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goodnightallwhites · 4 years ago

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Ranma, Performer by Zenalite

Chapter 1 - Miku? No, Ranma. Ranma woke up from her nap to Nabiki’s feet planted on the floor only inches away from her face. “Wake up, eh?~ It’s time to go to work.” “Already?” The busty Ranma turned to the other side. “Just five more minutes.” Nabiki growled and put her foot down on the redhead’s waist, forcing her onto her back before poking into her stomach. “You’ve slept enough! Come on, it’s time to go. You’ve only got two hours before the show starts. I got you this job, don’t screw things up for me. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” Ranma sighed, but slowly got up and started getting ready. When Nabiki had proposed that she get a job a few weeks ago, the whole thing sounded messy. They were to work at one of the high-end clubs in Tokyo where Ranma would do a simple performance for the men there and get paid. The entire notion made him uncomfortable at the time, but over the last few weeks Ranma had been going into her girl form and practicing the dances for the shows so often that at times she legitimately forgot she could switch back into being a boy whenever she wanted. So the redhead stuck to being a girl. As she slid into her tank top and shorts, Nabiki leaned against the wall and watched her, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “You’ve gotten more in touch with your feminine side.” Ranma gave her an annoyed look. “It’s just for the job. It’s temporary!” “I’m sure.” “Don’t make me turn now and kick your ass!” she threatened. “I wouldn’t want to have to change all over again.” Nabiki just smirked mischievously. “Whether you’re bouncing around those big tits or showing them your tiny dick, it’s all the same to me.” Ranma blushed and gritted her teeth. “I do not have a tiny anything. Shut up!” Nabiki sighed with disinterest. “I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t take too long.” The club owners had only asked Ranma to get on stage in some skimpy school girl outfit and play dumb, bending over to show her panties and dropping her school bag so that all the contents tumbled out and clients seated by the lighted stage could help her pick them up and get a view of her soft tiddies from close-up at the same time. That was how it started, at least. But when the first guy slipped ¥50.000 into her cleavage, Ranma counted it twice over in shock. There was no way she could’ve ever made that kind of money as a guy in so little time. Ever. And from what she heard backstage some of the performers at the club could easily make ten times that in a single twenty minute performance if they were given a good time slot. Naturally, Nabiki took a quarter out of everything Ranma made, though she had severely played up her job. In fact, the only thing she did the first few times was sit around and wait for the tomboy to finish, though now she was trying to get the credit for being her manager and get in the good graces of the owners. “Just leave these matters to me,” Nabiki had explained, biting her lip with excitement as she counted the cash they made. “I’ll get your name out there and soon the owners will be eating out of our hands. They’ll get on their knees like dogs just to keep us here. Then we’ll squeeze out every drop and then go on to a place that pays better anyway.” She winked. “That’s how business is done.” Slowly, Ranma learned how to dance like a graceful slut. The old Ranma would’ve seen that as a shameful act, but being able to do it as a girl made him realize just how much of it required the same kind of practice and discipline as martial arts. There’s no shame in it, the redhead now thought, doing some stretches before heading out. I wouldn’t do this as a guy, but as a girl… where’s the harm? After all, at the club she put on a blue wig and presented herself as “Miku” before the audience. Who would’ve guessed that it was Ranma; and further still, who could’ve thought that it was a guy doing all those things? Warrick Sutton had learned everything he could about Tokyo over the years and practiced his Japanese enough to be near fluency. Now he was finally coming back here on behalf of the company - one last time, that is. After an arrival less than an hour ago, things were already gaining speed as his would-be business partners picked him up and insisted they go out. They wanted to secure his investment and quickly - not a good look for a revered old company. The three middle-aged Japanese men that waited for Black American at the airport and welcomed him into their limo were explaining in a combination of English and Japanese how happy they were to have him. “We haven’t worked with an American company in a very long time,” the main one among the three said, smiling in such a friendly way that Warrick could not take it as anything but complete fakery. “Well, uh… I’m sure we’ll be able to come to an arrangement.” All Warrick wanted was to get some sleep at a hotel, maybe buy some Japanese pussy as a late-night snack; but the guys were insisting on showing him the Tokyo nightlife as if he were an easily-impressed newcomer. “Plenty of time for sleep tomorrow. For now you must be properly welcomed to Japan.” This would have been a dream come true for the African American businessman two decades ago when he was still in his twenties. But now, after almost a lifetime at the same soulless company and decades of rising through the ranks as if he were a player in some spy novel, he was ready to retire and call it a day. Going to different cities and sleeping around with some high-end hookers was nothing new and enjoyable anymore. Simple routine. This is no life. There was no way he could tell his new friends that he had come here ready to make the arrangement at almost any costs to the company, since he was about to put in his papers as soon as he returned home. Then they would’ve taken too much advantage, and the company itself might’ve sued. But it certainly made their transparent courting a little boring. Warrick hoped that he could retire and at least get a few good years all to himself. Lose some weight. Maybe pick up basketball again. Travel and find himself a nice wife. In his early life he had been a huge hunk, but now with his office job he had gained some weight. There was still strength behind his massive arms, but there was also a belly accompanying it. The limo pulled up in front of a club and his Japanese companions got out, asking him to come along. “We have a very special show tonight. Special girl.” Warrick mostly laughed to himself but tried to show interest. “Is that so?” He was nearly two heads taller than these guys. “Oh yes. Best new girl. Miku. One of the finest arrivals of the season. Neon blue hair. You should see her tits. They’re huge! And you have good luck. Tonight is the first night she will show her super-ultra bust.” Some blue-haired bimbo was showing of her titties? Well, it could have been worse. Warrick was worried they might be going to some traditional theatre showing or that they would force a prostitute on him of their own choosing. He had always been fond of chicks with blue hair. Maybe this one would be interesting… Ranma was behind the stage with Nabiki finishing up her outfit and struggling to adjust her wig. In all her history at the club she had never gone out with her breasts exposed, but the show-runners and Nabiki both insisted it finally happen. Anything to get ahead of the other, more experienced performers. The redhead looked at herself in the mirror as her manager applied pasties over her breasts. They were specifically designed to copy her skin tone and emulate her nipples. Even though her breasts would never go bare, they would look bare for anyone watching. Then came the skirt, heels, and the micro bikini. “You’re all set!” said Nabiki, grinning. “You better go and impress them. Oh, and one more thing. There’s supposed to be a special guy in the audience. Give him a flirty look if you can.” The female announcer on stage was starting to hype up the audience for her show. “I’m not flirting with anyone!” said Ranma angrily, pushing her away. “Did you forget I’m a guy? I’m not some whore.” Walking away, Nabiki muttered, “You might as well be…” Warrick was confused by the giant pumpkin on stage. “Wouldn’t that be a better fit for Halloween?” “Oh, she has done it for Halloween,” the guys explained. “But she’s promised to take it one step further this time.” Sitting in the front row, Warrick stared at the hot, skinny Japanese girl walking away. He had come here feeling tired, but now he could feel his cock stirring. Even in those heels, she couldn't have gone higher up than his chest. I’d probably break her if I fucked her. These Japanese girls always whimpered and whined but ultimately took it all in like tight little champs. Scratching his ear, he began to wonder if asking his new pals to set him up with that chick after the show was over would’ve been too much to ask for. They clearly want our investment. Might as well get them to work for it. The lights were dimmed. A fun Halloween song began to play and another girl came on stage. She looked even smaller than the one before, and looked so young in the face that he would’ve guessed she was still in middle school. Her body, on the other hand, was fully developed, with the sort of big breasts and extremely wide hips he was not accustomed to seeing on Asians, more on the Black girls at home. And just as promised, her hair was blue - though more teal than simple blue - with twintails dangling at the sides and swaying with her moves. Warrick was not ready for the kind of feelings he got by looking at her. Christ… “Hello, everyone!” she said into the microphone. Despite the cute appearance, her voice was a little gruff for a girl. She sounded grumpy. “I know you’ve been waiting for this for a long time, so please enjoy and remember to show us the love if you want to see more next time.” As soon as the dance started she beamed with joy, moving her arms this way and that along with the song. It was the cutest thing Warrick had seen in a long time, and the way her boobs bounced as she side stepped was amazing. The manner in which she moved was sensual, but in a very different way from the strippers back home, or even geishas he’d been to. This was just exuberant and full of life, making him want to dance alongside with her as much as he wanted to fuck her. At some point Miku grabbed the straps of her bra and stretched them till people could get a look at her bare breasts from the side. Some men in the audience cheered. His companions cried out for more and Warrick could not help but cheer with them in his enthusiasm. “Yeah, show us your tits!” they demanded in English that sounded way more broken as they raised their voices. The teal-haired beauty seemed to glance their way and Warrick blushed. Oh, what a shame that he only had five hundred bucks in cash. He would’ve liked to give her a lot more than that for what she was doing. Miku turned and lifted her skirt, wiggling her pale ass at the audience, then jumped a couple more times before she let it fly off. As the dance continued, a spooky riff began to play and everyone looked at the screens hanging way above the stage. There they could see a ghost coming down to cast a spell on her, even though there was none on stage. Miku acted as if the ghost was real; as the wand sent a ray of brilliance to the bra, she quickly disposed of it. The guys went wild and started throwing their money at the stage. She climbed on top of the giant pumpkin and began to grind back and forth on the thick, dick-like stem, looking like she was just about ready to put the whole thing inside of her tight teenage cunt. Is she going to get down on it? Warrick wondered eagerly. Just as he thought, she grinned and moved her panties aside, then came dropped on the stem, fucking herself on the bouncy pumpkin as the song played. Warrick reached and grabbed his own money, rushing to the stage to throw it her way. “You’re great!” he yelled in English. “Wow, you made my night!” Ranma expected the crowd to be enthused by what they saw, but even she was surprised by how excited they were. The song was coming to an end and she knew that it was time to finish off the dance and get off of the pumpkin, but the stem felt so good inside of her that she couldn't stop touching herself. In moments like these, she completely forgot that she was a guy deep down. Fucking that pumpkin felt so satisfying to her tight pussy that she just couldn't stop doing it. She brought her finger down and began to touch her clit at the same time, her loud moans starting to replace the parts where there should have been lyrics. The song came to its end; but she was still touching herself and now all the guys were at the edge of the stage, begging her to come. “Come for me, Miku! Please!!” an older-looking guy yelled. “I want to taste it.” Ranma felt a bit disturbed by the ecstatic look in his eyes but went on anyway. A moment later, however, she could see him trying to climb up on stage. Others were trying to get him to stop, but he kicked at them away. “Fuck off! This is my dream girl and future wife!” he barked at them. But as he rushed towards Ranma with open arms, a hand grabbed him by the ankle and yoinked him back. The frenzied guy fell facedown on the stage, and Ranma could see the lights underneath the floor go dark from the impact. The guy pulling him away was a massive foreigner in a beige business suit, a black bull that looked so big and strong that she reverted to her old self for a moment and wondered: Could I even take that guy? He sure is big, but if I’m just fast enough... The creep that rushed her started getting punched by everyone, but security finally made it down and untangled him from the crowd, pushing them away so they could throw him out in the streets. Ranma got down from the pumpkin, feeling unnerved the moment her eyes connected to the Black man’s. “T-Thank you all for coming,” she stammered. “You can’t go, baby!” the audience shouted after her, all of them emptying their pockets of everything to get her to come back. Nabiki met her at the back of the stage. “What are you doing!?” the greedy business-minded Tendou demanded. “First you forget to finish the song, and now you’re running away from cash?” “You go get it if you want!” Ranma shouted. As things settled down, Warrick went back to the table and drank the fine beer in front of him. His Japanese friends bowed down apologetically. “We’re sorry about what happened, Suttonu-san. We had no idea things would get so heated.” He laughed heartily and patted one of them on the back. “Are you joking? I loved it. I loved every second of it.” Now it was this Miku he couldn't get out of his head. “Oh?” His friend’s head came up. “Perhaps we should go discuss business after your drink?” “Do you think there’s a chance we could get that girl to come along?” “You mean the performer?” The guy scratched his head. “I am not sure about that…” As his companions held his eyes, he pursed his lips and laughed nervously. “But I suppose one must try until the end.” Warrick watched him go off. Ten minutes later he returned with a slim girl with ruthless-looking eyes. “This is Nabiki-san. She is the manager of Miku-chan.” “I heard you wanted to book my client?” Nabiki crossed her arms, flashing her cute belly button to the guys around the table. Warrick could see one of them drinking and then licking his lips. “I suppose it could be done but it won’t be cheap.” “Suttonu-san, I apologize on behalf of our company, but I don’t think we are authorized to pay for this sort of thing.” Because your company is nearly bankrupt? he wondered. The norms were to pay for as many girls as possible to get a deal. “Whatever it costs, I want it,” said Warrick. Nabiki smirked. “You’re a big American, aren’t you? Let’s talk dollars. How does five thousand dollars sound?” Warrick shrugged. “That sounds fine.” Nabiki tilted her head, intrigued by the easy win. “Ten thousand.” “Whatever you want, miss.” “Fifteen thousand?” said Nabiki, surprised. The businessman sitting next to Warrick slammed his palm down. “You little bitch! How can you disrespect our honored guest this way? As shameless as a Chinaman! Get the hell out!” “Fifteen it is,” said Warrick. “Twenty,” she said with a sense of finality. “And this idiot doesn’t get to come.” Warrick gave his wounded friend a compassionate look. “As soon as possible, please.” “How could you have agreed to that without me?!” Ranma screamed, grabbing Nabiki by the arms. “I told you I’m not a whore!” “It’s just another performance,” Nabiki explained. “Calm down.” How could she calm down? All Nabiki did was use her and then collected the profits. And god only knew how much of the money Ranma made actually came back to her instead of Nabiki’s pockets. Knowing her ways, probably most of it went to Nabiki. “He’s paying you five thousand dollars just for one performance! You can’t turn it down.” Ranma perked up at that. “Five thousand dollars?” That was a lot of cash. Why would he pay that much just to see her? “That’s right! Isn’t that great?” “But there isn’t much time to prepare,” said Ranma warily. “Don’t you worry. I’ve got an idea for how to improvise.” Warrick concluded his business and got rid of the sycophants. In the end, he got to fuck that skinny host from the club as he waited to meet up with Ranma the following day. He debated with himself whether he should save himself or not; but he did not want to go to meet with the dancer being so aroused that he could barely function. And if they did end up fucking during their first meeting, he wanted to make sure it lasted. Meanwhile, the skinny slut he got took it like a pro despite her small size. Warrick fucked her three times during the night before he passed out with her on his chest and woke up the following day to see her pussy was still oozing cum from what he did to her. Feeling confident, the huge bull dropped his shaft on her face and woke her up with its slapping weight. “Get up, sweetheart,” he said, and gave her ass a firm smack too. “You did your duty. Time to go.” Then the middle-aged lovebird spent the rest of his day grooming himself. He wanted to go out and buy a new suit, but there was nothing close to the size he required. However, Nabiki requested they meet at a temple outside of Tokyo. Warrick was confused as to why, but he spent hours with his hired driver trying to get there. When he arrived, Nabiki waited for him next to a monk that looked so shriveled, bent and crooked, that Warrick assumed he was a thousand years old. “Welcome,” said Nabiki. “Why a temple?” he asked immediately. “Oh. Omoru-san has been making this temple available for people and foreigners especially for a long time now. More of an inn, now, really. The community died off and they need to make ends meet somehow.” The monk smiled at Warrick with a nearly toothless mouth. The massive Black man pressed his meaty hands together and bowed as he thought might be appropriate, then followed Nabiki. She took him to an area at the back where the place offered the well-maintained grove of a hot spring. “You take your clothes off and get inside. Ranma will be with you shortly.” “Ranma?” Nabiki blushed. “Oh, how silly of me. That’s Miku’s real name. Ranma. I figured you deserved to see the real deal given the money you’re paying.” He grabbed Nabiki by the arm before she could head off. “You mean… naked?” “Yes.” “Completely naked?” Nabiki sighed. “And Americans say we’re prudes.” Warrick followed her swaying butt till she went down a hallway and turned to the side and out of view. That ass wasn’t half-bad. Well. This couldn't have been a trap, could it? He had five stacks of $10.000 in his suitcase, but it was unlikely they went through all this trouble just to rob him like that. After all these years of being overweight, he felt a little apprehensive taking off his clothes. Miku - or Ranma, whatever her name was - would have to see him naked eventually, but he was hoping he could make a good impression first. At the very least he hoped his cock would impress. Though given how tiny she was, that could just as well scare her off… The bull headed into the water and made himself comfortable. As he looked up he could see the dimming sky and in the far distance he could hear the barking of a dog. Footsteps. He tensed, but it was only the monk passing by, muttering to himself as he went on his business. Then, as Warrick looked around not expecting anybody, he suddenly looked up to see Ranma standing before him. She held a bottle of sake and wore a tight-fitting red kimono. “Oh,” said Warrick. “Hello.” Ranma muttered under her breath. Then she came and poured him a cup, standingly by awkwardly and awaiting orders. “Are you going to get inside?” he asked. “I saw your performance the other night. It was really good, actually. Impressive. Where did you learn to dance like that?” Her eyes came down to meet him. “Thank you,” she said gruffly. “You’re so beautiful.” The Black American drank in the curves under the kimono and followed the long braid of red hair that came to rest past one shoulder. That would have been great to grab on during fucking… “You look better with your normal hair.” “Thanks.” “I’m surprised you perform in a club like that. A girl like you could do a lot more, you know.” “Nabiki is my manager.” Not much of a talker, is she? “Well, she’s a good manager. She did manage to squeeze twenty thousand out of me. But she’s too rude to take you to the top.” Ranma’s face went dark. “Twenty? Not five?” “Hmm?” Warrick raised the cup to his lips and sipped at his sake. “Five? No, no, no, we agreed on twenty.” Ranma bolted off before he could say anything else. A few moments later he could hear thuds and screaming. The redhead returned, looking angry. “Nabiki is no longer my manager.” “I see…” Warrick looked down at the pool and then back up at her. “Would you like to get in?” “It’s too warm for me to get in.” “It’s not hot. It’s just right. Come on.” Ranma looked away. “I’d rather not.” The investor was genuinely confused. What was he going to do with this girl? Hadn’t they agreed on a private show? Maybe he would need that Nabiki girl after all. Or maybe he just needed to be a bit more pushy. This was definitely not the happy-go-lucky personality she showed the other night posing as that Miku character. He grabbed her by the wrist and tried to pull her in. “Come on, a bit of water won’t hurt you. “No!” Ranma yelled. “Don’t do it!” He wasn’t even pulling with much determination, but the redhead slipped and managed to fall in. When she came up, Warrick noticed her hair was black. Not only that, but her body looked different under those robes. Was that all makeup? No, that made no sense… Ranma gave him a long look and screamed in fury. Then she clambered out and ran away. What just happened? Warrick wondered. Was this red-headed Ranma version also a fake identity? It only got him more excited to get to the truth. What an interesting girl. Only in Japan. She returned a couple of minutes later wearing a new robe, her red hair wet. “Please, get out,” she pleaded, but it sounded more like the order of a military commander. Warrick rose as ordered and stood before her. Without her heels, she barely reached up to his neck. Ranma looked up into the foreigner’s dark eyes, trying to hold her impressions of his physique to herself. Wow, he’s so damn big… As her gaze came down, she noticed the big black cock dangling between his legs, the water from it dripping right over her bare feet. He’s big everywhere. Just looking at it was making her blush and making her weak in the knees. This is wrong. I’m a guy, she thought. It’s wrong t- “You’re so pretty,” he said, raising a firm hand to stroke her cheek. Ranma trembled. “You too,” she answered, at a loss for words. This guy’s hands were huge. His fingers too... “Me?” The big black man roared with laughter. “I’m afraid that doesn’t sound as convincing. A man can never be beautiful.” The words made a chill go down her spine. Hadn’t he seen her before when she fell? I was myself then for a few seconds. How could he not notice? “You know, I don’t normally talk like a douchebag. But let me tell you I’ve got a lot of money. So long as you’re with me, money will never be an issue.” “Money is not an issue.” “So you want to be a star?” He took a step closer and pushed her against the wooden pillar, the slap of his wet foot with the full weight of his body behind it against the slab of stone underfoot giving her goosebumps. He must have weighed at least 120 kilograms... “I doubt you need me for that. But I’d like to help. The thing I came to Japan for was the final job for me. I thought of settling down, but I could help you instead. We could start a club just for you.” A club just for her? “Who would come?” “Everybody. We’re going to put out promotional material for you everywhere. Get people talking. How do you think even desert people and eskimos hear of American celebrities?” The feeling that welled up in her was a strange one. Technically, she was only doing this for a while to get some cash. But Ranma had realized she was getting off to being watched and appreciated. To being loved by the crowd. That they called her the hottest girl even though she was really a boy. Secretly, she had already considered going up on stage one day without her wig. To be the real Ranma in front of the crowd. Or that her wig would slip and reveal her identity… Whichever way it happened, the fantasy of revealing her true identity before the world was arousing as it was humiliating. Warrick could see that his words hooked her, even if she wasn’t entirely convinced. This redhead was trembling so much that he could see her huge breasts heaving under the kimono. She was as hot as the sluttiest succubus from hell, but as cute as a little boy awfully pretending to be a wise guy. What a combination. But before he could move ahead with his idea, he needed to make sure that what he saw before wasn’t just proof of her being completely fake. He put his hand on her obi. “Take this off for me.” Ranma gulped and lowered her eyes; but she began to undress. The Black bull’s breath shuddered as he watched the gorgeous kimono open for him like a spring flower in bloom. Ranma let it fall to the sides and left her thick pale body completely exposed. Warrick put his dark hands under her massive cowtits and lifted them. “Jesus, they are even bigger from up close…” Blushing, Ranma crossed her arms to hide her nipples from view. “You’re so beautiful.” Though he was planning to help her out of a sense of love for her body, he suddenly realized just how many people back home would pay to see this. His friends from the hood where he grew up would have lost their shit if they ever saw an Asian girl with tits this big. All they knew were the flat-chested and assless middle-aged brauds that worked at the laundromat and Chinese restaurant. Suddenly, he had a vision of making movies fucking her senseless and selling them. A huge Black guy like him fucking a perfect Japanese redhead like her. They would go crazy. And then they could have their club where people could come and feel her up for exorbitant amounts. He leaned in and kissed her on the head, taking in the sweet scent of her body. His ogre arms came to envelop the rest of her as he went down with his adoring kisses, covering her forehead, her nose, and then making a longer stop on her mouth. She refused to open her lips to him, but that was fine. There was time for that. He pressed onwards to her chest, then began to kiss her right breast, bringing his mouth closer to her nipple. He sucked it in and began to massage it between his lips. As he looked up, he could see her grimacing with her eyes closed. His hands felt her surprisingly muscular back and came down to her tiny waist to follow the extreme curves of her hips. The bull teased her and bit down on her nipple as he kneaded her ass. Ranma shivered intensely and gasped, then moaned. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his bald head, but she moved them away in embarrassment once she noticed what she was doing. Warrick grinned and stood up, rolling her sensitive nipple between his strong fingers. “Get down on your knees,” he ordered as he would to any other girl he met and fucked. The investor was feeling nervous, but he could not show her just how much he liked her. Not yet. He was happy to see her obeying his orders without question, though the look on her face was deeply unhappy. Warrick grabbed her squishy ivory-white tits and put his monster cock between them, ready to get the best titjob of his life with or without her help. It turned out to be without, since Ranma looked away the entire time. But her tits were so soft, and warm, so malleable, their skin so supple and silky and welcoming that he needed none of her help. He just thrust a couple of times and already gushed with precum, lubing the throbbing BBC up properly. His gaze searched for her eyes as his shaft dominated her tits, hoping to give her a sight to remember. With his black cock between her tits is how Ranma needed to learn to think about him. Her resistance made him that much hornier and after a few more pushed he groaned and came unexpectedly, shooting his thick load all over her sweet face. “Damn!” he said with a laugh. “That’s a lot.” Covered up in his cum to the point of being blinded, Ranma stood up and stomped out of the grove, holding her hands out so she wouldn’t bump into something. “We gotta talk after!” Warrick yelled. He went to get his clothes and then heard: “Psssht!” Crouching at the side of the doorway was Nabiki. “I’m still going to need my cut for making the introductions. But I suggest you hire me yourself. I work wonders with Ranma. We’re practically siblings.” Warrick went ahead and bought some property before Ranma’s final decision came in. The clubbing scene upstart vowed that he would get her to work for him one way or another. He had sent his resignation back home and was now ready to use his life savings for establishing himself as a club owner in Tokyo. And while the business Japanese might not have been too thrilled about welcoming an American among their ranks in that way, there were enough expats around that just within the first few days the group that went up got over a thousand members. The place was done in both Japanese and Western fashion. But the main emphasis was placed on the stage where Ranma performed. But unlike the old place where the stage was elevated out of reach, here it was slightly lower than the level of the chairs, and the whole club was far smaller and more intimate. Nabiki brought Ranma around near the end of the week. The redhead wore a sleeveless red coat that made her look like she was part of a martial arts club, her braid tantalizingly bouncing above her firm ass. She took in the club with some amazement. But when Ranma finally spoke her voice sounded apprehensive: “This is for me?” Warrick went ahead and put his strong arms around her from behind, sniffing her again as he squeezed the busty tomboy against his chest. They may not have spoken since the day of that heavenly titjob, but the bull had been thinking about her ever since, feeling their potential future together materialize in his head. “Do you like what I’ve done with the place?” Ranma squirmed in his grasp, deeply uncomfortable. “It’s fine!” Warrick grinned and let his meaty fingers go over to her big tits, sinking in like the fangs of a predator into his prey. “God, but I’ve missed these,” he said as he kneaded them with relish. A few of the Japanese workers doing the interior couldn't stop staring, clearly jealous of a foreigner getting to enjoy such a native treat. Ranma gasped weakly and trembled. “You’re too rough~” she cooed. This little slut wasn’t even wearing a bra underneath. The older Black stud searched for her nipples and rubbed them lovingly until they hardened, then flicked them mercilessly. Ranma moaned and struggled to get away, but his lips buried themselves against her neck, kissing, nibbling, licking and tasting her pale flesh. “We’re going to have so much fun,” he told her. “I’m so ready for you.” Warrick’s dickwas rock solid in his pants and he knew that she must have felt it. Standing across from them, Nabiki put her hands on her hips and smirked. “She’s been talking about you nonstop since last time. But you two lovebirds can get a moment later. Shouldn’t we deal with business first?” “She’s right,” Warrick whispered to Ranma. Then he kissed her on the lips. This time he pinched her nipple and twisted it so that she opened her mouth and quickly found his way in, battling her tongue with his before he began to suck on hers with force. His paws explored the rest of her gorgeous teenage body, working himself up for what was to come. When he interrupted the kiss and moved away from her, Ranma stood there on shaky legs, blushing and dazed. It took her several seconds to snap out of it and for her scowling look to return. Warrick took her by the hand. “Come on, let me show you your new home.” Ranma could not understand why this foreigner showed so much interest in her… Given that she had the mind of a man she could recognize that her body was hot. But in no world would the old Ranma have given up everything for a woman, no matter how attractive she was. And this was still the case now. Ultimately, one needed to focus on what was most important. Achieving success brought women along either way. As the fat foreigner led her around, he quickly went from holding her hand to putting his palm over her ass. Ranma found it hard to focus and breathe when he touched her that way. Even after all these days, she found it difficult to erase the image of his big black cock out of her mind. How can it be so big? she kept wondering after that initial encounter. Not only was it bigger than what she saw on other guys, but it was much bigger than her own when she went back to being a guy. It’s unnatural. Disgusting… But the powerful way it throbbed between her tits and the copious amount of seed that hit her face stuck with her until now. Hours after she had washed it off, Ranma could still feel its ghostly presence and taste it on her tongue. And he wants to do that to me again? “Well, how do you like it?” asked Warrick. Ranma realized that she had been zoned out the entire tour. “Uhm, it’s nice.” He gave her ass a smack and came down to whisper into her ear, his hot, low breath giving her goosebumps. “If there’s anything I can do to make it better. Let me know. I want you to have the place of your dreams. You’re the star here. Do you understand?” “Yes.” He gave her another kiss on the lips and this time she opened her mouth instinctively, afraid that he might hurt her nipple again. Ranma stared into his dark eyes as they kissed, feeling the overwhelming presence of his massive body towering over her. “We should make arrangements for the first show,” said Nabiki. “I think it would be best if it’s free. That way, everyone has a change to come and see Ranma. And slowly, day by day, we’ll up the price to the standard we’ve set.” Ranma heard her but the American seemed to be paying little attention. “We’ll discuss things soon,” he told her, giving his Ranma another kiss on the cheek. “I think I need to show Ranma my private office and have a few moments with her.” “No…” the redhead whispered. Nabiki winked. “Agreed. She’s being too difficult. Make her appreciate all the hard work you’ve done. Maybe she can pay you back in some way.” Warrick could sense Ranma’s reluctance and fear as he led her into his office. Other men might have found that appealing, but he wanted her to love him back, not to be afraid of him. Women were naturally far weaker than men. Any no good loser could outpower a woman, which is why they needed the strongest men to protect them. Ranma just needed to understand that he was here to take care of her. He closed the door before he turned on the lights. Once they came on, Ranma saw the simple desk on one end with a single closed laptop on top of it. Filling out the remaining third of the room, though, was a massive canopy bed. Warrick grabbed the fabric of the curtain and rubbed it between his fingers. “See this? It’s soundproof. So that nobody disturbs us. And there!” He pointed to the cameras mounted on the bed’s ceiling. “Those will make sure every moment is recorded for posterity.” Ranma stood there anxiously, saying nothing. Warrick hugged and kissed her again, this time removing her clothes. He started by unbuttoning her top and letting those warm breasts spill out into his face, then went all the way down and yanked. His eyes hovered only inches away from her pussy, close enough to feel its heat on his middle-aged face. It was so tiny and delicate, just a pink little pussy with a strip of cute red hair growing over it. Young enough to be my daughter. The bull brought his tongue out and grabbed onto her legs. He glanced up to her scared face and gave her a teasing look before he rushed in with his tongue, smothering his face against her warm thighs and hot pussy, his tongue going in to ravage her sensitive insides. Ranma gasped, shuddered, cursed, and finally screamed at him to stop. She hit his bald black head head with his hands ineffectively, doing it till she was too horny to go. Warrick was pleased to see his tongue leaving her helplessly. Her arms reached up to hold onto the bed, but he could feel her legs losing balance. His strong arms lifted her and threw her onto the sheets. As she lay there, shivering and looking up at him with reverent eyes, he methodically took off his clothes and put his middle-aged breeding bull body on display. A body that deserved no beautiful woman but which had ruined them by the thousands. Ranma, he noticed, did not even bother closing her eyes. “I see you’re inviting me.” The redhead shook her head. “No! What are you talking about? You fat oaf, I hate you!” The bed was supposed to be sturdy but he could still hear it groan under his weight as he got in on top of her. The stud spread her legs even wider and let them come around his belly while he inched closer to her pussy. The big black cock dropped on top of her toned stomach, showing the redhead in advance just how deep it was going to go. As Ranma peered down and saw the shaft going up to her belly button and past it she took in a deep breath. Warrick confidently grabbed his dick and brought the head down to her pussy. “This might hurt a little. But not for long.” Ranma grabbed him by the wrist fearfully. “I don’t think I can do it.” He leaned forwards and gave her a kiss on the temple, staring down kindly into her eyes. “I know you can do it. And it’s going to feel great.” As he stood on top of her, the cockhead moved past her lips and she grimaced. The bull pushed it in the rest of the way, feeling inch after inch getting squeezed by her tight pussy. “Stop!” Ranma pushed her hands into his chest and tried to get him off. “Stop it!” Warrick dropped more of his weight on top of her, crushing her into submission as his shaft moved onwards to total penetration. Her feet and forearms were flailing, but most of her body was perfectly trapped under him and at his mercy. The breeding stud stroked her head and whispered into her ear. “Being broken in by a Black man isn’t an easy thing for a small girl like you. But I know you can take it.” “No…” There were tears in her eyes. “Stop. I c-can’t! Ahhh~ I can’t do it…” As her pussy attempted to push him out, Warrick moved his lower body backwards and slammed into her with the strength of all his muscles. Ranma shrieked as her tender pussy got broken in. His meaty palm covered her mouth to protect his own ears and he went on with the work, impaling her pussy onto his rod until he could feel the drenched lips of her pussy kissing the base of his cock. “That’s more like it,” Warrick whispered. When he took his hand away from her mouth, Ranma seemed utterly defeated. Her teary eyes were staring at nothing in particular while the drooling mouth hung open. Warrick moved his heavy body into position, grunting like a bull in heat, then began to pound her little Japanese cunt, his old black balls slapping wetly against her pussy. Seeing her this debilitated by his cock made his confidence grow even more. After so many years of being a shitty paper-pusher that made a salary he could never enjoy in full, he was starting to remember what it was like to be young, strong, and with dreams. He was used to fucking whatever he wanted, but it was always with the realization that it would fade away into an obscure memory. Cute faces he would never see again. Now he was training what would be his new fucktoy. His wifey, maybe. “You should be paying me for taking your cherry like this.” Warrick kissed her sweetly on the mouth. She cooed and began to shiver. “There’s nothing you won’t be able to take after I train you on a BBC.” He moved his hand under her back and wrapped both his arms around her. Then he dropped down, turning her to the side, and pressed her against him like a plushie as his veiny monstrous shaft kept her pussy stretched beautifully. “Fuck, that feels good.” He slapped her ass. “Tell me that feels good.” “It feels g-g-good,” stammered Ranma. Her soft young breasts slid back and forth against his chest, squished by their torsos, as her virgin pussy got torn up from within. As he kneaded her asscheeks, Warrick let a finger slip to her tiny puckered asshole. Ranma panicked again, but he squeezed her in place and slowly began to push his pinky inside. “I’m going to take this ass too. Not today. But you better start training for it.” She was moving so much and trembling so helplessly that she was like a little silken vibrator wrapped around his cock. Nibbling on her earlobe, Warrick let himself come naturally. Her little cunt was so tight that not a drop left her pussy initially, all of it making its way to her womb instead. It was only when he finally pulled out and left her there on the bed that he saw how much gooey cum was coming out of her steaming pussy. He took a drop against his index and rubbed it into her clit, hearing her gasp all over again. “That’s a good little girl,” he said with a grin. Ranma would never become a girl ever again. After he returned home the previous day he decided that experimenting with his girly side was over, permanently. He had been so sore down there that he could feel the stud’s cock for hours. It was only once he changed back into a guy that he started feeling normal once more. The only thing that remained was to teach that dirty shitskin foreigner a lesson. Nobody is going to touch me like that. Nobody. He left home and went back to the club to get his revenge and teach the bastard a lesson. The weather was getting worse, but Ranma was feeling confident. I’m going to kick his ass. He could still taste the bull’s sweat on his tongue from when he lay on top of his much weaker body, assaulting his sweet insides. Bastard! As Ranma entered, two security guards got in front of him and threatened violence. They weren’t there before. But Warrick stood by the entrance, too, talking sweetly to another foreigner that was getting trained by him for how to welcome customers. “You there! Fatso!” Ranma yelled. The guards growled and tried to remove him, but Warrick ordered them to stop. “Haven’t I seen you before?” “I’m… Ranma’s brother.” Warrick seemed confused. “Her brother? I don’t remember that.” “Enough!” Ranma yelled, raising his fists. “Get out of the club.” “You’re going to fight me?” “I’m going to break every bone in your body, you fat retard! So either you leave my sister alone, or I’ll end you.” Warrick smirked. “Well, your sister is my woman. So I guess I’m going to have to beat some sense into you, little brother.” They went out into the alley and the guards and hostess came with them. Ranma went in with a kick and hit the huge American right in the belly. Warrick looked down at him, confused. His body wobbled but he seemed unaffected by any pain. “What the hell was that about?” Way up above, a storm cracked to life. Ranma worried that the rain might come, so this time he tried to kick up towards his face. The Black giant moved with surprising haste and caught him by the ankle, lifting him up like a prized fish. “Let me go!” Ranma yelled. “Let me go!” “Kick his ass!” the guards yelled. “Kick his ass?” Warrick seemed aghast. “He’s just a kid. But either way, I’m not going to hurt your sister. We’re in love.” “No, you aren’t!” Ranma screamed. “How would you know?” “Because… Because I just do…” It began to rain suddenly. The girl with them panicked and ran back inside. But Warrick stood there, still holding Ranma as the cold storm beat down. The boy could feel the cold water drops hitting him in the face and going through his clothes. No!… NO!!!! When he witnessed the transformation the first time, Warrick hadn’t realized exactly what was going on. Ranma figured as much. Now, however, she was afraid that the foreigner might beat her up to discover that she was actually a boy. But the amazed look on his face gave way to amusement instead of severity. “What the hell... Ranma?! Is that you, my love?” He roared with laughter. “What kind of parlor trick is that? Did you guys see that?!” he asked the guards. “Oh my, Ranma! That’s going to be such a sell for our clients.” TheBblack bull could not believe just how many talents his little Ranma possessed. She was a great dancer, a hell of a performer, and apparently even a magician. But one thing she needed to practice some more was her love-making. Warrick took her back to his office and took off her wet clothes, then put her back in bed. The way she looked at him made him understand that she was annoyed, possibly for figuring out her little trick before. He locked the door and took off his own clothes, then got in bed next to her. “From now on, I want you to live here.” He placed a first kiss on her shoulder then traced his way down to her full breasts. He could feel her nipples harden under the touch of his lips and grinned. “Do you understand?” “I don’t care what you say!” Ranma shouted. “To hell with you!” The bull put a firm hand around her neck but only held her comfortably. He gave her a kiss on the mouth. “Why are you so angry? Let me show you something.” He pressed a button to the side of the bed and a large screen came down. “Open files,” Warrick ordered it. “Play lovers_1.mp4.” He held Ranma tightly in his arms as the video of the two of them from the previous day began to play. The redhead watched herself on screen apprehensively. She seemed mesmerized by her image on the screen. “I’ve already sent this out to a bunch of people,” he told her. It wasn’t true, but he wanted to see her reaction. Blushing, Ranma gulped. “What did they say?” “They said you’re gorgeous but have no idea what you’re doing in bed.” “That’s not true! I’m just… I’m just new to it. I usually do stuff on my own.” The stud kissed her neck and squeezed her breast like a ripened fruit. “Don’t worry. I can teach you.” Ranma wanted the first night of the grand inauguration of the new club to be a special one. From the safety of the security office she could see the dozens of people coming in on camera. Warrick was out talking to people while Nabiki administered the final preparations. When the music came on and the lights went dark, she ran and got into position. Warrick gave a short speech welcoming everyone again and told them to enjoy the show. The redhead walked out in her bunny suit and high heels. Once she got at the center where she needed to begin her performance, the men seated in the first row were so close that she could feel their hot breathing hitting the sensitive parts of her body. This time she did a slow dance that showed off her curves, swaying her wide hips and making her tits jiggle in the red leotard. “Go on, touch her!” Warrick told all of them. “Have your way.” Ranma could tell that these men were not all of them high-class businessmen like the ones that came to the old club. Some looked exactly like that, but others appeared to be average office workers, and some looked closer to bums. Nabiki planned the first night to be one of free entries for the first in line… Even with Warrick insisting they give it a go, most of the guys in the front seat did nothing. It took the Black bull to reach out and start feeling her ass for the others to join in. “See? Isn’t her body great? Here at our club you’ll be able to feel young Ranma every night. She’s here for your pleasure!” So many hands began to touch her that Ranma could hardly keep dancing. Once the first few did it without guards interfering, the people in the back started rushing forwards. Within the minute, they had ripped the fishnet stockings to feel the bare skin on her legs and pulled her leotard down to stretch her nipples. This isn’t performing, thought Ranma through gritted teeth. They’re just using me… Warrick came through and pushed the others away, then got Ranma to kneel down before him. She knew to take his cock out and immediately began to kiss it. The Japanese men in the audience gasped to see the size of the Black, all-American dick, and watched intently as the small redheaded tomboy struggled to gulp it down her throat. “You see?” Warrick asked them. “This is what we offer at our club. Any regular here can hope to get a treat once in a while.” He lowered the microphone down to Ranma’s mouth, and suddenly she could hear the mouth sounds of her sucking on his BBC playing over the music for the entire club to hear. Her Black owner had teased her the entire day in preparation for this moment and now she was dripping wet. She reached down to touch herself even as she sucked on him, knowing much worse was to come. Why avoid it? Warrick put a strong hand on her head and rammed his cock even deeper, facefucking her in front of the entire audience. “Now, who would like to see a magic trick?” As his cock choked her, it suddenly began to shoot his seed right down her throat. In that same moment, he poured a glass of heated, smoking water down over head. Ranma could feel himself coming back. The people in the audience gasped, then clapped as Warrick assured them it was a trick. They think I’m still a girl. Warrick pulled out of his mouth and showed the pretty boy face dripping Black seed to every man there. All clapped at once, as if it were a big show. Then the bull dropped his dick over Ranma’s face, showing them just how good capable the throat was to be able to take that much. But I’m a boy. I’ve always been a boy. Nabiki came and poured a glass of cold water over Ranma, bringing him back to his female form. Ranma immediately felt the horny men members grabbing her tits with renewed vigor. Warrick whispered into her ear: “You remember what I taught you. Don’t let them down.” Warrick stepped aside to watch the magic happen. All those horny guys immediately jumped on Ranma, everyone trying to get their dick wet somehow. Some forced their dicks into her mouth, while another group took her pussy and constantly accused one another of taking too long. For the newly-minted club owner, it was a beautiful sight to witness. Seeing their enthusiasm, he suddenly got the same feeling he always did when an investment paid off beyond his wildest dreams. This time, though, Ranma was the only investment. She was his prized jewel. In months, they would be running one of the dirtiest, sexiest places in Tokyo. His little redhead wouldn’t be dressing up as other girls - they would need to hire girls to dress up as Ranma once the business branched out. As the clients abused Ranma’s body, Nabiki leaned against the American stud and let her tight ass rub against his cock. “It’s going well, isn’t it?” Warrick put an arm around her and allowed her to grind. Lately, it was clear that she wanted more out of him. But this one wasn’t sincere like Ranma. She just smelled the money. “It sure is.” Poor Ranma was taking it from every position, but Warrick saw that their lessons over the last few days hit home. She was using her breasts to pleasure cocks whenever she could, opening her mouth as wide as it could go, wide enough to fit two cocks at once at times, and wiggled her ass to make sure her pussy gave them the best feeling possible. All the while the aggressive look on her face went away to be replaced by a submissive one. Making them happy was her one true calling now. It was difficult to get them to stop, but Warrick got the customers to settle back down. Ranma sat breathlessly before them, dripping with cum off of her entire body. Slowly, as a cute JPOP song began to play, she got up to her feet and began to dance energetically before all of them, her cum-covered body glistening in the low lights. “What a show!” Warrick could hear one guy say. The cool water poured over Ranma’s body as she washed after her first day. It was rough, but she made it through. Much like Warrick and Nabiki promised, it felt good once she allowed herself to play into it. It was no different than how she got into touching herself on stage the first time. Now she would just let them fuck her a bit instead. She got out of the shower, wiped her tits dry, and put on the cream and lotion that made her soft the way Warrick liked. Then she put on the babydoll dress he gave her. This will only be for a short time, Ranma told himself. After I get enough cash I’ll just get back to training and say goodbye to everyone. She was about to get in bed and wait for her owner when he opened the door and stuck his head in. “Ranma? Come with me. I want you to meet somebody.” The redhead emerged and saw the three figures in the club. Two of them were European-looking, dressed in suits, the third was a bald white American with tattoos on his head and the beard of a viking. The fourth was a dark-skinned guy about the same height as Warrick, but with dreads coming down his head instead, wearing a shirt so tight that Ranma could see every muscle working under it. “These are my friends,” Warrick said. “They’re all interested in starting businesses in Tokyo and since they’re foreigners, we’ll be working together.” The bearded one came forwards and casually grabbed Ranma by her nipple. He said something that made the others laugh; but in English, so she couldn't understand it. “I hope you don’t mind,” Warrick whispered, “but I told them you’d show them a fun time.” There was no need for Ranma to agree. She simply surrendered to their guiding hands and did as was told. She could hear them laughing, but soon they switched to English entirely and cut her off even from the little she could hear. Instead, the White American cock was shoved into her mouth while the other Black stud came around and entered her from behind, lifting her legs up the ground entirely. The two spitroasted her while the Europeans dressed in suits seemed to ask permission to film, then immediately took out their phones to take pictures of what was happening. “Don’t worry,” Warrick told her. “This will be good for getting your name out there.” Ranma was angry to be used a second time without any planning. But the cocks felt so good that the smile crept over her face nonetheless. “All right…” Her trusted owner came and caressed her head lovingly. More affectionately than her real father ever had... “Soon enough, everyone will know about you. Everyone.”

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magicalmorganite · 6 years ago

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happy twintail day from candace! 🍭💓 and i know i’m a day late but i’m so excited it’s finally february! 💗 q: who’s your favorite character with pigtails? ✧–♡–✧ #huniepop #huniepop2 #huniecam #huniepopcosplay #huniecamstudiocosplay #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplaygirl https://www.instagram.com/p/BtZQeRkHt1Z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=123ugog4kta1q

#huniepop #huniepop2 #huniecam #huniepopcosplay #huniecamstudiocosplay #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplaygirl

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yukechi · 6 years ago

Text

Halcyon Days

"Hello, is this the Office of Admiralty? Yes, the Commander here is a moles-"

Louise who has all the fingers on her hands moving about as if wanting to grope Hammann immediately stopped as she sweatdropped; desperately trying to feign calmness as she spoke: "Wa-Wait, Hammann... don't do anything rash..."

In return, Hammann simply looked at Louise with disgusted eyes, "Then put your hands away. Only then Hammann will put the phone down as well." Sighing in defeat, Louise raises both of her hands up as if surrendering, revealing that in fact she's holding a few hairbands, "I just wanted to tie your hair though. I'm thinking that maybe some other hairstyles would suit you, Hammann."

"......." -- Hammann gave her a scrutinizing look before giving an exasperated sigh, "Why didn't you say so from the start, Admiral? Your usual antics really got Hammann worried and when you reveal it to be like this, Hammann felt like she worried for nothing..."

Louise simply gave a weak laugh.

"Hammann really have a nice hair, isn't it..."

Louise commented so as she run her hand along Hammann's hair, combing it using her finger carefully; one strand of hair after the other before styling it into a pair of ponytails that runs along Hammann's back, "As I thought, braided ponytail suited you too."

Hammann herself remained silent as she inspected her reflection upon the mirror, as if making sure that Louise is not doing anything to prank her. Upon finding no prank had been done (and the hairstyle to be quite satisfactory by her standard), Hammann simply puffed her humble chest in pride, "Of course. You are talking about Hammann, after all."

"Should we try another hairstyle then?"

Hammann tapped her chin upon the inquiry but eventually decided that no harm would come letting her Admiral indulging her like this. After all, if she did anything strange, Hammann can just smack the daylight out of her without holding anything back. That's always how their relationship works, after all. Both have gotten used to such banter that they're not really holding anything against each other in the case of a prank (or by extension, a violent comeback) were to happen.

One after another, multiple hairstyles were given to Hammann as Louise styled her hair. A simple ponytail, twintails, a hairstyle that reveals her forehead, a high ponytail, and many other hairstyles following. Not many words were spoken during the whole exchange; although Hammann noticed that Louise has been humming as she styles her hair along the way.

".... you seemed to be in a good mood, Admiral. Are you that happy to be able to style Hammann's hair?" -- she inquired, which in turn causes Louise to arch her eyebrow and eventually smiled.

"That's about half of it," Louise answered. "How about the other half?"

"I'm in a good mood because it's been quite peaceful lately," Louise continued, "No needless skirmishes and all that, no Ship Girls returning with injuries and their lives on the line.... just our simply everyday life. I'd honestly ask nothing more than this to continue... days where we could fool around to our hearts' content."

Hammann simply remained silent upon hearing that, but a tiny smile makes its way to her lips as she responded with a small voice, ".... yes, Hammann hope these peaceful days would last for a long time too..."

#Louise Bell #Hammann #Azur Lane

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corrupted-sorrow · 6 years ago

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I'm sorry to bother you but Oumeno-12? It's okay if you don't want to do it, I just love your stuff

It isn´t a bother at all! I love writing these :D Thank you, I´m happy to know!

12 - Is there a wedding? What was the proposal like? Any kind of honeymoon?

(This one will be looooong!)

Yes! And as expected, it was a blast. No, really. You know DICE. They made sure to make the wedding place very trendy and dreamy at the same time to fit the tastes of their boss and their “princess”, too.

But coming back in time a little… About their proposal… Everything started when their class was about to graduate from Hope´s Peak. All of them were also invited to take part on Future Foundation, if they wanted to. Naegi personally went there and revealed he had an interest in some of the 16 soon-to-be graduates. This included Kokichi (Now 18)

“Your leadership skills have grown very much in just three years. Not to mention… Despite being emotionally affected, you were a splendid strategist and a keen observator in V3 Simulator. You would be a great help there, Ouma-kun.”

Kokichi was flattered, even though he didn´t wanted to remember that horrible experience. He really could be a major leader in an important place! However… His smile was gone when he realized… He would have to abandon DICE… And Himiko wasn´t called. Only Shuuichi, Miu, Kiibo and Maki would go with him. What to do…? …………….

“Sorry, Naegi-chan. I´ll have to reject the offer. But thanks for making me look so cool, nishi~”

“E-eh? W-wait! Just like this? Ouma-kun, the Foundation changed very much in the last five years… Me, my former classmates and senpai made a very comfortable environment for all agents, cientists, ultimates… I think you would like it.”

“Hey, that sounds nice for you guys. If it were like a military camp, it would be terrible~ But that´s the truth, I need to stay here. Sorry about it.”

So Kokichi left Naegi behind, pretty sure that he did the right thing. It would be fine. He would graduate and keep making money with some scams, heists and stuff. Having fun until he becomes a true gentleman thief someday! He laughed a bit alone. Not to mention… He wanted to be beside her… The person who matured together with him, both physically and emotionally.

“Yep… I gotta get those rings… I really want her to be my empress… Yeeeah… That´s a truth I definitely like to think about!” - The psychiatric treatment also helped a lot. Of course he never said to the man that he was some sort of chaotic good rogue with merry subordinates. But that´s okay… I guess.

However… As his crew heard the news, they weren´t that happy. Kokichi was confused and asked why the long faces.

“Leader, you know… You should think about your future better. If you want to marry Yume-chan, that is. After all… Of course we have fun, but I think we shouldn´t make extreme moves as of now…” - Said the tallest man with blonde hair.

“Wha… Why? You… You guys want to disband?” - Kokichi trembled.

“Oh, nononono!!! Not at all! Most of us are adults, now! We can drink together, drive the car to everywhere, go to strip clubs and…”

“OKAY, SO WHAT GIVES?” - Kokichi definitely didn´t wanted jokes.

“You… You can be to jail for real if the cops catch you, boss! Don´t you see? Then you might not see Yume-chan again! Your record will be ruined!” - Screamed the twintail girl.

“And you grew a lot… More mature, stronger, taller, smarter… When I remember how scrawny you were… Boss… Of course DICE can continue. We just think you also need to improve your skills, work seriously. You are different from us. That´s why we follow and respect you… And we want your happiness…” - Said the tallest woman.

Kokichi didn´t knew what to answer… He definitely didn´t wanted to date by e-mail and voice chat. He wouldn´t be able to propose. He just went to his room, silently.

And you ask… “Hey, what about Himiko?”. Well… She was also sad, in her room. But she was thinking a completely different thing.

“Nnnaaa… Ouma… He will be far, now… I can work wherever I want to, so I have plenty of time to decide or…. I wouldn´t mind becoming a housewife. I can do both stuff…………………….. But how we will marry if he will be so far away…………….” - So there she was, her face on the desk, daydreaming. She thought he accepted it. But was trying to feel better, thinking about his future.

Next day, they met at the class. Himiko looked down.

“Ouma, you see… This thing of being invited by Future Foundation is pretty nice… They must have even a spa there… Nyehehe…….. A-ahem! So, this is a great opportunity, huh? I am really glad for you. Though… Well, we can trade messages, right?”- She gave a shy smile, playing with her fingers.

“Yumeno-chan, I won´t go.” - Blunt.

“N-nyeh? B-but you can put your leadership in action, get plenty of money, meet some legendary ultimates… I don´t understand……. Ah, of course… It´s a lie, I still get caught, nyehe…”

“Nope, that´s the truth. I need to stay here. I will find another place to lead and get clean money if that´s the case. I´m serious. You know I don´t lie as much as before.”

“Y-yes… B-but then… Um… Why you want to stay?” - Himiko was nervous.

“……….” - He didn´t wanted to spit out his plan of proposal. - “ Cause of DICE, of course!” - And gave that usual smile.

“Nna… I sorta thought that would be the case….. There´s nothing else?”

“Who knows~”

Himiko knew he was plotting something. But what? For one week, she was alert all the time. Which kind of prank it would be? Tenko and Angie were even worried… But finally, the Graduation Day has come. Everyone sat on their places on the gynasium, waiting for the classic speech from the principal. There was something weird… Kokichi, Shuuichi and Rantaro… Where were they?

“Hey, hey… What the hell? Shuuichi is never late! How can he be in such an important day? Harumaki, did you saw th—” Kaito was complaining, until all the lights were out suddenly. “HIAAAAAA!!!!”

Chatter, chatter… A spotlight on the stage… Revealing,,, A flying… Gentleman Phantom Thief?

“THE HELL IS THIS? DID OUMA FINALLY FRIED HIS BALLS?”- From Miu, sure.

“WOOOOW!!! OUMA-KUN IS FLYING!!!” - Gonta, of course.

“T-that´s Ouma-kun, indeed… But why he is wearing the Halloween costume I made last year?” - Tsumugi was very confused.

Some cheered for him, some called him a show-off, some just laughed… Himiko was just watching his boyfriend acting like a circus performer above her. As soon Kokichi made a signal to the stage, the flying movement got slower…. And like in Mission Impossible, he was “floating” in front of Himiko.

“I came to steal your heart, my most beloved lady~ Accept this calling card, yes?” - With a charming smile, he gave her the card with a red rose. Started to rose again, going to the stage.

“N-N-N-NNNaaaa???” - Himiko blushed like a tomato. Heard girls gossiping, swooning… And read [Come right now to the stage. I haven´t finished my work heeere~ Your gorgeous Phantom Thief] “W-what he… Wha… Uh…”

“I wonder… Will my target appear? My, my… Won´t I be able to steal what I want, today? Sob~” - Kokichi acts, talking on the microphone. At this rate, all the boys and girls were getting kinda excited to see what would happen! Himiko took a deeeep breath and made her way in heavy steps to the stage, with her usual angry “OOOOUUUMAAAA!!!”

“Nishishishi~ My target! it´s finally here! Now… I know what to do to steal this cute crystal heart!” - Now he was playing around a bit.

“N-NNNAAAA!!! W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DAY, YOU KNOW? N-NOT TO MENTION EVERYONE IS LOOKING! Y-YOU KNOW I PREFER…” - While she was scolding him, a soft, pink light illuminated the stage. Rose petals scattered from above… Himiko just looked… There was Shuuichi with a bag of said petals. “I can´t believe it…” Himiko felt Kokichi´s hand gently holding hers, looking at him. He took off the hat. His other hand was on his pocket.

“Hey… You know why I decided to refuse that? ……. Yeah…. For DICE, sure… But actually, there´s a main reason…”

“Which… Is…?” - Her heart was like a Heavy Metal band battery.

“You see, Yumeno-chan… I don´t plan to be a Supreme Leader forever… Actually… Maybe something more fitting… Like an emperor! It would be a blast!……………………………. However…… It would be boring if I were alone….. Soooo…. Maybe if I had a empress…..” - And so…. He took out the ring box out of his pocket.

Himiko thought she was going to burst. He was serious. He just made everything more playful, as he usually likes. She smiled widely and laughed a bit, but out of pure joy. Who didn´t knew her well would think she would refuse.

“SO!” - Kokichi put himself in the classic proposal position, on knee. Holding the microphone on one hand and the ring box on another. - “My most beloved Yumeno Himiko-chan… Will you be my empress? Will you let me take your heart? …………………. “ - He made a more serious, but tender tone.”…… Will you marry me?”

The crowd went crazy, hoping to hear a “yes” from Himiko. Many knew it would happen someday. The classmates were really excited to know.

“…….. Only if you let me take YOUR heart with my magic, too. And yes……… I will~~” - She kept smiling more and more, feeling in heaven.

“Fair enough!” - Then instead of putting the rings, he held her for a surprise kiss, which was a bit hidden by his white cape. The crowd applauded, screamed, cried… Soon, the principal showed up, infuriated with Kokichi´s mess. But whoa, it was worth it!

After the ceremony, Kokichi and Himiko put their engagement rings properly.

“You did such a number on there… But… It was fun, actually~”

“Nishishi… As if I would make a boring proposal!”

“Then I wonder about the marriage… Nnnaaa… Will you put some goblin inside the cake?”

“Maaaaybe?”

Nah, he didn´t do anything like that. What happened was… Just after their vows and kiss were done… He threw a smoke bomb, instant changing to his Supreme Leader from DICE clothes, Then, carried Himiko in bridal style, shouting:

“HEY, EVERYONE! THANKS FOR COMING! I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY THE PARTY MY CREW WILL THROW! NOW….. I NEED TO CARRY THIS FUTURE EMPRESS……. TO OUR HONEYMOON!!!” - That said, he just jumped outta the window with Himiko. Everyone, except the few who knew about Kokichi´s plan and helped to organize everything for the travel, were with their mouths down to the floor.

Yeees~ The honeymoon! We are talking about two sweet tooth, which like fantasy and rpg, right? So they went to Europe, to make a tour! Mostly Switzerland and Germany. They enjoyed the well-known chocolate and other candy made with it. Also visited old towns, from centuries ago, but that were like new.

Now, then… Since there´s honeymoon… There´s that, right? Fufufu… Yeah… They had lots of fun and sweet moments of romance… But more importantly… Let´s say they went back to Japan with one very special souvenir, if you get what I mean~

But that´s a story for another time~

#loooooong post #otp ask #ouyume #oumeno #dr headcanon #my headcanon #this actually looks like a fanfiction #but it was worth it #ndrv3 #this is totally au #dr au

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feynavaley · 7 years ago

Text

Hetalia Fanfiction – Chrysalis Ch 10

Summary: Marguerite Williams is a shy, unremarkable Canadian girl. She is used to being ignored, after all, there’s nothing worthy of attention in her, and she didn’t expect anything to change after moving to the US. She certainly didn’t expect a boisterous American boy, an eccentric French neighbour, and a group of quirky teens determined to prove her wrong.

The full chapter is under the cut, use your phone browser if you can’t see it from the app. I hope you’ll enjoy it! <3

Warning: Please do keep in mind that the relationship between canon!America and nyo!Canada isn’t established in canon. Obviously, I’m writing them as unrelated.

———

Chapter Ten

Saying that Wednesday morning hadn’t started well would have been an understatement.

Maggie had barely had a wink of sleep. Having spent the previous afternoon with Alfred, she had ended up going to bed late and completely exhausted (for how much Alfred insisted that what they had reviewed was enough for the Physics test, Maggie wasn’t convinced, and she had indulged in some additional exercises once home) yet sleep had eluded her. She had kept tossing and turning on the bed as a growing soreness had gradually taken hold of her body, seeping from her muscles into her bones and preventing her from finding a comfortable position. In the last few hours, a vicious headache had blossomed behind her temples, making even falling into a light slumber short of impossible.

Finally surrendering to evidence that she wasn’t going to get any more rest, Maggie dragged herself to a sitting position with a tired sigh, wavering when a wave of dizziness washed over her.

‘Low blood pressure sucks.’

Gritting her teeth, Maggie forced herself to ignore the bout of weakness and got out of the bed, leaving the blankets pooling behind her. She soon mourned the warm shelter they had offered as the icy air hit her skin, making goosebumps rise all over her arms.

It hadn’t been so cold the previous day… had the temperatures suddenly dropped?

Sighing, Maggie wrapped a plaid around her shoulders and staggered to the bathroom, the light-headedness and general weakness stubbornly refusing to leave her. Even worse, a slight sense of nausea was starting to blossom at the pit of her stomach. Maybe the problem wasn’t external temperatures…

“I’m not sick,” Maggie declared out loud, frowning.

The wan face in the mirror stared back at her sceptically, the only glint of colour given by a faint blush over her cheekbones and a pair of too bright eyes.

‘I’m not sick.’

She couldn’t afford to, the Physics test was too important to miss.

Maggie was forced to reconsider some moments later, when the floor seemed to tilt as she got out of the shower, forcing her to grab the sink for support. There was no denying it, she was sick. She should have expected it, too, it was the right season, and spending two entire afternoons with a sick person wasn’t going to help.

‘What was I thinking?’

A memory of the happy glint in Alfred’s eyes was enough to smother any flicker of regret. Maggie would just have to deal with it, like many other times before.

After swallowing a tablet of Tylenol, she staggered unsteadily back to her room, her eyes automatically falling on the lock screen of her phone on the side table. It was thirteen past six. Still early. The blankets looked warm and inviting, and the mattress, that had felt hard as a rock before, promised to be fluffy as a cloud.

Maggie resolutely turned her eyes from it, walking towards the closet. If the Tylenol started working and she fell asleep, she would never be able to get up again. She instead started the unpleasant task of dressing up for the day, stopping herself just barely from putting on two pairs of leggings – no matter what her feverish mind was telling her, it wasn’t that cold. November had just begun, she would stop feeling chilled to the bone as soon as the fever went down along with the headache, hopefully.

Still tying the ribbon around her left twintail, Maggie tiptoed downstairs. The house was enveloped by silence, she would probably have time to cook both breakfast and lunch before Steve woke up. Her stomach, however, reacted to the mere thought with a painful twist that forced her to stop walking and press a hand against her abdomen to quell the rising nausea. A cup of tea would be enough.

Maggie had just poured the hot water into a mug when shuffled steps behind her shoulders made her stiffen. They were too light to belong to Steve.

Maggie turned around just as Claudia walked into the kitchen.

The young woman looked still half-asleep, her curly hair hung messily around her head and she was brushing her eyes with a wrist as she barely fought off a yawn. She was wearing a single clothing item, a flannel shirt belonging to Steve.

Maggie blushed and diverted her eyes, her stomach tightening at the thought of what that attire implied.

“Good morning,” she murmured.

Claudia froze, blinking owlishly.

“Oh…” she whispered before shaking herself. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t seen you… good morning.”

With more care, she walked to the table and sank down into a chair as Maggie pretended to be still occupied with the tea filter.

“I didn’t know you were sleeping here,” Claudia stated after a moment of silence.

Maggie’s only answer was a neutral hum. Steve and Claudia must have gotten home the previous evening while she had been showering or drying her hair because she hadn’t heard them, but she had definitely realized that they were home after that. She doubted that pointing it out would have been polite, however.

“Eh… would you like something for breakfast? Coffee, tea…? I can make some pancakes, there’s some maple syrup left from Canada…” she said instead.

Claudia had been barely introduced to her, but since she apparently was Steve’s girlfriend, Maggie should at least be civil with her.

“Oh… oh, why not, thanks! Coffee and pancakes would be perfect. That’s nice of you!” Claudia answered after a moment, blinking in surprise.

Once again, Maggie simply hummed as she took out the ingredients for the pancake mix. She had to give her back to Claudia to cook, but she could feel the woman’s eyes follow her every movement, making her stomach coil.

When Maggie finally turned with the food in her hands, Claudia was leaning her head on right her hand, staring at her with an oddly pensive expression.

“Thank you,” was all she said as she accepted the mug and the plate, straightening up.

Maggie wanted nothing more than take her mug and run upstairs, but that would have been rude, so she sat down in front of Claudia, trying to even out her breathing.

“Aren’t you eating?” Claudia asked, her eyebrows raising.

Maggie shrugged.

“I’m not hungry,” she answered in a whisper, tightening her hold around the mug.

The ill feeling in her stomach seemed to increase tenfold under Claudia’s blatant stare.

The woman’s lips thinned in disapproval, but instead of commenting, she focused on her breakfast. Maggie imitated her, lowering her eyes as she took a sip of tea. The warm liquid pleasantly slid down her throat, warming her up from the inside, but it did nothing to quell the churning of her stomach.

‘I should say something.’

Maggie’s silence was certainly unwelcoming, but her brain was stubbornly empty. She didn’t know anything about Claudia, not even her age (and she didn’t look a day over thirty, so much younger than Steve…) or profession, making the thought of small talk unbearably awkward.

The silence was unexpectedly broken by Claudia’s exclamation.

“Hey, these are good! Whoa. These pancakes are even better than my mother’s ones…”

She offered Maggie a surprised yet genuine smile, making her blush.

“It—it’s just pancakes,” Maggie stammered, playing around her mug. “But thanks…”

She bit her lower lip as she frantically looked for something to say, but the situation didn’t change, and the headache still faintly pulsing behind her temples wasn’t helping.

‘This is so awkward…’

Maggie’s thoughts had started shifting to making up an excuse to get back to her room without sounding rude, when a sigh from the other side of the table caught her attention.

Claudia lowered the cutlery on her empty plate, staring at Maggie in determination.

“Look,” she said, her voice surprisingly austere. “I know that this isn’t my business and it has nothing to do with me, but you’re just a kid, and Steve is worried for you.”

Maggie clenched her hands around the mug, staring at Claudia as confusion tightened her chest. That was coming out of nowhere.

Claudia took a deep breath and ran her hand through her curls before talking again.

“God, this is awkward… but listen, I know what you’re thinking, okay? You’re what, sixteen? I get it, I’ve been that age too. I’m not blaming you, I know that you’re convinced you’re mature and sensible and aware of what you’re doing, but you aren’t, okay? For how adult you may feel, you’re still a kid. It’s so easy for a real adult to manipulate you, even if you think you’ve got everything under control… And I know that you cannot see the consequences, but they’re still here, okay? For you and for him, too. Things would get ugly real fast if somebody got to know it, you’re underage for God’s sake…”

“I’m sorry,” Maggie cut in as her heart rate started increasing. “But I have no idea of what you’re talking about…”

The only thing she was sure of was that it wasn’t anything good…

Claudia took another deep breath and placed her hands flat on the table, looking at Maggie straight in the eyes.

“Why are you denying it? I know everything, stop playing dumb!”

Annoyance was seeping through Claudia’s voice, making Maggie’s stomach flip, but she still couldn’t figure out what it was about. The headache wasn’t helping.

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what you’re trying to get at. What did I do wrong?”

Maggie had lost count of all the times she had lied to Steve in the past month, but he surely wasn’t aware of that, or he would have confronted her about it. And how would Claudia know, anyway? It had to be something else…

Claudia huffed, rolling her eyes.

“Okay, if this is what you want… no beating around the bush, then. I know that you’re banging your French neighbour.”

The words hit Maggie like a punch in the gut. She couldn’t find any reply, her brain struggling to grasp what Claudia had just implied. She must have heard wrong, a corner of her mind was whispering. How could anybody…

Misunderstanding her shock, Claudia kept talking.

“Were you truly thinking that nobody was going to notice? Come on, it’s plain obvious! Why would you spend so much time there, otherwise? Believe me, I understand: that man is unbelievably hot. A bit too delicate for my tastes, I prefer manlier men, but I get that it must be fascinating for a girl your age. And I’ve been told that he’s really good in bed – but that’s not the point here. Now, I don’t know if you were the one who made the first move or if he likes grooming young girls, but—”

Hearing those accusations against Francis made Maggie’s blood boil, giving her back her voice.

“Francis would never do that!” she hissed, slamming the mug on the table with enough force to spill some tea.

Claudia gasped, but Maggie didn’t care. Not after what she had said.

“How can you even… how do you dare to say this? You don’t even know Francis at all, how can you make such a serious accusation so lightly?! He has never laid a finger on me. And I don’t care how handsome he might be, he’s old enough to be my father! I’m not… I would never, ever think about him that way! I’m not going to have sex around, let alone with an adult man, it would even be statutory rape!”

Claudia was gaping at her. Maggie realized with an unpleasant pang to her stomach that she had gotten overboard, but she found out she didn’t care. Hearing Francis’s incredible kindness repaid that way was making her feel sick.

“Oh…” Claudia muttered feebly, “So you didn’t…”

She looked confused enough to make Maggie start to regret yelling.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have raised my voice,” she said, taking a deep breath to calm her thundering heart. “But… how could you even think that? I mean…”

Her voice drifted off as Maggie found herself unable to express her disgust without getting angry a second time. The mere thought of what Claudia had believed was making her skin crawl.

“Well, sixteen is the age of consent in Canada,” Claudia answered with a helpless shrug, “So I thought it wouldn’t be out of the question for you… but why are you always at his place, then?”

Maggie took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger clawing at her stomach.

“First of all, I’m fourteen,” she stated dryly, “but that’s beside the point. I clean for Francis. And he gives me money, so Steve doesn’t have to pay for everything. And he’s the only opportunity I have to speak French – which, since you know so much about Canada, you should also know is important for me since I grew up bilingual.”

“But you sleep at his house!” Claudia pointed out, her eyes still wide. Still unconvinced.

A ball of rage blossomed inside Maggie’s chest, not helped by the headache. She could almost feel her last tendrils of patience snapping. At the same time, the last rational part of her mind reminded her that she couldn’t be rude to Steve’s girlfriend, and for how insulting her words were, she might have reasons for her belief.

“Well, I thought that somebody might appreciate having the house free,” Maggie snapped, jerking up from the chair. “And I have to go now, I don’t want to be late for school. Have a good day.”

Without sparing another glance at Claudia, Maggie strode out of the kitchen, ignoring both a wave of dizziness at the too sudden movement and the voice calling her back.

Her head was pounding and her stomach churning, Maggie wanted nothing but to crawl back under the blankets and black out. Seeing how the day had started, she certainly didn’t feel staying to see how it went on – but she couldn’t give up like that. She couldn’t start crying over herself only because she had been told something offensive, she was probably just feeling too irritable because she was sick and the way Alyssa kept mocking her at school in a similar fashion was making her oversensitive to the topic.

Maggie was aware that she had gone overboard with Claudia. In spite of everything, she couldn’t bring herself to completely forgive the woman. This wasn’t only about her – Francis was involved as well. She couldn’t tolerate people spreading lies about Francis.

She tried to take some time to calm down her racing heart as she checked her Physics notes before gathering everything and silently getting out of the house, without stopping to say goodbye to Claudia who had moved to the living room.

Going away earlier than usual turned out to be a small blessing. In spite of the Tylenol, Maggie was still feeling light-headed and her legs were weak and unsteady, forcing her to slow down her pace. It was more than thirty minutes before she finally reached the school, dizzy and chilled to the bone in spite of the physical exertion. She needed to use all her willpower to part from the coat, but for how cold she was, she didn’t want anybody else to worry.

The day had just started, and she was already looking forward to when it would be over.

A pair of strong arms snaked around Maggie’s waist from behind, startling her, but the laughter that rang in her ears was familiar.

“And the Hero is finally back!” Alfred declared, tightening his hold before letting her free.

Maggie turned to him, the tightness around her chest finally loosening. Alfred had been well on his way to recovery the previous day, and he looked completely back to his lively self.

“Feeling patriotic, are we?” he commented lightly, pointing at the red maple leaf printed on the front of Maggie’s white hoodie.

Maggie shrugged – she was wearing that hoodie only because it was among the warmest ones she owned – but Alfred looked so thrilled at being finally out of home that he didn’t seem to notice it and started dragging her across the corridor, unable to control the bounce in his steps.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Maggie declared softly.

The day had suddenly taken a turn for the better.

“Hey, a mere cold won’t keep the Hero down for long!” Alfred remarked, ignoring how he had been complaining to be on his deathbed just two days earlier.

The thought brought a smile to Maggie’s lips. If anything, somebody was in a good mood.

Alfred was probably the only one, when the two were reached by Natalya and Tolys – Feliks was on the mend, but his mother had decided to keep him home – both seemed unnerved by the imminent test. Even Natalya was grumpier than usual. For how much Alfred kept insisting that the test was going to be a walk in the breeze and she shouldn’t worry, Maggie was feeling more and more satisfied with her choice of reviewing a bit more.

To make matters worse, her headache was coming back with vengeance, accompanied by pangs of nausea and the intense cold that refused to leave her. Maggie considered herself lucky to manage to finish the test, even if she didn’t keep looking over possible mistakes until the last moment – the numbers seemed to swirl in front of her eyes, she was just afraid of making a further mess. Her unusual action earned a quizzical glance from Alfred, who, as usual, had finished the test before everybody else, but he didn’t have the time to investigate on it as Tolys dragged him away for their following period, which was in another wing of the school.

It was better that way. The concern clouding Alfred’s impossibly blue eyes clenched Maggie’s chest, but hopefully, she would have managed to get her act together by lunchtime. She had to – she even had hockey in the afternoon, and that was shaping up to be a problem, seeing how even the walk to the English class left her lightheaded and almost out of breath.

Halfway into the English period, Maggie had to surrender to the evidence that her health wasn’t magically going to take a turn for the better. The nausea at the pit of her stomach was starting to develop in unpleasant cramps, the headache and shivers were unrelenting. Mr Bronson’s voice, usually so lively, sounded flat, as if he were reading from a vocabulary instead of a literature manual. Maggie was finding it quite hard to focus on his words.

With a moan, she let her head fall on the desk, pressing a hand against her complaining stomach as she kept stubbornly taking notes with the other.

Natalya turned towards her, a slight frown marring her forehead.

“Are you all right?”

Her sceptical frown didn’t ease after Maggie’s weak nod.

“Of course you are. That’s why you’re lying on your desk and clutching your stomach.” After that sharp remark, however, Natalya’s expression softened. “Period?”

Maggie shook her head, shuddering. Thank God it wasn’t her period. She had been lucky enough to miss it since she had moved, but that would’ve been even more painful and harder to hide.

“Just a headache. It’s making me nauseous,” she admitted.

Natalya frowned again.

“Do you want anything? I have some Advil, but I don’t know if it would actually help with your stomach…”

She was already bent over her bag, but Maggie stopped her.

“Thanks, but I’m fine. I took some Tylenol, six hours aren’t over yet… and I think I’m just tired, anyway. I haven’t been sleeping so well lately…”

The excuse didn’t seem to convince Natalya, who kept staring at Maggie with an odd expression that almost looked vaguely concerned.

“Sleep, then,” she said at last.

Maggie jerked up.

“What?”

Natalya huffed.

“You look like you’re about to pass out. Seriously, do you think that forcing yourself to pay attention is going to make you feel any better? It isn't like anybody will notice if you take a nap… I could wake you up, anyway. And if it’s the notes you’re worrying about, I can lend you mine.”

The offer was tempting, and Natalya’s kindness was even more touching – but quite embarrassing, as well. Natalya already considered Maggie pathetic, she wasn’t going to add fuel to the fire.

“Thank you, really. That’s very nice of you… but you don’t have to. I’ll be fine.”

Out of sheer willpower, Maggie managed to get to lunchtime awake and with all the notes, even if half of them were most likely illegible – she made a mental note to check as soon as she got home, when the material was still fresh in her mind.

The bell’s ringing pierced her temples like a screwdriver, yet, it was heavenly music to Maggie’s ears. For forty minutes, she wouldn’t have to worry about paying attention to classes or anything else.

The floor wavered as Maggie stood up, and Natalya promptly grabbed her arm.

“You aren't fine. You should go home,” Natalya declared sharply.

Before either of them could say anything else, Alfred and Tolys called them from the doorway. Maggie took it as a chance to free herself from Natalya’s grip. Her legs felt like jelly and her head was spinning, but she wasn’t going to faint or worry somebody else. For once, however, Alfred’s automatic gesture of taking her bag was more welcome than embarrassing.

“Are you all right? You don’t look so good,” Alfred asked, his eyebrows raising.

“I’m fine, just a bit tired. I just didn’t get much sleep last night, you know, I was worried about the test…” Maggie answered for the umpteenth time, forcing herself to keep her body rigid to avoid trembling.

In spite of not looking convinced, nobody commented as they headed towards their lunchroom, with Alfred complaining because his father had forbidden him to participate in the gym class but hadn’t agreed to take him home earlier. Maggie was listening to him only in part, too preoccupied with trying to find a believable excuse for why she wouldn’t eat – there was no way she could manage to keep down anything, her stomach was churning with nausea. She hadn’t found a solution by the time they reached the lunchroom and she finally slid down to the floor, her head spinning.

“Whoa Maggie, you’re shivering.”

At Alfred’s words, she forced herself still, but it didn’t help with the chilling sensation that had enveloped her.

“It’s so cold here…”

Alfred frowned. Behind the glasses, his usually bright eyes were clouded by a glint of concern.

“Yeah, it’s cold, the radiator’s broken,” he said, sliding down next to Maggie. “But it’s nothing new. You’ve never been bothered by this before…”

“Are you sure you’re all right?” asked Tolys, crouching down next to her.

“I’m just cold…” muttered Maggie, the voice sounding faint even to her own ears.

Alfred took a deep breath, but a small shake of Tolys’s head stopped him before he could talk. Sighing, Alfred wrapped his arm around Maggie’s shoulders, holding her against his side.

Maggie stiffened, but immediately after her brain registered the pleasant warmth that seeped from Alfred’s body. Like a starving child, she found herself pressing against him, resting her head on his shoulder. A remote part of Maggie’s brain made her stomach twist, reminding her that she was taking too many liberties, but the rest of her was too sore and chilled to care. Closing her eyes, she let herself sink for a moment in the pleasant sensation.

Maggie vaguely heard the door being opened, followed by Feliciano’s voice, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying, her mind was drifting away…

She didn’t even realize when she finally surrendered to sleep. The next thing she was aware of was a soft, cool hand brushing her forehead before sliding down to her neck.

Maggie gasped, instinctively trying to jerk back as her eyelids snapped open. Something tightened around her, preventing her from getting up.

Another moment passed before Maggie’s panicked brain realized that the culprit was Alfred’s arm. She was still curled against the boy’s side, who was looking at her, frowning, while Kiku was crouched in front of her, his right hand hovering over her face.

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention to scare you,” Kiku stated softly, tilting his head.

Maggie nodded automatically. Her brain felt filled with wool, she still couldn’t understand what was going on.

“How are you feeling?” asked Alfred, concern seeping through his voice.

It was at that moment that Maggie realized the answer wasn’t a positive one. She was weak and sore to the bone, her limbs were like jelly. A vicious headache throbbing behind her temples and a slight sense of nausea completed the grim picture, but…

Suddenly, she registered that Alfred and Kiku weren’t the only occupants of the room. Everybody seemed to be present, all the eyes were fixed on her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she squealed, trying to wriggle out of Alfred’s hold, but he only tightened it in response. “I… I fell asleep, didn’t I? I didn’t mean to, I… I’m really, really sorry, I…”

Nobody seemed annoyed, however, Maggie could only see concern in the faces staring down at her.

“You’re ill, you have a fever,” declared Kiku.

Maggie sighed, unwillingly relaxing as she realized that there was no point in denying the evidence.

“Yes, it’s true. I did have a bit of a fever this morning. But it’s nothing bad, I think it’s just…”

Alfred huffed. Without any warning, he slid an arm under Maggie’s knees and tightened his hold around her back before standing up, with the girl in his arms.

“Alfred!”

Maggie’s surprised brain failed to connect with her limbs. She wanted to get out of Alfred’s hold, but could only gape at him.

“You’re sick, you need to go to the infirmary,” Alfred declared firmly, “And that’s where I’m taking you.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. The infirmary is fine, I wouldn’t need to but I’ll go. Fine. But I can walk on my own! Al!”

“Nope!” Alfred remarked cheerfully, “You could barely stay on your feet earlier, you shouldn’t walk. But don’t worry, the Hero will take care of it!”

“Al, please…”

In spite of her protests, Maggie was aware that she was fighting a losing battle, Alfred was too stubborn for her. As she was expecting, he ignored her feeble words and strode out of the room, with the others following in an odd procession. Ludwig was holding her bag – Maggie sent him an imploring glance behind Alfred’s shoulder, but Ludwig didn’t seem intentioned to intervene. And neither did anybody else.

Maggie found herself paralyzed. Why did Alfred have to be like that? She knew he only wanted to help, but he didn’t seem to be realizing the situation he was landing Maggie in. Lunchtime was almost over, people were roaming around the corridors, and Alfred with a girl in his arms made every head turn. Even worse, making a scene to force Alfred to put her down would only bring more attention to them. There was nothing Maggie could do.

The dread coiling her stomach only increased when she caught a glimpse of Alyssa’s face, turning from shocked to furious as she witnessed the scene. Maggie whimpered, hiding her face against Alfred’s neck.

Why always me?

“Wow, you’re really burning up,” Alfred noted, tightening his hold. “But don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

Maggie didn’t answer. She knew that Alfred meant well and it was proof of his caring for her so she should be grateful, but her brain couldn’t get over how mortifying the entire situation was. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the calming rhythm of Alfred’s footsteps.

“Here we are,” Alfred announced along with the startled exclamation of a voice Maggie didn’t recognize.

She raised her eyes to see a stocky middle-aged woman walking towards them, her wrinkly face set in determination.

“What happened?” the school nurse asked in a raspy but not unkind voice.

“She has a headache, a fever, and she fell asleep during lunch. She was also shivering a lot, even if it wasn’t too cold,” Alfred reported before Maggie could even think about saying something.

The nurse gave a click of her tongue.

“Of course. Looks like the flu or a bad cold, there’s everything around now that it’s getting colder. I’ve already had to send home five people today. Follow me.”

The nurse led them towards a row of beds at the other extremity of the room, where Alfred finally let go of Maggie, lowering her down on the mattress. Without wasting a moment, the nurse offered her a thermometer that Maggie obediently set in her mouth, not keen on bothering a person who clearly had a lot in her hands.

“It was nice of you to come with her, but that’s hardly an excuse to miss your classes. Go back before the break is over,” the nurse commanded in a stern voice that left no space for objections.

Everybody started leaving after offering goodbyes, with Ludwig as the last after setting Maggie’s bag at the feet of the bed.

Maggie was scarlet in embarrassment, but the twist in her chest as her eyes lingered on the retreating backs wasn’t completely unpleasant. She simply couldn’t wrap her mind around the notion that so many people were interested in her well-being.

“When I said ‘everybody’, that included you as well!”

Only at the nurse’s reproach, Maggie realized with a startled gasp that Alfred, instead of leaving, was sitting on a chair next to the bed.

“Yeah, but I would have PE right now and I have a justification,” he answered quickly, looking at the nurse with his best puppy eyes. “I was sick yesterday so Dad thought it would be better if I skipped it. I mean, I guess I could go to the library and study a bit, but… can I stay, please?”

The concern in his voice was so genuine the nurse’s features softened.

“Oh well, if the young lady here doesn’t mind…” she sighed, approaching Maggie as the thermometer beeped.

The nurse took the device, frowning when her eyes focused on it.

“102.28…”

Alfred gasped as Maggie looked down at her lap, wringing her hands.

“That’s pretty high. Do you want to call home, sweetheart?”

Maggie shook her head, her stomach twisting at the mere thought.

“My stepdad is at work… Can’t I stay here until it’s time to go home?”

Alfred took a deep breath, but the nurse preceded him.

“That’s fine with me – as long as somebody picks up afterwards. I’m not letting you go home alone with such a fever, have I been clear?”

Maggie bit her lower lip, finally raising her head to face the nurse. What excuse could she find? She couldn’t call Steve just to have him pick her up from school…

“Dad is picking me up, we can drive her home,” Alfred intervened.

“Oh, no!” Maggie answered automatically, turning to him. “You don’t have to, I mean…”

For how much her chest felt tight at the thought of bothering Arthur again, however, it would have been a perfect arrangement, and the determined glint in Alfred’s eyes clearly told her that moving him wouldn’t have been easy.

“No, I don’t have to,” he said, “But guess what? I want to. You’re sick, and you need a lift. Dad is coming to pick me up, so driving you home as well won’t be a problem. Easy, right?”

Maggie nodded, unable to counter his words. Her head was spinning, shivers running down her spine.

“Well… thank you, then. Really, thanks a lot.”

“This is settled, then,” declared the nurse, “Lie down, I’ll get you a blanket.”

Her voice filled the room as she walked away.

“Do you need anything else? Do you have a headache, nausea? I can’t give you any medicine, it’s school policy, but I can give you a cold compress. That would probably be for the best, with that fever…”

Forgetting that the nurse couldn’t see her, Maggie shook her head as she lay down. Both the headache and the nausea that was still bothering her stomach seemed minor in front of the thought of a warm blanket and a nap. There was nothing else she could ask for.

Alfred helped her untie her boots, his forehead creased with concern.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing,” Maggie mumbled as she curled on her side, shivering.

A moment later, two blankets were spread over her trembling frame.

Alfred was talking to the nurse, reporting both Maggie’s answers to her questions and his own scepticism, but Maggie could barely make out his word. A hand laid a cool cloth on her forehead – unpleasant, but at the same time, Maggie’s throbbing temples seemed to beg for it, so she didn’t complain and let herself be lulled to sleep by the whispered conversation in the background.

Some time later, Maggie came back to her senses as a hand shook her shoulder. Her sleep-filled eyes needed some moments before focusing on Alfred’s shape, bent over her.

“Oh, you’re awake,” he said as he straightened up, his voice laced with relief. “How are you feeling?”

Maggie slowly dragged herself to a sitting position, never relinquishing her hold on the blankets. She blinked a couple of times, trying to assess the situation.

“Better,” she answered in the end, offering Alfred a weak smile.

Only a ghost of the previous headache was still lingering behind her forehead, and the nausea wasn’t as bad anymore. When she finally let the blankets pool around her, the cold air made her shiver, but it was bearable.

Alfred smiled back, his features relaxing.

“It’s time to go, Dad is waiting outside.”

Only at that moment, Maggie registered that Alfred was wearing his coat and his backpack was slung over his shoulder. A further inspection revealed Maggie’s school bag, gym bag, and coat at the feet of her bed.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she realized what that meant – but Alfred looked calm.

“I had to ask for the combination of your locker, but I had a note from the nurse so they gave it to me,” he explained, his shoulders squared with pride. “I even went to your French teacher to get your homework! I mean, you should be resting instead of worrying about it, but you being you…”

The tension washed off Maggie’s body, leaving her light-headed with relief. Alyssa must have been smart enough to realize that somebody else might open her locker so she hadn’t slipped in any new notes, and Maggie hid the old ones every day to be sure that nobody would see them. Alfred hadn’t noticed anything.

“Thank you,” she whispered earnestly, smiling as she put on her shoes.

“You sure you can walk?” Alfred asked anxiously, but carrying both his backpack and the bag with Maggie’s hockey gear he had no room left for the girl, so he was forced to believe her when she nodded.

Maggie wasn’t even lying – while her limbs felt light jelly and the light-headedness gave muffled edges to her surroundings, walking for a bit was hardly an issue.

Arthur was waiting for them out of the car, almost in front of the school’s gate, his brow knitted in concern. His grim expression softened when he spotted Maggie walking on her own.

“I guess that I should have expected it,” he sighed as they got into the car, “as they say, ‘what goes around comes around.’ Forgive me, I shouldn’t have let you spend so much time with Alfred when he was sick.”

“Oh, I don’t even think it’s the same virus,” Maggie answered promptly, seeing the way Alfred’s features had tightened at his father’s words. “And I—”

“Don’t you dare apologize for this,” Arthur interrupted her sharply, tightening his hold around the wheel. “Maggie, driving you home doesn’t cause me any kind of annoyance. I was already driving, it’s just a couple of minutes. First of all, you are a friend of Alfred’s, so I’m glad to help any time you need anything. Besides, you have cooked for us, kept him company, and collected his homework for the last two days. Do you really think that, after this, giving you a lift home would be a problem?”

Arthur’s words sounded absolutely logical. Maggie knew that she didn’t deserve his kindness, but her tired brain could find no words to refute his argument, so she kept quiet for the rest of the way, only answering when Arthur asked her some questions.

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Arthur asked again as Maggie got off the car, refusing his help to carry the hockey bag.

Arthur’s eyes lingered over the dark window of Maggie’s living room.

Maggie smiled at him, understanding his concern.

“Yes. I’m not feeling too bad, and Steve will be back in a bit. He’s going to be home if I need anything.”

There was nothing true in that sentence. Steve would be home late, but it didn’t matter, he wouldn’t be of any help anyway. Maggie was used to it: for how unpleasant the illness might be, she would take care of herself.

******

Alfred wasn’t worried. It would’ve been more correct to say he was beside himself with concern. That morning, Maggie hadn’t shown up at school, and Alfred didn’t believe that she was ‘mostly fine, with just a slight fever’ as she had claimed in a text message. Her fever had been too high the previous day for her to miraculously feel better, and Alfred knew for certain that Maggie was going to dismiss her illness to prevent everybody else from worrying. Even worse, she had nobody who could take care of her, since her stepfather was at work.

That was the reason Alfred hadn’t wasted a single moment after getting out of school and was now standing in front of Maggie’s house.

Some unbearably long moments after he had rung the bell, light steps reached the door, that was finally opened. Maggie gaped at Alfred, her eyes wide with surprise.

She was probably in her pyjamas, a white long-sleeved t-shirt with a red maple leaf on the front that reached her mid-thigh and a pair of red leggings decorated with a pattern of small white maple leaves. Her hair was loose, caressing her back in shiny waves. The simple, extraordinary beauty of that vision made Alfred’s heart skip a beat – but at the same time, Maggie’s usually red lips were bloodless on her pasty face, the blush on her cheekbones was too intense and her pale lilac eyes unnaturally bright.

“Alfred?” Maggie asked feebly.

Alfred realized that she was leaning against the doorframe and slight tremors shook her body.

“Jesus, you look awful!” he blurted out.

Maggie lowered her head.

“I’m sorry…” she said in a faint whisper that made Alfred’s stomach twist.

Why had he said that? He knew that he had to be careful with Maggie…

“Ugh, sorry. I worded that badly. I mean, not ‘awful’ as in… ‘ugly’. I meant that… I mean, you look like you’re feeling awful. Like you’re really sick.”

Maggie’s lips curled into a faint smile at that.

“Well, I am sick. But… why are you here?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? You’re home alone, aren’t you? And you’re sick. But have no fear, the Hero is going to take care of you!”

At least, that was Alfred’s intent, but Maggie didn’t look as relieved as he was hoping. She gaped at him, confusion still shining in her eyes.

“Al…” she muttered, “that’s… I mean, that’s so nice of you, I don’t know how to thank you but really, there’s no need…”

Her words were contradicted when her body wavered.

“You should be lying down,” Alfred declared, stepping inside.

Maggie looked about to protest, but he didn’t leave her enough time to do it. With a single, smooth movement, he dropped his backpack and took off his coat to wrap it around the slight frame before lifting her in his arms. Maggie squealed in surprise, automatically clinging to his neck.

“Alfred! I can walk!”

Alfred knew that she was going to react that way, but he didn’t care. Maggie could walk to her bedroom, that much was true, but she was clearly feeling awful and he didn’t mind carrying her for a bit, she wasn’t too heavy.

Alfred was halfway across the hallway before he realized he didn’t know where he should go. It was the first time he went inside Maggie’s house, but he swallowed down the pang of curiosity: it wasn’t the right time to explore it.

“Where’s your bedroom?”

“Upstairs, on the right.”

Maggie’s voice was laced with resignation, and she had laid her head on Alfred’s shoulder instead of trying to squirm out of his hold. For how much Alfred wanted to be happy that she was accepting his help, the most rational part of his brain told him that it was quite worrisome.

Following Maggie’s instructions, he walked past the living room (were those beer bottles toppled on the floor next to the sofa?) and upstairs to Maggie’s bedroom.

He didn’t have the time for more than a glimpse, but the room was small and tidy, almost bare. The only hint of disorder – or that a person was living inside that room, actually – was the unmade blankets on the bed where Alfred deposited Maggie, next to an adorable polar bear plushie that brought a smile to his lips. He took care of tucking Maggie in before she could sit up – he knew that she was going to do that.

“Al, I’m serious,” Maggie protested, “You’re… you’re incredibly kind and I could never, ever thank you enough for this, but there’s no need for you to be here. Really, you don’t have to…”

Alfred beamed at her.

“No, I don’t have to. But see, I’m here because I want to. Do you get it? Don’t worry about anything, ‘kay? I’ll take care of you!”

Maggie didn’t look completely convinced, she was staring at him with worried eyes, but Alfred considered the discussion over. Maggie clearly needed help, she was going to understand that he meant every word he had said – hopefully, sooner than later. She could understand his reasoning, after all, she had spent the previous two days taking care of Alfred, he was merely going to return the favour.

Now, all he needed to figure out was how. He wasn’t exactly familiar with being sick, he had never paid too much attention to what Dad did when he was…

Oh, right. The fever.

First of all, he needed to check Maggie’s fever – which looked quite high, judging from the heavy blush on her cheeks. Alfred laid a hand against her forehead, brushing back her bangs. He gasped at the heat that prickled his skin.

“You’re burning up!”

Maggie offered him a weak smile.

“You were outside until a moment ago, your hands are cold… it isn't so bad, really.”

Alfred sank his teeth into his lower lip. Maggie’s words made sense, and he remembered her checking with her lips the previous day for the same reason – the thought made something strange stir in his stomach. He wasn’t sure that he would be able to actually tell something by simply reciprocating the gesture, however. How much hot was too hot?

His eyes fell on a thermometer on the side table.

“Problem solved!” he declared with a triumphant grin. “Open up!”

“Al, really, I don’t—”

Alfred, however, wasn’t going to cave in, and he took advantage of the moment to stick the device in Maggie’s mouth. In spite of the dirty glare she sent him, Maggie didn’t protest anymore.

Not wanting to keep silent, Alfred started telling her about the day until the thermometer beeped. He snatched it before Maggie could, his eyes darting to the screen.

“39.6,” he read out loud, his brow furrowing in confusion, “is it broken?”

A tired chuckle seeped through Maggie’s lips.

“No, it’s just in Celsius. And it isn't too bad, seriously, you don’t have to worry.”

“If you say so…”

Maggie’s waxen face and her visible weakness weren’t a positive indication, but Alfred had no way to check if she was telling the truth without taking back his phone from downstairs.

“Do you want to take something? For the fever, I mean,” he asked, unsure of how to proceed.

Maggie shook her head.

“I took some Tylenol three hours ago, it’s still too early for another dose…”

Alfred remembered something like that. What could he do to make her feel better, then? A cold compress, maybe? He longed to check what that fever meant in Fahrenheit, the strong suspicion that Maggie had lied to him was making his stomach twist unpleasantly…

The backpack, however, reminded him of something else.

“Hey, did you eat anything?”

Maggie certainly didn’t look well enough to cook, and her stepfather… anger surged in Alfred’s chest at the thought. How could he leave his child alone when she was so plainly sick? Alfred knew that not everybody was lucky enough to have a parent who worked from home, but Dad had always rearranged any eventual appointment to stay with Alfred, the rare times he had fallen ill…

Maggie shook her head.

“No, but—”

The anger swiftly turned into concern.

“No wonder you’re so weak, then! But don’t worry, I’ve got everything covered!”

Actually, Feliciano had been the one who had cooked the broth closed in a box inside Alfred’s backpack – but Alfred had asked him to, so he could at least share the merits.

Maggie’s eyes widened in alarm.

“No, Al, I’m serious, I didn’t eat because—”

Alfred didn’t let her go on. He knew how Maggie was, so unwilling to accept any favour, but she was too sick, he couldn’t let her win.

“Don’t move, I’ll be right back!”

Alfred ran out of the room and downstairs, taking the box out of his backpack before throwing it over his shoulder. Only at that moment, he realized the hole in his plan: the broth needed heating… but he didn’t want to give Maggie another opportunity to protest by asking her where the kitchen was. Looking around, he spotted a closed door after a short corridor at his right. Could that be the kitchen?

A quick exploration confirmed his deduction. The room was airy and bright, but plainly in need of cleaning: crumbles decorated the floor and the wooden table, and a pile of dirty dishes occupied the sink. There were three empty cans of beer on the counter, too.

Alfred found himself frowning, unable to tear his eyes from the sight. Maggie was too sick to clean, but it looked like her stepfather did nothing at all… which wasn’t his main concern, at the moment.

Shaking himself, Alfred spotted the microwave and hurried to heat up the broth. Feliciano had had the foresight to give him a spoon as well, so he didn’t need to waste other time looking for one.

Two minutes later, Alfred was walking back to Maggie’s bedroom.

“And the Hero is back, with the supper in tow!” he announced cheekily as he got in, dropping the backpack on the floor.

Maggie stared at him, faint wrinkles of concern creasing her forehead.

“Al, that’s really nice of you, but—”

“Stop worrying! No, it’s no trouble. I swear. Pinky promise. Whatever sails your boat. Seriously, it wasn’t a bother, and I already have the food anyway. Just eat it! You need to regain your strength.”

Deaf to her weak protests, Alfred helped Maggie sit against the headboard, fluffing a pillow behind her back for added comfort. Before she could complain again, he handed her the bowl.

Maggie didn’t take it.

“Al, I’m serious, really, I don’t…” she muttered, wringing her hands.

“What’s up, don’t you like it?” Alfred found himself asking, his enthusiasm simmering down.

Did he do something wrong? The chicken broth was casting an inviting smell, and he knew that Maggie liked that healthy stuff…

“But… Feli cooked it when I said you were sick… and yeah, he may not be Lovino but he’s still an amazing cook, I mean, you’ve always liked Feli’s cooking…”

Maggie’s eyes widened as her hands tightened their hold on the blanket.

“Oh… N—no, it’s nothing like that, really, it’s just that I’m not hungry…”

That was clearly a lie: Maggie had just admitted that she hadn’t eaten. It was her usual reluctance to accept favours, then.

“At least try it,” Alfred encouraged her with a smile, “Feli made it just for you…”

Maggie bit her lower lip, but she finally accepted the box from Alfred’s hands. Her features softened at the bright smile he offered her.

“Okay… I guess I should try a bit, then.”

In spite of not sounding convinced, Maggie returned Alfred’s smile with a weaker one. Alfred kept staring at her as she took a spoonful of broth and brought it to her lips.

“So?” he asked, unable to hide his excitement.

“It’s really good,” Maggie answered, but there was something strained in her smile. “Truly, it is. And it was such a kind thought, but Al, I don’t think I should—”

“You still don’t want to eat,” Alfred noted, running a hand through his hair. “Listen, you can tell me if you don’t like it. It’s okay, I’ll find something else – but you need to eat! You need food to recover!”

Maggie shook her head.

“No, it is good! I just…” after a long sigh, she lowered her head and took another spoonful.

She still looked quite reluctant and her movements were as slow as they could be, but at least she was eating. Alfred counted it as a victory. After a couple of spoonsful, however, Maggie stopped and placed the bowl on the side table.

“I truly liked it,” she said with a timid smile, “but I’m not hungry, really. Maybe I’ll eat a bit more later.”

While Alfred still wasn’t satisfied, it was a reasonable suggestion. Besides, unless it was a trick of the light, Maggie almost looked paler than before…

Alfred helped her lie down and tried to check her fever, but he wasn’t any more successful than the first time. He was quite sure that the temperature of Maggie’s forehead wasn’t healthy, however.

“Al, don’t worry,” Maggie said, “I’m not so sick, I promise. I think it’s just a bad cold…”

“You’re way worse than I was,” Alfred pointed out.

He was sure that he had never been like that, so weak and trembling.

“I feel better than I look,” Maggie reassured him with a small smile, but her voice was feeble, and her lie was immediately betrayed by a shiver that Alfred’s sharp eyes didn’t miss. Neither did they miss that Maggie’s face definitely looked paler than before.

“What can I do? Is there anything you need?”

Maggie hesitated before answering with an apologetic half-smile.

“Could you get me another blanket? There should be a couple left on the top shelf of the closet…”

Alfred was quick to obey, his features tightening with concern. Maggie’s room wasn’t as warm as his own, but she was already under a heavy duvet and a fleece blanket… in spite of that, he couldn’t help but notice how she curled up on herself as he spread the blanket over her.

“I think I should check again your fever,” Alfred stated, not sure of what to do.

“I don’t think it should be any different,” retorted Maggie, but she didn’t protest when Alfred handed her the thermometer.

For once, Alfred didn’t know what to say, his mind too wrapped in concern to lighten the atmosphere. For how much Maggie kept insisting that it wasn’t anything bad, his chest felt tight with the knowledge of how much she was dismissing her condition. As soon as the thermometer beeped, he snatched it.

“39.7,” he read out loud, “it’s higher than earlier.”

“Not by much,” Maggie retorted, “and it isn't that bad, anyway.”

Given her dismissive attitude when it came to her wellbeing, Alfred couldn’t trust her on that. That time, however, he was suddenly reminded, he could check. He grabbed his backpack and roamed inside the front pocket until his hand closed around his phone with a triumphant exclamation.

“Alfred, there’s no need to do that!” Maggie complained, her eyes widening in alarm, but Alfred had already opened an online converter.

He almost dropped the phone as his eyes focused on the result, his body going rigid.

“103.46?!” he squealed as soon as he got his breath back, his voice an octave higher than usual. “Maggie, but this… your fever is really bad!”

She only looked back at him wordlessly, a glint of guilt glimmering in her eyes. Alfred took a deep breath, trying to force his thundering heart to slow down.

“Okay,” he muttered, almost to himself. “Okay, everything's all right. I’ve got this.”

He knew that giving in to the panic that was pressing against his brain wouldn’t help, but… Maggie had such a bad fever! Alfred was quite sure that he had never reached such temperatures. Did she need to go to the hospital?

He took another deep breath, clenching his fists.

No, I cannot think this way.

He was fifteen years old, basically an adult, he would deal with the situation like one.

“Al, you really don’t need to worry,” Maggie said feebly, “I know that my fever's actually kind of high, but believe me, it’s normal for me. I don’t feel too bad, and I already took something so it’s going to be fine…”

Alfred barely registered her words.

“I need to get this fever down,” he stated, brushing Maggie’s too hot cheek with his fingertips. “I’ll go get some water and a cloth, okay? Don’t move, I’ll be right back!”

Which was easier said than done, Alfred realized after rushing to the kitchen: he had no idea of where to find the needed items… After a bit of looking around – that kitchen was truly in dire need of some cleaning, and there was more alcohol than food, but that clearly wasn’t Maggie’s fault – Alfred managed to locate a bowl that he filled with water and some clean cloths. He then rushed back to Maggie’s room, clutching the precious items to his chest as he climbed two steps at a time.

“Here I’m back—” he started announcing, only for his eyes to meet an empty bed.

Alfred stilled as he tried to wrap his mind around the unexpected predicament. He had left Maggie on the bed, so where was she…

Suddenly, he registered the sound of water running in the room next door (the bathroom?) that didn’t completely cover the retching.

“Maggie!”

Alfred barely remembered to put down the bowl before dashing to the source of the noise, without even bothering with knocking.

Maggie was kneeling in front of the toilet, her body shaking with the heaving.

Alfred found himself frozen on the spot. He knew what he was supposed to do in those situations – he had taken care of some drunk teammates of his before – but for some reason, it was completely different, and for a moment he couldn’t bring his limbs to move.

Only when Maggie retched again Alfred was brought back to reality. Gritting his teeth to swallow down a gag at the unpleasant scene, he skidded to his knees next to Maggie and helped her brush back her hair, placing his other hand on her slim back. He could feel the spine tremble under his touch.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay…” he murmured soothingly, unsure of what he was saying.

Maggie shook her head, a hand weakly swatting away Alfred’s as she hacked and dry-heaved over the toilet. Undeterred, Alfred kept holding her in place until the dry heaves died down, then he helped her sit against the wall as he flushed down the toilet.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, I didn’t want to…” Maggie started muttering, still out of breath.

The pleading eyes that focused on Alfred’s face looked unnaturally bright, in a sick contrast with the ghostly pale skin. Alfred shushed her as he handed her a tissue, and, after a quick look around, a plastic glass filled with tap water that Maggie accepted silently to rinse her mouth, refusing to look at him.

“I’m sorry…” she repeated.

Her feeble voice made Alfred’s stomach twist.

“Hey, it’s all right,” he answered with fake cheerfulness, crouching in front of her. “You’re sick, you couldn’t help it. Are you feeling better now?”

Maggie nodded hesitantly, finally raising her head.

“Don’t apologize,” Alfred preceded her as she opened her mouth, “Seriously, it’s no big deal. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“Or embarrassed,” he added as an afterthought, because throwing up was never the most pleasant experience and Alfred himself was still shaken.

Now that his heartbeat was slowing down to a regular rate and his brain was starting to work again, however, the concern was coming back with vengeance. That wasn’t just a cold. The fever was too bad, and even throwing up like that…

“When did you start feeling…” Alfred started asking, only for the words to die in his throat as all the pieces fell into place.

“Oh Maggie, I’m so sorry!” he blurted out, instinctively taking a step back.

Alfred already had his answer, it had been in front of him the entire time – but he had been too self-absorbed to realize it.

“I… Oh God I’m so, so sorry, I don’t know how to apologize, this… this is all my fault, isn’t it? You were already feeling sick, weren’t you? And I forced you to eat… I… I’m so sorry, I don’t really know how to apologize, I should have just listened to you instead I…”

Alfred had only wanted to help, but had ended up making the situation worse. That was what everybody meant when they told him he was too impulsive. Pity that Alfred never listened. He could only stare at Maggie’s wan face as his voice trailed off, his stomach coiled with the knowledge that at least part of her condition was his fault.

Maggie took a deep breath.

“Alfred,” she stated, somehow managing to sound firm in spite of her weak voice. “Don’t blame yourself. Please, don’t. I’m serious. You… you have been so incredibly kind in taking care of me, you were just doing what you thought was the best. And I didn’t explain to you why I didn’t want to eat…”

That much was true, but it was Maggie. Alfred should have known that he had to be more careful with her.

“Well, I didn’t exactly leave you enough time to do that…”

His mind was reconstructing the events: Maggie had tried to tell him, but Alfred had always cut her off. Why had he done that?

Maggie sighed.

“That’s… whatever. I forgive you then, okay? I just… I’m not angry at you.”

Of course you aren’t.

And that made things even worse. Looking at the exhaustion etched in Maggie’s features, however, Alfred realized that it wasn’t the right time for a discussion.

“Thank you. I… Let’s just get you to bed, all right?”

They both got up, but Maggie wavered, instinctively reaching for Alfred. He stepped closer, steadying her with his body.

“I’m sorry…” Maggie whispered, letting her forehead rest on Alfred’s shoulder. Her hands gripped his hoodie. “Just… I’m a bit dizzy…”

It was to be expected, given how she hadn’t probably eaten anything in a while, but that did nothing to quell the pang of concern that surged in Alfred’s chest. Without other words, he picked her up and brought her back to the bedroom.

“I feel a bit better now, really,” Maggie said as he laid her back on the bed, but she was shivering.

Alfred chewed his lower lip. He had to bring down her fever – he had that wet cloth exactly for that – but would that be enough? It wasn’t going to do anything for her stomach, after all, and Maggie was already so thin, he couldn’t forget how clearly he had felt her shoulder blades and spine under his hand… Alfred found himself desperately wishing for the presence of an adult. Surely, Dad would know what to do.

His father, however, was out of town for a meeting with his editor, Francis had been away for almost four days, and all the other adults Alfred knew were at work… he couldn’t even call Yao or Iryna for advice. He was the only person who could help, and he would have to be enough. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath, and when he turned back to Maggie, he managed to offer her a beaming smile.

“You’ll feel better soon! I’ve got everything under control.”

He wrung the cloth and placed it on Maggie’s forehead before taking the desk chair to sit next to the bed. Maggie sighed, relaxing. Her cheekbones were flushed and the rest of her face pasty, and for the first time, Alfred realized that her breathing sounded slightly strained – but her lips were curled into a faint smile.

“Thank you,” she said feebly.

She didn’t seem intentioned to say anything else, or maybe she was too tired to, but the silence stretching between them left Alfred too much space to ponder the situation.

“You’re just like Dad, you know?” he found himself saying, shaking his head. “He never admits when he’s feeling sick. Once, when I was seven, he ignored a cold so much that it turned into pneumonia… the stupidest thing to do, if you ask me. Everybody yelled at him for that. Francis stayed at our place to take care of him, but he would be constantly lecturing him on how he needed to take better care of himself and all that stuff… I know that Dad pretended to be asleep, but Francis caught on and he would rant anyway. Which was even worse, because Dad is insanely stubborn and didn’t want to admit that he had been faking to be asleep, so he just had to listen to the entire lecture without having the possibility to retort. You should have seen his face…”

While Alfred had meant for it to be a funny story, Maggie’s tired eyes were full of concern.

“Oh… that must have been awful. Were you all right?”

Alfred was taken aback by the question, but he shouldn’t have been. Trust Maggie to read behind his careless words the panic of a child who was already familiar with death and had seen his father collapse after a horrid coughing fit.

“No, I wasn’t,” he answered, a rueful smile curling his lips. “Not at first, at least. I panicked so much that Francis couldn’t understand what was happening when I called him, since I was bawling. But I’m fine now, and honestly, it’s perfect blackmail material. You should see how flustered Dad gets whenever this gets brought back! He keeps trying to deny, I swear…”

In spite of not looking completely convinced, Maggie looked too tired to carry on the conversation. With Alfred talking softly, making fun of his father’s reaction and Francis’s struggle between giving in to his melodramatic nature and keeping his composure to calm down a terrified Alfred, Maggie slowly relaxed on the bed, her lids sliding closed. Even when he was sure that she was asleep, Alfred kept wetting her forehead, trying to feel marginally less useless than he was.

Asleep like that, with her features relaxed and her hair spread in shiny waves all over the pillow, Maggie looked like a princess belonging to a story of Dad’s. It was almost like a touch on her full, semi-parted lips would wake her up… but they were waxen instead of red, and the pallor of her skin looked sicklier than her usual porcelain white. Alfred diverted his gaze, sighing. Was it truly how people felt when they were sick? Dad didn’t let him come too close whenever he was feeling under the weather, so Alfred wouldn’t know…

Maybe this is normal and I’m worrying too much.

The thought didn’t loosen the knot at his stomach. Trying to take time, Alfred dutifully took out his homework, but that didn’t take long. After ensuring that Maggie’s condition hadn’t changed, he reluctantly left the chair and started piling her homework on the desk, where she would see it. She probably wouldn’t have missed it anyway: the desk was spotless, only occupied only by a laptop and Maggie’s pencil case. All the books and notebooks that weren’t at school were neatly stacked on the shelves above the desk. Actually, Maggie’s entire bedroom was like that, tidy and ordered, but at the same time devoid of any personality, almost empty. It might have been because, having moved only a month earlier, Maggie hadn’t had time to unpack her belongings, but there was something in the room – in the entire house, actually – that made Alfred feel uneasy. It was almost as if Maggie didn’t feel comfortable enough in her own house.

The only personalized item was a framed picture at a corner of the desk. Alfred took it to have a better look.

Maggie, who couldn’t have been older than five, was looking shyly at the camera, her head half-hidden against the shoulder of the woman holding the child balanced on her hip. Her mother, Chloé Williams. Chloé was at the same time remarkably similar and completely unlike Maggie. They seemed to have a similar body type, lean but curvy, the same small, upturned nose, high cheekbones, and delicate features – but Maggie was more beautiful than her mother, with her fuller lips, slimmer cheeks, and thin, arched eyebrows that highlighted the slightly slanted and upturned eye-shape better than her mother’s thicker and flatter ones. Their colouring was different too; while the extremely pale skin was similar, Chloé had a lot more freckles, more anonymous grey eyes, and chestnut brown wavy hair that from what Alfred could see looked cut shorter behind her head and gradually got longer on the front, with the longest strands touching the base of her neck. Alfred couldn’t imagine Maggie with such a haircut – nor could he imagine her with the clothes her mother was wearing, simple but elegant: a black blazer over a white shirt and a pair of red trousers that bared her ankles, evidencing the shiny high-heeled shoes. Chloé looked confident, staring straight at the camera and with a wide smile plastered on her lips, which were covered in bright red lipstick. Maggie surely hadn’t taken after her, as far as her personality was concerned. That was curious… Alfred almost wanted to ask Maggie, but the question was probably bound to make her uneasy. He had just had painful proof of how she reacted to that, it was up to him to control himself.

With a sigh, Alfred sat back on the chair and took out his phone, resorting to playing to divert his mind from the concern. Maggie had been sleeping for a while, but maybe that was normal, sick people needed to rest. Besides, at a quick check, her forehead felt slightly cooler.

Hours later, Alfred started gathering his belongings. Maggie was still sleeping, her breathing slightly strained but deep, but he would have to wake her up soon: since his father was out of town, he had been invited for dinner by Gilbert along with Feliciano and Kiku, and Ludwig was picking him up in twenty minutes.

Biting back the slight guilt he was already feeling, Alfred gently shook Maggie’s shoulder. She blinked a couple of times before turning her head to a side.

“Mmh… Al?”

Maggie’s voice was slurred, but her hazy eyes managed to focus on him.

“Hey,” Alfred answered softly, a smile tugging at his lips. “How are you feeling?”

Maggie hesitated, her forehead furrowing as she contemplated the question.

“Better,” she said at last, her voice weak but clearer. “Thank you, Al.”

Alfred’s heart missed a beat at that smile, faint but so genuine, so clearly for him.

“Oh, I’d do this again any time you need,” he answered dumbly, barely aware of the words that went past his lips.

The only thing he could focus on was Maggie’s gorgeous lilac eyes and her full, soft lips. There was something wrong with the way his heart was beating…

Right then, a screeching announced a car skidding on the lawn.

Alfred gasped, straightening up, and Maggie’s eyes widened as any colour left was drained from her face.

“You shouldn’t be here!” she squealed, panic seeping through her voice.

Alfred needed a moment to remember that her stepfather didn’t want Maggie frequenting boys, and the situation clearly didn’t look good: he was inside her bedroom, with Maggie wearing only a pyjama…

Maggie jerked up. She wavered slightly, but her eyes were alert and she refused Alfred’s help.

“The window,” she whispered, her forehead creased in concentration. “We’re on the second floor, but the drop isn’t too high. Do you think you could manage jumping down as soon as Steve gets in?”

Alfred knew he could, the grass would cushion his fall.

“Of course, this is nothing!”

Maggie got to her feet and took his backpack as Alfred was putting on his coat.

“I’ll throw it when you’re down.”

Alfred nodded and opened the window, leaning over to check the jump just as the front door was opened loudly. Maggie gasped, hurrying next to him.

“Al, quick!”

Alfred offered her a confident smile, and in a sudden impulse, he brushed his lips against her cheek before jumping down. A moment later he rolled on the grass and got up, unharmed. His backpack followed shortly.

After a last glance and a wave at a dazed-looking Maggie, Alfred dashed across the lawn. He was intentioned to get out from the fence, but as soon as he turned, he spotted Francis standing in the confining courtyard, staring at him with an odd expression. Francis sharply gestured for him to come closer, and Alfred complied, light-headed with relief.

He hadn’t expected Francis to be already back, but that was a blessing. He would know what to do.

******

Francis couldn’t believe his eyes. He had been calmly watering his lilies when he had casually raised his head to see Alfred leaning out of Marguerite’s window.

That alone was surprising, and it had made his stomach drop – Marguerite’s stepfather had just gotten home, Francis had seen his car. He didn’t know why Alfred was there, but Steve surely wouldn’t be happy about it… Francis would have expected Marguerite to know it. The situation, however, had only turned more surreal.

Marguerite had joined Alfred, her hair messy and, even from that distance, Francis could clearly see how heavily flushed her cheeks were. Not to mention that what she was wearing looked dangerously like a pyjama top.

Unable to avert his eyes, Francis watched as she said something, clearly frantic. Alfred simply smiled and pecked her on a cheek, then jumped. Francis's heart missed a beat – but Alfred hit the ground in a neat roll and immediately got up, unharmed. Marguerite threw something at him (his school bag?) and Alfred turned from the house, running across the lawn.

Francis was left gaping at the scene, his brain refusing to connect the dots.

What are they doing?!

All the evidence pointed at a single thing – Francis had been that age, he remembered the raging hormones – but… that wasn’t like any of them, they were both too naïve. Had his judgement been so wrong?

As he was running, Alfred’s eyes landed on Francis.

Francis took his chance and gestured for the boy to reach him. He hadn’t yet decided what to do, but he couldn’t let something like that slide. Alfred’s face morphed into a relieved expression and he got closer to the fence without a single objection, he even quickened his pace.

That did nothing to ease Francis’s worries. Just what was going on?

Alfred started talking as he jumped the fence, slightly out of breath.

“Francis! Oh, thank God you’re here, I—”

“Not here, come inside first!” Francis snapped, grabbing Alfred’s wrist as he anxiously stared at the neighbouring house.

If Marguerite’s stepfather saw something from the windows, there would be trouble…

Alfred didn’t protest, but as soon as Francis closed the door behind them, he pleadingly grabbed Francis’s sleeve.

“Francis, you have to help!” he blurted out, concern shining in his eyes. “I went to Maggie’s because she wasn’t at school, and I wanted to help but she’s really sick, she has this very bad fever and she threw up and I didn’t really know what to do, maybe I should have taken her to the hospital, I don’t know, and her stepdad sounds like a real asshole and I don’t think he’s going to take care of her, so you have to do something!”

Francis’s stomach felt hollow. No, that wasn’t what he had imagined, yet somehow it was almost worse.

“Alfred, listen to me,” he said with a calm voice, his hand giving the boy’s shoulder a light squeeze. “Take a deep breath and try to tell me properly what happened.”

Alfred managed to take a shaky breath. His body was still trembling slightly.

“You said Marguerite is sick?” asked Francis, trying not to let his own concern show in his voice.

Alfred nodded, sniffling.

“And she had a very very bad fever. 103.46. Should I have taken her to the hospital? I couldn’t even do anything, all I had was a damp towel and some cold water and I don’t—”

Alfred’s voice was getting more and more agitated with each word.

“Alfred, calm down,” repeated Francis, trying to keep his own raising concern at bay. “You did good, you did everything you could. And yes, that fever does sound pretty high, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she needed a hospital trip. She was coherent, wasn’t she?”

Alfred nodded.

“It’s okay then, you did everything that needed to be done,” Francis reassured him. He himself didn’t fully believe his own words, but Alfred looked distraught enough, Francis couldn’t let him worry even more.

Alfred nodded again, his features relaxing slightly.

“Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?” Francis asked, hoping to divert his attention from the worrisome situation.

Alfred gasped.

“Oh, you’re right!” he exclaimed, his voice livelier.

Immediately, he produced his phone and started typing. (Francis still couldn’t come to terms with how fast he could be. How on the earth did he do that?)

“Ludwig said he’s picking me up in ten minutes,” Alfred reported in the end.

Francis gave a dramatic shake of his head.

“Arthur could have told me you were home alone, mon chou, I would have gladly cooked you a dinner.”

“He didn’t know when you were coming back, and you never answer your phone when you are away," Alfred reminded him, his tone lighter.

Which had been exactly Francis’s intent. (That, and he was mildly offended by Arthur’s actions. Francis had been looking after Alfred since he was born, he could have at least asked!)

Alfred, however, suddenly turned serious.

“And what about Maggie?”

Francis took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair.

“I’ll come up with something,” he promised.

He wasn’t doing that for Alfred, the thought of that sweet girl once again alone and sick was tightening his chest. Ignoring that was unbearable.

There was only a hole in his plan, but it wasn’t a small one. Francis could only hope he would be in a good mood.

He waited for Alfred to disappear with Kiku and Ludwig, and some minutes later, he was at his neighbours’ door, an affable smile sculpted on his face.

The heavy steps, laced with curses, that followed the bell’s ringing didn’t leave any doubt bout the identity of the person who was going to greet him at the door, which was soon thrust open.

“The fuck you want?” growled Steve.

Francis could put a cross on him being in a good mood. Which didn’t mean he was willing to be influenced by his interlocutor’s distinct lack of manners, however. Unlike most people around him, Francis wasn’t a barbarian.

“Good evening,” he said, the smile never slipping from his face.

Steve kept staring at him, a deep frown marring his already unfriendly features.

“What in the fucking hell are you doing here?!” he growled after a few moments of silence, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a pathetic attempt to look threatening.

Francis scoffed internally.

He still couldn’t understand how Marguerite, so sweet and kind, could put up with her stepfather’s behaviour, let alone justify it. At that moment, his greatest desire was to express exactly what he thought of that mockery of a human being that was right in front of his eyes, but as a civilized person, he had to restrain himself.

“I only wanted to ask if you needed anything,” he said smoothly, “Marguerite texted me to say she can’t come and clean because she has fallen ill, so I wanted to let you know that if you need anything for her I’m available.”

Steve’s eyebrows rose, then twitched.

“Did Maggie ask you to come?” he asked as his face clouded over.

“Oh, no!” Francis answered hurriedly as his already meagre esteem for Steve collapsed. “She simply mentioned she had taken ill… she actually told me that it wasn’t anything serious, but sometimes it can be difficult to judge, and even the smallest things can develop into something quite serious… which is why, if you need anything for Marguerite, I’ll be glad to help… I can take care of her when you’re at work, I have a few slow days…”

For a moment, Francis almost held onto the hope that his proposal had been accepted – then, Steve’s features turned into a mask of rage.

“Are you insinuating that I can’t take care of my stepdaughter?!” He hissed, his nostrils quivering.

That much was painfully clear, but for how much Francis wanted to yell it to Steve’s face, it wasn’t an option. He had Marguerite’s well-being to worry about, which was far more important than his own pride.

He took a step back, his mind frantically trying to find a way to salvage the situation.

“Oh, no, of course not, I just thought that since you’re a single parent a bit of help would—”

“Well, I don’t need any help, and stay away from my home, you fucking frog!”

And with that, Steve slammed the door closed in front of Francis’s face.

“…Well, fuck you too,” Francis scoffed at the closed door.

He had no idea of how such cavemen were still allowed in society, but that was a secondary problem in front of Marguerite’s situation.

Francis needed a different plan, because he surely wasn’t going to surrender like that.

(word count: 13,225)

———

Notes

102.38 °F = 39.1 °C

39.6 °C = 103.28 °F

39.7 °C = 103.46 °F

Yao is a doctor and Iryna a nurse;

Claudia is an OC who wasn’t originally meant to be more than a name, but while she doesn’t really care for children and doesn’t want any commitment with Steve, let alone taking care of his step-daughter, she’s not a horrible person, and what she thought about Maggie and Francis wasn’t something she could let slide. There’s a reason she got to that conclusion, by the way, and I bet you can all guess it. Anyway, being an OC Claudia is never going to be a truly relevant character, but she is a plot device so she’ll be around some other times. (I’m really using way too many OCs whoops… I hope nobody is too bothered, I mean, they aren’t main characters, I just didn’t feel like using Hetalia characters for some roles… had I planned it better, I would have probably used a bunch of 2Ps and made them unrelated to their canon counterparts, but I wasn’t familiar with the concept when I started writing this.)

Why I’m using ‘Tolys’ for Lithuania’s name [x]

English isn’t my first language, I apologize for the mistakes. Feel free to correct me if you spotted anything!

Thanks a lot to the people who liked the previous chapter, and a special thanks to @franzandsmith, @sailorhikarinomu, @signore-delle-cime and @nyotalia--girls for reblogging it!

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swagyano · 7 years ago

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Pairing: KananRiko

Words; 1,252

A small thing based on the valentine’s day set because it’s so gorgeous and looking at their unidolized cards side by side is so aesthetically pleasing plus they are a good underrated ship......ok first time writing these two and Kanan like this I hope I did them justice.

The excitement lingered in the air all around the school yard today. It was to be expected considering it’s that time of the year again when most people’s sappy inner romantic awakens and take the chance to confess or just simply share sweets with those dear to them.

Riko was no different. She was one of those absolute hopeless romantics, the worst kind. The kind that indulged in all sorts of sappy movies and books imagining how it would feel to be in such a situation. And this year it was about time she makes a move of her own. She spent a good chunk of time until late in the night making her own chocolates. After all, homemade ones are better than a bought product from the store, right?

Just thinking about something so cheesy made her feel like a flustered mess. She got them all nicely wrapped up too in a cute red box with a little yellow bow too. At the first glance they could most certainly pass as a bought product. Making them and packing them up was all the easy part though, handing them over was where it starts to get tricky. Because once she approached the third years’ classroom and spotted the person she was looking for she immediately chickened out and ran off.

Alone in the music room, she buried her face in her own hands with the image she just saw still freshly burned into her mind. Kanan always looked beautiful, but there was something about the way she looked today that sent an arrow shooting through her poor fragile heart, with the curly ponytail and all. This was going to be a long day.

Throughout the day Riko was given plenty of opportunities to hand over her present thanks to hanging around Chika and You who are conveniently close enough to Kanan to seek her out during breaks. But just like at the start of the day, every time she’d step up she would immediately back out, leaving not only Kanan but two of her friends confused.

“I don’t see a problem in it.” That was Chika’s disappointing response when Riko came clean to the two about the situation, and gave the pouting pianist a smile that was at least somewhat sympathetic. “I mean… you know what Kanan-chan is like. I’m sure she’d be happy, so you shouldn’t be as afraid!”

“Valentine’s day chocolates, huh?” It was You who chimed in next, humming in thought as her chin rested on the desk the trio sat around.

“I agree with Chika-chan. If it’s anything like last year, receiving chocolates isn’t anything new to her.”

Riko’s gaze subconsciously lowered toward You’s open bag hanging off of her chair and noticed her own was filled with goods. Riko anxiously swallowed at the simple realization - You’s right. Like her friend here, Kanan was pretty popular with the girls. And while she knew You was giving encouraging advice Riko couldn’t help but to feel more nervous than before at the thought of having competition.

Though to be fair, a pair of first years also came up to Riko to give her sweets, so maybe there’s still some hope for her. The thought prompted a sheepish smile out of her, trying to grasp ever the smallest amount of confidence in this situation.

Thanks to a complete encouraging speech and few tips from both Chika and You, Riko finally decided she’ll carry out her mission after school. It was truly a blessing to have such wonderful supportive friends, especially since initially she was afraid how they’d react to her crushing on their childhood friend when she told them the truth a couple of weeks ago.

The final class ended and fidgety pianist made her waytowards the classroom she visited the same morning after the supportive duo gave her a final thumbs up. Much to her dismay she quickly learned Kanan was already gon;, luckily Mari was there to inform her she mentioned heading towards the locker room to pick up some of her belongings. In a hurry before her determination expires Riko then set her course towards there.

And as if fate got bored and decided to butt in, Riko happened to bump into Kanan.

“Ah, sorry! My bad, I should’ve been more careful.” Kanan chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck while Riko dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “What’s the rush? Looking for You-chan and Chika-chan?”

Riko shook her head in denial. “No, actually… I was looking for you.” She took notice of the confused yet curious gleam in the amethyst eyes - it wasn’t the first time Kanan looked at her this way today. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you all day.”

“I haven’t done anything to upset you, have I?”

“No, no!” Riko immediately protested much to Kanan’s relief, but the tone of older girl’s voice was still wary.

“Gosh, I’m glad! You looked kind of uncomfortable earlier today. I was thinking I might’ve done something wrong…”

“N-No, I was just…” At this point she gave up on attempting to use words and just went for it. Riko practically shoved the box of chocolates at the senior, bowing both out of proper manners and to use it as an excuse to hide her completely red face. After a moment that felt like eternity Kanan accepted the gift, and Riko finally looked up to search for whatever reaction she could find on Kanan’s softly flushed face.

“For me?” The genuine confusion indicated Kanan truly was oblivious just like Chika and You warned her. It was both relieving and annoying when Riko thought about how much time she spent stressing today over this whole thing. She should’ve known she’s just blowing it out of proportion.

“Riko-chan, you didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to!” When Kanan smiled warmly at her she felt like another arrow shot through her heart and Riko had to avert her gaze. “Because I really appreciate your kindness, and all the hard work--”

Kanan’s brow arched, “Y’know, if you wanted to ask me out on a date, you could’ve just done so.”

Riko choked up before she could even say anything further. The bluntness threw her off more than that charming smile no girl in this school could resist. Now she really felt silly, she should’ve expected this outcome. It’s Kanan.

“That’s not--”

Still flushed and almost speechless, the pianist huffed in a pouty manner and looked away from the older girl who now had a blush on her cheeks that could match Riko’s own.

“... I was going to but you cut me off.”

It was Kanan’s turn to smile sheepishly, and she pulled the flustered underclassman into a side hug by wrapping an arm around her shoulder. At least she seemed sincerely apologetic that all of this was a little messy and not as romantic as Riko probably imagined.

“My bad… again. If that’s the case, I accept it. And these.” She waved the box of chocolates in her free hand. Riko finally felt a burden fall off of her chest.

“Oh, by the way,” Riko tilted her head when Kanan started mumbling, and felt a little taken aback by the way Kanan’s cheeks were red and the way she avoided eye contact. It was almost fascinating to see her like this. In total awe Riko was barely able to comprehend what Kanan was saying under her breath,

”For the record, the twintails really suit a cute girl like you.”

#love live sunshine #kanamari #riko sakurauchi #kanan matsuura #pls no steppy this was jut another warm up i promis i can probably do better.......#ill make it up eventually with a fic i had in mind for a while now #anyways those valentines cards huh we all love em #it makes me wanna write so many ships AAA #thinking emoji maybe #for now how these two #ive written SOME kanan just....not....in a situation like this #i didnt buiold up any set up for this for myself it was just kinda #brain: riko give kanan chocolate me: ok #anyways...#my writing stuff

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rin412 · 7 years ago

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Love Ballad (Prologue)

~ A Samurai Love Ballad Party Fanfiction ~ ~Warning! Samurais x OC pairings! If you don’t like my pairing, I don’t care. lol~ ~Future AU~ ~Definitely OOC so please prepare yourself to vomit~

Okay, so, I made a... thing again. After I was on hiatus for quite a long time. I’m still trying to collect my muse, so please spare me ;;;;

Again, I warn you before you read. These are my own pairings and my own AU. I don’t care if you don’t like it or disagree to it, I’m the ruler of my own world. lol

ok jk or maybe not

Anyway, please enjoy!

Spring….

Sakura petals are everywhere, accompany me while walking through the front gate of my school.

Today is the day of my new semester in second grade in highschool. To be honest, I kind of looking forward for this day because I hope I can meet new friends. Hmm, I can’t say that my first year was all that good, yes. Because… uhh… I just… couldn’t socialize well enough. No, it’s fine. Something ridiculous like bullying didn’t happen at all. It’s just… most of my classmates were quite… fashionable ones? They were always talking about make-up, newest trend, etc. And I guess I’m just… not really used to that kind of thing.

Ahaha…

Well…

I know, I was the one at fault…

But still, I want to live my life however I like. I have to enjoy it! Why, you asked? That’s because I—

“Shut up, old man!”

“Huh?” before I even step into my school ground, I see a looking-expensive black car in front of the gate. There’s a boy with yellow hair shouts loudly to an old man that just closed the car’s door for him.

The boy wears a hard expression, I can practically see his face full of wrinkles here and there. He looks so angry. I wonder why…

“But, Master. If something happens to you, I suppose I can hel—“

“No need.”

“But this is your first da—“

“I told you, just go home already, Sakai! I can do the rest here by myself! I’m not a kid anymore!”

“But, Maste—“

“I said go home, you deaf!! Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?! Treating me like a kid all the damn time?!”

“I’m just worri—“

“No need. Now go.”

“But—“

“I said GO! Before I pull your hair and make you completely bald!”

“Y-yes! Please! Spare my hair! N-now if you will excuse me—“

“Hurry!”

“Y-yes!!” the old man looks so scared of that boy and quickly get into the car. Then he opens the window and says, “I will pick you up here after school, Maste—“

“Yeah, whatever. Now go!”

“Y-yes..!”

And there he goes….

My, what a scary boy. Judging from the way that old man’s way of calling him, I bet he’s a rich one. Maybe that old man is his driver? Well, who knows…

Before I realize it, he already walks into the school ground. Probably he noticed that I’m looking at him intently, he stops himself in front of me and looking down at me with such arrogance and scary smile, “Listen.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t say anything to anyone about what just happened before. Got it?”

“Why should I—“

“GOT…. IT….?”

Whoa, he peers closer with a really cold and scarier smile ever!! I quickly nod and he let out a satisfied grin, “Good. Now get off my way.”

“You can just walk over—“

“I said get off my way, stupid wench!”

“Wha--?!”

Before I can even spits out a complain, he shoves me away to the point I fall on the ground. How rude!! But look at him! He doesn’t even care and just walks away while humming a song.

Ugh, great. My first day of second grade and I’m already facing this kind of worst luck ever. Look at my skirt. All dirty now. I will have my revenge! Just you wait—

….

Uhh..

What’s his name again?

…..

Okay, great. You forgot to ask….

“Sigh…”

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?” I look up and I see a cute girl with a black ribbon on the left side of her light brown hair. Oh dear, look at her smile. What an angel.

She offers her hand and helps me stand up. What a nice girl…!

“Did you hurt yourself?” she asks, worried.

“O-oh no, I’m fine! I just… uhh….” Oh right, I can’t say anything about that boy’s evil side. Remembering that, I decided to just say, “I just… a-accidentally tripped….? Ahahaha!”

“Ah, I see. Please be careful next time, okay?” she seriously worries about me? Oh my god, she really is an angel!!

“Y-yes! I’ll be more careful! T-thank you for your help!”

“No, it’s fine. Oh right, it’s almost the time for the ceremony! Let’s hurry!”

I take a look at my watch, and surely, it’s almost the time. Oh dear, my head was so full about that boy, I almost forgot!

The cute girl who was walking ahead of me suddenly stops herself and turns back to me, “Your name?”

“Huh?”

“What’s your name?”

“Me? O-oh, my name is Rin.”

“All right, Rin!”

“Whoa…!” she suddenly holds my hand and pulls me along to run with her through the school ground.

While running with all our might, she says with a cheerful smile, “My name is Ane! Nice to meet you, Rin!”

“A-Ane! Okay! Nice to meet you too! Haha!”

Well, maybe my first day isn’t so bad at all. I hope I’m in the same class with Ane!

*later, after the ceremony*

I just saw on the notice board that my new class is in 2-E. Hmm, I wonder what kind of people that are waiting for me. I’m looking forward to it already.

Then, before I realized it, I arrived in front of my class. A bit nervous, I take a peek inside. There really is no one that I know here. I guess Ane isn’t in the same class with me. Aw…

“Rin?”

“Huh?” I turn to the source of voice behind me, and I quickly put on a cheerful smile again, “Ane!!”

“I guess we’re in the same class then? I look forward to it!”

“Y-yes! Me too!! I hope we can be a good friend!”

“What are you talking about? We’re a good friend already!”

“Aah, you don’t know how happy I am to hear that!” I hug her excitedly.

Yes!! I can see a bright future of my new life ahead!

*then, homeroom time*

We finally start our first homeroom, and the homeroom teacher’s name is Uesugi Kenshin. Hmm, if I take a look properly, he looks so beautiful for a man. Ugh, I feel like I just became a failure woman. I wonder where did my beauty go….?

“Hm?” I sense a shadow is moving through the slightly opened class door. I take a look, and I see a girl is peeking through the door’s window. Who is she? Why is she not in her class?

Also….

Look at that expression….

She’s… blushing?

I wonder if she’s looking at her crush here. Aw, too bad that they are in separate classroom.

I follow her gaze, and suddenly I realize that she’s not looking to the student desks. She’s looking to the sight in front of our class, Mr. Uesugi.

Whoa…

To think she even ditched her class to see Mr. Uesugi…

I guess someone will do anything for love, huh. I wonder if there will be a time for me to be like that girl too…?

*then, lunch time*

“First day of school is still light and fun, huh.” I say as I stretch my arms out after sit on a hard chair for a long time. Ugh, I suddenly miss my sofa.

“Well, we should prepare ourselves for the upcoming homeworks and tests. So we better have fun now. Haha.” Ane says with a wry smile.

“I suppose so.” I say with a chuckle, “Hey, Ane. Let’s go buy breads in the canteen!”

“I have my own lunch today, so…”

“Whoa, as expected. Let me see!”

“Sure. Here!” Ane opens her lunch box and there, at that time, once again I feel like I lost my beauty and pride as a woman.

I mean, look at this cute lunch box!! How could you even dare to eat these food babies?! Starving sounds better rather than have to eat these cuties!!

“I-I wonder if it looks weird….” Ane seems worried when she saw my reaction.

“No!! it’s the best lunch ever!!” I say with an excited voice.

Ane looks shy and she’s blushing a little, “T-thank you…”

Huhu, she’s so cute…

Wait, the lunch will be over if I don’t hurry!

“Ane, I will go buy my bread and milk first, okay?” I said as I get up from my seat.

“Sure. Want me to go with you?” she offers with a smile.

God!! Go to the canteen together with someone!! I feel like my real youth just started now…!

But wait. Ane has a lot of kind of foods. I bet she needs time to finish that. And, we know what kind of hell school canteen is, so…

Yeah, it will take time…

“I can go by myself. You go ahead and eat your lunch, okay?” I said with a grin on my face.

“Are you sure? Are you going to be okay?”

“Why are you so worried, though? I only buy bread and milk.”

“Well, you seem like the type who eat a lot, so…”

Are you saying I’m fat, Ane? Are you saying that I’m going to buy TONS of foods?

Okay, good. Rin, I guess it’s the time for you to go on a diet.

*a while later*

I guess I was too late. No, I guess the school canteen has became a worst hell ever.

I mean, look at this empty box….

I REPEAT! IT! IS! EMPTY!

Great, I see no breads! SOLD OUT!

Now what to do? Geez…

Looks like I have to skip my lunch.

“S-Saizo, are you sure you’re going to buy THAT much?!”

“Hm?” I hear a familiar voice beside me, and I see the famous duo, Sanada Yukimura and Kirigakure Saizo. I heard Saizo is so popular that he actually broke the record for got 500 chocolates in Valentine Day last year.

“Dear, this much of dangos aren’t problem at all. Now you go ahead and pay for me.” Saizo said while leaving Yukimura behind.

“Wha--?! Mmrrgh, damn you, Saizo! Always, and always!” though, Yukimura paid Saizo’s dango in the end. Yeah, Yukimura is so popular too thanks to his opposite side from Saizo. He’s such a shy boy, and he’s very kind. Meanwhile Saizo doesn’t seem to care about his surroundings and always keep that coldness of him.

“I can see the reason why Yukimura is so popular, but… Saizo…?” I mumble to myself, until…

“I know, right?”

“Huh?” someone agreed to my opinion and I quickly turn to face the source of that voice, “E-err…”

“Oh, forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself!” she laughs with such beauty and elegance. Whoa, does this girl really exist in our school? I didn’t know, “My name is Kobayashi Chiaki. And you?”

“Me? Ah, I’m Rin. Nice to meet you, Kobayashi.”

“Nice to meet you too, Rin! And please, just call me Chiaki. Both of us will get confuse after all.”

“Both?”

“Oh, I was talking about my twin sister. See? She’s over there.”

I follow her gaze, and I see a girl with a low twintail stands in the middle of busy and noisy canteen. Apparently she’s staring silently at Saizo with an unreadable expression. Though, I wonder why…

That small back of her…. looks so… lonely.

“I hate that Saizo, you see.” Chiaki suddenly mumbles.

“Why?” I ask her in curiousity.

“Before we met Saizo, Chise was a cheerful girl. She didn’t has this kind of flat expression. I miss her laughs.”

“Chise? Oh, so that’s her name.”

“When we met Saizo, Chise suddenly became like this up until now. I don’t know what did happen between them, but I surely hate Saizo for taking my sister’s soul…!”

Whoa, that’s a dark expression you have there…!

Also, Chise is still alive, oi…!

*later, in corridor*

“Ugh, in the end I didn’t get to eat anything… I guess I will just ask Ane to share her lunch? Will she even give it to me, though?”

As I’m wondering what to do about my empty stomach, I see our another popular student is currently….scolding….another student, I guess? I mean, it’s him. The famous one-eyed student council president, Date Masamune. He’s holding a… ah… adult magazine…

The owner of that magazine is no one but his own cousin, Date Shigezane. Masamune is likely your image of a full moon in the cold night, and Shigezane is the sun in the bright and clear blue sky. These two are so… unique, I think.

“Shigezane, how many times do I have to remind you, stop bringing this kind of magazine to school!”

“Sorry, Masa. But you see, my friend asked me the other day—“

“I don’t care about your friend. Just stop breaking the rules at school. Don’t bring shame to our family.”

“I know, I know… but Masa—“

“No buts.” Masamune hits Shigezane’s head with the magazine lightly.

“Masa, you’re no fun! I am fine with all the scolding, but I can’t let you not enjoy your highschool life!”

“Why are we talking about me now?”

Then, I see a young teacher walks in the corridor and approach those two. That teacher is still in training, or so I heard. His name is Katakura Kojuro.

“I personally agree with Shigezane about you should enjoy your highschool life.” Mr. Katakura said with a smile, “But I disagree about enjoy it by reading an adult magazine at school.”

“Ugh….” Shigezane pouts, “Kojuro, you’re so harsh…”

“Call me Mr. Katakura….!”

I chuckle a little at their conversation as I continue on my way to my class.

*finally, classroom*

As I sit down on my chair, I let out a very long sigh. Ane who just done ate her lunch is looking at me, worried, “Are you okay, Rin?”

“I don’t think so… ugh… I’m hungry…”

“How about your bread?”

“Sold out…”

“That’s too bad. And I just finished my lunch too… I’m sorry.”

“No, no. It’s fine.”

I guess I just have to hang in there a little bit. Ugh, I hope I can survive this.

Oh wait, this could be my chance to start on my diet!

“Your face…”

“Huh?” I look up, and I see a girl with right sided ponytail is looking down at me in front of my desk.

“Your face looks terrible. Have you had your lunch?”

“Uhh, not yet….”

“The bread that she wanted to eat just sold out.” Ane added and explained my horrible situation. Okay, that’s a bit exaggerating.

“I see…” the girl suddenly holds out a skewer of dango in front of me, “Here. At least have this. You don’t always have to eat bread to fill your stomach, right?”

“Ah, thank you. Then, I take your offer, err…”

“Shimizu Ryuu. Just call me Ryuu, okay? We’re classmate after all.”

“I see. Okay, Ryuu. Thank you!” as I eat the dango, I suddenly realize, “Wait, didn’t Saizo just buy…”

“Ah, I got this from him.”

“What? He shared his dango?!”

“Err, it will be a long story, but to make it short… yes? Hahaha.”

“Wow, that Saizo is actually sharing his dango.”

Ane seems confused, “Why are you so surpised? Sharing food is normal thing, right?”

Ryuu answers with a wry smile, “Well, not for Saizo, you see. You can say he’s quite a stingy when it came to dango.”

“Then why did you…?”

“Like I said, it will be a long story, so let’s just assume he happened to be in the mood to share? Hahaha.”

This Ryuu girl…

Could it be… she’s Saizo’s girlfriend?

Maybe she’s hiding it because she afraids Saizo’s popularity will go down. Also, maybe to avoid that bullying stuff and all…

Whoa, that’s an exciting love story, indeed. I wonder if that’s true.

*then, afterschool*

On my way to my home, while walking on the side of the road, I feel a sudden cold breeze is hitting my skin. Ugh, I guess it’s still a bit cold after all. I should have brought my jacket.

Hm?

Though, not long after I said that, I feel a cold water droplets on my cheeks, and gradually it became the rain that pours down heavily.

Oh, shoot! I better find a shelter!

I run as fast as I can, until finally I arrive in front of a traditional japanese sweets store. Okay, good. At least I find a place to—

“Stupid wench?”

“Huh?” I know that voice. Yes, I know it pretty well. And that rude way of speaking. It belongs to no one but, “You!! The rude guy in the morning!”

“Now who is the rude one?!” he glares while eating his strawberry daifuku.

“Ugh…. I guess my first day isn’t really that perfect after all…”

“…..”

“I got shoved by a rude guy in the morning, my favourite bread sold out, I only ate one skewer of dango, and now I’m stuck under a heavy rain with YOU out of all people…”

“I really wonder who is the rude one now…”

“How sucks.”

“How noisy.”

“Why are you even here?”

“And what’s the point of telling you?”

“Okay, forget it.”

“……”

“……..”

Urgh, this guy, I swear. He’s such an annoying and arrogant brat! My first step of my passionate and beautiful youth isn’t as smooth as I imagine—

“Achoo!” oh, great. Why does it has to be this cold anyway? What a bad timing.

Though, not long until I feel a warmth over my head. I touch and try to feel it, and I realized it’s his coat. This is quite a big one. Is a guy’s body really this big?

Wait wait wait wait!!

What are you even thinking?!

W-well, at least now I know that he has a good side to—

“Don’t make such annoying face.”

“Huh?!”

“I just don’t want you to spread your virus to my daifuku.”

“Now I won’t.”

“Great. And I suppose you know how to watch your attitude, right?”

“Grr…”

“What do we have to say again?”

“…an… you…”

“What? I can’t hear you~”

“….tha… ou…”

“Louder~”

“T-thank you!”

“Hmph.” He quickly puts on a satisfied grin on his face.

Urgh, I take my words back! He’s seriously the worst guy ever!!

To be continued

P.S: do expect a very slow update. Huhu, sorry.

#samurai love ballad party #slbp fanfic #slbp #voltage inc #fanfic #oc #original character #tokugawa ieyasu #kirigakure saizo #sanada yukimura #date masamune #Date Shigezane #Katakura Kojuro #uesugi kenshin

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spirify · 7 years ago

Text

Stargate― CH. 7

w. Rielin “Stargate; the path leading to another you.”

bgm hotaru no koi ― reve

In abyss of complete darkness, the crimson eyes jolted open, revealing its rubiness that shines even in the void. Awake from the strange nightmare that cannot be remembered, the male's breath was raspy and quick as beads of sweat rolled down his temples and down to his chin.

Where am I?

Darkness.

What time is it?

Unknown.

What was I doing before sleeping?

Slowly, he started to collect his knowledge piece by piece as if he was completing a puzzle.

Who are you?

Elsword. A Lord Knight, one of the members in the El Search Party.

Who are your fellow teammates?

Uh, Rena, Raven, Eve, Chung, Ara, Elesis, Add, Luciel, Rose, Ain… and um...

Are you excluding someone?

How could I exclude her? Her name is Aisha.

Is that person the most important?

Yes.

He let out a rather depressed sigh.

But she's no longer in this world.

He didn't wanted to get up. He didn't even wanted to start another day. How could he even continue on living when she's no longer with him? It would've been way better if she was living far far away to the point where he could never see her, but at least the fact that she was alive would make him continue on with his own life. Yet that didn't happen. It would've been way better if she was placed in an eternal sleep, but the fact that she's still alive and breathing would be a much happier ending. The world is so cruel, why did it have to take the innocent one's life away? Why her?

"Elsword, wake up!"

That voice… what?

It rang so loud and clear, echoing within his mind constantly.

That was… Aisha, wasn't it? That was for sure, Aisha's voice!

He threw the blanket away from his body as it lazily spread across the wooden floor. He quickly stood up to the point where he almost tripped over, but swiftly regained his balance. With his heart pounding, with sweat rolling down his back, with his mind constantly praying, he opened the door without hesitation.

Aisha.

It was for sure, Aisha. Her petite body that was glowing radiantly with health, her violet hair that shined luminously as if she have just taken a shower, her lilac eyes that vividly glowed with life. It was Aisha.

Without a second thought, he embraced her tiny body within his arms.

"E-Elsword, what are you-?!"

She yelled out with embarrassment yet her cheeks were flushing with pink hue.

The white robe which smelled like lavender, her violet locks tied in a low twintail, and the ancient magic book she always takes along. It was all so familiar. No scent of unfamiliar, unusual aura. No hint of forgetting how she looked like or what her name is. Everything felt so nostalgic as if he came back to his hometown.

Wait, magic? What kind of magic did she use?

All Elsword could think of was… fire, water, earth, thunder… the four elements which she conjured expertly. Why did he have a feeling that she was controlling some dangerous spells?

"Wait- no physical contact!"

He thought and quickly he released her from his embrace. Her violet eyes were widened with shock and confusement and her face have turned extremely red with embarrassment.

"Wh- what are you talking about?! Come out and eat breakfast!"

She screamed shyly, stuttering her words as she whipped her head back to hide her reddened face and quickly dashed out the room.

The knight does not know, the magician does not know, the―

Stargate. The path leading to another you.

The parallel world of Elsword. He enters through the starry gate, to come to a world where everything is exactly the same as his own world- except his beloved one, Aisha. The Elemental Master he knows of, is Void Princess here. The dangerous, cursed magician. Her extreme powers slowly devours her own lifespan, eventually leading to her own death. There is one possible way to extend the duration of her life, which is to leave the El Search Party and become the magician no one even have heard of, that no one even speaks of or speak to; to become the lonely mage in the world with no society surrounding her. Yet she couldn't do that. The desire of wanting to see more of Elsword, to see more of his growth, and to be near him while being surrounded by her family- she loved him. She couldn't leave him. But after realizing that he indeed, loved her back, she was finally able to leave- yet it was too late to even leave, and had to face death as her choice. Perhaps it was a happy ending for her, at least she was able to confirm the mutual love. Perhaps it was a happy ending for him as well, as he realized that it doesn't matter what kind of world he is placed in and how Aisha even looks like, he just knows- that he deeply loves her.

Stargate ― fin.

note:

There is an epilogue that is posted at the same time as this chapter, since the two chapters are so short!

And with this, every secret about Stargate is revealed and this is the official ending! I'd say it can be both happy and sad ending, since the Void Princess Aisha died in the parallel world, but the Elemental Master Aisha is alive! And with that, Elsword learns he must value his love!

Although I did mention that every BGM will have moon/star/light in the title, the title translates to Firefly's Love! There is 'light' in Firefly in Korean so I just used this lmao. /pls I couldn't find a song that had happy and sad feeling except this.

Also, sorry for uploading this a day late from fanfiction net! I posted this on the 25th there, but I’m posting the 26th here. Even though I’m a day late to say this, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thanks for reading!

Rielin’s Fanfiction Site

#stargate #elsword #aisha #elsword x aisha #elsword aisha #elsha #elsword fanfiction #fanfiction #elsword fic #fic #text

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novastarrapter · 4 years ago

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One would assume the man would be alone after the murder of those young children. However; there was one last child that lurked within the building this late at night. The girl was known as Amy Harper.

She was a young child with blonde hair with two small small twintails. The girl had always wanted to visit this magical place. She’s heard it whispered among some of her friends. They’ve said so many wonderful things about the characters that resided here; so many things that have intrigued the child to no end. For the longest time she had wanted to come here; only for her hopes to be shattered time and time again by her father coming up with various excuses to simply not take her. In her honest opinion, she always felt like her father hated her. It wasn’t something that was true. She knew that her mother didn’t care enough to stick around, she wouldn’t be surprised if her father felt the same way. All he seems to care about are those bottles of whiskey he kept around. All it took was a fierce argument with her trying to take away one of the bottles for one of them to get smashed against her tiny little skull, before she ran out and locked herself in her room. She didn’t listen to any of the strained apologies the man tried to sob to her, the words ‘I love you’ felt empty to her after that. She made her decision to run away from home at that point. Little did she know this would be a decision she’d regret. She had always wanted to go to Freddy’s; the most magical place on earth for kids; and now she would get her chance. It was late in the night, thus the front doors were closed. Amy’s naïve mind thought that perhaps the restaurant would be completely empty of staff at night, thinking that there would only be the stars of the show around to greet her. She didn’t contemplate the possibility of a night guard being hired in this location, as the girl had a habit of not planning far ahead. There was one door in the back that had seemed to have been unlocked. Seems that today was her lucky day. As she gently opened the door to step inside, she gently tried to rub at her face, taking notice that she had not yet took the time to fully bandage up the cuts on her own face from the bottle’s glass. She figured she could get a few band-aids after she went inside. Curiosity was taking over for her once she got inside, before realizing that she could have sworn that she heard the sounds of screaming in a room. So much yelling in agonized pain before being abruptly silenced. Was there someone else other than herself here? Why would there have been screaming in such a happy place? Perhaps she misunderstood the situation. Perhaps it was a cheer of joy, a scream of delight? Something of that sort seemed much more likely. She wanted to just head straight to the animatronics before doing anything else; but her curiosity got the best of her. She slowly started to sneak through the halls, trying to take a peak towards the direction she heard the scream before finding a man...sitting and crying against the wall. “M-Mister...? Are...are you okay?”

She hadn’t thought before she spoke, not realizing that she was giving away her hiding space as she walked a step closer. She began to see the red stains on the man, scanning his attire with a small squint in her eyes.

“...Why are you covered in...in....tomato sauce? Ketchup? Paint? ...U-um...covered in red...why are you covered with red stuff?”

Inherited Mistakes

———

#tw abuse #tw alcohol #Before the Slaughter | Amy #@vnights

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oumiyuki · 5 years ago

Text

Look At Me!

Summary: In which Honoka spends too much time with each and every other Muse member, and Nico snaps; demanding attention.

Pairing: Honoka x Nico

Genre: Romance, Slice of Life

Author Notes

Let me make it. Let me make it. Let me make it for Nico’s birthday..!!

..!

May you enjoy~! XD Nico-nico-nii~

Nico has always been a perceptive girl. She would notice the people around her; when they are messing around or in need. Lately…Nico finds herself noticing everything about the Leader of Muse, Kousaka Honoka.

There’s no surprise there as Nico loves Honoka. Nico loves her girlfriend and would notice every little detail from the change in ribbon for the day or the crumbs by her mouth. Nico would know.

The only “problem” Nico has with her attentiveness to the bubby and all-round adorable existence called Honoka right this moment would be that… Honoka’s attention wasn’t on her.

Nico grimaces from her centre seat in the clubroom as she watches her girlfriend leave her seat to drape herself all over Kotori with a whine for help. “Kotori-chan~ Help me with this math homework…~ And English homework…!” and under her breath, “If it’s Umi-chan, she’ll go demon coach on me…”

Kotori giggles and pats Honoka’s head. “Sure thing, Honoka-chan~”

“Yay!” Honoka cheers and gives Kotori a bear hug full of gratitude.

Seriously Honoka? I could teach you English or Math…

Nico stops midthought.

I can’t. But still!

It doesn’t stop with Kotori stealing Honoka’s attention from Nico. It never does.

Nico was sweaty and panting and taking a good amount of water into her system after Muse’s dance practice when she catches in her peripheral the gingerhead with Muse’s dance coordinator-and-instructor.

“Umi-chan, Eli-chan. I need a favour from the both of you…” Honoka began in a serious tone.

Nico’s ruby eyes never once left the trio, and Honoka mostly as she drank her water.

“I want to get additional dance practice with the two of you…If you don’t mind? I wanna get these dance steps right and as soon as possible!” Honoka moved her body, trying the steps once more but tripping a little.

More practice huh…

Nico stepped towards Honoka’s direction immediately when Honoka almost fell; even if Nico would be too far or too slow to catch Honoka, she wanted to lurch forward. But since Honoka kept her balance after, Nico sighed a sigh of relief.

Be more careful, Honoka!

“Ehehe…See?” Honoka rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly for making mistakes already.

Umi and Eli exchange a glance before nodding, agreeing to Honoka’s request as they were always proud and extra motivated by Honoka’s passion and determination when it comes to school idol activities. So they were more than happy to help Honoka with dance practice.

You know…

Nico capped her bottle of water loudly after the third day of Honoka having additional practice and a realization hit her.

You know you can look for me to be your dance partner right, Honoka??

“Are you okay, nya?” Rin looked over concerned at the loud noise and an annoyed looking Nico, though she thinks Nico tend to look annoyed.

Nico shakes her head. “I’m fine…”

The Universe Number One Idol stole a longing glance at Honoka working her hardest on the other side of the roof for a long time before heading home.

…

Do your best, Honoka.

Nico will still support Honoka with her decisions. And she doesn’t admit aloud very often or at all; but she admires Honoka’s tenacity as a school idol. Nico smiles on the way home that evening.

Studying subjects that Nico can’t teach Honoka; fine, she accepts that Kotori does a better job at it. Dance practice with the dance instructors themselves; fine, she loves being able to see Honoka working so hard anyways.

But!

The world isn’t kind enough to let Nico not be jealous and upset that Honoka was spending a lot of time with Hanayo and Rin instead of her.

On a nice day after school, “Let’s go for the all-you-can-eat sushi buffet, Hanayo-chan!”

That’s cute, Honoka. But I’m sure Umi will stop you-

“Let’s!” Hanayo cheers along and the two left with no Umi in sight.

Wait, what?

On another good weather after school, “Ramen tonight, nya!” Rin jumps up in her seat with an excited grin which the gingerhead matches.

“Yeah! Let’s challenge the mega-super-duper-ultra-large ramen bowl, Rin-chan!” Honoka was starry eyed and almost drooling at the thought of lots and lots of ramen to slurp down.

“Tension’s rising, nyaa~” Rin laughs with her fist pumped in the air and the two left the room.

Nico’s eye twitches each time that she’s going on dinner dates with Hanayo and Rin instead of her. Sure, she always complains about the carbs and calories…a lot. But that doesn’t mean Honoka should give up asking her out on food dates! She wouldn’t mind tagging along with her shenanigans with Hanayo and Rin! But don’t leave her out.

Who leaves the Universe’s number one idol out!?

Nico doesn’t want to talk or think about the case with Nozomi which she could not help but stalk Honoka the entire day to find out what’s going on; she didn’t really find out what Honoka was seeking Nozomi’s advice for. But she knows that Honoka spent a day with Nozomi instead of her. And asked for help from Nozomi instead of her.

From Nozomi!

Nico had enough. Nico couldn’t stand that Honoka’s attention, her girlfriend’s attention kept being stolen by another Muse girl! And Nico was feeling lonely. So, Nico gets Honoka alone in the clubroom and kabedons the gingerhead, glaring angrily at her girlfriend who was helpless and clueless to what’s happening.

Look at me, Honoka!

“N-Nico-chan..? Is something wrong..?” Honoka blinks consecutively, a worried smile playing on her lips.

Look at you! So clueless even now.

Yet still so cute. Was an afterthought that Nico could not help but have.

“Is something wrong…you ask? Of course there is! I am mad right now. Very, very mad right now.” Nico growls through gritted teeth as she bobbed up and down from trying to tiptoe to be taller than Honoka but to no avail. Nico gives up doing that after the umpteenth time.

“Why are you m-mad, Nico-chan? Did I do something..?” Honoka’s eyebrows furrowed in thought and her lips curled upside down in a frown directed at herself.

Nico sulks pointedly at Honoka for a long time as she observed how the gingerhead was apologetic and genuinely sad despite not knowing what she have done or not done. On normal days, Honoka’s puppy look could easily get Nico’s mind of steel to fall, so it wasn’t surprising that in this moment of their faces a mere 5 centimetres away, Nico’s anger crumbled mostly.

Seriously. When did it become so hard to stay mad at Honoka?

Nico sighs deliberately. “You have been spending too much time with other girls.”

“Other girls..?” Honoka repeated dumbly.

Nico kept the glare. “Yes. The rest of Muse, Honoka. You go on dinner dates with them. You give extra time to Umi and Eli. You hug Kotori like she’s your girlfriend not me. What’s that about?” Nico shook her head in disbelief, her twintail swinging from side to side from the force.

The only saving grace is…

“Only Maki isn’t stealing you from me.” Nico shifts on her feet to reposition herself, though her hands never leave the wall where she has Honoka trapped.

Honoka blinks once. Then there was a pause as her eyes shift sideways. Honoka swallows loudly. Nico took in all of these nervous reactions with her lips a set line.

Don’t tell me…

“Actually…Nico-chan… The truth is these days, I sleep with Maki-chan every day!” Honoka does a bow of apology which knocks her head into Nico’s before she pulls back to say sorry again but this time Nico leans back so she doesn’t get a head injury from Honoka’s clumsiness.

“What. Wait. What do you mean by that?!” Nico was bewildered by the sheer sentence.

Maki who happened to walk in on her seniors’ lover’s quarrel reacted the same way as Nico did; bewildered and affronted, but she actually knew what Honoka was referring to so she was relieved she wasn’t doing anything bad. “Honoka, don’t say things in such a misleading manner.”

“Maki!”

“Maki-chan!”

Maki twirls her hair and rolls her eyes. “Don’t look at me. Explain yourself.”

Nico returns her gaze on Honoka again. “Explain.”

Honoka sweatdrops but nods. “I have sleepovers at Maki-chan’s place to learn how to play the piano…”

“Why would you need to learn to play the piano?” Nico shook her head in disbelief; that the gingerhead has been having sleepover’s at Maki’s without telling her, and have been trying to pick up piano without telling her.

Is this because of her desire to be more useful again? Why can’t she understand that she’s doing more than enough for all of us already?

Honoka bites her bottom lip, once again organizing her thoughts and wondering if she should be entirely honest, which was a tough job considering how Honoka was always honest. “Because…”

Nico cocked her head to the side, getting rather annoyed that Honoka couldn’t just tell her everything right away. Was there anything she needed to hide from her Universe Number One Girlfriend?!

“Forget it. If you can’t tell me…so be it.” Nico turns to walk away but Honoka hurries to wrap her arms around Nico’s waist.

“Noooo, wait! I’ll tell. I’ll tell. Don’t get angry and leave me, Nico-chaaaaan.” Honoka sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

Nico tries to push Honoka away but turning around allowed her to see Honoka’s moist blue eyes. Nico pushes half-heartedly.

If you’re gonna tell, then hurry it up. It hurts me to see you sad, Honoka.

“I…I want to surprise Nico-chan on your birthday with a new song made by me…” Honoka sniffles sadly. “But…But Maki-chan told me it isn’t easy to compose music just because I can learn the piano…”

Well, duh.

“I really want to though! So Maki-chan agreed to teach me…That’s why I forcefully went on sleepovers at Maki-chan’s place…” Honoka lowers her head ashamed but her hold on Nico was strong.

So it was all your doing huh… Figures Maki wouldn’t attempt to steal you away from me, or agree to daily sleepovers.

“Nico-chan…I’m sorry for not paying you a lot of attention! But I just…wanted to do something special for my special someone…” Honoka’s small, soft and vulnerable tone, her shimmering blue hues, and that warm grip on Nico was more than enough for Nico to cave.

“Yeah…Yeah…” Nico sighs and looks away as pink dust her cheeks. “So do I get to hear it tomorrow? Or did you fail to learn it?”

Even without Honoka playing the piano for me on my birthday…I’d be happy with just spending time with her.

Honoka slides up a little and nods earnestly. “I can play Happy Birthday and Aishiteru Banzai now! At least…a bit of Aishiteru Banzai…” Honoka flashes Nico an excited but dorky smile; teeth on her bottom lip and eyes filled with silly pride mixed with adoration.

Nico huffs though her nose as she put her hands around Honoka’s back. “Again. Tomorrow..?”

Honoka realizes she didn’t answer Nico’s earlier question and she nods rapidly with a huge smile on. “It’s a date!” She pecks her girlfriend’s cheek before returning to that big, goofy ‘forgive me, I love you’ look.

Nico shakes her head, her own smile impossible to wipe off. “Yeah…It’s a date. And don’t you dare give a second to another girl on my birthday.”

Honoka embraces Nico with one hand and brought the other up in a mock salute. “I won’t!”

“Good.” Nico grins at Honoka before breaking into a laugh with her girlfriend.

My birthday is going to be a good one with Honoka.

Author Notes

I made it, yay! \^w^ My 100th LL!SIP story on AO3!

Nico-nico-nii~ hehe~ XD

I have a thousand and one story ideas I wanted to work on for Nico’s birthday, but my brain decided ‘no, no, let’s come up with a new one!’ so I was left with lesser time to complete this. XD hahas.

But well, that means more Nico stories next time ;D

I hope y’all enjoyed this! Maybe I’ll write a continuation where Honoka gives all her attention to Nico! ;D And her renewed lyric of Aishiteru Banzai: I love Nico version :P

Leave a comment if you like! (Let’s Nico-nico-nii the day with lots of smiles! :D that’s Nico’s and my wish for all of y’all ^w^//) hehe~

See you next story!

#hononico #nicohono #yazawa nico #kousaka honoka #fanfiction #fanfic #love live #love live school idol project #happy birthday nico 2019 #muse #minami kotori #nishikino maki #ayase eli #sonoda umi #koizumi hanayo #hoshizora rin #toujou nozomi

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ryqoshay · 5 years ago

Text

How to Handle a Maki: Maki’s First Adventure

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: ~8k Rating: T? Maybe G; I’ve been overcautious as of late it seems AU: RPG Time Frame: ??? Story Arc: Stand Alone

Author’s Note: And now I’m writing a fourth fic... yay?

As with the first chapter of Heavenly Life, this serves as a proof of concept, this time for an idea I had when writing HL (AU). If I’m going to start writing a fantasy, non-canon compliant AU for YohaRiko, why not do so for NicoMaki as well?

Also, major thanks to noelclover for providing inspiration via amazing RPG NicoMaki fanart - links will be provided in the followup post. I consider it an honor and a privilege to have been able to brainstorm ideas with a fellow fanwork creator and pray this work lives up to what was in mind upon creation of the aforementioned art.

Edit: Upon reviewing this chapter for purposes of writing something else, I realized something either didn't copy/past right or didn't save correctly when I originally wrote it in Word. As such, I have added a bit just before Maki's first adventure actually begins. Nothing major, just a bit of in-universe explaining as to why some things ended up as they did.

Maki was happy.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, she was truly, honestly, happy. She had arrived at her destination. And had done so all by herself.

She had not ridden in a fancy carriage owned by her family. Instead, she had walked, despite it taking over a week, not just a few days. Along the way, she had not stopped at the homes of local nobles where she knew she would be showered with gifts and granted the best room and board they could offer. Instead, she had stayed at each town’s tavern, where she had rented a room and had eaten the food provide by said taverns. On the nights she was unable to make it to the next town, she had made do with supplies she had brought with her. The clothes she wore were not ornate in any way and did not sacrifice comfort for style. Instead, they were hearty and durable, would not tear at the slightest of snags, and had no hem that needed to be held up to allow her to move.

And, perhaps most important of all, she had been able to earn money on her own, money not given to her by her wealthy parents simply for being their daughter. She had found many opportunities to sing and perform for coins tossed into her hat to help supplement her finances. Nothing about the journey had been extremely luxurious as far as she was concerned, but it had been enough to get by.

Now she stood in front of an old, but sturdy structure that was smaller than she had been led to believe. Her feet were sore from all of the walking, she had depleted much of her rations, she desperately wanted to bathe and sleep in a bed, and the wonderful aroma wafting through the cracks in the door made her stomach grumble, but she was here. She had finally arrived at the guildhouse of the Yazawa branch of the Adventurer’s Guild.

This particular branch had been suggested to Maki by Rin, the fiancée of her friend Hanayo. The two of them had recently started frequenting this location because they were fond of the manager, one Yazawa Nico. Apparently Hanayo and Nico shared some strange obsession with idols, both ancient and contemporary. Rin didn’t quite understand her fiancée’s fascination with statues but was happy to support her in her research and adventures. Maki definitely didn’t get it either, but she trusted Hanayo and thus had decided her first adventure would be some idol research for this Nico person.

She knocked on the door and awaited a response. Nothing for several minutes. She knocked again, a little harder this time.

“It’s unlocked!” A voice came from within.

Unlocked? Maki glanced from side to side. No guards in sight. Was Nico some sort of mage that warded off intruders via magic? Or perhaps Nico was just that trusting of others in the world? Then again, perhaps in the eyes of a thief, this place didn’t look like it was worth looting?

Memories came to her of all the guards, servants and the like who were ever-present around the noble and royal folk and their property. Though certainly possible, it was difficult to harm or steal from those in higher society, if for no other reason than the sheer number of potential witnesses. Heck even the taverns in which she had stayed often had a handful of people around that could deal with situations. But this place…

“You coming in or not?” The voice called again.

“Right, sorry…” Maki replied, finally opening the door. Immediately, a warm breeze slipped past her, carrying with it a potent burst of the aroma she had smelled earlier, causing her stomach to grumble again. “Hello?” She called into the building

“In the kitchen!”

Maki followed the sounds and smells of cooking. Turning the corner, she stopped in her tracks at the sight before her. Without a doubt, she had found the kitchen and the source of the tantalizing smell. But what struck her was the individual currently preparing what looked like a feast for no less than twenty people. With dark black hair pulled up in youthful twintails that bounced along as she practically danced from pot to spit to chopping board was a girl at least two years younger than her, possibly more.

“Welcome!” The girl said, turning a brilliant smile toward her.

“Uhm… is this the Yazawa Branch Guildhouse?” Maki asked.

“You got the right place. Now what can I do for you?” The girl reached over to stir the pot while she talked.

“I’m supposed to ask for the branch guildmaster, Yazawa Nico?”

“You found her.”

“…” Maki blinked. Surly she was being pranked. There was no way a kid was in charge of a guild, even if just a branch.

“So again, what can I do for you?” The girl repeated her previous question, her smile waning ever so slightly as a bit of impatience seeped into her voice.

“I’d… like to speak with Yazawa Nico.”

The smile dissipated entirely, replaced by a scowl as the girl put a hand on her hip. “That’s me.”

Part of Maki wanted to give her credit for her dedication the act, but she needed to get down to business. “Look, kid…” She cut off as a guttural growl came through the girl’s sneer.

“Onee-chan!” a young voice shouted from the direction of the door.

Immediately, the girl’s smile returned, somehow even brighter than when she had initially greeted Maki. Half a second later, a smaller version of the girl barreled past Maki.

“Cocoa!” Another smaller version appeared. “Don’t run in the kitchen when Onee-sama is cooking!”

“Smell good…” A third voice drawled.

There were four of them? Maki’s gaze shifted among them. They all had vibrant crimson eyes and dark hair, though one’s hair was a bit more on the brown side. And she was pretty sure the shortest one was a boy. Maybe…

“Ah, a guest.” The polite one turned toward Maki and greeted her with a bow. “Are you a new recruit?”

“Maybe?” Maki replied.

“That’s wonderful. Onee-sama may be the No. 1 Guildmaster in the Universe, but it has been difficult for her to get new recruits as of late.”

“Cocoro.” The purported No. 1 Guildmaster said with a disapproving air.

“Sorry, Onee-sama.”

“We’re doing just fine here.”

“My name is Cocoro, by the way.” The girl said, turning back to the guest. “And your name?”

“Maki.”

“It has been nice to meet you, Maki-san.” Cocoro smiled. “I’ll go set the table.” She then told her sister.

“Thanks.” The guildmaster then patted the head of the girl still wrapped around her waist. “Cocoa, go play with Cotaro. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

“Alright.” Cocoa replied, detaching herself. “Hi, Maki-san.” She said, running past the redhead.

“So, Princess,” Nico turned her attention to Maki “you got a surname to go with that gorgeous face and rude attitude?”

“Gor… rude? P-Princess?” Maki couldn’t decide what to react to first. “What the heck?”

“That’s what your name means, right? True Princess? What, did your parents hope you would marry into royalty or something?”

“No, I, uhm…”

“What, you gotta problem with people knowing your family name?” Nico’s eyes widened. “Maybe you have a bounty on your head?”

“Buweeh?!” Maki balked. “Bounty? No, that’s not it.” She shook her head. “That’s not it at all.”

“Hrm, a shame.” Nico shrugged. “Could’ve used the reward…”

Maki deadpanned at the other girl. “Nishikino. My name is Nishikino Maki.” Though as soon as she said it, Maki wondered if she shouldn’t have come up with an alias instead of using her real name. Her given name was probably fine, but…

“Nishikino Maki.” Nico repeated. “Has a bit of a regal sound to it.”

Wait, did that mean Nico didn’t know about the clerical clan headed by the Nishikino family? What kind of adventurers guildmaster hadn’t heard of the Nishikino clerics, even if just a backwater branch manager?

“I guess…” Maki admitted, reaching up unconsciously to twirl a strand of hair around a finger.

Nico shrugged it off. “So, back to my still unanswered question, what can I do for you?”

“Rin and Hanayo recommended I come here to get a contract.”

“Beginner adventurer, eh?”

Maki wanted to deny and claim that she had some experience, but Nico continued.

“Yeah, I have a few things we could do.”

“We?”

“Of course. I’ll go with you on your first contract or two; show you the ropes of adventuring and dungeon crawling. Cocoro can watch the place while we’re away and everything will be fine.”

“I see…”

“So, I’ll get the paperwork and gear together later and we can head out in the morning. But for tonight, you can join us for dinner then we’ll see about getting you a room.”

“Alright.” Maki found herself getting a little excited. Despite the hiccup with introductions, things seemed to be going well and she was one step closer to her new life of adventure.

“Anyway, I’m almost done here, so go hang out for a bit, but don’t go upstairs.”

“Huh?”

“NozoEli are up there.”

“Nozoeli…?”

“Sorry, Nozomi and Eli.” Nico corrected. “They’re two people, but since they’re practically attached at the hip, some of us refer to them as NozoEli. Kinda like RinPana, the ones who sent you here.”

“I… don’t get it…?” Maki had never heard her friends referred to in such a way.

“Anyway, they’re up there ‘celebrating’ Eli’s successful hunt, so unless you want to be scarred for life, don’t go up there. Nozomi has been pretty good lately in remembering to cast a spell to soundproof the room, but still usually forgets to lock the door, so if you go into the wrong one…” Nico shook her head as thought to clear unwanted memories.

Seems like not locking doors is commonplace around here, Maki mused to herself.

“Mmm… that smells delicious, Nicocchi.” A voice came from the direction of the stairs.

“The kids are here, Nozomi,” Nico replied without even looking “so you’d better be wearing pants this time.”

“Is a skirt alright?”

“You know what I mean.”

The girl coming down from the upper floor giggled. Long purple hair fell down to her hips and green eyes held a gaze that gave the feeling she knew more than she would ever let on. A smile matched the knowingness of her aura as she noticed Maki.

“Elicchi will be down in a bit.” Nozomi directed toward Nico despite her approaching Maki. “She’s a bit more tired than I am; wore her out a bit, it seems.”

Nico groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Tojo Nozomi.” The purple-haired girl greeted, holding out a hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Maki-chan.”

Maki blinked but accepted the handshake anyway.

“Don’t let her get to you, Nishikino.” Nico spoke up. “She’s like that with pretty much everyone.” She finally turned her attention away from her meal preparation. “You know you could try being a bit more formal at first from time to time, Nozomi.”

“Says the girl calling her Princess.” Nozomi grinned.

“Yeah, but that’s what her name…”

“Oh, is that ready? I’ll bring it out to the table.” She grabbed serving tray filled with carved meat.

“Thanks, but no sneaking a bi… hey! I saw that!”

The purple-haired girl laughed through a mouthful of meat as she made her escape to the dining room.

Nico sighed and shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder why I put up with her…”

“Because I’m your best source for rare components and you know it!” Nozomi called from the other room.

“Yeah, yeah…” Nico made a dismissive motion with her hand despite knowing the other girl couldn’t see it. “Anyway, Nishikino, if you would be so kind as to take this and follow Nozomi, we can eat soon.”

“Maki is fine.” Maki stated as she accepted the platter of crudités.

“Right, and I’ll overlook the kid thing if you call me Nico, the No. 1 Guildmaster in the Universe.”

The redhead couldn’t help deadpanning again.

“Or just Nico.” The raven-haired girl conceded with a smile.

As Maki made her way to the dining room, she found herself wondering if the No. 1 thing had been a joke or a test. Either way, she did feel a bit bad about misjudging the guildmaster’s age. She knew how she felt when being patronized by those older than her due to her age or lack of experience.

Although… had she actually misjudged Nico’s age? She had younger siblings, sure, and was the manager of this branch, but that didn’t mean she had to be any particular age, or even an adult for that matter. Maki was pretty sure she remembered reading the account of a girl who had taken command of a small mercenary guild when she was barely eleven. Not that it really mattered either way, but perhaps she should ask that Nozomi girl.

For better or worse, Maki was unable to inquire about Nico as the moment she made it to the table, a blonde shambled down the stairs, looking like she had just run a marathon. Said blonde introduced herself as Eli and took a seat next to Nozomi who immediately clamped a hand on her leg, earning a disparaging remark from Nico. Cocoro called her other two siblings and once everyone was at the table, they began their meal.

Conversation was lighthearted as full introductions were made and several stories were told. Nozomi insisted Eli tell the epic tale of her hunt earlier that day before sharing a story of her own, one seemingly designed specifically to embarrass Nico in front of the guest. The raven-haired girl fired back with what Maki assumed to be an embarrassing anecdote about Nozomi, but the purple-haired girl merely laughed it off.

All in all, the experience had been quite enjoyable for Maki and stood in stark contrast to the extravagant banquets and parties she had regularly been required to attend growing up. The food was surprisingly on par, simple in appearance, but flavorful and filling. And the company was in an entirely different realm. Nobody was approaching her with the intent of talking themselves up in hopes that she would put in a good word for them with her parents or some other noble. Nobody was sucking up to anyone, in fact. Everyone was just happily enjoying the company and were including her like they had known her for years. It was all a bit… strange, but pleasantly so.

And while she was not accustomed to doing so, Maki had been more than happy to join in clearing the table after the meal. The kids were out the door moments later, leaving the four older girls to relax for the evening.

“I’ll make some tea.” Nozomi offered before heading toward the kitchen.

“Thanks, Nozomi.” Nico replied before turning to Maki. “Now, about the bill.”

The bill? For the meal? “Oh, uhm… alright.” Maki began fumbling for her coin pouch.

“Nicocchi.” Nozomi’s tone held a scolding air despite her playful expression as she turned back toward them. “You know Eli and I provided everything for that meal, right?”

“But I cooked it.” Nico insisted. “My labor has to be worth something.”

“So, are you going to charge your siblings as well?”

“Of course not, they’re family.”

“Alright, then what of the leftovers?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if we were to take what Maki-chan ate out of what Elicchi and I will be taking with us?”

Nico opened her mouth to argue further but paused to think for a moment. “You know what, fine, we’ll just call it all even.” She turned back to Maki. “But standard room and board fees will apply if you want to stay here for the night and have breakfast in the morning.”

“Alright.” Maki pulled out a handful of gold coins from her pouch. “Will this cover it?”

Nico’s eyes bulged. “Ye…” Her voice cracked so she cleared her throat before continuing. “This much is fine.” She said, taking only one of the offered coins. “We can work out a weekly or monthly fee later if you end up sticking around a while. And of course if you join the guild, there is an even bigger discount, and I can deduct it directly from your pay.”

Maki nodded in agreement before the two made their way to the living room to join Eli.

“Tea is ready.” Nozomi announced a few minutes later, carrying a tray toward the fireplace.

“Almost done here.” Nico stated, stacking a few more logs. “Want to do the honors?” She offered, turning to the purple-haired girl.

“Of course.” The mage replied, and with a quick snap, a crackling fire leaped up from the wood. “So, Maki-chan,” she directed her attention toward the redhead “know any good songs?”

“Quite a few, actually.” Maki retrieved her lute. “Any requests?”

Nozomi shrugged. “Bard’s choice.”

“Alright.” Maki agreed and immediately began to play.

Nozomi took a seat next to Eli and leaned into the blonde who put her arm around her as they settled in to enjoy the show.

For her part, Nico sat back and let the stringed melody envelope her. Then the singing started. And for a moment, she wasn’t sure if her heart had merely skipped a beat or stopped altogether. Maki’s voice… it was heavenly. The redhead matched her tone flawlessly with her instrument, blending their harmonies in ways Nico had never imagined possible. And the song. She’d never heard it before, yet it felt so familiar that she found herself wanting to join in.

And then it was over. Nico suddenly remembered to breathe and leaned back into her chair without knowing when she had sat forward.

“Bravo!” Nozomi cheered, disturbing Eli from her trance similar to Nico’s. “Encore!”

Maki smiled at the request and obliged, filling the guildhouse again with music.

Nico had lost track of how many songs were sung but was happy Maki had gone with a few she knew and had let her sing along. Eli and Nozomi started drifting off to the later songs as though they were lullabies and Maki chose slower, softer songs to accommodate. Eventually, with some reluctance, Nico called an end to the concert, reminding Maki that the two of them had an early morning. However, as the other three girls shuffled upstairs, Nico instead headed to her office. The others would sleep, but she still had work to do.

Maki’s eyes opened slowly at what sounded like a knock on her door.

“Time to wake up!” Nico’s voice called from the hallway. “Your breakfast is already getting cold!”

Wearily, Maki sat up, stretched and yawned. With a deep breath through her nose, she inhaled another amazing aroma, a bit different from last night’s but enough to make her stomach grumble. Though part of her wanted to go back to sleep in the surprisingly comfortable, yet simple and small bed, the rest of her wanted more of the guildmaster’s delicious cooking. Thus, she crawled out of bed, wrapped her cape around her shoulders and shambled downstairs.

“Good morning!” Nico greeted her cheerfully, “Who knows when NozoEli will be down, but you and I have a few things to do before we head out.”

“Mmmph…” Was all Maki managed in response before collapsing into a chair at the table.

“Not a morning person, eh?” Nico chuckled. “Well if you’re gonna be an adventurer, we’re going to have to work on that.” She set a steaming cup in front of the redhead. “Here, I’ve found this stuff to be more effective than tea. Not sure where Nozomi gets the beans though.”

“Beans?” Maki lifted the mug to inspect the dark liquid within.

“Yeah, instead of leaves I guess. Strange, I know.” The raven-haired girl shrugged. “But it does the trick and helps me stay awake to concentrate on my duties.”

“Mmm…” Maki hummed after taking her first sip. The brew was definitely different than the tea to which she was accustomed, but not in a bad way. If it was truly more effective than tea, she figured she wouldn’t have a problem getting used to it.

“And here’s your breakfast.” A plate appeared in font of her as well. “I reused some stuff from last night, but the eggs are fresh.” Nico explained before taking a seat herself.

Breakfast proceeded mainly in silence, as Maki’s mind stumbled in getting through her morning fog. However, she did notice Nico seeming to pay particular attention to her with each bite she took, as if evaluating her reactions. Had she done that last night? Maki couldn’t remember. Perhaps the general hubbub of NozoE… Nozomi and Eli, she found it odd to refer to them together, and Nico’s siblings had distracted her?

In any case, Maki was familiar with the behavior as she had watched many chefs, as well as other servants, await the approval of the nobles they served. So, did that mean Nico wanted Maki’s approval?

“That was delicious.” Maki said after her final bite.

“I know, right?” A brilliant smile turned up the guildmaster’s lips. “Nico is the No. 1 Chef in the Universe after all.”

Maki raised an eyebrow. She wouldn’t have gone that far, but she would certainly admit that Nico’s skill exceeded those of at least some chefs she had encountered over the years. And what the heck was with the No. 1 thing? Didn’t she refer to herself as the No. 1 Guildmaster as well? Or did her sister say that? It didn’t matter, either way it quite the strange way to refer to oneself. And presumptuous. There was no way Nico had been able to meet and compare herself to every other guildmaster or chef in the realm, much less the universe.

However, as prideful as the proclamation had been, Maki couldn’t deny that seeing the other girl happy managed to make her happy as well. Nico was quite cute when smiling that brightly.

And on the topic of cuteness, gone were the girlish twintails of the prior night, replaced instead with low, twin buns that managed to increase her visual maturity without diminishing her cuteness. In fact, Nico’s entire outfit was more professional, yet no less adorable. She definitely looked more like a guildmaster today than when they had first met. And the pink pouch on her belt was a fitting highlight, if Maki were to assume the other girl’s color preference.

“So, you’re done?” Nico’s question brought Maki back to reality.

“Uhm, yeah…”

“Very well,” Nico stood and collected the plates “Let me bring these back to the kitchen. Wait here and I’ll get your contract and supplies. Feel free to top off your mug if you want.” She motioned to the carafe of the curious concoction.

Maki was more than happy to partake as she realized she was indeed waking up faster than normal. She sipped at her fresh cup while awaiting Nico’s return.

“Here we go; your Standard Issue Beginner Adventurer’s Pack.” A backpack was set on the table. “And, here is an itemized receipt of everything in it.” Nico held a slip of paper out for Maki to take. “If you feel you don’t need a particular item, or already have one, return it now for a full refund. However, once you leave here, it will be considered used and you’ll only get half price.”

“Half?”

“Standard operating procedure.” Nico explained. “You’ll find the other shopkeeps will all offer the same.”

“Hrm…” Maki began to study the list. “Torches?”

“We’ll be going into a cave, can you see in the dark?”

“No…”

“Do you know any spells the cast light?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then you’ll need a light source. Otherwise you are likely to be eaten by a grue.”

“Eaten? Grue?” Maki blanched. “What the heck?”

“Kidding. Kidding.” Nico laughed. “There have been no reports of grue attacks in this area for at least a few weeks. But do be wary of the occasional gazebo.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Anyway, all adventurers need light eventually, so I include torches in the standard pack. However, due to your apparent finances, I would personally recommend an Everburning Torch. You’ll never need to replace it, unless you lose it, of course. Which reminds me,” She produced another slip “here are a few other upgrades I would recommend.”

“Rope? Why would I need rope?” Maki was still looking at the original list.

Nico sighed. “I could literally spend all day explaining the various uses for rope. Suffice to say every adventurer needs it at some point.”

“What’s a crowbar?”

Nico balked a bit before opening the backpack and retrieving said item. “You can use it to pry things open; doors, chests, and whatnot.” She made a couple motions to demonstrate. “Technically you can use it as a weapon in a pinch, but I’d recommend you use the daggers in here instead.”

“Daggers?”

“Everyone needs a backup weapon or two. We’ll get to your primary weapon in a moment.”

“Alright… Oh, I already have a mirror, soap and these as well.”

“Of course you do.” Nico reached into the backpack to remove the named items.

“What’s a handy haversack?”

Nico’s eyes lit up. “Only one of the best utility items an adventurer can have!”

“It’s a backpack…”

“Not just any backpack! It’s bigger on the inside!”

Maki raised an eyebrow.

“Magic. Extra-dimensional space and all that. In any case, it can hold far more than a regular backpack. And it will magically sort your inventory so whatever you’re looking for will always appear on top for easy retrieval. Keep that lute of yours safe and sound but retrieve it with ease. Feet sore from lugging around a hundred pounds of stuff? The haversack only weighs five, even with everything in it.”

“Alright, I’ll try one.”

“Excellent.” Nico grinned. “I’ll be right back.” She turned and took two steps but paused. “Actually, follow me and bring that pack. We’ll get you a weapon while we’re at it.”

Maki did as instructed and followed the guildmaster into a room full of supplies.

“You’re in luck. This is my last one.” Nico said, taking a backpack off a hook on the wall. “A bargain at twice the price.” She set it down on a counter. “Go ahead and start moving stuff while we talk weapons.”

Maki nodded.

“I noticed you didn’t appear to have a weapon of your own when you arrived, so I’m assuming you stuck to main roads on your way here.” Nico move to a display rack. “But you never know what you’re going to encounter out there in the wild, so you best be prepared. Do you prefer ranged or melee?”

“I’m not sure…?”

“Have you had any archery practice?”

Maki shook her head.

“Melee it is. Now, anyone can swing a blunt object around and cause some damage, but have you had any training with a blade?”

“I had some fencing lessons growing up.”

“Ah, then perhaps you’d be interested in a rapier.” Nico selected a blade and moved over to the other girl.

“Yes, that looks familiar.” Maki nodded, accepting the sword. “It’s quite lovely.”

“I know, right?” The guildmaster puffed out her chest with pride. “Nico is the No 1 Blacksmith in the Universe.”

There it was again. By the gods this girl had one hell of an ego. But while it was starting to get on Maki’s nerves, she couldn’t deny the rapier she now held was indeed of masterwork quality.

“Also, here is you contract for this adventure.” Nico produced a sizable scroll. “Here is your base pay, and a statement about the commission you will earn based on the price of the artifact you retrieve. Please initial here to acknowledge it.” Her finger moved about the page to point things out. “And here we have a section about revival. Check Yes if you wish to be revived upon death, but be aware that the price of materials for the spell as well as all expenses incurred in locating and retrieving your body will be deducted from your pay. Or check No if you do not desire this service. Then initial here to acknowledge your decision.”

“You’re kidding again, right?”

“Not in the slightest. This is just standard contract stuff. But don’t worry too much about it. Where we’re going, even an amateur like you should be fine.”

“Hrm…”

“Anyway, if you check Yes, you will be charged a nominal deposit for the tracking device, which will be refunded upon its return in good and working order. Additional fees may apply for damage to or loss of the device.”

“Tracking device?”

“Something of my own creation.” Nico said, retrieving a small, metallic object from a nearby shelf. “Once it’s registered to you, it will monitor your vitals. If it detects that vitals have ceased, it will start transmitting a signal I can use to locate and revive you.”

“But you’re coming with me right?’

“I am.”

“So, why would I need this?”

“You never know what might happen out there. Maybe we get separated.” Nico explained. “Also, once you’ve registered a device, you can just keep it with you for however long you’re in the area. Heck, NozoEli still have theirs even though it’s been over a year since they last contracted with me.”

“Have either of them needed to use it?”

“That’s privileged information. But while I won’t reveal which clients have made use of this service, I will say that some have. Better safe than sorry.”

Maki thought for a moment before reaching over, checking Yes and initialing next to it.

“Excellent decision.” Nico said with a grin before doing something with the device in her hand. “Alright, place your finger here until it flashes.”

Maki did as asked.

“Perfect. Now just keep this in a pouch or pocket or whatever.” Nico explained handing over the tracker. “Just not in the haversack. I haven’t figured out how to make its sensors work through the extra-dimensional space yet. But I am still working on it. Anyway, please initial here, here and here as well. Then sign all the way down at the bottom.”

“Nico-chan!” a voice called from the entryway.

“Coming!” Nico raised her voice in response. “Finish up with this.” She instructed Maki. “And double check those lists to make sure you have everything you need. We’ll be back by dinner, so you won’t need stuff for overnight, but you’ll still want to be prepared. And of course let me know if you see anything else you want.”

“Alright.” Maki nodded.

And with that, Nico headed to the front door.

“Kotori!” Nico greeted her guest warmly. “It’s been a while. And I know that look. What kind of creature did you bring this time?”

Kotori smiled apologetically and lead the way back outside.

Nico immediately facepalmed. “A lion? Really? Where did you even find…” She glanced up to see the other girl’s eyes brimming with tears. “Fine.” She conceded, despite knowing it was an act. “But carnivores are going to cost extra.”

“Thanks Nico-chan!” The ash-haired girl practically jumped with joy.

“Yeah, yeah.” Nico dismissed. “Maybe you can convince Eli to hunt down some food so I don’t have to buy it.”

“Hunt down what now?” A voice came from behind them.

“Ah, Eli-chan!” Kotori’s attention was drawn to the blonde descending the stairs. “Just who I wanted to see!”

“What’s up, Kotori?” Eli smiled in greeting.

“I received word that a Corrupted boar was recently terrorizing the town of Arcton.” The ash-haired girl explained. “I tracked it to this area and believe it’s heading toward Lerwick.”

“Arcton is fairly well guarded, I can see why it would have moved on.” Eli grimaced. “But Lerwick... If it’s Corrupted enough, it could wipe them out.”

Kotori nodded somberly. “And from the reports, it may be beyond the point where I can save it.”

“Alright, I’ll get my gear and be ready in a bit.” Eli turned halfway to go back upstairs. “Say, do you mind if Nozomi joins us?”

“Of course not. You know I always welcome her company. And her magic might prove useful.”

“I figured you two would be leaving today.” Nico spoke up. “There are bentos in the kitchen for you. Take what you want, and I’ll add them to your bill.”

“Thanks Nico.” Eli tossed over her shoulder.

“I made plenty if you want to buy a few.” Nico offered to Kotori.

“Wonderful.” The other girl clapped her hands together with a smile. “I most certainly will partake.”

“Everything is signed.” Maki said, coming outside. “W-wait, wha?” She stumbled in retreating and found herself leaning awkwardly against the doorframe.

Kotori giggled. “Oh, he won’t bite.” She stroked the mane of the lion laying beside her.

“You’re not going to react that way the first time you encounter a wolf or whatnot, are you, Maki?” Nico asked, taking the paperwork from the redhead.

“Maki?” Kotori tilted her head. “Nishikino Maki?”

Maki blinked. “Uhm… yes…”

“You know her, Kotori?” Nico asked what was on both her and Maki’s minds.

“She’s a friend of Umi-chan.”

“Umi?”

Kotori giggled. “We should work on your knowledge of nobility and royalty, Nico-chan.”

“Hmph.” Nico scoffed. “As if I care about those high class muckety mucks.”

Maki wasn’t sure if she should interject, but she often felt similar, despite, or perhaps because of the fact that she had been raised in said high society. Instead she asked, “Sonoda Umi?”

“That’s right.” Kotori confirmed. “We’ve been friends since childhood, but I haven’t seen her in a few years, unfortunately. Not since…” She trailed off and she diverted her gaze down. “Never mind.” She cleared her throat and looked back up, her smile seeming a bit off. “I wouldn’t’ve expected to find you here, Maki-chan.”

“I’m, uhm… trying my hand as an adventuring bard.” Maki decided to explain.

“I see. That sounds wonderful.” Kotori’s smile softened and become more genuine. “Let me know if you ever want a beastmaster in your party.”

“I will.” Maki agreed.

“Oh yeah, Maki,” Nico spoke up, “change of plans.”

“Hm?”

“Looks like you’ll be going alone today. I have a new pen to build.”

“But…”

“You’ll be fine.” The guildmaster assured. “It’s a simple fetch quest. You’ll be back before dinner. And on the plus side, you’ll earn more because you won’t be charged for my assistance.”

“…” The bard seemed hesitant to agree for a moment before relenting. “Alright.”

Over the next half hour, the girls finished preparing for the day. Eli and Nozomi followed Kotori’s lead to hunt down the boar. Maki began following her map to find the hidden idol. And Nico began gathering materials to build a pen for Kotori’s new beast.

Maki squinted at the map in her hands. After some scrutiny, she looked up at the cliffside. This was the place, right? It had to be. She traced the landmark on the map with her finger as though the action would somehow make things clearer. Well, in any case, if this was indeed the right place, there would have to be a cave entrance somewhere at the base of the cliff.

Still rechecking the map, she took a step forward and…

“Kyaaa!” She shrieked as her boot clipped an exposed root and she stumbled down to her knees. “Ow ow ow oooowww~!” She cried, rolling back into a sitting position.

That was stupid. She chastised herself, inspecting the scrape marks on both knees that were just starting to bleed. Hissing, she quickly brushed away some of the larger chunks of debris. Then, holding a hand over each knee, she began to sing.

A soft red glow appeared between hand and wound and after a few seconds, both were mended. However, despite having fully healed her injury, Maki did not stop singing, mostly because the song was not over. As the melody continued, she fetched a handkerchief and waterskin from her bag. Then, after dampening the cloth, she cleared away the last of the dirt. Finally, she stood back up.

“Ssssing…” A voice like leaves in the wind rasped from behind her.

Startled, Maki spun to face whoever had spoken. “Who…?” She asked, not seeing anybody. “Where…?”

“Ssssing…” The voice repeated.

Up. Maki looked toward the branches above her to see a woman, body half covered in feathers, perched in a nearby tree.

“Who are you?” Maki inquired.

With a flap of wings, the woman descended to hover in front of the redhead. Maki froze as she noticed the bow nocked with a wickedly tipped arrow pointing at her. She doubted she could draw her rapier and close the distance before being hit with one, possibly two arrows.

“Sing!” The bird woman demanded, drawing the bow.

“A-alright…” Maki held out both hands defensively, revealing them to be empty. “I’ll sing…”

And with that, Maki began a new song. One that was different than her healing song, one she hoped would calm and placate.

Sure enough, halfway through the first chorus, the feathered woman lowered her bow. By the second, she had moved to a nearby rock to perch.

“Another.” The winged woman stated as soon as Maki finished.

“Uhm… do you mind if I fetch my instrument from my bag?” Maki inquired.

The bird woman cocked her head to the side with curiosity, but Maki noticed her grip tightening on her bow.

“It’s just a lute.” Maki explained, slowly removing her bag from her shoulders and setting it on the ground in front of her anything she did would be in clear view. “It will make my songs even better.” She assured. Then, careful to avoid sudden movements, she found her lute and pulled just the end out to show that it was not a weapon. Once the bird woman seemed satisfied with the lack of threat from the instrument, she removed it completely and slid its strap over her shoulder.

Maki plucked a few strings to reassure herself the lute was still in tune before strumming a full chord. Satisfied with the results, she began a second song. She watched the feathered woman’s features relax as the melodies washed over her. And while she did not release her bow completely, Maki was pleased to see her grip loosen.

“Another.” The bird woman stated again as the second song concluded.

Maki nodded and started her third song. This time, however, the feathered woman straightened her posture, opened her mouth, and began to sing along. Though initially startled, Maki did not let the unexpected accompaniment detract from her performance. And after a few moments, she allowed herself to be in awe as an almost perfect countermelody was provided to her song. Maki doubted the bird woman knew the song, as it was one she had written herself and had never performed for any non-human individuals; at least not knowingly. This meant the bird woman’s musical intuition was on par, if not exceed her own.

A fourth song. A fifth. A sixth.

Maki honestly felt like she could continue for hours.

A seventh song. An eighth. A ninth.

Maki began to lose count but didn’t care.

And then the feathered woman stood. As though coming out of a trance, Maki slowly focused on her vocal partner of the last… however long it had been.

“Thank you.” The bird woman said with a slight bow. “That was…” She seemed hesitant for a moment “fun” she concluded.

“Yes, it was.” Maki agreed with a smile.

With one more nod of acknowledgment, the woman flapped her wings and took to the trees. Within seconds, she was gone.

Strange. But enjoyable. Maki found herself thinking before continuing her search for the cave.

Nico wiped the sweat off her brow and glared up at the accursed yellow thing above her. In all honesty, it wasn’t a particularly warm day, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to block the sun’s rays, nor even a whisper of wind to help cool things off. For a moment she found herself envious of her friends and potential new recruit who were all trekking through shaded forest at this time.

Yellow movement caught the corner of her eye and she turned her gaze toward the lion sleeping nearby. The beast had rolled onto its back and pawed a few times at the air. Nico scoffed. Even the large cat was enjoying the shade of the tree to which it was tethered while she toiled away building its new pen.

Perhaps that should be her next creation; a portable shade device, or perhaps an automated fan. Or maybe even a combination there of? Nico made a mental note to draw up some designs later as she fed another log through her custom milling device.

This was the idol, right? Maki studied the sketch in her hands. It had to be. She held up the parchment near the small statue for a better comparison. Maybe if you ignored this part and added that… She turned the page sideways. Close enough. She grabbed the idol and shoved it in one of the pouches on her belt.

Nico had been mostly right, at least insofar as the ease of locating the idol. Travel to the cave had taken a bit longer, and the monsters had been a bit tougher than indicated, but Maki had made it through. She felt a swell of pride as she made her way back toward the entrance; she had completed her first adventure. On her own. Without any help.

Well, mostly complete. She did still have to make it back to the guildhouse, but that should be easy, right? She flipped the map upside down and headed out of the cave.

Where the heck was Maki? She should have been back by now. Nico checked the distress tracker again. At least the new adventurer was still alive, so that was good. But what was taking her so long?

Did she get lost? No, that couldn’t be the case. Even her younger siblings could figure out how to get to that cave and retrieve the idol within.

Maybe Maki was so much of a beginner that just the hike to the cave wore her out and she was taking extended breaks? Nico tried to remember if the redhead had purchased proper sleeping gear in case she needed to camp out for the night. And rations. Had she brought enough food for an extra day?

Well, whatever the case, her siblings would be arriving for dinner at any moment, so she took one last taste from the pot to make sure it was ready before moving to the dining room to set the table.

A knock on the door made Nico look up from her desk.

“It’s open!” She called.

“I’m back.” Maki’s voice came from the entryway.

About time. Nico thought. “I’m in the office.”

A moment later, the redhead came in the room and immediately stopped to stare at Nico.

“What?” Nico questioned as Maki slowly walked toward her with a strange expression.

“Nico-chan!” Maki threw herself on the guildmaster, knocking her out of her chair.

Nico grunted as she landed on the floor and arms wrapped tightly around her.

Nico-chan? What the heck is going on? Nico’s mind raced through ideas attempting to discern the most likely possibility. However, her thoughts were completely derailed when the redhead nuzzled against her cheek.

“What are you doing?” Nico cried. “Hey, let go of me.” She started to attempt to remove herself from the embrace.

“Noo~~!” Maki whined, hugging tighter.

“Maki, seriously, what are you doing?”

The redhead pulled away just enough to make eye contact. Nico internally cursed her heart for skipping a beat at the sheer adorableness of Maki’s pout.

“Does Nico-chan hate me?” Moisture gathered at the edges of the bard’s eyes.

“No, I just…” The guildmaster struggled to put her words together. “I just want to know what’s going on and why you’re hugging me.”

“I’m hugging Nico-chan because I love Nico-chan.”

“L-love?!”

“Yup!” Maki began snuggling against her again. “I lo~ve Nico-chan so~ much!” She practically sang.

“But, I…” Nico’s head lulled. Wait, what the heck? No. She wasn’t tired. She still had work to do!

“Nico-chan…” Maki sighed with contentment.

Maki was pretty warm… And despite its unexpected nature, her embrace was… pretty comf… No! She wasn’t… ti… No… She refused to… fall…

Nico opened her eyes. Had she fallen asleep? Damn! What time was it? Her mind ticked off all of her remaining duties of the day. Gods, she would be so far behind now. She attempted to sit up, only to find she was being hindered by an arm across her stomach. What the hell?!

The movement caused the arm’s owner to stir and murmur something quietly that sounded not too dissimilar to Nico’s name. She glanced over and immediately recognized tangles of red hair on a head currently trying to close the distance she had just created between them. Why was Maki in her bed with her? And why, by all that was holy, was she so adorable?

“Ah, you’re awake.” The door opened and a purple-haired girl stepped in.

“Nozomi?”

“Good morning.”

“Morning?”

“Afternoon, actually.”

Nico’s eyes widened and she tensed up until a gentle hand landed on her shoulder.

“You slept through the night, and most of the day.” Nozomi smiled at her friend. “But don’t worry. Everything is fine. You obviously needed it. And we all pitched in to take care of things; Elicchi, Kotori-chan, your sisters, even little Cotaro-kun helped a bit.”

Nico stared the other girl for a moment while she processed the information. “How did I get here?” She finally asked. She was pretty sure that when she had collapsed, she had been downstairs.

“Maki-chan insisted on carrying you.”

Maki-chan carried…? “Did she also change my clothes?”

“No, I did that.” Nozomi chuckled at the memory. “Despite her protests.”

“What the heck is going on with her?”

“I think she was cursed by the idol you sent her to retrieve.”

“That can’t be right.” Nico furrowed her brow. “That thing is harmless, certainly not cursed. It’s the same one I’ve used for all beginner adventurers; just keep putting it back for them.”

Nozomi produced a small statue and held it out to the other girl.

“That’s… not the right idol. Where she get that?”

“I’ve no idea.” Nozomi admitted. “You’re the idol expert.”

“Yeah, and I’ve never even seen that in any of my books…”

“Well the only thing I’ve been able to determine is that the curse only seems to be able to affect one person at a time, thus why I’m able to safely hold it.”

“That or the curse is contingent on who actually removes it from its dungeon.” Nico suggested.

“Either way, it certainly seems to bring out some… interesting behavior from your cute new recruit.”

Nico glared at the other girl. “I haven’t recruited her… yet.”

“Oh c’mon, Nicocchi, you and I both know she’s your type.” Nozomi said with a laugh. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you checking her out at dinner the other night. I’ve a feeling you’re enjoying this more than you want to admit, even to yourself.”

Nico sighed and gave another glance toward the still sleeping Maki. Before remembering who was watching, she brushed a stray strand of red out of the girl’s face.

“It would be cuter if the curse didn’t make her so clingy…” Nico decided to try for a balance between conceding Nozomi’s point while retaining some of her initial cantankerousness. The situation did still bother her after all.

“Perhaps.” Nozomi seemed willing to let that stand. “Anyway, I sent word to RinPana, so they’ll be dropping by any day now. I figure Hanayo-chan is the best choice to help you figure out how to ameliorate the curse.” She turned to leave. “Oh, and lunch is ready when you two decide to get out of bed.” She paused and looked over her shoulder with a mischievous grin. “But don’t take too long…” She laughed and easily dodged the pillow Nico threw at her.

Once the purple-haired menace had departed, Nico turned her attention to the sleeping redhead still snuggled against her. While part of her wanted to hop out of bed and get back to her duties, she couldn’t deny that another part wanted to stay where she was. Perhaps… just maybe, a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt… While staring at the ceiling, Nico’s mind started wandering through thoughts on how to handle a cursed Maki.

Author’s Notes continued in Followup Post

#NicoMaki #Nishikino Maki #Yazawa Nico #How to Handle a Maki #Love Live #fanfic

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