#[ “oh and Cor was there to save my ass again.” ]

[altrxisme]

@swordofthreekings sent “Don’t touch her/him” (Either or both?)

Send “Don’t touch her/him” to see my muse’s reaction to your muse defending them against a physical threat // accepting!! — You're getting both! Have a Jackson first ;)

This particular cultist was either quite bold or they were ready to die as Cor's arm kept Jackson behind him, the man's blade kept the sword swing from following through.

The brunet wasn't completely defenseless, far from it even, but certain weapons had quite the advantage over him. More so if they were able to get the drop on him and close the distance.

He was thankful for the other's presence there. Jackson wasn't about to let the princess be on her own.

[venusandsaturnsrings]

Venus (And I mean that in both your name and how you look, like goddamn you look so fine 😍😍) look at me, but what if you're just as nasty as Childe is, his roommate and his obsession all in one.

But you can match him just as well, he is crusty in so many ways but you're just as desperate for him.

If only you knew how he watched you, how he narrowed his eyes at the familiar smell on his pillows or the mess that was in his room after he left for work most days, knowing that it most certainly wasn't left like that before, but that was fine he got all he needed from the small cameras hidden around his room always watching and waiting from the moment he clicked that door closed and left for work for the day.

If only you knew that he loved the way his phone would ping with movement in his room the moment he reached the bus stop, pulling out his phone to watch as you crept into his room, running your fingers across his desk and pulling his chair back before settling into the very spot he occupied so often when he rewatched the footage he had of you.

For every muttering of 'creep' that you threw at him, he could throw it back with what he knew you did when he wasn't there.

Alone in the apartment, once again creeping into the familiar room your roommate had just left, flicking your tongue across your lips as you settled into the office chair you had taken up every day that he left for work since you had become infatuated, spreading your legs and running your hands across the exposed skin left from your choice of sleepwear, only a shirt, and underwear worn specifically to tease your dear roommate for those few moments your crossed paths in the morning, not that you knew it teased him.

Today you were lucky, his computer was left open with a browser tab open with a site showing off exactly what he had been watching the previous night, what you had heard his groans and moans through the walls about, the video paused perfectly to show one of the actors pressed hips to the ass of their partner hands digging into their thighs and pulling them back, this is what he was watching and this is what you would watch.

Unpausing the video and moving off the chair and pushing it out of the way so you can settle on his bed to pick up from where he had left off, oh so ignorant to the cameras that were catching every angle and every possible noise you were making. Never would Childe be so glad his work had him tucked away in some back corner as he was now, watching your seated on his bed, his pillow under you as you followed along to the video he had planted, wanting to add more of these sights to his growing collection.

If only you knew how he gripped his shitty office chair as he listened to you moan his name, having to only have one earphone in as someone came to talk with him, immediately returning to the camera feed he had hidden to watch as your shook and came on his bed, the cry of his name so perfect he could have saved it and set it as his alarm to have you calling his name to wake him every morning...

But for now, he would watch as you came down wiping your hands on his pillows, smearing more of yourself for him to enjoy the moment he got home. Watching and waiting for when you were ready, knowing soon you would be wearing his clothes again, tucked up on his chair or maybe you would skip that today and fuck yourself stupid on the not-so-hidden toy he kept in his room, not quite as thick as him but close enough that he would be able to imagine it was him as he watched you. Anyway! Enjoy this, it was floating around in my head for a while

what if we kissed what if we kissed I LOVE YOU THIS IS EVERYTHING TO ME!! rip to my 12 other drafts this is more important… that said, i don’t have much to add, this is already perfect MWAH i love u cor my dearest (๑>◡<๑) perhaps i’ll work this into something larger…

contains: afab/fem reader, incel childe, stalker behaviours on both ends, you’re both equally as fucked up, sort of exhibitionism??

the light in the apartment was dim. Ajax left for work early in the mornings and so you had the rest of the day at your disposal to do as you pleased. this entailed eating from the dishes your roommate had already used so perhaps the shared surface would present shared saliva, enjoying the silence you didn’t usually get, and finally entering his room.

the curtains were always drawn shut. you often grumbled about how he needed more sunlight but he claimed the darkness helped him think better. the sheets on his bed were slightly wrinkled and you could see the spot he had rolled from this morning. clothes filled his laundry bin but many shirts and the like were scattered on the floor from whenever he threw them off without a care. you could see empty cans of energy drinks, disposable vapes, and plenty of lewd manga scattering his shelves. it was gross and the picturesque representation of degeneracy yet you grew needy for it all the same. how such… distasteful behaviours and living had you so enamoured was beyond yourself; it was simply a matter of truth. you like him and you love the way he is.

you drew closer to his computer monitor and tucked yourself up onto the chair to peruse whatever he’d been looking at before, blissfully unaware to the sapphire eyes trained on every inch of your form. you scanned through all of his tabs and apps chuckling to yourself at all of the pornographic material he consumed. he truly is pathetic and that struck an embarrassing amount of desire inside of you. Ajax thought the way you smiled and laughed to yourself, at him, was cute. he thought your expression upon seeing what he was watching the night before was even cuter. your eyes widened the slightest bit and your mouth fell open as you clicked ‘play’ on the video displayed across the monitor. Ajax had taken special care to make sure it was this particular video he left out for you to enjoy the same way he had.

you rewinded what was playing to the beginning and the video opened with a scene of the man and women pressed closely together, mouths on top of one another. it was intimate and clearly homemade. bodies shifted together until the two were moth stripped naked and the woman was on her stomach, ass pulled up and flush to the man’s hips. the pace set was hard and fast with the woman squealing and crying over the treatment she was receiving. your hands were balled into fists with your shirt at this point so you simply rid yourself of it before standing up and moving to be on Ajax’s bed. you briefly considered taking your usual comfortable position of laying back onto his pillows but with such a video on you couldn’t help yourself but mirror the position the woman had been forced into. bent over and spread so pretty with fingers working your cunt open, you were oblivious to the camera set up and aimed directly at your pussy. the audio Ajax received was nothing short of spectacular. he could hear every slick sound and cry as you desperately fucked yourself back on your own fingers, ones much shorter and smaller than his own. with the way your body moved and shifted he could see every sway of your hips and jiggle of your ass and thighs as you attempted to make yourself feel as good as the duo in the video did. your efforts were commendable, at least, but surely he’d be able to make you feel better if you stopped playing hard to get.

stepping off the bus where he was pressed closely into a corner, he continued his short walk to work while listening intently to the sounds you made unknowingly just for him. Ajax wouldn’t miss a second of this if his life depended on it. he exchanged polite greetings and banter with coworkers all while hearing you sob and moan through his earbud. surely everyone thought his wide grin was for them but reality would be one that got him fired most definitely. he made quick work of settling into his usual space in order to pull open his phone and watch you move with utmost attention. your cunt was shiny and slick with all the juices you had worked out of it and it had his mouth watering. Ajax wanted nothing more than to suck and lick away at any of the beads of your nectar slipping down your thighs. the shaking that took over your body as you came, however, was unmatched. you trembled and cried out with pleas of his name that he’d definitely be replaying all throughout the day. the loud ‘schlick’ that followed your fingers finally leaving your pussy had his dick jump in his pants. Ajax observed with hearts in his eyes as you wiped not only your fingers off on his pillow but your pussy off on one of the shirts scattered on the floor.

you stood and stretched as something sadistic tweaked in Ajax’s bones. he moved to flick a couple buttons on his headphones and phone before softly pulling the mic to his mouth. with words equal parts gentle and venomous be murmured, “quite the show you put on there.” and merely revelled in your panicked expression before finally turning things off and putting them away. he didn’t plan on revealing the audio capabilities of the cameras, or any of it at all, but the desire to see you so cutely scared overwhelmed him.

he’d let you rewatch it all with his own fingers in you later.

[andywinter16]

Tredd, luche, Nyx, drautos with a kidnapped significant other pretty please 🥺!

Hahahahahaa, whoever kidnapped you should say goodbye and write their last will, cuz those men will slaughter them without mercy!  ( Also I am in middle of writing for AUprincess!reader something similiar with Drautos, but no worries! This one will be without Glauca problem ) 

Tredd:

Okay, OKAY! HE´S TRYING TO BE CALM BUT IS REALLY NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST!

I believe that before Kingsglaive Tredd was something like a bounty hunter 

Tredd is like a wardog on the trail of retribution

called his old pals from hunters to help, Axis and Sonitus are here to help too 

RUTHLESS! will hunt your kidnappers for a sport (and fucking boast about it)

If he finds out that they hurted you in some way .... HE WILL MAKE THEM PAY!

after they rescued you, Tredd become your personal attack dog (overprotective one) 

he will be so tender with you, checking where it hurts and how can he help

when you get home, there will be very steamy sex ( the adrenalin is pumping, his mind processing that it was close call)

is your literal shadow, always acompanying you everywhere (definitively asked boys to look out for you too)

GENTLE TREDD (maybe even more cuddly)

If you´re not in Kingsglaive, he will teach you how to protect yourself 

“Fuck, love! You´re so brave for enduring that. Come here, let me give you a Tredd´s special” 😏

Luche:

COLD RAGE, I swear to gods that everything freezed over (I do headcanon that he preffers ice magic) and it is really cold because his magic is leaking everywhere

WILL PULL THE “I AM THE SECOND IN COMMAND” CARD

secretly deployed glaives  with him to save you, has Pelna on comm If anything went wrong (and for locations and battle drones)

HEARTHLESS and CRUEL to his foes

God forbid If he found just a scratch on you ... Luche would torture them to death (little bit sadistic)

He will be so relieved when you´re in his arms, hugging you like a teddy bear “ I am so sorry, so sorry, I should be here Y/N”

when he gets his hands on you expect lot of kisses, like A LOT OF KISSES! A make out session anyone? 

Luche will spoil you rotten after the incident, like whatever you want he buys it (you glanced at that book, here you go)

is in *mother hen mode*, Luche keeps his eyes on you all the time and your surrounding

at home you´re in Luche´s arms cuddling and he whispers such lovely words into your ear. “I will never leave you again, sweetheart.” or “You´re wonderfull my love, I am so proud of you” “ My hearth and home”

Luche will also teach you self defense, and probably buys you a gun (for safety measures, he says)

Nyx

OH BOY, OH BOY! NYX´S RAGE IS ... CONSUMING LIKE A GODDAMN FLAME! 

your kidnapping triggered Nyx´s PTSD 

Will make a squad out of his friends and will go to find you (may or may not bring Cor with him)

NO MERCY, I REPEAT NO MERCY

You will need to physicaly strangle him, cuz If you´re bleeding Nyx goes into blind RAGE

After while his brain registered that stabbing corpse is not effective anymore

Nyx is the one who will definitively cry tears of relief

expect him to personally train you in self defense

will spoil you with homemade galadhian food and helps you with any task you need done

after your kidnapping, Nyx is much more overprotective

will hold your hand at any given situation, draws soothing symbols on your hand

for some reason I can feel sensual love making with you (our boy was stressed so much)

“ Damn it Y/N, don´t do this to me. I wouldn´t survive it, If anything had happened to you. I am not leaving your side ever.”

Titus

FERAL!! THAT MAN IS FERAL BEAST!  

His energy changed from grumpy coffeine addicted captain to “ I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET EVERY DECISION OF YOUR SORRY EXCUSE OF LIFE”

I literally believe he would show up like a Glauca and whip their asses of the mother Eos, no backups ,no ... just him and his bloodlust

“ Is that a bruise, my love?”  EXECUTION ON THE SPOT

this man will take you bridal style out of burning building

craddle your face in his massie hands while kissing you deeply

Titus not only will let one of his glaives teach you self defense but also buys you a guard dog 

Titus will be after that more home with you to spend time (and also looking out for you)

He will rope people into protecting you (his glaives, Crownguard,..)

another one to spoil you rotten with gifts of any kind and massages (expecially feet one)

I believe he will open up about his family and tells you their story

“My sunshine, everything is alright now. I am here with you. No one will touch your ever again, I swear. ”

[twiceinadream]

Twice React- Sitting on S/O’s Face

Requested: Yup

Request: Can I recommend face sitting with twice. 😗���🏾👈🏾

a/u: Hey, y’all! I’m back~! Sorry I’ve been gone for so long, writer’s block is a bitch and so is writing Reacts again after doing one shots for so long. I hope you all enjoy and thank you for all the love and support! I love you guys! (Also, I forgot how difficult it was to find gifs, knowing Hangul was my saving grace)

Category: NSFW and Fluff

Nayeon

“A Queen needs her throne.”

You couldn’t really explain had the two of you had ended up in this position, but you weren’t complaining. Nayeon’s thighs quivered on either side of your head as she stood above you as you had your head hanging off the bed. Your hands gripped her ass firmly as you craned your neck to suckle her clit as your girlfriend moaned out loud. Your eyes flicked up to admire the beautiful woman above you, her fingers toying with her own nipples as your gazes met. A light blush colored her cheeks as her chest glistened with a sheen of sweat as you dove your tongue into her pulsing entrance. Her breath caught as you redoubled your efforts and continued eating her out, your nose bumping her clit as she finally came all over your lips. You gingery cleaned her up as you helped her onto the bed, a very satisfied smile on her lips that mirrored yours perfectly.

Jeongyeon

“If you wouldn’t mind…”

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive,” Jeongyeon’s voice was strong as she held the book in her hands, her thighs framing either side of your head as she was still able to ignore the fact your tongue was running up and down the length of her pussy as she continued to read, “were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” You snorted as she over annunciated some of the words as you continued to eat her out, she shifted a little signaling her facade was experiencing a few cracks. The two of you continued without more than a few deep breaths from Jeong, until she got further into the chapter and you were becoming a lot harder to ignore, “It was on the cor…corner of the..the..oh god..” Your tongue pressed firmly into her clit as she gripped the sides of the book, “street that h..he noticed the fi…first ss..sign of..oh!” You shoved your tongue completely inside of her as she couldn’t stop trying to grind down into you, “some..some..something pe…peculiar — a..ah cat reading a m..ah..p!” Jeongyeon’s wall of ice had completely shattered as she put the book down and just reveled in the pleasure as you brought her over the edge. You smiled proudly as you held her in your arms, after cleaning her up, as you pressed soft kisses to her jaw and neck, “You did so good, baby.” Jeong smiled teasingly, “Thanks, I can’t wait to return the favor.”

Momo

“Could we try something different?”

You could tell by the look on your girlfriend’s face that something was bothering her, she was rarely ever nervous around you anymore. So when you finally broached the subject, you subsequently found yourself in a very satisfying position. Your hands grasped tightly to the back of her thighs as your fingertips left small red marks against the soft skin beneath them. Momo’s breathing was shallow as she looked down at you between her legs, biting her lip slightly as you left fluttering kisses all along her inner thigh as she waited nervously for you to make a move. You gave her a small smile as you left one last kiss along her thigh as you used your hands to lower her on your face, you darted your tongue out to get your first taste of your girlfriend that night before diving right back in again. The taste of her felt like the most potent aphrodisiac as you lapped up every bit of essence that leaked out, working your way up to her clit as you took the bundle of nerves between your lips and sucked. A loud moan fell from her lips as she bucked against your face, her hips rolling in time with every suck and lick as you brought her to the edge. Momo’s eyes were closed and her head was thrown back as she finally reached the peak of her pleasure, moaning unabashedly as you drank in every drop she had to offer you. Finally slumping back onto the bed, a very satisfied smile painting her lips as she cuddled into your side, “Thank you.” Her voice was a little hoarse from moaning as you pulled her closer to you, “Anytime, Momoring.”

Sana

“Breath baby.”

The car must have been shaking, there was no doubt about that. But you didn’t really care as you laid on your back on the folded seats as Sana rode your face. Her hair was curtained around her eyes as she let out small huffs and moans as you drilled your tongue into her honey hole. Licking away at her center as her juices dribbled from your lips and a drop or two made streaks down your chin. Her hands were placed firmly on your head as she kept you in place, using you for her pleasure and her pleasure alone. “Get ready, Jagi.“ Sana’s voice was breathless as she ground her hips down into your eager tongue. Sucking her clit into your mouth as she let out a long moan and came into your waiting mouth.

Jihyo

“Umm…”

You were propped up against the headboard as you crooked a finger towards your girlfriend, she looked at you hesitantly before slowly making her way up to where you directed her. Directly over her face. You had been teasing Jihyo for the better part of the past two days and you could tell she was just begging for your attention. Her panties were damp in the center as she hovered above you, your hands running along her calves before moving up to squeeze her ass. She let out a scandalized gasp as you chuckled, “Something the matter, Jihyo-ah?” Her cheeks were pink with frustration, “You’re a tease.” You smirked at that, “So?” Jihyo huffed, “Do something about it, I’m sick and tired of…oh!” You suddenly pressed your tongue into the dark fabric of her underwear as your tongue created friction against her clit as you lapped at it. Her thighs shook as she was finally given the stimulation she was craving, “Anything else you’d like me to do, baby?”

Mina

*Smirks in Japanese*

Your body trembled under Mina as she crawled up from between your legs, the aftershocks of your orgasm still wracked your nervous system as she climbed up higher. Only stopping when her knees rested on either side of your head, “I’m gonna ride your pretty little mouth till I cum. Okay?” You could only nod in response as the Japanese woman lowered herself onto your mouth, your tongue already darting out to taste the wetness before you. Mina tasted sweet and also like nothing at all as you craned your neck to get a better angle as you ate her out. Your nose brushed her clit every so often as you pushed your tongue into her gushing passage as her juices tricked down your chin. You lapped up every drop of her essence as you moved your lips to suckle on her clit, your girlfriend groaned from above you as she grinded down onto your face. Her breathing came out in clipped pants as she moaned out loud, shaking above you as she came. Your tongue worked overtime as you helped her ride the high you had given her before she sat back onto her thighs finally allowing you to breathe, “Th…that was amazing.” You smirked as you pressed a kiss to the side of her thigh, “Only the best for you, Minari.”

Dahyun

“Well I saw something online…”

Dahyun was always down to try new things, so that’s how she found herself with her hands tied behind her back as she sat on your face. Her mouth hung open as she panted as she balanced herself above you while you went to town between her thighs. Your fingers found their way into her entrance, pistoning into her wetness as her juices coated your digits. One finger had turned into two and two had turned into three as you continued working in and out of her contracting cavern. You busied your mouth with her clit or sucking hickies into the pale skin of her thighs as she continued to move her hips in time with your thrusts, “Yes, yes, oh my, Y/N!” You could tell she was getting close by how hard she was squeezing down on your fingers, in return you redoubled your efforts as you pressed into her g-spot the same time you took her clit into your mouth. She fell apart instantly as she shook and writhed above you, her voice cracking from how loud she was screaming.

Chaeyoung

“Just like that.”

One minute you and Chaeyoung were just sunning yourselves in the backyard of your guy’s house and the next thing you knew she was grinding on your face. Your hands grasped the back of Chaeyoung’s thighs as your fingers left small bruises from how hard you were holding her to control her grinding. She bucked her hips frantically as she worked your jaw for all it was worth. The thrill of doing it out in the open really got her going as she was practically gushing into your mouth, “Oh god, Y/N! I’m so close!” You were able to maneuver around a bit as you latched onto her clit making your girlfriend’s hips stutter as she fell forward, she caught herself as she fell apart on top of you. You watched her face as her eyes were screwed shut and she moaned loudly above you. You couldn’t help the wide smile that grew on your lips as she moved down to rest on top of you, her head rested on your chest as you placed a kiss on her head, “Insatiable Chaengie.” She snorted as she snuggled into you, “So are you Y/N-ah.”

Tzuyu

“Oh, wow.”

Tzuyu’s long legs framed your face perfectly as she looked down at you with her lip caught between her teeth. You hands ran up and down her calves as you exhaled a hot breath against her inflamed lips, she watched more than felt as you brought her down to your lips and ran your tongue up the length of her slit. Tasting your girlfriend on your tongue was always a treat as you could hear her breath hitch above you as you ate her out. Your tongue delving into her depths as she rocked her hips in time with each swipe of your tongue. It didn’t take long for Tzuyu to reach her peak as you suckled on her clit, her legs trembling on either side of your head as you softly cleaned her up before she fell to the open stop beside you.

[ewritesthangs]

3 weeks. Being engaged to your best friend is bliss. Today, you guys had your engagement photoshoot. It was going to be fall/Halloween/masquerade themed. Corpse, was going to wear a mask, to conceal his identity still. Only a few pictures were going to have him without one and those were for you guys only. You prepare for your photoshoot. Hair, makeup, the works. Corpse wanted you to feel as beautiful as you are to him. Corpse watches you as you do your own makeup. Deep red lips. Smokey eye. Natural base. You look up, mid smoking the eye, to see your fiance. He was watching you intently from the doorway, a look of pure love plastered upon his face. 

"I love you, fiance.” You say with a large grin. 

“I love you more.” He blows you a kiss before hopping into the shower. You continue on with your makeup, finishing up when Corpse comes out of the shower. A towel hanging upon his hips. You turn, a lipstick bullet in hand, mouth ajar from applying your lipstick. 

“Hello handsome. You going my way?” 

“Always.” He smirks before going to the closet and putting on a SUIT. 

Dayum. He cleans up good. You think to yourself. You pull on your dress. “Babe? Can you zip me up?” Corpse nods and walks over to you. He slowly zips you up, kissing the exposed skin of your neck. You sigh contently, the feel of his lips bringing a certain peace over you. “Thank you Cor.” 

“You’re more than welcome, my love. You look breathtakingly beautiful.” You blush and bite your lip. Corpse turns your head with his finger under your chin and he presses a sweet kiss upon your deep red lips.  His lips didn’t turn red, for you had some great lipstick that was transfer proof. 

“We’re gonna be late!” You gasp out and grab his hand. 

“Baby we have 45 minutes.” 

“I like to be early.” 

“Yeah yeah yeah okay babe.” He shakes his head with a snicker. You guys head out, singing loudly in the car. You were the driver, so you kept your eyes on the road, hand intertwined with Corpses. Corpse put his mask on already, but let you take a photo with him before he did. For your own personal collection. You guys arrived at your destination, a cute little pumpkin farm. Your photographer was already there. You smirk at your fiance. 

“See? Early bird gets the worm.” 

“Yeah yeah yeah shut up.” His raspy voice said to you. 

“Only one way to shut-” He kisses you, holding your chin with his pointer finger and thumb. “Hmmmmmmm.” You hum in response, content with getting kisses. At any point, especially to shut you up. 

“Let’s get your smart ass over there. Before we have a makeout session in the car.” He smirks and winks. You can barely tell he winked, but his eye closed so you figured he did. You put your mask on and get out of the vehicle. He follows you, hand in hand. He was starting to shake a bit. You stop and take his other hand in your free one. 

“Baby, nobody is here besides me and Kimmy. She knows your situation. She understands. It’s okay my love. I am right here. I love you.” You take your right hand and rub his cheek, in an attempt to comfort him. He leans into your touch, his nervousness subsiding. 

“Thank you baby girl.” You just press a kiss to his supple lips. 

“Hey guys!” Kimmy says, as she walks up to you guys. “Again for the tenth time, congratulations.” She smiles and hugs you both. “Ready to show off each other?” 

“Hell. Yes.” Corpse says with a new found confidence. You guys begin. Doing a few of the more common photos with and without masks. You guys use the chalkboard to put ‘Save The Date 10/30/21’ on it. You guys were out of focus, the chalkboard in the foreground. Corpse looks at you lovingly, no mask on. You do the same, so the ambiance is felt within the picture. You guys finish up your photoshoot. The last photo of you guys kissing, the photo was up close to show off the ring. Your hand was upon Corpse’s cheek. That was going to be your favorite, you just knew it. 

“I will edit these when I get home. They look so good!” 

“Thank you so much Kimmy!” You hug her again before leaving with Corpse. 

_______

A few hours later you get a sneak peak at your photos. Your favorite one being the one that Kim messaged you. You guys still had yet to announce your engagement. 

“Hey babe? Can we announce the engagement with this photo?” You show him and his face lights up. 

“Yes!” You post the photo. Captioned: ‘Save the date, 10/31/20'

Corpse posts his own post, of your hands together and your ring on display. Captioned: ‘She said yes!’

“To the rest of our lives, my love.” He holds up his drink of water and so did you. You guys clink glasses. To the rest of your lives, together. 

________

The next day arrives, it is one of the days you'd always been looking forward to. Wedding dress shopping. With your mom and best friend. You were having a girls day while Corpse was getting the perfect suit. Your day starts out with brunch, for you and corpse overslept. 

"My baby is getting married!" 

"We always knew she would be getting married before me." Y/BFF/N said. 

"Thats true. Since Cor and I got together. You guys said we'd go far." You point out to your mother. 

"Yeah yeah but I wanted to at least have another year or so to plan!" 

"Well Cor wanted to get married on Halloween. And I wanted a Saturday so we said why not this year." You shrug and order your favorite brunch item. 

"Its gonna be magical." 

"Do you still want that garden venue I sent you? You have to let them know by tomorrow if you're gonna reserve it." Your mother expresses. 

"I know. I have to talk again with Corpse. He has been avoiding it." You sigh, exacerbated. 

"Okay babes. Just please do it. That place is perfect." 

"Yes momma." 

"I can't wait to see you in dresses!" Your best friends face lights up at the thought. 

"I'm so excited to go choose." 

"I'm gonna cry i know it." Your mom chuckles and fans herself. "Already choking up now." 

"Aw, mom." You hug her from the side and kiss her cheek. "I'll always be your little girl." 

"Lets not cry!" Your best friend exclaims. 

"Yes! Let's eat and then go shopping." You guys enjoy your meals and talk about life and wedding planning. 

"I want a red velvet cake. Or carrot cake. But corpse is hesitant about the red velvet cause it could stain." 

"Such a drama king." 

"Oh you have no idea." 

"Flowers?" 

"Roses. All red and white. For love and wedding." 

"Perfect!" 

"Okay so you have the cake tasting tomorrow?" 

"Yes mom." 

"Sweet!" 

"So thats most of the planning right?" 

"Yes. Hhe has the honeymoon taken care of i guess." You shrug, unsure if he did or not. 

"He probably does." Your best friend encouraged, hopeful. 

"Are we ready to go shopping?" 

"As ill ever be." 

You guys go to a little boutique, one you've been eyeing for the duration of you being with Corpse. You looked around and picked out a few dresses to try on. They had your size, so you guys wanted to try them on as soon as possible. The first one was a flow dress. A little extravagant for you. You walked out and your best friend made a face. 

"Not you. Its too out there." 

"Yeah I like it but its not you baby." Your mom chimes in. You nod and go back in. Trying on a mermaid dress with lace on it. It was beautiful. You walk out and your mom is the first to say anything. 

"Ooh thats a contender. I love that one." 

"More your style babe." Your best friend smiles and makes you twirl in it. 

"I love this one and the next one." You beams, so excited to be here trying on dresses. You go back and try on the third of five dresses you picked out. You walk out and it was everyone was silent, even the owner. 

"Thats the one." Your mom whispers out, tears in her eyes. You turn and see yourself in the mirror. You choke up yourself, seeing the beauty that is you. 

"Its perfect. Beyond perfect for you." The owner chimes in and you nod. 

"I call it! I want this dress." You say, causing everyone to chuckle.  

"Consider it bought baby girl." 

"Mom i could have-"

"No, I want to pay for it." Your mom insists. You just nod, defeated and go back and change into your clothes. Youbring the dress out and hand it to the owner. She puts it in a bag and says sold to 'Y/N Y/L/N future H/L/N.' (his last name) 

"Certain ring to it. Y/N H/L/N." You smile at the thought. Once paid for, you guys part ways. You head home, after getting bubble tea for you and Corpse. Once home, you walk into his recording room, knowing he was setting up. 

"Babe, I got you some bubble tea. We also need to talk about the venue." 

"Later babe. Thank you." 

"No, bow i need to call tomorrow to reserve it if with gonna reserve it." 

"Babe im gonna be going live soon."

"They can wait. This can't! Corpse please." 

"Really babe? They made it so we can get married and you're saying that?" 

"You sure you want to get married? You've been avoiding this subject." 

"Of course I do!" 

"Then act like it!" 

"I'm scared okay!?" 

"You're what?" 

"Scared. What if you get there and say no? What if something goes horribly wrong?" 

"Corpse. Babe, have faith. I will not, in any universe, say no. I love you more than anything in this world. If something goes wrong we have backup plans." He gets up and takes you into his embrace. He holds tightly, but not too tightly. 

"I love you so damn much. Reserve it. Its beyond perfect for us." 

You look up to him and peck his lips. "Thank you." 

"I uh booked our flight today for our honeymoon." 

"Its all getting real." 

"It sure is. Holy shit."

Tag List: @liljennyx3

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 6x14 Page 23

Okay what episode do we have today?

Ah okay, a Regina centric. That’s cool.

Is that the same guard Snow stripped naked in 1x16? Whaaaat?! Just looked it up and it totally is! Awesome call back! I’m going to name him Jim.

Oh my God, she killed Jim!!

Wait, so this has to be after Heart of Darkness.

The terrified look on that woman’s face when Regina strokes her chin, looks at her longingly and tells her she loves her. Omg Regina was in love with this woman all along! It was never about Daniel. It was about Christina! I’m naming her Christina. 

They are my otp now.

How did Tinker Bell get out of neverland? Pan decides when people leave, and I doubt he’d let her leave just to pay a visit with the Evil Queen. But then and again maybe it was all part of his big plan.

Oh. Pixie dust doesn’t dictate who your true love is. It just shows you possibilities. That’s not what you said before, Tinker Bell!

Regina, we all know you spared her because she’s your ex-girlfriend.

Actually, this visit from Tinker Bell is odd because she doesn’t seem angry at all like when she, like, wanted to kill Regina in 3x03. How did she go from, “okay. I lost my wings because of you but it’s all cool. I just want my otp together.” to “I’m gonna f***ing drug you with pixie dust and rip your heart out!”?

Also, this is the Evil Queen I like to see. So cold, terrifying and breaking on the inside. I’m not a fan of the humorous one in 6x02. I wish Split Queen was more like this as well. Ah different writers and director. Interesting.

Split Queen: “…not some burlap-loving peasant who sleeps on dirt.” Wish Robin: “Excuse me, I sleep on hay.” Important distinction!

Snow’s so excited about the wedding, bless her.

Lol Zelena just drags Emma’s hand to look at her ring. My girl loves shiny things! And how could I forget, her otp is getting married! She is in heaven right now!

I love Emma just casually talking to Zelena like they’re gal pals at a sleepover. More of this please! 

I can see what sqers say about this scene. Regina really does look hurt by the notion of Emma getting married. There is no heterosexual reason for her to react like this unless she’s in love with Hook. I think this is the only time they hug. Man, I feel so bad for sqers because upon this rewatch I can really see where they are coming from with that interpretation. It’s definitely there. And then they hug because Emma’s getting married to someone else. I would be so upset if that was my otp. What am I talking about, I watched 10 seasons of Smallville as a hardcore Chloe x Clark shipper. I think this exact scenario played out and it freaking hurts! 

In other news, I am so in love with Snow. Have I mentioned that? I feel like I haven’t mentioned it in a while and it needs to be said. 

I’m also in love with David, in case you forgot. I want to join their marriage. Can I join their marriage? I’m joining their marriage. Emma, I’m your mummy now. Don’t think about the age difference too much. 

I’ve eaten a lot of chocolate already today. Can you tell? I feel so alive! I want to share my social security number and be freeee!! I am trying to block out my anxiety about having to move house again next friday. Yep, that’s right, 4th place in two years. I think I will write all of these high on chocolate.

What would happen if you cut your hair with those sheers? Or your garden bush? No, that is not a euphemism, you dirty bastards (affectionate). 

I haven’t had a haircut in 10 years. Holy cow! That’s why my afro is so big, it’s full of secrets. 

Nemo is your dad now, Hook. Even though I’m pretty sure he’s a lot younger than you. 

He called him “My boy.” hehe.

I remember when I thought Hook and Rumple had the same mother. That would have been quite the twist.

I thought that vase of flowers was a giant cauliflower. Did you know broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, brussels sprouts and turnips are all related? I wonder what thanksgivings are like when they all get together. Probably not fun for them. 

See what I did there xD? 

Emma: “This is my fault. I’m the one who convinced you to bring him here. It’s on me.” Regina: “Emma, you don’t have anything to make up for. You were just trying to help.” Omg, this compared to when she told Emma she’d ruined her life because Emma saved Marian. The development. I really appreciate this change because I nearly lost it with Regina when that was her attitude. 

Screw it, I’m making bean enchiladas. Brb. I’ll save you some!

I’m back! They’re in the oven. Anyone wants the recipe hmu! They’re veggie! 

You just know Split Queen and Wish Robin have a sexy dungeon in their castle. They just do.

Enchanted ropes would have been useful in so many situations.

The enchiladas are ready! Repeat after me, Becky: “I will remember oven gloves this time, I will remember oven gloves this time.”

Robin is so into Split Queen. He wants her to live with him and everything, even though they just met. 

I don’t think that arrow would have taken her to Robin since it takes her to the thing she loves most. She can’t love someone she’s never met. We all know it would shoot Christina right in the ass. That’s true love biatches! Evil Peasant 5ever!

Oh snap! Emma found Hook looking at himself killing her grandfather??! I completely forgot about this!

Why does she say, “That’s David’s father”? Why doesn’t she say, “That’s my grandfather,” or “That’s my dad’s dad”? She hasn’t called her dad ‘David’ in years. It’s like she’s trying to separate herself from the victim as much as possible.

She’s not even a little bit upset he killed her dad’s dad? That that event caused her father so much pain? She’s just infuriated that he tried to burn his memory. I mean, yes, she should be angry about that but where’s the empathy for her dad at least? I didn’t know any of my grandfathers well but if I found out I was engaged to someone who did that I would be angry for my grandparent, angry for my parent and angry for myself. I’m just speechless that that’s all she cares about. It seems so out of character. But then and again Regina had her other grandad killed. 

And now he’s gonna leave because he rightfully got told off. Can’t say I’d offer the same thing but she said, “until you’re ready” not “you’ll never be ready”, dude. 

I think he’s just scared David will punch him in the face at this point. It’s the only explanation for doing the exact opposite thing Emma asked of him.

“Captain Hook is always welcome on the Nautilus.” More like welcome on the naughty list after that stunt.

She doesn’t want a man, Henry Sr. She just confessed her deep, passionate, sexual love for Christina like 20 minutes ago, remember? Sometimes I wonder why I bother. It’s not even subtext, dude. Get it together, man.

Why don’t they fight themselves with magic?

Her dad is so heartbroken the person Regina hates most is herself. 

That is really sad that the person she hates most his herself. I can relate.

Yes! Launch those apples at yourself! 

My conversations with myself be like-

Oh boy. This is too reminiscent of conversations with myself. Yes, I sword fight myself wearing a fancy black, cleavage-revealing dress in my head all the time. Only joking, I wear trilby hats. 

Oh okay. Now they’re tying each other up. I see what this is really about. I still haven’t bleached the “we do like it rough, don’t we Regina?” line from my mind. 

I suppose she did take back some of her own darkness. But I was hoping she would just merge herself back together. That would have been a really predictable outcome, but I just would have preferred it. 

This scene is so weird lol, but it helped me tremendously. I used to hate myself so, so much. You don’t even understand. It was like a violent hatred for myself for not fitting in and for every single little mistake I’d ever made. Then with a lot of self- healing and the help of this episode I began my journey into loving myself. I wrote on a sticky note “Love yourself. If the Evil Queen can do it, so can you.” and stuck it to my wall. Nothing I’ve done is comparable to what the Evil Queen has done and if she can learn to love herself, why can’t everyone else. Anyone who’s struggling with self-hatred, please take this episode to heart. You are worthy of love, most importantly from yourself. Any time you find yourself hating yourself just try to remember this scene and that the flipping Evil Queen of all people recognised the importance of self-love and didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought. She damn well gave herself a chance. I’ve heard a good technique is looking in the mirror and telling yourself what you love about you. Even if you’re not feeling it at first, you could get into the habit of it and your brain will start to accept those words as true. Because they are true.

Aww she sees the Charmings as her family. 

Regina: “it did give me hope when I needed it most, and that is just as important.” Oh my God, preach the word Regina! Regina is preaching with fire today! 

It’s like she’s having a therapy session with herself. I need to do that. I really do. Then I need to get actual therapy lol xD. But baby steps! 

Okay. A loophole as to how he can change Split Queen’s story. You know what, at this point I’ve learnt just to go with it.

Can Snow and Zelena be best friends? Please. It’s literally all I want in life. And to join Snowing’s marriage. I’m not asking for much. I’ll talk about it in self-therapy.

Henry’s got Gideon’s haircut now. He wants to be cool like his uncle.

I want to look at myself with the love and adoration Regina looks at herself with. We should all get to that point where we look like we’re about to intensely make out with ourselves when we look in the mirror. 

I know what they were doing with page 23. I just wish Split Queen had changed her outfit so it could have been exactly like the page illustration. But I don’t think it was meant to predict the future. It was just one of Isaac’s fanfictions, wasn’t it? Hmm. I think it was a mystery to him as well if I can remember correctly.

It’s nice that oq shippers got their ship in the end in one form.

Snow is just constantly high up to her eyeballs on hope, bless her. 

Emma needs a dog. She seems like such a dog person.

Also, that enchilada was yumilicious, if I do say so myself.

[thechocoboos]

Baby, You’re my Angel

This has literally been sitting, waiting to be posted for about a year, now. Split into two parts for your reading pleasure. Part II

Summary: Prompto is your guardian angel and whOOPS he fell in love. Word Count: 4063 Warnings: Swearing Genre: Fluff/bit of Angst Pairing: Angel!Prompto/Reader

Prompto Argentum was an angel. He didn’t know how he died, he didn’t know why he was chosen--all he knew, was that he was an angel. He was rather new at it, too, having only just finished up training.

For most angels, their training was only a few hundred years. For Prompto, it was a solid one thousand. As it turned out, he was a little bit of a clumsy one; he failed a good few times on his Guardian Angel Exams and managed to cause a couple mass extinctions in other realms. Needless to say, his higher ups weren’t always big fans of him.

"Prompto,” Cor had sighed after the thirteenth failed assassination-prevention quiz, “If you fail one more time, we’re going to have to put you in the secretary office.”

The secretary's office was notoriously painstaking and had a high turnover rate. Most angels knew of at least a few others who went crazy in that god forsaken place--the amount of paperwork a single angel had to go through? Ridiculous. Not to mention the prank calls from… down there. There were stories of angels going crazy from the amount of times a demon would prank call them and say, “Hey, is your fridge running? Yes? wELL mAyBe yOu sHoUlD gO cAtCh iT!11!!” 

Besides, Prompto wanted nothing more than to be a Guardian. He could feel his entire being pulled towards it--if he didn’t become a Guardian, well, he’d rather kiss his wings good-bye. Luckily, he did make it. And it didn’t take more than two extra exams.

“Nice job, Prom--only took a millennium,” Noctis had snorted when Prompto held up his official Guardian License in the cafeteria.

“Oh, shut it, Noct, at least I didn’t accidentally kill the last dodo bird,” Prom replied with red cheeks, recalling the rather lengthy court investigation that Noctis had to go through when the last one died on his watch.

“Actually, if I recall correctly,” A posh voice called from beside their table called, “I believe Noctis was acquitted.” Ignis hummed, leisurely sitting across from the two Guardians. Ignis knew the case very well--he had actually served as Noctis’ attorney.

There was a snort as Gladio joined them, “Acquitted, my ass,” Gladio muttered, “We know the truth,” He cast a dark look at Noctis, “Made my day hell trying to explain that shit to our superiors.”  

Noctis waved Gladio off. “It was fine, it’s not like the last bird could do anything on its own anyways--”

Ignis interjected before Gladio could go off on the consequences of Noct’s actions. “Now, before that turns into something rather ugly, Prompto, I have something for you--” He held out a pristine envelope, passing it over their trays with ease.

Prompto’s jaw dropped as he gingerly took the envelope with shaking hands. “Oh my go-”

“Careful, don’t want the big man upstairs hearing that.” Noct piped up.

“R-right, but, Ignis--is this…?”

Ignis gave a swift nod, “Thought I should hand deliver this one,” He said, dipping his spoon into his dark matter pudding.

Prompto’s eyes were big as he took in the envelope. It was a clean and white as freshly washed linen, each corner crisp and sharp, and its golden seal still in place. He took a deep breath, one hand slowly breaking the shimmering wax.

“Six, Prom, just open it, you’ll have plenty more in the future.” Noctis said, rolling his eyes with a smirk. Admittedly, the first assignment did always feel special.

Prompto gently tugged the paper from the envelope, pulling out the pristine paper with a shaking hand. His eyes were big as he read the very first words:

“Prompto Argentum, we are pleased to inform you of your first assignment--” He very nearly squealed. He did it. He was a Guardian. His face felt like it was going to split in half from the giant grin on it.

“Careful, Prom, you smile any wider and you might not have any face left,” Noctis smirked, ducking to avoid Prompto’s hand smacking him in the arm. 

“Shut it--I’m excited, okay?”

They all chuckled, Gladio leaning forward on his elbows and glancing at the paper. “So, who’s the lucky assignment?”

Prom glanced back at the paper, eyeing the file before him. “Uhm. Dunno. Some person named…” 

---------

Prompto was on the hunt for his assignment. It was his job to make sure they survived for a few months; he wasn’t sure why, most Guardians didn’t know what for, but all the higher ups say is that it isn’t their time yet. 

Of course, it went a little deeper than that, and there were rules to go alongside it. Most of it was just simple rules like, “Don’t fly under the influence” and “Avoid places meant for hell, such as New Jersey.” There was, however, the biggest rule of them all: don’t ever make contact with your assignment.

All meddling had to be indirect. Why? Another one of those no-explanation policies, but most assumed that it would create a bias or lead the assignment on to have an idea of… up there. And that couldn’t happen. Goodness, could you imagine if a human knew about the afterlife? Terrible, risky business. Still, it wasn’t anything Prompto would worry about. If there was one thing he couldn’t mess up, it was the Big Rule. 

Prompto flew around, hovering here and there as he tried to find his assignment. He glanced down at the file in his hand, staring at the assignment’s schedule once again, desperately trying to find where they would be. He started to panic--they were late.

What if he was too late? What if something happened and he didn’t save his assignment--on the first day--

He took a breath, catching sight of a familiar face. He glanced back down at his file, his assignment’s picture gazing back up at him. Just a normal human face. He looked back to the person in question. They were turning, their face coming into focus and then--

Prompto gasped. They were beautiful. Something in him dropped, his heart thudding in his chest. Then, he realized he was falling, straight from the sky with his gaze still locked onto his assignment. 

Then, they--you, looked up, catching sight of a young man falling from a tree, directly in front of you. He hit the ground with a pained grunt, his eyes still trained on you despite the pain of his expression.

“Holy fuck--are you okay?” You asked, your eyes big as you knelt down next to his. “Shit, that was a big fall, does anything hurt?”

Prompto was mesmerized. Your eyes were so clear, so soft and inviting. Whoever said that eyes are the windows to the soul--they were right. He couldn’t help but gaze at you like an idiot, your voice was music to him as he tried to commit every single bit of your face to memory.

“Shit, can you hear me?” You asked as the young man did nothing but stare at you.

Prompto managed to shake himself out of it. He jolted up, ignoring the pain, it would be gone in a moment. He nodded rapidly, “Y-yeah! I-I can hear you, sorry--that caught me by surprise, ya know?” His words were just as fast as his nods, his nerves shot to hell and his face turning bright red. “Not used to, uh, falling.” He hadn’t fallen since his first week as an angel.

You still looked so concerned, your brow furrowed as you looked at him, trying to find any hint of pain. “Are you okay, though? That was a big fall,” You mumbled, looking up at the tree. Funnily enough, none of the branches above you two looked anywhere near big enough to hold someone--

“Ye-ah--” His voice cracked nervously, and your eyes flickered back to him. He cleared his throat, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, I’m--I’m good.”

You nodded, uncertain. “Okay, uh, then--I’ll just, get going.” You replied, clearing your throat. “Glad you’re okay--” You went to walk around him, only to misstep. You ankle twisted, and you gasped as you felt yourself falling towards the road, the sound of a car horn blaring right behind you before--

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around you, pulling you back against a warm chest. Something lifted you into the air, and for a moment, you were weightless. A bright white feather passed you in the air, floating down. There was a millisecond of nothing but peace, the arms around you safe and comforting. You felt as though nothing could hurt you.

And then. You realized that you almost died. You were back on the ground, your near death experience replaying in your head. Gasping, you whipped around to look at your savior, the blonde man remarkably close to you, his previously nervous, blushing face was now serious. For a moment, you swore you saw a shadow behind him--a pair of wings. And then, it was gone.

“You--fuck, you saved my life.” You gaped, staring at him with wide eyes.

He snapped out of whatever daze he was in, looking as though he barely believed it himself. “I--I guess I did.” He managed a breathy laugh, scratching the back of his head. 

Prompto managed to look at you despite the sheepish look on his face, and the second your eyes met, he found himself lost once again. There was a moment, a solid moment where the two of you were gazing into one another’s eyes, seemingly frozen in one small eternity shared between no one but you two.

And then, Prompto realized something.

You saw him. You met him. You had contact with him--your guardian angel. Suddenly, sweat began to bead his forehead, the moment broken. His heart was beating quickly, whether from your shared moment or his panic, he didn’t know. He had broken the biggest rule there was--he fucked up.

“Oh, fuck me--”

Your head snapped up, a bewildered look on your face as he realized he said that outloud. Prompto’s face burned as you stared, startled. “Shit--sorry--I’m--uh--” He tried to think of something, anything to get him out of the situation. “Late for work!” He blurted, face bright red and heart beating out of his chest. He didn’t wait for a reply before he turned on his heel, literally running away from you.

Meanwhile, as Prompto ran away, you stared at his retreating back with a confused look on your face. Part of you felt deflated; he had saved your life, you felt as though you owed him something. Yet, another part of you was relieved. You decided to chalk the whole situation up to a weird morning and forget about it. 

----

“So, Prompto, how was your first afternoon on the job?” Ignis asked, sitting across from Prompto at a small human cafe. Prompto wasn’t supposed to stray too far from his assignment.

Prompto tried to answer quick enough, but he was silent for just a millisecond too long before he blurted out a quick, “Fine!”

Ignis glanced at Prompto, eyes narrowing as his coffee paused for just a brief second on his lips. Something had happened. “... Good. Although your silence is rather odd, I thought you’d have gone on for at least half an hour on the matter.” He noted, his green eyes slightly suspicious. 

Prompto managed a shrug, hoping his nervous sweat wasn’t noticeable. Ignis was his friend, and admittedly, Prompto wanted to tell him what happened. But at the same time, Ignis was also one of the higher ups, one of those angels involved with the rules--with The Office. If Ignis knew what had happened, he was required to report it, that much Prompto knew.

So, Prom kept his mouth shut. He only shrugged, “Honestly, it was kind of boring.” Prompto lied, feigning disinterest. “Thought it would be a little more interesting, to be honest.”

Ignis’ suspicion rose, though he kept it to himself. “Well, it is only the first day.” 

“Ha, yeah. I’m sure something will happen eventually.”

Ignis hummed, keeping an eye on Prompto as he sipped his coffee. “Yes, well, just make sure to abide by the rules.” 

Prompto stiffened for just a moment, barely noticeable to the human eye. But Ignis wasn’t human. He caught the movement with interest. Still, he said nothing. “Of course, Iggy, you know me!”

“Exactly why I worry.” Ignis replied, chuckling. 

-----

Prompto knew he couldn’t avoid finding you again. Despite broken rules, you were still his assignment, and he couldn’t very well let something happen to you. However, guarding you and keeping you unaware of the situation definitely became much more difficult.

He realized that not a day later, when he waited inside a coffee shop that you were due at in a few minutes. He kept himself towards the edge of the shop, a generic coffee in front of him and a laptop beside himself. He pretended to be busy, yet keeping an eye out for you.

You entered the shop not a minute later, looking tired and worn down as you approached the line with a slight sigh. You stood there for a moment, adjusting your backpack with a huff, seemingly unaware of his presence. Your gaze began to wander, and normally, that wouldn’t be a problem.

However, Prompto had broken Rule #1. He was familiar to you; it would be harder to stay unnoticed. This was proven not a moment later when your eyes landed on him. His eyes met yours, and once again, he felt something stir in his heart. It began to beat just a touch faster. 

He quickly looked away, hoping for the sake of his job that you dismissed it. Still, part of him--a very small part--desperately hoped that you hadn’t, that you had felt the same buzz of excitement, the same lingering tug that he felt. He tried to dismiss that thought as well, trying to crush that tugging curiosity before it could grow.

An entire millennium was spent getting him this job, he couldn’t lose it now, and he knew that whatever feeling bubbled up in his chest was definitely breaking some kind of rule. He took a breath, managing to push the hopeful tugging deep down, and risked a glance up, trying to get back to his job.

His efforts to squash his feelings immediately crumbed. You were standing in front of him, holding a beverage and a pastry. “Hey.” 

Prompto’s resolve was reduced to ash as he felt his face heating up, his stomach flipping. He smiled, against his will, as he returned the greeting. “Oh--hi!”

You stood there for a moment, looking awkward and embarrassed as a red tint bloomed on your cheeks. It made his smile grow and his chest tighten, wondering if all humans looked that cute when they blushed.

“S-so, uhm, you don’t have to accept this or anything--but I uh, grabbed this pastry for you. As a thank you. For saving my life.” You managed to say, your own nerves threatening to give you a heart attack.

Prompto froze. He felt warmth bloom in his chest as a tiny smile appeared on his face at your kindness. He had friends, yeah, but angels upstairs weren’t in the habit of giving each other things. 

“L-Like I said, you don’t have to accept but--”

“I accept.” Prompto interrupting, his cheeks glowing bright red. 

You froze, both relieved and stunned that he accepted your thanks. Smiling slightly, you placed the pastry down in front of him, “Uh, great, thanks--it’s, it’s just a cheese danish--I don’t know if you like those or anything but, I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like them and--” You were rambling, your nerves growing more every second.

Prompto cut you off, “Thanks--really.” He smiled, much calmer this time. 

You nodded, managing a smile and starting to turn around.

Prompto felt himself panic for a moment. He didn’t want you to leave. He knew it was a bad idea, he knew it was against the rules, yet he couldn’t help but say something else. “Uh, wait a sec--”

You turned around, surprise flitting across your face.

“Do you wanna join me?” Prompto managed to ask, gesturing to the chair across from him. “It’s--it’s pretty crowded and there aren’t many seats left, so…” He scratched the back of his neck, trying to ignore his growing blush.

A smile bloomed across your face, and it was your turn to thank him. “Sure, thanks.” You took a seat, trying to calm your beating heart. There was something about this guy, and you didn’t know what, but something was calling out to you--tugging on your heart and urging you to be near him. As you placed your bag on the ground, you managed to tell him your name, trying to hide your blush behind your drink as you took a sip.

Prompto paused. He had thought your name many times, having read it over and over again as he tried to prepare for his first assignment, but to hear it aloud? It was something else entirely. He tried to keep himself from smiling like a damn fool. Your name was perfect to him.

“Nice name,” He managed to say, trying not to think about how much he loved it. How much he loved the way you said it. “I’m Prompto,” He smiled, breaking the danish in half as best he could and offering you the bigger half. He knew it was for him, but even so, he couldn’t bring himself to not give you something as well.

Together, the two of you munched on your halves of the danish, sipping on your drinks and occasionally making small talk. It was awkward; there was a strange, buzzing tension in the air that neither of you mentioned. Even so, there was an undeniable connection between the two of you, and neither one of you could keep yourselves from stealing glances at one another.

Sometimes, eye contact was made, and you would both look away with warm cheeks and thumping hearts.

Prompto ran into you a lot. At first, he tried to stay unnoticed, he really did. But he couldn’t. Every time he saw you, his heart started to thump louder and his chest would grow warm. His cheeks flushed a bright red and he could feel his heart hammering away in his chest. His eyes would light up, whether he knew it or not, and he swore his smile would grow just a millimeter more.

And everytime, you would see him, too, a smile blooming across your face and your own eyes twinkling slightly. 

He couldn’t not talk to you then. It was physically impossible--his chest would grow so tight if he tried to feign obliviousness that he couldn’t breathe. So he gave in, everytime.

You two would talk for a long time, Prompto hanging onto every syllable you uttered and his face aching from the foolish smile stretched across his face. You would reply to every sentence with interest, genuinely loving both his thoughts and the sound of his voice--it was so pleasant and warm that even in the coldest temperatures you were comfortable.

Eventually, Prompto started to approach you if he saw you. And then, you two started agreeing to meet up. You could call each other friends. It was bad. He knew it was.

Shit, you weren’t even supposed to know he existed--and you were starting to notice things. Namely how every ounce of misfortune was avoided when he was near. How he was the one who pushed you out of the way when an air conditioning unit fell from a window. How he nudged you just inches away from ankle-tripping cracks and puddles, hesitating at just the right moments to narrowly avoid cars and oblivious, bustling people who would have plowed right through you.

Finally, one day, you said something. “Prom, I swear, you’re like my lucky charm.”

He bristled immediately, not that you noticed. “O-oh, yeah? What makes you say that?” He stammered, trying to keep his panic from showing. 

You shrugged, glancing at him with a smile. “I dunno, when you’re around, it seems like nothing bad happens. I swear, you’ve saved my life at least seven times by now.”

47, actually. Not that he said anything. He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Aw, I wouldn’t… say that.” He tried to brush it off, his eyes 

You laughed, nudging him. “Come on--you’re like magic. Crazy intuition or something, right?” You said, grinning. “You’re like my personal guardian angel,” You added, your cheeks immediately heating up. Admittedly, the idea piqued your interest.

Prompto felt his heart skip a beat. He tried to laugh it off, “Yeah, I guess my intuition is pretty spot on, huh? But an angel? C’mon. Angels don’t exist.” 

You smiled at him, “I dunno, you’re pretty angelic to me, Prompto.”

He immediately began to panic. ���What? No, I’m not!” He rushed, urgency in his voice as fear flitted across his face. If you knew--oh god, if you found out--he didn’t have to finish that thought as you let out a bark of laughter. Relief coarsed through him.

“Oh my goodness, the look on your face--” You beamed, looking at him with bright cheeks and a big smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend,” You chuckled, pushing a bit of hair out of your face. You paused, the two of you stopping on the sidewalk, right next to a pastry shop.

Prompto watched as a serious thought seemed to cross your face. You looked at him, “In all seriousness, thank you--if you really did save my life that many times… You definitely at least kept me out of trouble.” You smiled, your gaze glancing away for a moment. “Just… thanks. You’re a really great friend, Prompto.” As you said this, your heart dropped slightly. You didn’t want to just be friends. But--

“Is that all we are?” Prompto asked suddenly. It was a bold moment, a ballsy moment. He liked you, he knew he liked you. He also knew that he was breaking at least another five rules by liking you--especially by saying it. But at this point, with how many rules were already broken, he didn’t mind breaking another one if i meant being with you.

His heart was hammering against his ribcage as he spoke again. “Is that all you want to be--friends?”

Your eyes met his, surprised. His face was bright red, each freckle popping and his blue eyes the most serious you had seen them. He was waiting for an answer. You barely heard yourself as you breathed out, “No.”

He seemed to gain some confidence, stepping forward, one hand gently nudging yours. Something buzzed in the air, tension weighing down on you as you moved your hand, fingers gently interlocking with his. A tiny smile fell across his face, and you knew there was a matching one on yours. Your nose brushed against his. When did you two get so close? 

Your lips touched. His were soft, plump against yours. You returned the pressure, lips parting. He tasted like the strawberry ice cream you two had split.

The tension lifted as you two pulled apart, blushes on both your faces, hands still interlocked. 

“Wow,” Prompto breathed, looking starstruck.

Your own eyes were wide as you managed a light chuckle. “Yeah, wow.”

There was a light note as your phone received a message. You glanced down, eyes widening. “Oh--shit--fuck,” You looked up at Prompto, feeling rather shitty for having to do this. “Shit, I’m late--” You stuffed your phone back in your pocket, looking up at him with a shy smile. “Thanks for today, Prom, I--I really enjoyed it.” Your cheeks were warm. “I’ll see you later?”

He nodded, a dumb little smile across his face. “Yeah, of course!”

You nodded, turning to go. A few feet away, you couldn’t help but look back, meeting his gaze with a silly little grin and almost tripping over your feet in the process. You tried to ignore his shaking shoulders as he chuckled, grinning away at you.

Prompto watched you leave, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t stop smiling, the feeling of your lips against his lingering and leaving him with a buzzing excitement. He turned around, ready to go on his merry way--

“Hey, Prompto. How’s the assignment going?” Noctis said, leaning against the shop window with his arms crossed.

Part II

[aziraphalesrarebooks]

Day 14- Eggnog

Various locations, London

 The staff Christmas party was in just a few days. It was the one night of the year where the entire staff was off and of course, required to be in attendance. There would be plenty of booze and food to be had, along with gifts and holiday cheer. 

 The house was a buzz of energy and excitement. In the kitchen, three women spoke of a shopping trip in the upcoming week for new holiday dresses in hopes of tempting their crushes. 

 “I think it’s a great idea, Liz, really,” Crowley said with a grin. Spending their entire Christmas bonus on a new dress guaranteed to never be worn again? It could easily be written as a temptation in his book and get Dagon off his ass for a few days. A true Christmas miracle. 

 Liz raised an eyebrow at him, “What about you Coraline? Hm? Plan on dressing up for a certain gardener?” she teased. 

  He blushed, unable to control the heat that crept up the back of his neck and cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered, looking down at his feet and certainly not towards the two maids who were now grinning cheekily at him.

“Coraline!” laughed Sarah, “You know he’s sweet on you!”

 “Exactly, oh!” exclaimed Liz, “You should get something that shows a bit of skin! Honey, show a man some cleavage and tell ‘em whose boss and you’ve got him!”

 Crowley had turned red from the tip of his nose to the top of his chest, this was not behavior becoming of a demon such as himself. He wondered how his simple temptation had suddenly been turned around on him, “Girls, he’s not interested in me like that.” He'd know, it wasn't like he hadn't been trying to get Aziraphale to notice him in that way for the last six thousand years. 

 Sarah snorted as Liz rolled her eyes.

 “Please! Honey, you don’t bring someone bouquets and plant their favorite flowers if you aren’t interested in them. He’s probably just shy!”

 Sarah nodded, “you don’t see the way he watches you when you walk away.”

 He tapped the side of his wine glass, a bottle they’d procured from the wine stores below the kitchen. Then, he sighed, “alright, tomorrow morning I’m off and so are the two of you.”

 “Yes!” said Liz, turning to high five Sarah, already making plans for a girls day out. 

   The next morning dawned bright and early, he’d hardly slept at all, especially once a certain three-year-old had found his way into his Nanny’s bed and was currently somehow taking up the entire mattress despite his size.

 He carefully lifted the child and returned him to his bed, then began to dress.

 His casual clothes as  Coraline Ashtoreth  were less constricting, softer and more flattering. He dressed carefully, pulling on a comfortable blouse, blazer, and jeans. He did his makeup as usual before deciding to allow his hair to hang in loose curls around his face.

 He was nervous, he knew clothing and he knew temptations; however, he’d never known the angel to be easily swayed and could only imagine what Aziraphale would do if he thought he was being tempted into something.

 The truth was, even if Aziraphale did for some reason decide to kiss him, hold him, do all the things Crowley so desperately wanted; nothing would come of it. Nothing good could come of it, no matter how much he wished it. 

 Aziraphale was his friend and the time for anything more developing between them was over and had been for a very long time. The moment he fell, Aziraphale put him out of mind. Which was fine. Yes, it hurt but he’d had time to come to terms with the fact Aziraphale didn’t want him in that way. He could love the angel and that would be enough.

 Crowley just hoped the night didn’t end in disaster.

   “Come out, Cor!” said Liz from outside the dressing room. They’d ended up in Knightsbridge after a brunch he’d paid for at a restaurant well above their paygrade. He liked them well enough and didn’t mind using a minor demonic miracle so they wouldn’t question how the Nanny could afford to eat at the  Mayfair .

 They’d been trying on dresses for the last two hours, Liz and Sarah had already purchased their own; and if by some chance both dresses rang up significantly less than on the tag, it was just a nice surprise that he certainly had nothing to do with.

 The dress was floor length with a deep plunging v-neckline. The slinky black material was adorned with silver sequined Celtic knots that accentuated his curves beautifully. Looking at himself in the mirror, he gulped.

 He opened the door to the dressing room and slowly stepped out, feeling much more self-conscious about himself that he had in the past.

 Sarah elbowed Liz and her mouth fell open, “Oh honey, you have to get it! Francis won’t know what hit ‘em!”

 He was starting to flush again, an excited flutter in his abdomen churning, “alright.”

   The day of the party, Crowley, Liz, and Sarah met for lunch followed by a brief spa day. Nails were manicured and hair perfectly coifed.

 They’d returned to Liz’s flat to get dressed, gossiping about the other staff and their new favorite person of topic; Francis.

 Once they were dressed, a cap arrived to take them to the Bulgari Hotel.

 The two women had excitedly been chattering beside him, mainly about David, one of the new secret service agents that had been assigned to the residence only two months prior.

   He’d yet to see Aziraphale, he knew he was going to be in attendance, it was expected of them and he’d mentioned that he would see him there.

Besides, when did Aziraphale ever turn down free food?

   He was feeling pleasantly buzzed between the eggnog and cranberry cocktails that he’d been consuming since they arrived.

 “Don’t look now, but your man is over there by the punch.” Said Liz, elbowing him not so subtly. 

 For the hundredth time that day, he flushed. He was a demon, the creator of original sin and fallen Archangel… who also happened to be completely besotted with an idiot and was unable to control the blood flow to his face. 

 He flicked his long curls over his shoulder, tipped back his third cocktail and sauntered towards Aziraphale, hips swaying seductively as he moved across the floor. 

 “Angel,” he purred as he came to stand beside his friend. He was dressed in clothes more similar to what he typically wore than his typical outfit as Francis. 

 When he turned to look at him he dropped the mini-quiche he was holding, his eyebrows raising into his hairline. “C-Crowley!” he stuttered, “what are you doing dressed like  that !”

 The demon frowned, “just wanted to look nice tonight, angel.”

 “Oh, of course.” Aziraphale, Crowley realized looked hurt and he couldn’t figure out why.

 He grinned at his friend, ladling some of the drink into the mug in his hand before passing it to Aziraphale, “try the eggnog, I have on good authority it has been spiked no less than three times.”

 Aziraphale nodded his head, a slight smile replacing his uncertain expression as he accepted a mug.

   They ended up sitting at the same table as one another while Crowley’s new friends went off to dance.

 Aziraphale sighed, glancing at the demon beside him, “Dear, you look lovely tonight.”

 Crowley felt heat rise to his face, “thankss, Angel, so do you.”

 Aziraphale looked away, tapping his fingers on the white linen cloth. “James has been looking at you all evening, as has Evan and Thomas.”

 Crowley shrugged, “part of the job, temptation and all that.”

 “Of course, of course… it’s just, I wouldn’t mind you dancing with them if you wished, I know I’m not the best company.”

 Crowley tilted his head, gazing at Aziraphale intently, “I’d rather sit here with you than get groped by inexperienced men any day.”

 The angel visibly relaxed but refused to meet his eyes, “but you like dancing, Crowley.”

 “Well, if we’re being honest here Angel, I’d hoped you’d saved a dance for me,” he winked.

 Aziraphale’s featured betrayed his shock momentarily before slightly nodding, “Well, then… that’s,” he swallowed, “My dear, would you care to dance?”

 Red lips pulled into a wide smile, “yeah, I think I would.”

   Aziraphale clumsily led Crowley towards the dance floor, placing his arms in the proper spots as he stiffly began to lead.

 Crowley chuckled warmly, “Angel, nobody dances like this anymore.”

 The angel huffed, furrowing his brow and pursing his lip in annoyance.

 “Here, like this Angel,” whispered Crowley as he pulled the angel flush against him, taking the opportunity to wind his arms around the angel.

 It was a bit awkward at first, but by the end of the song, they were happily swaying to the tune.

 One song, then another.

 As the notes faded on the third song, Crowley felt Aziraphale pull away.

“We can’t dear, you know we can’t.”

 Crowley nodded, “I know Angel.”

 Aziraphale opened his mouth the speak before deciding better, instead, he glanced around the room before leaning over to place a small kiss on Crowley’s cheek.

 The demon felt warm the rest of the night. 

   It had been years since the party at the Bulgari Hotel, years since a stolen peck on the cheek and years since they  finally  confessed their love for one another.

 Aziraphale had decided It was past time to clean out the demon’s wardrobe that had somehow managed to make its home in piles on their bedroom floor and every surrounding flat surface.

 Between the two of them, there were several piles of designer clothing to be given away to charity. The closet had nearly been cleared, as had the piles laying around their bedroom.

 Aziraphale was pleased he could once again use their chairs and see the hardwood floor of their bedroom.

 The angel was rummaging around for more items to donate when his fingers brushed across a familiar garment.

 “Oh Crowley,” whispered Aziraphale as he pulled out the long dress from its spot in their closet, “you still have it.”

 “Hm?” he asked, not looking up from the pile of belts he was looking through.

 “The dress!”

 He glanced towards Aziraphale, ducking his head when he realized what he was holding, “Oh, course, Angel. It was a lucky dress.”

 Aziraphale leans over to give him a quick peck, “dear, perhaps you could wear this to dinner soon. It would be lovely to see you in the dress that sparked many  inspiring  dreams.”

 “Ngk,” he replied as a heavy flush bloomed across his face and neck.

[kingswriting]

closer: a - z challenge

          a : detective anderson

“cori, it’s been an entire year and this is still going on?”

cori anderson is face to face with her biggest nightmare - luis de la cruz, louisville’s lead detective and quite possibly the most infuriating man she’s ever come to face. “you need to let me step in.” 

“please don’t take this the wrong way, luis, but the very last thing i want right now is your help,” cori says cooly, an eyebrow arching slightly. “my detectives can handle this.”

“then why haven’t they yet?”

the very question makes cori’s blood run cold. she knows he’s right. for such a small town with such a negligible population, the case truly should be solved by now. but they haven’t a single lead. 

the lack of workforce doesn’t help. of all of her detectives, she has maybe one who is worth what she pays him, and she can tell he’s getting burnt out. hell, even cori’s getting burnt out. 

“i’ll send you kwon. she’s one of our best,” luis says, staring at her with the same finality that cori is trying so hard to emulate. 

she wants to smack him. she can tell by the look on his face that he knows he’s won. he’s been trying to send someone in for at least six months, so that he can swoop in and steal this from cori. like he’s stolen so much from her in the past. 

she can feel her body growing rigid with anger. “luis, you don’t have to save me. i can do this. damon and i have this under control. our new girl is starting in two weeks. she graduated at the top of her class.” 

this brings a chuckle from luis, a sound that makes cori’s entire body freeze. “you’re resorting to kids now? she’s a baby! how old is she, thirty? that’s pathetic, cor, and you know it.” 

“don’t call me that.” she wraps her arms around herself as if to protect herself. she won’t admit to him that her new detective is even younger than that. she doesn’t even want to be talking to him. when she served him those divorce papers four years ago, she had her mind made up that she never wanted to so much as see his infuriating mug ever again. 

but she hasn’t been so lucky. “you’ve never had faith in me, not once. and i think i deserve that much from you. if it weren’t for me, you would have died years ago, and you know it.” every inch of her body wants to flee. she can feel that nagging in the back of her throat like she’s going to cry, but she won’t let him see that. 

“you’re still trying to use that against me, huh?” the ghost of a smile touches luis’ lips, and he takes a step in cori’s direction, cupping her chin in one hand. she’s frozen in place, unable to pull away from him. “you’re losing your edge, sweetheart. this isn’t your world anymore. you have to rely on the likes of damon to carry the entire force, and he isn’t--”

“damon adomako is more of a detective than you’ve ever been,” cori snaps, the insult revitalizing her, allowing her to snatch herself out of his grasp. “send in your girl. but i’ll show you that with or without her, this case is ours. we’ll have our guy in weeks, i can promise you that.” she can hardly trust the words as they leave her lips. she doesn’t know what to expect from this child who really isn’t qualified to take on such a heavy case. and she definitely doesn’t know what to expect from the loose cannon that is ruby kwon. 

“oh, i’ll believe that when i see it,” luis says simply, a bemused smile spreading across his lips. he crosses cori’s office to the door. “expect detective kwon on monday, with your newbie. we’ll see who is really ready for this.” 

----------

tagging: @rachelswritings @rianneth-writes @ditzysworld @sokratesbitch @thewholeuniverseisrighthere

tragically cori is not a main main character but im still in love with her anyways

rb to support this tough ass lady

[oodanijadeoo]

Nature’s Balance (Ardyn x OC) Chapter 2

Vedrixia leaned against the Regalia in the blistering Liede heat. The car had broken down just a short while into their journey. Each member of the retinue looked as if they would soon melt into the interior of the Regalia, or in Prompto’s case, the tar of the road.

Gladio sighed as the fifth vehicle passed by without stopping, “I think we can forget about hitching our way there. Thought people were friendly outside the city.”

Piping up from the driver’s seat, “You can only go so far on the kindness of strangers,” Ignis said.

Vendrixia shed another layer of her Kingsglaive uniform, “Well, we’re going to have to figure something out before we all have to take a potion to save us from heat stroke.” She threw an arm across her eyes, attempting to block out some of the sunlight.

“Looks like we’re just gonna have to push her all the way,” said Gladio with a slightly revived energy.

“But I’ve already pushed myself,” Prompto began with an air of theatrics. “To the brink… of death!”

Vedrixia nudged his shoulder with the toe of her boot, popping off the back of the car, “Come on, up with you. The sooner we get this thing rolling the sooner we can get to some air conditioning.”

With that, Prompto was quickly on his feet.

“You too, Your Highness.”

Noctis merely grumbled, inciting Gladio to use a bit more force with the young prince.

He slapped him on the back, “Oh, get up.”

The four of them began pushing the Regalia with Ignis in the driver’s seat and the boys quickly began their usual banter.

“Let’s hope this isn’t some kind of omen.”

“Gladio, do me a favor,” the young prince said.

“What?”

“Push this thing by yourself.”

“All by myself?” He continued as Vedrixia chuckled quietly.

“You won’t even notice if we just let go,” Prompto chimed in. “Besides, my hands are killing me.”

“You rather I kill you with mine?” Gladio quickly retorted.

Vedrixia felt like the tension was getting to be a bit too much, “Hey now, you had better not get any blood on my boots. I just polished these so if you’re going to have a quick lesson in natural selection, I suggest you take it to the side of the road.”

“I concur,” Ignis commented from the front. “Cor did just send the Regalia to be waxed and surely would not appreciate and blood spilled on her.”

Noctis and Prompto both groaned.

This was going to be a long trip.

~~~

Finally making it to Hammerhead, each member of the party was thoroughly exhausted. Ignis and Gladio were both stretching their legs, walking around the Regalia while Prompto and Prince Noctis laid haphazardly on the ground. Vendrixia, on the other hand, was sprawled out in the backseat of the Regalia with her feet propped up against the passenger door.

“Hey there!” A high pitch, accented voice sounded from outside the vehicle. Vedrixia raised her head just in time to see Prompto stumbling to his feet. He looked as though he had never seen anyone of the female gender before. “Y’all sure kept a girl waitin’!”

The barely-clothed blonde glanced around their group, “Now which one’s the Prince?”

Noctis popped up from the other side of the Regalia behind Vedrixia’s head as she took her cue to straighten up and exit the vehicle.

“A-ha! Hello, your Highness!” The blonde said, popping a hip out. “Congrats on your wedding!”

“Not hitched just yet,” Noctis replied, scratching the back of his head.

“Lady Lunafreya’s groom-to-be, here in Hammerhead,” She said in awe.

Ignis joined in the conversation, “Apologies for taking so long.”

“You’d best be savin’ your apologies for Paw-Paw,” She said seriously.

Gladio rounded the car, “Well that makes you…”

“Cindy,” Finally, a name, Vedrixia thought. “Cid’s grease-monkey granddaughter.”

A crackling voice sounded from within the shop, “Roll ‘er in while I’m still young!”

“I suspect that’s Cid?” Drix asked Cindy. She gave a hum and nod of her head.

Cindy’s aging grandfather made his way to the group, “Didn’t yer daddy tell ya? She’s a custom classic, not some beat up ol' clunker.” His expression was enthralled in reminiscence and nostalgia. Cid’s gaze shifted to the young man, “Prince Noctis.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Vedrixia scoffed at the boy and crossed her arms. The lack of respect the young prince could exhibit was astounding to the Glaive. She had received many slaps to the back of the head from Cor due to ill-timed sass in her youth. Being seven years older than the prince, she knew he had a lot to learn in a very short amount of time.

“Prince,” Cid shook his head, indignant. “Like they took your old man and kicked the dignity out of him.”

That certainly caught the Prince’s attention. “What?”

“You got a long way to go, son,” Cid began grimly. “And that slack jaw’s gettin’ you nowhere fast. She’s gonna take a while, y’all get ‘er in and run along.”

Cindy watched as her grandfather made his way back to the shop, “Y’all heard him! Let’s get moving.”

~~~

Vedrixia walked around the outpost, kicking rocks and cans. She sipped on a can of Ebony she purchased with the little gil she brought with her. Vedrixia knew she would need a caffeine boost if she was going to make it the rest of the afternoon without biting off the young prince’s head.

Vedrixia had just picked up a stick to swirl around in the dirt when- click. 

Whipping around just in time to be stunned by the flash of a camera, she rubbed her eyes and soon saw shocked Prompto that knew he had been caught. 

“Sorry,” Prompto laughed nervously. “I hope you don’t mind me taking your picture, Ms. Astaroth. I like to take photos on our trips for… memories… and stuff…” he trailed off, looking everywhere but Vedrixia out of embarrassment. 

Vedrixia laughed lightly, “That’s alright.” She smiled warmly at him, “Your reputation with a camera has made its way around in the Kingsglaive, so I expected nothing less.”

“Oh,” He sputtered, hanging the camera back around his neck. “I didn’t know.”

Vedrixia turned her attention back to her stick and dirt, “Yep. And you can stop with the “Ms. Astaroth” deal. We’re going to be here for a while so we might as well call each other by our first names. Not to mention, it makes me feel old.” She grimaced and stuck her tongue out as if the mere thought left a bad taste in her mouth. “You can call me Vedrixia, or Drix if you prefer. And that applies to you as well, Ignis, Gladio,” she spoke louder to the two boys sitting on the bench.

“I suppose you’re right,” Ignis said, pushing up his glasses in the most dignified manner. “This has been a most inconvenient delay.”

“Yeah, and this “inconvenient delay” is making me stir crazy,” Gladio ran his hands along his face, stretching his legs out. 

“I may be able to amend that shortly, I must go discuss our dwindling funds with Noctis,” Ignis said, rising to his feet.

As Ignis went to go find Noctis and Prompto busied himself with taking photographs, Gladio decided to strike up a conversation with Vedrixia.

“So, Drix,” He began, testing out the nickname. “How long have you been a member of the Glaive?”

Drix stood up to face Gladio pacing along with her stick in front of him, “Let’s see, this will make…” She drew out the word, counting in her head, “Eight years? Although I trained with Cor for four years. He wouldn’t let me join until my nineteenth birthday. Something about it being too ‘dangerous.’” She scoffed, chuckling lightly at the thought. 

“Nineteen, huh? So that would make you…”

“Twenty-seven,” She answered. “I’m practically ancient!” Drix said in a dramatic voice, raising a hand to her forehead as if she might faint at any moment.

Gladio hummed in agreement as he looked away, never appearing fully engaged in the conversation.

“I don’t know why the King thought we needed a Glaive to come with us,” He said suddenly. Drix stopped her pacing, sensing the conversation was about to take a sharp turn.

She chose her next words carefully, “I don’t fully know either. Cor didn’t tell me any reason to need extra security, aside from it being the Prince’s wedding, of course.”

“Well, if Cor didn’t give you any extra reason to be here, it sounds to me like you shouldn’t be here at all.”

And there was the guard rail.

Vedrixia clenched her fist and opened it back again, shutting her eyes and breathing deeply. Don’t piss off the Guard, Cor will ream my ass. Don’t piss off the Guard, Cor will ream my ass.

After thinking over her mantra several times, Vedrixia responded, “I can assure you, Gladiolus, that while neither of us may be aware of why I am here, I can assure you the need exists, otherwise King Regis would not have requested my presence. Furthermore, I promise you that whether or not I know my reason for being here, I will perform my duties as a Kingsglaive to protect Prince Noctis to the fullest of my abilities, whether or not you find a need for me.” As her defense went along, Vedrixia had slowly begun to stand at Glaive Attention. Then, she noticed a faint golden glow coming from one of her clenched fists. Deciding she had elevated her blood pressure to the point of hallucination, Drix gave Gladio a curt nod and went to find Ignis and the Prince.

[thisisthedungeonthatneverends]

Am I the Only One (Alt: Everyone else has had more sex than me)

Ships: libnyx, regclar, gladnis, promptis

Rating: M

Words: 2908

In which Nyx Ulric seems cursed to walk in on EVERYONE having sex and wonders if he is the only one in all of Insomnia NOT getting laid today. Check the reblogs for the AO3 link.

It was as if His Majesty had declared an official Everybody Gets Laid Day but no one told Nyx Ulric. He just came in to drop off the latest reports from the warfront with the King. That’s it. That’s all Nyx had to do today and the rest would be spent drinking beer and watching the professional chocobo racing semi-finals. Simple day. When he knocked on the door to King Regis’ office, however, his day turned from simple to weird in 2.53 seconds. “Bullocks, I forgot Nyx was coming! Quickly Clarus…” “Regis, I was almost coming…” Nyx raised a suspicious eyebrow and wondered if he should knock again. When he heard a muffled umf from the other side he decided against it. Were they…noooooo, they couldn’t be…could they? “One moment, please!” Regis called out, a hint of mild distress in his voice. Nyx cleared his throat. “In your own time, Your Majesty.” He heard some shuffling and the distinct sound of a chair being dragged across the hard wood floor then someone, presumably Regis, loudly clearing their throat. “You may enter.” Nyx shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts of were His Majesty and Clarus Amicitia really just… He pushed open the heavy doors and approached the desk where the King sat looking as pristine and regal as ever. Nyx bowed and placed the thick folder containing the reports requested of him on the desk. “Here are the reports from the warfront as requested, Your Majesty. Our forces are holding the newest influx of Imperial warships at bay for the time being. They aren’t gaining any ground, but neither are we. Captain Drautos is requesting reinforcements.” Before Regis could respond, a faint scuffing sound came from under the large desk. Nyx could not help but look down and when he did his eyes widened at the sight of the toe of a boot juuuuust peaking out. Regis seemed frozen in place. “I’lllookitoverthankyouNyx,” Regis prattled his words together. “Thatisallyouaredismissed.” It took every ounce of concentration Nyx had to look up from the boot he knew did not belong to Regis and every ounce of balance to bow without falling on his face. “Y-yes Your Majesty…um…good day.” He turned on his heals and literally power walked to the door. Nyx had retreated from the bloodiest of battles with less urgency than that of which he swung open the doors of the Kings office and ran like his life depended on it. And after interrupting Regis and Clarus now undoubtedly having sex, he wasn’t sure his life DIDN’T depend on it.

……………………………………..

Once he was a safe distance away from that office he stopped to catch his breath. Not that he couldn’t run faster and farther than any other Glaive save for possibly the captain, but what he was running from had knocked the wind clean out of him. He needed to wash his face and take a leak. Yes, he thought, that would help. He could then go home and watch the races and never have to think of the King and the Shield… Nope. Not thinking about it. By the time he reached the nearest restroom, the initial shock had mostly worn off. Good for them, he thought. Two old widowers finding love again…kinda romantic if he thought about it that way. Nyx wished for a passing moment if he would ever find love. His last girlfriend had been a clingy, nagging bitch and the boyfriend before her cheated and blamed HIM for “never being dtf.” No one would ever understand his life of service to the crown, he thought. Nyx was relieved to find the bathroom empty. Not many were in this wing of the citadel at this time of day, so he could at least relieve himself in peace. So he whistled an idle tune as he did so, and almost sprayed the damn ceiling when he was startle by a loud BANG! Someone, or rather two someones, arms tangled around each other and seemingly attached at the face, had just burst through the bathroom door. Was that…noooo…Astrals, that WAS him. First Clarus and now GLADIOLUS Amicitia! The other man, shorter with a much slighter build, dark blonde hair, and glasses was…what was his name? The Prince’s adviser he knew for sure. Something flamey, right? Nyx wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there at the urinal dick in hand staring at the young couple, or how long the couple had been staring back at him before he realized crap, I should probably put my dick away now. “Don’t mind me,” Nyx said before his brain could stop his mouth. “Just…peeing. Done now.” He zipped himself up and tiptoes around the couple who just stood frozen like a centuries old erotic statue that made schoolboys giggle in order to get to the sink to wash his hands for not as long as health code dictates. Once again, Nyx rushed out of a room so two people who were apparently trying to fuck could have their privacy. He wiped his wet hands on his coat and laughed. “Damn, did I miss a “National Fuck Day” memo or something? At least all the love in the air wasn’t making the front of his pants get tight. No, not in the least.

……………………………………..

After accidentally witnessing two “encounters” in the span of five minutes, Nyx needed fresh air. A nice walk in the gardens should clear his fuddled head, right? Right. Once again the shock wore off as he strolled through one of the citadel’s many gardens and he found himself happy for Gladiolus and…DAMN what was his name? Two people who served the crown, who understood how important duty was to each other, were able to find time to share an intimate moment. Now Nyx was jealous. Why couldn’t he have that? He whistled as he strolled along and - IGNACIO! That was the advisers name. Now Nyx could stop kicking himself for being a dumbass. At any rate he whistled and strolled along peacefully until he was just about ready to head home, shower, jerk off, throw on some sweatpants, and settle down with pizza, beer and the tv remote. That was until he heard a faint sound – specifically a faint moan – from behind one of the hedges. Not again, he thought. As he continued walking trying and failing to ignore the erotic sounds, they grew louder and Nyx realized with a sinking feeling he was getting closer to rather than farther from the action. “Mm yes Prompto…” “Fuck, Noct, you feel so good…” Nyx. Froze. Right. There. Noct? Noctis? As in PRINCE Noctis? Nyx had to know. Curse his life dammit he HAD to know! He marched to the hedge the sound was coming from, swung back the branch…and immediately regretted every life decision that had lead him to this time and place. On the ground on his knees was a young blond haired blue eyed man who Nyx vaguely recognized from a few photos who was currently BALLS DEEP in the PRINCE who lay on his back with his legs pushed up against his chest. Upon seeing Nyx, both men screamed. As did Nyx. When the screaming had subsided, Nyx just stood there with jaw on the ground while Noctis and…he called him Pom-something-or-other, Nyx neither knew nor cared, scrambled around on the ground search for their cloths. “Nyx, what the hell!!!” Noctis shouted as he stood and shimmied into his pants. “First you’re gonna cock block me and now you’re just gonna stand there like an ass?!” Nyx blinked rapidly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry it’s just…FUCK!” He threw up his hands and stepped back. “First the fathers, then both sons, Shiva’s TITS how is this my LIFE!?” And for the third time that afternoon, Nyx got the hell out of there.

…………………………….

Finally, FINALLY Nyx was home. After a shower and some relief by his own hand he slipped into an old pair of sweatpants and a tshirt, ordered pizza and headed to the fridge. It was beer o’clock for Nyx, and it hadn’t come soon enough. He opened the door and reached for the shelf that was usually designated for alcohol… to find only one beer remaining. Well Hell. He wasn’t going back out lest he interrupt another session of dicking, so he sighed and accepted that one beer would have to do. He settled down on the couch and turned on the tv. The races were just about to start and Nyx smiled. Just in time. But as he watched the races, his mind drifted back to Noctis and his blond lover Pom-something. They started out friends and grew into lovers, Nyx mused. Damn. Everyone seemed to be finding love, or at least ass, except him. He knew Cor Leonis, the Crownsguard martial, was seeing someone, as was fellow Glaive Crowe Altus. He didn’t know of anyone else off hand, but the captain was always gallivanting off somewhere. Maybe he was with someone too? Nyx shrugged and downed the last swig of beer. Soon he heard his doorbell ring. Damn, he’d just gotten comfortable, too. Today was simply not the right day to by Nyx Ulric. He begrudgingly stood and went to answer the door, expecting pizza. What he saw when he answered the door was actually better: his lifelong friend Libertus, carrying a case of their favorite brew. Nyx smiled. “I love you.” Libertus laughed and entered through the open doorway. “Bit dramatic tonight, aren’t we? Have a rough day doing the captains job or what?” “Yeah, or what,” Nyx sort-of answered. “Man you wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen today.” “Tell me about it!” Libertus said, setting the case of beer on the coffee table. “I saw something I’ll be prayin’ to Ifrit for the next hundred years to burn out of my mind.” Nys took his place in his recliner after grabbing a beer for himself, while Libertus sprawled out on the couch with his own. “Oh yeah?” Libertus nodded. “Crowe. Like a little sis to me, right? Well I went to the gym today to get my phone charger, and I had to walk in on her…” Libertus washed down a look of disgust with a long drink from his can. “I walked in the locker room and there she was on the bench gettin’ fucked by, you ain’t gonna believe this shit, COR LEONIS!!! Nyx actually laughed in spite of himself. “Man, I wish I could say I was surprised, but I learned something fun about our King today.” Libertus, wide eyed, slammed his beer on the table. “Fuck off!” “His Majesty and his Shield, Clarus Amicitia. I went to drop off those reports like Drautos was supposed to have done yesterday, right?” Well I heard’em fumbling around in there and when the King finally let me in Clarus was hiding under the desk. UNDER the DESK, can you believe that shit?” Libertus slowly shook his head. “I need another beer. Okay, okay,” he reached for one more can from the case, “I got another one for ya. Crowe and Cor aren’t the only Glaive-Guard match-up going on. When I went out to the parking lot I saw Luche and Monica steaming up the windows of Luche’s car.” “Now THAT I’m surprised at. I though Luche was was on a strict sausage diet!” Libertus laughed. “Apparently not. Unless there’s something Monica ain’t tellin’ us about then-” Libertus was interrupted by the doorbell. “That’d be pizza!” Nyx excitedly declared. “Lemme get this and I’ll tell you who ELSE I caught together today.” “DAMN! Was today some kinda sex holiday that I forgot about?” “I know right!” Pizza way paid for and divvied out, and the chocobo races were long forgotten in the midst of two grown men gossiping like schoolgirls. “So,” Nyx mumbled around a mouth full of pepperoni and cheese, “I was in the bathroom at the citadel takin a leak. In stumble Gladiolus Amicitia and Ignacio, groping and stuck to each others faces.” Libertus made a strange face. “Gladiolus and who?” “The Prince’s adviser. You know him?” Libertus laughed so hard and long he made himself cough. “I know him but apparently you don’t. The name’s IGNIS you dingus!” Nyx rolled his eyes. “Whatever, I was close wasn’t I? Anyway, The adviser and shield to the Prince are together and speaking of the Prince, I caught HIM getting fucked six ways to Saturday by some blond guy in the palace gardens.” “Whathahell,Mn!” Libertus tried to say with his mouth full of stuffed crust. He swallowed and washed his fourth slice of pizza down with another swig of his third beer. “Is everybody gettin’ tail but us?” Nyx shrugged. “Apparently. I haven’t had anyone but Rosy Palm sense I dumped that bimbo Steph three months ago.” Libertus let out a low whistle. “You’re loooong overdue, Buddy. Then again it’s been almost two months for me.” For some reason it went silent after that. The races were half over and they had no idea who was on the leaderbord. They didn’t care though. It was nice to just be two buddies with pizza, booze, and each others company.

Libertus stretched and stood. “Not headin’ out already are you?” Nyx asked. “Hell no, you can’t get rid of me that easy.” He pointed his thumb towards the bathroom. “Gonna break the seal.” Nyx nodded and for some inexplicable reason watched his friend walk away. Did his hips always…sway like that? Hu. Nyx turned up the tv while Libertus was in the bathroom, intending to catch up on what he’d missed of the races in favor of gossip. His favorite racer was on the leaderbord, so he was happy. Libertus returned soon and sat on one side of the couch instead of sprawling out like he had before. Nyx yawned and stood. “My turn.” As he walked away he got the distinct feeling of being watched, but it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact he was sure he didn’t mind a bit if Libertus was staring at his ass. If Nyx was anyone but himself, he’d stare at his ass, too. He wasn’t too humble to admit he had a nice ass. So did Libertus, actually… funny, he’d never considered his best friend’s ass before but now that he did, it was a good thing his pants were as baggy as they were because hello… Man, he was one thirsty sunuvabitch. A commercial for some kind of candy was on when he returned and instead of going back to his recliner, Nyx sat on the couch next to Libertus. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. Libertus rested a reassuring hand On Nyx’s shoulder. “Guys like us got it rough, my friend. It’s hard to find someone who understands the sort of life we live and even when we do, who has time to actually do anything? Nyx laughed humorlessly. “Apparently five different couples judging by what we saw today. I don’t know how the ones you saw ended up together, but Regis and Clarus, they’ve both had broken hearts and patched each other up. Gladiolus and IGNIS, I got it right that time, they understand each other because they both run circles around the Prince, and then the Prince and the blonde kid started off as friends and now they’re apparently lovers.” Libertus nodded thoughtfully. “Where’s that for us?” Broken hearts. Service to the crown. Friends. Nyx eyed Libertus carefully to judge weather or not his friend was thinking the same thing as him. And was it just him or did Libertus’ hand seen to be slowly sliding down his back? He chanced a full look at Libertus now and…were they…yup, their faces were closer, much closer, no more than a couple inches apart. Nyx smiled. “I think I just found it.” Nyx never hesitated with anything, so he didn’t hesitate to close the distance between them and kiss the man who’d been his best friend sense before he could remember. Libertus, to Nyx’s relief, welcomed the kiss, returning is with more intensity than Nyx had imagined. He slipped the hand that had in fact been making its way down Nyx’s back under the back of Nyx’s shirt. It was bold, but then so was Libertus, and it made Nyx hum against Libertus’ mouth and deepen the kiss. Nyx hands found his new lover’s thigh, and Libertus shifted his hips, causing Nyx fingers to brush against a very impressive bulge. Eventually Nyx had to breath, and as munch as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t do that very well with someone else’s tongue down his throat. So he pulled away and opened his eyes to be met with a lustful gaze from Libertus. “You know,” Nyx said somewhat breathlessly, “You’ve had a bit to drink tonight.” Libertus chuckled. “You’re not taking advantage of me, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Nyx smirked. “No, it’s just that it might not be legal for you to drive. Wanna crash here tonight?” He made his true intentions known with a wink and a subtle roll of his hips. Libertus smiled that warm welcoming smile that Nyx had grown to love over the years, and hoped he would grow to love even more. He didn’t say a word, but he answered with a kiss.

[cloversdreams]

Go get me chinese food with bakushin?

“Go get me Chinese food.” / “It’s three in the morning.”

“Hey, Sleepy, I’m hungry. Go get me some Chinese food.” Katsuki stretched and let out a satisfied groan. He flopped over so that he laid across the whole couch and picked up the remote so he could flip through what was on TV.

Hitoshi glanced at the time on his laptop. His gaze shifted to the blond as he said, “It’s three in the morning.”

“And? It’s not like your insomniac ass is going to sleep any time soon so get going.” Katsuki made a shooing motion as he blew him off.

“Don’t you think you should try and get back to a normal sleep schedule since your vacation is almost over, Grumpy?” Hitoshi felt it necessary to remind him.

“Don’t you think you should fuckin’ bite me?” Katsuki asked right back. He had a defiant look in his eyes as he dared Hitoshi to have a response to that. He watched his purple-haired boyfriend contemplate that one for a moment. He could practically feel the snappy come back before he said it. Katsuki wouldn’t give him the chance. He turned his attention back to the TV and mumbled, “Don’t forget to get the one dish with the baby corn.”

“You hate baby cor- oh,” Hitoshi paused when he realized that meal would be for him, not the blond. In fact, that was probably the point of this whole thing. He stood up and said, “Yeah, sure, I’ll have them add extra just the way you like it.”

Katsuki kept his attention on the TV but listened to his boyfriend shuffle about as he got ready to leave. There was only one place open this late and it wasn’t too far so it should be a quick trip. He didn’t bother to look at the other man as he said, “Don’t stay out too late cause I’m not going through the hassle of putting on my costume to come save you. You’re on your own.”

“No worries,” Hitoshi bent down and kissed him quickly. He stood upright again and winked then added, “I’ll give anyone that messes with me a right hook from you.”

“You get me and that’s why I keep you around.” Katsuki smirked when he saw Hitoshi roll his eyes and shake his head. He had the urge to kiss him again. That wouldn’t lead to the guy getting food. He looked away from him again and muttered, “Now hurry up before they close, idiot.”

“An extra large order of baby corn just for you, got it!” Hitoshi waved over his shoulder as he left the room. He smiled to himself when he heard the blond’s offended grunt.

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Magic and Miracles and BEYOND Chapter 10

I know, I know, nothing for months then 3 chapters in a row. But hey, this is the final portion of the pre done chapter. And yes, in case you haven’t noticed, I totally cast Lucas Hood from Banshee as Cor. BECAUSE THE SIMILARITIES. And I can totally see Gladio in a cop uniform and having those baristas fawn over him and mentally flirt with the idea of getting arrested if it meant that Gladio would be the arresting officer. And while I’m not a tea person- @the-immortal-marshal is and she said that that brand of tea and that flavor of tea is a proper English tea and would be Ada’s all time fav. And yes a Cane Corso is if Ferrari designed a dog to protect you. I have been planning that detail for months and so in the picture of the two brendle Cane Corsos- Kona is on the left (Kona coffee) and Kahlua is on the right because it looks like a white russian which is Kahlua and milk and that silver Cane Corse is Sasha. And obviously this russet brown dog is Baxter, bless his heart for doing all he could to protect his mama. 

So without further adieu, here’s chapter 10. AO3

Chapter 10

Sylva didn’t have Ada moved to just any hospital room, but had her moved to the VIP rooms of the hospital that were on the upper floors that had the best views, the ones that looked like hotel suites that had every comfort imaginable along with an actual bed for Cor to sleep in too with actual super plush bedding, with super comfortable mattresses and the meals would be gourmet and had their own kitchen down the hall along with a mini kitchenette in the room and even the hospital gowns were beautiful and made from super soft peached cotton and were just as comfortable as any nightgown. Also the toiletries were designer and name brand and had things beyond the shampoo, conditioner and soap, but really good day and night face moisturizers and lotions and toothbrushes and toothpaste, mouthwash and body wash, even body scrubs, hair dryers, brushes, hair ties and the like. Even the waiting rooms on this floor were spectacular with it’s own private baristas in their little coffee nook and a free snack bar along with high end oriental teas in silk triangle tea bags. And Ada had two dedicated nurses who would not be waiting on any other patient other than her during their shifts.

The next morning Ravus came into work and saw Clarus walking in with Gladio, both of them in uniform and both looking particularly rough, like neither of them had gotten any sleep which was the same boat he and everyone else found themselves in last night. Well, except for Tredd, Tredd had been in his element yesterday. Asshole, but he was the perfect guy for the job yesterday.

“What’s the status?” Ravus asked curiously.

“Um,” Gladio said before he came over and bent over to talk with Ravus face to face.

“Ada is um...she’s having a miscarriage.” Gladio informed Ravus who’s eyes went wide.

“Oh my God.” Ravus breathed in shock. “Uh, let me park, and I’ll meet you in there,” Ravus offered before he parked in his spot two levels above and took the elevator down to the floor Ada was staying on, which was coincidentally the same floor he and Lunafreya had been born on, just a few rooms down actually and they found Crowe and Libertus already there since Ada had called Crowe first thing that morning and Crowe and Libertus had booked it coming in to see her.  

“What are you doing here Beavus?” Crowe tried to act casual but it was no use before Ravus just enveloped her in a hug and hugged her tight and let her cry into his chest, not caring in the least if it messed up his suit up or not.

“I work here remember? How is she holding up?” Ravus asked and Crowe shook her head no.

“She’s not. God I want to hit Cor so bad right now.” Crowe admitted. “He promised me he would protect her and keep her out of his work.” Crowe cried.

“He underestimated his ‘work’.” Ravus replied sadly as tears pricked his own eyes.

“He swore to me that he would keep her out of harm’s way!” Crowe bawled before Cor came out of the room to talk with Clarus as Libertus tugged on Crowe’s shirt to get her attention.

“You asshole!” Crowe yelled once she pulled away from Ravus and charged Cor before Ravus and Libertus had to hold her back.

“You swore to me you’d keep her safe! You promised me you were going to protect her with your life! Instead she almost lost hers and she just miscarried you bastard!” Crowe screamed as Ravus and Libertus both had to fight to keep her from all out wailing on Cor, picking her up off the floor from behind and still having to deal with her trying to kick at him being mindful of her own pregnant belly.

“I know! I’m sorry! I did all I could! Believe me! You think I want her here? Do you think I ever wanted this?! I never wanted her to get involved, I never wanted her anywhere near this, it got personal and I’m sorry! I swear I’ll get the bastard!” Cor roared back with Clarus keeping a steady hand on his chest as angry tears escaped them both.

“Lower your voices,” Clarus warned.

“Where is he?!” Luche roared as he rounded the corner.

“Oh fucking hell.” Ravus groaned and looked to Crowe and Libertus to see which one of them contacted Luche and they both looked away guiltily before Ravus let go of Crowe so Libertus could hold her back on his own to get between Luche and Cor.

“Slow down, slow down,” Ravus warned Luche still a good 20 feet from Cor who was already in fight mode as was Luche and Ravus got Luche to stop and put both of his hands on Luche’s chest and used his own body weight to keep Luche from advancing any further.

“You motherfucker!” Luche accused Cor angrily as he could only point as he looked past Ravus at Cor who looked back angrily and had his fists balled up at his sides as his own rage seethed. Oh he was .2 seconds away from really handing this jackass his own ass. “This is all your fault!” Luche roared angrily.

“Lu?!” Ada called out when she recognized Luche’s voice. Fuck she wanted to see him. She had wanted to see him since last night. And at sound of Ada’s voice it prompted a complete change in Luche and he started pushing past Ravus with all his might.

“I’m here!” Luche called back before he realized no matter how much he wanted to hand Cor his ass, he wanted to see Ada more.

“Whoa, whoa,” Cor said as he tried to get in the door to keep Luche from getting to Ada.

“Cor let me see him! Let him in!” Ada cried and Cor turned to look at her in outrage. She is going through a miscarriage of their baby and she wanted to see him of all people?!

Luche grinned victoriously and still bumped Cor’s shoulder hard when Luche moved past him in lieu of actually hitting Cor. Then the smile fell and he came and threw all propriety out the window when he sat next to her on the bed and gathered her into his arms and hugged her tight and felt some relief when she hugged him back just as tight as Crowe, Libertus and Ravus took up the door frame to look in before Ada looked up and shooed them away before Crowe took the hint and shut the door to give them some privacy as the three of them stood guard at the door to keep Cor from going in.

“I’m so sorry Baby,” Luche finally offered as he started to cry too as Ada had a new wave of tears stream down her face as she cried into him and felt better and worse at the same time when she felt the kind of comfort she had been craving having him hold her again.

“You’ll have to forgive Crowe and Libertus, they both texted me the news and I couldn’t...I couldn’t stay away.” Luche explained.

“I’m glad you’re here, thanks Lu.” Ada said and smiled despite everything. God he smelled so good too, another new cologne but still...so Luche. God she had missed him so much and she had only seen him the day before but with everything that happened, that felt like forever ago.

Luche could smell the blood on her and it made him sick to his stomach. God he would have given anything to never have her go through something like this. God he wanted to ask a million questions but he also doubted she would be up to answering any of them. So he did the sensible thing and kept his mouth shut but stayed holding her as tight as he dared, he forgot how good it felt to simply hold her. God he had missed her so much. He wanted to tell her everything but knew it wasn’t the right time for that either. This was about her, not him. And right now, she was hurting, in every way and he needed to try to make this better and bearable for her.

“Is there anything I can do Baby?” Luche asked, taking a risk calling her that, but she technically started it by calling him ‘Lu’.

“Please don’t fight Cor. He did all he could, he really did. He saved my life.” Ada pleaded and Luche swallowed down his angry argument that if it hadn’t been for Cor, her life wouldn’t have been in need of saving to begin with.

“Please?” Ada added and Luche knew that if he was going to show her how much he had grown up, this was how he could start and Ada felt all the tension begin to leave him and Luche finally caved.

“Fine, but if he starts shit, I’m gonna finish it.” Luche warned.

“Ok, that’s fair.” Ada agreed. “Just, keep holding me,” Ada requested as she realized she really didn’t want him to let her go so Luche did just as she asked and held her as tight as he dared and smiled sadly when he felt her completely relax again. And even a little bit longer than that, she nodded off to sleep and part of his heart leaped for joy that he could still get her to do that, and that she still felt comfortable enough with him to fall asleep in his arms, he remembered the first time that ever happened to him and it made him feel...so amazing that she was comfortable enough to fall asleep in his embrace, she still felt that way obviously. He kissed her temple sweetly, letting his lips linger on her skin for just a moment, savoring it before he started to let go of her and have her lay down in bed to get more rest. She needed it. He wanted to stay with her, have her fall asleep and wake up to him too but his common sense said that he was probably already overstepping his bounds enough, he didn’t need to push it. Well, anymore than he already had been.

He tucked her in and made sure she was perfectly comfortable before kissing her forehead and cheek again, mindful of her injuries. Just needing to get the last of that in until...he didn’t know if he would ever get the chance to ever do that again.

“I love you so much Ada.” Luche whispered as he gently pressed his forehead to hers before he pulled away and wiped his eyes and tried to force his emotions back under control before he left the room and saw his friends leaning on either side of the door when he left. Clarus and Cor thankfully nowhere in sight but Gladio was still sitting in the chair next to door.

“She’s asleep.” Luche informed them when they all looked at him questioningly.

“Ok, come on, let’s go to my office.” Ravus invited to everyone.

“I’ll stay here with her, you guys go,” Crowe suggested to Luche and Libertus before she went back into the room to sit with Ada.

“I told my dad I’d stay here and keep watch.” Gladio excused them before Ravus, Luche and Libertus nodded in agreement with that before they left, Ravus turning around to mouth and gesture to text him to which Gladio nodded solemnly in agreement before they walked back to the elevators before going up to the level where Ravus’ office was. Ravus walked past his mother’s office and saw her working before he got his friends into his office before he went back to his mother.

“Luche found out, Crowe and Libertus told him this morning.” Ravus reported.

“And how did that go?” Sylva asked as she continued to do all she could for Ada within her system.

“Well they didn’t kill each other or kick each other’s asses thanks to us holding them back.” Ravus shrugged as Sylva hummed in response as a look of resignation crossed her face.

“She’s going to need therapy, miscarriage alone can wreak havoc on your psyche but being taken captive, and getting beaten, I can only imagine the trauma she must be experiencing. Luche will need you today.” Sylva insisted as Ravus nodded in understanding as she upgraded Ravus and Luche’s status within the system.

“There, you and Luche both have your God Codes.” Sylva informed her son as he walked around pulled up a chair and saw for himself that she had Ravus copy and then showed him how to bring them up and how to arrange things and the different programs available to make sure everything would be taken care of as well as showed Ravus how Ada already had VIP status so that the nurses and doctors would take extra good care of her and how there were already two dedicated nurses on Ada that did nothing but cater to her for their shifts and showed the rest of the teams of nurses Sylva put onto Ada so that she had round the clock care and make sure all medicines, especially pain medicines would be approved and covered not only by insurance but by the hospital as well, and arranged for visits from the staff psychologists and psychiatrists and made sure various programs would cover all the therapy and made sure to send notes to mention that it would be covered and that there would be no out of pocket expense for Cor or Ada.

“There, I think this is all we can do on our end. Hopefully she’ll take us up on the offer for the therapy at least.” Sylva blew out a breath once she finished.

“Thank you Mom,” Ravus thanked her and hugged her from his spot next to her.

“How is Luche doing?” Sylva asked.

“He...took it better than I thought he would. The moment he heard Ada’s voice he went from fight mode to comfort mode in less than a blink of an eye.” Ravus answered with half cocked grin. “Actually, could you uh, could you tell him or can I tell him what we just did, I know he’ll worry.” Ravus requested thoughtfully.

“Absolutely, just remember Cor is hurting just as much as Ada is, he lost his baby last night too. Both of you should take the day or next couple of days off if you want or need to, and if he needs an outlet you can take him to our house. I’ll understand if he’ll want to drink himself into a stupor, nearly losing a woman you love is difficult, also if he needs support and or therapy, we’ll be there for him and provide that too.” Sylva invited warmly.

“How long have you known? About Hazel being Witchhazel? About Gil taking Ada, you reacted as if you had been expecting this all along, you had the blueprints to the sheriff’s office and the US Marshal’s office in your desk and you knew exactly how to break both strongholds. How did you know all that was going to happen or more importantly- how long did you know all of that?” Ravus asked.

“Do you swear on Selena’s life that you will never repeat this to anyone? Not even Selena and especially not to Luche?” Sylva put to him.

“I swear.” Ravus vowed.

“Since the beginning of summer, when Cor got close to Gil and Gil sent a message to Cor, Hazel had to deliver it, she came to me for help right after and that’s when I knew what would happen, pieces fell into place like dominoes and I knew what was going to come and all the probable outcomes bloomed in front of my eyes and I knew I had to come up with a contingency plan to save everyone’s lives. Tredd suspected Ada was pregnant on the first day of the first cruise and came to me, one look at her and I knew but I swore him to secrecy and if and when we get asked, I will only admit that Tredd had a hunch but I couldn’t be sure so I played it safe in making sure Luche and Ada wouldn’t have sex at all just in case and I’ll leave it at that, but it was so that there would be no question as to who’s baby was lost last night, that’s why I hired Tredd to be a cock block on the cruises because as much as Luche is hurting right now, I knew he would break completely if he had any doubt at all that it wasn’t his baby that died last night too, that’s why I had to protect him the way I did and with as emotional as he is, that’s why I kept Crowe, Libertus and Luche in the dark because I couldn’t trust any of them to keep their heads through all of this and they would emotionally react and fuck everything up although after this experience, they’ll be much more level headed and I’ll be able to trust them with much more. I also knew Cor wouldn’t stop unless he was made to stop and I did what I did to keep Hazel and Titus from fighting against Cor and Clarus and the entire police force and Marshal service because Hazel knows there are moles in both, and those moles will the be the ones to make sure we all get away with this and the investigation on what happened last night- never leads to us, that was the deal I made with Gilgamesh myself shortly after he took Ada.” Sylva revealed.

“You made a deal with Gilgamesh?!” Ravus balked.

“Sweetie, I had to, otherwise Ada would have died, hell all of us would have been killed because all of us would have been caught in the crossfire, I owed him because it was his order to kill Ardyn and Andrew Izunia and it was Charlotte who killed them both so I let them borrow my plane to get them a clean getaway and my pilots deleted all the flight data so now there is no record of Gilgamesh ever using my plane and I deleted all the flight data in the chopper so now there’s no trails to anything and Selena along with the girls were very creative in making sure our alibis stick and are water tight if they’re ever needed and we’re all lawyered up. So now all of this is over for everyone except Cor and Ada and Luche of course, now that Gilgamesh is out of the country, we’re all going to try to go on with our lives and live in peace. I couldn’t have this family tear itself apart like that. That’s why I had to play both sides and got my hands as dirty as they are, all of us walked away with our lives despite our loyalties clashing. Granted we had to go about it outside of the law but we’ll be ok. However I can tell you that Cor, in his quest for vengeance and revenge will completely abandon Ada and that’s how Luche will get her back. They’ll be back together before Crowe and Libertus get married in a month and chances are she’ll be pregnant not long after that and their own wedding will be right before Crowe and Libertus leave and will already start to show by then.” Sylva predicted. “And I know you’re mad at me for not telling you all this sooner but I had to be sure you wouldn’t blow it either.” Sylva urged as Ravus nodded in understanding.

“You’re going to have to teach me your ways Mother.” Ravus gently teased which caused Sylva to huff a laugh.

“Oh I will, Tredd is already chomping at the bit to be taught too and I wouldn’t have gotten half as far without him and I know you think he’s an asshole but his loyalties are to us and this family because this family is his family now and you don’t have to worry about him ever turning on us, he’s practically another brother to you and another son to me because I see his potential and I'm nurturing it rather than dismissing it like everyone else does and he’ll be fine and hopefully neither of you will have to use these skills.” Sylva offered before Ravus grabbed his notes and went back into his office with his mom where Luche had grabbed the bottle of brandy and was all out chugging it.

“Ok, hey, before you get shit faced, I need to tell you something and I need you to pay attention.” Sylva urged as she got the bottle out of Luche’s hand and handed it to Ravus to put away before she held Luche's face in her hands.

“Luche, listen to me, it’s going to be ok. I know you’re hurting. But please keep in mind what’s important, and what’s important is Ada. This is the card to a cane corso breeder, they have two dogs for you that have been going through all kinds of training all summer. A cane corso is if Ferrari and Lamborghini designed a guard dog, they’re amazing and you’ll love them. Write them a check from this checkbook. I know you’ll want to crap a brick when you hear how much these dogs are but again, these have been trained to protect Ada with their lives just like Baxter, who’s ok by the way, he’s with Luna right now. The girls were able to save him. Also, you need to give Cor some slack.”

“But he…!” Luche tried to argue before Sylva silenced him with a finger to his lips before she held his face again.

“I know, I know, he put her life in danger, he put all of our lives in danger all summer but Honey, he’s paying for it right now, he lost his baby last night, he almost lost the love of his life too just like you did. But you are going to do what Cor can’t. Cor’s going to lose himself in vengeance and You. Will. Not. Do. That. Your entire focus will be on Ada and her recovery and making sure she never feels alone or abandoned again. I will have a bag of books for you to start reading today, you’ll read them, study them and use the knowledge you find in them. You will be Ada’s rock and I promise you, she’ll be with you before the wedding. Don’t worry about getting justice for Ada because you never will but what you can do is get her safe, get her secure and keep her that way the rest of her life. Your job in life is taking care of her. Do your job. But you can’t do that if you’re shit faced.” Sylva urged before she explained the God Code and gave him his and showed him on Ravus’ computer how she was already taking care of things and how Luche could keep track of everything in his own computer as Luche visibly relaxed and calmed down.

“Oh thank God! I was about to go crawling into her office to beg for that.” Luche admitted once he saw everything.

“Well no need, it’s all taken care of.” Ravus reassured him before Luche got up again and walked to Sylva’s office with her as he thanked her for everything as she got the books together for him to read from her own bookshelf in her office.   

“You’re welcome, and Luche, may I suggest you should get some therapy too in dealing with this. It’s ok for you to get some comfort and support in all this too.” Sylva gently suggested as she hugged him just as tightly, kicking into ‘mom mode’ herself.

“I was about to come in here on my hands and knees and beg for your help.” Luche admitted and Sylva snorted a laugh.

“Sorry, that’s not funny, but clearly, no need but that’s a wonderful and moving thought.” Sylva grinned proudly. “Although if you had, I would have done just as much to help her as I’ve already done and believe me, I have done all I can do. Now, may I suggest, just take the rest of the day off, take the next few days off, you can stay here and hang out in Ravus’ office if you want or you can come to my home and crash there too but what I would suggest is you see Ada one more time then you go get the dogs and bring them home and get things ready for Ada to move in with you sooner than later, take Ravus with you to get the dogs ok? You’re not alone, we’re all here for you. And give yourself time to process this, give Ada and Cor time to process this too. I know we all have our misgivings about the situation, as horrible as it is. But it’s important to look at the big picture and look outside our own personal pain ok? I know you don’t want to hear that but you need to hear it ok?” Sylva admonished gently, keeping her tone gentle and soft but still firm.

“Ok, thanks Mom.” Luche thanked her.

“You’re welcome Sweetheart, now, I got work to do, just take it easy ok?” Sylva said as she finally let go of him and Luche nodded in agreement and sniffled still before Sylva handed him a tissue.

“It’ll be ok, she’ll be taken care of to the best of our ability, I promise Sweetheart.” Sylva reminded him before he nodded again and left and rejoined Ravus and Libertus in Ravus’ office.

Meanwhile when Luche, Ravus and Libertus left Gladio shot a text to Cor.

‘Knucklehead left, said she fell asleep, Crowe’s with her in the room now and Crowe confirmed she’s out. Beavus, Knucklehead and Lib left, Crowe is still here tho.' Gladio texted Cor. Even though Gladio felt Cor was the one who was the knucklehead. Gladio had spent most of his life idolizing Cor and now that all this had gone down and watching the way Luche had behaved all summer, he felt Ada should have never left Luche, she was better off with him and he couldn’t fault her for wanting Luche and even he could see that Cor was losing her because Cor had blown it. Cor knew better, when Cor admitted he had known for months that Gil had his sights on Ada, he was ready to kick Cor’s ass. He was so grateful that Sylva had seen all this ahead of time and had a plan and was able to get everyone to work together on their own side rather than against each other, he was grateful Regis did too. The way it worked out was the best case scenario. Hopefully it would be the one time in his career that he’d be dirty but it was for Ada. He knew that if it had been Pashmina, he would have gone full Punisher and tried to burn the city to the ground. But fuck all if he and Pashmina hadn’t gotten the best sex ever last night when they got home from the hospital, why he personally didn’t get more than a couple of hours of sleep last night. He was so proud of her for pushing through her squeamishness with blood and working on Baxter and working on alibis with Selena when she was done, hell all of the girls had worked on alibis. She was a bad bitch in the best way. He loved her so so so much. Hell even Yasmine had been awesome, helping Pelna with all the computer systems and making sure all the cameras were shut off so that none of it got recorded while also manning a special drone to keep an eye on things at the same time. They worked together as a great team too. He was happy they were together. Even Nyx and Luna were great and Stella and Tredd were in their damn elements last night. Tredd was a damn natural and took to this like a fish to water. He was so surprised Hazel was WitchHazel. But he was so grateful he didn’t have to face off against her. He was super impressed Coach was as amazing as he was and he understood that Coach would be loyal to Hazel and he could only hope and pray they stayed together because they were all one big family and this family handled it’s business last night and this family took care of itself. He was so proud to be in this family and at the center was the biggest badass of them all, Sylva, she was the glue holding everything together and he wanted to kiss her when she revealed how she actually had plans in place just in case any of this shit had ever happened to any of them, she was the epitome of Mama Bear and she took care of her cubs and was ready and willing to do whatever it took to protect them. Heaven forbid anything ever happen to her because they were all screwed otherwise.

‘We’ll be right there, got to grab some coffee, text me any changes.’ Cor answered, having been on and off staring at his phone since Clarus suggested they go get some coffee from the cafe down the hallway to distract Cor from barging into the room and making a fool of himself.

“God I wanna punt that asshole to the moon.” Cor growled as they stood in line to get some coffee as Cor looked at the tea selection and tried to think of what Ada would like to drink as Clarus just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Clarus was a patient man but Cor was reaching even his limits.

“But you did the right thing by not doing that, you know Ada. She wouldn’t want you fighting, not when she’s going through so much already.” Clarus reminded him and Cor just grumbled his curses under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest and squeezed his phone tight to make sure he didn’t miss any vibrating from getting messages.

“Hi, can I get two of the largest coffees you have with four shots of espresso each, chocolate syrup and caramel syrup in both.” Clarus ordered first from the Barista who happily took the order down.

“Name?” She asked.

“Clarus on the first and Gladio on the second.” Clarus answered.

“Ok,” She nodded as she wrote down his name on the cup and handed the cups over to the next barista at her station.

“How much will that be?” Clarus asked.

“Oh it’s free, if you’re seeing a patient on this floor, as their guests your refreshments are free, all I need is the room number.” She replied.

“Oh it’s 8245.” Clarus offered before she nodded and punched that into the system as he still put a fiver into the tip jar.

“And what can I get for you?” She asked Cor sweetly.

“The largest coffee you have and probably eight shots of espresso and I can add my own cream and sugar right?” Cor asked and she nodded. “And can I get one of...can you just get me two cups of hot water and then one or two packets of every kind of tea you have?” Cor asked.

“Absolutely,” She immediately agreed. “Name?” She requested.

“Cor.” Cor answered and she wrote that down too and passed the cup over.

“Room number?” She asked.

“Same number, 8245.” He answered as she punched that in. “Leonis? Cor Leonis?” She asked once she saw the name under the room number listed as the caretaker.

“Yup.” Cor nodded.

“You’re listed as the caretaker for the patient in 8245 so if you need anything at all, you can call room service and all your meals and snacks will be provided for you free of charge and of course anything we can provide for you here too.” She informed him sweetly.

“Thank you,” Cor nodded in understanding as he gave he a polite smile before she got to work getting his things together.

“Can I get that chocolate muffin?” Cor added as he looked at the display of pastires and snacks in the case again and realized he hadn’t eaten anything since last night and wanted to inhale it on the spot.

“Of course, anything else catching your eye this morning?” She asked as got him his chocolate – chocolate chip muffin which was practically a cupcake without frosting and put it into the bag for him before he shook his head no and she simply nodded in understanding before she handed it over to him before he walked over to Clarus at the end of the bar where there were condiments while they were waiting for their coffees to be made, Cor not waiting anymore before taking the muffin out of the bag and started to eat it, not caring that he was taking almost inhumanly large bites because it was a big muffin. His cheeks expanded as far as they could and he took some comfort in the delicious taste and not noticing or caring that he was getting chocolate crumbs everywhere. Clarus gave him a wary if not a bit amused look and went ahead and got Cor a couple of napkins and just handed them to him.

“You have a little something, well, everywhere,” Clarus muttered as he gestured to all of Cor’s face and chest. Cor just shrugged and continued chewing as it gave him a break from thinking and helped him process more. God he wanted to kick Luche’s ass, he wanted to kick Gilgamesh’s ass, hell he wanted Gilgamesh DEAD. He wanted to dismantle his empire brick by brick and beat Gilgamesh to death with those damned bricks, then maybe, if he had time and energy, go after Luche. Who did that asshole think he was? Just marched all up in there and rushed to Ada’s side like he was the most important person in the world? Asshole. How did Ada want him?! How did his Ada want her ex at a time like that? She should have been furious with Crowe and Libertus for telling him, he had no right and no business knowing their business like that. He wondered how pissed Ada would be if he did actually kick Luche’s ass? She’d get over it eventually, right? God he needed to make this right, he needed to FIX THIS. He needed JUSTICE, he couldn’t believe he had knocked her up either, he was going to be a dad...as terrified as that thought made him feel, he would have given anything to just redo the last 24 hours. Go back in time, he wished he had taken Ada out of town, hell, put her on a plane and sent her away to go visit her parents, out of harm’s way the moment she had gotten back. And his heart tormented him with guilt when his brain supplied him with the what if scenario of Ada figuring out she was expecting and surprising him with the news. How happy they would have been, how he would have properly proposed to her and married her. Keep her home, keep her safe. He would have given anything for that future...

“Mr. Leonis.” The second barista called out when his coffee was done along with his cups of hot water for tea that had all been put into a drink carrier, all the teabags put into an empty cup.

He put the rest of his half eaten muffin back in the bag and grabbed the carrier before joining Clarus at the condiment counter and put cream and sugar into his coffee as Clarus put creamer into his and Gladio’s coffees before passing the creamer to Cor to put in his own coffee before they went back to the room.

“Is she awake yet?” Cor asked Gladio who nodded but licked his lips when he saw his dad carrying coffee with his name on it and reached out for it and took it from his dad before drinking it gratefully.

“Yeah, she ordered breakfast and it came like 5 minutes later, service is insanely good up here.” Gladio informed him and Cor blew out a breath of relief, good she was eating.

“Good, go to the counter down there and get some breakfast too.” Clarus urged before Gladio nodded and obeyed his father’s direction.

Cor knocked softly before coming into the room to see Ada and Crowe talking quietly as Ada picked at her food a little while Crowe downed her own meal that had brought with Ada’s meal.

“I got you some tea Love, I got all the different kinds they had.” Cor informed Ada before setting the cups on the table.

“Were you hungry Love? When I called to order breakfast they asked for my order and asked for my ‘caregiver’s order’ and any guest meals as well.” Ada explained as she sifted through the different tea flavors and making a face when they didn’t have any she really liked, so she settled for the black pearl tea.

“So I’m eating the guest meal just so you know.” Crowe informed Cor through her own bulging cheeks, she was after all eating for two. Which only made this loss more poignant. Crowe and Ada would have been expecting babies at the same time.

“I got a muffin at the snack bar down the hallway, I’m good.” Cor waived off as he sat down and put his half eaten muffin and coffee on the other bedside table.

“You doing ok?” Cor asked Ada curiously, just itching to ask her about what happened between her and Luche. God it was like pouring salt in an open wound. And the way Crowe was looking at him with subtle aggression was only frying his nerves worse.

Ada waited until Crowe finished eating before asking for some privacy with Cor who she could see Cor barely able to maintain his composure.

“Yeah I gotta go find Lib anyway, see what shenanigans he’s up to.” Crowe excused herself and got up to leave before there was another knock on the door and Cor just wanted to scream. He just wanted to be alone with Ada for two god damn fucking minutes before Crowe left and three doctors and a nurse came in.

“Hi Miss Ardens, I’m Dr. Gentiana, a psychiatrist here at Miracles, how are you feeling today?” Gentiana asked warmly as she came in and shook Ada’s hand before shaking Cor’s before the others introduced themselves as well. Dr. Ramuh and Dr. Shiva.

“And please be honest with your answer.” Gentiana clarified when Ada took a deep breath and hesitated in answering.

“I feel like shit, I hurt all over and in every way.” Ada answered as her shoulders sagged.

“From the notes in your file I can completely understand that and you have every right to feel that way and you shouldn’t be afraid to admit it.” Dr. Gentiana gently assured her.

“Thanks,” Ada offered a small smile, enjoying the validation.

“Well the reason my associates and I are here is we understand you’ve gone through some really traumatic experiences recently and I would like to ask if you were comfortable sharing those or did you need or want more time to process everything? Because you need and should be taken care of not just physically but as a whole, especially psychologically.” Gentiana specified kindly.

“Well...” Ada began before her eyes flooded with hot painful tears again as she grabbed the tissues then poured out everything that had happened as the doctors took notes and offered commendation and encouragement as Cor scooted closer and grabbed her hand and cried too as he wallowed in his guilt and remorse and really liked it that Dr. Gentiana engaged them both and listened attentively to him and Ada since Dr. Gentiana had been his phsychiatrist for a few years now.

An hour later when Ada had finished pouring her heavy heart again, but this time she felt a bit lighter about it and a tiny bit more at peace about it too.

“Well you’ve done an excellent job being open and honest with us and I applaud your strength, both of your strengths, this isn’t easy stuff to talk about and both of you did a really good job. And thank you for trusting us with this information and trusting us with your feelings. Now you’re being offered to be in a couple of different aftercare programs where our services will be free of charge to both of you and I highly recommend taking full advantage of the opportunity. Here’s my card, are you comfortable with us coming again tomorrow? Or even later today?” Dr. Gentiana invited as she put her card on Ada’s table and slid it to her before handing Cor her business card again as well before her associates did the same.

Ada nodded yes and Cor found himself nodding along too.

Meanwhile back in Ravus’ office, Ravus and Libertus listened patiently as Luche poured his own heart out after Libertus had given Luche the full story and all the nitty gritty details from Ada’s point of view as Ravus was surprisingly very, very quiet about everything else and Luche had wanted to punch something and settled for punching Ravus throw pillows he kept on the couch in his office and screaming into them before all out breaking down crying while Ravus sat on one side while Libertus sat on the other, both of them putting their arms around Luche’s shoulders and consoling him.

“Why didn’t I fight harder for her? Why did I ever let her go? None of this would have happened if I hadn’t let her go.” Luche sobbed as the three of them emptied the tissue box Ravus kept on the coffee table in his office.

“And why was she ok starting a family with him and not with me?” Luche asked rhetorically and Ravus and Libertus could only shrug.

“God Crowe and her would have been pregnant at the same time! They would have had a double baby shower, Ada would have been such a good mom.” Luche sobbed.

“She would be, she still can be.” Ravus tried to comfort. “And maybe this will open her eyes and make her see that she isn’t better off with him, there’s still hope.” Ravus tried to console.

“You’re right.” Luche realized. “It felt so fucking good to hold her again. I can’t, I can’t give up now. I gotta get her back. I don’t know how, but I gotta, maybe if I can show her and prove to her that I’ve changed, that she’s better off with me, she’d be a hell of a lot safer with me, that the most dangerous thing around her would be kitchen knives. I can take care of her now. I can take care of her better than he can.” Luche professed and Ravus grinned mischievously when he got an idea.

“Well, what helped me win Selena was small, but powerful and thoughtful gifts and gestures. She’s British, British love tea, what’s her favorite kind of tea?” Ravus asked thoughtfully.

“Irish Breakfast.” Luche answered and Ravus’ grin grew.

“Yeah I doubt Miracles stocks that, come on, go into my bathroom, get cleaned up, we’re going tea shopping.” Ravus suggested before Luche did as he was told and went into his bathroom.

“Text Crowe, we’ll need the best friend scoop.” Ravus directed Libertus who agreed and texted Crowe only moments before she came into the room herself.

“Nice office Beavus, where’s Luche?” Crowe asked.

“In the bathroom getting cleaned up. I would like to ask the biggest of all favors.” Ravus began and walked towards Crowe bravely.

“And that is?” Crowe asked as she crossed her arms and popped her hip.

“Luche wants to get back with Ada and we would like to ask for your help. Seeing as how Ada would be much...safer with him. Do you think there’s a chance she might want him too?” Ravus asked carefully and his heart soared when Crowe’s grin grew mischievous.

“So let’s say I agree with you and I may be in the possession of the knowledge that Luche has a pretty big chance since I agree with you that she’s better off coming back to him and would be happier with him too, what would this ‘favor’ entail?” Crowe asked.

“Doing exactly what you just did by telling us that and perhaps answer some questions like what’s her favorite...anything and everything?” Ravus returned with an equally mischievous, scheming smile.

“Please Crowe?” Luche asked once he reappeared from the bathroom, still looking like he had cried his eyes out but was at least a little bit better put together.

“Hell fucking yeah I’m in,” Crowe agreed before going and hugging Luche.

“You did so good Luche, so so good, you were perfect with her, you didn’t barrage her with any questions or make her feel guilty or anything, you just provided comfort by just holding her and that’s all she wanted and needed from you.” Crowe revealed as Luche breathed a sigh of relief and hugged her back tightly.

“Now come on, I have a feeling we’re about to make a shopping trip.” Crowe invited with a gleam in her eye. “Beavus, you drive, you have the biggest and nicest car.” Crowe commanded and Ravus chuckled and grabbed his car keys.

Ada had given Crowe permission to tell only their closest friends that she was in the hospital as Selena, Luna and Nyx came, Baxter and flowers in tow since their alibi was that Sylva had called them in to take care of Baxter as did Pashmina, Yasmine and Stella and Ada was so, so happy Baxter was alive and relatively well. So Luche when he, Ravus, Libertus and Crowe returned with goodies and flowers galore were able to blend in with the rest of them. But Cor however kept a suspicious eye on them all, even though he did appreciate their condolences.

“I got you a few things.” Luche muttered as he handed her a tin of her absolute favorite tea. A beautiful turquoise tin from Fortnum and Mason, Irish Breakfast flavor complete with a special tea ball and spoon and a proper set of tea cups and a small teapot and matching set of tea cups and an English style scone and fairy cake, also in her favorite flavors. Luche tried not to smile too smugly when Ada gasped and fawned over them and Crowe happily dumped out the tea she had been sipping on and got fresh hot water from a little electronic tea kettle to make a fresh pot of tea for Ada so she could enjoy it immediately. And Cor tried and failed not to get enraged at the fact that Luche seemed already all to eager to try to get on the best terms possible with Ada. His baby died in less than 24 hours and already this asshole was showing off with going overboard with stuff. God he just wanted to deck him. But Cor had promised Ada he wouldn’t start anything with him. But he was all to eager for Luche to just go ahead and say something even mildly offensive and he would gladly beat his ass. The only comforting thought Cor could come up with is it would take less than two seconds to draw his gun and shoot him in the head and do so fast enough that Luche wouldn’t even have a chance to react. But no, Ada had been traumatized enough. He couldn’t do that to her, not right now….in front of her...probably….not. Plus there were too many witnesses and all her friends were on the edge of hating him and he felt like he could feel their resentment roll off of them in waves.

“And we got you an assortment just in case you wanted to try something different.” Ravus shrugged when he produced a big box that had a nice assortment of even more tins of tea in it.

“Aw, you guys are so sweet, thank you.” Ada graciously thanked them before getting another round of hugs from everyone as Baxter wagged his tail on her lap, Baxter being so happy to see her even though he was bandaged up too before Sylva and Regis appeared as well.

“My goodness, give her room to breathe guys,” Sylva lightly and gently teased when she knocked on the open door.

“Hi Mum,” Ada laughed.

“Oh bless your soul for calling me that Dearest, how are you feeling?” Sylva asked as she put the flowers on the window sill along with all the others and sat down on the bed with her as the other girls scooted away to give her room.

“So sorry to hear about your loss,” Regis offered Cor before he noticed how Cor was barely hanging onto his cool with the room so full of people.

“Why don’t we get some air.” Regis suggested to Cor and Ada nodded her encouragement and permission to Cor who was hesitant but then was all too happy to get up and out of there before he cracked or snapped or both.

“Guys, could you also please give us a moment?” Sylva requested to rest of them before they took the hint and got out of there.

“Oh my that’s a lot of tea,” Sylva noted, breaking the ice before they both blew out a breath.

“It’s overwhelming to have so many visitors isn’t it?” Sylva guessed and Ada huffed a laugh.

“Yeah,” Ada agreed.

“I remember when I had my miscarriages, they were particularly rough and I didn’t want to see anyone but Victor. To see anyone else felt like burning my shortest fuse to turn me into an angry vengeful fireball.” Sylva explained in a joking manner as she made a face and got Ada to laugh.

“But you’re doing really well Sweetie, but remember, it’s ok to tell them to take a hike and just give you some space and some time. You’re healing from a lot of wounds, the deepest ones are always unseen. Please don’t push yourself beyond your limits.” Sylva offered sagely as Ada nodded along.

“Now, I have done everything I can possibly do on my end to make sure your stay here is as pleasant and comfortable as it can be while also being mindful to Cor’s loss too. So besides just your copay from his insurance, you should not be getting any medical bills and if you do, tell me and I’ll take care of those too.” Sylva informed her.

“Oh you didn’t have to Mum,” Ada shook her head and Sylva softly shushed her.

“Oh hush, I wanted to, you’ll have to forgive the boys and Cor, Cor called me last night and I made sure that once you were brought here you’d be taken care of to the best of our ability, and when they all told me the very basic overview as to what happened, I’ve been working all morning to make sure you stay taken care of, plus as CEO, I have codes and protocols that get stuff done immediately. Luna jokingly calls them my ‘God Codes’. So since you’re family, I was only all too happy to use them especially for you. Now don’t feel rushed getting out of here either, it’s a big hospital with plenty of room. You stay as long as you need to ok?” Sylva offered.

“Boys? Does Noctis and Ignis know too?” Ada asked.

“No. Sorry, I meant Ravus and Luche, Luche came to me first thing this morning, only moments after he found out himself, practically came into my office on his hands and knees begging for my intervention, which by that point, I already had and obviously I would never make anyone do that because that’s just ridiculous. Luche didn’t have his own codes yet and Ravus’ codes will fall a bit short for a little while yet. But it got done.” Sylva explained and tried not to grin when Ada’s face softened and she relaxed at hearing that Luche had done that.

“Well, let me give you my number here at the office so you can call my office directly from your room. If you need or want anything, and I mean that, anything at all. Even if you just want to talk or whatever, please do not hesitate to call me.” Sylva invited as she wrote down her number on the dry erase board at the bottom, in large enough print that Ada could easily see it and dial it before getting her own business card out and writing every number she had for herself on it and on the back and handed it to Ada. “Do you want another hug?” Sylva asked when she saw how moved Ada was to all this and Ada nodded and Sylva sat back down and hugged her as tight as she dared and rubbed soothing circles into Ada’s back as Ada broke down and cried again before rocking her the way any mother would and spoke the softest sweetest words of comfort to her.

“How many miscarriages did you have?” Ada asked.

“Three, one before I had Ravus and two after I had Lunafreya before I had my tubes tied. I had the hardest time carrying both of them. Ravus was born at 32 weeks and that was only because I was on strict bed rest in this very hospital for most of the pregnancy, only a few rooms away from this room. Lunafreya only made it to 31 weeks on bed rest, because my body sucks and I had to have C-Sections for both of them because of all the complications. And Lunafreya, she was the surprise because I thought Victor had pulled out and apparently, he didn’t pull out in time. They lived in incubators for the first few months of their lives and were touch and go several times and it was absolute torture. Surprise miscarriages are sometimes worse because then you mourn all the what ifs and you start mourning all the joy and the possibilities you would normally would have felt had you known. But you should know that it’s ok to do all of that, mourn all of it. Don’t push yourself to get over it, your friends will start to move on quicker than you do and you’ll feel left behind and that they all stopped caring about you and please don’t start to believe those feelings, because those feelings that they stopped caring won’t be true. And some of them may say some really well intention-ed but horrible things and you’ll want to scream and rip your hair out and it’s perfectly ok to scream and throw temper tantrums because that’s part of the process. And if you find yourself drawing away from everyone, especially Crowe because she is expecting herself and it may get too painful to have just another reminder of what you almost had yourself and that’s ok. She’ll do her best to understand and she’ll get over it. And sooner than you realize you’re going to wake up and not want to immediately scream and cry and then you’ll have a whole day where you won’t cry. You’ll want to but you won’t and it’ll followed by more days that you do cry, anywhere from a single or a few tears to buckets of tears. And then you’ll have a day where you see a baby and go ‘at least someone else was able to carry them’ and not want to die inside. And then another day you’ll be happy to see a baby or a pregnant woman and not feel jealous or cheated. And maybe, if you want to have more kids someday, you will and then you’ll wake up one day and realize that you’re passed this. And- or- you can go to the end of the spectrum I’m at and try to adopt everyone, every kid you come into contact with. Not that you’re a kid anymore mind you. But anyone in that age group or younger. I know it hurts and please, understand that you’re not alone, and I don’t mean your friends and family. Also keep in mind Cor lost just as much as you did and believe me, he will beat himself up over this for years to come. And he’ll have good days and bad days himself.” Sylva guessed and Ada nodded in confirmation.

“He’ll take longer to process this and come to terms with it. Give him time and patience and the benefit of the doubt. Don’t lose each other in this grief. Try to pull each other through but you both have to put in work, if you find you’re the only one doing the work, you should reevaluate things ok?” Sylva advised gently even though she feared that Cor would lose himself in work and be more determined than ever to hunt Gilgamesh down and wouldn’t stop until he did and he would leave Ada alone in her grief by being preoccupied with his job. She deserved someone who would be present with her. Not distracted, not angry, not vengeful which is what hopefully Luche would be.

“Thanks Mum,” Ada whispered in thanks as she buried her face into Sylva’s chest.

“Have you called your parents yet?” Sylva asked thoughtfully.

“No, I don’t want to worry them, I don’t want them to ask how it happened and I don’t want to keep telling this story over and over again.” Ada pulled away and shook her head.

“Ok, that’s perfectly ok, you don’t have to tell anyone else what has happened either, except perhaps a therapist, which I highly recommend but you don’t have to. Don’t let me push that please.” Sylva requested.

“Actually three of them came earlier, Dr. Gentiana and I forget the other two.” Ada admitted.

“Dr. Gentiana is Lunafreya’s therapist as well as the rest of our family’s therapist, don’t tell anyone I told you that, that’s a HIPPA violation but whatever, anyway, she is absolutely wonderful. She has helped some people through some really... just awful... well to be perfectly frank, some fucked up shit.” Sylva stated plainly that got Ada to snicker a laugh and helped her stop crying. “But she specializes in helping people who have lived through some really traumatic experiences. Women especially. She usually doesn’t take on new patients, but as a favor to me I had her make an exception and if you like her, she’s the one I would recommend the most. In fact she had me stop recommending her because she got flooded with referrals from me.” Sylva explained.

“That’s where I’ve seen her card! In Luna’s wallet!” Ada realized as she had been racking her brain thinking she had seen Dr. Gentiana’s business card before.

“And feel free to ask Lunafreya about her too, I’m sure she’ll say the same things I am.” Sylva suggested.

“So who got you the tea?” Sylva asked as she noticed the tin on her table matched the ones in the box along with the tea set and the electronic teapot.

“Oh Luche got me all this one and a proper scone and a fairy cake, bless his soul, and then Beavus, Lib and Crowe got me the rest.” Ada explained as she pointed and gestured to everything.

“Is this your favorite tea?” Sylva asked as she reached for it and picked it up to look at it thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” Ada confirmed with a nod.

“Like this brand and this flavor?” Sylva asked curiously.

“Mmhm, I’m surprised Luche even remembered. I can’t get Cor to remember that, all he can recall is that I like tea period.” Ada muttered before she dug into her scone and practically moaned when all the flavors hit her taste buds just the way they were supposed to as she enjoyed the perfect texture.

“Well that was incredibly thoughtful of him to remember a detail like that.” Sylva praised. “Can I smell it?” Sylva asked and Ada nodded adamantly before Sylva popped the lid and took a deep breath in.

“OOOOoooooohhhh,” Sylva ‘oohed’ appreciatively. “That smells downright heavenly.” Sylva praised.

“Do you mind if I get a picture of it so I can make sure my house has it for when you come to visit Dearest?” Sylva asked thoughtfully.

“Go for it,” Ada invited and Sylva snapped a picture of it with her phone.

“You know, you’ll learn this when you go to therapy but Luche has either knowingly but I’m guessing unknowingly helped you quite a bit by providing this, this is called ‘Distress Tolerance’. Small joys like this, food, smells, tastes, anything sensory that you find enjoyable, help you endure and tolerate distress.” Sylva revealed as she put it back in place.

“Yeah?” Ada asked, her heart melting a little more.

“Yep,” Sylva confirmed. “Well that’s my Mum talk, thank you for suffering through it as well as you did Dear.” Sylva thanked Ada.

“I needed it, I didn’t realize how much I needed a Mum until you came in.” Ada admitted.

“Oh bless you Sweetheart. And I will happily be your Mum from now on ok? If you want me in Mum mode, good luck trying to get me out of it.” Sylva warned teasingly which got them both to laugh.

“Ok, do you want everyone back in here or just Cor or is there anyone else you really want to see? Do you want more rest?” Sylva asked thoughtfully and rubbed Ada’s arms before taking her hands within her own and holding them gently, rubbing the back of Ada’s hands with her thumbs comfortingly.

“Just Cor, I know he’s overwhelmed right now, he’s not used to all the people.” Ada answered. “I don’t want to be rude but..”

“Hey, don’t worry about that, throw the fear of being rude out the window. You and your recovery come first. I’ll happily go into Mum mode and tell them to take a hike. ‘They can bite my shiny metal ass’.” Sylva quoted Futurama and Ada erupted into laughter.

“Victory is mine!” Sylva said in her best Stewie impression and Ada laughed even harder.

“My kids hate it when I quote their shows, embarrasses the crap out of them, probably why I love to do it so much. The best part is quoting it wrong and watching them die a little on the inside, I won’t lie, gives me life.” Sylva giggled. “Ok Sweetheart, let me get out of your hair,” Sylva suggested before leaning forward and hugging Ada tightly again and kissed her cheek sweetly before she pet Baxter affectionately and got up and took her leave as she mentally made a note to make sure that the room would be equipped to handle Baxter staying with Ada.

“Guys, we should probably call it a day, she’s pretty exhausted in every respect.” Sylva gently but firmly told them before seeing Cor down the hall talking with Regis still.

“Say your goodbyes quickly and quietly. And then get the hell out.” Sylva sarcastically quipped which got them all to snicker a laugh.

“Except you two, I would like to have a word.” Sylva clarified seriously as she pointed her index and middle fingers to Ravus and Luche who were standing side by side before walking towards Cor to offer her own condolences while the rest of them just popped in and said their quick goodbyes.

“Regis and Luna said you used your ‘God Code’?” Cor asked with an amused but appreciative smile.

“Yes, I put them in before we left last night.” Sylva admitted.

“Thank you so much.” Cor graciously thanked her. “I didn’t even realize you could do that.” Cor admitted.

“I hope you don’t mind I slipped into “mum mode” with her since she could use a mother’s comfort for the time being. And I told her about my own multiple experiences with this kind of loss which I think helped quite a bit. Hearing from someone who has already gone through it and come out the other side.” Sylva offered.

“Oh I didn’t...thank you, I don’t know what to say or how to say it and you know me, I’m not..great with words.” Cor admitted lowly as he felt himself grow embarrassed with how fragmented he was being. He hadn’t slept well last night either.

“I’m just gonna hug you.” Sylva tried to warn him before standing up on her tip toes and hugged him tightly and smiled sadly when he hugged her back just as tight. Seeing as how she was kind of a big sister to him or perhaps an aunt.

“Sweetheart, you just lost your baby, a baby you didn’t know you had to loose. It’s hard. I know first hand how hard it is. It’s ok to mourn, you need to mourn, mourn the loss of the life, the loss of the joy you normally would have felt in finding out she was expecting and mourning how your lives are and could have been forever changed and mourning the ‘what if’s’ too. Don’t ever think you’re being weak by mourning and going through all the stages of grief at your pace, not anyone else’s. Just take care of yourself and take care of Ada. Don’t let the doctors or nurses rush you out of here, when you and Ada are ready to go home, you’ll know and she’ll tell you and I’ll make sure Baxter can stay here with her and don’t worry, I’ll get food and dishes and things delivered shortly. Hopefully. But don’t rush yourselves either. Be patient and be kind to each other, and be understanding, that’s all you should do. And please know that you’re not alone, I know that’s all you want to be is alone and her friends aren’t leaving her but her friends are her family right now Cor, and for better or worse you need to be her friend and her family. Make sure she doesn’t feel alone and don’t get quiet because you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. Make your presence known and felt. Stay with her mentally, not just physically. Very few things are worse than being with someone knowing their head is a million miles away.” Sylva cautioned gently even though she knew Cor would completely ignore all of this but it was important that Regis witness her giving that advice as she rubbed soothing circles into his back too and Cor nodded his agreement and understanding at that.

“Will do,” Cor croaked as he fought to keep himself from crying before looking past her to see Ravus and Luche hanging out down the hall but further away from the room.

“Who’s left down there?” Sylva asked.

“Just Beavus and Knucklehead.” Cor chuckled.

“Well I asked them to stay behind because we have work to do, I’ll take them with me when I go.” Sylva explained as she let go of him and returned to standing on her own feet. “And don’t read too much into well intention-ed gifts, they’re meant as ‘Distress Tolerance’ which is a form of therapy that you’ll learn about hopefully when you go and get some because both of you could use it.” Sylva reminded him. “Just ask him or Lunafreya, Ravus won’t want to talk about it, he never does.” Sylva gestured to Regis. “Also, I put my direct phone line number in Ada’s room, both of you are free to use it, if you want or need anything, anything at all, it’ll ring my office directly and she has a card with every phone number I have, I suggest putting all numbers into your phones and don’t hesitate to call ok? We’re here for you. As much as you want us to be.” Sylva reminded him sweetly.

“Thank you,” Cor thanked her again.

“You’re welcome, take it easy the rest of the day and the rest of the week, tell anyone else who wants to come and visit, to either send a text or wait until you’re up to having more visitors and to ultimately, take a hike.” Sylva advised with a grin.

“Will do, now go take a hike.” Cor teased and Sylva barked a laugh.

“Ha! Ok, I’m going I’m going.” Sylva laughed. “I’ll see you at home soon Dearest.” Sylva bid to Regis before turning and walking away and nodding to Luche and Ravus to follow her before they obediently took that cue and followed behind her and turned and went to the elevators.

“You know, I used to think she was bossy, now I just understand, she’s just The Boss.” Cor muttered under his breath to Regis who was smiling so proudly at his wife’s back.

“Yeah, it’s a tough job and she’s tougher than the job so it works out.” Regis shrugged before giving his friend one last hug before he promised to keep in touch and offered to help every way he could and offered to go to Cor’s house to get him some clothes to change into so Cor could get a shower and Cor immediately gave Regis his house keys to do just that and Regis promised to be back as soon as he could.

Meanwhile in the elevator.

“Luche, does the term ‘Distress Tolerance’ mean anything to you yet? Did you look at those books I gave you?” Sylva asked while she kept her back to her boys but could see in the reflection how Ravus and Luche looked a little worriedly at each other.

“No...not really.” Luche honestly admitted.

“Huh, well Distress Tolerance is when you are going through something that you find distressing and you distract yourself from said distress via sensory engaging distractions, like eating or drinking for example, either you should provide this for yourself or someone could provide this for you.” Sylva listed off casually.

“Like say for instance, your favorite tea, a tea set and a proper English scone.” Sylva gave an example and finally gave Luche a grin over her shoulder before the elevator dinged and the doors opened to the floor where their offices were.

“Right about now though, you should get those dogs.” Sylva urged them before Ravus and Luche looked at each other and nodded in agreement before Ravus took Luche with him to the dog breeder in question.

“Can I help you?” The woman answered as she came to the door.

“Hi, my name is Ravus Nox Fleuret and this is…” Ravus began to introduce. “Oh you must be Luche Lazarus!” She realized with a bright smile as she opened the door fully.

“My name is Zara Kisska, I’ve been expecting you all week. Sylva said you’d be by this morning.” She said as she shook their hands then invited them into the house before she led them through to the back yard where a group of dogs were playing.  

“Kona! Kahlua!” Zara called before two brendle cane corsos came bounding up happily as the other dogs stopped and looked up and stared curiously at them before they walked over to them too.

“Sit,” she commanded and they all sat down immediately before she had Luche and Ravus meet them as Luche just fell in love with Kona and Kahlua as did Ravus. “Now Kona is a male and Kahlua is a female and both of them have been spayed and neutered and all of them have all their shots…” Zara began to explain as she told Luche more about the dogs as the others smelled them curiously too.

“You wouldn’t by any chance have a…” Ravus began before Zara smiled smugly.

“This is Sasha.” Zara introduced as the silver gray cane corso licked his hands. “Your Mom said you might want one too and requested I keep Sasha back for you.” Zara grinned as Ravus fell in love with Sasha as Sasha fell in love with him too.

“Obviously they’re all great with other dogs, great with other animals, I have three cats and a few parakeets and they’re all great with them. You’ll want to feed them a really, really good dog food…” She continued as she showed them what she fed the dogs and made suggestions about toys and treats and how much time to spend with them and to obviously socialize them with their friends and their pets and what their personalities were like and what she had been training them with and what commands she used and what tone of voice she used when she did it and demonstrated those commands for them before she asked for 5k per dog since they were all show quality dogs and had pedigrees and papers and extra obedience training which Ravus and Luche gladly paid and got their papers and their vet records before Luche and Ravus got their leashes and walked away with their new dogs and had them get in the back of Ravus’ car before he drove them to the pet store to get everything they would need for the dogs before driving Luche back to the hospital so he could get his car and take his own new dogs and all their stuff home. He spent the rest of the night getting them settled in his house and made sure they knew where to go potty at and where their food was at and that they felt right at home as Ravus did the same to Sasha as Selena fell in love with Sasha too from their apartment right next door.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Fic: Nocturne (16/30) - Ao3 Link

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Pairings: Mostly Gen (variety later to come)

Summary: In which Cor Leonis loses his temper, accidentally acquires a kid, and tries to single-handedly dismantle the Lucian immigration system – and that’s before he and his lawyers find out about this Prophecy business. If the Astrals think Cor’s going to let his kid’s best friend die without a fight, they’ve gotten the wrong cheetah ‘taur.

(a young adult novel set in @kickingshoes’ ‘taur AU)

—————————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————————

Cyrella's driving with the kids today, Luna in the front seat and Noctis and Ignis in the back since neither Gladio nor Prompto were feeling well enough to make the trip. Personally, Cyrella's glad for it: fewer kids means fewer targets to keep watch over, in her mind.

Poor little Ignis, though - he's an old ‘taur in a child's body, that one, and he's been distressed ever since the doctors decided against letting the other two kids come.

Maybe it's just that Gladio's not coming.

Cyrella might not be the romantic that her husband is, or that her son is turning into, but she's not blind to the adorable elementary school crush her son has on Ignis Scientia, or the rather bemusedly oblivious-to-his-own-feelings one that Ignis has back on Gladio.

She hopes that baby Iris will take more after her own no-nonsense sort of approach to romance. Look at her and Clarus, after all: they met in a bar fight, she put him in his place and convinced him to swap to her side of the fight, and then she observed both that their fighting styles were fantastically compatible and that he possessed a very attractive set of shoulders and an equally stunning set of hindquarters, and, with that settled, she decided she'd marry him one day.

Oh, sure, he insisted on mailing her cactus flowers and roses for months with notes about how the combination of prickly spines and beautiful petals reminded him of her, which she found very charming, yes, but the decision was entirely practical.

At least Gladio and Ignis are a little less tooth-rottingly sweet than little Noctis and Prompto, who hold hands everywhere and proclaim at a moment's notice that they're going to get married themselves. Aulea is already entertaining herself by planning the ceremony.

Of course, the second Cyrella gets the children all seated, the stupid car starts making a disturbing clicking noise the second she turns it on.

Annoying, yes, but it doesn't seem to be impeding the engine from turning on, and that's most of what Cyrella cares about.

She starts backing out of the garage, but doesn't get more than a few seconds of driving in before she's interrupted.

"Oh! Hold up! Stop the car!" Luna exclaims. "Turn it off again; I know what's wrong!"

And up and back out of the car she goes, popping open the trunk and fiddling around in there for a moment before she ducks under the car entirely.

"Something you learned from Cindy?" Cyrella asks dryly, resigning herself to an existence surrounded by adorable childhood romances and at least one lesbian love triangle.

At least her life isn't boring.

"Yes," Luna says, emerging from underneath the car. She's a bit greasy now, but luckily she's wearing one of Scientia's old college jumpers over her pretty frock and the stains are not drastic enough for Cyrella to feel like she needs to make her go change. A bit of grease and dirt is good for someone of Luna's age, anyway.

Cyrella does note that Luna keeps exchanging meaningful glances with Ignis instead of blushing and spluttering the way she usually does whenever Cindy is brought up. "I've fixed it as best as I can for now," she says. "The way the engine was going originally, with that sound, the car would've broken down halfway to Hammerhead. As it is, we should make it to Hammerhead, no problem, but after that I'm not sure..."

"I'm sure we can swap out cars there," Cyrella says dismissively. Cid always keeps a few extra cars in the back; she'll take one of those. Cid will agree. Cid usually agrees when she asks him for things, even if he usually mutters something about marrying giants and swords longer than he is tall. Whatever; it's not her fault that he's short. "Say, have you heard from that Galahdian girl, Crowe, recently?"

Ah, there's the spluttering she expected.

Cyrella finally gets the car out of the garage and drives happily onwards, smiling as Ignis and Noctis take up the banner of teasing, and thinks to herself that just maybe, her husband has a point with how amusing these childhood romances are.

Libertus kind of wishes Nyx and Hemera were here.

Don't get him wrong – he's glad to get a chance to do some work outside the shadow of the Hero Twins! He loves them like his own blood, he does, as much as he loves that Crowe kid he's all but adopted and been adopted in turn by her parents, but damn if it don't sometimes get old with them all but cartwheeling into combat and coming out smelling like roses having saved another half-dozen lives or whatnot. Not to mention all the crazy shit they lead him into if he's not watching himself carefully – all good, useful missions in the end, but also generally crazier than coeurl gone cuckoo, by and large.

So he's not necessarily upset about getting a mission of his own, y'know?

It's just – maybe not this mission.

There's the kids, for one thing – Prince Noctis, who's going to save the world, and little Iggy, who saved Libertus' own furry hindquarters and can't stop calling him Li-bear-tus no matter how serious the situation and who's ten times smarter than Libertus is ever gonna be – and Libertus just plain old isn't great with kids. He swears too much, which at least has the benefit of making them laugh even if he's pretty sure Mrs. Amicitia is going to murder him and leave his body in a ditch somewhere if he doesn't stop. He can't help it - he just gets really nervous because he doesn't know how to deal with them. Whenever there are kids, Libertus strongly prefers having people around him who actually know what they're doing.

Which he guesses he has. After all, there’s the Marshal and the Shield and the Shield's wife who probably ought to be called the Sword based on the big-ass greatsword she usually has strapped to her back; they all have kids, so clearly they’ve got to be half-decent at keeping an eye on them. It's not even his job to be watching the kids! It just makes him nervous, having them around; that's all.

There’s the fact that they’re (secretly) on a mission to go find Ramuh and demand that he cooperate in some sort of Covenant which he may or may not be into, and Libertus might not be the most religiously observant guy on Eos but he still feels like that’s a bad idea – and if he didn’t, the storm would’ve made him think twice.

Oh yes.

And then there's the storm.

Now, Libertus is Galahdian, born and bred, so don't get him wrong, he's not afraid of no storm. Compared to the yearly hurricanes he's used to, especially the big ones like old Gordo that hit the year he was born and every ten years since, this endless rain and lightning and thunder is nothing.

Sure, he's never been knee-deep in muck and mud quite like this, with the sky blacked out and no ocean anywhere in sight and daemons capable of coming from all around in every direction, right in the middle of a big giant looming forest that somehow feels so much bigger and older and more menacing than the jungles of Galahd. He's never had to hear the howling of wild creatures coming from every direction, so loud that it's actually competing with the sound of the wind. He's never had to drive down paved streets so slick with water that it's like they're considering becoming rivers because there's no ocean for the water to drain away into.

He's used to seeing lightning coming in from the ocean horizon right before it rolls in and hits you, giving you at least a few seconds warning to go find shelter; he's never willingly gone out right in the center of a storm the way he's doing right now, walking into a bunch of flammable trees like an absolute moron, with the rain coming down so hard it leaves bruises the whole time.

He's also never had to try to mount a goddamn Chocobo that don't want no bear on its back just as much as Libertus don't want to be on it, since apparently they're traveling into the center of the forest by Chocobo whether they like it or not.

He's very firmly in the 'not' camp, himself.

"Do you require assistance, Li-bear-tus?" a very familiar voice asks.

Sure enough, it's little Iggy the egghead, and unlike Libertus, he's sitting just fine on his Chocobo, all curled up and dignified just like in the instruction manuals.

"I'm fine," Libertus grunts, then reconsiders. He likes Iggy plenty; he might be a kid, but he's one smart cookie. "Actually, no. I can't get my balance on this damn bird."

"Well, you're a bear," Iggy says. "You have a good center of balance, unlike some of us – you don't need to try to sit side-saddle. I would suggest trying to settle straight down on the saddle, lying on your belly the way you would for a motorcycle, with your legs hanging down on either side."

Libertus tries it, and sure enough it works a lot better than the elegant sprawl all the cats are doing. "Thanks, kid."

"My pleasure," Iggy says. "You'll be one of the ones helping guard us, right?"

"I'm actually just assigned to be look-out," Libertus explains. "I'm bringing up the back, just off on the right wing –"

"That's fine," Iggy says brightly. "We'll ride over and find you once we get going; that'll be far more interesting than listening to the adults complain about visibility."

"What? No, wait, you don't –"

"Oh, I know we don't have to. We want to. See you later!"

Iggy clicks his hooves and somehow that works to get his Chocobo moving, and Libertus can't figure out the equivalent fast enough to catch up with the kid long enough to explain that they're supposed to be in the center of the pack for their own protection, damnit.

"Oh, Lord of the Storm," Libertus moans, rubbing his eyes. This is a disaster – they're going to come find him right on the edge of the group, and then they'll refuse to leave, and then they're all going to get attacked by daemons, and die, and it'll all be Libertus' fault...he’s gotta do something to stop this. "Hey, Pelna!"

Pelna, a canidaetaur refugee from Niflheim and brand-new Kingsglaive member who somehow manages to be even younger than Nyx and Hemera and twice as cocky, which up until he'd arrived Libertus had thought would be impossible, turns to blink at him. Or maybe he's blinking the rain out of his eyes. Whatever, either way, he's listening.

"Can we swap positions?" Libertus asks urgently. "You're leading the right flank, yeah? Advance position? The storm's got all this muck up, and one look-out post's as good as another, innit?"

"Except for the part where the front lead is expected to see fighting and the back isn't," Pelna points out with a slight grin, but then he shrugs. They've all had plenty of opportunities to get in the thick of it for fighting recently. "Any reason for wanting the swap?"

"Looks like the route's going to take us around the lake – swamp – body of water, whatever – and the only thing worse than wading next to a pond in a storm is being the heaviest guy around wading after everyone's had a chance to rip up the earth with their paws to make it easier for you to sink." This is true, even if Libertus had already mostly resigned himself to it.

He can't tell Pelna that he's trying to get away from some kids because he gets itchy when he has too much responsibility over anyone under the age of reason. That would just be embarrassing.

Pelna sniggers. "Yeah, good point. I don't mind swapping this time, if next time you let me swap with you when I want the better position. Should we clear it with the Captain?"

"Why?" Libertus asks with a shrug. "You know he doesn't care who does what as long as everyone knows where they are and what they're doing at crunch time; that's why we're all trained as all-around fighters. And you know how he's always going on and on about how they don't give us enough Kingsglaive to make allowances for personal comfort..."

"You mean right after he's complained that we don't get treated as good as the mostly Insomnia-born Crownsguard, and right before he starts implying that they think we're expendable and disposable pieces that can be swapped out at will?" Pelna jokes. He's been in the Glaive long enough to be familiar with their Captain's occasional diatribe. "Sure, I know. He usually throws in a few compliments about how flexible and multipurpose we are in there, too – but, you know, he doesn't like it when you swap once something's already started..."

"Would you really consider us to have 'started'?" Libertus asks, looking around him pointedly. Everyone's still struggling with their Chocobos or their clothing or their bags or something. Nobody’s exactly what anyone would call battle-ready.

Pelna laughs again. "Yeah, point. Sure. See you on the other side."

Then he, too, clicks his Chocobo into motion and is off like the wind. Damn, Libertus really needs to figure out how to get his own bird moving like that.

Maybe not exactly like that. A slower version would be much more his speed.

Well, at least he can comfort himself with the knowledge that he's avoided the problem of lagging behind and losing the kitlings.

"How," he says flatly two hours later, two adorable children beaming up at him from atop their Chocobos and under their little ponchos, umbrellas having been rendered useless by the wind. "I'm not even..."

"We checked there first," Iggy says, wincing a little as a giant roll of thunder comes in. "And Pelna said you'd be here, so we came here."

"I don't think you should be this far forward," Libertus protests. "At least at the old position, you were lagging behind, but this is out front – it could be dangerous –"

Thunder rumbles again.

"It's fine," Noctis says soothingly. "We asked the Marshal, and he said sure."

"Does he even know where I'm located – wait. The Marshal is Crownsguard. He doesn't even have authority over my position! That's why Captain Drautos came along, so he could supervise everything personally!"

"Yes, but Cor is the one ultimately in charge of guarding us," Noctis says, clearly unconcerned. "And he said we should go up front."

Another flash of lightning, and more thunder almost immediately. They're near the center of the storm, now.

Libertus frowns. That doesn't sound right - the Marshal is a terrifying figure who is highly unorthodox, but even he's not so unorthodox as to send the kids he's suppose to protect to the front line.

Unless...

"Did he send you to come to visit me?" he asks slowly, something niggling at the back of his mind. The Marshal is as famous for his bursts of intuition as he is for his battle strategy. "Or did he say go to the front?"

"No, he just said 'go to the front'," Iggy says, but he's starting to frown as well, seeing Libertus frown. "Why?"

Thunder again –

No.

Libertus is Galahd-born.

He knows thunder: he was born in the storm. The sound of thunder lulled him to sleep as a kit.

That?

That is not thunder.

That's the sound of a bomb.

"We're under attack!" Libertus roars, his voice barely audible over the heightened storm, but strong enough to make it through to the next few bedraggled-looking Kingsglaive, whose heads rise up in alarm as they turn in the direction he's pointing – back towards the main convoy, an attack from behind where they hadn't been expecting one.

Shit, that's not far from Libertus' old position – Pelna's there! He needs to get there –

No. He needs to protect the kids.

"You need to get away from the fighting," Libertus tells the kids, who suddenly look scared and far, far too young. He leaps off of his Chocobo and lets it run free, then turns to help the kids off of their own before the Chocobos can start panicking and running off with them, though their Chocobos end up standing there placidly and pecking at the nearby trees. Maybe he really did get the nerviest one of the whole bunch like he'd been suspecting. "At least you're in the front, not the back where the fighting's happening –"

They were in the back, though, before. They'd gone over to the back to hang out with Libertus and they only came up here to the front because – oh, thank Leviathan's many-ridged fins that he swapped with Pelna at the last minute, or else the kids would be in the center of the fighting right now.

"Wasn't that where you were supposed to be?" Noctis asks, eyes wide.

Libertus is about to agree, assuming that Noctis is expressing relief that they're not there and Libertus isn't there and therefore relatively safe, as these things go, when Ignis speaks, his eyes equally wide but his face far more despairing.

"Someone knew," he says with horror.

"What?" Libertus asks, attention pulled away from the battle – unwise, he knows – by the tone in Iggy's voice.

"You're the only grown-up here that we'd want to hang out with, other than Gladio's Mom and Dad and Cor and they were being boring," Iggy says woodenly. "You're the obvious choice for us to go spend time with. Someone figured out where you'd be, and knew that we'd probably come to see you. And then they set up the attack so that it'd come to where you were supposed to be..."

"You're being paranoid," Libertus says, but his heart isn't in it. It's certainly possible – if the Niffs figured out a way to spy on them, if there's a traitor - it's not like his friendship-by-proxy with the kitlings isn't pretty well known, a subject for plenty of teasing in the Kingsglaive – it's possible –

Well, it doesn’t matter. Figuring out what happened and how is way above Libertus' paygrade. Right now, his job is straightforward: normally, he’d go into battle to support his friends in the Kingsglaive, but that’s clearly the wrong thing to do now. He needs to stay with Noctis and Iggy. Protecting them is the highest priority –

Libertus sees the shine of metal in the middle of the field shining bright as it reflected the next crack of lightning.

Glauca!

Oh shit.

Shit, shit, shit. General Glauca himself here in person, despite the fact that he knows that Cor is here – that means they must know about them, somehow; that means the Niffs are clearly here to get the kids – and if they do have a spy, then they’ll know the kids are with him, and it won’t take long for them to figure out that he swapped with Pelna – and then –

"They think you'll be next to me," Libertus suddenly says. "That's what you think, Iggy?"

"I'm sure of it," Iggy says.

Iggy's smarter than Libertus will ever be, for all that he's so much younger. Libertus is going to have to trust him on this.

“Okay,” he says, looking at the kids. “They think you’ll be next to me. So I’m going to go west, to the outskirt of the forest, and I’m gonna take your Chocobos –” Thank Ramuh’s feathery ass, they picked ones with distinctive colors. “– so that they think you’re with me and come my way, after me instead of after you, okay?”

They both look at him, wide-eyed.

“That means you’re going to be on your own,” Libertus says. He doesn’t like the idea, leaving kids on their own like this, but if he can keep Glauca distracted and far away from the kids, even for a little bit longer while someone manages to get out a call for back-up from the reserve units that were trailing behind them, it’ll be worth it. Glauca is a monster – he wouldn’t hesitate in attacking children, not for a minute. Their only hope will be to keep ahead of him. “You go into the forest, and go to the ground – or into a tree, whatever – just keep away, okay? Keep away from everyone, except for the Shield or his wife and the Marshal, okay?”

If there's a spy, then those are the only people he knows for sure must be safe; they've been friends with the King for years.

The kids both nod.

They're so brave.

“Good luck,” Libertus says, grabbing the reins of the two kids’ Chocobos – he doesn’t care about his own, but it's come back through the brush and seems inclined to follow him anyway. Whatever, that'll help with the illusion, and the low visibility due to the storm will only make it harder for anyone to know the truth. “See you on the other side.”

And off he goes.

Ignis and Noctis stumble through the dark forest, the storm above their heads, the leaves barely blocking them from the pouring rain.

“We should find somewhere to stop,” Ignis says through chattering teeth. He bundled up well for this trip, but the combination of fear and increasing wetness is not conductive to a nice, warm, happy child. Not to mention the fact that his glasses are covered in raindrops, which he hates. “Noct, do you think…?”

He trails off. Noctis is definitely moving in a particular direction, whereas Ignis was under the impression that they were simply moving away. Ignis hurries to catch up.

“Where are we going?” he asks.

“The right way,” Noctis says, his eyes fixed in the distance. “Can’t you hear him?”

“Who?”

Noctis points.

Ignis looks, squinting.

“Is that - Umbra?” he yelps. Why would one of the Oracle's Messengers be here? He thought they'd remained back in Insomnia. “What – is Luna around?”

“No, she’s back with the others,” Noctis says. “She tried to summon Ramuh for us when the fighting started, but Umbra says that she says there wasn't any need: with the storm, he already knows we’re here. But it’s okay; Umbra knows the way and we should follow him.”

“The way to what?”

“The runestone,” Noctis says.

“And what,” Ignis says, maybe a little testily, “in the name of Ramuh’s pinfeathers are runestones, exactly?!”

Noctis actually stops moving for a second. “Uh,” he says. “I – I’m not actually sure.”

Ignis crosses his arms and scowls at his friend.

"What?" Noctis says defensively. "Umbra's a Messenger. We can listen to him!"

"The fact that someone – even an adult, or a Messenger, or anything – says something, doesn't mean you have to listen to them, Noct!" Ignis exclaims. "You're the Prince! Plenty of people will try to tell you things, and it's up to you to figure out what you think about what they're saying. You're eight already. Hasn't school taught you anything? Look before you leap!"

Noctis looks appropriately abashed. "That's a good point," he says. He reaches out and takes Ignis' hand in his. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Iggy."

Ignis sniffs, somewhat appeased. "Probably be rude to everyone you meet, most likely."

"You and your etiquette," Noctis teases, but then looks after Umbra's waiting form. "I do think we should follow Umbra now, though."

"All right," Ignis says. "I'm wasn’t saying we shouldn't. I just wanted you to think first, that's all."

Noctis smiles. "I've thought about it, I've thought about it. Let's go already." He tugs gently on Ignis' hand.

And so they go deeper into the forest, following Umbra's swiftly receding form. Ignis' hooves sink unpleasantly into the increasingly muddy ground, and Noctis' paws are only a little better for this sort of mucky travelling, but they force themselves to continue even as the trees get bigger and bigger and the storm darker and darker, the flashes of lightning and ensuing thunder more and more constant.

"Aren't storms supposed to move on or something?" Noctis grumbles as they reach a clearing.

Ignis tugs on his hand sharply, his eyes fixed elsewhere.

Noctis looks at him.

"Look around you," Ignis says. "And up."

Noctis looks.

Ignis sees the confusion on his face, and he also sees the moment that Noctis sees them in the trees.

Birds.

Corvids of every sort, ravens and crows and more, crowding every branch, black feathers and beady black eyes fixed right on where Noctis and Ignis are standing.

The Eyes of Ramuh.

The Wings of Ramuh.

"Now," Ignis murmurs, noticing that Umbra has disappeared entirely, "is the time for etiquette."

Noctis gives the slightest hint of a nod, and steps forward. "Greetings," he says to them as formally as he can. "My name is Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prince of Lucis and Chosen of the Prophecy of Bahamut, and I'm looking for the runestone of Ramuh so that I can obtain his blessing and complete a Covenant with him – and the Prophecy may be completed. Would you please show me the way?"

One of the ravens hops out of his tree and flies silently to the ground before them. It lowers its head, wings spread, almost like a bow – both Ignis and Noctis automatically bow back – and then turns and hops off further into the forest.

They follow.

Ignis glances behind them as they go up a hill and sees a flash of silver metal.

Silver metal, moving – General Glauca!

He squeezes Noctis' hand. "We're being followed," he murmurs. "We need to go faster."

Noctis nods and they speed up, the raven leading them moving faster as well. It seems to be moderating its speed to theirs.

Still, they're just kids, with short legs and the tendency to tire quickly, and they end up slowing down again because that's better than running and having to stop to rest. Still, knowing that General Glauca is chasing them is pretty good incentive to keep going.

And then just when Ignis is sure that they'll have to stop and rest, no matter what, they reach another small clearing, this time against a cliff face, and at the end of the clearing there is the weirdest rock Ignis has ever seen.

Ramuh's temples are trees struck by lightning; everyone knows that. This is a rock in the shape of a tree, tendrils reaching upwards, and it's glowing faintly.

"I think this is the runestone," Noctis says. "Carved by lightning strikes."

Ignis nods. He means to let go of Noctis' hand, to let his Prince go ahead alone to his destiny, but Noctis clings on tighter and shoots him a beseeching look, and Ignis just can't let him go by himself.

So they move forward together, clinging to each other.

They're almost at the tree when someone calls out Noctis' name.

They turn, and it's Captain Drautos, still some distance away from them, panting a little like he's been running after them. "Prince Noctis," he repeats. "There you are – I've been looking for you! You have to come with me. The Niflheim forces are too strong, too many. We have no choice but to retreat."

"But if we retreat, we won't have another chance until next year!" Noctis exclaims.

"Your parents would rather wait a year if it means that you'll be alive," Drautos says, and steps forward into the clearing, the silvery spots on his hyena hindquarters shining wetly in the rain. "Come with me, Prince Noctis. I'll see you home safe."

Ignis takes a half-step towards him, but Noctis doesn't, and Ignis looks back at his friend, whose expression has gone set with determination. Ignis takes back the half-step, moving back to stand at Noctis' side.

"Thank you, Captain Drautos," Noctis says, his voice clear and strong. He's made his decision, Ignis can tell; he’s not just blindly listening to what people tell him to do, just like Ignis advised him. Ignis feels a surge of pride: Noctis is going to be a great king, one day. "But I'm going to call on the runestone first."

And he turns and reaches out a hand to the rock-tree, both his hand and the tree glowing, even as Drautos exclaims something rendered inaudible by a sudden crash of thunder.

And then the birds start screeching.

Ignis steps closer to Noctis automatically, his eyes going wide as the birds leap from the trees into the air – dozens of them, hundreds of them, thousands of them – and suddenly the storm-darkened sky is even darker with all of those black-winged bodies, so close together that they're indistinguishable from each other.

It takes a second for Ignis' eyes to adjust scale: it's only when Ramuh – because it is Ramuh, the Fulgarian himself, the 'taur whose body is made of the Stymphalian Birds, all of those birds coming together to metamorphose into a single figure: his mighty torso, swathed with robes, his long beard and sharp black eyes, his gigantic staff – starts to reach his hand down to them that Ignis suddenly sees him there.

The rock-tree has stopped glowing, as has Noctis; Noctis is staring up at the Astral and clinging to Ignis, and that's probably why Ramuh scoops them both up in his surprisingly firm and corporeal fist, lifting them up into the sky.

Ignis, looking down, can see Drautos staring up at them in shock for a long moment before running back towards the fighting, the quickly scattering MTs and a small group of Kingsglaive that were congregating in the area near the clearing, both heading in the direction that Ignis and Noctis had previously been - the two groups aren't fighting, so they must not have seen each other yet in the dark forest - and then Ramuh lifts up his staff with his other hand and throws it like a spear down at the runestone.

It strikes like a bolt of lightning.

The flash is so bright, Ignis has to slap his hands over his eyes, right over his glasses, and by the time it finally fades and he can see again, they're not above the battlefield. They're somewhere totally different. No, that's not quite right, they're still hovering in the sky above a lot of marshy wetlands and dark forests, they're still under the same giant storm as before, so they couldn't have gone too far, but at the same time Ignis doesn't see any of their forces anywhere - no Kingsglaive, no Crownsguard, not even any MTs.

Ramuh puts them down in front of a cave.

"Thank you!" Noctis shouts up at the Astral as he straightens up again, but Ramuh doesn't respond – he just dissolves back into those thousands and thousands of birds that all start flying off in different directions.

"What do we do now?" Ignis asks. "Into the cave?"

"Yeah," Noctis says. "I think – I think there might be something in there that I'm supposed to see."

[emeraldwaves]

Title:  Undercover Emotions Chapter 1 Pairing:  Promptio, Highspecs Rating: E Word Count:  4,127 Read on Ao3 Summary: Rookie cop Prompto Argentum gets sent undercover with veteran Aranea Highwind in hopes of taking down the Caelums, longtime leaders of organized crime in Insomnia. After being assigned to assist Gladiolus Amicitia and Ignis Scientia, the pair dive deeper into the criminal underworld and find themselves caught up in a variety of shady dealings. However, when Prompto starts to learn who Gladiolus really is, his loyalties begin to shift in a direction he never expected.

Full fic under the cut! thanks to @its-love-u-asshole for betaing this!

"Argentum!" Captain Cor Leonis' voice echoed through the entire precinct's office, and Prompto practically fell out of his chair, wincing at the sound pounding against his ear drums.

"Uh oh shortcake, looks like you're in trouble. Again." Aranea Highwind giggled devilishly into her palm.

"Wonder what y'all did this time," Cindy Aurum snorted. "You’re always making Cor angry, hun."

"You know, maybe this time he's not angry! Maybe he's calling me into the office to praise me for doing such a great job on my last case," he smirked, looking rather proud of himself.

"ARGENTUM! MY OFFICE. NOW." Cor's deep voice repeated, showing no signs of happiness or pride. Prompto winced again, and shrunk his head towards his shoulder, making him look like a turtle trying to hide in its very tiny shell.

"Oh. Yeah. That definitely sounds like praise!" Aranea snorted. "Good luck, kid." She winked as he walked by her desk and made his way slowly to the Captain's office.

Cor was a good Captain, if not a little standoffish, but Prompto liked to think the man had a soft spot for him… when he wasn't yelling at him for a whole variety of things. Prompto was the newest member of Cor's team, and needless to say, he was still working out some of the odds and ends that went along with officially being a detective. This also meant there had been quite a few screw ups on Prompto's personal record.

"Cap'n Cor!" Prompto greeted, shooting a few finger guns at the serious looking man. "What's happenin'?!" he chuckled.

Cor, however, didn't laugh once. "Sit down and shut the door."

"Eheh… yes, sir," Prompto sighed, his shoulder's slouching as he flopped down into a chair directly opposite of Cor.

The man sighed, keeping his arms folded. "What the hell is this?" he asked, dropping a folder further up his desk so it was directly in front of Prompto.

Adjusting his glasses, Prompto peered forward, leaning over. "A… case file, sir?" he questioned. He knew it was probably a case file that didn't look good for him, but he didn't wanna bring that up if the Captain was going to focus on something else.

"This is the 5th one this month that has come across my desk documenting accidents from Officer Prompto Argentum. This one says you ruined not one, but two police cars? Care to explain how that happened?" Cor asked.

"I think you're missing the big picture here, Captain," Prompto began to explain, adjusting the glasses on his face.

Cor's face stayed deadpan.

"It's not about the cars, it's about the result!" he smiled, opening the file to point to the bottom. "See? ‘Culprit apprehended’!" he smirked, trying to keep what little pride he had left.

"Yes. But you've cost hundreds of dollars in police property damage and this isn't the first time this month! On top of that, you've almost let three felons escape, blown you and Cindy's cover accidentally, and there was the time you left your gun out carelessly on your desk. You're a newbie cop, and this isn't boding well for your personal record."

"I get that… but I'm also getting the baddies!"

Cor rubbed his forehead as he leaned back in the chair. "Yes, but it would be nice if you could handle yourself with a bit more poise. You have potential, Argentum. But I can't keep telling the heads of the department my newbie cop is screwing things up again."

"So… tell them Aranea did it!" he laughed, and Cor stared at him blankly, his face creepily stoic. "Okay, okay it was just a joke..." he mumbled.

Cor leaned forward and folded his hands together. "You're a good cop, Argentum. There's a reason I picked you for my team."

"Eh? You picked me?" he said, pointing to himself, and Cor sighed, as though he'd revealed information he would definitely regret later.

"Anyway, I want to send you on a higher profile case." Prompto's eyes immediately lit up. Here he thought he was going to be in trouble, maybe even kicked off the team, but instead Cor wanted to give him a higher profile case? Oh, he was definitely on board with this!

"I believe you'd be a good fit for this case, if you can keep yourself under control. It would be a good chance to prove yourself. I am setting you up to work with Highwind on this case, as it really requires two people. I trust her to keep you in check, but there will be moments when you are alone. I hope you won't make any mistakes on this one. If you do, you will be suspended from the team."

"Eh?! What?! Suspended!?" Prompto exclaimed, as though those were the only words he had heard.

"You heard me," Cor said.

"But you said I was a good cop!" Prompto whined, leaning back in his seat.

"You are. But you're not worth the amount of money you're costing the department. On top of that," Cor said, leaning forward once more. "Blowing your cover on this one… I say you'd be suspended, but if you’re found out, you'll be lucky to leave with your life."

Prompto blinked. "What?" What could be so intense he would possibly not be able to leave with his life? The notion was admittedly terrifying, but Prompto would've been lying if he said he wasn't at least a little bit intrigued.

He'd become a cop to protect people, to protect the innocent and save lives. He knew what it was like to be weak, to feel tiny among people who didn't care for others and wanted nothing more than to knock people around. He never wanted to go back to that place again, and he never wanted anyone else to experience the horrors he had as a child, so he'd trained hard and worked to pass the police exam for years.

When Cor had picked him for his team, Prompto had been beyond honored, knowing the man was practically a living legend in the police world. The Captain had more arrests than anyone else in the Insomnia Police Department. Cor had apparently seen something in Prompto, still did, and Prompto really didn't want to let him down this time.

It wasn't like Prompto meant to screw up. Sometimes it just happened!

"I was going to wait and discuss this with you both after tomorrow's morning debriefing but now seems like as good a time as any." He stood up, swinging the door open to call Aranea in. "Highwind, you get in here too," he said, returning to his seat.

It took Aranea no time to walk from her desk to Cor's office, and she sighed, looking down at Prompto. "What did I do that could possibly be on par with him?"

"Hey!" Prompto muttered.

"Nothing. Please, take a seat. I have a case I need to discuss with you. If the two of you accept, you'll be partnered on this one," Cor explained, turning around in his chair to pull a large binder from the file cabinet behind him.

"You want me to work with this dingus?" Aranea asked, gently knocking Prompto upside the head as she walked by to sit next to him. She winked, grinning as she took her seat.

Prompto liked Aranea. She was a hard ass, but of all the veterans, she was the nicest to him, even if her compliments were sort of...strangely backhanded.

"Yes. And this mission will be long term," he explained. Prompto had never worked on a long term case before, and working with Aranea would surely be helpful, as she was one of the ones with the most experience in their precinct.

"Long term?" Aranea raised an eyebrow. "Been awhile," she chuckled, crossing one leg over the other. "How long we talkin'?"

Cor thumbed at the binder in front of him, and opened it up to a page in the middle. "I take it you both are well aware of the mafia problem we've faced over the past many decades. For a long time it was 'overlooked'," Cor scoffed. "Many older officers felt there was nothing to be done about getting rid of organized, high crime, but I have different plans.

"We've had informants in the field for years," he explained. "People who are working for both sides. We have a strict agreement. I don't arrest them, they report back any findings to me.

"I recently received a tip from one of them. It seems the younger males in the next generation have finally begun their training to become the next heads of the family. From what I hear, Regis Lucis Caelum has not been doing well," Cor explained, tapping on the picture in the binder in front of him.

"As both of you are probably aware, the Caelum family has been the head of organized crime for quite sometime now, and just below him are the Amicitias and the Scientias, the three main heads working together. From what I hear, Regis is soon to be on the outs, and his son, Noctis, is prepping to take over," Cor continued. "I believe, if we can get Noctis and the other younger members of the group, we can cut them off at the head…" he said.

Aranea nodded. "Makes sense. Get the main leader and they'll all go down eventually. So what ya’ want us to do?"

"Undercover mission," Cor said, placing two files on the desk in front of them. "My informant tells me Gladiolus Amicitia and Ignis Scientia are in need of two new assistants. Apparently Gladiolus goes through them like water, and Ignis dismissed his last one for being far too incompetent. Aranea, you'll be Ignis' assistant and Prompto you will be Gladiolus'. Apparently Gladiolus isn't allowed to request women anymore," Cor snorted.

"Wonder why," Aranea grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"So does this mean we're going to go work for the mafia?" Prompto asked, glancing between his two older coworkers.

"Indeed," Cor said. "The goal is to get close to both of them so they will eventually lead you to Noctis. Once you have Noctis' location, we can set up a break-in and we'll be sure to get him, and hopefully Gladiolus and Ignis as well. I don't want to get greedy though, so if we can only get Noctis, so be it.

"Prompto," Cor continued. "You're new to this sort of thing, but Aranea will be very helpful in debriefing. If the two of you can find a safe place, you can discuss the case, but don't unless you are absolutely certain the area is secure. Aranea will send all information back to me, let her handle communication.

"On top of this, you may have to do some...less than legal activities. I know you joined the police force to stop crime, not commit it, however, we consider this to be a... special circumstance."

"How fun," Aranea purred, her lips quirking into a smile. Prompto had a feeling she would enjoy this far more than he would.

Cor sighed, pushing the folders towards them. "Anyhow, take these folders and get yourself briefed on the case. We've set up apartments for you closer to the general whereabouts. So get packed and say goodbye to any personal friends and family members as you will not have contact with them for quite some time."

"Got it, won't take very long," Aranea said, picking up her folder as she stood up. "See ya' 'round, Cor." She waved her hand once as she exited his office, presumably heading to pack.

"Well?" Cor raised his eyebrow.

Prompto gripped the folder in his hand. Cor trusted him with such a high stakes mission? He was flattered, excited, terrified... the mix of emotions throbbed in his fingertips against the folder.

Jumping up, he clutched it to his chest, saluting. "I won't let you down, sir!" he said excitedly. "I am so ready for this!"

As nervous as he felt, he'd been waiting for a case like this since he joined the force! The whole reason he had become a cop was to keep the people safe, and what better way to do so than by stopping high-profile criminals who hurt people on the daily.

Cor opened his mouth, as if to argue that he wasn't so sure but he closed it. "Kid," he said, folding his hands over his lap. "Be careful, alright?"

"You got it," Prompto winked, giving him a thumbs up, heading out the office door.

Cor called after him before the door could shut. "And don't do anything stupid!"

~~

Gladiolus Amicitia looked around the cafe and immediately pulled out a cigarette. Ignis Scientia was never late to anything; not meetings, not appointments, and not even for spending time with his oldest and dearest friend. Admittedly 15 minutes wasn't all that late, but this was Ignis! So naturally, Gladio was a little stressed.

He lit the cigarette, holding it close to his lips as he pulled in a long drag, puffing the smoke out into the air. He rolled his fingers against the table, shaking his leg up and down.

He pulled out his pocket watch from his jacket. Where the hell was he?

He took another long drag on his cigarette, the possibilities of Ignis' whereabouts began to race through his mind. The problem was, there were so many potential scenarios of what could've happened to his best friend, and none of them were casual. All involved pain of some sort, injuries... death...

No. Gladio shook his head. Iggy wasn't that stupid. He wouldn't go and get himself killed before they were supposed to have lunch.

"Ah, Gladio, my apologies," Ignis' smooth tone cut through the cacophony of the streets and Gladio's own thoughts. His amber eyes immediately shot up to meet Ignis' jade hues. A smile pulled across his handsome features, and Gladio immediately rolled his eyes.

"Took ya' long enough," he growled, slamming his cigarette down on the ashtray to snuff it out.

"Were you concerned?" Ignis asked, pulling the chair out. He took a seat, leaning his elbows on the table as he smirked.

"Concerned my ass!" Gladio snorted. "You're never fuckin' late, so I was starting to get insulted." Ignis was safe, there was no need to let him know he'd been worried.

"Of course. Well, I did apologize," he chuckled, pressing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He thumbed through the menu, completely ignoring Gladio's huffy behavior.

"Yeah, yeah. Where the hell were ya'?" Gladio asked, watching as Ignis scanned the menu. Gladio didn't know why he was looking so hard. Ignis had been the one to choose this particular cafe. It was on the other side of town, on the edge of their territory, dangerously close to Izunia's neck of the woods. (Far too close, in Gladio's opinion.) However, Ignis had insisted, since this cafe was one of the only ones in the city which carried the brand of coffee he preferred. Gladio usually let Ignis choose the restaurants though, he was far more picky about his food than Gladio would ever be.

Ignis paused, his finger tracing down the edge of the menu. He pursed his lips as he turned his gaze towards his best friend. "It seems things have gotten worse with my uncle. I had to stop by the hospital."

"Damn Iggy, I wish I'd known, I woulda gone with you."

"I... know you would've. I almost stopped by here first, but I thought it best to go and handle things on my own first. I wasn't sure what condition he would be in," Ignis sighed.

The waitress arrived at the table, taking their order, and, as cute as she was, Gladio was thankful when she left them in peace.

"What happened?" Gladio asked once she left. He was tempted to pull out another cigarette, but refrained from doing so; Ignis didn't enjoy smoking while he had his coffee.

"He collapsed in his office," Ignis muttered. "The doctors aren't sure what happened. He was sleeping when I went to sign paperwork."

"Hm. Overworking himself again," Gladio chuckled. "Just like someone else I know."

"Gladiolus please," Ignis sighed. "I am not overworking myself. Besides, I brought the paperwork for the potential assistant candidates I found."

"Really?" Gladio smirked, raising his eyebrow. "So you're not overworking yourself and yet you brought work to our casual meetup!" he teased.

Ignis grunted, thanking the waitress when she put their drinks down. He picked up the cup, blowing over the heated surface. "Getting an assistant will stop me from overworking myself. Meanwhile, your assistant will actually help you get work done," he smirked back.

"Har-har, Iggy," Gladio said. "So I assume you'll be taking over for your Uncle for his gala duties?"

"Yes. Which is why it is imperative I find a new assistant immediately," he nodded. "We don't have much time before the Winter Gala, and seeing as Regis is letting Noctis handle it almost entirely on his own… well, he’ll need all the help he can get," Ignis spewed out the information quickly, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Iggy, calm down. We'll get it figured out."

"If Noctis and I take over for Regis and my Uncle respectively, we can begin to start putting our plans in motion. We could begin with the Winter Gala-"

"Forget it. There's no way my father will go for that shit," Gladio said, waving his hand back and forth quickly. "Look Iggy, I know you're eager, but we gotta be patient, okay?"

Ignis sighed, leaning back in his chair. He slipped his hands under his frames, pushing his glasses up. "I know. But taking over for my uncle includes... many things," Ignis muttered, flicking his gaze to the side. "You are... aware of this, Gladio?"

"'Course I am," he snorted.

"Then you understand why I am so eager to push things in our direction," Ignis hissed softly.

"Yeah, but one thing at a time Iggy," Gladio muttered, his own voice hushed.

Sighing, Ignis leaned forward, taking a large gulp of his coffee. "You're right, you're right." His tone sounded resigned, and Gladio felt a pang of guilt. Ignis was always tightly-wound, but right now he seemed far more stressed than usual. "One thing at a time."

Leaning over, he pulled a few files from his briefcase. He placed them on the small table in front of Gladio before smoothing out his gray suit jacket. "Here we are. The candidates." He passed one of the folders to Gladio. "I went ahead and selected my two favorites for us. This man, Prom Argent, is for you and this woman Nea Biggs is for me."

"Now hold on a second!" Gladio snarled, yanking the folder from Ignis' hands. "How come you get the woman!?"

Ignis rolled his eyes. "We discussed this, Gladio. The last three women assistants you had quit after you ‘broke their hearts’. I assume you won't be sleeping with this man," he said.

Gladio flipped the folder open, showing a resume and a small picture of a small blond boy with flat hair and glasses. "So you're giving me this kid? Who the fuck is this nerd?"

Ignis couldn't help but laugh. "Oh come on Gladio, give the 'kid' a chance," Ignis teased. "He's quite qualified if you read over his resume."

"Hang on, lemme see your chick," he said, lunging forward to grab the folder in front of Ignis.

"Gladio-"

He flipped it open and stared at the picture of the gray haired woman for a moment. "What the hell, Ignis! She's a babe!" he said, turning the picture around to shove it in his face.

"Yes, she is a very fine looking lady," Ignis muttered, snatching the picture from Gladio's hand. "But more importantly she's qualified. Her sources checked out as well, and I hear she's quite efficient," Ignis said.

"Good for her," Gladio mumbled.

"So since you're done griping..."

He wasn't, but he let Ignis speak anyway.

"And you're obviously completely fine with the match up."

He wasn't, but apparently it was useless to argue.

"They start tomorrow, so please prepare tasks for Prom to do," Ignis said.

"Tomorrow?! Oh I'll prepare all right," he grumbled, opening the folder once more to look at the scrawny blond.

"I know you're not pleased, but based on his credentials I think he'll be good for you. And Ms. Biggs is going to be just what I need to keep my workload from being far too overwhelming."

Gladio sighed. Ignis was an intelligent man, and if he thought this was best, it most likely was. "Alright Iggy, I'll give the kid one chance."

"Good," Ignis smiled, sipping the last of his coffee. "It will go smoothly, I'm sure."

Gladio growled, folding his arms. "One chance. If he screws up, he's gone."

~~

The suitcase on his bed was open, but not even remotely organized. "Shit, shit, shit! Where did I put those pinstripe pants!?" Prompto whined, tossing everything out of his closet. Cor had made it very clear he wasn't allowed to come back to his apartment, under any circumstances. He had to be sure he had everything.

Actually looking at his suitcase now, Prompto wasn't sure it was going to be large enough. "I should've bought two," he sighed.

Thumbing through the file he'd been given, he stared at the picture of Gladiolus Amicitia, the man he would be working for. He certainly looked like someone involved in the mafia! He had a scar down his left eye, and his wild brown hair was slicked back tight against his forehead. From what he could see in the picture, his shoulders were broad, and Prompto couldn't tell if he hadn't shaved in this picture, or if he purposefully left the hair on his chin and jaw like that. "What a scary lookin' fella..." Prompto muttered.

Slapping his cheeks, he shook his head and closed the folder back up. He wasn't scared! Hell no, this was the case he'd been waiting for; the case he dreamed about during training at the academy!

He glanced at the telephone on his bedside table. Should he call his parents? He didn't talk to them often. They were constantly traveling for work, and if not for work, then for pleasure. They never seemed to worry about Prompto, or the fact his job could often put him in life threatening situations. No, they were simply proud of him, and did their own thing.

His best friends were Cindy and Aranea... and he'd already said a tearful goodbye to Cindy when he left the station. Well, tearful on his side of things. She'd pat his back and wished him luck, warning him she'd kill him if he died.

No phone calls were really necessary.

Digging through his closet he grabbed a few more outfits. Everything he owned was far too... straight-edge. He knew these men usually dressed classy, but it was a completely different look from his own casual wear. The last thing he wanted was for his clothes to give him away. He couldn't risk showing any hints he might be a cop.

He twisted his lips and flopped down on the bed, looking at the mess of clothes. Adjusting his glasses, he puffed out his cheeks. Aranea was probably all packed. Hell, she'd probably been packed from the second she got home. From the way she left the office, Prompto wondered if she'd packed with the snap of her finger.

She hadn't looked nervous at all back at the station when Cor had de-briefed them on what they would be doing. (Not that Prompto was nervous, oh no, of course not.) Then again, she'd gone undercover plenty of times before. Still, Prompto was sure none of them had been as important as something like this. Maybe he could ask her about past cases later.

Blowing out a long huff of air, Prompto began to organize the clothes he'd thrown into his suitcase. He wanted to at least try and get some sleep tonight. With the insane mix of emotions mashed-up around inside of him, he wasn't sure if he would actually be able to. Being tired for his first day seemed like a horrible idea. The more tired he was, the higher the chances were he might flub and reveal their true identities-

No. He had promised Cor… no more screw ups! No, this was his first real undercover case, and there was no way he was going to fuck it up.

[alia-turin]

That is something cute and fluffy and heartwarming (as much as I can write heartwarming stuff) because next couple of chapters won’t be as nice. Enjoy the fluff. 

Fic Title: Not Strong Enough Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Rating [Warnings]: M [mention of body injury, some self doubt, sex] all chapters will have different warnings Pairing: Luche x OC, Nyx x Luna Summary: 3 years have passed since Noctis disappeared and Luche finds himself on the side of unfamiliar road with no recollection how he got there Note: I was listening to Apocalyptica’s Not Strong Enough while writing that hence the title. It’s VERY suitable sing for the fic.

Tagging: @birdsandivory @lazarustrashpit @jojopitcher @yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy

At Nyx and Luna’s house Ada watched Cor being introduced to Sylva and that was the cutest and most awkward thing she had probably seen.

“I’m Sylva, two years old.” The girl introduced herself extending her tinny hand toward Cor. The Marshal blinked and then kneeled to be on the same level as the kid and extended his arm.

“Cor…ugh way older.” The handshake was very awkward due to the size difference and the obvious confusion on Cor’s end.

“You are a natural.” Ada teased him. And the Marshal gave her an angry look. “Sylva since Cor is taller than your dad if you ask him nicely to lift you, you will be taller than Nyx.” She winked at Cor who gave her another pleading look to stop to stop that torture.

Sylva extended her arms up to be lifted and Cor couldn’t say no. He got up grabbed the kid and…did what could be called lifting. His arms were extended and he was holding her as if she might be sick or something.

“Cor, she doesn’t bite.” Ada encouraged him and showed with her hands that he can put the kid on his shoulders.

“Since when do you know anything about kids?” He tried to fight her back and save some of his pride but did follow her advice and placed Sylva on his shoulder.

“Marshal, look at you!” Luna walked in from the kitchen and brought drinks for the three them, Nyx, Tredd and Luche were still dealing with the people outside. “You are ready for one of your own now, we should find you a suitable lady.”

That’s where it became awkward. Cor looked at Ada by pure instinct she suddenly felt on the spot feeling the need to say something even if no one was expecting her to say anything.

“He would be an amazing father, wouldn’t he?” Ada blabbed from the top of her head not even thinking what she said. Just as the words left her lips she figured how stupid and very much out of line that was.

“I will pass.” Cor forced a smile and let Sylva carefully on the ground. “Married to my work and the kingdom.” He watched as Sylva walked towards the drinks that Luna brought and then added. “I will check out on these three, they probably need some adult supervision.”

“Fuck.” Ada said as he was out of the room and she collapsed on the couch behind her.

“Fuck!” Sylva repeated enthusiastically.

“Sylva, no that’s a bad word!” Luna scolded her but her eyes were fixed on Ada.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” That wasn’t a statement just about the swearing it was about the whole situation.

“Did I say something to offend him?” Luna asked and Sat next to Ada grabbing a glass.

“It wasn’t you.” Ada sighed and drank from glass it was some sort of juice, she wished it was something stronger, way stronger. “He and had a thing. Serious thing for two years.”

“Oh sh…snap.” Luna stopped herself knowing the kid was going to repeat exactly that word. “You know what I have something for this conversation.” Luna disappeared in the kitchen and then came back. “It’s not good but it’s strong.”

She passed a brown unlabeled bottle to Ada and she sniffed it. It was rum, Ada never liked rum but right now anything would do even Tredd’s poison.

“So, what happened?” Luna asked after each of them had a shot. “Luche?”

“No, I still thought he was dead when things happened. And yes, I guess I never stopped feeling for him.” Ada sighed and took another shot. “We just had issues. Both of us individually. We worked well, he helped me go over a lot of issues I had and I would like to believe I helped him as well. But some things nobody could fix. He is still blaming himself for Noctis, the King…everything. No amount of words from me or anyone will fix that and he throw everything of himself into trying to redeem himself for something that is neither his fault nor could be redeemed. I on the other hand…” Ada poured herself and Luna another shot and they both finished them. “I always felt like I never stopped loving Luche. He was a corpse and I should have hated him for everything he did, but I guess not saying goodbye properly leaves you with that feeling of unfulfillment. Cor and I started drifting away then I figured out that the magic was hurting me more than I thought and he was going to see it. He was going to ground me and put me behind a desk or something and I couldn’t take that. I felt like I needed to fix my ex boyfriend’s mistakes. Eventually we split, it was mutual agreement. If those were divorce papers I guess you could call it irretrievable breakdown.” Ada sighed. “It’s all so stupid.”

“Do you have feelings for him?” This time Luna poured for both of them and they drank again.

“I respect him. He taught me a lot, helped me a lot.” Ada smiled. “He is an attractive man…I’m not sure how to put it to words. He warms my heart and he is somebody I could be with. Somebody that under slightly different circumstances could make me happy. Once all that is over perhaps and he as no more demons to chase, figuratively speaking. Now Luche…he burns my heat. It killed me when he was away. He had always had that power over me, he can just smile and I would melt. I should hate him. He killed my best friend, a lot of other people I called friends and then he looks at me and I cannot say no to him. He betrayed me and everything I thought we both believed in and as soon as I saw him I knew I cannot stay away from him. I’m rational about him when he is not in front of me and then I’m alone with him and…I would say yes to almost anything he would ask me to. I know it’s wrong, but my heart always overrules my mind about him.”

Luna poured them another drink and they drank then she grabbed Ada’s hand a squeezed hard.

“I can understand what you mean.” Luna said eventually. “Nyx made my heart burn in a way I never thought possible. It’s not the same, it’s absolutely not the same, I know but Noct was the man I could live with. He is handsome and I know he would treat me well, maybe one day I would have grown to love him. If…something is to happen to Nyx, I know I would be able to find someone else to make me happy, but I will never be as happy as I am with him, I know it.” Luna sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to compare it, it’s nothing alike, I just wanted you to know I understand what you are saying.”

“Cheers to that.” Ada poured again and they both drank.

“Is he going to be okay?” Luna asked and at first Ada didn’t understand who, brain was getting slower but then figured it, Cor.

“Yeah. He is fine.” She said hoping she was right. “He is just a bit more protective now with Luche around and I’m sure there is certain level of silent comparison going on. I found them sparing this morning, Luche’s nose was broken pretty bad, Cor had just a scratch.”

“I didn’t see anything on his face!” Luna said astonished.

“Yeah magic does miracles.” Ada waved her hand. “I don’t want to tell Cor to back off, because I don’t think I am the right authority to make a judgement on what Luche deserves and how honest he is, but at the same time I’m trying really hard to believe in him and if I add Cor’s misgivings that’s never going to work.”

“About tonight…” Luna started.

“I was going to tell him I will stay here with him, but now I am having second thoughts. Not because something happened, I just doubt him.” Ada finally admitted something that was going around her head for hours.

“You have every right to doubt him.” Luna nodded.

“Yeah I wasn’t doubting him last night…” Ada said with a short laugh and the princess made a curious face.

“Why don’t you try it on test basis?” Luna suggested. “You guys have a lot of issues, like serious issues, but obviously both of you want to get over them or at least try to do so. Try it for a week. Living together and all that. But I mean really living together, not just sleeping. Try to furnish that place with whatever is left in this world and trust me you will be tested.” She laughed and poured again to both of them. “Finding mattress for Sylva was the hardest thing ever, at some point Nyx was going to hunt all the ducks that he could find and make a mattress himself.”

Ada couldn’t stop but laughed. Imagining Nyx running after ducks and then trying to make a mattress. She would pay to see a video of that.

“We also don’t have a single matching sheet.” Luna continued also laughing. “It was so weird at first but now I don’t really care that much. I already have so much.” She looked at the little girl and Ada had to smile a bit nostalgically. Matching sheets or not, having a family seemed like the most normal thing anyone could have in this weird world and she was happy for Nyx and the princess.

“Oh, by the Six do these people ever shut up.” Tredd walked being as noisy as possible. Sylva looked at him curious not scared but probably wondering what kind of creature that was. “Are you two drinking? Desperate housewives much?”

“You are just jealous because you actually have to do something.” Ada came back at him and gave him a smug smile.

“Hello there, little demon.” Tredd knelt in front of Sylva and Ada saw the princess getting on edge. Didn’t blame her. “Oh, you are so lucky you are not as ugly as your father.”

Tredd’s words were met by a kick in the ass from Nyx making the redhead almost loose his balance and fall.

“You will scare the child.” Luche said and laughed. Sylva didn’t seem scared but her blue eyes had became wide staring at Tredd continuing to wonder about the nature of that unknown element.

“Come on, I will make you all dinner for job well done.” Nyx said before they all moved to the kitchen.

 Luche was sitting on the ground, his back leaning against the wall behind him. They were finally alone in their still empty house that didn’t look like much. Ada was sitting next to him her eyes fixed somewhere on the wall across.

“I think Nyx and Luna found new babysitter in Tredd’s face.” Ada said and laughed. She was right, Tredd was the unlikely person who for some reason the kid liked. He was trying to avoid communicating with the child buts he followed him everywhere. Even tried to follow him to the bathroom and her mother had to hold her.

“From all the people this child could take a liking to she likes the one that absolutely cannot stand in the same room as a child.” Luche chuckled. That was going to be hilarious tomorrow.

“I think we should give it a try.” She said after a break and Luche turned toward her with a wide grin. Then she added too fast “Living together I mean.”

“I’m happy to provide either way.” He continued grinning and could see her blushing. He loved making her blush. His problem however was, he didn’t want to ‘try’ he wanted to do it. The Marshal had told not to try anything on her that might make her change her mind, but Luche had to disagree with him. He loved her and he was going to do anything to keep her with or without the approval of Cor.

“Let’s just see how we work together after all that…” she got up slowly as she said that and he just watched her. “You did well today.” Ada said as she started undressing. Her back was turned toward him but that was enough to make him take a deep breath. She loved teasing him and he loved watching. She pulled her top slowly and then started working on her pants.

“I’m glad something I did meets your approval.” It sounded petty but he was just teasing her, his words meant nothing. She bit on it however and turned around, her pants already gone, she had just her underwear on. Luche smiled to show her he was joking and she just raised an eyebrow. “Come to me.”

She stepped closer to him unhooking her bra, he pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it away. By the time she sat on him her panties were gone and he had pushed his own pants enough to free his erection. She sat on him slowly moaning has his full length went all the way in. Luche pushed himself closer to her and wrapped his hands around her back, his mouth on her ear.

“Marry me.” He whispered on her ear and suddenly she pulled away from his chest, her eyes fixed on his.

“What?” her face was covered in confusion and doubt, probably she thought she didn’t hear him.

“Marry me. Or however that thing works now, I doubt we can go to the court and get marriage certificate.” He smiled. “Come on Ada, we have been together for four years before my untimely demise, you had three years to forget me, you were with someone else and then eventually ended up in my arms again. You might not trust me, but you love me. That trying thing…sure let’s try but I want you.” At the back of his head he added ‘and fuck what Cor thinks’ but didn’t say it. It was going to make thing worse.

“I never took you for a man who says stuff like that because his dick is wet and warm.” She joked but he didn’t smile, he was dead serious. Took him a day to figure it out, but he did. That’s how he sorted everything out. She was going to be his, and they could work on their trust issues without having a Marshal between them.

“I’m serious.” He continued looking her in the eyes. “Look at me and tell me there is anybody else who made you feel the way I do or that you think there might be someone else.”

“Luche…it’s not that simple.” She tried to get off him but he placed his hands on her hips and kept her in place. He did pick a bad timing for that. In his head he asked her, she said yes and then they fucked. Now the fucking has been postponed and his own hips were just aching to move.

“It kind of is. Do you want to spend your life with me or not?” he narrowed it down since he really started wondering how on earth to weddings here work. Did people even get married or just decided hey we live together now.

“Yes.” She said quietly after taking a moment too long for his liking.

“Wasn’t that hard, was it?” he smiled and rolled her over under himself.