#and somehow didn't realize until after the last adventure we went on that at that time there was literally one MAYBE two straight cis peopl

[the-punforgiven]

You larp

I used to, yeah

Haven't gone out in a few years now, though

[alienpossession]

My boyfriend loves nothing more than getting himself wet. Be it through shower, working out, swimming, anything, he just loves to be wet. His parents said he used to be a clean freak all the way until he met me, so it's quite a weird turnaround to see him wearing sweaty tanktop with no care in the world or his weird new habit of trying as hard as he can to not use towel to dry himself. But I can explain it

----

My small extraterrestrial friend specifically came to Earth because it heard tales about planet where the dominant inhabitants physical makeup consisted of mostly water and the planet itself has more water than land mass. That's planet Earth and its human inhabitants, and luckily it met me during my early morning walk across the woods where I stumbled upon its crashed, tiny spaceship. The tiny fella claimed to me that supposedly, the spaceship landed on the nearby lake but somehow the thick fog of the forest and its humidity probably messed up the censor. I helped it him out to go to his destination, but then along our way, he shared to me about his desire to just simply live inside a body of water 24/7. I look at him slightly confused at first, but then I realized that there's no harm from lending him a hand to materialize his inter-galactic dreams. But then, I stopped mid-way as he shared that he didn't expect human to be kind and compassionate so he stated that he want to remain connected with me even after he went on the wilderness. That's not gonna be an easy task because I wouldn't be able to understand him in his new form and not like I can differentiate which fishes or lake creatures that he resided himself in. That's when I decided to turn myself back to civilization as my mind set to give him his wishes

As I arrived in the local swimming pool filled with some people enjoying the warm sun that still shines in my home state (we are not known for winter after all), my eyes focused on one specific target I know he will like

"Quill, do you see that? As I explained and you knew already, human body consists of mostly water and if we wanna keep in-touch, I think that man over there can help us remain connected way better rather than you get yourself inside a fish," I pointed to the shredded hunk floating in the middle of the pool with his eyes closed

Quill responded with excited vibration before he leaped into the pool, quickly swimming his way to get himself near the floating hunk. I watched from the distant how he swerved some people standing and floating on his way as he seemingly tried to enter the hunk from his asshole or something. But then, after what I assumed to be a detour from his end, I noticed his form calmly floated right next to his ear. And then, that's it, the entrance as he slipped his watery form into the man's exposed right ear

The man failed to realize it until its too late and suddenly a sharp, painful sensation as if someone jabbed his ear canal caused him to yelp in shock before having a mild seizure. His eyes rolled to the back of his head while his back arched uncomfortably due to the sensation of the possession, yet the pool crowd simply ignored him because Quill timed his final step of possession with the big wave coming out from the end of the pool which caused everyone to cheerfully react and drowned the target's scream.

As the wave finished until the next one comes out, Quill's new vessel also stop contracting and groaning. His white eyes returned to normal and he started to get the senses around him. The noise, the scent, the cold sensation from the water, everything must felt foreign for the extraterrestrial adventurer, but that out-of-place facial reaction only lasted for less than a minute before he ditched his donut floatie and swim to the corner where I've been watching everything transpired in the past few minutes. He really did it, he slid into that asshole and helped me to fulfill my dream to get close to him! In a refreshing surprise, Kotaro smirked at me before he caught me off-guard as he said

"I've noticed the way you've been staring at me, fag. What? Do you think you have a chance now that he's taken over by a generous and trustworthy intergalactic buddies of yours? Well, go to the shower, turn it on cold and strip for me, I'll be there in a minute or two to give you what you want,"

I never ran faster in my life, and it was the start of a brand new chapter of my life that I've been living happily for the past 1 year

[btsgotjams27]

things you don't know (2) | jjk

summary: the aftermath of jimin's party is weighing on your mind and you wonder if you have the courage to face jeon jungkook again.

✨ title: things you don't know (part 2) ✨ pairing: jungkook x f!reader | ✨ rating: PG-13 ✨ genre/au: angst | ex best friends!au | ✨ word count: 3.8k ✨ warnings: pov switch, we get to find out what happened to reader's panties, jimin's a menace, but overall a good friend :'), minor language, reader loves to threaten her friends (in a loving way ofc), jk & reader talk (properly), not really a warning but a mint mojito is a iced coffee drink not alcohol lol ✨ a/n: hi??? we're back with these two :') I didn't think anyone would like the first part that I wrote bc it was so angsty! lol but I'm so happy it was well received. i hope this gives everyone some closure. also, i'm scared of this flopping bc so many people asked for another part. i was so close to not writing it, but alas here it is. as always, i'd love to hear your thoughts. don't be afraid to drop any questions or comments. gonna go hide now, byeeee!

✨ mini-series masterlist ✨

~ JK POV ~

A haze of darkness loomed in the early hours of the morning. The night sky should've been clear according to the weather icons on Jungkook's phone. Could it be that his eyes are deceiving him? Were they hazy and cloudy? If he rubbed them, would the sky finally be clear? Or maybe you have blurred his vision, distorted his mind.

As if you weren’t already on his mind 24/7, 365 days for the last seven years. Your prodigal return has made him want to be close to you again, see how you were doing, and see if you had somehow found a way to forgive him. Your appearance at tonight’s party confirmed you must’ve hated him and could never find it in your heart to forgive him. At least, that’s what he thought.

On his late-night drive after dropping off Josie, he went the long way home through the city streets. He ended up at the park where you used to stargaze when you needed to clear your mind, and it was one of those nights for him.

You had taken over every fiber of his being, capturing his heart and holding him hostage. You’ve haunted him every day of his life since you left. At least when the two of you were in school, he could see you in class and the hallways, but once you left, there was no way to keep track of you, that is, until you started posting your college adventures on Instagram. He’d see your stories and how you’d come home to visit your parents and old friends, but of course, you wouldn’t see him. Why would you? He hurt you.

He replays tonight’s events—studying every word, every facial expression, your body language. He’s looking for a way to make it right, a way back into your heart. He doesn’t like it when you’re hurting, doesn’t like it when you’re mad at him, and especially doesn’t like it when you hate him.

He wished he could redo the last seven years and the moment when he decided to kiss Josie. He should've just left Jimin’s and come to yours, confessed his feelings, said how much he’d missed you, maybe even been brave enough to ask if he should go with you to college. Maybe he could’ve saved a lot of heartache for you, himself, and even Josie.

He took a deep breath, exhaling the unease lingering throughout his body. Opening his eyes, he realized the sky finally cleared out. He tucked one hand behind his head, and with the other, his finger traced constellations into the shape of animals—a little game you used to play together.

Thoughts raced through his mind: Do you still have a love for stargazing? Did you find a new spot? Did you have someone to accompany you? Or did you go by yourself? He guessed he’d never find out the answers to his questions.

“You’re coming in late. Or early. Were you with Josie?” Jimin’s sitting at the dining table, sipping on his coffee.

Jungkook shook his head. “Just out.”

“Man, it was good to see ____, right? I haven’t seen her since we graduated. Did you catch up with her?” He shifted in his seat, his foot pushing against the table’s leg, causing his chair to lean back. He licked his lips, suppressing a smile.

“Kind of.” Jungkook shrugged.

The chair made a loud thump when Jimin leaned forward. He set his coffee aside, his eyes narrowed, hands folded. “What happened between you guys, anyway? You were so close in high school, and whenever I ask you, you always change the topic.”

Jungkook looked at his friend, hoping he’d get the drift and move on from this conversation. He wasn’t keen on being bombarded with questions this early in the morning. He pulled out a chair, the legs screeching against the floor as he buried his face in his arms on the table.

“Or you quiet down whenever I bring her up. Well, whatever happened, you should just make out—I mean makeup with her since she’s back,” Jimin suggested, grinning at his mistake.

Jungkook looked up. “I don’t think she wants to see me.”

“See her anyway.”

Jungkook raised his eyebrows.

“What? You’ll either sit here and keep wondering what could’ve been, or you can talk to her like an adult and hash things out—get everything out in the open.”

“I hurt her, Jimin.”

“So? Go and apologize.”

“I don’t think she’ll accept it.”

“It’ll be up to her to decide, but at least she’ll hear it from you.” Jimin sipped his coffee again. “And don’t think I haven’t seen you lurking on her Instagram throughout these years.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Your Instagram handle is the alphabet without ‘JK’ in it—so obvious.”

Jungkook's eyes widened. He thought he was careful all these years, hardly posting anything but random food dishes he’s cooked.

Jimin let out a hearty laugh. “Oh—you thought you were slick, huh? I’m quite the detective myself, Jeon.” Jimin pushed his chair out to stand, massaging his friend’s shoulder, shaking his head at him. “It’s time, my friend. Don’t let the past continue to haunt you.”

He lightly tapped his fingers on the table, debating his next move. He knew he had to break things off with Josie once and for all. No more letting her hover, giving into her, or letting her manipulate him. He let her have too many years of him–it was finally time to cut off the head of the snake.

~ reader pov ~

The early morning sun peeked through your curtains, beaming rays of light reflecting off of your mirror, making you sneak a glimpse of the time on your phone.

7:30 AM. It’s too early for anyone to function like an average person.

Propping yourself against your pillows, you begin scrolling through Instagram. You were tagged in one of Jimin’s photos.

The caption read: Look who’s back.

You were tipsy when the photo was taken. You had let Jimin wrap his arm around you, kissing your cheek, as you made a kissy face at Lana, who snapped the picture.

You looked at the amount of likes and comments. Jimin was still popular after high school. Your finger tapped on ‘view all 90 comments’, and then you realized it was just Jimin and Josie arguing back and forth in the comments about you.

Rolling your eyes, you were ready to exit the app, but then you couldn’t help but notice the username of ‘abcdefghi_lmnopqrstuvwxyz’ in the comment section, also telling Josie to ‘stop.’ You recognized the username because they liked a few of your posts and had seen your stories but never interacted.

You never bothered to look at everyone who followed you, but this username was too creative not to have a look.

When you clicked on the username, their profile picture was a sunset; their bio only had an emoji of a cookie and photos of food dishes. You guessed this person was an aspiring chef. Everything they posted looked scrumptious.

A series of knocks on your door interrupted your train of thought. It’s so early. Who could be here at this hour?

You peered through the peephole, your hand ready to unlock it, until you saw it was none other than Lana. There was a burning feeling in your chest, and your jaw clenched as you debated whether you wanted to let her in. She claimed not to know who Jimin’s roommates were, and you so happened to come to the party where Jeon Jungkook lived? Coincidence? Yeah, right.

“I can hear you breathing on the other side of the door,” she said, moving back to show you she had brought coffee from one of your favorite places.

You unlocked the door knob but left the chain lock intact. Opening the door, you peeked through, staring at the coffee in her hand.

“Leave the coffee, and I shall let you live to see another day.”

Lana rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re thinking–I set you up, but I swear on my mother’s grave that I did not know Jimin and Jungkook were living together.”

You tilted your head and crossed your arms. “You are correct. I believe you set me up, and I won’t be forgiving you.”

Lana sighed, digging through her bag. “I have something else for you too.” She pulled out the very thing you were looking for last night–your blush-pink panties.

You reach out to grab them, but she withdraws, clutching them in her hand. “I did you a favor by swiping them, washing them, and getting your favorite coffee. You’re still not going to open the door for me?”

You huffed, closing the door and unlocking the chain. Crossing your arms, you stood in the way, unwilling to let her in.

She showed off her biggest grin, holding up the tray of coffee and your panties.

You grabbed the coffee before grabbing your panties, leaving the door open if she willingly wanted this to be her last day on earth.

Lana follows you, closing the door and plopping beside you on the couch.

“Anything else you need to get off your chest before you breathe your last breath?” you ask before sipping the mint mojito iced coffee. You forgot how much you loved this drink.

“Yeah. How did the conversation with Jungkook go?”

“I swear to god, you’re addicted to drama.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve me, then I’m all ears,” she beamed from ear to ear, sipping her coffee. “And I also want to make sure you’re okay.” She elbows you before laying her head on your shoulder.

You couldn’t be upset with Lana. You knew she just wanted you to heal from what happened with Jungkook.

Last night felt like a fever dream, bumping into Jungkook. He sprang up on you with no warning. You had no time to prepare yourself—your heart, for what you’d say.

It’s like you had traveled back to that 18-year-old girl watching her best friend repeatedly hurt her. The scene replayed in your mind like an endless film reel–Jungkook and Josie holding hands, finding a letter in your locker, tearfully reading it in your room, and realizing you didn’t have a friend anymore after that day.

“So?”

“He blames me for everything that happened.”

Lana’s eyes widened, and jaw dropped. She put down her coffee, got up, and pulled her hair back. “You better hold me down before I beat his ass.”

You dragged her back beside you. “Stop being so dramatic.”

“How was it your fault?”

“He said he was upset that I was leaving for college and didn’t care to include him in the conversation. Then he went to one of Jimin's parties and kissed Josie, and they started dating.”

Lana’s upper lip raised in annoyance, glancing up at the ceiling. “I'm gonna punch him and his little girlfriend in the face the next time I see them.”

“And apparently, he says they’re not together or whatever.”

She gasped in disbelief. “Not together? She was practically all over him! And he was letting her do it!”

“That’s what I said, but he says it's complicated.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“What am I going to do? Nothing? Absolutely nothing. Avoid them like the plague. What else am I supposed to do?”

“What if he comes looking for you?”

The thought crossed your mind, but you had nothing to say to him. What more did he want from you? Since he blamed you, it’s not like he’d come asking for forgiveness.

“I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have moved back.”

“Stop. I'm so happy you’re back. This place is so fucking lame without you.” Lana curled herself into your couch, hooking her arm in yours.

“Yeah, I didn’t think I had to endure all this drama with Jungkook the week I returned.”

“Maybe you should just talk to him and clear the air once and for all,” Lana suggested.

“I don’t know if I can do that without strangling him.”

“I’ll bail you out of jail, don’t worry, or I can help you. We can be cellmates.”

You loved how at least one of your best friends would go to such lengths for you. “God–I don’t wanna be an adult. I don’t want to talk to him.”

“I know, but I bet you’ll feel a million times better if you do.”

You didn’t want to hear the truth but you knew it was what you needed to do. You and Jungkook had unfinished business. Maybe it’s better to just talk to him and close that chapter of your life and finally be able to move on.

You Jiminie 🦗

JAMAN Oh, are you sliding into my DMs?

You 🙄 In your dreams

JAMAN 😂 I’m kidding. What’s up?

You Can I ask you for a favor?

JAMAN Anything for you

You Can I get Jungkook’s number?

JAMAN Huhuhu…the plot thickens

You Oh, stop it. Will you give it to me or not?

JAMAN Idk it depends.

You On?

JAMAN If I get to see more of you

You Jiminie…

JAMAN 😞😞

You You saw me once, that’s not good enough?

JAMAN Let me take you out to dinner. I want to catch up with you.

You Then I’ll never have to see you again? 🙂

JAMAN Sure…

You Fine fine fine Give me his number

You waited a few days to call Jungkook in case Jimin told him he gave you his number. You didn’t want to seem desperate; at least, it would be at your discretion. You’d be more prepared with your heart and your mind.

You sat there, staring at his name, tapping on the screen, and before you knew it, the line began ringing. Ah, fuck.

There’s no going back now.

Hello?

“Hey, Kook. It’s ___.” You can hear him shifting through the line.

Oh, hey. Jungkook cleared his throat. What’s up?

“I wanted to see if you’d be up for coffee or something. If you’re not busy, that is.”

Like today?

You hummed.

Just tell me where and what time.

“Philz Coffee at 2?”

Yeah! I’ll see you then.

You quickly ended the call. Well, the easy part was done. Now, onto the rest.

Even for a Thursday afternoon, the street where the coffee shop was located was rather crowded. You blamed the increased remote jobs and everyone flocking to work from there instead of their homes.

Walking toward the shop, you looked up to see Jungkook sitting outside with two coffees on the table.

He gave a small wave and stood when you approached him. “Hey!” His voice was enthusiastic as he flashed a warm smile, dimple on display. Jungkook gestured for you to sit.

“Do you still like mint mojito iced coffees?”

You chuckled to yourself. You didn’t think he would still remember your coffee order. “Yeah, I do.”

“Cool, figured you still did.”

You gave a half-smile.

Jungkook leaned forward in his seat, eyes on you. “So, why did you want to meet up?”

Your lips thinned before you cleared your throat. “I guess we have some unfinished business.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

You sighed, pulling yourself together to turn to him, looking him in the eye finally. Never in a million years did you think you would be sitting here, talking. His doe eyes sparkled, his boyish charm lingered, and that sweet smile made you swoon.

“I’m gonna say my piece, and then if you have anything to add, go for it.”

He nodded, listening intently to your following words.

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath. “When you stopped talking to me—it hurt, fucked me up for a long time. I convinced myself for years I was over it, but that wasn’t the case at Jimin’s.”

It felt weird to finally say everything that had been building up aloud in front of him.

“It was hard going through college without you. I couldn't talk to you when I wanted, come over when I was bored, and experience new things with you. It was like this big piece of my life was missing, and no one could fill it. Sometimes, a song would come on shuffle that reminded me of you; then I'd get sad because I didn't know your new favorite songs or if you had seen the new Marvel movie.”

Most of all, you missed his presence and how he’d light up when he was excited to show you something or how he’d put a smile on your face when you were down.

“You were my best friend, Kook. I shared everything with you. So it hurt when you felt like you couldn’t talk to me. I would’ve understood if you couldn’t be friends with me because of Josie—I mean, it would’ve sucked big time, but I would never want you to feel like you can’t be honest with me.”

Jungkook stayed quiet for a bit before responding. “I’m sorry about what happened. I was hurting too, and I guess I wanted you to hurt too.”

“Well, it worked.” You let out a sad chuckle; your hand began playing nervously with the coffee cup before you.

He looks at you, scanning your face. “This might not mean anything now, but I know you. I know what songs you like, movies you watched, what made you sad and happy.”

Your gaze slowly flicked to his, your eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“I don’t want to sound like a creep or anything, but I’ve been following you on Instagram.”

“You have an Instagram account?”

“Uh, yeah. I just don’t post my face or anything.” He pulled out his phone to show you.

Your jaw dropped. “Oh my god. You’re alphabet boy?”

“Alphabet boy?” Jungkook’s forehead furrowed.

As soon as he said that, you began to piece everything together. So he was on social media. He was just good at hiding it.

“So, you’ve been keeping up with everything I’ve been doing?”

“You were my best friend. I missed you and wanted to know what your life was like.”

You didn’t know how to process this information. You had been lurking on Instagram, trying to get a glimpse of Jungkook, but after all these years, he was trying to keep a part of you with him.

“Just because you’ve liked my posts or watched my stories doesn’t mean you know me.”

He nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I don’t, but I would like to get to know you again.”

“What about Josie? What is she going to think?” You didn’t want to get in the way of whatever they had going on.

“I’ve tried breaking up with her multiple times, and she keeps on coming back, and I’m pretty dumb for letting her back in. I think we’ve just gotten into that rhythm where we’ve been comfortable with each other that it’s hard to let it go, you know?”

You chuckled to yourself. He was never really good at speaking up, was he?

He looks at you. “Do you think we can start over?”

You take a deep breath. “I don’t know. I—I don’t think I can lose you as a friend again.”

“You won’t,” he responded immediately.

You liked how sure he was of himself. That nothing or no one could get in the way of a new friendship again. But with Josie still in the picture, you didn’t think it would be as easy as he was making it seem.

A car drives by, music playing loudly from their speakers. It stopped the conversation, giving you time to think.

A part of you would love to be friends again, and the other part was ready to let go and start fresh. You weren’t the same person you were in high school. You had grown up, lived, and loved a little, and after finally getting to speak everything you’ve held onto—you were ready to close that chapter you had kept open for so long.

Jungkook waved his hand, calling out to you.

“Hmm?”

“What happens now?”

You shrugged, and your mouth twisted to the side. “I don’t know, Kook. How about we just take it one day at a time? And I don’t mean like we talk every day or something, but if we see each other, we’ll be able to say ‘hi.’”

Jungkook nodded. “Baby steps.”

“Right. Baby steps.”

“I can do that.”

JAMAN Dinner. Friday. 6 PM.

You Why, hello, Jimin.

JAMAN Right, hi. Dinner. Friday. 6 PM. Be there.

You You didn’t tell me where.

JAMAN My place.

You Is Jungkook going to be there?

JAMAN No, he’s outta town. Going somewhere with Josie.

You tut. Of course, he hasn’t broken it off with Josie. Why would he? No one changes within a week, right?

You Okay, fine. See you on Friday. Can I bring anything?

JAMAN Just yourself 😘

Friday.

JAMAN Hey, I’m running late from work. But make yourself at home! I’m going to grab some food on the way back, too.

You Am I supposed to break in?

JAMAN Oh, you silly girl. The code is 0613.

You ‘Kay, see you soon.

You couldn’t believe you agreed to come to Jimin’s place for dinner. Meeting up somewhere would’ve been safer if you bumped into Jungkook again. But you two did decide to take baby steps.

Keying in the code, you stepped in, eyes wandering around the house. Surprisingly, it was well-kept. No throw pillow or blanket is out of place. All the coasters were neatly lined up. Even the house plants were flourishing.

You closed the door, then heard a shatter of glass hitting the ground along with a ‘fuck’. You didn’t see any cars outside when you arrived. Maybe Jimin was dropped off.

“Hello? Jimin?”

You walked into the kitchen, peering around the corner, and saw someone’s head bobbing up and down.

“Kook?”

He looked up with doe eyes, and his jaw opened. “Oh—hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows. “I live here,” he said slowly, sweeping the glass in a dustpan.

“Yes, I know that. But where’s Jimin?”

“Jimin’s at work. He asked me to make dinner.”

You huffed, throwing your head back. “Did you plan this?”

“Plan what?”

“This. Us. Dinner.”

“What? No. I didn’t know you were coming over.”

Your phone buzzed in your back pocket.

JAMAN Oh, hey, friend. I can’t make it to dinner. Guess you’ll just have to eat with Kook. 😘😘

You I’M GONNA BLOCK YOU PARK JIMIN

JAMAN 😘 I love you.

“I’m—just going to go. See you later, Kook,” you said, turning around to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. Bye, Kook.”

“Why don’t you stay? I already made dinner and don’t want it to go to waste.”

You stopped in your tracks. Whatever he made smelled good.

He set down the dustpan and walked over to you. “Come on. It’s just dinner.”

You turned back to him, scanning him from head to toe. Why did he have to look so boyfriend in his all-black outfit and matching baseball hat?

You pointed your chin to the ground, staring at him. “Just dinner.”

✨ read part three ✨

[rhey-007]

Helios - Chapter 3

Billy Butcher x reader

Summary: A fatherless girl finally meets with him after her mother's death. Little does she know that from this point on, her life will fall apart. She'd meet a lot of new, interesting and disgusting people and experience a lot of traumatizing events. Will she be able to choose the right side and take control of her own fate?

Tags/Warnings: 18+, Fem!reader, violence, a tad bit of fluff, sex, oral sex, fingering, big age gap, explicit language, quickie, hickeys, pervert Homelander, semi public sex

A/N: I had a huge writers block and couldn't finish this chapter for 3 weeks but it's finally here!

Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Wordcount: 3990 (around)

‧͙⁺˚*･༓🔅 🔅༓･*˚⁺‧͙

In last chapter:

‘’About that...’’

Hughie’s words made you comprehend why he even came to you. Up to that moment you didn’t even realize you never told him where you lived, you haven’t even talk to each other! Butcher must have sent him to persuade you. That sick motherfucker knew too well how to handle you.

‘’What is it?...’’

You asked giving in. You decided that if you had to help them, you’d do it just for that poor dumplin Hughie, who’s girlfirend got run into and killed by fucking A-Train. And that’s how it started, another adventure with Butcher. God... Why did you always had to get yourself in some shit...

‧͙⁺˚*･༓🔅 🔅༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Chapter 3 - Sunset

And that's how you found yourself there, in an abandoned restaurant, with Hughie, Butcher and some two other guys you've never met. You and Hughie stood in the doorframe watching Billy trying to calm down – what you've managed to catch - Mother's Milk and Frenchie. By their shouts you figured they know eachother for some time already, and you wondered why Butcher didn’t tell you about his other pals. Did they knew about you? Or were they just as clueless as you? Hughie's cough somehow brought their attention to you but just for a brief moment.

„NOT NOW! „

They shouted in your direction and went back to fighting, until Butcher realized why Hughie left earlier. He turned around rapidly after pushing boys away, making Frenchie fall down.

„What the FUCK is SHE doing here?! „

The man walked up to you angrily, his fists clenched ready to punch the shit out of Hughie, but you knew he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t even try or it would be him who'd get hurt. You looked up confused at the boy. Wasn't it Butcher who sent him to you?

„We need her help okay? He won't talk with us, but she's one of them. Maybe he’ll listen to her! "

Billy huffed and shot you a glare which you returned with just as much anger as him.

„I could've gotten this out of him without her! Good ol' beating and torture. I don't need some fucking ally, or shit! Get her outta' here! "

His words made your heart hurt a tad, but you pushed that feeling aside, clenched your asscheeks and stood up to him as you always would. Ain't no man gonna break your heart nor speak to you like that.

„Oh really? Then I guess you didn't need my help the last time. And the previous one. And the previous one... Want me to keep counting? Tell me, how long are you sitting here and how many times did you try to... Whatever you try to do? "

You turned to Hughie with a murderous look, ready to kill Butcher.

„A few days... "

The boy said quietly, shrinking under your glare and tone of voice.

„And how long did it took you with my help, hm?"

Turning to Butcher with the same face you gave Hughie, made the older man seem like a hurt puppy too. Only you were able to make the allmight William Butcher feel small and scared. He looked down embarrassed and mumbled under his nose.

„Less than few hours... "

„Excuse me? I couldn’t hear you”

„Less than few hours! "

He shouted, stomping his foot like a baby and earning a devilish smirk from you.

„Exactly! So let's do it quickly so I can go home before midnight”

The boys were impressed by your ability to shush Billy, you sure were going to be admired by them. Frenchie motioned for you to follow him, and so you did, walking down the stairs to the basement where the horror happened.

„The fuck... There's nothin in there! "

You hissed annoyed while looking through a window of the ‘cell'. The aluminum foil on the ceiling, metal cage connected to electricity... All that didn't make sense to you. Turning around, you saw the boys' faces were pale, almost white, fear in their eyes as they looked at you. Soon it hit you. Which superhero, close to Homelander, was invisible? Which one, because of their powers, could easily be electrocuted? Translucent. Your face went white, shoulders slumping down, head spinning and on verge of tears. Even though you hated the seven, you hated what they actually did, you hated the company their worked for, they still were the people you kind of grew up with. The people who raised you, shaped you. Besides he had a wife – ex wife, but still – and a son! And you knew them yourself. You leaned against the wall to not loose your balance and fall down. A lump formed in your throat and you were unable to form words for a short while.

„Please... Please don't tell me it's Translucent... "

You choked out. Their faces said everything and they didn’t have to answer. You turned to the wall and took a few deep breaths to calm yourself down, then wiped your eyes and straightened yourself before turning back.

„Gimme the key”

Frenchie threw you the key and you quickly unlocked the cell, then shut the door behind yourself. You kneeled down in front of the cage and shot Translucent a soft smile.

„Helios?... What are you doing here? A-are those motherfuckers keeping you hostage too?... "

The man said while appearing to you and you could hear the hurt in his voice.

„Y-yes... Yes they do... "

You lied with a sigh and flopped down.

„Haven’t seen you for a long time... Stillwell said you died of a heart attack, but I knew that was bullshit. Maverick misses you, you know... We all do... "

His words brought warmth to your heart and made tears spill from your eyes. You chuckled softly while wiping them away. You knew it wasn’t a 100% true, but it still was nice to hear it. Aside the fact that he paraded around Vought tower naked most of the time, Translucent was really a nice and smart guy. He was the one to help you with your homework, whenever you needed it, and the one to tell the actually funny dad jokes. You had to admit you missed those nice moments from the tower.

„I promise I'll visit him one day. But now you need to understand... If you won't tell them whatever they need, sooner or later they'll find a way to kill you... "

„They already did... "

„Wha-"

Translucent’s statement made your heart skip a beat and body freeze. You could never think they could be that smart to actually find a way to kill him. What could it even be? Wasn't he indestructible after all?

„They put a bomb up my ass... "

„They... They did what?! Oh my god... I think I'm really gonna have a heart attack... Just- Just tell them what they want okay? "

You shot up and rushed out of the cell furiously. After shutting the door you stomped up to Butcher, grabbed the collar of his shirt and shook him.

„Excuse me?! What the actual fuck?! Why did you put a bomb in him??! "

„Big brain, ain't we? "

He smirked down at you earning a juicy slap across his face, with all the strength you had, almost knocking him down.

„I like you... Rough, but... That was too much Sugar... "

Billy mumbled while scrambling off the floor. The boys chuckled at the miserable state of Butcher in your presence but you quickly shut them up with just one look. It would be an understatement if they said they were scared of you. As much as you wanted to shout your guts out at the men, tell them they are crazy psyhopaths, that their out of their minds and that there are other options to deal with that, you knew you couldn’t. You couldn’t because you'd burst out and reveal the truth about your life. And then, knowing Butcher, they would really keep you hostage and use as a bargaining card.

„Listen Buttercup... You know well how we deal with that. Ya helped me do that after all. So don't say you're surprised. He saw our faces, which means he'd spill out, which means – he has to die. Want me to spell it out for ya, Miss smarty pants? "

You huffed, steam blowing out your ears. But then you remembered something.

„And how are you gonna deal with Homelander? He'll hear the explosion, come here and kill ya”

„We'll sic ya on him "

That grin... That sick grin you both hated and loved appeared on his face. After a few more minutes of the quarrel -when in meanwhile Frenchie and M.M. stated that you act like an old married couple - you heard cars pull up.

„Vought "

‧͙⁺˚*･༓🔅 🔅༓･*˚⁺‧͙

After dealing with Vought and Homelander you heard a loud boom in the basement. Hughie. You literally flew down stairs and the sight made you sick. The cell was opened, Hughie stood in the middle of the blood and guts stained room, his heart thumping like crazy, the detonator in his hand.

„What... What have you done... "

A whisper escaped your lips before you almost puked. You tried to run back upstairs but your had spun so bad you were hitting the walls. Finally out of the building with M.M's help, you gripped onto a trash can and vomited your insides out. The man held your hair up and rubbed your back until Billy came to change him. He felt bad you had to see that, as that was the most gruesome thing you saw while working with him.

“And you're... You're surprised I hate working with you... "

Sighing you looked up at him. Makeup smeared all across your face, cheeks wet from tears that were still slowly falling down. You looked terrible, but for him... For him you looked beautiful. You always did.

„M’sorry... I shouldn’t have... I shouldn’t have ever asked you for any help... “

You shot him a confused look. He never truly apologized to you, never. Shaking your head you fought the urge to embrace him and ignored his sad puppy look.

„Call me when you done cleaning. I'll get rid of the remainings”

‧͙⁺˚*･༓🔅 🔅༓･*˚⁺‧͙

You never thought you’ll find yourself at the Believe Expo ever again. A much as you loved going there when you were young, learning about God and the believes and meeting new people, now you hated the only thought. Walking around dressed all black, sunglasses resting on your nose and a hood on your head, wasn’t easy. It was so hot you were practically melting, but you couldn’t take your disguise off or someone would recognise you. A lot of people actually knew you there, starting from the bodyguards, through priests ending at sellers. Going there was a huge risk nonetheless, but you couldn’t let the boys go alone. They had no idea how to behave at such place – especially Billy... With hands in the pocket of your hoodie, Milk and Billy on your either side with Hughie in front, you strode through the square full of stalls, surrounded by various young and older people. Everytime you passed a stall full of stuff with your father’s face on, an uncomfortable shiver run trough your body and you felt as if someone was watching you.

Soon a young, blonde girl came to your sight. Starlight was her name, if you remembered right. She was so much like younger you and despite being the newest member of the seven you bet she was Homelander’s favourite. Hughie left your group and quickly joined her, then the two walked away.

‘’They look cute together’’

You admitted with a soft smile which dropped the moment you heard Butcher argue with one of the sellers. Rolling your eyes annoyed you motioned to M.M. to pull him away, while you apologize.

‘’It’s okay dear. It’s good thing that you took your dad here. May God have mercy on him’’

The older man said with a warm smile while you just nodded and run away. We’re you really looking like Butcher’s kid in that attire? You hoped not. Just as much as you hoped he didn’t hear the man’s words.

‘’I may not be your dad, but I sure can be your daddy’’

Billy smirked down at you, his arm wrapping around your waist and pulling close. He heard everything perfectly and you couldn’t fool him.

„You wish”

You hissed but didn’t pull away to Butcher’s surprise.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓🔅 🔅༓･*˚⁺‧͙

When the time came your father flew to the stage and started his stupid speech. His words made you shiver the whole time, making Billy question your behavior. When the speech came to an end you took of your sunglasses, Homelander's sight immediately falling to you, as if he knew you we're there, your eyes piercing through each other with hatred and sadness. John noticed the dark haired man glued to your side and frowned. Was hooking up with his victim’s husband a way to angry him? A way to remind him of what he did? He had no idea, but was more than keen to find out. And you were more than keen to angry him even more. You already had a plan. While Hughie managed to snuck into a meeting with Ezekiel, thanks to Annie, you sent Milk off to look for something. In meantime you dragged Billy into a staff tent behing Ezekiel’s. The man looked at you confused before you pressed yourself against him, your lips attacking his.

‘’Woah ,woah, woah... What’s gotten into ya Moonie?’’

He asked after pulling away, which doesn’t mean he didn’t kiss back - quite the contrary – he kissed back even more passionately than you did. That’s when you started to have a weird feeling it was a bad idea to begin with, but decided to continue nonetheless.

‘’Well... Thought you could show me what a great daddy you can be’’

Biting your lip your hands traced down his torso slowly unbuttoning his - what everyone except of you would call - ugly hawaiian shirt.

‘’Here? Didn’t thought America’s sweetheart could be a little perv-’’

You cut him off by harshly pulling his chest hair. He winced a little but soon a smirk came back to his face.

‘’Okay, okay... Whateva you wish for princess’’

Leaning down he captured your lips. This time the kiss was more hungry, as if he was starved of you. And he was. After the second kiss his lips met your neck and left a trail of hickeys down to your collar bone. Huge palms gently gripped your asscheeks picking you up and placing down on a table nearby. He got rid of your hoodie with one swift motion and stared at your full breasts afterwards. You bit your lip softly, his only gaze making you wet, and unclasped your bra letting it fall down to the ground.

‘’God dammit Doll...’’

He groaned before attacking your chest with his plump lips. His beard tickled your skin and left red, itchy marks, but you couldn’t care less as you indulged in pleasure.

When Homelander was about to baptised people he could hear rustling and moans coming out of the tent behind the one he was in. He stared into the wall while Ezekiel talked, his brows furrowing deeply when he noticed your immoral actions through the thin material, thanks to his super vision. His heart started to beat faster with every second of watching Butcher staining you with sins, the vain on his forehead about to pop. You knew well he was watching you, that was the whole plan, otherwise you wouldn’t let Billy touch you like that. Not yet at least. When Butcher slipped his hand inside your sweatpants and panties, pressing his thumb to your aching clit you moaned out quietly.

‘’Mmm... Daddy... ‘’

Your words made Homelander’s jaw clench, especially that now your head was turned towards him, innocent blue eyes watching him with your super vision while Billy destroyed you, and even though he wanted to stop it, save his fallen angel from the brute he couldn’t because of the situation he was in. Soon Ezekiel’s words got him out of trance. Your moans made it hard for him to focus though, and he almost drowned Hughie – partly because of that and partly because he wanted to threaten you and the boy.

Billy was really skillful for a person who allegedly didn’t have sex in a long time. His digits slowly dragged through your folds a few times, getting coated in your slick before he pushed one of them inside you easily. He groaned into your ear feeling how wet you were. Gasping into his shoulder, your nails dug into his back.

„B-Billy... W-we don’t have much time... "

You barely mumbled out after the man pushed another finger inside of you and moved them slowly. He whimpered when your hand slid down his torso to grip his growing erection through the fabric of his jeans. You felt empty when his fingers left your hole, a soft wince escaping your lips. Butcher quickly unbuckled his belt and pulled his pants with boxers slightly down, enough to pull out his member and pull them back up in case, while you shimmied out of your own. Grabbing your hand the man brushed it against your folds, gathering your wetness, then put it around his throbbing cock giving it a few pumps.

„You're so big... "

You whispered almost drooling. It felt embarrassing to think of his girth in the past, but it looked just as you imagined it to. Butcher lined himself against you then slowly pushed inside, earning a little bit too loud moan from you.

„Hey, hey. I know it feels good but we can't get caught can we? "

Billy grinned and you rolled your eyes, before locking them with his when he started to move. At first it was slow and deep, hitting all the juicy spots, but after a few seconds it got fast, hectic, starved, and you didn’t mind. It felt so good that for a moment you forgot about the real purpose of your actions. You burried his face between your breasts. He kissed and sucked them leaving your nipples sore while you once again looked in the direction where your father earlier was. He was gone now though and you let a dissatisfied groaned leave your lips. Billy stopped hearing your groan and looked up at you from between your boobs.

„Everythin okay? Did I do something wrong? "

The look on his face wasn’t confused, rather worried that he might have hurt you, which he wouldn’t like to do at all cost. It was the first time you saw him so worried about you and it felt funny considering what the two of you were doing. Your heart felt warm in that moment and you laughed softly, a reassuring smile on your face as you stroked his hair.

„No, no. Everything’s alright, don't worry”

„You sure? "

Nodding you gave him permission to continue and so he did. You had to admit the sex felt really good and you kind of wished to repeat it one day but in more comfortable surroundings. It took you only a few minutes to cum thanks to Billy's ministrations on your sensitive bud, but you felt it would take the man longer to get off. For a man his age he could last quite long. You pulled away from him, his member still standing firmly after leaving your pussy, then dropped down to your knees. The moment you licked it you felt Butcher's hand in your hair, fingers intertwining with the strands and the palm softly pushing you further after you took him in your mouth. But it wasn’t the only thing you felt. The other one was your father, once again observing the two of you and your actions. The corners of your mouth lifted when you noticed him now watching you from behind the scene, that familiar look of rage once again painted on his face brought happiness to you. Billy's quiet groans and whimpers filled the tent signaling both his pleasure and the fact that he was close. You didn’t want to waste any more time and started to bob your head rapidly every time trying to take more and more of him, which was hard because of your gag reflex. Soon his cock twitched and palm pressed your head all the way down, keeping it there for a few seconds while he spilled his hot seed inside, before pulling away to let you breathe. Smiling down at you the man breathed heavily, then picked you up and placed once again on the table. He gathered himself, then after wiping your face and womanhood with a tissue he found in your pants, he pulled them back on. Excpet, he forgot your panties.

„Billy..."

You frowned and crosses your arms over your already fully clothed chest.

„What? Can't I have a little souvenir? "

Butcher grinned at you, his hands stuffing your black panties in the back pocket of his jeans. You just rolled your eyes with a small smile you couldn’t help.

„Go find Milk, I still need to do something "

You ordered which he quickly obeyed and left after one last remark of how hot the whole situation was. Shortly after he left, someone walked in. Walking around you they stopped in front, a deep frown on their face while a bright, foolish grin graced yours.

‘’Well, well, well... Who do we have here’’

‧͙⁺˚*･༓🔅 🔅༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Tag list: @demodemo909 @aleemendoza2425-blog @ostricx

if anyone would like to be added just comment!

[vodika-vibes]

Neverland

Summary: When you were a child, you and your twin went missing for six months. You escaped, but your twin didn't. And now that you're an adult you realize that Captain Howzer is hunting the person who took you.

Pairing: Kight Captain Howzer x Reader

Word Count: 4351

Warnings: Mention of child death

A/N: So, I developed a migraine halfway through writing this, so I'm not sure if I'm happy with it or not. But I'm posting it anyway. Also, I've never written Howzer before.

Divider by saradika

“-we’d really appreciate it if you came down to the memorial. Your mother would appreciate it.” Your dad smiles at you across the mirror, “I know it’s a hard thing for you angel, but-”

“Mother blamed me, dad.” You reply with a sigh, “We both know she doesn’t want me there.”

“She loves you, baby girl.” Your dad says quietly, “She just…forgets that sometimes. It’d be great if you came to the memorial anyway.”

“I’m sorry dad, but I’m not going.” You lean back in your desk chair, “I know you all want me there, but dad, you’re the only one who doesn’t blame me. Besides, I have so much work to do…”

Your dad sighs, “They were grieving, baby.”

“So was I. I lost my other half, and somehow their grief is more than mine?” You shake your head, “I’m sorry dad, I’m not going to the memorial.”

Your dad sighs again, “Will I see you this weekend?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It depends on my workload.”

“Alright. Love you baby girl.”

“Yeah, love you too, dad.” You end the call with a quiet sigh, and promptly toss the mirror into your desk. The last thing you want is for your mother to call you and ream you out for not attending her golden baby’s memorial.

Ironically, you probably could make it to the memorial. Captain Howzer wouldn’t deny you that, and it’s the end of the work day anyway…but the idea of coming face to face with the people who accused you of being the reason your own twin died…

Well, you have good reason to not have anything to do with them.

You sort through the paperwork on your desk, organizing them into piles for later while you try to forget everything that happened to you all those years ago. Everything that had led to your twin brother’s death.

It was just after your seventh birthday, your parents had surprised you and your brother with your own rooms, and while you both loved having your own space, sleeping apart was still weird. More so for your brother, than you.

He snuck into your room and curled up into your bed, and the pair of you stayed awake until midnight, just talking and giggling with each other. And that was when He appeared.

He was a boy, only about ten years old, and he flew in your bedroom window. He regaled you and your brother with stories about adventures and wonder, and then asked your brother to come with him, promising him the adventure of a lifetime.

He refused to go with the boy unless you could go with him. 

And the boy agreed. 

And He took you and your brother to a wondrous place. A place where the sky was always blue and the water was always clean, and He took the pair of you, and the other children, on adventures like from a storybook-

But, unlike your brother and the other boys, Neverland, as He called it, never felt safe to you. You always felt like someone was watching you, you never could relax enough to sleep for longer than a few hours at most.

Your brother told you that you were just feeling guilty for running off without telling mom and dad. He said it would pass, because it did for him, but you weren’t quite sure.

So you wandered. You started spending more and more time on your own, and He didn’t mind because He didn’t want you there to begin with. And the more you wandered, the more unsettled you became.

The further you strayed from Him, the less bright the world became. Trees twisted and curled, grass wilted, the sky turned brown and then gray, and the water became dull and murky-

And then you met her. She was a mermaid, though unlike the mermaids in the crystal clear lagoons nearer to His home, this one was older and tired looking. She was naught but skin and bones, and her hair was a tangled mat. And she watched you with sightless eyes.

The mermaid, who refused to give her name, and spoke in a raspy whisper, led you down the filthy river that she called home, until she came to a lake. And there, the mermaid pointed into the water.

Littering the bottom of the lake were skeletons. Hundreds of them. Maybe more. All of them the size of the average child. 

The mermaid whispered what He did. How He traveled from Neverland to the Mortal Realm and he coaxed children into leaving their home, and families, to go on an adventure with him. She whispered that he killed all of the children he took, with no exceptions. 

And then she told you to run. She said that your brother was lost, had become one of His Lost Boys, and wouldn’t follow you even if he wanted, and she whispered a path out. An opening that He didn’t know about.

And, though it broke your heart, you knew she was right. Your brother wasn’t yours anymore. He had taken him.

The path back to the mortal realm was fraught with perils, you nearly died several times (from falling, drowning, and animal attacks) until you were finally able to stumble through the portal back to where you were supposed to be.

And as soon as you were back in the mortal realm, you collapsed.

What had felt like a week for you, had been six months in the mortal realm.

It took six months for you to physically recover, though some of the scars remain still, and you needed therapy for years to help you heal mentally. But eventually you did. 

And now, every year, your mother wants to drag you to the memorial and force you to relive the trauma. Oh, she never makes you talk about it, but she does make you relive it. Over and over and over-

You exhale slowly and pinch the bridge of your nose to try and stem the headache you feel forming, and then you grab a stack of folders and push to your feet. You’re done with them, which means they need to go on the Captain’s desk.

You glance at the clock and make a face. It’s late enough that the Captain probably already left for the day. Which means you’ll have to leave a note about the files for him to see when he comes in in the morning.

You leave your office, and walk down the hall to where Captain Howzer works. You’re surprised to notice that his office lights are still on. Which means he’s working late…or he forgot to turn off the light.

You lightly knock on the door, and wait a moment. You’re only a little surprised when you hear him tell you the door is unlocked. You push open the door and flash the smallest smile at Howzer, “Burning the midnight oil, Captain?”

“It’s not that late, mesh’la,” Captain Howzer leans back in his chair, a smile crossing his handsome face, “Besides, you’re still here.”

“Yes, but I’m intentionally being an unfilial daughter by staying here and giving myself more work. What’s your excuse?” You ask as you set the stack of folders in his inbox.

He glances at the folders, “I have a blind date that I’m skipping.” Howzer replies.

“That’s so rude.” You say as you fold your arms.

“Yeah, well…I have my eye on someone, and going on a blind date isn’t going to make her view me positively.” Howzer replies, “I sent someone else to go in my place. Identical faces and all.”

You roll your eyes, “You’re not identical, Captain.”

“Howzer.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s just us here, mesh’la. You can just call me by my name.”

You shake your head, “Fine. You’re not all identical, Howzer.” You repeat, emphasizing his name.

“You’ll find that most of the world doesn’t agree with you,” Howzer replies with a grin, his gaze locked on your face, “Have a seat, mesh’la. I’m not going to kick you out of my office.”

You sink into the chair across from him, “Did you have something you needed to talk about?” You ask.

“I like hearing you talk,” Howzer replies bluntly, grinning when a pale blush crosses your face, “So, mesh’la, what family event are you skipping?”

“Uh…a memorial.” You say quietly, “For my twin brother. Who died 14 years ago.”

“I’m sorry.” Howzer says quietly.

“No it…” you sigh, “It was a long time ago, and I’ve mostly made my peace with it.”

“Mostly?”

“My family blames me.” You explain, “Because I escaped and he didn’t.”

“Wait, wait. What do you mean escaped?” Howzer asks with a frown.

“Is this not in my file?” You counter, surprised.

“No, not at all.”

“Uh, right. Well…we were seven, and someone kidnapped us. I was missing for six months.” You shrug awkwardly, “It took me over a year to physically recover…and even longer to recover mentally.”

“And the man who took you?”

“Ah…never captured.”

“I’m sorry. That’s awful.” Howzer says quietly.

“Yeah, well…I survived. I’m the lucky one.” You shrug again, and absently fiddle with the hem of your shirt, “Anyway, todays the anniversary of the day I was found, and I prefer to spend the day working, rather than wallowing.”

“I can understand that,” Howzer agrees, “You want something to drink?”

“If you’re offering me the toxic caf from the break room-”

He laughs, “No. I have my own machine here. You want some?”

“Yeah, okay.”

He gets up to start the caf, and you turn to watch him, sitting in comfortable silence (you’ve always been comfortable around Howzer, which is weird since most people make you a little anxious), and then something catches your eye.

Howzer keeps a corkboard in his office, for when he has to plan campaigns. And you’ve just noticed that there’s something on the back of the board. “What’s this?” You ask as you get to your feet, “Are you planning a campaign, Howzer?”

He turns and winces when he sees you flipping the cork board, “It’s a case. I’ve been studying.”

You stare at the board, your fingers lightly trailing from posters of missing children, going back centuries, to case notes with interviews from the parents.

“All of the case files say the same thing,” Howzer says as he walks over and hands you a mug of caf, “The parents put their son to bed, and then, when they woke up, their son was gone.” He explains, “A lot of parents were arrested for the murder of their child. I don’t think the parents ever did it though.”

The pictures are layered on the board, due to how many there are, and you lift one of the pictures, and your breath catches. One of the pictures was of a little boy, with bright red hair, and missing his front two teeth. You knew that boy. He used to cry every night in Neverland…and he vanished on your second day in Neverland.

“It would be easier to solve if there were any witnesses,” Howzer says with a sigh, “Kids…kids don’t deserve this.”

You carefully lift more of the pictures, picking out faces of boys that you know, and recognize. “No one deserves this,” You say quietly, “What He does to those boys is…monstrous.”

Howzer hums, and then freezes, and turns to look at you, “He?”

“Yeah.” You fold your arms over your stomach, anxiety coiling though you, “Peter. His name is Peter.”

“How can you possibly-” Howzer turns to face you completely, and something like horror crosses his face, “You were taken by the man who did this?”

“Boy. Peter’s a boy. Or at least looks like a boy,” You correct absently, “And…yeah. I was.”

“I’ve looked into every missing child case in the last 100 years, and your name never crossed my desk,” Howzer mumbled.

“My parents reported us as runaways. It was only after I was found that people realized that we were kidnapped.” You rub your arms quickly, “And by that point it wasn’t a missing persons case anymore…it became a murder investigation. But no one ever asked me what happened.”

“No one?”

You shrug, “The police tried, but I was malnourished, badly injured, and severely traumatized. Everyone thought that the boy I was talking about was my brother.”

“This Peter…he hurt you?”

“No. He didn’t care about me. But when I was escaping I was attacked by a wild wolf,” You hesitate for a moment, and then take a step back and peel off your jacket, and then your shirt, leaving you in the thin tank-top you always wear under your clothes. You lift the tank top slightly, revealing the nasty scar on your abdomen.

“They couldn’t heal it?” Howzer asks as his fingers lightly brush the scar.

You shiver, “They tried, but…well, it didn’t want to heal at all. So they gave up on not it not scarring and settled for me not bleeding to death.”

He slowly pulls his hand away, though he remains closer to you than would normally be proper, “How did you escape?”

“A native. She pointed me in the right direction, and told me how to get out.” You reply as you look up at his face. You hesitate and nervously lick your lips, “The portal is still there, Howzer. And it’s big enough for a man to pass through.”

His gaze snaps to your face, “You’re sure?”

“I bought the land around the portal. I check on it weekly. I…I keep hoping that maybe another kid will fall out, but-”

“Why haven’t you gone back?” Howzer asks.

“I…by myself? I can’t. I…maybe that makes me a coward-”

“What if I go with you?” He places his hands on your shoulders, “What if I go with you to this Neverland. We can rescue what kids are there, and catch this Peter.”

“Peter’s dangerous, Howzer.”

He smiles at you, there’s a glimmer of something dangerous in his gaze, though it’s not directed at you. “So am I.”

You stare up at him, silent, “...okay. If you come with me, then…yeah. Just…make yourself look less soldier-y?”

“I can do that,” He says with a grin, as his thumbs rub soothing circles on your shoulders.

You hesitate for a moment, and then stand on your toes to brush your lips against his cheek, “Thank you, Howzer.”

His answering smile is small, and lazy, and his hands move just a little so he’s able to rub circles on the side of your neck, “Would you like to go get dinner?” He asks.

“Like…as friends?”

“Like, as a date.” He corrects with a sly grin.

Your jaw drops, “Oh. Um…yeah. Okay. I’d like that.” You manage to squeak out as your face flames red.

“Excellent. And then, tomorrow, we can get started on solving this case.”

You smile up at him, “That sounds like a plan to me.”

**************

The following morning, after a wonderful date that you didn’t want to end, you led Howzer to your small strip of property far outside the city. You’ve tended to the land as best you can, dedicating it to wildflowers and other wild plants, but even so, there’s no animals in the area.

It’s just dead silence.

“So this place is pretty,” Howzer notes as he follows you down a path that you made, “Creepy, somehow, but still pretty.”

“Mm. I think it’s the portal that makes it feel like that,” You reply over your shoulder, “The closer we get the less healthy the plants will become. You’ll see.”

“If you say so, mesh’la.” He replies, speeding up slightly and taking your hand in his. “Are you okay? You’re trembling.”

You thread your fingers with his, and squeeze his hand lightly, “Just nervous, Howzer.”

“Hey, I’m not going to let you get hurt.” He says.

“You might not have a choice.” You squeeze his hand again, and then lead him down a winding path that he wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t shown him.

True to what you said, the further away from the road you walked, the less healthy the plants became. Until you led him to a cave. Death seemed to snake out of the cave, leeching the life from the plants in the area around the cave.

“In there?” Howzer asked as he moved closer to the cave.

You wrap your hands around his forearm, and press yourself against his arm, “Yeah.” You whisper.

“What can I expect on the other side?”

“Um. It’ll look similar to this,” You say, “Lots of dead plants, and the sky will either be gray or brown. We’ll want to follow the river to get to the lake.”

“What are the odds that Peter will be there waiting for us?”

“None at all. He doesn’t…he’s unaware of this opening, or else he would have destroyed it.”

“Good to know,” Howzer murmurs, and then he turns to look at you properly, “You don’t have to come with me, mesh’la.” He very gently cups your face and tilts your head back so you’re looking up at him.

“I do though,” You reply as you finally release his arm and press your hands over his, “Let me come with you, please Howzer?”

His thumbs rub soothing circles on your cheeks, “How could I ever say no to you when you ask me so nicely?” His smile is slightly teasing, though he becomes serious after a moment, “I want you to stay close, mesh’la. No running off and playing the hero. And you’ll listen if I tell you to do something.”

You nod once.

His grip tightens, just a little, “I need to hear you say it, mesh’la.”

“I’ll listen and stay close,” You promise.

“Okay, good.” He quickly leans in and ghosts a kiss against your temple, before he releases you and takes your hand instead, and he tugs you towards the cave.

You walk through the dark cave, until the scent changes from musty cave, to rotten meat, and then there’s dim sunlight ahead of you and then you and Howzer step into Neverland.

It looks…exactly like you remember it. Dreary and bleak, and smelling of death and rot.

“...kids like this place?” Howzer asks, as he looks around. His gaze lingers on fallen, dead, trees, and then his gaze darts over to the water, which is so murky it almost looks black. 

“The closer they are to Peter the better it looks. As I understand it, this is far outside of Peter’s power.” You reply.

Howzer walks over to a fallen log and kicks it with one foot, and the log crumbles almost immediately, “And you navigated this at seven years old?”

“I was motivated.” You joke weakly. “The path should be easier now, though. I think it was always designed for adults.”

“Are there any adults here? Other than us?”

“I never saw any, but I’m not the best to ask.” You point at the water, “We should follow that back to the lake.”

“Yeah, alright.” He holds his hand out to you, and you immediately take it, and then he takes a good look at the water, and starts walking in the opposite direction it’s flowing.

It still takes several hours to make it to the lake, the path a lot easier with the longer legs of an adult…plus there being two of you. And without the animal attack that nearly killed you the first time, which had slowed you down a lot when you were originally trying to escape. 

“This is the lake?” Howzer asks.

“Yeah,” You lean lightly against him and motion to the center of the lake, “Look. There.”

In the center of the lake, sitting on a massive rock, is the same mermaid who helped you escape all those years ago. Still just as skeletal, her hair just as matted. Though, when she hears you, a grin crosses her ancient face.

She swims across the lake, and settles on a rock much closer to shore, “I knew you would return.” She says in her raspy voice, “And I knew that you would bring a friend.”

“I…this is Captain Howzer-” You start to explain, only for her to let out a delighted cackle, so suddenly that Howzer jerks you sharply behind him.

“A Military man,” She cackles, “How long has it been…?” She pins Howzer in place with a sharp look, “You are a soldier?”

“Yes ma’am,”

“Good, good.” Her tail flicks sharply, “Then hear me well. Peter has six boys with him right now. Of those six, only half will survive leaving Neverland.”

“What about the other three?” Howzer asks.

“It’s too late for them. By the time you reach them, Peter will have already claimed them.” The mermaid says, “But you can claim the other three.”

“Do you know where they are?” You ask.

“They are at the tree,” She replies, “You remember the one?”

You nod once.

“Good. You know the route from here. Neverland isn’t that big when you walk it as an adult.” Her smile is cruel, “As for stopping Peter…well, there’s no stopping him, not really. But you can trap him here in Neverland.” Her sightless eyes gleam.

“How do we do that?” Howzer asks.

“That’s not something you can do. No need to worry, you go and get those children, and I’ll handle everything else.” Her smile is sharp, and dangerous. 

You nervously tug on Howzer’s arm, “We should…we should hurry.” 

“Yeah. Yeah we should.” Howzer lightly motions for you to start walking, and he only turns to follow you when the mermaid retreats to the center of the lake.

All things considered, the task you and Howzer were given is simple. It is easy to find the tree, since you already know where it is, and it’s even easier to convince the children to come with you. They want to go home to their parents, and Howzer has a familiar face, a face that they know even if they don’t know him.

And even making the trip back to the exit is quick. The children are eager to follow you so they can go home, and they’re more than happy to accept help.

You pass by the lake, and the mermaid is gone.

You walk the long trail between the lake and the exit in several hours, and then you enter the cave, with the children in front of you, and Howzer in the very back.

As soon as you step foot back in the mortal realm, the three children collapse from exhaustion and hunger. You carefully carry one of the children up to the road, while Howzer carries the other two.

And then you gently tend to them in the shade of a massive tree while Howzer calls for aid. And after the authorities showed up, and Howzer answered questions while you helped the medics get the children into their transport, you settled yourself under a tree and let your head thump against the bark.

You watched as Howzer finished speaking to the authorities, including some of his younger brothers, and you watched as slowly, everyone who came at Howzer’s call slowly left, until it’s just you and Howzer.

And he turns and favors you with a warm smile, and he walks over and sits on the ground next to you. “So, that was fun.” Howzer says lightly as he turns his head to watch you.

“You have a weird definition of fun, Captain.” You reply as you turn your head to smile at him. 

“Maybe.” He agrees, “Do you think Neverland is cut off?”

“I dunno. I doubt we ever will.” You reply honestly, “Some things aren’t for people to know.”

“Yeah. I suppose that’s true.” Howzer replies. He’s quiet for a long moment, and then he flashes you a slightly sly smile, “You want to go get something to eat?”

“...are you asking me on another date, Howzer?”

“Absolutely.” His grin grows, “Eventually I’ll wear you down and I can ask you to be my girlfriend.”

You shake your head with a laugh, “Why don’t you just ask?”

“I think wooing you will be fun,” Howzer replies cheerfully, “So there’s going to be flowers, and dinner dates, and breakfast dates-”

“Oh, stars,” You break down laughing, feeling lighter than you have in years, “Howzer! I’ll be your girlfriend! Please don’t try to bring me on any breakfast dates.”

“But it’ll be fun! We can get up early and watch the sunrise. Of course this only works if you spend the night at my place-” He adds slyly.

“Oh, so this is you trying to get me to spend the night,” You reply with a grin.

“Eh, 50-50. I definitely want to be able to hug and kiss you whenever I want. But I also really want you in my bed. Or to be in your bed, I’m really not picky, mesh’la.” Howzer grins at you.

And you blush, “You’re awful.”

“And yet, you already agreed to be my girlfriend. So there’s clearly something about me you like.”

You glance at him, a teasing smile crossing your lips, “It’s your hair. You have fancy hair and it caught my attention.”

He tugs you against his side, and drapes his arm over your shoulder, “Hey, I’ll take it.” He ducks his head and brushes his lips against the corner of your lips, and you release a frustrated noise in the back of your throat. “Problem, mesh’la?” he asks, his lips curling into a grin against your skin.

“You should kiss me properly,” You reply.

“Mm. Should I?”

“Yes.”

“Well, if that’s what ner mesh’la wants,” He murmurs as he shifts ever so slightly and kisses you properly, deepening the kiss until he’s taken over everything that you are. And your arms come up to wrap around his neck as he pulls you closer, until you’re almost sitting on him. And then he breaks the kiss, “Like that?”

“Mm…I’m not sure. You should show me again.” You tease, slightly breathlessly.

“Greedy,” He teases right back, and then he seals his lips over yours again.

[youuuimeanmee]

There must be tons of things inside Nol's mind the moment his birthday party is over. He must be mulling over what he contemplate during the week after he and his friends parted ways, what lead him up to this point.

Nol has been self-depecrating for years; he was depressed and guilty for what happened in the past. He felt like he doesn't deserve to live and be happy, even if he wanted to. He thought making friends be happy could be his way to atone his sins. But no, he feels like he made everything worse, because he lead them into danger (read: Yui) instead. He endangered them. And he already likes them so much at this point so when they parted, it just leads to another heartbreak.

Shinae calling him a fake person was just adding salt to his wound.

After spending a week mulling over her words, he came to a conclusion that no amount of good deeds he has done will ever be enough to save himself, and he needs to get over his friends because he's undeserving of their love after deceiving and hurting them; Shinae might be the catalyst of Nol's drastic change.

Making friends was a mistake; that's what he believed. That's probably what promted him to go to Alyssa's christmas party because he wanted to forget all the "mistakes" he made. He belonged with his "family," sarcastically speaking. He just wanted to stop giving a fuck to anything. Until he met Shinae again.

She lifted him up, she's using such sweet words to lure him out, she even shared her painful past to try to relate to him. Even after he wrecked her best friend's party and told her to stay away, somehow she still finds her way to save him. She even organized this little party for him. Not to mention, the awkward morphine misunderstanding; yet, she didn't leave. Just how could she stayed by his side after he hurted her from his lies and deceit? He knows how much trust issue Shinae has, so how come she still trust him? Nol really wanted to know.

Then, he saw her gift.

The oranges and the doodle: a reminder of how they meet and the first 24 hours they spent together.

The birthday note: An opposite of what she used to say (Humans suck), and the answer of his question, "why she decided to accept him the first night they met."

Seeing her gift made him realize, maybe, she is the gift all along.

Seeing the oranges and the doodles, he's reminded how lucky he is to have meet Shinae.

Seeing the birthday note, he realized how fortunate he is for asking her to be his partner.

If it wasn't for her, he probably wouldn't even make it to end of the year, and that's not an exaggeration.

She is the mirror that reminded him that he -- the Nolan inside Yeong-Gi mask -- is not okay at all.

She inspired him to try once again with his "family."

When the world told him he's unwanted, she was there to accept him.

They laughed and bickered like old friends.

She gave him a reason to return to this world.

Even after he hurted her, she still hold onto him to share their pain together.

She becomes the bridge to the people who genuinely love him.

She gives him more happiness than he could hold. She gave him reasons to keep living.

And she would not be here if it's not for his efforts to be her friend.

Making friends was not a mistake, it turns out. All the good deeds he has done, it wasn't for naught. All the pain he endured -- especially in the last 3 months -- as Yeong-Gi has finally payed off with a true, loyal friend staying by his side in this moment. She started to make him believe he (might be) wasn't that much of a bad guy, because it seemed like God has accepted some of his repentance. Making friends was not a mistake, or was it?

It's true his perseverance has payed off, but we can't deny all the adventures he went through in the last 3 months is because of Shinae. She has been a force that pushed him to be more involved with the Hiraharas, whether he likes it or not. It leads him to trauma, tears, heartbreaks, even literal injuries... Does it mean Shinae is a curse instead of a blessing?

No, of course not.

Maybe it's just as Nana said; some "mistakes" are worth it.

[the0wllady]

So. You've heard about my adventures in the Human Realm?

And you really want to know how I came to be in that Las Vegas place?

It was while I was in that cafe place in Gravesfield.

I overheard a conversation. They were talking about how to get a lot of money.

Yes, I know, I'm a little bit obsessed with wealth. But I have my reasons! Trust me!

So, they got my attention...

The general thing I got was that there was a place, called "Vegas", where there were places called "Casinos", where if you played games, you could amass a large amount of money.

I was interested, and was about to ask some questions, when the dog that I'd found started acting up.

The waitress came over and asked me to keep it under control, or pay my bill and leave.

So, I picked up the dog, and offered it to her, as payment...but she screamed. And started shouting something about it not being a dog, and  to get it and myself out of the place!

Someone else pointed something at me, so I quickly made a distraction spell, and left in a hurry!

The dog had broken free and that was the last I saw of it.

I went and hid out in the town library.

Y'know, you can find out almost anything in a library?

So, I asked about the Vegas place, and was shown books about this place called Las Vegas. It was in another place called Nevada, around 3000 miles away!

I decided that I should go and see for myself.

But, as I didn't have any Human Realm money, I couldn't buy a ticket on the flying machines, called planes, I'd have to fly myself.

Not a problem I thought!

I got myself together, and set off on Owlbert.

I was flying peacefully, minding my own business, when this small plane flew towards me.

The person in control waved at me. So I waved back.

No. They were pointing downward, telling me to go down.

I shook my head, but they insisted. And flew around me.

I decided to go down and try and loose this plane, so I just dropped quickly, towards an area of trees.

I hid out in the trees until some vehicles came. And a lot of people got out.

I realized that they were looking for me, so I quietly left that area.

I had lost some time. But I thought that I'd fly at night, so I couldn't be seen. I holed up in a barn, and rested until nightfall.

That night, I set off again, but hadn't been flying long, when I became aware of two more small planes coming towards me.

I didn't know how they could see me in the darkness, but got out of there, flying down to just above the ground.

That seemed to loose the following planes.

So, it was too dangerous to fly in the sky by Day or night!

I ended up flying along just above the ground, at night so I couldn't easily be seen.

Finally, I arrived at Las Vegas.

It's an amazing place. Full of casinos and places to stay known as hotels.

I wandered around. You can just walk into the places, as long as you look like you're old enough by their laws.

But I couldn't play any of the games, not having the required money!

I was working out how this game worked, where little blocks with dots on were thrown and the dots had to make a certain number.

Well, this man was throwing them.

I tried a little magic, and found that I could get them to fall just as I wanted.

Great. But I couldn't play myself.

So, I latched onto this guy. And made out that I could tell how the dice blocks would fall.

He didn't believe me, but tried it out.

After he won a few times, he was very happy. We got talking, his name was Stan, and he was from a place called Oregon.

He decided that we could be a good team, and we went on to win a fair stash of cash!

Stan said that we should move around, as winning too much in one casino was likely to get us noticed, in a bad way!

This turned out to be true. As we noticed some people following us around suspiciously.

By this time, Stan and me had been drinking a bit. I suppose it's like the vintage Apple Blood. It makes your head a little fuzzy!

I also realized that Stan had all the money, as he was the one playing the games!

Somehow, we ended up going into one of the places in Vegas where they marry people. I think that it was in order to shake off those followers.

And, yes, me and Stan ended up getting married!

A while later, after our "honeymoon" in a hotel room, I was carrying our winnings, when the security people in the casino we were playing in moved in on us.

I panicked, and ran out of the casino, and almost into a group of cops!

They gave chase, so I summoned Owlbert, and rode out of town.

Them cops followed me for ages, before I could give them the slip!

It was obvious that I couldn't go back to Vegas. A pity, as I really got on alright with Stan.

So, I returned to Gravesfield, by bus and plane this time, as I had money, and so through the portal to home.

And that's what really happened...

[golbrocklovely]

holy sh*t, it seems Colby has finally unfollowed mlp… never thought I’d see the day 🤣 good for him honestly

same here, anon.

i genuinely didn't think he had it in him to cut the chord. but he did it.

i'm gonna go on one "final" rant (which i doubt will be final bc things like this always come back around) and then maybe we can all move on from this topic forever lol

my problem with fans reaction to this/to shea in general is that everyone basically implies or downright says that colby should have stayed with shea no matter what. that he was obligated to choose her bc she's been around since he was less famous, that she knows him, that there's history there, ect ect. and i have a major problem with that and have since day one. same things also applies to stas.

and look, this is not me saying that colby played no hand in this. is it possible that he lead shea on? sure. i'm not denying that's a possibility or reality. and i'm not saying that shea can't be hurt about it. but at the end of the day, if he didn't want to date her, he doesn't have to. regardless of what he might have promised, regardless of what might have transpired between them, he's not obligated to stick by her just bc some of yall love adventure buddies a bit too much. he's not a sim or a character you can control. he's a real person with real feelings and real choices he's allowed to make. even, surprise surprise, ones you don't like or agree with.

if i was colby, i would have unfollowed shea years ago. but he's nicer than me.

i just find it so odd how so many of these fans act like he picked malia over shea. yall, shea was never in the running in the first place. the last time they hung out was in september of 2023, when he was literally seeing tess at that time and up and a little bit past halloween. and then he ended up meeting malia in late nov/dec. so there is no possible way him and shea got something going on before nye when everything went south for them. the only way that's possible is if he played all three girls and somehow none of them realized it (which i doubt completely since tess or shea by this point would have said all of this).

i do not believe whatsoever that he had plans to hang out on nye, one of the holidays where he parties, with the girl that literally doesn't drink. not only that, but by nye he was full on seeing malia. we all know this. we all saw this. shea assumed he would hang out with her, just like she assumed he would come stream with her, like she assumed he would edit her videos and be in them. these are all legit promises she made in the very beginning of her streams. but the moment the nye pics dropped, her tune changed instantly. now she was badmouthing him and allowing her fans to do her bidding of shitting on him in chat and online. and basically every stream she did, she would say something about him. which again is why i cannot understand any of the fans that genuinely support her blindly.

bc if i had someone in my life who i had a possible on and off again relationship with, that's been talking to fans in gcs for years about me and my love life (along with god knows what else), liking edits bashing girls i'm friends with, claiming to her own fans that we're secretly dating but then turning around and blaming fans when our "relationship" goes south, and then takes the intimate details of my struggles that i came to her as a friend to discuss and turns them into shitty insta captions along with an entire part in a poetry book that she's making money off of…. and then tries to paint me as the worst person ever……. the LEAST i'm doing is unfollowing lol

but again, colby is nicer than me.

and if you don't believe me about the gcs, here she is in 2019 telling a random fan of colby's that was hating on her that colby and andrea were not together (since so many fans were shipping them at the time). and she full on aired out andrea's relationship, one she didn't even admit to having until after the break up.

here is a fan account of shea's (now deleted) that literally explains shea was in MULTIPLE gcs with fans. mind you the fan posting this was a literal teenager. this is also about the above situation too.

and just as an added bonus, here is shea's chat from roughly two weeks (january 16) after he was seen with malia on nye (and when those pics leaked of them)

but hey, if you want to be besties/fwb with someone like this, be my guest.

[theadventurerslog]

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today Gone Tomorrow | Part 6

The Adventurer’s Log

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today Gone Tomorrow Part 6

In which I return to the Isle of the Mists and go to the Land of the Dead...once I figured out how.

Last time I came to the Isle of Mists I got what I needed but had strayed too far and got captured and killed by the druids. This time, well, there was no chance to stray.

I appeared on the island, startling the two druids there. Alexander is captured again. The Arch Druid guesses he was the foreigner they were warned of and they're about to have a Rain Festival so he's the perfect sacrifice. Here we go again.

Alexander is locked into he wicker cage over the fire, but this time when the cage started to catch on fire he automatically uses the dress from Beauty to put it out, although the dress is reduced to smouldering ashes. It's still not but as the heat builds the lamp full of the water mix starts to boil!

My Make Rain spell activated and caused a thunderstorm, dousing the fire and making the druids think Alexander is a nature wizard.

Once Alexander was freed and the storm ended, the arch druid apologized. They've been inhospitable since the Winged Ones (from the Isle of the Sacred Mountain) stole their sacred miniature oak tree. Vizier Alhazred had also sent a message they were to watch out 'for a highly-dangerous foreign assassin."

Alexander explains what he's doing here and the Oracle told him to speak to the druids about the Realm of the Dead and two souls in unrest there who may be freed. The arch druids explains that legends say the Lord of the Dead was once a mortal man who became bound to the realm of the dead. He further explains that there is a legend that any human may challenge the Lord of the Dead for their or another's life, but the knowledge of how to do that has been lost. He'd heard of a knight who came long ago from a distant land and was determined to win back the soul of his dead lover. It was said he tamed the Lord of the Dead's black-winged beast named Night Mare. Night Mare is said to come to the human world to feed on certain noxious plants. Somehow the knight captured the Night Mare and rode off on her but never returned.

Well, we know where some noxious plants are and there's a spell to charm a creature of the night.

Charming a Creature of the Night Spell: 1 Skull full of hot Oak Embers A bit of sulphur (Brimstone) 1 strand of a pure-hearted maiden’s Hair

I had the skull. I was able to use it to collect some embers from the fire the druids tried to roast Alexander. I had the strand of hair from Cassima. I got stuck on the sulphur.

I went back to the druid's village where I found I'd either missed coal or it hadn't been available until now. Then I went back to town but didn't find much of use. I thought there might be something back at the catacombs to do with the fire pit, but no luck there either. Then after all my pointless wandering I discovered that the embers had grown cold.

So I reloaded.

But my last save was after I'd taken the embers so I had to go back to a previous save and go through the druid capture again.

Sidenote: I choose to blame the cruelty of previous King's Quests and not my own ridiculous oversight. Okay, this was a really silly mistake. So, it wasn't until after I already finished the game that I realized I could have just... gone back to get more embers. I went back to an earlier file I had still on that island, and yeah, if the embers go cold, you can just go back and get more. Shocking!

This time I avoided taking the embers until I could figure out where the heck to get sulphur.

I ultimately ended up back on the Isle of Wonder where this time I found another item at the flower area. A little bottle was left on the table with a label saying "DRINK ME".

Well, of course I had to obey that message and died. ...Except not! It causes Alexander to collapse and his heart seemingly stops then he comes back a moment later, so we now have a way to fake his death as Jollo hinted at.

I headed to Chessboard Land and I wish I could say it was because I knew what to do and not simply out of just trying places, but it wasn't until I saw the queens coming back that I remembered their argument over coal. This is why longish gaps in playing isn't so good.

I gave them my lump of coal so now they each had one and they gave me the rotten egg in return. Them being them however, they left while arguing over the new lump of coal.

But we have a stinky rotten spoiled egg! Sulphur at last!

Then I went back to get the embers and put all the ingredients together. The Night Mare is at the Isle of the Sacred Mountain munching on the nightshade berries. If you go to close or otherwise try to interact with her she flees, but if you leave and come back she'll have returned.

Sidenote: On that first screen of the cliffs of logic, you can fall off a lot of the steps safely with Alexander only seeming more offended than anything else. However by around the last couple steps on that screen it is high enough to kill him if he falls. Well, guess who got one more death by falling in for the road?

At the top of the cliffs, I had the spell and so was able to charm Night Mare.

I got my ride on the Night Mare and off they went...

And so we have come to the Land of the Dead.

I spoke with the ghostly couple who are none other than Queen Allaria and King Caliphim.

They were murdered in the night by the vizier and her husband hardly speaks a word now, lost in grief for Cassima. Alexander informs them Cassima was rescued from Mordack and is now at home. He's come to try take the pair back. Their people are still loyal to them and Cassima needs them.

Queen Allaria says only the Lord of the Dead could help but he has no such mercy. Still, Alexander is determined to try and she gives him her ticket to the underworld. For as long they go unavenged they're unable to rest and so are trapped in this place anyway.

There are some ghouls or zombies that crop up now and then and can kill you, but I avoided them.

I carried on to find another spirit separated from her son whose spirit remains lost in the living world.

Alexander offers to help her too and she gives him her handkerchief to pass onto her son and tell him she's waiting here.

Then I came to an entirely familiar place: the doors into the underworld.

Yep, it's the death screen! Which is cool to see it all come full circle like this.

The horse skull-ed skeleton up front gives tickets to pass through, but refuses to give one to Alexander as he's clearly not dead. But since we have Allaria's that's fine. However he also has a key and it's not like I can just let a key go unobtained.

Time for some music!

This is so silly, but cute. A very Monkey Island-ish sort of moment. I love all the little bits like this in the game.

I scooped up the tossed key and continued on my way.

I found a body that was probably the knight the arch druid spoke of and took his gauntlet which had this passage written on it:

I carried on to the banks of the River Styx, scooping some of the water into my teacup along the way--gonna need that for the magic paint spell--and found Charon.

Payment has to be given before he'll ferry you across. The coins over the eyes of the dead. I had the two coins, from the skeleton in the catacombs and was able to use those.

I was led to another area with a gate and when I tried to open the gate it morphed into a monstrous sort of face.

If you try to push your way through he eats you.

I convinced him into a riddle challenge and the riddle he gave me was this:

"My first is foremost legally. My second circles outwardly. My third leads all to victory. My fourth twice ends a nominee. My whole is this gate's only key"

And then you have to select letters to spell out the answer. That answer is...

Love.

I passed through and came to the Lord of the Dead's chamber.

And here is the Lord of Death himself.

He's very much ready for you to just die and offers the chance to kiss his hand to do so. However, you have the chance to do something, but if you take too long he'll reach out instead to touch you which results in immediate death but a new death screen!

If you use the gauntlet from the knight Alexander issues a challenge. The Lord scoffs at the idea of wanting to save two souls and get out alive but acquiesces.

He talks about the tragedies and miseries and deaths and torments and awful things he's seen in his all long existence and says he has never once cried. So the challenge is to make him cry.

The mirror is key. Holding it up to him shows his life and the things he's seen and what he once was and now has become.

The reminder, onslaught of memory, is enough to make him shed a single tear and so the challenge is won. He summons Allaria and Caliphim and hopes they'll be more ready for their rest in the future and reminds Alexander that he WILL see him again. Then we're all sent back with Night Mare.

Caliphim and Allaria decide to go gather their people and form a plan while requesting that Alexander look after Cassima.

The realm of the dead section isn't very long but it has some cool scenes. Though, it's also a place you could potentially get, heh, dead-ended or dead-end yourself a bit later if you miss the River Styx water.

But, I had and got everything I needed so it's time to head into the end game! Next time it'll be time at last to infiltrate the castle and rescue Princess Cassima.

–

Points: 172/231 Deaths: 26 Time: 7:18

[blackberryblueberry]

M, third & fourth meeting

With M I wanted to test him out, to see if I could get acts of service from him, since I'd decided I'd been too servile in all of my other dating experiences. It was nerve-wracking, because he'd be effortlessly agreeable to doing favors for me in person, but then would never text, making me think he'd changed his mind or hadn't been truthful in person. I had to be very proactive in following up. Still things would generally always work out as agreed: he picked me up from my hometown on his drive back to the city from his hometown. We had some Indian food in my hometown, and then on the drive he played some music by his favorite artist, and when we got to my place we cuddled. I was still having what I imagined (half jokingly) to be an allergic reaction to him, since each time we had sex I'd have some kind of itchy reaction a few days later. So we didn't have sex, but I did work up the nerve to tell him about the itchy reactions, and the conversation was surprisingly easy. He was thoughtful about it, and wondered if it could have been an allergy to the condom, and he ended up recommending me this Japanese brand (Okamoto). It was really pleasant, it felt like we were just hanging out and shooting the shit, even though we were talking about sex and possible infection. He offered to take a walk with me in the park before going home, so we did that--I brought him to the Boathouse and we looked at turtles. When we got back to his car I didn't know when it would make sense to hang out again, and said I'd need to check my calendar. "I'm down for movies, or to make dinner," he said, again seeming so agreeable to seeing me again, and again not texting me at all after we parted. I was disappointed he didn't even check in about my doctor's appointment.

A week later I texted him late at night asking if he wanted to get dinner the following day, and he responded "ya sure let's do it," and suggested we drive to Queens. He picked me up and we drove to get Jamaican takeout, and then drove to the beach. As excited as I was to see him and go on a city adventure, I was nervous and despondent once I got in his car, because I think I was already crushing on him but feeling insecure about whether he liked me since he never texted. Still, he was his usual talkative and friendly self, and when I did share small bits about myself (always, I realize, about having some kind of anxiety) he would immediately say something positive and uplifting. My crush, and my hopelessness, simultaneously deepened.

I relaxed a bit more on the beach, and we talked about health stuff, some family trips he had upcoming, his father's illness and death. I learned he was a hypochondriac. We walked along the beach, and there were some stretches of silence. At the end of the beach we made out, and then we drove back along the Belt Parkway at dusk listening to music. We got to my place and he stayed until he had a work call at 10pm. We gave each other head on my couch, and when I went down on him he came quickly again. I spat it out into the bathroom sink and it was tinged pink; I was concerned, but then remembered that I'd been drinking a deep purple sorrel-ginger drink.

"So I'm good at it?" I said when I got back.

"Yeah. I think I told you last time that you were. You have like... good technique." Somehow I wished the praise were more effusive, although obviously the best praise was what had already happened: him cumming in what felt like less than two minutes of me sucking dick.

The conversation wandered onto the subject of kinks - different things he'd tried, different things I liked. He was so open to everything, even the idea of being pegged. "I'm down for anything," he said, in that open and friendly way of his that I made me feel happy and safe. I told him that someone else (someone I'd met on the apps before) had once told me that someone had come to him with the request to be praised. That was new to him. He said, "You mean like, 'Oh you're doing so good'?" When he said this he dropped into a bit of casual character, but in a way that was somehow absolutely and perfectly tuned and reader it really fucking did something to me.

Eventually I told him that I wasn't sure if he actually liked hanging out with me because he never texted, and he said he did, but he was just really busy with work. A had made essentially the same excuse to me, and I had really doubted it with A, who did not seem to have a job (unless the job was just chasing women who could also advance his social position, in which case he had many jobs). M on the other hand did seem to be working a lot. "Didn't I just see you?" he asked. "Like over the weekend--Sunday?"

"No, it was a week ago--last Friday you picked me up."

He was losing track of days, he said. He was stressed about work--he'd been laid off a couple months ago and was freelancing and also cold-emailing for more opportunities, and considering backup plans as well. He emphasized that he was really very introverted, with spurts of being extroverted, and he could go days without seeing anyone, and not notice. I asked if he was free on the day of my upcoming move, and he said he could definitely help me move. He promised that we'd see each other again soon, and patted me on the head.

That was shaping up to be our dynamic. I had gone into this new round of dating looking for signs of people who could bring me ease and take care of me, and even though he was a horrible texter, in material ways he was showing up for me where no one had in the past, and even emotionally I was somehow able to be a sad and anxious and depressed baby around him without facing rejection or judgment. But also he could not give me the kind of daily touch that I needed; he had legitimate excuses but I needed more. I'm not sure I could get this person to fall in love with me--that'd be out of my control--and even if I could, I'm not sure a relationship with him could satisfy all my needs--but I'd try very hard to make him a lifelong friend. I already liked him so much.

[just-an-enby-lemon]

My Scriddler headcannons over Batman The Audio Adventures:

1. Ed and Jon start hang out cause Ms. Tuesday bullies Ed. She is basically forcing him into team ups with Scarecrow because she wants to hang out with her gf Autumm (and because she worries about him, honestly she is his only friend and she is a teen he hired to a part-time job, he needs someone his age to hang out, prefencially someone he isn't paying to).

2. Autumm is more gentle and is subtly manipulating Jon into the team ups for basically the same reasons: Crane needs friends and she wants to be able to kiss her gf on work.

3. Small tangent Autumm and Miss. Tuesday are both not cis (Autuum is nb and Miss Tuesday is trans) and they go to high school together. They study in the same building as Dick Grayson (who is transmasc in this universe cause I said so) but Dick is a middle schooler so they don't interact much.

4. As a social experiment Miss Tuesday secretly starts "borrowing" Ed's phone to send heart emojis to Crane at random. She always whipes the evidences so Ed has no idea she is doing it. He knows she is stealling his phone but not what she is doing with it. The though should annoy him more, but as Jeremiah Arkham once said he has a weird unexpected soft spot for the kid (the phrasing was more on the side of "I cannot understand why he listens to a sassy teen and not to the very qualified doctors but if it can be used to stop the propery damage related paperwork he causes I'm glad." ).

5. Somehow the random emojis, constant team ups and several casual hang outs are enough to convince Jon that he and Ed are dating. He proceeds to tell it to Autumm who tells it to Miss Tuesday.

6. Now everyone thinks Ed and Jon are a couple except Ed.

7. It lasts until one day they are fighting Batman and Robin casually says "you and your boyfriend are going to Arrkham, Nygma" and Ed's reaction is "Did you hit your head, Boy Wonder? Did Barman's constant child endangerment finnally took it's tool? I don't have a boyfriend" and Jonathan who has being fighting with Edward over his lack of sleep in the last two days and truly didn't sleept just looks at Riddler sadly and says "Are you breaking out with me?"

Ed's reaction is a very confused "Am I breaking out with you? What are you talking about? We were never dating. Has the world gone mad?"

8. At this point Robin is unconfortable and regreting very much the fact he brough the subject up. He was just trying to be supportive. Catwoman had looked very happy when he acknowledged her relationship with Vicky Vale. Apparently he was the first person to not call them "friends" or "sisters". It even helped him realize that when people said Bruce and Harvey used to be "besties" before Two-Face they ment the same thing. So when Miss Tuesday told him Riddler and Scarecrow were dating (they hanged out in costume sometimes, after patrol, she called him brat but was always up for it, mostly they went to the batburguer ordered some junk food and gossiped about heros and villans, he called it "his information gatering mission" when explaining his disapearances to B) he decided that he wouldn't be one of this weirdos and just call them boyfriends. Miss Tuesday sayed it was a great idea.

But noo, Riddler had to be weird about it.

9. They prooced to have a discussion over their relationship. Good side is they agree they are dating actually. Bad side is that they were too distracted over it and now they are in Arkham.

10. Queerplatonic relationship goals.

[cupidbunny]

Outwards Beauty

Summary: You're a simple adventurer and one day you end up falling for an Oni. Arataki Itto, to be precise.

A/N: New story writing style + not proofread

Context/Characters: Itto x Reader; Reader is considered chubby/can't fight, Gender neutral reader.

Tw; mentions of drinking, slight insecurities, and a small cut of suggestive content [Skippable].

Arataki Itto. The only oni, or even thing, that you can't stop thinking about.

You came to Inazuma as an explorer, despite not wielding a vision or any fighting skills. You've made your way around Inazuma, avoiding dangers and still being able to do your job. But the day you crashed into that oni, it all went downhill from there.

From the moment you two met, you sensed that it wouldn't end well. He saved you from rifthounds while you were exploring, and you two have met in odd ways since then. From convincing Sara to let him go somehow to helping him win his beetle battles, you two became friends. But as time went on, your feelings became stronger and stronger. Except you just kept burying them. Itto never seemed interested in anything like that, often spending his days having fun and you would never ruin this small friendship that you cherish. Until you went drinking with Sara, venting to her as you as much sake as you could. It's not like you were expecting the gang to come by, or for Itto to somehow overhear you.

But he did. When you spotted him behind Sara after you finished your rant, you felt your face burn up and darken. You excused yourself, rushing back home before Itto, or Sara, could catch up to you. From then, you took every chance to avoid Itto. Maybe it was your fear of rejection, or maybe something worse. You were a lowly adventurer who couldn't fight and didn't fit the imagine of one either. You never felt any shame in your looks or your skills, but times like these made you paranoid. Itto was an oni, towering over almost every while having amazing fighting skills. He was the opposite of you. Itto filled every thought in your head now, even as much as you attempted to avoid it. Eventually, it got tiring to avoid him so much. It was best to confront this head on, and be honest with your feelings. These horrible thoughts could finally leave and maybe you could move on. So, you simply invited him to the Komore Teahouse. You somehow convinced Ayaka and Taruomaru to use it for the night, and thanked them greatly.

When he finally arrived, you knew the moment he called out your name. You peeked out, motioning him to enter one of the rooms before taking a seat. He shifted, trying to fit before taking a seat fully. You two sat in silence before Itto spoke up.

"Why were you avoiding me so much? Everytime I saw you, you just ran away and I thought I hurt your feelings or something!" He pouted, clearly upset. You laughed, shaking your head before taking a deep breath.

"No, it's about what you heard when...I was out with Sara. I don't know how else to say it, but I hope we can still be friends even if I am in love with you." You explained, rushing the last part a bit. You waited for a response but looked up to see Itto's shocked face. There was a slight silence before he spoke up.

"You drink with Sara? Wait, wait you're in love with me?!" His tone was a mix of confusion, excitement and anything in between. Now, you were a bit confused.

"Did you not-" You cut yourself off as you remembered the night. If you really think about it, Itto didn't look sober at all. Maybe it was the haziness and thinking he was, but Itto never heard a word of what you said. And if he did, he wouldn't remember it the next day. You felt your face burn up again and realized you genuinely just confessed to Itto. You were snapped back to reality when you realized that Itto was cheering around the room that you were in love with him. You could barely react before he quickly picked you up with a wide grin.

"Now I can get you all to myself!" He cheered, but you couldn't help but be confused. Arataki Itto, the Oni leader of the Arataki gang returned your feelings?

"You...you actually love me?" You questioned, still confused. "But...I can't fight! I'm barely an adventurer, I mean look at me! I just don't seen like someone you'd like." Itto paused and spoke up as you finished.

"Of course I do! You're absolutely adorable, how could I not! You helped me win my battles and you're super smart! That and whenever you were near me, I'd feel..." He trailed off, his cheeks turning a light pink.

"I don't care how you look anyways. I'm an oni, trust me, I get weird looks all the time. I mean, look at these bad boys!" He pointed to his horns as you laughed. "You're the best thing an oni could ever had and I'm so happy I finally have you." He held you tighter and you couldn't be more happy to have this bumbling oni as your lover.

[Cut]

Itto didn't forget your little rant about yourself or how you're percieved. And secretly, it made him a bit upset that you felt that way in the first way. So, when he would get the chance, he loved showering you in praises, giving you kisses along your neck and face. But he is an oni, and at times he gets carried away. Especially when you two are alone, and he can't help himself. You smell so good, and all he wants to do is make sure everyone knows you're his.

It's obvious afterwards when you have bite marks on your neck. Itto got carried away and apologized right after.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that! I'll try to finish some requests/headcanons for other characters after this, but I think I like this style so far esp with the cuts.

Much Love <3

[quackiseok]

— sweet dreams

feral boys x gn! reader || headcanons

genre : fluff

warnings : swearing

summary : the feral boys' reaction to you falling asleep in their embrace or on them!

a/n : AYY HELLO!! i'm so sorry for the lack of content these last three days OTL but here's something i wrote, hope you guys liked it! ♡

song to listen to while reading :

— DREAM

let's say dream has just finished recording for his upcoming manhunt video and it was a chilly night

well, the solution? a gun CUDDLES!!! ♡

he's a sucker for cuddles and you love cuddling with him too, so why not?

the two of you plopped yourselves on the bed, warm blankets wrapping the two of you together

the first plan was to watch a movie, but the two of you ended up talking to each other and leaving the movie unwatched

he share many stories with you, letting you rest your head on his chest whilst listening to him. he would also put an arm around your shoulders to keep you warm and close to him 🥺

as time passes by, it was getting late. you felt really safe around dream, especially if you were in his embrace

your eyelids grew heavier each time you tried fighting it off and focus on dream's voice, which leads to you unconsciously falling asleep on his chest

after a few seconds talking, dream would realize your sleeping figure in his embrace and OHMYGOD

HE WANTS TO FREAK OUT SO BAD BECAUSE HOW CUTE YOU WERE—

lowkey scared that he might somehow crush you or something because you're the tiny little spoon in the current situation

man, he had to refrain himself from taking a picture of you sleeping in his embrace

and the fact that you felt safe enough to fall asleep in his arms makes him tear up (in a positive way!) 🥺

would slowly move you to a more comfortable position and carefully pull you closer to his chest, making sure that he doesn't wake you up

[hugs you tightly]

ALSO just like any other times, mans would secretly mark the date in his phone's calendar because OHMYGOD????? this date better be stamped on history books

after getting into a slightly more comfortable position, dream would just adore you— even only from looking at you, his serotonin level will always go 📈📈

would 100% whisper i love you's or other sweet words while looking at you

mans just smiling to himself, thinking about how much he loves you and adores you— and how lucky he is to have you in his embrace 🥺💞

after some time, he would start to drift away too and ending up sleeping while hugging you tightly in his arms 🥺

— GEORGE

the two of you were sleepyheads

like at the weekends? both you and george would just lazily lay on the bed and fall asleep together regardless what time it was

even at noon? NAP TIME

and today was one of those lazy days

you were laying your head on his lap, which leads to him to his habit of playing with your hair while joking around with you and talk about random things

he just absolutely adores your fluffy hair 🥺

he'd also learn how to braid hairs from youtube just so he could braid yours 🥺

AND SURPRISINGLY HE'S SO GOOD AT BRAIDING HAIRS 💞💞

the way he caressed your head was so comforting, which leads you to feel sleepy. you still wanted to talk with george so you tried fighting off the sleepiness but ended up falling asleep anyways

after not hearing a respond from you, he realized you fell asleep.

WAIT, YOU FELL ASLEEP ON HIS LAP AND THE WAY YOU LOOKED SO ADORABLE SHOULD BE ILLEGAL—

a blush crept up on his cheeks as he looked at your sleeping figure on his lap

ohmygod he absolutely adores this and 100% would plan more sleepy days with you just to see you fall alseep on his lap again

george would admire you shyly, his fingers still softly caressing your hair while making sure not to do it too hard since he doesn't want to wake you up 🥺

he looks at you > gets shy from how adorable you are and how much he loves you > look away > missing looking at you > back to the first step (put this cycle on repeat)

GOSH he just wants to pull you close to his embrace now but that's not possible to do since he doesn't want to wake you up ;(

as he secretly admires you, he would slowly feel sleepy too but he doesn't want to move you away from his lap

so this man right here decided to just sleep in a sitting position which he didn't mind too much since he could still lean his back on the stacked pillows

come on— he doesn't wanna ruin this adorable moment :( it's worth the back pain according to him 👍

and so with that, the two of you fell alseep peacefully 🥺💞

— SAPNAP

mans a whole ass tease @ you

mf would browse through hundreds of websites and collect the cheesiest jokes he can find to use them on you later 😳

also won't stop clinging on you for 24/7 but you don't mind since he's so adorable 🥺💞

and today was just the same like any other days, he clung on you and begged you to cuddle with him

how can you refuse such a sweet offer????

so here you are now laying on the bed with his arms around your shoulders, holding you close to him

the two of you would just joke and laugh at many things, just havin' a wholesome fun time 🥺

don't forget the fluffy blankets around the two of you (you adore soft blankets so sapnap bought you at least 3 blankets and you absolutely loved all three of them 🥺)

until at one point everything felt so comfortable that you didn't even realize you were drifting yourself to sleep

and the moment sapnap realized you fell asleep sweetly in his embrace?

[!(-?#?2@&&????? SCREAMS???? —NO, MAKE THE SCREAM SILENT SO IT WON'T WAKE YOU UP]

he can't help but let out a soft chuckle when saw your sleeping figure

oh man, he was gripping on the pillow tightly so that he doesn't lose control and pull you closer to him which could wake you up

100% gonna make you cuddle with him everyday until you fall asleep on him (mans just making it a routine now)

he would also have to refrain himself from squishing your cheeks while looking at you in awe 🥺💞

even though he's growing sleepy too, he won't give in so easily

like— hello??? a cutie pie just fell asleep in my arms, sleep can wait 🖐🖐

but then eventually he'll fall asleep anyways, but he swore he tried his best keeping his eyelids up and that's sweet 🥺

((would 100% unconsciously pull you closer and just hug you tightly in his sleep ♡))

— QUACKITY

we all know how much alex LOVES driving and mans really good at it (he knows what he's doing fellas)

especially with you 😳😳

the two of you would blast banger songs together while enjoying the road and the pretty view from the window 🥺

it was one of those afternoons again where the two of you went for a stroll with his car

both you and alex planned on only going for a short stroll, but ended up strolling around for almost 3 hours now

but neither of you cared, alex loves spending lots of time with you and same goes with you 🥺💞

the two of you wanted to get some fresh air for a bit after such a long drive, so you stopped by at the nearest field before driving back home

and man, the view was indeed beautiful

the two of you had moved to the back seat so he can get closer to you

as the two of you talked while watching the sun setting down, you started feeling a little bit sleepy

you shrugged it off at first and continued to talk with alex, but then you couldn't help but fall asleep with your head leaned on his shoulders eventually

and when he realized you has fallen asleep on his shoulders?

OH MY— HIS HEART WENT BRRRRRR BECAUSE OF HOW CUTE YOU ARE

definitely will plan on doing this in the furture but at home so he can just adore your sleeping figure for as long as he wants to

he has to drive back home but this moment is very important so he chose to stay there for at least the next 1 more hour 🥺💞

he just wants to kiss you on the forehead so bad but he's scared that he might wake you up :[

but then again, it was getting really late and he has to drive the two of you back home so he would carefully make you lay down on the back seat and he would put his jacket underneath your head as a pillow 🥺💞

and when the two of you arrived back home, he would carefully carry you back in and just cuddle you up for the rest of the night until he falls asleep too ♡

— KARL

karl jacobs has 2 moods : the wholesome mood and the cursed mood, no in betweens

he can either be very wholesome and send you the cutest hamster pics ever or just send you cursed, unexplainable images like macaronis boiled in gatorade

but even though he's in the cursed mood, his clinginess for you will stay the same ♡ (which you absolutely loved)

you loved both of his moods anyways since it's sweet and funny 🥺💞

today, he was feeling extra wholesome so he would just chill with you on the sofa in your matching frog hoodies and your head on his lap

((yes, he bought matching frog hoodies with you at christmas to wear them together 🥺👉👈))

the two of you would be watching cartoons, especially adventure time!! (it's superior cartoon, you can't change my mind)

then as time passes by, you felt your eyelids grew heavy but you tried fighting it back

yeah, you ended up falling asleep at the end 😔

karl noticed how you grew silent and when he checked on you only to see you sleeping on his lap?

yeah karl's never gonna leave his seat, 100%

mans just smiling to himself from looking at how cute you are in your oversized frog hoodie, asleep on his lap 🥺

GOSH this better happen frequently in the future because if not? he'll commit ARSON

he would try softly play with your hair, making sure his touches were soft so he doesn't wake you up

the cartoon is now long forgotten, his focus is just full on the sweetheart sleeping on his lap 🥺💞

he would constantly check on you and pull the blanket back up to your body if it moves back down, and make sure that he doesn't shift his legs too much because it might wake you up :(

will also try his best to not fall asleep because MAN, HE CAN'T JUST SKIP THIS HISTORICAL MOMENT

but he fell asleep anyways after holding back for around 40 minutes, which is impressive 😳

just like george, he doesn't mind falling asleep in a sitting position 👍 backpain = worth it

[hushedhands]

Challenge 83

@cecilia02 @everbeenminee Astra watching Andrew's coronation.

Astra Orders set an alarm for three o’clock in the morning, but she didn't need it. She didn't sleep at all.

Her mom had invited her to watch the once-in-a-generation event with her little cousins in Illéa Palace, but Astra had refused. Kile had offered to stay the night and keep her company, but that hadn't felt right either. Her dad had suggested not watching at all, which was cute but not really a solution. It would be weeks before footage of this faded from the news, and even then there would be anniversary specials forever. Astra might as well bite the bullet and watch the coronation that had almost been hers.

She wished her parents and her boyfriend weren’t making such a fuss about this. History was full of women who'd almost married princes and then gone home to watch them become kings. Her Uncle Maxon had left dozens of such women in his wake when he’d chosen to marry Aunt Ames, though Astra didn't have the telephone numbers of any of them. She wished Andrew had enough ex-girlfriends to make a proper club like the former Selected. It might have been nice to have someone who could understand this indescribable feeling without the need for words to name it.

It wasn't that she wanted to be married to Andy. She had no doubt at all that she'd made the right decision in calling off their relationship, and that was totally separate from the fact that she was now wildly in love with Kile.

But there was something aching in her chest as she watched the aerial shots of the city of London on the little television in her apartment in Angeles, curled up in her warmest fuzzy pajamas, hair in a messy version of her ballet bun, hands clinging to her mug of tea for dear life. Today was the day that standing by Andrew's side for his coronation went from something she wouldn’t do to something she couldn't do. She'd chosen to walk away, but this was the day that the door locked behind her.

Never was a hard word to give to Andrew, even if Kile had her Always.

The camera above the crowd panned past the palace Astra had stayed in that summer, and her chest squeezed hard. Whatever else had happened there, it had been a refuge for her at a time in her life when she’d needed it most.

It all started when she had been offered an incredible opportunity to dance for the Waverly ballet company in the summer, and an opportunity to attend an elite seminar with London’s royal ballet company in the spring, and Kile, realizing that he and Astra wouldn’t see each other for over six months, had broken up with her very suddenly.

Well, technically it had been a mutual decision. She hadn’t seen him much during his first year at school, and now she was off on her own adventures, and it seemed like a terrible time to try to make a relationship work. What if he met someone amazing at university? What if she met someone in Waverly or London? Was it fair to deny themselves new relationships and experiences just because they’d always been together? Weren’t they technically together by default, anyway?

It was a reasonable question. If you married someone you’d had playdates with for as long as you could remember, and you never even tried to date someone else, it was probably a relationship by default… right?

As she got on the plane for London, it had hit her hard that she wouldn’t have a hope of seeing Kile again, maybe for an entire year. The earliest she’d be back in Angeles was the next fall, and that’s exactly when he’d be leaving to go back to school again. And this time they wouldn’t talk to each other on the telephone almost every single day, and she wouldn’t slip secret notes in the care packages his parents sent him from home, and he wouldn’t surprise her by sitting in the audience during a matinee performance after sneaking back into town without telling her...

And maybe he never would again.

It was possible she’d cried the whole flight overseas, it was hard to remember. She must have rehydrated somehow, or she’d have shriveled up and died of the heartbreak. That time was all a blur now.

But what Astra remembered clearly, sitting on her sofa four years later, was the way she’d felt walking into that little old palace on the north side of the city and realizing that it was essentially hers for the season. It really paid to have a paranoid king for an uncle sometimes, because Maxon had pulled a dozen favors with the English royal family to get Astra somewhere safe and comfortable to live for a few months. She was technically an Illéan princess by title, so he wouldn’t hear of letting her rent a crumby apartment somewhere in the city, and besides, wherever she stayed needed to have enough room for a security detail. Still, even for a small palace, it was a palace and it was hers.

The old place had plenty of full-time staff that kept it in good shape as an estate of historical significance to the English monarchy, but Astra herself didn’t have maids or butlers, or a chef to keep her fed. At night, everyone who worked to keep the palace maintained went home, so it was only her and the security detail.

But she was allowed to order takeout from restaurants around town, so on her very first night alone she ordered enough food to live off of for a while, until she could get to a grocery store. She sprawled on a sofa in the downstairs sitting room, doodling in the notebook her Aunt May had given her for her last birthday, until there was a surprise knock on the archway in the entrance of the sitting room.

“Hello.” Andrew stood there, still in his business suit from the day, though with no tie, and with the top button undone. He looked ruffled, and in his hands he carried a large bottle of red wine. “Sorry to barge in… there isn’t exactly a doorbell in this place, and without staff to handle arrivals and departures… well, I did knock.” he awkwardly concluded.

Astra, still in her tank top and stretchy pants from the plane, would have felt severely underdressed to received a prince at a palace, except this was one of her oldest and best friends, and some of the ache in her heart from leaving Kile on the other side of the world eased away just from looking at him. She hugged him, “You don’t need to knock. It’s good to see you.”

“And you.” he hugged her back. “Ah, and here. A housewarming gift.” he offered her the wine.

“You’re just in time for dinner.”

“Am I?”

“It should be here soon. The finest spicy noodles and sautéed vegetables in the land. Although, if there’s no doorbell…”

“The guard at the gate will take it from the delivery driver and have someone bring it in.” he grinned.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go hunt down something to open that bottle.” she said.

A new city, a change of scenery, some delicious New Asian food, a bottle of old wine, a dear old friend… this was the recipe to get over a breakup. Astra knew it, because she already felt worlds better, just struggling to find a way into the wine bottle. There wasn’t a corkscrew in the kitchens that they could find, and this palace didn’t have its own wine cellar, which was the only other place they could think to find wine accessories. In the end, Andrew took an impressive, ancient sword off of a display rack on a wall at the top of the grand staircase and carefully poked the sharp end down until it was lodged into the cork.

Astra laughed so hard her sides hurt as she twisted the bottle out in front of her and Andrew slowly stepped backward. After a couple of tries, the cork loosened up enough that he could use brute force to pull the rest of it out.

When the food arrived, they carried it up to the top floor, to a balcony that overlooked the city, and they had a picnic of sorts.

“Where’s Lucas? You two are usually a package set.” Astra asked between bites of spicy noodles.

“Still finishing up his first year at university.”

“Oh, of course! Kile— “ She stopped abruptly, her chest squeezed tightly, her tongue fell heavy in her mouth, and she drowned the bitter taste of his name on her lips with expensive wine.

“Oh dear. That won’t do.” Andrew leant over and brushed away an errant tear from her cheek. “You mean to tell me… well, he’s safe isn’t he? He’s not unwell?”

“No, no he’s fine. He’s at school… and I’m here.”

Andrew studied her face carefully. He’d met Kile and Astra on the same day, at the same moment, so they’d been friends for exactly the same amount of time. He knew that they’d been together romantically for almost seven years now, the teenage equivalent of a sixty-year marriage. “So you’re… taking time apart?”

“We’ve decided to go our separate ways.” Astra said, the words soft and wispy in her throat. “We’re not… we’re not headed in the same direction anymore. We might never head in the same direction again. After university, he wants to see the world. And I… I might travel around for a while as a dancer, but I can’t imagine not being there for Addy once she becomes Queen… Even if that wasn’t true, we won’t have a good chance to be in the same city for at least a year… and a lot can happen in a year.”

Andrew took a large sip from his glass and then refilled hers.

“That’s really difficult, Astra… I’m so sorry. I know how much you love each other. It must be hell, knowing that you’re growing apart from the person you’re closest to in the world.”

Astra choked a sob in her wineglass and Andrew’s eyes widened, “God, I’m sorry! What a terrible thing to say—“ he sat both of their glasses safely aside and wrapped her in a warm hug.

Astra got his suit all wet from her tears, but she felt comfortable in his arms. “I’m not crying because of you, stupid.” She explained when she had the breath to do so. “It’s definitely because of him. I just… I didn’t think anyone would understand. But you do.”

“I don’t.” Andy rushed to correct her. “Not really. I’ve never experienced anything like that. The closest I can imagine is if… if I lost touch with someone in the Palace kid gang. You’re my best friends, apart from Luke, and I’ve known you forever. If I had to say goodbye to one of you, to lose you forever… it’s not even close to what you’re feeling, but just the thought hurts enough for me to know that you’re going through hell.”

Astra sniffled and collected her wineglass again, ready for more sips, content to allow herself to be comforted by her friend. “Hell has better wine than I expected, I’ll give it that much.”

“Not a bad view, either.” Andrew agreed with a small chuckle, looking out at the city.

“Didn’t expect one of my very best friends to come with me to hell.” Astra timidly admitted.

“And I’m not leaving until I get you out of it.” he’d promised.

Andrew always did have words as sweet as honey.

They drank the whole bottle that night, between the two of them. They had as good an excuse as two teenagers needed: they couldn’t find a wine stopper. Andrew offered to stay the night with her so that she wouldn’t be alone, but now that the world was blurry and warm from the wine, Astra felt delightfully sleepy. She was going to get her first good night’s sleep since losing Kile. So Andrew left, promising to bring breakfast the next morning to check on her.

He checked on her a lot.

He brought her breakfast and dinner every day, and he’d probably have brought her lunch too, except that she was always at her dance seminar during the daytime. Astra ended every night with her body pleasantly tired from dancing, a new half a bottle of wine in her stomach, and her mind full of whatever nice, easy conversation she’d had with Andrew just before bed. Her first week in England flew by.

That Friday night, Andrew appeared in the doorway to the sitting room right on schedule, two bottles of wine in hand.

“You’re mad.” Astra giggled.

“It’s the weekend.” he argued. “You don’t have to dance tomorrow, and I don’t have any public appearances to make until next Tuesday.”

“You’re off work until Tuesday? You English royals really know how to take it easy.” she laughed. She didn’t think her cousins had taken a three day weekend in their lives.

“We’ll keep the second bottle on standby, just in case we decide we want to try it.”

But of course, they were young and it was a Friday night, they definitely wanted to try it. Somewhere after the first glass of the second bottle, refilling glasses got too risky and they started drinking straight from the bottle, passing it back and forth. There was a television show on, showing a concert happening on the other side of the city in a stadium Astra could just see if she stood tall enough on the balcony.

Andrew watched her going almost en pointe to try to spy the stadium, mesmerized by her strength and balance and grace. “Can we dance?”

Astra smiled brightly. Dancing was her favorite in the world, of course they could dance! They danced in their socks to the music on the television until Andrew collapsed, out of breath, on the sofa. Astra joined him, blood pumping pleasantly fast through her veins.

“I’m out of shape!” he bemoaned.

“I’m a professional athlete, don’t compare yourself to me. You did just fine.”

“I did? Do you think I could join the ballet?” He laughed giddily.

She’d never seen him giddy like this.

Andy carried the weight of his country on his shoulders, he always had. Addy hadn’t really started bearing Illéa on her back until she was eleven or twelve, old enough to understand what was coming for her, but Andrew had always been a future king, even when he was tiny. Seeing him now, not a care in the world, laughing about joining the ballet… Astra’s heart twisted in her chest and for the first time since breaking up with Kile, it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

He had no part of this.

Astra leant forward and kissed Andrew on the warm, red cheek.

He looked at her, stunned, smile falling off his face. “What was that for?”

“I don’t know… just because. Just for you.”

“Just for me…” he’d mused.

“For being good to me. For taking care of me while I’m here. For… for being you. Yeah… just for you.” Astra nodded, this time more certain that the words made sense outside of her wine-fogged mind.

“I should be me more often.” he chuckled.

Astra blinked.

Should he?

***

There was a version of Astra’s stay in London where she pined away for her ex-boyfriend every moment she got, and maybe poured that pain into her dancing because it was overflowing from her heart and needed somewhere to go. That’s what she’d been expecting deep down. But what really happened was, she found a favorite market to buy groceries from, she found a bakery between her palace and the dance studio that kept her in much-needed carbs, she found a park with a pond where lots of locals liked to walk their dogs, which meant she got to pet a lot of dogs, and she started falling in love with the city.

And then there was Andrew.

He knew her so well, and they’d loved each other as friends for so long, and spending those mornings and nights with him felt so easy, so smooth.

And he was handsome and kind and… ugh, handsome. Astra didn’t regret kissing him on the cheek. Not even when he stood with her on the balcony a week later, watching the sunset, and she laced her hand with his.

“Are you quite alright?” he’d asked, not because she’d grabbed his hand, but just because he was still so worried about her.

“When I got here, I thought the answer to that question would be no forever.” Astra confessed. “And listen… I don’t really know who I am without Kile, he’s been a part of me for my whole life… but these past two weeks I’ve started to find out… and I like it. I like getting to know me.”

Andrew smiled down at her and squeezed her hand.

“And I like you too, Andrew.”

His smile became pained, “Astra—“

“It’s okay. You’re the next king and blah blah blah.” he laughed, because there were so few people in the world who could blah blah blah being an heir to a throne, but Astra was certainly one of them.

“It isn’t that.” he corrected her with a shake of his head. “It’s… you’re getting out of a serious relationship. You can’t like anyone yet—“

“Yes I can.” Astra scoffed, a challenging glint in her eyes, “Watch me.”

“But we’ve been friends our whole lives, too. Wouldn’t you like to like someone different? A stranger, maybe?”

“Where would I find one of those?” Astra lamented, only half-joking. Having a king for an uncle really limited one’s opportunities to meet strangers.

Andrew peered at her closely, then seemingly made up his mind all at once, saying, “Put on a dress.”

“What?”

“Put on a dress, I’ve got a surprise for you!”

Just like that, Andrew was downstairs talking to his security team and Astra was upstairs trying to figure out what dress to wear. There was a sweet springtime yellow thing… and then there was the red thing.

Astra made up her mind quickly. She chose the red thing. She chose everything that the red thing implied.

She appeared at the bottom of the stairs and Andrew’s eyes widened.

“Is this alright? I have other dresses—“

“S’perfect—“ he muttered and then cleared his throat, “Ahem, that is perfect Astra. Let us be off.”

He formally offered her his arm and she accepted with a proud smirk at the flush in his cheeks, then they ducked into his car and his driver whisked them off across town.

“What are we doing?” Astra asked after they took a turn to a part of town she’d never been to before.

“Did I not say it is a surprise?”

“Yes, but—“

“We’ve got guards, and I’ve gone to this place before. There’s no need to worry.”

“Andrew—“

“It’s where I go when I need to meet strangers.”

Astra blinked, dumbfounded.“You? Meet strangers?”

“How else am I supposed to find a queen? ” he muttered mutinously.

Astra stared over at him for a long moment, never having given it a second thought. Addy would be free to date whomever she chose, but if all else failed she could always have a Selection to find her husband. Andrew had nothing like that to choose from.

Astra was surprised when the car pulled to a stop at the backdoor to a nightclub. Could princes of England really go clubbing? But this place looked like it had tight security, and there were signs posted prominently that there were no cameras allowed on the premises. Andrew’s and Astra’s bodyguards stayed close by as they entered the club and Astra’s ears were assaulted by music so loud she could no longer hear it. All she could hear was the beat.

Andrew took her to the bar and bought her whatever drink she wanted, and then leant in close to her ear so that she could hear him say, “What do you think?”

“It’s a little loud!”

He chuckled, “About the strangers.”

“Oh!” Astra looked around as she spun the little umbrella from her pink drink between her fingers. There were all kinds of men here. Some older than her, some younger, some looked athletic and some looked bookish, and they were all having fun, losing themselves to the same beat. “What do you think?!” she yelled at him.

He looked around at the women in the room, sizing them up, and then shrugged, “Hard to say.”

“How do we meet them?!” Astra was yelling, while somehow he was able to keep his voice low and still be heard when he leaned close to her ear.

“Honestly? They usually just come up to me…” he confessed.

Astra rolled her eyes. Royals.

Sure enough, several women came up to Andrew and threw themselves at him while he and Astra waited for even one man to make a pass at her.

“Maybe you’re intimidating them away!” Astra suggested.

“Maybe so. Do you want me to go dance?”

Did she want him to go dance with one of the strange women in the club so that a strange man might come up to her and hit on her?

Not really, no. She wanted to dance with him. She liked dancing with him. More than that, she didn’t want to dance with anyone else. And she didn’t want him to dance with anyone else. She took his hand and dragged him out to the dance floor, their bodyguards hilariously close by, and they started moving.

It wasn’t dancing the way Astra was trained to think of it. There was no choreography, no gentle swell of melody to carry her movements, this was something far more basic than that. The best part was how quickly she was able to stop thinking about anything but her own breath, the sweat on her brow, and the man in front of her.

There was nothing else in the world. For as long as they could stay with the beat, there was only the beat. Endorphins that she associated with a long hard workout flooded her body, and Astra felt good. And beyond feeling good, she did not feel sad. She did not miss anybody. Not her family on the other side of the world, and not Kile. She was complete right here. All she had to do was make this last forever.

“I am not a professional dancer.” Andrew reminded her, breath coming far too fast to get that whole sentence out without gasping for air several times in the middle.

Astra giggled at him, then hugged him close, “This place is magical!” she yelled in his ear.

“Magical?”

And just to prove the point, and to express her gratitude, she pecked his lips with a kiss.

That was it, right? A kiss of gratitude?

As first kisses went, it was silly. They were both too out of breath to do more than mash their lips together for a second and then go back to gasping for air. Andrew led them away for water and after a few minutes to recover, he was ready to try again.

Astra helped him find a way to move to every other beat instead of every beat, essentially cutting the speed of his dancing in half for him. That helped tremendously. But to help him do this, she had to wrap her arms around his neck to guide him, and once he had the beat it was all much less frantic and much more sensual. This time when they kissed, it was not a silly peck on the lips.

Astra had only ever kissed Kile before, but since that was never happening again, she didn’t allow herself to think about that. She didn’t think about how Andrew was taller than Kile, and his cheeks were softer because he shaved every single morning without fail. She didn’t think about anything except how nice it was not to feel pain. When she was with Andrew, especially when she was kissing Andrew, she felt nothing but joy.

Was she using him to feel better?

If someone made you feel better and wanted to be around you, was that even using them?

They stayed at the club until Andrew was too tired to go on (and even Astra was ready to admit she was tired), and then they climbed back into Andrew’s car and rode off into the night.

Astra’s ears were ringing with the sudden silence, and they were both flushed and dripping with sweat. Astra was ready to bet her face matched the red of her dress and her hair, and was ready to feel embarrassed about that somewhere beneath her exhaustion, when Andrew slid his hand over to hers and squeezed.

She looked over at him and smiled.

It was past 2 in the morning when they got back to Astra’s palace, and Astra couldn’t believe they’d spent so many hours getting swept away like that.

“I’d do that every night if I thought my hearing could survive it.” Astra admitted as they struggled to get up the stairs, feeling distinctly like they had overcooked pasta for legs.

Astra took an ice-cold bath and then rolled her legs out to try to avert any soreness the next morning, and then she found Andrew in one of the guest bedrooms. “Thanks for the dancing… sorry we didn’t meet any strangers.” she grinned.

“I’m not.” he admitted, with complete candor.

“Well then, no future queen for you and no non-childhood friend to date for me.”

“Perhaps you could find a childhood enemy?�� he suggested, and she laughed at the dryness of voice as he made the joke.

“Yes, I’ll have to make do.” she agreed.

***

The kisses felt stolen for the first week, like they were getting away with something they weren’t supposed to, but then one day Andrew showed up with Astra’s favorite breakfast, and two paper travel cups of tea, and he pecked her on the lips in greeting and it didn’t feel stolen at all. It felt as comfortable as an old sweater, and made her feel just as warm inside.

To celebrate the end of her first month in London, Astra ordered dinner for them from the same restaurant they’d eaten at on her very first night in town. He showed up looking frazzled after a long day of talking with members of parliament, but all the more pleased to see her because that stress was over now. And, of course, he brought her the same kind of wine they’d shared that first night.

Astra had bought a corkscrew weeks ago now, so they didn’t need to resort to using ancient swords to open their alcohol, which made it slightly less interesting. Astra curled up against him on the balcony overlooking the city and kissed him every chance she got.

“You’re certainly in a mood.” he noted with a smile down at her, after their fourth surprise kiss.

“I’m just glad to be here.”

“Are you?” he seemed surprised. She didn’t blame him. It was quite a turn from her first weepy night a month ago.

“Yes. I think London’s been good for me.”

And maybe she meant the city, with her new favorite local spots and the friends she was making at the seminar, but maybe she meant Andrew. Maybe she couldn’t really tell the difference, and it was all just good for her.

“I am very glad to hear that.”

“I wish I didn’t have to go to Waverly in two months.” Astra admitted. “It’s an amazing opportunity for my career, not to mention I’ll get to visit my grandparents in Carolina all the time, but… I like London.”

This time she was blatantly talking about him.

“Well… London’s not going anywhere anytime soon, I suppose.” he pointed out, fully onto her game.

She hmm-ed into her wineglass, “I suppose not.”

“And you’re always welcome in London, you know.”

Astra giggled and shook her head, surprising him with another kiss as a reward for playing along with her silly euphemism.

Later that night, when the food was stashed away in the kitchen and the wine was mostly empty, Andrew joined Astra again on the balcony as she stood there with the springtime breeze blowing through her loose, curly hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

“I meant it, you know.” he said. “You could stay as long as you like. There’s a tremendous ballet company in London, perhaps you’ve heard of it.”

Astra laughed, pressing a hand to his over her stomach and turning to look up at him. “Maybe someday.”

“You’re dead-set on going to Waverly, then?”

“Well, I’ve signed a contract.” she explained.

“Ah. They shall imprison you if you break it. I understand.”

His voice was always so serious when he joked, never giving away the game. She laughed at the thought and said, “Yes, there’s a special prison for ballet dancers who break their contracts, it’s especially brutal. I hear they make you dance to jazz all day.”

This time his lips brushed the placed where her shoulders met her neck, and her breath hitched at the sensation. “I shan’t extradite you.” he concluded, his warm lips brushing her skin. “I shall keep you here, safe and sound, far away from the ballet constables.”

Astra laced her fingers with his over her stomach and said, “They’re relentless, the ballet constables. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

His lips trailed up her neck and stopped at her ear where he said softly, “I think I can manage.”

Astra’s entire body erupted in chills, and suddenly she didn’t want to continue their elaborate, jokey banter about the consequences of her actions. She turned in his arms and pressed her lips roughly to his, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that all she really wanted was to lose herself in the taste and the feel and the smell of him. Andrew was the only person in the world who made her not care about the future, and when his lips were on her skin that was doubly true.

It wasn’t exactly real happiness she felt when she was lying in bed with him, his sandy brown hair all ruffled, his arm slung across her like he was afraid she’d disappear in the night. True, meaningful, lasting happiness was something that required a lot of factors: feeling good about the present and hopeful about the future, and at peace with the past. Astra wasn’t at peace with her past, and she didn’t even want to think about the future, but the present… the present was so good. It was one out of three. One out of three wasn’t bad.

***

If Andrew’s parents noticed that he was essentially living with Astra that spring, they didn’t say anything about it. Maybe they just assumed that, since they were close friends, he was keeping her company and enjoying a nice, extended visit. And that was perfectly true, except that they were sharing a bed and occasionally a shower, and they shared a cup of coffee in the morning and a bottle of wine at night.

They didn’t go back to that club, but they found other ways to go out together without being photographed. There were secret tables in the kitchens of restaurants, special royal boxes in theaters, private trains to private estates, and one time there was a royal yacht. Astra was surprised that Andy had so much freedom, as the heir to the throne. Addy couldn’t have dreamed of roaming around Illéa the way that Andrew was gallivanting across his future kingdom. Sure, part of it was Andrew making sure Astra was having the time of her life— he probably didn’t usually venture away from home so much— but even so.

“Will you be able to keep this up once you’re king?” she’d asked him as they sat curled up together on a train ride returning from the south. “All this rambling.” she explained at his questioning look.

“Ah. No, there will certainly be less. But my job will be nothing nearly so intense as King Maxon’s, if that is what you’re thinking. For one thing, I’ve got parliament.”

Astra wasn't exactly sure how England’s parliament worked. She knew King Eoan set the legislative agenda, but he couldn’t pass any kind of law on his own. “I can’t believe they let you have a whole train to yourself, and you barely have to work.” she teased.

His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and his thumb began tracing her upper arm as he said, “If you think my future job’s a scandal, you should see what our queen has to do. Host parties, go shopping, appear at events…” his voice sounded as if it was a strain to remain light and carefree. As if his words were more important than he wanted them to be.

Astra leaned her head on his shoulder. Those were all things she already did for Illéa. Well, she didn’t host many parties, but she sometimes helped her Aunt Ames out when things were especially overwhelming. It was strange to think that she had experience doing the same job as the Queen of England.

“All that, and she gets to retire young?”

“Assuming that whole heir business is sorted out sufficiently early.” he admitted.

“Oh, that.” Astra giggled.

“On the whole, it’s not a terrible job.” he said.

“No, not when you factor in the jewelry.” Astra agreed, still joking.

“Precisely.” Andrew nodded with a small smile against the top of her head.

Astra wasn’t sure why he didn’t return her joke with one of his own.

***

Though Astra very much enjoyed being swept off her feet by the prince, it was the quiet nights at the palace that meant the most to her. Sometimes, after dinner and a long, hot bath, her joints would feel well enough to practice some choreography in one of the drawing rooms. Andrew would play the piano for her, putting years of lessons to use for the first time. Sometimes her joints would not feel well enough for more dancing after a long day at the seminar, and he’d rub her battered feet and ankles until she melted into a puddle at the other end of the sofa or bed, or wherever they happened to be.

She’d ask him about his work, but he wouldn’t tell her much. Maybe he was worried about protecting state secrets, or maybe he didn’t want to worry her. Maybe he didn’t want her to see him in less than a good mood, because he was only there to make her happy. And how could she not be happy?

One night, in the middle of her second month in England, as she laid awake in their bed and brushed her fingers through his unruly hair (a sight so few had ever seen: the Heir to England with unruly hair), she pressed a kiss to the shell of his ear and said softly, “What are we going to do when I have to leave for Waverly?”

Sleepily, he’d pried his eyes open, his eyelashes fluttering against her skin. “What would you like to do?”

“Freeze this moment in amber. Live in it forever.”

“Be young, in love, and carefree forever?” he’d smirked.

“In love?” she’d hesitated, surprised. They’d only been attached at the lips for six weeks now, as impossible as it seemed. Hadn’t they enjoyed half a lifetime together already?

“Oh dear.” He’d lifted his head up so that he could look in her eyes, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Astra shook her head, “It’s okay. I do love you Andrew.”

“Do you?” he sounded amazed.

And she did. She’d always loved him, just as he’d always loved her. They’d grown up together, perfect friends, how could she not love him?

“I’m sorry you didn’t know that already.” she let her hand fall from his hair down his spine, coming to rest on his bare lower back. She traced the shape of a heart there with her finger and he shuddered. “You’re one of the best friends I’ll ever have, and I love you.”

He smiled and returned his cheek to her chest, listening for her heartbeat. “Yes. This moment would do just fine.”

“We could freeze this moment and allow archaeologists to discover it in a few thousand years.”

“And if we don’t like the future, we could simply freeze this moment again.” he agreed.

“You don’t think you’d be bored after a few thousand years?”

He grinned, one hand tracing her ribcage lazily, “I could find a few ways to keep myself occupied.”

***

Astra didn’t notice the first time there was a photographer waiting outside of the dance studio after her rehearsals. And then, a couple of days later, when a rumor sourced to a local food delivery driver was printed in a Sunday paper saying that he delivered Prince Andrew’s favorite kind of curry to the Palace where Astra was staying a couple of times per week. She didn’t mind when Andrew suggested they stop sneaking out to exclusive clubs or restaurants around the city, because staying in was extremely entertaining.

But it was hard to miss when Andrew nervously appeared in her doorway one evening and said, instead of ‘hello’ or ‘how was your day’, “Grandmother has asked to meet you.”

Astra gaped. Queen Cerridwen, King Eoan’s mother, had never met any of the Illéan royals in-person. Maybe she’d met Uncle Maxon back before he was King, when she was still the active queen, but maybe not even then. “Me? Wh…why?”

Andrew ran a hand through his hair and ruffled it in a way that would have been funny if he hadn’t look so stressed. He sank to his knees to sit next to Astra, who’d been sitting on the floor, using the coffee table to hold her nail polish bottles as she painted her toes. “The rumors got to her.”

“Rumors… about us?”

Andrew nodded, “I’ve had the press department squashing everything the second they hear about it, and it’s bought us some time, but the rumors have been consistent for long enough now—“

“The rumors that we’re spending time together?” Astra asked.

“Yes.” Andrew looked faintly nauseous.

Astra smiled and traced his cheekbone with her thumb soothingly, “We are spending time together. We’re not being falsely accused.”

“No, I know… I think, just… I think we need to talk.”

Those were heavy words.

Kile had been the last one to say those words to her, and the outcome had been really unpleasant.

“You didn’t bring wine?” Astra noticed for the first time.

“I wanted us to keep our heads clear.”

“Are you ending this?” Astra asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“No.” Andrew promised. “But we’ve never talked about what this is before. I’ve been able to buy us a little slice of time to ourselves, but I’ve reached the end of my tricks.”

Astra looked into his eyes carefully, noticing the strain there for the first time, “You never said you had to use tricks…”

“I didn’t want you to have to worry about it. I wanted to be… uncomplicated. Simple. After everything you’ve been through, I thought that you needed simplicity.”

“I did.” she admitted, chest suddenly aching at the thought that the simple times might be gone.

He brushed an errant curl behind her ear and smiled bracingly, “I am not here to tell you that the world is ending. Merely that people have found us out. They’re asking questions that I do not have the answers to, and in lieu of my answers, they are coming to their own conclusions. Grandmother amongst the rest.”

“She wants to meet me because she knows we’ve been dating?”

Andrew huffed a breath, “It’s her way of forcing the matter at hand. When it comes to me, to dating the English Heir, there is dating and there is Dating. Courting. Something official, not just between you and I, but between us and all of England.”

Astra looked a little creeped out at the thought, “They… want in on our dates?”

Andrew rubbed his brow, “In a manner of speaking… there comes a point when I’m meant to introduce anyone I am seeing to the people of England as a potential future queen.”

“Why? It’s not like they get to vote on who stays in your bed, or in our case, my bed.”

“No, but it’s…” he seemed so uncomfortable at having to explain this to her. Probably any English girl he dated would have seen this coming a mile away and known what to expect. Astra blushed a little, feeling inadequate for the first time all spring. “It’s a bit like a small Selection, perhaps. They get to know the person their prince is dating and they get to watch me court their future queen.”

“Oh, and your gramma wants you to do that with me?” What a relief to know she was just a confused old woman who’d misunderstood.

“Precisely. Meeting Grandmother at her estate in Scotland would signal the official start to our official courtship.”

Astra felt all the tension leave her body and she smirked at him, “Your gramma is proposing marriage to me on your behalf.”

“Basically.”

“What’s she in such a hurry for? We’re teenagers.”

Andrew let out an exasperated sigh, relieved now that he could see Astra wasn’t panicking and throwing everything she owned into a bag to haul back to Illéa on the first flight out the next morning. “I don’t know. You’re a good match, obviously. My father is close with your uncle, but it would be smart to solidify that alliance with some kind of marriage.”

“Very sexy and romantic.” Astra giggled.

“Isn’t it just?” he agreed wryly. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, “I suppose she’s worried because I’ll be king in a few more years. She doesn’t want me to have to go through that enormous transition of responsibility by myself. I suppose finding a queen would be much harder as king than as prince, too. Father’s even asked me if I want to take a few months next year and devote myself to dating full time before he begins handing off responsibilities to me in earnest. As part of a formal ascension plan.”

“What a conversation.”

“You can’t begin to imagine.”

Astra collapsed into giggles, doing her best to imagine it anyway. King Eoan asking his son if he wanted to be a full-time, 40-hours-per-week dater as part of his obligations to the crown.

“It’s good you think this is funny.” he sulked, but he only partially meant it. He was genuinely glad she was laughing instead of crying.

Fairly certain her toes were dry now, Astra stood and screwed the caps on her polish, stashing the bottles in a drawer next to her vanity. She stretched, fingers reached for the ceiling, going up on her toes, and as she came down she whisked her loose t-shirt over her head.

“Astra.” Andrew cleared his throat, forcing his eyes away from her lacy, pale blue and white bra, “Clear heads, remember?”

“I’m just getting comfortable.” she said in a voice that clearly told him she was not just getting comfortable.

He stood and she came over and loosened his tie for him. He placed a hand over hers when she made for his shirt’s buttons and said, “Do you want this to last past April?”

Astra gulped, “I wish April was forever.”

He stared at her, the only flicker of doubt coming from the small twitch of his eyebrow. “That’s not the same thing.”

“… I know.”

“You don’t have to answer me tonight, but we should talk about it. If we keep going past April, I suspect it will make the most sense for you… for you to meet grandmother.”

This time, when Astra continued with his buttons, it was a genuine effort to help him get comfortable, and not a ploy to see his bare chest. Seeing his bare chest was an undeniable bonus, though. She linked her fingers with his and dragged him towards her bed, and then she flopped down on her back and stared up at the top of her four poster canopy. “So what would happen after I met your grandmother?”

“You’d get some secret service protection.” Andrew laid on his stomach and used his finger to draw doodles on the smooth, soft skin above her navel. His breath felt warm as it puffed against her ribs, but her skin erupted in goosebumps anyway, and he pressed a chaste kiss to them. He knew the effect he had on her, and it only made him want to cherish her more.

“I’d go back to Illéa, though. To Waverly.”

“Yes. We’d coordinate that. It would probably be a less hectic place for you than in England.”

“You think England will be hectic if you announce we’re officially dating?”

Andrew huffed one dry, humorless laugh. “When they find out I’m thinking of making you their princess… sweetheart, it’s going to be a nightmare of a circus.”

“Terrifying clowns?”

“The most terrifying.” he agreed.

Astra sighed, “Then what? How long would we get to date before they’d expect you to decide whether you want to marry me or not?”

“Given the time you’d be spending in Illéa, we could get a year.”

“A year.” Astra liked the sound of that. Sure, she’d dance until her contract was up in Waverly, but then she’d come back and get to do this with Andrew for months and months. His dad might even let him date her full-time. Morning, noon, and night cuddles.

“Yes, and then…”

“And then a fairytale proposal. Would it have to be public?”

“Gosh, no.” Andrew promised. “But it would need to have a good story behind it. Take you somewhere meaningful—“

“Like the club where we first kissed.” Astra teased, running her hands through his hair.

“No, not at all.” he chuckled.

“And would I get to wear one of the crown jewels or something?”

Andrew lifted his head to look at her. “Would you want one?”

Astra laughed. It was all so completely silly. She was an eighteen year old girl! A boy was offering her a crown jewel! She laughed some more.

“Our engagement would be six months, eight at most.” he said. “That’s going to be the hardest time for you. You won’t be royal yet, but you’ll have all the expectations. Of course, you’d have everything you’d need from us. Security, education, an allowance for your clothes.”

“Mmm, clothes.”

“And then—“

“A royal wedding?”

“Yes.”

“And a royal honeymoon?”

“Of course.” he pressed another kiss to her skin, this one not so chaste.

“And then I’m your princess?”

“Until we take our oaths to become king and queen.”

“You really think I could be queen?”

“You think you couldn’t?”

“I know how hard it is on my Aunt Ames. It’s not really the life I saw for myself.”

“It’s different in England, you know. We’re smaller than most Illéan provinces, and we’ve got parliament.”

She couldn’t continue to fantasize about marrying him without understanding what he meant when he said that. “Andy, how does parliament help you?”

“Eh… help is not the word.” Andrew admitted. “It’s more that they take certain responsibilities off the monarch’s plate. Whether they do so in a manner that helps is an entirely different question. But unlike Queen America, who assists on many matters of policy and diplomacy, my mother’s job is almost entirely ceremonial, supporting my father’s efforts.”

“So do you think I could dance if we were married?”

Andrew fell quiet, wracking his brain for a way. “Not once we were engaged… I just can’t imagine that you would have time. And you’d quickly become one of the most famous women in the world… not that you’re anonymous now, just that we’re talking about a whole different stratosphere of public interest… even if we found time for you to dance in the royal ballet, it might not be safe.”

Astra hated that answer, but it made perfect sense to her. Addy had never regularly commuted into the city for any reason. Keeping her safe during recurring, publicly open performances would have been a nightmare, and Astra supposed that would be true for her too.

Astra also knew she wasn’t going to dance forever. She probably had a good ten or twelve years before retirement, and that was only if she avoided any major injuries. In Astra’s experience, injuries and pregnancies were two of the most common reasons dancers retired younger than thirty and they were both to be avoided.

“How long do you think we could put all of this off? I don’t want to stop dancing.”

“I know. I want you to dance! You’re bloody magnificent when you dance.”

“Just when I dance?” she teased suggestively.

“Other times too.” he smirked up at her. He let his face fall gently on her stomach, breathing in the smell of her body wash and then lifting his head again, “I could tell Grandmother we’re not yet ready. You could go to Waverly and come back for visits now and again.”

“Sounds like I’d miss you.”

“I’d miss you too.”

“Sounds better to me, though.”

“I suppose it must. The people mightn’t be fooled, they’ll still expect something is happening between us.”

“They’d be right.”

“But Astra… No matter what, I’ll be King four years from now. There’s no delaying that. ”

“That’s a long time, Andy.”

“I can’t… you must understand, I’d need to know for certain by then.”

“Of course!”

“Ideally… Ideally I would be married by then so that we could share the coronation ceremony.”

“So we could have a wedding earlier that fall? You’d propose that spring? That gives us a few years. That gives me time to dance.”

“But would it be enough?”

“Three years is forever, Andy.” Astra grinned down at him.

“And you’d really consider being my queen?”

“I’d consider a lot of things for blue eyes like yours.”

“They are an important part of the benefits package.” he agreed, placing an arm on either side of her and bringing himself up so that they were eye to eye. “Along with lots of travel to exotic locations. The finest champagne money can buy. Famous designers tripping over themselves to clothe you. A handful of palaces. Lots of diamonds.” he punctuated each of these offers with a deep, heated kiss and by the end Astra was absolutely dizzy and in no state to negotiate her future job benefits.

***

By the end of the week it was not just one photographer waiting outside of the ballet studio anymore, there were dozens. They were aggressive and pushy, yelling her name and constantly demanding she tell them if she was seeing Andrew. Her Illéan security detail was not pleased. The theater that housed the ballet was difficult to secure against so many persistent intruders, and there was serious discussion about whether they could even let her finish the seminar. They also discussed calling King Maxon and asking him for reinforcements, which made Astra’s stomach feel sick. She didn’t want her uncle to have to pay money and spare resources to send across the world to her all because of her love life.

It was a tense day and a half before Andrew was able to come through with security of his own to supplement her detail. It had been a tough thing to organize, given she wasn’t officially his girlfriend, but he’d found a way for her.

If Astra knew anything in those days, it was that he would always find a way for her. That had never been the problem.

There were reporters outside of Astra’s palace now, night and day, and they marked each time Andrew came or went. Instead of lounging together on the balcony overlooking the city, Astra and Andrew had to draw the curtains closed for the sake of their privacy.

“We should just tell them we’re not really dating.” Astra said. “I can’t outright lie to them.” Andrew insisted. “I can’t break trust with my people. I don’t have to confirm we’re together, but I can’t just tell them we’re not.”

“There’s got to be a way… tell them we have no intention of courting right now. That’s not a lie, is it?”

“It’s a bit transparent.” Andrew pointed out.

“Well, I’d love to hear your better idea!”

Andrew sighed into her hair. They were dancing to the music on the television, its glow the only light in her bedroom. “Maybe we break up. And I tell them we broke up.”

“You’re breaking up with me?” Astra suddenly sounded so small and vulnerable, he squeezed her tighter, “No! Not really. Not in that way. It’s just a way we can… buy you some more time before we have to fess up to anything.”

Astra didn’t want to fake-break up with Andrew. She wanted the entire world to leave them to their peace and quiet in their little palace of domestic bliss forever. What was so complicated about that?

Andrew had the idea of staying away one night to try to relieve some of the heat, but all it did was leave Astra pacing the floor alone, listening to the rumble of dozens of people camped out on the street in front of her palace all night.

Astra and Andrew were summoned by Queen Waverly the next day and sat down together on the sofa in her office.

Everything about it was embarrassing. Andy’s mother needed to know how long they had been romantic, how far their romance had gone, how serious they were about their future together, and why Andrew had turned down his grandmother’s invitation.

“Lovey, she wasn’t trying to force your hand.” Waverly told Andrew sympathetically. “What’s happening now out there… it’s going to get worse, the longer we let the media spin itself up into a frenzy.”

Astra said, “I only have a week and a half left, your Majesty—“

“Astra.” Waverly reproached the use of her title. “We’re having this discussion as family. Call me Aunt Waverly… if you’re marrying my son, call me Mum.”

Astra gulped, looking at Andrew, lost.

“We’ve only been together a few months, we don’t know—“ Andrew spoke up, until Waverly nodded and held up her hand to silence him.

“I understand entirely.” She turned her head to the side to study a giant portrait of one of Andy’s female ancestors. “Listen you two, I know that this is a complicated situation. The only thing that will help is being forthright with the people.”

“If Astra meets grandmother, the people will be demanding a proposal by Christmas.”

“Perhaps so.”

“We’re not ready for that.” Andrew was keeping a lid on his princely composure, but Astra could tell he felt hopelessly trapped by his mother and the palace and his people beyond its walls. He was ready to rattle the cages.

Waverly nodded, “Your father and I will do everything we possibly can for you, you know that. We only want your happiness. But things are getting very intense, very fast out there. That’s happening because you’re choosing not to do things the conventional way. You must understand that.”

Very intense, very fast. That was Astra’s whole relationship with Andrew in a nutshell.

“It’s just a week and a half.” Astra reiterated. “Then I’ll be back in Illéa and the press can calm down for a while.”

“The speculation won’t stop until it is addressed by us, and it might even turn ugly.” Waverly warned. “When you stop giving them fresh photograph opportunities every day at your ballet house, when there aren’t rumors flying about sightings of the two of you all over London—“

“Not true, by the way.” Andrew said.

“Some of them could be.” Astra reminded him.

“Only the very old ones. We’ve not been out in a fortnight.”

Astra nodded.

“My point is, in a vacuum of real news, someone will invent rumors to splash on their tabloids. It will be anything and everything. Abuse, affairs, pregnancy out of wedlock, Astra will be a gold digger who broke Andy’s heart one week, the next week Andy will be a womanizing fiend who took advantage of a childhood friend. Relations between England and Illéa will be on the brink—“

“They won’t!” Astra objected.

“Only in the magazines.” Waverly replied. “But we wouldn't want any hostile nations thinking the rumors were true and attempting to take advantage of the supposed rift. You see how this could spiral?”

The room fell to silence for the first time. Astra shivered just a little, “I feel like I’ve been tossed into a tornado.”

“It gets better." Waverly promised. “Once you’re proactive about telling your own story, it gets harder for the media to frenzy over half-credible unattributed rumors.”

Astra buried her face in her hands. She’d thought she’d have years before she had to tell the media a story about her relationship with Andrew. It felt wrong that the people of England were forcing an eighteen year old girl to move so quickly.

“I just need time.” Astra said into her hands.

“Right.” Waverly made up her mind and stood, “In that case, Eoan and I are inviting you to stay here with us for the rest of your visit, Astra. We’ll tell the media that we’re very much looking forward to spending time with you before the end of your trip.”

“No, wait…” Astra looked up, heartbroken that she was losing her private little palace. Would she even get to go back and say goodbye to it?

“This isn’t a punishment, sweetheart.” Waverly sighed and then tugged Astra up to standing, pulling her into a tight hug. “You’re not in trouble. Not one little bit. You’ll have more privacy here, behind our gates and with all of our guards. You’ll have one of our cars to drive you to and from the ballet, and Andy won’t be caught coming and going at all hours of the night because he already lives here… or he did before you came to town.” she said the last part teasingly to her oldest son, who had the temerity to blush at his shamelessness.

Astra felt her eyes sting with tears, “I love that palace… it’s been a good home for me.”

Waverly smiled sweetly, “You’ll be welcome to stay there the next time you come back. If you and Andrew announce an engagement, we’ll fully staff the place for you so that it’s safer. Perhaps you and Andrew could use it as your home for the time between your marriage and his assumption of the crown.”

“Really?” Andrew looked enticed by the offer.

“You’ll need to live somewhere, dear. You couldn’t live with your parents as newlyweds, it would be unbearable.” Waverly teased. “England would never get an heir that way.”

Heirs.

Hearing the queen say that word in this palace, next to the crown prince made it feel very real and very scary. Did Astra want her kids to be heirs? She thought again of Addy and Jamesy… she loved them more than anything in the world, but she couldn’t imagine raising her children for such an incredible responsibility.

Waverly continued softly, “The main thing is, we need to be very delicate here, my loves. When Andrew becomes king, he will become the head of the church. Please understand, I do not mind what you the two of you do or don’t do, so long as you are safe and consenting.”

“Mother.” Andy squirmed.

“But it would put Andrew in a difficult position, becoming head of the church, if he was seen to have a… well a marriage-style relationship with a woman who was not his wife for too long.”

“Yes, heaven forbid I have a healthy, long-term girlfriend.” Andy scowled.

“It’s the vows to God that are the issue at hand, not heaven, and you know it.” Waverly scolded his sass quietly, but efficiently.

“So we break up.” Astra concluded. “We officially break up when I go back to Illéa, and then when it’s time, I come back to England and we publicly reunite… you don’t have any church issues, and I have time to dance.”

Waverly looked between them quietly. “It might be the only option, short of scheduling dinner with your grandmother.”

Andrew looked almost as sad as if the breakup was real. Maybe he was scared it would become real once Astra was out of the whirlwind. She laced her fingers with his and squeezed, “We’ll figure this out.”

He squeezed back twice, gently.

***

That night Astra slept in Andrew’s bedroom for the first time in their entire affair.

“The maids are gonna know.”

“Everyone knows.” he snorted into her hair. “That’s why we’re here and not across town in our own palace.”

“Your parents are in the building.” she complained when his hands began wandering her body.

“Not close enough to hear anything.”

“Still… what if they have to walk by for a glass of water or something?”

“You want me to keep my hands to myself tonight?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Oh, so shall we see who can be quietest?” he brushed his fingers across her ribs and she quietly shrieked a giggle. “You are so bad at this, darling.”

“Oh yeah?” she got her revenge with vicious tickles, exploiting every sensitive spot she’d found on his body the last few months.

***

Living in the English palace was an easy adjustment for Astra. She'd grown up in Illéa Palace which, as the functioning capital building of one of the largest nations in the world, was larger and had a much bigger staff. The English palace was certainly ancient and stately, but Astra had grown up visiting the place, so at least she wasn’t too dazzled to see this for what it was.

There was no more delivery from local restaurants once those palace gates were closed, but the royal chef made sure that Andy and Astra had everything they wanted delivered to one of their rooms each night, so that wasn’t actually too much of a change. Not only that, but the maids were discrete and only came onto their floor when Andrew was at work and Astra was at the ballet for the day, so it was almost like their bedrooms magically tidied themselves up each day.

Really, the biggest change for Astra had been weeks before, when rumors had started flying and she and Andrew had stopped venturing out into London. Andrew still appeared in her doorway just in time for dinner, looking handsome and happy to see her. They still shared good meals and long baths, and a warm bed each night. But now the illusion that time didn't exist and that they could continue peacefully, blissfully existing in their little bubble forever was burst.

Since the royal palace hadn't released a statement about the gorgeous young foreign princess living in the same palace as their handsome young future king, salacious headlines were beginning to trickle from tabloids to increasingly reputable news sources. Astra and Andrew's private affair wasn’t so private anymore.

Some part of Astra had been hoping that the rumors would die down once she and Andrew had retreated into the palace, even though she knew better. But on her second-to-final rehearsal before her big seminar performance, photographers started camping out overnight at the stage door to the ballet, not just hounding Astra but harassing her fellow dancers, too. It was humiliating to think that these world-class performers, some of whom Astra had idolized for years, were getting manhandled on their way to and from work every day because of Astra’s love life. She wasn’t sure her reputation in the industry would ever recover from this. Who would want to work with her when her very presence could cause such a disruption?

She cried in the backseat of the car on her way back to the royal palace that day, but she had big sunglasses on, and at least no photographers caught her moment of weakness.

“I don’t want to be the girl who’s dating the future king. I want to be a damn good dancer.” Astra said that night, her cheek pressed to Andrew’s chest as he drew swirling designs on her bare back with his fingers.

“You are both.”

“You don’t understand… you literally can’t.”

“What?” Andrew wasn’t insulted, which was the great thing about him. He was always humble about his own limitations. “Why can I not understand?”

“Have you ever looked up to someone who was truly excellent at the very thing that you wanted to be truly excellent at?”

“Of course.”

“Who?”

“King Maxon.”

Astra rolled her eyes and lifted her head so he could see her at it. “You met him when you could still count your age on one hand.”

“So?”

“So most people never get to meet their idols, and if they do it’s because they’ve worked extremely hard to become very good at something. There are choreographers and dancers at this seminar that I’ve admired for a decade. And now my presence is turning their workplace, a place I consider to be sacred, into a hostile circus.”

Andrew frowned down at her and said softly, “Did I not promise you terrifying clowns?”

“I don’t want to bring chaos to every stage I cross.” Astra pouted.

Andrew nodded and said, “So we should announce our breakup immediately. I’ll release a statement tomorrow, and ask a friend of mine to appear in public with me tomorrow night… a woman. It won’t cure everything overnight, but it would surely alleviate some of the pressure.”

Astra stared into his eyes, then studied the line of his nose, the cut of his cheekbones, the curve of his jaw. “That’s a lot of trouble to go through just for me.”

“Astra, are you joking? You’re the one going through trouble for me.”

Astra nodded, but she dropped a kiss onto his lips anyway. “Okay, but the breakup is fake.” her lips danced over his.

His teeth gently teased her lower lip as he replied, “Yeah. I noticed.”

***

As warm and inviting as the arms holding her were, Astra had a difficult time staying asleep that night. She was nervous about returning to rehearsals the next morning, nervous about their final performance, now only a couple of days away, nervous about her new relationship with Andrew, and nervous about being nervous about her new relationship with Andrew.

At around four in the morning she slipped out of bed and tiptoed back to her suite, where she found a pitcher of water and a tray of snacks waiting for her. She spent so many hours of her day exercising that sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night ravenously, painfully hungry, so she’d requested that she be left some snacks just in case. She picked at a scone, lost in her anxieties, and her stress about not being able to sleep, until the telephone next to her bed rang so loudly and shrilly that it caused her to jump and splash some of her glass of water onto her night shirt.

“Hello?” Astra picked up the phone, hoping to hear an Illéan voice on the other end of the line. She hadn’t spoken to Addy in a few days, and it had been almost a week since her Aunt Ames or Uncle Maxon had phoned. She hadn’t spoken to her parents in longer than that, but they’d be arriving in London in less that twenty-four hours so that they could watch her final performance, so she wasn’t too desperate to speak to them.

And while the voice on the other line was Illéan, it definitely wasn’t one she had been expecting.

“Hey.”

Astra’s stomach clenched and her body flooded with adrenaline. She reminded herself to behave like a normal person and not like a lunatic when, as casually as she could, she replied, “Kile? Is that you?” like she didn’t know. Like she wouldn’t know his voice anywhere, anytime, under any circumstance. She knew his voice better than she knew her own.

“Sorry, I know it’s the middle of the night over there. …You don’t sound like you were sleeping, though.”

He would know.

Astra gulped hard, “I needed a snack.” It was a lie, but it was close enough to the truth.

“Hm. Is he there then?”

Astra felt defensive anger flare up in her chest, and only later realized that the anger was covering a sense of guilt. “So what if he is? You broke up with me—“

“Astra—“

“No, it’s okay. I’m not saying that in a mean way. I’m stating a fact. We are not together because you broke up with me, so why do you care if he’s here?”

There was a long pause and then a low groan on the other end of the phone. Astra heard a brush of fabric over his microphone, as if he’d been rubbing his face and his sleeve caught on the receiver.

“I want to know if he’s there, because I want to talk to you when you’re alone. It’s why I’m calling so late… or early, I guess.” Kile said.

Astra’s traitor heart beat faster. What did he want to talk to her about when she was alone? Was he going to apologize? Was he going to ask for her back?

It was too late, obviously. Astra had obviously moved on. Obviously. “He’s not here.”

Kile sounded relieved when he said, “Good.” and that annoyed Astra. He had no right to be relieved that she wasn’t in bed with another man. He’d hurt her in a way she’d never known she could hurt before.

She lashed out, “I didn’t want to wake him up with my snacking. But he’ll probably notice I’m gone soon, so you should hurry up and say what you want to say.”

The pained sound that snuck out of his throat with his next exhale was not as satisfying as Astra had hoped it would be. She regretted her words already. Maybe now he wouldn’t ask for her back… not that she wanted him to.

Kile said, “Let me ask you something…”

This was it. He was going to ask for forgiveness. He was going to ask her to come back to Illéa and be with him.

“What do you want more than anything in the world?” Kile said.

What was he expecting her to say? That she wanted him? She was dating the Crown Prince of England!

“Astra?”

“What do you mean, Kile?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean? For our whole lives you’ve always wanted one thing more than anything in the world. What is it?”

Oh. Astra replied almost mechanically, her voice barely above a mumble, “I want to be the Prima Ballerina for the Angeles Ballet for at least a season, maybe two.”

“And you wanted that enough that you didn’t even think about moving closer to my university, because it would have taken you away from the Angeles ballet. And not for a good reason, like that invitation you got to dance in Waverly. For no reason. For me.”

“You’re not no reason—“

“No, I’m just not a good enough reason.”

“Kile—“

“You can’t argue with that.”

“You said you wouldn’t promise to look for apprenticeships and internships in the cities where I was dancing. You said you don’t want to live in Angeles when you grow up!”

“I don’t. I’m going to go where I can do my best work.” he said plainly. “I still think you and I made a good choice to split up.”

Hearing him say that was hard. She wanted him to regret it. She wanted him to miss her like she had missed him before Andrew had swept her off her feet. Losing him had changed her and she would never be the same as she was before, and he wasn’t even sorry.

Kile continued, “I’m just saying… what was the point of drawing a line in the sand about you and me if you were just going to walk all over it for Andy?”

“What?”

“We both know that you’ll never be prima anything if you marry Andy. You told me yourself, every waking hour of a prima’s life is devoted to dancing or preparing to dance. There are no hobbies, no vacations, no date nights. There definitely isn't time to be somebody’s princess.”

“I’m already an Illéan Prin—“

“Cut the shit, Astra, you know what I mean.” Kile sounded exasperated, and she knew why. She was trying to miss his point, but he wasn’t exactly being subtle about it so dodging it was proving impossible.

“Maybe I want something else now. Maybe I want to marry Andrew.”

“Look… Andy’s not a bad guy—“ Kile admitted through gritted teeth, “But there will be plenty of not bad guys waiting for you after you retire. So if you pick him, do it because you want the life he’ll give you more than the life you can earn for yourself. And be ready to bury your dreams of being a prima ballerina forever, if you do. I know you, and I know you’re getting swept up in this—“

“Don’t talk about me like I’m some helpless little… little damsel, Kile.” Astra snapped.

“Think about it logistically. Do you want to move to the other side of the world from your parents and your little brothers? They’ll visit you as often as they can, but your visits to Illéa will always be to the Palace, to King Maxon and Addy. You won’t be able to go home again. Do you want to have to keep a royal schedule, planned months and years in advance? And you can forget being around from Addy once she becomes queen, you’ll be trapped on the far side of an ocean.”

“Kile—“ Astra tried to interrupt him because she wanted him to stop making sense.

“What about the little things? What about the weather? You’re an Angeles girl, are you going to miss the sun? You know they use different numbers for temperature over there, right? How’s it going to feel to wake up in the morning and have some maid tell you that it’s twenty-five degrees outside, so you’d better stay in the shade to keep cool?”

“Kile.” Astra laughed.

“I’m serious. You’re not just choosing a career here, Astra, you’re choosing a life: from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep.” Kile paused and let out a tired sigh. “I just don’t want you to make a big mistake that you can’t undo. I know how badly you want to dance. You’re not ready for this, and even if you were, this wouldn’t be the right choice for you.”

“I’ve changed, Kile.” she wanted to add that he’d changed her. That losing him had made her someone new, someone she didn’t even know yet, but she kept that part to herself. Listening to his voice for so long that night… suddenly she found that she didn’t want to hurt him anymore.

“It’s barely been three months, Astra. You haven’t changed that much.” he promised.

Astra wasn’t sure. Sometimes change was gradual, sure, but sometimes change was all at once. Traumatic change was a sudden shattering of what came before, such that one could never go back again. That was what losing Kile had been like.

But did that mean she wanted to give up dancing and become Andrew’s princess? His queen? His wife and the mother of his heirs? Did she want to leave Illéa forever and eventually move into this palace?

She wanted all of that when she was wrapped up in Andrew’s arms.

But here, alone in the middle of the night when she had her wits about her…

She climbed back into bed and woke Andrew up with steady, gentle kisses. Everything about the love they made that morning was slow and desperate, and even though she hadn’t meant it to, in the end it felt like goodbye.

***

Astra was gone to her final rehearsals before dawn, but later that morning Andrew was true to his word and made a big announcement that he and Astra had both been secretly dating, and were now publicly broken up. He made a good show of wandering around London looking sad that day, and that night he went out to dinner with a fashion model friend, who did not mind the publicity one little bit.

There were still plenty of photographers salivating at the chance to photograph Astra looking dismal at having lost the chance to become an English princess, but at least they were leaving the rest of the dancers, and everyone else associated with the ballet, in peace.

Astra’s parents arrived at the royal palace in time for dinner that night, and Astra had a lot of explaining to do to them. King Eoan and Queen Waverly seemed to find Astra’s discomfort at explaining her affair with Andrew to her parents over roasted asparagus incredibly amusing, and possibly reminiscent of the beginning of their own relationship. It wasn’t fair, though. Andrew missed all the “fun”, making sure it looked like he was rebounding with that gorgeous model.

That night, Astra was too nervous about her impending final performance to wait up for Andrew to get back to the Palace. She could go to bed early or never at all. She drank some tea laced with a little bit of melatonin and fell asleep soon after dinner.

She woke up in Andrew’s arms, her cheek pressed to the side of his bare chest. She listened to him breathe deeply and evenly for a little while and tried one last time.

She could quit dancing.

She could leave Illéa forever.

She could raise her children to be heirs.

Her children could raise their children to be heirs.

When she died, her bones could be interred in a big old church.

Her whole life could be that easy.

God, it would be so easy.

“Andy?” she whispered.

He didn’t stir.

“Andrew?” she tried again, this time pulling away from him and sitting up in bed.

He didn’t hear her, but he reacted to the loss of her warmth, and eventually his heavy eyelids fluttered open. “Astra?”

“What time did you get in last night?”

“This morning.” He admitted, yawning widely. “I expect the tabloids will be plastered with headlines about their debaucherous future king today.”

“Was it any fun?”

“Yeah. Ellie’s great; she’s always happy to be photographed on my arm. Missed you, though.” he added, as if suddenly awake enough to worry that she was jealous.

She wasn’t the slightest bit jealous. Well, the slightest bit, but not for the reasons he would assume. Astra was jealous because Ellie could keep being photographed on Andrew’s arm for as long as she pleased, with no consequences.

“Maybe you should marry Ellie.” Astra suggested.

Andrew laughed, and it turned into a yawn. Then he explained, “Ellie’s too focused on her career right now. And anyway, she’d be far more interested in you.”

“Now that would be a tabloid headline.” Astra joked weakly.

“What’s the matter? Are you nervous for your performance? Is it because you’re leaving England this time tomorrow? Is it because you told your parents what’s been happening between us—“

“I’m not nervous.” Astra said, even though her stomach was in knots. Those weren’t nerves. That was grief. “Andy… I want to be a ballet dancer.”

Andrew sat up in bed now and rubbed the sleep from his eyes so he could focus on her. The words were familiar, but her tone was alarming. “Of course you do. You are a ballet dancer, and you’re bloody brilliant.”

“I want to be a prima ballerina.”

“Okay.”

“That sort of excellence takes years to achieve.”

“Good job you’ve been dancing since you were four years old, then.”

“Shh.” she pressed a finger to his lips so that he would stop talking back and listen to her. He complied. “I won’t be ready to be a prima for seven or eight years. I have a lot to learn. And when I’m ready, I want to be a Prima Ballerina for at least one season, maybe two. That’s every waking hour devoted to dance for two years straight. Then I want to live in Angeles and stay close to Addy in the first few years of her reign. I want to be there when she gets married and has babies, because she is great at putting on a brave face and absolutely terrible at processing the emotions that are scaring her into needing to be brave. She’s going to need me, and I’m excited to be there for her. I can’t live on a different continent than my dad. There can’t such a huge time difference between me and my mom. I can’t be a foreign queen. I don’t want to be foreign at all. Andrew… I can’t marry you.” Her cheeks were wet and her voice cracked, but she didn’t know when, in that little breathless tirade, she’d started crying.

Andrew stared blankly ahead, hugging his knees to his chest around their blanket. He didn’t look surprised. He’d known she was too good to be true all along. Finding his queen could never have been so easy, so perfect. He shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up.

“Andy, none of those reasons I gave have anything to do with you. I love you. You’re a good man, and a great partner, and you have no business being such a talented kisser when you’re so handsome. It’s overkill.” she waited for him to smile. She waited for him to do anything. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Andrew. I just can’t marry you. I’m eighteen years old, I just got control of my life. I’m not ready to sign it over to a monarchy. I would love to be your wife, Andy, but I would hate to be your queen.”

Andrew blinked hard, then looked over at her. His voice was too casual, his words were too easy when he said, “I understand entirely. I can wait.”

Astra furrowed her brow, trying to hold his far off gaze. “Wait? What do you mean, wait?”

“You want to be a prima ballerina, and you said it would take you nine or ten years to accomplish your goal. Fine. I will wait, and when you’re ready I’ll ask to marry you.”

“No, Andy—“

“I don’t mind ruling on my own for a while.”

“That’s more than a while! You’ll be king in four years—“

“It isn’t a problem.” he insisted.

“Did you hear the part about what I want to do after I retire? About living in Illéa, about staying close to my family?”

“Astra, once we’re married, you can do whatever you like.”

“But queens have responsibilities.”

“We can redefine the role to mean whatever you’d like it to mean. I don’t care. I love you, Astra, and you’re the best future queen I could ever hope for.”

Astra paused, blinking hard against the tears in her eyes. It hurt to hear him say that. It hurt to realize that he didn’t believe he deserved any better. “Andy, that’s not true. You deserve a wife who will stay by your side. You deserve a wife who adores you and would be willing to sacrifice her own ambitions to serve England. I’m not good enough to be your queen.”

“Then no one ever will be.”

“Andrew—“

“Let me wait for you, Astra, please.” His voice broke on that last work, his eyes finally meeting hers and betraying his anguish. “Let me hope. It’s all that I have left.”

Astra couldn’t figure out what would be crueler, to let him hope when she’d made up her mind, or to take that hopeless hope away from him.

So she wrapped him up in her arms and they laid down. She combed her fingers through his hair and he brushed his thumb against her ribs until her alarm clock rang and her last day in London began.

***

In retrospect, Astra should have chosen a happy, upbeat, peppy song for her exhibition. She could have flounced all over the stage and spun a ridiculous number of times on her toes, and allowed her partner to toss her all over the place with an enormous smile on her face.

Instead, she’d chosen an exhibition from a ballet about a woman mourning her dead lover, dancing with his ghost. She’d been thinking of Kile when she’d chosen it, hoping it would help her work out her feelings about their doomed childhood romance. Now she was about to take the stage of the royal ballet, with Andrew and his parents in the royal box, watching her close enough that she could see the pained look on Andrew’s face as clear as anything.

Astra and her dance partner, Geoffrey, took their place while the stage was lit in nothing but the darkest of blue lights. He laid down across on their only set piece, an enormous fake rock, and Astra settled over him in a dramatic pose of despair, arm flung over her forehead.

The first part of the dance was hers alone. Her grief, her agony, her desperation. None of it was fake. When Geoffrey arose, as a ghost, and began dancing with her, the bittersweet mixture of joy and sorrow was easy to tap into. Nothing brought her more joy than dancing, and nothing brought her more sorrow in that moment than Andrew watching her live the life she’d chosen over him.

When Geoffrey faded back into the fog upstage and left Astra alone again in the center of the stage, all the passion and desperation fled with him. The rest of the dance was small and slow, painfully precise movements timed with the orchestra just so that if she made the slightest misstep, it would be immediately, embarrassingly obvious.

But Astra did not have to fake the exhaustion and resignation her character was feeling. If she allowed herself to second guess her decision to break away from Andrew now, she’d second guess it forever. The roar of the audience as the last tremulous notes from the string section died away seemed to make a deafening contrast.

Astra was surprised to find tears had started pouring down her cheeks somewhere during that performance. Geoffrey returned and took her hand, and they bowed. As was customary for this exhibition, several members of the audience threw flowers onto the stage. From the third row, Astra’s dad threw a whole bouquet, and a little teddy bear. Astra laughed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Then she turned to the royal box to curtsey, perfectly observing royal protocol, and was startled to find that Andrew had been crying, too.

He tossed her a single white rose with a beautiful red satin ribbon tied around the stem, but the look on his face was resignation. He could love her with all of his heart for all of his life and still never be able to give her the kind of affirmation she got from a packed theater full of an adoring audience. He’d seen her dance dozens of times in her room at her little palace, and hell, he’d even danced with her himself. But seeing her like this in front of them…

He could wait until the oceans ran dry and the mountains fell flat, and every single star in the sky flickered into darkness… Astra was never coming back to him.

Astra spent that night with her parents, letting them gush over her and spoil her with presents, and help her pack up the life she’d made in London for the last few months. She hoped Andrew would come and say goodbye once her parents went back to the suite they were staying in, but he never appeared, and Astra didn’t chase him down because she thought he deserved to set the terms. That dance had been her goodbye to him. It was up to him whether he wanted to say goodbye in return.

The next morning, Queen Waverly was the only one in the entrance hall waiting to see the Orders family off as they left. The English Royal jet would take them as far as Carolina, where they would visit James’ family for a little while.

Astra imagined Andrew’s private car speeding out onto the tarmac to stop them. She imagined him dashing from the backseat and waving his arms to alert the pilots that they couldn’t leave until he’d said his farewells.

He didn’t come. It was easier this way.

Kenna and James stayed with Astra’s grandparents for a few days, but James had to go back to work and Kenna needed to get back to the Palace. Aunt Ames had five children, two of them under the age of six, and though they had plenty of help in that Palace, Kenna was their primary nanny, their aunt, and she missed them like crazy.

Astra stayed with her grandparents for a couple of weeks, until her contract at the Waverly Ballet began. The media frenzy around her got much better in that time, though it was impossible not to notice that things were staying hectic around Andrew as the English tabloids seemed to catch on to how severely he’d had his heart broken.

Astra wished she could take some of that public shame away.

She wished she could take some of his pain away, even as she was mending her own broken heart. Her weeks in Carolina were good for that purpose. Her grandparents spoiled her rotten, and she gave her body a much-needed break from dancing. Instead, she spent her days learning needlepoint from her grandmother, and her nights stargazing out by the pond where her parents used to sneak off on dates before Gramma Magda gave up trying to convince Kenna to marry someone from a higher caste.

When Astra packed her bags to take the short flight up to Waverly to begin yet another new life with another new ballet company, she was still wearing the beautiful red ribbon that Andrew gave her as a parting gift on that rose, tied around her wrist.

And when, years later, she sat on her sofa and watched him become King of England in front of the entire world, her fingers traced that now slightly frayed red ribbon, Andy’s last gift to her, in a familiar, much-practiced gesture.

It would have been so easy to say yes, to give in to the pressure and let herself get swept away by the English people, the royal traditions, the prince’s staggering blue eyes. It would have been a good life, too. A perfectly fine marriage.

But Astra didn’t want to be queen, and now she wouldn’t have to be, and the freedom she felt watching Andrew bear the weight of that crown was all the reminder she needed: she made the right decision. And now, despite the dull ache of longing in her chest for he boy she’d loved and left behind, she was happy. Truly happy. She was at peace with her past, content in her present, and excited for her future.

When the coronation coverage ended, Astra got ready to return to bed. She was surprised when her phone rang, but she knew exactly who it would be.

“Mom?” she said, before the person on the other line could say a word. Her little cousins would have had just enough time to be tucked back into bed by now, if Aunt May was helping. Kenna would have rushed to the phone as soon as she got the chance.

“Sweetie? How are you, little bug?”

“I’m fine, Mom, I don’t need the pet names.” Astra grinned, rolling her eyes.

“Are you sure?” Kenna double-checked.

“Yeah. I wish Andrew wasn’t alone up there. I still love him, I don’t want him to suffer. But I was nothing but relieved when they put that crown on his head and I didn’t have to put one on mine. I made the right choice.”

“I know you did, honey, but just because you did the right thing doesn’t mean you have to feel perfectly fine about it. Especially not on a night like this.”

“Honestly, Mom… my time in London feels like another life. One I’m nothing but grateful for, but not one I want to relive.”

At first, Astra’s spring with Andrew felt like it had never really happened, or like it had happened to someone else, or like it was all a fever dream: too hot, too heady, a surreal hallucination more than a fairytale fantasy. But now, with some time and space, Astra could see it for what it really was: a romantic affair with someone she could have chosen to marry, but who ultimately was not the right fit for her. On the one hand, Astra and Andrew loved each other, and their marriage would have been fine: they’d known each other forever and they each fully understood the challenges of the royal life they would have been embarking on together.

On the other hand, Astra had known what she wanted out of life since she was a very small girl. It was a hard thing to ask an eighteen year old to walk away from a guaranteed royal wedding for a chance to work very hard to one day, possibly, make her dream come true. If Astra hadn’t grown up in Illéa Palace, she might not have made the same choice. But everything she got out of her life from now on was truly hers, she was the captain of her own fate, and even if she failed and never became a prima ballerina, at least this way she’d have had the chance.

“But Mom?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t ever tell Gramma Magda that Andrew proposed to me and I turned him down. I think she would disown me.”

[thesoftboiledegg]

Last night I had a Rick And Morty dream and, on reflecting on it, I've decided that the crows episode is tied with the sperm episode for Most Weird On A Meta Level Season Five Episode. I've spent so much more time thinking about the sperm episode than the crows episode, but I have spent some time thinking about the crows episode and like... it's really weird that it's wedged in there, right? Like, I guess people just don't talk about S5E09 much because it's sandwiched between S5E08 and S5E10 which are total fan bait, but, like, it's really weird that it's there, right? It's really weird and inexplicable what dramatic/story-structure purpose it serves, right? Something Is Up, and, like, I've long known deep in my bones that Something Is Up, but seriously, seriously, Something Is Up

Ikr? I enjoyed that episode, but man, it's strange. Not in the sense of "Wow, this episode is so wild and trippy!" or even insanely bad like "Rickdependence Spray," it's just...strange. It's less like an episode and more like Rick drunkenly rambling about a fever dream that he had.

In particular, Morty's plot with Nick was just one big "wtf" because the episode seemed to be building up to something, and then he was just...nobody? A random guy who added literally nothing to the episode? The concept was clearly "Morty goes on adventures with a new guy and freaks out when he realizes that he's crazier than Rick," but Nick wasn't even that much worse, lol. Just a little more out of control. The whole thing was just a standard Rick and Morty adventure that went off the rails, but Morty somehow had some huge epiphany from it.

Also, ha ha, Nick's name is one letter away from Rick's, very clever. The way Morty killed him was pretty badass, though.

Rick's sudden realization at the end of the episode was also bonkers. I didn't think it was OOC for him to realize that he'd fucked up, but the way he said it was really strange. He sounded like a character in an after-school special, lol. "Don't you see?" I totally thought he was bullshitting and was shocked when he was sincere.

The overall tone and humor of that episode was "off," too. I wouldn't call it BAD, and I enjoyed watching it, but...yeah, I'd like to know what's going on in the writers' room. Season 5 in general was really odd. We didn't see the portal gun at all until the third or fourth episode (I realize that was probably intentional in "Mortyplicity," though), and the president had more appearances in season 5 than in seasons 1-4 combined.

Although thinking about it now, maybe the lack of a portal gun was foreshadowing the reveal that Morty kept sneaking off and using all the fluid. Still weird, though.

[stardustincarnate]

TOGETHER FOREVER // Asra x Reader

ASRA + A NON-BINARY MC

WORD COUNT: 2541

GENRE: Fluff

Water.

Flowing water, molded into ballerinas, swaying to the slow, dreamy rhythm of a harp, by a skilled magician, surrounded me as I stood in the middle of a vast, colorful oasis. It took me a while before I realized that I was in Asra's gate. How did I end up being there?

The plants sprung to life, engulfing me, filling my vision with a dancing of warm colors that reminded me of him as I closed my eyes. I could feel the phantom of warmth embrace me, and when I opened my eyes, I was greeted with those deep and sincere purple eyes of his.

The world seemed to have slowed down, every action taking some time as if it was to savor the moment. I found myself loosely wrapping my arms around his neck as he caressed my other cheek, and I leaned to the feeling.

I could see Asra's magnificent aura combining with mine, making a beacon of blinding light that went up to the sky.

His tender touch never fails to send me flying over to the moon, both our magic combined as if speaking to one another, my heart reacting to his own.

He pressed his forehead against mine, a blush creeping up his face.

"I love you."

-

With that, I had unfortunately awoken. I yawned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, soon realizing that Asra was not beside me anymore. The smell of my favorite soup wafted out from the kitchen to the bedroom, causing me to blearily walk towards it. The sleepiness soon ebbed my system once the smell got stronger. Asra wasn't aware that I already woke up, so I sneakily went on to hug him from behind, earning an adorable gasp from him and making me chuckle.

"[MC]? You're awake. Did you have a good sleep?"

I nuzzled his fluffy hair. "Mhm I suppose. I had a really good dream."

"Oh? Why don't you tell me about it."

"We were in your gate. But it didn't look like before.. it was more magical that time. Well, just us doing some romantic things.. Involving magic too!"

Asra let out a chuckle, "Why don't we make it real then?" He turned around, giving me that playful look of his. I grinned. "Ooh, I love the sound of that."

Soon, I found myself being fed by him as we ate our breakfast. Faust kept on squeezing us alternatively. She seemed excited about something.

"[MC], what do you say we go out for a trip today?" Asra asked, wiping off some remaining soup droplets on my chin which I hadn't noticed.

"Where will we go?"

"I thought about bringing you to the magical realms, but then I thought of something better." He casted a wistful look on me. "Let's forget about the realms for the mean time. Let's just explore the city. What do you think?"

"You know I'm up for it! But you'll have to let me take a bath first!" I chuckled.

"Take your time. I won't mind." He playfully winked at me as I headed towards the bathroom.

Some time later, we arrived at the city market. Vesuvians were partially rowdy and quiet. Though some even came stumbling near the two of us, but it was alright. Asra held my hand tightly as I saw him grinning at something— or someone. The market seemed a bit more playful today. Maybe that's why he decided to take me here? The fun in the atmosphere was tangible, especially when I heard the strumming of guitars— and the next moment, all I knew was that Asra and I were dancing in the middle of the street, accompanied by some other couples until the beat had stopped.

It was fun while it lasted. It's as if my body had a mind of its own when I let myself dance to the rhythm. I didn't care about anything else other than the joyous music. I knew what felt right, and it felt right to let myself sway to the rhythm with Asra. Abstract magic bubbled around the two of us. How I love feeling that way.

However, right after the dancing session, the world suddenly dissipated into nothingmess. I was left all alone in a dark, fathomless land where no one seemed to hear me. No Asra... no Faust. I tried to connect to them using my magic, but something was intercepting it. No no, I didn't feel something ominous despite the situation. So what, exactly, was stopping me? I called out to my magic once more, and there I felt a recognizable aura somewhere. Asra's. He was nearby, I could tell, but it's as if he was hiding behind a veil which I didn't know where to find. I was in distress, but then something dawned me.

Asra must've been playing tricks with me. I should've known from the beginning. Ugh, I am so going to get that rascal! I let my magic surround me, and then I was back at the market— but I was alone. If he was pulling a prank on me, I'd give him credits for the effort of making  the crowd disappear too. I clicked my tongue but later on grinned. What kind of prank was it? I got a little excited to know what to see at the end of the tunnel.

"Asraaaaaa!"

I called out for the nth time. I was aimlessly walking that I didn't realize I already bumped to a hulking figure. The smell of Myrrh...

"Muriel! Have you seen my sneaky magician?" 

He looked away as soon as I met his eyes. He didn't reply. He just walked away. I followed him with my eyes but then he stopped his tracks, reluctantly beckoning me to join him. And I did. And I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. Asra really did execute a massive prank for me because the whole Vesuvia seemed empty of people. I was beginning to get confused when I still didn't see anyone, but when we turned to a corner, leading to which I presume is the docks, an enthralling scenery surprised me.

My fellow Vesuvians were scattered on the side. The middle was empty and I supposed I would be walking there, and I was right. I let out a confused noise when they suddenly started singing all together. Their voices were harmonious that it somehow made my heart feel lighter than it already was. I could spot a few familiar faces.

Selasi, our favorite baker, then came up to me, handing me something. I was surprised that it wasn't bread but a bouquet of my favorite flowers. I thanked him, but before I could ask furthermore, he hastily ran back to the crowd.

"Muriel, what's going on?"

What did I expect? He didn't even turn around. I guessed I wouldn't be having any answers until I see the mastermind behind all of this.

I spotted Aisha and Salim in the crowd. They gave me a meaningful smile, a sly look on their faces. I smiled back and proceeded to walk down the center even if I had no idea what was happening. Their attentions were all on me. It made me feel overwhelmed, as if I was the star of Vesuvia. And jeez, was the Countess and all the other courtiers somewhere in the crowd?

Speaking of, I soon found Nadia standing in a corner. Her elegant figure stood out the most. I was taken aback when she walked to me, and I received a bouquet of flowers once again. She gave me a playful look and then weaved herself through the crowd. I soon spotted Portia, and she did the same thing to me, winking afterwards. 

And by the time I had reached Julian standing in the middle of the docks, my arms were already full of bouquets, but he gave a blind eye to that and proceeded to put another bouquet on top of the rest that I could barely see what's in front of me. And as I expected, the strain in my arms made the bouquets fall to the ground. I regretfully looked at them. But just as I was about to pick them up, Julian intercepted, swaying his long, lanky arms that almost hit my face.

"Whoops! No no no no. We can't have our main star doing the work here, can we?"

He flashed a shameless grin and started picking up the bouquets. I didn't argue and instead chuckled. Then as I lifted my gaze, I finally saw Asra, standing at the edge and giving me a look as if to tell "I'm expecting you."

He smiled at me as I ran into him, completely forgetting the fact that he's at the edge. One slight move and he would fall into the water. But something unusual happened. 'Asra' bursted into fizzy bubbles and tiny butterflies that soon engulfed me, making me giggle. And once they gave way, I was greeted by a bunch of tiny ballerinas which emerged from the water. They were careful not to get too close and drench my clothes. My smile grew even wider as I recalled my dream. There were also dancing ballerinas surrounding me, but bigger. Asra must had taken note of that to pull the trick off.

I pivoted, seeing 'Asra' give me another bouquet of flowers. But they were much larger than the ones my friends had given to me. The other half was drenched though since it was given to me by the water in which Asra shaped himself to.

"[MC]." I heard a boisterous call, making me turn around for the nth time, and that time I finally saw the real Asra. Solid and radiating an immense aura of magic. Joyous but somehow perplexed. I threw myself at him, and we bursted into giggles.

"My, my.. You really know how to pull a trick off your sleeves. Is this really the real you, or are you just another one of his illusions?"

"I'm the real one you know," His airy voice tickled my ears. There was a playful tone in his voice. "Want me to prove it?"

"N-Not in front of everyone!" I flushed but eventually cleared my throat. "Uhm, mind explaining yourself? Please tell me what's gotten into your mind to do this."

He only gave me a smug look, but later on evaded my gaze as a blush crept on his face. The crowd had already stopped singing. They were silent and watching us as if expecting something huge to happen. I looked at my friends, who were only giving me playful looks. I frowned, but then it hit me. 

Or I might just be assuming things. It was just a massive prank, right? Asra didn't do it because of...

"[MC]."

"Yeees?"

"I.. You know how much I care for you.. Right?"

I heard someone in the crowd squeal.

"Yes. You told me about it when.. when we were at the fountain... during the most recent masquerade." I blushed as I reminisced the scene. It made my heart flutter when he told me that he loves me. It filled me with joy. We've been through a lot...

"We've been through a lot of adventures ever since we defeated the Devil. And I treasure the memories that we keep on making... I find it better to go on adventures with you by my side rather than going alone," He looked at me and smiled. It was my turn to look away due to our faces' proximity. "You showed me a different perspective of the world, [MC], and I can't imagine living a life without you anymore. I feel like as long as we're together, we'll be able to overcome anything." 

My heart erratically beated as he said those words. A mixture of Aww's and other complements came from the crowd, but Asra didn't seem to mind. He was staring at me. And only at me.

"I love you, [MC]. And I'll keep on loving you.." He widened the distance between us a little, kneeling down and as if searching for something in his pocket. I didn't know how red my face was at the time. I felt like exploding.

He really was doing it.

He was proposing to me.

Asra stopped his search and shyly looked around, but he was somehow distressed. 

"Now where did I put it...." He looked down, facepalming. "Faust, where are you? I told you not to play with it."

At the mention of her name, Faust slithered towards him, something shiny in her mouth. Asra chuckled and scolded her as she took refuge in his sleeve. Then, he averted his gaze back to me, his eyes gleaming with hope and love.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, [MC]. And I hope you do too... Will you marry me?"

He showed me the ring that flashed the colors of the rainbow before my very eyes. Milliseconds after he said that the crowd started cheering and squealing, and I didn't even utter my answer yet, and I couldn't due to all the noise. Portia took care of it though.

"HEY! Did we actually hear what [MC] said? QUIET!" And the noise dissipated. 

The more I looked at Asra, the more I realized how nervous he actually was. Even with a brave facade, I could still see through him. We were blushing so bad as he waited for my answer. But I felt like I couldn't speak at the time. I was overwhelmed with euphoria that I couldn't bring myself to utter a single word or even move. It took me a few seconds to calm myself, responding to his question with a smile.

"D-Do you even have to ask?"

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course it is! Yes! I'll marry you!"

Asra stood up with a wide, genuine smile as he put the ring on my finger. It was filled with an intricate design, the pattern carved meticulously. I was so amazed at how detailed it was. I looked at it with awe. I couldn't believe what was hapenning. I might've swooned.

"Good. I was beginning to think you wouldn't.."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know." Asra laughed, pulling me into a kiss. His magic surged into me and when he pulled away, he immediately took me in his embrace. The crowd started cheering once again that I could barely hear myself over it.

"Did you make the ring?"

"Yes. Did you like it?"

"Like it? I love it!" I flushed against his chest.

"The ring only?"

"Psh, of course you too! I love you, Asra!"

He chuckled and intertwined our fingers. I blushed even more. If I could explode, I already would've.

"I love you too. I loved you ever since."

"Asra! Stop making me blush.."

"But I was just stating facts! Right Faust?"

"Right!"

He really couldn't fail to make me blush, to create butterflies and grow flowers inside me, and to make my heart feel light and filled with pure bliss.

We were engaged, and I couldn't wait to see what the future stores for us.

The future that includes him and I, completely contented with each other's presence.