#their old outfits can be viewed as what they wore in their younger years

[skelezomperman]

Ficlet #6: Ivy and her mother-in-law

I am going to figuratively bash my head against my desk one of these days since I keep writing about Ivy or people related to her and not Jugdral. Anyways here's a fic...Note that I kind of don't know if I like the name Ruby too much for Diamant and Alcryst's mother, but it's probably the most popular fan name for her.

--

In one of the coffee-rooms of Elusian castle, on a spring afternoon, was the first private meeting between the Queen Dowager of Brodia and the Queen of Elusia.

The Queen Dowager of Brodia was about average height for a woman. Though in her fifties, her hair retained its cobalt blue shade, undoubtedly the result of dyeing. Her face had quite a few wrinkles on it, enough to where one can get the sense that the past few years had truly worn her down. She was wearing a floor length dress of dark red color, the kind that she would wear casually use at home which was loose and flowing.

The Queen of Elusia, a bit taller than average, had longer purple hair. She still was youthful but had a stern look on her face like her counterpart. She had just come from a wyvern ride and thus was wearing her outfit for that: a dark purple gown which allowed her legs more freedom, paired with her fascinator (decorated with roses), an ermine cape with the Elusian coat of arms, her leggings decorated with floral designs, and her boots with a spike on each one.

One could sense that a silence had settled in after the younger queen had poured tea for the both of them. The only sound that punctuated it was the sipping of tea while they exchanged judgmental glances. The Queen Dowager of Brodia was rumored to have quite antiquated views on Elusians. On the other hand, the Queen of Elusia spearheaded the invasion which led to the late King of Brodia’s death. It would be remiss to omit that Elusia’s queen had also given birth to two of the Queen Dowager’s four grandchildren...at the cost of her eldest son renouncing the Brodian throne.

Finally, the Queen Dowager puts down her teacup on its saucer. “So what makes you like fascinators?” Ruby asked.

Ivy reached for the fascinator around her head. “They’re beautiful headwear,” she said.

“A lot of headwear is stylish,” Ruby replied.

“Fascinators are common for Elusian ladies,” Ivy continued. “I was gifted my first when I was fourteen years old. This style is special to me because I started wearing it in the Academy.”

“I’ve heard quite a bit about this…Academy of yours,” Ruby responded. 

“It was truly amazing…”

She closed her eyes and found herself imagining that she was relaxing over tea not with her soon-to-be-mother-in-law but with her closest friend from the Academy. An Elusian noblewoman of her age, an aspiring mage who loved chatting with her about history books or helping her study for the next exam. Someone who she confided in more than anyone else that she ever met. She imagined that she was not in a stuffy room in the castle, but in the open-air courtyard of the Academy, a cool breeze passing through.

Unfortunately, that friend had died in the war as had most of her classmates.

“The Academy molds young men and women into future leaders. I treasure my time there - it was second only to my faith in the Divine Dragon in making me who I am.”

She cut herself short before reminiscing on the first day that she wore her fascinator at the Academy.

Ruby spoke up after sipping her tea: “You Elusians dress in such a funny way. So much unnecessary pomp. And that leg! It would be quite scandalous if I dressed like that.”

Ivy instinctively put her hand on her thigh for a moment before responding back: “Have you never left Brodia, Your Majesty?”

She tutted and continued: “Other nations have different traditions, of course. I, for my part, think that Brodians dress in a very *boring* manner.”

Silenced by her counterpart’s jab, Ruby finished off her tea. When she stood up to walk to the teapot and pour more, Ivy tried to get her to sit down. But her elder shook her head. “I may be older, but I’m not infirm,” she cautioned.

“Diamant doesn’t like when I try to get things for him either,” Ivy commented.

“He got that from his father.”

Ivy still cringed at the mention of the late King Morion, for as much as she tried to hide it. She never knew him very well, but it was well known that he was all too eager to pounce on perceived weaknesses in Elusia with little regard for the lives of civilians. As much as she hated to think this about her fiancé’s father, she was glad that she would never have to face him.

“I must concede one thing. You have done a great job with Holly,” Ruby said.

Caught off guard by the compliment, Ivy took some time to clarify: “It’s mostly been Diamant over the past few months. I’ve been too busy with Carnation.”

“Ah, he’s six months old, right? You must only just now be getting back to normal.” As Ivy nodded, Ruby continued: “Alcryst was very difficult to have. It lasted almost an entire day with him. It was well worth it in the end.”

(Ivy silently thanked the Divine One that she hadn’t broached the topic of giving birth to Diamant.)

“Carnation looks very cute too. He looks like he takes after his father,” Ruby continued.

“Diamant cried when he held him for the first time,” Ivy softly commented.

“Diamant has always been like that, ever since he was young. He’s never wanted to show weakness, not even after the…”

The accident happened when Diamant was eight years old, not long after Alcryst was born. His scream had caught Ruby's attention, interrupting a moment of rest. But when she and Morion got to him, Diamant was holding back tears of pain even as his entire arm was scalded by the flames.

She cleared her throat. “I pray that if your children study magic, they do it in a safe manner.”

A faint smile finally came upon Ivy’s face for the first time in the conversation. “Do not worry. Holly is only allowed to practice magic when I am with her, and only the most basic spells. I don’t know if she’ll be able to do advanced magic though…”

“It’s alright,” Ruby reassured. “With a supportive father and a loving mother, she’ll turn out fine.” She finished her second cup (before Ivy even finished her first) and then continued: “I can’t say I’m happy with the way you took Diamant from me, but you seem to be quite alright. I worried for a long time that he would never find someone like his brother did, but now he has you.”

Ivy nervously laughed. 

“That is the truth. I’m not happy with much of what you’ve done, but I appreciate how much Diamant and your kids love you.”

As Ivy dreaded, the Queen Dowager focused onto her role as the mother of her household. Not that she had ruled an entire nation on her own, nor that she had single-handedly changed the trajectory of Elusia to one of friendship and not isolation. With a twinge of bitterness in her voice, she said: “I’m glad that I’ve performed well enough for them.” She had the good sense to leave out a backhanded compliment that Diamant had improved on his housekeeping skills, not because he wouldn’t laugh but because she wouldn’t want Ruby to think her feelings for him are anything less than genuine.

Then Ivy finished off her tea, stood up, and gestured for Ruby to give her empty teacup. “If you please, I must wash myself before it’s my turn to watch Carnation again,” she said.

“Oh, my. Why so soon?” Ruby asked.

With a slight smirk, Ivy replied: “You did say my dress is scandalous, did you not? I may as well change into wear that shows less of my leg.”

Flushed red with embarrassment, Ruby only mumbled a thank you to Ivy when the latter took away their empty teacups. She wished that Morion were there, since he at least was better at trading barbs than she was.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation,” Ivy said. 

She was stopped as she left the room when Ruby called out: “Won’t you at least give a handshake?”

Ivy wasn’t comfortable enough to give a hug, but she at least extended her hand out to her future mother-in-law to share a handshake.

“It was nice to meet you, Your Majesty,” Ivy said.

“A pleasure. A pleasure to meet you and Holly and Carnation,” Ruby responded. “Thank you.”

Granted, Ruby and Ivy weren’t yet comfortable with each other, but they were happy to find that they weren’t totally unreasonable people either, not as bad as they feared of each other.

[bakugohoex]

Can you do Jean x reader where they are both undercover at Marley 💕💕💕

part one: “this isn’t a date jean, we’re undercover”

paring: jean kirschtein x female reader

cw: season 4 spoiler but there is no manga spoiler at all, fluff, language 

word count: 2600+

a/n: i had to read so much for this fic, but i got the jist of it, again making sure you guys know there is no spoilers for the manga in here and onlt a season four spoiler do if you guys havent watched the latest episodes be warned

summary: in which you and jean are undercover doing reconnaissance in marley, want turns to investigating a local bar leads to feelings finally being brought out from the two of you

part two  | part three 

↞ back to attack on titan masterlist 

The dress you wore covered your thighs and knees, it hugged you, the soft material being a drastic change from your normal attire. It was a warm mid-day, birds chirped and the sound of Marleyans engulphed your ears. In the 6 years in which you had known Jean you hadn’t ever expect an undercover mission taking place in Marley of all places.

He walked with your hand in his own, you smiling softly as you spoke nonchalantly to one another. It was unamusing and more a distraction than anything else. He picked the newspaper up on the stall, paying quickly as he walked back, you followed which felt more like being dragged along by his strong grip.

The way the top of his fedora sat on his now long hair, he heard about the victory of the Marleyans from a passer-by and with his hand in your own he opened the newspaper up. It was reconnaissance, you and him both knew you were supposed to act like one of these people even if they did think of you both as devils.

“I think we should visit that bar that woman told us about, a lot of the men there get drunk and reveal a lot.”

He looked down at you, your hands still connected. He had grown so much in all these years now reaching over 6ft, his long hair and scattered hairs along his chin making gorgeous. He had become the leader both you and Marco knew he would become.

“They’ll all stare at you, why would I want that?” he mutters.

You laugh at his antics, “you’re such an idiot.”

“You’re the one holding my hand.”

“Jean it’s a mission we have to pretend to be together for the performance.”

He raised an eyebrow you had full view of his face; his eyes were tired from the late nights working on the next plan of action. But most importantly, the fact that the two of you had to share a bed. He couldn’t even touch you as your small frame would sometimes push against his chest.

You smiled at the boy getting him out of his trance before skimming through the newspaper again. “We’ll go tonight after the meeting.”

You nod as the two of you walk towards the docks of Liberio. Both you and Jean were in the internment zone, a nice old woman allowing you to stay on top of her shop. Even with her being nice her opinions on titans and those within the walls were a lot cruller than u had expected.

It had been awkward the first time sleeping beside each other, you both looked up. Not facing each other but instead watching as the clock ticked away until one of you fell asleep. You both woke up wrapped in each other’s arms, and an awkwardness had set between you two from that night. You both would try to face away from each other but one way in another you ended up touching each other in some way.

He helped you up the stairs to where the little shop was kept, you both had gained some currency mostly from stealing it, but you never expected to stay here long. Only to find information until the true invasion would begin. Of course, the others were already here in their own recon missions, but you and Jean had been the first ones and had found out the most about this stupid town.

The biggest thing being that they hated Eldians of any type. You both walked through the double doors the woman smiling at how pretty you both looked together.

You had a meeting with the rest of the survey corps, Hange leading it, you got changed into what you’d wear to the bar knowing it was going to be a long night.

Jean stood at the door watching at how you easily took the dress off. You both didn’t care about changing clothes in front of each other, you’d seen worse from each other and it meant nothing after the tortures of titans.

The short dress fitted you perfectly and as Jean eyed you up and down, he craved any touch by you. He had taken the blue tie off and the suit jacket and waistcoat off leaving him in the white button up and trousers.

You smiled at how his hair stuck to the back of his neck, when he had first started growing his hair out you had loved it seeing the boy turn into a man. You both had changed since your cadet days and as much as you missed it you couldn’t say that being an adult didn’t have its perks.

“You know Y/n, I’d definitely accept any date proposals from you.”

You rolled your eyes at him, he always tormented you with the flirting. “Jean you really are a pain in my ass.”

“Such vulgar words from a pretty woman.”

You wanted to stab him with your ODM gear but instead stuck with jabbing him with your knee into his stomach. Normally when he was a lot younger it hurt him easily, but he seemed unfazed by the action almost finding it cute.

“Why did u have to grow so much? Short Jean was better.”

“Are you saying 15-year-old me is better than now me?”

You think back at the boy, bringing your finger to your chin. “Both you and 15-year-old you are pains to be around.”

He moves his face to your ear you could feel the hairs brush against your cheek from his chin as he spoke, “it’s okay Y/n we both know how you really feel.”

Rolling your eyes, he grabbed your hand almost out of instinct, you both leaving the shop as quickly as you came. Turning the many corners that Hange had told you to take after each different meeting.

The amount of walks you both went on should be unnecessary but the people of Liberio barely batted an eyelash at the two on you.

The dress was low cut and having all these new clothes made your heart warm up. You hadn’t worn different clothes in years, always the same uniform which you grew to dislike.

“Hange really sent us on a fucking expedition.” You mutter as you lean against Jean’s side.

He leads the way walking towards an unknown battered up building. It looked like it was being constructed and you were met with the scouts.

They eyed you both up your outfits standing out. “running late per usual.” Levi mutters.

As much as you had grown on Captain Levi, he still had a discomfort towards most of you. Both Jean and you let go of hands with ease standing beside each other. Before the meeting begun mostly talking about what had occurred and most significantly the defeat of Marleyans against the Mid-East.

“You know what that means, sometime soon is our time to act.” You professed, the new knowledge coming as a relief as it would soon be time for your plan to truly occur.

Armin and Mikasa spoke, the whereabouts of Eren being unknown due to his consistent disappearances. Watching these people grow you truly understood the mutual torment you all felt. As you were all dismissed all you could think about was the consistent opposition you all faced.

“I think the bars down here.” Jean retakes your hand as you smiled at him.

“Once this is over what do you think will happen.” You ask him softly.

“I don’t know.”

“Remember when we first met, and you were adamant on becoming an MP.” He listened raising an eyebrow. “Look at you now Mr Commanding Officer.”

You were proud of your friend he had worked hard to achieve this status. “You really are proud of me aren’t yah.”

You rolled your eyes gently hitting his side. “I’m telling the truth I’m proud of you.”

You had been timid in your choice of words you were proud, and he knew you were proud of him. Walking into the bar, the significant smell of alcohol mixed with sweat made you grossed out.

It was a rule to not drink under the survey corps and you hadn’t really cared for drinking. So, the sight of so many drunk people drove you mad, how easily a night of drinking could lead to a failed future.

Jean pulled out a chair for you before going to the bar, “I’ll get your favourite.”

You nodded playing with your fingers trying to listen in on the conversations that were occurring. Many Marleyans chatting shit about the Eldians and most specifically those of paradise island.

Your fist clenched as Jean brought two drinks out. “What is it?” You question looking at the red drink in front of you.

“You told me you liken cranberry juice once, i got you some”.

Your eyes widened at the boy, “Jean i said that like years ago.”

“Shows you how much i do care about you.” You rolled your eyes sipping on the drink. You both conversed but remained consistent with your spying on individuals.

“Those guys are talking about you.” Jean coughed out sipping his drink.

“I should go up to them i might get some information.”

“Don’t.” You raise an eyebrow going up to his ear. “They might steal you away.”

“This isn’t a date Jean, we’re undercover.” The way you spoke his name made him melt, he wanted to hear more of your voice specifically moaning his name out.

You stood up ready to go speak to them before you heard something come from their mouths. “If i ever saw one of those island folks I’d slit their throats and make their kids watch.”

You felt sick to the stomach by the comment and wanted to leave. Jean hadn’t heard it and as you stood frozen, he called out your name.

“Let’s get u outside.” He whispers taking your hand as you silently followed. “Are you okay?”

You nod, “I guess it just hit me we’re hated here the way the act towards us is the way we used to act against titans.”

You felt his arms wrap around you. He knew you hadn’t spoken much about the comments and that now you hit the realisation you’d confide in him more.

“I want to go back to the shop.” He nods as a comfortable silence settled in.

You cling to his arm wrapping your hands around his own. He loved the way you cling onto him like he was your protector, and you were his queen.

Walking down a long alleyway, you see some Marley men smoking and drinking. They’d be easy targets if you wanted to kill them, hearing them speak and whistle as you both walked past. Before one of them grabbing your wrist made Jean’s instincts kick in.

He punched the guy who had touched you, his filthy hands still lingering close to your body. The way Jean with ease was able to put down the two men who looked bruised and battered.

He put his hand out for you to take, he didn’t speak. Just bringing you the comfort you needed from this whole new world experience. Everything was so much bigger outside the walls and you couldn’t ever imagine putting innocent people in walls to keep them trapped.

The events of the night led to an uncomfortable silence once you arrived back to little room on top of the shop. He stripped his shirt off due to the excessive dirt it had got on it. You admired his body, the way each muscle sat perfectly on his abdomen.

You sat on the bed fidgeting with your clothes, you played with the hem of the dress which Jean could see your upper thigh from you doing.“Do you want to talk more about it?”

“I just… i guess it’s the reality.” You muttered as Jean sat beside you his shirt off. Titans seemed less scary than any of these indoctrinated Marleyans any day.

In the years Jean had known you seeing you vulnerable and passive made his heart ache. He took you by the hand letting you attach yourself to his side.

You were scared about the upcoming invasion and even worse you didn’t even know who you’d be fighting. The uncertain of it all being too much.

He walked up to you, moving closer to your smaller frame. “You didn’t have to punch those guys, I...I would’ve said something.”

“Y/n, you’ve been silent all night, you expect me to believe that you would’ve done something.” He bends down his knees touching the ground as he kneeled in front of you. His hands moving to your own stopping you from playing with your dress anymore.

Bringing your hands up to his mouth he kissed it as you could see some bruises, you stroked your thumb against the bruises hopefully it would settle down with some ice later. “What you said back in the bar?” You start to speak but you really had nothing to say, “about not going to those men.”

“I didn’t want you to get hurt if you talked to them and…” He trailed off.

“And?” You question.

He looked up at your bright face filled with love and happiness something he hadn’t seen in a very long time. “And you bring joy, in a shitty world like this I guess you’re the only one who truly brings a smile on my face.”

“Jean when did you get so sappy.” You giggle at his flustered look.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Make me.” The tone in your voice was begging him to take you.

He rolls his eyes, his tongue flicking against the inside of his mouth as he stood up looking at you. He was even taller than before. You were a mouse compared to his frame; he bent his back bringing his face closer towards yours before a hand was placed on your cheek.

He closed the gap between the two of you, making your back hit the bed. His other hand moved to your side as he was on kissing you whilst he was on top. Your back arched at the movements wanting to feel his body on your own, as you deepened the kiss. Your hands in his long hair pulling his body closer to your own, as you felt the hardness come from his trousers.

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t its baby.” He spoke stoically a cocky grin plastered to his face.

You smirked as he let go of your lips, moving his mouth to your neck as he moved your dress down your body, with your collarbone and neck revealed for him. He left marks and sucked on spots making you moan his name loudly.

“I’d…I… would n…never.” The moans engulphed you, you craved him even more.

He had never expected to hear you moan his name, and the sound of it, with you underneath fuelled him even more to continue the act. You closed your eyes as he bit and sucked on your collar before licking the side of your neck. The saltiness it brought making him lick his lips before he went back to kissing you.

The kiss was deeper, quicker than it previously had been, you placed your hands on his exposed chest. The way a single touch from you sent shivers down his spine, “I’ve always like you, y’know.”

“I assumed so.” You giggled, his body was on top of you trapping you between his broad arms and shoulders. It was a sight and you loved it.

You brought yourself up leaning up with your elbows, your dress was half off you and the way he looked at you knew that what would happen tonight had been long awaited from many many years ago. 

proceed to part two here

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[apricotbuncakes]

🏳️‍⚧️ Luigi is Trans Masc 🏳️‍⚧️

Long Post!!!

Now that I have your attention, here are some reasons that I headcanon Luigi as trans, based off of my own experience as a trans masc person.

1) He ghosts hunts even when he has the option to say no.

Could this be a ‘I have to save my loved ones from danger’ or a ‘this is the right thing to do even though I’m scared’ situation? Yeah! But I’m trans and grasping for straws, so let me have this.

I put this as a reason for him being trans, because I believe he’s doing it because he’s a man and he’s ‘not supposed to be afraid’.

Luigi is assumed to be 24, and his character was first introduced in the 1980s, specifically 1983. Assuming he was 24 when the first game released, he would have been born in 1959 (feel free to check my math on that).

Although his character was introduced in the 80s where men tended to be more feminine and flamboyant, he was probably raised with the idea that men should be tough and strong, and should lead. Even if we throw release date and age aside, even if he was born in my generation, those stereotypes of men still exist and are taught within society. Even as those norms are being broken day after day, he would have still been exposed to the toxic masculinity.

Luigi, from what we’ve seen of his adventures, tends to be more scared and less ‘tough’ than what was expected of a man. From what we know of Luigi, we can safely assume that (if he was trans) he would be doing this not only for his family and friends, but to prove he was tough and strong, and that he was manly.

2) He dresses like his brother.

Yes, he is a plumber by trade, but he also ghosts hunts, and makes bank off of that. You think he would wear a different outfit when he ghost hunts simply because denim Isn’t meant for physical activity. Anyone who’s run in jeans knows that it isn’t exactly meant to be stretchy. It’s (supposed to be) designed to withstand the test of time. So why doesn’t Luigi change from plumbing cloths (specifically his denim overalls) to something more suited for the running he has to do in various places for ghost hunting? Because Mario wears overalls and a t-shirt.

From what I’ve seen on social media, other trans people follow the lead of those around them who match their gender identity/their presentation. I would do the same was well. I would look at what my dad wore, what my brother would wear, and what guys at school wore. I developed my style after what I had seen, so I could pass.

While you don’t have to pass to be trans (or even have the desire to), it’s a common theme amongst trans people to try and blend in with cis society. This can be for safety reasons, or just because they want to fit in with their peers.

Luigi clearly looks up to his brother, crying tears of joy whenever Mario is saved from King Boo. He congratulates him when he wins events. He supports him, because he looks up to him. They’re brothers after all!

It makes sense that Luigi would mirror Mario, since they are so close. Since Mario is most often seen wearing his overalls, Luigi follows suit, because it’s what he believes guys do. He’s following the example that Mario set for him.

3) Luigi’s view on gender expression.

Luigi has had a couple of instances where he is known to ignore typical gender stereotypes, specifically with dresses.

In the game super Mario Odyssey, Mario can be seen wear a wedding gown with a veil, and Luigi is only concerned that Mario didn’t tell him about the wedding. There was no wedding, and Luigi didn’t mock Mario when informed that his brother was wearing the gown for fun.

The second major instance is from the New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe website. The website tells us that only Toadette can use the Super crown. The last part of the Super Crown’s description says “Sorry Luigi- Only Toadette can use this item!”

While this could point to Luigi being trans fem instead of trans masc, I would like to point out that recently, it has become more accepted that men can dress feminine. Since this game was released in 2019, it’s completely possible that Luigi has caught onto this, and is becoming more accepted and accepting of his femininity as a man. This would also be plenty of time to unlearn harmful stereotypes from when he was younger, about what men can and can’t do. Although he still sticks with old habits, he’s learning more about how the world around him works, and how it’s changing day by day.

I believe that Luigi has a better understanding of gender and gender expression because he is trans. He’s learning to accept that he doesn’t have to be hyper masculine to be a valid guy.

4) How he got his mustache and flat chest (and… other stuff).

This section will be discussing the effects of hormones, surgeries, and genitalia. Please keep this in mind as you read.

This is more of an explanation for how certain things happened.

How did he grow a mustache? Testosterone. It was likely after helping his brother with his career, and winning sporting events he had a good amount of income to start Testosterone. Another option? Minoxidil. Minoxidil was tested to see if it could cure ulcers in the 50s. Through testing, The Upjohn Company discovered it opened blood vessels and allowed for blood to flow more smoothly. In the late 70s, it was FDA approved for patients to use if they suffer from high blood pressure. Through this, they discovered that minoxidil also has the side effect of hair growth. The FDA approved the product to be sold, and it was called Rogaine. Meaning Luigi would have had access to something to grow facial hair, even if testosterone wasn’t an option.

What about his flat chest?

Binding or Top surgery. Both were an option by the time Luigi was old enough. Laurence Michael Dillon was a trans person who was born in 1915 and died in 1962. While I do recommend you look at more of his story, what I want to focus on is the fact he had top surgery. While the surgery was still fairly early in it’s development, it was possible. Luigi, who wasn’t born until 1959 (as previously discussed) would have the option to get top surgery when he became an adult.

Another option would be binding, though I think this is less likely because of how binding restricts physical activity. Binding in any way makes it difficult to run or exert yourself in general. We see Luigi run a LOT in various games, and for decent amounts of time too. It’s less likely that he’s binding.

The last thing is his penis.

There was a huge joke going around about the bulge we saw in a promotion for Mario Tennis Aces. People were discussing how large it was, and Even Mattpat on Game Theory discussed the measurements to determine how large it was.

Why was it so noticeable? Well bottom surgery was also an option for him pretty early on. Surgeons (from what I’ve been told be social media) will ask how you’d like to look like. Even if he decided to not get bottom surgery, he could be wearing a packer.

A packer is anything you use to give the feeling and or appearance of a penis, specifically used by trans masc people who were not born with a penis. There are many different types of packers (including clean rolled up socks) that people may use. What’s most important to note though, is they have a high chance of moving around.

Even with harnesses or underwear specifically designed to keep a packer in place, they can still shift around in your pants, especially when you’re doing a lot of moving. From my experience, my packers tent to move forward rather than back. Wearing athletic shorts will also make that area more pronounced as the fabric is looser, so if Luigi was wearing a packer, we’d know.

5) He’s trans cause I say so.

Like I said in the beginning, it’s a head canon. I say he’s trans because it’s a cool idea. A Nintendo character that is trans, and isn’t being hidden, explained away, or made fun of (like Vivian from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door). I like the idea that Luigi is a proud trans guy, and we don’t know because it doesn’t matter. He’s a guy because he’s a guy. He doesn’t just ‘become’ a guy because he goes through surgeries or goes in hormones. He’s trans, and t doesn’t matter if we know or not, because his trans identity isn’t important to the story we’re playing, or our knowledge to know. We aren’t entitled to it.

He’s a guy who happens to be trans, and that’s that.

If there is any misinformation above, please let me know so I can correct it. This was meant to be a fun post about my head canon, but I did use real world examples t explain it, and if I got something wrong, I’d like to know. Thanks!

[streetlight11]

Neighbour's Fate

Summary: He was your neighbour growing up but he has always been distant. You didn't know for what reasons he chose not to mingle with you or your younger brother. It's been 6 years since you saw him. One day, you best friend asks for a favour from you that would eventually lead you to meeting his close friends. Who would've thought your old neighbour was now one of your best friend's close friends.

Theme: university au, old neighbours to lovers

Genre: fluff, a tad bit of jealousy, a little suggestive

Warning: mentions of anxiety, one or two curse words, very mild harassment (grabbing of wrist, that's all)

WC: 6.5k

Pairing: Seo Changbin x Fem!Reader

a/n: This was just a spur of the moment kind of idea I had the other day, and so this was the work I created... Hope you guys like it :)

Growing up, you lived beside the Seo family. They were a family of four and so were you. Their oldest child was a girl and her name was Seo Jiwoo. Their youngest child was a boy and his name was Seo Changbin. You were pretty close to the girl, to the point where you would always go to school together but the boy had always avoided you for unknown reasons.

He wouldn’t even play with your younger brother. It used to upset you but as you grew up, you realized that you can never force anyone to like someone or do something they didn’t want to do. And for that reason, you ended up letting him be.

However, despite not talking to you as much as his sister did, he was very attentive on small little things and he noticed that you tend to get anxiety attacks whenever you are in front of a huge crowd or the centre of attraction. And he knows this.

You had just entered senior year when you heard news from your parents that the Seo family were moving.

You were sad considering you’re already so close to Jiwoo. But you couldn’t force them to stay there anyways. You accepted the fact that you probably wouldn’t see them anytime soon, maybe not ever. You bid them goodbye, not forgetting to glance at Changbin one last time before they drove off with their boxes loaded into a van.

Two years passed since they moved and you were finally going to college.

You decided to move to Seoul alone and your parents allowed it. Your heart was heavy to leave them behind but they understood that you were doing it because you wanted to further your studies. For that, they willingly let you go.

After graduation, you enrolled yourself into a college with your favourite course, not forgetting to find an affordable apartment for yourself. And that was the start to a new chapter in your life.

4 years passed by in a flash and you had managed to further your studies by going to university. You were currently a Computer Science major in Hankuk University, together with your best friend whom you met in college and have been friends ever since. He was two years younger than you but he was pretty mature for his age, and his name is Hwang Hyunjin.

It was a bright Thursday morning and you were just strolling to your lecture class when someone swung their arm over your shoulder. Right when you were about to curse, the familiar voice warned you.

“Relax, stop being too defensive will you?”

You clicked your tongue at him, seeing him shake his head a little to get his long beautiful blonde bangs away from his eyes.

“Then announce who you are first before putting your arm around me next time, will you?” You scoffed, earning a roll of his eyes. “You’re unbelievable sometimes, you know that?” Hyunjin sighed.

“I appreciate that compliment.”

“Whatever…” Hyunjin could only laugh as the two of you continued to walk to class.

Hours went by, it was currently lunch hour. You made it to the cafeteria in time when there still weren’t many students yet. Hyunjin was walking beside you, telling you stories about his ex-girlfriend whom he caught cheating on him last month when you spotted an empty table a few rows down from you.

With that, you grabbed his shirt and began to drag him to the table before anyone else occupies it. A few minutes later, you were just munching on your smoked squid when someone came to give Hyunjin a handshake.

You looked up to see two guys whom you knew to be in Hyunjin’s dance crew team that represented the campus.

One of them had pretty freckles all over his face while the other one had a cute gummy smile with doe round eyes. They simply acknowledged you with a friendly smile and a nod before walking away.

You’ve never really met Hyunjin’s friends before properly because you were shy.

Even with those two guys, you knew they were part of Hyunjin’s close circle of friends that had other guys from other campuses but you’ve never met them before. You weren’t sure if you even wanted to, if they’re all just going to be as equally good looking as the two dancers from your campus.

A few days later, you were lounging in your living room on a Friday night watching your favourite TV show on Netflix. You were in nothing but panties and a big hoodie that you remembered to be Hyunjin’s but you stole it one night when you slept over at his place after he broke things off with his ex-girlfriend when he found her cheating on him with a friend of his but not from his circle.

You were just seated on your couch with a chocolate almond drink in your hand when you got a text from Hyunjin.

With that, he told you to pick him up at his apartment so that you could go meet his friends at the mall and discuss his plan. It sounds ridiculously dramatic to you but then again, it’s Hyunjin. Nothing’s ever not ridiculously dramatic when it comes to him.

You texted him you’ll pick him up at around 2, in which he said okay. You were scheming through your closet to see what you could wear. You didn’t want his friends to have a bad first impression on you so you opted to wear a little feminine. After rummaging your closet for a good few minutes, you ended up pulling out a baby blue off shoulder, floral print dress.

You’ve worn this out with Hyunjin before once but mostly with your girl friends. You kept your hair simple with a messy low bun, leaving your fringe to frame your face as it parts nicely in the centre.

Once it was time to pick him up, you left your apartment. Not forgetting to bring your purse along to keep your important belongings.

You wore your favourite white Nike air force 1s to pair it with your outfit.

After you’ve managed to pick him up from his apartment, he tells you which mall they promised to meet. The drive there was filled with him complaining to you saying his ex kept bothering him on kakao talk and also social media.

He said he’s had enough so he wants to get back at her to show her that he’s moved on. He told you that she invited him and his friends to her birthday party at her house next weekend.

So he wants to use this chance for his payback.

You simply listened to his plan as you focused on the road ahead of you. Once you’ve found yourself a parking space, you park your vehicle and leave.

He walked with you to the restaurant, all the while talking to you about your dreadful assignment. You arrived at the restaurant, only for a waiter to approach you two.

“Uhh, hi. My friends are here actually. Table reserved under Chan I think?” Hyunjin said as the waiter went ahead and checked the booking list, only for him to nod when his eyes met the name that was mentioned.

“Ah, yes. Right this way.” He led you deeper into the restaurant as you followed behind Hyunjin.

You were too busy focusing on the crying child across the room, not realizing you were already at the table until Hyunjin’s arms wrapped around your waist to stop you from walking. You whipped your head around to lock eyes with him as he chuckled at you for being clumsy.

Just then, you turned towards the table and you saw a whole table filled with really handsome guys. You also noticed that the two dancers from campus whom you recognized pretty well by now.

“Oh, hey!” The one with freckles said as he waved to you and so did the other one. You smiled shyly to them as you rested your right hand on your left elbow.

You schemed through the different pairs of eyes, smiling to them as a way of saying hello.

Just when you thought you were done, you didn’t notice the one who got blocked by Hyunjin’s tall and lean body. It wasn’t until Hyunjin turned around to call for the waiter, that you finally locked eyes with the individual seated at the edge of the bench.

He was absolutely breath-taking.

He was wearing a grey shirt that hugged his upper body a little too perfectly.

His muscles were in full view. His broad chest puffing out against the soft material of his shirt. The sleeves of his shirt doing the bare minimum in giving his muscular arms air to breath. His shirt tucked into his black cargo pants that had a chain attached to the belt hooks.

He wore a silver chain necklace as his accessory and a few chain bracelets as well. His hair was styled to show his forehead despite it not being slick back. However, his eyes were cold at first but the minute he looked at you, you could’ve sworn his eyes went wide for a split second before it softened.

Your smile slowly disappeared as Hyunjin spoke up to get your attention, “Noona? You okay? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

With that, he chuckled as he turned to his friends and continued talking, “Friends, this is my best friend since college, Y/N. Noona, these are my friends, Felix, Minho hyung, Seungmin, Jeongin, Jisung, Chan hyung and Changbin hyung.”

At the mention of that last name, a sudden rush of adrenaline flowed through your veins as you turned to look at the said individual. Letting his name roll off your tongue.

“Chang… bin?”

The table fell quiet as your eyes diverted from his to the plate in front of him. The boys didn’t miss the frown that soon appeared on your face.

“Do you know him?” Hyunjin asked, genuinely intrigued by your reaction.

Why is the name making your heart flutter?

Just then, you looked back into Changbin’s soft eyes only to ask, “Seo… Changbin?” You heard a few light gasps from the guys but they weren’t your main focus right now.

You watched as Changbin shifted in his seat, making him ask, “How did you know my name?”

His question made you confused.

Was he not your neighbour? Was he not the same Seo Changbin you used to grow up next to? Was he a different Seo Changbin?

This made you feel slightly embarrassed thinking you mistook him for someone else. So you apologized, “I… sorry, maybe I mistook you for someone else.” With that being said, he didn’t say anything else as Hyunjin brought you to the empty space beside Jisung and Seungmin. During lunch, Hyunjin explains what his plan was to everyone.

You listened to him as well, occasionally giving him scoffs or a click of your tongue if you felt that he might be a bit too sassy about the things he wanted to do.

After lunch was over, they wanted to walk around the mall for a bit so you followed.

You had all just entered the lift to go down to level 1 from level 6. There were a few strangers who came in as well. You were the last to enter after the boys while the other shoppers came rushing in behind you.

You had just turned around when a rowdy bunch of people pushed you in further. You were about to lose balance when you felt a firm hold on your waist. What you also felt was your upper back accidentally crashing into a firm chest. You were secretly hoping your guess was wrong but it wasn’t.

“It’s okay. I got you.” His raspy voice said quietly in your ear over the noisy lift, making you turn your head slightly.

That was your first mistake.

The minute you turned, his lips accidentally brushed against your cheek as it was now inches away from your own lips. You were caught off guard by the close proximity so you softly gasped and were going to pull away from him when you accidentally bumped into the person in front of you.

That was your second mistake.

Because the minute you slightly bumped into them, the person turned around to give you a disapproving look, making you apologize quietly as you felt the hands on your waist wrap itself around you and tugged you against him as a way to comfort you.

Changbin simply hid his smile against your hair on his left where his face was between your head and the lift walls so none of his friends saw this.

Your heart was pounding against your chest as you unconsciously rested your hands on top of his forearms. After the crowd left the lift at level 3, you could finally breathe as Changbin let go of you before his friends saw him hold you.

You went home that day feeling lost and confused.

Does that mean he knows you, that he was simply acting as if he doesn’t remember you? Why else would he act that way, unless he’s that type of guy who knows his way around girls?

As far as you remember, Hyunjin has never mentioned being friends with fuckboys and that he says that his friends were all very sweet and humble guys.

Either way, you decided not to think much of Changbin and just carry out Hyunjin’s favour and you’d call it done with being around his friends. But of course luck wasn’t on your side and that it always has it’s way of turning things around in your life. This time, it was with Hyunjin’s friends.

More specifically, Changbin.

The day finally came, you were going to be Hyunjin’s fake girlfriend for the night. You weren’t really nervous considering you don’t have any special feelings for him. You were more anxious that you will be seeing his friends tonight. And that means you’ll be seeing Changbin too.

Hyunjin came to pick you up this time, coming earlier to pick out the perfect outfit for you to wear so that his ex would feel jealous when he sees you with him.

Hyunjin ended up choosing a pink satin dress with quite a deep neckline that essentially shows your cleavage. You were against wearing it at first but Hyunjin insists on you wearing it.

“Dude, you do realise I might get guys staring at me the whole night if I wore this right?” You asked, your tone was serious as he knows how you feel about being a centre of attraction. It gives you major anxiety. With that being said, Hyunjin gave in and chose a different dress that was also satin but with a decent neck line and a thin strap to rest on your shoulders.

It hugs your figure perfectly, with the hem stopping right on your mid thighs.

Hyunjin gave you the privacy to change as he waited for you in your living room. After you were done, you came back out with your purse and heels from your shoe closet.

Hyunjin almost choked on his own spit as he scanned you from head to toe.

“Woah! You are looking hot as hell!” He praised you, earning a roll of your eyes. You slapped his chest with your purse, telling him to get up so you can both leave.

The drive to his ex’s house took about 40 minutes, filling the drive with singing your favourite songs with Hyunjin and just laughing about random things. His friends were going to meet you two there, hence the reason why you were now leaning against Hyunjin’s car door with him towering over you.

He trapped you by resting both hands on top of his car roof on either side of your body.

“So, let me make myself clear. You can hold my hand, hold my waist, kiss my cheek, wherever you want up here…” You said as you pointed from your shoulder to your face before continuing your speech, “But, not my lips.”

Hyunjin pouted as he got a gentle slap from you to his chest, making him chuckle.

“Okay, but what if she wants proof of us dating and she asks us to kiss?” He asked, making you think through your potential actions.

“Fine, only if she asks. If not, don’t even think about tricking me into kissing you.” You warned as he scoffed, telling you that you were ‘no fun’. You rolled your eyes at him but the smile on your lips betrayed you.

Right when you wanted to look away from him, instead you saw a group of guys walking up to you and Hyunjin. Only to realize it was his friends.

Your eyes just naturally travelled over to the one walking near the curb.

Changbin wore a black skinny cargo pants, a black button down formal shirt tucked in, leaving the first few buttons undone. It definitely was low enough to expose a slight amount of his chest. He accessorized with his favourite silver necklace and a chain bracelet with a watch. He had a pair of black combat boots on to go with his outfit.

His hair was styled nicely to partially show his forehead and his undercut. You would be lying if you said he didn’t look good. But you decided to keep the comment to yourself as Chan smirked at you and Hyunjin.

“Damn, you’re not even inside and you guys already started the act?” Hyunjin wriggled his eyebrows as he pushed himself off his car only to snake one arm around your waist and pulled you against his side gently.

“By the way, you look really pretty Y/N.” Chan smiled at you genuinely, making you feel shy. But nonetheless thanked him for his compliment.

The rest of them agreed to their friend’s comment as well, saying that you look good with this dress.

The 9 of you soon walked to the house as Hyunjin slid his hands into yours swiftly when you were reaching the door. However, Changbin couldn’t help but feel jealous when he saw this. Yes he knows it was all an act. Yes he knows that it was only for a day. But why did he wish that was him instead of Hyunjin?

You arrived at the house, only for Hyunjin’s ex to open the door. Her smile immediately dropped when she looked down at your locked fingers with Hyunjin.

“Hey, you guys made it… And, with a friend…” She said through her clenched teeth.

“Oh my goodness, where’s my manners? This is Y/N, my girlfriend. Baby, this is my... friend, Yuna.” Hyunjin said as he slid his arm around your waist, making you smile at the girl and proceeded to shake her hand.

She was clearly uncomfortable but she just pressed on a smile as she welcomed the 9 of you in.

The birthday party was definitely leaning more towards a party which includes alcohol and random hooking ups with strangers. But since some of them drove, they made sure not to drink, including yourself because you don’t drink alcohol.

It has been almost an hour since you reached here and there were already a whole bunch of drunk university students everywhere in this house.

You were just seated on the couch next to Hyunjin and Minho with some of the guys. The only ones who were tipsy amongst the 9 of you were Jisung, Jeongin, Felix and Seungmin. You were just leaning your head against Hyunjin’s shoulder, feeling tired from having been surrounded by drunk students when you felt the need to get a refill of your non alcoholic drink.

You rested your hand on Hyunjin’s lap to gain his attention, who was busy talking to the other four guys, as all four pairs of eyes soon turned to you. “I’m gonna get a refill. I’ll be back.” You said as you got up after receiving a nod from him.

A few minutes later, you were just walking back to where the guys were sitting when a warm hand on your waist made you jump.

You turned around to see a guy whom you didn’t recognize, smiling down at you drunkenly.

“Wanna dance, baby girl?” He slurred over his words, making you excuse yourself. But when you turned to walk, he gripped your wrist so tightly that it made you drop your cup to the floor. You winced as he began tugging you towards the stairs.

But then a firm grip around your waist made you stop walking as someone ripped his hand away from yours only to throw a solid punch to his jaw.

“Fucking touch her again and I’ll break your nose.” Hyunjin growled as the guy began to stumble away. This has caught the eyes of those around you, making your anxiety grow. You didn’t realize this but you began to shake, something you always did when your anxiety was kicking in.

You were about to panic when the soft voice behind you managed to calm you down.

“Hey? Hey, calm down. Breathe. It’s okay.” Changbin whispered in your ear. It confused you on how he seemed to know that this was due to your anxiety but your mind couldn’t properly function right now.

So when Changbin called Hyunjin and told him you were shaking, the minute he passed you over to Hyunjin who immediately hugged you, that’s when it hit you.

This Changbin knows about your anxiety.

You allowed yourself to calm down in Hyunjin’s arms as he caressed your back soothingly and it worked.

A few minutes later, you finally stopped shaking as he pulled away from you only to cup your face gently. “Are you okay?” He asked, genuinely concerned for you. All you could do was smile at him and thank him, in which he told you it was fine and that he should’ve been more alert when leaving you alone in this kind of atmosphere.

You were just walking back to where his three friends were sitting, when a familiar voice called Hyunjin’s name behind you. The pair turned around as Yuna came to a stop behind Hyunjin.

She awkwardly glanced at you before focusing back at him.

“Hey, I need to talk to you… in private?” Yuna said.

“Why? We can just speak here.” Hyunjin said.

“I want to talk about something important… it’s about… us.” She paused. Hyunjin sighed as he stared at her with nothing but lingering pain in his eyes.

“There’s nothing else to talk about Yuna. You cheated on me when I told you I loved you. Was I not enough for you?”

“I’m sorry Hyunjin… I… I wasn’t thinking. Please… can we talk in private?” She said desperately, making you glance up to him who had an obvious frown on his face. You knew he wanted to talk to her to clear things between them. But you could also see that he was already tired of her bullshit and that he wanted nothing but to move on from her.

So you opted to give them space by holding his forearm gently and told him, “I think there’s some things you guys need to settle. Go. I’ll wait with the guys.”

You flashed him and Yuna a smile as you let go of his hand, turning around to walk towards where Minho, Changbin and Chan were sitting. The three of them were already looking at your direction, seeing the situation unravel in front of their eyes.

Hyunjin was at a cross road as he wasn’t sure if he should follow his heart or mind.

After what felt like forever, he decided to follow his heart and that was to completely end ties with Yuna. With that being said, he turned back to her only to speak up.

“I’m sorry Yuna. But all of that was in the past. I’ve already moved on and you should too.” Hyunjin said as he then turned on his heels and left.

He re-joined you and the guys, where you were sitting on the arm rest beside Minho since the other end of the couch was already occupied by drunk couples. Hyunjin was just standing beside you when Yuna placed her hand on his shoulder and roughly turned him around.

“That’s it? It was just that one time. You can’t tell me you’ve moved on that fast.” She scoffed as he raised his eyebrows at her in disbelief.

“With what you did to me, it only makes sense for me to move on this fast. Besides, I’m already dating someone now. You’re too late.” Hyunjin taunts but it seems like Yuna had a different plan as she scoffed at you.

“As if. I’ve noticed you two acting quite distant when I’m not near you. Just tell me you guys are friends and leave. I don’t need fakers at my party.” Yuna said, her tone visibly angered.

Hyunjin smirks, knowing that she was just trying to bite his tail.

“What do I need to do then to prove to you that I’ve really moved on from you?”

“Kiss her. If you’re really dating her and you guys aren’t just friends, then kiss her.”

There it is.

That was probably the last thing you’d wanna hear tonight. Especially not in front of Changbin. With that being said, Hyunjin smirks as he accepted the challenge easily. Since you both agreed on this before you entered the house just now, you knew you couldn’t really say no to it.

“Oh, sure thing sweetheart.” Hyunjin said as he turned to you and immediately leaned down to kiss you on the lips, hands reaching up to cup your face.

You swiftly moved your lips against his to make it seem legit. You could feel Hyunjin’s lips curving into a smile against your lips as you heard Yuna scoff and soon stormed off. Hyunjin pulled back the minute she left, only to apologize to you.

“I’m really sorry noona…”

“It’s okay.” You smiled as Minho and Chan began to tease you two for executing the perfect kiss, saying that it looks too legit. They even mentioned saying you two looked like a nice couple.

In which you responded with a fake gag, earning a soft punch to your arm by Hyunjin himself. You giggled but you completely missed the way Changbin’s eyes were burning with jealousy from seeing you kiss Hyunjin.

He knows this was just an act but why was he so pressed by the simple kiss?

A few days later, you were in class when Hyunjin told you he was meeting his friends this weekend and asked if you wanted to join them. You weren’t sure if you wanted to but you decided to go along with it. He said they planned to watch a movie and maybe go to the pier. You nodded, agreeing to tag along since he offered you to come.

Weekend finally came and you had just left your apartment. You wore your denim skinny ripped jeans, a white cropped fitted tank top and a black oversized jacket.

Hyunjin told you he was going to pick you up so you met him at the roadside in front of your apartment building.

You both made it to the mall to queue for the movie tickets. Chan was queueing with Hyunjin so you were left with the others. You were just scrolling through your Instagram when someone fed you popcorn. You looked up to see Changbin holding two popped kernels in front of your lips. You unconsciously blushed as you opened your mouth to let him feed you.

Changbin chuckled after feeding you, only to pop some in his own mouth. You stood in between Changbin and Jeongin against the wall while Seungmin, Jisung, Felix and Minho were standing in front of you three.

They were just talking amongst themselves when you glanced over to the full bucket filled with caramel popcorn that Changbin was hugging.

He saw you looking so he took some out and held it up to your mouth.

“Ahh, it’s okay, I can take myself.” You said softly, gently pushing his hand away but instead, he said something that made your stomach churn in a good way.

“Don’t worry, I like feeding people.”

You stared at him for a second as he teasingly tapped the popcorns on your lips, making you giggle. Changbin fed you a few times, even after you’ve entered the cinema theatre. After the movie ended, all of you made your way to the pier.

Once there, you were walking past the game booths which had some very cute prizes. Just then, your eyes caught a glimpse of your favourite cartoon character as a prize for one of the booths.

It was Stitch.

You gasped as you eagerly reached out for whoever’s arm that was nearest to you, only to grab both Changbin’s and Seungmin’s forearms on either side of you before pointing to the booth with the Stitch soft toy.

“Guys look! It’s stitch! It’s so cute! Omg!” You giggled, hearing both of them chuckle as you jogged over to the booth. It was a game of shooting which you clearly weren’t good at. Just as you were pondering over the game, a familiar voice spoke up from behind you causing you to turn.

“One round please.” Changbin said as he handed the man his bill before the man gave him a loaded nerf gun.

“What are you doing?” You asked as Changbin simply smiled at you.

“Playing the game?”

“Of course I know that… but why?”

“For fun…” He smiled as he began to aim for the targets. He was getting the shots perfect so far. Barely missing any target. After a stressful close round, you watched as he won a prize. You didn’t know why but you thought he was going to choose something that was for himself.

But instead, the next thing you see was the man reaching up to grab the exact one that you’ve been eyeing all these while.

Changbin smiled as he thanked the man for the prize. But when he turned away from the man, you expected him to walk back to his friends. You didn’t expect him to give you the Stitch soft toy and then proceed to say innocently, “Take it.”

You raised your eyebrows at him softly, clearly taken aback by his offer.

“W-What?”

“It’s for you… You looked like you wanted it so bad.” Changbin chuckled as he gently took your hands and wrapped it around the toy to make you hug it.

“Changbin… thank you…” You whispered as he could only smile, guiding you back to where the guys were. The minute you came back to where some of them were, you excitedly showed off your prize.

“Jin ah! Look!” You exclaimed as Hyunjin gasped at the size of the soft toy.

“Woah! Where did you get this?”

“From that shooting booth! Isn’t he cute!”

“You won the shooting game?!” Hyunjin asked in shock, making you blush as you turned to Changbin. He had a soft smile on his face before he spoke up for you.

“I did. So I gave the prize to her.”

The guys began to tease as Changbin rolled his eyes thickly at them.

“Oh? Was that a gift to her?” Minho smirked.

“Never thought I’d see the day Seo Changbin goes out of his way to win a prize for a girl…” Jisung teased. Changbin simply brushed all their comments off as you all continued walking. You have been hugging the soft toy for the past hour wherever you went, earning soft laughs from the guys. Just then, Hyunjin wanted to take pictures at the pier.

Felix was helping to take Hyunjin’s pictures while Chan was helping to take Minho, Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin’s picture.

You were just burying your face in the soft toy when Changbin’s voice softly spoke up from beside you, “Do you like it that much?” With that, you turned to him and a bright smile decorated your face, warming his heart even more.

“I’ve loved it since I was young! He’s so cute! Don’t you remember? I used to bring my small stuffed-” You were rambling excited until you stopped yourself when you realized what you were doing. “Oh! Sorry! Sorry… I got a little carried away there…” You apologized as you avoided his gaze but you missed the little smile growing on his face.

But what he said next made your heart stop for a split second, almost not believing your ears.

“I remember…” He whispered so softly, you could’ve missed it if you weren’t properly listening. You whipped your head around as you stared at him in shock.

“You… do?” Your voice was quiet as his eyes held the galaxy.

But your little moment gets cut when Felix calls you over to take a picture with Hyunjin who deliberately drags you away from Changbin. He could only smile as he nods at Hyunjin’s figure behind you, signalling you to just go follow him.

You frowned as you stood beside Hyunjin and proceeded to take a few memorable pictures with him. After everyone was almost done taking pictures, you didn’t want the memory to go to waste so you turned to Hyunjin and quietly asked when the rest of the guys were already walking away.

“Jinie, can you take one picture of me with Changbin?”

“Why?”

“Just for memories…” You smiled and you definitely saw the confused look on his face but nonetheless, he smiled and called the boy over. When Changbin was standing in front of you, Hyunjin told him what you wanted. Changbin looks at you and a smile creeps onto his face before he agrees to it.

You soon reached down to slide your hand in his and brought him to the edge of the pier. You stood beside him with the huge soft toy in your arms. Right when Hyunjin was just trying to find the right angle, you felt Changbin snake his arm around your waist and pulled you closer into his side.

Your heart was palpitating against your chest as he turned to you and whispered softly in your ear, “I’m sorry for being distant back then. I hope you can forgive me and we can start fresh? Properly this time?”

You turned to him, only to find his face just inches away from you. At this moment, neither of you dared to move an inch.

Just then, you heard Hyunjin’s voice counting down from 3.

You turned to Hyunjin and back to Changbin, wanting to ask what pose you two should do. But the moment you turned to Changbin, he gave you no warning whatsoever as he simply pressed his lips against yours sweetly. You closed your eyes in bliss, enjoying the feeling when you heard the click of the camera followed by Hyunjin screaming excitedly.

Changbin was the one to pull away as his lips lingered over your for a second. You struggled to look at him, feeling your cheeks burn from embarrassment. “Was that okay?” He whispered, making you nod.

“Hey! Since when are you two a thing?! And secretly behind my back too?! Pfft…” Hyunjin scoffed but his cheeky smirk didn’t go unnoticed.

“Yeah… about that, we still have a lot to clear between us…” Changbin said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously but you helped him clear the air before Hyunjin got more confused with the situation.

“Let’s just say we have an unfinished history between us and we’re going to settle it once and for all, okay?” With that, Hyunjin nods as he wished you and Changbin good luck. The 3 of you rejoined the group, only for them to ask where you three were. Hyunjin simply said taking pictures, completely hiding the fact that he just witnessed his best friend kiss his close friend.

On the way to all your vehicles, Hyunjin asks if you wanted to ride home with Changbin instead and that he could send Jisung home. You turned to Changbin who overheard your conversation with Hyunjin.

You saw him smile as he shrugged his shoulders, so you turned to Hyunjin and felt your lips curving upwards into a soft expression, “I’d love that.”

With that, Changbin told Jisung the plan and the younger could only nod happily despite not knowing the true intentions of the car swap. After all of you had said your goodbyes, you followed Changbin to his car and he soon drove off after you told him your address.

The car ride was filled with jokes and laughter, purposely avoiding the main talks first until you got to your apartment.

You let him in, telling him to take a seat while you went to make him a drink. After you came back with his iced chocolate, you sat down with him on the couch. He took a few sips of it before he finally spoke up.

“Is it okay if we start over? I know I wasn’t the warmest when I was young… I barely socialize with you and your brother… I guess I was just too shy and a little antisocial back then.”

You smiled as you reached up to cup his face gently in your hand. “It’s okay Binie. I didn’t understand why back then but now I know.” You whispered, feeling him lean into your touch.

You didn’t know who leaned in first but the next thing you knew, you were kissing him.

On the lips.

Changbin wraps his arms around your waist as he pulls you onto his lap. Your heart was racing rapidly in your chest. He kisses you passionately, rubbing soft circles into your skin. Just then, your breath hitched in your throat when his lips left yours only to make his way down your neck.

“Changbin…” You whispered breathily, making him smirk against your skin.

You swiftly took off his shirt, pulling it over his head before doing the same for you. Changbin took a second to admire your body, seeing this much skin on you for the first time.

“Wow…” His voice soft, feeling yourself get shy all of a sudden. He chuckled as he kissed your lips to distract you.

He took his time with you, making sure he wasn’t hurting you in any way. He brought you to your room after a good amount of time on the couch. He had been so respectful of you that he would always ask for your permission to touch you anywhere. He left you wanting more.

He made sure to clean you after spending your time together before pulling you against him to cuddle. You couldn’t help but prop yourself on your elbow as you rested one hand on his bare chest, softly caressing it before sliding your hand up to cup his face.

“I’m so happy I found you again.” You whispered as he giggled. His eyes crinkled into two crescent moons that disappeared as soon as he smiled.

“I could say the same for you too.” Changbin said as he kissed you sweetly. Both of you fell into a deep slumber a few minutes later, waking up the next day feeling so warm and full in your hearts. You were happy that you met him again after all these years. Who knew you would end up with the boy whom you used to live next door to.

~~~

[battinscn]

SUMMER ON YOU — draco malfoy x f! reader

content warning: anxiousness about flying

summary: summers in britain are less than par, and thus you and your friends decide to embark on a short holiday trip to greece.

wc/ avg. reading time: 2956 words/ 15 minutes

return to the draco masterlist here

"WHAT ARE YOU lot doing for the summer holidays?" blaise asked the group. it was the last week of 6th year and we were all excited to finally have a break from school.

the 6 of us, miles, adrian, draco, blaise, pansy and i were scattered around draco's dorm. adrian and i lying on the draco's bed, miles sitting on the ottoman, blaise and pansy sitting on the floor while draco sat by his desk.

"i'm not doing anything exciting, probably just hanging out with draco and adrian," i said rolling myself over so i was on my stomach, propping my head up with my elbows.

"i'll probably hit up the skate park or whatnot but i've got nothing on," miles added.

"blaise and i don't have any plans either," pansy chimed in.

"what about you malfoy?" adrian asked causing draco to look up from his book.

"nothing much either, probably just spend time with y/n."

"don't you guys think we should do something exciting before we start our last year here at hogwarts?" i expressed.

"well, what if we went on a trip? as a group, to a muggle place..." blaise suggested.

"sounds interesting...any ideas where to?" miles looked at us hoping for a response.

a lightbulb went off in my head, "oh! adrian's family and mine used to visit greece a lot when we were younger! the views are incredible."

"oh yea. we could go to athens," adrian agreed.

"sounds fun, alright who's in?" pansy's eyes lit up in excitement.

"me."

"me."

"i am."

"me."

"dray? what about you?" i tossed a pillow at him.

"i don't really have a choice do i."

"nope," i flashed him a toothy grin.

"fine i guess i'm in," draco playfully rolled his eyes.

"ok, adrian and i will plan everything since we're familiar with the area. we can discuss further in the group text. for now, we should start packing to go home," i got up off the bed and walked over to draco.

"alright see you later."

"bye."

"see you at dinner."

"bye guys."

the four of them left, leaving draco and me alone. i hugged him from behind the chair, resting my chin ok his shoulder.

"i have to go back to pack as well,"

"you staying here tonight?"

"mhmm," i placed a peck on his cheek

"see you later princess."

"see you later my love," i winked as i walked out the door.

adrian and i wheeled our luggage through the heathrow airport, looking for the rest of our friends. we spotted a group of familiar faces and made our way to them.

"hey babes," i greeted as we approached the four.

i was wearing a pair of white sweatpants and a white nike hoodie, jordan1s, a black backpack on my back and a pair of oversized sunglasses to hide my eye bags.

adrian had on the exact same outfit from head to toe, except he was wearing socks and slides.

miles wore black cargo pants with a grey graphic tee, a LA dodgers fitted cap worn backward, a fanny pack worn across his chest, and old skool vans.

blaise wore grey sweatpants and a black graphic hoodie, he too, was in socks and slides.

pansy had on black yoga pants, a white cami, and a grey oversized jacket. she was carrying a black crossbody bag and had on a pair of checkered slip-on vans.

draco had on black sweatpants and a black hoodie, his hair disheveled, sporting a louis vuitton backpack, and wearing jordan1s that were the same colourway as mine.

"ugh it's 7am...why couldn't we just apparate there?" draco sulked.

"getting there by plane is all part of the experience malfoy," adrian lightly nudged him in the ribs.

"we better get checked in. did everyone remember to bring your IDs?" i queried.

"yes," they replied in unison.

adrian walked towards the counter and helped the group get checked in.

"alright, so it's 2 rows of three, meaning we'll have to split ourselves into two groups," adrian explained as he fanned out the boarding passes in front of us.

"i call dibs on adrian and draco," i quickly snatched three boarding passes from adrian's hand.

"guess i'll have to third wheel pansy and blaise...again" miles rolled his eyes grabbing one ticket from adrian. blaise took the remaining two passes, for himself and pansy.

we got through airport security and navigated our way through the airport to our boarding gate.

"ok if any of you need to take a piss you better go now," i reminded the group as we sat ourselves down on a bench.

adrian, miles, blaise, and pansy all got up and headed towards the toilets.

"you don't have to go?" i asked draco who sat next to me. he shook his head in reply and i leaned my head on his shoulder.

"i never asked, but how did you convince your father to let you go to muggle greece?"

"who said i told him i was even going?" he let out a small chuckle, booping my nose.

the four soon got back from the toilets and we started boarding the plane.

"34...35...36! we're right here guys," adrian gestured to draco and me as we caught up to him. blaise, pansy, and miles were in the row behind us. we were sitting in the middle section of the plane.

adrian and draco took the aisle seats while i sat in the middle. we buckled our seatbelts as the airplane was preparing for takeoff.

i noticed that draco was clenching his jaw and his face noticeably pale.

"are you nervous?" i whispered to him.

he lightly nodded his head as his eyes were closed shut and his eyebrows furrowed. he was holding onto the armrests of the chair, knuckles turning white from his firm grasp on it.

"shh it's okay, i'm here," i comforted him, grabbing both of his hands and placing them in my own. i lifted up the armrest that sat in between us.

using one hand i gently pushed draco's head so it would lean on my shoulder. as the plane took off, i continuously traced small circles on the back of draco's hands as i held onto them, and whispered sweet nothings into his ear in hopes of calming his nerves.

before we knew it, we were already in the air, and draco slowly started to grow calm again.

"thank you princess," draco finally managed to breathe out as he lifted his head from my shoulders.

"anything for you my love," i smiled at him. i took out my airpods from my backpack, giving one side to draco and putting the other in my ear.

as i pressed play on my phone, i closed my eyes slowly in hopes of getting some rest before we landed. when i woke up, i found myself in a position where my head was in draco's lap and my feet were on adrian's lap.

my eyes shifted to look at draco. he was still asleep, arms folded, head tilted upwards to lean on the headrest, his mouth slightly open. it was an adorable sight.

i turned my head to see that adrian was also awake. i slowly shifted myself to sit upwards, hoping not to wake the peaceful-looking draco up.

"hey, you're up" adrian spoke lowly so as to not disturb the other passengers

i nodded my head lightly rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"do you wanna watch something?" adrian asked.

"yea..sure" i stifled out a yawn.

we scrolled through on our own screens to decide on something to watch.

"trolls: world tour? i know it's your favourite movie" adrian raised an eyebrow

"yes please," i reached forward to insert the in-flight headphones to the screen and put them on.

"ok, 1...2...3.." adrian counted down as we pressed the play button on our personal screens so that it started at the same time.

i scooted closer to adrian, using both my arms to hug his arm and leaning on it. that's what i liked about our 17-year long friendship. no matter how close we got, we both knew it was purely platonic. he had too much respect for draco to ever come between draco and i's relationship. and i had too much love for draco to ever let anything ruin it.

as the movie ended and the end song played through the headphones, i realised the plane had landed and was taxiing.

as the plan came to a full stop, the captain spoke through the PA system, "aegen airlines welcomes you to the athens international airport here in greece. the local time is now 2:26pm, the weather today is nice and sunny at 32 degrees celsius. have a pleasant trip and we hope to see you again soon."

draco started to stir awake as he let out a big yawn. we slowly started packing our bags and prepared to leave the plane.

we cleared customs and made our way to baggage claim. luckily, all our luggage made it to greece safely and we collected our things. as we walked out of the airport exit, adrian and i spotted a familiar-looking man, standing in front of a black SUV, holding a piece of paper that stated "mr pucey and friends".

"mr adamos!" adrian and i ran up to him.

"ah ms y/l/n, mr pucey, it has been long, both of you are so tall now!" mr adamos expressed.

mr adamos was the chauffeur who would drive adrian's family and mine around when we would visit greece. we would visit greece almost yearly because we both had family here. we just haven't visited here in while because we wanted to explore the rest of europe.

"well it has been years since adrian's family and mine last visited greece," adrian loaded mine and his luggage into the car as mr adamos and i conversed. as the group approached the car, mr adamos turned to greet them.

"hello there ms parkinson, mr fletchley, mr malfoy and mr zabini. my name is mr adamos," he introduced. "since mr pucey has stated you guys will be doing it "free and easy" for your trip, i will only be driving all of you to where you will be staying."

the 4 of them nodded their head in understanding and said their thanks. they proceeded to load their luggage into the car and made their way to the front.

adrian sat shotgun. miles, adrian and pansy in the middle row, while draco and i sat in the last row.

as we drove through the roads of athens, draco and i looked out the window to admire the views. i'd point to the different buildings and explain what they were to draco. he'd look at the scenery in awe and then at me, the same amount of admiration in his eyes as he studied my features.

the car soon stopped in front of a gorgeous-looking townhouse. we shuffled out of the car and unloaded our baggage. we thanked mr adamos for the ride and he drove off.

the townhouse was situated in a rather up-and-coming village in the outskirts of central athens. the townhouse was modern-looking. floor-to-ceiling windows lined the 3 story house, meaning you could see through the whole house.

we rolled our luggage into the air bnb, removing our shoes by the front door, leaving them in the living room as we excitedly ran through the house to tour it. we got to the roof, soaking in the view from it.

"this place is beautiful!" pansy exclaimed.

"special thanks to y/n for finding this place," adrian patted my shoulder as we admired the landscape.

"well i don't have anything planned for today. i think draco and i will head to the supermarket that we drove past just now to get some groceries for the next few days. maybe cook up some dinner for tonight." i informed the group.

they hummed in acknowledgment and slowly made their way to their own rooms to unpack.

draco and i rolled our luggage to the room we were sharing, deciding we should change into something more weather-friendly before heading out.

i changed into black denim shorts and a plain white cami. draco had on white inseam shorts and kept his black hoodie on. i grabbed my wallet, placing it in my pocket, along with a few reusable bags to put the groceries in.

draco and i walked hand in hand down the cobbled pavement and made our way to the grocery store.

i got a trolley and pushed it around the aisles, putting various types of foods into it. draco eyed me up and down as i did so, letting out a smirk

"what are you smirking at?" i asked curiously.

"is this what it'll look like in the future when we're shopping for our future family?" he teased, placing himself behind me, putting his hands on the handles of the trolley, trapping me in.

i turned around so my face was right in front of his.

"of course," i smiled, placing a small kiss on his nose, running my hands through his hair.

we finished shopping and paid, slowly making our way back to the house.

"draco, are you sure you don't need help carrying those?"

"yes princess i think i can manage two grocery bags," he chuckled shaking his head.

draco and i got back to the house and he placed the bags on the kitchen counter.

"i'm gonna take a shower," draco placed a kiss on my cheek and jogged upstairs.

i began unloading the groceries and started on dinner as miles walked into the kitchen.

"what's cookin good lookin?" miles asked as he propped himself to sit on the counter.

"pesto pasta salad with grilled halloumi and tomato tartines," i beamed.

"sounds yummy, here i'll help," miles offered, getting on his feet and washing his hands.

"alright thank you cutie pie. you can start cutting the tomatoes and boiling the rotini," i instructed. i began grilling the halloumi and toasting the toast in the muggle toaster.

despite being purebloods, my family was rather fond of muggle inventions as we thought magic was just the easy way in doing something, which we found quite boring sometimes.

when draco got out of the shower, he joined in to help by washing the dirty pots and pans. If you had asked draco three years ago to do the dishes he'd scoff in your face, but i guess after having met me, he's humbled himself down a lot.

miles placed a piece of tartine on each plate and plopped a scoop of pasta salad on it. i definitely had to rearrange the food on the plates to make them look more presentable.

we placed the 6 plates around the round dining table, took our seats, and called the other 3 down for dinner.

"ooh! it looks yummers," blaise excitedly clapped his hands as he sat down, adrian and pansy following behind him.

"thank you miles and y/n for the lovely dinner," pansy thanked.

"what about me? i helped too!" draco rolled his eyes.

"yes, yes, thank you darling draco for helping to wash the dishes," i cooed, gently pinching his cheeks.

"stop chatting i'm hungry let's dig in," adrian hushed us as he placed a big scoop of pasta salad into his mouth.

when we finished dinner, blaise and pansy insisted on cleaning up, to return the favour of us preparing dinner.

i stepped into the bathroom and took a nice cold shower before changing into my pyjamas. it consisted of a dusty pink satin button-up shirt and shorts of the same colour.

we had decided to all sit on the roof and watch the stars. the 6 of us sat on the outdoor sofa, stargazing.

"oh! i just remembered something," i got up from draco's arms and scurried down to the kitchen and back up the stairs.

"champagne anyone?" i waved the bottle in one hand and juggled 6 champagne glasses in the other.

"how'd you even manage to buy alcohol? neither you nor draco are 18 yet," miles questioned, pouring the champagne into the glasses for us.

"you didn't think i would come to greece and not bring a fake ID did you?" draco sneered.

we clinked our glasses and took a sip of the sparkly champagne while chatting with one another under the twinkling stars.

we were all feeling tired and a teensy bit drowsy and decided to call it a day.

"rest well my lovelies, we have a long day tomorrow," i said to the group as we all made our way to our respective rooms. "goodnight everyone"

"goodnight," the others chimed in as we all closed our bedroom doors, eager to have a good night's sleep in our comfy beds.

PART 2

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[katyamorrigan]

‘Hope is the thing with Feathers’ by KatyaMorrigan

For the Grishaverse Reverse Mini-Bang 2021, run by @grishaversebigbang, and with stunning art created by @wqemzz-blog - click here for her incredible illustration of Kaz and Inej!

Captain Inej Ghafa has returned to Ketterdam for the first time in three years. In all that time, The Wraith never docked at Berth 22 for more than an afternoon, and the crew never strayed further than the harbour front.

Could she have stopped by sooner? Absolutely. Did she choose not to for entirely business-related reasons? Absolutely not. She has no idea what her friends will make of seeing her again after so long, least of all Kaz. But there is hope - hope that in that time, he will have grown as much as she has. That he will be the kind of person that she can share a pot of tea with without a thought of how he might feel about her.

Because Inej isn't done with being a pirate yet. But it doesn't mean she wants to be at sea forever.

I had the best time getting to write this fic based on the idea proposed by Emma. So much of a good time, in fact, that I overwrote it by around 4k words in the end... This is the much more civilised 2k word version - the full iteration of the story is on my AO3 ), but this significantly neater version will remain on my Tumblr for good. I really hope that you like it, and check out @wqemzz-blog for all your beautiful art needs!

Link to the fic on AO3: ‘Hope is the thing with Feathers’

And available to read below the cut here:

‘Hope is the thing with Feathers’

It occurred to Inej as she entered Kaz’s office for the first time in three years, that in the past she might have second-guessed the meaning of his offer to have tea together. They had just spent a few hours talking during dinner – mostly talking over Jesper and Wylan, who had hosted the meal and were either polite or forgiving enough to allow them to dominate the conversation with reflections on Inej’s time beyond Ketterdam. Three years was a long time when you had last been teenagers breaking into the Ice Court together, when you were now the owner of a galleon that hunted slaver ships from Fjerda to the Wandering Isle. There was plenty to discuss between them, and it seemed that Kaz had changed enough to ask her to stay with no apprehension, so that they could be in each other’s company a little while longer.

The attic room was identical to her memories of it but her gaze was drawn to Kaz, with ungloved hands, stooping to open the cupboard and bring out two tins. With a tentative look at her, he placed them on the desk and opened them. Inej couldn’t help laughing.

“When did Dirtyhands start keeping cookies in his office?” she teased. “Two kinds, as well.”

He gave a permissive smile. “Nina may have had more influence over me than I would like to admit. She sends them to me from Ravka.”

Feeling a bittersweet rush of longing for her friend, Inej reached over and helped herself to an iced biscuit with a red star on the top as Kaz took the other tin and started to make them tea. The room filled with the smell, quiet clinking noises coming from the cupboard again as Kaz fetched cups and saucers, and Inej watched him from the corner of her eye as she nibbled. He had taken off his jacket, and Inej could see the strong line of his shoulders as he prepared their drinks. Yes, a younger version of herself would have been much more flustered than Captain Ghafa, as she was now. She might have told herself stories about how invested Kaz was, about his tactics and techniques for making her trust him – for making her want to stay. Now she had no such worries. She was in the bedroom of an old friend – an old partner, in many ways – and they were sharing a pot of tea.

Inej smiled as she turned away from sneaking glances at Kaz and looked out of the window instead, at the uncharacteristically beautiful light that was shining in. The fog of the early afternoon had lifted, and Ketterdam seemed to concentrate every scrap of colour on painting the evening sky in crimson and gold. It felt like a personal display from the city, like it was finally welcoming her in. She couldn’t believe that she had been away for so long.

“Can I open the window?” she asked. Kaz chuckled.

“You have never once asked my permission to open a window.” Kaz brought over their cups and placed them on the sill, where Inej was now sitting, and obligingly opened it for her.

A gentle breeze entered the room, tickling Inej’s cheek. She closed her eyes for a second and forgot that she had ever been away. The sensation of being here – in Kaz’s office, on the windowsill, letting the fading sunlight warm her skin – made her feel so young and so old at the same time. It was like slipping into an outfit she hadn’t worn in years, feeling the ways it had always fit her, and the ways that she had grown since. Inej was nothing like the girl that Kaz had once known, but she didn’t feel so different when she was back here, just a little taller and a little more forgiving.

Kaz brought over a plate with more cookies, taking a large one heavily studded with chocolate, and leaned against the wall. It had been three years, but still they were so comfortable existing in a space like this together, breathing in the warm air. She took a sip of her tea, and tasted honey. Just the way she had always liked it.

“You look well,” he said, not breaking the silence but disrupting it, like ripples on a pond. “The sea suits you.”

“Thank you. I rather like it too. Ketterdam has continued to suit you – is that a new scar on your jaw, or have I just never noticed it?”

“It’s new. About a year ago I was very nearly shot in the face by a Razorgull. Fortunately Jesper manipulated the bullet at the last second and I was only burnt.”

She inhaled sharply in sympathy, and Kaz shrugged. “It healed quickly, and that’s all I ask for.”

“Do you ever think you’ll end up more scar than skin?” she said, half in jest and half with sincerity. As the words left her mouth, she thought of how closely her question came to the kind of Suli proverb that she had goaded him with previously. That she had tested him with.  

“Not anymore.”

His reply was unexpectedly thoughtful. Inej turned to him, and he gave a soft smile.

“The Dregs don’t get caught up in the same trouble that they used to. There’s less chance for me to get hurt.”

“I’m glad.”

She took a cookie, a chocolate one like Kaz’s, and bit into it. It crumbled instantly, scattering crumbs all down her chin and the front of her waistcoat. Kaz saw; there was a beat of silence and then laughter, Inej’s giggles muffled by the cookie.

“You pirates make our manners look sophisticated,” he commented. She swatted the air in front of him.

“My manners haven’t suffered at all, I’ll have you know!”

“My poor windowsill. I’ll have to clean it now.”

“It could probably do with a clean if you’re anything like you used to be,” she replied, and Kaz raised an eyebrow at her.

“I always cleaned the windows frequently.”

“Specifically the windows.”

He tilted his shoulder and looked out across the city. The gilded roofs stretched from the harbour all the way to the Barrel. Inej watched him as he absorbed it all, taking a sip of tea, adjusting the cup in his bare hands. He looked exactly the way she had hoped to find him – a little stronger, a little harsher, that new scar dimpling the line of his jaw like a tally on a gun barrel, but unmistakeably the same Kaz that she had left behind. He looked every bit the young man that he was – handsome, clever, mean.

“You loved to sit here and look out. I always made sure you’d be able to.”

“Oh.”

She was glad he kept looking at the view. To lock eyes with him then might have done something to her – made her feel another way. A way she had felt for a long time, that she had stifled. Inej focused her gaze on the broken pieces of cookie in her hand, crumbling it more. Everything felt quietly loud; gentle, but unrelenting.

The familiar click of claws on tiles came from a little further along the roof.

Kaz leaned towards the sound. “They must have recognised you,” he smiled, “The crows have come back.”

Inej made an elated noise and turned herself to look. There they were – a little murder of crows, with sharp eyes and sharp beaks, cawing as politely as crows could.

“I can’t believe it,” she murmured.

“They stopped visiting when you left. They knew you were here.”

“No,” she said, delighted but disbelieving. He nodded.

Inej watched them move, alert and intelligent, talking to her. She remembered Kaz’s decrial of them as mannerless and untrustworthy, but when she scooped up some cookie crumbs and held them out, they arranged themselves neatly to feed from her hand. Her hands were rough now from the years of sailor’s work, but she could still feel the smoothness of their beaks as they pecked and the trace of their feathers on her fingers.

“I missed them too.”

Kaz took another sip. “Were seagulls not friendly enough?”

She laughed. “They were friendly in their own way – they certainly ate up scraps quite well. But I couldn’t feed them like this. They didn’t wait for me like the crows always did.”

“They were always looking for you to come back.” His voice was as gravelly as ever, but Inej felt a hint of longing as he spoke. With the last of the crumbs gone, she brushed off her hands and turned back towards the room, to look at him. The expression he wore was the one that she remembered most vividly, and with the least joy; that inscrutable intensity that made her feel transparent. He was looking inside of her, and she struggled to translate what he had seen from the look he was giving her.

“Do you ever wish you had stayed here instead?” Kaz asked.

Ah. The question that she had expected to be met with – it had been avoided all evening while they were with Jesper and Wylan, but now it emerged while they were alone. It was a question that she knew the answer for. Whether it was the one he wanted or not, it was the one he would get.

“No. I love being on the sea. I love having a purpose that I can enact so clearly. Everything I told you over dinner was true – it has its challenges, but I wouldn’t have done anything differently.”

Kaz nodded, and she saw pride lock into his eyes.

“You’ve become somewhat of a legend to the sailors who come to Ketterdam now,” he said, a grin building. “Men who arrive shaken by what they saw at a distance – of a pirate queen in blue and gold invading slaver ships and leaving them to die. It has certainly damaged West Stave.”

She touched her earring. “It has?”

“Of course. The bulk of working girls in any of the brothels are stolen, and with so few slaver boats succeeding in bringing any ashore…”

Inej grinned back. Her only hope when she finally decided to leave Ketterdam had been to bring justice to those children like her, but to know that her efforts were ruining trafficking from the ground up… It was almost too much. Her face hurt from smiling, and Kaz turned away from her to look out of the window again.

“How long are you staying here for?” he asked.

Another question. So much easier.

“Two weeks. My crew have been given leave in that time, but I’m hoping that they will all want to sign on for the next stint.”

“And you?”

“I have given myself leave, yes, Kaz,” she chuckled. Kaz huffed self-consciously. “I’ll be around, is what I mean. If you wanted to have tea again some time.”

“Yes.”

Their eyes met, and she was a teenager again. Inej hadn’t thought about Kaz in that way for a long time. Hadn’t allowed herself to. She knew that the moment in which she let the thought of anything tender and vulnerable growing between them take root in her mind again was the moment in which she would have to rethink her answer to that tricky question. But Saints, it had always been hard not to.

“I can tell stories about Captain Ghafa while you’re gone, if you’d like.” Kaz’s smile was sharp. “Make sure that everyone in Ketterdam knows the name and fears it.”

Her heart betrayed her so, so quietly.

“You don’t need to,” she said.

“Why’s that, Inej?”

Three years of never letting herself near him, just in case the possibility of a dual life came back into play. Three years in which she only regretted one thing.

“I’ll be back again before too long.”

[stylesnews]

HARRY STYLES wore a dress. You may well know that already even if you don’t follow fashion or music closely. Photos of the British singer in the custom Gucci frock—snapped for the cover of Vogue—swarmed the internet a few weeks ago, sending his brigade of fans into a tizzy. Scads of tweets and online articles recycled the images. And while most of the coverage lauded Mr. Styles for his beguiling, gender-bending outfit, some conservative pundits including Candace Owens predictably wrung their hands, interpreting the hubbub as a death knell for the so-called “manly man.” The cover itself was a landmark: Mr. Styles is the first man to grace the cover of Vogue solo. Think of the instantly collectible issue as a coronation of sorts, confirming that the 26-year-old singer is now officially style-royalty.

Mr. Styles, who rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction before going solo, has been a fashion provocateur for several years now. A muse to Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, he consistently wears the label’s rather unisex wares such as tapestry print trousers, lithe loafers and pussy-bow blouses. (Representatives for the artist did not respond to a request for comment for this story and, through a representative, his stylist Harry Lambert declined to comment.)

On Instagram, feverish fan accounts like @Hsfashionarchive (which has over 100,000 followers) vie to identify whatever Mr. Styles is photographed wearing, from whimsically wide floral pants by British designer Steven Stokey Daley to a candy-colored necklace by New York jewelers Eliou. This year Mr. Styles topped the “Power Dressers” list on Lyst, a fashion-focused search platform, reflecting the strong correlation between his clothing choices and what online shoppers seek. Camilla Clarkson, communications director at Lyst, noted that Mr. Styles’s “non-binary style” helps drive his popularity, particularly with a younger generation that liberally shops across gender lines.

Some older observers, however, regard Mr. Styles’s fashion choices through a “been there, seen that” lens. “It’s kind of like this year’s version of rock-star packaging or something,” said Vincent Boucher, 67, a lecturer at Parsons School of Design in New York. As precursors, Mr. Boucher pointed to Kurt Cobain, Mick Jagger and David Bowie, all of whom donned dresses decades ago, nimbly crossing gender lines. (I’d add to that list the lesser-known, openly gay disco singer Sylvester, who frequently vacillated between men’s and women’s clothing—see the video for his 1978 number-one hit, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).”)

Mr. Styles’s Vogue cover elicited little more than “a shrug” from Andrew Groves, 52, a fashion professor at Westminster University in London. As Prof. Groves pointed out, when Bowie wore a dress in the early ‘70s, it was “really provocative because it was outside society’s norms.”

Even if Prof. Groves considers Mr. Styles’s floor-length dress unworthy of controversy, it did cause a several-day stir here in America that broke down largely along partisan lines. Alarmed conservative pundits tweeted lengthy screeds including Candace Owens, 31, a conservative voice who decried the “steady feminization of our men.”

Meanwhile, on her Instagram a few days later, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Mr. Styles’s Vogue shoot “wonderful” and confronted the criticisms: “Perhaps for some people it provokes some anger or insecurity around masculinity/femininity/etc. If it does, then maybe that’s part of the point. Sit with that reaction and think about it, examine it, explore it, engage it, and grow with it.”

Most male stars still avoid the risks associated with dressing too fashionably. Days after Mr. Styles’s Vogue cover was released, George Clooney graced the cover of GQ Magazine. The ensuing social-media conversation focused not on his (strategically inoffensive) clothes but on the affable star’s anecdotes. Mr. Clooney, in his immaculate knit polo and Ray-Ban sunglasses, surely looked great to many men of a certain age. But his look was hardly innovative, unlike those embraced by Mr. Styles and other dynamic, contemporary style icons like A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator and Jaden Smith.

Thanks in part to the internet and social media, which have given him an arguably wider sphere of influence than earlier gender-bending-fashion icons like Bowie or Cobain, Mr. Styles is turning receptive fans onto novel ways of dressing. “He’s a pioneer, really,” said Jordan O’Brien, 28, of Penngrove, Calif. Mr. O’Brien creates men’s-fashion videos, one of which, titled, “Recreating Harry Styles Iconic Outfits,” has been viewed over 123,000 times on YouTube. It shows Mr. O’Brien loosely following in his idol’s footsteps by wearing outfits like a lavender suit with a mesh-shirt.

Mr. O’Brien and other admirers I spoke with can’t afford the big-ticket Gucci and Bode clothes Mr. Styles endorses. Nor are they really interested in adopting his most avant-garde outfits. Instead, they attempt to channel the essence of his style and his flexible attitude. “I love how he breaks the boundaries,” of men’s fashion and shows that “people can wear whatever they want,” said Mr. O’Brien.

Kyle Jordan, 23, a barista in Barrington, N.J., studies Pinterest pages dedicated to Mr. Styles’s outfits. He’s adopted the singer’s penchant for broader pants and boxy button-ups and now has his eye on a pearl necklace which has for years been Mr. Styles’s signature. Lyst’s Ms. Clarkson noted that whenever Mr. Styles wears a given item—be it pearls, or a blue suit, or a yellow bucket hat—her site registers a jump in search inquiries for comparable items.

A rainbow-patchworked J.W. Anderson cardigan that Mr. Styles wore on the “Today” show in February is probably the item his fans have tried most zealously to duplicate. The technicolor sweater became an internet sensation, shared particularly widely on TikTok. But at $1,560 it was well outside most fans’ budgets, its idiosyncrasy extreme enough that good facsimiles were hard to find. So, in a rare instance in which a luxury fashion label bowed to the masses, J.W. Anderson released the pattern online so fans could knit their own version; cardiganed Styles copycats began posting their homemade iterations en masse. As for the original sweater? It’s heading to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London—acknowledged as a piece of fashion history.

[its-our-paris]

Kids Will Change The World

Two years ago, when my older son was five and my younger son two, we walked into a clothing store. Shopping for new clothes is something we do very, very rarely (we are all about second-hand threads) so my older boy was excited. 

I told him he could pick one thing that he really, really, wanted and I would buy it.

I left with two very happy boys in multi-coloured sequin skirts half an hour later.

*

When I was a child, in the early 90s, my mother sewed me a stunning princess dress in pink that I adored. At 7 years old, my hair had never been cut and reached down to my hips. I loved being a princess. 

My mother also sewed me, at my request, pyjamas with tassels resembling a Native American outfit (we were a Russian family living in Germany, there was no concept of cultural appropriation or real Native Americans at the time; we played at being Cowboys and Indians like we played Princesses and Knights or Power Rangers). I made my own bow and arrows using twigs, sticks and yarn and I climbed trees and “shot down” apples. 

I was always comfortable being a girl. But I never spent a lot of time thinking about what it meant, to be a girl. I liked the things I liked because I was me. Dolls, toy cars, marbles, sparkly dresses, cool trainers, video games, matches of different colours. Making mud pies and climbing things and racing around on my bicycle over fields and down hills. Drawing and stories and singing and dancing. I played handball and I did ballet. I dissected a dead mouse with a pocket knife (for science) and I played with my mother’s make-up.

I’m sure that somebody must have said the words “that’s not for girls” or “it’s not very ladylike” to me, at one time or another, but I don’t remember taking them very seriously. I always had the innate conviction that, boy or girl, people were people. My mother strongly reinforced this view and it was reflected in the mixed-gender groups of friends I surrounded myself with. 

I grew up not caring about gender very much – unsurprisingly, it turned out I was pansexual – and while later in life remaining “gender-blind” has not always been possible or easy much of the time, I still strive to see a person first before I see their gender. Because so much of the time, the latter isn’t relevant at all in everyday interactions.

*

So when my son grabbed the sequin skirt excitedly – “Mummy, I want this!” – I told him very plainly: “It’s beautiful. I like it. Just so you know, some people will tell you it’s for girls.”

“I know,” he said with a shrug, “That’s okay, I want it.” 

He wore the skirt to summer camp the next day and I was the English language teaching assistant (we live in Spain) so I witnessed the reactions. Sure enough, the other children stared when he first walked in. And then there were shrieks of laughter and shouts of “Skirts are for girls! You can’t do that!” 

I waited to see what my son would do. Cool as a cucumber, he walked over to the other children and simply said, “Yeah, I can. It’s the new fashion.”

None of the children quite knew what to say to that. I went on to show them some pictures of male runway models in skirts on my phone. And that was that. The entire class of five-and six-year-olds went about their business for the rest of the day, playing together as usual. Not another word or glance was wasted on the skirt, other than to admire how it shimmered in the sunlight. 

Acceptance is uncomplicated for children, if the environment facilitates it. We are not born into two separate groups of beings. We are all born people. My boys play with dinosaurs and paint their nails. They like glittery things and necklaces and trucks and toy trains. Sword fighting and wrestling and dancing and painting.

I see no reason to limit self-expression because of something as changeable and inconstant as fashion. The way we choose to present to the world doesn’t dictate our gender or sexuality any more than dressing up in alien costumes would make us extraterrestrials.

It’s lovely to see that gender roles and stereotypes, as well as stereotypes regarding sexuality, are being challenged and questioned by the younger generations. We have gone from a binary understanding of gender to the desire and ability to categorise gender in much more detail, with a lot more nuance. And I think that’s an important process.

But what I hope this is leading to, is a society where gender and sexuality are not disputed, nor fought over or imposed, nor have to be worn as a badge of pride in defiance of discrimination. 

What I hope for is a society where gender and sexual orientation are no longer of much consequence. And we can look at one another and simply see in the other a multi-faceted, unique human being – such as ourselves.

My older son picked another article of clothing that day, also from the girls’ section, unbeknownst to him. It was a black jumper with a sequin rainbow which spells: KIDS WILL CHANGE THE WORLD.

The same jumper was not available in the boys’ section. Because, I can only assume, rainbows are “not for boys”.

My boy loves to wear his rainbow jumper, thus proving its message true.

I am, among other things, a portrait photographer based in Madrid. A big thank you to my very enthusiastic ‘models’: Erik, Emmet, Vega and Mimi.

Anastasia Mara Photography | Insta |Wordpress 

[betelgeusessonajblog]

Roger’s Story: Planet Nemesis

This is a REALLY, REALLY, REAAAALLY Long story with lots of Time jumps

A young female lizard-like being stood staring out of her bedroom window, looking outside, viewing her kingdom. She wore a long purple dress, she had peach scales and, had a large bump on her stomach and had a crown on her head. She lightly rubs her belly “Not much longer now, my dear son.” she said with a smile as she thought about meeting her new born son.

She had been with her husband King Dayne for about 4 years at this point and were finally ready to start a family together. Though she was mainly doing this alone.

She let out a soft sigh as she thought about her husband and how he had been rather busy over the last few weeks but she knew he had to do his duty.

She was on bedrest from now on by recommendation from their Doctor to which they had both agreed, being King and Queen of this planet could be stressful at times and the last thing they needed was putting their unborn son at risk.

Just then there was a knock at the door, she turned her head “Come in.” she called out in a soft voice. The door opened revealing a grey lizard wearing an old fashioned butler outfit. He bows slightly “Good afternoon, your highness.” he said before stepping into the room.

The queen smiled a little as she walked over to the lizard “Hello, Artemis.” she said as she hugged the other

Artemis smiled a little as he returned the hug “How are you feeling, Crystal?” he asked.

"I’m doing well though the little one is very active today. Lot’s of kicking.” Crystal said with a small chuckle “He’s going to be a very energetic child.”

"I’m glad you’re doing well.” Artemis said as he continued to smile

“I’m glad you remembered to call me by my name when it’s just you and, I.” Crystal teased a little “You’ve been my dear friend for four years, Art.”

“I could never get used to it at first.” Artemis chuckled a little before Crystal held her stomach “Are you alright?” he asked, a concerned look on his face

“He’s kicking again.” Crystal smiled "Want to feel?” she asked to which Artemis nodded before gently placing his hand on Crystal’s stomach feeling her unborn son kick “Ooh that was a strong kick.” Artemis smiled “He’s gonna be a troublemaker, like his mother~” he teased.

Crystal chuckled lightly “Hey, I was not used to being a queen yet. I had to get used to going from rebel to Royalty” she smirked

“Has that changed~?” Artemis joked

“Ooh your words wound me.” Crystal said as he acted as if she was wounded before sitting down on a nearby chair “I’m glad you’re my friend, Artemis...you’ve been someone that I can truly rely on.”

“I’m glad that you can consider me a friend, Crystal....” Artemis said with a smile as he sat on the bed. There was a few moments of silence before Crystal asked “Have you seen Dayne today?”

Artemis rubbed the back of his neck “Only briefly, he was heading out to check on how construction for that new school was coming along.” he replied “Still as busy as ever.”

Crystal chuckled “of course. I do miss him when he isn’t around but that’s the lives we lead.” she looked at Artemis “And....how did your date with Nathan go?”

Artemis blushed lightly “W-Well....um...it was great. I’m grateful you gave me the night off to spend time with him.”

"I’m so glad it went great for you two. You’ve had a thing for him for months now, wasn’t sure if you’d ever manage to get the courage to talk to him.” Crystal teased, smiling.

The two spent a few hours just talking, Artemis would make sure Crystal was alright if she suddenly felt sick. Eventually she got changed into her pyjamas then got comfy in her bed as Artemis drew the curtains then left a bottle of water for her before leaving.

At some point a muscular lizard that’s scales were a very dark green with a crown atop his head came into the room, he was wearing a rather old fashioned king’s outfit but it had some symbols on it that were unique to the planet. One of which being the ‘Family crest’ that had a lizard with twin swords on it. (X)

Crystal had fallen asleep by this point so she didn’t hear her husband come over to the bed. He removes his clothes carefully then puts on his on his own pyjamas then climbs into bed next to her and kisses her cheek gently.

Crystal yawns a little before opening her eyes “Hello, handsome.” she said with a soft smile

“Hello, my beloved.....I’m sorry I was gone all day.” Dayne said as he took her hand “I tried finishing everything as fast as possible.....”

“Sssh I know, my love....more things happened as the day progressed....it’s alright.” Crystal smiled as she carefully rolled onto her back, she looked over at where Dayne’s clothes were then smirked “That outfit still looks ridiculous on you.”

Dayne couldn’t help but chuckle “I know, I know. It was what my father wore when he ruled unfortunately. It’s always gonna have an old fashioned look. I know it’d be easier to go for a modern look but...this honestly helps me feel closer to them.”  Dayne smiled a little

Crystal smiled before letting out a small groan “Oof the little one’s at it again.”

Dayne smiled a little as he places his hand on Crystal’s pregnant belly “He’s gonna be a strong energetic child.” he chuckled before looking at Crystal “Y’know we’ve gone through a lot of names for our son....and none have really clicked for us....but I’ve been thinking and...well how about we name him Roger, after your Grandfather?”

Crystal couldn’t help but smile a little “Little Roger....I love it.” she leaned up and kisses Dayne on the lips gently “What made you decide that?”

“Been thinking about those that are no longer around and....whilst your Father and, I never got along greatly, your Grandfather was....incredible. He was always supportive but could be firm to myself and your father. I like to think it’s because of him our relationship did improve a lot more than it had been.” Dayne explained as he lightly rubbed her belly.

The two spoke for a couple of minutes before finally settling down for the night. Dayne looked over at the Clock/Calendar on the wall near their bed. The date read December 13th 2000, in a few days or so their little boy was due and he couldn’t wait to meet him.

A few days pass, King Dayne kept himself busy with work until one late evening, Crystal’s waters broke so he and, Artemis rushed her to the hospital. Everyone was nervous as hell, almost forgetting her overnight bag in the rush to get her to the hospital.

Hours passed, Artemis was sat in the waiting room, tapping his foot trying to calm his nerves. He looked around a little, he was sat with some of Crystal’s family like her younger sister, older brother, her father and, mother. And on the other side was Dayne’s family which consisted of his mother and, his Uncles. Dayne was the only child of the previous King and, Queen.

Artemis looked up at the clock. They had come into the hospital around midnight and it was now almost 5:30 AM. He was hoping everything was going alright for them though he knew it could take a long time.

Eventually the doors to Crystal’s room opens, King Dayne steps out the colour was drained from his face so that did worry the family but he smiled widely “He’s perfect.....Little Roger’s here and he’s perfectly healthy.”

The group let out a sigh of relief and started talking amongst themselves for a few moments before each of them got up and congratulated Dayne on becoming a father

Artemis smiled as he and Dayne shook hands “How’s the Queen doing?”

"She’s sound asleep, she’s tired but doing well. Roger’s sleeping nearby....god I can’t believe it, I’m a father.” Dayne said with a grin. One of Dayne’s Uncles came over and coaxed Dayne into coming outside to get some fresh air and a cup of coffee from the Canteen.

The pair were soon stood outside with a cup of coffee in their hands, drinking it silently before the Uncle spoke in their planet’s native tongue “E ys kmyt dryd ouin cuh fyc punh cyvamo, tayn habraf. Pid E ruba dryd oui yna nayto vun dra tyo dryd ra femm ujandrnuf oui. E ghuf dryd oui ahzuo paehk y gehk pid, mega oui tet fedr ouin vydran, ra femm ujan drnuf oui. Ouin vydran fyc y fayg gehk, tu hud syga dra cysa secdygac yc res. Syga cina dryd lremt ghufc fru ec eh lrynka vnus dra pakehhehk..”  [Translation from Al Bhed to English: “I am glad that your son was born safely, dear nephew. But I hope that you are ready for the day that he will overthrow you. I know that you enjoy being a king but, like you did with your father, he will over throw you. Your father was a weak king, do not make the same mistakes as him. Make sure that child knows who is in charge from the beginning.”

Dayne lightly squeezed his cup, what Crystal hadn’t known about her husband was he did indeed have a dark side. The Previous king, his father, had become...weak in the eyes of his Uncles...and mother...so King Dayne killed his father to take over. His mother stepped down as Queen and Dayne ruled for a few years and was rather vicious until he met Crystal which had softened him as soon as they began to date, he was much kinder now which pissed off his Uncles and Mother, to them they were more powerful and better than EVERYONE, Crystal included but they decided to leave them be for now, that is.

Dayne looks at his Uncle as he gets into his face “My father....was weak, I took care of that....but I won’t harm my child. If you attempt to harm him yourself, I will make sure to end you and leave your head on a spike.” he said with venom in his voice.

His Uncle shook his head as he walked off heading for his home “He’ll be stronger than you, Dayne more powerful....just you watch.” he said before Dayne headed back inside to see his wife and newborn son.

Crystal was still asleep when Dayne returned so he walked over to the small bed where Roger was and smiled softly as he looked down at the tiny lizard sleeping soundly, a small toy in his hands. He saw Crystal’s mother was holding this earlier “Must’ve given this to the nurse...” he thought to himself before he lightly stroked Roger’s cheek “...my sweet boy....I...I promise I won’t let them harm you....” he whispered.

Over the next year things had progressed rather well with Roger and, Crystal. Roger was born December 17th so he got to see his first Christmas tree just a few days later, he even saw snow for the first time. Which was something that everyone was still getting used to.

It was something Queen Crystal had said she had heard of and always wanted to see after hearing so many stories from her family whom had visited their original home, the Monster World, long before Crystal was born so when she got married to Dayne, he took it upon himself to find out more about snow so he could give her the experience she had always wanted.

So, using the planet’s weather machine, King Dayne gave their planet snow for the first time ever. They had never used the weather machine for anything other than hot weather or fall weather, never cold weather. It was a big shock to their kingdom but eventually people came to appreciate the nice change of scenery

Crystal was so happy that she was able to give her son his first ever Christmas. They had a nice family dinner and gave each other gifts. Things couldn’t be more perfect in Crystal’s eyes.

That is until the following year, Roger had woke up crying loudly after having a bad dream. What was scary to many in the castle was the building shook the longer Roger cried.

Crystal picked her son up and began gently rocking him back and forth, trying her best to calm him down. King Dayne rushed into the room, worried for his family’s safety due to the building shaking.

But as soon as Crystal got Roger to calm down, that’s when it hit the king.....his son was the reason behind the shaking, what his Uncle had said was true, his son was somehow more powerful than he was.

At that age, Dayne’s powers hadn’t even begun to develop, he didn’t learn about them until he was older. He shook his head trying to rid himself of those thoughts “Are you alright?” he asked as he walked towards Crystal

“I’m alright, Roger is too.....I think....I think that was him causing the building to shake...” Crystal said as she kept gently rocking Roger

“...Yes...I have to agree with you.” Dayne said as he looked at his son whom was finally calmed down. He couldn’t let his son continue to get stronger...no no that wasn’t it, he was wanting to stop his son’s cries from shaking the castle up for everyone’s safety.

He rubs his face a little trying to think of something before his hand touched his nose ring...that was it’ The nose ring, he could....he could turn it into something that could weaken Roger’s powers. Normally it was just a sign for the males to wear to show they were royalty, he could...just make a new one that would help Roger.

Over the next few days, King Dayne had someone secretly work on this nose ring so Roger could be safe. It wouldn’t null his powers but it would weaken them so he wasn’t worrying about his wife and child’s safety.

Once that ring was finished, they held a ceremony where Roger was given the nose ring and had it placed into his nose. Roger began crying which worried Crystal that he could cause the building to shake but when it didn’t happen, she was confused for a few moments before looking at her husband whom acted like he didn’t know what had happened.

A short time later, the pair were getting ready to settle down for the night when Crystal looked at her husband “....Did....you do something to our son?” she asked, her tone a serious one.

“Something to him? Crystal, I didn’t do anything to him.” Dayne said, he wasn’t technically lying

“...Then why wasn’t the building shaking today like the castle has when Roger cried??” Crystal asked as she stared into his eyes, wanting to know the truth.

Dayne let out a sigh “....Fine....I...I didn’t do anything to him....I...the nose ring I had made specially for him.....it weakens his powers. I didn’t want this crying to get stronger and, for him or for you to wind up hurt.”

Crystal sighed, the last few days when Roger’s crying had happened the building would shake quite a bit. She wasn’t angry for that “I...I understand....you could’ve just told me...” she said before kissing Dayne’s cheek “I understand protecting us just....don’t feel the need to hide it.”

“Alright, I promise my love I won’t.” Dayne said with a smile as he took her hands, they share a gentle kiss before climbing into bed together.

Another year passes, things seemed to have gotten better for the pair of them. Roger had been sleeping longer, He wasn’t showing signs of his powers increasing which was great in Dayne’s eyes. That is until one day the nose ring stopped functioning, he was warned this would happen due to how little time they had to test it out and make sure it wasn’t buggy.

Roger was back to shaking the castle every now and then when he was upset from a nightmare or just upset in general. Though it seems like the nightmare amplified it tenfold.

When Dayne’s Uncle, the same one from the hospital, came to visit he saw how strong Roger’s power was. He drags Dayne away from his duties to somewhere private and secluded “I warned you, Dayne that this would happen. That child is going to get stronger and more powerful than you and overthrow you with ease when he’s older.”

“I’ve done my best to contain his powers so they don’t get stronger, his nose ring malfunctioned. I’m working on a way to...” Dayne said before his Uncle cut him off

"You have gotten SOFT with that family of yours, that child is gonna take away EVERYTHING from you. You used to be much stronger than this, more vicious. What happened to that Dayne? the one with the power, the one that didn’t let ANYTHING step in the way?” his Uncle said with an angry look on his face

“I have not gotten SOFT, Uncle.” Dayne snarled “And don’t you bring my family into this.”

"OH so you’re telling me you haven’t?" the Uncle asked as he stared at Dayne

Dayne went silent....it’s true that meeting Crystal had changed him but this was for the better...right?

"I’ve heard people talking about you....they think you’re weak, they think you’re pathetic. Before Crystal you were a better ruler, a better King. Since her? you’ve made things worse. I mean Winter for us? Are you fucking stupid? If you can’t see you’re better off without her and her family then you’ve got no chance of surviving.” The Uncle smirked as he walked off

Dayne stood there, staring at the ground....his Uncle was right....deep down he fucking knew he was right. He had changed himself for Crystal, he gave her Winter...For fucking lizards? What was he fucking thinking?

The longer he thought about it, the more he realised his Uncle was right....that...that had to change and change FAST.

Later that day he headed to Crystal’s family’s home whilst Crystal was taking a nap with Roger. He knocks on the door then awaits for someone to answer, secretly pulling out twin daggers from behind his back and kept them there.

Crystal’s younger sister opened the door and greeted her brother-in-law before inviting him inside. He smiles as he steps inside then closes the door with his tail. He was in there for a good 10 minutes before he stepped out, his daggers drenched in blood, the clothes he was wearing had blood splatter on them.

He wipes the blood off his face and daggers before removing his clothes and changing into a spare set that he had brought with him before tossing the old clothes into a trash bag then throws it into a nearby river. He had made sure to put something into the bag so the clothes would sink to the bottom before he returned to the castle.

On his way home, Dayne sent a message to his Uncle on a wrist communicator telling him “I took care of Crystal’s family.” as soon as he got into the castle, he made his way to the bathroom and had a long shower, making sure that he washed all the blood off of himself before he got out and dried himself off before putting his clothes back on.

The next day Crystal headed to her family’s home, wanting to spend time with her family. Upon reaching the house, she knocked on the door but was confused when she got no reply. She looked through the windows and saw....nothing....no family, no furniture “...What in the world....” was the only thing Crystal could say.

Where did they go? they wouldn’t just....up and leave without telling her. That wasn’t something they would do. She took Roger back home and when she got there, she told Dayne that she thinks something happened to her parents.

Instead of dismissing her thoughts, Dayne acted like he was concerned and said he would get someone to investigate it immediately but warned her it may take some time which she understood.

He spent the next few months acting as if he cared about what had happened to her family, he’d follow ‘leads’ but it never came up with anything. Crystal had become depressed over this time, worrying about her family constantly but she still did her best to be a good mother for Roger.

One evening, Artemis came to Crystal’s room to check in on his friend, wanting to make sure she was okay. He knocks on the door before opening it a little “Your Majesty? I wanted to see if you were....”

Crystal was sitting on the edge of her bed sobbing softly whilst Roger slept. Without hesitating, Artemis made his way over to Crystal and sat down beside her. She turned around and hugged her friend whom returned the hug, lightly rubbing her back “It’s okay, it’s okay....we’ll find your family, I promise...” he tried his best to reassure her but he knew something may have really happened to them.

Over the next few days, Crystal had began to notice Dayne acting not like himself, not the man she knew and fell in love with. She sits on her bed changing Roger into his pyjamas for an early night, she kisses him on the cheek before tucking him in gently and places the toy her mother got Roger next to him before she lays down on her bed whilst Roger slept and began to think.

Maybe...maybe she was missing something....maybe Dayne’s just stressed. Crystal lets out a soft sigh before closing her eyes. For a few minutes she was asleep when something began replaying in her mind.

The day before Crystal discovered her family had disappeared, she had woke up from her nap and went to use the bathroom when she noticed some...blood in the bathroom...she was instantly concerned thinking she may been bleeding but when she checked herself over, she couldn’t find anything.

She went looking for Dayne and told him about the blood in the bathroom, he told her it was his and that he had been cut during an altercation with a group of thieves but assured her he was alright.

Crystal woke up when she remembered that....he...he wouldn’t do that to her family...would he? She started to think about it more and more. Dayne’s behaviour lately, the blood in the bathroom.

She decides to pay more close attention to Dayne, maybe she was just paranoid from the stress/worry of her family’s disappearance. So that’s what she did, she’d spend time with Dayne whilst secretly observing him whilst acting as though she wasn’t aware of his behaviour.

Over those days, she’d noticed how aggressive he would be when he thought she wasn’t around, the way he’d act towards their people when they came to him seeking help. Crystal watched him leave for a few hours a day and come back.

One night whilst Crystal was laying on her side, struggling to sleep Dayne returned from dealing with something when someone came in as he removed his communicator “Sir, there’s an emergency.” Dayne sighed as he places the communicator down on the table then heads out to deal with whatever it was.

Seizing her opportunity, Crystal picked up the device then begins scrolling through it, looking for anything that would disprove her thoughts when she tapped on a conversation with the Uncle from the hospital.

Each message she seemed normal until she reached the one that mentioned ‘Taking care of Crystal’s family.” her heart sank before she heard footsteps, she leaves the messages and makes sure to put it back on the main screen like before then places it back down where it was before laying down and acting as if she was asleep.

The next day Crystal began searching for Artemis and found him in the library reading, she made her way towards him “Art? I...I need to talk to you....”

Artemis looked up from his book “Crys? Is everything alright?” he asked as she took his his hand “please....” was all she said to him, the look on his face said she was afraid so he agreed and lead her somewhere so they could talk.

“OK....what’s going on??” Artemis asked as Crystal tried not to break down crying

“I...I think Dayne has done something to my family.” Crystal said before she began to explain everything to Artemis. The more he listened to her, the more colour drained from his face. He knew Dayne could be nasty sometimes, hell before Crystal he was an asshole King but she changed him or so he thought.

Artemis felt sick to his stomach thinking about what could’ve happened to Crystal’s family, he knew they couldn’t confront him “We...we’ll just...figure a way of getting you and, Roger to safety.....”

Crystal just nodded “We keep it secret from Dayne...”

They hugged briefly before Crystal returned to her room, she had someone look after Roger whilst she went to find Artemis.

The next month....things escalated quickly. Dayne wasn’t trying to hide his aggressive side any more, he had decided that he was gonna rule the ENTIRE planet. There were other Kingdoms on this planet but Dayne wanted to make sure he was the only one from now on.

One day he started a war with another, arming his soldiers with heavy duty blasters, they were taking it by force. No negotiations, no conversations with the family. Dayne wanted to make SURE everyone knew he meant business. It didn’t take long for them to wipe out the Royal family of one kingdom and anyone that stood in their way ended up dead too.

Artemis saw the soldiers return, Dayne was there to greet them. he asked them how did conquering the kingdom go to which the leader said it had went well which caused Dayne to smirk “Excellent.” the leader bowed “I live to serve.” the lizard said with a small smile.

"Since you’ve been a loyal Soldier to me from the beginning, I want you to become my head guard. And personal bodyguard.” Dayne said with a smile.

The Soldier couldn’t help but grin at what Dayne said “I would be honoured, sir.”

“What’s your name?” Dayne asked to which the soldier said “Basco Arkage.”

“Basco Arkage? A Powerful name for a powerful Warrior.” Dayne had a grin as they walked off, heading back to the Throne room.

Artemis quickly made his way to Crystal to inform her about what had happened. Upon learning about what Dayne had done, Crystal sat on her bed as she began to think everything over before eventually looking at Artemis.

“....There’s...something I’ve been thinking about the last few hours.....A while back....Dayne....Dayne confessed to me that he had Roger’s nose ring made specially for him....” Crystal explained.

“Made special for him?” Artemis asked “We know that the nose rings are custom....” he said before Crystal cut him off.

“He made it to weaken his powers.....he told me that it was so Roger wouldn’t accidentally hurt us...but...I think it’s because....he’s afraid of Roger’s powers...” Crystal said as she looked at her friend.

“H...he wouldn’t hurt his own son....would he?” Artemis asked to which Crystal nodded “I’m afraid he would....”

Artemis’ heart sank knowing it’s more than likely Dayne would target Roger at some point “What do we do...?” Crystal sighed heavily “...I...I want you to make a pod but...not for me....for Roger....” “For the prince? but what about....” Artemis started to say to which Crystal cut him off once again

"I’m not going with him....I want Roger to be somewhere safe....somewhere that Dayne won’t attack....I want you to send him to the Monster World.” Crystal explained.

Artemis hated the fact that Crystal was gonna stay behind but he knew that she loved Roger more than anything in the world “OK....I’ll do it but I’ll get Nathan to help me, he’s pretty smart too...great with machines...” he sighed “I fucking hate this.” Crystal stood up and hugged Artemis tightly “I know....I know, I hate it too....but if I stay then he’ll have no reason to go after Roger.” Artemis nodded as he returned the hug before the pair began to plan everything out whilst making sure King Dayne never caught on.

Over the next couple of months Artemis and, Nathan worked Day and night on the pod, keeping it secret from Dayne wasn’t difficult due to him being too focused on conquering the other kingdoms. Artemis yawned slightly as the other lizard walked over with two cups of coffee, he was slightly mature looking compared to Artemis whom was in his early 20′s whilst the mature lizard looked to be in his 30′s, his scales were a very light blue, he had a pair of glasses on his face.

Nathan sat the second cup of coffee onto the table “Here, hon.” he said with a small smile as he took a seat next to Artemis “Break time.”

Artemis smiled as he took the cup “Thank you, Nate.” he said before taking a sip of his coffee “Mmf that’s heavenly.” Nathan smiled as he took a sip from his drink “I think we’ll have this done by December 18th....might be the safest thing all things considered...”

Artemis nodded a little “Day after Roger’s 2nd birthday....do you think we’ll be able to keep him safe until then? It’s...a few weeks until then....”

Nathan adjusted his glasses slightly before nodding “I think that we can....we’ll...make sure to add something onto the pod to protect him.” "Maybe...a cloaking  device....” Artemis said before taking a drink from his coffee again.

“...That’s actually a brilliant thinking, babe.” Nathan said with a smile “We’ll be putting him into a cryogenic sleep so we don’t want to make him an easy target.” he said before the two began drinking their coffees together to finish them quickly.

Over those remaining few weeks, Dayne had continued to spiral out of control, he threatened everyone except those he deemed worthy of his trust. Hell he even decided to rename their planet to Nemesis, wanting to strike fear into anyone that heard that name. There wasn’t a massive celebration for Roger’s 2nd birthday but Crystal, Artemis and, Nathan made sure to give him a mini birthday party and a couple gifts. One of which was a new blanket, the other was a baby mobile which was one Nathan and, Artemis built together for Roger.

The following day, Crystal set up a holo-recorder then sat down before she began to record a message for her son  “My name is Crystal Deckard, my husband and I are the rulers of the planet…Nemesis…” she sighs a little as she looked towards a window, looking outside at what was one a gorgeous planet now turned into a never ending warzone “It…it never used to be called Nemesis…”  

Crystal lets out a sigh “I’m…recording this message to my son because something has happened to my husband….the king.” she took a deep breath before continuing   “My husband, Dayne has….become corrupted, power hungry….he wants to take over every part of our world and….maybe others.” she sighs heavily.

Crystal rubs her neck “He started off as this…sweet, loving, caring man…” she looks over at something in the corner of the room “….It’s...currently….2002 I think.”

She chuckles “Two years ago you were born… December 17th….so not only was it your first birthday but first Christmas just days later.” she smiled at the memory, back then it seemed perfect. “The moment I saw you, I couldn’t believe you were mine….so cute…full of energy.” she looks at the camera, tears could be seen forming in her eyes “I’m currently planning on sending you to another planet, to keep you safe from Dayne…I don’t know what he’s capable of doing. Once…once I place you in this pod, you’ll be placed into a cryogenic sleep. You’ll be two years old for a while but from what my dear friend Artemis said over a few months you’ll start to turn into your true age. I am going to send you away to a planet called The Monster World….it was my great, great, great, great grandmother’s home planet for many years. The short version is she met someone from another planet and the two quickly fell in love and soon they returned to Nemesis. Over the years she started a family with this man, every one of us were always told about our heritage as Monsters, that was never hidden from us.” she lets out a soft sigh “I’m…the only one of my family left alive…I…I fear Dayne has done something to my family…” she rubs her eyes as she tried not to break down on camera

Crystal stands up from her chair “It….will take many years before you arrive on there, I don’t know how long but if my friend is right then you should arrive there by…2015 if I recall correctly. This pod is the only one of it’s kind so it can’t just show up there so quickly but I trust Artemis, who knows maybe with enough time your father will forget about you. Artemis’ll place a cloaking device on the pod so you can’t be found whilst travelling there.” she removes something from her neck and picks up a cloth and wraps it inside “….This is a pendant with a picture of you and, I inside it Roger….I’ll be placing this inside with you. Please…be safe, my son. Mommy loves you so much.”

Just then there was rapid knocking on the bedroom door, she quickly walks off camera to answer it. It was Artemis  “Your Majesty it’s time to go….” Crystal quickly walks over to the camera and looks at it one last time “…Goodbye…my love.” she said with a smile before turning the recording off.

She walks over to the sleeping baby and picks him up gently, making sure to grab what she’d need for Roger, including the disc, then quickly walked out of the door, she smiled at Artemis before they headed to where the pod was located, making sure to not be spotted by anyone else. Upon getting to the location, Crystal stared at the pod. It looked JUST like the one from Dragon Ball Z, almost identical to it. On the front was a symbol that looked like it belonged to the Royal family.

Crystal looked at Artemis whom just smiled “We may hate Dayne but we’re proud of what you did as the Queen, Crystal.”

Crystal smiled a little then carefully walked over to the pod and opened the front of it, she carefully wraps Roger up then places him inside, kissing his hand gently “I love you so much, Roger....You’re going to grow up to be an incredible young man.” she couldn’t help but tear up Artemis places the disc into a slot “There, he can get it whenever someone that finds him.” to which Crystal nodded before writing a brief note which read ‘My name is Roger, please take care of me.’ Once Crystal and, Artemis stepped back enough, Nathan closed the pod door then pressed some buttons first putting Roger into a cryogenic sleep then made sure to put the cloaking device on. He then made sure to open the roof up and launched the pod into space, he and Artemis had made sure to put the right coordinates in so Roger would make it there safely.

Ten minutes later, Dayne burst into the room angry as hell as he looked around “WHAT THE FUCK WAS JUST LAUNCHED?!” Crystal stepped forward “Roger....I’ve sent him somewhere safe, somewhere you can’t get to him.” she said with anger in her voice but she made sure not to raise her voice. He snarled “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT, YOU STUPID BITCH?!” “So you wouldn’t hurt him.....like you did my family...” Crystal replied, still not raising her voice.

Instead of denying it, he smirked “Yeah....yeah you’re fucking right. I got rid of them....started with that dumb bitch sister of yours...then your brother....then that bitch of a mother of yours before I took my sweet fucking time with that bastard of a father....slit his throat slowly....” Dayne said with a sick grin. Crystal’s heart sank finally getting conformation as to what happened to her family.

Dayne looked at Artemis then Nathan “....Which of you two helped her.....” "We both did....sir...” Nathan replied as Dayne walked towards him

“Who is your loyalty to?” Dayne asked the pair to which they replied in unison  “To the Queen and, The Queen alone.”

Before Dayne could do anything, Crystal grabbed something and smashed it on Dayne’s head to stun him. She, Nathan and, Artemis ran as fast as they could, Crystal stopped for a few seconds then tore a slit upside her dress to make it easier to run. As soon as he was struck on the head, Dayne dropped to his knees gripping his head as it began to bleed. Basco and some of the other guards ran towards where the crash came from before they could say anything Dayne turned around, a crimson mask forming on his face “FIND THAT FUCKING BITCH CRYSTAL AND THOSE BASTARDS NATHAN AND, ARTEMIS!”

Basco didn’t question it and just turned to the other guards then said “You heard the man, move out!”

They saluted before running off to search for the Queen, Nathan and, Artemis. The Trio had unfortunately ended up separated due to Crystal having to stop and tear her dress.

Luckily for Artemis, Nathan had made a secret hiding spot in the library. He pulls a book out causing the bookshelf to move, he takes Artemis’ hand then drags him inside.

The room wasn’t massive but enough to fit a couple people, Artemis whispers “How did you make this?”

“Had free time for a few days, I wasn’t needed for work so I came in here and found this part of the library no-one comes to. This room was already behind here, I don’t think anyone knows about it. Must’ve been made by the previous King before Dayne. So I just made this passageway to get in here in secret. Became my mini break room when things got to me.” Nathan whispered back

Artemis nodded a little as he listened to Nathan before glancing back “We....We need to find Crystal....” he whispered 

Nathan nodded a little in agreement “Listen, I’ll go and try to find her. You stay here.”

“But...” Artemis didn’t want to be left alone but knew Nathan wouldn’t listen to reason, he had a bit of a stubborn streak.

"Sit on the chair and give yourself time to recover, I’ll be safe.” Nathan said with a reassuring smile before kissing Artemis deeply. He then opened the bookshelf and stepped out before carefully making his way out of the library.

Crystal had lost sight of Artemis and, Nathan when she stopped to fix her dress so she had ran somewhere else. She opens one of the doors and looks inside to see if anyone was inside.

It was the museum where she and, Dayne had spent time together looking at the Planet’s History when she first became Queen. She began to look for somewhere to hide though there weren’t a lot of places to hide.

She stood in front of a statue of Dayne’s father, the previous King “....He probably did something to you too, didn’t he?” she thought to herself before hearing the door to the museum open.

She quickly dives behind the statue and crouches, trying to make sure she wouldn’t be seen. It was that new head guard, Basco. She knew she couldn’t trust him so she did her best to remain hidden.

Nathan made his way carefully down the hallways, searching for where Crystal could have gone when he spotted the doors to the museum opened, he carefully made his way towards it then pressed himself against the wall before glancing inside.

Basco could be seen walking around the room a little, seemingly searching for Crystal. He stops in his tracks then glances at the previous King’s statue before smirking, this was the only place big enough for her to hide.

He jumps onto the statue’s pedestal then moves slowly across it, Crystal glanced towards one side of the room. She carefully began crawling, trying to be safe when he jumped down behind her and, before she could react, he grabbed her and picked her up by the throat.

Basco smiled as he opened up the communicator “Sir....I found the bitch....what should I do?” he asked Dayne

“....You know exactly what to do.” Dayne replied, no emotion in his voice. The man Crystal once knew was 100% gone.

Basco just grinned as he pulled out a blade then stabbed Crystal repeatedly in the stomach, covering her mouth to make sure she wouldn’t scream. 

Nathan covered his mouth as he watched Crystal being stabbed, he and Crystal had become friends over the last couple of months and to watch her life being slowly stripped away from her.

Basco then stabs Crystal in the throat with his blades before dropping her now lifeless body onto the ground. He stares at the dead body with a sick smile, having enjoyed every second of that.

Nathan composed himself before quickly and quietly running back to the library. Artemis was still sat there, waiting on Nathan to return with Crystal.

He turned his head hearing the bookshelf move so he got up to greet Nathan and, hopefully, Crystal but his face dropped when he saw the tears in Nathan’s eyes “Wh...where’s Crys..?” was all he could say before Nathan wrapped his arms around Artemis and hugged him tightly and began whispering “I’m so sorry....” over and over.

Artemis knew instantly....Crystal was gone...his best friend of the past few years just...gone. He began sobbing softly into his boyfriend’s arms before eventually composing himself enough to ask how.

Nathan explained everything he saw from start to finish and how Basco ended Crystal’s life with ease. Artemis sat himself down, feeling like he was gonna drop to the floor from what he heard, the shock hitting him.

“I’m so sorry, hon I couldn’t....I couldn’t do anything, it all happened so fast.” Nathan said as he kept apologising, feeling responsible for not looking for Crystal sooner.

Artemis reassured Nathan that he wasn’t to blame, they hugged each other for a while grieving over their loss. They decided that this hidden room would be the best place for them to stay in. They’d sneak out when they needed food and bring it back.

Many years later....AJ was sitting in his dorm room, playing his guitar when he saw a bright light appear outside his window. He got up and looked outside and saw a large...pod? nearby.

He tilts his head in confusion before he looked around, thankfully it was late enough for no one to be wandering around. So AJ took it upon himself to head outside and headed towards the pod.

He pulled out his pocket knife, just on the off chance it was something dangerous. He presses his hand onto the pod’s window and glances inside but couldn’t make out anything inside.

He looks for something to open the pod when he finds a panel, he phases his hand through it and finds a wire to pull. AJ smiles before pulling the wire, causing the pod to open.

AJ makes his way towards the opened pod, his jaw drops a little when he sees a small baby lizard inside with peach scales, a blanket wrapped around him and a nose ring.

Without thinking twice, he carefully reaches in and scoops the baby out “Hey there...” he spots a note attacked to the door so he picks it up and reads it “My name is Roger, please take care of me.” he looks down at Roger “....Roger huh? Well....aren’t you just cute.” he smiled a little before making the pod disappear, he hadn’t noticed the piece of cloth that was left inside.

He carries Roger upstairs to his dorm room and makes a crib appear before he places the sleeping baby inside. He sits on his bed and looks the note over carefully, wanting to make sure he didn’t miss anything else. It was obvious that Roger was an alien, that much was clear.

AJ shook his head a little “Something must’ve happened to his family...” was all he could think before he glanced at the baby. He knew he couldn’t put Roger up for adoption that much was clear so after thinking it over for a few moments, he decided that he would take Roger in and raise him.

AJ lightly rocks the crib when he saw Roger starting to stir “....I promise....I’m gonna raise you, Roger...I promise I’m gonna give you a life that I always wanted when I was a kid. I’m gonna spoil you a bit but I’m gonna teach you right from wrong....and I vow to never lose my temper with you or threaten you....” he said aloud before he climbs into his bed and falls asleep. 

No matter what happened next, he was gonna do his fucking best to raise Roger and keep him safe.

[the-dubstep-strawberry]

Just Passing Through

The sun was rising on another day in the Commonwealth, but as far as Lucas Miller was concerned, that bright, lazy son-of-a-bitch had had more than its fair share of rest. His day had started hours before dawn, with the bellowing of his restless pack Brahmin better than any alarm clock; he'd rolled up his sleeping bag and doused the dying embers of the campfire, while the two guards who traveled with his caravan grumbled over cups of the steaming homemade tea they brewed from Bloodleaf flowers.

It was Sunday, two days since his caravan had set out from Bunker Hill with its usual itinerary. Their destination was Tenpines Bluff, one of the Minutemen settlements. It was small - just a handful of settlers and their shacks, and the field of Tatos they tended - but the armor trade was brisk and there were always orders coming in from nearby Sanctuary Hills. General de Havilland and her growing band of men and women had become his best customers, he reflected, as he finished tying his bootlace and rose to his feet.

The Brahmin let out a long, low moo of protest as they set off walking again.

“All right, Ol' Girl,” he told the cow, patting the side of the head nearest him. “Not much further now. We'll rest up soon and get you fed and watered.”

As he walked, his eyes settled on the road ahead, at a point just below the horizon. It always paid to keep your eyes on the road. The caravan routes were safer now than they had been for some years, with the new Minutemen patrols on the roads, but his father had always warned him to be vigilant when traveling. There were still dangers to be found out here if you weren't wary – Bloodbugs and Stingwings had taken down more than their fair share of Brahmin, and sometimes people. There were Raiders too - fewer than there used to be, but still the occasional brave or foolhardy group who took their chances. Gunners, for the most part, knew better than to disrupt the trade routes that they depended on for their own weapons, armor and chems, but some of the hotheaded ones preferred to do their negotiating down the barrel of a gun when disagreements arose. Yao Guai, Radscorpions and Deathclaws were the worst, he thought, shuddering. And Mirelurks. He hated Mirelurks.

One of the guards looked up at the sound of a distant noise. Lucas looked up too, and saw the shapes coming over the horizon; another pack Brahmin, heavily laden with boxes and bundles of goods which rattled and rustled and jingled as the two-headed cow trudged along, hooves thudding on ancient asphalt. No guards accompanied the beast of burden, but a person he recognized was walking alongside it; a weary-looking woman in a familiar blue jacket.

“Carla,” he greeted her. “How's business?”

“You again,” she said dryly. “Here to trade?”

He nodded.

“Mm-hmm. The usual. Tenpines Bluff and back again.”

“Need to pick something up? Road's pretty long from here.”

Lucas smiled. Trashcan Carla, as the locals called her, sold junk, but it was good junk – household goods, odds and ends, useful scrap scavenged from old ruins and sold to whoever had enough caps in their pocket. Sometimes she sold bulk goods, oil and steel, wood and screws, things that homesteaders and builders would put to good use as they staked their claim in the wastes, putting down foundations for farms and families. The General was a regular customer, she'd said once, as they'd stopped to chat in Bunker Hill between trips. Always building, and rebuilding, wherever she went.

“You keep traveling and I'm sure we'll do business by and by,” he replied politely.

“Maybe next time,” she said, amused. “All right then. Safe travels.”

“Safe travels to you too.”

They passed alongside each other, perfectly parallel; their Brahmin brushed past each other with long lowing noises, and the guards both nodded in Carla's direction; the small greeting designed to acknowledge each other's presence without getting caught up in conversation when you had other places to be, which she returned in kind.

Safe travels. That was the traditional farewell when your paths led you in different directions, no matter who your fellow travelers were. Farmers venturing out to bigger settlements to sell baskets of bulbous purple Mutfruits and bundles of Razorgrain; the provisioners who traveled between the smaller settlements, entrusted with the essential tasks of delivering goods and messages to their neighbors, smartly dressed in the Pre-War postal uniforms that the Minutemen issued to make their role look more “official”; the Minutemen patrols themselves, in worn jeans and yellow jackets and the militia hats popularized by Colonel Preston Garvey, the General's second-in-command; and occasionally a passing squad of Power-Armored soldiers from the Brotherhood of Steel, who might reply with a salute and a gruff response of “Citizen”, if they were feeling talkative that day.

The General wore Power Armor too, sometimes, when she wasn't wearing her famous tricorn hat and military overcoat. He'd been told that she was a member of the Brotherhood of Steel herself, in addition to leading her own army; he'd seen her out and about a few times with the former Paladin Danse, who had been forced out of the faction he'd once served over some internal disagreement, if the news reports on the radio were to be believed. For someone who'd lost everything, he decided, the man had looked surprisingly happy. He supposed he would be too, if he had a beautiful woman like the General following him wherever he went...

“Who's that behind us?” said one of the guards, by his side.

Lucas blinked, and turned around to look. Sure enough, there were two more Brahmin coming up behind them, and a few more shapes, human ones – two were caravan guards, much like his, with leather armor and suspicious scowls, and rifles slung on their backs. A third person was the merchant they guarded, a bearded man in a long coat and sturdy armored boots.

“Haven't seen him before,” he responded. “Not a local, by the looks of him. Must be from outside the Commonwealth.”

The second guard, the younger one, took the hunting rifle from his back in readiness, but the first one shook his head.

“Settle down, kid, they're just traders,” he told the other. “Wrong armor for Raiders and they're hauling too much gear. Raiders travel light round these parts, and they tend to hole up somewhere and stay put. Besides, they would've taken pot-shots at us by now. And Gunners make more of an entrance. Nothing to worry about.”

The second guard reluctantly lowered his rifle again.

“Yeah, I guess so. Who's that with them?”

There were two other people with the approaching caravan, Lucas noticed, as they got closer and the second Brahmin came into view. A young woman in a Vault suit and a leather jacket was trudging alongside the animal, complaining loudly about her aching feet; the other was a little boy, mop-haired and freckle-faced, sitting on the Brahmin's back and holding onto its neck as best he could. He was about four or five, Lucas supposed, and his clothes were slightly too big for him, although wasteland kids tended to wear clothes that didn't fit them too well, and slightly too big was always considered better than slightly too small. He and the woman had clearly come a long distance, perhaps even further than the others; they both looked tired and travel-worn, their clothes and boots thick with dust from the road.

“Hey,” called out the woman. “Hey, you! Wait up!”

Lucas and the guards stopped walking.

“Whoa there,” he told his own Brahmin, and Ol' Girl obediently came to a halt. “Let's see what they want.”

The other caravan drew closer, hurrying to catch them up, and then stopped right behind Ol' Girl, who looked unimpressed by the presence of the other two Brahmin; she mooed at one when it tried to get too close, and one of its guards shooed it away a few feet.

“Hey, friend,” Lucas greeted the newcomers. “Looks like you've come a long way. Where are you headed?”

“That's just it,” said the woman, cutting in before the other trader could speak. “We're… kind of lost. Could you give us some directions? You're from round here, right?”

Lucas nodded.

“Aye. Name's Lucas Miller. I sell armor for Old Man Stockton's outfit. Based out of Bunker Hill,” he told her. “And who might you be?”

The young woman frowned, and he was suddenly reminded of the way the General frowned; the purse of her lips, a slight wrinkling at the bridge of a shapely nose, and the furrowing of a pale brow that hadn't seen very much of the outdoors.

“Best you don't ask her that,” the trader beside her interjected. “Bit of a sore topic. She's given us three fake names already, and she didn't speak to us for a day and a half when we tried to get the real one out of her.”

“How about yours, then?” Lucas tried again.

“Name's Cartwright,” said the man, with more enthusiasm. “I sell junk, mostly, odds and ends, but there's a few bits of tech the Brotherhood boys might be interested in.”

“Don't think we've met before,” Lucas remarked. “What brings you all the way out here? I take it you're not from the Commonwealth.”

Cartwright laughed.

“You're right about that, my friend. We came up here from the Capital Wasteland.”

Lucas couldn't keep the surprise from his face.

“That's quite a way to travel for a pile of junk,” he said, in spite of himself. “Just those odds and ends bringing you out here?”

This time Cartwright shook his head.

“No, not really. Wouldn't have journeyed this far, but an old friend called in a favor. You know Daisy? From Goodneighbor?”

Lucas nodded. He knew her; the Pre-War Ghoul who ran Daisy's Discounts, although he rarely frequented Goodneighbor, where the locals were more interested in chems and ammunition than armor.

“Then you'll know how persuasive she can be,” said Cartwright, with a chuckle. “No saying no to a woman like that, is there? So I promised her we - ”

The woman standing beside him gave him a sharp look. If her eyes had narrowed a little more, her expression might have nailed him to the ground.

“They told us not to talk about why we're here,” she reminded him. Her voice was less pointed than her expression, but the hint of danger was unmistakable; there was a flash of steel in the violet-blue eyes. “Mercenaries out there, remember? Gunners, or whatever they call themselves. If that guy reports back to them and they find out why we're here, then we're in a whole world of trouble.”

Lucas shook his head at that. Gunners were, on the whole, bad for business. Angering them somehow seemed like an even worse commercial decision.

“I won't ask, then,” he said firmly. “I stay out of the affairs of others. No good comes of it.”

This time the woman gave him a friendlier look; still cool, but more appreciative.

“Smart man. Sorry. Nothing personal, but the instructions we had were pretty clear. All we want is a nod in the right direction.”

“I think I can help with that,” Lucas volunteered. “Where is it you're wanting to go?”

The woman paused to roll up her sleeve. There was a Pip-Boy on her wrist; a rare sight, thought Lucas, although the Vault suit now made more sense. There was a trading post at Vault 81, one of the few that still functioned and hadn't killed its Pre-War inhabitants in the process, and a few regulars came out to barter for goods they needed. Those Vault-dwellers tended not to travel too far from their home, although the General herself hadn't been able to get out of hers fast enough. Frozen, they'd said, before the war; what a world she'd emerged into, and how different it must have been from the one she'd left behind.

“Sanctuary,” she said, after checking an entry on the screen. “Or Sanctuary Hills. Heights. Something like that.”

“Sanctuary Hills?” Lucas suggested. “That the one you mean?”

The woman made an irritable noise, and waved her hand impatiently.

“Whatever. Close enough. But yeah, that's where we're going. We have a delivery we need to make.”

“Special delivery!” the little boy said proudly, from atop the Brahmin's back. “That's me!”

The woman smiled, perhaps a bit distantly, and ruffled the kid's hair.

“Yeah, that's you. Good job, kiddo, you've told everyone we met so far. So much for not talking to strangers. Your dad's not going to be pleased with me if we run into anyone who's not the friendly type.”

“You don't need to worry about that, miss,” Lucas' older guard assured her. “The Minutemen don't take kindly to folk who harass travelers on the road, and that goes double for kids. Mess with someone's child, steal them away or what have you, and the General will get to hear about it. You might be worried about mercenaries, but trust me, they're more worried about her.”

The young woman smirked.

“Hmm. And I thought Talon Company were scared of me back home. Sounds like this General is a woman to be reckoned with.”

“You'll reckon with her soon enough,” said Lucas, raising his eyebrows. “Sanctuary is her home and it's well-guarded. Turrets and watch towers and the like. You mind yourself when you visit and be sure to make a proper introduction. Strangers who won't give their names aren't the welcome kind.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Fine. If she wants to know who I am that badly, I'll be sure to tell her. Now can you tell us how to get there?”

“That I can,” Lucas told her. “Here, let me see that Pip-Boy of yours. I'll mark it on your map.”

The younger of his two guards muttered something to the other about Colonel Garvey, and the other let out a small chuckle. Lucas ignored them, and studied the screen, patterned in green and black. The topography seemed less familiar from above than it did at eye level, but he followed the road until he saw some landmarks he recognized.

“Concord's that way, and then the Red Rocket station. Follow the road up north and cross the Old North Bridge. It's dead ahead, you can't miss it.”

“Thanks,” said the woman, as he let go of her arm again. “Appreciate the help, Mr. Miller.”

“Not a problem. Any armor for you today?”

She shook her head.

“No, thanks. I think we're good.”

Lucas shook his head too. He'd been selling his wares to wastelanders for many years, and it was the bold and foolish ones who went away empty-handed. Still, there was something in the woman's expression that suggested that it would be more foolish still to try to grab her unawares, and there were subtle hints in the way she moved that suggested that her blue-and-yellow Vault jumpsuit had already been customized to her liking, and that she was more than adequately armed and armored.

“As you say. Well, safe travels then,” he concluded. “Good luck with whatever it is you're here to do. And give my regards to Daisy, when you see her.”

“Thanks, we will,” said Cartwright, with a friendly gesture. “Good to meet you, Lucas. And travel safe yourself. Perhaps we'll see each other again on the road.”

They parted ways, and the caravan moved on ahead of them, faster now that they were moving with more purpose. Lucas heard the little boy pipe up:

“Will we see Daddy soon?”

“Don't worry, Duncan, we're almost there,” she said casually. “They said he'll be there waiting for you. Been a while, too, hasn't it? I bet he can't wait to see you again…”

Their voices were already fading on the wind, dwindling in the distance as they followed the road and disappeared over the hill. Lucas shrugged, and gave his Brahmin a gentle nudge.

“Don't mind them, Ol' Girl. They're just passing through. Off we go now, there's a good girl.”

The Brahmin made some vaguely displeased noises and swished her tail a few times, but started to lumber off in the right direction again, unfazed by the goods on her back and the steeper incline as they followed their usual path.

As they climbed up the hill, Lucas caught another glimpse of the travelers from the Capital Wasteland; a long way to travel, he thought, and an even longer journey back if they hoped to avoid the greenish clouds that were already rumbling ominously over the Glowing Sea. It seemed a great deal of effort to go to, just to bring a small child all the way out here.

Still, he thought, as he turned his gaze toward the small cluster of shacks and caught sight of the bright blue Minutemen flag waving above Tenpines Bluff, they probably had their reasons.

[codenameskye]

BTS’ ideal type of women - Headcanons

Requested!

Gender focus : Female

Request: “Hey can you make BTS ideal type of women ?”

- I did my best! Hope you like it!

- NOTE TO ANYONE READING : This is based of imagination, these ‘ideal types’ are probably not BTS’ actual ideal type. So, don’t take it too seriously. At the end of the day, BTS will love anyone ^^. So please don’t put yourself down if you feel like it doesn’t match you. You are perfect the way you are. Love yourself, be yourself. i purple you 💜

Namjoon -

- Namjoon doesn't really care much about looks, he would love anyone from any skin colour, race, etc...

- He'd like a woman who reads a lot, like lots of fiction and nonfiction - not fan fiction (^^;;)

- His heart would melt if she wore glasses - fake or not

- He'd like a woman who will stay up late at night and talk about anything for hours, or would stay with him in his studio and watch him make music

- I think he would like someone who can cook and bake. Like maybe one day be comes back from work and he can smell Korean Fried Chicken cooking or a fresh batch of baked goods

- Overall, Namjoon would like someone who is calm and wise, and someone who is willing to have children with him and be a great mother.

- She can be any age - as long as it's not too big of an age gap, or if the other is way too young for him...

Seokjin -

- Again, I still think BTS wouldn't really care about looks. He'd like anyone with a great personality.

- Seokjin would like someone who he can joke around with, and is always entertained and loves his dad jokes (I love his dad jokes)

- Perhaps someone who bakes instead of cooking

- He'd like someone with a great sense of humour

- Seokjin would like someone who he can go finishing with, an the other wouldn't get bored

-  Overall, he would like a woman who is funny, gentle but sometimes as chaotic as him, but would like to have quiet times on the couch with him.

- He maybe would like someone younger than him? Maybe 5 years younger?

Yoongi -

- Still think looks don't matter to him, but he wouldn't mind someone with dark, short hair and eyes that would sparkle only for him.

- A woman who will take a nap with him at any moment when he needs it, or someone who will hold his hand or cuddle him when he wants the attention

- He may not seem like it, but Yoongi wants attention pretty much most of the time - so he wants a girl who will give him a lot of attention just as much as he will give her a lot of attention

- He'd want a girl who will stay with him while he's making music and maybe suggest a few things here and there.

- He'd like to have quiet moments where the two of them will just sit somewhere (like somewhere looking out in a nice view with fairy lights around you)

- Overall, he wants someone who is quiet, calm and soft, but also has the 'bargirl' vibe.

- He's not to picky with age, he just doesn't want someone way too young for him or way too old for him.

Hoseok -

- Hoseok doesn't care much about looks, just personality that matters most to him.

- He wants someone who is cheerful and is never tired from his bubbly personality

- Hoseok maybe wants someone who loves dancing as much as him so he could dance with her - even to Just Dance

- He'd like to have a woman who can be friends with anyone and has a extrovert personality, and someone who is kind of clingy but not over the top 'possessive' type of clingy

- Someone who he can have a fun time with and never get bored.

- Overall, someone who has a cute 90s aesthetic and smiles a lot. Someone who's battery never runs out, even when sleeping.

- Not really any age limit,

Jimin -

- Doesn't really care about appearance, maybe just a girl with long curly hair and is shorter than him

- Did I mention shorter than him? He wants to feel tall. He wants the feeling of pride when his partner can't reach something high up and he goes to reach it with ease. He just wants that good feeling.

- Someone who has the same energy as him - pretty much always 100% battery like him. Someone who is cute and funny as the same time.

- Maybe someone just as clumsy as him, like when she trips of falls off a chair, she'd always laugh it off as being clumsy in a cute way.

- Cuddles in the morning type of person. Someone who would just want to hug and kiss him and praise him for being him. He loves being told that he's perfect and that he's very handsome.

- Overall, cute, clumsy and sweet person. Someone who likes wearing cute clothes or sexy clothes (but sometimes he doesn't mind what she wears)

- Age? Someone who is at least 5 years within his age so it wouldn't be creepy and weird to date someone waaaaayyyy young.

Taehyung -

- Just someone who shares the same clothing style as him, and maybe long dark blonde hair that it slightly wavy.

- Someone who can easily pose for a picture - like just as photogenic as him

- A girl maybe who likes art and many aesthetic type of stuff.

- A girl he can just listen to and just hear her voice while he can look into her eyes. Someone who will stay with him.

- He's the type to just find the right person and stay with him for the rest of his life. So if he finds the lucky girl, he expects her to understand that he ain't gonna leave her, ever.

- Overall, gentle, kind, calm and collecting animal lover. Someone who is comfortable being herself no matter what she looks like or who is around.

- He prefers someone close to his age, but wouldn't mind it if they're a little bit younger than him or older.

Jungkook -

- Maybe someone fit enough to workout with him? Maybe has a dark style to them, like dark clothes or baggy outfits that look great. He would even let her wear his hoodies or shirts, he wouldn't mind.

- Someone who likes physical activities like running or other sport, even if it's just dancing (without knowing how to dance)

- He wants them to give him hugs and doesn't baby him too much. Yes, he likes being looked after, but he wants to feel like the man and wants to be the one looking after someone else.

- He probably want a girl who is a crackhead and has this personality that no one can match. Someone who isn't afraid of being herself in public and is really out of her shell (if not, he'll help her)

- Someone who wouldn't judge him for what he wants to do and will support him through anything. Even if he decides to go bald, he wants a girl to be supportive of him.

- Overall, a crackhead personality, but is soft at the same time and is very understanding. He doesn't want someone who gets mad at him and quickly jumping to conclusions.

- As for age, he doesn't want someone too old or too young, just someone old enough he can be with.

[lockefanfic]

Toy - Part 2

When Sana entered the hotel room, she did so while dragging another man by his cock.

Son Chaeyoung is sitting in your lap, naked as the day she was born, trying playfully to toss random rice snacks into the air for you to catch with your mouth. But when Sana approaches the large leather couch where you are lounging lazily with Chaeyoung and the equally naked Momo - dragging the male behind her like some obedient pet via the grip she had on his erect genitals - you found your attention locked solely on her.

“Hi!” she says to you, her face shining brightly, her tone equally so, as though she were introducing herself on some Korean variety show. You’d half expected her to go through the whole “One in a million! Annyeonghaseo, TWICE imnida!” introduction you’d heard a million times before - such was her cheery disposition, which was almost totally at odds with the intensely lewd nature of her surroundings and the fact that she had a man’s rigid cock in the palm of her right hand.

“H-Hi,” you answer back, still feeling a little shocked at the sight of the very same Minatozaki Sana you’d seen in a million photos and videos - here, in front of you, in the flesh - with a grip on another man’s cock as though it were a handle for a shopping cart. She is wearing a hotel bathrobe, likely only for some semblance of modesty during the short trip from her own hotel room to here - but the naked man she was quite literally dragging along had enjoyed no such convenience. If she wore the bathrobe to look discreet in the hotel hallways, the fact that she was dragging around a naked man by his cock kind of defeated the purpose - but you weren’t one to question the actions of a girl like Sana.

She was just as perfect looking in the flesh as she was in all the photos and videos - a real life anime character, her face bright and cute and sexy all at the same time; and with a body to match. Her body seemed sculpted from the wildest fantasies of every 20 year old male in the country, with round, perky breasts, toned stomach, and firm, thick thighs that led to long, luxurious legs.

“You must be Pikachu,” she says to you, smiling.

“Uh, wha-”

“That’s your toy name,” Momo says lazily, before tossing another potato chip down her hatch, “we don’t use real names for toys here.”

“Pikachu, I’d like you to meet Woody.”

“Uh, hi,” you manage to say to the young man standing just behind Sana in what was probably the oddest introduction to another human being you’d ever experienced in your entire life. You didn’t know the guy, but Sana’s choice of toy name for him was top-tier.

“Hey,” Woody answers back, both of you quite unsure of what to make of the surreal situation you’d found yourselves in. You assumed that he too was at the concert, and that Sana had picked him out of the crowd the same way Chaeyoung did for you.

“So Chaeyoung, Momo - can I borrow Pikachu to play with?” Sana asks, a wide smile on her face, as though she were asking Chaeyoung if she could borrow a plaything and not an entire human being.

“Ugh, I guess so,” Chaeyoung answers with a feigned sigh, “but don’t break my toy. I’m not done playing with him yet.”

The younger girl reluctantly hops off your lap, and you lament the loss of close contact with her small, tight little body. She slips into Momo’s embrace on the opposite couch, the older Japanese girl wrapping her arms around her invitingly.

“Well, as you can see, Woody and I have already gotten started. Time for you to catch up, Pikachu,” Sana says, stepping towards you and reaching out invitingly with a slim, slender hand.

You rise, slowly, from the leather couch as Sana drops to her knees between you and Woody. Your mind is still reeling - making eye contact with Chaeyoung at the concert was enough to make your day, enough of a memory to last a lifetime. You never in a million years could have imagined what would come next - never could have imagined Minatozaki Sana on her knees between you and another man, a cock in each of her hands, pumping each shaft of meat slowly with long, dainty fingers.

She doesn’t waste any time, quickly darting out her tongue and giving your rapidly hardening shaft a quick lick from base to tip. It doesn’t take much longer for you to reach full hardness, not with one of the hottest women on the face of the planet on her knees in front of you, taking you in and out of her mouth. All the while she is pumping Woody’s shaft with her right hand, his precum staining her perfect skin and making her fingers glisten.

For long, beautiful minutes Sana gives you and Woody a blowjob, alternating between the two hard shafts in each of her hands, sucking and licking one cock while pumping the other with her free hand. Every now and then she dips below the shaft to play with swollen testicles, and from time to time she lets a cock graze her full cheeks and face, smearing her own saliva and traces of slick precum onto her perfect vanilla skin.

After an especially long and hard suck on Woody’s cock that draws a soft sigh of pleasure from the young man, she turns to your shaft and slaps herself in the cheek with it, a look of bliss on her perfectly sculpted features - and the sight of it drives you insane. She rubs the hard meat around her face like it were a bar of soap, a sultry look of pure want on her perfect features. How could someone be so adorable and cute one moment, and become completely wanton and lustful the next?

“Holy fuck, Sana,” you hiss, involuntarily. Her bathrobe has been loosened by her vigorous work on the cocks in front of her, revealing the perfect creamy skin of her upper chest. Your view gives you a perfect look down the tantalizing cleavage between the folds of her robe - the same cleavage she loved to flaunt on stage, the same cleavage you thought would be forever beyond your reach. 

“Mmm, I think both of our toys are ready now, don’t you think, girls?” Sana says, her gaze still locked on your shaft as she lets it press upon that beautiful face of hers. Your cock grazes one more time over her perfect nose, those full cheeks, and those wonderful pink lips. Her eyes are half-lidded and drunk with lust, her mouth slightly open to allow a small sigh of pleasure to escape her lips at the feeling of hard cock pressing against her face.

“Oh, they’re definitely ready,” Momo chirps from the couch. On her lap, Chaeyoung has turned to face the action, her back pressed against Momo’s naked chest - and Momo’s hand is playing, almost lazily, with the moist flesh between the younger girl’s legs. She lets out a soft gasp as Momo starts playing with her little tits, capturing and pinching the stiff nipples with a thumb and index finger.

Sana rises from her knees and takes a few steps towards the bed, allowing the pristine white cotton of the bathrobe to fall from her shoulders, finally revealing her naked body to your eyes. She does a little spin, finally facing you, and your eyes drink in the perfection of the female form standing in front of you. On stage in those skimpy little outfits she was so fond of, she was already a goddess - now, naked, clothed only in lust, she was outright sublime.

“I want you both inside me at the same time - I want both my pussy and mouth filled at the same time. But you’re both probably wondering which one of you gets my pussy first? Woody and I have already had a little private fun in our hotel room,” she says, her tone dripping with want and sex and all things erotic, “so I ch-”

“Don’t!” Chaeyoung and Momo snap, but it is too late.

“-I choose you, Pikachu.”

You couldn’t help but smirk at the joke, at the sheer ludicrous nature of your circumstances. You found yourself wondering yet again if you were in the middle of some crazy dream, and whether you’d wake up in your hotel room alone. But when you approach the bed where Sana is lying on her back and reach out and touch the perfect vanilla skin of her long, luxurious legs - your fingertips tell you that it was, indeed, all real.

Woody follows you to the bed, and he kneels on it next to Sana’s face, his cock pressing up against her cheek, where Sana caresses it lovingly with her long, dainty fingers, as though it were a familiar pet giving her a kiss. You take up position on your knees between the girl’s spread legs and take your shaft in your hand, pressing it to the moist, slick flesh of Sana’s opening. 

“Fuck me, boys.”

The sound that leaves her throat when you enter her is nothing short of heavenly, but it pales in comparison to the feel of Minatozaki Sana’s tight, wet, hot walls wrapping themselves around your cock as you bury yourself inside her. Almost as soon as you fill her Sana turns her head and takes Woody’s shaft into her mouth, filling herself from both ends with hard cock. Taking only a moment to savor the feeling of being buried in the pussy of one of Asia’s hottest idols, you draw your shaft out of her body, relishing the sight of your cock liberally stained with her juices - it seems giving two men a simultaneous blowjob really got her off.

Your second thrust into Sana sends spikes of pleasure up and down your spine - pleasure you quickly find yourself needing more of. Before you know it you are fucking her with long, hard strokes, withdrawing until only your head is inside her before penetrating her slick pussy again and again. Woody is balls deep inside Sana as well, his shaft fucking her mouth and throat with a steady pace as you both pump the Japanese girl full of meat from both ends.

You watch as Sana’s body is rocked back and forth on the bed, her small, perfectly shaped breasts bouncing hypnotically to the rhythm of the cocks pumping in and out of her tight, wet holes; she loved to tease her fans on stage with her cleavage, but to see her naked tits now, bouncing and being rocked with each thrust of your cock into her body - it was a sight to behold. The rest of her body is equally perfect, her tight, flat stomach flexing with effort, and the creamy, soft skin of those full thighs spreading widely to accept each thrust into her body.

Her sighs and moans come out as muffled sounds, but the fact that they were muffled by the hard, thick shaft thrusting in and out of her mouth made them that much more erotic.

It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two of fucking, but being fucked from both ends clearly got Sana off quick, and soon you can feel her pussy tightening around you, her juices flowing more liberally around your pumping cock to stain your crotches and her thick thighs. You reach down with your palms and spread her flushed legs even more, enjoying the sight of your cock as it penetrates her juicy, slick pussy.

Her free hand clutches your wrist, her nails digging almost painfully into your skin. She lets Woody’s cock, drenched with her saliva, pop out between her pink lips. Woody’s precum and her saliva are flowing freely from her mouth and onto that perfect jawline of hers.

“Oh, fuck, I’m cumming!”

Sana becomes a quivering, shaking mess of naked female flesh on the bed as she orgasms, her eyes staring intensely at you as you bury yourself inside her one more time and savor the feel of her spasming pussy tightening and pulsating around you. She breathes heavily, her breasts bouncing deliciously as she does so, her skin flushed and pink all over.

“I told you... she got off on being filled,” Chaeyoung quips, but her tone is soft and lusty - a glance over to the couch, where Momo’s quickly thrusting fingers are knuckles deep inside the young girl, tells you why. Momo gives you a sultry stare from over Chaeyoung’s shoulder as she snakes her left hand around the younger Korean girl and gives her small chest a firm squeeze, toying lazily with the girl’s stiff nipples.

Sana takes a few moments to recover, lazily stroking Woody’s wet cock with a hand as she does so. When her energy returns, she rises from the bed and gets on all fours, her round, full ass and thick thighs now dominating your sight.

“Alright, I’ve had my fun. It’s your turn now, boys. Take me.”

“Fuck the bitch,” Momo snaps, her eyes fierce even as she fingers the mewling Korean girl in her lap, “make her scream. Fucking use her.”

“F-fuck, yeah,” Chaeyoung adds with some difficulty given the pleasure she was currently experiencing, “Use her! Spitroast the slut!”

Woody is the first to take their advice to heart, and he quickly takes a kneeling position at Sana’s head before grasping the back of her skull and thrusting it down onto his cock, filling her mouth with his shaft. His roughness surprises you at first, but the sight of Sana gladly taking his cock like a champ, combined with that perfect body of hers in prime position to be taken before you, quickly chases any hesitation away.

Grasping the Japanese girl’s raised ass with both hands, you squeeze the firm mounds, enjoying the feel of her flesh filling your palms and the sight of her clenched asshole between them - and the slick, wet pink flesh below it. You grasp your cock in your right hand, line it up with her slick folds, and soon Sana is filled with cock from both ends once more.

Sana was a sight to behold when she was being fucked on her back, but on all fours and taking a shaft from each end she was on a different level altogether. Her rear was almost as breathtaking as her front, with her toned back, moistened with sweat, and the perfect hourglass shape of her slim waist and full, thick thighs. You couldn’t resist giving her firm butt a smack, one that draws a muffled yelp of pleasure from the wanton Japanese girl around the stiff cock currently filling her mouth.

For a few wonderful, blissful minutes you and Woody fill Sana up with cock, falling into a rhythm as you each withdraw from her body as the other slams into her, only to thrust back in as the other leaves; your paces increase, hands on her skull and her ass keeping her in perfect position as her body is used by two stiff, thick cocks.

Sana lets Woody’s shaft slip from her mouth as she throws her head back and screams in ecstasy. The deep, dark sound that leaves her throat is almost like a growl - a wordless, guttural snarl made by a creature craving more. She grabs Woody’s cock and practically shoves it between her lips once again, and Woody takes it as license to continue fucking her mouth.

“Look at her fucking take those cocks,” Momo snaps, drawing your attention to the couch, where she has reduced Chaeyoung to a mewling, quivering mess in her arms, “look at her get off on being fucking filled!”

Chaeyoung’s only response is to let a long, drawn out moan escape her lips as her entire body stiffens and she cums on Momo’s fingers, her hands clawing into the couch as Momo’s touch finally drives her over the edge.

“Fuck, it feels so good!” Sana exclaims, letting Woody’s drenched cock slip out of her lips for a moment, “I feel so full! Fuck me, fucking use me!”

Watching one of your favorite idols get off on being spitroasted lent you further energy, and you resume pounding her from behind - and Sana shrieks in response, only to be cut off when Woody grasps her head and thrusts his cock into her wanton mouth once more.

“Fucking take my cock, bitch,” he hisses with an aggressiveness that surprises you - but when Sana responds with a muffled moan of pleasure, it encourages you to do the same.

Soon you are pounding her - not simply fucking her from behind, not simply enjoying her body - now you are using it, using her, using her to get the pleasure you so desperately wanted, and she was all too willing to provide.

It quickly becomes too much, and Minatozaki Sana’s perfect body pushes you closer and closer to orgasm.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum,” you hiss, and Woody utters the same.

“Fill her up!” Momo shouts.

“Do it!” Chaeyoung adds, evidently having recovered from her own orgasm, “fucking fill the bitch up with cum!”

“Do it, boys,” Sana confirms, replacing her mouth with a pumping fist on Woody’s aching cock as she looks up at him. When she looks over her shoulder at you as you continue to pound her slick pussy, it is a look that drips with utter lust and need. Gone is the cutesy meme-material girl of Korean variety shows and their music videos - the woman being fucked from both ends in front of you was made of pure sex; she was lust incarnate.

“Fucking cum inside me, both of you. Fill me up with your cum!”

Sana takes Woody’s cock back into her mouth, and you savor the last few thrusts into her wet, slick, hot pussy before you bury yourself as deep as you can inside her and finally let go, sending stream after stream of hot, thick semen deep into her body. Woody cums soon after, filling Sana’s mouth entirely with his cock before sending his cum directly into her throat.

The muffled moan of utter desire and wanton need that leaves Sana’s throat as she is filled from both ends with cum is one of the hottest things you’d ever heard in your life, and it takes a significant amount of effort on your part just to keep upright as Sana’s pussy milks every last drop from your aching cock. You look down and watch her slick, pink lips being splayed by your pulsating shaft as you give her aching pussy a few last thrusts, pushing your semen as deep inside her as you could.

When you both finally slip out of her, the warm, thick cum that drips from her used pussy and the corners of her mouth flows down her thighs and jaw to stain the bed as she finally collapses onto it, her seemingly boundless energy finally drained. She lets out a small cough to clear her throat and lets some white cum leave her tired mouth, dripping down her jaw - her movements cause even more of your slick cum to flow from her pink, tired pussy lips until it stains the sheets beneath her tired body in a small puddle.

The next few minutes are a blur as you struggle to recover from one of the most powerful orgasms you’ve ever had; all you are vaguely aware of is Chaeyoung joining the three of you on the bed, and the wonderful sight of the young Korean girl making out passionately with Sana, the thick white liquid of Woody’s semen spilling down their chins as they exchange it between them. Chaeyoung loved sharing cum, it seemed - and she confirms it with a soft sigh that escapes her lips as she breaks the kiss with Sana, letting a long rope of cum connect their mouths - before she tilts her head back and swallows the cum in her mouth, savoring the feel of the thick white juices sliding down her young throat.

The next thing you are aware of is the feel of a warm hand wrapping around your spent cock, still slick with your own cum and Sana’s juices. 

“I hope you haven’t broken our toy yet, Sana,” Momo says as she lazily strokes your sore shaft up and down, “He’s already cum three times, and I’m the only one around here that hasn’t gotten any cock in me.”

“Don’t worry, I think Woody’s still good to go - he’s only cum twice so far tonight,” Sana quips as she nonchalantly strokes Chaeyoung’s hair, even as the younger girl travels down her tired body to slurp the fresh, hot cum leaking from the Japanese girl’s pussy.

Momo gives you a smirk. “Fine, I guess I can go play with him. You rest up, Pikachu - you’ll need it.”

“F-for what?” you ask, your mind still hazy and drunk with pleasure.

“For whoever you want next,” Momo answers, as she straddles Woody’s still erect shaft. “You’ve done pretty well for a toy - and when toys make us cum, we let them choose which member they want to fuck next.”

Your mind races, the sight of Chaeyoung between Sana’s legs slurping up your own cum from the Japanese girl’s dripping pussy giving you plenty of ideas as to what to do next to the three women in the room.

“Even the members that aren’t here,” Momo says, as she strokes Woody’s stiff head up and down her drenched pussy lips, “let us know who you want, we’ll call them over, and you can have them.”

“Only three members get to choose toys per concert,” Sana explains, “to lessen the chance of getting caught by paparazzi or something. Momo and Chaeyoung chose you, I chose Woody. I bet the others are each horny as hell, just waiting for a call.”

Chaeyoung raises her head from between Sana’s flushed thighs, a thin stream of your semen dripping from her chin, the strand still connected to the mess she was making of the Japanese girl’s pussy.

“So who do you want to fuck?”

---

Author’s Note: As a thank you to everyone that’s shown so much love and support here on tumblr, I’d like to write the next chapter based on whichever TWICE member is requested the most. Leave a comment down below to let me know who you’d like to see in Part 3 :)

Thanks again for reading, everyone. As always, all your DMs/comments/asks keep me writing. Hope you’re all staying safe out there :)

[sex-storytime]

The Girl Next Door

It was early in the morning and I'd just risen from my marital bed. Melanie and I had been married for ten years. She had long since gone to her work so the space beside me was cold and empty. I work from home so I set my own hours, usually about ten a day. I remembered that my boxers shorts were all in the wash but I had a fresh pair in the dryer so I walked out to the utility room, naked, which is how I sleep. Throwing a damp towel in with the pants, I turned the dryer on to get the wrinkles out and headed for some coffee. It had long since gone cold, so I stuck a cupful in the microwave while I put some things out for breakfast. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, I walked through the house to boot up the computer. A quick check of my email and I went back to the kitchen, cup in hand, with no thought whatsoever that I was stark naked. 

I’ve never had any qualms about being naked in my own house since we live in a very small town and there are only a few houses on our street, and we sit back off the street about 25 feet. There are blinds in the kitchen, but at six in the morning no one is going to be looking in my windows anyway. I mean, what are the odds that someone will be staring into my window at six in the morning on the outside chance that they’ll see me naked... they’d be welcome to the view!

When the buzzer on the dryer went off, I finished my coffee and went to get the clothes out. My hand had just touched the dryer door when the phone rang. Padding back into the kitchen, I picked up the phone to hear our neighbour's voice on the line. 

"That's a very nice outfit you're wearing," she cooed. 

I felt like an idiot. There I stood, stark naked, in front of the big window in the breakfast room. I jumped back to take shelter behind the cabinets. 

"Rachel, what the hell are you doing looking in my window?" I yelled. 

"Hell Jeff, I thought you were putting on a show for me. I'm not complaining, why are you? I just told you I liked what I saw."

"Is that all you wanted?" I asked. "I've got things to do and one of them is not making my neighbour wet. Take a cold shower or something."

"Hold on, hot shot, I need to talk to you."

"Oh, for... let me get some jeans on so I don't let it all hang out." 

"Whatever," she replied. "I don't care if you're naked or not. I just need to talk to you right away."

I pulled my jeans on, remembering too late that I had a brass button and a now very hot zipper on them. After cursing a few times and pulling the hot metal away from my flesh, I finally got them snapped and zipped. 

"If you're looking for Melanie, you missed her. She works the early shift today." 

"I knew that, Jeff. I've been waiting for her to leave so we could talk."

"Talk? Talk about what?"

"Let's just say it's something you don't want to discuss in front of your wife."

I leaned over to search for some bagels that I'd picked up the night before, thinking about my neighbour watching me naked through that window. I never considered Rachel to be anything other than my neighbour. She moved in six months ago, she worked in forensics or something and she was at least a dozen years younger than me. She was petite and dropdeadgorgeous for sure, but she wasn’t on my radar. Rachel was much younger than me and I had a perfectly pretty wife. But... Rachel was... quite pleasant to look at... I guess. Yes, I had fantasised about her. Any man would! Her shoulder length auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes highlight her creamy complexion. She always wore oversized sweatshirts or tee shirts that were dark enough and large enough that you see no hint of how she's built, and I've spent a lot of time staring at her, guessing at what that shirt covered. I'd seen enough of her ass as she bent over to know that it was damned nice. She was a gorgeous minx and I often struggled to take my eyes off her.

"Should I be worried about where this is going?" I asked. 

"I hope not," she replied, "but I don't think so."

"I guess you've got the advantage over me because I have no idea what you're trying to say."

"What would your wife say if she found out that you've been cheating on her?"

I damned near choked on my bagel. "What the hell are you talking about? I haven't been cheating on her."

"Oh really? Would you like to bet that I can convince her that you have?"

I didn't reply for a minute, suddenly realising that it wouldn't be all that hard to do since she's been insinuating for a long time that I have. Visions of being kicked out flashed through my mind. It wouldn't be the first time, but it wasn't something I'd like to repeat. 

"Ok, ok, what are you saying? You know I don't have any money, Rachel. Hell, I'm trying to figure out how to pay my bills as it is."

"I don't want your damned money, Jeff. I'm not hurting for cash. Hell, I probably have more than you do. No, it's not money that I'm looking for."

"DAMN IT Rachel, what do you want?"

"Calm down, Jeff. No need to get excited. Why don't you come over and have some coffee with me so we can talk face to face. I think you'll be glad you did."

"You're a crazy, woman. You've lost your mind. If Melanie was to find out you've even seen me naked, she'd board up the damned window and quit her job so she could keep an eye on me. If one of the neighbours saw me coming over there and let it slip, it would be all over but the crying and you know it."

"I know that, but no one has to see you come over here. There's a way to take care of that."

"Damn it, Rachel, I can't do that. Can't you talk to me now?"

"I could, but I don't think I want to. I could come over there but if you want to keep this quiet, me walking into your house would be the last thing our neighbours needed to see. Think about it Jeff. I've already seen you naked and you know I can convince her of anything I want. You don't have to worry about me slipping up and letting her find out what's going on while she's gone. She'll never know unless you tell her. Get some shoes on and drive around the block. Pull in Sophie’s drive and park back where they park the motor home. They're gone for the summer and no one can see you there because of the bushes. I'll leave the back garage door open for you. Fifteen minutes, Jeff, that's all I'll wait."

The sound of the dial tone was all I heard after that. I slammed the phone down and went to sit on my recliner, where I do my best thinking. I stared at the clock as the second hand swept around, mumbling to myself about that damned infuriating woman. What the hell did she want anyway? To hell with it, let her tell Melanie whatever she wanted to. I'd catch hell and we'd fight like two cats for a week or two but that's all. What the hell, if she kicked me out, I'd be fine. Then the real world got hold of me. We wouldn't fight like cats at all, she'd scream for weeks about my infidelity and in the end, I'd be kicked out and I'd be screwed. There's no way I have enough money to make it. She'd get the house and I'd get the shaft and wind up living in a shack.

It had been almost ten minutes when I slipped into my shoes and went out to the garage, knowing she was watching me every minute. I drove down the street and turned as though I was going to town, then looped around and slipped into Sophie’s drive, pulling as far into the bushes as I could get. The back door of her garage was open so I slipped in and closed it behind me.

Her car was in the garage and she waited for me at the foot of the stairs that led to their game room over the garage. Neither of us said a word as I followed her up the stairs, watching the sway of her ass under the loose sweats she wore. 

Their game room covers the whole second story of the two car garage. A professional sized pool table sits in one corner, while an oversized six sided card table sat in the opposite corner. A dart board is on one wall and a big screened TV sits below it. The other wall is blank paneling behind a fair sized wet bar. 

She sat on the oversized couch and patted seat next to her. I headed for one of the bar stools but she stopped me. "You don't want to upset me Jeff but I want you to watch a video."

I sat next to her as she turned the TV on. After a few scenes from an old porn film, I saw our house. As I watched, the camera zoomed in on that big window to show me walking back and forth, stark naked. There was a shot of me bent over the dryer, taking clothes out, and one of me putting my breakfast on the table, then sitting down to eat. Then there was a shot of me with my cock in my hands as I milked it pretty hard. Seconds later, I hurried from the kitchen and I knew I was headed for some tissues. All of a sudden, I saw some more footage of me with my cock in my hands, but then another hand reached over to stroke up and down...a feminine hand. A few seconds later, I saw the naked back of what was obviously a woman's head, evidently as she went down on me. 

"What the fuck, Rachel? Who is that? I've never had another woman in that house and you know it."

"Umm, I don't know, Jeff. She sure looks like she's standing right in front of you and I'd bet money she's sucking your cock. More importantly though, is that Melanie will believe it. That and about another twenty minutes of it."

"What's going on here, Rachel?: I asked. "What are you saying?"

"I decided a long time ago that you needed more action, Jeff, and I'm just the one to give it to you."

"That's blackmail," I replied. 

"I don't think so Jeff. Coercion, perhaps but not blackmail. I don't want money, I just want you to fuck me silly sometimes. We both win and no one gets hurt. That video will never be seen again as long as you take care of my needs and I take care of yours."

"What the hell makes you think I need more than I'm getting?" I asked.

"Jeff, Jeff, Jeff, you jack off every time you're alone, sometimes two and three times in one day. That doesn't sound like a satisfied man to me. I haven't had an orgasm in months and damn it, I'm going to get them and you're going to help me."

"You're out of your mind, Rachel. I'm not..."

"Stand up Jeff," she ordered.

I have no idea why I did it, but I did. She walked around me, looking at the cock that was acting like it had a mind of its own. "Take your jeans off," 

"I don't think so," I replied, not moving to do so. 

The next thing I knew, my jeans were yanked down, scraping over my semihard cock, giving me a jolt of pain. Before I could say anything, her hand was wrapped around my cock, sliding the tender flesh up and down my shaft. I groaned involuntarily but she took that as a sign I was enjoying it and continued. When I tried to push her hand away, she slapped at my hand and rammed the skin back so hard it was painful. 

"I can hurt you if that's what you want Jeff, or I can rock your socks. It's up to you, but I promise you that I will have my way with you. Either that or the video goes to Melanie. You can destroy that one if you wish," she said, as though she was reading my mind, "but it isn't the original. Now it's time for you to decide if you want me to rape you, share some great sex, or send out the video. It's up to you."

My slumping shoulders must have been the only signal that she needed because she smiled wrapped her hand around my cock and balls. "I knew I could get you to cooperate," she said, pulling me to her by my cock. "Now let's get serious."

She pushed me back to the couch and started a slow strip. My cock was like a flag pole as she stripped off the sweatshirt and allowed her breasts their freedom. I was grateful that she didn't wear a bra but then she really didn't need one. She was about a 32A or B, small but as firm as a ripe melons, with nipples that stood out proudly, long and begging. Her sweats went next and she stood before me in nothing but black thongs. Good Lord, what a body! She was so different to Mel. Melanie was tall and skinny. She was fragile and waif like. Rachel was a hot, petite woman with curves in all the right places. Damn, I was hard as a rock with precum slipping down over my knob. 

She crawled up on the couch then, straddling me, with her hands on the back of the couch. That put her wet pussy right at the same level as my face. "Eat me," she ordered, as she spread herself as wide as her knees would allow. I put my head back and reached my tongue up to lick over her thighs and the edge of her pussy lips. She moaned and pushed into my face, forcing me to reach up and spread her pussy open, while my tongue dove into her core, then started lapping at her. I love to eat a woman. I love the drama, the emotions, the eroticism of her sounds and her actions. The more audible they are, the more I try to make them moan, groan, mewl, gasp and beg for more. The ultimate high is the sound of the orgasm building, tearing them apart as my tongue lashes at their clit and into the special little spot just below it. When they slip over the top, I am in heaven. 

When she came, she gushed. It's something every man dreams of but most women can't accomplish. She filled my mouth over and over again with her hot cum and I sucked every drop of her I could handle. It covered my face, my throat and my chest and I loved every minute of it. 

I held her to me while I lapped at her thighs and up her ass crack to caress that hot button with my tongue. She gasped and opened herself to me while I licked into it, trying to get my tongue inside. My cock was standing high and anxious as she lowered herself onto me. The walls of her tight pussy engulfed me and pulled me in until she was completely down on me, my cock buried deep inside that hot pussy. I held her there, enjoying the feel of her wetness and the pulsing of her pussy walls until she began moving back and forth, then up and down. I knew I wouldn't last long because it had been just too long since I’d had sex. She picked up speed and began gyrating over my cock, banging my balls into me while she moaned almost constantly until I felt her begin to tighten on my cock. 

It was more than I could handle and I felt my balls tighten to warn of my oncoming climax as the hot cum boiled out of my balls and sprayed into her hot pussy pulse after pulse. I spunked my fertile seed inside her, filling her, only for it to run down my cock and over my balls. Rachel crawled off of me and started to lick me clean but I pushed her back on my legs and pulled her legs over my shoulders as I sucked my cum from her pussy and licked her clean. 

She pulled me up and led me to the day bed, dropping face down onto it while I crawled up next to her. 

"Not bad for an older man," she panted "I think we're both going to enjoy our little adventure." 

I'd forgotten that I was doing this under threat until she reminded me. 

"Look, Rachel, that was great and you have a fantastic body but we just can't keep doing this. Sooner or later, one of us is going to say or do something and we're going to get caught. I can't afford to take that chance."

"Listen to me carefully Jeff. Nothing about our situation is changed except that now we both know that sex between us is pretty damned awesome. I have a lot of plans and ideas and nothing you say or do will change them. What you saw on that video is nothing compared to what is on the rest of it. Remember the woman that was going down on you? I've got a video of your cock slipping into her tight ass. Never mind how, I just have. Wonderful science, this computer enhanced fakery. You and I both know you never fucked anyone in their ass but Melanie doesn't know and she wouldn't believe you if you told her you hadn't so lets quit the bull shit and enjoy each other."

I slipped my clothes on without further comment and went for a drive to try to figure things out. Nothing I could say or do would counter the ammunition she had to use against me. I was fucked, literally and factually. I could either accept her terms or move out now and take my licks, a poor choice of words. It was while I was driving that I suddenly realised that I may have just given her the most potent weapon she could get. When I sat on the couch, she pushed me there. Was it possible that it was no accident that she'd chosen that particular spot? Could she have had cameras focused on that spot? If so, I gave her everything she needed to completely control me. I pulled to the side of the road and beat my fisted hands into the steering wheel until I could get rid of the frustration I was feeling. 

I didn't hear from her for over a week but then I walked into the house one evening and saw an SD card lying on the kitchen table. My heart dropped into my shoes. I swallowed hard and walked into the living room trying to act natural. 

"Jeff," she began, "why is someone sending me an empty SD card? Were you expecting a video from someone?"

"Not that I know of." I lied. "Probably put the wrong address on it or something. Who knows?"

"But why would anyone send an empty memory card? That doesn't make any sense at all." I just shrugged my shoulders and picked up the paper.

The next day I waited until Melanie went to work, then gave Rachel a call, ready for a knock down all out fight. Of course, I never got the first punch in. As soon as she answered the phone, she went on the attack. 

"That was just a reminder Jeff, so you don't forget your obligations."

"That's bull shit, Rachel. I gave you what you wanted, and you turn around and scare the shit out of me? What kind of crap is that?"

"Just a reminder that we aren't done. What you gave me was good, just not enough. Lucky for you I've been on my period this week. I'm back and I'm horny. See you in ten minutes, fifteen tops. The garage door is open."

"Wait a damned minute, Rachel."

"Fifteen minutes tops, Jeff. I'm waiting and you know I don't like to be kept waiting." 

I slammed the phone down and cursed the day we moved in to this house. 

I slipped into some jeans and a pullover, pulled on some shoes and took the usual drive into Sophie's drive. She wasn't at the bottom of the stairs this time but she called to me, inviting me up stairs. She was standing in the middle of the room, wearing a stretch top that came just below her tits, and bikini panties. She smiled and came over to me. 

"We were in too much of a hurry last time, Jeff. Let's slow down and get to know each other's bodies better. Tease me with lots of foreplay before you make me cum."

She pulled off my shirt and began chewing and sucking on my nipples while she stroked my face, neck and chest mewling into my skin. I hesitated, but couldn't deny what my body was telling me. She raised up and kissed me several times and I found my hand going to the back of her head to pull our lips into each other as our tongues began their dance. I pulled her top up over her breasts and began rubbing into my chest into her, squishing her breasts. Something inside of me said stop, stop. It was no match for the part of me that said more, more, MORE!

She reached down to rub over my now roaring erection which ended any thought of putting up any resistance. I moved her to the day bed and, without letting go of her, laid her down, with me on top. Without much pretence, I descended on her pert breasts, kissing in spirals upon her perky mounds. My lips finally cresting each globe to swirl my tongue around her hard nipples. 

Still moving from breast to breast, I licked her rash nipples several times, then inhaled one as I rolled the other between my fingers. She had her hand on the back of my head, forcing my face into her as she thrust her tits up, urging me on with her moans and pleas for more. 

Sucking her nipple into my mouth, I attacked with tongue and lips, stopping occasionally to nibble at the nipple before moving to the other breast. Now she was pushing my head downward and I was glad to oblige. Licking my way down her beautiful, young body, I paused to play with her navel for a while... teasing to go lower. Her breathing became fast and I could feel the heat emanating from her sex.

I propped myself up, pulling, then nearly ripping her bikini bottoms away from her body to throw them on the floor. With her naked before me I stripped quickly, then went to the foot of the day bed and lifter her foot to kiss and suck on her toes. Some women don't care for this but that wasn't the case for her. She began twisting and groaning, urging me, then begging me to lick them. 

I guess I got carried away because she screamed that she needed to cum so I licked my way up one leg, then the other, stopping short of my goal, even though she sat up and grabbed my hair and tried to pull me in. I did let her force me to lick and suck on her thighs but when she was getting close, she forced my face in and wrapped her legs around me, jamming it into the very wet pussy lips. 

She came quickly when I slipped my tongue into her but she wouldn't let go of my head, so I continued to attack her outer lips, slipping my tongue between them, then moving up and down over the slit, allowing it to slide into her as far as it could. She still had my head in vicelike grip as I sucked on her clit, pulling it into my lips, but she let me go to start thrusting her hips into me. I opened her with my fingers and began plunging my tongue into her, stopping once in a while to attack her clit again. I lost track of the number of times she came, but I never stopped until I sucked hard on her clit and caught it in my teeth. She nearly screamed when she came and I got rewarded with a face full of hot cum. I let her come down but kept teasing her clit with soft tongue strokes until she pushed me away, begging me to stop. 

Before she caught her breath, I crawled up and buried my cock in her hot pussy in one push. She came off the bed, then began ramming her hips into me, matching me thrust for thrust. Our sex was incredible! Within minutes she was pleading for me to go faster and harder, our moist bodies slapping and sticking together as the bed began creaking. I wasn’t long until I was ramming into her vagina so hard she had to hold on to keep from being pushed off the bed. She reached down and pulled her knees to her and I pressed my throbbing cock in and out of her until neither of us could hold back any more, both reaching our climax at the same time. I tensed and blew the contents of my nuts into the body of my young, illicit lover. I held my twitching cock deep within her, pushing hard against her cervix, feeling the pulse of her orgasm moving over my cock, milking me. My sperm blasted into her in a world shattering orgasm, leaving me with no energy. I collapsed onto her, into her embrace and stayed there until I started to go limp. 

There was no energy left in either of us so I rolled off her, completely fucked. I lay beside her and for nearly an hour, we held each other, stroked each other, kissed and nibbled together until we fell asleep, exhausted. 

We had become lovers. I'd fought the good fight, but in the end, I never had a chance. All I could hope for now was discretion on her part, and a desperate hope that she was true to her word. She had me, as they say, right by the short hairs.

When I woke, I shot off the bed, and ran to get my watch which I'd put on the bedside table. 

"You've got plenty of time," she told me, without moving from the bed.

"Thank God," I replied. Amazingly, I'd only slept a little over a half hour. I still had almost two hours before I had to be home in order to maintain my innocence. Just in case Mel got off early though, which she occasionally does, I wanted to be even home sooner than that! I didn’t want to my affaire to be so quickly and easily revealed.

When I sat back on the bed, Rachel sat up and ran her hands over my back and shoulders, then crawled over to lay her head on my shoulder. "You're still fighting this aren't you?" she asked.

"It's not you that I'm fighting, Rachel, it's what I'm doing, not who I'm doing it with. I've never cheated on her before."

"No," she replied, "no, you haven't," she admitted, "but I want you to think about something, Jeff. If all I wanted was to get laid, we both know I have no shortage of guys that would give me that. Not that I'd be caught in the same room with them, but they're out there. I did this as much for you as I did for myself. If I hadn't forced you into this, do you think it ever could have happened? You've been walking around, unhappy and unsatisfied for a long, long time. Melanie is the one that gave me the idea. She told me that she would have trouble remembering the last time you two had been intimate. If nothing else, I have proved to you that you've been missing out on the passion, and the confirmation that you are still a man, one hell of a man, I might add. I'm not sorry I did it, I'm glad. Your whole attitude has changed and Melanie told me the other day that you have been treating her much better now. I wonder why."

I didn't have an answer so I kept my mouth shut. I got up to relieve myself and make a half assed attempt at cleaning myself up. She came in and stood behind me as I washed, then took the cloth and washed my back, even over my ass cheeks. 

She pushed me toward the shower then and while we waited for the water to stabilise, our lips were locked in desperate desire. She finally pulled away and pulled me into the shower. She washed me from top to bottom, but as much as I wanted it to, my cock just wasn't ready yet. When she was done, she soaped up the sponge and handed it to me with a look of pure lust in her eyes. 

I washed her slowly and thoroughly paying particular attention to her beautiful breasts, especially her nipples, her thighs and that sweet wet pussy, then turned her to wash her ass. I swear I felt like my hands were shaking as I moved over those beautiful globes, the into the valley, separating the cheeks to attend to the puckered button. When I moved over it, she moaned and pushed into my hands so I spent a little extra time there. It was so tempting but I didn't want to assume anything so I just went on down to wash her pussy again. My cock was standing at attention so I dropped the sponge and moved against her, thrusting into her. She turned suddenly and took me in her arms. 

"I know what you'd like right now Jeff, but I'm not ready for that. I'm not saying no, just not yet."

I followed her out of the shower, towelling off quickly as we went. When we reached the bed, she paused to arrange a pillow, then she released a padded bar that I hadn't noticed before, letting it drop down to hang about two or three feet over the centre of the bed. 

Seeing my look of confusion, she kissed me and bent to rearrange the pillow. "There are many things you don't know about me Jeff. I've been setting things up for a long time and I think you'll like what I've done."

She climbed on the bed, adjusting the pillow a bit more. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. "I hope your hungry," she said, motioning for me to move to the foot of the bed. As I watched, she lifted her feet up to put them on the bar, raising her ass about six inches or so off the bed. It didn't take me long to decide I liked what she'd done. I almost came when she picked up a remote and pushed a button, which moved the bar away from me, pulling knees high over her chin while her feet moved to the outer ends of the bar. Her ass and pussy were displayed prominently for me.

"Don't keep me waiting, lover," she warned. "I'm all yours."

I decided to take the bold approach, no teasing, no tempting. I dove into her pussy with a vengeance, growling like a bear gone wild. Sucking her clit into my mouth, I pulled it from her pussy like a rag toy, pulling it back and forth. She was nearly screaming but it wasn't from pain, it was from sheer pleasure. Reaching up, I spread her open like a ripe peach and attacked her pussy with my tongue ramming it into her over and over again as she whipped her ass violently, trying to force my face deeper into her. I showed her no mercy, licking her wildly, plunging my tongue into the junction below her clit to move it back and forth. I felt her leg muscles begin to spasm, heard her begging for finality, tasted the beginning of what I knew would be a classic orgasm, then rammed two fingers deep before sucking her clit and chewing tenderly on it. 

To say that her orgasm was monstrous would be an understatement. I'd never heard her scream so loud, never felt her pussy clamp down so hard, never knew her to squirt that much or that hard. It went on and on, even when I began to slowly and tenderly massage her stomach in an attempt to slow it. I moved up and lifted the remote from her table and returned the bar to its normal position to lower her body to the bed. She was completely wasted, twitching in the aftershocks of her orgasm. Cum actually poured from her battered pussy but I didn't want to lap at it for fear of causing her pain if her clit was irritated excessively. She lay there, trying to gain her breath, sweat pouring from her. She was so quiet, I didn't know if I should try to hold her or not but when I took her in my arms, she smiled weakly and allowed me to hold her as I kissed her tenderly. After about fifteen minutes of afterglow, I kissed her eyes and face, then her lips. 

"Did I get carried away?" I asked. 

She shook her head and smiled. "It's exactly what I wanted. I needed it hard and fast and you gave me all of that and then some."

For about an hour, we just snuggled, and to tell you the truth, I enjoyed that almost as much as the sex itself... almost. Unfortunately, the clock ran out on us and I had to beat a trail back to the house and tried to look like I'd been home for hours. 

I almost got caught but when I heard the car pull in the drive, I dove into the bathroom and pretended that I had trouble walking when I came out. I told her that my legs went to sleep while I was sitting on the john, reading a magazine. Still it was a call back to the reality of the dangers in what I was doing and the very real possibility of getting caught or ratted out by someone other than Rachel. I knew pretty well that she wouldn't do that, although if I told her I was quitting, who knows?

The next day, Rachel called to see if I got caught and died laughing when I told her what I'd done. She told me that she'd had the best nights sleep ever before we talked about when we could see each other again. Yeah, I know, I know, I should have just taken my lumps and said no more but would you? I couldn't. Remember, I was getting nothing at home, not even encouraging words. 

It was several weeks before we got together again. I was kind of curious why she didn't call, and to tell you the truth, I missed the sex. When she finally did call, she sounded different, more sensual than threatening if you know what I mean. Of course I didn't resist, I'm not that stupid. 

The amazing thing was, that when I climbed the stairs, she wasn't standing there, naked, as she usually was. The lights were off and only the flickering light of a dozen candles illuminated the room. The bed was turned down and she sat on the couch, a comehither smile on her face and that sexy wicked look in her blue eyes. She patted the cushion next to her and the fact that she wasn't naked struck me as strange. I went to sit next to her. We snuggled kissed and petted for quite a long time and my cock was telling me it wanted the whole thing, not just a suggestion of what could be. Her soft moans and mewls told me she wanted me just as much as I wanted her but she repulsed every move I made to get her naked. Finally, I couldn't stand it any more. 

"What's going on Rachel?" I inquired. "Am I supposed to rip your clothes off and rape you, or what?"

"Hmmmmmmm," she mused, "maybe we'll save that for another day. I wanted this to be special Jeff, I've got some specific plans for today and it doesn't involve knockdown, knockout sex. I want to start slow, a little more romantic, and build to a special climax." 

I looked over at the clock but she turned me back. "You don't have to worry, Jeff. I happen to know that Melanie is working overtime today. She asked me this morning to remind you that she's bringing dinner home with her. Your line was busy, I guess. Do I have some competition?"

"That must have been the mechanic. He called to tell me the parts were in to fix the car whenever I get it there."

"We've got lots of time and I want to make it all count. Slow and easy, then building to a big finish. No one will bother us and we don't have to watch the clock." 

She began stripping me, pausing to lick and kiss my nipples, neck and ears. Her soft nibbles on my nipples aroused me more than I would have thought it could. When she reached into my jeans to pull out my cock, she just let it drop while she pulled me jeans down around my knees. Her tongue rimmed my navel and probed into its depths, then slid over my body to slip into the upper thighs, then back up and down the other side. I had my hand on her head, urging her on, occasionally stroking her back and shoulders. She stood then and stripped my jeans off completely and slipped between my legs. She rolled me over on my stomach and started at my shoulders and slowly worked her way down to my ass cheeks. She licked my inner thighs, pausing to suck my flesh into her mouth to nip at it, sending little waves of pleasure through my whole body. Sucking my balls into her mouth, she worked them in and out of her hot orifice, while licking at the flesh under them with her tongue. If she was trying to drive me crazy, she was succeeding. Rachel worked her way back up, moving through the crease in my ass, brushing her tongue over the anus itself, rimming it, and moving on up to come back down and repeat the action several times. 

I felt her separate the cheeks wide, pulling the flesh tight enough to hurt, then moving down to suck on that sensitive flesh around the hole that was pulsing on its own. I felt the tip of her finger circle the opening then begin probing into me. I tensed when she entered me, slowly working just the tip of her finger in and out of me, then moving deeper with each thrust, until I felt her knuckles pressing into my cheeks. As she moved in and out, she probed for my prostate until she found it, passing over it gently but repeatedly as my cock throbbed. A second finger was added and she began turning her hand about a quarter turn with each movement. 

I've never had my ass probed so deep or so thoroughly but once I got used to it, and remembered who was doing it, it became quite arousing. She pulled her fingers out and rolled me over, returning to her agonising tease of my thighs and balls until she took my cock in her hand and ran her tongue all the way up the shaft before licking over and into the slit. As she licked over me, her hand slowly slid up and down my shaft and I felt the pressure building. Wrapping her fingers around my shaft, she squeezed hard at the base in an attempt to stifle the rapidly building orgasm, then she engulfed the head, sucking hard on it, while her tongue moved over the base. She pulled it out of her mouth and began running just the tip of her tongue around the puffy base and up the centre to penetrate the slit in the end.

I felt my balls throbbing from the pent up pressure and when she went down on me, she released her grip on the shaft. Two times she moved up and own the shaft until the head hit the back of her throat and I shot cum into her in surge after surge. It was one of the strongest climaxes I'd ever experienced in my life. She sucked and lapped up every single drop, milking it down over and over again while her hand massaged my balls with a finger probing my anus. When it was over, she moved over me and we shared my cum, which she had saved in her cheeks. I don't remember ever doing that before either. My balls throbbed like they'd never throbbed before. We snuggled and cuddled while our hands roamed over each other's bodies, exploring, stroking, touching, teasing. 

"Jeff, there's something I think I should tell you." she muttered, her back turned to me with my arms around her.

"Oh hell, Rachel, I know what you're going to say and I've known it for a long time."

"What are you talking about?"

"You never intended to show Melanie those videos."

She laid there quietly but in my mind, I could see her smiling. "Why didn't you call my bluff then?" she finally asked. 

"Don't you know? Oh, I bought into it for a while, but I finally figured you out. Besides, I was getting just as much out of it as you, sometimes even more, and you're right, I never would have done of it on my own, even though I've fantasied about it. I'm glad you did though."

"I was going to admit everything to you today anyway. That's why I wanted today to be so special. I want the memories to last forever."

I pulled her over into my arms and kissed her. "They will," I said. "Are you saying this is the last time?"

"I think it should be Jeff, don't you? I don't want it to be but there's too much chance of someone saying something. I don't think your marriage is going to last too much longer anyway but I don't want it to end because of me or anything that I do."

"I understand," I admitted. "I don't want it to end either. You've made me a much happier man than I've been for a very long time. It's going to be rough, seeing you over there is those white shorts you bought."

"Let's just enjoy today together, and put everything on hold for say three months or so. We can talk about it then if you want. Just stay busy and try not to think about it. It's going to be awfully hard on me too but it's for the best."

We made love then, slowly at first, then with a passion that is hard to describe except to compare it to a high speed pile driver until we both came at least once and collapsed, out of breath and drifted off to sleep, even as our fluids combined on the bedding. 

When I woke, she was lying beside me with a smile on her face while her fingers traced invisible lines over me. "Hi, handsome," she said.

"I think all this sex has affected your vision," I replied.

"Jeff, I'm going to say something I swore I wouldn't say. I'm going to say it once and pretend it was never said."

I shrugged and turned to look in her eyes and was surprised to find a tiny tear glistening in the corner of her eye. I held her tight and kissed her hair. "I know, I know. Me too."

We lay quietly together as she fought off the tears. "I wish I hadn't done this," she whispered. 

"Hush," I replied. "We both could have stopped it but we didn't because we both needed it. I don't regret it for one minute. My only regret, my only unhappiness is for what you are going through right now."

We held tight to each other for a long time, not speaking, just appreciating what we'd shared, and wishing it wasn't going to end like this. Three months would feel like years and we both knew it. 

We made love again, showered and had a wild 69 that lasted for almost an hour before we couldn't breathe any more. 

We were lying on the bed, with her spooned into me. "You've got to go, Jeff. She'll be home in a couple of hours. I know you don't want to, I don't want you to but we've got to just accept it."

"I know," I replied. As I pulled her even tighter to me. She reached down and stroked over my cock several times. To my amazement, it got hard. She played with it for a while, then she took it in her hand and placed it against her ass.

"You don't have to do that, Rachel," I advised. "I understand."

"I know I don't have to Jeff, I want to. I've never done it before and it's something I've wanted to try. You're the only one I'll trust to do it." She sat up and pulled a condom and a bottle of lube from the night stand. "I'm serious Jeff. I really have thought about it for a long time and it's my way of saying I'm yours whenever you want me."

She took my cock and slipped the condom on, covering it with a generous application of lube. When she bent forward, I applied a lot of lube and worked my finger into her, opening her up before inserting a second finger. I hesitated and asked her if she was sure, and she nodded.

"You'll have to relax, Rachel," I advised her, "and it helps if you push as though you were taking a dump when I push through." 

I put the head of my cock against her and worked it back and forth over the tiny opening, then, holding her hips in my hands I eased the head into her as slow as I could. No matter how much lube we used though, or how careful I was, she cried out as it slipped in and on the first tentative strokes. I held it just inside and let her breathe for a minute before I moved into her further. I only allowed it to move in another inch or so, then pulled it almost out and moved back in, going just a tiny bit more. I kept doing this until she seemed comfortable, then I pulled it out and put it back in a couple of times before moving deeper. When my pubic hair was pushing against her ass, I pushed one time hard to bury it in her. After allowing her a few seconds more, I began a slow, gentle stroke, going about a third of the way with each stroke. When she began moving with me, I began full strokes, but still held it to slow and gentle strokes. When I began to feel my balls swelling, I picked up the pace and when I knew the end was imminent, I began pounding and at the last minute, I rammed her hard and held it there while my cock unloaded. 

I slipped it out and peeled off the condom and we went in to shower together. It was hard to tell how much was shower water and how much was tears as we held to each other, not wanting it to end, even for a week. 

When I left, she wouldn't look at me and it just tore me to pieces to hear her. She never intended for anyone to get hurt, let alone herself but it was the only way it could end. 

It's been two months and it is now obvious: Rachel is pregnant. I'm torn by my emotions but whatever happens, she has control. You see, when she gave me the recordings, I gave them back. Just in case we need it, you know, to bring us together again.

[minghaocouture]

Pairing: Templar!Kim Mingyu x Elf Mage!Reader Genre: Dragon Age AU, enemies (?) to lovers, angst, established universe WC: 5k+ Warning: magical lobotomy (through branding), language

A/N: So this is for @merakiiverse job au collab! I’ve been wanting to write a Dragon Age au for like...ever, and this just gave me the push I needed. So there are some terms from the game used in the fic but I did my best to explain them without taking away from the story. Also really glad i finished this before i got sick lol. 

“Come on wake up!” You groaned, slapping away the hands of your best friend as he tried to shake you awake. You had gotten to sleep pretty late last night, having snuck into the circle library to do a bit more reading after hours so you were trying to bask in the last few minutes of sleep before your lessons today. 

You heard a loud groan from the younger male before everything seemed to turn upside down and your frame was sent tumbling to the stone floor of the Apprentice Quarters with a loud thud and a shriek. Your eyes snapping open to glare at your dear friend Chan with his hands still gripping the mattress that he had just thrown you from. 

Quickly you shoved your palms against the chilled stone flooring to push yourself up, as the male laughed hysterically and dropped the mattress back onto the simple wooden frame of your bottom bunk. 

“Chan, I want you to remember that we are trapped in this tower together for the rest of our lives. So I will be getting you back for this.” You muttered angrily as you brushed off your scratchy white sleeping robes that the circle had provided for you. Fueled by frustration, you quickly fixed up your bed so that the senior enchanters wouldn’t be angry with you for making a mess. 

“Hey come on, don’t be like that!” He quickly exclaimed, offering you some assistance with fixing your bed if only so he could get on your good side once again. It’s usually what he would do to try and get on your good side, things like taking your cleaning duties or distracting the templars so you can sneak into the libraries at night. “I woke you up for a reason!”

“And what would that be?”

“They brought in new templars, fresh new faces for us to make fun of!” He made a good point. During your extended stay in the circle Chan and you had taken to picking at the Templars that were assigned to ‘guard’ the tower, well the Templars that wouldn’t immediately attack or detain you for your teasings. You shuddered as you remembered being thrown into the cramped cell that was used for solitary confinement. 

“How many this time?” You questioned, pulling your daily robes from the chest at the foot of the bunk beds that you and Chan shared. You swiftly stripped yourself of the uncomfortable white material of your night robes and slipped on the navy blue skirt, once again curious as to why the skirts had such delicate embroidery on the hem if they were simply to be given to mages. Maybe it was something to make your people think they were in a higher position than they were, either that or a small ‘oh here are some pretty robes, we definitely consider mages people!’ kind of thing. You weren’t too sure. 

Chan took a seat on the bed as you tied the skirt to fit your waist, he wasn’t bothered by your disrobing at this point. After all, the two of you had been in this tower since you were children and it wasn’t like the tower offered much privacy for any of the apprentices. If you wanted that you would have to pass your harrowing, only then would you receive private quarters.

You struggled with your skirt for a moment, it being far too big for you, but it wasn’t like they made new robes for every apprentice; everything you owned was a hand me down from either a senior enchanter or...a tranquil. 

“There were four of them, they all looked like they came right from training too. No old farts this time,” He explained, lounging on your too thin mattress as you slipped the top piece on, the long sleeves and thick fabric felt just as suffocating as it did every day, and it also continued to show your status as a lower being in the eyes of these people. The small gold trim wasn’t as nice as it was on the human’s robes, and you were sure that was the point. It was something that looked nice, but not as nice as the human mages robes that Chan wore. It wasn’t enough that your mage abilities make you a lesser being but your elven blood as well, you were certain that the Maker had a sense of humor when he made you. 

With practiced ease you tied the laces of your sleeves around your wrists before working on the clasps of your belts. It was a constricting and suffocating outfit that made you feel quite claustrophobic at times. As if the robes were just as bad as the tower itself.

“Well, I guess let’s go check them out. Gotta let these newbies know that not all mages are just gonna let them walk over us.” You tried to seem optimistic but after being in this tower for almost 16 years, it was a little harder to force that smile sometimes. Which was why you were grateful you had Chan with you, the two of you looked out for each other no matter what happened.

He hopped off of your bed and took a firm grasp on your wrist before pulling you out of the shared apprentice chambers, ignoring the strange looks from the templars and other apprentices as the two of you dashed into the hallway on the first floor of your prison. 

The two of you peered around the corner into the entrance hall as you watched the initiates be inducted by Knight Commander Greagoir, the head of your captors, he was telling them all about their duty to the citizens of Ferelden and the Chantry, all that nonsense. It was basically just propoganda to make these people feel like they had the right to place themselves above you.

The new initiates weren’t too impressive, once again all humans of course, because the precious Chantry couldn’t trust elves such as yourself to become Templars. Most likely because elves would be more likely to opposed the confining of people just for circumstances of their birth, at least the ones who weren’t already brain washed into believing the Chantry’s inane teachings. That thought always reminded you that even if you weren’t trapped in this tower, you would simply be in an alienage in one of the many towns around Ferelden, another prison. Elves simply weren’t welcomed or free anywhere, at least not in a human society. There were surprisingly three women and only one male this time, which was abnormal because women seemed to stray more towards becoming Chantry sisters than Templars. So that was interesting, you’d have to figure out their names. The only interesting thing about the male was his ridiculous height. He looked almost tall enough to be a member of the Qunari, all he was missing was the horns, or at least you assumed since you had never seen a Qunari in real life. 

If only you knew what would follow this day.

***

“You know, you aren’t supposed to be in the library after lights out.” 

You almost screamed in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. You knew the schedule for the Templars and usually you were able to skirt around and hide whenever it was time for their rounds to reach the libraries. Apparently tonight was determined to be different. Glancing up from your book you flashed the Templar a sheepish smile, instantly recognizing this man as one of the new initiates whose name you had yet to learn. It wasn’t exactly...forbidden but initiates were definitely encouraged to not give their name to the mages or learn the names of the mages either, it was probably so they didn’t connect that you were real living beings and develop a conscience. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I said I had an incurable illness that causes me to sleep walk around the tower, would you?” You were likely to be in deep shit because of this. Knowing how new recruits were, usually the super brown nosing type, they wanted to make superiors happy so that they could get promotions. Unfortunately for you, that usually meant getting mages into trouble.

Knowing this was probably why you were so shocked to hear the giant male snort, in an attempt to hold back a laugh. In all the years of living here, you hadn’t met a Templar who actually laughed at your jokes or smiled at you...like this male was doing right now. He glanced over his shoulder looking towards the opening in the shelves that hid the two of you from view. This library was almost perfect for hiding, the rows were like their own little hallways with bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling which was perfect for blocking the light of your candle when you were here at night. He must be checking to make sure that none of his co-workers had entered the library after him. 

Soon his attention was back to you, a small boyish smirk on his faces as he spoke. “Well I suppose I’d ask you to tell me about this terrible illness, is it contagious? I’m not sure the other mages would like it if I was roaming the halls in my sleep.” 

You were once again dumbfounded by this human. You wouldn’t expect him to think about what would and wouldn’t upset the mages, usually the Templars just did what they wished with no regard for those they were meant to be watching over. 

“No, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t like that. Lucky for you, I was born with it just like my hideous magic.” You didn’t truly believe that your magic was horrible. If everything was done by the Maker for a reason, then so were mages! People were just taking Andraste’s “Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him,” thing a bit too far. 

“I don’t think your magic is horrible. It’s a gift from the Maker! The Maker doesn’t give bad gifts,” He confessed, quite a controversial opinion for a Templar to have. With one more glance over his shoulder to make sure that the two of you were still alone, he pulled out the chair across from you and took a seat.

“I’m Mingyu. What’s your name?” 

***

After that fateful night in the library, Mingyu and you kept in contact but only in the dead of night and only when he was scheduled to patrol the first floor library. Tonight was one such night.

“Chan is getting suspicious, ya know?” You mentioned, laughing softly from your seat at the table the two of you frequented. He raised a brow at you and tilted his head slightly, his lips jutting out in a small pout. He honestly looked pretty adorable like that, nothing like the fearsome Templar act he had to put on during the day. 

“He thinks I’m shaking up with another apprentice and not telling him.” 

“Imagine the look on his face if he knew you were just hanging out with me.” Mingyu retorted, going to rest his cheek on his palm only to remember that he was wearing his gaudy templar armor and deciding against it. This caused him to pout more and for you to laugh, making sure to keep your volume down so you weren’t caught by anyone else patrolling the area.

A silence fell over the two of you as your laughter subsided. It was here where the two of you were illuminated only by candlelight that you felt safe. That was something you weren’t used to feeling. In the Circle, there was a constant need to watch your back and be on your guard just in case some random Templar got pissy because you ‘looked at them funny’. It was a struggle for survival.

These nights were different though. You could almost imagine that you weren’t locked inside this tower you could dream about possibly being free and in the outside world that you vaguely remembered. Hell, how long had it been since you had seen the sun?

"How long have you been in the Tower?" 

The question was innocent enough, but it definitely threw you off guard. It wasn't something you liked to think about often. It had been so many years ago and it wasn’t exactly a...pleasant memory.

"It's been...I think about 17 years almost? I developed my magic when I was around 6 years old and my mother was very devout. So she turned me into the chantry, saying that the Maker had frowned upon her and her family by giving them a Mage for a daughter." It hurt a lot thinking back on the day that your mother had abandoned you. Her pleas to the Chantry mothers, begging them to take you as she also begged for the Maker's forgiveness. Thinking she had obviously done something wrong if she had given birth to a mage. 

You watched a frown set it self onto his face, obviously not having expected to hear such a thing. Most parents went so far as to hide their children from the Chantry, making them apostates, illegal mages, so that they wouldn't lose their precious bundles of joy. Just like Chan's parents. They had fought tooth and nail to keep him when the Templars came, it even cost them their lives. Chan didn't like talking about it but you knew that he still had frequent nightmares about that horrible day.

"What about you?" You questioned, diverting the attention from your situation and onto Mingyu. "Why did you become a Templar? I'm sure being a regular knight would have been just as nice, if not easier. At least knights aren’t also stuck inside the Circle tower." It may not have been a prison to the Templars, but they were still trapped inside these halls as well. Most weren’t really able to leave either unless they were going to visit their families, and even then that was rare.

He chuckled dryly at your words and shook his head.

"Something we have in common, I suppose. My family is also very devout, very deep into the teachings of the Chantry. All the men end up becoming Templars if they can. It's in our blood. So of course, as soon as I was old enough to hold a sword I was sent off to training to try and become the best Templar the Kim line had ever seen." The look on his face was one of melancholy, one that you recognized as a look that you had seen on other mages. The look of someone trapped in their own fate.

"Guess we're...kinda in the same boat, huh?" You gently nudged his arm that rested on the table with one of your fist. It was a small gesture, but one with meaning for both of you. Reaching out he gently, or as gently as he could while wearing full plate mail, took your extended hand in his own. The cold metal was a stark contrast against your heated skin, causing you to shiver lightly. He gave a small squeeze and a tiny smile made it’s way onto his face, as if he had been comforted by your words. 

You felt your heart stutter for a moment, watching the features of his face in the candle light. It was still for a moment before he released you hand and stood from his chair. 

"I should get back to my patrols before any other the others get suspicious. I'll leave a note in our spot when we can meet up again."

You were moments away from responding but stopped short as he leaned down and pressed his lips softly against your forehead. You were stunned still and silent as you watched him pull away, smiling at you once again, before slipping off into the night. 

Your heart pounded in your chest as you stared after him in shock. Your face flushed with heat, and you knew that Kim Mingyu would be the death of you at this rate.

***

"I hope this doesn't offend you but...what is so bad about being made Tranquil?" 

You winced slightly at his words, the thoughts of the Tranquil always frightened you. Of course, being a Chantry boy, he had been told from a young age that being made Tranquil was a mercy for mages. Because if you were Tranquil then at least you were alive. It was all a lode of rubbish. Instead of just answering his question, you decided to ask one of your own.

"Do you know Owain? The Tranquil who runs the Circle stock room?" He nodded slowly, unsure of where exactly you were going. "I arrived at the tower before he was turned. He was a kind man who took me under his wing and helped me adjust to life at the tower. I was very young and so very scared, but Owain had basically turned into a father figure for me. I cared for him so much." You felt tears prick at your eyes, threatening to spill over as you recalled the man you once knew. 

"One morning, a few years after Chan had been sent here. I had to have been around 11, well we woke to find Owain standing in front of the stock room just like he does now. Only he was no longer the kind, father figure I had grown to love. He was so cold, lifeless. Being made Tranquil isn't a mercy to mages, it's taking every part of them that makes them who they are and ripping it away." You tried to keep quiet, but the more you spoke the more anger and fear bubbled in your guts. You had barely even registered that you had begun crying.

"You become a lifeless husk that holds the shape of who you used to be."

You couldn't bring yourself to look up from the table, to watch the emotions that were surely playing out on his face as he watched you cry. You were surprised at how silently he had moved, because you were soon pulled to stand and held tightly against his armored chest. It wasn't too comfortable because of the plate mail he constantly wore, the metal poking into your skin and it reminded you that while this embrace was comforting...it was also dangerous. Against your better judgement, your arms quickly wrapped around him and pulled him closer as you tried your best to keep your cries quiet. As you sobbed you heard him whisper soft nothings to you, but one stood out from the rest.

A promise that he would never let you be made Tranquil.

***

It wasn't long before those soft forehead kisses from before became kisses of passion. Soon you didn't need the candle light as your guide as you followed the curves of his body under his armor. Things changed quickly, and before you knew it two years had passed and you were hopelessly in love with Kim Mingyu. Something that should have never come to pass.

You were certain that at least First Enchanter Irving knew, he somehow knew everything that happened in the Circle Tower, and while you weren't a very religious woman, you found yourself praying to the Maker that Knight Commander Greagoir was still clueless. Unfortunately the one person you wanted to talk to about this was the person you were most determined to keep in the dark. 

Lee Chan, your best friend.

"You should tell him." Mingyu, gently caressed your cheek, his gloves had been taken off long ago as the two of you lounged in your usual spot in the library. Your meetings had gotten farther and fewer between as he rose in the ranks of the knights and you stayed a simple apprentice. 

If you were being honest you were a bit worried about that as well, but Mingyu assured you that it was nothing to be concerned about. 

“Oh sure, that’ll go well. I can picture it now. ‘Hey Chan, you know the Templars who watch our every move and are sometimes ordered to strip us of our entire sense of self, yeah I’m in love with one of them. The tall lanky one that has been trying to joke with you, yeah the one you complain about all the time that’s him’.” You chuckled to yourself as you thought about his reaction to that, and not really realizing what you had just admitted. Not until you glanced over at Mingyu and found him staring at you dumbfounded. 

“You love me?”

You froze, like a A million thoughts raced through your head, all of the best and worst possible outcomes. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if this was just fooling around? What if he said he could never love an elf and he had just been using you? What if, what if?! Your heart thudded loudly inside your chest as you stared at him, unable to enunciate the way he made you feel.

Luckily for you all of those what ifs were cut off as his hand grasped the back of your neck and pulled you into a kiss filled with such fire that you could almost feel yourself being burned. Everything he wanted to say was trapped inside this kiss, you weren’t alone with your feelings and this kiss told you all you needed to know and more. 

After a string of long, intense kisses that you were almost certain would lead to another round of light touches and soft moans, he pulled away. His forehead pressed against your own and a large almost blinding smile was plastered on his face.

“I love you too.”

***

You stared at the small flame of your candle in silence, he was late. Usually he was exactly on time, never early and definitely never late. It was too dangerous otherwise. Your stomach was in knots at the thought of what could possibly be keeping him. That’s when you heard the sound of armor clanking against the stone flooring, almost like the person was running. Since you weren’t entirely sure it was him, you quickly blew out your candle and slid under the table to hide. 

The footsteps got closer and your heartbeat seemed to be almost as loud as the steps themselves. You only relaxed at the small call of your name. The familiar voice had you out from under the table in record time.

“You scared the daylights out of me Mingyu, I was worried something had happened.” You confessed, using a small bit of your magic to light the candle’s flame once again. The light gave way to the terrified look on his face, streaks of tears stained his cheeks, and you found yourself running to his side to wipe away the fresh batch that was threatening to spill out.

“Mingyu, baby what’s wrong?” You whispered, doing your best to comfort him by taking his hand in your free one and using the other to gently caress his cheek.

“We need to go. The Phylactery chamber, we need to find yours. I need to get you out of here.” His deep voice cracked as he tried his best to control his tears. He looked so frightened and pale even, despite his tanned skin. Your heart sunk as you thought of your Phalactery, the vial of blood that had been taken from you when you arrived and was stored inside a chamber with all of the other apprentice’s. It was the templar’s way of tracking you if you had ever escaped, and was the biggest reason you had never attempted to escape the circle.

What he was suggesting was crazy though, there was no way the two of you would be able to storm the Phalactery chamber, there were two locks and it required a fully realized enchanter to unlock one of them and you...had yet to be called for your Harrowing. So you tried to console him. 

“Baby, what are you talking about? You know we can’t do something that crazy. If we get caught you’ll be kicked out of the order or worse, sent somewhere like Aeonar. Why are you ev-”

“They want to make you tranquil.” 

Your heart stopped at his confession, eyes going wide as your blood chilled within your veins. Subconsciously you took a step away from him in disbelief, you didn’t question the legitimacy of his words because you knew for certain that he wouldn’t lie to you like that. Not when he knew your fear of being made Tranquil. You watched as he stared helplessly at you and began speaking once more.

“Knight Commander Greagoir thinks that...he thinks that you might be a blood mage. Even suggesting that you- that what we have is because of a demon’s influence.” He took a step forward to close the distance between the two of you, taking your hand back into his own. He liked holding your hand, he had said in the past, it made him feel loved so very loved.

“I know it’s not. I tried to talk to him but he...he wants me to perform the rite. Which is why we have to get you out of here!” 

Your mind seemed to be going a million miles per hour but also seemed to stop all at once. Your limbs had gone numb as you stared blankly at the floor in terror, you weren’t sure what to do. If you ran on your own then they would just send Templars to find you and with your phylactery, it would be quick work and both you and Mingyu would end up dead. If you followed Mingyu’s plan, you would most likely be caught and turned Tranquil anyway only with this route he would also be punished for his crimes. Lastly, If you stayed, you would be made tranquil at the hands of the man you loved. There was no winning in this situation, there was never a winning choice for a mage.

You pulled your hand from his grasp, causing a small pained sound to leave his lips, breaking your heart as it did so. 

“You have to do it…”

“Y/N no! We talked about this I won-”

“We don’t have any other choice!” You cursed yourself after your outburst, though at this point you weren’t sure you could get into anymore trouble. “If you got caught you would never be able to see Minseo or your parents again!” You had spoken of his family in great detail before, and you couldn’t bear to know that he would never see them again just because of his attachment to you. 

You didn’t want to be made Tranquil, but you also didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. This was the only option where at least one of you would be able to keep living freely.

Thinking about the fact that your days were now numbered scared you, the numb feeling from before seemed to linger but you couldn’t find it in yourself to cry. Not now, not when you had to seem like you were certain of your decision. He needed that from you.

So you swallowed your terror and gently cupped his cheeks in your hands.

“You have to do this Mingyu. There isn’t any way of getting out of this. Not that will actually work.” You muttered, voice soft as you kept eye contact with the male. You felt his hands reach up and rest over your own, and took solace in the fact that what the two of you felt was real. At least for a little while longer. 

“If it’s you...it’s okay.”

You had never lied to Mingyu before, but...this seemed like a good time to start.

***

The grip on your forearms was sure to form bruises, but at least after this you wouldn’t feel them. 

You stared before you as the branding rod held in Mingyu’s tight grip lingered over the open flame, making sure that the metal would be hot enough to etch itself into your skin. 

You couldn’t stop the tears that fell from your eyes, and you had sure tried. You knew that seeing you cry could cause Mingyu to hesitate, falter or even flat out refuse the order which would make this all for naught. At that moment, you felt so hopeless. Everything you had worked for, everything you had lived for would be coming to an end. All because of that simple, unassuming brand that your lover held. 

At the command of Greagoir, he moved the brand away from the flame and stepped towards you. Reciting the Chant of Light as he did so. It was supposed to bring comfort to the mages and remind them that this was the Maker’s will, you found the words mocking even coming from Mingyu’s lips.

“Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him.” His voice strained as he spoke the Chant of Light, it broke your heart to hear him in such pain. His grip on the haft was so tight that you were almost certain that the metal of the rod would break.

“Foul and corrupt are they who have taken his gift, and turned it against his children.” His armored footsteps echoed against the stone flooring. Tears threatening to spill as he stepped closer to you. You felt the grip on your arms tighten as his fellow templars held you in place. 

“Remember, that...that this is a mercy.” 

With those last broken words escaping him, he lifted the sunburst brand and held it above your forehead. You saw the heartbreak burning in his eyes, and he hesitated refusing to move the brand any closer to your forehead. 

Your eyes met his and watched as he desperately tried to keep his composure. You forced a small pained smile onto your face, and that seemed to be the only thing he needed. Not a second later, the metal pressed against your forehead and sparks of blue lyrium seemed to burst forth as the sunburst brand stripped away every bit of emotion you had to replace you with a husk that could no longer connect to the fade, to magic. A husk with free will but a husk nonetheless. 

“I’m sorry.”

[rainbowwing251]

New World, Old Traditions (Xenoblade Chronicles Tickle Fic)

A/N: SURPRISE! I decided to write a shorter fic for the 1-year anniversary of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition!

While I couldn’t finish “WARNING: Beware of Grins” in time for the anniversary, I couldn’t stomach the idea of not doing anything for it. So I sat there, wondering if I could do anything to celebrate this milestone, when I thought to myself, “Hey! I should write a fic based on two of the headcanons that I have about the birthdays of the main party members in Xenoblade Chronicles!”

What are those two headcanons? Well, allow me to describe them to you!

Headcanon #1: The birthdays of each of the main party members correspond to a date that matches up with either one of two things:

The release date of a specific entry in the Xenoblade series, including ports.

A date on which major news for a specific entry in the Xenoblade series was announced. An example would be March 26th, the date of the Nintendo Direct Mini that announced the release date for XC:DE and the Future Connected epilogue that came with it.

While I would love to list off all of the birthdays, I don’t want this Author’s Note to drag on and on, so I’ll just list off the birthdays of the characters who will be the main stars of this fic.

#1- Shulk’s birthday is June 10th (the release date of the original Xenoblade Chronicles in Japan).

#2- Reyn’s birthday is March 26th. I already explained the significance of this date earlier, so I won’t repeat myself.

#3- Fiora’s birthday is May 29th (the release date of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, A.K.A today!)

If you want to know the birthdates of Dunban, Sharla, Melia, and Riki, let me know!

As for headcanon #2, this is what it is: Shulk, Reyn, and Fiora have a tradition of tickling each other on their birthdays. It doesn’t matter whose birthday it is, they will all get the chance to tickle each other. If you would like to learn more about this headcanon, check out this post!

Now that I have explained my two headcanons, I would like to give one last bit of information before we move on to the fic.

Normally, when I write a fic, Shulk is the lee. However, I wanted to try something different with this fic.

This time, it’s Fiora’s turn to be the lee. Shulk will be one of the two lers in this fic, the other being Reyn (though I suppose that’s obvious, given the fact that I told you my headcanon for Reyn’s birthdate). This is going to be fun to write.

Oh, and one last thing: There are major spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles in this fic. Do not read this fic if you haven’t beaten the game yet.

Alright, I think it’s about time that we get to the fic. So without further ado, let’s go! Happy 1-year anniversary, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition!

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When was the last time she had slept like this?

When was the last time she had a good night's rest with no nightmares or monsters to keep her up at night? When was the last time she dreamed of her friends and the wholesome mischief they would get themselves into? When was the last time she slept in in the morning?

And most importantly, when was the last time she had slept in her Homs body?

For months on end, she was afraid. Afraid of how others would view her in her mechanical body. Afraid that both her friends and brother would betray her. Afraid of losing control over herself once more (even though Meyneth was careful with her body, never putting it in harm's way). Afraid that at any moment, she would fall asleep forever.

But now… she was free. Free from the cold metal that once gave her a second chance at life. Free from the sorrow that filled her heart every time she thought about her shortening life span. Free from the emptiness that came with the inability to feel the physical touch of an organic life form. Free from the gods that once ruled the world.

She thanked them. She thanked everyone and everything that made her life as a Mechon more bearable. She thanked those who gave her the courage to fight on, even with the threat of Zanza and the constant feeling that death was coming for her.

But most of all, she thanked Shulk, Melia, and Linada for finding the Biotic Regeneration Device, the very machine that saved her life.

The sudden loss of her mechanical body meant that she could feel certain physical sensations again. She couldn’t remember the last time that she had felt hunger, thirst, or extreme fatigue. Sure, she had felt tired as a Mechon, but that paled in comparison to the exhaustion she had been feeling since the day that she woke up from the chamber. She hadn’t felt this tired since the day that her brother returned home from the Battle of Sword Valley.

She had felt this way for at least a week now. She knew that some of it came from all of the walking she did when she was tasked to find those who needed help with the reconstruction efforts in New Colony 9, but when she thought about all of the times that she had helped people in the old world prior to the Mechon raid on the old Colony 9, she knew that the majority of her fatigue came from an entirely different source.

She didn’t know for sure what the cause was, but she figured that it had something to do with the fact that she was in a mechanical body for months. She was still adjusting to the body she never thought she would be in again, so it wouldn’t surprise her if the fatigue went away on its own in about a month. For now, she would have to deal with the excessive amount of sleepiness.

Right now, she was asleep, burned out from her walks across the new yet all-so-familiar colony she called home. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue with any of her companions. All of them knew that she was much more tired than she had ever been in her life, and they would usually let her be when she slept into the late hours of the morning.

However, today was a little bit different.

Today was Fiora’s birthday, and she had slept in. Shulk and Reyn were having none of this.

“What do you say we do to wake her up?” Reyn asked the former visionary.

“Hm… We could gently shake her until she wakes up, but she won’t be happy about that…”

“Should we spook her?”

“No! We are not doing that!”

“Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to propose an idea.”

Shulk glared at him for a bit before he put his hand on his chin in thought.

“Scaring her isn’t a good idea, but maybe we’ll have to do something that will jolt her awake…”

“Seems like it’s the only way to wake her these days…”

Reyn mulled over a possible solution. After a few seconds of silence between him and his closest friend, he was suddenly hit with an idea.

“Wait, I got it!”

“Oh dear Bionis… what is it, Reyn?” Shulk said, playfully teasing the older Hom.

“First of all, don’t give me that attitude,” He poked the younger male in the bicep, “second of all, do you remember a certain tradition that you, Fiora and I used to have?”

Shulk rummaged his brain for a memory that would provide the answer to the soldier’s question. Eventually, he found it.

“Are you talking about… that tradition?”

“Huh? Can you be more specific?” Reyn was a bit confused, not understanding the vagueness of the heir’s response, before he noticed the blush that was forming on his face.

“Oh, so you do remember that tradition?”

“Yeah…”

Reyn ruffled his hair before he asked him, “So what do you think? Should we do it?”

“It might work… And even if it doesn’t, we’ll tickle her anyway at some point in the day. Tradition and that.”

“So is that a yes?”

Shulk nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s a yes.”

The auburn-haired male gave him a thumbs up. “Alrighty then, let’s go and wake up Fiora!”

The two of them left the Weapons Development Lab and strolled through the streets of New Colony 9. As they walked by, Dunban, Sharla, Melia, and Riki all greeted them, asking if they could wish Fiora a “Happy Birthday” on their behalf (all four of them were busy with the reconstruction, and Dunban didn’t have the heart to wake his sister up from a well-deserved sleep). They told them that they would, and kept on walking.

Eventually, they arrived at Dunban’s House. Reyn went up to the front door and turned the knob. He wasn’t surprised to find that the door was unlocked. He quietly pushed the door open and tip-toed inside the house. He waited in the kitchen for a few seconds, listening for the blonde woman’s footsteps, before he turned to Shulk to tell him that she was still asleep. The scientist carefully stepped inside the room.

They sneaked up the stairs, careful to avoid the spots that made the steps creak, and found the young girl sleeping in the bed.

“Ready?” Reyn whispered to his fellow Hom.

“Ready.” He answered

The older male slowly lifted the blanket off of Fiora’s body, revealing that she was wearing a Dyed Top and Dyed Bottoms. She usually put these two pieces of clothing on when she was about to go to bed, and wore her normal outfit during the day.

Reyn looked over at Shulk and whispered, “You go for the knees, and I’ll go for the sides, alright?”

“Got it.” The heir whispered back.

Reyn carefully reached over to pull Fiora’s shirt up and slowly drifted his hands towards her sides, while Shulk made his fingers walk up to her knees.

As soon as their fingers made contact with her skin, they lightly wiggled them.

At first, she didn’t react to the touch, far too deep in her sleep to notice anything that came from the real world, but in ten seconds, she finally let out a couple of giggles.

“Hehehehe… Stahahahahahp…” She made an attempt to swat at the boys’ hands, but she didn’t put enough strength into the swats, and was therefore unable to stop the sensation.

Soon enough, her eyes fluttered open, still giggling at the sensation that was coursing through her body. Shulk and Reyn took their hands off of her as she drifted towards wakefulness.

“Shulk…? Reyn…?”

“Good morning, sleepy head!” Reyn sang, ruffling Fiora’s hair exactly like he did with Shulk’s back at the Weapons Development Lab.

“Hands off, you big oaf…~” She teased, earning a pout from the soldier and a laugh from the scientist.

“Happy Birthday, Fiora!” Shulk said, pulling her up into a sitting position before hugging her.

“Aw, thank you, Shulk!” She replied cheerfully, then turned her attention over to Reyn.

“No, Fiora, I didn’t forget your birthday this year.” Reyn said with a faint blush and an exasperated tone.

Fiora had every reason to doubt him. Normally, Reyn would forget about her birthday for at least half of the day before someone would remind him.

“Heheheh… I don’t believe you one bit- ah!” Fiora was about to sass her muscular friend, but she was cut off by Shulk pushing her onto the bed.

“You can laugh at him later, Fiora. For now, we have a tradition to attend to.”

He quickly lost the former Mechon, “What? What are you talking about?”

“What? You don’t remember our old tradition?” A tinge of dismay flashed across Reyn’s face, but in a split second, it had vanished. “What do you think, Shulk? Should we help her remember?”

The younger blonde nodded as a smirk grew on his lips. “Yeah, let’s do it!”

Reyn was about to tickle her underarms, but Shulk stopped him.

“Hang on, do you know how long we’re supposed to tickle her?”

Fiora heard that second-to-last word and immediately began to panic. “Wait, what did you say?”

Reyn ignored her (as did Shulk) and answered the heir’s question. “Yeah, she’s nineteen years old now, so we’ll tickle her for nineteen minutes, correct?”

“You got it! Now, are you ready?”

“You bet I am! Let’s bring this tradition back!”

Fiora could only squirm and giggle as Reyn grabbed her wrists and pinned them down with his left hand. Meanwhile, Shulk sat down on her legs and moved his body until he knew for sure that his weight would keep her legs pinned.

“Nohohoho, guhihihihihiys!”

Shulk tsked at her and slipped into his role as a ler, “You should save your breath, Fiora, because you’re going to need it~”

The unexpected tease from the former visionary was the last thing she heard before she was suddenly attacked by two pairs of hands. One pair went for her underarms, while the other snuck up her shirt and pinched at her ribs.

“Ahahahahahahaha! Nohohohohohohohoho!” She quickly fell into a laughing fit and tried her hardest to pull her arms down. Unfortunately, Reyn’s grip was far too strong, so she had no choice but to surrender herself to the tickles. Even worse, while she made her attempt to escape, the soldier took advantage of the situation and sped up the tickling every time she stretched her arms out.

“Eep! Reheheheheheyn, stahahahahahahap! Lehehehehehet mehehehe gohohohoho!”

“Sorry, Fiora, but you’re out of luck. There’s still eighteen minutes to go~!”

Fiora squealed as the older male raked his fingers back and forth in her underarms and teased her at the same time. Since when did he become an intimidating tickle monster?

Knowing that she was helpless under Reyn’s hold, she decided to focus her efforts on her legs. Shulk was a bit weaker than Reyn, so she figured that it would be easy for her to knock him off. She laughed and laughed for another two minutes before she made an attempt at lifting her right leg.

However, as soon as she tried to lift it, Shulk countered her by launching an all-out attack on her knees.

“Oh no you don’t! You’re not getting away from us~!”

“Whahahahahahahaha! Sihihihihihihihihincehehehehe whehehehehehen dihihihihi yohohohou gehehehehet sohohohoho bohohohohohold?”

“Trust me, if Reyn wasn’t here, I wouldn’t be doing this right now. But since he’s here with me, I’m feeling rather brave.” He moved his right hand to the back of her right knee and began to scratch at the spot, while his left hand skittered across her left kneecap. “Soon, you will fear me~!”

The teasing and tickling from the youngest member of the group nearly broke the helpless woman underneath him.

“Ihihihihihihihihi’m nohohohohohohohot ahahahahahfraihihihihihihid ohohohohohof yohohohoHOHOHO! REHEHEHEHEHEYN, NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!” Reyn broke the laughter dam within her by blowing raspberries into her neck.

“No? No what? What am I doing wrong, Fiora~? Tell me!”

“QUIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIT THEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE RAHAHAHAHAHAHAHASPBEHEHEHEHEHEHERRIHIHIHIHIES!”

Reyn let out a chuckle, “Sorry, what did you say? I can’t understand you!”

“YOHOHOHOHOHOHOU KNOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOW WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHT IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI SAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHID!”

Shulk shook his head and made his hands jump up to her sides. “Fiora, Reyn doesn’t speak ticklish.”

“Yeah, I don’t understand the ticklish language! I haven’t even studied it, yet!”

Fiora’s mind was about to be lost in the raging river of laughter that spilled from her mouth.

“SHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUT IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIT!” She accidentally yelled.

Reyn stopped tickling her and put his hand over his heart in mock offense, while Shulk let out an exaggerated gasp and sped his tickling up to the max.

“Fiora! That wasn’t necessary! Shulk, I think we need to punish this rude little birthday girl!”

“I agree, Reyn, but we should save the punishment for the last five minutes. That will straighten her out for sure!”

Fiora had never shivered at Shulk’s words before, but even though all of the tickling, she felt a powerful chill run down her spine.

“WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT DOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOES THAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT MEHEHEHEHEHEAN, SHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHULK?!”

The scientist let out the most threatening laugh she had ever heard from him in her life, “You’ll see~” Then he zipped his hands onto her stomach, releasing a shriek from the back of her throat.

“EEEEE! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP IHIHIHIHIHIHIHIT! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!” She was getting dangerously close to breaking as she endured the barrage of tummy tickles that rained down upon her.

“Ten minutes left, Reyn! Don’t let up just yet!”

“Got it, but we might want to slow it down so Fiora can breathe!”

“Good idea. If my hypothesis is correct, her laughter will turn silent in two minutes, so we should ease up on her so that doesn’t happen.”

Reyn had to laugh at that. Even when he’s tickling someone to death, Shulk would always find a way to be geeky. Fiora probably laughed at that too, but right now, it was impossible to differentiate between her normal laugh and her tickle laugh.

The two boys slowed their fingers down until they were only tracing over her skin, and although she was tittering, she was able to take a dozen, much-needed breathers.

“Yohohohou guys ahahahahare much mohohohohore ehehehvil than Ihihihi thohohohought…”

Reyn took this moment to revel in her words, “Don’t mess with this tickle monster! You’ll regret it when you do, right Fiora?”

Fiora did her best to give him a death stare, but only succeeded in making herself look silly (if Reyn laughing at her was anything to go by).

As per usual, Shulk took the smart route and just facepalmed at Reyn’s behavior.

“That’s a dangerous thought process, Reyn. Don’t forget that she can dish out  punishments more dangerous than Zanza.”

That got a shocked response out of the other male, “You sure about that? I don’t think a tickle monster would have anything on a god!”

“I didn’t defeat Zanza on my own, Reyn! Fiora helped, and so did you and the others!”

Reyn wanted to argue back, but found that he couldn’t. Shulk had a point.

“Anyway, we have five minutes left, and you know what that means~”

“Dear Bionis! How did he transition back into his role so effortlessly?!” Well Shulk was right, Fiora would learn to fear him at some point. If he can return to the role of a ler in no time flat, then she would be terrified to know how he would act if he was playing the role of a tickle monster.

“Ohoho, I’ve been waiting for this! Ready for the grand finale, Fiora~?” Reyn asked with an unnervingly innocent tone in his voice.

“N-nohohohoho!”

“Well too bad!” Reyn nearly shouted out at her. He made his hands hover over her neck, while Shulk had his hands over her hips.

“This is part of the tradition, Fiora. When we reach the five-minute mark, we will target the lee’s worst spots until this time is up. We will not make any exceptions, no matter how much you protest against us or beg for us to reconsider.” Shulk explained to her in the most nonchalant and calm voice she had ever heard from the former visionary. The voice was so haunting that even Reyn was shuddering in fear.

“Now, any last words before you meet your end~?” He asked her. Silence was the only thing he got in response.

“Nothing? Very well, then. Reyn, on the count of three.”

“A-alright then…”

Shulk looked over and raised an eyebrow at his slight stutter before he returned his attention to the poor woman beneath him.

“Three.” The two of them brought their hands closer to her in perfect sync with each other.

“Two.” They finally made contact with her skin.

“One.” Fiora was once again in an anticipatory giggle fit.

“Now!” All hell broke loose.

At long last, Fiora broke under the intense tickling that shook her to the core.

“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! WHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIY WOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOULD YOHOHOHOHOHOHOU GUHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIYS DOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO THIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIS?!”

Reyn was going to answer her, but Shulk butted in and only said the word, “Tradition.”

They both knew that any further teasing would send the former Face unit into a fit of silent laughter, so they stayed silent for the remaining five minutes. The only sound that could be heard in the house was Fiora’s uncontrollable laughter.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to her, they let up. The tickling abruptly ended, Reyn let go of her wrists, and Shulk got off of her legs.

She laid there, chest heaving up and down as she struggled to regain her composure, while the scientist checked on her legs.

“Can you feel this, Fiora?” he asked as he squeezed her leg in a way that would not be painful or tickly.

“Yes… I can... feel it.” She told him in between breaths.

“You alright?” Reyn questioned her. “Feeling woozy?”

“No, I’m… fine.”

All three of them sat there in near-silence as Fiora’s breathing returned to normal. When it did, she spoke.

“That was impressive. I didn’t think you two had it in you to tickle and tease me like that.”

Reyn objected, “Hey, I’ve had that potential for years! If there’s anyone you should be impressed by, it would be him!” He pointed at Shulk, “I had no idea he could speak like that! It creeped me out!”

The younger boy couldn’t help the prideful smile on his face. “I learned it from watching and listening to all of you guys.”

“So that’s why you sounded like Melia towards the end there!” Fiora exclaimed, “I was trying to figure that out!”

“Oh, uh… That wasn’t intentional.” Shulk professed, feeling slightly embarrassed. He often imitated those that he loved on an unconscious level, and apparently, that’s exactly what he did when he teased Fiora.

“Sure it wasn’t.” she countered.

“Hey guys,” Reyn spoke up, “I think we should go and find the others. They might need help with the reconstruction.”

Fiora was a little concerned about the possibility of them working all day today, considering what day it was. “Do you think we’ll have time to celebrate my birthday today?”

“I think so,” he answered, “They told us to tell you that they said ‘Happy Birthday’, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought about that.”

“Oh! Well, I think we should go and find them so we can talk about it! Just give me a few minutes to change!”

“Okay then! Shulk and I will be downstairs waiting!” He turned to the other boy, only to find him staring at the bottom of the staircase.

“Shulk?” He didn’t get an answer. 

Reyn didn’t notice it (or perhaps he might have forgotten it), but Shulk knew what was coming next. According to the tradition, once the birthday boy/girl was free from his or her tickle session, then…

“But first…” Yep, he called it.

He turned around and found that she was still sitting on the bed, looking at him and Reyn with an evil glint in her eyes. He knew what was coming.

“W-what?” Reyn stammered out. He was about to turn and make a run for it, but Fiora’s reflexes were too fast, and she caught his arm before he even had the chance to take a single step away from her.

“If I remember correctly, it’s your turn to be tickled.”

The soldier’s eyes widened, “W-wait, so you DO remember our tradition?”

“Yep, I was just pretending to not know about it. I’ll admit, the results I got from that were surprising,” She glanced at the younger Hom, who was as still as a statue, “...but I knew that the reveal would rile you guys up. I know that this will make you ten times more ticklish, so I figured that I would go for it.”

She got up off of the bed and tugged at Reyn’s arm, trying to pull him onto the spot that she was in mere minutes ago. “Shulk, can you help me?”

“On it.”

In no time at all, Reyn’s laughter would fill the home. After that, it would be Shulk’s turn.

They may be in a new world, but they knew that they would adjust to it just fine, because even though everything has changed, the past would never be forgotten.

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 13: The Oscars

(from the My Girl Trilogy: Stay Mine)

…in which they attend the Oscars and Y/N almost misses it.

Word count: 5k

AU: actor!Harry, older!Harry, younger!Y/N, (4-year age gap).

Song in the kitchen scene: A Million Times - Alice Kristiansen ft. Julian Lamadrid 

Wattpad link (Thea as Y/N)

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“And the Oscar goes toooooooo...HARRY STYLES!”

“Stop making fun of me!”

“I’m not!” Y/N plumped down on to the treehouse floor, sitting with her legs crossed as she shook Harry’s arm gently. “Come on. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“I’m not being hard on myself. I’m being realistic,” he replied, toying with a yellow leaf he’d found on the floor just to avoid making eye contact as they spoke. Y/N didn’t get why he was embarrassed and so doubtful of himself. She had seen him on stage when he’d been Romeo last year. He was one of the best kid actors and no one could convince her otherwise.

“Your new drama teacher was a meanie,” she huffed, arms folded across her chest.

Harry finally cast her a glance as the corners of his mouth turned up. “You’re not being objective. Mrs Berry was.”

“You’re a kid! Kids are allowed to make mistakes. That’s the only way they can learn and improve. My writing sucks but you don’t see me giving up.”

“Has anyone ever told you your writing sucks?”

“Celine’s brother.”

“He’s an arsehole.”

“Harry!”

“Sorry,” Harry chuckled, lifting both hands. “He’s a bum.”

Y/N didn’t laugh when he did. If her mum and dad knew he cursed all the time, they wouldn’t let her hang out with him anymore. “Well,” she exhaled. “I feel sorry for your teacher. She probably has nothing better to do with her life than crushing kids’ dreams because her dreams had died with her talent when she became a teacher instead of an actress.”

“Are you sure you’re ten years old?” Harry smiled, giving her a look that could be interpreted as either amazed or amused or both.

She’d never told him, but he had one of the best smiles she’d ever seen, which was why she was sure he would become successful. Having a great smile was a great quality for every actor. At least that was what her best friend Celine had told her.

“Are you sure you’re older than me?” she rebutted.

He lifted his shoulders in a half-shrug. “I’m gonna listen to you because you’re a know-it-all.”

She said nothing and launched herself to her feet, clearing her throat. He watched with a confused look on his face when she picked up his water bottle and held it with both hands like the way an actor would hold the Oscar statue.

“Harry is too shy to come on stage and accept this Academy Award,” she said, “so I’m gonna accept it on his behalf. He’d like to thank his family, his drama teacher Mrs Berry, and his biggest fan Y/N aka Bambi. These are the people who helped shape his career.” Harry doubled over laughing as she lifted the water bottle above her head. “Thank you so much for this award. Have a good night, Los Angeles!”

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.

Y/N contemplated her reflection in the full-length mirror while Harry was watching her from the couch on the side. She cast him a sideways glance, to which he responded with a thumbs-up and a grin.

She sucked in a breath, looking back at herself. She looked different. She felt different. She had worn plenty of expensive gowns that didn’t belong to her and attended countless exclusive events with Harry before. But this. This was the Academy Awards. And she was wearing the kind of dress that was meant to turn heads on the red carpet, the kind of dress that models wore on the runway. She used to watch award shows with her best friends all the time, and could never imagine herself pulling off such elegant outfits. But now, she almost looked like she belonged at the Oscars.

She wasn’t wearing any make-up and her hair was in a simple low ponytail, so she knew the dress had done all the work to make her look desirable. Harry’s designer had taken the inspiration from the iconic silver dress in The Little Mermaid, when Ariel returned from the sea and reunited with Prince Eric. Harry had joked that Y/N resembled a fawn more than a princess, and she had smacked him hard on the arm, proving that she was neither.

“Is it too tight?” asked Meili – the designer. She was so kind that Y/N felt like they’d been friends forever. But on second thought, being a professional, it was Meili’s job to make her clients feel most comfortable in and out of her designs.

“No, this is perfect,” Y/N said.

“Are you sure?” She confirmed with a nod. “All right.” Meili patted her gently on the back. “How about we try walking?”

And so Y/N descended the steps and sauntered about the fitting area to make sure she was comfortable and able to breathe normally. Harry had risen from the sofa and come to stand beside Meili, his eyes dancing with amusement as he watched Y/N strike a silly pose.

“What do you think?” she asked him.

Instead of answering the question, he turned to Meili. “Can you show me how to take it off?”

Meili had quite a good laugh watching Harry with his hands up in defence as Y/N tried to hit him without hurting the dress. It was then that the sound of her ringtone from her bag came for his rescue.

He pecked her cheek and stayed to chat with Meili about his outfit while Y/N answered the call from her agent.

“Y/N!” Laura said before Y/N could speak. “What are you doing, babe?”

“I’m at the fitting for the Oscars.”

There was a pause followed by a dramatic sigh. “Oh, I nearly forgot that you’re attending the Oscars. Are you nervous?”

“Kind of.” Y/N giggled. “But I suppose you’re not calling me to ask what I’m doing, are you, Laura?”

“Of course not! I’d like to remind you that we’re having a party next Saturday!”

“Right, right, party–No!”

Both Harry and Meili whipped their heads back to gape at Y/N.

“What do you mean?” he asked. “I thought it was a brilliant idea–”

Y/N shushed her boyfriend as she indicated the phone to let him know she wasn’t talking to him.

“Hi, Laura!” he shouted, and Laura, who obviously had heard it, squealed like a schoolgirl and demanded to be put on speaker.

Y/N tapped the speaker icon as she slumped into the couch where Harry soon joined her, sitting with an arm around her shoulders. “Hi, Laura,” he repeated.

Laura laughed excitedly. “Hi, Harry! We’ve never met before but I’ve heard so much about you!”

“And I’ve heard so much about you!”

“I’m your client, Laura. Not him,” Y/N snorted as Harry kissed her temple.

“Oh, yes, right.” Laura cleared her throat to compose herself. “So what’s the matter? I thought–”

“The Oscars is next Sunday night, Laura. I have to catch the plane on Saturday morning. I can’t go to your party.”

“Your party, Y/N.”

“What party?” Harry asked.

Y/N opened her mouth to answer but Laura was faster. “To celebrate your girl’s debut novel! It hasn’t come out yet, but everything is settled. It’s a tradition. I always throw this party for my client. Everyone at the agency will be there and there will be some guests from the publishing house and some published authors. It’ll be grand.”

Y/N sucked in a breath and pinched her temple, her eyes met Harry’s. His expression was unreadable. To Laura, she asked, “Can we push it back a few days?”

“Absolutely not! I’ve sent out the invitations. You told me any date this month would do!”

Y/N had. And she kind of regretted it now. She’d been chatting with Gemma when Laura asked her about the date. Gemma had been devastated by what had happened with Winton, so Y/N had been busy comforting her and told Laura to just pick any date she’d like. It was all her fault; she should have reminded Laura about the Oscars.

Y/N glanced back at Harry, hoping he didn’t think she’d purposely prioritized her success over his. Because why would she think her first novel was a better reason to celebrate than his first-ever Oscar nomination?

But Harry didn’t seem vexed. His dimples appeared as he traced his fingertips along the strap of her sparkling dress. “It’s okay, Laura,” he said to the phone. “You don’t have to change the date.”

Y/N’s eyes went round as Laura hissed, “Yes!”

“Baby–”

“You’ll go to your party,” he said, “and I’ll send my ride to pick you up and take you to the airport. They won’t leave without you, silly.”

Right. She’d be travelling on his private jet.

“But...I’ll be late.”

“So?” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I can manage the first few hours without you. Why should your career be any less important than mine?”

“He’s right, Y/N,” Laura said.

Y/N swivelled in her seat to face him as she took his hand. “I’ll just come to say hello to the guests–”

“And give a speech!” Laura interjected, making Y/N roll her eyes and Harry chuckle.

“Fine, I’ll come to say hello and give a speech and then I’ll come to you.”

“Deal?” His lips twitched as he gave her his pinkie.

“Deal,” she said, hooking her pinkie with his.

.

.

.

The party was insane.

Y/N had specifically asked Laura not to overdo this, but the agent had insisted on throwing her favourite client the most Gasby party she could pull off. Y/N didn’t even know half of the faces who’d shaken her hand and congratulated her on her debut novel which hadn’t been released yet. She felt like a fraud. What if these people ended up hating her book? What if this party made her seem like a show-off? She was already dating an Oscar nominee; she didn’t want to be branded as any more privileged than that.

She kept the speech she’d promised Laura as short and simple as possible, then returned polite smiles to the guests as she made her way to the back of the room. She wouldn’t be surprised if these folks thought that she had zero personality. When it came to self-branding, she needed all the help she could get. How did Harry do it? How did he charm people into liking him before they even viewed his work? As much as she loved him, she couldn’t help but envy him sometimes.

She wiped her sweaty palms on her dress before getting another glass of champagne and finishing it a second before Laura came up to check on her.

“You okay? You look a bit pale,” Laura said.

“Well, I tend to get anxious at formal events,” Y/N snorted, shaking her head. “I usually attend these kinds of parties with Harry. He’d do all the talking and help me get involved in the conversation. He’s very charismatic.”

“I’m charismatic!” Laura said with a hand on her chest. Y/N responded with a smile. Laura wascharismatic. The problem was, Y/N was more comfortable with Harry. Or maybe she couldn’t help but feel guilty that she’d miss the red carpet walk with him. She hated to be the one to break a promise.

“You need to stop checking your watch like modern Cinderella at the royal ball.”

Y/N dropped her arm back to her side. “I’m so nervous, Laura.”

“About this party? People love you!”

“About...everything.” This party. Her 2 AM flight. The Oscars. Showing up late. Missing Harry’s category. Her book release. The likelihood of having people roast her book unforgivingly on the internet.

She had the tendency of freaking out over insignificant matters whenever good things kept happening to her. Because, as usual, bad luck would come for her when she was most defenceless and took away her joy. This time, she could feel it in her stomach.

Laura gripped her shoulders and squeezed them tight. “You are my superstar, Y/N. You are the shit. You are the most brilliant–”

“Okay, I get it, I get it,” she laughed, pulling Laura into a hug. “Thank you for tonight. I owe you so much, Laura.”

“Don’t be stupid. You saved my life. Literally,” Laura smirked and gently patted Y/N’s cheek. “Now, let’s go say goodbye to the guests. It’s almost time for you to go.”

Y/N didn’t need to be told twice. She’d been waiting for this moment since she’d arrived. People might wonder why she seemed more energetic saying goodbye to them than when she’d welcomed them to the party. But she was just happy that she could finally leave. The last thing she wanted was to show up late for her flight (Harry had said the plane wouldn’t leave without her but she hated delays anyway) and missed more of the Oscar ceremony tomorrow than she’d allowed herself to.

The journey to LA happened in a rush. She’d slept for most of her twelve-hour flight because she’d been so exhausted. Harry’s bodyguard only woke her up when they were about to land. The next thing she knew, she was taken to his LA house. She had never been there before. It was much bigger than the one in London, but less homely, perhaps because she’d known every corner of the place that was supposed to be theirs. This one just seemed like a resort.

The hair and makeup team and Harry’s stylist were waiting upstairs to make her Oscars-ready. She’d eaten quite a lot on the plane before it took off, so she feared she wouldn’t fit in the dress. Magically, she did. And she felt so silly for feeling like she might burst into tears.

When the makeup artist asked how she’d like to have her makeup done, she told them to make her recognizable. They didn’t ask her to elaborate on that, so she hoped they knew what she meant. She didn’t want to be the centre of attention tonight, especially when she was going to show up late. The only attention she craved for was Harry’s and she was going to get it anyway, with or without this glamorous costume.

Fortunately, the makeup artist did a fantastic job. They gave her simple eye makeup and red lips and put her hair up into a classic high bun. It wasn’t until tonight that she couldn’t stop staring at herself in the mirror. Harry would be so impressed.

As Harry’s team did some final touches on her face, one girl showed her some clips and pictures of Harry on the red carpet. He looked dashingly handsome and comfortable, and when being interviewed, he said he loved her and couldn’t wait to see her later. The part of her that had been feeling guilty could finally let go of that breath she’d been holding. She thanked the makeup team for everything and came downstairs when her car arrived.

The chauffeur was a middle-aged man with greyish hair and a kind face. He was talking on the phone and ended the call as soon as he saw her. He looked rather tired, but before she could ask for his name and if he was feeling well, she remembered that she’d left her clutch upstairs, and so she asked him to wait while she went back to get it. He told her to take her time.

When she came downstairs for the second time, the man was on the phone again. He didn’t see her return so he didn’t hang up. Y/N couldn’t help but overhear the last part of the conversation where he told whoever he was speaking to that he would be at the hospital as soon as he finished his job.

“Is everything okay, sir?” she asked once he’d finished the call. He whipped around, seemingly startled to see her there. “You can tell me if something is wrong. I might be able to help,” she said.

The chauffeur looked hesitant at first. He worked his jaw for a moment before he could tell her, “My daughter...is sick. She’s just been taken to the hospital. I’ll go see her as soon as I take you to–”

“No! You’re going to see her now!” cried Y/N.

He squinted his eyes at her as if he thought she was testing him. “Are you...are you sure, Miss? Mr Styles told me–”

“I’ll talk to Harry for you. Don’t worry.”

Telling someone not to worry never seemed to work. The man screwed up his face as he shoved a hand in his hair. “Should I send you another car, Miss? Mr Styles said...he said that you couldn’t drive.”

“Of course I can!” Y/N blurted, then realized how defensive she’d sounded.

She could drive. However, she was afraid to sit behind the wheel.

Ever since her accident, she’d been using public transport and let Harry drive her around instead of doing it herself. He knew it wasn’t just her anxiety of getting into another accident. Her mother had died in a car crash, and Harry had seen how scared she’d been when he’d crashed his motorcycle. Those final thirty seconds after the collision and before she’d gone unconscious, Y/N had felt it all at once. Her mother’s death, her almost losing Harry, her head cracking open and the numbness when she lay on broken glass and her vision faded to black. She could only hope she would get through her fear this time.

“I’ll take one of his cars,” she reassured the man. “Don’t worry about me, sir. Your daughter needs you.”

The man thanked Y/N repeatedly and hurried back to the car parked in the drive. Y/N waited until he was gone, checked the time to make sure she’d make it, then she sucked in a deep breath and headed to the garage.

.

.

.

Harry was a bundle of nerves trying to act composed while the other nominations were being presented. There were cameras everywhere and they could zoom into his face at any moment so he could not look like he might throw up. He was here for his Best Actor nomination; it’d be so embarrassing if he couldn’t act like he was having the best time of his life.

Y/N should have been here a long time ago. Where the fuck was she? She’d texted him that she’d drive here by herself. He didn’t want to be pessimistic, but the last time she’d sat behind the wheel, she’d ended up in the hospital.

It’d been half a year since, but he couldn’t forget that feeling when he got the call. He was praying to God that the next time his phone buzzed, it would be her telling him she’d arrived safely. If something unpleasant was going to happen (as it always did), he would accept anything as long as she was safe.

The moment his phone sounded, he jolted so hard he might have startled the lady sitting beside him. Jeff’s words swivelled in his head: Do not check your phone during someone’s acceptance speech.Well, screw that. His girl wasn’t here and the last thing he would worry about was looking like an asshole on live television.

➣ I’m here.

When he saw those words, the lump in his throat dissolved and his body relaxed into the cushion. His fake smile had been replaced with a genuine one, so at least people who saw him texting during Brad Pitt’s speech would just assume he was texting his girlfriend, who was supposed to fill the vacancy next to him.

Good. I saved you a seat, he typed and sent.

➣ I’m staying backstage. I can’t go out there.

Harry’s smile dropped as he squirmed in his chair. Why? Are you okay?

She took a bit longer to reply.

➣ Yes, don’t worry. There’s a screen here. I can watch you.

Harry muttered a curse as he put his phone back into his pocket. After a moment of leg bouncing and lip biting, he decided to go check on her.

.

.

.

Y/N splashed water on her face, which was now clean of makeup and checked her pathetic reflection in the mirror one last time before she left the bathroom. She’d been sweating so hard on the way here that by the time she’d arrived, Harry’s beauty team’s two-hour of hard work had been ruined. She’d even ripped her dress by accident when she’d nearly fallen headfirst in the car park, so going out there to sit beside Harry would do so much damage to his reputation.

Besides, she was fatigued after the long flight and hadn’t rested since she got off the plane. She’d thrown up as soon as she’d texted him and found the bathroom. So it was for the best if she didn’t make an appearance tonight. It was less intimidating here backstage. She could just watch him on the screen and–

Where the fuck was he?

Her eyes frantically searched on the screen for her boyfriend.

Where had he gone?

No, he couldn’t–

“Bambi!”

She smacked him with her clutch as he rushed in for a hug. The backstage security and a few others couldn’t help the amusement as they watched them. Y/N flashed the strangers a smile before turning back to her boyfriend, who looked so stupidly happy it should be illegal. “Jeff would kill you! Go back out there!”

“But you’re here,” he said.

“I’m not nominated, you idiot!”

“I’m the idiot? You drove here!”

“I have a fucking license!”

“Then you’re an idiot with a fucking license!”

He didn’t wait for her to rebut and locked her in his arms, squeezing the air out of her like he hadn’t seen her in years. She held him back, for a second forgetting that she was sweating like a pig, her hair had fallen loose and her face weary from jetlag. She didn’t feel any less desirable, though. She knew he loved her anyway.

“Go out there with me,” he said, cupping her cheeks and kissing her nose.

“Are you crazy? Look at me!”

He pulled back to consider her appearance, his eyebrow arched. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

She glared at him as he grinned. “The world doesn’t wear rose-coloured glasses like you do.”

His face grew serious. “You’re right. Maybe I see a princess and they see a frog.”

Too familiar with his teasing, she snorted, “Your ability to go from Prince Charming to an arsehole never fails to amaze me.”

“My pleasure.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers just in time his phone chimed in his pocket. “Shit, that must be Jeff. I must go before he finds me here.” He let out a long heavy breath and then stroked her hair like she was a child. “Can you stay here by yourself, baby?”

“Keep talking like that and people might think you’re my dad,” she said.

“Daddy.” He smirked.

She hit him again, shaking with laughter. “Go!”

“Okay, love you, idiot.”

“Love you, too, idiot.”

He kissed her on the cheek and then he was gone.

.

.

.

Harry didn’t win.

Even though he’d said he wasn’t disappointed, and he didn’t seem disappointed at all, Y/N still suspected that he might be faking it. It wasn’t such a big loss since he’d been up against some big contenders. He was young, so there was a bigger chance for him to get an Oscar in the future. However, she knew the feeling of not expecting anything but still feeling awful when you didn’t get it. She’d known his chance was flimsy, and yet she had hoped he’d win somehow. She might have to wait until next year to hear his acceptance speech.

Exhausted (Y/N more than Harry), they skipped the after-party to have one at home by themselves. They drank champagne and danced barefoot around the kitchen in their nice clothes. The house which Y/N had compared to a resort soon became familiar with his presence.

Streetlights, stumbling home

To our very own, after party

Won't lie, when we're alone

You're my favourite poem to recite

Harry turned down the volume of the song playing on the speaker. As Y/N poured some more champagne, he climbed onto a chair, standing on one foot, the other foot resting on the kitchen island.

She watched him with lazy eyes and took another sip. “If you fall, I’ll let you fall.”

He chuckled. “I’m overwhelmed by your love, Bambi.” Then he shook his head and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. It took her two seconds to figure out that it was his acceptance speech. She slid into a chair and gazed up at him with her chin on her knuckles.

He cleared his throat extravagantly and began by thanking the Academy, the cast and crew and the director of his movie, then his family and his team. It must be the wine that made every word he said in that posh accent extremely funny. She laughed so hard she almost fell off the chair.

Then, he took the longest pause to consider her, and the room sank to silence as he worked his jaw before he proceeded. “There’s this girl I love. She used to be my little secret but now she’s here watching me accept my first Academy Award. She’s the reason I’m here today, so I owe this one to her.”

Then he raised his glass as if it was the award and hopped off the chair. Before she could applaud, he’d pulled her to her feet and pressed his mouth against hers, kissing her as if she was the only thing he wanted. She kissed him back just as hard, hands in his hair, on his neck, his chest, his back, his face. Her whole body was on fire. It must be the wine. She needed to get out of this dress and get him out of his suit.

Went to bed without you (While you were sleeping)

Felt colder it used to (I crossed an ocean)

And I can't wait (And I can't wait)

'Till I get back to you

“It sounded better when I first wrote it. I’m kind of glad I didn’t win,” he said against her lips as he picked her up and sat her on the edge of the kitchen island.

She tipped her head back and laughed. “At least you weren’t going to propose to me on the stage.”

Suddenly, he stopped. She blinked as he pulled away, his mouth red and glossy from kissing her. She hadn’t even got a chance to feel bad for making that joke and he’d already stepped back. The next thing she knew, he was on one knee on the floor.

She slapped a hand over her open mouth. Her mind went blank, and the music in the background faded to white noise. The thundering beats in her chest made it hard for her to breathe. He wasn’t going to, was he? But if he was, was she going to say yes?

“My beautiful mermaid, frog, little deer,” he began with a straight face, and she choked out an unexpected laugh muffled by her hand. “I love you,” he said. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Then he sucked in a breath. The suspense was killing her. “But...I don’t want to marry you–”

“Excuse me?!”

“–right now.”

She could tell he was trying his best not to guffaw at her reaction. She was confused and amused at the same time. What was going on? Was he really that drunk? He didn’t seem that drunk. She would kick his arse if he thought this was funny!

“I just want to let you know,” he went on despite the look on her face, “that I will ask you to marry me. I know you hate surprises and if I asked you unexpectedly, the chances of you saying no would be much higher. So let’s consider this as a proposal for a bigger proposal.” He wetted his lips, his eyes fixed on hers. “Y/N, my darling, will you allow me to ask you to marry me someday?”

She laughed out loud though her eyes were already filled with tears. She didn’t know why she was crying but she couldn’t stop. She blamed the wine and him and his stupid speech and whatever the fuck he thought he was doing right now. “I hate you.” She laughed through her tears. “I hate you so much.”

He got up, his eyes wide. “You hate me after I told you I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you?”

“Yes.”

He closed the distance between them, standing between her legs with his hands on her hips. “Yes, I can ask you to marry me in the future, or yes, you hate me for what I said?”

“Both.” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth against his. “I love you. I hate you. I love you,” she said in between kisses. “I love you so much I hate you.”

“Tonight is the best night of my life,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “I didn’t want to win. I just wanted you to be there with me.”

“I’ll be there with you next time.” She rested her forehead against his. “And next time, and next time, and forever...”

You don't fall in love once but a million times

Waking up each morning with you by my side

When I drift away, I'll come back with the tide

I'm falling in and out again

Falling in and out again