#luxury wine cruises

[savvytravelers]

European Wine Culture

Experience the rich European wine culture with Savvy Travelers, exploring the traditions and regions that produce the world’s best wines!

[goingplacesfarandnear]

Savoring Wine is Key Feature of European Waterways’ Luxury Hotel Barge Cruises

Experiencing the innovative wine-making techniques of the Lissner Winery on European Waterways’ Panache canal cruise through the Alsace-Lorraine, France © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com “Wine and friends are a great blend,” Ernest Hemingway once said.  This philosophy is at the heart of European Waterways’ dedication to offering its guests exclusive, immersive wine experiences on their…

[philwill2u]

7 Unforgettable Mother's Day Thrill Experiences Every Mum Will Love

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to express your love and appreciation for the special woman in your life. This year, let’s think beyond the usual flowers and chocolates and opt for something truly memorable. Treat your mum to a day full of unique experiences, laughter, and new memories that she will cherish for a lifetime. Continue reading Untitled

[regal-bones]

GLITZ (Glittering Liquid Internal Titration Zone) and GLAM (Grape Liquid Aeration Machinery) are modified Typhoon units that can be found in the Lounges of the THESPA-02. GLITZ units carry champagne for the esteemed guests of the luxurious cruise liner, and their carbonation technology keeps drinks fresh and fizzy. When it’s time to celebrate, a GLITZ unit will be the first to pop bottles and toast to good health! 🥂 GLAM units carry wine, their internal systems always swilling, decanting, and showing off the beautiful robe and decadent flavours of today’s wine. A sommelier through and through, GLAM units will talk for hours about a wine’s history, production, and of course, price. 🍷 These two seemed to be malfunctioning even before the crash, and with time their processes dulled, speech slurred, and they are - quite frankly - a little bit tipsy.

For more information, check your nearest information terminal to see unit specifications, duties, and more importantly the cocktail menu.

Watch the trailer for Last Sprout: A Seedling of Hope at this link! 🌱

You can support me on Patreon for £1 and see concept art, assets, and snippets of story for the game!

[cosmicpuzzle]

9th House and How you Travel ✈️

Aries on 9th : Travel plan is made quickly and you could like travel by roads and deserts more than planes. If plane, you may prefer chopper and mountaineous travel.

Taurus on 9th: You like to travel in luxury, you probably enjoy food on plane, leg space and may be wine and cookies on your plate.

Gemini on 9th: Your travel needs to be short -not more than 2-3 hours. You like to purchase that novel or Encyclopedia or learn French in 30 days at the airport.

Cancer on 9th: You will probably take home made food during your trip. You may like cruises more than airplanes. You will help old people with their seat belts or luggages.

Leo on 9th: You like to travel in grand style, you may prefer business class just for the status it brings or may fancy sitting nearby a celebrity. You will buy something just to show you can afford.

Virgo on 9th: You like planes that are compact and clean. You probably like to pack everything in one suitcase. You will be worried about using the restroom on the plane and possible bugs on seat.

Libra on 9th: You will probably like to travel for your honeymoon or vacation. You like to travel with some company preferably the opposite gender. You may watch the movie on your seat board. And yes you will check out all the air hostess and try to strike a convo.

Scorpio on 9th: You will be worried about the Bermuda triangle while travel. You may also read about missing planes before your trip. You could look at the deep oceans from the plane and fear what if the plane sinks deep into the ocean.

Sagittarius on 9th: You will probably travel a lot for sake of travelling abroad. You will probably travel to all countries. You will exaggerate about your travel as if you are the first to travel all over the globe.

Capricorn on 9th: You will probably travel only for work. You will book economy class and reimburse the business class amount. You will be thinking of the free food and coffee you could get on the plane.

Aquarius on 9th: You will probably try to sneak in the cockpit while boarding or exiting to see how the pilots operate the plane, the electronic boards and technology behind it. You will check if internet works in the middle of a desert.

Pisces on 9th: You will probably sleep during the trip or drink a lot of water. You will probably imagine about aliens, outer space and your mind will wander until you land and come back to reality.

[heichou-ackerman]

Out on a fancy evening with your modern!boyfriend Levi Ackerman

- Levi definitely lives the bougie life in every aspect, and that includes picking the most luxurious, four star rated types of restaurants. If he was snobbish about anything it was definitely the type of cuisine he wanted you both to indulge with, with his argument being “if I am going to spend money, I’m not gonna spend it on crap food.”

- While lowkey he doesn’t really expect you to dress up for these occasions, he might chastise you if you seem a bit too casual about it. This isn’t because he thinks you’re being lazy or a slob, he genuinely wants you to be able to look and feel your best. Nothing too fancy, just no sneakers or crocs. 

- It was really, really hard for you at first to be completely okay with going to these places and having him pay for anything. You’d be intentional about picking the cheapest item on the menu until he got note of what you were doing. Admittedly, he was a little offended with you. 

“I’m not a cheap ass. If I'm telling you to pick anything you want, then pick anything you want. Don’t be holding back on me.”

- Has a huge pet peeve about you being on your phone, even if it’s to check something real quick. Finds it disrespectful and constantly scolds you about not wanting to spend any time with him. He’s savage about making you feel guilty about it. 

“I wouldn’t have bothered paying for all of this if I knew you’d just be on your phone the whole goddamn time.” He isn’t wrong but he’s pretty mean about it. 

- A pet peeve of yours however, is his compulsion to clean up after you if you even happen to make the smallest of messes. He sweeps off any crumb you make, takes any discarded napkins, and has even wiped off the food from your mouth if he deemed it too messy.

“Levi! Stop, you’re acting like my mother.” “I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t eat like a child.”

- Not the jealous type, but if you become a bit too chatty with your server (which you are honestly just being a decent human being about it), he starts being a little more snarky or petty about things. He really is a little selfish about the time you spend with him. You catch onto it right away, and once you start teasing him, he gets really pissed off.

“Are you really upset because I was just being nice to our server?”

“You don’t need to talk to them about some shit you did last week.” “Someone is a little insecure.” “It’s not even that.”

“Don’t be a jelly sandwich, Levi.”

“I’m this close to just walking out and leaving your ass to pay for everything.”

-Falls into the classic trope of being seemingly cool and casual on the outside but is secretly panicking about how well you actually like everything. He pays special attention in making sure every detail is fitted to your liking, from the location of the restaurant to the type of bottle of wine he orders. Unknowingly, you really could care less as long as you spend time with him. 

“What do you think? Yeah?” “It’s good Levi!”

“Yeah, I told you so.” 

-Never a dessert or sweet tooth type of a person, so he gets pissed off when you order yours and are unable to finish it. He has to sacrifice his lack of a sweet tooth to make sure it doesn’t go to waste. 

- Is kind of an asshat when it comes to tipping, especially if he thinks the service is not worth his liking. You are able to easily convince him to leave a hefty tip though. 

- Usually the one to have driven to the place, and will always make sure to open the car door to let you in. He will absolutely not let you mess with his radio however, so you are stuck listening to some type of pretentious sounding jazz (though you secretly like how fitting it is to his charm).

-You both have a little routine of cruising around the city/town while music is playing in the background, simply enjoying each other’s company. You totally become a passenger princess as Levi gets a habit of reaching for your thigh and squeezing it gently. 

“Tonight was nice.” “Yeah, it was.”

“So when is it going to be my turn to pick a place for dinner?” “Are you going to suggest some shitty place like IHOP?”

“What’s wrong with-”

“Then no.”

[zippidi-dooda]

"Hey, Buddy," You say with a smile as your blond haired companion opened the front door.

His furrowed brow and deepset scowl immediately shifted into a look of surprise as Kaveh saw you standing on his doorstep.

"Y-Y/N? What are you ... It's so late, why aren't you at home?"

You handed him a grocery bag and stepped inside, closing the door behind you.

"Ehh, it's been a while since we hung out so I thought I'd stop by. Plus, you've been so busy lately you've ignored all my messages, you feelin' alright?"

He let out a groan and hit his forehead with a palm, "Ah, Sorry. This last project has just been a bit much. I've been trying to finish it as fast as possible so I can just forget about it already."

You tied your hair up as you made your way to his kitchen, reaching for all the tools you'd need to make what may have been his only meal of the day.

"How did I know," you muse rhetorically. "Well, I'm sure you already know that's a bad idea, so c'mon, might as well take your break while I'm here."

The tired male ambled over, placing the bag on the counter.

"Thanks." He mumbled. "How can I help?"

You placed two glasses on the table. "I'll handle it. Just sit there and tell me what you've been up to," you lifted a large bottle of wine from out of the bag you'd brought with you.

A smile made it's way across his lips. "If I don't see to the end of my project after this, I'm blaming you."

***

A few of glasses of wine and two full plates of stew later and Kaveh was wide awake. The slouched posture and tried tone had been replaced by expressive gestures and loud declarations.

Seeing him back to his regular self made you giggle, mind hazy from the smooth red liquid running through your system, and you dopily hung on to his every word.

And Kaveh didn't mention his project the whole time, so your mission to help him out of his overworking funk was a success.

You leaned into your palm, lazy smile on your face as he continued his speech that you were partially paying attention to.

"You know for once I'd like to just cruise through life easy, right? No all-nighters, no deadlines to catch, and no responsibilities. Just the chance to enjoy the fine things in life, ya know?"

"You're almost there." You reassured.

He snorted with a roll of his eyes, "Yeah, right. You know better than anyone that's not true. It's gonna take years before I can get even a trace of that life."

"Well ... I think this is fun too. You'd get bored of the constant luxury. Having little moments to indulge yourself is probably what makes nights like this more enjoyable."

"... you're spoutin' nonsense."

You let out a laugh, tears coming to your eyes, and he laughed along with you.

"Ah ... I'm so glad I met you, Kaveh, you're ridiculous."

"The only thing that's ridiculous here is your haircut. I mean, seriously, it's flying up everywhere I don't know how you manage it," he grumbled, reaching out to pat it down.

In reality he was only making it look as he described.

"I rock this look, excuse you. Besides you look as if you just got out of bed since I got here," you countered, reaching over to muss up his hair as well.

You twirled the blond locks between your fingers for a while before your hand fell to his face.

He was warm, face flushed from the wine, skin smooth to the touch.

His crimson eyes locked with yours as you began to caress his cheek.

"... you're soft ... like a baby," you murmured beginning to pinch at his cheeks. "Widdle baybay ...."

He recoiled, reaching up to push you away. "Stap!"

You giggled, leaning over the table to reach him better. "Aw, c'mon, I don't have your flawless skin, I jus' wanna feel a lil' bit."

He immediately brought his hands up to cover his face. "Nuh uh!"

You began to coo at him, making him giggle as you tickled in attempts get him to lower his hands.

Soon, you had forgotten your whole reason for tickling him and continued on even as he moved to try and pry your hands away from his sides.

"St-stop! Haha ... I have to pee ...!" He breathed out, curling back into his chair.

You continued to giggle and laugh, neither of you noticing the soft clicking of the front door or the heavy steps approaching you.

It wasn't until you heard a deep, monotonous voice behind you that you noticed someone had entered the house.

"What are you doing up so late?"

You squeaked, banging into the edge of the table and stumbling out of your chair to hide behind Kaveh.

The blond was quiet for a moment before letting out a long groan. "Just enjoyed a nice evening for once, something I'm sure you wouldn't know about."

The man who entered took a glance at you, striking teal and red eyes not revealing a hint of what he might be thinking stopping you in you in your thoughts.

"I don't remember saying you could bring a roommate."

Kaveh scoffed, folding his arms and crossing his legs indignantly, "Oh, relax, they just came to visit is all."

The man looked back at Kaveh. "For your sake, that better be true," he turned around and headed off to his room, "keep the noise down or I'm kicking you both out."

Kaveh mouth off silently behind him in mocking.

You watched the man silently as he walked away, catching onto the way the tips of his ashen hair bounced as he walked and the jut of his muscles moving beneath the tight, black fabric of his shirt and the curves tracing down just under his spine ...

"Ugh, Alhaitham is the worst." Kaveh spat, sipping the remainder of his wine.

You went to sit back in your chair. "I've heard the stories ... hot as hell though."

Kaveh buried his face in his hands, speaking in a low tone so he wouldn't hear, "damn right."

You leaned forward to press your head against the table, hand reaching up to pat Kaveh's hair.

He looked up at you after a moment. "Y/N, why are all the cute ones such assholes?"

You shrugged. "Not all of them are."

He gave you a bored look, "really? I'll believe it when I see it."

"Mm ... you're not an asshole."

He smiled softly at you.

"... thank you." He took your hand in his, brought it down to his lips, and pressed a soft kiss to your palm.

"... what if you were my roommate? I mean, I'm sure we'd have hella more fun everyday. Plus, with you around I just might be able to tolerate that jerk a little more."

You chuckled. "Didn't he just shoot that idea down?"

"Forget that guy! It's high time I got my payback on him. Besides, as long as we mange to get rent in on time he won't have much to complain about."

"Pretty sure that's not how it works"

Kaveh sat up straight, holding both your hands in his now, and scooted closer.

"Move in with me please, save me from this misery."

It took a moment of hazed contemplation for you to nod along.

A tired smirk made its way across your lips, "Got the paperwork lyin' around?"

[boatrentalitaly]

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Our dedicated crew is committed to ensuring your voyage is nothing short of spectacular. Indulge in gourmet cuisine prepared by our onboard chef, using the freshest local ingredients to bring you the flavors of the Western Mediterranean Sea of France. Whether you're basking in the sun, enjoying water sports, or simply relaxing with a glass of fine French wine, your experiences with us will forge unforgettable memories.

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[ficoandleo]

((i would ping people on this but it's not really a starter or anything, just kind of an acknowledgement of a background happening haha.))

From early morning the grounded cruise ship that housed Sinostra smelled of food being cooked--Romeo's favored way to celebrate his birthday was, quite simply, to feed those around him, and so his 'parties' often went as such, taking close friends for lavish meals of which he ate little to no food himself but happily watched as people who were far less obsessed with maintaining their bodily images got to enjoy edible luxuries. Probation prevented this this year--but the Institute's branches and associates spanned the world and all fields, so naturally there were some who were in the field of gastronomy even if they no longer worked directly for the Institute. And Romeo happily paid to have meals catered--this year, being Sinostra's very own vice captain Fico, a buffet for the entire house and the casino's staff(and he would even turn a blind eye if a few big-spending patrons happened to sneak over,) available all day, from professional cooks. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, a set but varied menu cycling throughout the day as was appropriate.

Unfortunately his staff would still have to work, but so did he--work didn't stop on his birthday after all--but he did take more breaks than usual to show Fico's more pleasant side to everyone. It wasn't quite the atmosphere of an upscale party that he would have truly desired but it was far more than the usual. He was still a ghoul and most still treated him with a level of anxiety. But as it was clear he was in a good mood today the tension diffused vastly. Even Taiga's underlings gradually realized they were not being shot at or chased away from the food and alcohol, a truce for the day that Romeo would confirm even if he hadn't bothered to ask Taiga's permission. The casino felt more lively, or maybe that was just his perception as he walked the floor more than usual.

The VIP room, now mostly back in order after the incident a while back (save for Romeo's chair,) had become piled with gifts from his admirers and underlings who wanted to do something for him or at least felt obligated to. Well, maybe piled was a strong word but he had more than a few gifts!

From the morning, his friends would receive a message along these lines:

Buongiorno a te! It's Fico's birthday!

You're invited to come by Sinostra today! I have paid chefs working all day to provide food--including meals made to order if the buffet doesn't suit you! Whether you'd like breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or more than one, drop by at your leisure today! It isn't as stylish as I would like due to limitations from our probation, but I hope you'll enjoy a luxurious meal today.

It's free, obviously. And I'm not asking you to bring me a gift. My gift is that you enjoy the food, the drinks, and the more relaxed atmosphere for me. You know I'm on a diet and can't eat that stuff, and I have to work. I'll be happy to see you if you want to find me, though! (And if you do want to drop off a gift you can hand it off and those guys should know what to do with it.)

Of course I understand how busy most of you are, so if you want something but can't make it you can just message back and I'll have someone run a delivery for you.

The buffet offerings and the cutoff times and beverage options(including plenty of wine) are attached, along with a reminder that food can be made to order as well.

Lyca receives a voice recording as well, as Romeo knows he has some trouble with reading and may find the message easier to understand if he can just listen to it.

Towa receives a separate message acknowledging that he doesn't eat meat but if he wants to try the vegetarian/vegan parts of the menu(or would like some of the raw food being used in preparation) he's welcome to drop by for some as well. A menu of what's available for him is also included.

For Haru and Kaito an additional note is attached that he can, of course, take some of the food back for later, and he'd have anything left over at the end of the night sent over to Jabberwock in the morning although he couldn't guarantee there would be much.

For Rui, Haru, and Towa there's an additional note about food waste being kept separate if they could use it later for compost or for feeding the beasts in Jabberwock after the end of the day.

And, of course, Taiga received a separate message.

In case you forgot, it's my birthday today.

I'm not angry if you forgot. And I'm not asking for a gift or anything.

There's going to be food all day, so you should have some! I'll be working later on, but I might walk around the casino and the 'party' area for a while first.

If Taiga is watching the texts as they come in, Romeo types for a bit, then stops without sending it. There's a pause, as if contemplating, a little more typing, and then,

Actually, I'd like it if you would wish me a happy birthday. Over text is fine.

Who has to ask to be told such a thing. He didn't have to ask, did he? Taiga would have figured it out even if it took all day. It felt a little embarrassing. But it was equally embarrassing to feel timid about it.

Well, no matter. The students were waking up and even outside his room he could hear some of them talking about the smell of breakfast. He'd sent messages to the non-captain students in Sinostra and the casino staff too--they were welcome to the food and to the festivities, and for those applicable there were some shift changes that would hopefully spread the work out a little bit more today. He was paying them the same, although they'd be working less, and they were free to eat and drink while they worked as long as it got done and there was no unnecessary rowdiness. And as long as cleanup happened appropriately of course.

(The message sent had been posted to WickHive by one of the students as well. Other houses' members were wondering if they could sneak in for free food and get away with it. Many didn't trust that Romeo would be offering free anything to anybody. One or two thought it was kind of weird that he would probably be watching them eat.)

Today would be celebratory. Tomorrow. . .he might be going to Frostheim. . . .

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar Chapter 3"

Need to catch up? Masterlist HERE.

"I don't see no limits so I strive and I shine twice

I ride around and get it, just listen for a minute

That was only one thought let me finish...

Competition I'ma beat 'em so relentless

I'ma be legendary when I end this

They rise when I arrive in this

"All Hail The Supreme Ice Princess!"

Tell the carriage, hurry up and come and get me

Tell the haters run along you can miss me…"

Azealea Banks – "Ice Princess"

N'Jadaka walked into the sun room filled with a quiet pride.

His favorite family room in the East Palace was decorated and set up for an intimate lunch for two. Elaborate white, blue, and yellow flower bouquets were brought in and the scent of the royal garden saturated the air. He stepped to the window view and peered down at the golden city and felt a connection to the beautiful space. It was his father's favorite room too. The heavenly hue of the sun lit up everything with a soothing glow and the atmosphere was always filled with love whenever he entered that part of the palace.

"Hi."

Yani swept in wearing a different outfit from the one she had on earlier. Her hair had been washed and braided in straitback cornrows decorated with small mauve and light purple flowers at the nape. The puffy sleeves of her purplish-blue dress gave off a matronly feel.

"Hey, baby," he answered.

He held out a hand for her and they kissed before gazing out of the window together. Their servers entered and they took their seats at the lovingly decorated couple's table. Their meal consisted of gourmet seafood, seasoned rice and a salad named after one of N'Jadaka's great-grandfather's creations that contained numerous Wakandan fruits and veggies that had become popular to many outside of the palace.

"I'm starving," Yani said.

She poured a light vinagrette over her salad and they tucked in after their servers left. The ambiance was perfect. Just two busy adults being alone together. The children were with Umama. Dante and Disa's family were getting a private tour and lunch party out on a luxury river boat cruise organized by Twyla and Bibi, and all of their other diaspora relatives were out and about shopping and enjoying life in Birnin Zana.

"I have a surprise for you," N'Jadaka said.

"Oh yeah? What?"

"I can't show you yet. You'll see it at the Court of Nobles banquet. Twyla is keeping it for me until then."

"Hmmm, she didn't even mention anything about it."

"Of course not, I told her not to say anything until the banquet."

They ate more food, stuffing their bellies with seconds. A male server brought in a three layer tray that held various bite-sized desserts and chocolate candies. Yani gobbled up two lemon custards, and three chocolate honey balls. She poured herself a glass of pale amber wine from Umama's personal vineyard and sipped.

"That hit the spot," Yani said.

She rubbed her stomach and N'Jadaka popped a chocolate treat into his mouth.

"Guess who came to my office today?" he asked.

Her bright eyes held a smile in them and her glossy lips peeled back in a grin.

"Is it another surprise?" she said.

"Yeah, in a way it was. Ramatla…your old nanny."

Yani's expression tensed. Normally she would roll her eyes, but instead, she wrenched her gaze away from his face and took another sip of wine. A cool creeping sensation inched up N'Jadaka's core and he pressed her further.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

Yani blinked several times and ran a hand across the back of her neck.

"What did he want?"

He heard the strain in her voice. Placing his hands on the table he tapped a linen napkin with his right thumb.

"He tried to return a gift that you gave him."

He poured more wine into her glass to give her a moment. It looked like she needed to get her words together. He sensed embarrassment and fear.

"I spoke to Umama before I came here. I know what the earrings meant, Yani. I'm surprised you would give him any notice for anything. I thought you hated him."

"Because he tried to kill you."

"Unfortunately, it was his right. No different than me going after T'Challa. I could understand you giving him and his fiancé a harmless token on behalf of our family for appearances sake and cool points among the nobles, but that vine symbol…you must want more trouble," he said.

"It was an impulsive thing to do."

"So why do it?"

She glanced at him and he placed his hand over hers.

"Don't be scared to tell me."

"Zola and Ilana picked it out for me. I wasn't going to give it to them, but I ran into him at the West Palace after Ilana showed me the gift she bought for my wedding. He said some things and it upset me. So I gifted the earrings to him as a warning."

"What did he say?'

She took a deep breath and traced a finger along the stem of her wine glass.

"Please don't get angry."

"Say it."

She flinched at his tone. He hadn't meant to sound gruff, but his intuition jumped into his throat. Her hesitation told him that Remy said something inappropriate.

"He told me he loves me."

Her words floated between them. His jaw tightened. N'Jadaka already knew that. Knew it the moment he stepped into Yani's old suite when the younger man cared for his children. The eyes and tone of voice always gave people away easily to the king since he had been a toddler. He could look at anyone and immediately discern their intentions.

"What else?"

"There's nothing else to say. I was pissed that he would say that to me."

"There's more to it. Men being in love with you is water down your back, girl."

Her energy shifted. He had forced her into talking about something that she wanted to bury, however, he needed to know everything when it came to the slicksters among the nobles. A server approached with a new bottle of wine. He waved his hand signaling he didn't want them disturbed.

Sighing, he leaned back in his seat. He wanted a simple lunch and time to sneak up to their home for some afternoon delights. Yani always made his dick feel heavy in her presence and that feeling grew knowing that Remy approached her in the West Palace to talk slick to her. The urge to carry her away and put it down grew in his gut. Someone wanted what was his and became bold enough to speak out loud.

"He told me that he wanted the kingdom for himself…tried to explain away his reasons for acting how he did at Warrior Falls. Then he said he would've taken me as his wife and put his babies in me."

A bitter laugh erupted from N'Jadaka.

"What did you say to that?" he asked.

"I gave him the gift and congratulated his future marriage."

A silence fell over them. He looked out of the window and thought of a way to ease her nervous energy.

"I never had feelings for him like that—"

He held up a hand to her.

"I don't care about the relationship you may have had with him after you left me. That's the past. His feelings mean nothing to us now. Understand?"

She nodded and smiled.

"If he ever approaches you with some bullshit like that again, tell me. I'll set him straight. He obviously needed to get some shit off his chest so I'll let it slide for now."

Yani's head lowered and she stared at her empty plate.

"When I was in a bad place emotionally and mentally, he helped me get through it."

"Let it go. No need to explain it to me when it obviously hurts you. I know what I did and you taught me a serious lesson. I almost lost you…I'm not letting that happen again."

A slow anger rose up in him. He wanted to kick himself for ever hurting his beautiful sun. The anger bubbled over into a shame that he carried, unable to shake the feeling that he would never quite bury what he had done inside of her heart. He could only imagine how a young virile noble would swoop in and wipe away the sorrow of a fine ass princess. Closing his eyes, he tried to shake away the unease and vivid images that played out in his mind of Yani writhing under a determined suitor all because of his indecisiveness.

The touch of her hand on his forehead brought him back to the world. Yani sat on his lap and hugged him.

"I never slept with him. I know that's what you're thinking about," she said.

"I'm not worried about that. That's your business."

"You say that, but all men, no matter how confident they are, always worry about stuff like that."

"I'm the king of Wakanda."

"And you're worried about some other man having your queen. I didn't want to say anything because I knew it would bother you…even after he gets married. You have to work with him nearly every day, and knowing he loves me will eat at you."

"I won't fire or demote him because of this confession. He's good at his job. Hell, better than good."

"Then take pride in knowing you have me all to yourself. I don't love him…never have. It doesn't matter what he feels about me."

She smothered his face with kisses. Everything she said to him had been true.

Except for one thing she omitted.

They had been intimate.

It may not have been full intercourse, but something else had occurred. He decided to let it go because she truly loved him and no one else. No matter what happened, it was his own fault and Yani didn't have to tell him anything more than what she wanted. He would focus on pleasing her and keeping their family happy.

Yani rushed into the royal sitting room with Twyla by her side and her Ladies-in-Waiting following behind. The wedding coordinator, Erd'na had been a persnickety fellow, and his haughty demeanor amused Yani to no end. He called her for a final overview while she had walked with N'Jadaka back to their home. The king was tired and planned to sleep for a few hours to wind down from his trip abroad. Yani wanted to cuddle with him, but Erd'na was eager to get last minute input from the royal couple. She messaged back letting the coordinator know that she would join him without the king.

"I'll be moved into Grandpop's suite until the wedding later," N'Jadaka said.

"Making me miss you again?"

"Build up some excitement. We'll be together for the banquet after rehearsal, and then…"

His lips pulled back into a grin and his eyes seemed to sparkle.

"Our day," she said.

They hugged and parted. Twyla, Zola, and Ilana met her on the fifth floor and they entered a comfortable room where Umama, Ramonda, Aunt Leona sat waiting in front of a holo vid that displayed several of the wedding celebration venues they would inhabit in forty-eight hours.

"Princess Yani, if there are any changes you'd like to make with this final viewing, let me know," Erd'na said.

Yani sat next to him and pretended to care about tiny details. In truth, she didn't care about changing anything. The preparations were beyond her wildest dreams come true. What she imagined as a naïve little girl back in St. Thomas was nothing compared to the extraordinary celebration the palace put together on their behalf. N'Jadaka didn't care what anything looked like. He wanted to marry her and wasn't concerned about pageantry. Whatever made Yani happy was perfect for him.

Yani loved not having to do anything. A head nod, or a wave of a hand gave her whatever she wanted and Erd'na was a dream maker. She approved the final sea-themed floral designs and scrumptious reception dinner menu. Music and entertainment was finalized and she was pleased to her heart's content. Thematically Erd'na blended the royal history of the Panther Tribe and the Udaku clan's lineage with Yani's Caribbean roots. There would be Black mermaid ice sculptors and ocean decorations for the Temple they would wed in, and the Queen Mary bloodline would complement the wondrous fire and iron art displays created for the guests to admire as the newly wed couple traveled in an ancient carriage through the streets of Birnin Zana. She started crying when she watched images of what the royal garden would look like after her vows were exchanged and Twyla rubbed her back.

"Look at you," Twyla said.

Yani sniffled and Twyla handed her tissues as servers brought in tea and snacks. Erd'na made notes with his kimoyo beads and chatted with Umama and Aunt Leona. Zola and Ilana watched Yani with comforting eyes.

"I'm so happy… I really am. This is a dream come true…no beyond a dream come true. Anything I want I can have and for a woman like me…my past…it's a lot to take in."

"I know," Twyla said. "The big man on the hill changed everything for all of us. Feel what you feel because I totally understand. My cousin is about to become a queen…and she made me a princess with my own prince charming for a husband. Without you and him…there'd be no me and Bibi…"

Twyla burst into tears and the room became a flurry of soothing words and hugs. Zola and Ilana knelt down at Twyla's feet and rubbed her knees as Umama kissed Twyla's forehead hugging her tight.

Aunt Leona cradled Yani's chin.

"I remember when you got so mad that Erik was talking to me back home. You had a hissy fit in my kitchen, but I knew that you liked him. There was something special about him and I never questioned you being with him because God has always looked out for you even when you thought you were at your lowest. He had a good heart, and he loved you from the start. Whenever you were gone he was up under me wanting to know every little thing about you. I thank God every day that he came to our island. This was meant to be."

"I don't know why I'm crying so much, though, Auntie."

"Joy comes through any way it can," Umama added.

Umama wiped her eyes, too and Yani held her hand.

"Watching you wed my grandson will give me peace. It will be like watching my son N'Jobu uniting with his beloved Califia. Bast has allowed me to live long enough to see this day."

She stroked Yani's hair.

"You will make a fine queen on the throne. I will guide you when you need help," Umama said.

Yani nodded and glanced at Ramonda. Her eyes welled up with tears too. An attendant entered the room and approached Ramonda. He whispered in her ear and Ramonda's eyes looked excited.

"Bring it in," Ramonda said.

A young woman entered carrying a large box and set it down on the table in front of Yani. Ramonda waved her hands to have everyone gather around the box.

"An early peek for us," Ramonda said.

Ramonda lifted off the lid and pulled out a gorgeous royal purple isicolo with small exquisite purple and deep blue seashells sewn into the crown that denoted Yani's ties to an island people. She palmed both cheeks with her hands and stared at her queen's crown with wide eyes. Once it sat on her head after their wedding vows, she could wield all kinds of power in their land and the world. She lifted it in her hands.

"I don't know why my hands are shaking," she said.

Umama touched her shoulder.

"You recognize the responsibility that comes with that crown, daughter," Umama said.

"Auntie," Yani whispered.

Leona lifted her fingers to her lips.

"Queen," Leona said.

Zola and Ilana lowered their heads at Leona's declaration. Yani placed the crown back in the box and had it delivered to her home. She spent the last few minutes thanking the wedding coordinator and left the other women to chat more and enjoy themselves without her.

Making her way to the East Palace game room, she caught up with Shuri and Nakia who took charge of entertaining and watching over forty children all under the age of thirteen who ripped and roared around toys, holo vid games, and a full table of snacks. The youngsters were a blend of island relatives, American cousins, and Udaku kin brought together away from the teenaged relatives who occupied another floor under strict supervision also. Attendants and various nannies darted around helping Nakia and Shuri control the joyous chaos of delighted shouts and non-stop running from every direction.

Yani watched Joba lead a small charge of girls her age playing double dutch and teaching their Wakandan relatives how to turn the ropes. Sydette stayed busy running around with a fake ray gun shooting holographic images in a far section of the room with other girls and boys trying to defeat a giant ogre that shimmered in full 3D. Riki participated in a game of Wakandan chess, his face scrunched up in complete concentration.

Shuri looked to be having the time of her life moving around and interacting with various games. She was a natural with children and she held onto Toussaint's hand helping him see the bigger kids playing. His chubby legs were ready to carry him into toddler-hood and Shuri let the one-year-old walk by himself every now and then to give him agency.

"How is it going?" Yani asked Nakia.

"The energy in this room is through the roof, but I love it," Nakia said.

Nakia seemed happier and more open than she had been in months and Yani was pleased to see it. Everyone in the family hoped she would change her mind about moving to Haiti after the wedding, but Nakia was determined to stay there even if it was for less than a year. The need to get away from Wakanda became a necessary balm for her, and Yani didn't push her to stay.

Nakia waved for Shuri to bring Toussaint over to her. She lifted the baby in her arms and rocked him.

"He looks tired," Yani said, touching the boy's thick hair.

"Yeah, we're going to head back to our suite and rest before dinner tonight."

"I'm going to do the same," Yani said.

Riki ran over to her with a frown on his face.

"What's wrong, Dumpling?"

"I lost to Luzuko. I can never beat him. Once I figure out his strategy I'll burn him next time," Riki said.

"Are you ready to come up to our home?"

"No."

"You haven't had a nap today."

"Don't need one."

"You sure? We have a lot to do tonight with our guests. What if you crash out?"

"I won't."

"Okay. Shuri will have you all here for another hour. I'll see you soon."

He hugged her waist tight, tighter than he normally would.

"What's that for?" she asked.

Riki looked up into her eyes.

"I love you and I'm happy for you and Baba getting married."

The tone of his voice sounded odd, as if something had been on his mind and he had come to an understanding. She didn't question him further. Hugging him back, she bent down and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

Yani left the playroom with Nakia and they parted ways at separate elevators. She rode up by herself to the king and queen's floor and entered her quiet home feeling good about the day.

Except…

She brushed the hint of unease away thinking about her conversation with N'Jadaka over lunch. Remy showing up in the king's office was unexpected. N'Jadaka appeared unbothered, but she did catch an undercurrent of something festering in his mind despite his assurances of letting the matter go.

N'Jadaka was a confident man. He was also a jealous man. She witnessed several times back home how he seemed to not care about other men wanting her, but would spin the block later when he got in his feelings about others wanting what he had to root out any notions of anything going further.

She went into her changing room and slipped out her clothes into a more relaxed silky orange house dress that made her feel cozy in her own private space away from the extended family and guests running all around the palace. Pulling the flowers from her hair, she placed them on her bed pillows and then walked up the stairs to reach N'Jadaka's third floor bedroom. She walked in with bare feet and studied his form on the bed.

The king slept soundly on his side, his right arm thrown around a pillow. His locs were spread out freely and his breathing appeared deep and relaxed. Yani perched herself on the chair next to the nightstand and watched him rest. He was a beautiful man in his sleep. The world rested on his capable shoulders and he worked hard to show Wakandans he was worthy of leadership. She didn't want him harboring any thoughts about other men or her personal battles with the nobles. He had enough to contend with and their wedding celebration needed to be three days of love and laughter before they took off on their honeymoon.

Yani knelt before the bed and clasped her hands in prayer. Bowing her head she prayed to her humble God that brought her from the bottom to the top of the mountain. She thanked her lord and savior for the children, her family, and for the man slumbering inches from her lowered head. She prayed to give him strength and peace in his mind.

When she raised her head up from her silent communion, N'Jadaka's eyes were open. He studied her expression and reached out to touch her face.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Not long."

He stretched out and looked around the room.

"Where are the kids?"

"Still playing."

He glanced at his kimoyo beads.

"Damn, I slept longer than I intended. I was supposed to be gone from here until the wedding night."

"I'll pretend I didn't see you."

"Too late," he said, reaching for her waist and pulling her on top of him.

N'Jadaka held her and she listened to his heart beat. They snuggled for a time and enjoyed the stillness of their surroundings. There were no demands from anyone to do anything and they relished the moment.

"Okay now, you better get on outta here and let me pack up to go be with Grandpop," he whispered in her ear.

Yani pretended to fret and wiggled all over him.

"Nah, don't try that stunt…rubbing all on me and shit. Go on and get…"

He smacked her rump and pushed her away from his nude body. Yani reluctantly left the room, disappointed that they wouldn't fool around before the children returned. Slinking down the stairs to her floor, she went into her bedroom and stared at her face in the mirror. She grinned and ran to her dressing room, snatching up a cute new red wig.

The clock was ticking.

Yani slid the wig over her braids and styled it carefully before putting on seductive make-up. Changing clothes, she switched out the cozy house dress for a naughty candy apple red negligee. Instead of taking the stairs, she went across the wide expanse of the first floor to take the secret elevator past king and queens used for their unspoken paramours. She re-entered N'Jadaka's bed chamber through a hidden passageway behind an antique wall tapestry as he packed up a bag of personal toiletries on a bedroom couch.

"What are you doing, Yani?" he said.

His lips pulled back into a salacious smile when he noticed the outline of her body in the sexy outfit.

"My name is…Toya. I'm your toy to play with while your fiancé is away. I used the secret passage to remain discreet for you King N'Jadaka."

His dick jumped. Yani played coy about noticing it. She walked slowly toward him and he relaxed into the unexpected role playing.

"I like a woman who knows to respect my privacy," he said.

The tone of his voice made Yani halt in her steps.

"Turn around," he commanded.

She twirled on her toes knowing the sheer lace on the back of her negligee accentuated her ass cheeks. Turning back around she ogled the way his dick thickened and raised higher until it pointed at her.

"You're lucky my fiancé didn't catch you coming in here. She'd be mad as fuck. Bring your pretty ass over here," he said.

Yani flung back the curly flip in her red wig and stepped closer. N'Jadaka licked his fingers and stroked her vulva and she gasped at how wet she had become playing an illicit character for his pleasure.

"Pussy all nice and wet for me. I like that, Toya."

He said the fake name like it was real and she sank into the role even more.

"I'm here to please you in any way you like, your highness."

"Then get on your knees and suck this dick before my wife comes back here."

Yani's pussy easily clenched as it accepted the new portrayal. N'Jadaka reached out and ripped the negligee off startling her. He tossed it on the chair near his travel bag. His eyes didn't look at her like she was Yani anymore. He was dealing with Toya and expected her to comply with his demands. She dropped to her knees and he held the back of her head, jamming his dick in her mouth.

"Dassit, suck on that big dick. I've been thinking about your ass all day Toya. Been waiting for you to show up and take care of me."

Yani groaned on his dick feeling conflicted on hearing the way he spoke to her. His words sounded too real, like he had always had women on demand when she was out of sight. Her stomach flip-flopped with feelings of arousal and a hint of uncertainty. They'd role-played before, but this time, coming up through the secret consort's entrance had elevated the game. It didn't feel like adult make-believe anymore.

She crammed his dick in her throat and tried to keep up with the thrusts that were overzealous in her mouth. Stretching her lips wide, she sucked and worked her neck. He lorded over her, touching the hair of her wig softly, urging her to keep going.

"It's been a few days since I've had some pussy. Yani and I have been busy and…ooh shit…right there girl…fuck…you handling that pipe. Don't have that shit spittin' too soon now, Toya…you my new bitch so I gotta teach you how to handle all this right…"

Yani's clit throbbed and the wings of her labia fell open.

"Ain't got much time…keep sucking…dassit….harder…"

N'Jadaka moaned and she cupped his balls, squeezing them gently. Taking a break from sucking, she released the engorged head of his dick and caught her breath. He lifted her body and threw her on the bed.

"Open them legs!"

Yani parted her thighs quickly. He wasn't wasting time on any foreplay with her.

"This pussy better be tight. You fucking the king…pussy gotta be perfect for me," he grunted.

Gripping his dick, he pushed the head against her opening and she gulped in air.

"Ah yeah… nice and deep…"

The first thrust forced her to cry out and she clutched onto his back and held on.

"Betta not tell nobody you was up here before my wedding…hear me?" he barked.

He shouted at how good she felt and she whimpered under him trying to fathom how fast he had turned into a ravenous beast needing pussy so bad from her playful Toya persona. He fucked her like he hadn't had sex in months, not mere days. The rawness in his voice grabbed her heart.

"Work be having me stressed…nigga got responsibilities up the wall…I need a woman like you to make me feel better. I'ma need you to come back again another time. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes!" she shouted.

He lifted her up and held her against him with her ass up in the air only inches above the mattress of his round bed.

"I need a bitch that can fuck me on a moments notice. I may need you in my office…even on my throne. I ain't never fucked Yani on the throne, but I'd fuck you there…"

She started cumming.

Listening to him rant about all the places he wanted to fuck where they hadn't done before heightened the pleasure of their sexcapade. He wanted to cheat on her…with her. She laughed after the trembling of her climax reached her legs that were wrapped around his waist.

"I'ma cum in your ass!"

He dropped her on the bed and held her legs wide. Inserting only three inches into her anus, he released a thick geyser of semen and watched his dick throb as it pushed it out from his balls. Pulling out, he jerked off above her until another orgasm took over and he shot long white ropes across her stomach and chest.

N'Jadaka checked his kimoyo beads again.

"You gotta get up outta here. My kids are on their way."

His dick remained hard, and Yani knew he needed to spill into her again. She fondled his tip and stuck the top of her pinky finger in the wide slit.

"You don't want to cum in my pussy?" she purred.

"What makes you think you deserve my cum in your pussy?"

His brusque tone shocked her. She lifted up from the bed. He grabbed a pair of lounge pants from a chair and pulled them on, then tied his hair back with a leather string.

Yani found herself becoming jealous. Although she was simply playing a part, it stung to hear him talk to her in such an abrupt manner. He was truly treating her like a side concubine. He glared at her when he turned around to finish packing for their honeymoon trip.

"Why are you still here?" he asked with a tinge of annoyance.

Yani stayed put.

"Bitch, my kids will be here soon. The fuck you think you doing? We're done here."

He pulled her away from his bed and pushed her toward the tapestry secret exit. Yani smacked his hand and snatched off her wig. N'Jadaka put a hand over his mouth and looked over his shoulder before tugging her elbow over to his bedroom desk.

"What are you doing back here, Yani?"

She punched his chest and he laughed at her.

"Baby, the expression on your face right now is priceless. Why you mad?" he said.

"That was so mean! You just fuck me and kick me out so rudely?"

"I fucked Toya and kicked her out. She did what she came to do."

He cocked his head to the side.

"What?"

"I can't believe you would treat a woman like that," she said.

He turned his head to the side and made a weird facial expression.

"Sometimes that's just how it is, baby. Back in my past, anyway. C'mon now, why the pouty face? This was fun."

Yani gathered her torn negligee and pulled on one of his long shirts from his suitcase to cover herself.

"I wasn't expecting it to seem so real. For a minute, mi feel like you wasn't mine y'know? You sounded cold… like you were throwing away some used tissue."

He ambled over and wrapped her inside warm loving arms.

"I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I was just acting out a part. You made Toya fun for me. Any man would be happy to have a woman who can become any type of lover he desires for a night."

Yani puckered her lips and he kissed her softly. Much softer than when she was the other woman. He brushed a hand over her wig.

"Hmmm…I like that Toya chick. Tell her to swing that ass my way again on the honeymoon," he teased.

Yani rolled her eyes and hustled out of his bedroom and headed back to hers.

She showered and dried off before the children scampered into the house making all kinds of noise up and down the stairs searching for N'Jadaka. Before Yani joined them down in the living room, her kimoyo beads lit up with the king's signature. She checked it before leaving her bedroom. N'Jadaka left her a note and dick picture. She smirked at the note. He had written it as if she were Toya asking to see her at the family pool later that night.

"So nasty," she said.

Joba waited for her in their family room holding a manicure tray filled with purple-colored fingernail polish, cotton balls and various nail decorations.

"Come over here," Yani said, guiding the little girl toward an ottoman in front of a loveseat.

Yani took the bottle of polish and shook it while Joba spread her right hand on the tray resting on a small tea table.

"Stars or hearts?" Yani asked, admiring the nail decorations as she swabbed down Joba's nails with a cleaning solution.

"Both…stars on my right and hearts on my left," Joba said.

"Did you have fun with all your cousins?"

"Yes. Auntie Shuri taught us how to play shushu iingqalutye and I beat everyone except for Sydette and Entle."

"You have quick hands then," Yani said.

Joba grinned and watched Yani spread color on her nails.

"Did something happen to Riki today?" Yani asked.

"No."

"He seemed extra nice in the game room."

"Oh…Umama told him about himself after Baba came home this morning."

"Why?"

Joba fidgeted in her seat and Yani held the polish brush above her small thumb.

"He doesn't like all the stuff happening for the wedding because he doesn't get to be with you and Baba so much. Umama made us go to the big family room and look at all the paintings. She told us to think about what we saw there."

Yani's lips bunched up and Joba waved her hand quickly.

"Me and Sydette aren't like that. We like all the fun happening…but Riki…it makes him feel lonely for the way it used to be before now."

"I know it's been a lot for everybody. He usually likes all the fuss with everyone around."

"He's better now. We all went back to Umama and she talked to him for a long time. He was happy again."

Yani stared into Joba's eyes.

"I love you very much, Joba. If you ever want to talk to me about how you're feeling about anything happening, you can come to me at any time, hear mi?"

Joba nodded.

"I want to be the best mother for you—"

"You are."

"I've been so proud watching you grow up. It hasn't been easy for you this year…for any of us. But you are my daughter, Riki's twin really, and I will make sure you have the best life."

Joba nodded and Yani continued doing her nails until they were sparkly and made the girl grin with sarisfaction.

"Can I have a hug?" Yani asked.

Joba threw her arms around Yani's neck. N'Jadaka stuck his head in the room.

"Hey, I'm heading out with my stuff," he said.

Yani and Joba walked over to him. An attendant carried away his three bags and the other two children joined them.

"What's the point of you leaving when we'll see you at all the meals anyway?" Sydette asked.

N'Jadaka pulled on her hair and she grabbed his fingers back.

"You won't see me until the banquet tomorrow night and then the wedding day," N'Jadaka said.

Yani's eyebrows darted up.

"I'm building up anticipation," he said. "Y'all wanna walk me over to Granpop's or stay here with Mama?"

"I'll go with you," Riki said.

The girls opted to stay.

"Okay, see you tomorrow night then," N'Jadaka said.

He leaned over and kissed Yani on her cheek before leaving with their son.

"Mama do my nails too," Sydeytte said glancing at her sister's hands.

"Go pick your color and meet me in the family room," Yani said.

Sydette darted off with Joba and Yani's kimoyo beads lit up. Zola's form floated above Yani's wrist.

"Yani, Lady Ime contacted me and wants to speak to you in private," Zola said.

Zola's eyes looked shiny and amused by the turn of events.

"Tell her I'm busy with preparations and will see her at the banquet tomorrow night."

"As you wish."

The smirk on Zola's face grew prominent.

"You just couldn't wait to convey that to me," Yani clucked.

"This is the juiciest scandal since…well since the revelations about Prince N'Jobu…no King N'Jadaka showing up in Wakanda. I live for this type of drama, especially with Lady Ime. Do you know how long I've waited for someone to have the upper hand on her?"

Zola squinted her eyes and tilted her head.

"What will you say to her?" Zola said.

"Depends on what she wants to talk to me about."

"Well, we all know it's about the earrings."

"Goodbye, Zola."

Yani tapped her beads and wandered around her immense home. There was so much room on every floor that she wondered if they needed to move to a more appropriate suite. Queen Shuriya's former home was built for a large polyamorous family with a dozen children.

She gazed at the artwork and antiques, padded across plush rugs and polished floors and took in all the riches that surrounded her. Deep down she was still the same humble young girl who worked hard all her life to survive. Sometimes it was still difficult to accept the immense wealth she now possessed. She passed by Kora who made warm drinks for the girls and Yani went back to the family room to meet up with Sydette and Joba. Jade was the color Sydette chose for her nails and Yani painted and hummed, listening to her daughters chat about riding in a carriage.

While she placed the last gold half moons on the tip of Sydette's thumbnail, her kimoyo beads lit up again. She froze and Joba sensed the ambivalence in her demeanor.

"You okay, Mama?" Joba asked.

"It's just so busy. Every time I turn around, someone needs me for something. You two go and decide what to wear tomorrow for the banquet," Yani said.

The girls scampered away, and Yani listened for their footsteps to fade before looking at her beads again.

Remy's avatar floated waiting for her to accept or decline his call.

N'Jadaka strolled through the wide hall leading toward Dante's suite with Riki by his side. His son remained quiet for most of the walk to his great-grandfather's home and he waited for the boy to break the silence.

"Baba, do you have to stay away from us until Saturday?"

"I don't have to."

"Can I come with you?"

The yearning in Riki's voice halted N'Jadaka.

"Is that what you want to do?"

"Yes."

"Won't you miss the fun tonight?"

"I miss you."

A few loose tears fell down Riki's face. His voice became rushed.

"I didn't mean to be rude when you came home…I learned my lesson from Umama—"

"Slow down, Dumpling. Take a deep breath and then speak."

"I'm happy you and Mama are getting married. It's important to the family and I know you are the best king ever and people want to see it happen. It's hard sharing you sometimes. You're gone from home a lot, and Mama is too…even though I know you're both doing important things to help other people. I want to be selfish a lot, especially now. Umama keeps reminding me that I have to get used to this because that's a part of being an Udaku."

N'Jadaka listened and held Riki's hand.

"Things will settle down after me and your Mama tie the knot, okay? In two weeks you and the girls will join us on the boat and we'll finally have time with ourselves…no one else."

Riki looked excited about that.

"We can swim, fish, eat on the boat, snorkel, visit water caves, and see parts of Wakanda that we never knew existed. Just us," N'Jadaka said.

More tears fell from the boy's eyes and N'Jadaka hugged him. Riki wiped at his wet face.

"It's normal to feel what you feel Lil Man. I miss you all too when I have to work and take care of the country, or spend time away from Wakanda. When I was your age, I missed my Baba when he had to travel. I think about you and your sisters when I'm gone. I don't like being away from you either."

Riki appeared more relaxed after hearing N'Jadaka's words. Knowing he was on his father's mind soothed the tension in his body. The boy smiled and clung to N'Jadaka's hand. N'Jadaka lifted Riki up in his arms and bounced him on his hip.

"Your feelings matter to me, Riki. I do what I do to make the world better for you. I will always try to limit being away from us when I can. That may mean bringing you and the girls where I am or making sure your Mama is in constant contact with me no matter where I am."

"You are important, Baba. I know this. Umama is helping me understand."

"Good. Love you."

Riki gripped his neck tight and N'Jadaka rubbed his back. Dante opened his door and watched them approach.

"Hey…your stuff got here and I was wondering where you were," Dante said.

"We have an extra roommate," N'Jadaka said.

"We got lots of room in here," Dante said.

N'Jadaka put Riki down and the boy ran inside.

"Umama already filled me in about him," Dante said, "Spending time with you is just what he needs tonight. We can have our own slumber party."

N'Jadaka touched his grandfather's arm.

"Grandpop, how were you able to get through being away from my Mom for so long?"

Dante took a deep breath and let N'Jadaka into his home. They walked over to his living room wall bar and sat on low stools. Dante poured them full glasses of wine. Riki checked out the fish aquarium that ran along the far wall.

"I prayed a lot, and your mother visited me every chance she got. The quality of the time was most important because God knows the quantity was lacking. Riki only wants to know that you feel the same way he does. Try writing him little notes and putting them in random places for him to find. Califia used to love that before I was locked away and after with Nana's help. Getting my letters and calls made the separation bearable. Knowing that she was on my mind constantly gave her solace. Once she grew older, her life became busier and then it was my turn to fret."

"He's a sweet boy," N'Jadaka said. "I want him to know only happiness."

Riki pointed to a long, slinky fresh water fish with silver stripes.

"Baba, come look at Grandpop's new fish!"

N'Jadaka left his grandfather's side and looked over the additions to the aquarium. When Riki's interest waned he pulled his father over to a new berimbau Dante hadn't finished adding wire to and soon after, they played with hand drums, jamming together as three generations until it was time for dinner.

A buffet style meal setting was the order of the evening on the moon deck and N'Jadaka bounced from table to table with Riki chatting with older family members who declined to go out into the city with younger kin to have a splendid supper. He sunk deep into the comforts of elder energy and sat next to Aunt Leona and Umama who presided over a full table of uncles and mature cousins who shared tall tales. Riki became an avid listener as he stuffed himself with good food and jovial company.

At another table, Yani spent time with Sydette and Joba who seemed transfixed by Zinzi and M'Baku's wife Ayomide. He glanced at Yani from time to time and she gave him seductive eyes and knowing smiles that reminded him of the text and images he sent her. They barely interacted during the supper because of various family members being so entertaining at their respective tables. It wasn't until the dessert buffet was brought that they spent all of two minutes speaking.

"Riki wants to stay with me and Granpop," he told her.

"That sounds like fun for him. The girls are staying with Shuri later for movies in the family theater with the other children. I'm going to do some reading and rejoice in the quiet before all the rush of tomorrow."

"Guess we'll both be busy," he said.

"Yeah," she said.

He returned to his table and gave Riki a plate of soft berry cream and American-style pound cake. Back in Dante's home, N'Jadaka rubbed his full belly and talked to his son and grandfather until both fell asleep. He carried Riki into a guest room they shared for the night and watched his son sleep soundly curled against him. Love flowed out from him as he stroked his son's twisty hair. Riki was growing into an intelligent and well-behaved prince. The trickster in him had mellowed out as he grew bigger, and the steady transformation humbled N'Jadaka.

N'Jobu used to tell Califia with a surprised voice about every new discovery he made about N'Jadaka when he had been young, and in a soft bed of his father's homeland, the king understood the tinge of sorrow in his father's declarations. Children grew up so fast and parents missed so much without realizing it until it was too late. He vowed to keep his children close so he could also tell Yani about every wonderful milestone.

Riki's eyes moved under his lids and his hand reached for his chest in his sleep. N'Jadaka observed a smile come across the child's lips as he slept. Good dreams. He kissed Riki's forehead and snuggled under the covers with him until it grew late.

The alarm on his kimoyo beads warmed up his wrist and vibrated. A message from Toya. He grinned.

N'Jadaka slipped out of the bed and wandered into the living room. Grandpop stayed up late watching a Wakandan comedy show with closed captions. He still struggled with the language and slang of the Wakandan youth and needed the extra help in deciphering the jokes.

"I thought you were staying the night," Dante said.

"I am. I'm heading up to the royal library for a little bit. I started thinking about something and unfortunately, the book I need isn't digitized. Wanna go check on something I heard at dinner. Be back soon. If he wakes up, tell him I'm coming right back."

"Okay."

N'Jadaka slipped on some comfortable slides and left the suite quickly.

Toya's message informed him that the palace pool was a no-go because some younger relatives were using it for a late night swim party. Their secret liaison would have to take place on the family archive floor that many avoided unless they needed to research something.

Moving past late night staff and guards, he took on the air of doing important business. Hopping on an elevator, he opened up images sent to him that revealed the wet pink he was about to dive into.

The family library beckoned him further into the illicit encounter. The modern features of the opening vestibule changed into the more antiquated setting of the private reading room where he was headed. A warm fire in the fireplace and low amber lights created a romantic ambiance. Yani draped her nude body across a blanket-covered reading couch with plush pillows propped around her for more comfort. The saturated red of her new wig appeared muted from the light of the fireplace. A smooth wave of hair covered her left eye. Her impeccable make-up gave her the sensual allure of a stranger. He could find no trace of his sweet Yani anywhere on that couch. The transformation into a vixen was complete perfection. N'Jadaka almost felt guilty standing there staring at her breasts. From her position, he noticed how puffy her vulva looked. It even glistened in the firelight.

"You made it," she said with a soft tone.

"I can't stay long. I have my son with me."

He slowly took off his outer shirt and unfastened the silk undershirt, throwing them both on a chair across from Yani…Toya. Pulling down his pants, his dick bulged from his underwear. He tossed the garment on the floor and wiggled out of his drawers, releasing hard flesh.

She lifted from her reclining position and opened her thighs, her hand dropping to her crotch to fondle sticky labia. The jeweled piercings all over her tender parts became forbidden treasure he was discovering for the first time. Her eyes appeared as mere slits of arousal and the crackle of the fire pushed him to move closer. He wanted to smear her lipstick with his dick. Gripping the base above his balls, he tapped the head on her lips and she opened wide, giving him slow tortuous sucking that made his glutes tense. His pre-cum lubricated her mouth and her lipstick turned into slash of messy color past her lip line.

"Toya," he moaned.

Yani stopped sucking and gazed into his eyes. She studied his face with the mushroom cap tip of his length resting against her parted, swollen lips. He grabbed her head with both hands and forced her mouth back open, jamming his dick into the warm cavern, groaning as he did so. Her mouth pulsed all around his dick. He swallowed hard.

"We betta hurry…" he groaned as a shiver flew up his back.

His balls throbbed like they were ready to unleash the heavy load they carried. She licked around the ridge of his tip and kissed all over his balls. Her tongue ran along the seam under his sack and he gripped her neck.

"I don't have time to waste," he hissed.

She ignored his words and sucked his dick with careful attention from root to tip. Deep throating him, her eyes became watery and her lipstick painted parts of his meat pale crimson. He stretched her lips and she hummed, the vibration adding texture to the slippery feel of her cheeks, and the suction of her tongue.

"Ah damn…you nasty little…."

He jammed his eyes closed feeling the eruption of his cum drench her mouth unexpectedly. N'Jadaka lifted on his toes, "Toya!" he shouted, peppering the air with curses and pleased moans.

She swallowed everything.

He touched her mouth gently after pulling out. She squeezed the heft of his hardness and then made room for him on the couch behind her. The warmth of the fire bathed them in orange heat.

"Fuck me, King," Yani said.

"Shit," he gasped.

His fingers fumbled trying to get his dick in place between her thighs. She shifted to help him and he plunged into her pussy with wild thrusts. He grabbed a breast and palmed the weight before fingering her clit.

"I want you to cum all over this big, hard dick," he grunted, slamming his dick at an angle that made her pussy clench tighter.

"Fuck me, bitch," he commanded, burying his face in her neck with huffs of pleasure.

Yani pushed against the armrest of the couch to give her leverage and she slammed her ass against him, making sure she squeezed that tight pussy at the same time. He played with her wet labia and plucked at her clit with precision eliciting ragged sighs from her. She panted and whined at how big he was, filling her up with too much dick.

N'Jadaka held her by her neck and took over their raucous fucking. The old couch creaked and they both heard the noise her pussy made with his deep plunges. He lifted his thigh in a new position and took her by a force beyond his control. An overwhelming desire to dominate her body surged through his powerful hips. The loud smack of his crotch against her ass accentuated every strong thrust. Yani started sputtering useless words and her body collapsed against his.

"I feel it baby," he shouted, "Keep cumming…keep cumming…."

Yani's head dropped forward and her legs trembled. He kept right on swirling gentle circles around her clit and pressed his dick harder against the spot that wrecked her.

"Lay back for me…"

He helped her switch positions and snaked down her midsection to place his mouth over her vulva. His lips smacked and his tongue teased her all over her labia as he sopped up her orgasm into his mouth. She tugged on his locs to pull him up for more dick, but he slapped her hands away and indulged in the aftermath of her pleasure, glossing up his cheeks in the process.

He kissed and smothered his full lips all over her vulva until she came again, screaming his name and yanking on his hair. His kimoyos vibrated. The alarm he set for himself reminded him to get back to Riki. He pushed Yani's thick thighs back and buried his dick inside her pussy, never giving her a chance to catch her breath.

"I gotta go back to my son. I don't know when I can see you again," he said through gritted teeth and a hunched back.

"I want to see you after the banquet tomorrow."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

He seized her throat and pushed her down hard on the couch. With his face inches from hers, he bared his slugs at her with a menacing anger.

"I see you when I want to see you. Not the other way around. Hear? Your job is to pleasure me when I want it."

She poked out her lips and narrowed her eyes.

"Do you understand your place?" he barked.

She struggled against his hand, her anger palpable. He frowned. His dick became harder in her pussy. She was pushing his kink buttons by acting bratty. He pumped into her with long daddy strokes, the gushy sounds weakening her resolve to back chat him. His balls felt so heavy again.

"I'll tell your fiancé about us," she blurted as her head whipped back and forth.

All that threatening she did hadn't stopped her from catching deep dick. She wanted him angry. Wanted him rough.

"You won't tell her shit."

He locked Yani into position and pounded her righteously. His dick kept tugging her clit and the friction of their bodies smashed together in a fury of tangled limbs. Her ankles were up by her earlobes by the time he slowed up his thrusts to tease his release. Tears leaked from her eyes.

"Please…cum in my pussy!"

"After you acted so disrespectful to your king?"

"I want you to myself."

"But you can't."

"I'm your favorite."

"I just met you."

"You already know I am."

He grinned. She was right. Out of all of her play personas, Toya was top choice.

"Don't you need this pussy?" she begged.

She lowered her legs and peeled back her labia so he could admire the tunnel he pressed open that swallowed him in pulsing pink. Her fingernails trailed across the scars on his lumpy skin. He rocked into her slowly and her titties bounced.

"I need this pussy," he confessed in a moment of weakness.

Her smile lit up her face. Everything about her was different. She had become a new entity. Something so forbidden and taboo that his dick couldn't tell the difference. Her pussy walls seemed brand new and that excited him more.

"You 'gon' make me nut, girl," he bleated out.

His dick throbbed and she wound her hips, staring up at him with bewitching eyes, making their union hotter.

"Make a mess in my pussy…use me King, I'm all yours…whenever you want this pussy. I'm your favorite…cum…cum deep inside of me…"

Her lovemaking captivated him. His kimoyo beads vibrated again, and he was ashamed that he ignored them like he was truly ignoring his son in real life. Yani fucked him like she had never fucked him before and he found that impossible to believe, but there she was, writhing under him like some sinewy goddess he never encountered in life ever.

"She doesn't fuck you like this…does she?" Yani asked.

He could only shake his head and thrust forward, sheathing his dick in blissful heat that dragged him away from his responsibilities as a father and husband. He had never cheated before in a relationship and he began to understand the appeal of illicit unions. Getting caught was a kink he liked with Yani, but it became more thrilling with her pretending to be Toya in a clandestine relationship.

He kissed her, lolling his tongue around hers and even the taste and feel of that muscle became distinct. Lifting up on his arms, he fucked his lover until her eyes rolled back and he spurted a sea into her womb. He hollered during his release and began to laugh with her when his voice went hoarse from braying like some damn moose.

Yani jumped up from the couch and ran to use the library restroom. He fell back into the protective blanket covering and caught his breath again. His body was soaked in enough sweat to fill up his grandfather's aquarium. He heard kimoyo beads vibrating that didn't come from his wrist. Glancing around, he noticed Yani's red robe crumpled on the thick rug near the couch. A pocket glowed. He wondered if she set an alarm too, or if their daughters were summoning her after bedtime. He hooked a finger inside the pocket pulling out the beads to check them in case it was Sydette or Joba.

No avatar floated up when he pulled the beads out. The code was unknown when he looked it over. Yani returned and her demeanor changed when she spotted him holding her beads.

"It rang and lit up. Thought it might be the girls," he said, handing the beads out to her.

She took them and looked at the code.

"I don't know this number. I've been getting so many different ones popping up since I connected to my office line with the new staff working for me."

She gave a nervous laugh and he sat upright on the couch. It stopped vibrating and lighting up. He retrieved his clothes and they both dressed quickly. Yani smoothed down the hair on her tousled wig still carrying the sexy façade of Toya.

"I'll take my leave first, King N'Jadaka," she said.

He nodded and her kimoyo beads vibrated and lit up on her wrist.

"Must be important," he said, waiting for her to answer it.

She hesitated and the air between them thickened with an unwanted tension. Guilt floated in her eyes. She tapped the button and he watched her visibly hold her breath.

"This is a test of the queen's emergency messaging system…"

A nasally automated voice broke the rigid energy in the room and Yani giggled. Relief filtered through her facial expression. Her shoulders relaxed and she folded up the damp blanket they frolicked on. He left the room to go to the restroom. His urine struck the toilet bowl in a long stream that went on for a long time. He flushed then washed his hands and face. Staring at his reflection in an oval mirror, he tried to figure out what Yani was hiding from him. The only thing that would startle her like that was Remy. That first call had to be from him with an unlisted number. Who else would reach out to her late at night thinking she would be isolated to take the call in private?

He shook his head and a painful throbbing started in his left temple. They couldn't start a marriage with secrets.

N'Jadaka pounded his bare feet back into the library den and startled Yani. She had wrapped her hair in a headwrap and carried the blanket in a bag. Her body was covered in a long overcoat and she slipped her feet into dainty sandals.

"Call back that number that came before the automated message," he said.

Yani stared at him and the guilt was back in her eyes. Guilt and fear.

"He contacted you again, didn't he?"

The sharpness in his voice didn't surprise anyone. She flinched, but didn't break eye contact.

"Not with that number. I don't know who that was, but he tried to call me earlier. I didn't answer him and blocked the number."

"I told you to tell me if he ever did that."

"Lady Ime wanted to talk to me. I figured since I didn't want to speak to her that he was calling on her behalf. I blocked the call, okay? There was no need to say anything in the middle of our wedding prep time. I was going to tell you eventually. Let's not make this a big deal. I shouldn't have given them the gift."

N'Jadaka ran a hand over his locs and leaned against the couch.

"The gift doesn't even matter at this point. He doesn't care about that. It's an excuse to talk to you."

He glared at her.

"Call the number, Yani."

"I don't want to. It's late. I'll call it in the morning."

"We'll be busy tomorrow. Why don't you want to call him?"

"We don't even know if it's him or not."

"So call it. Let me set him straight in front of you so that we are all very clear on what this is."

Her lips trembled. Watery eyes watched his taut face.

"Baby, I'm not mad at you…I'm irritated with him."

Yani wiped her right eye and tapped her kimoyo. An empty white avatar circle floated above her wrist and they both waited for the call to be picked up.

Chapter 4 HERE.

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[bellarosethefangirl]

May I request La Squadra x reader who wants to go on a special trip? Could be for valentine's day or some other occasion it would just be fun to see where they take reader and what they do! Thank you! 💗

La Squadra x Reader Valentines Headcanons

Taking their S/o on a Special Trip

Oooo I like this 💓 Had fun typing these up! Sorry these are late! Took me a while to think up places. I don’t write for Melone and I couldn’t think of anything for Pesci.

Somewhat Nsfw themes ahead 🔞

Ghaccio

He'd take you on a Alaska cruise. The sights are so beautiful and he adores the cold. There is plenty of new beautiful scenery and much to do on the cruise. He'll be sure to pick a very nice one with delicious food and fun performances he knows you'd enjoy.

This cruise would be one week and it so happens to be for Valentines. Since the holiday is around the corner he is picking a very expensive room for you both.

He'll have Valentine's planned out. He prepared his present for you and will take you to the Broadway-style shows. If you're not into it there's also a casino and bar you two can go to.

The room service is absolutely amazing. All meals on board including 24-hour room service aside from specialty restaurant dining but he'll take you to eat at the restaurant if you really want to.

He gets a bit bashful about how cute you look in winter clothing. Especially if you barrow his scarves or clothing

The Onboard activities, fitness center and pools will be fun for the both of you to enjoy. Exercising would be in the mornings or afternoons if you're into it. The heated pool will feel like a spa and much needed after being in cold weather if you two decide to visit the rest areas the cruise stops at.

Spa treatments or gaming is also available so you two get to enjoy them. Ghaccio loves the spa treatments more so than the gaming. They leave him so relaxed afterwards. If you two game together he’ll have such a great time.

When you two go to the towns to look at all the beautiful scenery it's very nice to see a new place and take pictures together. Ghaccio loves your winter outfits so much. He will take so many pictures with you

For Valentine’s Day he’ll get plan to get off the rest stop And travel in the area with you. He’ll give you his present he saved you. Depending on you he’ll either take you to the restaurant or somewhere you’d enjoy like a skiing trip or activities on the ship.

Iluso

He'll take you to a Cancun Resort for three days. The last day would be Valentine’s Day. He’ll book the most expensive room with the most lovely view too.

You two will spend so much time together on the beaches. He’ll flirt it up with you depending on what swimwear you decide to wear.

You two will get to enjoy the indoor hot tub together in the hotel. The luxury spas and all the fine dining the hotel offers.

The beaches are breath taking and make for such a romantic atmosphere. Illuso will appreciate the views and stay quiet as he watches. He’ll most likely be tanning or walking along with you on shore. If you’re into swimming he won’t mind joining you but he’ll lay on something inflatable as you do.

The area might have shopping and different restaurants you two visit. Illuso happily uses his stand abilities to steal anything your heart wants. Dining and dashing will also be done through the use of his stand.

On Valentines he’ll take you to the spa and beach where you two spend the rest of the day together. At night you two will bathe together and make love all night long after drinking a bottle of expensive wine.

Risotto

He would want to go somewhere haunted but interesting with plenty for you two to explore and enjoy together. There are many haunted places on his bucket list but a nice place he remembered wanting to visit is Bar Harbor in Maine. It is one of the nicer places to visit since some of the views would be nice and good food will be available.

Pirate shipwrecks, Indian burial sites, and unsolved murders all play a part in the spooky past of Bar Harbor, Maine. Many of places in the area are said to be haunted. Which would attract Risottos interest the most. If you’re scared Risotto will protect you and remind you how deadly his stand is. He didn’t earn his title in la squadra for no reason.

While you both travel to these places you two will take pictures together. Risotto will want to keep it in a scrapbook for all the haunted places he wants to travel on his bucket list.

Tours of the haunted areas are also offered. Such as the red cloak tour and walk around the town’s Old Burial Ground, or inside the haunted Art Deco Criterion Theatre, and the guide telling of scary Wabanaki indigenous tales. Risotto is interested in all of these tours. Though haunted they’re still interesting to the curious eye and the setting is still beautiful despite the haunting past. Plus you’ll feel safer with all the other tourists in such a tour as well.

Risotto will want to go to all the tours and haunted areas so you two will be spending a week there together.

Outside of the haunted areas the picturesque town of Bar Harbor, Maine has earned a reputation as one of the best summer vacation destinations in the U.S. For good reason too as you’ll see along with your tall goth boyfriend. The harbor has so much to offer for you both traveling as a young couple together.

The town has delicious seafood restaurants, artisan shops, and Penney of water sports one could enjoy in the waters nearby. Risotto will only do so if you’re interested in these type of active sports.

If you’re not sporty and prefer to travel around the area there is a seaside village northeast of the harbor. Many of the richest families live in the area so amazing sight seeing is welcomed for the ocean facing mansions, and glamorous yachts lining the harbor. Risotto will think it’s nice but he’s more interested in what the area offers such as the stores and restaurants.

This exclusive neighborhood is extremely walkable, full of delicious restaurants and chic boutiques to explore. Plenty of fancy restaurants are in this area and a very nice jewelry store. Risotto will happily have his stand steak for you. He’ll go to any restaurant you want no matter how expensive it is.

On the day of Valentines he’ll take you to the lovely nature filled areas of the land offering the absolute best view. Colorful trees, flowers everywhere, and clear water. He’ll take you on a picnic and ask how you’re liking the trip. You two will spend a lot of time together and he’ll spoil you during the trip. All in all it’s a wonderful experience.

Sorbet and Gelato

A couples retreat where you will enjoy spa treatments and relaxation by a beach. These two are going to spoil you rotten on this trip. Atleast three or four days together will be spent during this vacation.

The beach is absolutely gorgeous and you’re happier the room you’re all staying in happens to be a fancy beach house. The bar and spa treatments add to the paradise.

Sorbet and Gelato will compliment you so much during this vacation. They’re also going to be looking their best too since they’ll both be coming onto you left and right.

On the beach all three of you will swim or relax in the water. Tanning or enjoying yourselves under an umbrella is welcomed.

They’ll spend a lot of time at the bar ordering their favorites or having you try new drinks thy recommend. If you don’t drink alcohol they’ll tease you but want some of your drink (mainly Sorbet).

At the spa they’ll want massages while you receive a facial or massage of your own.

On the day of Valentines both have an expensive gift for you such a jewelry or designer clothing. If you get them something they’re both eager and get lovey dovey. A threesome is happening that night too.

At night or morning time, one or the other is trying to get in your pants especially if you wear little clothing.

The whole trip is so fun and enjoyable. All three of you will miss it. On the way back to Naples Sorbet and Gelato will have a conversation about what the next trip should be.

Proscuitto

He's taking you to Vegas and the hotel is going to be the Bellagio hotel and casino. It's an elegant Italian-inspired hotel and casino. He'll book a 3 day stay.

Inside the hotel you’ll notice the fancy and over the top decor. The huge fountain inside will greet you two upon entering.

The room is going to be the most expensive one offered to couples. It’s incredibly luxurious with a nice window view. The suite also offers alcohol and an oversized tub.

You two may bathe together here or there while he smokes or reads a magazine holding your waste. If it’s late he’s drinking whiskey.

He may or may not seduce you throughout the time you’re in the suite with him. Especially after you two spend time in the casino.

He’s good at gambling so you’ll be beside him with your own drink as he’s smoking and gambling. If you’re into gambling he’ll let you be but come to your after a couple hours.

You two will be doing a lot of shopping together. Outside the hotel you two will go to different restaurants in Vegas. If you’re interested going anywhere he’ll gladly take you. He’s happy as long as you are.

Prosciutto is spoiling you during this trip so enjoy all that you can through your time in Vegas with him.

On Valentine’s Day he has roses and room service for you in the morning. Afterwards he’ll present you a gift and offer to take you to a restaurant later. He’ll have you pick and pull some strings to get a reservation with his ties to the mafia. He’ll want to make love once you’re both back at the hotel.

Formaggio

He doesn't want to be cliché and take you to a couples hotel so he'll take you somewhere fun out of the country. He'll take you to a water park, Knotts Berry farm soak city. Let’s say for this trip he promised to take you here since it’s only open during particular seasons. Meaning on the actual day of Valentines you two spend the day together in favor of saving money for a trip in the warmer seasons instead.

On Valentines he bought you chocolates and you two went out bar hopping then had plenty of sexy time together at home.

There is much the water park offers. He won't book a hotel near the park since he wants sexy time at a hotel. The hotels at the park have families so he won't want them hearing you two. Your hotel will be far from the park but he rented a car so you’re both good. Parking does take a while but it’s worth it since you two go when the park opens.

You two spend four days at the hotel and two of them is spent at the park. At the park you two enjoy all it has to offer.

Plenty of water slides with huge floaties to ride on as you slide down them. Water rides involving floaties and giant slides.

A river of floaties for you two to travel on down the current in enjoyable relaxation under the sun. You two will talk and play around together.

There’s plenty of stores and places to eat. You two will enjoy frozen treats and junk food together laughing as you walk along through the park in sandels.

He’ll flirt it up with you and compliment you constantly. If you’re both in line or beside eachother as you sit or enjoy water his arm is around you.

At the wave pool you two will play and chat for hours. At the giant slides where it requires more than one person, he’s going to be behind you laughing and hollering as you two descent down the slides together.

The two days you’re both not at the park you’re at the hotel. The first day is to settle in and plan for the day tomorrow at the park. The final night you both have plenty of sexy time together so you get to sleep in before the trip is over. You’re both definitely eating at a restaurant not familiar to Italy so you can enjoy new food together.

All in all it’s a wonderful couples trip to a fun water park with lots of memories. You might return depending on how much your prefer it over other types of trips. Formaggio enjoyed it very much and was happy you two took pictures together so he could put them on the fridge.

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[savvytravelers]

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Visit unique vineyards and wineries like France’s Château de Montaigne and Austria’s Burg Clam. Taste the history and heritage of these storied vines.

Authentic Encounters

Connect with artisans and vintners. Learn to pair chocolate with wine, discover the process of making olive oil, and enjoy Austria’s Wachau Valley apricots.

Food and Wine Pairing – A Unique Art

Experience dinners with wines perfectly chosen to complement your meal. Enjoy pairings like rosemary-crusted lamb with Châteauneuf-du-Pape and oysters with a Loire white.

Regional Wines

Our Celebration of Wine River Cruises feature an extensive selection of regional wines. From Bordeaux's robust reds to the crisp whites of the Rhine, each glass tells a story of its terroir, complementing the culinary traditions of each region.

Bordeaux, France: BlendsBordeaux is famous for its blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Enjoy complex and balanced wines with notes of dark fruit and spice.

The Seine River, France: Champagne and CalvadosEnjoy the sparkling luxury of Champagne and the rich flavor of Calvados, an apple brandy from Normandy.

The Rhone River - Provence, France: Rosés, Hermitage, and the "Pope's Wine"Savor refreshing Rosés and robust Hermitage reds, including the famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The Douro River, Portugal: Port Wine and Vinho VerdeExperience rich, fortified Port Wine and the light, slightly effervescent Vinho Verde.

The Upper Danube River - Wachau Valley, Austria: Grüner Veltliner and RieslingEnjoy crisp, aromatic wines like Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the Wachau Valley.

The Lower Danube River - Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria: Szekszárd, Tokaji, Plum Brandy, and SeherezadaTaste Hungary’s Szekszárd reds, sweet Tokaji wines, traditional Plum Brandy, and Seherezada from Serbia.

The Rhine River, Germany: Rieslings, Crémant d'Alsace, and Kölsch BeerEnjoy versatile Rieslings, sparkling Crémant d'Alsace, and refreshing Kölsch beer.

The Moselle River, Germany: RieslingsSample some of the world’s finest Rieslings with bright acidity and fruity notes.

The Main River, Germany: Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, and RauchbierDiscover Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, and the unique smoked beer, Rauchbier, from Bamberg.

Book Your Celebration of Wine River Cruise Today

Join Savvy Travelers on a Celebration of Wine River Cruise and explore Europe’s finest wine regions. Reserve your spot today and get ready to sip, savor, and enjoy an unparalleled wine adventure!

[twistedwonderlandfantasies]

(Repost)

Leona Kingscholar as Your Sugar Daddy 🦁🧡☀️💛💰

Fem!reader

Out of all the boys Leona is like the most careless one when it comes to money i mean Ruggie can testify, dude just flippantly throws his wallet around anywhere and DOES NOT care (can't relate me and the poor people gang r crying aka me and Ruggie) so i can just imagine with his attitude and rich background he would love to see u in that sexy rich shit. ok remember to drink water bye 😘 ✌️

Song- Qveen Herby Sugar Daddy

🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡

- expect random boxes of gifts at your door that Ruggie delivers (this poor guy never catches a break). Beautifully packaged with luxurious ribbons and designer gift bags. When you open it up expect to find fine jewelry (gold, diamonds, pearls, whatever) or a silk dress. Heels? Bags? You name it. The price? Don’t even ask. He wants to see you dolled up at 8, so be ready.

-Besides the gifts, if you two are out somewhere and something catches your eye, it will show up in your room later. Broke your headphones and saw a pair you liked? Boom, yours. Saw you looking at your favorite snack that was on sale, buys you like 10 bags of it.

- If you’re into teddy bears and roses, will also occasionally send those. He will take note of your favorite flowers and soft plushies and specifically send you that. Don’t forget the chocolates! He loves when you run up to him later and talk about how beautiful your bouquet is.

-just spoils you absolutely rotten at this point.

- Dinner with Leona will make you dizzy. If he wants to impress, dude will pay for the best wine at a restaurant without even looking twice at the price. And the restaurant itself has a months long waitlist to even get in, so it's PRESTIGIOUS. French wine? Italian wine? Oh you like the stuff from Spain, sure thing. And yes, the food is served by a personal chef, full course meal of foods you’ve never even seen before. He would ofc have the audacity to say if something tastes awful, meanwhile you’re trying to figure out how to even eat the plate of food in front of you that looks like a piece of ART.

- Leona enjoys the speed. He doesn’t have a nice car— he has nice cars. Newest models of whatever brand you can think of: Mercedes, Lambo’s, even a Ferrari. Loves seeing you try and drive a car that costs more than both your kidneys as your hands shake even holding the keys. “Leona…. I think my fingerprints might damage the wheel…” “don’t be ridiculous. Come on, let me see what you can do.”

- Vacations are the BEST. I’m talking Bahamas, tropics, Fiji, cruise ships and private plane rides to some island that their family literally OWNS. Need a vacation outfit? Shopping spree~ Leona will 100% be seeing everything you wear, including Bikinis or swimwear. Will also buy you the things he likes and convince you to wear them. If you especially love traveling he will frequently plan get-aways for just the two of you.

- If you like getting your hair or nails done, he will always pay for it. He loves seeing you take care of yourself. This includes massages, facials, whatever the hell you want. You always being in top condition makes him feel confident, especially the looks you might get from others where he can then grab you by the waist and let them know this fine piece of work is his.

💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛

NSFW

- He enjoys a personal show. I'm talking about throwing bills at you for a lap dance, pole dance, he’d even pay you to play with yourself while he watches. The conditions? He has to control you. If he says do something again, you do it. You finish when he tells you. He picks the lingerie, he gets to rip it off. Leona is ruthless and dominating; his gaze alone is enough to intimidate you into following his every order without question out of fear of what might happen if you disobey. If you are, however, in a bold enough mood to talk back expect no gifts that month, and a painful disciplinary session. “Sit on me like that again… mmm yes good girl. Why aren’t you shaking your ass yet? Want to get spanked again? Tsk.”

- You lost count of how many times you’ve had to give the sucky suck (IM SORRY). I think it might be Leona’s favorite activity, watching you devour his massive cock as he pulls on your hair to force you to take more until you're gagging and tears are forming at your eyes. The way your lips kiss his length, your fingers playing with him; having you literally kneel before this man in submission awakens a primal instinct that drives him feral. Payday’s usually follow in a sore jaw and cum stained face.

- He more rarely gives gifts in person, usually in exchange for something *ahem.* If it’s a particularly valuable or expensive item he wants to see your reaction and saves it for when you two are alone in company. So the things you receive directly from him usually end with a hot and steamy thank you. “Put it on, I want to see it on you while I fuck that pretty body of yours.”

[trashbag-baby666]

Lore drop for my favorite twink <3 i love you sm Ken 💕💕 brought to you by me and @mangokittokatsu

MOTA Masterlist!

•Kenny was born to two philanthropist, entitled, classy, rich people. But he was an accident that neither of them wanted to take care of really. They hired a nanny and she quite literally raised Ken until he was 12. That’s when his parents decided that he was old enough and fired her. This is what really starts out the, “here’s your monthly $10,000, go to school we’re going on our second cruise this year.”

•His grandma tries her best to take care of him from a distance since she lives in DC. She does call him nearly daily and they’re pretty close.

•Although, Ken’s a year younger than the others he joins a theater company when he’s 11 and meets Rosie. The Rosenthals quickly take pity in Ken and they give him rides to and from theater, let him come over and stay with them, feed him dinner. You know, actually loving this child.

•Ken and Rosie are bestie westies they would spend a lot of nights sitting in silence or talking about the boys Ken liked. Or they would make up their own theater performances and play dress up.

•The Rosenthals invite Ken to their family Hanukkah celebration. During Christmas they let him come over and Mrs. Rosenthal made Ken’s favorites and even got him a few presents. They’re really the closest thing Ken has to a family.

•So, when Ken gets his drivers license he’s left with his dad’s garage full of luxury cars. But his motorcycle is what really and always had caught his eye.

•His father tries to use this as an opportunity to love his son. Or you know, using expensive gifts to show their love. His dad teaches him how to drive it but it was really just Ken figuring it out by himself while his dad took business call after call.

•This is shortly before Curt started eye fucking Ken in gym class till he came over and talked to him. They were so down bad for each other, Curt giggled like a fucking school girl the first few times Ken took him for rides on his bike.

“Curt texted me last night telling me that Ken took him on his motorcycle!” John blabbed across the lunch table making a kissy face and sound at Curt.

Curt literally just reaches across the table and smacks him with a sandwich.

•Ken’s super super interested in engineering he picks up occasional shifts at the same garage Curt’s mom works at. Ken really knows his way around a car, he was super into them when he was younger. He’s just the kinda twink who can pop your hood and fix your problem for you.

•Ken tries out for the football just so he can spend more time with Curt. Think Kurt Hummel auditions for the role of kicker. Just look at this post lmao.

•Him and Curt listen to music together on the bus to and from football games. Corded headphones and each has one, they have a collaborative playlist together. Some of their favorites are Deftones, Mac Miller, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, etc. check out this playlist for more :3!

•Their ideal date night though is a hand selected bottle of wine from Angela Lemmons wine cellar, a cheesy movie or Marvels movie(they’re watching them in order), and a puzzle or a Lego set, sometimes they paint together.

•Usually, they finish the puzzle or lego set but sometimes they’re too wine drunk to finish or Curt’s carrying Ken up to his bedroom ;).

•If it wasn’t obvious yet, Ken is a wine connoisseur. He really likes white wines and anything a little fruity.

•Brady wants to learn his ways.

•Ken is an avid painter as well!! He liked doing it in art class and brought the interest home with him. So of course, his parents bought him the most expensive paints and brushes and canvas’s. Because that’s how they always were. He’s pretty much self taught aside from art classes. He paints this in high school and it now hangs in their house 15 years later.

•The only time Curt and Ken ever really fight it’s about money. Ken has more than plenty and Curt’s literally working every single day and pulls open to closes every weekend. Curt had been running on nearly no rest and three Red Bulls a day. He couldn’t afford to not work. over the course of five months, He watched Curt’s health decline and he was losing weight like crazy. He’d come home from work at 11 and pass out in Ken’s bed after stumbling out of his work clothes. That or he would sleep on the couch at his apartment. His back was hurting and he was so tired and nauseated.

•Flash forward it’s been too many months of this. Curt had called Ken around 8:30 asking him if he could come pick him up. He had kinda given into his body and left Ham and Dickie to man the Taco Bell without him. However, Ken was relieved that Curt maybe was coming to his senses.

•Curt literally stumbled out the door and regained his balance a little bit before getting into his car. Curt opened the passenger door and threw himself in and just said.

“Take me to the er.”

•This is when it really started, Ken had kept offering Curt money. But Curt will not take handouts or money from anyone. He feels like he needs to earn everything himself and he provides for his family at the ripe age of 18.

“Just take it, it’s not like I’m missing any of it.” Ken ripped the check from the checkbook and slid it across the table.

“No, I’m not taking your money. It’s fine I have it under control.”

“Curt, you were in the hospital.”

•Thus leads to Ken putting money into his account without him knowing. It’s never enough at a time for it to be super noticeable or he tucks it into a savings account.

[levi-llama]

Space, Time, and the Psyche (3)

(A/N: hey, I figured since it’s Christmas I should post another chapter. Enjoy and happy holidays!)

Series Rating: Explicit

Chapter Rating: Mature

Chapter Warmings: Violence and Gore, Panic Attacks, Strong Language, Non Graphic Sexual Themes, MDNI

-Chaos Cruise-

The adrenaline started to wear off as a twinge of fear took its place. The rattling, banging, shaking, quaking of the ship scared me. Were there maintenance policies on space ships, because if not, there really should be.

“Is it supposed to be this rackety?” I yelled over the loud sound of chaos.

“It?!”

“Yeah! The ship!”

“She is a TARDIS! Not just a ship!” He sounded offended and that perplexed me.

“What is a-!” The ship - sorry - TARDIS - came to a stop, “-Tardis?” I finished my statement calmly since the noise halted with the ship.

“She stands for ‘Time And Relative Dimension In Space’ also known as: T-A-R-D-I-S, TARDIS!” He explained a little exacerbated, but still with this frill of excitement he always seemed to have.

“Alright, alright! So, where are we then?”

“Step out and see for yourself.” He gestured to the doors.

Hesitantly I obliged. The doors cracked open to a spotless ornate carpet of a deep ruby red. The doors lining the hallway had a sense of class, as if only people from old money could afford to stay here. Each door had a golden plated number.

“A hotel?” I spoke. Unsure if we even left Earth. If this was all some sort of trick.

“No, but close, what’s your second guess?” He said, bending by his waist to come down to my eye level.

“Not a Hotel?” I deadpanned.

“Oi! You’re no fun!” He pouted like a disappointed child. “Okay, okay. Follow me.”

“Aw, did I crush your spirits, Doc?” I spoke tauntingly, a faux pout on my own face.

“Oh shush!” And thus he grabbed my wrist, leading me through the matching double doors at the very end of the hall.

The doors opened to an elegant scene. It looked as if it came straight out of the Titanic itself. The wide open event space, with its gargantuan chandelier, added warm golden light that casted the room in a feel of luxurious richness. The carpet continued down the spacious grand staircase, into an even more spacious room where the wealthy, and, albeit, gorgeous, occupants mingled and conversed in relaxed delight. Though, the best part of it was the walls. The walls were a half-dome of glass showcasing the vastness of space. Highlighting the shimmering watercolor of a nebulus. Flowing and dancing itself as if peacocking its breathtaking beauty.

A hand weighed heavy on my shoulder. I yelped at the startle and only then did I realize I’d been gawking.

“You still with us, Eddie, my pal?” His tone was filled with playful humor rather than any hint of sincere concern.

“Fuck.”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“You weren’t lying..?”

“Well of course I wasn’t-“

“You. Weren’t. Lying?”

He paused in concern.

“You weren’t lying!?” I dragged the last syllable in childlike glory as I zoomed down the stairs.

“Wait-!” He yelled after me.

I only stopped when my face squished against the glass window. “Wow..” I murmured. I leaned back as I saw the Doctor's reflection closing in behind me.

“‘Wow’ is correct.” He turned me around by my shoulders and smiled down at me. “Well, should we take a look around?”

“Yes! Absolutely yes!”

-

We approached a table of food and refreshments. The delicacies were foreign and, frankly, looked quite unappetizing, but at least all wine is made universally the same way - or so the doctor explained, whether it’s true or not is still yet to be learned.

I sipped at my glass of wine when suddenly I felt this impending foreboding danger. Like it has always been here, but it’s coming closer. Considering this odd sensation, I noticed it felt different than my typical anxiety or paranoia. This was a fact. I felt that this was a fact. It’s not like I can explain it, I just know it somehow.

The Doctor, having noticed my pause, waved his hand in front of my face.

“Somethings wrong.” My speech was urgent but it came out emotionless. I didn’t feel nervous. I felt no uncertainty.

“What do you..?”

“They’re coming.” I wasn’t the one formulating my words anymore. They were automatic. An extension of my unconscious self.

Like I foretold; they came.

“Get down!” I felt something push me to the ground. No- it was someone! And just in time at that! These giant albino mosquitoes flew down from the ceiling’s air ducts.

“What are those things?!” I looked up at the raggedy man as he perched on top of me, shielding me from the bug-like creatures.

“They’re Culecs. A parasitic alien species known for feeding on humanoid tissue.” He gripped my arm to help me up. “Ugly little things.” He gave a ‘blegh’ to accentuate his disgust. He started into a sprint, dragging me behind him.

“Where are we going?!” He let go of my wrist, letting me run for myself.

“The main deck! The crew must’ve known these buggers were here!” After running up one flight of stairs already I (understandably) started lagging behind. After another flight I was by myself catching my breath.

I took a second to sit against the wall on the third floor platform. I took a few moments - a long few moments - to calm down and recollect myself before I fully realized the position my out-of-shape, soft body had left me in.

I got up, gripping the wall, and after one more deep breath, I ran straight for the event room once again, back to the center of it. If the Doctor was going to handle the crisis from the control center, I’ll handle the damage control.

Going through another hallway of guest rooms, I

burst through an identical set of double doors as earlier. Emerging onto the third floor balcony, two floors above the original grand staircase, I saw the grisly scene of half consumed bodies. Humans and various humanoids of other species lay rotting, as the dozen or so survivors huddled behind a pile of tipped over tables. No more of the parasites to be seen. Probably thought there weren’t any more bodies to consume.

“Hey!” I whisper shouted down to the others, yet they didn’t hear me. Looking around frantically, in a moment of panic, I flung myself onto the tall curtain at the end of the railing. Climbing down half way, until my grip slipped and I started to slide down all the way.

I landed a few meters away from the company, startling a little girl into screaming.

“Hey, hey!” I put my hands out both palms up. “It’s just me. I’m trying to help you.”

“Who are you?” The girl’s mother demanded.

“Yea! And why should we listen to you anyway!?” An elderly, blue-tinted, man spoke up.

“We-well…” I took a moment to think.

“Spit it out, lady!” A young boy yelled.

“Well, I’m the captain! Captain Eddie at your service!”

“You’re the captain? Really?” The boy spoke again.

“Can you help us?” The little girl asked. Cute puppy eyes shining in hope.

“I sure can, sweetie.” I ruffled her hair.

“What other choice do we have?” Her mother spoke up, and thankfully her small statement seemed to stir up a resounding agreement.

“Okay, Captain! Show us the way to safety!” The elderly man spoke again.

-

I led them to the top deck, staircase after staircase, they seemed to lag behind. The mother, already long before, decided to carry her daughter to help speed up their haste. The elderly man seemed to struggle the hardest. I stopped, the crowd stopped with me, and walked through to meet the blue mustached alien.

“What’s your name, sir?” I asked with as much faux confidence and authority as I could muster.

“Zoro Zorglo.” He responded weakly, out of breath.

“Well, Mr. Zorglo, shall we?” I went to his side and gripped his elbow and hand, helping up the last two flights of stairs as the rest followed.

Just as we turned the last corner of the stairwell, we saw a hoard of Culecs flew towards us.

“Go! Go! Now!” I yelled at the group as I followed behind. “Into the supply closet! Everyone!”

I ushered everyone in and closed the door behind us, my back keeping the door firm. After a nerve wracking few moments, the loud fluttering of wings, seemed to have stopped.

“Is it safe now?” The little girl whispered.

“I think so, let me check.” I murmured back. As I slowly opened the door, stepping out to look, it seemed safe.

Then the clink of metal hitting metal sounded in the back of the closet. Yet, nothing seemed to have moved. The coast was still clear.

“Alright everyon-“ I was interrupted by the sudden thundering of parasitic wings. The teenage boy grabbed the door and shut it before I could get inside.

My heart sank to my stomach as my body was lifted to the air. Carried like a rag doll by this beastly, and disgusting buggish-parasite. We flew through the hall at a sharp speed. Only getting relieved as I was flung onto the hard ground. Rolling until I hit a mass. Not any mass, though; it was the ship’s control table. I was finally at the main deck.

“Oh! Hello, Eddie! Fancy seeing you here! Was wondering where you’d gone.” He bounced on the balls of his feet as if it were any other normal day.

I groaned and rolled my eyes before getting to my feet and dusting myself off. “All the survivors are hiding in a storage closet down the hall as we speak. There’s only 4 of them that I could find in time. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

the buzzing sound of flapping wings could be heard once again.

“Sorry to break off this oh-so touching reunion, but I do believe we were discussing something, Doctor.” She spoke almost seductively, taunting. She approached him, finally coming into view from the shadows with a group of the parasites tagging behind her, following her lead.

She was grotesque, her crew uniform ripped to shreds, exposing an almost pearlescent carapace that coated her stomach and chest - her vital organs. Her eyes were a sickly bloodshot red, but her skin was the worst of all, random coarse hairs stuck off of the insectile appendages that sprouted from her back. The flesh around where they sprouted was scabbed over. The gaunt look of her face was like a pale corpse. The only explanation was that she was somehow the aliens’ queen.

“Here I’ll do us all a favor and take care of this meddlesome brat that so rudely interrupted us.” She shrugged as if she were only slightly annoyed by my mere existence.

“Wai-wait! Hold up!” The parasitic ex-human quirked her thinly trimmed eyebrow in bored anticipation. “I’m-I’m the captain! So, I, as captain, command you to- uh- to get off my ship!”

Her giggle started soft, yet turned into cackles so hard she doubled over from the effort her lungs were making. “Captain? Captain?!” She took a deep breath to compose herself. “You must be kidding me!” She stepped up to me slowly, grabbing my collar and lifting me to my tip toes. Nose to morbid nose. “I’m the captain.”

She threw me down before gesturing to her parasitic minions.

“Take her to the hive!”

—

In a flash, the Crulecs grabbed me and flew out of the room. The winding hallways and lightning speed made me nauseous. I barely held the bile in.

They threw me down a poorly lit, metal cavern. I anticipated a sharp fall, yet instead landed on a sticky, string-like substance, cushioning me.

When my dizziness finally subsided, I started to glance at my surroundings. The engine room was reduced to a stuck, sticky and slimy web. No longer functioning, we were stranded.

I tried to pry my arms off the, once helpful, webbing. Yet my limbs were stuck. My choppy, short dark hair tugged on my scalp as I tried to assess my surroundings.

As I submitted to the stringy mess I’d literally fallen in, trying to come up with a plan, my mind wandered to my new companion. The doctor. Worried, hoping he was fairing well with that witch upstairs.

A ringing erupted in my ears, painful and sharp, but as it subsided I could hear the familiar voice of the man who brought me here.

“Doctor?!” I shouted out loud, but only echo responded back. The cavern was dark, so it wasn’t surprising I couldn’t see him. “Doctor are you here?!” Yet the answer sounded right in my ears.

No. Not in my ears. Between my ears. It was like the familiar sound of my own thoughts, except it wasn’t me causing it.

After a pause, another voice sounded. The queen.

“We were negotiating were we not?” Her voice hissed. Irritation evident. Patience running thin.

“Ah, yes. I was asking you to leave the ship. Give it back to the survivors.” He spoke nonchalantly.

“And what will I gain from that, exactly?” She huffed. “I mean seriously, without little ol’ you and your little ol’ pets, my babies will have nothing to eat. They’d be absolutely patched. Now you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“With all due respect, these are people. Sentient beings with lives of their own. And lives that are not for sale or consumption, may I add.” The Doctor’s obvious frustration started to crack his calm demeanor.

Another pause. A tense standoff.

“How about this?” He sighed, “give Eddie back, and if they are unharmed, I will think about giving you the rest.”

He couldn’t actually be considering that? Is the man who saved my measly life, really willing to give up so many others so easily?

“Alright, fine. Follow me.”

He’s gotta have a plan right? He can’t let this happen, at least not without a proper fight.

—

What felt exponentially long, yet was probably only ten minutes, passed before I heard a banging on the floor above me. Two people appeared on a catwalk above the engine - above me.

“Eddie!” The familiar man ran to the stairs at the end of the catwalk. “Are you Alright?!” He avoided the webs with ease that I couldn’t imagine.

“I’m fine, Doctor, just a little stuck is all.” I grunted while trying to get up, demonstrating my sticky situation.

He gripped at my collar and tugged, then my leg, then my arm, trying to help me with brute force alone. The queen looked down at our struggle in sadistic glee.

“Back pocket.” I whispered.

“What?” He blurted.

“Shhhhhh! She doesn’t expect me to get loose. Look at her face. She is expecting defeat. Failure. She wants to devour us, then take the survivors anyway. Your deal wouldn’t work even if you were going to actually go through with it.”

“How-“

“Later.” You sighed. “Now, back left pocket, you should be able to reach my pocket knife without touching the webbing, but be careful.”

He nodded, before carefully reaching below me. I could feel the pocket knife leave my pants. And with a small flourish, he held up the prize between his pointer finger and thumb.

“Now cut me loose!” I whisper-yelled, and he got to work.

After a beat too long of silence, the villainess spoke up. “See, she’s unharmed. Now, about the food you offered me?” Her grin was wicked, her elongated tongue slid over her teeth, yet she still hasn’t noticed I’ve gotten loose. The Doctor’s tall frame had shadowed where I was, the necessity of my visibility was all but forgotten by the parasite Queen. I climbed up the metal stairs as The Doctor distracted her.

“Yea, well about that?” He spoke, a faux hesitance to his voice. Teasing almost. “You see those people - not food, may I add - are going to stay right where they are.”

“What?!” She screeched, yet was cut off, by a little shove to her mutated back.

“Oopsie?” I innocently spoke.

The queen fell to the webbing, getting tangled on the way down.

The doctor ran up to meet me. “Alright let’s hurry and get everyone to an escape pod before she gets untangled.”

We rushed back to the supply closet I left the group in, thankfully not a long distance.

“It’s me! Eddie!” I knocked on the door.

“Eddie? You’re okay!” The little girl ran out the door hugging my legs tight.

“Hey, girlie! Good to see you again!”

“We are here to take you to the escape pods, so everyone, follow us!” The rest of the group followed close behind, until we reached the pods. The doctor runs in first and sets the coordinates to the nearest space port.

“Alright everyone, in, in, in!” And thus we closed the shuttle door, said our farewells, and they were off. Finally safe and sound.

We hurry up to the Tardis to finally take off.

—

As soon as he gets us orbiting some strange place in the universe, out of harm's way, I crash.

I slip onto the ground against the railing of the control room. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think. I couldn’t. Breathe. I couldn’t breathe! I scratched at my throat, willing the air to reach my lungs. Tears stung my reddened face.

I felt hands on me. They’re back! They’re on the tardis! They’re trying to get me!

“Get off!” I sobbed out, the wheeze echoed in my esophagus.

“Hey hey, shhh. Shshsh. It’s just me, Eddie. It’s just me. You’re okay.” His soothing voice reached my ears and my lungs broke free from their chains allowing the air to burst into my body with a force so hard, I coughed. I coughed. And I coughed.

“Do-Doctor!” A painful gasp racked my shivering body, and I started to claw at my arms. “I-I. I couldn’t-! I-!” He grabbed my arms and turned me, letting me lean against his chest as he rested his back against the railing.

“I know. I know. Shhh. You’re okay now. You did your best.” He brushed one hand through my hair, repetitively, soothingly.

“B-but I-!” And the sobs turned into quiet tears. Body still quivering.

“I’m proud of you, Eddie. You did so well. You’re doing so well for me.”

I looked up at him with tired, tear stained eyes. My breathing was finally under control. Body just limp, from over exertion.

“Let’s get you to bed, hm?” He got up and reached a hand to me, yet instead of taking it, I reached both my arms out to him. “Oh alright.” He rolled his eyes at me and tried to withhold his grin, before picking me up, arms around his neck, and legs around his torso.

He carried me through the tardis halls, to a room I’ve never seen before, and laid me out on the bed. “Alright little Lemur, get some rest.” He took off my shoes, tucked me in, then ruffled my hair before leaving.

—

Moments later, he stood in the control room. A scan of Eddie on the screen.

“What have I gotten myself into?” He whispered to no one, but the tardis.

—

Masterlist

[brooklynislandgirl]

{{art/inspiration from @whosxafraid, words by me}}

Despite the day, Beth slips out of bed carefully before the sun thinks about cresting the horizon. Without trying to wake Lulu, she goes through the rituals of putting on her scrubs, braiding her hair, making coffee. Breakfast is indulgent; Irish butter and blackberry jam from a farm upstate. She's out the door before six a.m.

There are flowers waiting for her in the nurse's lounge; the two dozen roses were gingerly given out to new mothers and older ladies, one by one. Just because they give her the willies doesn't mean no one else should be able to enjoy them. The chocolates ~except the dark salted chocolate and coconut ones~ were also doled out, these to the other nurses and anyone who cruised by the lounge. She doesn't want to risk bringing Luka into contact with his allergy. She gets home over twelve hours later, while the sky is still faintly kissed by light. Luka's waiting for her, a grin on his lips. A glass of wine in hand for her, and the scent of taro cupcakes hits her before almost anything else, and she knows he's been to Morgan's Mornings. Only her hanai sister would be able to make such a personal treat. A few chaste kisses and her second shower of the day later and Luka's guiding her up to the roof, where he's made a luxury blanket fort. He wants her to watch the stars but knowing she hates the dark, he's added little faery lights in the potted tree branches. When the moon rises, he noses the space between her jaw and her ear, his breath warm on her neck. A moment later he slips a wave around her throat.