synopsis: you’re a contestant in the purging trials, who has lived in the slums your whole life. at a ball, you need a breather, but an uninvited guest appears and alters any previous plans of serenity
warnings:
a/n: thanks for reading 🤍🤍
tag list: @heartwithsimplenotes @lxvebelle @whatsamongus @zaraaaabear @tornqdowarnings @emelia07
You stand outside still in your ballgown. The cool air that laps your face feels nice, fresh in your lungs. You breathe rhythmically, melodically. You’d never cared much for dances and certainly not ones held for these stupid trials, so this escape was perfect. It’s not like anyone would miss your presence anyway. The moon shines down into the gardens and reflects a silvery shadow on the surface of the pond. Beautiful.
“Dance with me?”
You spin around after hearing the familiar voice. Azer. Of course he’d be the only person to follow you out of a ball you were desperately trying to escape, pulling attention to the whole matter.
“I don’t dance,” you reply curtly, turning back to the moonlit pond.
“It wasn’t a request, love,” he murmurs, coming up dangerously close behind you, “we’re dancing.”
Classic, cocky, self-entitled prince. He thinks he can command anyone to do anything. But he picked the wrong girl to try and domineer. You can feel his warm breath on the back of your neck, making you shiver slightly. He’s trying to be intimidating.
You angle your face towards him slightly and shoot him a sickly sweet smile, “try and make me, sweetheart.”
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way, your choice,” he shrugs, making it appear like you had a choice in this matter.
“I don’t dance,” you repeat bluntly, wondering why he was struggling so greatly to understand three simple words.
“I don’t believe you,” he replies, taking you by the waist. His hands cup it perfectly as he guides you away from the ponds edge. He takes of your hands and interlocks his fingers with yours, as the two of your begin to move.
“What are you doing?” you ask, not pulling away just yet, something about this position wouldn’t let you.
“Dancing,” he responds simply, spinning you around.
“I told you I don’t-“
“You don’t dance,” he finishes with a roll of the eyes, “yes, I recall you mentioning a few times. But what are you doing now?”
Much to your annoyance, he was right. The two of you are dancing to the dying hum of music coming all of the way from the ball you were trying to escape. But for some reason you don’t mind this. You don’t mind his hands on your body or the closeness of your faces. In this moment it didn’t matter who you were and what you thought. You are just two strangers dancing under the moon.
“Why did you run away from the ball? Trying to pull a Cinderella stunt?” he asks quietly.
“Why did you follow me? Trying to be my Prince Charming?” you reply, a challenging eyebrow raised.
He acknowledges it and grins, “touché.”
You fall back into a comfortable silence, finding solace in the methodical movement of a routine. 1 2 3 4…. 1 2 3 4…. 1 2 3 4 …. you don’t think, you just move. And for once, it’s blissful not to have so much on your mind.
“Suspicious you were so insistent on dancing with me,” you say, as he twirls you around again, “one might assume you were desperate.”
“Desperate to see you make a fool of yourself,” he quips back grinning, “you really are quite horrible at this.”
“Apologies,” you reply, sarcasm dripping from your tone, “are my steps not up to your standard, your majesty?”
He scrunches his nose at the title, you like making him feel like this. Inferior. A feeling he’s probably not used to, that you know like the palm of your hand.
“Suspicious you agreed to dance, it didn’t take much persuasion and you haven’t stopped,” he points out, “one might assume you’re actually enjoying yourself.”
He mirrors the way you worded your sentence to get under your skin and annoyingly it’s working. You don’t think you’ve ever hated a man more in your entire life and that’s when you feel the blade that is stuck to your upper thigh.
“I want to take the knife strapped to my thigh and ram it into your chest,” I smile sweetly, “that’s how much I’m enjoying myself.”
“A knife? Are you flirting with me?” he smirks, grey eyes lighting up with this new found amusement or was it hope?
“In your dreams sweetheart,” you laugh, the nickname popping back up in a petty attempt to get under his skin.
He smiles and his whole face lights up. You hate yourself for thinking it but the truth is, he has a beautiful smile. Alluring and mesmerising.
He utters three small words, the smile never leaving his lips, “I hate you.”
You open your mouth to reply but don’t get a word out because Kai takes your chin tentatively and tilts your head upwards, smoothly planting a kiss on your lips.
At first you’re frozen in the pure shock of the act but you don’t break away. You don’t want to break away. It feels so nice to be wanted, to be spoiled. And then suddenly you’re kissing back and you don’t know why. Your hands are buried deep in his hair and you’re pushing your upper body against his. He kisses back even harder, the roughness throwing you off guard but you feel you like it. That you want more of it. You encourage his lips further.
That is until your brain kicks in and you realise the nature of the situation. You quickly tear yourself away, ashamed you’d let it go this far, angry at him for paralysing your brain with his mouth. You’re breathing heavily and you’re confused. Your head and your heart are torn in two completely different places. You look up and lock eyes with him, falling into endless puddles of grey. You try and form a sentence but you’ve forgotten how.
“Goodnight darling,” the prince winks, before spinning on his heel and walking off into the moonlight, leaving you stood there frozen and speechless.
What just happened?
a/n: thanks for the request anon!! sorry it took me a little while… hope you enjoyed this 🤍🤍
Fandom: Supergirl/Powerless
Rating: K+
Summary: What it says on the tin, folks. *points to title*
A/N: Ridiculous nonsense, as per usual. Spoilers for Powerless and Supergirl.
...
Meanwhile, in scenic CHARM CITY...
Van Wayne has a brilliant idea.
“No, really,” Emily says, shortly after Van holsters his finger guns and retreats to his office. “This might actually be a great idea.”
“He stole it from Lex Corp,” Jackie says, taking a languid sip of coffee. (Black and bitter, much like her feelings for this job.) “Oh. Sorry. L-Corp.”
“So pretentious,” Teddy mutters.
“I know. Like knocking off the 'e' and 'x' is going to improve stock prices,” Ron shakes his head.
“Did you guys know that even after it was revealed that Lex Corp was run by a raving megalomaniac, their stock prices were still better than ours?” Wendy says with her patented deranged cheer.
The group sighs.
“So much for morale,” Teddy quips.
“Hey, hey,” Emily grins, making sure to engage in at least three seconds of meaningful eye contact with her team. Only three out of four squirm in discomfort, which is progress. “That's why Van's idea is so great! We'll have a chance to show the world we aren't run by some...crazy billionaire with morally questionable secret agendas! And then we'll have an edge over Lex Corp!”
“L-Corp.”
“Whatever.”
The team doesn't look entirely convinced, but then, they rarely do. They wander back to their respective cubicles, while Emily and Jackie remain close to the elevators; Van's made them agree to meet the reporter. Something about aesthetically pleasing face symmetry and an article he read on BuzzFeed.
“So, do we know anything about this...person?” Emily asks, smoothing her sweater and skirt, in spite of the fact that both are immaculate.
Jackie shrugs.
“Just that it's the same person who did the L-Corp spread. I told you. He literally stole this idea from L-Corp. The entire thing.”
Emily's smile dips at the corners, just for a moment, but it's enough to earn a knowing nod from Jackie. And Jackie looks as though she's about to say more, but the elevator dings, and both turn on reflex.
A tall blonde neither of them recognize enters the bullpen hesitantly, adjusting her glasses and looking around.
“Um,” she says, spotting them, and hurrying over. “Hi. Sorry. I'm—I'm look for a...Stan Wayne? Am I in the right—”
“Van Wayne,” Jackie tells her.
The reporter's forehead sports a confused crinkle. “...What?”
“Hi!” Emily doesn't wait for Jackie's dry follow up, “Emily Locke, SVP of Research and Development.” She sticks out her hand and puts on a winning smile. Which is essentially the same smile she's been sporting all morning, but if asked, she'd argue that this smile has ten percent more 'Go Get 'Em' and at least forty percent more 'Charm City Charm.'
“Kara Danvers,” the reporter says, returning the handshake with a grip that seems...oddly measured. “CatCo Magazine.”
“It's so great to meet you,” Emily gushes. “I love CatCo Magazine. That series you guys did on vigilantism in the age of digital surveillance...inspired.”
“Oh, well, it's so great to meet you,” Kara gushes right back. “That rubble umbrella thing? So great for super battles.” She tugs at the sleeve of her cardigan.
Jackie watches the entire scene unfold with mild horror.
“My God. Two of them.”
Kara raises an eyebrow.
“I—sorry?”
“So!” Emily hurriedly guides the reporter away from Jackie—the object here is to portray Wayne Security in a positive light, and Jackie simply isn't built for a such a task. “You're here to talk to Van, right?”
“Um, yes,” Kara says, squinting once more at a Post-It note that she tucks back into the pocket of her slacks. “Since apparently 'Stan Wayne' is not a thing.”
“It might be a thing,” Emily replies helpfully. “I mean, Charm City's a pretty big place. There's probably a Stan Wayne out there somewhere.”
Kara offers a grateful grin as the two enter Van's office.
And Van...
Van is spinning in his desk chair.
Which...is probably the best that could be hoped for, in light of the fact that it's Van.
“Mr. Wayne,” Emily clears her throat. Van abruptly stops spinning, and Emily's sure she hears Kara suppress a giggle. “The reporter from CatCo Magazine is here.”
Van stares at her blankly.
“...Ah-hmmm.” And Emily can't believe this. He was just talking about this. Not even fifteen minutes ago.
But then again. ...It's Van.
“L-Corp spread!” Jackie yells from the bullpen.
Comprehension dawns at last. “Right! Right, yes, L-Corp reporter.”
“CatCo reporter.”
“Yes. Well! So great to have you here, and I would love to stay but I actually just received a call from my dear cousin, Bruce Wayne—” Van stands behind his desk, and looks pointedly at Kara. “...Are you writing this down?”
“...Um.”
“Bruce Wayne. Capital 'B', little r—”
“I'm pretty sure she'll know how to spell it, Mr. Wayne.”
“We're very close,” Van tells her. “Me and cousin Bruce. Which is why I have to rush off, unfortunately! But I'm sure Emily here can show you around, and if you have any questions—”
“Well, this is an interview,” Kara tells him. She looks over to Emily. “It's...entirely questions.”
“She can handle them!” Van finishes smoothly, ducking out the door. Emily laughs nervously.
“Ah-ha! Would you, um. Excuse me for just...?” She rushes off before Kara can respond, catching Van before he can get in the elevator.
“Van!” she hisses. “What are you doing?!”
“I believe they call it 'fleeing the scene,'” Van says, jabbing the 'up' button several times.
“You can't flee from your own interview!”
“Technically, it's not an interview with me,” Van points out. “It's merely a piece on the company. Ms. Dangers—”
“Danvers.”
“—Was never promised a sit down with yours truly.” Van straightens his jacket. “...Also...Jackie might have...kindly reminded me that I have a tendency to...offend—”
“He means 'piss off,'” Jackie calls from the bullpen.
“—Various news outlets.” He casts a frosty glare in Jackie's direction. “So she...suggested that I fabricate some sort of...cover story, and leave the schmoozing to you.”
Emily doesn't argue with Jackie's very sound logic, but she does have one question.
“Why me?” she asks. Don't companies usually have people for this sort of thing? Last she checked, 'schmoozing' was not in her job description.
“Because you, Emily Locke, are a model employee. The very picture of all that Wayne Security stands for.” Emily's irritation begins to fade, expression softening as she's warmed by the praise.
“Aw, Van—”
“No one else would do it,” Jackie yells.
The warm fuzzy feeling is gone in an instant. Emily can practically hear Ron chiding her. Congrats, you played yourself.
The elevator announces its arrival with its usual 'ding.' Van slides between the doors. “...Okay bye!”
And Emily has no choice but to wander back to the abandoned reporter in a mild daze. This has to be a record—have any of Van's other plans gone this south this fast?
She's somewhat surprised to see Kara standing at Jackie's desk, as opposed to inside the office, where she left her.
“Ah, Emily,” Jackie says, with the same manufactured professionalism Van had used on both her and Kara mere moments ago, “Kara here was just showing me a rather riveting...cat video.”
Her tone screams, 'save me.'
“Is it the one with the lightsabers?” Emily is genuinely curious.
Kara nods enthusiastically. “You've seen it?”
“Uh, of course I've seen it, it's amazing.”
Jackie's lament is just barely audible. “God help us all.”
Once a sufficient number of cat videos are shared, Emily bites the bullet and takes Kara on a brief tour of the main floor. She makes sure to keep the entire affair light and fluffy—this is a puff piece, after all.
Kara seems to pick up on this (really, how could she not, given the altogether unprofessional beginning of this endeavor) and is happy to adjust her questions accordingly.
And, though Emily has been actively trying to avoid the lab, inevitably, they find themselves standing before the reinforced steel doors.
“...And this is the lab...” Emily gestures somewhat weakly towards the yellow and black diagonal bands along the door frame that urge 'caution.'
Kara jots down a note on her pad, and Emily hesitates. Because behind those doors, ready and waiting to cause a PR nightmare, is her team.
And while she's certain they'd be able to offer some valuable insight, maybe even some cute anecdotes, they could also offer some very unflattering information that would get her into all kinds of trouble with Van.
She's debating whether or not to risk exposure to the troublesome trio when the doors slide open and suddenly there's no other option.
Teddy, Ron, and Wendy emerge from of the lab, engaged in a lively debate involving Calendar Man and Cat Woman.
“Okay, but the ratio of puns—” Ron is saying.
“Hold up,” Teddy stops him, throwing out his arm. “You,” he points to Kara. Kara flinches slightly. “I don't recognize you.”
“Is this the reporter?” Wendy asks.
Emily sighs.
“Ye—”
“Hi,” Kara nods in greeting. “I'm Kara.”
The trio rattles off their names, and Emily is already planning a hasty exit, because Ron suddenly, desperately needs Kara's opinion on the acceptable number of puns in regards to a three minute super-battle and—
“Sorry, I don't mean to change the subject, but...” she's looking towards the workbenches in the lab, squinting slightly. “Can I ask what you guys are working on?” Emily notices that Kara's put her notepad in her bag.
Is this off the record?
“Well you can ask us,” Wendy says brusquely. “But we might not answer.”
“You can totally ask us,” Teddy declares with his usual bravado. “Are you familiar with the Anti Joker Venom in sangria—” But Wendy's not finished. She shoves Teddy aside and scrutinizes the much taller reporter.
“What's your angle, blondie?”
Of course. Of course it would be Wendy to go and ruin this, but Kara doesn't so much as bat an eyelash at the woman.
“I just think this stuff is really neat,” she says, with such open sincerity, that the entire group is fairly swooning with sudden affection.
They rarely receive outright praise from Van, and any and all credit seems to always migrate upwards on the food chain.
And here's Kara, eager and engaged, with her head cocked to one side looking for all the world like a curious puppy.
How could they possibly resist?
“Forget the joker venom. That's so last year. What we've got now is ten thousand times better.”
“Um. You did sign the nondisclosure agreement, right?” Emily could kiss Ron...if not for the mountain of sexual harassment violations that would generate. But bless the man all the same for remembering company policy.
“I did,” Kara says. “I promise. Entirely off the record. I just...” she shrugs. “I'm really interested in...keeping the world safe.” she chuckles—almost to herself, really, and adds, “Superheroes...have a tendency to make a mess, you know?”
The trio nods.
“We do!”
They show off the Atlantis tech first. Teddy practically prances and most definitely preens; he's so pleased to have someone other than Ron fawning over his work.
“This is amazing,” Kara says, adjusting her glasses and flipping through the schematics. If anyone notices that she seems to scan the documents a little quicker than the average human, they don't say anything.
“You see those paint chips?” Teddy points to some of the design notes on the side. “My suggestions. “Ultramarine. Perfect for Atlantis, amiright?”
“Is this the frequency you're using for the force-field generating equipment?” Kara asks suddenly.
“Yes?” Wendy says.
“This will interfere with Aquaman's powers,” she says.
“...Huh?”
“It will?”
“How would you even know that?” Teddy demands.
Kara practically jumps back from the drafting table.
“Oh, well, uh—” Emily watches as she fiddles with her glasses—it's becoming more and more apparent that it's a nervous tick. “...I read an article.”
“Pssh!” Teddy flaps a hand. “You read an article.”
“Um, she's right,” Ron pipes up from behind one of the laptops. He flips it around and there, on the screen, is The Daily Planet logo, accompanied by the headline: He Speaks with the Fishes! An Interview with the King of the Sea and, in much smaller letters below: By Clark Kent. “Aquaman uses a very specific frequency to communicate with aquatic lifeforms.”
Teddy and Wendy stare at Kara.
“I told you,” she says. “An article.”
That Kara doesn't seem very enthused by the Kryptonite glass project is presumed to have more to do with the rather boring 'glass' aspect of the project.
Because it's not like it could be the 'Kryptonite' part. Come on.
“So we're trying to get a contract with this company out in Central City,” Teddy's saying. Somehow, they've all ended up in the cafeteria downstairs. Emily's not complaining—the whole visit has gone remarkably well.
“Oh yeah?” Kara takes a bite of her sandwich, making sure to chew and swallow before she continues. “I have a friend out in Central City!”
“Have they ever seen the Flash in action?” Wendy leans forward. Kara coughs.
“Erm. Well.”
“You know...” Now all three of them are leaning forward, dropping their voices conspiratorially. Emily laughs.
“Guys...” she says, but they won't be deterred.
“Ron's pretty sure he knows Flash's true identity.”
Kara takes another bite of her turkey on rye.
“Yeah?”
Ron doesn't bother with a dramatic pause—it's just not his style. “It's Bruce Wayne!”
Kara chokes on her sandwich.
“You'll have to excuse them,” Emily tells Kara, once they've all finished their lunch. “They've got a ton of superhero conspiracy theories.”
“Can you really blame us?” Ron asks.
Kara considers their place of work. “Well, no, I guess not...”
“They thought our co-worker was a superhero. Just because he'd suddenly vanish anytime there was some sort of disaster,” Emily shakes her head, recalling the recent fiasco.
“O-oh, you guys...noticed that?” Kara shifts her weight from foot to foot.
“Of course we did! It was so obvious,” Ron tells her. “In fact, I'm still not entirely convinced he isn't a superhero.”
“Ron, we've been through this,” Wendy says with a long-suffering sigh. “The test results proved he wasn't a superhero.”
“Test results?” Kara pipes up.
“Wendy...” Emily isn't sure how to phrase this, actually. “She applied some...force?”
“She hit him with a chair,” Ron blurts.
“Very scientific,” Teddy says.
Emily's shaking her head as Kara eyes the group of Wayne Security employees with obvious confusion. “...And this...disproved the theory...how?”
“See, if he was a superhero,” Teddy begins.
“He would've broken the chair.” Ron states with a firm nod. Wendy smiles pleasantly.
“But the chair broke him instead.”
“Well what if he was just faking?” Ron challenges. “A superhero would know about the chair rule, and would totally fake an injury to protect their secret identity,” he turns to Kara. “Right?”
Kara throws up her hands. “Pffft, why would I—I certainly wouldn't—” she clears her throat. “A-hrm. I...I wouldn't know. Nope. Not me.”
He gives her an odd look. “...It was...more of a rhetorical question.”
Emily eventually has to put an end to the socializing—she feels bad about it, truly, but there is work to be done, and she's pretty sure Kara could keep these guys talking for hours yet.
“It was so nice to meet you all,” Kara tells them. Ron ducks his head bashfully, while Wendy and Teddy respond with variations of 'I know.'
“And so great to meet you, Kara,” Emily says, flashing an annoyed look at two thirds of her team before smoothing over her frown. “Again, sorry about Mr. Wayne's...sudden...cousin emergency...”
“Oh, no worries,” Kara says, gathering her things. “I...know how that goes, actually.”
“Still, I feel like—”
Emily's response is interrupted by a sudden flurry of beeps. The entire group is startled.
“Um. What's...?” Kara starts to ask. Teddy huffs.
“That's Ron's Jack-O-Lert.”
“...A jack of what now?”
“The Jack-O-Lert!” Emily cries. And again, she could kiss Ron, because she's been so preoccupied with making sure the visit goes off without a hitch, that she hasn't thought to talk about the company's most recent success. “It tracks one of Charm City's most troublesome villains using a very specific odor—”
“Wait—like that thing Batman uses?” Kara asks. “...Did you guys steal this from him?”
“Batman stole it from us!” Ron says.
“We should move away from the windows now,” Teddy says as the beeping grows louder.
“Oh, yeah.” Emily says, and promptly shoves Kara to the floor.
(Which is a lot harder than it looks—the girl is solid. Like a brick wall.)
The windows explode in a spray of broken glass mere seconds later, and the entire office groans.
“Not again.”
“Ow?”
“Someone call Janice.”
“It's just a flesh wound.”
Manic cackling follows shortly thereafter as Jack O’ Lantern streaks across the sky. Emily cautiously peeks over the nearest desk.
“Sorry about this,” she mutters to Kara. “But, hey, it's not a true Charm City visit until you've seen the—”
“She's not here,” Wendy says.
“...What?”
“Said she had a severe pumpkin allergy and took off towards the elevators,” Wendy explains further. Emily glances behind her and, sure enough, the reporter is missing in action.
“And that's insensitive,” Ron lightly reprimands her.
As he says it, a muffled 'boom' sounds from outside the shattered windows. Almost like...a jet, breaking the sound barrier.
“Oh my God,” Ron breathes. He's on his knees, looking over the adjacent desk. “Oh my God.”
“What, what?!” Teddy scrambles to look past him.
Emily follows his line of sight and gasps.
“Oh my God!”
“It's Supergirl,” the entire office seems to yelp in unison.
An A-List superhero.
In Charm City!
“SOMEONE TAKE A PICTURE!” Teddy shouts.
And Emily smiles fondly, remembering her first day in the city, when an entire train full of commuters couldn't be bothered to even look at the superhero battle outside.
Nice to know there was still some wonder left in the world.
“I can't believe Kara's missing this,” Emily says, fumbling for her own phone. Teddy waves her off.
“Aw, she's from National City, she probably sees Supergirl all the time.”
The heroine in question grabs the super villain and hurls him...up and away from the buildings.
Emily's never seen a superhero do that before.
As he tumbles back down, Supergirl grabs him again and Emily's pretty sure she hears some faint, terrified screaming coming from the man. The duo disappears from sight as Supergirl flies off with the apprehended Jack O’ Lantern, and the office breaks out into riotous applause.
“That was amazing!” Ron says.
“A shame Kara missed it,” Teddy adds.
“Missed what?” Kara asks, a little breathless, fidgeting slightly with her cardigan.
The group regards her with surprise; they hadn't noticed her return.
“Supergirl showed up to take down Jack O’ Lantern,” Ron fills her in. “And stuff like that never happens here.”
“Well, okay, stuff like that actually happens all the time. But! Never with an A-Lister like Supergirl,” Teddy amends. Kara grins.
“Supergirl's an A-Lister?”
“Duh.”
They make sure to share the video with Kara before she leaves, not caring one iota that this is probably small potatoes to a National City resident, such as herself.
She assures them that it's very exciting, really, and she's thrilled to see that Supergirl's popularity isn't limited to one county.
One of the other employees overhears the conversation as they begin sweeping up the broken glass. “Are you kidding?” she interjects. “Supergirl's awesome.”
If anyone notices that Kara's face goes a bit pink at that, they don't say anything.
And then it's time for true goodbyes. Mercifully, these aren't interrupted by any supervillains.
Kara promises the write up will be ready by next month's edition, and Emily promises to get Van to send some sort of apology.
The troublesome trio are devastated to see her go.
“She was so interested in our research...” Teddy says with a wistful air.
“Yeah, that was cool, right?” Emily says.
Jackie wanders over, another cup of black coffee in hand.
“Did Supergirl leave already?”
Emily furrows her brow at the question.
“Yes?” she looks around at the ruined office. “...That was at least twenty minutes ago, Jackie.”
“Not the fight,” Jackie says without missing a beat. “I mean did the reporter leave.”
“Kara?”
“That's what I said.”
“You said Supergirl,” Ron crosses his arms.
Jackie narrows her eyes, and raises her coffee mug to gesture at the four of them. “...Because Kara is Supergirl,” she says. Slowly, of course, like they won't understand, otherwise.
“What?”
“Oh, come on!”
“Don't be ridic—” Emily starts to say, but.
It...is a little...coincidental...that an A-List superhero—who's never visited Charm City before—shows up on the same day as a reporter from National City.
A reporter who was very interested in civilian safety.
And who seemed to know an awful lot about various big-name superheroes.
All four of them are replaying the reporter's visit in their minds, synapses firing and dots being connected.
“Oh...my...God,” Ron breathes.
Jackie snorts.
“Like anyone was fooled by that pair of glasses,” she shakes her head, sipping her coffee and striding away. “That stuff only works in comic books.”
synopsis: you break into the castle for a mission where you may have to assassinate the king but you fancy teasing him a little first… given your history
warnings: swearing, intense-ness
a/n: don’t ask me how or why this idea came to me but it was super fun to write :)) btw the crossed out parts are to represent her ‘forbidden’ thoughts
“Pretty night for a murder don’t you think,” I grin, swinging my dagger between my fingers nonchalantly.
The king turns around. The look of shock on his face leaves me satisfied but like any addiction, a part of me craves more. I watch as he slowly pales when he meets my eyes. I wasn’t sure he could pale any more, he looks like he hasn’t eaten in days. The king is weak. Perfect.
“Very pretty,” he muses, keeping on the diplomatic mask he’s crafted for himself, “the blood will match your new outfit.”
“Taking notes about what I wear now?” I raise an eyebrow, approaching him slowly. My steps long and swift, almost a glide. I watch as his Adam’s apple bobs in his neck as he swallows and wonder if he’s nervous.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” he sighs with a blank stare, “it’s just a change from seeing you in rags, did that little seamstress friend of our silver saviour sew it for you?”
He hits a nerve and he knows it as the corner of his mouth turn up to form malicious smirk. I want to rip it off of his cruelly beautiful face and tear each part into a million pieces of nothingness. So he can finally be the nothing he made her.
“You murdered Adena,” I growl, not bothering to hide my burning rage. Unlike the king, I’m not a fan of wearing a mask. I don’t play pretend, I don’t mess about, I’m real.
He dares to take a step closer to me, “she was collateral damage.”
“Why don’t I make you collateral damage?” I snarl, gripping tighter to my dagger. My knuckles turn white.
“It’s my talent sweetheart,” he tells me, “I’d be careful if I were you.”
His green eyes blaze with a synthetic fierceness. I laugh, throwing my head back and holding my stomach. He’s taken off guard and stares at me in bewilderment.
“Oh sorry,” I snort, trying to pull myself together, “it’s just hilarious to me that you think you’ll be doing the killing tonight.”
“I wouldn’t get so giggly sweetheart,” he murmurs, getting closer still, looming over me to cast his cowardly shadow, “you know I could if I wanted to.”
“No I don’t actually, you’ve had countless opportunities to do it,” I scoff, “so tell me, brave king, noble king, why haven’t you killed me yet?”
He paralyses for a second and I have the golden opportunity to end him right there. Lunge forwards and impale him with my handmade dagger. Watch the blood leak from his lifeless body. See as the last flicker of light leaves those hypnotising emerald eyes. But I don’t. I don’t do it and I don’t know why.
“You know why,” he whispered, sending a shiver down my spine. It’s like he’s answering both the question in my head and the one I had said aloud.
I quirk my eyebrow upwards and fold my arms, I won’t let him do this to me, he can’t play the vulnerable card before I do, “do I?” I ask.
“Are you going to make me say it?” he murmurs so quietly I can hear my heart thumping my chest, “is that what you want from me?”
So it’s true. He still loves me like I love him. And he won’t kill me because of it. Good. I have an advantage.
“Are you brave enough to say it?” I mumbled, tilting my face upwards to really look at him.
He’s still my Kitt. I can see past his pretence, far past it. I always have been able to. And even with his tired eyes and hollowed cheeks, colder gaze and harsher tone, beneath all of that he’s the boy I used to know. The boy I fell for in too many ways. The boy who was vulnerable with me. The boy who I was vulnerable with.
“I have guards posted on every door,” he diverts the conversation, “how did you get past them?”
I get the answer to my previous question. He is not brave enough to admit it. He’s still a coward then.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” my lips draw into a thin smile.
“You know I could have you killed in an instant,” he muses, “my guards will obey my every wish, it wouldn’t be me to do it.”
He won’t call them. I already know it. But I’ll play his game, as tedious as manipulation is it serves well in the end.
“Too bad you won’t be able to reach them,” I shrug softly.
His face hardens, “what did you do?”
I don’t reply, staring at my nails to prove my disinterest. He tries calling for them, for help, for anyone. I yawn and roll my eyes. They won’t come. They don’t come. I see a flicker of rage in his eyes, a furious spark ignites somewhere inside of him. At least he looks less like a dead man walking when angry, at least now he had passion about something.
“What did you do!” he yells, his booming voice remaining me of his father, making me feel a little queasy.
“Demanding me isn’t going to make me tell you,” I say fiercely, “I’m not one of your subject Kitty.”
He flinches at the nickname. It’s like a reflex he has no control over. The mask cracks slightly. Whoops.
He glares at me, regaining his pathetic royal composure, the facade that is everything but him, “where’s my brother?”
“I don’t know,” I say.
“Yes you do,” he insists.
“No I don’t,” I exclaimed.
“TELL ME!” he screams, madly clawing at my arms, pinning me to the wall behind us.
My back hits it with an awkward thump. Pain rolls across my body and I bite my lip. He has me at the wrists, forcing me to drop my beloved dagger. Our faces are so close they nearly touch. I wonder if he can see the scar on my left eyebrow, the one he gave me. I don’t tear my gaze from his and for what feels like hours he stare at each other panting like exhausted dogs. His hands slowly drop my wrists and trail gently down my face. I’ve missed his touch. They reach my neck and in a sudden jerky movement he clasps his hands around it. I gasp, he smiles something blazing in his eyes. He’s hungry to witness my pain. Shame he’ll have to starve tonight.
“Go on,” I murmur, “strangle me, do it, I dare you.”
He breathes heavily, looking into my eyes like he used to after all those times we’d kissed. A mix of emotions rise into my chest, a bittersweet mixture of all I want to forgot. Part of me thinks it might be worth dying, if it’s at his hands.
“You can’t,” I whisper, “can you?”
“What do you want?” he asks hoarsely, dropping his arms and taking a step back. Disappointment hits my stomach. I didn’t want him to let go.
“Oh honey,” I say, strutting past him, “there’s a long list.”
“Tell me what you want,” he walks infront of me, stopping my tracks, “and I will let you walk out of here alive.”
“You won’t kill me either away,” I say, “what good is that promise?”
“Don’t be so sure,” Kitt says, “I might not do it myself but there are others who will. So what do you want?”
“At this current moment,” I ask, taking a step closer to him so I can feel him breathe.
He nods, “name it.”
“I want your blood,” I whisper, pushing him down harshly onto a chair, “on my dagger, your cold lifeless body in my arms,” I say, your lips on my lips I don’t.
A ghost of a smile haunts his empty features, as he grabs my chin, “you’re a pretty liar, but not a good enough one.”
“Do you want to test me?” I ask, straddling him so I’m sat on his lap. For the plan to work I need to be a distraction, that’s all this is, I reassure myself. I ignore the fact that I want to be in this position.
“Tell me this makes you feel nothing,” he says in a low voice, running his soft hands up my thighs and then up to the small of my back where he holds me like I’m weightless, like I’m a dancer.
I gasp sharply. All my oxygen stolen by a thief with emerald eyes. The same theif who stole my heart.
“Look me in the eye and tell me this makes you feel nothing,” he repeats again.
I can’t do it. And he knows it. This makes me feel more than I’ve felt in a long time. I open my mouth to reply but two rough unfamiliar sets of hands grab my arms. I look behind to see two guards on me.
Kitt grins, something cruel in his smirk make my heart ache, “two can play at the manipulation game sweetheart,” he says.
Sweetheart. My toes curl at the thought of being his sweetheart. I want to kick myself and then sob in a heap. I’d let my guard down again. I’d been vulnerable again. I’d let myself take it all as one big joke again. He wasn’t my Kitt anymore and I was naive to think he could be. I’d failed the mission, I’d failed to kill him, I’d failed to manipulate him, I’d failed to play it smart.
He just stands there, over me, crown looking too heavy for his head. I hate that look he’s giving me. I attempt to lunge at him but the guards’ grip is too strong and I’m held back. He’s still smirking at me. I spit in his face.
“Aren’t you beautiful when you’re angry,” he taunts, unbothered by my undignified behaviour.
I’d been so cocky before. How stupid did I look now?
“Fuck you Kitt,” I shout, a rawness in my voice that I didn’t recognise.
He chuckles, “not so sarcastic now are we?”
“I’m going to kill you,” I look at him, a dead seriousness set in my expression.
“That’s what you came here to do though and as it happens I’m not dead,” he shrugs at me. I wish his eyes weren’t so pretty to stare at.
“They’ll end you Kitt,” I tell him, “they’re planning to end you.”
Am I threatening him or am I warning him? I can’t tell anymore. My mind is too conflicted to decide.
“And I will destroy every last one until there’s just you and I,” he murmurs, before standing up and issuing his kingly orders, “take her to a holding cell boys.”
a/n: thanks for reading 🤍🤍 I promise more of my req fic will be posted soon
synopsis: kai and paedyn’s daughter has a nightmare
warnings:
a/n: their daughter’s name is Avena (like Ava and Adena’s names smushed together, don’t judge I didn’t know what else to name their child 😭😭)
tag list: @heartwithsimplenotes @lxvebelle @whatsamongus @zaraaaabear @tornqdowarnings @emelia07 @xoxo-vee
Kai Azer had always been a light sleeper but it’d gotten worse since Avena was born, he was always alert, always on edge, never too relaxed in fear she might need protection. His insomniac tendencies had also progressed a lot more than he intended them to. So he often found himself envious of his wife who could sleep like the dead. This particular night Kai was wide awake and sat up in his shared bed. Paedyn was in her deep coma-like sleep, snoring soundly. Kai couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle at his wife as he silently stroked her silver hair, softly playing with a few strands. He had a million and one things on his mind, none of which were actually sleeping.
Cutting him out of every single thought was a sound that smashed his heart into smithereens and shot panic through his every pore. It was the scream of his daughter. Within milliseconds he was up and out of bed, sprinting. He rushed into Avena’s room and knelt by the side of her bed, scooping her into his arms. She was still thrashing around, her screams died down to a dull whimper as her small fingers clung onto the fabric of his shirt for dear life.
“Hey, hey,” he murmured, “shhhhh shhhhh shhhhh, I’ve got you baby.”
She hyperventilated into his chest, then entirety of her tiny body shaking in his arms.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly, brushing the hair stuck to her sweaty forehead out of her face.
Big blue eyes, the ones he’d fallen in love with once upon a time, filled to the brim with large tears stared back up at him. Avena began to cry. Bulbous teardrops rolled down her cheruibic cheeks, streaking salty water down her face.
“There was a man and he took me and he said I couldn’t come back to you and mommy ever again,” she sobbed, red faced.
“Slow down Avena,” he soothed, “take a deep breath with me okay?”
She nodded and mirrored her dad as he inhaled and exhaled.
“The pictures in my head,” she told him, “when I sleep.”
“Your dreams?” he asked gently.
She nodded, “but it was a bad one.”
“You had a nightmare?”
“Mhmm,” she said, her bottom lip wobbling, “and you and mommy couldn’t save me.”
His heart clenched in his chest. He knew he wanted to destroy whatever had made her feel this way but he also knew that was impossible.
“Oh Avena,” he whispered, bringing her close to him, “you know that your nightmares aren’t real right? They’re just made up in your had. And me and mommy will always be able to save you.”
“You promise?” she asked, her voice so soft it could melt butter.
“I promise,” he nodded, kissing her forehead.
Avena stared up at him, doe-eyed, “but it felt really real daddy.”
“I know but I promise you baby,” Kai told her firmly, “it wasn’t.”
“I want mommy,” she whimpered, chewing the sleeves of her night shirt.
“I know sweetie,” Kai sighed, gently taking the soggy fabric from her mouth and rolling her sleeve over, “but mommy’s sleeping.”
“Oh,” she replied, pouting her rosy pink lips slightly.
“Let me tell you a secret, you ready Ave?” he whispered with a grin, in attempts to cheer her up.
She looked up, eye widened with a spark of excitement, “yeah!”
Kai adored that look in her eyes, it made a sense of warmth spread across the left side of his chest. He leant in closer to her and pressed his mouth up to her ear.
“Mommy’s snoring,” he murmured.
She giggled, “really?”
“Yep,” he nodded, “I think if we listen quietly enough now I think we’ll able to hear her.”
Avena brought one of her little fingers to her lips and pressed it gently on them. They waited in silence until suddenly there comes the sound of Paedyn’s soft snoring. Avena looked up at Kai.
“Mommy’s snoring!” she laughed.
“You see what I have to put up with now?” he asked jokingly.
“Poor you daddy,” she grinned in reply.
“Are you going to try and go back to sleep now?” Kai murmured gently, putting his daughter back down into her bed and tucking her in.
“I’m scared,” Avena said quietly.
“Why?”
“I don’t want to nightmares to come back,” she replied, grabbing her teddy bear and squeezing it tightly to her chest.
“I don’t think they will,” Kai reassured her, running his fingers through her silver hair, just like he had previously been doing to Paedyn, “but if they do, me and mommy are right next door and you can just come and get us right away, okay?”
“Okay,” she nodded, snuggling back under the covers, “can you look under my bed?”
“Why baby?” he asked.
“Because there might be monsters be under there,” she said, her voice low and cautious, laced with fear.
“I don’t think there are any,” he told her softly,
“Please look,” she begged, “you can scare them away.”
“What makes you think they’ll be scared of me Ave?” he said.
“Because you have a sword,” she explained.
Kai chuckled a little before bending down and looking under his daughter’s bed. Of course there was nothing but her pair of ballet flats there.
“There’s nothing there Avena,” he called up, “only your ballet shoes.”
“Are you sure?” she asked incredulously.
“Sure,” he confirmed, suppressing a smile.
“Sure, sure?” she double checked.
“Sure sure sure sure sure,” he winked, tickling her belly.
She giggled, her smile lighting up Kai from the inside out “okay, I believe you.”
“You feeling a little better now?” he asked.
“Yes but…” she hesitated, “daddy?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Will you stay here, until I fall asleep?” she asked him with a small yawn.
The question yanked Kai’s heartstrings, the sudden harsh tug taking him off guard. Something about her little voice asking that question, almost had him choked up. But he suppressed whatever it made him feel for the moment and sat down right beside her bed.
“Of course baby,” he said, “I’ll stay here all night if you need me to.”
Avena yawned again. He took the tip of his pinky finger and guided it gently down her nose a few times. Avena’s eyes fluttered shut within moments and her breathing grew heavier. She was sound asleep, just like her momma, minus the snoring. Kai still remained sat at her bedside, something in him not quite allowing him to leave. Avena was breathing soundly, normally, there was even a smile on her face and yet worry was built up in his chest. He wished he could take all her nightmares and murder them with his famous ‘scary’ sword.
“What’s going on?” a new voice yawned.
Kai looked up to see his wife stood in the doorway arms folded. Her hair was slightly messed up and she had sleepy dust in her eyes and yet still to Kai she looked like the most beautiful being he’d ever laid eyes on.
“Is she okay?” Paedyn gestured to Avena, anxiety in her voice, as Kai approached her.
“Nightmare,” Kai explained with a soft sigh.
Paedyn’s face morphed into a mixture of worry and concern, as she paled. She suddenly felt awfully guilty for sleeping through all of this
“Don’t panic, I think she’s alright now,” Kai soothed wrapping an arm around her, “we’ve established there’s no monsters under her bed.”
“Oh my baby,” she said, with a hand over her heart.
“She’ll be okay, “ he comforted, “let’s go back to sleep.”
“You weren’t asleep,” she criticised him with an eyebrow raised. She said it as a statement, not a question.
“How do you know, you were snoring so loudly the roof nearly came down,” he scoffed.
She stopped in her tracks, taking him by surprise as he followed suit. Paedyn then swiftly whacked his arm. Hard. He fought a wince.
“I don’t snore,” she insisted firmly, arms folded across her chest with a sharp look in her eyes, “and you have dark circles under your eyes that could rival charcoal art work.”
“Ouch darling,” he chuckled, biting his bottom lip.
“Marriage means honesty Prince,” she smiled wistfully, “but seriously Kai, you need to sleep.”
“I know but it’s just hard,” he shrugged in response.
“It’s not going to get easier if you don’t try,” she said.
Kai sighed and guided Paedyn back to their bedroom, pulling her back onto the bed beside him. Kai liked the feeling of his wife in his arms, it made him feel like he was physically protecting her. Not that she needed protecting.
“Kai?” she murmured, shattering the silence.
He hummed a response.
“Was Avena really upset?” she asked, finally getting the weighted question off of her chest.
“There were some tears,“ he admitted, “she told me in her dream we couldn’t save her, I think that’s what made her most upset.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Paedyn replied, the guilt seeping back through.
“You were asleep,” Kai said, “you need your sleep.”
“I know but I should’ve been there,” she sighed, playing with her fingers.
“Hey,” he snapped firmly, “stop doing that.”
“What?” she asked.
“Beating yourself up, making yourself feel guilty over nothing,” he said, taking her hands into his.
“It wasn’t nothing,” she bit back fiercely.
“Our baby had a nightmare,” he shrugged, “she’s had them before and she’ll have them again. This time you weren’t right by her side but I was, next time it might be the other way around.”
“Okay,” Paedyn exhaled, getting comfy on his chest.
But Kai knew his wife a little better than that. He knew that answer was just a conversation stopper.
“You’re not convinced ,” he sighed.
“No but I’m too stubborn to see it any other way so you should give up whilst you still have your sanity,” she smiled.
“My sanity?” he laughed, tracing spirals on her arm with his fingertip, “darling that left me the day I first tasted your lips.”
“You’re cute and all but sleep,” she mumbled into his chest, slowly dropping off.
He kissed the top of her head and then rested his cheek there, closing his eyes and attempting to fall into darkness.
“Daddy?”
The small voice jolted him upright. He looked down to see Avena standing beside his bedside table, teddy bear in hand.
“What’s wrong baby?”
“Can I come in yours and mommy’s bed tonight? I can’t sleep,” Avena whispered.
“Of course, come here,” he said as he lifted her into his arms and held her right to his chest, letting her know she was safe.
Paedyn stirred and opened her eyes. She immediately noticed Avena and silently scooped her daughter into her arms and rested on Kai’s chest. Kai watched as both of his worlds fell to deep into sleep in perfect synchronisation. When he heard their soft snores he relaxed a little and finally let his eyes close. And it the most peaceful night of sleep he’d ever had.
a/n: thank you for the request anon!! hope you enjoyed 🤍🤍
HELP IM SO SKRRY BUT I NEED TO REQUEST ANOTHER KAI AZER X PAEDYN GRAY WITH THEIR DAUGHGER BC OH MY LORF THAT WAS ADORABLE
title: princess kai
pairing: kai azer x paedyn gray x (oc) daughter
synopsis: kai and his daughter avena, are having a tea party when paedyn comes home
warnings:
a/n: thanks for reading 🤍🤍
tag list: @heartwithsimplenotes @lxvebelle @whatsamongus @zaraaaabear @tornqdowarnings @emelia07 @xoxo-vee @userxs-blog
Kai Azer was a man who was known to be respected, worshipped and feared throughout all of Ilya. His talent with any weapon was impeccable, his ability to wield any power was undeniable. He was incredibly skilled with a blade, so much so if you were in a fight and he had one, you were as good as dead. But right now the brave, the dangerous, the daring Kai Azer was sat on the floor, cross-legged, holding a plastic pink teacup with his pinky finger stuck out.
“Daddy!” Avena groans, “you’re doing it all wrong!”
She exaggerates the word all so much, she rolls her head all the way back and flops down into the purple play table. They were currently deep within a tea party that Kai was apparently not too good at.
He bites back his laugh, “what am I doing wrong baby?”
“You’re supposed to wait and pick up your teacup after I’ve poured the tea!” she tells him, clearly exasperated at her dad’s horrible pretend tea party etiquette, “Obviously!”
“Oh sorry,” he says quickly, placing the cup back on the saucer, “we’ll pretend that didn’t happen,”
“I’ll have to forgive you for that mistake but one more and I will get very mad at you!” Avena warns him with a pointed stare that makes Kai’s heart just melt.
“Oh yeah?” he asks, grinning.
He loved his daughter’s feisty side. It reminded him so much of Paedyn. Avena was bold and daring and not afraid to tell someone that they were doing it wrong. She had that fierce look in her bright eyes.
“Yep!” she nods, folding her arms, “I will get so mad that I’ll get mommy to team up with me and then we’ll get… revenge!”
He tries to look serious, “okay Ave, I won’t make any more mistakes.”
“Good!” she smiles as she gets up and grabs the teapot. She walks beside him and begins to pour imaginary tea into his cup and then continues around the whole table until all of her stuffed animals, Kai and herself had something to ‘drink’.
“Can I drink my tea now?” he asks her.
“Not until I take the first sip,” she explains, “because I’m the one hosting this tea party after all.”
She slowly lifts her cup and takes a sip of invisible tea, grinning widely as she places the cup back down.
“Tasty?” Kai asks her, an eyebrow raised.
“It’s delicious,” Avena beams, taking a second sip.
“Better than Gail’s?” he challenges.
“No one’s is better than Gail’s!” she exclaims, with her little mouth in an ‘o’ shape, looking offended he even asked.
“I agree with you there Ave,” he winks.
“Taste the tea now daddy,” she urges him.
Kai takes the cup to his lips, pinky extended of course, and acts out drinkingthe non-existent liquid.
“This is too strong!” he announces, pretending to spit it out.
Avena laughs, the sweet sound melodic to her father’s ears. Not that she was aware of course. She was still in that child state of obliviousness but he loved it.
She rushes up excitedly, “Oooo let me get you the milk!”
She takes a plastic blue jug and carries it over carefully, as if it actually contained some substance. Then she tips some nothingness into his cup. Kai slowly lifts the cup to his lips for a second time and pretends to taste it. He looks into the air, with a finger on his chin, exaggerating being deep in thought.
“Hmmmm better,” he tells her, “but it’s a little bitter.”
“Do you want honey or sugar to sweeten it?” she asks, eyeing both plastics on the table.
“How about both?” he suggests.
“No!” she giggles, “don’t be silly daddy, you can’t have both! All your teeth are gonna fall out then.”
“Uh-huh and who told you that baby?” he asks her.
“Mommy did,” she explains, “and mommy is always right.”
Kai smiles softly and tucks a chunk of silver hair behind her ear. She was growing up so fast. Every single day she was getting that little bit older, that little bit more independent. It reminded Kai that one day she wasn’t going to be this small anymore, she wouldn’t stay his little Avena forever.
“Okay then, I’ll just take the sugar,” he says, glossy eyed suddenly.
Avena grabs the fake sugar pot and scoops emptiness into his cup. Blinking back the water in his eyes and reeling himself back to the present Kai takes the deciding sip.
“How’s that?” Avena asks him.
“Mmmmm much better,” he nods, “this is a lovely cup of tea.”
“Why thank you!” she grins.
He pulls her onto his lap, “you make the best tea in all the land, you know that?”
“Thank you daddy,” she murmurs, reaching up to take some of his curls into her hand to play with. She softly teases them rhythmically.
“Do you like my hair?” Kai asks gently, curious.
“Hmmmm,” she hums in reply, “it’s so soft and curly.”
He smiles silently, in these past few years he seemed to be doing that a lot more often, “you’ve got some of my curls, you know.”
“I know and I love them sooooo much,” she grins, now taking her hands and running them through her loose silver ringlets.
Kai looks down at his daughter, his world is in his arms. How could one small person mean so much? He wanted to just keep her like this forever, his tiny little girl who loved to play dress up. He didn’t want her to see what the real world could be like, the horror of mankind. When she’s been born, Kai had been petrified he’d end up like his father. Each and every day he strived to be the opposite, he wanted Avena to always feel loved, wanted, safe, cared for. Never the hopeless, inferior pressurised mess of emotions that he grew up with.
“You know I love you for always and forever Ave?” Kai murmurs.
“You always say that to me,” she notes, her pretty blue eyes connecting with his dark grey ones.
“It’s because it’s true,” he shrugs.
“Well I love you even more than that,” Avena decides.
Kai chuckles a little and shake his head, “it’s not possible baby.”
“How do you know?” she asks, eyebrows pinched in confusion. For a split second, in a minuscule flash of a moment, the way her face was contorted made her look just like Kitt. Kai’s heart twists an an awkward angle and thick knot forming.
“Because I just know,” he murmurs, his brothers face etched into his mind, “should we get back to our tea party then?”
He needs a distraction, he needs to focus on his daughter, he needs the knot in his chest to loosen.
Avena is quick to compose herself back into ‘tea party’ mode, she brushes her dress off and walks around the table, “now before we have anything to eat there is something very important we have to do,”
“What?” Kai asks her.
“We have to get dressed!” she announces, cupping her hands together.
He looks down at his clothes, “I am dressed baby.”
“No you’re not,” she exclaims, “you need your princess dress!”
He nearly chokes on his imaginary tea, “My princess dress? But I’m not a princess.”
“Yes you are,” she says, stubbornly.
“No I’m not,” he insists.
“Well then pretend,” she tells him, with a delicate shrug.
“But I don’t want to be a princess,” Kai says. Sometimes he wondered who the five year old was of the two of them.
“No dad,” she snaps, “you have to be a princess too.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s two princesses at a tea party, that’s the story,” Avena explains, with a tone to make it clear that her decision would not change.
“Can’t I be a prince or a dragon,” Kai asks, not liking the idea of wearing a dress.
“No, you’re being a princess,” she shakes her head stubbornly, staring at him wide eyed, like she was waiting for him to crack under the pressure.
He did. “Fine I’ll be a princess,” he grumbles.
“Yay!” She smiles, jumping up and down as she claps her hand together, “I have a dress especially picked out for you,”
“Honey, if it’s one of yours I don’t think it’s going to fit me,” he sighs, biting back a small laugh.
“No silly!” Avena giggles, shaking her head, “it’s one of the ones mommy never ever wears.”
“I don’t think that will fit me either,” Kai says, recalling that his wife is a lot shorter, slimmer and smaller than him.
“I think it will, so you have to try it on,” she decides, channelling her sassy side, “or I’ll get mad! And do you remember what I said about when I get mad?”
“Yes baby, I do,” he chuckles.
“So you’ll try it on?” she asks, her big round ocean eyes sparkling.
Kai sighs, how could he say no, “yes I’ll try it.”
Five minutes later Kai found himself in a velvety pink dress that barely reached his ankles. The neckline had to be severely stretched to fit across his chest and his arm muscles bulged from the fabric that clung over them desperately, like a second skin. He looked ridiculous and he was very aware, but he would hate to see that disappointed look on Avena’s sweet face. It was a workout to get it on. Obviously, Kai didn’t have the physique of a woman, hence all the proportions of the dress were off. But he was just going to have to grin and bear it. As long as his baby was happy, that’s all that mattered.
“Are you ready yet Daddy?” she calls out.
“Yes,” he grits through his teeth, trying to sound cheerful.
“Come out and show me then!”
Kai steps back into the room, draped in the pink ill-fitting fabric. Avena’s eyes light up with joy, a dazzling azure. Immediately any reluctance towards the dress was forgotten and it became all worth it.
“Can you do a twirl please?” she asks, practically buzzing with excitement.
He obliges, spinning around, the skirt flowing up a little.
“Oh you look so beautiful,” Avena squeals, clasping her hands to her heart.
“Not as beautiful as you,” he says, approaching her.
“But I’m not even dressed up yet,” she laughs gently.
“You don’t need to be,” he tells her, lifting Avena up into his arms, “you are beautiful all on your own.”
“Thank you,” she giggles, kissing the tip of his nose.
“You’re welcome,” he smiles, setting her down again. She picks up a princess dress of her own and holds it up to him.
“Daddy can you help me?” she asks him, as she takes off her top and disguards it on the floor.
“Arms up baby,” Kai says, bunching up the dress in his hands so it would perfectly slip on.
She stretches her little arms over her head as high as she can and he tentatively puts the dress on her, pulling it down so it met the floor. He then smoothes down the skirt carefully for her.
“Hang on Avena, let me untwist your straps,” he says gently, as she tries to get back to the tea party.
She holds still and turns around as he carefully readjusts her straps so they’re no longer twisted around each other.
“There you go,” he says.
“Thank you daddy,” she smiles, standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek.
“You’re welcome baby,” he replies.
She spins around, admiring her dress. The pink silk bright and bold, “we’re matching!”
“We are!” he exclaims, mirroring her energy.
“I love it,” she tells him, over annunciating every letter of the word ‘love’.
He nods in agreement, “me too.”
“Okay back to the party now,” she says, with a serious look on her
Kai nods again and follows her back to the table, resuming his seat between a stuffed unicorn and some sort of multicoloured fox.
“Sorry everyone,” Avena says, looking around at her stuffed animals, “we just needed an outfit change before dessert.”
“What is dessert?” he asks her.
“It’s a surprise,” she tells him, a finger to her lips.
Kai had a feeling her knew what that surprise was. Just like himself and Pae, Avena was addicted to Sticky Buns. It must run in the genes. He was pretty sure she loved them more than him sometimes, not that he’d blame her. Sticky Buns were heavenly.
“Okay then,” he replies.
“I’m going to go and get our surprise dessert,” she tells him, “you wait here.”
Avena rushes off before Kai can even reply, too overcome by excitement to wait for a response. He awkwardly sits there, the plastic eyes of various stuffed animals staring at him in judgment.
“You think you could wear this better?” he mutters bitterly at the dog plushie opposite him.
It doesn’t respond. Obviously. It just continues to stare into Kai’s soul. He doesn’t break eye contact until soft laugh cuts him out of his intense staring contest.
“Now I know why I married you,” Paedyn smirks, walking in, “I am so turned on right now.”
She saunters in, looking him up and down, amusement carved into her every feature.
“Oh shut up,” he snaps, cheeks heated and flushed.
“No seriously,” she laughs, “did I ever tell you that pink is so your colour?”
Kai stares at her from the corner of his eye, a stormy expression on his face in a refusal to speak.
“Oh don’t go all moody,” she pouts, crouching beside him.
“I am not moody,” he grumbles, not meeting her eyes.
“Moody is part of your personality, you can’t help it,” she says with a graceful shrug.
He sighs, running hand through his hair, “did you come home just to attack me?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” she replies, “but finding you like this made it even better.”
“You’re never going to let me forget this are you?” he groans, slumping down onto the table.
“I haven’t got the camera out yet,” she flashes a grin.
He’s suddenly up and alarmed, staring her dead in the eye with panic swimming across his face, “you better not.”
“Oh I definitely am,” she says, throwing her head back with a cruel giggle.
“Pae, I swear to-“
She cuts him off quickly, softly pressing her lips onto his. He kisses back, begging her for more but she breaks away ensuring they wouldn’t get too carried away.
“She has you wrapped her little finger and it’s adorable,” Paedyn smiles, cupping her husbands face in her palms.
“She really does,” he sighs, “I physically can’t say no to that cute face, I mean have you seen her eyes?”
“They’re gorgeous,” she hums in reply.
“They’re yours,” Kai murmurs, staring into Paedyn’s perfect oceans of blue. Sometimes he really thinks he drowns in her eyes, if he stares for too long he finds it hard to catch his breath.
She blushes a deep scarlet, the red bold against her pale skin and silver hair.
“Oooo mommy you’re home!” Avena exclaims, as she reappears back in the room with an empty tray in her hands.
She runs through the doorway, disguarding the tray and immediately throws her arms around her mom, squeezing her as tight as she could.
“Hey baby,” Paedyn beams, scooping Avena up into her arms and twirling her around, “how’s your day with daddy been?”
“Good,” she says enthusiastically, full of life, full of light and full of energy, “we had lots of fun.”
“I like his dress,” she mentions, earning her a glare from her husband.
“I picked it out,” Avena tells her, pride in her voice, “especially for him!”
“You have good taste sweetie,” she praises her, kissing her cheek.
“Now you can play too mommy,” she beams.
“Me?” Paedyn asks.
“Yes! We can be three princesses now!” Avena grins excitedly, “mommy go put on one of those dresses you never wear because you think they’re too fancy.”
She looks at her daughter and narrows her eyes slightly, hands on her hips, “how do you know I think they’re too fancy?”
“I heard you say it to daddy,” she shrugs, the innocence rolling from her like a waterfall.
“Ave that’s called eavesdropping,” Kai says.
“Huh?”
“When you listen to other people’s conversations,” he explains, “that’s called eavesdropping.”
“Is that bad?” she asks, concerned.
“Sometimes,” he shrugs.
Paedyn shoots him a dark look and he quickly fixes his answer.
“It is not very polite to do that and you shouldn’t,” he adds on, satisfying his wife.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Avena says, her guilt displayed on her face.
“You didn’t know Ave,” Kai tells her softly, “it’s okay. But now you do know for next time.”
“Right,” she nods determinedly.
“I’ll get into my dress and meet you two in a moment,” Paedyn says.
“Good! That gives me a chance to start on daddy’s make up,” Avena giggles, a spring in her step as she glides towards her dad.
“Daddy doesn’t want makeup!” Kai says urgently, holding his hands in front of his face.
“You’re right,” she nods, sending a wave of relief over him as he lowers his hands, “daddy doesn’t want any make up, but the second princess does and you’re the second princess!”
“I don’t think she does,” he shakes his head.
“Have fun,” Paedyn winks at him, her face angled towards his, her voice low enough so only he could hear her.
“More like good luck,” he mutters, leaning forwards and planting a sweet kiss on her lips.
“Daddy!” Avena scolds, “No kissing mommy, you’re a princess remember!”
“And a princess can’t kiss mommy?” he raised an eyebrow.
“No. Mommy is only allowed to kiss me and daddy,” she says, her face scrunched up. It was hard to take someone seriously when they were so unintentionally adorable, “and right now you’re not daddy, so no kisses!”
“Okay, okay, okay,” he laughs.
“She’s so bossy,” Paedyn murmurs.
“Wonder where she gets it from,” he says, under his breath.
She glares at him slaps his arm. He bites back a complaint.
“Mommy why did you just slap daddy?” Avena exclaims, shock rippling across her features, “that’s not nice!”
“Yeah mommy!” Kai sneers, arm folded, looking at Paedyn, “that’s not nice,”
“Daddy was being very annoying, sweetie,” she explains.
“But you told me I should never slap anyone,” her daughter reminds her.
“I did, didn’t I?” she sighs, “I’ll apologise to daddy later.”
“Okay but you have to say you’re sorry,” she says.
“I will,” Paedyn tells her.
“Okay,” she nods, walking over to the stray that had been strewn across the room as she had noticed her mom.
“Are you going to say sorry mommy?” Kai mocks, out of his daughter’s earshot, in an attempt to piss his wife of further.
Paedyn death stares him and waits until Avena’s back is tuned, then she sharply elbows her husband’s rib. Hard. He takes a sharp breath in and suppresses a groan. That might bruise tomorrow.
“That stopped smirking,” she rolls her eyes.
“Used and abused,” he shakes his head.
“Cry about it,” Paedyn shrugs delicately as she walks out.
“I love you too!” he calls out after her.
a/n: thanks for your request!! It was so much fun to write 🤍🤍 I hope you enjoyed
