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“Play with Agni!” Agni’s voice cut through the fog, accompanied by the sound of her splashing her way towards Ellie. She took the blonde’s hands and pulled her before glancing at John. “Leilani wants to talk to John, but John has to come play with Agni later.”

Ellie, Violet and Robin left John on his own, joining Agni. Robin formed a ball of steam that drifted lazily like a beach toy. John turned to Alison, who remained half-hidden at the edge of the pool. He shuffled over and startled her slightly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Wanna join me with Lumi and Lani?” he asked, his voice soft and reassuring.

She remained facing away from him, but after a moment of hesitation, she nodded. John climbed into the next pool where the sisters were. A splash followed as Alison suddenly rose to her feet. John instinctively looked away to give her some privacy, but couldn’t resist stealing a glance.

A peek wasn’t possible as his eyes lingered on her petite frame; his gaze was drawn to her pert, smooth butt, memorising every inch and every freckle. Time slowed as Alison turned, her courage visibly gathering. She stood with her hands clasped between her legs, her cheeks burning, but her eyes were fixed on his with silent determination. She was silent, but her message was clear: Look at me.

John felt torn. He knew she was shy, that this was already pushing her limits, but looking away now could undermine her resolve. Taking a deep breath, his gaze swept across her form: petite body, flat tummy, then up to small, perfect breasts he’d already had the pleasure of seeing. It was a feast for the eyes, right down to her cute little nipples.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured before he could stop himself.

Their eyes locked, wide and stunned. John quickly looked away, feeling his face flush. He cleared his throat and offered his hand as she approached the edge of the pool.

Alison climbed into the water, submerging herself to her shoulders. An awkward silence hung between them, but a smile crept onto John’s face, realising that even after getting into the pool, Alison hadn’t let go of his hand. Alison stood next to him, inching closer and leaning her head on his shoulder before she whispered, “T-thanks… Y-you’re very ha-han-handsome too.”

The smirk on John’s face spread into a full, goofy grin. Together, they moved towards Leilani and Lumiara, who lounged together on the other side of the pool. Lumiara, seeing their approach, slowly lowered herself so she remained just above the surface.

“Oh, come on, Sissy,” Lani coaxed gently. “You got used to Agni quick enough.”

Lumiara answered with a stream of bubbles, which Lani seemed to easily understand.

“Technically, Agni is two people, so this isn’t really more people than before. And Alison is shy as well, plus John is really sweet. Sissy, I know you want to talk to them,” she said with a kind smile.

Lumiara gave a slight nod, but didn’t move; rather, more bubbles followed.

Lani sighed softly. “Alright, stay like that until you're comfy. I want a little time with my sweetpea anyways.”

John and Alison were beckoned beside Lani. Almost the moment John sat, Lani climbed into his lap, one arm curling behind his neck. Her breast pressed lightly against him as she got comfortable. John, slightly flustered, held her waist to steady her.

“Hello, dear husband,” she said with a quiet giggle, planting a kiss on his cheek and nestling against his shoulder, looking up with a smile.

Movement caught her eye, Alison fidgeting, cheeks flushed as her eyes flicked between the two. Tilting her head, Lani asked gently, “What’s wrong, my love?”

A beat passed. Then Lani’s eyes widened with sudden realisation. “Oh… I’m so sorry. You wanted to sit in John’s lap, right? It’s alright, I can just sit in Sissy’s lap and you can sit here, if you’d like?”

Alison broke out into a full face blush. “N-n-no! Th-that’s n-not it… Y-you’re s-sitting on his th-th-thing…”

Lani’s brow furrowed, confusion growing. “Hm?” she blinked, trying to puzzle it out. She shifted a little, then let her hand glide beneath the water. Her fingers traced John’s thigh, light and teasing, then her fingers wrapped around something unmistakable.

John froze, his body stiffening.

Lani and John’s eyes widened for different reasons. His from alarm, while hers with dawning understanding.

Releasing him once again, Lani grinned and turned to Alison. “Oh, that was what you meant. Don’t worry, it’s fine. In fact, it feels quite nice resting against me, and I doubt John is about to complain.”

John remained quiet, fidgeting. And with a smile, Lani leaned up again to kiss his cheek, before giving Alison her attention.

“If he’s uncomfortable, I will climb off… probably,” she teased, her tone playful. Moving around seemed to have drawn Alison’s gaze downwards. Lani smiled and leaned over, taking Alison’s hand and gently placing it on her belly.

Alison didn’t pull away. Instead, she gingerly rubbed Lani’s stomach. “I-it’s J-John’s?” she asked softly.

Lani’s smile warmed. “Yes, my love. They came from our deal. Can’t say I expected Sweetpea to claim me quite so thoroughly, though,” she said, lifting her leg to show the vine-like mark on her ankle.

Stroking Lani’s belly seemed to calm the moss top. Alison nodded and then asked, “W-when will th-they b-be born?”

Lani thought for a while, tapping her chin. “Hard to say. It’s entirely up to them. Could be today, could be decades, maybe centuries. Just because I’m the first John got pregnant doesn’t mean I’ll be the first mother of his children.”

Things got quiet after that, though not particularly uncomfortable. As Alison continued to rub Lani’s belly, the fae looked up at John. “There is actually something I should probably tell you about, but first, how did everything go with Dahlia? I noticed she’s not here. Is everything alright?” Her voice carried a subtle thread of concern.

John scratched the back of his neck. “I think so? She was kinda insistent on being useful, so I asked if she’d watch over my mom for a while. Figured it kills two birds with one stone, gives her something to be doing while making me worry less. I’m still pretty new to all the magic and stuff, so it puts me at ease a little to know Mom has someone to protect her. Just in case.”

Lani brightened. “She’ll do amazing. Don’t worry. Just… treat her well, oh, and bring her to visit, oh, and give her sweet things, she likes fruit, oh, and rub between her wings sometimes, she likes that, oh, same with her hair, petals.”

John blinked. “Uh, yeah, okay. I have tried to make her feel at home, but it’s not even been a full day yet. It might take her a little while to get settled in.”

“She’ll be a great help, especially with the village,” Lani added. “Speaking of which, that’s what I wanted to tell you about: you should ask her about land rights. You’ve settled land which is technically unclaimed, but it’s still elven territory. You’re gonna want to visit the queen and declare your claim.”

“Wait, what? Can’t I just let the drakelings stay where they are? Did they have to get permission when they were living in the mountain? What if the elves say no? Will I need to find them somewhere else?” John asked, alarmed.

Lani waved him off. “Talk to Dahlia. It’s only a formality anyway. Nothing worth panicking over.”

“Really? Sounds like something I shou-” John began, only to be silenced by a kiss.

“Relaxation time,” she interrupted. “You have plenty of time to worry about the Elf Kingdom. They probably won’t even know about the settlement for a few weeks. And even then, it’ll likely sit as a report on the queen's desk for a while, then they’ll have to send you a letter demanding your presence or whatever. All of that would probably take months. Worst case, I pull rank as Queen of the Forest.”

A soft splash drew John’s attention. Lumiara rose from the water, shoulders and cleavage just visible, her face flushed but determined as she edged closer.

“I… um… Lumi is cute. Um… Thank you for giving it to me… Uhm… Or-Ori…” she whispered.

John saw Lani shake her head slightly before a window appeared.

Achievement Unlocked: Exchange Fae Love Letters

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