#i'm just trying to set up a good pace for drawing again. dunno when i can be back in the groove of finishing stuff again...

[cronchywaters]

who else is up biggering their bens

[ktaerssoi]

plsss kate martin angst

drunk words

kate martin x fem!reader summary: you had known kate since you were kids, what happens when you except your feelings for her?

you and kate had known each other for years, you had even gone to Iowa with her. over the years, you've developed a small crush on her, kate's amazing attitude and kindness drawing you to her. 

kate walks into your shared apartment, arms full of grocery bags. you quickly spring up from your spot on the couch to help her. "hey, successful trip?" you joke, gasping as you spot your favorite snack. 

kate laughs, closing the fridge as she looks at your excited expression. "i saw you were running low, thought i would get you some more." 

you quickly put it in your secret stash in your room, "what would i do without you?" kate shrugs, her eyes seeming to sparkle. "i dunno, probably starve." 

"oh shut up, acting as if i don't do anything by myself.." you mumble the last part, continuing to put away groceries. 

"hey i heard there's a party tonight! wanna go? i heard there will be cute guys." kate nudged your arm lightly, smirking at the thought of setting you up with someone. "plus you and i both know we need to get out more." 

"hey, i get out! plus, i don't need any guys, i have you for a reason." you cross your arms as you watch her put away the last item. "okay true," kate hums, "but I'm tired of rotting away every friday night. it'll be fun i swear. need a remind you about the cute guys?" 

you sigh, nodding. "okay, what time is it at?" you over to the clock on the wall, it reading 5:23 pm. "it starts at eight but we should probably get there earlier for the good liquor." kate winks, a grin on her face.

"i bet i could get a guy to get me a drink," she smiles, leaning against the kitchen counter. "can you shut up about the guys? that's not helping." 

kate was taken aback by your sudden attitude, but her shock was quickly replaced by a smug look. "are you jealous or something?" 

you scoff, rolling your eyes at her implication. "jealous? of what?" you tried to shrug off her idea, knowing deep down you were jealous that she wasn't talking about you like that. 

kate gives you a teasing look, smirking "yes you are! admit it, you're crushing on some girl." she gasps, giggle "aw are you crushing on me?" she teases you, playfully pushing your shoulder. 

"no kate, can't you just drop it?" you uncross your arms, walking over your bed as you try to ignore her surprisingly accurate accusation. kate laughs as she follows, jumping onto your bed next to you. "c'mon you know i won't judge, just tell me" 

"no kate, this is something i want to keep to myself." you turn on your side, facing away from her. kate frowns, a little disappointed. she stays silent for a few moments before speaking again. "okay fine, i'll drop it, but you know i always find out." 

"shut up," you mumble into your pillow, "plus how could i have a crush on you? i'm not even gay." kates eyes widen before she bursts out laughing, "good one, but we both know that's bullshit." 

you don't say anything, know that speaking would just dig yourself a deeper hole of no return. you decide to take a quick nap before the party. 

you wake up a little before seven, meaning you had about an hour to get ready. you first got dressed, throwing on something party-appropriate. realizing that kate had fallen asleep too, i woke her up. “c’mon kate, we gotta go soon.”

she got up with a groan, dragging her feet over to the bathroom. kate usually takes a little while to get ready, but she manages a good pace as she walks around the apartment. "ready,"

you stand up from your seat at the kitchen table, looking at her up and down. she looks good. "you look really pretty," kate smiles at you, causing color to rush to your cheeks. 

you point to the door, regaining your composure, "lead the way." the party wasn't far from your apartment, so the two of you opted to walk. as you got up to the house you could already feel the vibrations of the loud music. 

kate takes a look at you and grins, "alright, lets do this." you shake your head as she pulls you forward, walking through the front door. taking a deep breath, you take in the unfamiliar surroundings. people were crowding the small space, empty solo cups already littered the available surface area. 

kate quickly got caught up with people, fitting right in. you on the other hand, had made your way to a nearby wall, trying to scope out the people. you smiled as you spotted jada and gabbie, two of kate's teammates. 

the duo was taking to a group of football players, and you grabbed a drink on the way over to calm your nerves. "hey guys," jada's face lights up at your appearance, and gabbie is quick to hug you. 

"hey! we didn't expect to see you here tonight?" gabbie looked to jada, who then nodded at you. "yeah how's it going?" jada took a sip of her drink, waiting for your answer. 

"good, kate dragged me here. something about cute guys." you shrug, taking a sip of your drink. jada looks around, nodding. "yeah,��i guess there are some cute guys here. they're all total douchebags though."

gabbie nods, also looking around. "speaking of our dear friend kate, where is she?" you pause, trying to remember if you saw her on your way over. "um, last i saw she was talking to some group of girls." 

jada and gabbie give each other a look, causing your eyebrows to knit together in confusion. "what?" you ask, feeling nervous almost. "nothing, it's just kate said she liked someone and we've been trying to figure out who." jada explains 

"and you think its a girl?" you take another sip of your drink, taking in the new information. why hadn't kate told you? "well she said no to every guy we said, so were out of ideas. plus it would kind of make sense" 

"how?" you were interested, maybe you did have a chance. "well you know, you guys have always kind of been like, you know." gabbie tries to explain, but you don't understand what she means. "no? i don't know?" 

"you guys have always had that kind of friend or dating type of thing." jada puts in bluntly, causing you to nod a barely audible 'oh' escaping your lips. "we're not saying she likes you though, or that we think you're like that, just, you know." 

"no, i still don't 'know'" you cross your arms, tired of people being vague. "i'm going to go get a refill," i mutter, walking away from them. 

getting over to the drink table, you run into the main topic of conversation. kate was chatting it up with a new group of people, all of which seemed to be paying a great deal of attention to her. you know it's wrong, but you're tired of seeing her with everyone but you. 

you pour yourself another drink before walking over to her. "hey kate," you mumble, squeezing in between her and some random guy from the group she was talking to. 

kate turns to you, still laughing from whatever joke the guy had said. she beamed at you, giving you a once-over. "look who it is! i was wondering where you went." 

"i ran into jada and gabbie, so i was hanging with them." you smile, and you can smell the strong scent of alcohol on her breath. kate giggles as she sees you eyeing her. "mm, well im trying to have fun too and these guys aren't the best company, you know?" 

why does everyone think you know? you turn to look at the group of guys, they're all drunk, laughing their asses off about something. "but anyway, you're here now," she murmurs, looping her arm around your waist loosely. "we can have our own fun now," 

you nod, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. "yeah sure, want to go dance?" kate smiles as she pulls you to the makeshift dance floor. the alcohol had clearly relaxed her significantly, making her more carefree and touchy. 

you smile as you watch kate, she looked like she was having fun, even catching some people's attention. a few songs in a guy approaches you, "hey, i noticed you dancing over here. is that your girlfriend?" you laugh as he nods to kate. "uh no, she is just my roommate."

"oh so you're single then?" he gives you a cheesy smile as he looks you up and down. "you're really pretty, would you maybe want to go grab a drink?" you turn back to kate, seeing her talking to some other girl.

"yeah, i would love to." the guy smiles, offering you his hand. "i'm eric, by the way." he comments as he leads you away from kate. "okay, i am going to make you the best damn party drink you've ever had." eric says, grabbing a cup.

"hmm, i don't know, a shearly temple is pretty hard to beat." you laugh, watching him pour things into your cup carefully. meanwhile, kate has finished up her conversation, and is now scanning the room for you, coming up empty-handed.

"so you having fun tonight?" eric asks, handing you the cup. "yeah, it's been fun. i don't go to parties much." you nod, taking a sip of the drink he made. "really? you seem like the type to be invited to them all the time."

"i didn't say i don't get invited, i just don't come." you laugh, nodding your head as you take another sip. "you're a real stunner and you always know what to say, i like that in a girl. want to find somewhere quieter where we can talk?"

he eyes you hungrily, and you realize how much taller he is than you. "aw, im flattered but i need to finish this drink you made me! it's really good." you say, taking yet another sip.

"you could be enjoying much more than the drink if you come with me." he smiles, whispering into your ear. "thanks for the offer but i have to get back to my roommate, she's a. bit of a lightweight if you know what i mean."

"you're picking her over me? i thought we were having a good time, but i guess we have to cut it short because your friend can't handle herself." you nod, confused as to where this attitude is coming from. "yeah, i guess we will."

you walk away, trying to locate kate. you finally spot her talking to jada, a worried look on her face. "hey guys, what's up?" you say breathlessly, tired from squeezing through the crowd. kate's eyes widen as she sees you, relaxing a little. "there you are, i was looking everywhere for you. where'd you go? and why didn't you answer my text?"

"oh sorry, i was with some guy." kate narrows her eyes at your response, seeming almost mad. "'some guy?' who? and how is he more important than us? what were you even talking about" kate was mad, she was mad that you had someone else prioritized above her.

"a bunch of things, and it wasn't like we were hooking up in the bathroom, so calm down." you cross your arms, getting defensive. "he asked if i was single and you were off talking to some girl so i just said yes. he was a nice guy."

"what was his name? or did you guys not get to talking about that?" kate asked pointedly. "what is with the interrogation? i said he was a nice guy alright?" you roll your eyes, not quite sure why she was acting this way.

kate places her hand on your shoulder, trying to comfort you? "hey im just trying to understand who this guy is." you shrug her hand off of you, pulling back. "okay i just told you, so can you drop it? i'm going to go get a drink."

kate flinches, her smile dropping as you brush her off. "whats with her mood?" jada asks, sitting on the couch next to kate. "shut up, dude." kate says, leaning back, resting her head on top of her head.

"fuck," you mumble as you accidentally spill a drink. you eventually clean it up. after that, not paying any mind to how you might feel the next day, you pour yourself a few more just to try and lighten your mood.

you find your way to the dance floor again, you see kate as you dance. you don't know if she sees you, but you dance as if she's watching you.

some random football player comes up to you, just making you even more ticked off. you excuse yourself, squeezing past him to go find kate. even if you were slightly upset, you weren't going to leave with out her.

kate sees you coming towards her, and her face lights up immediately. she moves to wrap her arms around you, relieved to see you again. but as she looks closer, she notices your glassy eyes and flushed cheeks, and her smile fades. "hey are you okay? you look a bit..drunk."

she pulls back from the hug slightly, gently holding your face in her hands and studying your expression. "yeah i'm fine, can we go home?" you hiccup.

"yeah, yeah for sure. hey jada we're going to head out." kate days bye to people on the way out, guiding you through the crowd with her hand on your lower back.

"sorry i'm making you leave so early." you mumble, your eyes barely staying open. "hey, it's okay. don't worry about me. i just want to make sure you're alright." she looks at you with concern in her eyes, clearly worried about your emotional state.

once you and kate get back to your apartment you quickly change, completely forgetting she was still there. "woah, hey im still here." kate says, turning around, even if she has seen you many times before.

"sorry, you can turn back now." you mutter, walking to the bathroom to wash your face. "hey, don't worry about it. It's no big deal. I just wasn't expecting you to change so quickly." she smiles softly, noticing the tear stains on your cheeks. her heart aches for you, and she wants nothing more than to comfort you

"guys suck, so much." you sigh, climbing into bed, "and i don't even like them!" kate chuckles, a mixture of amusement and sympathy in her eyes. "yeah, well you know you don't have to force yourself to like them? you don't need to be in a relationship to be happy."

you nod, still very much under the influence, "i guess, but like i don't like any men, like i just want you. why can't you want me like i want you?" you begin to doze off, "things would be so much easier."

kate's heart skips a beat at your admission, her eyes widening in surprise. she wouldn't admit it, especially to your drunk self, but she knew deep down she wanted you too.

"get some sleep, we can talk tomorrow." kate said, leaning down and brushing some hair out of your face.

notes: sooo 🌝 you asked for kate angst and i think i failed miserably but whatever! anyway, i hate this sm and it makes zero sense so i would love feedback!

[sungbeam]

𝐧𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

hwang intak x gn!reader

1k words, hurt/comfort, soft things, mentions of anxiety/being overwhelmed, mentions of discomfort around family members, head kiss, intimacy

a/n: requests now closed! *sighs* i love him 🙁 thank you to the anon who requested this! hope this brings u comfort <3

He found you perched on the curbside outside the restaurant, the sounds of merriment muffled as the front door closed behind him. You glanced up from your phone to watch him take a seat beside you, his head tucked into a black beanie and hands coming out of his jacket pockets to rest behind him.

"I saw you leave a few minutes ago, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to be alone or not," Hwang Intak murmured and tilted his head in your direction, eyes glued to the establishment across the street to watch people pass by the window. "I'm okay, here, right? I can leave if you don't want me here."

You notched your phone off and set it under your thigh. "No, it's okay," you said, drawing circles on the street. "I just… couldn't stand being around them for too long."

He looked at you now, dark, round eyes really looking at you. Your posture was off, your hair covered your face. Everything about tonight was so off, and he was hitting himself in the head for not seeing it sooner. "I didn't know you were so uncomfortable around your relatives."

You had invited Intak to come to a holiday gathering with your family this evening. They had booked out the mom and pop shop on Main Street that served a taste of home. You'd originally been nervous about inviting him, since the two of you only recently became an item, but you should have never doubted him. Your family seemed to love him anyways, but then again, they always did seem to adore everyone but you. There was always something to complain about.

"Yeah, I mean…" you swallowed. You suddenly found it hard to look him in the eyes. Maybe you were embarrassed. Didn't he say he had a good relationship with his family and relatives? "They're just a little much for me sometimes and I get a little overwhelmed. I'm sure they mean well and stuff but I can't—sometimes I can only handle being around them in small doses."

Intak was quiet for a moment as he considered this, a frown flitting over his pretty features.

You covered your knees with your palms. "I'm sorry I pretty much ditched you, by the way," you added with a grimace. "That wasn't very cool of me."

"It's okay; you needed some air, and I get that."

He had said it so simply that you were almost stunned. He was being so understanding about this, and yet, you still felt awful. Here he was, someone you envisioned to be near perfect, and here you were… You cleared your throat, eyes pinned to the ground. "Thanks for being here tonight. I know it must have been intimidating to meet my entire extended family in one night."

He gave a warm chuckle that enveloped your body in an audible hug. "No worries, honey. I was actually really excited to just, I dunno, hang out with you for a holiday that was important to you."

Your heart soared, and you turned your head to look at him.

Intak pressed his lips into a smile. "And it doesn't matter if we're in there or out here—I get the overwhelming part, I really do. We can take it at your pace."

The two of you shared a smile. The cliché was always that actions spoke louder than words, and he had just wielded both of them in emphasizing his respect and consideration for you. It was Intak who was making your jitters decrease and your worries lessen. You suddenly focused less on trying to drown out the sounds of people in the building behind you, and instead, on the boy next to you.

When you sat in a moment of silence, you saw his hand inch towards yours on the pavement out of the corner of your eye. Your lips curled upwards in a small smile as you angled your fingers to touch his.

Your eyes met again. "It's okay to hold my hand, you know. I won't break."

His smile was bashful as he laced your fingers together with his and tested your interwoven hands on the sidewalk. He scooted over to you and you met him in the middle, until you could set your hands on your knees, legs and arms pressed together. "You know that I won't judge you for your hardships, whatever they are," he said to you, setting his free palm over your hands to warm them.

"I know," you whispered. You knocked your head against his shoulder affectionately, and he patted your hands in acknowledgment. "I just never know what to do with all of this anxiety and I've never really met anyone who I could trust with them."

Intak took his bottom lip between his teeth. "I'm sorry you've ever felt that way."

"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault."

"I hope I never make you feel this way, if I can help it," he said to you with a slight pout. "We can learn how to take on your anxieties together, maybe?"

A smile wormed itself onto your face and you leaned your head on his shoulder now. "Stop being so cool."

He laughed, the sound soft, yet brighter than the lights from the surrounding restaurants. "I just care about you." His words warmed you again, and you felt his lips press against the crown of your head.

"I know," you said quietly. "I care about you, too. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," he hummed. "Know any good dessert places around here? We can get ice cream and then come back in time to say goodbye?"

It was like he was a mind-reader. You made a comment about a favorite gelato place just down the block, and the two of you wasted no time in dusting your pants and setting off down the street. He never let go of your hand—only letting the pair swing between your bodies as he made you smile again and again and again.

p1h m.list

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @kaaimins @shakalakaboomboo @bless-311 @leaz-kpop-life @pxppxrminty @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @haechansbbg @kflixnet @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @outrologist

[gomzdrawfr]

Hi! I was wondering if I should send this non-anon or not, but preferred to keep my identity a secret, I guess.

Dunno why but felt like saying this after seeing your posts. I was once a shipper in the fandom, liking both canon x canon and canon x oc ships, until I saw something that made me uncomfortable with the first of the two. That is until I've reached your account.

Sure, I was cautious with ship content (not that I'm saying it's a bad thing. Just made me kinda uncomfortable after that incident) but when I let my guard down and saw some of your posts, I realized that maybe not every shipper is as....uh...y'know the type of people I'm talking about right?

All I'm saying is...thank you. Because of your adorable posts (and the balance of both types of ships [canonxcanon and ocxcanon. I love PriceRaven so much istg]), I tried to look for artists like you. Thanks to you, I can also go and try to find artists similar to yours in context of shipping. And I did and I did not regret it (even if I don't ship anymore, but it was delightful to see the things people create now that I've...healed from it?).

I'm still trying to be careful in the fandom with the things going on. But seriously though, thanks a lot! If there's one thing this fandom needs is people like you. Ones who don't cause a fuss and also knows boundaries when shipping as well. No hate, no discomfort. If people say otherwise and hate on you because of shipping content, damn them. They should be grateful if anything as you did nothing wrong and just wanted to create what you wish.

Anyway, sorry for the long ask (end up ranting. Sorry bout that). But yeah, hope you have a great day! Maybe one day, if you allow me, I could sketch out Raven? If it's alright with you.

Thank you again!

hi!! thank you for the ask and hey no worries, you're welcome to rant in my ask or share your experience

Im sorry for what you went through, fandom often do come with its uhhh moments to say the least, im glad you've healed from it and is able to enjoy things the way they are at your own pace

its definitely good to curate your own space, adjust your settings and block out on things that are uncomfortable, even though there are still some things that will definitely pop up despite the cautious measures, but hey! shit happens and the most important thing is to understand that you're not alone in this, and take a rest from the media once in awhile

Im actually really touched that you find my page a nice place to visit ((yes PriceRaven is like my bread and butter I cant live without them and will yap about them forever)) which also lead you to other artists!

im straightforward, Im okay with almost anything interest wise in the fandom (ships/dynamic/fics genre etc), if im not okay with it i'll just move on or mute/block certain words, simple as it should be.

Although people do find my angst stuff "threatening" LMAO but eh im over it pft if they dont like it then its fine let them be

as the saying goes "no matter how perfect the apple is, someone will still hate it" so fuck it yk, it is what it is (my life motto and also blog's motto HAHA)

Thank you for your message though, Im really grateful for it and im genuinely happy, enjoy your stay here

AND OFC YOU CAN DRAW MY OC RAVEN!! FEEL FREE TO SEND IT TO ME ONCE YOU DID :D (take your time ofc dont mind the excited goofball i am)

have a good day as well!!

[hawksugarbaby]

Bakukami x reader- close up thunderstorm

Smut

Chapter includes: keraunophilia (arousal from thunder and lighting), electrostimulation, Blowjob, threesome, temperature play (heat), bakugo with a jacobs ladder piercing because why not.

You closed your eyes biting your lip and rubbing your thighs together at a feeble attempt of friction. Another roll of thunder and the sky lit up white as a fork of lightning struck the ground and dissipated quickly. The heavy metallic air was hot around you and your hair stood on end from the thrill of the storm, heavy bullets of rain pounding at your window as if trying to shatter the glass and you muttered curses tangling your hand through your hair.

You weren't sure what finally convinced you to get up and go to kaminari's room. But as another crack of lightning split the sky and the thunder roared you stood quickly taking your underwear off before you left the room, walking to his room in your skirt and crop top buttons popped at the top and the lace of your (f/c) bra peeking over the top. You knocked lightly on the door which was quickly opened and kaminari's face peaked out, "oh hey (y/n)! Whatcha knocking for?" you could see bakugo's ash blonde hair peaking behind his legs sitting on the floor with a controller in his hand "O-oh I'll come back later" you stutter not accounting for the fact other people might be in the room. "Just come in! You're not interrupting anything we're just playing Minecraft" he shrugged pulling you into the room with no acknowledgement from bakugo.

"No seriously Kaminari I should go I just remembered I have some stuff I need to take care of" the air in kaminari's room was thicker and hotter than the rest of the dormitory and you chewed the inside of your lip trying to subdue your hurried breaths. "I'm sure it can wait can't it?" he said shuffling over the bed to make space for you and patting the crushed bedsheets 'no' "yeah it can wait"

Another crack of lighting and sparks of electricity flew off of kaminari sparking on your arm leaving tiny lightning strikes and you shifted in your spot, catching your bottom lip between your teeth. "Oh did I shock you! Sorry it's just the storm it makes my quirk go into hyperdrive" he sighed and you nodded in understanding.

But why did it feel so good! Was that what drew you to his room, the idea that he could simulate what was outside in your bones and trail electricity up your spine, growling in your ear like a thunderstorm up close. "I-it's okay it was just hot" in both senses of the word. "Okay I'll try not to do it again" he muttered turning back to the screen to see bakugo trying to get out of a ravine "HOW DID YOU EVEN GET DOWN THERE" "I FELL OBVIOUSLY!"

You had gradually been trying to relieve some tension by rubbing your slick covered thighs together, gripping the hem of your skirt until your knuckles were ivory. "Kaminari I think I should go now" you muttered hoping to take care of the problem yourself. "Aw please stay just a little longer (y/n) please!" he begged, adding puppy dog eyes for effect. You weren't sure if they would work in any other situation but right now the magnetism of his eyes staring deep into yours and bakugo glancing up at your reflection in the tv made you stay seated.

The thunder cracked again and you moaned lightly drawing both the boys eyes to you quickly bakugo's hands lit up in surprise charring the white controller black and tiny strikes of electricity bounced off of his arm onto you making you moan again. "What the fuck was that" bakugo grunted turning his head towards you fully "are you feeling okay (y/n)" kaminari asked reaching the back of his hand out to feel your forehead. "NO DON'T!" you exclaimed, scrambling backwards, your legs falling apart slightly to reveal your glistening pussy and the wet spot developing on your lined skirt.

"A-AH SORRY I D-DIDN'T KNOW" he jumped turning away with a bright red face "no i-it's fine! I should have just left when I noticed bakugo was here but you asked me to stay and then I thought the feeling would just go away but it didn't and you kept shocking me and the thunder and the temperature and- and- and" bakugo flushed seeing the reflection on the tv screen ignoring the skeleton shooting arrows into him from afar. "And you didn't want him to touch you because he'd electrocute you and what? It turns you on?" he theorised and you nodded with embarrassment, crossing your legs to hide your exposed cunt from the blushing boys.

"I dunno what it is about this weather but it always just makes me feel, well you know and I dunno why I thought to come to kaminari's room of all places I guess I thought we could..." you stopped remembering the other presence in the room who was just looking between the two of you in bewilderment "it doesn't matter I'll just go I can take care of, uh, it by myself!" you jumped up but your arm was caught by kaminari and your ankle by bakugo who gave each other a devious smirk and pulled you onto the bed. Your head in kaminari's lap with his arms draped over you and bakugo moved up to the bed hovering over you "w-wait. Your not considering what I think you are are you!?" you exclaim wriggling under him but you were immediately restrained by kaminari squeezing you tighter. "Unless you have a problem sharing. It's pretty hot when you moan like that I wonder if we can make you do it again?" bakugo growled lowly in your ear and you bit your lip staring up into his ruby eye's demanding a yes or no. "okay."

you swallowed thickly and the boys set their hungry hands to work, stripping you of your fitted skirt and half-open shirt. Kaminari slipped out from under you leaning over you from the side to press his lips into yours, swiping his tongue over your bottom lip to gain entry to your mouth, there was no need for a battle of dominance and kaminari won you over with ease, exploring your mouth with his tongue suppressing all your little moans. Bakugo trailed his lips down your neck and you breathed in the addictive burnt caramel wrapping your hands around kaminari's neck and moving your lips in sync with his as bakugo worked to find your sweet spot.

His palms were burning against your hips and tiny sparks of delight flew off of kaminari leaving minuscule lightning strikes along your flushed skin and you twitched with every spark of heat from bakugo and kaminari's hands lighting up your skin a bright red. Microscopic pops emitted from bakugo's hands and you moaned again into kaminari's mouth who was gradually finding it harder to keep the slow pace, he swung one leg over your thigh grinding his hard length into your thigh and you muttered a string of pleases. "aw I think she's getting desperate" he teased pulling his lips off of you, a string of saliva connecting you and then snapping "I think we should teach her some patience" bakugo muttered against your neck, the words sent straight to your core and you bucked your hips into nothing. "Please! One of you just fuck me please I need it!" you cried.

Bakugo latched his lips onto your neck ignoring your request, choosing to make a dark purple mark instead. Kaminari moved his head between your legs pumping his cock at the same time and flicked his tongue over your clit "oh she's sweet! Your delicious (y/n) I could eat you out all night long" Kaminari teased, licking a broad stroke up your soaked entrance making you gasp followed by a pornstar moan. "Fuck (y/n) I think we need to shut that pretty mouth of yours" the ash-blonde moved to stand in front of you and you were quickly switched positions so that you were on your hands and knee's kaminari underneath you ravishing you like a starved man and bakugo stood in front of you holding his length in his hand. You gripped his thighs pulling him closer and grabbed his shaft gasping when you felt cold steel bearings on the underside of his cock.

You traced your finger up counting 7 metal balls and giggled to yourself at the hums of satisfaction he made "when did you get that done?" you ask rubbing your hand up his length making sure to drag your thumb across every piercing "My birthday" he grunted and you parted your lips taking him down to the first piercing just below his head, swirling your tongue around his flushed tip and pumping his cock with your hand. You moaned lightly as kaminari licked along your slit grazing his teeth against your clit, his hands resting nicely on your ass sending tiny shocks through your thighs and you held it within yourself not to collapse on top of him, not that you thought he would have minded. You looked at bakugo through your eyelashes putting more of him in your mouth, down to the third piercing and started to bob your head up and down his cock dragging your tongue over his piercings.

Bakugo cursed under his breath grabbing a fistful of your hair and pushed you further down his cock to the 5th piercing moaning lightly as your wet muscle continued to please him, rolling your tongue around his cock, saliva getting caught on the cold metal in your mouth and your hands worked vigorously with what you had yet to reach. He looked down and you gave him a seductive look, taking his cock down to the seventh piercing, your nose flush to his toned stomach and you held your position. "Jesus Christ" he strained not to thrust into your throat as little moans from kaminari gorging on you drowned him in desire. The bulge in your throat from his cock just sitting there set off mini-nukes in his hands, the heat freckling your face but nothing that would harm you more than you already had been.

Kaminari worked away under you, fisting his cock and darting his tongue in and out of your pussy dripping with nectar flicking his tongue over your clit and licking up your slit collecting the juices on the tip of his tongue. Your thighs jolted with the higher voltage shock almost crushing his head and you lurched forward gagging on on Bakugo's thick cock consuming both the boys with lust. You pulled off of bakugo and hummed in satisfaction "your pretty with a Jacob's ladder bakugo" you say with a lilt to your voice that drew him to you like an incantation danced on your lips. "Fuck. fine you've been patient" bakugo said and kaminari slipped out from under you making you whine at the loss of contact and slipped your hand between your legs pleasuring yourself while the boys argued over who was going first.

You groaned growing impatient and sprawled out on the bed "just share" you said impatiently and the boys turned to look at you. You spread your legs and bakugo was the first to dive in, pulling your knees up and gripping the back of your calves. "You want this right?" "Yes bakugo I do I want this please just put it in!" you pleaded, rolling your head back and looking up at kaminari who was standing beside you jerking himself off. "You could have just asked for help kami" you replaced his hand with yours stroking him up and down slowly and looked up at him with a soft smile which was quickly adjusted into a face of pleasure as bakugo buried his length inside of you. "A-ah oh my god you're so big" you cried, the burning stretch and heat of his hands making you flush.

You resumed working your hand up kaminari's shaft stopping occasionally to suffocate in the thrill, throwing your head back against the pillow. The steel piercings dragged along your walls and his hands burned into your side, searing heat popping against your hips as he thrust deliriously from the high of being inside your warmth. You moaned softly speeding up your hand around kaminari who was groaning lightly admiring your blissful face blooming red, a thin layer of sweat made you glow in the light. The thunder continued to growl outside and with every crack of lightning splitting the sky kaminari surged electricity that ran through your bones and the warmth made you whimper gripping the bedsheets and stopping your hand around kaminari to steep in the pleasure.

Bakugo's hands travelled up, explosive red marks blemishing your skin and he rested them on the swell of your chest groping softly while maintaining his volatile explosions to a nonfatal level, his hips continuously slammed into yours not faltering once and you bucked your hips into his desperately. The added stimulation of his piercings brought you closer to the edge than you thought it had. another fork of lightning struck the ground outside and your stomach tightened followed shortly by a carnal moan and kaminari slapped his hand over your mouth cursing. Your moans were absorbed by kaminaris hand and he hushed you, pulling his hand off and leaning down to collide his lips with yours.

"You have to be quiet (y/n) or people are gonna know what we're doing" kaminari muttered against you biting your lip and sparks danced on your tongue. The air was hot and thick and your head fell back against the pillow. Bakugo's thrusts became inhuman pistoning his hips into you like he was addicted to you, the bearings scratched along your inside and tumultuous moans fell out of your mouth, bakugo and kaminari grunting excessively and probably too loud to hide what you were doing.

"B-bakugo fuck i'm gonna cum" you moan greedily gulping down breaths as his pace became stuttered and his hot hands left burning palm marks on your stomach and sides. Your eyes rolled back and your breathing was ragged, you had fully stopped moving your hand for kaminari and the tiny shocks followed by a wave of electricity when the lightning struck attacked you sending pleasure to your core. Bakugo's grunting was imitated by the thunder outside and you gripped his shoulders letting out a loud moan as the tightness in your stomach abruptly dissipated and your orgasm crashed over you leaving you high, the rush of adrenaline had your heart pounding and your lungs burned from desperately trying to regain your breath. He pulled out and came on your stomach and rested for a minute before hopping off you and collapsing onto the floor before he had the chance to pull his boxers up.

Kaminari smirked at you and you gave him a tired grin holding up a finger halting him from continuing for the next few seconds while you collected your thoughts and breath. You gave him a nod of approval and he climbed between your legs letting them fall flat against the bed instead of holding them resulting in blazing thighs like bakugo had. Kaminari looked at you gently, putting his hands on your hips and tiny shockwaves of electric lust coursed through you making you moan softly and your eye's squeeze close, brows knit together at the hot pleasure. "Are you okay, can I start?" he asked brushing the hair plastered to your forehead behind your ears "uhu" you answered simply and he nodded slowly pushing his length inside of you.

He wasn't as big as bakugo (still large though) and he didn't have a Jacob's ladder that dragged along your walls sending you into a frenzy. But he more than made up for it with the gentleness he possessed and the thickness of his cock. He stretched more than bakugo and you gasped, pinprick tears collecting on your eyelashes. He peppered small kisses along your cheeks and nose and whispered sweet nothings until you were confident he could move which didn't take long. He thrust slowly and kissed you softly, robbing you of your breath. The static flooding from his hands crackled and left reddening bolts along your hips and arms and every kiss made your heart jump from the shock twirling on your tongue and into your bloodstream.

"You're so pretty (y/n), you're taking me so well you're so tight too" he praised fishing a string of soft moans from your throat with every slow thrust. If kaminari wanted he would have fucked the soul out of you but you had already been fucked to oblivion so kaminari decided to give you some soft treatment. Bakugo was on the floor pumping his already hard again cock with his head reeled back listening to the seductive sounds the two of you were making. "kaminari~ " you sang gripping the bedsheets and jolting upwards when the lighting struck and the shock rattled your skull. He sped up his thrusts slightly and you whimpered, rocking against his hips and your orgasm quickly built up again, your whines becoming faster and louder as your climax dangled on a thread in front of you just out of reach. "Fuck kami please go faster!" you begged and he groaned softly picking up the pace.

Almost instantly did your back arch and your eyelids drooped and your legs convulsed, mouths falling open in a silent scream. "Fuck you look gorgeous" kaminari muttered thrusting a few more times until pulling out and cumming on your stomach like bakugo and crawled over you softly kissing your lips and sitting on the floor pulling his jeans up and your fucked out form heaved on the bed. Entire form covered in red burns and lightning marks, your face was flushed and you clung to the bedsheets with the sweat.

"Are you okay (y/n)?" kaminari asked first, energetic as always and sat on the bed pulling your head into his lap. Bakugo finished himself off and stayed on the floor "just wanna bath and sleep" you mumbled and kaminari nodded carrying you to his bath and running the water.

Bonus content

It was hard to ignore the intense limp you carried yourself with and the huge varying marks covering your body, and with what the class had heard the night before it wasn't hard to guess who the culprit was but none dared say anything. Except of course mina who asked an abundance of questions you answered giddily without hesitation while getting changed for training.

[mybrothershands]

MBH/Dumpling 2

second installment, same art because otherwise you'll be waiting on it all day tomorrow. Characters by myself and @diddlesanddoodles and editing by @thundering-susurrus

The giant pinched up his face as if he smelled something bad. He then prodded the lump in his chest-pocket. "Get up, you lazy fool."

Several emotions crossed Yale face all at once, from anger to confusion to relief. Now that he knew where to look, Yale could see a distinctive lump in the man’s front pocket and heard the smaller voice emanating from within. Well, if he had a human companion of his own, that was a welcome relief. But he still kept his hand on Nenani. Grinning, he jerked his head to indicate the lump on Ka's shirt. “Ah, well I suppose that answers that. He yer assistant then?”

"Parasite, more like," he said, fishing around in his pocket until he caught the man by the shirt and pulled his shoulders over the lip of the pocket.

"Why you little two-ton son of a hog-bellied cob, I ought to--" The human smacked the hand away.

A nervous laugh escaped the giant, and he clasped his hand over the smaller man's mouth. "Er, this is my brother. He took care of me when I was small," said Ka.

Yale had been watching Ka fish around in his pocket and smirked at the human’s grouchy reply. The human’s snark immediately reminded him of Farris, but upon hearing Ka call him his brother, Yale gave pause. His curiosity was piqued.

“Wha –? Really? Can’t say I’ve ever heard ‘a that. That must be one hell of a story,” he said and jerked his head towards Ka. “Ye must’ve had a time of it keepin’ ‘im fed and clothed proper.”

The giant paused, then seemed to draw back within himself and looked away. Cairo, however, had no such loss for words. "Got that right. Ungrateful, too. You should see the spot in my side where he--" The massive hand clamped over his mouth again.

"I, erm," Ka cleared his throat, worry painted on his face. "I was old enough to work when he took me in. I cleared land for a human farmer in exchange for food. Cairo paid for my clothes and gave me a place to stay."

Polly then decided to use his leg as a scratching post and began rubbing her face up and down the side of his pants, leaning into him. "Woah, hey!" Ka said as he was knocked off balance. Once he found his feet, he pulled her bridle back over her ear and straightened her forelock. "But yes, I'm," he waved his hand in a circle, "I can work with humans just fine. They just need to let me know they're there and keep away from my feet."

“Ah, well no worries there,” Yale said with a light laugh as he pulled his apron aside to reveal Nenani at his hip. “You know better than to be underfoot, ain’t that right Dumplin’?”

Nenani nodded while she observed the new giant and silently marveled at his height. Despite the way in which he towered over them, he had a kind face, and she was not afraid.

“Farris doesn’t like it if I’m on the floor,” she explained. “He doesn’t trust the footmen to keep a look out.”

Ka's expression softened. She was a little thing, even for her kind, with auburn hair that shone in the sunlight. Somehow she met his gaze without fear, and it gave him pause. "H-hello there," he said quietly. "I am Ka. It's nice to meet you, miss."

It took the giant a moment to realize that the young man must have been hiding her, and why he had questioned him so. Come to think of it, he had not seen a single small person, nor chest pocket since he had entered this town. Pieces began to fall into place, and he decided he should not stay here for long. Not with Cairo. Absently, his hand found its way to his pocket.

“Hi. I’m Nenani,” she replied back, trying to look friendly. He looked so nervous, she thought. Yale easily scooped her up and sat her on his leg. After getting comfortable, she gestured up at the cook and said, “And he didn’t say so, but this is Yale.”

Looking confused, Yale looked down at her. “I didn’t introduce myself at all did I?”

“Nope,” she replied. “That was very rude. Lolly would swat you.”

“Ah, well,” he said, giving Ka and Cairo an apologetic shrug. “She wouldn’t be too pleased with me bringin’ the lil’un on this errand either. So there’s that.”

Cairo grumbled as Ka fawned over this little girl. She seemed unafraid and even kind towards his brother, which he respected. Still, he regarded Yale with a critical eye. Hooking his elbow over the frayed lip of the pocket, the human raised his voice. "What kind of kitchen is this anyway, boy? It's a bit late in the day to be fetchin stuff. What are you doing out here now?"

“Best kitchen in Vhasshal,” Yale fired back with a smug grin. He pointed over his shoulder towards the castle behind them. “That being the royal kitchen.”

“But Gjerk didn’t clean the chimney and it ruined the luncheon roasts,” Nenani supplied with a frankness that made light of the true disaster. “Almost caught the whole kitchen on fire.”

Yale frowned and, blushing just a bit, agreed with a muted nod. “Aye. Well, even the best kitchen in Vhasshal can fall victim to inattentive tenderfoots. So we’re needin’ to shuffle things ‘round a bit. Headin’ to a merchant who raises and sells field rocs.”

Ka's face became a smiling mask with a blank stare. Royal kitchen? Was this boy not worried that some stranger picked off the street could poison someone Important? Even the king himself? What if something went wrong and he was blamed for it and put in prison? Even he himself was not sure he deserved such trust, and yet kept his mouth shut in hopes that there was something he did not know.

Cairo, meanwhile, looked the man up and down, and then the girl in turn. They seemed easygoing and honest, if not a bit frank. At last he nodded. "We will accept your offer."

The giant balked. "Cairo, I'm not sure--"

"Shut up," he said, waving a hand. "Your belly's been a'growling all day, and I'll have no more of it. This is an easy job, and you're gonna take it," Cairo barked.

Ka paused, a hint of frustration on his face. Still, this was Cairo. The giant seemed to let go of his worries and nodded. "Just tell me what to do," he said, fixing Yale in his gaze, "and I'll help as much as I can."

He seemed eager enough, Yale thought. And even if his kitchen skills were minimal, so long as he could hold a knife, he could find something for him to do. Ka’s human companion was clearly the more dominant of the two, which Yale found to be quite amusing. And even a bit refreshing. He was so used to humans reacting to him with fear or at the very least nervous suspicion. Not that they did not have a valid reason of course.

He decided he liked Cairo.

“Well, first we gotta go collect them rocs and scurry on back,” Yale said with a grin. “So if we just wanna follow along we’ll go get that done and we can get ye to work.” He paused as he considered Ka. “And get ye somethin’ t’eat. Farris might gripe at me fer it, but believe me. He’s gonna be thankful fer yer help. Even he don’t show it. Or say it. Or yells at ye.”

Yale flicked the reins to usher Polly forward, bringing a hand up to hold onto Nenani when she almost fell off his lap.

“Ah!”

“Oh, sorry there, Dumplin’.”

"Oh," said Ka as he backed away and let the animal slip past until he could walk beside the cab. This Farris fellow seemed a bit crotchety. "Thank you," he said above the creaking wheels. The mention of food set his mouth to watering. They had had so many good things down at the market, maybe now he could get his hands on something. "I can pay you, but I'm afraid my coin may just be trinkets to you."

From his pocket, Cairo squinted one eye, adjusting his position to better watch the small giant. "Why you call her 'dumpling,' anyhow?"

“It was a joke,” Nenani explained with a flat look. “Wasn’t a very funny one.”

“I dunno, I thought it was a pretty good one,” Yale replied with a knowing grin. He poked her belly and the girl squealed and laughed, batting at his fingers. She lost her balance and almost fell back off his lap, but Yale was quick enough to catch her and place her safely down on the bench beside him. He ruffled her hair into a bushy mess. “Anyway, I caught this one here after she’d nicked some fruit. And right in the middle of the King’s weddin’ feast too. Don’t think I’ve ever been that stressed in my life.”

“He threatened to eat me...” Nenani said with the same flat expression.

As lovely as he found the girl's laugh, Ka's smile quickly faded as the girl voiced the joke. He made a sound half way between a choke and a quack. "Hmm?"

Cairo looked more surprised at the noise his brother made than Nenani's admittance. "Oh he did, did he?" He sat up, eyeing Yale. "He looks like a pansy to me."

Yale could not help the smirk of satisfaction at seeing the way Ka reacted. But his focus drew to the man’s pocket and the human within. Leaning towards them and planting his hand on the other side of where Nenani sat, he grinned at the human man.

“Big words fer a fella who travels by pocket,” he challenged. “Why not come on outta there and I’ll show ye how much of a pansy I am.”

Nenani glared up at Yale and grabbed onto his sleeve and gave it a firm tug. “No fighting.”

Cairo merely laughed at the girl's reaction. "I ain't stupid. Think I'll stay in the pocket, eh?" He slapped Ka's chest.

The giant rolled his eyes. He kept pace with the cart fairly easily, even as the Svaldifari trotted. He cleared his throat. "Keep acting like that and I may just let him have you."

"What!" he exclaimed, clutching a hand over his heart. "He might skin me, don't you think? You brute, you should protect your poor old brother."

Ka sighed, plodding along. "You can take care of yourself just fine."

“Smart man, your brother,” Yale said to Ka. “With him taggin’ along, ye might just survive a day in Farris’s kitchen.”

There was something very comforting about watching Cairo and Ka banter. It was all too easy for Yale to be drawn back to the horrible memories of the war and the way it seemed to him at the time that the bloodletting would never cease. Yet before him was a man who openly and easily called a human his brother.

“As fer skinnin’: nah. Too much of a hassle. Much easier to just toss ye into the stew and pop the lid on.”

Beside him, Nenani rolled her eyes. She had become nearly desensitized to all staff’s banter about eating and cooking people. Cairo didn’t seem like the sort to take Yale seriously. But Ka, she observed, seemed to not care for the jokes at all.

Ka lolled his head back, exasperated, then clamped his hand back over Cairo's mouth. "Ne- Nena-nani, er..." he chewed on his tongue for a moment, still trying to decide how many syllables the girl's name had. "Nenani," he said decisively. "He... Yale. He said he found you stealing?" said the giant, desperate to change the subject.

There were a few shoves and knocks on his hand before there at last came a double-tap and Cairo's mouth was freed. However, he kept his mouth shut for once and watched the road ahead. The mare seemed to need a bit of guiding, unused to going this way, but Yale was not quite paying attention. He peered ahead. Was this the way they had come before? Where was the market?

“Oh. Yeah,” she replied as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt in slight embarrassment. “But it’s not like what Farris and they all thought at first. I’m not from the Hill Tribe, I’m from the Southlands. They were loading a bunch of carts near the docks and I tried to sneak in and grab a persimmon before anyone noticed, but the basket was really big and I just...kind of fell in. And got stuck.”

Yale stifled a snicker as he corrected Polly’s path. She whinnied at him in annoyance. “I remember all them peels, lil’un. It was certainly more than one.”

“I was in there for three days,” she said and stuck her tongue out at Yale. “What else was I gonna eat? The basket?” When Yale only shrugged at her, she continued. “I grew up being told stories about Vhasshal and I was really scared. So as soon as the caravan stopped, I tried to run.”

“Caught her tryin’ to make a run fer it,” Yale added lightly pinching her arm. “Didn’t get all that far. Like...a half a dozen yards maybe before I got ‘er.”

Ka frowned. He did not like the way that last bit sounded. He steered away as they passed another cart on the road. He wanted to ask the stories about Vhasshal, and why she had been so frightened, but the girl had not seemed a bit embarrassed about that point in her past. Come to think of it, maybe he did not want to know. "Persimmons... have peels?"

The edge of the village was approaching, and Yale could hear the sound of the rocs long before their pens came into view. Their destination was a handsome little cottage just at the end of the tight clusters of row homes. Though was an older building and had but a thatched roof, it was well maintained and clean. Behind it were the roc pens. There were a dozen or so of the birds loose in the larger space, and Yale felt relieved. He was only going to need ten for the luncheon service, and he’d be able to get a few extra just in case anything else went horribly wrong today.

“Well, I think they’re actually husks,” she was saying. “They’re from overseas somewhere. But you’re not supposed to eat the outsides because it’ll make you sick.”

“Ye did get sick though. Just not from eatin’ fruit,” Yale pointed out. His eyes trailed after the other cart as they passed, having seen the way they had been gawking at Ka. Poor guy must get that a lot.

“Yeah, I had the red reap,” Nenani said. “It was terrible. But Farris took care of me and gave me medicine and watched me all night while I had the fever.”

Ka blinked, trying to make sense of this new information. He had no idea what red reap was, but then again, he was not familiar with most diseases. "It sounds terrible," he said, worry on his brow. The way she had explained it, it sounded deadly. He could not imagine having to care for someone through the night, not knowing if the little thing would make it.

Though he had not yet met the man, Ka found himself reconsidering this Farris guy. If he was the type to yell at someone new, it seemed a bit backwards that he would worry over a thief. He shook the thought away. He had not met him yet. Maybe he would understand later.

It was then he heard some bird-like squabbling, and looked up to find a pen with some frighteningly large feathery beasts. "What... are those?" He felt a bit stupid for asking, but then again, nothing was familiar to him here. Nothing at all.

"What, you never seen a chicken before?" Cairo butted in.

“Oh them ain’t no chickens,” Yale answered, giving Cairo an amused sideways glance. “Those are common field rocs. Those beauties eat chickens fer breakfast. Literally. They’re birds of prey. And they’re what we’re here fer.”

Yale maneuvered the cart towards the pens and when they were close enough, he pulled the reins lightly and Polly came to a gentle halt. She turned to her head back at Yale, expectation in her eyes. With a chuckle, he reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a pressed oat cake. Turning to Ka, he held out the treat. “Wanna give Polly her reward while I go spend the king's money?”

A grin spread across Ka’s face, and he chuckled. "Seems she's in good hands," he said, gently taking the biscuit from him.

~~~

Twelve common field rocs were in the back of the cart, their wings tied down to their sides and hemp sacks placed over their heads to keep them docile. Nenani hung off the back of the driver’s bench, looking down at the immobilized birds. They were as large as cows, and it was a little daunting to think that there were birds that big in the world.

The trip back was fairly uneventful, except that news of Ka seemed to have made its way around the village, They seemed to be getting more stares than before, but Yale made a point of staring down whatever gawkers he noticed. But he did not have the same presence as Farris did, and mostly, the people just kept on staring.

Nenani found it to be pretty rude, and to several she stuck out her tongue.

As they approached the back gate that led to the kitchen courtyard, the guards stationed there did double takes as Ka came into view, but Yale was quick to head off any questions. “He’s here to help out for the day. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Farris.”

There was enough of a threat in those words that they were allowed to pass without any form of harassment.

“Don’t let those guards make ye nervous none, lad,” Yale said to Ka. “Most of ‘em are real decent fellas.”

Yale was still looking towards Ka as he directed Polly along the road, around the last bend, and into the courtyard. He pulled the reins and was about to say something else when felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked down at Nenani. “Hm? What’s it?”

Nenani merely pointed further ahead of them and Yale’s gaze followed along. A large fire pit had been lit in the middle of the yard, and the largest of their cooking pans was placed over the top, with a sizable pile of pumpkins next to it. Saen and Avery were in the middle of carving a few up but had made little headway.

But what had caught their eye was none of them, but the solitary figure just a short distance away. Standing with his arms akimbo and looking very displeased was Farris. His green eyes narrowed at Yale.

“Yer fuckin’ late.”

Ever since the border guards, Ka had gotten increasingly fidgety. As soon as Yale quieted down, he slowed up and walked behind the cart. The castle ahead was bigger than any he had seen, especially this close up. He ran his hand up and down his sleeve, trying to create some warmth as his breath crystallized before him. Upon hearing the voice, the giant's first impression was how gravelly and frayed it sounded, possibly from overuse. The second was that it did not sound happy.

"What's it to you?" Cairo muttered under his breath. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction, than anything, but it was enough to remind Ka to keep an eye on him. The human's left arm and legs lolled out of the pocket. He picked at his teeth as the giant walked. "Move over, Ka, I want to get a look at this meathead."

Ka merely shook his head, hand straying up to cover the man. "Be careful here. We don't know for sure if it's safe yet." There came a grumbling and a shove at the fingers, but for the most part he kept his mouth shut.

Before Yale could even begin to explain himself, Farris caught sight of Ka, and the kitchen master’s eyes widened as his gaze traveled up and up and up until he met the taller giant’s eye. “And just who in the Seven Hells are ye?”

Ever since the border guards, Ka had gotten increasingly fidgety. As soon as Yale quieted down, he slowed up and walked behind the cart. The castle ahead was bigger than any he had seen, especially this close up. He ran his hand up and down his sleeve, trying to create some warmth as his breath crystallized before him. Upon hearing the voice, the giant's first impression was how gravelly and frayed it sounded, possibly from overuse. The second was that it did not sound happy.

"What's it to you?" Cairo muttered under his breath. It was more of a knee-jerk reaction, than anything, but it was enough to remind Ka to keep an eye on him. The human's left arm and legs lolled out of the pocket. He picked at his teeth as the giant walked. "Move over, Ka, I want to get a look at this meathead."

Ka merely shook his head, hand straying up to cover the man. "Be careful here. We don't know for sure if it's safe yet." There came a grumbling and a shove at the fingers, but for the most part he kept his mouth shut.

Before Yale could even begin to explain himself, Farris caught sight of Ka, and the kitchen master’s eyes widened as his gaze traveled up and up and up until he met the taller giant’s eye. “And just who in the Seven Hells are ye?”

Before Ka could answer, though, Yale jumped in. “Came across him on the way to get the rocs. He was lookin’ fer some work, and I offered to let him help us today.”

All through Yale’s explanations, Farris sized Ka up with a critical eye, pausing at the distinct bulge in the tall man’s pocket. His eyes narrowed suspiciously before turning their vitriol onto his assistant. 

“Oh ye did, did ye?” he demanded. “Are ye fuckin’ daft boy?”

Yale hopped down off the cart. “We need the extra help, and as mad as ye are, ye can’t deny the big fella could be of some help. Hell, he’d make short work breakin’ down the pumpkins.” Yale leaned around Farris to yell past him towards his fellow cooks. “A whole lot faster than them two knobheads!”

Saen and Avery looked up from their work to glare back at Yale. Avery waved his knife in the air, calling back, “Go fuck yerself, Yale.” 

Yale was still grinning when Farris drew his attention back with a growl. “And ye think I’d let just anyone off the street come in and cook in my kitchen, do ye?”

Yale glanced over his shoulder at Ka and then back to Farris. With a shrug, he said, “Honestly boss, I don’t think he’d fit. Be a bit tight.”

Farris’s ever-present glare faltered as an amused smirk crossed his lips. With a grunt he looked back at Ka. “Ye have any experience in a kitchen there, son?”

The giant clutched his fists against his chest, shoulders hunched and brow scrunched with worry. Though the man was half his height, he scared Ka. He looked like someone who knew how to fight and just might if aggravated.

"Y-yessir, just a bit, sir." Ka stuttered, coming out from behind the wagon. "Look, I promise I mean no harm, sir. I just, well I- I- I was looking for some work is all. He was nice enough to give me a chance. I promise I'll do my best if you'll only let me help."

Farris was silent for several moments, eyeing Ka once more. “Where ye from?”

The giant straightened up a bit, a slight hope welling in his chest. "Benhyke, sir. I'm... trying to find my way back there, actually."

“Never heard of it. So ye mean to tell me yer as tall as a fuckin’ house with no proper sense of direction?” The kitchen master didn’t give Ka a chance to answer before walking over to the cart where Nenani sat. He laid his arm across the drivers bench and looked at the girl. “What say ye Dumplin’? Think he’s some sort of secret assassin tryin’ to worm his way into the castle?”

Nenani blinked and shook her head. “No.” 

“Well, if yer so sure,” he said with a small smile and scooped her up. Tucking her into the crook of his arm, he turned back to Ka.  The warmth he had spoken to Nenani with was gone and the harsher tone returned. “Ye got a name?”

He scratched his head, still harboring the initial insult in his mind, and had not quite heard him speak to the girl. "What? O-oh I am Ka. And this is--" he paused. At first caution took over, but once he saw the way he cared for Nenani, the fear melted. "--Cairo," he finished.

Upon hearing his name, a single hand came out of the pocket and gave a dramatic wave. "Evening to you, you motherless goat," he called, then the hand disappeared again.

Farris’s expression darkened and, behind him, Yale was making a frantic motion with his hands at Ka that translated roughly to “Bad idea. Stop.”

“I’ll give ye fair warning now, boy,” Farris warned as he walked towards Ka. Pressing further into his space, he stared up at the taller giant and pointed towards his pocket. “Keep that one’s mouth under control or I’ll be doin’ it fer ‘im. I’ve had plenty of humans toss out insults at me and, one way or another, they learn not to. If ye wanna work, I’ve got work fer ye. And you’ll be paid fair wages fer it. But if that one skulking in yer pocket don’t watch it, he’s gonna become intimately acquainted with the inside of a roasting pan.”

Ka's face paled and he backed away, clutching one hand to his pocket. "No! No, please, he's my brother. Y-you can't--I won't..." He seemed to get ahold of himself then, squared his shoulders. "Take that back," he said, regaining his ground. If it were not for the girl in his arms, Ka was not sure what he might have done.

Farris did not back away, and his only movement was to use his free hand to cover Nenani as though to shield her. He met Ka’s eyes with a firm unwavering stare. “I don’t take it back. This is my kitchen and my word is law.” Farris let a small smirk come to his lips. “Just keep in mind though, I didn’t say nothing about actually cookin’ ‘im.”

The giant blinked, relaxing a bit. "What?"

At this point, Cairo heaved a dramatic sigh and pulled himself up. He looked the man up and down and came to a conclusion. "Ugly lump."

Nenani poked her head out from behind Farris’s hand. “No fighting.” 

At Nenani's word, Ka took a step back. There was still anger in his blood, and he elected to stay on his toes, but any hostility was snuffed out by the girl's voice.

Farris only adjusted his hand to ruffle her hair.  “Well ye ain’t no Blue Thorn Beauty yerself,” Farris shot back at Cairo, then raised an eyebrow at him. “Ain’t ye a bit old fer being carried ‘round like a babe?”

Cairo raised a brow, then patted the chest behind him. "This one here's the baby when it comes down to it, little man. Now--" He cut himself off as if he had heard something. "Alright already," he grumbled at apparently nothing. "What do I have to do to get your sorry bag of bones to do something decent, eh? This boy's half starved."

"Cairo..." Ka hissed through his teeth. "I haven't done the work yet."

Farris huffed and rolled his eyes. “Yale,” he called without taking his eyes from the pair. “Go grab this one one ‘a the leftover meat pies.” He paused, reconsidering the man and his height. “Make that two.”

“Will do, boss,” Yale replied, flashing Ka a wide grin before running off towards the stairway that led into the kitchen proper. 

“I don’t run a charity here,” Farris told him sternly. “But if yer gonna be any use to me at all today, it wont be with an empty belly. Ye’ll eat and then ye’ll work. Understand?”

"No," Cairo said blatantly before Ka had a chance.

[craniumaniac-moved]

【 night of the lockdown . 】✘

a discord rp ft. @tender--age--in--plume​

This roleplay is set during the night of the Po Town lockdown put into effect by Plumeria after a bomb threat. The threat was a result of the events that took place the previous night when Rico ( @komala-scientist ) purposefully baited Guzma to beat him up. Warning: It’s long, took us over 12 hours to get done, and it’s emotional.

Mercifully, things have begun to quiet down. Shady House is fuller even than usual, with many team members having chosen to stay in the main house due to the lockdown rather than overflowing into the surrounding houses as is typical. The beds are packed and many have piled up on the floor like dogs. Plumeria doesn't mind, She likes knowing exactly where everyone is, especially at a time like this. Unable to sleep, she laps around the mansion and checks in again and again. Eventually her travels lead her to the Throne Room; she hesitates with her hand on the knob for a moment before sighing and letting herself in. "Hey, G."

While it may have been a hectic day for everybody else, it had been a quiet one for the Skull Boss. Holed up in his room and not communicating with anyone, he napped, he snacked, he drank, he smoked, he watched porn, and he played some GTA and even some Pokemon Crossing. Currently, he sat on his bed, a drawing pad open in front of him, many colored pencils scattered around him, and a bottle of gin nestled between his legs. He's surprised when she comes in, looking up with a small gasp. She'd been keeping him updated professionally, but other than that he didn't think she wanted anything to do with him currently. This mess was all kind of his doing ( but mostly Rico’s, as he would strongly argue ), although he wasn't taking it very seriously himself. He considered the entire series of events to be completely stupid, to put it frankly. "Hey, P. Sup."

There's a little pause as she notes his relaxed posture, a hint of resentment welling in her. The door closes behind her and she folds her arms, regarding him with a cool gaze. "Have a nice night?"

He shrugs, looking back down to his drawing pad to continue coloring something in. "I guess... Just tryin'a keep chill."

A small sigh ... she approaches the bed and comes to sit next to him.

He's quiet for a little bit as he puts the finishing touches on a Scolipede doodle. When he's done, he decides a big swig of his drink is overdue, still finding it hard to look at her. "How're you doin'...?"

"Shitty," she replies honestly, leaning over to slump against him. "Long night. Think shit's coolin' down now though."

"Ya prolly deserve some good sleep, y'know..." Another swig.

"Maybe ... was worried about you, though." She glancing at the sketchbook. "Guess maybe I shouldn't'a been ... looks like you ain't been much bothered."

"Oh, 'm bothered, that's fo'sure." He reaches to flip to the next blank page in the sketchbook, starting to think of what to draw next. "But I ain't scared."

There comes a small huff through her nose. "You ain't scared'a nothin'."

"Well... guess 'm lyin' a lil bit. I'm scared'a you bein' upset wit' me..."

Silence, for a few moments. "...I ain't very happy right now, that's for sure. But ... I dunno. I ain't really pissed at you."

In those few moments, he grabs a black colored pencil and nearly puts it to the paper multiple times before he realizes he can't draw with someone watching, not even Plumeria. A sigh. He closes the sketchbook and starts to bundle up the pencils. "I'unno what ya want me to do. I didn' fuckin' do nothin' wrong..."

Sighing deeply, she leans back against the headboard. "I know. I was pissed at you for not tryin' and then you tried and Rico went and fucked shit up. I just ... I dunno why you couldn't both try make it work for me. When one'a you was tryin' the other one was makin' shit hard and then you switched places. I was real excited when I thought shit might actually be okay ... I wanted it so bad. More then I ever wanted anything. And now it's all shit."

"Yo I fuckin' learned from my mistake before, s'why I was tryin' to try last night. Rico's a fuckin' idiot t'not go 'long wit' it." He flops his art supplies to the floor next to the bed, stretching out his legs and leaning back with her, gulping down some drink as he does so. "I knew you'd be real excited. I was, too. Not really to be his friend or nothin' but I knew it'd make ya happy... n' proud'a me. I was real proud'a myself, steppin' back 'fore I dove in givin' him a hard time, instead decidin' on tryin'a relate to him somehow. Even if it was just our fuckin' birthdays bein' around Halloween." A pause. "Yeah. It is all shit. I'm real, real sorry, Plumes. He's not gettin' another chance wit' me after pullin' that shit on me..."

She anticipated that, but it's still painful to hear. She pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, resting her forehead against the backs of her knees. "I know."

But wait, there's more. The kingpin's about to go on a tipsy ramble. "He fuckin' used me, Plumeria. Asshole was thinkin', 'Hurr durr I wanna get hurt 'cause boohoo I hate me! I know what I can do! I can go make the big dumb thug get mad! I'll take advantage 'a how easy it is to piss him off 'cause he's so stupid! Insert some random ass gibberish ain't nobody got time for! And fuck Plumeria's feelin's to hell 'cause obviously I don't give a shit about her!' Arceus damn!" A deep breath. He's clutching the neck of the gin bottle so tightly his hand is trembling and his knuckles are white. "Ya tol' me to shut up earlier when I was tryin'a say this, but you keepin' close to him got me real worried."

As he speaks, she closes her eyes. Okay, Melia. Keep it together. Slowly, gradually, she unwinds, stretching her legs back out and sitting up to square her shoulders. How stupid of her to think that coming to him would give her a soft place to land. "Yeah, well. I wouldn't be who I am if I gave up on every person who hurt me," she replies stiffly.

Finally, he turns his head to look at her. "You tryin'a hold on like he's family, but he ain't yo' family, Plumeria. That's me, that's all'a Skull, that's Tutu n' anybody else you close wit' who don't fuck wit' us like T n' even Hyde. I been fucked wit' by Rico, so's T."

"You tellin' me you want me cut him out?"

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs, becoming distressed. "I can't control what ya do. Jus' don't be fuckin' disappointed in me for not acceptin' him like he's part'a the fam."

Time passes. At last, a slow nod. "I understand." She's still not looking at him.

And he looks away. Hugging the bottle close to his stomach with one hand, his other hand covers his eyes as he hunches over. "I'm sorry..."

Her eyes snap closed again. "I'm sorry, too."

"You still gonna be disappointed in me, aren't ya?" Shuddering sigh. "Dammit, I was so proud 'a me, Plume, I really was... Couldn't wait for you bein' proud 'a me, too..."

"I ain't disappointed in you, G. I'm just ... disappointed. I really wanted this, and I--thought I could trust him." Her voice breaks.

He sits up, places his bottle on the floor and scoots himself over to her, arms slipping around her for a Komala hug. "It's gonna be aight, y'know..."

The moment he touches her ... she breaks. It starts with a sharp, haggard gasp and a flinch, her eyes shutting tight as her body tenses up, and then continues with ugly, shuddering sobs that wrack her body.

Although it's not something he has never experienced with her before, the reaction admittedly startles him. He doesn't know whether to stop or to hold on tighter, so he simply loosens his grip for the time being. "Plumes...! Shhh... I got ya, Plumes...," he attempts to soothe.

She grips his arms around her tightly as though to keep him from slipping away, squeezing, gulping down deep, wet breaths until she calms down enough to speak. "...Sorry."

Since she seems to want him to continue holding, he squeezes and he doesn't stop, rocking her back and forth slightly. "That's okay, P. Just let out what ya need to. G's here for ya."

"I'm––s–so–––fuckin'–––tired..." She chokes, gritting her teeth hard as she tries to swallow down the fresh wave.

"C'mon, let's put ya to bed then? You been workin' real hard today..." He doesn't quite get it.

"No...not tired like that. Tired of this." She sniffs wetly, lifting a hand to swipe at the tears that have fallen.

"Oh..." He lovingly kisses her cheek and the edge of her jaw, hoping to further comfort her. "I still don't quite get what ya mean... What's 'this' exactly...?"

She stammers, then takes a big, shaky breath. "I just...spent all day...talkin' to the fam, textin' with Aether, dealin' with people wanna kill you, makin' sure everybody safe, dealin' with Nanu...and you been in here drawin'. 'Cause you think it's all stupid. Well, maybe it's stupid for you...maybe this all real fuckin' easy for you...but it ain't easy for me. It's hard. I never signed up for do this all alone. You s'posed'a have my back." A ragged breath. "Maybe...maybe you don't even care. Maybe this all sounds like more bullshit 'cause you don't think you did nothin' wrong...like that makes it better...like that means less fallout for me. Well--at least you got somethin' you wanted outta it all." She sighs. "I stayed home."

His mouth falls open and slowly and unsurely... he lets go of her. Maybe he deserved it, but that really, really wounded him. "Nobody came t' me 'bout anything...," he says weakly. "An' I didn't come to nobody 'bout anything neither 'cause I felt like I'd fuck it up. I'd get mad we was even havin' to deal with this stupid shit Rico's dumb friends brought on us 'cause they ain't know shit, 'cause he can't fuckin' make it clear he asked for it, makin' me out to be all fuckin' wrong when I—" Deep breath. He doesn't want to get off track. "Plumes... I'm real thankful ya stayed home... real thankful for all the shit you done today... been wantin' to talk to ya but I thought you was still too mad at me..." Suddenly standing from the bed, he begins pacing the room to help expend some of his newfound anxious energy before he possibly cracks, pulling at his hair.

Her eyes follow him. When he stands she wraps her arms around herself and draws a deep breath. "I know...I know." Her eyes slip shut. "I don't..." Fuck it, Melia. He doesn't understand. He gonna think me stupid. Trust him. "I don't wanna lose my dad. Again." She winces, bracing herself as though for impact.

He stops his pacing and just stares at her, hands still gripping his hair, but the tenseness in his posture goes limp with a heavy exhale. "Plumes... He ain't your dad. Even if he was he ain't been a good one, 'specially not that I ever seen."

"No...you ain't ever seen it. And you never asked, either." Her face is expressionless.

"What's'at s'posed to mean...?"

"Just ... there's more to it than you ever saw. There's more to it than I ever told you. You actin' like you got all the information ... and you don't."

He lowers himself to the floor, sitting and curling into a ball in the middle of the room. "I try stay outta yo' business like'at...," he mutters. "And... look... I been there, done that havin' a father in my life n' it's jus' not somethin' I think's worth it. Hard for me t' get, hard to want to. But if there was stuff ya wanna tell me I'd'a listened..."

Slowly, she sinks to the ground and crawls over to settle down beside him, hesitantly lifting a hand to gently stroke his back. "I... never really thought you wanted for hear it. Maybe I could'a prevented all this if I been more honest with you." She sighs. "I know it ain't a topic you got good feelin's about, but ... I dunno. It's important for me. Was important for me ... still is important for me. Just ... I guess maybe I gotta make a choice now." She bites her lip. "Nothin' I want for myself can be more important than my fam ... no matter how bad I want it."

"What options you think you got...?" His head is lifted and he turns toward her. Selfishly, he'd want her to cut Rico out. The things the man has done around him and said to him about his family—their family—are unforgivable, really. But if he is truly a father figure to her who makes her happy, Guzma doesn't want her heart broken... He'll try his best to accept whatever she chooses.

"That's the thing, G. I dunno if I got an option."

"Well then I mean what're you thinkin'...?" He uncurls himself from the position he was in and once again puts his arms around her.

"I'm thinkin'..." Deep sigh. She shuts her eyes and stiffens, refusing to lean into his embrace—not out of anger, but because she needs herself to be strong at the moment. "I'm thinkin' I been puttin' my own needs ahead'a my fam too long. If it gotta come down between him and their safety... it's gotta be them."

Guzma gives a nod. "My opinion's prolly obvious, but I do think that's smart thinkin'..."

So ... that's it. She goes stone silent and still.

"I'm... sorry. I don't want you hurtin'..."

"It don't matter." She stands. "You okay?"

"Yes it fuckin' does matter." He stands as well, letting her slip out of his arms and ignoring her question.

"G... don't."

"Don't what?!"

"Don't make this harder for me."

A big sigh. "Aight. Fine. I'll shut up."

"'M doin' what you want and what's best for the fam. You ought'a be happy." She pauses and drops her gaze, glancing towards the door. "So should I."

"I mean, I guess, yeah... but still hurts seein' you hurtin'. Always will."

"Yeah, well ... I had my chance. I fucked it up." Her words are cold--not cold like ice, but cold like a corpse.

"You didn't fuck up nothin'."

"Yeah. I did."

He crosses his arms and looks away, not wanting to argue anymore.

Silence.

"I love you. Missed ya lately, too..." His gaze is still averted.

"...I love you, too."

He looks at her with a tiny smile.

He does not receive one in kind. "You need me tonight, G?"

Swallow. Noticing she doesn't smile back, he loses his. "Uhm..." He shakes his head. A lie.

"I'm gonna need a couple hours off-base. I wanna tell him in person." She doesn't meet his eye.

"...'Kay."

Anguish.

"What is it, P? If you done here, if ya don't need me, ya can go on..."

She shakes her head. "Ain't about not needin' you. You know that, yeah?"

Nod. "Uh-huh. So what you still here for?"

"Nothin', I guess." She doesn't move.

He just stands there, looking at her with a subtle glare.

...Sigh. "A'ight. Later, G." Finally, she turns to go.

He almost stops her, wishing he could give her a quick kiss, but is afraid she'll reject it after how the past few days have gone. "Lemme know how shit goes. I'll be awake, I'll be here for ya."

There's a brief pause in the doorway. "...I know. Thanks, Guzma." She doesn't look back. The door closes behind her.

He sighs, finding his unfinished bottle of liquor to continue nursing the thing, and places himself on his throne so his bed doesn't tempt him to pass out.

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

WARNING: Sensuality.

CHAPTER 8

By the time Anna arrived home, some of the good cheer had disappeared. Only a little, and mostly because she'd come to the realisation that she had actually wanted Punz to stay over. The thought in the car about hands in pants was true, but that didn't mean that, on some level, Anna wasn't aching to touch Punz again… and now that some of the self-hatred was fading, she sort of maybe wanted to be touched, too. Even without that, being close to her all night long sounded like bliss.

Too late now. That was something to face another day. Anna's only thought was to kick her shoes off in the front hall and to find her mom, maybe talk to her for a little while before going to bed. She really didn't have the mental capacity to do anything more, such as gaming as rarely as she did that. Or even staring at Netflix on her phone for a while.

But she couldn't find Elsa. "Mom?" she called out in the hallway. No answer. Maybe she was in the master bath, getting ready for bed. Luckily, the house did have two bathrooms, which had been not enough when the kids were little but was a good number now.

A light was coming from under the door. Anna crossed to it, raising a hand to knock…

"Oooh…"

Her entire body stilled when she heard that moan floating out from the other side, cutting through the sounds of the exhaust fan and the running water. Was she okay? Or was she… more than okay? The noise could have been either one.

But part of Anna knew it was a lie she was trying to sell herself. She knew that noise. Had heard it before. There was only one reason Elsa had ever made a sound like that.

A moment later, when she heard, "Ohhh, YES," she had her confirmation. For a few seconds, she hovered there, indecisive. What was she supposed to do in this situation?

But eventually, her good sense kicked in; her mother was taking care of her urges. Privately. Face burning red, Anna sent herself out of the bedroom and into the hallway. God, what was she supposed to do? Elsa knew she was going to be home – it didn't take long to drive to Punz's. Maybe she thought Anna would be having her own fun with Jennifer, so she would have a little longer to see to her own needs.

Regardless, the fact remained that Elsa was currently engaged in acts no proper daughter should ever want to witness, and yet here Anna was, nipples pebbling and core clenching. Fuck, this was bad. How was she supposed to move on when Elsa sounded like that?

Eventually she managed to make herself move into the kitchen. Water. A nice, cool drink would help calm her down. Three glasses of it and a wealth of pacing back and forth later, however, and the only thing she had succeeded in doing was making herself need to pee.

Luckily, at that time Elsa emerged from the shower, already dressed in a silky blue night gown with a fluffy white robe over the top, feet stuffed into slippers that matched the robe. Apparently, she must have been at the very end of her 'activity' when Anna heard her if she only took that much time afterward to wash up and get dressed.

"Oh!" she said in some surprise when she saw Anna standing in the kitchen. "You're… already back? I thought you and Jennifer… well, anyway. How did it go?"

Swallowing hard, Anna forced herself to smile. Between the pressure in her bladder and the memory of what she practically walked in on, her entire body had a bad case of The Tinglies. But she was determined to act as normal as she could.

"She's fine. I mean, I can see how you'd think we'd want to, like, say a longer goodbye in the truck… but, um, I wanted to end tonight short and sweet. On a good note, I guess?"

Elsa nodded a few times as she opened the refrigerator to get the milk. Since when did they get milk in glass bottles? It had always been cheap plastic jugs for the McFlys. "Well, it can't be helped. You both need a little time, her especially."

"Y-yeah." She shouldn't be staring at Elsa's round ass… "Time. Crazy thing."

"If I knew you'd be back so fast, I wouldn't have taken my time in there." As she poured the glass, Elsa avoided Anna's eyes. At least she wasn't lying to her, but Anna had a feeling what she meant was, 'I wouldn't have gone to town on myself if I knew you might be in the house when I finished.'

"Yeah. I've been here a while; at first I thought you might have gone out."

"Sorry. As I said, if I'd known…"

Anna shrugged, leaning back against the counter with her nearly-empty glass of water. "It's cool. You can… take all the time you need in the shower. Why not? It's your shower. This is your house. Showers are… good!"

As she raised the milk to her lips, Elsa's eyebrows did knit slightly. But she made no remark as she took a long, slow drink. God, this was even worse than watching her ass. Anna couldn't draw her eyes from Elsa's throat, watching it bob as she swallowed. When Elsa finished, there was a fine milk line atop her lip.

It took all of Anna's willpower not to whimper when a delicate tongue popped out and licked it off.

Maybe it was obvious to Elsa, because she flushed and lifted a hand, rubbing off any remnants. Anna cleared her throat and hastily stammered, "I should- I should go, y'know. Been a, um, a busy week and all…"

It was a pathetic excuse, but it was obvious by now that Elsa knew that Anna knew. She gave a weak smile and a nod. "Of course. You can sleep in tomorrow, unless you're going to Merida's?"

Honestly, Anna hadn't thought of it – and neither was she in the mood to stand there and discuss it. "Sure, I'll um, I'll let you know tomorrow?"

She waited just long enough for Elsa to wish her a good night before escaping into her bedroom. Only once she was in there did she remember: she had to pee. But she had already said goodnight! Biting her lip, she tried to suppress the urge as long as she could, listening for Elsa to leave. Or really, suppress two urges, but taking care of one would make the other one worse.

It took forever. By the time Elsa did close the door to her own bedroom, Anna was dancing up and down on one leg. Breathing a sigh of relief, she practically sprinted to the bathroom.

Why did she have to turn into such a weird, awkward creature every time she was around Elsa now? She knew the reason. Not liking it didn't mean she was ignorant. But they both knew it was for the best that they keep their hands off each other; Elsa just believed that a lot more fully and completely.

Even after brushing her teeth and changing into pyjamas, Anna still couldn't get the urges to leave her alone. Not without taking the appropriate measures – and there was no possible way to keep Elsa's voice in the tub, her ass in that robe, out of her mind. How was she supposed to live like this?

                                                                   ~ o ~

The next morning, she felt a little more optimistic. Elsa was going to be her mother, and something like a friend, no matter what happened. That was a fact. A few weird moments of sexual tension could be forgiven as long as they kept working on them.

"So," Elsa said when Anna stumbled in to join her at the breakfast table, where she was already sipping coffee and scrolling through news articles on her phone. "You heard me last night, hmm?"

Anna froze. No. She couldn't possibly mean they were going to talk about this now. Right?

Giving a nervous chuckle, Anna tried to play it cool. "Oh yeah. About um. Merida's. I haven't… decided if I'm…" She trailed off when it became apparent that Elsa was incredibly unimpressed by her attempt to play it off.

"You know I'm not talking about that, Anna," she said. Then she sighed and pat the table, inviting Anna to take a seat. Once she did, her mother continued, "I'm sorry you bumped into that; I really thought I had enough time before you came home. And I'm definitely not upset, sweetheart. I just feel like… like ignoring this situation completely only makes it worse?"

At that, Anna snorted. "What, so I should have bust in on you like, 'Hey, need a hand'?"

"NO! God, Anna. I just mean– you clearly know. And I know you know. So I think it's healthier to discuss the issue before we set it aside." Then she paused. "You didn't… do the same, did you?"

Crossing her arms, Anna looked away. "I don't have to answer that."

"Yes, you do. If you stayed to listen in…"

"Oh, THAT!" she squeaked, plopping down harder into the chair than she meant to. "Geez, no way! I mean, not that you didn't sound- it's- y-yeah, I heard you, but then I left when I realised what I was listening to, okay? I'm not some kind of, of… peeping Tom, but with ears, or uh… whatever!"

Sighing, Elsa reached over to pat her hand. "It's alright, I understand. After what happened in my dad's Gremlin, I'd be a moron to expect all the feelings to vanish. That's not what I'm asking of you."

"It's not? Like, it kinda sounds like it is… sometimes… I dunno."

"No, it's not. But we can control our actions." Her thumb caressed Anna's hand gently, and she whispered, "Our feelings can't be helped. But we can help how we react to them. Do you understand?"

After a tense moment of enjoying her mother touching her hand, probably too much, she let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Okay, I'm really glad you said that to be honest, because I'm still finding it super hard to forget… things. And ignore things. Like, hearing you last night?" But she bit her lip, cutting off what she had been about to say.

"Go on. Not all the time, but right now… maybe it would be better to release some of that pressure." Elsa cleared her throat and shrugged, cheeks only a little pink. She had mentally prepared for this, it seemed.

"You sounded hot. Like…" This might be her only chance. Might as well go all-in. "Like I wanted to bust the door down and help finish you off. And yeah, I had to do the same thing after I got to bed… but I still wished it was you."

At first, Elsa didn't say anything. Her eyes shut briefly, and she looked… pained. Almost as though she were thinking back to last night. Probably scolding herself.

"I'm sorry," Anna said, voice a rush. "I promise I wasn't trying to think about you when I- I mean, maybe at the beginning, a little, but definitely Jennifer was there at the end. I swear. Uh…"

Elsa had paled, but turned away before Anna had much of a chance to look at her. When she didn't say anything, Anna felt a little panic rising in her chest. "Mom-?"

"I still remember," Elsa interrupted. It seemed that she couldn't bring herself to look up.

"Still remember what?"

"I still remember… how you sounded that night," came the soft admission.

Anna's eyes felt like they were bulging out of her skull. She swallowed, trying to find the words that wouldn't come. Staring at the side of Elsa's face, she finally settled on, "Holy shit."

"You don't know how many times I've thought about it, Anna… how often I've remembered that moment with Tori."

The name did help. Not a lot, considering they both knew Anna and Tori were the same person now… but it put it into perspective. Her moments of reminiscing had probably been mostly before she figured out they were the same person.

"But not as much now?" Anna guessed.

"No. She sneaks in when I least expect her, but… I try not to do that now that I know. Just doesn't seem right. But that doesn't make the memory any less magical for me, Anna."

Clearing her throat, she scooted a little closer, just enough so that she could stretch her arm across the corner of the table and touch Elsa's arm. "Why tell me this now?"

"Because… I don't want guilt to be the reason."

"The reason…?"

"The reason that we don't make a mistake." Finally, she turned back, and her face was more composed. Though she was still pale, other than her rosy cheeks, she was smiling gently at her daughter. "We shouldn't feel bad for what happened in the past, or even how we feel in the present. Just… be more careful for the sake of our future."

"Oh…" Biting her lip for a moment, Anna then whispered, "Does that mean we can't fall asleep in the same bed anymore? Since it's kinda… dangerous?"

"For a while. But!" Her other hand came up to hold aloft an index finger. "I have faith that won't always be a problem. We can get past this. We already are, a couple of setbacks notwithstanding. Just… for a little while, okay?"

Mute, Anna nodded. She didn't want that. And now that Punz knew and was somewhat accepting… she didn't ever want to hurt her girlfriend. But at the same time – and by that very same token – it hurt to have to push Elsa away to do it. They could be a regular family. Anna knew they could.

But what if… she didn't want to? Or, rather, what if she wanted to, but she also wanted the other stuff? Watching Elsa go back to glancing at the news, Anna's eyes traced her jaw, her lips. The incline of her nose and her bright eyes. Despite the age, Elsa was still a beautiful woman. She deserved more than a farcical marriage – full of love, no doubt, but still not really real anymore. Maybe she had Punz, but there had to be something she could do for her mother.

Coming to a sudden decision, she stood up. "We need to get you a date."

"Hmm?" she muttered as she took a sip of her coffee.

"A date. You know, more time with a lady-friend who's not me. So your urges have somewhere to go? A-and I'll do the same with Punz, and it'll get easier. Like you said."

Finally, Elsa looked up at her with a very mild surprise in her eyes. Then she smiled, truly pleased. "Oh, Anna… you're sweet. But I'm fine."

"Really? I mean, the way your sleepy self tried to bang me says maybe you're not." When her mother's lips pursed, she held up a hand. "Just making a point. What if you had another sexy redhead to bring home? Maybe Ariel…"

Laughing now, Elsa set her phone aside to focus fully on their conversation. Seeing Anna pout, she hurried to tell her, "I do appreciate what you're trying to do. Just… well, my daughter having to fix me up with someone to keep me from grinding on her… well, it's a little funny, isn't it?"

"Well… okay, yeah, maybe a little."

"Besides, Ariel is no longer interested. She went back to Eric, they have a daughter. But I suppose I wouldn't have minded trying things with her a second time if given the chance."

"Yeah, and like, you got with dad and had me! Nothing's impossible. But Ariel's not the only fish in the sea. Oh, we should totally make you a dating profile! This is gonna be fun!"

                                                                  ~ o ~

It was not fun.

Well, that wasn't strictly true; making the profile itself was fun. OkCupid had a tonne of stupid questions, and they had a good laugh answering some of them. Others were more informative than Anna was prepared for.

"Oooh, up for a bit of poly action, are we?" she asked, leaning over her mother's shoulder. Elsa snorted a laugh.

"Well, I am technically still married, you know," she said. Anna's eyes widened.

"Do you need to, like… tell Dad?" she asked.

Shaking her head, Elsa turned back to the computer. "No. We came to some clear agreements a very long time ago. The last time we were together was not recently. I think… more out of respect for his feelings, I haven't chased after anyone. I also think he would understand why I'm only now taking advantage of it…"

Anna nodded, thinking. "I'm still just kinda amazed that you and he actually… worked out. I mean, no offense to him – he's a pretty good looking guy – but you were like, uber-lesbian in '85."

"Bisexual," she chastised gently. "But are you kidding? That was your doing, Tori." When Anna didn't respond right away, instead merely lifting an eyebrow, Elsa turned from the screen to fix her with a slight smirk. "Oh, come on. You gave some very specific advice to me on several occasions. It sounded weird to me at the time, but since then I've figured out why."

"Huh? What do you-"

"Three children, three years apart? Drinking is something I should never do, not just that I ought to be a little careful? The thing about setting fire to the rug? When you never came back, I started wondering… well, all kinds of things. That you were some kind of guardian angel who had only come to earth long enough to help me be a better person… help me be true to myself. Lots of scenarios that I had no way of proving or disproving."

Elsa was looking away, embarrassed. But Anna didn't laugh. She didn't think it was at all funny, or silly. Her voice was soft as she whispered, "I don't feel like an angel. Just some dumb kid who really screwed up. Did… you really think I was one?"

When Anna couldn't quite meet her eyes, Elsa gently pulled her youngest daughter onto her lap; just as she used to when Anna was small. She looped her arms around her daughter and held on tightly, and eventually Anna embraced her back.

"You are an angel. Just… a more earthly, common, human one who's allowed to make a mistake. Don't beat yourself up so much; thought we agreed on that."

"We did, we did." Clearing her throat, she tried to settle in and get comfortable, despite how much she was enjoying her new seat. "So, you really followed my advice? I was just… I mean, it was stupid for me to give it, I changed the future, but… I like this version of my life better. So, um, all's well that ends well?"

"Mhmm," Elsa hummed, squeezing just a little tighter. "You're my little angel. And considering how my life – and yours – could have turned out… I think a little tension is acceptable. I'd rather love you a little too much than not enough. Plus, the advice about children was to make sure you saved our future, so it wasn't all selfish. Which it not only is, but it's better."

The words brought a smile to Anna's lips, and she cuddled in a little further. "Yeah, this is… better," she agreed softly.

"Glad to hear it," she whispered very softly. Her voice was very slightly husky, almost sensual, which sent shivers down Anna's spine… but a moment later, she found out why. "Now, what do you say we close this web page and make plans for tonight?"

Her daughter drew back to glare down at her, seeing a pleasant, casual face gazing up at her. "Elsa Baines-McFly… are you trying to flirt your way out of posting your OkCupid profile?"

"Flirt? Me?"

"You are!" Elsa turned away, still affecting an innocent air, so Anna only laughed and hugged her more tightly. At least they could joke about things now, a little. "Nope. You're posting it, we already put in the work."

"But I'm not really that interested in just… finding some random person online," she finally sighed. "I guess I could try it, but just don't forget that I'm not expecting it to go anywhere."

"Totally fine! It doesn't have to work, but if it does work…"

"Yes, yes, then I can bang someone else and stop running around this house like a cat in heat."

Nodding, Anna pet over her mother's hair. "Even though I don't mind that, I know you do. So, like… it's a good plan. And if it doesn't work at all, we'll move on to another one, right?"

"Right." Elsa leaned up to kiss Anna's cheek, making both of them blush very lightly. Then she turned back to the computer, Anna still seated on her lap. "So what's left to do here? Telling them my blood type and social security number?"

"Nooo," Anna giggled. "Now we gotta find you a girl!"

It was a little trying, at first, navigating the site. Not for any technical difficulties; no, Elsa merely seemed nervous. A slight unwillingness to actually take that step and strike up a conversation.

Anna wanted to offer to leave. She wanted to give Elsa some privacy to browse and look and maybe see if someone caught her eye. But the seventeen-year-old in her was excited to watch, too. Like moving house or getting a new car, there was a thrill that came with watching Elsa step out of her comfort zone and try new things.

Also some of the women looked really good and a few were definitely Elsa's type. A couple might have even been Anna's type, if she weren't already committed to Punz.

By the time they gave up the search, Elsa had two potential dates. Neither one had initiated a longer conversation yet, but she put out the feelers. It was better than nothing.

"Now get off my back," she giggled as she swivelled the chair out from behind the desk. "And my lap."

"What if I want to stay?" Anna asked, a little playfully flirty again.

"Then you'd better start paying rent to live in this chair with me. And figure out a way to make us lunch from here."

The truth was, Anna just really loved the nearness. Having this with her mother the way they never could before. And more, obviously. But she also knew Elsa was right, they needed to go on about their day.

                                                                  ~ o ~

Which they did. After a light lunch, Anna called up her maybe-girlfriend to ask what she wanted to do. When she offhand mentioned the shoe-shopping idea that had been tabled, Punz leapt at the idea so enthusiastically that it made Anna laugh. Maybe there was hope for them, after all.

So an hour or two later, they were in Elsa's sensible car picking up Jennifer from her house. She bounced out, and this time she had a little suitcase with her.

"Oh, what's this?" Elsa said with a slight smile. "Did our itinerary change a little?"

"Just… thought about your offer from before," she said with an eager grin. "Anna was right about last night being a little soon after we patched things up, but tomorrow's Sunday, so… no reason I can't stay longer tonight. But this is just a precaution; if I end up going home, I can just unpack it again. No big."

Shaking her head, Anna turned around to prod one of the knees poking out from under her lavender skirt. "Somebody had big plans and didn't text."

Punz grinned. "Maybe…" she said, all coy.

Anna felt a goofy smile cross her face. It stayed there all the way to the shopping mall. Even if she'd wanted to hide it away, it would have been impossible. It really felt like things were going to work out.

Naturally, though, the shopping didn't stay just on shoes. They went there first – several shoe stores – before moving on, so at least it could be said that they did what they'd set out to. Elsa bought a pair of sensible flats, and another pair of heels. They weren't very big, but they would still go nicely with any smart-casual, bordering-on-formal outfit. Like, say, the kind of outfit one would wear on a date.

Anna bought herself a new pair of sneakers, mostly because they were half-price and bright green, but also because hers had become a little wrecked during her time in 1985. They were cheap and shoddy and the best they could afford before she'd gone and changed everything. It was nice, being able to get something that wasn't three seasons old and a size too small.

Contrary to what she'd expected to happen, Punz didn't hang back. She offered suggestions and laughed and smiled, and it felt so natural. Like a day with her mother and her girlfriend, and there was no weird time-travel business to drag them down. She even let herself get ganged up by the two McFlys, their shared 1980s experience manifesting in them choosing the worst combination of clothes that she could think of. Anna had laughed as she held up a denim vest, complete with a white longsleeve shirt.

"It's not that bad," Anna assured her. "But you definitely could have fit in back then with these."

Punz had looked unconvinced, but she put them on all the same; she even tucked it into her pants, posing and shooting a smirk. Anna just wanted to kiss her – even moreso when she actually bought it.

Her own willingness to try something new was partly how they managed to cajole Elsa into trying on a few more interesting styles that she had tried to avoid. At first, she had barely slipped one on and then off, and they laughed about that. It wasn't until after they went to try on some clothing – Punz picking up a pale blue jacket and a Harry Potter tank top – that they finally got her to cave.

"I'll look ridiculous in these," she said, looking down at the newest boxes as they made it out to the car. "Can't believe you talked me into buying any of them at all."

"You looked so cute, though!" Jennifer was gushing. To her credit, it wasn't only because she thought Anna wanted her to say that; she honestly thought her girlfriend's mother needed them.

"You did, Mom. Seriously. I was kinda skeptical about the ankle boots, but they're all killer. Plus winter's coming up anyway, right?"

"Those boots are hardly winter boots!" she laughed as they got in. "But… thanks for the vote of confidence, girls. Between this and those outfits Anna talked me into, it's like I'm on Extreme Makeover."

While they drove away from the mall parking lot to pick up some Chinese, Anna nudged Elsa's upper arm. "You are. Extreme Makeover: Family Edition!"

"Not that you needed one, Mrs McFly," Punz piped up. Anna could see her mother give a small, but warm, smile.

"Thank you, Jennifer," she said. "I don't know what kind of shenanigans Anna would have wheedled me into if you weren't here."

This time, it was Punz's turn to blush. Anna could see it in the rearview mirror. It was really nice, watching them get along. Some part of her had been terrified that it would be awkward; that Punz would be distant and Elsa would be a try-hard, desperate to prove that the whole situation wasn't as fucked up as it seemed. But that hadn't happened.

Perhaps because they already had a rather good relationship before this. Elsa obviously approved of Punz, and Punz definitely seemed to respect Elsa. It was far better than Anna could ever have hoped for in her old life.

They decided not to bother eating at the restaurant. It was much more comfortable to drive the ten minutes home and actually have a nice meal. If Anna were honest, she was kind of craving something home-cooked, but any occasion where Elsa wasn't drunk or hungover was a cause for celebration in her mind.

It wasn't fair, but it was hard to undo a decade of training. Making sure the floor was clear; that Elsa always had a glass of water on her bedside table. Of drawing the blinds and keeping them shut. Tiptoeing about the house lest she get caught in the middle of her mother's hangover. And it would continue to be challenging. Getting used to the fact that Elsa was different wasn't too bad. Changing how she reacted to things… not so easy.

After dinner and a nice chat, during which they mostly just talked and laughed about random, inconsequential things, they popped a bag of popcorn and retired to the living room to pick a movie. They had finally started trying to talk about the time travel incident a little more, after carefully avoiding it the past few days. Anna could understand; it had taken that long for Punz to adjust.

"And you really couldn't tell she was related to you?"

"Why would I have any reason to suspect that?" Elsa was saying as she set the bowl down, then went back for a tonic water with lime. Yet again, when she got out the tonic Anna was waiting for her to reach for a bottle of vodka or gin, but she skipped that step and went straight for cutting up a lime fresh.

"You're right," Jennifer sighed as she leaned back against the counter next to Anna. She automatically looped her arm around her waist. "Like I said, I'm not trying to… y'know, judge or anything. I've never been in a time machine, so what do I know?"

Smiling slightly, Elsa dropped the citrus wedge into her drink and stirred it in with the ice. "Well… of course I felt an immediate attraction to her. Like a magnetic pull. Me being a senior in high school and definitely not a parent, I had no reason to suspect it was because she was family."

"Yeah, um… I did read up on that Westermarck thing since Anna told me about this. And obviously that has nothing to do with, like, going back and forth through time, but it kind of… like yeah, people are drawn to similarities in each other. So if you see a girl who kinda looks like you, but is different in ways that you like… I guess…"

Anna could tell she looked a little ill to be admitting these things. The whole idea of Anna doing anything non-familial with her mother was still going to be hard for her. So she jumped in with, "Yeah, she has nothing to feel bad about. I'm the one who was an idiot and didn't know how to say 'no' to my own mom."

"Not an idiot," Elsa gently corrected. "Just horny."

"MOM!" Even Punz giggled a little. "Oh, not you, too!"

"Well, you didn't hesitate very long before you went for it with me," Punz needled gently. Anna knew her freckles were disappearing into her blush, but she still pursed her lips and turned away. "Though… I definitely fully understand why you didn't want me to get you back."

"What?" Elsa asked mildly. "Anna didn't let you return the favour?"

Punz shook her head. "Nope. I mean, don't get me wrong – I tried. But she was pretty adamant about uh, 'putting space between the events'." Looking over at Anna, who hadn't said a word, she placed a fond kiss on her cheek. "At the time I was super put out, but I guess it makes sense now, doesn't it?"

Elsa returned, tonic in hand and sitting on the armchair. It had been a silent agreement that Anna and Punz would get the sofa to themselves – and considering where the conversation had gone, it hasn't been a bad idea.

"It didn't feel right. I mean, it'd only been the night before that we were in the car, and…" she trailed off, more for Punz's sake than anything else. They didn't need to go into details.

It was actually Elsa who spoke first, though. "Oh, Anna. You shouldn't punish yourself like that," she said, taking a sip of her drink. Momentarily, Punz's grip tightened. She still didn't speak, though.

"I'm not punishing myself!" she argued. "I just didn't think it was very fair. What if I started thinking about- while she- a-and anyway, why is my sex life so topical? There are more subjects than this one we could talk about!" Then she turned to Punz. "We signed Mom up for a dating site today. Let's see how that goes."

"Oh, you did? What about your dad…?"

At that, Anna turned to Elsa. The older woman put her drink on the coffee table and looked gently at Punz. "Understands. And would be kept in the loop, if such an occasion developed. I'm not going to hold my breath, though."

At that, Punz smiled. "Well, I hope you find a nice girl," she said, and there was genuine honesty in her tone. She did hope Elsa found someone. That thought alone was pretty heartwarming. And then she said something that neither McFly women expected: "If she's anything like Anna, she'll be great."

"We both agree there," Elsa chuckled, though she still looked a little surprised that Punz had drawn that comparison. "Regardless of our encounter in the 80s, my Anna is a wonderful person. Tempted to go into the future and pick up the version that would be my age."

Both girls went silent at that. Elsa took a sip of her tonic water, then seemed to notice that they were shocked, so she lowered the glass very slowly. "I… was joking. Please tell me you know that I'm joking."

Swallowing hard, Anna managed, "Well… I mean… that's pretty… wow."

"You mean a girl like Anna, right?" Jennifer attempted with a nervous laugh, hands white-knuckling on her glass of juice.

"I didn't mean either one seriously!" Elsa exclaimed. "God, haven't we messed around with the timeline enough?!"

"My mommy loves me," Anna muttered to Punz, making them both laugh – even if the latter still was a bit pale. Elsa merely rolled her eyes and went back to her tonic.

"Someone pick something to watch before I find a movie from the forties. How do you feel about Humphrey Bogart?"

The threat seemed to make Anna snatch for the remote right away. The 80s was as far back as she ever wanted to go, both physically and in terms of movies or TV. However, Punz surprised both of them.

"Like 'Casablanca' or the original 'Sabrina'? I'd watch anything with a Hepburn in it."

The two McFlys looked at each other for a moment, before Anna frowned. "I've, uh, I've never seen 'Casablanca'," she admitted. Both Elsa and Punz's face twisted into dual expressions of shock. And some horror, which just made the fact that she'd never watched the classic worth it.

"Well, I suppose that's that," Elsa said with a smile. "'Casablanca' it is."

                                                                  TO BE CONTINUED…