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markosmate · 4 years ago

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lady

Pairing; Marko x Emerson!Reader

Summary; Moving to a different state with your younger brothers and mother just to live with your grandfather was hard enough, but falling in love with a vampire and then watching your brother do the same thing? Much different story.

Warnings; strong language

au:// Welp lovelies I had promised you a Marko series in February that I started writing while I was manic, then after writing a good five/six chapters I fell into a deep dark hole of depression and didn’t write anything but sad, worthless poetry about a boy I’m in love with who doesn’t love me back :) But now it’s May, a spark of inspiration and happiness has suddenly hit me and I’ve come back to this series to finally deliver it to you!! I hope y’all like it cause I literally stress cried over finishing it three different times :,)

I’d also like to point out that any kind of feedback at all is so so appreciated. Most of my inspiration comes from feeding off of people’s reactions to what I write. So if you enjoy it or have any recommendations or comments at all please please don’t be shy to send me an ask or DM or even comment to let me know :( Thank you and enjoy!!

Part 2

I wasn’t exactly mad about moving, there was nothing holding me in Phoenix that I would be particularly sad about leaving behind. The only thing that struck a nerve was that it was dumped out of nowhere on me. Suddenly Mom had divorced Dad, let him keep everything, and made plans with Grandpa for us to move into his place with him. A little prior warning would have been appreciated, but regardless when we were told it didn’t change the fact that everything we knew was changing. Sam wasn’t happy about it at all, leaving his friends, leaving Dad. Michael... well Michael didn’t really have an opinion. In my view, he was just indifferent. He didn’t really care where the hell we were as long as he had a motorcycle, a job, and some hot chicks to swoon over.

But here we were, packed into Mom’s truck and driving through a town that I’d most likely have memorized like the back of my hand in a good few days. As the three in the car argued over which station to keep on, I turned my head and leaned my forehead on the window of the car. I watched the beach as we drove along the road, and admired the waves hitting against the sand.

I was ready to drift off until we got to Grandpa’s house when a short, exited yell left Mom’s lips. “Oh!” She grinned happily as Sam landed on a station familiar to her. “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Oh, that’s from my era! Grooving on a Sunday afternoon!” She sung along with the song as Sam threw his head back and groaned in protest. I laughed at her antics, enjoying seeing my Mom acting so carefree and happy.

“Alright, keep going, keep going.” Mom and Sam agreed with each other at the same time, Mom leaning over to continue skipping through the stations. Finally, the next station was agreed on and my pounding head thanked the universe for the quiet that I hadn’t been able to achieve the entire drive here. “Hey we’re almost there!”

“Ugh,” Sam scrunched his nose up in disgust after taking a deep breath. I leaned forward to wrap my arms around his head-rest and pull my face closer to the open window. The pungent smell hit me, and I recognized it immediately, low tide, but it wasn’t bad - anything to do with the beach was calming to me regardless. “What’s that smell?”

“Ah!” Mom breathed in deeply and turned to share a knowing grin with me, “That’s the ocean air!”

I turned to look at the welcoming sign, taking in the colors and faded lettering. “Smells like someone died.” Sam muttered as Mom tutted at him softly.

“That’s likely.” I muttered to Michael, nudging his head in the direction of the back of the sign, where in big red spray-painted letters sat the phrase “Murder Capitol of the World.”

“Aw guys, I know the last year hasn’t been easy. But I do think you’re really going to enjoy living in Santa Carla.” Mom tried to remain happy about the situation, but a shared glance with Michael after we both read over the sign revealed there wasn’t much he was excited for.

The rest of the drive only increased my excitement. Hippies galore filled the streets, a large amusement park covered most of the boardwalk, and the rest was filled with small shops and food stands. We stopped for awhile so Mom could give some teenagers rummaging through garbage some money to eat and so Michael could unhinge his bike and ask around for job openings, but before I could even think to step out of the car and get a look around we were already heading into the backroads to get to Grandpa’s house.

Grandpa’s house was farther into the plains than expected, but still only a good fifteen to twenty minute drive away from town. Before Mom could ever fully park the car, I had already jumped out and was looking around the property. Michael pulled his bike up next to Mom’s car, and they all took a good few seconds to look around at all the wood carvings and chimes before turning their vehicles off. I took note of the horses grazing in one of the back fields before walking around the front of the truck and seeing a man laying on his back across the front porch steps.

Sam lead the way towards him before Mom cut in front and marched up the steps to squat beside him. “Dad?” She questioned gently. “Dad?” The three of us leaned closer to get a better look.

“Looks like he’s dead.” Michael remarked.

“Like... really dead.” I quipped in, raising an eyebrow at Mom.

“No, no. He’s just a deep sleeper.” She brushed our comments off.

“If he’s dead can we go back to Phoenix?” Sam remarked, earning a snort from me and a sharp look from Mom.

Suddenly Grandpa sat up, a cocky smirk apparent on his face. “Playing dead. And from what I hear, doing a damn good job of it.”

Sam rolled his eyes in exasperation before Mom laughed faintly. “Oh, Dad!”

That night, Mom decided that it would be good for the four of us to leave the house after a night of unpacking and explore the boardwalk when it’s at its liveliest. I could admit it looked much more enjoyable now that it was dark and a little chilly, the sweaty people that had been occupying it earlier were now less sweaty and more stoned.

Almost as soon as Mom’s car and Michael’s bike were parked, Mom sent us off on our own so she could spend some time staking out a job in one of the family-owned shops. “Do you think she’ll be able to find one?” Sam questioned as the three of us weaved through crowds, trying to find our way to the beach concert. We could certainly hear it, we were just having a bit of trouble actually getting to it.

“One what? A job?” Michael scoffed as if it was hard to believe, still bitter over the fact there was no legal jobs for him to get hired in.

I laughed, elbowing him softly in the side, knowing that this place was exactly his vibe and in time he would most likely come to love living here. Sam was the only one I was actually worried about. “She’ll probably be able to find one. What, with all these missing people, there’s bound to be tons of job openings.”

“You’re telling me. It’s like there’s hundreds of bullet-boards around every corner with dozens of people missing. This place really is the Murder Capital.” Michael remarked as the concert finally came into our line of sight.

“Don’t say that!” Sam pleaded, shoving Michael’s shoulder with his eyebrows knitted tightly.

Michael just held his hand up in surrender and with one last shrug of his shoulders he turned to me. “You checking out the shops? We’ll find you once we get bored.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I agreed, turning sharply on my heel and blindly making my way back into the crowd. The concert was loud, sweaty, and crowded, and it wasn’t even my style of music - the last thing I wanted to do was spend my first night there. I figured it would be much more productive if I were to check out all the shops and stands running up and down the entire area, maybe find some new pieces of jewelry, or even a possible summer job opportunity.

Many places caught my eye, and I made a mental note to check them out the next time I had free money to spend, as it wouldn’t be wise for me to make an impulse-buy when I’m so close to being completely broke. Instead a small stand in the middle of the walkway drew me to it. A piercing stand. One person working on someone already sitting on the chair. There was a large wall selection of different studs, and many different kinds of disinfectants lined along the counter.

I walked closer to the wall, admiring all the different designs they had. I’d absolutely love to get a helix or orbital piercing, but I knew it wasn’t the wisest to spend money doing something like that at a small stand on a boardwalk in Santa Carla of all places. I was suddenly broken out of my thoughts when a voice spoke up directly behind me.

“It’s a scam, you know.” I jumped, hand flying to my chest, and whipping around to look at the owner. A teenage boy, my age, maybe a little older, with long curly blond hair and a grin that could have probably wooed me into his bed by the end of the night had he not literally just scared the shit out of me.

I laughed breathlessly, shaking my head. “What is?”

“The piercings. If you need one done, I could do it for you. But they use the guns instead of a needle which will definitely infect if you’re planning on doing a cartilage one.” He explained with a tilt of his head as he turned and began making his way towards the restaurants. I took that as an invite to follow, jogging to catch up and walking next to him.

“You know a lot about piercings?” I tried to make small talk, not wanting him to get away just yet.

He nodded with a confident smirk. “I did my own, and my friends. Someone had to learn.” I laughed a little at his mock-annoyed tone and shoved my hands into my pockets to appear to be doing something. He suddenly stopped and turned to me, holding out his hand. “Marko, by the way.”

“Ivory.” I accepted his hand and we both shook, hard and firm.

“You’re new.” He nodded as if finally understanding something that had been going on inside his own head. “I would’ve noticed you before if you’d been here all along.”

We dropped each other’s hand and I gave him a quizzical look. “What do you mean by that?”

He barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Nothing rude, you’re just too gorgeous to go unnoticed around here.” Before I could reply, another voice cut in from a few yards away.

“Marko! Marko, man, we’re supposed to meet David in ten!” I looked over to see another punk-looking dude calling out to Marko with his hands cupped around his mouth.

I laughed and look back towards the curly blond. “See you around?”

He nodded in confirmation, sending me one last crooked smile before turning to jog over to his other friend. I turned as well, making my way back into the crowd and away from the middle lane stands. I didn’t make it very far before the body of my youngest brother crashed into my side. I glanced down at him in bewilderment as we used each other to steady ourselves.

“Sam? Aren’t you supposed to be with Michael?” I laughed as he looked as though he’d just had the weirdest conversation of his life.

“Well, I was. Then he saw some girl at the concert and wandered after her so I went to check out the comic store.” He explained, shrugging before letting his eyes wander around once more in search of Michael. I rolled my eyes, of course Michael left Sam behind to go chase after some girl. It didn’t take long to find him, he was only a little further down the stretch of restaurants. He was more towards the end, walking out of the crowd near where the last building - a bar - sat in place.

We walked up behind him, and as soon as I was at his side I followed his eyes to a girl who was walking behind a small child, hand on his shoulder, and steering him in a certain direction. She was pretty - with big, curly hair and a beautiful smile that curled her lips up as her eyes grazed over all the lights of the carousel one last time for the night. I followed her line of sight, trying to place why Michael was following her instead of just walking up and introducing himself, but I immediately realized what the problem was.

She hoisted herself up onto the back of a motorcycle, accepting the help of the blond driver. He had a spiked mullet, dressed in all black, and when he realized Michael was staring at his girl, a cocky kind of smirk crossed his face. His friends parked next him all revved their engines to a start, and I tore my eyes from the platinum blond to see the others. I didn’t manage to catch a good look at two of them, because my eyes immediately looked onto those of the punk from earlier who’d started a conversation with me over pierced ears.

He was already looking at me, and when he realized my attention immediately locked onto him, a predatory look filled the black circles of his eyes and his lips formed into a boyish smirk directed exactly at me. He lifted his hand in a short wave, laughing along with the friend who called him away from me earlier as he shoved Marko’s shoulder in a teasing way. I lifted my hand in a small acknowledging wave back, but was knocked out of my small trance by Sam, who began teasing Michael.

“Come on, she stiffed ya!” Sam laughed harmlessly, gently punching Michael’s shoulder and turning to probably go and find Mom. I broke my gaze away from Marko immediately, turning to follow after Sam and not bothering to look back at all as I heard the bikes pull out and speed off down the road.

“Too bad she left with Mr. Mullet, she was pretty.” I tried to break the tension with Michael, I really didn’t want him to be upset over the lose of the girl, he still had all of Santa Carla’s teenage population of girls to meet.

He cracked a smile and nudged his shoulder into mine. “She really was.”

Once we made it home for the night, I separated from both my brothers and made my way into my own room. It was the smallest of all of ours, but that’s the main reason why I had chose it. It was cozy, and cute. I liked the way it came out once I had finished decorating it.

I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to those boys on the motorcycles from earlier that night. Marko seemed nice enough, even if I didn’t know whether or not I was brave enough to try to pursue a friendship with his more than intimidating friends. Just as I came to the conclusion that I should just get over myself and approach them, a sharp sting of anxiety wedged itself into my gut and nauseous filled my stomach and rose up in my throat. No. I didn’t need to become friends with those boys, there was something off, something I didn’t need to meddle in.

If I saw them again, I’d avoid eye contact and conversation completely. I was never able to understand my anxiety, but I always listened to it when it struck me.

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theladyofdeath · 4 years ago

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The Ranch {8}

An A Court of Thorns and Roses, Nesta x Cassian, Modern AU, fanfiction.

Collaboration: @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty x @tacmc

Summary: Nesta had spent years in Paris, living her dream and drowning in riches as a gourmet chef, capturing the hearts of the city and its people. But, after her father passes away unexpectedly and leaves his cozy, countryside B&B to his oldest daughter, Nesta is moving back home to the tiny town of Velaris, where the ranch, her sisters, and her father’s unfulfilled dream, awaits.

Sidenote: Being posted between two blogs, it is too chaotic to keep up with a tags list, so all chapters will be tagged with “#TheRanchNessian” & “#SharaCollab”.

A/N: We love that you guys have been loving this so much! Please continue to let us know what you’re thinking. We loved writing this fic, and your love means the world to us.

The Ranch Masterlist

Cassian didn’t see or hear from Nesta for the rest of the day. He saw her in the main house around dinner time, but decided he would let her cook in peace. He didn’t know what kind of demons had reared their ugly heads at her today, but whatever had happened between Nesta and Tomas Motherfucking Mandray had screwed with her so badly that he barely recognized the woman he found in the paint department today.

He remembered Nesta from high school, had known that she had dated Tomas then. But, he didn’t know much. At least, not about Nesta. As for Tomas, however, he and Cassian went way back, and none of their interactions had ever been pleasant. Tomas had always been a self-absorbed little bitch. He hated Tomas.

And he had hated him even more when he walked into the paint aisle and saw how fucking terrified Nesta had been.

Yet, he wasn’t going to push her to talk about it. She would come to him when she was ready. Maybe. Hopefully. Either way, Cassian had convinced himself that it was none of his business.

Even if he really, really wanted it to be his business.

As night approached, Cassian made sure all the horses were ready for bed, and all the cattle were where they were meant to be. He whistled for Beau to follow him into the cabin and, the good pup he was, Beau obeyed. Once inside, he slumped into the recliner and checked his phone.

There was a text from Rhys that read, Being engaged is fucking awesome. It ended with three flame emojis. Cassian found the text as a whole repulsive and unnecessary.

There was a text from Azriel, too, that read, Drinks on Friday? Elain is working all night.

Cassian dismissed it, making a mental note to reply in the morning.

Then, he had one last text.

From Nesta.

Thanks for today. Sorry I spaced out.

He read the text once, twice, three times before finding the nerve to reply. Anytime, he wrote. He wanted to write something else, anything else, wanted to add a fucking speech at the end of the one-worded text, but he decided against it.

He pressed send.

It wasn’t two minutes later that he got a reply. You should be sleeping. You’ll have to wake up early to get on the stables, won’t you?

Cassian chuckled to himself. Maybe. But you have to be up early to do your makeup before you finish the landscaping, he replied.

Her reply wasn’t as quick this time, the dancing dots disappearing every so often. But when his phone finally vibrated while he was brushing his teeth, he laughed out loud.

Don’t act like it takes me more time to do my hair than it takes you to do yours. Don’t think I haven’t noticed those man buns are a little TOO perfect sometimes.

He replied with no hesitation. Glad to know you’re looking at my man buns.

He swore that he could feel her eyes roll from across the property. Goodnight, Sexy Ranch Hand.

Goodnight, beautiful.

He sent the text, hoping it would bring her a little bit of joy, a little bit of comfort, but then, when she didn’t reply, he grew nervous.

He felt he was walking a fine line with Nesta, ever since she scolded him for being his boss.

His hesitation didn’t last too long, though, because his phone vibrated the minute he climbed into his bed. The text was short, but it gave him comfort.

A smiley face emoji greeted him as Beau climbed up on the bed beside him.

He slept good that night, smiling stupidly to himself as he snuggled up next to Beau. And when morning came, he felt completely refreshed.

He was up and getting dressed with a cup of coffee at four, and as sunrise approached, Cassian grabbed a bag by the door and he and Beau were walking out into the cool, muggy summer morning. It wouldn’t be long until the sun was beating down, drenching him in sweat.

Instead of heading toward the stables, Cassian went across the grass and the gravel driveway, and up the steps of the tiny, modern house that sat there.

He pounded on the door and Beau stayed in the yard, chasing his tail.

No answer.

He pounded his fist on the wood once more.

Nothing.

With a sigh, Cassian kept knocking, and didn’t stop. He pounded repeatedly on the door for at least thirty seconds when the door was thrown open, and Nesta stood there, looking like she wanted to set him on fire.

“What the hell?” She asked, voice raspy, hair a mess, body wrapped in a crocheted blanket.

“Rise and shine,” Cassian grinned. “Go on. Get dressed.”

Her eyes narrowed as she flipped on the porch light. Cassian lit up as she groaned from the brightness of it.

“You wanted to learn how things are done around here,” Cassian laughed. “Well, I start at sunrise, ever day.”

Nesta rubbed her eyes and snorted. “Unless you’re hungover.”

Cassian grinned. “Fair enough. Alright, go on, get dressed, I’ll wait.”

Nesta sighed but didn’t protest as she took a step back.

“Oh,” Cassian said, before she could close the door on him. “Here.”

He held out the bag.

She blinked. “What is that?”

“I kept telling you,” he said, shaking the bag until she took it. “You own a ranch. You need a pair of boots.”

“You...bought me boots?”

Cassian shrugged as she took the bag and shoved his hands into his pockets. “With your sisters’ help. Consider it your welcome home gift.”

Nesta was speechless as she slowly went back into her little house.

She didn’t bother closing the door, so Cassian stepped inside as she went back into her bedroom.

He looked around, although there wasn’t much inside. He noticed Elain’s old furniture, that he had helped move in upon Nesta’s arrival.

“Hopefully they fit,” Cassian said as he went to the little fridge in the kitchen and looked at the pictures that covered it. “I may have snuck a glance at your sneakers the other day when you weren’t looking to check for size.”

Nesta’s quiet laughter flooded through the hall. “Creep.”

Cassian grinned to himself as he studied a picture of the girls when they were young, smiling with their mother. Cassian had never met her. She died years before Isaac had hired him.

Nesta came out a minute later, and even in the dim lamplight, Cassian was breathless.

Her hair was pulled back in a high point tail. She wore jeans, a tank top, and an old flannel shirt, which remained open.

And her boots, which fit nicely.

“Okay, stop staring,” Nesta muttered. “I realize you’ve never seen me in boots and it’s shocking.”

Cassian cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck as he nodded. “They look nice.”

Nesta rolled her eyes and her boots thumped toward the front door. “Yeah, yeah. Alright, let’s do this.”

Cassian allowed himself to watch her walk out the door and down the steps before he followed her out.

————

“Harder.”

Cassian grunted.

“Harder.”

He groaned, but did as he was told.

“Harder!”

Cassian was out of breath, but he said, “This is as hard as it gets, I don’t know what else you want from me.”

Nesta gritted her teeth, but still managed to roll her eyes. “I want you to try harder.”

He grunted and said, “Okay, okay, put it down. Stop pushing.”

They both moved away from the enormous roll of hay they’d been trying to roll through the south pasture. It had rained overnight, nearly doubling the weight of the hay and Cassian had suspected he needed a little more muscle than what Nesta had to offer.

“I’ll have to call Rhys,” Cassian said, lifting the hem of his shirt to wipe his brow. Nesta was folded at the waist, her hands braced on her knees.

“No, we can-.” She stopped to breathe. “We can do it. We got this”

He chuckled, “Nes, that hay weighs over 5 times your weight. We absolutely do not got this.”

Her lips tightened as she sized up the roll of hay. “We-.”

“Nesta,” Cassian breathed, laughing quietly. “It’s not a big deal. Your ability to move a roll of hay doesn’t dictate your ability to run a ranch. Well, own it, I run it.”

Nesta couldn’t help the smile that tugged on the corner of her mouth. “You’re incredibly annoying.”

“I know,” he grinned, wiping his face with the hem of his shirt, once more. Nesta’s eyes lingered a little bit too long on his abdomen, just above the waistband of his jeans, which were hanging loosely on his hips. He didn’t seem to notice as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Rhys. “Rhys will be over soon, I’m sure, he has the day off. Unless your sister kept him up all night.”

Nesta scrunched her nose. “No need to reference my sister’s sex life.”

Cassian’s grin widened as he put his phone back into his pocket. “You wanna go for a ride?”

Nesta stilled, and her hesitation made him howl.

“I meant on a horse, Nesta,” he said, unable to control his laughter. “Calm down.”

“Asshole,” she mumbled. Her cheeks were red, both from the sun they’d been in all day and the blush now tipping her ears as well. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I don’t have a horse. I’m okay.”

Cassian had an eyebrow raised. “You actually have eight.”

“I have-.” Nesta paused. “Oh. You’re right.”

But not Phoenix.

“Hey.” Cassian’s voice was soft and she looked up, not expecting him to be so close. His hazel eyes were the color of the forest floor. As if he could read her thoughts, he said, “You’ll never be able to replace him, Nes. You’ll never get back that bond with him. But that doesn’t mean you can’t build another bond with another horse.”

He was right, of course, but she hadn’t been on a horse in nearly a decade. The thought alone terrified her. Yes, she was beginning not to mind being back in Velaris, had even started enjoying herself while working on the B&B, but to ride again? She wasn’t sure if she was ready for such a huge step.

And it was.

A massive step.

Yet, Cassian’s eyes were so full of hope, and the way they watched her, so softly, Nesta couldn’t say no.

Didn’t want to say no.

“Okay,” she breathed. “Fine.”

Cassian slowly shook his head. “I need to hear you say it with a little more enthusiasm.”

Nesta pursed her lips and shoved him in the shoulder, which only made his cocky ass grin return.

“Come on,” she said, heading in the direction of the dilapidated stalls the horses stayed in. She walked about twenty feet before she realized he wasn’t walking with her. “What?”

Cassian chuckled. “You really were tired this morning, weren’t you?”

Nesta blinked. “You banged on my door at, like, three in the morning. Of course I was tired.”

“Okay, first of all, it was four thirty,” he said, laughing. “Second, follow me.”

Nesta wasn’t sure exactly how she’d missed it. He was right, she must have been half asleep to miss the framework nestled back into the trees between their two houses.

But this was not the basic stable and tack room she’d described to him.

No, this building was going to be massive.

“There are going to be sixteen stalls,” Cassian said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “The tack room is going to be on that side,” he indicated to the right. “And the lodge, will be to the left.”

“The lodge?” Nesta asked, turning to look at him. “Figured it might be nice to have a little getaway out here. If you don’t like it, I can scrap it from the plans, make this a second tack room or storage area.”

But Nesta wasn’t listening, she’d turned back to the massive framework of beams in front of her.

She breathed, “Cassian, it’s perfect.”

He scratched at the back of his neck. “It’s going to take me a while to finish-.”

“Tell me what you need and it’s yours.” There was no hesitation to her words. “We can even hire someone to help, if you want.”

Cassian chuckled, softly. “That’s okay. I got it. If I need help, I’ll ask Rhys and Az. They’ll be more than happy to help when they can.”

“I can’t believe you…” Nesta shook her head, and looked at him. “Put so much thought into it.”

He shrugged. “You asked for updated stables. I just did what I’m told.”

“You really do love this place, don’t you?” Nesta asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Cassian said, meeting her gaze. “I had a bad reputation, from a lot of stupid shit I did when I was younger. Your dad really took a chance on hiring me, but I’m grateful every day that he did. He gave me a sense of purpose, when I thought I didn’t have one.”

Nesta nodded, slowly, and did not back down from his gaze as she said, “I’m grateful, too. That you’re here. I’d be completely lost without you.”

Cassian’s eyes softened, and she thought he was going to say something sweet, but then he said, “Yeah...all the other ranchers in this town aren’t as sexy as me, so, you really did luck out.”

“Oh, cauldron boil me,” Nesta groaned and Cassian put his arm around her shoulder and steered her towards the house, towards the shed where the saddles and other tack was kept.

“Ahhh, I didn’t want it to get too sappy.” He said, grinning down at her. “But now, we’re gonna see if you’re really worth your salt on this ranch.” He stopped in front of the shed and unlocked the padlock.

“And what exactly does that mean?” Nesta asked, not so subtly watching the way his back muscles moved under the blue t-shirt he wore.

He turned and Nesta cleared her throat and looked at him. He had a lead rope in his hand.

“Time to go catch you a horse, Nesta Archeron.”

——————

As the sun was setting, Nesta and Cassian walked back from the pasture, laughing.

“I had no idea that you were the one that released the dissection frogs!” Nesta said, locking the gate behind them. “Was it in protest of animal cruelty or something?”

Cassian thought for a second. “No, but if I had gotten caught, that probably would have been a better excuse than the one I would have gone with.”

Nesta chuckled. “Which was?”

He smirked and said, “Because I got bored.”

Nesta froze and watched him walk the rest of the way to the shed. “You let over four hundred frogs loose because you were bored?”

He put the ropes back in their place and locked the shed up. “Yup.” The grin on his face told her he, indeed, was proud of himself. And she was grinning, too.

Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Do you want to come have dinner with me?”

Cassian’s eyebrows raised. “Tonight?”

“Tonight, tomorrow night, whenever.” She shrugged, trying to play it off as a casual offer, and not that asking had filled her stomach with butterflies as strongly as it had when she had her first kiss. “We can meet for dinner in the main house every night. There’s no need for us to both cook.”

His smile returned, but it was softer. “I’d like that.”

They headed back around the front of the house, Cassian rattling off his favorite foods, most of which consisted of red meat and starches. When they came around the corner, Nesta froze.

Cassian’s words trailed off as he stopped beside her. A little black truck had pulled up, old and rusty. But the girl that came out of that little, rusty truck was stunning.

Nesta looked over at Cassian, to see if he recognized the young woman.

And, oh, he definitely did.

“Emerie,” he said, uncomfortably, clearing his throat. “What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d come by to say hello,” she crooned, grin wide. Then, she seemed to notice Nesta for the first time. “Oh. Who are you?”

Nesta blinked, then realized she was being spoken to. “I own this property.”

“Oh,” she breathed, eyes growing wide with recognition. “Your Isaac’s oldest? Wow.” She looked Nesta up and down, and the gesture had Nesta seeing red. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Emerie.”

“I’ve heard,” Nesta muttered.

Cassian was fiddling with the hem of his shirt when he said, “You know, we’re a little busy, Em, why don’t you come back later?”

“Later works,” she said, sliding her hands in her back pockets. “I was going to see if you wanted to have dinner, too, but it seems like you’re...taken care of.”

Cassian cleared his throat and said, “Nesta and I were just-.”

“Just finishing up for the day,” Nesta interrupted. She turned to Cassian and the warm, playful nature he’d seen emerging earlier had gone cold. “Thanks for showing me the ropes. I really appreciate it.” She began up the porch steps and Cassian reached for her hand. He gently gripped her fingers.

“Nesta, wait, let me explain. It’s-,” he dragged his hand down his face, the callouses catching on his stubble. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“I fell for that once before,” she whispered, her fingers tightening in his. “I won’t fall for it again.”

A look of confusion crossed Cassian's face, but his hand dropped. Emerie had gotten the hint, had gotten back up into her truck and was backing out.

“Are you jealous?” He asked, and it was almost anger that replaced the spark in his hazel eyes. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I’m not jealous,” Nesta snapped. “But it’s really inappropriate-“

“If you say that word one more time, Nesta, I swear on the fucking cauldron-.” Cassian’s words faded away and he raked his fingers through his long, tangled hair. “Must I remind you that you didn’t want me?”

There it was.

The words hung between them as complete silence consumed them, Emerie’s old truck driving away the only thing to be heard.

Nesta stared down at him, hurt written plainly across her face.

Hurt.

He had expected her to be jealous of Emerie, but he didn’t expect to see pain roiling in the depths of her eyes.

“Nesta, I-.”

She cut him off. “Did you lie to me?”

He blinked up at her, the sunset making her hair glow. “What?”

“That night, I asked you point blank if you had a girlfriend,” Nesta said, voice wavering. “You said no.”

“No,” Cassian said, eyes growing hard. “I have never lied to you, Nesta, I’m not a fucking liar. Emerie’s just a friend. She comes by every now and then. I haven’t seen her in months. She only comes by when she wants something.”

“Sex?” Nesta asked, before she could stop the word from tumbling out of her mouth.

Cassian shook his head, ignoring the short question altogether. “It doesn’t fucking matter. But, I’ve never lied to you. And, if you think I would lie to you….fuck.”

She could see the anger brewing inside of him, could see the frustration, but Nesta didn’t care, because she was pissed. And yet, she had no reason to be. He was right. She had turned him down. She had no right to care.

She was hurt, though.

And that hurt grew when she saw the hurt, saw the anguish, in his own eyes.

“I didn’t lie,” he repeated, looking away from her, out toward the pastures. “I’m a lot of things, Nesta, but I’m not a liar.”

She knew he wasn’t, knew it in every fiber of her being.

She hadn’t even been back in Velaris for a month, had just started to open up to the complicated man in front of her. Day and night, he always found a way to creep into her thoughts, into her dreams. But she couldn’t afford to be vulnerable, couldn’t afford to get tangled up with the man she couldn’t get off of her mind, no matter what she may want.

Not when her father's dream was on the line.

So Nesta closed her eyes, trying to hide the tears that has silently started slipping down her cheeks.

She turned her back to him, and hurried up the stairs of the main house.

Cassian was calling her name, but she forced herself to keep walking, to open the door, enter the house, shut herself inside.

She leaned against the slab of wood, stayed their as her eyes filled with tears, even as Cassian knocked on the other side.

“Nesta,” he said, voice calm, quiet, broken. “Hey, open up, come on.” He knocked again.

Nesta didn’t move.

She stayed there, leaning against the door, listening to him knock, listening to him beg.

But no matter what he said, Nesta didn’t open the door.

#theranchnessian #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #fanfic #au #nessian #shara collab #sharacollab

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icycream-catqueen · 4 years ago

Text

Kindling (When You’re Burning Low)

Cinder would rather burn herself out than risk a low grade; fortunately, Neo knows how to make her relax.

Rating: T

Tone: Some angst, lots of supportiveness, and a fluffy ending

Word Count: ~5,000

Important Tags: College AU, Established Relationship

I was gonna post this before now but I had problems with writing it and I was nervous about participating in a ship week especially when I only have something written for one prompt, and also my cat was sleeping on me for five whole hours earlier tonight while I was trying to finish up and as everyone knows it is a crime to disturb a snoozing kitty cat. I hope it still counts. ^_^;

Considering it’s pretty long, I only have an excerpt (the first scene I wrote for this fic, actually) on this post; the whole thing is, of course, over on AO3!

On this fine Saturday afternoon, Cinder was taking advantage of the lounge in the dorm suite. The coffee table was half-claimed by various books and notes while Cinder herself was settled at the same end of the couch, her laptop perched on the arm of it and her right side pressed closely against the suede upholstery as she struggled with the perfect phrasing for her essay. Failure was never an option for her, and even the slightest error would lead to it when it came to this class. She was running on pure caffeine by now, from a supposedly unhealthy amount of coffee. This was her third or fourth solid day of being awake. After the first night, she’d moved her setup from her room to the lounge to help her stay more alert. Winter and Emerald had both tried to tell her what was best for her wellbeing, but she’d firmly shut down their arrogance; she knew her own limits, and she needed to get this stupid project done. Neo, thankfully, had been out of town from Thursday morning to last night, and when she’d come back to the suite, she’d trudged straight to her room and shut the door. Cinder had only seen a couple brief glimpses of her since. Just as well, considering Cinder couldn’t intimidate her into letting her be like she could to Emerald and Winter.

At the moment, Emerald and Winter were both out of the building. They’d each probably told her what they were doing, but she hadn’t bothered to remember it. Neo was apparently still asleep, which was a bit odd but not enough so to risk seeing the pitiful kicked-puppy expression that appeared when her sleep was disturbed. Still, if she wasn’t up and about in two hours, it would be worth it to check on her mental and physical health.

Speak of the devil, Cinder heard a door open behind her. She didn't bother to look, though, until she realized the shuffling footsteps were approaching the couch instead of the kitchen, bathroom, or shower. She took a brief glance, then did an immediate double take because Neo looked absolutely miserable. Her hair was unbrushed and her eyes were dull. The oversized black sweatshirt (which Cinder recognized by the fiery orange phoenix on the front as one of her own that had mysteriously vanished a few weeks ago) and the brown and pink plaid pajama pants were probably what she'd worn to bed the night before, and she hadn't even bothered to put on socks. It was worrying to see her in such a state.

"You certainly look worse for wear," Cinder commented. Neo pouted at her as she slowly made her way to the couch and sank to the cushions. Before Cinder could react, Neo flopped down, squirmed to lay her head in her lap, and rolled onto her back. "I'm busy," Cinder told her sternly.

Neo's response was a soft and pitiful keening sound. She fumbled to grab Cinder's left wrist, staring up at her with pleading doe eyes.

"Neo. I'm busy," Cinder repeated. Neo whined and tugged on her wrist, so Cinder rolled her eyes and stopped resisting, curious about what she wanted. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she was definitely taken by surprise when Neo gently guided her hand under the hem of her sweatshirt and pressed it against her lower stomach.

What is she trying to accomplish here? Cinder raised an eyebrow at the woman in her lap. Neo let go of her wrist to sign something at her. The odd angle made it hard to translate, so it took a few seconds for Cinder to understand what she was asking for and why.

"I suppose I can take a short break, if you're really in that much pain," she relented. "You're lucky you're cute," she added as she carefully activated her Semblance.

The reaction was instant. Neo sighed with relief at the warmth, eyes full of soft gratitude and affection. Cinder rubbed slow, small circles over her stomach, feeling the smaller woman go languid under her touch. After a few more seconds, Neo's eyes fluttered closed.

"Is this warm enough?" Cinder asked. Neo nodded, a content smile playing across her lips. "Just ten minutes."

Neo opened her eyes and pouted at her.

"There is a reason I've been awake for," Cinder checked the time on her laptop, "about eighty hours now." Neo looked positively outraged.

"You need to sleep," she signed—easily decipherable now that Cinder had gotten a little more time to adjust to her current perspective. Not that the message was very appreciated.

"No, what I need is to finish this ridiculous project so I can move on to my two remaining essays, do all the work for a 'group project' because the rest of my assigned group are immature and unmotivated idiots, and study for my three exams this week," Cinder retorted.

"When are your essays due?"

Cinder elected not to answer, since admitting the due dates were two and three weeks away respectively wouldn't help her against Neo's accusatory glare.

"Your group project?"

Okay, so maybe it hadn't technically been assigned yet and was scheduled to be due in a month and a half, but all the information was in the syllabus. Cinder's class was full of imbeciles, and somehow she always got stuck in a group with some idiot or another who didn't understand what a lesbian was, so she was getting it out of the way to avoid interacting with anyone.

"Are all three of your exams actually this week?"

Two of them, and one of those barely counted more towards the final grade in the class than a small quiz. Her continued silence was answer enough; Neo knew her too well.

"You're going to burn yourself out again." Neo's eyes were unbearably sad, so Cinder looked away.

"I'm fine," she dismissed the concern. A hand grabbed her chin and yanked her head down so her eyes met Neo's again.

"I watched you collapse in the middle of campus last year, and I almost got in trouble for pulling a knife on the paramedics to make them let me stay with you. I got a scared video call from Winter four months ago because you fainted in her fancy rich-person hot tub and nearly drowned," Neo reminded her. “Do I need to go on?”

"I can handle it this time," Cinder insisted, growing agitated. Neo took a calming breath before responding.

"No you can't. You always say it but you never can. You end up in an exhausted daze. You work yourself into a frenzy. You get into fits of rage...which honestly scare me."

"I would never lay a hand on—!" Cinder was cut off when Neo pressed a finger to her lips.

"Not for myself. I'm scared you'll lose control and take it out on yourself again," Neo corrected her. "You haven't in a while, but..." Neo trailed a hand down Cinder's left arm, tracing her scars.

"I just...I need to...I have to keep working. I can't let myself fall behind. I can't..." Cinder faltered. Neo sighed.

"I know," she acknowledged. She knew about the past, knew why Cinder relapsed into these desperate attempts to excel, to stay ahead. "But it's pointless if you destroy yourself trying."

"I've only ended up being sent to the hospital three times since I started college," Cinder argued. Neo was unimpressed.

"Congratulations! And you've managed to barely avoid hospitalization how many times now?"

"I—that isn't relevant!" Cinder hissed. Neo scowled.

"Really? It's not? How many times have you ended up so exhausted that you were bedridden for days? How many times have you gone into a mental decline because you were incapacitated? And how many more times are you going to make me watch you suffer like that?"

"If you want to leave me, just get it over with!" Cinder spat bitterly. Neo's eyes widened, hurt and shocked. Cinder flinched, realizing she'd crossed a very important line. "I didn't mean...I don't know why I said that."

"An abandonment complex, emotional instability, a mess of insecurities you mask with your ego, previous girlfriends who couldn't handle you or only wanted your body...and like I've been saying, you need sleep,” Neo replied, recovering. "Also, my cramps?"

"What?" Cinder realized she'd subconsciously deactivated her Semblance at some point and quickly remedied that. "Oh. Sorry."

"I'm going to make a deal with you," Neo informed her abruptly. Cinder raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"What kind of deal?"

"The 'ridiculous project' you're trying to finish. Tell me about it, and I'll explain," Neo replied. Cinder clenched her teeth at the mere mention of it.

"It's an assigned experiment, a five to ten-page report on it, and an oral presentation. And the professor hates me. He goes out of his way to make every class, every test, and every assignment hell for me. I have to work harder than anyone so he can't get away with failing me out of spite. If I make even one mistake..." she growled.

"When is it due?"

"The day after tomorrow. It was assigned two weeks ago, but three days ago he realized he 'accidentally' gave me the wrong experiment. In other words, he's making me do a two-week project within five days—after I'd already finished the one he previously assigned me."

"Watts," Neo guessed. Cinder had come back from his class angry enough times that it wasn't even a question.

"Yeah," she confirmed anyway. Neo wrinkled her nose.

"I already hated that guy, and I hated him more and more every time you came back from his class in a bad mood, but this shit he's pulling now is the final straw, so I'm going to get him fired," she declared. Cinder let out an amused huff.

"And how will you do that?" she asked. She didn’t expect an actual answer but Neo didn't even hesitate.

"It may include breaking and entering, small and well-placed incidents, a flat tire, some bottles of the expensive alcohol he isn't supposed to have on campus, a sedative, and if we're lucky, a little inadvertent assistance from gravity and Ironwood."

"Just how long have you been planning this?" Cinder was taken aback at the immediate response. Neo considered.

"The time you locked me out of your dorm after his class because you were so furious you wanted to hit something, and you were worried you'd see so much red you might accidentally hit me in blackout rage. You've never told me what happens in his class to make you so angry, or even if it's actually him or just another student—though I was pretty sure it was him—so I planned for both situations."

"I'm impressed," Cinder commented. Neo smirked. “Now what was that ‘deal’ you mentioned?”

"You finish the report for your project, then eat something more substantial than coffee and whatever quick snacks you've been living off of for the past few days. And then we go to my dorm and you get some damn sleep."

"How did you know I'm working on the report right now?" Cinder was taken aback. "And how do you know I haven't been eating?"

"Because I can see it on your computer. And once again, you've done this before, so I know you don't take the time for more than the minimum amount of food to keep hunger from 'distracting' you," Neo pointed out, almost accusingly.

"I haven't even started working on the oral presentation. I'll do all that after I'm completely finished."

"Nope. You can start that part when you're well-rested. If you make me physically drag you to bed while I'm on my period, I'll make damn sure you regret it," Neo threatened with a scowl.

“Fine,” Cinder gave in reluctantly. Neo smiled brightly, and dammit, it was nigh impossible for Cinder to stay bitter in the face of such genuine fondness, joy, and relief. She wondered when she’d gotten so soft—even if only a select few people got to see that soft part of her—and realized she didn’t even mind anymore.

#spicecreamweek2021 #spicecream #cinder x neo #fanfic #rwby #cinder fall #neopolitan #college au #oneshot #mentions of trauma #mentions of past self-harm #fluff #cuddles #established relationship #tl;dr cinder neglects self-care so neo makes her take a nap #i could have just done a link like normal people but i wanted an excuse to use the spicecream graphic i made

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nomimits7 · 4 years ago

Text

Cold Phoenix | 1

Title: Cold Phoenix

Pairing: FBI BTS x Gang/mafia member (named) reader

Genre: Mission au, FBI au, Gang au

Warnings: Angst, manipulation, riddles (sorry), betrayal

Summary: Being born as the Taboo child between the good and the bad of this world, Zebah grew up believing she was just another one of the stolen. But just like the moon that needs the sun to shine, seven FBI agents enter her life with the promise of freedom. Before long Zebah realizes she is just another pawn in the game of Mafia vs. FBI. Will Zebah ever learn to trust the seven men that betrayed her to get what they wanted? Will she ever believe the truth behind her own birth? Or will Zebah fall alongside her family that lied to her from the start?

A/N: This story is told in the third person. Try to guess who the narrator is! Also this is my first time writing in this style. Please do tell me what you think. Should I keep to it or not?? The bold words are flashbacks of past scenes. The normal words are what the narrator tells.

@kookmin9795land Hope you like it

*-*

“It’s done. Mommy made the big bad mistake go away. Now, remember what mommy said. You made this mistake…” The woman with grey hair points to the new-born baby in her son's arms “and whatever mommy had to do in there is your fault. If she ever finds out about her true identity, mommy will have to ‘fix’ that to” The woman concluded as she exited the hallway, ordering some of the bystanders to clean up the mess. She was the wife of one of the most feared mafia bosses out there. Ruthless and heartless, even towards her own son's breaking heart. No amount of tears could break her, even if she silently felt joy seeing and holding her first grandchild.

“Don’t worry angel, even if you might never know the truth… Daddy will always love you and protect you from afar” He whispered close to his newly born daughters’ ears. Regret and sadness the only available emotions as he watches the others remove the love of his life’s lifeless body. A silent sacrifice to save her life. A sacrifice she would only come to hear about when it’s far too late. His mother has removed the sun in his dark life, fortunately, he had his daughter to fill the void, even if she, like the moon, would only reflect her mother's brightness.

Growing up in the mafia Zebah always thought she was one of the stolen. You see there were just too little children born into the mafia to maintain sufficient numbers, so some of the mafia leaders decided to steal what they needed. Reinforcements. At first, they stole teens, they were young and could learn fast, but they also had grown to the extent where they wouldn’t forget their past lives. They would rebel against the mafia, causing more problems than fixing them.

Soon the age decreased, toddlers were kept under lock and key and even baby cribs had alarms on them. People started living with the fear that their child would be next. Once Phoenix took them, they would never be seen again. The only time they would be found, is when they have already reached skeletonization.

Once the children were old enough to talk and walk properly, their training began. From handling knives to shooting with their eyes closed. They were trained to become the best of the best. The best at hiding, the best at stealing, the best at killing. Even though they knew children would sometimes make mistakes, they treated it as a game of baseball. Strike one was a warning, strike two a punishment, and strike three meant you were out. Out of the mafia and out of society. How they killed off these recruits depended on the day, but luckily Zebah never got to experience such an event. She barely had one strike to your name.

It’s been sixteen years since her training started and twenty-one years since she started breathing. Zebah was ruthless and feared amongst the mafia members. Even some of the rival mafias kept their distance from her. She was still young, but since her skills surpass most of her seniors, Zebah quickly became a favorite. Even her best friends and partners in crime envied her position. Alex and Ray barely left her side. Even with her skills, they knew Zebah was still just a young girl stuck in the mafia world. Physically feared but mentally broken. All of them were, their upbringing wasn’t exactly normal.

Most of the mission they were sent on went without fault, but they were still learning. This fact alone was why the big boss never sends them on ‘more important’ missions. The risk was just too high, the FBI and even some rival mafias would take any chance they got to take down Pheonix, even if they would have to deal with Z. Luckily they always failed, and as cocky as that sounds that may be exactly what lead to their success in the end. One thing nobody realized in the beginning was just how fragile the minds of the young ones are. Phoenix simply focussed on the hardcore stuff. They barely trained their minds to withstand temptation. This was one of the biggest mistakes Phoenix could ever have made.

So why this is important you ask? Well, you see every story has a start and the very birth of the taboo child leads to the downfall of Pheonix. She might have been born and raised in the mafia, but her heart was pure and believe me when I tell you she wanted out. None of her friends shared her desire and Zebah learned that the hard way. Now I won’t bore you with the boring stuff, so I’ll cut to the very boys who granted her, her freedom. I have to warn you though, this story doesn’t have the usual ‘enemies to lover’ enigma. This story includes heartbreak and betrayal with a dash of blood for taste.

You won’t believe me when I tell you that it was seven FBI agents. You heard me right, seven FBI boys. These seven were compiled of three hackers and four specialists. Now I know in the FBI all of the agents get trained in how to handle a gun and how to investigate and all that nitty-gritty shit. But here’s what sets these seven men apart. Their leader is a genius. Not in the sense of he can solve a crime within 5 seconds, no he’s extremely smart in the strategic sense. I think he mentioned once he had a degree in philosophy or something like that. The oldest hacker came from a criminal background. Both his parents were cyber thieves and they taught him everything he knows. One of the specialists was a chemist, the other two are experts in human behavior. The other two hackers just did it as a side job to get through college.

So in short, these individuals make up one heck of a team. Maybe that’s why their superiors gave them the mission to take Pheonix down. But the funny part of this whole story is that they never made a move. It was like they were the mafias and were waiting for their target to slip into their trap. At the time Pheonix didn’t even know they had a new target on their backs. Typical if you consider what idiot the leader was.

“Boss. We worked through the entire list of known mafia members and identified 3 candidates we can consider as possible insiders. All male, all young and naïve” Hoseok said as Namjoon walked into the office. This was not great news. Naïve-ness leads to failed missions and that’s one thing they could not afford. They had an image to maintain after all.

“You know that’s not a good start at all, right? We need insurance. Someone willing to take down the only family they know.” Yoongi casually stated as he cleaned his weapons. None of the profiles were stable enough to use. They all held the risk of failure. Some of them the members were too high up and other members were to low down to trust. It was nearly impossible for them to find an in.

“Maybe we’ll find something tonight. There’s a small gathering down at the docks and if my sources are correct, there will be a deal going down.” Seokjin said gaze still firmly attached to his screen.

“And how do we know your sources can be trusted Jin? People lie all the time to get what they want” Namjoon asked somewhat frustrated that his team’s not getting anywhere. It’s been a whole week since the big man told them to take Pheonix down and the man wants answers. Nothing made Namjoon more pissed off than someone nagging him for progress, especially in a high-profile case like this. Taking down Phoenix would be considered one of the most impossible tasks to ever cross an agent's desk. Many have tried in the past, and all have failed.

“Seriously Joon? I’m a hacker for goodness sake. I saw the text messages with my own eyes. Before you say anything I know it’s illegal that’s why I had Kookie send in an anonymous message leaving the tip for us to follow” Seokjin said as he finally made eye contact with a ‘shocked but not surprised’ Namjoon. He has done this before, once a criminal always a criminal. Seokjin, like the others, lived for the thrill.

If there is one thing you should know about this group of seven it’s this, they play by their own rules. I still believe that if it weren’t for their leader to keep them in check or his ability to legalize their actions, they would have been very cunning criminals.

Part 2

A/N: I know its short but there’s a reason...A good one. Let me know if you want to be added to a taglist! thank you for reading <3

#nomimits7 #bts #bts x reader #Zzzz #named oc #ot7 #ot7 x reader #namjoon #seokjin #yoongi #hoseok #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #zebah #mafia #gang #fbi #whatever other tags writers use

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kristoffsloveisntfragile · 4 years ago

Text

Quarantine Love Story

Rating: T; Some swearing.

Word Count: 3,683

Pairing: Kristoff/Anna

Summary: Modern AU; Kristoff and Anna are roommates, and have been for 3 years. With them being stuck with each other in the same house for the past couple months, some things revealed themselves.

Notes: I started writing this in the beginning of quarantine, so some of the stuff in this may be a little outdated, but it still works I guess. I was worried that since it seemed like quarantine was going to end that this story wouldn’t work anymore, but you know, the world isn’t happening like that anymore, so we may be in quarantine for a while now. WEAR YOUR MASK AND WASH YOUR HANDS. ALSO BLACK LIVES STILL MATTER EVEN IF IT ISN’T TRENDING ANYMORE. DONATE, SIGN PETITION, SPEAK OUT. Thx, and enjoy the story :).

Day...Who knows anymore?

I write in my journal today wanting to write, but don’t really have anything to report. I think I’m keeping this journal in hopes someone finds this in the future and I become known as the modern Anne Frank. Seeming how we had similar experiences, stuck inside the same place, with the same people that I’m faced to see everyday. Every once in a while I see my sister, whether on facetime or she really wants to see me and comes over, and always gifts me with cadbury mini eggs...oof I’m even craving them now.

But besides that, I’ll go back to reality and wait until my roommate comes back with a bunch of groceries that were hopefully in stock. Until tomorrow, journal.

Anna set down her journal and pen and went back out to check if Kristoff came back from the store yet. When she saw that he wasn’t back, she grabbed a cup and poured the rest of her favorite juice in it. Since she couldn’t do much, she’s just been eating and drinking all of her snacks and drinks. She hoped he bought her more at the store.

When she heard his car pull up, she put her empty glass in the sink and ran outside to help him. She approached the back of the car, and saw that it was slowly opening, and also saw Kristoff getting out of the driver’s seat.

“Anything good still stocked?” She asked, then she truly saw how much stuff he got, and was genuinely shocked, “Wow,”

“Yep, the thing was the staff were restocking some products so I watched and waited a good 3-5 minutes after they were done to go for it. Probably took me a little longer than I wanted, but the outcome is great.”

Anna just started going in and taking some bags into the apartment, until she was stopped by his words, “Just don’t forget to wash your hands when you’re done,”

“Yeah, I will, don’t worry.” Anna kind of cut him off, and then continued back inside.

She couldn’t lie to herself, she was starting to get a little annoyed with Kristoff’s constant reminder to clean up after a day out.. She’s perfectly healthy, exercises on a sort-of daily basis; with them stuck inside her schedule has been off a little bit.

She just hoped she didn’t tick off Kristoff by cutting him off like that, she knows he’s just looking out for her, especially since they live together. Even before all of this, Kristoff was kind of a neat-freak, so she expected this to happen. I mean, after all, he did take her in when she really had nowhere else to go, since no place seemed right and she had just gone through a rough break up. Kristoff was a good friend and offered his place, for as long as she needed.

They brought in the rest of the bags and started unloading. She went into one bag, “Oh, yes! Thank you for getting the juice, I just drank the last of it.” Anna laughed, and then saw another bottle in the same bag, “Really? Vodka?”

Kristoff chuckled, “Hey, it was on sale, and we could all need some loosening up.” Kristoff smirked at Anna.

“I’m just surprised at the amount of people staying sober at this time.” Anna said.

After everything was put away, Anna went into the bathroom and washed her hands, as she promised, and hummed her favorite song. Not only to ensure she was washing for 20+ seconds, but she just liked to sing when she was doing mindless tasks. Kristoff went into the bathroom to retrieve something from the medicine cabinet, and admired her hummed voice. Once he was going around the apartment and doing his own things, he realized he was humming it too. He liked the song too, and couldn’t stop hearing it being sung in Anna’s voice. It was like entering heaven to him. He shook the thought out of his mind, and decided to really get his mind off of being cooped up in the apartment, so he went to the basement and worked out for a bit, enough to get some sweat out and his mind completely off of Anna.

~~~

A little while later, Anna had snuggled up on the couch as she usually does each night now, just starting the night with the 5th Harry Potter movie, Order of the Phoenix. Already comfortable with her blanket and her hot chocolate, Kristoff comes out of the bathroom from taking a shower after the exercise. He smiled when he saw Anna, so intently focused on the movie, but then he looked at the time.

“Starting the marathon rather late are we?” Kristoff passed by her to go to his room.

“Meh, I may only watch one tonight.” Anna said loud enough so Kristoff could hear her. He came back out with a cozy sweater on and sat on the other couch in the living room.

“That’s alright by me.” Kristoff got comfortable, and watched the movie with Anna.

The scene that was on was when Harry had detention with Professor Umbridge.

Harry stares into Dolores’ cold, dead eyes, trying to have a hint of sweetness. He wants to scream at her for what she had just done to his hand with the enchanted feather. But decided against it. Bad stuff has been happening already. “Nothing.”

“That’s right,” She whispers. “Cause you know, deep down...you deserve to be punished. Don’t you Mr.Potter?” She stares sinisterly at Harry.

Anna mumbles under her breath, “That bitch…” Kristoff laughs at her comment.

~~~

“You’re a really good teacher Harry.” Cho said, “I’ve never been able to stun anything before.” Cho looks up, a mistletoe starts forming above Harry and Cho’s head, she looks at Harry and whispers, “Mistletoe…”

Harry looks at Cho, “Probably full of nargles.” He says softly.

“What are nargles?”

“No idea.” Harry leans in to have his first kiss with Cho, alone in the Room of Requirement, sharing this moment together.

“You know, as a kid I didn’t like the idea of Cho and Harry getting together, but now they are kinda cute together…” Anna said, taking another sip of her hot chocolate that she made another cup of.

“Yeah, but then she totally rats them out about the Room of Requirement, and blows their chances by losing his trust.” Kristoff blatantly says.

“Uh, spoilers much?” Anna smirked.

“Oh come on, like you haven’t seen this whole series a thousand times.” Kristoff chuckled.

“Yeeeaaahhh but everytime I watch it likes I’m seeing it again for the first time.” Anna says.

Kristoff looks back and Harry Potter is explaining his first kiss to Herminoe and Ron, but his mind was still on the scene prior, how Harry had his first kiss and how happy he was to talk about it with his friends. Sure his friends (Herminoe) still found a way to see the hardships that Cho was going through, but Kristoff hoped whoever he’d end up with, his friends would be happy and only think of positives.

He found that he was then looking at Anna. His subconscious knew that she was the one he was talking about, when he thought of who he would end up with.

‘Yeah, in your dreams Kristoff.’ His mind also thought. He shakes his head and gets up to get a drink and a snack.

He opened the cupboard where the alcohol is, and saw that it was already open. He didn’t realize Anna already got to it, since both times she made a cup of hot chocolate he wasn’t looking at her. But that still drove him to ask, “Did you already have some of the vodka?”

Anna looked over, then looked at her drink, and then took a sip, as if he just didn’t ask her a question.

He laughed, and made himself a vodka soda and got one of the snack pack puddings, an adult drink with a kid snack. Kristoff in a nutshell.

He returned to the movie and kinda kept an eye on Anna, seeing if he can tell if she was getting more drunk as the night went on.

~~~

“Do you want any help finding them?” Harry asked Luna, wanting to help find her stuff that people took. Luna smiles and shakes her head, she would be fine on her own.

Her expression falls as she says, “I’m sorry about your Godfather Harry…” She reaches out her hand and takes Harry’s. He is shocked and looks at the contact between them, and looks back up to meet Luna’s eyes. They let go of each other.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help looking?” Harry asks again.

“That’s alright. Anyway, my mom always said, ‘the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end’.” Her gaze wanders, and she sees her shoes hung from the archway, and Harry follows her gaze. “If not always in the ways we expect... Think I’ll go have some pudding.” She turns and skips away toward the Dining Hall, and Harry looks back at the shoes. He takes the lessons he just learned to heart. He did a quick smirk to himself.

“oH my gOd pudding would be amazing right now!” Anna says a little too loudly and abruptly, startling Kristoff a little bit, but he laughs it off.

“There’s still some snack packs, want me to go grab you one?”

“That, would be great thanksssssss” Anna leans off the side of the couch and smiles with her eyes closed at Kristoff, as he gets up and gets another pack for him and one for Anna.

The rest of the movie finishes and Anna is smiling hard as ever. Order of the Phoenix is one of her favorite movies because of the ending lesson, ‘something worth fighting for’.

“Wooo! God I love that movie.” She looked at the time on her phone, “Ahh, couldn’t hurt to watch one more right?”

Kristoff huffed, “Whatever you want, princess.” He calls her that when he didn’t care what she did, just so long it wasn’t illegal.

She hopped up from the couch, trying to keep her balance, as the alcohol is definitely starting to settle into her. She took out Order of the Phoenix, and put in Half-Blood Prince and sat back down. Kristoff saw how cozy and comfortable Anna looked, with her blanket and big sweater. How he wished he could just snuggle up with her, but that would seem inappropriate, so he just went to his room and got one pillow and a small blanket, actually it was the one Anna gave to Kristoff last Christmas, the first one they really spent together.

Kristoff set up his stuff on the couch and Anna remarked, “Are you gonna sleep out here tonight or what?” She huffed a drunken laugh.

“Nah, if we’re gonna watch another movie I might as well be comfortable.” He looked over at her, and again she was slumped over the side, as she found some comfort in that. “Plus, what if you end up passing out and I gotta clean up everything?”

“I won’t pass out, I’m not that drunk.” Some seriousness poked through. “Besides, you’ll fall asleep before me, you always do when watching movies.”

“Not when I have my vodka soda.” He raised his glass to his lips and gave a cheeky look to her. “You know that. By that rate, at my second one, I won’t fall asleep until I hit my head on my actual bed.”

She mocked his words and started the movie.

~~~

Some point during the movie, in one of the quiet parts, Kristoff noticed that Anna shivered, and her eyes got droopy.

“Anna, you good?”

“Yeah, just got chilly-y, all of a sudden.”

“Are you sick or something? Are you sure you feel okay?” Kristoff jumped up and put his hand to her forehead.

She laughed and swiped his hand away. “Trust me, I’m fine. Is like the window open or something? They said it was going to get cold tonight.”

Kristoff looked around the living room and as it turns out, there was the window open, one of the bigger ones in the room, causing cold air to get in. “See? Told you.” Anna says.

“Sorry, I’ve just been getting more paranoid lately. You never know.” He gets up to shut the window.

“Yeah, but even I knew that the cold air was making me cold, not the virus that I could’ve contracted. Which I didn’t. I’m certain. I’m healthy and fine, and have barely been in contact with anything or anyone.”

“I know..It’s just...you never know…” He quietly said as he went back to his seat on the other couch.

“But I do! Don’t you trust my word?”

“Of course I trust you! It’s just I…” Kristoff didn’t want to say it. He was trying to just get past it. But Anna wouldn’t let up.

“What? You what?” Anna persisted.

“I just care about you too much okay?!” Kristoff blurted out and looked at Anna with wide eyes. But immediately took them back and sank into the couch, trying to glue his eyes to the TV. Hoping she would take it not in the way he meant it.

“You...care about me?” Anna was taken back a little.

“I mean. You’re my roommate. To a degree I have to care about your well being.” Kristoff tried to distract from the actual fact that Kristoff liked Anna. Like, really liked her.

“No...that’s not what you mean.” Anna said, almost in a whisper.

“Look don’t read into it too much, I just meant…” Kristoff stopped when he looked at Anna to finally make eye contact with her, but that’s when he noticed a small smile started to creep up on her face.

Dammit… She knows...But, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

“Kristoff, I…” She started to say.

“Don’t...just…” Kristoff tried to keep brushing it off.

“I know what you mean, though.” Anna shifted on the couch to fully face him, setting down her mug.

Kristoff looked at her, for what felt like forever. There was just silence.

“Kristoff...do you..” Anna started to say, but then was cut off by Kristoff.

“Look, I don’t want to talk about it. We’re roommates, that’s all.” He got up and went to his room, shutting the door. Not too loudly, he wasn’t mad or anything, just embarrassed.

If at all he was ever going to admit his feelings for Anna, this isn’t the way he imagined it. He laid on his bed, with one pillow and blanket missing, and tried to just get past the moment. He was certain she wasn’t feeling the same things as he did.

It took a couple minutes but Anna knocked on Kristoff’s door. He looked at the door, he decided not to say anything, and just laid on his back and stared at the ceiling.

“Kristoff?..” Anna said quietly. “I know you’re still awake. I also know you can’t sleep with the lights on.”

Kristoff sighed. “You already know it’s open too.” He shut his eyes tight to make sure it was all real.

He heard the door creak open and he looked to his right, and saw Anna slowly walk in. When the door was half open, she just stood there holding the doorknob. “Yeah, but that doesn’t always mean I’m invited in.” She said, looking a little hurt.

“Of course you’re invited in, you’re my roommate.” He sat up and waved his hand for her to come in more.

Anna went to the edge of the bed and sat on the very edge, to where it looked like she was going to fall off.

“You’re making it seem like I’m mad at you.” Kristoff said.

“Well, are you?” Anna barely looked into his eyes.

“No of course not. How can I ever be mad at you?” Kristoff said.

“Well…” Anna adjusted herself to sit better. “How long have you..?”

Kristoff sighed. “Well...first of all I never said anything about liking you.” Anna laughed a little at that. “And second...God, I don’t even remember anymore. It’s been a while. On and off.”

“Why? Why on and off?”

“Because you always showed interest in other guys, not me. Or, if you did you did very well to hide it.” Kristoff managed to crack a smile.

“Well, yeah I guess.” Anna mumbled and looked down at her hands, as she was nervously playing with them.

“There just never seemed like the right time. I mean hell, I took you in when you had nowhere else to go because of that jerk, um.. Lars?”

She scoffed, “Hans..”

“Whatever. I wanted to be there for you and comfort you, but at the same time, I was afraid I would fall hard way too soon, and you needed the space too, so...I don’t know what I’m even saying anymore.” Kristoff backed off from trying to explain his feelings.

“Wait, so, you’ve liked me, since I moved in? That was like, 3 years ago. Multiple relationships between us have come and gone, and...you still had interest in me this whole time?” Anna asked.

“Well...yeah.” Kristoff managed to get out.

Anna smiled, but didn’t know what else to say. So didn’t Kristoff, especially since she hasn’t admitted her feelings, he was just there going about his feelings, feeling like an idiot. So there was just silence between them.

Anna finally thought of something to say. “You know. Since I’ve been here so long with you, I’ve gotten comfortable with you. Like the first time I really had a nightmare, I stayed out in the living room, and then you came out and hugged me until I felt comfortable. After that, if I had a nightmare, I would just come in here and tell you that I need comfort. And you didn’t hesitate to do that. And there’s many more things that I was willing to do because I felt more closer and connected with you. Like tonight. I almost asked if you wanted to just sit on the same couch as I was on. But I felt that was taking it too far...and many more things too because we both had a relationship at one point or another. So I guess what I’m saying is...it’s back on for me. And it has been for a while.”

That last part got Kristoff’s attention. Did she just admit her feelings?

“You mean…?” Kristoff asked.

“I like you too Kristoff.” She finally said.

Kristoff couldn’t contain his smile.

“Does that smile mean you feel the same way?”

“Of course it does Anna. Like I said, I care about you. And like you predicted, I’m head over heels for you.”

She quickly crawled over to him and gave him a hug. The weird thing was, is that there was no weird feeling. It all felt so right for them. Like they belonged together.

They parted to look at each other. Kristoff did immediately feel bad for something though.

“Look, I’m sorry if I seemed very over protective of you. It’s just with everything going on…”

“I know. It’s okay. I get why, and sorry if I did seem annoyed on the outside, on the inside it felt heartwarming knowing that someone was concerned on that level. Like yeah Elsa asks if I’m okay, and I get a couple texts from other people, but...well I guess all those people can’t be too protective because they don’t live with me like you do, so a text is the next best thing to check up on someone-”

“Wow, I forgot how much you like to ramble-”

Already 2 minutes into this relationship and Anna smacks him playfully for his comment.

“Hey! I think it’s adorable, is what I was going to say.” Kristoff smiled again. So did Anna once she realized it was a compliment he was paying her.

They just sat in each other's arms for a bit, basking in the fact that they were a thing now. After 3 years of living together, and the past few months of being cooped up together, it finally happened. Anna finally piped up to say something.

“Well...now you know that I’m perfectly fine, do you mind if I..” Anna asked, almost scared to say the ending of her sentence.

“If you kiss me?” Kristoff said, finishing her sentence, and then gently laughed. “You know, I was thinking the same thing.” He looked deep into her eyes and leaned toward her. She accepted his lips as they pressed into hers. They both smiled into each other.

She hummed her excitement as they parted. Anna’s eyes were closed as she smiled. Kristoff laughed again at her dopey-looking face.

“What do you say we watch the rest of Harry Potter on the same couch?” Kristoff asked her.

“Okay, now you read my mind.” Anna managed to get out of Kristoff’s embrace, but grabbed his hand and led him to the living room. Anna was not afraid to get touchy and close to him, and neither was he. Kristoff grabbed Anna’s waist and slightly picked her up and he plopped on the couch with Anna landing on top of him. They got comfortable, with Anna’s big blanket covering them both, they picked up where they left off with the movie, and just enjoyed each other for the rest of the movie, until they eventually fell asleep.

Kristoff did wake up because of the fact that Anna was moving and mumbling as she was sleeping. It took him a second to wake up, then he picked her up and brought her to his room. He got her and himself comfortable, and went back to sleep with her in his arms.

~Morning After~

Day Whatever of Quarantine

Oh. My. God. Journal, you have no idea what I’m about to tell you. And it’s good. So good, my hand will be hurting after this entry...

#kristanna fanfiction #kristanna fanfic #kristanna #kristoff #anna #frozen #fanfiction #fanfic #quarantine love story

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orangetail-works · 5 years ago

Text

A Phoenix and a Raven: Partner

Chapter: Partner

A.N: This one came from the Boss/Assistant prompt, with the combination of the prompt: One meets the other when the other runs into a street sign. I thought that for a Modern AU, it would work. I hope you enjoy! Sorry about the time lapse. It took me a little longer to write than I thought.

Mondays were considered the worst day of the week by most. The beginning of the workweek, the school week and the usual starting point of long work projects. For Maleficent DaFey, head attorney of the Moors Criminal Defense Center, it meant the continued interviews and search for her new personal assistant and paralegal.

For the past five years, she never needed one. Her small law firm was headed up by herself and then she brought in a partner a year after liftoff as she needed more help. Although he was not a partner in a legal sense, he was her equal in the fact that she ran everything by him before taking the next step in cases. Stefan Barnhand did have a cooler head out of the two of them and he did most of the face to face interactions with other firms and hiring. He didn't have the spine to stand in the middle of the courtroom and grill the witnesses like she did, but she didn't mind. He had told her that they were meant to be, that they had 'true love'. She was so in love that she was sure that the dinner that had occurred last month would have had ended in a proposal.

It did end in just that, but not for marriage.

Stefan told her that he was going to leave Moors for Perceforest Law Offices headed up by Henry King. He had been headhunted and he wanted the chance to be a partner in a large and well-known office one day. Henry was offering him all he wanted and the chance to date his young daughter if he gave him something worthwhile. Stefan took the biggest case that they were working on with him. It was one of the largest and well-known cases in the area and would have skyrocketed her small law office into the arena with the big dogs. Now, she would have to wait for another chance. He was an idiot in hindsight, she was sure. She started the law firm from nothing and she got far before his interference. She would soar once again.

“DaFey,” the barista called from the counter and placed the hot cup at the edge.

Maleficent broke out of her thoughts, grabbed the cup and tipped the team before she walked out the door. Her dark roast blend, scalding hot with three pumps of hazelnut sweetener and a touch of blueberry juice was not the weirdest thing that the baristas at the Rowen Tree had made, but they surely knew to make it a certain way for the powerful woman who came in every morning- and occasional afternoons. The taste was worth the strange looks she received from the baristas. What wasn't worth it, was the wait she had to go through when a new trainee was behind the coffee maker.

There were three blocks to her office from the favored coffee spot. She told Robin to go ahead with the car, it was coming to Fall season and she wanted to enjoy the season's colors on her walk. For the rest of the day, she would be surrounded by the white walls of her office as she screened multiple new people for the position. If today was to be like anything like her interviews from the week before, it was going to be a very long, exhausting day with not much room for breaks to go outside. All applicants so far shivered in their chair in front of her and failed to impress. Yes, she wanted a healthy amount of fear, but she was to see this assistant every day. Could they at least stand the sight of her without shaking in their boots?

“There must be someone out there that is suitable,” she huffed and sipped at her coffee.

She stopped at an intersection and waited for the cross signal. Taking small sips from her coffee, she thought over the preferred competencies she had initially chosen and those that she refused to relinquish on.

She looked up to check on the light to see a young man walked briskly along the side of the building opposite. Not much younger than she was, but definitely seemed a bit more naive if she judged him correctly.

He checked his watch and frowned down at his wrist. Right after his frown, he looked up just in time to hit face-first into the sign for Farmer Ave.

“Oh dear,” Maleficent said nonchalantly and looked both ways before she crossed the street. Farmer Ave was known to have had inconsiderate and even dangerous drivers rush down the street. It wouldn't do to have him stay sprawled out half in the roadway. She stepped directly to him and stood over him, “Are you injured?”

He held his head from where it hit the pavement and squeezed his eyes before he opened them, “Yeah, I mean- no. I'm in one piece. That's all anyone could ask for, right?”

“I suppose so,” Maleficent raised a brow.

“Thank you for checking. I-” he looked up at her and his voice seemed to fail him.

“You sure you are quite all right?” she asked and knelt down next to him. She sat her cup of coffee in the roadway at their side as she checked on him.

He definitely wasn't bad to look at. Lithe frame, a bit pale in complexion, but she had to admit she was as well. His dark hair swept back from dark eyes that were almost inhuman at how dark they were. He reminded her of a raven, dark and light at the same time. She noticed his hair was even soft like feathers as she checked his head and despite the large bump at the back of it and what would soon turn into an impressive bruise on his cheek, he seemed to be fine.

She leaned back on her heels to tell him of what injures she did see when a large truck came around the corner with no hint of slowing. She gripped at his jacket and pushed them both to the sidewalk as the truck barreled over were they just were. She groaned in annoyance and looked at where the truck turned and then looked back at the man she had saved, “Did you catch their plates? I swear I would slap him with every kind of case I could think of.”

“Sorry, didn't quite get it,” he said in a small voice before he coughed and rubbed at his head. He looked back at where they were and noticed that the coffee was hit and now flowed over the blacktop, “It looks like your coffee was the only casualty.”

“Shame,” she huffed, “I only had half of it and I will need more than that to make it through today.”

“Thank you again,” he stood up and held a hand down to her. He pulled her up as her hand landed in his, “I will be sure to get my head examined.”

“As you should. Not many people run into street signs,” she raised her brows to evaluate him. She pulled at her shoulder bag and nodded to him, “Be careful. There are quite of few of them along the walkway.”

“I will try,” he nodded, “Is there anything I can do for you? I mean, you possibly just saved my life.”

“Possibly?” her mouth quirked up in a slight half smile, “Would you rather I had let him hit you?”

“No, I'm grateful for what had occurred,” he shook his head, “Have a good day. I hope it doesn't end up as bad as you think it will.”

“That is my hope as well,” she nodded and then promptly turned to continue her walk. She looked over her shoulder halfway up the block and saw him still in the same place she left him. He waved at her once more and then dug out his phone to see something on the screen and then he turned back the way he had come. She shook her head to dismiss it and continued to her office.

Diaval turned from the corner as he scanned the ground for the front cover of his cell phone case. There, next to his savior's crushed cup was his equally crushed phone case cover.

“Well, make that two causalities,” he huffed and picked at his cover. He picked up the cup that she had sacrificed for him and turned it over, “The Rowen Tree. Huh.”

He stood up and looked down the block he was just on and saw a large sign not too far from him for the same coffee spot, “Well, if I am to face more shoddy interviews, might as well get some fuel.”

Maleficent sat at her desk as the morning interviews wrapped up. The last one was the worst by far. A bubbly blonde who didn't even have enough brainpower to understand that Maleficent was degrading her through most of the interview. By the end of it, Maleficent was sure that the poor idiot thought she had bagged the position.

“I really should stop using sarcasm,” she muttered to herself and took a deep breath. She looked at the clock at her sidewall and it was going on two in the afternoon. Of course, it was the afternoon slump, made that much worse when she didn't get to finish her morning coffee. She needed her caffeine. Maybe she would be able to finish out the last of those waiting at the front of the office and go home just a bit early. She steadied herself and walked to her office door. She peeked out and saw no one left.

“Where is everyone else?” she asked at the desk closest to her.

Balthazar looked up at her with a stern smile on his face, “The last one told them that they may as well leave because she was offered the position.”

“Fat chance,” Maleficent frowned, “Make sure that she never comes back into this office. I fear that her idiocy may spread.”

“Consider it done.”

“Excuse me, I am looking for DaFey?” a voice called from the front of the open office space.

Maleficent walked out from her office completely to the front where the man she had saved earlier in the day stood at the front of the office with a coffee cup in each hand.

He smiled as he caught her eyes, “Ah! Miss DaFey, I assume?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked and walked to him.

“To pay you back. It's not as much as it should be, but I should at least replace your coffee,” he offered and pushed the cup in his left hand toward her.

She looked at the cup, gave the blend a sniff and then took a sip. Her eyes widened as it was perfect. She looked from the cup back to him, “How did you know?”

“You left your cup, remember? Seems like you are a regular at the Rowen Tree?” he asked as he took a sip of his own coffee, “They seem to remember you well.”

“I won't ask in what light,” she muttered and paused, “Thank you. The coffee is much appreciated. You're very clever to figure it out. Not many people know of my particularities.”

“That's true,” Robin said as he shuffled files behind her. It earned him a small glare which he refused to acknowledge.

“Well, that's me, clever,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“What is it you do, Mister...?” she asked and hesitated as she didn't know his name.

“Call me Diaval,” he offered with a tip of his head, “I am actually looking for a position at the moment. Have experience in paralegal work, but apparently not enough to impress.”

“There are more things to impress with other than experience,” she said and bit at the inside of her cheek in thought, “Follow me.”

He stood a little shocked as she quickly turned on her heel and headed back toward her office. He looked at her and then at his own shoes.

“She isn't the type you keep waiting,” Robin said from his desk.

Diaval nodded and walked briskly after the woman.

“Please take a seat,” Maleficent offered as she rounded her small desk.

“You are hiring?”

“Conveniently, it would seem,” she nodded and looked at him, “You hesitated when we first met. Cut yourself short when you first saw me.”

“Oh that?” he chuckled and rubbed at the back of his head at the small lump that formed, “Yeah, was not really expecting to hit face-first into a street sign in front of a beautiful lady.”

“Flattery does nothing for me.”

“Obviously, but I'm a bit of a charmer. Follows my cleverness. Can't do anything for it,” he let out a breath as if it were a burden and pulled at his bag to produce his paperwork. He handed her the resume and everything else that other law offices had asked of him.

“So... you aren't afraid of me?” she asked and glanced over his paperwork.

“Terrified if I ever were on the opposing team in the courtroom. You've torn through the toughest cases with ease. I had watched quite a few of them,” he offered and waited until she looked back at him, “But personally and professionally?”

She only nodded.

“I can't very well fear someone who would come to help a perfect stranger from their own idiocy and a truck. You're more than many people take you for. I respect you, but I don't know if I can come to fear you.”

“As I said, would you have rather that I had left you in the roadway?”

“Others may have. I know Stefan Barnhand would have.”

She sat straighter, “What do you know of Stefan?”

“Poor presence in the courts, but has an eye for large or profitable cases,” Diaval nodded at his short assessment, “Also has an eye for hiring to a point. I didn't make the cut for a paralegal in the offices, but I am sure that I dodged a bullet. If he makes partner, I feel like the offices may be a bit done for. He has offered me work here and there if he needs a runner on cases, but I know my worth and it is more than that.”

“Indeed you are,” she nodded and leaned back in her chair as she looked him over again, “You're hired.”

“For what exactly did I sign myself up for?” he asked as he shook her hand.

“Paralegal if needed, but my personal assistant on cases prep, or anything that I may need,” she offered.

“You saved my life,” he smirked and leaned back to sit into his chair again, “I am here for whatever you may need.”

Months went by like clockwork. In a short amount of time, it seemed like the two of them had worked side by side for years. Maleficent would wake up, head to the coffee shop, where Diaval would already be waiting with both their coffees in hand. Hers would always still be pipping hot no matter if she was running early, late or right on time. She didn't know how he did it, but she let it lay.

He was the best paralegal she had ever had. He was able to dive into details never sought out before and tear through the law books to find what was needed in their favor. His tenacity was almost as equal as her own and she was thankful for it. He also pushed her views further than before. Where others would let her do what she wanted, he actually made her question herself. In many ways it was exasperating, but it did make her better at her job. She needed it as it was never provided before, she was never challenged in such a way. Not even by Stefan. It became refreshing. There she realized that it wasn't that she wanted to be feared, she wanted to be respected and built up instead of constantly torn down.

Cases that did not run smoothly made her a little more than irritable and others knew to stay out of her way. She would have scared off any other assistant by the numerous tantrums that she threw, but he stayed by her side despite her tirades. When she offered to toss him through her window one day after a particularly bad day in court, he offered to do it himself with a smile.

“That... won't be necessary,” she muttered and cooled down by the time they left the office that night.

“As you command, Mistress.”

“Mistress? Really?” she frowned at the nickname, but it was too late. It stuck.

“I feel like it fits you quite well,” he offered.

“I'm sorry for my temper. I can't lose you,” she said softer than she meant to. She saw his face soften just slightly and she turned from him, “Who else would be able to pull your workload and keep that vexing positive attitude?”

“Don't pretend you don't like it. I'm the highlight of your day. Admit it.”

“Only because you bring me my coffee.”

“I will take it!” he smiled with a cheer.

A year into Diaval's involvement, a high profile case was dropped into their lap. A low wage worker at a top box store was injured along with a few half a dozen others because of their boss and company's low standards of safety. Maleficent almost waved the case away, until Diaval pointed out that the court system isn't just about criminals. It's about the innocents too. Maleficent, though reluctantly, took the case.

She readied her materials and Diaval carried along beside her on the way to the courthouse. They would be with their clients and face the accused for the first time. Maleficent looked at the news trucks at the side of the building. Another first for her. The case would be televised.

“You better be right about this,” she warned him.

“I know you better than you know yourself now. You can handle this and I will be right there with you,” he reminded her and bumped her shoulder with his own to remind her of his proximity, “Always will be.”

They walked into the courtroom, their clients already set in their place. Maleficent then turned to the other team and nearly doubled over. None other than Perceforest Law were at the table and their new partner at the front.

Diaval caught her arm discretely and pulled her up next to him as if she had tripped, “Don't let them see you waiver, remember?”

She took a breath and with a subtle nod she walked to her table to talk over the primary notes on the case before they began. Before everyone was settled none other than Stefan walked to the table and smiled down at Maleficent.

“I see that you've been making strides, Mal,” he offered and leaned on her table.

“I saw that you got partner, congratulations,” she answered back and looked up at him with a calm mask, “It only took a year, a marriage and a stolen case to do so.”

“Don't be angry that I outmaneuvered you,” he smirked even though she knew she hit a soft spot by the twitch of his right eye. A tell that he never fully got rid of.

“No Stefan, you slipped it out from under me during the same time you said you loved me,” she said evenly. Diaval looked from her to their counter council and then back again, things shifted into place. She always had told him that she had a past with Stefan, but would never elaborate and he knew better not to ask. Now as he saw them face to face for the first time, he knew more than she could have ever told him. She cleared her throat and shook her head, “The past is the past. Let's not make this personal. I am here for my clients who are injured and in need of reparations. You are our counter council. That is the extent of our relationship, Mr. Barnhand. Let's leave it at that, please.”

Stefan gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening. He had hoped to spook her somehow. It didn't work and he knew it. He pushed back from the table and looked at Diaval, “And who is this?”

“I can speak for myself, thank you,” Diaval stood from his chair and blocked Stefan from Maleficent, “I am the paralegal and assistant on this case. I would have introduced myself earlier, but you were too focused on trying to intimidate my boss. You will have to try better than that. She's stronger than you think.”

Stefan scoffed at him, took a slight look at Maleficent and then turned to his desk, “Let's see about that.”

The case was a tough one to fight. The big box company had a lot of ground covered, had a few tricks that Maleficent and Diaval didn't see coming. It beat them down, but they weren't out yet. With the case almost lost, they hit a breakthrough at the end of the third day. Maleficent turned on her desk lamp and yawned before she ran through the case log again. She knew it would be a long night if she were to pull this off.

She looked up at Diaval for a fleeting moment and sighed, “You may go home, Diaval. I am sure I can finish it from here in time for court tomorrow.”

He looked at her for a long moment before he shuffled on his jacket and headed toward the door. A part of her chest constricted as she heard the door close at the front. It wasn't like him to just walk away from a challenge like the current one, but it looked like even he had enough of her. She wasn't to her best with Stefan at the other desk. The last time that they were in a courtroom together, they were at the same table. It shook her more than what she wanted to admit. Diaval probably saw it more than anyone and was tired of it. With a shake of her head, she focused on the files underhand. She had to finish this case strong.

Fifteen minutes later the door opened again with Diaval and two large cups of coffee. He put one by her hand and the other he immediately sipped from. Without another word, he plopped down into the chair next to her, put his cup down and grabbed the file under the one she had at hand. She stared at him for a moment or two more before she took a deep breath.

“I thought that you went home.”

“And miss the fun?” he asked and flipped open to the page he needed, “I'll stay.”

“You know I am not at my best,” she stared at him long and hard, “Haven't been this whole case.”

“Which is why you have me,” he countered as he flicked his eyes up to hers, “For whatever you may need.”

Her lips quirked up into a hint of a smile before she took her first sip of coffee, “As you wish.”

“Can I ask you something that may cross a line?”

“When has that stopped you before?” she asked with a sigh and put down her coffee. She turned to him and nodded, “Go ahead.”

“What about him makes you so shaky?” he asked and leaned toward her just slightly.

“History mostly,” she looked down at her hands and she thought over her relationship failure, “He was bright, a people person- of which I am not- and he didn't fear me. I seem to overwhelm people when they first meet me.”

“Only those who are too weak-willed,” Diaval waved off her negative comments.

“He didn't seem like others. He charmed me and the way that he could handle prep work and people, and me- I thought we were a match. And he let me believe it. Then he took what he wanted from our case files and left after five years for the best opportunity he could. He told me that it was love,” she paused and looked back to the files as if to end the conversation, “If that is what love is, it is only for fools.”

“It wasn't.”

She looked back at him to find him staring straight at her. His eyes unwavering and willing her to hear him, “What?”

“That wasn't love,” Diaval said in a certain tone.

“And you would know how?”

“I may be a charmer and a bit of a flirt when it comes to the opposite sex, but I know something as serious as love,” he explained and tilted his head in thought of how to approach it, “Love is something grand and amazing. It can overwhelm you into not seeing things that are there and for seeing things that aren't. It's something that can skew your thoughts and feelings. It's also something that can clear your mind and see a person for who they truly are and not for what they paint themselves to be. Beauty that is missed by all others can be spotted by those in love. It opens yourself to hurt, yeah, but it also opens yourself to be loved and accepted for who you are.”

Maleficent took a moment for his words to encompass her and then she breathed out a small laugh, “She's very lucky.”

“Who?” Diaval leaned back a little.

“The one you love,” she said with a small smile, “Does she know?”

“Not a clue,” he huffed out a chuckle and turned from her back to the files, “Not to worry, doesn't interfere with work. I don't think it ever will.”

“It may. Not all women want to share their partners,” Maleficent took her coffee to sip at the hot substance to warm the sudden cold feeling in her chest.

“She doesn't see me as such, so it's a moot point.”

“Then she is the fool.”

“A beautiful one at that,” he nodded as he took a look at her for a moment longer than he should have. She felt her cheeks begin to flush as he turned away once more to the file in his hand. He took a deep breath, “So, how are we going to serve defeat to the braggart that is Stefan Barnhand?”

“With that which he doesn't wield well... the truth.”

The next evening was spent at the local bar with the rest of the team from Moors. The case was finally won, with nothing but a statement that was falsified and documented. They had found it and presented it in a way that made it perfectly clear that not only was the company liable, they were also found to be at fault for multiple other reckless acts.

“To a flawless win!” Robin cheered and lifted his bottle with the rest of the group.

“I would not say it was flawless,” Maleficent admitted, but still tapped her glass with the others. She smiled genuinely at the table and at Diaval who sat right next to her. He had his arm over the back of her chair as he laughed and cheered with the rest of them, “But very well deserved.”

“Deserved is not the word I would choose,” a voice said from behind her.

The whole table went silent as she turned to find Stefan behind her, a small shot of whiskey in hand.

“Then you weren't watching the same case,” Robin chimed in, “They beat you.”

“Just wait for my appeal.”

“On what grounds?” Diaval was the one to answer that time.

“Diaval, don't mind him,” Maleficent sighed and pulled at his jacket, “He isn't worth it.”

“Be that as it may, I have had enough,” Diaval stood from his chair to be eye to eye with the man, “I am not a violent individual, but your capacity to feel like you are deserved a victory just on the grounds of being you astounds me to the point of wanting to be.”

“What, you are her guard dog now?”

“She doesn't need one,” he shook his head, “She can do that all on her own. I wouldn't dare step in on that. This is for me and what I think. You lost your case, you lost fairly. She beat you. Everyone who worked on the case did. And I think what is really bothering you is not so much the defeat in court, but she defeated you personally. She thrived on her own when you needed to lean on the marriage to the other partner's daughter. You needed to resort to trickery to grab a case that she originally caught, where she worked diligently and hard to be who she is in the courtroom- of which you cannot compare. She is her own strong, honest, beautiful person. You, on the other hand, will always look for the easy way to your goals- no matter how underhanded that may be.”

“How dare you!” Stefan poked him in the chest as his whiskey sloshed in his glass, “What are you a glorified messenger boy!?”

“No, that is what you wanted him to be,” Maleficent said calmly as she stood from her chair and next to Diaval. She didn't raise her voice, didn't start one of her famous tantrums. She only stood next to Diaval and faced Stefan together with him, “I know you don't remember him. He came to you for a job over a year ago. A job that he fulfilled at my office in spectacular fashion. He is the real reason that you lost, for I could not have done it without him.”

“Maleficent-”

“It's true, you opened so many doors and avenues I would not have suspected. Thank you.”

“So you have replaced me,” Stefan toss back his whiskey and put the glass on the nearest table, “Tell me, how many times did you have to say that you loved her?”

“Not a one,” Maleficent said strongly fighting back the urge to punch the man, “He has earned my trust without flattery or deception.”

“Well, I wouldn't say I haven't said it,” Diaval let out a breath and took her hand in his, “I may have been holding something back. Remember the one we talked about last night over the case files?”

“I remember,” Maleficent narrowed her eyes in thought.

“It was you,” Diaval shrugged a bit helpless at that point, “It was always you from the moment that you peeled me off the pavement that morning. I have said that I loved you in every way that I could since then.”

“The coffee?” she asked as a guess.

“Every morning and sometimes afternoons,” he nodded.

“The overnights working on cases where you wouldn't leave my side?”

“You may have been an incentive to stay.”

She finally smiled and looked down in embarrassment, “The time you offered to toss yourself out the window so I wouldn't toss you myself?”

He chuckled at her smile and squeezed her hand to get her to look at him, “I knew you would regret it in the morning.”

She looked up at him, her smile still on her face. She looked deep into his dark, black eyes and without knowing at what point she had fallen, she simply realized that she had. With a huff of resignation, she bit her lip and said, “It's not as much of a moot point as you may think. What a fool I am.”

“So you have replaced me,” Stefan said again.

“No, what we had was never love, Stefan. I can see that now. And I can see you for what you were and what you are,” Maleficent paused as she looked at her past, “I haven't replaced you. I just fell in love. File your appeal. We will be waiting.”

Stefan looked back and forth between her and Diaval for a moment before he finally turned and left the bar. As he left, their small table erupted with cheer and laughter once more.

“So, what's next then? Do I hear wedding bells?” Robin asked and nudged at Balthazar who rolled his eyes as he drank his drink.

“I don't know, I haven't asked yet,” Diaval smiled and looked at Maleficent who had yet to drop his hand. He pulled her closer to him by the hand and wrapped her in a close embrace around her waist, “Let me say it this time. I love you.”

She smiled brightly and pushed some of his hair from his face, “Let me mean it this time. I love you, too.”

#maleval #maleficent x diaval #one-shot #modernAU #Apheonixandaraven #orangetail-works

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jlf23tumble · 5 years ago

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Hi! I'm the girl direction anon, i just finished reading the fics and i just wanted to say thank you so much!! They were amazing! I loved all of objectlesson's fics! so great! one of my favourite authors for sure! Also you were right, reading about all this body positivity was so nice! it's way better than what the 'media' is trying to do now because it feels genuine and real! Really loved it! I was wondering if you have any recs with nonbinary/genderfluid characters? It's nice seeing those too

Omg, that’s the sweetest thing ever, I passed along your kind words, and she sends you oodles of love back! I absolutely *do* have some great fic recs for you...it’s a slightly tricky request in that having, say, a story with Harry in panties doesn’t in and of itself mean he’s a genderfluid character in it, but I think I know what you’re getting at, and I’ve definitely got you covered. Some of my very fave fics fall into this category, actually, which means this is gonna be kind of long, so under the cut we go...fingers crossed you haven’t read them all yet!

“Hush.,” by @wankerville, 41k words (E). “I don't like you like that, Harry.” “See,” Harry starts, Louis can hear the smile in his voice, “that's where I think you're lying.” An American high school AU where small towns suck, louis is losing it, and harry’s just too perfect. (This is right up there in my top five all-time fave fics, it’s just luminous, goddd, required reading; the author also wrote the strawberry milk series, which is similarly achingly good, but it has some heavier, abuse-related themes that could be triggering)

“Grenadine Sunshine,” by objectlesson/@alienfuckeronmain, 18k words (E). He wants to taste the faint, sugary ghost of lip gloss, he wants to cup Harry’s face between his palms and swipe the shimmery wet shadows from beneath his eyes. He wants to show him everything he knows, even though he doesn’t know anything about this, about kissing boys or flirting with them or doing their makeup or even showing them it’s okay to want to wear makeup in the first place. (Phoenix wrote this story as an homage of sorts for Wankerville, and it’s a beautiful one of acceptance, love, and support)

“Chapter 4: Braids,” by objectlesson, 14.9k words (E). Timestamp for Grenadine Sunshine. (Part of a larger drabble collection, but a direct relation to the story above)

“Vinyl and Lace,” by objectlesson, 7.5k words, (E). Harry tries on a skirt in the X Factor dressing room as a joke. Louis doesn't think it's very funny. (While we’re hanging out with Phoenix, lol, an underrated beaut!)

“Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” by loadedgunn, 7.5k words (E). "You…" Harry touches his own mouth, teasing. "You ate her pussy?" "Yeah." Louis stops playing with Harry's cock and gropes his arse again, pulling his cheeks apart and pushing them back together over the thong. "Want me to eat yours?" Louis reenacts his first time, and Harry wants to be his good girl. (another one in my top five all-time faves, I’m always amazed at how “short” it is because JESUS, it’s so good, so complete, so beautifully characterized and written from beginning to end, LoadedGunn’s best work, come fight me)

“genderfluid!harry verse,” by istajmaal, 33.9k words (E). harry is a girl sometimes. louis loves her all the time. (This three-part series is old but GOLD, god, the characterization in this one...plus, this author is my hero for writing it in 2013, and I go back to it all the time)

“Nothing You Can Do (But You Can Learn How to Be You in Time),” by Teumessian, 28k words (E; needs ao3 account). Louis braids Harry’s hair. There are good times, bad times, fancy houses, supportive bandmates, secret boyfriends, small rebellions, bigger revolutions, some nail varnish, ribbons, cute clothing, and a Pinterest. (Awwww, the pinterest fic, one of my faves to rec, this author had me with the way they described Louis pushing up his glasses after a particularly difficult braid)

“She Feels So Good,” by Zedi, 4k words (E). That’s the voice that comes out when Harry’s in a skirt, nails done and gestures soft and flirty. That’s the voice Louis is a sucker for every time, even now when it’s coming from a prerecorded segment playing off a monitor. That’s Louis’ good girl. (A look at the Late Late Show appearance, and I love the way this authors switches pronouns when Harry switches gender)

“Warm Glow That Lingers On,” by Blake/@newleafover, 8.5k words (E). If Harry wants his nails painted red, he's got to earn it first. (It’s Blake, nuff said...god, I miss their writing in this fandom)

“it’s you i want to take apart,” by orphan_account, 6k words (E). He will readily admit that he likes to make Harry squirm sometimes, but this actually isn't about that—he just wants to help him get past whatever issue he has here. And, okay, he also really wants to see what Harry would look like with lipstick on, because he bets it would be really pretty. (Read the author’s notes about the inspo on this one...2012!!!! Wow!)

“weird honey,” by orphan_account, 5.4k words (E). They fuck, kind of a lot. It started out as just something to do, to wind down or pass time. Now they do it at least once a week, and Harry’s not sure if that means something. It’s not as if they only fuck each other, but-But there’s no one else Harry could imagine bringing this to. (PWP where Harry is not 100% at home in his body and he and Louis use a sex toy to help work through the problem.)

“I wanna see the way you move for me baby,” by Tomlinsontoes, 3.3k words (M). Louis walks in on Harry all dolled up. (LBD is literally about Harry, and this author...and a lot of others...knew it all the way back then)

“if they find out, will it all go wrong?” by blankiehxrry, 3.4k words (NR). Madison square garden shenanigans. (This one’s from a long time ago, part of a series where the author explores a bunch of things, and here, Harry has a panic attack, and Louis helps him out)

@vondrostes writes AMAZING genderfluid/trans Harry, usually in a variety of pairings; I’ll put the h/l ones here, but go check out his work...especially the newer stuff from hs1, god, it’s so good!!

Made of Lightning, liam/harry, louis/harry, liam/louis/harry, Harry has a secret that could tear the band apart if the truth came out. But keeping it might be even worse.

Wait and See, lots of harry pairings, Cara and Harry are trans, “I’m just—” Harry said, pausing to smooth out the wrinkles in her skirt. “I’m nervous,” she admitted. Cara reached out to tug at the hem of her skirt, guiding her over until she was stood between his legs. He pulled her down for a quick kiss, not wanting to mess up her makeup. “You look perfect,” he reassured her.

Second Spring, harry/louis, a continuation of the Pussy Pride drabbles from June, an expanded series of an American Larry AU where Harry is trans (it is SO GOOD AND GRAPHIC AND THOSE DRABBLES KILLED ME, I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS SERIES TO FINISH SO I CAN RANDOMLY REBLOG IT ALWAYS)

And finally, dear anon, this is not at all part of the previous list, but it’s all about body appreciation/worship, so I figured you’d enjoy! “I Can’t Hear You,” by kikikryslee, 9k words (E). The one where Harry is self-conscious about his body because it's not the 'typical omega body' and Louis shows him why he loves that.

#fic rec #genderfluid harry #trans harry #there are so many great ones out there you guys #and i'm sad anew about how many great writers have left this fandom #Anonymous

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petri808 · 5 years ago

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Soul of the Dragons

*note* this takes place as if FT 100 never happened. AU canon divergence. Nalu. Includes OC characters. 13K words slightly angsty, and the ending is a cliffhanger of sorts Sorry! if I ever have time I may do a part 2 maybe.

Ever since they’d dealt with Acnologia, life in Fiore had calmed down so much that it gave them a lot of downtime to focus on other things. For Lucy, that meant her writing and a year ago not only had she got a book published, but they also recognized her as a new writer. Her friends all went about life like normal, taking jobs and missions for the money, with new relationships blooming around them. She was so happy for her friends Levy and Gajeel, whom two months ago found out they were expecting a child. Even Gray and Juvia had stopped dancing around their feelings and come clean.

Things seemed idyllic at the Fairy Tail guild.

But as she arose that morning, just like many mornings, there was always a nagging emptiness still needing filling. Lucy wasn’t sure when this really started, but maybe it was because of all the happiness she was seeing around her. As she looks over to the empty side of her bed, Lucy closes her eyes and curls around her pillow. Seeing all the blissful couples made her heart clench. She was happy for them, but she wished she could beone of them too. Was that so wrong?

With a groan, Lucy files away her pain and starts her day. She had promised to help Levy in the archives search for a book on lost solid script spells. Promises made, are promises kept. Shorts, tank top, pony tail, keys, done. Lucy checks herself in the mirror one last time and heads out.

“Thought you two could use something cool to drink since you been at it for 3 hours now.” Mira places a tray with lemonade on a worktable. “Any luck so far?”

“Nope.” Lucy plops on a couch and grabs a cup.

Levy joins her friend and takes the second glass, “Looks like I’ll be taking a trip to the Magic Library after all.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Mira smiles sweetly, “What do you think?” The bar maid waves her hand in front of the blonde, “Lucy, what do you think?”

With still no response, Levy shakes her friend, “Earthland to Lu!”

“Huh?!” she snaps back to the scene, “Were you talking to me?”

“Yeah but seems like you’ve got other things on your mind.”

“Err, kind of.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Mira asks as she grabs her tray.

“Nah, I’m all right; it was just for a new book idea.”

“Okay, well I was just telling Levy I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a trip to the magic library to do more research.”

Lucy throws on a smile to ease their concerns, “Yeah that’s a good idea.”

“Well, I better get back upstairs, good luck girls.”

“Thanks for the drinks Mira.”

As soon as Mira leaves the room, Levy turns to her friend, “Lu, I know you’re lying. Now, what’s on your mind?”

“Nothing, I swear!” Lucy waves her hands in the air to wipe the slate clean, but when Levy raises an eyebrow she groans, “Damn it, you know me too well Lev. It’s about the guy I have a crush on okay, and it’s driving me crazy.” She slumps back, “I see everyone else moving on in that department and…. and I’m thinking maybe I should too. I mean if he’s never gonna see me like that then I’d just be wasting my time waiting.”

“Oh man,” Levy hugs her friend tightly, “I didn’t realize you were feeling like that.” She lets go, but keeps her hands on both of Lucy’s shoulders. “It’s really up to you what you want to do, but I think he cares about you in that way, just doesn’t know how to tell you.”

“I don’t know…” Lucy looks down and plays with her fingers. “It’s true he always wants to tag along on all of my missions, and he keeps dropping by my apartment uninvited but yet whenever I mention or hint about a closer relationship he digs out. Something's gotta be up. In fact, I’m thinking he follows me because he feels I’m not strong enough to do anything on my own.”

“Now that’s just anxiety talking, Natsu of all people knows how strong you are.”

“I hope you’re right and he doesn’t know how to approach me. Still wish he’d figure it out sooner rather than later,” Lucy rolls her eyes.

Levy laughs and sits back, “Gajeel had to think he was dying, I had to think he was dying for us to realize what we meant to each other. I’m not saying I hope it came to that, but especially with guys figuring out their feelings…” she chuckles again, “it’s almost like you have to slap it into them!”

Lucy snorts at the sight of the bluenette sitting there so serious with her hands on her hips. She laughs too, “Gah, you’re so right. Men, I swear will be the death of us.”

“Why don’t you come with me to the magic library, and no boys allowed.”

“Eh,” Lucy shrugs, “why not.”

It took a day to convince Gajeel to let Levy go since he was being overprotective about her pregnancy. After begging, pleading, and the promise of staying in touch by lacrima, two days later the girls finally found themselves neck deep in dusty, ancient, piles of books. Registers had sent them to the most promising section of the library but even with magic reading glasses the task was time consuming. So, while Levy scans through a couple stack’s they had discovered, Lucy wanders nearby.

Two rows over on a bottom shelf, she comes across an old text with a key symbol on its binding. ‘How curious,’ she wonders, not expecting anything special from the almost washed-out burgundy colored book. Lucy flips it over and reads the faded title, ‘Hmm, Elemental Fairy Keys, this sounds interesting.’ She shifts the magic glasses down from her crown, opening the book to its first chapter. The more she reads, the wider her eyes grow with excitement.

Rushing over to where Levy had entrenched herself in a book, “Oh my god Levy you need to hear this!”

The poor girl almost jumps from being startled, “Where’s the fire?!”

“This book talks about Celestial Keys that represent four Fairy Elemental spirits! I’ve never heard of it before,” Lucy opens to a specific page and points as she reads while Levy looks from beside her, “see, it says there is a red key for the Fire Fairy Phoenix, a purple key for the Air Fairy Pegasus, a green key for the Earth Fairy Draco, and finally a blue key for the Water Fairy Hydrus.”

“Those are Celestial spirits?”

“Yes, these are constellations too, just not as well known as the Zodiac ones.”

“That’s pretty cool!”

“Oh, I know who I can ask!” Pulling out her key, “Open Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!”

“You called my dear?”

“Hi Grandpa Crux, could you tell me more about these Fairy Elemental keys?” Lucy shows him the book she found.

“Hmm, I haven’t seen those used in oh, half a millennia.”

“Do you know why?”

“Well, because only the king can grant those keys to an owner so, he holds them in the Celestial World.”

“But why? What’s so special about them?”

“They are more powerful than the Zodiac keys.”

Both Lucy and Levy’s jaws drops as they turn to look at each other, “M-more… powerful?!”

“I wonder what I’d have to do to earn them,” Lucy blurts out.

“For that you’d need to speak to the King.”

“Okay.” Lucy smiles. “Thank you, Grandpa Crux!”

“You’re welcome my dear.”

After Crux disappears back to the Celestial World, Levy turns to her friend, “so what are you gonna do now?”

“When I get home later, I’ll ask Virgo to take me to see the King.” Lucy bounces on the balls of her feet and smiles, “but first let’s get back to finding your book.”

It’s not until the following week that Lucy finds an opportunity to learn more about the keys. She and Levy had stayed until nightfall before finally finding a book that the script mage believed was what she was looking for and when Lucy had returned home, a certain slayer was waiting. Natsu wanted to go on a mission soon since funds were running low. Not that she didn’t disagree, Lucy maybe had enough to cover expenses for 3 months at the most. She tried to convince him that if needed money now, he could always go on his own, but he insisted that she come along. Typical Natsu dragged her off to another mission.

Finally, back home with spare time, she found herself in the Celestial Realm, courtesy of Virgo. “Hi King!”

“Hello Lucy, what brings you today?”

“I found a book talking about the Fairy Elemental keys and Grandpa Crux said I needed to talk to you. How does one get them?”

He rubs his mustache, “Oh, well nothing special, in your case you simply need to ask.”

“Really?! But why so easy?”

“Well, it’s not normally this easy. I keep them here, so they do not fall into the wrong hands because they are the most powerful of the Celestial Spirits and they require a Wizard strong enough to handle all four. There hasn’t been a wielder powerful enough like that in over 300 years until you, my dear. That you could summon me means you have become strong enough to control them.” He grins, “and I would trust them in your hands.”

“S-So you’re giving them to me?”

“Yes.”

“Wow! So, are they like the other spirits where I set up contracts with them? Can I use my Star Dress form with them? Exactly what are their powers?”

He chuckles. “Yes, yes, and you can discuss that all with them.” The four keys materialize before her.

The moment Lucy takes hold of the keys she can feel the power thrumming through them. She holds them close to her chest, “Oh my, thank you so much King!!”

“You are welcome my old friend but just remember, they require a lot more energy to summon than you are used to with the Zodiacs. Be good to them like you are with your other spirits and they will work hard for you too.”

“I found Crateris’ key, so his power boosts will come in handy.” Virgo appears at her side and motion’s that they are running low on time. Lucy nods and waves her goodbyes to everyone. “Thank you again King!”

Back at home, Lucy wastes no time in wanting to seal the deal. It was exciting! Well, it was always exciting each time she contracted with a new spirit, but it’s been a long time since she’d found any of such power significance. Lucy pulls all four keys out of her pouch ready to make her contracts with them. She knew it would be a serious drain, but to make things quicker she opens all four gates at the same time.

“Open Gate of the Firebird! Phoenix! Open Gate of the Winged Horse! Pegasus! Open Gate of the Dragon! Draco! Open Gate of the Water Serpent! Hydrus!”

A blinding light, greater than any of the others had been, blankets the entire apartment causing Lucy to shield her vision. “You’ve summoned us master?” She slowly opens her eyes as the light fades away and sees the four spirits standing before her. They were beautiful!

She does her best not to act too giddy, throwing on a warm and inviting smile. “Hi, I’m Lucy your new owner, but please don’t call me that or master, or anything like it, just Lucy is fine. I’d like to set up the contracts with all of you and learn more about your magic.”

“Hello Lucy,” the smaller of the two male’s steps forward. “I am Phoenix,” he bows with one palm placed upon his chest and the other arm hanging at his side, “the leader of the Celestial Fairies.” Standing straight again, “I speak for all of us in saying we are available whenever you need us. But tell me for I am curious, how is someone as young as you able to summon four spirits at the same time? That takes a powerful mage.”

Shrugging her shoulders, “I guess I’ve gotten strong enough over the years and Crateris gives me a boost when I need it. I can only hold the four gates open for so long, but I figured it would be okay just for the introductions.”

“Amazing,” Phoenix smiles, “and are you the one that had summoned the King?”

“Yes, that was me.”

“Now it all makes sense. Please, let me introduce us. We each can control a different element, I,” motioning to himself, “have fire,” he also gestures to each spirit as he names them off, “Pegasus has air and wind, Draco earth, and Hydra water. And when I say control, we can generate or manipulate anything based on those elements...” As Phoenix explains, Lucy stares awestruck at the four standing before her and commits to memory as many details as she can.

Phoenix, the leader of the elementals is a tall, maybe 6 foot, lean but toned, darkly tanned gentleman who appears around the age of his late 20s or early 30s. His ruby red hair is pulled into a low-hung ponytail, falling till the middle of his back; not quite wavy but with a feathery-like texture. And his eyes are a yellowish to light hazel color that is striking against his darker hair. For clothes he has on a simple, black vest, and gray slacks that cuts nicely to his frame. Dapper might be a good way to describe him.

Pegasus is a curvaceous and very statuesque woman with flowing white hair that ripples down to her mid-thighs and sky-blue colored eyes that seem to get more brilliant the longer you gazed into them. She looks to be around Lucy’s height, maybe a couple inches taller and wearing silver winged earrings. For clothes she has on a flowy, floor length white dress that is one-shouldered and cinched at the waist with a hanging silver cord. Lucy notices the cord's end in miniature silver horses.

Draco, the more handsome of the two males, is taller than Phoenix by at least 3-4 inch’s and seems closer in age to her, maybe early 20s at the latest. He has a muscular build that’s not overly developed but just perfect and sports a medium tanned skin tone, with cocky forest green eyes that seem to peer into your soul. As an outfit he wears a somewhat fitted, short-sleeved, button down eggshell white colored shirt but with the first few buttons left open, dark brown khakis, and a matching suede or leather jacket. His dark, reddish-brown spiked hair was long, messy and untamed. In fact, the longer she stares at him, the more he reminds her of when Natsu had returned after his year long hiatus.

And last, Hydra is a thinner but still very buxom beauty with straight teal colored, waist length hair, and light sea-green colored eyes, who stands about the same height as Pegasus. She wears a loose, cream-colored halter top that ends just above the navel and dark green skin tight leggings that have a slight scaled appearance. At first glance Lucy hadn’t noticed, but as she shifts her focus, she swore Hydra’s eyes had become more serpentine in appearance. ‘Duh,’ Lucy chides herself, it’s a sea serpent so what did she expect?

Over all, the one thing they all have in common are the translucent wings coming out from their backs; though each shimmered with their element’s colors. The wings themselves ranged in size and shape, matched to the spirits innate being. Phoenix’s wings were more bird-like, while Draco’s was rougher in appearance with jagged edges like a bat. Pegasus had rounder, fuller wings that reminded Lucy of a butterfly, and Hydra’s, the closest correlation was to a fish’s pectoral fins but larger.

“Wow! That’s all really amazing! So, are these your normal forms? Or do you have another that you also use? Like Phoenix can you change into an actual fire bird? or Hydra a winged serpent?”

Phoenix chuckles “Yes, most of the time we will be in these fairy forms because it is less threatening and requires less energy to summon, but we can shift into our true forms as needed.”

“I’m also able to use the Star Dress spell, does that work with you spirits too?”

“Yes. And we well know of whom your other spirits are, and they’ve assured us you have been one of the best owners they have ever worked with.”

“Awe, that’s so sweet of them! I don’t treat my spirits like tools to fight for me, I prefer to fight alongside them as much as possible, which is what I love about the Star Dress form. It allows me to do that more easily.”

“Well miss Lucy, I can sense that we are taking up a lot of your energy so since we have established the contract, I believe we should go for now. When you are ready to train with our magic, please call on us.”

“All right, well it was great meeting you all and I look forward to working with you!”

“As do we, good bye Miss Lucy!” As the other three disappear, Draco lingers walking up to her and takes her hand. She blushes lightly from the gesture.

“He forgot to tell you, we are fiercely protective over our owner, if we sense you are in danger one or more of us may appear on our own to assist you.”

She squeezes and pats the back of his hand, “Thank you Draco, I’m kind of used to that from Leo so don’t worry, I don’t mind.” She smiles sweetly at him.

Lifting the back of her hand to his lips he gives it a kiss, “Till we meet again princess,” then disappears.

With a sigh, she throws herself onto her bed. ‘I’m so excited to get to work with them! And Draco, he’s so…… attractive… Wait till the others see my new spirits!’

Lucy sneaks away every chance she could to train with the fairies. For about a month, one by one she works with them individually to both learn what they can do and what she’ll be able to do in their Star Dress forms. The whole experience had taken her back to the days after Tartaros when she’d honed her other spirits forms. It was exciting! For the first time since their fight with Acnologia, Lucy was feeling alive again and finally independent!

And she loved working with them. Lucy realized from day one of training why the King didn’t allow just any mage to get their hands on these keys because they were powerful. Someone like Leo, the most powerful of the Zodiacs couldn’t turn into a real lion, but Phoenix could turn into a firebird. Taurus was physically strong, but he couldn’t hold a candle to Draco towering overhead like a real dragon. Even though she still wanted to get more training under her belt, Lucy decided it was about time for her to reveal them to her friends and the guild. But not before a small test. Just a small one, something easy that even the most basic of what she has learned would be effective.

Looking around the guild Lucy doesn’t see her pink haired teammate, perfect, so she sneaks over to the mission board. Standing in front of it and perusing the options, she looked for one that could test the basic skills of the Fairies. She reaches for a flyer that looks promising, but not before it’s snatched away by Natsu.

“Luce, that’s too hard for you to do all by yourself.”

She snatches it back, “Ugh! Says who, you?! I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!”

He laughs, “Why don’t I go with you?”

“Because I don’t want you to!”

“Why not!” He whines, “And why have you been avoiding me lately?”

“You seriously are an idiot!” They’re attracting attention, but she doesn’t care. “I don’t understand why you keep insisting on coming along on my missions, or showing up unannounced at my apartment, or, or… Ugh! Why am I avoiding you, you ask!? It’s because I finally realized that I can’t wait around forever for you to decide!” Lucy crosses her arms over her chest as all the anger and tears she has held back rush forth. “You don’t wanna be my boyfriend that’s fine, but with that choice, you need to give me some space so I can move on and find someone who’ll love me back!”

Natsu is stunned at her explosion. Yes, he knows he can be an idiot sometimes, but he knows exactly what she is ranting about. He knows she has a crush on him, but he was afraid. He had watched Macao’s marriage end badly, he’s seen two others get into relationships and if they broke up, so went the friendship. It may not be much experience to base his thoughts off of, but it still worried him immensely. Losing her for any reason was not something he wanted to have happen. But, even now as Lucy confronts him on it, those fears are still holding him back.

“But Luce,” he reaches out for her, but she steps out of his reach. “You’re my best friend, that’s why I wanna go with you on missions. That’s why I enjoy hanging out with you at your apartment, and I don’t think you’re not capable, I don’t wanna see you get hurt, or….”

“Don’t you get it Natsu, I value our friendship, but I also want to feel…. Feel romantic love, like Levy or Juvia! I’m tired of being the one left out!”

Just as Natsu is about to respond Draco suddenly appears at Lucy’s side. He puts his arms around her waist pulling her in tight so she can sob into his chest while he glares at Natsu, “Is this guy bothering you my Princess?”

“YOUR Princess!!!” roars an incensed and literally smoking Natsu. “Who the Fuck are you!! Get your hands off My Lucy!!”

Bellowing, a deep laugh, “She is not Your Lucy. Did I not just hear her say you didn’t want to be her boyfriend? So, what gives you the right to demand I let her go? Clearly, I am not holding her against her will.”

“And what are you to her!” Natsu lights his hands on fire. “No matter, I’ll make you back off!”

“Natsu stop it!! Draco is one on my spirits! He came because of how upset I am.”

Gritting his teeth, “Not even Leo holds you like that so who the hell is he really?! I-I’m the only one who can hold you like that! So, tell him to let you go!!”

“I’m sorry Natsu but I can’t do that.”

“What!!” Natsu is even more livid, “Why not!”

Without responding to the question, Lucy looks back up into Draco’s eyes and puts her arms around his neck. Taking her cue, he leans down and kisses her on the lips; smirking the whole time with his eyes still trained on Natsu.

Natsu’s jaw drops simultaneously as a loud growl emanating from him. He makes a grab for Lucy when Draco’s wings suddenly extend out, whisking he and Lucy out of his physical reach.

“I’m sorry Natsu, but there’s nobody else you can blame but yourself for all this.” A single tear falls, “It’s time you give me some space.” In that moment, she and Draco disappear.

Standing alone Natsu just hangs his head, a crowd of his fellow guild mates surrounding but staying at a distance from him as his anger mixes with despair. ‘S-she kissed him? S-she kissed him! No, No, No! And space? That would kill me…’ Seeing their dejected friend, Gray and Erza rush over but he pushes them away and runs out of the guild. He wants no one to see his tears.

He had to make things right, there was no way he would let a spirit or any guy take Lucy away from him! Together forever…. The words rang back through his mind. He wouldn’t have said it if he hadn’t meant it, and he meant every meaning of those words. ‘Okay,’ he berates himself on the run to her apartment, ‘maybe I should have followed through after I said it, but there’s no turning back now and if that damn Draco wants a challenge, this dragon was gonna give him one!’

Draco teleports them into Lucy’s apartment and set her down on her feet. She sits down on her couch and let’s out a loud exhale.

“Thanks for playing along with that Draco,” Lucy blushes at the memory. “I kinda wanted to see his reaction.”

“You’re welcome Princess.”

“Sit, you’re making me nervous just standing there.” She pats the couch seat next to her and he obliges. “By the way, is there a reason you call me Princess?”

“You don’t like it?”

“I don’t mind it, Leo sometimes calls me that, and Virgo too.”

“You’re like a beautiful Princess.”

Lucy’s cheeks heat up. “Don’t tell me you really a sweet talker like Leo.”

Draco just chuckles, “No I’m nothing like Leo, that guy is on his own playing field with the ladies.”

“Well,” she whispers, “you aren’t so bad yourself.” He turns to look at her, but she averts her eyes and stares at the ground.

He turns her chin towards him and speaks softly, “Are you trying to tell me something?”

“N-No…” she stammers but he continues to look at her with his piercing green eyes. Sigh, “I’m sure you’ve been around long enough to know girls find you attractive.”

Subconsciously they both lean closer to each other, “Yes, but in all my years, I don’t think I’ve ever come across anyone like you.”

With just an inch of space left Lucy realizes their distance and pulls back. “I-I don’t think it would be appropriate to… There must be rules against an owner and their spirit… And I still care about Natsu…”

“There are no rules against it. But you’re right, we probably shouldn’t… move so quickly. Let’s focus on your training and working with us.” He stands up, “But at least you have someone else to comfort you now when you need it.” He winks to her before he disappears.

Sigh, “Why couldn’t Natsu have been more like you Draco…” She pulls her knees up and wraps her arms around them, sobbing lightly. “Ugh, why’d I have to fall for that pink haired idiot! I should have known he’d break my heart. I mean he’s so dense with other people’s emotions! And what was with his attitude today, I mean who the hell does he think he is calling me his! If he wanted that kind of power over me, he should have picked me for his girlfriend!” “Argh!” she throws a book against the wall.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, Natsu has been standing under her window listening, and hearing her rant about him shakes him up more.

A call comes in from Levy through the lacrima-com. “Oh, hi Levy, huh? Yeah, I’ll be okay. No, no, you guys need not come over. Who? Draco? He’s one of the spirits I told you about. I’m sorry I…. No, I should have told you guys sooner, but I wanted it to be a surprise. The King was so right about how powerful they are…. Yeah, he said I’m the first in over 300 years that qualified.” Lucy chuckles, “thanks, I’m proud of it too. Wait till you guys see them, they can transform…. Yeah that’s what makes them different. Mmm…. He reacted like he was jealous…”

Natsu eavesdrops from below her window, ‘How’d I not know about these new spirits, god maybe I am an ass, definitely an idiot. If she’s supposed to be my best friend, how did I not know so much about her? Was I really that oblivious?’ He hears Lucy sigh.

“I do still love the idiot. I’ll always love him but…. No, I don’t know what it’ll take…. No, I have no real interests in Draco…. Well yeah, he is handsome, but it would be wrong for a master and a spirit… I know Lev, you’re right, maybe he will. Okay, I’ll see you later too. Bye.”

He slumps against the wall, running his hand down his face. He had to do something but what? It’s not like he was the most romantic person. Scratch that, he had no clue what romance really was. All the flowers and candies thing, was that even real or was it stuff dreamed up for those books the girls love to read cause he’s seen none of the guys show up with bouquets at the guild? Natsu sighs, as much as he didn’t want to ask for help, he would need it. Maybe Bisca and Al are a good start since they’ve been married for so long…

After their fight, Lucy avoids Natsu, but he would not leave her alone. Oh, he gave her two days to cool off, but that’s when he really started his campaign to win her back. Thanks to all the advice from their friends on top of all the fix this situation threats levied at him, Natsu felt he’d come up with a plan of action sure to win her back.

And it started with flowers.

Early one morning, there is a knock on her door that drags a tired Lucy out of bed. She’d been up late the night before working on her latest book. The sudden intrusion was highly annoying!

“Ugh, who is it?”

“Flower delivery ma’am.”

Lucy opens her door to find an older gentleman in a messenger uniform. He hands her a bouquet of a dozen pink roses and tulips, her two favorite flowers. “Have a nice day.” He tips his hat and walks away.

Closing her door, she stares at the flowers, ‘who sent me flowers? It’s not my birthday, or a holiday…’ she finds a small envelope stuck in between the blooms.

“Luce, I don’t know if you’ll believe me yet, but I really meant what I said. You’re my best friend in this entire world and I didn’t mean to make you cry. I hope you’ll forgive me. –Natsu.”

There’s a small uplift in the corners of her mouth as she takes in the scent of the flowers, “Well it’s a start I guess, but you’re not off the hook just yet, mister!”

The morning sun was barely peeking over the horizon on the following day as Lucy stretches her arms through a big yawn. She turns over to hug onto a pillow when a flat rectangular box shifts next to her forehead. ‘What’s that?’ Lucy pulls herself into a sitting position and picks up the box. Her eyes flash wide for inside she finds a beautiful silver charm bracelet. ‘Wow….’ She maneuvers the bracelet to look at each charm piece; a flame, a key, a star, a letter “L”, a heart shape, a letter “N”, a cube with the letters “BF”, a Fairytail emblem, and pink stones in between each charm. Securing it on her right wrist she smiles…

Another morning, and Lucy is getting ready for another lazy day of writing since the weather was ugly and there wasn’t a major reason to go to the guild that day. She heads over to her desk and laying on top there was a brand-new journal with a folded letter waiting for her. Three days in a row, she muses, Natsu was sure working overtime to gain back her attention.

Good morning beautiful. Maybe our future adventures will help inspire a new story for you to write about. <3 Natsu.

She runs her fingers over the leathery grain, “Awe, that was sweet of him! Since when did he get so romantic?”

She was almost disappointed to not wake up to a surprise, but that afternoon, and another delivery of flowers shows up at her door. This time, the stakes have risen for it’s a dozen long stem red roses and another small jewelry box. After placing the roses in a vase, she sits down with the box and card and opens it. She gasps, ‘Oh my god what the hell is he trying to tell me?!’ The box contains a custom silver ring with the Fairytail emblem inlaid with small white and pink diamonds. When she looks closer inside the band there are her initials and a date.

Ripping open the card, tears flow down her cheeks as she reads the letter,

In July of X784 you entered my life and joined Fairytail. I still remember how excited you were when you got your guild stamp… Despite what you might think, I care about you as more than just a friend. I was just afraid… I treasured our friendship above anything else and I had seen friendships die because of breakups and I never wanted to lose you like that. But I should have realized that by holding back, it was only causing you the very pain I was trying to avoid… I’m so sorry Luce.

Seeing you… with Draco… another man holding you and kissing you…. I died a little that day. You were right, I only have myself to blame for it all. But I hope I’m not too late. If you forgive me, please meet me for dinner at Our Magnolia tree in South Gate Park at 5pm. Love, Natsu.

There were moments she almost turned around and went home but reminded herself that she needed to see him too. But by the time 4:50pm had rolled around Lucy was making her way through the park’s entrance. As she nears the tree, she can see Natsu standing with his back towards her. While he still has his scarf on, the rest of his attire takes her aback. Natsu dressed up for her, something he’s never done before on purpose! Lucy’s heart beats faster. He was so handsome in a suit!

Hearing a racing heartbeat approaching, Natsu slowly turns to see who it is. Heavens, Lucy looked spellbinding! As she makes her way over, he takes in the sight walking towards him. The blonde mage was absolutely stunning in a black, plunging halter style top ending in a red miniskirt and black 3-inch wedge heels. The charm bracelet and ring were catching some late afternoon rays, and her hair had been left down, straight and parted in the middle to frame her face. “Y-you look gorgeous, Lucy…” he chokes out. Hints of pink line his cheeks and ears.

She giggles, “You look handsome too Natsu. Thank you for all the gifts they were really sweet. So,” a light blush alighting her cheekbones, “why d'you wanna meet here?”

“I um, needed to see you, and wanted to talk. But first, I have reservations for dinner nearby.”

“All right, shall we get going then?”

“Yeah!” he grins, the toothy wide smile he often has plastered on his face when he is nervous.

Clasping her hands behind her back Lucy walks alongside Natsu. For a time, they walk in silence through the park until they reach the street and need to turn left or right. “So Natsu, where are we going?”

“This way,” he points to the right. “We’re going to Café Concerto, the foods good but I picked them for the private dining rooms.”

“Private rooms?” Some naughtier ideas pop into her head.

“Yeah, so we can talk easier.”

“Oh,” She exhales still trying to get the images out of her head. “Sounds like a good idea.”

Continuing on in silence, Natsu notices a dreamier look on Lucy’s face. Her hands have drifted away from her back and now sway along with her steps. He wonders what she is thinking about, but instead of asking, takes advantage of the fact she’s not paying attention to what he wants to do.

Lucy lets her mind drift during the brisk walk. ‘I don’t want to get my hopes up, what if he’s doing all this to just placate me, to just let me down gentler… No, can’t be? If that were the case the gifts would have been different right? He wouldn’t have sent red roses, or such an expensive ring… Maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he really has feelings for me! Sigh… That kiss I shared with Draco was my first and I had wanted that to be with Natsu. There was only a lukewarm chemistry from Draco’s kiss, no butterflies, no fireworks. I guess when I kiss Natsu, that’ll tell me…’

“We’re here Luce.”

“Huh?” she turns her head and sees they are standing in front of the restaurant. “Oh, sorry I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

“You seemed to be in your own thoughts,” he chuckles. “Let’s head inside so we don’t lose the reservation.”

“Right.” She takes a step forward but stops when she realizes something important had happened. Lucy looks down at her left hand which is being held by Natsu’s right one. “W-When did…”

He smiles, “About halfway here. You didn’t seem to mind.”

Her face heats in a blush. “I, um…”

“If this is making you uncomfortable I can…”

She cuts him off with a smile, “N-no, it’s okay. I-I don’t mind, was just surprised is all.”

Grinning back, he squeezes her hand and opens the door.

The maître’d leads Natsu and Lucy into a cozy little room where a table had been set up for two. After being seated across from one another, she takes in the visuals of the place. The walls are paneled in a warm chestnut brown wood finish. Bronze sconces along the wall providing a warm, ambiance type lighting. On the table between them, the dark, almost black table cloth seems to match well against the wall’s colorings. And finally, a single long tapered white candle added to the romantic feel.

With their dinners ordered, and a glass of wine now perched at her fingertips, Lucy takes a few sips to help calm her nerves. Averting her eyes from his, “Natsu, I want to apologize for my outburst. It may have been a little uncalled for…”

“No, don’t apologize Luce. I needed that slap in the face.” She looks up at him and sees a seriousness in his eyes she’s rarely ever seen from him. “The truth is, I’ve had a crush on you since we met but it worried me that if we got into a relationship and ever broke up, we’d stop being friends. I had seen it happen to others, and I was so afraid of it I decided to just keep you in the friend zone. But I didn’t realize how much pain I was causing you, how much keeping you at a slight distance was hurting our friendship more.” He sighs,“I don’t like it when you go off on missions by yourself because all I do is worry the whole time. What if you got hurt or didn’t come back at all… I—I, don’t know what I would do.”

“But you’ve never even given me a hint about how you really felt. I think if I had seen something, even just a glimmer of hope, I wouldn’t have felt so much heartache.”

“I guess I hid it well. I mean every time a guy tried to flirt with you, Gray, Leo, strangers; I had to use every ounce of willpower not to beat them to a pulp. But then when you kissed Draco… and seemed like you meant it… I-I lost it.”

Lucy feels her heart sinking by the millisecond. She may have endured years of heartache, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed seeing it in others, especially the man she loved. She looks down at the table, her fingers fidgeting with themselves on her lap, “I shouldn’t have done that… Please forgive me Natsu but I wanted to see how you would react… I wanted to see if it would make you jealous because maybe if you were that meant there could be hope...”

Natsu stands up and walks around the table kneeling in front of her. “I told you, I deserved that wake-up call.” Placing his hands on hers to stop her fidgeting, “But, do you believe me now Luce, that you mean everything to me?”

“Yeah…” She whispers

Lifting her right hand he slides the ring off of the finger she has it on. “Can we start over then?”

“Yes…” she murmurs, wondering what he was about to do.

Now taking her left hand he slides the ring onto her ring finger as he continues to speak in an expectant tone, “where you’re my girlfriend?”

“Y-yes.” She squeaks out. Her brown eyes becoming more vivid but glassy.

Grinning, “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you, was that a…”

“Yes!” Lucy screams, grabbing his face and locking onto the lips she has ached to kiss for so long. This throws him slightly off balance, but he quickly catches himself and braces by entwining his fingers into her hair adding pressure to the kiss. She cocks her head slightly to the side to deepen their closeness, groaning as he nibbles her bottom lip and allowing his tongue to venture and twirl with hers in a minuet. All of time laid down it’s ticking clock as they stayed locked together, and Heaven help her, Natsu’s smoky tang mixed with the spicy scents of his natural redolence was carrying her away in a spell of its own. Forgotten were the days past and longing for Lucy finally got what she had dreamed of. This is the very fireworks she had wished for!

At that moment the waiter walks in carrying two plates, pausing just within the threshold. “I’m sorry is this a bad time?”

Breaking apart, Natsu stands up and walks back to his chair smiling and staring at his red-faced girlfriend, “No,” he grins, “it’s a great time.”

Over the next three months Lucy’s been too busy being dragged out on team Natsu missions to train further with her new spirits and she really wants to get her Star Dress spells down pact before she summons them in a real fight. Erza and Gray she didn’t mind so much but it was Natsu that was driving her crazy. She couldn’t understand his insistence on either her going with them on all of their missions or him tagging along on hers. They were officially a couple, so why was he still acting this way?

While their relationship was getting better in some aspect’s, there were the days where his jealousy would just control him and in other words, her. The worst were the times she suggested training with her spirits. Such rollercoasters of emotions were taking its toll on the Celestial Wizard and eventually something had to give.

“Ugh, Natsu I need to train with my new spirits to get the Star Dress forms down solid! Phoenix could even be helpful to you since he can generate fire!”

“It’s not the other three I mind. I don’t trust Draco!”

“You’re just jealous! And I can’t believe you don’t trust me to handle him myself. All this time, Leo didn’t get under your skin, why is Draco?”

“Leo’s different, I know he flirts with every girl cause it’s his personality. But with Draco, it’s a… it’s a dragon thing okay! It’s like two animals wanting to claim the same mate and I can sense that from him.”

“Tch, that sounds crazy,” Lucy crosses her arms, “he’s a spirit.”

“Who is a dragon.” Natsu drops onto the couch with his head hung and hair shielding his eyes. He didn’t want to keep having this argument with her, but he would not let it go either. “Lucy please just understand, it’s not just simple jealousy, in the eyes of a dragon you are an unmarked, unclaimed, potential mate. If his attraction to you becomes unchecked that primal side could reveal itself and some dragons will take their mates by force.”

Lucy sighs. She didn’t want to keep fighting either. “Natsu I don’t think that’ll happen, but I’ll relent for the sake of peace.” Lucy sits on the arm of the chair, running her fingers through his hair in a manner she’s come to learn soothes him. “How about you come along during the training sessions as long as you don’t get in the way.”

He places a hand on her knee, gently thumbing the skin while looking back up at her face. “Thank you. So, where do you wanna train?”

The following week, Lucy and Natsu are standing at the base of a mountain where the vegetation is sparse, and the chance of fire damage will be a minimum. He nods at her with a smile, motioning for her to start. She pulls out Phoenix’s key and summons him. “Open Gate of the Firebird! Phoenix!”

“Hello Lucy.”

“Hi Phoenix, I’d like to work with you today.”

Phoenix looks to the man standing at her side. “As you wish, but who is this with you?”

“Natsu’s my boyfriend, he’s a Fire Dragon Slayer.”

“Ah,” Phoenix smiles warmly and sticks out his hand in a gentleman’s fashion, “fire, that’s right up my alley.” Natsu shakes his hand firmly.

Lucy smiles, “I hoped you two would get along…”

It turned out to be quite handy having Natsu around to train with, because now Lucy had an additional sparring partner while the spirits taught her how to use their magic effectively. He had a lot of fun working Phoenix even remarking that the spirits flames had an interesting flavor to it. Maybe like chicken he had teased, while being slapped by Lucy over the comment, but even Phoenix had laughed and responded that it made sense that his flames would taste like a bird.

For the training with Hydra and Pegasus, once they had realized that having another strong mage around that knew similar magic would come in handy for the training, they had enlisted the help of Wendy and Juvia. The two women were happy to assist and play sparring partner for Lucy and similarly to how Natsu got along with Phoenix, the mages and spirits had a good time. The Celestial Fairies had been stuck in the Celestial World for so long, that being able to interact with the mages and peoples of Earthland again seemed to thrill them.

Two days of training with three days off in between to recuperate for Lucy seemed to be the successful formula. It took four days of training total with Phoenix, the same with Hydra, but eight for Pegasus. Lucy assumed that it was because out of the three spirits, it was an element she had not worked directly with before. The styles and magics were different, but at least with Leo’s flames or Aquarius’ water, those were more comfortable for her. But as the training with these three spirits ended, it would be the next looming issue they had been avoiding.

Draco. Not only did he wield an element that Lucy hasn’t dealt with before, it was also one that no one in their guild really did either except Jellal and he was away on a mission. Saint Wizard Jura was another possibility, but he too was busy with Counsel duties. Lucy knew that having to deal with Natsu and Draco alone may be a bigger hassle, as much she hated to admit it, so they wait until Jellal returned.

Humming quietly to no one, Lucy wraps the towel around her body and releases her hair from the haphazard bun perched on her head. Natsu had been gone all day helping with some kind of renovation at the guild but now it was time for her to get ready and head over to meet him and their friends for dinner. After a final check of herself in the mirror, she gathers her dirty clothes and steps out of the bathroom.

“Princess.”

Startled, Lucy gasps and almost drops her clothes, “Draco! What are you doing here?” Fidgeting and using the extra fabrics to hide her body more, “y-you shouldn’t just drop in like this.”

“But I came to check on you,” he walks closer unperturbed by her state of undress. “I’ve been waiting patiently for you to call me to train like you did the others,” Draco places his hand on her shoulder, “but when you did not after two weeks, I worried something may be wrong.”

“I’m fine,” Lucy flinches out of his touch, “as you can see. I’m just waiting for my friend Jellal to return from a mission, so I have a sparring partner.”

Again, he tries to reach out. Lucy flinches but realizes she’s been backed against the wall. She tries to avoid eye contact, but his time Draco caresses her cheek then tips her face up, so she’s forced to look at him, “You need no one but me to be there.”

“I-I dis-disagree, now you should let me go Draco, I need to meet Natsu, my boyfriend for dinner.”

“That slayer is your boyfriend now?” He lets Lucy go and steps back, “my mistake.” And just like that, he disappears.

Lucy lets out the collective breath she’d been holding and braces against the wall. ‘It’s fine, it’s fine,’ she reassures herself, ‘he was only acting that way because he didn’t know about Natsu and I.’ She brushes her fingers over the area Draco had touched… “not even Leo holds you like that…” Lucy shakes the memory from her mind, that was her doing, she had prompted Draco into acting that way and at least that time, she really was upset…. ‘he could tell I was upset… I never really asked before,’ Lucy ruminates, ‘how much can the spirits really sense of me?’ Now wasn’t the time to ponder. Just to be cautious, Lucy takes a second quick shower and rushes to the guildhall before Natsu came to check on her too.

Thank goodness Jellal came back to Magnolia a few days later and she could get the last leg of her training under way. It would be the first time Natsu and Draco would be face to face again, and Lucy only hoped and prayed the two men could be cordial with each other for her sake. She confessed to Jellal her concerns before they left on the training and he assured her he would help to make sure things stayed that way.

The rocky, desert-like area they found was perfect for training with Earth magic for they could warp the ground without disturbing much of anything living. But, the one downside to picking such a place was there were no towns in the immediate vicinity. They had to bring as many provisions with them as they could carry or one of them would have to travel a few miles to gather more. At least there were a few caves suitable for a makeshift campsite in case it rained.

Lucy stood flanked by Natsu on her left and Jellal on her right as she summoned Draco to appear.

“Open gate of the Dragon! Draco!”

In a flurry of light, he appears with his arms crossed, “You’ve finally summoned me master?”

Her eyebrow twitches as she tries to remain calm. “Yes, I’d like to complete our training Draco. First, I should introduce you to my friends here.” She motions to her right first, “this is Jellal, he uses earth magic, so I’ve asked him to help me as a sparing partner.” Jellal nods to the spirit. Lucy then motions to her left. “You know Natsu, my boyfriend. He’s here to help in training.”

The tension in the air was palpable as the two men stared each other down. Both Lucy and Jellal holding a collective breath as the seconds tick by at an agonizingly slow rate… it was the longest pause of her life. Finally, it was Natsu to Lucy’s surprise or relief that broke the stalemate, holding out a hand in gesture. No words pass between them, but the two men shake hands.

She lets out an exhale, “we should just get started then, shall we?”

In the other training sessions, Natsu played less of a bystander role and more of a guide for Lucy, especially when it came down to learning the ins and outs of making a technique work. He was amazing with analyzing fight strategies. But this time, he stepped back and observed every move that Draco made. Training in proximity was fine under his watchful eye but if Draco got too close or lingered near Lucy in the wrong way, Natsu stepped in.

Oh, he didn’t snap which was a scenario that Lucy had dreaded and prepared herself mentally for. No, it was a surprise that Natsu entered the training at just the opportune moments and spun things in a way to get Draco away from her again. It impressed Lucy that her boyfriend was controlling most of his anxieties.

It was a relief at not having to play referee between her boyfriend and her spirit considering by day 3 this magic was the hardest for her by far to learn. Usually by this point, Lucy had the basics down but learning to control a dense mass such as earth was much more difficult than the airier elements. But that was only part of the magic, Lucy still needed to learn to control plant life.

By the eighth day, the next two-day break was a welcomed relief. All Lucy wanted to do was relax with a book or sleep, so Natsu and Jellal took a trip to the nearest town for more supplies. He really didn’t want to leave Lucy by herself but, Natsu knew that if he and Jellal went, the trip would be faster, and they could carry more, hopefully negating the need for another.

She curled up on her bedroll with a book, catching up on a few chapters, letting the story take her mind off the slow progress of her training. The story was one that Levy had recommended because she knew Lucy would like. A bit of fantasy mixed with a love story, lots of action, heartache, and lust. But with the heat of the day working its spell, it didn’t take long for exhaustion to claim her, Lucy’s eyes growing heavier and heavier...

Draco kneeled beside her, watching his master sleep peacefully. She looked so beautiful to him. He couldn’t blame the slayer for wanting to keep this woman for himself, when he’s desired her since the moment they met. Deep down Draco knew that it was wrong, that it was frowned upon for spirits to meddle in their master’s lives, and definitely a no, no to wish for a romantic relationship with one. But he couldn’t help it, spirit or not he still had basilar emotions that drove him.

He leans over Lucy and takes in the wondrous scent she gave off. It annoyed him that the slayers scent commingled with hers. Draco frowns. Every fiber of his dragon soul wanted to sweep her away from this world to anywhere he could hoard her all to himself. It would be easy, just pick her up as she slept and before she awoke, he’d have her whisked away to his corner of the spirit world.

A fanged grin peaks through, ‘well why the fuck not,’ he muses. ‘Three hundred years I’ve waited for a master and to get one as perfect as this one…’ Rational thought was losing the battle in his mind, yes, he’d be in a lot of trouble with the Spirit King, not to mention the others, but the longer he stared at Lucy, the more his lust grew.

Draco wanted her.

And before his consciousness could catch up, he was scooping her into his arms.

The sudden movement causes Lucy to stir. “Natsu?” her worn out mind barely comprehending what was happening.

“Not Natsu.”

That woke her up. Lucy’s eyes pop open wide. “Draco?! Draco what are you… why are you here?” She shifts and tries to get out of his arms. “Draco, what do you think you are doing?”

“I can’t let that slayer have you, he doesn’t deserve you!”

“Draco!” Lucy fights his grasp, “let me go right this second! I-I am not going anywhere with you!”

The spirit narrows his eyes, his pupils shifting into a more reptilian form, “no.”

Lucy fights harder, but her strength is no match for the stronger male. She twists and hits him as much as she can, cussing him out. Just when she thought there was no hope, Lucy hears a voice outside of the cave.

“Lushee? Natshu? Where are you guys?”

“Happy!” she cries out. “I’m in the cave!”

It wasn’t as if an exceed was any match for the spirit, but she hoped it would change Draco’s mind if there was a witness.

And she was right.

Just as the exceed came walking in through the entrance, she felt herself fall back onto her bedroll, hitting the solid floor hard. Her body stung from the impact, but not wanting to alarm Happy, she bit down and gritted against the pain.

“Lushee? Where is Natshu?”

She forces herself to sit up as if nothing had just happened. With a smile, “they went to the nearest town for supplies, they should be back soon,” she hoped.

“Oh, okay then I’ll just wait here with you.”

“That… would be great Happy. Maybe you could help me get dinner started for the guys…”

What was she going to do now? As Lucy went to bed that night with Natsu sleeping beside her, she couldn’t fall asleep. Over and over she replayed what had happened that afternoon trying every which way to explain or justify her spirit’s actions. In one more day, they were supposed to resume her training, should she cancel it? But that might make Natsu suspicious. What if Draco didn’t show up? Or, what if he did? How would he behave? Chances were, with Natsu and Jellal around he would behave as if nothing had happened, but would she be able to set that aside?

Lucy wanted so desperately to believe it was all just another misunderstanding. Maybe Draco had gone weird, kind of like when the spirits went a little mad after the whole Eclipse gate debacle. That probably wasn’t true but how else could she rationalize it? The other explanation was…. Natsu had been right all along. Sometimes they forgot that Celestial spirits had feelings just like humans did, and maybe Draco had developed feelings for her, driven further by the dragon spirit dwelling inside of him.

She didn’t want to alarm anyone yet, so in the end, she let the training commence. ‘Hopefully he shows up and behaves!’ Then when they return home, Lucy will come clean to her man.

For the next two weeks, Lucy pushes herself harder than she has ever pushed her body and mind because she was determined to get control of the earth magic Draco wielded, plus she didn’t want to deal with him longer than necessary. Her focus on the training gave her enough of a distraction to shove her concerns to the side until a later date, and Draco behaving as if he hadn’t just tried to kidnap her, helped to lessen her worries at least consciously. Internally was another story.

The night before their trip back home, Lucy had a rather disturbing dream. It was so real that when she awoke the next morning, the emotions, nay, the fear it created in her mind still carried through and Lucy realized something. What if she had to be alone after they’d gone home?! She and Natsu were still maintaining separate homes and he couldn’t be with her every minute of every day. Will Draco try to kidnap her again as soon as he gets an opportunity?

It made her shudder. The idea of a rogue spirit taking her away from not just Natsu but her friends, family, her home, made Lucy almost wish she’d never found that book in the library. Why did she have to ask the King about those keys? Was it foolish of her to have used Draco as a pawn to make Natsu jealous? All these questions, all the obvious answers leading her to blame herself for the mess she now found herself in. But there was no turning back the clock.

She steeled herself for the conversation she was about to have with her boyfriend. Lucy knew that would only be normal for Natsu to get upset with what she would have to tell him. He will undoubtedly object to the plan she had come up with during the journey back home because she knew he wouldn’t want to rush into something that could never be undone. Hell, even she thought it was crazy.

*When they returned to Magnolia, it didn’t take much effort to get Natsu to stay at her apartment without giving an explanation. He was there most of the time anyway, and with the excuse that after such a vigorous training, Lucy wanted to relax alone with her boyfriend made sense. But the conversation she needed to have with him wasn’t something one could simply bring up. What was she supposed to say? Over dinner one evening, “Hey, by the way Natsu, Draco tried to kidnap me so I think you should do that ritual marking thing you didn’t want to do.” ‘Su—re, that wouldn’t be a great idea!’

Natsu himself never told her what happened during the event, he might even be surprised that she knew, but Levy had given her some general details. The marking itself was simple, a bite to the wrist, like a physical imprinting upon the dragon’s mate and voila, all done. Once imprinted, they were married without the legal formalities. And therein lies the scary part. Was she, were they ready for that level of commitment? After thinking about it, Lucy had decided she was so, now that just left Natsu’s decision.

Over the course of a week since they had returned, Lucy had the odd sensation that Draco was somehow watching her. Since Natsu was always around, she knew that he wouldn’t come close or Natsu would smell him and yet, those feelings never subsided. Frankly, it was creeping her out. Lucy did her best to talk herself out of the worries, surmising that the whole situation triggered those feelings.

One night after dinner, Lucy and Natsu lounged on the couch with a movie, but Lucy couldn’t focus on the screen. That afternoon Natsu had pointed out they need to take a mission soon since their funds had run low from the training. It wasn’t the mission Lucy was concerned about rather the chances of abduction.

Natsu laughed at the antics of the characters on the screen, turning to Lucy to get her opinion on it. But he notices a glazed over expression as if she was deep in thought, and definitely not watching the screen. He pokes her arm to gain her attention. “Lucy, do you not like this movie?”

“The movie is fine.”

Now he shifts to face her better, “then why do you look bored or…” tilting his head, “annoyed?” Lucy fiddles with her fingers in her lap, nervous about something. He places his hands on hers and squeezes, “just tell me what’s bothering you.”

In a quiet, almost inaudible tone, Lucy mumbles, “first, promise me you won’t get upset.”

Oh, now he was not only curious but anxious as all the horrible things that could elicit a response like that funnels through his mind. “You… you didn’t cheat on me, did you?” Lucy shakes her head. Natsu exhales, that was the worst thing he could think of. “Okay, I promise.”

“I’ve been thinking maybe…” Lucy pauses and takes a long deep breath. “Maybe we should do the marking….” Looking up at him, “now.”

He hadn’t seen that coming! “H-How do you even know about that? And why would you bring it up now?”

“Levy. And is it really important why?”

Natsu may have been inclined to just drop it, but when she averted her eyes before the second answer, he knew she was holding something back. Lucy wasn’t one to hide stuff, at least not about important things. “Luce,” he places a hand on her thigh and leans in. “If you know what it is, then you know why I’d want to know. It’s not something I’ll do unless we’re absolutely sure we want…”

“I do,” she grabs his hand, “I’m ready for it, but are you?”

“Lucy, I will not mark you unless you tell me what brought this up!”

“Draco tried to kidnap me okay!” she turns away from him, her face brightening from embarrassment, anger, and fear. With her hands covering her face to hide the moisture clouding her eyes, “it happened during the training. And I’m so scared he’ll do it again! That’s why I want you to mark me! That way he must leave us alone!”

Natsu forces Lucy to look at him and the fury in his eyes sent shudders throughout her body. He was so furious he was beyond snapping. His eyes narrow, “I don’t care if he’s your spirit I’ll fucking kill him if he touches you again!”

“I-It’s not just because of that,” Lucy’s cheeks heat further, “I want you to do it.” She reaches out and caresses his cheek, her eyes softening into a smile, “no matter what, I know that I’ll never be happy with anyone else Natsu, that’s why I came to this decision.” Lucy exhales, “but that’s only if you agree too.”

After a few agonizing seconds, Natsu finally lets out a deep exhale and pulls her into a soft kiss. “Lucy, you’re it for me too,” cradling her cheeks, he swipes his thumbs against the smooth skin. “It would honor me to take you as my mate.” As a few tears trickles down, he wipes them away and seals the vow with another sweet kiss.

He takes her left hand and places a kiss upon her guild mark, then holding it parallel to the floor, Natsu brings it closer to his mouth. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Lucy breathes out.

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounds off, and the building vibrates and trembles. The interrupted couple spring from the couch, Natsu running to the window to see what’s going on. Was someone attacking Magnolia? He throws the window open, scanning over the area but something strange was going on. None of the other buildings were shaking as badly as the apartment.

A shriek fills the room. Time slows to a crawl as Natsu turns to where Lucy was just standing and sees her tossed over Draco’s shoulder. She’s screaming for Natsu, screaming at Draco to let her go… and just like that in a flash, they were gone. The building’s shaking ceased, and all that remained was the cocky grin the spirit had sported burned into Natsu’s memory. “LUCY!!!!” The slayer roars into the empty room, furious that Draco had kidnapped her right from under his nose. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! How was he supposed to get to the Celestial world?!

Thinking quickly, Natsu rushes down to his cottage where he knows Happy should be and the pair take off for Sabertooth.

Natsu explains the situation to his friend on the way, talking aloud of his plan to get to the Celestial World, find Draco, beat him to a pulp, and get his girl back. The exceed pushed his aera abilities to its maximum output, flying Natsu to their ally’s guild in under an hour. It was late but thankfully Yukino was there and she readily called for one of her spirits. Libra brought Celestial clothing for Natsu and Happy, then whisked them off to the spirit world. Sensing that something serious had happened to their master, all of Lucy’s spirits were waiting for Natsu when he arrived.

“What the hell happened?” Leo and Phoenix demand at the same time. As leaders of their respective spirits, they felt an obligation to help save their master.

Natsu’s growl is low and deep, “Draco is what happened! That fucking spirit kidnapped Lucy and I’m damn sure he brought her here!”

“Ugh, I knew he was up to something,” Phoenix runs a hand over his face. “He’s become obsessed with her recently.”

“Recently?” Leo chimes in, “I got the sense he’s been pining over her since they met. I told her to be careful, but she said she could handle it.”

Natsu cuts them both off. “Look, he tried to kidnap her before and now he’s succeeded. I don’t care about your bickering. We just need to figure out where they are so I can beat the life out of him and get her back!”

Phoenix steps forward, “I believe I know where he might be.”

“But I think we should consult with the King first,” chimes in Leo.

“You’re right,” the firebird spirit sighs, “Draco is as powerful as any of us fairies, maybe the King will know a better way to deal with him.”

“Look, whatever we do we just need to hurry! So, go get the King!” Natsu steps closer to the two spirits shaking his fist, “Draco already has a head start, and if he succeeds in imprinting on Lucy, there won’t be anything we can do to reverse it!” He was beyond caring that these were Lucy’s beloved spirits or that he too liked them. This was Lucy they were fighting for and nothing would get in his way of getting her back!

In another part of the vast spirit world, Draco tipped his head back, closed his eyes, and let his senses reach out into its void. He had felt the ripple of an outsider breaching their plane, normally considered a violation, but if it was the slayer, undoubtedly the King would not force him to leave. ‘Just great.’ Draco opens his eyes again, staring at the woman he had bound and gagged on his bed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep Lucy here for long because even with the Celestial attire, her body could only withstand this world for a short amount of time. Maybe a day or two tops since she had a connection to this world, but still, it was just to give him more time to think.

Just like the last kidnapping attempt, his desire for Lucy had trumped all rational thought, and he’d reacted without hesitation to stop the marking process. If the slayer had been successful, Draco knew that the imprinting would have triggered Lucy’s heart to forever belong to Natsu and that he would never have a chance to win it. For that was the secret to all this. Despite being a dragon spirit, because he was no longer of the earthly realm, those marking rituals didn’t work for him anymore. It wasn’t fair! Draco was similar in many regards, he felt passion as they did, and yet lacked that one component. Oh, he knew the reason, spirits were not meant to intermingle with humans on that level.

‘Well,’ he sighs and grins at Lucy, “looks like the only way to settle this is a fight…”

In another area of the Celestial World, Natsu had been brought before the Celestial King and along with Phoenix and Leo, explained the whole situation.

“I am sorry my friend, I knew that Lucy was here with Draco, but I assumed she was visiting. I did not know he had kidnapped her.”

“Well now, you know mustache man. So, are you going to tell me where they are?”

The King leans back with his arms crossed as if in contemplation. “This is a serious matter, to have a spirit kidnap a human, his master no less,” scratching his chin, “it has never happened before.”

“Just tell me where he is, and I’ll make him sorry for taking Lucy!”

“Be patient my young friend, he will not harm her. In this world, Draco cannot be injured, so there is no point in you fighting him.”

Natsu crosses his arms and mumbles, “well it would make me feel better.”

“I am his creator and therefore I must step in to right this wrong. Draco is keeping her in his lair, Leo, Phoenix, take Natsu to her. Bring Draco back to me and I shall deal with him.”

Draco could smell them coming, and not surprisingly, Natsu wasn’t alone but both Phoenix and Leo were with him. As leaders and the two most powerful of the spirits, Draco knew that if all three were to come at him at once, he didn’t stand much of a chance. But that didn’t mean he would give Lucy up without a fight to the death if necessary. As they arrive, he stands in front of Lucy, leering at the trio.

“Stand aside you two,” Draco growls at the other spirits under his breath, “this is a fight between Dragons.”

As Phoenix moves forward to speak, Leo tries to grab hold of Natsu. But the moment the slayer had seen Lucy gagged and bound like an animal he flipped out. He could smell her tears, hear her heart beating rapidly, and worst of all he could smell the tiniest hints of blood. Lucy’s blood!

Natsu roars an ungodly bellowing, so deep and guttural it shakes the very core of Leo or Phoenix. They had never seen his transformations before, but Lucy had. His eyes grow serpentine in appearance, his body shifts, scales forming, wings… Fire erupts from his body and the two spirits must jump out of the way for the heat was like a volcano’s inferno. Even the Firebird’s flames could not reach such temperatures.

Then quicker than a blink, Natsu had flown directly at Draco, scooping the spirit up and power-bombing him into the ground….

Lucy fights at her bindings, knowing this was going to be like Stella all over again. Natsu’s END dragon side was going to take over and she had to stop it! Draco may have done something horrible, but if Natsu wasn’t stopped they may level this area. She looks towards Leo and Phoenix, screaming through the gag. Those two were so awestruck by the dragon’s fighting they had forgotten about her! She bounces in her chair, pulling, still screaming as much as she could in a garbled and muffled manner until finally, Leo sees Lucy and rushes over with Phoenix. They untie her and help her to her feet.

Natsu was relentless. Over and over he went at Draco with everything he had. And the speed at which he was doing it was so fast, the other dragon couldn’t keep up or switch into his own dragon form. Lucy, Phoenix, and Leo could barely think straight through the cacophony of sounds. Loud, rumbling roars coupled with bone crushing hits and earth trembling displays. Lucy realizes this was much worse than Stella. She screams at them, screams for Natsu to stop. But he wasn’t hearing her. He was too far in the zone of utter rage to see past Draco.

“You guys…. You guys,” she grabs Phoenix and Leo’s arms, “we need to stop them!”

“But how?!” they ask at the same time.

She shakes her head for frankly, she wasn’t really sure. “Just you guys grab Draco the moment you get a chance and let me handle Natsu!”

“Oh no,” Leo waves his hands, “in that state Natsu will end up hurting you too!”

Again, she shakes her head, “he won’t,” though the trembling timber of her voice denoted otherwise. “I can do this, you just need to get Draco away from him and here, quickly!”

Phoenix tries to grab Lucy’s arm to stop her, but Leo stops him. “Just believe in her brother, Lucy is stronger than you have yet to see for yourself, trust me. If she says she can do it,” he exhales, “she will, now let’s do our part.”

The moment Natsu stops, Lucy rushes up and grabs him from behind, wrapping her arms around him screaming for him to stop. That second was just enough time for Phoenix and Leo to do the same, each taking hold of one of Draco’s arms. They dematerialize in an instant, taking Draco with them.

Natsu roars one last time as Lucy holds on tight, furious that his enemy had been taken away from him. “Natsu stop!” she screams. “I’m here! I’m safe! You can stop now!”

It takes several more minutes for Natsu to finally drop to his knees utterly exhausted. The wings and other transformed areas revert back to normal until all that is left is the normal Natsu. “L-Lucy?” he places a hand over the ones she’s wrapped around his waist. “Is it over?”

Lucy sighs and lets her head rest against his back. “I think so.”

Leo and Phoenix had transported Draco directly to the King who sighs and immediately snaps his fingers. Spirit chains materialize and immediately restrain him. He roars at the King, wrenching at his fetters, “what is the meaning of this! You should have left us alone!”

“I need not explain anything you shouldn’t already know Draco. You kidnapped a human, your master, and one that is very dear to me. How could you not realize that once I found out you would be in trouble!”

“That stupid slayer,” Draco sneers under his breath, “this is all his fault!”

“No, it is not, this all falls upon your shoulders. To think, that one of my most powerful of spirits would let their emotions drive them to the point of madness,” the King sighs, “my only dilemma is what punishment would fit this crime. Should your fate become what Leo had endured once upon a time? Shall I make you live amongst the humans, unable to return here to be restored where you will wither away in a couple of years? If I did not have to worry about you trying to kidnap Lucy, I would consider it. However, under these circumstances you leave me no other choice but to…”

“Wait!”

Both the King and Draco turn to the voice.

“Please wait!” Lucy yells again. Despite being held back by Natsu and buffered by Leo and Phoenix, she fights to be heard by the King. “Please don’t be too hard on him, it’s only his nature he is fighting. He didn’t hurt me badly, and,” she hangs her head, “I blame myself for leading him on in the beginning to make Natsu jealous.” Just like she had done for Leo, Lucy’s affinity for her spirits was stronger than anything they may have done when she felt their punishment wasn’t right. “Please, King there must be a way Draco can control his emotions, isn’t there?”

The King’s bellowing laughter rocks the group standing before him. “Oh, my friend, you are always the purest of heart. Do you see Draco, even after what you’ve done to her, your master still wishes to spare you? It is her honor that earned my trust all those years ago.” He smiles down at Lucy, “as for your question, yes there is. Please, my friends go home, and the next time you must call upon the Celestial Fairies I promise, Draco will no longer be a problem.”

Natsu was skeptical about it all, but the King was right. They were pushing the limits of how long they should stay in this world and it was time to go. He glared at Draco, but the spirit just stood there with his head hung too low for him to look into his eyes. Taking Lucy’s hand, “come on. Like the King said we should just go home.”

“Yeah,” Lucy too glances over at Draco, wishing he would just give her one more look, but the dejected spirit never gave what she hoped for. She squeezes her eyes shut, ‘I’m so sorry Draco.’

#nalu #nalu novella #Natsu dragneel #Lucy heartfilia #nalu fanfic #fairytail #dragon #celestial spirits #OC characters #slightly angsty

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chasholidays · 6 years ago

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Hello! I would love to read a Bellarke "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" AU. There are extensive plot synopsis in Wikipedia for both the book (absolutely delightful and hilarious, but very obscure epistolary historical novel) and the film (it was released about a month ago, I haven't seen it yet, but it looks interesting). Regardless of whether my prompt gets picked, I look forward to reading your holiday fics, thank you for doing them.

also in space! I love space

new fic will be up when I wake up around 6 am EST

When Clarke’s data pad informs her she has a new message from an unfamiliar contact, she almost swipes it into her reader mail folder without looking. It’s usually the right choice; Clarke gets a lot of messages from fans who just want to tell her how much they enjoyed a piece she did or how much they appreciated her writing about wherever they live. Once a week, she’ll grab some alcohol and go through and respond to them or not, depending on the specific message and how long she has, but they aren’t a priority. Most of the time she doesn’t know what to say.

But before she can do the same thing to Bellamy Blake’s message, the subject catches her eye: Library inquiry.

It could be a speaking engagement, but even the word library is jarring; she’s not sure when she last saw it outside of historical texts. Archives are still common, of course, but even as a term for a personal collection of literature, library is archaic.

If it is from a reader, she can always move it back to the correct folder later; for now, she clicks to read it.

Dear M. Griffin,

My name is Bellamy Blake and I’m writing on behalf of the Geurnsey Society for the Preservation of Print. We recently acquired several books with your name on their nameplates, apparently from your collection (see attached). I was hoping you might be able to give me more information about how the books came to you. Also, if you have any other print books that you’re willing to part with for our library, we would be interested in those as well.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Bellamy BlakePresident, Guernsey Society for the Preservation of Print

Clarke reads the message over several times, trying to put together the pieces. M. Blake has books of hers, but not any of the books she’s written. Somehow, he’s gotten his hands on some of the print texts she had as a child, the ones that were sold off with the rest of the family estate after her father died. She’s held onto a few, her favorites, but print texts just aren’t practical. No one wants them, nowadays.

“Beca?” she says.

The computer lights flick to attention. “Yes?”

“What can you tell me about Guernsey?”

There’s a second of mechanical humming, and then she returns, “Guernsey is the second moon of Argonia V, diameter 3011 kilometers, population 532 at last census. Thirty-four percent of the planet is habitable by humans. Terraforming in progress for additional habitable land was halted in 347 SE due to the planet’s occupation during the Argon/Praxis War. Rebuilding is still in process. Guernsey is self-sufficient with no notable exports. Does that answer your question?”

It answers parts of her question, namely what it is and why she hasn’t heard of it. “Yes,” she says, absent. “Do you have any information about a Guernsey Society for the Preservation of Print?”

“You have an email from its president, but you’re aware of that.”

She smiles. “That’s why I’m asking.”

“I don’t find any information on a surface scan. Do you want me to do a deep dive?”

“Yeah, see if you can find anything. Thanks.”

She pulls the message back up, scanning it again. There’s no harm in sending M. Blake a message back, letting xem know about the books, maybe asking a couple questions. She’s not so famous as a writer that she really thinks this is a ploy to gain her favor, and even if it is, it’s a good ploy. Xe deserves to be rewarded for xyr efforts.

Dear M. Blake,

I’m amazed my books came to you. They’re from my family’s collection, which was sold in 340 after my father’s death. I’m attaching information about the broker who handled the sale, I hope she’s able to help you with where the others might have gotten to.

Which books did you get that were mine? The nameplate doesn’t include titles. Also, would you mind telling me more about your society? What print are you preserving and how? Why are you starting a library?

Let me know if there are any other questions I can help with.

Clarke Griffin(she/her/hers)

She proofs the message once before sending, and then she puts it out of her head. Beca confirms the society has no real presence in the greater galaxy, but that Guernsey is also fairly isolated with spotty connections to the informational hubs, so it’s not surprising. And it’s going to take a while for M. Blake to get her message, and once xe does, xe’ll either write back and tell her more or be done, and either way, it doesn’t matter much.

Clarke has more pressing things to worry about; it’s not a big deal.

M. Blake’s reply arrives six standard days later, when Clarke is on Ganymede, meeting with Nathan Miller about her next project.

“I’m your agent, not your boss,” he says. “I can’t tell you what to do. Hell, you don’t need to do anything. You want to be done, you can be done. But this thing where I give you ideas and you tell me no but don’t have any better ideas isn’t working for me.”

Clarke sighs. She made her name as a writer doing front-line reporting on the war, and once it was over, she turned her experience into a series about a battlefield medic who slowly became more and more involved with the actual combat. The series finished a few months ago to near-universal praise, and it’s time for her to find a new project.

Miller’s not wrong that, so far, all she’s doing is saying no.

“I don’t have to do anything,” she points out.

“You? Not doing anything? No way.”

“Maybe I just need to wait for inspiration.”

“So, you’re firing me and going off alone on your ship?” He sounds more resigned than surprised.

Her data band pings on her wrist, and she glances down to see the message received from Bellamy Blake. “I have some ideas I’m working on,” she says, even though it’s barely an idea yet. Just a curiosity. There are all sorts of things M. Blake could tell her about xyr society that would lose her interest, too. “Maybe going back to some of the places I went in the war, writing about how they’re doing a few years out. What recovery looks like. Checking back in.”

“Huh. That could work, actually. I could probably find you some speaking engagements while you’re out there. You’re pretty popular on the Argon front lines.”

Speaking still isn’t her favorite thing, but money and visibility are good, and it’ll make Miller feel better.

Thanks for the broker’s contact, she sees, scanning M. Blake’s message covertly, so Miller won’t notice. Communications are slow out of Guernsey, but I’ve sent her a message.

“Yeah, take full advantage. Give me a month or two to get ready? And I want to visit Guernsey.”

“Where now?”

“One of Argonia V’s moons. Small population, but it was one of the Praxis-occupied territories during the war, and they’re still not recovered enough to resume terraforming. I think it would be an interesting place to focus on.”

“Never heard of it,” says Miller. He holds his wrist up to his mouth, speaking into his data band. “Reminder, research Guernsey, schedule for Clarke’s front line tour.”

The data band beeps its agreement, and Clarke says, “So, we’re good?”

“You in a hurry?”

“Messages to read.”

He gestures with his mug. “Go ahead. I’ll still buy you lunch even if you ignore me.”

“This is why you’re the best agent.”

The society is relatively new, but we’re working on taking advantage of some of Guernsey’s climate features to preserve more texts. As you said, print books are difficult to store, especially older ones, and they’re going out of style. Your father’s collection isn’t the only one that’s been broken up in the last few decades, and there are fewer and fewer buyers. Our goal is to obtain, restore, and house as many texts as we can. We’ll be calling the collection the Guernsey Library.

The texts we got of yours are Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I also got a few other texts from the same seller, but they didn’t have nameplates so I don’t know if they’re from your collection. I’m attaching an image; if you want any of them back, let me know and we can try to work something out. I don’t know how involved you were in sales of the estate.

Thanks again for your help.

Bellamy BlakePresident, Guernsey Society for the Preservation of Print (he/him/his)

It’s not a message that requires Clarke’s response. Some of the books in M. Blake’s image are from the family collection, but it’s not as if she wants them back. She took five print books with her when she left home and made sure she had the rest in digital, but even that had felt like an indulgence. Like her father, she loves the feel of paper, the weight of texts in her hands, but it’s been hard finding room for even those five books over the years, with all the places she’s gone. With her own ship, she might be able to take more, but she doesn’t want to take them away from a library.

Mostly, she just wants to know more.

So she asks M. Blake what kind of climate Guernsey has that he’s taking advantage of, how he goes about finding books, if they take all books or there’s a requirement for a certain edition or quality level they require.

And M. Blake doesn’t seem to mind the questions. He explains the natural cave structures that lace the surface of the moon, how the humidity and heat levels are perfect for preserving paper. In addition to whatever other duties he has, he has a facility where he can print and bind his own books, as well as repair damaged ones, so if he finds something in poor condition on his weekly searches for new materials, he can always obtain it and fix it up himself.

She asks Miller to make Guernsey her first stop on the tour, but he points out that she’s passing two planets interested in having her speak on her way there, so she might as well stop, and it’s hard to argue with that, even if she really wants to.

She gets a message from M. Blake after the second event, which isn’t noteworthy in and of itself–he has to go to Argonia V to send and receive messages, which he does twice a week, and while the time it takes for the messages to get to her shortens as she gets closer to the planet, the schedule is still fairly predictable.

The content is disappointing, though: I saw that journalist and author Clarke Griffin is touring the planets that were the front lines of the war and has a speaking engagement on Argonia V in a few weeks. Any relation?

Obviously, she was going to tell him, but the fact that he hadn’t found out about her yet gave her hope that he might not find out about her until she actually got to him and could tell him in person.

Surprise, she writes back. I’m planning to spend a few weeks in Guernsey doing research. So I hope I’ll see you soon.

His reply comes in a few days later, and she tries not to let herself read into it: It’s a small town, I’m hard to miss.

Not exactly a red carpet. But she’ll take it.

There’s a shuttle port on Guernsey, but no dock, so Clarke has to leave her ship on Argonia V and take the single shuttle that goes out to Guernsey daily. It’s about a third of the way full, but Clarke gets the sense that she’s the odd one out, the only tourist on the whole shuttle. She definitely catches sidelong glances and soft conversations surrounding her, but none of the men there show any particular interest, so she has to assume M. Blake isn’t among their number. He probably found a picture of her; she would have found one of him, if she could.

“So, where are you going?” asks a woman who falls into step with her as they leave the ship. She’s pretty, dark hair, sharp eyes, with a slight limp from what Clarke assumes is a war wound on her leg. “We don’t get a lot of visitors here.”

“I’m a journalist,” she says, although it feels like a lie. She might write about Guernsey and she might not, but she’s not really coming as a journalist. She’s coming as a woman at loose ends who thinks this will make her feel less lost.

But that sounds silly.

“Oh,” says the other woman. “The one who’s been writing to Bellamy?”

Clarke can’t read her tone, but it makes something warm curl in her belly that this woman knows about her, that M. Blake has mentioned her. Given she’s never talked about him to Miller, she wouldn’t be offended if she was a secret, but he’s been telling people about her, and that’s nice.

Hopefully he’s been saying good things.

“Clarke,” she says, with a nod. “Is M. Blake happy I’m coming?”

The woman snorts. “Raven Reyes. He’s freaking out. But in a good way, so I think yeah. You think there’s something worth writing about here?”

“You don’t?”

“I guess it depends on what you’re trying to write about,” she says with a shrug. “And how popular you want it to be.”

“In theory, I’m looking at how frontline planets are doing after the war.”

Raven’s eyes flick to her. “What about not in theory?”

“I needed a break and I wanted to see M. Blake’s library.”

“Well, that’s one thing to write about. You staying at the hotel?”

“That’s the plan.”

“If you want to drop your stuff off, I can take you to meet Bellamy after.”

Her heart flip flops and then starts beating too fast, and she wishes she could blame the slight change in gravity, but she knows it’s not that.

Still, Raven is offering, so she smiles. “I’d like that.”

Clarke knew that M. Blake must do something besides restore old books, but she hadn’t really know what that something might be. She assumes most of the residents of Guernsey are former terraformers who are now at loose ends since the company that sent them has apparently decided it’s not worth restarting the project, but if M. Blake is among them, he’s never mentioned it.

The place Raven takes her is a small farm on the edge of the terraformed land, surrounded on all sides by bamboo groves. There are a few animals outside snacking on ground cover, and while she doesn’t know what they are, they look domesticated and mammalian, so she assumes they produce either meat or milk, possibly both.

The door opens and her heart skips, but it’s a girl, probably five or six, with long brown hair and a bright smile. “Aunt Raven!”

Raven sweeps her up in a hug. “Hey, Madi, where’s your dad?”

It’s as if someone dumped a bucket of cold water on her. Clarke and M. Blake have never discussed personal lives; she had no idea how old he was or what kind of a family he had, but there had been a flicker of interest in her stomach, this small, curious thing. She liked him, from his letters, and she thought that if he was–

But he’s not. He has a family, and he’s not for her.

“At the press,” says Madi. “Who are you?”

“Clarke.”

“From the books!” She beams. “I love Alice. Dad’s read it to me a thousand times.”

“I’m so glad,” says Clarke, a little surprised. “I liked it a lot too, when I was your age.”

“You don’t know how old I am,” Madi points out. She’s slid out of Raven’s arms now, but she’s still following as they make their way around the back of the farmhouse. There’s a steady, repetitive noise that’s getting louder as they get closer, and Clarke’s mood recovers some when she realizes it’s probably the printing press. She’s almost as excited for it as she is for M. Blake.

“How old are you?” she asks.

“Five.”

“I liked it when I was five too.”

“And you had more books? Paper ones?”

“I did.” She hesitates, feeling a little strange telling Madi before her father even knows, but she doubts M. Blake will be offended. “I brought some with me.”

Madi’s eyes go huge. “Really?”

“Just a couple. I couldn’t take many of them when I left home, just my favorites.”

“Donation for the library?” Raven asks.

“Depends on how much I like the library.”

That makes her laugh. She knocks twice on the door to what must be the press, calls, “Bellamy! Get out here!” when there’s no response.

The sound stops, and a second later the door opens and M. Blake’s head sticks out.

Clarke’s first thought is that his hair is a mess, but it’s not a bad thought. He has the kind of disheveled hair that makes her fingers itch to sink into it, all thick and black and curly.

The rest of his features fill in after that, dark eyes, freckles, broad shoulders, a confused expression that clears after a second, when he realizes, inevitably, who she must be. They clearly don’t get a lot of visitors out here.

“M. Griffin,” he says, eyes sweeping over her quickly. His voice is deep and a little rough, and it suits him. She’s going to read all his letters in his voice now. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”

“I didn’t tell you. Sorry to show up unannounced, but Raven offered to bring me over.”

“No problem,” he says, but there’s tension in his shoulders that suggests it is something of a problem.

Maybe she shouldn’t have come.

“She brought more books!” says Madi, which at least breaks the ice. M. Blake’s eyes cut to her.

“You did?”

“I saved a few from my personal collection, I thought you’d want to see them.” She pauses. “And I want to see your library too. I thought I might need to barter.”

He laughs, surprised, the smile lighting up his whole face. He’s partnered, she reminds herself. His daughter is right here. It doesn’t matter what you think of his looks.

“That’s not really how libraries work,” he teases. “Anyone can look around. But maybe not today, dark comes on pretty quickly here.” He glances around, clears his throat. “You’re at the hotel?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you can stay for dinner. Raven, you staying too?”

“I never say no to your cooking. You need me to do anything?”

It feels like code, so it’s not a surprise when M. Blake says, “Can you and Madi go get some water?”

Raven nods and takes Madi, leaving Clarke to follow M. Blake inside. It’s a small, cozy space, warm and surprisingly lived in, given how short the history of habitation on Guernsey is. It’s a home.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks, back to her as he leads her in.

“Which part?”

“That you were coming.”

“I didn’t want you to tell me not to.”

He snorts. “I would have told you it’s not worth coming. It’s not much of a library yet.”

“But it’s growing, right?”

“Slowly but surely.” He glances at her sidelong. “Did you really bring more books?”

“I did. I might not give them to you, though.”

He lets out a soft huff of a laugh. “So you just brought them here to brag about them?”

“I don’t know anyone else who appreciates print books.” She bites the corner of her mouth, watching him as he starts to pull things down for dinner. “Tell me the truth: is there anyone else in your society but you?”

“A few, yeah. But no one else thought it would last.”

“Last?”

His hand pauses on the door of the preserver. “We formed during the occupation. You weren’t allowed to meet in groups of more than three unless it was an official organization. So we made an organization.”

“And you’re still going?”

“More or less. Can you grab the big bowl on your right?” She does, and he starts scooping stew from a pot into it. “I already had the printing press. We grow bamboo for oxygen, I was already making it into fabric. But I had more, so I make pulp too. And once I had that, I figured I might as well print books.”

“And buy them.”

“That’s new. But yeah, they’re junk to most people. Not worth the space they take up. But we have more space than we need here.”

“You don’t think they’ll come back to terraform it?”

“They say that Eligius shut down the project because of the occupation, but it’s not true.”

“No?”

“The way they operate is that they send a crew in, terraform a little, and then sell more land once buyers see what the area looks like. Guernsey wasn’t getting any buyers. Too remote, climate wasn’t right, and then an occupation before it was even a real settlement. Eligius cut their losses and left.”

“And abandoned you here?”

“They would have sent us to another site if we wanted, but most of us like it here.”

“And it would be hard to move with Madi,” she observes.

“Yeah, I grew up planet-hopping. I don’t want her to.”

“Is it just the two of you?” she asks. It’s a small place, without much sign of other occupants. There could be another adult in the picture, but it doesn’t feel like it.

“Yeah.”

It doesn’t make any difference, obviously. She’s here for a few weeks and the she’ll be gone, so M. Blake’s relationship status is of no interest to her, nor is the broadness of his shoulders or the warmth of his smile.

None of that matters at all.

The library is amazing.

It takes almost a week for Clarke to make it there, but she doesn’t mind. Despite M. Blake’s warnings (which are echoed, in one way or another, by almost everyone she meets, none of whom can believe she really wants to be there), she likes Guernsey. The lack of connection to the greater galaxy is frustrating, but the shuttle to Argonia V leaves in the morning and returns in the evening, making it an easy day trip, and Clarke doesn’t really want to see Miller’s polite-but-firm requests for the pieces she’s supposed to be writing more than once a week or so anyway.

M. Blake shows her how the printing press works on her second day, and he doesn’t mind it she comes by to see what he’s working on so long as she knocks. Madi is bright and enthusiastic and happy to show Clarke everything about her home too, so Clarke learns to take care of their animals–kungoats, apparently, native to Argonia V and brought to its moon when the terraforming started–and tend to the bamboo and other crops and also learns about Madi.

She’s never had anyone but M. Blake, apparently, no parent who died in the war or left for greener pastures, but Clarke can’t believe she’s a clone. Her skin is so much paler than her father’s, and M. Blake doesn’t seem like the type. Especially since she would have been made during the war, and Guernsey doesn’t have the facilities. No one would let him leave an occupied planet to go and make himself a child. And there does seem to be some unspoken secret lurking around the two of them, something no one in the settlement is saying, something everyone but Clarke knows. There’s more to M. Blake and his child, but it’s not a story, not the kind she would write up for Miller and sell to the newsfeeds.

She just wants to know.

“Do you want to see my favorite room?” the child in question asks Clarke, pulling her back to reality. She’s joined the library tour because she loves it here as much as he father does, and Clarke’s grateful for the company. She thinks she should probably try to avoid being alone with M. Blake as much as possible.

“I do,” she tells Madi.

As M. Blake said, the library is in the planet’s caves, which are cool, dark, and dry. Guernsey’s atmosphere has always contained oxygen, but not enough to sustain human life, so they have respirators, but the books are fine with the native conditions.

It’s something of a miracle.

“There’s bamboo growing outside, with no people around I’m hoping it’ll slowly raise the oxygen levels,” M. Blake explains as Madi leads them out of the main chamber and into a smaller cave. There aren’t many books yet, but the cave is ready for more, empty metal shelves waiting for something to fill them.

There might not be enough books left to fill this cave. But that’s probably why M. Blake is making more.

“And here’s Alice, see?” Madi says, skipping into the chamber. “And your other book.”

“The children’s section,” M. Blake explains, with a wry smile. “I’ve got some picture books coming for it too, from the Sol galaxy.”

“How do you afford them?”

“I sell clothes on Argonia V,” he says. “I get more wool and bamboo fiber than we need for the colony, and I’m a decent tailor.” He shrugs. “I’ll never get rich from it, but I don’t need to be rich yet.”

“Yet?” Clarke asks.

“I’m collecting books that no one wants,” he admits, running his hand up the spine of Through the Looking-Glass. “But someday we might want to start getting the valuable ones. We need money for that.”

“I’m going to write about this, you know,” she says. “It might not do much good, but–once you start getting publicity, you might start getting donations, too.”

“You think anyone wants to read about the library?”

“I’ll wrap it up in a story about a community recovering after the war,” she teases. “Trick them into it.”

He laughs. “That should do it, yeah.”

“Do you want to shelve your other books too?” Madi asks. “I like shelving.”

It doesn’t take long, but Madi is very firm about putting the books up herself, sounding out last names of authors, figuring out the correct alphabetical order while M. Blake watches, face warm with pride.

Clarke wants with a tug that’s almost painful, wants in a way she hasn’t in a long time, maybe not ever. She’s fallen in love before, but always with people, and while M. Blake–Bellamy–is the focal point here, it’s like falling in love with a life as well. She wants him, but she also wants to be a part of this place.

She wants to belong, and she wants to belong with him.

Madi insists on taking Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban–the only one in the series Clarke brought with her–out of the library, following a checkout protocol she apparently made up herself, and they take it back to the Blake farm with them. Bellamy cooks while Clarke reads to Madi, and after dinner, he joins them for a few more chapters before sending Madi up to bed.

It’s the natural time for Clarke to leave, but she lingers, the air feeling heavy. A conversation has been coming for a while about why she came and what she’s still doing here, and now feels like the time for it.

Bellamy pours two glasses of his friend Monty’s homebrewed alcohol, gives her one. “So, you’re really going to write about Guernsey?”

“Do you not want me to?”

“I’m not used to people being interested in us.”

“You’re interesting.” She takes a sip of her drink, letting the taste burn down her throat. “Can I ask you something that has nothing to do with my story?”

“Sure.”

“Where did Madi come from?”

He considers her. “Why?”

“Because I’m curious. You don’t feel like–I don’t think you would have asked for a daughter, and I want to know what happened so I don’t put my foot in my mouth. Did her parents–did something happen to them? In the war?”

“Yeah, something did.” He takes a much longer drink. “She’s my niece, not my daughter. I started working for Eligius to support me and my sister after our mom died. I was pretty young, nineteen, I think? We just hopped around planets until we got here. Octavia started working for them too once she was old enough, but she never liked it. And when the war hit–” He sighs. “She fell in love with a Praxian officer. She didn’t mean to get pregnant, and we didn’t have facilities to get rid of it. She kept it secret, had the baby, and we just figured we’d hide her until the war was over, say she was someone else’s if we had to.”

“So what happened to your sister?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. She disappeared a few months before the end of the war, I never got a straight answer what happened to her. Some people think she defected, went to join the Praxians, some people think she got taken, some people think she just managed to escape.”

“What do you think?”

He wets his lips. “I think if she escaped, she would have told me she was okay. Honestly, I hope she joined the Praxians. Argon never treated her that great, we had to leave Argonia II when she was born because she violated the one-child law. Praxis were assholes during the war, but everyone was. So if she defected and doesn’t want to tell me because she thinks I’ll be disappointed–I have to believe that’s what happened.”

“I’m sorry.”

He smiles a little. “She’s the one who came up with the preservation society. I’d been telling her about how I wanted to start printing books, so when we needed an excuse to be out in a group, she just blurted it out. So–at least she left me that. Without the society and Madi, I don’t know if I would have made it through losing her.”

Clarke reaches over, puts her hand on his. He startles, but his eyes soften, and he puts his other hand over hers, squeezes.

“I feel kind of bad now,” she says, careful.

“Yeah, it’s a downer of a story, sorry.”

“No, not that.” He cocks his head, and she smiles. It’s a downer of a story, but it’s not new for him. He seems–content. He can live with this. “I was asking because I wanted to know if you were single.”

He laughs, bright and surprised. “You could have just asked that.”

“I didn’t want to be obvious.”

“You weren’t, trust me. I had no idea. And I didn’t have any good way to ask you.”

“Well, I am. Single.”

“And you’re leaving soon.”

“I am. I promised Miller I’d finish my tour. But I don’t have anywhere I’m going home to. Not yet.”

“You have a ship.”

“I could keep it here. Besides, I want to see what happens with the library.”

He looks down, his smile small and warm and perfect. “Then I guess you had better stay.”

“Yeah,” she says. “I think I will.”

Recovering the Front comes out two years later, a collection of Clarke’s essays from her tour, including the one about Guernsey and the library. As soon as Miller sends her the text, Clarke passes it along to Bellamy, and he prints it off, binds it, and Madi brings it to the library, shelves it in the non-fiction room, one of only three texts there so far.

“It looks a little lonely there,” Clarke observes, and Bellamy puts his arm around her, kisses her hair.

“So we’d better get some more.”

She leans into him. “Yeah, I guess we better.”

#mostlyreacting

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thelastspeecher · 7 years ago

Text

Human Again

I’ve got some other things I’m planning on posting the next couple weeks, after I’m done with finals (got one left; tomorrow morning). But here’s a couple scenes from the Phoenix Enchantment AU that I’ve written in between things recently. It’s...pretty long. Normally I post things more quickly, so they don’t build up like this did. Fiddleford and Ford figure out who Prometheus and Pele are, and after some good news, the birds get some pretty upsetting news. It starts immediately after Fiddleford and Ford get back from Pinatubo’s vet appointment. Enjoy.

Ford opened the front door.

“That went much better than I expected,” he said cheerfully to Fiddleford. Fiddleford nodded.

“Yessir. Pele was on her best behavior, and was keepin’ Pinatubo calm just like we hoped she would. We should give ‘em a big ole treat later.”

“Agreed. I- holy shit.” Ford cut off his sentence upon seeing the destruction in the living room. “What the hell happened?” The hardwood floor was full of long scratches, cushions had been torn, and pieces of ripped paper were scattered everywhere.

“Darn it, I should’ve known better ‘n to leave Prometheus loose,” Fiddleford muttered. There was a small chirp from the carrier he was holding. “Pele, yer mate messed up the house big time.” Ford frowned at the scratches in the floor.

“Those almost look like letters,” Ford said slowly. He crossed over to the other side and gazed down. His eyes widened. “They are letters.”

“Prometheus can write?” Fiddleford asked, aghast. He set down the carrier and joined Ford. “Oh, my. It looks like a message.”

“It says…‘We’re really Stan and Angie, you assholes’,” Ford read aloud. He froze. “But that’s-” Pele began to screech from inside the carrier. Fiddleford rushed back to the carrier to open it. Pele stormed out and continued to squawk passionately, pacing back and forth, flapping her wings and bobbing her head in an approximation of gesticulating. Ford and Fiddleford watched her tirade silently. After a few minutes, she stopped, breathing heavily. Fiddleford got down on his knees and stared at the phoenix.

“Angie?” Fiddleford asked weakly. Pele let out a small croak. “Yer- yer a bird?” She nodded.

“That’s impossible,” Ford said.

“This is Gravity Falls,” Fiddleford snapped. “I doubt anything’s impossible here.” His eyes widened. “If- if Prometheus and Pele are Stan and Angie, then- then lil Pinatubo’s our niece! Stanford, we took our niece to the vet!”

“Fiddleford, it’s quite possible Pele and Prometheus are just lashing out at us for taking their chick from them,” Ford said. “They’re quite intelligent, after all, and have heard us talk about our missing siblings before.” Pele squawked indignantly.

“No, this is Angie,” Fiddleford said softly, looking at Pele again. “I can see it in her eyes.” Pele trilled at him. “I’m so sorry, lil sis. Let’s take ya back upstairs and get yer baby settled in. Then we can discuss what to do.” Pele nodded and walked back into the carrier. Fiddleford closed the door.

“Fiddleford, I still don’t completely believe-” Ford started.

“Oh, hush,” Fiddleford said snippily. He walked away.

-----

After reaching the attic landing, Fiddleford set the carrier on the floor and opened it. Pele burst out, flying to Prometheus at the food stand and chirping at him busily. Fiddleford carefully placed Pinatubo in the nest. He sighed.

“I’m so sorry, Stan ‘n Angie,” he said in a low voice. The phoenixes looked at him. He turned away. There was a flash of light and two loud thuds. Fiddleford spun around. On the floor, dazed and fully nude, were Stan and Angie. “What?!” Fiddleford yelped. Stan stood up woozily. He grabbed the nearby food stand for support.

“Fuck, I feel weird,” Stan groaned in a voice that creaked from lack of use. He looked at the food stand and gaped. “Holy shit. Holy shit, I have fingers again!” Stan stretched out his hands, flexing his fingers. “I won’t take ‘em for granted anymore.” He looked down at Angie, who seemed more disoriented than him. “Babe?” Stan took Angie by the hand and pulled her up. She abruptly slumped against him. “You all right?”

“Ugh, I feel like- like I have the world’s worst hangover,” Angie croaked. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Molly! We have to-” She looked over at the nest, skipping over Fiddleford initially, but then looking back at him. “Fidds!”

“A- Angie? Stan? Yer- yer-” Fiddleford stammered. He ran a hand through his hair. “I- oh, Lord, I’m so sorry, I-” He paused. “Who’s Molly?”

“Our daughter,” Stan said. Fiddleford looked over at the nest.

“That’s her name?”

“Yeah. Like we’d actually use the weird one Ford came up with,” Stan scoffed. He looked at Angie. “Think you can stand on your own? I’ll grab Molly.”

“I’ll be fine,” Angie mumbled. She stood straighter, still wobbling slightly. “Fidds, you have no clue how nice it is fer someone to understand us when we talk again.”

“Oh, my poor baby sister, it must’ve been awful, so long bein’ birds,” Fiddleford whispered.

“Pretty much,” Angie said with a weak grin. Stan yelped. Angie looked over at the nest. “What’s wrong?” “Molly, she-” Stan turned around. Instead of a small phoenix chick, he was holding a human infant. Angie gaped. “She turned human.”

“Whatever made us turn back, it must’ve worked on her, too,” Angie whispered. Stan walked over to her. “Oh! Look at her lil toes, and her lil fingers and- she has twelve fingers!”

“That explains the extra talons,” Stan said. He tickled Molly’s stomach. She giggled, then began to fuss loudly. “Dammit. She never stops makin’ noise.”

“Babies usually don’t,” Fiddleford said. “No matter the species.” Angie and Stan nodded silently. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Stan said. He looked at Angie. “Ang?”

“Yer guess is as good as mine.” She froze. “Stanley.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re naked.”

“So?”

“Let me modify that. We’re naked, and human,” Angie said. Stan stared at her.

“Shit,” Stan said. He looked at Fiddleford. “Mind getting us some clothes?” Fiddleford turned red; it hadn’t hit him until then that he’d been conversing with two completely naked adults.

“Sure, sure, I’ll grab the two- three of ya somethin’.”

-----

Ford hurried into the kitchen. Fiddleford was sitting at the table, playing with Molly’s hands. Stan and Angie were nowhere to be found.

“You didn’t call anyone yet, did you?” Ford asked Fiddleford. Fiddleford shook his head.

“No, sir. We were ‘bout to, but Angie had to rush off to the bathroom. She must’ve eaten somethin’ her stomach disagreed with. Stan went to check on her.” Fiddleford frowned. “I guess after so long without eatin’ certain types of food, her body forgot how to digest it.”

“That’s…not why,” Ford said in a low voice. “I figured out what triggered their initial transformation.” Fiddleford’s face went pale.

“Yer not usin’ a very upbeat tone.”

“No. I’m not.” Ford sat next to Fiddleford and set the bestiary he had brought in on the table. He smiled weakly at Molly. “Hello, Molly.” Molly giggled. “She seems to be in a better mood than she was before.”

“The turnin’ human prob’ly discombobulated her,” Fiddleford said. “But she’s settled in a bit. Got used to havin’ fingers ‘n toes.”

“Just watch, in five minutes, she’s gonna start screamin’,” Stan said, walking into the kitchen, Angie close behind him. He sat at the table and took Molly from Fiddleford. “That’s how it works with ya, isn’t it, Rooster?” Molly giggled again.

“Feelin’ better?” Fiddleford asked Angie. She nodded and sat next to Stan. “I wonder what ya ate.”

“Did you have any dairy products?” Ford asked.

“I had some ice cream,” Angie said.

“That would be the cause of it,” Ford said. Now bouncing Molly on one knee, Stan frowned at Ford.

“What makes you so sure, Sixer?”

“Because…” Ford leaned forward and clasped his hands together. He took a steadying breath. “Your situation isn’t temporary.”

“What do you mean?” Angie asked.

“You’ll revert to your avian forms within 48 hours,” Ford mumbled reluctantly. Stan stared silently at him. Angie froze. “It- I found out what caused your initial transformation. Apparently, in Gravity Falls, there’s an enchantment in place that selects humans to serve as the area’s breeding phoenix pair, should the current one leave.”

“That’s fucked up,” Stan said after a moment.

“Yes. It is. The enchantment allows for the breeding pair to adopt a human form every month during a full moon outside of mating season.”

“It’s been a lot of full moons since we got enchanted,” Angie pointed out.

“It was only after Fiddleford recognized you, that you could transform. That’s a component of the spell, but I’m not sure why.” Ford ran a hand through his hair. “Judging by the lunar calendar this month, you’ll only be in a human form until the sunrise after tomorrow’s.”

“And then we’re birds again?” Angie whispered.

“No. The both of you are still birds, even now,” Ford said. “You’re just in a human form. Due to the enchantment, you’re no longer humans. You’re phoenixes, no matter which form you take.” Angie covered her mouth in horror, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

“How do we fix it?” Fiddleford interjected. Ford closed his eyes.

“We can’t. The enchantment was set in place by a higher planar being with magical abilities we can’t begin to comprehend. Stan, Angie, I’m sorry.”

“No,” Angie sobbed. Stan put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed tightly.

“Fiddleford and myself, we can arrange for whatever you want, regarding your human identities,” Ford said. “And until you leave, we’ll do our best to make you comfortable in the attic.”

“Unless we decide to live in the woods, we don’t have anywhere to go,” Stan whispered. He swallowed. “We don’t have our place in San Diego anymore. And even if we did, how- how would we pay the bills? We can’t have jobs.”

“Stay,” Fiddleford said suddenly. Stan and Angie looked at him. Fiddleford reached out and took a hold of one of Angie’s hands. “You’ve already got a comfortable setup in the attic. We’ll take care of ya.”

“Fidds, that’s- that’s mighty nice,” Angie said weakly. “But I don’t think I can handle bein’ yer pet again.” She looked over at Molly, still being held by Stan, and choked back a sob. “This mornin’, bein’ separated from Stan like that, by force and trickery, it’s- I can’t take it no more.”

“Yeah, this morning sucked,” Stan said. He stroked Molly’s head. “You guys took Molly and Angie from me. I knew you were comin’ back, but-”

“If you stay with us, we won’t do that no more,” Fiddleford said. “You wouldn’t be our pets. Now we know who ya are, we’ll treat ya the right way.” Angie and Stan were silent. “We’ll give ya some time to think about it.” Fiddleford stood up. “Stanford, let’s go discuss how we’ll deal with Tate ‘n this mess.”

-----

Fiddleford walked into the bedroom he shared with Ford and closed the door.

“I don’t think we should tell Tate,” Fiddleford said shortly. Ford frowned at him. “Look, he’s just a lil kid. He could let it slip to someone, or he’d just get more confused.”

“He deserves to know that the phoenixes are his relatives,” Ford insisted. “What’s going to happen when he gets older? He’s going to treat his aunt, uncle, and cousins like pets.”

“We’ll tell him not to do that.”

“Fiddleford-”

“Stanford, please. The less of the Gravity Falls weirdness Tate’s exposed to, the better,” Fiddleford begged. Ford sighed.

“Fine. But we’ll revisit this in a few years or so. I don’t like keeping him in the dark, particularly given that the rest of your family will be told.”

“Fair enough. When he’s older, we’ll talk again.” Fiddleford slumped against the door, his face pale. “Stanford, I just- I can’t handle what we did to Stan ‘n Angie. Examinin’ ‘em, takin’- takin’ ‘em to the vet, and the stunt we pulled this mornin’. We- we effectively stole Stan’s wife and child from him.”

“They aren’t married.”

“Stanford.”

“But I understand,” Ford said softly. “I- I examined my twin and Angie, took notes on their…bedroom behavior.” His stomach abruptly plummeted. “Sweet Moses. Fiddleford, I recorded my twin and your younger sister having sex.” He dragged his hands down his face. “I showed pictures of my niece being conceived to an auditorium full of students. A paper is going to published that has pornography of Stan and Angie.”

“Oh, Lord.” Fiddleford’s pale face turned green. “We watched our siblings’ sex tape.” There was a knock on the door. Fiddleford took a step back. Stan opened the door and poked his head in.

“Hey, uh, if you’re done talkin’, we decided what to do.”

-----

Ford and Fiddleford followed Stan into the living room. Angie was sitting in the armchair, holding Molly closely. Stan walked to her and whispered something. She smiled weakly, but her tight posture didn’t relax.

“You decided on something?” Ford asked. Angie nodded woodenly.

“We’ll- we’ll take you up on that offer,” Stan said quietly. He put a comforting arm around Angie’s shoulders. “We don’t- there’s not much else we can do.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of ya,” Fiddleford said immediately. “You’ll get everything ya need.” Angie looked down at Molly in her arms, clearly fighting back tears. Fiddleford took a step towards her. “Banjey…”

“Back off,” Stan snarled. Fiddleford blanched. Stan shook his head. “Sorry, Fidds. Our, uh, our instincts are runnin’ pretty high right now. If either of ya get close to Angie or Molly, it’s- it’s not gonna end well. Just so ya know.”

“Instincts?” Fiddleford asked. Stan nodded.

“Turns out birds have strong ones. Can’t fight ‘em off very well.” Stan looked at Molly. “We wouldn’t be parents if we could.”

“Actually, I was curious about that,” Ford said.

“Figured,” Stan muttered.

“So, during mating season, was the urge to copulate-”

“Not now,” Angie snapped. “We’re not goin’ to talk ‘bout that right now. Maybe never.” She took a breath. “We- we have some guidelines we’d like ya to follow, when we’re stuck as- stuck as-” Angie cut herself off, her eyes filling with tears.

“We know we’re basically gonna be your roommates that don’t pay rent,” Stan said, “but no matter how cushy the setup you have for us is, we aren’t gonna stay if things keep happenin’ like they have been.”

“Now that we know the truth, we wouldn’t dream of that,” Ford said. “What are your demands?”

“Demands is a strong word,” Angie mumbled. She shook her head. “Don’t matter. First off, get- get rid of all yer pictures of us…makin’ Molly.”

“Of course,” Ford said.

“Video too.”

“Yes.”

“Take down the camera you have upstairs,” Stan said. Ford nodded.

“No more vet visits,” Angie said quietly. She held Molly a bit tighter. A tear fell down her cheek. “No more.”

“Of cou-” Fiddleford started.

“Wait,” Ford interrupted. Stan and Angie stared at Ford. “We can’t just have a blanket ban on the veterinarian.”

“Stanford!” Fiddleford hissed. A low growl began to emanate from the back of Stan’s throat.

“Stanley, please,” Ford said, holding his hands up placatingly. “I understand you were upset by what happened this morning, but-”

“Poindexter, you and Fidds trapped my girlfriend, stole my kid from her bed, and literally held me back from them,” Stan ground out. “‘Upset’ isn’t even close.”

“Clearly, the surprise vet visits will stop,” Ford said. “But you’re in bird form for most of the time now. A human doctor won’t be able to make sure you’re healthy. A human pediatrician won’t be able to tell you your children are developing properly. What if there’s an emergency when you and Angie are in bird form? The ER can’t do anything for you.”

“What’s yer suggestion?” Angie asked.

“We find someone else. Someone experienced with the magical creatures of Gravity Falls. And we tell them right off the bat that you aren’t normal birds. You’re sentient.” Angie and Stan shared a look. After a moment, Stan nodded.

“Okay.”

“We’ll concede to bein’ data fer yer research,” Angie said. “But whenever ya want to examine Molly, one of us has to be there. And the nonsense with invadin’ our privacy? That’s done.” Angie glared at Ford. “Examinations can’t take our dignity no more.”

“Fair enough,” Fiddleford said.

“And we need to find a way fer us to communicate,” Angie said. Fiddleford and Ford nodded.

“Anything else?” Fiddleford asked. Angie shook her head.

“No.”

“Not right now, at least,” Stan said.

“Glad we got some things settled,” Fiddleford said. He smiled weakly at Angie. She smiled hesitantly back. Emboldened, Fiddleford took another step towards Angie. Stan let out an audible hiss and grabbed Fiddleford’s wrist.

“Fidds,” Stan growled. “Just ‘cause we look calmed down doesn’t mean we are. Do you remember what happened when you guys got close to the nest right after Molly was laid?” Fiddleford nodded. Stan’s eyes narrowed. “Well, now I’m bigger than you. Wanna roll those dice?” Fiddleford paled.

“Fidds, please,” Angie whispered. “I know ya just want to comfort us. But we can’t handle that right now.”

“Okay, okay,” Fiddleford said, stepping back. Stan and Angie visibly relaxed. “Are ya up fer callin’ Ma ‘n Pa?”

“No,” Angie said softly. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be.” She stood up. “At least they’ll be excited they’ve got such a cute lil granddaughter.”

“The cutest granddaughter they’re ever gonna have,” Stan said proudly.

“Cuter than any future daughters of yours?” Ford asked. He shrugged. “Well, we can always find out after next mating season.”

“Don’t remind me,” Stan muttered. “You’d think I’d like knockin’ boots 24/7. But it’s not as fun as a bird.”

“Why?” Ford asked, curious despite himself.

“First off, it’s-” Stan started. Fiddleford cleared his throat. Stan and Ford looked at the McGuckets, who were wearing identical discomforted expressions. “…I’ll tell you some other time.”

#a;ksmdf apparently this whole thing ended up being almost 3k words #and I've got all sorts of other stuff written that I haven't posted for this AU #at this point I'd probably be able to turn it into a full-fledged multichap #...but this is really niche so I doubt I'll do that #Phoenix Enchantment AU #Angie McGucket #Molly Pines #Stanley Pines #Stanford Pines #Fiddleford McGucket #Stangie Family #my writing #ficlet #speecher speaks

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wordsdrippinginink · 7 years ago

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Could you maybe write a little more for the one piece star wars au, it sounds great

you come into my ask, you ask me these questions-

jk, i’ve already got some. have some more of my star wars au, also-also, it starts with the bonus scene rewritten and then some more, but nothing overly much, sorry anon.

(under a read more)

Anakin frowns at the being that moved to address the council, eyebrow quirking up in curiosity as the thick blue and yellow feathers that seemed to be braided into their hair or perhaps, his eyes narrow, growing along with it. The being is fairly plain looking beyond that, eyes looking heavily lidded, nothing overly noticeable beyond that.

Anakin tapped his foot against Obi-wan’s, catching his master’s attention and gesturing lightly towards the being curiously.

“Knight Marco,” Obi-wan says almost without moving his mouth. “No last name and no clan affiliations. He’s reportedly one of the few of a rather ancient race of most immortal fire birds, Phoenixes, but we have never located another to confirm that. His master is Knight Newgate.”

“I don’t believe that I have met Knight Newgate.”

“No, he is assigned to the very edge of the outer rim most days. On the planet of Raftel. Knight Newgate is a giant of a being, a rather long lived race himself, and prone to teaching his padawan to be emotional. Knight Marco has also been prone to bouts of emotional outbursts, he’s been removed and reassigned to his current assignment almost sixty times in the last five years.”

“That’s interesting,” Anakin says slowly.

Obi-wan shrugs, “Two of his other students, Knight Newgate’s I do mean, left the order to marry one another and a third has all but submitted their own resignation from the order with their work with the Navy’s investigative divisions. Knight Newgate made sure to show his support to all three and visits them when he has a moment to spare.”

Anakin nods softly, thoughts focusing on the idea of someone like that as his own master for the barest of moments. A knight, old and decorated -for someone the likes of Knight Newgate must be so- that didn’t tell his padawan to hide their emotions, to ignore them. Who didn’t teach blind obedience to the Order, before Knight Marco clears his throat to gain the council’s attention.

“I would like to submit my resignation from the Order.”

There’s a moment of stunned silence, like there always is when someone decides to leave the order, the voices stopping and all eyes going to Knight Marco who gazes back unflinching. His hands don’t shake and his voice remains steady as he continues.

“I have come to the conclusion that I can no longer continue to operate within the boundaries of the Order. As such, instead of forcing myself to do so, I will instead remove myself from this place instead.”

“This is the third time this year that you’ve done this,” Windu states, his head dropping into one of his hands. “Knight Marco, you have repeatedly come to the council saying that you have been compromised emotionally and are leaving the order. We will assign you to another mission and have another take your place guarding Prince Gol.”

Knight Marco sighs, and there’s an emotion creeping over his face that Anakin isn’t sure that he recognizes, “You have misunderstood me, council. I do not wish to be reassigned, I have after much consideration and seeking the counsel of those that care for me, have made this choice and I do not wish to remain in the Order.”

“Change your mind, can we not?” Master Yoda asks.

“I can’t think of anything that you might have that could keep me here any longer. My master will stay in contact with me, as he does with all of his students that leave, and I have a home that has been offered to me.”

“And Prince Gol?” Windu asks. “What are his thoughts on this?”

Anakin flinches back as if struck, his mind substituting himself for Knight Marco and Prince Gol for Padme. He doesn’t think that he could still stand there like Knight Marco is, back straight and bland smile on his face.

“My husband will be glad to announce our marriage.”

Plo Koon chokes, “What?” Eyes going wide.

“My husband. You left me with a young man that I told you repeatedly was emotionally compromising me, who cares for me and wants to see me happy. What was I supposed to do but fall in love with him?” Knight Marco says shrugging.

“Did you know about this?” Windu demands turning to Knight Newgate.

“My padawan know that I will support them as they need me to and that I will advise them to the best of my abilities,” Knight Newgate answers calmly. “Even if my advice is to leave the order instead of staying.”

Anakin tunes them out for a moment, ignoring what he’s sure is going to be a lecture from Windu, his thoughts racing.

He knew of Prince Gol, there were few who didn’t. King Gol had taken over his home planet and made a name for himself by declaring that anyone that could defeat him could have everything that he had earned, and he had won for years. Until a woman from a Rim world had defeated him in combat and demanded his heart as her reward. It was one of Padme’s favorite love stories.

Prince Gol also sided with Padme more often than not, which meant that Padme made sure to keep at least friendly relations with him. Anakin didn’t see them together often, so busy out on the warfront, but he was sure that Knight Marco would have seen them interact.

Anakin blinks out of his thoughts as the door slammed opened, Prince Gol standing in the doorway, his eyes flickering around the room before landing on Knight Marco and, there isn’t a better word for it, softens.

“Am I late?”

“Ace?”

Prince Gol smiles, something that looks besotted and happy, “Did you really think that I wouldn’t be here to support you? I admit that I was running late but I did tell Edward that I was coming.”

“It would seem,” Knight Newgates says laughing. “That I forgot to mention you in the rush of other things. Your Highness.”

“Your father, my heart.”

“My master, my love.”

Yoda thumps his staff on the ground several times, “Interrupt us, you have.”

“Keep taking my husband from me, you did,” Gol shoots back, glaring at the council. “You took him. My mate, my heart.”

“Love, I have told you to stop doing that,” Knight Marco sighs, one hand dragging him closer and the other tangling in his hair. “You know better than that, darling.”

“Fight me,” Gol demands, bouncing up onto his toes and kissing Knight Marco.

Knight Marco laughs when he pulls back, hand cupping Gol’s face, thumb rubbing along the barely noticeable fur along Gol’s cheekbone, “Always.”

It’s strange watching them, Anakin thinks, crossing his arms over his chest. It almost reminds him of watching people when he had been a slave, knowing that he would probably never have it. It’s not exactly the same but it’s similar because you can leave the order.

“See, I have,” Yoda says finally drawing attention to himself. “Leave the Order, if you like, Knight Marco.”

“Thank you council,” Marco, he’s not a Knight anymore, tips his head to the them. “I am sorry to have caused so much trouble in the middle of this war, but I couldn’t bare to lie any longer. I love my husband too much to force him to lie about who I am to him any longer.”

It’s a step that Anakin never thought of taking. Of leaving the Order. He could possibly do it, if Padme didn’t mind.

It would be worth it, Anakin’s sure.

“You look pleased,” Padme says watching Prince Gol all but bounce beside her as they navigated the room, his smile far too bright to be fake and far too wide to hide the sharp incisors that were so common in his mother’s people the way that he normally did, the way that he was suppose to hide them. “Did you find another backer for the bill that you are supporting?”

“No, not that,” Gol answers checking his tunic and smoothing the wrinkles from it. “Well, I did, but that’s not why I’m so happy.”

“Does this have to do with the mysterious man that you’ve been telling me about?” Padme demands, wrapping a hand around his elbow to keep him from bouncing away from her as they carefully avoid the other senators for a brief time. “The one that won’t say anything to anyone about your marriage because of his position? Which you also never elaborated on.”

“Yes,” Gol says as the doors open, his eyes glittering as his nose twitches, catching the scent of something that she can’t yet smell or see. “He’s here. He’s here Amidala.”

Padme giggles, hiding her mouth behind her hand, as she watches the entrance, catching the announcement of Prince Gol’s consort to the shock of the rest of the room. She can feel her next words freeze in her mouth as Knight Marco steps through the door, wearing something that Gol has told her is reserved only for the royal family of Raftel. His eyes bright and sliding over the room.

“My heart!” Gol shouts without regard for decorum, already across the room and throwing himself into Knight Marco’s arms like they’re alone in the room, Knight Marco catches him like he’s done it more times than could be counted . “You came!”

“I promised, didn’t I?” Knight Marco asks with the same smile that Padme has seen on his face so many times when they’re away from the public. “I would never be able to deal with your pout should I have decided not to.”

Gol purrs, his ancestry making itself obvious as he nuzzles their cheeks together, hands clinging to the front of Knight Marco’s clothing like he’s scared that Knight Marco will vanish the moment he lets go. Padme can’t wrap her mind around what she’s seeing as Gol drags Knight Marco over to her, his eyes glowing as he smiles, sharp canines finally hidden away like they should be when in polite society.

“Amidala, might I introduce you to my mate? Marco, my heart, this is Senator Padme Amidala.”

“It’s a pleasure to be introduced to you,” Knight, he can’t be if Gol is calling Marco his mate, Marco states bowing politely with all the cues that she’s used to reading from Gol’s own interactions with her. At least the public ones that will be treated with so much scrutiny. “At least,” There’s a smile there and a hint of the humor that she’s seen only in passing when he had been hovering behind Gol. “Officially.”

“You as well,” Padme says, watching them with something she thinks is akin to envy. A part of her hating that she wishes that Anakin would do the same. That she wonders is perhaps she’s not enough to make Anakin do the same. “I must say that I’m shocked.”

Gol’s eyes glimmer with mischief, “We know,” He leans into Marco’s side. “We noticed that people can miss quite a few things.”

Padme feels exposed by their gazes and Gol’s knowing smirk for half a moment before she relaxes, because they won’t say anything, “How long have you known?”

“Ages,” Gol answers. “Ages and ages. Don’t worry, we won’t say anything.”

“We haven’t yet,” Marco adds, tipping his head to the side. “It seemed unsporting to do something like that.”

She smiles back as Gol drags Marco to the dance floor, watching the way that the gossip starts, the voices rising as the music does.

“Prince Gol caught a Knight?” Bail asks joining her with two glasses. “Did you suspect?”

“No, I don’t think anyone suspected,” Padme says sipping her drink. “But, who would? After all, Knights would never.”

Bail tips his head in agreement, “I suppose so, after all who else would cause a scandal like this?”

Padme bites her tongue, “I wonder.”

#anon #marcoace #star wars au #in which ace is a senator/prince #and marco is a jedi #outsider pov #in the form of anakin and padme #haha #what the hell is this?#Anonymous

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strawbebehmod · 7 years ago

Text

The Golden Demon chapter 1

For the Royai week prompt of Light/Darkness

I decided to post the first chapter of my new blue exorcist/fma crossover AU where Edward takes Rin’s place in the series and Roy is a teacher and Exorcist at True Cross Academy due to the lrage amount of Royai in this first chapter. It’s a bit weird but i hope you guys like it.

When Roy Mustang had heard about the death of the paladin Van Hohenheim, he had been shocked. He had studied under the man, and he had almost seemed untouchable. No demon could lay a finger on him. He was a master of all trades when it came to misers, although mainly stuck to his talents as an aria. However, he was still human, and no man or woman could stand up to the powers of satan. They had kept what exactly had happened classified to most, he himself only being debriefed on it as he was sent by his boss, mephisto pheles, to investigate the incident. The man’s church had burned down in literal hellfire last night with him inside. Only a few survivors remained, including two boys who were living with him as adoptive children, and a fellow exorcist that had been working under the man. Mephisto apparently was passing the orders down to him from higher up. Roy sighed as he sat in the back of the car. He didn’t know what they expected him to find. It was clear that the devil caused this, all the evidence was destroyed in the fire, and there were only a handful of surviving witnesses of the event. Still, orders were orders, and as that scheming palm-tree bastard’s underling by employment contract, he was obligated to comply. He slumped in his seat and his eyes drifted to his companion sitting next to him. Unlike him, the blonde woman’s back was straight as she stared out the window, watching the streets roll by. The light of sunset reflected off her skin and hair slightly, causing her face to softly glow orange and her hair to shimmer like gold. He smiled as he stared up at her. She truly was beautiful like this. It almost made him forget their situation sometimes. “Quiet a lovely city, isn’t it?“he asked. She turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Hardly,” she said, facing forward again. He gave her a curious look. “Then why were you staring out the window? Surely something must have caught your attention,” he asked. “I was noting all the garbage on the streets,” she said, “On the way here I saw at least twelve empty cans, four broken bottles, and six loose plastic bags.” Her attention returned to the window. “Humans wish to protect their world from demons, when they can’t even protect it from themselves,” she mused. There was sadness and disappointment in her tone. Roy frowned and sighed. “Yeah,” he muttered, “We’re quite the mess, aren’t we?” His smile then returned as he got an idea. “How about after this I take some time off and we take a little trip to Kyoto?” he asked, “Picture it: a picnic in one of the beautifully kept, clean gardens, visiting all the temples, spending the evening sampling some of the local drinks…” he smirked as he noticed her smile at that. “I’m sure Mephisto wouldn’t mind me taking a few extra days off from, and I’m sure the students would love an extra day or two away from me,” he said, “Heck, I might even be able to make an excuse that I got called out for something and get paid for the leave. So what do you say?” She shook her head, although she still smiled. “I say that’s a bad idea for a number of reasons,” she said, “After all, you know exactly what would happen if your true intentions behind such an expedition were exposed,” she said, causing him to wince, “And if Mephisto saw through your ruse, though he’d probably be willing to keep quiet, you’d be more than just a little indebted to him.” Roy shuddered at that before frowning and sitting up. “Alright,” he grumbled, “I see your point.” In his heart he knew from the beginning he would get shot down, but that didn’t stop him from trying. If only things could be less complicated… The car came to a halt and the two got out, heading into an alley. The site of the fire was a few blocks away from here, but they had decided to walk the rest of the way. Mostly it was because they didn’t want any civilians near the blockade that had been set up around the area incase there was any left over demonic forces at play, but roy had another reason too. Roy glanced over his shoulder as they were now half way down the alley. The cab driver had sped off and there was no one still around. “Alright, Riza, you’re clear,” he said. She nodded before her body was suddenly engulfed in red flames. Roy stared on casually as they encased her like a vortex before being swept away by the beating of wings from the creature inside. Once they had, there was no longer a woman standing before Roy, but a bird made of orange flames hovering in the air. She then flew over to him and perched on his shoulder. “More comfortable?” he asked. “Much,” the phoenix responded to her human companion. Roy was one of the few exorcists alive to have a phoenix for a familiar. Many hated humans for hunting them in the pursuit of the secret of eternal life. Roy had originally discovered her trapped inside a sealed urn in the attic of his old teacher’s home after the man’s death when he had just become an exorcist. Knowing how powerful phoenixes were, how strong they were against spirits, kin of rot, as well as many other kinds of demons, and how their flames could be used to purify infections and heal injuries, he immediately tried to forge a contract with her to be his familiar. When she had denied him and disappeared into the nearby forest, he had sought her out and brought offerings to her to earn her favor. He spent weeks trying to appease her. Eventually she agreed, but in forging his contract with her, he had to agree that he could only use her powers for what she deemed appropriate. He could not use it to kill or destroy as he saw fit and would have to ask for her consent before putting hers in harm’s way. If he broke these promises, he would perish by her fire on the spot. He agreed completely to these conditions, and the two had been together ever since, working side by side not as master and familiar but as partners. He saw her as his equal, if not his better. After all, without her he would not be nearly as powerful of an exorcist as he was today without her. Demons feared the name of Roy mustang, not for his skills as an Aria or a dragoon, but for his ability to merely snap his fingers and set them alight. That deadly force was because of her, not him, and the only reason why she lent him her power so easily was because of their mutual trust from the bond they had shared for years. Very few knew of the true nature of their relationship. Even though many exorcist still have demon blood running through their veins from ancestry spanning back as recently as a hundred years ago, today, even considering such a relationship with a demon could result in burning at the stake. Even one considering a demon their friend is enough to cause suspicion of an exorcist in certain circles. Currently, only a handful of close friends of Roy knew of how close the two were, those including third class doctor Kain Fury, Second class aria Vato Falman, First class aria and dragoon Heymans Breda, First class dragoon Jean Havoc, and first class knight, and his closest friend, Maes Hughes. Mephisto might have found out, but if he did he wasn’t showing that. He was probably saving such knowledge for the right moment to blackmail him. Roy frowned. As if he didn’t have enough ways to toy with him… He shook his head. He didn’t want to think about that now. He had a job to do. He just had to write up his report and check for any more activity in the area. Then he could go home and relax before the next semester started in a few days. He sighed as he thought about that. The school year hadn’t even started and he was already needing a drink. He then smiled as a thought crossed his mind. “Hey Riza,” he said, “I know heading to Kyoto together may be suspicious, but sharing a "wine offering” with you tonight would be more than reasonable, don’t you think?“ The phoenix smiled. "I believe that would be perfectly acceptable,” she responded. …. The two had arrived at the scene and spent an hour Investigating. There was barely anything left of the structure. It had been burnt to the ground in the unholy blaze. There was also very little evidence From the exorcists that had come earlier to put the literal hellfires. From them they learned that the exorcist Izumi curtis was a survivor of the fire, rescuing two young boys and a handful of clergymen. They were currently all healing at the New Hope Hospital not too far from the scene of the demon attack. “Well it appears that there isn’t any left over activity in the area…” Roy said, “So it’s clear whatever he was here for is over now.” “Could it be he was after something that Van Hohenheim owned?” Riza asked. “Maybe he had found something powerful enough to destroy him…or the key to manifesting in this world…” “Could be…” Roy said, “At least if he was trying to destroy something, anyways. Burning the whole place down would have certainly done the trick. If not, he royally screwed up and probably destroyed the thing he was looking for.” He kicked a piece of rubble and it disintegrated into ash before looking over at the flat pools of solid steel mixed with lumps of ash that had once been the support beams of the building. “Or he used the fire to cover his tracks,” Riza said, “Mephisto wouldn’t have sent us here for nothing. Even if it is Satan that attacked, if everything was said and done and the demon had acted on his own, he wouldn’t be interested.” Roy smirked. “You read my mind,” he said before frowning, “Finding out what he wanted isn’t going to be easy though…We can’t exactly bring him in for interrogation after all…and there isn’t much evidence left to draw conclusions from.” He sighed, “Our only hope is if the witnesses are in good enough condition to tell us anything about what happened…Has anyone else interviewed them yet?” The phoenix shrugged. “I don’t believe so. If you recall, one of the other exorcists said that almost all of the surviving victims were unconscious and/or seriously injured when help arrived,” she said, “they might not be awake yet.” Roy closed his note book. “Well there’s no harm in going to check,” he said, “Come on. Let’s see if we can get in during visiting hours.” As they began to walk back towards the edge of the investigation sight and lift up the police tape to exit, they noticed a young, blonde girl arguing with one of the officers blocking the site. “Please sir, you’ve got to tell me what happened!” she said, “That fire burned down my best friends’ home! They’re in the hospital right now thanks to whoever did this! I want to know everything I can about this! I want to know what kind of monster caused Father Hohenheim’s death!” There were furious and pained tears in her eyes as she spoke. Roy felt slight pity for the girl as the officer tried to persuade her to leave. He could only imagine all those who had been affected by this tragedy. There were a few other victims besides father Hohenheim, a few of his clergymen that had presumably died in the fire. They had friends and family that were surely rife with grief at this moment. And that wasn’t even considering all those who attended this church. Those that may not have been particularly close to the priest but sought guidance from him. Countless people falling into despair from this attack, as well as countless that Satan has caused suffering too. It boiled his blood to think about especially how helpless they all were against him. There must be some way to stop that monster…or at least weaken him… He was suddenly pulled out of this train of thought by the girl running up to him. “Hey, are you a private investigator?” she asked, grabbing him by his arm as he walked away from the scene and catching him off guard. He looked down at her in surprise. Her eyes were focused on his face, not even glancing once at the phoenix resting on his shoulder. The pair exchanged brief looks. The girl most likely did not have a temptaint. She would have known he was an exorcist if she could see his familiar, or would have at least been slightly distracted by her wings that had fire coming off of them. “What gave you that impression?” he asked. “Well you aren’t dressed like any officer or fireman,” she said, “And they certainly aren’t letting any civilians through.” Roy shrugged. “Fair point,” he said, “you could say I’m an investigator of sorts, although I’m not working independently.” “I work for a sect of the Vatican that Father Hohenhiem had ties to,” he explained, “They sent me in here to investigate the cause of his death, what started the fire, and so on.” She blinked at him in surprise before giving him a confused look. “What are you talking about?” she questioned, “This was clearly some kind of arson case. There was no freak storm last night and I’ve over heard the cops and they say it wasn’t a gas leak.” Roy shrugged. “You may very well be right, but all accounts say that the church burned down in blue flames, which isn’t a common occurrence. Unless the building was made of sulfur, it shouldn’t have burned blue.” “I see…” the girl said, “Anyways, if you find out anything, can you let me know? My name is Winry Rockbell. I’m really close friends with the boys that lived in that church with that priest."She pulled out a slip of paper and wrote a number on it before handing it to him. "I see,” he said, getting an idea, “Alright, I will, but can you tell me one thing? Have you visited them yet? Do you know if they are awake yet? I have to interview them to see what they know.” The girl nodded and furrowed her brow. “Ed and Al aren’t awake yet,” she said, “But Ms. Curtis is.” Roy nodded. “Very well,” he said, “Thank you.” With that he turned to leave. After they had walked a small distance, roy turned into an alley and called a cab, while riza turned into her human form. “You don’t really intend on giving her any information do you? She won’t believe that Satan had anything to do with it,” she said. “Oh I do intend on giving her some,” he said calling a taxi, “But only what the other exorcists decide to release to the police.” He turned to her. “Honestly if I told her the truth, she’d think I would be making fun of her or something,” he defended, “And I couldn’t exactly walk away. She seems like the stubborn kind of person who won’t take no for an answer.” He smirked before turning to her. “Kinda like someone else I know…” he teased. “Yes… you always have been quite annoyingly persistent, Sir,” she said smirking back at him. Roy pouted at her retort before grumbling and continuing on his way to hail their cab while Riza followed behind him.

… Blue flames. They had surrounded her as she burst through the door to the burning church. She had left to pour holy water into the sewers as van Hohenheim had requested she do to prevent any demons sneaking in that way, and when she had come back, the whole building had been engulfed by the satanic flames. She coughed as air baked her lungs as the heat and smoke wafted through the air, looking around wildly to try to understand what had happened. How had Satan gotten in here? She thought it had been Astaroth they were fighting! However, her confusion and distress had quickly turned to horror as she saw three bodies lying on the ground. Her heart stopped and the flaming room suddenly grew cold as she recognized them: alphonse, who looked to be covered in several burns; Edward, who’s hand was gripping something and was covered in the flames himself; and not to far away from either of the was the body of Hohenheim, face covered in blood and body slowly being consumed in the blaze. Izumi Curtis gasped as she opened her eyes again, panting and clutching her chest as she did so. The other hand gripped the hospital sheets beneath it, tearing a few stitches in them as she tried to calm herself down. She glanced around at her surroundings, eyes gliding around the room at white hospital walls to remind herself of where she was. She sat up in her bed and held her head in her hands. This was the third time she had tried to sleep since coming here, but it was still unsuccessful. What had happened that night haunted her and most likely would for as long as she lived. Although when she had first come to work under Father Hohenheim and aid him in his work as an exorcist she had not expected him to protect the son of satan, ever since that day she had known this was coming. That Satan would come to collect. Still she had somehow been unprepared for this. She had called him crazy, and desperately tried to get him to change his mind, but he had been unwavering. She couldn’t believe him at the time. What was he thinking? Was he going to turn the boy into a weapon or something? Despite this, she had still stood by him and promised to help protect Edward. And over time, she had grown attached to the half demon and his brother, enough to where she dragged their bodies out of the burning building, despite it being clear Edward’s demon half was now unleashed. She shuddered as she remembered the moment of hesitation she had when she first saw him passed out on the ground in his new form. His ears were elongated, his fingernails too. He had long canines sticking out of his mouth and a long golden tail sprouting from his back. His human brother Alphonse a good distance away had been burned severally, there had been a wound on his neck like a large hand print gripping it as well as a large one on his chest and a few on his arm. Had edward done that? To be honest, she still didn’t know. Still, it didn’t stop the female exorcist from carrying them out. She then saved as many of the clergy as she could before collapsing on the ground. She woke up the next morning in the hospital, soon learning the church had burned down and that Edward and Alphonse had not yet awoken. No one had gotten interviewed just yet, mostly because no one had been awake when other exorcists first came by, and for that she was relieved. She couldn’t let anyone see Edward as he was now. Speaking of, she should check on how he was doing. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed as she got up, wincing slightly as she put pressure on a burn wound on her hand. She then walked down the hall towards Room 351 where the two were. However, she froze as she came to the entrance to the room. The door was a jar and as she peered inside the room, she noticed two people standing at the foot of the boys’ beds: a black haired man and a blonde woman in exorcist uniforms. They stared down at the boys in shock and horror, particularly Edward as they could see long ears peeking out from his hair, and a golden tail draping onto the floor from underneath the bedroom sheets. Izumi could feel her heart fill with panic. She hoped she would have more time until someone came to check up on them to come up with a plan. At least enough to explain to the boys what had happened, anyways. But of course the universe couldn’t let that happen. She grimaced as a determined look came to her eye. She quietly grabbed broom before lunging towards the man’s head with it. However, the woman caught her movement in the corner of her eye before swiftly stopping the pole before it could strike him. He turned to her in surprise before glowering at her. “Are you Izumi Curtis?” He demanded in a cold tone. The woman paused before glaring at him and nodding. “Good, because you have a lot of explaining to do,” he growled as he glanced back at the teenage demon lying in the bed.

#royaiweek17 #Roy Mustang #riza hawkeye #Blue exorcist crossover #Fullmetal Alchemist #strawbebehfic #izumi curtis #winry rockbell

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