#are covered in slightly itchy polka dots

[cerealandchoccymilk]

my skin be like im going to do something gory and unpleasant and not wait for an answer

[petri808]

If you're open for nalu requests, can you write a smut fic where nalu goes to a lingerie store because lucy wants to try on some lingerie and natsu ends up getting aroused? But if you can't it's fine just ignore this ask😊

Hi Nony, this is the last request I’ll do. Decided to save this for @thenaluarchive Sinfully Nalu event Mirror prompt. What did Lucy expect by dragging Natsu lingerie shopping?

“I’ve just got one more stop to make.” Lucy pointed towards the other side of the mall.

“Ugh…” Natsu’s shoulders dropped, “but we’ve been here for 2 hours already, Lucy, and I’m getting hungry.”

“I’ll spring for lunch. Anything you want.”

“I’m holding you to it,” he grumbled, but allowed her to pull him forward.

Natsu knew the mall well enough to know that the section they were heading towards were mostly women’s clothing stores— definitely not where he wanted to be. All these fancy clothes, and accessories, and… stuff that his girlfriend loved to wear. Sure, he didn’t complain cause it made her happy, he just didn’t wanna shop for it. Forever twenty something, Cache or Channel— whatever, “oh, uh-uh, no way,” he jerked them to a halt. “I ain’t going in there.”

“It’s just Victoria’s Secret.”

“Well Victoria can keep her secret. Lucy you’re crazy if you think I’m going in a women’s lingerie store!”

Lucy turned to face, then grabbed both of Natsu’s hands, holding them together close to her chest. “Please,” her eyes begged. “I need you to tell me what you think will be nice on me.”

Thinking about his girl, in lingerie, while standing in a mall was *not* the image Natsu wanted conjuring in his mind. But between the soft, puppy-dog expression, and her whimpering pleading— he was powerless to turn Lucy down. He sighed with a whine. “Fine. I’ll go.”

“Yay!” She giggled, kissed his cheek, and took his hand again, entwining their fingers together. “I’ll make it as painless as possible.”

Yeah, uh-huh, right… Painless.

As they walked down the rows and racks of lingerie, Natsu hummed in his head as a distraction. Bras, panties. Low cut, high cut, thongs, g-strings. Sets, individual pieces. Lace, satin, cotton. So many choices! He let the colors blend in his vision, the scents of brand-new clothing mixed with perfumes sold, or miscellaneous accessories. How do women pick anything when there’s so many options? Give him a t-shirt and jeans and he was good to go.

Every so many picks, Lucy would ask his opinion. ‘Yeah, that’s nice. No, that looks itchy. I like that color. Eww, it doesn’t match you.’ Finding her size in the styles she wanted wasn’t always easy, but after 30 minutes, Lucy had half a dozen or so items to try on. So, they head towards the fitting rooms.

Natsu stopped in front of the doors, and readied himself to stand around and wait—

“You’re coming in with me.” Lucy tugged on his hand. “I need your final opinion.”

Up until now, Natsu had managed to avoid thinking about anything even remotely related to sex, but now?! “Uh-uh, no way!”

“Please…” Lucy turned on the pouty lip-action and puppy-dog eyes again. “It’s not like you won’t see me in them later.”

Natsu gulped hard as the naughty images were unlocked. “Are you trying to kill me in public?”

“Pfft, no,” she giggled. “Stop exaggerating this.”

‘You have no idea, woman…’ “Alright, fine. But don’t blame me if anything happens in there.” Because if the twitch in his pants and slight bulge growing was any indication, it wouldn’t be what she’d be expecting.

“Tch.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “It’ll be fine, Natsu, you’ll see.”

The dressing room was a lot more spacious than he was used to seeing. Men’s fitting rooms, at least the ones he’s been in are like closets with just one full length mirror, and maybe a small bench inside. This one could easily fit them both, with wrap around mirrors to catch every angle. It had a small, cushioned bench along one wall, and a couple of hooks on the inside of the door. But most noteworthy was the fact it was a fully enclosed room— not those partial-length doors at lower-quality stores. It was very, very private.

Natsu sat down on the bench and closed his eyes while Lucy fiddled with her options. He could hear the plastic and metal hangers going up on the hooks, as well as the sounds of his girlfriend shedding her clothing. His mouth suddenly felt dry… Lucy’s voluptuous body bared for him to see with only her regular panties left on— he squeezed his eyes tighter shut. ‘Don’t think about it! Don’t think about it!’

“Ready— Natsu, silly,” Lucy giggled. “How are you gonna tell me if it’s good or not if you can’t see?”

“No.”

Lucy threaded her fingers gingerly through his hair. “Just one peak…”

‘Fuck…’ he groaned as the tightening in his shorts grew uncomfortable. “One peak.”

Natsu opened his eyes and immediately slammed them shut again from the screaming bra and panties glued to her frame. A sheer red with solid fabric only over the nipples and a strip covering her crotch. So much flesh revealed in these outfits, was there even a point to wearing anything at all?

“Great!” His voice squeaked out. “Looks fine.”

Her giggles only added to his demise. The sounds of more fabric rustling, and the twitch in his shorts… Natsu shifted in his seat trying to get comfortable, but he couldn’t. Lucy had grabbed about six of seven different pieces to try, and this was only the beginning. She was too damn sexy, and he swore, derived pleasure out of torturing him like this! Ugh, his cock was so hard right now…

“Okay, next piece,” Natsu heard her say. “I’m not sure about it, cause the color doesn’t seem to look good on me.”

Tch, it could be multi-colored polka dots and Lucy would still be a man’s wet dream. He cracked open one eye. It was a dark green, combo with frilled lace along the waistband. Natsu gulped hard as she did a turn around to reveal a thong and curvy swell of her backside.

“You do realize I’m biased, right?” Natsu blurted out. “Everything looks good on you to me.”

“Awww,” Lucy bent down and placed a chaste kiss to his lips. “I still think I’ll add this to the maybe pile,” she spoke as she started removing the pieces. “I think you’ll really like the next one I found; it has these cute flames on them.”

“You know what I’d prefer to see?” Natsu questioned, for he was done holding back.

Lucy stopped mid-way, bent slightly over with the thong down to her thighs. “What?”

Without answering her, Natsu got off the bench and started helping her take the thong off.

“Natsu, what are you—”

Once off, he moved onto her regular panties down.

“Nat— s-stop!” Lucy grabbed for his hands, but she couldn’t do much without twisting or tripping. “What are you do—”

“Keep your voice down.” He tugged those off too leaving her exposed from the waist down.

“Natsu this isn’t funny!” She seethed in an exasperated whisper.

“Neither is this,” he gestured at the bulge in his shorts. Guiding her against the mirrored wall as he spoke. “You said I could choose whatever I wanted for lunch, and I’ve decided to put you on the menu.”

Lucy whimpered when she felt the cold mirror against her bare skin. “But we’re in public.”

“I warned you didn’t I…” Natsu leaned in with a whisper, cheek to cheek. “Then I suggest you not make any noise,” his words wisp out, warm breath fanning down the barren skin as his lips burn a trail over her neck. Lucy dug her fingers into his hair, holding on but not stopping him as he moved lower.

His stops were brief, lips ghosting burning marks along her chest, a mountainous journey over the pillowy bosoms, a few licks against the pert nipples, and lower… down … snaking over her torso to what he was truly after. “Breathe, baby,” Natsu teased at her halted, bated breathing. “Just look forward and watch.”

She sucked in a gulp of air and stared forward at the mirrored image of Natsu going down on her. It was strange to literally watch every move he made like a voyeur living through another’s body. Lucy’s fingers tightened their grip on his hair in anticipation as he spread her legs a little wider…

“Mmm,” he mused in thought on how to get the best angle. “Hold to me,” Natsu suggested, and before she could reply, lifted Lucy’s left leg, and rested it on his shoulder. “Perfect…”

Natsu dove right in, latching his mouth onto the moist folds he knew so well, humming at the quick squeak his girl couldn’t catch in time. But he knew from the pull on his scalp exactly what she was experiencing. He kept one hand on her raised hip, while the fingers of his other toyed around the edge of her wet opening. His tongue pressed and circled around her clit, sucking, palpating, interspersed with soothing flicks and long strokes to lap up the growing sap gathering in the area. He closed his eyes as he relished in the warmth oozing over his face from her beautiful sex.

Heaven help her, Lucy couldn’t stop staring at that mirror… her gripped fingers to his hair and nails digging into his shoulder for dear life from the seasoned oral ministrations that slowly undid her sanity. Just his tongue alone… but the teasing fingers… Oh! Oh— Her thighs clenched to the sides of Natsu’s head as she felt one, then two fingers slipped through her walls. Lucy’s body arched slightly, and head tilted back as those fingers began swiftly pumping.

“Natsu…” Lucy moaned softly through sealed lips. She could feel his grin against her flesh, hear the squishing sounds, and smell the light scent of her extreme arousal. Damn him…

In a race against time, Natsu pumped fast and hard while his mouth and tongue devoured Lucy’s sex and sanity with an intensity to rival any known battle for supremacy. Each passing second, drawing the heated coil at her core closer to snapping. Her legs trembled, yet clenched and stiffened as his fingers pummeled, bumping the swollen sex being driven to his knuckles reach. He could feel Lucy start unraveling and held firmly to her hip bone as the jerky spasms rocked her body in orgasmic euphoria.

“Stop, stop, stop—” Lucy clawed at his back and neck as she whimpered from the immense pressure boiling in her body, and radiant moisture pooled in her eyes. “Please… enough, Natsu my legs are gonna give out.”

After giving her pussy a few more licks to clean up the excess juices, Natsu finally obliged and put down Lucy’s leg, then stood up while still supporting her as she caught her breath. He licked around his lips and cleaned off his fingers. “Best lunch in the world,” he grinned.

“Oof!” Lucy playfully slapped his chest with a short laugh. “Not what I’d meant. And now I don’t have time to try on the rest.”

“Why not?”

Lucy started putting on her regular clothes. “We’ve been in here for too long, it’ll be suspicious.”

“Tch, then just buy all of it if you like them, cause I’m telling you they’ll all look great on you.”

She glared at him. “Fine, but after pulling that stunt, now you owe me lunch!”

Natsu shrugged and grabbed all the hangers of clothing. “Okay, since you’ll need your strength later.”

“Later?”

The widest seedy grin bloomed on Natsu’s face. “You’ll see…”

[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, Worthless, 9: These trinket are garbage plain and simple. They would be termed vendor trash or junk loot in video games. They aren’t touched by stray magic or mystery as with regular trinkets, aren’t made from valuable materials and aren’t particularly useful even if they aren’t damaged.

A slim wooden case containing a set of broken lockpicks.

A brass spyglass whose lenses are broken.

A bottle of bone fragments suspended in rum.

A human eye floating in pickling fluid, within a nearly opaque jar. It makes you feel like you’re being watched.

A stuffed dead rat lovingly dressed in doll clothes.

A leather pouch of jagged ceramic shards

A grizzly wicker mask dyed red with blood.

A blackened, shriveled husk of unknown origin, that throbs with a strange electric current.

An onion with a bite taken out of it, that was somehow fossilized.

A worn bronze trophy with a thick patina encrusting the handles and bowl which obscures any engravings and marker indicating what the trophy was for.

—Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A slim wooden case containing a set of broken lockpicks.

A brass spyglass whose lenses are broken.

A bottle of bone fragments suspended in rum.

A human eye floating in pickling fluid, within a nearly opaque jar. It makes you feel like you’re being watched.

A stuffed dead rat lovingly dressed in doll clothes.

A leather pouch of jagged ceramic shards

A grizzly wicker mask dyed red with blood.

A blackened, shriveled husk of unknown origin, that throbs with a strange electric current.

An onion with a bite taken out of it, that was somehow fossilized.

A worn bronze trophy with a thick patina encrusting the handles and bowl which obscures any engravings and marker indicating what the trophy was for.

A fossilized snail, entombed in limestone.

A square from an old quilt with a long forgotten coat of arms stitched onto it.

A single button for a tunic, made from a pearly seashell.

A rudimentary map. It doesn’t seem to resemble anywhere you’ve ever heard of.

A chalky powder in a leather pouch. It’s edible, but doesn’t taste like anything.

A thick purple ribbon covered in white polka dots.

A parchment tube filled with dead ants.

A bar of soap made from the fat of a troll. It has no smell whatsoever.

An empty vial made of bleached bone with a cork stopper.

A key ring with eleven keys. All of the keys are melted together, making them entirely useless.

A pair of stockings that makes the bearer's feet feel itchy.

A broken wooden toy, shaped like a horse. Two of it’s legs are missing.

A battered leather shoe, filled with dozens of dead spiders.

A monocle with a cracked lens.

A serrated beak of an unknown (But no doubt vicious) creature.

A slab of greasy animal fat, wrapped in layers of cheap, thin paper. It smells of the woods.

A large suitcase containing a set of five pins from a bowling set, but no ball.

A cuttlefish bone covered in beak marks

A moldy jewelry box full of cheap rings and tangled necklaces.

A small paper packet containing three dozen flimsy toothpicks.

A heart-shaped bone the size of a human palm.

A glass bottle, half filled with cheap scotch.

A rusty black rake.

A small parchment packet containing a dozen sewing needles.

A waterproof pouch containing a pound of dried black beans.

A heavily nicked flask made of milky glass heavily flecked with fuzzy, dark-green spots. Its stopper is carved from the pit of some unknown fruit.

A coiled up, Randomly Colored child's jump rope

A pitted stone war dart, not weighted properly for throwing and may be ceremonial in purpose.

A nice sturdy shovel.

A weathered wooden entry token. According the faded carving it will admit one spectator into a bullfighting competition, however the exact location of the event is worn beyond legibility.

A plaster plaque with the imprint of a child's hand.

A moonstone fragment etched by acid.

A troll's claw smeared with crimson blood.

A broken jade cube on a leather cord.

A copper fragment engraved with endless spirals.

A set of four slightly misshapen glass coasters. They were probably the result of a newly apprenticed glassblower.

A troll's claw engraved with incoherent labyrinths.

A jagged shard of gray glass containing a drop of iridescent ichor.

A rolling pin made of cherrywood.

A brown wooden featureless coin, strung on a thin metal chain

A hideously out of order colour wheel about four inches in diameter.

A tin flask that unpleasantly ferments and fouls any liquid put into it but water.

A small glass orb filled with water containing a single air bubble that will not pop.

A two inch cube of pink salt.

An entirely unconvincing wig made from dried corn silk.

A white stag carving that has been half burned.

A crude hair doll made of sinew and troll fur.

A unburnt candle in the shape of a kobold that’s missing one foot.

A copper bracelet that has turned green and has been damaged by acid.

A seashell with a runic inscription that has faded over time.

A dried out deep sea starfish

A leather wineskin filled with spoiled wine.

An inflated bull's bladder wrapped in tough, striped horse hide.

An inflated pig's bladder wrapped in tough cow leather.

A gnarled chunk of thorny wood, decorated with dingy feathers and slightly chewed rodent skulls.

A steel shovel, just beginning to rust, with a simple wooden handle and a leather grip.

A head sized, leather ball stuffed with straw, decorated with an odd pattern of  black pentagons and white triangles.

A smoked glass figurine of a feline that's chipped on one side.

A small, mostly filled jar of mustache wax.

A grease and soot smeared apron.

An improvised knife made out of a metal spoon with a sharpened tang hidden in its wooden handle.

A jagged iron spike, smeared with blood.

A hemp rope tied into a monkey fist knot the size of an apple.

An obsidian shard warped by magic.

A dried ostrich foot.

A child's riding stick horse consisting of a five foot wooden pole with a cloth horse's head at the top.

A children's doll carved from a corn husk with a caricature of a smiling human face.

A Randomly Coloured ceramic pot filled with lard.

A mason jar filled with small, thin cloths in a solution of water, lemon, and a mild soap. There is a label on it that says “Grandma's Solution to Cleaning”.

A tiny, decorative pewter pickle

A tiny scepter made of lead that is too small to be wielded by an adult.

A length of cheap tin prayer beads.

A crudely made child’s doll made of woven grasses.

An heavy chain made of pitted and rusted iron links, fashioned into a bracelet.

A pair of sharp steel sheep shears.

A simple wooden birdhouse painted a Random Colour. It looks like it was put together by a small child.

A wooden scroll tube containing incomprehensible notes on alchemy and alchemical processes.

A threadbare Randomly Coloured linen handkerchief.

A scrap of parchment with an unintelligible note scribbled on it.

A scrap of parchment with a list of mundane items or tasks written on it.

A single Randomly Coloured twenty-sided die.

An old, yellowed, and illegible note.

A bamboo sword hilt that is lacking a blade.

A scrap of canvas like cloth depicting a crude drawing of a cottage surrounded by rolling meadows.

An empty bottle that once held expensive wine.

A burlap coup containing a gelatinous packet of fluids. When squeezed, it secretes a harmless, odorless, clear fluid.

An old pocketwatch that hasn’t functioned for a long time. It’s missing quite a few gears and its glass face is scratched and cracked.

An unbroken wax seal from a letter. The crest in the wax is intricate, and looks important.

A stuffed fairy dragon, evidently done by a horrible taxidermist. Its face is partway caved in.

Transition Lenses, Damaged: A pair magical spectacles made of dark glass lenses, set in a wire frame that fits most humanoids. When worn in a bright setting the light is amplified excessively all but blinding the bearer, but when worn in dim light or darkness it becomes too dark to see anything. Knowledgeable PC's know that the glass lenses are supposed to adjust to different light setting and that these lenses are doing the opposite of what they should be.

[myselfinserts]

“Don’t call her ‘doll face’. Moron.”

The students were all making their way into the stadium as Marianne finished the set up for the first aid tent. The crowd was already screaming in excitement. The air was filled with carnival food smells and the taste of salt. 

Marianne knew the reason for the latter. She’d gotten used to it since childhood. 

A lot had changed since childhood. She’d loved. She’d lost. And she learned to treat herself with some level of self-respect. It felt nice being able to look at herself in the mirror and enjoy wearing her favorite color. Without hearing those degrading comments from others around her about it. 

She was happier now.

“Hey doll face! Remember me?”

Oh god no. Please no. 

“Yoo-hoo! Mither! Over here!”

Marianne bit back a groan and turned around, putting on her best smile. “Barrett Ballard. How nice to see you again.”

“Oh, it’s been so long, doll face.” A man with long greying hair and dull blue eyes skipped over to her, his baggy suit making his lanky form even more elongated with every movement. “How have you been? I haven’t heard from you since-” 

Marianne braced herself. She knew it was coming. She was wearing a red blouse with black pair of jeans and her doctor’s coat. She looked professional. She looked mature and confident. 

“What on earth are you doing wearing that?”

She felt like a sitting duck. 

                                                           -

“Mommy, look! Look!”

It was a lovely summer evening. Marianne was wearing her favorite red dress as they walked down the beach. She’d gotten a cut on her foot from one of the rocks near the good shell gathering spot. But before she could truly cry over it, a light wind surrounded her. Salty water covered her body and seeped into the wound. It healed up quickly, clearing away the blood from the injury. It left no scar. 

Murdina smiled, lifting her up onto her shoulders as the others caught up to them. “Looks like your quirk manifested! I’m so glad!”

Dafyd smiled, gently pushing up his read headband as wee Regi kept tugging it down. “What happened?”

“I got a boo boo!” Marianne giggled, raising her foot up to show where it had once been. “And I healed it! I got covered in water and the owie disappeared!”

Regi’s eyes went wide and he gasped. “Boo boo?” His tiny hands reached out and he grabbed hold of Marianne’s foot, giving the heel a light kiss. “Boo boo gone!”

Murdina and Dafyd chuckled, giving Regi kisses on the cheek and telling him good job. Marianne couldn’t help smiling. Reginald had been a relatively quiet baby. Barely made eye contact with anyone. She was so scared at some points that maybe he didn’t like her. 

But those fears were gone now. 

“Thank you, Regi,” she said. “I feel much better now.”

Regi smiled brightly. “Boo boo gone!”

“Yep! Boo boo gone!”

Regi nodded, looking between all of them. His smile slowly began to leave. “Oh...”

“What’s wrong.”

“Want red.” He pointed to Dafyd’s headband, then to Murdina’s top and Marianne’s dress. “Where my red?”

Marianne looked over her brother, feeling her heart break as she saw not a single speck of the color on his little sailor outfit. She looked at her dress and reached for the hem of the skirt, taking off one of the ribbons that were tied through the holes. She motioned for her mother to move her closer and she leaned over, gently tying back Regi’s laughably long hair. 

“There,” she said. “Now we all got red.”

Regi giggled and started bouncing in his father’s arms excitedly. “Got red! Got red!”

“That you do,” Dafyd chuckled. “It looks good on you both.”

Marianne couldn’t agree more.

                                                          -

“Marianne, we’ve been over this. Red isn’t a good color on you.”

Marianne let out a sigh, hanging up the beautiful party dress she’d set her sights on. It was a simple 50′s style rockabilly swing dress, with a fitted corset top and it flared out in the skirt. It was red, with adorable polka dot trimmings. It looked amazing. 

She wanted that dress so badly. 

But Mary was her roomie, and the designated fashion expert. Marianne had barely known the difference between different button ups before letting her come along clothes shopping. Her wardrobe was a little darker than she liked, but it looked nice and that was what was important right now. Especially for such an important event. 

As per usual, Lucienne’s always held socials in between trainings and lessons and the like. It was a chance to form connections and build a network for hero duties. And as such, they were expected to dress nicely. 

‘Nicely’ in Mary’s eyes meant Marianne would be in another navy blue dress that didn’t even make it to her knees, while she herself would wear whatever dress she thought looked best that week. 

This week, it meant a red dress that would make her look like the only girl in the whole room. 

Not just a red dress. THE red dress. The one she wanted so desperately. 

“Why can’t we both wear red tonight?” Marianne asked. “It’s not like there’s a law saying I shouldn’t wear it.”

“It makes you look pasty and washed out,” Mary grumbled. “Now go try on this one. It’s a beautiful blue. It’ll look amazing, trust me.”

“But-”

“Go on!”

Marianne rolled her eyes and went into the changing room. She closed her eyes, counted to ten, and braced herself for the image of Mary in her dress. 

Maybe I can sneak myself one later. Just to wear in private. No, Mary would take it...dammit...

With a sigh of regret, she put on the dress and left the dressing room, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as she saw Mary spinning around in the polka dots. Marianne decided to let it go.

It looks more amazing on her.

                                                                -

“Finally! I’ve been trying to get in to see you for weeks.”

“Well, I finally had the time.” Barrett said. “Now, let’s get to work, shall we? Have a seat.”

Marianne sat at the desk, reaching into her bag and pulling out the latest designs for her new hero costume. “So I had some ideas-”

Barrett raised his hand, shaking his head disapprovingly. “Now now, Marianne. You and I have been over this. You have a quirk with particular needs. And a particular style that comes with it.”

“But Mr. Ballard, please,” she insisted. “I promise, this is a good design. See, I was thinking we could go with something more streamlined. Have it look a bit more sinister yet soothing? And maybe in red?”

“But red makes you look so pale, darling.” He reached over and took her notebook, tossing it aside. “Now, if you’ll just wait a moment, my secretary will be here soon and will have you in the new suit any-Ah! Here it is!”

Before Marianne had a chance to recover she was hoisted from her seat and spun around midair. She could barely register what was happening. She felt her clothes vanishing, replaced with a soft, if slightly itchy fabric. She landed on her feet and was shoved in front of a mirror. 

The hero suit had a new utility belt, with matching boots and a strap that went over her shoulders to carry more pouches. Unlike her last one, this was completely sleeveless, with a zipper down the front. The skirt that would attach to the belt had now become one with the top, and the colors were darker. A deep navy blue with a mauve outline. And of course, the golden circlet came with it. 

It was almost too simple. Too much like her old outfit. 

She hated it. 

She was hoping for red. 

“Well?” Barrett asked expectantly. “What do you think?”

“It’s...wonderful,” she said. “It’s just taking me a minute to adjust.”

“Well then, how about I leave you alone for a bit to get acquainted, eh doll face?”

Marianne watched him and the secretary go, waiting until the door was shut and she was certain that he was gone before hurrying over to her notebook, picking it up and hugging it tightly. The page it was open to was to a full body suit, a dark red with white lines that gave her an almost fallen angel aesthetic. It had boots that went to the knee and not the ankle, where they wouldn’t pinch at her nerves as badly. This also came with gloves, and was made with material better suited for the ocean. Almost like a wetsuit of sorts. And instead of a circlet, she’d get a pair of goggles that could double as a crown. 

It was probably her best design yet.

And she’d never get to use it. 

                                                          -

She couldn’t stop staring at it. 

Her first birthday with Myko. She’d expected just about everything he threw at her. A nice dinner, a night on the town, karaoke, the hotel. Typical Mykolas.

She didn’t expect this red dress. 

“What do you think?” he asked. “I hope you don’t mind but I asked your buddies L and Phoenix for help? They said you’d look really nice in this and- Marianne?”

She put it back in the box, biting her tongue as she held back the tears. This was a joke. A cruel, sick joke. It had to be. She couldn’t be receiving this dress. This lovely, red lace dress with a little black belt. She just couldn’t. It was so beautiful. Too beautiful. 

“Marianne, hey,” Myko said softly, pulling her into his arms. “What’s wrong? Did I get the wrong one? Is this not the kind you like? Or did I get the wrong size-?”

“Why?” she whispered. “Why red?”

He looked at her, perplexed. “You said it was your favorite color. And it’s a lovely shade. I made sure it would look nice with your favorite necklace-”

He can’t be this dense. “Red makes me look washed out...”

“Oh, now that’s bullshit.” He gently pulled her to her feet, walking her to the mirror and holding the dress up in front of her. “Look at this. Look how your hair pairs well with the belt. How the way the sleeves will meet your elbows. The color makes the purple of your eyes pop so beautifully.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Marianne, you were born to wear red.”

The tears broke at the words. Marianne sank to her knees, hugging the dress as close as she could. Every comment about her and the color swirled in her mind, blocking out every other sound in the world. She could feel Myko drop down and pull her close, holding her as tightly as he could while she wept. 

It’d been so long since she was told she looked good in red. 

“Thank you,” she finally managed. “I love it. I love you.”

Myko smiled, gently drying the tears away. “I love you too.”

                                                                   -

“Clem, sweetheart. Please don’t tug on Mr. Kan’s hair.”

“It’s alright. He ain’t hurting none. You focus on getting ready.”

Marianne smiled softly, watching her son tug tightly on the tufts of white hair. She was glad the two seemed to get along. It was her first day back at work, and she needed all the help she could get. It was lonely without Mykolas, but Sekijiro was a very comforting presence in the dorms. She knew she could count on him when L and the others were away.

Quickly, she threw on a pair of black capri pants and a white button up. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough. She just had to get through today.

Today was her first solo outing as the school nurse. She could handle it. Marianne had been through so much already. There was no way in hell anything could throw her off.

No, she thought. There is one way. 

“How do I look?” she asked. 

Kan looked at her, making sure to keep his hands on the wiggly crawly baby trying to sit on his head. “You look good.”

“Just good?”

He shrugged. “I mean...You could do with some color.” He stood, carefully taking Clement and holding him close to his chest as he hurried to the closet. “Maybe try something nice? Lull the students into a false sense of security. Make them think you won’t beat them over the head with health lessons.” Kan smiled and pulled out a dress. It was one of those simple skater dresses. The kind that paired well with a pair of flats and a set of leggings. “Like this.”

Marianne felt her ears burn as she took it from his hands, smiling sweetly. “I’ll give it a try...If you think it’ll look good.”

“It’ll look lovely.” He leaned down slightly, kissing her on the cheek. “You look good in red. Now hurry up and get going. You don’t want to be late.” He looked at Clem, giving him a light boop on the nose to make him giggle. “We’ll meet you for lunch. Promise.”

“Okay.” She quickly made the change before passing him the baby bag, kissing them both on the cheek. “I’ll see you later then. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Kan said.

Marianne smiled and hurried out the door. It wasn’t until she got to her office she realized.

What the hell did we do? What the hell did I just say?!

They kissed each other on the cheek.

They said ‘I love you’. 

Oh god, she thought. It really got that serious. 

Somehow, she found she didn’t mind. 

                                                             -

“It’s my favorite shirt, Ballard. Got a problem?”

Marianne watched him stammer in a vain attempt to find his words. She expected this. Barrett hadn’t been the same since she quit using him as her support designer. Almost too anxious to be healthy. But it was a choice she knew that, presented with the chance, she’d make the same decision. 

“I mean,” he stumbled. “You look a little pale, doll face.”

“Don’t call her ‘doll face’. Moron.”

Barrett froze, slowly turning around to come face to face with Vlad King, who was glaring at him harshly from behind his visor. Marianne tried hard to hold back a laugh. There had only been one other person who could instill that kind of fear into that pathetic little man. 

“C-can I help you?” Barrett asked. 

“Yes,” Vlad growled. “You can get the fuck out of here before I call security.”

Barrett nodded rapidly. “I’ll be gone soon, promise. I just wanted to ask Mither if she’d be willing to come back to Elspie to help me with-”

She didn’t even let him finish. “No way.”

Both men looked at her in surprise. “No?”

“No,” Marianne repeated. “I have work here. A loving husband here. Another husband in the hospital. Two kids of my own plus an ultra heckton more. Even if I weren’t blacklisted to hell and back in the U.K circuit I wouldn’t come back.” She turned Barrett around and started pushing him out of the tent. “Now get lost before I ask Lady Lazarus to escort you to Mr. Allard.

Barret’s eyes went wide and white. “Allard? H-he’s here?”

“Yep. Now scram.”

With a high pitched squeak, the support designer bolted out of there. Vlad watched him go, a bemused smirk on his face. 

“Who knew such a guy could move that fast?”

“I did.” She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist as tightly as she could. “I’m sorry about earlier. All the yelling and shit. I was out of line.”

Vlad smiled, turning around and lifting her up into his arms, giving her a kiss on the nose. “It’s alright. I was the idiot who listened to Nezu and did shit behind your back. Can you forgive me?”

“Only if we can watch Princess Bride and pop some popcorn tonight.”

“Deal.”

Marianne smiled, nuzzling him before letting herself be set down. Vlad slipped her one last kiss and headed back to the students. As he went, Marianne’s hands traced along the hem of her shirt as she focused on his costume. 

Red was still her favorite color.