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cirilla-fiona-riannon · 1 year

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Ikemen Villains - Part 1

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support cybird by buying their stories. SPOILERS under the cut. Expect mistakes.

My dad used to read Snow White to me as a bedtime story when I was a kid, so I asked him this:

Kate: "Why does the Queen want to kill Snow White?"

Dad: "Hm? I think it's about pride, vanity, and wanting to be number one."

I remember that his answer didn't add up.

I had a feeling that the root of her desire was something darker and heavier, something that made her want to take her life no matter the cost.

But I still have no idea what it was all about.

Alfons: "I apologize for interrupting your lover's time."

Alfons: "Please don't mind me. Go ahead and flirt to your heart's content."

Kate: "I've said it many times, but we're just "pretending" to be lovers!"

That night I learned a secret I shouldn't have known, and Victor, the queen's aide, offered me to become a fairy tale writer for one month.

------------Flashback------------

Victor: "The fairy tale writer's job is to document them. That means you need to understand them better."

Victor: "So, Kate. Here is my first task for you."

Victor: "Choose one of the crown members and spend a day as their lover. Yay!"

---------Flashback Ends---------

It was Alfons who reached out to me when I was having trouble deciding who to choose.

(He asked me to pick Elbert.)

I glanced at Elbert, sitting next to me.

Elbert, a man of few words and the most passive member of the crown, seemed far removed from any malice or sin.

I agreed to Alfons' proposal, thinking I'd be safe with Elbert.

Alfons: "Pretending or not, you guys are still lovers. El, make sure you escort her, okay?"

Elbert: "Yeah, I know."

(Alfons said he was like a servant to Elbert.)

(But from an outsider's perspective, they look like close friends.)

Elbert: "Rest assured, I won't make you feel uncomfortable."

Kate: "I really hope you don't mind. I apologize for intruding on your schedule."

The two were scheduled to attend a party hosted by a certain noble family today and are now on their way to the mansion.

Alfons: "Well, it's not a mission, so let's take it easy."

Alfons: "The only thing I'm worried about is that El's greed might get out of control again."

Kate: "Out of control?"

Alfons: "El has a nasty habit of wanting anything others deem beautiful."

Alfons: "Since we're going to a party where glamorous aristocrats dressed up in their finery and pride, you'll have to take the reins today, Kate."

(I have a bad feeling about this, but...)

Kate: "I'll do my best to understand Elbert better."

Alfons: "Oh dear, how brave."

Elbert: "............"

Elbert has been looking out the window wistfully the whole time.

(The word “fairest” really fits him.)

(But why does he look so sad?)

His usual melancholy eyes seemed to be even cloudier today.

(Elbert is a man of few words and doesn't seem to express much emotion.)

(I should keep an eye on him to understand what his feelings and thoughts are.)

Host Nobleman: "Hey, hey. I didn't expect you to bring a woman, Count Greetia!"

Elbert: "..........."

Alfons: "Thank you for the invitation, Graham."

Graham, the host aristocrat, greeted us, looking gobsmacked.

(Judging from Elbert and Alfons' attitude, they aren't close.)

(Maybe they're just acquaintances.)

Graham: "I bet today's party will be a blast."

Elbert: "I'm not gonna do anything. I'll behave."

Graham: "You don't understand. You sure will stand out by just standing there. You, what's your name?"

Kate: "Nice to meet you. My name is Kate."

Graham: "Hold on, I've seen you in the theater before. You know, last month's Love Potion."

Kate: "Huh? Yes, I saw that play last month."

Graham: "I knew it! You like to go to the theater? Then we have a lot to talk about."

(Whoa there, Mister.)

Graham suddenly leaned closer.

Elbert: "Could you please not get too close to her?"

(Huh?)

For some reason, Elbert stepped in front of me protectively.

(Elbert?)

Graham: "Oh, come on. It's not like she's your lover."

Elbert: "She is."

Elbert: "She's my lover, so please leave her alone."

Kate: "!?"

Interrupting to protect me from Graham, Elbert abruptly declared.

(You don't have to go that far in pretending to be my lover.)

Stunned, I stared at Elbert's profile as he protected me.

Elbert: "..........."

His expression was so serious, even hostile, that my heart skipped a beat.

Alfons: "Well, well."

Graham: "I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to look so uncomfortable."

Elbert's hand gently held my shoulder to shield me from his curious gaze.

(He's so close.)

Elbert: "Let's go, Kate."

Kate: "O-Okay."

I curtsied to Graham and stepped toward the entrance as he urged me to.

(Maybe he did that because Alfons told him to escort me properly.)

We made our way down the hallway, still a little nervous about being hugged on the shoulder.

When we arrived, Alfons suddenly stopped.

Alfons: "As much as I'd love to see this interesting development, I have to go and see a friend."

Alfons: "We'll split up from here. El, take this with you, just in case.

Elbert: "Yeah."

Alfons handed Elbert something and quickly walked away.

(I wonder what it is. It looks like a key.)

Elbert: "I'm sorry if what I said was offensive."

Kate: "-----!"

A sad murmur brought my attention back to my partner, and Elbert's hand, which had been holding my shoulder, gently pulled away.

Kate: "It's fine. I was a little surprised, but why did you do that?"

Elbert: "Because you're my lover."

(I feel like there's another reason for it.)

(But I should probably pretend to agree with that reason.)

Kate: "You take the word "lover" very seriously."

Elbert: "..........."

(Oh, he smiled.)

The faint smile made my heart flutter for a moment.

Elbert: "That's right. So tonight, please don't eat or drink anything except what I hand you."

Kate: "Huh?"

Elbert: "And don't walk away from me. Make sure you're by my side."

Elbert: "You're allowed to go somewhere, but don't go anywhere other than where I tell you."

(Wait, what?)

I couldn't hide my confusion as he threw one restriction after another.

Elbert: "Can my lover please do as I say?"

Kate: “Um… Okay.”

Pressured, I nodded involuntarily.

(He's acting like there's danger, but Alfons said it's not a mission.)

Kate: "Um, what am I supposed to do?"

Elbert: "Our goal is just to attend, so nothing special."

Elbert: "Don't worry about the others. Just be there for me as my lover."

People gazed at us as we proceeded through the doorway and into the hall.

(Elbert's beauty stands out even more when he's surrounded by posh people.)

It was clear from the gathered gazes and whispers that I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

Gorgeous Lady: "His dazzling golden hair and blue eyes! He looks like he came out of a painting."

Jewel-clad lady: "Oh, he's looking at me!"

Gentleman with a cigar: "Even the gorgeous decorations fade away when he's in the room."

(He's really popular.)

I watched Elbert as people approached to greet him.

(Everyone is praising him.)

Elbert: "............."

The more they praised him, the sadder his expression became.

(Also...)

Noble lady: “Lord Elbert, you look beautiful today.”

Elbert: “Yeah.”

For some reason, some of the people who approached him wanted to touch his body.

They would touch his shoulder, arm, and chest for a split second as if to mark him, making him so vulnerable.

(Why doesn’t he reject it, brush it off, or step away?)

Every time they touched him, his expression darkened.

(He looks hurt, but why don’t the people who touch him notice?)

Elbert: “...........”

(I’m pretending to be his lover, so I guess I’m allowed to do this.)

Kate: “Elbert. I could use some air.”

Elbert: “What?”

Kate: “Will you accompany me?”

Part 1╏Part 2╏Premium End╏Epilogue

#ikemen villains #ikemen villain #ikevil elbert #ikevil alfons #alfons sylvatica #elbert greetia #ikevil jp #ikevil #cybird #ikevil translations

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deaconusdelirium · 3 years

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Celebrating Halloween with The Bad Batch

———

•The Batch have never done Halloween. They've heard the word thrown around, besides, they're deployed and don't see any decorations since they're so busy in middle of war

•Besides, Kamino never celebrated any holidays anyways

•Then when you join, Halloween is their first holiday, and they just look at you like, "what?". So you'll have to tell them about the story behind it all and how you celebrate

•Omega loves it, she'll ask Hunter to participate when he questions it. He can see the longing in her eyes that she wants to do it, he'll reluctantly agree since he remembers that she's still a kid

•Then the whole Batch will try to get into the spirit, Wrecker will go absolutely ape shit about it. Omega hypes him up, he'll throw candy at Tech just to get him off his data pad. Echo doesn't want to deal with him in that situation so he just tags along

•wait, you mean getting candy isn't just the best part? They can carve pumpkins and dress up? Omega wants to go all out, she's thinking of costumes left and right and Hunter just stands there like the supportive dad he is

•Tech likes chewing on gum or just sticking a sucker in so he can continue working, but you and the two other Batchers don't like it. Mostly Omega and Wrecker, so they hide his Datapad

•Echo just stands there, he doesn't mind. If Omega wants to dress him up, it's fine, as long as it's nothing embarrassing. He'll hold Omegas bag while she goes and gets candy. Everyone pretty much doesn't mind him, or pay attention and he takes advantage of that. He'll dig through everyone's bags and take the best candy

•Tech will occasionally complain about his costume. But once he gets knee deep into celebrating, he will suggest doing things that seem a bit out of his character. He loves it, especially seeing the decorations and the weather. It's a great time to wear his blacks alone, without the armor and all his tools

•Hunter is pretty much chill with it all, he doesn't mind Wrecker picking on everyone, he loves seeing his brothers in such a wonderful state. They're smiling while they carve pumpkins with you, they ask for pumpkin cookies and occasionally ask you any questions about the holiday. It warms his heart, especially when Omega brings both you and Hunter along, hand in hand, while she walks house to house. Only to come back and share her candy with both of you

•This is Wreckers new favorite holiday. He always wants to go towards the haunted houses, or he'll play tricks on you guys himself. Which ends up with Hunter reprimanding him, saying he doesn't want Omega to get nightmares, that doesn't stop the heavy though. If he can talk his little sister out of being scared, that's a win win, he'll drag her into the haunted houses. If she does get scared, he'll carry her and joke about the jump scares just to lighten her mood

•Sleep isn't a thing when Halloween is around. They spend all day decorating the Marauder, they help each other with their costumes and help you with baking or cooking. They have you to thank for. It's just the time to be themselves, they don't have to worry about working since they cut themselves off from anyone a few days before, making sure they let the contract know they are off limits for a few days before they come back

•Rex will most likely drop by since he likes visiting and checking up on Echo. He secretly loves spending time with Omega, but no one has to know that. He's the best uncle. He'll walk with you guys when you're going from house to house. Sadly, he doesn't have a costume so Wrecker will just hand him like a hat or a shirt, and Rex will wear it.

•Funny thing is, or should I say, the sweetest. Is that they just forget they're soldiers and all act like children. And they would want to keep it that way, it's such a heartwarming sight🥰

—

•Imperial Cross is just, ugh. Don't even talk about it- you know what. Don't even think about it, that it's. Nope, he's not having it and he won't let you tell the elites about it

•...however...

•ever since the incident on Bracca, he's been a bit leaner and open I guess. He's still cold and hard, but he's getting there.

•the chip does eventually just fade and he's back to himself. He knows he can't just up and leave, so he sticks around till there's an opening. Until then, his mind can change

•He knows how harsh he can be on you, so he'll bring the topic of Halloween up, and he knows he's won your heart over again since his old self is coming back

•If the elites are up to it, they'll join in. Still a bit careful and on edge from their commander. So it'll take some time for them to open up. Sometimes, when Crosshair walks out your barracks, the squad will ask whatever questions they can about the holiday. Once he comes back in, they shut their mouthes and act like they never said anything

•They will, uh, 'beg' you to bring up the conversation in front of your lover. If they see him say yes, I actually mean, he barely even gives an answer. They will cheer and ask you what to do and how to do so. Cross will sit back and watch with a small smile, seeing his squad finally have time to themselves.

•Since they can't have costumes, they'll paint their armor, and for a little thank you, they'll paint your little helmet and add your initials somewhere on their armor. Once other clones see it, it gets them thinking. What are you guys doing and why do they want to join?

•Sometimes, Crosshair will even let you paint something on his armor. You know the old him is back, so with little hope, you'll paint his old design from his other helmet on his new one. It's hurts him a little, he misses his brothers dearly, he wants to see them, even Omega. He'll scrub it off, but not all the way. Its still visible but not a lot, he may even keep it after Halloween has ended.

•And since you all are deployed on Halloween, once the missions over, you know civilians aren't going to hand out candy to imperials. So you'll go out a grab some for you all, or you just go back to kamino and celebrate with what you have there. They do enjoy the sights of decorations even though they will never admit it

•Crosshair doesn't really complain about it as much as you thought, he smiles at jokes the others tell, or what they did. At night, they'll all be laying in bed, but still try to not laugh at an action earlier. Since the elites already know you and Crosshair are together, they get softer and open, they don't mind when you both do couple things. They just grow to ignore it

•But what Crosshair really adores, is when you lay with him at night, telling him stories of how you celebrated the holiday, sometimes he thinks he's fighting for the wrong side. Then when you whisper to him that you arranged a little visit with the Batch. If that's the opening that he's getting, he'll take it. He's sure that the elites will leave with enough convincing. They want to see what going full on out is like. Especially after knowing that there are more holidays like this

———

There might be some spelling errors, but know I’m sorry!

#the bad batch #star wars #Hunter tbb #tech tbb #wrecker tbb #echo tbb #omega tbb #Crosshair tbb #star wars tcw #tbb #clone force 99 #Halloween #happy Halloween #celebrate with Clone Force 99!

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forkanna · 7 years

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[AO3 LINK]

See also: @pankite

CHAPTER NINE

The world was nothing but a blur through the endless stream of tears. Anna's body shook from a combination of the biting night chill and her own sobs. She had lost track of the amount of time she lay curled up under the sturdy oak by the cafeteria building with her face buried into her legs.

She replayed her argument with her sister in her mind over and over again. She desperately wished for either her Papa or Kristoff to come wrap their arms around her and tell her how she didn't just fuck up any chances she had of getting her sister back… at least, not completely. Even if Elsa accepted this, there would always be that awkward tension between them now. A silent disapproval that sent Anna into another fresh round of sobs just thinking about it.

And now she understood why her mother did all that she did. Why Idunn pretended Anna never called or sent anything to Elsa. It made her heart throb in agony to think that her mother hated her so much that she would purposefully sabotage her from being in contact with her older sister over something like her sexuality. Anna cursed her thirteen-year-old self for proudly announcing her first kiss to her mother, and for being naive enough to trust that she would accept her no matter what. That family was stronger than hate. Never in a million years did she think that Idunn would cut her off and try to turn Elsa against her!

And just as they were getting close again, Anna had to go and screw it up… possibly permanently. She didn't even have the decency to stay and comfort her sister. Instead, she took off, too cowardly to hold still and listen to her in case Elsa changed her mind and told her how much she hated her.

"Hey!" came a sudden, cheerful voice that shattered the silence. "What the heck are you doing out here, all by yourself?"

"...P-Punzie?" Anna whimpered and lifted her face from her legs to look up at the blurry form of her friend. A shudder went through her and she huddled more into herself for warmth. "W-What are you d-doing? It's late..." She wiped at her raw eyes in a vain attempt to clear them before Rapunzel got close enough to see her in the state she was in. As if her shaking voice didn't give her away first. "I-It's nothing, I- I just needed some air."

There was very little hesitation before the brunette sank down next to Anna, an arm automatically draping over her back. "It is not 'nothing'. Are you okay? What's wrong, Anna?"

The warmth that accompanied the arm helped ease Anna and she cuddled into Rapunzel unconsciously. "Punzie..." She let out a sigh and sniffed. "I- I fucked up. I got into a fight with Elsa and…" She looked at the brunette. "Um… h-how do you really feel… about gay people?"

Rapunzel stared back at her for a long moment, as if trying to think of an answer. Then she whispered, "Sorry, I'm, um, not used to hearing language like that. Can you repeat the question?"

"Punzie," Anna sighed softly. "Please, be honest with me; I'm serious." She paused for a moment, praying that she wasn't about to make another mistake. "How do you feel about people in the LGBT spectrum? You defended them earlier…" She tried to smile reassuringly to show her friend that she wouldn't be mad about her answer. "I just want to know now that we're not trapped in a tent with Pastor Frollo."

"Well…" The girl was very obviously squirming, but she rushed on, "I don't feel any certain way, y'know? They're just people. Like, I'm really struggling with that and how it relates to God and Christianity, but I don't know how to… I kinda… What's the big freakin' deal? Who cares who somebody loves or doesn't love? It just seems like there's a lot of sin in the world, bad sin, dangerous sin! And we waste so much of our time on homosexuality instead of the stuff we should be working on, like… homelessness, or murder, or domestic abuse, or… I don't know!"

Anna smiled a little wider, her chest warm with affection for the rambling woman. "I think you're a really nice person, Punzie." She rested a hand on her shoulder. "If I were to tell you someone we know is gay, would you treat them different?"

At that, Rapunzel scoffed. "Probably. Like, not on purpose, though. I just have never had any gay friends. I mean, there's a boy in my class everybody's pretty sure is, but like, without knowing for… sure…" Then the thread of their conversation started to catch up with her, and her eyes widened. "Wait. You're telling me… somebody here is? A gay kid came to Bible camp?!"

"Yeah," Anna said with a half-snort. She decided to take the plunge, releasing Rapunzel's shoulder so she could nervously hug herself again. "It's me."

"It's… you're… wait, what are you saying? You're a lesbian? No. But you don't… I mean you're so…" Swallowing hard, Rapunzel started hugging her own knees. "M-maybe I should stop saying things before I say a thing that's really stupid."

"Bi, actually. I have no feelings for you or any of the other girls, before you ask," she said bluntly, "nor do I randomly want to bang you, Punzie. I like girls just like you like boys, but I doubt you want to jump every guy's bone, right?" She tried to grin but it came out as more of a half-smile, half-grimace.

"A-ah." Her cheeks were filling with pinkness, and at first Anna was worried that she really had thought those things. But what she said next was, "S-sorry, I don't normally spend much time thinking about… um…" Lowering her voice to barely a whisper, she finished, "Ess-ee-ex."

Anna relaxed and let a tired giggle past her lips. "That's okay. Just thought I would get those stereotypes out of the way before you asked about them." She leaned against the tree, the stress finally taking its toll and she looked ready to fall asleep. "Anyway, I told Elsa. She… I won't say took it badly - because really, she didn't - but I thought I might as well stay away for now so she can… sort out things, I guess."

Her voice was a little more hushed in a worried way. "Ohhh. So… oh wow, you came out to two people in the same day. And in a campground full of Christians! I'm… maybe this is the wrong thing to take away from this, but you're pretty brave."

"I feel more tired than brave," Anna confessed. "I just… I don't want to hide it anymore and sit there like a good girl while people talk down on people like me. Elsa… well, we got into an argument and it came out. I came out. With you, I just feel like I can trust you." Anna sighed, "Is it okay if I crash in your cabin tonight? I- I don't think I should go back to mine yet."

"She took it that bad?" Rapunzel asked, reaching over to perch a hand on Anna's bicep. "That sucks… I'm really sorry. After the past few days, I started to think maybe you could be the one to unfreeze the Ice Queen, y'know? But maybe…" Shaking her head, she said, "Nah, I shouldn't say anything about her, either. I talk a lot more than I should, if you haven't noticed."

"Elsa's not a bad person," Anna insisted to her friend, frowning. "She's our Mama's kid just as much as I'm Papa's… actually, Elsa took it much better than I expected. I just can't face her right now." She stood up on numb legs, groaning at the pins and needles that were only intensified from the cold. "Thank you, Punzie, for listening..."

"Wait!" Popping up next to Anna, she caught her by the elbow. "You don't have to run off. Um… yeah, Snow is sleeping over with Aurora and Belle. So if you wanna use her bunk…"

"Thanks." Anna smiled at her and they started walking towards the cabin. There was a pleasant silence between the two, just the quiet song of cicadas in the distance. Then Anna's face fell.

"I don't know how I'm going to face the kids tomorrow… I mean, they'll know something's up…"

Shrugging, Rapunzel said, "I dunno, either. We'll just have to see how it shakes out when we get there, right? I mean, maybe you can just pretend everything's the same and, um, see if Elsa will follow your lead?"

"Yeah, I'll try that. Better than nothing, anyway."

Entering the cabin made Anna let out a sigh of pleasure at the warmth. "You know, it's been a long time since I had a sleepover," she exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood, and added, "If you aren't tired, we can watch a movie, or do each other's hair or something!" The thought of a fun night helped Anna take her mind off her sister and the day ahead.

"No movies; camp rules, remember?" But then she hastily followed up with, "But I would! Totally! Um… yeah, my hair's a choppy mess, but if you wanna put it in little braids, that sounds cool! And I can put yours in a French braid — my mom taught me!"

Anna's face fell briefly, having forgotten that rule, but it lifted again when Rapunzel offered to play with her hair. "I would like that," she said, and started working on freeing her hair from their own braids, shaking it free and running her fingers through until her hair fell in soft auburn waves, roughly to about her shoulder blades.

Having mostly just her dad and Kristoff, Anna didn't do things like this often. It had been Elsa or Mama who used to do her hair when she still visited, and Esmeralda taught her how to do her signature twin braids on her own without making them look like a sloppy mess. So she was really excited to see her hair in a different style than what she was used to.

"It's so pretty and soft," Rapunzel whispered once she was running a brush through it, voice warm and as soothing as the motions. "I'm jealous; I tried to go blonde when my hair was super long, but the treatments kinda fried it and I ended up just chopping it all off."

She hummed in sympathy but was mostly distracted by the therapeutic feel of the brush and the soothing sound of Rapunzel's voice. "You look good the way you are now," she reassured, eyes closing. "I mean, I'm sure you would've looked great with long blond hair, but the way you look now suits you." She cracked an eye open to throw a warm smile over at Rapunzel. "Besides, long-haired blondes are my type, so that might've been awkward." She couldn't help but worry that the joke was a little much but it was out now.

"O-oh, really?" The laughter that followed was distinctly nervous, but mainly good-natured. "I, um… thank you? Wait, that's probably not the right thing to say here…" She let out a little growl of frustration at herself. "I promise, I'm not gonna be this dumb in a few days. You're really cool, I could tell from the first day! This is just… y'know, new territory. An adjustment for my hetero brain."

A chuckle was followed by Anna resting her hand on Rapunzel's arm and giving it a pat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't make jokes when you only just found out…" She paused and smiled softly to herself. "Thank you again, Rapunzel, you don't know how much this means to me."

After a few more contemplative seconds, she said, "I can guess. When I fight with my parents, I just have to lock the door to my room upstairs and wait it out for a while because I can't face them. Or they can't handle talking to me without being, y'know, all parental about it and acting like I'm just a stupid kid. Sometimes, it feels like I'm gonna be in there for the rest of my life. So… even though I don't really get what you're going through, I definitely understand what it's like to need space."

The smile that next graced Anna's lips was a tad bitter. "I still feel bad. Dropping a bomb and then leaving her like that. I just didn't know what else to do… Elsa's always liked being alone when she feels overwhelmed and I couldn't stand the way she looked at me." She shivered and hugged herself.

"Well… she's probably in the same place I am. It's new. And like you said, she's overwhelmed. Give it some time, okay? Talk to her tomorrow. And even if she's still freaking out, then that just means she needs more time, right? It's probably harder for her 'cause she's known you longer."

"You're right," Anna sighed. "All I can do is sit and wait for tomorrow and see where we go from there." She desperately hoped that Elsa would still want her in her life. That they could go forward together without being split apart for a second and possibly final time. The optimist inside her piped up that Elsa wouldn't do that — that she would love her all the same, and Anna decided to believe that for now.

Despite the cold whisper from the other half of her psyche that told her she had thought that about her mother, too, and had been burned for it.

"Hey, how's that braid coming?"

"About half done," Rapunzel told her with a smile, fingers making quick work of entwining the three groupings of hair. "So… um, you and girls. How's that working out so far?"

"My first kiss was from a girl." Anna's voice wasn't as cheery as usual but it was clear by her fond tone that she had perked up from the question. "My friend Mulan surprised me by kissing me just before she had to go back to China to be with her family. And not just a friend-kiss. That's when I really started thinking about my sexuality. I went on a date with a few boys here and there, and even went out with a guy named Hans for a couple of months, but there is something about women that I find I like a bit more." She giggled, "Then my ex-girlfriend Esme waltzed into my life, and there was no more doubting where my main interest lay."

"And I haven't even been on a real date-date with Flynn yet," she breathed in wonder. "And here's you, figuring out you're… mostly-gay, or whatever, and kissing two girls when I've barely kissed the one boy! Like, we're about the same age, right? I always thought I was saving myself for marriage, and that it was a really good thing. Is that dumb? Should I be dating more, even though I think Flynn is the right man for me?"

"If it feels right, that's all that matters, Punzie." The warm words of her Papa from the day she had confessed her conflicted feelings came back to Anna, so she passed them along: "If you think Flynn is the man for you, then you don't need to date anyone else. I don't find it dumb that you're waiting for marriage, or not kissing, especially if you aren't comfortable. You should do things at your own pace and not feel ashamed for it." Anna shook her very gently, to make sure she was still listening. "If this Flynn loves you, he will wait until you are ready. If he doesn't and tries to push you, he isn't worth it."

At those words, Rapunzel smiled and let out a soft chuckle. "Well… he does push for kisses. But not too much. And he never, ever brings up going further; he knows we're waiting and it's as important to him as it is to me." Then she added in a whisper, "But maybe I do want to try kissing now; I mean, we're over eighteen, right? And we're still together after a year of courtship."

"If you feel you're ready, then kiss him," Anna encouraged. "And don't just not do it if you think that it's something the Bible frowns upon. Kissing isn't a sin, believe me." She remembered sharing that particular worry with her father and having him exaggeratedly regale all the times her Bible-strict mother used to kiss him before they were married, much to Anna's embarrassment. "Congratulations on that, by the way! A year!"

"Thanks," she giggled with a bashful smile. "He's such a dork, but he's my dork." Then she patted Anna's shoulders. "All done! You know, I think I have an extra shower cap, if you wanna bag it up so it'll still look nice tomorrow."

Anna stood up and walked over to the mirror over Snow's desk. She was instantly struck by just how different and pretty she looked with her hair draped into a single, elegant braid down her back. She looked kind of like a redheaded version of Elsa, and the thought made Anna smile.

"I think I'd like that; we'll see what the kids have to say about my new look." She spun on her heel and felt the slight smack of the braid against her shoulder, which made her giggle. "What do you think, Rapunzel?"

"I think you look fantastic!" she gushed, clapping her hands. "And not just because it's my handiwork, I swear! Like, your hair is just made to be braided, dude!"

Snorting at the little "dude" thrown in there, she looked back at the mirror and smiled, admiring the image looking back… and her traitorous brain wondered how Elsa would react to seeing her like this. Would she be impressed at how mature she looked? Would she say anything?

"I think we should head to bed now," Anna announced after a long moment. Her enthusiasm was curbed by the unexpected bout of tiredness that came with the thought. She cursed herself inwardly for ruining her good mood again. "It's really late."

"Yeah," Rapunzel admitted with a sad little nod. "I mean, if you need to talk more, I'll be just a few feet away, though. Don't be afraid to speak up! Oh, and um, I don't have an extra toothbrush or anything, but I have some jammies! If you want 'em. They have little green lizards all over." After a second, she added in a mutter, "I like lizards."

It didn't take long for Anna to get dressed and ready for bed, her hair carefully tucked into a shower cap to keep the beautiful braid intact while she slept. The pajamas were a little small on her since Rapunzel was shorter, but Anna didn't mind as she slipped hesitantly into Snow's bunk.

"She won't be mad?"

"Nah. I'll explain if she is, but I kinda doubt that'll happen. She's not petty." As she snuggled into her bunk, Rapunzel whispered across, "Hey, Anna?"

Anna snuggled into the blankets, which were made from some very warm, soft material that felt like heaven against her bare patches of skin. "Yes Punzie?" she replied when she got comfortable, already feeling the toll of the day taking over and the dark blanket of unconsciousness starting to settle in her brain.

"I… I know it was hard to trust me, with your secret and all… but I…" Her voice was a little more strained when she spoke again. "I'm so glad I stood up to Pastor Frollo today. So, so glad."

"Thanks for standing up to him, Rapunzel," Anna murmured sleepily, hiding a smile into her pillow. "I'm really glad you did, too. It's really nice knowing someone cares." She blinked and let out a sigh. "You're a good friend and I'm really glad to have met you."

She struggled to stay awake and say more, but the bed was too comfortable and the pull of sleep too tempting. With a last hum, she closed her eyes and gave in.

To Be Continued...

#forkanna writes #bind us together lord #elsanna fanfiction #pankite #forkanna the writer

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