i still think about how when i as a kid id see these tales of jealous people being so upset when their partner would check out other people and id be like "well im glad my parents arent like that, whenever my dad sees a pretty woman he tells my mom so they can both admire her"

WIP Wednesday!!! Birthday fics!!!

My oldest and dearest fandom friends are celebrating their birthdays in the next week and a half and I am counting down the days!!! 

@hollyethecurious​ and @winterbaby89​ are both January babies and this year they are both getting a birthday fic from me!!! Shoutout to @motherkatereloyshipper​ for her manips of CS, and Snowing shown below in the artwork.

@winterbaby89​ is first, with her fic A Very Disney Proposal dropping one week from today!!

Twenty minutes later, Granny and Ruby were escorting him and David from the costuming area behind the scenes to the Princess Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland, where Emma and Mary Margaret were about an hour away from the end of their time greeting guests as Cinderella and Snow White. The ladies were on either side of the hall, so once the group got to the branch where they’d have to split to surprise their respective girlfriends, Granny took Killian left and Ruby took David right.

Granny cracked open the door to the hall and character greeting area to watch for the current guests to leave. The plan was to surprise ‘Cinderella’ before the next guests arrived.

~*~*~

Emma Swan waved goodbye to the family from Texas and turned towards the other side of the hall. She saw Mary Margaret bidding farewell to her guests, who were now heading her way. Suddenly the door to backstage opened and Cinderella’s Prince Charming stepped through. It took her a moment, but her eyes widened when she recognized her boyfriend, Killian. Her jaw dropped, but she quickly snapped it shut and schooled her features as he approached her, his gloved hand held out to her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Then, @hollyethecurious​ fic, A Mistress to No One, will be dropping a week from Sunday, on the 22nd. Her fic is inspired by An Offer From a Gentleman, Benedict’s story in the Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn. No artwork for this fic yet because I’m still furiously writing, but I will share pics of our favorite couple in their ball attire. Manips by @motherkatereloyshipper​. Thank you so much, babe!!!

  He began to approach her when he heard a wave of whispers behind him. The hair at the nape of his neck stood on end and a sense of anticipation gripped him. He knew he shouldn’t allow anything to distract him from his pledge, but his curiosity overwhelmed him and he turned toward the entrance of the ballroom.

It was as if time stood still. At the entrance of the room stood what he could only describe as a true princess come to life. She was dressed in a beautiful, shining blue gown whose skirt sparkled like diamonds. The bodice and sheer short sleeves were trimmed with silver detailing that flashed when it caught the light. Her mask was silver and had an exquisite swan detail around the right eye. Tendrils of blonde hair framed the other side of her face. But it was her gaze that captured his attention most. This was a woman filled with unadulterated joy. She looked around the room as if she’d never seen a more glorious sight than all the silly members of the ton dressed in their ridiculous costumes.

Her beauty was truly breathtaking, the way she held herself, the poise, the grace of her movements. She was radiant and he had to be close to her. Mary Margaret was completely forgotten as he strode purposefully across the room. Three other gentlemen had beaten him to the lady and stood around her showering her with praise and compliments.

She didn’t react as he would expect a lady of the ton to react. She didn’t lower her eyes demurely, she didn’t giggle, she didn’t act coy or as if their adulations were her due. She simply smiled at them. Or beamed rather. He held his hand out to her.

“Pardon me, gentlemen. But the lady has already promised this dance to me.” He gazed into her green eyes, which widened slightly at his bold pronouncement. He wondered if she would expose his lie for what it was.

She smiled and placed her hand in his. He drew her closer and then led her out to the dance floor.

~*~*~

Thank you for reading and sharing!!! Happy birthday in 7 and 10 days, @winterbaby89​ and @hollyethecurious​!!!

I am resetting my tag list for ‘23! If you’d like to be on it, please let me know either by DM, responding to this post, or contact me on discord. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll remove you, no worries!!

Fractions (1)

GIF originally posted by chanshine

Pairings: Minseok x Y/N

AU: Soulmate AU

Inspired by this tweet:

A/N: I’ve had this in my drafts for over a month now but I still haven’t finished writing it yet so I decided to cut it in half instead of posting it in one go. 😅 I didn’t even proofread it because it made me anxious for whatever reason. Now please excuse me while I hide after I post this. 🙈 I hope you enjoy this...

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

When you were younger, you’ve always dreamed of being married to your soulmate. Your parents were soulmates and having seen how they deeply loved each other growing up, it made you want to have the same thing they did.

You recall coming home from school one time with a skip on your steps. When your parents asked you how your day went, you gave them a toothy smile and exclaimed, “I learned about fractions today! My teacher said that if you divide something into equal parts, each part is a fraction of the whole.”

Your mother smiled at your enthusiasm. At that moment, as she heard you explain what you learned, she knew you were going to grow up to be a wise lady.

“Mom, Dad, do you know fractions?” You ask cheekily, back then you thought they didn’t know it because you’ve never heard them mention the word.

“Of course, darling,” your father scrunches his nose at you, a hint of smile in his lips.

“Can you give me an example, Daddy?”

He pauses, thinking deeply. He turns his head away from you and looks at your mother’s eyes, “Your mom and I, we’re two halves of one soul.”

You watched as they looked at each other with sparkling eyes and warm smiles.

“Why are you smiling? Did I miss something? Was it a joke? I don’t understand,” you whine. “I don’t think you’re talking about fractions, Daddy.”

“You’ll understand when you’re older, darling.”

And he was right. When you grew up, you understood what he meant, theoretically, at least. He was talking about soulmates.

You found out about it from your best friend Jess. You were still young back then, maybe around twelve years old. Her parents told her that they were soulmates when she saw that her mother’s skin on her arm was glowing. Her mother preferred wearing t-shirts and long sleeved blouses rather than sleeveless clothes which was why Jess hadn’t noticed it before. Her parents explained that when you meet your soulmate a part of your skin lights up in daylight and glows even brighter in the dark.

When you got home that day, you remember immediately walking up to your parents to ask them if they were soulmates. They were startled by your question at first, but gave you a gentle smile. “Yes we are, darling,” your mother confirms.

That night you learned that the patch of skin that shines when you meet your soulmate is called the soulmate mark. But most people initially called it an “invisible tattoo” because it was the easiest way to describe it. It was like a tattoo in a sense, because it was a permanent kind of body art, except that you were born with it instead of having a tattoo artist injecting ink on your skin.

Each soulmate has distinct patterns on their skin and they have it at the exactly the same location. Your parents’ tattoo was like a very intricate design of leaves located just a few inches above their hips. When your mother showed you her glowing tattoo, you couldn’t help but gawk at it as you gently ran your fingers over it.

It was then that you realized why your parents were perfect for each other. Whatever your father lacks, your mother makes up for it. They complemented each other. They told you that was how soulmates work, that everything falls into place as you meet them. They were two halves of one soul.

That was how you got really excited about weddings, not just normal weddings, weddings of soulmates to be exact. It was the reason why you were close to tears right now as you heard the priest say, “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Your breath hitched and you placed your hands over your heart. You were so overwhelmed with happiness. You couldn’t close your eyes, if you did, tears would start to fall and you didn’t want that. You didn’t want to ruin your makeup.

You watch as Jess smiles adoringly at Chanyeol before they both leaned in for a kiss. You were extremely happy for Jess. Chanyeol is a nice man, and a romantic one at that. When you first met him, you knew he was Jess’s ideal man and when you introduced them to each other you were shocked to know that they were actually soulmates.

You couldn’t imagine how Jess must be feeling. This was Jess’s dream too, to marry her soulmate. You wonder how she managed not to cry while you were barely holding your tears.

You look over the other guests. Their reactions were similar to yours which made your heart swell. You were glad the couple were surrounded with people who love and care for them.

Your eyes meet with your friend, Yixing, and you both smile at each other and wave. You and Yixing became friends when you were in high school. He’s heard you daydream about meeting your soulmate a million times already so he knew that you were also feeling a bit sad deep down, despite your joy for Jess. You knew too that he felt the same. You were both in your 30s and you both haven’t met your soulmates yet after all.

When the wedding and the reception was over, you bid Jess goodbye and congratulated her once again. You wished Chanyeol and her to live a happy life together. Jess pulled you into a hug and whispered, “You’ll find him too. Don’t worry,” as if knowing what’s plaguing your mind.

You smiled and nodded, although you weren’t sure if what she said was true. It was uncommon for people to meet their soulmates beyond 30 years old after all. What’s more uncommon is if one doesn’t have a soulmate. Just the thought of not having a soulmate made your heart ache terribly.

Yixing, oh sweet Yixing, suggested one time that if you both haven’t met your soulmates by the age of 35, you should just get married with each other. You agreed instantly, you didn’t want to end up being alone for the rest of your life. At least, you had Yixing who you knew would treat you right if you did get married with each other.

But fate was cruel. On his 34th birthday party which you planned, he met his soulmate, Diane. She was Jongin’s cousin who worked in China. She flew home to Korea to visit her family after years of working overseas.

How timely it was that Jongin brought her to Yixing’s party claiming that she needs to expand her social circle.

When Jongin introduced her to Yixing, you saw how they both froze. You wondered if it was true that you’d feel a slight buzz in your body once you find your soulmate. Out of nowhere, Diane and Yixing’s left elbows shined. You watched with amazement and slight sadness as four seemingly interconnected circles appeared glowing on their skin.

You had to admit, despite the bitterness on the tip of your tongue, it was truly breathtaking to watch the invisible tattoo come to life. It was magical to watch your skin shimmer and take form into something beautiful — all because of love. Maybe this was why the expression “You’re glowing” is said when you meet someone who treats you right.

With Yixing finding his soulmate, you felt lonely. Among your friends, you were the only one left without a soulmate. But Yixing finding his other half at such an age did give you a small flame of hope. That small flame was enough to make you happy, so when you got to talk to Yixing again, you congratulated him sincerely. But you could sense his worry as soon as the words left your mouth. He didn’t have to voice his thoughts, you knew well enough what he wanted to say.

You smiled at him. He truly is the sweetest person. “I’m fine Yixing, I really am. It rarely happens that you meet your soulmate when you’re more than 30 years old, but it happened to you. I have a feeling it’s gonna happen to me too.”

Yixing knows you’re a pessimist so he naturally gets worried about you, but today, he knew you weren’t lying when you said those words. He was glad you were being optimistic for once. “I know it’ll happen soon, darling. I have a good feeling about it too.”

That was enough for you. Yixing doesn’t lie and the fact that he believes you’ll find your soulmate flares up the hope you were feeling.

As much as you wanted to spend your time finding your soulmate, you have to work too. The previous company that you worked at unfortunately closed down. So you didn’t have a choice but to go look for a new job.

The company you’ve always dreamt to work at was EXO Pharmaceutical Company but it was a highly competitive company and when you applied back then, you lacked the credentials. You’ve been building up your resume and your credibility with seminars and training from your previous work, so this time you were really hoping to get the job. You just have to impress everyone there.

When you got a call from Jongdae, the HR personnel, saying you got the job, you were beyond ecstatic. You couldn’t help but jump around and scream as soon as the call ended. You called your parents informing them of your good news. You were close to tears as you heard them say that they were proud of you and the woman you became.

Just before you ended the call you father whispered, “We’re three parts of a whole.”

This made your heart melt. To you what he said was loud and clear: You don’t need another man to make you feel whole because you have us – your family. With that, your worries on whether or not you find your soulmate is gone.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*  *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

It was your first day of work at EXO and you were really nervous. Junmyeon was assigned to help you familiarize yourself with the workplace and to guide you on what to do. When he first introduced himself to you, your breath hitched and your heart started thumping faster. Was he your soulmate? But then you notice that he had a glowing tattoo on his wrist when he offered his hand to shake and yours didn’t.

You felt embarrassed. This has happened a lot of times to you. You often mistake people as your soulmate. People had different descriptions on what they felt when they first met their soulmates so sometimes when you find someone overly attractive that it makes you nervous, just like Junmyeon, you get confused if that person was your soulmate or not.

You quickly push your momentary attraction aside because it felt wrong. Sure you were free to think some men are good looking but somehow you felt like you were cheating on your soulmate if you think of other men that way. What a hopeless romantic.

You clear your throat and greet Junmyeon warmly. He then guides you to your workplace. He points and names which equipment you’ll be handling. He teaches you how to handle the machinery and equipment. You were a fast learner and have handled almost the same equipment before so by lunch time, you were able to do things by yourself.

“Thank you for your help, Junmyeon.”

“No problem! Come on, let’s grab some lunch with the others,” he smiles at you. “The CEO wants to meet you later, by the way.”

This made you freeze. The CEO of the previous company you worked at never once visited you or asked to meet you. You’ve only ever seen him when there was a company event. So this was something that you weren’t familiar with. What if he sees something in you that he dislikes or asks something that you don’t know the answer to? Sure you just got the job, but he can fire you on the spot, no? You pale.

Junmyeon notices your panicked state and immediately says, “Hey, don’t worry. Mr. Kim is really nice. Although he does have an intimidating aura but that's just the CEO vibes,” he shrugs. “It’s customary for him to greet his new employees. I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as you’re polite.”

Junmyeon has a warm smile and a soothing voice, it did help a little in alleviating your nerves but you still couldn’t help but think of the worst. With a sigh you just nodded your head then plastered a smile.

Lunch with your coworkers was fun. You may have forgotten about meeting the CEO as soon as they graced you with their presence. Baekhyun, Sehun, Kyungsoo, and Junmyeon were all fun to be with. Mostly it was Junmyeon and Baekhyun who talked a lot while the rest of you listened and laughed. It was nice to have people welcome you so warmly.

You weren’t used to talking a lot and you mostly kept to yourself when you’re in a new environment so this was quite different than what you’re used to. Different in a good way.

By the end of lunch, you couldn’t help but sigh in relief that you successfully made friends just on your first day at work.

As you were walking back towards your workplace, Baekhyun assured you that you didn’t need to worry about meeting Mr. Kim — the CEO. If Junmyeon liked you, then Mr. Kim would too. Apparently they were cousins.

You don’t really know if Baekhyun was lying, it was after all the first day you’ve known him. But his face was wiped off of mischief and the tone he used was comforting, so you found yourself believing him.

You were in high spirits when Mr. Kim’s secretary came to call you. But even when you weren’t as nervous as before and definitely less worried, your palms were sweating.

The secretary, Ms. Moon noticed you kept fidgeting, although, you swear to god you were trying to be subtle. She gives you a smile and says, “You don’t have to worry.”

You cringe internally. You’ve been awfully bad at hiding your nervousness today.

“Mr. Kim is really nice. Just be polite and professional.”

You nod your head and compose yourself.

“You ready?” She asks.

“Yes Ma’am.” You say as you rub your palms over your pants for the last time. You immediately put on a smile.

She knocks on the door, “Mr. Kim, Ms. Y/L/N is here.”

“Let her in.”

You entered the office with a smile on your face. Mr. Kim was still busy signing papers so he hasn’t looked up to you yet.

You stood in front of his desk, not really knowing what to do. Your heart was pounding so fast, you wanted to make a good first impression so badly.

It didn’t take too long though, after a second he has plastered a smile even before he looks up. When he finally turned his face to you, everything felt like they were moving in slow motion. You couldn’t even hear the clock ticking anymore. You freeze.

Mr. Kim is gorgeous. If Junmyeon made your breath hitch, Mr. Kim took your breath away. It was impossible, but you felt like your heart was pounding ten times faster than before.

Mr. Kim didn’t move. The smile on his face falters a little. You wouldn’t even notice it if you weren’t staring at him.

It felt like you were both staring at each other's eyes for an hour when in reality it was just one hot minute.

Mr. Kim was the first to break off from the trance. He clears his throat and smiles wider, “You must be Ms. Y/L/N. I’m Kim Minseok, CEO of EXO Pharmaceutical Company.” He offers his right hand to shake.

You return a smile and look over to his hand and shake it. As you raised your hand, your eyes focused on the back of his hand that was glowing. From the tip of his ring finger to his wrist lay a pattern of flowers. The pattern seemed to have surrounded his wrist too. It was beautiful and you were mesmerized. You unconsciously stopped moving to stare at it in awe.

Unbeknownst to you, Mr. Kim was observing you too. But when it took you a tad bit long to reach for his hand, he tears his gaze away from your face reluctantly. His eyes trail to his right hand which you were looking at. His eyes widened at the sight. He was quite sure the soulmate mark wasn’t there before. Which only meant one thing…

You. You were his soulmate. He was yours.

You realize that you were staring and so you straighten your back and reach for his hand. “I-I’m sorry—” but you stop in the middle of your sentence when your hand finally touches his.

There was a tingling sensation when it happened. You knew you weren’t imagining it because you felt Mr. Kim jolted slightly.

After the initial shock, Mr. Kim tightens his hold on your hand as he shakes it. You firmly shake his hand in return.

You clear your throat, “I’m sorry… for... zoning out, Mr. Kim,” you face down. You felt all your blood rush to your face in embarrassment.

Mr. Kim doesn’t respond. When you looked up, you noticed he was staring at your hands. He was still holding your hand and you didn’t know if you wanted to retract it at all. His hands were warm and soft.

But then you suddenly remembered that he was the CEO, he was your boss. So you carefully removed your hand from his grip.

That’s when you saw it. The back of your hand was glowing, exactly the same pattern and position as Mr. Kim’s. You almost gasped.

You closed your eyes really quickly and tried to compose yourself. Internally, you were screaming and jumping, but you have to suppress your emotions. It was highly unprofessional.

Sanders Sides AU-gust Day 19: 19th Century

Patricia Sanders is the only child of wealthy aristocrat Thomas Sanders. She attends a local aristocrat party expecting to feel the same loneliness and uncomfortableness that she usually feels. But when Remus Royale discovers her (or rather, his) biggest secret and offers a once-in-a-lifetime deal, will Patricia gain the confidence to be comfortable in her own skin? Patton POV, genderfluid!Patton/Patricia, slight Intruality with background Intrulogical.

Warnings: There will be internalized misgendering because Patricia is a ‘good girl’ and being genderfluid at the time was a big no-no. This fic does not condone misgendering or any transphobic/misogynistic/homophobic opinions that characters in this fic may have.

Day 18 | Masterlist | Day 20

Patricia Sanders was the perfect (and only) child of Lord Thomas Sanders. She did everything her father asked of her. She always smiled and told witty jokes to make him happy. She learned how to read and write and be a good wife. She could sing and play the piano and sew. She never stepped out of line and never spoke out of turn.

But just because she was the perfect daughter, didn’t mean that she felt perfect. Most days, Patricia couldn’t even look at her own body without sneering in disgust. Her maids told her she simply lacked confidence in herself, and that she was beautiful both inside and out (the word ‘beautiful’ made Patricia’s skin crawl, but she didn’t realize why for a very long time). Somedays none of her dresses looked appealing to wear. Every time, her father would buy her a new dress; and every time, the new dress would make her feel worse. Somedays her hair felt too heavy on her head; it only felt better after she ‘accidentally’ cut it off at age 9.

Most days, Patricia felt like the perfect little girl. But somedays she felt like someone else. And as she blossomed from a little girl to an eligible young woman, her ‘someone else’ days became more and more frequent. Patricia never learned what was wrong with her…

-----------------------------------------------------------

...is what she wanted people to think. Because in reality, Patricia figured it out when she was 15. An anonymous author had published an outlandish book simply titled ‘Love.’ It was a book that could commonly be heard about through peasant’s gossip, though it was secretly whispered about between the aristocrats and nobles. While it wasn’t polite to speak of such vulgar material, the contents were too outrageous to not talk about. The first issue was that the male protagonist falls for another man. If that wasn’t scandalous enough, the later scenes of… adultery are most shocking. The love interest is described as a male, but in the writing is given breasts and other biologically female parts. They even have a child at the end! So what did it mean? Some gossiped that the author described the love interest as a man due to the vulgarity and outspokenness of the character, to show that she acted more like a brute than a lady. Others speculated that it was about a married man having impure thought for another man, and that he’s imagining his forbidden love while being pleasured by his wife. Patricia had stolen the book from one of the maids and read it for herself, and she found herself relating to the love interest in more ways than one. What if the love interest was just a man born in a woman’s body? Was she a man born in a woman’s body?

Patricia had nearly burned the book after that thought. That was absurd! She’s a woman, for god’s sake!

Most days, Patricia though that the book was ridiculous. She was a woman, and she felt like a woman. But somedays, Patricia would carefully remove the book from its hiding place and reread it. And every time, the love interest became more and more relatable. But Patricia’s favorite character was their son, Patton.

Patton, what an interesting name. Patton Sanders.

------------------------------------------------------

Patricia sighed as she sipped her champagne. Her father had encouraged her to go to one of the local aristocrat’s birthday party. Sadly, today was one of those days. Her hair was tied up into a tight bun, so she wouldn’t feel the urge to yank it out every time it brushed against her neck. She wore no jewelry, knowing she would just feel worse if she wore it. She wore very little makeup, and her dress was extremely modest. When Patricia felt like this, she learned that looking at her skin made her uncomfortable. So, she would cover it up. While these were simple solutions, they left her hot and uncomfortable. She was only an hour into the party, and already Patricia wanted nothing more than to go home and take a bath before bed.

“A lovely night, isn’t it?” Patricia looked to her right and bit back a gasp. Standing there with another flute of champagne was Lord Remus Royale. Lord Royale was known as a flirt; he’d been known to socialize and flirt with multiple women, yet he’d turned down every marriage proposal. His excuse seemed to be that he refused to marry a woman that would potentially fall for his twin brother, Roman.

Patrica then seemed to realize that he was talking to her, and forced out a response. “It is.” She took another sip of champagne before speaking. “For what do I owe this pleasure, Lord Royale?” Patricia wanted nothing more than for the young lord to go away. While Lord Royale was extremely attractive, to be flirted with while feeling like this would be pure torture.

Lord Royale laughed. “Please, no need for pleasantries. Just Remus, if you will.”

Patricia gave him a curtsy. “Patricia Sanders. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Remus.”

Remus smiled. “Well, Patricia, may I have this dance?” If this had occurred yesterday, Patricia’s heart would have burst at the way her name rolled off of Remus’ tongue. Tonight, it made her skin crawl.

Patricia smiled. “Well, I couldn’t say no to such a gentleman.” They deposited their flutes on a nearby tray before making their way to the dance floor. Remus was surprisingly gentle with his touches, putting more pressure on her hand than her waist. Patricia was thankful for that, knowing that any more pressure on her waist would make her squirm uncomfortably. They danced through several songs before Remus spoke up.

“Can you see the woman behind me?” Patricia looked over Remus’ shoulder and nodded when she saw Lady Maybell. “How good do you think she is in bed. Actually, how well do you think her dance partner is in bed?”

Patricia blushed. “A lady shouldn’t think such thoughts.” Patricia ignored the way her stomach twisted at her own words.

Remus chuckled slightly, moving forward to where his mouth was mere inches from Patricia’s ear. His breath made her skin hot, but his words made her blood run cold. “But you don’t want to be a lady, do you?”

Patto- Patricia let out a shaky breath. “W-what are you implying?”

Remus chuckled again, not moving from his place uncomfortably close to his her neck. “I’ve heard a lot about you, heir of Thomas Sanders. How you tried to wear a suit at Lord Smith’s party. How you once cut your hair up to your ears. Even now, you refuse to wear jewelry and your dress is more modest than a nun’s. You’re not the first person I’ve met who was born in the wrong skin.”

It took all of Patricia’s willpower to not cry. Patricia was a good girl! And here he she was, having his her biggest secret exposed by a stranger. “And what if I do feel that way? Are you going to have me burned at the stake? Or perhaps you’ll spread enough rumors to ruin my life.”

Remus leaned back to where he was now facing Patricia, and he she could see the smug smirk on his face. “Not at all! In fact, I have a proposition for you. Meet me on the eastern balcony in fifteen minutes.” The song ended, and he knelt down to kiss his her hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”

Patricia forced herself to smile. “Likewise, Lord Royale.”

Patricia should just go home. Or enjoy the rest of the party and avoid Remus. But the young lord held the secret that could ruin the lives of both Patricia and her father. So, after visiting the washroom and wishing the host of the party a happy birthday, she made her way to the eastern balcony. It was completely empty besides Remus, who was drinking another flute of champagne. Another flute sat on the railing next to him. Remus was staring out into the night sky, a small smile on his face. As Patricia approached, he began to speak. “Did you know that the stars form patterns in the sky? Each pattern has its own name and story behind it.” He gestured to the flute on the railing, and Patricia took it.

Patricia hummed as she took a sip of the champagne. “I did not know that.”

Remus then faced her, yet the far-away look was still in his eyes. “My gardener told me that. He is very smart. Almost every night, I sit out in the garden and listen to him tell stories of the stars. Every story is breathtaking.” He chuckles, though it’s much softer than his chuckles in the ballroom. “Though I can’t tell what steals my breath; the words themselves or my gardener.” His gaze focuses on Patricia now, and it feels like he’s staring through her soul. “He’s like you, feeling like he was born in the wrong body. I call him a man simply because he wishes to be one.” His gaze shifts back to the stars, and they seem to give him encouragement. “I am madly in love with him. And even if he called himself a lady, we could never marry due to my status as a noble.” He took a sip of champagne. “So here is my proposition: you wish to be happy with who you are on the inside, and I wish to be happy with my gardener. But we are both expected to marry other nobles who don’t see such things as acceptable. So, why don’t we marry each other?” He gently pries her hand from where it’s gripped the railing, and she lets him. “Inside my manor, you will be able to dress and be called whatever pleases you. There will be no expectations or conformities. Outside of my manor, we will be husband and wife. If we fall in love along the way, then hooray! You’ll just have to share with Logan. If not, we can remain friends. All I ask is that you produce me at least one heir and have no children that aren’t mine. I will do the same.”

Patricia stood there in shock as she processed the information. The thing that stood out to her the most was that Lord Royale was proposing to her! And if what he promised was true… “What if I decline?”

Remus nodded. “Then I’ll be on my merry way and you’ll never have to see me again.” He then smirked. “But something tells me you want this just as much as I do.”

Patricia bit her lip. “May I have a week to think about it?”

Remus smiled. “Of course! Marriage is a big step. Just send me a letter once you’ve made your decision.” He brought her hand up to his lips. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Patricia-”

“Patton.” Remus froze, the hand still touching his lips. Patri Patton continued. “Some days my name is Patricia. But other days, like today… my name is Patton.”

“Patton,” Remus spoke his name like it was a holy prayer, and Patton felt himself shiver in the most pleasurable way. Remus kissed his hand again, and this time it felt more important. More sensual. More personal. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Patton Sanders.”

As Remus walked away, Patton felt himself blush as he smiled to himself. That was the first time anyone had ever called him Patton, and for once Patton felt perfect.

1 and Phrack, 1 and ppphhrrraaaccckkkk!!!!!

Oh, fun! I’ve never written a soulmates au before, and having sadly missed the MFMM Year of Tropes, I’m excited for the opportunity to try my hand at this one! Thanks so much for the prompt!

-------

“Excuse me, I think you’re my soulmate.”

“Your what?”

Jack coughs and feels the tips of his ears turning red. “My, uh, my soulmate.”

The stranger leans back in her chair and regards him with an expression that can best be described as wary, then wrinkles her nose. “Oh god, you're not one of those cultists, are you?”

Jack shakes his head, but it does nothing to dispel the blush. “No. I just saw the, uh,” he waves vaguely at her person, “mark on your wrist, and thought it was interesting. It matches mine, you see.”

She crosses her arms and offers him a wry smile. “Does it now?”

It does. The new angle is currently obscuring it, but he is sure they are an exact match. Which had surprised him, of course, when he’d caught sight of her in the library. Strange enough to see a woman in the reference section at this hour of night to begin with, but one with his exact soulmark? It was odd enough to pull him over despite his natural reticence.

She turns her wrist again and holds it up, an offering and a test. Jack looks around the library and decides it’s empty enough to humour her. He takes off his suit coat jacket and unbuttons both his waistcoat and the top of his shirt, pulling his tie to the side as he does. There, just above his heart, is an identical mark to hers: it looks vaguely like a sword flanked by two triangles, with enough swirls and loops to make it completely unique in the world.

Well, completely unique save one.

She nods at it, satisfied that it is a match for the one on her wrist, and he puts himself back to rights, still a little surprised that hers is so visible. It’s unusual for a soulmark to be so publicly placed, but not unheard of, and despite just meeting her he thinks the brashness of it rather matches the woman in question. You couldn’t remove them, of course, soulmarks were with you for life, but people with visible ones often altered them with specially calibrated tattoos, turning it into a complicated design instead of an easily recognizable symbol. That she hadn’t said she wanted people to see it. 

“So,” she begins, closing her book (something about forensic toxicology and he is even more intrigued) and watching him carefully, “you’re not planning to ask me to marry you, are you?”

Jack chuckles. “No,” he assures her. He isn’t one of those cultists after all. Jack, like most of the modern world, has moved past soulmarks, considers them a quaint reminder of a more primitive time. He’d never even looked for his match before, had married a woman with a mark that didn’t remind him at all of his own. A woman he’d loved. Truly. And while their marriage had not lasted, it had fallen victim to a more primitive experience, war, and not the antiquated notions of soulmates. 

“No,” he repeats. “But I wouldn’t mind a drink if you’re not busy. I never expected to meet my soulmark companion - it might be nice to share a pint.”

She considers his offer, and finally nods her agreement. “Make it a whisky and you have a deal.”

They do.

It turns out to be the first of many. 

He likes her. A lot. And while nothing romantic comes of it (she’s absolutely beautiful, but for some reason there’s no spark) there is no mistaking the connection, and it leads to something Jack values even more - genuine friendship. She likes the same whisky as him, barracks for the same team, chuckles at the same jokes. She is sardonic like him and a workaholic like him and a little lonely like him. It just… fits.

And then one day he meets her friend, who is none of those things, but who he can’t take his eyes off of all the same. 

They are at her birthday party, a fairly raucous affair, crowded with members of her Adventuresses’ Club.

“Mac,” he whispers during a rare moment alone with her during the festivities. “Who is that?”

Mac looks up, sees who he is indicating, and rolls her eyes.

“Trouble,” she says, taking a rather generous sip of her whisky.

Jack shoots her an imploring look and she sighs. “The Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher. But I really think my first answer is more accurate.”

He cocks an eyebrow and she relents.

“Here.” Mac takes out a pen and writes down some information on her medical pad. “This is where you can reach her. All I ask is that you never tell me about any of it.” Jack opens his mouth to protest, but she cuts him off. “And before you go having a crisis of conscience, she already asked me about the ‘dish in the well-cut suit’ so she’ll be fine with you calling on her.”

He doesn’t.

Because while very good whisky might make him momentarily brave, he’s not the kind of man to just call on strange women because he finds them breathtaking and can’t get their laugh out of his head. He resigns himself to never seeing her again. 

And then… and then there is a crime scene. Banter and brilliance. Wild surmise and wicked smiles. His best friend’s oldest friend's newest enterprise.

The Honourable Miss Fisher, Lady Detective.

More crime scenes, more banter, more promise in both of their smiles. More smiles in general.

More eyerolls from Mac.

Phryne’s soulmark is also on her wrist, and he wonders if the two women were drawn to each other because of their respective placements. He comments on it once, the sinuous lines remind him of a snake, but he doesn’t mention that part.

“It’s an asp,” she tells him, then laughs at his surprised expression.

He looks at her again and realizes that she does indeed make hungry where most she satisfies.

It fits.

He falls. Hard. Doesn’t realize how hard until he’s standing next to a crashed automobile, and, seeing an unfamiliar and blank wrist peeking out from the covering, suddenly can’t breathe.

It is an ugly falling out, followed by a tentative truce, followed by a friendship patched back together piece by piece, but stronger this time, because now they know where the weak parts are and can work harder to reinforce them, together.

More crime scenes, more banter, more trouble saying goodnight at the end of the day.

Mac is basically a saint by now and reminds them of this often.

He waltzes her at The Grand and she catches him looking at her wrist as they finish.

“We’re not soulmates,” she reminds him, perhaps thinking him disappointed, and he nods.

“I do believe in soulmates,” he tells her slowly, expressing his somewhat complicated opinion on the matter as simply as he can. “But I don’t believe that they are predestined. I think they’re something you work for, work at. I believe you choose your soulmate. And who you give your heart to.”

They do not say goodnight at the end of that day.

Together in her bedroom, he slowly undresses her, and she returns the favour. She is faster, though, and when she pulls off his vest, she gasps in surprise. 

“What?” he asks, worried something is wrong.

She doesn’t speak, just points at his mark.

“Yes?” Jack is confused; true, she’s never seen his before, but everyone has one. 

Phryne responds by removing her camisole and it is Jack’s turn to gasp.

There, just under her heart, is an identical mark to his own.

He looks at her wrist, sees the now familiar lines that twist up in a coil, the lines he had always believed were her soulmark. “But I thought…”

She shakes her head, takes a deep breath. “After the War,” she begins slowly, “Mac and I tattooed the other’s mark on our wrists. We’d been through so much together by then and we decided… ” She points to the snake-like image on her skin. “This is Mac’s mark. The one she was born with.”

“Why?” he asks, though he thinks he knows the answer.

“Well, Jack, it’s as you say; you choose your soulmate.” She shakes her head again, smiling this time, and leans over to kiss him, deeply, full of promises. When she pulls back, her forehead is resting on his. “And who you give your heart to.”

Jack nods, smiling as well, and kisses the mark on her wrist and then the one on her heart with equal adoration. 

Taking his hand in her own, Phryne turns and leads him to the bed, looking at Jack’s mark as she does. “Mac never told me, you know. She never said a word.”

“No?” he asks.

“No,” she replies.

It’s the last time either of them say the word for a while - the rest of the night is simply filled with yes.

-------

Their marks match.

And it never matters to them at all.

They choose each other. 

| Short Fic Ask |

Studio Ghibli Films: Thoughts & Rankings

I have been binging Studio Ghibli (and other anime films) since May. I saw a lot of people in Youtube rank them and I decided to do it as well. While I don’t have a camera to record myself, I decided to post my ranking of its films. First of all, I want to say that this is quite a subjective ranking and it’s personal. These are my opinions and of course, everyone can have opinions of their own. Second of all, I think all of these films have their good sides, but there are ones that I enjoyed and there are ones I didn’t enjoy. Either way, I recommend people to watch all of these films. You won’t regret watching most of them.

This post ranks the films from the 5th to 1st. Obviously, there will be spoilers ahead, so you’ve been warned.

5. Princess Mononoke (1997) – I would watch the animation of the nature in this film for hours in loop. It’s so wonderful, beautiful and breathtaking. Whether it’s animating the lake, the forest or even just the trees, I was in awe of it. It truly makes you appreciate it and again, Studio Ghibli shows you how much they love nature themselves. Now, let’s talk about the film. The film was amazing. The best word for it is amazing. The plot was so different and yet so captivating. There wasn’t a moment in this film where I was bored and where I felt it dragged along. Seeing this battle between humans and nature was what I had to see. When I was a kid, I didn’t appreciate this film as much, but now, it’s definitely one of my favourite films and in my top five of Studio Ghibli films. All the characters were incredibly well written, especially Ashitaka, San and Lady Eboshi. I love how there was no villain in this film. Yes, Lady Eboshi and her people were ruining the forest, but they were also trying to live their lives and grow as a community. I loved how everyone played a part in the village, the men, the woman and even the disables, had roles. You don’t see this in many films and I like that Princess Mononoke showed us that. The boars and the wolves were interesting to see as well. The bond that San had with her family and how she hated humans because of how she was raised. The ending was great. I liked that Ashitaka decided to stay and help with Irontown rather than go with San like some people expected him to. The only thing that truly bothered me was the face of the Forest Spirit. It haunted me for days which prove how much it creeped me out. If someone told me that the face of the Forest Spirit was their sleep paralysis demon, I would believe them in the spot.

4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - The first Studio Ghibli film that I’ve seen is My Neighbor Totoro. It’s the kind of film that reminds me of my childhood and it’s the one that gives me a nostalgic feeling. I love it so much that it’s definitely the film of Studio Ghibli that I’ve seen the most. It has this charm that should be more prevalent in other animated films, especially films for kids. Every scene is truly like magic. Whether it’s the umbrella scene at the bus stop, or the scene where the tree grows, or even the scene with the cat bus and the girls. Satsuki and Mei are enjoyable, vibrant and interesting characters. The bond between them reminds me a lot of my bond with my older sister. You can definitely say that I was a lot like Mei as a little kid (Yes, I did get lost one time and made my whole family, especially my sister lose their mind). Again, this film embraces the beauty of being a child. It shows the curiosity, the innocence, the energy and the imagination that most kids possess at that age. Totoro is such an interesting character design and it’s no surprise that it’s the logo of Studio Ghibli. My Neighbor Totoro speaks to my inner child and reminds me of the good old days. It’s a film that I’ll recommend to everyone, but especially young kids. Also, it’s the Studio Ghibli film that makes me smile through the whole of it. If I’m feeling sad or if I’m not in a good mood, I watch My Neighbor Totoro and it never fails to make me feel better.

3. Spirited Away (2001) – Objectively, I think Spirited Away is the best film that Studio Ghibli has ever produced. Personally, it’s the third, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than the second and first. It’s a matter of preference that I have. Again, I watched this film as a kid and I did enjoy it a lot. I always called it one of the best animated films. I rewatched it in May after years of not watching it and I loved it just as much as I did when I was a kid if not more. Miyazaki created an unforgettable film with an astounding plot, amazing characters and an exciting world building. Chihiro is your typical kid. She can be whiny and scared just as every kid is her age. The growth that she goes through the film was amazing. Watching her work hard and her progress was such a good watch. You could see her struggle with cleaning at first, but soon enough, she got the hang of it. Also, as much as I love the film, I couldn’t help but think that her parents were a bit dumb. Like my parents wouldn’t have done any of the things her parents did. My dad wouldn’t have sped like that in such a dangerous road and they definitely would have turned around after coming close to the temple. Either way, I’m glad that they screwed up though because it gave me this film. The other characters like Haku, Yubaba, Zeniba, Lin and many others were brilliant. Out of all this, I enjoyed Haku the most. The way he helped Chihiro was so nice and their whole bond was fascinating to see on screen. The guests in the bathhouse were designed so well and were just so good. I don’t have any words to describe the scenes with No Face or the spirit of the polluted river because they are out of this world. No wonder this film won an Oscar for best animated film. The details, the story, the animation, the characters, the soundtrack and the world building all deserve an Oscar of their own. 

2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - I don’t think I’ve ever cried with any film, book or series as much as I cried with this. Even when it ended and I had turned my TV off, I was crying. It’s one of the saddest films I’ve ever watched and truly, the saddest film Studio Ghibli has ever made. It touched my heart immediately when it started and it ended up ripping it at the end. I knew that it wasn’t going to have a happy ending, the beginning tells you that it’s going to end quite sadly. Yet I was taken back by the scenes, especially the last scenes. The story of Seita and Setsuko is a story that many kids have experienced in war. In most war films, we are shown battles, we are shown armies, soldiers etc., but not in this film. In this film, we saw the personal history of siblings trying to survive war and bombings. Seeing Setsuko hallucinating was heartbreaking and it was in that moment when I started to cry. When Seita said that she never woke up after that, I couldn’t control myself. Funeral scenes have been hard for me to watch lately, but not a single funeral scene has broken my heart like the one in this film. The scene where Home Sweet Home played in the background left me speechless and I still don’t know how to explain how I feel with that scene. Grave of the Fireflies is a film that is all too real and it made my whole body hurt at the end. Although it's ranked second in my list, it’s the one who I’ll probably rewatch the least out of all Studio Ghibli. Takahata is truly an incredible director and this film proves that better than any other film of his.

1. Whisper of the Heart (1995) – Talented. Inspiring. Brilliant. Relatable. Amazing. Show-stopping. Spectacular. Never the same. Totally unique. Whisper of the Heart is undoubtedly the best Studio Ghibli film I’ve watched. I enjoyed everything about it to the last details. I didn’t even stop the film to get water even though I was thirsty as hell. That’s how much I loved the film. I never related to characters as much as I related to Shizuku and Seiji. I write and I used to play the violin when I was younger. While I stopped, I still enjoy every story that has something to do with violins. Shizuku was such a normal character that spoke so much to me and to everyone I recommended this film to. Many of us have been in her position where we didn’t know what we’re going to do in the future. While Shizuku had many interests, you could see that she was stuck. I liked that she was inspired by Seiji to see if she could be good at something and she learned that she did have some sort of talent for writing. But just like Seiji’s grandfather, Shiro said about polishing her talent. I think many people, especially people who paint, draw, sing, compose, write and build, should listen to his words. They shouldn’t expect perfection at their first try and that they should give it time and hard work for their skills to become amazing. When I first started to write, I needed to hear Shiro’s words. This film is such a beautiful coming of age story that I think everyone should see no matter the age. Now, let’s go to the romance of the film. Hands down, Shizuku and Seiji are the best romance in Studio Ghibli films. While I love Howl and Sophie and Jiro and Naoko, it’s Shizuku and Seiji that won my heart. They had such a good romantic journey. Their scenes were just astoundingly beautiful, especially the one in the end. When I saw him by the tree, I started to giggle and I always screamed. It was just incredible to watch. Every interaction they had made me love them more. I repeat, the best Studio Ghibli couple. When I finished the film, I wanted to find a guy like Seiji. Too bad we were in lockdown and I was unable to find him. The use of Country Roads was amazing. I always loved the song and now, it’s one of my favourite. What upsets me about this film is the death of its director. If Kondo hadn’t tragically passed away in 1998, I think he would have given us other amazing films like Whisper of the Heart. I can say that this movie whispered in my heart and I’ll never forget it.

Let's request something fun! Since you love medieval AU, how about HCs or a scenario for a Lady!Reader finding out that to secure certain borders and trade rights, she has been unconventionally betrothed to Lords Ukitake and Kyoraku to bind all three Houses together. How do you think that would go? (Personally, I'd ask how soon the wedding could be!)

Brilliant idea! I LOVE this and loved writing it! I can’t tell you how happy I was when I saw you in my ask box! ;) Grab a cuppa, get comfy, and get ready for nice jaunt back in time! Love you!

Note: This is set in a fantasy medieval land much like 13th century Britain. I did my best to try to capture the experience of a virgin bride. Almost all of the modern/conventional words we use to describe things are pretty much gone. (I had to break down and use some modern genital words. Hey, I gotta call them something!) I did that to keep the feel of the time period and try to give the experience of a lady of that time.

Glossary: wanton - (used as a noun) - a sexually unrestrained woman.

This got really long, so settle in. I couldn’t help it. I hope you all enjoy it!

“Alliance”  - Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake

A collective gasp filled the hall followed by the murmur of numerous nobles, courtiers, and servants.

“Scandalous!” 

“Unheard of!”

“That poor woman!”

“How can her father do that to her?!”

All of the whispers washed over you as you stood alone in the center of the hall, facing your father. The announcement had been made that you were to wed not one, but two powerful men of the realm. Your ears were still ringing. Your vision swam with unshed tears. How could he humiliate you like this?

You felt the need to flee the hall, but found yourself rooted to the spot, your face hot with shame and anger. The wild thought of grabbing a knife from one of the tables and stabbing it into your father’s black heart was so tempting. 

Suddenly, you felt warmth at your back. One presence then another joined you in the middle of the swirling storm of voices. Sir Shunsui Kyoraku and Sir Jushiro Ukitake, your betrothed, stepped around you. Both men placed themselves between you and your father – and they both looked angry. 

You couldn’t believe how big they were. Dressed in varying shades of grey, both men were so handsome it nearly seemed impossible. Shoulders so broad, chests so deep, thighs so powerful…both were physically intimidating and yet, you didn’t feel afraid of them at all. In fact, you felt a bit a warm and a strange flutter in your stomach.

“We asked you to allow us to approach the lady in private, my lord.” Shunsui’s posture was defensive.  

Your father waved a hand dismissively, “I do as I please, Lord Kyoraku.”

A muscle tightened in Shunsui’s jaw, “Then Sir Ukitake and I shall do as we please – we are taking the lady to Ugendo. We will wed her there in a fortnight.” He started to turn his back on your father, but stopped and looked back, “We will expect her dowry to be paid before then.”

Jushiro grinned, a flash of straight, white teeth giving him a menacing edge, “Fail to do so and we will be back here with our armies.”

You watched your father’s face turn beet-red. He had been crowing so loudly about his cleverness in getting two powerful alliances for the price of one virgin. Now, it seemed that your future husbands were not very fond of your father at all. He sputtered, “If you take her, you take only her. Everything she owns stays here!” Another gasp ran through the room.

All the things you’d saved for years in your hope chest….your clothes….your books….your needlework…. your mementos gathered over the years, all of them memories of your late mother and the few friends you’d had in your youth. 

You’d had enough. “Fine!” Your voice cracked in the hall like a whip. You grabbed the cloth of your dress and started ripping it off. Shunsui and Jushiro’s eyes went wide. Both men closed in to shield you as you stripped yourself bare. Jushiro pulled off his cloak, wrapped it around you, wrapped you right into his side. He started to lead you out of the hall, but you wiggled away. You kicked off your shoes, picked them up, and threw them one at a time at your father as a frustrated yell bubbled up your throat. 

Before you could start cursing your father, Shunsui swept you up against his thick chest. “Allow me, my lady.” You looked up to find grey eyes echoing the smile on his lips. “I cannot allow such lovely feet to touch the ground.” His warmth seemed to flow into you and you fought back the urge to cuddle deeper into his embrace. You looked over to see Jushiro level one last cold look at your father before he turned and walked out of the hall next to Shunsui.

—- 2 Weeks Later —-

Ugendo: Perhaps the most beautiful castle in all the realm. You had heard of the seaside castle that seemed to sparkle in the sun. You’d thought it was all just the fanciful embellishments of bards. The reality was so much more than words could describe. Much like it’s lord, the Ukitake lands and castle were magnificent. Overlooking the sea, Ugendo shimmered like tiny jewels had been set into the stones. It was breathtaking, also like it’s lord. 

It had taken a week of travel to reach Ugendo. Upon leaving your father’s castle, Shunsui and Jushiro took you to the marketplace. They had bought you clothes, shoes, jewelry (they both insisted), a horse, and most dear to you – two new books that you hadn’t read before.

The trip had been very pleasant. During the day, both men would ride next to you and keep you engaged in conversation. You quickly deduced that they knew much more about you than you knew about them. Their reputations were well known. They were quite the favorites when it came to court gossip. Sir Kyoraku’s amorous exploits were nearly as legendary as his skill on the battlefield. Sir Ukitake was more of a mystery. Beyond his prowess as warrior and his manner as a noble, the whispers at court were mostly mixed speculation as to his love life. 

Both men were more than happy to dispel rumors and give you an honest look into exactly who they were. By the time you reached Ugendo you were well on your way to being in love with them both. 

The next week at Ugendo was a whirlwind of activity. Between wedding plans, guests arriving, and Shunsui and Jushiro spiriting you away to private meals or walks in the garden or along the shore, you were beginning to get a taste of what life with these men would be like. You’d also gotten a taste of what physical delights awaited you. Shunsui had given you a passionate kiss in the moonlight while he walked the gardens with you. Jushiro had also kissed you that night while you’d cuddled with him in a private solar near your room. Both experiences had left you feeling hot, shaky, and aching in places you didn’t know could ache like that. If they effected you like that from just kissing, what was your wedding night going to be like?

——-

The gathering for your wedding was staggering. The sea of faces that watched you walk the aisle toward the priest and your waiting husbands-to-be all faded into a blur. Your eyes were trained on Shunsui and Jushiro, both looked so handsome in their wedding finery you hardly knew which one to stare at. Once you reached the end of the aisle, they flanked you. Jushiro held up his left hand, you placed your left hand on top of it, and Shunsui placed his left hand on top of yours. As the priest spoke, all you could think of was your tiny hand, warm and safe between theirs. You knew in that moment that you loved them, truly and completely. 

Jushiro nudged you. You looked up with a start. The priest looked expectant. You swore you heard Jushiro chuckle.

Shunsui’s whisper was soft and full of mirth, “This is the part where you say, ‘I do.’”

Your voice rang out without any hesitation or quaver, “Yes! I do! I most certainly do!”

Laughter rippled around you but you only heard Shunsui and Jushiro’s chuckles.

The priest placed a length of white silk around your combined wrists and tied it in a loose knot. He said a prayer over your hands then blessed your union. Gold rings, engraved with the crests of your three houses, were placed on the ring-finger of all three left hands. And then, two sets of lips were kissing you, each pressing to a corner of your lips. You wanted to toss your arms around them in turn and kiss them passionately like they’d taught you, but for propriety you kept yourself in check. 

Seated between your husbands – Wow, your husbands! You ate very little at the celebration feast. Your stomach was a jumble of nerves and your feet were shifting under your chair. 

Jushiro leaned in, dropped a light kiss on your right shoulder, “You should eat, my love.” His green eyes were twinkling with something you couldn’t put a name to but knew it wasn’t simply amusement, “You’ll need the energy later.”

You could feel a blush warm your cheeks and neck. Shunsui’s hand was reassuring on your back, “He’s right, petal, once you’ve eaten we can move on to more pleasant pursuits.” You thought he meant dancing – his eyes said different, as did the low rumble in his chest that you could only compare to a purr. Jushiro’s huff of breath and chuckle confirmed that they were clearly speaking of something you couldn’t quite understand – yet.

One dance. All you got was one dance with your husbands. They took turns moving through the steps with you. When the music stopped to allow the dancers to re-position for the next song, Jushiro took your hand and headed for the exit. Shunsui swept a bow to the wedding guests, “We thank you all for joining us for this joyous event. But, now it is time for us to take our leave.” He didn’t wait around to respond to the ribald jests that followed him out of the hall and up the stairs to the master apartment.

When Shunsui caught up to you and Jushiro, you were pushed against the wall a few feet from the door to the master apartment. Jushiro’s mouth was slanting over yours in a heated exchange, his body pressed against yours, his hands in your hair. Shunsui’s laugh was playful, “Getting started without me, eh?”

Jushiro sealed the kiss but didn’t take his eyes from yours, “How can I resist such beauty?” His thumb passed lightly over your bottom lip, “Truly, these lips were made for kissing.” 

The next moments were a flurry of movement. Shunsui swept you up into his arms and carried you into the master apartment. Jushiro was close behind to close the door and lock it. He wanted no interruptions.

Shunsui carried you all the way into the bedroom, setting you by the fireplace so you’d be warm. His hands framed your face as his mouth captured yours in a kiss that made you feel hotter than any fireplace ever could. Your head began to swim a bit. Then, Jushiro was behind you, his fingers working to free you from the lacing that was holding your dress together at the back. You felt the fabric loosen. Shunsui pulled back from you as Jushiro lifted the dress and your shift over your head. 

The second you were clear from your clothes, Shunsui was back. His hands roamed your bare skin, a low growl escaping as he watched where he touched you. “Perfect.” One hand skimmed over your shoulder, down your arm, to your hand. He lifted it to his lips, kissed your palm, ran his tongue over it then he grinned when you gasped. He pulled you close, gray eyes shining in the firelight with something raw and animalistic. Your whole body shuddered. His look instantly became concerned, “Are you afraid, wife?”

You swallowed hard…ye gods, your throat was so dry! “N – No. I’m not afraid.” You reached for his face, let the bristle of his beard tickle your hand, “I will never be afraid of you or Jushiro.”

He smiled down at you, dropped a soft kiss on your lips. He gently turned you around to face Jushiro.

The sight made your knees wobble. Jushiro stood completely naked in the firelight. And, he had let his hair down. All that glorious white, silky hair was cascading around him like a heavenly aura. Your eyes followed the lines and shadows of his muscles…down….down….By all that’s holy!

“That’s not going to fit.” You had spoken your stray thought out loud. Shunsui’s laughter made you realize it.

Jushiro was snickering. He reached for you, pulled you close until his skin met yours, “Trust me, sweetheart, we will fit together perfectly.” 

He was so warm. Every place he touched you left a prickly sensation on your skin. His hand moved up your ribcage to cup a breast as his head dipped to allow him to lick your nipple. “Oh!” Your body swayed in his grasp, your back arched to give him better access. A soft hum of approval, then his mouth covered your nipple and he sucked. Your whole body bucked as a squeal of surprise escaped. It feels so good….His chuckle against your sensitive peak made your legs shake. Your fingers sank into his hair, holding him to you, needing to touch him. He lifted his lips to yours, tongue delving deep to sweep you even further into a state of mounting heat. 

He stepped back and sat down in the big chair by the fireplace. You were guided into his lap, but turned away, back to face Shunsui. 

Shunsui stood in all his bared glory, looking like a god. He was a bit larger than Jushiro, but not by much. The hard planes of muscle covered his body like a suit of armor under his flesh. The dark hair on his chest fascinated you. You wondered how it would feel when he pressed his body against yours. Would it be soft or coarse? Would it feel much different from Jushiro’s skin?

Then your eyes were drawn to the erection that stood proud. Your eyes went round as your mouth fell open. Seeing your expression, Shunsui smiled, “Don’t worry, we’ll fit, you’ll see.” His eyes met Jushiro’s over your shoulder.

Jushiro moved you to lean back against his chest. You were very aware of his hard, hot erection nestled against your lower back. You had barely registered the thought when his hands reached under your thighs and lifted them open. Your sex was completely open and exposed. A protest was mounting on your lips until you saw the hunger in Shunsui’s gaze as it settled there. 

One step. Then he was on his knees, his lips and hands grazing the back of your thighs. You tried to squirm but couldn’t in Jushiro’s grip. You watched with unbridled curiosity as Shunsui dragged his tongue over your swollen lips all the way up to a place that ripped the moan right from your throat.

Jushiro let go of your legs, allowing them to settle on Shunsui’s wide shoulders. His hands moved up to cup your breasts, thumbs lightly stroking over your nipples in careful movements to match what Shunsui’s mouth was doing. You moaned again. Your head fell back onto his shoulder. Jushiro’s lips skimmed over your ear, his breath sending a tickling wave down your back. Combined with Shunsui’s lips moving between your legs, the sensations were making your body feel tight and restless.

You squirmed. Shunsui growled. His hands held your hips, making you be still while keeping you right where he wanted you. His tongue was lapping at that wonderfully sensitive place, his lips closing over it to suck. His eyes lifted to yours and he winked at you. You couldn’t do more than just stare and pant, yet you managed a quick smile. Your hands were on the arms of the chair, fingers clawing at the fabric. 

You were burning from the inside out. Jushiro’s lips on your neck, his hands on your breasts. Shunsui’s mouth devouring you like a starving man, his hands moving on your hips and lower stomach. Something was growing in you, threatening to take over. 

Then, it happened…a wave of pleasure crashed over you. Your head flung back against Jushiro’s shoulder as screams of ecstasy erupted from your throat. Colors of every hue danced behind your eyelids. You had no concept of anything except the feeling of being swept away.

Shunsui and Jushiro were drinking in your cries of pleasure, their touches carrying you through peak after peak until you slumped – spent, euphoric, tremors running from your shoulders to you your knees.

The feeling of soft blankets. The weight of a male body, honed from decades of training and combat, was a welcome sensation. You opened your eyes to find Jushiro settling over you. His hair spilled around you, curtaining you in a private world where his kiss stirred the embers in your belly back to life. You felt something nudge the apex of your thighs. It was time. This was the moment you had feared and secretly longed for. The mystery would be solved.

One hand guided his engorged member while the other held him propped over you. “Open for me, sweet wife.” You gave him a loving smile and spread your legs, pulling your knees up like he’d done for Shunsui. His eyes never left yours as he pushed forward slowly. 

Your body was more than ready for Jushiro, but he met with a slight resistance. An easy, gentle roll of his hips and it felt like unused muscles stretching for the first time. Was this supposed to be the pain you’d been warned about? It was such a small ache, but one that only seemed to fill you with longing. Slow, inch by inch, he just kept sinking into you. Finally, he stopped, seated deep. An audible groan escaped his lips and you wondered if perhaps you’d hurt him. His forehead pressed to yours as a shiver ran through him. “Mmm, see,” his voice was thick, “we fit together perfectly.” He kissed you, tongue dipping in, catching the edge of your upper lip. “Are you all right?”

Your hands slid up his back, pulling his body toward yours in an effort to communicate your need without words. “Yes, love, I’m better than all right.” Hips shifting impatiently, your voice came out a bit breathy, “I – I need –” Then he moved and your words were stolen away on the gasp that left your lips. The slide of him inside you felt unlike anything you could imagine. The pleasure, the sweet ache…oh, please, don’t stop.

Jushiro’s smile was playful, “Oh, I know precisely what you need.” Slow and steady, his hips were moving, rolling, his hard length sending tendrils of pleasure racing through you. Each movement was better than the last until you didn’t think you could take anymore. 

On and on he kept going, speeding up then slowing down. Kisses that stole your wits gave you a feeling of being completely connected to him. He shifted to trail kisses down your neck until he reached your breasts. His mouth was hungry on them, licking, sucking, groaning against your flesh. The added sensations drove you higher into a frenzy that burned white hot at the base of your spine.

That restless feeling was building again, coiling inside you, beating at your brain. You knew what was coming and began to rock back against Jushiro’s thrusts in an effort to reach it. His lips were a mere inch from yours, both of you locked together so close, your pants fanning each other’s faces. 

Then you were crying out, the sounds uncontrollable and primal. Jushiro’s thrusts were deep and hard, pushing you beyond your breaking point. You could feel your body fluttering, clenching, and heard his guttural cry against your neck. His body went completely stiff beneath your hands and you felt a shudder run through him.  

You were floating, not quite aware of anything until you felt something cool and wet between your legs. You cracked open your eyes to find Jushiro cleaning you with a damp cloth. He looked happy, but a bit concerned, “Are you sore?”

You shook your head, “No, not at all.” You sat up to catch his lips in a sweet kiss.

You looked over to find Shunsui watching you. He was relaxed against a pile of pillows, a goblet in his hand, and looking like the most sinful temptation in all the realm. He quirked a brow, “Are you sure you’re all right?” When you nodded and smiled, he held his hand out to you. The moment you put your hand in his, he pulled you into his lap, moving you so that you straddled his thighs. His hard length was trapped between your bellies. He gave you a drink from his goblet. The spiced wine was soothing to your dry mouth. Once you’d emptied the goblet, you set it aside on the small bedside table and returned your focus to him.

You wrapped your arms around Shunsui, eager for his kiss, but more eager to press your body against his. His chest hair was soft and just a bit coarse, giving you a wonderful prickle against your skin, especially your nipples. You couldn’t hold back a mewl of need as you rubbed yourself against him, your tongue tangling with his. He nipped at your jaw, teeth grazing on his way to your neck. His lips, tongue, and teeth stirred your desire making you want more.

Shunsui’s chuckle was a rumble at your throat as one hand pressed your chest to his while the other moved down to cup and squeeze your butt. His fingers crept between your legs, rubbing your swollen lips and spreading the dampness that was gathering there. You moaned, your hands curling into the long locks of his hair that had tumbled over his shoulders.. He shifted a bit, “Push up just a bit, petal.”

You pushed up onto your knees, unsure of his request, but trusting him. You looked down and watched as he guided his erection between your legs. He rubbed it back and forth between your nether lips, making you shiver in anticipation. Then, he stopped, one hand pressing on your hip. You took the hint and sank down. Your head fell back on a loud groan as your body welcomed him inside. Shunsui let out a strangled moan, “By the gods, you feel so good!”

A thrill shot through you – you were giving him pleasure! Suddenly, you felt powerful. Two legendary knights of the realm were your husbands. And, the most notorious lover in all the land was currently underneath you, completely at your mercy, and if the look on his face were any indication, he was really enjoying it.

You squirmed, unsure of how to move. Shunsui hissed, grabbed your hips, and rocked you slowly. You quickly fell into the rhythm, unable to hold back the gasps and moans as he stretched you. So deep, so hard, so wonderful…

His hands wandered. He gently kneaded your breasts, the rough pads of his thumbs sending bolts of heat through you every time he dragged them over your sensitive peaks. 

Your hands looked so small compared to the wide planes of his chest. A thought skittered through your mind – if it felt good for him to touch your nipples, would he like that too? You leaned over and swept your tongue over his nipple. The reward was instant. He gasped in shock, hands clenching your thighs. A chuckle followed, “Little minx, you learn fast.”

You looked up at him and gave him a wink. Shunsui laughed, rich and deep, but it choked off when you settled your lips on the little bead of flesh under your tongue and sucked. His hands moved to your butt – squeezing, grinding you onto him as he thrust up. You groaned. The vibration pulled a matching groan from him.

Your thoughts of power were quickly chased away as Shunsui showed you just how powerful he was. You may have been on top, but he was the one driving you the edge of madness. Muscles were bunching under you, lifting you, pulling you back down. Every stroke of him inside you was pure magic.

Then he tilted you just a bit and new nerves sprang to life. You cried out. One hand moved to that little bud, that place you now knew would send you straight into bliss-filled oblivion. His thumb circled. “Oooooh!” You bucked in his grasp. He grinned up at you and kept stroking. Your eyes cinched shut as the world seemed to fall away on a tide of ecstasy.

You were rocking hard, wails of rapture filling the room. Shunsui grunted, sat up, wrapped his arms around you tight as if he was holding on to keep you from flying away. You could feel yourself clenching around him. His face was pressed to your chest, panting hard, thrusting hard. Then, he moaned loud and long, his body riding the last pulses of his release. 

Awareness was fleeting. You felt Shunsui lay you down. The cool wetness returned. You couldn’t open your eyes to find out who was cleaning you, it seemed to be too much effort. The world seemed softer, lighter, somehow much more wonderful than it had been before. 

Warmth surrounded you. Shunsui had curled up to your back, one arm tucked under the pillow you shared, the other draped lazily over your waist. Jushiro’s legs tangled with yours, as he settled himself comfortably against you. He kissed your lips, lingering, enjoying the feel of that simple contact. Shunsui nuzzled his face into the curve of your neck.  

Jushiro looked into your eyes as one finger traced your face, pushing a lock of  hair behind your ear, “Are you happy, my love?”

You smiled, “Deliriously happy.” You let your fingers trail over the contours of his chest to his abs, drifting lower. “I do believe you two have unleashed quite the wanton.” He sucked in a breath when your hand stroked his half-hard manhood as your teeth grazed his neck. You were feeling bold. You wanted them again, wanted them both with a hunger that seemed to know no bounds. Will I ever get enough of them? The answer was an immediate echo: Never.

Shunsui was snickering, “Well, Jushiro, I don’t think we’re going to be getting any sleep tonight.”

School of Rock

A/N: Love connection in the faculty lounge.

“Yo, Mr. Deeks.”

He stops in his tracks, turning in the direction of one of his students. “Yeah, Bobby. What’s up?”

“Can you help me with this math-“

His voice fades out when she come into his view. She’s a vision. Tall. Brunette. Beautiful. As she walks past him, she’s laughing at something the Principal said and……Holy crap. The way the sun shines through the window, lighting up her face even more as her lips turn into the widest most breathtaking smile he’s ever seen. He has to know her.

“Deeks.” 

“Ye-yeah.” He’s drawn out of his trance when the object of his affection turns the corner, slipping out of sight. Realizing that he’s being asked a question, he turns back to his student, seeing a piece of paper held out for him to look at. “Sorry. I’m a little distracted right now. Come see me before class and I’ll go over it with you, okay?”

Bobby nods his head, seeing that his teacher is indeed distracted. “Okay. Thanks, Mr. D.” 

The kid turns to walk away, but before he does, Deeks grabs his arm, turning him around. “Hey, Bobby. Do you know who that woman is that Principal Newman is showing around?”

“The brunette?”

“Yeah.”

“I think she’s the girl’s new soccer coach.”

He gives the kid a smile, thanking him. The bell rings and kids begin to scatter. Once he hears the last door close, he leans over, trying to catch his breath. 

Standing back up, he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, takes a deep breath and walks back towards his classroom. 

It had been a successful first day. She has a good feeling about this place and a good feeling about her girls. Even though they’ve only had one practice so far, things are looking good. The girls are strong and very skilled. Her colleagues are nice. Most of them she’s met, but there are still a few who she didn’t get around to meeting today.

She’s making her way to her car in the faculty parking lot when something, rather someone, catches her eye. She thinks she saw him earlier today talking to a student in the hall. In her few years of coaching, she’s never seen someone look shaggy and clean all at the same time. If there’s anyone that can pull it off, it’s definitely him. Mop of blonde hair that’s not too short, not too long. Glasses framing his face, magnifying those piercing blue eyes and don’t even get her started on his clothes. His muscles, slightly bulging through his long sleeve button up and those form fitting khakis, boy howdy. She’s so distracted by the tightness of his clothes that she doesn’t see the helmet in his hand.

She watches him as he walks up to a motorcycle and strap his bag to the seat. He turns around since she can only assume that he feels that he’s being watched, because well, he is. What catches her off guard is the boyish smile he sends her way. Holy crap. And now he’s walking right towards her. 

“Hi, I’m Marty Deeks. Calculus.” He sticks out his hand as he greets her. “You’re the new girl’s soccer coach, right?”

She feels the heat rise to her face and oh my god why is she blushing. “Yeah. Kensi Blye.”

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Kensi.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Marty.” 

They both become entranced with one another when their eyes lock. Him staring into mismatched pools of chocolate. She staring into deep ocean blue. It takes them a few minutes before they finally realize that they’re still holding hands. Both pull back as if shocked by some sort of electric current that ran through their bodies. 

He runs his fingers through his hair, that boyish grin still there. “So how was your first day?”

She feels the heat return to her face. Why is this happening to her? “It was really good. I met most of my players and I know it’s too soon but I think we have a pretty good chance at state this year.” 

“I’m sure you’re just the right person to get them there.” 

A bashful smile crosses her face and there’s a beat of silence. Neither one not really knowing what else to say. 

“I’m assuming that you’re new to town.”

“Technically, yes.”

He furrows his brow, giving her a questioning look. 

“I grew up near here and I use to come here all the time for these amazing donuts.”

“Sophie’s Sweets?”

Her eyes go wide in recognition. “YES!” 

He laughs at her exuberant outburst.

And once again the heat returns to her face. “Sorry, I just for the life of me could never remember the name.”

“Well if you’d like, we could go get some of those delicious donuts and I could show you around a little. You know, help you re-familiarize yourself with the city.” He had no idea what made him become so bold all of the sudden.

“I’d like that.” She smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Awesome.” He holds up his helmet, gesturing towards his ride. “So have you ever ridden on a motorcycle before?”

She shrugs. “Maybe once or twice.”

1 year later

Kensi, walks out of the teacher’s lounge and starts making her way down the hall towards the soccer field. 

“Alright, Bobby, you’re on.” Deeks does a thumbs up. If his plan is gonna work, he needs all the help he can get. 

Bobby starts walking toward Kensi, calling after her. “Coach Blye.”

She turns around, sending him a smile. “What can I do for you, Bobby?” 

“I was just wondering if you could help me out with these books.” 

Seeing as though part one of his plan is panning out, he hastily makes his way out the front door and walks around the school, making sure to avoid Kensi. 

Soccer Field

“Hey, Mr. Deeks.”

He makes his way over to the girls practicing. His nervousness is beginning to set in. This is a huge deal and he really doesn’t want to screw it up. “Hey, girls.”

“Coach Blye isn’t here right now. She should be back in a few minutes.” 

“I know. That’s why we have to make this quick.” 

He’s met with a bunch of confused faces. 

“Make what quick?” 

He feels his pocket vibrate, his warning signal. “No time to explain.” Taking the shirts out of the bag, he hands one to each girl. “Just put these on, remember where you’re suppose to stand and just tell coach that you want to show her the new goal celebration that you came up with.”

As each girl sees the letters on the back of the shirts and realize what they’re spelling out, their eyes go wide, smiles quickly forming on their faces. 

There’s a resounding. “Oh my god.”, making him smile.

As if on cue, his phone starts to ring. “Okay, she’s coming. Just remember what I told you.” 

“What about you?” One of the girls asks.

“When she turns her back, I’m gonna run up behind you guys and kneel behind you so that you’re hiding me.” His phone starts ringing again, forcing him to run off to hide behind the bleachers.

She’s almost to the field when she sees her girls…..and why are they not in their practice jerseys? Shaking it off, she yells for them to start drills. 

“Alright, girls. Line’em up.”

When she steps on the field one of them speaks up. “Wait, coach. We wanna show you our new celebration dance.”

“Okay, just let me set this stuff down and you can show me.” She turns around, walking towards the bench to set down her playbook and water bottle. Once she turns back around, she’s a bit perplexed. The girls are just standing there, smiles gracing each of their bright young faces. 

Shrugging at the strange position they’re in, she nods for them to go ahead. “Okay, let’s see it.” 

They slowly turn around, brining the letters on the back of their shirts that she hadn’t noticed before into her view. M A R R Y. Then she looks at the three girls kneeling in front. M E ?

She takes in a shaky breath when it finally clicks to what she just read. Then the girls slowly begin to split like the Red Sea and tears start to form in her eyes at the sight of that mop of blonde hair. He’s down on one knee, that boyish smile that she fell in love with gracing his face and there in his hand, a shiny object. 

Slowly, she makes her way over to him. The tears that were once pooling in her eyes have since began to fall. When she reaches him, she runs her fingers through his hair and brings her lips to his in what she knows will be their last kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend. “Hi.”

The love that’s radiating from his eyes is only a glimmer of what he feels for her. “Kensi Marie Blye, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“I don’t know how it happened or how I got so lucky as to have you in my life, let alone be loved by you. You’re the best person I know. The most amazing woman I have ever met and the most badass coach in all of girl’s soccer. Your beauty and kindness radiate from within you each and every single day. Everyday I wake up next to you is the best day of my life, because you are my life. You’re everything. To sum it all up…..I want you. I want you forever. I want to be the man you deserve, because you deserve the best. I want to make all your dreams come true and to be by your side when you and your team win the State Championship.” They both laugh at the resounding whoops and hollers from the girls. “If you let me, I’ll spend every breath of everyday, telling you and showing you how much I love you. You deserve everything and more, baby. I love you so much. Will you marry me?” He lets out a nervous sigh, hoping that he didn’t just sound like a blabbering doofus. 

The teary-eyed laugh she lets out is music to his ears. She nods her head, smiling as she goes back in for another kiss. “Yes. Hell, yes!”

Their first kiss as an engaged couple is one that can only be described as passionate. Pulling back, smiles still beaming on their faces, he takes her hand and slips the simple yet elegant ring onto her finger. 

He stands up as she examines it for the first time and it’s perfect. Perfectly her. Perfectly them. “I love you, Marty Deeks.” 

She wraps her arms around his neck as he wraps his around her waist for a hug. “I love you, Kensi Blye soon-to-be Deeks.”

Reaching up on her tip-toes, she places another kiss to her fiancé’s lips before she turns to her team to address them. “Okay, ladies. Practice is canceled. Be here bright and early tomorrow morning and remember…no going and staying out all hours of the night.”

He places a kiss to her forehead, breathing in the scent that can only be described as sunshine. “Let’s go home.” 

Intertwining their fingers, they walk hand in hand back to the bench so that she can grab her things. “But first donuts.”

He huffs a laugh, wrapping his arm around his fiancée’s shoulder. “Of course. Donuts first.”

“You’re the best, babe.”

“Only givin’ what I’m gettin’.”

She sighs in contentment as she burrows into his side. Perfect.

Unexpected

Request will not say by who for protection of there privacy

This is requested will not say by who for protection of there privacy

Robb's P.O.V

I stood between Sansa and my mother. I watched the blonde prince ride up between two guards. I recognized the one in the back in the hound helm as Sandor Clegane from stories. They stopped side by side. The blonde prince eyed my little sister up and down as she smiled up at him. My eyes shot glares at the crowned prince of Westeros. The hound opened his helm showing his face to the Winterfell crowd. A large brown and crimson red that featured gold details wooden coach jolted forward into a stop revealing the king, The gold cloaks, and his guards. The Baratheon king looked much different then you father had described him. The whole crown bows in respect and honor of our king. Robert Baratheon trots forward before stopping his horse. His fat fingers extended out towards a boy in tattered clothing. The young boy ran forward with a stool placing it at the side of the oldest Baratheon's feet. He climbed down and stormed towards us stopping in front of my father. He motioned with his fingers for us to stand. We all straightened ourselves out facing the King of Westeros. "Your grace," Eddard Stark greets. "You've got fat," Replied the king. Everyone's eyes widened in shock as a layer of awkward tension blanketed the crowd and traveling party. Ned Stark looked up his longtime best friend up and down with a look that said What about you. Both Men burs out laughing easing the tension in everyone's mind. "Cat," Greeted the Demon of the Trident as he hugged my mother. "Your grace," She replies. The Whoremonger King placed his hand on Rickon's head and shook it playfully before walking back to stand in front the lord of Winterfell. The King of the Andals and the First Men asked, "Nine years Ned. Why haven't I seen you? Where have you been?" The quiet wolf answered, "Guarding the North for you, Your grace. Winterfell is yours. My eyes switched to the carriage watching a group of five handmaids, a young blonde boy who must have been prince Tommen, and a Young blonde girl who must have been princess Mrycella exited the coach. My breath caught in my throat as I watched a girl with long shiny soft looking raven black hair and that had alluring deep sparkling ocean blue eyes glide from the carriage. My eyes scanned her body that looked like it had been drawn by the gods. She must have been my future wife princess Y/N. The rumors of her beauty being unmatched of her being breathtaking or the most stunning woman you could ever imagine did her no justice. She looked like a goddess walking among man. I hardly notice the queen exit and Arya asking, "Where's the imp?". I didn't even hear Sansa tell her, "Will you shut up?" Everyone and Everything disappeared and it was only her I saw. I was snapped out of my trance when the Lord of the Seven kingdoms stood in front of me. "Who have we here? You must be Robb my daughters betrothed," He answers his own question before extending his hand and shaking it. The protector of the realm moved down the line to Sansa and complemented, "My, You're a pretty one." Robert Baratheon continued down the line to Arya bending slightly before questioning, "Your name is?" "Arya," She answers. He finally got to the end of the line before ordering, "Ooh. Show us your muscles." Bran lifted his arm and the king playfully predicted, "You'll be a soldier." Jaime Lannister removed his helm flicking his hair back and then straightening his head back up. "That is Jamie Lannister the queen's twin brother," My baby sister explained. I watched as the blonde queen marched forward toward the Winterfell residents. Cersei Lannister extended her hand to my father to kiss and he placed a soft gentle quick kiss on her knuckles. "My queen," My father address. "My queen," My mother welcomes with a bow. "Y/N come meet you good family," Instructed your father. The woman I am going to marry floats towards us like an angel. She stopped in front of us and smiled a smile that made my knees weak. My eyes were stuck on her as everything else disappeared.

Your P.O.V

You stood in front of the Starks and the Winterfell occupants. I flashed them a bright smile before curtsying to Lord and Lady Stark causing Lady Stark to curtsied back. "It is a pleasure to meet you princess," The head of house stark welcomes. "It is an honor to welcome you into our family,' Greets Catelyn. "Thank you both it is a great honor to join a family as beautiful as yours as well as live in a place so breathtaking and meet such amazing people," You complement. You saw the little boy who couldn't be much older than six clinging to his mother's hand. You crouched down in front of him and asked, "What is your name?" "Rickon," He squeaked out. "It is a pleasure to meet you," You answer placing a kiss on his forehead. He beamed up at you before running to you and hugging you. You giggled softly. A giggle that unknowing to you caused a flutter in the eldest son's chest that was already melting at the site of you and your baby brother. "Rickon Stark," Scolded his mother. You released the younger boy and he ran to his mother. "It is alright he is adorable," You reassure the older woman. You decided to save your betrothed for last. You walk towards the end of the line stopping. "What is your name," You asked? "Bran," The boy who couldn't be much older than ten answered. "I just want to thank you,' You say. "Why," He asked his face morphing to confusion. "I was scared to leave my home but knowing you are here a strong future Captain of the Kingsguard make feel better," You complement. His face beamed with happiness as you lent over and placed a small kiss on his cheek. You moved to the next little girl she had brown hair and grey eyes. 'What is your name," You asked kindly? "Arya," She answers a hint of annoyance. You leaned down close to her ear and wrapped your arms around her pretending to hug her as you whispered, "Your wild I can tell I was to meet me at my chambers when you get the chance I have a present to give you." Last but not least you landed on the eldest daughter. She had auburn hair and blue eyes that complemented her pale skin. "What is your name," You ask in a voice sweeter than honey. "Sansa," She answers with a childlike smile. "May I say your beautiful I am envious your beauty is beyond compare," You complement. The girl blushes a deep shade of red. "Thank you princess but I am no where near as beautiful as you," she replies. "Why thank you my lady," You answer. Before stopping at the man you were to marry. You opened your mouth to introduce yourself but was cut off by your fathers booming voice, "Robb this is my daughter Y/N." "It is a pleasure to meet you princess," The Winterfell native replies taking your soft hand in his lifting it to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on your knuckles. A set of butterflies erupted in your belly at the action much to your distaste. Your hand dropped to your side and he straightened up. You guys got lost in each other's blue eyes but were interrupted by your father demanding, "Take me to your crypt. I want to pay my respects." Your mother masking her venom with honey sweet words says, "We have been traveling a month, my love. Surely the dead can wait." "Ned," Robert ignores. The king and The warden take off toward the crypt leaving the wives, children, and people of both parties standing there. Arya restated a former question, "Where's the imp?" You wanted to glare at the girl knowing the way your mother was going to react to that but you understood her curiosity and amazement it wasn't every day you met a man like him. Your mother snapped around with an angry grimace on her face. Your mother marched back towards her twin before commanding, "Where is our brother? Go find the little beast." Jamie marches off his armor clanking with every step. "Thank you all of you for welcoming us as well as your hospitality but may I ask if we can be shown to our quarters I heard we will be feasting tonight and would like for me and my handmaids to freshen up before the festivities and my younger siblings are both exhausted I am sure they would like to rest," You thanks and explain. "Of course princess Rickon and Bran show the youngest prince to his quarters Arya show the youngest princess to her quarters Sansa show the crowned prince his quarters Robb will you show Princess Y/N to her quarters please and thank you," She ordered her children before turning towards the crowd and commanding, "Everyone else thank you for joining us in welcoming our king, queen, princes, and princess now back to work unless you were chosen to help the royal family and there traveling party in their room assignments if you were chosen please meet me here in thirty I am gonna how the queen her quarters and will be back to give your further instructions as for the royal traveling party welcome to Winterfell we are happy to host you please remain patient while we room you thank you and enjoy your time in our home." You motioned for Tommen and Mrycella as they ran to you. Joffrey unmounted his horse as a servant scurried over taking it from him. The four of you stood in front of the Starks and your mother joined you. You all broke away following your respective person to your room. "Thank you for showing me to my room my lord," You break the silence hearing your echoing footsteps through the busy halls of Winterfell. "Please princess call me Robb," The future lord of Winterfell instructs. "Call me Y/N Princess will only be my title for seven sunrises plus you are to be my husband and titles are far to formal for a husband and wife." You explain. "Well Y/N is a beautiful name by the way it fits you," He complements. "Thank you," You accept with a blush on your sun-kissed skin. "So I was thinking we are to be wed in a weeks time and we don't know each other I was wondering if maybe I could escort you to the feast we can sit together get to know each other and maybe you would accompany me on a walk in the gardens we didn't have a chose in our marriage but we do in the way it turns out," He asks nervously. "I agree," You accept his offer. "Great this is your room I am sure your ladies will be here soon as well as your things plus I wouldn't be surprised you would be exhausted and like to rest so I will leave you to it but I will be here at sunset to get you," He dismissed before taking off. You walked into the chambers scanning it figuring this is the quarters you would resided in for the rest of your days. It was simple but it had everything you needed. You walked to the end of the bed throwing yourself down. Your eyes fluttered closed almost immediately. You must have been completely worn out because you had slept through the delivery of all of your belongs. You did not wake until your handmaids Scarlet and Sophia woke you. They both looked amazing already dressed for the feast. "Wake up princess you need to get ready," Sophia woke you. "Five more minutes Soph," You groaned stretching your aching muscles. "You don't have five more minutes you must get up and get ready you don't have much time and your bath is getting cold," Scarlett rejects. You stood stretching with a grown . You removed your clothing and walked towards the tub. You stepped your long leg into the hot water before your other followed sinking down with a hiss of pain and moan of pleasure at the heat of the water. You closed your eyes as you heard two pairs of footsteps walking towards you. "What scent did you use scar it smells amazing," You ask? "I used the Honey scent," She answers as she helped Sophia bath you. You kept your eyes closed until they were done. You stood up and walked to the vanity. They dressed you in a tightfitting white and gold dress that has a long train and slits up both sides. They were doing your hair when Scarlet asked, "So how do you like him?" "He seems nice but men like to lie they charm woman marry them and then there true self-shows," You answer. "Do you think he will be like your father," Sophia asked? "Not as bad but all men cheat and treat there wives like dirt," You answer. "Eddard Stark doesn't," Scarlet interjects. "He has a bastard," Argued Sophia. "Guys it is okay I have accepted my fate now please set the flower crown on my head so I can watch my father be an animal and embarrass my family and disrespect my mother like always," You state. They set the snow-white flower crown on top of your hair as you heard a knock on the wooden door. You stood soothing your dress before strutting to the door swinging it open. "Wow," You heard him gasp. "What," You snapped painfully aware of the way his eyes were locked on you. "Uh uh nnnothing its just you look perfect better than perfect," The young wolf stutters. "Thank you," You thank blushing. He offered you his arm which you politely took. "So Y/n tell me about yourself," Robb directed. "Well I am not only the oldest daughter but eldest child of Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister I have three siblings which I am extremely close with despite Joffrey being a prick sometimes My mother is like my best friend I am incredibly close to my handmaidens I don't really have a relationship with my father I have an all white mare name shadow and I had a cat but I gave it to Tommen named Sir Pounce I love riding, reading, swimming, practicing with weapons much to my mothers displeasure, I love to sing, dance, draw, paint, basically any art form including acting. I like to travel even though I can't do it often. I enjoy sailing but above all I loved to visit the orphanage in flee bottom," You spill. "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met," The eldest son of Eddard Stark confesses causing you to laugh loudly. You heard you laugh echo through the chilly stone hall accompany your footsteps. "What about you Robb," You ask? "Well I am the eldest child and son of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully I am the future lord of Winterfell and Warden of the north I have two full brothers and a half-brother as well as two full sisters I am very close with both my mother and my father My best friend is my father's ward Theon he is like another brother but my favorite person in the world is my direwolf Greywind My days mostly consist of training in the courtyard and then training greywind I love to ride and travel I don't swim often but sometimes I swim in the pond in the god's woods by the weirwood tree I love feasts in Winterfell and I like to have fun boring I know," He jokes causing you to laugh again. "No not at all but would I maybe be able to meet Greywind I love animals," You request. "Of course," He agrees. The rest of the night the two of you spent talking and laughing. He took Arya to her room because she launched food at Sansa he came back and you guys danced and had even more fun until you were so tired you were passing out at the table and your feet were sore. He walked you back to your chambers kissing your cheek and bidding you a farewell and see you on the morrow. You went to bed that night with dreams of the young lord. The next day you met Greywind. He was beautiful and seemed to love you. You, Robb, and his direwolf turned one walk into the entire day. You had to admit you were falling for Robb and it scared you. Your mind was racing reminding you-you couldn't fall for him. He would cheat create children with other woman those children would be no less his blood then your own. The only difference your children would have the surname Stark while the others would carry the name snow. He would abuse you mentally, emotionally, and verbally maybe even physically. He would embarrass and disrespect you publicly. Probably having minimum relationships with his children. Caring more for his whores then his family. He would only bed you to put a child in you. There would be no feelings just duty. He would be just like your father. A terrible, horrible, animal-like being. You would be the next generation of your parents and pretty much every other marriage you witnessed growing up. You knew your life was going to hurt no matter what but loving would just make the pain exploded like wildfire. So you decided the next day you would avoid Robb hoping to minimize your feelings before your fastly approaching wedding. Your plan only worked for three days, On your fourth day in Winterfell and the day before you became the future lady of Winterfell. You were marching through the courtyard of Winterfell Sansa and Mrycella at your hills towards the room were you were going to get your dresses fitted for the wedding when you were stopped by the youngest daughter of Lord and Lady Stark. "Can I speak to you alone," She asked annoyed? "Sure Cella Sans meet me in the room I will be there in a moment," You order. "You said you had a gift for me the first day I never went for it I would like to claim it if the option is still available," she explains. "Of course come by my room tonight before bed," You direct as your eyes drift to Robb and Greywind. The inseparable duo stood in front of a young maid around your age. She was twirling her hair and laughing with a wide smile. He was chuckling and joking while leaning against the wall. It infuriated you to no end. You knew it would happen but you couldn't handle it before you knew what you were doing you were storming over there jaw clenching in anger. You stormed over trying to calm yourself. You steadied yourself calming you steps and lie in mock sweetness, "Excuse me may I have a moment with my fiance please wedding details I need his opinion." "Of course princess Lord Stark I would love to continue our conversation later," She agrees before scurrying off. You turn to him your facade leaving and your anger returning as you snapped, "I KNOW YOU WOULD CHEAT BUT DO YOU HAVE TO DO IT IN FRONT OF MY FACE AND OUR PEOPLE THE PEOPLE THAT WILL HAVE TO RESPECT ME AS YOUR WIFE." "What are you talking about," He asks in confusion. "I AM SAYING THAT THE FLIRTING WITH THE MAID WHEN WE ARE GETTING MARRIED TOMORROW EVENING," You holler. "I wasn't flirting with any maid," He defends. "I don't care if you do, to be honest, I expect it I have watched my father and you sleeping with castle help would make you a good husband compared to what I see I just beg of you Robb, please don't make me watch it please don't let our future sons and daughters see it please Robb I am begging of you keep your future affairs private," You plead. Robb notices the tears in your eyes and pulls against you which causes you to first stiffen then fall in to his body a sobbing mess. "I do not know of your father or the way he treated your mother and you and your siblings but I am not going to be like that I promise to be faithful both in public and behind the doors I intend to be an amazing husband and father just like mine was but better then he was I intend to care for you and love you and only you I fear I have already fallen for you and I don't want that to change plus I hope you have fallen or at least gained some feelings for me and don't worry about that maid I am sorry it upset you but I wasn't talking to her on my behalf I was talking to her on Jon's I figured he needed to get laid so he wouldn't be so broody," Robb vows after you pulled away and he pushed a piece of hair behind your ear. You laughed before gripped his face in your hands and pushed your lips to his. The two of you sharing a passionate kiss. Robb Stark was surprised by the kiss and you were surprised by him so you both got something unexpected that day.

Message to the requester I hope you like it. It was a lot of fun to write. If you don’t like it there are a few things I can do. 1. I can rewrite it completely 2.I can rewrite certain parts (If there is a certain part you don’t like it) 3.I can add detail (If detail is the problem) 4. I can write you something else other other than that I just wanna say your feedback is greatly appreciated and I would love to hear what you have to say good or bad. Thanks for the request hope you enjoy it.

My Beautiful Night-Wing (LokixReader)

Chapter Ten: Is This Love?

Part: 11/?

Words: 1,750+

(Y/N POV)

I stood on the balcony outside of my room and tried to calm myself down. It was a long day and my magic needed a rest, so I was letting my wigs show. I have felt it for a while now, but today I have fully accepted it. I was in love with Loki Odinson, and that was that. Why did it have to be him? Everyone who I have ever cared about has suffered and died because of what I am! Jenna was the only one I had told about my liking Loki, and I planned on keeping it that way. Better Loki doesn't find out and save me the hart brake and our friendship.

While I was thinking to myself I heard a knock on the door to my chambers'. I quickly hid my wings as the door opened and I could see Loki standing in the doorway holding something.

"Good evening Y/N," Loki said stepping into my room and closing the door behind him. "I found your book next to the pond. I thought I would bring it to you."

He held out the book to me as I came inside from the balcony.

"Thank you, Loki," I said gently taking the book from his hands. I felt a slight shiver as my hand brushed agents his. "I was wondering what I had done with it."

I walked over to my nightstand and placed the book on its hardwood top. We both said nothing for a few moments, and the silence was starting to make me feel tense.

"Y/N," Loki started after about a minute of saying nothing. "Would you be up for a ride through the woods? The stars should be magnificent tonight, and I know a great place to watch them."

I could hear the hopefulness in his voice, and was he nervous? No, that couldn't have been it. I must be misreading him.

"That would be lovely," I said and could see he looked pleased. "Give me a few moments to get ready? I will meet you at the stables."

"Great," Loki said happily. "I will see you soon."

With that, he walked out the door leaving me alone, and I began to get ready for a night ride.

(Loki's POV)

As I walked down the halls to the stables I ran into Thor, and he stepped into my path.

"Well," Thor asked expectantly. "What did she say?"

I rolled my eyes at him as I walked past him, but he followed me.

"She said she will meet me at the stables," I said to Thor who had a huge smile on his face. "I will be getting our horses ready in the meantime."

"Will you tell her tonight, brother?" Thor asked me, and I stopped for a moment. "I mean, you did chicken out this morning."

"I did not "chicken out", Thor," I snapped back. "I was going to tell her, but she left before I had the chance!"

"Yeah. Sure," Thor said with a laugh. "You better not let her leave tonight. She likes you a lot you know."

"How would you know that Thor," I asked knowing he was just bluffing. "Did she tell you?"

"No," Thor said. "But I do know she has feelings for you Loki. Just as you have feelings for Y/N."

I sighed as I walked past him opening the doors to the stables, leaving him behind. I thought about what Thor had said, and knew he was right. I will tell Y/N that I have feelings for her tonight and hope that she feels the same.

(Y/N POV)

I had put on some warm pants, a long-sleeved F/C shirt, and a black hooded cloche. I walked out my door and headed down the huge halls to the stables where Loki was waiting for me. When I was about halfway there I ran into Thor, who, as usual, had a smile on his face. Thor may look like a huge, scary, "I can kill you in two seconds" look to him, but in reality, he was a sweetheart. We would train sometimes when I was free, and we would train till we dropped. He reminded me of Erett in a way, training me with fighting and being an all-around good brother.

"Hello Thor," I said happily. "How are you this evening?"

"I am fine, thank you lady Y/N," Thor said with a larger than normal smile. "What are you doing this evening?"

"Loki asked me to go horseback riding with him," I said trying to hide my excitement. "We plane to see what stars are out tonight."

"Well," Thor said as we approached the stables. "Sounds like a great time. I will leave you to it then. Good night Y/N"

"Good night Thor," I said as I walked out the door to the stables.

I could see Loki standing next to two beautiful horses, one of which was mine. Loki's male horse was lean and midnight black named Abbas. My horse had black hair with white dots that looked like stars all over her, I named her Polaris.

"Ready to go," Loki asked once he saw me come in. "I have everything all set."

"Alright then," I said as I got onto my horse and he got on his. "Let's see what you have for us tonight, Loki"

*Kind of time skip*

I followed Loki out of the city and into the woods, and we rode for about two hours before we got off the horses. We tied them off, and Loki led me towards a clearing. Once we got out of the trees I could see it wasn't just a clearing, but a cliff that overlooks the city of Asgard and its ocean. I looked up and gasped, the stars were incredible. More than I had ever seen from the city, and I had never been out this far. All the colors of the nebulas, all the stars, and moons were absolutely breathtaking.

"Do you like it," Loki asked taking my attention away from the sky. "It's one of my favorite places to come, so I thought you would like it too."

"Like it," I said almost breathlessly. "Loki. I love it! It is beautiful."

"I am glad you think so," Loki said with a smile, and I realized how close we were. "Y/N I have....Well...I."

I have never seen Loki look this nervous, and I was getting a little worried.

"Loki," I asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Loki said softly. "Everything is fine, it's just. Well, I wanted to tell you something. That's why I brought you up here, I needed to ask for your advice."

"Alright Loki," I said questioningly. "You can ask me anything."

"It's about a girl who has caught my feelings," Loki said after a few moments of silence, and I felt my heart begin to hurt. So, Loki already has someone he likes. I knew he could never like me, but it still hurt. I knew I had to be supportive, so I hid my pain under a small smile. "How do I tell her I like her and want to spend the rest of my life with her?"

Wow, he must really like her.

"Well to start," I said almost shakily. "I need to know who she is. That's a big part of how you should tell her."

"I can't tell you who she is," Loki said looking down. "You know her, and I don't want her knowing before I am ready."

"You are not giving me much to go off of her Loki," I said trying to get him to look at me. "Can you at least tell me about her?"

"She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," Loki started and he was now looking up at the night sky above us. "She has silky H/C hair that I would love to run my hands through as I hold her in my arms. The way her amazing E/C eyes sparkle with emotion when she talks about something she is passionate about." He stopped for a moment as if to collect his thoughts then continued. "But she is not just beautiful, she is the most loving, sweet, intelligent, caring, and amazing person I have ever met."

"She....She sounds great Loki," I said sadly. Hearing him talk about someone with so much love made me feel so much pain, but I couldn't let it show. Not here, not now. "I think you should just tell her how you feel. It is obvious you care about her a lot, and anyone would be crazy to not like you Loki, you are a great person. You should just tell her."

"Are you sure," Loki asked with a sad tone in his voice. "What if she doesn't like me back?"

"She will," I said pulling him in for a hug. I could tell he needed comfort, and I could feel a tear slipping down my face, and I didn't want him to see it. "Trust me, Loki. She will."

"Thank you, Y/N," He said softly. Before I knew what was happening he pulled me to face him and brought his lips to mine in a sweet, loving kiss. His arms warped around my waist, and I put my arms around his neck. The kiss probably only lasted a few seconds, but to me, it felt like hours and I didn't want it to end. There was so much love and feeling in the kiss, it was like all the words we wanted to say but couldn't. Finlay, we pulled away for air and stared into each other's eyes, not saying anything.

"But I thought," I said sadly. "I thought you liked someone else. The girl you described can't be me."

"Oh Y/N," He spoke softly brushing the tear from my face with his thumb. "That was only the beginning, my love. I could never say how much I love you."

"You...You love me?" I asked unsurely.

Loki let out a soft laugh and pulled me agents his chest.

"More than anything," He said softly into my ear. "And I would like to prove it to you if you will allow me. What do you say Y/N, will you allow me to court you?"

"Yes," I said happily. "I would love to."

"Thank the gods," Loki said. "I will love you till the end of my days."

We stayed like that for a long while, just warped in each other's arm watching the stars.

Tag List: @mybabydrivesa67impala @theoneanna @camu-winchester

Let me know if you want to be tagged. Fic requests are open.

sweet nothing

TITLE: sweet nothing CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 4/? AUTHOR: hiddlemediddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki being in love with his brother’s wife. RATING: M readers only! You have been warned. NOTES/WARNINGS: x

-

“You have drawn Delia like this” You stated to Loki simply. You were amazed at how calm your voice was in this situation.

“They are gone. I burnt them long ago” Loki said breathlessly.

“You slept with her”

“Never” Loki said, desperate now. “I never did. Look at the other pages. I should never have kept them.. ”

You ignored his later plea. “Lust. This is all it is.. lust" 

“Y/N, please" 

Before you could stop it from happening, tears were dripping onto the pages. Above your sketched collarbone, a droplet fell and sank into the page. 

Loki moved to grasp onto the sketch book. 

You turned away, desperately flicking the page and evading him.

The next pictures were different. Loki had sketched your face, yet you noticed that this was far more detailed than the more erotic pictures. Next, you saw a sketch of you standing beside the rhododendrons of the garden. Another one, the one you could only gaze at in amazement, was of you looking out onto Asgard from the balcony as you had been with him that day. 

"I desired you. It was the only filter that I could channel it”

You stared at him. “You no longer do?”

Loki remained silent. His silence was enough to confirm that he still indeed desired you. 

“You desire her”

“No more” Loki whispered. “Time has shown me that.. you have shown me that more than anything”

“I barely know you” You said, desperately clinging onto any thread of reason that would make you reject all of his advances.

Loki was silent again. “I repulse you” he said, simply, after a short while of silence. He said it as though it were a revelation. All previous confusions were banished as he said what he believed so strongly to be true.

“You do not!” You cried, more agitated than ever. You placed the sketch book down, shaking with either rage or nervousness. You could not even tell which it was.

“Then why?” he yelled back. “Why do you run away? Why do you turn from me? I don’t want Delia.. I never wanted her in the way that I want you. I loved Delia. Loved, Y/N. I do not care for her in the way that I now care for you!”

His words were so raw that you could not help but gaze at him in astonishment. Before you were able to openly cry in front of him again, you moved away.

“Give me time.. I need time” You said, desperate to leave. You grabbed onto the handle of the chambers. Before you could, Loki held onto your arm. It wasn’t as forceful as it had been before.

“I will wait for you, Y/N” he said. “I will wait for as long as I shall live”

His words sent a thrill throughout your body. You were gone before you could even think of a reply.

***

Weeks had passed once more. You were lying in your small, hard bed in your own room. You ate the meagre portion of food with relish, yet nothing could avert your attention from what you were feeling. The days were filled with duties, yet it was the nights which haunted you. Left with your own thoughts, you could not help but think about one man. One man only. The way you felt about him was the most dominant question. You wanted his personality and his conversation, yet you could not ignore the deep throb which would grow as you were around him.

You also knew that you desired him physically.

You were asked again to take a stack of books to Loki’s private chambers. You chanced to look at the titles. Some were about mortal conceptions of Norse mythology, meanwhile others were simply books on mortal plantations. It was the latter which captivated you the most. You remembered how your late parents had shown you their own plantation in the garden. You had been an only child, relishing in the attention that they had given you. One of the first things they had taught you to do was plant. 

You saw Loki in his usual chair, perusing a book. His eyes lifted in surprise to see you, yet he tried to remain indifferent. He was clearly finding it difficult, seeing as he could not quite vanish from the air the words he had told you weeks before. 

Nor could those erotic images of you quite leave your mind. You blushed at the mere thought of them. For all you knew, Loki still had them. A part of you, as bad as you thought it was, wanted him to keep them. If he had, you could not see yourself being too angry. Yet, the first sight of them and the emotions that came with them had moved you to tears. What was different now?

What you thought.. or knew to be different now was how you truly felt about him.

“Thank you, Y/N" 

You nodded, asking if Loki needed anything else.

"Would you.. care to join me? I wanted to give you these books” Loki said, gesturing towards the books that you yourself had been curiously gazing towards. 

You smiled slightly, almost forgetting your other obligations. You took the book he indicated. 

“I’m a.. slow reader. Perhaps you should take it first”

“I insist” Loki said. “I could help you, if you would like" 

You felt your cheeks burning. Nonetheless, you found yourself kindly accepting his offer. You later explained to him how you had only briefly been taught how to read before your parents had died of an incurable fever. That is how you had been placed in an orphanage and consequently into servitude. Loki was astounded by your honesty. 

You had sat with him for what felt like hours, simply talking and reading passages from the book together. 

"I had.. assumed that you liked them when we were passing through the garden that day" 

You gave him a small smile. "Thank you" 

After a while, Loki spoke again. 

"Do you remember how I told you about things that are said in passion?”

“That they are meaningless?”

“I retract that statement completely. Often, things said in passion are said from the innermost recesses of the soul. Only, what I said to you was with too much force. I may be who I am, yet who I am cannot dictate who you are. I will feel what I feel, as will you”

You were captivated by his truth.

“I cannot take back what I said. I could only speak the truth to you. You inspire within me complete honesty” he admitted. “What I sketched.. I cannot explain. What you must know is that who you are within dictates my feelings, not who you are on the exterior. Desire simply blinds the senses.. corrupts judgement. Desire cannot wholly breed feeling”

“It is how you felt” You managed to say, again moved by his words. “You cannot undermine it, nor even justify it in most cases. We feel what we feel”

At that, you explained that your absence might be noted. Loki nodded, telling you that you were welcome to the book for as long as you desired. You thanked him endlessly. 

“Y/N.. you must not think about your position. Servitude does not dictate who you are. You may believe it does, yet you are a human being with emotion and so much to give”

“If that is the case” You found yourself saying. “Then may I return to speak about this book with you?”

Loki was unable to hide his astonishment. “Of course”

You left Loki’s private chambers, unable to hide your sheer joy. Each night, you would read the book about the plantations and note how the mortal author described certain ones. Fertility came to mind at times, which made you think about Delia. In those moments, you had to remind yourself of Loki’s words.

Over time, you had regularly began to meet Loki. He was extremely intellectually stimulating, which was the feature which piqued your curiosity the most. So far, nobody had noticed your absences. It was a relief, yet you dreaded the moment when somebody would ask. It was astonishing that nobody had done so already. You noticed that everyone, including maids, seemed extremely wrapped up in their own affairs. By refusing to accept any behaviour as remotely suspicious within the palace, they could proceed happily within their own lives.

It was only when, one night, you were called to help with dinner. Delia and Thor would inevitably be there, which led you to feel quite at loss for feeling. You had not properly seen the woman yet, the woman that had captivated Loki’s amorous attentions so rigorously. At the party a few weeks back, you had given all of your attentions to your tasks and had only chanced to take a glance at Loki. You had not even seen Delia on that night, nor had you seen her since.

You had expected to see her on the palace halls with Thor, or even alone with perhaps her lady in waiting. You never had. Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps you had both chanced to be in the wrong places at the wrong times. The palace was vast, which made you believe in the latter.

You saw her on Thor’s arm when you walked into the hall. Long brown locks of hair cascaded over her shoulders, some sections curled particularly tightly. Her face was almost identical to Loki’s drawing, yet you noticed that her cheeks were more sunken than Loki’s depiction. She was staggeringly beautiful. You did not hesitate to realise how Loki had fallen in love with her. A mere glance at her was breathtaking. You noticed with particular envy that Loki’s sketch had not done her true appearance the justice it so deserved. Nevertheless, he had not been too far off. 

“Y/N, I trust you are enjoying the book?" 

You turned suddenly, seeing Loki there holding a drink.

"I am, thank you, Loki” You said politely.

“I have a few more at my chambers that you may borrow. Yet, if you wish, I can show you the original scripts”

“I don’t know the language”

“I can teach you” Loki said eagerly. You were unable to conceal your smile. He was smiling back steadily, yet his unease was beginning to arise. His family was beginning to crowd in to the dining hall, with special honours made for the Vanaheim household as guests. You heard a bell-like laughter resound throughout the halls. You turned, yet you needn’t do so. It was no doubt a sound from Delia’s delightful mouth. You saw, with bemusement, that Delia was imitating Thor. She smashed a glass on the floor and yelled ‘Another!’. Seeing as you were the only servant there, they looked to you. You gave Loki a curt nod before leaving for the kitchen. 

Before you left, you had involuntarily brushed his arm. Loki felt as though he had been momentarily blessed.

You did not see the look of anger briefly wave over Loki’s face, directed at his family. Their impertinence never failed to astound him.

You returned and gave Delia her drink.

“We shall have snacks now, shall we, dear?” Delia turned to her husband. “Loki! We shall have your tricks too, you may use this servant girl as your assistant" 

You thought your heart would sink to the floor. 

"As appealing as your proposition may sound, Delia, I refuse to objectify people for the purpose of magic”

“Hush hush! You never had any problem with it in the past! Besides, this is a mere servant girl. She would find it to be an honour, wouldn’t you?" 

You did not reply. Delia looked at you with anger.

"My dear, we must dismiss this one. What a tiring expression! Ha! I shall dismiss her at once. We never had such conduct in Vanaheim, did we father?”

Nobody seemed to be taking any notice of her. All but one.

“Delia, I must ask you kindly to retract those words” Loki hissed. He was angry, so angry that you could only look at him in wonder. “She is worth more than you could ever be”

Delia whirled on him. “Me? Retract my words for her? Why, Loki, you were grovelling on your knees for me a few seconds before claiming your love for me. Be mine, Delia, be mine! Don’t tell me now that you are beginning to lose your silver tongue. You never did have any wits nor nerve about you”

The entire hall was silent. Everyone had been listening to this exchange by now, particularly noting Delia’s words. Thor stared at her, his blank expression turning into one of revulsion. 

“Loki is defending this servant girl, telling her how worthy she is! You all dare to place blame upon me? Thor, tell them!" 

Odin watched on, having wished that tonight would be a dinner containing little if no drama at all. His hopes were evidently shattered. Frigga seemed more concerned for your own welfare. Thor didn’t even flinch at his wife’s plea.

"Worthy! Ha! As if she could tempt you, Loki. Look at her. As for you, you’re not worthy of walking the very ground that I tread, you despicable frost giant. Call yourself a lover! Frost giants are incapable of love, you brute. Tell me - ”

Before she could continue her vitriol, you had swung at her. Your fist cracked against the very jawline that Loki had carved onto his sketch of her. She fell back in horror. Thor had caught her without having even realised what you had done. 

Once she recovered, her beautiful eyes were warped into ugliness. They pierced sharply into your own. It was such a searing look that you knew it would never leave you. 

“You all defend him. You all defend that monster. Odin, if you had been wise, you would have left him to die on that rock. Allowing a frost giant into the halls of Asgard. Incomprehensible!" 

You had enough. You didn’t realise the way that Loki was looking at you. To say that he was astonished by your fierce defence of him would be the understatement of the century. You swung for her again. It was only this time that Delia’s family had intervened. 

"Restrain that servant girl! She will not lay another hand on our royal line!” Delia’s father yelled. The retinue which had accompanied Vanaheim’s royal family were suddenly surrounding you.

“Release her!” Loki yelled, pushing the Vanaheim guards with such a force that they fell back with shock. Suddenly, multiple copies of Loki appeared around them. Frigga seemed impressed.

The guards held their ground. 

“We know your tricks, Loki” Delia yelled, her mother now taking her. 

Loki did not even hear Delia’s pathetic pleas. Thor was too shocked to even move to aid his brother. You had already disarmed the Vanaheim guards, beginning to take one of them on by hand to hand combat. You had practiced for years silently, having learnt a great deal from your father. It was only now that such practice was put into real action. Loki, again, was astonished. The guards were down, having retreated back to the Vanaheim family. Already they were beginning to leave.

“Our alliance is broken” Odin thundered. “Do not expect mercy from the Nine Realms”

They were already leaving in shame. 

You looked to Loki, your eyes watering. He grasped onto you, embracing you for the very first time. You felt his body against your own, every inch of it. You could not remember the last time you had been embraced in such a loving manner.

You felt a stab of pain, so acute that you screamed out in pain. You looked down in sheer horror at a pool of your own blood already beginning to form.

A knife had been planted directly in your shoulder, perilously close to the joining at your back. You turned around and saw Delia, looking at you deliriously. She had escaped her mother’s grasp to place a knife within you. 

“Die in hell, whore” she spat. You fell onto the ground. Loki grasped onto you, yelling so loud for help that you felt your ears would ring in equal pain. 

“Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake, stay awake…" 

Loki’s desperate voice became a litany of sound. His imperatives were met with the complete opposite effect. His voice was lulling you into an unconscious state of mind.

Before you completely lost consciousness, you heard such a sound of pain that you could barely believe that it had been produced by a human being. Loki roared out in such distraught that the walls of Asgard could well have tumbled around them all.

Breath of the Forbidden {Prince!Shiro x Reader}{#4}

Words: 5153

Summary: In a world where rank means everything, you would be described as the lowest of the low. Working for people of higher class, taking orders with no room to complain, you find yourself thrown into a new world entirely whenever you are sent to work for the Shirogane royals - the family who rules over Voltron. Though all seems to be a disaster, what happens whenever you end up striking an unlikely bond with the son of the king and queen, Prince Takashi?

Pairing: Prince!Shiro x Reader

Notes: p1 - p2 - p3 - p5 - p6 - p7 - p8 - p9 - p10 - p11 - p12 - epilogue; how are you guys enjoying this series so far? also, how was your day? mine was filled with doing absolutely nothing because i’m officially off for Easter oi oi. anyway, enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think!! x

Despite the conversation you and Takashi had had a few days previous, Takashi did not call on your presence until the following Wednesday night – the night of the monthly Shirogane ball that all the royals from across the globe were due to attend.

   You had no idea why he had chosen this night of all nights to request your company. You had been swarmed with work from the moment you had opened your eyes, 5:00am being a ghastly time of morning to wake up and immediately be thrown into mopping the oversized ballroom. You had been stuck in there until half seven, and even then you were positive there was more of the floor you needed to get to.

   You had stopped, eaten breakfast alongside Coran and Sir Lance, before Matthew Holt, one of the junior body guards, had arrived in the dining hall and requested your company for the prince. Immediately your breathing had stopped, and Coran had gripped a hold of your hand beneath the table, silently telling you to simply decline.

   Instead, you placed your breakfast down, wiped your hands down the soot-stained shirt you were wearing, and followed Matthew to the artists chambers, a large room filled to the brim with famous artworks, sent from all around Voltron specifically to be hung up in this very room.

   It was far too grand for your liking – you found yourself cringing away from it, the burst of colour and sad artisty making you wince. Perhaps it was due to how unused you were to seeing such grand art, the fear of touching one overwhelming you. Perhaps it was the fact that none of the paintings matched, meaning the room simply looked like a clutter of odd colours hung up loosely on the walls with random golden plaques placed beneath them.

    Or perhaps it was the prince, standing with his back turned to you as he gazed down at one of these oh-so special paintings.

    You weren’t sure if he had seen you or not. Matthew left the room without another word or instruction or piece of information as to why you had been called before the prince, leaving you alone with him before you could protest. You were left looking at Takashi’s back, his broad shoulders, the muscles which were obvious beneath his black suede jacket he wore all too well for such a casual fashion.

    You had always known Takashi Shirogane to be a handsome man; any woman or man in Voltron and beyond could see that. He took on barely any characteristics from his parents, both of whom had fairly blunt features, round faces, round bodies and grins that screamed of evil. Whenever you looked at Takashi, it was hard to believe he was related to Hanei or Akihiro at all.

   You knew speaking such thoughts aloud would most likely get you thrown in the dungeons or beheaded, and abruptly decided to toss the thoughts as far from your mind as possible.

  “I didn’t think you’d come,” Takashi finally spoke up. He turned slowly on his heel, his hands placed behind his back and a small smile playing at his lips.

    You bowed courteously, not missing the way Takashi seemed to roll his eyes at the gesture you had been greeting him with since the first day you saw him. “Of course I came. Do you need something?”

    “Just some company,” he replied. “I quite enjoyed the company you gave me in the library the other day and decided to request for it again. Unless you have some place else to be, of course.”

   You frowned. You had other places to be, a long list of jobs still to complete before the party tonight, but you found yourself unable to inform him of such endeavours. “I think I can make some time, Your Grace. Whatever you need.”

   Takashi smiled then and, ever so out of character, he reached his arm out towards you. You hesitated for a moment, unsure of what he was silently requesting. Usually, the movement of the arm would mean he wanted you to take a hold of it, but surely that couldn’t be right? He surely couldn’t mean-

   Before you had a chance to finish off your own dwindling thoughts, Takashi gently reached forward, grabbed your hand with a feather-light touch, and placed your hand on his arm. You immediately squeezed your fingers into the muscle as if it were a compulsion, your eyes slightly widening at the feel of the hardness beneath the jacket.

    You should have guessed. He was the prince after all.

   Takashi and you started forward at last, your arm looped around his as he pointed to different pictures and portraits, starting the conversation off before any silence could settle.

    “This one here was sent to us by Lady Shay from Balmera. A lovely piece, isn’t it?” Takashi nodded towards a painting hung up on a white beam; it was beautiful, you had to admit. A piece depicting the rocks of Balmera, fire launching up from the centre of one in the way you knew Balmera cherished. They saw it as a blessing, fire bubbling up from their earth. Most people saw it as a danger, though they took that danger and made it into something beautiful.

    “She’s incredibly gifted,” you breathed, half-tempted to reach out and run your fingers over the painting. “I’d love to meet her one day to compliment her skills.”

   “She’s a lovely person,” Takashi replied. “Although I’m afraid she doesn’t indulge on activities far away from Balmera – Balmera have kind of closed themselves off since the war with the Galra state.”

   You pursed your lips. “A shame. Balmerians have been nothing but kind to Voltron.”

    “I didn’t take you as the type to keep up with political business, lady Y/N.”

   You looked up. You hadn’t realised you had even been speaking so freely about such matters, but the words seemed to fall from your lips with almost a pinch of confidence.

   You pursed your lips and looked back down, ignoring the amused expression glinting on Takashi’s face as he looked down at you.

    “My apologies if I said anything out of line, Your Grace-”

   “Ah, there we go,” he chuckled, making you look up startled. “You haven’t called me ‘Your Grace’ a single time since you stepped foot in here. I thought we were finally breaking barriers between us.”

     “I’m sorry?”

    “'Your Grace’ has become my permanent title,” he said, sounding almost exasperated. “It grows tiring after a while. I see no issue or disrespect with somebody calling me by my birth name.”

    “If the king were to hear somebody calling you by your birth name, that person would have their tongue cut out.”

   Takashi raised a brow, looking down at you once again. “Is that so? Do people truly see my father as such a monster?”

    Your heartbeat sped up, having realised just how heavy and cruel your words must have sounded – another stupid and unthought out comment made by you in the heat of the moment. How did Takashi always manage to make you do that? Always make you lose your professionalism to the point where you were insulting his own father directly in front of him?

  You swallowed thickly, averting your gaze to look at one of the paintings hung up on the hall. “It seems I’ve spoken too much once again, Your Grace.”

    His grip tightened on your arm enough for you to look down at where your hand and his elbow joined. “I’ll tell you something, my lady. Honesty is a lot more refreshing than hearing you suck up to a man who everybody knows is out for blood.”

   Your breath caught in your throat, but you refused to look up. Looking up would reveal the shock, the reverberating surprise that seemed to clash against your ribcage at both the suddenness of the princes words; how could he say such a thing so casually? Though you knew he would face no consequences for taking a stand against his father, it had never occurred to you that he had taken such a disliking to the mysterious man who you had yet to say two words to during your time here, despite working for him.

   In fact, the more you thought about it, the more you realised just how little you genuinely saw of both Queen Hanei and King Akihiro, and just how little it bothered you. You were much more content staying as far away from their demanding presence than you knew you would ever be standing in front of them.

    “Tell me, lady Y/N,” Takashi continued on whenever you refused to indulge the dark conversation any further than needed. “What are your favourite type of paintings?”

    “I’ve never taken much of an interest in the arts, Your Grace,” you replied. “Though these paintings of landscapes are breathtaking. I’d love to visit the places they’re based off of.”

    “Like this one?” he asked, turning you to look at yet another loosely hung painting. It was slightly crooked, though you could see it clearly depicted the landscape of the Galra mountains – they had been destroyed in the war the last you had heard, and now only existed through paintings and history books that could be scavenged.

    You looked at it in awe. It was flawless, the paint strokes making it seem real, completely transporting you to the Galra state. For a moment, it was as if you and Takashi were truly there, standing in front of the mountains with not a care in the world.

    “It’s beautiful,” you breathed out. “Who painted this?”

   “Prince Lotor himself, believe it or not,” Takashi replied. “The prince has a knack for the arts, as you can see, though he very rarely shows it during public gatherings. He much prefers impressing women with his alcohol-consuming skills than his artistry.”

    You snorted, remembering the ball only a few weeks ago whenever Lotor had taken the crowd by storm by chugging down an entire jug of wine in one go. He had fallen over onto the floor only seconds later, but had gotten back up with his usual grin on his face.

    “He’s quite the character, Prince Lotor,” you found yourself saying as you and Takashi waded even deeper into the large, museum-like room. “How did you and him come to be friends, if you don’t mind me asking?”

    “It was more of a forced friendship than anything else,” Takashi explained. “Our parents are both royal, which means we had to see each other once a month against our own will. If we were seen arguing or fighting in front of the public, our scoldings would be brutal; back then, little eight year old me couldn’t quite take a scolding and so I made friends with the Galra to try and stop it from happening.”

    “And do you think it worked out? Do you like the prince now?”

   Takashi puckered his lips as if in thought, though you could make out the slight glint of amusement in his eyes, as if he could imagine Lotor standing in front of him now, the way he would surely be winding his friend up in the usual male-like way they did so often.

    “I can say I don’t hate him as much as I hate some other royals around the world,” he finally replied. “Like Lady Ezor – I despise her.”

   Your eyes widened, head snapping up to look at the prince. “Lady Ezor, Your Grace?”

  “Mm.” He shook his head, clenching his jaw as if her name left a bad taste in his mouth. “A handful, that one. Her arrival always the dulls the festivities.”

   You were confused. You had heard the rumours – always believed them to be true – that he had bedded Lady Ezor only a few months into his and his families hiatus whenever they had graced the Galra state with their presence. He had done nothing to deny the rumours, and neither had Lady Ezor, and you had been left to believe they had lusted for each other for a long while before Takashi returned home to Voltron.

    Surely that entire story hadn’t been made up on the spot? Why would anyone come up with such ludicrous ideas if there was no evidence to prove such a thing?

    “I know what you’re thinking,” Takashi said suddenly. “And no, Lady Ezor and I never once shared a bed together. The idea in itself is repulsive.”

   You swallowed, shaking your head quickly. “I hadn’t heard of such a-”

   “What did we say about lies, lady Y/N?”

   You closed your eyes and sighed heavily. “People talk, Your Grace. I had been given no reason to believe of such an affair happening between you and Lady Ezor, though please forgive me for succumbing to such a rumour. It must have troubled you to know that that was what everybody was assuming whenever you greeted her at the ball a few weeks back.”

   Takashi snorted. “There was no trouble whatsoever. She was hurting you. I put a stop to it. That was all that mattered to me.”

  “Helping out a handmaiden?”

   “Helping out a person in need,” Takashi corrected. You ignored the stuttering of your heartbeat. “I’m afraid I’m against hurting women, though, so the most I could do was scold her.”

    You blushed. “Please don’t risk getting yourself in trouble for me. I was quite alright that night.”

    You knew you were lying, and obviously, so did Takashi. That night had been one of the worst nights of your life, though admitting to such a thing would bring you embarrassment beyond that which you could handle. Takashi had helped you out, banished Lady Ezor from the ballroom before she could attract any more unwanted attention towards you as you struggled to even stand up with the pain your body was in.

   You had never truly thanked him for it. In fact, you had shoved the memory of that night as far into the back of your head as you could possibly manage, it still bringing shame and embarrassment to the surface whenever you thought about it.

    “Were you scared that day?” Takashi asked suddenly.

    You inhaled sharply. “It was my fault-”

   “Tell me the truth, Y/N,” he ordered. “I want to know; did Lazy Ezor scare you whenever she had her hands wrapped around your throat?”

     You blinked rapidly, suddenly aware of the sting of tears that had risen to the surface. You didn’t know why they were there; the memory was hardly fresh, though your throat still bore the bruises her fingers had left behind and were yet to fade completely.

    The memory had clearly bothered you more than you had let anyone – even yourself – believe, as you now stood at the side of Prince Takashi with tears brimming your eyes, the question triggering something in the pit of your stomach that felt similar of that to a winding kick to the abdomen.

    “I – I don’t know, Your Grace,” you choked out. Your voice sounded hoarse, the unmistakeable tone of somebody close to tears.

   Takashi stopped walking at the sound of it, letting his arm drop from yours so he could place himself in front of you, get a better look at your face. You wanted desperately to look away from his grey, prying eyes but found yourself unable to do so, standing still as a statue as he did his inspection.

    His eyebrows furrowed. He bent down to your height, let his eyes roam over your face and before you could react, before you could even comprehend what was happening, he had lifted his palms up and was cupping your cheeks.

      “You’re crying,” he said. “Why are you crying?”

    You closed your eyes, your lower lip wobbling. You felt like a child; it had happened nights ago! Why were you only now reacting, of all times?

    “I don’t know,” you replied.  

    “Lady Y/N,” Takashi sighed. “If I’d have known that night scarred you so deeply, I wouldn’t have brought it up. Please accept my apologies.”

   You shook your head immediately, shoving his hands away from your face in a flash of annoyance and frustration at the smoothness of his words and the way he could hold himself like that – so casual about everything, so swooning.

    You brought your hands up to your face and rubbed at them roughly, groaning as you dragged your fingers down your cheeks. “There really is nothing to apologise for. It’s me being a child. I was in Lady Ezor’s way that night – I should be thankful I didn’t get punished worse. Perhaps she should have snapped my neck for-”

  “Don’t say such idiotic things,” Takashi ordered.

   “I’m afraid it’s the truth,” you replied, shocked at your own defiance towards the man. “I was in her way, and she spared me-”

   “She wouldn’t have spared you if it weren’t for me stepping in and ridding her from the ballroom.” Takashi took a step towards you, attempted to reach out and touch your arm but he quickly realised his mistake and let his fingers drop back to his side. “Don’t make that woman out to be any less of a villain than she is, Y/N. What she did to you was sickening and the product of her cold heart, okay? Don’t ever forget that.”

   “You shouldn’t speak of her that way,” you said. Takashi’s eyes widened – you caught onto it, even as he tried to withhold his shock.

    You weren’t sure why, but a cold sense of disappointment brewed in the pit of your stomach that he had responded in such a way – as if he was shocked somebody had opposed him. It was a harsh reminder to you that you were nothing more than a handmaiden, and Takashi was a prince. Somebody who was due to sit on the throne whenever his time finally arrived. He still expected the constant respect you craved just a glimpse of. He still expected you to talk to him like he was what he was – royalty. A superior.

  You bit the inside of your cheek, silently cursing yourself for falling for his charms all over again – for the third time. You had to admit that he was easy to talk to, but at the end of the day, he was still a prince. He was still something else. Something you would never rise up to be like, something you would never be allowed to compare yourself to.

    “I think I have to get back to work now,” you said. Takashi still seemed shaken, looking at you with his grey eyes wide and his mouth open just a little bit, as if he were seeing you in a completely new and complex light.

   You stood up straighter and ran your hands down the front of your shirt. “It’s been a pleasure looking at the art with you, but I’m afraid I have jobs to fulfil for tonight’s party. I hope to see you there, Takashi.”

    And with that, his full name hanging in the air, you turned on your heel and exited the art room, not once looking back. Not like the tears blurring your vision would allow you to see anything, anyway.

   The party was alive with the sound of music and the sound of complaining royals. As well as the sound of a complaining Coran, who had refused to leave your side on this specific night.

    You and him had been given the all-tiring job of handing out wine to the guests, though this time, you were not permitted to stand at the door. Tonight, you would be expected to walk around and offer wine to the royal guests all night long, until the final guest decided to go to bed. Tonight also seemed to be the night that the guards had chosen to give you quite uncomfortable footwear.

     You huffed as you shifted the tray of wine on your hand, attempting to reach down and adjust your shoe for the tenth time in the past ten minutes.

    “Would you stop squabbling?” Coran hissed. “You look like you’re trying to scrape something off the bottom of your shoe. You’re losing us customers.”

  “Customers,” you scoffed. “Please call them such a name whenever they start paying us for our work.”

    “Ah, watch it,” Coran droned. “If anyone were to overhear you, you’d have your tongue cut out.”

  “So I’m well aware.”

    Coran raised a brow, nudging you ever so gently with his bony elbow which was hidden tonight beneath a wine-purple suede jacket that hung off of his skinny frame loosely. “What’s wrong with you tonight? You seem to be in a very foul mood and I can’t quite pin-point the reason.”

    You flashed him a sharp look before darting your eyes to the front of the ballroom, where Takashi was busy laughing and jesting with Prince Lotor, a cup of wine in his hand that Coran had kindly insisted on giving to him instead of making you approach him.

    The sight of him made you want to scream, and you were completely oblivious as to the reason behind your oh-so-violent emotions. You felt slightly played with, you had to admit. Takashi knew full well you had to succumb to each and every one of his orders, which gave him easy access to mess with your head whenever he so desired.

    That was exactly what he had done, letting you get comfortable around him. You had said treasonous things in front of him, and you had no doubt in your mind that that was his exact plan in the first place; gain your trust and find out your true feelings behind his family before sending you off to the dungeons with the rest of the people who struggled to trust the king and queen of this graceful land.

    You bit down on your tongue and turned back to the ballroom, wading through the crowd of royals and offering wine to anyone who seemed even mildly still in their right sense of mind.

   “I’m content,” you responded at long last. “Just tired. And my feet are burning in these shoes.”

   Coran looked down and snorted in amusement at your flat, pointed-toe, wine-purple shoes. “Oh, how unfortunate. They may as well have put you in heels, my dear.”

    “That would truly be my life over,” you grumbled.

   The night went on. Your feet continued to burn, seeming to swell more and more with each passing hour until you were forced to sit down in the corner, hoping and praying that the king and queen didn’t see you for the few minutes you allowed yourself to rest. You kept your attention away from Takashi as much as you could, though it was difficult to keep your thoughts from straying to the man. He wore a plaid black and white blazer tonight that fit over his broad shoulders perfectly, hugging the muscles beneath them in the way his other blazer this morning hadn’t. He was clearly making no attempt to hide his bulk tonight, no doubt wanting to impress the ladies.

  The ladies.

  As that thought raced through your mind, Lady Ezor decided to make her very much anticipated and dreaded appearance. Two and a half hours late, as per usual, she swung open the doors to the ballroom and was escorted in with her two Galra sidekicks at either side of her. You shrunk down into the chair you were seated on, hoping the shadows cast from the dancers and the corner itself would keep you hidden enough from her eyesight.

    But she was Galra, you had to remind yourself. They prided themselves on their perfect health, their perfect everything. No doubt she had twenty twenty eye sight and something installed to make that twenty twenty even better.

    She spared you her presence for a number of minutes, though her eyes had met yours the moment she opened the door. She chatted to the guests for a little while, allowed the conversation to start back up before she was moving onto her next victim, slowly making her way over to you.

    You started to stand up as she got closer, not wanting to speak to her but knowing you would have no choice in the matter if she managed to get you cornered. With a grunt, you picked up the wine tray you were due to carry and started back into the crowd-

   Her hand shot out and grabbed a hold of your free hand, tugging you back in a way you knew was coming, but it shocked you nonetheless. The grip she had on your arm was iron, the most shocking thing out of this entire situation; how could a woman so small have a grip so tight and painful?

    You gritted your teeth and turned to look at her, trying your hardest to keep your expression neutral and at least mildly friendly. She grinned back at you, her red lips pulling upwards, revealing the sharp teeth beneath them. Her ombre coloured hair was pulled into a tight, high ponytail that, even though it was on the very top of her head, still reached her backside. Along with that, she wore a two piece suit – a most bold fashion option for a woman, though you had to admit that it suited her greatly.

    “It seems we meet again,” she said. “You enjoy hovering around the royal parties, do you, wench?”

   You tried to push past the venom in her words as you smiled kindly, bowing professionally despite her grip still around your wrist. “Lady Ezor. What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Was there bad traffic?”

     Ezor’s grin thinned. “What a smart comment for a peasant to make. It’s just my luck that I can have you killed in a matter of seconds. I’d watch how you address me.”

    “My apologies if I caused any offence, Lady Ezor. I was merely trying to make pleasant discussion.” You reached the tray out to her. “Care for wine? From Voltron’s best vineyards.”

   She reached up, tilted her head, and spat directly into one of the cups of wine you were offering. Your jaw swung open as if unhinged, shock overtaking you at the vile action of a woman whose position was supposed to pride itself on being classy.

    You swallowed thickly, pulled the tray back with an unsure glance towards Coran – he was busy talking to a woman from Altea. “I see you’re not thirsty.”

  “I’ll tell you what I’m not, girl,” Lady Ezor spat. “I’m not having you ruin this night for me, okay? You were supposed to be hung for the embarrassment you caused me during the previous ball. If it weren’t for your glistening prince, you would be dead and burned by now, and nobody would even remember your name.”

    “You’re quite right, Lady Ezor,” you said. “I was out of line and am very lucky to still be alive-”

    Your comments were cut short. Lady Ezor’s hand was like lightening – slapping the tray out of your hand before you could even register what she had done. The metal rattled to the ground like a clash of thunder and the entire ballroom fell silent.

    You almost grew dizzy with the shocking wave of deja vu which overcame you, the sudden sense of complete nausea at what just happened. You grappled for words – an apology, despite you being far from needing to apologise – but nothing came. You could only stare at Lady Ezor in shock as she widened her eyes and stumbled back from you as if you had just struck her.

   “On the Lions!” she shrieked. “Again with this one, Akihiro?” She turned to the king at the front of the room, thrusting an accusing finger in your direction. You saw the kings displeased expression run over you, clearly remembering the same mistake being made only a few weeks before.

    It was easy enough to get away with a mistake once, but twice was a different story.

    “This must be some kind of joke,” Ezor continued. “This is the same beast who soiled my dress during the welcoming ball. You’re either showing her mercy, or you’re having some kind of affair with this wench to keep her in your manor.”

   An eruption of gasps sprung from the crowd. You could barely move. You let your eyes slowly fall from the king to the mess of wine and smashed glass at your feet – the liquid had bounced up, soaking the ends of your trousers. You were far too in shock, shaken in fear of what was going to happen to you, to even care at this given moment in time.

    “Lady Ezor, please lower your voice,” King Akihiro requested.

   “I will do no such thing!” Ezor squealed. She stomped her foot, crashing it down in the puddle of wine and making it splash up onto your trousers even more. You flinched away from it, but kept your eyes firm on the liquid, hoping and praying it would somehow rise up and swallow you whole.  “I’m tired of your wenches getting special treatment just because you and your son are in need of temporary mistresses for the night. If this were any other country in the world, King Akihiro, she would be thrown in the dungeons for being useless to the kingdom! And rightly so! I demand action be taken immediately!”

    Akihiro sighed. You could hear it ring through the crowd, and for some reason, that noise alone was enough to let you know that you would not get out of this scotch free like you had last time, whether Takashi decided to intervene or not.

  “Action will be taken once we’ve enjoyed the final celebrations of the night, okay?” the king said. You closed your eyes, let loose a small breath as you fought with your own stomach to keep the contents of it sealed. “Y/N, clean up the mess you’ve made and then go to your chambers for the rest of the night. I want to see you in my throne room the first thing in the morning and we will discuss your future.”

    You bit down, hard, on your lower lip and nodded. You bowed – as shameful and embarrassing as it was – before making your way towards the exit. The crowd watched you go, but it was the one pair of grey eyes, beaming at you from across the room, that made a shiver lurch down your spine.

Dances, Babies, & Midwives

Written by: @mega-aulover

Prompt 61: Katniss is a Midwife in the late 50s and meets Peeta (somehow) and flirts with him. When she’s goes to a delivering mother Peeta is there and she gets mad at him because she think he is her husband/father but he isn’t. [submitted by @que-sera-sera88]

A/N: Thank you to @everlarkficexchange for allowing the fandom to really come together to share ideas and stories. To @que-sera-sera88 thank you for the prompt, I hope I did the show and the story justice. To my intrepid beta @norbertsmom you are always ready to take on a journey with me when you go through meagar scribbles. Thank you.

Rated: T - Warning Birth Described

 ** kp **

“When things change we have to find a different way. Nothing stays the same, we don’t stay the same ourselves and all of the time the world keeps on spinning faster…- Sister Evangelina, Call The Midwife”

** kp **

Katniss sat at the table with her friends Madge, Rue, and Johanna as she watched others dance. She would have preferred to be back home so she could spend the day tomorrow celebrating her sister’s birthday, but there was just no way for her to go home this year.

All of her friends, other midwives, were gossiping about the men present. Johanna whistled as she spotted someone she thought was smashing. Rolling her eyes, Katniss focused on the hem of her dress.

Unlike the other girls, Katniss was not obsessed with men. She lived a life that could only be described as nun-like. Ironically she lived in Nonnatus House a Convent as a midwife. Katniss was the only girl who didn’t want to get married or have children. The war had taught her that falling in love was a frivolous thing that often leads to heartache.

Her father was a casualty of war. Her mother had never recovered from the loss of her husband. At a young age, Katniss had to be both mother and provider for her family. Something the girls didn’t understand; many came from well-off homes. Having gone through the war, they understood hard times, but they didn’t understand how tough life was when the support system was suddenly gone. She wasn’t going to go through that again.

Life, though, had a funny way of doing things. Change often reared its ugly head when least expected.

“Oh, he’s coming this way,” Rue gushed.

“Act cool,” Johanna ordered.

Madge snorted, extending her wedding band. Madge had just left their group and married Constable Gale Hawthorne. She’d come back as a midwife part-time. Gale was soon going to join them when his shift ended. “Ladies only the two of you have to be worried.”

“Sure throw it in our faces Hawthorne,” Johanna huffed. It was all good-natured banter. “But Katniss here she has no excuse.”

Katniss blushed red, her excuse was a valid one maybe not to the girls.

“May I have this dance?” A deep, pleasant voice asked.

Katniss’ skin pebbled as her heart thumped against the confines of her chest.

Katniss looked up to see a blonde man with breathtaking blue eyes smiling at her. The music faded away. Nothing existed for Katniss besides the man in front of her.

She nodded, unable to say no to him. As soon as she placed her hand in his, she felt her entire body indicate that she was home.

** kp **

May 11, 1958,

Dear Prim;

Happy Birthday little sister. It is my fervent wish that all is well at home. I know you must be curious as to my new living quarters. It is a quaint place, as old rambling homes go, but it’s not the drafty old convent I’m used to.

Nonnatus House still continues to be in the Seam, in London’s Lower East side. Baby’s do not have a set time or date to be born. If they did I’d like to schedule them promptly between the hours of nine in the morning and three in the afternoon. But I must confess, although the business of giving birth is frightening, the look on a mother’s face when she first beholds her baby is my favorite experience.

It reminds me of hope. The kind of hope we experienced when the war was over. I remember walking through the streets looking at all of the faces of those who had served.

There were so many of them. I know you call them lost boys, and in a way they are. Lost little boys coming back home from war. Many of them trying to make a new start of it. A lot of them are shell-shocked, fatigued by the war, and the things they saw. Others are keen rascals trying to win over a pretty face with a medal or two. Some are cocky, like the Americans.

Speaking of Americans, I met one, Prim, at a bash, an American. Brash. Young. Sweet. Handsome. Johanna called him a dreamy cupcake.

His name is Peeta Mellark, and we danced cheek to cheek. If not for dear Rue pulling me away from him, I would have broken the curfew. I will never hear the end of it from Johanna now. She swears that I lost my scowl.

But it doesn’t matter, because I will never see him again. I hope you and mother are well. Enclosed is some additional help for you and mother.

Love,

Katniss Everdeen

Katniss folded the letter, as she hummed the song The Great Pretender by the Platters. She addressed the envelope in care of her sister Primrose Everdeen. She walked downstairs, where she heard the phone ringing.

Jo was waiting at the foot of the stairs along with Rue and Madge. Jo smirked. “How are your feet this morning?”

She could feel the warm, tingly feeling of a flush appearing on the apples of her cheeks. “Good enough to do my duties at the clinic today.”

“Sure,” Madge said with a laugh.

They all sat down for breakfast, but Katniss couldn’t look at any of them.

“Sister Mary Margaret, would you please pass the platter of buns.” Madge giggled.

Katniss turned even redder.

“The platter of buns are plump and delicious,” Johanna turned to her and winked, “but they were delicious last night, just ask Katniss?” Laughter erupted amongst the girls.

Katniss glowered at all of them.

“What has you girls acting like a gaggle of geese?” Sister Saethryth Evangelina asked. Of all the nuns, Sister

“Katniss met a boy,” Rue whispered, “at the mixer last night.”

Katniss was uncomfortable being spoken about, nor was she comfortable having her personal life discussed like she was on the front page of the tabloid. They were funning her because Katniss had always sworn off men. She never danced, never flirted, and never spoke about them. She had a job to do, and that was to earn money to send home to her mother and Prim. Men were off the table, until last night.

Peeta walked up to her and gave her a smile that melted her resolve. She’d never seen blue eyes like his in her life. She’d imagined blue like that only existed in the ocean. When he asked her to dance it felt right and she couldn’t say no.

“Met and attached herself at the hip,” Jo snickered and it caused more laughter.

They weren’t being rude or mean, but Katniss wasn’t used to being the center of attention. She stood abruptly and walked away. As she left the room, she could hear Sister Margaret Joan say, “Shakespeare wrote…and though she be but little, she is fierce.”

Katniss swallowed and took the letter she’d written for her sister and stuffed it in her pocket. They were, after all, impractical musings. She had better things to deal with than affairs of the heart.

She didn’t mail the letter, instead, she headed to the clinic early.

The clinic was opened twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The doctor performed check-ups on each patient on those days. The wellness checks allowed the midwife and doctor to know how well mother and child were doing.

Katniss was finished cleaning the floor when the girls came in. All but Jo looked down at the floor. Jo walked straight up to her. “I’m sorry for making you feel bad about meeting someone. It’s just none of us have ever seen you this way with a man before.”

“It doesn’t even matter. He’s an American visiting London and when he leaves, I’ll just be a girl he danced with and had a lovely time with.” Katniss cleared her throat and blinked to keep the tears from her eyes. Katniss walked away; the workday was about to start.

Johanna didn’t say anything else. She was busy during the day, attending to the ladies who came to the clinic.

“Beatrix Collins,” Ruth called out.

Katniss smiled. Rue was the youngest and newest member. She had come such a long way from when she first joined on as a midwife. Katniss was sterilizing some of the instruments. It was important everything was cleaned and sterilized. Infection was a serious agent that quickly killed patients.

Johanna and Madge were off to the side, speaking about Rue’s patient.

“I’d like to look like that if I ever have a baby.” Johanna pointed to the woman with the smart coat and shoes.

“She looks like a movie star. Do you think she’s really a blonde?” Madge asked.

“Yeah, she’s a natural blond, but she’s highlighted it.” Jo grinned.

“I wonder why she’s even here at the Clinic,” Madge said. “Her handbag is a Dior.”

“I do not know,” Sister Saethryth Evangelina said, siding up to them, “but I do know she’s in her final stages and so are a lot of the other mothers, so if you girls could stop chit-chatting and get to work.”

Both girls returned to work, but Katniss thought it odd that such an elegantly dressed woman was at the Clinic. Most of the Seam still showed the ravages of war. There was rubble everywhere, and pre-war tenements where the occupants shared one bathroom per floor or section.

It was the poorest sector of all of London. Katniss knew places like this; places in England where hunger was the constant companion of children. Even though she wasn’t from the city, she understood poverty. In the village where she was born, before the war, her home was a hovel, as were most homes during the depression. Many of the homes were abandoned as there wasn’t any electricity and the running water came from the well. They were the poorest district. All around them they had beautiful countryside and quaint farms. There was none of that in district twelve where people mined coal.

It was her mother who suggested she join the Nation Health Service and take the NHS training courses to become a nurse. She’d studied for three years before passing her exams. Her practice came with helping her mother in her home district. When a position opened up in London, Katniss decided to move. The wages she sent home helped her mother and sister move to a quaint countryside cottage that was located in a better village.

The midwives and nurses who came to the Seam did not know this level of poverty. They were often shocked at how the women survived. Johanna called them heroes and she was right, as they bravely faced life with the hearts of warriors, birthing and rearing children.

By the end of the shift all of the girls were in agreement; they each wanted a biscuit and a good cup of tea. As they left the clinic, they were in high spirits as they peddled back to the convent. When they arrived, Katniss was surprised to see a familiar blond man waiting for her.

“Katniss.”

“Peeta.” Katniss hopped off her bike. He was as good looking in the daytime as he was last night. Part of her thought she’d dreamt it all up. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you again.” He thrust flowers at her. “Here, these are for you.”

“Thank you.” Katniss took the wild bouquet in her hands. There was giggling coming from around her.

“I was hoping, I mean wondering if you wanted to go to the pictures with me.” His gaze did not stray from hers. “If you’re free tonight?”

“Oh she’s free tonight,” Johanna said.

Katniss turned to stare at her. “I can’t. I’m on a call with Rue.”

“Okay, maybe tomorrow night then?”

He looked so hopeful with his blonde curly hair parted to the side and those twin shining blue beacons that she couldn’t deny him.

Later that night she was in her room when the phone rang. “I’ll get it,” Rue said.

Katniss followed her. Rue picked up the receiver and answered, “Nonnatus House, midwife speaking.”

“Yes, of course.” she smiled at Katniss as she wrote down the information in the logbook. It was important for everyone to know where you were. “Apartment 12B, Victors Village. Beatrix Collins, I will be there shortly.”

Katniss heard the name and pulled one of the birthing packs and Rue’s kit. The Victors Village was the newest building, it was modern, many of the occupants were well off. a"Here, if you need help, do not hesitate to call.“

Rue smiled. "Okay, will do.”

Nearly an hour later the phone rang again. “Nonnatus House, midwife speaking.”

“Katniss, it’s me Rue. It’s a breech birth and I’ve never done one?” Rue’s voice trembled over the phone.

Katniss remained calm. “Rue, I will be there shortly. Try to comfort the mother as best as you can.”

“Okay.”

Katniss hung up the phone. She rushed through the house to get her kit. She ran into Sister Saethryth Evangelina.

“Where are you going in such a rush?”

“Rue has a breech birth. She hasn’t done one yet and needs assistance.”

“Go on then. I will take care of the phones while you are gone. It will keep me from listening to Sister Margaret Joan spew Shakespeare and Keats all night long.”

Katniss nodded, got her kit, and within seconds she was peddling across the Seam.

When she arrived at the Victors Village she quickly took the elevator, to the apartment on the 12th floor. Slightly out of breath, Katniss knocked on the door. “Midwife?”

The door opened.

“You!” Katniss tumbled out.

“Katniss,” Peeta said, looking pale.

Her heart dropped to the bottom of her feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I-” he looked behind him, panicked. “Are you here to help?”

The wailing of a woman could be heard from within the apartment. Katniss pushed her way into the apartment and into the bedroom.

“Katniss!” Rue said, relieved. “This is Mrs. Collins.”

“Call me, Trixie,” Mrs. Collins grunted.

“Lovely to meet you, Trixie.” Katniss hid her ire. Peeta lied to her. He told her his last name was Mellark. “I’m Katniss, and Rue and I going are going to assist you in delivering your baby. I am sure.” Katniss quickly put on her white coat, her white cap and gloves.

Trixie howled in pain. Rue’s eyes widened. “I’ve been keeping her as calm as possible.”

“Good, have you asked Mr. Collins to boil water?”

“No, I did not.” Rue opened her mouth. Her eyes went to the bedroom door, indicating she was thinking of Peeta. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, right now we have to get the hot water boiling and extra towels.”

“Okay.” Rue left the room.

Turning around she addressed Peeta’s wife. “I need to make sure your baby is fine.” Katniss quickly listened for the baby’s heartbeat. “Your little one is doing well.” She moved to the foot of the bed to check to see how dilated Trixie was. She felt her stomach and made the same diagnosis as Rue.

“Trixie you are fully dilated, but the baby is in breech.”

“Breech,” Trixie panted.

“Yes, it means the baby is going to be born ass first.”

Trixie laughed. “Just like his father, a real pain in my ass.”

Katniss smiled. “Shall we get to work then?”

Opening the door, she found Peeta just beyond it. “Mr. Collins, I am going to need two chairs.”

Peeta nodded and within seconds he’d brought over two dining chairs.

“Katniss, I-”

“Peeta, I don’t want to make a scene in front of your wife, who is, at the moment, giving birth to your child.” Katniss took the chairs and shut the door in his face. She couldn’t believe she’d done that. Her hands shook as she turned around.

“Trixie, I need you to be at the edge of the bed.” Katniss put two chairs at the edge. “Okay, put one foot on each chair. She could see the baby’s legs, and gently she brought out one leg at a time as the mother pushed. "With the next contraction, I’m going to turn the baby, and it’ll help ease the baby out.”

The mother screamed as the baby was coming out.

“Is she okay?” Peeta rushed into the room. Katniss looked over her shoulder briefly to see Rue was right behind him.

“Rue, keep him out. Mother and child need quiet.” Katniss kept her eye on the baby until its head was out. The piercing cry was joyous. Katniss looked up and saw Peeta. “Rue, please take over. I have to get back to Nonnatus to cover the phones.”

“Would you like to see the baby?” Rue asked Trixie.

Katniss let Rue take over and quickly took off her gear, put it inside of her kit, and took off. As she peddled through the darkened streets of the Seam, unwanted tears fell from her face. When she arrived back at the convent Sister Saethryth Evangeline was sitting by the phone.

“Sister Saethryth Evangelina,” Katniss shook her shoulder. “I’m here.”

The sister gave Katniss the once over. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Katniss said, checking the log book.

“Nothing? Your eyes are leaking like a faucet Haymitch fixed.”

She loathed having to share, but Sae was one of the sisters who could keep a secret.

“It turns out Mrs. Collins is married to the bloke I met last night.”

“Ah, and you are sure of this because?”

“When I arrived he was there at her apartment. He looked like a nervous father.” Katniss let out a shaky breath, before confessing, “I felt like such a fool. I never asked if he was married or anything. I just danced with him without a care in the world.”

“I see.”

Straightening her shoulders, Katniss wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. “I am sorry for speaking out of turn Sister. If Sister Paylor were here, she’d have some magic phrase or comment that would make things better.”

“She might, but Katniss did you bother asking Peeta if he was indeed the father?”

She shook her head slowly.

“Think about that. Now if you will excuse me, I have to see what Sister Margaret Joan is doing, hopefully, she hasn’t attacked all of the cake.”

Katniss smiled. Sister Margaret Joan, known as Mags, was the first midwife. She helped deliver half the children in the Seam. She was the eldest of the nuns and clever when it came to acquiring cakes.

Katniss didn’t get to rest for long as she received another call. That night she helped deliver two more babies. It started a want within her to perhaps one day have a baby of her own. Katniss could just visualize the baby, one with floppy golden curls running through a meadow.

The thought caused her to smile as she pedaled home once more. She saw him sitting on the steps of Nonnatus House.

“Peeta,” Katniss said as she came to a stop. She saw that he was sleeping outside. Hunching over, she quietly called his name once more.

His long translucent lashes fluttered open. “Katniss?”

Katniss backed away, giving him space. She couldn’t help but stare at his broad shoulders. He was average height, but since she was tiny, he towered over her.

Peeta ran his hands through his hair. “Hi, I just wanted to explain last night. I’m not Mr. Collins. I can see why you made that mistake. Trixie is a friend of mine, was a nurse during the war who married my cousin, Jake Collins. There was an accident a few weeks back. I came out here to help while Jake gets better.”

Katniss listened carefully. The Sister’s advice still played on her mind. She listened to his voice and decided she could listen to his voice for a lifetime.

** kp **

July 7, 1958

Dear Prim,

My days as a midwife are numbered. Peeta has asked me to marry him. He wants to meet you and mother so that we can make arrangements for the wedding.

I know it’s only been two months, but I know that he’s the one. Prim, I’ve never met anyone who gentles my fears. When he holds my hand, or when he holds me in his arms, I cannot stop thinking of the future.

The girls mock me because they say love looks good on me. I do not understand what they mean, but I cannot help wanting to be with him. He is wonderful and when you meet him, in a weeks time I’m sure you’re going to love him.

If there is something that I’ve learned from the Sisters and from the women in the Seam is that, life is full of changes. And although not all changes are pleasant, love often makes those changes bearable and worthwhile.

Love,

Katniss Everdeen

Ballygally, Antrim

Ballygally is a beautiful village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland,

which also serves as a popular vacation spot. It is a far cry from the dark and foreboding place most people picture when they think of hauntings. But that only proves that pictures can be deceiving. At the center of Ballygally lies one of the oldest, most haunted places in all of Northern Ireland. Ballygally lies along the Antrim Coast and is home to Ballygally Castle, the oldest occupied building in all of Ireland. The castle is said to be extremely haunted by both those who live in Ballygally and those who have visited it. Built in 1625 for James Shaw of Greenock, the castle sits nestled at the center of the village at the junction with the road to Cairncastle. It is considered to be one of Ireland’s best-preserved plantation houses in the Scottish baronial style. Inside, it has been updated with a fancy hotel and a first class restaurant. The castle's cylindrical tourelles and conical roofs create the feeling of a place and land locked in time. In its day, it was used as a defensive building, primarily evident in its steep walls and musket holes. Who knows what kind of battles were waged here when it was first built? Now, the only battles waged are the ones created by the ghosts that lie within its walls. Home to more spirits than there are guests, Ballygally both frightens and intrigues those who stay here. One of the more popular ghosts spotted in the castle walls belongs to Lady Isobel Shaw, whose husband locked her high in a tower when he grew tired of her, waiting for her to starve to death. In an effort to free herself, she tried to climb from a window and fell to her death instead. Another of the castle's many ghosts belongs to Madame Nixon. Known for the silk dresses she wore, she lived in the castle during the nineteenth century. Some say you can still hear her silk dress grazing against the stones as she walks its corridors. No matter which ghosts you find when you visit, they will no doubt leave a lasting impression with you. They certainly left one with our storytellers. We're about to meet some residents of Northern Ireland who encountered one of Ballygally's ghosts while driving up the coast. Next, we'll hear from two sets of holiday makers looking for a good time... and found it. A few years back, a friend and I were taking a drive along the coast road from Larne towards Ballygally. We’ve driven this road many times and the scenery is breathtaking. It was early in the evening and we still had good light around us. We were chatting as we drove, mostly about work, our friends, and things like that. Nothing too serious. We were approaching Ballygally "head," as it's locally known. I caught sight of a woman at the side of the road, dressed all in white with dark hair. When I got closer, she swung around and made eye contact with me. It looked as though I had surprised her. I watched her a minute before she disappeared into a large rock. I looked at my friend and asked if he had just seen what I had. He agreed that he had. We were both kind of freaked out, but more curious I guess than scared. I drove on a little further and finally turned the car around to go back and investigate. I stopped the car at the rock where the lady had disappeared. We both got out to take a good look around. There was an eerie atmosphere that permeated the place. I remember that it was completely silent, not even the sound of the sea splashing against the rocks. It was like a dream. We never found anything. We got back in the car and continued on our journey, discussing what we had both seen. To this day, neither of us can explain what we saw in Ballygally other than an encounter with a ghost or spirit. My husband is from Northern Ireland but I was born in America. He moved to the United States with his family when he was a teenager. I'd never been to Ireland and he was dying to take me on a tour. We'd been married about two years when he decided to surprise me one day for my birthday. I couldn't wait when he described all the places we were going to visit: Titanic Belfast, The Mountains of Mourne, St. Patrick Centre, The Giants Causeway... he said that the place he was most anxious to show me was Ballygally Castle, though. He'd booked us a two-night stay. I couldn't wait to stay in a real castle! I was immediately taken with the place from the moment we first arrived. I felt like a princess. I didn't feel anything strange or dark about it. It all had this dreamlike quality to me. We passed the day walking around the land, exploring the castle, and ate dinner in its fabulous restaurant. My husband fell asleep that night long before I did. I was too excited to sleep. Images that had been burned into me since childhood flooded back... secret passageways, knights in shining armor, long winding staircases leading to isolated towers. I knew it was silly, but I longed to go exploring. Especially at night when most of the other guests were asleep. So I tiptoed out of our room and began looking around. I was walking down this long hallway with stone walls when suddenly the temperature in the air shifted. It got cold. I could actually see my breath. The lights dimmed but they didn't go out. A second later, a beautiful woman in a silk ball gown rounded the corner, walking towards me. She had dark hair pulled high up on her head and alabaster skin. She was as solid as I was. I smiled at her as she walked past but she didn't acknowledge me. I could hear her dress dragging on the floor. It was a beautiful Victorian dress in a deep green color like nothing I had ever seen before. I thought perhaps she was an actress, or maybe just a wealthy woman who had come from some swanky masquerade ball. I watched her go until she rounded the next corner and was out of my sight. Suddenly, the lights brightened again and the chill in the air vanished. I explored the castle a little longer but finally got tired and returned to our bedroom. In the morning, we went down to the restaurant to eat breakfast andwhile we were waiting I examined the portraits on the walls. There was the woman I had seen last night! "Excuse me," I said to our waiter. "Who is that woman?" I pointed at her portrait and the waiter smiled. "That is Madame Nixon. She lived here in the castle during the nineteenth century." I laughed. "You must be mistaken," I said. "I saw that woman last night. She passed me in the hallway outside my room. She was wearing a green ball gown just like in that picture." The waiter's face paled. "The woman in that portrait has been dead for over 100 years." He refilled my coffee but said no more about Madame Nixon. I tried telling my husband what I'd seen, but he told me I was probably dreaming. I know I was awake, though. Nothing else happened during our stay, and I still don't think my husband believes me, but I know what I saw. My grandparents used to tell us this story when we were growing up. I guess I can't say for certain whether it's true or not, since I wasn't there, but my grandparents weren't the type to make things up. I'll tell you their storyexactly as they told it to me. They were on holiday in Northern Ireland for their fiftieth wedding anniversary and had planned to stay several days at Ballygally castle. When they arrived, they were delighted to discover that there was going to be a fancy dress ball and all the guests were invited. The manager told them they would receive a formal invitation shortly, and until then, they were invited toexplore the castle and its grounds. My grandmother and grandfather spent the afternoon taking pictures of the castle and walking by the sea until they were so cold they had to come in. They were about 70 at this time, but they were both in good health and quite lively even at such an old age (they lived to almost 100!). That evening, as they were getting ready for supper, there was a knock on their door. My grandfather opened it to find a man dressed as a knight holding an invitation to the ball. He extended it to my grandfather and invited them to go with him. Delighted, my grandmother grabbed her camera and they followed the knight down to the ballroom, where the staff and guests were all dressed in medieval costumes. An old fashioned band played, complete with dulcimers, bagpipes, and harpsichords. They danced the night away and said they had the time of their lives. It wasn't until after two when they returned to their room, and they were exhausted. The next morning, they were at breakfast when the castle's manager walked by. My grandparents stopped him to pay their compliments on the ball. The manager stared blankly at my grandparents and without batting an eye said, "But we haven't had the ball yet. It's not for two more days." My grandparents thought the manager was joking, but when he finally took them to the ballroom, it was completely different from how it had been the night before. The decorations were different, even the linen had changed. I'm looking at a photo of my grandparents as I type this. It was taken the night of the ball. My grandfather is standing on one side of a knight in his armor, my grandmother on the other. They are smiling and look happy. The knight looks as real as they do. My grandparents were never able to explain what happened to them, except to say that for one night, ghosts and the living came together in a part of Ballygally that lies somewhere between the two.

DIVE!! Book 4 Chapter 9-RETURN GAME

Me at the start of this chapter: Lol this is the chapter where Keisuke discovers his son has no life

Me after this chapter: 

Even though this wasn’t the longest chapter, it feels like I put the most work in it, and I’m not gonna lie, I teared up a little in the end. It would be cheesy in any other story, but here it feels like something we’ve been waiting for for a long time.

We’re nearing the end of the competition soon!

Full list of translations here

Previous | Next

It’s from the final stage of a competition that the diver standing on the stage makes their essence shine in the empty space.

In the early stages of a competition, the divers, who dance one after another and then sink down, do not always expose their true faces. Putting on armor over and over again, and conscious of the eyes of the judges, spectators, and rivals, they played the part of the “self that I want to show”. From the middle stages of a competition, they melt their armor with the water they slip into once or twice, and their true faces peek through. Exhausted, their bodies were no longer hearing what was said, and their heads only thinking of results. Faced with the final rankings that were vaguely floating before them, the divers could be so cleanly separated into two types in the final stages that it was comical.

The types who go into defense and do half-hearted, passive performances, and the types who go on the attack and are assertive until the very end.

Keisuke felt greatly proud in his heart that all of his students belong to the latter.

Seeing too much assertiveness made one felt anxious, until there was no time to even take a breath.

The competition approached the final stages in the eighth round. Youichi, whose gait was unsure as he ascended the steps, defied expectations that he had already reached his limit by clearing the difficult inward dive with 3½ forward somersaults in tuck position with no mistakes. He wondered why his body that had been staggering on land suddenly stilled into top form in midair, and as he puzzled over that, he marked him with a high score of 83.52 points.

After him, Shibuki also showed off a performance with a sense of scale by doing an inverse dive with 2½ forward somersaults in pike position, and demonstrated it in the way of a bigshot who was strong at the last moment. He got added 73.08 points and came back to the top again.

Tomoki, who was last, also did a dive in the fourth group with an inward forward 2½ somersaults in tuck position. Tomoki first attracted the spectators with the height of his takeoff, made them ooh-and-ah with the speed of rotations, and precisely determined the angle of his entry. However, the lowness of the dive’s degree of difficulty had an effect and he didn’t catch up to the two before him, ending with 63.75 added points.

For now, the three succeeded without problems, maintaining the dream to “win with more than 600 points”.

But, as soon as he felt relieved, the top batter Reiji had already appeared on platform for the ninth round.

Reiji had just barely passed the preliminaries in the morning, and as expected, because of the differences in skills he was gradually falling back, the dream to the championship already disappearing. However, when compared to how he was usually, today he showed an astonishingly willful attitude with his breathtaking performances. Reiji, who until now stared at his feet and made himself compact when he was just climbing the steps, was looking straight up. Even just with that, Keisuke’s chest was filled with warmth.

Would I win or not? What place would I end up in? These were important questions for the divers themselves, but Keisuke thought that those who were coaches shouldn’t be moved by comparative evaluations like rankings, but aim to evaluate on an absolute scale on an individual-by-individual basis.

Do not overlook individual efforts that are not recorded in numbers.

If it is four people there then it’s four people, and if it is ten people there then it’s ten people; make evaluations according to each of their “nows”.

That is, fairly.

With that firm belief, Keisuke watched Reiji’s performance, ascertaining it with his own eyes until the moment his toes completely disappeared beneath the water, before finally letting his shoulders relax with a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Ooshima called to him from the seat next to Kayoko, who was sandwiched between the two of them.

“Coach Fujitani, Coach Fujitani.”

It took a while for his voice to reach Keisuke’s ears, as the stands in the main pool approached the climax of their competition, getting even noisier. The cheers of the cheering parties. The fervent applause. The mic echoes of the athlete introductions to their entrance music. To the divers who were in the difficult situation of standing on the platform, those flashy entrances could only be described as bad luck.

“Coach Fujitani!”

He finally noticed it by the third time.

When he turned, Ooshima dramatically leaned over and stage-whispered to Keisuke, “Over there, in the middle of the first row, you can see the backs of an old woman and a girl, right? Just now those two were hugging when they saw Shibuki at the top…”

“Ah.”

“I think that’s Shibuki’s you-know-who.”

With Ooshima’s raised little finger before his eyes, only the wrinkles between Keisuke’s brows deepened as he kept expressionless.

Ooshima was his underclassman from the Nippon Sport Science University, and he was a good, sincere man, but he was somewhat impatient. As the competition reached its climax, it seemed that he couldn’t endure the intensifying serious mood, and sometimes he tended towards meaningless, thoughtless words and deeds.

“That Okitsu-kun, who stays in the same room as you,” Keisuke said with some admonition in his voice, “seemed to have met with that young lady outside last night.”

Ooshima got a conspicuous “oh no” face.

“No, if it’s just for a short time then there’s no problem…um, I need to give him a lot of caution for physical relations as well. But, why did he do that?”

“It may be because you made a slip of the tongue.”

“Ah.”

“If the pheasant doesn’t sing, it won’t get shot at.”

Ooshima turned red, making his large body smaller.

Now that it came to this, Keisuke felt a little sorry, and spoke of his own accord, a rare thing for him to do in the middle of a competition.

“By the way, Hiro-kun and the young lady that he is in a relationship with have come to support Tomo.”

“Oh, that’s Tomo’s ex-girlfriend.”

“No, she’s Hiro-kun’s girlfriend.”

“But, she’s Tomo’s ex.”

“No, no, she’s Hiro-kun’s…”

“She used to be Sakai-kun’s girlfriend,” Kayoko cut in. “And now she’s his younger brother’s girlfriend.”

Keisuke was confused.

“So, they are the same person?”

“Yes. To make a long story short, it was an illicit love.”

“Hah. But, even that Tomo had a sweetheart…”

“A lot of middle schoolers nowadays do.”

“No, but, even so…”

Faltering, the wrinkles between Keisuke’s brows deepened even more.

“Even so, I don’t believe Reiji has one.”

“Huh?”

“What I meant was a sweetheart.”

“No, I don’t think Maruyama-kun has one.”

Kayoko quizzically responded, and Keisuke relaxed the stress between his eyebrows.

Ooshima drove home the final blow immediately after.

“But, there’s the fact that Reiji received a love letter.”

“What?”

“I think it was during his first year of middle school. He had no experience with it, so he didn’t write a reply, but even now he carries that letter around preciously… Youth really is beautiful.”

Keisuke no longer opened his mouth, and tried to calm his mind while he rubbed his brow with two fingers.

This isn’t a big deal. What do I need to feel disturbed for?

Even if Shibuki had a girlfriend who came all the way to Osaka to cheer him on, even if Tomoki had colorful, lively memories, even if Reiji carried around a love letter, that was that. Even if only Youichi spent his youth unbeautifully without having anything to do with those sorts of love affairs, as the head coach of the MDC, that was no reason to give special support to only his son.

Keisuke fired his spinal column up and turned to face the diving platform with his head held high.

Fairness to the last. I will maintain this belief until the very end—.

It was Tomoki who Keisuke about Shibuki’s girlfriend in the first place.

It could also be said that it was a product of an invited conversation brought about by time and coincidence.

Breakfast would also serve as a meeting at seven o’clock. All members were to gather at the restaurant on the first floor. Despite emphasizing that, when Keisuke went towards the restaurant on time in the morning, only Tomoki and Ooshima were sitting at the table.

“Youichi-kun and Sacchin overslept, Okitsu-kun’s taking a shower to get himself awake, and Reiji and Coach Asaki are still getting ready.”

Tomoki didn’t have to explain it; he had gotten a feeling that it would be like that.

Though it was rare for Youichi to oversleep, Shibuki and Sachiya were always bad at waking up. It took time for Reiji to get ready, and it took time for Kayoko to put on makeup. Since still no one showed up after they waited five minutes, Ooshima got up to go and call everyone.

Only Keisuke, Tomoki, and the buffet plates they’d brought were left at the table. Tomoki was already greedily stuffing his cheeks with omelettes and sausages. Some people didn’t eat much before a competition, but he felt pleased when he saw Tomoki’s way of eating.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Keisuke asked while wrapping his white rice in toasted seaweed.

“Yeah,” Tomoki smiled as he gulfed down his French toast. “I fell asleep before I knew it. I think maybe Youichi-kun put a blanket on me.”

“I see. If you’ve slept plenty, you’ll be in perfect condition.”

“Well, yesterday I got relaxed in Kobe and for some reason I seem to be doing great.”

“Was Kobe good?”

“Yeah. The water gyoza was delicious, and we saw the night view. Kobe was great. Really, everything was great until Kobe. But after that, Reiji told us about Coach Asaki’s…ah.”

Tomoki clamped his mouth shut.

“What is it?”

“Umm, nothing.”

“What about Coach Asaki?”

“Nothing.”

Tomoki pushed a banana into his mouth, as though using it as a plug to stay silent.

Had he become fourteen years old?

Keisuke felt that at that moment.

Keisuke’s students usually joined the MDC when they were in the lower grades of elementary school. At the beginning everyone was carefree, and although they constantly chattered about anything and everything, from fourth grade on they distinguished between things they do and do not talk about. When they become middle schoolers, they almost never talked about things outside of diving. They might confide in a young coach, but it seemed hard for them to talk to a much older head coach.

“Tomo,”

Second-grade Tomoki. When he remembered his flabbergasted appearance from when he just joined the MDC, his mouth unconsciously began to move.

“I believe I did something bad to you.”

“Eh, what is it?”

“I didn’t perceive your talent.”

“Huh?”

“No, I did perceive it, but I never helped you develop it. Your kinetic vision and flexibility…even though I’ve seen them for five years, I wasn’t able to make them bloom in the end. I’ve always thought that I did something inexcusable as I watched you grow so fast under Coach Asaki.”

Tomoki was speechless for a short while, and then he dropped his fork. “What do you mean?” he pouted.

“If you say that, then it sounds like the five years where I was taught by you and Coach Nakanishi are useless, doesn’t it?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say they were useless.”

“Of course not. The current me is…I don’t know how to say this well, but the current me is made up of everything until now.”

“Everything?”

“Yep. I don’t have parents who were former Olympic athletes, or a grandpa who was said to be a genius phantom diver. But, I’ve always had a normal family. My dad, my mom, and Hiro were there. When I go to the MDC, Youichi-kun, Reiji, Sacchin, Ryou, and Okitsu-kun were there. And of course Coach Fujitani, Coach Ooshima, and Coach Nakanishi were there. Since Coach Nakanishi was gone, Coach Asaki was there. Everyone was there like that, just like how the sky and mountains and rivers are always there, and everything from those fourteen years combined perfectly together, making the me who is here now. I thought of it like that a lot recently.”

“…”

“My friends at school say stuff like how old people are smelly and clumsy, but I really think that. If even one person wasn’t there, it wouldn’t combine perfectly.”

“…”

“I really do think that!”

“I understand.”

Even while nodding humbly, Keisuke was getting the chills. Ah, this child will continue to grow without stopping in the future.

Tomoki was a fresh, brand-new child. In a way, he could be called empty. But, that was why he could have room to accumulate things within himself. He could absorb everything surrounding him—friends, family, coaches, the sky and the mountains and the rivers—and transform them into power to open up his future. Beyond this point, Tomoki could change all the things he encountered, the things he saw, and the things he touched into energy, and spread his wings to anywhere on earth.

In contrast, Shibuki was already clogged with too many things inside of him, without an inch of space left. His ancestral blood. The dream his grandfather wasn’t able to fulfill. His grandfather’s and father’s deaths. His mother and two younger sisters who were left behind. The community of his Tsugaru village when he eventually returned home. Normally, those things would become heavy pressure, but Shibuki used them as a driving force, launching out explosive power. As long as he saddled himself with something, he would continue to be more and more astonishing in the future.

And then, there was Youichi—.

“Um, Coach Fujitani,” While Keisuke got lost in his thoughts, Tomoki timidly spoke up. “This might be none of my business, but I want to say it because I’m kind of worried about it, so…”

“What is it?”

“Coach Fujitani, I think you should only cheer for Youichi today.”

“What?”

“Coach Ooshima told me this earlier, but Okitsu-kun’s girlfriend came here to cheer him on for today’s competition. I think they’ve met up yesterday. I’ve also met her in Tsugaru, and she’s really pretty. And, Hiro’s coming to cheer me on. Along with his really cute girlfriend. But Youichi-kun only has you for a relative.”

“…”

“It’s an important match where the Olympics hang in the balance, and Youichi-kun’s been working really hard, so can’t you only cheer for him just for today, Coach Fujitani?”

“…”

“So, it really is none of my business?”

No… Keisuke shook his head, keeping silent as he didn’t know what to say next.

Coaches cannot watch over one student specially. In order to repay the parents who trust me and entrust their precious children to me, I have a responsibility to watch over all of you equally. Many reasons came to mind. But, those were probably not the reasons that Tomoki was asking for.

“If I…” Keisuke finally murmured in a hoarse voice, “cheer on Youichi, it won’t be helpful to him.”

“Why?”

“There are athletes born under such a causal star.”

Tomoki blinked, then tilted his head in puzzlement. No matter how much he ran out of words trying to explain it, Tomoki would probably still not understand. That there were athletes who couldn’t make everything external into energy like Tomoki, or make everything internal into energy like Shibuki.

Always trying to surpass yourself, standing on the edge of the depths of solitude, and only after that could you demonstrate your strength.

Perhaps the ones who could understand the athletes born under such a star were the same kind of people.

This child is similar to me in some way.

The reason why Keisuke purposely didn’t teach Youichi diving in his childhood boiled down to that one sentence.

Inflexible stubbornness. High pride. Burdening himself with a load even when he didn’t have to, and a capriciousness to walk a thorny path on purpose.

Nowadays, although he had matured through his years of being a coach, Keisuke had exactly been that kind of athlete when he was young. He stopped in his tracks to think about everything he was doing, and he didn’t move a step forward if he didn’t agree with even one thing. When he didn’t agree with it, he turned on his coach without hesitation. He drove himself on by bragging to his rivals, then pouring his heart’s blood into practice in order to make those boasts truth.

Just like the current Youichi.

Although back then he got aggressive at anything he didn’t like, as time passed, as a coach who put a distance of one or two steps between everything, now it was painfully reflected in his eyes the fact that those kinds of athletes had a damaging disposition. He didn’t know how good it would to be like Tomoki—loved and pampered everyone, turning that into energy and growing.

He wanted to let Youichi walk that way as well if he could. He tried to nurture his sociability by giving him the position of the MDC’s leader. Even at the time when Youichi went to directly appeal to Chairman Maebara, though on the inside he was thinking that it was something that was waiting to happen, he drummed into him fussily that he was insolent to go against the organization.

However, somewhere in his mind Keisuke was resigned to the fact that Youichi was his son after all. Because I was born under that causal star, as long as I am active I have no choice but to continue to be burdened with my karma.

If there was just one saving grace, it was that Youichi had much more outstanding talent than him. Fujitani Keisuke participated in the 1972 Munich Olympics and was easily eliminated from the preliminaries. Youichi was different from him, who was winning with his reputation as a coach nowadays, as he had the qualities and talents to do well in the world.

During the time when he was an instructor at Sakuragi High School, he took the seven-year-old Youichi to the diving pool of the diving club for the first time. It was unavoidable that he would come with him as his wife was absent, but he was also a bit interested as to what kind of response Youichi would show. If he showed interest, perhaps he could try diving from the one-meter. But that was not necessary. When Keisuke took his eyes off him, Youichi ran up the five-meter.

When he became aware of that, he was already dancing beneath the blue sky of August.

It was a magnificent dive.

In that moment, Keisuke might have already been resigned to the fact that that child’s talents could not be sealed. But openly he didn’t approve or disapprove of it, continuing to taking the position of leaving diving to Youichi’s autonomy and independence.

Such an ambiguous attitude was not permitted when Keisuke was enticed from Sakuragi High School to the MDC.

“Could you please come and take the position of head coach at Mizuki’s newly established diving club?”

From the start, he had not hesitant when he received the late chairman of Mizuki’s personal invitation. Keisuke had been coaching diving for ten years since he retired from his athlete career, and although he felt that this job was fulfilling and worth doing, he had always had a fundamental problem with it. It was too late to seriously train divers from high school who would be able to carry the Japanese diving world on their shoulders. Training for months and years from childhood was an indispensable condition. And so for Keisuke, who was concerned about the poorness of the institutions for that purpose, the establishment of the MDC was exactly a dream came true.

What he was hesitant about was what to do with Youichi.

At the time, Youichi was still ten-years-old. Even though he was obsessed with diving, there were also other possibilities left. Now he could still return from the thorny path. He hesitated about bringing Youichi to the MDC at this stage, which might decisively orient his life.

And then, putting his own disposition aside, if Youichi joins the MDC, it was apparent that from then on that between them the relationship of a coach and athlete would be prioritized over a father and son relationship. He cannot concentrate his biased affection to only his son. Such self-control could also widen the distance between him and Youichi more than necessary.

It was on a certain Saturday night that Keisuke finally reached the point of giving up after hesitating and hesitating. After coming home from volunteering at a diving experience class for half a day, he was having a drink in the living room after taking a bath, and could hear his wife and son talking in the kitchen through the thin curtain that separated the rooms.

“What did you do at school today?”

“The teacher read us Run, Melos!” (1)

“Ah, how nostalgic. How was it?”

“Well, it’s Melos’ victory strategy, right?”

“Eh…how?”

“Because even if Melos left early and ran normally, he wouldn’t have the time to easily help his friend. But, because he was having fun at his little sister’s wedding party, sleeping soundly, and humming songs as he walked, he became panicked in the end. I think that was definitely his strategy.”

“Strategy?”

“Yep. I’m sure that he won’t have enough time. It has to be more last minute, more of a close call, more of a really desperate situation with no escape, or Melos won’t be able to get fired up.”

A few minutes later, Keisuke weakly broke the news to Youichi, who was sitting at the living room’s dining table, about the MDC.

There was no need to confirm his willingness to join, as Youichi’s eyes were shining.

After that it developed just as he had expected it would, as Keisuke became Youichi’s coach before his father, and his relationship with Youichi, who was entrusted to his mother from the beginning, became more and more formal. Although in the beginning he was bothered by what to do about that, nowadays they had gotten used to their mutual coach and athlete relationship, settling into a strange state of affairs.

In his seven years as head coach of the MDC, there were only two occasions where Keisuke exposed his face as a father.

The first time was during the spring of Youichi’s fifth grade, when he failed at his forward reverse somersault and gotten a head injury.

The second time, when he learned that Youichi was going to do the new dive with those unlucky forward reverse somersaults for the last round at these qualifying trials.

As the first time occurred when it was still just under half a year since the MDC opened, because he was wholeheartedly set on not instilling terror in the hearts of the children who were just beginning to dive, he strenuously restrained himself from becoming distraught.

However, for the second time, he was a little unable to keep his self-control, and regardless of leaving the dive events entirely to Kayoko, when he became aware of it he shouted wildly to Youichi that his new dive was impossible and reckless. The next day he was ashamed that he did something immature, reflecting and regretting that perhaps it was himself who was dragging out the trauma of that incident more than anyone else.

However, in any case this was his last look at a lifespan-shortening competition. If he thought about it like that, it became some consolation.

With the results of this competition, whether the MDC continued on or was driven to shut down, Keisuke had decided to resign from being the head coach.

The MDC was a club that was planned, heavily engaged in, and ended up realized by Mizuki Shinnosuke. He had no hesitation about handing over the essential role of head coach to Shinnosuke’s granddaughter, Kayoko. Kayoko was a coach with a rarely seen genius, and though young she had an unwavering conviction. In addition, that confidence. Even though he still hadn’t talked to the person herself yet, Keisuke would be relieved if it was to Kayoko he entrusted his students to when the time came.

And as for Keisuke himself, he was thinking of transferring to a newly established adult course in the MDC after retiring.

Even if it avoided closing, MDC would continue to be in the red. As a part of his breakthrough solution, he had an idea of maybe trying to teach diving to a wider range of age group as a hobby. Although it was still in the planning stages, in the event that it was realized, Keisuke planned on volunteering to become the full-time coach for that adult course.

At Sakuragi High School he taught diving to high schoolers in their growth period. At the MDC he taught diving to children who would be growing up from then on. It was a good time to associate with diving from another angle, and leave the center stage of winning and losing soon. This was also a way of expanding the spread of diving, and honestly, he didn’t want to see his precious and innocent students suffer in the world of competitions anymore.

Of course, if the results of the qualifying trials were unsatisfactory, there was the possibility of the MDC itself disappearing, to say nothing of an adult course. In that case, he had already said it. Keisuke would take responsibility and leave the diving world, and made up his mind to take up the teaching job at the Otaru university. What would be left for Fujitani Keisuke if diving was taken away from him? It was obvious that everyone was saying that, but Keisuke also wanted to find that out for himself. What would be left for me if you take away diving? What would I lose, what would I drag along with me, what would I aim for next?

Either way, these Olympic representative qualifying trials would be the last competition with his students that Keisuke would be directly involved in.

“Later, when you have time, come to my room.”

Last night, he spontaneously told Youichi that when he returned from Kobe, because his mind was unconsciously worked up before the last day, probably. He shouldn’t say much until the end of the competition, and keep everything to himself, but even he didn’t know why he blurted that out.

Although he tried telling him to come, he didn’t know what he should say. In a restless mood, he was trying to write a manuscript titled “Spiritual Training—To Dance with One’s Heart”, until around nine there was a knock on his door. Keisuke set down his pen and showed Youichi into his room.

“As we welcome tomorrow’s battle, I just want to say one final thing. No matter who wins, who goes to Sydney tomorrow, that is merely a prologue. Fujitani Youichi. Okitsu Shibuki. Sakai Tomoki. You three are divers who possess the qualities to become exceptional. However, you are still young. Your battles continue even after Sydney. Even if you win this time, that is only the first step. Even if you lose this time, there is still ample room for recovery after that. Please capture the future with wide eyes, and from now on I want you three to devote yourselves to head for the top of the world, while mutually encouraging each other to improve. And if possible, outside the water I want you to be good friends who support each other.”

Keisuke thought that after saying that, he might want to do something like taking out three arrows from travelling bag, and say, “Snap them. You can’t, can you? One arrow by itself is weak, but three together is strong.”

But, of course, he did not stock three arrows in his bag, and his fingers, driven by haste as to what to say, grabbed the camera and film.

“I was asked by the JASF’s public relations department to take pictures at the Namihaya Dome. I am not really skilled with machines.”

His return game as a father had only just begun.

Loud music resounded from the main pool again, as a group of swimmers entered the venue with their hands thrust into the air. It was the men’s four x hundred-meter medley relay. As the final event, the cheering squads were leaning forward at this critical moment, making their energetic cries resound.

Matsuno, who went up on the platform during that time, hastily dived from being overwhelmed by that atmosphere, and was resigned to low scores from doing a small performance due to the fear of making a mistake.

After him, Asama broke both his feet doing a twist in his performance, yet another one in bad condition.

As an unpleasant mood hung over everyone, Youichi finally appeared on the platform again.

Slender and long limbs and a symmetrical physical beauty. His appearance that could capture the spectators at a glance was the same as usual, but at a closer glance his complexion was not good, and only his eyes were glittering strangely.

Keisuke noticed Youichi was destroying his physical condition without having to be informed by Kayoko. He knew it the moment he first saw Youichi arriving late at the restaurant. Oh, have you backed yourself into a corner again? You look like you’ve looked down into the dark bottom of a valley from the edge.

Could he dive until the end in that state?

Or would he fall along the way?

Either way, as a coach, there was nothing to do but to watch with his own eyes until the end. Calmly, fairly, watch one of his students betting on their last chance to go to the Olympics.

His ninth-round entry was a backward 3½ somersaults in tuck position and handstand.

As everyone in the MDC was staring at him, the whistle for the beginning of the performance sounded.

Youichi took a deep breath, then tilted his gaze down. After that, he slowly hung his head down from his forehead, bending his waist while maintaining the stability of the lower half of his body. A graceful movement that abounded in flexibility. In that position, he bent his upper body, at the same time extending his hands to the tip of the platform.

“Hosei University has set a new record in Japan!”

The spectacular fanfare resounded from the main pool just before Youichi’s fingers tried to touch the platform.

“Congratulations, this is the best record for men’s four x hundred-meter medley relay!”

The venue was instantaneously engulfed in thunderous applause, the spectators doing a standing ovation in the main pool’s stands. Towards the four people hugging on the poolside, the cheer squads lost control and screamed. It was as though they had gotten an Olympic gold medal.

The dome was instantly swallowed up by a huge swell.

Contrasting that uproarious main pool, the diving pool had fallen silent without even one sound.

Everyone, from Keisuke, Kayoko, Ooshima, Sachiya, the divers who were waiting for their turn, the judges, to Youichi on the platform, stared dumbfounded at the festival on the opposite shore.

If the whistle hadn’t sounded at that time, everyone might have been frozen to that spot forever.

“Oi, this is awful.”

Ooshima was the first to returned to himself.

It was the second whistle from the head of the referees. That was meant as a warning to the divers who were hesitating on the platform. The diver would have a score of 0 if they did not begin their performance within one minute of the warning.

Keisuke’s, Kayoko’s, and Ooshima’s faces were streaked with tension.

But, Youichi in that situation was standing still on the head of the dragon like a puppet with its strings cut. The eyes that had been glittering just a while ago were blankly roaming around in the air, and his feet were wobbling. There was no time for him to waver. There was no room for hesitation. If he didn’t start doing his handstand right now he would fall to last place. Nevertheless, Youichi didn’t try to move his body without so much as a twitch.

Ten seconds passed.

Youichi didn’t move.

Sweat floated on Kayoko’s forehead.

Twenty seconds passed.

Youichi didn’t move.

Tears appeared in the eyes of Sachiya who was holding his flag.

Thirty seconds passed.

Youichi didn’t move.

Hosei University’s cheer squad was beginning to sing their school anthem.

Forty seconds were about to pass.

That was when Keisuke moved.

“Stop that, this is not the time for singing, my son is about to dive!”

Suddenly, the cheering squad’s chorus came to a stop from the bellow of Keisuke, who was standing upright like a guardian Deva king. Within the venue that was covered in a silence like a desert at night, gazes like sandstorms pierced into Keisuke from all directions.

Kayoko’s crimson mouth was left hanging open, having forgotten to close it. Beside her, Ooshima had forgotten to breathe. Sachiya, who had forgotten to cheer, let his flag slip from his fingers, hitting his hair whorl with a clunk. However, Keisuke did not see any of that.

Keisuke’s eyes were only intently following Youichi on the distant platform, lifting his body and his feet that were firmly stepping on thorns, with his two arms.

At a height of ten-meters, he drew a perfect ninety degrees, an immovable handstand.

An indomitable will and strength.

“Ah,”

When the spectators finally returned their gazes to the platform, Youichi had already left the ground, making a brilliant arc glitter on the water.

Only when his body was sucked into the water soundlessly, did Keisuke collapse into his chair for the first time.

Rankings as of the Ninth Round (Cumulative)

①     Okitsu Shibuki (552.09 points)

②     Yamada Atsuhiko (519.24 points)

③     Fujitani Youichi (514.83 points)

④     Sakai Tomoki (510.45 points)

⑤     Asama Takashi (493.71 points)

⑥     Ogawa Shinobu (473.58 points)

⑦     Matsuno Kiyotaka (451.74 points)

⑧     Tsuji Toshihiko (447.03 points)

⑨     Nakayama Masahiko (425.91 points)

⑩     Moriya Kazuteru (408.27 points)

⑪     Maruyama Reiji (405.48 points)

⑫     Kaburagi Shinji (359.31 points)

Translation Notes

1. Run, Melos! (Melos Hashire) is a novel by Osamu Dazai. You can read a better summary on Wikipedia, but it’s basically about this guy Melos who got his friend to replace him for his execution, and had to run back to him in three days or else he dies. 

Put This On’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Tis the season for fretting over what to get the people. To help with the endeavor, every year, we write about our most recent favorites. So, coming just in time for the holiday season, here’s our 2017 gift guide -- things that would be awesome for anyone in your life. 

Before we get started though, we’d love it if you’d check out stuff from our beloved sponsors. The Hanger Project has some wonderful shoe care products; Proper Cloth sell cozy knitwear (probably hard to gift their MTM shirts without your friend knowing); and Chipp’s grenadines are among the most useful ties anyone can own. Dapper Classic’s socks make for nice stocking stuffers; Huckberry has things for the outdoorsman; and Twillory has both whimsical and basic button-ups. 

Additionally, we have some wonderful gift suggestions in our shop, organized by various price tiers. Throw this corner kick charm on a chain and you have a necklace, or give that clotheshorse in your life this Duke of Windsor themed shoehorn. Our Gentlemen’s Association subscriptions could also be that year-round gift that keeps on giving -- a handrolled and handsewn pocket square, made from fabrics picked out by Jesse, delivered to your friend’s doorstep every month. 

OK, to the gifts!

Muth's Mudjeskas

I grew up in San Francisco, eating special occasion candy from See's and Joseph Schmidt's Chocolates. A few years ago, a gift guide from Sweethome turned me on to Muth's Mudjeskas, sold through Muth's Candies in Louisville, Kentucky. They're caramel-covered marshmallows, but that hardly begins to describe them. They ship well, everyone loves them, and if I am frank, they trounce their California competitor, Scotch Kisses from See's, in every category. This year I may try the chocolate-covered ones. -Jesse

Brass Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen

I’ll admit, I am not a pen guy. My handwriting is almost illegible, and so I've always preferred a keyboard to the manual writing experience. But a few months ago in London, I stumbled upon the Kaweco Sport, an inexpensive German fountain pen. The base models are plastic, but the one I bought is made from brass. It's a compact pen, but the hefty metal and large cap make it feel substantial. It's comfortably less than a hundred bucks, writes beautifully, and is handsome as hell. A real "pen guy" probably has ultra-particular tastes you'll never be able to accommodate, but the Kaweco is a great option for someone who’ll enjoy an upgrade from the world of rollerballs. -Jesse

Glerups Wool Slipper Boots

My wife walked around the house barefoot for decades, unbothered by cold or dirt. My toesies are always frozies, so I never took off my shoes. (I know, I know, but I have wood floors and live in California, where the elements don't follow you indoors). Then my wife’s feet started to hurt and her doctor laid it out for her: you need to wear some support anytime you're walking on hard surfaces. The answer was boiled-wool slippers like these, from Glerups. They keep your feet cozy without overheating, and they have a bizarrely compelling style. Glerups are the option recommended by the product review site The Sweethome, and I trust their judgement. -Jesse

[Pete’s note: I also dig these Tyrolean wool slippers, which have thin leather soles. They're like sweaters for your feet.]

John Hodgman's Vacationland

Hodgman took a hard turn in his new book, Vacationland. His first three books were compendia of imagined facts. They were deeply personal, but they weren't real. Vacationland is a genuine memoir, a story that follows Hodgman through three parts of life: growing up as a prematurely middle-aged child in a ramshackle house in Brookline, Mass; inheriting his family's summer home in Western Mass; and buying a home in his wife's family seat of Maine. It's very funny, but it's also beautifully written, and ultimately becomes a consideration of the pleasures and responsibilities of adulthood. A perfect gift for the dad who has everything. -Jesse

Manufactum Map Case

The map case has always struck me as the perfect man's purse. Unlike a big shoulder bag, it's modest in size, but it still has enough distinctiveness from a lady's bag and enough military heritage to feel like a man could wear it. In other words: it's useful enough for a woman, but PH-balanced for a man. The problem with map cases is that the real deal -- often made for European armies in the 1950s and ‘60s -- are made of vinyl and ultra-low-quality leather. Their form is appealing, but the reality is not. The other day, I got a doorstop of a catalog from the German retailer Manufactum, and I was thrilled to find that they have remade the German map case with real grown-up leather. -Jesse

Felt Hats by Barbara Keal

Years ago, when we were shooting Put This On in London, I met Guy Hills, the proprietor of Dashing Tweeds. Guy is a crackling ball of joyful, boyish energy. He rode around on one of those giant-wheel bicycles, showed us the riverboat behind his house, and told about his tweeds. He also showed us a hat his family had bought him for Christmas. It was a breathtaking concoction from felted wool, a ragged animal crown that reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are. "My friend Barbara made it for me, don't you love it?" And frankly, I did. I'm no furry, no costume-wearer, but it was genuine art. It was breathtaking. So I asked for one for Christmas from my family. It's one of my most treasured possessions. She takes commissions, although they can take a while to make. -Jesse

Ray Barretto’s Acid

Ray Barretto was one of the great bandleaders of Latin music. He was an accomplished jazz player, accompanying acts such as Art Blakey and Lou Donaldson as a conguero. When boogaloo hit in the early ‘60s, he had one of its signature hits, “El Watusi.” By 1968, Barreto was making salsa with the legendary Fania Records. He was music director of the Fania All-Stars, perhaps the greatest salsa band of all time, and making records under his own name. Acid is more than just a bit of trendy psychedelia. It's a genuinely thrilling record, with salsa, boogaloo, Latin rock, and jazz all in a blender. You don't need to know those genres to appreciate them either because, ultimately, it's dance music. It jams. If this one doesn’t thrill you, you're dead inside. -Jesse

Aurora Shoe Company

I was flipping through a Japanese fashion magazine the other day, and was stopped short by these handmade shoes from Aurora Shoe Company. They were in a section featuring the editors' personal favorites and I could see why. They're profoundly dowdy, but immensely charming. The Middle English has full size runs for me (including narrow) and is pretty great, but the one I saw was the West Indian. Sadly, they only carry that one in sizes up to 11 womens, which is a 9 mens. Great if you're a Japanese fashion editor, but less great if you're a giant American oaf. -Jesse

Children’s Books, Who Needs Donuts and Radiant Child

Is there a picture-book-aged kid on your list? I've got three kids myself, and am a real snob. These are two books that meet my standards. Who Needs Donuts is a strange and hilarious story about a boy obsessed with collecting donuts. He learns the true meaning of love. It has the anarchic, deviant quality that animates Maurice Sendak and insane, riotous pictures that you can look at for hours. One of those stories that gets its hooks in deeply and you're not sure how. Radiant Child is a new picture biography of Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe. Steptoe is a gifted artist himself, and his pictures were built from fragments of Basquiat's past, like literal window frames from the places he lived. He also isn't afraid of the deepest emotional resonances of Basquiat's life and work. The book is largely driven by Basquiat's relationship with his mentally ill mother, and the subject is presented beautifully  and movingly. Steptoe's own mother struggled with mental illness, and in reading, an adult can see the ways Basquiat's story is animated by Steptoe's. -Jesse

A Small Vintage Steiff Animal

The world is full of Steiff collectors, the world's greatest manufacturer of stuffed animals. There's a reason, too. Steiffs have immense charm, they're distinctive, and more than a little bit beautiful. They also make great gifts. The older, smaller ones are generally well under a hundred bucks on eBay or from a local antique shop, and you have your choice of a century of creatures. You can go with a classic bear, but I love the more unusual beasts, such as lobsters or ride-on turtles or this tremendous fox, which may be begging for a treat? -Jesse 

(Derek’s note: for the menswear enthusiasts among you, A Kind of Guise routinely makes parkas with Steiff’s signature wools). 

A Plant (and an Accompanying Planter)

I like giving art or decorative objects as gifts (although they can be risky if you don’t know someone’s taste pretty well). Another good gift in this category is a simple houseplant­­—an easy and almost universal present. Houseplants have been undergoing a bit of a renaissance recently, so the availability and variety are broader than they were a few years ago. The snake plant is easy to care for and doesn’t need much light or attention. One of my favorites (still reasonably small—fit for a desk or countertop) is a staghorn fern. Air plants and small succulents can also fit almost anywhere and will require minimal care. If you know someone likes plants and has some space, step up to the monstera, whose distinctly shaped leaves you’ll recognize from Aloha shirts. You can find decent selections online from stores like The Sill, which also offers a 30-day guarantee, your local garden store, or even Ikea. -Pete

Lizzy Goodman’s Meet Me in the Bathroom

If the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and LCD Soundsystem were in regular rotation on your first generation iPod, you'll appreciate Goodman's oral history of the New York scene in the ‘00s. Goodman interviewed dozens (hundreds?) of musicians, managers, DJs, and journalists and chronicles how rock 'n' roll re-took over the world from limp late-era alternative rock and Limp Bizkit. The stories they tell are enjoyably revealing, overblown, and gossip-y. Sample quote from James Murphy: “This is me dancing. This isn’t the drugs dancing. This is the drugs stopping myself from stopping myself from dancing.” -Pete

A Watch Winder from WOLF

If your friend owns mechanical wristwatches, a watch winder could be the perfect gift. There’s a lot of debate on whether they’re necessary -- a winder may or may not extend the life of a watch -- but they do eliminate the need to wind automatics. That can be nice if your friend owns watches with certain complications (e.g. setting the date, which can be annoying if you haven’t worn a watch in a while). WOLF makes some wonderful winders. Handsomely designed and constructed from reliable parts, these are fully programmable so you can set the number and direction of rotations (a good way to customize the winder to best suit your watches). They’re also a beautiful way to display special timepieces -- something to decorate on your friend’s dresser or bookshelf. -Derek

A Handsome Mach 3 Handle

Gillette’s Mach 3 has spread into almost every medicine cabinet since it was first introduced in the late ‘90s. It’s the safety razor most men, including me, have stuck with since learning how to shave in high school. Stock Gillette handles, however, are pretty ugly -- cheap, plastic, and dinky looking, they’re an eyesore on countertops. You probably can’t get your friend to switch shaving habits, but you can give them a better Mach 3 handle. British brands such as Edwin Jagger sell some handsome ones, although I prefer the more distinctive hand-turned designs found on sites such as eBay and Etsy. They’re typically hand carved from a block of wood, then lacquered with an epoxy to give the surface a shine and water-resistant finish. I like them in buckeye burl woods. Mine, pictured above, was purchased at this shop. They no longer have the handles in burl wood, although you can find them elsewhere. -Derek

American Trench’s Speckled Wool Socks

Everyone hates cold feet, which is why warm socks make for an easy, even if pedestrian, gift (get it? Pede? Feet? Ok). I like these Donegal-style wool socks at American Trench. They’re cozy, designed to be worn with boots, and made at a Pennsylvanian factory from hardy Italian yarns. The flecks of color give some nice visual interest without being overdone. Kinda pricey at $30, but a two pack runs for $45 and you can keep a pair for yourself. Hard to go wrong with any of the colors, although I dig the yellow ones most. -Derek

A Fancy Ass Cheese Knife

Everyone has that one friend that loves to host parties. And thank God, because without them we’d never leave our homes. To show your appreciation for their efforts, give them a fancy cheese knife. It’ll allow them to serve up some delicious appetizers, add something to their party decor, and give you an excuse to duck out of awkward conversations at said gatherings (“Is that, is that cheese? Excuse me”). Chelsea Miller sells some lovely looking knives. She makes them completely herself, from start to finish, at her workshop in Brooklyn. The metals are sourced from recycled farrier rasps; the wood harvested from her family farm in Vermont. They have a wonderfully elegant and rustic style about them, and would be something your friend and others can use for years. -Derek

Billingham Camera Bag

It never fails to impress me how many people are interested in photography nowadays. Unfortunately, most camera bags aren’t terribly great looking -- black ballistic nylon designs with cheap plastic details, they look like the sort of things carried around convention halls. If you have a friend who’s a budding photographer, give him or her a Billingham instead. They’re made in England and look like repurposed traditional fishing bags (Billingham actually started as a fishing bag manufacturer). The interior is padded to protect camera equipment, but the exterior is made from a handsome mix of cotton canvas and leather. You can find Billingham bags new at their webshop or second-hand on sites such as eBay and Etsy. They also used to make camera bags for Banana Republic -- pre-Gap, back when the brand was still a solid safari-themed outfitter. Extra points if you can find one with that heritage. -Derek