#there’s just something so beautiful and magical about watching two men fall in love on the ice

[yaoiconnoisseur]

I finally read The Season by Linnetagain, and I am (unsurprisingly) absolutely obsessed over it lol. You should read it if you haven’t already.

[badkitty3000]

☕Love In The Time Of Cholera And Coffee ☕

Part One: Chapters 1-6

Five x Female Reader, Klaus x Female Reader

You and Klaus are in a casual relationship. No ties, just sex. When you start spending a lot of time at his apartment, you somehow manage to break through his brother's prickly outer shell. He seems to like you, or at least tolerate you the best that Five can. When you start to realize that maybe there is more than just mutual friendship between the two of you, it opens up a lot of feelings and unanswered questions. And a lot of problems.

This story contains sexually explicit material! (But also lots of humor and fluff)

Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Multi-Chapter Fic, Cross-posted on AO3. Link to my Master List.

This story alternates between the reader's POV and Five's POV. I will update a chapter at a time going forward. If you'd like to read it on AO3's format, here is the Link to story on AO3.

Thank you for reading!

Chapter One: Motivation, Routine, and Caffeine

You have been sort of dating Klaus for several weeks already. Not exactly his girlfriend and not exactly not his girlfriend. You are something in between and you are ok with that. You don’t need a major commitment and you are content with a casual relationship. Maybe not forever, but for right now it suits your needs. Klaus is fun and easygoing, and always makes you feel relaxed. He can be selfish sometimes, that is true, but you are willing to overlook it for the most part. As long as he doesn’t bring his selfishness into the bedroom, which so far he has not, then you could live with it.

The sex is good. Which is probably the real reason you’ve been hanging around so long. Without the sex, there isn’t a whole lot keeping you there. You don’t have a lot in common, except that you both like watching old English-dubbed Samurai movies on TV late at night while passing a joint back and forth. You don’t even like smoking that much, but Klaus has a way of making everything seem alluring and sexy, so you never hesitate when he takes a long hit off a joint and hands it over to you.

You spend a lot of your time at his apartment. You work a lot of hours, and sometimes have to work late, and his apartment is much closer than yours. That’s actually where you had met Klaus, at the bakery and coffee shop that you manage. He had come in for a tea and started making small talk with you. Before you knew it, he had you cracking up when he made a joke about eating your muffin. You weren’t even offended; that’s just part of the magic of Klaus. He can say pretty much anything and get away with it.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s one of the most beautiful men on the planet. Honestly, sometimes you’re jealous of how every single piece of clothing looks amazing on him and he never seems to have a bad hair day. Being with Klaus is like walking around in the company of some ancient Greek sculpture come to life. He draws eyes wherever he goes, from both men and women, and he’s never shy about returning the looks, either.

He likes to go shopping with you to help you pick out clothes, and he always lets you know if they look good on you or not. He’s funny, and sweet, and it’s very easy to fall under his spell. With Klaus you get the best of both worlds; a fun best friend that you can share clothes and gossip with, but who you also get to fuck.

That initial run-in with him eventually led to a few hook ups, and now you are a regular visitor at his place. It works out well. He always stays up late, so it’s no big deal if you swing by on your way out of work at midnight.

You are also working a lot in order to hopefully buy the shop from the current owner. Soon, you’ll have enough cash, along with a loan from the bank, to buy it. And you already run the place, anyway. It has always been a dream of yours to be able to own your own business.

So, between the long hours and financial preparation for the purchase, you don’t have a whole lot of free time. Most of what you do have, you spend with Klaus since it’s convenient and fun. Which, as it turns out, means you are also spending a lot of time with his brother.

You knew from the beginning who Klaus was. You know all about The Umbrella Academy and the Hargreeves family, because everyone does. Not that they’re really a household name anymore, but you know all about their history and their powers. So, when you found Klaus shared an apartment with Number Five, you were intrigued. You knew he had gone missing for a long time, but didn’t really know the whole story. Klaus had filled you in one night, though, and you were left feeling sorry and sad for him. That is, until you met him.

The first time you were there, sitting on the couch with Klaus watching TV, Five had teleported directly into the living room and scared the living shit out of you. After you screamed, he looked at you like you were some sort of flea-ridden possum that had gotten inside the house when someone left the door open.

“Holy shit!” you had shrieked, clutching at your chest and trying to catch your breath.

Without addressing you in any way, or introducing himself, Five glared at you, then turned to Klaus with a scowl. “Keep your feet off the coffee table. And stop leaving the goddamn milk out.”

Then he was gone again, in a swoosh of light, leaving you staring at an empty space.

“Wow, that was intense. Does he always do that?” you had asked Klaus.

Klaus just laughed and nodded, putting his feet back up on the coffee table. “Oh yeah, that’s just Five. You get used to it.”

“He seems kind of scary. And angry.”

“Fivey? Oh no, not at all. My big brother is really just a mushy little teddy bear all dressed up in a three-piece suit. Trust me, his bark is much bigger than his bite.” Then Klaus creased his eyebrows together in thought and pointed his joint at you. “But, maybe try not to piss him off too much. Just in case.”

Because of what you learned about Five’s time travel mishaps, he looked younger than Klaus and a few years younger than you. You were somewhere in between the two of them. But Five definitely had the grumpy, older brother thing down. After you got used to him appearing and disappearing without warning, you started to loosen up around him a little bit. Even though Klaus told you he was really a softy inside, you have a hard time believing it from the way he acts around you. After several weeks straight of being ignored, you decide to call him out on his bullshit.

Five appears out of a portal of blue directly in front of you as you are on your way to the bathroom. As usual, he gives you his signature sneer and is about to walk past you when you grab him by the arm. He looks down at his arm where your hand is and then back at your face; a murderous glint in his eyes.

“What the hell is your problem?” you ask him, doing your very best not to show your nerves.

“My problem? I don’t have a problem, thank you. Now let go of me.”

His voice is hard, but he also hasn’t tried to pull away, and you keep your hand on him. His upper arm is much firmer and solid than you had expected and you can feel his bicep flexing under your fingers.

“Why are you always so rude? I haven’t done anything to you.”

Five rolls his eyes and sighs. “Christ. Look, I’m sorry if I’m not dying to be all buddy-buddy with you. I learned a while ago that it’s not exactly worth getting to know my brother’s flavor of the month.”

You know he’s meaning to insult you, but you end up laughing instead. It’s no secret that Klaus is a total man-whore and you’re fine with that. It’s nothing serious and if another man came along that you were interested in, Klaus wouldn’t mind that, either. In fact, he’d probably want to meet him.

“Look, your mean old man act is wearing a little thin. It wouldn’t kill you to be somewhat nice once in a while. Maybe even get to know me? Most people think I’m a fucking delight.”

Five gives a sarcastic snort of laughter and looks back at your hand on his arm. This time, you let go. “How about this, sweetheart? If you’re still around next week, I’ll consider finding out how much of a fucking delight you are.”

You smile and hold out your hand, ignoring his condescension. “Alright, old man. Deal.”

You notice a tiny twitch of the corner of his mouth, but then it’s gone again. He looks cautiously at your hand, like he’s not sure what to do with it at first, and then he gives it a quick shake with his own before muttering something under his breath and blinking away again.

It is exactly one week later, and you haven’t forgotten Five’s deal. He has been slightly more cordial to you in the past seven days, but he still doesn’t take the time to stick around more than two minutes to talk to you. So, you’re practically beaming with satisfaction that you get to rub it in his face and actually make him talk to you.

You corner him in the kitchen one morning, as he’s pouring a cup of coffee. “Hi!” you exclaim loudly as his back is turned to you, and you laugh when he almost spills his coffee everywhere.

“Fuck!” he yells, before turning around and glaring at you.

You bounce on your toes and clap. “Guess what today is?”

“I can only hope that it’s National Leave Your Boyfriend’s Brother The Fuck Alone Day?”

You give a fake laugh and shake your head. “No, dummy. And he’s not my boyfriend, anyway. It’s been a week and I’m still here, right in your grumpy little face. So, now you have to talk to me.”

“I most certainly do not,” he states dryly before taking a sip of his coffee and then making a face of disgust. “Damn it, Klaus cannot make a decent pot of coffee to save his life.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s what I told him! It’s the worst!”

That seems to pique Five’s interest a little and he gives a small smile. “He buys the cheapest shit ever. Everyone knows the secret to good coffee is –"

“Quality coffee beans.”

He looks stunned that you said exactly what he was going to say and he lowers his mug. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“See? If you had taken the time to know me a little, you would know that I actually manage a café. I know all about good coffee.”

You don’t know him well enough to recognize all of his expressions, but if you could guess, you’d say he looks somewhat impressed.

You continue on. “And, since I know firsthand that Klaus’s coffee is total shit, I have started bringing my own with me. Wait right here.”

You leave, go into Klaus’s bedroom, and pull out a small bag of coffee grounds from the overnight bag you brought with you. When you return to the kitchen, Five is still waiting there, and you hold it up for him to see.

“Now, move out of the way so I can dump that swamp water out and make us something good.”

Five actually does what you say, and moves out of your way, allowing you to clean out the pot and fill the coffee maker up with fresh water and your special grounds. He doesn’t say anything, but he’s watching you intently. It’s slightly unnerving but you try to ignore it.

When you’re done and all you can do is wait for the coffee to brew, the two of you stand on opposite sides of the kitchen, leaning against the countertop. Five has his arms crossed over his chest and you start fidgeting with your hands, picking at your nails and cuticles. Your boldness from just a few minutes ago has faded.

“So, you’re the manager of a café?” Five finally asks, breaking the silence.

“Yes. Soon to be owner, if things go well.”

Five raises his eyebrows and nods his head in approval. “Sounds like a smart move.”

“I hope so. It’s a big step, but I’m ready for it. I want to be my own boss.”

Five nods his head again, but doesn’t say anything. After another minute of silence, the coffee maker beeps. Thankful for something to do, you pull out two new clean mugs and pour each of you a cup. When you hand one to Five, he takes it from you and you notice his hands. They look strong, with taught tendons running down the backs and long, slender fingers. You’ve always had a thing for hands.

“Holy shit,” Five says, his forehead creased with lines.

“What? No good?” you ask, genuinely surprised that he wouldn’t like it.

“No, quite the opposite. This is perfect!”

You laugh and hold up your mug. “And you didn’t want to get to know me.”

Five makes a face that kind of resembles a smile and takes another drink. “Well, if I’d known you made coffee like this…”

You laugh again and shake your head. “Klaus insists you are just a big teddy bear, and maybe I’m beginning to see it. Underneath all that crabbiness, anyway.”

“I’m not crabby,” Five insists, giving you the crabbiest frown ever.

“Oh, ok. Sorry. Curmudgeonly? Would you prefer that?”

To your surprise, he actually laughs. You’ve never heard him laugh before and it catches you off guard. But you like the way his face breaks into a big grin and the sound that rises up out of his chest like it’s been stored in there for a very long time and is finally being released.

“Well, I’ll be damned…did you just make Senor Cinco laugh?”

You and Five both turn and see Klaus sauntering into the kitchen to join you, wearing nothing but a small pair of bright blue underpants. He sidles up to you and throws an arm around your shoulder, leaning down and giving you a kiss on the cheek.

“I did!” you exclaim with a smile, putting your arm around his naked waist.

“That just might be a new record. Usually, it takes at least three months, plus a few thinly-veiled death threats, before you get an honest to goodness laugh out of him.”

Five rolls his eyes and his face returns to its normal seriousness. “Actually, Klaus, I just don’t laugh at anything you have to say. Because you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Aw…I love you too, Fivey,” Klaus responds before he reaches out and ruffles Five’s hair.

Five bristles and runs a hand over the mess Klaus made, trying to restore his normal style.

“Well, as much as I’d love to continue this thrilling conversation, I’ll be taking my leave now. Enjoy your day doing…what do you two do, anyway? Contract various STDs and debate the nuances of Scooby Doo?”

You let out a loud cackle at that, which makes Five smile crookedly in your direction; right before he blinks away, leaving Klaus rolling his eyes and you with an inexplicably warm feeling in your chest.

Another week has passed and you and Klaus are still playing the no-ties dating game. Since you had turned Five on to your coffee making skills, the two of you have developed a bit of a friendship. While Klaus likes to stay up late and sleep in the next day, you are up early. Despite your long work hours, you generally don’t need a lot of sleep to function. You run mostly on motivation, routine, and caffeine. Which, coincidentally, so does Five.

Because you are both up in the early morning hours, you and Five will end up meeting in the kitchen when the sun is barely above the horizon. He will sit quietly at the small kitchen table and watch while you go about making coffee for the two of you. Neither of you say much until the coffee is finished brewing and has been poured. Then you sit down across from Five and he’ll actually engage in conversation.

At first, it was like pulling teeth to get Five to answer any questions, but after a while he warmed up. Now, you’re pretty sure he actually likes sitting down and talking to you. This morning is no different, and you and Five are in the kitchen, comfortably talking and sipping coffee when Klaus wanders in.

He yawns and stretches his sinewy body before flashing you a smile. “Morning, babe. I feel like waffles. You guys want some waffles?”

Five says nothing, but you smile back up at Klaus. “As long as you aren’t suggesting I get up and make them, then yes, I’m up for some waffles. We can go to that diner down the street.”

Klaus comes over and starts running his hands through your hair, massaging your scalp in the process and combing out the tangles with his fingers. It feels nice and relaxing and you close your eyes. When you open them again, your gaze lands on Five and your eyes meet. Something about the way he is looking at you makes your face flush with embarrassment and you gently push Klaus’s hands away, laughing.

“Quit it,” you say lightly, even though under normal circumstances you love it when Klaus plays with your hair.

He takes a step back, unfazed, and goes to pour himself a cup of coffee. Five is still watching you and you have to avert your eyes just to think straight. You scoot your chair back and stand up, turning to Klaus.

“So, are we going or what?”

Klaus shrugs. “Sure, you buying?”

You roll your eyes. “Don’t I always?”

“Yes, you do. And then I pay you back in a much more physical way.”

“You realize that makes you sound like you’re prostituting yourself for breakfast foods.”

“I’ve done a lot worse for a lot less.”

You laugh and then you see Five get up and start to make his way out of the kitchen. “Five wait!”

He stops and turns to you, coffee cup still in hand, and eyes you up. “Yeah?”

“Come with us.”

“I don’t think so. You two toddlers go ahead.”

You frown and jut your hip out. “First of all, stop insulting us. Second, name one good reason you don’t want to come with us. I mean, you do eat, don’t you? Or do you survive solely on black coffee and sarcasm?”

You see that faint smile playing on Five’s lips again. The one that gives you a little flutter in your stomach when you see it; because you know you’re one of the few that can actually get him to break.

“Yes, I do eat. If surviving on coffee and sarcasm were a thing, it would have made my life in the apocalypse much easier.”

He’s kidding, but you still feel bad about your comment and you cringe a little at the mention of his traumatic past. Klaus, though, just waves a hand in the air dramatically.

“Come on, Fivey! What’s not to like about spending time with your favorite brother, while also getting some free waffles?”

“Pleeeaase?” you beg while batting your lashes exaggeratedly in Five’s direction.

After another annoyed eye roll and a huffy sigh, Five relents. “Fine! I will go to your stupid diner and eat your stupid waffles.”

“That a boy!” Klaus goes to slap Five on the back, but he has already blinked out of the kitchen.

“I hope it’s ok that I invited him?” you ask.

“Of course it’s ok. I can’t believe he said yes, though. I’ve been trying to get him out and socializing forever. It’s like you have a special magic touch with him. You’re like the Number Five Whisperer.”

You laugh. “Yeah, right. I think he just wanted breakfast.”

Klaus shakes his head. “No, really. I’ve seen him around you. He actually listens to you and isn’t mean.”

“He’s mean to me all the time!”

“Well, compared to what the rest of the world gets from him, that’s nothing. He once called me the human version of a shart.”

When you can’t help doubling over with laughter at that, Klaus puts a hand on his hip. “It was very hurtful.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious. Say what you want, but the man is funny. Whether he intends to be or not.”

“Just you wait. When he starts comparing you to shitting his pants, then we’ll see how funny you think he is.”

Once you are all showered and dressed, the three of you walk over to the diner for breakfast. You are planning on going directly to work from there, so you have your bag slung over your shoulder. The weight of it is evident by the way you’re slumped to one side while you lug it around, and Five eyes it curiously as you slide into a booth. You and Klaus are on one side while Five is across from you.

“What do you have in there? Bricks?” Five asks you as he picks up a menu.

“Yes. I carry around a bag full of bricks. One never knows when one might need to perform an emergency masonry job.”

You see Five’s lips purse together in a failed attempt at trying not to smile, avoiding your eyes by pretending to peruse the menu.

Klaus lets out a loud hoot of laughter and puts his arm around your shoulders. “Looks like you may have met your match in the snide comment department, Fivey.”

Five glances up and flicks a stray piece of hair off his face. “Doubtful. I am, and will always remain, the king of snide comments.”

You and Five exchange amused looks and you peer down at your own menu. A waitress comes to the table to take your orders and Klaus flashes her one of his beautiful smiles and you can see she is instantly smitten by him.

“A round of waffles and coffee for the table, please.” Klaus gestures to all three of you. “And make sure to give the bill to my sugar mama over here.”

The waitress gives you a funny look and you shrug with a smile before she wanders off to put in the order.

“Klaus!” Five hisses, leaning forward.

“What?”

“If you can’t pay for your own breakfast, I will. Don’t make her do it.”

Klaus looks genuinely taken aback. “Why? She offered.”

“Because it’s…” Five pauses and sighs and if you thought he was capable of embarrassment that might have been what he was conveying. “…it’s not gentlemanly.”

You chew on your bottom lip and look down in your lap so that you don’t laugh, but also so that Five doesn’t see how completely shocked you are at this statement.

Klaus frowns at Five. “I forget sometimes that you’re an old coot under that sleek body of yours. Don’t be so old-fashioned, Fivey. The times they are a-changin’.” He turns to you. “Besides, am I nothing but a gentleman?”

They are both looking at you for some sort of response and you laugh nervously. “Yes, you are mostly a gentleman. And I don’t mind paying; I did offer.” Klaus looks smug and Five rolls his eyes. “However,” you point a finger at each of them, “neither one of you offered to carry my bag for me on the way here.”

You watch with satisfaction as both of their mouths hang open for a second before they realize they have nothing to say to that. Just then, the waitress comes by with your coffees and starts to set them down in front of you on the tabletop. As you smirk to yourself, you hear both men utter a soft “sorry” under their breath before taking a sip from their mugs.

Five clears his throat. “You never did answer me. What are you carrying around in there?”

You glance at the overstuffed tote bag next to you. “Well, some extra clothes and toiletries, but also my laptop and a bunch of notebooks and file folders. I’m applying for a large bank loan and need to make sure all of my ducks are in a row.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re planning on buying your café.”

Klaus leans back against the booth. “Yeah, she’s cute and smart. Hey, another thing you two have in common!”

Five takes another drink and mutters over his mug. “I am not cute.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Klaus looks thoughtful as he scans Five up and down. “You’ve got more of that angry, smoldering, sex god look about you.”

“Shut up, Klaus.”

“He’s right,” you hear yourself saying and your cheeks immediately burn when you realize you said it out loud. You notice Five’s face reddens a little as well when he looks at you in surprise.

Klaus is oblivious and he clinks his coffee mug against yours in a toasting gesture. “See? Everyone thinks so. Now, the next step is to share some of that super sexiness with another human being and not just your fist.”

With his face still flushed, Five clenches his jaw even tighter. “Shut. Up. Klaus.”

“I know it’s convenient and doesn’t require you to leave the house, but choking the old chicken doesn’t replace the need for human contact. It’s nice to flog your log once in a while, but you need to branch out. Let someone else take Fivey Junior for a spin. Know what I mean?”

You are certain you are about to witness a murder firsthand as you watch Five pick up his butter knife in a clenched fist, leaning dangerously close to his brother across the table, when the waitress comes back with your food. As she plunks down the plates in front of everyone, Klaus continues to dig his own grave.

“Hey there,” he squints at the waitress’ name tag, “Sandra. What do you think of my brother over here?”

Sandra looks visibly uncomfortable as she glances from Klaus’s beaming face to Five’s murderous one and back again.

“I’m sorry?”

“On a scale of one to ten, with one being you would not bang him if he were the last man on earth, to ten being you want to jump his brittle old bones right here in this diner booth, how would you rate him?”

You sink down in your seat and close your eyes, thinking that maybe if you aren’t actually looking when Five rams that knife through Klaus’s neck, you won’t have to answer too many questions from the cops. You risk opening one eye a slit and you can see Five fuming, nostrils flared and neck veins bulging. The poor waitress is not sure what to do as she stands there awkwardly, so you decide to jump in.

You laugh theatrically. “He’s just kidding! I bet him $20 to say that. I’m sorry…I didn’t think he’d actually do it.”

Sandra relaxes a little and sighs with relief. “Oh, ok. No worries. Enjoy your meal.”

As she walks away, you turn to Klaus with a glare.

“What?” he asks innocently.

“You’re terrible,” you tell him, disapprovingly.

“I’m trying to do the guy a favor and help him get his ex-assassin wiener wet!”

Suddenly, Five’s palm bangs on the table, making the plates and cutlery dance and clatter. You and Klaus both jump in your booth.

“I do not,” seethes Five, “need your help or anyone else’s for that matter.” He relaxes a bit, unclenching his jaw and rolling his shoulders back. His eyes pass over to you as he starts to cut into his waffle. One corner of his mouth curls up as he stabs a piece with his fork. “Fivey Junior is doing just fine, thank you,” he quips before taking a bite and giving you a quick wink.

Your stomach feels warm and fluttery all of a sudden and you let out a snort of laughter. The subject is dropped after that and Klaus eventually moves on to something else that involves his and Five’s apartment. Your mind wanders as you eat your food, staring into space as the two brothers chatter next to you. You didn’t mean for your mind to wander to that, but now that it was brought up, you find it front and center in your brain.

You find yourself wondering exactly what Five’s sexual situation is. You’ve never seen him with a woman, or a man, but he’s certainly good looking enough to get either one. Maybe his surly attitude turns people off? You know all about his unique situation, and so maybe he’s never had the opportunity to be with anyone else in that way. You steal a glance over at him, noticing the way the tendons in his forearms tighten and relax as he gestures while he talks and that warm feeling is back.

I wonder what kind of package he’s working with in those pants of his? He’s not a huge guy, but he sure as hell carries himself like he’s got a giant schlong. I would not be surprised if he was packing some serious equipment in there. I bet it could do some real damage…all that anger has to go somewhere. And I bet he knows how to use it, too. Probably could bang you right through a fucking wall –"

“Think twelve inches is too big?”

You drop your fork onto your plate with a loud clang as Five’s question snaps you out of your perverted daydream. Your face is suddenly very hot.

“What?” you ask in a wide-eyed panic.

Five and Klaus both give you a weird look.

“The shelving unit to put under the bathroom sink, remember I was telling you about them the other day? What do you think about the size?” Klaus explains.

“Oh, right. Uh…I don’t know,” you stammer.

Five turns back to Klaus. “It might be a little tight but I bet I could make it fit. Probably have to shove it in there really good, though.”

At that, you dissolve in a burst of nervous laughter that has the other two looking at you like you’ve lost your mind. You can’t stop laughing, though, and you cover your mouth with your hand while your body shakes uncontrollably.

Five and Klaus exchange confused glances. “Ok…weird,” Klaus says before going back to his waffles.

After a good thirty seconds of hyperventilating, you finally calm down enough and you wipe the tears from your eyes.

Five points a fork at you. “What the hell was that?”

You shake your head, suppressing another round of laughter. “Nothing, I was just thinking of something from earlier. You had to be there.”

“Clearly.”

After a few more minutes of silence, Klaus turns to you. “I know you’ve been worried about this loan and making sure you have everything in order. I’m no good at that kind of thing, but our boy Cinco over here probably is. Maybe he can look things over for you.”

“Oh!” You turn to Five. “Really? You’re good with finances and all that?”

“I’m good at everything, so by default I’m also good at finances,” he answers offhandedly, not looking up from his plate.

“Oh, right, silly me. I forgot, you’re a goddamn genius.”

He looks up and nods without a hint of irony. “Correct. I am.”

You roll your eyes. “Ok, never mind, sorry I asked.”

“Alright, don’t get all huffy. If you want me to look things over, I can do that.”

“Well, if it’s not cutting too much into your time of sucking your own dick, then that would be great.”

Klaus lets out a loud laugh and Five raises one eyebrow as he leans back and drapes his arm over the back of the booth with a smirk. “I think I can pencil you in somewhere.” He picks up his coffee mug, stopping just before he takes a drink. “Incidentally, that would have been another skill I could have used during those solitary years. But, alas, as brilliant as I am, I found I lack the flexibility.”

You bite at the inside of your cheek to stifle your laughter. “There’s a visual I don’t need.”

Klaus nearly chokes on his food. “Holy shit, did you actually try that? I’m not saying I haven’t myself, but I just didn’t think you…well, I guess there were a lot of lonely hours to kill, so like what did you try first? Rolling up in a ball, or –"

You slap a hand over his mouth. “Ok then! I can see this conversation is headed in a very weird direction, so I am just going to excuse myself and head to work now.”

After you gather up your bag, Klaus gets up to let you out of the booth. As you hoist the heavy tote over your shoulder, you address Five. “If you really are serious, I would be glad to have your help.”

“I was serious.”

“Thank you. Would you be available later today around 4? You can come by the café. I’ll even make you some coffee.”

“Sure. See you then.”

You give him a smile and then turn to Klaus. “See you later?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be around.”

Klaus leans down to kiss you, which is nothing out of the ordinary of course, but you feel weird being so affectionate in front of Five and you break the kiss off quicker than normal. You say goodbye to them both and as you go to leave, Klaus gives you a slap on the ass. When you turn to give him a fake scowl, you catch Five looking at you. He’s watching you with that intense look of his that you still have trouble reading the meaning behind. Whatever it is, though, you’re finding that you kind of like it.

Chapter Two: Fivey Junior

As I leave the diner and Klaus goes off to do whatever the hell Klaus does, I stand on the sidewalk outside for a minute or two. My hands in my pants pockets, I lean up against the building and close my eyes, taking a deep breath. What the fuck am I doing?

It’s true I wanted nothing to do with her in the beginning. I’m tired of having to deal with Klaus’s random friends and whatever stray he decides to bring home for a week or two. They usually end up making a mess, drinking all of my good beer, and eating my Grape Nuts cereal. But then they are eventually gone and he moves on to the next one. Men and women. Sometimes both at the same time. It’s exhausting just watching him and I honestly have no idea how he does it. I’m definitely too old for that shit. Meanwhile, though, I have to live with it.

So, when she showed up, I could not have cared less. Just add it to the long line of other free loaders. But then she stuck around longer than usual. She was there most mornings and most nights. I couldn’t turn around without finding another stupid pink hair tie of hers and there was suddenly strawberry scented shampoo in the shower. According to Klaus things were not serious between them, but he liked having her around and apparently she felt the same about him.

Then, that day she grabbed my arm and accused me of being a mean old man, well I may have shifted my opinion of her just slightly. No one ever challenges me and they certainly never grab me like that. Not without a serious death wish, anyway. But when she did it, I don’t know why, but I didn’t mind. I hadn’t spent enough time around her to really study her up close, but once she was in my face, calling me rude, I could see the little speckles in her eyes. And see how pink her lips were and smell that strawberry shampoo. When I shook her hand, it felt soft and warm.

It was like she made it a personal mission of hers to wear me down, and I have to admit it really fucking worked. She’s nice and bubbly and sunshiny all the time, and that should be the most irritating goddamn thing in the world, but for some reason it’s not. She also calls me out on my bullshit, which no one ever does, outside of my family, and so I have to admire her for that.

That morning when she made me coffee for the first time, that sealed the deal. Not because it was damn good coffee, because it was. It was that she genuinely wanted to talk to me. I have no idea why; she wasn’t wrong when she called me rude before. Still, as much as I didn’t mind the company, I wasn’t going to put too much effort in. I figured she’d be gone soon enough.

The days that followed, though, she was still there. And now every morning I meet her in the kitchen and we sit and chat and drink our coffee. And it’s nice. Nice enough that I make sure to get up extra early every day just to have that time with her to myself. She’s intelligent and funny, and almost as much of a sarcastic smart-ass as myself.

She’s beautiful, too. I can’t stop watching her any time she’s around me. Whatever she’s doing, I’m mesmerized and I have to remind myself to stop staring like a creep. I like the way she moves with confidence around me and the way she gestures with her hands when she talks. I like her voice in the morning when it’s still a little raspy from sleep. I try not to look at the rest of her body, because I know she’s technically too young for me and I’m being a gross old man, but fuck, she is sexy. I know why Klaus likes her. She really is fucking delightful.

This morning I really didn’t want to get breakfast. After I saw Klaus stroking her hair like that, the last thing I wanted to do was see more of the two of them shoved in my face. When she berated me for not going, though, I had a hard time saying no again. She seems to be able to do that to me. But then what just happened back there in the diner? Was I flirting ? Did I actually wink at her while talking about my dick? Holy shit, did I just tell her I tried to suck my own dick? Yes. Yes, I did.

I drop my head back on the brick building, hard, and groan. What is wrong with me? I am a grown ass man. I am not some love-struck teenager with a hard on for every girl that looks in my direction. I do not pine for women. And let’s not gloss over the fact that she’s dating Klaus, my actual brother. They might not be serious, but that’s a pretty shitty thing to do. Fuck, I need to get a life.

And now, because Klaus is completely oblivious and also apparently thinks I have too much free time on my hands, I am committed to seeing her again today. Of course I don’t mind helping her and I’m happy to do it, but I’m nervous just thinking about it. Why should I be, though? It’s just us talking over coffee like we have been for several mornings now. The only thing different is that it will be in an outside location. At her coffee shop. Just the two of us, no Klaus. Almost like… I swear to god if you even entertain that idea right now… date.

“God fucking fuck damn it FUCK!” I yell out loud on the street while I kick at the brick wall with my good shoes, scuffing them up in the process.

Several people are looking at me like I’m an insane person and a couple of them are crossing the street to get away from the raving lunatic trying to beat up a building. To avoid the concerned stares, I blink away and reappear a few streets over. I might as well keep walking, maybe that will clear my head and stop with all these ridiculous thoughts.

It’s a nice day, at least, and I end up at a park, taking a seat on a bench as I wallow in my own self-pity. There’s an older man on the bench next to me, reaching into a bag of bread and throwing the crumbs out to the pigeons gathering around his feet. He looks over at me and I give him a nod of approval, thinking that looks like a nice way to pass the time, but have you seen the price of bread these days? I lean forward and put my head in my hands, groaning out loud at myself while my pigeon friend gives me the side eye.

One thing that has started happening since she came along is that I sometimes forget my real age. I was at least able to age myself up by 8 years or so when we arrived in this timeline, thanks to some tricky time-math and a whole lot of luck, but I’m still well older than my body portrays me. It used to shock the hell out of me every time I’d pass by a mirror and see a stranger looking back at me. Then, after a while, I got used to it and I’m not going to complain; trading your broken old body in for a new model definitely has its perks. No more aching bones, tired muscles, or mysterious bruises that seem to appear out of nowhere. And I won’t get started on the new and improved libido, but suffice to say it’s a nice bonus.

Even though I have gotten used to the newer, younger me, I have never felt young mentally. I have remained the same stubborn old man that has resided in my head for decades now. It’s a weird contradiction to have the energy to stay out all night, yet still rather be at home catching up on this season’s Antiques Roadshow. But this is the first time in the last few years that I’ve started to feel more like my younger self. And maybe it’s because I don’t want to feel like a dirty old man, lusting after a woman more than half my age. That is definitely part of it, but the other part is that she just makes me forget. She makes me feel younger.

The hours are dragging by, but I still don’t feel like going home, so I continue to wander around. I come to the conclusion that I am being a selfish, delusional bastard and I just need to cut it out. If I really think about it and start psychoanalyzing myself, there’s a clear reason why I’m having all of these misdirected feelings. It’s obvious that my years of solitude have left me ill equipped when it comes to forming human relationships. In my still-infantile mind, a simple friendship between a man and woman has manifested itself into something more, because it doesn’t know the difference. The chemicals in my brain are confused and don’t know when and how to release themselves at the appropriate times.

I know that dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine are produced upon initial attraction to another person, and that oxytocin is released when you presume you are in love. Everyone knows that. So, it’s obvious that I just need to reprogram my brain so that it is not confusing mutual amicability with something more. As usual, if you approach something from a scientific aspect and remove emotions from the equation, problems become much easier to solve. Simple science makes everything so much clearer.

It’s finally close to 4pm when I’m supposed to meet her at the café, so I start making my way over there. I have a new outlook on this meeting now. I am happy to look over her finances and make any suggestions that I see could be helpful. If she asks for my opinion, I’ll give it. Then, I will take my leave, go home, and continue on with my life. No more of this internal longing bullshit.

Then I arrive there and…well, fuck. So much for science.

I am standing outside of the café looking in through the windows and I can see her in there. She’s standing next to one of the tables, talking with another woman who is sitting down with a mug in front of her. I obviously can’t hear her, but I watch as her face breaks into a beautiful smile and she laughs. A laugh I can hear in my mind because I’ve memorized it. She crosses her arms over her chest, which squeezes her breasts together and accentuates her cleavage. When she finishes her conversation and walks back towards the counter at the front, my eyes travel down to her round butt bouncing along in the tight jeans she’s wearing.

“Excuse me.”

I am snapped out of my voyeuristic weirdness by an annoyed voice belonging to a woman behind me. Apparently, I’m blocking the doorway and she would like to enter the building. I open the door for her and she walks past me while I try to get a grip. I follow the woman inside and up to the counter.

When she sees me, she smiles and I automatically shove my hands in my pockets to try and portray an air of casualness.

“Hey there, Fivey,” she says with a big shit-eating grin.

I shake my head and attempt to look mad. “Do not call me that. It’s bad enough Klaus does.”

“It’s so cute, though! It’s like his little pet name for you.”

“I’m not sure why my idiot brother feels the need to make my name even weirder than it already is.”

She snorts out a laugh and then bites her bottom lip, and honestly both of those things are going to send me through the roof, she’s so fucking cute.

“Ok, so no nickname, fair enough. Still willing to help me out?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

She turns away, but not before I see an eyeroll, as she grabs a coffee cup and fills it up, handing it over the counter to me.

“Here you are. One free coffee. As promised.”

“Thanks. I can pay for it though, you don’t really have to give it to me.”

“No please, just take it. I promise I won’t think you are ungentlemanly for it,” she says with a small smile and I can see she’s obviously teasing me about my comment in the diner earlier.

“You make fun of me, but one of the perks of being with an older man is that we know how to take care of our ladies.”

It just came out of my mouth without thinking and I can feel my face getting hot. I’m just praying that she can’t see me blushing. What the hell is going on with me?

“Oh, is that so? I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, then,” she says with a flirty tone.

I have no idea what to say next without sounding like a complete asshole, so I just don’t say anything and instead take a sip of my coffee.

She clears her throat. “Well, let me go grab my stuff and we can sit down at one of the tables.”

She disappears into the back for a minute, returning with her heavy looking tote bag from earlier. I follow her over to a small two-top table and we sit across from one another. As she fishes around in her bag and unloads her laptop and some file folders, I watch as a lock of hair falls in front her face and all I can think about is reaching over and tucking it behind her ear. Obviously, I do not do this.

I look over all of her financial information and everything looks like it’s in order. When I start asking about something I’m reading on her laptop, she gets annoyed that she can’t see the screen well, and so she comes around to my side of the table, sitting directly next to me. I can smell that strawberry shampoo again and our legs brush together. I swallow nervously.

“I think everything looks good here. Your credit scores are high, you have no debts, and you’re asking for a reasonable amount. I don’t really see why they would deny you.”

“Do you think so? I know it’s stupid, but I’m so nervous! The meeting with the bank is tomorrow morning.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“It’s just…if I don’t get this loan I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve put so much into this place, I already feel like it’s my own. But I’m not going to work as a coffee shop manager for the rest of my life. I at least want to be a business owner. You know, something I can be proud of.”

I nod. “I think you should be proud of yourself no matter what.”

She scoffs a little. “Ok, thanks Dad,” she says sarcastically.

Just like that, I come crashing down to reality as I’m reminded who I really am. I am not a 20-something year old. I am old enough to be her actual dad. And while that really has no bearing on anything, considering nothing is going to happen between us anyway, it’s still a kick in the nuts. She must see it on my face, because I see her cringe.

“That was a joke. I don’t actually think of you as a dad.”

“I know.” My voice is clipped as I try to hide my embarrassment.

She leans into me and bumps my shoulder with hers in a friendly gesture. “Thank you. For helping me with this.”

“You didn’t need my help. You’ve got this.”

“Well, thank you anyway. And thank you for putting up with me. I know I annoy you by always hanging around your place.”

"It’s true, you are a giant pain in the ass,” I say with a smile. “But, as giant pains in the asses go, you’re not so bad.”

“Aw…thanks Fivey!”

She laughs at my irritated face, which I am only making to keep up the façade. She can call me anything she wants, really. I don’t mind.

I am sitting at home the next afternoon, when she comes bursting through the door of the apartment. She's absolutely bouncing up and down with glee and when she sees Klaus she runs over to him and he picks her up in a big bear hug. She has on what I assume to be her business attire from her bank meeting, and I can’t stop staring. It’s a tight pencil skirt with a short, fitted blazer on top and black high heels. When Klaus lifts her up, her jacket pulls up in the back and I am treated to a very small window of her bare skin just above the waist of her skirt. I’m not sure if I want to look there, or down a little bit lower to wear the material is hugging her hips and ass.

“I got it!” she shrieks and kisses Klaus before he sets her down again.

“That’s great, babe!” he tells her.

Then she turns to me, as I stand there staring like a dope. Before I know it she has her arms wrapped around me and my face is covered by her hair as she hooks her chin over my shoulder. I don’t know what to do, I’m practically paralyzed with shock. I can’t even bring my arms up to hug her back, so they just stay limply at my sides. I take a breath and close my eyes, inhaling the scent of her hair and skin. She lets go of me and steps back and my immediate impulse is to pull her right back into me again. But I don’t. Instead, I just continue doing nothing.

“I cannot thank you enough, Five. You helped me do this.”

“I…I really didn’t do anything.”

“Well, you gave me the confidence I needed and made me feel like I knew what I was doing before I went in there. So, thank you. Really.”

She is smiling so genuinely and sweetly at me and I just can’t believe she is giving me any credit for anything. But I figure if I keep putting off her compliments she’ll get annoyed, so instead, I get weird and flustered.

“Yeah, well, you’re welcome. No problem.” I look from her to Klaus and back again. “Alright, well I’m going to leave you two dimwits to yourselves. See you later.” Then I blink away before either of them can respond.

It’s the next morning and I wake up early, but I don’t get up to meet her for coffee this time. I can’t keep torturing myself like this and pretending we have some sort of connection is just sad and pathetic. The truth is, she is with Klaus right now. Maybe they aren’t technically in a committed relationship, but she’s here in the apartment because of him, not me. And because they supposedly aren’t serious, that also means they will eventually tire of one another and one day she just won’t be here anymore. And it makes me fucking sick to even think about it.

Instead, I start thinking about her running into Klaus’s arms and kissing him yesterday. I hate how much that bothered me. I hate how much I wanted that to be me. I’m lying here in my bed, alone, and all I can think about is lifting her up in my arms, her body pressed to mine as she kisses me. It’s so fucking pathetic and yet, I can’t stop. I replay it over and over in my mind; her smile and her lips and the adorable way she would squeak if I squeezed her to me.

Soon, my pathetic little daydream has evolved into something much dirtier than a hug and kiss. I think about how her tits would feel pressed up against my chest. About how her firm ass would feel under my hands. And how badly I want her legs wrapped around my waist.

I groan sadly and palm my erection through my underwear. Fuck. Rather than sit and jerk off in my bed, I decide I should just head to the shower and kills two birds with one stone. The bathroom is directly across from my bedroom and I make the quick blink over so that I won’t have the humiliating experience of bumping into the person that’s responsible for my boner problem in the first place.

In the shower, my imagination runs wild. I obviously have never seen her naked, but I can certainly conjure up an image in my head that I decide is probably pretty close. I picture her straddling me, my cock deep inside of her, while she fucks me hard and fast. Those tits that I’ve only seen the outlines of through her t-shirts are bouncing up and down in front of my face and, Jesus Chris, it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. My hand is acting as a sad substitute for her tight cunt as I lean my head on my hand against the wall and close my eyes.

I imagine her moaning my name as she throws her head back and works her hips harder and faster on top of me. I can feel her soft flesh as my fingers dig into her sides and push her down; all the while thrusting my own hips up because I can’t get enough. As a final act of delusion, I throw her off of me and flip her over. I pound into her from behind, listening as she cries and sobs from the intensity of it all. I hear her pleading, telling me she’s sorry for ever wanting anyone else but me; that it will only be me from now on. I urge her on as I penetrate her harder, demanding she fucks only me from now on. She is mine and I’ll be goddamned if anyone else is going to touch her from here on out.

I’m only yours, Five…you’re all I want…all I need. I love—

“Hey, Klaus, have you seen my…Oh shit!”

The sound of her voice in real life has me floundering, trying to remember what the fuck is going on, and I turn around just in time to see her horrified face which mirrors mine. Our eyes lock for what has to be a fraction of a second, but feels like an eternity, and I see her glance briefly downward and then back up again.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she stammers, before quickly closing the shower curtain with a flourish.

I don’t know what to say or do, and there’s no time to do it anyway, as I stand there with my eyes wide and my dick in my hands. I hear the bathroom door slam shut and I’m left alone again. If I have felt shameful or embarrassed about any of my actions in the past, they are nothing compared with what I’m feeling now.

I want to die. I want to dissolve into liquid form and slip down the drain, washing away with all the other filth and disappearing into the sewers. I quickly contemplate my options. I’m a smart guy, I can come up with something. I could blink away and never return to this apartment ever again. Klaus might wonder what happened to me, but eventually he’d get over it. After all, it’s not the first time I’ve vanished without a trace. I could try some serious time travel again, maybe jumping backwards this time. Give the 1800s a try; live out the rest of my days doing something mundane like a blacksmith or a chimney sweep.

Instead, I just stand there, the shame and embarrassment washing over me. The most fucked up thing is that I’m still hard. I saw her face and her shock and it still didn’t dissuade my traitorous hormones. I need to finish and I’m horrified at the thought. Not horrified enough, though, because I start stroking myself again. I keep picturing her in my mind, even though I know she knows what I am doing and maybe that’s part of why I like it.

In some psychotic part of my brain, I like that she saw me jerking off. She doesn’t know that it was her I was thinking of, but I can start to convince myself that she might like it. She might like that I was fucking my hand to images of her naked body on top of mine. She might actually be flattered that I’m thinking of her riding me hard and fast and violently. That I’m imagining her moaning my name and coming around my cock.

A few more seconds of vigorous self-pleasuring and my hand is stilling as I unleash ropes of cum over my stomach and onto the shower floor. It mixes with the water and rushes down the drain as my eyes clench tightly shut and I groan as quietly as I can through gritted teeth. It’s bad enough she saw me in here, she doesn’t need to hear me, too.

After I am milked dry, and my breathing starts to slow again, I let go of my shrinking dick and wash myself off. I feel like the loser of the century. She’s probably out there right now, telling Klaus all about it and laughing. They’re probably discussing how sad I am and how much I really need to get a life. And they’d be right.

Once I’m cleaned off and dressed again, I listen closely from inside my room, trying to determine if she’s still here or not. After a while, I still haven’t heard signs of anyone else, and I figure the coast is clear. I blink out of my room and head towards the kitchen. I need a fucking drink and I don’t even care that it’s still morning. Anything to help erase this horrifying feeling.

In the kitchen, I’m looking through the cupboard where we keep the booze, trying to decide if it’s a vodka or a whiskey kind of morning, when I hear soft foot-steps and a gentle clearing of a throat. Fuck. Can I just get a fucking break once in a while? My spine stiffens and I think of just blinking out of there without even turning around, but then she starts talking to me.

“Hey, so…I am so sorry for busting in on you like that. Klaus had said he was going to take a shower, so I just assumed that was him in there, and I was looking for my slippers that I thought I left in the bathroom, and that was really stupid of me to just assume that…I am really very sorry, I would never have, if I had known it was you, obviously I wouldn’t have, but like I said, I thought it was Klaus, and…ugh…I’m sorry. I hope this isn’t going to make things weird.”

I almost laugh at her run-on sentence of stammering apologies. Almost. Instead, I grab a bottle of vodka and turn around with a glare.

“So, when exactly are you leaving?”

She hesitates. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when are you getting the fuck out of here? I realize you and Klaus are having fun playing house or whatever the fuck it is you do around here, but this is my apartment, too. In fact, it’s more mine than his, since I pay the bulk of the rent. And I don’t remember asking for a third roommate.”

I see a brief look of hurt cross her face before she is challenging back. “Look, just because I accidentally walked in on you, doesn’t mean you have to be an asshole about it. You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed? I’m not embarrassed, sweetheart, so don't flatter yourself. And this has nothing to do with that. I’m just wondering when I can look forward to not seeing your face every time I turn around in my own goddamn house!”

She nods, her lips pursed together, and her hands on her hips. “Alright, Five, you win. I thought maybe we were beginning to be friends, but I can see that is not the case. I will do my best to stay out of your way. I’m sorry for any inconveniences I’ve caused you.”

After another few seconds of angry glaring, she turns around and leaves. I take the stopper out of the vodka and tip the entire bottle back, swallowing at least three full gulps before I can’t take the burning in my throat and stomach anymore. I don’t know why I’m like this. I don’t know why I have to be a fucking dick to everyone, especially the people I care about. Well, I guess I should look on the bright side. I won’t have to worry about letting my true feelings out around her. Because now she wants nothing to do with me.

Chapter Three: Crazy Train

It was bad, there was no mistaking it. And it was all your fault; at least the beginning part. You certainly hadn’t meant to walk in on him in the shower. You really had assumed it was Klaus in there. You had been wrong. Very, very wrong. So, yeah, you really fucked that one up.

Things had been going so well, too. You were actually getting along and finding that you really liked spending time with Five. You assumed he liked spending time with you, too, even though he never came right out and said so. Although, with him, you doubted he would ever admit to that. But you knew he did, otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered even speaking to you, let alone hanging out with you.

Even though you’re the one who did the unannounced shower barge-in, you still think he’s overreacting. Sure, you saw him completely naked, but it was only for a couple of seconds and it’s not like you haven’t seen a naked man before. And sure, you are like 99% positive he was banging out some knuckle babies while he was in there, but that part is not your fault. How were you to know there would be some salami slapping going on in there when you opened the curtain?

Now he’s pissed off at you and has gone back to his old, dickish ways. He’s barely acknowledging you anymore and he stopped coming into the kitchen for coffee in the mornings. You understand he’s probably embarrassed, but he should be able to get over it, for fuck’s sake. He’s always claiming he’s the mature one around here, but he sure as hell isn’t acting like it right now.

You definitely think he should be able to move on from that little incident, but you can’t seem to stop thinking about it, either. Although, not for the same reasons. It had only been a couple of seconds if that, but that image has been burned into your brain. And not necessarily in a bad way. In that tiny glimpse that you got, it did not disappoint.

You keep finding yourself staring off, lost in another inappropriate daydream, as you remember exactly what he had looked like. Wet, naked, and clearly aroused, it was enough of a picture to keep you occupied. If men have spank banks, what do you call it for women? Rub hub? Finger vault? Whatever it is, that image is in yours now. And, fuck, it’s a good one.

Klaus has an amazing body, there’s no doubt about that. He’s lithe and toned and has a cinched-in waist that you’re envious of. But when you saw Five’s body…holy shit. He’s a little more solid than Klaus, and his muscles are well-defined but not huge. His chest is smooth and firm, and his abs look like they’re cut from stone, all the way down to the soft line of hair trailing southward to the main event. From the quick peek you had gotten of the goods in his hand, he either somehow used his powers to beef himself up, or that may have been the one thing in his tragic life that he lucked out on. Because, damn. Combine that with a tight ass, the water cascading down his body, and his dark, wet hair pushed off his face, and that is definitely enough to give you some material for the next time you’re double-clicking your mouse.

It's a week after “the incident”, and you have just come back from work and it’s late. You haven’t been over to see Klaus in a few days because you’ve been so busy, but you decide to stop by because you know he’ll still be up. Plus, you’re feeling the need to get some sexual release that isn’t in the form of your hand or vibrator, and you know he’ll be up for that, too.

You don’t see Five anywhere, which is probably a good thing, and you and Klaus hang out in the living room for a while, having a couple of drinks and catching up. When you decide to head to the bedroom, that’s when Five makes his presence known. Loudly.

Mid-make out and partially undressed, the two of you hear the pounding bass and blaring guitar riff of AC/DC’s “Back in Black” coming from Five’s bedroom. He is blasting it at full volume and as much as you like listening to Brian Johnson scream at the top of his lungs, it’s not really setting the mood at the moment. You ignore it for a little while longer, trying to focus on Klaus’s hands working their way down between your legs. When it’s clear you’re not really into it, he stops.

“What’s wrong?”

You huff. “Seriously? Isn’t this annoying you, too?”

Klaus shrugs. “I don’t know, it’s not that bad. I like loud music, and Five has good taste.”

“Well, it’s distracting and you know he’s doing it on purpose. It’s just rude.”

“Just ignore it.”

He pulls you on top of him, and you straddle his waist. But when you lean down to kiss him again, it’s clear you are not going to be able to get your mind in the game; not with the walls shaking from the constant pulse of the mini-rock concert going on down the hall. You let out another frustrated growl.

“I’m going to go say something,” you tell Klaus, pushing yourself off of him.

He props himself up on his elbows. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

You roll your eyes. “Please. What’s he doing to do? I’m not scared of him.”

“Right, no, I know. Me either. But…”

“But, what?”

“You know, he’s just…testy.”

As you’re getting off the bed, you give Klaus an exasperated look. “He’s a big man baby is what he is. And I’m tired of his shit.”

Before Klaus can say anything more, you’re walking out the door and heading to the source of the music. The song has now switched over to “Crazy Train”. You pound on the door to Five’s room, waiting with your arms folded across your chest. That’s when you remember you are not wearing a bra. Or pants. You only have a loose-fitting t-shirt on and some ridiculous underwear with cartoon cats on them because you haven’t done laundry in a while and all your good panties are in the wash. Luckily, the shirt covers up most of your crotch area.

You’re not getting an answer, so you pound the door with your fist again. Mid-pound, the door swings open wide, the blaring music becoming even louder. Five is already in the middle of a rant.

“Klaus, I have told you a thousand fucking times, I do not have your lighter…oh.”

Five stops mid-sentence when he realizes it’s you. He’s standing there shirtless, with only his black pants on, belt unbuckled and hanging open. His hair is disheveled, and he seems to be swaying slightly; holding onto the door for balance. That’s when you notice he has a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. He looks at you for a second, his hooded eyes slowly moving over your body with his mouth partially open before his face changes and he smirks.

He takes another swig of whiskey from the bottle before addressing you. “Something I can help you with, princess?”

You’re stunned into silence for a beat or two, trying to process the fact that you are once again blessed with another glimpse of his body, as well as the fact that he is drunk. You hesitate with your mouth hanging open like a moron, which Five obviously notices because he has that damn arrogant look on his face again. Finally, you snap out of it.

“Is there a reason you’re blaring your music that loud right now?” you demand.

“Yeah, there is. Because it’s my fucking room and I can do what I want in it.”

“God, you are such a dick! I know you’re doing it on purpose just to piss me off.”

Five shakes his head slowly and takes another drink. “Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but not everything is about you. Pissing you off in the process is a definite perk, though.”

You ball your hands up at your side and grit your teeth. “I’m not buying any of your bullshit, Five. I know you’re mad at me, and that’s fine. But you’re acting like a fucking child right now!”

“I think you’re mistaken. I’m not the one who can’t stand to be alone for more than a few hours. I’m not the one that needs constant attention and validation from someone. So who’s the child now, hmm?”

“What are you talking about? I do not.”

He grins. “Oh yeah? Want to tell me what you’re doing here all the time then? Why you’re here when you have a perfectly good apartment of your own to go to? ‘Cause I bet it’s not because of my brother.”

That throws you off a little and you don’t immediately have a comeback. Five snorts derisively. You narrow your eyes.

“Fuck you!” you spit out.

Five raises an eyebrow and lets out a short laugh. “Ohhh…maybe that’s why you’re always here. Well, sorry, honey. Hate to disappoint you, but you’re not my type.”

With your own sarcastic smile, you shoot back. “I know I’m not, honey. From what I’ve seen, I’m guessing you prefer to take matters into your own hands if you know what I’m saying.” That seems to have shut him up and he stands there, clinging to the door frame with his hair hanging in his face. Before you let him think of another comeback you give him a tiny wave and turn around. “I’ll leave you and Mr. Daniels to it, then. Remember, Fivey, don’t go too hard at it. I hear carpal tunnel is a real bitch.”

As you walk away, you hear the door slam behind you. You’re irritated and pissed off. And now you are horny. How the fuck is that possible? Well, there’s a good solution for that, and it’s waiting in the other room for you. You stalk over to Klaus’s room, making sure to leave the door slightly ajar. Klaus is still on the bed on his back and he’s lit up a joint in the process. When he sees you enter, he sits up.

“Oh, good, you’re alive. How did that go?”

“Great,” you say under your breath.

Then you are pulling your shirt over your head and yanking your underwear off. You immediately climb onto the bed and over the top of Klaus, grabbing the joint and tossing it into the ashtray at the side of the bed. He’s shocked when instead of saying anything, you lean down, grabbing his face in both hands and forcefully kissing him. After a moment his hands are on your hips and he’s smiling against your mouth.

“That’s more like it,” he says before you’re devouring his mouth again.

You don’t want to talk and you don’t need any more foreplay. You just want to fuck. Hard and rough, and loud. Luckily, Klaus is already pretty fired up and you can feel him hard underneath you as you straddle him. He still has his briefs on, so you hastily tug them off. If he’s wondering why you’re all of a sudden trying to mount him like a wild dog in heat, he doesn’t say anything. He seems pretty happy when you line yourself up and sink onto his dick, letting it fill you up in one shove. You let out a whine before looking down at him.

“I want to fuck. Hard,” you tell him in between gasping breaths.

“Yeah, baby, fuck me as hard as you want,” he rasps before smacking your ass and giving you a sly smile.

“Don’t talk. Just fuck,” you instruct him.

He obviously doesn’t care that you’re ordering him around, because his hands are on your tits as you start riding him fast and hard. You don’t even work up to it, you’re just pounding yourself onto his cock and you can already feel the beads of sweat starting to form on your skin. You’ve never been this worked up in your life, and you have no idea why. That’s not true; you know exactly why. You just don’t want to admit it, even to yourself.

You squeeze your eyes shut as you work as hard as you can, thrusting your hips back and forth and grunting with the effort. Throwing your head back, you cry out as loudly as you can, practically screaming at the top of your lungs. If the neighbors can hear you, it probably sounds like you’re being murdered to the soundtrack of Ozzy Osbourne right now. You’re making as much noise as possible; crying, wailing, and begging for more. And it’s all on purpose because you want a certain someone to know what he’s missing out on. Klaus is either shocked into submission by your sudden change in demeanor, or he’s in heaven. Either way, he’s not saying anything.

With your eyes closed, and no voice attached to the body you’re penetrating yourself with, you start to imagine what you’ve been trying to push out of your mind. You might hate him at the moment and think he’s a total asshole, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to climb on top of him like a spider monkey and fuck his brains out.

In your mind, it’s not Klaus anymore, it’s Five. And you want more of him, even though that’s not physically possible. You run your hands down his perfect chest and abdomen, clutching at his thighs as you lean back to get a different angle. He’s watching you with those piercing eyes, looking up at you with that damn smirk of his.

“That’s right baby, fuck Daddy hard.”

Whoa, Daddy? Where the fuck did that come from? Shit, I have some real problems.

There’s no time to dwell on that psychological component because you just can’t get enough. His hands are on your hips and then on your ass, long fingers gripping tightly into you and pushing you even further down onto his cock. You’re still crying out, moaning loudly while you lean down to kiss him. You can feel his hand in your hair and his lips pressed against yours as you continue to rock into him.

“You feel so good, sweetheart. Don’t stop,” he’s saying in that husky voice of his.

“I need more,” you’re pleading and he laughs at you.

“Tell Daddy what you want, darling.”

Fuck, what is happening to me?

You don’t know what’s happening to you, other than you’re so fucking wet, you feel like you’re going to slide right off of Klaus’s dick and onto the floor. You open your eyes, stop your crazy thrusts, and abruptly climb off. Klaus lets out a hiss at the sudden loss of your warm, wet walls clenched around him.

“Fuck me from behind,” you pant, even as you’re already getting into position on your hands and knees.

“Shit,” he’s murmuring under his breath, but he doesn’t argue.

You feel him behind you and the anticipation is driving you crazy. When he slams into you, hips smacking against your ass and his hands pulling you backward hard and fast, you let out a sound that might be close to a sob. Your fists clench the bedsheets and from this angle, you don’t have to keep your eyes closed to slip back into your imaginary sex fantasy.

Five is behind you, plowing you so forcibly that it’s hard to keep yourself steady. It feels so fucking good, and everything you’ve been wanting. You don’t know how he’s weaseled his way into your head like this, but it probably has something to do with that goddamn body of his. Or his impossibly handsome face. Or those hands. Fuck, you want those hands on you and in you, and doing whatever else he pleases with them.

“Tell me,” he demands as he rams into you over and over again. “Tell me what you want. Let me give it to you.”

“Oh god…please…don’t stop fucking me!”

You’re not even sure if you said that out loud or not, but it doesn’t matter. His hand comes around to finger you while he rails you as hard as possible. You’re going to lose it any second now, you can feel it. His fingers are pressing against your clit and he continues talking to you inside your head; telling you everything you are dying to hear.

“You like it when Daddy fucks you like this, don’t you? When I fuck you so hard you can’t think straight?”

“Yes…yes,” you’re whining over and over again.

His hands are working their magic while his impressive cock is driving into your pussy. No one has made your body react like this before and you want to cry from the sheer overload of emotions.

“Let me hear you, sweet girl. You know what you want.”

“I want you! Oh fuck…you’re going to make me come,” you whimper.

“Say it again,” he snarls. “Say it again and scream my name when I make you come.”

“I want you! I want you so fucking badly. Please…keep fucking me…I need…oh god yes! Fii—fff-fuck!”

You catch yourself right at the last second as your orgasm rips through you, creating shocks of pleasure all throughout your body. Your muscles are contracting and your skin is hot and tingling. You are moaning like you are in pain and the sheets underneath you are balled tightly in your fists. There is a layer of sweat over your entire body and your breaths are coming out in ragged gasps. You are vaguely aware of Klaus behind you, gripping your hips while he lets loose with his own climax.

Several seconds pass while neither of you move. After a while, he pulls out and you fall onto your stomach, sprawled out and completely spent.

“Holy. Shit,” Klaus breathes out as he runs a hand down your back. “Where the hell did that come from?”

You laugh softly and push your hair out of your face. “I don’t know. I guess I was just a little wound up.”

“A little wound up? Shit, babe, I’m fairly certain the authorities have been alerted by several people in this building. In which case, I should probably hide some shit.”

You move your tired body and sit up, your legs shaking. You feel bad that you went a little crazy on him, especially considering the entire smutty movie that had been playing in your head the entire time. The one that didn’t involve Klaus in any way. You smile and shrug, then start moving off the bed to gather up your clothes.

“I know, that was a little over the top. Sorry.”

Klaus shakes his head and picks up the joint out of the ashtray you had thrown it in and takes a hit. After exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air, he studies you with creased eyebrows.

“Do not apologize for that. Ever.” Then he pauses before that sly grin starts spreading over his face. “Wait a minute, I know what was different. What probably lit a fire in your kitty cat panties. Old Fivey in there!”

You are in the process of tugging your shirt back over your head and your face isn’t visible to him, which is a damn good thing because it is probably beet red at the moment. You take an extra long time to pull it down over your head and you try and keep your composure.

“That’s ridiculous! I am not hot for Five!”

Klaus lets out a small giggle and shakes his head. “No, no, not like that. I meant I bet it was that crazy sexy hard rock he’s been pumping out of his room. Gets you all pumped up, too, doesn’t it? I don’t blame you though, fucking to loud music with a pounding bassline like that is amazing.”

You let out a sigh of relief and then laugh. “Yeah, you’re right, it does kind of get me going. That must have been it. Not to mention I haven’t been over in a while. I needed to let off some pent-up sexual frustration.”

Klaus bows and it’s hilarious because he’s still naked with a joint in his hand. “Glad to be of service, madam.”

You walk over and pat him on the butt. “Thank you. As always, you know how to deliver.”

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

It had been your intention to head home for the rest of the night, but now that you’re here and Klaus is offering, you don’t really want to go back to your apartment alone. You like staying here in Klaus’s bed, with his body heat warming you up as you lie next to him, quietly chatting together until you drift off to sleep. Sometimes you’ll be on the very edge of sleep and he’ll whisper something so stupid and off the wall that you can’t help laughing and you’re awake again, with no hope of sleep after that.

But if you stay, that means Five was right about you. You really do come over because you don’t like being alone. You don’t need constant attention from anyone, that part is not true, but you like the companionship. Even if you and Klaus stopped having sex, you’d still want to come over all the time. You like hanging out with him and even on the occasions he’s not there, the apartment feels cozier and more lived in than yours. You have thought about getting a roommate, but all of your current friends are either in serious relationships or prefer to live alone. The thought of trying to advertise for a stranger to move in and then interview people to decide if you want to share your space with them seems exhausting. So, you’d rather just stay here as often as you can.

Even though you just mind-fucked him like crazy, you internally curse Five for reading you so correctly.

“Yeah, I’d like to if that’s ok.”

Klaus pulls on his underwear before flopping back on the bed. “Of course! You’re always welcome here, you know that.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to your brother. He’s been giving me a ration of shit lately about being around here so much,” you grumble as you crawl in next to him.

“I thought you two were getting along.”

“Well, we were, but then…” you almost let slip that you walked in on Five in the shower. You hadn’t told Klaus about that because you already felt bad for embarrassing the guy, you didn’t need to get anyone else involved. “I don’t know, I guess he changed his mind or something. Because now he definitely is not a fan of mine.”

Klaus frowns. “Hmm..well, that sucks. We should be the three amigos!”

“Pretty sure he does not want to be mi amigo at the moment.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Tell him to stop being such a grouch.”

“It’s ok, you don’t have to do that,” you protest.

“No, no, I want to. It’s important to me that he can get along with you. Five may be a scary, unhinged assassin who once threatened to kill me by describing in excruciating detail all of the steps he was going to take to do it. Like, he literally wrote them out on a yellow legal pad with graphics next to each one and handed it to me. I don’t remember the full list, but it involved a step ladder, some Elmer’s glue, and a toaster oven. Anyway, he may be scary like that, but he’s not all bad. He just needs to lighten up a little. Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.”

You laugh. “What did you do to piss him off that time?”

Klaus rolls his eyes and sighs. “Oh, I don’t know. It wasn’t a big deal. I may have accidentally eaten a large number of mushrooms and decided to strip naked and crawl into bed with him in the middle of the night.”

“I mean, that’s pretty funny but it doesn’t sound that bad.”

“Well, no, that part isn’t. It was when I started violently humping him from behind and licking his neck that he kind of got a little uppity about it.”

You start laughing harder. “You humped him and licked his neck?!”

“Yeah. I don’t really remember a lot of it, but apparently, I had him in a pretty good death grip while calling him “Alberto” and demanding to speak with his manager. I guess he was able to blink away just in time before I unloaded my high fructose porn syrup all over his superhero jammies.”

You are laughing so hard at that image that tears are rolling down your cheeks. “Ok, I understand why he wanted to kill you, now. You kind of had it coming.”

Klaus waves a hand flippantly in the air. “Now you sound just like him.”

The next morning, you get up before Klaus, just like always. As you make your way to the kitchen, you can hear rattling around in there and you pause. You think about heading back to the bedroom just to avoid any confrontation, but then you change your mind. You’re not going to hide from him. As you walk in, there is Five, busy making coffee. He looks like shit and you smile a little to yourself. Good, serves you right.

“’ Morning, sunshine!” you exclaim cheerily, just to piss him off. “You’re up early. I figured you’d be sleeping the day away after your little one-man frat party last night.”

He turns to you with a look that you know is intended to intimidate, but is not quite working considering he looks like death warmed over. His eyes are bloodshot, his hair is a tangled mess, and he’s still wearing the rumpled pants you had seen him in last night. And of course, he has not bothered to put on a shirt again. Jesus, will this guy put some clothes on and give me a fucking break?

“Oh, good, it’s you. I was worried maybe you had decided to fuck off and leave me alone. But, nope, here you are again.”

You give a snort and sit down at the kitchen table. You’re not really sure why you’re still there, but you don’t want him to think he’s scared you off so you stand your ground. Instead, you say nothing but start humming Pink’s “U + Ur Hand” under your breath. You know Five hears you because you can see his shoulders tense and his hands flex. You smile to yourself.

When he turns to you again, his arms crossed over his bare chest and his hair in his face, he leans against the counter and eyes you up with a malicious grin. You really wish he weren’t so damn good-looking because it’s very hard to keep up your little show when all you are really thinking about is jumping on top of him.

“That was a nice little performance you gave last night, by the way. I had assumed you were the type to just lie there and have someone else do all the work, but good to know my brother is at least getting something out of it.”

You straighten up in your seat. “You’re welcome. I figured the least I could do is give you some material to work with.”

Five nods with a smirk, not taking the bait. He uncrosses his arms and grabs onto the edge of the countertop behind him, leaning back casually. You are immediately drawn to his sculpted chest and abs and your eyes drift over the many faded scars scattered over his body.

“I could say the same to you, love,” he says.

He throws you off your game with that statement. You’re mostly sure he’s just trying to be an asshole and get under your skin, but what if he does know? What if you yelled something out while you were imagining him fucking you so hard your teeth rattled in your head? When you were calling him Daddy and riding him like he was Sea Biscuit? You feel caught and your face must betray you because suddenly he’s not looking so smug anymore.

You are both staring at one another, not saying a word, but the passive-aggressive tension in the air has changed to something else. The look between you seems to last forever, and you can feel the warmth spreading up your neck and onto your face. And maybe a little between your legs, as well. Just then, the coffee that Five had been making is done and the machine beeps loudly, startling you both.

He looks away first and pulls down a mug from the cabinet. You are surprised to see him grab a second one. He fills them both and then sets one down on the table, sliding it over to you with a push so that it sloshes over the side.

“Thanks,” you mumble, as you pick it up.

“Sure,” he responds grudgingly, and you can tell it’s killing him to be even moderately polite right now.

After a minute or so of neither of you talking, it is starting to get awkward. Someone needs to say something or leave. Instead, you just sip your hot coffee and pretend the tabletop is incredibly interesting. You decide to chance it and you clear your throat, but you don’t look up.

“Look, I’m sorry, ok?” you say quietly.

It takes a few seconds, but he finally responds. “Yeah, I’m sorry, too.”

You nod and glance up, meeting his eyes as he watches you with that all-encompassing intensity of his. His stare bores right through you and once again you feel frozen in time and for a minute you think he’s somehow doing that, but in reality, it’s just your mind playing tricks on you. He just has that hold over you somehow and you pray that he can’t see it. You watch as he looks away, closes his eyes, and pushes his hair back with one hand, giving you a good look at the tight muscles in his arms. Fuck. You cross your legs and take a sip of your coffee to try and hide the fact that you are on the verge of passing out right now.

At that exact moment, the weird energy in the room is broken by Klaus’s appearance. He floats in, wearing some sort of ugly satin robe that barely covers anything, but somehow he manages to pull off the look. He stops in the doorway and looks from you to Five and back again. Then he claps his hands and smiles.

“Yay! So, you guys are buddies again? Is that what I’m seeing here?”

Five rolls his eyes and sighs. You shrug your shoulders. “I guess so. Tolerating each other again, anyway,” you tell him.

Five gives a tight-lipped smile and holds his coffee mug up towards you in a toasting gesture and you do the same with yours. Neither of you say anything else on the subject.

“Well, let me tell you, that is a relief,” Klaus exhales. “I was not really looking forward to having to put the hammer down on you, Fivey.”

Five raises his eyebrows at Klaus. “Is that right? And how exactly were you planning on doing that?”

“By giving you a very stern warning, of course,” Klaus says with a smile, shaking his finger at Five. Then he walks over to get his own coffee. He looks Five up and down and then gives his arm a squeeze. “Damn, Cinco, you been working out or what? Looking pretty fine there, I must say.”

Five frowns and swats his hand away. “You’re so weird.”

You giggle into your mug and Five looks at you with a crooked smile. Then he snatches the full coffee pot out of Klaus’s hand. “As much as I’d love to spend the rest of my day in the company of you two intellectuals, I must take my leave. See you later.”

Klaus lets out a cry of protest as Five disappears in a flash, taking the coffee with him, and leaving his brother with an empty mug.

You try to hide your laughter as Klaus looks at you in disbelief.

“Well, that was rude,” he says in a huff.

With a shrug, you get up and pour some of your coffee into his cup. “Yeah, but I’ve come to realize that rude is Five’s love language.”

Klaus pouts. “He must love us a lot, then.”

With a smile, you think to yourself how much that statement is probably true. If Five doesn’t care about you, he’s not going to waste his time and energy to speak to you, even if it is in the form of an insult. It makes you feel good inside to know that he probably really does like you, at least a little bit. If not, he just wouldn’t bother with you at all; he’d avoid you like the plague. And you like knowing that. You like it a lot, actually.

Once again, you find your mind drifting off. And once again, it’s filled with images and scenarios starring one very sexy, teleporting ex-assassin.

Chapter Four: Love In The Time Of Cholera

“Jesus, what’s the matter with you?”

Five walks into the apartment to find you huddled on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and shivering.

“Nothing. It’s just a cold I think,” you answer between chattering teeth.

Five strides over to the couch and leans in to peer down at you, squinting slightly. He stands up straight and crosses his arms over his chest, flicking the hair out of his eyes with a superior shake of his head.

“I don’t think that’s just a cold. You look like shit.”

“Gosh, thanks, Five. Charming, as always,” you snap back. Or at least, it would have been a snap had you not just started coughing violently, your entire body shaking with the effort.

Five’s eyebrows furrow together. “Have you taken your temperature?”

You shrug. “No.”

With a heavy sigh, Five leaves the room, returning a minute later with a thermometer in hand. He presses the button and when it beeps, he holds it out for you. You eye it and him suspiciously.

Five jabs it towards you again when you don’t reach for it. “Take it.”

“How do I know you or Klaus haven’t used that to take your temperature in other ways besides orally?”

Five rolls his eyes. “I keep this in my room, away from Klaus for just that reason, and I can assure you it has never been used in my or anyone else’s ass.”

After another sigh from Five and another dubious look at the thermometer, you relent and take it from him. You place it under your tongue and you both wait in silence for what seems to take forever before you hear the beep again. Before you can take it out, Five reaches down and removes it from your mouth for you, frowning at the digital display.

“104.3. You’re burning up.”

You shiver again, wrapping the blanket around you tighter. “Great.”

Five is quiet for a moment, and then he glances around the room. “Where’s Klaus?”

You shrug again, and it reminds you how much your muscles are aching. “I don’t know. I came here right from work since it was closer than my place and I was feeling pretty crappy. I texted him to let him know I’d be here, but so far I haven’t seen him. He didn’t answer my text, either.”

You figure Five is probably more than annoyed with having you here without Klaus, and spreading your germs around his apartment in the process. With a guilty look, you start to stand up.

“Sorry, I’ll go. I’ve rested a bit, so I should be ok to walk home.”

As you stand, you are overwhelmed by a bout of dizziness and you sway on your feet, your vision blurring. Five reaches out to catch you around your waist and you let him take most of your weight. When your vision returns and you can stand, you look up at him to find he actually looks concerned rather than his usual expression of deep irritation. His facial features are softer and his hair is in his face again. His eyes scan over your face, lingering on your lips before meeting your eyes. Your legs are bearing your full weight now, but he still has his arms around you.

You clear your throat. “Or…I can get a cab.”

“Don’t be stupid,” he says, although it’s missing the usual snark he reserves for you. “You obviously are too sick to go anywhere.”

Five lets you go and you both stand there awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

“So…you want me to stay here?” you ask weakly.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I want you to stay here, but I’m also not sending you off on your own while you’re half dead.” He manages a small smile that appears genuine. “You need someone to look after you.”

You try to hide your shock but your eyebrows raise. “And you’re going to look after me?”

He looks away briefly before sighing dramatically again. “Until Klaus comes back. Then you’re his problem.”

A slight smile twitches at the corner of your mouth. You can’t believe Mr. Crab Ass is being this soft. Soft for him, anyway. And you can’t believe he’s willing to take care of you. You’re trying to picture him as a caregiver, though, and it’s like your brain isn’t computing.

“Ok,” you say softly. “Thank you.”

“Come on,” he says, holding out his hand. “I need to get you into bed.”

Despite the pounding headache in your skull, you start giggling as Five realizes what he said, and his face flushes.

“That’s not…you know what I mean,” he stammers. “You can lie down in Klaus’s bed.”

You nod, still smiling and take his hand. It’s warm and dry against your clammy one, but he doesn’t seem to care. Even though your head feels like it’s filled with mashed potatoes, you still feel a little zing through your body at the sensation of his touch. You know he’s strong and he can kill a man with these same hands if he needed to, but he holds yours gently.

He gets you situated in Klaus’s bed, with an extra blanket thrown over the comforter to keep you warm against your chills. He brings you medicine to bring down the fever, and a glass of water to keep next to the bed. He places a cold compress on your forehead and dims the lights so you can rest, slipping quietly out of the room after he makes sure you’re comfortable.

As he leaves, you notice he hesitates near the door and takes a look back at you before he goes. You’re not quite sure how to interpret the look, mostly because you’ve never seen him like that before. He looks…sad? Concerned? You’re not sure, but whatever the meaning behind it has your heart racing just a little faster.

Even with Five’s continued care, your fever remains and you somehow manage to feel even shittier as the day goes on. Your entire body aches, right down to your bones, and you’re so exhausted you can hardly keep your eyes open. You’re sweaty and shivering and every time you cough it feels like fire in your lungs. You might even be hallucinating, because each time you wake up and open your eyes, Five is there. He usually has some amused look on his face, like you just said something interesting or funny, but you’re pretty sure you’ve only been sleeping.

At one point you wake and he’s not in the chair across from the bed like he has been, but you can hear him out in the hall. He’s talking to someone and he does not sound happy. He sounds like you’re used to him sounding. All frustration and rage.

“What do you mean you’re not coming home?” he spits out. There’s a pause. “And like I told you , she’s sick.” Pause. “No, dickhead, like really sick! You need to get your ass back here and act like a fucking adult—” Pause. “Because she’s your girlfriend!” he yells, and you can practically hear his jaw clenching from the other room.

There’s another long pause and you can hear him pacing back and forth. He laughs sarcastically at whatever has been said to him on the other end.

“Yeah, great idea…you stay there and enjoy yourself. I’ll take care of her. Just like I take care of everything else around here.”

He must have hung up because you hear him muttering angrily to himself. “Fucking, self-absorbed asshole! I’m not sure why I expected anything different. Fuck!”

After a minute or two, Five comes back into the room. He’s obviously still upset but is trying to cover it up. Seeing that you’re awake, he comes to stand next to the bed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“So, I got ahold of Klaus finally,” he tells you.

“Yeah, I figured that part out.” You smile weakly up at him. “And it also sounds like he’s not coming home?”

Five rubs the back of his neck. “It appears not. Not for a couple of days, anyway. Seems like he went with a random group of people he met at a club last night and he somehow ended up in Toronto, the fucking jackass. Without a valid passport! Only Klaus would somehow figure out how to cross international borders on charm alone. Either that, or he blew the border guard.” His voice softens and he looks down at you. “I’m sorry he’s not here.”

“That’s ok. I think I’d rather have you here taking care of me, anyway. Klaus is usually much more interested in taking care of Klaus.”

Five gives a short laugh and shakes his head. “What the hell do you two have in common, anyway?”

“Well…” you smile knowingly, even though just that motion of moving your cheek muscles hurts.

“Ok, no, please don’t finish that sentence. I’m sorry I asked.”

Throughout the next day and night, Five continues to care for you. You’re not really sure why he’s so invested in making sure you’re ok, but you never question him. Instead, you let him fix your covers, and take your temperature, and bring you cold drinks. He makes you soup and watches to make sure you eat all of it. It’s absolutely hilarious to see him like a mother hen, fussing over you and scolding you when you don’t take his directions.

Even though you’re not well enough to leave yet, you are starting to feel a little better. Enough that you’re able to get up and take a hot shower. While you’re in there, Five takes the opportunity to change the sheets on the bed and he helps you back in when you’re clean and feeling more like a human again. Once you are all set up in bed again, you are able to sit up and stay awake, which is more than you’ve been able to do over the past 24 hours. Five stands there at the side of the bed awkwardly.

“I’m really sorry for all of this,” you tell him. “Thank you for taking care of me, though. I had no idea you made such a good nurse.”

Five scoffs, but there’s a small smile there. “Yeah, well…you shouldn’t be. I’m good at everything, remember? Also, I’m not that heartless.”

“I never thought you were heartless. Maybe a little bitchy, but never heartless,” you say with a smile.

“Well, you’re about the only one, so thanks I guess. Although, I’m not sure being described as bitchy is any better.”

You start to laugh, but it turns into a racking cough, and Five looks at you with concern.

“All right, enough talking. You should really go back to sleep.”

You shake your head as you wipe at your watery eyes. “I’m sick of sleeping. Entertain me.”

“Entertain you? Jesus, here I am busting my ass to make you better and now I have to entertain you, too?”

He’s trying to sound aggravated, but he’s not quite pulling it off.

“But I’m borrreddd,” you whine dramatically.

“Christ, fine, I will find something to entertain you, as long as you stop fucking whining like that.”

You smile with satisfaction since you got your way and Five tries his best to look unamused.

“I have lots of books; do you want to read?”

You nod. “What do you have?”

“Fuck, I don’t know, I’m not going to list off an entire library of titles for you. What do you like to read?”

After thinking for a minute, you answer, “I doubt you have any, but I like classic romances.”

Five smiles slowly. “Well, then you’re in luck because I happen to also like classic romances.”

You almost start coughing again with surprise. “What? You? Number Five ‘Hard-Ass’ Hargreeves loves romance novels?”

“I am a very romantic person, I can’t believe you’ve never noticed,” he says with a hand on his chest.

“Oh my god, well now I’ve heard everything. Alright, then, Mr. Romance; what do you have for me to read?”

He leaves for a few minutes, returning with a paperback novel in his hand. He holds it up for you to see the cover.

“Love In The Time of Cholera?” you read.

“It’s fitting, don’t you think?” he answers with a smirk.

“I don’t think I have cholera.”

“Well, maybe not but you have something just as disgusting. The plague, maybe. But this was the only book I have that includes both a deadly disease and romance.”

“I haven’t read that one, but wasn’t it written in the 1980s or something? Is that considered a classic already?”

“Look, do you want to read the fucking book or not?”

You nod with a smile. “Yes, please.”

Five steps closer to the bed and holds out the book for you to take it, but you don’t move. Instead, you look up at him with the saddest expression you can manage and poke out your bottom lip.

“I don’t know if my eyes will be able to read such small print in my weakened state. Will you read it to me?” You bat your eyelashes dramatically.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Five sighs. “Read to you? Are you a child?”

“Please? Come on, what else are you doing? Nothing.”

After another huff and a sigh that isn’t very convincing, Five throws his hands up. “Fine! I’ll read you the stupid book. But you better sit there and be quiet and not interrupt.”

You nod obediently and then pat the empty side of the bed next to you. You were halfway kidding, but after a look at the bed and then back to the chair and then back to the bed again, Five walks around to the other side and climbs in, propping himself up beside you. If his heart is pounding just a little faster from the proximity like yours is, he hides it well.

“Will you do different voices for the characters?” you giggle.

“Shut up. Also, you have a booger hanging out of your nose and it’s making me sick. Get a tissue,” he grumbles.

After blowing your nose and using the hand sanitizer that Five holds out to you, you settle into the covers. But not before you take your index finger and poke him right in his cheek dimple. “I’m ready now.”

He bats your hand away with a scowl as you snort from trying to hold in a laugh with your stuffed-up nose.

“You are such an idiot,” he tells you with a shake of his head, trying to hide a smile.

Five turns to the book and starts reading while you lie next to him. Pretty soon the sound of his voice has you closing your eyes and you sink deeper into the covers. When you hear him stop, you open your eyes and peer up at him.

“Why did you stop?” you ask blearily.

“You were sleeping.”

You close your eyes again and sigh. “Keep reading, even if I fall asleep. I like listening to your voice. It’s nice.”

Even though you can’t see him, you think you hear a breathy little laugh. “Ok,” he says softly, before continuing on with the story.

You doze off again, and when you wake up the sun is lower in the sky and the room is dim. Your eyes adjust to the darkness and you see Five is still there. The book is closed and lying to the side and he is asleep on his back next to you. Then you see that your arm is flung over his stomach and you freeze. He’s still sleeping soundly, so you slowly take your hand back, but not before making sure you get a good feel of his hard abs under your palm. You look at his face and see that it’s softer, his forehead uncreased, with his dark lashes fanned over the tops of his cheeks. His lips are parted just slightly while he breathes deeply and for a very brief moment, you think about running your fingers over them to see if they’re as soft as they look. Instead, you clear your throat and he stirs.

When Five looks over at you, you smile shyly at him. “I think we both fell asleep.”

He runs a hand down his face and looks around him. “Yeah, I guess we did.” He turns back to you. “How are you feeling?”

You nod. “Better, actually, thank you. And thank you for reading to me. I missed some of it, but I liked what I heard of it so far. And I get the gist that this guy in the book is going to start whoring his way around the world because of his unrequited love?”

Five laughs. “Pretty much, yes.”

“Guys are disgusting no matter what time period they live in, I guess.”

Five raises one eyebrow at you. “You do realize whose bed you are currently sleeping in, right? Probably the most disgusting one of them all.”

You frown. “Klaus isn’t that disgusting. He’s just…free.”

Five gives a snort of derision. “Is that what you call fucking your way through several different timelines, including, but not limited to, an entire congregation of his own cult members?”

You feel your face turning red from embarrassment at being one of the many in Klaus’s little trail of conquests, but you already knew that and hadn’t cared before. So, why is it bothering you now? Why do you care what Five thinks? Instead, you change the subject.

“So, you asked me what I have in common with Klaus, but what about you? Why do you live together if he seems to be a constant source of irritation for you?”

Five is quiet for a minute and he sits up in the bed and for a second you think he’s going to leave. But he just leans against the headboard and looks back down at you with a sad smile.

“You’re right, he drives me fucking crazy and I would most definitely prefer to live on my own.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Because Klaus is a hazard to himself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even when we were kids, he was constantly getting into trouble. Whether he was getting bullied by some dickheads on the subway or being used by my father in some horrible way, he was always getting hurt. Both physically and mentally. He’s just too damn trusting. When I was there, I would stand up for him. If I saw him getting pushed around or harassed in some way, then you could bet that whoever was responsible was getting their ass kicked. At home, there wasn’t much I could do about that, but he would come to my room when he was scared or upset and I’d let him hang out as long as he wanted, just to let him talk and calm down. When I left, among a million other things that haunted me during those years, I felt terrible that I had left Klaus unprotected.”

You stare up him, and you can see the hurt on his face as he’s remembering all of this.

“After I came back, I couldn’t believe how far he’d fallen. I know you can’t blame yourself for someone else’s choices, but I kept thinking maybe he would have been ok if I hadn’t jumped. Then, almost right off the bat, he gets kidnapped and tortured by people that were looking for me and then accidentally fucks off to Vietnam to earn himself some more trauma and heartache. Instead of protecting him, I was causing him more pain and suffering and I’d hardly been back in his life for more than a couple of days. So, after a few more screw-ups and a grand old time in the 1960s, here we are again. I know what he’s been through and it’s a lot.”

“So, you decided to live with him to watch out for him? To try and protect him again?”

Five nods. “I know Klaus isn’t stupid. And he’s a survivalist, just like me, so I’m not saying he can’t get along without me. I just feel that I owe him something, at least. And the only thing I can really offer him these days is to try and look out for him. Maybe stop him from making mistakes that will end up causing him more harm in the end. Like taking too many drugs, sleeping with dangerous people, or getting stranded in Canada with strangers. So, as you can see, I’m doing a real bang-up job.”

You smile up at him. “I don’t think that’s your fault.”

Five frowns. “Well, anyway, there you have it. He drives me fucking crazy and makes me want to put his head through a wall most days, but if I’m here then at least I can keep an eye on him.”

“So, am I one of these dangerous people you want to keep him from sleeping with?” you ask just to be a smart-ass and maybe a little flirty.

He gives you a look you don’t know how to interpret. “You are most definitely dangerous, but not in the way you might think.”

You’re not sure how to answer that as you feel your cheeks blush. “You’re a good big brother.”

“Not really.”

You rest your hand on top of Five’s, giving it a light squeeze and he looks down at it. “No, I mean it, Five. You’re a really good brother to him.” And you do mean it.

He swallows hard and looks you in the eyes, holding your gaze for a long time. He gently strokes his thumb against the side of your hand, and it’s the most contact you’ve ever gotten from him. It’s only an instant before he’s taking his back again.

He shakes his head and his voice is almost a whisper when he speaks. “You don’t understand. I’m really not.”

After another awkward moment, he clears his throat and moves off the bed. He pauses in the doorway and turns back to you.

“I’ll bring you something to eat, ok?”

You nod. “Thank you.”

Then he’s gone and you’re left lying there wondering what the hell just happened between you two.

************************************

I thought I had finally gotten my shit together. After that little setback when she caught me beating my meat in the shower and I turned into a giant asshole, we had been back on friendly terms. And I had told myself to stop being a delusional creep and fantasizing about things that weren’t ever going to happen. So far, I have been doing pretty well. Then she got sick.

Normally, the only reason I would care whether or not someone was sick would be so that I could stay away from them. I have dealt with more than my fair share of horrible illnesses and injuries in my life and managed to come out of them mostly unscathed and with no one else’s help. So it’s hard for me to feel too much sympathy for folks with access to advanced medical care and simple things like aspirin or Neosporin. I lost track of how many times I would have killed just for some Imodium and a bottle of Gatorade after eating some not-so-great canned food.

As soon as I saw her all miserable and shivering from a fever like that, though, my heart couldn’t stand it. All I wanted to do was make her feel better and I didn’t care if I was exposed to her germs or not. I would have taken all of them if it meant she’d feel well again. That’s how much she’s gotten to me.

My first instinct was to bring her into my bed, but I quickly changed my mind. I didn’t want it to seem like I was hinting at anything or being a weirdo, so I opted for the better choice of Klaus’s bed. Even though the thought of her being in there, no matter the purpose, leaves me with a gnawing feeling in my stomach. But that’s ok, the only thing that mattered was that she was cared for.

Those first 24 hours were interesting, to say the least. I’m still not quite sure what to think about it. She was feverish and exhausted, and she started hallucinating and talking in her sleep. At first, I didn’t think much of it. It’s not abnormal for people with high fevers to experience these things. But when I didn’t leave her side except to get her more medicine or anything else she needed, she must have realized I was there even if she wasn’t totally in her right mind. She started talking to me, but it didn’t make sense. At least, I told myself it didn’t make sense. Because I don’t want to acknowledge the very unrealistic notion that it may have been her true feelings.

“It’s you,” she had said weakly, her eyes barely open as I sat in the chair across from her.

“Yeah, it’s me. Did you need something?”

She shook her head very slowly and her eyes closed again. “No…I mean…it’s you, Five. It’s always you.”

I didn’t how to take that or how to respond, so I didn’t say anything and she drifted back into a sound sleep.

It had turned dark outside and I hadn’t bothered to turn on a light in the room, but I was still sitting there and I had almost fallen asleep myself. Then I heard her speak again.

“Five?”

I got up and went to her side, and even in the dark, I could tell that she wasn’t completely awake or lucid. She had a sheen of sweat on her forehead from the fever and I placed my hand on her head, hoping the coolness of my skin would feel good. She sighed and smiled.

“You’re hot,” I told her, obviously meaning the temperature of her forehead.

She had laughed dreamily, her eyes still closed. “So are you.”

I took my hand away and smiled down at her, deciding to go ahead and tease her even though I knew she wasn’t with it. “Oh yeah? I think you’re just saying that so I’ll continue waiting on you hand and foot.”

“Nooo…like soooo hot. Can you not be so hot all the time? It’s not fair. With no shirt…"

It was like talking to a drunk person, which I have lots of experience in, from both points of view, and I laughed again. “Ok. Go back to sleep.”

She had turned over on her side and curled up, facing away from me, but she was still mumbling out loud.

“Ok…I’ll do whatever you say, Daddy,” she giggled.

After that, she was back into a deep sleep and I just stood there, frozen in place and trying not to read too much into that. The logical explanation was that she was dreaming about her father in a completely innocent way. However, the other, less plausible one would be that she meant it in a totally different and very naughty way. A way that if I thought about it too much was going to cause me some major problems in the crotch department of my pants. And she had said I was hot, too. Which again, I chocked up to her fever, but still. I didn’t mind hearing it.

The third such incident had happened in the middle of the night. I was asleep and had been for some time. She seemed to be resting peacefully, but I still didn’t want to leave the room just in case she needed something if she woke up. I was still in the chair when I was awoken by her nonsensical ramblings again.

“Why don’t you?”

I rubbed my eyes and got up, standing next to her to make sure she was ok and was going to fall back asleep again. In the dark, she must have sensed me, because she reached out and took my hand and pulled me towards her. She hardly had any strength, so I didn’t have to move, but I did anyway and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Why don’t you?” she asked again, her voice thick with sleep and her hand still latched onto mine.

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t like me,” she answered softly.

I didn’t really know if she was talking to me or not inside of her head, but I decided to answer her. “I do like you.”

“Good,” she murmured, and then she was quiet again. I was about to get up and go back to my chair when she started talking again. “I like it when you call me that, you know.”

I frowned. I had no idea what she was talking about. “Call you what?”

“Sweetheart,” she whispered and in the dark I could make out a smile on her face.

My heart just about jumped out of my chest. But then again, maybe she hadn’t even meant that for me. Maybe she was talking about Klaus, or someone else. Maybe it was all a weird dream and it didn’t mean anything rational at all.

I couldn’t resist, though. I took my hand from hers and touched the side of her face, running my thumb over her warm cheek. “Ok, sweetheart,” I said softly and my voice cracked. It was the first time I had said that without being a sarcastic jerk.

She smiled again and then burrowed deeper into the covers with a sigh. “Five…”

I wanted to die right there on the spot. I hated that I was letting myself create this little fantasy world for the two of us. All of these things she was saying meant nothing. She was delusional and not in her normal mindset. These things were most likely complete gibberish and had no bearing on anything. She was probably saying my name because I was right there and she had heard my voice. Or, more likely, she was telling me off in some dream she was having where I was being my usual pleasant self.

But that tiny little possibility for any of that to be true…that was all I could think about. And damn, it was driving me crazy.

When she had fallen asleep while I was reading to her, I kept going for a while because she had said she liked hearing my voice. But when I was sure she was deep enough asleep that she wouldn’t notice, I stopped. I should have left then, but I didn’t. Instead, I watched her sleeping for a while; noticing the rise and fall of her chest and the way her lips were slightly parted as she breathed in a steady rhythm. I wanted to pull her next to me and hold her. I wanted to stroke her hair and kiss her forehead. I didn’t do those things, but I did stay where I was. I laid there next to her, comfortable and warm and I didn’t want that moment to end. I loved it.

Now it’s two days later and my stupid ass brother still hasn’t shown up. Not that I’m really complaining, but I’m sure she wishes he were here. I meant it when I said I know I’m not a good brother to him. I’ve let him down many times in the past and now I’m lusting after his “non-girlfriend.” Pretty shitty if you ask me. Still, he should be here. Leave it to Klaus to up and abandon her when she needs him the most. Although, she had said she was happy I was here for her.

She is feeling better, at least, and is up and around more. We have developed a kind of routine and have fallen into a comfortable companionship. I know she likes chicken and rice soup and not chicken and noodle. She prefers Sprite over ginger ale and her favorite tea is chamomile. She loves the movie Grease and hates any and all sports movies. And of course, she loves classic romance novels.

I’ve continued reading the book to her, even though she’s well enough to continue reading it herself. She said she likes listening to me and I like doing anything that makes her happy. She still can’t get over the fact that the main character in the book ends up banging 622 women during his decades-long fuck-a-thon.

We are nearing the end of the book today and I’m sitting on the couch with my feet on the coffee table (I know…hypocrisy at its finest). She is sitting next to me when she scoots over and lays her head on my shoulder.

“What’s this?” I ask, trying to act annoyed, when of course I couldn’t be happier.

“I want to see the pages while you read. Make sure you’re not skipping anything to get to the end faster.”

I roll my eyes. “I promise I am not skipping anything. What do you take me for?”

“A cynical bastard?”

She looks up at me with a grin and I do my best to look irritated. “Do you want to finish this damn book or not?”

“Yes, darling.”

It’s heavy with sarcasm, obviously, but I still get a little rush when I hear her say it. I want so badly to lean my cheek against her head, feeling the softness of her hair against my skin. Instead, I sigh heavily and open the book.

“Hey, wait, so we’re almost to the end now and Florentino has been whoring around for a long time. I forget, how long has it been exactly?”

“51 years, 9 months, and 4 days.”

“Damn,” she says with a chuckle. “That’s a really fucking long time to wait around. Even if you are banging a bunch of people along the way. I mean think about it. That’s like…5 decades just…putting your life on pause. Can you imagine? God, I’d go insane.”

I’m suddenly very uncomfortable since that statement hit a little too close to home. I shift in my seat and the movement makes her lift her head and look up at me. I don’t meet her eyes, though.

“Oh, shit,” she gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “I am so sorry, Five. I didn’t mean—"

“It’s fine.”

“No. No, I just forgot and that was a really insensitive thing for me to say, and…god dammit, I always do stupid shit like this. I’m always just blurting things out without thinking about what I’m saying.”

“Really. It’s ok,” I assure her.

She lets out a frustrated exhale and she’s starting to mess with her fingernails like she always does when she gets nervous. 

“Hey,” I say, putting my hand on her leg. “You don’t have to feel bad. I’m not offended. And it’s true, you would go insane. I can vouch for that.”

She looks down at my hand on her leg and I quickly take it back. When she looks at me, her eyebrows are drawn together in concern.

“Can I ask you something, then?”

“Sure.”

“So, I know all about your ‘accident’ or whatever you want to call it. Klaus told me everything and it’s just so awful, Five. The fact that you are here and functioning and not locked up in a looney bin somewhere is nothing short of amazing.”

I let out a short laugh. “Thanks, I guess? Although some days I feel like I should be locked up. But that usually just has to do with having to deal with my moronic family.”

She doesn’t laugh at my joke to deflect, and instead, she continues looking at my face with not exactly pity, but something close to it. It makes me uneasy.

“Ok, well, anyway, there’s something I’ve wanted to know. Have you…have you ever been in a relationship with anyone? Like romantically?”

Well, if I felt uneasy before it’s nothing to how I’m feeling now. I would like to sink down in between these couch cushions and smother myself to death. How am I supposed to answer that without sounding like a fucking lunatic? Then again, if anyone would understand, it’s probably her.

I clear my throat and rub the back of my neck. “That’s kind of a loaded question.”

“Is it?”

"Well, the short answer is yes. I was in a serious relationship for a very long time. Decades, in fact. But that ended a few years back.”

“Oh…I thought you were alone that whole time. So you had a partner?”

“Yes, you could say that. Dolores was more than my partner, though. She was all of the things I needed when I wanted to give up. She was my rationality, my calm in a storm, my teacher and my friend. She taught me love, patience, and perseverance above all odds. She was my entire world and the main reason I’m still standing here today. She was my everything and the love of my life.” I pause and I look her directly in the eyes. “And she was made up entirely of my imagination and a department store mannequin. But she was very real to me.”

She blinks a few times and I can tell she is trying to process all of that. And I can’t blame her. What is the appropriate response to that? If you’re a dick, you laugh. If you’re some sappy, bleeding heart with no control over your emotions, you cry. But if you are a normal, sympathetic person with actual brains, then it gets complicated.

“Five, I…I don’t know what to say. That’s…”

“Sad? Disturbing? The most fucked up thing you’ve ever heard?”

“Beautiful.”

I look at her in disbelief. “What?”

“If she was all of those things to you, then that means you are all of those things. You are the reason you persevered and survived all those years. Because you made sure of it in the only way you knew how. And Dolores was the vessel that helped you compartmentalize everything, letting you deal with the horrors of your reality while still maintaining all of the good parts that are inside of you. It’s brilliant, actually. And hopelessly romantic.”

“No one has ever interpreted it in that way before. Although to be honest, I haven’t really told many people. In fact, come to think of it, outside of my siblings, you are the only one I’ve told.”

“Wow, really? Thank you.”

She sounds sincere and I know she is not judging me. I am very protective of Dolores and if she had said something flippant or thoughtless, I would have defended my lady love. But she didn’t. She understands. Which just makes me want her more.

“You’re welcome.”

“Ok, so other than Dolores, have there been other women in your life?”

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “Yes, there have been. Not many, but a few. And none of them were relationships to speak of.”

She smiles. “Ah, I see. A slew of one-night stands to make up for lost time?”

I chuckle and shake my head. “More like a select few professional dancers.”

She makes a cringey face. “Yikes. I guess that can be fun in its own way, though. Bringing home some hot strippers maybe isn’t a bad way to spend a Friday night.”

“Oh, no, I never brought them home. Or even left the club, actually.” Her raised eyebrows have me laughing. “It is in my personal experience that the adage of ‘there’s no sex in the champagne room’ is not entirely true.”

She draws in a dramatic gasp with a big grin on her face. Then she slaps me on the arm. “Five Hargreeves, you are a giant slut! I can’t believe you give Klaus shit all the time when you’re going around banging strippers in the back of the clubs. What did they do, lure you back there with lap dances? How much does it cost to bone a stripper these days?”

“I never said I paid for it,” I say with a smirk.

“Whoa whoa whoa…hold on. Let me see if I’m understanding this correctly. You go to a strip club, probably buy a couple of drinks, maybe get a couple of dances, and they just magically take you into the champagne room and let you rail them?”

I shrug and drape my arms across the back of the couch. “That’s pretty close, yeah.”

Her mouth is hanging open and I know I’m acting like an arrogant prick, but I don’t care. Her reaction is too funny. It’s also all true.

“Holy shit.” She shakes her head with a smile. “Well, I hope you know that is not the normal experience for most guys. And the fact that it sounds like this has happened more than once leads me to believe you must be doing something extremely right in that room because girls like to talk.”

“Is that right?” I say with one eyebrow raised.

She nods. “I’m not entirely surprised. After I was able to get a quick preview of what you’re working with down there, I have no doubt you left these ladies with some major organ damage and a big smile on their faces.”

Now my mouth is hanging open in shock, but before I can stammer out some words, she starts laughing. It’s immediately contagious and I join her, and I haven’t laughed that hard in a very long time. It feels good and it almost erases the crushing feeling inside when I think about how I never want this time with her to end. Almost.

Chapter Five: Bizarre Love Triangle

The next day you are back to feeling normal again, and you should be going. You’ve missed a few days of work and you really need to get back there. But you don’t; you stay. You like the little infirmary Five has created for you. You feel safe and cared for, and if you leave that feeling will be gone.

Klaus decides to return sometime during the afternoon. He breezes in, smelling of cigarettes and unwashed clothes, with a smile on his face and seemingly not a care in the world. You are annoyed, sure, but you secretly don’t even care that he’s been gone. And it’s just so hard to stay mad at him because it’s Klaus. He is who he is and it’s no surprise, really.

Five, however, finds nothing amusing about it. You stand there and watch as he loses his ever-loving shit.

Barely two minutes after Klaus is in the door, Five is appearing in front of him in an angry swirl of light, already leaning in with bared teeth and clenched fists.

“Where the fuck have you been?” he growls in Klaus’s face.

Klaus, always immune to his brother’s rage, raises a hand to his head and closes his eyes. “Shhh…Fivey…please, can you keep the screaming to a dull roar? My skull feels like it’s breaking in two.”

“It is going to be breaking in two when I’m through with you. What the fuck is wrong with you? Don’t you have any decency? She has been on death’s door for the past two days and you don’t bother to come home or even call to check in?”

Five is gesturing to you while you stand off to the side, not sure whether you should be jumping in or not. You don’t really appreciate being talked about like you aren’t there, but you’ve never seen Five this worked up before and it’s intimidating, to say the least.

Klaus sighs dramatically and looks over to you. “I’m sorry. You’re ok now, though, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I am…”

“See? She’s ok, so no harm done,” he tells Five.

“Yeah, she is ok, thanks to me. That’s not even the point, though! You need to stop thinking about only yourself all the time. Grow the fuck up and act like an adult.” Five is still yelling loudly and Klaus is flinching with each word thrown in his face. “God, you’re so fucking useless sometimes!”

“Hey!” you interject. “Five, stop. I know you’re mad but you don’t have to be mean.”

He whips his head in your direction and the ire is still there. “Mean? I’m being mean? You do realize he just up and abandoned you, right?”

You stand up straight and raise your chin. “I think abandoned is a strong word. And I’m an adult, too, you know. I appreciate everything you did for me, but I think I could have survived without either of you.”

Five is silent, but his eyes don’t leave yours. He’s still angry, but there’s something else there. Hurt.

“Fine,” he concedes and his shoulders slump a little. “Forget I even said anything. You two dumbasses really do deserve each other.”

After that, he’s gone. Disappeared again before your eyes and you know he’s not in the apartment anymore. You doubt you’ll see him back here again anytime soon. You fucked things up again, and you don’t know how to fix it this time. You look at Klaus.

“Why didn’t you come back? It would have been the decent thing to do. I thought you cared a little more about me than that.”

Klaus massages his temples with his hands and lets out a loud exhale. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be gone that long, and it was a little tricky to get back into the country without documentation. Especially when the guards on duty that day are all alpha males with no sense of humor.” He looks at you with concern. “I really am sorry.”

“Thank you.”

“You seem back to normal, now, so that’s good. I’m glad at least Five was here.”

You nod. “Me too.” You look towards the door, even though that’s not the way he left. “I don’t think he’s going to want to have anything to do with me again, though.”

Klaus is already on his way to the bathroom and he waves a hand in the air dismissively. “Nah, don’t worry about him. He’ll get over it. He always does. Come on, want to join me in the shower?”

“No, thanks,” you answer with a pinched smile. You may not be that angry with Klaus, but you are pretty annoyed. And certainly not in the mood for anything more than chit-chat right now.

It’s later that night, and why the hell you’re still here you have no idea. You should have left hours ago. You just can’t help but want to see Five again and to maybe try and smooth things over. And you’re worried about him, too. Obviously, he can take care of himself, but that doesn’t mean he won’t do something stupid just because he’s pissed off and not thinking clearly. So, while Klaus is in his room sleeping off his three-day bender, you lie down on the couch. You can’t sleep though so you’re staring up at the ceiling in the dark when you hear a familiar whooshing noise and brief flash of blue light coming from the kitchen. You get up and enter the kitchen quietly.

Five stops short when he sees you, his eyes wide for half a second before he corrects himself and he adopts his signature glare. You watch him as he walks to the sink, grabs a glass out of the cabinet, and fills it with water from the tap. You notice how he swayed a little when he walked and the way his eyes were momentarily unfocused. He turns his back to you as he takes a long drink of water.

“What are you still doing here?” he asks after he swallows.

“Are you drunk?” you ask, ignoring his question.

He gives a short and haughty noise, half snort, half laugh, and he swallows down another gulp of water.

“Hardly,” he answers, still turned away from you. He is deliberately not looking at you, probably waiting for you to give up and leave first.

“Yes, you are,” you insist.

Five turns, spinning abruptly around and facing you head-on. He slams the empty water glass on the counter behind him.

“And what if I was? What the fuck does it matter to you?” he barks, his face hard and angry.

You aren’t going to let him win this one. You aren’t going to let him chase you out of there.

“Where were you anyway?”

He puts his hands in his pockets and leans back against the counter. His hair is disheveled and hanging in his eyes again. His shirt, although slightly wrinkled, is unbuttoned just far enough that you can make out the hard line of his collarbone and the outline of his pecs. He is all tense joints and sinew, skin tight and smooth over rippling muscles; everything coiled tight. He notices you staring at his body and he smirks.

“Aw, did you miss me tending to your every need, princess? Not getting enough attention from my dear brother in there?” He nods his head toward Klaus’s room.

You cross your arms defensively over your chest, staring him down. “Don’t you dare fucking talk to me like that, Five. We are past that.”

He gives another sarcastic huff and turns his back on you again. “Go back to your boyfriend. Leave me alone.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you answer flatly, although that’s hardly relevant.

Five doesn’t say anything in response at first and you think you’ve won this weird little game you two are playing. Then you see his shoulders slump and his head hangs down.

“Then what are you doing with him?” he asks quietly.

You pause, blinking into the dim light of the kitchen, watching the muscles in his back flex through his shirt as he presses his palms harder into the countertop.

“What do you mean?” you ask with a tremble in your voice.

Five turns around to face you, the softness you had heard for just a moment gone again. He takes a menacing step toward you and you instinctively back up.

“I mean, what are you doing with Klaus? Why are you with him?”

Five continues to slowly make his way into your personal space. His eyes are dark and he’s breathing hard with anger or drunkenness, or both. You back up, but you find yourself trapped against the wall. Five pauses for a moment, like he’s unsure he wants to follow through on whatever he’s thinking. But then he’s taking another step toward you, and another, until he’s so close you can see the tiny flecks of brown in his otherwise clear green eyes.

You take a shaking breath in and you can smell the whiskey on his breath, and the leathery scent of the soap you recognize from the shower. You can hear the squeak of his leather dress shoe on the floor and the way the fabric of his pants brushes softly between his legs as he moves in.

When you don’t answer, he asks again, his voice low and demanding. “Why are you with him?”

You swallow hard and try to look away, but his stare is too intense. “I…I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. Tell me.”

He’s leaning in, trapping you between his forearms as they are pressed against the wall next to your head, his lips just inches from yours as he waits for your answer. You have a feeling he’s not going anywhere until he hears what he wants to hear.

Your voice is barely a whisper when it comes out. “Because I don’t like being alone.”

One half of Five’s mouth curls up in a self-satisfied smirk. When he closes the already small gap between you and him, he rests his hand on your hip as your thigh grazes against his groin. You can feel the firm bulge starting to form in his perfectly fitted pants as you hold your breath.

“Fuck,” he murmurs painfully.

Before you can react, his mouth is on yours, hungry and rushed, like he’s trying to get as much of you as he can before he changes his mind again. But he doesn’t pull away. Instead, he presses further into you, flattening you against the wall, his hands clutching firmly to your hips. The weight of his entire body is pressed upon you, your breasts pushed against his chest and your groin flush with his. You take in a gulp of air between open-mouth kisses, half-resisting and half-responding to his touch.

If he senses any hesitation from you, he ignores it. Instead, he moans pitifully in his throat, raising both of his hands to bunch your hair into his fists. The feeling of his fingers against your scalp is like a spark; igniting the rest of your body so that you find yourself grabbing the back of his shirt and pushing your lower body into him.

His hands release from your hair, only to trail down the sides of your face and onto your neck. Hot and insistent, you feel his fingers tracing over the tendons on either side, across your jugular, and dipping into the hollow curve above your collarbone. His mouth leaves yours and follows the same route of his fingers; kissing softly but urgently in a linear pattern.

You are still grasping handfuls of his shirt on his back and then his chest. “Five.”

You don’t know what the meaning behind you saying his name is. You don’t want him to stop, but you can’t think clearly so it’s the only thing that comes out.

“It’s not fair,” he growls into your skin, moving to the other side of your neck. “Not fucking fair.”

A whine escapes your throat and you find yourself arching into him. Into his kisses and into his body. You want more and you don’t care that he’s drunk or that he all but forced himself on you. You’re not going to push him away and you stop kidding yourself that you were even thinking about it in the first place. It feels good. He feels good. And it feels right.

His kisses abruptly stop and when you open your eyes, you’re met with his intense gaze again. His mouth is parted as he labors for breath, chest heaving against yours. His hands are on your neck again. This time, they are encircling it, his palms warm against your skin and his thumbs on your chin, holding you in place and forcing you to look at him.

Five’s eyes are searching your face, taking in every detail.

“I want you. And I don’t fucking care about Klaus or anyone else. I want you,” he states quietly and breathlessly. “But if you want me to stop, tell me and I will. I’ll leave and you can go back to him.”

You frown, your eyebrows drawing together, as you take in the sharp angles of his face and the evident pain and longing that is written all over it. You could end this right now. He would step back, remove his hands from your body, and let you go. But that’s not what you want.

You shake your head slowly. “No. Don’t leave.”

“Fuck,” he breathes out again as if he’s disappointed in your answer.

There’s no time to contemplate that, however, because you are being hoisted up in one boost, Five’s strength more than enough to lift you easily off the ground. On instinct, you wrap your arms around his shoulders and your legs around his waist. You can feel how hard he is as you pass over his groin and he gives a little grunt at the feeling.

It’s all a delirious haze as you cling to him, kissing his face and neck and winding your fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. All while he is carrying you down the short hallway to his bedroom, bumping into the doorjamb on the way in, and closing the door behind him with a kick of his foot.

He walks over to the bed, dropping you down a bit ungracefully. Not that you care. You’re too busy trying desperately to shed your clothes as he does the same, the room filling with the sound of your loud and ragged breathing.

Since you were only wearing a t-shirt and shorts, you’re finished before he is and you lie back, watching as he fumbles with his belt buckle and shoves his pants hurriedly down. His shirt is off already, and you take in the hardness of his chest and the way his shoulders and biceps flex and relax with each movement. The tight boxer briefs he is wearing are damp where his hard cock has been leaking into them.

It’s all happening so fast, and he’s on top of you in a matter of seconds, pinning you down to the mattress, both of you naked and clawing at one another. He is grabbing and kneading your ass with one hand while the other one is on your breast, squeezing almost to the point of pain. But it feels so fucking good, and you’re just as forceful; digging your fingers into his hip and raking your nails roughly down the smooth skin of his back.

“Five,” you whine, unable to say anything else as he bites and sucks at your chest.

He’s groaning and gasping against your skin, like he’s drowning; like he can’t get enough. His mouth is everywhere. Your tits, your stomach, your neck.

He lets out a frustrated growl, even as he takes everything he wants and you let him.

“I hate it…” he mumbles, words cut off as he drags a tongue across your hardened nipple.

“What?” you ask after inhaling a sharp breath, your fist tangled in his dark hair.

Five doesn’t stop, even as he answers you, moving further down your body.

“I hate that he kisses you. I hate that he touches you,” he moans, his lips grazing over you and the words hot against your skin.

He pushes your legs apart and you pull in a deep breath, your hips rising off the bed in response. His mouth is on your inner thigh, pressed against it while his words vibrate over and through you.

“I hate that he makes you wet, and knows how you taste.”

Five is on his knees, face buried between your legs as he licks at your pussy, tongue lapping up the continual flow of your arousal and spreading it up through your aching folds. He’s holding you by your waist with both hands, steadying you as you thrust up into him. His mouth is hot and wet as it engulfs you in messy kisses and licks, the tip of his tongue darting over your clit as he drinks in your wetness and swallows it down.

The accuracy is tortuous, as he hits his target each time, leaving you writhing desperately beneath him, biting your bottom lip as you try in vain to quiet the noises he’s eliciting from you.

“Fi-ive…,”you whine pathetically before inhaling another loud breath.

His mouth is off of you again, leaving you soaking wet and desperate for more. Five is back to kissing up your body, going back over the trail he left on the way down. When he gets to your mouth, he kisses you hard and deep. You can taste your own sex on his tongue as it slips past your lips and inside, colliding with yours. As he bites and pulls at your lips with his teeth, you can feel his cock pressing against the inside of your thigh as he moves his hips rhythmically against you.

“I hate that he fucks you. I hate that he makes you come.” He pauses as he lets out another quiet moan. “And I hate that I hate it.”

He has pulled away from you, green eyes boring into you as he looks into yours. He hasn’t bothered with asking if anything he is doing is ok, probably taking your moans and involuntary hip jerks as proof that you were ok with everything. But now, he seems to be waiting for something. An acknowledgment of what he said. A sign that you want what he wants.

“Don’t you know?” you ask him, panting, as you look back at him. “When I close my eyes, it’s always you.”

One corner of his mouth is turned up, more than satisfied with your answer, as he is repositioning himself and shoving inside of you. You cry out, not even trying to hold it back, as your head falls backward and you clutch onto his shoulders. Five’s own loud groans are punctuated by each slow thrust of his hips as he holds himself over you on his forearms. Your eyes meet again, his face hovering over yours, dark hair hanging in messy strands off his forehead.

“Fuuck…I’ve wanted this for so long,” he breathes out, not breaking eye contact.

He’s slamming into you, his more than sizeable dick filling you up with each push. And it’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before. The way his body fits into yours. The way he looks at you. The intensity mixed with need and want. This is how fucking should feel. And you want to feel this way forever.

He has lowered himself so that your faces are closer; lips just an inch apart. He hasn’t changed his pace, though, still penetrating you over and over again in the perfect rhythm. Your hands run over the tight muscles of his rounded shoulders, nails raking red lines down his back as you lift your legs higher and angle your hips up.

“Look at me,” he demands and you open your eyes immediately in response. “I want you all to myself. I want you to fuck me. Scream for me. Come for me.”

There was no question posed, but you find yourself nodding along, agreeing with each word he says; arching into him and pulling him closer.

It’s not long before the tension is building, the heat spreading out through your groin until it’s no longer bearable. He’s pounding into you with precision and just enough force that you know you’ll be sore tomorrow. But that thought is far back in your mind, and you focus on his loud breathing against your skin, the feral look in his eyes, the way his body moves so perfectly in time with yours.

You come for him, just like he wanted, and you’re loud and desperate; thrashing underneath him, clutching tightly to his sweat-dampened skin. When you moan his name, long and pleading, his thrusts stop as his hips slam into you one more time, his cock unloading inside of you as he shudders and buries his face into the crook of your neck; a painful-sounding growl mixing with his stuttering breath.

Five stays like this, breathing in the scent of your skin and hair, for a minute or two before he lifts himself off of you, lying next to you on his back. He’s still breathing hard, but you can already see the wheels turning in his head; the regret and shame washing over him. You don’t want him to feel like that, though. There’s no reason for him to feel that way.

“Five?” you ask hesitantly.

He turns his head toward you, slowly, hands resting on his chest. You’re not really sure what to say. You want to tell him it’s ok. That you were just as much of a part in this as he is. But you know that will probably make him angry.

“Do you want…” your voice breaks as you look at him, realizing this passionate moment is most likely coming to an end. “Never mind. I can go.”

You sit up and start to maneuver off the bed when you feel his hand on top of yours. When you look back, his face is different. It’s more resolved now, like he’s figured something out.

“No,” he says softly. “Stay.”

“But…” You glance at the closed door of his bedroom, and he knows what you’re thinking because he’s probably thinking the same thing. Klaus. There’s also zero chance that Klaus hadn’t heard your loud cries of his brother’s name and the bed slamming against the wall.

“I don’t care. Stay.” When you look back at him, he smiles just a little. “Please,” he adds.

You return the smile, pushing the covers down so that you can both get underneath. He draws you to him with an arm around your middle and you nestle into his chest. He’s warm and his arm around you is strong, and it feels good.

Neither of you say anything more as you give in to your tiredness, drifting off while Five trails soft lines up and down your arms with his fingers.

Sometime during the night, you feel Five behind you, pressing himself against you and pulling you closer. He’s hard again and lightly kissing your shoulder, running his hand down your arm and then your thigh. You smile sleepily, not even opening your eyes, and push back into him, wordlessly letting him know you want him again.

You’re both caught in that hazy delirium of not being fully awake and Five thrusts into you slowly, rubbing his cheek softly against your hair. It’s passionate and pure, and you might have thought it was a dream if the words he was saying to you weren’t so real.

“I want this,” he whispers into the darkness. “I want this with you. Not just tonight, every night. Please.”

You sigh contentedly, pressing your backside into him as he fucks you perfectly.

“I want this, too. It’s always you, Five,” you answer, reaching your arm back to cradle his head in your hand.

He’s groaning low and desperately, his forehead pressed into your neck.

“I’ll take care of you like you deserve,” he’s pleading as he thrusts harder into you and his hand moves between your legs, urging you on. “Whatever you need, I’ll give to you. I’ll make you happy.”

You whine quietly, already feeling the need for release. “I know you will…I know…” You gasp when he gives one forceful thrust, fingers pressing hard against your clit. “You’re all I need.”

“Please,” he’s murmuring against your neck. “Please let me. I’m all yours, sweetheart. Please,” he keeps repeating, right before you’re both shuddering and moaning as everything builds and you reach your apices together.

The post-orgasmic high you are feeling is mixing with your emotions and your exhaustion, and you blink into the darkness of the room, feeling Five pull out; the hot cum he just pumped into you seeping out and sticking between your bodies. It doesn’t matter, though. He still has you in his arms as you both sink further into the mattress again.

He doesn’t say anything more, and neither do you. You feel him nuzzle into your neck and your hair, his lips pressed against you and you sigh happily. Who knows what the morning will bring, but that is still several hours away, and no matter what, you belong to each other now. You interlace your fingers with his and settle into the perfect curve of his body as you fall back into a peaceful sleep. 

When you wake up, the sunlight is streaming through the window and across Five’s bed, and you are alone. But it doesn’t take long to figure out what woke you up in the first place. Loud voices are arguing, sounding like they are coming from the kitchen, and growing louder by the second.

“You are a massive asshole!”

“Oh, get over yourself, Klaus! You’re only mad because it’s a blow to your fragile ego.”

Klaus gives a sarcastic snort. “Uh, no, actually, I’m mad because my own BROTHER fucked my GIRLFRIEND!”

“She’s not your girlfriend! You’ve made that perfectly clear.”

“What-fucking-ever! It’s still fucked up. It’s still a betrayal!”

You hear Five laugh dangerously and you can picture his stance; body strung tight as a bow, jaw set in defiance, fists clenched.

“You don’t even care about her, Klaus. Admit it.”

There’s a pause as neither one of them say anything. You listen carefully for Klaus’s answer, if he gives one. Finally, he speaks. It’s quiet, but you can just make it out.

“Maybe not. Not in the way that I should, anyway.” He pauses. “But here’s the thing, Five. I cared about you. You know, you’re always reminding me to be careful all the time and not to be so trusting of everyone. Well, you were right; I trusted you and look how that turned out. You’re not my brother. Go fuck yourself.”

You hear footsteps and then the door slams. There’s silence again.

You don’t know what to do, so you stay put. You’re still naked, though, so you scramble off the bed and gather up your underwear and the t-shirt you were wearing. As you yank it over your head, Five opens the door and walks in. He’s carrying two mugs of hot coffee and he hands one silently over to you.

You say thank you as you accept the mug, but your smile of appreciation goes unreturned as Five crosses back the way he came and stands in the open doorway. His face is impassive. Uncaring. The opposite of the passion you saw in his eyes just hours earlier. You frown over your coffee as you take a small sip.

“I heard you and Klaus and I’m so sorry. I know this is hard, but…” you start to say, but Five cuts you off.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Look, I have a lot of things to do today, though, so you should probably get going.”

You flinch at his abruptness and you can’t even pretend to hide your hurt. You see a faint flicker of some emotion in his eyes before it’s gone again. Blank.

“What do you mean? I thought we…” your voice trails off, unable to finish the sentence as the words catch in your throat. You swallow and try again. “You said…”

Five jumps in again before you can finish. “I was drunk, I didn’t know what I was saying,” he replies, his voice flat and unmoving. “I’m sorry if I misled you. Obviously, this was a mistake.”

He says nothing more; just turns around and walks out, leaving you sitting on his bed, coffee cup in hand, and a sick feeling in your stomach. Your chest is tight and it’s hard to breathe. You can’t believe what’s happening right now. How he’s treating you. Your heart is breaking into a million pieces and it’s humiliating.

After you gather your things, pull on your clothes, and pack your bag with the few toiletries and other things you’ve been leaving there, you head out to the living room. Five is there, dressed in his normal black slacks and white button-down, sitting in one of the chairs. He has a newspaper in his lap and he doesn’t look up when you enter. You stand there, staring, until he reluctantly meets your eyes.

You are trying desperately to hold back tears, and for the most part you are doing a good job. But they are there, threatening to spill over at any second. You try to steady your voice.

“I get it if this is hard for you, Five. It’s hard for me, too. I didn’t want to come between you and your brother. But pretending that this was a mistake? That what you said last night didn’t mean anything? That’s bullshit and you know it!”

He cocks his head to the side and crosses one leg over another as he gives you a condescending smirk.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart? Never heard of a one-night stand?” he sneers.

“Fuck you,” you spit out, your voice hitching in your throat.

You turn away and head for the door before he can see you cry. On your way out, you stop and turn back. He’s still sitting there, looking after you, the same non-expression on his face.

“One last thing before I go. You did this, Five, not me. You pushed me away. So, if you wake up one day and you’re all alone…you only have yourself to blame. Because this could have been something really good.”

You turn and close the door behind you, not even bothering to look back again.

Chapter Six: My Own Worst Enemy

I’ve dealt with a lot of regret in my life. Times when I’ve wanted to kick my own ass and beat the living shit out of me. A couple of times I’ve been successful in rewinding time by a few minutes to fix my mistakes. Other times, not so much. But none of those times, barring that little snafu when I ended up living in a barren wasteland for 45 years, have come close to how much I hate myself right now.

After she slams the door shut, I blink myself over there. My hand is on the doorknob, mid-turn, when I stop myself again. I can’t think straight and I don’t even know what is right or what is wrong anymore. All I know is that all of this is my fault. If I had just kept to myself and kept my dick in my pants, I wouldn’t be standing here like this now. I rest my forehead against the door and squeeze my eyes shut. I briefly think about going back and changing this. I only need a few minutes, not long. I can tell her I’m sorry and that I don’t want her to leave. I can tell her I did mean everything I said before. I can try and fix it. But I don’t.

I slam my fist against the door and kick it at the same time. “FUCK!”

That’s all there is to say in this situation because I may have just lost the two most important people in my life. All because of my stupid, thoughtless actions. I feel bad about Klaus, but I know he’ll eventually get over it. He might not forgive me, but I know he’ll be ok. But her…that look in her eyes when I told her I didn’t mean any of it…I don’t think I can fix that. I wouldn’t even know how, because I don’t think I’ve ever hurt someone that badly and that viciously before. If I have, I hadn’t cared until now.

I had panicked. I thought I had made peace with everything and then Klaus had said what he did to me. You’re not my brother. And he was right. Not only am I not even his biological brother, but I have been on my high horse pretending I can protect him, when really all I do is make shit worse. What kind of a brother, adopted or not, does that?

The thing is, if I had just gone about this in a completely different way, it probably would have turned out just fine. I could have gone to him, told him I had feelings for her and that I thought maybe she felt the same way, and apologize. Maybe he would have been a little mad, but in all reality, he probably would have been fine with it. It’s the way that it happened that really threw a monkey wrench into the whole thing.

I know he wasn’t all that into her, and vice versa. But to take the same girl that your brother has been sleeping with on a regular basis and fuck her (loudly), right down the hall from him without so much as a heads-up-pre-coitus email…that’s probably some sort of code violation right there. Granted, I’m sometimes oblivious to social norms and things other people might describe as “tact”, but I do know this is a pretty blatant faux pas.

I shouldn’t have gotten so pissed. I shouldn’t have gone off to drink my feelings away. I shouldn’t have stayed in the kitchen talking to her. I shouldn’t have done a lot of things.

I was mad at Klaus for not stepping up when he should have, but I was mostly just mad at him for having her in the first place. And then when she came to his defense…that was too much. I had to get out of there before I said or did something even worse. So, I did what I usually do when things get too scrambled in my brain; I went to find some booze.

The bar I chose was the first one I had come across while I was storming down the sidewalk, and I found an empty barstool where I could sit and wallow in self-pity. The place was a total dive, but it was dark and crowded and the bartender had no issue serving me as many shots of whiskey that I asked for. I think I was on my fourth when I noticed the girl on the other end of the bar eye-fucking me. She was cute, with dark brown hair and a minuscule top that didn’t do much to hide her impressive rack. In my drunken state, I found myself staring back at her, which she took as an invitation.

I can hold my liquor, but after five shots, even I’m going to get a little sloppy. Everything was a blur. It was dark, loud, and my senses were all screwed up. She was standing between my legs, leaning in to talk to me, and I could smell her perfume which I didn’t particularly like. I don’t even know what she was saying to me. Her hand was on my thigh and she was purposefully pressing her tits against me as she talked close to my ear. I could feel her hand moving higher up my leg, and she was saying something about leaving together and going back to her place. It sounded like a good idea, but something was off.

I felt her lips brush against my cheek and that’s when I had a moment of clarity. Her voice was all wrong, her perfume was giving me a headache, and if I was paying attention to what she had been saying, I’m sure I would have found her boring. More importantly, she wasn’t her. And if it wasn’t her, I didn’t really give a shit. Grabbing the woman’s wrist with my hand, she stopped her kiss and pulled back, confused.

“Stop,” I said, gradually snapping out of the trance I had been in. When she questioned me, obviously irritated that I would be turning her advances down, I let go of her hand, pushing it off of me. “Go shove your tits in someone else’s face. I’m not interested.”

With a glare, she turned around, but not before she flipped me off and called me an asshole. That’s when I figured I should get out of there before I drank enough that I wouldn’t be able to find my way out. I also figured it would be safe to go home because she would have left the apartment hours before that. Wrong again.

When I saw her there, I just couldn’t keep it up anymore. I couldn’t see the point. And if she had slapped me across the face, or asked me to stop, I would have. I would have been humiliated, but I would have stopped. But she didn’t want me to.

God, I can still feel her body against mine and hear her moaning my name. I can still taste her on my tongue and smell the sweat on her skin. She invaded all of my senses and she’s still clinging to me. I have never begged anyone for anything in my entire life, and yet there I was, pleading with her to be with me. She had said she wanted to, and I could feel how much she meant it. We were going to be happy together; I had promised her I would take care of her like she deserves. It was all right there for me. All of the things I had been dreaming of and wanting for so long. Then I went and fucked it all up.

She was right, too. I will wake up all alone one day, and I will have no one to blame but myself.

It’s a week later, and I’m busy packing up all of my shit into boxes since I plan on moving out tomorrow. I haven’t seen much of Klaus because he hasn’t been around a lot and when he is, he avoids me and locks himself in his room. I had immediately started looking for a new place and I found one that is ok and will be fine short term. It’s also fairly close to her coffee shop, which had not been intentional, but it’s not my fault that’s where it’s located. I’m packing up some books when Klaus comes and stands in the doorway. I look up, startled. He’s holding a bottle of vodka in one hand and two shot glasses in the other.

“Mind if I come in?” he asks.

“Sure, come on in.”

He walks in and sits down on the edge of my bed. He puts the shot glasses on the side table and pours vodka into each of them, filling them to the top before he sets the bottle down. He hands one over to me and I take it from him even though I’m confused as hell right now.

“What’s this for?” I ask.

Klaus shrugs. “I don’t know, but I feel like we should have one more drink together before you move out.”

I don’t know how to respond to that, so I just follow his lead and hold my glass up in a toast before slinging it back. It burns on the way down but it tastes good.

“You don’t have to leave, you know,” Klaus says after a long pause.

“Yes, I do.”

He sighs and looks around my room. “Look, I know this is a weird situation, and I am still mad at you, but that doesn’t mean I want you to leave.”

“You told me I wasn’t your brother and to go fuck myself,” I remind him.

“Ah, yes, well…perhaps I was a bit over-dramatic. I was just a tad hungover still and you were yelling just so loudly. Really, Five, your voice just pierces right into the brain sometimes and makes people say things just to get you to stop.” I shake my head. “No, you were the appropriate amount of dramatic and I don’t blame you. You’re right, I’m a shitty brother and I messed up big time. Which is why I need to leave.”

“Look, Five, I didn’t mean all of that, ok? Yes, I was pissed. And yes, maybe what you did was not the greatest thing ever. But you were also right.”

“About what?”

“About not caring about her. I realize that regardless of our status, I still was a pretty shitty friend to her. I’m glad she had you here. Even if you did rail her hard enough I think even I could feel it.”

I cringe. “Klaus, I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t begin to cover it, but I truly am sorry.”

He nods thoughtfully. “So…how long have you been in love with her?”

I stare, open-mouthed and wide-eyed; dumbstruck. Klaus laughs.

“You think you’re so smart and slick all of the time, but I got news for you Fivey…you ain’t.”

“What are you talking about?” I sputter out, even though it’s about the worst acting anyone’s ever done.

Klaus rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “It’s ok, you can admit it. I’m not dumb or blind. Or deaf, as it turns out. I know how you operate around people, and I have never seen you like you are when you’re with her. You are one smitten kitten and you know what? Good for you.”

I am about to protest again, but when I go to deny it, I realize I just don’t have the heart or the energy for it. “Ok, you’re right, I love her. I’m sorry, but I do. I have for a while now.”

He nods and smiles, not shocked by this information. “Like I said, good for you. You deserve love and happiness in your life, Five. Would I have preferred it to be with someone I hadn’t also bumped uglies with? Probably. But hey, love works in mysterious ways, right? I mean, look at me! I fell in love with someone I met after falling out of the sky in the middle of a fucking war zone. Talk about bad timing! I guess we Hargreeves are good at bad timing, though, aren’t we?”

He laughs, even though it’s more sad than funny and I stand there for a minute in thought. Then I come to a conclusion.

“There’s only one way I’m going to feel better about this and be able to move on with a reasonably clear conscience.”

“What’s that?”

“You have to hit me.”

Klaus looks at me in disbelief. “Uh…yeah, ok, Five. I’m not falling for that.”

I shake my head and roll my shoulders back, facing him head-on. “No, I mean it. I want you to punch me directly in the face. I won’t hit back or defend myself.”

“Five, I don’t want to hit you…”

“Come on! I’m sure you’ve thought about it on several occasions before. Well, now here’s your chance. For the second time in your life, you can hit me in the face without any backlash. I promise.”

He chuckles. “Oh yeah, that was a fun day. But seriously, even if I did want to hit you, which I don’t, I’m not even good at it, you know that. I never have been. I’m like one of those guys in old cartoons where they swing and miss and just spin around in a circle.”

“Klaus, for fucks sake, stand up and punch me in the fucking face!”

After another pause, he stands up in front of me. He’s still taller than me, despite me being at my full height now. He looks down on me nervously and I see his fists clench and unclench.

“Really? You really want me to do this?”

I nod. “I really do.” Then I hold my finger up. “However, just remember this is one hit.”

He shrugs and lifts his fist up, pulling it back and I close my eyes to brace myself. WHAM! He gets me right in the jaw and he is a big fucking liar because he is good at it and it hurts like a motherfucker.

“Son of a…Fuck!” I yell, holding my face. I swear I can already feel a bruise forming and I run my tongue over my teeth to make sure they are all still accounted for.

“Oh my god, Five, are you ok? Shit, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I actually did that!” Klaus is panicking at first but after a couple of seconds, he starts laughing. “I can’t believe I actually did that. And you haven’t killed me or even maimed me! Man, I got you good, too.”

“Yeah,” I mumble, still rubbing my throbbing jaw. “Turns out it hurts a whole lot more when you know it’s coming.” Klaus continues to laugh at my pain, and even though it hurts to move my face, I grin up at him. “This was a one-time offer, by the way. So, don’t be thinking you’re hot shit, because I will drop you without a second thought.”

Klaus gives a sarcastic salute. “Message received, big bro.” He purses his lips together and gestures to the boxes around my room. “So, are you still leaving?”

I nod. “Yes, I’m still leaving. And it’s not even all because of that. I don’t think it’s doing either of us any good to be living together like this. I have realized that I was using you as an excuse not to move on with my life. I told myself I was doing you a favor when in reality, I was just looking for a purpose. Any purpose. But I need to figure that out for myself.”

“Ok, but you’re just going to leave me all alone here?”

I shrug. “Maybe Luther wants to move in.”

Klaus looks horrified. “Good lord, no thank you! You skipped out on the grosser years of having to live with that barn animal and let me tell you, it’s no picnic. I don’t need giant pairs of tighty whities thrown around my bathroom, or having boxes of my favorite cereal eaten up in two days.”

I grin and clap him on the shoulder. “You’ll figure it out, Klaus. You always do. And you don’t need me to help you do it, either.”

“Thanks, Fivey,” he says softly, before catching me off guard and pulling me in for a bear hug, trapping me against his chest.

“Ah! My face! Let go, you stupid asshole!” He lets me go and I rub at my jaw again, glaring up at him. He is unfazed so I just shake my head. Klaus will always be Klaus, and I meant what I said. He’ll be just fine without me here.

*********************************************************************

“Feet. Off. The coffee table,” I say as I whack at Klaus with a rolled-up newspaper like he’s a cat on a kitchen counter.

“Hey! Geez, alright…keep your shirt on, old man,” he protests as he tries to guard himself with his hands while removing his feet from where they were propped. “What’s got your little assassin bonnet full of bees today?”

“Nothing! Maybe I just don’t want your disgusting feet all over my furniture.”

Klaus tilts his head to the side, looking up at me. “No…I don’t think that’s it. You seem even more murderous lately than normal.” Then his face lights up. “I know! I bet you haven’t been laid in a while, that’s got to be it. That’s an easy fix, too, because I bet if I go outside right now and made an announcement that the infamous and very sexy Number Five Hargreeves was looking for some action, you’d have a stampede of pretty ladies and probably some pretty men breaking down your door.”

“Klaus,” I start to say before he interrupts.

“Wait! Here’s a better idea. Me and you, we go on the prowl tonight. I’ll take you to some great clubs where you can meet someone that’s suitable for banging. Well, they’re not clubs as much as warehouses full of people tripping on acid, but still. I guarantee I can get you laid by the end of the night.”

“Klaus.”

“Yeah?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

When he manages to look like a kicked puppy, I roll my eyes and sigh. “Thank you for your concern over my sex life, but I do not need to get laid. I’m fine.”

He eyes me up and when I look away guiltily, he gasps with a hand on his chest. “Hang on. Do not tell me the last time you put your banana in a fruit salad was with…”

My silence is the only answer he needs and he gives another dramatic gasp, which makes me grit my teeth together.

“Holy shit, Fivey! Well, no fucking wonder you’ve got your man panties in a wad lately.”

“Again, and I say this with the utmost love and respect…shut the fuck up.”

He stands up. “No, no, no…I will not shut up! So, you’re telling me that over the past six months , you’ve been carrying a torch for her? Wow, that is some romantic shit right there. But still, that shouldn’t stop you from driving the ol’ Pope mobile into some lucky lady’s Vatican now and then.”

“What is wrong with you?”

“We don’t have time to get into all of that right now. Besides, this is about you. I’m serious, Five, you can’t go on re-living your virgin years just because you’re a little hung up on one person.”

I shake my head and put my hands in my pockets. “I’m not just hung up on her. She’s all I think about. All day, all night. I still love her, Klaus.”

I don’t know why I let my walls down just now and told him the truth, but the fact is we have actually been getting along much better now that we aren’t under the same roof anymore. I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable talking about things with him. And the nice thing about Klaus is that he’s done so many weird and fucked up things in his life, he never judges.

“Oh, Five,” he says sadly. “I had no idea. You never mentioned it so I just assumed you’d moved on.”

“Yeah, well…it’s fine. I’ll get over it eventually.”

“You know, the easy solution to this is to walk your cute buns over to that coffee place of hers and tell her what you just told me. Confess your undying love. Sweep her off her feet.”

I laugh and run a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I don’t think that would work. Pretty sure she hates my guts. And for good reason.”

“Listen, as someone who had a very close seat to the ‘Five Hargreeves Fuck-tacular’ show, I’m going to bet she doesn’t hate your guts. No one sounds like that while getting their naughty bits plowed into oblivion and then just forgets about it.”

Ignoring that little comment, I shake my head. “You don’t understand. I really fucked this one up and I don’t think there’s any way to come back from it.”

“Well, all you can do is try. If she hates you, then it’s as you suspected and you can move on. If not, then you two can sail off into the sunset together. There’s really nothing to lose here.”

He has a point, but the thought of just walking in there to try and talk to her is terrifying. I’m not sure I have the balls for it.

“Want me to go talk to her for you?” he asks.

“What? No!” When I see him smile mischievously, I jab my finger at him. “I’m warning you, Klaus, if you go over there and so much as even mention my name, I swear to god I will blink you to Antarctica and leave you there.”

Klaus waves his hand at me. “Please…you’ve been threatening that since we were kids. You really need to come up with something new. But, fine, I won’t go over there.”

When I nod my approval, I assume this conversation is done. It’s not, apparently, and Klaus grins at me again.

“In the meantime, how about I set you up on some casual dates? You don’t want to be out of practice if your lady decides to take you back. What do you think? You up for a game of pelvic pinochle? Burying the weasel? Filling the cream donut? Launching the meat missile?”

I massage my temples with my fingers, trying to fight off the headache I can feel forming behind my eyes. “For the love of all that is holy, Klaus, can you please shut the fuck up? I am begging you.”

He gives his annoying little Klaus giggle. “Sure thing, Fivey. Whatever you say.”

“Thank you.”

Four days later I’m whacking at him with the newspaper again. This time for a different reason.

“Ow! I didn’t mention your name, just like you told me, I swear! Ow!”

“You talked to her and gave her my address!” I yell, whacking at him harder around the head.

“Damnit, cut it out! You said don’t mention your name and I didn’t. She just happened to know who I was talking about. OW!”

I stop my assault and stand there, breathing hard through my nose as I glare at my stupid ass brother. “Why? Why the fuck did you do that?”

“Listen, Fivey, I love you and all but you are really your own worst enemy. I’m trying to move things along for you; help you out. You can’t stay here, all pent-up with sexual energy and moping around the house for the rest of your life. Don’t you want to get out there and live? Don’t you want someone to share your life with?”

I sigh and flop down into an armchair. He’s right, of course, even if I don’t want to admit it. “Maybe,” I mutter.

“Of course you do! That’s what everyone wants in life. And you, old timer, have been given the gift of time and the chance to start over. That’s like everyone’s dream! So, don’t just sit here and waste a gift like that. Not when you could be out there spreading a little of that teleporting-genius-infused DNA around with your special man sauce.”

I make a face. “Gross. Please don’t say ‘man sauce’ again.”

“Anyway…she didn’t say she wanted you dead and she accepted the piece of paper I gave her, so…I don’t know, those are both good things, right?”

“I guess. Did she say anything else?” I ask, trying not to get my hopes up.

Klaus shakes his head. “No, sorry.”

I wasn’t expecting anything, but it still feels like a bit of a blow. I nod, and then I look at Klaus suspiciously. “Did you say anything else?”

He puts a hand to his chest. “Who, moi ? Of course not. Well, I did apologize for everything that went down, but like I said, your name didn’t come up.”

“Hmm…why do I get the feeling that’s not the full truth?”

Klaus shrugs innocently. “I have no idea, but trust me. I bet any day now she’ll come knocking on your door wanting some more of that sweet, sweet loving from you. Just you wait.”

As if his prophecy was about to be fulfilled at that precise moment, I glance towards the door. What would I even say if she really did show up here? I had been avoiding her place like the plague, even though that meant taking much longer routes to certain places. Except for those few times when I couldn’t help myself and I watched through the windows from across the street and then blinked away before she could spot me. Otherwise, the thought of having to face her again makes my stomach churn. So, maybe Klaus did do me a favor. Maybe she really will hunt me down and knock on my door one day soon. If she does, I’m sure it will be just for the opportunity to chew me out. But, even so, the thought of seeing her standing in front of me again makes my pulse race just a little faster.

Link to the next few chapters here!

@baileebear

[ronearoundblindly]

Okay, so, hear me out.

I know I've got a Beauty and the Beast AU coming for skinny!Steve, but @darsynia gave me/let me have this idea of a Cinderella AU with him, too, except he is the Cinderella character who gets transformed to live his dream for a day.

I present to you the setup of:

*All photos from Pinterest

Steven is the only child of an exiled prince, and due to happenstance of the aged Warrior King Phillips having no male heir of his own, Steve becomes true royalty overnight.

His cousins, Princesses Margaret and Sharon, angry at the circumstance of their demotions at court, offer no help to the young, small, and often sickly new king.

No one is allowed to see him until his coronation. The few knights and advisors who have laid eyes on Steve are sworn to secrecy, and though he has a mind for strategy, Steve is burdened by his appearance.

Given the coronation crown the night before the big ceremony, Steve stares deep into the massive yellow gem at its front and wishes to look like the "ruler they all want to see."

And he does.

He wears the heavy crown easily, he stands tall over most of the court, and he carries a heavy, steel sword at his hip for the first time ever without the blade dragging across the stone floor.

The court is elated. No one looks twice, not even the handful of men who knew, but that's the magic of the stone...

Steve meets a seemingly endless stream of people, but the most curious is the apprentice of King Phillips' military advisor, a young man he saw befriending a stray cat in the courtyard while everyone else ogled and angled for him. The apprentice's eyes...there's just something about them...

After a long celebration feast where he charmed the nobility with humility, practicality, and honor, Steve falls asleep small again, but certain he can win over the whole realm if he can simply be known for his actions, not his physique.

That becomes the plan; Steve will work behind the scenes, make the kingdom better for people high and low, and then he'll be loved and accepted for who he is. In the meantime, he, in his natural form, can act as a sort of messenger or page boy 'for King Steven' and move around freely. Why not? They all are on the lookout for a man standing two hands higher and broader than him.

One of his first visits is to his inherited military advisor. Of course, Steve doesn't expect the apprentice to live inside the family home, possibly somewhere on the estate maybe, but after a long ride to get there and a long discussion while sitting in the man's study, Steve asks if he might walk the garden before leaving.

He asks about the woman by the roses, and his advisor simply replies "that's my daughter."

Of course, he won't bother to introduce him. Steve's an untitled nobody like he's been his entire life thus far.

Steve might not have seen the resemblance, truly, if not for the exact movement of your finger to gently lift a wilting petal back into place.

It's the move the apprentice made when scratching beneath the cat's chin, and he'll never forget that smile.

"You," he blurts, startled at the otherwise drastic change in your appearance.

You jump back before composing yourself, shielding your eyes from the bright sun above as you look him over.

He's more alarmed by your curtsy than you are by him, watching you bow deeply where moments ago your father dismissed him offhand.

"Your Majesty," you say to the ground.

You...

You recognize him like this? How? How is that possible?

His wish was granted. They all saw a perfect soldier, but that's just the thing: you didn't want to be ruled by a perfect soldier.

You wanted a good man.

You, who secretly longs to offer more to your father and family than a bartering chip for marriage, same as his cousins, need the king to be a good man because then he'll understand this...

A/N: Ok, full disclosure, I might already be very protective of this one, so we'll see if I can bring myself to put it all out there. Anyway! Thank you for the gif, Brandy! It was a great opportunity to get this down.

Also, if it's just an idea/intro, do I include the taglist? Idk. I hate pinging y'all if it's not like a lot of content.

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[cowboydisaster]

Christmassy idea idk if I’m too late with this but I just thought of it- Arthur dresses up like Santa to surprise Aspen and the new baby🥹🥹

* ˚ ✦ Starlight * ˚ ✦

pairing: arthur morgan x f!reader word count: 900 a/n: Merry Christmas!! Thank you for this prompt, im glad you enjoy the little christmas universe.

cowboydisaster's christmas countdown: CHRISTMAS DAY!

christmas countdown┊main masterlist┊rdr2 masterlist

“Aspen? Honey, I think someone's at the door.” You nod towards the threshold, a smile tugging at your lips as she peeks up from her seat at the table, abandoning her gingerbread men to look towards the door. 

“Who momma? Is daddy home?” She asks, a little spark in her eyes at the thought of her father. You pull the curtain back gently. Starlight trickles in as you fight a smile. 

“I don't know, baby. Why don't you bundle up and we'll go see.” 

She nods, and you help her zip up her coat, pull the boots over her feet. You add a scarf and gloves too, always erring on the side of caution. Aspen is so sweet and patient, waiting excitedly to check outside. She waits until you scoop Iris from her bassinet, and bundle the two of you up. 

The baby yawns, big blue eyes peering around, looking for her daddy no doubt.You smirk, holding her swaddled form close to your chest, leading Aspen towards the door. Your dog Bear rushes out first, barking loud, playing in the snow.

“Go on.” You smile warmly when she looks up to you, and then she pulls the door handle, revealing her surprise. 

Snow falls in beautiful intricate flakes, coating everything in white, falling upon fence rails and the big red wagon that is stopped in your front yard. Sugar and Jasper, yours and Arthur's steeds, stand proud at the front, decorated with red bridles and harnesses. 

The two horses bump their noses together, whinnying and entertaining each other as your husband– no, as Santa Claus himself steps down from the red wagon. 

Arthur had been gifted the outfit from an old friend, a designer from Saint Denis; his name was… Wasp, something or other. The rest had been Arthur's idea. The beard, the wagon, he'd planned it all. You had let him go along with it, seeing how much joy he gets out of spoiling them, making Christmas magical. 

“Ho, ho, ho!” Santa calls– with a particularly southern drawl, you note– as Aspen runs across the yard, a fit of giggles erupting from her chest. 

“MOMMA!” Aspen turns back to you, screaming. Her little cheeks are pink, a smile stretches ear to ear, “It's the real Santa Claus!” 

You rock Iris in your arms, watching the scene play out. Wishing you could live in it forever. 

Arthur helps Aspen climb into the wagon as she marvels at all the bells and whistles. She tells him how good she's been, how much she loves her family. She also tells Santa that her baby sister should be on the naughty list for crying too loud sometimes. Santa has no qualms with that one. 

Iris is far too little to stay out in the cold for very long, so after her nose begins to turn pink, you nod to Arthur, signaling that you'll be stepping back in the house. 

From your seat in the living room, rocking your daughter, you can see the pure joy in Aspen’s eyes. She sits on top of the wagon with Arthur, and he takes her for a ride around the property, talking to her all about Christmas. 

Iris stirs when the door flies open, your little girl running through. 

“Santa took me on a ride!” She hollers, pinks tinged pink from the cold. She pulls her scarf and boots off, dropping them by the front door, “He said ‘Goddamn!’”

Your eyes pop open wide, flickering up to your eldest, “He said what?” 

“Yep! He tripped and he yelled Goddamn!” 

“Baby–” You snort, covering your face with your hand, “Please don't say that word, okay?” You try not to laugh, knowing it will spur her to keep saying it. She nods, pure joy lingering in her eyes. Magic.

“Good, thank you.” You smile at her sweetness, “Go ahead and get in bed, honey. It's way past bedtime, and we have to get to sleep so Santa can sneak our presents under the tree before he leaves. I'll be in shortly to read you a story, alright?” 

— — — 

Bear’s head raises from its comfortable position as Aspen slides out of her bed. She knows it's way past her bedtime, knows that she should have stayed put, waited for you, but she can't help it.

She has Arthur's curiosity. She has your knack for mischief. The door doesn't creak as she pushes it open, little feet padding across the chilly wooden floor, down the hallway.

Ponderous eyes peek around the corner into the living room, going wide as dinner plates. There is a small pile of foil-wrapped presents under the Christmas tree, but more of her attention is locked onto the scene in front of the Christmas tree. 

She gasps, her little hand covering her mouth, suppressing giggles. She runs back to her room, and this time, her little padding feet reach your ears. She jumps back into bed, pulling the blankets up, giggling.  “Bear!” She whispers, gripping onto his big face, “Momma was just kissing Santa Claus!!”

taglist: @margofiore @mrsarthurmorgan7 @woman-with-no-name @tillith @luvliewriting @pine4pple-b0i @photo1030 @dudsparrow @holyratrimony @twola @calcarius445

[ssahotchnerr]

in response to this: Aaron taking his s/o driving around town to look at Christmas lights and listening to like Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas album or something 😭😭

a perfect lil scenario to celebrate christmas eve hehe <3

cw; little food/drink mention, suggestive content

you were complaining to aaron about how it's nearly christmas, it approached way too fast and you feel like you've barely done anything festive- so you feel like you partially wasted the season away :/ you've just been so busy with work amongst other things, so time just completely got away from you.

jack is over at a friend's for the night, so it's just you and aaron. the two of you had originally planned for a quiet night in, BUT as a result of your whines, hehe aaron doesn't hesitate to take it upon himself to make sure you get into that christmas spirit you've been lacking >:( he immediately tells you to get up, grab your shoes/make sure you're in some warm comfy clothes, the two of you are going out.

at first you just give him a look like ???? huh ??? because he was suddenly so insistent and you weren't planning on going anywhere that night. but of course you abide to his words and soon enough the two of you are on your way <3

aaron doesn't tell you what this sudden spontaneous adventure entails, so you're begging him to tell you or at least give you a hint as you venture out. he responds by shaking his head, keeping his eyes right on the road and just keeps saying, "you'll know it when you see it" 🥰🙄 and he's right!!! finally after what seems like forever, you see a bunch of lights on the horizon and your eyes immediately light up. it's one of those places where you can drive through millions of lights, tuning to the radio station so the music is synced up to such <333 your heart instantly melts at the thought of him trying to lift your mood 🥹 and you look over at him. aaron instantly mets your eyes, gives you the softest smile so you have no other choice but to lean over and give him a kiss on the cheek 🥰 and thank him for his very sweet and quick thinking <3

the snow has just started falling too 🥹 the ground was already covered, but the snow falling just makes it so so much more magical and perfect. and earlier as you were busy getting ready to leave, aaron busied himself with making the two of you thermoses of hot chocolate to sip on as the two of you drive around 🥺

as you're going through the holiday wonderland, aaron's holding your hand over the center console, his fingers intertwined with yours, occasionally grabbing your thigh every so often (his hand keeps sneakily making it's way up too😵‍💫) <333. and his excitement grows as yours does 🥹 he can't help but grin whenever you point out a different detail you've noticed within the spectacle of lights or whenever you repeat how beautiful it is <3 and he blushes softly whenever you throw in an "i love you" to him 🥰 plus you can't help but admire how attractive he looks as he drives <3 the dark lighting with the lights glowing on him is not helping, along with the view of the snow falling softly behind him through the car window <3 a god amongst men truly <3

afterwards, aaron also takes the long way home, giving you the opportunity to see more lights with some classic frank sinatra playing softly in the background <3 it's much more calm and intimate rather than the chaoticness of the other setting, but it's truly the perfect thing to wrap things up before going home <3 where you'll watch a christmas movie and maybe make out on the couch or something 🥰 ;)

[zhouxiangs]

10 BL Boys I Want Carnally

or as close to that as i can get, tagged by @bunnakit !

i had to look deep in my soul and tumblr gifs for this so please enjoy the boys, under a cut to keep the mystery alive for two more seconds

i am very ace so the concept is nebulous, let's just say i feel some type of way... and if you see me call these men my sons it's bc they are, ty for your time <3 also the order is kinda eehhhh general idea, i don't actually keep a mental list it took me hours to make this one 😭

10. pete (kiss me again/dark blue kiss)

do not ask me why idk either... there's just Something i can't explain. also it was between him and knock from together with me so i'm choosing the one that committed less crimes, anyway *holds him up like a potato* i just think he's neat

9. vegas (kinnporsche)

my little meow meow,, my explanation for most of these is just "do i not have eyes", but some (like vegas) are special jsjs in his case kp was the first thai bl i watched, as soon as he became remotely relevant i was obsessed with him and then a rewatch made me finally fall into thai bl as a whole so... thank you for your service

8. gong gil (the king and the clown)

my baby my darling my angel and the reason i even know about lee joongi, the actor i've been following the longest that i remember. i haven't watched tkatk in a while so i don't remember the details that well but i've always loved him, pretty sure he's my first bl boy too

7. xie'er (word of honor)

does he count? is this cheating? idc he's staying either way, MY XIE'ER 😭 will never get over him or his killer eyeliner

6. gaipa (moonlight chicken)

possibly the cutest 30yo man out there, that alone endeared me to him but also the way he is with his mother is just so 🥺 he's so special to me (also the fact that he's 30 AND cute as heck it's just so personal to me)

5. wen (moonlight chicken)

god i wish i could explain what he DOES TO MY BRAIN. some of it is the mix effect but i was normal about mix before wen so... he's so beautiful so magnetic i want to bite him

4. black (not me)

listen- he's my lil murder raccoon i know there's plenty of reasons for him to be as angry as he is for the 90% of his screen time and they're all sad but he's just so attractive like that (even though i'm more of a white girlie most of the time)

3. karan (cherry magic th)

i've only had him for two eps but if anything happened to him i would kill everyone in this room and then myself, etc. he's perfect and a nerd and i would love him for any of those two things alone, but they're combined into such a gentle beautiful (inside and out) and sensitive character i jsut love him so much

2. way (pit babe)

so i am definitely not babe, here supporting way's rights and wrongs from day 1. is he pretty? yes. is he evil? quite possibly. do i still want him? also yes. he hasn't touched me so pretty sure his big sad eyes are doing something. to me.

1. sand (only friends)

The Only Man, which is how my non bl friends know him bc i've apparently called him 'the only man i would like if i liked men' more than once ? HIM

special entry: tharn (the sign), yeah this one is definitely cheating

(using the only gif i've made of him so far which isn't great for this but...)

he's so tiny and efficient... like a fiat 500

if you see this and want to do it consider yourself tagged by me <3

[sitp-recs]

FINALLY read heal thyself as per your recommendation (it's been in my marked for later for months yet somehow I kept forgetting?) and it's just as amazing and beautiful as everyone said, cant believe I haven't read it sooner. There's no real purpose for this ask I just feel the need to gush about it with someone who I know understands😭❤️ but her draco is perfect, his characterization, redemption arc, it's everything I never knew I needed. Reading about his struggle and determination to be good—and finally being able to celebrate the rewards of his hard work was so touching? to witness... I literally had to take breaks because of how much this fic made me feel. Going to spend the rest of the night drowning in astolats fics

Ahh anon your ask got me emo all over again, I love this fic so so much and I’m so pleased that you also felt transformed by it! Sharing this feeling of awe and mutual understanding about a fic with another reader is something really special. HT is hands down the best Draco arc I’ve read in years, which is not surprising if we consider not only Astolat’s talent but also the fact that this fic is 100% Draco-centric and for the most part of it there’s no Harry or romance to distract from his individual journey.

I love how you described his redemption path, the fact that for once he got to make a choice about his own life, then reaped the fruits of his hard work (and how brilliant is that he decides to pursue Healing out of pride and spite? So on brand 😂). I think you chose a perfect word to describe our experience “to witness…” that’s exactly how it felt, a privilege to watch him getting the nuance and character development he deserved. I appreciate that Astolat took the time to explore his arc over the span of a few years, it made his success and happy ending even more powerful and satisfying! I can’t think of a better way to spend the night than reading the rest of her catalogue, you’re in for a treat!

Lol okay you gave me an impossible mission there, I gotta say similar characterizations are very hard to find outside of Astolat’s work, her Draco is very peculiar after all. And I feel like HT is unparalleled way beyond his characterization. I’ve been in the fandom for two decades and have never read anything like it before or since. So leaving any comparison efforts aside I’ll suggest these, which have some of my favorite Draco arcs:

The Compact by astolat (E, 64k)

Hermione frowned. “The real question is why the magic of Britain would be failing now, in fact.”

A Young Radical's Guide to Love by blamebrampton (T, 66k)

Memories of the war are still fresh, which is all the excuse Decent People need to do appalling things. In this quietly waged conflict, Draco Malfoy is happy to be on the right side of things for once, and even happier to find he’s not alone.

Who we are in the shadows by quicksilvermaid (E, 100k)

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise? Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life.

A Thousand Beautiful Things by geoviki (M, 104k)

Draco Malfoy struggles with changed fortunes, shifted alliances, an ugly war, and an unusual spell, with the help of a concerned professor, an insightful house-elf, and an unexpected Gryffindor friend.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

And some short fics you might enjoy as well:

And Save Me From Bloody Men by blamebrampton (T, 10k)

Draco Malfoy once watched others fighting to stop the world falling apart. This time, he's not just watching.

Rebuilding Draco Malfoy by khasael (E, 11k)

Draco wants to do something to get his life back on track, but no-one seems to be taking him seriously – until he finds himself in an Auror training session led by Harry Potter.

The Loathly Worm by Selden (E, 12k)

When Draco Malfoy is forced to go undercover among the remaining Death Eaters in the aftermath of the war, the last person he expects to find there is Harry Potter.

Unfinished Business by cupiscent (E, 20k)

Ten years after the War ends, Harry and Draco still haven't got their act together. But maybe it's not too late.

Vortex by xanthippe74 (T, 20k)

Who would want a soulmate who was a schoolyard bully, a Death Eater, and a convicted felon? Certainly not Harry Potter. And Draco is determined to take this secret to the grave.

Slithering by astolat (E, 27k)

Draco found the nest down in the Manor’s cellars, while he was clearing them out.

[thegirlfromtheislands]

I lived such a sheltered childhood. I became a naïve adult but at least I knew I was naïve and there were so many things I didn't know. The issue was that I didn't know what I wanted to know first, finding out the harsh realities of life is so different from all the books and movies. After living independently for a while I found that I preferred reading about life or watching movies about life because descriptions of happiness or love were always more beautiful and fantastic than the real thing.

In life, when we fall in love we also fall into doubt and insecurity and jealousy and uncertainty about the future. While living in the uncertainty and hoping to end up with the person forever, we miss the little moments. We miss the defining memories. I have anxiety about events that I anticipate. Whenever I find myself wanting something so much I try, with all my might, to make the days go faster so I can have the thing I want so badly.

This means that so many of my best adventures have become a blur. So many of the moments I should have breathed in have become incomplete memories in my mind. But with books, with movies, we get to savor the moment. We get to live in it. We get to go back to the page or rewind to the scene we want to experience all over again. The descriptions of life, in books, are always given the correct words, words that don't come to us in the moment in real life.

In books, I can read about a love and a man who professes it and a woman who doesn't want it but quickly finds out she actually does. In real life, I have always held on too tightly to men. I have to tried to love them so much they can't turn me away. I have tried to make them feel so good about themselves they don't want to be away from me. And when they tell me they don't want me or they don't love me, I try to squeeze the love out of their hearts. I try to persuade them. I try to change. In books, it's so simple. The man falls in love before the girl even knows it and when he tells her, it's a magical surprise.

I prefer the simplicity, the honesty. No games, no confusion. Just two people standing in a street in a big city confessing their undying love for each other. When I finish the book, its words endure in my mind for years. I think about it and savor it and reread the pages to taste the story all over again so I don't have to think about real life and the very real moments happening to me.

[greatcometcas]

Hi!! i'm asking a bunch of people but do you have any destiel au best friend to lovers fic recs???? pleaseeeeee (no abo) thank youuuuu!!!! oh also as an aside I loveeeeeee your message "make your voice. a mail." to ask you something

Hello and thank you for the ask! Sorry for taking ages to answer 💖

Here are some fics that aren't specifically best friend to lovers but hopefully still fit what you're looking for. I wanted to do somewhat detailed thoughts on why i picked each one but also my memory is terrible so it's a lot of. listen. they're best friends. they're in love. i did cry.

drive, darling by @goldenboydean (E, 44k)

It's the last day of July and the air is thick with heat and road dust. Dean Winchester is waiting for his new lodger, some photographer from Chicago coming down to take pictures of the famous covered bridges in the area. And when Castiel Novak arrives at the Winchester farm both men develop a bond that grows stronger as the days go by. But Cas is only here for a short stay and Dean fears that falling for him would only end in a heartbreak. Some things, however, are inevitable. Summer is in full bloom in Madison County, Iowa. Hot, cloudless and ripe with possibilities.

This fic is such a comfort to me. Dean and Cas strike up a instant connection and then watching them get to know each other and build that connection into something more is really beautiful. It's also very lovingly portrays the community that dean has found for himself with his friends and has great little brother Sammy stuff.

A Weed in Any Other Place by @scones-and-texting-and-murder (E, 63K)

When Cas Novak’s car breaks down after a meeting with his agent about his overdue second novel, he heads to the nearest garage. Stuck there with his laptop as he waits for repairs, he finds himself unusually productive. The next day he sheepishly returns to the garage in hopes that they’ll let him sit and write and magic will strike again. This time he meets Dean, the son in Winchester & Son, who is doing his best to run the family business on his own. As the two of them get to know each other, little details–-like a vase with a single flower by the register–-show Cas that there is more to Dean Winchester than meets the eye.

A dreamy, delightful, romcom fic. I was hooked right from the start and read it all in basically one sitting. There was a lot of blushing and being unable to control my face in public. The budding friendship turned romance between dean and cas is so sweet.

Lonesome Town by @green-eyes-and-classic-rock (E, 113K)

In the Spring of 1958, Castiel drops out of West Point to go back to NYC and pursue his dream of being a pianist. Tragedy strikes, and soon he finds himself having to take care of his 8 year old niece, Claire. His gig at a local bar is his only solace...well that and the owner of the bar who he quickly finds he can't live without.

Been a while since I read this one but my bestie and i still talk about it on the regular. I'm a sucker for a period AU and the delicious angst here is definitely a bonus. Pianist!Cas lives in my heart always.

Sleepless in Lawrence, Kansas by @princemalice

Destiny is something we've invented because we can't stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental.

A Sleepless in Seattle AU (ish). Cas hosts a call-in radio show and Dean becomes one of his regular callers, so their friendship is built in this beautiful on-air bubble. Seeing them get to know each other and become comfortable with one another, even while anyone could be listening, is lovely and Dean and Cas having the time to just talk is something that will always be so special to me. It's also got a really great Sam and Dean dynamic.

spirit of the west by @urne-buriall (M 140k)

Dean grew up on a horse farm and can't imagine any other life. There are drawbacks to working for his father, but they're worth it if it means remaining with his beloved horses. Besides, between his broken arm and his lack of prospects, he hasn't got much else. Something of an outsider, Dean always feels like there's something he's missing. But this tense summer brings back a figure from his past: years ago, a teenaged Cas worked for a season at the Winchester ranch. His return could change everything. If you ever wanted a 90s horse girl book, but starring a young Dean Winchester, this is your fic.

When I first read this one, I had to keep putting my kindle down and do a lap around my apartment because of the pure surge of emotions it gave me. There's also a fantastic playlist to accompany it.

--

Some of these are definitely fics that I found through other blogs/rec lists so maybe they've already popped up in your ask adventure? in that case, consider my recommendation a further endorsement. And if you find any new faves from anyone else please share!

[via-l0ve]

Hay there B) I'm interested in the silly lil 🎃 :D

Fandom Supernatural, of course! Don't be afraid to pair me up with someone who doesn't get as much traction or isn't the main two (of course, if I don't get one of the main two). :)

I'm an avid enjoyer of everything spooky and scary and hunting would definitely be something I'd do if I were in the SPN universe. I feel the loner but necessary alliances type, but I wouldn't be one to get too attached unless I felt a serious spark. Not against working with the same individual more than once, either.

I personally like to imagine my own self-insert as some "earth angel" or spiritually in-tune young woman who can read auras, emotions, feel what one feels, etc etc. I'm what others would call an empath irl (not in the super trippy spiritual way if thats what you don't believe in), I'm just super compassionate and empathetic. I don't know if that part's important, but as rough and violent as I can be (when need be), I'm all for peace and tranquility within one another. I'd always try to solve any tension rather than make it worse. I keep quiet, reserved and to myself unless someone I care about is hurt and needs someone, or if someone tries to start bs with me. I was always that mother friend.

My anger and my envy I experience typically come from not really having a normal childhood even in real life. I never got to experience high school dances, dates, or hell even an irl high school to begin with. Just homeschooling, barely even any real irl friends or social cues. I envy everyone who gets anything and everything they've ever wanted.

My taste in overall men (and women) can be kind of unstable. I'll love the hero, but I'll also fall hard for the villain. My red flag is I think I can ease the villain's heart. No matter how clingy, or obsessive, or dickish they are. I'm also kind of obsessed (shhhh don't tell anyone...)

My hair is long, wavy and dirty blonde. My eyes are kind of sad, down turned like Blue Diamond's from SU. I like to dress in many different styles, if I'm feeling it but typically I go for something simple. Long, flowy skirts, blazers, t-shirts, flannels. If I'm feeling nice, a pretty white dress with pearl headbands. Or I'll try to look like a school girl coming home from a long, tiring day from dealing with her bitchy teachers and even bitchier classmates. Either light or dark, it depends on the mood. I'm also Christian.

I'm obsessed with true crime, demonology, mythology, and other spooky stuffs. I also enjoy writing, reading fanfics/novels, the occasional sketching and drawing, and I also wanna look into making custom dolls. I've looked into white magic before, attempted it a few times in the past. I'm a huge music fanatic, all genres (yes, even country...), but I typically listen to shoegaze, noise, metal, rock, and goregrind. Anything with screaming, distorted vocals, distorted/soft guitar, or no vocals at all, basically. (Examples being Duster, Deftones, Ghostemane, Giles Corey, Have A Nice Life, In This Moment, Birthday Massacre, etc)

I'm into some pretty dark shows and movies. I'm not in many fandoms, I don't see my own SPN self in many either, but I've seen a fair share of fucked up films. A Serbian Film, Dog Tooth, Lolita, The Handmaid's Tale (mainly the show), Miss Violence -- I watch them for comfort from my own trauma, and I see myself doing the exact same thing in SPN. My twisted past with ex boyfriends and abusive family members are probably what's gotten me head over heels, reeling over villainous characters that could snap me in half if they wanted.

I just want to be loved.

Anyways, I hope that's enough for you! I kind of overshared, but I hope it's alright! TL;DR I just want someone, anyone to love me for who I am and enjoy some of my hobbies. Take all the time you need, I understand your box might be full as hell.

first of all i love you so much and you absolutely deserve to be loved and worshipped because you’re beautiful and worthy of love and acceptance and care <3 (if you ever want to talk more my inbox is always open)

with that being said:

i ship you with cas :)

i know you said to not be shy to ship you with someone who isn’t the orig/main few, but i got heavy castiel vibes from you <3333

i think that he’s be drawn into your quiet but badass energy. how you want to diffuse traumas or tension before it even happens, but he also sees you on hunts as such a badass demon killing person. he also finds it fascinating how empathetic you are.

he loves all of your hobbies and often will sit next to you while you write or read. when you mention custom dolls he will freak out and absolutely ADORES watching the process.

he thinks you’re gorgeous. your blue eyes match his and your hair mesmerized him.

i also think that you guys can bond over traumas. while you have childhood based and family/ex-lover trauma, castiel definitely holds some trauma in thinking he’s not good enough or things from the other angels in heaven.

you guys balance eachother out. you teach him so much and you guys have the cutest little dates, the type to be up until 4am having deep conversations.

castiel also isn’t a rat and you deserve someone who isn’t a rat <33

[coupsie-daisies]

The Things I Would Do (The Beauty Mark of Love) | Lee Felix

Pairing: Elven Prince!Lee Felix x Fae Prince!GN Reader

Genre: Fantasy AU, Royalty AU, Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers (light), Hurt/Comfort

Summary: The war is centuries old, and Felix is determined to put an end to it at all costs. A wedding was in his plans, but falling in love was most certainly not. He, however, takes it much better than his fiance does.

Word Count: 30k (I’m so sorry)

Warnings: Cussing, Mentioned Parental Death, Felix is really really in love, They argue, several mentions of war, fae centric racism?

A/N: This was written as a part of the clownracha secret santa fic exchange for @sunnytaes​. I got a little carried away so it’s quite long, and there might be some smaller pieces with this couple in the future

Tags: @dragonofthenorth0726 // @wooyussy // @burningupp-replies // @bunnypig18​ // @ferrethyun​ // @tyungun​ // @brownieracha​ // @kwanisms​ // @snow-pegasus​

Masterlist

This fanfiction is property of @/hobi-is-golden, reposting on any platform without explicit permission is prohibited

Oh the things I would do

To be loved by someone as beautiful,

And thrilling, and true

As you are, my love.

I would clip my wings

And forfeit my freedom,

I'd bring you anything you crave.

I would give up the air from my lungs

If it would make you love me,

Even if only for a moment

The walls of the Fae castle stretched tall, shimmering in the mid-day light in a way that was nothing short of magical.. The stone was polished so bright that Felix's reflection on it seemed to dance as he walked. A few of the palace guards were surrounding him though, so it was hard to see it in any substantial way.

He could feel the disdain in the air as they spoke to each other. It was a language he didn't recognize, but it sounded absolutely mesmerizing. He caught himself tensing up at the sound of it. Not knowing what was being said about him made his worries spike. But he wasn't a quitter, and he was well aware that he could very well be marching towards his own death. He wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t at least partially come to terms with that fact.

"Stay," One of the guards ordered. Felix nodded quietly, watching two of the men pass through the looming double doors in front of them. They should have made a noise, slammed shut behind them or something, but the sound was something akin to the flutter of a flag in a breeze. Quiet, smooth, and light as a feather. He couldn't help his fascination. Everything about the Fae realm was a mystery, sans the maps he'd seen in his father's war meetings. It looked nothing like those lifeless maps in person.

He'd been thinking about it his entire travel through the country, it was nothing like what he'd imagined it to be. The city was beautiful, buildings that towered tall and immaculately sculpted, yet somehow wholly welcoming. The streets felt like they’d simply grown from the earth, some cobblestone and inlaid with gems, and some just bare, beaten down dirt paths.

The halls of the palace were silent as the group waited for Felix to be welcomed through the doors, eerily so given how many of them there were. But Felix wasn't in a hurry to break the silence. His people were already not favored by the Fae, and he was pushing his luck by showing up out of the blue like he was.

It may have been mere moments before the gleaming doors opened again, but it felt like eons had passed. A voice spoke, calling him to enter, low and twinkling like the wooden wind chimes they had back home. He listened, pushing out a slow exhale and running through all of the rules he'd been taught growing up. Do not speak unless spoken to lest you speak over and offend. Don't make any sudden movements, keep your hands where they can be seen so you cannot be blamed for any attacks you haven't caused. Speak directly, the Fae are tricky creatures, but they're honest to a fault.

"You are a brave one, son of the Elves. Coming here unannounced and requesting a hearing with a busy king." The voice came again, booming from the creature seated at the far opposite of the young prince. He looked deceivingly young, hardly thirty in human years. But the Fae lived even longer than Felix's people, and the King was surely over three hundred years old. Felix inclined his head silent thanks for the praise. Brave, he thought, or incredibly foolish. He feared he'd find out which one soon enough.

Guards lined the room, and it had him on edge knowing that they were just waiting for him to make one wrong move. He knew better than to look at them. He looked at the King instead, who straightened on his throne, drawing the moment out, watching the prince with a fiery gaze.

"Can I offer you anything? You must surely need rest after such long travels." The king said after a few moments. Felix smiled politely.

"Your kindness is most appreciated, your majesty, and I give my utmost apologies, but I have to decline. I'm afraid I can’t stay any longer than necessary. And I also give my apologies for disrupting your busy schedule." He bowed his head for a long moment. The king made a soft hum, but not one of disdain. If nothing else, Felix's politeness and respect was surprising coming from an Elven born royal.

"Then I will not keep you. What is it you've come for?" He asked.

"I have come to seek an audience with your prince, if you will allow it." He looked up, watching emotion flicker over the man's face. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was, something skating dangerously close to rage. Felix's heart leapt into his throat. He had a terrible feeling that he might have stepped into something he shouldn't have. But he had to do what was necessary for his people, and if it meant that he fell at the hands of the fae folk, then so be it.

"Who are you to speak with my child?" The king asked sharply, his voice no longer as melodious as it had been at first, now more like sandpaper against Felix's eardrums.

"I come as the future ruler of one nation seeking the alliance of the future ruler of yours. I wish no ill intent, and have brought no weapons with me into your presence. I simply ask for a few moments of their time, your highness, it would be deeply appreciated to have an opportunity to speak with them." He said, his voice steady with confidence that he surely wasn't feeling in that moment.

Felix was a prince, trained in the art of diplomacy since before he was old enough to pronounce the word, but there was something about standing in front of a king who had nothing but contempt for your people that would send a chill down anyone's spine. Even more so when he had no one to turn to if things went awry.

"If you're here to make alliances for your country, you're better to do them with me, young prince." The words were said with an edge, and Felix held his breath. "You have no business with my child. I will not grant your request."

"I'd like to hear him out, father,"

Felix's head jerked to the source of the voice without his permission, watching as you stood up from your seat to your father's right. He hadn't even noticed you to begin with. You looked almost bored with the interaction, but your eyes held a curious glint that was impossible to miss as you looked at him.

"No. Not unless he can give an explanation for his coming here unannounced with no proper reason to speak to you." Your father waved his hand dismissively, and a few guards stepped forward to escort Felix out of the room. And despite his high hopes for this interaction, Felix would take a polite escort out over becoming public enemy number one of the fae realm.

"He cannot give a good reason without an opportunity. I ask you to reconsider and allow him a few minutes to speak with me," You continued to press on. You held your head high, a confidence that Felix had nothing but respect for. Your father looked at you, and the sparking glare shared by the two of you lasted so long that Felix was half worried the room might ignite.

There was a silent conversation there, a challenge, or maybe a plea. But eventually your father looked away. He turned back to Felix with an intensity that almost made him shrink in on himself.

"You have my blessing. Remember your place, little prince." He said, and he stood. You stepped forward ahead of him, striding towards the elven prince with a grace that almost made it look like you were floating. When you were face to face with him, you bowed your head ever so slightly. A smile rose onto your face, and it made Felix uneasy. Something about it felt too sly, too curious.

"Shall we go somewhere more private, your highness?" You asked, already sweeping past him towards the doors behind him. And although he was relieved that you were playing nice with him and not doing the unthinkable, part of him was wounded that you had enough pride in your power to turn your back on someone who could only be dubbed the enemy.

Even so, despite the bruised ego and the fear that lingered in the back of his mind, Felix bowed to the king and turned to follow your lead. As you reached the doors, you waved off the two guards that attempted to lead the way.

"Have a bit of faith in my ability. I think I can handle an unarmed Elf. Though I trust it won't come to that," You said. The guards eyed him, and then stepped out of the way, allowing him to continue following behind him.

You were silent as you walked, never looking back at him. The hall you turned down wasn't the one he'd been brought in, though it looked similar enough that he probably would have gotten lost had he been on his own. So he followed you closely for fear of getting left behind.

He looked you over, half sizing you up, half subduing his own curiosity. In truth, he'd never been this close to a Faerie for so long before in his life. The Fae were uncommon visitors back home, which his people didn't mind whatsoever, and he'd never seen such a fascinating creature.

Every move you made was like a dance, elegant and mesmerizing, each step silent against the stone of the floors. Your hair seemed to catch a breeze that he couldn't feel if you moved just right, falling to frame your face. The very sight of you taunted mischief and wildness that he'd never seen before. And if he looked close enough, the air was distorted at your back, shimmering in fractals of light as if through a kaleidoscope. Wings, barely there to the blind eye as they caught the light.

"Do you have a staring problem, your highness? Is there something I can do for you?" You asked, finally looking over your shoulder. He startled, and you laughed. The sound was unusual, a magical sound that made him smile and sent a sort of anxiety coursing through him all at once.

"I've never seen a faerie's wings before." He admitted, avoiding the question. You nodded in understanding, and the light shifted as your wings fluttered. You were showing off, proudly so. "They're pretty."

You didn't speak again, instead opening a door and welcoming him inside.

"We can speak freely here. This is my council room. Sit, please." You pulled out a chair at the long table that sat at the center of the room. Felix took a seat as well, folding his hands on the table where you could see them. You were relaxed in his presence, and he didn't know how he should be feeling about that. But regardless of the personal emotions that it may stir up, it meant that you weren't going to attack him just yet.

"Your presence is appreciated, I worried I wouldn't get to speak with you after coming all this way," He said, carefully picking his words.

"And what is it that you've come for?" You asked him bluntly. He looked at his hands before promptly looking back at you.

"I ask for your understanding, but I have to be straight forward. I have come to ask for your hand in marriage. To propose an agreement of sorts," He said. You looked at him, brows furrowed. He swallowed down his worries about your reaction and continued. "Our people have been at war for centuries, and it's done more harm than good. The hatred between our people lies with our ancestors, so I ask you to consider my proposal to be a treaty. We can do so much good by uniting our kingdoms."

"Do you think that uniting our people would be so easy as a marriage of what? Convenience?" You asked him. "Think of the harm that it could bring, the uprisings that could begin."

He hesitated, and you could practically see the gears turning in his head as he worked out where to go next.

"Do you want our countries to be at war forever? If we don't end it, who can we expect to? It's gone on long enough, I think. I just ask you to consider putting an end to it with me."

Felix leaned forward, looking at you seriously, and you looked back. The quiet was deafening as you both stared each other down. His persistence was interesting, not like most people who came seeking your time, and certainly not like those that came seeking your father's. And he sounded sincere, carrying genuine worry for his people. You understood that.

You tsked and leaned back in your seat.

"Your kind always think they know what's best for everyone," You said. It wasn't a lie, that was all you ever heard about the elves, that they were a persistent, stuck-up sort of people. That they had no respect for the thoughts of those they deemed to be below them. Felix bristled, and you held up your hands in surrender. "That's not an insult. You've given me much to consider."

He seemed to relax at that, it was common knowledge that you couldn't lie, and he seemed to take your words at face value. You wondered if this offer was some trick, a twisted truth to draw you and your home into a vulnerable situation. There were several things that could come of promising your hand to this prince, and you had many responsibilities to worry about.

"I'll consider your offer. Return in a weeks time, we can discuss this further and I will give you an answer." You stood in a sweeping motion, bowing to him and motioning him towards the doors. "Come. My father will want to see you off, I imagine."

You lead him back to the throne room where your father and his guards were eagerly and ever so impatiently awaiting his return. Once in their presence, you gave him that same sly smile, promising to give his proposal some thought before he was due to come back, and promising him a much warmer welcome on his next visit.

He was already being shown out of the room as you finished, but he stole a glance over his shoulder, watching as you sunk into your own throne and met his eye. He could only hope that your answer would be beneficial for both of your homes.

The next few days were a lot to handle. Your father was down your throat, trying his best to wiggle information out of you about what your visitor could have possibly wanted from you. But your decision was very much still up in the air, and you didn't want to taint that by having unwanted input, especially from your father. He was a good man, you knew that as well as you knew your own name, but he had been born into a society with closed minded views, and that's not what you wanted for your future, or the future of your land.

But going it alone wasn't as easy as it was made out to be, and after a few days the weight of your future was weighing heavier than ever. So you turned to the only person you ever knew to turn to.

"Binnie, I need help," You said, barreling towards the training ranges. Changbin looked up from where he'd been training, wiping his forehead and crossing his arms over his chest with a smile that could be described as nothing but charming.

"Good to see you too, your highness," He teased. "Lovely day, I know. I'm having a wonderful morning, thanks for asking."

You glared at him, and he laughed. Changbin was the closest thing to a brother that you had growing up. He was the son of a man quite close to your parents, and the two of you had run around together since you were able to run.

“Please, I'm being serious. I need your advice." You begged. He sat down in the grass, motioning for you to join him. You sighed, flopping to the ground in the least graceful way you could have, folding your hands in your lap.

"Speak, then." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. You nodded, searching for the right words to say. You knew Changbin, and if you told him straight out what the problem you were facing was, he'd talk you out of marrying Felix, and take his disapproval to your father for good measure.

"If you were presented with two options, and one would cause problems, but the other would leave a bigger problem unresolved...which option would you pick?" You asked him. He hummed, rolling the question over in his head.

"So the first option would solve one problem, but cause others? And the second option wouldn't cause problems, but also wouldn't solve one?" He confirmed. You nodded. He looked at you, but you kept your eyes trained on the patch of grass between the two of you. "Is this about the prince from the Elven lands?"

You swallowed, not responding. Your silence was an answer in and of itself.

"You wouldn't look so down if you didn't know what you needed to do. You've never had any trouble following your heart. And you know I'll be at your side no matter what you decide to do." He reached out, patting your arm and stood up, brushing the dirt from his pants. "Get up, you have two more days before you have to talk to anyone else about this. Let's go do something fun for once."

Changbin's advice stuck in your head for the next couple of days. He knew you, and he was, as much as you hated to admit it, right this time around. You were sure which decision was the right one, and you had been seeking out someone to tell you that it was okay to pick the other one.

But it wasn't okay, and deep under whatever grief you were beginning to feel, you knew that. How could you justify picking a life of freedom for yourself when it meant taking that freedom from thousands of others. You simply couldn't stomach that. So you swallowed your pride, your hopes and dreams, and resigned yourself to your choice.

When Felix arrived in the early afternoon, he was greeted with less hostility than he was the first time around. Though there wasn't any more fanfare than before, and he could feel the distrust in the air as he was escorted through the castle once again. He took in the same sights, the walls that seemed to radiate a glistening, dancing light. The floors that gave the impression of water running over stones like they did in the creeks and rivers back home. The ever-fluttering breeze through the halls, and the polished marble pillars.

He was stopped outside the doors to the throne room, and this time it only took a breaths length for the doors to swing open, a voice announcing his presence as if he were an honored guest. Something about that gave him hope as he stepped into the room and the doors fell shut behind him.

The guards still lined the room, all looking at him as if he were a fearsome warrior. The doors were all blocked off by men much larger than he'd imagined faeries could be. Had they done that before? He returned his attention to the front of the room where your father's throne sat empty. Instead you were seated on your own, waiting for him. To your right stood two men. The first was well recognized as your right hand man and personal protection order. On the other side of him stood a taller man, his build a little slighter, but still all muscle. He wasn't as easily recognized. Felix assumed him to be a member of your court.

He made a sweeping bow as he had the first time he'd met you, and you watched him. The way his limbs splayed out in pure, trained elegance, his head lowered in respect. You liked seeing him this way, none of that irksome confidence you'd seen before.

"Welcome back, Prince Felix," You said, a sign for him to rise and face you properly. He first lifted his head, a charming smile playing on his lips, one that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"It's always a pleasure, your highness. Thank you for seeing me again." He straightened up properly and you nodded.

"Right, well, I know you're here for an answer, but it would be awfully unkind for me to not offer you anything. A drink maybe, or some rest? Our guest chambers are lovely if you need some rest. It's a long way from where you come from." You offered him politely. He smiled.

"The offer is most appreciated, but I really think it’s better if we get right to things. After all, if things go the way I can only hope they will, we'll have much to discuss. And it would be a shame to inconvenience you by putting that off." He said. You had to admit that you too would much rather get the entire deal out of the way.

"Very well, then." You shifted, straightening up even further in your seat and smoothing your hands over your lap. "I've given your question a great deal of thought, and weighed the options."

You paused, taking a breath, and Felix shifted his weight, not lifting his eyes to meet yours. You weren't sure if it was meant as a sign of disrespect or simply one of worry. Your exhale was slow as you pushed down your own frustration. This wasn't what you'd expected from your life, but as a prince, difficult decisions had to be made.

"I will accept your marriage proposal."

The room felt like it was spinning with how quickly Felix snapped his head up to look at you. He had hoped and prayed that you'd accept his proposal, that the two of you could work together to make things better for your peoples, but to have you actually say it seemed like something he'd never planned for. In truth, he hadn't figured out what would come after this. First and foremost you'd have to tell your father, which was going to be another day, or week, or eternity of his head being laid on the chopping block.

"I’m very grateful for the opportunity to grow together," He said, bowing to you again. You waved him off.

"None of that, you don't need to bow to me all of the time. We are equals, I guess." You stood, bowing to him for the first time. You walked the path to where he was standing and offered him a smile. "Come, we have a lot to discuss, and I think better on the move."

You motioned for the guards to leave you be, all except for your personal guard. Changbin followed from a distance, far enough away that you could speak easily but not so far that he couldn’t keep an eye on you. You trusted him with your life, and now with so much on the line, you had no worries about any misbehavior on your new fiance's part.

You walked with him, not in front but beside, a show of respect between equals as you guided him through your home, weaving deeper into the castle. The entire castle was looming, winding halls that had Felix practically spinning in circles trying to take it all in.

"Do you like it? The castle?" You asked him after a long period of silence. He nodded.

"It's not like back home. It's lovely." He said. You seemed appeased by his answer.

"There's a lot to be discussed. What we expect from marriage. And how to get it past the officials. There will be hoops to jump through. I know my father won't be pleased. He's not your biggest fan." You mused. Felix cleared his throat. He certainly knew that much.

"And my parents will want to put it to the council. I have an idea, though. If I can win your father's approval."

You looked at him, taking in his delicate features from a different angle than you had before, and the way his blonde hair fell in waves. He looked elven, the hint of his ears that poked through his hair didn't help to disguise that. Another hurdle along the way. How to convince your court and country that you'd be better off marrying the enemy rather than one of the many suitors of your own kind, or at least someone who fought on your side of the war.

"And what's that idea of yours?" You asked. Felix leaned closer casually, turning so that he was practically whispering into your ear.

"We convince them we're in love."

You stopped in your tracks, your head whipping to check that your friend was far enough away to not pick up on the conversation. You crossed your arms over your chest and furrowed your brow in absolute annoyance. He turned to look at you, tipping his head for you to voice your concerns.

"A lie? Your highness, I'm sure you're aware who you're speaking to. My people cannot lie." You snapped, still keeping your voice quiet. He straightened at the sharpness in your tone, his entire posture turning defensive.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not implying that we lie. It's more of a trick, really." He argued.

"A trick implies that the truth will come out. And just how will that help our cause? If your people think that I have lied to them they'll make no hesitation to kill me. And then what? Your people will be wiped out in two seconds flat if they lay a finger on me. My friends alone will make sure of that." You were fuming now. You'd agreed to his crazy plan of marriage in the first place, and now he was presenting you with irresponsible and downright dangerous plans to make it work.

"Y/N, calm down." Changbin called from behind you. You glared at him over your shoulder, and he gave you a nod. You huffed, taking a step back. The prince looked at you still, something between irritation and amusement flickering across his face.

"Is that to say that you won't fall in love with me, my prince?" He asked, the name falling from his lips and making your eyes go wide. "Or that your people would so easily conquer mine?"

You clenched your fists. Oh how you wanted to wipe that look off of his face.

"But really, my people won't find out until after we've married, and there will be little they can do to stop me then. Put your faith in me like I'm putting mine in you. We can make this work, but that would require us both to keep a level head."

"I've made no promises to put my trust in you, Felix. Only to spend the rest of my life with you. Don't mistake those to be the same thing."

The tension between you and Felix had been heated ever since you realized what his plan entailed. But you had made your decision, and no matter how bothersome the path may be, the end results would be worth it if you could just pull this off. You had, however, decided fairly quickly that you weren't a fan of the prince's attitude. He was too confident, and he seemed to be taking things much too lightly. Especially when one misstep could land the both of you in serious trouble.

"Stay for a few days. We can have clothes bought for you, and we can send word to your family." You suggested, standing up from the table in your meeting room. Felix nodded, standing up as well. "I suggest we tell my father about the engagement at dinner. He won't be happy, but food tends to appease him best. I'll have Jisung show you to the guest wing."

"You could show me," He said, and you couldn't decipher the tone in his voice, teasing or flirtation or just his way of egging you on. You glared and he laughed. "I'm teasing you, your highness. I'll see you at dinner,"

He tipped his head before following you out of the room.

"Jisung, show the prince to his room please." You said.

"And thank you?" Jisung asked playfully. You cracked a smile, something you immediately regretted after trying to stay firm with Felix.

"And thank you. Now go," You huffed. Jisung poked your shoulder a few times as he passed you, and Felix gave you an amused smile that you met with a scowl.

"Best behavior at dinner, your highness." You warned him. He held his hands up in submission. You sighed, running a hand over your face, a motion that made Changbin laugh.

"Do you want to hear what I think?" He asked once Jisung had led Felix down the hall and out of sight. You rolled your eyes and looked at your best friend.

"Actually, I can't say that I do. But I think you're going to tell me anyway because that wasn't a real question." You said, beginning to walk back towards your own room. Changbin followed without hesitation.

"I think you may have met your match, your highness." There was that annoying name again, always teasing from him. You rolled your eyes. "Probably for the best if you're going to marry him, don't you think? I don't imagine you'll ever be bored."

You scoffed.

"Bored and happy sounds better than never bored but eternally suffering," You told him.

"If you're going to be so miserable, then why are you doing this?" He asked gently, grabbing your arm and guiding you back to him so you couldn't simply walk away and avoid his question. You swallowed down the bitter taste, the building frustration that would inevitably amount in tears or shouting.

"Because nobody since the beginning of this war has done anything to help our people, and I can't allow it to go on. People have been dying, and suffering, and resenting my family line because of a petty grudge. If I have to bite the bullet for the sake of everything I hold in my hands, then I have to be the one to pull the trigger."

Changbin looked at you for a long moment, the air thick as he watched you blink back tears. You didn't want to marry Felix, you didn't want to give up your freedom like that for the next several hundred years, but you cared about your country more than anything in the world, and you could tell that Felix felt the same way about his people. If nothing else, you had to respect that. And to seek out a solution like he had wasn't something you'd ever thought of for yourself, so you would give him the benefit of the doubt.

The rest of the walk to your room was quiet, leaving you with your own thoughts and emotions. You imagined that Changbin was trying to understand your decision, and the emotions behind it, but he was a much less hardheaded person than you were, and much less trusting of people's souls.

"I'll see you at dinner," He said, nudging your shoulder with his fist and giving you a smile that you forced yourself to return, leaving you in peace, all alone now. You laid yourself out on your bed, arms and legs spread across the surface of it as if stretching to your limit would silence the noise in your mind and ground you back into your body.

Your father was going to be unhappy, and you'd have to convince him to let you do this. He wasn't a controlling man, no more than he had to be at least, but this was taking a personal risk, and surely he wouldn't be eager to let you do that. The thought of driving a wedge between the two of you made your heart ache. He’d been your biggest supporter for as long as you could remember. You said a silent prayer to the universe that he’d continue to be just that.

You needed a better plan. You thought about Felix and his irksome confidence as he simply stated we make them think we're in love. But you had to admit that, despite everything, the sentiment made sense. There were a lot of things that people rejected, things that your people would never accept. But one of the few things that people had a hard time saying no to was love.

You stared at the ceiling, a dancing mirage of oranges and reds that mimicked the setting sun's colors. Dinner would be served soon, and you'd have to take another step towards your destiny, however unpleasant that may be. Maybe if Felix was on his best behavior your father wouldn't cause an uproar, and maybe he'd trust you enough not to make you sit beside the court and council.

You thought about what you'd planned your future to hold. Love, and laughter. You had hoped to see much of the world when you were younger, not yet jaded by the looming war at the edges of your home. Though the war had died down quite a bit in the hundred years since you were brought to be. You remembered your mother, and the songs of life before the war that she’d sing you to sleep with. She said she'd learned them from her mother, who had learned them from her own before that, for generations stretching back a thousand years.

You often found yourself wondering what life was like then, before the hatred and the fear. When your kind lived in harmony with others. Back when life on the outer edges of your homeland was still wild and free, bubbling with joy and music and a whisper of hope that you desperately wanted to nurture.

This, whatever this life changing decision you were making was, had to be the right choice.

You laid there in silence for a while longer, soaking in the last slice of peace that you could imagine having for a while before finally getting yourself cleaned up for dinner.

Changbin escorted you to the dining pavilion as he typically did, and you greeted your father with a wide smile, settling into your seat.

"Isn't Felix here yet?" You asked, smoothing your hands over your lap. Your father shook his head, clearly displeased that he had been kept waiting. You silently reminded yourself that Felix wasn't technically late yet. The late spring air helped you keep your cool, the scent of the flowers from the gardens riding on the breeze.

"I apologize if I've kept you waiting." Felix's voice startled you out of your thoughts, and you smiled. Honestly you were just relieved to be one step closer to the truth being in the open.

"You haven't, don't worry. Please, sit." You motioned towards the seat across from you. He bowed his head to you and sat down where you indicated. The table was set, filled with more food than the three of you could possibly eat. Even so, Felix looked a bit worried. You cleared your throat.

"You can eat it, no harm will come to you. We don't enchant people as often as some might think. I promise it's all fine." You said. You watched him open his mouth as if to speak, instead settling on a polite smile. You felt something bitter burn in your chest. People's opinion of the fair folk had been dropping for lifetimes now, but it still made you angry to be distrusted the way you were.

With Felix settled in and reassured that you and your father had no ill intentions, the meal went smoothly, though mostly in silence. It was only when dessert was served that your father decided to speak up.

"I still don't think I've caught the reason for your visits, young prince." He said. You stiffened, but Felix looked just as laid back as he had throughout his entire second visit. He looked at you, and his lips curled into a smile.

"My apologies, your majesty. I didn't mean to be so secretive with my intentions." Felix admitted. He looked at your father. "I came to ask for Y/N's hand in marriage, and they've accepted. So now I am asking for your blessing."

The silence after his confession was deafening, and it threatened to swallow you whole. Your father didn't speak, he didn't shout or attack Felix right then and there which, you desperately hoped, was a good sign. But when he opened his mouth to speak, he was looking at you.

"What is this about?" He asked. You swallowed and glanced at Felix. He was looking at you, dark eyes alight with desperation, or maybe with hope, but either way it tugged at something inside of you.

"Please give us your blessing, father. Let me marry him," You begged gently. He looked at you, something along the lines of rage and disbelief flickering in his eyes.

"You've hardly known him for a week," Your father pointed out. You nodded, inhaling slowly.

"And I've thought about the decision a lot. I firmly believe that this is the right choice. Please, I need your trust." You laid your utensils down and turned to properly face your father. "You raised me well, and I genuinely believe that I’m ready to make the important decisions for myself. All I'm asking is for your blessing."

The quiet returned, even the birds had stopped chirping in the trees as if the entirety of the world was waiting with bated breath. You could feel Felix's eyes on you, and you refused to look back at him.

"The council won't like it. I will do what I can to sway them, but that may be in your hands." Your father spoke, and you exhaled deeply, closing your eyes and saying a silent thanks to the universe for her kindness. You sunk back in your seat in the first proper show of comfort since the day Felix came to ask for your hand in the first place.

"Thank you, sir," Felix said, looking at you with a smile that was brighter than the sun itself. You sighed quietly. This wasn't going to be easy.

As dinner finished, and Felix was dismissed to write to his family and let them know he'd be staying longer than expected, your father called you to stay back. You stiffened, turning around to face him again.

"I'm not going to ask if you love him, I can see that you don't." He said. You clenched your jaw, and he continued. "But I have to ask you if you're doing this for the right reasons."

You thought for a moment, mulling over the best way to approach his question.

"I'm tired of sitting by and doing nothing. Soon enough it will be my turn to run our country, and I want to prove that I can do what needs to be done, even if it's difficult sometimes." You said. "I'm doing this for mom,"

He smiled, a sad, thoughtful sort of smile and gave you a nod.

"I trust your judgment, but sometimes you're too much like your mother for my heart to take. She was hard headed and passionate too, and I can't imagine that you got that from me. If you’re confident in your decisions, you have me at your back. Now go, you'll have a lot of work ahead of you."

You carried those words with you the next few days as you sat through council meetings, elders arguing the future of your country and the validity of your decisions. They claimed you were only a child, you reminded them that not only were you of legal age, but that you were of marrying age and, had you not found a suitor within the next several years, you would have been married off for the sake of politics. It was only fair that you got to make that decision on your own in the meantime.

You knew what their argument really was, that you were making a decision they couldn't imagine making for themselves, that you were fraternizing with the enemy. Which was amusing behind closed doors since you could hardly call whatever it was you had going on with Felix 'fraternization’. 

It was coming out of one of these endless meetings that you ran into a distressed looking Felix. He had been working himself up for hours now waiting for someone to report back to him with how things were coming. His hair looked as if he'd run his hands through it a dozen times over, and he seemed to jump when you came through the doors.

"Well? What did they say this time?" He asked you. You took a breath.

"They're not happy about it, but they’ve run out of reasons to protest since both me and my father are in favor of the marriage. They want us to announce our engagement formally." You told him. He paused, a half-laugh of disbelief leaving his lips.

"Are you serious? They've agreed?" He asked. You nodded.

"Don't go getting all excited, this is where the hard part begins."

"This wasn't the hard part?" He asked, leaning against the wall. You rolled your eyes.

“We still have to tell your family, mind you.” You said. “And we have entire nations to win over. This was only the beginning.”

"I can't imagine either of those things will be terribly difficult, my parents won’t be happy, but they won’t try to stop me. They trust me, unlike–”

You sent a glare in his direction, a warning not to speak ill of your family. He just gave you a playful smile and giggled in delight at having earned a reaction out of you. You rolled your eyes.

"Right then. You'll have the rest of the day to prepare, and we'll make the announcement tomorrow." You began walking, back towards the outside, heading for the gardens. "And after that you'll have to come with me when I attend royal duties. Oh, and you'll need to write home, get a proper invitation for my safe travels. Otherwise my father and the court and council will never let me travel into enemy land."

Felix laughed, and you looked over your shoulder at him. He was following as you'd expected, but with his hands in his pockets he looked much more relaxed than you felt. You were growing more and more irritated with his laid back demeanor.

"What?" You asked.

"Are you always this serious?" He asked you. You continued walking again, and he moved to stand in front of you, effectively blocking your path.

"I think this is something quite reasonable to be serious about. Clearly you don't, which is what stresses me out."

"What's your favorite color?" He asked you.

“If you cannot take our marriage preparations seriously, how am I supposed to trust you with my country? Or your own for that matter?"

"Favorite flower? What do you do for fun?"

"Felix, I'm serious!"

"I know you are," He reached out, taking you by your shoulders and shaking you back and forth. "Loosen up, for fucks sake. I am preparing for our wedding. Nobody will believe that we're truly in love if we know nothing about each other."

You paused, mildly taken aback by the language, but it was enough to stop your anxiety in its tracks. You hadn't thought about that. You shook off his hands gently, continuing to walk.

"Then we'll spend the day getting to know each other. But we'll discuss other things too. The schedule first off."

"Can you answer my questions then? What is your favorite color, my prince?"

You pushed the doors at the end of the hall open, giving way to a long, clover pathway. Vine covered arbors arced over the path, bright with flowers in every color that Felix could even imagine flowers coming in. You seemed to relax once you were outside in nature, leading him along the path. As he watched, he noticed the way that your feet barely touched the ground, your steps gliding as if you were dancing with the air.

"Green." You told him, reaching out to touch a flower that grew on one of the arbors. He watched the way it perked up under your touch. "I also like brown, but my father says that's not a suitable color for favorites."

Felix smiled. That may well have been the first glimpse at your true self that he'd had the honor of seeing.

"I think it's perfectly suitable. And that you should be allowed to have your own thoughts independent of your father's." He knew he probably should have minded his words more carefully from the way you stiffened up. But you relaxed after a moment, turning to look at him as you both walked deeper into the gardens, hedges rising around you, each trimmed neatly into perfect walls.

"What's your favorite color then?" You asked him in return.

"Black. But if people ask, I usually tell them orange." He said. You didn't miss the irony in him changing his favorite color for the sake of other people's opinions when he said that you shouldn't do just that. You wondered if he was always so hypocritical when it came to himself.

You stopped in front of a large fountain, a depiction of two fairies with their heads tipped back, smiles stretching across their faces. They looked to be dancing, and the marble of their wings caught the light, making them shine like silver. The water was opalescent as it cascaded down into the pool, and you sat at the edge of it, dipping your fingers into the water and watching the ripples that came from it.

"And what do you do for fun?" He asked. You looked at him, then back at your hand as you scooped up some of the water, letting it run through your fingers, some trickling down your wrist.

"I read sometimes. Usually out here. I spend most of my free time here. Or with my friends." You told him. "When I'm with them we aren't usually up to any good. Never harmful, though. Don't get me wrong."

Felix listened to you, and he didn't say anything about the supposed mischief that you got up to with your friends.

"Your friends, what are their names?" He asked. 

“The guards you’ve met. They’ve been my best friends since before they joined the royal guard. There’s others too, but I don’t see them as often.” You stood up, shaking the water off of your hand. “What about you? You have friends back home, right?”

“I do. Chan is probably my best friend. You’ll meet him one day. I think you’ll get along well with him.” Felix said. He opened his mouth, starting to ask you another question, but you shook your head.

"You've asked enough questions, I have more to tell you about." You said.

And so you did, bringing him up to date with the expectations that would be placed upon him once it was announced that the two of you were engaged. How he'd become an equal, but respect was still to be maintained to the very end. How he'd have to attend any balls you were expected at unless his business at home would call him away, and how any event you were seen at in your country, he'd also want to attend to achieve public favor.

It was late into the evening when the two of you decided to leave the gardens. You'd shown him several different spaces that you enjoyed sitting and thinking in. The rose gardens, and the sculpture gardens, and the tree at the very center that you'd been climbing since you were able to walk. Felix understood then, maybe for the first time, the connection that your people seemed to have with nature.

"What's your favorite flower, my prince?" Felix asked as the two of you walked back towards the castle. The name was beginning to stick, and you grew disgruntled every time he used it. Although maybe that was the reason he kept on saying it.

"Lily of the valley," You answered finally, a faint smile on your lips. "My father had a whole bunch of them planted where you can see them from my window. That one there,"

You pointed to your bedroom window overlooking the gardens, and Felix looked up at it. He wondered if you'd been given that room for just that reason, or if maybe the gardens had been planted where they were for the sake of giving you something nice to look at.

"A good choice," He admitted as the both of you returned to the castle. He opened the door for you, and you bowed your head to him in appreciation.

Once inside, he excused himself, stating that he was too tired to attend dinner, but that he'd see you in the morning for breakfast. You let him go only once he promised to have his letter to his parents sent out before he went to bed.

You wondered as you returned to your own space if your relationship with Felix would forever be formal and awkward. Sure, the afternoon together hadn’t been miserable, but a part of you worried that you'd never be anything more than polite acquaintances. Asking for love in a marriage of convenience and diplomacy was a bit excessive, even you knew that, but maybe a kind of comfort could come of it if you were lucky.

The next morning was an early start. You woke up before the sun rose, getting yourself ready on your own and taking your time as you prepared for the day. You made yourself up before breakfast, staring at your reflection in the mirror. After breakfast you would be expected to meet with the court and council, and you'd be put on display in front of your people to announce your engagement. You wondered how they’d take it, if the favor you’d been earning since your birth was enough to win out against fear and survival instinct.

In your lifetime alone, many people had been wronged by the elves. They had shown themselves to be a cruel and self-righteous people with little to no regard for people who were any different than themselves. Felix hadn't seemed too much like what you knew of his kind, but it would take some time for him to prove that to anyone besides you. But you knew, you reminded yourself as you put on your clothes, that this was for the best. You were making the right decision.

You were the first to arrive for breakfast, your food being served to you as it always was. When your father arrived, you were poking at your eggs. Your stomach was too queasy to eat a decent meal. He didn't say much beyond a good morning. You tried not to think anything of it, he was never much of a morning person. But your anxiety was beginning to get the best of you, a worry that your entire plan would come crashing down by the day's end. When Felix came and took his own seat to your right, you had still done nothing but tear your eggs to shreds and pick the crust off of your bread.

"Good morning, my prince. Your majesty." He greeted the both of you, his own plate being filled with the best your cooks had to offer.

"Good morning, Felix. Did you sleep well?" You asked, looking up from your food. He nodded.

"Very well, thank you. I wrote home as promised, I expect a proper invitation by the end of the week." He said. That should have relaxed you, but it only made you more tense knowing that there would be no escaping a visit to Felix's homeland.

"Wonderful. Just in time for our announcement. After breakfast is finished we should get to preparing." You said, not that you'd even begun eating your meal. "We've already set them to decorate and get everything set up for an announcement, and I'm sure the crowds are beginning to gather already."

Felix watched the way your fingers tightened around your fork, and the way that your voice didn't sound as confidently strong as he had grown used to in the short time the two of you had spent together. It was off-putting to see you so withdrawn, and he wished that he could fix it even just for the sake of not dealing with the unexpected.

"You've prepared your announcement speech?" Your father asked you. You nodded quietly, not looking up at him. You weren't much of a public speaker, and you had never made a public speech to a group of one hundred people, let alone the better part of your kingdom.

"Speech?" Felix asked. You nodded again, finally taking a bite of your breakfast.

"An engagement is proof enough that it's time for me to act like an adult and not a childish prince," You said. It was beginning to feel ironic since you hadn't felt this much like a childish prince in some time. "So it's my turn to say my piece. Don't worry, you won't be expected to speak."

Felix nodded a little. It wasn't hard to pick up on your anxiety, and as much as he loved getting a reaction out of you, he sincerely didn't want you to feel unsafe in his presence.

"Well then, is there anything else I can do to help with the preparations?" He asked. You put your fork down, pushing your food away from you. Your stomach couldn't handle it with the way it was twisting into knots. You looked at Felix, a bit surprised by his offer, then you shook your head.

"Just make yourself look as nice as possible and get to the main hall within two hours. That's really all I ask." You stood up, "Honestly, if I have to chase you down I might have to end this entire ordeal then and there,"

You were dead serious, and nobody knew that better than Felix. He nodded with a quiet 'I promise'. You sat back in your seat and closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. Once your father was finished eating, he excused himself with a promise to check in before time for you to face the world. You sat there a few moments longer before following his lead and excusing yourself.

Felix followed you, abandoning his half cleared plate.

"Hey, this is gonna be fine. You know that, right?" He asked you. You forced a smile, straightening out your shoulders.

"I know. I'll see you later," You turned quickly. As kind as the reassurance was, you didn't want to be around him for any longer than necessary in your state, and the gentle tone of his voice was grating on your already frayed nerves, and the last thing you wanted was to spiral in front of him and put even more pressure on his shoulders.

He didn't follow you this time, and you didn't look back at him. Instead you walked the long halls back to the safety of your room. You took your time getting yourself all dolled up. Meanwhile, Changbin was sitting on your bed in his uniform, flicking through one of the books that you had stacked up on your bed stand.

"Why are you doing all of this, anyway? I mean, you’re obviously one mishap away from having a complete meltdown. No offense." Changbin said. You rolled your eyes, adjusting your clothes for the hundredth time.

"What sort of question is that?" You scoffed.

"An honest one. I mean, you're royalty, right? And you could marry anyone you wanted. Why are you marrying someone you barely even know?"

You turned to look at him, placing your hands on your hips. When he looked up, he made a face just like he always had when you were younger and you'd scold him for being reckless or improper or dragging you into his shenanigans (not that you ever really minded that bit).

"I'm marrying him because I know that it's what I'm meant to do." You said firmly. "It's not even him that's getting to me. It's...everything else. Everyone thinking that they need to judge us, or evaluate us and give their opinion. And for what?"

You huffed, beginning to pace. Changbin just leaned back on your bed once again.

"I mean, it's not as if we're show animals, we don't need to jump through everyone else's hoops just to prove that we should get married. It's our own lives, isn't it?"

Changbin didn't speak then, just let you huff and grumble about life as you finished getting yourself ready. He was ever patient with you like that, and you did appreciate it more than you could express. Of course when you were in a mood like this, his seeming indifference to the situation didn't help much.

Luckily for him the two hours passed quickly with you only occasionally bursting out again about how frustrating things were. He knew your anxiety well, and it was clear that you were beginning to take it out on everything else. So he held your hand as the two of you walked to meet your father and Felix. You were grateful for the distraction of his warm, calloused palm under yours. After so many years, you’d gotten good at mapping out his skin when you were anxious, giving your mind some excuse to not think about anything else.

The main hall was full of people, workers from the castle who had been helping to keep the last minute event running smoothly. Your father and his guards and attendants were being spoken to about the plan, and Felix was standing to the side with Jisung looking both incredibly laid back and a little restless. You made a beeline for the two of them, all but collapsing into Jisung's arms as he wrapped them around your middle.

"Your highness, I think you're making a scene," He said, mostly teasingly. You whined.

"These people are all here because of me, I think they can mind their own business long enough for me to have a meltdown." You grumbled, straightening up and smoothing out your clothes and hair. "Have they been waiting very long?"

"They've been here since we got here. With how frazzled the head of the team looks I think they've been putting in overtime getting things set." He admitted. You sighed and squeezed your eyes shut for a moment before shaking out your nerves.

"Right, let's make this as smooth as we can for them, then."

Felix had to admit that the way you so quickly and easily switched gears amazed him. In the blink of an eye you'd gone from openly and pretty clearly distressed to the put together prince he'd met his first visit. He exhaled slowly, hoping he looked even half as put together as you did.

"Your highnesses," One of the workers, presumably the frazzled one Jisung had spoken of given the look on his face, bowed in front of the four of you. "We'll begin the address soon, but I wanted to run you through the order of events first, answer any question you may have."

You nodded, motioning Felix forward to look over the papers you were being shown. It wasn't anything new to you. Your father would make an address first, introduce you to your people, and then you and Felix would step forward to take the lead, give your speech. Then you'd all thank your people for their time and the entire thing would be over in less than forty minutes. Ideal.

"Whenever you're ready, your majesty," The man bowed to your father, and he nodded. Your father looked at you, and even though he didn't smile, or give any pep talks, you knew that he was rooting for you behind his royal facade. You and your father had always been close enough for you to read the look in his eyes.

As a group, the lot of you were led up the set of stairs to yet another wide open hall. The announcement hall, with a balcony that overlooked the castle courtyard. You could hear them beyond the door, your people gathered for a glimpse of their leaders, a hint of news that could be told to everyone they knew. The music from beyond the balcony doors was loud, voices and laughter raised to the sky. A reminder of exactly why you were doing this.

The guards swung the doors open, and your father stepped out to a chorus of cheers and fanfare. He was very well liked as a king, as long as you'd been alive at least. You stepped out afterwards, Felix on your heels, then guards as the doors closed.

Felix had to admire the way you stood tall, your expression the epitome of affection as you looked out as your people. He, on the other hand, felt as if he was shrinking in on himself no matter how hard he tried not to. But he didn't get much of a chance to think about that as your father began his greetings speech.

A welcome to the faeries who had come from all around the kingdom, and a thanks for their undying loyalty to the crown that brought them there. Felix listened to this part. It was clear that the King was an incredible leader, and well respected if the crowd that had gathered with only twenty four hours notice was anything to go by. He understood where you got your leadership skills.

The applause after your father's speech was what pulled you out of your thoughts, and your eyes flew to him first, then to Felix, and finally to your friends who you could only see out of the corner of your eye. You took a deep, shaky breath and stepped forward to take your father's place. Felix followed you, standing ever so slightly behind you as you took center stage.

You put on your bravest smile, beginning your announcement with as much joy as you could muster. Thank the people for coming and sparing their time to be with you as you made a joyful announcement for you and your home. Make a long, flowery monologue about how happy and grateful you were to have been born prince of such a magnificent place, how strong your country was and words of inspiration about how you believed they would continue being wonderful.

Then came the most difficult part.

"We've asked you here to give a life changing announcement. I have finally accepted a marriage proposal. I would like to introduce Prince Felix of the Elven realms. Your future king." Your hands were shaking, and you clenched your fists as subtly as you could manage to try and get them under control. You looked at Felix as you'd been coached to, and he was already looking at you with the sweetest smile you'd ever seen. One that made your stomach twist and your heart stutter in your chest. A baffling change from the way it had been racing as you tried not to choke on your ridiculous speech.

Felix bowed to your people, and for once, the crowd was wholeheartedly silent. You had seen that coming. You tried not to let on the way the nerves began eating you alive. You weren't always very good at hiding your emotions, you got that from your mother.

A hand took yours, warm and soft and squeezing your trembling hand in his own. You let out a shaky breath, and Felix gave you a nod of encouragement. You tensed, frustration burning dark and heavy in your chest. You turned back to the microphone in front of you.

"I am proud of the decision I'm making, and I can only hope that you will all take pride in it as well. More details will come with time, but in the meantime, I ask that you all welcome Felix with open arms just as my family, my home, and I have already." You bowed your head in appreciation towards your people, giving them one more statement of appreciation before being escorted back inside. Your father followed then, and the guards last.

Once you were inside, you released Felix's hand, your fingers were tense from how hard you'd been squeezing it. You turned to apologize, but he shook his head, silencing you with nothing more than a look.

"You did well," Your father told you, giving your shoulders an affectionate squeeze. You smiled, ignoring the way it felt like yet another sentence to perfection. You couldn't handle that thought.

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me," You turned, making a beeline for the gardens that always brought you the most peace. You took the stairs faster than you ever had in your life, your feet barely touching the floor beneath them.

It didn't feel as if you could breath until you were in the open air, no longer suffocating or bending the truth. It was just you and the world. The world wasn't always kind, but she was oh so real. You couldn't say the same about yourself anymore, not really. That left you with a sort of self loathing that you'd never actually felt before. Who were you if not the truest, most transparent version of yourself. And how could you be transparent with a secret this big? When you were blurring the lines between selflessness and the selfish need to give every bit of yourself to bring others whatever they needed?

Your heart carried you through the gardens more than your mind did, leading you down the paths, past the fountains and into the very heart of the large maze of nature. You passed through the archway there into a cleared opening. At the center of it stood a large sycamore tree. There was a pond to the side with a bench sitting near it, and an intricately carved bird bath on the opposite side of the clearing. You climbed into the upper branches of the tree with a practiced ease, pulling yourself up despite the way the bark scratched your palms, kicking off your shoes to make it easier to move properly. You didn't even bother to think of the damage it may do to your best clothes.

Sitting up in the tree, the sun filtering through its leaves, and the breeze brushing your overheating skin, it made the panic and frustration clear like fog lifting and dissipating. You sat there for a long time. You'd been climbing this tree for decades, finding comfort in its steadiness.

That being said, it wasn't surprising when Jisung found you faster than you would have liked him to. He stood at the base of the tree where you could see him but he couldn't directly see you. Even so, your shoes were sitting at the roots of the tree, giving your location away like a beacon shining in the dark.

Jisung made a move to climb after you. He had, after all, been climbing it with you for a good long while. Him and Changbin both since you were all just kids. You made a move to climb higher, not that you could evade him for very long given that there was only so much tree to climb. He made an irritated, whiney sound.

"Don't even consider moving. Not all of us have such an easy time with this," He warned, and you knew that it was a mostly empty threat, he wouldn't do anything if you kept climbing. You settled your weight on the branch you were sitting on anyway. He made it to you fairly quickly, sitting down at the crook of a branch near you. "What brought you here?"

You looked at the spot in front of you, bringing your finger to trace the ridges in the bark between where your legs hung. You shrugged quietly. He didn't speak, still waiting for you to answer him. He knew that you'd break eventually, the awkward tension growing too much. And you were perfectly predictable under the circumstances.

"Do you think that I'll make a good leader, Ji?" You asked him, still not risking a look at him.

"Is this about the engagement?" He asked you. Honestly you were getting sick of that question. Sure, you hadn't always been one to voice your insecurities, but you had always had them.

"Not exactly. The engagement just has me thinking," You told him. He nodded. "I know that I'm making the right decision, even if that's hard to do. But do you think that our people trust me? Or do they think that I'm going to let them down?"

He was quiet, clearly thinking, and you tried not to let that worry you. Still, you found yourself picking at your clothes to try and quiet the wave of anxiety that was creeping up your spine.

"I think that our people will believe in you because of who you are and where you come from. Your parents have always treated us like family, and we know that you will take that same care with us." He was looking at you, and you looked back this time, nipping at the inside of your cheek. "However, I think they will also expect you to prove yourself. And I know that you will. I have nothing but trust and confidence in you. As a person, and a prince."

The both of you sat in your tree a while longer, hiding from the world in each other's company until the sun was beginning to set and the breeze grew cool. Jisung helped you down then, not that you needed it, and walked with you back through the gardens. You did feel better than, with his confidence and  unwavering support playing on repeat in your mind. You were gonna be just fine, your people would trust you. You just had to prove yourself. Easy peasy.

The hall was quiet this late at night, and Felix couldn't help but feel like the sound of his footsteps were disturbing the peaceful atmosphere that he'd stepped into. He knew that wandering about so late at night was probably not the best thing for him to be doing, but he'd been promised protection within the castle walls, and laying in bed tossing and turning wasn't putting him any closer to actually resting.

He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he was thinking about what you'd said before about how you think better on the move. He wondered if there was any sense to that. He was still in his pajamas, his hair messy from sleep (or some poor attempt at it). The halls were lit with a pale blue hued light that he couldn't spot the source of, nor any sort of shadows to help him figure it out. It made the entire place feel like a dream. He had started to get used to this place, a home away from home once you were properly married, and it was more peaceful than he'd expected it to be given the connection between faeries and mischief.

He walked for a long while, passing windows that let in silvery moonlight that spilled over the floor like puddles after a rain, and views that you hadn't shown him yet. He took a couple flights of stairs, wandering up higher. He'd been told there was a library, and he wasn't much of a reader, but it sounded like a nice place to indulge his thoughts for a while, maybe somewhere to make a regular relaxation spot.

He was still in that thought when another presence caught him off guard, a movement in the corner of his eye. He whirled around, his hands balled into fists. Not that he was trained in hand to hand combat, elves were built for fighting from a distance. There wasn't anyone he could see, but he could hear the soft fluttering sound that he'd begun to pin down as wings sifting through the air.

"Gotta be faster than that, your highness." A voice said, and he spun around again. Leaning against the wall was the guard that was always at your side.

"Changbin. You startled me," He admitted, pressing a hand to his racing chest.

"As was the plan. No ill intent, don't misunderstand, but I saw you wandering about, thought I might as well have a bit of fun without Y/N around to scold me for bothering you." He said. He uncrossed his arms. "Were you headed anywhere in particular?"

Felix shook his head, smoothing a hand through his hair.

"No, I just couldn't sleep is all. I figured a walk might do me some good." He admitted. Changbin nodded his understanding.

"Do you drink tea? I'll take you to the kitchen," He offered. Felix agreed, following the shorter man's lead. He hadn't gotten much of a chance to speak with Changbin, he was always at your side. That, however, was exactly why he wanted to talk to him. There was a lot about you that was a mystery to Felix, and he honestly wasn't sure if you'd be open to sharing it with him. His curiosity, however, didn't want to accept that answer without putting up a decent fight.

Changbin was quiet for most of the walk, and Felix didn't want to disturb the quiet, but eventually the knight spoke up.

"It's not safe for guests to wander the halls this late at night. Some of our people aren't quite so trusting, they may have gotten the wrong idea, my prince." He said. Felix wondered if that was a threat. But Changbin was smiling and ushering him into the kitchen. "What has you up this late?"

Felix watched as Changbin maneuvered the large kitchens with a practiced ease, and he found himself wondering if Changbin spent a lot of time here during the late nights, unable to sleep like he was now.

"Just thinking too much. I have trouble sleeping when there's a lot on my mind." Felix explained. Changbin hummed, pulling down a pair of cups for their tea.

"Tell me," He said. Felix's silence must have spoken for him, because Changbin turned to him and elaborated. "When there's something on your mind, talking about it helps get it off your mind. So talk to me. Your secrets are safe with me, your highness."

Felix fiddled with the rings on his fingers.

"You don't need to call me that, Felix is fine. You're practically going to be family soon if I understand correctly." He said. Changbin passed him a steaming mug, and he took it in his hands, pressing his palms to the almost scalding hot porcelain. "I don't think that Y/N trusts me very much."

Changbin laughed, and the sound was nearly unsettling, but Felix didn't mind hearing it.

"They don't. It's not entirely your fault, they don't trust much of anyone. But they haven't heard many good things about your people. No offense, of course." Changbin said, leaning against one of the many counters. Felix looked down. He knew that the hatred ran deep between their two peoples, but it hadn't fully occurred to him that the war had bred such deep distrust. He felt fairly foolish now that it was laid out in front of him.

"I want to prove myself to them. To all of you. And of course saying that isn't enough, I'll continue working for it. I want you to know that. I've heard that you are the person closest to them." Felix sipped his tea, ignoring the fact that it was a bit hotter than he would have hoped. He eyed Changbin quietly after the statement. He didn’t look like what Felix had always imagined the Fae to look like, but he was handsome. Sculpted muscle and sunkissed skin. He was short, but it was clear that he wasn’t small in stature or personality.

"One of them. Trying is all it'll take. They're not so cold, I promise." Changbin reached out, giving Felix a squeeze on the arm that was surprisingly reassuring. "Your people took something from them. From all of us. That's all they know about you. But they have a kind heart, and they're very true to the things they believe in. Let them learn to believe in you, and in the meantime give them a chance to be afraid. Because, and you didn't hear this from me, but they're very afraid."

Felix didn't speak, he didn't really think it necessary after all that Changbin had shared for him. The only thing that he could think to say was thank you, but even that didn't seem like enough. They shared their space in comfortable silence, each drinking their tea and letting their own thoughts take the lead. About halfway through his drink, Felix looked at the man across from him.

"Changbin, you do know that I won't hurt them, right?" He said. Changbin laughed again, shaking his head.

"That's not something I'm too worried about, my friend. If you hurt them you'll have to take that up with them. And despite what you may think, they're a lot scarier than me and Jisung combined when they're angry. Or hurt." He downed the rest of his drink, setting aside his empty cup. "They're surprising like that, they're a lot more than you see on the surface. I remember when I was training to be a royal knight, they caught one of the instructors hassling me. I hadn't thought anything of it, figured it was all just part of the training, y'know?"

Felix nodded, and Changbin crossed his arms over his chest, a fond smile growing on his face the more he thought about the memory.

"They came running down the training field all dressed up in their best clothes, they came straight out of a meeting. And they took a bow from one of the other trainees and aimed it at this guy, telling him to leave me alone, that I was under their protection," He laughed, and this sound was even brighter than the last. Felix could feel the adoration he held for you, and he really was beginning to understand it. "They nearly took his head off when he asked them to repeat themselves."

"They nearly took my head off the first time we met," Felix laughed himself this time, and when he looked up from his rapidly cooling cup of tea, he was met by a knowing look. Changbin took his cup since he clearly wasn't about to finish it.

"Don't worry, they haven't tried that since then. I say that's a good sign." He nodded towards the door. "I should however be escorting you back to your room, my prince. I can't say much, it's not my place, but I imagine you'll have a big few days coming. Y/N might actually kill you this time if you aren't well rested."

Felix didn't put up a fight, just followed his newest ally back to the room he'd been assigned. There wasn't a guard standing outside like there had been his first couple of nights. Felix still hadn't decided if that was a good sign or a bad one, but he was going to take it as a show of trust. He opened the door, bidding Changbin goodnight, and decided that another try at sleep might just be the best for his well being.

The day that came after was indeed very hectic. Felix had never seen so many gifts in his life, piles of them, and flowers that he'd never heard of before. Not to mention the cheers from outside the castle. If his people had swarmed the castle like that the whole place surely would have gone into lock down. But here it was welcomed with joy and gratitude. And Felix knew of course that you and your people weren't evil and terrible creatures like his family had always made you out to be, but now he was baffled as to how anyone could have believed such a glaring lie in the first place.

"Felix, are you listening?" You asked, looking over to where he was sat beside you at the long and very full table. He nodded quickly, straightening up.

"It would do you well to listen, your highness. This all involves you as well," One of the elders at the table said, and Felix had to keep himself from shrinking in on himself under the sheer disdain in the woman's voice.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I'll listen well." He promised. Beside him you snickered, and he huffed. Your father smiled at the two of you from the head of the table, and you pressed your lips together at being caught.

"As I was saying," He continued. "There's a festival to be held tomorrow evening. A celebration of the engagement. I expect the two of you to make an appearance. Y/N will show you how to behave, festivals are common occurrences here, but I'm unsure about where you come from."

Felix honestly hadn't been to any festivals in his life back home, though he'd managed to go to a few in neighboring countries, diplomatic missions and such. After all, the war didn't have nearly as harsh an effect on their allies as it had on them. But you looked positively thrilled at the prospects, so he couldn't imagine that they were miserable events.

"I'm a quick learner, I won't cause problems." He promised, giving that sweet smile of his. You pressed your lips together and gave him a nod.

"Right then, what else is on our plates?" You asked.

The meeting went on like this, the court and council explaining what the events of the next few days would look like until you were called to Felix's home country to meet his family. Wedding planning and your usual work load. And of course you were scheduled a bit of downtime here and there, something that the both of you were visibly grateful for.

You caught Felix on his way out of the meeting, grabbing his wrist gently and pulling him to a stop.

"Felix, I wanted to talk to you." You said. He tipped his head.

"You wanted to talk to me? That must be a first, I'm honored, my prince." He teased. You huffed, but you didn't glare at him. It's the little things, he thought, baby steps.

"About the festival. And how to not offend the people you may meet." You said. He nodded, suddenly much less playful than he had been a moment before. His face straightened into an expression of pure focus, his eyes trained on you. You shifted your weight from foot to foot, a bit put off by his seriousness. Usually you were the one wholly dedicated to this, and the more he seemed to put into it the more you began feeling like a bird in a cage.

"I'm all ears," He said. You couldn't help but look at his ears then, long and poking out of his summer blonde hair just a little. You giggled, the sound bubbling out of you before you could stop it. And then your eyes were wide, the laughter still coming out of you. Felix looked at you, bewildered and amused and all together curious about the outburst. You covered your mouth.

"You are all ears." You said, reaching out to poke at the tip of his ear. He laughed then, and the two of you stood together in a moment of lightheartedness that had been lost for the past couple of weeks as you both gave your futures to one another.

Once the laughter had died down, the both of you shared a smile, genuine and trusting in a way that hadn’t been explored by the two of you just yet.

"Come on then, tell me about what I can do better." He said, his smile melting into his words. You liked how his voice sounded then, tinted with joy instead of amusement and teasing.

"Right. First of all, you call us fair folk. Never faeries, it's an outdated term. It’s pretty much only used by Elves nowadays. It's disrespectful." You said. He nodded, his expression dropping for a moment when he realized how little he truly knew about the country he would one day head by your side. "And you shouldn't lie, even if you're able to, unlike us. It's rude and many of us don't take well to being lied to. You don't want to be on the bad side of some fae. Of course you can't always tell the whole truth, but a partial truth is better than no truth at all."

He hummed.

"Oh, and the last thing before I leave you be, it's not my people."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You always say my people, but that's not right. They're your people too now. They'll appreciate knowing that you care about them enough to call them kin."

You gave him a smile before giving him a small nod and excusing yourself. You walked away then, you had your own schedules for the day to attend to, and surely Felix would spend his day resting. After all, he was still a guest and he couldn't be expected to follow you in every bit of your daily affairs. Especially not the ones above his rank. But nevertheless, you found yourself wondering about what he was doing as you went through your day, about where on the grounds he was, what trouble he may stumble into. That thought brought something like a spiked sort of worry.

And by dinner you were anxious to see him, something you weren't quite accustomed to feeling. Still, you asked about his day, and he told you in great detail. It hadn't been very interesting, he'd said, but he'd gotten a chance to sit in on training of the newest round of knights, something that Jisung and Changbin helped with. You were grateful at least that your friends got along well with your future husband. Not that you imagined anyone to be anything less than tolerant towards someone as kind and passionate as Felix.

The next day was more of the same, only getting the chance to see Felix at mealtime or in passing between your meetings until the afternoon when you were due to travel into town for the festival being held in your honor. And the entire time you were stuck in the same spin of wondering what he was doing, what you were missing, if people were treating him as you wanted them to.

You were helped into the carriage, sitting between Changbin and Jisung with Felix sitting across from you. The energy was tangible, warm and thrumming with nerves and excitement and practically vibrating with the need to be let free. The ride was quiet like that, your hand in Changbin's and your leg pressed close to Jisung's, and your eyes trailing back and forth from the window to your right and Felix's face, studying him for any sign of what may be going on behind his mask.

The ride wasn't very far to the center of town. The crowds cheered as your carriage was pulled down the crowded streets, and children waved with stars in their eyes, stretching for a glance at the royalty tucked safely behind the doors. You were buzzing with anticipation. You used to have these festivals much more often when you were younger. Your mother had always said that in times of stress, a little joy was always the best remedy. You had never stopped believing that, but it had become quite a bit more difficult to organize things like this over the past few years.

When your carriage pulled to a stop, you looked at Felix, you smiled wider than he'd ever seen it before.

"Are you ready?" You asked him. He inhaled, looking out the windows at the crowded street. He'd never been to anything like this, but the excitement was tangible. He nodded.

"I'm ready."

Changbin was the first to climb out, ushering Felix out onto the street, a mosaic of colored stones that seemed to fit together perfectly like strangely shaped puzzle pieces. Then Felix reached a hand up for yours, helping you down the step onto solid ground. The cheers that rose from the crowd were like music as you bowed to your people.

In front of you a young girl stepped forward from the crowd, not yet into her teenage years, and she bowed deeply. You smiled, stepping forward to meet her. You placed a hand on her cheek, telling her to rise. She did then, holding her arms out with trembling hands. Laying in them were two ringlets of flowers, alternating colors which Felix was still sure he'd never even seen flowers grow in before.

"For you, your highness. And for his royal highness, Prince Felix as well." She said, wagering a glance at Felix. He looked wholly taken aback by her little act of kindness. You however took it in stride, taking a broach that had been pinned into your cloak off and placing the iridescent jewel in her palm in exchange for the crowns.

"I'm very grateful, they're beautiful. What a wonderful way to start off the festival." You said, placing the first one on your head, letting it settle over your hair. Then you turned to Felix, motioning for him to lean his head closer. He did so, half confused and half nervous that in his anxious state he'd tip over all together. You placed the flowers carefully against the blonde of his hair, smiling when he straightened up.

"It looks wonderful. I think you’re really beginning to fit in here, Lix." You said, quiet enough that your words were played just for the two of you. You brushed a stray lock of his hair away from his cheek, tucking it behind his ear before turning back to your people. "Well, let's not waste the day away standing on the streets. This is a festival after all."

You motioned for everyone to take to the decorated streets, to join in the merriment that you were all but bubbling over with. And so of course they did, the crowd stretching along the streets as far as the eye could see. There were flower crowns being sold, and food and drink being shared without a care. Music rose from every corner, and children ran and played in the streets. Everywhere that Felix looked was filled with light.

"Come on, Felix, we're going to miss out if you keep standing there," You told him, already turning to take off in the direction of a food stand. You eagerly passed over enough coins that you probably could have bought the entire stand, picking out a handful of pastries and passing them to the boys. Felix was noticeably hesitant to try the foreign food, but you took a bite, not caring about the jam that lingered on your lip. You hummed, and your wings fluttered in delight. Of course Felix had to take a bite then, letting the warm pastry melt in his mouth. It was sweet, and tasted like berries, but he couldn't place what sort.

"They're native to our country. Our biggest export actually, but your people haven't accepted them in ages. You're missing out. Maybe that should be our first change. We can't have your people missing out on an absolute delicacy." You said, and honestly Felix was pretty sure you were correct, even if it was a joke. He finished off his pastry, taking another one gratefully before being led on his way.

Felix noticed again the way you walked, how your feet barely touched the ground, and the way that they never made a sound against the stone like he did. He noticed that nearly everywhere, actually. The way that it was hard to keep track of how you flitted back and forth across the crowded streets. The way that it sparked a wave of panic every time that he lost sight of you.

The sun rose higher, and the sunlight was more golden here than it was back home, and it made the gems and flowers that strung from the roofs of the buildings along the street glitter like candlelight. The longer he was here, the more Felix began to understand your joy. He was laughing now too, humming to the music being played by a group of older citizens nearby when you gasped sharply. His eyes turned to you immediately, his hand flying for the dagger tucked against his leg. But you were grinning, and you reached out to tug at his wrist.

"Felix, look. They're dancing." You said. And he did look, and you were certainly correct. In the square nearby, people spun and skipped in intricate patterns, their clothes twisting around their bodies as they tipped their heads back to the sky. "Can we join them?"

Felix stood there in shock at your question. It wasn't that he couldn't dance, he was quite a skilled dancer, but this wasn't like the balls he had grown up in, not like the stiff, careful dancing that he'd been trained in all his life.

"Well, if you're not going to dance with me, I'll go with Changbin." You said, letting go of his hand to take Changbin's instead. If he were being honest, Felix was pretty sure that Changbin had been expecting this turn of events given the way he easily passed off his sword to Jisung and followed you to the square. Felix of course followed you, stopping at the edge of the dancers spiraling back and forth.

The cheers and clapping could be felt in his chest, and his eyes were trained only on you as you spun around the circle, hopping and skipping and swinging to the middle and back again in the whirling pattern that you seemed to understand in an instant. You looked so free, all the worry that he'd grown used to seeing having washed off of your face. You were laughing, and if he listened, he could hear it above the crowd, musical and sweet like berry syrup. His stomach twisted, and his heart picked up when you spun close to him. You looked at him, met his eye, and you lit up, motioning for him to join you once again. Still, he adamantly shook his head. No, the view was better from here.

When the song ended, you were standing a bit away from him, your chest rising and falling as you tried to catch your breath. Your hair was sticking to your forehead, and the crown you'd put on your head was tilted funny now, half falling towards your face. But you looked beautiful, even more so when you did a tiny hop, grabbing at Changbin to beg him to go again when the next song picked up.

"For a man who doesn't have feelings for someone, you're sure are staring at them a lot, your highness." Jisung said, leaning close to the young prince. Felix's face flushed, and he cleared his throat.

"I'm not staring." He insisted, but his argument was cut off by Changbin pulling you away from the dancing. You were glowing, and Felix had to remind himself not to gape at you. You pushed your hair away from your face, beaming at him.

"I'll get you to dance with me someday, your highness," You said. He reached out, straightening the flowers sitting on your head.

"No more than necessary, my prince." He gave you a smile, and you didn't respond. You were sure you could get him to let loose eventually, he was already right at the precipice, you could see it in his eyes.

The rest of the festival went similarly, tasting food at various booths, and watching the children running and playing in the street. He had gotten incredibly used to having you tug on his hand, pulling him wherever your mind took you. He didn't mind it, and he wasn't sure if you even noticed you were doing it. You only let go when a small flurry of children came running up to him.

Felix liked children, not that he had a whole lot of experience interacting with them, besides his younger sister of course. But now they were gently tugging at his clothes and asking him questions. You let go of his hand, and he crouched to speak to them. His smile was sweet, and he moved his hair out of the way to show them his ears when asked about them. All the while, you stood to the side, watching him and wondering if he was as irritating as you'd come to expect him to be.

The day faded all too quickly to evening, and though the festival was still in full swing, as it would be for nearly another day you were sure, the children in the streets were being dragged away to bed. There were more couples out now, snacking on street food and walking hand in hand. Which was essentially what you and Felix were doing now, your hand tucked into the crook of his arm as you led him away from the crowds.

The sun had set long ago, but the moon shone down over the street, and lights floated above your head, twinkling like stars caught in mid-air. They were beautiful, making light move across your face in a way that fully illuminated your smile.

"Did you have fun?" You asked him. He nodded a little. You were far enough away now that the music was lowering to a faint background noise. "It's been such a long time since I've been to a festival like this. It's even better than I remember it being when I was a kid."

You let go of his arm, hopping up onto the small stone wall that lined the street here, a barricade between the road and the houses off of them. You balanced carefully, your arms outstretched at your sides. Felix walked alongside you, keeping his hand out in case you needed to grab onto him for support.

"It's amazing. I've never seen anything like it. We don't have many festivals back home." He admitted to you. The look of disappointment that you sent him made his chest tighten. "We're not boring, don't think that. But my father isn't a fan of things like this. He prefers shows and balls and stuff. He thinks it's more sophisticated."

You scrunched up your nose, doing a little hop over a spot where the stone of the wall had begun crumbling. You gasped at the way your ankle wobbled when you landed, your body swaying to the side. Felix caught your waist, nearly pulling you tumbling down altogether. When you looked at him, his eyes were wide, his lips parted in a silent gasp. You grabbed his wrists, rebalancing yourself on your feet but not shaking off his touch just yet.

"Yes, well," You let out a breath, letting go of him and moving to take your next steps on your makeshift balance beam. "Sophistication isn't everything. If everyone were to value sophistication over joy, the world would be a terrible place to live."

Felix watched your next few steps, wiping his clammy palms over his pants a couple of times before stepping to catch up with you.

"Did you play as a kid? Running around outside and whatnot?" You asked him. He looked a bit surprised by the question.

"My sisters and I played, not often outside. We weren't supposed to run inside, but our mom was laid back about it." He laughed, and you could swear it was the first time you had truly seen him look comfortable around you.

"You're close with your sisters?" You asked.

"Not as much as I was when I was younger. I don't have much time to see them anymore."

You frowned at the answer, making a mental note to make sure that once you were married and things were more settled in that you'd invite his sisters around often. You were an only child, but you couldn't imagine being separated from Changbin and Jisung. It could only be more difficult to be apart from your actual family.

"I don't have siblings, but I was close with my mother." You said. "She passed when I was younger, but she would have liked you, I think. You know what you believe, and you don't let anyone convince you of anything else. She valued that."

Felix took your hand as you came to the end of the wall, helping you jump to the ground. It was quiet here, nothing but the sound of the breeze rustling through tree leaves, and bugs chirping in the dark.

"Your mother sounds lovely," He said, not entirely sure how to navigate such a sensitive subject. You forced a small smile.

"She was. I want to be just like her," You looked over at him, and there wasn't a need for words then. You were both sharing pieces of yourselves that rarely saw the light of day, both showing more of yourselves than you had before. He didn't let go of your hand as the two of you made your way back towards where your carriage where your friends were no doubt waiting to take you back home.

The next morning brought the ache in your muscles and a sense of satisfaction as you stretched across your bed. The sun was up now, and it was later than you'd normally wake up. The peaceful moment was cut short too soon, a firm knock on your door before it swung open.

"You know, the point of knocking is to ask permission to come in. I don't think you're supposed to barge in right after you knock." You huffed, sitting up and making room for Jisung to perch himself on the edge of your bed. He handed you a piece of paper.

You unfolded it, reading the letter quietly. Your invitation to visit Felix's home, to be introduced to your future family. You stared at it, scanning the handwriting – his mother’s it would seem if you were reading the signature correctly – and the crest stamped onto the top of the paper. You knew it was coming, it had essentially been the only thing that had been spoken of since your engagement had been announced, but holding the letter in your hand felt surreal. Jisung reached out, putting his hand on your wrist.

"Y/N," He said. You looked at him, eyes wide. "It'll be fine. You have a few days still, just relax for now. Felix will be with you, and Changbin and I are coming too."

You nodded. You knew they'd go with you wherever you went, and that would be more than enough to get you through. But it was hard not to be overwhelmed by the idea of crossing into enemy territory where you knew you weren't welcomed.

"You should get ready for breakfast. I'm sure your father will want to talk to you about this." Jisung stood, ruffling your hair and laughing at the way that you swatted at his hand. With him out of your room, you were left to accept your fate, dragging yourself out of the safety of your bed to clean up and meet your father at breakfast.

The day was going about as well as you expected it to. Your father was giving you a full length rundown on what you needed to remember, how to make the best possible impression on people that already didn't like you very much. Part of you was relieved that Felix didn't show up for breakfast. The other part of you wondered if maybe he'd already left for home without warning you.

"Have you seen Felix?" You asked your father at the first given opportunity. He looked at you curiously, and you tried not to read into it. He shook his head.

"I haven't. Maybe one of your boys knows where he is. Why don't you go check up on him before he leaves?" Your father said. He was always good at reading you like that, knowing exactly what was going on in your mind. You were never great at hiding your thoughts, you'd learned that the hard way, but your father was even better at reading between the lines. Irritating.

"Thank you. I'll find you later," You smiled, excusing yourself to go in search of Jisung. Finding Jisung turned out to be quite unhelpful, he had been in charge of training for the day, and Felix was no longer under his watch. Which meant that you were on yet another wild goose chase, this time with your less than helpful best friend on your heels.

You’d hoped that maybe someone could point you in Felix’s direction, but the better part of an hour spent scouring the halls and rooms of the palace turned up nothing. Eventually, confused and frustrated, you excused yourself. Either Felix had left without a word, which seemed terribly unlike him, or he wasn’t looking to be found. There was no point in wasting a beautiful day without a packed schedule on searching for someone with no intentions of showing themselves.

As you often did when your anxieties were getting the better of you, you took to the outside, kicking your shoes off so that you could feel the bumps and dips of the ground beneath them as you wandered the gardens. Once you were far enough from the castle that no poor soul would wander across you unintentionally, you sprawled out on the ground, taking a deep breath.

The wind chimes in the garden had a way of calming you down, a song on the breeze as you laid in the grass. If you tried hard enough, you could practically hear the earth's energy thrumming under your body. Or maybe that was your own heartbeat, heavy and overtaking everything else.

Fear was a part of being alive, you knew that, but you hadn't missed feeling it so often. You didn't want to go to Felix's country, to the place you may one day call home, you didn't want to face any more scrutiny. You knew it wasn't gonna be easy, things rarely were, but you were beginning to wonder if you were strong enough to face it all head on.

You didn't know how long you laid there for, staring at the clouds as they morphed and passed overhead. The sun was high in the sky now, and hunger was beginning to settle in your stomach, but you still didn't feel much like moving.

"Mind some company?" Felix looked tired when he found you. You propped yourself up on your elbows to look at him. He didn't wait for your answer, laying himself in the grass beside you. "You know, there really should be a map of the gardens available, I was wandering in circles for ages before I found you."

You laughed.

"It's not so confusing, you just weren't paying attention on the tour." You said, turning to look at him. He giggled in response, and you felt a little bit better about everything.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked you. You looked back at the sky, lowering yourself back down to lay in the grass.

"Thinking. The fresh air helps keep me calm." You admitted. He made a quiet noise of recognition, clearly understanding the sentiment. "Can I tell you something? Something really stupid?"

He nodded, and you took a breath before speaking again.

"I'm really afraid. I don't know if I'm going to be able to pull this off." You said. Felix stayed quiet, and you figured he was waiting for you to elaborate. "I can't lie, and your family already doesn't like the fair folk. What's to say that they won't sabotage us?"

"Oh, that's easy." Felix said. "I won't let them. They might not like my decision, but there's not a thing about you that they can disapprove of, not really. Except your heritage, and they’d be stupid to try and intervene because of that. And if they can't find a good reason to disapprove of you, they won’t be able to call off what we've already started."

You didn't speak. You knew that they'd try. And of course you and Felix had been working to ensure there wasn't a single crack in the foundation of your plan, but you were still struggling to find security.

"Hey, do you trust me?" He asked. You looked at him.

"Yes." You trusted him more than you had even realized now that you thought about it. You trusted him with your life, and your secrets, and your space, and you were still on the fence about if that made you feel more secure or less.

"Then don't you worry your pretty little head." He stood up and held a hand out for you to take. You did, letting him help you to your feet. "I'm leaving in a little while, I have to meet with my parents and everything, get things set up for you to come. I wanted to say goodbye before I leave."

"Right, I had been looking for you too. I thought you'd already left, nobody knew where you were." You said, brushing off your clothes.

"Without saying goodbye? Never." He beamed, and you huffed out an almost laugh. “I found the library the other night, I’ve been studying up on Fae history. I figure it’s the sort of thing I should know about if I’m going to become King.”

You didn’t have any words for that, still not fully used to seeing him being serious about the whole situation. It was finally beginning to sink in that this was more than some elaborate trick, it was a marriage. You were going to truly promise yourself to him for the rest of your lives. You didn’t have anything more to say to that.

Felix let you lead the way back to the castle, reassuring you and going over his plans as many times as he could manage before you were back inside. Once you were inside, he promised that he'd do everything he could to make your stay less stressful.

"I'm serious, Y/N. We're gonna win, and we're gonna achieve our goals." He said, squeezing your hands before saying a quick goodbye, bowing to you deeply. You rolled your eyes at the grin on his lips when he straightened up. "I'll see you around, my prince."

Felix arrived back to his home late in the evening. The familiar paths into his city felt colder than usual, not as welcoming as he'd remembered them being. Everything gleamed silver and emerald green as he passed through the trees, and the buildings weaved and settled between them. Of course coming home was a relief, a reminder of what he was fighting for, but part of him ached to be able to be with you when you saw his home for the first time. That thought didn't last very long, it didn't have the chance as he was brought to the front steps of the palace.

Standing out front was his closest friend, clearly itching to greet him. Felix hurried to meet him, nearly jumping out of the carriage and wrapping his arms tight around Chan’s neck. His friend laughed.

"Congratulations, Felix." He said, squeezing his shoulders. "I can't believe you're getting married. My little brother all grown up,"

Felix shrugged off the teasing, flashing a matching grin to the older man as his things were unloaded by some of the palace workers.

"I can't believe they agreed to it. Just wait until you meet them.” He said. He was already on his way up the steps with his friend hot on his heels. "They'll be here the day after tomorrow, there's so much to do. Where are my parents?"

Being home brought a sense of ease that Felix had missed. He knew how to go about life here, how to interact with the people around him. He knew the halls like the back of his hand. He walked with Chan at his side all the way to his father's office. He was a ball of energy, not that energy was unprecedented for him. He opened the door without knocking, and his father didn't look the least bit surprised by the intrusion.

"Welcome home," He said, looking up from the papers he'd been working on. Felix bowed his head to his father before venturing further into the room. He sat down in the chair opposite him.

"It's nice to be back. Have things been alright while I was away?" He asked. His father straightened up, folding his hands on the desk in front of him, and Felix hummed, already knowing that this was going to be less than ideal.

"People want to know what's going on. They were bothered by your absence, you've never been one to leave for very long." He said. Felix nodded. "I haven't told them. I've been hoping you'd come to your senses."

"I have come to my senses, that's why I asked them to marry me in the first place. They'll be here in a few days, I'll make the announcement then. Is there a room set up for them?"

His father didn't speak, but that was enough of an answer. Felix stood up.

"Excuse me, then. I have to take care of getting things ready for the prince’s stay. I'll see you at dinner?"

With a final bow of his head, Felix swept out of the room, and Chan followed him. Felix's father wasn't a cold man, at least he never had been, but Felix knew well that they didn't see eye to eye on many things. He knew that he was taking a risk in marrying you without his family's approval, but he'd hoped all the same that his father would have come around to the idea after a few weeks of being apart.

"Right, do you know where my mom is?" Felix asked Chan, heading towards...well he actually wasn't sure where he was headed. His plans were minimal, and he'd never had to prepare for a guest like you before.

"She's away with your sisters, I think. She should be home in the morning." Chan explained. Felix sighed, and his friend slung an arm around his shoulders. "Relax, I started up arrangements as soon as I heard. Pick a room for them and we'll handle the rest."

So Felix took his time, examining several rooms in the guest wing until his workers were beginning to get fed up with the wait. He picked the one with the best view, an overlook of the river and the lush greenery that grew along it. It was the closest thing that he could find to the views back in the Fae realm.

"Why are you so worried?" Chan asked after a while of Felix hovering around the workers as they tried to set things up.

"They're scared." Felix answered easily. "Don't tell them I told you that, they're very proud. But I want this to be comfortable for them."

Admitting that out loud felt foreign, and he brushed off his friend's teasing as much as possible. Was it so abnormal to want someone to feel safe and comfortable when under your care?

"Do you think more candles would make this nicer?" He asked, looking around the room. "And we should get more blankets. It's colder here than they're used to."

Chan watched as his best friend fussed over the state of things. Chan had known Felix since they were kids, he was always the anxious type, but this was different. It was hard for him to even imagine that Felix didn't want to marry. Of course Felix hadn't told him that it was fake, but there weren't secrets between them. He'd know if Felix's feelings were true. Now, however, he was questioning how solid his theory about the legitimacy of the engagement was.

"Felix, maybe we can get this sorted out tomorrow, you have to be tired. And your mother can help better than I can." He squeezed Felix's shoulder, and his friend relaxed under the touch. He nodded, excusing the staff who were helping them. He sat at the edge of the bed, and Chan followed.

"Sorry. I just remember how stressed I was when I went there, and they were so accommodating. And you know how my dad is, I want to make sure they feel safe in here at least." He leaned back on his hands, groaning softly.

"I don't know how anyone could be uncomfortable with you," Chan promised. "Come on, I'm sure your betrothed wouldn't want you awake all night for their sake. Bedtime."

Felix didn't argue with Chan, he knew that he needed sleep, even if you probably wouldn't care if he stayed up all night. He laid awake in his bed, wondering again what you were doing, if the nerves were getting the best of you.

The morning wasn't any less stressful for Felix or the staff that had to deal with him. He was happy to see his mother, of course he was, and she did her best to keep him from getting lost in his head. However he was still overthinking every aspect of your visit that was under his control.

"Make sure to bring in extra blankets. It's warmer there than it is here." He mentioned once again, a message that Chan promptly passed on to one of the staff. Felix was quiet a moment longer, his friend and his mother letting him think. "Flowers, we should put flowers in their room. Carnations. No, wait."

Chan watched as a smile grew on his friend's face, a sure fire sign that he'd had a brilliant idea.

"I want lily of the valley in their room. Loads of them. Fresh. I don't care about the cost." He said. The staff shared looks, but they scurried off to have flowers brought up. Chan excused himself then too, leaving Felix alone with his mom. She smiled at her son. He finally looked like he'd let himself relax.

"You really care about them. I have to say I'm surprised." She said, reaching out to give Felix's hand an affectionate squeeze. Felix himself was a bit surprised too, a curiosity seeping in around the edges. When had he taken on this role of protecting you and fussing over you? Where was the line between make believe and reality? Had he crossed it already? It didn’t matter either way, he supposed,

"I do care about them. It's hard not to, you'll understand when you meet them." He said.

The ride from your kingdom to Felix's was long, and you had a hard time getting any rest what with the constant, shifting worry in your chest. Your friends were with you, the both of them doing their best not to let on how obvious your fear was. They were good to you like that, always trying not to make you feel too terribly transparent. Unfortunately, you'd gotten to know their tells pretty well, and it was only giving you more reason to worry.

"If you keep it up you'll stop breathing altogether," Jisung noted, a smile on his lips. You looked at him, laughing for the first time in days.

"Would that be so terrible?" You joked. Changbin gave your arm a light pinch, and you swatted at him. "Joking, only kidding. I'm nervous."

"But you'll get to see Felix again," Jisung pointed out. You ignored the flutter in your chest. Seeing Felix again might make this whole thing less suffocating. He was good, you had to finally admit to yourself that he was in fact very good. And marrying him may not be the end of the world after all.

"We're almost there, your highness." Changbin wrapped an arm around your shoulder, gesturing out the window. You could see the palace now, and the sprawling grounds that it sat on. A spread of deep green grass and trees so dense that you could hardly see through them. The palace stood tall, silvery and so bright that you could barely look at it with the sun beating down the way that it was.

Truly, it was all very beautiful, and it reminded you of Felix in its shimmering elegance. The stop of the carriage jolted you a little, and you straightened quickly. You'd been trained for this, you were a diplomat, and this was no different than any other diplomatic meeting you'd sat through. You were here to form an alliance.

You waited however impatiently for the door to your carriage to open, used to the order of events. Changbin got out first, decked out in full uniform, handing off his weapons. Then he helped you out with a small nod of reassurance. Jisung followed after, bringing up the rear. There were more guards than you were comfortable with, especially with the prejudices you'd heard of your entire life. Nevertheless, you rolled your shoulders back and took a deep breath. There wasn't enough time to work yourself up, because before you could, the doors to the palace were opening, and Felix was standing there, and things didn't seem nearly as intimidating as they had a few moments before.

He looked like he was out of breath, but his lips curled into a grin, and he laughed. The sound felt like pure sunbeams, warming your skin and making you laugh in return. His guards bowed in his presence, and you followed suit.

"Welcome," He waved you up the steps, and you didn't hesitate to walk them as quickly as you could without tripping. At the top of them, he caught your hand, bowing before you and bringing it to his lips. You rolled your eyes, and for a moment all of the stress was gone. "I meant to be out here when you arrived, but I got caught up."

"But you're here now. And thank goodness, because I think I might have died if I had to meet your parents without you." You said quietly, and he laughed. He offered you his arm, and you looped your hand into it, letting him lead you forward.

"How was your trip?" He asked. You shrugged.

"It was long, not particularly eventful. Your kingdom is beautiful. I never knew that," You admitted. He chuckled. When you looked at him, you couldn't help but notice all the ways that he looked different in the light of his home than he had in yours. His hair seemed curlier, falling around his face in waves, and his freckles were even more prominent, reminiscent of the way the stars dotted the sky back home really late at night. You wanted to look at them closer, but then he was turning to look at you.

"I'm glad you like it. It'll be yours soon, too." He met your eye, and his eyes looked brighter than they had before. You nodded, remembering the way you'd told him not to speak of your home and your people as if he were entirely separate from them.

"I'm glad to be a part of someplace like this." You said.

He stopped, and you looked at the doorway you stood in front of. The doors were large, thick slabs of wood intricately painted in gold and bronze, inlaid with gems you'd never seen in person before. The way the light hit them made it look like they were glowing. Felix laid his other hand over where yours rested in the crook of his elbow.

"It's gonna be fine. You know that right?" He asked you. You looked at him and put on your best smile.

"I trust you." You couldn't say that you knew that, you didn't really, but your trust in Felix was the next best thing. You probably wouldn't be willing to step foot in that room if it weren't for his presence at your side.

Felix nodded for the doors to be opened, and the guards did just that. Inside the room, it was just as intimidating as the doors. The vaulted ceilings were gilded gold, the color shifting in the light of the room into shades of red and orange. The pillars were intricately carved into the shapes of tree trunks so large and detailed that you wanted to reach out and touch them to see if they were real.

At the head of the room, a stunning couple sat in a pair of thrones. You let out a shaky breath as Felix let go of your hand. It fell to your side, and you took another couple steps forward before dipping into a deep bow. You held yourself there, your heartbeat thrumming deafeningly in your ears. They didn't speak for what felt like centuries, and your hands began to shake before finally the King acknowledged you.

"You may stand, prince of the fae." He said. And you did. "Welcome to our palace. It's been quite some time since we've had one of your kind in our midst."

You chewed on the inside of your cheek and put on a smile.

"Thank you, your majesty. It's been some time since my people have been welcomed into your home with such grace." You shouldn't have mentioned it, but you figured it was polite enough to slide. Felix stepped to your side, close enough that you could feel the warmth rolling off of him.

"Allow me to properly introduce you. Y/N, these are my parents. And this is Prince Y/N, my fiance." Felix was practically beaming, and you wondered if it was an act or if he was genuinely happy to be introducing you to his parents. You supposed it didn't matter either way. You smiled.

"It's truly an honor to meet you. You've raised a wonderful son, I'm grateful to have met him." You said. His mother seemed pleased with the compliment, but his father was still looking at you as if you were a nuisance, a speed bump in his way.

"You're serious about this wedding business, then?" His father asked. You stiffened, wings fluttering a little as you shifted your weight. Felix, however, clearly expected the question to come up.

"Of course we are. I don't typically joke about things as serious as my kingdom's future." He sounded irritated, his voice sharper than you were used to.

"I know it seems outlandish, but please understand that I really don't have ill intentions in marrying your son." You said.

"And why should I believe in a trickster? Your people are known for their mischief, aren't they? They find pleasure in causing problems for other people?" Your hands twitched towards fists, a look of disgust crossing your features. The king held up his hands in mock surrender. "I mean no offense, really. But with the things your people have done to my country, I have no reason to believe this is anything more than a power play."

"Father," Felix half snapped, his tone laying out a warning. He looked at you, and you couldn't read the look in his eye. Fear, or desperation, or concern. Something that made your chest feel heavy. You swallowed your pride, and the anger bubbling within you. How dare he speak to you like that, regardless of his position as king?

"It's alright, Felix. He's just worried about his kingdom. Any king would be. I was, too." You promised him. "I know the reputation that your people have given us, but it’s imperative to remember that mischief is harmless in nature. I wouldn't put my own people at risk by pulling some ridiculous stunt to bring down a perceived enemy. I'm not worried enough about this petty war to do something so underhanded."

The silence was thick, tension descending like fog, and you could practically hear your friends smirking from their positions just inside the doors. You couldn't imagine that they were holding up much better than you were, and you were half grateful that their weapons had been confiscated upon arriving with how proud they could be.

"And if it isn't for political gain, why would you want to marry into our family?" Felix's mother spoke this time, and you felt a little more at ease speaking to her. The question was one you'd practiced answering a hundred times. A twisted truth, an irrelevant response spoken like a proper answer.

"I know Felix will make a good husband. He's intelligent, and charming, and he will make a wonderful king one day." You said, turning to smile at him, and he smiled back, his cheeks tinting pink at the praise.

"How can you claim to want to marry someone you hardly know?" The king spoke again, this time aiming the sharp words towards Felix. He cleared his throat.

"I know them well enough. And I know where you stand on the fair folk, I wasn't going to rush into an introduction just to let anyone else come between us." He said. You hadn't ever heard Felix be so stern with anyone, and it was more jarring than you'd expected. "But I've wanted to be with them for a very long time now, and I know them better than nearly anyone in this place knows me."

His words hung in the air, and it almost looked like his mother wanted to call him to her, but she didn't. His father scoffed, and once again your heart sank.

"How long have you even known them? A month?" He asked.

"Centuries. We met as children at a masquerade a long time ago. And I've wanted to be with them from the moment I laid eyes on them." He said. And he said it with such conviction that you damn near believed it was true. The way he looked at you, the glimmer in his eye, you swallowed and lowered your eyes to the ground. "And now I get the chance to spend the rest of my life with them. I'd be a fool not to take it."

Once again it was quiet, and you looked up at them. Both of them were staring at you, sizing you up as you stood in front of them, and you ached to run away. Somehow standing here was even more terrifying than standing in front of the entire populace of your country. You could feel the anxiety building, the overwhelming want to simply not be there anymore, your engagement be damned. You were shaking again, and your breath was picking up too fast.

Felix's hand found yours, his fingers folding between yours and squeezing your hand tightly like you had squeezed his before. He soothed the shaking, holding you steady without so much as a tremble in the stare that he sent back towards his parents. He was protecting you at all costs, that had been his promise. And you trusted him, more than you trusted almost anyone. He wasn't going to let you down. This was going to work out.

"Your father approves of this?" The queen addressed you. You nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. He thinks Felix is lovely, that he'll make a good addition to our family and country." You answered her calmly. "And he knows that I don't take important decisions lightly."

"And you don't think there are any suitors that would be a better fit for...your kind?" The king questioned, leaning back in his throne as if you weren’t the wasted energy to sit up.

"I don't think there are any suitors who will understand me or my devotion to my people the way that Felix will."

"Are there other suitors at all? You seem quite keen on choosing my son."

"You don't seem keen on me choosing your son at all," You noted. "I can understand your hesitance, and I mean no disrespect, your majesty, but it doesn't seem fair not to trust your son's judgment. I've never met anyone as devoted to his people as Felix, he would give up anything for the things that he cares about. I admire that very much. And whether or not I have other suitors – which I do, I might add – he's the only one worth my time."

The room was growing quite warm, or maybe that was the way your anger was coming to a rolling boil in your chest. You were waiting eagerly for him to say another terrible thing about you, or your people, or, god forbid, about Felix. That didn't come, however. His father was entirely subdued by your statement, clearly biting his tongue. Instead, his mother smiled.

"It's getting late. I'm sure our guest is hungry and exhausted after such a long trip. How about we all get ourselves ready for dinner?" She said, standing up and smoothing her gown out. She looked at her husband, clearly not intending to take no for an answer. He nodded, and you bowed again.

"I'm grateful for your hospitality, your majesty." You said before Felix tugged at your hand. He bowed his head towards his parents and led you out of the room. You pulled your hand from his once the door was closed.

"Can you show their guards to their rooms?" Felix requested. You nodded for Changbin and Jisung to follow the staff down the hall, promising that you'd see them as soon as possible to fill them in on anything they missed. Once it was just the two of you, you turned to Felix with fire raging in your eyes that hadn’t been there moments before.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing Lee Felix?" You snapped. He looked taken aback by your rage, his eyes going wide. He'd believed Changbin when he said that you could handle yourself, but this was downright terrifying. "Talking about us having met before, the story about the ball? We talked about this, I can't lie. You cannot risk backing me into a corner like that. I'm trying so fucking hard to be considerate, and you aren't even thinking about how you might impact me. You’re not the only one playing this game.”

Felix reached out, grabbing you by the shoulders and squeezing.

"What happened to trusting me? Tell me, did we meet before the day I showed up in your kingdom? Before the day I asked you to marry me?" He asked. You rolled your eyes, opening your mouth to say no, but the word seemed to slip away, just out of reach. You pressed your lips together at the familiar feeling of trying to tell a lie, the way it sucked your voice away and made you feel faint.

"We'd met before." You said after a moment, after the full realization that you couldn't say you didn't know him. "You never told me?"

"I didn't think it was relevant."

"Idiot." You shook his hands off of your arms, still frustrated that he'd managed to trick you, but much less angry than you'd begun.

"Don't you remember? At the human masquerade ball when we were young. During the winter holidays?" He asked you. You thought, it had been so long ago that it was tricky to decipher the moments from one another, all of the memories swirling together.

You weren't sure where your father had gotten off to, but you were left alone in the room full of people, the music was loud, and the voices that battled to be heard by one another were beginning to grate on you. There were plenty of adults around, talking about things that you didn't really care about. The children younger than you were running and playing, likely to their parents' disdain. Human parents seemed more strict about playfulness than your own people. It was strange to you.

You, however, were standing at the edge of the dance floor, watching the swirling pattern of the dress clothes as couples danced and spun around the floor in each other's arms. You loved dancing, but with your usual dance partners not permitted to attend the ball, and the only other person you knew your age being the guest of honor and having his own duties to attend to, you were left to watch on your own.

You stood there on your own for several songs, finally preparing yourself to say goodbye to your friend and beg your father to leave early. But as soon as the thought crossed your mind, a blonde haired boy stopped in front of you. He bowed, and when he straightened up you were met with the brightest grin you'd ever seen. The upper half of his face was obscured by his gold and white mask save for his dark brown eyes. You could see a hint of freckles if you looked close enough, and shone in the light of the ballroom.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, holding out his hand to you. You looked at it, then at him once again. You didn't know him, at least not as far as you could recognize behind the mask. You took his hand, and let him lead you to the floor just in time for the next song to pick up.

The boy pulled you close, a hand on your waist and the other holding yours as you followed his lead, the string instruments filling the room like a wave of butterflies, the two of you dancing on their wings. He was friendly, and you talked to him all throughout the dance. He was a good dancer too, you noticed. An elf if his ears were anything to go off of.

"Do you know the Prince?" He asked you. You nodded, losing sight of him for a moment as the dance swept you away from him to spin in a circlet of dancers before returning to his arms.

"I do, I met him recently. Our families have been friends for a millennium." You answered. He smiled, and your stomach swooped at the sight.

"He's a close friend of mine, it's unfortunate that we haven't met before this." He said, leaning close to you. He smelled of citrus and damp soil, and honestly it was lovely.

"Well I'm glad we've met now. I was beginning to think I should just leave." You said in response. "But now I have a dance partner. Makes it worth staying."

"Do you like dancing then? That's why you came?"

"Dancing is the closest thing to flying. I haven't flown in a long time." You admitted.

The conversation went on like that, a steady back and forth, digging into things you wouldn't dare to tell anyone who knew you well. It was easy to talk to him, and as the night came to a close, as your mother told you it was time to leave, you were forced to say goodbye.

"Wait," You said, catching his hand in yours. He looked back at you. "May I know your name?"

He shook his head, and his hand slipped out of yours. Your heart sank. You'd known plenty of people who had disliked your people, who had their beliefs about you, however wrong they may be. But that hadn't ever bothered you.

"Because I'm fae?" You asked. He shook his head with a laugh of disbelief.

"No, it's not that," He brought your hand to his lips, kissing the back of it and watching your eyes go wide behind your mask. "But we all have things that are better left a secret, I think my identity is one of those things. But if we're meant to meet again, we will, I'm sure. Until next time."

His lips quirked into a smirk that held a sort of mischief you'd never seen from an elf before, and then he was slipping away into the crowd of people.

The memory had been tucked deep in your mind, buried far enough away that you hadn't thought of it in years.

"You knew who I was?" You asked.

"I recognized your parents, and Seungmin talked highly of you. It was easy enough to figure out." He shrugged, and you huffed again. Annoying, just as he always was.

"You could have at least warned me." You continued your scolding. He bowed his head with a sheepish half-grin that made it incredibly hard to stay irritated.

"I hope you can forgive me, I would hate to have you mad at me for the rest of our lives." He said. You could hear the uptick of a smile in his voice. You ignored it, opting to accept the apology. "Come on, let's get to dinner."

Dinner went about as uncomfortably as one could expect it to. His parents weren't your biggest fans, and the small talk was excruciating. The worst of it was the way they spoke of your people. Underhanded slander and backhanded compliments that stung like a slap to the face over and over again. The fair folk weren't keen on being spoken to the way you were being spoken to, and every comment made you feel more and more like you were being burned alive.

Throughout the night, the conversation weighed heavy. Questions about your intentions, about your dreams for the future. You maneuvered it as carefully as you could, and the whole time you could feel Felix's eyes on you. He tried as well as he could to keep things light, and you were genuinely grateful to have him on your side. It made enduring such torture a little bit easier.

You didn't get to see your friends during the meal, and by the time that you were finally being escorted to your room, it was too late to bother them with your frustrations. You decided that sleep might be the best choice for the time being, you'd at least get a moment with your boys in the morning.

The staff showed you to your room, noting that Changbin was roomed to your right, Jisung straight across the hall. You thanked them politely, letting yourself into the room. The second the door was closed, you were sighing, burying your face in your hands and trying to hide from the world around you. But your room smelled familiar, it smelled like home. Sweet, and light. You opened your eyes, letting your hands fall back to your sides.

The room was large, a sitting area in front of you, and a bed hidden behind bed curtains to your left. And everywhere you looked, perched beside the bed, and on the table in the sitting area, and sat on either side of the window were vases of flowers. Lily of the valley. Your favorite. An unspoken reminder from Felix that he cared enough to give you a piece of home.

You walked to the window, reaching out to brush your fingertips over the delicate flowers and watching as they danced under your touch. You blinked a few times, tears beginning to well in your eyes. This was too much, he was taking too much care to make you feel at peace even in a place that wanted nothing to do with you. You sniffled, letting out a little laugh. Maybe it wasn't love, but how could you wallow in self pity when you were marrying the kindest man you'd ever met?

You made a mental note to thank him for his hospitality, and you wondered if he knew how much he meant to you. You didn't think you'd tell him that part just yet. You sat at the edge of the bed, looking out the window at the river that laid below. The dark made it hard to make out anything else, but it was still lovely, watching the moon reflect on the water even from so far away.

Sleep came quickly once you finally settled in bed for, which you were incredibly grateful for, and the morning was as easy as mornings could be. You, despite loving the world and the chance to be in it, weren't a fan of waking up. However the sun coming straight in the window had other plans for you. So you reluctantly got cleaned up, and settled in the window for a bit more time observing the country from afar.

A knock on your door startled you out of your thoughts, and you fully expected it to be Changbin coming to check on you. When you opened it, however, Felix was standing there looking just as radiant as he had the day before. In his hands was a sizable tray of food.

"I brought you breakfast. I figured you could use a little rest before going back into battle with my parents." He said, holding the tray out for you. You took it, only finally realizing that you were beginning to get hungry.

"Come in," You motioned for him to come inside, bringing the tray of food to sit on the small table. He made himself comfortable, sitting down in one of the chairs and motioning for you to sit and eat. And of course it would be rude to decline such an offer from your host. You sat down, quickly beginning to eat from a bowl of berries that were served up for you.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked. You nodded.

"Yeah, I slept great. And the flowers and everything…It’s all amazing, I really needed that last night." You gave him an appreciative smile, turning back to your meal. Felix puffed up with pride, happy to have gotten at least something right to make you comfortable during your trip.

"Good. My father is busy today, so I can show you around if you want. Or you can just relax." He said. You shrugged.

"Maybe we can do both. We can spend some time here, work out some of the logistics of everything. And you can show me around later if you want to. I'd love to see." You offered him a piece of strawberry on the end of your fork. He leaned forward and took it.

"Yeah, that works for me." He agreed. You smiled, poking at your eggs.

"Right then. So we're engaged, and I'm meeting your family now. I think, for everyone's sake, it's better for us to get on with the wedding as soon as possible. To get everyone off our backs and so we don't have to keep tricking everyone all the time."

If you were being honest, the secrets were getting overwhelming. You were an honest person by nature, and having to keep everything hidden was exhausting. Felix seemed to understand by the way he hummed in agreement.

"Right. So we should get to finalizing everything soon. The date and invitations and stuff? There's some hoops to jump through, right?" He said. You nodded.

"I can handle most of the planning, now that you're back home I imagine you're busier than I am." You said. "Plus I have Changbin to help. He might be a dork, but he's reliable."

"And I can introduce you to some friends, they'll be able to help when I'm busy. But I don't want you to think that you're alone in this either, I want to help." He said. You smiled. He wanted to help? This man and his surprises.

"Right, of course. And I won't make any final decisions without your approval. You will only get one wedding, I'm afraid. You're stuck with me." You nudged at his arm, and he had to note that you'd never touched him so casually. He liked knowing that you were comfortable around him.

"Oh, we’ll have to figure out customs and such. I don’t know much about Elven culture and weddings. If there’s important things I need to plan for, you have to tell me" You said.

Much to your surprise, talking to Felix about your wedding wasn't full of dread. It was actually quite fun to plan it all out. You may even, if you were going to admit it, go so far as to say you were growing excited at the prospect of the wedding. When the first break came around, you'd both been discussing wedding customs for nearly two hours. It was funny how relaxed you were when it was just you and Felix, and you were relieved to see that he felt the same way.

"I wanted to tell you that I really didn't intend to upset you with the story about us meeting," Felix said. "I know it wasn't very fair to assume you remembered, and you're right, I didn't think before I spoke. That might be my fatal flaw."

"It's really fine. I remember always wondering what you were so mysterious for back then. And I never saw you again after that night."

"Honestly, it was ridiculous. I wanted you to try and find me again. I thought you were cute," He laughed. The sort of frantic nervous laugh that he let out when he said something embarrassing. "I figured that since we were both friends with Seungmin it would be easy, but I never heard from you. I asked about you, you know?"

"You asked about me?"

"Yeah, I was close with him for a long time, and I swear I asked about you every time I saw him for a while. He never had any news to report. I actually thought for a while that you stopped talking to him because of me."

You laughed, shifting in your seat to look at him better.

"You know, not everything is about you." You teased him. He laughed too, and you were glad that he recognized your joke. "It's been a really long time since I've been friends with anyone outside my own kingdom. It's just been me, Changbin, and Jisung most of our lives."

"Why?"

"I stopped leaving home. Diplomacy wasn't as safe anymore, it was left mostly to my father. And he didn't like me to leave unless necessary after my mother."

"She passed when you were young right? Not long after we met."

You nodded, looking down at your hands and pressing your lips together. You didn't talk about your mother very often. Honestly, you didn't need to. It had been a long time since you'd lost her, and the sting had finally faded into a nagging itch when you thought about her. But you spent plenty of time at her tree in the gardens, or talking to her when things were hard. She couldn't respond, but it always helped.

"She was fighting in the war. My father didn't want her on the front lines, but she was the best archer that our people had. The battles weren't usually as long winded or as fatal as that one." You let out a laugh, bitter and wet as you blinked back tears. "My father was destroyed. The fair folk marry for life, you know. My parents were the closest thing to soulmates I'd ever seen. Losing my mother made my father bitter. He wanted to take away as much from as many elves as he could. That's why I'm determined to end it. I don't want it to eat away at him any longer. I don't want it to eat away at me any longer."

Felix didn't speak, and you couldn't really blame him for not knowing what to say. You sniffled and cleared your throat. You rarely got so emotional over it all.

"Anyway, where were we?" You said, nodding to the lists that the two of you had been working on. Guests and arrangements. The colors, the flowers. You knew it was involved, but this seemed all too much. The guest list was more than the amount of people you even knew by name, and to think that you'd be signing your life away in front of them all was overwhelming.

"I think we've worked enough for the day, don't you?" Felix asked. You were reluctant, there was only so much time that you could spend, but you gave in. "Let me show you my home,"

The rest of your day was spent walking the castle grounds, exploring all of the places that Felix had played as a child, the places he went when there were things on his mind. It was beautiful, you had to admit. The trees were tall, surrounding the castle like a wall, and you ached to climb into their limbs. The entire country appeared to be lush, darker shades of green than you were used to back home, and the silvery-grey of the palace nearly blended in with the filtered light through the trees.

Hearing about Felix’s life made it feel like this was real, nothing more than visiting someone that you were growing fond of spending time with. The pressure was gone as you followed his lead, watching him show off a rather rusty cartwheel and laughing when you did one in return. You felt like a kid again, the same way you’d felt when you first met him.

The next few weeks after your little tour were busier than you were used to. When you weren't being subjected to the harsh criticism of your future in-laws, you were wedding planning with Felix, and if you weren't wedding planning with Felix you were working on arrangements with his friends. You were grateful for them too, knowing anyone else in the entirety of the country made you feel a little more at home.

However, Changbin had been nagging that the stress wasn't good for you. You knew he was right, but the wedding date was closing in faster than you could really comprehend. You were pacing your room, flipping through the various papers and lists that you needed to finish. You'd had all of the invitations sent out already, and you'd left catering to Chan to sort, but now you were having to decide between the different types of decorations. Who even knew there was a difference between half of these fabrics?

"Will you please just take a break?" Felix begged from where he was sprawled across your bed. He had been helping as much as he could, but he had plenty on his plate too. You shook your head.

"I need to get this taken care of." You tossed a couple fabric swatches to him. "Which one of these is better for the tablecloths?"

He brushed them both aside without a second thought.

"Either one is fine. I don't think it matters that much." He said. You huffed, walking over to pick up the samples, smoothing them out again and putting them back on the table with the others. "Felix, you're not helping. I can't do everything myself, you know."

You rubbed your hands over your face. You still had to organize your final fittings, and Felix's probably since you were pretty sure he hadn't gotten that taken care of either. You sat down in the chair. You had hardly been sleeping, and your head was pounding.

"Seriously, you need a break. Have you eaten? I can have something made." He said, sitting up. You shook your head.

"I don't want to eat, dinner will be soon. I just want to get this shit over with." You knew you were being snippy, and that not everything was Felix's fault, but you were beginning to feel alone in whatever this convoluted engagement was, and it was absolutely exhausting. "The sooner we get this wedding over with, the sooner we can just stop playing this ridiculous game."

With your head in your hands you couldn't see the way Felix deflated, you couldn't see the look of hurt that flashed across his face. He scoffed. Right, game. He had just about forgotten that this was all some game of house, all a means to an end.

"I'm pretty sure I'm just getting in your way now." He said, standing up from your bed. "I'm gonna take a break. We can pick this back up after dinner time."

You stood up too, turning to face him as he reached your bedroom door.

"I just said I wanted to finish this, and you’re taking a break? I know you don't want to do any of this but we have to. You're the one who got me into this, I need your help." You were practically begging now, your voice rising louder than you should have let it.

"I get it, you're stressed. But I don't know why you care so much about this wedding. It's not like you actually want to marry me in the first place. So let's just take a break. It's gonna be fine." His voice was thick, the weight of his words just a painful reminder that he was throwing himself mind, heart, and soul into a one sided marriage. The pain he was willing to endure for his country had no end it would seem.

"Yes I do, Felix." You said, fully shouting now. There was no hesitation as the words came out. He stopped in his tracks, and his eyes searched your face. You tipped your head down, avoiding his gaze at all costs. Your heart was beating hard enough that it was rattling your chest. It felt like you couldn't catch your breath, and your hands were shaking with nerves again. Damn your hands, and damn your anxiety, and damn the world for putting you through stress when all you wanted was a moment to breathe.

"You do what?" He asked. You didn't answer. So again, he asked you. "You do what, Y/N? Tell me."

You do what? You care? You want this? Was that it? You wanted to marry Felix? Of course you did, anyone would be stupid not to. You'd met plenty of people in your life, but none of them were so glowingly good as Lee Felix. He was a dream wrapped up in pretty packaging, and he was good to you. What more could you really ask?

“I want to marry you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to marry you." You said. "I want to do what's best for the people who rely on me, and I want to do right by you. I wouldn't marry you if I was going to make you miserable for the rest of your life."

Felix still looked like a kicked puppy, and you wondered if his mind was racing as fast as yours was, if his body was overheating like yours. Was it stuffy in your room? You moved to open the window, leaning against the window sill and staring at the river.

"I need to get ready for dinner. Can you..." You didn't want to speak for fear of bursting at the seams and spilling your deepest secrets. You were already dangerously close to a precipice that was looking all too inviting. A leap of faith so to speak, a chance to stretch your wings and test the limits of your emotions.

"Right. I'll see you at dinner, then." He said quietly. Your throat felt like it was closing, choking down your breath and your panic in one fell swoop. He sounded almost broken. You'd never heard him sound like that, and it was making some sharp, sour feeling bloom in your stomach. The door to your room closed, and you let out a shaky breath.

It was another hour until dinner, and all you did during that hour was pace your room so much that you half worried you'd walk a hole through the floor. That, however, was the least of your worries. You tried to get some more work finished, but the only thing you could think about was the conversation you'd had, and the look on his face when Felix left. You'd wanted to comfort him, to make it better, to soften whatever blows he was taking.

When you made it to dinner, the conversation at the table was much quieter than usual, mostly to do with the fact that Felix wasn't trying to bridge the gap between you and his parents. As far as they were concerned, you were no threat anymore, but you weren't family either. They had traded contempt for utter indifference that left your encounters with one another dry and empty. You wondered where Felix got his sunshine-y nature from.

You looked up from your meal, across the table to where Felix was sitting. He didn't look like he'd eaten more than a handful of bites in the past twenty minutes since he'd sat down. Although, in all fairness, you hadn't either. You could tell that his parents had noticed the change too, and you bitterly wondered if they blamed you for it. You blamed yourself for it, it would make sense for them to as well.

"Forgive me, I don't feel very well. I think I should excuse myself." You said. The king nodded, and you stood. Felix was quick to stand with you, but you shook your head. "I can go on my own. You should finish eating with your parents."

He sat down slowly, and you turned to leave. You could feel the burning of their eyes on your back, and you pushed down the embarrassment that rose with it. You walked for so long that you weren't actually sure where it was that you were going, down winding halls, up and down unfamiliar staircases until you somehow managed to land in front of Changbin's door. Fate, you figured in the back of your mind, it meant you needed him most right now.

You brought your hand up, knocking a few times and praying that he was inside. You waited for a long moment, seconds of silence ticking by and suffocating you. You knocked again, even louder this time, desperately. You could hear sound behind the door, and you suddenly worried that you'd interrupted something more intimate than you'd like to. How would you have known, you'd hardly seen him with how much you were moving around the past few days. He opened the door, looking baffled but put together enough that it eased your nerves.

"Do you have a few minutes?" You asked, looking away from him, instead focusing over his shoulders into his room. Anything to keep you from having to meet his eye. He stepped aside so you could come inside. You thanked him quietly, walking in and sitting down at the edge of his bed. He moved to sit at the center of it, waiting for you to begin.

The thing about Seo Changbin is that after so many years of being best friends, he knew you better than yourself. He was distinctly good at mapping out boundaries that you didn't know existed, or picking up on the subtleties of your emotions that you could swear up and down weren't there. It's precisely the reason that you would always seek him out at moments like this.

When he didn't speak, you flopped backwards, haphazardly falling into his lap. He laughed, and you smiled, grateful for the change in the energy. You looked up at him, and he put a hand on your shoulder, shaking it lightly.

"Alright, alright. I'm having a hard time with this wedding thing." You explained. His expression softened, his smile fading until it was a shadow over his worry. "I don't want to back out, or anything, it's not like that. But it's stressing me out a lot, and we argued, I guess."

"You and Felix?"

You nodded.

"What was the fight about?"

"I don’t think he cares about this wedding as much as I do. But it's important that it goes well, it's the only one we're going to have. And I don't not want to marry him, so it makes sense that I'd want our wedding to be perfect, right? But he just wants to get it over with. Which I guess I do too, but only because I don't want to carry all of the stress anymore."

You sat up, getting off the bed and beginning your pacing again. Being on your feet always helped you work through your chaotic thoughts easier. You paced, spinning in circles and bouncing on the balls of your feet while Changbin processed what you'd said.

"Right. So you fought because he doesn't want to get married?" He asked you.

"Sort of. We fought because he made me feel unimportant. And then he said that he knows I don't want to marry him and..." You stopped, groaning out dramatically. "I said that I do, and I don't know what I’m doing anymore. I’m so irritated, and I’m tired, and I’m lost"

You knew what you’d meant, but you weren't sure you could fully comprehend how to accept that truth. Admitting what you were feeling was accepting a completely different fate, it would change the entire plan. Most of all, the feeling it gave you made you want to bolt even more than you already did.

"Okay, why are you freaking out?" He asked. You looked at him, stopping your incessant pacing and instead fiddling with your fingers.

"I don't want there to be tension between us, and I don't want him to think that I'm marrying him because I think that I have to." You said after a moment of thinking. Changbin hummed, moving to the edge of the bed and resting his elbows on his knees. Having his attention on you made you restless, shifting your weight from side to side.

"Why are you marrying him, then? If you don’t think you have to," He asked. You didn't like the way he asked; The placement of his words, or the way he'd linger on a thought, mull it over in his head, then pick his words with a distinct care. It felt like a game of chess, all strategy. You'd never been any good at chess.

"Because it'll be good for us, for our countries. And I could do a lot worse, Felix is a good person." You said. Changbin nodded, still looking at you. You knew he was waiting for you to continue, but you weren't sure what to say so you just kept shifting your weight. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, the gentle swaying helped to sooth the racing of your heart in your chest.

"What makes him a good person?" He asked, "How do you feel about him?"

"He's smart, and charming, and he's not as stuck up as he seems at first." You said, a smile growing on your lips as you thought back on how much he'd irritated you when you'd first met him. "He's so passionate about so many things, and he loves when other people are passionate. And when he cares about someone, he cares about them so deeply that it's like they become a part of him."

"Is that why you want to marry him?"

You nodded. Changbin hummed, and you stopped moving finally.

"Y/N," You looked at him, and he gave you a half smile. "Do you love him?"

"What sort of question is that?” You hissed. “You know we’re playing pretend.”

“Do I? Answer the question.”

“He’s a good person, Bin. I mean, he’s smart, and he’s sweet, and he understands the way my brain works, and–”

“Hey!”

Your eyes snapped towards Changbin, your words cutting short. “Do you love Lee Felix?”

“Yes.”

Once again, the word slipped out before you could think about it, before you could dance around the question. And it was as if the entire world stopped spinning so suddenly that it knocked you off your feet. You stumbled back, your mouth agape as you tried to process the confession you'd made.

"Do you love him the way you love me?" Changbin kept pressing, but he sounded more careful now, like the wrong question would shatter whatever strength you still had in your body. You shook your head.

"No. No, I love him like I would rather never run or dance or fly or sing again if he wanted someone else. I love him so much that it scares me to even think about telling him. Because what if he doesn't love me like that? Like he needs me to breathe?" You were growing frantic, your wings flipping and fluttering in distress. Changbin stood up then, grabbing your hands to make you focus back on him.

"It's okay, breathe." Changbin tried, but you were too deep in your head, panic rising and tears welling in your eyes. Damn it all. You groaned.

"I need air," You didn't wait to hear what he had to say, pushing yourself to move, to half run out the door and close it behind you. The hallway felt cooler than Changbin's room had, but it wasn't enough. You weren't sure where you were going all over again, trying to keep your breathing from turning into full blown hyperventilation as you followed the corridor down to the stairs, taking them as fast as you could without falling, and continuing towards what you hoped was the main hall that would at least take you outside. Outside, that was enough to give you a goal to focus on.

"Hey," A voice called out to you, and you felt yourself go dizzy. Were you breathing? You stopped in your tracks, looking over to where Felix was standing. Where did he come from? What had he been doing that had him out so late? Was he looking for you? You inhaled sharply, a gasp for air. Felix was at your side before you could even squeeze words out.

You tried to scramble away from him, to sidestep him so you could keep walking. You didn't know how to talk to him right now. You were unsuccessful as Felix stepped with you, still blocking your path forward. You glared at him, but he didn't budge. Damn him and his unstoppable heart. The heart that had fooled yours into falling.

"What's the matter?" He insisted.

"Get out of my way, Felix."

"Not until you tell me why you looked so upset. If we're getting married, I want to know that you can talk to me. Please,"

You ignored him, moving to shoulder past him, but his hands caught your arms, dragging you back to stand in front of him with a strength that honestly surprised you. You groaned in frustration, shaking his hands off of you. You were crying, which you had been trying not to do. You lifted your hands up, swiping the tears away furiously. Your breath was shaking, and it was starting to hurt your lungs.

"What are you running from? Did someone hurt you?" He asked, reaching up to turn your face back and forth, checking you over for any visible injuries. You sniffled and laughed bitterly. For something that was considered love, it hurt a lot worse than you were expecting.

"Nobody hurt me. I'm just...dealing with some stuff. I'm fine, just leave me alone." You insisted. He shook his head.

"What are you dealing with?" It was hard to look at him what with the way he was looking at you. His brows were pulled together in concern, eyes scanning your face back and forth as he searched for any sign, any hint of what was going on in your mind. And you were absolutely livid that he cared so much, you were fuming, and it wasn't fair because he was just so damn good to you all of the fucking time. Shit.

"You. I'm dealing with you, and this wedding, and my emotions, and I'm sick of it. I’m fucking tired, Felix, and it makes me want to scream." You snapped. He pulled away from you, and your arms felt cold where his hands had been sitting. You wanted them back. "I'm dealing with a million and one things, and I can't even talk to anyone about them because they're nobody else's problems, they're just mine."

Felix looked like he could break down and cry just from seeing you break down, and you wondered if his chest hurt like yours did, like it was empty and caving in all at once. He sort of looked like it did.

"You can talk to me. Even if I can't help, I can be a shoulder to lean on. I know that you and I aren't that close, and I wouldn't ever expect you to do the same thing for me. I know you don't care, and that you think I don't care, but I do. I want to be able to take care of you, I want to be a good husband no matter what." He told you. You sighed, wrapping your arms around yourself like that would be enough to hold all of your emotions inside, like you could squeeze yourself tight enough to keep from exploding. It did not, in fact, help the situation.

"That's the problem, Felix! You want to be good to me so badly and it's making me fall in love with you. And you don't love me back, so you just keep giving me this disgusting sense of false hope, and it's killing me." The confession tore itself from you with a force that made your lungs ache, the sound of your voice bouncing off of the walls and no doubt disturbing at least someone in the palace. The weight was lifted off of your chest, but instead of relief it just made you woozy and light headed. "I can't do this, I can't be close to you any more than I have to because I'm tired of hurting and wanting and waiting for something that just won't happen. I can’t keep being an idiot for you."

You turned, as unfair as you were being, you went to walk away. And he was grabbing your hand, pulling you back into his arms and hugging you to his chest. You melted into his warmth, into that familiar scent of citrus and soil and a warmth like the sun in summer. You clung to his shirt, fingers digging into the fabric to keep him from leaving. You cried, hard and breathless into his shoulder, and he didn't let go.

"You're so stupid, do you realize that? I've loved you for so long. And I've been doing everything I could to make sure you felt it." He laughed, and you could feel the warmth of it seep through the cold, numb feeling that had begun to overtake your body. You looked up at him, at the way his lips curled and his eyes sparked when he looked at you. "I've loved you since the first day I met you. Why else would I track you down after all this time and fight so hard to make you mine?"

"I can't stand you, Lee Felix." You half-sobbed. But it was a laugh, and you were smiling, and even with tears tracking down your cheeks, Felix was so taken with you that he was laughing along with you. "I knew that marrying you was going to be the right decision."

"Don't jinx it, we haven't even gotten married yet."

The music swelled around you, filling the room until it felt like the entire air was beating in time with your heart to the melody. The ceremony had finished a matter of minutes prior, and you were finally married. The ring glinted on your finger in the candle light of the hall. You were overjoyed, your hand intertwined with Felix's as you talked to your guests.

Your friends were there, Changbin and Jisung grinning at you like proud parents. And Felix's, standing beside them now that they were bonding over the love shared by their best friends. You were glad to see them all getting along so well. The room, despite the differences of those within it, was filled with genuine love and adoration for you and your husband. He tugged your arm towards him, knocking you off balance and making you fall into his side. He gave you a smug grin, and you shook your head with one to match. You were still getting used to the feeling of being in love with him.

"What's on your mind?" He asked. You smiled, looking towards the center of the cleared room, how the chairs had been dutifully cleared as per your request.

"We're properly married now," You said, a playful smile growing on your lips. He looked concerned at the way your eyes glinted with a mischief he'd never seen aimed towards him before. "That means you have to listen to me and do as I say. Obedient husbands make for happy lives, you know."

"And what is it you want from me, my prince?" He asked, following you as you strode with confidence towards your friends.

"I want you to dance with me." You released his hand, taking the last few steps towards the other boys. You whispered something to Chan, and he smiled, disappearing to do your bidding as you eagerly tugged at Changbin and Jisung. "It's traditional to dance all night long at our weddings back home. And we agreed to share our traditions, didn't we?"

You grinned as the music changed, shifting into something much more like what Felix remembered from the festival his last visit to your home. It was fast and light, and honestly it was hard not to dance to it. The dance began when Changbin took your hand, and the two of you gave way to the weight of the music, circling one another and spinning until slowly but surely more people joined. Most of them were other fae folk, familiar with the music. Jisung pulled a few people with him, Felix's friends among them, into the intricate twist and turn and twirl of bodies. And you looked at Felix, half obscured by the people dancing with you as you reached your hand out for him, begging him to join.

You looked like nothing he'd ever seen before, with flowers in your hair and light dancing across your face, your smile turned on him. He didn't resist your siren call this time, falling with you into the crowd. He held you close, and the two of you danced surrounded by people dancing around you and nothing else in the world mattered in that moment as the two of you circled one another, his hand on your waist and yours pressed into his chest. The world was just you and him, breathing in time, riding the breeze and basking in your affection for one another. Convenience be damned.

You were the most beautiful like this, in your element, in his arms, and all-consumingly in love.

But you are beautiful

And thrilling, and true

And you would never ask that of me

I would give away the brightest parts of myself

To make you shine like silver,

All of the things I could give to you,

But you say they're worth nothing,

Don't I know that they pale in comparison

To the joy I give you when I fly.

You call it this the beauty mark of love

copyright © 2022 hobi-is-golden, all rights reserved

[kawaistrawberry21]

Title: Enchanted Echoes

In the magical realm of Ingary, amidst the bustling towns and enchanted forests, the legend of Howl's Moving Castle and its elusive master spread far and wide. However, little did most know that Howl was not the only powerful and captivating figure in this tale. Deep in the mystical woods, beyond the shimmering glades, lived Roxanne, a mesmerizing witch as strong as Howl himself.

Roxanne, with her enchanting cherry pink hair that cascaded down her back in long wavy locks, was not just a formidable force, but also a creature of unparalleled beauty. Cloaked in a long, tight tube tank-style dress in sparkling white, she glimmered like a starlit night, drawing the attention of all who crossed her path. Her mysterious aura had made many a suitor fall to their knees, but Roxanne remained uninterested in the frivolous whims of mortal men.

One fateful day, as Howl's Moving Castle traversed through the enchanted countryside, it caught Roxanne's attention. Curiosity piqued, she followed the castle's trail until it settled in a secluded clearing. Hidden in the shadows of the trees, Roxanne observed Howl, intrigued by his presence and the rumors surrounding him.

As the days passed, Roxanne continued to watch from afar, and she couldn't deny the allure of the enigmatic wizard. There was something about Howl that stirred a deep longing within her, something she couldn't quite put into words. She saw him not only as a powerful ally but also as someone she could connect with on a profound level.

One moonlit night, Roxanne decided to reveal herself to Howl. With a spell of invisibility, she approached the castle, her heart pounding with anticipation. As she stepped inside, the silence was broken only by the gentle hum of the moving machinery. Howl, who had sensed her presence, turned to face her with those striking azure eyes.

"Who's there?" Howl's voice echoed through the walls.

The spell lifted, and Roxanne emerged from the shadows, her beauty and power radiating. Howl's breath caught in his throat, and for the first time, he found himself at a loss for words.

"I am Roxanne," she said, her voice like a soft melody, "and I couldn't help but be drawn to the mystery that surrounds you."

Howl, usually quick with his tongue, could only muster a stuttered reply, "I-I'm Howl. You're a witch, just like me?"

Roxanne smiled, her enchanting features softened by the moon's gentle glow. "Indeed, Howl. We are both powerful beings, and yet, we seem to have been wandering this magical land alone."

As the night wore on, they exchanged stories of their past, their hopes, and their dreams. Their souls resonated, weaving an unbreakable bond between them. From that moment, Howl and Roxanne became inseparable, and the rumors of their union spread like wildfire through the realm.

Together, they soared through the skies on the back of Howl's winged companion, Calcifer, exploring new lands and pushing the boundaries of their magic. They became an unstoppable force, challenging any who dared threaten the balance of their enchanted world.

Yet, amidst their adventurous escapades and magical feats, their love for each other blossomed. Howl found solace in Roxanne's arms, and Roxanne discovered a tender vulnerability within the enigmatic wizard. They were each other's pillars of strength, supporting one another through both triumphs and struggles.

Their love story became a legendary tale in its own right, and their names were whispered in hushed tones wherever magic flowed. Howl's Moving Castle was no longer a symbol of solitude but a sanctuary for two powerful hearts entwined in love.

And so, the mighty wizard Howl and the captivating witch Roxanne danced through the pages of history, leaving behind a trail of enchantment and a love that transcended the bounds of magic itself. For their union was a reminder that, even in the most extraordinary of worlds, the most potent magic of all was found in the embrace of love.

[multistoty]

Open Au: be the rescuer to my pansexual princess. Adult Female Muses Opening

The moon is a loyal companion.It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections. Home was so necessary even the air tasted like wonder. Like candied butterfly wings caught in sugared spiderwebs, and drunken peaches coated in luck. All the princess ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with her hands but with her heart. Josie could not control the race of her mind were this myserious figure was. She found herself wanting to be the friend she fall hopelessly in love with. The one she take into her arms and into her bed and into the private world she kept trapped in her head. The saltzman heir wanted to be that kind of friend. The one who would memorize the things her rescuer said as well as the shape of her pink lips when she said them. She wanted to know every curve, every freckle, every shiver of the dark haired girl’s body. She wanted to know where to touch her, even wanted to know how to touch her. The onyx haired girl wanted to know how to convince her mysterious knight to design a smile just for her. And all of it were not in her warehouse of carefully filed human emotions. Hope was hugging her lithe frame like the frayed edges of cotton candy colored tulle, holding her in its arms, wiping away her tears and telling her that today and tomorrow and two days from now she will be just fine and, after this ordeal, she is so delirious that she actually dares to believe it. Hope is a difficult thing to kill, just a spark of it can start a fire. This woman with a paintbrush delicate face perfected by whatever creature lurked out there smelled of magic and heartbreak, and something about the combination made her think that despite what she claimed, she wanted to be her hero. Raven might have been a liar and villain, but she made both things look very good. her first impression of her was that her name was apt and she was tall, roughly handsome, and dangerous, like poison dressed up in an attractive bottle. Only proven further by being place in the dangerously lovely space between her arms and against her chest. She imagined getting to love her would feel like falling in love with darkness, frightening and consuming yet utterly beautiful when the stars came out. Gold shimmered no matter what, but few people could make darkness glitter the way she did. yet, her safety in the sameness and nobility of court were this sort of closeness was unheard of though she couldn’t deny the necessity it was in the dew stained air that felt like thick honey in your throat. Mice being a plague like the darkness over them. Josie had always been straight laced. never breaking protocol even if it made her the silver medal to the glittering gold of her twin sister. Someone needed to keep the royal family together as well as taking the less ruthless path of the court. Instinctively, the other girl’s body contoured to the closeness of the other form. A blashful smile returned to the others which threatened to deliciously break apart her spine. Many men and woman had wanted her hand and none had caught her eye. But this was her first opportunity to be selfless. To be alone with her wants and thoughts in the exhaustion and after math of such an emotional capture where the siphoner witches power had been realized by those who would use it for wrong. “Your warmth…? Oh. Yes, you come to my rescue again, fair maiden. I had thought that fairytales were just that. Yet, here you stand. And I can not keep words inside my head.”

[hellcatinnc]

The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies Anime Review

(Spoilers Ae Included)

So a friend of mine told me about this anime and honestly looked cute enough animation I decided to sit down and watch it. I don't know why this anime does it but most episodes are like 12 minutes long unlike the normal 24 minutes. I have only ever seen that in hentai so that was already weird. The moment you see them fall in love just at first sight, it was sweet, honestly it pulled me into the show fast. I just I had to wait week to week to see 12 minutes and have to wait another week. Now that its off you could binge it in maybe a hour if that. I'm going to do as usual break down some parts of it that I liked and felt was weird. Not gonna lie the relationship between Mira and Byakuya was so sincere, sweet, and so wholesome unlike the rest of the show lol.

Ok so the magical girls get some kind of guardian things ones a cat that looks at porn, smokes, and drinks. This seemed weird already to me then you see the next magical girl gets this chicken wannabe with wings out his ass....like WTF? I got confused fast what the point of them was because later you see them in human form and they are just as weird. They are like dirty old men looking after young girls. This is the part that almost lost me but am glad I stayed with it for Mire and Byakuya.

The next magical girl looks all cute and innocent when in her form but this is a dark ass lil girl nothing like Byakuya. Everything she says has to include the word "Fuck" not sure what the point was to that or to her honestly. She was as useless as half of Mira's people that don't shine and are in the background. I mean look at these two she is no where as cute and so much much much darker.

Ok Mira I love his character but as the show goes on you see the face expressions you see when he is around Byakuya. There is so much love in his eyes and the smiles and blushing oh he had my heart by then. Soon as you saw him with her she was all that matter and yes he is the guy that would destroy the world for her and still hold her close and protect her wiping away her tears. He was the biggest difference in anime guys I have seen cause his dark side is really dark but his light side he is a blushy boy that needs to be loved.

I mean look at how he can look at someone with a stern or sadistic look. He makes most fear him but yet this same man is the one above who is just so sweet with her. This also shows his side that tells you he will burn the world and sacrifice everything for her and that makes him one of my favorite anime men. Everyone who knows me knows I like the loyal at any cost blushy boy men that burn the world at any cost. This is my perfect type of man for sure...lol. I will take a Mira for myself....

Oh sweet, sweet, naïve Byakuya.....she is so damn cute. I honestly thought as she was so cute she would be annoying but nope not one bit. She was so sweet she was still naïve but she knew she loved being around Mira at any cost whether she knew she loved him or not she knew she only wanted him. She is what made this couple so wholesome and I loved watching her make him melt for her.

The interactions with them together is too adorable. Holding umbrellas, to sharing tea, snacks, his coat or a bed there was nothing sexual or over done it just all felt natural. You were watching them fall in love and it was so sweet. I mean you saw a ruthless man who probably never knew one ounce of love yet she won a place in his heart. Here is a girl who worked too many jobs and listened to a weird porn loving boozy cat guardian and then she meets Mira and realizes there is something more important than the rest.

I loved watching him get so flustered when she did something cute. I really hope he has a whole drawer of glasses cause he was always breaking the glass out of his. LOL but it was cute either way.

All the times you seeing them meeting up for tea, or just cause they can. They are such a beautiful couple and so worth rooting on. Its a slow burn mainly cause he don't know love and neither really does she but they needed each other. They both brought out the best in each other. If you watch just for them I think you will love this anime, just push all the other stuff out of your head.

I say that completely respecting the main couple anyways Mira & Byakuya. I can't say the anime is a favorite mainly cause all the other weird shit going on around them that really should and waists some of the time you already had in a 12 minute episode. I give it a 7 in range of 1-10 range but the couple I give a 9 cause I love the progress and like I said Mira is just ahhhhh on my heart!

[anicekidlikeme]

I wake up next to you, and also our lovely morning mess!

It's been a few weeks now that Drew has been sleeping over in my tiny (tiny) dorm room with me, and while I have no straight explaination for why this has been happening, I can't deny myself the happiness of our little living arrangement for the time being.

We have a pretty solid routine: We both spend our days getting all our work done, and he drives here after work. We both take our end-of-day showers, watch a stupid show on my tiny computer, eat dining hall food, and then fall asleep talking in my twinXL bed. I know in writing none of this sounds very appealing, and if the universe magically were to hand us a nice apartment to live in we would both pounce at the opportunity, but for now, there is nothing I would change about our little love-bubble.

Maybe this is a symptom of the honeymoon phase, but it makes me wonder how life would be if we could keep doing this every day, long after I graduate, long after I have a mid-life crisis, and long after my visa expires. Because of our shared messiness, every night we go to bed amidst a pretty substantial pile of trash. I am looking around now, and I see my makeup everywhere, his shirt on the floor, a whiskey glass full of pistachio shells, a single lonely sock wondering where his friend went, and a whole bunch of tissues from my boyfriend's very very snotty nose. My floors are so dirty, and there are pizza-crumbs everywhere I turn. I wake up to some vague arrangement of this clutter everyday, and God do I love it. I would never admit this out loud in fear that germophobia will quickly be discredited, but looking at last-nights mess every morning reminds me also of all the last nights we've had. It doesn't take too long into knowing Drew to reallize why a girl could be so happy to have so many last-nights with him.

I get accused often of gushing about him too much, and admittedly I am always guilty, the part that scares me so much about this with our recent arrangement, is that I have noticed myself growing fonder of Drew with each day. We often talk in hypotheticals about moving to South Carolina once I graduate. He's visited a few times and has been gushing about how I would love it there ever since we first started dating. In my head, there rests a big beautiful box with a collection of my dreams. This one is the sweetest (maybe in part because it is one we share). I have a few other dreams too, and they've all changed shapes to fit into my life with him. That is something else I have noticed. I've been trying to think more about how life would be if those hypotheticals did one day work out. What if we actually moved, got a shitty apartment, and raised cats instead of breaking up in a year like everybody in their 20's does. We could have so many plants, and a nice big couch. What if he proposed and we got married? Gosh, we've only been dating 6 months. How did I get so ballsy?

You know when you date somebody for so long you convince yourself that this may be the luck of your draw? I have known that feeling for so long, without even really liking any of the people I've been with. After I broke up with Peter, I had a long honest conversation with my friends about why I only date men I don't like: it always felt easier that way. You just get through it, and on occasion share a nice cuddle or two. Dating was just something I did because the idea of attachment and emotional intimacy and all of that shit feels so amazing. It's harder to like somebody, and it is so much harder to love them. You have to really let them get to know you, trust them, share your interests with them, be vulnerable with them, think about them, be with them, and worst of all, have meaningful sex. Although pretending I was in love and having meaningless sex with long term boyfriends was very easy, the real deal sounded like the hardest thing in the world. I realized I had thrown away even the most remote possibility of loving Peter after one specific fight. His friend was rude to me, alarmingly fucking so by the way, and I was mad. Boy did I let him know. I remember all his exact words. He said, "Vaibhavi, although I trust that this is your version of the truth, it's not mine so I dont feel comfortable standing up for you. I think it's fine". I know, what kind of fucking liberal bullshit was that? We dated for two years. I loved his family, I loved his cat, and I loved how spending the summers with them satisfied my craving for a perfect nuclear family. They ate together, had movie nights, and kept each other updated through an adorably full shared-calendar. I think that was reason enough to stay. I would sit and think to myself, I've already gone so deep, backing out now would be crazy. What will his parents think? How will they react? I asked those same questions to Peter the eventful morning of our breakup, and he told me not to worry because the truth was, they did not care. He was awfully good at honesty, and I guess he just couldn't understand why someone he thought existed only in the context of him could matter to other people. That was the part that hurt the most, and then 5 minutes later it was fine. I called Atharva, then I called Fawwaz, then I called Will. I cried and I cried (they were tears of joy, actually). I finally got out. I had finally done it. An hour later, I downloaded Tinder.

It turns out, love is the easiest thing in the fucking world. As much as I was dreading it, I have been flipped into a sappy sucker now. With Drew, I feel like I have so much space. He makes space for me to be 100% Vaibhavi. I am allowed to feel shitty, to cry, to laugh too loudly, to eat whatever I want, to be tired. It's amazing. Sometimes I feel as though when I am with Drew, there is a huge big sky that has newly opened up around my heart. It turns out the emotional intimacy thing is not so hard either. Rather naturally, Drew and I quickly fell into a comfortable pattern of being each other's first people whenever there's a story worth telling, or a bad day worth talking about. Love is very very different from anything I have ever felt before. It exists in abundance, and you just kind of do it. As far as meaningful sex is concerned, that shit is the real deal.

This is not to say my relationship is perfect (although I do believe it is perfect for me, I know better than to make bold claims of objectivity). I would never want to minimize the complicated-messy-dirty-ugly parts of our relationship, because they make us so whole that sometimes it is important to sit with them for just a minute. Once Drew and I broke up. I understand why we did, I understand what caused it, I understand why we are back together, and I understand what we must work on. Despite my new-found maturity about that situation, it did still suck, and I almost never really talk about it (although I will make one or two foul jokes about it to Drew). It's like one of those glass jars on the top shelf that you put there because it's not of that much use to you. As time passes, you never do take it out, probably because of a new, more dire fear that it may break if you don't do it just right. Gotta be careful when dealing with glass. But here I am, taking the jar out.

The night it happened, I was wearing his green sweatshirt (that I can no longer even look at), and some stupid leggings situation. I stayed in those clothes for the three days that we were broken up. Atharva told me it was so important for me to shower, but I was scared that if I took the sweatshirt off, then it would mark some definite end to our relationship. Our lovely warm love. The first thing I did after Drew left that night was call him. And I cried. Then I called my friends, and I cried and I cried. I had never felt such pain in my whole life, and I was so confused by why it was that I cared so much? I have been through endless breakups without a scratch, and for some reason my little tinder fling had my heart shattered like I have never witnessed before. I got no sleep, I couldnt eat. I was just so confused by how a person I had no reason to believe would ever leave my life would leave. I had no reason to believe we would not move to South Carolina, and get two cats, and do all this white people shit that we had planned on. And then it was gone, and I couldn't understand. On Valentines day, Drew had given me a card that I treasure more than anything. I had stuck the card to my wall, and saved the envelope it came in, tucking it neatly under my textbooks.

Without disrupting the secrecy of Drew's feelings, the sparknotes version of the card said I love you way more than I have shown, and we have all the time in the world. One day, when I am king of all the lumber, I will give you that same world. The night we broke up, I took the card off the wall, and read it over and over again. I was thinking about how we actually might not have had all the time in the world. Infact, everything around me had started to feel un-ignorable and worryingly finite. Then I cried some more. I was angry, hurt, and understanding what it means to really care about someone. I wasn't perfect about this break up at all, but he was always there for me. I texted him, a lot. Please lets just forget about all this, I am sorry. I cant bear it any longer. I love you. It hurt just to send it. The whole time in my mind I was begging him to please run into me, please come over, please change his mind, please spontaneously decide to make some grand-gesture and come right back. What about the cats we were going to get? I often wonder how it would go down if I was ever the break-upper. Would he stop me? I am too scared to ask him, but a girl can hope.

Unfortunately, I am not wise enough to admit yet hey, this breakup was actually good for us. It helped us realize we need to communicate, and then all our problems seemed silly. It hurt a very deep attachment of mine, and I think it is actually important to respect that. Turns out you are allowed to be hurt, both of us are. I will say though that shit like this happens. We figured it out, and we found our rhythm, and its okay. It hurt, it sucked, it worked out. Talking about it feels like a huge relief. Kurt Vonnegut is my favorite author, and I like to revisit Slaughterhouse-Five every once in a while. “All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist.” All this happened, and here I am now, picking up used tissues from my floor. Loving every moment of it. I wish I was able to vocalize my love more. I wish there was a way to say out loud, I am so in love with you, you bring me back to life. But there isn't, not without being entirely embarassing atleast.

Here's what I will say, I actually do not know what is going to happen, but if we occasionally have to find ourselves out of a dirty, gross, complicated, achy feeling mess, I am more than happy to do it with you Drew. It is nice to sometimes float in a pool of my dreams. It is warm and the water feels good on my skin as I think about us being flabby-fourty year olds, or an annoyingly sloppy couple of 20-year-olds who desperately need to get a room. Whatever time we have left, I deeply cherish it. It completes me, it makes me feel like old Vaibhavi. A pre-daniel version I'd say.

It has been six months. I can hope for 6 million more.

[sophie69420]

1/16/23

One thing that I find difficult about being a person is that words aren’t enough. Communication is often messy. You can say something with considerable thought and believed clarity to have the opposite interpreted. That is so frustrating.

Even with the limits of language, I am going to muscle through it because I want to tell you about my first pastor. Not the first pastor I ever met, or the priest who baptized me, or the many men in robes that I met in churches around the world, but the first pastor who really heard me.

When Lindsay first met my mom, she told her that I was really special and my mom agreed. I watched both of their eyes spring tears that didn’t fall but lingered for just a moment. I want to remember that feeling forever. Two women who had listened to my failed attempts to tell them about myself and they reached across the limitations and understood me. That understanding did not need much more than shared eye contact and a silent acknowledgment.

Lindsay has a way with words. For several Sundays when I was first hearing Lindsay, I pulled myself out of the warmth of bed and the comfort of home to put myself in a space that I thought was synonymous was hate and conservatism. Instead, I would get goosebumps as she spoke prose into the sanctuary that touched the deepest and toughest parts of me and my world. The goosebumps served as a physical signal that I was being moved in the direction I have always been longing to go, towards love and justice.

I remember I would ask Lindsay a lot of questions about doing “the work”. We talked about “the work” a lot, and we both magically understood it without having to define it, although I’ll try to relay what I felt. Being a flesh person alive on earth means that you see and experience suffering, which often feels inevitable and heavy. And the work is trying to address the suffering that we can control; flawed human systems, loneliness, injustice, and more. Being people who care, being a squeaky wheel is exhausting. The world, nay, capitalism and greed urge you to look away. They try to make it easy to tune out, shut up, sit down. But the work is paying attention, speaking out, and standing up. Lindsay saw that I cared and she comforted me when I got tired. She taught me what Jesus said about the work. And she shared poems and books that talked about the work. And she made me feel like I wasn’t crazy, maybe I was even Christ-like. Maybe. I’m still thinking about it.

One thing that I find difficult about being a person is that words aren’t enough. Jeremiah 17:9 says that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it” but the Spirit? For what should we use the flawed tools of language for than to seek out and relay and know the love of all of God’s people?

In one of the first sermons I attended of hers in person, she centered her story around how complicated life is and will be. Within my first weeks of attending church on my own calling, she addressed my hardest question; how can there be a god when bad things happen to good people? She told me about a life I knew well, it is both beautiful and terrible. Lindsay told me something I sort of already knew. That God won’t fix my problems and end all suffering. But, She will meet me there, tell me I’m not alone and that I am loved, and deliver something words wouldn’t even be able to describe if I wanted them to.