handed him a mug. "Bless you, good sir. I never in my life expected such a spectacle when you showed up around here."

"Miracles," the Master repeated. That was going to be the story for the rest of time to these people, of a man who came from nowhere to perform miracles that saved the town, Mrs. Tweed being the only witness to a harsh storm that raged and died in a matter of minutes.

Terra sat closely to his Master, not to take his hand or to hug him, but to listen to him calm down.

In the chaos, Terra didn't realize that it made him scared to watch Eraqus march his way to battle. Knowing now that everything was alright, it took all his strength to look like he wasn't overwhelmed.

Now the people of this world were safe, and Eraqus was the hero. The thing about his Master was that he showed no fear in the heat of battle, when Terra nearly wet his pants earlier. If he was ever going to get better, he had a long way to go.

Mainly, Terra was just happy that he still had family at the end of it all.

"I want to do what you do," he heard a small voice pipe up.

Aqua stared hard at Eraqus, determination on fire in her eyes, awed and fierce and hopeful.

The Master wasn't surprised by her admission. "You want to save people?"

"Yes," she said simply.

Mrs. Tweed threw her hand to her chest. "In all my life-"

"I want to banish demons," Aqua continued.

"That sounds perfectly unsafe," Mrs. Tweed said.

Eraqus chuckled. Terra thought that he may have succeeded his first mission because it gave the Master what he wanted - a new, promising student. "It can be a dangerous life, but I assure you that she would be safe with me."

Mrs. Tweed eyed Terra, suspicions mounting in her mind. "The young boy, he is…?"

"Yes, ma'am," Terra said. "I'm his apprentice, and I'm training to do the very same thing."

"Aqua," Mrs. Tweed implored, "you are certain?"

A sad cloud hovered over Aqua's eyes before dissipating in an instant. "Thank you so much for taking care of me, Mrs. Tweed… but I've been called a hippie all my life for my name. I don't belong here. I never did."

Eraqus stood straighter, interlacing his fingers and addressing the widow. "I only take children who have no families nor a place to go, children who I am certain will perform spectacularly."

Aqua leaned forward with a hand to her heart. "Please take me. I'll be a good student. I can do ballet and gymnastics, I'll make perfect grades and-"

"You have a strong heart," Eraqus said to her with a warm smile.

She blinked, not understanding what he really meant but she nodded anyway.

And Terra saw it - or felt it, he wasn't sure. It was like a tug to his own heart, a flash and a tickle before it faded. This was what Eraqus was talking about.

He saw the light within Aqua, a warm, strong embrace, like he was meant to feel safe with her and meant to keep it protected.

It was pretty even though he couldn't really see it.

And Terra wondered if he emanated the same. He thought that one night when he tried to bring it out of himself and he couldn't, and how he went to sleep wondering if he had it at all.

He wondered if his was as strong as hers, and if he was doomed to fail because it wasn't.

******

Aqua said she cried more than she expected when she said goodbye to Mrs. Tweed, even though Terra never saw anything.

She was stronger when she said goodbye to Tod, rubbing the fur on his chest a little while longer because she never wanted to forget the way it felt.

"Do you think they'll stay friends forever?" she asked Terra.

If she was talking about Copper… "Of course they will." A fox and a hound were opposites by nature, in a violent cycle that would never end but friendship was supposed to be strong and indestructible, and Tod and Copper were the very best of friends. Nothing would tear them apart.

"Always stay together, okay Tod?" she whispered to the fox, before giving him a quiet farewell.

This was a few days after the battle with Ardyn. By this time, people started visiting the farmhouse to ask Eraqus all sorts of questions: if he was a magician, if he was sent from the heavens, if he was the devil, if all the demonic stuff was nonsense, if the murderer was killed…

Either way, Eraqus respected the laws of the world and they all had to wait until papers were written, agreed upon, and signed for his protection over Aqua as one of his own.

Today was the day to finally take her to the Land of Departure. She didn't have much: one pack of luggage, and one hard, gray folder.

When Terra asked what was inside, she said it was the only picture of her parents that survived the fire.

The three of them hiked into the woods. She started asking the basic need-to-know: what a Keyblade was, the eternal fight between light and darkness, where the Land of Departure was located -

"We're going to fly there, right?" Aqua asked.

Eraqus shot Terra a look, now that she admitted that she knew information she wasn't supposed to know.

"We are indeed." Eraqus stopped the hike, halting the other two behind him, and bent to his knees. "I have one question left for you, Aqua."

By the sound of his voice, Terra knew he was testing her.

"In the deepest part of your heart, why is it that you want to wield the Keyblade?" he asked.

She took a moment, the folder with her parent's photo wrapped in her arms. "I want to make my parents proud. I want to make sure nothing like this ever happens again to someone else."

By the way the Master nodded, she passed. "The Keyblade is a powerful weapon, Aqua. You are still young, and you won't be able to conjure your own for a few years, but you must always know that your strength is bright and strong. It is not to be used for purposes of vengeance."

Aqua nodded. "Revenge feels yucky to me."

With that, the Master was relieved. He patted her head. "Admirable. When we arrive at the castle, you will spend the rest of the day for leisure, but tomorrow we will start your first formal class."

She beamed, and Terra remembered similar excitement at the thought of starting classes with Eraqus, too. He used to be called a nerd for liking school.

"We're going to be students in the same class," she said to Terra, like she was looking forward to it.

Terra didn't know how to respond. Class was class, students were students. Friends were… they acted like they cared. "Uh, yeah."

"I can't wait, Mr. Eraqus," she said. "I'm going to make the best grades."

"W-wha?" Terra stuttered.

"First I must start your bequeathing, Aqua. Come." He gestured to her over by the nearby creek.

"This is going to be fun," she said to Terra before hopping over.

He watched the bequeathing, similar to how he went through it for the first time years ago, when the Master summoned a giant key and spoke a few fancy words. The energy from the magic passed from the weapon through his fingertips, up to his heart to ignite something that Terra later realized was probably always there.

The Keyblade was picky about who it chose and it chose Aqua today.

What it'd be like to wake up to a new person in his home, Terra had no idea what to expect. They would play and swap stories, he'd have a new fighting partner. Maybe he'd be allowed to go into the woods without supervision.

Something about it bugged him, though. Was it possible that he could be kicked out of the academy if he didn't measure up? What if Eraqus liked her better and liquified his adoption?

What would happen once Eraqus found out that her light was brighter than Terra's?

Suddenly, having a friend sounded like more trouble than it's worth.

To be continued...

This chapter makes references to the Fox and the Hound (1981).

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 57

I just realized this morning that I have been consistently updating chapters for just over a year now. The first 5 chapters of this story were just kind of helter-skelter when I first joined Tumblr in 2017.  I re-posted them from my main to this blog on September 11, 2018, before starting my weekly chapters with number 6 the following day. 

In that year, I have gathered 431 followers, several regular re-bloggers, some new friends, and two very good online friends who I adore (@charlylimph-blog and @baelpenrose, I’m looking at y’all).

Thank you, everyone, for being so supportive of this story and all the other stories I’ve posted on here.

With that said, here’s today’s chapter. I hope you all enjoy!

I woke up in the middle of the night with a groan. Groggy, I reached for my wrist to turn off my alarm, only to realize that it had never gone off. Why am I awake? my tired brain slogged to figure out. It wasn’t a noise, as far as I could tell – the room was too quiet for that, and Conor was still snoring beside me. Slowly, I started to realize that it was entirely too quiet.  I reached across the snoring lump beside me, and found what I had expected: cold sheets.  Maverick had gotten up in the middle of the night.

Gently, I got up and padded out into the public space of our quarters. Sure enough, a tousled head of black hair was poking over the back of the arm chair.  I could hear a low murmur and realized he was talking to someone.  Maverick wasn’t the kind to keep secrets, so instead of indulging my vast capacity to be nosy, I cleared my throat to let him know I was there.

A hand popped up and waved me over. “I couldn’t sleep, so I was talking to Dad.” Nothing in me was surprised by the fact that he was having a conversation with a man who died over thirty Terran years ago.  It probably didn’t hurt that it was a pretty frequent occurrence.

Sure enough, as I came around the chair to sit with him, Maverick was holding a photo of his dad in one hand, the other held out in invitation to curl up on his lap. “Good morning, Mr. Okima,” I yawned at the photo before kissing Maverick’s cheek. “You can’t sleep either?”

“You know Dad doesn’t sleep.”

“I meant you, silly.”

“Oh.” He squeezed me before setting down the photo. “Nah, I’ve been having nightmares lately.  Not the normal kind, with you and Conor getting tired of me and leaving me. These are more the horror movie kind. Voices whispering, I can’t find whoever it is, I don’t know if they want to hurt me or need help, that kind of thing.”

My chest ached at how casually he mentioned his ‘normal’ nightmares, but I bit back my automatic argument. The three of us had talked about it in depth, not long after we agreed to make things official, and we all had our baggage that we were working through.  Instead, I cleared my throat and tried to focus on the more immediate issue. “Have you ever had nightmares like that before?”

He tilted his head briefly before resting his cheek on my hair. “Sometimes. Usually after someone I was close with died.”

“Is talking with your dad helping?” No one had died on the ship, to my knowledge, so I was clueless where the bad dreams were coming from.

“Usually does.  I started writing him letters about a year after he was gone, but my aunt kept finding them. I didn’t really understand death when I was six, so I thought I could send the letters to Japan and he would come find me. It made her angry, so she…”

I knew this part of the story. She made him watch her burn them. It was horrible. “So you started talking to him instead,” I prompted.

“Yeah.” I could feel his smile against my head. “When I got older and understood better, it just made sense, you know? The words go out into the universe, and they’re everywhere, so that meant they could find him wherever he was.”

I nodded in agreement. “I did the same thing after I lost Jo, talking to her. It made me feel better, and I was twenty,” I poked his side for emphasis.

“I know.”

“Think you can sleep now?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Maybe.” He held me tighter instead of moving to stand.  “What about you?”

“I woke up because you weren’t there,” I admitted.

A small smile crept on his face. “But I snore the worst of the three of us,” he pointed out.

“And I need that snore to sleep.  Come on, we’ll put you in the middle this time.  I think nightmares mean you need it more right now.” I stood and gently tugged him to his feet, wrapping my arms around his waist.  I had never been a short woman, so I loved how small I felt with both of them and took a moment to bask in the feeling. After a moment, we made our way back to the bedroom.

As soon as we were at the foot of the bed, Conor made it clear that he was also awake.  Unceremoniously, he lifted the blankets in a clear command to come back to bed. Giggling, I crawled in after Maverick and leaned over to drop a kiss on Conor’s forehead.  He wrapped around our pilot like an octopus before nuzzling into the bend of his neck.  “Stupid gits, awake at all hours of the night. How’s a man supposed to sleep in an empty bed?”

Maverick rolled his eyes to me before scooping me in close so we could all grab a couple more hours of sleep.

 The next morning, I was feeling my midnight chat but fought it off to focus on the task at hand. True to my word, I stopped by Xiomara’s office before I even stopped at my own. Without looking up from my datapad, I started talking as soon as the door opened. “Xio, I wanted to make sure you heard about what happened in BioLab 2 yesterday – “

“Good Morning, Councillor Reid,” a calm voice interrupted.

My head snapped up.  Looked like Tyche and I were wrong about Grey forgetting to tell Xiomara, although not by much if their postures were anything to go by. “Oh, good morning, Grey!” I blinked, eyes wide. “I honestly thought you would still be asleep, given how late Maverick got home last night.”

Rubbing their face, they sighed. “I sincerely wish I was still asleep rather than still awake,” they admitted. Only then did I notice the dark circles around their eyes. “I have promised myself that I will sleep after I meet with Councillor Kalloe, so please do not let yourself worry.”

I scowled at my friend, as I was working up a full head of steam to nag her into a nap. “Well, it looks like we had the same idea, at least as far as making sure Xiomara is in the loop.”

The woman in question rubbed her eyes with one hand, groaning. “This sounds like a nightmare already, if both of you have come charging in here so early.  So, let’s hear it.”  I gestured silently for Grey to speak, knowing that they had far more information on everything than I did. As I patiently waited for them to give the brief version and send all the data already collected over, I was treated to a rollercoaster of expression from the head of Health and Safety.

Finally, Grey was finished.  As soon as they made their excuses and left, the anticipated explosion erupted forth. “I cannot believe this!” she shouted. “Grey, I understand – they were trying to get on top of it as quickly as possible, especially with the scrutiny their department would be under. And you!” she pointed her finger at me sharply. “You had no reason to know any sooner than you did, and that idiot is working both of your partners to the bone. You are excused from my wrath,” she spat. I struggled to keep a smile off my face; Xio may get impressively furious, but she always made sure to target her weaponized anger at the right target. “But Giang flipping Huynh could have told me this yesterday!” Her voice had dropped to something eerily between a hiss and a growl. “We have no idea how many people on this ship are at risk or could have been hurt. I have to get down there, check out the lab, check the logs…”

“Xiomara,” I interrupted, grabbing her forearms gently and wiggling them. “Xio. I completely agree that you should have been informed much sooner.  But going down there right now will not help, especially when Grey already gave you all the data gathered by the research lab yesterday.”

“It helps me think – “

“You would have to be thinking clearly first, and you know it,” I told her firmly, pointing to her seat.  With the closest thing to a pout I had ever seen on her face, she sat down.  Her generally dangerous-looking grace gave it a very feline air of I’m sitting because I want to, not because you told me. “Now. Coffee.  I know you’re furious, and I don’t blame you.  Being there yesterday was enough to set Conor into a fit of anger bad enough that he scared a couple people.  And your temper is much worse than his.” I grabbed the two cups of coffee I had dialed up – one iced, light, and sweet, the other hot and as black as I could manage to get it – and set her customary jet fuel in front of her. “Coffee first, then look over the data. Once you know what to expect, then go down there and see it for yourself.”

“I take it Huynh is nowhere near the lab.”

“Nope. And I am being very careful not to know where he is so that I can’t tell you that, either.”

“Mmm hmm,” she hummed as she sipped her coffee. “And it has nothing to do with the fact that he is coming down hard on your men?”

“Not a thing,” I lied smoothly. “I will admit to being a bit miffed that Alistair’s swimming lessons are being postponed until future notice, though.”

She arched a brow. “No swimming at all?”

“Just until you look over the results Grey gave you regarding the water, so you can approve re-opening the general area and only cordon off the diving platforms. Hence asking you to review the data before you go storming empty trenches.”

I was awarded with a regal nod. “Hide my quarry and keep the information hostage until I perform a heroic task. Wise decision.”

“I try,” I smirked. At least she was in a good mood again. Feel more confident with the odds of her looking at Grey’s report first, I stood to leave. “Time to check in with my mermaid-resistant admin and see what’s on the agenda for today.”

“Has Conor considered sparring?”

“He considered it just long enough to summarily reject it.  I’m thinking running, or dance.” I glanced at her slyly. “Or maybe capoeira?” It was an open secret that Xiomara taught classes in her scant spare time.

She laughed and waved me out of her office. “Just make sure that Grey doesn’t come back on shift today, okay?”

I groaned. “That’s going to be nearly impossible, but I’ll try.  And we may need to consider re-visiting shipwide treatments for anxiety and sleep disorders.  Last night, Antoine mentioned that the reactions to the recent adjustment in gravity are exceeding what we anticipated.”

“And I need Grey for that,” she sighed. “The same person who needs to sleep.” She ran a hand through her hair, toying with the end of one dreadlock while she thought. “Miys.  If Grey Hodenson tries to go back to work, can you alert me immediately?  I want to discuss this with them, and it may be best if I bring up the topic when they are most aware of symptoms.”

“Clever girl,” I murmured, grinning. “That’s something I would do.”

She tossed me a wink. “You aren’t the only one picking up tricks.”

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[looselucy]

Losing Focus

October 24th Niall was rubbing his hands together when Paula came and placed the Full English Breakfast in front of him, about to consume an amount of food no person should be physically capable of. “You can’t possibly eat all of that.” I sniggered. “Watch me.” He said excitedly, picking up his knife and fork.

We’d decided to kick off the day by getting breakfast at our favourite café, PJ’s, before it was time to open up shop and take on another Wednesday. It was a little grotty in there, but that was what gave it it’s charm. It hadn’t been done up in years, the tables and chairs all one huge contraption which had then been nailed to the floor, which always made me question if they’d been designed to avoid fights or theft, but it didn’t matter. It was a firm favourite with the older generation of Rosebury, which luckily for Paula was the majority of Rosebury, so that kept business booming. As booming as it could be. I was preparing myself for another busy day, and beginning it with a proper meal felt like a good start. I was due to have my third one on one session with Harry, and I knew just how exhausted I’d be by the end of the day. I needed to prepare myself for that in any way I could. “You had any more dates recently?” I asked, taking the first bite of my bacon butty. “I wish. No such luck.” He huffed. “There aren’t enough options available to me.” “I suppose nothing is better than Neil.” “Do not talk to me about Neil.” Niall was one of the few members of our group who was good for early morning plans. With our village being so small, the businesses there could open and close whenever they chose, meaning that most mornings could be spent rather lazily. I liked to have Niall around so that I had a way to fill quiet mornings when the rest of our friends were still in bed. “You heard from Sam?” He enquired. “Nope. Nothing.” “Weird, right? For him to just up and leave like that.” “Very.” As ever, it hadn’t taken long for gossip to travel around Rosebury, meaning it had only been a few days after I’d spoken with Tom before everyone was made aware that Sam had quit his job and skipped town. Everyone had predicted I’d know something about it, meaning I’d been asked by what felt like everyone, even little old ladies popping into the shop just to see if I had any information as to his whereabouts, but I’d had to let everyone down. “Do you think he’ll come back?” He asked between mouthfuls. “I’m not sure. But I’m definitely not missing him.” Sam not being around had taken such a weight off me, which in addition with Harry’s lessons had left me feeling much calmer than I’d been expecting. The last few weeks had been good to me, life seeming to return to normal, things seeming to fall into place. “No, I can’t say I am either.” Niall admitted. “Do you think it’s because you broke up? Why he left?” “Um… I think it plays its part, yeah. But whatever, let’s not talk about Sam. Let’s talk about someone else.” “Let’s talk about Harry!” He proposed. “Ooh, okay! What about Harry?” “He’s fit, isn’t he?” “He is.” I chuckled. “I really like him.” “Me too. I think he’s blended in really nicely.” “Right? I mean… I thought we’d be harder to infiltrate, to be honest. I thought he’d have a harder time worming his way in.” “I think it proves just how well he fits in.” Niall shrugged. “It’s like he’s been here forever.” “I guess so.” “Hey, how come Chloe didn’t come to the match on Monday?” He puzzled. Chloe had been struggling with Harry’s company for the past few weeks and I couldn’t necessarily blame her. Ever since her proposal to Harry about staying at hers for the night, and his very polite refusal, she had been excessively awkward. It would pass, in time, that much I knew, but she was going through a difficult stage with him. She’d avoided going to watch the match on Monday, leaving me sat on my own in the freezing cold with no hot chocolate to keep my fingers warm. I’d missed her. “She’s too embarrassed about the whole… Harry situation. She’ll get over it.” I dismissed. “Course she will. After she’d tried it on with me, it took her a good couple of weeks to chill out again.” “Was she as forward with you?” “Oh yeah, it’s intimidating!” His eyes went wide. “She’s very forward.” As much as Chloe could definitely take things too far, I really wished I had a bit of her confidence, a bit of her forthrightness. The truth was, it worked most of the time; whenever we’d been on nights out somewhere other than Rosebury, where she wasn’t trying her moves on friends, she had always been successful. She was gorgeous and funny and forward and I would have loved just a tiny slither of that self-confidence. “I hope she gets over it soon.” I sulked after swallowing another mouthful. “I need her to cuddle up with on the matches. It’s cold.” “It’s freezing. I’m ready for summer. I wanna go swimming in the river again. I wanna go out to the lake again! We need warmth. My dick would freeze off if I went swimming in there at this time of year.” I almost choked on my sandwich, not expecting penis talk at such an early hour, but it was hard to be too surprised when it was Niall Horan I was sat across from. Shaking my head, I tried to digest my food appropriately, rolling my eyes at the smug little look on his face.

“Come on, Alfie. Just a few more hits!” Harry yelled upliftingly. “I can’t.” I was woozy, the bag ahead of me swinging softly from side to side. “I can’t, Harry, I’m tired.” “Two more minutes of blitzing it, then we’ll stop.” “I can’t. I’m so tired.” I began cuddling the bag, convinced it was the only thing keeping me on my feet. “I think I need a nap. I think I should nap. Shall we take a nap?” “You’re so fucking close, Alf, c’mon!” I felt like I’d already been in that gym for hours. My head was spinning and my limbs were failing me and I really wanted to lay down on the floor and sleep. He’d worked me to the bone, stood beside simply egging me on, shouting encouraging words and clapping and pushing me to my absolute limit, which at that point, I was pretty sure I’d reached. “I need to nap. Everything hurts. I think if I nap it would be really good for me.” I closed my eyes. “I’ll carry on when I wake up.” “You’re not napping.” “We could get the yoga-mats out and just… sleep. Remember sleep? It’s so good.” “You’ll get plenty of it tonight. But right now, you’ve got a job to do.” “Please?” I opened one eye, poking out my bottom lip. “Punch the bag.” He demanded one last time, and I didn’t need to be told again. I steadied myself, blinking my brain back to life before getting back into the desired position, ready to give it my all for just a few more minutes before I completely caved. He remained at my side, encouraging me throughout, driving pure determination into my bones. Things had been similar the week before; it was clear that Harry enjoyed pushing me way past what I believed to be my limit, pushing me to peaks I’d thought were too high. He never paid attention to my whining, or my requests for naps, he’d just force me further and get the most out of me that he could. As difficult as it could be, I’d left that room for the past few weeks feeling satisfied and driven. “That’s it, Alf! You’re killing it! Keep it up!” I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage the group training after such a vigorous workout, and I wasn’t sure how I’d ever be able to get away with lying to the girls this week by saying we’d worked out just a little bit before they all arrived, but I had to try. I could feel and see that all my skin was bright red, my body becoming so flimsy I questioned how much longer my feet could take my weight. I hit at the bag a few more times, involuntarily grunting as I did, when he finally saved me. “Okay, okay! That’s it. Well done, Alf! Have some rest.” I stopped, spinning dizzily round on my heel and staggering towards the centre of the room, whining pathetically until I’d found what I believed to be the perfect spot, where I collapsed backwards, sprawling out across the floor like a starfish, eyes closed, heart beating wildly. It was hard to keep track of the time, but I knew it wouldn’t be much longer until everyone started turning up for the group lesson, but I hoped the remainder of our time just the two of us would be spent resting. I placed my hand on my chest, slowly calming down, opening one eye for a moment to watch Harry. “You smashed it!” He yelled cheerfully, moving to stand at my feet. “This is it.” I spoke up to the ceiling, closing my eye again. “This is how I die.” I heard him sniggering and the sound of his footsteps before the music came to a stop, and before I’d had the chance to open my eyes, I felt a towel land directly on my face with quite some force. “Sorry.” He snickered. I managed to sit up, rubbing the towel over my face and around my neck, catching my breath, already dreading how much my body would ache the following morning. I took the bobble out of my hair, letting my bleach blonde locks fall dramatically over my shoulders, cracking my neck. “Thank you.” I sighed eventually. “How do you feel?” He sat himself down ahead of me, crossing his legs and pushing a bottle of water towards me. “Exhausted, but good. I feel really good. But also, I feel terrible.” I took a quick sip. “I really dunno how I’m gunna do this class.” “Y’know, it’s probably best not to just stop completely now-” “Don’t make do anything else yet, dear god please.” I blubbered. “Just stretches.” He grinned. “You can stay sat down and everything, but just stretching a bit now will really help.” I knew he was probably right, that stretching until the rest of the women arrived would likely be much more beneficial that just stopping completely then trying to pick up again, but even the thought of such minor movement was making me want to sob again. “Okay. Alright, gimme a minute.” Harry began to position himself, removing his trainers before stretching his legs out, ready to carry on teaching and clearly not too keen on giving me the minute I’d requested. “You ready?” He asked, chirpy as all hell. “Fine.” I huffed, mirroring his frame, first taking off my shoes before placing my legs outwards so they were shut together directly in front of me, the bottom of our feet almost touching. “Okay, so all I want you to do, is lean forward and touch your toes. Then you can grab your feet, and try to make your body as flat as you can so your face is almost resting on your legs. That’s it!” He’d said that’s it as though this was going to be the easiest thing imaginable, but he was clearly failing to take into consideration just how much I was aching and just how inflexible I was. I followed his lead, touching my toes but already feeling like that was my limit. I think he could tell from the rather alarmed look on my face. “What?” He questioned through a smile. “I… I can’t.” “You can.” “No, I really don’t think I can.” I chortled. “This is me at my absolute limit.” “Really?” “I’m being totally serious. I’m hurting.” “Fine.” He laughed lightly. “We’ll start a little easier. Maybe… Okay, put your legs apart instead.” I did as I was told, stretching my legs relatively wide, immediately trying to reach down and touch my toes without his instruction, only able to grasp for a few seconds before it was like my body snapped back into place, groaning dramatically. I flopped backwards again, going back to laying on the floor and sobbing. “I can’t, I’m weak! What’ve you done to me?” “Okay, c’mere. Let me help.” He got to his feet. “Sit up!” I flopped back forwards, still vocally complaining via disgruntled noises as he walked so he was behind me, and then before I could even fathom what was happening, he was back on the floor just behind me, slotting himself perfectly around me, widening his legs so they could be placed on the outside of my own, the front of his body pushed up against my back, causing me to tense rather substantially, quit my bleating. Initially, he seemed unfazed by the position, talking casually. “I’m gunna lean into it with you, okay. Kinda… hold you in place.” He was so close, his voice lingering around my right ear, sending more shockwaves through my body. I wanted to remain casual, in the zone, but all I could focus on fully was his voice, the way it felt having him almost wrapped around me that way, his body pushed against mine. Trying to think of anything other than the feel of his toned stomach,  I began to reach down towards my right foot, slowly trailing downwards, feeling Harry push with me, his body cushioning and caving over mine, placing his hand on top of my own to keep me in place once I’d reached down to my foot. There were so many muscles in my body that were aching, begging me to go back to laying on the floor, but Harry literally had me cornered between his own build, his breath burning the side of my neck. “Hold it, and then we’ll move back up, and do exactly the same on the other side. Yeah?” “Mm.” His voice was wickedly low, charming, hypnotic. I couldn’t concentrate, my head was swimming, to the point where I couldn’t even think about my aches, it was just him. He moved from me just slightly, but only so he could gently place his hands on my waist and guide me back upwards to him, his fingertips tender against my bare skin. I moved gradually, closing my eyes and miming curse words to myself, hoping the experience would end soon because I felt like I was enjoying it for reasons I wasn’t meant to be. I moved down to my left leg, feeling him follow once again, repeating our actions, just as heated and slow as before, one of his hands on mine and one still on my waist. “Now I want you to… spread your legs a little more,” I literally heard him swallow. “Then after we’ve moved back, I want you to lean forward, right between your legs, and reach out as far as you can. Okay?” “Yeah. O-okay.” I widened my legs a bit more, amazed that Harry could match the width with his own. Before I could move back upright, his hand moved from my waist, reaching for my unruly hair and gently gathering it all in his hand, organising it for me so it fell down my back rather than hung in front of my face. I was biting my lip by the time I was moving back up to him. Before I’d even noted the change in my own breathing, I noted the change in his, once again able to feel his breath on my neck as soon as I was back against him, so intense I wanted the distance as quickly as I could, propelling myself forward with speed, my whole body shuddering. I was so distracted by the way he was making me feel that I was ignoring the pains that had been holding me back before, bending my body forward so much that my chest and forehead just about met the floor, feeling like a relief in some way, like it was hiding how flustered I’d become. “Fuck.” I heard Harry groan behind me, my eyes bolting open at the word that had poured piercingly from his lips. All I’d thought about was the distance between our bodies, not the new position I was in, the angle from which he was now viewing my body. His hands tightened on my waist somewhat, seething in a sting of breath, the noise penetrating my ears so much I bolted back upright, needing to change the mood of the room before I lost my fucking mind. My back crashed back against his body, the room silent other than our harsh breathing. I looked down to the ground, attempting to control myself, to not make myself so obvious but we were beyond that. He cursed again, suddenly resting his forehead on my shoulder which sent another shock through my body, quite blatantly attempting to cool down. It was all too much. Without warning, my desire formed a life of its own, not thinking as I slightly shuffled my backside further towards his groin, feeling the faint imprint of his erection against me, on the curve of my rear and leading up to the bottom of my back. Harry seethed again, harsher this time. There was a frantic apology on the tip of my tongue, just about to drag my body away from his before he lifted his head from where he’d rested it, turning to trace the very tip of his nose soothingly over my neck, his breath glazing over the area, my skin prickling, lolling my head back to give him more access, landing firm on his shoulder. I felt his hand move, his left locking tight to my waist as his right snaked around to the centre of my stomach, brushing the tips of his fingers over my skin before they began playing with the hem of my leggings, cautious at first, as though waiting for me to stop him, ask what he was doing. I had nothing to say. He took that as his sign, lowering his hand so it became hidden in the material, sliding his fingers into my knickers and finding my clit as soon as he could. “Holy fuck.” I gasped, biting my lip and easing into it. It was hard to think about how suddenly it was all happening, how strange the scenario was, the fact that Harry was touching me that way. All I could concentrate on was how good I felt, how he was making me feel in that very moment, his fingers jolting silkily over my sensitive nub. He was unhurried at first, watching down over my shoulder to see the shocks of his hands through my pants, focusing all his attention on my pleasure, finding out what was working and feeling good for me by tracking my moans, working with my body to gain the most out of what he was doing. I felt amazing, so satisfied but calm, just oozing into the whole feeling, possibly with a smile on my face but I was too lost in my state to know for sure. He dipped his hand lower, easing two fingers into me, lifting his lips up to my ear. “I wanna feel you cum in the palm of my hand.” He groaned. Then he started kissing at my neck, grinding his hips to some extent so I could feel him against my back, curving his fingers and placing his thumb against my clit. My moans and whimpers became more consistent, louder, bending my knees up and pushing further back into him, his tongue stroking over my skin sweetly. It was like he’d taken complete control of my body, like every function it was currently undergoing was entirely down to him; the beat of my heart, my hairs standing on end, my disordered breathing, my trembles and quakes and my pleasured cries. Everything was under his control and it made me feel so fucking alive. He lifted his teeth to my ears, biting pleasantly at my lobe, his free arm snaking to grasp around my stomach, yanking my just that bit closer to him, a gritted grunt forming in his throat. I could feel myself getting closer and closer, welcoming back a sensation I hadn’t felt for a long time. Even with Sam, it had been so long since he’d cared about my pleasure, about me getting the most out of sexual experiences. I couldn’t even recall the last time I’d been made to feel that way, where the only focus was me and my body, my satisfaction. He went back to kissing my neck, the way he grunted only making my own moans increase, my hand reaching to clasp at his leg when we heard noises, shuffling and scuttling and showing there were women on the other side of the door, waiting for the group session. “For fuck sake.” Harry grumbled, stopping for a second or so before his instinct insisted that he continued, rubbing again. “I wanna finish you off, but you’re too loud.” “Just do it, I’ll be quiet.” I gasped. I tried to hold it in. I tried so hard to dull my tones so he could finish his wonderous work, but I couldn’t! No matter how hard I fought it, my throat continued to produce noises that I couldn’t stun, achingly aware of the gathering of women outside his door but more aware of how good I felt. It wasn’t something that could be silenced. “Alfie-” He growled, taking his arm off my stomach so he could bring his hand up to clasp over my mouth, covering my lips to keep me quiet but if anything, it just made my moans increase, being the exact thing that could lead me to my orgasm. I cried out into the palm of his hand, every single inch of my body quaking, Harry shh-ing me and slowly steadying the work of his hand, checking over his shoulder to watch the door, make sure no one had allowed themselves into the room too early and seen what we were up to. When he knew we were safe, he came back to me, grinning against my neck as he tried to kiss over the area. I didn’t even need to see his face to gather how smug he felt. My body went from rigid to sluggish rather quickly, collapsing back against him, trying to catch my breath, my body literally sliding downwards as he freed both his hands, my head landing against his chest. I was totally limp. “I…” He was still breathless. “I think we lost track of time.” “Mm.” Was all I could reply, completely beat. “Shit. Are you alright?” “I think I’m dying.” “I need to let everyone in.” “No! No, no. Nope. No. Just… Gimme a minute. Let me gather myself.” He sniggered before planting a firm kiss against my temple. “Okay.” He whispered. “Take your time.” So I did. I didn’t rush myself or try to get back to normal just for the sake of those outside, I let it all play out naturally, soothing at my own speed, Harry not moving, stroking the backs of his fingers up and down my arm to aid my mending procedure. “What the hell just happened?” I panted, producing a large smile. “I have no idea.” He laughed a little, gazing down to me. I giggled to myself for a while, closing my eyes, relaxing, beginning to feel normal again. Well, as normal as I possibly could, given the scenario. He gave me my time, clearly unfazed by the now very loud noises coming from outside proving it was likely every woman who took his class was waiting to get in. He didn’t care, he simply granted me every second I needed to regain my senses and stature. “How’re you feeling?” He asked eventually. “Okay.” I opened my eyes. “I’m good. I think I’m ready.” “Yeah?” “Yeah. Let them in.” I sat forward, rolling my shoulders and inhaling deeply, Harry standing himself up and walking to my front so he could offer me a hand and lift me triumphantly back to my feet. Once I was upright, we stopped again for a moment, our bodies close, Harry looking down to me like he had something to say, maybe trying to find the right words, though of course neither of us knew what those words could possibly be. With a sigh, he gave up searching for them, simply leaning in very briefly to plant a tender kiss just beside my lips, at the very corner, before he wandered over to the door, opening wide with a cheery smile, allowing the eager ladies to leak into the room. I was stood still staring off into nothing when Libby and Chloe marched over to me, pulling me from my trance. “What was that about?” Libby questioned. “We’ve been waiting ages!” “Um…” I spun so I was facing the front of the room, trying to create yet another lie to accompany the many others I’d been crafting of recent. “Hi!” It seemed I was still a little more dazed than I’d bargained for, not having heard her question properly. She lowered her brows, and asked again. “What took so long?” “We were just talking about… what happened that night. Y’know, on my birthday. It got a little intense.” “Are you okay?” Chloe asked, clearly concerned. “Yeah, m’fine.” I nodded. “He… He helps me feel loads better. I’m good.” “Good, I’m glad.” She smiled back to me. I knew if I told either of them, especially Chloe, what had actually just happened in that room, they’d have absolute meltdowns. Fuck, I wasn’t even sure they’d believe it, because I could barely believe it. I looked up to Harry, and to be honest he seemed just as perplexed, trying to figure himself out, calculate his next move. “Um… m’gunna quickly nip to the toilet before we start.” I mumbled to the girls, darting towards the door, getting Harry’s attention instantly. “Hey, you alright? Are you leaving?” He leapt to me, panicking, speaking quietly. “No. I just need to… sort myself out.” I tried not to cringe. “Right. Yeah… Right, of course, yeah.” He distanced again. I left the room, uncomfortably making my way a little further down the corridor to the toilets, wondering if Harry was considering a similar trip, to both physically and mentally wash his hands of the experience before the class got underway. Concentrating solely on his class had never been as difficult as it was that day.