#the main cook dipped as soon as me and my friends showed up

[strawberri-syrup]

waffle house employees are the best of us all

[piss-pumpkin]

🌹“Just as friends”🌹

(Older)Dipper pines x reader, Chapter 3 of Douce amere

~4.5k words

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Tw for those who need it- food/eating, several awful sex jokes 💀

You jolted awake. Pacifica’s alarm was loud, and she did not silence it soon enough. She rolled out of bed beside you, falling to the floor before standing up. “Food?”

You rubbed your eyes, “Got an extra tooth brush?”

”Yeah,” she muttered, voice hoarse. “Then food.”

                                           …

Pacifica led you to the main foyer, where housekeepers and maids were setting up tables. Some held food, others simply face table cloths for people to mingle at. 

“And you lied to me and said this was small and unimpressive,” you said, staring in wonder at the scene. There was a rather large dessert table, complete with a chocolate fountain and strawberries on sticks.

”Yeah, whatever I guess. It’s a little big if you aren’t used to better.” Pacifica showed you to the kitchen, where a cake of at least five layers was sat, completely iced in orange and pink frosting. “Anyway, there’s breakfast if you want it,” she said, grabbing a bowl from the cupboard. “Are you a morning eater?”

You yawned, “Eh, I can be. What do you got?”

She opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of strawberries, and started to wash them. “Pretty much everything,” she said, pouring her berries into the bowl.

You squinted. It was far to early to think about what you could possibly want, if anything. “I’ll just have what you’re having, I guess.”

Pacifica poured the other half of the strawberries into a second bowl, and handed it to you. “Let’s get out of here, it’s too busy.”

You started back upstairs with her to her room, trying not to get in the way of preparation. As you walked, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket. Pulling it out as you ascended the stairs, you saw it was Dipper. You smiled. 

“Dip is asking the dress code, he apparently didn’t bring anything fancy,” you laughed. “He wants to know if he can just wear his normal clothes.”

Pacifica smirked, “he can’t be serious, right?” She flopped onto her bed, and held the bowl of strawberries by her chest. 

You followed behind, and sat down with her. “Man, you know he’s fucking serious,” you said, looking down at your phone and beginning to make fun of him over text.

”Well tell him we’ll supply him with something, I guess,” she said, looking at her closet. “You know I have guy clothes.”

You looked down and idly typed the message. “We’re making him wear a suit right?”

Pacifica smiled, “Yep. Tux, I think. probably bow tie?”

”I was thinking regular tie, I feel like that’s a better look.”

Pcifica thought a moment, and popped a strawberry in her mouth. “I dunno… maybe you’re right,” she pondered. “We could make him try both and decide which is better?”

You nodded, “sounds good.” You ate a strawberry. Quite sweet. You let the leafy tops collect at one side of the bowl. “So do you still like… like him?”

Pacifica looked up, “I mean… kind of. The same way i would after not seeing him in person for like, a year.” She pursed her lips, as if straining her mind for the thought. “I dunno. I think about him less when he’s away. But the feeling is still there, kind of?”

You nodded. Her feelings were a little different then yours, but the same sentiment. 

“What about you, you still-“

”Yep. Awful, too,” you shook your head, eating another strawberry. You squinted your eyes, and sucked a breath in through your teeth, “I am absolutely down bad.”

“My condolences,” Pacifica sighed. “We’ve all been there

You laughed, “At least we agree he’ll look really cute in a suit.”

Pacifica threw her head back on the pillow. “Ugh, right? We gotta dress his ass up.”

You smiled, “I’m also curious about what Mabel is doing, I think she is making her own dress.” You plucked your last strawberry off its stem. “I think she made it in like, a night. She could be cooking.”

”Or it could be a disaster, and we have to find her a last minute dress.”

”That is an equal possibility, I think.”

                                             …

Pacifica and yourself were waiting by the door as the party was starting. There were people, standing, mingling. Nobody interesting, not yet. Though by the way Pacifica was talking, you weren’t sure there was anyone interesting on the roster besides you and the twins. 

Much to both of your surprise, Mabel’s dress was fine. Good, even, shocking as it was. She came in first, wearing a blue dress with a shocking amount of sequins  for how little time it took. 

Dipper followed behind his sister, dressed in nothing fancy, and looking rather out of place among the few guests that had arrived this early. You and Pacifica waved the pair over. Mabel bounced closer, running ahead of Dipper and greeting you both with a wide smile, “Wow, you guys look amazing!”

You pumped your fists in the air with excitement. “You too, I can’t believe you made that!” you exclaimed, looking her dress up and down. “You’re insane!”

Mabel giggled, and twirled in a small circle, letting her skirt lift and spin. “Just insane enough,” she laughed.

Pacifica snickered, “That’s highly debatable.”

Just as Mabel was about to retort, Dipper came up beside her, and leaned his arm on her shoulder. “It’s true Mabel, she’s right.”

Pacifica eyed up Dipper, “Yeah, Dip, hopefully you know you’re not going to be wearing that, right?”

Dipper sighed, “yeah, I know, I know.”

Pacifica looked to you, “We take him to get changed before the rest of the guests arrive?”

You nodded. 

Mabel laughed, and hit Dipper on the back. “Alright, you go get prettied up, bro.” She smacked him once more before bouncing off of him, “I’m gonna get punch, and get a date.” With that she was off, as Dipper was giving her a mildly annoyed look. 

You and Pacifica led him to the back, where Pacifica handed him a hanger with his clothes. “Okay,” she looked to you, “Y/n, help him if he needs it, change room is on the right, and I need to go greet people.”

You nodded, “Godspeed.”

”And good luck,” Dipper added.

And then you were alone with your just as friends date. “Alright, you get ready, there’s a tie and a bow tie, too, your pick.”

Dipper entered the change room, and closed the curtain behind him. “Mmmk,” he said. 

You leaned on a wall, waiting. “Did you read ahead without me, last night?” you asked, idly looking around.

”No, actually, I wasn’t sure if we were reading it together, so I played it safe,” he said though the curtain. You could hear faint rustling sounds from the other side. “Are we?”

You nodded, despite the fact that he couldn’t see you, “Yeah, it’s book club.” You straightened your back against the wall, and tapped your foot on the ground. “Thanks for waiting for me,” you smiled, “Also hurry up.”

”I am hurrying.”

You laughed, shaking your head, “This is not was hurrying looks like.”

You heard faint grumbling from him before Dipper emerged from the change room in a suit. With a black tie. The one you had chosen… but he didn’t know that. You smiled, “Well, you look good, all fancy like.” 

He adjusted the sleeves and fiddled with the cuffs. “Uh- thanks,” he said, smiling softly. He closed the curtain behind him, and looked away from you, to the floor. “Y-you too, I forgot to mention earlier…”

You raised your brow, smiling. He was still looking at the floor away from you, so you moved in front of him, and leaned over slightly, forcing him to see you. “Why thank you,” you snickered. “I better look good, it took Pacifica all night to style me.”

Dipper stepped back slightly, face pinkish. “I assume she’s responsible for this, too?” he said, gesturing at his own clothes.

You stood back up tall, “I want to say you were a team effort, actually.” You took his wrist in your hand, and turned it over so you could see the sleeve. “The cuff links were my pick,” you said, tapping them. “Same with the tie”

Dipper instinctively moved is hand to his chest, and thumbed over the tie. “Well chosen, it’s really soft,” he said. 

You smiled, spinning away from him and offering your hand. “I’m actually surprised you were able to tie it without help, I was ready to call Pacifica in to do it for you.”

Dipper took your hand, and gave it a slight squeeze. “I actually looked it up while I was in there,” he laughed, pulling your hand closer to him, and linking your arms. 

You both started out to the main room, “God, that’s why you took so long in there?” you asked. You came to the foyer, which was now filled with a substantial amount of people, and you knew even more were set to come. 

“Wow, lots of people…” Dipper said, trailing off. “Where did Mabel and Pacifica go?”

You looked around, taking in the scene. The tables you’d seen the staff setting up before were now filled with food, or set with chairs for dining and mingling. Gentle orchestral and piano music was playing, and several people were dancing a waltz. “Pacifica is gonna be busy for a while, she has to socialize,” you said, scanning the room for your friends. “And it appears Mabel had been lost to the party.”

Dipper sighed, shaking his head. “Of course she is, we’re not gonna see her for a while, are we.”

”No we will not,” you said, walking with him along the edge of the room. “I bet she’s looking for somebody to dance with,” you pondered. “Hey, we should dance.”

Dipper looked at you, curiously. “Y/n, neither of us know how to waltz.”

You took Dippers hand, gliding your fingers up his palm before lacing them together. “Come on, it can’t be that hard, right?” 

His hand was sweaty, and his face was slightly red. “Y/n, I think you are seriously underestimating my awkwardness,” he said. Despite it, he let you lead him to the floor, where people were dancing in step.

”I’m sure your fine, nobody really knows how to dance,” you laughed. 

Dipper closed his eyes and shook his head, curling his face into a perplexed expression when he opened them. “What the actual fuck do you mean?” He used his head to gesture around the room. “Literally everyone here knows how to dance, that is what they are all dancing.”

You sighed, still smiling. “Come on, all you need is rhythm, I think.” You placed his hand on your waist, and your in his shoulder. “I think this is how it goes, yeah?” You looked around, scanning the other dancers in the room. They were mostly adults and old people, all of whom looked rich. But they did have the same positioning as you. “Yeah, I think we’ve got this.”

”Y/n, I have no rhythm,” he said. You could feel the warmth from his palm on your hip. It was light too, like he was afraid of putting the weight of his hand on you. “Plus this is a rich old person song.” He was stiff, as if his knees were locked. The hand you still held was shaky, the vessel for his anxious movements. You rubbed your thumb over his to try and calm him. Or at least offer some courage.

“Then let me lead,” you said softly. You started to move, and pull him along to the music. You looked around and tried to mimic the dancing of others. “Hey, this isn’t that bad, you’re fine.” 

He was still apprehensive, stiff. “I, uh-“ he almost tripped, stepping on your foot. “Sorry.”

You shook you head, “Don’t be, probably my fault,”  You smiled a moment, “you see, not so hard.”

“Not what your mom was saying last night,” he spat quickly.

You shook your head, hiding your tired smile. “Just couldn’t resist, huh?” You said, gliding across the room, still leading. You saw an old man dip his partner, and gained an idea. 

As you led Dipper, you started to take more control. You knew if you tried to dip him out of the blue, he’d resist. You wouldn’t be able to. Unless…

You moved toward the edge of the dance floor, in case it went wrong, and to both fell on the ground. As you did, you stood straight up and tall, and swept the leg.

”Augh-“ Dipper tried to form a word, but was too late. You swept one leg, leaving him vulnerable to be pushed down with the free, non catching hand. As he fell, that hand slipped under his back to stop him before he hit the ground.

You smirked down at him, holding him there for a moment before pulling him up. 

His eyes were wide, and face slightly red. Though that could have been from fear. “You realize my life just flashed before my eyes, right?” He blinked a few times, as if reacquainting himself with standing. 

You started again to the centre. “Whaaaat?” you laughed. Across the floor you saw another move, a spin this time. 

Dipper noticed too though, and followed your eyes across the room, landing in the same couple. “Oh, don’t even thing about it.”

You snickered, “you know me too well.” You still intended to do it. As you subtly moved your hands across his to reposition to spin him, he caught you off guard. He must have been watching the motion of the dancers too, because he threw his arm out to try and spin you. Unlike you, he didn’t have the tactical skill to force the spin, like you did the dip, but you were one to play the game. As he led you, you spun out, then back in close, placing your chest nearly against his. “Hey, man’s got moves!”

”Heh, thanks,” he stuttered, intensely aware of the new closeness.

You were aware of it too. You smirked, almost feeling the heat from his face. Your hands glided smoothly away from his and to the back of his neck, where you laced your fingers together. “And you were worried,” you smiled. 

He was looking at you with wide eyes, and slightly parted lips. They caught your attention, your gaze flickering from his big brown eyes down to his slightly pink lips. Fuck, you were not subtle today. Dipper swallowed, “Yeah… nothing to worry about. You wouldn’t let me fall.”

You snickered, “Oh, I’d let you��fall, alright.” You looked at him with an almost shit eating grin. A pun-smile, so to speak. “Get it, it has a double meaning.”

Dipper flushed. “Uh, I mean-“

You were blushing too, you could feel it. To close. To much, to hard. You backed out, pulling away from his chest. ”Or maybe it just means I’ll do this,” you say, sweeping his leg again and barely catching him on the way down. He let out a startled sound again, having been caught only inches from the floor. Just as you were leaned over him, about to pull him up, you let him fall to the floor. “Like that.”

Dipper grumbled, laying with his back on the ground for a moment, as if in protest. “You know,” he started, exasperated. The blush wasn’t completely faded from his face, but it was close.

As he moved to get up, you put a hand out in front of him to help him. He looked at it a moment with pursed lips before taking it. You pulled him up. “But hey, who could ever resist falling in love with me,” you said, punctuating your claim by putting your hand beneath your chin to frame your face.

“Literally nobody, you’re so effortlessly charming,” he said, sarcastically. He took your hand again, and pulled you close to his chest like before, and started to dance again. Looks like you got through to him? Or he’s humouring you. Either way. You moved your feet with his, letting him lead. It didn’t seem like he even realized it was you following him now.

You shrugged, “Hey, your words.” Your hands found their way back to his neck. You felt the brush of his hair on your fingers, and lingered on the feeling. His hair was soft.

“Are they really though?”

”That doesn’t even make sense, Dippin dots,” you shook your head. 

Dippers face flattened, “oops,” he said, stepping on your foot. 

“Hey!” you exclaimed playfully. 

“Deserved,” Dipper sighed. The song ended. Come to think of it, it wasn’t the song you started on.

“Those are fighting words, Dipstick.” You thought for a moment as Dipper led you along the floor. He wasn’t all that bad at this. “I could…” you hesitated, and laughed at yourself as you said it. “Pull your hair, or something,” you said, fingers trailing up his neck to brush against his locks. Smooth.

Dipper laughed immediately, and then feigned shock and horror. He gasped, “You can’t! What if I cum!”

You stifled a laugh, pulling away, and gut punched him playfully. “Jesus Christ, you are awful. Like downright terrible, that physically hurt me.” You shook your head, and turned away from him to hide your smirk. Fucking terrible.

“Obligatory masochism joke?” He questioned.

You turned back to him, “Nah, that one’s a stretch.”

Dipper shook his head, “You’re just a critic, I swear.” He folded his arms at his chest. “Honestly, your comedy is lacking,” he scoffed with faux condescension. 

You sighed, smiling despite yourself. “Yeah, whatever, you absolute comedian.” You shook your head, looking at the floor to avoid his eyes. You snaked your arm around his, unfolding it from the other, “You can tell me all about how funny you are on the way to the snack table, yeah?”

Dipper easily linked his arm with yours, “Good plan.”

                                              …

You lingered with him near the chocolate fountain, showing dessert strawberries in your mouth. There was no getting sick of strawberries, was there?

”Y/n, Y/n, look over there,” Dipper said, poking you. You followed his eyes, and landed on Mabel across the room, flirting with a rich looking guy. You squinted, trying to read the reaction of the guy. 

“Mabel? What, who is that?” You said, curious.

”What? No,” he said, shaking his head. He pointed this time, and moved your head to direct your eyes in the direction. “Cheese fountain.”

”Cheese fountain?” You asked, unsure where he was going. The phrase cheese fountain did not evoke a good feeling from you. The concept didn’t seem appetizing. 

“Cheese strawberry, I dare you.”

You opened your mouth, in some sort of surprise. “Oh, you bitch, why would you dare me that?”

He snickered, “cuz you‘ll do it.”

You pursed your lips, turning to him, pointing to him with malice. You sighed, “you’re right, I ain’t no pussy, come on.” He smiled, taking your arm again to move tables, a few sticks of strawberries held in his free hand. 

The two of you stopped just short of the table, and stared down the cheese fountain. You almost wanted to out your hand in it, just to feel the texture. You held back though. “Looks kind of gross,” you muttered.

”It sure does,” Dipper said, handing you a skewered strawberry, bowing his head slightly as he did. 

You held the strawberry under the drilling and flowing cheese, drenching it. You weren’t no bitch, despite the fact that the texture was strange. 

“Damn, you’re drowning it,” Dipper commented, watching. 

You stared at the strawberry after you pulled it out. A droplet of thick and slightly warm cheese fell to the floor at your feet. “Only way to go is all in,” you said, about to pop it in your mouth.

You vaguely heard footsteps come closer beside you.  “What are you doing?” Pacifica said, approaching.

”Uhh,” You and Dipper both stammered in unison. You looked down at the cheese berry, then at him. Sharing a moment of contemplating eye contact, you decided to speak first. “Chesee strawberry, any thoughts?”

Pacifica scrunched her face, and receded into herself. “Yeah, just one. Why?”

You wordlessly pointed at Dipper, and you both could see Pacificas face change as she realized it was a rather stupid dare. It changed from mild disgust to a tired disappointment. “Yeah, maybe don’t do that,” Pacifica said, sucking in a breath though her teeth.

Dipper crossed his arms, “Dude, it’s liquid cheese, it’s nasty.”

Pacifica sighed, “Yeah, I know, but the old people like it.” She tilted her head up and looked around the room, scanning the crowd of her parents friends and their children. “Can’t imagine why,” she said. 

You perked up, “Oh speaking of, are you done with your parents friends?”

Pacifica clapped her gloved hands together, “For now, yes!”

You gasped, and leaned over to offer her a hand. “Then may I be the first to offer you a dance,” you said, doing your best impression of a snobbish voice.

She took it, “Why, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She led, much more skillfully then you or Dipper ever did. At the centre of the foyer, she swung you and spun you with a practiced perfection you might envy. 

“You’re good at this,” you said, in slight wonder. 

“I’ve had to go to these parties since I was like, three,” she laughed. “If have to be a good dancer by now.”

You got a few looks from the guests, some of which said a quick hello or happy birthday to Pacifica. She tried to keep it brief, not even slowly the dance to speak with them. 

As you were gliding around the floor, she looked back to the food table. ”So, do I have your blessing to dance with Dip?” she asked coyly.

You laughed, “yeah, of course. I’ll tag him in soon.” You may be his just as friends date, and have feeling for him, but you wouldn’t be a bitch about it. Who were you to try and stop her? You were friends with both of them first and foremost. “I should probably find Mabel anyway, make sure she’s not being weird to anyone.”

Pacifica snickered, “I’m almost a hundred percent sure your late on that, I can feel it.”

”There’s no harm in trying though, yeah?” You said, gliding closer to where Dipper was collecting snacks on his plate like he was a starving man on death row getting his last meal. You waved at him to try and catch his attention, “Dipshit! Tag in for me!” you called. 

He looked over, holding a bun in his mouth. You could see his expression fall slightly, reliving his hesitancy to dance from earlier. 

You got closer with Pacifica, so nobody had to yell. Pacifica let go of your hands, and stopping in front of him. “Come on, I actually know how to dance, and won’t let you make a fool of yourself.”

Dipper snickered, and nudged you slightly. “You’ll let me keep my dignity? Y/n could learn something from you,” he said, taking her hand. 

You smiled, “hey, I didn’t do you that bad, did I?”

“Ehhhh,” he said, squinting. “Up for debate, I think.”

”Yeah, whatever nerd,” you laughed. You snapped a finger gun at the two of them before they moved away from you. Off to find Mabel.

Unsurprisingly, she was trying to flirt. You found her trying to kabedon a rich looking guy about your age. She didn’t see you as you approached, but he did, and made pleading eye contact with you. Yikes.

You scrunched your face, and shook your head. You leaned on the same wall as the guy, and looked to Mabel. “May I cut in for a dance?”

Mabel squinted, “with whom?”

You bowed, and offered a hand, “The lovely lady, of course.”

She gasped, “Why, I’m enchanted.” She spoke in a posh British accent, “of course, I’d love that.”

She released the guy and took your hand. You glanced to the fleeing rich dude, who offered you a nod of thanks. You nodded back, happy to save him. Gliding to the dance floor with her, you sighed, “Girlie, he was not into you.”

”I think he was warming up,” she said, leading the dance. 

“Dude, you gotta learn some boundaries.”

She pursed her lips, “Are you sure he wasn’t into me?”

You laughed, “dude, yes. He looked terrified.”

                                             …

The party went on. Cake was cut, dances were had, as it stretched deeper into the night, the music shifted from waltzing classics to more current songs. Songs you could actually dance to, competently this time, with Mabel by your side immediately, Pacifica quick to follow, and Dipper reluctant to join. But you made him. And he danced endearingly awkwardly, much worse without the clear and define steps of a waltz to guide him.

And unfortunately, despite what you felt in the moment, the party did eventually end. When it was just you and your friends left, and you all crashed. 

And in the early afternoon when you all woke, you, Mabel and Dipper did not want to stay and help clean up. Pacifica was quite understanding. 

And so, you were started home. The instructions Stan gave you were simply to borrow a car and drive the twins yourself illegally. He was a great driving instructor. So you loaded them into the car, drove them to the shack.

”You coming?” Dipper asked, seeing how you weren’t getting out after you pulled in.

“Fuck no,” you laughed, “I’m taking a nap at home man.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed his face. He looked back at the door Mabel already disappeared through, then back to you. “Then do you want the book club book, so you can catch up before we read next?”

You smiled, “yeah, actually. I think context might help my understanding.”

”Okay, hold on, I’ll grab it from my room,” he said, starting to the shack. “Don’t go anywhere.” You leaned back in the seat, and waited. Soon enough Dipper was scurrying back out, book in hand.  “Alright, here, now we’ll be on the same level,” he said, leaning against the open car window.

”And this is a series?”

Dipper nodded.

”Then I’m excited for book club going forward,” you said, yawning. “Anyway, I’m fucking off, see you later?”

Dipper waved slightly, pushing himself off the car, “Alright, see ya.”

You blew a kiss at him, making an exaggerated mwah sound while winking. He shook his head, hiding a smile as you drove off.  

Next chapter

Man I wrote this in like March it’s weird looking at it again.

[helldustedstories]

@madefate asked:

My, oh my - this is ... quite the house. She should have expected as much, though her clarity may have been fogged at her absolute fury with Cash. Tilla hadn't quite thought it through, what it meant that her son was in the company of the Goetia of all people, but even if she rushed into picking Blitzo up without thinking, she's not going to let it deter her.

The main hall is just as grand - and Tilla takes it in with an aching sadness. There's simply something so ... empty in the glittering lights and marble and stern-faced statues. Quiet in a way that a child's home should never be. She's careful not to let it show on her face - and the moment she sees a tiny head pop around the corner and look at her, she's smiling warmly, bending just a little to be more at the tiny owl's eye level.

❝ Hello, Sweetheart. Are you the friend Blitzo was playing with all day? Stolas, right? ❞ Thank goodness for his butler - Cash had managed to remember exactly one detail that would prove useful, and it wasn't the poor child's name. ❝ I heard it was your birthday. I hope you don't mind a late present - I'm sorry I didn't send it with Blitzo. ❞ She's not getting into the intricacies of her husband bartering off her child with another child. Instead, she reaches into her bag and pulls out a papercraft toy - an acrobat on a horse that moves when you pull the tab. ❝ I hope you two had so much fun. ❞

unprompted // always accepting

"Wait right here; I'll be right back!" Stolas declared to his new friend, who was still in the branches of Stolas' favourite tree. He was going to sneak inside and get them something from the kitchens; maybe he could even get them some of the sweets he knew were hidden in the pantry, for special occasions!

The kitchen was far away from the entrance to the garden, and he was going to have to make his way through the main hall to get there. That wasn't a big deal, really; he knew his way well enough, especially since he'd started trying to do some cooking on his own (it was going….as well as could be expected, considering).

What he wasn't expecting was to see someone else, especially not someone so tall and graceful, standing in the main hall, and he especially didn't think she'd pay him any mind. But instead, she turned to face him, bending right down so she could be more on his level, something that admittedly made him giggle. Stolas knew he was little now, but he was supposed to grow, hopefully soon!

❝ Hello, Sweetheart. Are you the friend Blitzo was playing with all day? Stolas, right? ❞

He looks up at her, wide-eyed as she says his name, and then the rest of her question catches up to him. A bright smile on his face at the mention of his friend, the owl nods happily. "I was so excited for him to come visit! I had wanted to say hello at the circus, but I didn't get a chance," Stolas adds, looking down, wilting for just a moment before he's turning his attention back to the beautiful woman who knows Blitzo. Was she his mother?

It's as that thought occurs to him she speaks again, and Stolas is instantly giving her all of his attention, blinking at the mention of a present. Why would she have a present for him? He'd already received his grimoire; wasn't that everything he was supposed to get today?

❝ I heard it was your birthday. I hope you don't mind a late present - I'm sorry I didn't send it with Blitzo, ❞ she says, even as she hands him one of the most amazing toys he'd ever seen: an acrobat on a horse that actually moves! ❝ I hope you two had so much fun. ❞

Stolas just looks at the toy for a moment, the awe clear on his little face. "This is for me?" he repeats, and his entire being practically lights up at the gift. "I already had the best birthday, getting to spend it with Blitzo; I never expected anything else!" he exclaimed, still looking at the toy with almost reverence.

And then he flushes for a moment, realizing he'd forgotten his manners!

"Oh!" he exclaims, dipping into a low bow, bright smile still on his face, "Thank you so much for the gift; I will treasure it always," he said before standing once more.

But it was at that point that he understood what her presence here must mean: it was time for Blitzo to go home, something that upset him more than he thought it would.

He looks up at his friend's mother once more, eyes wide, doing his best to push down any emotions he felt about his friend having to leave. Stolas had known that it would happen sooner or later, but…., he'd been hoping for at least a little more time.

"You're here to take Blitzo home, aren't you?" he asks, trying very hard not to sound utterly devastated. "I was going to get us a snack; would you like something, before you go?" He hoped if he was a proper host, did what he could to be as polite as possible, they might stay for a little while longer.

[tomtenadia]

Till food do us part - Rowaelin one shot

Good evening everyone.

I am back with a quick Rowaelin oneshot. This short fic came to me last week while I was in my hotel in Inveress getting ready to check out. Once on the train back to Aberdeen I had two hours and a half and I wrote this.

It’s a simple story and  just pure undiluted Rowaelin domestic fluff. I think I had to compensate for the angst in ALB. There’s no angst, just our two lovebirds being their adorable selves. 

The title is ridiculous. It took me more time to choose it than to write the whole fic. And it’s still bad. Sorry, I hate choosing titles.

Ach well, I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy.

Word count: 2.5k 

Aelin was in the kitchen all alone, in front of her on the counter she had all the pots and pans she would require to prepare her meal. At one side she had her cooking book and on the opposite side she had lined up all the ingredients needed. 

That was meant to be a special night and she wanted everything to be perfect. And because of that she had been nervous. She was not good at cooking like her boyfriend so for her to prepare a full meal from scratch was a monumental task. She just hoped not to burn down the house. He had been teaching her slowly, starting with very simple things but that evening, no matter what she was going to cook for him.

The plan was to prepare everything a part from the dessert which she had bought from the local bakery. Although her boyfriend was not a fan of sugary stuff, the night called for dessert. 

She and Rowan had been together for five years. They worked for the same company but on different floors and departments. She was in marketing, Rowan was part of the legal team and was one of the company’s lawyers.

They had a bit of a turbulent start. They met in the cafeteria and Rowan had the bad habit of being always a bit of ahead of her in the queue and always take the last portion of the food she wanted. Far too many times she had ended up eating food she did not want because of him. She had even tried to go to lunch at a different times but the man was always there. Her own personal hell. So after a whole month of that she had decided to take matter in her own hands and slowly plan her revenge. Rowan was a creature of habit, so she spent a few weeks studying him and his routine. Aelin had learned he loved to eat alone. He had friends but the lunch hour was his time to wind down and he did not want any drama or any shop talk. That would make her plan much easier. Eventually she hatched her plan. She started swapping the content of the salt and pepper shakers or even replacing them with other stuff. Aelin had also started making his table sticky or cluttering with empty trays. He still had no idea it was her but she enjoyed watching him muttering and probably cursing whoever did that to him. She had quickly learned that the man was hard to tick off completely. She would notice some small signs of irritation but that’s all the reaction she got, so she decided it was time to go big. 

And her final plan came into existence the day the cafeteria served mac and cheese and he took the last portion from her. She was fuming. If she could not have mac and cheese so wouldn’t he. 

She waited for him to make his way back to his table and then she walked straight into him. Their trays smashing against each others and the food landing on his shirt. She had muttered a weak sorry and had fled with a grin on her face.

She had later found out that she had made him late for an important meeting and caught hell from his boss Lorcan.

Until one day he started to retaliate. Apparently, she had found out, he knew all long it was her messing with his meals.

And so a long series of pranks had begun between them, most of them taking place in the cafeteria since that was the place they used to share the most.

However, sometimes along the way, Aelin realised pranking him was not fun anymore and that pesky feelings had started to take root in her.

Until one day he showed up in her office with two portions of mac and cheese from Emrys and a peace offering. They had the lunch in the privacy of her office, they talked and she realised very quickly that he was quite a fascinating man. Also, she would have lied to herself if she had ignored the fact that the man was hotness incarnated. He was tall and had a healthy muscular build. He would always wear impeccable tailored suits which made his backside very prominent and more than once her eyes had wandered. He had the most beautiful pine green eyes and she adored his silver hair.

Soon she had to admit that she had a crush on him. And then some.

And when Rowan finally asked her out she could not believe her ears. The sexiest man in the company wanted to go out with her. So she said yes.

Fast forward five years and Aelin was now cooking for their fifth anniversary and as a joke she had put mac and cheese on the menu. It was their dish and their own joke as well.

Aelin had a look at the clock and realised she had half an hour tops before he came back home.

While preparing mac and cheese she took a sip from the glass of wine at her side. She had bought two bottles of Rowan’s favourite wine and she had started the celebrations a bit earlier.

In the oven in the meantime, the pork roast and the potatoes were cooking and she was busy checking the food that she almost missed the sound of the front door opening and closing.

“I am home,” shouted a happy voice.

“Kitchen.” She shouted back.

When she stood she saw him in leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, his arms at his chest and a strange grin on his face “you are cooking?” He asked surprised, raising an eye brow in a question.

Aelin grabbed a glass of wine, took a step closer to him and gave it to him “Happy anniversary, buzzard.” And she went to him for a kiss he did not deny it to her.

“Oh, so you waited five years for your final revenge and win with food poisoning.” Still leaning against the doorframe he took a sip of wine and looked at her with a smirk.

Aelin just glared at him “I can cook.”

“Aelin, I love you, but cooking is definitely not your strongest asset.”

She waved her wooden spoon in his face “I’ll show you.”

Rowan chuckled happily and stooped for a kiss “happy anniversary, menace.”

Aelin moved another step in his direction “now go,” and she patted his chest “get changed and let me finish.”

Half an hour later the dining table was all set, with some candles on to set the romantic mood and a new bottle of win in the middle. Everything looked perfect and she was chuffed.

“This looks lovely,” his voice reached her as he re entered the room and his arms wound around her waist.

“I hope it’s good as well.” She said while pulling back from the embrace and pushing him to his seat. 

“Let me help,” he offered but Aelin pushed him again.

“No, just sit down.”

Quickly she went to get the appetisers: she had prepared raw smoked salmon on oatcakes with cream cheese and chives. They had that at a party and they loved it and realised it was something easy to make and almost impossible for her to mess it up. The only thing she had to do was to assemble the ingredients in a nice display.

Rowan in the meantime poured some wine for both and made happy noises at the wine.

“Fancy,” he added, commenting on the appetiser.

“Easy mostly. I took inspiration from the last party we went to.”

Rowan took one of the oatcakes and she relaxed when she saw him smile. Oh well, at least if the rest of the meal was a disaster they could eat oatcakes and salmon.

“Did you have a good day at work?” She asked, she had a day off and she hadn’t seen him since the morning when he left for work.

“It’s the end of the month and as you can imagine Lorcan has been his unpleasant self.”

“I need these reports on the desk by the end of yesterday?” She said, imitating the man’s voice.

Rowan chuckled and took another oatcake “that’s the gist.”

Once the appetisers were over, Aelin stood and went to get the next course. That was the surprise and the dish that meant the most.

She brought the oven dish to the dining table.

“You made mac and cheese.” Rowan’s tone was full of love.

“I did.” She took his plate and was ready to serve him his portion. It looked great and for a moment she had hoped. The recipe was for the baked version and the crust at the top looked golden and crunchy. Then she dipped the spatula to cut it and terror took her. It was runny. 

“No, no, no, no, no…” she panicked.

“What happened?” Rowan stood and moved at her side.

“It happened that I should not be allowed to cook.” She sat on the chair and sniffled.

“I am sure it’s not that bad…”

“Ro,” Aelin almost shouted in frustration at his tone “you can drink it with a straw, mac and cheese is supposed to be creamy.”

He looked over “I think you put too much milk,” and with his hand he brushed her lower back in support.

Aelin started sobbing “I messed up the main dish. It was meant to be like the one we shared in my office.”

Rowan was about to reply when he smelled smoke “is something burning?”

“Holy fuck,” Aelin stood abruptly and ran to the kitchen and when she opened the oven a cloud of smoke engulfed her. The roast and the potatoes where charcoal. She sat dejected in front of the oven  and Rowan joined and sat at her side “you have the most useless girlfriend ever.”  

He brushed her hair off her face “ I do not.” A gentle kiss on her lips “my girl is brilliant, fearless, intelligent and very, very hot.” She gave him a wet chuckle. Gods, she loved him.

“I ruined our anniversary.”

Rowan stood and offered her his hand “you did not.” She took it and stood in front of him.

“We are going to Emrys, he does some amazing mac and cheese.”

“Fine,” she conceded.

Rowan cupped her face, refusing to let her be sad. He knew Aelin was not good at cooking and he had tried to teach her but once on her own she seemed to struggle. 

But as the boyfriend madly in love with her he was more than happy to cook for both, everyday, forever.

Aelin did not seem convinced and still pouted at her mess. Rowan noticed that and cupped her face in his hand and kissed het tenderly “Hey, it was a lovely gesture and I am proud of you.” He took her hand in his, “now let’s go.”

They got changed and not long after they were walking to Emrys. Rowan’s arm on around her shoulder.

Aelin looked up at him and noticed a strange light in his eyes and a small grin. Whatever it was, he did not seem bothered by her fiasco.

Once they reached Emrys froze and cursed the evening that was turning into pure hell “it’s Monday, they are close. We are two idiots.” But all Rowan did was to push her toward the front door.

“Ro, they are closed.”

“Shush,” he said gently placing his hand on her lower back.

A moment later Emrys’ smiling face appeared on the door “hello Rowan, come in, it’s all ready.” Said the man stepping aside to let them in.

Aelin was stunned. speechless. He had an evening planned.

She turned to him “did you know I was going to mess up so you had a plan b?” Her tone full with irritation at his lack of trust in her.

Rowan looked at her, his eyes dancing with mirth “I didn’t even know you were going to cook. I booked all of this over a week ago.” He told her “I knew our anniversary would fall on a Monday, so I asked Emrys and Malakai if it was okay to use the place for our dinner.”

She stood on her tiptoes “I love you.” And kissed him. Rowan took her hand and walked inside the main room of the restaurant and Aelin again was stunned. The whole room had been decorated with white fairy lights, the table had candles and there were kingsflames in a vase as well.

“Happy anniversary, Fireheart.” And pulled her to his chest “I hope you’ll love this.”

“It’s perfect,” she said to him, feeling teary.

They sat down and Malakai brought wine “Emrys is just finishing up the last few things, it should not be too long.” Explained the man while pouring the wine.

He came back a moment later and brought back freshly baked pitta bread and hummus “just as a starter.”

Aelin attacked the appetisers, realising she was starving.

Once the appetiser was out of the way Rowan took her hand.

“I am glad I burned dinner, this is so much better.”

They had gone to Emrys for their first date which turned out to be their favourite restaurant and slowly their weekly dinner treat. It had become their place pretty quickly.

She was talking to Rowan when she noticed Emrys walking to them with a large oven dish and when Aelin looked, she saw mac and cheese. And it looked incredible.

“Of course,” said Rowan at her expression and poured more wine. It was a good thing they walked. Emrys plated their dinner and then walked away with a Cheshire cat grin.

“Go on, tuck in,” Rowan said to her once he noticed her eager expression.

Aelin did so and almost moaned savagely. It was divine.

After a few bites Rowan put the fork down and took her hand again, brushing his thumb on the top of it “thank you for walking into me that day in the cafeteria.” He told her, his green eyes on her “I know we had our ups and downs but these five years with you have been incredible.” He stood and took her hand inviting her to follow him. She stood with him and Rowan pulled Aelin to his chest. She wanted to complain she was eating, but whatever he was doing it seemed important.

Violin music spread in the room and Aelin recognised one of her favourite pieces of classical music. He swayed gently as if to dance, placed her hand on his shoulder and held her, his hand on her lower back.

“And I hope we’ll have many more together.” Aelin looked up at him and nodded, emotions threatening to overwhelm her. He kissed her with passion and then he pulled back a little “Aelin, my fireheart, will you do me the honour of joining me in the next adventure of our life and become my wife?”

Aelin sobbed loudly “only if you promise to keep cooking for me.”

Rowan laughed “Always.”

She threw her arms around his neck “yes, yes I will marry you.”

Rowan placed the ring on her finger then lifted her in his arms and kissed her. 

He would cook for her, make her happy until his last day.

To whatever end.

[astringofmadhousefloozies]

Hobbies and Holidays, Or The Halloween Fic

Yes, I know it’s June. I just like Halloween, man. Yuu’s quiet dedication to the finest of holidays sours when confronted with assholes who fuck around for clout.

Contains coarse language, attempted violence, sexuality and nerds being nerds. As always, if you enjoyed it or have any questions, let me know! I like talking with people.

~*~*~*~

"What's cooking?" Ace, cheery as could be, walked his way up towards your set up on the Ramshackle front lawn. "Is it curry? I hope it's curry."

"You might not want to stand downwind." You poked at the bubbling mess on the propane stove, sweat rolling down your back. A beautiful August day, perfect for your project. This sure as hell wasn't something you wanted to do indoors.

"Whaddya mean by that?" The breeze shifted towards him, and he turned an impressive shade of green, stumbling back with his nose covered. "What's in there?"

"Mice. I told you to keep upwind." You went in with a hand strainer, and scooped a pile of tiny bones onto a ratty towel.

"Why are you boiling mice?" 

You mirrored his are-you-goddamned-stupid-or-something face back at him. "I wanted the bones. I went to Sam, but he said he's not allowed to order in dermestid beetles after last time, so I gotta do it the old-fashioned way."

"That's absolutely disgusting,” her said, the disgust and disbelief plain on his face.

"Don't we all know. Grimm fucked right off when the ghosts showed me the mouse graveyard."

"And your first thought at a pile of rotten mice was 'ooo, free bones' like some kinda crazy necromancer?"

"Yup." You scooped out another pile of bones. If you left them in there too long, they'd simply dissolve like in a cooked fish. As it was, you'd have to find a way to strengthen them. Maybe dip them in resin?

"Why am I your friend, again?"

"Because you feel responsible for me."

"Yeah. And you're fun when you aren't being weird and doing shit like taking cemetery pictures."

"I'll stop taking the pictures when I stop finding good grave iconography."

"Yeah, weird. I'm going to leave you to be a gross little maggot by yourself today."

"I'm not eating them."

"They're stewing in a pot."

"To get the meat off!"

"Yeah, whatever. See you at supper. I hope you don't stink."

"We'll find out, won't we?" you muttered, sotto voce, but he was already gone.

~*~*~*~

It was a beautiful day in September, and you heard him far before he knew you had. When you turned to look at Idia, floss wound around your fingers, he started. "Is my stealth that bad?"

You gave him the ghost of a smile. "You're not as quiet as you think you are." He hasn't cottoned on that you can hear what's in his headphones, if they aren't set just right on his head, and you aren't about to tell him. The face he makes when you pick him out so easily was too good to lose.

He nodded, fidgeted, looked at the spread on the table. "What are you doing?"

"Well, she's got to dry. So I'm working on this pattern until the top coat goes on."

'She' was a currently eyeless, disembodied head, that you'd picked up along with her body in a second hand store for a pittance. You'd unstrung her, scrubbed her clean, and now were putting on a face to match her sweet if imperious expression, a bratty princess of a girl in miniature. You hadn't realized you'd liked dolls until you'd seen her. But, when you had, your breath fled your throat in the same way it had only once since coming here.

He looked, but knew better than to touch. He did a little bit of craft work himself, mostly model painting, and wasn't about to muss your hard work. "She's... nice?" He didn't quite get the appeal, despite having two vinyl dolls you knew of stowed carefully in their packages under his bed. When you'd asked, he just muttered that they were anime characters and didn't come out except for photos because something something collectibles something resale value. Boys.

"I could do better. But it's enough. Thank you for letting me borrow the painting set up."

"Y... welcome." He squinted at the embroidery, finally noticing something. "Are those bones?"

In the center of each withered, poisonous blossom in your embroidery hoop, you'd stitched a tiny vertebra to serve as the center. "Yeah?"

"Why?"

"Why not?"

He wasn't ready to push it any further. "If you want..." He hesitated, and stumbled, and you waited until he just brought out his tablet to tap it out on a screen instead. "You can come do that in Board Game Club, if you want. There's a window. Azul shouldn't mind."

"I'll join you after I gear up and put the sealant on her. Thank you for inviting me." You gave him your best, most dazzling smile. "You know how much I like when you include me in your stuff. I know it's not always easy for you; how shy you are and all."

He squeaked and looked away, and you continued. "I should be there in about an hour. Make sure Azul doesn't keep up trying to wager me in chess. I can't fucking play worth a damn and he knows it."

He smirked. "He likes easy marks. Maybe try and get goo-"

You flicked a bone at him, and it hit him square on the nose as he yelped.

~*~*~*~

Welcome, October. Coolness and colour, a certain something on the breeze that felt like a home you'd never let go. Even if it hadn't quite hit the dorms the same way as they main area of the school. (Those little fairies that ran the weather machine didn't seem to believe in seasons for the dorms, or perhaps Crowley gave them a chewing out after the spring?) In amongst the Heartslabyul roses, you'd think it was still summer, and you weren't one to let a day of warmth go.

"Oh, in this chapel of ritual, smells of dead human sacrifices from the altar..."

"Stop that."

You looked up at Riddle, who'd found you in your secluded corner. "Why?"

"You can't sing and the lyrics are awful."

"Is there a rule against that?"

He nodded. "The queen gets to approve all music."

"Ah, of course, mine rosen liege. My petaled monarch. Emperor Rosa." A collar appeared on your neck, and you did not slow down. "Cardiac Sovereign. Dauphine De la Coeur. I can do this all day, Riddle; that collar don't do shit cause I ain't magic."

The colour was high on his cheeks. "Is it your job to annoy me?"

"Oh, you got me. I wake up and spend every moment thinking 'How do I best piss off Riddle Roseheart? How about I stand outside his door and blast nightcore from a boombox?' "

He narrowed his eyes at you. "Stop joking."

You laughed. "Yeah. I only do that with Shoenheit."

That managed to get a bit of a smile out of him. "Why are you being a pest over here, and not at your own dorm?"

"I'm just doing crafts, man."

"While sitting on the grass."

"Yeah, man. Won't be any grass to sit on soon enough. Made sure to not be on the croquet grounds or anything."

He looked at the mess of foam and ribbon around you. "What are you even doing?"

You looked down, and back up at him. "Crafts?"

"More specifically, before I kick you out for being awful."

You held up a padded frame, that you were carefully wrapping a satin ribbon around the many bars of it. "What does that look like?"

He just glared instead of admitting he didn't know, so you got to your feet and held the frame over your chest, the shape clarifying by being pressed over what it mimicked. "It's ribs. It'll tie on with more ribbon. Might put beads and stuff on it too."

He looked for a beat before nodding. "For later this month?"

"Indeed."

"... Continue, then. But be quiet!" 

He was nice enough to remove the collar before he left, but not nice enough to leave it off as soon as you resumed singing to yourself once you'd assumed he was out of earshot.

~*~*~*~

"Hey, Lil?”

"Yeah?"

You looked over the riot of cheery pumpkins and Far East aesthetics that had sprung from your lawn. "You should've asked me, first."

Lil smiled at you. "But then you would have said no."

"I wouldn't have. But," you guestured to the papier mache dragon, "Really, my dude? This isn't what I would have picked at all. I'm not going to match."

"You're working on a costume? Already?" He lit up. "What's it going to be?"

"You'll see."

"Do I get a costume?"

You looked down at your not-cat. "Grimm, I didn't think you'd want one."

"I do now!" He scrambled to your shoulder and tugged at your hair, wailing. "Costume! Costume!"

You rolled your eyes. "Stop that, before I sell you to Lil to practice recipes on."

~*~*~*~

Grimm was no help. He changed his mind every few minutes on what he wanted. At least your incorporeal roommates were a sweet help, finally gearing him up with a hat by the beginning of the week.

"Do you still need one, Yuu?" The middling ghost, the one neither plump nor skeletal, seemed concerned.

"No, babe. I've been working on this since..." August, you think. "I'm good. I hope I can get a week out of it. I could at least do a different face each day."

Realization dawned across his face. "That's what that was for? I see. I guess you won't need..."

Oh, he made you a costume. Layers and layers of rotten gauze from the curtains, a spindrift take on the bedsheet ghost. 

"Hey, I can use this, don't worry. Can you stoke the fire? I've got to dye this to match, I'll need some water boiled."

~*~*~*~

There's too many fucking people. You don't know any of them, they're loud, and they cram in wherever you need to go. But their fussing over you, their asking for pictures is nice. If only...

"Hey, are you lost, kid?" You lean down and reach a hand out to a fearful-looking six-year-old. "I can help you find someone who can help?"

He promptly burst into tears and collided into Floyd as he ran away.

"Hey there itty bitty. You need an adult? Hold on." Even with Floyd... being Floyd, he was a hell of a more welcome sight to the kid, and soon had him balanced on a shoulder to yell for his parents. "Who's under all that?"

"Your favourite shrimp, you overgrown string bean."

Floyd make an o of surprise and flicked the veil up. "It is you under all that! See, kid, She's not scary. She's pretty."

The kid simply eyed him dubiously before going back to trying to wave his parents down to get away from these lunatics.

All your hard work paid off beautifully. A mass of bones, beads and decay, a beautifully jeweled skeleton crowned with a fine halo of gold-and-bone spines and dried flowers. You rattled gently with every step, eyes staring out from a painted skull. They only thing you regretted was Riddle catching you earlier. Even if he hadn't intentionally steered it that way himself, everyone would assume you'd intentionally went to match Heartslabyul. Even more, now that you'd turned those curtains into a veil, even if you'd stuck all the bone and garnet drops you could onto the edges.

"Thank you, Floyd." You leaned up towards the kid. "Didn't mean to scare you, little darling."

The kid just stared at you in fear, and fortunately his parents came along to claim him, leaving you and Floyd by yourself.

"Shrimpie~" He'd scooped you up to replace the kid in his arms before you could protest. "You're so cute like this! Let's go to the alchemy room."

"What's in the alchemy room, Floyd." At this point you were used to him just... hauling you wherever. And you’d found that if you went along with the lighter end of it, he took you seriously when you said no. Weirdo he was, he'd at least gathered that you'd hang out willingly if he didn't push it.

"Oh, well you look so nice! You'll look much nicer in the water tube than the dummy we have in there."

"There are several reasons that can't work, Floyd. Least of it is I only breathe air."

"You're a ghost right now, you don't breathe at all."

"This outfit would not survive a dunking. I'm not sure it'll last the week if I don't repair it every night."

He kept smiling at you. "Even better! Wearing nothing at all on Halloween! Everyone would take even more pictures."

"Yeah yeah, and you have nothing at all in your room if I want to speed that up." You flicked his nose. "Put me down and we can walk over and check how it's going."

"Excuse me?" A stranger. "Can I take a picture of you and your boyfriend like that."

"I'm not her boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend. Go ahead though."

~*~*~*~

"What are you working on?"

Idia's voice was slightly muffled under the pumpkin head. "People kept calling my projection 'cute'. Idiots! They don't know the true fear of Pumpkin Hollow. So I'm adjusting the projection mapping so it's less cute, and more accurate."

"Hm. It seems fine to me as it is."

"You would think that. You don't care if there is a cuteness to things that are scary."

"There's beauty and sweetness in even death." You thought for a moment. "This is for that series you sat me down for? You got mad when I played with the toys?"

"Those. Are. Collecta-" he stopped when he whirled on you, faltering into silence. You really wished you could see the face he was making, he made such sweet faces, especially when he looked at you. You craved them, wanted him to look only at you with those expressions.

You smiled at him. "There's no use in leaving a toy in a box! I don't buy anything I don't intend to play with."

"Ah. Errrrrrrrrghhhmmm." He turned back to his work, took a deep breath, and turned back around. "You watched them, would you give me feedback?"

"Sure. Could you lean down a little?"

He did, and you carefully pulled off the pumpkin, revealing - nothing. No head at all.

You laughed. "Turn that off."

"Why?"

"I just opened your box. Time to play."

He made a strangled noise and started back, looking this way and that. "Right now? Anyone could come in!"

"Just for a moment! How can I give you a kiss if I can't see where I'm aiming?"

His head flickered into view, with a face full of mischief. "... Just one?"

~*~*~*~

"What happened to your makeup?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, model boy." You looked Vil up and down. "You're actually pretty hot like that. It's a miracle."

"Of course you would only find me attractive when I look like a corpse." He rolled his eyes hard enough to sprain. "Do I need to go lie down in a glass coffin too? Stay very still while you actually work up the courage to touch me?"

You snorted. "You wish I would touch you, you overblown jackass."

"With you looking like that? I'd die."

"Bite me, asshole."

"You'd like it if I did."

Your tone grew playful. "Is that a promise for later?"

"Ugh." His shudder was too exaggerated to be anything but an act. "Go ask your ugly little playmate for a bite, we all know what gross shit you get up to."

"You're just mad it's not you."

He pointed a perfectly manicured nail at your painted nose. "You're just mad I want nothing to do with you."

"Then why are you even talking to me?"

"I- why am I talking to you. Go away."

You did, but not before pulling on his cape to wrinkle it.

~*~*~*~

You had a dreadful feeling things were about to get worse. Call it intuition, or paranoia. But with any luck, that would change after a good night's sleep.

(It did not.)

~*~*~*~ These fuckers were getting exhausting. What a grand idea, picking unknown flowers to stick in your hair for selfies! That wasn't an excellent way to come down with a hideous case of contact poisoning at all. You had to swat one girl's hand away from a bed of monkshood, reciting symptoms of aconite poisoning at her until she stalked off in a huff. 

And futzing around with the decorations! The only reason you didn't outwardly congratulate Leona on trying to rip apart a bunch of tourists was that murder is supposed to be bad, no matter how irritating and disrespectful the murder victims were. Even you knew better than to go around fondling random ears and tails! 

(That's why you'd made the anatomy books in the library your friends. Far more polite than going up to a fellow student and saying, "May I feel around your skull for a few hours to satisfy my scientific curiosity? No one at home has ears like that and I'm very curious about the underlying muscle structures." )

Better see what's going on everywhere else.

~*~*~*~

You got up in tiptoe and lightly touched his arm. "Hey, Floyd?"

"??? Yes, Shrimpie?" His face instantly brightening, he dropped the absolutely delighted Magicammer he'd had pressed to the shelf and turned to you, leaning in as you crooked your finger.

You whispered in his ear, "Why waste magic on them when you can do so much more with your fists?"

He shone like the sun as he pressed his cheek to yours in lieu of something more intimate. "You always know just what to do."

~*~*~*~

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE."

The crowd of idiots instead turned on you with flash photography. "Another ghost! This'll get so many likes!"

"I MEAN IT!" Blinking away the spots from your eyes and casting all good sense to the wind, you grabbed a fire poker from inside your bedroom door and started swinging. They laughed and clapped - and only stepped back when you got the damned thing stuck in the wall while taking a swing.

"What an excellent show!" And more. Fucking. Pictures. How in the fuck Vil deals with this shit without murdering everyone in a hundred-foot radius, you'd love to know.

"I SAID-" yank "GET THE FUCK-" yank "OUT OF MY HOUSE!" The force of finally pulling the poker from the wall sent you careening onto your ass, and Grimm only stopped long enough to laugh at you before resuming his own ineffective charge. You stumbled to your feet, muttering. "Stupid little mother fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking fucking..."

"Oh, it's a chase game! Let's go!" And they all fucking scattered into different rooms as you watched them in disbelief.

"I am going to kill everyone in this building and then myself for good measure."

~*~*~*~

"Leave."

"Aren't you going to scare me, Miss Ghost?" This last idiot was joyfully skipping around a bedroom that you'd had the ghosts empty out, nattering into her phone. A livestream, you think.

You're in you goddamned pajamas. "Sure. We don't use this room because the floor's not sound. Get the fuck out and leave before you fall through to the next floor."

The girl instead started to hop in place. "Oooooo, so scary! You'll have to try better than that!"

You rushed her. You probably would have throttled her (and wound up with a new ghostly roommate in the process) but as she backed up, your leg went through the floor where she'd weakened it, which left her cackling. 

"You weren't kidding! Bye now!" And she just fucking left you there like the wretched asshole she was.

~*~*~*~

"I'm so sorry, Yuu."

"Nothing to be sorry about, Mal."

He rested his head on your bare knee and looked up at you. "If I hadn't picked your home as a stamp location, people wouldn't be invading this dorm, and you wouldn't have been injured."

"You fixed me up, didn't you?" He was the one who had pulled you rightways, and shut the scratches on your leg. Of course, he could have left your socks on to do that, but hey, those had been fixed too. You reached down and put your hand on his cheek, rubbing circles by his eye while he stared up at you like an adoring dog.

"This was supposed to be fun for you, so you could have a perfect Halloween."

"That's still a few days away yet. There's still time. And hey."

He blinked up at you as you leaned your face in close, flushing faintly as you did. "Any luck, we'll all make it to November without assault charges."

~*~*~*~

"Yuu?"

You subconsciously growled like a rabid animal as you turned to Lilia with your eye twitching.

"By all the queen's powers." He shrank back. "You alright?"

"Magimons broke the lock on our bedroom and shook her awake last night." Grimm was, by some miracle, in a better mood than you; content to be a comforting weight in your arms and be your anger translator.

"They took," you added, "my groceries."

Lil looked at you in blank shock. "What about the wards on your doors?"

"That's for magic, not fucking morons with no sense of personal space." If you made it through 'til November without actually biting someone's throat out and getting put down like a mad dog, you'd be sincerely surprised. "You of all people should know that."

"Hey, I put them back up after I drop in. You want to go sit with Malleus today? I think you need it."

"Nope. If I snap at him he'll take it to heart. Or just kill everyone who's not staff or student because they upset me."

"No he wouldn't."

"We both know he would."

"He would not because that would be bad press for the kingdom."

"... well, damned if I ever though I'd say this, but thank god for politics."

~*~*~*~

You stare at the empty plinths as everyone started yelling and scrambling. You look to the rubble of the statues, the bases, to Cater, and back to the rubble, nudging what may have once been a staff with you toe.

"And it's not even for a fucking political movement."

~*~*~*~

"Yuu, if we can get rid of the magicam monsters, we can have the party!" Grimm smiled up at you, all sharp teeth and blue eyes. "Aren't you happy?"

You didn't have the heart to tell him that at this point, you'd rather they'd just cancel everything and simply sleep through till All Saint's. Fuck your costume work. Fuck the party. Fuck everything. If you see another jack o lantern you will smash it. Fuck this holiday. You're so tired.

"Yuu, do you have ideas on how to drive the magicam monsters away?"

You stared past Cater's ear because you didn't feel like looking anyone in the face. "Tried to brain a few with a fire poker. Th'just thought it was funny."

This was met with the sound of air sucked through teeth, and a warm hand on your shoulder. "Come with me please!" And Ortho pulled you away with the force of a vaudeville hook.

"You're having a very bad time!" So sweet, so earnest. Right now he was the only person here who could be that chipper and you not want to put their nose out the back of their skull.

You gave him a weary smile. "What was your first clue, honey."

"She keeps kicking in her sleep. When she sleeps. And she's all snappy and horrible!"

You gave Grimm a single light warning shake. "Shut up, Grimm."

"Would you like to stay over so that you can rest properly?" He was hovering directly in front of your face. "Maybe if you're somewhere you won't be woken up, you'll feel better."

You raised an eyebrow and stared over at Idia, who was trying very hard to pay attention to both your conversation and his. "Shouldn't you clear that with someone first?"

Ortho rolled his eyes, the effect on his little boy face frankly hilarious. "Oh, he'd be so upset you have you over. Deeply so. He wouldn't get a wink of sleep with you there." He leaned in. "Except he would, because you wouldn't do anything to keep him up with me there, would you?"

You wheezed. "You think so little of me, Ortho."

"I like you very much even if what you both get up to is gross."

"Of every boy in this school, Yuu. You picked that one."

Ortho glared down at Grimm. "That is my brother you're talking about."

"Stop it. Can we check back in?"

~*~*~*~

"So we're going to run round and scare the piss out of them?"

Jade nodded. "That is the idea, yes."

"... Can I help?"

"Of course, Yuu." Jade smiled his smile that didn't reach more than a millimetre beneath his eyes. "But we've agreed you can't have any blunt objects. For everyone's safety. And the school's reputation, of course.."

"... Yeah, that's for the best."

~*~*~*~

"Can you guys watch Grimm for the evening?"

"Of course." Mal beamed at you from his seat on the Ramshackle steps. "Where will you be that he doesn't want to be?"

"I don't like the horse."

"You ride horses?" Idia was sitting between Mal's legs as Malleus carefully arranged the bright hair into a high ponytail.

"Epel taught me." You paused for a minute. "Do you?"

"Mother made me learn. I haven't in years."

"Makes sense." He didn't like the outdoors, after all. "Mal, how'd you convince him to let you touch his hair? He only lets me do that in private."

"It will look nicer coming out of his pumpkin helmet if arranged higher." Mal crooked his mouth and dragged his lacquered nails along Idia's scalp, making a soft noise when Idia gasped, shivered and abruptly stood up.

"Nope nope nope nope no more of that-"

"May I at least put the elastic in?" Mal held up a black band. "It's fireproof."

He instead snatched it and ran for the library as fast as he could without cracking the armour. You and Mal watched him leave.

"Hm."

"Mal?"

He was still watching the blue light vanish into the distance. "I think I can see the appeal." His dreamy smile gained a sharp edge. "What a delicious sound."

You snickered. "God, I know, right? You should hear some of the other ones I've got out of him."

"You're both disgusting."

~*~*~*~

You hadn't worked out an actual story for this one, just your ghostly roommates and Grimm telling everyone to leave the statues alone. But some asshole, wearing aviator shades and the ugliest piecemeal hoodie you'd ever seen, mounted a plinth to start taking selfies. And once that started, more got the idea, and joined him, trying to nudge the statue away to make room.

So, that's where you came in, pulling into sight at the end of the drive, in tarnished gilt and rotten splendor, jeweled Death on a pale horse.

Sunglasses looked at you and froze, before snapping another picture.

Fucking pictures. You're so sick of pictures.

You snapped the reins and nudged your heels, and who knew anyone on two legs could move that fast? Though potentially being run down by a warhorse was great motivation to move thine arse, as it were. And, thank god, everyone else booked it out the gate after him. 

It only took a little maneuvering to lock the gate while still up on a pale horse named Beans, and now? Time to take him to his stable and go the fuck to sleep. Maybe through past tomorrow. Fuck Halloween.

~*~*~*~

You were riding your merry way when a familiar voice called out to you. "You dropped some loot!"

"What did I lose, Idia?" His little speakers mimicking the clang of armour were working overtime as he jogged up beside you. Once he reached you, he held up... a shoe.

"Huh." You looked down, and you had indeed lost a shoe while charging down a bunch of Magicam-obsessed assholes on a warhorse. "Thank you." That's when you gave Idia a level gaze, and stuck you leg out at him.

He swallowed back his noise of shock, and shaking, took your stockinged foot and slid the shoe back into place. 

"Good boy."

He was turning from shell pink to a deep red that rivaled the roses in Heartslabyul. But that didn't mean he didn't know how to keep playing when emotions were high. Before letting go, he leaned down and kissed the top of your foot.

Now it was your turn to go red; a wonder the painted skull didn't simply melt off of your face.

~*~*~*~

"Shrimpie~"

You took a breath and prepared yourself. Scoopsies was inevitable.

True to form, Floyd had his whole conversation with you in a bridal carry. "We're gonna have the party!~ We chased them all away!~"

"That's..." Honestly, despite all the rage and pain this week had caused, you were rather happy about the news. "Nice."

"Ah - where'd your face go?" He leaned in, and you stopped him from getting too close with a finger pressed to his lips.

"I didn't feel up to wearing everything." Your embroidered gown and painted skull was replaced with a simple back veil and black dress. "I kind of hate this whole holiday right now and I'm ready to kick the next pumpkin I see."

He nodded, kissing your fingertip as he did. "I can help you after. But we need this all for the parade." He brightened. "You should paint up and get on the horse again for it!" He smiled, full of dreamy fondness and not a small amount of hunger. "I heard what you did to the magicam monsters... I wish I could have seen."

"Hey, I heard you didn't do too badly yourself." You leaned in conspiratorially. "Anyone pee themselves?"

He smiled like the sun post-eclipse. "Yup!"

~*~*~*~

Epel had been nice enough to help you kit out Beans in a fancy black harness, so in amongst the crowd of costumed students, you were both equally eye-catching. And hell, pictures weren't so bad right now. People were keeping a distance, murmuring to each other as they aimed their cameras. You thought you were getting a dirty look or two from Vil for stealing his thunder, but he had himself on the prow of a ship! It wasn't comparable.

"So," you said, leaning down a little, "How are you handling this?"

Idia looked up at you, you thought. "The mask makes it easy. They're looking at the costume, not me."

"I'm glad it helps. I wish you'd take it off, but you being comfortable is more important."

"What? You want me to ruin the effect by taking the mask off? Clearly you have no respect for the holiday." His voice had the sweet, bubbling quality that came when he was excited and happy, and it warmed you to hear it.

"Oh, no, of course not. But why would I want to taste a plastic kiss,” you said, reaching a hand down to run the trailing ribbon of his hair through your fingers, “when I could taste you instead?"

You had to give him credit, he only faltered for a moment before continuing. "Right now? In front of everyone?"

"I would if you'd let me, right now." You lowered your voice. "And worse."

He stifled a groan and only walked funny for another ten minutes.

~*~*~*~

"I thought you didn't like horses." The stables were in sight, but Idia had turned up, surprising you.

He rolled his eyes, and held his arms out. "Dismount, fair maiden."

What.

"I mean it. Your Pumpkin Knight awaits."

You shook your head, voice soft. "Baby, no."

"I'm trying to be romantic. Like your novels."

"Idia."

He stared back at you, sour-faced. "What."

"I outweigh you by at least sixty pounds."

"I can do this. I carry Ortho around all the time."

"Ortho's chassis is mostly fibreglass and aluminum. I can carry Ortho. I think Grim could carry Ortho."

He took a step forward. "Do you want me to leave you on the horse or not."

"His name is Beans." But, you managed to dismount into Idia's arms, where he stood stock-still and trembling.

"Kkc."

"Babe? Put me down before your back goes out."

His knees gave out first, and he crumpled beneath you as you both yelped.

"You alright?"

"hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

You crawled off his chest and he could actually breathe again.

"Better?"

After a few breaths, he managed a weak smile. "Maybe kiss it better."

Beans beat you to it, snuffling at Idia's face to make sure he wasn't dead.

~*~*~*~

You are not much of a party person. You like them, but the ideal party is a few friends hanging around in the same room, chatting at a reasonable volume and then going home to go the fuck to sleep. This was a little much.

But you know what this party had that you hadn't seen in what felt like years? Cute girls. In cute costumes! You've been flirting your ass off, with decent success; it turns out that the Magicam Live you did with Vil weeks ago had paid off in the form of smiles and fluttered eyelashes as girls crowded around you to hear tales of how fucking obnoxious you could be in this school and get away with it because you had friends in high places.

At least, until you caught something out of the corner of your eye, and you stopped. "Hey, I gotta check on someone - raise your hand if you like boys. Okay, you see -" You stopped and pointed at your poor, unsuspecting target. "With the blue-black hair and the painted spade? That's Deuce, he doesn't know how to talk to girls worth a damn, so give him some slack. But he's a sweetheart, you won't regret it."

"What about the redhead?"

"Ace is a prick but he's delightful. Chat him up too." With that, you went to check on Idia, huddled into a corner after an attempted force-feeding.

"You alright, babe?"

He nodded. "They're too much. But I'm alright now."

You leaned back against a nearby chair, looking him up and down. "You sure you aren't going to eat anything? I don't think anyone's going to care too much if you have your face out."

He remained completely still, and you realized you could hear a faint whirring.  "Idia. Have you been using the robot double all evening."

"... I swapped out ten minutes ago."

You made a noise and he flinched. "I was going to swap back in after it calmed down!"

"... No you weren't."

"Okay, no I wasn't. But I was there for a while. I have proof, I brought plates back with me."

"You could have just told me. It's been a hell of a lot for you, I know what you're like."

Idia - well, his robotic avatar - shrugged. "If you're going to lecture me... come by and do it here."

You stopped. "You really want me to yell at you in person?"

"I want you to come by. If you want. You can stay as long as you want... if you want. I have snacks, and movies, and games that even you could play."

You snorted. "Oh, the siren call of a fucking nerd trying so hard to woo his chosen..."

"I changed my mind actually, you can't come."

"Aww."

"... That's a lie." He paused. "You can even take the Yume Twins out."

Those vinyl dolls he never let you touch. You throw your veil back and kissed the stupid plastic pumpkin head. "It's a date."

~*~*~*~

"Yuu?"

You peered at Malleus from around a stack of Tupperware. "Mal?"

"You.. enjoyed it all, despite everything?"

"Despite everything." You hefted the stack towards him. "Would you like to help? I want to grab stuff from the party that'll keep at room temperature."

He absently flicked a finger, sending the dishes swirling around to settle in a stack in midair, before placing a hand on your shoulder. "I have a... request."

"Anything," you said, and you regretted saying it as his breath hitched.

"Would you..." His voice faltered, and instead he simply wrapped you in a tight embrace, leaning down to bury his nose in your hair. You could feel him, chest heaving, scenting your greased hair through tulle, murmuring something against your scalp.

"Malleus."

He stopped, but did not move.

"No spells."

"You would not forgive me if I tried." You could feel his smile against your hair.

"I would not." You pulled back enough to look at him, and nearly froze at his besotted gaze before he schooled it into his more usual face. "Mal, you know you only feel this strong because I'm your first friend, right?"

"Does it matter? It is sincere."

And that makes it so much worse. "You know I don't feel about you like that."

"..." The grief that flickered across his face was enough to shatter a stone heart. "To stand with you and hold you is enough."

And they said fairies can't lie. They could, they were just terrible at it.

"You said you were going to ask for something?"

"... Not anymore. I doubt you would give it."

He vanished into thin air in a swirl of wind, and the Tupperware clattered to the steps, the spell holding them gone.

~*~*~*~

The nice thing about Idia's room is that, being a prefect, he had an attached bathroom to scrub the paint off of your face. It was a monochrome murder in the sink, splatters of grey with the occasional pinprick of red where you'd disturbed the new bumper crop of pimples from painting up as a skull for a week. Thank fuck that was over with. Even if the day proper had been lovely, the events of the week had thoroughly soured you on Halloween.

"You alright?" Idia poked his head in, long since divested of armour.

"Yup. How'd you get that shit off so fast? You got a suiting-up machine hidden somewhere?"

"It's less complicated than you'd think. Cosplay magic."

"That's nice. Unbutton me."

"... wha."

You looked at him via the mirror, meeting his wide eyes and shimmying in place. "Unbutton me. I can't reach them all myself."

"How'd you get that on every day?" He hesitantly walked behind, eyeing the row down your back as though it would burn him at the touch.

"I have roommates, remember?"

"Mmh." He finally undid the first three, before flicking his gaze back to yours in the mirror. "A... Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't ask, otherwise." You kept looking, as he took a breath and resumed. "Idia."

He paused.

"Keep going, I'm just going to chat at you for a bit." Two more. "You know I..." How to phrase this. "I don't intend to stay mint on card forever, you know. You can take me out and play."

He twitched, but kept going. "Maybe I don't want to damage you. There's only one of you, after all."

"I'm not so breakable." You had one side of you face completely clear, the other still smeared grey in the creases. "Would you rather stay mint condition, yourself?"

"..." He took a moment to gather himself, staring at the exposed skin of your back. "Maybe I want to... admire a bit. Get to know my- your- Uh."

You waited with a soft smile, until he found the words. "No one said you have to play straight away when you take something out of the package. Right?" He placed an experimental hand on the expanse of flesh between bra band and waistband, and did not draw away.

"Right."

"... Maybe I just want to hold you a bit before we play."

What a sweet boy you had. "Take all the time you need to. Even if we never play like that, I like you. Spending time with you is what I want."

You could see the motes of pink flickering through his hair. "Can I hold you now?"

"Of course."

He slid his hands under your dress, around your waist - then grabbed your soft, flabby tummy in both hands and squeezed. "Soft~"

You squealed with laughter. "What are you doing?"

"It's bare skin that's neutral territory," he huffed, before hugging your back to him and resting his chin on your shoulder. "And it's warm, too."

"Not so much as you. Keep me warm, will you? It's getting so damned cold at night."

He buried his face in your hair. "I can do that."

~*~*~*~

You woke to someone banging at the door.

"Son of a bitch." You managed to free yourself from Idia's sleeping grasp and make it to the door as a familiar voice started up. "Shroud, your tin can brother's already helping with clean-up, if you skip out because of a stupid game I will-"

You opened the door and looked levelly into Vil's face, which twisted in surprise. He gave you a once over (unshaved legs, mussed hair, boxer briefs from the men's section and a blue-black striped shirt that was clearly not yours) and then peeked over your shoulder at Idia (dead asleep, smiling faintly, possibly naked under the blankets). He kept looking between the two of you with increasing disbelief and horror, until he stepped back, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Good for you."

"Thanks." Your face still hadn't changed.

"It's twelve thirty. If you're not both out helping clean up by three, I'm telling everyone."

"That's not much of a threat."

"Maybe to you. Shroud!"

Idia shuddered awake, bleariness washed away by terror as he saw Vil in the door and covered himself in the blankets.

"Be out helping cleanup by three or I'm telling everyone exactly why you're late." With that, he stalked off and you shut the door, mirroring his nose pinch.

"Dramatic bastard, ain't he? Even when he's being nice."

"How is that nice?" He only stopped shivering when you sat back down on the bed.

"Two and a half hours, Idia."

He blinked at you.

"How much can we do in two and a half hours?"

Realization dawned, and he started snickering as he dragged you in close.

[let-it-raines]

your wonder under summer skies (15/18)

Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

Rating: Mature

a/n: And the weekend shenanigans continue for these crazy kids 😘😘

ao3: beginning | current

Found on Tumblr: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |

-/-

“Do we have any more chocolate?” Emma asks, standing from her chair and walking toward the folding table where all of their food is spread out. “Or did we eat it all?”

“I think we’re out of chocolate, but there are some more marshmallows,” Elsa tells her.

“Damn,” Emma mutters before turning around and plopping back in her seat. “I love those, could eat the entire bag so my stomach, like, expands forever, but all I really wanted was a Hershey’s bar. Do we have the stuff to make hot chocolate inside?”

“Killian was in charge of food,” Anna suggests. “Ask him.”

Emma glances around the fire to look at the faces that are illuminated by the flames, but there’s one that’s missing.

Where the hell did he go?

“Has anyone seen Killian?”

Ruby whistles and stumbles a bit. She has had far too much whiskey, and Mulan is going to have a great time getting her into bed tonight without her flopping on the floor first.

“Looking for lover boy so you can make out with him again?”

“You, my friend, are drunk,” Emma sighs, placing her hands on Ruby’s shoulders and steering her back to her seat. “You need to stay away from the fire and the water, okay?”

Ruby falls back into her seat and sticks her bottom lip out. “Why do you have to ruin all of my fun?”

“Because you’ve had more than enough fun tonight.”

“So much fun,” Ruby giggles, resting her head on Mulan’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you actually kissed Jones.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Emma rolls her eyes and look over at Mulan, who is shaking her head from side to side. “You gonna make sure she doesn’t fall into the fire?”

“I will try my best.”

Emma nods and walks away, passing by David and Mary Margaret, who ask her where she’s going. She says to see if she can find anything to make hot chocolate in the kitchen, which is only a half truth. She does stop in the kitchen first, rifling through cabinets and the fridge to see if there’s anything good, but most of it looks like food that’s waiting to be cooked tomorrow. So she grabs a bottle of Gatorade that she is definitely going to need tomorrow and starts heading upstairs so she can grab her stuff to shower and find Killian. He’s not in the bedroom when she walks in, so she figures maybe he went back out. He was probably only gone to go to pee or something anyway.

Emma grabs her bag from the floor, shuffling through it to find a pair of shorts and a t-shirt as well as her shampoo and conditioner, and once she grabs all of it, she walks back downstairs to the hallway bathroom. It takes a few minutes for her to figure out the shower. It goes back and forth between scalding and freezing, and she eventually settles on almost-freezing, quickly going through her routines and washing her hair before jumping out and wrapping her hair in a towel before getting dressed and finishing her nightly routine.

The towel around her hair drops when she bends down to pick up her clothes from earlier today, and instead of putting it back on, she hangs it over the shower door and lets her hair fall down her back. She’ll figure out what to do with it later.

The light is on in the bedroom when she gets back to it, and Killian is now in bed, his back propped against the small headboard and his phone in his hand.

“Hey, where have you been?”

“I took a shower in Liam’s bathroom. Couldn’t figure out how to get the bloody shower in that hall bathroom to work.”

“Me either. I basically took a shower in ice water.”

Emma drops her bag, and reaches up to grab her hair, twisting it around into a bun on the top of her head. Then she turns back toward the beds, and while she could easily climb up the ladder to get to her own bed, she’s not ready for that quite yet. So, instead, she walks over to the bed, puts her knee down on the bottom mattress, and settles herself over Killian’s lap while he still taps through his phone.

Sighing, she leans down and presses her mouth against the underside of his jaw, tasting his clean skin and the scratch of his scruff before trailing her lips down to his ear, nibbling in the spot she knows he likes all while her hips gently roll against his.

“I was thinking…”

“As you say, dangerous thing that.”

She bites down, hard, on his ear, and she hears his phone lock before there’s a gentle thud on the ground. “Shut up and listen.”

He grumbles, there’s some kind of curse, but really, she has no idea what he said.

At this point in time, she doesn’t care.

“I was thinking that we’re up here, separated from the rest of the group, and while we didn’t get a big, comfy bed like everyone else, it doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.”

Emma dips her head down, nosing along his neck and down to his t-shirt, moving the material away from his skin until she can worry a mark against his collarbone. Or, at least, the beginnings of one that will fade in an hour. She doesn’t want them to get into another hickey situation with Ruby.

But when Killian doesn’t say anything, Emma looks up, settling back on her legs and looking down at Killian who is staring at her with pressed together lips and hooded eyes.

“What? Are you – ”

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence because then Killian is leaning up and slamming his lips into hers while his hand cups the back of her head, fingers threading into her hair and pulling her closer to him. It’s all tongue and teeth and is giving her no time to think or to set the pace on her own. She knows that she’s had a little to drink tonight, that Killian has too from the taste of rum still on his tongue, but there’s a buzzing emanating over her skin that has nothing to do with that.

It’s like she’s floating as he’s kissing her. Every inch of her body is on a high, one that she doesn’t want to come down from, and when Killian juts his hips up into hers, she knows it will be awhile before she does.

Killian tilts her head while his other hand wraps around her back, inching up underneath her t-shirt. He groans when his fingers get to the bare skin where her bra usually is, and Emma can’t help but laugh into the kiss, pulling back with a pop and a gasp of air.

“I was planning on going to sleep. Did you think I was going to wear a bra?”

“Can’t say I put much thought into it, love.”

“Really? I kind of figured you were always thinking about – ”

He interrupts her again, pressing his mouth pressed hotly against her neck while he gently flips them around. There’s not much space on the bed, and Emma’s leg slams against the wall, but then she’s managing to remove her t-shirt and settle under Killian while his mouth moves to her breast, lips wrapping around a nipple while she curls her leg around him and pulls him closer to her. She can feel his cock pressing into her through his boxers, almost exactly where she wants him, and God, it feels good. He’s heavy and thick, and she swears that her body goes even higher as her skin tingles with the buzz of anticipation of having him buried deep within her.

“Take off your boxers,” Emma gasps, scratching at his back.

“Not yet,” Killian mumbles into her stomach. “Not yet.”

She almost questions why, but then he’s moving down her body while he moves off the bed, settling down on his knees and tugging her to the edge. Emma takes the hint, lifting her hips she he can tug her underwear off and then wrapping her ankles around his shoulders.

Killian is damn good at what he does next, the warmth of his mouth pressed to where she’s aching and the roughness of his beard scratching against the inside of her thighs. She doesn’t need to tell him what to do, doesn’t need to instruct him, because he’s learned just what to do over the past few months. She’s already on edge, her body unable to stay pressed against the mattress, and her hands bury themselves in Killian’s hair, tugging on the soft, still slightly damp strands as he keeps moving in just the right direction that soon has her gasping for breath and having to mumble his name when she remembers that they’re not alone in this house.

Fuck.

After, he takes his time trailing his lips up her leg, settling his chin against her hip and staying there while her heart still pounds far too quickly and while she can’t even out her breathing. His eyes are hooded, deep blue showing itself from the blackness of his arousal, and after pressing his mouth against her side, he starts moving up her body again, kissing every inch of skin until he’s kissing her while she adjusts her hips so that he can press into her in a slide of heat that has her burning.

“So good,” she mumbles while he slowly rocks into her.

“You’ve got no bloody idea,” he rasps as his hands settle on her hips, fingers digging into skin, while he adjusts her underneath him. “Fucking temptress, doesn’t give a man a moment to breathe.” “You’re one to talk there.”

She can feel his laugh vibrate against her cheek, and she turns her head to capture his lips in a slow kiss as he begins moving within her and over her, pinning her to the bed. He’s warm over her, his back slick with a sheen of sweat, and she manages to press her hips tighter against him while he settles into a rhythm, slow and measured and one that she has a feeling could last forever if they wanted it to.

Right now, she can’t decide whether or not she wants this to go on indefinitely or if she’d like for him to fuck her into the mattress.

Killian seems to decide for her, keeping his thrusts slow as his lips ghost over her neck and her collarbone and then her nose, lingering there while his forehead presses into hers. She can see every eyelash, her freckle, every scar, and she’s so caught up in the feeling of him over her and within her and the subtly of his smile that her orgasm surprises her before overwhelming her, prickling at her skin in one long, slow simmer that she could definitely live in forever.

Emma’s nails dig into Killian’s shoulder hard enough to leave marks, and while he’s still pushing into her, she lets her hands fall to his lower black, pressing flat against the skin while Killian’s head falls to her shoulder, his lips pressing warmly against her. He keeps rocking into her, faster and faster until he stills and speaks something unintelligible into her skin.

Damn, Killian Jones.

Just, damn.

“And you complained about the bunkbeds,” Emma laughs as she waits for Killian to catch his breath.

“Not enough bloody space,” he mumbles before rolling off of her and standing up, grabbing his boxers off the floor and cleaning up with them. “If we mess these sheets up, someone will definitely see before we manage to get them in the wash.”

“You think ahead way too much.”

“I like to be prepared.” He shrugs and walks over to his bag, grabbing another pair of boxers and slipping them on before tossing Emma her t-shirt.

“Why are we getting dressed?”

“Door doesn’t lock, and our friends have no boundaries.”

“Ah, I have a solution for that.”

Emma rises from the bed, her legs still a little shaky, and slips on her t-shirt before walking across the room. She grabs the small chair next to the dresser and walks it to the door, propping it up underneath the knob.

“There,” she claps, “problem solved.”

Killian chuckles and settles down on the bottom mattress again. When Emma joins him, he shifts to the side, turning so she can stick her leg between his calves and rest her head on his shoulder. His hand wraps around her back, and he draws circles on her back, soothing her into a drowsy bliss that soon takes her.

-/-

Emma wakes to the extremely obnoxious sounds of birds outside her window, a constant chirping and chittering, and she should have put in her ear plugs before falling asleep.

“Oh my God, why do people like nature?” she huffs, opening her eyes and stretching her aching back only to realize that the warm body she slept next to last night is no longer there.

Huh.

This is a ridiculously small bed. It’s literally made for children. She should have felt Killian getting out of bed.

Emma sits up and reaches her arms above her head, stretching and pulling at all of the sore muscles. It’s like her entire body is on fire, and they’re probably going hiking again today. She is definitely going to need some ibuprofen or something.

Is she old in that the first thing she thinks of when she wakes up is ibuprofen?

Throwing the covers off her legs, Emma stands from the bed and reaches down on the floor to grab the t-shirt she’d put on after her shower last night and then pulls all of her hair up into a messy ponytail. She’ll have to fix that later, but from the feel of it, she can tell brushing it is going to be beyond a nightmare.

She slept with it wet without brushing through it and then Killian had run his hands through her hair, so there was really no way she was getting out of this predicament.

The door to the bedroom opens with a creak, and Killian steps inside. His hair is black with water, and he’s already dressed in a pair of black running shorts and a fitted pullover. Did he go running?

“Hey,” he mumbles in greeting, popping out an Air Pod she’s just now seeing.

Yeah, he went running.

“Good morning. What time did you get up this morning?”

He shrugs and toes off his trainers. “Early.”

“You should have woken me up. I know I’m no Skipper, but I make a good running partner even if my entire body hurts right now. My legs can be steady.”

He quietly chuckles, and she keeps waiting for him to look her in the eye and flash that smile she’s so accustomed to, but he keeps staring at his fingers as the hold onto the bottom of his pullover.

Something’s wrong.

Her superpower is going off, but it’s not…she doesn’t know why exactly she has this heaviness in the pit of her stomach.

“Swan, can I talk to you about something?” Killian asks, finally looking up at her.

Emma can see his eyes, but the smile is definitely not there.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Emma nods.

Killian reaches up to scratch behind his hear before he paces back and forth in the room, moving over to the window before leaning up against it.

“Look, you’re,” he finally begins, “damn, Swan, you’re fucking incredible. It’s bloody insane how good it feels to be with you. But I think it might be best for us to stop.”

It’s like she’s been slapped.

That’s the only thing she can compare it to.

She’s been slapped and punched in the gut and suddenly her legs aren’t so steady anymore.

Where the hell did this come from?

Emma opens her mouth to ask why, but she quickly snaps it shut. Killian isn’t one to mince words. He chooses them carefully. He always has. If he wanted to give her an explanation, he would have before he gave her any time to talk.

If he doesn’t want to sleep together anymore, that’s fine.

That’s what they agreed to.

There’s probably someone else. Women are always floating around him, flirting and talking and trying to make him laugh. He has to meet as many people in a day that she does, and maybe he found one that’s piqued his interest.

Emma swallows the lump in her throat and attempts to balance the toothpicks that are holding her up right now. She really needs to sit down or lean up against something, but she’s not going to budge from her spot.

“Oh, o-okay,” Emma finally sputters out, losing a bit of her balance despite herself. “If that’s what you want, that’s fine.” “Love, I – ”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” she interrupts, holding her hand up. “It was a good arrangement, KJ, but that’s what it was – an arrangement. Either of us could end it whenever, no hard feelings.”

He nods, slowly, all while his gaze never leaves hers. She swears that she sees his jaw clench, but that could have just been an illusion, a product of her still tired mind and body.

“Right. No hard feelings.” Killian moves away from the window and walks toward her, hovering so close she can feel the heat of his body and smell the saltiness of his sweat before his lips lightly brush against her cheek, his scruff scratching soon after. “I need to take another shower. I’ll see you downstairs for breakfast, aye? Maybe do something with that mess you call your hair.”

“Shut up,” Emma laughs, pushing his chest so he moves away from her. “Half of that is your fault.”

He half shrugs before bending down to grab clothes out of his bag. “Perhaps.”

And then he’s walking out the bedroom door like she’s not standing here with shaky legs and a heartbeat so erratic she hopes an ambulance can get here soon.

Fuck.

What just happened?

No, no.

Nope.

Emma is not going to let herself think about any of it. It’s early and she’s got half of a hangover, and her brain isn’t functioning. That’s why she feels so off-kilter.

It’s the half hangover and the distinct lack of coffee and greasy breakfast food in her stomach.

Coffee and food. That’s what she’s going to focus on.

With a deep breath in and out, Emma goes to her own bag, grabbing her brush and working through the knots in her hair. It’s painful as hell and takes far too long, and while it leaves her hair bushy and a little too much like Hermione Granger in the early movies, there at least aren’t knots anymore. She pulls on a pair of shorts and then some socks before gathering all of the things she needs to get ready for today.

Everything is completely and totally normal, and she is not going to act otherwise.

By the time she’s brushed her teeth and washed her face, Emma feels almost normal. Her hangover is definitely still there, the headache creeping into the corners of her head and settling there, but thankfully, she smells bacon and coffee when she walks into the kitchen. David is standing at the stove, and Emma pumps her fist when she sees pancakes on the griddle.

“Bless you,” Emma sighs as she walks toward him. “You’re making enough for me, right?”

“I know better than to be in the same five-mile radius as you and to not cook you pancakes.” He leans down and brushes his lips over the top of her head because David is the epitome of a father figure right now. All she needs now is some kind of misguided lecture on her life choices. She could actually use one of those right now. “You’re up earlier than I thought you would be. Everyone but Elsa is asleep.”

“Killian’s awake. He apparently went for a run this morning.”

“He was smart and didn’t drink as much as us, so he’s probably the only one thinking clearly.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Emma muddles around the kitchen, finding the largest mug she can find and pouring coffee in it before adding milk since there’s no creamer, and then fixing herself a plate of food. As she sits down at the counter, she sees Elsa walk into the kitchen. She doesn’t look anywhere near as dead as Emma feels, but she also probably got a heck of a lot more sleep last night and wasn’t broken up with – wait, no. That didn’t happen to Emma. She needs to wipe that thought right out of her mind and never think of it again.

This is fine.

This is normal.

This is how it has always been.

Elsa and David talk as David continues to cook, and Emma stuffs a forkful of eggs in her mouth. She needs food and to get over this hangover, and really, she is far too young to have such a bad hangover after so few drinks.

She isn’t even twenty-eight yet. She should be able to still drink and then not feel like hell afterward.

“Something smells delicious,” Killian sighs as he walks into the kitchen. His hair is now wet from his shower instead of sweat, and he’s changed into an almost identical pullover and pair of shorts.

“Thanks, mate. It’s just from a box,” David chuckles.

“Oh, Dave, I hate to break it to you, but I was talking about Emma, not your cooking. Though, it does smell heavenly in here.”

Emma feels heat rise in her cheeks and something else drop in her stomach, and she doesn’t even try to avoid Killian’s gaze. He flashes his teeth at her before winking, and it’s like nothing has changed.

Good.

That’s good, right?

Killian jokes around with David and tells Elsa good morning as he fixes his own plate. He sits at the counter next to her, and he stays there throughout breakfast, even as everyone else wakes up and stumbles into the kitchen, all in different states of distress. He stays and talks and laughs, and for a few moments at a time, Emma can imagine that everything is normal, that nothing has changed despite this pit that keeps growing in her stomach.

“David,” Elsa starts, “I have to say that you make a hell of a breakfast. Liam could learn from you.” “Oi, what the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” Liam grumbles, his mouth obviously full of food.

“That I didn’t fall in love with you for your cooking.”

“Really? Then what was it? My looks? My undeniable charm?”

Elsa laughs as she leans forward to press her lips into Liam’s cheek. “Your humbleness, honey, obviously.”

“Oh, Elsa,” Anna interrupts, “what about what you told me that one time?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

“You know – ” Anna waves her fork in the air before putting it down as the room quiets, everyone suddenly listening to this conversation “ – like when you said that you knew that you loved Liam because he was the first man who had ever made you feel comfortable in a relationship. It was like he didn’t make you chase him or play games. You knew where you stood, and it was just, you know, solid.”

“Solid,” Liam repeats slowly. “I like that. I mean, I think of myself as passionate and romantic and thrilling, but I like solid too.”

“I like that my sister just told everyone something I told her in confidence.”

Liam chuckles and then reaches up to cup Elsa’s cheek, his hand covering the blush that’s painted itself there, and then he kisses her.

Emma looks away, suddenly feeling like she is intruding on the most private of moments, and as she turns her head, she catches Killian’s eyes and the hard set of his jaw as he looks at his brother.

Solid.

Comfortable.

He makes her feel comfortable in way that she has never felt before, and that’s how she knew that she had true feelings for him.

Oh fucking hell.

That’s how Killian makes Emma feel, how he always has even when she didn’t realize it.

Neal used to always have her on edge. He was always playing games and making her second guess what his intentions were or if he was being truthful, and in their five years together, she doesn’t know that she ever felt comfortable.

What an utterly shitty thing to realize as she finally realizes why she has this pit in her stomach.

She’s fooled around and developed feelings for the one person who has the ability to shatter her, and he ended a part of their relationship that she’d really grown accustomed to.

It hasn’t been just sex for her in a long time, and Emma had no idea.

Maybe Killian did, though. Maybe that’s why he ended it.

He was trying to save her from herself by stopping things before they went too far.

Too late.

-/-

-/-

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[hisunshiine]

primal |kth|

♡ 𝘵𝘢𝘦𝘩𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘹 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 ♡ 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳!𝘵𝘢𝘦 𝘹 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺!𝘰𝘤 ♡ 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵, 𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘵 ♡ 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 @shades_of_blue

—

“I saw you and him! You let him feed you.. Let him touch you..” His eyes, typically your favorite shade of deep mahogany were now black.

“Tae, I swear, it was innocent. If I had refused, they would have known.. I think they suspect so—”

Tae’s large hand tightened on your throat slightly, and you gasped, arching slightly.

“Kneel.”

-6 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰-

You had just gotten hired by KimHit Entertainment, an up and coming company that had great talent of all kinds signed to them. They worked with multiple artists, rappers like RM and Agust D, singing dance duo J-Hope and Jimin (J2J), had content creators/artists like JayKay and Vante, and they were all managed by Kim Seokjin, one of the most famous vocalists in the world. He had decided to create a company to help others flourish once he felt like he had met all of his own goals.

While he still made music, he wanted to make sure to solidify himself as a top tier business man as well, like his father before him. He took over his dad’s small company and created a chaebol with his ability to spot talent and help it bloom. His brother had recently run the food services department for KimHit, but he had recently gotten married, so he was unable to do the tours for the next 2 quarters.

You had gone to culinary school with Seokjin’s older brother, which was how you found out about the company, and applied. Despite your love for music, your job however, had nothing to do with being “Talent”, unless you counted what you did in the kitchen.

“Carla, holy fuck, this is delicious!” Nayeon had just licked her finger clean from where she had dipped it into your batter for the dessert for the Talent. She went to double dip, and you swatted her hand away with the oven mitt you were holding.

“Yes, that’s why I was hired. But Gemini is coming down soon to eat, and they need to be fed before their performance tonight. A 2 hour set is no joke.” Nayeon nodded and backed away, hands up.

“Fine, fine.. I’m headed back to my station, but save me some please!” She smiled as she turned and headed to the door, her slim hips swaying as she disappeared through the swinging doors of the kitchen.

You finished plating the main dishes and began trekking them through the same swinging doors to set up for the meal. Each venue had a different style, but with tours, within the country, it was easier on you to maintain a routine. Traveling across the globe with bigger artists meant you had to go with them to each stadium or arena and cook with the kitchen they provided. Here in your home country, you could easily travel from home to work each day, prepare the meals, set up the spread, and relax. Others were hired to handle the clean up. You hustled back and forth, carrying out the now heavy metal serving dishes before the cast and crew arrived for their pre-show meal.

Panting slightly, you shook your head. How you were not losing weight at a faster rate was beyond you, but you liked that you maintained your curves despite the bustle of this job. Cooking protein rich and healthy fat filled foods helped you keep your more curvy figure. You were happy with your natural assets; you’d never had a problem filling out your outfits in all the right places, and direct or indirect compliments on your figure from the opposite sex had become the norm for you.

You watched the managers slowly file in, followed by the lighting crew, music techs, videographers and more, getting their food before running off to carry out various pre-show set up. They thanked you, happy with the upgraded meals they received ever since KimHit hired you.

“Hi.”

You jumped, not expecting the baritone voice to sound. Turning, you clutch your now racing heart as you take in a remarkable face—jawline that could slice the cake you had been placing, cheekbones that had to have been sculpted by Michaelangelo himself, and a toffee colored gaze that heated you to your core.

“You scared me!” you squeaked out, unable to maintain eye contact with him.

“Sorry,” his voice—as familiar as it was smooth—continued, “I just wanted to say that this smells… delicious.”

You shivered, sure that he was talking about more than the food. That he could smell the arousal mixed with fear as his predatory gaze continued to drink you in, tracing each curve slowly as if he could imagine what you would feel like if he stared long enough. Hard enough.

You attempted to breath slowly, knowing that predators enjoy the toying, and will chase when their prey panics and runs. You naturally responded to his movements, extending the chase when you whirled around and went back to what you were doing. You heard him take a sharp inhale, and inwardly smiled.

5, 4, 3, 2…

“Thanks,” you replied, barely giving him a glance as you straightened back up and made to walk past him. Pausing, you place your hand on his shoulder almost in a motherly way, though the way your voice had taken on a sultry tone suggested you were anything but.

“Let me know if there’s anything else you want to eat.”

As you walked into the kitchen, you heard him let out a low chuckle, and felt excitement bubble within you.

Kim Taehung, or Vante, was the famous photographer that KimHit managed, and would be helping out with catching still photo content for various artist’s within the company. Part of Seokjin’s philosophy was to have his talent work with each other, to build camaraderie across the different mediums as well as maintain wealth within the company.

It was well known within the entertainment world that Taehyung had an… eccentric taste. Once you started working at KimHit, you found out that it was not just within his art. He had been spotted by other coworkers frequenting Primal—a sex club for the elite to delve into their deepest desires. You and Nayeon had bonded over your love for Vante and his art, and she had shared this information.  

Another stylist had gone with him once, and shared quite eagerly with Nayeon and the other stylists that he was definitely a dominating type, that he enjoyed the pursuit of his partner, and was essentially, a predator.

You had done exactly the thing to drive him to begin the chase. You responded to him in a way that caught his attention, and then tried to quell your prey driven response and assert yourself as unaffected. If there was one thing that was going to make him pursue it was the dismissive way you treated his compliment paired with a very forward statement. He wanted to know more about you, wanted to push your limits, to conquer you.

Taehyung began his pursuit not long after that first encounter and you played along, as he aggressively flirted, took you out on dates, and then, like a chess match, called his checkmate. And you were his Queen.

The only problem was that you were under contract with KimHit to not become romantically involved with any of the Talent. Tae knew this, and was careful with his behaviors in public. He maintained his stoic disposition when in company of others, but once the cafe area was empty, he was dragging you away before you could lock up. Tae was all over you, mouth ravishing your body as his hands took possession of your body, laying claim to every curve, tracing the swell of your breasts, the roundness of your ass, squeezing your thighs tightly as he buried his cock deep within your walls.

-Earlier that day-

Gemini, the girl group who had been on tour previously was finished with their schedule, and you would be staying on for the next round of artists. This consisted of the prominent male artists, J2J opening for RM and Agust D, who had recently dropped a joint album. These sets of performances were different from your previous tour in that they would be holding performances at the same arena for the span of a month, allowing fans all over the country to have time to come see them before the month was up.

There was just one catch to the good news of being able to work for a month without traveling. Taehyung would be leaving for a month to work on his own art, paired with JayKay who would be the videographer for his project. Neither of you were happy about being separated, especially since he was friends with all of the men you would be cooking for, who knew nothing about the two of you dating.

He would never tell you that that was his reason, he had never said anything about his friends talking about you when they saw you in the KimHit office cafe working, when there were no Gemini schedules at the venues in town. Or, how they lusted over your body, your lovely features, your soft and gentle manner, over everything that was his . Every predator’s biggest fear is losing their territory.

It wasn’t that Tae didn’t have faith in you, it was that he understood how other predators were. You belonged to him in a different way now, he had already conquered you in a prey-like aspect. You were almost akin to pups, cubs, or other vulnerable babies of mammal species. You were his. Call you territory, call you a kitten or cub, you belonged to him. And anyone sniffing around what was his... well it didn’t sit well with him.

The night before he left, he marked you, trailing merlot colored bruises down your neck, across your collarbone, accompanying bite marks to your chest, scarlet handprints staining your skin on your backside, small fingerprint sized marks showing his lasting grip to your hips and thighs, if only he could be sure that he had left lasting marks to your heart.

He was in love with you, which scared him. He feared you leaving him while he was gone more than anything else. More than you not loving him back. He could deal with you not loving him as long as you didn’t leave .

While you slept in his arms that last night, after that particularly rigorous session, he held you, whispering his love into your hair in the dead of the night, silent prayers that you would still be his when he returned.

—

Taehyung enjoyed his time traveling around France for the month. With Jungkook as his companion and you being on the other end of the many FaceTime calls, it wasn’t so hard for Taehyung to get through the month. He felt his insecurities subside a little more  when he called you and you answered. He knew that you weren’t in danger of leaving him.

You on the other hand struggled with his absence. Your body craved his touch, and you spent evenings touching yourself in hopes that it would feel like him, but it never did. The new talent you were working with  didn’t make it any easier for you while missing Taehyung.

J-Hope, half of the dancing duo J2J,spent almost the entire month flirting with you, relentlessly. He was handsome, tall, lithe; his body, moved in ways you’d never seen before until he took the stage. You loved Taehyung and had no intentions of cheating on him.  However, you missed the up close and personal attention you’d become so accustomed to with Taehyung, and you enjoyed the attention from J-Hope—or Hobi, the name he asked you to call him.

He shamelessly flirted with you nonstop, to the point that you were fairly certain Tae would be highly upset if he were to witness it. But it appeared harmless to you since your heart and body were already taken by Taehyung, even if no one else knew it.

—

“Hey,” Hobi approached you while you were finishing up for the day, catching you right before you disappeared behind the swinging metal kitchen doors. “I had a question for you.”

“Sure, what’s up?” your hands were positioned on your hips as you turned, and you didn’t miss the way his gaze took its time traveling up before settling on your own.

“I wanted to have a small party tonight, to celebrate the end of the performances. I’ll text you the address, I would love for you to come.”

“Oh, I’ll have to see...” you replied, knowing that Taehyung and JayKay would be arriving back to town that evening.

“Please, Carla, I hope you can make it.” Hobi stepped closer, his hand reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “At the very least, can I pay you to make a cake for the celebration tonight?”

You found yourself nodding to that. That way you could still do something nice for a friend without upsetting Tae by spending his first night back home out with his friends and not with him.

“Of course, Hobi. Just text me the address. I’ll make you your favorite… my signature Devil’s Food Cake with Cream Cheese icing and strawberries.”

“You’re an actual angel, babe.” Hobi smiled his heart shaped smile, but the glint in his eye was as devilish as the cake you planned to make. “I can’t wait. The party is black and red attire… but please, come in all white.”

—

Texting Tae, you mentioned that you would be a little late to his place due to a last minute catering stop. You had started doing small catering services since you wouldn’t be traveling out of town this month, so it wasn’t unusual for you to tell Tae that you needed an hour or two in order to fulfill orders for your customers.  

Before leaving for the party, you double checked the white body con dress you had put on. It had a heart shaped neckline with baby doll straps, and you had tied your hair into a chignon, slicked back to show off your decolletage. A simple necklace with a small camera charm hung from the chain rested almost into your cleavage, the tiny diamond in the lens catching the light from the bulb in the hallway.

Liking the reflection you saw, you carted off your finished cake to your SUV and made your way to the location on your map.

Turning onto a main road, you had thought that the party Hobi was hosting was at his own place, but as you pulled into a parking lot you couldn’t help but notice the bright red sign. Primal . The very club that allowed people to explore their sexual desires on the second floor while the dance floor allowed people to party on the first. You had always wanted to come here after you found out about Taehyung coming here, but as the top floor was invite only…

Once you had started dating Tae in secret, you had forgotten about this place, not needing to seek out a place to explore your fantasies when they happened in his bedroom now. Unloading the SUV, you carried the boxed cake towards the entrance, where the bouncer at the front signalled for you to enter.

“Hoseok said to be on the lookout for the angel in white with a cake.”

You laughed to yourself, warmth crossed your cheeks at the description.

“Just head to the desk, tell them you’re headed to room 7, the password for your party is ‘hope in hell’.”

Following the instructions he gave you, the attendant at the desk led you to the door of room 7, which was tucked in the back corner of the second floor. She opened the door, which allowed you to walk into the room, lit with red lights. Music was playing throughout the speakers on the walls, and you heard the chatter of the party goers as you ascended into the depths of Primal.

“Carla!” Hobi’s voice called over the hum of the party and you turned to take in his outfit, all black to match his hair. He waved you in his direction, and upon reaching him, you handed the box off and he placed the cake on the table beside him.

“Wow, this looks amazing!” he said as he unboxed it, eyes turning back to you as he licked his lips. “Purely… delectable.”

You couldn’t help the way your body reacted. Taking in how you responded to his words, he smirked as he watched you look away. Looking around the room now, you were able to take in the scene. You truly were the only person that was in white. You could see people gyrating on each other, talking closely in small groups, drinking their fair share of alcohol, and disappearing into other rooms with each other, carnal looks in their eyes. Hobi grabbed a strawberry and held it to your mouth. You opened when it touched your bottom lip, but he teased you, trailing it along your full bottom lip before pushing it slowly into your mouth. You bite, taking in the sweetness of the fruit.

Setting down the tuft of green left over, he grabbed a napkin, clearing his fingers of the red residue before grabbing another strawberry, which he handed to you.

“Feed me.”  

Unable to say no to his demand, you oblige. You had drawn an audience since you walked through the door; heated gazes on you, watching your every move, you couldn’t have said no to the host, and he knew it. Holding the strawberry up to him, his lips wrapped delicately around the plump fruit, teeth seamlessly slicing through it as some of the red liquid dripped down his chin. Your gaze follows the trail of it and you bite your lip.

“Thank you again, angel.” Hobi pulls your glance back to his eyes, stepping closer towards you for a hug.

“Thank you for inviting me Hobi, I can’t stay long, but I appreciate it.”

As he gathers you into a hug, you feel his hands drift down along your curves, hands holding your ass in a way that prevented you from moving away from him. His length, hard, pressed between your thighs and you felt his lips ghost over your neck.

“Do you have enough time for me to show you a good time?” he asked, and as much as you would have said yes if you were single, you had Taehyung possibly already waiting for you at your place.

“Sorry, I can’t tonight.” You pout, trying your best to be vague. No one knew about you and Tae, and you had to keep it that way.

“Not tonight? So when can I get you all alone?” This time, his teeth nipped at your skin, and you involuntarily shivered in his arms, moving closer into his grip.

“Um..” you tried hard to formulate words, his dominating persona calling to the submissive in you.

“𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁.”

Taehyung’s low voice practically growled as his hand gripped your neck possessively. Hobi released you, his eyes a mischievous smile as he took in the way your head turned in response to Tae’s voice, body moving towards him as if it was second nature.

“She’s mine, Hobi-hyung.”

The song was low, changing from one to another, and you felt the eyes of the other guests on the three of you. From your peripheral you could see that RM, Suga, and Jimin were watching, amused, while JayKay was standing off to the side of Tae, snickering.

“Ahhhh,” Hobi said, mind putting together all of the information over the past few months. The way that Taehyung had always grown quiet when they talked about asking you out until he would forcefully say that you were unavailable, that you had told him you weren’t single. The way you had turned down all the advances Hobi had made. The way that Taehyung seemed to almost be enraged when the crew would talk about your sumptuous body. His eyes met Jin’s, who shrugged and pretended not to see anything, walking away with a girl who had on a black lingerie set.

Tugging your hand, Tae led you towards a door and pulled you inside. It was dim, quiet, empty of passerby and onlookers.

Taehyung turned to face you, backing you towards the door you had just walked through. His arm reached over you, swinging the door shut so you were pressed against it.

“I’m gone for a month, Carla... and this is how you behave when Daddy is away?” His eyes don’t meet yours, instead they follow the path his finger makes as it trails down your cheek, slow and deliberate.

“I was trying to keep up appearances… I was about to leave, I promise.”

“Didn’t much look like you were trying to leave. Looked like you were allowing him to touch what was mine.”

“Tae, I promise—” your voice was frantic, worried he would leave you, but he cut you off.

“I saw you and him! You let him feed you.. Let him touch you..” His eyes, typically your favorite shade of deep mahogany were now black.

“Tae, I swear, it was innocent. If I had refused, they would have known.. I think they suspect so—”

Tae’s large hand tightened on your throat slightly, and you gasped, arching slightly.

“Kneel.”

Falling to your knees, your eyes meet the floor as you watch his slip on black Gucci loafers circle around you. You can hear his fingers meddle with his belt.

“You,” he paused, attempting to tame his anger, “are mine.”

His hand gripped your chignon, pulling your head in whatever direction he wanted as he continued speaking. You kept your body loose so that he could control your movements. Angling your head to look up at him, he took his other hand and used his fingers to pinch your cheeks and open your mouth.

“This mouth… is mine.”

His cock, standing at full length, entered your mouth roughly and you slackened your jaw to allow his girth to fill your hole. He face-fucked you, hips snapping as he plunged his cock into your throat. You hollow your cheeks, running your warm tongue along the bottom and grazing his frenulum. The flared tip caught on your lips as he pulled out, and you suckled the head how he liked as he held your face still with only the tip engulfed in the warmth of your mouth.

“Fuck, like that angel.” Taehyung expressed his enjoyment with low grunts and caresses to your face as you did your best to please him and apologize for what he witnessed.

“Ah, this mouth is sinful… aren’t you my little angel?” he asked, removing himself from your lips with a lewd popping sound. His hands moved to your chignon and he pulled out the pin holding it together, allowing your hair to fall.

“Yes,” you panted, short of breath, “I’m your angel.”

He nodded with a low hum, and brought you to stand. His mouth was harsh, rough as he kissed and bit your now swollen lips with his own. His grasp on your body was tight; you expected to see small fingertip bruises from his grip in the morning.

Pulling away, the trail of saliva from your mouth to his strained thin before snapping, and Tae was more turned on than ever watching the way you leaned forward chasing the kiss.

“You aren’t acting like my angel... You’re dressed like her, but you haven’t been behaving like her.”

As he moves through the room, you finally take in your surroundings. The room is mostly bare, no bed, but there is a small love seat on the wall to the left and a door in the wall straight ahead that had a sex swing attached to it. Your stomach flipped in excitement. Taehyung gave you a series of looks and, without words, you obeyed his commands. He had you naked and strapped into the swing in a matter of minutes, shedding his flowing black silk shirt.

“That’s better… the white dress made you look too pure for what I’m about to do to you.”

Running his cock along your folds, your slick coated the tip and he pushed himself into you without much prep. This was a part of your punishment, you knew, and the feeling of him so full inside of you had your body adjusting to him with more of your juices produced with every thrust he made. Your legs were propped up in the sex swing, held by straps that wrapped around your thighs, and you slid up along the door with the force of Taehyung’s hips.

“You’re mine, Carla. All mine.”

“Yes... Fuck, yes Tae, I’m yours.”

His teeth marked your neck, his large hands gripping your thighs and you could feel the throbbing of his dick as he continuously buried it inside of you. You moaned out, unable to stay quiet after a month of being deprived of him. His scent filled the surrounding area and enveloped you, and you couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t enough, you wanted more of him.

“Please Tae.. I need… I— I need m-more...”

He thrusts into you deeply, slapping your ass as he pushes against your cervix and you cry out, nails digging into his back. You’re sure that you’ve left small crescent moons along his shoulder blades. He circles his hips while remaining deep inside of you, and he growls in your ear.

“You feel so good, God, I missed you.”

“-m-missed you… too...”

“It’s so tight, baby. I’m gonna… fuck, I’m gonna fill you so good baby.”

“Please,” you beg, and he drops his hand down to press against your clit.

You felt it building fast, the pull in your abdomen and as your hips bucked to gain more friction against his hardened member, you squeezed around him, feeling every curve and vein along the shaft and he bit hard onto your shoulder, his hot cum filling you up.

Crying out, you’re so close, but Tae pulls out of you, eyes meeting yours. And you know he’s not going to allow you release at this moment. Punishment for your earlier behavior.

You almost whine at him, exhausted because all you want is to fall apart before you fall asleep wrapped in his arms. You make to say something to him, going against your submissive state to tell him that you want more, you want to finish, before his voice whispers a command.

“Clench.”

You follow his directive, using your walls to force his cum out of you and you smile sleepily as you hear his slight intake of breath as you feel him drip down your thigh. The pads of his fingers are gentle as he scooped it back up and tucked his release back inside of you, two fingers eliciting a quiet, slick sound as they enter your abused core.

“You can cum later tonight baby, after I get you home...”

You nod, glad that he was going to allow you an orgasm at some point tonight. He leans forward to kiss you, his tongue tangling lazily with yours as he releases you from the sex swing.

“.. If you earn it.”

RUNNER UP COVER THAT DIDN’T WIN BUT I LOVE IT TOO SO HERE IT IS

[zekroudon]

Dinner with the in-laws

Adrien's first dinner with Marinette's parents since they officially got together. A lot of puns ensues. As usual, you can read it on Ao3 here.

This was the fic I wrote for my application for the Totographs zine, but I didn't get picked, but I'm proud of myself for applying! Once again, beware, lots of puns ahead. 

P.S. I won't be writing fanfics during November since I'm attempting Nanowrimo for the first time! It might not have been the best idea since I still have my classes, but I'll manage.

Edit: Thanks @komorebirei for beta-ing and their insightful tips.

   As Adrien stands in front of the door to Marinette’s home, the bouquet he got for her feels heavy and useless. He has already given so many roses to her, but they feel meaningless compared to how grateful he is to still have her in his life. Her parents must know how amazing she is — they’ll be disappointed…

   He’s hit by flashbacks to the events that led to Tom being akumatized into Weredad. Coming to the bakery after a lonely breakfast. The grey gloomy sky. The awkward kissing Marinette on the cheeks. The pink rose. Admitting he loved Ladybug, Ladybug and not Marinette, an irony Plagg kept teasing him about now that he was fully aware of her identity. Marinette being too good of an actress at being hurt. The enormous tower of vines with the angry beast on top protecting his princess. Ladybug only appearing at the end when everything was crumbling…

   Even though Nino assured him it was casual enough, yet fancy, and that Marinette would like it—a light green buttoned shirt, with only the top two buttons undone, and dark jeans—Adrien feels like he’s underdressed. Plagg phases through his shirt and looks him in the eyes.

“Just press the doorbell! I’m starving and I can’t wait to see Sugarcube!”

“Plagg, what if I mess up again? What if they hate me?”

   Adrien starts fidgeting with the bouquet in his hands. He wipes his sweaty palms on his pants.

“How could they hate you? I’m pretty sure Pigtails couldn’t hate you.”

“But, what if…”

   The kwami presses the doorbell and returns to his warm pocket while dread fills Adrien. He hears the steps creak lightly as someone comes down to open the door. Is it Tom? No probably not—he’s heavier and the steps would creak more. Maybe Sabine? She can also be very scary when she wants to…

   The door opens and relief floods his body at the sight of his lady, princess, and girlfriend. Marinette is wearing a pink dress with a black jacket. He didn’t fail to notice the small cat paws and the kitty she embroidered on the jacket. The dress is fairly simple to the casual eye, but having been raised in the fashion industry for so long, he recognizes all the hard work she put into the hems and her trademark flower motif. Her black hair, free from the usual pigtails, cascades in waves over her right shoulder.  

“You look… beautiful,” are the only words that escape his lips.

“Thank you, you look great too!”

“So… These are for you!” he says, extending the flowers to her.

“Thank you! They’re pretty...” She leans her head into the bouquet, smelling its perfume. “They smell amazing too! Let’s go upstairs so I can put them in some water.”

   Adrien follows her as they enter the apartment over the bakery. Delicious scents hit him as they step inside. Except for the usual sweets from the bakery, he can smell a plethora of aromas he is not familiar with. An overly excited Tom practically bounces to him, followed by Sabine, who looks more calm and composed. Adrien swears the man is about to burst from how much he is shaking and buzzing with energy. He kisses Sabine’s cheek and extends his hand to shake Tom’s, who gladly accepts.

“Welcome, Adrien, we’re glad you could make it! We could not wait to meet the young man that stole our little daughter’s heart.”

“The pleasure’s all mine! Thank you for having me for dinner.”

   Once Tom let go of his hand, it instinctively went to rub the back of his neck, his usual tic when he’s nervous. Fear fills him as the man’s eyes grow big like saucers when a ray of light hits his ring, making it shine a little. Does he recognize him as Chat Noir? Marinette looks at him, unsure of what to make of her father’s reaction.

   He then turns and picks up Sabine. He whirls her before doing a pirouette himself.

“Our little daughter is engaged! She proposed to Adrien! We need to prepare the wedding cake, it’ll be the best Paris has ever seen!”

“Tom, dear…” Sabine says, trying to bring back her husband to Earth, with no success.

“What?” is the only word that escapes Adrien’s mouth.

   “Is it another case of Oblivio?” Adrien asks himself. ”Last time I checked, we were only dating…” He realizes at the same time as Marinette what gave Tom the idea, but she’s quicker to react. He thought that Adrien’s miraculous was an engagement ring. Though, it’s not on the correct hand…

“We’re not engaged, Papa!!” shouts Marinette, calming her father. “The ring’s, um…”

“It was from my mother, it’s not a wedding ring. Not that I would mind being engaged to Marinette, she’s amazing and any guy or girl would be crazy to turn her down. I mean, I’d gladly propose to her, but I don’t want to go too fast and I’d rather have your blessing before…”

   He is stopped by a hand on his arm. Sabine looks up sweetly at him, just like she did with Chat Noir all those years ago.

“It’s okay, dear, we know you love our daughter very much—it’s obvious in your eyes. Tom just tends to get ahead of things. That poor Chat Noir, I hope he wasn’t too traumatized.”

“I don’t think he is…” Adrien shyly replies.

   Since he arrived a bit early, Adrien offers to help make dinner. Considering his lack of ability in the kitchen, he gets vegetable duty, since it’s pretty straightforward and he won’t risk ruining the meal with a beginner’s mistake by putting in too much spice or causing a fire.

“You know, I can’t believe no one ever taught you to cook—but at the same time, knowing your father, it does make sense.”

“Yeah, I  carrot  believe it either. I guess he expected me to  stew  in the mansion and have a cook for my entire life.”

“Even for you, that was pretty bad,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Finish slicing them, it’s nearly ready...”

“I don’t know about that, young lady—there’s always  thyme  for puns,” replies Tom with a smirk, a fire lit in his eyes. “Once you’re done Adrien, I’ll  knead  some fruits for dessert

“Of course! Would you help me,  gourdgeous  princess? We make the perfect  pear , after all.”

“I think you’ll be  apple  to do it yourself, my prince.”

“Ah, you leave me  floured  ! You know I only have  pies  for you.”

“You’re such a weirdo…”

“Maybe, but I’m your  weirdough  and you  loaf  me.”

“See, Sabine, they were  baked  for each other. I’m sure  muffin  could break them apart.”

   A little bit later, once they are all sitting at the table, plates set and food served.

“This is so delicious! I don’t think my chef has ever made me something this good!”

“I doubt your chef would have cooked this—it’s not really suited for a model’s diet,” Sabine says. “But thank you. I could show you some recipes if you want.”

“I’d love that, Mrs. Cheng! Well, I’m  bacon  track now, I’m no longer following a diet as strict as before: no more drumsticks and crumbs.  Dough , I have to admit that I would have been  toasted  if my father had found me eating a meal like this.”

“You can call us Sabine and Tom, dear, no need to be so formal.”

“I’m glad to hear that! You sure could add more meat to those bones of yours,” Tom adds jokingly.

“The  yeast  he could have done was to let you see your friends more often,” Marinette replies drily.

“It’s okay, it’s all behind us now. The  bread  of akumas, the  pain …” He adds, giving Marinette a slice of bread. She shakes her head, but still takes it.

“Doughnut  worry, son, you’ll always be welcome here. I could show you the ropes of a baker’s job! I  croissant  your talent.”

   The rest of the main meal goes well—more puns, talking about their future and hopes. Adrien loved the fact that Tom and Sabine didn’t expect him to follow in his father’s footsteps and take the reins of Gabriel, unlike almost everyone else in his life. Instead, they encouraged him when he said that he would need some time to figure out what he really wants to do with his life, to forge his own path.

   As Marinette ices the cake, Adrien finishes slicing the fruits and placing them. His fingers are all sticky and stained from the juices, but he’s the happiest he’s ever been. He feels like he’s part of a family, in a house filled with love, warmth, and fun. He dips his finger in some cream that has fallen from Marinette’s pouch. She’s fully focussed on the task at hand, just like when she was figuring out an especially complicated lucky charm in a face-off with a strong akuma. He gets an idea. It’s a bit mischievous, but a good one.

   Smirking, he carefully sneaks behind her, channeling his inner Chat Noir. Once he’s close enough, he pokes her nose with his cream coated finger. She jerks back into his arms and squeezes the icing bag, making it explode. Their faces and clothes are covered with icing.

“Ch-Adrien!”

“See, m’ lady, I always told you that you’re  la crème de la crème  . Getting my miraculous was an  ameowzing  day in my life, but meeting you was the  icing on the cake ,” he whispers in her ear.

“Shh! They’ll hear you!”

   Her scolding expression lingers for a bit longer, but she soon bursts out laughing.

“I can’t believe you! All this for puns?”

“I felt like I needed to remind my girlfriend of how amazing she is...”

   Tom and Sabine turn the corner to the kitchen, taking in the mess the two made.

“What are you two  loafing  about… Oh, that’s quite the mess, isn’t it?” Tom asks, stopping in his tracks.

“Go change into your pyjamas, I’ll finish icing the cake in the meantime,”Sabine sweetly adds, opening the fridge to get more icing.

   As they walk past the counter to go change, Marinette picks a cherry and perches it on Adrien’s nose.

“You don’t need to remind me, Adrien, I’ll always  cherrysh  the  koalaty  time I get to spend with you.”

[writingsbychlo]

more ways than one (07)

word count; 4628

summary; the real battle comes around quicker than anyone was expecting, and has some disastrous outcomes.

notes; honestly, y’all are going to hate me.

warnings; gore, violence, graphic descriptions of injury, character death.

You brushed your fingers across the wings before you, humming under your breath, and the owner of said wings chuckled. His body shifted, the feathers fluttering with the motion and you let out a little gasp at the sight, and he fluttered them carefully for you once again. 

“You like my wings more than you like me.”

You scoffed at his teasing, and he turned around, a pout forming on your lips and he chuckled, running his thumb over your lips and pushing them back from your puckered form, your eyes rolling fondly, eyes flicking over his face. “That’s a lie, they’re just so beautiful. I can’t help it, I’ve never seen wings before.”

“Did you spend this much time poking at Scott’s face when he started growing fur from his cheeks?”

“No, that’s gross!” The thought made you laugh, and said wolf scowled from across the room, your shoulders shrugging as you looked at him. “Sorry, Scotty.” The boy stared at you for a moment longer, before rolling his eyes, his lips tipping up in a smirk. 

“Yeah, I was pretty weirded out, too.”

You turned your attention back to the man before you, a smile on his face as he took your hands, placing them under his arms and on his wings, very lightly, and he stretched them out widely, the soft feathers stretching out under your fingertips, before the limbs were wrapping around you, folding behind your back as he held you close to him, using them to nudge you a little closer.

Sunlight filtered through them, just enough to make it look like he was almost glowing, and you were thoroughly awestruck. Pulling your hands back, you trailed them along his arms, down to his wrists until your index and middle fingers were very lightly looped with his own. 

“Incredible. Absolutely incredible.” You mumbled, and his eyes were fixed on you, you could feel them lingering on you as you took in the sight before you, before you finally let your eyes come back up to his. His fingers squeezed a little tighter around his, and you returned the sentiment, the moment being broken when a crashing realisation broke through, reality weight down on you as your face fell. He seemed to pick up on the change int he atmosphere, two fingers raising to push the hair that had fallen into your eyes backwards and out of the way, tucking it behind your ears as his own relaxed expression twisted into one of confusion and worry. “This means you have to go, doesn’t it?”

He sighed, his wings pulling back, folding away behind himself neatly and he lifted a shirt up and over his head, tugging it down to cover himself as he refused to meet your eyes. “I was hoping it would be a little while before you realised that. I should have known, though, you are astonishingly intuitive, after all.”

He hoped his joke would cut him some slack, perhaps you’d at least laugh, but the small smile yo offered him didn’t even reach your eyes, and your fingers fell away from his, his gaze darting down to look at his hands, now alone and hanging by his sides, and he curled them up to loose fists. It weighed heavily on him too, you could tell, form the way his shoulder slumped and his body leaned forward toward you, trying to catch your attention as his burning gaze stayed on you, intense and wanting of attention. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be! This is amazing for you! You get to go home.” Your voice was lighter than normal, borderline chirpy, and he’d heard this before when you had been talking on the phone to the others, when you had been lying to them about where you were, before the previous couple of day’s had transpired. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest from your lie, and a heat rose up to your cheeks, your eyes focusing in on the slight bumps and cracks in the floor that suddenly felt more interesting than the swirling honey-brown irises you so enjoyed staring into. “I’m happy for you, I really am.”

“You don’t look happy.”

“I’m trying. Give me another day and I’ll be the happiest person you’ve ever seen. I promise.” You poked him in the stomach to accompany your joke, dipping your head and swallowing thickly, and the laugh he gave you was more o a service than of actual amusement, and his fingers under your chin tipped your head up enough for him to press a lingering kiss to your temple. His arms slid around your shoulders, pulling you in close to him as his chin rested atop your head, your own arms looping around his waist. 

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’m sorry it was so.. tense in the beginning.”

“You threw things at me when I came through the door and gave me near heart-attacks by running away twice.” Your words held no malice, and he gave you a genuine laugh this time, the chuckle reverberating in his chest and you could feel it from where your cheek was pressed to his torso. Tucking your fingers under his shirt, you brushed over the skin of his lower back, his skin erupting in goosebumps from the dull scrape of your nails, and his wings tucked protectively over your fingers. Whether it was purposeful or instinctual, you weren’t sure, but the soft feel of the feathers against your knuckles was calming, and you let out the breath you didn’t know that you were holding, feeling him so that same.

“I refuse to be held accountable for the second time. You told me to get out, you should just be grateful that I came back.”

“I am.” Your words were a whisper, and he squeezed you a little tighter, before letting you go, offering you a small smile in comfort. 

“Me too.”

With those words, he was wandering away, bare feet on the concrete making very little noise as he walked away to the kitchen, presumably to find himself a snack, and you could feel the lingering eyes of those in the room hanging on you, but you chose to ignore them all, dropping down onto the couch instead and picking up one of the Harry Potter books you had left here so long ago. 

Opening it up, you were barely three pages in when the couch moved under you, the cushions rippling from the weight of another body flopping down onto them unceremoniously, and you looked up, Stiles waggling his eyebrows at you as he shifted, happily placing his head in your lap as he grinned up at you with a cheesy smile. 

“Read to me.”

“No.” You deadpanned, continuing to read in silence, and he gave you something between a pout and a frown, tapping the book as he crossed his legs, shifting against o get himself comfy, showing you that he had no indication of moving, and you sighed, raising a brow at him as you looked down. 

“C’mon, you always used to read to me because I was too twitchy to do it myself. You’re the only reason I’m passing out literature class, and it always takes your mind off of things.” You paused, and the look he was giving you had shifted from playful to loving, your best friend watching you carefully, and you sighed, giving in and dropping the book down to rest on his chest, one hand coming up to lace into his hair as the other held the book open, and he hummed happily. “I also really like the Dobby voice you do.”

“Oh, shut it, you.” Your cheeks heated up, and he tried to muffle his loud laughs as you took off reading from the beginning once again, and soon, Lydia had made her way over to listen too, Scott listening in from across the room as he continued on with the puzzle he’d started, and your voice was the only sound in the loft, besides that of the occasional clatter and scrape front he kitchen as the guardian angel hidden from view cooked himself a meal. 

It was late afternoon, sun filtering in through the bay windows and a gentle warmth in the air that the autumn carried in before the rain and the cold that the later months of the year shepherded in. Stiles was still lying across your lap, Lydia on the floor with her head leaning back against the edge of the couch, and you decided that it wasn’t so bad his way.

It may hurt to let your new friend go, but at least you still had everyone else that loved you, and whom you loved right back.

It was peaceful, and quiet, and you were sinking into the pure bliss of it all when the loft door was dragged open, your voice pausing in your reading as you took in the sight before you. With an arm slung around Derek’s shoulder hung Isaac, his shirt stained and bloody from where the two had simply gone on a run to scout the area, and your words died in your throat.

Stiles let out a whine in dissatisfaction, but was soon sitting up, following your gaze as Scott’s chair screeched across the floor and he raced forwards to wrap Isaac’s other arm over his own shoulder, the boy clutching at his side as his wounds healed, and Derek seemed pretty banged up himself. The trio soon to collapse to the floor, Isaac rolling onto his back with a groan as Derek panted, holding himself up on his hands and knees. 

His eyes were flicking back and forth between the usual green shade and the vibrant neon of his inner wolf, and he took a deep breath, rocking back onto his knees.

“They’re coming.”

Your eyes were wide for a moment, Stiles practically rolling to the floor in his rush to get up, and Lydia was soon on her feet, her phone in her hands as she lifted it to her ear, calling to Allison, fetching the hunter alongside the were-coyote and the kitsune from their shopping trip to the mall. She was surprisingly adept, everyone around you seemed to be jumping into action as you floundered in the middle of the room. 

Scott had already wolfed-out, he’d slid the main door closed and bolted it from the inside, but from, the ruckus on the metal stairs in the building shaking already you could tell that the action would only buy you a minute or two. Isaac and Derek were healing quickly, taking the time to do so before the fight began, and Stiles was kicking out a duffel bag that you recognised from the back of the jeep. The clanging of metal within it sounded out, your best friend dropping to a knee as he tugged the zipper down, all of you jumping when a loud banging sounded on the main door, voices muffled behind it. 

Finally kicking your feet into gear, you stumbled your way to the kitchen as fast as you could, practically tripping over your own feet as you entered the room and two large hands found your forearms, catching you and holding you steady, your eyes moving up to his, his own wide and worried as you clung to him. 

“They’re here! They’re here.”

“Just when I was about to make some pasta.” 

His joke made you scowl, your jaw tight, and he swallowed thickly under your gaze, the pair of you jumping at the sound of creaking metal, a loud ringing sounding out into the room, and you peeked around the edge of the kitchen, dust clouding up into the air in plumes, the entire sliding door of the loft now laying on the floor, a crowd at least twice the size of the original one standing you down. 

You knew you were in no danger, and as somebody unnamed and unknown who wasn’t on the list, neither was V. But, all of your friends, minus Stiles, were. You couldn’t let them die, you couldn’t let them fight for their lives, only for their deaths to be celebrated with a payment of money that had been stolen from Derek himself, and your friends were crowding around, backing themselves into a corner behind the three wolves.

Taking the hand of the man behind you, your fingers laced together, his squeezing just as tightly around your own and he followed behind you as the two of you ran to cover behind the trio of snarling werewolves. Cold metal met the tips of your fingers, Stiles’ hands curling your fingers around the handle of a heavy bat, and you freed your other hand to grip it tightly.

“You got me a bat?”

“After seeing your swing last week, it would be a crime not to.” He grinned, tapping the tip of his own against yours, the metal clinking the way wine glasses would in a slight ‘cheers’ motion, and you gave him a small laugh. 

The joke was soon gone, and it was replaced with the slashing and cutting of claws on flesh, an array of weapons you’d never even seen before being used in an onslaught against your outnumbered friends, and you had yet to use your bat. They scarcely even made a move to touch the group of humans, only ever advancing once one of them recognised Lydia, and Stiles was quick to jump in and defend her, a swift swing of his bat to meet the back of his skull sent him toppling to the ground, his face meeting the concrete uncomfortably and Stiles used his foot to kick him to the side, disarming him of his weapons and rolling him onto his back and out of the way. 

Your friends were growing more and more tired, they were soon being pinned in groups on the floor, and that’s when you made to advance. You did as best as you could, kicking and swinging at everybody you could as you tried to ensure the supernaturals you cared for so much could stay on their feet and out of harm’s way, but your next target was much taller than you had expected, and he stood to his full height, towering over you and growling. 

With a single shove, you were flying backwards, your feet leaving the ground for a second before you hit the wall, the breath forced from your lungs and you crumpled to the ground, pain radiating through your back as you groaned, eyes closed for a second, your side hurting from where you had landed on the metal of the bat. With a hand on the floor, you pushed yourself up, the tall man walking towards you slowly, and you backed yourself up, pressing yourself as far into the wall as he looked down at you, snarling. 

Your eyes closed, a grunt sounding out, the crunching of bones on the floor sounded and you cracked an eye open. He was on his knees, his legs kicked out from under him before a large fist met the side of his face, blood spattering from his lip, and you looked up to the man, wings fluttering under the material of his shirt, his foot meeting the mans face as his nose broke and his consciousness slipped away.

Using the wall to pull yourself up, you had a hand wrapped around your battered ribs, and he looked to you carefully, reaching his hand out to you, and you took it, swiping your bat from the concrete flooring as he pulled you towards him. Your arms wrapped around his waist, and a hand cupped the back of your head, your feet moving underneath you as he dragged you back to the corner, back to relative safety, pressing kisses to the side of your head as he did. 

Just when things were looking down, the four of you backed into the wall as Scott lay on the floor, holding back the long blade of a knife from piercing his heart with his bare hands, Derek on his knees as a wire wrapped around his throat, arms held out and a foot pressed between his shoulder blades, as Isaac slashed and roared, but exhaustion seeped in, when the girls arrived. 

An arrow pierced straight through the shoulder of the man that was trying to remove Derek’s head, and as the other two were distracted, Derek found a renewed strength, tearing his arms form the other two men and using his claws to pierce the sides of both of them, and they dropped to the floor, clutching at their sides. 

Kira was moving with elegance and poise through the room as she all but cleared a path for herself with her sword, orange energy curling around her in glittering streams as she assisted Scott, offering a hand to him and helping him from the floor. Malia was the loudest of them all, she let almost everything animal in here take over as the room became practically a blood bath, and suddenly, the scores were evening up.

It seemed like it may be going in your favour, their high supplies of will power and weapons dwindling quickly, both teams fighting to exhaustion, and you defended both Lydia and V alongside Stiels with everything that you had. 

You were aching, and bruised, and you were losing the ability to hold both the bat and your head up high, the metal slipping from your fingers as everything in your body screamed out from the exertion and in need for rest. You fell back into V’s chest, his arms clinging to you tightly as you panted, eyes lined with tears from both fear and pain, and he ran his fingers along your spine soothingly. 

The click of a gun, far closer than you could let slide by, sounded out and you whipped your head around. Reaching for the bat on the floor, the man tutted, moving his aim from where it had been on the back of Malia’s head to you, and he clicked off the safety. Licking over his busted lip, he advanced on you, a wicked grin on his lips as he watched you try and take deep breaths, to steady yourself in the face of danger. 

“You know, we weren’t here for you. You’re normal, but I have no problem killing you.” 

His finger squeezed down on the trigger, and you heart the loud and screamed ‘no’ as the automatic weapon fired off several rounds, your body tensing and eyes squeezing as you braced yourself for the onslaught of bullets that were aimed at you, but the impact never came. Cracking your gaze open, white wings shrouded you, wrapped around you protectively as you stayed sheltered, and his hand landed on your shoulder, pushing you down to your knees as he fell to his own, a loud shout in agony leaving him.

You curled up on the floor, bullet holes and tears in the beautiful white feathers as they ripped and became shredded, the edges all but glowing red from the impact of the bullets tearing through them, hot as they threatened to burn his wings right from him. The battle waged on around you, your hands clutched to your ears as he sheltered you, his jaw hanging open as he cried out, hands clenched and knuckles bleeding as they dragged against the stone flooring from where he was propping himself up for support. His body trembled, and you could hear the bullet casings hitting the floor.

The noise was lessening, the clanging of steel stopping, the growls and roars finally dulling down to thudding punches and the sounds of bodies hitting the concrete. The grunts of those who weren’t fighting for your cause were becoming more frequent, and you were able to peek through the newly formed gaps in his wings as you watched the man trying to reload his gun with a fresh cartridge. V was letting out shaky breaths above you, barely able to hold himself up, and your hand slipped over his on the floor, squeezing tightly as you tried to convey everything you felt, and you watched Allison take the man down with ease, armed with a matched set of double-ended knives, and you breathed out a sigh of relief upon seeing him hit the floor, never to threaten anyone again.

Finally, the fighting stopped, and the trembling wings were able to retract from around you as the man was taken out, bodies littering the room, some dead and some simply unconscious, but you couldn't bring yourself to care because you had once again been victorious, your scraggly, rag-tag group of friends had succeeded in survival, and you turned to V after taking in the scene, a relieved smile on your face. Stiles dropped to his knees beside you, his hand smoothing over your face as he checked you over, and you gave him a shaky nod, before looking away to Lydia. She was trembling in the corner, her lips parted and eyes frantic as she looked around, and you promised Stiles that you were okay, before deterring him away to go and check on Lydia, dropping a wink in there at his chance to comfort the girl he loved so much. 

“I can’t believe you just got your wings back and now they’re ruined.” 

You let out a small laugh at your own words, turning to face the man who had protected you, and your hands reached up to sit on his cheeks, a smile on his lips as his eyes became hooded, and the broken and frayed wings dropped down, brushing the floor as he rocked back to his on his heels, and you knelt before him. Pressing your forehead to his, he tipped his face up and pecked the tip of your nose, lifting one of his hands tiredly to sit over your own on his face.

“You saved me.”

“We save each other, remember?” He cracked a small joke, his voice raspy and hoarse, and you gave him a smile, shaking your head fondly before your eyes dropped down, a gasp leaving you as your eyes took in the blood seeping through his shirt. 

“You’re hurt?”

He hummed, his eyes had closed and he swayed slightly, before he was tipping over to the side and you let out a desperate scream as you caught him before his head could hit the floor. Shuffling quickly, you rested his head in your lap, your hands shaking as you watched thick red blood pump out from between his fingers, clutching at his ribs. Peeling his hand away, three bullet holes were evident in his shirt, mangled flesh underneath, and he coughed violently, blood gurgling in his throat and dripping from the sides of his mouth. 

“You got shot!” Your voice was practically out of hearing range it was so high, and attention snapped over to the two of you, the group gathering around as he tried to swallow down on a sore and filling throat, taking desperate breaths, one of his lungs struggling from the impact of the bullets, and you panicked, sending Allison and Kira to go and fetch medical supplies from the kitchen. “I can fix this, I can fix this!”

His hands rested over yours, trying to hold onto your hand as his blood stained your skin, still trickling from the wound as his already pale skin continued to lose it's colour, quickly, and you choked back a sob, your hands pulling at the end of his jumper to try and lift it up. He watched you, blood smearing across your cheeks as you wiped at your eyes, trying not to drip tears onto his face as you cried, and you felt a pair of hands find your shoulder. Scott dropped down to a knee on one side of him, black veins crawling up his arms from the moment he lay his hand on V’s arm, and Isaac did the same, a peaceful expression taking over his face as the pain temporarily slipped away, and this time you let the sob come out. 

The girls returned with everything you may need, dropping it beside you, but his hands came up to take your own, holding them steady and squeezing with all the strength he had as he smiled at you. “Why aren’t you healing? You should be healing!”

“I may have gotten my wings back, but even angels can only heal so fast.” His words were cracking as he spoke, and he coughed again, clearing the blood from his mouth and you freed a hand, resting it over his cheek and soothing your thumb over his cheekbone, your chest feeling like there was weight, pushing down on you as you tried to suck in breaths and stay strong.

“You’re going to die, because you saved me.”

“It was worth it. You were worth it, and I’d do it again.” He mumbled, your lips quivering as you looked at him, and he laced his fingers through yours, squeezing your hand with both of his, his head pressing into your lap as he looked up at you. 

“I can’t save you! We’re supposed to save each other but I can’t save you.”

“You already saved me, sweetheart. In more ways than one, and I will forever be thankful for that.” He whispered, your chest shaking as you sobbed over him, and you brushed his hair out of his face, lifting his hand up to your lips and kissing along his knuckles, his eyes fluttering shut, a small smile on his face. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Please, stay with me.” You whispered, and he hummed, taking your hand to his own mouth and pressing his lips there, his head tipping to the side, his eyes staying shut as he rested his cheek against the back of your hand. “Don’t you dare die on me! I need you!”

“You don’t need me, you’re going to be just fine.”

You shook your head, squeezing your eyes shut to hold back your tears, and when you opened them, Scott was pulling back his hand, Isaac too, the black veins disappearing as the pain he felt no longer existed, and a loud cry left you, your body shaking as you leaned over him. “No, no, no, this isn’t how it was supposed to be.”

A firm pair of hands found your shoulders, and you pushed against them, the fight in your body practically none existent and your face was easily tucked into a shoulder, your sobs muffled as your tears soaked into the flannel, and you pulled your hands up to grip at his shirt. The material was clenched underneath your hands, and his arms wrapped around you, squeezing you tightly as he fell back, sitting with you in his arms as he held you steady. 

Lydia dropped to her knees, pressing a hand over his chest, broken and bloodied wings spread out around him, and her fingers spread out as she let one of her own tears go. She mumbled an apology, about never having seen his death coming when the sense washed over her, and you didn’t have to be supernatural to be able to sense that everyone was reeling from his death. 

Nobody was suffering as much as you were, because while you may have saved him in many ways, he’d done so much for you, he’d given you hope in your friends and your life again and he had forced you to see the light through the darkness, and you knew that he had saved you too. 

[imagine-loki]

The Naughty Poltergeist

TITLE :The Naughty Poltergeist

CHAPTER: #1 of ?

AUTHOR'S: lokilover9 & velvetzybanshee

RATING: M

NOTES: This one shot is based on Loki having paid penance for ruining Thor's coronation. He never fell from the bifrost, nor attacked earth and is now free. Not to discount his true history, we just thought he deserved some happy. As for Felipe, he's based on the Spanish character Agador Spartacus, from the movie  The Birdcage and speaks in broken english. 

EXTRAS: Madre = mother  niña = girlfriend  panocha = pussy

Original Imagine  

Imagine thinking your new house is haunted. No one knows Loki lives there because he's always invisible and conjures furniture as needed. Disgruntled by your presence, he behaves like a poltergeist until one day you've had enough."I'm not leaving! Show yourself dammit!" Nothing happens for days and you think he's gone. Then while giving friends a tour, you find him naked on your bed drinking whiskey. "Cheers, darling. You did say show myself." Only you can see him and he follows you around like that for the remainder of their visit.

Loki was content residing on Midgard. With Thor King of Asgard remaining heavily influenced by Odin, he felt displaced as ever and decided to travel abroad. It was aloud providing he didn't hide from Heimdall and returned were the realm threatened, but that didn't mean he behaved. Midgard's continents teamed with beautiful maidens and Loki spent months at a time seducing them across the globe. Yet an introvert by nature, the constant socializing became exhausting. He needed intervals of solitude to rejuvenate his mind and cock. Indecisive of where, he conjured a world map, closed his eyes and randomly chose a location. 

First attempt. "A Frost Giant in the Amazon? I think not." 

Second. "Middle of the Bermuda Triangle? Know enough aliens already, thank you." 

Third. "Inside and active volcano? Fenrir's arsehole." He scoffed. 

Fourth. "Very well. Maine it is." 

The god settled in a vacant Victorian evicting its two following buyers with  'ghostly' shenanigans. Yet to the king of this miniature palace's annoyance the next didn't frighten so easily. 

Alexis was proud having bought her own house after a long divorce. Closer to friends and hours from meddling family, she'd thought herself free of troubles until sensing the place haunted. While unpacking, items started going missing and resurfacing in different places like her keys, clothing and once her vibrator after an evening of ménage à moi, disturbingly appeared in her dishwasher the next morning. Doors would slam, electricity short circuited, faucets unexpectedly ran, but most disconcerting was a voice randomly whispering 'mine' into her ear. Whether in the shower, her yard, doorways, the ghost didn't care. Alexis burned sage, had the house blessed, held a seance with a local paranormal group, but nothing helped. When returning after a long day at work to find half the main floor repacked, she angrily shouted into the air. 

"Ha ha, trickster! You don't scare me and I am 'not' leaving!" She held up a large envelope. "This is 'my' crib and here's the deed to prove it. Show yourself dammit!" Nothing happened so she put everything back, showered, grabbed her vibrator and stormed into the upstairs corridor. "And one more thing! See this? Touch it again and I'll summon your ass with a ouija board and douse you in holy water!" 

Loki inwardly chuckled. 'I'll be sure to bring a towel.' When she fell asleep reading in bed, he snuck a peek at what had intrigued her. 'Smutty fanfiction? Tisk, darling. Who could your heartthrob be? The name sounded familiar so he googled it. 'Ah, the actor from Crimson Peak. Good movie, but I'm much better looking. 'A wicked grin curled his lips when she moaned Tom's name. 'Maybe I need to play a little 'dirtier.'

With the next several days uneventful, Alexis thought she'd frightened the ghost off when in reality he was buying time. Since moving her in friends offered extra hands in their free time, but it was her befriended neighbor, a single gay man with a flamboyant, funloving personality who'd helped the most. They met one afternoon when she peered over his fence to complain about blaring Salsa music as he hosted a pool party. Felipe was sunbathing in a yellow thong, wearing sunglasses with enough bling to impress Liberace and choked on a shot of tequila when she whipped a pebble at his head. He invited her over with a promise to adorn shorts, they hit it off and became besties. 

Alexis planned to have other friends over for dinner one month after moving in, but with all the goings on had postponed twice. Now with a set date, Felipe was invited too and asked what she planned to cook.

"Who said anything about cooking? I suck at it Amigo and prefer no one hurling on my lawn." 

She waved a take out menu and he dramatically gasped. "Chinese food for eight people? Where you gonna put up you blow job booth to pay the mortgage after?"

Alexis smirked. "You're such a slut, Felipe."

He shrugged. "Happy whoopie stick makes a happy me."

"I think I've forgotten what they look like." 

"I show you mine, but no touchy touchy." She laughed, knowing he was kidding. "Too long without sex causes brain damage, niña. How long its been for you?" 

"Since my ex and I separated nineteen months ago."

"Ay dios mio. I lend you my Dustbuster for the cobwebs down there."

"Not funny, Felipe." 

"See. Abstinence makes everyone bitchy. My sister Maritza too. She was happy single before becoming a nun. Now she's Oscar the grouch with eyes like the chucky doll."

"How come you can pronounce words like 'abstinence' and 'cock' so well yet not others?" Alexis teased.

"Don't make me spank you. Come, we go shopping."

"For what?"

"I help you cook. We stay home and talk about cock, mine will curse me in Spanish. He's lonely too."

Alexis slipped on footwear. 

"Why you wearing those?" Asked Felipe.

"What's wrong with flip flops?" 

He stepped onto the porch. "You need something sexier, like bitch boots."

"It's ninety degrees in the shade today."

"So?"

Loki sighed when the door closed, relieved for some peace. He thought Felipe annoying enough as a neighbor yet worse as a guest who never stopped talking. So much so, he'd pondered concocting a tongue numbing spell, sneaking into his house and applying a heavy dose while he slept. But knowing his flair for drama, he'd run panicked to Alexis in the Boo from Monsters Inc. robe worn onto his deck every morning, carrying a note pleading to stay and until recovering, would hysterically sob each time he couldn't sing along to one of the show tunes on his phone. Loki opted to tolerate him for now. He'd be gone once Alexis left. 

The day of feasting came and while she handled finishing touches around the house, Felipe prepared guacamole dip and ingredients for fajitas while mixing margaritas. Hearing music, Alexis snuck to the kitchen and started recording him singing to Bad Girl, by Donna Summer while dancing like a hussy. 

"Toot toot, hey, beep beep

Toot toot, hey, beep beep

Hey mister, have you got a dime?

Hey mister, do you want to spend some time, ooh yeah

I got what you want, you got what I need

I’ll be your baby, come and spend it on me…"

He startled when noticing her.  "Girlfrien', you post that on social media, I kill you."

Alexis propped her phone on the counter and joined in wildly shaking her chest. 

Felipe tried the same. "No fair. I need big titties like yours to jiggle. Next time I bring tangerines and a bra."

Loki secretly watched on. 'Fucknuts.'

The three couples soon arrived. One, old neighbors of Alexis, Blake and Deidre, the others, her friends, Sage, Lisa and their newest flames Colby and Grant. She started a tour on the main floor then the upper leaving her bedroom for last. Excited to show it off, she was already opening the door as they shuffled out of the second.

"And this is my creme de la...eep!" She quietly squeaked once inside.

The resident spookster sat perched against her headboard sporting only what the Norn's delivered him to the universe in and winked pouring himself a whiskey. "You did say show myself, yes?"

She hurried out, slammed the door and her friends froze on approach. "Erm..wouldn't ya know I forgot to make my bed. Anyone for a drink?" 

Alexis passed them for the stairs and cringed when Deidre spoke. She was nice enough, but sometimes persistent when it wasn't welcome. "Nonsense, friends don't care. Right everyone?" 

Alexis continued down. "Enter at your risk then." 

Felipe watched her rush by into the pantry, close the door, followed and closed it too. "What you are doing?" 

"I can't go back out there."

"Why?" 

"He's upstairs naked on my bed." She anxiously whispered. 

"Which boyfriend? I take up the wooden spoon."

"No, the fucking ghost!" 

"It's a man? Is he hot and what do I tell your peeps? You afraid to come out of the closet?"

"Felipe!" 

"Sorry, it's the margaritas."

"I thought you the one person who believed my stories."

He eyed her sympathetically. "I do. You want I go bribe him to leave with a mcsqeezy?"

"Will you be serious? Ghosts aren't supposed to be naked. One look at him and everyone will think I invited them for an orgy." 

Blake and Grant came down first catching bits of their conversation and quietly conversed. 

"Can't believe she's still imagining this ghost." Blake wise cracked. "I always told Deidre she had a screw loose."

"Nah." Said Grant. "Lexi's a smart cookie. Sounds more like she needs a man. There's one inside with her. Maybe they'll shag, knock some shit off shelves." 

Felipe stuck his head out the door. "You not so quiet, cumquats. I gay. You want I show you my jolly green giant and shag 'you' inside against the creamed corn?"

Loki rubbed the back of his neck. 'I sacrificed prowling beaches of the French Riviera for this?'

Hearing the ladies coming, Alexis approached Blake and quietly inquired. "Still peeing in your wife's pond at night, murdering her koy? I'd see you through my bedroom blinds. Who's a few cans short of a six pack?" 

"Oooh snap." Said Felipe. 

Grant nudged the arse. "Let's chill in the dining room. There's a makeshift bar and appetizers."

The ladies entered the kitchen. "Who's a nincompoop?" Asked Deidre.

Felipe almost answered but pursed his lips together when Alexis loudly cleared her throat. "You know, just my ex."

"He sure is, honey." 

"Your bed's made, girl." Said Sage. "The room looks great." 

They all agreed passing through while thirty year old Lisa's younger boyfriend lingered. "Pretty awesome digs ya got here."

"Thanks." Replied Alexis.

Colby slid his hands into his pockets. "Soo..Lisa says you think it's haunted."

"Yep."

He spaced out for a second, staring at the floor. "I once thought a bat in our house was my dead uncle Howie haunting my parents for selling his mannequin of Vlad the Impaler. But hey, sometimes weird shit happens when you're stoned right?" Alexis and Felipe were saved when Lisa called him. "She misses me already. Laters." 

"He looks fresh from his madres panocha." Commented Felipe.

"That's the way Lisa likes them. Says the younger they are, the easier it is to train them."

Loki rolled his eyes. 'Age is irrelevant.'

Felipe feigned fright by playfully biting his nails. "She bad. Maybe Colby wear a leash and bark like a good doggy for her?" He goofily imitated one in a deep voice. "Woof, woof..woof. Or maybe he sound like an angry chihuahua?"

Alexis smirked. "I have my own problems. A streaking phantom who now makes unexpected appearances."

Felipe gave her a margarita. "Cheers. These make everything better." 

Alexis gulped down the beverage as he watched with raised brows. "Thanks. Next time that streaker appears, I'll just ignore him."

"Next time I give you smaller glass. Go enjoy you friends, niña"

She gave a thumbs up on her way out. "I got this. Easy peasy right?"

Loki mischievously grinned. 'Darling, I'm just getting started.

[connorspiracy]

Amulet You Finish || Connor, Ariana & Agatha

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @connorspiracy @detective-keen @letsbenditlikebennett CONTENT: Death SUMMARY: Ariana and Connor are out for a walk in the woods looking for something to film when they stumble upon a crime scene. 

Despite Connor’s affinity toward the supernatural and loving catching it on film, Ariana found she was able to just be a young adult around him. Like she didn’t have to think of the worries and planning that had been plaguing her for too long now. That would all come to an end soon enough, but for this afternoon, they were just a pair of friends enjoying walking through one of White Crest’s many trails in hopes of finding something cool for Connor to film. While it wasn’t necessarily the safest of hangouts, Ariana knew the woods well enough to be confident against anything they may come across. The path they walked today wasn’t one that could be found on the internet. She discovered it almost entirely by chance on a run one day and it had quickly become her favorite. There was a certain serenity that came with the less traveled trails. It allowed her to relax a bit more when her senses weren’t firing off at some new sound or smell quite so frequently. It was nice to be able to share it with Connor. “I’m sure there’s bound to be something out here. Since the full moon just passed, I think I can rely on brute strength alone without becoming furry if it comes to it. I’d rather not be werewolf public enemy number one on the internet and all.” 

Connor had come to White Crest just looking for content. He'd expected to find it everywhere, and he hadn't been disappointed. There was always something happening, and his main problem seemed to be that most of it was too outlandish for anyone to believe could be anything but special effects. He hadn't expected to actually find friends. At least not like this. It was kind of strange having people he liked hanging out with, filming or not, but he was even luckier they didn't have objections to his video-camera shenanigans. 

He had a chest mount with one of his lighter cameras attached so he'd be able to leave his hands free for balance, but even still, it was clear Ari was much more comfortable on the trails than he was. "You're like a proper woodsie person, right? I can tell. I suppose it comes with the wolf territory." Made sense to be familiar with the woods around here so you had a good place to transform away from everyone else. "What do you usually do on the full moon?" he asked, curious. 

To say she was a woodsy person was a bit of an understatement. In more ways than not, Ariana was a wolf and the woods were where she felt most at ease though her own home was starting to rival that feeling. She laughed a bit as she leaped off one of the steeper parts of the trail with ease. “You could say that. I actually lived in a tent for a while. Wolf things don’t hurt with that either. I spend a lot of time here whether it’s the full moon or not. It just feels right.” She shrugged a bit. She supposed it would be hard for a human to totally understand, but it seemed like Connor wanted to understand which was nice. It didn’t seem like he had a judgmental bone in his body which was always refreshing. “Oh, I usually go very deep out into the forest where there aren’t trails or anything. No chance of anyone showing up. Just me and the forest animals… which are admittedly delicious.” She laughed a bit and hoped her answer sufficed. This full moon had been different, but that was not of her own design. “I wouldn’t recommend going into any part of the woods on a full moon though. There’s not much in the way of control to be found for myself and other wolves.” She scaled another dip in the trail and kept a close ear out for their surroundings. Nothing smelled off either. “Filmed anything good recently?” 

The woods felt as if they were becoming darker, perhaps the canopy of leaves growing thicker as they made their way deeper into the forest. It was obvious just how at home Ari seemed. Sometimes it struck Connor just how different their worlds were. There were things about Ariana he'd probably never quite understand, but that just made her interesting company. "I've done plenty of filming campouts, but I can't imagine living in a tent," Connor murmured, shaking his head in disbelief with a good-natured little laugh. "The posh London boy in me is mortified at the idea." 

He nodded with interest as she spoke about her full moon habits. The camera wasn't turned on yet, so nothing was being picked up, no risk of her being outed to the world. Connor wasn't opposed to taking advantage of a situation to get the shot, but there were some things that were off-limits, even to him. He shuddered slightly and laughed at the mention of the animals. "Rabbit and venison are great, but raw? You must have a fucking strong stomach." The conversation turned back to him, and he gave a noncommittal shrug. "Rio and I did a haunted cabin. We should be editing it soon. I kinda didn't film too much during the whole Bloody Mary shit." He ducked under a branch, using the trunk of the tree as leverage to help him balance as he made his way around a particularly nasty root, knotted like ropes. "Was there something in particular you were hoping to show me out here, or are you just looking to make a wilderness boy outta me?" 

While Ariana did love the coziness of her warm bed, especially considering it had been warmer as of late, the comforts most considered necessities had never been so much so for her. She shrugged and said, “It was a bit out of necessity. We were on the run most of my life, but I never really minded. Out here feels like home in its own way.” She laughed a bit at the mention of being posh. “So you’re more of a glamping kind of guy?” If she hadn’t been leading the way and sniffing out what was ahead, she would have given him a playful nudge.

It was evident to her that Connor was curious about werewolf life. To her, it had never been that fascinating. It was just who she was. Ingrained in every cell of her body. “I wouldn’t recommend it for you. I mean, even when I look like this I cook them. When I look more like a wolf, well-- Wolves are kind of meant to hunt and eat fresh. Needless to say, all around I have a strong stomach.” She perked up at the mention of a haunted cabin. While she dreamed of a cabin, she could live without the haunted part, but she assumed it was no more. “That’s pretty dope. I can’t wait to see it. Probably a good idea though. Bloody Mary was kind of a nightmare and dangerous.” As soon as he asked the question, she raised a hand to quiet him. Something off in the distance caught her ear. While she didn’t smell anything that seemed like a beast, it sounded like there was some sort of struggle. She whispered, “I hear something. Didn’t have anything planned, but figured I’d sniff something out for you to film.” She motioned for him to stick close. “Move quietly and stay behind me.” She looped through the trees, following the sound of a fight ahead. They were still too far away to tell whether it was more of the supernatural or human variety. 

“Give me a fancy RV any day of the week mate,” Connor said, pulling his vape out of his pocket as they walked because he had a feeling Ariana wouldn’t exactly be keen on him dumping cigarette butts in the woods. “At least have it parked nearby so I can get in there if I need to take a shower or something.” Something about washing his balls in a cold creek just didn’t really appeal to him. “It’s cool that it’s like a home to you, though. It is pretty nice out here. I just like my creature comforts too much,” he snickered. Slightly lower chance of being eaten by some kind of monster back at home, too. But only slightly. 

He would have happily kept chatting away about the woods and hunting game all afternoon if not for the sudden change in Ariana’s entire body. Connor didn’t hear anything, but he practically felt the hairs on the back of her arms standing on end. He nodded, saying nothing as he made himself smaller, crouching and trying not to break an excessively loud twig under the weight of his boots as he moved through the golden and red carpet of autumn leaves on the forest floor. “What is it?” he finally whispered, quiet as he could muster. Everything seemed completely normal to him, but he supposed those were the perks of having a werewolf friend.

Ariana enjoyed the comforts her home offered her as much as the next person, but she found humans needed it far more than she did. She saw little issue with hopping into the creek the way she did the morning after the full moon to clean off. A patch of grass was just as much home as her bed was... Though maybe as of late that wasn’t entirely true. Her ideal would be a nice little secluded cabin in the woods. Those little daydreams quickly faded as she followed where her nose and ears led her. She was light on her feet and conscious of their surroundings. She paused briefly, picking the way to go and answering Connor’s question. “It sounds like there’s some sort of fight breaking out. You may want to stay a good deal back. You can still film. I’ll try not to get all ‘grr’,” she said with a little claw like hand motion. 

“This way,” Ariana directed as they made their way to a small clearing. There were two men in ski masks beating up on an elderly man. The coppery smell of blood coated the air as she got close and her eyes settled on the knife. Shit. By the smell of it, it seemed everyone was human. Not that she could really discern other non-shifting species from humans all that easily. She quietly snuck through the brush and let out a low growl to distract the men. It was purposefully intimidating and she stayed out of their line of sight. One of the men’s heads shot up and looked terrified. “What the shit was that?” The other man scanned the area and responded, “I don’t know, but we’ll leave him to whatever it is. He’s bleeding out anyway.” 

Another snarl resonated through the cleared area and the two men went running, not keen on seeing where the sound came from. Once Ariana could tell they were far enough away, she emerged from the brush, pulling her first aid kit out of her bag as she moved. “Where are you hurt? Who were those men?” She questioned the older man, who could only point to the stab wound on his torso. 

Connor’s eyes widened at the mention of a fight. Keen as he might be to get some good footage, getting in the middle of a physical altercation was rarely his idea of a good time. “Wait, okay--I’m turning the camera on.” He didn’t want her to accidentally wolf out mid-frame, but he knew how important it might be to have the incident on film if something happened. The sounds of a scuffle were growing clearer as they grew closer, and Connor called to Ari in an urgent whisper. “Shit. Maybe you shouldn’t--just be careful.” Most of Connor’s confidence and charm went right out the window as soon as a fight became part of the equation, but he edged closer to the sounds, keeping his body low to the ground. He could see a gathering of what looked to be men, surrounding someone who was clearly in pain. The words ‘bleeding out’ stuck out like a sore thumb.

He ducked behind a bush, heart beating so loudly he was sure the camera would pick it up. He was certain they were going to come find them, to kill them just like they had killed the poor man who was lying prone on the ground, apparently, bleeding out. Once they were gone, he finally breathed again, following Ari out of the bush, the camera falling on the ground as he rushed to the man’s side. “Shit, there’s blood everywhere. Bloody hell--we’ve gotta call an ambulance.” But how the hell was an ambulance supposed to find them out here? It was no use. He’d be dead by the time anyone made it through the woods. Connor was holding his phone, hands trembling as he dialled anyway, but a pair of white hands, quickly growing colder, gripped his. “Keep it safe,” the man whispered, pushing an amulet that seemed to appear from nothingness into Connor’s sweaty palm, and then his eyes fell shut. “Ari-- Ari, I think he’s dead…” Without thinking he stuffed the amulet into his pocket, calling 911. 

There was a certain panic that rose in Ariana when she saw just how bad his injuries were. Her hands gravitated toward the stab wound on his stomach and she grabbed a wad of gauze and pressed down on it to slow the bleeding. She could attempt to stitch it up here, but she had no concept of whether any of his internal organs were damaged. Would she just be doing more harm than good. There was no time for doubt, she applied pressure to the wound to help it clot, but her hands just ended up covered in more and more blood. “Focus on me,” she told the man, “We’re going to get you out of here, okay?” The more blood that soaked through the gauze as Connor spoke of calling 911, the less hope she had. This man was older and this was a lot of trauma for his body to go through. “I’m Ariana, and that’s Connor. We’re going to get you help, okay?” Her voice managed to sound much calmer than she felt and for a brief moment, she felt as if maybe she embraced some of Celeste’s essence. An alarmed look crossed her face when an amulet appeared out of seemingly nowhere and was placed in Connor’s hands. “Keep it safe? What is it?” Before she could get answers to her questions, she felt him sputter underneath her hands. “Wait, no!” She raised a hand up to quiet Connor for a moment as she tried to hear the elderly man’s heartbeat. Nothing. “He is- He’s dead. There’s no heartbeat. We need the police, not an ambulance.” At least Regan couldn’t give her shit for not reporting this one right away. 

“I know, I know--” It was tough to say what was trembling more; Connor’s hands, or his voice. He squeezed his eyes shut to stop himself from crying. Jesus, was he in shock? He didn’t know what this was supposed to feel like, but it hadn’t been what he had in mind when Ari told him they could go look for something to film in the woods. When dispatch answered, he struggled to get the words out. “H-hello? I need-- police. They stabbed him. He’s dead. I--it’s in the woods, I don’t even know where we are…” After some back and forth questions, Connor struggling to explain what trails they’d been on and Ariana needing to stop in to help him, they finally hung up and told the two of them to wait right there and not to touch anything. Connor stepped back, hands and clothes covered in blood. “What… what do we do?” 

Ariana stood there silently looking at the body with a look of horror on her face. Why had this happened and why was it that she always seemed to be too late when it came to saving others? The tremble in Connor’s voice as he spoke to law enforcement on the phone didn’t go unnoticed, so she stood a little taller and put on her brave face. She could do this though she needed to keep reminding herself of it. “We have to wait until they get here. Other things out here might smell the blood. I’ll be on lookout duty.” With the anxiety that was coursing through her, every sound picked up in a near grating way. As she remembered he handed Connor something, she turned to him and asked, “What was it that he wanted you to keep safe?”

Connor reached in his pocket, feeling for the amulet. He didn’t really want to touch it, and yet in the same vein, he never wanted to let it go. Something about it activated a sixth sense in him. It felt normal. It looked normal. But it wasn’t normal. He held it up for Ariana to see, almost reluctantly, but then his eyes caught sight of the black and silver object on the ground. “Fuck, my camera--” He tried to remember if they’d said anything incriminating, about Ari being a wolf. They hadn’t, right? They hadn’t talked about it on camera because he knew he wouldn’t be able to use any of that footage. “I don’t think I’m supposed to touch it.” He was normally all too happy to break the law, but trespassing and interfering in a murder investigation were on completely different levels. “How long do you think it’ll take them to get here?” 

Agatha, along with two police officers strode through the woods. It had been 10 minutes already since she responded to the call on her radio. With only a rough idea of where to find these people, they moved carefully. Here was their dilemma. Whoever had done this was still around, and if they were noisy, they would miss them, but if they did not hurry, they would miss them too. On top of that, they had to take into account this very simple fact: the woods were a dangerous place. Agatha, of all people knew this much, having lost her father to the woods. Looking at the two other police officers, she wondered if they felt anguish, being stuck with a Keen in the woods. The detective took a deep breath, stopping to gain her composure and calm back. She did not need those insecurities now, or ever, and yet, after all these years, all the good work she had done, she still asked herself if she was doing enough, good enough. Minutes passed, silent, lonely. No wind, no deer, nothing. “Well, I hope that kid didn’t get his trails wrong,” she checked her map and took out her compass, sighing. “What would you say? We must be around here?” She pointed to a spot on the map and scratched at her ear. “We have to split to find them,” she didn’t like that idea, but what choice did they have? They nodded in agreement, and each one went their separate way, circling around the same spot. 

Each minute felt entirely too long as the pair sat in silence waiting for the police to arrive. Ariana couldn’t stop staring at her blood covered hands that had tried so hard to stop the man’s bleeding. Just like Sammy, she couldn’t save him despite her efforts. It left her limbs feeling numb as she slumped against a tree. Moments ago, she’d wanted to be brave for Connor and the old man, but she found it was quickly fading now that there was no longer an action for her to take. There had to be something to do here, but they weren’t supposed to touch anything. Even if she started pacing, she’d risk covering the track the murderers left behind. She heard the police approaching and trying to find their spot. For a moment, she stayed quiet knowing they were too far away to hear her even if she were to call out. Once the light patter of footsteps was closer, she called out, “We’re over here.” She stood up and started to wave them over. 

It was rarely a good thing when Connor was exposed to the police. He’d been lucky most of the time, not getting in too much trouble over his trespassing and filming, his white privilege and family money certainly not hurting the situation. This was different though. He’d witnessed a fucking murder, and though they had the murder on film, no reason for either himself or Ariana to be suspected, he couldn’t help but be afraid. “Hey,” he called, joining in with Ariana. “This way! The body’s over here.” 

“The body’s over here,” Agatha muttered to herself, blinking and shaking her head in surprise. If only it were usually so easy. Approaching the voices, she kept her weapon in her hand, wondering who she might land on. The sight of those two college kids did seem to ease her tension, and she approached the pair, and the deceased man with caution. “Did you see what happened?” She squatted down. Her hand went to the man’s wrist, trying and failing to catch a pulse. By the state of the wounds, there was not much she could have done to help him anyway. Looking up at the pair, she frowned, and her expression did not soften as she caught sight of the camera, “you wouldn’t have happened to film this, would you?” If they did, then this might have been her easiest case for this whole year. 

A detective she didn’t recognize approached them, but this was a seemingly normal crime. Minus the weird amulet at least. There was nothing to hide here. By all indication, everything was incredibly human. Ariana finally took her eyes off the body and looked at the cop that was speaking to them. “There were two men in masks, I don’t know why they--” she couldn’t think of what could possibly drive this. She looked down at her own bloody hands and mumbled, “I tried to help-- I know a decent amount of first aid and how to do-- He was dead before I could do anything.” Now that she didn’t have to be the one on guard, she felt her composure slipping. She wanted to go home and pretend like none of this had ever happened. Her eyes glazed over as she found herself staring at the body, Agatha’s next question not quite registering. 

Connor tried to keep his cool, reminding himself that he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Ari was covered in blood. So was he, but less so. His eyes fell on the camera that had caught the entire thing, pointing to it, his hand trembling ever so slightly. “We were just filming the woods, and each other, making a video for YouTube. I dropped the camera when we saw them. I don’t know how much it caught.” But given the position compared to the body, he figured it had caught a fair amount. Too much to risk lying. “He gave me this,” Connor said, holding out the amulet. “I don’t know why. I don’t think he wanted whoever killed him to take it.” 

“That’s alright, you did the best you could. You could have never saved him,” Agatha assured the young woman, wiping her hands clean. With a pen, she pushed open the dead man’s jacket, to check for a wallet, a phone, anything that might help identifying him, and reaching his relatives. “You did your best,” she repeated, her expression softer. The boy started speaking, and she gave him a look. He did not seem too comfortable, and while she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else behind it, witnessing a murder did tend to do this to people, and she decided to drop that thought for now. “I’ll need to take your camera. We’ll give it back to you, don’t worry,” she added before he could try protesting. “He wanted you to take it, then? Did he say something?” She reached out to Connor with a plastic pouch. “Drop it in there, please,” whatever this thing was, it had to be the key. 

Ariana had heard the sentiment too many times to really let it resonate. Sure, it wasn’t her fault. She didn’t kill the man. There wasn’t much she could have done to save him either, but the fact didn’t change that she and death were becoming far too closely acquainted. She nodded her head and mumbled, “I know, I just… I don’t know.” There was a spaced out look on her face as Agatha continued to speak and ask questions. She remembered the man dropping the amulet into Connor’s hand and wanting them to keep it safe. But why? What was so important about a necklace that it needed to be kept safe. It’d be safe with the police at least. The idea of helping guard some amulet on top of everything else made her head spin. It was good the cops would have it. At least she hoped. She could ask Jane to make sure it didn’t do anything sketchy to the other cops. “He said to keep it safe, I think. Right, Connor?” She rubbed her hands on her arms to warm herself and became acutely aware of just how much blood was on her. Her hands dropped back to her side and she asked, “Do we need to come with you?” Everything in her hoped it was a no. She wanted to jump in the creek and rid herself of the old man’s blood that was now fogging up her senses. 

Connor really didn't want to hand over either his camera or the amulet, but this bloody mess (literally and figuratively) of a situation hadn't left him with much of a choice. He swallowed, nodding. "I know. Just be careful with it, yeah? It's an expensive model." He didn't want it to go missing in police custody. "He just said to keep it safe? I think whoever killed him was looking for it, but they didn't find it on him. I..." It had been hidden in some way, by supernatural means, but he couldn't exactly say that. "I don't know why he gave it to us. I suppose because we tried to help him. He trusted us." And the question he doubted the police could ever answer was what was it, and what did those people want with it? Connor reluctantly handed everything over. They headed to the station to have his clothes taken for evidence and give a statement, and on the car ride, he looked at Ariana, silently communicating. We need to get that thing back. 

[waywardodysseys]

Unconditionally - Chapter Three

Warnings: mentions of cheating, cussing, SMUT, oral receiving (m & f)

Word count: 4.2+k

Author’s note: because everyone deserves to be loved unconditionally; part 3 of ?; sorry not sorry for this either; enjoy!!!

Unconditionally: Chp. 1, Chp. 2

Pedro finds you in the kitchen making omelets. He walks up behind you and wraps his arms around you. He brushes your hair aside then nuzzles your neck.

“Smells delicious,” Pedro whispers.

You shrug and smile. “Fair warning, I don’t cook often.”

Pedro’s quiet as he licks a sweet spot.

You sigh contently. You could get used to this. Mornings with Pedro. You frown down at the skillet on the stove – were you really thinking about the future so soon?

You turn around in his embrace. You swallow as you realize he’s shirtless. You bite your lip at seeing his chest in the morning light shining through the kitchen windows.

“See something you like?”

“Yes,” you half whisper, half squeak.

Pedro brushes his lips against yours as he touches your cheek and sweeps his hand through your hair.

You return the kiss as your free hand travels up his chest. His skin is warm, soft. You reach Pedro’s long neck and glide your thumb up it then trace his jawline and feel the prickliness of fuzzy hairs along the strong bone.

The food begins to sizzle in the skillet, but Pedro keeps moving his mouth against yours, his tongue dipping in for more. You give into him, not wanting to let go. Both of you aren’t giving a care to the world around you until the smoke alarm starts blaring its annoying beeps.

You jump back and face the stove, moving the skillet from the flame. You then walk over to the window and open it widely. Trying to move the smoke out of the apartment with a dishtowel.

After the alarm is off and the smoke nearly cleared, Pedro grins, “I want to set more alarms off with you Y/N.”

You turn and face him; you blush as you smile.

Pedro walks over to you and pulls you into his strong arms. “I’ve become a greedy man with you. I don’t know if I can wait a couple of days to see you again.”

“A second date? Tonight?”

Pedro smiles and presses his forehead against yours. He loves the intimate contact between your skin and his, no matter where that contact takes place. “Yes. Tonight,” he pulls away but cups your cheek, his thumb stroking your skin. “Unless you don’t—”

You nod. “I do. I want another date. Tonight. Please.”

Pedro smiles widely. “Good.” He kisses you loudly on the mouth. “How about I pick you up at seven?”

“What about breakfast?” You shrug.

“I’ve had my breakfast,” he says as he places a kiss against your lips.

You blush again, smiling down at the floor.

Pedro places a finger under your chin, raising your head up. “Never be embarrassed mi querida. You’re beautiful.”

“Pedro,” you sigh.

He glides his thumb over your lips. “Remember if I am moving too fast for you, let me know.”

You didn’t want him to slow down. This was still overwhelming, but you wanted him, you needed him in your life. You nod and smile. “I’ll let you know.”

“Good,” Pedro grabs his shirt, which he had to have placed on the counter when he walked in.

You watch him put it on, already missing him and his skin against yours. You follow him to the front door, and he turns to look at you while he puts his coat on.

“Seven?”

“Yes,” you say quietly.

“We’ll go somewhere fun.”

You raise your eyebrows.

Pedro pulls you in for a light kiss. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

You kiss him back then say, “alright.”

“See you tonight, Y/N.”

You rest yourself against the doorjamb as you watch him walk down the hallway towards the elevator. Once he is out of your sight, you turn back into your apartment and close the door, spending the rest of the day gleefully and patiently waiting for seven o’clock.      

-------

Pedro walks into his Brooklyn apartment, shrugs off his jacket and hangs it up in the hall closet. You are the only thing running through his mind as he walks towards his bedroom and undresses. He recalls the way you blush at his words, respond to his touches, his kisses. He seared into his memory the way you looked at him with your Y/E/C eyes when he revealed his intentions, revealed he wanted you and only you for the rest of life. No one mattered after he laid his eyes upon you, no one other women could compare to you after he and you shared that passionate kiss under the mistletoe. If he hadn’t restrained himself, he would’ve pulled you away from the party, brought you back to his apartment and had you then.

Pedro doesn’t want to think about the past, but it creeps into his mind. He had loved deeply once and she turned his back on him by leaving him suddenly, with no explanation, no thought about his feelings. Then he learned she was pregnant with another man’s child. She’d been cheating on him, and Pedro had no clue. He had even been planning on proposing because he wanted to marry her.

After that, he closed his heart off to love. He remained focus on his career, his friendships, his family. He eventually came to terms he was going to be alone for the rest of his life until you walked in with your kind eyes, open heart, and gentle soul. You are the answer to the question which plagued him most of his life – will I ever love again?

Pedro knew he was taking an enormous chance, an even greater risk when he told you he couldn’t wait a couple of days for the next date. He needed to see you again, even if it meant the same night, only hours apart. He wanted you to know he needed you, he wanted you.

-------

You are being led into Spin in the Flatiron District at eight by your hand inside of Pedro’s. The ping pong venue is packed with people wanting to get out of their cramped apartments and have a fun night with friends or their significant others. You had visited this place a few times with Kendrick and Will. You push Will from your mind, all you want to think about is the man in front of you and the way he’s beginning to make you feel. 

You’d spent most of the day writing after Pedro left. He had become your muse regarding the main male character in your book. You had poured your feelings onto the page and realized those feelings were for Pedro.

You had felt like a closed book your entire life. Not opening for anyone except those you trusted and loved. You had held yourself back when you were younger because growing up you thought you’d never find someone till Will. You had experience with sex but with love that didn’t happen till Will walked in and showed you what love could be and what could happen when you open yourself to having love and being loved. Then Will threw it all away because of a lie he has told and that hurt you even more. It broke you, it crippled you. It nearly ended you…then Pedro appeared, and all seemed right with the world. One touch of his strong hand grasping yours and you felt calm, peace, at ease. You felt the world was giving you a second chance when you had decided it wasn’t going to give you one and let you live out the rest of your days alone.

“Played ping pong before?” Pedro’s smooth voice cuts through the quietness between the two of you.

You laugh, “not since I was in middle school.”

Pedro raises an eyebrow, “then prepare to be taken down.”

You tease, “wanna do a bet?”

Pedro gathers you in his arms. “What kind of bet?”

“I don’t know,” you say as you place your hand on his t-shirt. “How dirty are you willing to get?”

“Mi querida, a tease.”

You shrug, “if you don’t wanna bet…”

“Oh, I do.” Pedro growls lightly before kissing you.

You swallow, “winner gets to pick their choice of room for doing the loser in.” Because this morning, you could’ve taken him in the kitchen, and he probably would have let you.

Pedro runs his hand down your back, “the loser?”

“Loser still gets sex. I mean, technically, it’s a win-win,” you laugh.

“Now I have a serious question.” Pedro states.

Uh, oh. “What?”

“When can the winner claim this prize?”

“Tonight,” you breathlessly say before bringing his mouth down to yours.

Pedro playfully smacks your ass before letting go, “we should get a table before I change my mind and just take you home.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” you say without any warning. Yeah, you wanted him, needed him. He was going to be your demise, and you didn’t mind at all.

“I promised a date Y/N. You are getting one.” Pedro says before pulling you further into Spin.

Sounds of chatter, music, and ping pong balls fill your ears as you make your way through the club. Pedro eventually finds a table tucked away in the corner. You both sit down, and he wraps an arm around you.

“Just got to wait our turn.” Pedro says as he glances at you.

“Drinks? Food?” A waitress asks as she appears.

“Whiskey neat,” Pedro answers.

“Blue Hawaiian.” You reply.

After the waitress returns with your drinks, you order food and settle in to watch the crowd of people milling about in the vibrant, art deco space.

“Tell me more about you.” Pedro whispers against your ear.

“Like what?”

“Your interests, hobbies.”

You take a sip of your mixed drink. It’s your favorite. The alcohol in it seems to give you courage as you say, “big animal lover, love to travel, still take time to read when I can, watch movies and TV shows. Should I say I’ve never seen any of your shows?” You laugh with a tease.

Pedro laughs, “please tell me that isn’t true!?”

You shrug, “I’ve seen Game of Thrones, Narcos, The Mandalorian, If Beale Street Could Talk, Kingsman 2, Equalizer 2, Triple Frontier.”

“You do know Kendrick and I worked on Equalizer 2 together?”

“I do. I would’ve gone to the premiere, but I was stuck down in Australia for a movie I was working on.” You reply.

“Kendrick talked about you that night. First time I heard your name.”

You inwardly groan. “I hope he didn’t paint me in a bad light.”

Pedro shakes his head, takes a sip of his whiskey. “No. He was saying how much of an ass your boss was. And he knew you wouldn’t retaliate; you’d keep to yourself and not push the boss’ buttons. Didn’t want to cause drama so you stayed and finished working.”

Yeah, Kendrick knew you well. You shrug, “I like to keep to myself and mind my own business.”

“Tell me what the ideal night for you would be.”

“Date wise or just by my lonesome?”

“Both. Start with the date.”

“I don’t know,” you shrug. “Probably dinner at home, a night in. Watching a movie or just being in each other’s presence. Me reading, writing. You reading or,” you pause as you look at him. “or you just looking at me like that.”

Pedro smiles widely, his eye crinkle. His hand reaches out and brushes some of your Y/H/C hair behind your ear. “Nice to know I’m already in your mind for your ideal date.”

He was?, you think. He is.

Pedro places a soft kiss on your lips and as he begins to pull away, you pull him back in. Tasting him, tasting the whiskey. Your mind wonders off to thinking if you were both not here and back at your apartment, or his, you’d devour him. You wanted him badly, needed him badly. He was beginning to become the air you needed to breathe, to survive. He was becoming your world.

You pull back, a little too quickly. Your heart is racing inside of your chest. You had never felt a wave of emotion hit this quickly with anyone. Not even Will – with him it was gradual but with Pedro it’s a spinning nosedive.

Pedro palms your cheek, concern in his eyes and voice. “Are you okay?”

You swallow, take a drink. “Yes.”

“I told you if this is too fast—”

Was it?, you think. Your heart is twisting inside of your chest. You close your eyes, trying to clear your mind. You and Pedro were on a second date. Second! Yet this felt more like the fifth, or tenth. Like you two had been together for more than just 24 hours.

“Talk to me. Please.” Pedro whispers against your ear.

You open your eyes and sigh, “I’ve never felt…,” you hesitate, “you’re doing something to me Pedro. I can’t explain it. Yet. But I want to feel it more than anything else. I want you, need you. Yes, this has been overwhelming but with you it’s something I want to experience. Something I want to last.”

Pedro palms both of your cheeks, lifting your face up to his. “You are my answer Y/N,” Pedro grins as you raise your eyebrows, “I’ll explain it one day. I have no intention of letting you go, of letting anyone else have you. I want to be yours and yours alone. I want you to be mine and mine alone. We’ve been given a chance to find someone again and I know my someone is you.”

Here Pedro is bearing his heart, his intentions to you again. You had done the same you realize. You told him you wanted to feel what was happening between you and him. You told him it was something you wanted to experience; you told him you wanted it to last. You look into his coffee colored eyes, notice the crinkles around them. You see the kindness and sincerity in them again, you also see a flicker of love in them. This man is falling for you. Were you falling for him too?

You are once again rendered speechless. Oh, boy. What this man has done to you, is doing to you. He is yours, your heart pumps inside your chest. He. Is. Yours. Now if only you two were in a more private location because you want nothing more than be with him, whether having sex or just holding onto one another. You just want, need to be in his presence. It soothes you; it calms you. Nothing else matters, no one else matters but him.

“Pascal?” A voice cuts through the club and through the intimate moment you two are having.

Pedro brushes your lips with his thumb, “come on mi querida. I want to take you down and have you where I desire tonight.”

You blush and grab his hand, heading towards the section of ping pong tables.

-------

A couple of more hours and drinks later, a giggling you and Pedro are walking out of Spin, not giving a care to other people walking on the sidewalk. Pedro pulls you towards the curb and into his arms.          

He hails a cab and gets you in the backseat. He climbs in and gives the driver his address then pulls you into his arms again. He rests his head atop yours. “Where shall I have you tonight?”

“You’re just lucky! I would’ve won if it wasn’t for those damn frat boys.” You giggle.

Pedro laughs as he snakes a hand under your coat, then under your shirt.

“Pedro,” you ground out at his touch. He drums his fingers lightly against your skin, causing goosebumps. You close your eyes and hum, then say, “don’t stop.”

He tips your chin up with a finger then glides his mouth over yours. “Never.”

You loop an arm around his neck, your fingers thread themselves through his hair. Keeping his mouth on yours for the duration of the cab ride back to his place.

Once Pedro has you inside his apartment, he pulls you to him, shrugging you out of your jacket quickly. He pulls you up against as his mouth kisses you soundly then his mouth moves down over your jawline to your neck. He finds your sweet spot and suckles at it.

“Pedro,” you say as you make the soft, gasping moan sound Pedro can’t get enough, will never get enough of.

He growls at the sound. “Eres mia.”

Your hands are fumbling at his jacket and pushing it off him. You aren’t sure exactly what he said but you do know mio is mine. “Only yours.”

Pedro removes his mouth from your neck, strokes your cheek. “You are mine Y/N. Eres mia.”

“Yours Pedro. All yours.” You kiss his mouth. “Eres mio Pedro.”

“The only room, only place I want you tonight is in my bedroom, in my bed.” Pedro breathlessly says as he grabs your hand and walks you through his apartment towards his bedroom.        

When inside his bedroom you capture Pedro’s mouth with yours, kissing him deeply. Your tongue presses against his mouth and he lets you in. Your tongues dance together as you reach down and lift his shirt up. You part for a brief second as he finishes taking it off. He pulls you close as his lips finds yours again. His hand cups your cheek before he weaves his fingers into your Y/H/C hair.

You hook your arms around his back, your hands landing on his shoulder blades. You move your hands down slowly against his back. Feeling his soft, warm skin against your fingers.

You had wanted to get lost back in kiss since the Christmas party, and now you get lost in it every time he presses his mouth against yours. His mouth fused to yours is a feeling you never want to lose, a feeling you want to experience day after day.

Pedro reaches under your shirt and touches your skin. He wants to give you the same sensations you are giving him with your touch – featherlight which causes shivers to roll across the flesh as the touch sets the body on fire.

He lifts your shirt up; you pull faintly away and help him remove it. He dips his head as he kisses you along your neck. His fingers dance lightly across the edges of your beige bra, his fingers graze your nipples through the material causing you to let out a soft, gasping moan as well as arching your back, pushing yourself up against him.

“Pedro,” you whisper.

He lifts his head and smiles as he glides his thumb over your lips. “Y/N.”

Your hands travel down his chest and stomach as you keep your gaze on his coffee colored eyes. Your hands unbutton and unzip his jeans. You push them down over his ass, revealing his hard cock. You stroke his cock once, your thumb swirling over the tip. You lick your lips as you lean forward and whisper, “I want to taste you Pedro.”

Pedro half hisses, half growls before crushing his mouth to yours.

You pull away slightly and lick his lips before you kiss down his neck. You slowly move your mouth against and down his chest and stomach. You finally kneel in front of him. Your eyes on his hard, thick cock. You inwardly moan as you wrap both of your hands around him comfortably before leaning down and swirling your tongue around the tip.

“Fu—fuck,” Pedro hisses at the touch of your tongue on his cock. He rocks back on his heels as he feels your mouth engulf his entire length slowly. He looks down at you and brushes your hair away from your face as his entire length is inside of your mouth and the tip hitting the back of your throat.

You begin moving up and down his cock slowly. Your tongue swirling around his cock, from the bottom over the top back to bottom. You repeat this motion over and over until you reach the tip, when you do you swirl your tongue around the tip.

“Y/N,” Pedro grounds out as his hands tighten in your hair.

You keep moving your head up and down, your tongue back and forth. Swirling the tip with your tongue.

“Y/N!” Pedro hisses.

You smile as you release his cock from your mouth. As you stand Pedro pulls you against him and reaches behind you, unhooking your bra.

“On the bed,” Pedro moans as he backs you up against it.

You fall back, throwing your bra aside, and Pedro scrambles to undo your pants. He pulls them off, along with your panties, in a hurry. He pushes down his own pants and briefs, kicking them off before kneeling on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight.

Pedro kisses you down your neck and across your collarbone. He leans up and looks down at you. “I want to taste you too mi querida.”

You moan at the mere thought of his tongue on your clit. Fuck! “Yes.”

Pedro kisses his way down your chest, he pauses to flick each of your nipples with his tongue, causing you to arch your back and your fingers to run through his hair. He palms your core. You’re hot, wet, ready. Pedro moans as he continues moving down across your stomach. He settles himself between your legs as his fingers open your folds, exposing your pink pussy to his eyes. He runs one finger along the folds before dipping his head.

He runs his tongue up and finds your clit. Nothing tastes like you, he thinks. You’re sweet like honey and sugar, nothing else tastes better than you.

“Pedro,” you moan as you finally feel his tongue against your clit. You suck in a breath as his tongue begins swirling around your clit. The orgasm inside of you climbing higher and higher as seconds tick by. “Oh—mmm,” you lustfully moan out. Pedro’s tongue works overtime as he brings you to the peak of pure ecstasy. “Fuck…,” you ground out as your toes curl and you arch your back as your orgasm seeps through you.

You run your fingers through Pedro’s hair as he travels back up your body, kissing your stomach, chest, flicking your nipples. Pedro nuzzles and nips at your neck as he positions his cock against your pussy.

You moan, “yes,” as you feel him enter, then protection for him crosses your mind, “Pedro…”

“I want to feel you around me. Please tell me you are…”

You nod, you are on the pill. “Yes.”

Pedro enters his cock slowly into your soaked pussy. He growls lustfully at feeling your slick walls around his cock instead of the latex of a condom being a barrier between him feeling you around him.

“Eres mia, Y/N,” Pedro whispers as he begins slowly thrusting in and out of you.

Your hands travel up his chest and then to his back where your fingers press into his skin as he begins thrusting faster and harder into you. You’re rolling your hips up, meeting his thrusts, trying to figure out his movements and when you finally do, when you finally become one, you’re on the brink of another orgasm.

“Pedro,” you pant as your fingers keeping applying pressure on his back. You look up and into his coffee colored eyes.

Pedro has kept his eyes looking down at you. Taking in the way you strain your neck and moan lowly at him inside of you. He takes pleasure in knowing he is the one making you cum, giving you endless amounts of pleasure with his cock, his mouth, his hands.

You reach up and touch his cheek, you stroke it lightly with your thumb. Looking at him with lust, looking at him with love. Looking at him and seeing only him, thinking of only him. Thinking he is the one for you. You swallow as you travel your thumb over his lips. He is becoming your world, the air you need to survive.

Pedro slows his thrusts to take in the look you are giving him. That look is for him and him alone. He captures your hand in his and strokes the back of your hand with his thumb. He then kisses your inner wrist, he feels you shiver at the intimate gesture, at feeling his fuzz against the delicate skin along your inner wrist.

“Y/N,” Pedro breathlessly whispers.

“Pedro,” you whisper back before pulling him down for a light kiss.

Pedro smiles as he pulls back and thrusts into you and explodes inside of your pussy. He feels you orgasm as well, feels your pussy milking him as your orgasm around his cock.

Pedro wraps his arms around you as he moves to his side. He pulls you up against him as he nuzzles your neck and inhales your scent. He can smell a hint of coconut and vanilla along with his sandalwood cologne. Pedro’s possessive as he captures your mouth with his.

You kiss him in return, one hand running through his hair while the other is pressed against his chest. You’re able to feel his heart under your palm. His heart is steady whereas yours is still coming down from the pleasures you and Pedro had shared.

Pedro pulls faintly away, runs a finger over your soft and swollen lips. “Y/N.”

You hum and raise your eyebrows as you look at him.

“If someone told me to choose what’s the most beautiful being in the universe it would be you. The sun, our planet, the billions of dazzling stars could never compare to you.”

You heart swells at his words. You’ve fallen headfirst into the deepest ravine, and there’s no chance of you ever wanting to climb out. 

[niallsstainedcoffeecup]

The Third Birthday Party

Harry and Y/N plan the perfect birthday party for their son, Oliver.  Whenever the party strays from the plans, Y/N panics while Harry calms down his wife.  I hope you all enjoy.  Feedback and Requests are welcomed.  Lots of Love! ----------------------------------------

          The black lamp cast a warm, yellow glow around the bedroom.  The fresh paper pages brushed across Harry’s fingertips while Y/N’s whirring laptop eliminated the comfortable silence in the room. Harry pushed the thick, black glasses further up the bridge of his nose.  An exasperated sigh parted Y/N’s lips, a common noise Harry heard when Y/N emailed co-workers, but Harry counted five irritated sighs within the last hour, five sighs on a Friday were rare.  Harry tucked the homemade bookmarker, the one Oliver created last week in daycare, between the page’s spine.  He placed the folded glasses onto his nearby bedside table.           “Okay, what’s wrong?” Harry asked, facing Y/N’s scowling face.           Y/N huffed, keeping her eyes locked on the computer screen, “I’m looking over Oliver’s birthday itinerary.  Did you double-check with the museum about having that dinosaur man attend the party?”           Harry nodded, recalling the conversation with the museum’s secretary, who promised Mr. Archie Ohlogist would attend Oliver’s third birthday party.  Oliver adored dinosaurs, and when Anne took Oliver to the museum, Mr. Archie Ohlogist informed Oliver about the dinosaurs through cheerful tunes.            “Why do you keep checking the itinerary? Why does our three-year-old’s birthday party have an itinerary?  We never stressed over his birthday before,” Harry mumbled, pressing his lips to Y/N’s shoulder.           Y/N huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “We never stressed over his birthday because he couldn’t remember them. Your grandmother told me that children begin remembering memories when they turn three.  I do not want Oliver’s first memory to be about the worst birthday party ever.  He will think we are the worst parents.”           Harry chuckled, slipping the laptop from Y/N’s grip, “Love, you are far from the worst parent.  Tomorrow, Oliver will have the best birthday.”           Y/N giggled, cupping Harry’s jaw, “I love you. What would I do without you?”           Harry’s smug grin spread across his face, “You would still be looking over that itinerary.  I love you too.”           Y/N pressed her lips onto Harry’s rosy lips, “We should go to bed.”           “Are you sure?  We can practice making Oliver a new sibling,” Harry purred, nuzzling his nose against Y/N’s warm neck.           Y/N giggled, pulling Harry’s head away from her neck, “No, Oliver expects pancakes in the morning, and he only eats daddy’s pancakes.”           Harry smirked, flicking the lamp’s switch until the darkness swallowed the room, “I can add chef onto my long list of talents.”           Y/N snorted, wrapping her arms around Harry’s waist while she nuzzled her head against Harry’s back, “I wish I listened when the fans warned me about your praise kink.”           Harry chuckled, pressing a kiss to Y/N’s knuckles before closing his eyes.  The comfortable silence returned, lulling the couple to sleep.  Harry’s warm body washed away the worries from Y/N’s dreams. *          *          *          *          *          *

          Tiny footsteps approached the white bedroom door.  Oliver clutched the stuffed lime-green dinosaur under one arm while his other hand twisted the doorknob.  He tiptoed toward the loud snores coming from Harry’s open mouth. Oliver reached up, poking Harry’s bare bicep until Harry startled awake.             “Hey, little man.  Happy birthday,” Harry croaked out, gripping Oliver’s small hips to lift him onto the mattress.           Oliver giggled, wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck, “Thank you, daddy.  Can we wake up mommy?”           Drool trailed down Y/N’s chin and onto the dark sheets.  Stray strands of hair covered her forehead while the rest tickled Harry’s arm.  Harry chuckled, glancing down at his beautiful wife’s fluttering eyelashes, “No, we better leave her asleep.  Are you excited about your party?”           Oliver nodded fervently, “Nana Anne and Aunt Gem are coming.”           Harry chuckled, tickling his son’s chubby stomach, “Do you love Aunt Gem more than me?”           Oliver squealed, squirming in Harry’s arms, “No, I love you because you’re my daddy.  I love Aunt Gem because she gives me chocolate.”           Harry nodded, “That is a good reason to love Aunt Gem.  Well, we need a proper breakfast to leave us energized for the party.  Should we eat oatmeal?”           Oliver scowled, sticking his pink tongue out to show his disgust.           Harry chuckled, cupping his jaw while acting as if he were deep in thought, “Hm, should we eat eggs?”           Oliver shook his head, pouting the more his father did not understand that he despised eggs.             Harry gasped, “What if we cooked pancakes?”           Oliver’s beaming grin spread across his face, “I want pancakes.”           Harry’s smile dropped, resulting in Oliver’s smile falling too, “We could make pancakes, but I can’t cook them alone.  I need two helpers, one person for mixing, and one person for reading the recipe.”           Oliver grinned, glancing down at the dinosaur still under his arm, “Theo and I can help you, daddy.”           “Theo the dinosaur can read?” Harry wondered aloud.           Oliver nodded, “He helps me read big books with mommy.”           Harry chuckled, “Okay, well, we better start on the pancakes.”           Harry carried the two tiny chefs toward the kitchen, where the pancake mix awaited Harry’s arrival.  Harry placed Oliver onto the gray marble counters while he scooped coffee grounds into the black coffeemaker.  A shocked gasp parted his lips when his eyes noticed the heavy rain trampling the freshly planted roses.  Yesterday, Harry and Y/N built sandpits, which contained plastic bones and treasure that the children could dig through during the party.  How could Oliver and his friends dig through the muddy sand and the rain? *          *          *          *          *          *

          Oliver dipped the thin pancake inside the syrup pool that he poured without Harry’s help.  Harry grinned, watching his son bounce his head from side to side while chewing the pancake.  Harry sipped the plain coffee and helped Oliver wipe the syrup rolling down his arm. Y/N shuffled into the kitchen, smiling widely at her son’s dimpled grin.           “Happy birthday.  Did daddy make you pancakes?” Y/N asked, pressing a kiss atop Oliver’s curly, brown locks.           Oliver nodded, pressing his sticky lips against Y/N’s cheek, “I like when daddy cooks pancakes because they don’t taste bad.”           Y/N giggled, rolling her eyes playfully, “You burn the pancakes once, and now, your son thinks you can’t cook.”           Y/N wiped the dried syrup off Oliver’s cheeks while ignoring Oliver’s complaints about being cleaned.  She decided she could wash the syrup off during Oliver’s bath.  She shuffled across the kitchen, wrapping her arms around Harry’s shoulders.           “Good morning, I missed you,” She whispered, pressing her lips onto Harry’s shoulder.           Harry spun around, smiling at his wife’s stunning smile, “I missed you too.”           Y/N giggled, brushed her lips along Harry’s soft lips.  Harry captured Y/N’s lips between his, allowing her to taste the mixture of syrup and coffee on his breath.  Y/N smiled, breaking the kiss before Oliver whined with disgust.             “Are you excited about your party?” Y/N asked, looking through the fogged kitchen window.           Y/N’s smile dropped the minute she spotted the rain pouring from the dark gray clouds hung above the neighborhood.  Her panicked mind roared over Oliver’s cheerful response.  Y/N and Harry planned the outdoor birthday party, without purchasing any inside activities, in case the weather turned their back on them like today.             Y/N spun around, noticing Harry’s sympathetic frown, “Have you checked the weather?”          Harry nodded, “The weatherman doesn’t see the rain stopping anytime soon.”           Y/N frowned, “We should cancel the party.”           Harry’s eyes widened, which led him toward Y/N’s tense figure, “Hey, it will be okay.  We can host the party inside.  I can go purchase a few games for the guests.  Oliver will still have the best birthday ever.”           Y/N smiled, hugging Harry’s sturdy figure, “I love you.  I will bath Oliver while you go to the shops.”           Harry nodded, kissing Y/N’s forehead before exiting the kitchen.  Y/N calmed her nervous heart with a few deep breathes before focusing her attention on the grinning little boy.  Oliver dipped his fingers inside the syrup pool, then dragged his fingers along the marble counters.  Y/N groaned, canceling Oliver’s art time by freeing him from the high chair.  She carried Oliver into the bathroom with the hope that the birthday could be saved. *          *          *          *          *          *

          Harry loaded the board game boxes into the sleek black car’s trunk.  He slipped the thin phone from his pocket, typing a new message to Y/N. Hey love, I bought enough board games for the party.  I’m heading home -H. The car’s engine roared to life while Harry skipped through radio stations.  Harry’s rings slapped against the steering wheel to the catchy beat.  An incoming call interrupted the radio host’s laser hair removal ad.           “Hello?” Harry answered, turning the radio down.           “Hello, is this Mr. Styles, this is Elizabeth with the museum,” The young girl mumbled softly.           Harry frowned, “Yes, this is Mr. Styles. Is there a problem?”           “I’m afraid there is a problem.  You hired Mr. Archie Ohlogist for your son’s birthday; however, Mr. Archie Ohlogist called in sick with the flu,” The young girl mumbled through fear.           Harry’s knuckles turned white from the grip around his steering wheel.  He promised Y/N that Oliver’s birthday party would happen without any problems, but here they were without the main entertainment.  Harry thanked the young girl for informing him, but his heart sunk when he pulled into the driveway.  He dropped the board games near the front door and kicked the wet loafers from his feet. His ears caught Y/N and Oliver singing along with Mr. Archie Ohlogist’s dinosaur rap album, which only worsened the churning in Harry’s stomach.  Harry trudged upstairs until he entered Oliver’s clean room.  Y/N buttoned Oliver’s salmon pink pants that she paired with Oliver’s black and white dinosaur shirt.  Y/N spotted Harry, shooting him a grin that faded once she spotted the pain in his eyes.           “Oli, I need to talk to your father.  Can you stay in here?” Y/N asked, wiping the stray curls from his eyes.           Oliver nodded, walking across the room toward the toybox filled with costumes and toys.  Y/N followed Harry into the hallway, where Oliver couldn’t hear the bad news.           “What happened? Y/N asked, crossing her arms across her chest.           Harry frowned, “Mr. Archie canceled on us. He caught the flu, so he won’t be here.”           Y/N shook her head, “Are you joking?  I can deal with rain, but now, the one person that our son wanted at his birthday party will not be here?  What will I tell him?  He will remember this birthday as the one where he wanted Mr. Archie, and we surprised him with some knock-off instead.”           Harry chuckled, wrapping his arms around his wife’s tense figure, “Hey, it will be okay.  One year, I asked my mom for batman pajamas, and she surprised me with spider man pajamas.  I didn’t get what I wanted for my birthday, but that didn’t matter because I got a gift while other kids never got gifts.  Our son will be okay.”           Y/N nodded, pressing her lips onto Harry’s lips, “I love you.  Will you tell Oli about the change of plans?”           Harry nodded, heading inside Oliver’s room while Y/N jogged downstairs.  She listened to Harry and Oliver sing Harry’s album while she cleaned around the living room. Her heart reassured her that Oliver would remember this birthday with positive memories. *          *          *          *          *          *

          The doorbell’s chime informed Oliver’s eager heart that one of his guests arrived.  A squeal bubbled past Oliver’s lips while his tiny hands shoved past Harry’s long legs. Oliver’s small feet carried him faster than the wind toward the front door.           “Who is it?” Oliver sang, reaching for the handle.           A muffled giggle slipped through the door, “Oli, it’s Aunt Gemma and Nana Anne.”           Oliver trusted the voice behind the door, but before his fingers could twist the knob, Harry’s booming voice startled Oliver’s hands away, “Oliver Styles, what have mommy and I told you about opening the door for strangers.”           Oliver pouted, facing his father’s furrowed eyebrows, “Aunt Gem told me that it was her.”           Harry frowned, scooping his son into his arms, “I understand, but that person behind the door could lie to you.  You should wait for mommy or daddy to open the door.”           Harry swung the door open, inviting his sister, his sister’s boyfriend, and his mother into the warm house.  Anne, Gemma, and Michal ditched their soggy shoes and dripping umbrellas.             “How is my birthday boy?” Anne asked, stealing Oliver from Harry’s arms.           Oliver giggled, dodging Anne’s lips that pressed kisses across his soft face, “I’m well.  Nana, did you see the rain?”           Anne nodded, “I did see the rain.  I’m glad that we are inside, so we don’t get sick.”           Oliver nodded eagerly, making everyone laugh from his antics, which caused him to crack more jokes.  Anne grinned, recalling moments when a three-year-old Harry performed music for his grandparents to bring smiles to their faces. She couldn’t believe how much Oliver acted like Harry did growing up.             “Can I hold the birthday boy?” Gemma asked, reaching for Oliver.           Anne grinned, passing a beaming Oliver toward Gemma.  Anne followed everyone into the living room, where she greeted Y/N and Harry without the toddler in her arms.  Gemma plopped herself and Oliver onto the black couch beside Michal.           “Do you feel old?” Gemma asked, poking Oliver’s dimple that all the Styles inherited.           Oliver giggled, shaking his head, “I’m still a baby.  Did you bring chocolate?”           “Oliver, we do not ask other people for candy,” Y/N warned the now pouting Oliver.          Gemma grinned, “It’s okay, Y/N.  I know that my nephew isn’t a mean kid.  He happens to be the sweetest little boy ever, and that is why Uncle Michal and I brought you some chocolate.”           Oliver cheered, yanking the chocolate bar from Gemma’s hands, “Thank you.”           Gemma nodded, admiring the way Michal helped Oliver unwrap the chocolate bar.  Harry grinned, wrapping his arm across Y/N’s shoulders.           “Thank you for giving our child sugar.  I can’t wait until you and Michal have children so I can fill them up with sugar,” Harry chuckled at Gemma’s playful glare.           Anne rolled her eyes, laughing softly at her children, “Y/N, they never grow up.  They can be twenty-something, and still, act like children.”           Y/N giggled, pressing her lips to Harry’s cheek, “Trust me, sometimes I feel like I have two children rather than one. When we go grocery shopping, Harry and Oliver whine until I let them leave for frozen yogurt while I finish the shopping.”           Harry pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, biting back the smile that threatened to unravel when everyone laughed.           Y/N pressed her lips against Harry’s dimple, “I’m kidding.  I love you.”           A dazed smile replaced Harry’s pout as he admired Y/N’s beauty, “I love you too.”           “Aunt Gemma, can we play hide and seek?” Oliver asked, wiping his chocolate-covered hands onto his t-shirt.           Gemma agreed, cleaning Oliver’s hands with a nearby napkin.  Gemma counted while Oliver and Michal searched for hiding places.  Y/N, Harry, and Anne watched Oliver play while they discussed recent events.  Y/N’s eyes noticed the clock ticking the time away, which left her wondering where the rest of Oliver’s guests were. *          *          *          *          *          *

          The messages flooded Y/N and Harry’s phones.  Adam and his family couldn’t attend the party because one of Adam’s kids caught the flu.  Oliver’s preschool friend, Danny, couldn’t attend the party because his mother couldn’t drive through the heavy rain.  Another friend would not attend the party because the parents did not get off work early. The guest list slowly dwindled until the only guests were the three guests, who were currently dancing with Oliver. Y/N huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose while Harry mumbled reassuring messages into Y/N’s tense shoulders.           “Hey, Oliver doesn’t care about the guests. Look how much fun he is having with my family,” Harry mumbled, peppering kisses up Y/N’s neck.           Y/N shrank from Harry’s lips, “Harry, I do not need your positivity right now.  What will Oliver remember from this birthday?  Nobody showed up, his parents failed to book his favorite dinosaur man, and we could not celebrate outside because of the rain.”           “The party might not fit our expectations, but our son loves the party.  He doesn’t need sandpits, tons of guests, and the dinosaur man for his birthday because we taught our son that all he needs is his family.  We did not fail our son, and we are not bad parents.  I love you, but I need you to stop worrying about Oliver’s memories.  I can barely remember shit from when I was three,” Harry firm lips and furrowed brows presented his stern message.           Y/N frowned, “I apologize for freaking out about the birthday party.  I want the best for Oliver, and I took things negatively when they didn’t work out with my plan.”           Harry captured Y/N’s lips with his own, pulling her body closer until their chests were flush against each other. Y/N smiled, wrapping her arms around Harry’s neck while Harry’s tongue explored her warm mouth.  Her fingers raked through his short curly hair, which brought Harry’s soft groans out.             “Oi, I didn’t visit your house to watch you two make out.  You better pull that roasted chicken from the oven before it burns,��� Gemma scolded the blushing couple.           Y/N lowered her head, tearing away from Harry’s arms to grab the chicken from the oven.  Harry chuckled, catching his breath while avoiding his sister’s disgusted expression.  Gemma poured the sparkling red wine into glasses, holding back the laughter that stemmed from her brother and sister-in-law’s embarrassed grins.           “Well, I will leave you two to finish dinner. I pray that you focus on the food this time rather than one another’s mouths.  Your son is starving,” Gemma joked, shooting Y/N a wink before disappearing from the kitchen.           Y/N rolled her eyes, smirking at Harry’s flushed cheeks, “We are never making out with your family here again.”           Harry gasped, “Why not?  Gemma doesn’t care if we make out.  She’s lucky that she walked in on us making out, rather than us fucking.”           Y/N’s eyes widened, “Harry, your mother is in the next room.  Could you be any more vulgar?”           Harry smirked, pressing his palms against the cool marble counter, “I could, would you like to see it?”           Y/N chuckled, rolling her eyes, “Shut up, and help me carry the food into the dining room.”           Harry nodded, slapping his wife’s butt before grabbing the mashed potato dish from the counter.  Y/N rolled her eyes playfully before following Harry with the roasted chicken dish.  After the couple placed the dishes onto the dining room table, the family gathered around the table for the birthday feast.  Oliver munched on his favorite meal, roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and peas.  He finished the meal with the thought of birthday cake lurking within his mind. *          *          *          *          *          *

          “Happy birthday to you,” Everyone sang, watching Oliver’s dimpled grin grow wider with each verse.           Oliver’s eyes flickered between his singing family and the dinosaur-themed cake.  The brown frosting mimicked mud puddles that the plastic dinosaurs walked through.  The green frosting mimicked the grassy field where fondant trees grew.  Once everyone hit the last note, Oliver inhaled deeply, puffing his cheeks out before blowing onto the three rainbow candles.  He repeated the action until he extinguished all three candles.  Everyone clapped while Harry sliced the cake into individual slices.  Oliver licked his lips, poking his fork into the spongey chocolate cake.           “Who made the cake?” Anne asked, eating around the sugary icing.           Y/N grinned, wiping green frosting from Oliver’s eyebrow, “I found a local bakery that specializes in children’s cakes. The lady met with me and Oliver, where she sketched out Oliver’s dream cake.”           “That’s awesome.  The cake tastes delicious.  Do you like it, Oli?” Michal asked, chuckling when his nephew nodded through his mouthful of cake.           “Oliver isn’t the type to refuse any cake,” Harry informed his family.           Y/N giggled, nodding her head, “One time, Oliver visited my grandfather’s house, where he found my grandfather’s carrot cake.  The cake contained more carrot than actual spice cake, but Oliver finished every crumb and even licked the plate.”           Oliver chuckled as if he couldn’t believe the silly story.  The table erupted into laughter, which only increased Oliver’s giggles.  Once Oliver finished his slice of birthday cake, Y/N and Harry knew Oliver had an hour of energy left until he crashed.  If the couple waited any longer to unwrap presents, then Oliver would grow cranky from the need for sleep. *          *          *          *          *          *

          Oliver’s small hands ripped the sparkly green wrapping paper from the box.  Harry knelt beside his son’s small frame.  He helped Oliver rip the stubborn wrapping paper from the white box.  Once Oliver tore off the final piece of wrapping paper, he opened the white box, which contained gray and red dinosaur pajamas.           “A new set of dinosaur pajamas.  What do we say to Nana Anne?” Y/N asked, patting Oliver’s back.           Oliver smiled, toddling toward Anne’s open arms, “Thank you, Nana Anne.”           “You’re welcome, my sweet boy.  I also brought you a second gift,” Anne mumbled, pressing her lips against Oliver’s forehead.           Oliver returned to the pile of gifts, where he found Anne’s second gift.  He tore the box open, revealing two new stuffed animals.  Oliver squealed, dropping the gray dinosaur for the pastel pink unicorn.  Last week, Anne visited the shops with Oliver and Y/N.  In the toy store, Oliver stumbled past pink and blue princess costumes toward the pastel pink unicorn.  Anne purchased the toy without Oliver’s knowledge, while Y/N showed him the new costumes.           “What’s her name?” Harry asked, rubbing his son’s back.           Oliver snorted, “Daddy, Ron isn’t a girl.”           Harry chuckled, nodding fervently, “Right, I apologize.  Men can like the color pink too.  Does Ron like the color pink?”           Oliver grinned, “He loves the color pink.”           Gemma and Michal purchased Oliver a new racecar set.  Harry and Y/N showered Oliver with multiple gifts that ranged from new outfits created by Harry’s stylists, toys, children books, and costumes that ranged from pink feather boas to a miniature Elvis costume.  Oliver thanked everyone for the gifts with a hug and a kiss.  Gemma lifted Oliver onto the couch, where he snuggled into her side while Harry and Y/N cleaned up the piles of torn wrapping paper.  Y/N glanced up from the sparkly paper toward her son’s drooping eyes.             “He’s going to sleep good tonight,” Michal whispered, chuckling when Oliver’s head jerked backward startling him awake.           Harry hummed in agreement, “Oli, what do you say that we give you a bath and put you in your new pajamas?”           Oliver shook his head, burying his face further into Gemma’s side.  Gemma smiled, rubbing Oliver’s back.           “We can bath him tomorrow.  He didn’t make a total mess with the cake,” Y/N mumbled, cutting the tags from Oliver’s outfits.           Harry nodded, “Okay, Gem, do you mind holding him for a bit longer?  Y/N and I want to clean the kitchen before we go to bed.”           “I don’t mind.  I love cuddling with my nephew,” Gemma promised, wrapping her arm around Oliver.           “I can help you two,” Anne whispered, following Y/N and Harry into the kitchen.             The excitement quieted down the minute Oliver’s tiny snores echoed throughout the silent living room.  Gemma and Michal cuddled with Oliver while Y/N, Harry, and Anne cleaned the kitchen from dinner.   *          *          *          *          *          *

          “You have a real special kid.  Call us anytime you two need a babysitter,” Gemma hugged Y/N and Harry.           “Thank you for coming.  You three gave Oliver a birthday that he won’t forget,” Y/N mumbled, hugging Anne, Gemma, and Michal.           Y/N took Oliver’s sleeping figure from Harry’s sturdy arms.  She carried the heavy toddler toward his bedroom.  Harry’s heart fluttered, and a smile spread across his face as he watched his wife carry their son toward the room.  Once Y/N disappeared into the dark hallway, Harry faced his smirking family.           “Harry, you are blessed.  Y/N is an incredible mother and wife, and Oliver is such an angel.  I hope you cherish them,” Anne reminded Harry.           Harry nodded, hugging his mother, who never became used to Harry’s lifestyle.  She often reminded him about the day when a sixteen-year-old Harry entered the world of fame forever.  Now that Oliver entered the world, Harry understood the sorrow yet pride that she felt. Harry hoped Oliver chased his dreams, but he would struggle to let him travel across the world at sixteen.           “I love you, mom,” Harry pressed a kiss to Anne’s temple.           Anne pecked Harry’s nose, “I love you too. I hope you three have a wonderful night.”           Harry waved goodbye as the car drove off down the narrow streets.  Harry closed the front door, tiptoeing toward Oliver’s bedroom, where he heard Oliver gushing about his birthday party.  Oliver’s groggy voice mumbled incoherent praises while Y/N tucked him into the blue sheets.           “Thank you, mommy, for the best birthday ever,” Oliver whispered, shutting his eyes.           Y/N smiled, pecking Oliver’s forehead, “You’re welcome.  I love you, Oli.  Sleep tight.”           Y/N flicked the lamp switch off and maneuvered past the toys strewn across the floor.  A squeal flew past her lips the minute she closed Oliver’s bedroom door and found Harry standing there.  Harry chuckled, dodging his wife’s soft slaps as she calmed her breathing.           “What did Oli say?” Harry asked, tugging his wife toward their bedroom.           Y/N grinned, “He thanked us for his birthday party.”           Harry tutted, shuffling across the bedroom toward their bed, “No, I heard him thank you.  You saved the day.”           Y/N shook her head, walking until Harry tumbled backward onto the bed, “We saved the day.  I couldn’t do it without you being there to calm me down.  You were right.  Everything would be okay.”           Y/N straddled Harry’s waist, admiring the way the moonlight splashed across his face.  Her eyes traced the freckles dotted around his tan skin until they landed on his rosy lips.  She lowered her head, brushing her lips against Harry’s stubbly jaw.           Harry groaned, “I love when you tell me that I was right.  Can you say it again?”           “You were right,” Y/N purred, trailing her lips down Harry’s neck.           Harry chuckled darkly, “I love you.”           “I love you too.  I also think you were right about practicing for making another baby. Maybe we should start practicing,” Y/N sat up, searching Harry’s eyes for disapproval.           A wide grin unraveled across Harry’s face, “Yeah?  You want another baby with me?”           Y/N nodded, biting back the dazed grin, “I want more children with you.”           Harry giggled, pressing his lips onto Y/N’s lips.  The couple shared urgent kisses as if each kiss might be their last.  Y/N’s heart fluttered from Harry’s excitement and the feeling of his lips on hers.  Later that night, Y/N and Harry discussed their hopes for the future.  Harry and Y/N couldn’t wait until another baby entered their lives.

[ace-in-a-shopping-cart]

Buaxfell

Summary:  A girl finds herself in a strange forest surrounded by strangers with magic powers and no memories. They go on a quest to find her memories and figure out where she belongs. (AKA, an original work I wrote forever ago that I want validation for.)

Main Taglist: (Send an ask to be added or removed!) @starlocked01​​​ @spoopy-turtle​​​ @lizluvscupcakes​​ @more-fandon-than-friends​, @i-cant-find-a-good-username, @vindicatedvirgil, @star-crossed-shipper

NOTE: This might be a dip in quality from what you’re used to, I wrote it when I was about 12-13.

Day 1

When I woke up, I was in a forest. There were trees all around and I seemed to be lying on a cloak of some sort.

"Good, she's awake." Someone said.

I looked up to find probably seven of the most handsome men I have ever encountered. They were all dressed similarly: brown pants that looked funky and white, button down shirts. Their cloaks were all different colors as well: red, green, blue, brown, pale blue, yellow, and gray. Their hair matched their cloaks but in different shades.

The one with the brown cloak knelt next to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright now, miss?" I identified his voice as the one who told the others I was awake.

"I'm fine, but may I ask who you are?"

They all introduced themselves one by one but tagged something weird on the end.

"Kenna, fire." The red cloak said.

"Beryl, earth." This came from the green one.

"Ackerley, healing." The nice brown one.

"Caol, water." The dark blue.

"Akiro, light." The yellow one.

"Draven, shadow." The grey one.

"Vale, ice." This was reluctantly given by the light blue.

Ackerley took back over as he started to examine my arms. "Are you sure you're fine? You took a nasty tumble there."

"I can't remember anything after going to sleep last night and have no idea where I am. Other than that, my head hurts slightly."

His hands moved to gently run over my scalp, looking for a bump. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

"As I said earlier, I'm a healer. I can relieve the headache if you tell me where it is."

I was still very confused but went along with it. "It kinda starts from behind my ears and goes up to encase the front of my head."

He nodded as his long fingers reached behind my ears. Almost as soon as he started pressing, the pain went away. "How's that?" He asked before standing up and helping me to my feet.

"Much better, thank you." I looked down at the cloak that I was lying on and found that it was light blue, the same as the one who said his name was Vale.

"Nice!" He said when he saw my cloak. "Another ice!"

I looked at him in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't seem to know anything about this, could someone please explain."

The one with the red cloak, Kenna, stepped forward. "We," he gestured to himself and the six men around him and included me as well, "are wizards."

"I kind of got that. What I want to know is what a wizard is."

He nodded. "Well, a wizard would seem to be self explanatory, but I guess the nasty bump must have knocked all that out of your head. So, there are many different types of wizards. It is not specifically stated that different power marriage is forbidden, but it is strongly discouraged. It hasn't truly been tested but there are some that are not even thought of for obvious reasons. If, for example, a fire and water or ice wizard had a child, the child would either take on one power or would have potential for both.

"Sometimes, the child is able to choose which power they want, but those are times when both powers are the dominant ones. The child could be completely conflicted. Just the same, there are powers that could coexist peacefully such as earth and healing or water and ice. These powers are able to be used in harmony. On the side of that, the marriage could fall apart. The fire could be too hot headed while the ice could be too cold and shut off. A light wizard could be very bubbly and outgoing while a shadow is asocial and closed off. Does this help?"

I stared at him. "No." All that did was give me more questions to deal with, not that I was going to mention this to them.

Vale patted the older boy on the shoulder. "Let me try." Kenna nodded before moving back to rejoin the others.

"He explained more of the mixs, but what I think you're looking for is what a wizard is and how their powers work. Am I correct?"

I nodded, allowing him to continue. "When a wizard is born, it takes them about a year before their powers start to show. A mix may take a bit longer on account of the powers fighting for dominance. As the power becomes evident, small parts of the wizard's personality will appear as well. An earth will enjoy playing outside, a healing won't bruise easily since they will heal quickly, a water and ice will enjoy taking a bath. The way to tell a water from an ice is that the ice will prefer the colder water while the other will prefer warmer water. A light will always want a light on while a shadow will be very sensitive to light. A fire is the hardest to control while in the beginning stages. They will be cranky, like to stay in the kitchen or near the stove when the mother is cooking. As a result, most fires end up as bakers.

"The way a wizard works their powers is harder to tell than it is to demonstrate. Would you mind if we give you a show?"

I shook my head, signalling for them to go ahead. He at least explained how to identify a wizard if they don't have their cloak. Although, I wondered if the hair color had anything to do with the power or if they had just dyed it. Pulling a lock of my hair over my shoulder, I found that it was indeed a light blue, almost white. Looking at Vale's versus mine, his was darker with a few light highlights. I lowered myself back down onto what I guessed was my cloak while the seven men still set up.

They started first with the one introduced as Beryl, the earth wizard, walking into the middle of the clearing. The others were on one side while I was on the other. He knelt down and closed his eyes as he placed both his hands flat on the ground. After a few seconds, he raised them. The ground came with him, creating a small hill with a flat top. He walked off, leaving that there while Kenna, the fire wizard, walked up and pointed his finger at the mound. A large flame appeared on the top but didn't scorch the grass underneath. The one with the dark blue hair, Caol, came up next to him and put it out. He knelt on the ground just as Beryl had done, but when his hands came away, a large water bubble came with it. He directed it at the flame, allowing Kenna to walk back to the rest. Caol pulled more water from the ground and started playing with it, twisting it into intricate shapes. Vale came up next to him and froze the water. I watched in awe as the ice crystals quickly wrapped themselves around the water, freezing it solid yet still keeping it up in the air.

Kenna came back and melted the ice, allowing it to fall to the ground and get soaked up. All three men walked away, allowing three more to take their places. Akiro, the light wizard, held his hand in the sky as a ball of light began to grow in his palm. He allowed it to grow until it was the same size as his hand before Draven, the shadow wizard, grabbed his wrist. The ball of light seemed to sputter and shrink. Akiro grimaced as his face seemed to drain of color. The light almost looked as if it was being physically attacked, it squirmed and twisted as Akiro eventually fell to his knees. Draven immediately released him as Ackerley took over, putting his hand in Akiro's still outstretched one. Soon the color came back and he was able to stand back up with Ackerley's help.

I stood up, grabbing my cloak and throwing it on as I came towards them. It seemed to be muscle memory to clasp the cloak onto the ochre colored tunic that was over my brown tights. "That was amazing guys but what happened towards the end?"

Draven rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been working with my shadow powers since I was able to understand them, but I'm an orphan. I had no one to teach me how to use them so it's a bit unstable compared to the others. Also, since Akiro's and my powers are conflicting, we aren't the best when working together."

I nodded before turning to Akiro. "Are you alright?" I placed a worried hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, I'm alright, but could you remove your hand? It's cold."

"Sorry." I said as I took it off.

He gave me a bright, box smile. "It's fine. Ices seem to radiate a cold atmosphere and have a lower body temperature than others. It's another way to tell wizards apart. Fires have a high body temperature even in the winter, earths have a steady temperature, waters seem damp or the atmosphere will feel humid around them, lights glow in the dark slightly while shadows are able to see in the dark. Healings seem to be the same as earths but have more of a mothering instinct."

I tilted my head a little as I processed this new information. "So, fire wizards or fires, as Akiro called them, and ices are more likely to shed their cloaks, waters are going to be the one staring at the fountain in the center of town, earths are going to be interested in pottery or gardening, shadows are going to look like vampires while lights are going to have a very hyper personality? What I'm getting out of this is the healings are the normal ones but also good listeners."

They all smiled at me, minus Kenna who just stood there. "That's right. Are you remembering things now, miss...?" Draven stumbled over not knowing my name. As our conversation continued, they somehow managed to herd me down the road.

"Sorry, I was just repeating what I had gotten out of the things you guys are telling me. As to my name, I don't know."

Beryl started jumping around. "Oh, oh, oh, oh! Can we name her! Please?" He did puppy eyes and clasped his hands directly below his puffed out lower lip. His head swiveled between Draven, who seemed to be the leader and Ackerley, seemingly the eldest. "Pretty pleeeeeaaaaase?"

Ackerley looked at me. "Would that be alright if we give you at least a nickname? Something to call you besides just 'the girl'."

I nodded. "That's fine by me."

Each of the boys began spitting out names, only to be shot down by Ackerley and Vale.

"Keara."

"That's a shadow name, Draven. No."

"Serafina. She could be Sere for short."

"Kenna, that's a fire name, not an ice. Denied."

"Afra!"

"One, we're looking for ice names and that's an earth  name. Two, calm down, please, Beryl."

"Jora is a nice name. 'Autumn rain'."

Ackerley looked at Vale. The younger male got the message and hit the back of Caol's head. "That's close, but you need to freeze that." He said.

"Asia! Please, pick Asia!" Akiro hopped around, causing me to laugh.

Vale, however, was not amused. "No."

"Anahita."

"Caol." Draven looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"You got no jams. Be quiet." Caol pouted but obliged.

"Kalama."

"No, Kenna, try again."

"Nara. That's an ice name." Caol looked at the eldest with hope in his eyes.

Ackerley, in turn, looked at me. "What do you think? Do you seem like a Nara?"

I gently shook my head. "Sorry, but no."

"Come on guys, let’s keep trying."

"Why don't you try one Vale." Akiro sassed at him.

"I will. Once you guys are out of options."

"Levina."

"That's another light,Akiro."

"Koral."

“Denied!” The rest called.

I walked over to pat his shoulder. "Good try, but it doesn't fit me much." I said in an attempt to cheer him.

Ackerley snapped his fingers. "Eleanor!"

I shook my head again. "It just doesn't seem to fit. Sorry."

Kenna looked at me. "People can sense if a name is theirs. Don't apologize because it's not your name. Simply accept it and move on."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"Ainsley."

"Try again, Akiro."

"Ryo."

"Kenna, isn't that your sister's name?"

"I thought it sounded familiar. Oh, well."

"Levana, I'm quite sure it's an ice name."

"It's a nice name, but no."

"Kaia?"

"Nope, sorry, Beryl."

"Neci. That's a cool name."

"That's a fire name. There's nothing cool about it."

"Kimana, meaning butterfly. If you shoot this down, it becomes her nickname. Deal with it." Beryl put one hand on his hip as the other pointed a finger between the eldest and youngest.

The two boys looked at each other before focusing their gazes back on Beryl. "Nickname, yes." Ackerley said.

"Real name, no." Vale finished.

"Blake."

"Draven, that seems like a boy's name. No."

"Alright, Leila. 'Dark beauty'."

"Once again, we're looking for ice names. Stop giving us shadows ."

"Akiko."

"N to the O, Akiro."

"Fiona."

"She doesn't look it."

"Elvira!"

"Icess!"

Vale looked up from the road when Beryl and Kenna called the names out at once. "What about, Miyuki?" He said.

Ackerley looked at me. "All three are good names. Which one?"

I pondered it for a few minutes, watching my feet as we traveled on the dirt road. "What do they mean?"

Ackerley looked at me with a gaze that held a tint of pride in it, almost as if he was proud of me. "'Elvira' means 'white', Icess is a good ice name, and 'Miyuki' means 'snow'. Does that help at all?"

I looked at Vale. "I quite like Elvira. Although, I don't know how to actually use my powers. Could you teach me? Or at least give me a quick refresher course?"

He nodded. "Sure, Elvira." I smiled at my new name, Elvira, as well as my nickname, Kimana. It just felt right when they called me those.

Our whole group pulled off to the side of the road, the six others quickly forming a circle around us. Vale unclasped his cloak, allowing it to slide down his lean frame and unhinder his movements. Gesturing for me to do the same, he stepped to the center of the circle. I followed and mimicked his stance.

"Lesson one," he said, "you must let the cold embrace you. This is why we moved to the shade of the forest, also there is more dew here. Lesson two, you must have water near you, it helps. Hence, the dew."

I nodded. "That kind of seems obvious." I replied.

He chuckled. "You would be surprised. Moving on to lesson three, kneel down and put your hand flat to the ground, just as you saw Beryl and Caol doing."

I followed his instructions. "You need to reach down with your mind and try to find the water. Since your purpose is to freeze it once it comes up, the water may not want to come. Once you find it, call it to you. You must pull hard."

I looked at him. He had knelt next to me on one knee versus my both knees. "How do I do that?"

"Look inside yourself. Feel the inner wizard in the back of your mind. She is telling you what to do."

"Wait. Inner wizard? Like an inner wolf on a werewolf?"

"No. More like, the wizard instincts that you are born with. You will unconsciously know what to do. Try it."

I closed my eyes, blocking out all distractions that come with having seven gorgeous men in front of you. Searching my brain, I attempted to locate the 'inner wizard' he had been talking about. Sure enough, the knowledge was there. I used it to do as he had said, search for water. Ironically, there was a huge cluster right under Caol. I tried to get a bit of it, but heard the boys laughing. Opening my eyes, I made a very big mistake.

I had drawn more water than I should have and it ended up coming as a fountain and lifting the water wizard into the air. "I'm so sorry!" I said as I tried to pull the water towards me. Again, it was too hard and took Caol with it.

Luckily, he was able to take control of it and stop it. Vale created an ice slide out of it, allowing the boy to get down. Vale came towards me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't feel too bad. It's hard for the first timer."

Kenna snorted. "Says the one who was able to make an ice sculpture on his first try. You know, a skill only someone who had trained and honed their power for at least fifteen years could accomplish."

"When did he do this?" I asked as I stood up and retrieved my cloak.

"When he was ten or eleven." Beryl replied.

"Wahh." I exclaimed, trying to clasp my cloak. My fingers kept fumbling with the latch and I couldn't do it properly.

Just as I was about to give up, Vale came and clasped it for me. "You need to give your fingers a bit of time after using your powers. For an ice, they will feel frozen. You also need to put this back on as soon as you can. Ices cloaks are specially designed to insulate them and keep them at a temperature that they won't freeze but will still be able to work their magic. The cloak is a critical part of any wizards trade."

"Noted." I said as he stepped away. We all continued on our path. "Where are we heading?" I asked.

"We," Akiro said mysteriously, "are going to the city of Tueneraza."

"What the heck is that?" I asked, completely confused.

"It's the capital city." Draven answered.

"So, are there any other types of wizards besides the seven presented here? Also, are there any normal people who are not wizards?" I gestured to the seven boys with me.

"Yes, there are a few more." Beryl responded. "There are the animals and the winds, close cousins of mine. There are also the metals, but they are rare. As for the second, no, everyone has powers."

"Then why are they called wizards and not simply by their powers?"

"If you notice, we had introduced ourselves only by our powers. We call us wizards to distinguish between the element and the person. For example, if you asked me 'could you get me water?' and I brought over Caol instead of an actual glass of water."

"Interesting. Are there any special ones that resulted from mixes?"

"Like what?" Draven asked.

"Like, clouds. Would there be wizards with that power? If so, would they come from a mix of water and light? Are there any wizards besides the animals that can talk to the creatures?"

"Interesting questions." Kenna took over. "To answer them, not that we know of. However, there are still places that we have no idea what lives there."

"Cool." I said.

"I'm fire. I'm not cool.”

After a few hours more of walking, bickering, and bantering, we crested a hill and met one of the most awe-inspiring sights I had ever seen. The city lay in front of us in all of its glory. I saw a flash of light and looked to see a section of the city release a bright pulsing light. The boys, especially Akiro, seemed to get excited at this. They began to run, Vale dragging me along.

"Come on, Elvira! They're waiting for us!"

"Who and why?" I shouted as I ran with them.

Akiro grabbed my other hand. "My family!" He said, not answering the second half of my question.

We got there in no time and the gate opened for us. Akiro left us to run ahead and embrace an older couple with cloaks the same color as his, just a bit darker, standing outside what I guessed to be his home. The rest, including me, slowed down and approached them on a walk. We could hear Akiro shouting that he had missed his parents and siblings, making me wonder how long they had been separated.

"Guys, come on!" He said. We were obviously taking too long since he came over and grabbed two random hands, pulling Beryl and Ackerley along. "Mom, Dad, these are Ackerley and Beryl." He ran back for two more random hands, this time latching onto Draven and Vale, the latter dragging me with him.

"These are Draven and Vale. The girl is a new friend we found today. We named her Elvira." He ran back for Kenna and Caol, leaving it a bit awkward with us.

"These are the last of them. Kenna and Caol." He seemed like a child bringing his friend to meet his parents.

"They all look very nice, Akiro dear." His mother said.

"What do you mean by 'named her'?" His father asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh! We found her in the woods. We had heard a giant THUD!  and thought that we should investigate. So we walked and found a tree branch right next to her." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders but quickly pulled away due to the cold radiating off of me in waves. "Ackerley healed her of a nasty bump on her head and bruises all along the side that she fell on. When she woke up, she didn't know who or where she was. So, we named her and asked if she wanted to come with us. Now we're here!"

His parents looked at me. "What did you say they called you, miss?" His mother asked.

"We had decided on Elvira, Ma'am."

Beryl walked sideways until he was next to me. "I call her Kimana because I like that name."

"Isn't it an earths name though?" Akiro's father asked.

"Yes, but it works for her."

"Well, let's go inside. We're leaving tomorrow anyways." Akiro herded everyone into the house.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We only came to this part since my parents want to meet with me at least once a month. Otherwise, I do my own thing."

"Okay. Where next?"

"Next, we're going to the ices' district. There, we can see if we can find your family." Draven said as he took off his cloak. Most of the others followed, but Vale and Kenna left theirs on.

"Is there a reason why you didn't take your cloak off?" I asked Kenna, knowing Vale's reason and deciding to keep mine on as well.

"Just like yours will warm you up, mine will cool me down. Especially in the presence of ices like you and Vale. It basically steals the cold you radiate. I could just stand next to you with both of us having our cloaks off, but that could hurt you since I radiate a temperature higher than what your cloak uses to keep you at your perfect temperature."

"Ah." I nodded and followed the rest.

"We'll stay for the night before moving out in the morn. It's too dark to travel right now, especially in the city with a lady with us." Draven said as we all came into what looked like the living room.

The room had pale yellow walls, not too sickly looking, not too bright, just enough to create a calming effect. The fireplace had a lit log in it, which Kenna gravitated to like a moth to a candle flame. He sat by it and looked at home. Akiro sprawled out on a soft-looking, brown chair. Draven was standing in front of the fire and to Kenna's left, allowing the red head to still see the whole room. Ackerley sat on the floor, leaning against Beryl's leg, who was sitting in a matching chair to Akiro's. Caol, Vale and I sat on a bench pushed against the wall. Akiro's parents were nowhere in sight.

We all nodded in acceptance of Draven's statement of staying. Akiro seemed glad. "Sleepover!" He shouted, pumping a fist into the air and letting off a bright flash.

Draven groaned at the light in his sensitive eyes while the rest of us laughed.

"Yay!" Caol said, equally as enthusiastically.

Vale jumped up from his position next to him. "You leaked!" He said.

"What!" Caol screeched. "I did?!" His enthusiasm quickly turned into alarm.

"Yes!"

"Where?!"

"Right there!" Vale pointed at a spot on the bench and froze it.

"Ah!" Caol cried out, not liking the cold.

"Boys!" Ackerley's voice rose above the ruckus. "Vale, defrost Caol right now!"

Vale looked at Ackerley with a clearly fake innocent face. "Sorry. I only know how to freeze, not un-freeze."

Ackerley sighed. "Kenna! Defrost the poor thing so he can shut up."

I clapped and pointed at him as Kenna came to do as he was told. "Savage Ackerley! I like this!"

"Ouch!" Caol's voice whined it's way back into my focus.

"Not sorry." Kenna shrugged before walking off, Caol now rubbing his burnt bottom.

"Vale!" He yelled. "I'm going to kill you!"

Vale stuck his tongue out at the older boy before running off, Caol hot on his trail. I took this opportunity to lie down on the bench, now that the water was gone. I had no idea what would happen if I had tried to freeze that water. It might have caused bigger damage.

"Hey, Kimana." Beryl came to sit on the floor a few feet away from my head. Looking at his previous seat, it was now occupied by a tired and dozing Ackerley.

"Hi, Beryl." I said as I looked back at him. "Did you need something?"

"No, I just wanted to see how you were holding up."

"Please, rephrase and expound on that." I asked.

He chuckled. "You fell out of a tree from probably a long way up, poor tree; failed at correctly using your power when, at your age, you should have at least gotten it under control; had to deal with seven noisy five year old brains stuck within the bodies of grown men; and just had three people scream in your ear. How are you not sleeping like him?" He gestured to Ackerley.

I smiled. "My stomach was waiting for food."

He nodded. "Understandable since we found you after lunch. Akiro's mom should finish dinner soon. He says that she normally has it done around the time he gets home."

As if she had been summoned, Akiro's mother stood in a doorway that I assumed led to the kitchen, where that heavenly smell was coming from. "Dinner's ready for whoever wants it." She said.

Akiro jumped up and ran over, giving her a bear hug. "Thanks, Mom." He said before passing her.

The others and I, minus Caol and Vale, quickly followed suit, giving her a brief bow on the way past. My bow went a bit deeper than the rest as I knew that she wasn't expecting me. Soon, a loud thunk was heard. We all looked up from the bowls of delicious stew to find Caol pinned under Vale.

"Hi, guys." He said awkwardly before the younger allowed him to get out of what looked to be some sort of wrestling hold. We all laughed at how stupid they looked before turning back to our dinner, Akiro pointing out where to get their portions.

Once we all finished eating, Akiro took us up to his room. He allowed the boys to crash on his massive bed and clean floor before taking me to the guest room close by. "Thanks again, Akiro." I said, standing in the doorway of what was to be my room for the night.

He gave me his box smile. "It's no problem. I only met you a few hours ago, but you seem like my sister already. Please, just call me Akiro from now on, alright, Sis?"

I giggled. "Alright. Goodnight, Akiro."

He threw a "Night, Sis." Over his shoulder before closing the door to his and the six others' room.

A few minutes after I had closed the door, a knock was heard on it. I opened it, thinking it was one of the boys. It turned out to be Akiro’s mother, who gave me a bright smile. "Hello, dear. Akiro told me that you didn't have any night clothes, so I brought you this." She handed me the bundle in her arms. "It was his older sister's before she grew out of it. She's now married happily so you can have the gown if you want."

"Thank you so much, Ma'am, but where will I store it?"

"Your cloak has pockets that can hold almost anything that can fit through the opening. As long as it's not full, the gown should fit in it."

"Thanks again. Goodnight, Ma'am."

"Goodnight, dear. Sweet sleep."

I closed the door and set the gown on the bed before looking about the room. It was a good sized bedroom, with a window that had the curtains drawn, blocking out the city sound while still allowing light to see by. Whipping off my cloak, I set it on the bed and found the pocket Akiro’s mother was talking about. Looking at the other side, there was another pocket in the same spot. I stuck my hand into one and patted around, trying to see if I could find anything to tell me who I was. I came out with a beautiful silver necklace that had Elvira written on the snowflake shaped locket.

"I guess it actually is my name." I muttered as I clasped it around my neck.

Digging further, I couldn't find anything else in that pocket. I moved to the other and came up with a strange whitish root thing. I put it back, intending to talk to Ackerley or Beryl about it tomorrow. Changing quickly, I climbed into the warm bed. It felt a bit suffocating, so I carefully folded the blanket down to the bottom of my bed, making sure that my cloak was off to the side and hanging on the back of the chair.

Day 2.

The next day, the sun shone beautifully through the guest room window. I got up, feeling refreshed and awake. Bouncing out of the still cold bed I made my way over to the chair I had laid my cloak on. I quickly pulled out yesterday's clothes from the pocket I had shoved them in before bed. Surprisingly, they were clean and ready to be worn. Even the few holes it had gotten from the fall were patched. I changed into them, carefully folding the night gown and putting it in the same pocket. It felt good to feel the cool metal of my necklace against my skin.

When I got downstairs, the boys were already at the table, halfway through their breakfast. "Good morning." I muttered as I served myself.

"Morning, Kimana." Beryl greeted me as I sat down next to him. The others quickly greeted me.

"Eat up, Elvira." Draven said. "We have a ways to go today. The city is vast and the ices live on the opposite side from the lights."

"Can't we just hire transportation?" Ackerley asked.

"No. The reason: everyone turn out their pockets."

Doing as Draven told us, we all emptied them out. I was shocked at what the youngest three had in theirs. "How the heck did you manage to fit a rock in your pocket, Akiro. Follow-up question, why do you have the rock in the first place?" I asked, incredulous.

Caol held out his hand. "You don't want to know." He warned.

"What's with your rock, Caol?"

" Mine is useful, his is not."

"How so?"

" Mine is what is called a wind stone. It can call wind and tell which direction it's coming from. There are such things as paired wind stones, which means that in addition to doing the actions already mentioned, it also knows where the other is. His, on the other hand, is just stone wind. It allows you to use wind as a messenger and hear wind in the rock. It's about as useful as a conch shell at the beach."

Akiro hit Caol's arm. "Not fair. My message might save a life one day." Seeing my confused expression, he continued. "Stone wind is only good for one message per stone. So, best make it count."

Looking at the others, Kenna also had a rock, but it seemed to be flint. Beryl had a small jar of dirt, Ackerley had herbs and bandages, Vale had a few coins in a small bag, and Draven had a rock that looked like a cross between Caol's and Akiro's only grey.

"What's the story behind your rock, Draven?" I asked, my curiosity taking over.

Kenna looked at me. "What are we doing, comparing rocks now?" He asked with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Draven held up a hand. "It's fine, Kenna. My rock, as you so elegantly put it, Elvira, is called a shadow stone. It helps control my wayward shadow powers if I really need it. I try not to rely on it, but sometimes I have to use it. What do you have?"

I pulled out the root I had found last night. "I was only told about the cloak pockets last night by Akiro’s mother. I found this root-like thing and this necklace." I took it off and passed it around, putting it back on when it got back to me.

"May I see the root?" Beryl asked.

I nodded and handed it over. Since Ackerley was sitting next to him, they both examined it. "This is rare, Kimana." Beryl said as he gently passed it back.

"What is it exactly?" I put it back in the pocket as the others put their things back as well.

"It's a snow root." Ackerley said.

Vale perked up. "A snow root?! Don't tell me it's an actual snow root !" He leaned across the table to me. "May I see it?"

I pulled it back out. "Only if you calm down, alright?"

He nodded and I handed it over. He gingerly turned it over in his hands, as if he held a precious artifact. He let out a low whistle while looking at the whitish root. "Awesome." He whispered.

"What's so cool about a root?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

He looked at me. "This isn't just any ordinary root. This snow root comes from one of the deepest forests known to us. Very few who have ventured into it make it out alive, especially with something like this. If ground up, even a little bit will help control an ices powers, much like Draven's shadow stone. If we use just a little bit now, we can start to get that power of yours under control. We wouldn't even need that much of the root. Is that alright with you?"

I smiled. "It's more than alright. Thank you, Vale."

Draven cleared his throat, calling our attention back to him. "As you can see, really only Vale has money that we can use for transport, but it's not enough and we'll need it for lodging later." He said.

I furrowed my brows. "Can't we try to use Caol's wind stone thing?"

Caol sighed. "It can only call a breeze. You really need a wind wizard to enhance the power or get a bigger stone. Mine was a gift from an honorary uncle who was one. He tried to put as much power in it as he could but, it was on his death bed and he wasn't that strong."

"Wonderful!" Kenna exclaimed sarcastically. "We're stuck with walking. In the mud. With those four."

He was referring to Vale, Akiro, Caol, and Beryl, who were currently goofing off.

"What's so bad about that?" I asked.

He heaved a deep sigh. "Everything. They're loud, annoying, never stay to the path, always going off on side trails, and never stay out of trouble that we have to rescue them from." He gestured to himself, Draven, and Ackerley.

"Well, now you have me."

"That has yet to be decided if you're an asset or a hindrance." He muttered. Soon after, he stood up, sweeping his legs over the bench and walking away after putting his plate away.

"What's his problem?" I muttered as I finished up.

"Don't mind him, Elvira, he'll warm up to you eventually. Let's go to the yard." I looked up to find Vale standing next to me, holding his hand out to help me over the bench.

I accepted his hand, allowing him to lead me. He didn't let go of my hand as he led me through the house and to the backyard. Once there, he grabbed a stick and drew a large circle that was more or less closer to an oval. "Is that supposed to be a circle?" I asked with a bit of a giggle in my voice.

He glared at me. "Shut up." He completed the ovalish circle and stood up from his crouched position. It had been fun to see him duck walk around while drawing whatever it was that he drew.

"Nice, an oval. What do we do with it?" I asked.

"Were you born sarcastic or have you been spending too much time with Kenna?"

"It seems to come naturally, if that answers your question. Now, what to do with the oval."

"It's a circle. " He hissed at me as he removed his cloak. "Now, give me the root."

I grabbed it from the pocket and handed it over before discarding my own cloak. The warm sun shining down felt suffocating yet slightly pleasing but I immediately wished for the cold that comes with the cloak. It felt like I was going to burn to a crisp at any second. "Can we just start?"

My voice startled him out of his thoughts. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure." He looked around for a second before pointing at a pump in the corner of the yard. "There should be a tin cup by that. Fill it with water and bring it here, please."

I did as I was told, excitement buzzing through my nerves as I wondered if I might actually be able to control my powers today. I brought the cup back to see that he had finished with the root. There were three small shavings sitting in the palm of his hand. I finally noticed the hunting knife he carried at his belt as he put it away. Handing him the cup, my hand shook slightly as I thought about the last time I had tried to control ice.

"Calm down, Elvira. It's going to be fine." He said as he dropped the shavings into the cup. They dissolved almost instantly and the water remained clear. "Drink it." He said, handing it back.

I took it and threw it back like a shot of whiskey. It was cold and had a tang to it while giving an invigorating feeling. I was more awake than I had been and felt ready to take on anything. In short, it was like an instant sugar high. I was high as high can be.

I stood still, tilting my head to the side as I stared the water pump down. The water from the trough below the pump lifted slightly before freezing into a hailstone the size of a child's ball. It then started bouncing around the backyard, heading straight for Vale's head.

"DUCK!" I shouted, dropping to the ground.

"What the heck!" He called as he followed my directions, the ice flying over his head. It came to a stop when it hit the back of the house, resulting in a giant THUD that the occupants most likely heard.

Meanwhile, Vale was stalking towards my prone figure, still not moving from my position on the ground. "What on earth was that?" He asked with his hands balled into fists by his side.

"A big ice ball?" I said, my eyes widening slightly.

He glared back at me. "What did you do? I didn't tell you to do anything yet."

"I looked at it."

"Very funny. What really happened?"

I stood up with a bit of effort. "It's true. I just stared at it like this-" I moved to repeat my actions but his hand went in front of my eyes.

"Do not demonstrate! One dent in the house is enough."

"I dented it?!" My eyes widened as I stared at the house. "I didn't mean to!"

The door banged open and the rest of the group, plus Akiro's parents, came out, Ackerley in the lead. "What happened?" He called. "Is everything alright? Are you two hurt anywhere?" He ran to us, cloak billowing behind him.

Vale spoke without taking his eyes off me. "We're fine. I can't say the same for the house however."

I glared up at the giant man. "I said it was an accident!"

Ackerley went in between us, checking for cuts. "You're positive you're fine?" He clearly didn't believe him.

I pushed his hands away. "Yes, mother, I'm fine."

He put his hands on his hips. "I get enough sass from Vale and Kenna, I do not need it from you, young lady."

I lowered my head. "Yes, sir." I then raised it. "It technically wasn't my fault."

Vale threw his hands up. "How could it not be your fault?! I told you to drink the mixture, not to take it like a shot of beer before blowing a hole in the wall!"

"You should have been clearer in the instructions! You also left me alone after telling me, allowing me to do it. Therefore, it is basically your fault." I smiled, a smug expression clear on my face.

Vale spluttered. "This girl is impossible!"

"Then why do you try?" Beryl asked. Peering around Vale and Ackerley, I saw that he was almost finished with fixing the wall.

I walked past the others, moving to stand at his side. "Cool. I didn't think you could do that."

He chuckled, eyes never leaving the wall. "Think about the contents of the wall. It's just dirt, clay, and water. Basically, I can manipulate the dirt and clay back into place with Caol helping after I'm done. With that knowledge, what do think Caol will do?"

I thought about it briefly before responding. "He could gently place water on the wall, causing it to be sucked up by the clay and dirt and go back to being a wall, but that would result in a wet wall that wouldn't be able to hold the roof. He could also use the existing water that was in the wall to rebuild it."

Caol's voice came from behind me. "Very good, Elvira. That's logical thinking, so we at least know that that part of your brain wasn't damaged from your fall."

"Unlike your magic!" Vale shouted.

I glared back at him. "I told you what happened, you didn't want to believe me. You now have no room to talk. Shut it." I stormed over to my cloak, angry fingers taking a few tries to clasp it before I turned to Draven. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as they finish the wall." He said.

Kenna came over to me. "You have quite the temper for an ice, you do realize that, right?"

I shrugged him off, trying to block out distractions. Reaching into my inner being, I tried to reconcile with myself on why I can't use my magic properly, how I got here, who I truly am. I looked deep inside myself and found something that I couldn't quite recognize. It felt like a string that was calling me to pull it. When I did, it dragged me deeper into myself,to a place I didn't even know existed. Looking around, it was like nothing and everything I had seen before. I realized that it was where my memories were kept. Unfortunately, most of them were behind a stone wall that I couldn't get through. The majority of the ones I could get to were of the boys and me. A few shocked me, not just for being so out of place, but also for being about ten portal looking things on a wall that could fit hundreds. The rest must have been behind the wall.

I stepped towards them, first one, then another until I was directly in front of them. Reaching out, I touched the center one closest to me. Instantly, I was dragged through the portal to a place I didn't recognize.

✽✽

Kenna watched as Elvira shrugged off his help, closing her eyes and standing as still as can be. What seemed a few seconds later, she took a step forward, then another. He followed, unsure what was going on. Ten steps later, she collapsed, Kenna rushing forward to catch her before she injured her head even more. A small part of him wondered if hurting her head again would reverse the memory loss.

"Ackerley!" He called out.

Just as Kenna knew, Ackerley was by his side in a second, dramatically sliding a few feet away on his knees until he was next to the slightly younger male. "What's wrong with her?" He asked.

Kenna deadpanned at him. "I don't know, how about the healer take a look at her?" He asked sarcastically.

"Alright, alright." Ackerley said before examining her. "She had said she was fine but I shouldn't have trusted her." He muttered as he ran his graceful fingers over her scalp.

After a while he sat back on his heels, turning pitiful eyes to Kenna. "I can't find anything wrong with her. Maybe she's just lost in her mind?"

"She collapsed . How can that be 'lost in her mind.'"

"I've heard of this." He muttered. "People with a high brain capacity can actually delve inside their own brain, sometimes going in there for days. Our only choice is to take her with us until she recovers, which could take a few hours or a few days. We won't know until she wakes up."

Kenna sighed, preparing to carry her across the city. "Alright."

✽✽

When I came back to my senses, I looked around. I seemed to be some sort of ghostly figure. The weird thing was, my cloak was red, not light blue. Tugging on my hair, it was a very light red, almost strawberry with streaks of the previous light blue. I looked at my surroundings again and saw what seemed to be a younger version of the red me playing with my parents. They both had their cloaks off while I didn't have one yet. Looking at their hair, my dad's red while my mom's was the same light blue that I have. It would explain the ice name I have, why I have a hard time controlling my magic, and why I have a very short temper.

"I'm an ice and fire. That's why I get along with Vale and Kenna so well, because I have bits of both my parents personalities." I mumbled beneath my breath. "The ice must have been the dominant gene while the fire is the dormant. Or, am I missing something?"

Suddenly, my father looked up. Even though I was in a ghost form, he still seemed to be looking directly at me rather than through me. He walked towards me, leaving the younger version of me and my mom. "It's good to see you again." He said, kneeling to stick a hand in the red cloak that was at my feet.

"What do you mean? I don't understand anything, Daddy. I'm so confused."

He smiled up at me before standing up, an object clutched in his fist. "Ask Kenna to go into more detail about mixes, you'll understand more. For now," he stood up and faced me, "always remember that we love you very much." He placed the object into my palm and curled my fingers around it. "Take care of this for me, will you?"

"Will I be holding it when I open my eyes?"

"Good question. No, you won't. It will be in your left cloak pocket. Although, it may have upgraded slightly since you last saw it." He started walking away.

"Wait! What is 'it'? What do you mean by it may have upgraded?"

He stopped, looking back at me over his shoulder. "All in good time, my daughter. All in good time."

He kept walking away as I felt the pull of the portal behind me. There was nothing I could do as it pulled me back to the first room I came to. I looked around again and a few more portals were added to the portal wall. There were now double the number that there first were. Half of me wanted to stay and explore more, the other half telling me I need to wake up. I listened to the more boring, yet logical, part of myself and woke up.

✽✽

Kenna put Elvira down, her weight finally getting to him. "I'm done with this. Caol."

"Yes?"

"Water ball."

"Why?"

He looked at him. "Do I need a reason?"

"Nope. One water ball coming up." He began making it and was done in seconds, Vale coating it with a layer of ice thick enough that Kenna could hold it.

As soon as it was in his grip, Kenna dropped it on Elvira. "Kenna!" Ackerley called as he ran over.

Elvira sat up, wiping water off her hair and coughing slightly. Kenna looked at Ackerley, unrepentant. "It worked, didn't it?"

✽✽

I became aware of my surroundings again...just as a cold ball splashed onto my face. I sat up, spitting it out and trying to wipe most of it off. "It worked, didn't it?" I heard Kenna say.

I looked up at him. "I would so kill you right now if I didn't need your help with something."

"Oh, so scary. I'm shaking in my boots." He mocked.

Vale stepped over, hovering a hand over Kenna's shoulder. "I wouldn't test her. She almost whacked my head off the last time she used her powers."

"I actually found the reason for that, thank you very much, Vale." I stood up, shaking out my cloak.

Remembering what my dad had said, I felt around in the left pocket but felt nothing. "It's just like the old coal." I muttered as I dug around in the right pocket, the one that would have been his left. Finally, I came up with something other than the nightdress. Pulling it out, I almost cursed.

"What the heck is that?" Vale asked in clear disgust.

Kenna, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Don't tell me that's what I think it is." He said, practically vibrating where he stood at the thought of what I held in my palm.

It was a dark, slightly porous rock, most likely obsidian. It felt heavy in my palm yet, it was a good weight. The thing that made Kenna so excited was that it had names carved into it with ice that didn't melt. He seemed to know exactly what it was so I handed it over to him.

"Yes! Oh my gosh, this is just what I was thinking of! Where did you get it?" He attacked me with his enthusiasm, starting us off down the road again by pulling my by the arm.

"I don't know what it is, even though you seem to. I got it from my father while exploring my brain. If you can even call it that."

"Nice. So, this is what is called a mix stone. Yes, another stone."

"Cute. What does it do?"

He glared at me. "It doesn't do much. It just tells us who your parents are and what their powers are. In most cases, the mother's power is used to write the names on a substance associated with the father's. For your case, Seymour Fireburn is your father while Kamryn Bayard Fireburn is your mother. It can be safe to assume that your full name is Elvira Fireburn. A very nice name for a mix."

I nodded. "Could you go into more detail about mixes, ices and fires to be specific? Dad said that you would know what I need to."

"That's true, I do know a lot about mixes. Once upon a time, I had researched them as a living. So, you are a fire and ice, huh?"

"Yeah. You said that they are rare and hard to control. What did you mean by that?"

"Well, think about it. Fire and ice are complete opposites, hot and cold. At one point it was thought that they were incapable of mating and actually producing a child. Many mixes are in danger of tearing themselves apart, especially ones like you. Their power development stages are the most dangerous since that is when their powers are fighting for dominance. This perfectly explains your lack of control over your ice."

"What also explains it, is that, according to what I saw, I used to be fire."

He stopped dead in his tracks, Draven bumping into his back. "Come again?" Kenna asked.

I took off the snowflake locket, struggling to open it. I wanted to see if my suspicion about the 'it' was correct. Once I did, I showed it to him. "There's me, and there's my parents. You can clearly see the red hair with streaks of light blue." I put the necklace back on as we continued walking, slowly migrating to the back of the pack. "What I'm wondering is how I changed from fire to ice."

He was staring thoughtfully at Ackerley's back, not truly seeing it. "It is possible." He muttered.

"Explain, please." I said, furrowing my brow.

He grabbed my arm, dragging me to the front where Draven was. As we passed Ackerley, he took him with us. He pushed me to Draven's other side while he kept Ackerley on his left. "I need a slight detour that could add as much as an hour or two to our journey. My question for you two is, do I just take the girl or does the whole group come?"

"Where are you going?" Draven asked.

"I'm going to the Central Library."

"It's not that far. What do you think, Ackerley? Should we let them go?"

Ackerley nodded. "I'm fine with it. Kenna can protect them and Elvira can cause damage if needed."

I pipped up from Draven's right. "I can also accidentally kill Kenna instead of the attackers. Don't try to use a broken weapon, guys."

Draven pointed at me with his thumb. "She has a point."

Ackerley shook his head. "Kenna can protect them. Besides, by inviting her to come with him, he is placing her under his protection by law. He has to take care of her. With that logic, they'll be fine."

Draven nodded. "I agree. You can go, just meet us at the Silver Eagle Inn and Pub by sundown. If you don't, we come after you."

"Deal." Kenna said before again grabbing my arm and dragging me away from the group. Behind us, I could hear the others asking questions.

"Where are they going?"

"What are they doing?"

"Can I go with them?"

"Why are they leaving us?"

They were asking more questions, but we were quickly lost in the crowd that I just now realized had been with us the whole time. Kenna's hand slipped down my arm until he was holding my wrist rather than my upper arm. He dragged me through the crowd, keeping me close or letting me go first in the tight spots. We traveled through the city for about half an hour and in that whole time he never let go of my wrist. We approached a gigantic building which Kenna directed me through as if he owned it.

We only stopped when we came to a section close to the back. Once we were there, he gently let go of me, placing his hand lightly on my shoulder and his head close to my ear. He was so close I could feel his lips graze my ear as he whispered to me. "How about you sit down at one of the tables, I shouldn't be long. It's cold enough in here that you can take off your cloak without overheating. I'll rejoin you shortly."

I did as I was told, sitting in one of the chairs in the corner and taking off my cloak. I laid it neatly on the table next to me before idly fishing around in the pockets. I turned up nothing more than the nightgown I had gotten from Akiro's mom. Looking closer, I found one small pocket in the middle of the back. Reaching in, I pulled out a small bag of powder, which I put back for Kenna to look at later.

Getting bored, I looked around. I was surrounded by books that seemed to be older than my family line, not that I could remember how far back we go. I would have read the one nearest to me but I was afraid of breaking it if I touched it so I opted for reading all the titles, counting as I went. I had reached at least two hundred before a heavy book was placed on the table and Kenna sat in the seat beside me. I quickly brought my head back to its natural position, having had it tilted back to read the higher titles.

Unfortunately, I had moved too fast and pulled a muscle slightly. "Ouch." I muttered, discreetly rubbing it.

He chuckled. "Yeah, that hurts. Anyways." He sobered within a second as he reverently placed a hand on the book in front of us. "This is the Book of Mixes. Centuries ago, a brilliant scholar brought all known information about them and put it into this book, adding his own notes in the margins or even within the text. I used to study this for hours on end every day when I was still a child."

As he was talking, he carefully opened the cover and flipped through the contents with confidence. He knew exactly what he was looking for and went straight there. My eyes were focused on his hands the whole time. They were slightly rough from recent physical labor but looked like the hands of a scholar, which he had been.

His fingers suddenly came up to snap in my face, breaking me out of my study of his hands. "Found it." He muttered as his other hand scanned down the page.

I leaned a bit closer so I could look over his shoulder. "What does it say?"

"It talks about a mix switching power. Here it is. 'A true mix can switch powers as many times as they want.'" He read off. "'Yet, they can only switch between their parents' powers. There are two ways of doing it. The first yet least common is that a traumatic event must take place in their life. The second and more common but still slightly more rare than mixs themselves is that they can train their mind to change between powers. This is easier done if both parent powers are of equal strength, light and shadow as example.’” He looked up at me.

"What does that mean for me?" I asked.

He sighed, both of us leaning back in our chairs. "It means that you must have switched powers, simple as that."

"But how? I don't remember any traumatic event, unless the tree counts but I don't remember that, and I think I would remember if I had trained my mind to do it."

He snapped his long fingers. "There is a way. Back to the depths of the shelves." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"

"Wait, you want me to come with you this time?"

He nodded, his gummy grin on display now that he was in familiar territory. "The last time I wasn't sure how long I would take. This time, I know exactly where this book is since it's seldom used."

I nodded in excitement as I eagerly put my hand in his. "Sure, let's do this."

He pulled me up, grabbing my cloak from the table and handing it to me to hold while he carried the Book of Mixes. He led me through the labyrinth that is the bookshelves, heading deeper into the Library. I smiled at how he nodded to the few bookworms that we passed, wizard and actual worm. Fascinating creatures, bookworms. I may need to look up more about them later but for now, Kenna stopped. I almost bumped into his back, he stopped so abruptly.

He turned around. "Sorry about that, but we're here." He moved to the side for me to see a large bookcase.

Somewhere along the way, he had disposed of the Book of Mixes so he was able to scramble up the ladder like some sort of spider monkey. I took a few steps back while looking up in order to keep him within my sights. He stopped at one shelf and slowly scooted the ladder to his right. I could see his hand moving along the spines, reading each one he came across until he finally pulled one out and practically flew down to the ground.

"Found it!" He said, holding it up in the air.

I looked at it, then back at him. "What am I looking at?" I asked.

He frowned, slowly lowering the ancient book back to his side before clasping it in both arms. "Vale's right. You can be rude." His lower lip came out slightly in a mock pout.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a filter and I really want to know what I'm doing." I spoke honestly, trying to get back on his good side.

He nodded, transferring the book to one hand so he could hold the other up in defeat. "Alright, alright. No need to get touchy."

He led the way back to the table, placing the book on the surface before seating himself again. He gestured for me to sit down. I did so, again leaning over his shoulder. Just as before, my eyes were captivated by his hands as they sped through the book, this time pausing every now and then to scan a certain page before going back to flipping. His hands once again stopped at a specific page before he turned his head to look at me.

"Right here." He said, pointing at a paragraph. "It says," he turned his head back to read it out loud but still quiet. "'To train one's mind to conquer their powers, one must have a high IQ. They must also have patience and endurance. It will take time. If they try hard enough, a mix has the ability to change between their parent powers. Not only will their power change, but also their hair. It is most wise to have a spare cloak that corresponds to that power to make for easier switching. Depending on the experience level of the mix, it can take from two minutes to two hours to change powers.' It goes on to describe how you are able to change. Do you want to try it, see if any of the steps seem familiar to you?"

"Heck, yeah I do. If it means figuring out which power I can control better, fire or ice, then I'm willing to try. Where do you want to do it, just in case it gets ugly."

He thought for a minute before grabbing my wrist and dragging me from my seat, him picking up the book while I grabbed my cloak. I got tired of carrying it around, so I tied the sleeves carefully around my waist. Eventually, Kenna stopped just long enough to push open a door before continuing onward. We came to another halt as we were faced with yet another intimidating piece of wood. He pushed it open with his shoulder, gesturing for me to go first. I gave him a quick mock curtsy before going in.

I was met with a large room that matched the imposing door we had to get past. It seemed like it was an abandoned ballroom, which is crazy since this is a library. Kenna came up behind me and guided me over to a table with a hand on the center of my back. "Yes, this is a ballroom." He muttered into my ear as he placed the book down and turned it back to our page.

I moved to face him. "Can you read my mind now?" I asked sarcastically.

He smirked. "No. It's just what everyone thinks when they see this room." He turned to survey the grand room, his hands clasped elegantly behind his back. "The Central Library used to be a palace until a stupid king decided to make a new one in a different spot, close to the city wall. Not easily defended. The old palace became the Library, only a few modifications necessary. Most of the bedrooms were converted into sections of the library while a few remained bedrooms for the librarians. This room did not have a purpose in the new library and was easily forgotten. Now, shall we start?" He turned, cloak flaring slightly as he strode back to the table.

"You know, you do cut a very dashing figure." I muttered.

He turned to me, smirk still in place. "My thanks, I do try."

I waved a hand at him, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just read the first instruction."

He chuckled. "Sit in the center of the room and close your eyes. You have to trust me for this."

"Surprisingly, I do." I said over my shoulder as I unhesitatingly made my way to the center, laying down.

I once again heard his chuckle. "I said sit , not lay down . Up, please, Elvira."

I sat up, eyes still closed. "I'm ready."

I heard the sound of his boots against the floor, coming in my direction. The rustle of cloth and a small grunt told me that he was sitting in front of me, the book most likely on his lap. "Alright. Next, you have to reach into your mind. Back to where you had gone in the backyard. But first, I want to know if you had heard anything we had been saying when you had gone there."

I shrugged. "I don't really remember. I was more focused on figuring out what the place was. Can you go ahead and give me the step after that, just for good measure?"

"You need to find any memories of using the other power, in your case it's fire, and see if you can call it. I recommend the simplest trick, a small flame dancing above your palm."

"Nice. Simple, yet elegant. I like the way you think, boy."

"One, I'm older. Two, just do it."

"Alright, grandpa."

I reached inside my mind for the second time today, finding the string easily. I tugged it, allowing myself to be pulled back into my mind's room. Instead of looking around, I headed straight for the fire wall. Scanning the portals, I grabbed a ladder that was nearby and propped it up. The twenty that I had last seen were still there, along with three more. Looking at the new three, I saw myself playing with the flames in the middle one so I decided to touch that one, instantly getting sucked into the memory.

Unlike last time, I was actually seeing this as first person rather than seeing myself. It may have been that I had only heard stories of that memory that it had turned into a half memory. Anyways, I looked around, not disrupting the scene. I reach into the thoughts that came with the memory, thoughts that are strangely clear. I see how I am forming the fire on my palm and memorize it, committing it to my current memory and making sure that I have it down before I pull back.

I open my eyes to see the ballroom, now slightly darker yet lit by candles. "How long?" I asked.

"About an hour, maybe longer. We have another three-quarters of an hour to meet the group at the Silver Eagle." Kenna was still sitting in front of me. I could now see that he was sitting Indian style with the book closed and off to the side. "Now," he said, "let's see what you've got. Your hair changed, that's for sure."

I pulled a lock over my shoulder and found it to be an almost strawberry red with streaks of light blue running through it. It must have been stunning. Focusing on my palm, I thought back to how I had seen myself do it in my memories. I called the fire from within me rather than the ground like the ice. It easily came and stayed controlled in my hand.

I looked up at Kenna in shock. "Cool!"

"No. Fire is hot, not cold. Ice is cold. Did you mess up your head in there or something?"

I let the small flame dissipate before pushing his shoulder. "Brat."

He gently pushed my shoulder back. "Rat."

It became a shoving war, both of us taking turns hitting the other's shoulder and saying a playful insult. The game didn't last long as we both soon grew tired of it. Kenna eventually stood, helping me to my feet before allowing his eyes to scan my figure. I gave an exaggerated twirl.

He smirked slightly. "You should probably let me put your cloak in one of my pockets. It's safer for a person to walk around without a cloak than with the wrong type."

I agreed, handing it over. "I will get it back once we rejoin the others, right?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's go." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the ballroom, depositing the book on a cart filled with similar ones before we made our way out the door.

"What is it with you dragging me around?" I muttered. "Is it fun for you or is it instinct?" I liked the way it made me feel cared for so I wasn't complaining, simply asking a question.

"Hmm?" He looked back at me, then down at his hand on my wrist. "Sorry." With one fluid movement, he moved his hand from clutching my wrist to intertwining his fingers with mine, holding my hand. "This better?"

I sighed, giving up on him. After a half hour straight of sitting cross-legged on the ground, it felt good to be walking. I surveyed my surroundings, looking at the tall buildings around us. There were people everywhere with all different cloaks. I saw the colors that I had become accustomed to: red for fires, green for earths, brown for healings, dark blue for waters, yellow for lights, grey for shadows, and light blue for ices. Mixed in with that are crème colored ones that seemed to be in constant movement, obviously winds.

The animals were the most interesting to see. They had cloaks that looked like animal skins, which I guessed told of a specific type of animal while there were others who simply had a bright orange. The mixs seemed to get the most fun with theirs. Some had it like stripes, others had solid halves, still others had it as their dormant being spots on their dominant background. I wondered how many of them decided to keep their second power hidden and walk around with a normal cloak.

My attention focused back on Kenna, his dark red hair that just barely brushed the tops of his eyes and the back of his neck, his shoulders that were almost as broad as Ackerley's. Now that I was walking next to him, I could see that I came up to his shoulder. He wasn't as tall as the others, about average height for a man.

"Enjoying the view?" Kenna's voice broke me out of my revery.

"I might be." I teased back.

He chuckled, briefly squeezing my hand. We kept walking for a while, staying on main paths, until we came to a part of town that seemed cozier than the rest. As if less crime went on here, if that's even possible. It looked friendlier, that's for sure. Nestled between a cobbler and cloak maker was the Silver Eagle. It had a beautiful sign above the door, proclaiming what it was. Kenna pushed me over to a side alley before turning me around to face him.

"How about we have a bit of fun shall we?" He asked with a wicked grin.

"How?"

"I give you back your cloak and you keep the hood up until we get to their table or room. Before we go in, we can stop off at the cloaker and get you a red one. I'm definitely not letting you use mine."

I shrugged. "I'm game for both. Also, don't get so defensive of your smelly old cloak anyways. As you said, you're older than me, you never know how much junk you have stuffed into the pockets."

He gently whacked the back of my head before walking out of the alley, me on his heels. It took us about a quarter of an hour to get the measurements for the new cloak and for me to pick the shade of red. The cloaker had assured us that we could pick it up in the morning.

It took my eyes a second to adjust to the dark interior of the pub part of the Inn and Pub. I had retrieved my ice cloak from Kenna and now needed to endure the chilly atmosphere within it while we tried to find the others. They were hiding at the back of the pub, a few already having mugs of beer. I laughed when I saw that Vale was stuck with lemonade.

"Pull up a chair!" Akiro said as soon as he caught sight of us.

I had my hood up so I just nodded as I sat between Vale and Kenna. "Do you want anything?" Ackerley asked.

"Maybe food and a lemonade." I replied.

Kenna nudged my arm, leaning over to talk to the others. "Says the girl who just laughed at the youngest for having lemonade."

I pushed him away. "That's different."

"How so?"

"He's male . It's expected behavior for him to have beer. I, on the other hand, am fe male, meaning that I'm expected to have a lady-like drink."

"Then someone get the girl a glass of wine."

I chuckled. "Very funny, grandpa."

He scowled. "I don't even know how old you are but you shouldn't disrespect your elders."

"Ha! For all we know I could be the eldest at the table, so shut your mouth, young man."

Beryl burst out laughing at my statement, almost falling out of his chair if Caol hadn't grabbed him and shoved him back. "It seems that you two have gotten close in the space of your two hours together." Draven observed.

I looked at Kenna. "We found mutual subjects, yes."

"Really?" Vale said. "Name three?"

Kenna smirked. "One, we are both sarcastic."

"How is that a 'mutual subject'?"

Kenna continued as if he hadn't heard him. "Two, we have found a mutual love for all things relating to books."

"Well, you know I'm an avid reader, Kenna." Beryl said. "You could have come to me if you wanted to talk about books."

He again ignored the interruption. "Three, we both like a certain subject that would not appeal to Beryl. Shall we show them, Elvira?"

I nodded. "Now, or later?" I knew he wanted me to do it now, I just wanted to keep them in suspense for a little while longer.

Ackerley leaned forward. "Now you have to show us." He said before Akiro pulled him back in his chair.

"Alright, give me a second." I said, motioning with my hands for them to settle down. Kenna nodded at me as I slowly pulled my hood back before letting it fall to my shoulders, exposing my new hair.

"Nice!" Akiro yelled as he leaned forward, gathering a few stares from surrounding tables. "You got your hair dyed! Although, you missed a few parts." His face turned serious as he studied the 'missed' parts.

I giggled. "Akiro? Never grow up."

"You see," Kenna said, "I've been telling him the complete opposite since I first met him. Now, you're just ruining my hard work."

"Like you were getting anywhere with the three year old." Vale mumbled before taking a sip of his lemonade.

While they were busy arguing, either Ackerley or Draven had ordered food and it arrived as they were still debating on whether to let Akiro grow up or not. I left them to their talk while I dug in, not having anything since breakfast this morning and it now being evening. Kenna was eating calmly beside me while still talking with the others.

Once we were finished eating, Draven cleared his throat. "Alright. I have a few important questions before we go to our rooms. Elvira, are you comfortable with sleeping in the same room as us or do you want your own room?"

I smiled at their care of me. "I think I would feel safer in the same room as you guys."

He nodded. "Good. Now, since they only allow four to a room and we have eight, who wants to room with who?"

The debate for rooms went on almost as long as the Akiro's age one did. It was eventually decided that Ackerley, Beryl, Caol, and Vale would share one room while Kenna, Draven, Akiro, and I would get the second room. Draven had already rented the rooms, so we all just went up and said goodnight at the doors.

I found a way to hang my cloak in the corner in a way that would allow me to change without the others seeing. I stayed there until they said I could come out, them having finished changing as well. Most of them had changed into what looked to be thin shirts and pants but Akiro didn't even bother with the shirt. I giggled at him and his cheeky grin before putting my cloak on the ground, inside facing the floor, so I could use it as a mat. Laying my head down, I felt something slightly poking into my arm. Looking at it, it was the bag. I pulled it out and turned to look at Kenna, who was already asleep. I shook my head and put it back, determined to ask him tomorrow. That night, I fell asleep to the comforting sound of the others' breathing.

Day 3

I woke up the next morning feeling a bit disjointed with the world. The others were still sleeping so I quickly got dressed, eyes still trained on the sleeping forms of the three grown men. I smiled as I saw that Draven had laid in front of the door, ready to use his shadow powers to defend us if needed. I then frowned as I realized that the door opened inward, leaving me with no way of seeing if the four boys in the room next door were awake. I leaned against the wall, tapping lightly. Surprisingly, someone tapped back.

I whispered the first name that came to mind. "Caol?"

"Wow, the walls are thin." I had guessed wrong, it was Vale. "Also, good morning, Elvira."

"Morning, Vale. Are the others up or is it just us?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nope." Even so, it didn't sound convincing.

"Sure. You do realize that you have a slight hitch to your voice and it goes up when you lie?"

"As well as when I sing, but that's irrelevant."

"Now I'm curious. Can you sing without waking the others?"

"I can sing while waking them, they need to get up anyways."

I laughed, putting a hand in front of my mouth to keep it down. "I can't stop you, go for it. Just, don't wake the guests on your other side."

"Shoot, I forgot about those guys. Oh, well, let's get the others up."

I heard him start singing. I have no idea what language we are using since I instinctively started using it, but he swapped to a different language that was beautiful in the way it flowed off his tongue and out his mouth. It was soothing while being totally foreign to me. Soon enough, I heard Caol start shouting before Vale shushed him. Caol seemed to be in the same language as Vale was because I have no idea what he was yelling. Eventually, once he was calmed down, I could hear Caol sit down on the other side of the wall.

"Good morning, Elvira." He said.

"Morning. What did he do, freeze you?"

"Yeah, was I too loud?" I could imagine him rubbing the back of his neck.

"A bit. I didn't mind it, but I can't say the same for the neighbors. What was that you were speaking with Vale just now?"

"Well, that's a language that all of us know. Do you want to learn it?"

"Sure. Maybe you could teach me a bit at breakfast?"

"Fine with me."

I had my head leaning back against the wall, eyes closed as I conversed with the other side. My head shot forward and my eyes flew open when a weight suddenly found its way onto my lap. I held the back of my neck in pain while looking at the red mop of hair attached to the person who's head currently occupied my lap.

"Kenna, what are you doing?"

"You guys are so loud. Also, you really need to stop moving your head so fast. Ask Ackerley to deal with it later. For now, shut up."

Another tired voice joined us from the other room. "Good morning, Kimana, Kenna."

"Morning, Beryl." I said.

Absentmindedly, I started to run my fingers through Kenna's hair, only realizing it when he nuzzled my hand. "Sorry!"

He chuckled. "Just keep going, it feels good." I did as requested, Kenna being in a talkative mood. "I blame this on Beryl."

"How so?" He piped up from the other side. "Wait, what is getting blamed on me?"

"Me turning into a half cat." Kenna retorted. He once again nuzzled my hand, this time placing his own on top of mine and moving it until I picked up on his intent.

"Oh. Yes, you can blame that on me."

"He always wants to be pet if he's had a bad day." Kenna explained.

"I didn't ask."

"Sometimes, your body language gives you away."

Draven woke up with a start, muttering something about not breaking something. He looked around and tried to keep his eyes open. He briefly waved at us before collapsing back onto his cloak.

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Not-a-morning-person." I muttered as I scratched Kenna behind the ear.

Kenna actually giggled. "How long did you stay up, man?"

"Quite late. Why, is it obvious?"

"Kind of." "Yes." Kenna and I both answered at the same time, Kenna coming right out to say it as I tried for the nicer approach.

Draven laughed. "Thanks. You guys are so helpful."

Looking around the room, Akiro was still asleep while I could hear all the boys from the other room moving around. I felt myself drifting off to sleep again and allowed it to claim me, for some reason sensing that we won't be moving out any time soon.

✽✽

Our lives were intertwined from that day forward, we became family. We were all constantly there for each other, backing one another up. It seemed that we took on a moto, just like a band of fighters from old, "One for all and all for one." We were forever there for each other.

I learned how to control my ice and sporadically changed powers to keep it interesting and the boys on their toes. It was fun watching the others prank each other, even more so when they pulled me into the planning. I found that I preferred ice but loved to use my fire as well. Vale and Kenna taught me how to do tricks with the respective elements. The small bag of powder that I had found turned out to be a color changing powder. If sprinkled on the cloak, it would change it to whatever color I desired. I had fun changing occasionally to the others colors and confusing them.

The End.

[cremedelacremefanfic]

Crème de la Crème: 39

Ashton

“So what? You about to just fuck and duck?”

She laughed as she used a towel to dry her damped hair “To my defense, I was trying to be as quiet as I could be.”

“You got somewhere to be?” I asked looking over at the clock seeing that it was barely nine o'clock.

I could see her momentarily debating if she should tell the truth or not “No, I actually don’t.” She finally said.

“Then why you tryna get away from me so fast? You regretting last night or something?” I said as I sat up

“Yeah, because I’m going to just give my virginity to someone and move on with my life.” She said and rolled her eyes

“That’s how it seems.” I countered

She probably was having second thoughts about us having sex but didn’t know how to admit it.

She sighed before walking over to where I was “Let’s be honest here…” She began “What did us having sex even accomplish? Yeah, we got rid of all sexual tension that’s been built up for all these months but what else?” She questioned. 

I cocked my head to the side as I looked at her. My eyes wandered over her thick ass frame. I couldn’t help myself, shorty was bad as fuck and I just wanted her to drop that towel and get back in bed with me. 

“ASHTON!” She yelled, breaking me from my thoughts. “What Eve?”

“What are we really doing? Huh? We fucked but the question still remains the same, what are we doing?” She asked as I sighed, running my hand over my face. 

“I like you, Eve, I don’t see how you don’t see that shit. I brought you a dog and threw you that party. I legit have feelings for you baby.” 

“That don’t mean shit!” Clearly, she wanted to argue while I, on the other hand, want to slide back between her thick ass thighs and give her some more of this dick. 

I threw the sheets off my body and sat on the side of the bed and stood to my feet. “Come here.” Looking up to her she stood at the end of the bed and gave me a stupid ass look. 

I walked over to her and grabbed her, pulling her roughly to me and wrapping my arms around her body. “Why the fuck you make shit so fuckin’ complicated for?”

“Ashton, I’m not about to be like Adrienne, you’re not gonna do me like you do her. I’m not anyone’s fuck buddy that’s go-”

“Shut up, Evie. Did I say you were just a damn fuck buddy? You and her are not even on the same level. I like you, shit I see myself building some shit with you. I fucked you raw, something I’ve never done in my adult life, so trust me when I say that I’m not gonna treat you like that girl. That was just sex but, us, this is something different.” 

I looked down into her eyes, as she stared back at me. I knew she thought I was running game on her but I wasn’t. I really liked this girl even when I tried not to like her, I caught myself missing and wanting her every day. 

“Ashton, don’t play me. I will beat your ass.” I chuckled and placed my lips by her ear. “I’m not gonna play you, now drop the towel, Eve.” I whispered in her ear.

She dropped her towel as I stepped back and admired her naked body. I licked over my lips and smirked. 

I turned her body around and pushed her back on my bed. Automatically, she spread her legs for me. My eyes went straight to that pretty ass pussy of hers. I swear she got some gold between her thighs. 

I would never admit that to her though.  Arming her with that kind of ammo would surely be the death of me.

Evie: 

I looked up at Ashton who wore a smirk on his face as he eyed me with hunger in his eyes. I can’t even lie and say that this man didn’t rock my entire world. If this was the kind of dick I was missing all these years then I was mad as hell. 

He grabbed my ankle and pulled me towards him forcefully, he gripped my thighs. He laid down on top of me, stroking his already hard dick. I didn’t know why he was making me feel like this. 

I didn’t want to get attached to this nigga but the way he put it down on me, I just knew he was going to have me doing things I never even thought of doing for a man. 

He pushed inside of me, causing my lips to part. 

“Shit... slow down,” I told him, he pushed all the way inside of me as my walls gripped and tugged on his long, thick pole. I felt myself gushing over his dick as soon as he entered me. 

He grumbled sexily as he got on his knees and placed my thighs in the cooks of his arm as he hammered his pole into my spot. 

My moans soon turned to screams as he hit a spot that I didn’t even know I had. I swear a bitch felt this nigga dick in my fucking stomach. “I’m a turn yo little ass out.” He growled into my ear, biting it softly. 

His words alone turned me all the way on. My clit throbbed as he kissed my lips sloppily. His tongue intertwined with mine while he pounded inside of me so hard that the bed shook along with my body. 

I had a big problem on my hands with this man for sure. Since getting a sample of this dick, I swear I didn’t want to share and I wasn’t. 

____

“How you feel Eve?” Sean asked as he slid into a seat next to me

“Tired,” I said as sunk into the plane’s plush seat

“How you come off a vacation feeling tired?” He questioned

My eyes closed as I leaned against the window “Extraneous activities.” I said softly.

The last couple of days of the trip, Ashton made it his mission to try to wear me out and he definitely succeeded. My body was sore and I planned on spending the entire plane ride home resting.

“Whatever nigga, you barely did anything,” He said sucking his teeth

I waved him off “Just because I didn’t do much with you negros, doesn’t mean nothing was accomplished. It ain’t always about you, Sean” I teased.

Ashton boarded the plane next, taking a seat on the opposite side of me. “What y’all over here talking about?” He questioned as his hand brushed against my skin softly and quickly. 

it was so quick that I don’t even think that Sean even noticed. My eyes met Ashton as he wore a slick smirk on his face before I ripped my eyes away from his. 

I shouldn’t even be attracted to this jack ass but my crazy ass found everything about this fool attractive. From the way he licked his perfect lips to his asshole persona. 

I was as crazy as he was. 

“Nigga where you been at for the last few days?” Sean asked, his brows dipped in confusion. I looked back and forth between the two before staring at Ashton. 

“Yeah, where you been?” I wanted to see the excuse that he came up with. I knew that the crew knew that we liked each other or whatever. I was curious as to what this crazy fool would say. 

“Unlike you two, I  actually had to work.” he said looking in between Sean and me "And remember, we did that thing yesterday” He responded looking at me as my eyes grew widely at his response. My head snapped towards Sean who wore an unreadable expression which kinda scared me. 

Sean and August were super overprotective of me and damn near worst than my own blood brother.

“Y’all did a thing, without us?” August overhead Ashton talking and came and leaned on Sean’s seat

“I-it was a last-minute thing, it was a concert thing that we stumbled upon” What we had was low key a date. Ashton wanted to do something fun together before we left so he took me to dinner and a show.

“Y’all fake as fuck, I like Spanish music” August said

“It was Portuguese.” I smiled

“Same shit bro, we do things as a squad! No man left behind.” August 

“Y’all left me behind that one time” Ashton interjected

“She didn’t like you at the time nigga, that shit don’t count.” he said causing us to chuckle

Sean has yet to say anything and his silence was starting to get to me.

“We should leave Evie alone, she said she was tired earlier.” he finally spoke “You know we will talk about this shit when we get home.” Sean stated lowly in my ear as he kissed my cheek and headed to his original seat

August followed suit.

I let out a heavy breath, taken aback by his response. “He knows and he’s going to murder me when we land.” Ashton smirked as he took the seat Sean was previously in, he lacing his long fingers with mine “He don’t know shit.”

“He will if you continue doing shit like this.” I mumbled throwing my blanket over our hands

Ashton

10 1/2 hours later.....

We had finally landed back in Los Angeles and I was over-excited about being back home. I loved vacationing but this vacation was one for the books. From the business part to Evie finally letting a nigga in and breaking her walls down.

“So....” 

Evie's sweet voice filled my ears as she stood in front of me. I leaned against my car, watching her nervously place a strand of hair behind her ears. “So what? Why you acting like this?” I palmed her waist, pulling her close to me. 

We’d just pulled up to her home from the airport. I wanted her to go home with me but she was adamant about going home to spend some time with her best friend and brother. 

“Acting Like what, Ashton?”

“Acting timid and nervous.” I leaned down, kissing her lips softly.  

“This.” she said simply looking up at me “It all happened so quick, how do I know I’m not just some fling that you’ll get bored within the next two weeks?” she asked

“You really think sex is about to change everything we been through over the last few months?” I asked

I knew she was untrusting, her bitch ass step-pops was the blame for this being the main bump we always had to get over but, I needed her to understand that I wasn’t going to switch up on her.

“Eve, I promise you, you’re the only woman that has ever had me like this. I’ve never been tied up in a relationship because if I did it’ll distract me from my work and responsibilities. So I hit up bitches from time to time but nothing like this.” I broke down to her

“I’m not a bitch.”

“Out of everything I said, that’s what you heard?” I chuckled

She opened her mouth to speak when her front door swung open. “EVIE!!” My eyes widen with shock as his voice sounded through the yard

“What are you doing?” there was annoyance in her voice

“Tell your company you need to come in the house.” my face scrunched up “Sean, I just kno-”

“I SAID, tell yo company you gotta come in the house.” he repeated

“I’m literally both of y’all boss.”

“Look, don’t even argue with him, just go home, Ash.” Evie said

I kissed my teeth “I’ll hit you a little later.” I bent down and kissed the side of her mouth “I’ma beat this nigga ass one  day.” I went to place an actual kiss on her lips but Sean cleared his throat.

I kissed my teeth, I looked back at that nigga and mean mugged the fuck out of his ass. “Nigga shut the fuck up.” I grumbled. I kissed Evie lips softly, gripping her waist. 

“Bye baby.” I glared at Sean one more time as he stared at me with a  blank expression. 

I didn’t know what the fuck was this nigga problem but I was surely gonna find the fuck out what the fuck was going on. 

Sean

Evie slipped past me with her luggage and forcefully dropped her duffel bag on the floor next to her carry-on. She had the only attitude and I wasn’t with it.

I looked over at Tish who avoided my gaze.

“After almost an eleven-hour flight, before you go home and get some rest, you come to my house causing a scene?” Evie’s arms were now crossed as her foot tapped away at the floor

“Nobody caused no scene, plus I said we were going to talk when we got home, you rushed out the airport with that nigga so quick I couldn’t even get a word in.”

She kissed her teeth “Because I just know you’re gonna wanna argue with me about this shit Sean and I just don’t don’t have the energy for it.” She said

I shook my head “You should be thankful you got somebody looking out for you. I’m going against my own best friend for you.” I fussed

No one else was going to tell her, they would sit back and watch her get played then talk shit behind her back just like they do with Adrianne.

“And what exactly are you going against him for? He’s done nothing to you for him to be on your shit list.”

I’m convinced women just don’t be picking up on context clues. They see and hear what they want to and because of that, shit comes back to bite them in the ass.

Of course, I don’t want to throw my mans under the bus but Evie is a good girl and the last thing I’m tryna let happen is him do this girl wrong because she got a fat ass and pretty face.

“Eve.” I pinched the bridge of my nose “I’m 27 years old, I’ve known the man since I was 6. He’s not a bad person, but I’ve never and I do mean, never, seen him take any woman he’s messed with seriously. You’re fucking with a nigga that’s never been in love let alone a relationship.”

Her face scrunched “Wait… huh?” She scratched her head softly “Never?” She questioned

“No, when we were younger it was “none of these hoes impress me” but now as we’re older he says he’s not about to let no girl come in between him and his success.” I broke down to her “I’m not saying any of this to sabotage anything y’all got going on or trying to build, but as my homegirl, I just wanted to give you a fair warning of the type of nigga you dealing with.” I said

“And I do appreciate you for that, Sean. Whatever Ashton and I are doing is fairly new, I wasn’t trying to keep anything from either of you.” She spoke up, her attitude seemingly evaporated as she looked between Tish and me

“No one said you were, Evie, Sean is just telling you how his friend is. Regardless of what’s going on, this is your business but he’s just looking out for you.” Tish said finally breaking her silence

I nodded “Look, Eve, if you feel like you’re different then by all means, keep what y’all doing going. All I’m saying is that I think you should watch out for certain signs. Don’t let what I said change how you feel because Ash is older now and could be ready for a woman like you, just be careful sis.”

* * *

Flopping down on the bed, I pulled Tish down with me and onto my lap “You sure you don’t have to go get your baby?” I asked

She shook her head “Apparently she’s house shopping with her daddy.” She said with a slight roll of her eyes “I’m going to go get her in the morning though, we have a flight to Oakland tomorrow so she can meet the rest of the family.” She signed

Rubbing her thighs, I kissed her shoulder “How’s that going?” I asked

I was flabbergasted by Tish’s whole situation. At one point I saw where everyone one was coming from when they called her selfish but hearing her speak about her experiences, I got why she had to be selfish. Feeling alone at such a young age would drive anyone to do selfish irrational shit. I don’t agree with everything she did, but I understood and I believe that’s all she wanted from people.

She shrugged as her arms found their way around my neck “I hate that I have to be in this mess but I did it to myself, I’m dealing with it the best I can.” She smiled weakly “Enough about me, how was Argentina? Have fun?” She questioned

“If you’re trying to see if I was good or not, I was. I wasn’t fucking with none of those hoes.” I said

“You’re not my man, so I don’t care.” She said with a smirk

I chuckled “Ouch! That’s cold nigga.” I said in a joking tone

She shrugged as her smile grew wider “But it’s true.” She said

“Nah, see, because you been talking shit from the moment I boarded my plane to Buenos Aires.”

“Whatever, Sean.” she rolled her eyes

I couldn’t help but smile “Argentina was cool, I needed the vacation.” I finally answered her questioned

“Yeah because you work like a dog.” she said with a raised eyebrow

My fingers strummed her side softly “Work hard now, spend all my money and chill when I’m old.” I simply said “How do you feel about your interview next week?”

“I don’t know... I never saw you in super work mode before and I can’t thank you enough for getting me this interview.”

“You know you’re my girl, I gotta make your you got a secured job by the time you graduate and don’t even sweat it. You already know me, just because I’m one of the people conducting your interview shouldn’t make you sweat and my director is cool, so you have nothing to worry about.”

I already knew putting Evie and Tish under one roof was a recipe for chaos but definitely a risk I was willing to take. She was swiftly becoming one of my favorite people and making sure she was straight was a top priority.

[peacefulrevivalteen]

The Pop Plan

Cooking bonus Event for Round 2! @taiyuu-high-oct @snoopdoggkun @fentonblububelli @shimo-content

         Ever since they returned from their second round of battles Ozen has in her free time tirelessly searched of ways to try and repay Popi or at least show her appreciation for saving her round for her.

         Ozen has always preferred personal gifts, the sentimental person that she is, to her it’s telling the other person “Hey look! I appreciate you enough to make you something!” She even still has the balloon animal Popi made her, back at her house.

         So now she finds herself looking over the list she has made of what Popi likes and starts to go down the list to find something feasible.

         “She really likes fashion.. so that’s immediately out, already made her a balloon animal for her birthday.. Cursed dolls, mhm yeah nope, rat toys seem to be useless if they are free range rats so that’s also out.” She spends the next half hour like this, “no” after “no” after “no”, she’s honestly losing hope when her eyes finally land on it.. Cake Pops

         While it may seem easy enough, Ozen has to get around Her. Who is she? The biggest thorn in her side that existed months before school even started, the head of support Sherif.

         They first got to know each other after Ozen got her acceptance letter to the school, proceeding to eagerly put in her request for her hero outfit. The weeks leading up to the start of school saw constant arguments over email. Ozen’s current outfit a mere shadow of what she had planned, whether it be “grotesquely expensive to make a suit out of platinum”, “unfeasible to secure that much depleted uranium we aren’t the military,” or any of the other excuses Sherif liked to throw around, it was safe to say they were not on good terms.

         This tumultuous relationship is what Ozen suspects to be the reason that the western themed hero accepted Ozen’s parent’s silly request of BANNING their daughter from any heat oriented cooking appliances.

Her mom’s still have not gotten over the incident a couple years ago. So what she took the cookie tray out of the oven with her bare hands, severely scalding them and requiring a visit to the hospital. We all make mistakes.

         Sherif made the conscious decision to rig up such an elaborate protection system simply to keep Ozen away from the damn stove. Whenever she gets too close, those blasted light disks of Sherif’s block her way. She once pushed her luck and managed to get closer just for a special alarm to go off that resulted in multiple disk lights blocking her in. She only got out after Sherif sauntered her smirking self over and released her.

         This is for Popi, her best friend so she has to try her best to succeed. If this was a couple weeks earlier she would have no clue about going about such a task, but a certain transfer student with an electricity quirk and a penchant for setting off fire alarms recently changed that, giving her the opening she needs.

         Ozen found out, after one of the increasingly common quirk discharge and subsequent fire alarm that the system that runs those solid light disks reminiscent of Sherif’s own quirk, shuts down. This is understandable of course, they wouldn’t want Ozen to be stuck inside with no way out during a fire. Also after timing a couple she found that after the fire alarm is finally shut off through staff intervention there is a thirty minute period when the system reboots and recalibrates.

         Ozen doesn’t want to get in trouble for purposely triggering a fire alarm so she opts instead to catch the next instance of the dorm fire alarm being “Zeke’d” All she can do is prepare at this point, physically practicing the steps, committing them to muscle memory.

         Ozen’s time to shine came not even a week later, up in her room doing homework the fire alarm blares, aggravated residents call out Zeke’s name in exasperation, but not Ozen, because she has some damn friendship pops to make.

         She can’t waste any time, there is only a little extra time for everything, if she was right next to the kitchen, but she’s in her room. Ozen swings her window open and launches herself out of it with purpose, landing totally unharmed with a “whump” in front of the dorm entrance.

         She rushes inside catching sight of a very aggravated gargoyle “Where is he! Where the hell is Zeke!?” She calls out. Sensitive hearing must suck for this, but one gargoyle’s plight, is another best friend’s cake pop.

         Rushing to the fridge, Ozen starts quickly grabbing the supplies she has stocked up for a day such as this, placing them on the central kitchen island.  Just to make sure she isn’t wasting her time Ozen slides a foot cautiously towards the stove and… no light, good, just as expected.

         Ozen starts by preheating the Oven to a nice 350 Fahrenheit before heading back to the island. She proceeded to pour her ingredients into the bowl, placing the new mixture into an electric mixer, adjusting the speeds accordingly.

         Once finely mixed she starts pouring the batter, just in time too, the oven beeps itself in glorious recognition of its pre heated state, just as the fire alarm winds down and shuts off. Only thirty more minutes, Ozen will be cutting it close but she continues unperturbed.          She manages to get the dish in the oven not soon after, which leads to the most dangerous part, Waiting. This is the most important step, she believes she managed to get it in, in time to have it fully cooked before the system comes online.

         She’s right, and around 25 minutes later her toothpicks start coming back clean meaning she won’t be cutting it close at all, she just has to chill them in the refrigerator after the crumbling for 30 minutes, roll them into balls, stick them lollipops and dip them in.. chocolate… Melted chocolate she was so focused on being banned from the stove she forgot she’s banned from ALL heat related kitchen appliances, including the microwave.

         Ozen begins to internally panic, the chilling is going to take way too long, what is she going to do? She frantically looks around catching the attention of a couple of students who find it odd she has been so fast paced today.

         Ozen’s gaze finally lands on one student in particular, one always clad in their iconic jacket no matter the weather. The student with a frost quirk, Hiyasu Shimokizu.

         Her back is turned and it seemed she was talking to… Them of course it had to be Tokachi and Gakusa. She takes in deep breath and reminds herself she is doing this for her best friend.

         She runs with vigor over to them, the bunny girl raising her brow as Ozen makes her way closer.

         “Um, can we help you Ozzie-chan?” the small girl asks

         Ozen doesn’t stop to chat, instead choosing to pick up Shimo under her arms, surprising the poor girl who only let out a surprised “Waa?!”

         “I must borrow her really quick, no time for conflict” Ozen lets out rapidly turning back towards the kitchen, the students in the common area stop what they are doing as they watch the stoic Ozen run off with Shimo like some old arcade villain, her surprised yelps traveling with her all the way up to Ozen plopping her down in the kitchen.

         The absolutely flushed Shimo turns to look at Ozen, only managing a look of confusion as she catches her breath.

         “Shimokizu-san I need your help, can you recreate what you did the other day with those popsicles, to these?” she says, motioning to the bowl of proto cake pop.

         Still without words Shimo just nods and shoos Ozen out of the kitchen, and once making sure it’s safe, begins to cool the bowl down, Ozen watching on in muted interest as the area immediately around Shimo takes on a frosty appearance.

         Once finished Shimo walks over and hands the chilled bowl to Ozen, flushing at the thank you Ozen provides in return, heading back to her original group while Ozen rushes over to the island to begin rolling.

         Ozen manages to fully roll all 18 cake pops, albeit some lumpier than others, proceeds to quickly toss the bowl of chocolate into the microwave for a set 20 seconds. As the hum of the microwave churns she turns her attention upwards to the main array, the system that controls the physical light disks starting to glow.

         Shit, I’m out of time Ozen thinks to herself, the microwave beeps behind her and she doesn’t have any time left, she can’t leave it to cool so she just grabs the bowl with both hands to take it out, the sizzling emanating from her hands tells her she probably shouldn’t be doing this but she ignores it as she sets the bowl safely down on the table.

         She did it! Ozen managed to make her cake pops! She gives herself a little mental pat on the back before going in to start the dipping, it’s at that moment she notices the pink on her hands. Turning them over for inspection she finds that… she burned her hands.

          “Well fuck” she curses to herself, beginning to notice how silent the room got.

         Looking up for the source of silence she finds her fellow students collectively staring at the same spot, Ozen turns to find what it could be the cause and once she does understands perfectly as she catches sight Sherif standing in the entryway, a deep glower directed straight at her.

--------------------------------------------

         “That’s funny” her best friend remarks, swinging her legs on the bench as she munches on homemade cake pops

         “Yeah, my moms are furious with me” Ozen replies, looking over her newly bandaged hands.

         They sat like that for a while, just listening to the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore, the sunset slowly sinking into the horizon. It was peaceful, Ozen cherished moments like these.

         Popi is the first one to break the silence.

         “These taste terrible” she states, continuing to gaze at the ocean, munching never slowing down

         Ozen just stares at her friend, the whole situation and awkwardness of the day starts to get at her and she bursts out into a fit of laughter.

         Managing to calm herself down, Ozen returns her gaze to the darkening Ocean. “Yeah, I’m a terrible baker” she lets out with a smile.

         Another couple of minutes pass by before Ozen reaches down into her bag. “I picked up some pops from the bakery after getting out of the clinic, want these instead?”

         “Oh god yes” Popi responds immediately, tossing the homemade pop into the trash.

         The sun is now fully gone but they stay a little while longer, enjoying the calmness of the ocean.

         Popi eventually plops her head to the side, leaning on Ozen. “Thank you” she lets out.

         Ozen responds in kind, plopping her head to the side too, coming to rest atop Popi’s head. “Of course, what are friends for?”