#she took it and ate the candy in her office :3

[hammer-lady]

Gregoriah held up a paper bag, one which you'd put a homemade lunch into. It was filled with assorted candies. He was practically vibrating out of his fur.

Uh...hi! Here you go!

[ @gregoriah-the-silliest ]

"Oh uh.. thanks"

(Ooc: check tags plz)

[heartilywrites]

Omg! I lowkey kinda binged all of your KorraxReader stories lol! I was wondering if you can write about Korra and the reader having a daughter (pregnant + birth if that’s okay with you ;)). Idk how to describe it but the spirits somehow allowed reader to become pregnant with Korras child and Tenzin confirming that it’s possible because it happened to Kyoshi and Rangi.

،، 𝓐 Glimpse of Us ; Korra

request guide | masterlist

resume: where the spirits gave you the best gift you could ask for.

content warning: domestic ; fluff ; Korra x fem!reader ; the whole fic is about pregnancy !! ; tw for vomit ; ephemeral mention of sex ; no nation nor bending status mentioned ; no use of y/n

wc: 3.6k

a/n: hi darling!!! im glad u like my fics akdhsj the partner cravings, heartburn and belly shapes are just superstition/beliefs I know around pregnancy because in my country is believed to be true and I wanted to share because I love the those ideas <3 this one was definitely one of my favorites to write, i love domestic fics <3 THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING, ENJOY:D

“ I will be protect you from all around you, I will be here, don't you cry.

Sitting beside the ceramic seat, you were almost laying down with one hand over your stomach after throwing up everything you had in, you were sure even your ideas got mixed with the vomit.

Something you ate had fucked with your stomach, you thought, but what could it be? All the foods you ingest that week were homemade, maybe the strawberry candies Korra had brought?

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “My spirits, you look like you saw a ghost.” your partners voice got your attention. “Here, I bought an electrolyte and I'm making a soup for you to eat... I think we should go to the doctor.”

You shook your hand, straightening back up and taking the bottle on your shaky palms. “I'm okay, something just...” you shut yourself up and opened again the toilet to keep returning the last pieces you had on your stomach, the girl's hands held your hair.

It was safe to say after staying another three minutes in the bathroom, Korra took you to the doctor against your will. At first they said it could be a stomach flu since there was an epidemic going on about it, but he wanted to make sure by examining you.

When you described your symptoms, you saw an eyebrow raised your way and the pen was quick to write down. The doctor had asked you to do some exams to be sure, hours had gone by and Korra was sat by your side holding your hand at the waiting area.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Maybe this is a sign for me to stop buying you sweets.” she joked to break the silence, you looked at her funny.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “On the contrary, I'm sure it's a sign that you don't buy me enough sweets.” your eyebrow was raised and she giggled.

She was about to attack again when the doctor coming in asking you to step in their office cut her off. Once they saw you settle in the seats, a couple of papers where brought up. “Okay, the results just came in and what I suspected was confirmed.” hands held together, the doctor's gaze was on you now. “Congratulations, ma'am, you're expecting.”

Any and all traces of calm smiles were dropped from both faces, Korra's gaze showed confusion your way while yours was uncertain, a mix of panic and confusion.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Wh– okay, wait, are you sure?” you asked however you could formulate. “Is this even my record? Didn’t you confuse me with someone else?”

The professional read your name out loud on the folder, you nodded. “Then it is you, miss, I would recommend you to start looking for a obstetrician or a doula, is really up to your comfort...” you zoned out, not being able to hear the rest.

The walk back home, both Korra and you were quiet trying to digest what just happened, walking one beside the other. At half of the trail, you stopped the girl with your hand on her arm.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I didn’t cheat, I swear.” you were quick to clarify, bitting the inside of your cheek, she blinked surprised.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Darling, I know... We spend like twenty-five of the twenty-four hours of the day together.” her eyes softened and took your hands. A small sigh left her lips. “I just... I don't get it...”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Fingers do get you pregnant.” you joked, feeling your face a bit warmer and Korra giggled.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “If that was the case I'm sure we should have at least a football team by now.” she smiled flirty. Now you felt your face hot, you pushed her softly. “...Do you think maybe Tenzin can help us?”

After a shrug from you, the avatar made the way for you two to go at the Air Temple Island to pay a visit to the master.

Upon arriving, everyone welcomed the two of you with open arms and excitement to see you. Korra asked the older man for a private conversation as it was important, when the three of you were alone she explained the whole situation to the man and even when both thought that he was going to think you two were crazy, his face stood calmed, a bit surprised by the end.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I see...” you took Korra's hand in yours, nervous. “Listen, kids, it's not the most common thing, but this had happened before.”

A wave of relief washed over you, thanking the universe at least maybe you had references from the past to understand this whole situation.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “How so?” the avatar asked, frowning a little bit.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Back at avatar Kyoshi's times, the spirits gifted her and her partner, Rangi, the opportunity to be mothers,” he began, you frowned a little bit. “It was... They conceived a child with their features, a biological child.”

Your eyes shot at Korra, she was already looking your way with excitement shining in her gaze. Her hand squeeze yours and she smiled. Tenzin smiled fondly at the two of you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “All I can say now is congratulations, girls.” he finished walking up to you two and hugging both. “I know you will be such great mothers to this fortunate child.”

After that visit and staying over for dinner, you two went back home with a bunch of tips and stuff Pema had given you for the journey the second she stopped hugging you so tight, happy about the news.

You still felt a bit confused at the whole situation, by the time you lay besides Korra at bed, she hold you close.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Mothers... Can you believe it?” you asked looking back at her, she opened one of her eyes and then both of them.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “It feels surreal.” she answered, her free hand moved a strand of hair out of your face. “A weird gift from the spirits, but if it's with the love of my life I know it was the best decision made.”

You stood up a bit to exchange a sweet kiss with the girl. “We need to start moving our ass if we want to be ready on time for when our child gets here.” you whispered on her lips, she smiled.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I love how that sounds, our child.” now her arms hugged your neck to pull you back on top of her.

The next weeks, Korra and you started to look up for the most important things you needed at the early stage of the pregnancy. A doula was contacted and named the family's, you bought books on pregnancy and started to buy things to make a nursery on one of the guest rooms in your house.

The first trimester the one that suffered the cravings was all Korra, you remembered reading a book on how in some pregnancies the person carrying the child wasn't the one with cravings, but their partner and when that fragment popped up in your memory you found yourself giggling while Korra was eating fire flakes with a sweet sauce, she looked at you confused.

Your belly wasn’t showing much at the first half of the trimester, but you were amaze at how a tiny group of cells were taking such toll on you. You found yourself tired most of the time, always napping when you had the chance, there were foods you couldn't stand even smelling, you hated that part so much because of the nausea you were experimenting half of the time.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “My boobs hurt.” you said one night preparing for bed, pouting a little bit.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Want me to give you massage?” the girl's eyebrows played before giggling.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “You just ate fire flakes, I'm not letting you touch me with those fingers.” Korra let out an offended sound, you laughed with closed eyes. “Let's sleep, my three hours nap didn't work.”

By the beginning of your second trimester, you felt changes; you passed from being tired all the time to being active shopping stuff for the baby, almost as if you weren't fatigued a week prior.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “That's my little strawberry,” Korra was talking to your belly while you were laying down looking fondly at her. It was beginning to be a tradition for her to talk to the baby every night before going to sleep. She also had started to call the baby strawberry after remembering how you two blamed the candies with said flavor she bought for your sickness. “We're so excited to meet you, baby, you have no idea what we just bought for you.”

You giggled. “And what your uncles will buy you when they learn about you.”

Before the beginning of your fourth month, Korra and you came to an agreement of not saying anything to your friends for a little bit while you got settle with the important details and thankfully your baby was also part of the agreement by not showing much, you also were grateful with the fact that the clothes you used was a bit more loose from your shape.

You two hosted a dinner for the group as a way to announce the news to them and after eating and chatting for a little while, Korra broke the news to them with the whole explanation following. The three had such surprised expression that it was funny looking, but after some questions and giving them time to assimilate the situation, they were quick to hug both.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “That baby will have the best uncles and aunt in the world.” Mako said, pulling away from you, you smiled and nodded teary-eyed by the mix of hormones and the situation.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Do you have names? Oh! Can I suggest? Bolin is such a strong name.” the earthbender said, making you all laugh a bit.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “This is so sudden, I'm so glad you told us! I will finally be the rich aunt.” Asami talked now, you hugged her with a smile.

After that announcement, Korra had made a letter to send to her parents writing exactly what she said to her friends and the context. Saying how she was excited for this new chapter in her life, how they would be the best grandparents and telling them you two would visit after the baby was born for them to meet; the two southerners sent back a letter congratulating and some of Korra's toys and clothes from when she was a baby along with a necklace from the water tribe.

The changes you felt were a lot, but you were so grateful to have Korra by your side in the whole journey to comfort you those nights you couldn’t sleep because your hormones were making you feel bad or because you had a lot of heartburn that was impossible for you to lay down for more than one minute

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “You know, my grandmother used to say that when you were feeling heartburn during your pregnancy was because the baby would born with a lot of hair.” she said one night, at the end of your second trimester while leaving circular caresses on your back, you had a grimace on your face.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I would love for the baby to born with a lot of hair, but this is ridiculous, I hate it.” Korra hugged you with a tiny smile, leaving you a kiss on your head.

At the end of your fifth month, your belly had grown big enough for anyone to tell that you were heavily expecting, it was getting harder to breath normally and one day you finally were able to feel your baby.

The first communication your tiny person had with you was while you two were preparing the nursery with a cradle, a changer, a rocking chair and the toys for the baby.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Holy fuck,” you said under your breath, both hands now resting on your belly. Korra got close quickly. “No way.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Are you okay? What happened?” no verbal answer was given, your hand took one of hers and left it resting on your belly. “Honey, what...?”

Korra's voice got quieter when a soft kick was felt under her palm, teary-eyed she looked at you. The baby was starting to kick, you took it as a way for them to greet you. Tearing up a little bit, Korra left a kiss on your lips, excited.

Midway your last trimester, your back was starting to hurt and your feet were swollen all the time, adding how now you got tired so easily since you had difficulty with breathing as normal.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Tenzin told me I could do something to help you with your back pain,” the southerner talked walking to you and getting behind. Both hands cupped your belly, you were confused. “Ready?”

You nodded, with a slight frown. With all the caution in the world, Korra picked up your belly; in the act, she was picking the baby, you felt instant relief when at the feeling of less weight on your back to the point where you sighed and melted in her arms, the avatar giggled before leaving a kiss on your cheek.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Thanks to the universe for Tenzin,” you said, you felt so good. “How did he learn about it?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “When Pema was expecting Ikki her back pain didn't allow her to sleep well and he simply tried it one time she was standing and thought that maybe if he picked up her belly a little bit she would rest for at least some moments.” your head nodded, it made sense for them to have the best tips on pregnancy after four kids.

By the middle of the last month, everyone reunited a last time before you got into labor to celebrate the new baby coming to the world. A small reunion with your closest friends, food and some anecdotes, a couple brought gifts for the baby even if you two insisted it wasn’t necessary, but thank them afterwards.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I think it's going to be a boy.” Mako said, taking a seat with his plate of food.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “It's going to be a girl, look at her belly,” Pema counterattacked, sure of her answer. “It's round. You know what they say, round belly is a girl, low belly is a boy.”

You giggled and turned your gaze to your now big belly, small caresses were left by your hand. “It doesn't really matter, we're going love them either way.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Yeah, as long as they're healthy we'll be good.” Korra backed you up, sitting next to you and handing a plate of food. “Strawberry will be the happiest child.”

A couple of minutes after they all left, Korra and you were picking everything up. Well, Korra was, you tried to help and she had scolded you saying that you should just relax and not worry about anything.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Korra, it's okay, I won't break water just for picking some cups.” you laughed, walking to the sink.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “No, but I don’t want you to do anything either, being pregnant with our kid is enough.” she spoke while washing the dishes, when her blue eyes looked for you and spotted you standing still in the middle of the living room, she frowned. “Did you drop something?”

Your eyes were looking at the water puddle you just made, after some minutes of silence, you turned slowly to your partner. “Don't be mad... My water did break.”

Plates and cups made noise when they dropped from the avatar's hands, drying them she run your way. “What!? Oh my fucking spirits, okay, let's stay calm, we are prepared for this.”

Still standing, a pain assimilating a cramp started to make appearance on your body, making you shut your eyes ans grunt a bit. “Honey...”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Wait, no, fuck, I forgot where is the birth bag!” the southerner started to run in circles on the house. “Where's the doula's number!?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Love..” you tried to talk, you felt out of breath at such pain extending all over your lower body.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I think I'm lightheaded,” she stopped on her tracks. “Where's the bag!?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Korra!” you screamed when the contraction stopped, she looked at you astonished. “We first go to the hospital and there we call the doula, the number is on the bag which is at the entrance.”

She nodded with a worry look, you extended your hands asking for help and she was quick to take them. Helping you to walk out of the house to the car Asami had sell you two, Korra walked at your speed, leaving strokes on your back and saying courageous words.

After that tiny panic reaction, the avatar focused in being your support during birth. Even if she didn't drive that well, Korra managed to get both of you to the hospital once she made sure everything was on the bag. She registered you and made the call while you were getting checked up. When everything was settle she sat besides you taking your hand for support and always attentive at you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “This is happening.” she said, cleaning sweat from your forehead. “This is really happening, holy shit.”

She heard a sob coming from you and panic took over.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Are you okay, baby? Do you want me to call a nurse?” she asked quickly, looking up to see if she could catch any on the way. You pulled her a bit and when she saw you, you shook your head.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I don't think I'm ready,” you whispered, embarrassed. How come you would say that until now? “I'm scared.”

Your partner smiled with warmth and left a soft kiss on your forehead. “I'm scared too, baby... But I know we're going to be great mothers, we have the best support circle with us, you can do this, my love, I know it.”

Your frown raised a bit while a weak smile showed on your face. “I love you so m–” a grunt vibrated on your throat making you stop talking and squeeze her hand.

Even when the avatar was strong and she could handle pain, the squeeze felt a bit too much. “Oh, wow, that was a big one, huh?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Mh–mh,” you shook your head and found the way to talk. “It's coming, I'm sure it's coming now.”

And that was enough to make Korra call for help. Once the doula was in the room, everything else happened a bit quicker.

While you were pushing, you had the southerner by your side cheering on you and cleaning the sweat on your face, her eyes traveled from you to the professional and back to you. The last minutes felt like hours to both of you, but the sound of crying washed over relief on the both of you; with tears in the eyes, your partner was handed the tiny bulk in a blanket.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Congratulations on the girl, moms.” the doula said with a big smile, Korra's eyes widened and shot to you. Between tears, you giggled.

Your arms stretch to her asking for the baby and when you had her in your arms, it felt like you finally were complete. Accomodating the tiny human in your arms, you could see Korra's hair color in her and it made you laugh a little bit.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “She's beautiful,” the avatar said looking at the baby from your side. A kiss was left on your head. “Thank you, love, for our child.”

Bright eyes looked up to her and smiled, exchanging a sweet kiss before turning back to the newborn when she cried again. When she opened her eyes after she was cleaned up and brought back to you at birth, iced color orbs sparkle at you and from that moment you had a feeling she was going to be Korra's copy, and you weren't wrong.

As the baby grew, the avatar's features started to show. She had the same skin tone, face form, hair color, nose type and even her personality, you would always joke to her about how you just birthed a mini Korra when the two of them did something similar at the same time. The first month with the baby had been such a challenge with the sleepless nights and how you always resorted to Pema when you two needed help with the baby. But you were sure all was worth it when you saw Korra play with her and make her laugh with the southerner's actions, you were so grateful for your family.

Visiting the avatar's parents after the baby turned one month old, Senna was the most excited one to see her granddaughter.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Oh, my spirits! She looks just like Korra when she was a baby!” she exclaimed excited while her eyes were delighted at seeing your first-born in her tiny water tribe outfit they sent, you smiled proudly and turned to the mentioned.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I told you, she's your twin.” the southerner rested an arm on your shoulders, bringing you closer while she shook her head laughing.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “What's her name?” Tonraq now asked while playing with the baby, making faces behind Senna.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Strawberry.” his daughter answer, you sighed shaking your head.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Her name is Yui.” you said, your arms hugging your partner's waist.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “It's the same, Yui means strawberry!” she defend, you nodded a little bit just to let her have her win and a laugh was heard from the baby making everyone melt in love for her.

[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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[pjs-daycare]

Part 4 of 4

6:30 AM

October 31st, Monday

Jayden quickly walked into the daycare, each staff member had their own individual locker. Jayden neatly places each apron on top of the assigned locker, then he out their own on. Jayden's apron had mini ghosts of all different sizes on it he then got to work on taking supplies out for the arts in crafts they had prepared. Alison was the next to arrive, she put on her orange and black flowered apron and grabbed baskets to put the art supplies in. Paper jam was running a bit late than usual but even then he arrived earlier than Geo, Pj's apron had pumpkins with different faces on it. He helped with anything that was left. Lastly Geo came in with some Halloween cookies, they took a break and ate before the day actually began.

As most of the kids arrived Paper jam began to separate them into different groups, each group has their own kind of craft. Group 1 made up of Error who didn't bother to dress up, Horror in a Jason costume, Killer in a Chucky Costume, Nightmare who was forced to dress up as Pitch from Rise of the Guardians, and Dust dressed as Jack the skeleton. Group 2 has Dream dressed in The Sandman from Rise of the Guardians, Ink dressed as Bob Ross, Cross as a Blanket ghost, X dressed in a matching ghost costume,Swap who was a police officer,and Fresh who is a ghost as well. Group 3 is made up of Classic as Mario who's matching with Papy who is Luigi, Fell and Edge who are both scary clowns, Honey which was a honey bottle, Lust which is wearing a Ghost busters uniform.

In total there are 3 activities, A spider web, a pumpkin, and a candy corn. While the kids were making their crafts the staff put some candy in each of the kids trick or treat bag/bucket and prepared for a Halloween fashion show. Lunch was prepared by Geo, he bought some Halloween cookie cutters to cut out sandwiches with them to make the food a bit more exciting. Once they finished eating it was time for the show. Palette and Goth arrived before it started and they quickly threw on their aprons, Goth had a bat themed one and Palette had candies on his. Both Palette and Goth helped put up chairs for the kids along with chairs for themselves.

All kids walked through an arch in a line except for Error and Geno since they didn't have a costume instead they were given candy for being good sports. After all kids went through the arch and to their sests, they all began to speak about each other's costumes. "Wow Nighty, who knew that you would match your bro?" Killer giggled, "it's not like I wanted to.." He grumbled back. Reaper turned to Geno "you didn't dress up?", "no it doesn't look like you did either... Did you just dress up as..yourself?"."No! I'm a grim reaper duh" Geno just stared at him, "weren't you already a Reaper?"."No........?". Dream spoke to Swap "I really thought that you would match with your brother!", " I would've but he wanted to he a honey bottle" Honey just sat there smiling.

At the end of the day.....

The dream brothers won for being original.And they got a lot of Candy

<tags>

[petri808]

Nalu Yakuza Au *cover art by @jmoart214 💜

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |

The tit for tat game was well known to both of their top confidants and lieutenants because it had been going on ever since Natsu and Lucy broke up. Plus, it was hard to get around such knowledge considering most of them came from the same neighborhoods. These intrigues ebbed and flowed like waves. Months could pass by without any interactions between the two, at other times they’d go back and forth continuously until one of them finally gave up, and on the odd occasion ended in a huge fight that led to another round of ignoring each other. Up until now, it had been kind of amusing to watch them torture each other because it was better than a drama shows on television. But that didn’t mean Natsu, and Lucy’s friends didn’t worry about one or both being truly hurt one day because of it.

“It’s fine,” Natsu rolled his eyes as Gray chastised him after the soapland incident. The two men were at Natsu’s home after work hours and supposed to be relaxing. But clearly his friend didn’t want to drop the subject. “What’s the big deal?”

“Dude, you let yourself be blindfolded in a public space! Have you forgotten what kind of business we’re in? What if it had been an assassin instead?”

“Oh, that’s just ridiculous. We’re talking about Lucy’s company, and I trust their security measures because she has just as much to lose if a hit took place there.”

“Still, you should be more careful, at least take a bodyguard with you…”

Natsu’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. “And what, so they can watch the show? We got any voyeurs on the payroll? Cause I can’t think of anyone here who’d wanna see another guy getting his balls fondled!”

Gray ran a hand down his face. “So not the mental image I wanted. You’re missing the point.” He sighed. “Natsu you are the head of this clan, and your safety is my top priority.”

“I get it, I get it,” Natsu drawled.

“And frankly,” Gray continued, “you’ve become distracted by her lately.”

“Tch! No, I haven’t!”

“Yeah, you are. You think I haven’t noticed? I know you drive by her place sometimes. I know you’ve followed her to that coffee shop she likes to frequent. But ever since her employee was robbed, things have escalated again.”

“You’re imagining things and apparently spying on me. I’m just keeping an eye on the competition.”

“Watching over you is my job! That’s not spying.” Gray crossed his arms. “And oh, it’s no doubt that you’re keeping an eye on her. That’s why you went to Katsunuma’s party and to soapland too. The problem is you’re getting sloppy and sloppy gets people killed.”

Natsu groaned. “Are you done yet? We’re supposed to be enjoying the baseball game, not psychoanalyzing my life.”

“Almost.” Gray placed a hand on his friends’ knee and leaned in. “Natsu, you’ve been chasing that tail since high school, just lock her down and convince her to work together already.”

Natsu snorted a laugh. “Gray we all grew up together, so what in all these years makes you think that’s a possibility? You know damn well Lucy’s not a woman you can control without her consent.” Natsu knew that, and frankly he loved that part of her. In fact, it made him even more fired up whenever he thought about it, just like a treasure you don’t just find but must win at the end of a game. “I’ll find a way, some day.”

“Well until that day arrives, could you promise me you’ll be more cautious?”

“Fine, fine,” Natsu waved his hand. “I’ll back off of Lucy for now.”

“Good.” Gray relaxed back onto his recliner thinking the drama was over.

“However, there is a new guy I want surveillance placed on.”

“Who?”

“The bartender from the party.”

Gray groaned. “Seriously? Why? He’s just a bartender!”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Was he spiking the drinks or something? Dealing drugs at the party?”

“Maybe.”

Gray huffed. “You really gonna try that? Do I look like an idiot? This is just straight jealousy talking.”

“I don’t care! I want someone to dig up what they can on the guy!”

“No, what you wanna know is if he fucked Lucy that night!”

Natsu jumped up with his fists clenched. “Fuck you!”

“Fuck you too!” Gray stood up and matched his boss’s energy. “Unless you give me a damn good reason to check into him, I’m not wasting my guy’s time! You might be the boss, but don’t you fucking forget who you’re talking to! I’m not some punk off the streets!”

Realizing he was taking things too far, Natsu sat back down. “Sorry.”

Gray sighed and plopped back down too. “I only joined because you asked me to and you’re my best friend, then I helped you build this new empire, so I’m just as invested in protecting it as you are. But Natsu, personal emotions have led to the downfall of many in this business, and as a friend, I’ll check you any time I think you’re going to far.”

“You’re right…” Natsu sighed too. “She just gets me so worked up.”

“Don’t I know it,” Gray laughed, but stopped when Natsu glared at him. “Sorry, it slipped out.”

“But I swear, there’s something suspicious about him. When he saw me, I thought he just reacted because he thought I was Lucy’s boyfriend or something, but the more I think about it, he might have recognized me.”

“Well, that wouldn’t necessarily be suspicious either.”

“True. But the look in his eyes just made me wonder.”

“Alright…” Gray groaned, “if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll have someone do some digging. So, you said he has orange hair and glasses, and the name on his tag was Loke?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s an unusual name, shouldn’t be too hard to check on.”

Over the course of a couple of weeks, Gray sent out feelers for any information on this Loke guy. Katsunuma junior gave them their first small lead that the bartender had worked the party through a local food catering company. That catering company was a legitimate business who had both full-time staff as well as independent contractors brought in per event as needed. Loke had been one of the latter. From there Gray obtained a last name, de Lioncourt.

According to his sources at the local precinct, Loke de Lioncourt had no rap sheet, no prior dealings with police, and for all they knew was an average citizen. The man’s Line blog profile listed him as a 28-year-old, Japanese/French American, model and bartender, and it was filled with pictures from events, parties, as well as many gorgeous women— none of which contained Lucy. But as Gray trolled through the man’s feed, he did come across one person he recognized and passed the information along to Natsu.

“Wow, she’s in a bunch of photos,” Natsu mumbled as he scrolled through the blog.

“Well, considering Cana’s reputation are you surprised. Parties and alcohol are the two things that woman lives for.” Gray laughed. “Now see, this makes sense to me. Lucy and him, not so much.”

“Tch… still pisses me off he even tried.”

“Lucy’s a free woman, she can go out with whoever she wants to.”

“We’ll see about that,” Natsu mumbled low.

“What was that?” Gray asked with a raised brow.

“Nothing.”

“Better be nothing, cause this is a dead end. He’s just a flirty bartender. It’s how they make tips.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine.” Natsu sat back in his chair. “So, back to business. What this I heard about some missing stock?”

“Oh, right. One of the warehouse clerks noticed a shortage, but when I checked with Yura, he said the books were fine. I had him show it to me, and it appears the numbers were just inverted by accident. So, instead of 185 kilos, it’s supposed to be 158 kilos.”

“Did you talk to the clerk again? Does he have any history of messing up like this?”

“Nah, he’s one of our better clerks.”

“Just keep an eye on it.”

“Sure thing, boss. By the way, have you seen Gajeel today?” Gray questioned. “I haven’t seen him.”

“He called me this morning said he wasn’t feeling well, thinks he ate something bad for dinner last night.”

“Tch, seriously? Thought he had an iron stomach?”

Natsu shrugged. “Must’a been some bad sushi or something. We ain’t got much happening today, so it’s fine. Anything else? I got some stuff I need to finish.”

Gray tapped his chin. “Just a reminder you have an appointment with our tech guy dropping by later this week to go over some upgrades on the system.”

“Like I’m supposed to know anything about that stuff, it’s what I pay him for.”

“You still gotta approve it,” Gray shrugged and took his leave.

Once the man was completely out of the office, Natsu opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a nondescript box he’d hidden inside. He grinned to himself. It was time to make another special delivery. Even though he’d told Gray he was backing off the whole Lucy and Loke subject, there was no way he was gonna let it slide. Natsu didn’t care if the man seemed legit, and he wasn’t the first nor would probably be the last that he’d eventually scared away. And besides, being a Yakuza boss had a lot of down times too, easily filled with having a little fun.

Today’s little care package was being sent to Lucy by a courier service and Natsu just had to drop it off to the delivery company. Just a normal company like Kuroneko Yamato so it wouldn’t rouse too many suspicions. It was turning into a fun game for him just coming up with ideas of what he could do to rile Lucy up or irritate this Loke guy. Natsu chuckled to himself. So far, his favorite prank was a box of small sized condoms and a bottle of enhancement pills that he’d had delivered to Loke while on the job at another party. He’d even snuck in to watch it delivered, gaining a good laugh when the man took a peek in the box and frowned at its contents.

It was childish, but Natsu didn’t care. Every day for two weeks now, something new was sent to Loke. Random gifts like children’s candy to a toy gun, a big bottle of lubricant wrapped in a bow, a week’s worth of meals sent for lunch one day, even an empty box with rocks inside it just to drive the man crazy wondering who in the world was sending them. Lucy too wasn’t immune to his pranks, though hers had a different feel to them. Flowers with no note attached. Tickets to a canceled show he made up. A supposed dinner invite from Loke that wasn’t real— okay that was to test her, but she didn’t fall for it. And today’s little care package fit right into his prank scheme.

Natsu dropped off the package at a Kuroneko Yamato office with the address instructions already filled out and paid the company’s employee extra to keep their mouths shut. ‘She’s gonna kill me one day,’ he laughed to himself as he rode back to his office. ‘If it’s suffocation by her boobs it wouldn’t be a bad way to go!’

“Anymore stops sir?” The driver asked Natsu.

“Nope. Back to the office.”

He looked at his watch. The package should be arriving at Lucy’s office within the hour. Give or take another to open it, and by 4pm he would be receiving another phone call. Maybe he won’t answer it. Oh, that would piss her off even more! ‘Well, if she’d just take the hint...’

The afternoon was supposed to be mellow at headquarters that day. No shipments, and no appointments. But when Natsu got back, another general in the organization named Jellal Fernandez came to his office to inform him of a problem. One of the new local restaurants in their territory was refusing to cooperate and he wanted to know how Natsu wanted it handled. They were right in the middle of discussing it, when Natsu’s office door flew open with a loud bang!

In stomped Lucy who immediately threw a box at his head, causing Natsu to duck and Jellal to pull his gun.

“Don’t!” Natsu screamed at his general and motioned for him to stand down, to which the man complied. “Do you have a death wish Lucy!”

“Get. Out.” She snapped at the general. “Get out! This is between me and your boss!”

Jellal looked to Natsu, who nodded his head to scram. “I got this, don’t worry.” The man holstered his gun and left, but Natsu could see he’d stayed right outside of the now closed door.

“I take it you didn’t like the gift,” Natsu pretended to stay calm.

“Gee, me throwing it at you give you that impression? I know it’s you sending all these damn deliveries to me and Loke. That needs to stop now!”

He crossed his arms and scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Play dumb all you want. Just stop! Why are you even doing this?!”

“Take a guess,” he sneered back.

“I could’ve sworn we were adults now, but apparently I’m the only one who grew up. Stay out of my love life Natsu!”

“So, you admit you’re sleeping with the guy!”

“That’s none of your damn business! I can fuck whoever I want!”

“Not as long as I’m alive,” Natsu growled back.

Lucy crossed her arms. “That could be arranged.”

“Is that a threat?!”

“Yes! If you don’t stay out of my love life!”

“A woman shouldn’t be sleepi—”

“Don’t you finish that sentence!” Lucy grabbed a stapler that was within reach and chucked it at Natsu’s head. “Stop trying to control me!”

“Are you crazy?!”

At that moment, Gray barged into the room. He’d heard the screaming from the other side of the office, and when he got close enough to see Jellal standing outside the door, he became alarmed. Why would a general leave Natsu vulnerable! The man told him their boss told him to leave, but as the sounds inside escalated, Gray couldn’t wait anymore.

“Stop it!!” Gray got between them. “What are you two doing! Lucy you shouldn’t be here!”

“Then tell your damn boss to leave me the fuck alone!” Lucy spat back. “Ask him how he’s been harassing Loke and me!”

Gray turned to his boss with a groan. “Natsu, we talked about this!”

“Tell Gray what you been doing!” Lucy pressed. “Show him the stupid packages you send!”

“What packages?” Gray looked to Lucy, then repeated the question as he stared at his boss. “What packages?”

“Tch,” Natsu crossed his arms, “it’s not even that bad.”

Lucy stomped over to where the box fell and picked it up, pulling the contents out. “Bullshit!” She snapped as she held up a very racy, red nightie with flame prints, a pair of fluffy handcuffs, and a large dildo. “See this shit?!” Lucy shook the floppy latex toy at Gray before chucking it to the ground again. “He includes messages too,” then handed the man a folded piece of paper.

Gray read it aloud, “to make up for what playboy lacks. Had it custom made to my size wink wink. Ugh, seriously man,” he tossed the letter.

Natsu shrugged. “I was just having fun.”

“This is the yakuza, not a daycare!” Gray snaps. “I’m not here to babysit the boss so he stops harassing the competition! There’s more important business to worry about!”

“That’s right listen to Gray,” Lucy sneered.

Gray turned to her. “Oh, you ain’t innocent either, so don’t even try it. You both do things to purposely rile the other up and get mad when there’s consequences. Stop it!” He looked back and forth between the two. “Just stop it already!”

Natsu and Lucy looked away from the man with scowls on their faces. Neither wanted to admit he was right.

“Jellal,” Gray called out. When the man entered, he instructed him to escort Lucy out of there. “Next time, just call me instead. It’s best you two just stay away from each other. Got it?!”

“Yeah,” Lucy grumped.

“Got it?!” Gray questioned his boss.

“Yeah,” Natsu mumbled.

“Fucking like high school,” Gray ran a hand down his face in irritation. “You two need therapy.”

[andysbubba]

home office

request: hey can you do a Bucky x Reader were the reader is a teacher and they are taking a conference call but Bucky is horny so Bucky decides to fuck her while shes on the phone and tells her if shes quiet and doesn't moan on the whole then she'll get to cum after the call

first ever request and first ever smut (and first bucky barnes fic too 😳😳😳)

warnings: cockwarming / sex w/o protection

𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

—

Bucky has been doing his own thing the whole morning. You didn’t really have a problem with that since you had Zoom lessons almost the whole morning too.

You teach a bunch of teens at the high school just about a 15 minutes walk from your home with Bucky. But due to the whole Covid-19 crap, all classes have been shifted online and you only had Zoom and whatever other sites there are on the internet to help you keep in touch with your students.

“Alright, teens. I just sent out the notes for Outbreak of War in Europe yesterday night.” You swiped through the faces on the screen of your Macbook. “Jesus. What the hell were you all doing last night?”

You just got whines in reply. You had a bond with your students. You were one of the younger teachers in the school so it was easy for you to talk and bond with the teens. Not forgetting that they were also an extremely easy bunch to deal with.

You roll your eyes at your students. “Fine. 15 minutes break.” You glanced down at the watch on your wrist. “Freshen up, make some coffee or something. And then I expect 100% attention when all of you get back. And then a Kahoot quiz since that always wake you people up.”

“You’re the best, Mrs Barnes!”

You chuckled lightly, “I know, I know. Now shoo. See you in 15.”

You turned off the camera and mic on your Macbook, before standing up to stretch. You had 15 minutes to look for Bucky... and make some coffee.

Hey. Teachers stay up late too.

Just as you were about to leave you home office, there was a knock on the door. Just a second or two after, the door opens and Bucky peeks in before he fully enters.

“Hey doll,” He grins at you, walking towards you with a mug of coffee in hand.

“You’re an angel, Mr Barnes.” You blissfully smile at him as he passes you the mug.

He hums and wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you into his chest. “Are you done yet?”

You set the mug on the table behind you before turning back to him and wrapping your arms around his neck. “Nope. 15 minutes break and then I’ll only end at 2.30.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” You went on your tiptoes and leaned in to kiss Bucky.

“I have to wait one full hour before I get to fuck that cunt again?” Bucky raises an eyebrow at you.

You glare at him before harshly slapping him on his chest. “Buck!”

“What?” He asks innocently. “You’re not gonna make me wait, are you, honey?” His hand tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. The other was on your hip, trailing under your blouse and then tracing circles on your bare skin.

“Bucky,” You sternly said. Though you were very sure it had no impact on him.

“I think you’re forgetting whose cunt this is.” His hand trails to your jaw and tilts your chin up to look at him. “Did you forget?”

“No...” You look up at him, knowing damn well that if you deny him this time round, he’s gonna make the next few days a living hell for you.

“Good girl. Keep my cock warm. I’ll let you cum when your class ends if you’re good.” He slides his hand under your skirt and immediately felt your bare pussy. The smirk on his face grows wider. “You didn’t even wear panties, huh? Were you expecting me to do this?”

You cling on to his shoulders as the tip of his finger caressed your clit. “Buck,”

“I got you, little one.” His arm wrapped tightly around your waist to hold you up. His metal arm was the one under your skirt. He brings his finger up and brought it close to your mouth. “You’re so fucking wet already, love. Bet you’ll fit just nice around my cock, won’t you?”

You whimper weakly as he sticks his metal fingers in your mouth, before pulling it out. The metal glistening with your saliva before he slides back under your skirt and slips his fingers into your opening. You whimper loudly at the feeling of the cold metal.

“Bucky, please.”

“I’ll take care of you, pretty girl. Later.” He pulls his fingers out of your pussy. The emptiness leaving your pussy gaping for more.

He strides to your office chair, dragging you behind him. He sits first, only pulling the waistband of his sweatpants past his cock. He was already hard. Jesus.

He gestures for you to sit on him. With staggered steps, you set yourself on him, only his tip going past you before he completely loses his patience and gripped your waist. He pulled you down fully onto his cock, not giving you a little time to adjust to his size. Bucky was thick. And adequately long. And god, does he fill you.

You yelp loudly, earning yourself a slap on your clit. You flinch when he grips at your jaw and whispered harshly into your ear. “None of those noises. You don’t want them to know what a whore Mrs Barnes is, do you?”

You took deep breaths before your hand moved to the cursor. His hands stopped your wrist. “Remember. Camera off and stay still.”

He lets go of you when he made his point clear. You shakily clicked the unmute button.

“A-alright everyone. Come back. S-sorry guys. My camera c-can’t seem to work. But I’ll still share the slides.” The fullness in you was something else. Something you can’t truly explain. It really was disrupting the way you think.

Bucky was calm and nonchalant behind you. (Like he doesn’t have his fucking cock stuck in you while you’re teaching a bunch of kids about how World War 2 started) Fucks sake, he even took out his phone and started playing candy crush.

“Invasion of Poland.” You speak out. “Someone tell me when that happened.”

“First September 1939.”

You chocked as Bucky’s cock twitched in you. “Thanks, Edward.”

“Are you okay, Mrs Barnes?”

“I’m good, Peter. Dry throat.”

“Now, when did Britain and France declare war on Germany?”

“Third September 1939, Mrs Barnes.”

“Great! Thanks Hannah.” You slightly rolled your shoulder, that only caused you to slightly shift around Bucky. You covered your almost moan with a cough.

Bucky barely glanced at you because of it.

“Now, there are three factors leading to the Germany’s invasion of Poland and then the eventual declaration of war by British and France.” You cleared your throat when Bucky’s left hand lands on your thigh. “One is the Weakness of the League of Nations, followed by Hitler’s expansionistic policy and lastly the Policy of Appeasement.”

You stifled in another moan when Bucky slides one hand under your blouse and rubbed your stomach with his metal palm.

-

“Good job, everyone. And seriously, stop sleeping so late.” You chided.

Bucky hasn’t been easy on you for the past hour. His hand was on your inner thigh and then it grazed over your clit. And then he purposely sat up, and his cock shifted inside you, hitting your cervix.

You had to use everything in you to hold in a loud whimper.

“Thank you, Mrs Barnes.”

“Have a good day, Mrs Barnes.”

“Bye everyone.” You clicked ‘end meeting’ at the top of the screen and then you were leaning back against Bucky and relaxing against him.

You sighed loudly, relieved that you got through the whole thing without slipping up.

“Up and over the desk.”

You whine into his neck.

“Either that or I fuck you against the wall. I won’t go easy on you either way, Y/N.”

You struggled to stand up, your pussy a little sore from being stretched for the past hour. You shut your Macbook, pushing it aside and bending over your work desk.

Your ass was probably on the same level as Bucky’s face.

“Good girl.”

He unzips your skirt and pulled it down. Your bare ass now presented to him. He stands up behind you and wrapped his hands around the fabric of your blouse before he completely rips it apart.

You gasp in shock.

He laughs humorlessly when he noticed you weren’t wearing a bra either. He pressed your face into the cold glass of your desk. His other hand trailing down your spine and left shivers all around your back.

“If I truly did fuck you in class earlier on, you would be all for it wouldn’t you?” He teases, his cock was trailing on your pussy lips. “You’re lucky I had a little patience left.”

“Please, Bucky.”

“Beg, Y/N.”

“Please, please, please. Fuck me please. Need your cock so bad, Buck. Feel so fucking empty without your cock.” Your ass grinds back against his cock.

He thrusts into you immediately. Hands gripping tightly at your waists and his metal arm leaving bruises on your hips.

Bucky was so fucking deep in you. 3 years of marriage and yet you could never get used to Bucky’s cock. He was always so big and made you feel so full.

The drag of his cock against the walls of your pussy felt like a dream. All the pent up tension from before was all in how hard he fucked you. Like a man starved.

“Fuck. You already clenching around me, honey. You gonna cum already?” One hand moved into your hair and pulled your upper body up from the desk and into his chest.

“Know how hot is it when you talk all smart like some genius? How you have all that information stored in your brain when I can’t even remember what I ate yesterday?” He pants into your ear.

You moan helplessly as his thrusts sped up. “Buck, Buck, Buck.” You chanted his name like a prayer.

“I got you, little one. Cum around my cock.” Bucky groans as he keeps up his pace.

Your eyes roll to the back of your head as your head rests on Bucky’s shoulder. His metal hand pinched and rubbed at your clit. “Cum.”

You let go with a loud moan, spilling around him uncontrollably.

He pulls out of you and laid you on your back. One of your legs was on his shoulder before he started thrusting you again and chasing his own high.

Bucky kept the same pace as before, his pelvis hitting your clit and that same spot everytime he thrusts deeply. Your one leg was wrapped around his waist pulling him in.

“Such a good girl for me.” He leans down and kisses you, open mouthed and all tongues. “Fuck, baby. I’m gonna cum.”

You felt his cock twitch before he completely stills inside you and let go. A warmth fills you as he spills his seepd in you. “Shit, Y/N.”

He pulls out of you, settling on your office chair as you both pant.

“First and last, James. I don’t want to lose my job.”

“Yes ma’am. That was good, though.”

You got up on your elbows and pointedly look at him. “Every sex is good with you, Mr Barnes.”

“Sorry. I was hard and I couldn’t wait.”

You roll your eyes at him. “So you made me sit on your cock while you play candy crush?”

He chuckles lightly before kissing your inner thighs. “Don’t get sassy now, my wife. You know I’ll make it up to you, baby.”

[thewildwaffle]

This is my mom. If you've read my short story "Salted," this is who Garchi is based on.

When she was 7, she tried baking a cake all on her own. (In my story, it's a chocolate cake because chocolate being poisonous to aliens was an added layer of space orcs shenanigans. The one my mom made was a basic yellow cake or something.) She'd helped my grandma make them before, so she grabbed this old cookbook and got to work. Being 7, she didn't understand fractions. Thankfully, this particular recipe called for ingredients in whole measurements.

All except for salt, apparently.

My mom says she remembers being confused for a while and trying to figure out what 3/4 meant. It was the only thing that made her pause, so that's why she says she's pretty sure it's the reason salt was the only ingredient that turned out wrong. She decided it must mean 3+4 teaspoons of salt.

My grandad was the first one to come in from the fields. (Yes, my 7-year-old mother was baking in the home unsupervised. It was rural America in the 60s. Thems different times.) He'd been working hard and was hungry and the cake smelled great, so he cut himself a big ol' slice! Just like Vera in the story, he took a big bite, paused, ate the rest quickly, got a drink of water, and left to go back to work outside.

My mom tried a piece and spat it out. Same thing with my grandma and uncles when they tried some. Not even the dog would eat it.

I love this story. Obviously- I mean, I based one of my stories on it! Grandad was well-known in the small town we lived in for how active he was, the work he put into his yard and flowers, and how he went out of his way to make people laugh and tell jokes, or challenge people to race him on his mobility scooter when he rode it down the street to the post office. Grandkids loved his collection of joke books- And the candy stash that was never hidden all that well. He loved his family, especially my mother, who was his youngest child and only daughter. He proved that love in many instances, but my mom remembered that eaten slice of super-salty cake well enough to retell it time and time again to her own children. I like to think that he and my grandma, both of whom grew up during the Great Depression, watch over their still-living family and descendants and cheer us on as we try our best in a world that's changed so much.

You can read Salted here. I've also made an animatic of it.

[camslightstories]

Just because

Baby Danvers. Alex Danvers x reader, Kara Danvers x reader.

Notes: Hello!!! I’m so sorry, I could update before I wanted to make it as good as I could. I hope you guys like it! I would be uploading a few requests and parts this week, so be prepared for that i would call it a marathon if you could.

I will be so glad and honor to read your comments, requests, feedback, suggestions and more. Thank you so much for reading! Have a great day!

Request: Anonymous - “Can you do a Baby Danvers, where she becomes a vigilante and she fights alongside her sisters and the rest of Team Supergirl, Alex is a vigilante too. Then, after their last fight they have a sister's night” 

Taglist: @captain-josslett​ @aznblossom​ @multi-images

The mid-afternoon in National City was cold and unsettled on the day after Valentine’s day. Couples walked down the main streets of the city with smiles on their faces. While vigilantes and superheroes rounded the city.

Valentine's day has been as boring as always. Unlucky for you all of your relationships happened during the rest of the year and with that, you had never been with anyone during the holiday.

Last night, you had the same great company you had every year since Kara arrived to earth. The two of you stuffed your face with candy, pastries, pizza, and potstickers as you watched rom-com movies and sang to Taylor Swift. It could be called a sister's night but since Alex actually had a girlfriend and had things to do you guys didn't.

The day after valentine's, it would take the two of you a lot to get up. A day full of stomach aches for you while Kara was exhausted but perfectly fine.

Bank robberies, kidnappings, fires, and rogue aliens had been occupying all of your’s and your sisters' day. Snow covers your black boots as you come down off the motorcycle, seeing both of your sisters in a fully engaged fight with the white martian.

Moving your glance to find any civilians in danger, you find three kids under a truck trying to shield themselves from the fight. You ran to them, from the side of the road, as another white martian arrived at the scene. You kneeled under the truck, putting one of your hands out to help a little girl, who was clinging to her teddy bear shivering before urgently speaking. “Come on, little ones. Let's get you out all out of here”

The little girls and the boy started to crawl out of the car when you heard the scream of an older woman. Looking at your side, the white martian infrared was being thrown by supergirl to the other side of the street, your side of the street.

Quickly touching your watch a force shield protected the car when the white martian tried to land on it. Your head snapped immediately when you heard the strong voice of Supergirl. “I think that's enough for both of you!”

“Okay, come on. Let's get you to your parents” You said as the force field came down and both Alex and Kara were arresting both of the rogue aliens. The kids standing shivering as you spoke.

You walked to the worried parents giving them a small smile when the kids ran into their arms. It reminded you of when you were growing up, and after each game, or show you would run into your parents and your sisters' arms with a warm smile.

“You gotta be kidding me!” You exclaim, when one of the white Martians breaks the cuffs and throws your Kryptonian sister to a building. While Alex gave a tranquilizer to the other one.

You ran up to the alien and hit him with one of the laser guns Brainy had made for the tower. When the alien glared at you, you grabbed the bombs of light and smoke and threw one in his face before throwing a white cube to him, shrinking him.

You laughed when you saw Kara groaning as she touched her head, and Alex was infuriated because the now unconscious white martian had hit her in the face.

Both of their heads snapped to you, in their way to scold you since you aren't supposed to laugh in the job only to be stopped by the voice of J’onn in the comms. “We got a bar fight in M’gann’s, can you guys take that?”

“With pleasure papa bear,” You said as you winked to your sisters while getting into the motorcycle. Kara and Alex shaking their heads with a smile before you left.

------

You entered the bar, this time without a mask covering your face and your casual clothes.  The smell of beer and tobacco immediately hit you as you did. The low blimming-colored lights overwhelmed your sight as you entered. Two mixed groups of men, aliens, and humans, with their chest puffing out and glares on their faces. You walked closer when one of the humans threw the punch at another guy.

The moment you intervene in the fight by grabbing one of the guy’s fists. The other 4 looked at you as if you had three heads before laughing. You rolled your eyes before interfering. “Take it outside, or don't take anywhere”

“And who the hell are you to tell us, what to do?” The guys resisting taking his fist from your hand said, before you

“As my sister once said, I can be a real puppy or your worst nightmare in less than two seconds.” You grinned sarcastically before letting go and pointing to the door.

The tall guy groaned as he saw the red and purple in his hand. Immediately launching his other fist to your face, only for you to dodge it before exclaiming. “Didn't learn any morals as a kid?”

The brunette guy just kept trying to hit you, only landing two hits one in your chest and the other in your stomach. You kicked his leg, making him fall to the floor, and grabbed both of his hands, twisting one of them, not enough to break it but enough for it to hurt.

The two groups stood silent as you made the tall guy fall to his knees begging for you to stop. Each one of them looked scared enough as you made the tall muscled guy fall to his knees groaning in pain.

“We don't grab, hit, or even touch anyone, sweetheart” You stoop close, pressing with more force into your arm. Unknowing the two figures standing behind you, one with a frown and the other with a proud smile as you spoke.

You grinned sarcastically when you heard your blonde sister call your name. Making you step away with the classic Danvers smile, walking up to your sister giving Alex a high five, as Kara looked at both of you rolling her eyes “Y/N”

“Now, why don't you get out of here, before I show you out” You quickly adjusted your oversize jean jacket, before speaking. Changing your whole dementor from bad cop to good baby cop.

The two groups of guys left in a hurry without further to say or do. The moment the guys were out of the room, you felt a hand hit you on the back of your head. Scoffing, you turned around to find Alex with a proud slight smile, and Kara with a scolding face on.

You didn't need to ask who was the one to hit your head, you already knew. Without any hesitation, you clenched your hand and fit your oldest sister in the shoulder making the blonde reporter huff in disagreement when you and Alex started to share punches.

Your blonde sister just claims before walking away. You and Alex look at each other before running after her, because of the threat. Not without giving each other slight punches and pushes in the way “If you guys don't stop and meet me at the Tower, I'm getting all of the potstickers tonight”

----

You walk inside of J’onn’s office to see the place as quiet as usual, putting your hand in the criminal justice book, making the blinds close and the Tower’s door open.

Kara and Alex were standing right next to J’onn or as you call him, papa bear or space dad. Nia and Lena were on the side of a medical table as Lena made adjustments to Dreamers suit and Brainy was invested in a slang book you had given him for New Year’s.

You made your presence known as you put a big take-out bag on the table as you claimed. The smell of Chinese food evaded the air. “Thought, you guys would need a little fuel if we are working tonight”

“Thank you, Y/N,”  J’onn said with a smile as you gave him a side hug.

“You are very welcome, space dad” You res[onded as the two of you pulled away, to see both of your sisters with challenging looks.

Your blonde sister said as she crossed her arms over the chest and looked at you with a serious expression. “Did you really have to embarrass the poor guy? He was trembling”

“I didn't have to, but I wanted to. He was the proper description of a frat boy” You claimed, shrugging your shoulders as you walked closer to them with a satisfied smirk on your face.

“You dated one-” Alex started giving you a look of challenge.

You responded as you held your hands up, making Alex laugh. “Yeah, before having my incredible awakening of good dating taste”

“Next time just keep it a 3” Kara said to you before cleaning her glass with her shirt as she gave you a known look of protection.

“Nixt timi jist kiip it a 3” You murmured, making your blonde older sister glare daggers at you. Alex shocked her head at both of your tactics and grabbed you by the hood of your hoodie, as Kara took her tongue out to you and you did the same.

“We are going to go before Kara and Y/N get hangry. Call if there is an emergency” She exclaimed before letting you go, as the three of you walked out of the office with your civilians' clothes.

------

The three of you were sitting in Kara’s apartment, bags and boxes of takeout surrounding you guys, as you ate potstickers, pizza, wings, and ice cream. Laughs and giggles filled the ears in the room. The smell of fast greasy, and sweet food evaded your noses.

Kara at your right side and Alex in front of you. The three of you comfortably sharing on sisters' night. With comfortable and baggy close you snuggle closer to the multitude of pillows behind you as Alex debated what had happened not long ago.“I can't believe he didn't say anything to you! If that were us, he would have our heads for good”

“I’m baby Danvers, Al. Nobody can say no to me” You said as you grabbed another slice of pepperoni pizza. A smug smile on your face as you did.

“You little shit-” Alex started before going to tickle you, only to be stopped by the sound of Kara’s question.

“Can we watch The Princess diaries?” Kara asked with a pout on her face. You jumped out of your seat agreeing with the blonde, as Alex sighed deeply and agreed abruptly faking it.

Kara and you knew better, she would enjoy it as much as the two of you. Sure, Y/F/M was your favorite movie but The Princess Diaries was a classic during your childhood even when Alex and Kara had left in a hurry to college, you kept watching it as a reminder of them.

Before the redhead could respond, Kara and you grabbed the M&M’s bag and the pillows and started to throw her the things as the two of you laughed, while your oldest sister tried to not get hit by the things you guys were throwing.

You guys didn't stop until the redhead admitted she had a special place in her heart for ‘The Princess Diaries’ saga. The three of you laughed before sitting to clean the things you had thrown. In a moment Kara speeded to the kitchen and came back with the s’mores she had prepared a few seconds before.

The chocolate dripping from the cookie and the perfectly smashed marshmallow, made your stomach grumble. You looked at Kara and Alex with a shy smile before speaking up with an idea. “How many of those do you think can fit in my mouth?”

“Five” Kara shot her head up before quickly responding.

As Alex did the same but questioning your actions. “Why?”

“Just because…” You started with a pouty face, looking like a kicked puppy at Alex.

“Two, before you start gagging” After grumbling and scolding you, she claimed to be rolling her eyes as she kept drinking from the wine cup.

You gave her a challenging look before diving in, the first one was the easiest. The third and fourth ones became a little complicated as your mouth lost the majority of space, the fifth one gave you chills as it entered your mouth. You looked up and smiled watching as Alex records you on her phone with a disapproving face but a small smile behind it.

After eating half of them and throwing up the other half, Kara hugged you tightly as she spun you around making you giggle as she did. The blonde tickled you into the couch where you fell and grabbed a pillow throwing it at her.

The three of you shared a small moment with smiles on your faces, warmness spread to your chest as the three of you shared a small ‘I love you’

Kara put the movie through and the three of you were snuggling together on her couch, still sharing the food you had ordered, and every once in a while a small joke during it.

Kara held you close to her chest as you started to fall asleep after the middle of the first movie. You heard the blonde and the redhead slightly talking as you fell into unconsciousness. Both of your sisters gave you a forehead kiss, before Kara pulled you up, taking you to her bed and covering you in the blankets.

Small smiles on their faces, when the two of them saw you hug the pillow at your left side just like you did when you were a kid. The blanket covering you completely, only leaving you outside your head. Your soft grumbles made them laugh before they looked at each other. Alex speaking up first “Y/N is always going to be our baby, Danvers”

“Yeap, always and forever” Kara responded nodding, hugging the redhead with a smile.

And they were right, you had always been and always would be their baby sibling. The three of you came in a package and it was never going to change. Neither their protectiveness of you and the annoyance they transmit to you every single day. But you were fine with that, there were pros and cons of being a family and for you, your family had always been the best one, and that was never going to change.

[clareguilty]

Food for the Heart

My first July commission fic! Thanku to Chip for helping look things over <3 Soldier 76 & Reaper & Jesse McCree & F!Reader Rating: General | Pre-Fall of Overwatch, fluff Word Count: ~3500

Sometimes -- if you thought about it -- the fact that you had some of the highest security clearance in the entirety of the UN, as well as several major militaries, could make your palms sweat and your heart pound. Imposter syndrome sure was a bitch.

You would look out on all of the heroes and saviors and geniuses of the world, unsure of how you managed to fit in and even sit at the same table as Director Petras and Strike Commander Morrison himself.

People wouldn’t stop in the halls to salute you or turn to you for input. Many of your colleagues didn’t even seem to know your name. You were nothing but background to them, just the hand that delivered documents or typed along to broadcasts. It was enough to trick you into believing you didn’t belong.

But there was a reason you were sat at the table with the most influential people in the world. There was a reason that your office was in the same wing as the other heroes of Overwatch. And you had earned your place there -- a fact you had to remind yourself of over and over again as Commander Reyes and Commander Morrison swept by your desk every morning or as Captain Amari chatted with Lieutenant Wilhelm within earshot of your workspace. Occasionally, you would even come back from lunch to find that a cowboy and a ninja had commandeered your desktop and your office chair, respectively.

You were invisible to them. Silent and unassuming. Blending in so seamlessly to the environment that they didn’t seem to notice you were there -- which is how you heard everything. Listening was your job, after all. You were a linguist, responsible for interpreting and translating any documents or meetings or broadcasts that passed through the upper command chain. You had access to the highest security channels, writing down field notes and debriefs for anyone on base who needed them.

Fluent in 14 human languages and 3 Omnic communication systems, you were one of the most valuable assets Overwatch had. Your work during the crisis had earned you a rank and pension that looked like a mistake on all your paperwork. Surely someone as plain as you couldn’t be that powerful?

And the work hadn’t finished after the crisis. You had been swept along into the ranks and shipped off to Zurich to spend your days listening to every piece of information that needed your ears.

And you heard everything.

You heard Captain Amari talking about her daughter and Lieutenant Wilhelm lamenting his losses on the battlefield, Jesse McCree joking and ribbing with Agent Shimada, who barely ever responded when you were within earshot. You overheard Strike Commander Morrison laughing with his friends and hurling orders and sighing over paperwork, Commander Reyes growling and grumbling and occasionally giving a full-bellied laugh when someone made a fool of themselves.

But no one ever seemed to speak directly to you unless they were requesting something or saying thank you. Your days were spent surrounded by people who would lay down their lives for one another but didn’t even seem to notice as you came and went.

It was certainly lonely, being in an unfamiliar country on a foreign base, working long hours in the fruitless business of world peace. You would return to your tiny apartment in the evenings -- luxurious, but small -- and try and make the most of your life of prestige and success and heroism. You had made the space cozy and perfect since you found yourself with more money than you knew what to do with. Your family had retired to one of the nicest homes you could buy them, and you still couldn’t get rid of the stuff.

So you spent your evenings cooking and baking exquisite dishes with expensive ingredients. You had gotten rather good at it. Any time someone on base mentioned a dish that they liked, you made sure to jot it down for later. Every night you indulged in food from all over the world that you had made with your own two hands.

But you found yourself with a lot of leftovers.

You were all alone in Zurich, with just a few friends in other parts of the organization that you only got to see when the stars were perfectly aligned. There was no way you could eat all this food.

So you started leaving gifts for the high command.

Strike Commander Morrison was the one who had given you the idea to make the pie in the first place. He had complained about how much he missed the sweet from his hometown, and you had found a recipe that sounded like what he described.

You wrapped a few slices up as nicely as you could and slipped them onto his desk just before he came in one morning.

The only thing you hadn’t counted on was just how invisible you truly were.

Commander Morrison made a sound of surprise when he saw the sparkling clear wrapping paper and curled ribbons. He poked his head out of his office and glanced around. No one else had come in yet, and you were already hard at work transcribing some Omnic signals that had been intercepted.

He asked Captain Amari about it when she arrived a few minutes later.

“You can’t trust random packages that appear on your desk, Jack. You should have reported a security breach immediately. Where is it? We’ll have to send it down for examination.”

Commander Morrison looked sheepish. “I ate them already.”

Captain Amari whacked him upside the head.

“I skipped breakfast!” he whined. “And it was absolutely delicious. It tasted just like home.”

Hearing those words was enough. You didn’t care that the Strike Commander was a fool who didn’t seem to notice your presence. He had enjoyed your treat, and that was all the reward you needed.

You continued to leave sweets for the high command whenever you could. You were sure at some point they would realize it was you, but they never said anything.

Cookies. Sweet breads. Cakes. Candied fruits. Pastries. You were improving as a baker at an alarming rate, considering you had nothing to do in your free time but replicate the recipes all the soldiers on base missed from back home.

The Strike Commander, Lieutenant Wilhelm, and Agent McCree were the most shameless about indulging in your gifts. The other captains and officers partook as well. You had never even seen Agent Shimada eat, though he would gently wrap a small portion to take back to his quarters, and Torbjorn would always wrinkle his nose and scoff at the sweets, but you didn’t miss him slipping a few into his pockets for later.

Despite how much you were making and sharing, there was one person whom you never got the chance to cook for. Everyone else had mentioned a dessert offhand at some point or another, only to find the exact treat waiting for them the next day. Even Agent Shimada had mentioned a fluffy cheesecake once, though he took his portion back to his quarters to eat it. Only one person eluded your gifts, and you were patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike.

You were up to your neck in transcriptions when you finally got your chance. Something you could cook for Commander Reyes.

It was just him, Agent McCree, and the Strike Commander. You were tucked away at your desk as always, invisible to everyone but listening attentively.

“Can’t believe I was in Mexico for a week and spent the whole time camped out in the jungle. I would have killed somebody for a good churro.” Commander Reyes grumbled.

“You did kill people, boss. A lot of people.” Agent McCree had his boots on the table and was grinning around an unlit cigarillo.

“You watch your mouth,” the commander snapped, but his shoulders shook with laughter.

Churros. Authentic Mexican churros. You could certainly do your best to make some and leave them for the Blackwatch commander.

It only took a few tries to get them how you wanted them, and you strolled into the high command offices the following day with a beautifully wrapped box.

Commander Reyes didn’t have a desk in the command wing, but you knew he would be by early. You left the box on the same table Agent McCree was sitting at yesterday and got to work while you waited for everyone else to arrive.

Commander Morrison lit up in excitement when he saw the enormous box waiting on the table, but, after a peek inside, he realized who the sweets were for and didn’t take any. It would have been fine. You had made plenty enough for everyone.

Captain Amari wasn’t as enthusiastic as the Strike Commander, but she let her curiosity get the best of her and gently pried open the box as well. She smirked, and you could have sworn you saw her glance your way, but you were trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as you listened to a diplomatic summit presentation.

At last, Commander Reyes made his appearance. He didn’t hesitate to go straight for the box on the table, lifting the lid and inspecting the contents with an impassive expression. He was completely unreadable as you watched him out of the corner of your eye.

Delicately, he lifted one of the churros out of the box and took a bite. He chewed for a moment, brows furrowed. You wished he would say something. Instead, you saw the tension in his shoulders ease just a little, and you knew you had done an good job.

And that was the end of it -- so you thought. Commander Reyes shared the churros, and everyone else remarked that they were delicious. The rest of the day carried on as usual.

Until you found yourself alone again. Even when they were on base, it wasn’t uncommon for Commander Morrison and Captain Amari to spend most of the day away from their offices. But now, even the other captains and assistants were gone, and it was totally silent.

Commander Reyes strolled into the command wing with his hands in his pockets. You didn’t think anything of it until he came right up to your desk, taking a seat on the edge.

“They were delicious,” he said, watching you intently.

So he knew it was you. He had probably had known for a while. The Blackwatch commander rarely let anything slip by him.

“Thank you, Sir,” you answered, not able to look him in the eye. “When did you figure it out?”

“You made salted caramel cookies for McCree. Cheesecake for Shimada. I need to know who is eavesdropping on my agent’s conversations.”

You flinched at that. “I only had the best intentions.” You chewed your lip. “The gifts were meant to be harmless.”

Commander Reyes chuckled. “You sure harmed Jack’s diet. The man has a sweet tooth and no spine. Put a dessert in front of him, and he can’t say no.”

“He doesn’t need to be on a diet, anyway. You’re all built like Greek gods,” you rolled your eyes. Then the reality of what you had said set in, and you were panicking in your seat. Leaving treats for your superior officers was only mildly questionable. Ogling their physiques and daydreaming about their strong arms was far less appropriate.

“I mean no disrespect, Sir,” you started to ramble. “I spoke out of line, and it wasn’t my place to say anything. Please just forget I ever opened my mouth.”

Commander Reyes laughed again, fuller this time as he leaned back on your desk. “It’s clear you’ve heard everything said in this office. You think that’s going to get you in trouble?” He was right. Conversations among the officers were far from professional. You had heard your share of inappropriate comments and spicy stories.

You looked at your hands in your lap. This was overwhelming. You were so used to being invisible. Now, the commander was confronting you, watching you closely and chatting as if it was nothing. You weren’t sure you had ever exchanged casual conversation with the Blackwatch commander.

“Why do you hide?” he asked. “Leave everything in secret and never speak up? We all know by now, anyway.”

You didn’t really have an answer for him. Maybe you didn’t feel worthy? Maybe you were shy? Neither of those explanations felt quite right.

“I never meant to hide. When I made the pie for Commander Morrison, he didn’t even seem to consider that I could have been the one to leave it. I know I’m practically invisible around here, anyway.” You shrugged. No one paid attention to a quiet linguist. Your voice was only used to relay the messages of other people.

“You’re not invisible. Not to us. We see you every day. Maybe it’s time that you let us give you a gift, what do you say? We definitely should have shown our appreciation sooner.” Commander Reyes held out his hand, eyes kinder than you had ever seen.

“I don’t- What do you mean?” you asked.

Impatient as always, the commander simply grabbed your wrist and pulled you to your feet. “I’m the boss, so you’re coming with me.” He dragged you out of the offices and towards what you recognized to be the high command quarters. You couldn’t disobey a direct order from your superior, so you stumbled along as quickly as you could.

While your apartment was in a cute little residential building on the other end of base, the high command quarters were housed in a higher security building connected to the command center via a series of secure walkways. Reyes simply keyed in a code and ushered you across the glass skyway.

“Sir, I don’t believe I have clearance to access the command living quarters,” you tried to warn him.

“You have access as Jack’s guest.” He answered as if that would explain anything. Why would you be the Strike Commander’s guest?

Commander Reyes pulled to a stop in front of a door with a mailbox outside labeled 3001. He rapped his knuckles on the metal door, tapping his foot as there was the sound of scrambling inside, and the door slid open. Agent McCree was grinning on the other side.

“You came!” He stepped forward and pulled you into a bone-crushing hug, lifting you off the ground and setting you down inside what you assumed to be the Strike Commander’s quarters. “Jack and I were worried Gabe would scare you away.”

“He scared me, that’s for sure. What am I doing here?” You couldn’t keep yourself from looking around the apartment. It was nice, comfortable, with state-of-the-art appliances and plenty of space for more than one person. Much larger than your own apartment.

McCree looked offended. “You didn’t tell her anything? Did you just abduct her from her desk like some kind of madman?”

“No,” Gabe said at the exact same time you said, “Yes.”

The cowboy rolled his eyes. He took one of your hands in both of his and, with the most earnest expression, begged for your forgiveness. “The three of us wanted to say thank you for all the sweets you’ve been baking lately. Those churros were absolutely amazing, so we all pitched in to make dinner for you. Gabe was supposed to ask politely if you would join us. It would make my whole world if you did.”

You weren’t sure how you could say no to something so sweet. Agent McCree was certainly scruffy and rough around the edges at times, but you couldn’t deny he was a true gentleman, unlike his boss.

You nodded, and McCree pulled you in for another hug. “Atta girl! Jack should be back in just a moment. He had to borrow some stuff from Ana.”

Sure enough, the Strike Commander appeared just a moment late with an arm full of cookware and ingredients. He was dressed down to a faded t-shirt and his combat uniform pants with an apron. When he set everything down on the counter, you realized the apron was printed with the warning “hot stuff coming through,” and you couldn’t hide your snort of laughter.

“Ana got it for him as a gift. Jack has been our barbecue guy for the past five years now.” Reyes explained.

“I like it,” you grinned. “It’s accurate.”

You had never seen the Strike Commander blush. He fumbled with the container he was prying open. “Supper was supposed to be ready by the time you got here, but I don’t always keep cooking stuff here. We’ve got snacks and drinks, and Jesse will probably make you watch something terrible with him on the TV.”

You nodded. “Thank you for all of this, Sirs.”

“Woah, woah,” McCree held up his hands. “None of that shit around here. We do first names around here only, or embarrassing nicknames.”

You were extremely thankful for McCree- Jesse. He had a way of making you feel perfectly at ease even though you were so far out of your element. “Come on, I’m gonna show you some classic films while they cook.” He wrapped a hand around your waist and led you to the couch, flicking through the menu on the wall-sized screen. You had seen how much physical affection the high command shared, and you assumed it came from trust on the battlefield. But it seemed the comfort and intimacy extended to you as well.

“Do you need help in the kitchen?” You asked the Strike Commander.

“Absolutely not,” he winked at you. “You’ve cooked far too much for all of us, and it’s our turn to make it up to you. Your job is to keep Jesse out of the kitchen.”

The cowboy grinned at you. “They say I’m a hazard.”

You nodded. “I can see that.” Gathering all of your courage, you nestled into his side on the couch. He threw an arm around your shoulders easily and selected a movie. “What are we watching?”

“Seven Samurai. Genji showed it to me. Did you know that 1900’s cowboy movies and 1900’s samurai movies are like the same thing? He’s the only one who appreciates my Eastwood classics.”

Reyes chimed in from the kitchen. “For a bunch of assassins, it turns out my entire squadron is made up of nerds.”

“And you’re the Head Nerd. King of all Nerds.” Morrison knocked him with an elbow. “We’ve seen your Halloween costumes.”

Your eyebrows shot up. “Commander Reyes is a nerd?”

“Gabe,” Jesse corrected you, “is the biggest nerd of them all. He likes musicals.”

You were smiling widely now. You had been so lonely in Zurich, and now you were being included in teasing and movies and dinner with three of the most powerful men in Overwatch.

Comman- Gabe must have finished his part of the prep work because he sprawled out on the couch on your other side. It felt so nice to be sandwiched between them as the movie played. Jesse’s fingers absently played with your hair, and Gabe’s thigh pressed against your own.

Dinner didn’t take very long at all, and the four of you sat down at Jack’s dining table. There were casseroles, baked potatoes, roasted meat, and vegetables. You made sure to put a little bit of everything on your plate.

“I wasn’t sure what your favorites are, so we made a Morrison family dinner. A taste of the American Midwest.” Jack smiled sheepishly.

“It’s great!” you loved seeing this glimpse of the Strike Commander’s home.

“Next time, I’ll have to show you how we did it in LA,” Gabe was already digging in. “Jack’s Aunt Cindy is an excellent cook, but my sister knows how to make the best tamales.”

You were already putting together a menu based on what your family used to cook. It would be so much fun to treat them to the same meals you had grown up eating.

Jesse cocked his head. “I didn’t eat much as a kid that didn’t come out of a can or a box, but Ana has showed me how to make some things over the years. We’ll have to get her to cook one night.”

The implication that this was only the first of many more nights to come, your heart felt so warm and fuzzy. You tried to hide your blush as you ate.

After finishing dinner, you attempted to help wash up and found yourself forcibly removed from the kitchen by Gabe. “Stop trying to help and just let us treat you.”

And so you found yourself back snuggled up on the couch between them as the movie finished. They were so affectionate, pulling you against them and wrapping their arms around you. It felt natural. You had been working in the same office as them for years, hearing all of their conversations and watching them care for each other. Now, instead of an invisible bystander, you were a part of the family. But you had never truly been invisible. Clearly, everyone else had always considered you as one of them.

You must have dozed off at some point because Jack gently shook you awake. “Jesse can walk you back to your place,” he pushed a container of leftovers into your hand and wrapped you in a hug. “Don’t hide so much from now on, ok?”

You nodded. “Next time, you have to let me help cook.”

[themonotonysyndrome]

The Queen’s Lynchpin

We’re getting to part 3 of the ‘Successors of the Future”! This week has gone back to being hectic so I could only write this part here and there for only a few hours. Still, I’m happy that I could finally finish it. 

And we have the names of MC’s and Yandere!Malleus children as well as his second wife and the other prince! Any piece of info from @tri3tri Second Wife AU is always fun to read! With that said, I’ll be adding their names into the 2 previous oneshots after this is posted so it’s all align. If you want to know more about this AU, please drop by at @tri3tri blog. Their content and drabbles are amazing!

Lastly, I think it’s alright if I don’t add the link and summary of the previous oneshots of this series in every new piece. The intro is just gonna be super long otherwise. But if you guys think that a link and summary it’s a good, please let me know I’ll be sure to add them in. 

-

“Uh Mama? Have you been hearing... noises in the middle of the night?”

“You mean your sister talking to her mirror in her room in the dead of the night? Then yes, sweetie.”

MC smile, deeply amused, when her son let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s just her talking to Ren.” 

“I’ll tell her to keep it down if she’s talking to Renata at night, don’t worry.” MC assured him with a pat on his head. 

“Thanks, Mama. Say, do you have any plans for today?” Lucien’s sudden question was a little odd to MC. The three of them have been staying in the house - only going out for a grocery run - lately, and she didn’t have any plans to change it. 

“Not really. I was thinking to catch up with some leftover work from the office before Monday comes. Why? Do you want to go anywhere?” MC inquire curiously.

Lucien is quick to shake his head. “Oh, no, no. Umm... Mama, you often look so sad lately. We know that having Ren away at Twisted Wonderland has been hard on you, so I just thought maybe we could all do something to help make you feel better.” He explains with a bit of hesitance, wringing his hands. It’s clear to MC that this is one sensitive topic that he didn’t want to unintentionally hurt her with. 

MC couldn’t help but smile at how thoughtful her little one is. Really, all of her children can be rowdy in their own way but at the end of the day, she always noticed that they tried so hard not to make her worry. But as the parent, it’s her honour to protect her children - not the other way around. Which is why seeing the hesitant expression on Lucien’s face tugs her heart. 

“Oh, Luci. I didn’t mean to worry you and your sisters. It’s just that...” MC paused for a moment to think on how to properly express her feelings. “None of you has ever been separated from me. The issue with your father is one thing, but I can’t help but fret about your oldest sister. Is she eating well over there? Sleeping early on a school day? Oh, but then again, she does have a habit of waking up around 2 in the morning looking for a snack if she sleeps too early.” MC bit her lower lip, she should have told Renata during their last talk to keep some snacks in her room in case she gets hungry. 

Ever since Renata had first contacted Sherrie and taught her the communication runes and she in return, taught her and Lucien on how to draw them on any mirror in the house, they all have been talking to Renata through the large, hanging mirror in the living room every day. 

“We can ask her if she’s been waking up in the middle of night after our dinner, Mama.” Lucien assured their mother. He took her empty tea cup and pour some tea from the still hot pot and push the porcelain cup back to her. They were having tea and a light meal in the kitchen after he had woken up from his nap. 

Sherrie passed on their invitation since she’s too busy livestreaming her latest game in her room. From below, they could hear her muffled voice. 

MC took a sip and hums thoughtfully. “You’re right, Honey. I’ll be sure to do that. Anyway, you mentioned a family activity - what do you have in mind?” Perhaps a distraction is just what she needed to get her mind off Malleus and the inevitable danger he’ll bring. 

Lucien’s eyes brighten in delight. Happy that he could do something to cheer her up. 

“I found this recipe recently and I was hoping that we can all cook together? It’ll be fun I promise!” He pleaded. Among all her children, Lucien is the only one with the knack for cooking. Sherrie can make simple meals whenever she wants. 

Renata, however, needs to be supervised even if she wants to boil a pot of water. 

“Sure! I’d love to. So what’s this recipe you want to cook?” 

Much later when it’s almost dinner time and Sherrie wrapped up her livestream, MC and Lucien are already in the kitchen preparing to cook. Curiously, she glances at the list of ingredients and steps for dinner that was left on the kitchen counter and her eyes bugged out at what they were going to make. 

“I feel like there are things that mankind should never attempt lest the price be their sanity. And this? This is it!” Sherrie shrieked, flapping the flimsy paper incredulously at them. MC is preparing the dough while Lucien makes sure they got all the ingredients out and ready. 

“What? Boba pizza sounds delicious!” Lucien rebuke with a small frown. “And beside, you won’t know if you like them if you haven’t try.” 

Sherrie just slap her forehead at his words, as if she couldn’t believe this. “I know you’re pretty crazy for boba teas but this is ridiculous! Pizza dessert for dinner? Can’t we have something normal, Mama?” She pleaded their mother. 

MC toss her a playful smile as she rolls the dough. “Well honey, it does sound pretty exciting when you said it. Pizza dessert!” When Sherrie’s face scrunched up in disgust, she tries to coax her daughter, “Aww, c’mon, honey. Look, you can order a delivery for yourself but come have fun with us! I’ll even let you toss the dough if you want.” 

Sherrie folded after that. Honestly, making pizza - of any kind - is always messy process, but her children are having fun with smudges of powder on their faces and MC felt her heart lighten just hearing them laugh. Dinner might be unconventional tonight, but it was worth it to see Lucien enjoy eating his pizza and Sherrie reluctant admittance that it tasted alright, if a bit weird. 

Once the kitchen is all cleaned up and their stomachs full, they settled in the living room. MC and Lucien watched as Sherrie used her old, red lipstick to draw the runes on the mirror. The surface rippled once, sinking the runes and reveal Renata in her pyjamas beaming at them. 

“Good evening everyone! How are ya’ll doing?” 

“Hi sweetie. We just had dinner.” MC said, glad that her eldest daughter still looks healthy and happy. 

“You wouldn’t believe what we had for dinner.” Sherrie interjects dryly. The 3 of them are sitting on the couch with MC in the middle. “It’s so weird!”

“But you liked it!” Lucien countered with a smug grin before turning to his oldest sister. “We had boba pizza! It was amazing!”

“Boba pizza!? Nooo! I can’t believe you all ate them without me! I’ve been wanting to try them!” Renata whines. “I wish we can pass stuffs through the mirror. Wait - I might be able to do something about that actually.” She goes on to mutter about needing to bully the headmaster again.  

The family traded what they did during the day, Renata assuring them that yes, she had a storage full of snacks in her room and that her favourite lesson so far is Flying class. Once that’s out of the way, MC asked her daughter, “How are your assignments? Is Leona-senpai’s son helping you out?”

When Renata told them that her History’s assignment partner is none other than Leona’s son, MC was a bit worried if he carries his father prejudice against Malleus towards her daughter, but Renata assured her that other than his funny attempts at posturing and warning growls, Bakari Kingscholar has been nothing but civil and helping out with researching and editing their papers. 

“Yup! We’re nearly done with our homework and I think we’re friends now? He’s a bit of tsundere which makes teasing him so much fun!” Renata giggled. “You know, just today we decided to have lunch together after our assignment and when I went back to my room and check my bag, there was a candy bar inside. He must’ve slip it in when I told him that I snacked often.” 

Sherrie immediately drop her phone. She was mindlessly browsing through her Twitter account while they talked, but her attention perk like a hound dog. “Whoa, whoa wait - he bought you food when you told him that you eat often? Me thinks he might like you, dude.” 

MC’s eyes widen and Lucien gape. Could that be true!? 

But Renata just rolled her eyes. “Oh please, I think he was thanking me for not making him do all the work. You know those tough guy acts? Yeah, it’s nothing special.” 

Sherrie tilt her head, clearly not believing it, but keep it to herself for now. 

“Being the only girl in a school for boys must be tough.” Lucien mused sympathetically. “I’m glad that you have a friend with you, Ren.” 

“Well, Diasomnia students has mostly been friendly yet distant with me so far. Probably because of this,” Renata twirl her fingers beside her horns to emphasise her point. “But it’s cool. So far, no one tries to bully me or anything. And by the way, I’ve been staying out of trouble, Cherry. I haven’t even landed myself in detention so far.” She proudly announced. 

“Yet.” Sherrie snickers. 

Lucien frowns at her. “Ren has been working hard, Cherry. She’s been sticking to your plans, right? I seriously don’t think she will mess it up.” 

“Nah, it’s all cool Luci. I’ve mostly been blowing off steam during Magishift. It’s super fun! I wish you guys could play too.” Renata said and then proceed to explain to her siblings what Magishift is all about. 

That’s another thing that MC had picked up as Lucien grew up. Despite how close her daughters are, they do bickers as sisters tend to and Lucien usually act as the mediator and peacemaker between them when things get too heated. 

MC couldn’t help wonder if her sweet boy would ever be like this if he was raised in Malleus’ castle.

The family talked a little more until it was getting late. After bidding each other goodnight and MC telling her daughter to keep herself safe, she ushered Lucien and Sherrie to their bed and tucked herself in. 

That night, she dreamt of a past memory. However in her dream, all 3 of her children are laughing and free as they grow in her world. 

-

Now that Lucien thinks about it - he doesn’t really know what Sherrie plan is exactly. He’s aware that they’re doing their best to help Renata avoid being discover by their father as long as they can and Mama told her to make friends with the children of her old friends since they helped her out a lot during her school life in Night Raven College but other than that? He doesn’t know what they would do once father found out about their oldest sister. 

That particular though came back in his mind when he woke up from his sleep because he heard Sherrie giggling in her room. With blearily eyes, he checked the time on his phone and groan. 

It’s 3.15 in the morning. 

He push himself out of his warm bed with great difficulties and slowly padded towards Sherrie’s bedroom. 

He knocked twice and groan, “Sherrie? It’s seriously late. Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” 

“Shit, Luci-chan? Sorry, did I woke you up? You can come in if you want. The door is not locked.” 

With a tired grumbled, he swings open the door and zombie-walk to her sister who is sitting in front of her vanity table, talking to Renata. 

“Hey Luci! Sorry that we woke you up!” Renata apologised quickly, guilty that they’ve disturbed their little brother. “I was just reporting to Cherry that I found several hidden and unmarked paths that connects to father’s castle and to the outside world of the Valley of Thorns. I thought it might come in handy so I wanted to share it with her.” 

That sounds interesting to Lucien. He’s a little more awake now. “Did you use your spells to scout the area?”

“I sure did! Haven’t been caught by anyone or any bat so far.” 

“What... what does father’s castle look like?” Lucien couldn’t help but asked. It’s hard to believe that he and his family are actually royalty. That his Mama and sisters used to live in a castle. 

It’s still hard to accept that he’s actually a prince. 

“Gloomy.” Was Renata immediate reply. All her previous good humour vanishes and her hard glare surprises him. “We hardly get any sunshine because father controls the weather with his temper tantrums.”

“Not to mention that we had to live with basically strangers.” Sherrie added. “I never really feel comfortable around the castle’s staffs. Sure we got the family wing all to ourselves but we still had to deal with them.” Both Lucien and Renata understand her unspoken words: having to deal with judgemental strangers is difficult. 

“What are you going to do once father founds out you’re in Twisted Wonderland, Ren? Are you going to go hiding?” Lucien asked. 

It’s Sherrie who answered him, “No. We’re going to make sure that he can’t forcefully take Mama or any of us back to the castle. I just need a little more info and we can act once the 3 of us are in Twisted Wonderland.” She explains. 

“We suspect that once Cherry hits sixteen, the Ebony Carriage will also pick her up and by that time I’ll be in my second year as a student here. If that’s the case, we just need you here and then it’s the second phase.” Renata took over explaining here. “Rumours spread fast in Night Raven College, but it’s not going to reach to father. He’s in an isolated country. Well, not until he’s here.”

Lucien blink, now lost. “He? Who’s he?” 

“We have a halfbrother - Victor. He’s the same age as you, Luci-chan. Looks like father didn’t waste any time getting his second wife pregnant.” Sherrie said with a smile that honestly send cold shivers up his spine. It’s sweet with a poison laced underneath. Lucien seen this smile only once. A girl from school tried to blackmailed and bullied her into doing her biddings. 

He heard that the girl was transferred to another school in a different state soon after when news broke out that she was selling drugs with her boyfriend to the students. 

Lucien would like to believe that the incident had nothing to with his sister, but he’s seen what she does for Renata whenever she lost her homework or to the English Literature teacher that had an issue with her. 

So Lucien needed to asks this. “Are you... are you going to hurt him?” His voice is soft and careful. 

Through the mirror, Renata eyed Sherrie in which his second sister leans into her chair and relaxes. “I won’t, don’t worry. After all, he’s not at fault.” 

Words are Sherrie’s favourite playthings and at that moment, Lucien hopes she means it. 

-

Funny enough, I’ve been calling S/N (Lucien) as Luciel because it means light and I HC that MC sees him as the unexpected light that Malleus gave her. Her daughters are a treasure but Lucien serve as MC’s light. It’s fate! 

So far for Lucien, my main reference for him are two people actually. Dead Master from Black Rock Shooter and Nisha Labyrinth from Elsword! 

Will expand more on them as I continue to write. Also, I’m shit when it comes to timeline and ages so here’s my rough idea so far:

Renata = 16 years old (first-year student)

Sherrie = 15 years old

Lucien = 13 yeard old

I’ll change the kids’ age if Tri reveal them on their blog.  

[nicosbrainrot]

here's something I wrote after talking to @kamiart about rin's fight in round 3 because I am full of love for rin & wanted to write an interaction for them <3

~

Ikuto was watching from the seats with the rest of his classmates. It was the third round of the sports festival and Rin was going up against Taishiro, both students in Sato sensei's class. The fight was a fast paced one, and it seemed like Rin could win it, depending on how much energy she had reserved, she had the advantage seeing that Taishiro couldn't use his quirk on her projectiles. Ikuto watched diligently, knowing that her quirk required moonlight and so she was running on a limited supply. She had faked out her last opponent by pretending to run out of energy, but after two whole fights she might actually be running low. Eventually she threw a kick at her opponent, which he quickly rewound and sent her flying. She wouldn't get up close unless she had to, this meant she was out of energy. The fight now could easily turn in Taishiro's favor but they locked onto each other, caught in a struggle with neither letting up. Suddenly Taishiro said something, not quite audible to the audience, but Ikuto could make out the word "dad," and he could see, even from the stands, something change in Rin's expression.

She said something, low and quiet, before shouting, "At least you have a father to fight for!" Her voice shot through the stadium, and she said something else, though still not quite audible, before shouting again, something about being able to do this on her own, and their surroundings quickly exploded into a bright flash of blinding light, but only for a moment.

Ikuto looked back at the arena after the blinding flash and saw as Rin stood there, staggering, and almost shot up from his seat when her body collapsed to the floor. Taishiro didn't seem to have done any damage, that was the result of her quirk, the result of her energy reserves being completely depleted. He watched as Miss Me quickly rushed into the ring, declaring Taishiro the winner and announcing that he would progress to the next round, as they brought an unconscious Rin off of the field and towards Recovery Girl's office.

After the crowd cheered and fell to a chatter, as it did between every round, Ikuto's thoughts began racing. Many students had been quite roughed up by the end of their fight, but none due to their own quirk. Well, some had overexerted themselves a bit, but they all ended up fine. Ikuto knew the nature of Rin's quirk, that she had an energy reserve that overlapped with her body's own natural calories, which it would cut into when her lunar energy had run out. If it was anything like he was imagining, and she was really on empty when that flash of light happened, she could be in pretty bad shape.

He quickly turned to Hoshizawa, who was sitting next to him on the bench. "I... I'm gonna go check on her, if that's okay."

"Oh yeah, sure." they said, seeming fine to be left on his own.

Ikuto got up out of his seat and headed down in the direction of Recovery Girl's office. He made his way down the hallway and peaked inside the room. Rin was now laying on the bed, still unconscious, Recovery Girl tending to her.

"Uh, excuse me." Ikuto spoke softly, and Recovery Girl turned around to face him. "I'm sorry to intrude, but..."

"You wanted to check on her?" she asked in her cheery tone.

Ikuto just nodded, stepping in from the doorway. He could see that her breathing was shaky, and his brow furrowed just slightly in worry.

"She isn't physically injured, but her body has depleted all its energy, she's overexerted herself. Sadly, I can't do anything to help her besides standard treatment." she told him.

Her quirk allowed her to help a person's body heal at a rapid pace but depleted the person's energy, which was the opposite of what Rin needed right now. He thought for a moment before turning to face the short nurse.

"I could get her something out of the vending machine." he suggested.

She smiled up at him. "Oh, that would be lovely, how sweet." she said, her chipper tone contrasting with Ikuto's monotone voice.

He nodded and quickly turned to leave, walking down the hall to one of the vending machines scattered around the building. He pulled out some money, which he kept loose in his pocket after Aito stole his wallet a few too many times and he got tired of asking for it back. He looked at all the drinks and decided on a bottle of fruit juice, it was sugary but not too processed, and he wasn't sure if she liked soda. He also got her a candy bar, the more she could eat after all this the better. He went back to the nurse's office, quietly walking inside and placing the food and drink on the table beside the bed.

Recovery Girl pulled out a bottle of medication, and Ikuto immediately remembered the bottle he saw near her bed when they were going through everyone's dorm rooms, it was heart medication. He looked over at Rin, who was still asleep on the bed, her breathing choppy. "Her heart, is it..." he started, not looking up from the bedridden girl.

"It's quick and irregular. I have this for her, but I can't give it to her until she wakes up." she said, setting the bottle down on the table.

Ikuto looked over to Recovery Girl. "Would you... like me to try and steady it?" he asked, unsure if she would trust him with that.

She was aware of his quirk, and thought for a moment. "If you're positive you know what you're doing." she said, a bit of hesitation in her voice.

"I do." Ikuto said calmly, and pulled up a chair next to her bed.

He sat down and placed his hand on her inner wrist. He could feel the irregularity in her pulse, and as he activated his quirk he could almost feel the pressure her heart was under. It wasn't unlike that of someone who was malnourished, the strain that puts on your heart. In fact, it was in that moment that Ikuto realized how thin she was, that she was underweight. His worry grew, because that only made the results of overexerting herself worse and far more dangerous. He made a mental note to check in on her eating if given the chance. However, right now he needed to focus, it wasn't difficult to slow her heart rate but steadying it took more concentration. He brought her heart rate down to a normal level, and kept it consistent. If he let go it would return to it's staggered pace, so he just sat there for a while, hand gently resting on her arm.

There was a television in the room silently playing footage of the current round, and Ikuto watched as the quiet battle took place on screen, taking note of any interesting strategies he saw. More and more times passed, and quite a few rounds came and went, but he was in no rush to leave.

After about an hour, Rin shifted slightly. Ikuto resisted his instinctual urge to pull away, not wanting to cause a jolt in her heart rate, and instead gradually let go of his quirk's hold on her, allowing her heart to return to it's irregular pace slowly. Recovery Girl quickly walked over and picked up the bottle of medication as Rin slowly woke up, and Ikuto let his hand fall down to his lap, getting a strange feeling from being disconnected after an hour sitting there holding pace for her.

Recovery Girl set her hand on Rin's shoulder as she slowly sat up, very groggy, holding a hand to her head. She blinked a few times, still exhausted, trying to reorient herself and remember what exactly happened before passing out. Recovery Girl handed her a glass of water and her medicine, which she took with a quiet "thank you" before turning to see Ikuto sitting near the bed.

His shoulders suddenly tensed up as he realized that she may think it's weird of him to have been here this whole time, seeing that they don't know each other very well, but tried his best not to let his worry show and looked up at her with as soft an expression as he could manage.

Rin's face showed a bit of surprise at the sight of someone in the room with her besides the nurse who she had seen just hours earlier. It took them both a moment of awkward silence before Ikuto finally spoke.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" he asked, a bit of worry in his voice.

"I... Yeah, I'm alright." she said. She felt exhausted but she wasn't horrible.

"You should eat something." he stated, reaching for the drink and candy bar to hand them to her. "Or uh, drink something... or I could get you something else, but you need something in your system after all that."

It was a bit strange to have this usually very quiet and reserved boy suddenly fussing over making sure she ate. She hesitantly reached out and took the now lukewarm drink and candy bar out of his hands.

"Th-thank you." she said quietly, not really looking him in the eyes.

She looked down at the candy bar in her hands for a moment before slowly unwrapping it and taking a bite. Ikuto just sat there, looking up at the match on the screen, but not really paying much attention to it, he just didn't want to stare at her while she ate.

When she finished the candy bar she realized just how hungry she actually was and silently wished she had another one as she opened the bottle of juice Ikuto had bought her and took a sip.

"I couldn't hear much of what you said during the match but..." he started, before turning to face her. "It was something about family, wasn't it?"

She slowly brought the bottle down from her mouth and swallowed nervously, remembering what exactly had triggered the outburst that landed her in this hospital bed. "Yeah... it was." she said, and for a moment Ikuto thought that was all she would say about it before she looked up at him and asked, "What is your family like, Maekawa-san?"

His eyebrows raised in surprise at the question, and he looked away for a moment to think. "I have a little brother." he said, not looking up from the floor. "He's a bit of a handful, really playful and likes to cause trouble, but he's a sweet kid." She could see a small smile on his face as he spoke.

"You sound like you care for him very much." she said softly, and he did, she could hear it in the way he spoke.

"I... I do." he said, looking as if he had just realized something. "I have to admit, I miss him since moving into the dorms."

There was a moment of silence, though not quite awkward, before she asked, "Y-your parents, what about them?" and there was curiosity in her voice.

He looked up at her, something in his expression that she couldn't quite place, and he hesitated before speaking. "They..." he started, before turning away from her again, looking back at the floor.

"They both have very different ways of showing that they care. My dad has... high expectations. He always says I can do better, wants me to be the best I can. And my mom, she thinks I'm more capable than I really am... and I don't want her to realize she's wrong." He looked back up at her and saw a strange expression on her face, and worried he had said something wrong. "Ah, I shouldn't be complaining. I love my family, they're not bad, I just..." He looked down for a moment before looking back up to meet Rin's gaze. "I don't want to let them down, you know?"

Rin looked him in the eyes for a moment before staring down at her hands, still holding the juice bottle she'd barely drank out of. "No... I don't know, actually." She hesitated for a moment. "I've... never had a family to disappoint."

Ikuto stiffened a bit, surprised, and his head tilted slightly to one side, questioningly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and slight concern at what she had said.

She took this as a request to elaborate. "I... I grew up in a-an orphanage... and I never got adopted, s-so I don't have a family... and I don't think I ever will." she said in a soft voice, a hint of sadness, but mostly just a reluctant acceptance.

He let out a small sigh as he processed this, eyes not leaving Rin's tired but serious face, looking at her and suddenly realizing something. "You mean... you've done all this on your own?" he asked her, his voice slightly more gentle than usual.

Now it was Rin's turn to look confused. "W-what do you mean?" she asked.

"All of this, getting to UA, training to become a hero, you did all that... alone?" he asked, head leaning forward slightly, eyes looking up at her with a soft gaze, as if he were asking if she was okay.

"I..." she started, looking down at her hands for a moment. "I guess so..." She had never really stopped to think about it, everything that had gotten her to this point in her life. She tried to not look back.

Ikuto sat back in his seat and looked off to the side, thinking to himself. He had a great deal of respect for all of his classmates, but to get here without the support of a family was quite a feat, and he hadn't realized before just how driven Rin was. Despite her very quiet and somewhat sad demeanor, it was clear that she worked very hard to get here and was determined to achieve her goals.

Ikuto looked up at her, realizing he was lost in thought for a moment, and finally spoke. "Thank you for sharing this with me, Tsukikage-san. It's... truly admirable that you've gotten here on your own." he told her.

Rin looked over at him, surprised at the praise. "I-it's really nothing." she said, and she really didn't see it as much, it was just what she had to do, and she still had so far to go.

"But it isn't." he stated, surprised that she would say something like that. "You've done a lot, it's important to acknowledge the progress you've made."

She stared at him, thinking about his words carefully. He was right, she had done a lot, gone through so much hardship, all on her own, but it all seemed so small compared to what the future might hold for her. After all this, she wondered if she could make it the rest of the way.

He saw something shift in her expression as she looked at him. He could see worry on her face, as if she had been trying not to think about all of this and he had suddenly pulled it out of her. "I'm sorry, I- I'm sure it's been hard, but... you aren't alone anymore, you know." he started, desperately trying to comfort her but feeling very unsure of what to say. "We- if you ever need anything, anything at all, you can tell me... and I'll try my very best to help." He spoke to her with genuine care in his voice, and she knew he meant his words.

"I-" she started, but couldn't get anything out. She was touched by his kindness, but something felt bittersweet about it. She would be hesitant to reach out to her classmates for anything, but just knowing that she could, with at least one of them, was comforting. She almost felt tears stinging her eyes but held them back. She had wanted for so long to have a family, to feel loved and as though she belonged somewhere, to feel wanted. Yet here she was, after losing the third round foolishly, one of her classmates sitting by her side, worried about her. It had been so long since anyone was worried about her.

She turned away from him, almost ashamed that she didn't know what to say to him. "P-please don't worry about me, I'm fine, r-really." she muttered.

"I know." he said, causing her to look up at him in surprise. "You've made it this far, I know you're capable, but... my offer still stands." His voice softened at that last bit.

He said this so matter-of-factly, it almost puzzled her. She didn't need help, didn't want to be a burden, but... he seemed so sincere. Could this just be pity? No, she didn't hear any pity in his voice, in fact he spoke as if he were talking about something so simple. At that moment she didn't know what to feel or think.

"Do you not like the juice?" he asked, snapping her out of her spiralling thoughts before she even realized she hadn't responded. "You haven't drank much of it, I can get you something else."

"Oh…" She looked down at the bottle still in her hands. "N-no it's fine… thank you, though." she said softly. 

Ikuto just let out a quiet "hm" as he leaned back, not really believing her but figuring it's best to just let it be. The two of them sat in silence for a while, another match on the television coming to a close as Rin slowly sipped her juice.

After a while Ikuto finally cleared his throat and began to stand up. "I uh, should probably let you rest, and get back to the stands." He turned to her once he was standing. "Unless you would like me to stay."

"N-no, it's alright." she said before hesitating for a moment. "Th-thank you for coming to check on me… You really didn't have to." 

"Of course." he said, almost surprised that she would thank him. "I hope you recover quickly… Oh, I almost forgot." he said, quickly pulling out his phone. "I can give you my number, if you'd like, just in case."

She nodded, taking out her own phone, and the two exchanged information. 

"There." he said, handing her phone back to her after writing his contact info in it. "If you need anything, you can let me know. Or just…" His demeanor shifted slightly, seeming a bit more timid. "If you wanted to hang out… I don't know."

"I'd like that." Rin said with a warm smile, and she could see his shoulders relax as she said that.

Ikuto couldn't help but smile softly at her. "I'll hopefully see you soon then. Take care of yourself, okay?" 

"I… I will." she responded, and Ikuto then turned to leave.

"Also," he said, stopping in the doorway. "You can call me Ikuto, if you'd like."

"Okay, Ikuto-san." she said softly with a smile, and she could see a small smile on his lips as well as he nodded politely before turning and walking out the door.

[snowdice]

Big Bang (Sort of) Editing Story [Day 58]

I started writing this fic while editing my Big Bang story, but am going to continue doing it for other things now that Kill Dear is out. I will write and publish 100 words of the story every time I finish doing whatever task I’m doing. If you’d like to block these proceedings, please feel free to block the tag proofread stories. I will reblog this post with the parts of the story I do today. Edited chapters are linked; everything else I’ve done so far is under the cut.

My Master Post Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26

Wow I am tired and have a headache, but also I have to get my grading in by tomorrow so... 

If I get too miserable, I may stop abruptly and get up early to finish it in the morning.

Chapter 27

After an, honestly quite aggravating, breakfast full of Virgil’s cognitive distortions about the likelihood of being poisoned, Logan was relieved to finally be able to leave the dining area. In consideration to those serving breakfast, Patton did not lead them through the door in the back of the dining room that went directly to the kitchen, and instead took them out of the room and down the hall to a different entrance. This one had a guard stationed across from it as, despite what Virgil may believe, the castle workers did consider the possibility that someone would want to sneak into the kitchen for nefarious purposes.

 Said guard, of course, saw nothing wrong with the prince and the head chef’s son entering the side door even with the bonus stranger. In fact, he may even have known Virgil could be coming through this door if Ms. Heart had mentioned him.

Though Virgil hadn’t managed to catch it, Logan knew enough about Patton’s mother that he’d surmised that she had insisted Patton bring the boy to meet her. It was bound to happen at some point anyway, Logan knew, and he wasn’t particularly worried. After all, this was Patton’s mother. Virgil himself didn’t even seem particularly concerned.

 Logan had seen him panic and, while he tugged a bit at the sweater he was wearing, the motion was not particularly fervent, so he was likely just slightly nervous.

Of course, that may be because he did not know Patton’s mother specifically wanted to meet him and just assumed that they were starting the necessary process of introducing him to castle residents with a low risk person.

When they entered the hallway, Logan could already hear the usual noises of the kitchen: the clattering of plates, the bubble of conversation, and the sound of Ms. Heart’s voice calling out instructions.

 He did see Virgil hesitate, but Logan couldn’t sus out why and Patton was already ahead of them and opening the door into the kitchen. It was fairly calm for the kitchen considering it was meal hours. Logan imagined that Patton had chosen the time between when the day guards ate breakfast before their shifts and the night guards after their shifts on purpose. There was still a bit of chaos as dishwashers attempted to catch up during the lull and a few orders were still being made, but overall the mood seemed, to Logan at least, to be light as Ms. Heart ordered her kitchen around.

 Yet, Virgil clearly did not see the situation the same way that Logan did. He froze when the kitchen door swung open and some of the workers turned to look at them. He took a step back, bumped into Logan, startled violently, realized it was Logan, and then side stepped to hide behind him. Logan looked back at him in confusion, but Virgil said nothing, proceeding to mutely peer over Logan’s shoulder.

Patton had moved over to greet his mother as she wiped her hands off on a rag. She glanced over at Virgil and Logan and Logan saw Virgil shrink back a bit.

 Logan could see Ms. Heart’s eyes soften as she tracked his movement. She turned to the woman next to her and said something before moving to remove her apron and hang it up in its designated area. Virgil’s hands clenched in the fabric of Logan’s shirt when she turned back to him.

“It’s fine, Virgil,” Logan told him, but Virgil didn’t seem to believe him. Luckily, Patton had turned back and seemed to realize something was amiss.

He stepped back over to them. “Hey, honey,” he said. A plate clattered in the kitchen and Virgil just about ripped Logan’s shirt.

 Patton frowned sympathetically. “Too loud?”

“Virgil,” Logan said. “You are digging your fingernails into my skin.” Patton shot Logan a glare. “What?”

“How about,” Patton’s mom suggested. Virgil’s fingernails dug more into Logan’s skin. “We go to my office.”

“I think that’s a good idea, Mama,” Patton said. “Come here, Virgil.” He reached over to touch one of Virgil’s hands and had to pull a bit to get him to release Logan. “It’s back that way, away from the kitchen,” he said when he managed to twine their fingers. He stepped around Logan, probably so there was still a buffer between Virgil and the kitchen and tugged him in the correct direction.

 Ms. Heart shot a glance at Logan and Logan felt irrationally like she was trying to read his thoughts. Logan smoothed his features out and turned to follow Patton and Virgil towards her office.

As head chef, Ms. Heart had a small office where she could plan menus without the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and have meeting with people who needed to discuss dietary needs and restrictions. It was very well organized, but still looked fairly messy because of the numbers of decorations she had in it. She had a tendency to keep everything that Patton made her, thus she had his childhood drawings on the wall and little projects stacked on her desk and on the shelves. A lumpy cat statue acted as a paperweight on a stack of papers on her desk and there was a vase of fake flowers (as it could not actually hold water) sat near the window.

 By the time Logan entered the room, Patton was trying to coax Virgil into sitting down on one of the two mismatched chairs, but Virgil was having none of it. He had turned to face the door and was yanking at his sweater in nervousness.

Logan noticed that Ms. Heart did not come far into the room, instead pausing near the door. She did, however close the door to give them privacy, and that seemed to distress Virgil more.

She seemed to contemplate him for a moment. “Hello,” she said, her voice softer than Logan was used to hearing. “You must be Virgil.”

 It seemed as though he were willing himself to magically shrink, but he still replied. “Yes, ma’am,” he said quietly.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “I’m Patton’s mom.”

“I know, ma’am.”

“There’s no need to be formal, Virgil.”

He hesitated. “Okay,” he said somehow quieter.

Her eyebrows drew together in concern, and it seemed that she decided to result to her default way of making people more comfortable. “Would you kids like some candy?”

Logan saw Patton’s hand squeeze Virgil’s lightly. “That would be great, Mama.”

She nodded and walked forward towards her desk. Virgil turned so his back was never to her. If she noticed, she didn’t react. She just grabbed a small tin off one of her shelves and took the top off. “How about a peppermint candy?” she asked.

 She offered the tin out to them. Virgil stared at it like it was a venomous snake. Logan decided to act, stepping forward and taking three of the pieces of peppermint candy from the dish. He stepped over to Virgil and Patton and held out his hand, offering Virgil first choice out of all three.

He hesitated before glancing between Patton and his mother. He must have decided that Patton’s mom wouldn’t risk poisoning Patton and took one of the pieces. Patton took another one of them and popped it into his mouth. Logan ate the last piece.

“Thanks,” Virgil said to Ms. Heart before placing his piece in his mouth.

 Logan watched Virgil’s eyes light up a bit when the flavor registered. His posture didn’t completely relax, but he seemed at least a bit less like he was contemplating jumping through the window. His trust was almost worryingly easy to buy sometimes. All it took was a not poisoned peppermint.

Ms. Heart seemed pleased by his reaction. “I’m actually going to be making some new ones soon and I’m trying to get rid of these. Would you like to take another one for later?” she asked, holding out the tin.

He looked at it warily again, but he still stepped closer slowly and took another piece. “Thank you.”

 “Anytime,” Ms. Heart said, eyes looking over him intensely. “You look like you could do to with a few more sweets every so often.”

Virgil tilted his head in that way he did when he was particularly perplexed.

Patton giggled a bit. “She means your skinny.”

“Oh,” Virgil said. “Logan already gave me a malnutrition potion for that.”

“Did he now?” she asked, her eyes flickering to Logan. Logan winced. He was definitely in trouble for not bringing him directly to her. He was sure he’d hear all about it as soon as she caught him without Virgil in the room.

 She turned back to Virgil with a smile, and Logan imagined Virgil had no idea how dead Logan was. “Well, that’s a very good start, but if there was need for a nutrition potion, we should be careful to make sure you get enough calories and nutrients every day going forward.” She sat down at her desk. “Why don’t you and I talk for a bit about making sure you get some good food.”

He still looked cautious but was predictably enticed by the promise of food. He did not sit still, but he did put his hands on the back of one of the chairs and slightly lean on it. “Yes, ma’am,” he agreed.

“Okay,” she said. “Well, I’m going to have a few more specific questions, but let’s just start with what are your favorite foods?”

“I’ll eat anything,” Virgil replied immediately.

“He really likes chicken alfredo,” Patton contributed.

Virgil perked up at the name of the food. “I did like that,” he agreed.

“Alright,” Ms. Heart replied. That’s a start.

  Chapter 28

Thomas did not have to be told that something had gotten Helen Heart in a tizzy. He could tell just by the amount of food she had sent up on his dinner tray. She always made and pushed more food when she was stressed, and he couldn’t help but chuckle when he found both a hearty serving of roast beef and a mini chicken pot pie on his plate along with three vegetable side dishes and a side of macaroni and cheese.

He could also guess what had happened to illicit such a response. Thomas had caught up to Jeffers Deknis in his garden and they’d spoken at length about Logan and Patton’s new friend.

There was no way that after said discussion, Jeff had not mentioned Virgil (and more importantly his friendship with Patton) to Helen during their daily gossip sessions. There was also no way that Helen had heard the words “child” and “too small” in a sentence and hadn’t flipped. From there the inevitable sequence of events was clear: Patton went home, Helen talked his ear off until he agreed to bring Virgil to meet her, Helen met him and immediately committed herself to making sure he ate three square meals a day as well as multiple snacks.

Thomas had sussed all of that out before the kitchen worker bringing him his dinner had mentioned what had happened that day.

 That in mind, he decided to wait until after dinner should have been cleaned up before walking his own dinner leftovers down to the kitchens.

Thomas was unsurprised to see Jeff already in the kitchen. He was sat at a small table off to the side where kitchen workers usually took their breaks. The only person other than Jeff and Helen left in the kitchen was a dishwasher who was finishing up. Helen usually spent a couple of hours after dinner in her kitchen or her office organizing for the next day and in case anyone needed food on an off hour, and then there was a night cook who would take over so she could go back to her set of rooms.

 Helen took the tray of leftovers from Thomas herself and shooed the dishwasher out of the way. “I’ll handle the rest myself,” she told the girl. “You can leave.”

She nodded and started to take her apron off. Helen dumped the tray on the counter without care and turned back around to usher Thomas into one of the kitchen chairs. Thomas went willingly and she turned to fill the tea kettle with water and set it on the stove.

“It take it she met Virgil,” Thomas said to Jeff.

“She’s adopted Virgil,” Jeff replied, taking a bite out of a cookie.

 “And what of it?” she asked. “Someone obviously needs to feed the boy. Speaking of, you’re grounding your son by the way.”

Thomas took one of the cookies for himself. “Why am I grounding Logan?” he asked.

“He was worried enough about his health to make him a nutrition potion, but still did not bring him to me,” she harrumphed.

“I see,” Thomas replied.

“In Logan’s defense,” Jeff interrupted. “the boy seems rather timid. He may have worried about you scaring him off.”

Helen slapped him with a dishtowel.

“Actually,” Jeff continued. “From what I’ve gathered he didn’t have contact with anyone since the time I saw him a couple of weeks ago until now.”

 “Any adults,” Thomas corrected with a frown. “I’m pretty sure he, Patton, and Logan must have been around each other considering how close they already seem to be.” He paused, “Logan implied he wasn’t particularly… comfortable around adults.”

“I did get that impression, yes,” Helen said, pouring the hot water from the kettle into a tea pot and carrying it and some cups over to the table.

“He was incredibly jumpy,” Jeff confirmed. “I imagine he does not have good experiences with many people, but he seems to have grown attached to Logan and Patton. He defers to them in most things and seemed a bit protective.

 “Where did he come from?” Thomas asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jeff said. “I found him hiding in the garden shed a couple of weeks ago.”

“Did he sneak in?” Thomas asked.

“That’s what I would have thought,” Jeff replied, “but when I asked, he said he wasn’t trying to steal anything and that he was supposed to be in the castle. So, I’d assumed that meant he was the child of someone living in the caste.”

“But neither of us could find anyone who knew him,” Helen said. “Of course, we didn’t even know his name until now.” She seemed to decide the tea leaves had sat long enough because she started to pour them each a cup of tea.

Thomas took a sip. “Earl Grey,” he commented. “I guess I’m not sleeping much tonight.” It was her ‘planning tea.’

 “We need a plan,” she said, “but we’re going to have to be gentle.”

“At least with Virgil,” Jeff said.

Thomas laughed lightly, “and what do you plan to do with the other two?”

“I have my ways.”

Helen rolled her eyes. “You say that,” she said, “but you’re too soft. The two of them learned to run circles around you and your powers years ago.”

“We should talk to them though,” Thomas said. “Separately from Virgil.”

“We should,” Helen agreed. “I already spoke to Patton a bit yesterday, but I will again. We should see if we can ask around and find out why he’s in the castle. We don’t even know how long he’s lived here. Or who brought him here.” The look on her face told Thomas she wanted to have a talk with his guardians whoever and wherever they were.

 Helen took a drink of tea, it seemed to calm herself. “We need to make sure whatever has been happening to him is not happening in these walls,” she said.

Thomas had honestly… not thought about that. He’d assumed whatever made Virgil so skittish was in the past, but it was possible that it was ongoing. The thought made him sick.

“Perhaps you should try to talk to him, Thomas,” Helen suggested.

Thomas winced. “I am not sure that is a good idea...”

“Why not?”

“We don’t have the best track record… I don’t think me being around him would be a good idea.”

 “Oh, please, Thomas,” Helen said disbelievingly.

“No, you don’t understand,” Thomas said. “He seems disproportionately afraid of me. I think it’s a mix of me being king and how we met.”

“How did you meet?” Helen asked.

“I… gave him a bit of a fright,” Thomas admitted. “Logan and Patton weren’t in the room and I didn’t know who he was. He… ended up under the bed. Then… the second time I saw him he accidently ran into me. He freaked out again.” The memory still made Thomas feel gross. It also made him think there was a lot more to his backstory than the three of them understood.

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“Perhaps Jeff can try to talk to him then,” Helen said. “It sounds like he was calmest around you. I’ll push Patton towards taking him to the garden more often. I bet fresh air would do him some good anyway.”

Jeff nodded. “I will try to talk to him a bit more.”

“Great,” Helen said, but Thomas already knew the conversation wasn’t over. “Now we need to talk about strategic events to throw over the next few months that Patton and Logan to invite Virgil to. We’ll start slow, but we need to make sure he feels welcome in the castle.”

Thomas met Jeff’s eyes. Yeah, it was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 29

Virgil finished eating the breakfast Patton’s mom had sent for him. It had been going on a week since she’d made the menu for him. She sent up little cards with each meal and he was supposed to rate each thing she sent on a scale from 1-5. Logan would read it to him before he ate, and Virgil mark the little box on the card. Usually, he would put a 4 for everything (he had tried to do 5, but Logan had told him 5 was reserved for things like chicken alfredo). Three was for things that he was neutral on, 2 was for things he didn’t like but could tolerate, and 1 was for things he didn’t like. So far, the only 3 was the unseasoned porridge she’d sent one day.

 “Finished?” Logan asked.

“Yeah,” Virgil said.

“What would you like to do today?” Logan asked. “Patton is busy until after lunch, and then we thought you might like to go back to the garden again. It’s supposed to drop in temperature over the next few days, so it will be the last good day for it.”

“Sounds good,” Virgil said. “I don’t care what we do today though.”

“Well, there are a few options,” Logan said.

“What do you want to do?” Virgil asked.

Logan made an expression, and Virgil titled his head. “I’m don’t have anything in particular I want to do,” he said.

“You’re lying,” Virgil said immediately.

 “You would not be interested in the activity I wish to partake in,” Logan said.

Virgil squinted at him. “I’d be interested in laying on the ground and staring at the ceiling.”

Logan chuckled. “No, truly. The activity I would do if you were not present would involve reading.”

“You can read to me,” Virgil suggested.

“…In Sanskrit.”

Virgil frowned at him. “Isn’t that, like, some sort of dead language?”

“It is,” Logan said. “I taught myself to read it to read a specific book called the Pragilium Text. It’s an encoded book that leads to a magical location that I have been trying to decode for years.”

 “That’s fine,” Virgil said. “You can do that.”

“It would be in the library,” Logan said.

“Okay.”

“But…” Logan said. “It would in no way be interesting to you.”

Virgil shrugged. “Like I said. I’m content to lie on the floor for a few hours.”

Logan frowned. “I can’t make you do that.”

“You wouldn’t be making me,” Virgil said. “I want to go. Maybe you can find me an easy book I could try to read?”

“Are you certain?” he asked.

Virgil nodded, decisively.

“Very well, get dressed and I will show you the library.”

Virgil stood to do so and a few minutes later, Logan was leading him out of the royal wing.

 Both of the guards greeted him kindly, and Virgil hunched his shoulders in a bit, but said a soft “hi.”

The library didn’t end up being too far away. It was through the small dining hall and to the left where the staircase to the kitchen was to the right.

“This is not the main library,” Logan said. “It is just a smaller one. The royal librarian comes here only about once a week to organize. Some other castle residents might come in too, but it is usually mostly empty.” Virgil could tell just by listening for a few seconds that the place was likely empty (unless someone was lying in wait).

 “I’ll look and see if there is something simple for you in case you’d like to read. You can explore a bit if you’d like,” Logan said.

Virgil nodded and stalked off into the shelves to secure the area. There were many books, not that he could quite read any of the spines. The bookcases were mostly cramped into the space. There was the open area where they’d come in with a few comfy chairs and Virgil found a desk near one of the windows. It had stacks of books including one pretty large and old one. He looked at it curiously.

 Virgil heard Logan’s footsteps approach from down an aisle. “That’s the Pragilium text,” he said.

“It’s pretty,” Virgil said, looking at the design etched into the cover.

“Yes,” Logan agreed. He reached forward to touch it and opened it carefully. The print was small and didn’t look like the letters Logan had taught him so far. There was a small map on the side that Virgil could at least guess at the meaning of.

“You can read that?” Virgil asked.

“I can,” Logan said. “Very few people can though.”

“Wow, you’re really smart.”

“Thank you,” Logan said with a smile.

 “Now,” Logan continued. “I found you a book. I apologize as its subject matter is for younger children, but it has many pictures that can help give you context when you don’t know something. You don’t have to read it if you do not wish to, especially as we haven’t gotten very far in our lessons, but I thought you might like the challenge.

He handed him the book and Virgil took it with a smile. “I’ll try to read it,” he said.

“Well, you have free reign of the library. Feel free to continue to explore and to interrupt me if you need to.”

 Virgil nodded and took the book before deciding to finish his sweep of the library. It turned out that appearances were not deceiving, and the library truly was empty. Once he was certain about that, he looked around for a comfortable place to settle down and try to read the book Logan had handed him. He found a sturdy looking bookshelf near where Logan was reading at his desk. He scaled it quickly. It was a little bit dusty at the top, but it wasn’t a bad place. It was close to the ceiling and kept him hidden pretty well, but still gave him enough room to pop up onto his elbows. If he looked left, he could see Logan down bellow with his head in the book, but if he looked right, he could see the entrance to the library.

 He pulled the book in front of him and looked at the cover. It was covered in drawings of different colored flowers. One simple white flower was in the center and there were three words on the cover. He squinted at it and silently tried to sound it out based on what Logan had taught him so far. He could guess that the larger word was ‘flowers’ based on context. So, he was pretty sure it read How Flowers Grow.

He flipped open the book. Logan was right, there were many hand drawn beautiful pictures. He could pretty much understand what was happening just from them even if he couldn’t read all of the words.

 It was an interesting book even if he couldn’t read it and it was obviously made for small children. Judging by the pictures it seemed to be detailing how plants, or at least, flowers grew through some kid planting and caring for a flower over the course of some amount of time.

Virgil had, of course, known flowers grew from seeds, but it was interesting to see things about how the stem would pop out of the seed in the ground and things about the roots growing.

He more looked through the pictures than read it the first time but had flipped back to the front to try to read the words when he heard the library door open.

 Virgil perked up in awareness, but then settled when he recognized Patton’s footsteps. Virgil tilted his head to watch as he walk directly to Logan’s hideaway.

“Hi,” he said, gaining Logan’s attention.

“Hello, Patton,” Logan replied. He glanced at the window and must have seen that time had passed because he closed his book and shuffled his papers.

“The guards said you came here,” Patton said, glancing around. “Where’s Virgil?”

Instead of letting Logan answer that question, Virgil pulled himself forward, with the book in one hand and slid off the bookshelf to land lightly on his feet next to Patton.

Patton screamed before slapping a hand over his mouth.

 Logan had placed his hand over his heart. “Where on Earth did you come from?” he asked.

Virgil blinked at him and then pointed to the bookshelf he’d been on top of.

“How long were you up there?” Logan asked.

“Pretty much the whole time,” Virgil answered.

“I…” Logan said. “I didn’t even know.”

Virgil squinted at him. “You need to learn to look up.”

Patton giggled.

Virgil turned on him. “You need to learn to case the area.”

“Oh honey, your shirt is all covered in dust,” Patton said instead of responding to his very valid criticism. Virgil frowned. “Let’s get you changed and then go grab some lunch.”

“Lunch?” Virgil asked.

Patton chuckled and grabbed his hand. “Yes, sweetie, lunch. Then garden.”

“Fine,” Virgil said. “But you do need to learn to be more observant.

“Yes, yes, whatever you say,” Patton said.

Logan just rolled his eyes.

  Chapter 30

After lunch, Patton and Logan took Virgil out into the garden to walk around. They let Virgil lead them around wherever he wanted to in the garden. A bunch more flowers had died since the last time they’d been out here, and Patton felt sad despite having never felt very sad about that sort of thing before. But, Virgil seemed to really like the flower he’d found last time, so Patton thought he was probably sad on the boy’s behalf.

Of course, Patton thought, perking up, eventually it would be spring, and Virgil could get to not only see flowers but see all of the flowers grow. Patton couldn’t wait to see him amongst the garden then.

 Virgil took them wandering through the orchard for a while, but most of the trees had been stripped of their fruits. They ended up in the food garden after a bit, and Virgil finally seemed to decide on the direction instead of just ambling about.

A few seconds after Patton noticed Virgil seemingly decide on a destination, Patton noticed Mr. Deknis kneeling on the ground a few feet away. Had… had Virgil been looking for him? Patton wondered. That was adorable.

Mr. Deknis looked up as they approached and smiled at them.

“Hello, Mr. Deknis,” Patton said as they came closer.

 “Hello you three,” Mr. Deknis said. “Getting into trouble?”

“No,” Virgil said, shaking his head.

Mr. Deknis gave him a flash of a smile. “I know, I’m joking,” he said. “Especially since there isn’t much left in my gardens for certain princes to destroy with experiments.”

“Oh, okay,” Virgil said. He tilted his head. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting the last of the acorn squash out,” Mr. Deknis replied. “It’s the last crop to get finished. Good thing too, it’s supposed to start snowing soon.”

Virgil looked down curiously at the dark green squash.

“Would you like to help me pick a couple?” Mr. Deknis asked.

 “Sure,” Virgil said, sounding interested. Mr. Deknis patted the ground beside him and Virgil knelt down to watch him.

“They’re not too difficult to harvest,” he said. “You just cut the fruit off the stem. You want to leave about a hand’s width of the stem left over which will help preserve moisture. The earlier harvests, I left in the field to cure in the sun for a couple weeks, but the frost’ll ruin them so we’ll take them inside the green house and let them sit in the sun for a bit there. We also want to keep the leaves. You’ll probably be eating those for dinner tonight since they have to be cooked up within about 24 hours after they’re picked. Patton’s mom makes a good side dish with them and she’ll be making some curry tomorrow, probably. Maybe some stew if there are some leftover.”

 “Put the squash in this wheelbarrow and the leaves into this pile, okay?” Virgil nodded and Mr. Deknis handed him the extra pair of gloves and shears he carried with him in case one set broke. “These might be a bit big on your, but they should work for now.”

Mr. Deknis looked up at Patton and Logan. “Would the two of you like to help?” he asked. “I can get some more equipment.”

“I can help out if you want, but you don’t need to stop and get more equipment just for me,” Patton said.

“The same for me,” Logan said.

“Well, if you’d like to help still, you can sort the leave. Give your mother a head start.”

 “Sure,” Patton said. He and Logan went to do that while Mr. Deknis and Virgil worked on cutting the squashes from the vine.

“What do you do during the winter?” Virgil asked curiously. “If this is your last crop.”

“Well, at the beginning, I mostly will be working on making sure things are stored correctly along with some of the kitchen staff. There’s some drying to do and some canning. After that’s done, I’ll spend some time organizing and planning. Then, before the spring comes, I’ll start preparing seedlings in the green house.”

“Seedlings?” he asked.

“I let seeds start to grow in the greenhouse that I replant once it gets warm enough.”

 “Why don’t you just plant them where they’re going?”

“I do for some,” he said, “but giving some a head start is good for them.”

Patton watched as Virgil continued to ask questions about gardening while working on harvesting the squash. Mr. Deknis continued to answer them in a calm, soft tone that Patton didn’t think he’d ever heard from the often gruff man before.

Patton wasn’t surprised when, after finishing getting most of the squash off of the vine, Mr. Deknis asked if Virgil wanted to help him with canning some pears in a couple of days. Virgil immediately looked over at Logan and Patton as though asking permission.

“Say yes if you want to Virgil,” Logan said.

 “Yes,” Virgil said as soon as he was given permission. Mr. Deknis smiled at him softly and started loading the last of the squash into the wheelbarrow. Patton offered to run the squash leaves to the kitchen while Logan and Virgil helped Mr. Deknis take the actual squash to the green house.

He dropped the leaves off to a kitchen worker since Mama was busy and headed back out to the garden. By the time he returned, Logan was already back from the green house and sitting by one of the more decorative trees near the castle.

“He’s exploring,” Logan said, nodding at the large patch of bushes.

 Patton chuckled. “I see.” He sat next to Logan. Every so often he’d hear the bushes rustle, but he couldn’t tell if it was actually Virgil or an animal.

“He’s adorable,” Patton commented, keeping an ear out.

Logan hummed.

“I’m glad we kept him.”

“He isn’t a pet, Patton.”

Patton rolled his eyes. “I know, but I’m still glad. I’m glad he’s making friends with Mr. Deknis. Once he knows how to read better, we should get him a book about gardening. He seems interested.”

Logan nodded. “Having a hobby would be good for him. Clearly he has a fascination with the garden.” He nodded to the blur of dark hair that could be seen through the bushes. It seemed Virgil had stopped his exploration and was now laying down in the bushes a few feet away.

 “I’m going to go see what he’s doing,” Patton said. “I’ll be right back.”

Logan nodded and Patton got to his feet. The bushes were part of a small maze that was filled with flowers during the spring and summer months but were mostly just green and brown bushes for now. Despite the fact that Patton had been able to see him only a few feet away, it took him a while to wind through the path to where he was. When he finally turned the last corner and he came into view, Patton gasped softly.

“Ghost kitty!” he said, making sure to make his voice as quiet as possible.

 Despite how soft he made his voice, two pairs of eyes shot over to him. The completely black kitten was perched on Virgil’s lap like she belonged there. Ghost Kitty hissed slightly, but Virgil reached forward to pet her head gently.

“This is Ghost Kitty?” Virgil asked. “I thought you said she was hard to pet.”

“She is,” Patton said. He lowered himself onto the ground from a few feet away from them. “How did you get her to come to you?”

Virgil glanced down at the cat and shrugged, scratching one of her ears. “She just came over to me and let me pet her.”

 “Wow,” Patton said softly. He looked at the cat. “Could I pet you sweetie?” he asked, holding out a hand in her direction. She hissed again.

Virgil frowned down at her. “It’s Patton,” he said as though he expected to understand his words and the exasperation in the tone he said them in.

He pet the cat’s head to soothe her and then reached over to grab Patton’s hand. He pulled and Patton carefully leaned a bit closer until his hand was within sniffing distance. Ghost Kitty sniffed his fingers contemplatively and then bumped her head against it. He barely restrained a squeal, knowing that probably wouldn’t be taken well.

 He carefully turned his hand over so he could stroke the top of her head. He gently scratched her ear, not daring to go for under her chin yet since she didn’t know him well. “Hi,” he said softly. After a moment, she started to purr softly. Virgil reached over and scratched under her chin and she purred louder. “Oh, you’re a good girl,” Patton breathed, letting a hand trail gently down her back once and then again. Patton settled himself carefully into a seating position continuing to pet her. After a few more moments of soft petting, she hesitantly stepped her front paws onto Patton’s thigh so she was sitting in both of their laps. Patton laughed softly. “Hi sweetie.” He glanced over at Virgil who had a wide smile on his face as he pet the cat. This. This was adorable. They continued to pet the cat for a very long time.

  Chapter 31

Logan waited for a while after Patton left to check on Virgil, but the two never resurfaced. It was odd, Patton would usually remember to come back and get Logan or at least tell them where they were. With a sigh, Logan climbed to his feet to go find them. It took him a while to weave his way through the maze of bushes to them especially because they were suspiciously quiet (Well, suspicious for Patton. Virgil was often unnervingly quiet when alone.) Luckily, he knew the bushes enough after all of these years not to get lost and managed to find the two after a few minutes.

“Ah,” he said, immediately identifying the reason for Patton disappearing.

 “Logan!” Patton said, his voice excited, but also quieter than normal. “We found a kitty!”

“I can see that,” Logan responded, taking a step closer. The cat hissed at him in response. The hissing was so intense and wild that he’d suspect the thing was feral if it wasn’t happily on Virgil’s lap having had it’s head in Patton’s lap before Logan had approached.

“No,” Virgil told the animal as though it could understand words. “That’s Logan. Be nice.”

The cat still glared at him and swished it’s tail back and forth threateningly. Virgil pet the top of it’s head and it broke eye contact with Logan to purr.

 Patton seemed delighted by the purring, reaching to stroke under the thing’s chin carefully. “We should give her a name!” Patton said.

Virgil frowned. “I thought her name was Ghost Kitty.”

“That is ‘Ghost Kitty’?” Logan asked skeptically. From what Patton had said about that cat, it was terrified of people and no one could ever get near it, even him. Now it was in Virgil’s lap?

“But that was a temporary name,” Patton said, “for before we officially met her. Now we have to give her a real name.”

“Do not give it a name,” Logan said. “You will get attached.”

 “How do you name a cat?” Virgil asked.

“Do not name it,” Logan said.

“You give them names based on their personalities, how they look, or even just because it’s a cute name,” Patton explained. “Like, remember Mittens? I named her Mittens because she has white fur and black paws!”

Virgil looked at the cat. “She’s completely black,” he said.

Patton hummed. “So, we could give her a name based on that like Midnight or Shadow.”

“Those are fine,” Virgil said.

“No, no,” Patton said. “I’m just giving you examples. You get to name her yourself.”

“This is a bad idea,” Logan said.

 “Just throw out some names,” Patton said. “Anything you can think of.”

“Uh,” Virgil said. “Knife.”

“…Just Knife?” Patton asked.

“Nightmare.” Virgil seemed to think about it. “No, that’s mean.”

“How about things you like?” Patton suggested.

“Alfredo?”

Oh no, Logan thought, he was worse than Patton at cat naming.

“Good start,” Patton said. “Logan, do you have any suggestions.”

“Cat,” Logan said.

“Real suggestions,” Patton scolded.

Logan sighed and thought for a moment. “Aphrodite.”

“Catphrodite!”

Logan glared at him. “Helena.”

“Helenpaw.”

“Claudia.”

“Clawdia.”

“Persephone.”

Patton smiled at him, cheerfully.

“…Damnit!”

Patton turned to Virgil again. “Like that! They don’t even have to be serious. Like, uh, you could name her Madam Fluffywuffykins the Great!”

“Do not name her that,” Logan said, scrunching up his nose.

 Logan sat on the ground, the cat eyeing him, but no longer hissing. Logan gently guided them towards more sensible names despite Patton trying his hardest to drag them into stupidity.

Virgil still didn’t quite get it. He mostly tried to name it after foodstuff, and often not even appropriate foodstuff such as “Corn” and “Acorn Squash” and “Sandwich” and occasionally would drop in semi violent ones such as “Razor,” “Nightshade” and “Void.” Patton suggested names like “Fluffers,” “Bobette” and “Darling” as well as some that were puns. Logan tried to direct them towards more sensible ones like “Salem” and even went so low as to suggest the contrary “Snowball.”

 It quickly seemed to become less about actually naming the cat and more of a game. Patton had taught Virgil about playing with cats and had even gotten out a ball of yarn he cared around for his crafts. Both Virgil and the cat seemed to find endless entertainment with that. Logan hoped Patton had another ball of yarn that color because, he was never going to get that ball back.

The barrage of names fizzled out into naming things around them like “Leaf” and “Bush” until they stopped suggesting names altogether. Patton and Logan sat back and watched Virgil play with the cat.

 Logan watched as they stopped playing suddenly and Virgil and the cat squinted at each other. “Marisol,” Virgil said, pulling the name out of nowhere. “That’s her name.” He said it with a certainty that was surprising considering how he’d treated the naming process with confusion and caution earlier. If Logan did not know better, his tone of voice would indicate that the cat, or Marisol he guessed, had gotten bored of them coming up with stupid names and decided to tell him her actual name herself.

The cat made a sound and batted at Virgil’s face without claws to grab back his attention.

 He turned back to it and bopped its face with a finger in kind. It attacked his finger, but in a clearly playful matter as it still did not extend it’s claws and its teeth did not draw blood.

“That’s a great name, Virgil,” Patton said.

“Much more pleasant than any that Patton suggested all afternoon,” Logan said. He received an elbow to the side for his quip.

“A pretty name for a pretty kitty,” Patton said, scooting over to where Virgil was sat and attempting to pet Marisol’s head. Marisol, however, was too keyed up and batted at the hand.

 “I love you too!” Patton said.

Logan rolled his eyes, but he had long since resigned himself to watching the two of them play with and coo over the cat for the rest of the day.

Eventually, though, it started to get darker. Even after Logan pointed this out, it still took over an hour for them to relent and leave the bush maze to go to the door. The problem was of course, that the cat had managed to grow very attached to Virgil in the last few hours and she followed them all the way to the door with manipulatively heart breaking mews.

 “You’ve got to stay out here,” Virgil said, when they got to the castle door. He pet her ear softly and she shoved her head into his hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t have anywhere to put you.” He sounded horribly sad about that fact and Logan felt himself shift uncomfortably. “I basically live in a closet and Logan doesn’t like cats in his room anyway.”

Logan immediately felt unreasonably guilty, probably more so because Logan did not think Virgil was trying to make him feel guilty. “…Bring the dammed thing inside.”

Virgil blinked up at him. “What?”

“It will get cold soon anyway,” Logan said.

He frowned at Logan from where he was crouched. “But you don’t like fur in your room…”

“I will have to find a potion that works,” he said with a sigh, “and we’ll have to say it’s mine to the guards and Father since it will be staying in my room, but it is yours in every other way. That means you are going to feed it, clean it, and clean up after it.”

Virgil nodded immediately and swooped Marisol up in his arms. The cat went without complaint. “Thank you!” he said. “I love her.”

“I know you do,” Logan said, already regretting it already. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to even consider recanting the offer considering how happy Virgil seemed to be. They had a cat now, he guessed.

  Chapter 32

“What are you doing?” Helen asked a few minutes after her son walked into the kitchen and started looking around as though he were trying to find something. It was a few hours into the afternoon, and she and a few workers were already prepping for dinner.

“Uh,” Patton said. “Have you seen Virgil?”

“No,” Helen said. “Why.”

“Er… Logan and I sorta, lost him,” Patton said. He was wringing his hands anxiously. Helen put down the knife in her hand.

“What do you mean you lost him?” she asked.

“Well, see, we were trying to teach him how to play hide and seek, um, but then we didn’t think to tell him that he eventually had to come out if we didn’t find him, and now we haven’t seen him since breakfast.”

 “He didn’t know what tag is?” she asked. That was just one more thing to add to the list of why Helen worried about Virgil and where he came from. Every morsel of information she’d managed to wring from Patton despite his evasions made her lists of concerns grow larger, even little things like him not knowing about simple childhood games. Actually, thinking of concerning things having to do with Virgil. “Wait, so he hasn’t eaten lunch.”

“Um, we don’t know that,” Patton’s mouth said while his eyes said ‘no.’

“He needs to be on a consistent diet, especially when he’s still taking the malnutrition potion,” she scolded.

 “I know, Mama, I know,” Patton said. “I’m trying to find him. I’d kinda hoped he’d gotten hungry and snuck down here. He probably wouldn’t want to risk being caught stealing food though.”

Helen grimaced. Yet another concerning thing.

“Wait! I have an idea, I’ll be right back.” Patton turned and ran out of the room. Helen frowned at the space he’d been and finished chopping the carrot on the cutting board in front of her. If it had been any other person in the castle missing, Helen wouldn’t have worried, but she had literally never seen Virgil without Patton and/or Logan by his side. Even when he’d gone to help Jeff can some fruit, Logan had reportedly hung around to read a book.

 Considering that Logan had never exactly been clingy even with Patton, she imagined that either Virgil asked, or Logan thought he should stay with him for his comfort. So, she was surprised that he was apparently hidden away somewhere in the castle where neither of the other kids could find him.

Still thinking about this, she walked over to the entrance to the cellar below the kitchen where they stored most of the vegetables, planning to grab some more carrots. She was confused for a moment when she heard movement from deeper in the pantry. She reached over and touched the panel near the door that controlled the magic lights.

 The newly illuminated figure startled as the lights came on, whipping around to stare at her with wide eyes.

“Virgil?” she asked.

“Sorry,” he said immediately, taking a step back.

“It’s fine,” she said immediately, “but what are you doing here?”

He considered her for a long moment, but apparently, she passed some sort of mental test, because he relaxed, at least as much as he’d ever relaxed in her presence. “Where are we?” he asked.

Her brow knit together. “The cellar under the kitchen,” she said, “You don’t know that?”

He shook his head.

“The only entrance is from the kitchen.” Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen him go through the kitchen at any point.

 “No, it’s not,” Virgil said. “There’s a tunnel.”

“A-a tunnel?” she asked. Actually, taking a closer look at him, he seemed a bit grimy. He had dust all over his front and dirt on his nose. She thought he might even have a couple of cobwebs in his hair.

“Yep,” he said.

“Where’s the tunnel?” she asked.

“It’s right over here,” he said. He took a couple of steps and pointed to the ground. There was an open square hole there that clearly had been made a long time ago but which she had never noticed in all of her time working here.

 “How did you find this?” she asked.

“We were playing hide and seek,” Virgil explained. “Logan said I could hide anywhere inside the castle. I hid on top of a dresser upstairs in some unused sitting room. There was a hole in the wall above it, so I climbed into it. Then, I crawled a little bit and it let out into a hidden passage in the walls. I wandered around in it until I found another hole in one of the walls. I thought it was a way out, so I squeezed into it, but it took me to a different hallway where I found an old room. There was a different hole in that room that had probably been covered by something because it was in the floor but whatever it was had rotted away. I crawled though it into a tunnel and came out here.”

 She couldn’t help but laugh a bit at his explanation. “Well, it sounds like you went on an adventure,” she said, “but Patton and Logan have been trying to find you. You missed lunch.”

He tilted his head at her. “I know. I was supposed to hide.”

“Yes,” she explained, “but you are supposed to come out at some point if they can’t find you for things like food.”

“Oh,” he said.

“They probably should have explained,” she said. “For now, why don’t we get you something to eat? You must be hungry.”

Virgil frowned. “But I missed lunch.”

“You can still eat even though it’s not in normal hours,” she said. “You could even if you had made it to lunch.”

 “Really?” he asked, he looked tragically confused by this offer.

“Of course, sweetie,” she said. “In fact, I insist you get something good to eat right now. How about I made you a grilled ham and cheese sandwich? Maybe some cookies too!”

Virgil titled his head. “You are Patton’s mother,” he stated.

Helen laughed softly. “He gets its all from me,” she said. “We should probably go find him and tell him you’re okay. He was worried.”

“I didn’t mean to worry him,” Virgil said with a frown.

“I know,” Helen said. “It’s okay. He’ll probably laugh when he figures out where you’ve been, and Logan will interrogate you all about the secret passageways.” He seemed happy about the prospect of seeing his friends. “Come on, let’s go upstairs for a bit,” she said.

  Chapter 33

Patton’s mom had already made Virgil sit down at the small table in the corner of the kitchen and had handed him a sandwich by the time Patton barreled into the kitchen, Logan coming after him at a more sedate pace.

“Virgil!” he said, sounding surprised and relieved.

“Patton,” Patton’s mom scolded. “No cats in the kitchen.” Patton had brought Marisol in with him and had let her go as soon as he’d seen Virgil. She immediately plodded over to him and hoped onto the table to sniff at his face in greeting.

“But she’s the princess!” Patton argued.

“No,” Logan said.

 “Yes, she is!” Patton said.

“The stupid cat is not a princess.”

“Don’t be mean to your little sister, Logan.”

“I regret every life decision that has led me to this point.”

While Logan and Patton were distracted squabbling and Patton’s mom was distracted watching them squabble, Virgil tore off a bit of the ham in his sandwich and offered it to Marisol. Marisol gracefully took it from his grip and ate it.

“So, this is Logan’s new cat I’ve been hearing about?” Patton’s mom asked.

“Indeed,” Logan said, his lips thinned. He and Marisol were mostly amicable when alone with just them and Virgil, but Patton had a habit of cooing over the kitten and needling Logan into being irritated.

 “Mmm, yeah,” Patton’s mom said. She glanced over at Virgil right as Marisol basically slammed her face into his chin in a bid to get pets. “Your cat.” She shook her head. “But Princess Kitten or not, I do not want fur in dinner,” she said.

“Sorry,” Patton said, honestly not sounding sorry at all. Virgil was always a bit surprised when the insolent shrug garnered nothing more that a scowl that did not reach Patton’s mom’s eyes. “I thought she could help me find Virgil, but you already found him.” He turned to Virgil. “Where have you been all day?”

 “Found a tunnel,” Virgil said. He had to use one hand to hold Marisol back from his sandwich as he took another bite, but then gave her a bite of cheese.

“You found what?” Logan asked.

“There’s a tunnel under the cellar,” Virgil said. “It goes to an old closed up room and also to a set of secret passageways.” It was a bit of a security risk honestly, though clearly no one had used it in years by how dirty it was. He did plan to go back into it and make sure the sprawling tunnels didn’t go to anywhere more dangerous like the royal wing.

 “A closed-up room?” Logan said. He could see a bit of curiosity already building in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Virgil said. “Where the door used to be seemed like it had been bricked over.”

“Really? Can you show me.”

“Sure,” Virgil answered.

“Ah, perhaps we should be a bit more cautious about climbing through random tunnels we don’t know the stability of,” Patton’s mom said.

Logan’s frown edged on a pout.

“Talk to your father,” she said. “I’m sure he can get someone who understands these things so you can safely investigate.”

“It was safe enough for Virgil,” Logan pointed out.

 “No, Logan.”

He sighed but seemed to concede. That was another strange thing about living here. By all rights Logan didn’t have to obey anyone except the king, but he often listened to those around him, not just the adults but Patton as well. It was interesting though it sometimes made the hierarchy hard to figure out. Virgil did sometimes stress out about the hypothetical situation where he got conflicting orders from two people, and he wouldn’t know which one to obey. So far it hadn’t been a problem luckily. They always seemed to work it out amongst themselves in some give and take social interaction that was a bit too complex for him to understand.

[kdramachitchat]

Yumi's Cells Episode 3 Recap - First impressions always count. Yumi and Woong heads out to a homecooked meal restaurant & a frog festival on their first date.

Episode 3 of Yumi’s Cells begins with Yu-mi forcing herself to laugh through Gu-Woong’s awful jokes. Thankfully their coffee is ready and Emotion Cell as livid, with Gu-Woong keeping the conversation flowing by discussing what he’s working on back home. Gu-Woong is a game maker and showed the game about puppies and looks like Yumi is interested.

In Cell Land Hunger strikes. And just in time too given Emotion and the other cells are so tired. Hilariously, Hunger plays the belly pipe which is what causes her stomach to grumble.

Gu-Woong hears this but pretends he doesn’t, tells her it's already dinner time and invites  Yu-Mi to join him at a restaurant of his choice. In fact, she absolutely loves the food there too, downing the dishes. He even let her take the first bite too, he's polite and it seems that Yu-Mi is totally impressed with the food enjoying everything.

This is enough to win over a lot of the cells – except Emotion and Anxious Cell. She keeps her guard up despite Gu-Woong hitting all the right notes. On the otherhand, Anxious Cell is worried about Yu-Mi's blouse getting ruined with the boiling dish that may splatter on her. Before she even took the first bite, Woong is fast enough and gave her a apron. He's a total gentleman. The Cells are impressed that he's considerate, Emotions still dont like him and Anxious does. He has good manners. They both enjoy home-cooked restaurants too which both of them appreciate. Even Fashion Cell likes what he wore its elaborately calculated as a perfect effortless look. Hahaha. Fashion Cell instantly likes him so does the rest of the Cells cept for Emotion.

Well i think first impressions are always the most important. With my second impression of Woong, i love how he ignored the grumble of her stomach to try not to embarrass her he politely solved the situation which is considered a plus point for me. 

After the meal, Woong caught Yu-Mi who's about to pay for their meal but Woong stopped her and tells her that she'll pay, while accidentally holding her hand. The Cells started floating on air like they're on cloud 9.

Woong suggests they go to the park and check out the frogs. The date went so well and she's totally not into the frog festival. Though the Cells are having fun and wants to go but not Emotion. Woong pays for the entrance tickets and the ticket lady mentions that they get a discount if they're a couple. Woong says no and Yu-Mi says they are. Woong ended up surprised. The ticketlady gave them headbands to upload on social media and they'll get even more discounts if they take the headband.

While there, one of the workers asks if they’re a couple. While a bit awkward to begin with, Finance kicks in for Yu-Mi and focuses on how much money she can save if she says yes. Well, one thing leads to another and the pair snap a couple photo together, which Yu-Mi decides to put up on social media.

This act attracts the attention of Ru-Bi, who immediately rings Gu-Woong and asks what’s going on. Woong ends their conversation quickly and keeps his focus on Yu-Mi. Nosy Ruby needs to get her thoughts away from Yu-Mi like she's obsessed with who she dates. Woong tells her that Ru-Bi is weird because she talks to him in 3rd-person and Yu-Mi laughed at his comment. She laughed for real this time, finally. Emotion is pissed and wants to go home, Anxious is worried about Ru-Bi. Woong tells her that he can't really lie and says it like he means it. I like him. The Cells does too, he's honest, polite, considerate. All good factors. Emotion Cell is now impressed and decides not to use the robot doll cell.

With the date going so well and Yu-Mi impressed by Woong's compliments she decided to treat him and buy popcorn. Woong tells her that she doesn't have to be grateful when he told her she's cute its because he's honest. The Cells like him too as long as he doesn't do those awkward jokes and they all approve. Hysterius Cell shows up in Cell land and presses the mood lever down, sending Yu-Mi into a depressive downward spiral. Because of this, she suddenly skips out and decides to go home. This is just terrible. The date was doing so and its all Hysteriuis Cell's fault. For once i'm actually mad at a Cell, i don't think i'm going to like him very much.

Things all got very awkward when they both head home. Woong tried to make her laugh with his dad jokes but Yu-Mi wasn't feeling well and head up to the bus. She wants to save herself from heartache like her past relationships. After the date, Woong sees Saeyi heading home and tells her that he likes Yu-Mi. Once he got back, this terrible parting effected Woong too and he's worried that she's not replying to his messages. Meanwhile, in Woong's Cell land a imaginary Yu-Mi has taken over. Like she's all he's thinking about. Woong waits for her texts and looks like he was about to tear up. He immediately heads online to search reasons for her not replying during their first date. With Hysteria still attacking Cell land, Emotion, Fashion and Anxious Cells reach out to Reason Cell. Reason Cells tell them that Hysteria Cell is afraid that Yu-Mi may struggle and will hurt again. They all find a solution and it's Hunger Cell they can rely on. Yu-Mi looses her appetite, lays down and didn't bother replying to Woong. They don't want to think that Woong was rejected by her.

Jumps to conclusions finding reasons as to why she's not replying. Goes on forums to find comments, he thinks about what he has done during their blind date. He believes it’s his beard.  Even asked advice from Louis and he tells Woong that her not replying means he's dumped. On her way to work, she misses her bus and sits down on the bench seeing the candy that Woong gives her on her back. The lights went back on Cells land after she ate the candy. Yu-Mi eventually messages to let him know she’s okay and had fun. Sigh of relief. So it's definitely a misunderstanding on his part because Yu-Mi fell asleep. Woong decided to shave his beard that morning! Sae-Yi is surprised that Woong shaved his beard with the reason being it's a sign of a man's pride but he didn't give a exact reason for him to do so. It just shows that Woong likes her alot.

Yu-Mi messages Woong and tells him to get to work safetly and Woong is happy. Woong messages back and lets her know that he’s shaved his beard. Hilariously, Yu-Mi ended up confused but really didn't care if he did, thinking it's probably one of his jokes.  Even the Cells are confused thinking it's probably slang or something bad. Fashion Cells takes it literally and is impressed once again.

While on the way to work after the bus, Ru-Bi annoys her once again asks about her date. She needs to stop with her nosy attitude. Yu-Mi is stressed and wants to ignore Ru-Bi, so she skipped the elevator and went up the stairs. The office found out about her blind date and her office mates are being nosy. She's stressed about the situation and so are the cells who are wanting for Ru-Bi to shut her mouth. It's a headache and the cells village is about to blow up. The whole day Yu-Mi hasn't eaten and Hunger Cell isn't doing well.

Woong texting Yumi asking her if she has any plans. After Yu-Mi telling him that she doesn't have plans after work. Woong replies back and asks her out on a dinner date. Before she can even reply, a staff who's in a hurry bumped into Yu-Mi, which led Yu-Mi’s phone to break. Urgh. Can the day get any worst? 2nd date please and poor Woong. Yu-Mi is contemplating on pursuing with him and is letting out her feelings to a co-worker. She's afraid to feel hurt, tells her co-worker that her phone broke because it's a sign of the universe for her to not see him anymore.

Woong seeks council from Sae-Yi and Louis, who checks out the text messages and believes that Yu-Mi wanted to end the conversation because of her sentence structures but he didn’t get the hint, making him look clingy and uncomfortable. As the trio about to head out, Woong stays in and tells Sae-Yi that he doesn't condemn to people telling him what to do and that he's slow-witted. That's just the way he is. He knows himself well.

At work, Yu-Mi feels ill she excuses herself to her boss and decides to go home. It's raining outside and she didn't bring an umbrella.  Ru-Bi follows her out of the building and suggests she ring Woong using her number and let him know. After all her pent up frustration, she let it out on Ru-Bi and tells her it's enough. Ru-Bi says that she's just trying to help because she supports them both. Hysteria Cell on the other hand is enjoying this and wants her to release all her negative emotions.

Yu-Mi admitted that she’s always been alone – and will continue to be alone because that's what makes her comfortable. Can someone give Yu-Mi a hug? As they talk, Woong suddenly shows up with an umbrella. Yu-Mi turns and looks at him with amazement. Her knight and shining armor.

[anythingandeverything1d]

First Father’s Day

“It’s late H, why don’t you just go to sleep?” you whispered rocking the crying baby with a yawn. Being new parent’s was not easy, disrupted sleep schedules, poop, puke, crying, and the constant question of what was actually wrong with her and how such a loud cry could come from such a small body. Your little girl was beautiful, perfection as Harry would say, and you wouldn’t trade it for anything. 

“No, no. Why don’t you get some sleep. You’ve done so much already and she just ate, I’ll just rock her a bit until she’s ready to lie down in her crib.” He smiled, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

You yawned again and subsided, handing her over to him and walking out of the room. “I love you.” You smiled at him, peeking around the door. 

“I love you too” Harry whispered, sinking to the rocking chair. You watched him kiss her tiny head and smile as he rocked the chair, quietly singing her to sleep. 

You snuck downstairs and into the pantry where you had hidden Harry’s gift. Tomorrow was Father’s day. His first Father’s day as a dad and you wanted to make it as special as possible. While he had run out to the store for more diapers this morning, you had snuck some work in. You had picked up a canvas and some paint, dipping her tiny feet into a swirl of rainbow colors and forming a heart with the two tiny feet prints. Once those had dried, you had painted words around it so that it spelt out “I <3 Daddy, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes” It wasn’t anything crazy or spectacular but you thought it would be something he could put in his office with his other awards, always remembering the one dream you had achieved together. Harry had told you he didn’t want anything for Father’s day. All he had requested was a lazy day with his two favorite girls. You were not about to let that happen though. You wanted this to be special, something to commemorate just how amazing he was. Along with her tiny feet on the canvas, you had also gotten him something really cool, a gift that could possibly be for you as well. It was a map of the stars the night your daughter was born. You and Harry used to lay in the grass, watching stars and dreaming of the day you would start a family. It was something you always cherished doing with him and so a piece of the sky that night is exactly what you wanted. You had also thrown in some of his favorite candy and beer so that he could enjoy the day with sweets and a drink. You placed the gifts on the counter with a card commemorating his first fathers day and flicked out the lights. 

It was probably around 5 am when your daughter woke up screaming for her breakfast, exactly 5 hours after you had laid her down for the night. You rubbed your eyes, rolling out of bed careful to not wake Harry next to you. You picked up the baby and smiled, lifting your shirt so she could eat. After her breakfast you changed her and dressed her in a cute pink dress that Harry had picked out when you originally found out you were pregnant. You matched it with a small bow and pink binky. You then wandered down stairs, made a cup of tee just the way he liked and carried both up to bed. “Harry..” you mumbled, softly shaking him awake. “Haz...” 

Harry blinked his eyes open, smiling when he saw you and your daughter standing in front of him. “Morning beautiful.” he mumbled sitting up.

“Happy Father’s Day!” you handed him over the tea and sat on the side of the bed next to him. 

“Thank you.” he grinned, the dimples you loved so much appearing on his cheeks. He took a small sip and placed it on the bedside table.“Morning baby girl.” he reached out taking her from you and smiling. “You look so pretty this morning.”

“I figured Father’s day was something to celebrate.” you grinned, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “We love and appreciate everything you do.”

“I love you both too.” He kissed her cheek and then your lips.

“Come on!” you jumped up grabbing his free hand. “We have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? Babe you didn’t have to get me anything...”

“Shh...just come on!” 

Harry followed you downstairs and you covered his eyes with your hands as the two of you walked into the kitchen. You removed them slowly and grinned as he blinked taking in the sights. “Babe...”

“I know you said we didn’t have to do anything but that’s not true. Harry you are an incredible father, you do everything and more for her and me. I wanted to show exactly how thankful we are of you. I know it’s nothing big but-”

“Nothing big? (y/n) this is amazing.” He walked closer picking up the canvas. “Look how tiny her feet are. This is so cute. Thank you.” He sat it down carefully and picked up the star map. “What’s this?”

“Well...” you moved closer, wrapping your arms around his waist. “That is a map of the sky the night you became a father...” Harry’s mouth dropped and his eyes teared up, shifting the baby to his other arm and examining the image closer. “We would always lay in the grass watching the stars and talking about-”

“about having a family, becoming parents and growing old together.” Harry finished. He looked over at you crying and you smiled walking into his open arm. “It’s beautiful. I absolutely love it. Thank you love.” He kissed you a couple of times on the lips and grinned. “This is far more than I ever expected.” He hugged the two of you for a minute and then let you go. “Ohh and candy, babe you really didn’t have to do this.”

“Well, you are a much better dad than I could've ever dreamed of and I think that is something we should celebrate for. Thank you for that.” You kissed him back and grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The rest of the morning was spent lounging on the couch watching your little girl smile at Harry’s funny faces. When it was time for her nap you asked him to put her down while you ran to the bedroom for a shower. You were wrapped in a towel when Harry quietly shut the door and turned around. “Ready for your last father’s day gift?” you gave him a smirk and he raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that?” he asked taking a step closer with a grin.

You dropped the towel to the floor and winked. “Me.”

---

Happy father’s day everyone! Hope you all got to spend a little extra time with your father figures! Here’s a request I got today and thought I would do a short blurb for! 

xoxo

[manychocolatefactories]

CatCF Dark Chocolate: Part 2, the tour

Willy Wonka and his factory:

For the Factory in this version, I wanted to give a feeling of the factories of the 19th century. Something between a place where a mad scientist would work and a steampunk fantasy. Willy Wonka himself is based on Jules Vernes.

Willy Wonka himself is a man with an "impressive beard", a solemn but kind air on his face, and an overall feeling of knowledge and wisdom. Wearing a thick and tight jacket, a black top hat and a dark green coat, his appearance actually gives mixed signals: his short hair is fluffy and shaggy, like a man of free spirit, of amusement and not much care, but his beard and mustache are neatly trimmed and cut, like any serious and respectable man. His hair is brown, chocolate-colored, but with touches of white and gray here and there. His eyes are kind and twinkling, but his mouth is a harsh thin line. He is the kind of man that will say the most extravagant things perfectly seriously, but treat serious and common business as a joke. Don't think however that is an extravagant or funny man. Again, he rather gives the feeling of a kind mad scientist.

As for the Factory itself, actually the locals, the people of the town over which the Factory looms, dislike it. Sure, the Factory is admired by people wordlwide - tourists come to see it, painters come to paint it, it is a landmark admired in foreign countries. But the locals do not like it at all. It is a tall, dark, cold and stern building, with no color of beauty, only locked doors, metallic fences, thick walls and high chimneys. The Factory does not employ anyone of the town, in fact no one ever saw the Factory workers arrive or leave. Wonka himself has never left his factory for decades now. Couple that with strange white silhouettes seen at the windows, and the ramblings of the local homeless man who apparently hates the Factory and keeps insulting it, and quickly a bad reputation was built for it. Adults believe Wonka is trying to hide a shameful secret, the kids tell tales of "the haunted chocolate factory"...

In fact, I wanted an air of creepiness for the Factory. I took back the original idea of Dahl that all the workers are regular humans dressed in white, and I pushed it a little further: they are basically so covered in white you can hardly see them anymore. They have white blouses and jackets, white gloves, white masks, white caps, white helmets... After each kid's demise, a mysterious poem is recitated (like in Dahl's original drafts), mysterious voices that could be eithe the worker's or something else... In fact, with each kid demise there is an element of sppokiness which may be the kid hallucinating out of fear, or not (Augustus in the river thinks something is tying to catch him or drag him down  ; Wilbur and Rice in the dark hear and feel creepy things...). And Wonka himself keeps making ominous references to "selling your soul to the devil"...

But in truth the Factory isn't a death trap at all. Behind the scenes, the workers are just normal people with their own life and their usual office routines, and who happent to leave very discreetly the Factory. The Factory is also based a lot on the Menier chocolate factory, which is the "real-life" Wonka factory. I may speak more about it one day.

Anyway... now let's go on with the tour!

# The Labyrinth. Behind each entrance, before each exit of the Factory, is a labyrinth, a maze Wonka designed after the works of Penrose and Möbius. Only he and his workers know the way out of them. This is merely a security measure.

# The Edible Garden. For this garden, I wanted to insist on the idea of it being fake and artificial - Wonka didn't try to create a perfect replica of a landscape. This room doesn't even have any real sense in the Factory, it is merely a piece of art he created so that he could come in here to relax and mediate. There are no windows, all the lights come from spots on the far-away ceiling and the ground is grey stone (because Wonka is revolted at the idea of making grass out of candy, it would be too dirty). There are trees of hard caramel and mint candies, orchards where the fruits are made of gummy, lollipops shaped like flowers and numerous sculptures of sugar - none of this is to be eaten however. At the back of the garden, there is the Chocolate River. The River serves a double use: on one side, it is merely an aesthetic addition to the Edible Garden. On the other, it is a source of energy for the Factory - it used to be a water mill, and Wonka kept the ancient structures but replaced water with chocolate. As such, the production of chocolate actually helps create energy back - and the river ends with a series of different pipes, each one leading to a different room where the chocolate will be used.

This is where Augustus Pottle meets his demise. The competitive  glutton tried to empty the river of its content, and fell into it. Sucked up by one of the glass pipes, he did a long travel through the tubes and pipes of the factory, which crushed and reshaped his fat into a cylindric body - before he fell into one of the boiling vats. There, the heat was enough to have all his fat melt, like in a super-intense sauna. Hopefully, he was rescued before being boiled alive - but Augustus left the factory as a mass of sagging, extra-skin, his wrinkled folds dragging on the ground, like a skeleton wearing a bride's dress made of human flesh.

# At the back of the Edible Garden, there is a long hallway that passes by a balcony. Said balcony allows one to see the "Mosaic room", a place where Wonka makes mosaics out of pralines - and since the room is really vast, he can make giant mosaics.

# The Vanilla Fudge Mountain. While it looks like a miniature mountain kept inside a giant room, this titanic hunk of vanilla fudge is actually a fragment taken out of the Honeylaya mountain range (located somewhere between the great Black Thunder chocolate mines, and the sugar marshes of the Sea of Marmelade). [References to the Himalaya, the Black Thunder coal mines, the Black Thunder chocolate bars, the Sea of Marmara and salt marshes ]. This room is basically a copy-cut of Dahl's deleted chapter of the same name, with workers breaking down the mountain, piling the fudge in wagons and then sending it to the Cutting and Pounding Room.

This is where Wilbur and Rice meet their demise. Unruly, and tired of having all their pranks and "fun" sabotaged by Wonka and Bertie Upside, they decide to ride the wagons. Of course, they are sent down the Cutting and Pounding Room - hopefully for them, Wonka has installed an intelligent wire strainer/net that can catch all impurities detected, to clean the fudge. So the kids are saved, right? Well the thing is that, while waiting on the wire strainer for someone to save them, the kids, bored and gluttonous, ended up eating all the fudge that fell down around them. They ate so much of it, that the machine ended up identifying them as "fudge" instead of "impurity" (since they were basically 80 percent fudge after their gorging Xp). So they where sent down in the Room, thrown on a conveyor belt... ready to be pound and cut into slices. The workers realized this of course and stopped the conveyor belt before the knifes - but the kids still got pounded. Wilbur, who was lying on his side when he got pounded, became tall and thin ; while Tommy, who was standing up, got pounded on the head and became small and large. In fact, when they got out of the Factory, their angry parents ended up mistaking one for another and going home with the wrong boy.

# After the Vanilla Fudge Mountain, the tour goes by another hallway, this one with numerous tall and colorful windows - stained glass made of sugar. Each window illustrates a famous chocolatier or candy-maker, but in the style of saints in churches. You have Philippe Suchard (the grandfather of Milka), Henry Isaac Rowntree (the maker of the Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Gums), the Menier family (the biggest chocolatiers of 19th century and first half of 20th century Europe, and distant relatives of Wonka) ; the Murrie family (creators of Hersheys) and the Mars famly (bheind the Mars bars, the M&Ms, the Snickers and the Milky Ways). "All families" Wonla notes with an air of sadness. Indeed, Wonka always wanted a family - or rather at this point in his life he regrets to not have a family and an heir, isolated that he is in his factory.

# Inventing Room number 3. There are numerous "Inventing Rooms" in the Factory, dedicated to developping, inventing, testing, studying products or just do crash tests. The number 3 is clustered with huge, squat and heavy dark machines, with vats, cauldrons and ovens, and all sorts of other structures dragon-like due to the steam and fire they spill out. It quite a grim and sinister place, but it is also where Wonka tests his most fantastic inventions, like the Rainbow Drops, the Luminous Lollies or the Three-Course Meal Gum.

As you guess, this is where Violet Beauregard will meet her demise. I set myself a rule to avoid all blueberry transformations when dealing with the demises of the Violets, so here I rather use the tomato soup: after chewing (not only did Violet took the gum due to her "talent" but also because she misheard Wonka and thought it was a "tasting" room), her face becomes red and chubby, her skin smooth and glossy, her cheeks puff out, her nose bulges, her forehead bloats, her throat becomes big, her lips thick and her ears thin, pointy, green. Result? Her face looks like a mass of tomatoes. Tomatoes for cheeks, a tomato for a forehead, tomatoes instead of eyelids, a tomato for a nose and two for the lips... Think of the Arcimboldo paintings, how he made faces out of flowers and vegetables. It is the same thing here. And while her parent is furious at first, they end up actually realizing it might be for the better - because now she is truly unique and attention-attracting, and that's what her parents always wanted...

# Follows a long hallway with a series of different rooms: two are taken from the original book, the Fizzy Lifting Drinks and the Squares that Look Round. One I changed slightly: the Chocolate Milk Room, where Wonka keeps special cows that have a chocolate-flavored milk.

# The Heating Room. A room taken from Dahl's deleted chapter "The Warming Candy Room".

This Heating Room looks like the negine room of a submarine or a freighter, filled with turbines, pistons, pipes, wheels and pressure gauges. This is where Wonka creates all of his heat-related products: hot ice-creams to fight chilling days, hot ice-cubes to give back warmth to a cold drink, and finally the warming candies (see the original deleted chapter). Marvin Prune, absolutely outraged by what he perceives as Wonka breaking all laws of science and physics, tries to prove that he is a quack by stuffing himself with handfuls of warming candies. Which results in him over-heating: he becomes red, sweaty, thirsty, removes all of his clothes (save for his underwears) and screams to death.

Wonka will have him put in the freezer, and also covered regularly in water, to avoid him drying up to death or combust. But even as he is leaving the factory, he is still red, sweaty, steamy and in underwears - the falling snow melting as it touches him.

# The Nut Room. Another classic piece of the original factory that I wanted to reinvent. Basically, here the kids do not visit the Nut Room proper, but the Under-Nut Room, or Sub-Nut Room. You've got the Nut Room where the white-clad workers separate good nuts from bad nuts Then the "bad" batch is then in this under-room, where trained squirrels will sniff out any potential "good nut" the workers may have missed. All the nuts are on a conveyor belt, that is getting then thrown down a chute.

Of course, Elvira Salt meets her demise here by trying to take one of the squirrels by force, resulting in a squirrel attack. However, the squirrels do not push her down the chute. Rather, she climbs on the conveyor belt to avoid them and has her fur stuck in the belt. She could have escaped if she had let go of it, but she refused to let it go, so she fell down the chute... and Wonka cannot remember if this particular chute leads to the compost vat he uses to grow his fruits, vegetales and berries   - or to the furnace...

But don't worry, she actually falls down in the compost. Elvira will leave the factory extremely dirty, unbearably stinky, so much not even an entire week of baths and showers can remove it, and probably with one or two diseases, but alive.

# The Television Room. I did not had time to clearly prepare this one, but it will be where Michael (Mike) T-V meets his demise. Discovering he can go inside television, he is more happy to oblige, and is absolutely thrilled to be in his favorite shows. But as soon as he leaves the television, he realizes that he is now as small as a television character! No bigger than the screen! He will be sent back to his home, now only able to play with his toys and figurines, the only things at his doll-like size.

# The Molding Room

This room is also taken back from Dahl's original draft. Basically, it is where Wonka creates many of his chocolate sculptures - he has an entire zoo of chocolate animals, and very recently created a machine able to form men, women and children out of chocolate. And this is also where Bertie Upside will meet his demise.

You may be wondering: Bertie? What has he done wrong? He is kind, gentle, generous, perfect. He helped Charlie on numerous occasions, he stopped the mischief of the brats... Isn't he a good kid?

HE IS NOT. Grandpa Georges was right all along: if he appears better than the others, it means that he twice as worse.

Bertie Upside truly has a heart of gold. Which means a heart of cold and hard metal, not of flesh.

Bertie Upside is a psychopath, a sociopath, an evil little boy. Sure he knows how to put on a nice and gentle facade, but it is just manipulation. If he is orphaned, it is because he killed his own parents, and now that he is left alone with Charlie (Wonka being busy elsewhere), Bertie will try to kill him, just for fun, by putting him in the "Chocolate Boy" mould so that he would be smothered in a chocolate statue.

However (I have to admit this part is a bit blurry), Charlie will resist and Bertie will end up thrown inside another moulding machine... A piñata-creating machine. When Bertie will get out of the machine, he will still be a living boy... but now with a flesh as fragile as papier-mâché, and insides filled with candies. Now he is really a sweet kid inside as he is outside. And  he will have to be really gentle... if he doesn't want to break.

And of course after that Charlie gets the factory, as it turns out that Wonka was looking for an heir with this tour. Happy end!

   Now, as I mentionned a poem forms itself through the story, rhymes being added after each kid's demise (an idea originally taken from Dahl's first drafts of the story). It goes like this:

"Nine little children, in the garden they went,

But one fell, and then they were eight."

"Eight little children, an unruly mix,

Two rode to Chicago, and then they were six."

"Six little children went into a room as busy as a hive,

But one did not listen carefully, and then they were five."

"Five little children, less and less at every door,

One had a fever and then they were four."

"Four little children saw squirrels down the tree,

One fell down the squirrel hole, and then they were three."

"Three little children, and none are new,

One went to play and then they were two."

"Two little children, we are soon to be done,

One got his trickandtreat, and then there was one."

"One little children, everything he won,

He lived ever happily, and now we are done."

[prettywordsyouleft]

10 Dates | The Movie Date

Summary: Kim Junmyeon was the epitome of a perfect catch - he was successful, handsome and everything you currently didn’t want in a man. Yet after agreeing to his request to give him 10 dates in total to change your mind, you realised you might have been looking for someone like him all along.

Pairing: Kim Junmyeon x reader

Genre: dating au / romance

Warnings: none

Preview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

You had to admit when Junmyeon’s name flashed across your phone’s screen the next day you grinned momentarily before reeling yourself back in. You hadn’t stopped thinking about how easy chatting with him yesterday had gone and you had concluded it would be best to forget you had even considered making things harder between you. Even after the ten dates, if you felt the need to still say no, you wanted this to end amicably.

Still, it did feel nice to have someone calling you right now and you hit talk, biting back your grin to ease some of your eagerness. “Junmyeon.”

“It’s nice to hear your voice,” he admitted and you leaned back into your work chair, swinging around on it gently.

“How come?”

“I had five exhausting meetings today so it’s nice to talk with someone who won’t be asking me for a financial budget report.”

“As CEO, shouldn’t you be the one asking that?”

He chuckled. “I like to be involved in how the business is going. If I can’t see that for myself before reading a report, then I’m not paying attention enough. Anyway, I didn’t call you to complain about work. I actually wondered if I could ask you out on another date.”

“Date number three, huh?”

“We’re still counting?” he asked with another chuckle and you couldn’t help but allow your smile to creep back over your face with how nice it sounded. “How’s your schedule?”

“Depends, what do you want to do?”

“I was thinking about going to see a movie with you. Anything you want to see come out recently?”

“There’s a couple.”

“Well then, I know its short notice but how’s tonight for you?”

“I could do seven.”

“Seven it is,” he confirmed and after asking for an address to pick you up from, you ended the call.

And then you sprung up from your chair, dashing into the office down the hallway. You didn’t even apologise for interrupting the conversation being held between Ayla and her assistant, beaming at your friend happily. “He called!”

“Already?” she questioned, her brows knitting together after telling her assistant she would catch up with her again later. “He’s keen.”

“Evidently.”

“When’s the next date?”

“Tonight, we’re going to a movie,” you gushed and Ayla folded her arms across her chest.

“And you’re this excited about it?”

Reining in your eagerness with a gentle cough, you shrugged. “I mean, maybe I was hasty in the beginning.”

“No I mean, you’re excited about going to the movies?”

“What’s so wrong about that?” you wondered as Ayla shook her head sadly.

“There are only two reasons a guy would pick to take you to the movies after the first date.”

“Surely it’s just a good venue to spend time learning about your movie tastes,” you offered and Ayla smirked.

“One, he’s actually not that into you and this is the gentle decline. I mean, sure, he was nice enough about us yesterday but he could have secretly been put out. A movie date is a perfect way to not need any conversation before saying see ya and then never calling again.”

“I hardly imagine that’s the case.”

“The second and most probable,” she continued, raising her eyebrow at you. “Is that he’s ready for intimacy.”

“You’re ridiculous!” you chimed but Ayla shook her head adamantly.

“Think about it, Y/N. The theatre is dark, and he’s sitting right next to you. There are so many moves he could make. If he grips at your thigh, he definitely doesn’t want the night to end with him dropping you back home.”

“You’ve watched too many movies yourself,” you concluded, your excitement dampening with her date scrutiny.

Ayla shrugged. “There’s no other reason why a movie date happens.”

Everything had been comfortable since Junmyeon had picked you up, right down to the playful bicker over what was the best movie snack to have.

“I still think popcorn trumps all,” he murmured as you both got settled into your seats in front of the large screen. You glanced in his direction before popping a piece of candy into your mouth.

“Chocolate is sweeter.”

Junmyeon stared at you for a moment, transfixed by something and then he chuckled. “Have you ever tried mixing the two?”

“How?”

“Do you trust me?” he wondered and you nodded all too easily. Picking up a popcorn kernel, he gestured for you to open up. You accepted the piece and then Junmyeon reached in for an m&m from your packet, adding that in as well. You chewed, the buttery and sweet being a new but interesting mix. You gave him a look and Junmyeon grinned. “Not bad huh?”

“I won’t ask how you learned to do that,” you announced with a smile, watching as he took a piece of popcorn and popped it in his mouth. Without thinking much about it, you leaned over to place the chocolate in, just as he had done for you.

Even with the low lighting, you could see the happiness within his eyes at your approach. He chewed his mouthful whilst staring at you and then grinned. “Delicious.”

Despite telling yourself that Ayla was being foolish earlier, the way he said that sparked a little anxiety in you. Sitting back into your seat, you tore your gaze from Junmyeon’s, grateful that the trailers had started. When the lights fully dimmed, you flinched as Junmyeon shifted the popcorn container into his lap from the chair’s arm between you, your widened gaze stuck on the action and not on the screen.

Was he going to try and play a move on you after all? Did he want you to reach over for the popcorn in his lap, in hopes he could catch your hand along the way? Would he try and sling an arm around you at all?

And more importantly, as an adult, why were all these simple gestures bothering you so much? You had been on countless dates as a teenager where you had done just that. It was foolish of you to think so much about trivial moves.

However, these juvenile thoughts kept you rigid within your seat for most of the movie, waiting for the elusive thigh grip and trying to decide if you were ready to go along with it or not.

Junmyeon didn’t do anything. He was more relaxed than you were, resting his arm upon the partition at one point. He ate the popcorn without offering you any more, and apart from a couple of caught glances in your direction, he was invested in watching the movie.

You couldn’t even tell what was happening in it.

“Are you feeling alright?” Junmyeon asked once you had both left the theatre, as you blinked to adjust your focus to the brighter lights in the foyer. His forehead creased up in thought. “You were not there for most of it. Did we choose the wrong movie?”

“I was a bit cold, admittedly,” you quickly mentioned and then gasped when Junmyeon removed his sweater and tugged it over your head. The smell of his cologne encased you, much as his warmth did and you were surprised that you were actually quite cold.

“You should have told me, I would have given it up sooner,” he told you and you smiled in response. He laughed awkwardly a moment later. “However, if you’re cold that puts a damper on my plans.”

“What plans?”

“Ice-cream,” he announced and you grinned.

“Well, I have this on so I think I can handle some ice-cream now.”

“I was hoping you would say that.”

When the shared ice-cream sundae was completely cleaned up, you headed back to his car, sharing your individual weekend plans once you were back on the road. You were surprised when Junmyeon mentioned he was travelling. “Italy?”

“Yeah, I have some business there.”

“Wow, I’m jealous!”

“Why?”

“Italy is the number one destination for me,” you announced, grinning dreamily at him. “I don’t even like pasta all that much but I bet the food there is just as amazing as the architecture.”

“You should go some time.”

“Yeah, when I’m thirty. That’s the plan.”

“Why then?”

You stared at Junmyeon incredulously. “I kind of need to save for it.”

“I’ll take you,” he offered and you shook your head. “Don’t be like that, I travel so much that I have more than enough travel points to use up. We’ll do it together, okay?”

“Maybe,” you replied and he nodded easily enough at that.

“Well, I won’t be back for two weeks, so I guess there will be no dates until after then.”

“I guess so,” you lamented, surprised that you were rather disappointed. Tonight hadn’t gone the way you wanted it to in the beginning. If you were honest, you hadn’t had a date with Junmyeon where things had gone right all along. It made you regret everything, knowing you’d have to wait now.

He pulled the car over to the curb outside your apartment building and then turned in his seat after unclipping his belt. “Can I message you whilst I’m away?”

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t,” you confessed and Junmyeon nodded thoughtfully, seemingly wrestling with an idea. And then he snapped his attention back to you, his lips curling up into a wide smile. “Let me just soak you in one final time then.”

You posed for him which you both laughed at and then you fell silent. You could tell he wanted to kiss you and the feeling was starting to become mutual. Still, he didn’t lean over and take your lips against his so you unclipped your belt.

“I guess I better head in. You will have packing to do.”

“It was really nice seeing you again, Y/N.”

“You too.”

“I’ll message you,” he repeated and you collected your bag, acutely aware of the unanswered tension. Junmyeon jolted towards you, reaching for your hand, your heart leaping around in your chest. “I want to kiss you.”

“You can.”

He shook his head sadly. “If I did that, I probably wouldn’t be very productive in Italy.”

“Oh stop it!”

“I’m serious,” he told you and you couldn’t help the shy smile that crossed your lips. Junmyeon mirrored it. “I’m serious about you.”

“You hardly know me.”

“I have seven more dates to discover more.”

You laughed. “Look who’s counting now.”

“Go inside now before I change my mind,” he pleaded and you nodded, slipping your hand out his reluctantly.

It wasn’t until you were out of the car that you realised you still had his sweater on. “Oh, I should-”

“Keep it,” he urged with a giddying smile. “Maybe while I’m away you might wear it and think of me.”

You waved him off then, hugging the oversized sweater more tightly around yourself.

You already missed him.

_________________

Part 4

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