DECEMBER 19th, 5032

"Makoto."

"No sex for cycles." I mumbled against the pillow, attempting to ignore whoever was trying to wake me up from my blissful sleep. My body ached as if yet again, I’d become some marathon athlete. Except, I specialized in crazy sex positions in moving cars.

My fuzzy mind struggled to pinpoint who attempted to wake me; my body wanted to curl against the oversized pillows that smelled like mint.

I heard a low chuckle before a hand shook me lightly.

"I'll make you chocolate chip cookies if you get up." Elias’ warm voice tempted.

I opened my left eye, peeking out to see him in the low light of the nightstand lamp; his emerald eyes looked gorgeous with his messy blonde hair.

"You will?"

"Yes."

"You promise?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, poke a flower in the sky." He whispered.

My eyes softened at the oath, clearly having remembered my promise with EliaseAnne a few rotations ago. Who knew time would go by so quickly to what we had become.

"Fine." I smiled, sitting up, my tangled brown locks fell to one side as I rubbed against my sleepy eyes.

"Morning Makoto." Elias greeted.

I looked up at him as he rose from his leaning position; his six-pack caught my attention before the rest of his chiseled torso. The scar remained on his chest, a reminder of our past troubles. I was thankful to the Starlight gods that things had worked out between us; our love blossomed stronger than before.

"Morning sexy green eyes." I laughed as he became flustered at my comment.

"You have a serious addiction to eye color." He mumbled.

"No, I don't. It's not my fault it’s the most distinct feature in someone's face." I argued, throwing the blanket off me and crawling to the edge, facing him.

"How about if they have nice lips or...I don't know a long nose."

"A long nose. Like that puppet from that storybook whose nose got longer and longer? Totally not attractive."

"Pinocchio, baby."

"Whatever. That story was silly. He should have been born an angel shifter so he wouldn't be able to lie for fear of being struck by lightning." I complained. Elias chuckled, shaking his head in dismay.

"Babe, angels can lie. It's just very uncomfortable."

"No, it’s a pain in the ass when you lie. Gods forbid you don’t correct yourself in five fucking seconds or else it feels like the end of times apocalypse is happening in your mind. "

"You're over exaggerating."

"Don't make me call Hope into this conversation."

"Alright, alright. You win. Anything to get that sexy butt of yours out of bed so I can feed you."

"There are other ways to get me out of bed you know." He gave me a dangerous look.

"I know Firefly, but that would involve very little clothing and last time I heard, a princess vowed to not have sex again for cycles."

I gasped, remembering my complaint from when I was half asleep.

"I reverse it!" I proclaimed, sitting on my knees. He laughed.

"No sex today. Your body needs a break." I frowned.

"Boo."

"Don't boo me. I want to spend today making you some Christmas goodies. I'll pleasure you later tonight." He promised, winking at me. I beamed

"Yeah! Off to shower." I was ready to move off the bed when his hands caressed my face, pulling me into a deep kiss. His tongue slid right in as he groaned.

We stayed kissing for a minute before he pulled back.

"You can't shower without a morning kiss." He joked, amused with my stunned expression.

“Let's get freshened up and get into the kitchen.”

He turned around and knelt down – patting his back.

"A piggyback!" I remembered when he did the same a few rotations ago.

"Let's go, Princess, you’re making Eli starve."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, allowing him to rise up before I hooked my legs around his waist.

"Tell her to wait." I giggled, knowing how impatient Eli was.

"She says –" He began but stopped.

"She said?" I repeated. I leaned my head to the side as he looked over his shoulder – his lips pressed against mine.

My eyes widened, noticing the bright glow of Elias' green eyes; EliaseAnne took over. She pulled back, smirking at my astonished expression.

"I say hurry up with your play date with Elias so tomorrow can come and we can have fun. You, Me and Midnight." She winked, retreating as Elias took control; his eyes blinked repeatedly as he took a moment to compose himself.

"I swear to Starlight Eli, I dare you to take over one more time today and I'll purposely interfere all day tomorrow AND cancel your pre-order of Merry-Go-Lucy 3."

I gasped.

"WHAT! Merry-Go-Lucy 3! Elias, no, no don't cancel it." I tightened my grip around his neck.

"Ugh, Mako too tight, you’re gonna kill me." He mumbled.

"Don't cancel it." I yelled; Midnight took over, as I loosened my grip. She leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"Cancel it, and I'll make sure Eli and I break every single glass back home and make you pay for it."

*Silence*

"I won't cancel it." He replied in a toneless voice. Midnight retreated; his words and the way his body shuddered made us satisfied that he wouldn't.

"Good. EliaseAnne, no taking over. Today is Elias’ day." I reminded her in a happy voice, knowing she'd still be lingering in his mind.

"What am I going to do with you three?"

"I know what we're going to do right now." I replied, kissing his neck. He moaned, lifting me up to hold me securely on his back.

"What is that? And stop distracting me." He mumbled. I giggled.

"Shower Sex."

"No."

"Why not?'

"Too tricky." He revealed.

"Aww, is my Elias afraid of a little challenge? Scared to slip?"

He turned his head back to face me, his smile widened as I watched determination flash in his eyes.

"Challenge accepted."

~MIDNIGHT~

After some debate, Elias took us out to lunch to some fancy restaurant that had many different dishes he enjoyed – promising we’d bake cookies and other Christmas goodies when we returned.

I lingered in Makoto’s mind, listening in on the conversation as Elias explained why the restaurant was so meaningful to him.

"Why is this specific restaurant special to you?" Makoto questioned. I could sense her curiosity – my own feelings prompted her to ask the question. We both could see the sadness flicker in Elias' eyes as he gave us a small smile; those green orbs glanced around the private section of the restaurant as we waited for dessert.

"I used to struggle with social anxiety when I was younger. I hated being around people and just didn't like talking with anyone besides the guys. Even with them, it took me a few rotations till I warmed up to all of them. It was actually thanks to Marcus' pestering nature that I got over the little phobia." He began, smiling as if the memory flashed by. He continued.

"One time, Matthew brought us over to this restaurant during the busiest time of the night. I couldn't handle the amount of noise and clatter happening around me. I basically wanted to run out and hide in a corner till everything was done. Marcus noticed immediately." He explained.

"What did he do?" Mako questioned.

"He tugged at my arm and announced we were going to the restroom. He took me to this part of the restaurant, sat me down and ordered all my favorite dishes. He didn't ask for any explanation from me, he just allowed me to calm down and we ate in silence." He smiled; his eyes locked onto mine.

"Didn't you guys get in trouble? How about Matthew?"

"Ah. Hmmm. Long story short, Matthew had gotten into a little argument with Karen prior to our trip, so Daniel sprinkled a little bit of magic and made him feel like shit for arguing with her. So, he left his credit card and ditched."

"What! He totally left you guys? With his credit card? Did he see Karen?" The anticipation was killing us; Mako leaned forward to listen in.

Elias chuckled lightly; the server returned with our dessert – chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whip cream.

"What I heard from one of the higher up commanders was he went over to Karen's apartment and well...you can guess how that went. We finished eating, booked a room and got some vampire shifter to buy us a bunch of alcohol.”

"Matthew and Karen were a thing back then too huh? Wait, you guys got alcohol. The weird stuff that was in the milk container at Scarlet's place that I accidentally drank. That stuff?"

I tried to not reveal myself – stopping the snicker that attempted to escape me as I remembered Mako's drunk moment with the boys.

Elias snickered and was rewarded with Mako giving him a glare. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"Yes. The ‘magical stuff’. We basically got wasted after that. I don't remember much after the fifth drink, but I do remember one moment." He confessed. I was intrigued, listening closely with Makoto. He continued.

"The alcohol allowed us to let our walls down without the fear of judgment. We all let go; discussing our past and the hurt we went through. As we began to share, from Ryder and his struggle with Anya's kidnapping down to Marcus and to Kai's past back in Phentailia, I realized I had people who could relate to me. Shifters who wouldn't judge me or EliaseAnne. It was the first time I truly felt accepted...maybe even loved. I shared how I felt, and my struggles with my anger. After that, I felt as if a burden was lifted."

"Elias," Makoto whispered; her empathy for him was so strong that I struggled to hold down my own feelings – remorse being one of them.

I knew how it felt to think you were all alone in the world. Yet, thanks to Mako and everyone else that entered our lives, I understood how it felt when a burden was lifted off your shoulders – the feeling of relief.

"We got into shit the next day when Matthew came back with Karen. After a four-hour lecture from Karen, we were off the hook. I personally thought we'd receive a harsher punishment, but I think Matthew and Karen saw the difference in our dynamic. Since then, every year we come down here and eat together. Like a big happy family." Elias concluded; his eyes returned to meet our gaze.

"Aren't you guys going to come here this year?" Mako questioned. He smirked, taking a moment to take a bite of his dessert. Mako followed suit, letting out a satisfying moan. I couldn't blame her – the dessert was golden; the hot chocolate melted in our mouth mixed with the cold, sweetness of the vanilla ice cream.

I was tempted to take over just to finish the divine dessert, but my curiosity was stronger.

"That was originally the plan but seeing as we have other plans with Scarlet and her crew, I asked the boys if I could bring you. This place has a special place in my heart...and I wanted to share such a place with you, cause you’re special to me too."

I could feel Mako's happiness and admiration as we listened to his confession; a smile formed on our lips.

"I'm glad I can share this moment with you, too," Mako whispered; her hand reached across the table to hold his. He smiled, standing up and leaning forward. Mako followed suit, meeting in the middle to give him a deep kiss.

"I love you, Elias."

"And I love you, Makoto."