#part of me is mad at mc but hearing her inner thoughts on how it came to be and like i know how manipulative religious people -

[lilmeowmeowsagelesath]

not ME feeling betrayed by the big reveal of time catcher mc’s true allegiance/mission 😔💔

[mothergayselle]

I Said... Hold Still // Obey Me // MC x Lucifer

rating: t words: 3.5k summary: takes place during the furry event, MC does the boys’ makeup for the video but takes *special care* with lucifer’s

xxx

“Stop squirming, Levi. You’re going to smear everything and then I’m going to get mad.”

Leviathan blushed, visibly racked with the desire to fidget in the chair. “I can’t help it,” he said, crossing and uncrossing his ankles, which clunked into hers. “You’re so close to my face.”

A scoff audibly sounded off in the background, and the unmistakable tenor of Mammon’s voice filled the dining room. 

“Yeah. A little too close, eh? Back off, Levi!”

Freya sighed. As long as Levi’s face was scrunched with annoyance, it’d be impossible to apply any more makeup to it. She paused, her hand a patient dove hovering in the air, coasting, while Levi replied.

“I’m not doing anything! You back off, stupid scumbag!”

“Hey! Ya gotta stop callin’ me that! Or else!”

“Or else, what? What are you going to do to me?”

The demon-princes were scattered throughout the entirety of the ornate, elaborate dining room, yet the collective sigh uttered by every mouth was a palpable hurricane churning in the air above them. A violent, fiery blush creeped into Levi’s neck, and Freya stilled her hand once more as he ducked his head in embarrassment.

She had to force herself not to sigh herself. “Relax, Levi. I’m not going to attack you.”

“Yes, hun, but that he wishes you would is the point,” said a voice from the opposite corner. A slash of daylight pierced through the window in front of him, illuminating the slender curve of his body. Even in that ridiculous costume. Asmodeus.

“If you know what I mean,” he finished. Freya didn’t have to look to know he was probably winking at them. The sunlight did nothing to illuminate the dripping sin of his voice.

Freya ignored the fresh wave of blood washing over Levi’s face, deepening the red even further. All that was needed was a quick blending of the brow-powder, and he’d be done, though if these idiots kept on rambling she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get him to hold still.

Even now, he seemed to vibrate in place, although he managed to keep himself in place enough to refrain from fidgeting. Freya worked as fast as possible, working as casually as she could without smudging the lines. If they could keep their mouths shut for once in their goddamn life--

“If what you mean is kissing, then yes. We do get what you mean. Levi, at least attempt to not think about it.”

xxx

read on AO3

xxx

…..

SATAN, you motherFU--

“No one is kissin’ ANYONE, do ya hear me!?”

“Oo-oh, how scandalous!! I want to see someone kiss!”

“Okay, tell me I didn’t wake up from a nap just to hear about Freya kissing someone!”

“Relax, Belphie. No one is kissing.”

“Ya damn straight, no one is kissing. Not ever! If Freya is kissin’ anyone it’s gonna be m--”

“Me! It’d be me! After all, who wouldn’t want to kiss me?”

“Enough.”

As Lucifer silenced the room, Freya shot Satan a glare, who returned the gesture with a grin so warm you’d never know how on purpose that truly was. What an arsonist. Truly. It was practically art.

The dining room was momentarily cast in shadow -- Freya looked beyond a mortified Levi to see a thick wall of cloud oozing across the sky. A frown tugged the corners of her lips down.

“All right, you lot,” said Lucifer. His voice crawled into the spaces around them like congealed molasses. “Clear out. Diavolo wants to start shooting as soon as possible.”

The most awkward of silences left the dining room charged and heavy, and all but Levi and Lucifer started towards the main hall.

Meanwhile, Freya wanted to be conscientious of his personal boundaries -- as he so often said he didn’t like to be touched -- but Freya wasn’t just about to let Levi leave after that. 

“Hey, look up for me one more time before you go.”

She and Lucifer made zero comments about how dark his skin had become in embarrassment -- magenta would be too fitting for comfort. Freya, in her peripherals, saw how Lucifer pretended to preen himself in a corner away from them, adjusting and then readjusting his feline costume so it couldn’t possibly fall any straighter or more crisp on the lines of his body.

Levi complied, absolutely rock-frozen as he titled his eyes to the ceiling. Even the inner workings of his jaw were inert with strain. 

“Did you know,” Freya began, dabbing ice-silver highlighter to his waterline, “That giraffes throw up on a regular basis?”

She was momentarily met with silence as Levi made himself unclench his teeth. “Giraffes?”

“Mhm. An animal in the human realm. Really long neck. Think of a horse with a snake-neck.”

“Whoa. That sounds like a final boss or something. If their neck is so long, how do they not suffocate then?” 

It was working -- his skin was clearing of blush, returning to a lovely cream-shade which she always thought brought out the gold in his eyes so well. Freya, in an effort to dispel some of his shame, didn’t meet his eyes when they gazed at her out of curiosity. She prodded the outside corner of his eye with the same highlighter, tapping the glimmer into place.

“Well… that’s what I wanted to know, so I researched it for awhile. They have a bunch of spaces in their stomach so as they digest food, they puke it up into their mouth and then eat it all over again. Bizarre, right?”

Levi’s subsequent grin made itself onto her face as well, though she was careful to still avoid his direct gaze. And, was that Lucifer’s cheeks lifted in the over corner over there, or was that her own imagination?

“That sounds like Beel,” he said, beaming at her.

“They were my favorite animal for awhile after that, just because I would always laugh when I thought of it. In an environmental class back home we studied this, and as soon as it was brought up, I just couldn’t stop laughing. I got kicked out of class.”

“OMG,” Levi said. “That is hilarious! LOLOL, like, I totally would’ve lost it too.”

“It’s ridiculous. But it does make me smile, even to this day. Maybe it’ll help you too now.”

Levi’s answer was something soft in his eyes, like a window being opened.

Freya snapped the ridiculously expensive highlighter palette closed, absentmindedly making a note to somehow manipulate Asmo into getting her one just like it. 

She tried to refrain from kissing anyone in the academy but that palette… perhaps kissing was not beneath her after all...

“‘Kay. You’re good to go!”

The clogged energy tangibly evaporated as they both righted themselves in the chairs, widening the amount of space between them. Levi didn’t look fully recovered -- his movements were a little too fast, a bit too premature. 

However, as he stood up to join the others, the dread from earlier wasn’t etched onto the crevices of his face, and he smiled before heading out the door.

“Thanks, Freya! Seriously.” He dashed through the entryway, the joyful spring under his feet practically palpable.

The next breath was drawn in through the nose. Freya turned to the impromptu makeup station Asmodeus had set up for her earlier in the morning once more.

“Okay, lurker,” she called out. “Sit your butt down before I decide I don’t want to do this anymore and set fire to the building so Diavolo will send me away.”

The waxed, polished, impeccable hardwood floors clapped his shoes in greeting with every intentional footfall. Even from the side while she retrieved more eyeshadow, she could see the grimace on his mouth. He was staring straight through her.

“Not funny.”

Freya couldn’t help but grin as she swiveled the chair to face him.

“It was funny, but we both know you wouldn’t admit it even if you agreed so let’s get to business, shall we?” Freya held up a pen of liquid eyeliner for him to see.

Lucifer made no further comment, but she could’ve sworn his jaw looked like it wanted to come undone in a smile, just for a second. He nodded, burgundy eyes locked onto her face.

“Scoot closer. This always sucks the most.”

When he complied, their legs were utterly entangled, each thigh resting lightly against the other’s. Freya didn’t stop or make a comment -- she knew the rules of the game with him and wasn’t going to lose because of that.

If anything, the contact excited her. She’d be close enough to catch any reaction he made, scrutinize every inch of his visage for a sign of victory. When one edge of his mouth lazily pulled to the side in the faintest smirk she’d ever seen, an impish gesture, she knew he was on the same wavelength.

Freya leaned in, closing the distance between their faces until the warm billows of his breath collided gently over her cheeks.

“Don’t mind me,” she said, bringing a hand to cup the cheek opposite the eye she was going to start on. “I have to steady myself because I had a lot of coffee this morning and I can feel myself about to have a seizure.”

Lucifer did smile at that, and she mirrored him as her fingers slipped through the hair at the back of his head. Silk. Fresh rain. A bubble of clouds. There didn’t seem to be a description accurate enough to articulate the softness of each strand. Her palm came to rest on his jaw.

The dick part of her wanted to ask what kind of conditioner he used, to purposely destroy the playful tension, if only to mitigate the effect the intimacy had on her. It was certainly a go-to, and she had half a mind to blurt it out when his expression suddenly changed.

“That was kind of you,” Lucifer murmured, and she could practically feel the heat of his red gaze wash through her, “What you did for Levi. Comforting him so as to not embarrass him further.”

An unwanted softness expanded in the pit of her belly and her hand momentarily haltered all movement. She drew back to look at him, and felt her waggish expression melt into something more like his own.

Freya’s gaze tugged down at their legs, spidered out in a flamboyant web of limbs. “I’m all for a good roast, but they should be more mindful with how often they pick on him. He already has super bad self-esteem.”

Lucifer grimaced as pain, sympathetic, cracked across her face. “That he does.”

“Makes me want to punch him,” she mumbled, almost inaudibly. Exhaling, Freya lifted the eyeliner pen to Lucifer once more, tracing a thin cat-eye along the edge of his lashes. 

“If he says that he’s too gross to love one more time, I will use our pact to make him do daily affirmations until he stops. I’m not above that.”

It was a while before Lucifer reacted to that, and a few moments of silence soothed the spaces around them. When he seemed to smile, Freya kept wordless and leaned in further, cleaning up the sharp edge of the wing at his eye. If she leaned in any further, her lips would brush across his cheek. Adrenaline flooded her belly.

“Not the worst way to exploit your authority, I suppose.”

“Hell yeah. Call me the demon-whisperer, improving internal dialogue one Avatar at a time.”

She withdrew her hand just in time -- Lucifer’s cheeks avalanched in the expansion of a smile, twisting his mouth until the ivory-white of his teeth was exposed. Another grin, another victory.

“Sounds like quite the endeavor.”

“Quite right, Watson. Okay, done with that,” Freya said, ignoring his momentary confusion and scooting herself back to the pile of makeup. She exchanged the eyeliner for a pastel palette before picking up a small, fluffy brush.

“All Diavolo wanted was a mutuality between species, and here you are trying to rehabilitate the princes of Hell into developing a more healthy sense of self,” he mused. 

Lucifer’s warm eyes lowered and tracked Freya’s movements as she closed in and began dabbing at his eyelids with a pale lavender color, which accentuated the darkness of his burgundy irises so nicely it was obscene.

Did she look as beautiful to him as he did to her?

“Oh, dear,” he chuckled. “Where did you go?”

It was just then that Freya realized she hadn’t been applying the makeup on him so much as she was staring at it.

“What’s wrong? Did the artistry of your own handiwork distract you?” His full lips twisted into a more mocking version of his earlier grin.

“Or is it simply my natural beauty you find so interesting?”

A low, humming laugh churned in the bottom of his throat as Freya’s nose wrinkled itself at him.

“Actually, I was just thinking that if this film wins first place, the entire Devildom will be witness to you and all of your furry glory.”

All of the mirth fled from Lucifer’s face as she spoke. Dark strands of aura collected around the crown of his head before winking out of existence. 

“It’s an exciting thought, right?”

When his eyelids lowered, Freya leaned back in, blending in a blue pastel with the first. The air around him sizzled with tension that dripped off of his body. “As the film stands, there is almost a statistical impossibility that it will win the competition,” he drawled. So confident. 

“So, basically, it’s a non-issue.”

“You really believe Diavolo -- or Barbatos for that matter -- who are obsessed with this project, couldn’t or wouldn’t pull strings in our favor?” The hand on his jaw exploded with invisible flame as she shifted it for no other reason than she wanted to--

Lucifer froze. Freya pretended to be absorbed in her work and readjusted her fingers -- a mere twitch of the extremity -- slipping several of them in the hollow under his ear while anchoring her thumb so that the pad of the fingertip framed the corner of his mouth.

A triumphant fanfare burst in her head. She got him, caught him off-guard. Enchanted him. The world was correct once more.

“Diavolo is a noble man,” she started, sweeping away the fallout with her knuckles. She caressed the soft skin under his eyes gently, with care. “But men like him -- the ones who proclaim to uphold truth and transparency…”

Lucifer did not move, even as she playfully tapped the tip of his nose with the makeup brush.

“Those are the ones you can’t trust.”

A few short moments passed before Lucifer spoke again.

“I don’t know what demons you’ve been hanging around,” he began, leaning forward an inch. “But some of us are perfect gentlemen.” 

He was playing with her. 

Do not look at his lips, do not look at his lips.

The brush in her hand lowered as Freya also leaned in, matching Lucifer’s bluff, and the crimson glow of his eyes was soon all she could see, rather than the eyes themselves.

“I’ve only met one perfect gentleman in my entire life. He was a golden retriever.”

She saw the curve of his eyes when he smirked.

“You clearly need better friends.”

“How fortunate I was kidnapped and brought here, then.”

“How fortunate, indeed.”

“Hey, are you guys going to kiss?”

The shock of the intrusion jolted both Lucifer and Freya, nearly pressing them together, so… maybe?

Lucifer recovered first, smoothly straightening in his chair like a candle wick burning true.

“What do you want, Asmo?”

Of course it was Asmo.

When Freya settled, returning the makeup brush to the tray, she saw Asmodeus hovering in the dining room’s entrance, the gold of his hair casting ethereal arcs of color across the archway.

His eyes were wide with curiosity. “Well, first, I want to see you kiss, but I also came to tell you Diavolo wants to start filming now.” Asmo’s gaze flickered back and forth between them.

“Tell Diavolo we’re on our way,” Lucifer said, saying nothing of the lewd request. After a tense moment and a hard glare, Asmo drifted off, the whites of his eyes revealed in an impressive arc.

“He realizes he can just kiss people, right?”

She couldn’t help but grin at the blank expression coating over Lucifer’s visage.

“He realizes,” Lucifer said. “It seems as if voyeurism is a big interest of his, however.”

Freya accidentally snorted. “I don’t know what isn’t.”

“Manners, perhaps.”

Someone sighed. Freya wasn’t sure if it was her or Lucifer. Eventually, the two shared a glance and his eyebrows rose in question.

“Is my makeup adequate enough for filming?” The brows remained high on his forehead, now teasing more than anything else.

Freya instinctively raked his features, looking for any asymmetrical flaws or lopsided shadow. There was nothing but a fleeting suspicion that it was only Lucifer’s immaculate complexion which completed the makeup, rather than the other way around. He wore the makeup, rather than the makeup highlighting the beauty already there. How ridiculous.

“One more thing, actually.”

The lazy affect warped into confusion, narrowing his features, and then awe, expanding them back again. Freya had darted in the space between their bodies, one finger somehow already dipped into a cherry-colored lip stain, and she began tapping the pigment onto Lucifer’s bottom lip, ignoring the way his mouth parted with shock.

“To match your eyes.”

He remained silent while he composed himself, drawing back his eyebrows and lips to a close. Freya forced her face to remain stoic -- the relish of eliciting these kinds of reactions was a special sort of drug, but to keep him playing along, she had to forfeit a few her victories to soften the blow to his ego. Demon of Pride and all. She was more than happy to keep up with him. Her giant ego demanded it.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Lucifer probed her gaze with his own, scrutinizing the miniscule movements her every facial feature made, but she gave away nothing. He was content to hold still until she was finished with him, smiling politely, the warmth not touching his eyes.

“And none for yourself?” he chirped.

Freya’s gaze darted to the makeup tray at her side, but a warm hand had gripped her chin and forced her head back to Lucifer. A swarm of butterflies awoke in her diaphragm.

“You dote on all of us so much,” he pronounced slowly, casually, bringing his thumb to his mouth. “But it seems as if you are often left wanting, isn’t that right?”

Heat so hot it was ice overturned her nervous system, bringing it to a halt. “It isn’t that bad. Beel buys me food. Asmo gives me clothes. Luke and Barbatos bake me whatever I want.”

Freya frantically attempted to memorize the feeling of his thumb brushing over her lips. Did he feel this tense when she’d done this, like a worn outlet ready to spark? She waited until he was satisfied to speak.

“I’d say I have it pretty good.”

Lucifer smirked, clearly unconvinced. He reached over her, grabbing a wipe from the table and cleaning his hand. Their faces were momentarily close once again, and the cologne from his neck wafted over her skin. So rich, like sandalwood, but faint at the same time. Noncommittal. It was a perfect scent for him.

When his gaze lowered to her mouth and back up again, she thought her form would explode.

“Hm. I’m not sure all of that’s an equal exchange, though.” He stared at her in bewilderment.

“... What?” Suddenly, she was too conscious of herself. Why did he look at her like that? Was he unsatisfied with the color or something?

She heard the roll of his stool before registering he’d placed his palms on her shoulders. They felt like boulders and feathers and as if they should be there all the time, keeping her from floating away in her wild fantasies of abandoning the human world so she could stay there forever. It was just like giraffes. Ridiculous… right?

“Your hair.”

Eh?

Lucifer’s eyes were sure and steady as they raked over her again and again.

“It should be down for the fight scene. When you faint, it should cover your face, create some symbolism there.”

… Interesting. She didn’t know he thought about details like that. Wasn’t this more of Asmo’s territory? Still, Lucifer had a point. She’d only braided that morning because it was convenient, getting too long and too curly for comfort.

“How dramatic,” she replied, chuckling at his sincerity. “You’re right, though. Obscuring the face makes a much bigger statement to the audience. Creates lots of tension.”

Lucifer’s knees knocked against hers, two entities floating alone in the ocean, and he moved his hands to the hair-ties at the end of her french braids. 

They were dexterous, slipping off the rubber and untangling the curls without tugging on a single one. Goosebumps seeped through her skin, giving her a full-body euphoria. 

If she was being honest, even this simple gesture had her feeling pampered, taken care of. It resembled nothing of the food or retail items she was frequently gifted with, although those were of course, appreciated.

No, this was like... communion. A merging of two. Freya found that she couldn’t muster a smirk or a smart-ass retort as Lucifer slipped his fingers through her hair, arranging it in perfect pieces that cascaded over her jaw. She felt she wanted to sleep instead. Take a nap. Fall asleep to the sensation of him there, soothing her into unconsciousness. 

Ah. Any feeling of victory disappeared in an instant. This was too close to real intimacy to be a game.

Lucifer adjusted the curls one final time before gently extracting himself from her space. There wasn’t any trace of mischief on his face either, or deception, or avarice. 

She caught herself absently grooming herself of invisible lint or stray hair in the moments after. It seems as if their communion was finished, and they were to get on with their mission for the day.

“Well,” Freya said, steadily rising to her feet. She extended a hand in his direction. “Ready to go to war over me?”

Lucifer’s subsequent smile radiated mirth. “Of course.” He curled his fingers around her palm and rose to face her.

“I always defend what is mine. To the death.”

An unexpected giggle erupted from him at the shock rapidly freezing her expression.

“I’m joking, Freya. I’m ready. Let’s do it.”

Lucifer jesting? How novel.

With her hand in his, they began making their way out of the dining room. The sun was out -- its light had finally defeated the storm clouds before it.

“Call me Helen, I guess.”

Their voices ricocheted off the elaborate carvings etched into the doorway.

“... You know the story of Troy, ri--”

“--Yes, Freya, I get the referen--”

“--Okay, cool. That would’ve been weird. I hate explaining jokes.”

[licuadora-nasir]

Hello ! Do you write for queer reader ? If so, may you please write a Lance x Male reader, where they were long time best friends before (TO) Lance loves reader but as the last dragon he thinks it’s his duty to continue the legacy so never aknowledges his feelings wich leads him to be quite depressed, until Erika-I-stick-my-nose-everywhere find out somehow and build a plan with others to confront both about it ?

Thank you !

Hey there! Thank u for your ask, I loved the prompt! And I'm sorry for the delay, my relative is still hospitalized but he's better😊.

Also, of course I write queer, I'm part of the community and even though Eldarya doesn't have queer options regarding the MC I think it's interesting to treat other possibilities.

This one's structure was a bit different from the one I normally use. My amazing beta @rina-nanashiro and I have come to the conclusion that would be better to use the first person singular and the omniscient narrator to correctly portrait each character thoughts.

For this one, let's say that the plot is settled not long before Lance becomes the chief of the obsidian guard and Erika arrived 4 years earlier.

Also, whether the MC is human, faerie or faelian is up to you. I didn't dwell on any physical descriptions or mention his race.

To conclude, my ask box is closing soon. So if¡ anyone wants to request something, you have a couple of days to think about it.

Lance and a male MC have problems confessing their feelings and Erika meddles in under the cut

I carefully settled the dumbbells in the fresh grass, brushing away the light film of sweat, which covered my forehead, with the back of my hand.

Almost every day was a sunny one in the City of Eel. I have been told once that the shield surrounding the Head Quarters repelled rain and other natural phenomena, and I was delighted to enjoy the warm sunbeams, though as the day drew on, training in hot weather wasn't very pleasant.

A group of females crossed the gardens and threw a glance toward my bare, glimmering chest, sweat sliding down my pectorals and abs. One of them blushed while the other winked at me. The flustered one dragged her friend away while she couldn't help her giggling.

I was used to the attention. Such things would usually happen whether I was training shirtless and why not saying it, showing off a bit.

But those females’ attention... wasn't the one I was longing for.

As if my thinking was some kind of magnet, the object of my thoughts suddenly appeared in the Central Pavilion. I gulped and clumsily tried to fix my hair, using the fingers to comb the lost strands while Lance was engrossed in a conversation with Erika, laughing by his side.

"Hey, you" The girl gave me a sincere smile while Lance grabbed the nearest towel and threw it at my sweaty face not before smiling too. Jerk.

"Thank you, Lance.” I rolled my eyes seeking to restraint the smile of my own.

"Why are you training at this hour? It's too hot," asked Erika.

"The correct question would be why you are training and showing off at this hour." The dragon winked at me not before running his eyes over my bare chest.

I gulped for a second time and focused on the dumbbells on the ground, ignoring the warmth that settled in my chest and threatened to go down to my inner thigh. Yeah, it was indeed hot there.

"Well, it may be too hot for you both, but I enjoy the warmth." And while Erika simply didn't favour it, Lance was naturally more comfortable in cooler places. Disadvantages of being an ice dragon, I supposed. When the man opened up to the guardian and revealed his true nature, I was speechless.

It was a well-kept secret that not many knew and that such a closed-up person as Lance decided to give me that reliance meant the world for me. He didn't only trust me but wanted to show himself as he was. As the powerful and endangered being that he was. Keeping that secret all their lives made the twins wary of everyone, afraid of their reactions. But what I saw didn't frighten me. It made me want to know Lance more and unravel the person that hid behind that dense layer of steel and smugness.

"Oh come on, just admit it! You want to get tanned since summer is close!" Well, maybe that was another reason why I was training at this hour, but there was no way Erika was get away with it, so I hurled my towel, full of sweat, into my friend's face which made her grimace in disgust and Lance chortle.

"By the way, where's Valkyon? I need someone to back me up since apparently, you two have decided to bully me today." Valkyon had told Erika about his new nature as well. Before starting to hang out with the brothers, I didn't know much about the woman apart from her faelian condition, but we quickly befriended each other after spending time with the twins and meeting in several missions.

"He's been assigned to organize the armour's stock, so don't expect to hear from him in the next two hours," replied the brother.

Suddenly, a female elf popped next to us, most likely an acquaintance of the dragon. Her pink stare found Lance's, and she smiled sweetly at him as she spoke up

"The Obsidian Chief would like to meet with you. He's looking forward to discussing your promotion if you don't have any relevant matters at hand right now.”

"Yes, of course, just give me a moment." Lance turned to face me. "I came by to ask you if you're available after lunch. I've found some cool techniques in one of the books I'm reading and I thought you might be interested in learning them."

My chest tightened at the words, and after taking a deep breath I answered.

"Of course, I would love to." Lance parted from us undertaking to meet us at lunch with the rest. Normally, we would have lunch with Valkyon, Ezarel and Nevra, and sometimes Miiko, Yhkar and even Kero would join.

I sighed thinking about my last training with the Obsidian-Chief-to-be.

Lance was situated behind me, a firm hand holding my hip while the other grabbed my arm in a defensive position.

"You are doing it wrong. If anyone sees you with a posture like that one they'll mistake you for a novice lost on the battlefield. Let me teach you how to do it.”

I was painfully aware of my friend's figure pressed against my back. The warmth was sinking into my body, and I tried to think about pure things instead of embarrassing himself, but it was so difficult to focus on something else when his breath skimmed my ear and my butt was pressed against his-

"Hey."

"HEY."

"SNAP OUT OF IT, SCATTERBRAINED!" Erika brought me back from my memories with a hard slap to my head.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT, VIOLENT MAD WOMAN?!" Geez, Erika could be really aggressive at times.

"I want to know what's going on with you" The young woman was directly looking at me with a clear stare. The kind of stare that made her violet eyes shine brighter. "And before you answer 'I don't know what you're talking about Erika, I'm perfectly fine' please, don't take me for a fool."

"I don't think you're a fool."

"I know something is going on with Lance. Every time he turns his back, you stare at him with that painful-but-loving look on your face and you sigh like he has taken your breath with him."

"I think you're a busybody."

"Come on, talk to me." I attempted to go away, but she grabbed my wrist. "I'm your friend. You know you can trust me."

"There's nothing to talk about. And nothing is going on with Lance either."

"Is it because you're both males? You know no one would-"

"It's not that!" I broke free from her grasp and finally addressed her. "I don't give a fuck if someone came insulting me or spitting shit on me or whatever. It just... It's Lance, we aren't talking about anyone." The problem wasn’t just that we were both males. It was far more complicated than that.

"And that means...?"

"It means he's a dragon. It means that apart from Valkyon, his race is extinct. He's born in a different league, and he shouldn't be with a male. He shouldn't be with me." I lost count of the times I wished Lance had been born as a female, or me, for that matter.

"You don't even know what he wants."

"I know what he deserves."

(But Erika didn't agree with him. Lance deserved someone that cared about him and not some random female that could give him offspring. And the guardian loved him. Deeply. She knew the second he met him he had a crush on Lance, and she could bet the dragon noticed as well. Come on, even Valkyon was aware of the guardian's feelings for his brother.

The one who didn't seem to realize Lance attempts to hit on him was the guardian. He was so dyed-in-the-wool that he didn't even consider the possibility that Lance could be interested in him as well. But she couldn't blame him: Lance himself was a mess of feelings.

The guardian wasn't wrong: Lance truly thought it was his duty to continue the legacy of his race, but he was conflicted between what he thought he had to do and what he desired, what meant taking one step towards his friend just to take two back. They were more and more miserable as each day passed and Erika couldn't stand seeing her loved ones like that.

What if they couldn't have offspring? Should they sacrifice their happiness just because they couldn't have kids? They love each other. They cared about each other. That should be enough.

But there was no use trying to convince them otherwise, so she did what she knew best: stick her nose into someone else's problems.

She conceived a plan to confront them: In three days, she would go on a mission. But at the last minute, she would remember that she had to deliver an urgent letter to Lance that he had to read immediately and she could ask the guardian to deliver it.

That way, when Lance opened the letter in front of the guardian, instead of coming across with an important document, he would find a text that said something of the sort "Actually, this whole thing was an excuse. I wanted to confess my feelings for you even if I didn't know how."

Yes, he would definitely kill her, but she wasn't going to sit in silence and watch how his possibilities of going out with Lance were decreasing each day, right? There were a lot of girls going after the twins, therefore if the guardian didn't hurry... Another one would do it.)

One morning, after I had accompanied Erika to the boat to wish her good luck in her mission and say goodbye, she let out an astonished gasp. "Oh no! I can't believe I forgot! Please, can you take this to Lance? It's something urgent, so tell him to open it the moment you give it to him!"

"I... Yes of course, do you know where he might be?"

After being told that at this hour he would probably be on the edge of the forest, I wasted no time and hurried up. Erika was a competent girl, but it wasn't a surprise that she sometimes forgot things like that. She could be hardworking and a mess with legs, but that made her more adorable.

I spotted the two brothers taking a stroll and conversating about something probably irrelevant since Valkyon seemed to be mocking his big brother. They were inseparable. Wherever Lance or Valkyon went, the other would tag along. It was truly heartwarming seeing how much they cared for and loved each other.

"Lance! Erika forgot to give you this." Both dragons instantaneously turned their heads to look at me, eyes clear and ready to listen to whatever I had to say. It was kind of funny to watch how seriously they take their roles. "She said that it was important and you should open it immediately."

When Lance opened the envelope, Valkyon took a step closer to his brother but after reading the first words, he squeezed his twin's shoulder and departed not saying a word.

When we were finally alone, Lance looked up to face me and muttered. "You finally came to talk about your feelings for me?"

Those eyes were clear as ice, and even though there was no trace of mockery, a heavyweight settled in my stomach. My...feelings for him? What the hell he was talking about?

I didn’t even say anything. I just gave the envelope that I had been tasked with and that was been all. At the sight of my confused mien, the dragon tended me to the letter.

I slowly took it, not leaving his eyes for a moment, and when he read I... My hands ripped it apart and tossed it somewhere in the woods without caring where it landed and hissed. "This was that busybody's doing!”

‘I wanted to discuss my feelings with you,’ she wrote.

I couldn't believe Erika had done that. It wasn't her affair and she had no right to meddle in someone else's business. How would she feel if I did that to her?

“Just... Look I'm sorry I can no-" The blood under my face was boiling, my whole body was boiling in shame and panic. I couldn't face him right now, I had to get the hell out of there.

I didn’t make it far before Lance gave me a firm grip on my wrist and said "Please, let's talk. This was my fault. I should have talked to you earlier, explain myself to you before anyone stuck their nose into this."

"What are we going to talk about, Lance?" I confronted him praying this new growing determination would not abandon me. "Do you want to talk about how you can't be with a male? How we are not meant to each other?"

"You know that's not true."

"Isn’t it?" I frowned and let a sad chuckle slip my lips. What a bastard. "You can't be with me, Lance. You deserve and want someone who can give you a family, that will bring you children, and I can't do that."

The dragon didn't so much talk. He couldn't say the proper words because I wasn't mistaken.

"There you have it." My voice cracked at the first word and I could have sworn something broke inside him as well seeing the gaze he gave me. "You may want me, but I'm not enough for you." Tears ran freely down my face like raindrops of a cold, cloudy day in winter. "Find a good mate, Lance. You have many admirers, so I don't think you'll have much trouble."

Lance couldn't stand it. He had never been a coward and that wouldn't be the first day he would start being one. He gently brought his hands to each side of his friend's arms and held him there. Firm but gently, he gripped him making sure he wouldn't go anywhere until he finished what the guardian deserved to hear.

"Look at me, please." Those eyes that were always full of love were hurt and sorrowful. He took a deep breath and let out his thoughts.

"I do not want you, I love you. You can not imagine how much I care about you and what your presence in my life means to me." His hands were slightly shaking. "You are right. I think that as a dragon, I must continue our legacy, but I have been unfair to you. I couldn't make up my mind, and I have hurt you."

The guardian started sobbing and one of the dragon's hands met his face to wipe his tears.

"You know, I've talked about this with Valkyon several times and I've realised my brother is right. I dese- We deserve to be happy. Together. Whether I can or cannot have offspring doesn't matter, it shouldn't be a duty and I shouldn't force that on you."

The guardian sobbed harder and embraced his beloved, feeling his hand on the head, the other arm gently stroking his back. Lance couldn't restrain a few silent tears of his own at the sight of the male whom he loved him as much as was loved by.

They will make it work, Lance could assure.

Do you have any requests? Feel free to stop by my ask box! But first, please read this.

[straightlikewetspaghetti]

Thunder

Pairings:

Main: Poppy x MC (Bea Hughes)

Secondary: Veronica x Zoey?

Warnings: It's a somewhat subtle smut without the plot, so be warned!

They both tumbled into Bea's room kissing each other in an animalistic rage, tripping over every piece of furniture possible and trying to pull off their clothes, which were now just unnecessary barriers.

Poppy fumbled with the zipper of Bea's pants in a feverish frenzy, nearly ripping them. Her breathing was frantic, which didn't help her hands reach their goal. Annoyed, she growled and pushed the brunette onto the bed.

Bea supported herself on elbows, watching Poppy with newfound curiosity. The blonde’s cheeks were burning all over, the flushed color almost reaching the back of her neck. It was an incredible feeling to see her in such a passionate state. Bea's throat almost tightened from the emotion that seared through her body.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Poppy tilted her head slightly to the side, studying the other girl's face. She was very pleased with the way Bea was looking at her, almost to the point where she could have cried from happiness.

"Because you.... Ergh... Because..." her speaking was so clumsy that she couldn't make out a single meaningful word, let alone a sentence.

Poppy tried not to burst out laughing as she watched the brunette fumble with her words. She put a hand on her hip and smiled mischievously. Oh how delighted she was with herself in that moment.

"Jesus Farmsville, cat got your tongue?” her words didn't sound malicious; on the contrary, they dripped with an undisguised charm that confused the brunette even more.

Abandoning the verbal path, Bea pulled her, making Poppy fall on top of her with a quiet yelp.

Now the blonde was the one who couldn't get the words out, but they were unnecessary. The brunette found her lips and brought them together again in a heated kiss. Poppy moaned, tangling her hands in Bea’s hair pulling here and there, earning whimpers of excitement.

This was new territory for both of them, another boundary they crossed together, and there was no turning back now.

After they had torn their clothes off in a heated madness, their bodies clashed again. Skin brushed against skin. It was impossible to tell when one began and the other ended. Their panting turned up the atmosphere to such an extent that the windows in the room began to fog. Poppy growled at Bea as she tried to take control. She bit into her neck, like a predator that traps its prey. Bea's body was writhing under the pressure of the blonde's body as she attacked her on every possible front, making it nearly impossible to resist. Without further attempt to do so, Bea surrendered herself to the girl allowing her everything she desired. She felt incredible pleasure as Poppy’s hands explored every corner of her body, caressing each newly discovered patch of her, sending shivers of delight through her system.

Bea tried to reciprocate the caresses, but her every attempt was futile as Poppy pushed away her every touch. The brunette was becoming impatient, despite the pleasure the other was giving her. She loved her touch, but she needed more. She needed all of her.

"Poppy." she hissed out as the blonde headed down with her lips. Poppy froze, looking at her from behind half-closed eyelids. It was one of those looks that could bring Bea to ecstasy without any touch. Again her throat tightened from the emotions clutching deep within her. God how beautiful she was.

Despite the tension building between them, Bea reached out and gently stroked the blonde's cheek. This time she didn't reject her touch, in fact like a cat she leaned into her hand almost purring.

It's her, it's always been her.

Thoughts raced through Bea's head as she watched lovingly as the blonde enchanted by her caress hovered as if in a trance. Her body glistened with droplets of sweat, her hair spilled in a tangled mess surrounding her face, but to Bea she was the most beautiful creature in the entire world.

She rose from her position and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. "Let me take care of you."

Poppy's eyes opened wide, but she was too surprised to voice any objection. This was a new sensation for her in bed; taking rather than giving.

Bea slowly kissed her face, whispering sweet nothings and making her incredibly uncomfortable. She hated this feeling, this whole being vulnerable thing, but for some reason she couldn't resist it.

"Relax." the brunette demanded, feeling Poppy stiffen in her arms.

The blonde obeyed and closing her eyes gave herself completely to the sensations achieved by the brunette's touch. Even though their bodies were hot, the touch of Bea's fingers was cool on her skin and left a trail of goose bumps behind.

She had never expected that Bea's hands could be so skilled and hit perfectly on her most sensitive parts that she herself had no idea about. Her body arched as the brunette's mouth hit her very core.

Poppy bit down on her palm trying to stifle any sound inside her. She turned her head away, unable to watch Bea pleasure her body. Her cheeks began to redden to the extreme. It was so strange at the same time being so exciting.

She groaned unable to make up her mind, which was an incredible mistake as Bea took it as approval and redoubled her efforts.

Perfectly done nails dug into Bea's skin, which under the pressure of inner ecstasy, bit inside the blonde's thighs. Poppy's body shot upwards, the pain mixed with pleasure covering her sanity, making her go back on top again.

This time there was no more time for delicacy. They both slid their hands between their bodies and let themselves be carried away by the wildness that had been building from the very beginning.

Just as they both began to feel the tension building inside that needed immediate release, the sound of a raging thunderstorm sounded outside the window. Stimulated by primal forces, Bea had to get her way and with a sly smile on her face she pressed her lips to the blonde's body.

Poppy cried out her name, as another bolt of lightning struck outside the window, illuminating her naked figure. Bea ran her hungry eyes over her body, now with visible red marks that stood out on her milky skin. She was mesmerizing. The blonde collapsed against Bea, forehead supporting on her shoulder, panting heavily. The brunette stroked her sweat-tangled hair with slow movements, allowing her to calm her spasms of pleasure.

“I love you.”

Poppy smiled despite herself and let those words embrace her heart. She felt her body shudder again and she was ready for round two, which Bea was happy to give her.

***

"Do you think they realize we can hear them?" asked Zoey, who was absentmindedly flipping through the book she was holding in her hands.

Veronica looked up from her phone and chuckled. "I bet you five dollars it turns them on."

"Jesus girl!" the black haired gasped throwing a pillow at the other girl. "Disgusting" she shook her whole body but smiled nonetheless.

"You know..." Veronica put the phone down and looked at Zoey with a strange glint in her eyes. "We can try to beat them." she winked at her.

Zoey's face went pale and a strange tic appeared in her eye. "No chance in Hell."

The girl sprawled back on the couch and sighed dramatically. "You can't blame a girl for trying."

"I'm outta here." Zoey rose from the couch and darted towards her room.

"That was a joke! Come on Wade!" the last thing she saw was a middle finger pointed in her direction and she laughed to herself shaking her head.

[alexlabhont]

I didn’t mean to fall in love with you

Chapter Seven

Book: Queen B - Choices (Universe)

Pairing:  Poppy Min-Sinclair x Trans!Male MC (Beck Hughes)

Genre: Canon re-write (Because I can)

Rating: Everybody’s in!

Tags: @dopeyouth​ (If anyone want to be tagged in, just tell me)

This is me trying to write by and for the Trans community, specially FTM community, meaning, trans guys, but I actually took the liberty to use They/them pronouns for everyone out there who´s interested (Also, the name Beck was the most neutral one I could find, trying to use the cannon Bea Hughes)

CHAPTERS 

Previously

ONE-SHOTS 

Just a dance (Zoey x MC)

—————————————————————— 

“Hello?”

“Beck?” Zoey’s voice through the phone sounded scared, her walking was so strong and fast that they could hear it through the handset. It sounded as if she was running, actually. “I heard what happened. That miserable… How are you? Are you at the nursing? I’m going right now”

“No, I’m… I'm not really there…” Shit, they forgot to tell her their whereabouts… now it would be awkward.

“Did that prick send you to hospital?! God, I swear I'm killing him when I see him!”

“No. I'm not at the hospital neither…”

“Where are you, then?” Zoey was confused.

Ok, their time has come…

“I’m in Poppy's room.”

Silence. Beck could almost see her face of surprise and shock as if they were there in front of her.

“What?”

Beck waited, not knowing what to say, feeling a lot awkward.

“Ok, now I'm definitely going.”

“No!” They said quickly, hurting their rib accidentally. “Ouch!... Ouch... ouch... Please don't come…”

“And why not? Are you afraid I'll be making her uncomfortable?” Zoey ironized, making Beck sigh… Ha! They wish. It only took them to stretch their arm with their phone in that hand to make Zoey understand why she shouldn’t come.

“I WANT HIM EXPELLED! I want him so fucking far away from us that Google maps can’t be able to find him!”

“Oh my God, is that Poppy?”

“Yes…”

“I don’t pay you for making stupid questions! Just do it! Make it happen!”

The first thing Poppy did once they arrived was to call a doctor to check their rib out, it turns out it wasn’t broken, the doctor said it was just a bruised rib, although, the man also said it was better to have an X-ray to be sure. Poppy was next to them all along, asking even more questions to the doctor than Beck, observing attentive every time the doctor told her to observe, squeezing tightly their hand each time he touched their bruise to measure their pain. She was there… She really was there.

After that, Poppy locked herself in her bathroom, she needed to make a call, she said. She wasn’t counting that One could hear everything from there… Beck really wanted to apologize to the person she was talking to.

“She's been like this since half an hour ago.” Beck told Zoey.

“Who is she talking about?”

“Carleton Burnett.” Beck responded, having absolutely no clue about how to feel about it.

“He attacked my mate…! Yes, yes, my classmate, whatever. Are you up to the job or should I find someone else a lot more competent than you?”

Damn…

“Are you really telling me Poppy Min-Sinclair wants the guy who hurt you to be expelled?” Yeah, even in Zoey’s words sounded crazy.

“I don’t really think is just that…” Beck murmured, their head deep in thoughts. “But don’t worry, I'll go home as soon as I…”

The bathroom door opened, letting Poppy walk in to where Beck was. The girl looked just as fresh as how she went inside that other room the first time, as if nothing happened. That, until Poppy saw Beck on the phone.

“I…’ll call you later, ok?”

“Wait, is this Wade?” Beck frowned, why she wanted to know that?

“She is, why?” They asked, defensive.

“Gimme.” Poppy took the phone right from their hand without hesitation, she walked a few steps far from them while Beck was feeling alarmed.

“Poppy, I swear, if you yell at her…”

“Zoey?” Her voice tone was neutral, but nothing similar to the one she used to the person she called a few moments before. “First of all, I know you and I had a little encounter so I’ll making it quick. I’m taking Hughes for an X-ray, just to be sure their rib is not broken. I’ll have my assistant sending you the deets. Toodles~” And Poppy hung up, walking towards the bed to take a sit right next to them. “But first… let’s fix this mess…”

Poppy took cotton and alcohol from the little night table next to her bed, soaking it to start cleaning the little cuts and wounds on Beck's face.

“Now, I need you to stay still…” Poppy said, but the only thing Beck could think about was how close she was from them.

Her hot breath a few inches from Beck’s… there it was, that perfume, those honey eyes looking captivating while working, concentration adorning her flawless beauty. The burning feeling of alcohol in their wounds wasn’t new at all, but the gentle touch and the softness of her hands made them feel they were being taking care by an angel.

“I couldn't reach out sooner…” she murmured, Poppy hadn’t look at Beck to the eyes, but they were aware of every detail of her face. She did feel bad for it. “I saw you from afar… Why didn't you defend yourself at first?”

“What for?” their answer brought a frown from her, but they continued. “If there’s something I've learned from back home is that… sometimes, it gets worse when you fight back.”

“Why is that?” She asked, still frowning while taking care Beck's forehead.

“People like them have no honor whatsoever… But they have lots of friends” Beck said, a little chuckle in their voice, the good old days, right?  But the strawberry blonde bite her lower lip, understanding the meaning of what they said.

“He can try.” The death threat implied in those words was palpable, as if she could do something about it. But Beck didn’t need her protection, Beck actually hated it. They weren’t some fool who couldn’t take care of themselves, they felt unprotected, vulnerable all their life until recently times, and they weren’t going back to that.

“Why would you say so?” Beck clenched their jaw, remembering Carleton’s words. “Do you have business with him?”

“Ha! As if” She said, a weird laugh coming out of her.

“Really? Because I believe this was because of you.” Shit, that sounded bad, even their voice came out as from rancor. Poppy noticed that, moving off from them as if Beck was spitting acid.

“Are you really fucking blaming me?”

“Of course not!” Beck responded as fast as they could but it was too late, they already could see the harpy features transforming that lovely lady into a beast.

“You sure about that, Farmsville?” Poppy raised her eyebrow, that bitchy face of hers coming back to life. “Because it sounded like it. And you have to believe that if I wanted to make it physical it would be way, way worse than that but here you are in my room, laying on my bed because I absolutely hated to see that fucking caveman hurting you…!”

“He called you his woman!” Beck interrupted, Poppy was right in every creepy and threatening aspect, even in the actually cute parts as well, and Beck somehow knew that. They only had to remember how mad she was, the way she hugged him as if she wanted to protect them from that cretin on the floor. But then, something clicked inside their head.

And inside Poppy’s head as well.

“Wait… You were mad because he hurt me?”

“His woman?!”

Gosh… This is awkward. The whole moment and place were awkward.

“I can’t believe this.” Poppy was the first person in the room to speak after that moment of silence. “I mean, seriously what the fuck? We only had drunk sex, what? Once? Twice? My god, what a loser.”

“Did you two really had sex?” Beck asked. Well, the guy wasn’t that bad, but… No, it was pretty lame… kinda basic vibes with no spectacular thing whatsoever. Nowhere near Poppy’s inner circle, how the hell did that happen?

“I know, right? Gross. But I was kinda feeling insecure and Nobody right there was an easy and convenient target at the moment. Worse scenario ever. You so not want to see a boring Poppy.”

“What about your friends?” The only mention of them caused her to laugh in a very cold and ironic way.

“Friends? You know I don’t have any friends!” She said still laughing, the truth in her words being represented by her as a satire. “Do you realize who I am? I’m Poppy Min-Sinclair. I’m in constantly social danger, my parents, the society… This whole college! Everybody’s looking for an opportunity to take me down. To take my life down. And coming from an interracial crib, I don’t have the luxury to have friends.”

Her gaze, her posture and even the expression on her face were telling how confident she was about it. Like it was her against the world without sweating it. But the way her fingers played around with a piece of cotton and the slightly tapping from her designer shoes where saying something else.

“I also don’t need them. They’re an unnecessary hazard that will kick you the minute you left them do so.”

And, painfully, that was something Beck agreed with. They had one friend once, a best friend who became a secret lover, the only person in their life back then that was there no matter what… or so it seemed. Sooner than later, everyone in Farmsville knew about them both, and she had no remorse at all while she was throwing them under the bus. Even today, after so many years, Beck could close their eyes and listen to her call them a freak, claiming they were manipulating her, threating her to do awful things… the stupid apology after that later in the night, crying through the phone call because she got scared.

Well, yeah… Beck get that. She got scared, but Beck got the first beating of their life.

“So that’s why you want Carleton to be expelled? Because you don’t want anyone to know about you and him…”

“Oh my god, how did you even made it into top ten? Carleton is stupid. Anyone else would be a threat, but him? Please, nobody would ever believe him.”

“So why did you made that call?”

“Because I didn’t want him to hurt you anymore.”

“Me? Your so called enemy?” Ever since day one, by the way.

“Hughes, I consensually and publicly kissed you, how can you be so fucking dumb?”

Silence again, neither of them talking. Poppy trying to understand why it was such a big trouble, while Beck was trying to put the puzzle pieces in the right order, making it make sense. Because it actually did, but something inside them just won’t let them admit it all hundred percent.

“So… you like me?” Beck asked, a playful flirty grin, meant to annoy a little.

The strawberry blonde has never grunted so badly and exasperated as in that moment, but instead of a verbal reply, Poppy’s hands took Beck’s neck strongly and dominant, kissing them. She was rude at first, an angry, reassurance kiss, tasting just as how a “Shut the fuck up” would taste. But then, it became sweeter, it became intoxicating; those soft lips caressing theirs, sucking, biting… Beck’s arms looped around Poppy’s waist, feeling her coming closer to them, letting herself go in their mouth, savoring the moment, their lips just as much as they were doing it.

Gosh… Beck really wanted this…

Poppy slowly break apart, but they didn’t want it to be over just yet. Just a little more, please… they needed to feel that kind of warm in their chest a little longer. So it was their turn to kiss her again, and so they did, taking Poppy by surprise for a second, second that was used by her to move her fingers to their face, squishing a bit their cheeks, smiling against Beck’s lips, over and over, until the moment became one of those ones when you don’t actually know why, but you want so badly to laugh, to be happy in that fraction of time. And you are. So you chuckle despite the pain in your rib, both were chuckling, connected.

“Come one, Tushi-face…” She whispered, the smile still in her face. “You need an X-ray.” Beck growled, just like a disgruntled puppy.

“Uhmmno… I don’t need it. I’m fine.”

“Seriously, pamper me a little and turn on your brain, would you?”

“It’s not broken at all.”  Beck said, moving a little just to stand up from the bed with difficulty. “It hurts, but is not that bad… I actually know how a broken rib feels like. I’ll be fine.” The blondie pinched the bridge of her nose, wasted. “Just trust me?”

“I actually hate your guts, Farmsville.”

----

Next

[ulec-elec]

Chapter 1

"Aaaand now we're a couple." Ra finished the story, while pulling Mantha closer. She was giggeling. "I always knew it! Best couple! I was already wondering what took you so long." Casper laughed excitely while the three made their way back to Ra's and Casper's room.

Ra told the ghost about their date in Dis, a city in the underworld. "Cool what are you doing then?" The ghost asked. „Well we'll go to the most expensive and fancy restaurant I could find." Ra joked. "Yeah, we'll go to Mc Donald's." Mantha explained. "Like I said, expensive and fancy." The prince repeated. Casper giggled. "And when?", the ghost wondered. „I guess in like an hour." Ra answered, when Casper opened the door. Mantha stepped in, then Ra followed and Casper shutted the door.

They sat down on Casper's bed. Well Mantha sat on Ra's lab, while the mummy wraped his arms around her waist. He hid his face in her shoulder, while she giggled. She pulled his face near her's and immediately both started kissing and giggeling.

Casper was just sitting until Ra proceeded to slid his hands underneath Mantha's hoodie. "It's not that I'd like to interrupt but that's my bed and I'm sitting right in front of you." The ghost laughed akwardly, which let both freeze and stare at their best friend. "Sorry." Mantha laughed nervously after a while. "Nah, I don't really mind. It's more embarrassing for you than it is for me." He teased grinning. The couple smiled embarrist.

In the following two hours they chatted about anything, mostly about the new dream couple of Scare School, but Ra and Mantha had to leave since they wanted to go on their date. Casper took them to the door and smiled. "Have fun you two and don't forget to use a..."

"Casp!", Mantha hissed blushing, while Ra laughed. "I just don't want to become an uncle yet, you know.", the ghost teased. "Shut up.", Mantha muttered and crossed her arms infront of her chest.

Ra winked."Don't worry dude I'll be carefull." He asured. Casper smiled, while they left. Hearing clearely how Mantha lectured Ra, while the mummy laughed and playfully apologized. The ghost closed the door and sighed.

Ra was the winner. The ghost had already expected that, but it really hurted, now that it happened. He wasn't mad or anything. The boys talked about this before. If one of those two would get her, then the other one wouldn't be mad. It needs two lovers for a relationship and it was a important part, that Mantha had to find out about her own feelings.

Anyway his best friends were a couple now and would probably spent the first days or weeks of their relationship together, as just the two of them. Especially since the schooltrip was coming. He would hang out with Wolfie, maybe Flyboy. The ghost shook his head.

He needed to distract himself. He decided to grab some soda and search for Wolfie or someone. He grabbed some money and flew trough the door, out of the dormbuilding and trough the halls to the janitor's room. The place where the vending machine was located. Some good things about the highschool building. Could almost let you forget about the broken doors, which were thin as fuck.

Finally. He passed the door wich lead to his goal quickly. Casper didn't mind the rumbling sounds, since at Scare School it would always rumble something somewhere.

Immediately he could see what, or rather who caused these sounds. A certain vampire was standing in front of one of the shelves, one of the planks was broken and a few tins layed on the ground. "What?" Thatch yelled, when he noticed Casper. Usually the ghost would've asked politely what was wrong but first of all he guessed he knew what was the problem. Dummy and Slither recently became a couple and Thatch wasn't really known for his inner peace.

In addition to that: Thatch wouldn't let him help anyway. So he just flew throuh him and landed infront of the drinks dispenser. While the ghost trew two coins into the machine Thatch sank down to the ground and leant his hand against the shelv he just broke.

Casper stopped and sighed. "You want something too?" He asked rather monotone. That vampire looked confused at the ghost but the sighed. "AB+." He muttered. Casper threw a third coin into the machine and pressed the buttons. Thatch could hear the tins falling out of the dispenser and few seconds later Casper threw one of the cans at him. The vampire caught it without really looking, before the ghost sat down next to him and opened his soda. "Love is hard." He smirked with a dull voice. "Oh what do you know? You know no shit about my problems." Thatch hissed immediately. "Yeah sure." Casper answered sarcasticly bevore taking a sip. "What do you even want?" Thatch asked angrily and got up.

The ghost did the same to show all his confidence, even though Thatch was bigger and stronger than him. The ghost snapped: "Listen Mate, I was just beeing nice, like always, uh you're welcome by the way. I thought we could bond over the fact, that we're kinda in the same situation." „I'll never be in the same situation as you. I'm not a loser.", the vampire hissed. The smaller one roled his eyes. "Oh get a load of yourself, you've lost the girl and you're butthurt about i-" Thatch pushed Casper against another shelf, which caused some tins to fell onto the ground. "Shut up you piece of shit!" Thatch yelled.

"Oh insulting me won't get you anywhere just saying." Casper smirked. "Yeah and annoying me won't change the fact that Zombie-Girl chose Toiletpaper Boy. Well I understand that. He's rich and attractive. Well I'd generally say everyone is better than you." The taller one yelled. That one hit hard.

Usually things that Thatch said stopped bothering him. Troughout his afterlife people were pretty mean. Thatch was completely harmless against that.

But this one did really hurt. He shivered bevor angrily grabbing one of the cans that were laying on the ground. He was ready to throw it, when a big hand grabbed his wrist from behind.

Casper looked at Thatch who stood in front of him, completely shocked. Then he turned around and flinched facing Franken Gym Teacher glaring at him. He then started yelling. "What is this mess?! Clean that up immediately! Oh wait til Alder and Dash learn about this!"

The boys trew mad looks at each other. Casper was annoyed. What was this vampires deal? He was acting like he would care about Dummy Girl. He never cares about anything. He was Thatch Manora, he could get anyone really. He probably just started to care when Dummy Girl prefered Slither over him. Casper tought about this and concidered this as amusing and idiotic at the same time but a little bit more amusing. He had to grin but snapped out of it when the coach complained about it.

After the cleaning and a way to long time spent in Alder's and Dash's office, they were free. For the rest of the day at least. The punishment was pretty okay though. Well at least Casper thougt that, he never really wanted to go on that trip anyway. Three days with a couple in the 'puppy-love-phase? Thanks but no thanks. Thatch didn't seemed that disappointed about it either.

Neither of them dared to speak. The silence bothered the ghost. He opened his mouth but was interruped. "Casp! Are you alright? What happened! Wolfie said you were taken to the headmasters! I bet you have something to do with that Batboy!" Mantha hugged the ghost. Each of her sentences was spoken in a different emotion.

His friends glared at the vampire with a very angry expression. Thatch rolled his eyes. "Guys I'm fine I promise. It's not Thatchs fault." Casper asured and added: "Buut bad news." "What news?" Ra asked suspicoiously. "No schooltrip for me." he explained. "What? For real?" Ra gasped. "But what about the adventures and remember we wanted to draw funny stuff on statues" Mantha whined.

The ghost snickered. "Oh guys. It'll be alright. Now you'll be able to spend quality time together. You know, as a couple." Casper smirked. His best friends sulked. "Come on guys. It's fine." the blue eyed boy repeated. "That's not cool." Ra complained. The ghost felt sorry for them, they really were looking forward to this. "I know Ra but that is what the headmasters said. Sadly I can't change that" he explained.

His friedens stayed quiet. "Hey how about you two get us a table I'll follow you in a few seconds." Mantha and Ra nodded and glimpsed angrily at the vampire before leaving.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Casper apologized to Thatch who'd whatched them. "It's okay I guess. This trip would have sucked anyway." He muttered. The ghost smiled and agreed: "Yeah probably." They froze for a few seconds. They just agreed on something. They stared at each other. After a few seconds Casper clreared his throat and stepped back, turned around and flew after his friends.

——-

Get sum fanfic

[tanzen-neko]

Because of a Cat (Theo Van Gogh x MC)

Because of a Cat: Chapter 2 (Theo Van Gogh x MC)

Ikemen Vampire

Warnings: Dom! Theo, light choking, biting/blood.

“Oh my little Knabbeltje, you truly are an idiot,” he muttered at her trusting gesture. But even to his own ears, his voice held no true irritation. “You’re mine. Do you hear me? You belong to me now.”

She opened her eyes, and the challenge in them went straight to his cock.

“Prove it.”

With a curse, he pulled her mouth up into another bruising kiss, swallowing her surprised gasp. His hands drifted down to her rear where he held her still in order to grind his erection into her belly. He broke away, and began planting kisses along her neck. He found her pulse, and bit down with his fangs, his mouth instantly flooded with her sweet, heady essence. She tasted sharp and smoky, like the finest whiskey with an edge that was driving him mad. Her moans were spilling out of her, and she threw her hands around his neck pulling his closer. Her knees started to give out, and Theo pulled away to catch her, lowering their bodies to the carpet. He licked the bite closed. He kissed her again hard and deep with his blood smeared lips, his tongue tangling with hers. She pressed her body against his, and grabbed Theo’s jacket to push it off of him without breaking their kiss. Theo understood what she was after, and abruptly stood up, quickly disrobing with no ceremony. She stared up in him in awe, her chest heaving. Her eyes widened as she took him all in. He was all lithe muscle, reminding her of a panther in the wild. If the gleam in his eyes were anything to go from, she was definitely his prey. His pale skin seemed to glow in the lamplight, and his abs were pronounced with a beautiful golden path leading down to where it met his dense curls. The sight of his thick erection caused her to blush even though she couldn’t take her eyes off of it. She wasn’t sure if she could take all of him in, but she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to try. Theo began stroking himself, smearing his precum on the head, and she felt her womb ache with the desire to be filled by him.

“You want a taste, Hondje?” Theo‘s cocky smile only made her blush all the harder. “Be a good little pet for me, and I’ll give you such a treat your tail will wag for days. If you can walk afterwards, that is.”

Laying back on the carpet with her, he wasting no time gripping the front of her nightgown and wrenched it straight down the middle. He immediately latched on to her left nipple, and she let out a strangled groan. His other hand sought out her other neglected breast, and pulled and kneaded the soft flesh. He ran his hand down the front of her soft skin, seeking the heat at the juncture of her legs. When he finally got there, he had to choke back the moan that threatened to escape his throat. She was already so hot and wet, the curls hiding her most secret place already covered in her juices. He would have loved to dive in and feast between her legs, but he was too impatient. Instead, he pushed his long fingers into her folds. He grinded himself against her thigh, and kept her nipple clamped between his teeth. With every hard suck and pull on her nipple, he plunged his fingers in and out of her. He ground his thumb into her clitoris. He couldn’t help himself, and he released her engorged nipple to bite down on the corner of her breast. The sensation of his bite and his fingers sent the pleasure coursing through her in overdrive. She came on a scream, her back arching off the floor. He forced himself to stop drinking from her. He didn’t want her to pass out and end the night early.

“We’re not done yet, Knabbeltje. I won’t be done with you until every inch of you is covered by my mark. You wanted me to prove you’re mine, well I’m gonna’ prove it to ya’.”

He pulled her up, running the fingers coated in her juices along her lips, and her tongue instantly came out to lick them. He grunted his approval before licking his fingers clean. “All of you taste so delicious, Hondje.” He tugged her onto his lap, and moved back until his back hit the base of her bed. He adjusted her on his lap, placing her knees around his thighs. He gripped his cock, and helped her slowly lower herself onto him. She shuddered at the stretching sensation, and wanted to take it slow to adjust. Theo, however was more confident than she was. He thrust upwards, and fully sheathed himself in her. Closing his eyes, he let out a loud groan.

“Verdomme, Hondje. You’re so fucking tight, I can’t stand it.”

Theo grabbed the back her neck, and pulled her into another rough kiss. He drew back, and slid his other hand up to grip her neck. Without warning, he began a fast, and hard pace. He couldn’t remember the last time anything felt so good, so sweet. She was so hot and wet around him, it was almost unbearable. He couldn’t stop the grunts, and moans spilling out of him if he had tried. MC’s head as thrown back, and all that was escaping from her mouth like a prayer was “oh god, oh god, oh god.” Theo stared at the image in front of him with half lidded eyes. His hands around her neck, the marks already showing on her skin, her hair clinging to her sweating skin, it was all together the most erotic sight he had ever seen. If he was willing to share this sight with anyone, he would have had Vincent paint it and hung it in every gallery in France. But this was for him, and him alone. Knowing he wasn’t going to be able to last much longer, he sought out her next orgasm. He took his hands off of her neck, and pulled her off of him. Flipping her over, he grabbed her waist in order to hoist her rear into the air, causing her to have to brace herself on her arms. He gave himself a few strokes before aligning with her, and pushed back in quickly resuming his brutal pace. He gripped her hips hard enough to leave marks, fueled on by her screams. He snaked an arm around to rub on her clit.

“Theo, I’m, I’m so close,” she managed to get out between her gasps. Instead of responding, he picked up the pace. He was getting close to finishing himself, the pleasure causing his balls to tighten. He angled his hips a different way in an effort to hit her spot as he tweaked hard on her clit. A few strokes later and she came hard, gripping around his cock so tightly it was almost painful. She arched her back high, as she bit her arm to try and stifle the sobs coming from her mouth. Theo didn’t slow down his strokes, and soon she was practically thrashing against him as she rode out her orgasm. All too soon, he felt himself reach the point of no return. He gave a few erratic thrusts through his orgasm as it swept over him like a wave, jolts of pleasure causing him to curl his toes, and almost see stars. MC’s legs gave out on her, and she collapsed to the ground. He pressed kisses along her back as he pulled out, and fell next to her. Both of them lay there trying to catch their breaths, the sweat drying on their skin. MC’s legs were still visibly shaking, and Theo felt himself swell with manly pride, before he got to his feet. Bending down, he picked her up effortlessly, and carried her over to her bed. He set her down, and turned to leave when she let out a whimper, and weakly tried to cling to him. He shushed her with a chuckle.

“Don’t worry, Hondje. I’ll be right back.” He tugged on his pants, and left her bedroom heading to the bathroom down the hall. He filled a basin with warm water, and grabbed a towel before heading back. She was already practically asleep, but he still wiped her down as gently as he could, making sure to wipe between her legs, and drop words of praise about how well she took him. He felt himself stir a little at the sight of their mingled fluids across her inner thighs, but held it in check. She was utterly spent, and besides they had all night. She let out a sigh of pleasure, and held her arms out for his embrace. He quickly shrugged out of his pants, and joined her.

Theo awoke slowly with his first cognizant thought about how soft his sheets felt, and the curious warm weight in his arms. Opening his eyes a crack, he saw the warmth was a very naked MC. With a rush, the previous night came back to him, and he felt his mouth curl up at the corners in a smile. Even in her sleep she was breathtaking. Her lips were parted, and a slight snore was escaping her. The blanket had pooled around their waists, and her bare chest was pressed against his side, her legs tangled with his. He felt that uncomfortable twinge in his chest again, but he still wasn’t ready to deal with it. So instead, he poked her cheek gently. She barely stirred; just shifted closer to him with a sigh. He held back his chuckle. He had tired her out last night more than he had thought. After drifting off after the first time, they had made love 2 more times that night. He hadn’t been able to hold back his passion, and as a result her body was covered with his love marks and bites. Not to be outdone, she had made sure to leave a few lingering reminders on him as well. Knowing that she would be in no shape to help out with Sebastian today, he dressed quickly before heading down to the kitchen to let the capable butler know, scribbling her a note that she was to stay in bed, and let him take care of her today. He whistled a tune down the hallway, and turned the corner right into Arthur’s smiling face.

“Well, someone’s in a cheery mood this morning, yeah?”

“My night was pleasant, even though you ditched me,” Theo retorted.

“So you liked my lil’ gift that much, eh?”

Theo narrowed his eyes at Arthur. He saw that all too familiar mischievous glint in his eye, and it clicked.

“It was you! You put that stupid cat in my room didn’t you? I blamed Hondje for that stunt!”

Arthur adopted a look of fake innocence on his face.

“By Jove, you blamed that poor, sweet girl? You truly are a villain, Theo. I suspect you confronted her when you got back last evening? I hope you two were able to put your differences aside, and make peace.”

For once, Theo didn’t have a sharp retort for his friend. He stared at him with his mouth agape in disbelief. He had planned the whole thing!

“You planned this out didn’t you?!”

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re going on about, old boy. But it seems you have made up with her? I’m glad. Especially since she mentioned maybe extending her stay in our lovely mansion. Well, I best be off. Give her my greetings, will you? If you run into her today, that is.”

With a jaunty wink, Arthur strolled down the hallway. Holding back the chuckle that threatened to escape him, he made a mental note to buy his friend’s drinks the next time they were at the pub. With that thought in his head, he made his way to the kitchen, a smile on his face.

[paodequeijofeliz-blog]

I would do it all again (NSFW)

Ride or Die Fanfiction (characters and main story belongs to Pixelberry Studios).

Pairing: Mona and MC (Annie)

Information: this takes place after the first book.

Summary: After what happened at the parking lot, each member of the crew tries to build a new life, following the “every man for himself” motto. But Annie doesn’t agree with that and tries to pull them back together, especially Mona, who she has been waiting for too many years.

Warnings: NSFW

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

I would do it all again - Part 3

          Annie was already asleep on the couch by the time Mona had returned. There was a book opened on the floor, a half empty mug of tea and something stupid passing on TV. She didn’t hear the sound of the door, but felt fingers caressing her hair, earning a sleepy sigh and a slow stretch from the girl. Eyes opened to face a beautiful woman leaning in to kiss her on the lips. Was that a dream? Annie had that dream so many times before.

         “Ouch! Hey!” Mona complained when felt a pinch on her forearm. “What was that for?”

         “To check if you’re real.” She whispered, sitting down to make room for two.

         “You’re supposed to pinch yourself, dumbass. To wake you up, not the person you’re dreaming with.”

         “Oh, but it’s more fun to pinch you. And if this were just a dream, I wouldn’t wanna wake me up so soon.”          

         The Lebanese didn’t argue against that. Instead, all she wanted to do was to pull the girl closer, kiss her a little bit longer, roam hands over her body… Remember how Annie was soft and easy to tease. After that much time, it was like nothing had changed, but everything was different, all at once. Six years felt like too long.

         Like she could hear those thoughts, Annie threw her arms around Mona’s neck, pushing her lips into a sudden deep kiss. One of Mona’s fear was for them not to be on the same page regarding sex. They had only one experience together, the girl’s first time to be exact, and if Dom was right about it, then Annie didn’t date anyone after that.

         Her fear proved to be wrong, though. So wrong.

         “Are you sure?” Mona’s husky voice sounded eager to continue, but she kept her hands to herself, waiting for a confirmation… Which came by Annie crawling to her lap, those kisses still deep and breathless.

         “Hell, yeah. Stop worrying and touch me, goddammit”.

         That was sufficiently clear. Mona was bursting in heat inside, her arms holding the woman in a way there was no space between then. Their kissing lead to removing clothes, tripping, and finding the path to the bedroom in the dark. A naked Annie was thrown in bed, breath taken away, fingers holding the sheets strongly while cursing and begging not to stop. It was hard, fast, hot. She could feel her body burning, and the more Annie begged, the more she received, her hips rocking against Mona’s hand. The feeling brought back flashbacks from prom night, and just like then, she arched the body and came on that woman’s hands, unable to hold it back any further.

         “You’re still easy, aren’t you…” Mona placed fiery kisses along the girl’s neck, capturing her mouth in the end. “Damn, I pictured this so much…”

         “Did you, huh?” Annie chuckled, trying to recover herself. Suddenly, she pushed Mona to sit on the edge of the bed, kneeling before her with a mischievous smile. “Have you been touching yourself picturing me between your legs?”

         Mona’s dark eyes locked with hers, desire written all over them. “Why don’t you put your pretty mouth on me so I can see if my imagination was right?”

         That made Annie bit her lips, but it wouldn’t happen so easily, no. She decided to play with Mona’s body: kissing down the belly, nibbling her inner thing, one finger sliding slowly against the entrance, but never going in… The woman growled and complained, opening her legs even more. When Annie placed a light kiss against her clit, she looked up to meet those demanding dark eyes, a defiantly tone on her voice: “Make me.”

         Mona immediately gripped her by the wrists. In a sudden movement, she pulled Ann back to bed, holding those arms above her head. “Open your mouth”, she whispered against the girl’s ear, causing a shiver of anticipation. Holding the wrists pinned on the bed, Mona spread her legs and fit Annie’s face between them. A loud moan came right after feeling her tongue moving eagerly inside, tasting everything around before sliding up to her clit.

         “Don’t you dare stop” said Mona, hips moving on the same rhythm, so close to peak her body was trembling already. She had lost her strength and that made an opening for Annie to retreat her arms, grabbing the woman’s butt and burring the tongue inside her right when she came. The moan that accompanied it was so loud it echoed through the apartment. The most delicious sound Annie had ever heard.

         Touching proved to be easy. That night and at others. They found synchrony with sex, fucking around like a recently married couple. Morning, afternoon, nights… There was no better time than now, and no better place than the entire house. They even fucked in the car once, after Mona bended over to take her earphones and that arouse Annie too much.

         A few days later, both fell on the bed, sweaty and tired. This time, Mona was awfully quiet… As she had been for most of the day.

“Are you okay?” Annie turned to look at her, but the woman’s face was staring at the ceiling.

         “Yeah, I am.” Mona sighed, Dominick’s words still flying on her head, each day a little louder. “I… We should… Talk. About things. Some of it. Argh, goddammit!”

         “It’s okay…” Annie’s fingers caressed her arm to comfort. “Why don’t I ask you questions, and you just answer the ones you want? Sounds better?”

         A nod. The hard expression of a statue.

         “Tell me if I go too far, alright?” she waited for another nod, but Mona only arched an eyebrow. “Ok. So. Practical things first. Do you want to stay here? I don’t mean forever or for a long time or… Just, for now. Do you want to stay here for now? For as long as you like. God, I’m terrible at it too, ain’t I?”

         “Yes. For both questions.”

         Annie chuckled. “Fine. Moving on. Are you comfortable with the idea of opening an auto shop with Toby and Ximena in the future?”

         “Ye… Wait, what? With them? How…?”

         “We’ve been in touch.” She smiled mischievously. “C’mon, I had to figure out a plan. I knew you’d wanna see them again, even though you tried to hide it. The place seemed perfect. Two huge apartments with an auto shop all set. There’s even enough room for Ximena to have a tattoo studio, which she’s totally on board for. Toby already has a mechanic license. We just need his parole to be over. In the meantime, there’s a lot to renovate down there, I only fixed the apartments.”

         Mona couldn’t believe it. Her mouth was slightly opened. “So, the door in front of ours…”

         “It’s another apartment just like this one. Twins.”

         “Damn, Ann. You really thought this through.” She bit her thumb, still wondering. The picture was so good. To live next to each other, put their hands on cars again… “What about Colt and Logan? Know anything about ‘em?”

         “No. I haven’t seen Colt ever since the day you were shot. And Logan is in touch with Toby and Ximena, visiting them. We talked over the phone a couple times. But he doesn’t know about the plan. I wasn’t sure you’d like the shop idea.”

         Mona sighed, mad at herself for actually liking it so badly. “I do. A little. Move on to the next question.”

         “Are you… Uhm… Is there someone… Who wouldn’t appreciate the idea of us… You know…” Annie looked away, preferring to just stare at her hands. “Oh, fuck it. Do you have someone? From the inside?”

         Mona’s heart speeded. That was the window she needed to talk about what happened in prison, to explain herself. But the picture of their future with the auto shop was so temptingly close… “No. I don’t.”

Not a lie. Not the whole truth, though.

         Annie tried not to look happy about that answer. And failed. “Ok. Noted. That’s important information.”

         “Gosh, you didn’t change at all, did ya? You’re blushing like a teen.”

         “Stop it!” She covered her face, leaning forward and hiding herself on Mona’s shoulder. Her voice sounded muffled, but still understandable. “Next question. But that’s more likely to be a promise.”

         “Oh, gee. That can’t be good.”

         “Can you try not to do anything that could damage your parole and send you back to jail, please? Six years was enough. I missed you.”

         The Lebanese rested her nose on the top of Annie’s head, smelling her scent for a while. She hated promises. Old Mona would have laughed and teased her about it. The idea of living a peaceful life with a steady job and the same girl on her bed was never the plan. But when she saw Annie drive away from the hospital door, things changed. It wasn’t only prison that damaged Mona, even though it helped a lot. It was losing Annie. Fearing, every day, that at any time that gorgeous girl would stop sending letters and disappear. Find a person, marry, and leave their story behind.  

         And then, it didn’t. Annie never left.

         Letters kept coming, gifts, calls... Every Sunday, Mona loved to hear the guard saying, “visit’s waiting for you”, though she never moved from the bed. Annie wasn’t like Ada. Ada let Mona to go to jail, chose it, and then vanished for good. Ada never cared. Two very different people, but it took a while for Mona to believe that. Seeing her ex-girlfriend in prison, right on the next cell, was a low blow and a trip to memory’s land she didn’t want to take. 

          And what they did in there…

         “I promise.” Mona whispered through a heavy breath. “I’ll try.”

         God knew how she was willing to try anything for that girl.

[clansayeed]

Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ― Chapter 16: The Fugitives

PAIRING: Kamilah Sayeed x MC (Nadya Al Jamil) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Destiny II, part 1 ⥽

While struggling with nightmares of lives she’s never lived, a shadow from the past looming over her city, and the proposed idea that her life may just be a little bit too weird to handle alone, Nadya makes sure to tell herself that everything is perfect just the way it is. If only. When the self-proclaimed King of Vampires (and Maker of her sometimes-girlfriend and always-boss, can’t forget that little tidbit) Gaius Augustine returns intent on claiming Manhattan as the throne that was promised, she and her friends find themselves forced into the task of saving the world. But with millennia-old vampires and an Order of hunters on their heels as well as allies hiding catastrophic secrets at their backs… it won’t be an easy task. Too bad destiny didn’t exactly ask for her input.

Bound by Destiny II and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the Bloodbound series and spin-off, Nightbound. Find out more [HERE].

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Destiny II tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

Nadya and the others land in Paris in the hopes that Adrian's mysterious psychic friend will be able to help them in their search for a way to stop Gaius. But things are very different for vampires in Europe; from old customs that could prove dangerous to a secret Order that definitely is.

[READ IT ON AO3]

The storm follows them across the ocean. Nadya doesn’t mind; even if it does paint her first view of Paris in bleak and grey. How it looks outside matches how she feels inside — and somehow that helps in its own little way.

Landing is slightly less bumpy than takeoff though that isn’t saying much. When Adrian’s voice comes over the speakers telling them to buckle in her stomach flips nervous. Her nervous habit would have Nadya lifting the shade on the window to watch their descent but it’s too close to dawn; too much of a risk — so she just picks a spot on the wall and stares.

Though why she had to pick the splattered blood, remnant of their actual pilot whose fate Priya left gruesome evidence of, she didn’t know.

The jet pulls deep into the hangar; keeps the shadows tied around them like a safety blanket as the cabin depressurizes and they disembark. Adrian is already on the ground addressing the airport crew in rapid French and its by pure chance that Nadya is the last one to step out.

Hands braced on either side of the doorway; looking down but not really seeing. Because the second she takes that first step she’s not in that strange in-between of an airplane anymore. She’s not somehow, in some small way, still tied to New York.

Not like refusing to move will get you back there though, which her rational brain says no matter how much Nadya doesn’t want to hear it. And it’s right.

The gold rim of Nadya’s charm bracelet dug grooves into her palm hours ago. She squeezes and keeps the imprint fresh the whole way down.

The routine will be a familiar one by the time all this is done. Shuffling from the hangar to an expensive-but-modest (and safety-tinted) vehicle. From the vehicle to wherever they’re staying — and Nadya hadn’t actually thought about that part but thankfully Adrian had. Then the brisk walk disguising a mad dash to the safety of indoors.

The storm here tastes different. Nadya can’t say how, exactly, but it does.

And it’s abundantly clear when they step into the apartment that it wasn’t made to accommodate four (five, taking into account this Serafine woman) people but they’ll make do.

While the rest of them flick light switches and outlets, check out bathrooms and make sure blinds are drawn tight and secure, Adrian turns to a small kitchen. There’s a large manila envelope on the counter that he grabs like he was expecting it. Now that Nadya thinks about it — he probably was.

He beckons them to join him in the main room and confirms her suspicions. Starts pulling out handfuls of papers from within and spreading them out for all to see.

Passports, paperwork, little cards with a set of what look like emergency phone numbers handwritten neatly under the laminate. He hands each of them a different color of the same clunky flip-phone but the rest they have to sort out of the pile themselves.

Jax grabs for his passport; props it open with his fingers to stare at the photo in discontent.

“Do I want to know where you got this information?” He asks gruffly. Nadya glances at her own. She’d just assumed everything was taken from her personnel file.

Adrian shrugs it off, like privacy isn’t a real thing. “The Council always keeps —” and the need to change the tense throws him for a second, “— has always kept this kind of information on hand in case of emergencies like this.”

“You had a plan for ‘Sociopath Regent Takes Over the City?’”

“Funny. You know what I mean.” He starts plugging numbers from his regular phone into the burner. “Kamilah and I have been seeing the same woman for papers since… for as long as I can remember, actually. These aren’t forgeries, they’re the real thing. They’ll be your IDs and travel papers while we’re here and in case we need to leave town.

“Phones, please.”

One by one they lay their real phones out. And one by one he presses the heel of his palm into the fragile metal and glass until each one yields with a crunch.

Lily doesn’t hide a little noise of distress; nor does she turn down the offer to tuck herself against Nadya’s side in consolation. Adrian offers her an apologetic look. “It’s for the best, Lily.”

She sighs as a reply. Adrian can’t do much else but take what he can get.

“Normally I wouldn’t call it necessary, but we can’t take any chances. Priya and the Baron have access to the same resources, finances, and investigative tools that Kamilah and I do. We’re lucky in that the papers are a favor from an old friend, but I have a feeling favors are going to be few and far between going forward.”

His words put them all on edge. Jax fiddles with the strap of his sword resting in his lap.

“You make it sound like we’re fugitives.”

For a moment it looks like Adrian plans on denying it; correcting him, maybe, with something a bit more eloquent or less dangerous.

But that would be downplaying the severity of the situation now… wouldn’t it?

“Until we know just how many from the clans went to Gaius’ side we may as well be. At the height of his power there wasn’t a city across the country that didn’t somehow wield his influence. Gaius kept his inner circle close but over the years Kamilah and I, along with Vega, Lester, and probably even some I don’t know by name, put all our effort into securing his kingdom.”

Nadya looks down to see Adrian’s fist clenched, shaking in his lap. If the coffee table weren’t between them she’d reach over and try to steady him. That darkness on his face is becoming uncomfortably familiar.

His eyes sweep over the two younger vampires; a fact he seems to have only just realized. “You’re all… so young.” And the look on his face is as exhausted as he was prior to feeding on the plane. Not a good sign.

“What does that have to do with anything?” asks Jax. Adrian’s jaded little “ha” isn’t an answer but still speaks volumes.

“It makes you vulnerable. It makes all of us vulnerable.”

His eyebrow quirks up; a look between the lamenting older vampire and his katana that says “let someone underestimate me like that, see what happens.” Not that he says it.

As the youngest of them all, the worry in Lily’s voice is justified. “How so?”

“We probably should have gone over this earlier.”

“Gone over what?”

It’s slowly dawning on Nadya why Kamilah had been so bewildered by her invitation to Lily’s One-Year Turning party. At the time she had thought it was because of the fact they had kinda-sorta split just a few days before, even if she wrote the woman off as being a bit dramatic… which in hindsight wasn’t like Kamilah at all and should have tripped more than a few alarms in her head.

And, really, she only has herself to blame for being so surprised. She’s encountered this type of behavior before — she watched the proud and accomplished Kamilah bend her head to the Trinity, despite looking like she would have rather staked them instead.

Because things are different overseas; the culture here is nothing like in the States. Among those the oldest of their friends had spent her centuries with. It only made sense for her to hold on to old habits.

Here in Europe everything is based on the only thing that has ever mattered to a race of immortals. Age.

“Modern innovation hasn’t just made human lives easier, but ours as well. Blood bags, tinted glass — more and more vampires are living through their initial fifty years. That may not sound like much to you, but it was a cultural stigma that was just starting to phase out by the time I was Turned. Think about how long humans were expected to live back then, and in the hundreds of years before.

“The longer you’ve lived, the stronger you are. Smarter, faster. Able to outwit nature itself and the constant changing of civilization. The newly Turned were taught to admire that kind of survival instinct. Admiration became respect, which gave way to superiority. There was once a time when speaking improperly to a vampire a certain number of years over you was grounds for defanging.”

Lily’s hand flies to her mouth — either from shock or to protect herself, both are applicable. From the look on his face Jax can’t help himself from thinking about how many times his words would have gotten him outright staked.

“But much of this mentality came from centuries of being at war for their very lives,” Adrian continues, “The whole reason Gaius set his sights on the New World was to try and solidify a place of power outside of their enemies’ reach. For centuries now the vampires on this side of the world have been living in the shadows. Survival is as good as currency; a symbol of strength and power that demands an inherent respect. And in truth that desperation worries me.

“The idea of an empire ruled by a Vampire King might sound pretty appealing to more than just people like Priya and the Baron. People who would do anything for freedom… even hunt us down.”

The look he gives Nadya is as forlorn as it is resigned. They didn’t flee to safety over here. Paris just happened to be where they needed to go. They’re still in just as much danger.

Maybe even more danger, now that she thinks about it. At least back home she knew the faces of the people who would hurt her friends. Here everyone is a stranger.

They really are fugitives.

The feeling seeps out from him and to the rest of them, bleeds into their clothes and skin until the entire apartment is stifling with their new understanding. Nadya rubs at her throat with an open palm. It feels like a real, physical vice around her.

“And you’re sure we can trust this psychic chick of yours?” Lily asks to clarify.

Small mercies; like the relief Nadya feels seeing Adrian’s stalwart nod. In this he is certain, unlike everything else going on around them.

“Absolutely. I met her through Kamilah; the pair of them go way back. When you meet her you’ll understand. I knew immediately when we met I could trust her with my life.”

Lily and Nadya exchange mutual stifled giggles; it’s pretty damning that Adrian is too lost in whatever memories he may have of this ally to notice.

When he comes back he’s still oblivious. “And for what it’s worth she was the person I asked for guidance when the time came to put a stop to Gaius’ plans. She was the one who made up my mind in the end.”

Which automatically gets her Jax’s seal of approval. “I like her already.”

Because her life is the way it is, it isn’t lost on Nadya how all of her friends are vampires and, with it being in the middle of the day and all, they don’t hide how tired they all are very well.

She’d been out like a light the entire flight. Excessive emotions, crying, and fright will do that to a poor human heart. But the same definitely couldn’t be said for Adrian who had flown them all here, and probably for the rest of them either.

“Still no word from Serafine?”

Adrian looks up from his phone and shakes his head mutely. That’s all she needed to hear. “Then get some sleep. Seriously, you look like you all need it.” There’s something else they need, too, but that Nadya can’t quite provide right now.

Hopefully in an apartment full of vampire-specific amenities like black-out curtains and a window that doesn’t face direct sunlight at any time of day anyway, blood bags are covered. Or, like, hot French donors or something.

Lily is the first to stop pretending; yawns wide and loud and with a stretch that almost hits Jax in the face. “You gonna be good, Nadi’?”

Good is relative, she thinks, and definitely doesn’t say it.

“Actually I was thinking about going out. We need clothes, I need food…” Because like most girls, Nadya finds the siren song of French shopping trip to be almost impossible to resist.

Adrian doesn’t look entirely thrilled with the idea of her wandering the streets all by her lonesome, but it’s a point in her favor that they can’t go with because of the sunlight; “Which means all the other vampires will be asleep too.” He can’t argue with that.

Well he could. He doesn’t — which might be more for his benefit, she realizes as he clears his throat to contain a yawn of his own, than hers.

But every step she takes further away from the apartment complex feels heavier and heavier; until Nadya doesn’t think she could possibly go another step without breaking through the concrete and sinking into the center of the earth.

Back home the world is kind of ending. And here she is, squinting against the dreary sun (hey it’s sun, she’ll take it in any form) and snapping subtle pictures every couple of minutes and praying the older phone doesn’t ruin the quality.

Does she even have a right to enjoy herself anymore?

Why shouldn’t she find joy in the fleeting things while she can?

Nadya leans against a nearby building, hands flat on the freezing brickwork, and inhales deeply. Funny how a city smells like a city wherever you go. But it’s hard to breathe through the tightness in her chest.

That was Kamilah’s voice in her head. And, yes, most of her rational thoughts over the past couple of months have sounded like Kamilah (the best coping mechanism her subconscious had invented yet, really) but it’s different now isn’t it?

The voice has a point though.

And even with all of the storm clouds over her head there’s one little ray of light that shines through…

Kamilah would want her to enjoy this. For herself; for the both of them maybe. Ha, she can even see in the shadow of her eyelids that little downturn of the woman’s lips, hear some kind of admonishment like, “Paris is too beautiful of a city to spend your first time walking her streets in melancholy.”

The cold may be bitter but even with slushed snow pushing up against the curbs the beauty of the city can’t be denied. When the wind is too much Nadya finds a store and ducks inside, pink-cheeked and shivering, and does exactly what she told Adrian she would do.

Lily’s size she knows by heart — that’s no problem; if it has metal studs she buys it. Out of the corner of her eye she catches sight of a dazzling blue and finds it’s a neon-dyed leather cuff. She buys it because if Lily is feeling anything like she is… it’ll be a comfort.  Adrian is a guess-timate; it helps that one of the fresh-faced shopping aids looks roughly as tall as him in the store. Funny how their fake and placating smiles change when they see the black card she’s willing to put down. Well it’s Adrian’s, but, you know.

Nothing on this fancy side of the store caters to Jax’s unique brand of ‘Action Movie Star Who Shops Solely at Resale Outlets’ but she tries her best.

But the most important purchase of Nadya’s day comes near the evening and on her way back to the apartment.

Let it be known that there is no sadness a crepe stuffed with strawberries and shoveled full of choco-hazelnut spread. The pain later will be so. freakin'. worth it.

Nadya’s glad to find when she returns that she’s not the only one who needed a little time to relax. Not that crossing the threshold doesn’t immediately remind her of the weight of their predicament but who can think about that when she’s met with smiles relieved, happy, and rested?

When Lily is finished crushing the wind out of her lungs she pulls back and immediately hones in on… something. She watches as the girl licks her thumb and drags it over the corner of Nadya’s mouth, eying the stain with suspicion. Refuses to look even the slightest bit ashamed when she starts getting ragged on for not having brought enough sugar for everyone. She just shrugs with her hands full of large bags of fancy French clothes.

Not-so-amazingly all is pretty much forgiven for that.

Freshly showered and dressed, the curtains pulled back to reveal the beginnings of the Parisian night; the change in overall morale is almost jarring for all of them.

Well… almost. Because apparently neither rest nor a new (and perfectly-fit, thank you very much) look will un-crinkle Adrian’s brow. It’s been well over twenty-four hours and still no word from Serafine — from the entire reason they’re in Paris in the first place.

“What’s the plan if she never shows?” Jax asks finally; tired of the question flitting through their eyes but never through their lips. “We just fly back to New York?”

Unfortunately they all know that’s not exactly an option.

Adrian doesn’t have an answer, and it has him in knots. Jax turns away, back to his attempts to decipher the news anchor and her rapid French.

“It’s just not like Serafine at all,” he eventually confides; only in his lowest voice and when Nadya has signaled for Lily to turn up the news to the highest reasonable volume to drown them out, “I mean — it’s been a decade or so… I’d hoped to see her at Marcel’s, honestly. But that’s only in person. We’ve kept in close contact otherwise. She even wished me a good Dark Solstice…”

The more he says, the more Nadya’s starting to think there is to their connection. She places a gentle hand on top of his.

“How did you two meet? When, too, I guess I should ask.”

His smile is slow to start… but there. “We met in New Orleans, actually. At the Graveyard Shift.”

Maybe it’s because she’s touching him, or maybe it’s because they both share memories of that quirky little bar. God; it feels like they were there years ago now… But she can feel the tickle of him at the edges of her eyesight. Like her mind wants her to see… but — no. She can’t.

Maybe Adrian doesn’t want that. She can’t afford to lose someone else she loves because of this. But pulling back; pulling away? That would only prove she can’t ever care about her friends again.

Nadya keeps her hand on his because she needs to learn how to not look.

So she distracts herself, the both of them; “You said Kamilah introduced you?”

“Yes; it was pure coincidence that they knew one another. Kamilah and I were… on a job.” We were there because of Gaius. He doesn’t have to say it. She knows.

“We had drinks,” he continues, “they caught up and told me stories of their days back here in Europe. Even here in France, in Paris. Big vampire community here back then, apparently. And there was just this way she talked, Nadya. Like I could imagine I was there myself. There was still a lot of tension all around at the turn of the century, you see. People were still so disheartened. But when Serafine spoke about the world she brought light into it. All her centuries and she still saw beauty around her.”

That’s… a lot more than Nadya was expecting if she’s being honest. Not that she’s complaining! It’s so so nice to see Adrian talk like this. To see him look on something from his past with a happiness rather than that broiling anger.

“How come you’ve never mentioned her before?”

He blinks; taken aback. “How do you mean?”

“Well no offense,” read: full offense intended, “but I’m a little hurt there’s someone out there I could have been teasing you about this entire time. Especially when you and Lil’ started conspiring together.” Not that Nadya’s not still grateful for their intervention.

He’s just accrued a lot of payback is all.

It doesn’t get the smile she hoped for. It’s more like Senior Picture Day and your mother shoved you into a sweater vest.

“It’s not… Serafine and I aren’t like that.”

“You sure talk about her like you are.”

“What?” He has the audacity to actually look surprised. Well either that or he’s genuinely oblivious… which is seeming more and more like the truth. “I’ve barely said anything about her. Until now, obviously.”

She nods slowly. “Mmhm, yeah that’s true. But I think you and I both know it’s not what we say… but how we say it.”

After all; Adrian had seen her at the Ball. Had trusted Kamilah to keep her safe while he was away with Katherine and maybe he knew even before Nadya herself did. He’s remarkably astute for a complete dork.

He gives a long sigh and looks out the window instead of giving her an answer. If she were anyone else she might worry about having gone too far. Especially taking into account they’re still boss and assistant.

But she’s Nadya — so she doesn’t worry about that at all.

“Hey, I’m all for it. In fact I’m honestly relieved,” she catches how his facial muscles twitch; she has his attention, “since up until now I’ve been under the impression the only people you’ve been into were the bad guys.”

Adrian groans. “Please don’t remind me.” She doesn’t have to. Valdas did that enough on his own at Persephone.

Even after Vega; they never talked about that. Seeing as she had just watched the old-as-dirt vampire chop off a man’s head, Nadya definitely wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up. Maybe (and especially after the events of their meeting) she should have. For Adrian’s sake.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Nadya jumps. No use trying to hide it with that kind of reaction. Luckily Adrian shrugs it off. “I wish I had an answer; Kamilah certainly wants to know. That night when you were dancing with your friends she very clearly told me her thoughts on it. I only wish now I’d understood what she was trying to warn me about.”

“Trust me, I think we both underestimated them. And how much they were involved in everything that happened.”

“I think back to that night sometimes.”

“T-M-I.”

“No,” he sighs, “about… something he said. We got to talking about experiences, then wars, then soldiers… and now I can’t help but wonder if he knew who I was before I even introduced myself.”

“Because that’s what Gaius called you? His Soldier?”

Adrian tenses under her touch. Nadya goes to pull back, curses herself for opening her mouth in the first place… but the way he relaxes is a silent permission. So she stays. “Kamilah told me about… but I’ve been a little nervous to ask, truth be told.”

Ask how much you’ve seen of me, he means.

“Another time, maybe.” Because I can’t push you away too.

His laugh is rueful; harsher than he should ever sound. “Fair enough. But you’re right — I was… that. But I wasn’t the first. Actually… I think that was Valdas; that he was the first of Gaius’ soldiers. Maybe that’s why I was drawn to him.”

There’s an unspoken asterisk hanging on the edge of his words. That’s what I tell myself, or something to that effect. Nadya is no stranger to the lies we tell ourselves to find the strength to keep moving, so she can hardly blame him.

“Does it matter…?”

“No,” and it’s clear he wants to wave the conversation off, “it doesn’t matter. Why try to find rationale in the irrational, right?”

Fair point.

But that doesn’t sit well with her. That he’s okay drawing comparisons between himself and that manipulative man — no matter what Valdas would say to the contrary. That being alike to him is better than… than the other elephant in the room.

“Adrian?”

Nadya keeps her eyes trained pointedly on the table; on their hands. He can feel him look at her, feel the tension rippling under his skin.

“Hm, what is it?”

“We never talked about what happened.”

And for a second she’s hopeful. Sees the resolve flicker in his normally unwavering armor. He’s just as exhausted as she is; if not more. Doesn’t that mean maybe…

“Another time, maybe.”

Nadya knows he’s just giving her back the same response; and maybe she even deserves it. But that doesn’t mean she’s not left sitting there, watching him head into the living room to join the others, feeling like Adrian’s just slapped her in the face.

[yeetmeintothe-abyss]

Midnight Tension Part I

Summary: I promised a story of Elias and his inner turmoil and angst. So here it is. This is a reiteration and continuation of the scene where Elias follows Yukiya out of their shared room at midnight and catches MC and Yukiya having a midnight walk.

Warnings: Angst. So much angst. Part II will be lemony.

“You two, what are you doing?” A voice came loudly from the shadows of the girls dormitory and the girl thought her heart would leap through her throat and out onto the dew-covered grass. Yukiya froze beside her, his eye squinting into the darkness.

“Wh-who’s there?” She squeaked in a trembling voice. Was it a professor? Were they in trouble. Oh, she couldn’t afford to get into any trouble and face getting kicked out of the academy before she had the chance to get accepted!

A lamp lit suddenly within the darkness and the person holding it was revealed.

“Elias!” She gasped, hand flying to her mouth. Partly out of relief that it wasn’t a professor here to escort her to the headmaster’s office and partly out of surprise. He looked furious, eyes narrowed to slits of flashing violet. Why would he be here? And why was his face creased in anger? “Why are you here?” She asked, glancing at Yukiya who had remained still and completely silent.

“That’s my line,” Elias spat, eyes flickering between her and Yukiya. “What were you doing up ’til now?” Yukiya didn’t stir nor did he seem as if he felt bothered enough to answer the question. The girl paused for a moment, eyes on Yukiya as she began to stutter,

“I-it’s not what you think.” Elias’s eyes flashed with something that the girl couldn’t quite make out through the nighttime blackness surrounding them. He glared at her hotly.

“How so? I thought it was strange Yukiya would leave his room. So I followed him, but I lost him on the way, so I waited here. And now he’s come back with you? Explain! Or is it something that you can’t?” His voice was pitched with rage, a hoarse quality coating it in a harsh blanket. Almost as if he was trying to swallow back another emotion he didn’t want her and Yukiya to hear. His grip on the lamp handle was white-knuckled and shaking, scattering the light about wildly in jerks and stabs.

Despite the pain in her chest, the heart break that had been rendering her nearly useless as of late, the first stirrings of anger began to boil in her. Why did it matter to him why she was out with Yukiya? Why was it any of his business? He had been avoiding her, cancelled their daily training after class and practically ran from her when she had asked him what was troubling him and now he was in front of her dorm demanding what she was doing with her friend? As if he hadn’t been shunning her this whole time after she had given him so much effort for him to just accept her as the Buddy she was to him, whether he liked it or not. As if she hadn’t already endured enough insults and mean remarks flung at her smiling face. And she never once snapped at him for any of it.

The anger that started as a spark had now grown to a crescendo of fury and she found that she didn’t give a damn if she made him angrier, she wasn’t going to be his doormat anymore.

“What were you doing with Yukiya?” Elias repeated once more through gritted teeth, eyes like glowing gems glinting dangerously at her.

I’m not doing this anymore, the girl spat in her head and opened her mouth to tell him off,

“What do you-” But Yukiya cut her off before she barely even started,

“I can’t say that.” She was stunned into sputtering,

“Yukiya?” Her eyes landed on the boy next to her and he just gazed back at her calmly. She felt the tension practically rolling off of Elias and she peeked at him from her peripheral vision to see a dark look shutter down over his face.

Oh, boy. Saying it like that will create a misunderstanding. Elias already assumes we snuck off to spend some alone time but now he’ll take Yukiya’s words as a confession. Does Yukiya not want Elias to know about the song? She swallowed with some difficulty, stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“As the housemaster, I will have to report your suspicious activities to the prefect,” his voice was cold, unyielding. She felt as though she had broken through an icy pond and had crashed into the unrelenting waters below, the whirling water drowning her in panic.

“W-Wait! There’s no need to get that angry! We just took a walk!” Her voice sounded shrill to her own ears, sounded as though she were weaving lies. She winced at her fumbling excuse but flinched back when Elias snarled,

“Be quiet you!” Her temper was back and relentless, flaring hotly into her chest to engulf her. How dare he?

“No, I won’t!” She flung her arms out at her side in exasperation. “Why are you so mad? It’s weird, Elias!” The anger was beginning to make her prickly, nerves feeling frayed from his whiplash emotions and it had worn her down to a twitching mass of frustration.

“It’s just that as the housemaster of the boy’s dorm, I cannot overlook such acts that are against the rules.” The girl nearly snorted at his retort. As much of a goodie-goodie that he was, she didn’t buy that explanation at all. Liar, she jeered in her mind.

“A-Against the rules? It’s nothing that bad, is it?”

“It’s forbidden to go out at night!” His yell was muted and full of equally repressed rage. She wanted to yell back at him so badly, but she wasn’t sure what that would accomplish at this point. Yukiya still hadn’t spoken a word since his refusal to say why they had been out together. It vexed her that he just stood there and mutely took Elias’s blows.

“I’m sorry,” she started a little softer now. “It’s true that violating the rules isn’t good, but really, I couldn’t sleep. So I just went out for a walk.” Partial truth, at least.

“So what? That doesn’t change the fact that you broke the rules, does it?” The girl ground her teeth together. He’s such a fucking asshole.

“How mean! You don’t need to say it like that! Why are you so angry today, Elias?” Elias nearly rolled his eyes and a petty part of her snapped into place, blocking out the rational side of her nearly completely. A rarely used and dusty puzzle piece falling into an empty space. “Is it because you hate me?” That shut him up briefly. He gaped silently, mouth opening and closing with no words coming to him. “That must be it,” she stated matter-of-factly. “You dislike me. That’s why you act so mean.”

“That’s not it…” he muttered, eyes drifting to the ground. Frustration made her lash out,

“Then what is?” Her voice cracked against his form and he snapped his head up to sneer at her,

“I get irritated when I look at you.” The breath left her body in a whoosh of air and she found herself sinking into a quicksand pit of hurt and despair. Despite her best efforts, tears made their traitorous way to her eyes and she sniffled quietly, sinking her teeth into the inside of her cheek in an attempt to chase the tears back.

“Elias, you went too far,” Yukiya said with a quiet sternness that had the girl feeling both fondness for him sticking up for her but also another wave of sadness that had the dam against her tears beginning to give.

“It’s none of your business, Yukiya,” Elias spit in response.

“Yes it is. I broke the rules, too.” Yukiya’s voice was steady beside her and she wished desperately that she would disappear into the ground. A hole would swallow her up and transport her back home where there were no cruel people jabbing at her with razor blade-like words.

“Ah, yes. You’re right!” Elias crowed with delight, as if forgetting that Yukiya was more than merely a bystander.

“Elias, calm down,” Yukiya said, glancing briefly at the girl beside him who stood rigid and was staring pointedly at the ground.

“I am calm!” He declared, glaring at the other boy who only looked at him in silence. Moments of no one speaking passed before he finally said, “Fine! I won’t report you. Do whatever you want!” He spun on his heel and began to storm off towards the boy’s dormitory and something within the girl broke. She teetered in place for a split second, at war with the hurt and rage clashing inside her before starting after Elias, not heeding Yukiya’s calls at her retreating back. She following the bouncing lamplight just ahead of her and jogged slightly to catch up and said loudly,

“Hey!” Elias jerked around, surprise etching his features in shadows. She stomped right up to him, the howling anger clanging against her ribs painfully giving her something akin to liquid courage. “What is your problem?” She planted herself in his path, hands on her hips and brimming to the crown with a cocktail of emotions just a nudge away from going off. He wavered uncertainly, seeming to hesitate as to whether he should shoulder past her or engage her.

“Elias, I’m trying to talk to you.” She swore that steam should be rolling off of her and coating the academy’s grounds in a dense fog. She felt so heated, limbs quaking. She wasn’t an argumentative person but she refused to let Elias just bulldoze over her and walk off in a tantrum.

“Well I don’t want to speak to you,” he sneered, his hands fists at his sides and eyes burning down at her. She scoffed loudly.

“Well I don’t care. I’m your Buddy and you don’t get to just ignore me and push me away one minute and then the next yell at me as if I’m a child breaking the rules!”

“You are breaking the rules!” He nearly roared, stepping closer to her and towering over her in roiling turmoil. She craned her head to look up at him and hissed through clenched teeth,

“That’s besides the point! My point is, instead of you telling me what’s going on with you, you shove me to the side and give me the cold shoulder. Then you act like a territorial jerk and shout at me for walking at night with another boy! As if it’s any of your damn business what I do with Yukiya!” A muscle jumped in his cheek as his jaw clamped shut with an audible snap and he surged forward until he was treading on her toes, nose to nose with her and breathing the same air as her. She could smell sweet chocolate on his breath. Surprised, she tried to backpedal to gain some space between them but he caught her elbow in a tight grip and latched his gaze onto her wide eyes.

“It is my business.” His voice was tight and his hot breath blew over her face, eyes narrow and dark in the faint moonlight. She realized faintly that he had dropped the lamp and it lay on it’s side on the grass, forgotten. Her heart was in a fist-fight with her ribcage, punching painfully against it’s protective barrier and she tried her hardest to breathe shallowly so he wouldn’t notice.

“No, it isn’t.” Her jaw was still clenched and she was quivering all over with pent-up outrage.

“So you getting caught and getting into trouble affects me in no way as your Buddy, is that it?” His mouth was curled in a grimace, teeth white and shining dully at her. She paused, swearing loudly in her head.

“You aren’t reacting as someone who is only worried about the backlash of my possible punishment. You’re reacting as though it personally offends you that I’m spending time with Yukiya.” A choked noise sounded in the back of his throat and he inched impossibly closer, slitted eyes bright with pain.

“What were you doing with him?” He repeated his same question from earlier, avoiding her remark entirely which only egged her on.

“None of your business,” she breathed, voice low and taunting. Another strangled sound reverberated through him and he growled,

“Then I can only assume that I was mistaken and you have feelings for Yukiya, not Luca.” Absolute frustration nearly forced the girl into screaming in his face, sick of the game he was playing.

“And if I do? Yukiya is a good guy. He’s kind. Steady. He isn’t cruel and doesn’t make me second-guess how he feels about me,” she threw those words into his face with a vengeance that knew no bounds. There was no turning back now. Her nails dug into her palms with bright bursts of pain, breaking the skin and creating deep welts. She was vibrating all over with a charged aggression and ready to unleash on this infuriating boy. All the times he slung insults into her face like dirt flashed behind her eyes and it made her set her chin with grim determination.

Her words were met with a heated silence. His face had crumpled before becoming angular with a ferocity that looked more animal than human, eyes glowing manically. His voice broke the quiet like a knife parting a sheet of paper,

“I was wrong about you. You are just like all of the other girls.” A cry of indignation burned her throat and she swore that she could slap his pretty face and not feel an ounce of guilt. Could probably slap him a second time and still not feel relief from this all-consuming rage racking her frame.

“If me tiring of someone who mistreats me and insults me every time he opens his mouth and finally standing my ground and saying, ‘enough is enough’ makes me like all of the other girls, then I gladly accept that title.” Elias made a wounded sound, sounding halfway between a snarl and a cry of pain. His teeth gnashed and he seethed in her face, violet eyes swallowing her whole in their fury.

“Why can’t you just say how you feel instead of going to all of these lengths to upset me and argue with me?” She demanded suddenly on a whim, the pain she had been feeling beginning to echo dully underneath her skin. Elias froze, the angry mask slipping briefly to reveal a face churning with a storm of emotions. It was as if she had actually hit him and he just stared down at her, unmoving. She couldn’t feel his breath on her anymore. The air was as still as his form and crackling with electricity. She opened her mouth to speak again when he became a blur in front of her and his mouth was crashing down onto hers with a force that sucker-punched her words back down her throat.

White hot and vicious, his kiss was unforgiving and spilling over with built-up wrath and unrequited emotions. It blinded her to the night cloaking them in it’s shadow. Sent her into a tailspin of confusion and like-minded frustration, tumbling her head-over-heels into a blackness filled with bright spots flickering at the edges of her vision. His lips were pressed so tightly against hers that his teeth clashed with hers, an untamed assault upon every single one of her senses. His tongue had already laid claim to her mouth, taking without asking and keening in victory at the territory gained. She tasted blood, who’s she wasn’t sure, only that it was slinking erotically between their warring tongues and painting their mouths in a unique lipstick. No, not a lipstick, she thought dimly. Warpaint. Their lips were coated in warpaint, evidence of their battle.

His hands were on her face, in her loose hair, gripping and tugging and tangling around his knuckles. Nails scraping her scalp with a tingling pain. His chest was heaving against hers and she began to feel lightheaded, a fuzziness trickling into her limbs. When was the last time she took a breath? Her nose was pressed so tightly against his cheek that she couldn’t get a breath in. Where were her hands? She couldn’t be sure, senses so oversensitive and yet dull at the same time. Nerves screaming. Roaring in her ears nearly deafening her. His tongue snagged on her incisor and fresh blood spilled into the cavity of her mouth and he growled savagely, his hand becoming a vice around her neck.

It was turbulent. Devastating. A cyclone of Elias and every emotion he felt towards her, every word he never said being written on the inside of her cheeks with his tongue, being stamped on her wounded lips with his unforgiving teeth and she swallowed it all down eagerly. Gone was the tentative boy. Here arose a man with a storm at his back. Her ears popped and a boneless feeling overcame her and she slumped in his arms. He was ripped from her all-too-soon and his gasping breath fanned her heated face. The girl cracked open her eyes and was met with an Elias she didn’t recognize.

He was cupping her face with one hand, arm holding her tightly about her lower back with the other. His eyes were brilliant stones glittering in his flushed face, held up by honed cheekbones that looked carved out of pure marble under the moonlight. His lips were bruised and swollen, blood smeared at the corners of his mouth and on his chin. He looked undomesticated and wild.

Beautiful. Too bright and yet so very dark at the same time. Shadows colliding with pinpoint stars. She thought she heard his voice rumble something but she couldn’t make anything out over the ringing in her ears. She felt so limp, knees not even attempting to hold her up. She knew she was probably staring at him and that she should probably say something, perhaps that she wanted him to kiss her again but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate with her brains demands.

He shifted in front of her, putting some space between them and as the ringing began to fade she heard his voice clear and yet so broken,

“I’m falling so in love with you.” It was as if she had been electrocuted. Her body spasmed with shock, nerves so strung out from his kisses that the surprise of his utterance nearly knocked her on her ass.

“W-what?” She sputtered ungracefully, stumbling slightly as his grip slid from her body. She was aware of how she must look, like an addict that just got her fix and was now tripping over her own feet as she ascended to cloud-nine.

When she got a glimpse of his face it was as if raw hurt had curtained off the ferocity of before and he stared at her with dwindling hope, teeth sinking deeply into his already bloodied lip. He shook his head, his flush deepening and reaching his hairline.

“Nothing,” a harsh hiss against her skin and before she could reach for him, tell him that she was overjoyed, that she loved him, he was storming away from her and up to the boy’s dormitory. The forgotten lamp slowly flickered out and the girl’s knees finally buckled and she collapsed into the cold, damp grass. Horror wrapping her in it’s suffocating blanket as she realized what she’d done.

***

To be continued…

[sortaotaku]

As I promised it’s here!

Part 3 - The finale of Edgar’s story for the Miracle That Was Meeting You story event from Ikerev Taiwan.

A special dedication to everyone who looked forward to this.

Especially hard working Yuuki @kouei116. Thanks for always feeding us with such great content!

And the rest of the Edgar squad of course!

@edgarbright @myotomespace @littlelady-blackwell @ladyrinielbright

Recap

Outside Civic Center

( 昨天 收下 宣傳 單 的 人 也 很多 。 真是 沒有 枉費 宣傳 的 苦心 啊 。 但是 , 比 想像 的 要 熱鬧 啊 。)

(Many of the people who took the flyers are here but it’s even more busy than expected) [A/N: I completely flopped and used past tense in part 2]

開心 地 四下 張望 的 MC , 差點 被 左 顧 右 盼 的 男性 撞倒 。

The elated MC was almost hit by some passing people.

愛德華: 「！MC 。」

E: “MC!”

MC：「 啊… 」

MC: “Ah...”

用手 臂環 住 那 纖細 的 肩膀 , 就 輕輕 將 她 攬 在 胸前 。

Edgar stuck his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. 

New stuff starts here

愛德華 「 MC , 站 得 離 我 近 一點 。 」

E: “Stand closer to me.”

MC 「 謝謝 你 , 愛德華 。 」

MC: “Thank you Edgar.”

愛德華 「 哪裡 的 話 , 這 是 我 的 福利 啊 。 」

E: “Oh no problem, it’s my pleasure to.”

愛德華 露出 惡作劇 的 笑容 , MC 也 揚 起 了 嘴角 。

Edgar smiled mischievously and the corners of MC’s mouth twitched upwards too.

( 沒 想到 , 會 迎來 與 MC 共同 微笑 的 時光 。對 1 年前 的 我 而言 , 是 難以置信 的吧 。)

( I didn’t expect to share this moment smiling with MC. When remembering the me from a year ago it is hard to believe)

在 溫暖 心情 的 包圍 下 , 愛德華 用 攬過 MC 的 手 撫摸 她 的 頭髮 。

Enjoying the good(A/N: It actually says warm) mood Edgar stroked MC’s hair)

愛德華 「 MC , 表演 結束 後 我 想 帶 妳 去 一個 地方 , 可以 嗎 ? 」 

E: “After the performance I’d like to take you somewhere. Is that okay?”

MC 「 想去 一個 地方 ? 」

MC: “You want to go somewhere?”

愛德華 「 是 的 。 是 我 從前 就想 和 妳 一起 前往 的 場所 。 」

E: “Yes, it is somewhere that I have wanted to visit with you for a while now.”

Civic Center Garden

在 絢爛 的 表演 順利 結束 後 ～

After the spectacular performance concluded~

愛德華 帶著 MC , 悄悄 來到 開 滿 玫瑰 花 的 庭園 中 。

Edgar guided MC into the garden of beautiful blooming roses.

MC 「 無論 什麼 時候 來 這裡 都 好漂亮啊 。 但 為什麼 要 開 這裡 ? 」

MC: “It’s always beautiful here every time I visit. But why have we come here.”

愛德華 「 那 是 因為 ～ 我 想 這麼做 。 」

E: “It’s because I wanted to do this.”

MC 「哇 ！？」

MC: “Wuah!”

愛德華 把 毫無 防備 的 MC 抱 入 懷裡 躺倒 在 腳邊 的 草叢 上。

Edgar pulled the unsuspecting MC into his arms and laid the two of them onto the grass. (A/N: AHH Someone bring Saku-chan a defibrillator rn bc she is dead rn) 

愛德華 「 我 想 試著 在 這裡 躺倒 仰視 天空 。如果 和 妳 在一起 的 話 , 我 想 一定 會 更 開心 的 。 」

E: “I wanted to lay here and gaze up at the sky. I knew that if I could be together with you I would be even happier.”

MC 「 真是 的 嚇 我 一跳 。 」

MC: “Geez, you scared me.”

MC的目光柔和了下來，將頭貼在愛德華的胸口乖乖地躺下了。

MC’s eyes softened and she laid her head on Edgar’s chest.

MC 「 但是 難得 的 禮服 可是 會 起皺 的 。 它 很 適合 你 , 你 穿上 很 帥氣 呢 。 」

MC: “The fancy clothes will get wrinkled. Your clothes suit you, you look so handsome.” (A/N: Yeah MC, IKR? 😍😍😍)

愛德華 「 妳 能 這麼 説 真 讓人 開心 啊 。 那麼 我 從 明天 開始 就 一直 穿 這 件 衣服 吧 。 」

E: “You saying that makes me so happy. I should dress like this everyday then.”

MC 「 誒 誒 ? Jonah 看到 的 話 會 生氣 哦 ? 」

MC: “Ehh? Won’t Jonah will be mad if he sees this?”

愛德華 「 那就 頭疼 了 , 果然 還是 別 這麼做 了。」

E: “You’re right that would be a problem, let’s not do that then.”

對 彼此 的 玩笑 , 兩人 湊近 在一起 呵呵 笑著 。

The two of them giggled at the joke.

( 好 厲害 啊 只要 和 妳 在一起 做 什 麼 都 覺得 開心 。 果然 MC 對 我 來説 , 比 任何 人 都 特別 。)

(So impressive, no matter what activity I do it is so enjoyable when I am with you. As expected MC is my most special person)

Starry Night Background

愛德華 一邊 感受 著 MC 的 體溫 , 一邊 把 視線 投向 夜空 。

Edgar felt MC’s body warmth as he gazed up into the sky.

愛德華 「…就是 這裡 吧 。妳 就是 從 這裡 的 天空 中落 下來 的 吧 。」

E: “It was here huh? This is where you fell from the sky right?”

( 就 在 一 年前 的 那 一天 , 從 科學 之 國 而來 。 )

(It was that day you fell from the sky from the land of reason) [A/N: In Chinese the land of science]

MC 「 説 起來 的確 是 呢 。 總 感覺 像是 好幾 年前 的 事情 了 一樣 。 」

MC: “Now that you mention it... Yeah, it is. It feels like it happened years ago.”

聽 著 略帶 懷念 的 聲色 , 回 想起 遇到 追 著 弗蘭 在 庭園 左右 彷徨 的 MC 的 那個 時候。

Hearing the nostalgia in her voice Edgar recalled that night when MC was scrambling through the garden.

Jonah and Edgar at the garden table

Jonah「沒有 我 的 允許 不要 動 。 不然 妳 這 纖 細 的 手腕 會 變成 什麼 樣 我 可就 不敢 保 證 了 。 」 

J: “You shall not move without my authority, otherwise I can’t guarantee what will happen to you.” (A/N: Ahh this scene is a classic)

愛德華 「 Jonah 先生 , 抓得 太緊 會讓 她 感到 恐 懼 的 。 」

E: “Mr Jonah, you’ll scare her if you grip her this tightly.”

MC 「 請問 你們 是 …… 」 

MC: “And you guys are...?”

( 啊啊 , 這 困擾 的 表情 簡直 像是 被 放 入 猛獸 群 中 的 小 動物 一樣 。她 的 舉動 真是 漏洞 太多 , 不太 可能 是 間諜 。 但 也 不可能 是 迷路 的 人 。 嗯 , 她 到底 為什麼 會 在 這裡 呢 ? )

(Ahh, this frightened expression resembles a small animal trapped with beasts. Too clumsy/flighty to be a spy. But she can’t be someone who got lost and wandered in here either. Why is she here?)

對於 很少 有 『 不 知道 』 情況 的 愛德華 來説 , 現在 的 狀況 非常 有趣 。

For Edgar who is rarely caught off guard this situation was very interesting.

愛德華 「 是 陌生 的 面孔 呢 。 妳 是 怎麼 進入 這 裡 的 ? 」

E: “It’s a stranger. How did you get here?”

MC 「 不 知道 該 如何 説明 我 是 追著 那 個人 的 時候 迷路 到 這裡 來 的 。 」

MC: “I don’t know how to explain. I came here following that person.”

純潔 無邪 的 眼神 明顯 沒有 惡意 ，但 愛德華 還是 沒有 出手 幫忙 , 而是 旁 觀 並 隨便 搭 了 幾句 話。

Her innocent face made it obvious she didn’t mean anything bad but Edgar didn’t help her out and just sat back and said a few nonchalant words.

( 真是 個 奇怪 的 人 啊 , 抓 起來 聊聊天 似乎 會 很 有趣 。)

(What a strange person, it might be fun to capture her and have a chat) [A/N: Edgar you aren’t supposed to be the designated Yan character 😂😂😂]

就 在 這時 Jonah 從口袋 裡 取出 了 手銬 將 MC 的 雙手 拘束 了 起來 。

Just then Jonah pulled out his handcuffs and put them onto Mc.

MC 「 這 是 手銬 ! 你 在 做 什麼 ! 」

MC: “There are handcuffs! What are you doing?!”

Jonah「 無論 怎麼 掙扎 都 不可能 放開 的 。 不 過 如果 妳 哭著 跪下 對 我 謝罪 的 話 就 另 當 別論 。 」

Jonah: “No matter how you struggle you won’t be able to escape. But if you kneel down and confess it may be different.”

愛德華 「 真是 毫不留情 啊 , Jonah先生 。 真 讓 人 為難 。 」

E: “How ruthless Mr Jonah. You are putting me in an uncomfortable position.”

Jonah「 『 毫不留情 ? 』這 句話 我 唯獨 不想聽你抱怨啊 。」

Jonah: “Ruthless? I don’t want to hear that from YOU.”

愛德華 「 你 在 説什麼呢 。 」

E: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

無論 她 怎麼 發怒 抱怨 , 手銬 都 不會 解 開 的。

No matter how upset she is she won’t be able to escape.

MC 「 現在 就把 它 解開 ! 我 很 著急 的 。 」

MC: “I’m in a rush, let me go!”

愛德華 & Jonah 「？！」

E and Jonah: “?!?”

( 這 道 光芒 是 …? )

(This light is...?)

瞬間 覆蓋 周遭 的 光芒 消失 之後 , 手銬 伴隨 著 咔嚓 的 聲響 落到 了 地面 上。

After the light dimmed the cuffs dropped to the ground.

愛德華 「 把 魔法 彈開 了 ? 」

E: “The magic was dispelled?”

Jonah「 難道 説 , 妳 是 那個 『 愛麗絲 』 嗎 ? 」

Jonah: “Could it be that you are that Alice?”

MC 「『 魔法 』 ? 噯 麗絲 』 …? 」 

MC: “Magic? Alice?”

(哎呀 呀 , 這 可不是 一句 奇怪 便能 概 括 的 事情 了 。竟然 會 在 這種 地方 , 遇到 這樣 超乎 想像 的 邂逅 - 真是 有趣 的 一天 啊 。)

(那個 時候 , 對 MC 的 感情 , 只不過 是 感興趣 而已 。可是 現在 ��� 已經 是 這個 世界 上 最 重要 的 人 了 。)

(Oh my this doesn’t happen everyday. How interesting)(At that time all I felt for MC was curiosity. But now, she is the most important person in the world.)

曾經 認定 的 灰色 的 人生 , MC 卻 很快 讓它 變得 繽紛 多彩 起來 。

The grey life I once had... MC has made it colourful.

(但是 , 如果 那個 時候 )

(But at that time)

愛德華 纏繞 住 躺在 一旁 的 MC 的 手指 ， 緩緩 拉住 她 的 手。

Edgar intertwined their fingers and tugged on her hand.

MC 「 愛德華 , 怎麼 了 ? 」

MC: “Edgar, what’s wrong?” (A/N: it’s actually “what has happened?” but the implied meaning is more similar to what’s wrong or what’s going on?)

愛德華 「…如果 妳 落下 時 , 是 掉落 在 我 的 懷中 就好 了 。」

Edgar: “If you had just fallen from the sky into my arms then it would’ve been great.”

(但是 , 如果 那個 時候 )

(But at that time)

漫長 的 沉默 後 , 愛德華 拉住 MC 的 手 與 她 十指 相交。

After a long silence Edgar grasped MC’s hand.

MC 「 愛德華 , 怎麼 了 ? 」

MC: “Edgar, what’s wrong?”

愛德華 「 如果 這樣 的 話 , 説不定 就 沒有 一年 前 的 情感 交錯 了 不是 嗎 ? 」

E: “Perhaps if things happened differently we wouldn’t have had built a relationship like this.”

( 在 心意 相通 之前 , 不 知道 多少 次 傷 害 到 了 MC 。 )

(I can’t even remember how many times I had hurt MC)

即使 在 得到 了 曾經 以為 一生 無緣 的 幸 福 , 決定 補償 自己 的 罪孽 的 現在 , 愛 德華 也在 想 相 。

Even after getting a lifetime worth of happiness and deciding to repent for his past sins Edgar continued to linger on these thoughts.

( 如果 能將 那些 過去 全部 消除 就好 了 。)

(If only I could erase some of the past)

( …但是 , 在 相遇 後 經歷 了 一年 來 到 今日 , 當然 不可能 重 來 了 。 )

(But of course that is impossible)

MC 「愛德華…」

MC: “Edgar...”

愛德華 「 對不起 , 説 這些 話 真的 很 不像 我 呢。」

E: “I’m sorry, saying this kind of stuff isn’t like me.” (A/N I wanna give him a hug)

聽到 她 用 擔憂 的 聲音 呼喚 自己 的 名字 愛德華 皺著眉 頭 笑 了。

Hearing how worried MC was Edgar frowned and then smiled.

( 真的 , 很 不像 我 。)

(It really isn’t like me)

MC 「 …愛德華 真是 笨蛋 啊 。 」

MC: “Edgar you are such a dummy.” (A/N it says idiot but that isn’t a nice thing to say is it?)

MC 支撐 起 身體 , 用 手掌 捧住 愛德華 的 臉頰。

MC propped herself up and held Edgar’s face in her hands

愛德華 「 MC？」

E: “MC?”

仰視 所見 的 MC 的 瞳孔 , 在 月色 的 照 耀 下 顯露 出 堅定 的 目光 。

As Edgar looked into her eyes, the moonlight reflected in MC’s eyes. 

MC 「 我 覺得 , 人 是 會變 的 。 」

MC: “I believe that people can change.”

MC 「 雖然 不像 你 , 但這 也是 愛德華 這個 人 的 一部分 不是 嗎 ? 」

MC 「 所以 , 把 想到 的 事情 全部 表達 出來 就 可以 了 。 」

MC: “Even if talking like this it is ‘not like you’ this side is still a part of you.”

MC 極其 溫柔 的 聲音 , 擦過 愛德華 的 耳朵 。

MC’s compassionate soft voice swept over Edgar’s ears.

愛德華 「 可以 嗎 ? 可以 全都 告訴 妳 嗎 ? 」

E: “Can I? Can I tell you anything?” (A/N: Yes bae! Tell me! Don’t be sad alone!)

MC 「 嗯 , 我 也會 接受 今後 愛德華 的 改變的。我 很 早前 就 已經 決定 了 , 會 愛著 愛 德華 的 任何 一面 。相對 的 , 你 也要 全力 包容 我 哦 ? 因為 從 今 往後 , 我 會 隨時 撲入 你 的 懷中 的 。 」

MC: “Yes, I will accept you as you keep changing. I decided a long time ago that I would love every part of you no matter what. Prepare yourself accept me unconditionally too because from now on I will always try my best tp pry into your inner thoughts.” 

愛德華 「 MC…」

E: “MC...”

充滿 溫柔 意味 的 語言 , 讓 愛德華 的 內 心 的 熱度 開始 膨脹。

Hearing the heartwarming speech the warm feeling in Edgar’s heart increased. (A/N 溫柔 is used to represent compassion earlier but this time it is more appropriate to think of it as touching or heartwarming)

( 她 從 相遇 的 時候 , 就 毫無 防備 地 將 心事 暴露 在外 , 不 加 掩飾 。 MC 為什麼 會 這麼 可愛 呢 。 )

(MC has always been upfront and an open book since I had met her. How can she be so cute?)

愛德華 「 當然 , 我 一定 會 接住 妳 的 。 」

E: “Of course, anything for you.”

難以 忍耐 地 環 住 MC 的 後背 , 將 她 拉 近 自己 。

Edgar hugs MC closer to him.

MC 「 哇 , 等一下 愛德華 。 」

MC: “Wuah! Hold on a second Edgar.”

愛德華 「 很難 受 嗎 ? 」

E: “Does it feel bad?” (A/N SMEHH. Don’t be silly of course it doesn’t)

MC 「 不是 的 , 那個 我 有 件 東西 要 送 給 你 , 它 差點 被 壓壞 。 」

MC: “It’s not like that. It’s just that I want to give you something. It almost got crushed.”

鬆開 手臂 後 , MC 重新 坐 正 並 取出 了 個小 包裹。

MC presented a small parcel.

( 這個 包裝 是…昨天 被 猴子 拿走 的那樣東西。)

(This is the parcel that the monkey stole yesterday) [A/N: *Facepalms*]

Back at the bar (Flashback)

愛德華 「 還有 MC , 我 順利 把 它 取 回來 了 哦 。」

E: “Oh by the way, I’ve gotten it back.”

MC 「 哇 ! 謝謝 你 愛德華 ! 太好 了 」

MC: “Oh thank you so much Edgar! Thank goodness.”

( 竟然 會讓 妳 露出 這樣 開心 的 表情 真是 讓人 嫉妒 啊 。究竟 是 要 送給 誰 的 呢 ? )

(To make you show such a face. I’m jealous of that person)

Cut back to the garden

MC 「 如果 你 能 收下 它 , 我 會 很 開心 的 。 」

MC: “If you’d accept it I would be very happy.”

( 那麼 説 , 這個 最初 就是 為了 送給 我 …? 我 之前 還 為之 嫉妒 呢 。 )

(So this was all for me? And to think I was so jealous too.)

愛德華 「 沒 想到 , 這 竟然 是 給 我 的 禮物 。 」 

E: “I never imagined that it was for me.”

而且 , 本來 是 打算 在 這 之後 給 她 驚喜 的 , 沒 想到 被 搶先 了 。

但 愛德華 並 沒有 感到 絲毫 不快 , 反而 湧上 了 喜悦 之 情。

It was supposed to be a surprise but it got stolen. But Edgar didn’t seem bothered, in fact he looked elated.

愛德華 「 謝謝妳MC。」

E: “Thank you MC.”

愛德華 「 其實 , 我 也 有 東西 要 送給 妳 。 」

E: “Actually I wanted to give you something too.”

MC 「唉 , 愛德華 也 有 ? 」

MC: “Ehh? You too Edgar?”

愛德華 「 是 的 。 所以 妳 先向 我 送禮 讓 我 嚇 了一跳。」

E: “Yes, so I was a bit shocked when you gave me yours first.”

接過 包裹 後 , 愛德華 接下來 將 準備 好 的 禮物 放在 MC 的 掌心 上 。

After accepting MC’s present Edgar placed his gift on MC’s open palm.

愛德華 「 昨天 , 我 對 妳說 過 『 現在 還要 保密 』 對 吧 ? 我 想 秘密 給 妳 準備 一份 禮物 , 為了 準備 它 , 我 還 請 Jonah 先生 幫忙 了 。 」

E: “I said yesterday that ‘it is still a secret’ right? I wanted to prepare you something secretly and even enlisted Mr Jonah to help.”

MC 「 是 嗎 。 秘密 是 指 這個 啊… 」

MC: “Is that so. So this was the secret...”

看著 從 愛德華 那裡 得到 的 禮物 , MC 無奈 地 笑 了。

MC peered at the gift and giggled.

MC 「 我們 對 彼此 保密 了 呢 。 」

MC: “We were both being secretive.”

愛德華 「 似乎 如此 。 」 

E: “So it seems.”

愛德華 放 柔 了 目光 , 將 視線 落在 從 MC 那裡 收到 的 包裹 上 。

Edgar’d gaze softened at he gazed at MC’s present.

愛德華 「 我 可以 打開 它 嗎 ? 」 

E: “Can I open it and take a look?”

MC 「 啊 , 等等 。 要 不要 同時 打開 看看 ? 」

MC: “Oh hold on, how about we open them together?”

愛德華 「似乎 很 有趣 呢 , 我 很 贊成 。」

E: “I approve of this. That sounds fun.”

MC 「 那麼 , 準備 好哦 ?一二～ 」 

MC: “Ok ready? 1, 2...”

解開 包裝 上 漂亮 的 緞帶 , 同�� 打開 禮 物 之後… 

Simultaneously unraveling the pretty ribbons...

MC「誒…」 

MC: “Eh?”

愛德華 「 這 是 一 」

E: “This is a...”

從 包裹 中 取出 的 , 全都 是 四 葉 幸運草 的 乾燥 花 做成 的 書籤 。

It was a bunch of bookmarks made of four leaf clovers.

MC 「 簡直 像 做夢 一樣 不但 秘密 地 準 備 禮物 , 而且 還 送給 彼此 相同 的 東西 。 」

MC: “This is unimaginable. Who would’ve thought we would both secretly prepare presents and prepare the same thing too.” (A/N Edgar said Jonah helped. Jonah must’ve crawled around clover patches in dirt too. WHAT A GREAT GUY! Lets clap for our noble queen!)

愛德華 「 我 也 吃 了 一驚 , 竟然 有 這種 事 啊 。」

E: “I’m shocked too.”

( 總 覺得 , 今晚 總是 得到 驚喜 。但是 , 真 開心 啊 。 就像 我 和 MC 是 心意 互通 了 一樣 。 ) 

(This evening was a big surprise. However I am so happy. It is as if our hearts are connected as one) 

喜悦 在 身體 裡 擴散 開 來 , 愛德華 的 嘴 角 無 可抑制 地 揚 了 起來。

The joy circulated in his body and Edgar couldn’t help but to grin.

愛德華 「 但是 , 為什麼 要 送給 我 這個 ? 」

E: “But why did you decide to give me this?”

MC 「 你 現在 用 的 四 葉 幸運草 的 書籤 , 已 經 因為 頻繁 使用 的 關係 紙張 有些 殘破 了。而且… 我 想 重新 為 愛德華 的 幸福 相祈禱 。」

MC: “Your old one is wearing down a lot from the constant use. Also I would like to renew my prayers for your happiness.”

愛德華 「我 的 幸福 ? 」 (A/N: I’ve said this a lot before but here it is again, 幸福 entails happiness, joy, fulfillment and the many other good things in life)

E: “My happiness?”

MC 「 嗯 , 因為 愛德華 是 我 的 最 重要 的 人 。」

MC: “Because you mean the world to me.” (A/N You mean the world to me and you are my most important person is interchangeable)

愛德華 「…！」

E: “...!”

那 毫不猶豫 説出 的 語言 , 讓 愛德華 的 內心 産生 一陣 暖意 。

愛德華 已經 知道 , 那份 熱度 是 名為 『幸福 』 的 感情 。 

Edgar was touched by the sincere statement. His heart became extremely warm. He realized that this must be what happiness is.

(啊 , 怎麼 辦 內心 好 充實 。) 

(What do I do? My heart is racing.) [A/N: You and me both Edgar]

愛德華 「 …妳… 妳真 的 是 … 」 

E: “You. You really are...”

MC 「 愛德華 ? 」

MC: “Edgar?”

( 這個 人 , 真的 是 )

(This person really is...)

( ～ 到底 要讓 我 幸福 到 什麼 程度 妳 才能 甘心 呢 ? ) 身體 比 思想 更快 一步 動 起來 , 有些 強 硬 地 將 MC 的 頭 拉 向 自己 ～

(How happy do you plan on making me?) Edgar’s body moved before he could think and he pulled MC’s face towards him.

MC 「 嗯 」

MC: “Eungh.”

愛德華 吻住 她 的 嘴唇 , 變換 角度 多次 親吻 她 。 

Edgar tilted his head and kissed her. 

MC 「 …愛德華 ? 」 

MC: “Edgar?”

愛德華 「 …請 做 一個 深呼吸 。 我 想 、 暫時 是 停 不 下來 了 。 」 

E: “Please take a deep breath. I won’t be stopping any time soon.” (A/N: Another intermission, Saku chan has fainted again)

MC 「 誒 ? ～ 嗯… 」

MC: “Ehh? Eungh?” 

愛德華 像是 不讓 MC 逃避 般 按住 她 的 後頸 , 深吻 對方 。 煽動 熱度 般 將 舌 纏 絡 上去 後 , 懷中 的 MC 的 身體 發出 了 些許 顫抖 。 

Edgar was not about to let MC escape. As his tongue entangled around her’s, MC trembled in Edgar’s arms.”

MC 「 哈 啊 好 、 難受 。 」 

MC: “This is unbearable.” (A/N this usually means uncomfortable but definitely not in this case??)

愛德華 「 難受 的 人 是 我 才對 , 請 忍耐 一下 吧 。」

E: “Even more so for me but please bear with it.”

( 對 MC 的 感情 彷彿 要讓 自己 窒息 般 , 很難 受 。 )

(Holding back his feelings for MC would be unbearable)

猛地 抱住 她 的 腰 試圖 再 一次 奪取 她 的 嘴唇 時 , 一隻 小 手 慌忙 地 捂住 了 愛德 華 的 嘴唇 。 

As Edgar began to try and recapture MC’s lips a small hand rested itself on his lips.

MC 「 等 、 等一下 。 我 還 沒有 問 愛德華 送 給 我 禮物 的 理由 。 」

MC: “Wait, wait a moment. I haven’t been able to ask why you got me this present yet.”

( 啊 , 説 起來 的確 是… ) 

(Oh yeah, now that you mention that...)

稍稍 拉開 距離 , 注視 著 和 一 年前 一樣 無邪 的 眼睛 。

Those same innocent eyes, just as they were a year ago.

愛德華 「 妳 陪伴 了 我 這樣 讓人 為難 的 人 一年 時光 , 這 是 我 贈送 的 回禮 。在 我們 相遇 不久 的 時候 , 妳 就像 今 天 這樣 , 送給 了 我 祝福 我 幸福 的 四 葉 幸運草 吧 。我 為此 非常 開心 … 所以 這次 我 想 祈禱 MC 的 幸福 。 」 

E: “I wanted to repay you for the difficult year I have put you through. In the short time we have known each other you have been like the four leaf clover, granting me such great happiness. It made me so happy. I wish to pray for your happiness too.”

MC 「 愛德華… 」

MC: “Edgar...”

近在咫尺 的 MC 的 眼瞳 , 稍稍 有些 濕 潤 。映著 月光 而 閃閃 發光 的 瞳孔 , 讓 愛德 華 溫柔 地 瞇起 了 眼睛 。

MC’s eyes began to tear up, they reflected the moonlight and Edgar gazed at her with a gentle expression.

MC 「 愛德華 的確 是 個 麻煩 鬼 呢 。 讓 我 産生 喜歡 你 的 感覺 , 總是 讓 我 感到 內心 難過 。 」 

MC: “You sure are a troublesome guy. I like you so much that it hurts.” (A/N: It says in liking you my heart feels sad but the saying carried the same-ish meaning)

愛德華 「…唔。」

E: “Oh”

( …MC 是 個 如 陽光 般 的 人 啊 。 ) 

(...MC is like the sun.)

燦爛 的 笑容 和 溫柔 的 語言 , 總是 用光 芒 照耀 著 愛德華。

總是 簡單 地 讓 愛德華 的 心裡 充滿 幸福 感 。 

Every simple action that MC does makes Edgar feel such happiness. She does so with such ease.

愛德華 「 按照 這個 意義 的 話 , 妳 對 我 來 説 也是 個 麻煩 鬼 。而且 , 是 世界 第一 的 。 」

E: “If we go by this logic then you are a troublesome person too. The MOST troublesome.”

MC 「 愛德華 」 

MC: “Edgar.”

逗弄 般地 撫摸 MC 的 臉頰 , 溫柔 地 將 她 的 臉蛋 捧 在 掌心 。

With a bit of gentle teasing Edgar held her cheek in his palm.

( 今後 的 一年 , 希望 能讓 MC 變得 幸 福 。希望 能用 自己 的 手 ～ 讓 MC 變得 幸福 。 ) 

( In the coming years I want to give MC happiness. I want to male her happy with my own hands) 

帶著 這樣 的 願望 重疊 在一起 的 嘴唇 的 溫度 , 向 彼此 傳遞 出 了 滿溢 而出 的 愛 戀～

As their lips connected again, a feeling of love overflowed.

END!

Edgar is perfect so I will add some more pictures of him.

[thedepthsremember]

TRR 3.21: “Taken” aka ten minutes before this chapter dropped I woke up abruptly so I was shaky from adrenaline LET'S DO THIS

Ahhhh we're starting off with the SAD MUSIC oh boy :( 

Ah yes. We are definitely kidnapped. IF Y'ALL HURT MAXWELL I AM BURNING YOU TO THE GROUND 

This place is giving me flashbacks to the dungeons in Dragon Age: Origins. Where’s my dumbass buddy Jowan? god I really have a type huh

Wassup, Anton? Oooo he got a new outfit! He kinda looks like a priest with my glasses off.

I'm gonna put my glasses on.

My skin crawls hearing him describe Olivia as his wife. Olivia agrees and threatens dismemberment. Stab him, STAB HIM GIRL

The people love me, he can't make me a martyr and expect the people to just go with it. 

He disregards this. But he honestly likes Riley, which I guess is...….. nice... But not worth much since he’s still trying to murder her and everyone she cares about. :////

Also hurts to hear him say that in front of Maxwell who honestly liked Justin. :/ Maxwell just kinda. quietly sad in his corner. 

Liam's coming for us, and sounds like they've got Gladys locked up, now that she's done playing her part. Oh dear. I’m betting diamond choice for if we get her out or not.

Wassup Claudius. So this is the SOB who shot Drake (and almost me).

As a Hufflepuff and admittedly a bit removed from the situation, I remain more offended that he shot my friend than me. Riley doesn't share my feelings and is still rather personally offended. 

Sure, remove your mask from your face so I can punch it. 

Oh he's older than I thought he’d be. Hello jerk Zaeed. 

Do I defend Drake or do I insult his dumb face. Ughhh fine I'll be slightly more mature, I bet it’s cooler anyway. [it is]

Yep. Here's what this whole story comes down to. Are Liam's emotions his strength that's going to make him the King who’s right for Cordonia, or a weakness that'll doom us all?

If you have any doubt, you haven’t been following along. (But it’s fun to worry about it anyway.)

Claude: *calls Olivia a shrew*

SHREW?? SHREW MOTHERUFCKER ESCUSE ME I am about to rip myself free from these ropes and scratch out your eyes.

Ooo TCATF reference~ (this is like the only one I’m going to catch, I’m only 2 chapters in)

Olivia’s trauma conga line continues. :( God, it hurts me to think about how she grew up trying to live up to her name and her parents’ legacy, and of course loving them and wanting to know more about them... and now the more she finds out about it the more it only hurts her. 

Way back in chapter 10, if you ask Olivia’s aunt what Olivia’s parents were like: 

Sorry I just had to drag someone down that road with me to know what I was thinking about when...…. 

OLIVIA CALLED ME HER FRIEND. HER ONLY FRIEND. (sorry Liam you're out I'M IN) I'M HONESTLY CRYING HARDER THAN FOR THE WEDDING.

ahhhhhh, she’s just come so far. 

Anton gets in close to gloat. Idiot is in HEADBUTTING RANGE and I am TAKING IT. 

DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH MAXWELL DON'T YOU DARE 

THEY KNOCKED HIM OUT. OLIVIA FIND ME A SWORD, NOTHING WILL SAVE ANY OF YOU NOW. 

They leave us alone. Olivia says this isn’t how she expected the evening to end. Considering it is Riley’s wedding day, I have to say she had a fairly different idea of how she wanted this night to go as well. 

Yes Olivia, mediate on the image of PUNCHING ANTON'S STUPID FACE in a nice lovely field with a breeze. :) :) :) ahhh. relaxing.

(If you panic instead, MC cries that they’ll never kiss their LI or wear another fancy hat again!!! Olivia is unmoved by our nonsense.) 

Riley remembers her Cinderella roots and considers asking the mice for help chewing through the ropes. Dude, you’re trapped with Olivia. In this dress her earrings are knives. I think we'll be okay.

It is possible to mess up the escape real bad and get Olivia stabbed twice before you leave. It is hilarious, but throughout this whole thing my best efforts never got Riley killed. Bummer. 

MAXWELL'S OKAY!!! excuse you Olivia, this display of affection is totally necessary, did you not see the soulmate point. The game agrees with me.

Nggghh we have to solve a riddle to get outta here. Or else deadly traps. "The best offense requires a personal touch...” Shield because heraldry? But also like all Nevrakis stuff is stabbing, but here our only option is a sword and not knife. Uhhhhhhhhh ok sword.

Holy shit I did it! 

[Even if you mess up and hit all the options, the traps mostly stab at you a bit. Nobody actually dies. Bah.]

But if we did... How awkward. They come down to take us to mock Liam and we’re dead already. ‘mmm yes this is uhhh exactly as planned.’ 

Hey it's the lighthouse background! NIKOLAI WE'RE COMING FOR YOU Oh wrong book.

GLADYS?!!! Guys it’s Gladys! Wait uh no i’m not happy to see her. She tarnished my Rogue Leader title. 

*sighs* ........Guys I am such a fucking sap. I've forgiven her already. It's ok just like, stop using the sad sprite. 

THAT’S RIGHT YOU MADE MAXWELL SAD sympathy retracted.

My priorities are so messed up, guys. What even.

*sighs* Ok Gladys, just take us to the weapons.

If she stabs me in the back again, I deserve it at this point. 

“Olivia is it just me or does this look like your armory?” Yes guys, it is the Same Background.

Aww Gladys. It’s about what I thought. You got a crap deal and were very foolish and trusting about finding a way out of it. She didn’t even realize she was working for Anton. This was dumb and you're still super fired but I can’t really be mad. 

It’s a good look at how wacky nobles with their silly obsessions can actually hurt people without thinking about it. You’re in a position of power, you’ve gotta think about more than yourself. 

Looking at the different playthroughs, each of the LIs chooses a different weapon. Maxwell got a fancy knife (it kinda looks like it swings from the handle?? wild). Hana gets the double-bladed sword (hot). Drake picks up a sword (and they mention his duel with Neville). Neat detail. 

EYYY Olivia picked the pretty dagger that iirc looks like the one I used to open champagne at the Beaumont Bash :D bestiesssss 

....Damn. This means I can’t use it. I personally also prefer either the small stabbables or a bow, but I considering the boutique battle, I guess Riley's style is more swing vigorously. Axe it is! The other ones are too heavy and I’d probably be more likely to hurt myself than someone else honestly. 

Riley finds your weaponry expertise hot, Olivia. Maxwell probably does too. 

…...Oh my god for a minute I thought Olivia was going to stab Gladys in front of me.

I'm doing what's probably the dumb thing and letting her go to cause a distraction but WHELP. Gotta stay true to my brand. i just wanna trust!!!!

Gladys pulls through and keeps guards away from us! I hope she’s okay. [oh my god wait do we ever find out what happens to her??? Gladys??????]

(If you don’t let her go, you see a guard and accidentally almost stab your friends but there isn’t really danger. boooo)

speaking of friends IT’S DRAAAAKE AND HANAAAAA

MY BUDDIES MY GOOD DUDES ♥__♥ *GRABS BOTH OF THEM AND CRIES* 

LIAM YOU BIG.... DUMB.... GRYFFINDOR 😭 He’s gone off BY HIMSELF to stall Anton while Hana and Drake try to find us. Clearly none of them trust the king’s guard and who can blame them. but GOD I AM STRESSED. 

Anton: 'you want to see the hostages? Well uh I... would too, fuck where are they. Guysssss who was watching the hostages D:'

CLAUDIUS DON'T YOU TOUCH LIAM WITH YOUR FILTHY DRAKE SHOOTING HANDS 

Olivia says to wait for the right moment. Uh Olivia is now the moment LIAM'S GONNA GET HIMSELF SHOT

goddddddd he really doesn’t care if he dies as long as it gives us time to get out. L I A M

……… I just realized, if we hadn’t already freed ourselves and Hana and Drake were still looking for us, Liam would’ve definitely gotten himself killed. NO

Oh man Olivia and I vaulting over the banister, weapons in hand, dresses trailing behind us........ What an image 😍

Wh. Why. How could you make me choose who to help WHY I CRY

Ok we're going with Maxwell but if ANY OF THE REST OF YOU ARE DEAD I'M GOING TO BURN CORDONIA TO THE GROUND

“THIS ONE’S FOR RILEY. AND THIS ONE’S ALSO FOR RILEY.” God I love him. I’d be willing to bet that doesn't even change if you're not romancing him either. [I looked it up and it doesn’t! he is so ride or die]

Anytime Riley or Maxwell call each other partner my heart swells and I want to die. ♥

ANTON PULLS A GUN AND MAXWELL JUMPS IN D: Flashbacks to Maxwell being sad he couldn't protect us at the Homecoming ball like Drake did. Noooo baby you don't gotta 

Maxwell: [john mulaney voice] THAT’S MY WIFE!

If we get outta here you know he’s doing that all the time. 

Riley jumps in AND --- what she doesn’t chop Anton's arm off with her freaking battle axe? i guess she didn’t wanna get too gory while she’s wearing white. i mean. knocking things over on him works too.... i guesssss

Riley: AND STAY DOWN Anton: [immediately gets up] Riley: …..godddd dude learn to listen.

What kind of.... secret fighting dance move nonsense is this :'D 

[Drake voice] self defense and dancing aren’t all that different! 

Friends team up and talk the goons out of fighting us. Goons sense we are ANGRY and HOPPED UP ON WEDDING CAKE and VENGENCE and are prepared to BITE OUR WAY OUT OF HERE IF NECESSARY. 

Fukkin Claudius is still here and Drake …… recognizes his voice or something, I’m guessing. 

(dramatic inner monologue about how Drake probably hears that voice in his nightmares when he flashes back to that night... oh no) 

Hell yeah DRAKE REVENGE HEADBUTT!!!

Part of me deeply appreciates him being more vengeful for himself (who actually got shot) than me (who got scared but not at all shot). Everyone here cares about me way too much. 

WHOA

NO

YOU DO NOT STAB OLIVIA ON MY WEDDING DAY ABSOLUTELY NOT D8 

IF YOU CAN BREATHE YOU CAN STAND

AND IF YOU CAN STAND YOU CAN FIGHT

TEARS

(sidenote since I’m pretty sure like. everyone picked that option (and you should it’s hella good), but if you pick “You can’t kill her you need her!” Anton muses that he can just say you did it, and he can get sympathy points from the public for avenging his dead wife. he’s the fucking worst god stab him already Olivia THANKS YOU DID GREAT)

Olivia: “Riley, I’m hurt...” oh god the fact that she’s even admitting that …….. my eyes just won’t stop leaking. 

Oh god ALL these one liners are so fucking good AUGHHHH can I just say them all in succession as he's being dragged off????

YOUR PUN LEVEL IS NOTHING AGAINST MAXWELL, FAKE JUSTIN. NOTHINGGGG

~~~~~VICTORY GROUP HUG~~~~~~

Olivia is horrified by this show of affection. Drake, unwilling group hug veteran, comforts her.

This is all very touching but I wonder who Olivia's bleeding on. It had better not be me. We should probably get her medical attention.

HEY LOOK IT'S THE KING’S GUARD late as always.

I think it's all those edits but I cant help interpreting Liam's neutral face as sarcasm now. ‘Yes Bastien. We're here and fine :| So nice of you to show.’

Nah Bastien, screw propriety, you go ahead and yell at your foolish king. You can be his dad now. He at least should’ve had some kind of backup plan.

Honestly I’m thinking Bastien’s gotten so rusty not having to watch out for Leo that sneaking away was probably super simple for Liam.

Whelp, back the party! 

Awwww Reginaaaa ;-; Liam YOU JERK IF YOU DIED YOU WOULD HAVE LEFT HER ALL ALONE

Well. Alone with Leo. ...well. 

BERTRAND IS HUGGING US BOTH. ON PURPOSE. THIS DAY IS SO BLESSED. 

My dog! hi baby!!!! 

I am a sucker for every time they pull the “who’s a good boY!!!??” ":o?” “IT’S YOUUU” god I love doggos. 

Hell YES THIS IS THE TIME FOR DANCING. It’s called a victory dance for a reason. 

Drake just said the words "Maxwell is right." While smiling. what even is this day

We get some pairs interacting! 

Penelope and Kiara are always the best :D 

neville is like still fukkin here for some reason??? roast him madeline 

Regina and Olivia share a nice moment :) 

Olivia is still bleeding and annoyed about it. Olivia..... babe........ maybe like....... lie down a bit.............

Team Riley has another sweet moment~~~ 

Ok this is all very nice but Riley has gotta be getting tired and she still needs to bang Maxwell to within an inch of his life. When is that happening. 

FINALLY Madeline comes up like “hey ok I’m resigning my position as your official cockblocker, go, leave.”

girl ARE you serious. Are you. I GOT KIDNAPPED PROBABLY BC YOUR COCKBLOCKING SHENANIGANS WORE MY GUARD DOWN, AND NOW HERE YOU COME ok you know what I'm taking it

Riley: *GRABS MAXWELL AND THROWS HIM OVER HER SHOULDER* BYEEEEEE

Finally alone!!!! bless 

You have the option to succumb to giggles or tears or jump in his arms, and while I picked laughter because this whole thing is absurd as hell if you go for tears, he is very comforting and he gets many points for that. ♥

whelp, here they go. (this isn’t going to get detailed, don’t worry/sorry) (lol)

Different music than normal! It's the sexy club track instead of the '😏 yee we're getting busy 😏' ones. I like it! Sets the tone for this very well, it's celebratory! We are well past anyone needing to be seduced. In one option Maxwell jokes he's glad you guys got advance practice in (lol), and the difference here does show. Neither of them are trying to impress each other, this is pure culmination of 'I love you, I want you, we went through hell for this, get over here.'

I appreciate that even though Maxwell likes to be on top, every time he brings them to the floor or here with the couch, he cushions her fall. Sweet as hell. 

He's back in his fucking jeans I can't djdjjfjgjgjg 

if they’re so determined not to make him one with boxers, at least get one with the fancy pants. It doesn’t even have to be the same fancy pants, just like. try slightly harder. 

There's no way I was wearing that bra under that dress. 

Ok this recap is going to fade to black here.

...

Maxwell, I know we’ve got to work on your self-esteem, but you can’t give me credit for the sex, it’s a team effort. (and let’s be honest it kinda seems like he does most the work. Not that I’m complaining.)

Maxwell, whilst being adorable, accidentally flings his ring off and freaks out. Don’t even worry about it man, do you know how many rings I’ve just left on sinks in public bathrooms? I was happy with the dang twig 

.............he got 

he got us ROSES im

Mmdmmfmdn

this almost makes up for that dirty trick  they pulled on us at the beginning of book 2. 

Did

He

Write us a poem???

Flowers and champagne and mood lighting... babe it’s like you're about to propose all over again.

ok it was not a poem but it was...……………...very good and destroyed me

G o o d b y e  I love him so much

I want to physically fight the entire Cordonian court for making him think he wasn’t worth it. 

The amount of self-depreciating things he says with a smile on his face is.... unacceptable. 

Luckily he has Riley now and she’s damn well going to spend the rest of her days helping him build up that confidence he deserves. 

this entire scene is my cause of death. it’s been an honor and a privilege. 

♥♥♥

♥♥

♥

actually

speaking of 

the logical part of my mind felt like 3 books was a good place to bring the story to completion, but now that it’s becoming a reality...……… I’m not ready. :( 

[the-voice-of-hell]

Rent is Theft, part 21

Read from the beginning here, read the previous chapter here.  Note:  My MC is a Filipina trans woman and I am not.  If you have notes on that or anything else, hit me up.

                                                        ***

      When I woke the next day, head aching as bad as I expected, but there was a sort of pulling sensation I didn’t quite get.  I pawed at my temples.  There was a fresh wrap on my head that I did not remember putting there.  Leimomi must have done it in my sleep, and maybe a bit tightly.  I adjusted it.

      Then I realized that meant she would have had at least a few moments alone with that fucking bitch Reverse Courtney.  I was very alarmed by that.  What if she made it seem like that was my inner thoughts, that her hateful trash was my real feelings?  I couldn’t stand that.

      Leimomi was nowhere to be seen.  I stood up too quick, grabbed my head, and staggered around a moment.  She appeared in the doorway, all clean and wrapped up herself, the daylight lining her body.  She looked at me in concern, and I searched her face for a hint of Reverse Courtney trauma.

      “Did my stupid-ass head mouth say anything mean to you when I was asleep?”

      “I think so, but I don’t remember.  I only had it out for a moment, and I covered it.  I was real tired.”  She came into the darkness with me and held me in her arms.  “Are you OK?”

      I closed my eyes.  “Real hungover, but really good too.”  I lolled my head at unpleasant memories.  “I’m gonna try to forget my apartment exists for a few more hours, heh.”

      She kissed me and it turned into a little makeout session, right there.  I loved wrapping her in my scrawny arms, rubbing her all over.  I hoped it didn’t feel too much like being flogged with skeleton bones.

      Leimomi got me a bottle of water and then joined me on her bed.  I was still in the bathrobe from the other night, she was in capri leggings and a t-shirt.  We stayed on top of the blankets.

      “Thanks for helping me clean up, baby.  We gotta figure out a cleaner way to do all that.  Or just set my apartment on fire when we’re done with everybody, heh.”

      “It’s OK, Courtney.”  She ran a palm from my chest down to my belly, parting the robe.  “We’re both nice and clean.  You wanna fool around?”

      “Maybe just a little.  I dunno if I can go all the way with this headache.”

      “Aww.”  She pulled her hand back.

      “In for a penny, in for a pound?”

      “What?”

      “You don’t wanna fool around a little, gotta have a big climax or it isn’t worth your time?”

      “I dunno.  Why just do sex stuff a little?  That would be frustrating.”

      “Sometimes it can feel nice.”  I rolled onto my side to better look her in the face.  “Like, I’d love to kiss your *redacted* but I don’t think I’ve got the stamina to finish what I start.  But you might still kinda like it, even if it’s frustrating?  I know I’d like it.”  I made a grabby hand gesture in the air to underscore my point.  Give me those things, please.

      “Mm, OK, but if I get lady blue balls, I’m gonna be mad at you.”  She whipped off her shirt.

      *sex scene redacted for tumblr*

      Maybe we both fell asleep after that, or she just let me sleep for a bit, until we were roused by a knock at the door.

      I wrapped myself up to answer it, because Leimomi still had to wrestle her bra back on.

      “Marcie, hey.  Sorry I can’t invite you in just now.  You wanted to see Momi?”

      “I just wanted to see you, thank you for helping Mikey!”

      “Hey,” he said.  The daylight in the apartment had me a bit blind for looking into the hall, with its weak electric lights.  I hadn’t noticed him lurking behind her.

      “Mike, hey.  Feeling better?  Or worse?”

      “I’ll be alright.  Being green was kinda like being high, so I’m not too hot right now, but Marce is takin’ care of me.  She’s a saint.”

      “Well great.  I love you guys.  Have a nice one,” I said.

      “Love you too, girl!”

      I came back in, feeling nice, despite the low thunder in my head, and lay down on the bed again.  “Mike seems great.  It’ll be good to get done with this shit, but I just can’t do it again tonight.”  I laid a paw on her arm.

      “I figured.  That was rough.”

      “I know we can’t afford to wait for the next full moon.  Maybe we’ll just take one night off and go back to it.  I can try to come up with different spells for all our problems.”

      “Would you kick me in the stomach like Mike?”

      “Never.  Might have to shave your pretty hair, though.  I hope not.”

      She had a moment of alarm at the prospect but then shook it off.  “That’s silly.  I’ll be glad to go bald for a while to get rid of this problem.”  Then she looked sharply at me.  “But will you love me if I’m bald?”

      I grinned.  “Hell yes.”

      “But why?  That would be so ugly.”

      “No way, baby.  You’re real cute.  I love your hair but I haven’t seen it in a while, y’know?  I’m still coming around.”

      “If you say so.”

      “I do.”  I was about to say it would make her look more gay, and I’d love that too, but I knew that conversation would tread into territory where I’d find out whether she really thinks of me as a woman, and it killed my mood.

      “What do you like about me?  Is it just my big *******?”  She was looking coy, which is great, because I couldn’t handle her self esteem problems right then - not as well as she deserved.

      “Yes, hahaha.”  I squeezed * ***** maniacally and she pushed me back until my head squished into the pillow, threatening to lose the headwrap.  We settled down and I grabbed her hand.  “Seriously, I love everything about you.”

      “You don’t know everything about me.”

      “You aren’t who you used to be.  You’re who you are right now, and I know who that is.  You’re my girlfriend.”

      “I guess that’s true.”  She put an arm behind my head and I snuggled into place.

      “I was thinking about it.  I don’t know if I ever dated an Islander before.”

      She smiled.  “Just how many people did you date, Courtney?”

      I gripped her around the waist and shook her around.  “Grrr!”  I flopped back down beside her.  It was too much effort.  “You win, I’m a huge slut.  Huge hungover slutty slut.”

      “I love you, slut.”

      “I love you too, honey.”  I relaxed again.  “Anyway, I just mention that Islander thing, because it feels significant.  Like, I’ve never dated anybody that looks like my people.  You don’t look like the average Pinay, but if you flipped the islands probably a few Leimomi lookalikes would fall out.”

      “That’s weird.  Why you say that?”

      “I can imagine a different life, where we were from the same place.  Same neighborhood.  Where we grew up together.”

      “Oh no, you don’t wanna be in Pearl City with my family.”

      “That’s not what I mean.”  I touched her face.  “Get with me on this.  Just hear me out.”

      “OK...”

      “We’re in some kinda place that never existed.  Pilipwaii.  It’s a nice island, low key people working hard and not so many hustlers and problems.”

      “Pilipwaii?  What’s it look like?”

      “There’s a mountain but it isn’t an active volcano, pretty worn down.  The reefs around the island got so big they shelter it from storms.  The city is on a little plane, growing stuff like cane, bamboo, coconuts, bananas, mangos.  The only school is a catholic school, so we grew up being chased around by nuns with rulers.”

      “Why mean nuns?  You want the story to be nice.”

      “I want it to be believable.  So trouble in paradise, baby.  Anyway, you and me are schoolgirls together, best friends.”

      “How could I be friends with you?  You’re smart and--”

      “There aren’t so many kids in a small town.  Everybody knows everybody, and we just like each other, right?  I hope you can find that believable, because you’re my girlfriend.”

      “I’m your girlfriend in the story?”

      “Not yet.  Listen.”

      “Hmm.”

      “We’re just friends.  Best friends.  It can happen all kinds of ways.  You know, I’ve always had friends that are different from me.  Maybe I got hurt and you helped me out, or I helped you with your homework, or you were sad and I was nice to you one time.  And it stuck, we stuck together.  Best friends, in Pilipwaii.”

      “At the school with the mean nuns.”

      “That’s right.  So one day, I’m in love with this boy, and he’s mean to me.  He tricks me and then says he doesn’t like me in front of some other girls and everybody laughs and stuff.”

      “This is too sad.  Did the nuns laugh too?”

      “They did.”

      “I’ll kill ’em.”

      “It’s OK.  So I run home, I’m all sad and it’s terrible.  You find me and help me feel better, hug me and say nice things.”

      “I love you,” she said, and gave me a little squeeze.

      “That’s right.  Something like that.  We’re there, say, in a gazebo.  Big blue dragonflies are flying by.  It’s hot but there’s a cold breeze blowing off the ocean.  We’re schoolgirls, best friends, and you hold me and say, Hugo is a stupid ugly boy and I deserve better, and you love me and stuff.”

      “I hope the nuns don’t hear that.”

      “Well, you just mean, you love me like a friend, right?  We say that stuff, like friends.  But this time I’m looking you in the eye and I realize, maybe we could be more than friends.  But it’s a little island, so nobody ever told us that being gay is an option, right?”

      “This story is weird, Courtney.”

      “Is it OK?”  I searched her face.  She nodded in approval and I resumed.  “Well right, so you and me, we’re there, we’re schoolgirls, and we never heard the word lesbian in our lives, but I’m still super into you.  And then I kiss you, and you start to get it.”

      “Whoa.”  She looked at me, then away to the ceiling, and back again, thinking about it all.

      “Is that a good whoa or a bad whoa?”

      “Wait.  Now I know why people think schoolgirl skirts are sexy.”

      “Hehehe, nooo, I’m not trying to be a pervert.  I’m just saying, for all it matters, we could love each other any kinda way.  Like, it doesn’t matter how we got here.  Let’s just say we came from Pilipwaii.”

      “OK, but tell me about our skirts.  Are they kinda short?”

      “No, they’re long.  It’s a little island.  Very conservative.  But our shirts have short sleeves and we have little bow ties.”

      “That’s cute.  And you kissed me, and I start to get it, like, hey, we could love each other.  No Hugo.”

      “Yeah.  So we kiss and it’s kinda sloppy and stupid because we don’t know what we’re doing or know what to do.”

      “And I start to figure it out,” Leimomi said, “like what I wanna do.”  She reached inside my bathrobe, *redacted*

      “Oh no, I gasp!  I shy away.  It’s all so fast.  What are we doing?  Have we gone crazy?”

      “Whut.”

      “It’s part of the bit.  Like, there’s a push and pull.  Will we or won’t we?”

      “Oh.  But we will, right?”

      “You fucking know we will, baby.”  I kissed her savagely.  “But right now,” I panted a little, “I’m terrified of this forbidden love.”

      “I’m so sad, I can’t handle it.  I guess I’ll cry.”

      “Don’t cry, Leimomi.  I come back to you, take your hands.  What is this?  What are we doing?  We’re both girls.  It isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”

      “But why?  Nobody is around, we can do whatever we want.  I want to love you so much, Courtney.”

      “It works, I’m like, oh shit, I can’t handle it anymore.  I open my shirt up.”

      “Heeheehee, yeah, now you’re talking.  I open my shirt up too.”

      *redacted*

      “It’s time for freedom.  Young ladies inventing lesbianism for the first time in the Universe, since all the other times it happened for other girls.”

      She pulled off her t-shirt again.  “Cool.”

      I unfastened her bra and *redacted sexy / emotional content*

      Were we being romantic or dirty?  Both by turns, but those turns proved awkward to navigate.

      We *redacted* and talked dirty and sweet until we both *redacted*  She’d already worn herself out some that morning, and I was surprised she was able to go again like that.  *redacted*

      In the afterglow, she didn’t jump up or freak out, which was great.  And I hadn’t gone down on her, so there was no question about kissing afterward.  We snuggled up, just the thin material of my bathrobe between us to reduce sweat.  I was tempted to *redacted* but I resisted the urge to avoid coming off like a total freak.

                                                        ***

      There was another knock at the door.  I rolled my eyes, put my robe on, and answered it.

      “Hey Patrick.  Were you looking for me?  Does Perry need help with something?”

      “Kinda.  I was wonderin’, how do we say who gets ta go next?  I’d like to go, get it done.”

      “My priority has been whoever is in the most danger of ratting us out, getting us in trouble.  You have something like that going on?”

      “Naw, it’s just somethin’ personal, bothers me a lot.”

      “Well I think we all need some rest tonight so not now, but maybe tomorrow we see about some kind of plan?  I don’t think anyone else seems likely to be a problem.  Like if Olivia’s head pops up, she can join a circus and make some real money.”

      “Thanks, Courtney, you’re a doll.”  He reached out to shake hands.

      My hands were both behind the door, only my head poking out.  “Ah, hands are full.  Thanks, Patrick.”

      “See ya later!”  He smiled and walked away.

      I looked down the hall after him.  His walk was a little awkward, but was that a clue?  What was going on under his clothes?  Marcie had two holes in her upper chest, I’d found, little squares that puffed out smoke.  Most of the time she could keep it down, but several times a day she had to open the covers to let it out, or she’d feel a burning in her lungs and throat.  Never did hear what Patrick and Perry had going on.

      I pushed the door closed with the backs of my arms, avoiding getting my wet hands on everything.  But that meant my hands were close to my face when she wasn’t looking.  I avoided touching my face, but I took a deep inhale, and one little lick of a finger.  It was awesome.  Sue me.

      I washed my hands and went back to her, sitting on the edge of the bed.  I was going to just stay another moment, but couldn’t resist laying down again.  This time I was on my belly, face propped up with one arm, the other draped over my lovin’ lady.

      “I was thinking about the haircut.  I think it would be real cute.  You could grow it out again later, but for now, it’s fun to play with a different look.”

      “Huh.  That’s weird.  Is it because you’re a grunger?”

      “Hehe, maybe.  But more than that, it’s like...  I know you’re bisexual like me, but you’re in lesbian love now, baby.  It might be fun to see you play the part.  Girls like me have to be girled up all the time just to have a chance of people treating us like we want.  But you?  You could get big flannel shirts and tank tops and stuff.”

      “Whaaat?”  She crinkled her forehead all to Hell like I was trying to teach her quantum mechanics.  “Dress like a lesbian?  Like, butch?”

      “I know, you aren’t really a butch.  You’re a sweet lil’ girly babe.  But it can be fun to play a different style, y’know?  What do you think?”

      “I never thought...  I guess I could.  But how would people look at me?  What would they be like?”

      “Some people might be mean.  A lot of people will be pretty nice.  And in this town?  Ladies will be on your jock, like twenty-five deep at all times.  You’ll have to keep them off you with a baseball bat.  Probably some weird fellas too.”

      “You’re lying.  No way that’s true.  Why would they?”

      “Lesbians like butches, but most of them are not.  It means you’d be a precious rarity.  Plus you’re so cute and tall and strong, you’d kill them dead.  They’d have trouble walking because their legs would go all wobbly around you.  It would be hilarious.”

      “Oh my goodness.”  She touched her face, which was hot and pink.

      I kissed her cheek to steal a little of that heat.  It was mine.  I put it there, after all.  “My cutie.”

      She shook off the embarrassment.  “You just wanna make the lesbians jealous.  That’s mean.”

      “I know.  I’m horrible.  But we gotta eat.  I’ll make us something.”

      I sprang out of bed and put on the clothes I’d brought over the previous night.  Leimomi dressed too, still lost in thought at the prospect of a makeover.  She followed me out and sat down across the kitchenette island from me, on one of the tall stools.  I got to work on some spam, macaroni, and cheese.  I found the sauce from the packets was less gross with some milk and spices added, and randomly found part of a red pepper to mix in.

      “You didn’t think much about being a lesbian before, huh.  What do you think now?  Gonna get those intertwined Venus symbols tattooed?  Doc Martens?”

      “I dunno.  If you think it’s a good idea.”

      “Again this power I have.  I feel like an evil hypnotist from Scooby-Doo.”

      “I just don’t care what I look like, I guess.  Like, you know why.”

      “Sorry, babe.  But yeah, I think it’ll be real fun to get you dyke clothes, at least to wear ’til your hair grows back.”

      “You’re a weird weirdo, but you’re my girlfriend, so I gotta do what you say.”

      “Lovers are supposed to be partners, equals.  If you gotta do what I say, then I gotta do what you say.  Any requests?,” I said, gesturing to the food I was making.

      “Naw.  You do it pretty good.”

      “Just ‘pretty good’?  Sounds like there’s room for improvement.  You don’t have to know how to cook to know how to judge food.  Just think, would I like this better if we did it like that?  I’ve made this for you before.  Didn’t do the pepper last time, but I had green onion and cayenne for garnish.  What did you think?  Was that alright?”

      “Green onion, is that the little green rings?”

      “The way I cut it that time, yeah.”

      “I didn’t mind those, but I didn’t like them either.”

      “That’s OK, I don’t have any this time.  How’d you like the texture?  Like, how it felt in your mouth.”

      “It was OK.”

      “Coulda been better?”

      “I dunno.”

      “Don’t make me follow through on that clown thing.”

      “Hehe.  OK, so what do you want?”

      “Was it too creamy, too thick, too sticky, too rich, too thin?  Do you prefer a different kind of sauce with macaroni?  If it’s really OK, then it’s OK.  But if it’s not OK and you’re pretending just to be nice, I’m gonna make us have clown sex.”

      “Is that a promise?”

      “Alright, so now I see how it is.  You really don’t care about macaroni sauce, and you might be into clown sex.  These are important things to know, for our future together.  I will take these mental notes and never reverse or overwrite them with contravening information.  No matter how much you protest, from now on, I will know that you want to look like a clown when we fuck.”

      “Don’t make it so complicated.”

      “So like, a simple clown outfit, nothing too fancy.  A few polka dots, big shoes, a red nose?”

      “Yeah.  But I thought you wanted me to dress like a butch dyke.”

      “You know the ‘D’ word now?  You’ll be ready for Pride in no time.  Hm...  I gotta figure out where to get combat boots with novelty foot length.”

      “A butch clown?  I don’t think the lesbians would be jealous of you anymore.”

      “Damn!  This is too complicated.  Maybe you were better prepared to go lesbo than I was.”

      “Heehee.”  She got shy.

      “Hey, you’re thinking about something and not telling me.”  The water was up to a boil so I turned the heat down to seven and poured in the pasta.

      “We both weren’t prepared.  We don’t have a double dildo.”

      I stood up straight in shock, though by then I should have been getting used to the idea of her knowing more about sex, in her own way.  “What.  What do you know about double dildos, girl?”

      “Well, usually lesbians use a double dildo, right?  Like one side goes in my pussy, and, uh...”

      “Best place for me to put my end is the back door.  But I’m sure plenty of lesbians don’t have double dildos.  Where did you hear about that?”

      “I just saw a porno once.  Some ladies used a double dildo.  Guess I thought...”

      “We could use a double dildo, if you want.  Sounds fun.”  I stirred the macaroni, had to bust some apart as they had started to clump in the freshly released flour goo.

      “Heehee.”  She played with her hands.

      “What else do you know about lesbian stuff?”

      “Ya know, I never thought about it, but the pornos I saw are different from the lesbians I see around town.  Like, in the pornos they have pretty hair and makeup, wear skirts and heels and stuff.”

      “Sharp.  That’s right.  Most of those pornos are made for straight dudes.  Might look different if ladies made ’em.”

      “Why don’t ladies make ’em?”

      “I dunno, but I could take a few guesses.  You wanna be like a real life lesbian, like the ones on the streets, or would you rather be a porno lesbian, like in the movies?”

      “We get a choice?”

      “Always.”

      “You are like a porno lesbian.”

      “Guess I made my choice.  How about you?”

      “If I have short hair, I’ll hafta be like a real life lesbian.”

      “Or you could mix it up.  That’s what they call ‘queer’.”

      “So if I have short hair, but I still wear makeup and stuff, I am queer, but if I have short hair and I wear a flannel shirt, I am butch?”

      “That’s close enough to right.”

      “I dunno.  I don’t like to be wrong, to say the wrong thing.  Maybe I won’t talk about this stuff with real life lesbians.”

      “Just porno lesbians like me, right?”

      “Umm, maybe just you.  Not another porno lesbian.”  She considered that.  “Wait, are there porno lesbians in real life, aside from you?”

      “Not a lot of us, and I’m sure most of us wouldn’t want to be called that.  They also say ‘lipstick lesbian’ for ladies that stay lady-like, though most of them are still gonna do things their own funny way.  I kinda like that porno lesbian thing for myself, because I’m not gonna dress like the singer from 4 Non Blondes.”

      “I don’t get that one.  You lost me again.”

      “Hahahaha, you’re in for a treat.  I’m gonna look that up for you when we’re done eating.”  I served up the food.

                                                        ***

   Read next chapter here.

[kazosa]

Secrets - SoA: Chapter 14

Summary: Reader has lived in a life full of secrets. When her father dies unexpectedly and sends her on a trip all over the country, she finds out just how much like her father she really is. The end of her trip brings her to Charming, CA where she finally gets some big pieces of her family puzzle put back in place and form new relationships with the people there. Chapter 14: After the hearing at Scoops. Confrontation. Almost smut Warnings: language A/N: If it wasn’t clear before, this takes place after the events of the final episode, SPOILERS! Italics are for Chibs and his inner thoughts. Bold is for the reader’s inner thoughts. Word Count: 1748

Masterlist

Tags: @telford-ortiz-teller  @sam-samcro  @tstieff  @yourcroweater  @kacilove26  @hiddlelove  @evilsorceress  @reallynigga21  @suz-123  @between-shades-of-winchester  @caitcrook  @i-was-made-of-nutella @charlottecl  @gunsnrosesislife  @yoonjigu  @mkindoll2016  @confidencerush  @jade770  @lost-in-the-stories

Despite what her daughter thought, Debbie saw more than she let on and she’d be damned if she bit her tongue. (Y|N) had always been a worry for her. She and Bud had tried so hard to keep her away from the MC life. The last thing she ever wanted was for her only child to get caught up in that mess, and definitely not with the Sons of Anarchy. In a way, she was glad John hadn’t lived to see what that sonofabitch, Clay, had done to her brother’s creation.

Her trip to Charming was, sadly, almost expected. It seemed like anyone that came in contact with SAMCRO ended up needing a lawyer. Debbie had hoped that this trip her husband had sent their daughter on would end up with (Y|N) returning to Iowa with her tail between her legs. She really hadn’t expected her to make it on her own and not for so long.

Over the course of the year (Y|N) was gone, Debbie had come to terms with the fact that not only was she doing just fine on her trip, but that she was also still running the company from the road, with Jack’s help. Seeing (Y|N) with Chibs rubbed her the wrong way, she knew that look, she knew that look all too well. They looked at each other the way she and Bud had. She was not about to let her daughter get cemented into a life of uncertainty and illegal activities. The way his hand went around her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss on the forehead, was quite enough.

“Filip Telford!” she called out. He tried to bring (Y|N) over with him, the nerve. “Just you.”

“Shit,” he whispered. Not much scared him, but the wrath of that small woman was enough to make the toughest of men cower. He slid into the booth next to Jack. “Debra.”

“Don’t you bring my daughter into this life. Don’t you drag her down with you. She dated that worthless piece of shit, Brandon, when I told her he wasn’t right in the head. The bastard almost killed her. Then she took up with a goddamned car thief who, while he was in PRISON, beat the shit out of Brandon. She didn’t listen to me with him, either. When she’s done working this audit for the shop, she’s coming home if I have to haul her back myself,” she hissed at him.

His body was barely containing the rage and fear he felt. It pissed him off that she even thought that she could control her daughter like that. (Y|N) was a smart girl and could make up her own mind and didn’t need anyone telling her, including himself, what she should do with her life.

“Is that right? And jus’ wha’ makes ye think YOU can make her do anything?” he asked.

“Break it off with her, Chibs, or I’ll make your life here hell,” she warned.

“Deb…” Jack tried to intervene.

“This doesn’t concern you, Jack,” she snipped.

“I hate to break it to you, dear, it doesn’t concern you, either,” he said, apologetically.

She completely ignored Jack. “I’m not a person that makes idle threats, Filip. Don’t test the limits of my good nature.”

What the scariest thing about Debbie was, she said it all with a straight face, completely free of emotion, but her eyes… her eyes said she would do everything in her power to make her threat reality. Debra Teller (Y|L|N) was not a woman to be trifled with.

You were trying to keep an eye on the conversation in the booth. Filip looked very dark, like he might explode at any moment. In typical ice queen fashion, your mother’s face was devoid of emotion, except for her eyes. Her eyes were filled with a knowing hate for the Sons of Anarchy and everything they had stood for. You’d gleaned enough information regarding your mother’s feelings about the Sons over the years and she had not been kind.

Tig was doing his best to distract you, telling you dirty jokes and bad puns.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Tig’s voice went serious for a moment. “You gonna stick around?” he searched your eyes. “The pres. likes having you here.”

“At least until the audit is done, after that, it’s up to him,” you hooked your thumb at Chibs.

Your response seemed to satisfy him for the time being. “Good. Having you around has been the most fun I’ve had in years.”

Happy wandered over to where you and Tig were sitting at the counter. He reached between you two and grabbed an M&M cookie off the plate on the counter.

“Good.” Happy said through a mouthful of cookie, “Chibs is better.”

“Better?” you were confused.

Tig confided, “After we lost everyone, we all took it hard. Chibs took it hardest, plus the weight of running the club. He’s less… pulled down by it all.”

Not knowing what to say, “I… I like him… a lot. I want to stay, but I do have to go home and get things in order there before I can come back. Maybe open a branch out here somewhere. We do enough business this way that we could justify it, I think.”

“Want me to get someone looking for a spot to open shop? I know a guy in real estate, can get you the hookup,” he seemed hopeful.

The client base could easily justify opening a branch. It wouldn’t make much sense for you to run it if you didn’t have Filip to go home to. With the tumultuous week you’ve had, the shit with Jarry, and now your mother… he might decide you’re not worth the trouble that always seemed to find you.

“Can I get back to you on that?” you asked him. Tig was okay with it and assured you that all you had to do was say the word and he’d be on it for you.

Out the corner of your eye, you noticed Filip had gotten up and went to the back of the building. Putting out any fires you mother may have started was your priority and you were about to follow him out. Instead you were met by 5’2” of holy fucking terror.

“I expect you to come back home as soon as you are done. The club only needs you to keep their collective asses out of trouble. Then, you get home. Jack has been running things too long as it is. You’re taking advantage and that’s not fair to him either,” she had an unbending air about her. “Your father and I gave up everything to make sure you never had to live this life. I don’t want to see everything he worked so hard for go to waste because you weren’t there to give it life.” She paused and looked toward Jack, “We’re leaving now.”

Obligation made you hug your mother and say goodbye. Jack gave you a warm hug and a wink before you two said your goodbyes. You remained motionless as you watched the pair walk out of sight. As soon as they were gone, you spun on your heel and went to look for Filip. You were going to run up the stairs when you caught movement outside through a crack in the door…that and the sound of what you had come to recognize as Gaelic swearing.

Pushing the door open to the back alley, Chibs was smoking like a chimney, pacing and cussing all at the same time. You slipped through the opening and leaned against the wall waiting for him to notice you. You hadn’t seen him so enraged before.

When he saw you, he broke from his mutterings and came striding over to you, “Yer ma’s a piece of work, ya know tha’?!” He stalked off not waiting for you to answer, of course you knew what she was like, “piece of work” were never the words you used though. “Where the hell does she get off tellin’ people who they can and can’t…” he stopped himself short. Catching his breath a little, and slowly closing the distance between the two of you, “I won’t pull you into anything, lass. If you want to be here, I want you to be here, aye?”

You nodded, still stuck to the wall behind you. Filip loomed close. He blew out the last of his cigarette and threw the butt to the ground, grinding it out with his boot. He put both of his hands on the wall behind you, locking you in place. His intensity was both scaring you and turning you on. He stared down into your eyes, his own filled with lust.

His hand left the wall and his fingertips touched your neck, his thumb grazing your jaw as his hand cupped the back of your neck and head. Your breaths were coming short and quick in anticipation. His mouth was so close to your own, you could feel him stealing your breath.

“Do ye want to be wi’ me, luv, here, now?” his body pressed firmly into yours.

You raised your hand and cautiously put it on his chest the other wrapping around him, grabbing his ass.

“God, yes,” you said breathily.

“God has nothin’ ta do wi’ it, luv,” his other hand had moved to your waist, his finger in the waistband of your jeans, tickling the soft skin of your belly, as he traced the hem. “It’ll be my name yer screaming when I’m done wi’v ye.”

His mouth finally met yours, kissing you hard, your lips and teeth mashing together. You were starting to get mad at the obscene amount of clothing that was separating you. You ground your hips into him looking for any sort of relief you could get for your throbbing clit. His hand moved to your ass and down your leg, pulling your knee up to his hip.

The door suddenly pushed open and Chuckie walked out with a bag of garbage for the dumpster. He walked sideways with his back to you and Filip. Only then did your mouths part, Chibs eyeing Chuckie the whole way.

“Sorry, boss, sorry,” Chuckie hurried.

Filip relaxed his hold on your leg and you both went about composing yourselves. He took your hand and pulled you inside and up the stairs to the apartment where he set about making you scream his name for the first time that day.

[oh-my-otome]

Hi! Can u do a reactions to the MC accidentally kissing another suitor and their suitor ends up seeing it. Or the suitors getting jealous of something? (Dtl). Thank you and I hope your vacay was wonderful! The pics look great :)

Since you asked for two different things, let’s mix them up a bit by doing both!

Let’s start with the DtL suitors seeing an accidental kiss, and then some quick jealousy fics!

Kyo & Yamazaki: Nooooo! Precious Anon! Why do you want me to hurt these buns!? 

Hijikata: Doesn’t care that it was an accident, assigns the guy who kissed you extra shifts and runs him ragged for a week.

Kondo & Sakamoto: Sumbish betta run. I can’t see either one of them doing anything other than opening up some fine grade, vintage, top shelf Whoop Ass. But if you want me to write a story about it:

Once upon a time, Kondo & Sakamoto killed a dude until he died to death. The end.

Okubo: Without a sound, gets up and shuffles downstairs and out the door in the direction of the bookseller’s, mumbling all the while that his dictionary isn’t thick enough to “slap a bish” with.

Yuki (to your face): “Meh, it happens.”

Yuki (every time he sees the guy): Casually brandishes short sword.

Saito: He tried to remain level-headed, and maintain his business smile, but that only lasted as long as it took for him to get back from walking you home. Challenged the dude to a match in front of the whole compound.

Takasugi: It’s adorable how Katsura thinks Takasugi can hear his frantic cries of “it was an accident!” over the sound of him sharpening his knife.

Katsura: Actively suppressing the fact that it strangely turned him on.

***

Keiki: In a quiet dark alleyway, as the dust and dirt roll by his sandals, staining his expensive socks and marring the hem of his kimono, Keiki stops to collect his breath, before rounding to face the shadowy nothingness behind him.

“Leave me.”

“But young master–”

“I said go!”

Without a sound, a pair of hands extend toward him in the darkness, and in the low lighting, Keiki can just barely make out the print of his haori, folded neatly in the man’s hands.

He tutted under his breath, making no move to take it. He didn’t appreciate being babied right now, not that he would appreciate it in another circumstance.

“Milord, if you will at least cover up, before you catch a chill.”

Before he could protest, the air flaps around him, and Keiki can feel his arms being carefully thrust into the haori sleeves, the motion so quick and seamless that he hasn’t the time to order the man to stop.

Something snaps inside of Keiki, a feeling like a dry twig crackling as it is wrenched from the bough, and he finds himself digging his finger through the hole of one of his throwing knives, hidden in an inner pocket within his kimono.

Snatching it out, he brandishes it while he backs away from the man, his voice rising in angry defiance the narrower his eyes become.

“I said go back!”

The man takes one step back into the shadows, and even though Keiki can barely make out his form, he knows for a fact that the ninja is standing defensively, ready to knock away his master’s throwing knife, should Keiki lose his cool.

He may be an expert knife thrower, but there was no sense in paying for ninja who were on the same skill level as himself.

“Master Yoshi,” the ninja begins, and Keiki is already annoyed at his soothing, almost babying tone, “I was watching her the whole time.”

Keiki didn’t need his ninja to tell him that– it was what he paid the man for. Keep his distance and observe.

But when Keiki had happened upon her at the market, he had happily broken into a jog to catch up with her. Before he could reach her, he saw the fish monger’s assistant press a kiss to the back of her hand after a purchase.

He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the minute she turned around, he had thrown himself sideways into an alley, not knowing exactly why he felt the need to hide, but also not wanting to be caught barging in on something like that either.

‘Burn it,’ Keiki thought, on a derisive chuckle, ‘buy his stall and burn it down.’

He could saunter over and flaunt his wealth. Put the peasant in his place.

But she’d hate him if he did that.

And he’d hate himself for falling so low.

“Lord Tokugawa!” came the same voice from the shadows, “I’ve been saying, what will you have me do?”

Keiki had almost forgotten that his ninja was still before him, awaiting orders, and that he, himself, had his own back pressed against the wall like some sort of conspirator.

Peeking around the corner, he spotted his girlfriend with her basket of sea bream as she made her way back to Shiki.

Stepping from the alley into the light, Keiki made sure to catch the assistant’s eye with a withering glare, before grandly flicking his haori behind him, and setting off toward the restaurant.

“I can handle it myself.”

***

Kirisato: She has been grinding her teeth, watching you chit-chat with Keiki as he offers to pour you another drink. She knows you’re just being friendly, but she can see what’s flickering in Keiki’s eyes, and she doesn’t like it.

Skillful as ever, she keeps the conversation up, despite her misgivings. With each graceful downward tilt of her head, a picture of demure femininity, her eyes dart to where Keiki’s hand has been steadily inching its way toward yours.

Kirisato fights the urge to grasp at the short sword tucked within the silken folds of her kimono.

‘I wouldn’t, if I were you,’ she let the words slip down her throat as she swallows, changing the topic once more, lest she say it out loud.

Right now, Kirisato didn’t think she would be able to keep Haru’s voice from coming out of “Kirisato’s” visage– and if Keiki found out their secret, there was only one possible solution.

When you stretch forward to pick up a sugar-dusted sweet from a tray just out of your reach, Keiki is quick to lean forward, offering to bring it closer to you. The two of you bump into each other and, to Kirisato’s horror, your pretty pout lands smack dab on Keiki’s parted mouth, his words trailing off into an awkward mumble.

Kirisato quickly laughs it off, right along with the two of you, blaming the sake, even though she knows that it takes much more than what he’s had to make Keiki tipsy.

She picks up the tray and sets it down between the two of you with a thud, the sweets clattering against the shiny lacquered dish, her pale eyes firmly fixed on Keiki the whole time.

Snatching her gaze off of the startled shogun, she straightens her back and turns to you.

“Please. Have some more,” she says, with all the cheerful good humor of a host in full form.

However, something about the atmosphere is palpably different, as if a cold wind has washed over the room, taking with it the last traces of self-control that she can summon.

It’s Haru’s sardonic smile now, on Kirisato’s cherry red lips, hitching higher by the second– a great crimson slash of a sneer.

She narrowed her eyes, staring Keiki down, bold as she pleased.

“Although I wouldn’t, if I were you.”

Okita: In the bright noon sun, two figures sat perched on a roof, toward the southern end of the Shinsengumi compound.

“Are you going to tell me why you had me bring you up here? You’re not exactly light,” Yamazaki slipped the band off of his ponytail, and shook out his hair in the afternoon breeze. His shadow fell over Okita, as he sat, hunched and moody, his face turned away.

“Can you at least tell me why you’re furiously petting a rabbit!?”

“I need it!” Okita sulked, knuckling Mochi’s back in large circles. He sat draped over his pet, his brow wrinkling with aggravation. 

Every so often, Okita would mutter under his breath, but Yamazaki could hardly make anything sensible out of the snatches of words he could decipher.

“A rabbit?”

“Shut up! It’s comforting!”

“You ‘needed’ me to drag your rabbit-toting behind…up onto this roof?” Yamazaki didn’t bother with a dry, exasperated tone this time– his side-long glance raking over Okita was enough.

“Fine. Why are we–”

“It’s all Saito’s fault!” Okita wailed, the palm of his hand flying over Mochi’s cinnamon brown fur, picking up speed with each pass.

“I finally challenged him to a match! Winner gets a kiss from my girlfriend, right?”

“Why would you–”

“Because I never lose!” Okita cried, whipping around. 

Mochi’s head shot up, and he leveled an accusatory look at his human, who had dared to stop petting him.

 “And I didn’t lose!” Okita continued, “But when she closed her eyes to give me my kiss,” those words he said with special relish, “that mooning bastard, Saito, swooped in and took a peck for himself.”

“Ah. I can see why you’d be mad with him,” Yamazaki nodded sympathetically, crouching down to stroke along the bridge of Mochi’s nose. “You’ll pat that rabbit bald, you know,” he added.

“That’s not it!” Okita shouted, slapping Yamazaki’s hand away.

“Well?” said Yamazaki, gathering his hair into a ponytail again, to prepare for his decent off the roof. 

He had enough of rooftops when he was on duty– he didn’t want to be up on one on his precious day off, too.

“It was the perfect prank– and he thought of it first!”

Todo: The sound of Todo’s fist hitting the wall was as hollow as he felt, and he let himself droop down until he was crouching.

He could see something wet drip onto the tatami, and while he reasoned that he couldn’t be sweating on so chilly an evening, his head was in such a fog that he hadn’t realized he was crying until an errant tear slid down the curve of his cheek, to the corner of his mouth, and he could not only feel the biting sadness rattling within him, he could taste it.

‘No,’ he shook his head, leaning forward to press his brow into the cool wall of the upstairs room. The sherbet hues of the setting sun danced across the floor, and he could feel the dying light of twilight upon his back as he rocked himself gently and subtly, in an unconscious attempt at comfort.

‘Why?’

Todo had come into Shiki through the kitchen’s entrance, around the back, and as he turned the corner to step into the restaurant’s dining room, he could hear Kyo’s voice.

“Senpai…” a hot, desperate whisper before his twin’s lips pressed against yours, as you paused from wiping down a table, to look over at him.

He had known of his brother’s unrequited love for you, but right now, Todo was truly regretting throwing the words “what is Kyo’s, is mine” at him.

He could tell from your shocked look, as you wrenched backward, that it was the last thing you were expecting, but even he had never considered that Kyo would ever reach the point of underhanded desperation.

Todo could hardly accuse his twin of being manipulative, when here he was crying on the floor, after not only stopping time, but using his gift to go back and see the same scene play out again and again.

‘Just one more time,’ he had told himself, rewinding time “one” more time, to make sure it really was an accident.

He wasn’t sure how many times he had done it, but he knew he couldn’t stand to look at it again, and so he had run upstairs to a spare room in the back, leaving you and Kyo frozen in your “before” positions, trapped in static oblivion, time going ahead at its usual pace without either one of you being aware.

Even if he went back and changed it, made it so that it “never” happened, Todo would know that, at one point, it had. And he would be the only one to know it, which would eat away at him, like seeing so many other events had.

He could change time as much as he liked, rewriting events across the continuum to suit his own needs, but whether it was before his time or not, it required him to witness them. Witness and know. Witness and remember.

Straightening slightly, he sat back on his haunches, watching as the last orange and purple rays of the setting sun etched their way across the backs of his hands, calloused and work-roughened, as he pressed them against the tatami, slowly shuffling himself into a standing position.

With a tick of his jaw, he drew his kimono sleeve across his face with quick movements, dabbing hurriedly at the wetness around his eyes.

Just as the ochre beams of sunset shifted into the deep shadows of the evening, his body faded away, dispersing bit by bit into the night, until he found himself no longer in an upstairs room, but outside the kitchen entrance, with his hand upon the door handle, the golden afternoon sun beating down upon his back.

“Senpai…” Todo could hear Kyo’s voice, and he knew what he would see once he came around the corner.

He kept his pace regular, even as part of his mind screamed to hurry up and run. Hurry up and stop his twin brother. Hurry up and pull his girlfriend to him with one hand and shove Kyo back with the other.

Todo entered the dining room soundlessly, leaning his weight against the door frame, needing its support to keep from crying again. His brows knit as he watches his twin sneak in a kiss, sees you pull away automatically, dropping the rag you were holding, and he forces himself to remain rooted to the spot.

As for you, you’re too shaken to be indignant, too confused to utter a sound, but still you run to the safety of Todo’s arms.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re aware that he had his arms spread open in welcome as if he already knew you would do just that. You don’t question it right then, as you nuzzle your face into the crook of his shoulder, grasping a fistful of his haori.

You can hear Kyo sputtering apologies over your shoulder.

You stiffen suddenly, the realization that they’re not only both armed, but that they’ve clashed for far less, chilling you as you try to push yourself away from Todo enough to look him in the eye, meaning to ask them not to come to blows.

“Heisuke–” you start, but Todo only pulls you back in.

With one hand firmly tucking you against his body, the other slides soothingly up and down the silken trail of your hair.

It almost feels as if he is telling you, subtly, not to worry about him reaching for his sword, both his hands being full.

Fabulous fic friends, where you at?: @rizosrojizos, @jemchew 

[justanotherdumpingground]

Chapter Reviews: April 9-13, 2019 + More Thoughts on WT and NB

High School Story Class Act Chapter 9:

By this point, I feel like I don’t enjoy Class Act as much as I wanted to. The presidential election drama is starting to drag me out, and Skye is sidelined because she didn’t get tangled up in this mess.

Anyway, it was really nice to see my old MC and his dad, the little poem for Skye was sweet, and seeing my MC and Skye watching Aiden’s concert while cuddling was adorable.

Even after Lorenzo gained a popularity boost for rescuing a kitten from a shocked Buttercup and Amber recording the entire thing, I’m still not fazed. Mainly because he’s still behind Rory, who has four stars compared to the three he and the twin have for each. Let’s see how it goes in future chapters.

Across the Void Chapter 17:

Wow! So Holmes is the one that gets injured. Well, that does it. I’m so glad I chose to remain neutral because the Jura general just sucks. I may not like Holmes, but he doesn’t deserve to get injured, though Kepler saying that he would never hurt anyone just made me shook my head.

If I can kick both Eos and Pax out of my ship, that would be great, though having them shut up and start acting maturely is good enough.

This chapter feels like a blink and it’s over. I installed the cryo atmos to bring the Atlas back to good condition, and I didn’t plan a party for Holmes, which would’ve improved crew morale. At least morale is still good. The only thing that keeps me interested is the possibility of who might be the Jura mole among the passengers. My best bet would be Rana because of her pro-Jura views. Other possibilities would be Adara and Leona, though they’re less likely to be the culprits.

Desire & Decorum Chapter 16:

On one hand, I like that Duke Richards gets a proper comeuppance (stripped from his title and holdings and locked away) unlike a certain villain. On the other hand, I’m rather disappointed that the evidence cabinet’s ultimate function is to determine the fates of Richards’s co-conspirators. Nevertheless, it was awesome to watch Luke Harper elevated to Knight Commander for stopping Richards. I think that’s a good way to allow players romancing him to marry him instead of being in a secret relationship with him. I also like that my MC gets to become Championess, yet another title for her to rub at Henrietta’s face alongside Countess of Edgewater.

Hamid’s proposal was the real cherry on the top of the cake, and I want him and MC to get married already. As for Dominique, I feel like I need some time before I can really forgive her. She may seem sincere, and she tried to redeem herself, but I still need to calm down about her. Maybe I’ll forgive her when I replay this book.

Great, another sequel hook. Just when I thought I could have my MC enjoy her wedding with Hamid, some stranger shows up unannounced. Apparently, this stranger is someone connected to Henrietta, who believed that person is dead. My guess is that the stranger is the MC’s half-brother Harry or Henrietta’s first husband (and Edmund’s father).

Overall, the second book is weaker than the first one while still okay. I love the formation of the inner circle and that the love interests, Briar, and the MC really look out for one another. Unfortunately, the love interests slowly lose their uniqueness while the getting out of the engagement with Duke Richards drags on for too long. I blame it on the writers resorting to clichés.

America’s Most Eligible Chapter 13:

A premium outerwear clothing looks good on paper, but it’s still a lure to spend diamonds just to see dialogue variations. Anyway, pass.

For the partner part, I still picked Adam because of how I roleplay my MC as. I may not like Adam completely, but I still have my MC pursue him because it fits his character.

So Wrenn is secretly leaking info to Piper, who thought Jen isn’t doing well. I’m conflicted on this. I know that this choice might affect Wrenn’s stance on me, but I also think they should be honest with Jen. In the end, I kept Wrenn’s secret while still considering the option to tell the truth to Jen in case I replay this book.

Dang, Carson has gone the deep end, hasn’t he? Just by looking at him spiraling into depression despite his best efforts to makes things fresh makes feel bad. Still pissed that it’s a premium option to console him, but it’s something I might do to bring him out of his shell.

Passport to Romance Chapter 5:

The Notre Dame trip is nice, though the recycled image from Rules of Engagement made me cringe. At least it was calming to see Ahmed lighting a candle as a reminder of how important the sense of community.

Hearing more about Marisa’s “boyfriend” Tristao just makes me want to punch him in the face and watch Marisa break up with him. It’s no secret she deserves better.

So far, I like the trip around the Catacombs in Paris, especially with Marisa expressing her fear of the dead. It was jarring to see Elliot chastising Ahmed and Sumire for making jokes about Marisa’s fear, and his premium scene implies that he lost someone or many people very dear to him. It didn’t endear him to me because he came across as a hypocrite for making a snide remark on Marisa during the dinner with Yvette. However, I think that as useless as Elliot is, he deserves to have his story told.

Not surprised that Yvette would extend the contract and keep the love interests together with the MC. After all, it would be a waste to get rid of the ones we have. Sure not everyone likes them, but it would be daft of PB to not develop them further.

I admit that I restarted the whole book to buy most premium scenes involving Sumire and not join Elliot in bouncing at Marie Antoinette’s bed. Interestingly, I managed to reach Level 2 for my blog and unlock a bonus scene, where I can talk about who viewers like, asking what they want to see, or thanking them for inspiring the blog. I picked what they want to see, and apparently, they want ambiance footage of Berlin, more Elliot and Ahmed, MC kissing those boys, and personal stuff. Well, my blog’s name is Sexcapades, so that might happen.

Open Heart Chapter 9:

That patient with Bryce Sterling's model is a total nightmare. His constant rudeness and belching gets on my nerves all the time. It's a good thing Ethan showed up to put him in his place.

The group dinner was nice, and I want Rafael included every now and then. Bonus points if he gives his perspective as a paramedic. I'll make him fit right into the inner circle in spite of his insecurities of not attending a prestigious university.

One thing I noticed is that Bryce mentioned attending a college as far away from home as possible. That sounds interesting, considering that he is consistently portayed as keeping a positive face. My best guess is that he had a rough childhood that strained his parents so much that he cut off ties with them once he's capable of taking care of himself. I'd like to know more about him, even if the story puts too much emphasis on Ethan.

Kyra as a love interest left me rather uneasy. I mean, I like her personality despite her cancer, but I don't think it's ethical for a doctor and a patient to date. Not sure how PB will handle this, so let's see how it goes.

MC is finally number one, which makes them a target of massive jealousy? I have a bad feeling about this. Aurora's sarcastic comment gives me the chills, which makes me think some of MC's roommates will contribute to unnecessary drama. I hope that's not the case.

Ride or Die Chapter 13:

Because I ended the previous chapter with my MC in the surveillance room with Jason and Foley, she ended up distracting them and saved the Mercy Park Crew. Talking about giving her badass moment, compared to the situation where she was locked in the vault with the Brotherhood.

Teppei choosing to sacrifice himself to let the Mercy Park Crew escape left me speechless, in part because he's a better written character than the other members of the MPC except Colt. I'm definitely mad at him for dragging the crew to his life, but seeing your own parent's death is always sad. In Colt's case, his father wanted him to live a normal, crime-free life, and it would be a waste for Colt to not honor his father's wish.

One quote that stands out to me the most is Mona asking the MC whether she wanted "freedom, fast cars, the bad boy", and that life, then said it's ultimately not for the MC. It sounds like Mona is saying that all these are mere delusions masking the dangers of being around criminals. Makes me think of the terrible first chapters. I still think the story's not that good despite improvements along the way.

Regarding Jason Shaw, I get that it's tempting for me to defend him because he goes after criminals, but I don't see that as a reason to praise him. I could say my feelings are complicated. As much as I understand that he has some sort of moral compass for going after criminals, I think he's addicted to freedom and power that he has lost sight of what his job ultimately means. Not to mention that it would've been better to hand those criminals to justice instead, and him threatening the MC comes across as hypocritical.

On another note, does anyone think Toby is rather suspicious? He seemed to be at the right place at the right time (telling the MC of Colt's operation, outside of the MPC garage when it burned down), and there were moments when he raised red flags that foreshadow something sinister (fixing MC's car, talking to someone during the party at a junk yard). I stumbled upon this theory on Instagram, and I wanted to know if anyone seems sold on it. If it's true Toby's up to no good, what if he was playing the Mercy Park Crew and Brotherhood all along?

The Elementalists Chapter 5:

I'm enjoying Book 2 so far, and this chapter on the nature of elemental sources was just fascinating. Learning about Alma the Blood source on the MC and Atlas's parents being elemental sources like her and Kane was fascinating. I think that's what makes the twins special in a way. And not to mention that I'm becoming more intrigued on Kane and Gemma as well as how the sources tie into the plot. What if we encounter the other sources? And how do the different races like wood nymphs and djinns factor into all this?

Man, I need to give Atlas a hug, considering the fact that they, unlike their twin sibling, wasn't raised in a loving environment when their parents died. It makes me wonder more of the events Atlas had to go through before meeting with their long-lost sibling.

I couldn't pass on the opportunity to learn the fire chariot spell from Griffin, especially if it might come in handy later on. Pity it's not included in the spell book, but at least it allowed my MC to score an easy win. Can't wait to use it on Kane and any other threat that gets in my way.

Thoughts on Wishful Thinking and Nightbound:

Honestly, I’m more excited for Nightbound than Wishful Thinking, mainly because I generally prefer fantasy and supernatural over romantic comedy. In Wishful Thinking’s case, I feel like it should’ve involved a crime-fighting element that makes it similar to Hero. After all, both stories are set in Northbridge. Thinking of it reminds me of Shazam, which I thoroughly enjoyed for its comedic style and serious moments that work well in the story. As for Nightbound, I may be more excited for it, but I’m still fairly wary that it will focus too much on a single male love interest that the entire story revolves around him. This has been going on for a lot of stories, so if the romance aspect is kept to a minimum like The Heist: Monaco, that would be a preferable while highly doubtful scenario.