#anyways i. so desperately want another strawberry tart - it was so good for real..

[twisting-in-wonderland]

I had my first strawberry tart recently..  

(wip pic and sorta bonus under read more)

so sleepyyy,,

cater, please-

[kabillieu]

I want very badly to bake something sweet. I love baked goods so much, but I rarely bake because it takes a lot of planning to have the ingredients on hand, and then also I have to find time to do it. Usually it involves a stand mixer. I have a nice one (a Kitchenaid) but it lives in the basement and is heavy to bring upstairs and because I so rarely use it I have to wash the bowl and attachments first. My grandmother's stand mixer had a permanent place on her counter, and I will get there one day, but not in this house.

Anyway, I think of myself as someone who fails at baking more often than succeeds. That's another reason I don't bake often, because it's so disappointing to spend so much time and effort on something that doesn't turn out or is (even worse) mediocre.

But, in all fairness to me, there do seem to be times when I'm very, very good at making sweets, and usually that's when I come into a bounty of fresh local fruit and I have a crowd to bake for. The year we moved from Montgomery to Omaha (so five summers ago), we took my big kid to pick peaches and blueberries, and I made blueberry muffins, Edna Lewis's peach cobbler (best I have EVER tasted, and I've had a lot of peach cobbler), blueberry bars, and blueberry compote to eat with sliced pork loin. Two springs ago, I was in Pensacola for spring break, and we bought a flat of local strawberries. I made at least two strawberry icebox pies, strawberry muffins, and strawberry shortcake. I made a blueberry cobbler for my family when they were visiting last summer that everyone (including me! and I'm a tough critic of my own food) loved. I am desperate for a simple lemon loaf cake recipe that is easy to make, moist, and delicious. I would similarly love to once in my life make good lemon bars. If those bars also had another fruit like raspberry or blueberry I would die and go to (secular) heaven. Lately, I have been craving banana pudding, the icebox kind. Similarly, simple vanilla pound cake or iced chocolate sheet cake made by somebody's grandmother are also god-tier foods.

Other sweet things I love that I have no interest in making are fruit tarts, almond croissants, pastries of all kinds really, homemade-style cakes with real buttercream frosting (get outta here with grocery store cakes; yuck!), coffee cakes, and donuts. Sweet rolls that use yeast. Oh I would love, love, love some fresh orange rolls.

Eventually I'm going to have to learn how to use yeast without completely freaking out about it, or else I might never taste a delicious sticky sweet orange roll again.

All this ruminating is brought to you by a desperate craving I have for something sweet but no clue what to bake, plus little desire to put in the effort and time.

I don't use Tumblr collaboratively very much anymore, but if you've read this far and you have an easy (easy being key) and beloved dessert, I would love it if you left a link to the recipe in the comments.

[cake-writes]

Control

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: filthy smut with a smidge of fluff, femdom, restraints, blindfold, 18+

Word Count: 1.7k

THE MOOD™ CONTINUES. Inspired by this ask. Oops.

Bucky isn���t one to relinquish control. He needs it like he needs air, needs to be two steps ahead of any situation, needs to feel like he’s ready for whatever might come his way. And when he’s in control, he is. He’s always ready.

Except when you tempt him not to be.

Your lips and tongue taste of fine champagne, tart and strawberry sweet – heady with love and lust and everything he’s ever wanted. When he kisses you a little more roughly, your pretty plum lipstick smears. It stains his mouth, and then his cheek.

Just a peck.

Just enough to disarm him before you shove him down onto the bed. His body bounces a little when he lands on the mattress, and Bucky stares up at you in surprise.

Boisterous laughter echoes through the hallway from Tony’s party downstairs, but the bedroom is eerily silent. All he can hear is the thrum of your heartbeat.

“I want to try something new,” you suggest, breathy with want, and Bucky caves. He gives in even though he has no idea what ‘something new’ might mean. He trusts you. That’s enough.

That’s why his hands are wrapped around the slats in the headboard – not tied, but held down by a command. Bucky doesn’t want to know what you’ll do if he disobeys. There’s a glint in your eyes he hasn’t seen before, one that concerns him a little but it excites him a hell of a lot more.

Something new.

The blindfold comes next, and his fingers tighten just a little around the wooden slats. He can’t see, but that’s the appeal. His other senses more than make up for it. He can hear the shuffling of your clothing, feel the infuriatingly slow way you peel away his own, and his head lulls back against the pillow.

He’s still in control.

The air is cool against his sweat-slickened skin, hot from all the socializing and the monkey suit he’d been forced to wear. His cock springs free when you pull down his boxers, and he lets out a shaky breath because he’s embarrassingly hard.

“Darlin’,” he rasps. “Doll. Don’t tease.”

He’s still in control.

Your laughter rings through the room, musical and alluring. “Not teasing, Buck. Just taking my time.”

He huffs, impatient. “Well, don’t.”

The rest is unspoken: I need you.

You tut just a little and gently wrap your fingers around him. It’s not sudden, per se, but the unexpected contact makes him jump. He hadn’t heard a thing, hadn’t felt the mattress shift at all.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, hot breath ghosting a trail down his abdomen. “We’ve got all night, don’t we?”

Absolute fucking tease.

“You made me wait three hours,” is all he manages, the beginnings of a protest before your tongue swirls around the head of his cock. “Three… Three hours seein’ you in that dress and you’re… fuck, can’t touch you, can’t even look at you—”

Bucky promptly cuts himself off with a groan when you swallow him down, every single inch, with a certain practiced finesse that drives him up a wall. Then you withdraw – suck on the head for another moment before you release him with a wet pop.

“Hands,” you warn, and the authoritative tone you use shoots through him like electricity. His hands immediately return back to the headboard, on instinct – muscle memory from taking orders so many times in the past, and he soon finds himself wondering when he’d even moved them.

“Good boy,” you purr, and his face burns hot with embarrassment.

He’s still in control.

Right?

Then the bed creaks as you straddle him – slow, just like the rest of your teasing. He feels the fabric of your gown brush against his thighs and abdomen, satin and lace; feels your silky-smooth legs press into the mattress on either side of him; feels your slick heat against his cock for the briefest of seconds before you pull away, and he can’t help the whine that escapes his throat.

He’s not in control.

His cock is aching, bordering on painful because you’ve been teasing him for three fucking hours and he’s desperate for release. “Sweetheart. Baby. Let me fuck you, please—”

“Shh,” you coo, taking hold of him once again to line him up properly this time. “Just lay back. Let me take care of you.”

But you don’t. Not yet, anyway. Instead, you sluice the head of his cock through your slippery folds, but you don’t let him inside. You only hint at it – give him a sneak preview of what’s to come.

“God, you’re—” Bucky starts, but you rock your hips against him and the protest dies on his lips.

“What was that?”

That tone again. This time, it makes him twitch in your palm.

“You’re a tease,” he tries again, but there’s no anger in his tone. Just laughter. Mockery, almost, but he’s not the type and he’s far too turned on for such a thing anyway. “Take care of me? That’s what you say, but—”

But he doesn’t get to finish his complaints because you sink down on him all the way. The breath catches in his throat at the sensation – tight, irresistible heat – and he feels, then, how absolutely soaked you are for him.

For the control.

“Hmm? Am I still a tease?”

Bucky can just imagine the mischief in your half-lidded eyes, the gorgeous flush on your face, the playful smile on your lips. You’ve always loved getting him all worked up, he knows, but not like this. Never like this, at least not until now.

“Always,” he croaks, and you lean down to kiss him again – soft and sweet and slow. As if to confirm that yes, that’s right, you are a tease. Your breasts press into his chest as your teeth drag along his lower lip, and he groans into your mouth.

Then you pull away again. “Hands.”

Delicate lace between his fingertips falls to the wayside immediately, but he can’t suppress the shiver that goes through him at the command. He feels your walls clench around him in response, particularly when he returns his hands back to the headboard – reluctant, he resigns himself to his fate.

He’s not in control, but he trusts you. And, well, he knows how much you love this. He can tell.

“Tell me what to do,” Bucky whispers, then – quiet, almost shy, but not quite. He’s not new to power play; it’s just been a very, very long time since he’s done something like this, and he’s rusty. Not to mention he never thought he’d do it again. Not after everything he’s been through. “Tell me what you want.”

That’s okay. He’ll only do it with you.

He hears you swallow the lump in your throat – a brief pause – and then you lean down to trail kisses along his jaw.

“What I want,” you breathe into his ear, “is for you to behave.” Fingers curl in his hair and tighten – tug it sharply at the roots. A punishment. “Don’t give me orders.”

“I’m—I’m sorry,” he’s quick to reply, but hell if he doesn’t get off on the pleasurable pain, especially when he feels you clench down around him once again. “What do you want?”

A question this time. Not an order.

He’s learning.

Plum lipstick stains the skin of his neck, now, but not as much as the bruise you suck against his pulse. “I already told you, honey. Let me take care of you.”

You don’t give him the opportunity to answer, however, because you’re kissing him again. It’s a rough kiss, one that takes his breath away when your tongue delves into his mouth.

Strawberries and champagne.

He’s not in control, and that’s okay.

Your hips rock forward again, and Bucky gives himself over to you completely. Not only can he hear how wet you are, but he can feel it in the perfect glide of skin on velvety skin. He can feel you, so ready and wanting to take care of him.

When your heartbeat quickens, he hears that, too.

“You—You’re soaked,” he stammers. “Jesus, sweetheart. Gonna take real good care of me, huh?”

No laughter this time. No mockery.

“Yeah,” you tell him, peppering kisses down his neck to his collarbone. “Yeah. Wanna make you feel good.”

Bucky’s eyes finally flutter shut at the sensation. Even with the blindfold, he’d been hesitant, but not now. Not when he trusts you. Even when a different angle of your hips has his fingertips digging harshly into the wooden headboard.

“That’s it,” you encourage him, and he realizes, then, that you can read him like a book. “How’s that?”

“You keep that up and—” He lets out another shaky breath, “and this is gonna be over way too soon.”

“Stop complaining,” you order, and he shuts his mouth – at least until you lean back and brace your hands on his thighs, and he’s done for. It’s another new angle, and with it comes a distinct amount of power behind your movements that sends him reeling.

“Shit, doll,” he swears, low and rough. “I’m gonna—”

“Yeah?” Your voice breaks just a little. Gorgeous. He may not be able to see you, but he knows. Oh, he knows. Especially when you ask him, dulcet and hoarse, “Gonna come for me?”

But he can’t answer, because your name’s already falling off his lips like a prayer – over and over until the headboard cracks and gives way under his tight grip, but he doesn’t care and neither do you. Instead, he feels you clench him tightly, hears you moan and gasp, feels your nails dig into his thighs.

Your peak is what sends him spiralling over the edge. Sparks fly behind his eyelids – fireworks – along with a burst of hot, sticky white inside you that fills you to the brim.

And when Bucky comes down from the high, he feels weak. Pliable. Vulnerable. Sweet, gentle kisses to his chest mitigate it a bit – make him feel a little less so, and when you pull the blindfold off, it helps even more. He blinks his eyes open, squinting a little in the dim lighting before you finally come into focus.  

You’re flushed and smiling at him, but the unshed tears are what catch his attention.

“What’s wrong?”

You just shake your head and press a tender kiss to his forehead, and then another to his lips. It’s gentle this time, full of love and affection and anything he could ever want.

Strawberries and champagne.

“I love you,” you say softly, and just like the first time, he feels his heart warm.

He’s still not in control, at least not completely, and that’s okay.

[victorialovesstiles]

pynch prompt: something involving chef ronan! like, both of them are chefs in a restaurant? never seen before, show-stopping. one/both of them working in a beloved bakery? 🥺. a cooking competition?? anything like that!!

Adam had never felt so frustrated.

Okay, that was a bit of an exaggeration. Of course he had, a prickling sensation in the back of his mind reminded him dully of his current circumstances. This, however, was a close second.

He knew what he wanted to say. What he was trying to say, at least… and yet every single sentence typed, ended up a jumbled mess of letters no clearer than the last. It was his admissions paper, his final one to write, and his one-way ticket to freedom.

High school had not been kind to Adam Parrish, and the few classes a week he got to spend taking college credit classes at the local university was a godsend. He could only imagine that the actual thing would be even better. Plus there was the bonus of never having to see his father again, the real draw.

Of course, he would never get to leave this place if he didn’t finish. this. essay. He sighed noisily and laid his head against the café table. He often spent his time in the university café working on homework, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything at the trailer.

The sound of the door banging open caught his attention and he raised his head towards the noise. He recognized the boy walking in, undoubtedly late for his shift considering the strange hour.

Adam initially thought him a barista, until he noticed the flour covering his cheek one day and realized he was also responsible for the delectable looking bakery items on display.

Adam had never had the opportunity to try one; he couldn’t afford the luxury. He could barely manage to pay for the small, black coffee he purchased daily to be able to commandeer a table for hours.

The boy looked in his direction, probably feeling Adam’s gaze on him. Adam quickly glanced back at his papers, a little nervous with the intensity of the boy’s sharp blue eyes. Adam took a sip of cold coffee for something to do.

When he no longer felt eyes on him, he chanced a look back to the counter. Where the boy was swinging his stuff towards the other barista in a joking manner. The girl with short-cropped hair laughed and flipped him off.

Adam watched, weirdly intrigued by the way the boy tied on his apron, tightening it around his lean but impressive body. Adam knew he was bisexual, but he didn’t often indulge himself in ogling any gender. The boy caught him staring, once again, and Adam startled. He heard a giggle from the girl, hoping that she wasn’t laughing at him.

After a moment, Adam heard the sound of footsteps approaching and held his breath. He didn’t much feel like getting beaten up today, not that he felt like it any day, but you know… that was sort of his lot in life regardless.

A shadow fell on the table and he had no choice but to face the music. He looked upwards and what little breath he had left vanished. The boy was even more striking up close: all sharp lines, plump lips, and the sneak peek of a tattoo escaping his loose-hanging t-shirt.

It took Adam a moment to realize that the boy was holding a plate with a delicious looking chocolate croissant upon it. He crinkled his eyes at it and then looked suspiciously at the boy.

“Ronan.” The boy said, sitting down across from Adam, uninvited. He placed the croissant on top of Adam’s papers and then leaned his weight on his arms to look even more intensely into Adam’s eyes.

“Huh?” was all that escaped Adam’s lips. The boy smirked mischievously.

“It’s my name. I figured you should know it if you are going to continue to gawk at me.” The boy, Ronan, joked. The words were harsh but there was no heat to them.

“I didn’t gawk.” Adam said, and then looked down at the croissant. “I didn’t order this.”

“Mm, you never do.” Ronan leaned back in his chair then, stretching languidly, in an admittedly attractive way. “You’ve been coming here every day for the last three months, gotta say I’m pretty fucking insulted you never want to try my shit.”

“Well when you call it that, it’s certainly compelling.” Adam snapped back, sarcasm thick, before another thought occurred to him. “You… how do you know how long I’ve been coming here?”

Ronan scratched the back of his head, though with his intimidating appearance, it only slightly appeared sheepish. “I take note of every fucker who comes in here and doesn’t try my food.”

Adam didn’t really believe him, but took a bite of the croissant obligingly anyway. It was amazing. He wasn’t sure if it had truly been that long since he’d had a nice treat or if Ronan really was just that good. He kind of believed the latter to be true, or maybe he just wanted to.

“It’s delicious.” He commented out loud.

“I know.” Ronan replied, sly grin back in place.

When Adam finished, Ronan took the plate back to the kitchen, a “see you tomorrow” escaping quietly before he departed from the table.

The next day, Adam felt nerves vibrate in his skin as he entered the shop. Ronan was behind the counter, sitting on boxes and swinging his long legs back and forth. He jumped from his perch when Adam approached.

Before he could say anything, Ronan moved towards the drip coffee, poured his pathetic order and slid it over to him. As Adam went to grab his wallet, Ronan kept moving – entering the kitchen and emerging with a fresh strawberry tart and placing that, too, in front of Adam.

“I didn’t order this.” Adam repeated the same phrase as the day before.

“Mm, you never do.” Ronan followed suit, looking at Adam from underneath his eyelashes, an undeniably flirtatious look this time around. It made Adam’s heart skip a beat.

Their fingers brushed when Ronan picked up the plate and passed it into Adam’s hands. Electricity sparked between them and it left Adam a little breathless. Ronan’s gaze was penetrating and unrelenting.

“Adam.” Adam said suddenly. “That’s my name. I figured you should know if you are going to continue to gawk at me.” Adam teased. Ronan’s grin widened and he reached out for a handshake, which Adam happily returned, desperate for more contact.

“Nice to meet you.” Ronan drawled, sliding his fingertips tenderly along Adam’s inner wrist in his departure.

Adam walked the few steps to his table after realizing that Ronan didn’t intend for him to pay. He took a bite of the tart and stared at Ronan’s back. Delicious.

[cottage-babe]

Burning Scars part II

Previous | Chapter 2 | Next

Thank you all for the support, it means a lot!!!

I really hope I can keep up with this posting schedule lmao

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar's destiny?

*****TW SEXUAL HARASSMENT NEAR THE END*****

This chapter takes place somewhere between S2 E8 and S2 E11

---

Deciding to rob Lee and Mushi was probably the best decision Y/n had ever made.

After their invitation to bring her to a nearby town, the trio ate a small breakfast, packed up, and started on their journey. And let her just say; the breakfast couldn't even compare to the food she ate as a werewolf. It was like a crumb next to what she normally ate.

Sigh, she really wished she could go out and hunt a quick meal, but that would be really hard to explain to the boys.

Other than that, everything sailed by smoothly. Mushi and Y/n rode on the back of their ostrich-horse while Lee walked beside them. They couldn't all fit on the animal (when they tried, Y/n was almost sitting on Lee's lap and it made him jump off, red faced and set on walking instead). They traveled quite slowly due to this, but the pace seemed faster because of the conversations held by two of the members. They spoke of stories of their past, but never quite revealed enough to show who they really are.

"...I had traveled to many places a long, long time ago. I met with and studied so many people and cultures, that I see myself as a blend of everything." Mushi stated as he looked over his shoulder.

Y/n sat behind him and had both legs on one side of the ostrich-horse. She had trouble bringing one leg over, so she instead sat in this position. It helped that they were moving slowly, so she only had to hold on tightly to the saddle.

"That must be why you're so pleasant to be around!" She laughed. "You're the best part of everyone and everything."

Lee snorted at that. Y/n straightened her back and her eyes turned to slits.

"Maybe you could use some of that enlightenment, Lee." She sneered.

Lee just rolled his eyes and continued to look forward. Y/n huffed with her arms crossed. This boy was so annoying, all of the time. She had tried to make friendly conversation with him before, but he only answered with a single word or with nothing at all. And it definitely didn't help that she found him cute… but that was beside the point. His looks could only get him so far.

Mushi looked between the two children with a knowing smile on his face. It confused Y/n, but she ignored it once the old man started to talk again.

"Now, Y/n, the best place I have ever traveled to is the Spirit World," he began. "It is a realm where only spirits and those with enough purpose can flow through. It is wonderfully calm, and wonderfully dangerous. I am sure you have heard of this?"

The girl nodded her head. She wanted to ask him what his purpose for going was, but decided against it. "Yeah, I have. There was someone in my village that traveled through it frequently; one of our teachers. She told us that there was a werewolf spirit guarding us. Many believe that it is one of our original founders."

She hadn't realized it until Mushi spoke, but she had given away a bit too much information on her people. Even if she was never allowed to go back, she wouldn't knowingly risk their safety.

"A werewolf! I have heard stories of them, but many don't know if they were even real. Have you heard about them, Lee?"

The boy rolled his eyes once again and sighed. "No, Uncle."

Wow, two words, must be some sort of record!

"Well," Mushi cleared his throat, "there was a town called Tayiro a very long time ago. The kind citizens were attacked by a pack of werewolves one night. The village fought hard and came out victorious, but with great losses. The villagers warned nearby towns of the invasion and soon they had figured out that the hybrids were living among them, waiting and planning to attack. The information spread all around the world; all until there was not a single werewolf left.

I am quite surprised to hear that your people think of the wolves as protectors. I have only heard of the species being talked about in fear, but it's relieving to hear a different perspective."

Mushi sent Y/n another smile and she tried to send one back, but her thoughts weighed down the corners of her mouth.

Was this really what humans think happened? That the werewolves were the bad guys?

Hearing this new story silenced Y/n for the rest of the trip. She was so stuck in her head that she didn't even notice when they had made it to town.

"Well, we're here." Lee stated as he turned to look at the duo.

His eyes turned over to the girl as she slid off the saddle. Mushi soon joined her on the floor and Lee took hold of the ostrich-horse's reins.

The boy stood awkwardly in the silence before saying, "I guess this is goodbye then."

She looked to the floor in silence. She didn't want to say it, but this was probably one of the best times she's had. Conversing with an old, wise stranger, being offered food, a place to sleep for the night AND a ride to town. Y/n was so extremely lucky to have fate intertwine her life with these two strangers.; even if one was slightly a nuisance to her.

She looked back up to say her thanks, but paused when she saw a staring match happening between the boys. She chose not to speak until they decided that one was victorious.

"You know, nephew, I think we need to buy some supplies before we leave town." Mushi stated with a satisfied smile on his face.

Lee glared a bit longer, but eventually gave up and groaned out a "fine."

Mushi looked at Y/n with the smile still adorning his face. "If you'd like, we can accompany you for a while longer?"

"Oh! I would love the company!" She said happily.

If she was being honest, Y/n was a little frightened by the size of the town. She had been to human villages before, but never one this big. Every once in a while, she and her siblings would sneak out at night to visit a festival in a nearby town. It was very forbidden in her pack, but they did it anyway.

The four of them would change into their human skins, then into a pair of clothes that they kept hidden from their parents, and leave once the rest of their pack slept. They would spend the night stealing food, then dancing with the humans until the sun began to rise. Then they would rush back home to pretend that they were asleep and be an exhausted mess for the rest of the day. Ahh, those were the good days.

But now she was here, with no family or friends other than the strangers she met with yesterday afternoon. So, if they wanted to "accompany" her while they bought supplies, she would gladly accept their offer. It's going to be terrifying once they leave and she's going to have to fend for herself, in a place where her kind was definitely not welcome.

So the three of them tied their horse to a stable and explored the village. The two men stood on both sides of her and slowly began buying many things. The amount of money they had surprised her; whenever they saw something they wanted, they bought it. When she came to the festivals, she often saw people counting their change to see if they could afford something, but that wasn't the case with these two.

Suddenly, Lee looked over to Y/n.

"Are you not going to buy anything?"

"I-uh," she stammered, "I don't have any money. I lost it all when I was attacked by that animal."

There was some truth in that, but also some lies. Lee, however, couldn't seem to notice as he nodded his head and looked down. Y/n never had any real money, especially since her pack didn't use a currency.

Eventually, the three of them stopped at a cart selling food. Lee talked to the man and bought three... bread things? She had never seen it before.

Lee handed one to his uncle, and, surprisingly, to Y/n. She looked at him in shock. This was probably the nicest thing he's ever intentionally done for her.

Lee rolled his eyes. "You're welcome. Don't get so emotional, I just felt bad for you."

The girl nodded her head and smiled at him before looking at the food in her hand. Lee and Mushi had already begun to eat while she simply stared at it. It was a flat square with ridges on the sides. The center was puffed up like it had something in the middle and a white powder dusted the top of it.

At her village, they never had real foods; they hardly ever cooked anything since they would hunt, eat, and live in their wolf forms. The only time she ever had any specialty foods was when they stole them, but those had always been round, sticky, sugary foods. This was completely different.

"Y/n, are you okay?" Mushi asked her, already halfway done with his.

She glanced around in surprise before realizing how odd she probably looked. She quickly took a large bite and chewed. The flavors hit her hard.

It was a lot harder than the soft dough balls she had at festivals, but not by much. The powder on top was sweet and the square was filled with a fruit jam. All together, it was probably the best cooked food she'd ever had.

"This is so good!" Y/n exclaimed with wide eyes. She continued to take another bite. "What is this?!"

Lee looked at her in confusion.

"It's just a strawberry tart. Have you never had it before?"

Y/n took another bite and shook her head. "Never. My... Town didn't appreciate sweet foods like this! I didn't know what we were missing out on!"

She smiled at Lee and, while he indeed was confused, he gave a small smile back.

"Your town is so different from everything, what did you say the name of it was?" Mushi asked as he finished his dessert.

"Oh. It's uhhh..." Y/n desperately looked around. Luckily (well not really), a rat scurried off in front of her and into a dark alley. "... Ratodo. It's really far from here."

Mushi furrowed his eyebrows and rubbed his chin.

Y/n held her breath as she watched him think. She definitely could've thought of something better.

"Yes, I think I heard of them."

She let out her breath in relief. Ratodo... Really?

After that tense moment, the three of them continued on with their shopping trip. While the boys bought things, Y/n looked around and tried to think of a way to survive. She thought about living out in the woods in her werewolf form, but that would be too risky. Her pack or some random civilian could find her.

The best case scenario would be to live as a human.

That couldn’t be too hard, right? 

Everything here was based on a currency, so all she needed to do was find some money and buy necessary things. She could always go out and hunt food, so that wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe one of the cart people would offer her a jo-

“Alright, so we have a little bit of money left, I think Y/n should take it to buy some clothes.” Lee interrupted her thoughts. 

“Ahhh! That is just what I was thinking, nephew!” Mushi smiled. “I knew you had some kindness left in you.”

Lee scoffed, “I just want my clothes back, old man.”

While they spoke, Y/n just looked between them in awe. The spirits really handed her these two beings, all for free. 

She looked around at the building they were standing in front of. It had the word Tailor painted above the door in a cursive writing. A glance into the windows showed mannequins wearing fancy gowns; something that looked way too expensive, even to a girl who didn’t understand money. 

“I’m really sorry I took your clothes, Lee,” she apologized. 

The boy raised an eyebrow and looked her in the eyes. She could only hope that he saw sincerity in them. 

“It’s fine. It’s not like we wanted to see you running around naked anyway.” Lee looked to the ground. “Let’s hurry up and buy the clothes. We gotta leave town soon.”

He rushed her into the store and towards one of the workers. Y/n sighed, if only she could be apart of their adventure, everything would’ve worked out so much smoother.

Lee and Y/n talked to the seamstress over the price of clothing, materials, colors, everything. They settled for a dress, since it was less fabric and easier to make. The workers pushed her to the backroom; separate from Lee. She spared him one last look before disappearing in confusion. 

There were three ladies in the room with her. They guided her to a stand and asked her to remove her clothes so they could get exact measurements. The girl started with her pants, then began to remove her shirt. Before it could even get halfway up her stomach, the ladies had gasped and two turned to look the other way.

“Oh dear,” the one still looking said in confusion, “whatever happened to your... underlings?” 

Y/n tilted her head, then realized what she meant. The girl shoved her shirt back down to cover her parts and blushed brightly. Once again, human traditions had slipped her mind. 

“I don’t have any. They won’t be too expensive, will they?” She didn’t want to waste all of the kind men’s money.

“You can have them for free, dear. Here, we’ll leave you these and tell us to come back when you’re ready.”

Y/n nodded and watched the woman leave through the door they came. She slipped out of her shirt before quickly grabbed the clothing that the woman had left. She slipped on the underwear before looking at a long fabric.

How does this work?

The girl figured that woman used it to hold their breasts, but how? It was a strap of thin fabric; its length about a few feet long. Maybe she should use it the same way Mushi wrapped her leg. She had a bit of trouble, but eventually she managed to secure it tightly around her breasts.

...

...this is really uncomfortable. 

How could women wear this? She felt so constricted and claustrophobic. Y/n tried to wiggle it around so she had more room, but nothing could compare to just not wearing it at all. At least she could breathe and move fine. 

Once Y/n calmed down, she went to let the three ladies back inside. They all seemed way more happier to see her partially covered up. 

They started to do her measurements fast. Y/n held her breath and kept perfectly still so she wouldn’t bother them. When they finished, the women whispered among themselves. Y/n could hear what they were saying; bits of  “she almost has the exact same measurements as...” and so on. Then, they walked back over to the girl.

“We have a dress that was never picked up by a girl your age. Would you like to take it? It’ll be cheaper and a lot faster since we won’t have to personalize a different one. Also it comes with free shoes!” She looked at Y/n with a look on her face that screamed motherly. How could she say no to that?

“Yeah, ok. I’ll take it.”

When she put on the dress and grabbed her old clothes, she didn’t have time to look at her reflection in the mirror before the ladies pushed her back to the room where Lee and Mushi were. It seemed like they were going to be busy with someone else. 

She cleared her throat to gain the attention of the two men. They looked up and had very different expressions on their faces.

Mushi looked happy to see that she now has her own clothes. He stood up from where the two were sitting and complimented her. 

Lee, on the other hand, had a bright red face and wide eyes; much like when he saw her in his clothes before. Y/n looked down at her dress to finally get a good look at it. 

It was a dark, earthly green with black detailing and straps. Its sleeves were long and bell shaped, so it was loose around her wrists. This seems practical; its super easy to move in. Then, her eyes drifted down to the skirt section and she gasped. It was very, very, very, short. She expected to see that it would at least reach her knees, but instead it rested on her mid-thigh and showed her bandages. 

Now, don’t get her wrong, she liked the dress a lot. It was comfortable and easy to move in. But shes seen what the ladies around this town wore and it was definitely more covered up than this. The last thing she wanted to do was stand out. 

Who knows what the people outside would think. Lee was already giving her a bad feeling on how she looked. Maybe its a cultural thing? Is this disrespectful?

She couldn’t help the sad look on her face. Surviving here was going to be a lot harder than she thought if she was going to stick out like a sore thumb. There goes her life of living in the shadows. 

Y/n walked up to Lee and he stood up quickly. She held her hands out.

“Here are your clothes, thank you for letting me use them.”

Lee slowly grabbed the clothes and continued to stare. Does he know that his looks aren’t helping?

“Alright, let’s go then.” Mushi stated as he clapped his hands together. Lee broke his stare and nodded his head.

The three of them walked out the store with Y/n in the back. She kept her eyes down and only focused on the two pairs of feet in front of her. Soon they stopped near the stables that held the ostrich-horse.

Everything was eerily quiet.

The boys finally turned around to face her and Y/n looked up at their faces. Mushi had a solemn look and Lee was unreadable. 

“So, this is it, huh?” Y/n whispered. 

Lee nodded his head while the older man looked to the floor. 

They were still silent. Perhaps they were just waiting for her to leave? Her mind sped up.

Maybe I was way more of a burden than I thought I was. They were probably counting down the hours until we separated. 

She really wanted to hug them, but maybe that’s too much? It’s not like they were friends or anything. They were never going to see each other again. 

“Well, uhh,” She began, “Goodbye... and thank you for everything?”

Y/n stuck her hand out for a handshake.

It floated in the air for a couple seconds.

Then, Mushi moved her hand out of the way and pulled her into a deep, warm hug. 

He whispered quietly, “I am dreadfully sorry that we have to leave you here. If it was up to me, I would ask you to come with us.” 

She hugged him back just as enthusiastically and her eyes teared up. Mushi was a wonderful person. She pulled back to look at Lee, but his back had turned and he putting everything they bought onto the saddle. Of course he would be; he never really liked her anyways. 

Y/n took a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself for the loneliness that was about to walk into her life. This was the moment she had dreaded. 

She smiled one last time at the old man before turning and heading back to the town center. Maybe this won’t be as bad as she thought. 

But she was so so so wrong. 

She had barely walked a few feet away before a man twice her height and age had walked up behind her and touched her backside. Y/n turned around harshly and yelled, “hey!” 

The man simply let out a laugh and made a move to keep walking. The young girl could see that the attention of others were beginning to be gained. She grabbed his arm and turned him back to her.

“Don’t you ever touch me like that again!” She huffed. “If you do I’ll... I’ll..”

“You’ll do what, sweetheart?” The man smirked as his hand reached out to touch her hair. 

She wished she could wolf out, right now, and destroy this man, but she couldn’t. Not if she planned to stay here. 

She was about the push his hand away from her face and defend herself, but a hand had already grabbed the mans wrist. The girl followed the hand until it met the familiar face of the boy she had been traveling with.

Lee. 

“Why don’t you worry less about what she’s going to do, and more about what I will if you touch her one more time.” He sneered. 

The man shook himself out of Lee’s grip and raised both hands in surrender. 

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave her alone.” He said before walking away and whispering, “But look at what she’s wearing, she was practically begging for it.” 

Lee made a move to attack the man, but Y/n and Mushi stopped him. Soon, all of their breathing slowed as the air became less tense. 

Lee looked at the young girl. 

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” He asked worriedly. 

“No, I’m fine,” She whispered. Another lie. 

Lee nodded his head before silence settled upon them again. Y/n looked down at her shoes. This place just keeps getting worse and worse. It absolutely sucks to be living here with the humans. If you hadn’t gotten yourself banished, then you wouldn’t be in this situation. 

It was then that Lee spoke for the final time.

“Its not safe for you here. We’ll give you a ride to the next town over.”

The smile that spread over Y/n’s face was so bright, that it even spread slightly over to the young boy that stood up for her. 

___

I am so excited for the next chapter, its going to clear a lot of things up!!

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