Thanks all for your feedback on our recent poll. I'm considering something a little different given the results and will be back later with a decision.
Announcing JUST LEAVE (A COMMENT FEST), where you have 5 days to leave as MANY comments as possible!! We have themes to give you a starting place, but you're free to comment on whatever you want, as MUCH as you want! Check below for explanations of each themed day and an FAQ
⌠Yeah, I know itâs barely even Christmas yet, but we do want to get a head start on something like this, donât we?
Welcome to our Valentine-themed prompt challenge! Youâll get 10 prompts to pick from, plus a very special surprise if you pick the option for it! ;)Â
Though we are mainly a Zexal blog, we decided to open the challenge up to all series! So, weâre looking forwards to other spinoff and DM fans joining this silly little fic-a-thon!
You can sign up here!
The event is both OC friendly and NSFW friendly (as long as you tag appropriately!)
Under the readmore, a little explanation of the images in the slideshow đ
Thinking about trying something different, hopefully with a lower barrier to participation. Please vote in the poll (or comment, not both) if you'd like us to host a fic rec week.
Date TBC but likely after February due to other events.
After much thought, I've decided to put GX Rare Pairs Week on hiatus. There isn't the interest to continue running the week, either in its current or an altered form.
Please follow @YGOfandomcalendar for details of other events. If a gap opens up, we may return.
Thank you to everyone who participated these last couple of years. I hope you enjoyed the event, and wish you the best of luck with your creative work going forward.
Hi their I have already completed my prompt for this years event and thank you so much for hosting this event and I hope you would organize another one next year with similar prompt. I have so many works I wanted to post but my hectic schedule is preventing me especially a royalty fanfic dedicated to Ryo and Johan which is a series fic.
Hi, my apologies! Tumblr didn't notify me of this ask! I just found it after I got one on my personal.
I don't know if there will be an event next year, but if there is, the prompts will be different. You are welcome to use this year's prompts at your own pace, and if you tag the blog, I'll reblog for you. (That goes for anyone who struggled with the timing this year.)
Fingers crossed that life becomes less hectic for you!
SHIP: Tigershipping (Taniya x Misawa; one-sided in this chapter and mutual later on.)
RATING: G-PG for this chapter  WORD COUNT: 2155
SUMMARY:  Story: Fifteen-year-old Taniya, the youngest of the Seven Stars, is planted at Duel Academia as a student by Kagemaru. But with a relationship thatâs perhaps not quite what she anticipated, a struggle with increasingly divided loyalties, and a cryptic prophecy, her hands are going to be full this year.Â
Chapter: Asuka thinks that watching the entrance exams is just going to be depressing, only to get unexpected company. Meanwhile, Taniya sees the guy of her dreams.
NOTES: This, like all of my submissions for this event, is a queued post since I will be on vacation during the actual Rarepair Week; I plan to post on Ao3 when I return home at the end of the month. This is a canon-divergence AU, and itâs a pretty ambitious idea by my standards.  Iâm not even sure Iâll be able to finish it, but I thought Iâd at least post the first chapter.Â
Bonus art of Taniya as she appears in this chapter: https://dancingkirby.tumblr.com/post/686636132281253888/close-up-of-my-drawing-of-taniya-from-my-new
Close up of my drawing of Taniya from my new âTigershipping age gap fix AU.â Iâm hoping I can at least write part of it soon; possibly for
If Tenjoin Asuka were to be completely honest with herself, she would admit that she wasnât having fun watching the entrance exams. Many second and third-year students, as well as first-year Obelisks who had gotten into Duel Academia via the prep school route or family connections, were in attendance. It was kind of a traditionâŚthis way, they could get re-acquainted with each other after the summer break and check out the incoming talent among those who had taken the exams.  This year, there was an added enticement: rumors of one young man who had scored an almost unheard-of 995 out of 1000 on the written exam. Only one person in the history of the school had ever gotten a higher score than this, and he was the guy currently standing to her right: Marufuji Ryo.Â
However, she simply couldnât feel the anticipation like she knew she ought to. All she could think was that Fubuki should have been standing here on the walkway with them. He would have loved it had he been here, she was certain; cheering all applicants on regardless of rank. But he wasnât here, and things were awkward in his absence. Ryo obviously felt it too: he hadnât said a single word all morning, which was unusual even for him. Therefore, all she had to listen to was the commentary from Manjoume Jun and his friends, who were sitting directly below her and Ryo.Â
Manjoume was somewhat odd, she thought: rude to virtually everyone except Asuka herself, for reasons known only to him. He put on displays of bravado that were convincing enough to newcomers, although Asuka had known him long enough to suspect that these were intended to hide deeper insecurities. Currently, he was not in the least bit impressed with the crop of applicants they had seen thus far, and vocally made his displeasure known. He had placed all of them so far in one of two categories: âboringâ or âterrible.â She had heard Manjoume telling one of his lackeys that he actually preferred the terrible ones, since at least their mistakes were entertaining to watch.Â
âWhen are we going to see Number One?â he griped. âThatâs why weâre all here. Are they really going to save him for last?â
Asuka briefly considered how satisfying it would be to yell at Manjoume to shut up, but decided against it. She had a reputation to uphold, and was also feeling too gloomy to want to take any action. Instead, she leaned forward on the railing, staring into space and hoping beyond anything that this would be over soonâŚ
âExcuse me. Is this spot taken?â
It was a female voice, rather low-pitched and with a hint of a foreign accent. Asuka looked up sharply to realize that another girl in an Obelisk uniform had approached her from her left, and she had been too despondent to notice. She thought that she remembered seeing this girl at the Obelisk Dorm orientation a couple days ago, although they hadnât spoken to each other. And really, her appearance made it so that she was not easily forgotten. The primary distinction was her height and build. The girl was significantly taller than Asuka, who wasnât exactly short herself. In fact, this newcomer was very nearly as tall as Ryo, and Asuka suspected that it was mostly his hair that put him over the edge. She was also a little gangling; evidently, she had done a lot of growing in a short time, and the rest of her proportions hadnât quite caught up yet. Nevertheless, the girl had some impressive arm muscles, which were shown off well by the sleeveless uniform jacket.Â
âNo. No, itâs not taken,â Asuka replied. In fact, she was glad that this girl had made her appearance when she did. Perhaps she could serve as a distraction. âMy name is Tenjoin Asuka, and this is Marufuji Ryo.â
The new girl smiled brightly. âBorjigin Taniya. Great to meet you!â Her grin was so infectious that Asuka, as dour as her mood was, couldnât help but to smile back.
âSoâŚBorjigin-sanâŚâ she began, carefully attempting to pronounce the surname properly. However, the girl waved it off.
âPlease, call me Taniya. Use whatever suffix you want, or none at all if you prefer. Iâm not picky.â
âAll right. Taniya, then,â Asuka amended. âYou can call me by my given name as well. Did you go to prep school? I donât recall ever seeing you there.â The Obelisks all usually knew each other, especially the girls, since they were only admitted via the prep school and were not permitted to take the entrance exams. (This fact had always rankled her, honestly.)   She wasnât certain how Taniya could have gotten into the school otherwise.
Taniya shook her head. âNo. I grew up in Mongolia and only moved to Japan two years ago. But I happen to know one of the teachers at the school, and he made arrangements for me to get a place there.â
âI see.â Well, that was a bit unusual, and Asuka was pretty sure that this wasnât the entire story. However, this was Duel Academia, and Fubuki had told her that very few things were normal or usual there.Â
Obviously, this meant that Taniya would fit right in. Everything about her, from her two long braids of red hair that had obviously been carefully styled by someone close to her, to her forest-green eyes, to her large, pointed ears and golden-brown skin, had a bit of an otherworldly look to it. There was something almost magnetic about Taniyaâs charisma, too, and Asuka found it difficult to tear her eyes away despite knowing that she was staring. However, the taller girl was observing her and Ryo nearly as intently. Then, in a heartbeat, she switched back to her previous bubbly self.Â
âAsuka-san. Have you seen any cute guys here yet that I should know about?â Taniya turned to her, winked, and giggled. Asuka felt her face warm a bit, and now even Ryo was gazing at Taniya curiously.Â
âNo. Sorry,â she replied. Yes, this Taniya was strange, and appeared to interpret the norms of polite conversation somewhat loosely. But she could get away with it since she was so darn likable.Â
âHm. Thatâs too bad. I guess Iâll have to keep my eye out, then,â the taller girl said. As they all turned their attention back to the testing arenas, a field was freed up and an announcement went out for the next applicant.Â
âNumber 119, Marufuji Sho, please report to Arena 3. Number 119 to Arena 3. Thank you.â
âYour brotherâs up, Ryo,â Asuka commented. She herself didnât know Sho all that well; theyâd grown up in the same neighborhood, had a couple of playdates when they were small, but had ended up going to different schools. Sheâd only really gotten acquainted with the Marufuji brothers after Fubukiâs disappearance, and even then Sho had seemed almost intimidated by her.Â
âSo I heard,â Ryo confirmed. Asuka thought heâd have been a bit more invested in his brotherâs success. Oh well. She herself kept an eye on Shoâs duel off and on; although heâd gotten off to a slow start, he began holding his own after a couple of turns. Then, they all heard the announcement theyâd been waiting for.Â
âNumber 1, Misawa Daichi, please report to Arena 4.â
âFinally,â she heard Manjoume say. Heâd been right after all: Number 1 had been the last to get summoned to the arena. Everyone craned their necks towards Arena 4 to get a better look. Then, after a few minutes, they saw the platform on the floor below rise up to take its place on the arena floor.Â
Misawa Daichi proved to be a boy of about average height, with a sturdy build. His middle school uniform was either white or light gray; it was difficult to tell for sure from this height. Neither could Asuka get a great look at his face, though he appeared to be pretty regular-looking from what she could see.Â
Right then, she heard a very peculiar noise: a kind of elongated half-gasp, half-shriek that she thought sounded a bit like an amorous vacuum cleaner. She looked over to her left, to see that Taniya had made the noise. The redhead had fallen to her knees, and was staring at Number 1 so intently that a good portion of her face extended out from between the bars on the railing.Â
She turned back briefly to gaze at Asuka, eyes huge and sparkling.Â
Unbeknownst to Asuka, both Taniyaâs vision and hearing were enhanced by her Duel Spirit energy. She saw the fine details that others could not.Â
This boyâŚthis boy! Those slate-gray eyes, and that square jawline, and his regal bearingâŚoh! She thought that he went beyond cuteâŚthat in fact he may have been the most handsome guy she had ever seen in her entire fifteen years and six months of existence.
But it wasnât his looks that drew her in the most. Rather, it was the fact that he appeared to have no fear or test-taking nerves at all. He had come here to win, not merely to try. Truly, calling him a boy did not do him justice; no, he looked like a full-fledged man.Â
She had never before met a male who made her feel this way. The crush sheâd had on Darknessâs host for a couple of months last year, which had seemed all-consuming to her at a time, now felt flimsy and juvenile compared to this.Â
âI love him!â she said out loud as she removed her face from the railing and rose back to her feet.  Tenjoin Asuka and Marufuji Ryo both looked at her askance. OopsâŚhad she used too strong of a word?
âI like him,â she amended, although that word seemed woefully inadequate to express her sudden burning passion. âDo either of you know anything else about him?â
âHis name is Misawa Daichi,â Ryo informed her, in a deep voice that was almost monotone. âHe got the second-highest score in Duel Academiaâs history on the written exam. A prodigy in math and science, so I heard; good enough to possibly go straight to university, but he chose to come here instead.âÂ
Well, Taniya was beyond happy that he had. Over in Arena 3, Ryoâs brother had managed to pull off a narrow win, although she scarcely noticed. Not when she had this hunk to drool over. Misawa had scored a good hit early on with his Vorse Raider, although the proctor now appeared to be setting up that most annoying of strategies: stalling.Â
âAw, come on!â she protested when the proctor summoned Big Shield Gardna. âThatâs against the rules!â
Ryo looked down his nose at her. âNo, itâs not.â
âWell, it should be!â Taniya insisted.Â
âKeep it down, will you?â yelled the boy with the nasally voice who was sitting below them. âSome of us are trying to watch here!â Taniya obeyed, but only so she wouldnât have to listen to him again. His voice hurt her ears.Â
Meanwhile, the proctor had also summoned Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, and paid 800 life points to do the same amount of direct damage to Misawa. He obviously thought he had this in the bag, but he had forgotten about Misawaâs facedown card. Which was Ring of Destruction. It was glorious, and it won him the duel. Taniya did a little happy dance.Â
The mystery nasally voice guy, whom Taniya couldnât see from this angle, was still not impressed, remarking, âWe shouldâve just stayed at the campus.â However, she barely registered his words, as she was too busy trying to get Misawaâs attention.
âHey! Up here!â she shouted. Unfortunately, Misawa either didnât hear her or was ignoring her. He calmly left the arena and sat down in the area reserved for the students who had completed their practical exams.Â
âNooooo! Wait! Come back! I wanted to talk to you!â She leaned so far over the railing that she might have fallen over it if Asuka hadnât reached out to pull her back in the nick of time. Thus thwarted in her attempts, Taniya slumped down to the floor and sulked a bit. However, she wasnât about to give up that easily. They were going to a school on an island, after all. It was only a matter of time before sheâd be able to finally meet the object of her affections. He wouldnât know what hit him! Yes, she knew she had her duties and all, but who said she couldnât have a little fun on the side while waiting for that? It wasnât like anything was going to happen soon. They didnât even have their seventh Star yet.
She was so absorbed in her planning that she barely registered all the fuss about the boy who had come in late.Â
SHIP: Denyshipping (Amon x Edo x Ekou), Sacrificeshipping (Amon x Ekou)
RATING: MÂ Â WORD COUNT: 6436
SUMMARY: Amon looked amused at Edâs continued silence. âIf you desire my wife so badly, I have a little proposal for you. You can have her, on one conditionâŚI get to claim you too.â
NOTES: This, like all of my submissions for this event, is a queued post since I will be on vacation during the actual Rarepair Week; I plan to post on Ao3 when I return home at the end of the month. This is a slight AU where Amon and Ekou were both brought back, and is set about five years post-canon. Edoâs name is spelled as âEdâ in this since itâs set in America (I know. Itâs weird), and Iâm using the fanon that heâs from England. I chalk up any mistakes on my part to him being exposed to the slang of other countries over the years. LOL This fic is dedicated to @immicolia and her love of Edoâs bitchfaces.Â
Rated for sexual content (I tried to make it relatively non-explicit, and thereâs some fade-to-black), cursing, and alcohol use.Â
In general, Ed Phoenix was happy with the direction his life was going. Tonight, though, proved to be an exception. Why had he ever agreed to go to this bloody stupid event?! Part of it, he supposed, was boredom. He and Ryo were taking one of their regular breaks from their relationship; things got so intense between them that they both agreed it was for the best to avoid emotional burnout. Also, Emeralda had told him that it would come off as âstrangeâ if he didnât show up, especially since he was currently living in the Silicon Valley area for a stint in the American Pros.  Then again, she didnât know what had happened in that cave in the other dimension, did she? In any case, here he was, in the ballroom of this reception hall, at a gala celebrating both the IPO and app launch for the social-media website Cogito.Â
Cogitoâor âGeet,â as it was often affectionately known by its fanbaseâbilled itself as a site for âcivilized academic debate,â (emphasis theirs) particularly when it came to thorny philosophical questions that didnât have answers elsewhere. Ed had no idea how it had managed to attract such a large and rabid fanbaseâŚbut somehow, it had. Perhaps it was due to their viral advertisement campaigns, which made liberal use of the latest memes before they had a chance to get outdated. Or maybe it was simply because lots of college students used it to cheat on their homework, despite this being decidedly against the Terms of Service. Even Ed had to admit that heâd visited the site a couple of times; he did have several PhDâs by this point, after all, and he couldnât play extreme sports or duel all the time.Â
Currently, though, he was suffering through what seemed to him to be an excruciatingly long speech by the websiteâs founderâŚAmon Garam. No wait, Ed kept forgetting, he was going by Amon Shaughnessy now. Not that it mattered to him.Â
âFive years ago, my wife and I had nothingâŚexcept for each other and an idea,â Amon was saying. âBut we had the grit and perseverance to make that idea a reality. What started as a small website that I coded in the basement of my grandparentsâ home has become something much more. And we would like to thank our supporters for standing by us. Also, thank you to my grandparents for taking us in when we needed it, and big thanks to Ekou, who has always given this project her whole-hearted support, spending countless hours debugging and offering suggestions. And of course, she is the mastermind behind our famous advertisements.â
Ekou, who was standing on the podium at her husbandâs side, beamed and gave the audience a little nod of acknowledgement.  Ed, on the other hand, was fighting the urge to make a âgag-meâ gesture. He doubted that things had ever been quite as dire as Amon said theyâd been. There were a lot of things missing from his version of events, not the least of which was that he had been adopted by a family of billionairesâŚuntil Goa Garam had kicked both him and Ekou out for revealing their âloveâ for each other. What was more, he had heard that Ekou had later gotten access to her funds back due to the intercession of her dying mother. Oh, and to top it all off, was Ed seriously the only person who remembered that Amon had tried to kill the woman who would become his wife?! Theyâd both initially been thought to be permanently dead.  Then, much like Ryo, they had washed up on a beachâŚon Miyako Island, if he was remembering correctly. That was in the early months of 2007. Cogito had been launched in the summer of 2008âŚnot quite four years ago. They had certainly gotten back on their feet quickly for people who had had ânothing.â And now, they lived in a sprawling mansion in Palo Alto with their three children, and hobnobbed with all the biggest names in tech.
In any case, Amon was finally done talking, people had clapped, and they had opened the floor to questions. Ekou said, âFirst, hereâs the answer to the question that everyone always has. Yes, that is how my name is actually spelled, and no, I donât know what my parents were thinking.â A ripple of polite laughter rose from the crowd. Ed had the idea that when she had said âthinking,â what she had really meant was âsmoking.â Over the past few years, sheâd become famous in her own right from her popular fitness and lifestyle channel on YouTube on which Amon made periodic guest appearances. Ed, always having an interest in fashion, noted that she was attired in a smart dark blue pencil skirt and matching blazer that was meant to complement her husbandâs suit (which was gray, to match his eyes), and still had the same short haircut.
The questioners all had favorable opinions of both Cogito and the Shaughnessysâprescreened, obviouslyâand now it was time for the cocktail party, which would be followed by a late supper in the dining room for a select few guests. Ed had turned out to be one of those few, rather unwillingly. For now, he was just glad that he was old enough to legally drink in America, so he could dull the monotony a bit. However, he knew he had to be careful about that, since he was a lightweight when it came to alcohol and was already feeling the effects after drinking only one cosmopolitan. He had been on his way to grab some canapes to balance it out when he almost literally bumped into Ekou. She had changed into a vintage-looking cocktail dress with a full skirt, and also appeared to have had a drink or two.Â
âHey! Edo!â she said. âWhoops, shoot, sorry, Ed. I forgot that I was speaking English for a second there.â
âItâs quite all right. I do the same thing sometimes myself,â he admitted. It tended to be jarring whenever he moved to an English-speaking country after an extended stay in Japan, getting accustomed to his first name having two syllables and then hearing it pronounced with only one again.
Ekou, meanwhile, looked a bit surprised. âWow, youâre British? Somehow, I guess I never picked up on the accent when you spoke Japanese.â That was understandable, Ed thought, given that she had been rather preoccupied at the time.Â
âIâm English,â he corrected automatically. âAlthough I havenât actually lived there since I was a child. Well, anyway, it was great seeing you againâŚâ âHe broke off here and added âaliveâ under his breathâ âbut I wanted to go check out those shrimpâŚnow see how Americanized Iâve become, I donât say âprawnsâ anymoreâŚâ He was starting to wish that Ryo was here with him, since heâd merely stand there and give everyone his best Hell Kaiser glare until they left him alone. He just wanted to get out of here before he had to talk toâŚ
âEkou! I see that youâve found an old friend?â
Too fucking late. Now, Ed had to make small talk with Amon ShaughnessyâŚand the years had not diminished his hatred of the man one bit.Â
âHello,â he muttered, affixing the man with what Ryo often referred to as his âbitchface.â Amon, clearly having the time of his life, strode over and stuck out his hand. Ed forced himself to shake it.
âHello, Ed Phoenix. Are you enjoying the party?â he asked mildly. He was completely sober, or at least appeared that way. Ed very much doubted that he was genuinely making harmless small talk, although he was unsure what the hidden agenda might be. Heâd have to stay on guard.
âIâve been to worse,â he finally said. Now would be the perfect chance to give this arsehole the punch in the face that he so richly deserved. He felt his hands balling into fistsâŚ
âI wouldnât do that if I were you,â Amon told him silkily. âThe press is here, after all, and they would love to have a story to plaster all over the front pages tomorrow morning. And that might ruin your career, donât you think?â
Ed found himself hissing âKisama!â He couldnât think of anything in English that could quite encapsulate what he was feeling; âYou bastard!â seemed woefully inadequate. To be perfectly honest with himself, though, having something to get this emotionally invested over was as thrilling, in its own way, as one of his skyboarding excursions.
Amon, far from being insulted, made no attempts to hide how much he was enjoying the banter. âAnd you refuse to let bygones be bygones. How sad.â
âYou donât have to be mad anymore, Ed,â Ekou chimed in, laying a hand on his forearm. âNor did you have to be to begin with. It was my choice, and look! Everything turned out fine.â And she still didnât pull her hand away. Why did that simple touch feel so good, make all his thoughts muddled?
Meanwhile, Amon tilted his head consideringly.  He lowered his voice. âI have always been curious about something; perhaps you can enlighten me. Why were you that protective of a woman whom you had only just met? Could it beâŚthat you were in love with her?â
This non-sequitur left Ed completely blindsided. For several seconds, he stood there in stunned silence, wondering if heâd heard correctly. Finally, he managed to spit out, âI donât have to be in love with someone in order to get angry when theyâre being treated like a human rubbish bin, thanks.â
âYes, yes, youâre all about heroics and justice, arenât you?â Amon sighed, switching to Japanese. âPerhaps âloveâ is too strong of a word. You want her, then.â
Ed, normally the king of snappy comebacks, couldnât think of anything he could say that wouldnât serve to dig himself a deeper hole than the one he was currently in. Because, well, it was true. Since heâd been twelve, heâd considered himself to be exclusively attracted to menâŚuntil heâd met Ekou. He hadnât quite recognized it for what it was at the time, but then, after theyâd all returned to their own world, heâd started having dreams about her. Ryo hadnât been at all concerned about this when Ed had finally confessed this to him, saying something along the lines of, âSo youâre bi. Congratulations.â However, he himself was rather shaken to realize that something heâd always believed to be a fundamental truth about himself was inaccurate. Ekou was unlike any other woman heâd ever metâŚand it didnât help matters now that her hand was still on his arm.Â
Amon looked amused at Edâs continued silence. âIf you desire my wife so badly, I have a little proposal for you. You can have her, on one conditionâŚI get to claim you too.â
He took a step backwards. Heâd never known Amon swung that way until right now, much less felt like that about him in particular. How long had this been the case? Perhaps all the way back to their duel?Â
âYou are absolutely disgusting,â he whispered. However, heâd hesitated just an instant too long before replying for it to be believable, and he knew it. The whole twisted idea spoke to something deep inside him: the part of him that was never completely satisfied unless he was doing something dangerous.   And somehow, Amon seemed to have sensed this.
âItâs only disgusting if you choose to see it that way,â he replied. âI expect that you know a little something of business after spending a decade in the Pro League. Think of it as a mutually beneficial transaction. We wonât force you to do anything you donât want, of course.â
âDoesnât she get a say in any of this?â Ed retorted.
âOf course I do,â she assured him. âIn fact, it was my idea. We have an open relationship, and Iâd always thought that you were cute. Then I saw your name on the potential invite list for this party, and I said to Amon, why donât we invite him and see what happens?â She giggled a bit, and her face was flushed, although Ed wasnât sure how much of this was attributable to her amorous feelings and how much was due to alcohol consumption.Â
So theyâd planned all this from the start. Why was he not surprised? Somehow, knowing this excited him further still.Â
It was at this moment that he saw a flash of light in the background. Ekou finally removed her hand and hissed, âAmon. Cameras.â
âWe will continue these negotiations after supper, if you wish. It was nice speaking with you, Mr. Phoenix,â he said, speaking English once again for the benefit of their audience. The two of them walked away to greet more guests, perfectly in sync with one another and not at all acting like theyâd just propositioned him for a threesome. How did they do that? A boy with wavy brown hair, who appeared to be about twelve, ran up to the pair and started a conversation with Amon. Ed watched for a few more seconds before looking away.
At least now he could check out the shrimp. Prawns. Whatever. Although he wasnât certain that he had much appetite anymore.
The supper proved to be a drawn-out affair, lasting eight courses, with a different wine pairing for each. Ed was both pleased with this because it delayed the inevitable awkward conversation, and annoyed because it meant he had more time to get wrapped up in his ruminative thoughts. He picked at his food and tried not to look at the couple who was throwing the party, but his eyes kept wandering up the table against his will. Ekou had changed her outfit yet again, this time into an emerald green evening gown, and she and Amon were absorbed in amiable conversation with the people seated nearest to them, who appeared to be mostly stuffy investor types. Amon had a pad of paper at the ready, and he was taking copious notes. Heâd thought that they were both thoroughly occupied with their socializingâŚand then Ekou happened to look right at Ed during one of his furtive peeks. She gave him a little smile and wave, until Amon said something which had everyone around them laughing. Immediately, she turned all of her attention back to her husband.Â
Now that he had gotten over the initial shock of the coupleâs proposal, Ed continued to ponder exactly why he hadnât been completely repulsed by it, as he knew he ought to be. Why was his heart racing every time he thought about it, and not from fear? Why had he felt the color rise in his cheeks when Ekou had smiled at him, or as he contemplated how the muscles of Amonâs powerful arms were evident through multiple layers of fabric?   He hated the guy, both for the agony heâd put Ekou through and the flippant attitude heâd had towards the whole thing. That was not up for debate. And yet here he was, getting increasingly vivid fantasies of the guy fucking him so hard that he wouldnât be able to walk the next morning.  On the other end of the spectrum, there was Ekou herself, who could probably kick his ass if she felt like it, yet also had that aura of vulnerability about her even now. And he wanted her too, for very different reasons. He wasnât certain there was a word for this sort of phenomenon.
He attempted to think of something, anything, that he could use as a reason to turn them down. Fidelity wasnât the issue here. He and Ryo had decided long ago that they were allowed to have other relationships when on hiatus with theirs, the only two rules being, âalways use protection,â and, âdonât do anything too stupid.â The first one wouldnât be an issue; he wasnât so far-gone that he couldnât insist on that. However, he couldnât be certain whether or not this would qualify as âtoo stupid.â There was also the fact that heâd never had sex with anyone who wasnât a cis man beforeâŚbut that couldnât be too different, could it? Might even be easier in some ways. Ugh, there he went again, actually considering this outrageous idea! All of this wine must be going to his head.
Finally, dessert was over, and he guessed it must be close to midnight now. People were starting to gradually leave the table and drift off toward the front entrance to arrange for their drivers to come pick them up, although they were in no big rush. Amon and Ekou had been one of the first couples to leave; perhaps they had decided not to continue the discussion after all, and would allow him to go home and pretend like none of this had ever happened� Then, right as he was getting up, they came back into the room, and Amon beckoned at him. No such luck. He had to make up his mind, and do it fast.
He was fully aware that he didnât have to follow them; it wasnât like Amon was holding him at gunpoint or anything. Yet he set off after them anyway. Once they reached their destination, a dark corner of the now nearly-vacant ballroom, Amon turned to him and inquired, âHave you reached a decision yet?âÂ
Ed had, just in these past few seconds. Nevertheless, he was still determined to not capitulate without some resistance, since that was all part of the game. Â
âIf youâre looking for some sort of formal relationship, I have neither the time nor the inclination for that,â he said tartly.Â
Amon nodded. âGood. Neither do we.â
âIt can be only this one thing, or more than onceâŚor if you donât want to do it at all, just say so and weâll never mention it again,â Ekou chimed in. But Ed did want it. That was the problem.
âRightâŚâ he began, rushing on before he had the chance to change his mind, âThen my decision is yes.â There was no turning back now.
âExcellent,â Amon responded; to Edâs slight disappointment, he didnât make an accompanying finger steeple. âEkou and I will go out the front entrance, pose a bit for the cameras, and get our car. You go out the side door, down that hall to the left...â âhe pointedâ ââŚand we will bring the car around as soon as weâre able.â
It turned out to be a while before they were able. There must have been more cameras than anticipated, Ed thought, although he wouldnât put it past Amon to dawdle simply to annoy him. Nearly twenty minutes later, he was contemplating giving up and leaving, (even though that would be a hassle, since heâd already called his own driver and told him he wouldnât be needing a ride home tonight), when he finally saw a black Mercedes turn the corner of the building and pull up next to him. The back door opened automatically, and he took one last second to confirm with himself that he was really, really sure about this before climbing in.Â
There were three back seats, and he noted with some relief that Ekou had chosen the one in the middle. Thankfully, the interior was roomy enough that no one got squished. Each seat had what seemed like a hundred different buttons to adjust various settings, although he opted not to use any of them. Tinted windows and a partition between the back and front afforded them some privacy. The radio was on, and was currently featuring some guy singing about dynamite. (Having lived in Japan for most of the past three years, Ed wasnât exactly in the loop about all the newest American pop hits.)
âDo you like our car?â Ekou asked. âWe got it last year, after Rachel was born. Three kids, three back seats, you know?â Indeed, Ed could see a few small toys strewn about. It was strange, being reminded that these two were parents. Ed himself had never wanted any children of his own; he found that his work at the orphanages more than fulfilled him.Â
For a surprisingly long time, the three of them were able to maintain a civil conversation about their rules and expectations for this encounter. Ed was okay with just about anything, really, with the exception of some of the more hardcore fetishes. He was pleased to learn that they had already been planning on strict condom usage before he brought it up. Eventually, this segued into a sort-of civil conversation about their experiences in Dark World. Ed soon found it was easier to keep track of the time by the songs that played rather than continuously looking at his smartphone, and they talked all the way through Katy Perry and Gotye and Owl City and Bruno Mars and Flo Rida. Tongues had been loosened by the alcohol, it seemed.  Even Amon was more verbose than usual, and Ed began to suspect that he was more inebriated than he was letting on.Â
âYou posed as a butler?â he snorted. âHow completely undignified.â He said this last in a mocking tone.
Ed crossed his arms. âWell, we canât all have our own personal Exodiamobiles to wait on us hand and foot, can we, Your Majesty?â
âI still wish I couldâve seen that,â Ekou breathed.  Â
âNo, you donât. Judai told me that he looked fucking ridiculous riding on it. Was that your big plan, Amon? To become king because all of your opponents died laughing at you?â
Amon looked away, staring out the window; could it be that he was pouting? âObviously, I didnât think things through as well as I had previously assumed.â
âIs that code for âYubel made me their bitch,â by any chance?â
âOh? I seem to recall that I made you mine first. Perhaps bitches in glass houses shouldnât throw stones.â As he turned his head back towards Ed, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips, Ed had to admit that heâd walked right into that one.Â
âSave it for the bedroom, you two,â Ekou interjected. âAlso, correct me if Iâm wrong, but I donât believe that either of you walked twenty miles a day while battling morning sickness and having to keep an eye on Chronos.â A new song started on the radio, and she suddenly perked up. âOkay, okay, both of you shut up now. Paparazzi is on.â
Ed instinctively jerked his head towards his own window, worried that photographers were tailing them. Amon muttered, âNo, sheâs talking about the song. Itâs her favorite.âÂ
Indeed, she was listening to it with all of her attention, eyes shining with enigmatic emotion. She sang along with the chorus, and proved to have a surprisingly good voice. Ed could pretty quickly figure out why she liked this song so much, and wondered if Yubel was familiar with it. For the last line, Ekou changed the words up a little, crooning, âBaby, you are famous, chased you down until you loved meâŚâ She trailed off, beaming up at Amon. Ed sighed.Â
âOh, but we canât leave Ed out!â she continued, perhaps misinterpreting the reason for his annoyance. âMy hero.â She playfully batted her eyelashes at him. Ed thought, why not? Heâd done some improv in Dark World, after all.Â
âYes, mâlady,â he replied, deliberately exaggerating his accent. He took her hand and kissed it. âI must defend thine honor, and save thee from yon evil dragon!â
âOh?â Ekou purred, leaning as far towards him as her seatbelt would allow and giving him a face full of cleavage and perfume. âAnd what if this lady likes both the knight and the dragon, Sir Ed?â Ed decided that doing this sort of thing had been much easier when none of his blood supply had been diverted. Before he had the chance to think anything else, she had grabbed him by the necktie and aggressively claimed his lips with hers.Â
Ed had assumed that kissing was one thing that would always be about the same, no matter the gender of his partner. However, heâd been unprepared for how extraordinarily soft Ekouâs lips and skin were. Her hand released its grip on his tie, moving upwards to cup his cheek instead. In contrast to her initial ardor, she gently brushed his lips with the very tip of her tongue, wordlessly seeking permission to deepen the kiss. He granted it. The way her tongue darted around inside his mouth, active yet never quite dominating, was incredible. And Amon could have this every day if he wanted it; in fact, he had taken it for granted to the extent that heâd thought nothing of sacrificing her. Lucky bastard.Â
Speaking of which, he had been very quiet during all this. Ed briefly opened his eyes and darted his gaze around Ekouâs head, and saw that he was watching them intently. They made eye contact, and Amonâs appraising glance showed no insecurity whatsoever. All too soon, the car turned into a residential area and slowed down, and Ekou broke the kiss.Â
âThis is our street,â she informed him. Ed ran a hand through his hair, trying to collect his scattered thoughts.Â
He couldnât help but ask, âDidnât you say something about âsaving it for the bedroom?ââ
âConsider it a preview, then,â she replied simply. The car started up a driveway, which was very nearly as long as the street itself. They paused briefly at a gate until a security guard opened it and waved them on, ultimately coming to a full stop right next to the houseâs main entrance.Â
âPerfect timing,â Ekou commented as both the engine and radio cut off. âCall Me Maybe was starting and Iâm really sick of it.â The driver rolled the partition down to ask if they needed anything else, and she added, âNo, thank you, Vicente. You can go home. Leave the car out here for now; weâll move it to the garage tomorrow.âÂ
The mansion itself was typical for this area, from what Ed could discern in the dark as he got out of the car: white stucco exterior, tiled roof, and lots of arched doorways and windows. He was pretty sure that this style was called Colonial Spanish Revival. The Mercedes had parked in the middle of a roundabout at the end of the driveway, which had a fountain in the center of it, of all things. There were palm trees planted everywhere, of course, and he could just make out a fenced area off to one side, which he was certain was where the pool was located. All in all, it was much more space than a family of five neededâŚor could use, really. He had always preferred flats himself.Â
Perhaps getting a little annoyed that Ed was taking this long to inspect his surroundings, Amon laid a hand on his shoulder and guided him into the house. Things were completely quiet in there; it seemed that the servants had all either retired for the night or gone to their own homes. Only turning on enough lights to allow them to navigate, the pair led him up the stairs, a little way down a hall towards the back of the house, andâŚthis was it. He was actually in their bedroom. When he had woken up this morning (or probably yesterday morning by now), he would never have guessed in a million years that this was where heâd pass his next night.
As soon as they were in the room, Amon flicked the overhead light on. Ekou began stripping immediately after that, grumbling about how she hated long dresses. And she didnât stop with the dress, either. Her back was turned to the men, but that expanse of almost startlingly pale skin was plenty for Ed to look at already. He wondered how much sunscreen she went through to keep it looking that way in California. Then she looked over her shoulder almost shyly, saw both of them staring at her, and turned around. All of Edâs further attempts at rational thought flew out the window. She murmured an apology about her stretch marks, although in all honesty he hadnât noticed them. Not when there were two much more important things grabbing his attention.Â
âIsnât she exquisite?â Amon whispered in his ear, having snuck up behind him. This time, he put both of his hands on Edâs shoulders, and laughed low in his throat at his little jump.Â
Ekou shifted around a bit, biting her lip. âUhâŚguyyys? I donât think I can wait for much longer.â
âLet me see,â Amon requested. His wife, always compliant to all of his wishes, sat on the bed and spread her legs. Almost primly, he remarked, âYes, wet already, arenât you?.â Bending his face back down to the level of Edâs ear (which was a considerable distance), he explained, âThat means sheâs ready.â
Ed rolled his eyes and said, âI could figure that much else by myselfâŚâ only to break off with a gasp as Amonâs lips trailed downward, first nibbling on his earlobe, then kissing his neck.Â
âWhat do you think, Ed? Should we give her a show?â How clever of him to frame the question like that, to make it seem like this was solely for Ekouâs benefit.Â
Ed finally ducked out from his grip and turned around to look at him head-on. Heâd recalled the redhead having unpleasant, almost rodent-like facial features, but that aspect didnât seem nearly as prominent now. It could be that heâd simply grown into his looks a bitâŚor maybe it was merely Edâs âwine gogglesâ that were doing the talking. No matter the reason, he shrugged in an attempt to appear as nonchalant as Amon, responding, âYes, I suppose we should.â
In next to no time at all, Amon had tilted Edâs face upwards and was kissing him. Unlike his wife, there was nothing at all gentle or soft about his style, and he thought heâd probably have telltale bruises on his lips tomorrow morning. But he didnât care about that now, not when the other manâs hands were slipping ever further downwards and Ekou let out a little whimper in the background. Then, suit jackets and ties were being flung every which way, and he found himself kneeling on the bed facing Ekou, who was breathlessly telling him how and where to touch her, and then Amon, who had stepped away for a few moments, had returned with the necessary supplies, and then he was behind Ed, pushing him downward towards the mattress, and this was about the time that he simply surrendered to the oblivion of pleasure.
The next morning, Ed woke up to find himself alone in the bed. Through half-open eyes, he peered at the alarm clock. Almost 11 AM; thank fuck that his schedule was light today and he didnât have to be anywhere until that interview at 4 this afternoon. His head ached and his mouth tasted horrible, but he felt oddly content as he recalled what he could of the events of last night.Â
He'd ended up sandwiched between the two of them; there was so much body heat and sweat was dripping everywhere and all three of them were breathing heavily. One pair of hands, large and powerful, were clamped onto his hips, while a second, more delicate pair wandered up and down his back, scratching at his skin with manicured fingernails, trying to find something, anything, to grab onto. Amonâs rhythmic grunts mingled with Ekouâs squeals and whispers of how good this felt. Being stimulated from both ends like this was overwhelming, just this side of too much. He loved it.Â
Things had gone more or less smoothly. Thereâd been only one minor hitch: in the absence of the visual cues he was accustomed to, Ed had failed to notice after heâd finished that Ekou hadnât come as well until sheâd actually told him. Heâd hesitated, unsure what would be the best way to get her off, until Amon had intervened with a smug, âAllow me to demonstrate how itâs done.â Heâd proceeded to go down on his wife, bringing her to orgasm multiple times, while Ed watched.Â
Oh well. It had been a rather titillating educational experience, and at least heâd know what to do next time. If there was a next time.Â
He forced himself out of bed (and found that he could walk after all, even if he was a little sore), and headed into the bathroom. There, he discovered that every hygienic implement he could possibly need had been laid out on the sink counter, and his clothes either neatly folded or hung up.  Did that mean the servants had been in here while he was still sleepingâŚand nude? He decided that worse things had happened to him. Theyâd probably all had to sign non-disclosure agreements anyway.
After heâd showered and done all that, he got re-dressed in his clothes from last night and headed off to find out where everyone was and see if he could get something to eat. Eventually, his wanderings took him to a sunlit breakfast nook, where he finally his erstwhile bedmates. They were both still in bathrobes, hand wrapped around mugs of coffee. They didnât notice Edâs entrance, probably because they were busy looking at an assortment of computer printouts scattered across the tabletop.Â
âWhatâs this one? Have we used it in an advertisement before?â Amon asked, pointing at one of the images.Â
âThatâs called âY U NO,ââ Ekou told him, âAnd no, we havenât used it yet. A little strange, since itâs one of my favorites. But itâs a couple years old already; do you think thatâs too late?â
âWell, we could always ask Sidâs opinion if it comes to that.â
While the couple continued to puzzle over the Y U NO conundrum, a dark-haired toddler sat in a high chair nearby; Ed guessed that this must be the âRachelâ that Ekou had referred to last night. A variety of diced foods had been placed on the high chairâs tray for her to pick and choose from. In the next room over, he could hear a cartoon playing on TV and kids laughing. It could have been a scene playing out in any one of millions of households across America, and showed no indication that the two adults had been having hot and nasty sex with him less than twelve hours ago.Â
After a couple of minutes had gone by without anyone realizing he was there, Ed finally cleared his throat. Both of their heads jerked up in surprise.Â
âGood morning, Ed,â Amon said blandly. âCoffee?â
âI prefer tea,â he replied. He winced internally; heâd been intending to sound arrogant, but it had come out more petulant than anything else.Â
Ekou nodded. âWe can do that too. Hot tea or cold? And did you want anything to eat?â
âCold. With dry toast and a poached egg.âÂ
She punched an intercom button near the table and relayed this order. âThat shouldnât take too long to get here,â she said.Â
While they were waiting, Ed took his opportunity to get one issue out of the way.
âEkou, Iâm...sorry about last night,â he ventured. Typically, he was not the kind of person who offered many apologies, but this was Ekou. At any rate, she didnât seem bothered.Â
âThatâs all right,â she told him. âIt all worked out in the end. Were you satisfied otherwise?â
âYes,â Ed stated simply. Very much so, in fact, although he wasnât completely ready to admit that even to himself.Â
âThen we will do it again, if you are so inclined,â Amon said. He had finished looking at the memes, and picked up a copy of the Sunday New York Times that had been placed nearby.
As Ekou had anticipated, Edâs breakfast arrived shortly thereafter. They even had the brand of bottled tea that he liked. CoincidenceâŚor not? He was about half finished with his food when the door to the TV room opened and a pajama-clad small child walked into the breakfast nook.Â
âMommy? Whoâs that?â he asked. He didnât look alarmed, only curious. Perhaps he was used to this sort of thing; Ekou had mentioned an open relationship.Â
âThis is our friend, Mr. Phoenix,â she told the kid. âCan you show your big-boy manners and say hi, Max?â
âHi, Mr. Phoenix!â Max piped, offering a smile and a wave.Â
Ed finished chewing the bite of toast in his mouth, then answered, âHello, Max. Nice to meet you.â
Maxâs face lit up. âMommy! He sounds like Obi-Wan Kenobi!â
She smiled at her son indulgently. âThatâs his accent. Heâs from England, just like Obi-Wanâs actor.â
âIsnât Ewan McGregor Scottish?â Amon offered somewhat distractedly, face still buried in the newspaper.
âHm. Maybe. But anywayâŚwas there something you wanted, Max?â
âYeah. When are Anna and Sasha coming over?â Max bounced on his heels.Â
Ekouâs eyes widened. âThatâs today?!â She reached for an appointment book that was lying on the table and frantically flipped through it. âYes. 1:30. Thank you for reminding me, Max. Now go get dressed, and tell Lior to do the same. As a matter of fact, we all need to get out of our pajamas.â
âMr. Phoenix isnât in his pajamas!â Max pointed out, giggling.Â
âThatâs because Mr. Phoenix has his act together and we donât,â Ekou commented drily. âNow go. Get a move on.â Once Max had scurried out of the room, she added quietly, âShit. Iâd totally forgotten. I have to get going. I havenât even done my workout yet.â Then she stood and vacated the room as well, taking Rachel with her, so Ed and Amon were alone here now.Â
âYou may leave, or you may stay,â Amon told him, setting the paper down. âWhichever you prefer.â
âI should probably leave. I have an interview later today to get ready for,â Ed answered. His phone buzzed, and he reached for it and unlocked the screen. It was a text from Emeralda, demanding to know where he was, along with several missed calls. He typed out a quick reply, declining to answer her question but confirming that he was, in fact, alive.
âIâm in trouble nowâŚâ he muttered. Before he left, though, he turned to the redhead and said, âLast night didnât change anything between us, you know. I still loathe every fiber of your being, and will punch you in the face one of these days.â
âBut of course,â Amon answered, looking totally unperturbed. âThatâs what makes it interesting.â
This one was a bit of a return to form but also a simpler one. Slifershipping is an under used ship and I just wanted to draw something cute for it. So post graduation reunion!!!
Final offical prompt for @gxrarepairs I saw Villain and went âOH I KNOW WHAT TO DOâ
What better villains than GXâs Take on the Highschool Mean Girls! Are they a couple? Enemies? Accomplices? Can they be trusted? Who knows⌠just know that if youâve made an enemy of them⌠you should run. One has a snake deck and the other is the insect queenâŚ
Day 7 of GX Rare Pairs Week is a free day! Use your imagination to its fullest!
Itâs not over yet - we know some of you have had other commitments and are hoping to participate in the coming weeks. Weâll be keeping an eye on the tag and continuing to reblog entries for the next few weeks. So please, stay tuned for more wonderful works from your fellow rare pair fans!
dailybridgerton
titsay
blakekathryn
kaledo-art
jbbartram-illu
