Lucy's POV

  "You look so cute!" his voice echoed helplessly in my mind. His voice was hypnotic, drawing me in and making me shiver in his presence as he held onto me. His arms brought warmth to my whole body. It was like this all night, and so it has stuck in my mind ever since.

  That night, being completely Lucy in someone else's eye changed me forever. How could it not? I got a taste of what my life could be, and it was all thanks to Albert. The different things he told me that night, the way he held my body, none of it could get out of my head since I returned home. It felt like ages since we'd met, but it was Saturday morning, and I was wondering how on earth I would survive from now on. His flight was Saturday night, and Albert was chained up with work on a Saturday until the time of his flight. How would I live now that he would be halfway across the country?

  The memories of the night filled me with warmth. We'd sat on the couch in the room watching one of my favourites that somehow Albert hadn't watched yet. I knew he'd like it, and he did, and it was a lovely way to spend the night until I slowly drifted to sleep. The panic had dissipated a long time ago, so there was just a quiet enjoyment of the moment. Where I was undoubtedly Lucy and no one else. We'd joked, ughed and even held each other until we returned to bed. The evening came to a close as Albert wrapped around my body.

  Of course, it did have to end; he and I had work. The most fantastic night for Lucy was over, and I had to return to being him. I had distracted myself on Friday afternoon with the final cleanup of the second room- my used-to-be office and soon-to-be roommate's room. It would be an interesting new stage of my life as a friend of Mary's Sister. Mary gave a thumbs up, and she was kind in person, but still, it was scary that I'd have someone so close to finding out about Lucy.

  So, with the deep clean done, I was here on a Saturday morning reading. It was just my way of passing the time and attempting not to think about Albert's strong arms wrapped around me. Anyway, I was reading another eggfic. I'd started reading books about characters like me since I got my own pce. I had done it before when I was a lot younger, but fear of my peers at school and home kept me from reading. It was an excellent find, and I had been reading it all morning so far, ever since I made breakfast and finished my lovely chat with Albert.

  Time went by as I read more and more, slowly delving into the world of my book. The world of dreams, it made me wonder. What if I could have been a girl in school. What could life have been like? I had these thoughts sometimes, and they always made my mind wander. The strange world of what ifs Lucy was born a girl or what if Lucy got to transition earlier. The former hurt; it would mean no more lousy treatment for being trans, no more parents barely connecting with me anymore... it would just be better. It would have been so lovely. The former also sounded better, transition before puberty scarred my body, learning to be a girl earlier, getting to go to school prom as a girl. Yet I didn't, and I was here, so I was just let into a dysphoric mess of what-ifs as I read more and more of the book. I'd mentioned it to Albert before; he was worried it was a sort of self-harm, my targetted choice in reading. Maybe it was, but it was some kind of an addiction; I wanted to read them; it was nice, and it drew me in.

  Thankfully, my thoughts dissipated momentarily as my phone dinged from my bedside table. I pced my bookmark back into the book and hopped out of bed to grab my phone. I was surprised to see a message from May, who seemed to be surprisingly active for this time of day.

  9:35am | TheSnowInMay: Heyyyyyyy Lucy

  9:35am | TheSnowInMay: Watcha up to

  9:37 am | TheSnowInMay: Lucy a few of us want to py videogames together

  9:37 am | ThatLucky: Hey, I've just been reading

  9:38am | TheSnowInMay: Oh you aint harming yourself right

  9:38am | ThatLucky: It is just an eggfic

  9:38 am | TheSnowInMay: I repeat myself again you aint harming your self reading it

  9:38am | ThatLucky: No

  9:38am | ThatLucky: I'm fine Mary

  9:39am | TheSnowInMay: Good

  9:39am | TheSnowInMay: Sooooo wanna join

  9:39 am | TheSnowInMay: Olivia wants to start a MC and people are down for it

  9:39am | TheSnowInMay: Expecially when she sent the modlist. It is this really cool fantasy pack with a bunch of stuff for an RPG-lite experience, but she also made sure it fits everyone's needs with some of our fav mods for building cooking and rolepying

  9:40 am | TheSnowInMay: She even added that species mod which honestly fits the modpack super well. So I will be pying a Wolf Hymal

  9:40 am | ThatLucky: Oh, I'll check the group chat and download it

  9:40 am | TheSnowInMay: Yay, we opening the server at 11 to make sure everyone is up

  I hopped up from bed, phone in hand, looking over Mary's message as I went to my computer. I was excited about some Minecraft. The group would do this every six months or so, starting up a Minecraft server for everyone we'd all py for a few weeks. We'd usually py some sort of new Modpack someone from the group created or try a new update if we'd waited long enough since the st time we did vanil stuff. These sessions consumed so much time. I'd spend hours deep into the night with friends, just messing about. The weekends were worse; I'd wake up around 5 am and hop on instantly to see the Europe timezone peeps. It was always my favourite time with the group.

  Once the computer was on, I hopped onto our chatroom on NetOasis, where a pinned message instantly provided me with all the details for the server. Olivia was managing a lot of the server, which was nice. She or Tyler usually took turns handling the Server Management. It was simple to grab the link needed for the mod pack. I immediately noticed how huge the download was.

  9:42 am | ThatLucky: Mary, the mod pack is massive. Will Pete be able to py?

  9:42 am | TheSnowInMay: Yee we've done all the testing. While youuuuu were sleeping

  9:42 am | ThatLucky: oh cool, wow, Tyler and Olivia must have done a lot of optimising

  9:42 am | TheSnowInMay: They did and it going to be soooo good

  9:43 am | TheSnowInMay: Lucy you've started downloading it right?

  9:43am | ThatLucky: Yeah I did

  9:43am | TheSnowInMay: Yay

  Then my eyes darted to the side as my phone dinged once again. Looking over at it, I saw another notification on my phone. It was from Albert, which was surprising cause he was supposed to be working most of Saturday until he had that evening flight back home, which sucked cause that meant the only time I saw him was Thursday. Though that was enough, I would have adored more, but spending a night with him made me feel so happy. So anyways, tangent over... Albert wasn't usually one to message when he aws working. I'd usually just send him texts and things I find throughout the day, and he'd respond once he was off for the day. So I was surprised, but that didn't stop me from instantly clicking to see what he had sent.

  AlbertHeartHart: Hey Lucy, I'm off for the rest of the day and want to tell you something exciting. There's a cafe I want to meet up at if you want too.

  Alberts POV

  A 9 am meeting on a Saturday. It was a struggle—a lot of work had been a struggle while my mind wandered elsewhere. I had wanted to think about Lucy ever since I finally got to meet her, and wow, she was spectacur. The whole evening was lovely, even before when she was still pretty anxious at the dinner. Each moment was stunning, and I wanted to see her more and more, yet I was stuck waiting for this 9 am meeting.

  Fortunately, people were wandering now, and I knew one of them quite well. Khloe entered the meeting room and waved as she strolled towards me. She was a good friend when she worked at the office where I mainly worked. A debacle of meeting each other while out in our nightlife hobbies meant being introduced to sides of each other that weren't shown at work. Bonding from our nightlife hobbies and interest in women, we'd begin to go together for more casual events to find others to chat with. Though we did have different types of women we'd attract, it was still a lovely time having someone to go with and discuss the struggles of our hobbies.

  Our friendship bloomed, and we talked more and more. Sadly, it died down when Khloe was moved to the office I was currently waiting for a meeting in, and so our adventures ended. We kept up socially online, but it wasn't as nice since she left.

  Khloe sat down next to me as she quietly fttened out her skirt. Her brunette hair reached down slightly past her neck, with a blond strip highlighting her face. She oozed a simir confidence I usually had—when I wasn't lovesick about Lucy.

  "Morning, Albert", she smiled, turning to face me.

  "Morning," I smiled back, noticing barely anyone had entered the room. It wasn't time yet, but it was starting soon.

  "You've been quiet recently," she comments. I've been wanting to chat all work, but whenever I pass by, you look like you're staring deeply into your computer."

  "Yeah, well, weekend work will do that," I answer. Of course, it's not the reason, but I don't know if I want to tell a coworker that I've used this trip to see a woman—even if it is Klhoe.

  "Oh, please. You have been like this since yesterday. So spill," she replies determinedly.

  God, why was she using that? It was frustratingly good at getting what she wanted, but still at me! It was the same determination I'd seen her use on her partners, and I'd seen it work. I'd watch the same action melt people away when she gave those determined eyes, informing you that you would tell her.

  I rolled my eyes at her use of it. I couldn't believe she was trying this. I didn't say anything; I just gave her that look.

  "I know it's been a while, but we are still confidants," she said, smiling at me; she was right, and it was nice being able to work with her —why was it changing to that shit-eating grin of hers, "Alby?"

  Of course. Of course, she ruins the moment with that stupid nickname an ex gave me. She'd heard it one night when she pounced on me, begging me to join her. Khloe started ughing instantly at the nickname and has tried to tease me with it ever since.

  "You've ruined any chance of me telling you," I informed her as she chuckled.

  "Aww, come on, Albert," she continued to chuckle and then turned to look at me. "Did you hook up with someone? Is that what this is all about? You've had some fun and just can't stop thinking about her."

  "It wasn't a hookup," I sternly told her. I wouldn't insult me being with Lucy by calling it a hookup. I'd done many hookups, but my retionship with Lucy wasn't like. Our retionship was not like that; she wasn't just someone I wanted to hook up with.

  "Oh, so you did see someone?" Khloe eyed me as I fell deeper into her trap. I sighed, realising that Khloe might as well know the details now.

  "I saw someone I've been speaking to for a few years now," I told her. "It wasn't a hookup; we didn't want to do anything but just be with each other."

  "Aww, that sounds nice," she cooed, though not in the mocking way she'd usually have done with me. What's she like?" It was nice of Khloe to know about Lucy; maybe the two could meet at some point.

  "She's a sweet little thing but quite an anxious ball at times", I expined as I wondered if I should tell her that Lucy was trans. It was an important part of her struggles, but was it my pce to say Lucy was trans? "We spent the night together, in person for the first time. She was just a treat from start to finish, and I'm disappointed I can't be here for her more. When she isn't worried and can just be herself, she just, wow, I adore her."

  "Oh nice, so what happened when you met?" she poked further into the topic.

  "She and I had a lovely dinner and then returned to my hotel room to watch anime. She is an adorable nerd, so she had this anime she wanted to watch; we've watched a bunch of stuff virtually before, so it was nice to do it in person. After that, we just went to sleep together."

  "Oh, wow, Mister Albert Hart is really lovesick?" she teased. " Wow, I guess we have both changed."

  "I'm still the same person Khloe. I know when to take things slow, especially with Lucy in person. She's in a particur stage in her life and is worried about different things. Don't get me wrong, she is excited by the things I enjoy and wants to try. She just wasn't comfortable doing it in our first in-person meeting."

  The memory of being with Lucy that night. Opening her shelf and letting her bloom into the wonderful woman I knew she was. How could I not want to see her more and spend more time with her? "Like she's been in my life for a few years. Clubs get kind of old; they weren't as exciting without you to hang with, so I ended up hitting it off with this woman I met online."

  Khloe nodded along as she listened to me expin, "So I've been thinking about what happens now. I go back home, and we are back to long distance. I don't know if either of us can return to that."

  "One of you could start looking for work in the other city, I guess", Khloe pointed out.

  "I can't ask that of Lucy; she's struggling. She works from home, but the company wants her living here so she can come in if needed," I expined, "so it's up to me to find new work, but from my quick look, it's going to be tough."

  "I can call some friends elsewhere to see if they are interested. Albert Hart is a name that goes beyond just here."

  "Thanks, but I need to think before looking for work."

  "Makes sense"

  "So what about you? I've expined my love life recently. How's the new nightlife going for you?"

  "I have a cutie of my own that I've been seeing for a few months now."

  "Oh, congrats"

  "Thanks, she's a delight. I met her at a bar one night, the poor girl was a little drunk and stumbled over to say hi. We started chatting, exchanged numbers, and then went from there," Khloe expined, and I saw that look on her face. When she was passionate, there was a fire in her that never seemed to settle. It was wonderful to see she had that for a person now, not just work and hobby stuff. "We started actually dating a month-ish ter, and yeah, she's been a delight to be with."

  "Oh wow, she sounds wonderful" I commented.

  "She is. If you end up figuring out your shiz and live here or come by again, the four of us should go on a double dat. Be wonderful to meet the woman who swept you off your feet."

  I rolled my eyes at that little comment at the end but smiled at the idea. Lucy meeting more people in person as Lucy. Getting to know in a safe environment with people I trust. I'd probably tell Khloe beforehand to ensure it is safe for Lucy, but that sounded nice.

  "Yeah, that sounds good", I smiled, halting my eye roll.

  "Wonderful"

  Our conversation slowly finished as we watched the rest of the team fill into the meeting and the project lead, who was taking the lead of the room. It turned out that what I thought would be a more serious meeting was a celebration of the team's accomplishments. Of course, there were a few updates on things for the team to do next week, but overall, it was just a celebration and acknowledgement of the work we'd all done. Then, the best part happened. Markus, the project lead, announced that our job for this week was done and that we would all be let off early (on a Saturday). Celebration ensued, and soon, people headed out to pack and leave. I wondered if I could go see Lucy for a bit, but Markus came over to ask that I stay behind before I could do that.

  Khloe and I gave each other a little goodbye and wished each other a good rest of our days. She also added that I should ensure that if I never return, I introduce her to Lucy. I said I would; I thought it was a good overall idea, so why not. Once she left I turned to Markus who looked at with a jolly smile.

  "Albert!" he called me over in his jolly tone. He was around his forties, with a few grey hairs and a whole head of hair. He was a little more on the chubby side, but for his age, he looked pretty good. I'd worked on several projects and was a good project lead.

  "Good morning, Markus. It was great to come up here and work on the project in person with you," I politely said.

  "Oh, please, Albert. There's no need for the formalities. It's been great having you on this project," Markus praised. "After all, I wanted to chat with you."

  "Oh, thank you, Markus. I'm just doing my job," I smiled, eager to understand this.

  "Please, Albert, you're going above and beyond, which is why I want to offer you a promotion."

  Lucy's POV

  Minecraft finished early, but it was super fun; I had time to set up a base and get into the basics of the main mods, so much so that I knew where I wanted to focus my time. However, I could barely get into anything more before getting ready to see Albert. Thankfully, my nerves were pretty calm. I discussed it with Mary while we pyed; I'd just go as Lucky. I had thought about girlmoding, but it was still too scary to go when it was somewhere public. So I decided to wear an outfit simir to Thursday's, with a different shirt and pants but the same jumper to hide my body.

  With all of that, I was now standing by the café entrance. Albert had let me know he was close, so I just waited. My mind wandered to how he got out of work, I knew Albert had a flight at about 7 pm, and I had thought he'd be busy the entire day with work until he needed to get to his flight. Yet this was nice. I was going to get to see him before he left. Plus, looking at the lovely little café he chose, I was excited to have a drink or something to eat. I'd never been here before and was excited to share my first time with Albert.

  It wasn't to long before he got here. He looked very much in work attire as he strolled out of the Uber. He had his luggage with him as he strolled up to me from the car, and I couldn't help but look at him more. His dress pants seemed really good, and he wore a buttoned shirt that looked lovely on him—though it reminded me how gorgeous he was without a shirt. He looked at me with those lovely brown eyes of his, that just made me squirm where I stood. I was so very much smitten with him, and there he was, approaching me with a warm smile.

  "Hey Lucky," he greeted me, stopping just before me. Part of me wished he had hugged me, but I knew I had asked not to be. I was ashamed, for myself and him, that he would have to be seen hugging a boy. I wanted him hugging me, Lucy, not what the crowd at the café would see.

  "Hiya Albert," I smiled back, desperately holding myself back from hugging him. He was so handsome; I wanted to return to his hotel room, letting him hug me from behind. Like that night together, I wanted to feel him holding me gently. My heart stopped as he moved even closer, and I watched his head dip past right next to my heart as my whole face flushed with heat at his closeness.

  "I've missed you, Lucy." I gulped, hearing that name—my name, my proper name. He whispered so gently in my ear; it was such a nice feeling. "Sorry we couldn't find somewhere better for you."

  I couldn't help but wiggle, couldn't help but not care that I was Lucky right now. "It's fine, Albert; this pce looks wonderful." My voice was damaged from all the flirting; it was so breathy that I barely held myself together. I was so thrilled; every desire I had built up since that night was flooding back, and I wanted him. How could I not? I thought I wouldn't see him again, and he was before me.

  "It does, and I made sure it had stuff for you," he smiled, and I got even more giddy. There was no part of me trying to mask Lucy at this point. I was just the girl who was head over heels for this guy. This was so unfair; he was just so amazing! Then I slipped—any restraints slipped off for a mere second as I looked him in the eyes.

  "Hug me, please." I couldn't help it. This may have been my st chance to see him before he was gone, and who knew if we'd ever get a chance.

  "Are you sure, Lucky?" he asked, looking at me with those bright eyes. I also understood that there was hope in his eyes; he wanted this just as much as I did. Knowing there was no way in the world I could take it back.

  "Yes, please" I looked at him and watched him smile wide, then quietly said, "I missed you so much, I need this."

  Almost instantly, he wrapped his arm around me. Enveloped in the hug, I was in complete bliss. Neither of us tried to move out at all, so we stayed there for quite some time, or maybe it was mere seconds; time didn't matter.

  "Lucy, I want to hug you every time I see you. The only reason I hold myself back is for your sake," he whispered into my ear just before he finally let go of me.

  "I- well, I- just wow" I looked at him stary-eyed.

  "You're so adorable", he praised as I squirmed in his hold from the warm fuzzy feelings.

  "I just couldn't help it. I really wanted to hug you from the moment you left the car," I procimed, and Albert squeezed me tighter.

  "Lucy, I can't wait for the day when there are no restraints for you," Albert said as he released me from the hug and smiled down at me.

  "You're helping me a lot. I can feel myself getting braver," I told him, smiling back at him.

  He reassured me, "It's all you; I'm just giving you the space to be brave."

  "Now, Lucky, let's go inside", Albert said as he gently grabbed his hand and guided me over to the entrance to the cafe. I couldn't help but hold his hand and let myself be brought to the entrance, where a woman around my age stood looking at the two of us. I got a little nervous; I couldn't help but squirm as I felt myself being judged. She looked well put, her makeup was excellent, and her uniform fit her body well. I was getting that small spike of envy; I wanted to understand how she did her makeup. How it looked so fwless on her skin. I wished for a body like hers, yet all I could do was sit and get envious. I would never actually ask for makeup tips from a stranger; that was too scary, and it was too weird.

  "Good afternoon. Table for two?" she asked.

  "Yes, please," Albert said as I joined with a nod.

  "Then follow me, please," the woman said as she began to stroll through the café. The two of us followed, still holding hands. My mind wandered, questioning what people saw; they must have seen a gay couple, right? There was no way they'd see me as a... just it wouldn't work. It wouldn't make sense for them to see me like that.

  Yet I didn't let go; I couldn't help but dream that I was just Lucy, and Albert seemed happy holding my hand.

  "Here's the table. I'll go grab the menu for both of you," the woman said as we approached our seats. Then she was gone, and I was stuck, still attached to him and too nervous to let go of his hand.

  "Lucky, take a seat," he said, taking the initiative and letting go of my hand. It hurt, but it finally got me out of fantasy nd, where I was dreaming of stepping up from just sleeping together. Now out of fantasy nd, I moved over to my chair as stress slowly tried to break into my brain. Thankfully, as I sat down, looking into Albert's eyes, I could take a deep breath and feel the anxiety wash away.

  "The seats are comfy," I said quietly, not wanting to speak too loudly, naively hoping maybe I could be misinterpreted as a woman. Looking down at the table, it was nothing special—just salt and pepper shakers.

  "It's a nice space. I'm happy you like the chairs," his smile was infectious. The fantasy world again tempted me to let myself be the real me, to let people see Lucy, Alberts's possible new girlfriend. I wanted him to touch my thigh, to caress it until I calmed down. I wanted him to call me Lucy, darling, and cute little pet names while we were out. I just wanted to be his, and I wanted to be Lucy. Yet here I was as neither, too afraid to be Lucy or to show affection in case people would look at Albert badly. People were more okay with gay people, and Albert had told me he cared, but I didn't want to hurt him. He did to much for me to be why he is looked down upon.

  This thought process was worse than a fantasy world, and thankfully, I was booted out as the waitress approached again with menus in her hands.

  "Here are your two menus," she smiles and hands both of us a menu. "Is there anything else you need right now? I will be back in a few minutes to get your orders."

  "No, I believe that all," Albert says as he looks at me to confirm. I respond with a smile and a nod, but I'm afraid to speak. Plus, it's just lovely when I don't need to. Silly enjoyments from back when I was in school. I picked up enough ways to not speak, so I barely did unless I needed to.

  "Excellent, be back in a few," the waitress says as she strolls away.

  "Are you thinking of something to eat or drink?" Albert asks as he opens up his menu. Fantasy rolls in my head of him picking out what I'll have, but embarrassment overwhelms me, so I don't ask that. Of course, it would be the first time when I was still around my parents, and we went out for dinner; sometimes, I'd show him the menu just to see his opinion. It was nice. I was a picky eater, but I trusted him not to push my boundaries too far. Yet I'd choose today... I'd let him pick next time if there was a next time

  "I'm not sure; I'll take a look", I replied, hoping it wasn't obvious I was in my head.

  "That sounds good. I'm thinking about getting a side if you are interested, but take a look first."

  I nodded as I picked up the menu. I decided that I was definitely thirsty, so my eyes darted towards the drinks. I didn't know I was in need of a drink, but right now, I could feel it. I was so in the mood to sip something nice and cold while we chatted. One may think it was because I was thirsty for Albert, but there was no way that was true. So, I took a look at the menu.

  Of course, the simple answer would be to look at the soft drink and get a nice lemonade to sip. A nice cold beverage, but I wanted to get a Chocote Milkshake today. It's not like that wasn't common; I had a thing with chocote milk, and Albert knew about it. It was so good, and I adored drinking it. I used to make it a lot back at my family's home. It wasn't difficult, mainly just mixing Chocote Syrup with Milk, but still, I really enjoyed making it. That interest carried on beyond my school days. It didn't help that it was my go to drink when workmates were going out for coffee. Even years ter, I still adored it with me now working from home. It had taken its cim as the drink I'd get when I needed to reward myself after working on something or doing something to be proud of. So it was a simple decision; after all, I'd go for drinks.

  "Anything particur you want, Lucky?" he asked as I continued to scan the menu, even if I had almost definitely already decided. I thought maybe something spoke to me, and I'd miss out if I rushed to choose the regur Lucy option.

  "Ah-" I looked, finding nothing. I couldn't help but squirm as my head reminded me that this choice would definitely let him tease me. He did before, all the time online. Teasing poor little Lucy for enjoying her choice of cute little Chocote Milk is more proof of her bottomness. And my stupid brain couldn't help but enjoy being teased right now. I had missed it; Albert had been super caring, and I adored that side of him just as much, but there was a need to be bullied by him. It was not a bad thing; I just slightly enjoyed it. AHH ANYWAYS!

  "C-chocote Milkshake," I admitted, feeling my face red as the thoughts remained.

  "Nice pick" he gave me that stupid smirk, and I shivered in my seat. It communicated so much to me; oh, of course, you would, my adorable little subby bottom.

  "Thanks, w-what about you?" I staggered out.

  "Some coffee, I think", he says, pcing down the menu. It all still felt surreal. It was the second time, but Albert, the same Albert I'd been texting for years, was right next to me.

  Albert's POV

  Lucy was sloshing around the milkshake in her cup. She swirled around the straw while talking about the new Minecraft server she, some other friends, and I was setting up. The friends were mainly hers rather than mine. She had met Mary, and she had dragged her into meeting all of her friends. It was a lovely day; Lucy had gotten a lovely new friend when she first presented online as Lucy out of the pces I had found her. She introduced me to all of her friends, but at the same time, I was more of just Lucy's friend, who sometimes hangs out on rger-scale adventures.

  She was ecstatic as she talked; the Modpack had an interesting farming mod that she was excited to dig into. It was a little funny hearing her talk about all sorts of food she wanted to produce, and only a tiny percentage were things she would actually eat in real life. I could convince her to try some of them. Yet it was nice listening to her chat about everything from that particur Modpack to what Lucy and her friends pnned for adventure ter tonight. She was eager to see if I could join, but it wouldn't be until I was back home. People had given the green light for me to join, and I probably would if I had the time.

  "So yeah, Mary said she'll give me any seeds she gets. She's even going to get me some tech to automate things. I'll create the great Lucky's Lucky Breakfast Foods!" She giggled and took a sip of her drink soon after. She couldn't help but be cute even outside when she tried to py at being her guy self, Lucky.

  Her grin filled me with happiness. It was nice to see her so happy. I chuckled and replied, "So you are going to become a corporate overlord of breakfast food?"

  "Yep! Mary is going to provide all the automation and protection so I can just be the genius making the food," she said, joining in with the ughter. "If you join, you can aid in my conquest. Be the Business Ops guy."

  "Who said I'd join you" I smirked as I watched her scrunch her face in a pout and, with that, instantly knew I needed to keep teasing her, "Maybe I'll start my own company, swallow up all your business until-"

  "You wou-"

  Lucy tried to speak up, but I leaned closer and whispered, "You beg to join my company."

  She couldn't help but squeak as I backed away and let out a satisfied little smile. Goodness, she was pretty fun to tease, even if I still had to be careful with her in public. I didn't mind; the effectiveness of teasing was tenfold out here anyway. Just a light little mention would break her, unlike online, where her brattiness protested a little more.

  "I-I wouldn't," she tried to collect herself, but I could barely see anything but the adorable princess I knew could be quickly devoured into a blushing mess. I could compete against her, make her apart of my empire. She'll adore it, and I could watch her squirm.

  "Sure, Lucky", I smirked as she just pouted. She didn't even try to retort and ended up sipping her milkshake as I looked at the adorable dispy.

  The conversation quieted down for a little bit as Lucy collected herself. I let her fumble through drinking as I took a sip from my coffee. We did not get a side, so it was just our drinks for now.

  "What about you?" she asked as she spoke up, seemingly less flustered then before. "How is work? I would have thought they'd be dragging you into things until your flight."

  "Nah, they brought us into an all-hands meeting where they announced we were all good to go, but there was also another part I wanted to discuss." I smiled. It was a miracle, a lucky opportunity, and I knew I would take it.

  "Oh, what is it?" she asked as her curiosity seeped out of her. It was pretty adorable, but that was her passive state anyway.

  "I've been given a promotion," Lucy squealed and then beamed brightly as she hopped up and came over to hug me. She was adorable, and I adored it. I was even more enamoured with it because I knew she didn't care about attention at that moment.

  "Albert! That's amazing!" she said as she dug her face into my chest, "congratutions!"

  "That's not all- Lucy" I whispered her name into her ear.

  "They want me to move here, promoting me to lead a part of the next stage of the project," I revealed as she took her face out of mine and just looked at me. Her eyes told me everything. She was so flooded with emotions that she couldn't even speak. It was a spectacur dispy, and I will remember it forever.

  "You mean, like moving here, like here, this city, you'd be here!" she excitedly tried to collect herself as I watched on with a smile. She was adorable even in Lucky mode, but now I could barely see anything other than Lucy at this moment.

  "Yep, Lucky, I'd be moving here," I told her as she beamed.

  "Ah," she spoke, as she beamed brightly, "you mean like- wow!"

  She was adorable, and she was speechless. "I'd head back home and move here in a few weeks; I need to figure out a pce to live."

  She blushed curiously. She even looked away at what I'd just sent, though I wasn't sure why that particur sentence suddenly made her so shy. Maybe it was just that she had realised that she was very much being Lucy at this current moment, which would suck. I didn't want her to feel self-conscious.

  "Y-you could um stay at- well, like m-my pce" she nervously looked back at her, obviously saying what had gotten herself so flustered suddenly. It was a pretty little dispy.

  "Aw Lucy, I-" I stopped, realising I had just called her Lucy.

  "I would need to talk to Theo and see if everything was okay with her first, " she said, nervously replying using my stoppage. It was super adorable, but she was definitely overthinking things.

  "Lucky, take a deep breath, please", I asked kindly, trying to steady herself by grabbing her shoulders.

  "S-sorry", she quietly spoke, looking up at me as she began to breathe deeply.

  "No need to apologise. Now go sit down on your seat, and we can keep chatting about this more, you floor," I instructed as she blushed from hearing me call her floof. I usually did that as a transfer for cute in combination with calling her Kitty.

  Even though she was blushing, she did listen and head over to take her seat. I hoped she wouldn't realise that we made a scene, but part of me knew that almost everyone would have just questioned why the tomboy was acting very girly instead of Lucky being perceived as a boy.

  "Ahh, wow", she excimed, sitting in her chair.

  "It's great! Didn't even think it was possible until I told," I expined. "The boss praised my work and told me he wanted me to stay on the project."

  "And he wants you to live here?" she asked again. It was cute as if she was questioning whether this was real.

  "Yep," I smiled as she fidgeted in her chair.

  "That's amazing!" she smiled, taking a sip of her drink and steadily resuming herself.

  "Agreed, though, Lucky, about the offer. We would be moving way too fast for that. I would adore living with you, but we should take a few steps before then. I won't be going anywhere, so let's just spend some time together, and when we are ready, we'll bring it up again."

  A little frown on her face hurt, but I knew she'd understand why we were doing this. Though she didn't speak, she just seemed to contempte things in her mind slowly.

  "We'll spend a bunch of time together, Lucky. I will probably ask you to come over and help set up things with Mary and Theo. After Thursday, I want to go further as well, and we will, but that next step isn't to instantly move in together," I reassured her as she looked at me with a cute expression. The sadness washed away, and all that remained was this happiness.

  "That makes sense. I'm really excited for you to live here," she expined, dodging the question of whether she actually wanted to be Lucy all the time to not out herself.

  "I'm happy you feel like that, Lucee- Lucky, I'm happy I could do that, and I wanna make our experiences better as you grow."

  "I'll grow, I saw glimpses of it when we met Albert. It was all I could think about when I got back; I wanted to be that person all the time. When I'm with you, and when I'm not, it just rules so much better than this," she excimed, and I couldn't help but be so proud of her. I was always proud of her. She won't admit it, but she's grown so much, and I was excited about how it would go now that I was in person.