#sorry i act like the stray cat you leave food out for and inch closer as i eat over the period of a year until i finally sniff your hand

[saturnsuv]

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[stray-kids-react]

Spring Showers & Autumn Breezes

Pairing - Felix x Noona Reader (By a year)

Genre - Fluff, Smut, Friends to lovers.

Warnings - Suggestive Dialogue, Virgin reader, Slight spit kink, Mostly vanilla, Female receiving oral, Soft Dom Lix, I got hella carried away.

Masterlist

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6 months ago

You were always a perfect student who never had time to focus on making friends or hanging out with people after school. You always had your nose in a book thanks to the constant orders to only focus on studying by your parents.

You graduated early and inherited your father's business, becoming one of the youngest business owners in Korea. This intimidated many people, some of your customers and employers not even being able to look you in the eyes.

But one day when you took over as cash due to an emergency a pregnant employee had. The song God's menu played across the speakers in your store, you enjoyed Stray Kids' music it made you feel free and not have to build up any walls.

You were bouncing along to the Chorus in your 6 inch heels, restocking the bottles of perfume behind the counter.

"Excuse me?" A familiar deep voice called, the freckled idol smiled at you once you turned around.

It was Lee Felix from Stray Kids, holding two of your personal favorite colognes in his hands. They were your favorite ever since your father first let you sample them when you were thirteen. They weren't strong and one smelled like a cool autumn breeze while the other smelled like spring showers.

"Just the two?" You asked, bagging them gently in a paper bag.

You hoped that the idol didn't notice your awkward and stiff dancing as you stocked the shelf behind you. But the soft smile that stayed on his lips said otherwise.

"Aren't you the owner of this business?" He asked, looking at your name tag which was the only one with a last name...the same last name that matched the businesses.

"Yeah, I inherited it from my father. I'm covering for a cashier at the moment. But I don't mind, it's rarely ever busy in here." You answered, adjusting the already tight ponytail you've kept up for the whole day.

"This store is actually one of my favorites. I love the plushie selection here, they are all relatively cheap." Felix

You softly chuckled at his love for the child like items, secretly knowing that he had a love for plushies. Felix was your bias, his sunshine like and free spirit personality always caught your attention. You knew it was due to the fact that you were the complete opposite of him.

"My personal favorite is the No Face plush we have on the top shelf." You reveal, catching his bright gaze.

He shyly grinned at your gaze, almost as if he was waiting for you to finally open up a bit and relax. Felix has visited the store many times, only seeing you come out of your office once or twice... And each time you had a cold expression and had this unapproachable wall built around you.

"Would you like your receipt with it?" You asked, slowly beginning to crawl back into your shell.

"No, but I would like to see you more often." Felix murmured, sliding you a piece of paper with his number scribbled on with a pink pen.

Before you could even reply, the bright younger idol already had a foot out of the door. You had just gotten your biases number... What the hell were you going to do or say if you even called or texted him.

Two months ago

"Lee Felix, is that my coat?" You question, a serious gaze in your eyes as you crossed your arms.

"I'm sorry Noona... It's just so comfy." He whines, tucking his cold hands into the pockets of your VERY expensive coat.

Ever since Felix has been beginning to visit you, he always seems to either steal your clothes or your snacks. You weren't too fond of his new habits and wanted your clothes returned since you barely had any left in your closet.

"Okay okay okay... You can have the coat but you must return my Hello Kitty hoodie tomorrow." You demanded, ruffling his chocolate brown locks.

He rested his head on your lap as you sat down next to him, his arms latched around your waist as he snuggled in closer. You weren't used to affection at all, the closest thing you got to it throughout your life was a pat on the back and a high five.

"You're such a pain sometimes." You sigh, cautiously raking through his hair which caused him to smile.

"Two things, you wouldn't invite me over if I was such a pain. And how am I a pain if I just cuddle you the whole time and chat." He countered, a sly glimmer brushing over his tapioca pearl eyes.

"You steal my stuff all the time." You explain, pointing at your coat which he was currently wrapped in.

"I don't steal everything."

"Name five things."

"Fine, your cat."

"You have joked about stealing him."

"Your food."

"You do all the time Lix."

"....... Oh! I've got one! Ha!"

"Fine, tell me then... I'm sure you're wrong."

"Your sex toys."

You gasped out loud, slapping his arms countless times as he laughed by how red your face turned. He never told you knowing you'd get embarrassed, but he found your bucket of toys last time he visited when he was searching for your extra fluffy blanket to take a cat nap in.

"How many did you see?" You asked, your tone much softer and bordering on shy sounding.

"Enough to know that you're a sub who has a lot of kinks." He teased, winking playfully as he was adoring you bashful state.

Felix found himself admiring your bashful state a bit too much, almost finding it cute by how blushy you were from the topic. He felt an urge to kiss your flaming cheeks, but held back not knowing if you'd take his feelings too well.

"I'll let you keep the Hello Kitty sweater if you never mention my sex toys again." You reason, slightly taken aback when you realize how long he's been staring at you.

Felix nodded, feeling slightly bad for making you so shy. But he made up for his teasing with a soft yet tight hug, still smelling of the cologne he bought when you first met. This time it was just the autumn breeze, which brought you a wave of comfort you weren't used to and never felt before.

1 week ago

You've found yourself admiring everything Felix did, to the way he pouted playfully when you rejected a hug or to the way his tone changed when you were feeling down. Everything about this man made your heart go into a frenzy, and you had no idea anyone was capable of doing this.

You've grown attached to Felix and feel lonely when he isn't with you, you've even considered asking him to move in with you.

"Hello? Earth to y/n." Felix commented, breaking you out of your lovesick gaze.

"Sorry, I'm just really tired from work." You half ways lied, truthfully tired but secretly just admiring the natural beauty of your close friend.

He smiled softly, brushing away some of the loose strands of hair that covered your face. His hands were always so warm and gentle, acting as if your were made of glass that could shatter at any moment. Any time he touched you it either warmed your heart or created a small pool in your panties.

"Why don't I tuck you into bed, and we can watch something till you fall asleep." Felix reassured, a hushed voice but the deepness still present during certain words.

You were in an oversized shirt with small lacy panties, Felix admired your beauty but didn't see it as sexual tension or sexual period. He just found you gorgeous no matter what you did or what you wore. And has even felt sexual tension with you more than once, but that was a different time and place than it was at the moment.

You didn't need to watch anything to fall asleep with Felix wrapped behind you. His voice alone was enough for you to completely destress and feel the hard work you've been doing finally catch up to you.

You were passed out asleep so you didn't notice Felix placing fluttering kisses all over your cheeks before he fell asleep wrapped around you. His head completely nuzzle into the crook of your neck, every hot breath he let out fanned onto your skin.

You woke up the next morning cold, not realizing you were missing a warm presence you never knew was even there. The moment you opened your eyes you were met with a warm dish of pancakes and a small note

'I had to leave for work but I didn't have the heart to wake you up. Enjoy the food - Felix.'

You giggled into the pillow next to you, fully aware that you were head over heels for the younger Aussie. You never thought you'd be attracted to someone younger until you met him, but you didn't mind since it was only by a year. You smushed your blushing face into his pillow, taking in the scent of the spring breeze cologne.

Now

It was hot outside, so much so that you thought you were going to melt into the couch. You didn't think Felix would be home until tomorrow when it was supposed to be cooler outside, so you stayed in your underwear and bra while sitting in front of the fan. Your hair and body were soaked from the cold shower you just took, and you knew if he walked in it would look rather... Sensual.

"Y/n, I know I'm home early but I brought cak-" Felix exclaimed, stopping mid sentence once he saw you and nearly dropped the cake.

You would've covered yourself with a blanket if it weren't for the fact that all of them were in a basket in your room since it was so warm out. You weren't in any lingerie or anything fancy, just a pink bra and cute heart panties. Which somehow made it worse for Felix.

"Why do you always do this?" Felix sighed rushing to the kitchen to place the cake in the fridge.

You were confused as to what you did, knowing you rarely ever show skin on purpose unless it comes to a situation like this where you would pass out from the heat if you wore something too thick. So you followed Felix to the kitchen, not really caring that you still had bare minimum on.

"What do I do?" You ask, your tone was serious but on the inside you were worried you annoyed the man you secretly adored.

"You tease me." He retorted, still confusing you since you again... Never purposely do.

"What do yo-"

"Y/n, you're in your underwear with wet hair and still slightly wet skin while sitting on the couch squirming in front of the fan. And yesterday you bent over me so your chest was literally in my face when you were reaching for a book you wanted to read. I like you a lot... And it takes every ounce of sanity in me to not take you right then and there. And when you cuddle into me during movie nights, or call me Lixie, or laugh at the lamest joke that no else is laughing at, or the way you scrunch your nose when you are annoyed... It makes me want to call you mine and I just want to kiss every inch of you and dose you in love. And it's hard when I truly don't know if you feel the same. "

"Lix I-"

"And you are so damn hard to read, one day you're all over me and the next you barely even give me a glance. And plus you probably don't want to date someone who's younger than you, your friends have even told me that and listed the men you have been with... Which have all been older than you. "

"Felix-"

"But it's hard to stay silent and act like I don't see you as a goddess who I want to be with and be called her boyfriend. Especially when you always wear strawberry chapstick and apply it to your already soft lips. And when you let out a sigh and completely let go whenever I hug you. Or how you can never sleep without holding onto something so you've gotten used to holding me, Instead of your stuffed No Face plushie that I bought you the day after I first met you.

"Yongbok-"

"Goddammit I love you, I love you so much and if I'm being honest I don't know if I can keep pretending like I'm alright just being you're friend or-"

Before he passes out from ranting so much you shut him up in a very satisfying way. You kissed the lips you've been craving for the past six months, and they felt better meshing with yours than you ever imagined. His hands were shaking for all of the built up emotions he just let out seconds ago, but you didn't stop kissing him until he got to calm down and realize you loved him too.

"Lixie, I love you too. And I would love to be your girlfriend." You murmured in a hushed tone, only inches away from his face as you both were still holding onto each other.

His eyes flickered down to your lips, a small playful glint sparkling in them when they reconnected once more. But a new wave a confidence was in this kiss, he cornered you against the counter as he began to nibble on your lip.

You've been with many guys before, but none of them have ever seen you naked or had sex with you. The farthest you have gone with someone was with your ex boyfriend Jaebum, who was your first makeout session and taught you how to use your tongue like a professional porn star.

Felix began leaving open mouthed kisses along your jaw line and neck, only stopping to suck and bite on sensitive spots of your flesh. Painting purple and red marks along your neck and collarbone. Just as his lips were diving into the valley of your breasts, he stopped himself and looked up at you.

"Are you okay with this. Because we can stop at anytime." He reassured, brushing away the wet pieces of hair that stuck to your face.

Everything felt fast and many people would think it was too soon, but you felt so comfortable with Felix and have had feelings for him since you first met. So it felt right, and your heart didn't feel any bit of anxiety when it came to letting Felix take you.

"I'm alright with it, but can we go to the bedroom?" You teased, not wanting your first time to be a serious fifty shades esc time.

He beamed you a kind smiles, lacing his hands with yours as he guided you to your bedroom. Which was lightly messy but still comfortable and tidy enough to not be considered gross. Felix detached from your grip to shut the dark curtains and close the door behind you.

"B-before we continue... Can I tell you something if you promise not to tease me?" You ask, a bit ashamed that your a virgin even though it wasn't uncommon for someone your age who is still considered quite young.

Felix nodded gently, his hands stroking up and down your arms as he waited for you to confess what you were hesitant on telling him.

"I'm a virgin... I haven't even been eaten out before." You sigh, not looking up at his eyes even though he didn't find it lame in the slightest.

"Don't be ashamed of it y/n, it just means I'll have to make it more special." He whispered, his lips pressing soft fluttering kisses to your cheeks as his hands roamed your back.

With that knowledge in mind, Felix rushed to the bathroom to steal the candles and rose petals you always store for your saturday bubble bath routine. He lit two on each bedside table and sprinkled a few rose petals across the bed and pillows.

Felix took your hand as he sat on the edge of the bed, guiding you onto his lap as he grinned at your softly. His tongue peeked out of his lips to wet them, before he pressed them against your once more. This time it still had the same confidence but it was much softer and slower. As if he wanted to take his time with you and make it memorable.

You bit his bottom lips lightly testing the waters to see if you were allowed permission, he groaned as your hips grinded against his growing erection. You didn't even realize what you were doing to him until he pushed your core closer to his clothed cock. The bulge in his jeans grinding against your clothed clit deliciously.

Your tongues were clashing in each other's mouth messily, you would suck on his tongue briefly as his licked striped on the roof of your mouth. You were whispering in the kiss, beginning to rut against him to enhance the euphoric feeling that made your clit begin to throb.

"Do want to feel something even better sweetheart?" He teased, bucking his hips into yours making you fall into him.

Felix flipped you over, stripping away his shirt and jeans. You've never seen him shirtless before, and truly was a heavenly sight with his gorgeous slim yet very toned body and matched with strong dancer thighs. Before he could ask for permission, you sat up slightly, unbuckling your bra and throwing it onto the floor. You both went in for a feverish kiss, both of you groaning and whimpering as you rutted against each other like bitches in heat.

He began to kiss down your neck, reaching the valley of your breasts until his lips hovered over your right nipple. He spit a small drop of saliva onto the erupt bud, before he engulfed it with his lips. Swirling it in circles it his tongue before letting go of it completely with a small pop.

You could feel the wetness in your core begin stain your panties. You moaned airily, running your fingers through his hair as he payed the same attention to your left nipple. He softly grazed his teeth across the very tip of the erect bud only to chuckle softly as let out a desperate moan that went straight to his throbbing bulge.

Felix began kissing his way down your tummy, sometimes switching between giving small kitty licks as he reached closer to where you needed him most. His fingers hooked under the fabric of your panties, pulling them down your legs until you were completely nude in front of him.

Your heart pounded in your chest as the realization that you were about to be eaten out hammered itself in your brain. So many worries slipped into your brain, did you shave enough? What if you smelled? What if you tasted bad? But all of it left when hit tongue first flicked against your clit. All you could see was stars as he sent you into euphoria.

You've never felt such pleasure before, it was almost intimidating by how good it felt. You were on the brink of screaming when he began to sickle on your clit and dark his tongue harsher into it. Small shrieks left your mouth as he lapped your pussy, switching his attention between your leaking hole and throbbing clit. When you were beginning to murmur how close you were, he decided to take the next step and stiff your hole with his fingers. He let them scissor you so that you would eventually get used to the stretch, he sucked on your clit harsher to try and distract you from the stretch of his two fingers.

You got use to his fingers and your loud shrieks of pleasure returned as they began to slowly dark in and out of your leaking hole. The sinful noises of slurping and squelching only making you come closer and closer to your orgasm.

"I-I'm cumm-" You couldn't even finish your seltence before he drove his fingers in and out of you sending you into an intense haze of pure pleasure.

Your legs shook as you came down from your high, Felix pulling you closer to his body as he calmed you down from your first actual orgasm.

"Do you want to stop here?" Felix whispered, stroking his fingers through your hair completely ready to ignore his needs and take care of you.

You shook your head softly, knowing you could take at least one more orgasm before calling the quits. Plus you truly wanted to see the man you've fallen in love with naked, but you would be very bashful if you admitted to it.

"I want to go the full way." You whispered, playing with his boxers causing him to moan rather loudly. Surprising both of you when it it happened.

This just proved how hard he truly was and how thoughtful and gentle he was with you, completely subsiding his own aching needs just to make sure you were okay and got what you wanted.

You pushed him to the bed, smirking confidently as you shimmed his boxers out from under him and threw them to god knows where in the room. Felix was about to protest on you riding him, wanting to take control and make sure your needs are met. But it was too late, since you were already sinking onto him.

The stretch was bearable, it was definitely a feeling that took time to get used to. So you sat there on his lap completely filled to the brim with his dick, Felix sat up wrapping his arms around you and letting you you slump into his body. After a couple of minutes he began to guide you up and down his length slowly.

The pain was beginning to mix with pleasure, before the pleasure completely took over. You began bouncing up and down his shaft with a faster pace, Felix now beginning to fall into your body as the pleasure was catching up to him.

You were so tight and so warm, it was nearly impossible to keep his composure when you felt so good. You were both holding onto each other as you both chased your highs, your hips experimenting by grinding down fully till you were full and swirling them around softly.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he mumbled absolute nonsense. His hand went back to your overstimulated clit, drawing rough circles, making you scream in pleasure as tears brimmed your eyes. Your clenching became tighter and more frequent, you increased the pace until you had to stop from the intense pleasure you were feeling. The the tight clench around him made his chase his high only seconds after.

Felix pulled out before spaying white ribbons onto your thighs. Both of you shaking and sticking together from the sweat you have both created due to the body heat.

Felix laid you back down onto the bed, grabbing a tissue from your nightstand as he ruffled rose petals out of his hair and swiping some off of his shoulder. He softly wiped his mess off of your thighs, and took a different tissue to wipe the rest of the remaining cum that was pooled in your core. He rubbed your legs reassuringly when you twitched at the sudden constant, too stimulated and finding it a bit much.

"Are you tired?" Felix asked, noticing the way you cuddled into your pillow.

You nodded without saying a word, but yet still smiling like an idiot. The thoughts of finally losing your virginity, and losing it to a complete angel of a man who you've been doting on for months. It was all so exciting and you couldn't stop the smile on your face even if it began to hurt your cheeks a tiny bit.

He pulled on a fresh pair of boxers before pulling you up to lift his shirt onto you, his lips leaving a small kiss to the tip of your nose by how cute you looked in his clothes. He cuddled behind you, rubbing shaped onto your tummy as he pressed kisses to your neck, jaw, and cheeks. All of the energy that was drained from you along with the calming presence of your new boyfriend made you fall asleep in an instant.

Felix looked at you one last time before he fell asleep, smiling to himself knowing that you were so special and were going to be the one for him.

[kaette-kita-slayers]

New Novel Ch.2 (Part 3)

(Part 1) (Part 2)

Here’s the rest of the chapter!

It's afternoon when Lina and Gourry leave the guest house, after giving Amelia a rough outline of what happened with Dynast and the Demon Lord. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to explain it to her in detail, and they couldn't really tell her anything about what was going on in Atessa, so they left despite having more they wanted to discuss. (They didn't want to annoy her guards by sticking around too long, either.)

Gourry asks what they should do next, and Lina replies that she wants to look into what happened in the attack earlier. There's still a while before nightfall, but not really enough time for them to leave the city and investigate the site in person.

"Okay, let's head back to MacLyle's for now---"

"And eat?"

"That too, but I've got some things I want to ask him first."

The Silver Leaf Inn, run by MacLyle, is where the two of them are staying. They made the decision partly because MacLyle gave them free lodging and twenty percent off their meals when he hired them, and partly because it serves as a relay point for messages, thanks to MacLyle's status running the vigilante corps.

The city is bustling, since it's the right time for people to be out and about buying things to fix for dinner. As Lina walks, she can hear the sound of hammers pounding, as you would expect in a city known for its blacksmiths. Although cities like this tend to have a lot of upbeat, outgoing people, the general atmosphere isn't very cheerful. She supposes it's because of the bandits.

Along the way, Lina decides to do a little shopping, and then they finally arrive at the inn. MacLyle greets them as they walk inside, and Lina can see that the there are no customers eating there, which is unusual even if it is a little early for dinner. The lamps inside are still unlit although it's growing dimmer outside. MacLyle is behind the counter, apparently preparing food for dinner, judging from the smell of stew boiling.

He asks Lina and Gourry if they had a good time talking to Amelia, and Lina responds that they did, though they had to cut things short. Sitting down at a table, she asks MacLyle if he plans to attend the dinner at the mansion. With a bitter smile, he responds that only a few of the really important people in the city will be attending; he had only been there at Amelia's arrival for show.

He goes on to say that he was surprised to see that the two of them were acquainted with Saillune royalty. Lina forces a smile as well and says that they'd had no idea that an important figure from Saillune would be coming to Atessa, pointedly adding that MacLyle must have known, as the person responsible for the vigilante corps. Continuing to fiddle with something behind the counter, MacLyle responds without any sign of embarrassment, apologizing and explaining that he hadn't wanted to risk rumors spreading, especially to the bandits.

Lina asks him if that means that information about the city has gotten out to the bandits before, and MacLyle tells her that since they've been taken by surprise so many times, they have to keep that possibility in mind.

Lina continues, informing him that, while she and Gourry were out in the woods, they encountered the group that MacLyle had called "bandits". MacLyle cries out in shock, and Gourry adds that the bandits ran away when the delegation from Saillune arrived.

MacLyle finally emerges from behind the counter, carrying three wooden cups. He sets them at Lina and Gourry's table, then sits down, asking Lina to confirm what she'd just told him. Lina says that she thinks the people they ran into in the forest had to have been the ones responsible for the attack earlier that day, since she and Gourry discovered them right after it happened.

MacLyle asks Lina to provide more detail, wanting to know what they were like. She tells him that they had their faces hidden, and she couldn't even tell if they were men or women. Taking a sip of her apple juice, she gives him a brief summary of their encounter with the bandits.

She then asks him exactly what happened earlier, since she and Gourry don't know for certain, even though she had guessed that a mine had been attacked. MacLyle says that the information they have is still sketchy, but they do know that there was a cave-in at one of the mines that seems to have been caused by a spell. He assumes that the bandits were responsible, but the members of the vigilante corps he sent out to investigate and provide aid haven't returned yet.

Before he can say anything else, MacLyle is cut off by the sound of the doorbell. All three of them look over at the door, and see Alaina standing there. She opens her mouth to speak, but once she catches sight of Lina and Gourry, she ends up just moving her mouth without producing any audible speech.

MacLyle welcomes her and asks for a report on the current status of the mine. Alaina hesitates for a moment, then slowly inches closer, acting like a stray cat fearful of humans might when approaching some food left for it. Never taking her eyes off of Lina and Gourry, she faces the back of MacLyle's head and whispers something to him.

MacLyle turns around and asks her to speak loudly enough for everyone to hear. She gasps and begins rummaging through her pockets in a panic, but Lina tells her to wait.

Lina pulls out the items she had gone shopping for earlier, a pair of objects resembling oversized coins. Lina takes one and casts a simple spell on it, then holds it out for Alaina.

"I'll let you borrow this. I bought it from the Sorcerer's Guild here in town just a little while ago. It's a magic item called a Regulus disc, and it'll let me hear over here, what you're saying over there. You seem like you have trouble facing people and speaking normally, so this way, I'll be able to hear you even if you're no louder than a whisper."

Alaina slowly, cautiously reached out her hand and snatched the Regulus disc, then crawled underneath a nearby table so quickly that she was no more than a blur.

"Ah... ah... ah... Wow, you really can hear it!" Her voice echoed from the other Regulus disc left behind with us. "For lowly humans, you make some surprisingly ingenious tools...! You should have given me one sooner."

"Ah hah hah. Alaina, it looks like you've gone straight into pushy mode, but if you get too full of yourself, I'll grab you by the nape of the neck and talk to you with zero distance between us, okay?"

Alaina apologizes. Unfazed by her odd behavior, MacLyle again asks her how things were at the scene of the attack.

Alaina reports that a cave-in occurred at the second mine, and although there were some injuries, all the people there are alive and accounted for. The vigilante corps are there helping, with Randa in charge, and they expect the rescue and first aid will be finished by nightfall, though it will probably take a few days before the mine itself is operational. Based on the evidence left behind, it's clear that a spell manipulating the Bephimos was the cause.

She does such an excellent job summing up the situation that Lina thinks she would have looked pretty impressive, if she hadn't been hiding under the table the whole time.

Lina asks who Randa is, and MacLyle reminds her that he's the man she had beaten up earlier. Lina wonders if they're just desperate for someone to do the job, or if he might actually be competent at directing people.

Thinking that there might have been a spy at the mine, Lina asks Alaina if someone inside it might have been responsible for the spell that caused the cave-in. Alaina responds that that couldn't have been the case, because they had deduced that the spell came from a spot a short distance from the mine.

Lina is surprised that they could pinpoint the location that the spell originated from. Of course it's possible to do, depending on the situation, but in this case, all the physical evidence should have been destroyed in the cave-in.

Puzzled by Lina's reaction, Alaina says that it's obvious if you look at the traces left behind when the spell made use of the Bephimos. Lina's never heard of any such thing, and Alaina realizes that they might not be visible to humans.

Lina is acquainted with some elves, but this is the first time she's heard anything like this (not that she ever discussed the subject with any of them). She knows that elves possess a greater amount of magic power than humans, but it had never occurred to her that they might literally see the world differently from humans.

Moving on, Alaina says that they never found the bandits responsible, and MacLyle informs her that Lina and Gourry had.

"What...?" Underneath the table, Alaina started, then said, "You saw them, Miss Lina?! You're better than I am!"

"Yeah. ... Wait, why are you acting like I'm better than you all of a sudden?! And don't be so formal, you can just call me Lina."

"So if there's no need to be formal with you, Lina, that means I'm the superior one, right?"

"You don't have to be formal, but I'm still better than you."

"... Oh, okay, I'm sorry..."

It's such a pain having to help her figure out how she's supposed to relate to other people! And why does one person have to be superior to the other, anyway? I think it's better to be equals. Though I get the distinct feeling that if I actually said so, Alaina would take advantage of it and start acting full of herself again.

Returning to the subject of the bandits, Alaina asks what they were like. Lina tells her that there were at least six of them, covered head to toe so that it was impossible to identify anything about them. Alaina asks if she noticed anything else, and Lina replies that they were all extremely capable, which is why they got away from her and Gourry. Despite everyone calling them "bandits", Lina feels confident that they're more than that.

Alaina falls silent, so MacLyle steps in to ask if Lina has any idea who they might be dealing with or what they want, if they aren't bandits. Lina shrugs and says that she has no idea, since it's not like they would just tell her, and although she remembers the direction they fled in, they probably weren't stupid enough to go directly to their hideout and risk being followed. MacLyle still considers it progress, since they haven't had much in the way of leads so far.

Lina thinks that this is more trouble than she wanted, considering that everything so far has happened all in the space of half a day, on her and Gourry's first day in Atessa. She takes another drink, doing her best not to sigh.

The next day, Lina gets up early, awakened (much to her annoyance) by the noise from the city's blacksmiths at work. She goes down to the first floor of the inn to grab some food and finds Gourry there, also awakened by the racket coming from outdoors. They have a light breakfast of salad, bread, bacon and eggs, mashed potatoes, minestrone soup, risotto, gratin, apple pie, fruit, milk, and juice.

While they're relaxing and enjoying some tea afterwards, they hear the sound of the doorbell, plus a panicked voice saying "There you are!"

Looking to see what's going on, Lina sees a middle-aged man she thinks she's seen somewhere before. He makes a beeline for their table, demanding to know if they're the ones who are Princess Amelia's friends, and Lina finally remembers that he was one of the people lined up to greet Amelia the day before.

Lina tells him that they are, and the man looks around the room, then dashes the rest of the way to their table. In a low voice, he asks them if Princess Amelia is there. Naturally, she isn't; regardless of whether they're friends, Amelia wouldn't exactly be able to drop by for a visit when she's traveling, accompanied by guards, as a special envoy.

Of course, this guy has to know that. The fact that he's here asking us anyway must mean...

"Do you mean... she's gone?" I lowered my voice and asked.

The expression on the man's face changed. He opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it and shut his mouth again. After repeating the process another two or three times, he finally whispered, "I think she's been kidnapped..."

"WHAAAAAT?!" Our cries of surprise reverberated through the morning sky.

Notes

1. I'm not sure if the part about elf acquaintance(s) should be singular or plural. I haven't read all of Special/Smash yet, and I don't recall the novels saying anything about the subject when Memphis appears.

2. I'm sorry Lina and Alaina's conversation came out kind of weird. I prefer to avoid including honorifics when translating, especially when the work doesn't take place in Japan, so I did the best I could.

This is a literal translation with the honorific left in Japanese:

"What...?" Underneath the table, Alaina started, then said, "You met them, Lina-senpai?!"

"Yeah. ... Wait, why are you treating me like your senpai?! You can just call me Lina."

"Lina... if it's all right for me to use your name by itself, then can I take that to mean that I have higher status?"

"You can use my name by itself, but consider me your senpai."

(If you aren't familiar with the term, "senpai" is used by newer members of a group to refer to people who have been around longer.)

[khymer-vulture]

I know I said I was gonna post in two weeks, but this one turned out good...so...I caved

Set dangerously close before the main event of Captivate

The personal walls between Zack and Ray are crumbling little by little. Something the two have noticed during their time together, especially during times of support.

Things have been going much easier for Zack and Rachel, the authorities have given up their search for Ray, and the two have adapted quite well during their travels. Though, over time they felt like the current bond they had was changing, they couldn’t figure out why, but they both sensed that it was different somehow.

 Zack was acting extra impulsive than usual and the two have become a little more physical with their interactions without even realizing it. They just assumed they were at a level of comfort with their company to enter one’s personal bubble casually.

 During their travel, they made their way into a city, it proved to be a bustling area, which may be difficult for Zack to travel around in aside from using the back-alleys. Staying too long in a location like this would raise suspicions, normally their stay in places like these would last from one to two days. Smaller towns or cities granted enough time to stick around for longer.

 Zack chose to temporarily camp out in the alley for a bit until sundown, but he let Ray freely go as she pleased to scout the area they were in or pick up any provisions they were short on, their trust was so strong for one another that they knew neither one of them would wander off or leave each other behind. The man quietly stayed behind, keeping himself hidden away from the rest of the world, as he rested his feet during his wait for Ray’s return.

 He began to hear something shift among the debris that littered the back-alleys, it didn’t sound like it belonged to a curious person, and he was used to rats scampering about. Last thing he needed to deal with was fucking rats.

 To his relief, it wasn’t a rodent, but a cat – an ashen gray cat that has seen better days. It was covered in scars and its tail was crooked, but it acted like those aspects weren’t even there.

 The feline slowly made its way towards Zack, inching closer as it defensively lowered it body to take a sniff from a distance.

 “Fuck off, if you got some kind of fucking disease then take it elsewhere…mangy cat…” Zack growled.

 The man’s blunt words didn’t faze the cat, it continued to inspect Zack, then gently rubbed its cheek against his boot. Isaac cocked a brow as he watched the tattered feline continue to rub against his boot, then utter out a meow as it walked closer to him.

 Zack’s never really been around animals, well, ones that weren’t terrified or vicious towards him. He didn’t know how to act around the curious creature, but then he began to recall a memory, one where he was silently watching Ray tend to a small injured bird on his floor. Ray had a soft demeanor towards the small bird, spoke to it softly and gently touched the creature’s body, all before Zack brutally put an end to it.

 The gruff man bit at his lip as he remembered that part, then glanced at the cat, he could hear it purr as it stared up at him, Isaac sighed as he brought a hand out, preferring to let the scarred animal make the first move. The cat sniffed at Zack’s hand for a moment before propelling itself upwards to bump its head against his palm, the man was startled for a moment, then lowered his hand a little more to let his fingers run through the cat’s fur.

 So, this what being near a passive animal was like, now he could see why Ray had such a tender smile on his floor, it was oddly comforting, almost like the comfort he felt when he would play with Rachel’s hair. That thought made him pause as he felt his cheeks grow hot.

 Rachel had finally returned to the back-alley Zack was waiting in, she did have a small bag of food and drinks for him, as a reward for being patient. She also was ready to tell him the layout of the city so they could make their move for some sort of shelter once the sun was down. Ray was caught off guard to see the man with a cat laying comfortably on his lap as he lazily stroked its fur, the feline just purred away as its paws would stretch and contract from one paw to the other.

 “I never expected you to make a friend,” she said, she was clearly holding back an amused chuckle.

 Zack almost jumped from her voice, then glanced up a Ray, he could see the grin that she tried to cover up and huffed to himself.

 “F-friend nothing…it’s just pity…fuck,” Zack growled, “he approached me…so, whatever.”

 Ray let loose a giggle as she sat herself down next to Zack, the cat picked its head up as it sniffed at the new person in the area.

 “He is friendly, right?”

 “Fuck if I know…he just did his own thing,” Zack grumbled. “I just stuck my hand out and he was pretty cool with it…”

 Rachel decided to take Zack’s word and carefully brought her hand out, the feline touched her fingertips with its cold and scarred nose before rubbing its head against them. For a stray, the cat was rather friendly towards other humans. Zack could see that familiar soft smile he once saw before as Ray lead the cat to her lap, letting it curl up and get comfortable. That smile made his insides feel like they were about to twist into knots, it wasn’t an unpleasant kind of twist, but it was damn confusing.

 Ray gently rubbed the cat’s ears, feeling it purr loudly against her as she had a warm emotion grow inside her. There was another emotion hidden deep as well, a frightening one that she tries to hide. Even though the cat was sweet and affectionate, it did have its flaws, and she had that old compulsive feeling to “fix it”.

 Zack stared at Ray for a moment, then saw the familiar red gleam in her eye, he huffed as he immediately grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, he didn’t care how it looked, but he wanted to let her know that he wasn’t going to let her use them in her current state of mind. Ray glanced at the man, both confused and frustrated as she wanted to pull it away, yet Zack’s grip was firm.

 “Zack, please let go…” she pleaded.

 “No.”

 “Zack…” she insisted.

 “I fucking said no…” he growled as he placed their hands on his chest, then stubbornly slid the other over them.

 He was going to make damn sure that Ray wasn’t going to try and “fix” anything.

 “Let go…”

 “Then come make me, Ray…I’ll let go until the crazy has left your fucking eyes…” Zack huffed.

 So, he did notice.

 Ray’s expression turned to one of shame and buried her face in Zack’s shoulder, she didn’t want to cry in front of him, but she felt damn close to doing it. The cat perked its head up at the two and sensed that the feline’s time to stick around was done and hopped off to carry on its own business. Zack eventually let go of her hand and brought his arms to wrap around her, like he could sense the somber vibe that she was emanating.

 “Ya still got your own problems to fight, I get it…” Zack murmurs, “…but shit, we stuck around pretty damn long to get the idea that we can’t do stuff alone sometimes…so yeah…I was just trying to help you out…”

 “I know you were Zack, I just really hate myself for feeling that way,” Ray mumbled through Zack’s hoodie, “I shouldn’t feel the need to fix it…the cat was so sweet…”

 “Yeah, yeah…I know it was…” Zack replied as he ran his fingers through her hair, “…it’s not broken though, Ray…he’s just…experienced…kinda like me. Scrapes, dings, ‘n all.”

 He tried to lighten her spirits, but it didn’t seem to work, he sighed to himself as he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

 “Ray…you want to cry, don’t you?”

 He felt her nod.

 “Then what’s stopping you? You know I ain’t gonna judge ya…just let it out, blubber all ya’ want,” Zack said in a soft tone. “It sucks trying to try keeping that shit pent up, ya know?”

 He wasn’t going to hold her back, he was going to be there and hold onto her for support as she began to pour out her self-doubt and hate into tears. Zack knew Ray had this dark side that she hated herself so much for, enough to want death, that was why she was with him. He at least wanted to make this bit of misery tolerable for her, since she had no one else to relate her woes to. Zack could hear her weep against his side as he continued to hold her close and run his fingers through her golden locks.

 There was that feeling again, that sense of inner comfort to hold Ray’s body close to his and just ignore the hidden walls of her personal space. He couldn’t understand why he felt so okay with it, or even what this feeling was, but right now wasn’t the time to question it.

 “…Let it all out yet?” he spoke.

 Ray’s cries have slowly ceased as she quietly sniffled, then nodded once more.

 “Feel better?” he asks.

 “Yes…I’m sorry…” Ray mumbled.

 “Quit apologizing…jeez…” Zack huffed, “…ya’ haven’t done anythin’ wrong…not while I’m around.”

 Isaac let slip that he was going to be her support, and keep her inner demons at bay under his watch. Ray brought her arms up to wrap around him, she felt the man tense up slightly, but was quick to relax as he returned an embrace of his own.

 “Hey, now that yer’ done sobbing…give me a quick smile,” Zack requested.

 Rachel pulled back as he looked up to Isaac, she was a little hesitant as her cheeks were still a shade of red, and her eyes were slightly wet. There was a short pause, then focused her attention back to him as she gave him a sweet grin.

 There was that knotted and tightening feeling again, followed by a flood of impulses invading his mind, he was even drawn to staring at her lips. Zack wondered how the hell he managed to muster such a strong willpower to keep himself from caving in.

 “It’s…better…still needs work…” Zack sputtered out.

 “At least it doesn’t suck…” Ray replied.

 Zack huffed out a small laugh, then ruffled Ray’s hair playfully.

 “Yeah…you’re getting there…”

 “Thank you, Zack,” Ray said, “…especially just being here for me…”

 Zack grumbled under his breath as he shyly scratched the back of his head, “Y-yeah…no problem, Ray. It just sucks to see ya’ like that…”

 Soon, he felt her lean close to peck his cheek out of gratitude, he froze like a fucking statue, and he was sure his burning cheeks could sear through his damn bandages if they got any hotter. Zack just sat there for a moment, before yanking his hood down over his face.

 “For fuck sakes, Ray...” he almost shouted, “Give a word of warning or some shit!”

 Ray couldn’t reply with anything else other than a soft giggle, this shy side of Zack was rather amusing to see, and she seemed to want to see that part of him a little more – same goes with his tender, soft side.

 Deep down, she knew why, but she wasn’t ready to tell him yet, not while he was still confused and flustered when it came to situations like this. Perhaps another time.