#Thank goodness they hadn't told me that while I still didn't even consider us friends

[hitomisuzuya]

Hey hey Suzuuuu

I hope you can see this request..

It’s a nsfw

I would like to request Wanderer x shy fem reader at Sumeru Akademiya, a new student came in and its reader who is shy to introduce herself. And the teacher told the new student to sit next to Wanderer and Wanderer finds it annoying when he preferred to be alone.

At some time, Wanderer becomes like a bully when he likes to tease and make fun of fem reader only to see her reactions, and it makes him like want to corrupt her innocence.

wanderer (scaramouche) x fem!reader. smut corruption. fingering. bullying. minor degradation.

i want to sincerely thank everyone for letting me take my time and go through requests at my own pace 😭🥺 i feel bad, though.

wanderer only went to class that day because nahida insisted on walking him there. if she hadn't, he would gone right out into the forest to hide and maybe nap in a tree for awhile. a more valuable use of his time, in his opinion, but nahida insisted that the akademiya would be good for him.

he could practically taste your innocence the moment you walked through the lecture hall door. it was pure in a way he hadn't considered still existed. through his sheer annoyance at you being seated next to him (his table was the only empty seat. he could totally see why), he shot you a glare that sent an unexpected shiver up your spine.

"don't think we are going to be friends because you are sitting next to me," he wanted to level with you right here and now. "99% of the time, i won't even be here."

"oh, that's fine," you replied, organizing your books and tucking some hair behind your ear. "i'm not here to make friends. i am here to learn," you pursed your lips, and offered him a soft smile, "my family also has high expectations of me."

"i didn't ask," wanderer replied, crossing his arms and finding a spot to fixate on and stare at for the rest of the class. chances are he knew more things politically than the professor. the asshole who wrote that essay about what he thought happened on tatarasuna sure thought he knew everything.

still though, as much as he hates it, he kept looking at you from the corner of his eye. it was easy for him to tell what kind of girl you are in these moments. you certainly had no issue sitting there, looking pretty while you listened with such foolish intent. you even took notes on the smallest, most useless things.

did you think this knowledge may come in use later?

judging from your explanation earlier, wanderer knew exactly what to capitalize on and take advantage of.

he didn't expect you to have the most interesting reactions when he bullied you.

"it must be so hard for you," wanderer cooed condescendingly, watching you survey the mess he made by knocking all your books out of your hands. "always being a goody goody. doing your homework on time, never missing class," sighing, he kicked one of notebooks out of the way as you reached down to pick it up. "you have be getting crushed under the weight."

"i..i am just so clumsy," you stumbled over your words a little, clearly flustered. wanderer licked his lips. you are just so interesting. he'd just been so mean to you. anyone should've snapped or fought back. but not you. you had the shyest flush on your cheeks. were you enjoying this?

as for you, you are. the more interactions you have with wanderer bullying you, with his enchanting electric eyes and condescending purr to his voice, the wetter you got. it was embarrassing to you. a fact that you had a hard time coming to terms with. at first.

he even used a small gust of anemo to knock your water bottle out of your hand one day, tossing water all over your shirt (it was to see your nipples harden in your bra from cold the water was), but you only looked at him with further adoration.

but his bullying just felt so good. you couldn't possibly tell him that you often fingered yourself until you were a wet, twitching mess at night after classes.

in wanderer's still very twisted mind, corrupting you would be helping you. he didn't even know when he started coming to class everyday, but you were starting to look like you weren't sleeping well. your hands shook while you took tests.

the moment you felt wanderer's hand dip into your panties for the first time, parting your folds and grazing your clit, your hips immediately jerked up to grind on his fingers. fingers that you always thought are so ungodly beautiful it should be considered a crime.

a moan you didn't even mean to let out sounded from you. the more those beautiful fingers stroked your pussy, the more it throbbed and clenched. your eyes widened in an aroused desperation, your hole clenching around the tips of his fingers as he prodded them teasingly at your entrance.

"you poor thing," wanderer cooed, "this is probably the best you have felt ever," he slowly wagged the pads of his fingers on your clit, tearing mewls from you as he just as teasingly pinched your clit. "you are so fucking wet, your cunt will suck my fingers in."

your clit throbbed, feeling shamelessly compelled to rub your soaking pussy on his fingers. "i thought you had to get to class?" he continued. your eyes widened as he started to take his hand out of your panties. "do you know how foolish it is to try and please everyone all the time?"

your hand shot out to grasp his wrist. "no, please. i don't want to go anywhere. i want to stay right here with you," you urged his hand between your legs again. "please," your eyes watered in desperation.

wanderer chuckled. did you have an idea how much of a turn on you are in general? you, the good and innocent girl was begging to skip class and stay with him with your legs spread on his bed. fuck, you deserve to have your pretty pussy stuffed full with his fingers. "who knew you are really such a slut?"

you are breaking so well under the weight of his corruption. you couldn't think about anything other than the need to feel his fingers fucking into you. thoughts you'd never had before about anyone. until wanderer.

"good girl," he tuggedyour panties off, his cock straining from watching the soaked material peel off your pussy. "moan for me while i break you. it's what you want the most, no?" he pushed two fingers inside of you, stretching you apart and hooking them to the knuckle into your sweet spot.

you nodded, jolts of pleasure crackling through you. your eyes nearly rolled closed in pleasure as he started pumping his fingers. they would've had he not put a hand on your jaw. "no, no, kitten. i wanna see those pretty eyes of yours while i make you cum," he gently squeezed your jaw to remind you of your place.

it is erotic to him how some of your moans even had a tinge of shock in them. you are coming apart so fast, your body only relaxing and submitting to him. he was devouring you, and nothing has ever felt better in your whole life.

the pumps of his fingers grew more aggressive with your consistent moans. he stretched your pussy apart so perfectly, sussing out every sensitive spot between your walls effortlessly. "a third finger, please," you moan, rocking your hips up extra to convey your plea.

wanderer was more than happy to oblige you. he abruptly added a third finger, bullying it against your sweet spot. a near scream of pleasure tore from your throat. "are you feeling good, slut?" his cock pulsed as your walls snapped tighter around his fingers. you obviously enjoy being degraded. "you'll tend to my cock next, yes?"

you struggled to even nod, your cheeks flushed with adoration. "yes! i want to more than anything!" you cried out, stroking his wrist in appreciation as your orgasm curled tighter, your juices frothing and gathering on the insides of your thighs.

"oh? more than going to class or pleasing your family?" wanderer couldn't wait for your inevitable response. a response that would no doubt make him want to impale you on his cock even more. he couldn't break you too fast.

could he?

"yes, yes please! so much more than..than.." your words fell away, the knot of your orgasm building and tightening to an almost overwhelming degree. "anything!" you barely managed to cry out, twitching and writhing as you scrambled to chase the wonderful high unlike any other that he was providing.

wanderer couldn't help but laugh shakily, slowly stroking his cock. you look more beautiful breaking than he imagined. he knew he didn't have to keep his hand on your chin anymore. you couldn't and wouldn't dream of taking your eyes off. not when he'd demanded you to keep looking at him while you cum.

[sadrockandwaltzes]

AVPD in A Separate Peace

I was just reading about Avoidant Personality disorder and it was making me think of Gene

Minor spoilers for the book, also don't take anything I say that seriously because I only read maybe a paragraph on the subject before thinking about how it could fit into him😅 It's just another lens to view him under, not a headcanon.

"Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by the avoidance of social situations or interactions that involve risk of rejection, criticism, or humiliation"- MSD Manual

Gene's constantly worried about what people think and will think so he avoids doing anything that would put himself out there if not for Finny. Without him, he keeps to himself. Anything goofy or against the rules, that draws attention in any way is out. He's pissed about getting a bad grade for a myriad of reasons, but I'd say part of it is how humiliating and shameful it feels to fail (or what'd he get, a C?) Obviously the other huge issue is he's on a scholarship and needs to keep his grades up to maintain it, but he's also the kind of person who always needs to know the exact details of everything to feel in control, because he's scared of the unknown and of not being prepared. He admires and resents that Finny's not like that at all.

He tries to shut up Leper and Brinker's criticisms or alternate ideas about what happened in the tree by laughing them off and trying to avoid the conversations. When Leper states that "you always were a savage underneath" he completely blows up, taking the criticism much worse than he needs to, simply because it agrees with his dismal view of himself that he's trying to outrun by projecting his negative feelings onto others

Gene's friendship with Finny was fine. They were close, it was great, but then his feelings of low self worth and doubt kicked in, and he started wondering why Finny was friends with him, and when he would drop him. It was because of this that he started looking for flaws or negative traits and Finny, and came up with his paranoid idea that the guy was trying to foil him, and that the friendship wasn’t genuine. Because he was scared of being too close to him; of someone knowing him. So he had to sabotage their friendship.

That moment on the beach was meaningful for Finny, but terrifying for Gene. That sort of genuine spoken emotion and sentiment was too much for Gene, who wasn't used to being close to people in the first place, and it spooked him. He felt like he'd gotten too close, that he was out of his depth, that he wasn't the person Finny should be saying this too. For someone who'd always been an outsider, that sort of unconditional acceptance was unfamiliar/couldn't fit into his understanding of the world, and thus he no longer felt comfortable in their relationship. He was back in foreign territory.

I wouldn't say that this reading necessarily changes any of our thoughts about the text, it sort of presents the main conflicts as Gene's self loathing, and his inability to accept love which I think most of us already talk about all the time. I just thought it was interesting thinking about. Finny didn't have the sort of experience he had growing up, so these feelings are difficult for him to comprehend.

(Also I know I was saying the same thing a million times with slightly different phrasings😅 just wanted to get my thoughts out. It also kind of explains the way he holds everyone else at a distance and doesn't have real friends outside of Finny.)

[cheriladycl01]

Miami Waves - Logan Sargeant x NewZealandOlympicSurfing! Reader

Plot: Miami boy wants to see if his Olympic surfing girl can keep up with the Floridian waves and you end up getting to know his colleagues more in the process

“Thank you for coming and being here with me” he smiles, his parents had been wanting to meet you for a while. You’d started dating when he first got into F2 and was put under the Williams Young Driver Programme.

“You knew I wouldn’t say no. I’ve been wanting to meet them just as much!” You exclaim. You were a little nervous to meet them, as in your mind Logan was it for you, this was the boy you wanted to marry and have a family with. And even if he didn’t feel the same way right now, that was okay. Not that you knew if he did as you’d never discussed your guys future.

But if you had, he would have told you he felt the exact same way.

Meeting his parents was so much fun, and you got to meet his older brother who teased the both of you relentlessly.

You were used to surfing in Australia and New Zealand. They were the closest to you, and there wasn’t quite any waves like their were on the Australian Coastline. That’s actually where you’d won, one of your first ever championships in surfing. Two years later and you were a Silver Medalists.

“Well my family love you. I’m pretty sure they wanted you to move in” he laughs, Logan lived at home all through his career in F2 and he still visited often as he always said how he felt like an outcast on the F1 grid.

Alex helped but he’d drifted apart from Oscar and had to watch him form a really strong bond with Lando.

He still talked to his friends from his days in Prema as well but everything but you felt so disconnected lately.

So spending those two weeks with his family and you in Miami in the beach villa you'd all rented was vital for the both of you. You felt like you'd been so busy running around, travelling the world with Logan all the time, surfboard rentals at every new place you went so you could train and sometimes travelling for your own championships.

You spent the two weeks doing the most mundane stuff, like cooking together with Logan, building sandcastles, teaching him how to paddle board before showing him the intricacies that came with surfing, which you thought considering his concentration and hand-eye coordination in an F1 car he'd be good at but he couldn't stay on the board once.

Your favourite thing was his family getting really excited to show your their favourite local restaurants in Florida.

You were currently sat on your surfboard with your legs in the water and hands on the middle part of it, watching everything in the neck high water below you.

The water's were crystal clear and you could see the little fishes swimming around playing through the sand. You were swaying a little bit where the quieter, unrideable waves were lapping over your board and sending you in random directions.

You were peacefully watching everything go by, until that peace was ruined by Logan, coming running into the water in his basketball shorts making you look over to him in shock.

"Logan?" you asked as he swam up to hold into your board, you scooted back so that he could haul himself up and sit opposite you on the board.

"Erm, so ... kind of last minute but you about to meet Oscar, Arthur and Freddie" Logan said, trying to give you his cute teddy bear smile, but all that was running through your body was shock.

It was a bit strange but you hadn't actually met his friends, you were very very busy with training for the next Olympics and another set of Championships in New Zealand when Logan was in F2, so you didn't see him in the paddock as much as you do now, and if you did you were nervous and kept to yourself.

"No, stop. I'm basically naked!" you exclaim looking down at your cleavage that wasn't well covered up by your bikini.

"Come on, lets go meet them. And get you a cover-up because I don't trust them" he laughs, placing a hand and the side of your neck before pulling you into a passionate kiss. You guys moved closer to each other to the point where you were basically sat on his lap. A wave a little to large came and toppled you both off the board making you both come up sputtering in shock.

You swim to where the water is knee deep and see three boys watching you.

"Oh" you mutter, knowing exactly who they were.

"Baby, these are my friends" he offers, grabbing your coverup and handing it to you so you could chuck it on.

"Yeah i gathered" you chuckle.

You spent the day with the boys, Oscar was the only one that could surf and you found yourself getting on with all of them, Oscar the most who became like a sort of Oceanic brother to you, being from Australia.

Arthur and Freddie were a whole other story, constantly flirting with you to try and get a rise out of Logan which you couldn't help but giggle at but always grab his hand, arm of leg in a comforting way to let him know none of it was affecting you.

"So, how are you feeling about the Paris Olympics?" Freddie asks as you were all sat around a bonfire, telling stories.

"Yeah confident, I'm excited to be able to participate in it for a second year running! Going for Gold and all that..." you grin.

"Well... we will all be there to watch you, right Logan?" Arthur grins, making you shake your head again.

y/user

Liked by logansargeant, arthur_leclerc and oscarpiastri

y/user: Missing NZ P1🇳🇿🥝 but Miami and Hubby are treating me well P2-4 🇺🇸🦅

Tagged One Person

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logansargeant: Out of all the pictures you could have used of me on the beach … 😩

-> y/user: baby, I had sunburn in all of our ones 💋

-> logansargeant: but you make such a pretty tomato 🍅

-> y/user: outside for you tonight

-> logansargeant: arthur_leclerc, oscarpiastri, frederickvestiofficial I’m in the dog house boys, help me out!

-> arthur_leclerc: sounds like a you problem, Y/N looking radiant as always 🌸

-> oscarpiastri: maybe you shouldn’t have called your girl a tomato? You hit those Miami waves Y/N 🏄🏼‍♀️🌊

-> frederikvestiofficial: Y/N deserves better 🫣🫶🏼

williamsracing: incredible stuff from you! 🦋💙

Instagram Story Caption:

I prefer the Miami sunsets 🌅

Taglist:

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[itwasntimethatdidit40]

Special Needs

Gif credits

Pairing/AU: DBF!Joel Miller x F!reader, no outbreak

Rating: +18, Minors please don’t interact, NSFW

Summary: Joel lets you convince him that you can help him get back in shape. (Do you remember the episode of Friends where Monica convinces Chandler to work out with her? The idea came to me while watching that episode. What came out of it, however, has almost nothing to do with that episode. LOL but I used the name Geller as a tribute)

Word count: 4254

Warnings: smut, age gap (reader is 22, Joel's age is not explicitly mentioned but I would say around 46/48), pov switch (I hope I succeeded because it's my first time), reader has breasts and vagina, she is wearing shorts and a sports bra and has a ponytail, other than that there is no other particularly accurate description of her, brat taming dynamic, power dynamic, unprotected p in v (reader is on the pill, please take precautions IRL), spit, cum eating, oral (m receiving), face fucking, fingering (f receiving), sex in a public place (a park LOL), risk of getting caught, swearing (A LOT), Joel is mean, reader is mean too and also a total brat, rough sex, praise kink, a little bit of orgasm control, a lot of bickering, Joel wears shorts (!!!), Joel comes inside her, sort of (?) seed kink, pet names (mostly good girl, honey, bratty little thing, cheeky little thing, babe), use of the term daddy once, readers calls Joel and old man and other nicknames multiple times, Joel slaps reader once during sex, I don’t even know what to say, you all, it’s pure filth 💀 Title is from a Placebo song.

As always, English is not my first language so please be kind, no proofreading, no editing, no beta, it’s all my fault and I’m very sorry, I hope this makes sense, otherwise pretend it never existed, thanks.

And thank you so much for reading my silly little stories, I'm still in disbelief that anyone is interested in what I write 😭

Joel hadn’t considered everything when you suggested it. He’d looked at your big, shining eyes as you told him he didn’t need to pay a lot of money to join a gym, you’d take care of getting him in shape.

Running had always been a part of you and you did it every morning so there wouldn’t be any problems.

Luckily, you had just returned from college for the summer and would be spending three months at your parents’ house before classes started again.

At first it seemed like a sentence, you would have preferred to go to Europe with your roommate but you had decided to save the money you had earned working as a waitress and you didn't feel like asking your parents for them.

As soon as you got out of your dad’s car, you saw Joel waving at you from across the street and you remembered when you had a crush on him. You thought you’d put it behind you and that it was just a passing teenage nonsense.

That day you realized that it wasn't like that, it hadn't gone away at all.

Two weeks had passed and your father had invited his best friend Joel for dinner.

Sure, why not.

You were so nervous that it took you an hour and a half to choose what to wear, your mother had come to your room twice to see what the hell you were doing and why you hadn't gone down to the kitchen to help her yet.

Why the hell did you get yourself into that situation?

After all, blowing your savings in Europe was probably not such a bad idea, after all you are 22 and had the right to enjoy your holidays. Stupid conscience, by now you could have been in Spain or Italy or even France.

You ended up wearing denim shorts and a crop top. Pretty much what you usually wore, but you thought you saw Joel peeking at your thighs few days before and you obviously liked the idea.

When your mother saw you she didn't make any comment, she had never made a fuss about how you dressed. And she certainly didn't imagine that those skimpy denim shorts were there to get her husband's best friend to look at you, it didn't even cross her mind. You were above suspicion.

When you saw him enter the dining room followed by your father you almost lost your breath.

Why was he so damn attractive? You should have convinced yourself to forget about him but you hadn't. You had tried to do it that night too, until he mentioned that he wanted to join the gym and you almost interrupted him and said "you could come running with me."

You felt like you were watching yourself from the outside and if you could you would have slapped yourself. Why had such a bullshit come out of your mouth.

Fuck.

You actually knew very well why.

Joel looked at you with a surprised expression. “Are you sure?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course! Excuse me, you live across the street, is it possible that you’ve never seen me running? I’ve been doing this for years.”

“I never noticed, kid, honestly noticing your habits is not a priority in my life” Joel had replied nonchalantly.

Your father had laughed, covering his embarrassment.

Of course he knew. He had seen you scampering around the neighborhood in those skimpy shorts and that way-low-cut sports top. He had also wondered where the hell you had bought that stuff, didn't the good old tracksuits that covered everything exist anymore?

“Well, you could at least try. We’ll start with a short route. Just a few miles, do you think you can do it?” You replied, batting your eyelashes and looking at him with an angelic expression.

“Sure, kiddo, I sweat all day to earn a living,” he retorted defiantly. “Who do you think I am?”

“An old man” you said candidly.

This time even your mother, who was usually composed and cared more about education than anything else, giggled.

Joel looked at you with an ironic expression “ok, little girl, I'm in”

“Good, then I'll see you at 6 because it will be too hot later, I'll come and knock on your door” you replied mischievously.

“Pfff Do you think it’s a problem for me to wake up early? I’ve been waking up at 5 for decades”

“Sure, but tomorrow is Saturday”

Joel rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

You had won, incredible.

Your father looked at him smiling and shrugged, “what can I say, I have a smart daughter”

Oh sure, you looked so pleased with yourself.

You hadn't won the war yet though.

————

The next morning you wake up at 5, get ready, put on the shortest shorts you could find, a sports top that reaches just below your breasts, and go out quietly so as not to wake your parents.

You knock on Joel's door at 6 o'clock sharp, imagining his expression when he saw you.

Joel opens the door with a cup of coffee in his hand “hey girl! do you want a cup of coffee?” he asks you with a seraphic expression painted on his face.

He would never give you the satisfaction of being caught unprepared.

“I’ve already had it at my house. Don’t try to postpone the inevitable Mr Miller.” he hates it when you call him that, it makes him feel old and you know it.

“When did you become so simpering? I need to have a chat with your father.” he smirks.

“Of course” you reply rolling your eyes “So are you ready or not? I won’t wait all morning.”

“I was born ready, little rascal, I'll take this to the kitchen and then we can go”

“K, I’ll wait here”

You drum your fingers on the door frame as you watch him walk away. “Tick tock, tick tock,” you taunt and he turns to glare at you as he walks past the kitchen threshold.

You have to admit, he looks pretty cute in shorts, in fact, who are you trying to fool… he has amazing legs.

And clearly, even if you never tell him, you think that he doesn't need anything and that the effort he puts into his job has already shaped him enough. This is just an excuse to spend time alone with him.

“Come on, let’s go,” he says, closing the door and putting his keys in his pocket. “Keep up with me, old man,” you say, smiling before stepping off his porch and running as fast as you can.

You hear him swearing behind you as he tries to catch up. After a hundred meters you see him coming up beside you and he’s out of breath “you did it on purpose”

“Of course” you giggle looking straight ahead.

“Can we slow down a bit now or were you planning on giving me a heart attack?”

“Okay, okay, I don't want you on my conscience, Mr Miller,” you start walking at a fast pace “we can do this for a while”

You turn to him and see his face all red and sweaty. “Damn, are you down already?”

“Not a chance, little girl. And stop calling me Mr. Miller, you know it gets on my nerves.” he grunts trying to catch his breath

“Yes I know, Mr Miller” you reply with a flirtatious tone and you know he didn’t miss it because he turns to you and looks at you and his eyes say “I’m going to make you regret this”

“So, why did you come back here this summer?”

“College is expensive and my parents already do enough for me, I’m trying to save as much as I can.”

“It’s a smart move and indeed very thoughtful” he admits

"See? I'm not as bad as you think” you say glaring at him while you keep the pace “While we’re on the subject, you might not call me kiddo, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Yeah, whatever, kiddo. I’m good now just in case you are interested”

“Ok, you asked for it” you say in a challenging tone and start running again as fast as you can.

“Hey!” He shout “you little cheeky thing!”

“Blame yourself for it, geriatric” you shout back.

Joel huffs and tries to run faster to catch up with you as you run away laughing.

He doesn't mind being behind though, he can see your ass bouncing hugged in those ridiculous shorts you've put on that barely cover your butt cheeks.

He’s not supposed to think certain things, but you've been mischievous since you got back.

He has noticed how you look at him and how you always try to argue with him, he is pretty sure that this is your way of flirting and he finds it quite funny.

And well… you're definitely cute, much cuter than he remembered.

He forced himself not to do anything because you are his best friend's daughter but you don't make it easy for him.

And now you’re here in those skimp shorts and that sports bra so small that your boobs look like they could pop out at any moment.

And the worst part is your attitude.

Fuck, you’re making a mess in his pants lately.

“Come on, old man, you can do it” oh you are so insolent in persisting in calling him old, he really should teach you a lesson.

He tries his hardest to reach you and you slow down, let him get a little closer and run away again.

“Jesus Christ” he cuss under his breath and try to run faster and you let him getting closer and then you sprint away again laughing and calling him a couch potato.

You keep going like this until he can finally reach you and he grab your wrist.

You turn to him “Hey! Let go of me!” you look like an angry kitten ready to scratch.

“Now we're taking a break,” Joel hisses.

“What the hell? There are still two miles to go”

“I SAID. We’re taking a break. Now”

“Okay, lazybones, whatever you want, don't get too nervous”

Joel is looking mad, which is so dumb, you were just kidding and he should know it.

It turns you on to see him like this though, you have to admit it.

“How about you let go of my wrist for starters?”

He lets go and looks at you askance.

He's drenched, little drops of sweat slide down the column of his neck, his black, soaked curls are plastered to his forehead, his damp t-shirt lets you glimpse the shape of his nipples.

God, he’s gorgeous.

His labored breathing sounds like a hoarse roar as he tells you, “I know what you’re trying to do.”

Yeah, you shouldn't be so horny for Joel but you can't help it.

“I’m doing nothing” you shout

“Don’t scream” his voice is low but nark.

He looks around, you are near the park and there is no one else.

Apparently you are the only ones who had the crazy idea of ​​running at 6 on Saturday morning.

He grabs your arm and drags you inside, you try to resist “Joel!” but you don’t really want to. He stops behind a tree and pushes you against it.

“You’re trying to do nothing, huh? You haven't been trying to tease me since you got here, have you?“

“No” you say, but you're so delighted that he noticed.

“So at the Geller party last week you didn’t intentionally drop your glass in front of me and bend over to pick it up so I could see your panties, right?”

“I dropped a glass, that's all,” you coo.

“And not even the day you stood naked in front of your bedroom window? You knew I was in the garden, you saw me“

“I was in my room and I had just showered. It's not my fault that you are a voyeur”

“Sure. And the other day when I met you and your father at the cafe and you were eating ice cream? Even then you weren’t trying to do anything?”

Oh. He noticed that too.

Yep, you were busy with that spoon. Pretty cliché of you, you felt so silly.

But apparently it worked.

“It's you who sees mischief where there’s nothing”

“Oh sure, I imagined it” he hiss

You feel the bark stinging your back as he presses you against it, his arms at either side of you stretched out against the tree.

You could duck and run away if you wanted to. The point is, you don't want to.

“And tell me, what did you think you were going to do with these shorts and this top?”

“I was thinking of running” you shrug, and you look at him batting your eyelashes.

He snorts, “You’re such a brat”

You raise your chin slightly, resting your head against the tree “So what?” you ask defiantly “What do you want to do, you moldy old rag, punish me?”

He presses you even more against the tree, staying an inch from your face. You can feel his breath blowing on your skin.

“This attitude will not bring you anything good”

“oooh how scary”you whisper, looking him straight in the eyes.

He licks his lips “Is this what you want?”

“Yes”

His mouth is crushing on yours in a second, his tongue forces your lips and slips inside licking you hungrily and leaving you breathless, his beard scratching your skin.

You grab his cock through his shorts squeezing it and you can feel it’s already hard.

He pulls off and hiss “Fuck, baby, you don’t waste time”

“Yes, I never liked wasting my time” you purr

He takes your hand and raises your arm, pinning it against the tree. “And you think you deserve that?” he asks you authoritatively.

“What the fuck. Of course I do”

“I don’t think so. Here's what you're going to do now. You're going to shut your mouth and do what I tell you to do.”

“No” you hiss

“Oh you will, brat, if you want my dick”

“Fuck”

He looks around again to make sure there is no one in the park. “Kneel down.”

“On the ground?” you raise your eyebrow

“Yeah, on the ground princess. Kneel”

“But I-”

“KNEEL. Fuck, don't make me raise my voice, someone might hear”

You kneel in front of him and he pulls down his shorts just enough to pull his cock out.

It's huge.

You swallow, wondering how you're going to fit it in your mouth.

“Open” he orders

“It won’t fit” you’re suddenly intimidated.

“It will fit, darling, open wide”

“But Joel…”

“Open. Wide.”

You open your mouth as wide as you can and wait. He spit in his hand and strokes himself a couple of times and then starts to slide it into your mouth, onto your tongue.

Your gag reflex almost gets the better of you when you feel it hit the back of your throat.

His salty, musky flavor is all over your mouth.

Luckily you manage to hold back and look up at him “Just like that, honey. See how much easier it is when you stop being a brat?”

He grabs your ponytail and starts moving your head up and down its length, the ground scrapes your knees, you try to breathe through your nose but you're still tired from the run and it's not like Joel has given you so much time to recover.

You close your eyes and try to focus on your breathing but Joel immediately scolds you “eyes on me” and he tugs on your hair.

You grunt and in response he starts fucking your mouth again harder than before.

“Do as I say or your pussy won't even get touched today.”

And you stupidly think “well, I can do it myself” and you bring one hand up your shorts, right above your clit.

“What do you think you’re doing?” you immediately hear him say as he takes his cock out of your mouth.

His hand is still tight on your ponytail, he pulls your head and slaps his cock on your cheek.

“This is what you wanted, right?”

“Yes” you murmur

“A little bit louder, babe. I can’t hear you”

“Yes” you repeat.

“You don't have an ending until I say so, you understand?”

“Yes”

“Good. Stick out your tongue for me, baby”

And you do. You want it too much.

He goes back into your mouth and starts rutting into it savagely.

You feel tears stinging your eyes and the ground is now unbearable under your knees but you don't protest anymore, his big fat cock throbbing between your lips and its veins sliding on your tongue are too delicious to do without.

You feel your panties getting soaked.

You look into his eyes again and you can see a pleased expression painted all over his face.

It's so infuriating and rousing at the same time.

Fuck, Joel Miller.

You don't even know how long he keeps fucking your mouth, you’re totally cock drunk at this point.

His orgasm takes you by surprise, you feel his seed invade your mouth and drip down your chin.

He finally pulls back and smear his seed all over your lips with his thumb.

He forces your lips with his finger “lick it clean, babe”

And you do, like a kitten starved.

“Such a good girl” and his little praise goes straight to your clit.

He finally gets you off the ground and he puts his cock back in his pants.

You look down at your knees, they’re full of grass and dirt, you brush them off with the back of your hand and they hurt. Great. You already know you’re going to get bruises.

“What are you going to tell your parents?”

“That I gave you a blowjob in the park after running. What do you think? Jesus, I'll pretend that I fell to the ground like an idiot" and you roll your eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me, bratty little thing” Joel smirk defiantly.

You sit up and lean back against the tree. You tug on his shirt, pulling him closer to you. “So are you going to fuck me or are you too old to come twice in a row?”

He doesn't even answer, he takes your wrists and holds them still against the tree with one hand, while he slips the other one past the elastic of your shorts and into your panties.

His thick, calloused fingers slide over your folds “You’re already soaking wet” and without warning he slides his index and middle fingers into your hole while his thumb presses on your clit.

You gasp so hard and he just says “God, you’re so tight, babe” and he starts curling them up into you “How does it feel?”

“Good” you whisper “so good, Joel, I feel so full”

“Yeah baby, that’s what daddy’s fingers are made for, to fill your pussy well” his scent mixed with sweat pervades your nostrils, he lowers his face to your neck and bites your skin while he doesn't stop moving inside you.

“Fuck” you hiss. You're intoxicated by him, your head is spinning “fuck, don’t stop, please”

“You drive me insane, you know that?”

And it’s absolutely true.

Joel shouldn't say this, but you've been stuck in his head like a nail since the day you got back and you won't leave him alone.

And now that he has let go of the leash of his inhibitions, it seems impossible to stop. He no longer knows how many times he has stopped to look at you, completely sucked in, his eyes glued to the curve of your ass or the roundness of your breasts, your nipples that peeked out from the fabric of your shirt.

And he managed to remain quiet anyway, until you pushed yourself to the limit by suggesting to go for a run together. And now he's even more fucked, because he's realized that feeling your mouth wrapped around his cock, your body on his, your tits pressed against his chest and your pussy opening up to his fingers is enrapturing.

And your shitty attitude actually makes him hornier.

“Fuck” he says in a hushed tone “Gosh, babe, you’re so pretty like that, all worked up over my fingers.”

“It feels so good, Joel, so good” you whine and you can hear you heart pounding in your chest so hard, he’s tormenting you as he slowly moves his fingers in and out of you “More, I want more”

“Ask nicely” his voice is firm

You look him in the eyes and you wonder why he can't be satisfied with your gaze, you're sure it’s eloquent enough at this moment.

“Please, Joel”

“What do you want, honey?”

“Your cock”

It’s incredible that you’re doing this in this park, you’re begging him to fuck you here.

In an hour at most it’ll start to fill up with people, probably even some of your neighbors who have known you forever. “Manners, babe” He bites one of your nipple through your sports bra and sucks greedily, wetting the fabric.

“Your cock - ah - please”

He lets go of your wrists and his hand comes out of your underwear, your pussy aching for a release.

He pulls down your shorts and frees his cock again, he puts your panties aside and takes his cock in his hand “spit” he orders you.

You look at him for a moment without understanding, dazed at the idea of ​​having to take his massive cock in your cunt, which is what you asked for.

He snaps his fingers in front of your eyes “wake up honey. spit on it” he repeats.

You gather some saliva in your mouth and then let it drip from your lips, letting it fall onto his cock.

“Good girl. You'd be even better if you didn't make me repeat things twice, we need to work on this”

He pushes you back against the tree and slides inside you in one go and yes, you are dripping but his intrusion still rocks you for a moment.

It burns.

He stands still and looks you in the eyes “listen, we don’t have much time princess, don’t pout like that”

“Asshole” you say under breath.

He slaps you “watch your mouth, pretty thing”

Your cheek burns and yet you’re never been so aroused by anyone before.

“Fuck. Just… fuck me, please. Please, Joel”

He grabs your ass cheeks and starts moving inside you. You try to stifle your moans but one escapes your lips “God! Please Joel, please”

“Shut up. I wish I could stuff your panties in your mouth, brat” He silences you with a kiss while you think you wish he could.

And you're so delusional that you think "next time."

He licks into your mouth while he’s pumping into you, hitting your cervix just right, again and again.

And you’re almost there.

He pulls away from your mouth to catch his breath “Joel - I think - I think I’m coming”

He’s still pumping, faster and harder.

You hold onto his shoulders and clench your fists into his shirt “Joel I’m - ah- coming”

“Yes I feel it, I feel your pussy squeezing me, you’re doing it so good, so good for me, baby.”

“Joel” you're begging him, you're so close that you feel like you've lost your mind “Joel, please”

“Come for me, baby” he finally says against your skin “come hard for me”

You’ve been waiting for his permission and now that he's given it to you you feel your whole body shudder as a devastating orgasm washes all over you.

You're quivering against his broad chest, digging your nails into his shirt, trying to moan as little as possible to avoid making yourself heard.

He holds you tight as your legs shake.

He's still inside you and starts pumping harder after giving you time to calm down a bit "where do you want me to come?" "Inside" you whisper

"Fuck, baby, seriously?"

"Yes, I'm on the pill, please Joel, please fill me up"

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, oh my god, please give it to me”

“Yeah, you want it, huh? You want my cum dripping down your legs, huh?

You nod “yes, please, please Joel”

And he explodes inside you an instant later, you feel thick sticky streaks of his seed painting your walls and he’s grunting so hard.

He takes it off you and puts it back in his pants, you fix your panties and shorts as best you can and you already feel it dripping between your thighs and it's a sensation that drives you crazy.

“Fuck, you’re so gorgeous like that, all sweaty and hot for me”

You smile at him, actually grateful “it was amazing”

“Come on, let's get out of here before anyone sees us”

As soon as he finishes saying this, you see a man with a dog on a leash pass by on the other side of the park.

FUCK.

You run away as fast as you can and once outside Joel stops on the sidewalk, bending over and putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “Fuck, do you think he saw us?”

“No, I don’t think so. But you know what? I don’t care.”

“You’re such a bad girl.”

Maybe you do, but you really don’t care, you’re too happy.

[sariahsue]

Wherefore Art Thou My(stery) Lady

When a failed attempt to let Chat Noir down easy ends with Ladybug learning his name, she does what any lovesick teenager would do: teases him mercilessly. Ch 1 Ch 2

Chapter Three

Adrien didn't remember falling asleep, but he jumped awake with a jolt, diving for his phone, before realizing with dismay that he'd forgotten to plug it in and it had died overnight. Had he imagined the whole thing? Had Ladybug really texted him and told him she loved him, or had he made that all up?

He fumbled for the plug, begged the startup screen to load faster, and frantically plunged into his messages. There was the final message she sent, as real in the morning as it had been the night before.

My Lady – And for the record, I love you too.

He read it over and over again. She loved him. She'd said so. He hadn't made it up! Ladybug LOVED him! LADYBUG loved him! Ladybug loved HIM! 

And she knew who he was! And she'd actually said yes to him when he asked her out! 

“I can tell from your face that you're not done being lovesick yet.”

“Nope,” Adrien said, staring at the message. He was stretched out on his stomach across the bed, chin propped up in one hand, dopey smile on his face. “This is my permanent state of being now. Get used to it.”

“Are you going to get me some breakfast?”

“No.”

Plagg left him, making gagging sounds the whole way to the cheese stash. 

Nathalie came in to get him for school a short time later, only to find Adrien still fully dressed in yesterday's clothes (not that she realized it) and looking happier than he’d ever been before. In his entire life. 

“Did something good happen?” she asked, hand resting on the doorknob. Her body and her attention were both already halfway out the door.

“Just got a really nice text,” he said, jumping off the bed. “I'll be ready in a moment.”

---

Adrien texted Ladybug several times while he was getting ready and riding to school. No responses. At first, he wondered if she was sleeping in. She had obviously been up just as late as he had, or even later. But when there were only ten minutes left before class started, he began to worry. Had she thought about what she'd said and decided to take it back? Was the prospect of dating her partner just too weird?

“Maybe her phone died,” he muttered to himself as he walked into the building. That was entirely plausible, considering what had happened to his phone. It was cool against his palm compared to the otherwise warm morning. It vibrated suddenly. A new text message.

My Lady – Urrgh. Why do mornings have to happen so early? Adrien – Have you been sleeping this whole time? You're going to be late! My Lady – Why are you so happy in the morning? It's terrible. Mornings are terrible. Why do I stay up so late? Adrien – Because you love spending time with me. Adrien – And thanks for the clue! My Lady – What? Adrien – Not a morning person. I should have guessed that already. I’m going to check the list of tardy students today. My Lady – I’m not going to be on it. So ha.

Who did he know that liked to sleep in? A plan to skip first period to watch the front doors for the late students popped into his mind, but he knew he'd get a call home and quickly scratched it out. 

She was someone from school, who he was probably friends with since she’d had his number, and hated mornings. What else could he piece together about her? He knew her physical description, and that she couldn't be in his class. He had the numbers of all of his classmates, and most of them had already been akumatized anyway. 

The most likely candidates were the other classes in his year, since Ladybug looked to be around his age. He'd start his search there, and then move to the other grades. It shouldn't be too difficult.

He walked all the way to his first class without another text from her. Nino was there, smiling at him smugly. 

“What happened?” Adrien asked him. 

“I got a text from a mutual friend of ours,” he said. “Just a few minutes ago.”

“Who?”

“I'm not allowed to say.” 

Adrien's stomach flipped. Ladybug had talked to Nino? What had she told him?

“She said she'd finally confessed to you. Anonymously.” He put extra emphasis on the last word, and shook his head, like he couldn’t believe she’d do something so crazy.

“Yeah, I got a text like that,” Adrien said, sliding into his seat and trying not to act too excited about it. It had been anonymous, after all. There was no easy way to explain to Nino he already knew it was from the love of his life. “Did she say anything else?”

“Just that I'm not allowed to give you hints. Is she really making you guess who she is?”

“Yeah. I have an idea of where to look.” The yearbook. Easy. If she had last year’s, he knew she would have to be in it.

Nino shot a look up at the table in front of them and looked quickly back. Alya smiled at him and turned around to the front. 

Ms. Bustier pulled open the classroom door just then. “Good morning!” she said, ever cheerful. The class collectively huffed out a quiet “hello” except for Adrien, who instead smiled broadly and waved. Sometimes he felt like the only awake one in their first period classes. Maybe not being a morning person wasn't such a good hint after all. Most of the class was trying to cover their yawns.

“Where's Marinette?” Ms. Bustier asked, counting her students. “Is she late again?”

“I'm here!” Marinette said as she dove through the door. “Sorry. Slept in.”

“Oh yeah? Why?” Alya called, in a tone that clearly said she already knew the answer. Marinette went pink but didn't duck her head. Instead she marched up to her seat, and said, “Good morning, Adrien” without a single stutter as she sat down. He waved to her too, then pretended to focus on the lesson. He was really just staring at the stack of books on the teacher’s desk, not taking in any of the words. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket. When Ms. Bustier turned her back on them to write on the board, he pulled his phone out to read the message. 

My Lady – Figure me out yet? Adrien – No, but I know where to start.

He felt bad. He didn't usually text in class, but this morning, he wasn't the only one. No sooner had he pocketed his phone than Marinette's notification alert went off, informing the whole class that someone had sent her a message. Ms. Bustier whipped around.

“Sorry!” Marinette said. “Sorry! I forgot to put it on silent.”

“Don't let me see it out again.”

“Good thing Bustier is so nice, girl,” he overheard Alya whispering to Marinette a few seconds later. Mendeleiev would have made you read that message out loud. Wouldn't that have been terrible?”

Marinette squeaked, and Alya laughed. 

Adrien barely heard them.

---

It was Wednesday night, and there wasn’t a patrol scheduled, but Adrien was willing to risk wasting his free time for a chance to see his Lady. Even if he didn’t run into her - and there was no reason why he would - it was nice to be out and seen by people. It gave the citizens of Paris a sense of security, a feeling that they were being watched over. (That was what he told Plagg when the kwami had griped at him for waking him up from his nap - oh, and also for using his powers for selfish reasons. Plagg had quit complaining when Adrien offered him double cheese for dinner.)

Chat Noir stopped at the Montparnasse Tower and looked over the city. It was just after dusk. Lights were twinkling on all around him, and from where he was, he could see the sun slipping over the distant horizon.

His cat ears twitched. Soft footsteps landed behind him, about 10 meters away. They crept forward three steps, stopped for a few seconds, then started up again, and he smiled. Ladybug was trying to sneak up again. His heart beat faster, but he pretended he hadn't noticed. 

He debated as she tiptoed closer, trying to decide if he'd turn around unexpectedly and scare her, but he held himself back. She knew who he was this time. There was no telling what she would do. 

Gentle hands reached around his head and covered his eyes. “Guess who,” she said, her breath so close it tickled his ear. Involuntarily, he leaned backward into her. 

“Probably Ladybug,” he said. She was warm and solid, able to hold him up even though he was putting what felt like more than half of his weight on her. She still had his eyes covered.

“I didn't surprise you at all, did I?”

“Sorry.” 

She lifted one hand away to tug on his cat ear, then slipped both hands around his waist, before she suddenly pulled away, leaving him unbalanced, literally and figuratively. 

“I forgot! I should probably explain,” she said quickly. “So last night, I figured out who you are, and I... like you. But I can't tell you who I am. We should probably not date as superheroes either. That's what I should have said first.” She wrung her hands in front of her. The light from the sunset reflected off of her face and made it glow slightly orange, clashing with her suit. 

“What about what you said in the text messages?” he asked, confused and more than a little hurt. From the sound of it, she was reconsidering everything.

“What text message?” She said it so sincerely, eyes wide with innocence, mouth set in a neutral line. She was perfectly non-responsive. Too perfectly. 

“The– the messages you sent me last night and this morning.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “I know who you are, but that doesn't mean that I automatically know your phone number.”

The corner of her mouth twitched. And that’s when it clicked. She was doing this on purpose. 

“Oh.” He fixed a frown over his face, which was difficult through the relief that he felt. “I just started talking to someone over text last night. I thought she was you.”

“That's unfortunate. I hope you didn't give away anything important.”

“I... I maybe mentioned that I'm Chat Noir.”

Her surprised reaction was too rehearsed to have been believable, even if he hadn't been expecting it. “You did?! Oh no! What if she tells someone!”

“It's okay, it's okay! Really! I can fix it!”

“How on earth are you going to fix this, Chat? You just admitted it to a complete stranger, and now they could tell anyone!”

“I'll just tell her tomorrow that I'm really Hawk Moth, and then she'll just think I'm crazy.” 

Her actual surprised reaction was very different from the fake one. She didn't shout, and her eyes didn't go wide. Instead, her face scrunched together as she thought about the new information. 

“You're not buying this at all, are you?” she asked.

“You looove me!” he said, drawing toward her. 

“I thought I was giving you a heart attack, and you were just playing along.”

“You’re in looove with me! Say it!” He wrapped his arms around her, and she didn't pull away. SHE DIDN'T PULL AWAY.

“I’m in love with you,” she replied, and the force of hearing her say it in person punched through him. Her slender arms wrapped around his waist again, hugging him back just as fiercely. 

He'd been so lucky lately that he decided to push it just a little further and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. She only hugged him tighter. 

“Once I figured out that you were, well, you, I couldn't believe how obvious it was. You two look so much alike!”

“I thought you said we'd been in the same place at the same time before.” 

“Volpina, but that had been an illusion,” she listed. “Simon Says, though I realized I hadn't actually seen you two together that day after all. The only one I'm still confused about is Gorizilla. How did you pull that off?”

“I had a helmet on hand that Marinette had given me,” he said. “I just gave it to someone who was dressed similarly. That's all.”

“So you could come and help me,” she said. “Smart.”

They stayed wrapped around each other until the sun was almost completely gone. Lights illuminated the darkening streets below them. 

Chat Noir was first to break the silence. “So you know Nino.”

“Here's another hint,” she mumbled into his shoulder. Even through his tough leather suit, he could feel the soft kiss that she placed there. His head started to spin. “I've known Nino for longer than you have.”

“No offense, but that's a terrible hint.” She kissed along his collarbone and he completely lost his train of thought. 

“That hint is terrible because?” she prompted.

“Uh.” There’d been a very good reason. He was sure of it. It was only when she’d rested her chin on his shoulder that he was able to have a coherent thought again and figure it out. “Almost everyone in school has known Nino longer than me.”

“I know him well, not just know about him.” She pulled away so she could frown at him properly. “Don't insult a perfectly good hint.”

“You'll need to give me a better one then.”

“Maybe later.”

“Come on!”

“Why don't you try asking me things?” She put her face back into his shoulder, her hands wandering up and down his back. 

The feeling of holding her was nice, but the feeling of being held by her was exquisite. 

“What did you tell him? He said you texted him this morning.”

“That's not much of a clue,” she said. “I don't know how that's going to help you.”

Truthfully, he was just curious. Nino hadn't given him much of an answer. 

“I told him, and my bestie, as close to the truth as I could. That I'd texted a confession to you, then remembered afterward that we hadn't actually exchanged numbers. I got it from one of our mutual friends.”

“When? Why?” 

“Oh, one of many failed attempts to ask you out ages ago. Super embarrassing.”

One of many? How many? “Do I get to hear that story?”

“Not today!”

“Why tell our friends, though? Nino taunted me about it all day.”

“Oh, good.” She peeked up at him and smiled. “I just thought it would be an easy way to explain later.”

“Explain what?”

She pecked his jaw. “Why I'm suddenly kissing you in public.”

The combined force of her words and her lips against his skin left him dizzy and clinging to her for support. Kissing, and kissing in public, were part of a reality that he fully supported living in. 

“Can I have another hint now, please?” His voice sounded raspy, and he tried to clear his throat.

“Hmm... I live close to you.”

“That's another terrible one.”

“No, it's not! These are all good hints!”

“We're in the same school district,” he said. “Of course we live close to each other. I deserve a better hint.”

Ladybug pulled back and pouted at him, then she stepped away. The vacuum she left behind was cold. “Civilian me has blue eyes.”

“Really? That's it?”

“There's less than eighty years' difference in our ages.”

“Now you're just being mean.”

“I eat food at least once this week.”

“Fine! I'll figure it out without any more hints!” 

“Okay, here's one that probably won't help you either.”

Chat Noir sighed, and she stepped up close to him again, though not as closely as he would have liked. There was still a few inches of space in between them. 

“I've had a gigantic crush on you for a long, long time. I probably wasn't subtle about it, but I don't think you noticed.” Her emphasis on “probably” made it sound more like “definitely.” He was a celebrity, though. He filtered out those types of signals from people daily to keep his sanity.

“If I didn't notice,” he said, “how is that a good hint? I think you should give me one last hint to make up for my shameful inattention to you.” 

Their faces were drifting closer together. He was acutely aware of when it started. She took another step toward him, looking like she wanted to say something more, but when her mouth opened to speak, he glanced away from her eyes and down at her lips. She took the hint and moved in even closer. He hesitated for only a second before lowering his face down to hers, slowly, slowly, until...

“Nope,” Ladybug said, bopping a finger on his nose and breaking the spell. “There's no way you're tricking me into kissing you before you figure it out.”

“You never said that was part of the deal!”

“I'm saying it now. Haha!”

“I was right. You are just being mean.”

“It's for your own good. It'll motivate you to find me faster.”

“Oh,” he said. “I'm very motivated.”

She giggled, then stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Actually, I’ve changed my mind already.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from a true temptress like you.” He tilted his head, ready to kiss her back this time.

She put a finger on his lips to stop him. “You can't kiss me,” a kiss on his other cheek, “but I can kiss you,” and another on his nose. 

His lips felt hot where she pressed on them, and when he tried to kiss her fingertip, she pulled away fast, like she’d been burned. 

“Not allowed, Kitten.”

“That shouldn’t count. It was barely a kiss.”

“Do you want to try again?” she asked, smiling widely. “Or should I just go home?” 

“You’re having too much fun with this.” He held his arms stiffly at his sides to signal that he was willing to behave himself. (He had no intention of keeping his hands to himself, though.)

She reached up, lifting herself on her tiptoes to reach his forehead and left a small peck there. “And having fun while kissing you is bad because…?”

“Teasing me is.”

“My poor Chaton,” she crooned. She left the lightest hint of a kiss on his neck, right above the collar of his suit, before dropping back to his shoulder. “Maybe I should just stop?” 

His response was a garbled choke. No, he wanted to say. Never. But he couldn’t force the words out. Not when she was standing so close to him, mouth level with his, mischievous eyes pinning him in place. 

She reached for his hand - he hadn’t even thought to move it yet, he realized vaguely - and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “See you around?”

Chat Noir collapsed into a puddle as soon as she was gone.

Ch 4

---

Author note: I forgot to update last week, sorry! But you’re getting two this weekend to make up for it!

Tag list: @eclipsesmoonshine14, @alittlewolf2

[bengiyo]

I Feel You Linger in the Air Ep 12 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Last week, Jom told Yai the truth about his origins and his suspicion that he's about to vanish. Yai didn't want to lose Jom and did everything he could, from asking a monk to reading H.G. Wells instead of having sex with Jom. They held a farewell and thanks party for their friends that felt a lot like an AIDS announcement party to me. Jom wrote a letter to the future and asked Yai to pass it down through his descendants. Nonkul and Bright delivered last week with incredibly heartfelt performances of two people trying to make the most of the time they have and not mourn. Meanwhile, Fong Kaew put Euangphueng in touch with someone to help her abort the child, and Maey struggled with the potential spiritual fallout of that.

Oh lord, Jom and Yai are burying a body.

Oh, nevermind. Yai is following his instincts related to Jom.

If they buried a ring in the past, did they not know about the time jump? I would have sent instructions. Come to think of it, Jom should have written a letter to himself!

Oh it's Mustache Yai again! What a fascinating sense memory. How is Jom remembering moments from the past that occur in his future?

Aw, it was a dream.

"You take a little stick, you dig a little hole...and you have a little fun."

It always looks hot as hell in Thailand.

I like this send off scene for Euangphueng and Maey.

Yai covered the mirrors. I love that.

Jom's smile when Khamsaen asks him if he could just move on from love is perfect.

Oh, poor Yai. He definitely thought Jom vanished.

The choreography for their intimate scenes is so good and so tasteful. This feels like gay sex even if we don't see it. There's so much intent and silent communication here. Doing a montage over their heavy breathing was a great choice.

We let them make love. Time for the drama.

Having Jom disappear while he was doing the portrait is so much. Come on.

This extended goodbye is making me ache.

Well that was so sad.

Mustache Yai and Jom's original clothes are back.

WHO IS THIS SCUBA DIVER? ARE WE RESCUING JOM FROM THE CRASH?

Oh lord we're back to the present and just walking around unbothered.

Now Ohm and Baby Mama are here! We hadn't been in the present day drama for very long, and this is actually fairly reasonable behavior considering all that happened.

Oh good, Jom remembers.

Look at that, Jom is eating crepes and his sister is coming out. It's a good day.

Fascinated by the implications of the ceremony and all the reincarnated people being in Jom's life. Please show us the woman who owns the house.

Feeling very emotional about all of these mementos being saved for Jom for a century.

Wow, this letter. Incredible historical significance.

Whoa. How is Yai here?

Wait, how are we ending here??

Now why is Jom in the goddamn woods again?

I'm so glad we got a second season confirmation because I would be so annoyed being left in limbo.

Final Verdict: 9, This Show Was Worth The Hype. I have some qualms with some of the pacing of various beats and how effectively the expanded roles of the side cast worked out in the show relative to what was clearly a story focused on a romance, but I think this show took me to places in queer history I hadn't specifically thought about in a way that made me hungry to know more. I really appreciate Nonkul and Bright so much because Tee is at his best with strong performers who work really well together. This show held for its first half, but I find myself frustrated for Jom that we still have no idea how or why any of this is happening to him, and I think it's really sad that he keeps losing his loves. This is one of my favorite productions of the year, and yet I feel like I want some distance from it for a while now that it's over.

[kristinamae093]

Hey There! I saw this, and I couldn't agree more! Nothing says I love you more than "I'm willing to try this for you." And this works for all kinds of relationships: romance, friends, and family, too.

Would you be able to create something showing this for one of your characters or pairings? It could be a drabble, fic, edit, art - anything at all!

NO PRESSURE AT ALL - only if you want to, but I'd love to see what you could come up with!

Hey @jerzwriter! 👋 Thank you so much for sending this my way! This was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy this silly nonsense I came up with! ����

Baking Memories

Everything else can be found here.

Book - TRR

Characters - Constantine, Liam.

Warnings - There's like, one bad word.

Word Count - 2489

A/N 1 - This is a one-shot from my HCTS AU, but this can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. The only thing you really need to know is Constantine didn't die as he did in canon and beat his cancer, but has been diagnosed a second time. Kyla (F!OC) is mentioned but not present, so I guess this takes place sometime between the previous chapter and the next.

A/N 2 - I slipped in the third @choicesflashfics prompt — “Why are you being so weird?” that will be bolded.

A/N 3 - (last one) - thank you SO MUCH @ao719 for reading through this for me and your suggestions! Any errors found are mine and mine alone, and I didn't really edit this a whole lot to be honest, so...... There's your warning lol 🙃.

Most characters belong to Pixelberry.

Constantine Rys was once a hard man; born and bred for royalty, he never got to enjoy and experience the little things in life. It never bothered him before, considering he was the reigning monarch of an entire nation with the world at his fingertips. However, since his retirement he found himself longing to experience all the things he missed out on. Today specifically, he wanted to learn how to bake; not just anything, a very specific recipe. 

His first wife was clueless in the kitchen and Regina knew very little, but Eleanor spoiled him with various baked goods consistently while she was alive. When she found the time for it Constantine never understood, but she always had warm cookies for him and the children to enjoy. He'll never forget the memories of retiring to his quarters after a long day and opening the door to hear the boys and Eleanor’s laughter, accompanied by the sweet, heavenly smell of whatever she prepared for them that day. 

Now, especially since his time left on earth was limited, he wanted to learn all these things he never had the opportunity to experience before. He found an instructor and Bastien vetted the person before scheduling a private lesson right in his quarters. His intention was to set everything up so Kyla could join him, but the teacher was only available on a specific day and Kyla was off. He knew she would still come if he asked, but he didn't want to impose on her personal time. Regina was his backup, but unfortunately, that day was a no from her as well. 

Even so, Constantine was still excited about his lesson. It may only be a class of one, but he was looking forward to putting his new skill to use. 

A knock sounded on his door and he quickly scurried over to answer it. On the other side stood Bastien, a woman who he assumed to be his 'teacher', and Liam, who Constantine hadn't told. It wasn't that he was trying to hide anything or keep secrets; he initially wanted to recruit Liam for this venture to begin with. However, he knew all too well how busy a Friday afternoon was as a solo monarch and figured it would be of no use to ask. However, his unexpected presence made Constantine hopeful that perhaps they would get to share this experience after all.  

"Son! What're you doing here?"

"I just so happened to be taking my lunch when I saw Bastien with Mrs. Finch." Liam motioned to the woman with a polite smile. "Care to explain to me why you're having bakers come to your quarters?"

"She's going to teach me."

"You want to bake?" Liam asked with an arched brow. 

"Precisely." 

"Why?"

"Do you remember those cookies your mother would make? The molasses ones?"

Liam's mouth involuntarily started watering. "I do… That's what you want to make?"

"Eventually I'd like to try other things, but that's where I’ll start. I haven't had them in years and the staff just can't make them the way she did, anyway. I was hoping if I took some lessons, perhaps I could give it a go." Constantine stopped talking as he took in Liam's nostalgic expression. "Care to join us?"

"I don't bake, or – haven't in quite a while."

"Then this is the ideal time to perfect your skills!" Constantine hopefully suggested.

Liam's face instantly fell at seeing him so excited. "I really wish I could, but I have a meeting soon." 

Constantine was trying his hardest to smile, but on a few occurrences he realized Liam was doing what he'd done to him and Leo for years; putting the crown first. He never realized how much it truly hurts to be left alone when the person you're longing to spend time with is occupied. Of course, he understood Cordonia does ultimately have to come first, but perhaps since his time was limited he was beginning to develop a love-hate relationship with the word duty. 

"Ah, I see... No worries, son." Constantine sadly smiled and motioned for the woman to come in. "If everything goes right, perhaps I can bring you some." 

"Thanks…" 

The woman stepped inside and disappeared with Constantine. Liam remained outside the door, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving. His whole life all he wanted was a genuine relationship with his father, and now that he'd been blessed with it he often had to put the crown first. However, now that his father's time left was dwindling, he found it was practically impossible to walk away.  

"Bastien," Liam started, "Clear my schedule for the day – no, the weekend. I'm unavailable unless it's an emergency." 

Bastien smiled and bowed. "Of course, sir." 

Liam made his way inside his father's quarters to the in-suite kitchen and couldn't help but laugh as he saw his father wearing a white, puffy chef's hat. When Constantine looked up and saw Liam enter, the pure excitement radiating off of him was enough to fill Liam’s heart so full he was sure it would burst any moment. 

"Liam! What're you doing here?" 

"As it turns out, I had a cancellation." Liam winked. 

"Get in here, then! You need a toque as well." 

"I don't think–" 

"We are pastry chefs right now; it's absolutely necessary." Constantine held out a hat to him. 

Liam stared at it for a long moment before he took it and reluctantly put it on. "Happy?"

"Elated. Now, Mrs. Finch, what are we doing?" 

"First we'll start by creaming the sugars and butter together." She showed the pair her measurements, as well as how to soften the butter. Using a hand-held mixer, she swirled the bowl until the task was completed before continuing, "Now, the eggs. The biggest thing to remember is don't over mix, or your cookies won't turn out properly."

Constantine nodded and picked up an egg from the supplies laid before him. “I’ve never done this before…” He held it up with furrowed brows as he intently studied it. "How do we get – inside?" 

Mrs. Finch laughed. "We have to break it, sir. See? Like this." She gently cracked an egg on the counter and emptied it into the bowl. Liam silently chuckled at Constantine's flabbergasted expression; something so simple was blowing his mind, and his elation was incredibly contagious. "It's easy, you just need a hard surface. You try."

Constantine nodded and tried to mimic her by using the counter, but that resulted in multiple yolks in his palm after a number of failed attempts. Finally, he looked around the area searching for a different surface to try when he got the perfect idea. He took the egg and although he intended to lightly tap it, he ended up smashing it against Liam's forehead; the egg splattered but thankfully most of his hair was shielded by his new accessory. However, the yolk and slimy membrane started dripping down his face, accompanied by the remaining shells. 

Liam squeezed his eyes closed as the goo slipped over them and his mouth fell open in shock, but he quickly closed it to not ingest anything. He felt something soft on his forearm and blindly reached out to accept a towel someone offered him. 

After cleaning his face, Liam turned to Constantine with narrowed eyes. "Seriously?!" 

"I guess I do still have some strength left." Constantine nervously chuckled before he added, "I apologize, son, I had no intentions of being so… brute."

"Why my head, though?!"

"She said a hard surface…" 

"Ha. Ha." Liam grabbed an egg and without breaking eye contact used one hand and cracked it perfectly against the side of the bowl. "Gently, grasshopper – and it goes inside the bowl." 

Constantine’s mouth fell open. "You may be upset, but you will not refer to me as a bug–" 

"It's – Nevermind… Mrs. Finch, please continue." 

She did as instructed and walked them through the various steps to make the cookies, plus gave them tips and tricks along the way to help make sure the recipe turned out correctly. They sifted their dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and were preparing to combine everything together, but Constantine insisted he wanted to be the one to use the hand mixer this time. Liam was absolutely reluctant, but ultimately caved after a five-minute debacle. 

Liam stood beside him watching Constantine's every move; so far, he was doing incredibly well with this specific job. Mrs. Finch was slowly adding their dry ingredients and Liam started to relax, thinking that things were smooth sailing from here on out. 

His phone rang and he stepped away to answer it but remained in Constantine's line of sight. Liam spoke with furrowed brows, his face red, and Constantine could tell he was speaking sternly; it instantly piqued his interest. 

The conversation was short and Liam reappeared a moment later completely unfazed. "Who was that?" Constantine practically shouted over the mixer still whirring in his hand. Liam answered, but Constantine couldn't hear him. "What?!" Again, Liam said something, but Constantine couldn't make it out. 

There was text beside each button on the machine, but they were so small Constantine couldn't see which one was labeled power. He ended up increasing the speed to the maximum setting, causing the mixer to shake and vibrate in his hand. Liam walked back beside him and spoke again, but Constantine paid him no attention as he was trying to read the tiny prints. Instead of leaning over to try and find the correct one, he decided to bring the mixer to eye level. 

It happened in slow motion; everything was fine one second, and the next their still very thin batter was flying all over the front of Liam’s suit. Constantine naturally turned his direction to Liam instantaneously as he held the mixer at arm's length, away from his own body. The machine continued to forcefully whirl until the beaters were clean, all its contents now covering the front of Liam’s face, body, and a little of the surrounding area. Liam could only stand there in shock; mouth agape, arms raised, completely flabbergasted. 

Constantine finally pushed the correct button and the mixer slowly stopped. He had a sheepish smile as he lowered it back into the bowl before speaking in a soft, timid voice. "The good news is there's still plenty left…" 

Liam only stared at Constantine with narrowed eyes. Constantine nervously chuckled and swiped his finger across Liam’s cheek before licking the contents. "Mmm – delicious indeed." Liam opened his mouth to speak, but Constantine quickly added, "Don't be mad, son… It was simply a mistake…" 

Liam took a deep breath and slowly let it out to keep his composure. "I'm not upset," A vengeful, mischievous idea struck him. He smirked and said, "matter of fact, perhaps we should hug this out." 

"I don't think that's–" Constantine tried to protest, but soon found himself engulfed in Liam’s strong arms. He looked down and saw Liam rubbing his face on his shirt, thoroughly cleaning it, and couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose I deserved that." 

Mrs. Finch was quick to take over and simply talked them through the rest of the process to avoid any more mishaps, although they did help form the cookies. The sweet, heavenly aroma that filled the air as their delicacies baked brought back memories for both. Their goods came out of the oven and Mrs. Finch was dismissed, paid very well for her services, and Constantine even insisted she take some with her. 

Now, they were simply relaxing on the couch, enjoying the product of their work, and reminiscing with a cup of hot tea. Although they were missing Leo and Regina, it was nice for just the two of them to relive moments they’d shared while creating new memories at the same time. Constantine expected his ‘class’ to be rather boring but informative; never did he think it would turn into a chaotic, beautiful memory for him to relive for the rest of his limited days.

"Liam," Constantine started as he sat forward and grabbed another cookie. "Thank you for joining me today. I know things didn’t go quite as smoothly as they could have, but I'm thankful you were here… I had fun." 

Liam smiled. "I’m glad… There were definitely some mishaps–” He stopped to rub his forehead. “–but I had fun too. And, these cookies turned out amazing." 

"I concur. Mrs. Finch did an excellent job and I have to say, they are quite close in comparison to your mother's." 

"Here, here," Liam agreed whilst holding his cookie up to Constantine, which he returned before they both took a large bite. Liam swallowed and spoke again, "Listen… I know I'm busy, but I'll always try to make time for stuff like this – especially now…" He trailed off with a sad expression. 

Constantine signed and patted Liam on the knee. "I know. But I'm also aware of how demanding the Crown is. I don't want you canceling obligations on my account – again." He gave Liam a knowing look. 

Liam held his free hand up in surrender. "It wasn't that important! Neville comes here and bitches consistently, I'm sure he'll be back in a few days." 

Constantine couldn't help but chuckle. "Perhaps I could give you a warning next time, then… So you can try to pencil your old man in." He playfully grinned. 

Now, it was Liam’s turn to laugh. "You don't need 'penciled in', but a notice would be appreciated." 

"Done," Constantine suddenly stood and extended his hand. Liam shoved his last bite into his mouth and took it, confused, but Constantine was quick to pull him into a tight hug as Liam rose. "I love you, son." 

"I love you too." 

Their moment hung for a few seconds before Constantine stepped away with a bright smile. "Let's plan our next endeavor! It'll need to be during Kyla's work time, which proves beneficial to the both of us…" He stopped talking to wiggle his eyebrows. "Actually... What would you like to do? Perhaps something to woo her? We could go to a massage–" 

"Why are you being so weird?” Liam interjected. "You decide what you want to do and we'll figure everything out from there." 

"Hmmm…" Constantine trailed off, deep in thought. He snapped his finger a moment later. "We enlist Duchess Olivia and–" 

"I'm going to stop you right there; anything pertaining to Olivia means weapons and that's an automatic no." Constantine tried to retort, but Liam held a hand up. "Do I really have to pull the King card again? Think of something else, and we'll talk." 

Constantine opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head and mumbling something as he sat. "What was that?" Liam asked with an amused grin. 

"I said you can be a bit of a hard ass sometimes." 

Liam smirked and confidently replied, "I learned from the best."

HCTS Tags (If you'd like added or removed, please let me know):

@choicesficwriterscreations @ao719 @queenrileyrose @tessa-liam @angelasscribbles @kingliam2019 @differenttyphoonwerewolf  @bascmve01 @busywoman  @belencha77 @mysticalfangirl @nestledonthaveone @lovingchoices14 @lunaseasblog  @malblk21 @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @emersyn-in-cordonia @walkerdrakewalker @tinkie1973 @queenmiarys @choicesflashfics

[satans-left-asscheeky]

Fo4 Romanced Companions react to Sole getting them a Christmas gift

Maccready

"Sole I- I don't know what to say..."

Maccready usually spends the months leading up to December saving money and selling less useful things so he can afford to spoil Duncan, and in the past Lucy, so he's used to not getting anything and he's okay with that because the look on his kiddos face is enough. So when sole handed him a present it really did warm his heart because he knows the effort he goes through to get his loved ones gifts and the idea of someone doing that for him is enough to make tears swell in the corners of his eyes. The man's a total sentimental sap so whatever it is sole got him he'll cherish and keep for the rest of his days

Hancock

"Well what have we got here... I still don't know what I did to deserve you sunshine"

He'd be happy just to spend Christmas with them.. He'd spent the upcoming months so focused on trying to pick out the perfect gift for them he hadn't even really considered the fact that they'd probably end up getting one for him. Safe to say the gesture didn't go unnoticed

Cait

"Look I ain't good at this mushy shit, but I hope you know it means a lot to me"

She'd never had a single Christmas growing up so the present would mean more to her than sole would ever know. Sole never failed to amze her with how genuinely kind they were

Danse

"I appreciate the gift soldier. No ones gone out of their way to get me something in a vary long time... thank you"

His first memories (whether their his or not the first memories he has) were of him collecting junk to sell just to get by. The only person who ever cared enough about him to buy him a gift in his whole life was Cutler so when sole did it he was elated. He hadn't even realized how much the little gesture had meant until later when he ended up crying while looking at the gift.

Curie

"Oh this is just perfect!!! How did you know just what to get me?"

Curie had had her eye on the medical supplies for months with these new tools she could really make a difference at the local settlements! It's not just a gift for her, to a gift to everyone and that's what made it so special

Deacon

"No way! You my friend are one of a kind. Gotta be honest didnt see exchanging christmas gifts on the agenda way back when I vouched for you, but hey I'm all for it.... also I kinda didn't get you anything... Oops?"

He was used to pretending Christmas was just another day since Barbara, so he hadn't even thought of the possibility of sole getting him a gift, and obviously hadn't gotten them one which made him feel a bit bad. He would end up going and grabing them something he thought they might like later though. Hey better late the never?

Piper

"Oh my goodness Blue, you didn't!"

Her dad used to always celebrate Christmas with her and nat, but since he'd passed it had become just another day of working to survive.... that is until sole came around and got presents not just for her, but for her little sister as well. Piece by piece they filled gaps Piper didn't even know were missing and to say she was grateful was an understatement

Nick

"Wow... this brings me back. Haven't had a proper Christmas since before the bombs..."

The small pocket watch would bring him back to simpler times, and if he could nick would've probably shed a few tears when he opened the present. He'd keep it in his coat pocket as a reminder of sole.

Preston

"General you really are something else you know that? They sure don't make em like they used to"

This man neglects himself in favor of focusing on others so when sole got him a gift it truly did mean the world to him.

X6-88

"I appreciate the gesture ma'am/sir"

Truth be told he doesn't get the tradition, but it does make him feel uncharacteristicly happy that sole had thought of him

[lucy90712]

ik this is like the fourth request but gavi x reader where they are all hanging out together and gavi and the reader arent dating yet. they both enf up cudling somehow and the team takes like a shot tom of pics and they later find a polariod of that moment. later they go star gazing/on a walk at night with the rest and gavi ends up giving his hoodie/jacket to reader and they team +wags are just like aww while giving them a whole photoshoot

wc: 2.0k

Being friends with the some of the Barcelona squad is interesting to say the least but its so much fun and I would never give up my friendships with the team for anything. That being said we don't get to all spend time together very often as someone always has something to do but tonight by some miracle we are all free and have planned to hang out. I have had a very long and tiring week so I was considering not going but when I got a few texts about how excited everyone was I knew I couldn't not go. The one text that really solidified my fate was from Pablo as he is definitely the player I am closest to but we haven't seen each other in a little while and I knew he'd been really upset if I didn't turn up so I'm going for him. 

My relationship with Pablo is somewhat complicated. We have been really close since Pedri introduced us to each other always hanging out any chance we get but recently we have entered into a weird phase. For ages we always told people we were strictly friends even when our friends shipped us together but now Pablo has started to sort of flirt with me and has been a bit more touchy. I love it as I have had feelings for Pablo for a while but have just been too scared to say anything but I still don't dare mention anything just in case he doesn't actually have feelings for me. If there is one thing I've learnt about Pablo it is that he likes physical contact but recently I just feel like he has changed he used to rest his arm on my shoulder but now he will put it around my waist instead. He has also started greeting me with a kiss on the cheek which is a normal thing here but for us it’s a new thing. These things have me questioning what exactly our relationship is but I'm too scared to say something incase I lose him. 

Despite my dilemma with Pablo we are still really good friends so I agreed to pick him up on my way to Pedri's place where we would all be hanging out tonight. Like always he came running out and to my car and jumped in the passenger seat with a big smile on his face. Right away he launched into a conversation about what we have been doing since we last saw each other like we hadn't FaceTimed a few days ago having this exact conversation. Either way I was just happy to see him again as it has been far too long and I'll never get bored of hearing him talk about football as he's just so passionate about it. It didn't take us long to get to Pedri's and when we did I managed to find somewhere to park so that we could go in. In the few seconds I took to grab my car keys and my bag Pablo had run around the car to open my door for me which of course I thanked him for before we walked to Pedri's house. 

All of us sat catching up even though the guys see each other pretty much everyday I don't get to see them that often so we talked about what they have all been doing. We ate some food before the boys started playing fifa while I just sat and watched as I'm useless no matter how much they try and teach me. I don't mind just watching them I much prefer it actually as they are all far too competitive for my liking. Me not playing also meant I got to rest a bit to keep my energy levels up for the rest of the evening. I was sat next to Pablo with my head resting against the sofa for a while before he noticed and put an arm around me to move me closer and the making me rest my head on his chest. Any other day I'd be a bit more hesitant especially around all of our friends but tonight I'm so tried that I don't really care as much. Once I was settled he went right back to playing with his arm around me. 

Pablo was so comfy that I could have fallen asleep if it wasn't for the constant shouting from everyone when they were losing. I was also trying to subtly stare at Pablo as he played as I have always loved the way he looks when he's concentrating but he caught me a few times and just stared right back until we both ended up laughing as we can't be serious for too long. After they decided to stop playing Pablo went back to looking down at me and playing with some of my hair and probably messing it up but I didn't care. We were so in our own world that we didn't notice the guys taking pictures of us until both of our phones went off and we both looked to see pictures of us cuddling. I wanted to be mad but I just couldn't as I actually really liked the pictures and will probably save them when I am on my own later so no one knows. 

Despite liking the pictures it was still embarrassing for our friends to see us like that when we always say we are just friends so I hid my face further into Pablo's chest to avoid looking at anyone. Hiding my face also meant that Pablo didn't see that my cheeks were definitely bright red not just from embarrassment but also because I thought the pictures were cute. The guys kept making fun of us but Pablo tried to defend the both of us until they eventually stopped their teasing and instead suggested we go out for a walk. We all agreed to go but of course it took a good 20 minutes before anyone actually made any attempt to leave and when we did it ended up with a few of us waiting for the others by the door for another 10 minutes. 

"Y/n you know Pablo really does love you he just won't make a move as he's scared to ruin your friendship" Pedri said while we were waiting to leave 

"He's so smitten with you seriously you are all he ever talks about" Ferran added 

"Yeah right we are just friends and probably always will be" I said 

"We're being serious we know you like him too but he never going to make a move if you don't encourage him a little bit" Pedri said 

"I do like him but I don't want to ruin our friendship if things don't work out" I admitted 

"Believe us things will be just fine" Pedri said 

"What are you guys talking about?" Pablo asked as he walked over 

"Oh nothing important" I said quickly 

Luckily he dropped it easily and we headed out on our walk. It was a lot colder outside than I thought it would be but I knew I just had to deal with it and warm up when we got back. I haven't really experienced much of Barcelona at night as usually I only ever see it coming back from a game or somewhere else as I don't like to go out at night just to be safe. The city is really pretty at night though with so many lights illuminating the streets which are much quieter once the sun sets. Everyone else was talking but I was just enjoying the view while trying to keep as warm as possible. Eventually my concentration on the view failed as my hands began to shiver and my arms became covered in goosebumps and even my nose started to get cold. Pablo must have noticed me getting cold as he took his jacket off which he had on over his hoodie and tried to hand it to me. To begin with I refused but then he just started putting in on for me so I gave in and let him put the jacket on for me. It was a good decision in the end as not only did the jacket warm me up significantly but it also smelled like Pablo which was a great added bonus.

We walked around for a bit longer before coming across a completely empty park which is when Pablo grabbed my hand and pulled me toward a patch of grass. He sat down and so I sat down next to him to see what exactly we were doing seeing as he just dragged me over with no explanation. It all became clear when Pablo started point at the sky which was filled with bright stars. I have learnt a little bit about star constellations so I showed him the ones I recognised and told him the few things I know about space. It was so much fun as I have never shared this knowledge with anyone so it was nice to get to tell someone else about it as space is something I find really fascinating. 

Without realising as I was talking I got closer to Pablo to the point that I was leaning against him with my face just inches from his. When I realised how close we were I felt my cheeks heating up which I was hoping wouldn't be too noticeable but from that close Pablo will definitely be able to see the blush on my cheeks. Things got awkward quite quickly to the point that I couldn't take it anymore so I had to move away a bit and look in the other direction. That didn't last very long before Pablo was moving closer to me again and out a hand on my face to get me to look at him. We looked into each other's eyes for a few moments before Pablo leant down and pressed his lips to mine for the first time. The kiss was everything I imagined it to be Pablo's lips were soft against mine and the kiss was full of passion and emotion. Eventually we both pulled away and went back to looking at each other but this time we both had big smiles on our faces.

"What are we?" I eventually asked 

"We can be whatever you want but you should know that I have never felt this strongly for anyone else in my life but if you want to just stay friends I can get over it I just don't want to lose you" he admitted 

"I don't want to just be friends" I said 

"Then y/n will you be my girlfriend?" He asked 

"Of course I will" I replied 

He gave me another kiss and this time we heard cheering from the rest of the guys who were clearly spying on us. The moment was quickly ruined when they all came and sat with us and started teasing Pablo and making fun of him for taking so long to make a move. While most of the group were teasing Pablo I was talking to Frenkie who was showing me pictures they had all taken of us which were really cute. Frenkie sent me the pictures and I of course made one of them my phone lock screen then I stole Pablo’s phone and did the same even if he changes it later so people don’t see. Once the boys were done with their teasing we finally headed back to Pedri’s place where we hung out for a bit longer before I wanted to go back home and actually get some sleep. 

Of course Pablo came with me but I didn’t drop him off at his place we both went back to my apartment as now that he’s mine I don’t want to ever leave him. Luckily Pablo is just as clingy as I am because he was happy to stay the night despite both of us having things to do in the morning. As I was tired we both got straight into bed and I fell asleep pretty much straight away with Pablo cuddling me and playing with my hair. 

[writtenjewels]

Wrong Number part 5

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

Jason confessed to reading Shakespeare; what he failed to mention was he memorized entire passages of those plays. After doing a tour of the Globe, Jason caught Salim's eye and proceeded to rattle off the entirety of Marc Antony's “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” speech. Salim could only gape in awe. When Jason was done, Salim felt like he should applaud.

“Even more nerdy than I thought,” he teased. “How can you remember all that?”

“I donno,” Jason shrugged, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. “I just do. You impressed?”

“Very,” Salim confirmed, his heart fluttering when Jason's smile grew wider. Without meaning to, Salim dropped his eyes down to Jason's lips. He quickly looked away again with his heart pounding even harder. “I don't really know a lot about Shakespeare,” Salim admitted.

“We had to learn it in school,” Jason told him. “It's wild: I read all those plays, and now here we are where they used to perform 'em. Maybe they still do,” he added as an afterthought.

“Too bad it's being renovated,” Salim mused. “We could have literally seen history come to life.”

They chatted for a bit more, then Salim asked another tourist to take a picture of them standing in front of the stage. Next they took a bus tour of other famous buildings in London – there were far too many to see in one day – with Salim snapping pictures, sometimes getting into the shot when Jason took the camera.

“You'll wanna show your kid these later,” Jason assured him.

“I'm meeting with him tomorrow, actually,” Salim mentioned. He hesitated, his heart pounding as his next words were forming on his tongue: Would you like to meet him?

“Good to know you'll still have a tour buddy,” Jason said. “I gotta be at the airport tomorrow to head on home.” Salim never felt his heart plummet so fast. He knew from the beginning that Jason's stay here in London was temporary, but he still somehow took for granted that the man would be around a while longer.

Initially, Salim wanted to take an evening river tour of the Thames that would include dinner. It felt strange to do it now, so he went instead with Jason to a pub where the other tried meat pies for the first time. The American's reaction was priceless… and cute. Though Salim really didn't want to keep thinking of how cute or charming Jason was.

This great sense of loss felt so silly considering the fact they just met, and he wouldn't have even known Jason existed if the hotel hadn't made that mistake with the room key. How did the prospect of saying goodbye to a man he barely knew for twenty-four hours feel more painful than finding out his own wife left him?

All too soon they were back at the hotel in front of their respective doors.

“Will I see you at breakfast tomorrow?” Salim asked.

“Don't think so,” Jason sighed. “I gotta check out pretty early. Hey, before I forget,” he mentioned. “I got you something.” He opened his bag where he had souvenirs for all his friends and family. “I noticed you weren't gettin' yourself anything,” he explained, “so I did it for you.”

“Thank you.” Salim took the gift, a little mystified. It turned out to be a box containing a coffee mug. “I feel like I should give you something now,” he remarked wryly. For a brief moment he envisioned pressing Jason against his hotel door and kissing him. Salim dismissed the thought and hoped Jason wouldn't notice his blush.

“You kept me company,” Jason shrugged, and Salim thought maybe those fair cheeks were a little red, too. “That's plenty.”

“All right.” Salim swallowed. “Good night and have a safe flight home.”

“Take care,” Jason returned. There was a moment of awkwardness, then he stuck his hand out. Feeling a little deflated, Salim shook Jason's hand.

The next morning, after showering and dressing, Salim went to Jason's door just to check if the American was already gone. There was no answer to Salim's knock. He held out hope that Jason would be at breakfast, after all, but there was no sign. Eventually Salim had to get back to his room to do his own check-out. The last thing he packed was the coffee mug Jason gave him. He opened the box to get a better look at it.

To his surprise, Salim found a piece of paper inside the mug. On one side was a string of numbers. He flipped it over and saw a written note.

Just in case I wasn't the only one who felt something. ~ Jason

Salim's heart fluttered and he turned the paper back over to the string of numbers. Jason's phone number.

[akesdraws-blog]

🌩️Under the Clouds of War🌩️

Event created by:

@post-apocalyptic-daydream @thelaundrybitch @leosgirl82 @tmnt-tychou @nittleboo and @turtle-babe83

💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖

• “You’re gonna pretend like you have no idea how I’ve felt about you, since the first day we met?”

• Pocky Game

💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖

Version: ROTTMNT

Character: Leonardo Future x Reader

An alien invasion had taken over the world many years ago, you remembered it like it was yesterday when you barely enjoyed an outing with your best friends, and now you were fighting alongside them to put an end to the Krang invasion.

April and you trained the new recruits of the resistance, and thanks to some knowledge that you obtained over time, you were in charge of the medical area, which unfortunately used to be full, the room was rarely not full.

You still had the bitter memory in your mind of when you tried to save Raph, but it was too late to do anything, sometimes you couldn't even sleep properly because of the workload, but you had promised Raph that you would keep everyone safe, even with the arrival of Casey who was like a son to you, after Cassandra passed away.

But let's leave that part of the bitterness for later, now you finally had a calm day, or something similar, considering that you lived in an alien invasion, there were only a few injuries and Commander April together with Leo found a new supply place, they had some cans of food, they found medicines and bandages, it was like a miracle for everyone, now you were in the infirmary tidying up, to have everything ready for any emergency.

-Knock Knock, do you have room for a consultation?- Leonardo's characteristic voice was heard

-If you need an injection, I'll leave that to Donnie- you said amused to sit in your chair

-Please no, the last time I don't even remember why I fainted in his laboratory-I speak feeling a chill just remembering the moment

-I remember, I almost had a heart attack when I thought Donnie was experimenting on you- he told her, letting out a small laugh -But let's not get sidetracked, what do you need?- I ask with a smile

You noticed how Leonardo approached with a smile, and before you could ask anything else, he showed you a small box, one you hadn't seen in a long time.

-Is that chocolate?- I ask in disbelief.

-I know, we found it in pieces in that store- she sat on your desk while she took out one of the chocolate sticks -We shared some with everyone and I saved some for ourselves- she smiled at you to extend the sweet

-I never thought I'd try one again- you took the sweet carefully to give it a small bite -I missed it so much!- at that moment you could have cried from the taste

-I know, you should have seen everyone's faces, it was like Christmas but 100 times better- I watch you eat the chocolate stick with a smile -You know, if my memory serves me right, wasn't there a game? was it called?- I look at one of the sticks while still moving them inside the box

- Pocky Game!- you spoke with a smile remembering it -Oh dear, now saying it out loud makes me feel too old- you laughed amused as you remembered how you and some of your friends bought them all the time

-Right! It was a trend at that time- he spoke funny to bite one of the sticks and keeping it in his mouth

They both looked at each other for a moment, and you only took one more bite of your chocolate stick as if nothing had happened, although it only caused a disappointed look from Leo.

L. -Nothing? Really?- he asked indignantly to bite his chocolate stick again -he just made a good move a moment ago- he spoke while looking at the piece of chocolate that he still had

-I didn't even notice it- you spoke amused but then you felt Leo's big shadow on you -What's wrong?- you asked with a slight blush on your cheeks

-You’re gonna pretend like you have no idea how I’ve felt about you, since the first day we met?- I ask directly

You had heard the way I speak, that voice that he now had for the years that had passed, he still had that touch of mischief and he flirted like when they were both teenagers, you saw how he got closer and closer, his lips were only a thread away of separation, but you moved your head to the side breaking that possible union.

-Did I misunderstand?-I ask to rub his neck a little embarrassed

-No, no, that's not why- you explained while hugging yourself -What's happening is... We're in this situation and I don't see it as correct- you confessed a little down

-They say that in war and in love anything goes, but...- I reached to take your hand delicately -Also in war there is a place for love, don't you think so?- I finished speaking giving you a smile

-You're still a flirt- you let out a small laugh to correspond to the action

It is true that love is born as a small bud, one that grows a little more each day, until finally it becomes a beautiful flower, but it does not choose where to open its petals, nor does it choose the moment, just like a small flower that came out between the pavement and pollution.

Your love was born from their first meeting and slowly grew to bloom radiantly under the clouds of a cruel Krang invasion.

💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖✨💖

A little love was needed for the Rise boys 😚I loved joining this event, just like the last time.

I look forward to the next few months.

Tags:

@post-apocalyptic-daydream . @turtle-babe83 . @turtlesmakemehappy . @dilucsflame33 . @thelaundrybitch . @scholastic-dragon . @leosgirl82 . @tmnt-tychou . @mackbunny . @happymoonangel . @lazyafgurl .

[alcamcat]

Hello! I saw that you were willing to take requests so may I request a platonic imagine of gardening with James, Confessing they like spending time with him and the brothers cause they feel like family to them.

Hey, you are my first request! I wrote a little scenario about it, hope you like it!

-I don't own the game or the characters-     

It was one of those days. Life wasn't bad per se, but somehow everything had gone wrong that day. The alarm hadn't rung, then there was so much traffic that they were late for the first appointment. From then on it went even further downhill. Stress, forgetting their lunch at home and of course they got stuck in traffic on the way back again. The only bright spot in the day was the arrangement to meet James, their neighbor. He had recently moved to town with his brothers and lived in the house next door.

A short time later they were already kneeling next to James in front of the bed and together they planted the newly acquired flowers. They talked about their day, he asked interested questions as if it were the most natural thing in the world. With every minute that they spent with James in the garden and told him about the day, they relaxed more and more. He just manages to ask the right questions to make everything appear in a more positive light for them. A smile soon appeared on their features and by the time they accidentally dropped something and James caught it for them, they had already forgotten that their day had been anything but good.

It quickly became apparent that he, like them, enjoyed working in the garden and over time the contact had become closer and closer. And they had to admit that he and his brothers had crept into their heart. When they were with them, it was a little like coming home. It wasn't that they didn't have friends, people to hang out with, but there was something about gardening with James and watching the brothers' interactions that felt so comforting, even if they couldn't describe why.

After quickly changing clothes, they opened the small gate that separated their gardens. James was already kneeling in front of a flower bed. He looked up when he heard the sound of the gate. "Hello, I'm glad you made it!" With a smile that came naturally, they walked up to him. "Hi James, I said I'd help. So..." They looked around, "...what can I do?"

In between, Damien came up to them and invited them to stay for dinner. Matthew, the second youngest brother as they knew, had found a new dessert recipe and was going to try it. They considered turning down the offer, but before they could say anything, Damien smiled kindly. "I know you want it!" And yes, he was right. They wanted to stay for dinner, continue talking to James and watch the brothers tease each other. They were too comfortable with them to refuse. "I would like to stay for dinner, thank you!" "You're welcome, I'm looking forward to it." "But first we have to finish this." James intervened and handed them a rake, which they accepted with a smile.

When they finally planted the last plant and started smoothing the soil over the bed, they were talking about holiday destinations. Conversations with James were always interesting, he had a wide range of knowledge and was always interested in the opinions of others. "I was in Germany once and visited a Christmas market..." their story was interrupted by loud screams coming from the house. Not a second later the patio door flew open and Matthew ran into the garden. Closely followed by Sam who seemed to slow down when he saw them. Matthew laughed, running straight for the two of them and in one quick movement he jumped behind them, wrapping his arm around their waist and pushing them in front of him as if using them as some kind of shield.

"It really wasn't me!" he spluttered out laughing while a single look from James was enough to bring Sam to a halt in front of them. "Bullshit. Nobody else was at the console. You deleted my fucking save." They felt Matthew, still laughing, shake his head behind them. "It wasn't me, why would I delete such a bad save?" "You little pig..." "Sam!" James cut him off with a warning in his voice and they couldn't hold back their laughter any longer.

Their laughter seemed so confusing to Sam that he opened and closed his mouth like a fish for a few seconds, which only made them and Matthew laugh more. When he finally caught himself, he crossed his arms and tilted his head at them. "And what's so funny about that, exactly?" They raised their hands reassuringly, and as they spoke, remembering using the exact same gesture to placate their siblings, "Nothing, really."

"I think they're laughing because you guys are acting like little, ill-mannered kids," James suggested and they pressed their lips together to keep from laughing again. Then he turned to Matthew, "Didn't you actually want to make dinner?" They dismissed it as an illusion that James's gaze wandered to the arm that Matthew still had around them when he asked the question. Matthew immediately let go of them and danced around Sam, who followed his movements with narrowed eyes.

"I apologize on their behalf", James finally said with a sigh as Sam walked back into the house as well. "You don't have to." James looked at them in mild disbelief for a moment before bending down to pick up the last sack of potting soil. As if automatically, they grabbed the rake again. "Besides..." they murmured under their breath, immediately catching James' attention again, who gave them a questioning look when they didn't continue.

"Besides...?" he repeated, questioningly, as if to encourage them to continue. They bit their lip with a smile. "Besides, I find it really refreshing to be around your brothers." "Really?" James' doubtful expression drew a laugh from them. "Yes! It's nice to see how you treat each other. When I'm with you, it feels a bit like coming home for me. I know that might sound strange, but you and your brothers are like family to me now!”

James' eyes had widened with every word and they looked down in embarrassment until they felt a hand on their shoulder. When they looked at James again, he gave them a friendly smile. "That doesn't sound strange at all. I am glad that you feel comfortable with us! After all, we are fond of you too.” The words had a very special ring to them. A warm wave spread from their heart through their body. A feeling of contentment set in that they had missed for a long time without knowing it.

They smiled at each other for a moment, then James lowered his hand and grabbed a shovel. "So, you just talked about Germany. What is a Christmas market?” His calm curiosity pleased them and they immediately engaged in a pleasant conversation. When Matthew called for dinner a little later and the two had put away their tools, James offered his arm to lead them into the house.

Of course, they accepted the offer and together with him entered the house, where a fun evening full of brotherly teasing and interesting conversations awaited them. A bit like coming home.

[i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle]

((Note: This is Part 2 of 2 of a crossover story with a friend of mine's character that delves into a what if they were in the I Dream of Twilight Sparkle universe. Here is their twitter (However, must of course warn that you will find NSFW art here)

Chronologically, this falls 5 years after the defeat of Cozy, Tirek, and Chrysalis. And also 5 years before Earnest Empathetic Change begins.

Just like the story where Nova Spark met up with Geniequestria Starlight, this serves as a B-canon in that it's canon if you want it to be. But won't likely effect stuff outside this story. We brainstormed and wrote this together, while my friend did all the supporting art for this))

Sunset would be able to hear Nova and Fury gasp at their new appearance. 

Nova: (W-woah! We got more traits than expected! I think we look pretty good! And even though neither Fury or I am in control… I feel more powerful than ever! Look, even our cutie mark changed, remarkable! This is less assimilation and more of a fusion!) 

The senses that were now returned to Sunset for the first time in years, combined with their newfound magical power. It was as if they were a brand new pony!

Nova: (Hahaha! We're so happy for you, Sunset! I told you it was possible to make this work!) 

Nova beamed 

Nova: (Even… if I was on the verge of almost giving up. We pulled through in the end! Hah, place your bets, who will freak out first when they see us. Twilight or Starlight? My bet's on Twilight considering Starlight hasn't met us yet.)

Sunset didn't have much reason to doubt Nova as she mentioned it in their discussion within the mind. But to actually feel blood coursing through her veins again, real skin and flesh. It felt odd after being a spirit for so long. But it nonetheless felt great. There was one thing she had to do now...

Sunset walked on over to the section covering her death. Looked at the figures of her murderers, and conjured a five fingered hand. Flipping the bird at them.

Sunset: HA! Take that, you good for nothing flankholes! I'm back! Hahahahaha!

She knew it wasn't really them, and she thanks goodness it isn't. But it was satisfying nonetheless 

Both Nova and Fury were somewhat taken aback by Sunset's first action in their body, cursing out her murderers. But considering they got to feel her emotions and pain not too long ago, this was understandable. 

Fury: (Ha! You tell em! You can now come back and they NEVER will! Oh and Nova, I'm jumping in on that bet, Starlight will freak out first. I mean she'll actually get to hug her mom for the first time even if it's a different body. I think that holds more precedence.)

Sunset: (A bit of a correction there, Fury. Starlight was able to hug me as a spirit, but our first actual hug in real bodies will certainly be... something special.)

Fury chuckled

Fury: (Ah I see, well my point still stands though!)

Sunset herself begins to get a feel for the power. She shivers with the magic coursing through her body.

Sunset: Wow... how strong are we now...? I've felt what it's like to have power... but I could almost swear this dwarfs even my own power in my prime... You don't think... that this fusion made us a... half-spirit like Twilight. Not exactly a genie since the 'vessel' is you Nova, but still some of the same abilities. If it's true, we might have the ability to shift our backside into a ghostly tail and fly like that. Do you girls want to give that a try to test it out?

And if that works... even wishes might be on the table! 

Sunset does raise a good question about their power. It doesn't just feel like one was added to the other, rather it felt like it had multiplied! So it's no wonder why Nova had struggled to hold it in. Nova paces around in their mind to think. 

Nova: (I...suppose the process is far more in depth than we could have realized. This is new ground for all of us. I hadn't even thought we'd have magical power like this. But just look at our mane for example, it moves like Celestia or Luna's does! If we're half spirit in the technical sense... )

A wide grin comes across her face as Sunset is also putting things together. 

Nova: (It's a shame we don't get the attire but being an equivalent to a genie!? Hahaha! With spiritual power and potentially wish granting abilities!?! You think either of us are going to say no to some test runs?! Fury, you ready to show the world what we're capable of?)

Fury gives as big of a grin 

Fury: (Are you kidding? I'm more than ready, though just remember, it's ultimately up to Sunset as she's the one in control. But you can deal with that, can't you?) 

She asks in a teasing tone

Nova grumbles, knowing that the lack of control does usually bother her. 

Nova: (Hmph! I-I'll be fine! We can still feel all the power from within here so it's fine, especially with Sunset at the helm! I'm sure we uh… we'd be quite reckless with it. Though I won't lie, I do want to know what our maximum power is right now, this just feels incredible! Nothing like what we've ever felt before!) 

Sunset: If this works, I'll only do a quick fly through the museum. Don't want to freak out all of Sire's Hollow with a random pony they might not even recognize that it's me and/or Nova right away. But alright, let's try this...

Sunset takes a deep breath focusing some magic, something of a spiritual aura seems to surround them as they get to use the magic of a spirit for the first time. Sunset levitates off the ground, and mid-air she places her hindlegs parallel to each other.. She then gently moves them up and down, simulating a bit of a wave, soon her tail and the end of her hooves give way, starting to merge and stretch. Slowly moving up until it stops at just below their hips. A relaxing feeling washed over all three of them inside as they use their magic to defy gravity.

Sunset: Well, would you look at that! It worked!

Now... let's get going!

Sunset flies around the museum exhibits. Her life flashing before her eyes... in a literal sense. As she circles pass her life's memorabilia over and over again. 

Nova: That sounds reasonable, and there's more than enough space for a test flight. 

Both Nova and Fury seem excited to see if this will work, but what they didn't expect was that the magic Sunset was channeling would affect them within the mindscape! They gained an aura around them as well as Sunset used their magic. A blue one for Nova and a red one for Fury, they too began to levitate as the magic coursed through their body! 

Nova: (W-woah! Fury, we're flying!! And uh oooh, this actually doesn't feel too bad! Is this what it's like to be a spirit? The lack of hindlegs takes a moment to get used to but… I don't hate it!) 

Like Sunset was doing on the outside, Nova and Fury began to fly around inside their head.

Fury: (This is insane! I feel lighter than ever and yet so relaxed too. Look at our auras!)

Fury said in an amazed tone 

Fury: (Sunset, this is incredible, our body is holding up just fine too, yeah? Hey see if we can go through walls like you did!] 

Going past all of the exhibits once more, a thought popped into Nova's head 

Nova: (Hey, you think with the discoveries we make in the next few days, we'll have to add a new section to your museum? I mean these findings are going to be massive for all of Equestria! If this is what's happening to us, we may have just stumbled onto how ponies can use spirit magic for themselves!!)

Sunset stops herself to think about what Nova said.

Sunset: That seems like something we'd have to be careful with however. We can't just let EVERYPONY get a spirit inside them. They'd have to be trustworthy, on nearly the same level of making sure they'd be responsible like how genies of Saddle Arabia in the past vetted ponies that would use their power responsibly.

And even besides that, Dragon Tears are still rare. It's not even a 100% guarantee that a dragon who dies will drop one.

That said, I suppose I wouldn't mind an eventual ‘Sunset returns!’ section eventually. 

Nova: (Hmm… that's actually a fair point, if everypony had unfiltered access it could lead to the rise of a more powerful villain and we don't need any more of those. But it's still something worth looking into. From what I've been told about the other elements of harmony bearers for example. I believe the element of Honesty, Applejack, would find this to be beneficial. But as much as I don't want to admit it. We'd probably need to run this by Twilight to prevent spirit magic from getting into the wrong hooves. And also make sure with the summoned spirits that it's not a permanent revival either. I don't think there are many other ponies like us either that understand their own heads and mindspaces. It could get sticky fast....) 

She sounds disappointed at first but perks up moments later 

Nova: (But just imagine the possibilities!! And we're going to see her right now anyway so I guess we'll know how she feels soon enough.) 

As Nova suggests going through walls, Sunset remembered that she could touch the wall earlier when she was first trying out her new live body. She knows she'll probably crash if she flew into as she is now. Sunset's happy to be alive in some capacity but she's not looking forward to feeling pain again. And she should also be careful because this isn't her own body. However, with the power coursing through their veins. She thinks of another way. She charges her horn, enveloping herself as her opaqueness fades into transparency. THAT'S when she tries to go through a wall. And it works perfectly.

Sunset: It takes a bit of 'Going Ghost' first but we certainly can!

Nova and Fury internally brace for an impact, they do trust Sunset, but given that she's still getting used to a body and the fact that they weren't sure if this would work, they wanted to be careful. But they look in awe as Sunset cast a spell allowing them to phase through easily

Fury: (Watching Sunset in action like this it's incredible. I didn't even know such a spell existed. Look at that, you're still able to teach us new tricks and with our own body too!)

Nova: (I KNOW RIGHT?! Fury, we need to be sure to take note of all these spells! It doesn't matter if we will or won't be able to cast them ourselves when we separate but it's something to work towards! Hehehe actually… you wanna give the receptionist one more jolt before we head out, Sunset?)

Sunset giggles about spooking the receptionist again.

Sunset: As fun as that would be, I think I'll be nice and spare her another scare. It might even be worse since she might not even recognize us now. She's willing to forgive me... most of the time... but not if she doesn't recognize that I'm half of what's scaring her.

Sunset also flies back down onto the ground. Reverting the ghostly tail back to her and Nova's tail and hindlegs. Satisfied enough with that test.

Nova and Fury sigh, but Sunset is right. The receptionist didn't seem too fond of them already so to scare them now that they're unrecognizable seems like a poor choice. When Sunset undoes the magic that allowed her to fly, both Nova and Fury find themselves back to normal as well.

Nova: (Huh, that's interesting we've got our legs back. Fury, you're used to being in here more than I am. Is this normally what happens to you when I take on a new form?) 

Fury: (Kind of? Honestly, with Sunset in charge it feels different. Not bad, but just different.)

Sunset: Say I wonder when Twilight's coming ba-

As if on cue, a portal opens up not far from where Sunset was standing. Twilight has her eyes closed with a smile.

Twilight: I'm back Nova and Sunset! I checked on Spike and he's holding up pretty well, I'm so proud of my boy! What have you two be... en... up... to....?

She opened her eyes as the end of her sentence trailed off. Immediately, seeing not two ponies. But just one, her eyes widen as she can clearly tell there's both Sunset and Nova traits... And her right eye twitches....

Sunset: (Oh boy... incoming Twilighting!)

When Twilight pops back into the museum, Nova can't help but cheer that she's seemingly won her little bet. 

Nova: (HAH I CALLED IT! YES! I love it when I'm right! She might try to undo this by the way, but....actually we're kind of on an even playing field with her now aren't we? Hehehehehe!! That look on her face, oh I will not be forgetting it any time soon! Oohh ooh Sunset, you should try acting like me, go along with the bit! I haven't told Twilight anything about this experiment so she probably thinks I'm still in charge. Just make sure to call her by her last name to be convincing!) 

Fury rolls her eyes, but she can't help but laugh along with Nova as well

Fury: (Alright alright, you win but who knows, Starlight could come in any second and we get the student teacher freakout!)

Twilight: WHAT THE ACTUAL HAY?! Nova! Did you just... ABSORB Sunset?!

As much as Nova was enjoying seeing Twilight's reaction. Sunset wasn't so sure it'd be a great idea, especially since Twilight could probably split them back potentially within seconds. 

Sunset: (No, Nova. If she thinks I'm you. She may split us before we have a second to react. I need to calm her down, say the truth, and say that you gave me control. Do you really want to have to perform that spell again so soon?)

Before Nova can even respond, Sunset gets straight to making sure Twilight doesn't act too quickly.

Sunset: Hold up, Twilight. We can explain! I'm in control right now, and Nova willingly let me do so...

Twilight just about had her horn charging, but as she hears Sunset's voice only. She drops it.

Twilight: Huh?! Really...?

Nova: (N-no… I don't think I'm even capable of doing it again so soon... you've got a good point…) 

She pouted like a filly who was just told that she couldn't have any dessert.

Fury patted Nova's back in understanding 

Fury: (It's a good thing we've got somepony responsible in charge for a change! Though to be fair… I would've pulled the same stunt heh. But this is better than getting blasted and having the magic ripped from us… which I'm sure would hurt like we couldn't even possibly imagine.)

Nova: (If we're telling her the truth anyway, tell her that this was something I was looking into. I knew she might get like this had I told her sooner so I kept it secret until I actually attempted it with you. In fact, it might be wise to tell her everything we just experienced here. The magical upgrade, the exchange of memories, thoughts and emotions. All of it. I know we'll get a lecture later but I think even Twilight will come to understand why we did what we did. And you can reassure her that I had no ill intent when doing this!)

Sunset: Twilight, I understand this seems quite sudden. But I promise some actual good can come from this, and Nova didn't do this for selfish reasons. Plus, you should know right away that this is not permanent. She didn't tell you that she could do this because she knew you wouldn't have allowed it. At least... not before hearing my perspective...

Twilight, you know I died very young. Too young for most ponies' sensibilities to understand. The heartbreak I had ever since I had to leave Firelight all alone to take care of a newborn baby all by himself... he didn't even know I died until I was summoned! He could have thought I literally ABANDONED him! You have no idea how lucky I am that he kept the faith, even after decades of nopony knowing my fate...

There was so much I wanted to do with my life still, and I had to face the music that it was never going to be... all because I got cocky and thought I could handle Cozy's family by myself... If I had gotten a forewarning about their intentions. I might have gotten backup guards or even let Princess Celestia accompany me, and I would most likely have lived up to this day. And Starlight would have never gone down the path she did when you fought her.

Obviously, me being in Nova's body won't give me what I've already missed. I'll never get to experience raising Starlight to adulthood, I'll never get to experience the joys of coming back home to my daughter's smiling face when she was only a filly. And I wasn't there to help tell her right from wrong and work together with Firelight to assure Starlight was set for a better future.

I owe you so much for filling in the void when you made her your student the first time around. You gave her what she needed most, and that's why you're the perfect older sister figure for her. You stepped in when I tragically couldn't.

While Spirit Summoning has helped rectify much of this. There are still... limitations to it. I can hug my daughter even as a spirit, but I cannot physically do much else. The only games I can play with her are board games where she or somepony else moves the pieces for me. I can't use magic as a spirit other than to fly through the air. As any other use of my spiritual power is only useful for the soul shield. Nova's spell allows me to live again, even for a short time. It will never be for longer than 3 days, and I won't be neglecting my eternal mission up in the soul shield.

And when I was merged into Nova's mind. We saw each other's memories... she saw some of the awful things I've seen and felt what it was like to die violently from a first person perspective. And I... saw how horrible her childhood was. And how I was one of the few bright spots in her young life. In a way... I think she needs me as much as I want to feel alive again even for just a short amount of time. She herself needs to know the love of a good mother... and I think I can give her that if you can give me the chance.

I promise I'll keep her in control, she'll listen to me. This was a mutual agreement too, she did not trick me and started absorbing me into her horn. I know you have some experience with being tricked, given Malakhar did that to genify you. This isn't that situation, imagine if Malakhar had been more straight with you. Maybe even brought up the fact how much it'd benefit you and Spike's relationship. That way Malakhar got to fulfill his grandfather's death wish, and you and Spike weigh your options before the genification and he even warns you that you'd be magically brought within the vessel. If you can think of this situation like that, you should fully understand what that means for the both of us.

Nova: (That's exactly why I wanted to do this in the first place. I don't think anypony would ever take this kind of risk, but if anypony deserved a second chance, it's you, Sunset. Can you tell Twilight… that I am sorry for not telling her. But I just wanted to help in my own way.) 

Fury: (Sure, it could be seen as some bits of our ego shining through as well, but we just can't help it when we get inspired heh.)

The mention of them needing a true sense of motherly love stuns them as they didn't expect Sunset to even offer such a thing. The two tatzls stammer in response.

Nova: (H-hey I'm not… not a foal anymore… b-but… I mean uh this w-was just for you! We weren't intending to dump our issues onto you…)

Fury: (A-and I know I made a bit of a joke in calling you mom earlier... But you're really ok with that...?) 

Both of their faces went completely red, it was a good thing only Sunset could see them right now. This praise for her spell, combined with a want to help them as much as she is already helping her. The two look at each other, still in a state of disbelief.

Nova: (I'm not going to turn her away either…)

Fury: (To be fair she saw our whole lives so… this is what we wanted. We just… didn't expect it to happen… heh…)

Twilight stands there, fully paying attention to Sunset’s words. She’s right about all of this, Sunset finally getting her chance to walk Equestria in a flesh and blood body, even noting how Sunset’s voice no longer echoed, Sunset able to use magic again, and so much more. She lowers head as she thinks it over. Raising her head back up with a smile.

Twilight: I… guess this is ok then… you are correct… if Malakhar had been much less misleading and let me and Spike weigh the options ourselves beforehand. Maybe we would have at least given it a shot, and the decision to stay a genie would have had much more time to think it through. I don’t know if I’m still a genie in that hypothetical situation, but it would have been more mutually beneficial. If that’s how you both see it, then I fully understand

Twilight puts a hoof on… she realizes she doesn’t even know what to call them!

Twilight: So…. wait… what do we even call you right now? Sunova? Sunspark? Nova Shimmer? Shimmerspark? Shiva?

Both mares were thankful to have Sunset in their corner right now. But what Twilight said did pose an interesting question for the trio. Would they need a new name?

Nova: (I hadn't even thought about it. We technically are a fusion right now but… we're all still individuals? Some of these names Sparkle came up with are pretty good, I've gotta save them for later.) 

She puts a hoof to her chin, trying to think of something that could work for the three of them. 

Nova: (I don't think a new name is a bad idea, it's not like we currently look like ourselves or Sunset. I do like Supernova though…)

Fury rolls her eyes 

Fury: (No, we're not going with that miss ego. I think something that reflects us and Sunset would work

What about... Sparkling Dawn? Radiant… no NO, nothing with that name. Uh, I kinda like Sunspark actually. But what do you think, Sunset? rock a new name in this form? or do we stick with what we've got cause I don't think Nova and I mind either way.)

Nova: (Sunspark does work for me too. Though I'm still gonna be partial to Supernova, given these powers! Novashine maybe? Eeeeh, we're always bad with naming conventions. This was so much easier when choosing our experiment names!)

Sunset: (Yeah... sorry, Nova. Supernova will only end up getting into your head... If you two are fine with Sunspark though. We can go by that for now, a name is just a name. If something better comes up later we can always choose that.

...Oh, and yes Fury. If you and Nova would accept me, I'd gladly be a foster mother for the both of you.)

Twilight, we'll go by one of your name suggestions of Sunspark for now.

Twilight nods, proceeding to reach her hoof to put it on Sunspark's shoulder

Twilight: Welcome back to the world of the living, Sunset... 

And Nova... if you can hear me from out here... while I'm still a bit upset that you didn't tell me about this... I appreciate what you're doing. Sunset's correct that I probably wouldn't have considered it from her point-of-view. This soul magic thing is all new magic for scientifically inclined ponies like us, we're still discovering new things about it almost every year. So pardon me if I might have been worried if there would be potential consequences. But this seems to be working out for the best. If there's any trouble the both of you get into though, please try to contact me immediately. I will do whatever is necessary to help. You got that?

Nova: (I suppose I'll have to save the 'Supernova' name for something else in the future… Sunspark is more than acceptable for the time being.) 

Nova lets out an exaggerated sigh. She knew full well that it probably would be shot down. Her expression changes immediately when Sunset agrees to be a foster mother in a sense to them. Both she and Fury hold each other, looking like they might cry again but hold it together.

Nova: (I-if you seriously mean that I...I...I...um... I hope it won't be too awkward if I c-call you m-m-m… mom or something! Or maybe I can just keep calling you Sunset or Ms. Shimmer or… Mmph!?)

Fury covers Nova's mouth with a hoof

Fury: (What she's trying to say is that we'd be more than happy to have you as our… our… m-mom... damn, I'm doing it too, heh… we're just not the best with handling emotions like this. Right Nova?) 

Nova nods meekly before wiping a tear of joy from her eye.

Nova: (We'll do our best to not let you down, that's a promise. And do tell Twilight that we're fully prepared to abort this whole thing if we feel any hint of danger. The last thing we want is for any harm to come to you. And tell her once this is all done I'll give her a full briefing on our findings as well as potential use for this spell with other spirits. I think it'll give her something to look forward to.)

Sunset: Nova says she'll release me if any complications come up. She also hopes that it'll provide an interesting report as Equestria slowly learns more and more about the nature of soul magic.

Twilight smiles

Twilight: That's good, then. But wow! I can't wait til' Starlight learns of th-

Once again as if on cue, Starlight arrives looking for her mother

Starlight: Mom? Are you in here? Dad said you and Twilight were giving a friend of hers a tour and I thought I'd... HUUUUUUUUUUH?!

Starlight stops herself, her mouth drops about as low as it can go. as she sees what clearly seems to be traits of her mother... attached to a pony that Starlight's only been acquainted with.

Sunset, still in full control of Sunspark grins awkwardly, putting a hoof behind her head with a sweatdrop. And she waves with the other hoof

Sunset: Er.... hi, honey?

Starlight stands still, one eye twitches much like Twilight did earlier...

And releases a piercing scream that echoes through the museum. 

Even within the confines of a mental space, Nova and Fury cover their ears from Starlight's scream. Fury does take this as an opportunity to gloat though.

Fury: (See? Told you we'd get the double freakout! Like teacher, like student! Though considering how fast Twilight was ready to blast us, maaaaaybe we should put up a shield now? We don't know your daughter too well but from what Twilight has told us, she's more quick to blast a perceived threat. Honestly, it makes me think we might get along pretty well!)

Nova: (Yeah but with her mother now a physical part of us, we might be on some thin ice for a bit. I wonder how many freakouts we'll be seeing today? You think Firelight is going to do the same?) 

She chuckles 

Nova: (But Fury's got a point, I really don't want to get blasted… though given our power would it really harm us… eeeh let's not do a stress test in here. I already promised the receptionist that I wouldn't do anything to the other exhibits. I'm not going to ask you to pretend to be me this time, let's just explain things again.)

At least Nova and Fury were learning their lesson this time around.

Sunset: (It's a good thing Stellar spared no expense for the extra-strength glass! Starlight might have broken all the glass in the exhibits closest to us!)

Nova wiped her forehead, quite glad she wouldn't be needing to pay for any repairs.

It takes some time, and some reassurances from both her mother and Twilight that everything will be just fine.

Starlight: Alright.... so if you can let me go process what you've just told me... Nova had some spell related to the Dragon's Tear, She asked my mom if she'd be willing to try it, she waited for an opportunity where Twilight wasn't in the room, But my mom did agree to go for it, and now she has full control of Nova's body... and as a result... in a sense... she's... alive... again....

Starlight felt conflicted, like Twilight she's still a little miffed that Nova didn't tell Twilight. At the same time though, her mother fully agreed to this. And... having gotten a full explanation now. The thought of having her mother in a physical body again was very enticing, even if the body is a little unfamiliar. And her mom was determined to help not just one, but two alter egos that have had terrible upbringings and/or done misdeeds... not too far from Starlight herself actually...

Starlight lowers her head.

Starlight: I see... and understand now... Heh, Nova... if we had properly met earlier... we'd probably have so much in common...  she helped you like she comforted me when I came clean to her about what I had done... and while it'll probably take some getting used to... I... wouldn't mind having some foster sisters around. Even if you're not exactly the first pony in here to have some form of sisterhood with...

She not so subtly refers to Twilight, given her goal in life is to not just become co-ruler. But actually be recognized as the successor to Luna as much as Twilight is the successor to Celestia. That includes the idea of two sister alicorns, even if in this case it won't be by blood. 

Nova: (Well she's got the gist of it, though I feel like maybe I could have explained my way to getting to this point rather than just waiting to ask for forgiveness…)

Fury: (Let's be real though, we would have tried it no matter what. I know you, Nova. It wouldn't be something you'd let go. Especially because of who we were doing it for.) 

The two share a laugh, Starlight surprising them by being so accepting of the situation, much like her mother was.

Nova: (I can't believe how kind you can all be, it's hard to grasp sometimes. I honestly don't know if we deserve this kindness but...I guess that comes with the territory of not trusting many others all these years. But still, I'll take this makeshift family over my blood related one any day of the week!

You tell our 'sis' that we'll be looking forward to actually forging a friendship but also a bit of a rivalry! I mean, Fury and I are the oldest ones compared to her or Twilight! I've been interested to see how our science and her magic stack up!)

Nova was getting more fired up about this as she spoke.

Nova: (Who knows? I might try to take a throne for myself! Haha! Princess of Science sounds like it's right up my alley! I can see it now!) 

It was obvious that she was joking but it was all in good fun for her. 

Fury: (Now that we're all caught up, why don't we spend some time outside huh? I'm sure we don't want to spend all three days in the museum! Besides, I'm sure your husband will want to see the new you!)

Sunset agrees that it may be time to get some fresh air.

Sunset: Twilight and Starlight, let's head back near Fi-Fi's place. Or... shall I say...

She turns to Starlight, while also hinting to Nova and Fury inside her head that she includes them in this too.

Sunset: Our home...

Starlight's eyes immediately watering, this was still a bit weird to her. But... if this was the only way for her mother to truly be back in full flesh and blood. She'd gladly take this over nothing at all. She approaches her mother, and gives her a big, tight hug the fusion of Sunset and Nova wastes no time returning the favor. As Sunset herself predicted, this was a very special hug. Twilight's eyes watering in pure happiness for both her student and Sunset. 

If there were any more doubts in their head about Sunset accepting this, they faded the moment she included them in calling her house their home too.

Nova: (C-come on, I just stopped crying! I d-don't show this much emotion in one day.)

Fury: (Maybe that's the problem, maybe you should give it a shot!)

Internally, Nova and Fury give Sunset their own hug while she hugs Starlight.

Nova: (I'll admit...this is really nice. Sunset… er m-mom was totally right in her prediction. But let's go! I want to see what our home is like!)

Twilight, Starlight, and Sunspark walk together out of the museum and head towards Starlight's old home. They can see Firelight near the front door, however, he wasn't alone. Sunburst and his parents were there as well. Sunset was surprised to see her brother Sunspot and his family here too. But figures that helps decrease the amount of times they have to explain what's happened. 

Nova and Fury having Sunset's memories within them now know Sunspot was a very helpful detective in many of Sunset's adventures. Spot wasn't in his name for nothing, though they also know how dedicated he was to his younger sister that he went on a decade-long trek around the world searching for any sign of her. He only found Sunset's horn in the end, which was how arguably the most macabre part of the museum got here.

As the three approach Firelight along with the Sunburst family. Their group waves a greeting to Twilight, Starlight, and.... 

Firelight: Whhhhhhhaaaaaa....?!

Along with Firelight's surprise, Sunburst's family's jaws dropped as they looked at Sunspark. Clearly recognizing traits of Sunset, but not understanding what this means yet. Sunset sighed.

Sunset: (Welp, time to explain things for the 3rd time in a row... we're going to have to be doing this a lot aren't we...)

Sunspot wasn't the only pony along with them, Stellar Flare was present as well along with one pony Nova did recognize prior to seeing all of Sunset's memories, Sunburst.

Nova: (Woah… that's your brother right? I wasn't expecting to see him here too! I mean… he DOES live here but like I didn't think he would have been here today… hmm he might not take what I did very well but at the same time, he might? Ugh, it's so weird to not be able to explain myself out there.)

Fury loomed over Nova with a wide grin

Fury: (Aaaaah, not so fun from this side is it? No trying to rip control away either you have to sit and accept what they have to say. No running from it, no trying to shut yourself away. This situation is not within your control! It's all a part of wanting to be accepted by them. But you know that already, because I know it.)

Nova pouts while Fury gives her a more playful hug

Fury: (Watching you squirm is just so fun for me, but don't you worry. I know that 'Momma Sunset' will handle it just fine! Speaking of which…)

She and Nova look outward to Sunset

Fury: (It may be for the best that we write this down, that way we don't have to keep repeating ourselves. Cause as fun as it is to watch ponies freak out, it's gonna get tiresome. Even if it is to be expected! Hey be glad we didn't grow wings with that magic boost! That would have been even more of a pain to explain to everypony! ...actually hold on, we may not have to explain ourselves this time, I think Sunburst is already figuring it out without an explanation.)

Sunburst, after picking his jaw up from the floor, circles around Sunspark, looking quite intrigued by their design.

Sunburst: This… should be impossible. You look like...no, it can't be. You're Nova correct? ...or are you… auntie Sunset? Who or what are you exactly?

Nova: (Eh he's close to getting it! Not surprising though. He's a smart one, I've seen some of his work, his understanding of magic theory is quite good) 

Sunspot turned towards his son

Sunspot: What?! You mean... my sister… has become a part of... this Nova pony...?

Firelight: Shimmy...?!

Sunburst: I… I don't know? Maybe? I've read some of her findings on genetic assimilation but this goes far beyond that!

He looked just as confused as everyone else there but at the same time, he was astounded by such potential.

Sunburst: What sort of thing did they do to even accomplish this feat? What kind of power did they tap into? I know Auntie was gifted, but I didn't think she could do that!

Stellar just puts a hoof on her cheek, she's half concerned, but also kind of intrigued. Just like how she's all about advancements of technology and civilization, new magic uses kind of excite her. She keeps quiet for now, she doesn't want to jump the magic spell just yet.

Sunspot: My gosh… I… wish Celestia was here to see this… she’d think this is incredible!

Twilight’s ears perk up, she thinks she may be able to arrange that. Then Sunspark puts a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.

Sunset: Hold up, let me try something. Before you or Starlight showed up, there was something else we learned. If we’re correct… we may be able to do this ourselves.

Twilight went wide-eyed.

Twilight: Huh? Are you saying… you two might be able to grant wishes now? You’re not saying your fusion made you two into a genie, are you?`

Sunspark shakes her head.

Sunset: Nor really, although we may share a great amount of abilities. I was able to fly all around the museum by transforming our backside/lower half into a ghostly tail. But to really put it to the test, wishing power would give us an idea of what we’ve gained. Let us try to bring Celestia here. If it doesn’t work, you can do it after. We just have to find out what we’re really capable of right now.

Twilight nods, giving them the ok.

Sunset: (Nova, Fury, are you ready? We’re teleporting Celestia here all the way from wherever she is in Silver Shoals. That should be just about child’s play for our power if our hunch is correct. And Celestia can just be teleported back or use that portal gum to go back whenever she wants to. Alright?) 

Nova and Fury stood at attention within their mind, more eager to show off.

Nova: (It sounds like we're getting some doubts out there! I'm not about to pass up an opportunity to show up Twilight at her own game! Besides, this is an excellent test! We get to even show Celestia how far we've come!( 

As Sunset began to charge their magic, the spiritual auras formed around themselves both inside and outside. Nova's blue and Fury's red aura's being channeled into this more fiery looking spirit power. Their eyes began to glow as their horn sparkled, yet there was no strain on any of them, using the magic this way felt right, it flowed through them naturally. Soon enough the magic shot out in front of them forming a ball of light, when it dissipated, a very confused Celestia stood before them.

Celestia: Hm? Wha…?! T-Twilight? Starlight? Did you bring me here? A little heads up would have been appreciated…

She chuckled, not having noticed who brought her there yet.

Celestia: Everything looks fine to me, is something… the… matter....?" 

Her eyes finally locked with Sunspark, seeing the combination of assets, she was stunned. She took a step forward, her lip quivering as if she wanted to say something but couldn't get it out. But she seemed to understand who she was looking at even with their fused appearance.

Celestia: You… S-s-sunset? SUNSET!!

Sunspark looks up, as Sunset's voice confirms Celestia's thoughts.

Sunset: Hello, Princess...

Celestia had been retired for a few years by now, but Sunset still called her Princess more so affectionately than for courtesy around royalty these days. Sunspark also braces for a big hug from the Alicorn.

Meanwhile, Twilight was stunned that they had managed to perform wish magic. Twilight wasn't the only wish granter now. She lets Celestia have her moment to reunite with Sunset now that she's alive again in a sense. But Twilight's eager to know how this fusion seems to have given them powers on par with her. She wasn't upset with the idea, she knew as long as Sunset was in there they'd be responsible. But it was still so shocking to have somepony else on par with her now. 

And if Twilight was surprised, everypony else was even more so by the existence of another pony able to grant wishes. In Sunspot's thoughts, he was actually quite proud of her sister. Anytime Sunset is in control of Nova's body, she's on equal terms with Twilight. Even if it's not for any more than 3 days at a time, Sunset is tied with Twilight as the most potentially powerful ponies in the world. Though Twilight might still have something of an edge for now with many more years of experience with wish magic.

Twilight: Well, I guess we know who to count on should something end up disabling me in some fashion. Which I hope never happens, but having emergency heroes at our disposal is quite welcome!

Celestia gave a small chuckle before giving her a tight hug

Celestia: You know I don't go by that title anymore, it's just Celestia now. I know I've already hugged you as a spirit, but I haven't gotten to do it like this since before you left…

Sunset: Old habits die hard, Princess. Just because you don't rule any longer, doesn't mean you're no longer still the Princess I dedicated my life to.

Sunspark winks, before bowing

She pulled back for a moment to get a better look at her.

Celestia: And it seems our other student has had quite the influence on you. Or perhaps I should say it's the other way around? Nova, I know you can hear me in there. You were always one to try and push the boundaries of what you were capable of. I'm proud of you.

That one statement meant so much to the tatzls, Nova's eyes started to water.

Nova: (She… she's proud of us? REALLY?!)

Perhaps, it was some influence Nova still had over their body or it was possibly an involuntary response, but Sunspark's tail wagged excitedly when told that.

Sunburst along with everypony else were stunned by the power on display here. Such a long range teleportation without the use of portal gum or genie magic was no small task. He went up to Starlight and Twilight, wondering how they were feeling about all this

Sunburst: One of Equestria's greatest heroes, back in the world of the living! With you three working together, Equestria will be safer than ever! And we can have our family back together! Starlight, can you believe this? You can now have your mom here in more than just her spirit form!

Starlight nods towards her cousin's observation.

Starlight: It is definitely one of the best new developments in magic ever since we found out Spike could summon the dead in the first place!

Twilight: Admittedly, we also have Discord in our corner. But he's not always around when things happen, that said I have heard he's actually assisted more than he ever has. Sunset, it does seem like that talk that you, Starlight, and Fluttershy said some years back really got to him. He'll pull the occasional harmless prank on me, but otherwise he certainly has not pulled a stunt anywhere near close to bringing all those villains back since.

Sunset: That's good to hear... he really needed to stop bucking around and endangering Equestria just in his odd ways of testing your princesshood...

Starlight: Man, even if I ascend I'll be inferior to the both of you. I don't exactly intend on becoming a genie, and while I do love you very much, Mom so don't take this the wrong way. But I don't know if I want to share my body with you, it just sounds... weird to be honest. Heh, it'd probably confuse the heck out of Dad how to talk to us if we fused.

Firelight just about confirms that by imagining his wife in his daughter's body. That'd be pretty awkward regardless of how he approached them.

Twilight: Well, Starlight. If you really wanted to have a big boost with this. Maybe you could combine it with say Jinn? She'd even have multiple millennia of knowledge you'd get from her.

Starlight thinks about it, having the bubbly first ever genie have control of her body. However she's kind of afraid there'd be so many memories loaded into her head from somepony that lived so long she wonders if there'd even be room for her own memories.

Starlight: Eh... no thanks. If we run into a situation where somehow Twilight, and Nova are unable to do anything. I could portal gum to Malakhar and ask him to genify me as a pure emergency. And I'd go back to normal before the time limit goes up. I just don't think the genie life is for me, personally. Even if that simulation from way back felt really good... 

Celestia: It truly is good to have you back, even if it is only temporary. And I'm sure that dedication goes for the both of you

Nova may not be seen from the outside, but her face is a deep shade of red.

Fury: (I'd call that a yes!)

Nova: (S-shush!! So what? D-don't look too into it!)

She says, still trying to hide some emotions despite Sunset and especially Fury knowing how Nova actually feels.

When the conversation shifts over to how they can benefit from it. And the topic of Discord comes up as well as someone like Starlight trying this type of fusion. This perks Nova up a bit.

Nova: (You know if Discord is still causing you all some trouble, you could always send him our way. I've yet to catalog draconequus DNA and I'd love to examine him! That chaotic genetic structure must be out of this world~!

Also you may want to warn them about how precise the spell has to be to work. I mean I'm sure Starlight is far more capable than we are thanks to her raw potential that she's gained from you. But if somepony like the original genie were factored into this, that kind of multiplied power may be too much even for her... after what it took to get you in here I may need to rethink about trying this experiment with Twilight...)

Fury raises an eyebrow at this.

Fury: (Uh huh, and I'm sure you're still gonna try it anyway aren't you?)

Nova: (...I might…) 

Sunset chuckles about Starlight's hesitation of fusing with her.

Sunset: I perfectly understand, Starlight. I admit I am kinda curious what kind of power our raw talent together would be multiplied into. Like… Imagine if together we were more powerful then Twilight! But there's no need to unless Twilight were to somehow go rogue

Twilight gulped a little at that thought, she's certainly happy now that both Sunset and Starlight would never want to harm her.  And the thought of her going evil somehow has crossed her mind but she's stayed pure long enough to get this far.

Stellar Flare: Not to butt in... but you girls haven't even fully explained how this all came to be. Some of us are still in the dark about this!

Sunset realizes they haven't even gotten into explaining what happened in the Museum

Sunset: Oh oops! Yeah... sorry about that. We've already told everything to Twilight and Starlight. I guess we just didn't feel like explaining it the 3rd time in a row so quickly like that. But... it is important. So we'll do the honors and tell you all.

Once more, everything that went on inside the museum is explained from Nova's spell all the way to the mutual benefits for both Nova and Sunset. It's a lot to take in, but they manage to warm up to the idea well enough. Sunset can have a living body again which for some made it worth it by itself, Sunset's doing what she can to help a pony (or rather two) feel what a loving family can be like, and it's an all new aspect to soul magic that will have magic geeks like Twilight and Sunburst just gushing inside their minds about the possibilities in the future.

Nova: (I get where she's coming from but that's a shame, the power you two would have would dwarf ours right now! And as much as I don't like admitting that, it's a cold hard fact. But Twilight, evil? Ehhhh I don't see it… at least not by her own volition, she's way too much of a goody goody.) 

Sunburst nodded in agreement with his mother.

Sunburst: Yes please, we're dying to know how this is even possible! I have just so many questions on your current state of being! And the state of Nova within you too, is she locked away? Sleeping? Or is she right there and can hear us?

Celestia chimed in on that last question

Celestia: Nova's situation is a bit unique so I'm sure she can hear us, but I too would love to hear how this was attained.

As Sunset explained one more time, everypony who hadn't heard how it all worked were stunned in amazement. The remarks of adding Nova and Fury to their family in a sense does give some trepidation to those that haven't properly met her yet but they still seem open to the idea given that she was willing to give up her own body for the time being to even make this work.

Sunburst: Oh my goodness! If soul magic can be harnessed in that way, just imagine the possibilities. And ponies like myself who don't have the highest magical power… even we can be helpful too. B-but not only that, we can get closer than ever before to our late loved ones! And Nova, since I know you can now hear me in there, we have to exchange notes later. I want to hear everything, from how you even came up with the idea to its execution!

Celestia looked down at Sunspark with a smile.

Celestia: Even now you're still trying to help ponies when they need it the most, Sunset. Some things never change do they? I hope she's not giving you too much trouble in there. 

She gave the mare a playful wink.

Nova: (H-hey! We're being as good as we can be!)

Fury: (That's right! We're prime daughter material over here!)

Firelight: Well, Shimmy... I do admit I've always wanted Starlight to have at least one sister. And now between those two in your head, and how she and Twilight sometimes are... it's like she has 3 sisters now! Hehe, I better start thinking of more nicknames!

Starlight jokes and winks to Nova and Fury

Starlight: Oh gosh! If you weren't stuck with my mom in control I'd suggest you start running now. If you're going to be a part of this family, you're going to have to tolerate my father's nicknames!

Doesn't help that because Nova and Fury have Sunset's memories, they know that Starlight's nicknames were actual names he proposed to name Starlight before she was born.

Stellar meanwhile is about crying about just how heartwarming this is. So many joyful tears that it begins to make her nose run as she gets out a handkerchief and blows into it.

Stellar: My my, Nova you really put a lot of... plans into this. You really were meant to be a part of our family~

Sunburst about groaning on Stellar's mention of plans.

Sunspot: Sis, this is absolutely the most fantastic coming of events since I got to reunite with you when you were first summoned. Thankfully this time, it's a lot less bittersweet. Tell me when you want to go on an adventure like the good ol' times. I'd love to start spotting some dinosaur fossils with you again.

Sunspark smiles

Sunset: I'd love that, big bro! (Don't suppose you two in here are dinosaur fans?) 

Sunburst: Oh dear, I hope you're able to deal with the way mom plans things... (I actually feel sorry they can't defend themselves at the moment.)

Celestia: And I'll be sure to visit when you're all here as well! It'll warm my heart to not only see my former students getting along but seeing the family you've all become a part of.

Hearing all this, it was quite overwhelming to say the least, especially for Nova. This kind of warm acceptance by them all, it was very unfamiliar to the mare. It made her recoil but not out of disgust, just unfamiliarity to the feeling. Fury on the other hand couldn't help but laugh

Nova: (They're all so...eager about this. I would have thought they might see me as just some weird intruder or just someone butting into business that I should have no part in… This is what a normal family is like...? What have we just gotten ourselves into?)

Fury: (Boy, I've never been so glad to not have my own body. You can enjoy ALL of these family shenanigans for the two of us, Nova! I know how much love and attention you've wanted, now you're getting plenty of it!) 

Nova glared at her counterpart 

Nova: (I'll be sure they pick only the highest quality nickname for you… I may even have to give Firelight... or dad… ooh, that's going to take some getting used to. But I'll give him some suggestions for you! We've seen all of 'mom's' memories of him so we know his preferences!) 

The two tatzls look quite interested in the comment about dinosaurs.

Nova: (Of course I am, are you kidding!? They're massive creatures whose DNA I'd love to get my hooves on! N-not to try and revive the dinosaurs, I'm not that foolhardy. We know why that would be a TERRIBLE idea. But to harness it and maybe gain some dino traits? Absolutely! Plus it gives us a better idea of ancient Equestria! I mean you said that the cave ponies in the shield can talk now, with you coming back and forth we can uncover ancient secrets and species once lost to time!) 

Sunset on the outside mentions her next thing about dinosaurs mostly to her brother, but also mean to tell this to Nova and Fury

Sunset: Better yet, I can tell you I've actually seen many dinosaurs in the soul shield. All kinds of them, both predators and prey, admittedly you'd think that'd be awkward. But the meat eaters aren't evil even if they do kill prey. They were doing what they needed to survive. Animals like them and less sentient ones we know today have an easier time getting into the soul shield, as it's hard for a wild creature to be acting on actual malicious intent. 

And even just observing them up there, I think it's quite likely that Dinosaurs aren't just the ancestors of birds. Some of them went on to become the ancestors of dragons. And that's pretty important! Since we all know I'm back down here because of the Dragon Tears. We have so much to thank dinosaurs for now, don't we?

Nova: (You've gotten to see them!? Maybe we glossed past that memory of you in the shield but that's incredible! But it doesn't surprise me that they would not be deemed evil for following instinct. I think if that were the case, it would be far more cruel. And you bring up an interesting idea, dragons having a common ancestor in the dinosaurs doesn't sound too far fetched. Now if that truly is the case, I wonder if we could find an ancient form of dragon tears with dinosaur bones? We could have an entire treasure trove of them just waiting to be dug up!)

Fury chuckles

Fury: (Sounds like you've already got a family trip planned in mind. But remember we've got only 3 days to be like this, we shouldn't try and squeeze everything into this one trip for Sunse… mom. We can always plan ahead. I'm sure Sunspot will want to learn about us too, make sure we're on the up and up when we're separated.) 

Sunset: (Yeah there's so much to do, I've probably already overwhelmed myself with seeing everypony I'm familiar with. I'd still like to see Velvet again, or rather, Twilight's mother and of course my parents back in Silver Shoals. And then there's the other elements of Harmony who'd probably love to see us too.. I know we could have somepony wish them over just like with Celestia, but I think that's enough for today. We'll get to see any number of them on either the 2nd day, or the 3rd day.. I just wanna relax with our family for tonight, take things easy first.)

Sunset: So Starlight, now that I'm in a real body... what's the first activity you want to do?

Starlight thinks some stuff over, there's so much they could possibly do. But then she has a bit of an eureka moment, on the perfect, but also very chill and relaxing moment to start off.

Starlight: I'm... thinking some kite flying would be quite nice... I've shown you my kite flying... but I'd really like to see my mother actually able to pull kites herself again.

The rather mundane, but heartwarmingly simple task for their first activity together puts a smile on just about everypony's face.

Twilight: Heh, why don't we ALL fly kites!. If you don't have your own, just wish for one from me or Sunspark!

Suddenly a grumble is heard, coming from Sunspark. Sunspark putting a hoof on her chest.

Sunset: Ooooh... 

Starlight: Huh? What was that, Mom?

Sunset: Dang, it's been so long since I've felt like this...

Twilight: What? Like... is it the feeling as if butterflies were warming your heart or something like that?

Sunset: ...No, it's our stomach. I'm HUNGRY! Can we make this kite flying get-together a picnic too? Hehe

The group begins to chuckle and laugh. There's going to be a period where Sunset's getting used to bodily functions and senses again. The ponies knew that was going to take some adjustment. 

Nova: (U-uh maybe we'll just see how that all goes yeah? I'm uh...not good interacting with so many new ponies. Even if I'm not the one out there, this is still a whole lot for me to process. You should know we're only used to being around just a small group of ponies we trust. I'm not opposed to meeting all of them, but this is all so new for me. Honestly it's like… you remember how the grand galloping gala used to be and there were just so many ponies who wanted to talk to you and Celestia? It's like that! And I'm here just wanting to sit in the corner…)

Fury: (It is a bit much for us, but I think it's more the fact that you're also getting used to the lack of control. It's going to take some time. But this is a good lesson to learn I think!)

The mention of wanting to go fly kites and have a picnic too eases some of the tension and makes Nova laugh

Nova: (Flying kites? Heh sounds simple enough! Hey maybe we should conjure up some extra ones like we're also out there with you! It could give you some practice in using our tail! I mean we can conjure up some for ourselves here but I wanna be out there in… spirit… heheh

Oh and uh just a heads up but we can eat a TON. Though you don't have to...partake in our more peculiar eating habits. It'll be your first time having food in years so try to go slow with it. Last thing we need is to choke.)

Celestia: Oooh, if you're all going to have a picnic, I'd love to join you. Perhaps we can pick up some cakes along the way?

She licks her lips

Celestia: Now that I don't have to worry about any royal duties, I can indulge as much as I want! It'll be good to catch up with all of my students as well.

Firelight's just about in the most joyous tears in his life

Firelight: I... have been dreaming of this moment ever since I met you, Shimmy... me, you, our children, and however many of our family and friends... simply enjoying life together... 

I... N-nova... if you can hear me... I know I'm probably a stranger to you... but I can't thank you enough for doing this for my wife... you'll always be welcome into our family... feel free to come by Sire's Hollow sometime even when Shimmy's back up there protecting the planet. I wouldn't mind truly meeting my new daughter... or daughters from what I hear...

Sunset smiles

Sunset: D'awww... come here, Fi-Fi... 

Sunspark and Firelight go in for a heartwarming hug between a loving husband and wife 

The gesture made Nova sniffle a bit, she didn't know if there were any more tears to let out after the day they've had.

Nova: (You tell him I'll happily take him up on his offer. I'll have to explain how Fury and I work to him when I get the chance but it'll be nice to actually spend time with a father for once. Our relationship with our biological father is...well it's not as horrible as our biological mother but it's not like he'd ever be getting a 'world's greatest dad' mug anytime soon, he would've had to be around for that!)

Nova took a deep breath and calmed down. The hug from the outside definitely helped in that regard. The group on the outside all let out a collective 'awww' at the sight.

Though suddenly Sunspark’s eyes open with a bit of a smug smirk.

Sunset: (You know what I should do again, that I couldn't do as a spirit? I didn't have any real weight anymore that’s needed to get just the right leverage. You ready, Nova and Fury~. Though uh... also... let's make sure we conjure something soft for him to land on. I don't know if his bones are as strong as they once were)

Both Fury and Nova grinned as Sunset gave them a chance to do something they knew that all of them would appreciate.

Nova & Fury: (Suplex, suplex, SUPLEX, SUPLEX!!! Let's gooooo! ahahahaha!)

Sunspark conjured a large mattress with pillows as soft as clouds, and then proceeded to slam Firelight downward. It caught the group by surprise, though they've all visited the museum at least once. They knew this was Sunset and Firelight's ol’ 'tradition'

Firelight shrieked as he was being suplexed for the first time in so many years. Very thankful they had thought to give him a comfortable landing, he's quite older then he was in his prime. So no guarantees his bones would have held out. He's still a little dazed, but he smiles.

Firelight: This... is how I know you're truly back... Shimmy... a heh heh heh...

Sunspark beamed a grin as the rest of the group got their laughs in.

The group then proceeded to order some delicious food, and once they had their fill. All of them release a kite into the wind. Starlight's favorite activity ever since she was a filly, now being shared amongst friends and family. They hung out together until it got dark, many being teleported by either Twilight or Sunspark back home. Or staying in Sire's Hollow, Sunset getting to experience sleeping in a bed physically, sleeping in what was once both Firelight's and her bed once upon a time, and now was again for at least a little while, and actually falling asleep without being sent back up to the soul shield. She wondered if she'd even get to dream for the first time in forever....

As the first day went on, Nova got to learn more about the family she'd just become a part of. For the first time in years, she was genuinely looking forward to spending time with these new relatives and also making memories of her own. As the trio laid down both in the real world and in their mindscape. Nova and Fury snuggled up to Sunset.

Nova: (I hope this isn't too awkward that we get close like this. We can always pull back if need be. But… did you enjoy your first day back in a living body? I know it probably wasn't what you might think you'd be doing today. But I know I'm glad it worked out. I never thought that spending a day with family could be so… fun.)

Fury: (You can say that again. I may actually want to swap in and out when we come to visit on our own! And mom... remember if you do get tired during the day, one of us can always swap in for a bit. But we know you want to maximize all the time you get down here. Plus, we'll actually be able to share dreams while we're in here too! We probably should have brought that up earlier but it's good to know now. So Nova, you better have safe thoughts!)

Nova blushes from that last comment but it also raises a point that neither she or Fury had thought about.

Fury: (That reminds me… I hate to sour the moment but I hope you aren't expecting to um… you know… with Firelight.) 

Nova: (Yeah… yeah no… not with us still in here. He's nice and all but definitely not our type. And with us calling him dad now that's just... the cuddling is fine but…)

Sunset laughs and winks

Sunset: (No worries, you two. 'That' is one of the few things I was actually still able to do even as a spirit~. A little something special for those heartbroken by the death of those they married and/or dated.

Nova & Fury: (Oh thank Luna…)

The two let out a collective sigh of relief. The two then give Sunset one more hug before feeling the tiredness finally get to them.

Sunset: But before this conversation gets too awkward, I am very much enjoying this thus far. Thank you so much, Nova. You have my eternal gratitude.)

Nova: (We've got more fun to be had. I… I couldn't have been able to do any of this if you hadn't inspired me as a filly so long ago. None of us can get that lost time back, but we can make new, better memories going forward.)

That night Sunset would have the first dream she's had since before her passing. She is surrounded by her friends and family… along with the two new additions to it.

Upon the beginning of the 2nd day, Sunset and Nova agreed that they'd spend a majority of the day in Canterlot. Where Sunset would see her childhood friend and Twilight's mother, Twilight Velvet. Velvet had already been pretty happy to see Sunset as a spirit, but as she learns about how she has the option of being in a real live body again. She is absolutely ecstatic. They were able to have plenty of talks when Sunset was only a spirit, but Velvet was nonetheless glad Sunset was lucky enough to have a kind enough pony to give her another chance at life even if only in short bursts.

Velvet also suggested if Sunset would like to join another MILF club meeting if a convenient date falls on a time where she's in Nova's body again. Nova at first not knowing what they were getting into, until both she and Fury get a sigh of relief that MILF means "Mothers In Lovely Families". Velvet also praises Nova for doing so much for her dear friend, also telling her that she does somewhat remember a little filly of what traits of Nova were still there in their form. And is proud of how they've progressed. 

Mentioning the school however did give Sunset an idea, a revisit to the School of Gifted Unicorns where they can see the next generation of well-skilled unicorns that hope to make a difference. While Sunset was still in control, it felt like Nova was at least for a short time was now in Sunset's shoes on that special day depicted in the photograph in the museum. Wondering if their visit drives a particular filly to strive for her dreams even when life gets rough.

Tons of nostalgic feelings overwhelmed both Sunset and Nova as they walked through the school's hallways. Each room they looked in carried some sort of memory for one or even both of them. Once they're satisfied with a return to the school. it's Nova who suggested the next place: her lab.

Nova was touched by the day's early activities, meeting Velvet again, going to an interestingly named MILF club, and seeing the school once more. Something Nova was a bit hesitant to do at first given that she hadn't stepped a hoof in it since being 'banished'. It all felt so much different, like a dark cloud had been lifted since then. Sunset even gave Nova some time back in control to help inspire some of the students as well.

Thanks to the memories she'd seen from Nova, Sunset knew how to get to the lab but she would find it still such a shock to see in an unassuming place as it had no noticeable entry. Once inside, they were met with an initially confused Morpha. Seeing her in memories was one thing but to see a slime pony up close fascinated Sunset. And likewise, Morpha was fascinated by Nova's new appearance. Once they explained what happened, Morpha was elated at what they accomplished. Not only showing off some of their own recent experiments, but allowing them to relax for a bit in her makeshift hot tub and display some of her own tricks as well. She did tease Nova and Fury about getting Sunset to be a surrogate mother to them, but she was more than happy. Also telling Sunset every little secret that she could about them, knowing that Nova and Fury had to be held in check. From their thoughts and feelings on some of the others like herself or Celestia and to experiments they've always wanted to run. But of course Sunset did know all of this already.

They'd also taken the opportunity to invite one more friend of Nova's over, the lamia, Sahara. Sunset would easily tell by her attire and unique magic what she truly is, but Sahara would wink at her, saying to keep that under wraps. Nova and Fury merely shrugged it off as Sahara being cryptic since she was known to do that. Sunset may also be able to tell that Nova and Sahara might have something going on between them but she also seemed like a giant flirt so it may be just reading too much into it. 

Through it all, Sunset could see how much these friends meant to Nova. And could appreciate how they were able to keep her stable. Sahara did invite Sunset over to her place at any time she wished. Suggesting that if she ever wanted to dance at her club she was more than welcome to. Something that got Nova blushing at the thought. While Fury fully encouraged it

Nova did float the idea of running an experiment while they were there but it had already gotten late to really start one. Morpha and Fury remind her of how she gets when really focuses on something and loses track of time. Nova did make a promise to Sunset that they would get to experiment someday in the future. 

Before they go to sleep before the final day, Nova decided to show Sunset her notes about the Dragon's Tear that would eventually lead to her discovering the spell that had fused them.

The notes Nova still had room for potential further study. Nova had already thought of questions to answer if the initial test had worked. Even with the more emotional side of herself that she'd been showing on the first day, that meticulous side of her never left either. There were even some candidates listed to see if she could get them to replicate what she did with Sunset but for a pegasus and an earth pony. With different accessory ideas to make it work. Most notably being the apple family as primary candidates for earth ponies. She also still had notes on what might happen if she were to try this with Twilight Sparkle, showing that the mare may have liked her more than she let on.

They made sure to get some rest as they wanted to get an early start for their final day together, taking the time to go to Silver Shoals and Ponyville.

Upon visiting Silver Shoals, they first went to see Celestia one more time. This time at their homes in retirement, and meeting up with Luna. Sunset of course had been seeing Luna a number of times as a spirit, with interesting discussions between the two in those 5 years though Celestia still held more of a special place in Sunset's heart. Though with Nova's memories, Sunset felt Nova's reverence for Luna in the past. So at the very least Sunset learned of something she had in common with Luna, both being figures that Nova looked up to.

Nova was more than happy to visit the former princesses, like Sunset did with Celestia, Nova had still referred to Luna with her title. But on top of that, seeing Celestia so happy to be with her student, it was like being a little filly again. The resentment she had once felt for Celestia had been gone for some time now but this joy with the both of them was something she never thought she could feel again.

After a delightful meeting with the former royals, Sunset had taken them to see her parents. They were a bit confused as to why or how a mare who vaguely resemble their daughter came to visit. Thankfully with Celestia and Luna there as well, they were able to fully explain the situation which resulted in another tearful reunion for their daughter. They too had seen Sunset as a spirit but to hold their daughter in their hooves again with a physical body was something they never thought would ever be possible again.

By the time lunch had rolled around, Sunset was now taking them to a place that made Nova a bit more nervous than the others, Ponyville. While she was already friends with Twilight, the rest of the elements she's not as familiar with. But this meeting was bound to happen with or without Sunset to help. 

Luckily for them, they didn't have to explain things over and over again since Twilight had briefed them about what had happened in Sire's Hollow. What followed was Pinkie giving a ‘Sunset is alive again (Sorta) Party’. Being rushed into a party was a bit uncomfortable for Nova, but thanks to Sunset having a fair bit of social skills given she was at her fair share of Grand Galloping Galas, she was able to get them through. 

Pinkie mostly hosted the festivities, and with a new pony in Ponyville. Pinkie made notes for the Sugarcube Corner basement about Sunset and Nova. The latter kind of surprised Pinkie has a fair bit of organized note-taking, even if it makes sense for her to keep track of everypony's likes and dislikes.

While there wasn't too much she had to say, Rainbow Dash thought this whole fusion thing was awesome especially when she was told that the spell ended up multiplying their power and they were about on equal level with even Twilight afterward.

Rarity was curious about the fused body, and quickly decided to make some measurements. Obviously, she was giving herself some notes for clothes for Sunspark. And maybe even Nova herself if she was interested.

The one Nova was most comfortable with was Fluttershy who shared their love of animals and/or creatures big and small.

Though perhaps the most interesting conversation came with Applejack. With the new spell able to put deceased ponies inside living ponies’ bodies. The subject quickly came to if Applejack, or anyone else in her family would like to have her mom and dad channeled into them at some point. Applejack loved her parents, though she wasn’t sure she wanted either one of them in her body. But she wondered if maybe Sugar Belle and Big Mac would be interested. That way the two of them were still in married Apple family bodies regardless. Applejack said she'll get back to them on that offer some other time. Wait until all related parties consent to the idea. 

After filling their bellies with Applejack's cooking and Pinkie's dessert. They decide before going to Sire's Hollow they'd make one last stop: the School of Friendship where Starlight worked as its headmare. It was after school hours, but it gave them an opportunity to see what both Twilight and Starlight had accomplished in the last 5 years with all the happy students of all kinds of species attending. When they finally saw Starlight, she was in her office talking with Ocellus. Continuing her studies about changelings, in which Nova was able to learn at least some of what Starlight's learned. This visit also served another purpose, they figured Starlight may want to be there when Sunset heads back out of Nova's body and back to the soul shield. And they thought it'd be appropriate to let her go back from Sire's Hollow. 

After the introduction to the other elements of harmony, Sunset had pushed Nova back into control so she could converse with them all. This kind of attention still made her a bit uneasy, but having Sunset reassure her as well as Fury always there to light a fire under her. It allowed her to truly get to understand these ponies more. Seeing facets of them that she would have never guessed from just observing them from afar. Ponyville wasn't a place that Nova visited often but she made a note to actually try doing so a bit more now. Some of the ideas proposed by Rarity, Fluttershy and the one she posed to Applejack interested her. But not only did she want to get to know all of them better, she was truly enamored with the Everfree Forest and the creatures it held. Even if she was told it's nowhere near as wild as it used to be.

Nova still had some trepidation over why a school of friendship needed to exist but it was much more clear to her now that it was making a difference in the world. Getting more information on the changelings would be something she'd want to continue discussing with Starlight once she learned more. Once the day's festivities were coming to a close, they had teleported back to Sire's Hollow.

Once there, all of Sunset's family were outside of the museum, waiting for them. Sunburst, Sunspot, Stellar Flare, and Firelight all came to see Sunset off. Nova and Fury were mentally preparing themselves to say goodbye to Sunset for now.

Nova: (So this is it huh? It really feels like these last 3 days just flew by! I do miss having full control over my body but… I am going to also miss having you in here with us too... I know this isn't the last time it'll happen but I can't help but feel a bit sad about it. I mean I definitely wasn't expecting to be taken into your family 3 days ago, that's for sure! Or to be calling you, mom, it still feels surreal.) 

Sunset: (Can't say I expected to be sucked into a horn either, that was the most surreal part for me, and it was... an interesting experience. I'd even say it felt kinda good, like an instant full-body massage almost, I suppose I truly know now what it's like for Twilight to go into her bottle.

Though I should also consider your end since it was a pretty difficult spell. Perhaps you should take notes on the cool-down between performing the spell and when it's safe to do it again without overdoing it. So we can get a good idea of when to plan our next one. Perhaps over time you'll get stronger and be able to do it more frequently, but please don't risk overheating your horn for my sake. Three days or less each time is leagues better then just being a spirit)

Nova: (Well it didn't feel too bad… until it started to. But these are kinks I'll have to work out. I'll be more prepared for next time now that I know what to expect! I'll have plenty of notes and results to show you the next time! 

Though...I'll for sure not try to cast anything high level for a while. Gonna be strange to be going back to slightly above average magic. But the next time you see me, I'll be more than capable of casting the spell! Besides, I've got a new 'sister' that I can't go falling too far behind from now! We also don't know what kind of strain, if any, your spirit may have so it's good that you go back up to the soul shield and properly recharge there too. Who knows, we could work towards finding a way to extend this 3 day limit!)

Fury: (I'll also make sure to do my own kind of training when I get control too. Thankfully we had no angry outbursts but you never know with this one.)

Nova: (Hey!)

Fury: (Heheh. I'll also be sure to keep this one in contact with the everypony, they've still got a bit to learn about us and vice versa. And I know we both want to spend some time with them… but for now I think we're getting close to the wire here…)

Fury let out a sigh. Both she and Nova gave Sunset one more internal hug before getting ready to cast the spell to unfuse.

Nova: (...are you ready to go, mom?)

Sunset teases

Sunset: (Someday soon you may technically have two new sisters to strive to compete with, even if you've technically already had matching her as a goal. Don't forget that Twilight's has occasionally served a purpose similar to an older sister to Starlight. I hope you have enough liquid in your body for the liquid pride I'm going to shed that day if we're there as a fusion for Starlight’s coronation!

Somehow this bit of information had slipped Nova's mind, this revelation put her in a state of disbelief.

Nova: (H-huh!? She's not your… but if she's like that to Starlight… so that means Twilight is technically my… WHAT?! GAAAAAH! How could I have missed such a crucial detail!? Oh great… now I know she's gonna have her fun calling me sis too. Uuugh, and I bet she's gonna make up some title like she does for her brother.)

She ruffles her mane in a frustrated manner, trying to look upset. But there's no hiding the small smile she has on her face. Fury looks over to Sunset with a smirk, knowing how Nova actually feels about this.

Nova: (And don't you worry, I'll make sure you're there for Starlight's ascension ceremony if it happens. But man, having to measure up to two alicorns and one being a genie on top of that? It's like trying to measure up to Celestia and Princess Luna all over again! Hahahah.... but I do like a good challenge, I am used to the odds being stacked against me. I guess as the more things change in this world, some things stay the same. But now I have even more of a reason to ascend in my own way!)

Sunset: (But yes Nova, I should get going now. I'll be sure to tell my extended family's spirits what's happened. I am a little afraid of getting a bit of jealousy from a fair share of spirits up there. But many are aware of my past and what I've done for the planet. And next time you see "meteor showers", there's a chance you could be seeing me up there.)

She nuzzles Nova, and says the three words Nova thought she'd never hear from a parent, blood or foster-wise.

Sunset: (I love you, Nova. I'm excited for all our future foster mother-daughter quality time.)

The last message from Sunset stunned both her and Fury. Neither of them had expected it, but once it was registered by them, both mares began to cry.

Nova: (Wha...you...really? D-damn it, and here I thought I wasn't going to cry again! I… I love you too, I always have.)

Fury: (W-we'll be sure to have plenty of ideas for more quality time, we swear!)

Even on the outside as everyone was waiting, Sunspark started to cry as well. Her horn began to flare up, encompassing her entire body, internally the magical auras of the three surrounded them. The ring on her horn sparked blue just like it had done when they had tried to pull her in. Slowly they could feel themselves coming apart, the magic separating from their body. In a brilliant sparkle of light, Sunset's spirit reformed on the outside while Nova's colors returned to normal.

Her mane no longer flowed like an alicorn's, their cutie mark returned to the spark that it once was. Though Nova did still feel some of the warmth that she felt when Sunset's magic merged with hers. Inside their mind, it grew a bit quieter as Sunset's presence was no longer there. 

Nova looked up at the spirit form of Sunset once more, after the last 3 days of seeing her in a 'physical' form inside her mind and in their reflection, it was a little strange to see her like this again, but they knew this is what was meant to be. 

Nova: Wait before you go... think we could have one last hug? I know I'd just phase through you but..

Sunset tilts her head and smiles.

Sunset: It's at least worth a shot, and we can at least try to make it look like we're hugging as best as possible.

The spirit floats on down to Nova's eye level and carefully places her hooves around Nova's neck in a position to preemptively prepare for part of her body to just phase through. Get as close as she can to making it look like a hug without too much of her spirit clipping through Nova's body.

But she gasps... as to her surprise... she feels something... the fur and body warmth of Nova's coat. Nova on her part can feel a sense of a surprising amount of comfortable warmth of a spirit too as Sunset's transparent hooves wrap around her in the same way she could do so with Starlight, Firelight, or anyone else in her family or were close friends.

While she was prepared to basically give the best kind of pretend hug she could. Nova's eyes shoot open as she realizes she's actually touching Sunset's spirit. She can't believe it, some tears start to fall from her eyes as she holds her tighter.

Nova: I... I'm not crazy right? I... I can actually feel you... like this... a-and you can feel me too?

Sunset holds on tight and thinks on this, ultimately giving Nova a warm smile

Sunset: ...Well, either... this is a nice unintentional benefit from your spell... since we were in the same body, we therefore shared blood and that was enough to trigger the condition of blood relation or... maybe it's more simple then that. Just a straight forward, sentimental connection we made in the past few days... to the point that even the cosmos are blessing your addition as a new family member. 

Perhaps... it may be best to theorize... that it's a little of both. A successful spell from a hard-working student like you, and a sign that we are truly family for the rest of time. 

Nova: That's... entirely plausible… heh, something to really look into then! Hahaha! But it sounds so cheesy too, mom!

Nova can't help but smile at this, if even the universe itself was accepting this, she didn't have any room to question it.

Nova: But that's not a bad thing… It means we really are family now, huh?

She did pull back from the hug, knowing that Sunset still had to leave, but she was comforted by the fact that she's truly part of something bigger.

Sunset waved one last time to Nova before focusing and shifting into her more comet-like form, zipping straight up into the atmosphere. A trail flying across the sky before it fades from view. Soon Sunset Shimmer was back to doing what she always did best in both life and death, doing her part to protect the world she loved.

Nova: (Bye, mom… and thank you)

Starlight puts a hoof around Nova's shoulder as she too watches Sunset return back up in her more comet-like form. 

Once the comet was out of sight. Starlight turned and smiled to her foster sister. The scientist returning the favor in solidarity.

Starlight: I'd like to thank you one more time for doing this, it really does mean a lot to me and my... I mean... our entire family.

Though I thought I'd give you a bit of good news. I've messaged Twilight recently, and she's gradually gotten curious if this spell of yours would work on half-spirits like her one day. How does that sound? You're one lucky scientist! 

Nova turns back to Starlight with a sad smile, removing the ring from her horn now that she would soon return the ring to the museum. Keeping in mind to make an entirely new one for the next time.

Nova: Hehe don't sweat it, it's gonna take some time for me to get used to being part of an actual family unit too. But I'll tell you what I told mom, I wanted to show my gratitude for everything she did for me when I was a filly. She was my inspiration through even my darkest days, and while she didn't know it then, she acted just as motherly to a filly like me.  And to be able to reunite her with everypony like this... 

I'm so glad I was able to pull it off. I know it's a strange way for us to properly meet, but hey I don't think either of us are strangers to weird things, huh? 

She chuckles as Starlight mentions the good news to her. This puts a sly grin on the tatzl's face.

Nova: Oh really~? Seems she and I are thinking alike then. Good thing I've already got some notes in mind to see how it would work. So tell me, sis, are you ready to do some science?~

[ofstarsandskies]

Even though he'd started giving Victor more space, staying away from him and only seeing him from time to time when he visited Elle, he still stopped by the house every once in a while for her. Since she hung around Ludger too, it wasn't like he never saw her and hadn't learned things or been told things like when she'd be available or when she'd be home. He'd gotten to know her by now, so it at least didn't feel like intruding.

She was family to Ludger, and he didn't feel too out of place speaking with her at this point because of it. Things on Victor's end were probably sour for him, so he did try to show up more specifically at times Victor wasn't there, but he didn't bother learning his schedule at this point to figure that out. On the other hand, Yuri and Elle were in a bit of a weird position, after what he supposed could sort of be seen as a falling out with one person she knew, but was still in contact with another person she knew.

Today Yuri did stop by the house, and even though he wasn't exactly on speaking terms with Victor, it wasn't like he never considered him when visiting. Ignored him for the most part, absolutely, but acknowledged he existed and lived here. Thankfully Elle was there already today too, which made this a lot easier.

Once he got in, he dropped off a hot food carrier on the table and another container beside it. "Cooked dinner for you since I cooked for Ludger and Flynn. Just made extra to drop some off for you. Kept it heated so it'd stay hot before I could head over here. If Victor feels like having some, there's enough for both of you. If not, well, you've got leftovers. Same thing with this other container. Fresh dessert."

@bravewolfvesperia || From a good ol' inbox call

Ever since their talk, Victor's participated in family time more. He still wore his permanent frown (unless he was talking to the littler Elle or herself), but he at least made an effort to speak up and bring over his share during dinner meetups. Sometimes Ludger invited Yuri and Flynn over for those as well; Victor always had excuses to skip those nights to nobody's shock. As long as she has her good times and Victor's behaving by himself, she knows Marksburg wasn't built in a day.

As for today, Elle's busy trying the Bunnykins Pink nail polish Ludger bought her as a surprise thank you present. Definitely backwards coming from the intended victim of her partner's scheming, but that's Ludger for you: always finds a way to care about himself second. With a quick examination through the mirror, she just needs a tiny tab of black to make Bunnykins' eyes--

"Elle, come get the door," Victor's sudden request at her door puts that plan to the side. She doesn't bother asking who's here-- it can only be one of two people if Victor's asking her to answer for him.

"Alright, one sec," Victor only steps aside when she walks to the entryway. Before she answers, she pokes her head back for one comment, "You know it'd be less awkward if you actually said something to Yuri or Flynn. You don't have to be their new best friend, but just one nice thing wouldn't hurt."

"...Are you suggesting or telling me?"

"Both."

Victor does that very subtle sigh he loves and begrudgingly follows her to the front door. And what a surprise: it's Yuri. Though the carrier in his hands is a sweet treat (perhaps even literally)!

"Hi Yuri! Sorry for the wait-- you caught me finishing up my nails. Come on in!" Elle waves him in while Victor stands right behind her without saying a word. Victor's really not gonna make this easy for himself to the bitter end.

Anyway, the surprise waiting for them is actually a two-parter: one's dinner, the other's dessert! She hasn't had dinner yet herself, so this care package is 100% the thing she wants and needs right now! Victor too probably, not that he'll say it--

"I appreciate you thinking about both of us," Victor actually says before Elle gets the chance. "We'll have both when Elle's done fixing her nails, yes?"

"Oh they can wait; fresh food from a friend's to be enjoyed the minute it arrives!" Yuri better not dislike hugs cause he's getting one right now. "Thank you so much for coming out to our slice of nowhere to hand deliver such a thoughtful and delicious gift! Expect a lil' something from me when we cross paths again; I'm sure that won't be too in the future, right?"

"As long as... Yuri is fine with that, yes," Oooh, no last name. He is trying!

"There ya have it!" Her hugs comes to a stop with a tiny addition, "Oh, but don't feel like we're twisting your arm to say yes-- if you wanna sit on it, just text me your answer. Thanks again for coming!"

[moonieshinesims]

Generation One - Chapter Forty Three

Since River had confirmation that Ichiban was being held in Strangerville, she would be cutting her time in Mt. Komorebi short. As usual, chaos ensues before she can even leave the country...

**I also had no idea what font I'd used in the previous two posts (because I'm a dummy and forgot to write it down), so from here on out I will be using a different font!

Excuses were already in place for her internship, which she knew Arakawa-sama would be understanding of. At least, with the excuse she provided him, he would be...

If someone in her "family" was going through an emergency, shouldn't she be there to help? Who would understand that more than a Simkuza family crime boss?

River was sad that she wouldn't be seeing much more of Reiko, Jun, and Michiko. She'd really learned to like them over the few months they'd been together.

She had her real family, her sorority sisters, and now these guys. For someone who started out pretty unpopular in high school, things were certainly different now!

River decided to have a last "going out get together" with Reiko and Jun before she flew out to Strangerville. It had taken her a few weeks to even get all the stuff settled to move over that way... She knew she would still be in classes, online for a while, until graduation. And she also needed to secure a place to live. Thankfully, Havarti and Cassie were on the job!

That meant she could relax a bit with her friends... But Jun was being elusive for some reason and couldn't make it.

River had yet to go to an onsen the whole time she'd been in Mt. Komorebi. Reiko had suggested it when River first told her of her plans, and she was really glad she got to go!

When they made it back into town, River wanted to take photos with Reiko in the photobooth.

A few days later River finally heard from Jun and he agreed to meet her at a local bar.

But as it turns out, Jun was just really emotional about River's departure and didn't want to embarrass himself by admitting to it!

Meanwhile...

In the middle of River and Jun's conversation, they could hear screaming coming from a building over. They took off running in the direction of the commotion only to find that Damien... River's boss at NITCA... had burned alive thanks to some faulty electrical wiring at the laundromat!

Jun stood panicked, "I just... I just used those washers the other day... That could've been me!"

While River took off. While she had gotten rid of many of her fears around last year's Harvest Fest thanks to those potions she found in that quaint little shop back home... but apparently the fear of death was not one of the ones she'd wished away!

When she got home that afternoon, she had to tell Michiko the news of her father's passing...

"He was my dad and I don't give a rat's ass that he's dead... So, you shouldn't either!"

River wished she could be as cold as Michiko. She wondered if she'd inherited that trait from Damien himself...

A Few Days Later...

River came home from work to see the fire brigade putting flames out in her apartment. Emergency services whisked away a charred pile of remains.

"...Michiko?"

While she wasn't necessarily upset about Damien's death (more-so upset that she'd seen the body), she was very unhappy about her strange little roommate who she'd come to consider a friend.

"Like father, like daughter, huh..."

There was a small funeral held for Michiko a few days later. Not many people came other than their NITCA associates. She really didn't have any other family or friends.

Reiko pulled Jun aside and gave him a firm talking to for being insensitive. Michiko wasn't the nicest of girls and had her fair share of issues, but was still their friend.

River took her time to grieve, and even got to take some of Michiko's ashes with her.

While she hadn't witnessed Michiko's death, that was now 6 people close to her (whether for good or bad reasons) that had perished around her in the past few years...

How many more were going to die? Would she ever get used to it?

[starcastlesinthesky]

Lost Opportunities

I used to work at a casino, in the count room, for almost 6 years. I made friendly acquaintances with my coworkers, as I tend to do. However, I truly bonded with one person more than others. Partially because he was the only one that didn't get on my nerves all the time.

We bonded like hell over music and movies and politics. He was also married with two kids. I was in a relationship with my now husband for almost 5 years at that point. My friend was in a hostage marriage. When I say that, I mean that they got married because she gave him an ultimatum. That ultimatum was marriage or him losing his kids. His wife is half Native, makes his kids 1/4 Native, and they would give preference to her. Since the birth of his oldest son, she moved in with him, and he told her she could be a SAHM. He didn't mind, but over time, it became hard for him to be the only one bringing income into the house. She did periodically work different jobs in the almost six years I was working at the casino, even working at the casino briefly.

While she was exclusively at home, she regularly slept with other guys. And of course, she would threaten my friend if he told her she couldn't do it. Eventually, he got fed up with that, and started seeing someone outside of their marriage. I had told him that it was bullshit that she was allowed to do that, but not him. Obviously, she was incensed about him daring to do that.

When she was working at the casino, someone told her rumors that he and I were sleeping together. The other younger woman we worked with was also implicated as well. I was angry, and so was he.

Then the pandemic happened, and I was one of a few hundred people that got laid off. In the end, it's good that I didn't end up going back.

In May of 2020, I posted a link to a favorite song of mine on FB, and I tagged him, as he had been the one to introduce me to this band. She had seen it, and had messaged me about "do I know he's married" and other similar things. I never saw it because it was in my hidden messages -- from folks I don't know. I didn't see it until about a few months later, and when I went to respond to her that I wasn't seeing her husband or talking to him like that, that we were just friends and former coworkers, she had blocked me. Was kind of mad I didn't get a chance to explain that there wasn't anything going on. But she apparently knew exactly who I was, thanks to the person that was spreading lies about me at the casino.

My then boyfriend messaged her for me, and the beginning of her response was something along the lines of "It's so nice that she has two men willing to stand up for her."

I'll also say that we never chatted outside of work, texting or otherwise. We would tag each other in memes and music posts on FB. That's it.

Then I realized I hadn't seen anything from him in a while. I found out from another former coworker, who still works at the casino, that he stopped being friendly with everyone. So I just went ahead and unfriended him.

He and I really got close as friends in the last year I worked there, and I'm angry that we couldn't continue our friendship. And pretty damn hurt about it. My husband always understood that we were just friends. From what I understand about him now, he doesn't do anything outside of work and home without his wife and sons, and I am still so worried for him. I honestly hope that when his second son graduates high school that he'll file for divorce. That's not a life he deserves.

He did briefly consider getting a divorce, but the problem is that there would be no one with his sons, and his current supervisor job at the casino would not be conducive to raising kids on his own.

For his sake and his sons', I hope he decides to find a better job and divorces his wife.

I just miss the hell out of him, and it was nice having a friend that I actually made organically, rather than online.