#I am getting ready to be disappointed and seething until march

[martusia714]

please tell me I’m not the only one who feels like the stills from „the episode” are not even from the actual episode but some bts content too. because why are their facial expressions so joyous when something life threatening is going on. the promo felt like there was danger involved? why is everyone smiling?

[mediocre--writing]

I loved your childhood friends ask! I have a headcannon that when they grow up and get to high school, Billy has a hard time because Steve is seeking out girls whereas Billy just wants him. Billy would definitely cry to his mom about it, especially when Nancy comes into the picture, his head in her lap as she plays with his hair and tries to soothe his broken heart and sobs. How could he fall in love with his straight childhood best friend?

it wasn’t steve’s fault.

billy had to keep reminding himself that it was in no way steve’s fault.

but as he sat in the camaro, waiting for steve to get out of his house, billy could see steve twirling the phone cord around his fingers while he blushed and talked to someone.

billy had been there for almost ten minutes. and steve had seen him, even waved at him, and was usually so punctual about leaving the house.

but it took a total of 25 minutes for steve to hang up the phone and come out to billy’s car.

“nance was talking to me about that party friday, you know the one? but yeah she wanted us to go together and so...”

“so you wanna drive her to the party. steve, she’s your girl, you gotta take her,”

steve sighed out in relief, “we’ll go to the next one together, b, alright?”

“of course,”

they hung out that afternoon but billy didn’t feel as up for it as he was when he was getting ready.

steve was constantly talking about nancy or the party and what he should wear. billy wanted to beat his face in.

it wasn’t for any other reason than he was being annoying. steve and billy were hanging out. that was the plan. it wasn’t steve, billy, and the constant thought of nancy wheeler hanging out.

they drove around for a while, which was nice, and they sang to music, and billy felt settled by steve’s semi-raspy singing voice.

he felt a bit better about losing steve to nancy until he went to drop steve off. it wasn’t anything that happened, just what he said:

“thanks for being so cool about the party. maybe nance and i can introduce you to heather, she’s super nice and i think she likes you!”

billy forced an easy smile on his face while he looked at steve, “sure, t, that would be nice,”

then steve left and billy waited until he got into the house before driving off like a bat outta hell.

he didn’t go straight home. he went to the gas station, filled up the tank, bought three packs of cigarettes, and a candy bar before driving around for the remainder of the night, until about 12.

steve never listened anymore.

in the car, billy had been talking about how he had found a second job at the pool and his coworker, heather, was really sweet.

then steve brings her up at the end of the night like he came up with her out of nowhere? did he not listen to a word billy had said all night?

and nancy. nancy prissy-motherfucker wheeler.

who does she think she is? ramming her way into their group, pretending to be all shy and sweet and cutesy when she just wants steve.

and the way she thinks she’s better than everyone because she’s taking next-grade level clases.

well guess what, wheeler, so am i!! you’re nothing special!!

as billy finished off the last cigarette of the second pack, he reached into the passenger seat to grab for the third pack when he realized how shaky his hands were.

glancing around the car, he noted that it was 11:45, three and a half hours since he’d left steve’s house. and he was going 94 on a shady backroad.

billy loved the feel of speeding, but knew his mother would whip his ass if he did.

rather than open a new pack, billy decreased his speed (to 70, but it was better than 100) and started driving home.

he rolled all the windows down completely, hopefully getting some of the smell out.

when he’d pulled into his driveway, his mom was standing on the porch, trying to shove the key into the lock while balancing her purse, diner leftovers, and another bag in her arms.

billy quickly got out of the car, leaving the pack of cigarettes in there and grabbing the candy bar before walking up the steps and taking the takeout boxes out of her hands.

“thank you, sweet boy,” she smiled as she finally got the key in the lock

they walked into the house quietly, setting all of their stuff down.

billy discarded his jacket in the coat closet while she had gone to change out of her diner uniform into comfy pajamas.

billy moved to the kitchen to take plates and cups down, setting them on the dining table suit for three people, maximum.

he opened the take out boxes and moved each of their dinners onto plates before filling the glasses with ice and water.

“thank you, baby,”

she pecked him on the forehead as he sat down at the table, then took her normal seat and began eating.

“how was your day?”

“better than yours,”

billy’s face scrunched up a little at her comment as she took a bite of her burger.

“you still smell like smoke, plus you were meeting with steve at 6, so you’ve been out for quite a while...”

“it’s nothing to worry about,” billy kept holding his burger rather than take a bite out of it, the smoking having ruined his appetite.

“billy,”

“promise, it’s nothing to worry about,”

“alright. don’t you both have that party friday?”

“why does everyone care about this stupid party!?” billy said, louder than he meant to.

“who’s ‘everyone’?”

“nobody, mom,”

“oooh, you’re all grumpy, calling me ‘mom’ and shit. why don’t you check the attitude by tomorrow morning, mkay?”

billy nodded and took a bite of his food, “sorry,”

“it’s alright, but you can’t get angry at me for something i didn’t do, billy,”

billy nodded and she got up to clear her finished plate, rinsing it then coming back to where billy was still eating.

she held his face gently in her hands and placed a long kiss on his forehead, “try to get a good nights sleep, hon,”

she walked to the back of the house, where her bedroom was, and shut the door, leaving billy with most of his dinner still on his plate and heaviness in his heart.

billy made it through the rest of the school week. the weather was warming up, nearing the end of the school year, and the days were pretty easy.

but he was avoiding steve. well, really, he was avoiding the priss, and since she was always with steve, he was avoiding him by default.

and it didn’t feel any better avoiding steve when every time he did see him, he was holding flowers for her, or picking her up from behind, or talking real close to her face all sweet.

the worst part was that steve didn’t seem all to fazed by not seeing billy those four days.

and it hurt. it hurt that, apparently, steve meant more to billy than billy meant to steve. it hurt that the priss could replace billy so quickly.

and so billy was getting agitated. his mom kept working late shifts and billy was working on training for his lifeguard job and homework and it all felt like too much was going on and he didn’t have steve there to distract him.

so, by complete accident, he got into a fight. a big one. with a senior.

for a junior, billy could probably pass as an actual adult, and had the muscles and fighting skills to prove it.

the senior wasn’t too far off either, though.

billy got knocked into (by accident) in the hall while he was watching steve and the priss and just... snapped.

he and the boy were both losers of the fight, neither looking better than the other and neither having been declared winner. plus, they were both marched off to the principals office at the end of the day.

billy, out of the corner of his eye, saw steve watching him get marched off to the front offices, but didn’t care to look and see his face.

more so, the disappointment that would be there. steve hated when he got angry and fought. he hadn’t gotten into a fight since freshman year, so what happened now?

billy’s mom, having been called in from work, seemed as if she was on fire when she came into the building.

she was a taller woman, had broad shoulders and a glare that rivaled billy’s. in short, she was intimidating as fuck (even in her cute 50s work uniform)

billy couldn’t look her in the eye.

after they’d finished with the principal (two day suspension for both boys), billy and his mom walked out to his car.

“where’d you park?” billy grumbled.

“i had christopher drop me off so i could make sure that you would be going straight home after this,”

they made it to the blue camaro, both standing on the drivers side door.

“mom—“

“keys!” she held her hand out and billy stared at her, “now!”

he fumbled in his jean jacket pocket before handing her the keys, walking around to the passenger door and getting in.

they drove the speed limit the whole way home, not talking and not listening to music. just the rumble of the engine as they sat in silence, both seething with different types of anger.

they pulled up to the house, both getting out and going to the door, unlocking it and billy tried storming off to his room before he was called back.

“what!”

“first of all, loose the ‘tude,” she gestured for him to sit on the couch as she walked back and forth in front of the coffee table. “second of all, no party friday.

“now, what the hell is wrong with you? huh? i didn’t raise you to punch a kid for accidentally bumping you in the hall and i most definitely never taught you to talk back to me!

“i get it, billy. we all have bad days or weeks or whatever but we don’t scream at other people or start fights because we feel angry! do you understand that?”

“yes, ma’am,”

“now, why don’t you tell me why you’ve been all ‘hormonal teenager’ for the past week. well, the past month you’ve been weird, so start from the beginning,”

billy took a few deep breaths, “mom, i really don’t wanna—“

“no, we’re gonna talk. i took the whole day off work so we could fix this, so we are gonna talk and we are gonna figure this out, because you’re not you, billy. you are sweet and smiley and funny and you’ve been a little shit recently,”

billy smiled a little bit at his moms crude language, something most parents would frown upon.

“i’m pretty sure that steve and i aren’t really friends anymore. not like we used to be, at least,” billy scrunched up his nose, a tell that meant he was pretending he wasn’t about to start crying.

“why do you think that? you and steve are inseparable, have been since the day you met,”

“he got a girlfriend,” billy was staring just over his mom’s head, pretending he was looking at her. “and he hasn’t been...”

“hasn’t been what?”

he rolls his eyes, “i’m gonna sound like an asshole,”

“you are a little asshole, just say it,”

“he doesn’t pay attention to me anymore. all he talks about is the priss and how their relationship is going. i love him, mom, you know i do, but i can’t hear another word about her! i hate her!”

“why? is she mean to steve?”

“not mean mean, but, like, i talked to some of the guys we hang out with and they think steve’s been weird recently too. he doesn’t do anything without her and he’s different. i can’t explain it, he’s just not the same steve,”

“billy, it’s his first love, he’s gonna be all sappy for her and forget about his friends, it’s just how it is most of the time,”

“no! it’s not ‘just how it is’ because steve and i aren’t just friends, we’re closer and she’s just pulling him away! he doesn’t even care that she is!”

“billy,”

“you don’t understand!”

“i do, i get it completely, but you’re teenagers and you’re gonna get upset. i’m surprised you and steve have made it this far without having a big fight yet,”

“but we aren’t supposed to have big fights! he’s supposed to listen to me and i’m supposed to listen to him! we get each other and he knows me better than anyone! he’s not like my other friends, he’s—he’s steve—and i can’t loose him, mom,

“he was the first kid i really got to hang out with when you kicked dad out, and he helped me through that. we’re close! i can’t just lose him now, after everything!”

“billy, baby,” he looked up to her, teary eyes and all, “what are you really thinking about right now?”

“i think... i think i like steve, like, i like like steve,”

“i know, baby,”

billy’s head shot up to look at her eyes, “you—“

“billy, you’ve loved steve since the day you met, it’s harder not to notice,”

billy starts breathing deeper then, and his mom moves to sit on the couch, pulling him into her chest as she plays with his hair while he cries quietly about losing his best friend and crush.

“it hurts so bad, momma,”

she shushes his broken voice and continues to play with his hair, “i know, baby, i know,” she tears up along with him.

they stay like that until the school day ends, then when the sun goes down.

billy ends up falling asleep on the couch that night. she gets up to get the knitted blanket off of an adjacent chair and drapes it over his body, not being able to cover all of his legs, but staying there with him all night.

it was hard, as a mother, to watch her son break into so many little pieces. but it was even harder when she almost felt her heart break with his.

she knew steve, knew he would make whoever he ended up with a very, very happy person. he was sweet and went out of his way to make others happy.

and a selfish part of her really wanted steve to end up with her billy, for him to be treated right by the only person he’s been in love with. the person who he’d unintentionally pined after for years.

she just wanted to see her boys happy.

[seasonsofeverlark]

$1 Smooches

Author: @alliswell21

Prompt: Everlark and a Kissing Booth [submitted by @mandelion82]

Rating: G

Author’s Note: Modern AU. ~1600 words _____________

“That game was rigged!” Katniss seethed.

“Lower your voice, Brainless! Do you want the carnies to curse you? I don’t, I’m standing right next to you!” Johanna hissed, slapping a hand over Katniss’ mouth. 

“I’m sure carnival workers consider that a derogatory term,” Prim sighed, done with her companions silliness.

“Anything is offensive nowadays,” said Johanna, winded, after Katniss shoved her away. 

Katniss scowled, giving another shove for good measure, “Cut it out, Johanna!”

Prim rolled her eyes. “You are aware, this is a charity event benefiting the hospital I work for, right? all booths are operated by volunteering hospital employees, which means the ring-the-bottle game wasn’t rigged,” Prim stared pointedly at her sister, “and nobody is getting cursed!” She glared at Johanna next, “Behave!”

There was nothing Katniss hated more than disappointing her baby sister. “I’m sorry, Prim, we’ll be better,” Katniss glared at her friend, “Right Jo?” 

“Fine! But I demand a greasy, deep fried treat, and a big sugary drink to go with it!” 

“Yay!” Primrose clapped, hooking her slender arms through her sister and friend’s elbows, “Lets have some fun!”

The trio came to a food booth, Prim piped in, “I’ll ordered us a funnel cake and two giant lemonades, you guys go find another game, I don’t mind waiting in line,” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah…and then we can go to the booth my department set up. My favorite nurse in the whole world is manning it!”

Katniss and Johanna walked past the inflatables and the bouncy castle, trying not to bump into families with rambunctious children, and then, they saw a ridiculously loud-excuse-of-an-eyesore-shack painted in pepto pink, decked to the gills with giant red and pink hearts sprouting from every corner of the stand, and a large, white sign crowning the top, announcing: “$1 Smooches”, spelled in blinking light bulbs, with a neon yellow arrow pointing downwards.

“A kissing booth?” Johanna arched her eyebrows, curiously. 

The queue to the booth was very long and to Katniss’ surprise, composed mostly by female patrons. 

“What. Is. that?!” Gasped Johanna, pointing to the booth while fanning herself with her free hand. Without further comment, Jo grabbed Katniss’ hand and marched straight for the kissing booth line.

“What—?”

“Come on Brainless, I have two singles in my wallet and a tube of chapstick ready for the hunk selling kisses!” 

Katniss was momentarily confused, until she saw a muscular man with a boyish, lopsided smile, taking a crisp dollar bill from a very enthusiastic woman; a second later, the man puckered up his pink lips, and leaned forward, just outside the big window of the booth, forearms flexing deliciously against the sleeves of his polo shirt; a wayward curl of his ashy blonde hair fell over his forehead in just the right way.

“Oh!” Katniss gulped, falling into step with her best friend. 

The line advanced impressively fast, for how long it was. In a matter of minutes, which was truly appreciated, since nobody particularly enjoyed being sandwiched between the baking sun and the suffocating blacktop of the lot. The girls were second to next line, but Johanna started sneezing uncontrollably, thanks to the cigarette smoke of a passerby. 

“Ugh! This is a hospital’s parking lot! A no smoke zone!” Jo rasped angrily, “Here!” She shoved a balled up wad of cash into Katniss’ hands, and before her friend could stop her, she went after the smoking a-hole, to rip him a new one. 

Katniss found herself at the front of line very suddenly, and the man beckoned her forward, lopsided grin, so inviting, she stepped up without consciously deciding to.

The man studied her quizzically for a moment, “Hello, there,” he greeted, “Are you an employee at Panem General, or are you a guest? You look familiar,” he said.

“Guest,” Katniss answered, a little too fast. She stepped backwards, rethinking her situation, the woman directly behind her, gave her a weak push forward, to keep her from stepping on her toes. 

The man looked at the ball of cash in Katniss’ hands and smiled brightly. “Would you like to make a donation to Panem General’s pediatric wing? Every dollar counts,” he said softly.

Katniss nodded bashfully, not really understanding his words, too preoccupied with how velvety soft the man’s voice was. She handed him the whole wad, which apparently was $5 in crinkled $1 bills. 

The guy took only one, and placed the rest of the money on the counter, next to Katniss’ hand, before leaning forward to brush his lips against Katniss’. 

There was no telling how long the kiss lasted, but judging by the aggravated buzzing of complaints coming from behind Katniss, it had been long enough to warrant an annoyed calling out.

“Hey! Stop holding up the smooches!” 

Katniss opened her eyes, shifting down to the ball of her feet. She hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes and stretched on the tip of her toes during her kiss. She stared at the guy, who looked slightly dazed as he admired her back; his smile seemed even more crooked than before. 

“Oh my gosh, you found our booth!” Prim cried out, startling Katniss. “Oh, and you met nurse Mellark!” 

“What?!” The crowd behind Katniss grew restless and annoyed by the second. “I haven’t met any nurses—“

Katniss peered back at the booth suspiciously, expecting to see this nurse her sister spoke so much about, but the only person currently in the booth was the kissable blonde man, watching his sister with arched brows and surprise in his deep blue eyes. 

“Hi, Peeta!” Prim waved, the guy in the booth waved back, but the next person in line stood in front of him, blocking his view.

“Wait…” Katniss pulled Prim further out, before the mob of angry women throttled them, “That man is nurse Mellark?” She asked, pointing back as discreetly as she could; the man was looking at them with badly veiled concern, while still trying to do his job, as host of the smooching booth. “You mean to tell me, the handsome man kissing half the fair is the nurse Mellark you’re always gushing about, with the home baked cookies and the cute little drawings for the oncology patients?” Her gray eyes x-rayed her sister.

“Uh, yeah,” Prim sounded a bit too nonchalant. “He’s amazing, let me tell you,” she sort of mumbled, studying her cuticles. 

“Hey! What did I miss?” Johanna came back munching on a box of nachos, swimming in melted cheese. “Oooh! Elephant ear!” She said, snatching the funnel cake Prim was holding awkwardly. 

“Primrose forgot to mention that her most favorite nurse in the whole world is a HE!” Katniss snapped. 

“What?!”

“What’s so wrong about that? Men can be nurses,” Prim shrugged.

“But you didn’t tell me he was a man!”

“Well, you didn’t tell me you were a sexist pig, Katniss.”

“I am not!” 

Johanna giggled, stuffing her face with fair food. 

“Nurse Mellark is a great care provider who loves children and does his absolute best to bring joy during the worst time of our patients’ lives…What does it matter if he’s a guy? He’s great! What did you expect anyway?” Prim countered defensively, stubbornly.

“I don’t know! An elderly lady, with lots of motherly wisdom or something… I mean, every time you talked about nurse Mellark, you mentioned delicious homemade pastries, and finger paints, and sweet bedtime stories… I never pictured nurse Mellark to be so…”

“Manly,” Johanna finished, looking at the man in the booth, dreamily, finally having caught on. “He’s more of a tall tree trunk I’d like to climb like a koala bear in heat… now where’s my cash, brainless, my lips are ready for some smacking,”

“Johanna!” Katniss growled, but her friend waved her off. A thought occurred to her just then. “Prim…” Katniss whispered into her sister’s ear, “Are you…okay with this?” She said motioning to the 20 or so women in line. “Are you okay with all these people kissing nurse Mellark?” 

Primrose’s lips twitched, “Why wouldn’t I be? This booth was sort of my idea… it was actually more about  Doctor Odair selling the kisses, but nurse Mellark was very good sport, volunteering, ” She rolled her blue eyes. 

“Mmm… I just thought, maybe you had a thing for him?”

“For Peeta?!” Prim said loudly, before laughing hysterically. 

Katniss’ eyes shifted everywhere, and to her chagrin, the man in question— Peeta, apparently— looked up at his name.

“Not so loud!” Katniss hissed, but got interrupted by a booming voice. 

“Ladies, it is time for me to take a break.” Announced nurse Mellark— Peeta— A chorus of disgruntled patrons filled the air, but the man raised his hands placatingly, “Not to worry everyone, my pinch hitter, Doctor Odair, is ready to take over!”

As if by magic, the most attractive man Katniss had ever seen in her life— besides the beautiful male nurse, of course— popped from beside nurse Mellark and a collective swooning sigh rapped over the small crowd. 

Prim laughed. “Come on, I’ll introduce you guys properly. You’re going to love Peeta!”

“Hell no! I’m paying double for the new guy! You gals go ahead,” Johanna called, wolf whistling at the newcomer, waving two dollar bills in the air. 

A moment later, Prim had dragged Katniss to meet her most favorite nurse, secretly crossing her fingers as she made introductions…she thought Peeta and Katniss were perfect for each other, and she wholeheartedly hoped they would kick it off right away, so when she was wrinkly and white haired, she could tell her grand nephews and nieces the story of how their grandma paid a dollar to kiss their grandpa for the very first time. 

[shera-dnd]

Are you ready for some nuts? some dolts? some bees even?

Because this chapter has a lot of all of those

Also Lady Xiao Long is 6′6, because everyone in this is already over the top and larger than life, so I just had to go a little extra with my girl

anyway link above, fic bellow. Let’s get to it!

Weiss had to admit, Lady Blake was absolutely right, this really was the best meal she’d had in ages. Of course this was only in small part thanks to the fish, and in great part thanks to the company she now shared. Though it would be a long shot to consider any of these people her friends, it was certainly a far more amicable setting than any meal she’d had in at least a decade.

Lady Polendina was a ray of sunshine personified, and was happy to make Weiss feel welcome. Lady Blake had been nothing but courteous with her since the moment they spoke their oaths to each other, and Lady Ilia…

Lady Ilia may still very clearly detest Weiss with all her heart, but she had done something that she would not soon forget. She had given Weiss a gift, the first gift born of genuine kindness she had received since the day her grandfather passed away.

Now that gift was draped over Weiss’s shoulders, warming her heart as well as her body.

Maidens save her, she felt so foolish to ever even think of something so sappy. Perhaps it was for the best that she followed Lady Blake’s example, and focused on her grilled fish right now.

Unfortunately a growing commotion kept her from enjoying this meal any further.

The crowd of festival goers parted and scurried away as six figures made their way towards them.

The first figure was a blond woman who stood a full head taller than the rest of the crowd, her face was hidden behind a mask painted in the semblance of a bear, her muscular arms adorned with a collection of iron bangles. From her side hung the largest blade Weiss had ever seen, and she had no doubt that if anyone could ever swing a weapon like that, it would be this mountain of a woman.

Behind her followed an equally fearsome woman; though older, and not as large as the first one, she easily compensated for it with her demeanor, and an intense glare that could cut through a man’s resolve like a blade through flesh.

Following those two came three more figures, each of them carrying war scythes and covered by long hooded cloaks. The first was a younger woman in red, then an older one in white, and finally a man in grey.

The last one to approach was an older blond man whose calm smile, and sunny disposition, would mark as the least threatening of the bunch...were it not for the fact he was accompanied by a massive hunting hound.

Whoever these people were, they were nothing short of terrifying.

Weiss’s hand reached for the hilt of her sword, not to draw on the sinister group, but simply for the comfort it offered. Lady Polendina on the other hand seemed to need no such comforts, for she marched up to the group with confidence and greeted them with her usual cheer.

“Salutations! You must be the envoys from the Branwen Clan.”

The figures stopped, the girl in red peeked from under her hood in expectation, but did not move yet, awaiting for her leader to act first. That titan of a woman walked up to Lady Polendina, towering over the knight as she took off her mask.

Behind it was a cheerful expression that could almost match that of the little knight she talked to.

“Lady Polendina, I presume,” she greeted with a voice that matched her size. Though the woman was clearly mistrali, she spoke in perfect atlesian, “it’s good to finally meet the woman my sister has spoken so highly of.”

The girl in red shifted nervously and pleaded something in mistrali. Whatever she said seemed to amuse the rest of the envoys.

“And it’s good to finally meet my dear Rose’s family, Lady Xiao Long,” she replied. Quite a lot of emotion placed in the nickname, more than enough for Weiss to notice.

Done with waiting, the girl in red rushed to Xiao Long’s side. Her cloak billowed as she ran, revealing under it silver armor with the heraldry of the Knights of the Spring Maiden. Looking more attentively, it was clear that all but Lady Xiao Long carried that crest.

“Yang, must we do this here and now?” The young knight asked, “could we at least set up camp before you embarrass me further?”

Lady Xiao Long said something in mistrali that had earned her a furious glare from the young knight. They conversed in the language for a few moments before the larger woman let out a loud laugh.

“Very well, Ruby, we’ll be on our way,” she declared, before turning to face Lady Polendina once again, “but before I leave, Lady Polendina. I’ve heard that a tournament has already taken place in our absence.”

“Indeed it has,” the knight replied, “it was a simple warm up, but it was quite thrilling. I was actually just sharing a meal with the winner of that tournament.”

That seemed to pique Lady Xiao Long’s interest tremendously.

“And who would this mighty victor be?”

“That would be me,” Lady Blake answered, putting down her food and joining Lady Polendina’s side.

“Lady Xiao Long, this is Lady Blake of the Knights of the Fall Maiden,” Lady Polendina gladly introduced, “Lady Blake, this is Yang Xiao Long, chieftain of the Branwen Clan.”

“Your fame precedes you, Lady Blake, it is an honor to meet you,” the chieftain greeted, taking Lady Blake’s hand gently and bowing before her. Lady Ilia gagged at the sight, “and it would be a greater honor still to see the Black Knight in action.”

“Would you be inviting me to a sparring match, Lady Xiao Long?” She asked, sounding profoundly amused by this turn of events.

“I would indeed,” she replied, a smirk forming on her face, “if you would indulge me.”

“I believe I will,” Lady Blake replied with a smirk of her own, “though perhaps it would be best if we wait until you and your family are fully settled in. Besides, I’m in the middle of enjoying a nice meal with my companions.”

“Then let me keep you no longer,” she answered, before turning back to her companions and calling out their orders in mistrali. She turned and spoke to Lady Blake one last time, “I look forward to seeing you again, my lady.”

And with that they departed.

Lady Ilia shivered and suppressed another gag.

“Are you well?” Weiss asked.

“Not if I am to see those two acting like this again,” she replied.

“I do not see what’s so wrong with their conversation.”

“Of course you don’t,” was Ilia’s only response.

Weiss rolled her eyes and returned to her food. It was obvious that she would be getting nothing more from her on this topic. And, unlike Lady Ilia, she was genuinely happy that their companion seemed to be making such fast friends in the Branwens. This was a celebration of peace and union between the kingdoms after all.

The two of them were silent for the rest of their meal. Ilia quietly seething at Blake, while Weiss was simply lost in thought. Though they walked the grounds a little longer after that, they soon enough found themselves being dragged along to the Branwen clan’s tents. Lady Blake eager to have her match and Lady Polendina eager to spend more time with her…friend.

Even though it had been hardly more than an hour since they last spoke with Lady Xiao Long, the Branwens had already properly set up camp and had even made a small fenced area for them to spar in.

This makeshift arena was currently occupied by Lady Xiao Long herself, standing mighty and proud, face once more covered by her terrifying mask. In one hand she held her colossal sword, in the other she held a fully armored knight by his throat.

Seeming to finally notice her visitors, she smiled before slamming the man to the ground with ease.

“Do you admit defeat?” She asked, the knight could only nod, prompting the chieftain to yank them up once again, “thank you for this fantastic warm up!”

She pulled them into a rib crushing hug before unceremoniously dropping them. The knight bowed before her, and excused themself away from what Weiss assumed was a humiliating defeat.

“Lady Blake,” Lady Xiao Long cheerfully greeted, “I’m glad to see you here so soon.”

“I could not bring myself to keep you waiting,” Lady Blake replied, “though I must say I’m surprised you have set up camp so quickly.”

“My people are nomads, my lady,” she explained, “if there is one thing we’re good at it is making camp.”

“Impressive.”

“Lady Xiao Long, if I may,” Lady Polendina interjected.

“You wish to know the whereabouts of my sister, do you not?” she asked, and Lady Polendina nodded, “she’s off with our mothers and uncle. As Knights of the Spring Maiden they’re expected to greet your Knight Commander as soon as we were done setting up. So for now it is only me, and my father, here at camp.”

“Of course,” Lady Polendina replied, mildly disappointed, “may I wait here for my dear Rose’s return?”

“Anything for Ruby’s beloved little Firefly,” Lady Xiao Long chuckled, “please make yourself comfortable.”

Weiss had her suspicions, but that made it certainly clear that those two were much more than close friends. As happy as she was for Lady Polendina, she simply couldn’t help but be surprised by the openness with which they discussed this topic. Though Lady Xiao Long had also admitted to having two mothers and a father, such things must be considerably more common among the people of Mistral.

“Now if you’ll indulge me my lady,” she once more turned to face Lady Blake and gestured towards the arena behind her, “I would be delighted to spar with you”

Lady Blake gave her host a smile and readied herself. She put on her horned helmet, drew her blades and walked with Lady Xiao Long towards the arena. Her black armor gave her a sinister air matched only by the chieftain herself.

The battle began and Weiss quickly understood that had she been in Lady Blake’s position, she would have been defeated already. Though Yang Xiao Long may have looked brutish and simple, her form and fighting style was anything but. Every swing of the blade was calculated, every opening pressured, and every mistake punished. She fought not only with her blade but her entire body, throwing in punches and kicks to catch her opponent off guard.

Meanwhile Lady Blake proved her incredible skill once more. She rushed in close, keeping the chieftain from effectively using her blade, adapting as fast she could to the woman’s unconventional strategies, compensating for the difference in their physical strength with an unmatched fierceness.

Had this been one of the storybooks from Weiss’s childhood, these would be monstrous villains, engaging in a bloody battle to the death from which the only good ending would be their mutually assured destruction.

For once reality was far kinder than fiction.

Lady Xiao Long laughed as the fight dragged on, not out of malice nor bloodlust, but out of sheer, raucous joy. Her hand finally connected with one of Lady Blake’s horns and she slammed her down with force, bringing her greatsword down by the knight’s head… only to find a sword pressed against her stomach.

There was a moment of silence, the two of them looking at each other through mask and helmet, their ragged breaths the only sound around them. Until Lady Polendina broke the silence with her cheer.

“Sensational!” She nearly jumped as she said the word, “never have I seen a fight like this before. Truly you two simply must join the tournament.”

The two combatants laughed as they began to stand up. Faces once more revealed as they spoke.

“Lady Blake of the Knights of the Fall Maiden,” the chieftain began, pride in her voice, “I declare you victorious!”

“I’m flattered, Lady Xiao Long,” she replied, “but this was a tie at best.”

Lady Xiao Long smiled, but shook her head.

“Nay, my lady,” she spoke, taking Lady Blake’s hand once more, “sparring with you was already a great victory for me, so it is only fair that I grant you this one.”

Lady Ilia gagged once more.

“If you insist,” Lady Blake replied, rolling her eyes in playful annoyance, “though I’ll hardly be able to brag about a victory granted through kindness.”

“Nonsense,” was the chieftain’s reply, “you’ve more than earned your bragging rights.”

“Maybe so,” she countered, “still I can’t help but feel like a rematch is in order. Perhaps I should return soon and earn this victory properly.”

“Then I look forward to when our blades meet next.”

At that Lady Ilia made an outraged noise that Weiss couldn’t quite describe. Weiss’s previous annoyance at these senseless responses revived once more.

“Why must you react so crassly!” Weiss demanded.

“Is it not clear to you what they’re doing?” Lady Ilia asked back.

Weiss looked at her in confusion, “being polite to one another?”

“What you do is polite, Sch--...my lady,” she cleared her throat, catching herself just in time, “what they’re engaging in is flirtation.”

Weiss looked back at them, only now seeming to catch the lingering gazes, the playful smiles, the tone in their voice.

“Oh.”

[cloudywriter]

camp staghorn - 3

alright, i had hoped for chapter 3 to be longer but then i decided to split it up for the sake of the flow. as i’ve been writing too things have naturally changed so i didn’t intend for this whole chapter to be in rowan’s view so now my summary isn’t exactly an excerpt but hope that’s okay. anyway enjoy! 

masterlist, main masterlist, AO3

~~~

Rowan was quickly realizing the grave error he had made in aggravating this girl. He thought she might throw a bit of a fit after getting flour dumped on her head in front of the whole camp but she took it upon herself to retaliate that very day.

That was how Rowan ended up with his campers 30 minutes late to the bonfire. His shoes were soaked through with muddy creek water and sloshed with every step he took. Even his socks were drenched and it was the worst feeling in the world. 

He had tried to jump up on the line a few times and let gravity pull the dinners back towards them but it didn’t seem to weigh enough. Thus, Rowan had to sacrifice his shoes in order to untie the bag directly from the zipline where it rested above the stream. 

His campers were both amused by the feud but also put out by having to wait for their dinners and be late to the bonfire. Rowan just trudged along, silently fuming, following the orange flames that flickered through the trees in the distance. His shoes making a disgusting squish with every step he took.

When Rowan and his campers finally appeared, obviously late, Aelin turned around from her spot on a makeshift log bench and gave him a dazzling smile, clearly proud of her work. It took Rowan a bit by surprise with the light from the fire reflecting back in her blue eyes and illuminating her face, she looked beautiful. He had thought so even the day before but then she opened her big mouth and blatantly cheated during the mud race and her angelic appeal took on a different form.  

Rowan just huffed and gave her a withering glare before perching himself on another log facing the opposite way. Maybe if she wasn’t such a piece of work they could’ve gotten along fine enough and been civil.

It was then that Fenrys came and plopped himself right beside Rowan. “Hey, man,” he greeted, energetic as usual despite the darkening sky. Fenrys was always sunshine come to life, happy but insufferable, unable to take anything seriously. Rowan was a little more tense in nature, a loner by heart, he only needed someone to make him come to life.

“Hey,” Rowan grunted. “What happened?” Fenrys inquired. 

“Aelin happened,” he responded with a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Aelin? She’s still bothering you?” 

“Yeah, she fucking tied our dinners to one of the ziplines and left a note covered in hearts.”

Fenrys was laughing his ass off, of course, always willing to capitalize off of Rowan’s misery. He tried to give Rowan a pat on the back but he shoved his hand away. 

“C’mon man, you can’t let her win like this. Get her back,” Fenrys pressed. 

Up until this point, Rowan hadn’t considered rectifying her actions. He was too caught up in the state of his shoes and getting his campers back to the bonfire to even think past his annoyance. 

“Okay, I got a plan for you. You go to her camp’s cabin and loosen all their facets so when they turn on the sinks they fly off and water sprays everywhere.”

It was brilliant thinking Rowan had to admit but his plan had a few holes that Rowan voiced. “When am I supposed to do that? I don’t even know her cabin number.”

“Those are easy fixes, dude. Go to the map outside the dining hall, all the cabins are labeled with which camp numbers are where and you know she’s number 6,” Fenrys explained. 

Rowan nodded along, surprised Fenrys was more observant than he was in this instance. “And you should go now. I’ll keep track of her and if she ever starts wondering over your way I’ll make a distraction,” Fenrys continued. 

“What are you going to do that isn’t outright suspicious?” Fenrys wasn’t exactly subtle. 

Fenrys shrugged, “I’ll just flirt with her. I mean, she’s hot anyway I was going to try to get her number one way or another. Plus, I’m practically irresistible.” Rowan wasn’t sure why he felt slightly irked by Fenrys’s strategy but he shoved the brief feeling aside.

“Get a move on before it’s too late,” Fenrys persisted, getting up to keep an eye on Aelin as he promised. Rowan did as told and slipped into the shadows, ready to execute his plan. 

By the time Rowan made it outside cabin 3B it had been at least 15 minutes, he was a little embarrassed to admit he got a bit lost on the dimly lit forest trail. He opened the main door and screen door with a creak, internally cringing as he did so, though no one was around.

The cabin was much tidier than Rowan’s own. The girls' belongings were organized and the beds were neatly made. Rowan quickly located the bathroom and flipped on the lights, hoping that no suspicion would be drawn. 

The bathroom counter had three sinks and various toiletries scattered around the counter. Rowan spotted a collection of hair and skin products and just knew they belonged to Aelin, he didn’t think any 12-year-old girls were using those. 

He left the toiletries alone though, that wasn’t his mission. He had only loosened one of the facets when he heard muffled voices outside the cabin. 

Rowan quickly shut off the lights and darted behind one of the shower curtains that shielded three showers in the back of the bathroom. The cabin’s door squeaked open and Rowan could make out Fenrys’s voice from the outside, pleading with Aelin. 

“Aelin, c’mon, we could go back to my cabin for some fun, you know.” Rowan could sense the underlying panic in his teasing tone. 

“Oh, go away you horn dog and take a hint,” he could hear the eye roll in Aelin’s voice too. 

Footsteps sounded, striding towards the bathroom and Rowan tried to quiet his breathing. His heart was beating out of his chest, he really did not want to be found in the girls’ cabin. As innocent as what he was doing was it certainly looked suspicious. The lights flipped on and Rowan cringed, silently praying to whatever would listen. 

Aelin hummed a little and a facet turned on. Judging by the lack of screams at least it wasn’t the sink Rowan had just tampered with. He dared a peek through the sliver of space between the curtain and the shower’s tile wall. Aelin was at a sink, washing her hands that seemed to be covered with chocolate and marshmallow residue, looks like he was missing s’mores. 

Just as quickly as Aelin appeared, she left. Rowan breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally calming in his chest. He was just so goddamn lucky she hadn’t started taking a shower or something, Rowan would’ve definitely combusted on the spot. 

Rowan slipped out from behind the curtain after a few minutes of waiting, ensuring that the coast was truly clear. He quickly loosened the remaining facets and hurried back to the bonfire before any suspicion could arise.

+++

Rowan woke his camp early the next morning despite their protests. He played it off as wanting the premium breakfast selections before everyone else took them but truly he didn’t want to miss Aelin’s reaction to his little jest.

He expected it would happen in the morning when everyone was getting up and ready to start the day and he wanted front row seats.

As Rowan entered the dining hall he was immediately met with his failure of a lookout, Fenrys. 

“I’m sorry, I swear, dude, I pulled out all the charm and she still just kept walking, complaining about her hands being sticky,” Fenrys tried to desperately explain. Rowan just shook his head and brushed it off, reassuring Fenrys there was no harm done. However, if Aelin had found him he probably would’ve had Fenrys’s head by now. 

Rowan was disappointed by Aelin and her camp’s absence throughout breakfast but he realized it was still early and at least three camps were yet to appear. He tapped his fingers on the table and impatiently waited, thrumming with anticipation.

At last, he sighed and made his way outside to dispose of his food in the big trash can. As he was making the short trip back into the dining hall incessant stomping from behind had him turning around and he smiled like the Chesire Cat. 

He could tell by her face that Aelin was positively seething. She was still dressed in her pajamas, a large t-shirt dwarfing her frame but it was soaked from her collar bones down. The ends of her hair were a deep golden blonde, wet and dripping with sink water. 

She stopped face to face with him and shoved the detached facet into his chest with a force that should not have been humanly possible. Rowan almost stumbled back a step but kept with his facade, outwardly admiring his handy work. 

“Fix it, you dick,” she hissed in his face, lacing her arms across her chest. 

“What seems to be the problem, princess?” 

“Oh, don’t play stupid right now and come screw it back on or I will drag you there by your ear.”

Rowan was weirdly turned on. With her face so close to his and the tension in the air was as taut as a freshly tuned guitar string, he was struggling to breathe properly. Aelin stirred him like no other, she was a walking wildfire, burning bright and utterly uncontained. 

Rowan terminated his inner monologue and gestured for her to lead the way. Aelin huffed, spinning on her heel and marching the path back to her cabin. 

Rowan actually had to work to keep pace with this girl and he was an athlete, constantly practicing or on a field for one sport or another. Aelin breezed through the forest trail never stumbling on rocks or stray roots even with her heavy steps that communicated her frustration clearly. 

When they reached the cabin door, Aelin entered and let the door fall behind her despite knowing Rowan was only a couple of steps back. He huffed and pushed open the door once more. The cabin was empty, likely Aelin had sent the girls to get breakfast while she dealt with Rowan’s antics. 

Aelin stood expectantly in the bathroom.

“Do you need to watch?” Rowan questioned.

“Well, someone has to make sure you don’t put it back on and twist the handles off while you’re at it,” Aelin explained coldly, her arms still crossed, her stance daring him to challenge her. 

Rowan only gave her a bitter scoff and effortlessly screwed the facet back into place. “Look at that, good as new, now was that so hard?” He definitely enjoyed taunting her. 

“Save it smartass, now I might not even get breakfast.”

Aelin stomped back to the countertop and squirted some toothpaste onto her brush, reaching out to turn on another sink. Rowan’s eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.

“Wait, Ae-” 

It was too late. The damage was done and once again Aelin was being showered as water sprayed through the crack in the loosened pipes. 

“ROWAN!” She screeched but Rowan was already reaching over and twisting the handle back so the water would stop running. 

“What the fuck! You did it to all of them!” Aelin’s face was flushed with anger and her eyes were blazing. 

“I tried to warn you!” Rowan attempted to defend himself but Aelin didn’t look convinced. Rowan snatched a white towel off of the drying rack and wrapped it around her shoulders. That’s when Rowan recognized what he was doing, swaddling the soaked girl in a towel, breaching a new territory altogether. They made eye contact. Aelin’s face was relaxed and she regarded him with a soft, perplexed expression. 

Rowan removed his hands from where they were holding the towel together and cleared his throat. “You probably want to change,” he suggested lamely.  

“Uh, yeah.” With that, Aelin exited the bathroom and dug through her bag for a change of clothes while Rowan tightened the remaining sinks awkwardly, putting his prank to a rest. 

Once Rowan had finished he slipped out of Aelin’s cabin while she continued to get ready. When he arrived back at the dining hall he noticed breakfast was quickly coming to a close and a kernel of guilt panged through him. His goal hadn’t been to starve her by forcing her to miss breakfast. 

Rowan grabbed an apple and recognized a girl with long, deep brown hair and brown eyes sitting at a nearby table, a girl Rowan often saw accompanying Aelin. He approached her and cleared his throat to capture her attention, she shifted in her seat to face the noise. 

“Can you, uh, give this to Aelin when she comes?” He asked, holding out the red apple. 

“Yeah, sure,” the girl said kindly, taking the apple from his hand. 

With that, Rowan went back outside to find wherever his campers had journeyed off to in their free time. Along with him followed an abundance of contradicting feelings. 

~~~

i gave them a lil moment - aelin will stab him in the back again tho don’t worry.

send prompts!

taglist: @live-the-fangirl-life // @rowaelinismyotp // @gosuckadickghostman // @camilamartinezdunne​ //

[bluebirdwrites]

james potter x reader where james and reader were close friends but he eventually focused all his attention on lily so they drifted? and maybe the reader got seriously hurt or something and he realizes just how much he loves the reader? angst with happy ending if that’s okay!

as easy as breathing; jp

warnings; swearing and violence, you have been warnED!

author’s note; i hope you like what i’ve written from your request anon, because i really enjoyed writing this hehe! by the way, requests are open! and I am multi fandom too, so check out my blog maybe (; have a nice day!

summary; in which, being friends with james potter is as easy as breathing. but then he ignores everyone and everything in favour of a girl who doesn’t return his affections. and he’s not there when it matters most.

Only eleven and you’re happy. Hogwarts, a happy place. A place of many choices and a place of mystery. Standing on the platform is daunting- you won’t see your parents for months. This will be the longest you will go without your mother’s caring words and your fathers affinity for mischief.

Committing the smell of your mother’s perfume and taking your fathers sweatshirt, you begin to push your luggage toward the train. You briefly thank whoever loads your trunk before letting a large black and white tom cat slither into your arms.

Absentmindedly scratching behind the cats ears, you tentatively begin to check for an empty carriage. Fining one almost instantly, the door is closed behind you with a muffled click. Sighing, you sink into the seats of the carriage cuddling your fathers sweatshirt to your chest and breathe deeply.

Time to be a big kid now. Just like mummy said.

The final whistle for the train blows as you rise towards the window from your seat letting the cat walk in figure eights around your legs. Finding your parents, you wave hanging half out the window until you can no longer see them in the crowd of magical parents also farewelling their children.

Going to your seat again, you run your fingers through your cats fur. The cat— Splodge — lets its hair stand on end as it jumps up and onto your lap. Hissing at a certain part of the room, the cat flicks it’s tail whilst looking at the door.

Not even half a minute later comes a knocking on he door. It is neither timid nor aggressive, only justly confident.

“Come in,” your voice travels through the still currently closed door, voice friendly. Once the door is open, a boy with unruly ink coloured hair prances through the now open door.

Taking a moment to study him, he looks young. All freckles, askew black frames and molten molasses eyes that make his happy smile seem only all the brighter.

Probably a first year. Possibly a new friend?

“James Potter, how do you do? Can I sit in here? You look like a nice person,” he is endearing, especially when he tilts his head as if he is second guessing himself.

“Sure thing Potter, you can call me Anderson until we’re on a nickname basis,” he only laughs. Sweet and childishly gleeful. Already, his presence is as easy as breathing.

And that is that.

Now in fourth year, you can say that it’s been fun— apart from James ignoring you, and everyone else frankly. Choosing to to follow his willy in the direction of Lily Evans. But whatever— Having been friends with Sirius and Remus and Peter as well was everything that you could have hoped for. When the hat had declared ‘Gryffindor’ after a minutes deliberation you had been confused- at first. You now understand as you face down the angry Sytherins you understand your own stubbornness and unwillingness to back down after what they had called you.

Being muggleborn could be challenging with all of the blood purist fanatics running around. At least you weren’t the product of multiple different variations of incest throughout generations only to be born a purblood with an uncle dad.

But still. Being called a mudblood of all things hurt. It ached and stung and left the bitter taste of bile— that kept getting stronger— on the tip of your tongue the longer your were angry.

“Poor Ickle Mudblood. All alone,” the group of snakes slither closer, closing you in on all sides watching as you plant your feet and grit your teeth.

Good Godric, this is pathetic.

They close in around you from all sides muttering spells that send you flying. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes and fighting back was very hard being out numbered and all.

Where were the prefects. Where were the marauders? Where was James?

They wouldn’t come. Not whilst you were in this abandoned corridor. Not whilst it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Not whilst James Potter was obsessing over Lily Evans. Sure- she was lovely. And beautiful and intelligent and just better than you.

The spells kept becoming more painful as the chanting of manky mudblood rebounded off of the walls and into your ears.

You tried to be strong. You tried to fight back and be brave. You tried to stop the tears stinging your eyes and fight back the scream clawing at the back of your throat; but it felt good to release it. To let them make you black, blue and purple all over.

When they’d finally stopped- when you thought that they’d finally stopped, you just couldn’t help it. The words tumbled out and you couldn’t take them back.

“That the best you got you bloody pureblooded pricks?” They all prickle and one of the snakes step forward— Lestrange it looks like— and kick your side.

Something just broke

“Well then,” he breathes pointing his wand at you, skin pulled tight over his skull into a sickeningly mocking grin. “Why don’t I show you exactly what I am capable of then?”

His grin, startlingly white against the shallow grey of his skin, turns into a snarl as he almost seems to seethe the next word. It is so hateful it burns your nerve endings and forces your toes to curl.

“Crucio.” And then everything is red. The curse, the pain and their laughter. It is fired thrice more and held for ten minutes or more before you hear shouting. And then it stops and you feel bodies beside you and more voices shouting counter spells and knock back jinxes.

“Anderson,” It’s Sirius speaking time you now, worried sounding Sirius. “We’re here now. Peter’s gone off t’get Minnie. And then they’ll really get it. S’okay now yeah?”

You can only nod and open your eyes staring into the stormy grey of your friend above. Gently gripping his hand you look and see Remus in front of you acting as a a shield between them and you.

You lick some of the blood off of your lips, “Where’s James, Sirius?” His nostrils flare angrily as if he was angry, and his eyes visibly darkened and he pulled you closer to him.

“Not here apparently,” you can see him getting angrier, and you know what usually comes next. ”Probably with Evans.”

You can feel yourself realising something then, that you’ll never ever measure up to Lily Evans. Squeezing his hand you can only give him a look as if to say later.

Later comes in the form of the infirmary. Of sitting there over the next day and hearing of five Slytherins being expelled and one being sent off to Azkaban after using an unforgivable curse.

Peter, Sirius and Moony all stay with you. Comforting you whilst you cry and holding your hand when you have spasms and phantom pains from the lingering crucio curse.

James doesn’t come until he hears about a Gryffindor being attacked by a group of Slytherins. He doesn’t put two and two together until he walks in the hospital room and seeing his friends in and around a hospital bed.

You are the first to see him and your face contorts into something angry. Peter is the next to notice, and he shields you with a rigid posture before facing James head on with the nastiest glare he’s ever seen.

Moony is next. He is less angry but more disappointed. He barely looks at James before he clenches his fist and holds your hand, seeming to give it a squeeze.

James is blessed with foot and mouth disease and even now he can’t seem to help himself, “Alright Anderson? You look pretty manky over there.”

Your eyes glaze over and you flinch. You curl in on yourself and three lions fold in around you blocking James from your sight and making sure that you’re okay. James doesn’t notice.

Sirius’ reaction is the most explosive. The chair he sat in is now hard against the wall, being forced back on the tile at how quickly he had stood up. His eyes are like a thunderstorm as he walks towards James with purpose. Rarely do they argue but when they do it’s a shit storm to fix.

“Tell me James,” he strides closer so he is directly in James’ personal space, nose to nose and straightening to his full height. “Where the bloody hell have you been whilst our friend needed you? And don’t you dare say what I think you are.”

James clears his throat only beginning to recognise how much shit he’s in, but not really putting a speed bump between his mouth and his brain.

“I was with Evans. I reckon I’m close to breaking though to her mate!” He laughs, only succeeding at making Sirius go red in the cheeks and Moony and Peter shuffling closer to you. “Why? Where were you?”

This time something rare happens and then something rarer. First, Remus let’s loose what sounds like a growl as his expression turns bitter and angry. He looks every bit ready to wage a warpath, but he grips your hand tight knowing that you need him there with you. And then Peter’s on his feet, hands shaking and on a warpath towards James.

Sirius looks like he’s about to do something by how taught the muscles in his shoulders are. But it’s Peter that acts. It’s quietly mischievous Peter Pettigrew that marches towards James Potter and gives him a shiner. Not Sirius Black. Not Remus Lupin. Not even you, It’s Peter Pettigrew to lose himself in his anger and have Sirius grip his shoulder shocked and proud.

“You know what James! You know exactly bloody what we were doing and you think you have the right to ignore us all- for weeks! And then prance in here and ask? Fuck it, you should know why!” All of you are shocked as he appears to calm down and walk to your side with an awkward little smile.

You’re angry. Deservedly so you think, but you also know that whilst that anger feels right now, in the land of tomorrow or next week it will not.

“Can I talk to James alone? If it makes you boys feel better you can wait outside, but I think we both need to talk and then you can all say whatever you want to eachother,” you look them all in the eye making sure that they all take you seriously. “Please.”

Now alone with James you let him walk over until he stops in front of the chair Moony’d occupied not even thirty seconds earlier, tentatively sitting to face you head on. His cheek had already began to swell from Peter’s earlier hit.

“So,” you move your jaw side to side until it clicks with a popping sound. “Whilst i was writhing on the floor because of the Cruciatus Curse, you were chasing Evans around? And cancelling plans constantly to chase after Lily Evans? Don’t I just feel Important Jamsie.”

His face looks constipated as he mulls over your words and your expression. He wants to make it up to you, make things right. He wants to make things better than before, he wants to make himself forget Lily Evans and drown himself in you.

His hand finds yours, tender and strong. “Look, I- I know I’ve been shit these past few months. Chasing after a girl I know that probably won’t ever come round, and I’ve got no excuse. Is there absolutely any way I can make it up to you?”

He’s looking at you, all warm and gooey. He flows over you like the eye of a hurricane, the calm in the middle of a disaster. In an instant he’s pulling you to him and gravitating around you. In an instant his face is the softest you’ve ever seen it, despite the blooming blotch of purple on one side of his face.

It’s a spur of the moment thing for both of you, you say it on accident really. You weren’t thinking outside of now and he wasn’t thinking at all. “Kiss me,” swallowing your nerves isn’t hard this time, after all it is a spur of the moment thing. “Kiss me here because there’s always been more to us then just friends Potter, and I think you know just as well as I do how badly I want you to kiss me.”

And he’s kissing you, fingers in your hair and thumbs on the apples of your cheeks as he crashes over you like an ocean. Your hands are at his bale and his cheek running delicate hands over his skin.

I love you, I love you, I love you. You can’t say that out loud but it is a mantra in your head as he breaths life to you through a kiss. Your foreheads rest together, and you sit with him. Being with him, friend or more is still as easy as breathing. And you hope that you can one day he can know how much you love him, and how you need him more than oxygen.

[the-delta-42]

Expected Better

Based on This Post by @nerdasaurus1200

Expected better

Marinette just wanted to lie down and rest, was that too much to ask. Apparently, it was, since Kagami was frantically knocking on the door.

“I swear to god, if she wants me to look at those bloody cat pictures again, I’m going to rip her head off.” Grumbled Marinette, getting to her feet and stomping over to the door, “Okay, Kagami, this better be good.”

“The boys are in trouble.” Said Kagami, Marinette peered behind her and spotted Juleka and Alya.

Marinette sagged and looked at the Japanese woman, “Is it Kim or Adrien responsible for this mess?”

“Luka.” Came the tense reply, making Marinette straighten up.

“What?” Came the equally tense response.

EB

Viperion tried not to flinch as Chat Noir was thrown against the wall. The new Hawkmoth sauntered her way over.

“You know this will only stop if you tell me where the other Miraculous are.” Said Hawkmoth, her hair tucked up in what looked like sausages.

“Even if I knew,” Panted Chat, “You’d be the last one on the list.”

Hawkmoth frowned, before deciding to run her hands over Chat, “Well, I guess I’ll have to find other ways of making you talk.”

“Let. Him. Go.” Came a stern command above them. Everyone looked up and spotted Ladybug, along with Ryuuko, Rena Rouge and Tigress. Hawkmoth only smirked at the sight of the Heroine.

Chat grunted as he was casually thrown aside, Ladybug jumped down and circled around Hawkmoth, allowing Rena, Tigress and Ryuuko to get the rest of the captured group, King Monkey and Pegasus immediately set about helping, while Silene’s head rolled around in her unconscious state and Queen Bee struggled to breathe through a broken nose.

The odd sound of Ladybug and Hawkmoth coming to blows filled the background, until there was a quiet gasp for air, as Ladybug made Hawkmoth stab herself with her own weapon. Hawkmoth immediately started to run, with Viperion ready to take off after her, only for Ladybug to grab a hold of his shoulder.

“Back to base.” Growled the normally happy woman, “Now.”

The looks he got from Rena and Tigress weren’t good, especially when Ryuuko joined them and looked like she was ready to full on snarl at him.

“Sorry, M’Lady,” Muttered Chat, “We underestimated them.”

“We’ll talk later.” Whispered Ladybug, her gaze falling on Viperion, her expression darkening, “I, evidently, have a lot to talk about.”

Viperion tried not to show how scared he was.

EB

When they arrived at the Mansion, Nino and Ivan were the first to greet them, Nino taking the injured to ones to get patched up.

“Luka, if you and Kagami can meet me in the study.” Came Marinette’s voice, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Kagami marched up the stairs and towards study, as Sabrina was vacating it for Marinette.

Luka and Kagami entered to find Marinette looking out the window, the feeling of cold seething rage rolling off her in waves.

Marinette quietly exhaled, “You know, when Kagami told me that you lot were in trouble, I expected Kim or Adrien to be the mastermind of this mess.”

Luka flinched, “I thought-”

“You thought? YOU THOUGHT?! Luka, we very nearly lost six Miraculouses as well as six of our team mates nearly losing their lives!” Snapped Marinette, whirling around and stalking up to him, “Do you know what damage that could’ve done? How we would’ve had to explain to the public how six of our team mates decided to go galivanting off to seek glory in taking down Hawkmoth, who we all know to be a psychotic individual, who takes their pleasure in killing innocent people?!”

“We had a chance to take Hawkmoth out,” Luka snapped at her, “We had a chance to grab her and bring her to justice, but you were too much of a coward to even try.”

Marinette was silent, before she looked at him, “Obviously, you didn’t listen to what I said, Hawkmoth is a psychopath who takes pleasure in killing. The fact you knew this and still put your teammates lives into an unnecessary risk speaks volumes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Demanded Luka, affronted.

“It means Timber Wolf and Basilisk’s deaths didn’t sink in deep enough for you to realise that this isn’t some game where you can go back to the last time you saved every time something you don’t like happens, take the time Kagami had to use the snake.” Said Marinette, before sighing, “It means that the snake Miraculous is too much of a liability at this point and I’m considering putting back in the box.”

“What?!” Gasped Luka, “But it saved so many people.”

“Tell me, did you have a ‘save point’ before you engaged Hawkmoth?” Questioned Marinette, “Because it seemed like you didn’t, and I’ve already seen enough of my teammates dying in front of me to know what is an asset and what is a liability. I’ve seen enough deaths, I don’t wish to see a death that cannot be reversed.”

Luka was quiet.

“Do you know what Bunnyx showed me, when she arrived from the future?” Marinette asked, her voice starting to waiver, “She showed me everyone dying, each a different way and you don’t know how close that came to being a reality.”

Luka could only look down at his feet.

“I can’t say how disappointed I am, I honestly expected better, especially from you.” Marinette stalked out of the room.

“Wow, she went easy on you.” Remarked Kagami, her arms folded, “Then again, no one died in this mess.”

“I think I’m on probation now.” whimpered Luka, his throat tight.

“I think that would be a given,” Said Kagami, “You remember how Gabriel was caught?”

“Because Marinette was captured and tortured for a month and a half.” Came Luka’s quiet response.

“You also know how a grand total of three people know what happened during that month and a half,” Said Kagami, turning to leave, “and believe me, it’s the stuff of nightmares, if Adrien isn’t being dramatic.”

Luka flinched slightly as the door closed. Marinette had returned a changed person, her original hesitance to harm people gone, more inclined to solve problems with violence, it had taken her little over a year to get back into her previous mindset, and even then, there were times where she would actively seek out a fight.

Marinette said she’d been broken, but she never told anyone how.

EB

Marinette sighed and lied back down on her bed, Adrien quietly lying next to her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Adrien asked, quietly.

“Not really.” Came Marinette’s response, as she rolled over and tucked herself into his shoulder.

Adrien said nothing as Marinette started to cling on to him and started to shake. Both were vaguely aware of Kagami entering the room.

“I’ve given Luka few things to think about,” Said Kagami, her voice soft, “I don’t think he’ll be joining us tonight.”

Adrien and Marinette were quiet.

“I think putting the Snake Miraculous away for the time being is a good thing, the whole second chance thing has impaired his judgement.” Continued Kagami, “When I left, Juleka was waiting outside the door.”

“I feel sorry for him already.” Muttered Adrien, as Marinette’s trembles died down, “I hope that side lining him won’t shoot us in the foot.”

“I think we all have that hope,” Said Kagami, sliding down, “now, get some sleep, Marinette isn’t going to be in a good mood in the morning.”

“I think I’m glad that it’s not aimed at me.” Said Adrien.

EB

The whole team was gathered in the lobby, tension thick in the air as Marinette stalked around. Max, Kim, Marc, Chloe, Adrien and Luka all shifted guiltily.

“It still escapes my understanding,” Said Marinette, her hand pinching the bridge if her nose, “How six of our number, two of which being Senior members, made the rookie mistake of getting caught by shouting.”

“Adrien turned up to try and stop us.” Said Marc, making Marinette zero in on him, “Originally it was Kim, Chloe, Luka and I going, Max joined when he heard, and Adrien tracked us to the location.”

Marinette sighed and looked at Adrien, “I think your assistance is required elsewhere at the moment.”

Adrien shakily nodded, knowing the informal dismissal. While he had been let off the hook, he knew Marinette wasn’t happy she wasn’t informed about the situation.

“I can understand some of your motives, Max, you went to try and reign them in, correct?” Questioned Marinette, making Max nod, “Chloe, the answer is plain and simple, you went for revenge.”

The paraplegic looked down at her lap.

“Kim, I’m assuming that you went on a dare, despite the fact you were supposed to be patrolling with Marc, who you decided to bring along for the ride.” Said Marinette, her voice hard, her gaze then settled on Luka, “The only trouble I’m having is why, in the name of all things bright and beautiful, you thought going after AN ACTUAL PSYCHOPATH WAS A GOOD IDEA?!”

Everyone jumped as Marinette shouted, not many people were used to her shouting, as she was generally soft spoken. Marinette took a deep breath, “Luka, I placed you in a position of explicit trust that wasn’t something to take lightly and these past few months you’ve not only managed to change your attitude, but also the public perception of you.”

“What?” Asked Luka, his shoulder slumping.

“I believe you’re aware of the, Mr. Pigeon incident?” Asked Marinette, getting a few green faces, “The public have been referring to your attitude, namely your ‘new way of dealing with Akuma’s’.”

“I don’t see the problem.” Luka muttered.

“You threw a six-year-old off a building, just to distract the Akuma.” Said Marinette, folding her arms, “and that is only one example.”

Marinette sighed, “As of today, the Snake Miraculous is being retired, at least until we figure out what the hell is going on. But, before then, Sass is to remain outside of his Miraculous, you are only to transform when you are given explicit permission by either myself or another Senior member of the team.”

Luka nodded numbly.

“Until we figure out, and fixed, what’s happened, you are not to respond to Akuma attacks, unless called for.” Said Marinette, firmly, before she sighed, “Luka, for all we know, the constant resets could be deteriorating your mind and impairing your judgement, make you a danger to others and yourself. We can’t have what happened to Aurore happen to you.”

Everyone shifted at the mention of Aurore, who’d gone mad after the Miraculous she had been using was damaged by Hawkmoth. Marinette was still working on putting the fragments of the Peacock back together, hoping that it would help in reversing the damage done to Aurore’s mind.

“You can keep the Miraculous, providing you don’t use it.” Said Marinette, a tone of finality in her voice.

Luka nodded, as Marinette gave a jerk of her head, silently dismissing everyone. After everyone had gone, Luka looked down at the Snake Miraculous and traced the thin, hair-line crack that marred the surface of it. Luka steeled himself, before following after Marinette, it was time he told her what happened to the Snake and the Peacock.

[coffeecomicsgalore]

A Night To Remember

Adrien quits.

Ao3

Chapter 6 – Adrien’s Final Blow

“Thank you for meeting me, Monsieur Agreste.” Lila was sitting on the bench with her back towards him.

Gabriel stayed firm in his car; the window partially opened, ready to hear what this girl needed to say.

“Mlle. Rossi.” he said flatly. “You stated that you have some information on my son?” His tone was as cold as ice.

“Yes, sir. I was told that Adrien and Kagami have not been together for some time. It seems like your son has been lying to you for a better part of a year."

“Is that true?” He was intrigued, but kept his composure. “And where did you hear of this information Mlle. Rossi?”

“I overheard that Nino-friend-of-his talking to his girlfriend about it.” Her voice was filled with venom. “It seems like it was only kept between a few close friends. Those friends are a terrible influence on him, M. Agreste.”

“And how do you expect me to change that? I am sure you have heard that he has threatened to quit the brand if something were to happen between him and his so-called friends.”

“Then maybe his ‘friends’ will need to turn their backs on him.”

“See to it that it works. And do not disappoint me, mademoiselle.”

----- xoxox -----

Adrien returned home with anxiety over the unpleasant news. He was hoping that word did not spread as quickly as he thought and he could head off to his room without a scolding from his father.  He walked into the atrium and made his way up the steps before seeing a figure waiting for him at the top.

“Adrien.” his father said coldly.

“Father.” Adrien returned the cold gesture.

“What is the meaning of your so-called ‘relationship’ with Mlle. Tsurugi? Have you been lying to me all this time?”

“No, Father, I have not been lying to you.”

“But you have not been telling me the truth, have you?” The anger could be heard in his voice.

Adrien did not want to have this conversation today. He was exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions he was feeling since Kagami called him with the news. “Kagami and I were in a relationship. We both chose to end our dating relationship. We still have a friendship-relationship. Friends can hold hands especially during special events like the ones we attended. And yes, I do love her, but I love her as a friend.” he said in a way to make his voice bold, strong, and heard. “We never confirmed our relationship with the press. And we never told them we were in love. They assumed all of that themselves. So, as I have said, I was not deceiving you in any way, Father.”

“Your disobedience perturbs me, Adrien. First, the wanted freedom. Then reducing your activities and modeling. Getting a job - at a bakery no less - when you could continue to model. Wanting to attend a university with your own elected degree instead of the business degree I suggested you attain. Now a ‘fake’ relationship instead of an actual relationship with Mlle. Tsurugi? What’s next, you are going to tell me that you are dating that bakery girl - Mlle. Dupain-Cheng is it? Well, I forbid whatever it is you choose to do next. You will stop your disobedience this instance, and you will go back to your schedule as previously done. Nathalie will take care of everything for you from now one and you will do as you’re told. Now, go to your room.”

Adrien was seething. He was an adult. He finally had his taste of freedom. Finally was able to make decisions for himself. And that man that he calls Father was taking it all away. For what? Over the misconstrued deceitfulness of a ‘fake relationship’ that his father assumed continued? And the implied controversy of wanting to date sweet Marinette? No. It was all because it was never part of his plan. He didn’t care about Adrien and his happiness. All he cared about was his brand.  

Adrien was done. “No.” He said sternly.

“You will not disobey me again, Adrien. Go to your room.” Gorilla walked up behind Adrien while Nathalie walked alongside Gabriel.

“I. Said. No.” Adrien said through gritted teeth. He walked up to his father and stood in front of him. His hand was clenched tight into a fist, ready to punch him square in the face. But he wouldn’t lay a hand to him. He had more dignity than that.  

“I quit! I quit modeling. I quit the photo shoots. I quit the Chinese, fencing, and piano lessons. I quit all the appearances that I am forced to attend.” The words spilling out his mouth with such force, he was shaking. He took a step forward until his face was so close to his father’s face, they could feel the puffs of breaths coming from their mouths. “And I quit being your son.”

Adrien looked at his father before taking one step to the side and set off to his room. Gabriel stood there in shock over the brash words. His mouth was slightly agape. Nathalie walked forward, unsure of what to say or do. Gorilla had a slight smirk to his face as he turned and walked away.

As soon as Adrien marched into his room and slammed the door shut, Plagg zoomed out of his chosen’s shirt and stared in shock.  “Wow kid. I never thought you had it in you to talk back to him like that.”

“Honestly, neither did I.” Adrien was still shaking; his body was full of adrenaline over the encounter. No amount of scary akumas could ever match the fear that overtook his body. The moment Marinette’s name left his father’s mouth, he knew he couldn’t hold back. No one talks about his princess that way.

Adrien didn’t say much as he gathered a few sets of clothes, toiletries, and other important documents. Plagg took the opportunity to gather all his cheese from the vault and set it in the almost full bag.  

When he was finished, he picked up his bag and head out his bedroom door. In the atrium, his father stood with his arms crossed behind his back. Nathalie stood near the door with Gorilla standing in front of the exit.

Adrien made up his mind. No one will stand in the way of it. He looked straight into his father’s cold eyes. “Father.” Gabriel chose not to acknowledge him. “Nathalie.” She nodded to his greeting with a stern look on her face. Gorilla stepped aside to allow him to leave.

As soon as he walked past the gates, he felt the anger release. He wanted to fall to his knees right there. But he knew he couldn’t let his body relax until he reached his destination. Where? He didn’t know. He just walked straight towards the subway station and decided to take a train as far as he could go.  

As he was boarding, he received a message from the girl that occupied his mind.  

Marinette: Hey. I’m just checking up on you. Did your dad talk to you?”

Adrien: Yeah, about that....  

Adrien: Do you think I can come by? I kind of quit being his son and now I’m essentially homeless. :/

Marinette: …

Marinette: You quit? Being his son? Can you do that?

Marinette: And yes. You know you’re always welcomed here.

Marinette: I’ll go and let my parents know and set up the guest room.  

Adrien: I guess you can, because I just did.

Adrien: Marinette. You are seriously the best. Thank you.

Marinette: :) Always.

[sarahjtrash]

An Untimely Admission

2.3K, Jurdan, Rated T

Jude shares something she's been keeping secret during an inopportune moment.

A/N: Despite what the summary may suggest, I just want to say this isn’t a pregnancy fic. Nothing against those, but I don't really write that. Fluff and angst still ensue. Enjoy!

-o-0-o-

Jude couldn’t take it anymore. 

While she understood that being exiled and keeping her title a secret was the politically wise thing to do, she couldn’t watch Cardan pursue his carnal desires anymore. It didn’t matter that she knew he would never fully pursue these women, that he would crawl into bed with Jude and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She was tired of being sidelined in her own life once again. So when Cardan leaned down to whisper something in Nicasia’s ear, Jude handed her drink to the nearest courtier and stormed out of the hall. 

She heard Nicasia’s laughter follow her out the room. 

As she walked, she pulled her jewelry off and dropped it on the floor. While Cardan and her agreed that it made more sense for them to win over courtiers this way, she hated it. She had the same privileges in almost anything being fair game in the hall for political advancement; however, after three months of it, she wanted to punch something. They always tumbled together afterwards, neither going farther than chaste kisses with a stranger, but Jude was tired of playing these wicked games. She wiped her sleeve against her face, trying to stop the tears that rolled down her face, surely smearing her makeup. 

Whatever the guards and servants wanted to say about the state of their supposed seneschal didn’t matter. 

When she reached the end of the hallway, she turned towards her old rooms instead of the king’s suite, refusing to share a bed tonight, or perhaps any night in the future if she had it her way. Cardan could certainly find himself someone else to satisfy him.

That thought seemed to work like a summoning as she heard quick footsteps following behind her.

“I don’t want to talk right now,” she said pathetically. 

She heard Cardan stop moving. “Please don’t run away,” he quietly begged.

She whipped around quickly, her jealousy quickly becoming anger. “And what would it matter to you?” She hissed. 

His face morphed into something she couldn’t recognize. “Let’s not do this in the hallway.”

Her blood positively boiled. “Or what?” She seethed, “Someone would hear us? What a catastrophe that would be.”

Cardan’s face changed to match hers. “You can stand here and yell all you want, but I am going back to the King’s chambers.”

Jude watched his back as he strode away from her and damned herself when she followed him after a few seconds. It amused her that he had to refer to their bedroom as ‘the King’s’ for fear of discovery. His cloak billowed behind him, emanating power as he strode down the halls like he owned them, which she supposed he did. 

When they finally reached his chambers, Jude fifteen paces behind, her anger began to swell once more as they entered the room, and he gently closed the door behind them.

His entire demeanor changed when they crossed the threshold, and his eyes filled with care. “What’s wrong?”

It was exactly this kind of mind game that drove her insane. “I don’t think you get to ask that.”

He let out a frustrated sigh. “I am really exhausted of fighting you, Jude.”

“Then don’t.” 

“I can’t do that if you’re not telling me what’s wrong.”

She crossed her arms and broke his infuriatingly concerned gaze. “Every day in Elfhame, I am constantly reminded of how inadequate I am. I have fought tooth and nail every day for years to crawl to where am I. Which by the way, where I am is a Queen without a crown and a title no one knows about. And I was willing to accept that. So stupidly willing to accept that. Now, all I have is a husband who can dance and swoon and kiss whoever he desires, and I just get to watch while everyone thinks I am a petty, dumb mortal.”

“We can march into that throne room right now and declare you the rightful Queen.”

Her eyes felt like stinging once again. “That is not what this is about. You just party and seduce all the time, without ever caring about—“

She watched the frustration build in him, as he spat out, “You know as well as I do that you are held to the same standards that I am.”

“And what good does that do! If you even cared a little a bit, you would know that I haven’t tried to be seductive towards a courtier in over a month now. I just wait like a naive, trained dog for you to crawl home and get a good fuck in. Do I have any affect on you or do you just enjoy watching me suffer?”

He tried to reach for her, his voice begging a little. “You know what you do to me.”

She stepped back from his advances in disgust. “I should have known. Everyone in your life leaves you or betrays you for one reason or another. Maybe it’s the disappointment or the lack of concern you have for others, but everyone in your life has been part of a sick twisted game, and I am finished being a pawn Cardan. I must be such an idiot, one who watches you drink and play and then gets repeatedly fucked over. Could you even imagine that? How awful it is to be in love with someone who is constantly trying to best you? And you let yourself get fooled time and time again because maybe this time they’ll behave differently.” 

Cardan’s eyes grew wide as saucers as Jude’s heavy breathing filled the room. 

“You’re so inconsiderate to everyone around you that I’m not surprised that Balekin—“

“Jude,” He interrupted her sentence. 

“You can’t even let me finish one sentence. It’s like when I speak—“

“Jude,” He practically yelled at her. 

Anger filled her, and she couldn’t help the glare that she hoped buried him six feet under. “If you’re so inclined to hear yourself, then what,” She spat. 

“I think you should stop speaking—“

“And you’re so controlling and goddamned—“

“Before you say more things that you don’t mean,” He finished loudly.

Their breathing settled between them, and tension filled the room. She thought about what she could say that would ruin him as much as he ruined her when she realized what she’d admitted.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face because he said, “Sometimes Jude, I really wish you couldn’t lie.”

She wouldn’t give him the reassurance of admitting that she meant what she said. Instead, she chose to let him believe the worst. “I think it’s best that I leave.”

He didn’t say anything as she walked out the door. 

-o-0-o-

Three days later, Jude felt awful. 

She still saw Cardan daily at meetings and the revel last night, but neither deigned to speak with the other more than necessary. They played their roles of King and Seneschal, so that no one would notice anything amiss. It drove Jude insane. All she wanted was to apologize, let him know the truth, or at the very least say hello. All she got, though, were cool glances and smirks thrown her way. 

If she truly wanted what she claimed she did the other night, she knew that she would have to instigate relief efforts, no matter her pride. For the past two days, she’d written and rewritten a letter over and over, trying to explain what she meant. Eventually, she left it short and handed it off to a servant as she walked towards a dueling ring in the courtyard. 

The other letter she’d written was to the bomb demanding her presence in training gear. In the palace, she was Jude’s most worthy adversary. After the better part of an hour, sweat dripped off Jude as she blocked and deflected the bomb’s jests and strikes. Her mortal heart pounded in her chest. It felt so good to release herself like that his that she’d forgotten all about the three little words she wrote on that sheet until she heard an approach from behind.

“My queen?” Cardan called almost hesitantly. 

The bomb instantly stopped fighting and sagely made no noise as Jude turned around. 

“Is this true?” He asked, there was more than just desperation in his voice, almost as if he hoped for answer. 

“Would I lie to you, Your Highness?” She asked. 

He licked his lips in a way that set Jude on fire. “I have need of Jude, Dear, if you don’t mind her leaving the session early, Bomb.”

The bomb said, perhaps too innocently. “I don’t think she minds at all.”

When they reached his room, Cardan held out his hand with the letter in it. “I’ve received word that perhaps you’re ready to end this little feud.”

She took the letter while watching him. “And is this word to be trusted?”

“I feel inclined to believe so.”

As Jude unfolded the letter, she already knew what she would find. It was something that had taken her days, to draft. It was incredibly short and simple, and barely reflected her thoughts. 

In her own handwriting, the cream paper read, 

I didn’t lie.

She pretended that she was mulling over its contents, that it was some long policy proposal instead of a flimsy admission. In an uncharacteristic manner, Cardan patiently let her stare at it. 

She decided she wasn’t quite done with their little game. “Anyone could have written this.”

Cardan’s eyes drifted to the letter as well. “Though true, it appears to be in your handwriting.”

“Anyone can fake that.”

He leveled her a look. “The servant said, ‘From your seneschal, Jude Duarte.’”

“Perhaps a twist of words.”

“Jude.”

HIs name seemed to rattle through her, and she remembered why she even wrote that blasted piece in the first place. 

“For the more hurtful things I said the other night, I apologize. For others, I meant what I said.”

“And what part was that?” He challenged.

She rolled her eyes and looked off. “It seems to have escaped me.”

“Liar.”

When she looked back at him, she said, “I hate you.”

He watched her very intently. “I know.”

She inhaled deeply and panic seemed to fill her bones as she thought about her next words. It would probably take her months to say it if she didn’t let it escape. It would be so easy to fall into their little game once again, but Jude felt her tiredness from before sweep through her. In the long run, that was not what she wanted. Not at all.

“But,” she paused, drawing a shaky breath. “I also love you more than I ever thought possible.”

A small goofy grin pulled at his lips as he reached out for her. She obligingly tucked herself into his arms as hers wrapped around his neck. 

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He teased. 

She leaned up and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Is that all you wish to say?”

He pulled her slightly closer, a new hunger filling his eyes. “Not in the least.”

“Then the King shall speak his mind.” She brought her hands down to his shoulders.

He released a pathetic little nose laugh. “I have never been more envious of your ability to lie.”

“It never really seems to do me any favors,” she said quietly. 

His hand made a smoothing gesture on her back, and he brought his gaze down to hers. “I think you underestimate its success rate.”

“Stop avoiding the topic.”

“I am also quite envious of your earlier courage,” he said.

Jude gave him a significant look, and he sighed before saying, “But, the answer to your question is yes.”

“I never asked you anything,”she said confused. 

“You most certainly did. The other night you asked me if I ‘could even imagine that?’,” He asked in a terrible impression of her voice, “‘How awful it is to be in love with someone who is constantly trying to best you?’ Jude. Jude. My dearest Jude. I have never met anyone who holds my heart so dearly and still manages to behave as an adversary.”

She laughed a little at that. 

“Like I said, though, my answer is yes. I can most certainly imagine that because I am so tragically in love with you that it pains me despite all you have done to try and undermine me.”

They paused for a second and let his words settle, but it didn’t take long until they were suddenly a clash of lips and tongue. It felt like breathing for the first time and that every barrier they’d ever put between them came crashing down with their words. Jude pulled on his hair slightly, needing him to just be closer to her. Her heart may have just about leap out of her chest, and she couldn’t help the small sound that escaped her when he pulled away. 

“Jude?” He asked. 

She knew her pupils were dilated and her breathing heavy, but at that moment she couldn’t find an ounce of her to care. Anything he asked, she’d be willing to do. “What?”

“While I appreciate our vigor, I have but one request.”

She cocked her head at his tone. 

“I understand that your training is important, but I think we would both benefit if you bathed yourself before we continued.”

Jude’s mouth opened slightly in fake astonishment, and she pulled away. “If you can’t appreciate me while I’m in this condition, then I must really question your previous declaration.”

Jude stepped toward the wash room, watching Cardan’s shocked face, before turning around and strutting away, perhaps swaying her hips more than necessary. When her hand reached the doorknob, she threw him a significant look. “Perhaps you should call for a servant. There’s one spot on my back I can never reach.”

“I believe I could help,” he all but growled before approaching her quicker than Jude had ever seen.

[ktarima]

New Life: Prologue

Hey yall! I recently got the inspiration to write my first fanfic ever since I started to play the VN mobile game, Choices! Lets just say … I got addicted real quick lol. This fanfic series will be Julian x M!OC (HSS) This is my first time writing..so any feedbacks is appreciated ^.^ Enjoy!

Word count : 1780

Rating: T ( for mention of profanity)

Pairing: Julian x M!OC

All characters and mentions are property of Pixelberry studios 

tag list: @choiceslife @griffinsbigdickenergy

On Highway 12,  Tuesday, 10:00 PM

~~

I stare lazily outside into the night sky; the view of trees turning into a sea of green as we drive down the highway to our new home in Cedar Cove.

“Are we there yet?” I ask the driver. My dad briefly looks at his phone.

“No. Don’t worry , we’re almost there”

“That’s what you said two hours ago” I groan. He chuckles slightly. My mom chimes in.

“We’ll be there before you know it. Take a nap sweetie.”

“Fineee” I grab my ear buds before leaning back in my seat and rest my head on the window. I shuffle my playlist before falling fast asleep.

“ All of this could have ended differently. I screwed everything up back at Bowie. I lost all connections I built with my IB friends… and most importantly, Devin; my crush”  I sniff softly “Maybe moving away… was the best choice” I thought before falling into a deeper sleep.

A brief memory of Richard comes across my mind in my sleep; a memory that I wanted to delete from my memory. He marches towards me, furious.

“You!” He seethed , jabbing a finger in my face “You caused this disaster!” This really wasn’t the time for confronting me.

I scowled. “Excuse me?! You know I was just following your orders!”

“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” We were now face to face “Now because of you, we lost the competition and the funds to support the IB program!”

I was one second away from punching his face. “If you give me a momen--” Before I could finish, he turned away.

“Fuck you, you piece of shit” he growled “Lets go “ He ordered everyone else. After that, rumors started to spread around the school; that I was the worst person in the entire school. Cold glares and isolation was only the tip of the iceberg. I came across Devin one day from the opposite direction. At Least I have one person that could brighten my day, or so I had thought.

“Oh. Hey Devin!” I greeted.... A moment of silence, not a single glance in my direction” Devin?”

He grunted. “ Get away from me.” This wasn’t his normal behavior and I made the mistake of confronting him.

“Wh-- Please don’t tell me you believe the rumors that's been going around these past few weeks.” Devin gritted his teeth and pushed me towards the lockers. “Ow- What the hell was that for?!”

“I’m not gonna say it again. GET.AWAY.FROM.ME. I don’t want to see your face anymore” He threatened.

That was when my world started to break into a million of pieces. Richard’s words echoing through my mind. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”

Gritting my teeth,“SHUT THE FUCK UP!”  I scream back, waking up. A moment of silence pass as I try to  regain my composure. “Oh”. I look up to my parents staring back at me from the front mirror.

Turning back,“Oh honey, another nightmare?” My mother asked, face slightly frowning in concern. “You were thrashing back and forth again.”

“I-... no...maybe” I sigh “It’s nothing really”.

“Are you sure Ben? You’ve been having a lot of these night scares recently ever since we moved.” My father asked,throwing a concerning look in the front mirror.

I shrug. “Just a bit stressed from the past few weeks. Don’t worry.” Life was hectic for all of us due to sudden changes at my parents’ jobs and it showed. “Once we get to our new home, I’ll be all better.” I cleared my throat. “How far are we away from Cedar Cove now?”

“Well..” My dad looks at his phone again “We’re not too far away now. About ten minutes. We’ll probably see the sign for the city along the way.” No sooner than he said, we pass a sign with Cedar Cove in big letters. The sea of green gradually shifted to buildings and highway lightings.

“Ugh ten more minutes until I can sleep in a real bed--”

Suddenly,the car came to a jolting stop to a stop light.

“Woah!” I gasp, thrown out of my seat. “What was that for dad?” pouting as I got back up.

He chuckles. “Haha, sorry about that. Just tired from all the traveling, didn’t see that stop light”. My mom elbows him from across. “Ow! Sorry Sorry” he laughs. “We’ll be in Cedar Cove and to our new home soon..”

I roll my eyes “ ugh just save me from this nightmare already.” I grumble as I look out into the night sky.

We drive down the streets of Cedar Cove, taking in the view of the town. The town looked pleasant enough.

“ Turn left and your destination will be on the right.” The GPS stated.

The car came to a stop as we arrived to our new driveway. “FINALLY! WE’RE FREE!” I shout as we get out of the car. “Hey mẹ* . Can I borrow your arms?” I hold onto her hands and lean back to stretch my spine. Crack, Crack. “Wow … that must have been one long ride” I thought. We stretch for a bit longer before dad came over to hand me the keys to the house.

“Don’t go losing the keys now.”

Rolling my eyes“When have I ever lose the house keys?” I joke. He chuckles.

“Anyways, the moving truck should be here tomorrow . Go help mom bring in the beds and call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be one busy day.”

I nod. “The sooner the better” I laugh as I help my mom bring in the beds into our new house. The house didn’t look half too bad, in my opinion. It was smaller than our old home, but it had that familiar quaint feeling. At last, I chose my room and dropped my bed in a corner. I took out my phone and checked the time. Yikes, 11 P.M. I flop onto my bed.

I flop onto my bed.“Good night mẹ”

“Good night darling, rest up. We have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow” I groan a reply before falling asleep.

Beep. Beep.Beep. I half open one of my eyes to look at my phone.8:45 AM. “Ughhh, too early for this” I roll across my bed. “5 more min--” I mumble before the door to my room suddenly opens.

“GOOD MORNING SQUIRT!” My dad beams. I really wasn’t in the mood for this. I squinted.

“Good.. morning to you to dad” I mumble as I lazily wrap myself in my blanket.

“Time to rise and shine! We have a lot of stuff to do.”

I don’t know how he’s so active in the morning. “Yeah.. i’ll,rise and shine in like 5 min--” I start before he yanks the blanket away from me.

“AHH! Fine i’m up.” I complain.

He laughs “Go get some breakfast and i’ll see you in a bit”. I yawn before getting out of bed to do the usual morning routine. Afterwards, I plop down on one of the makeshift chairs in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal.

“So what’s the plan for today?” I ask before eating a spoonful of cereal.

“Well” My mom takes a sip of her coffee”The moving company is arriving this afternoon. Then we have to head to the local dealership to get you a car and  we’re going to shop around for furniture.” She hands dad a cup of coffee.

Finishing the last bite of my cereal and gulping the milk down. “I see and by we, you mean you and dad?” She playfully slaps my shoulder.

“ Yes dear” rolling her eyes

”We’ll handle the moving stuff, in the meantime you’ll drive around town and visit your new high school” My dad states.

I felt a knot form in my stomach. “Fantastic. What’s the address to the school?” I lend my phone to my dad as he types the address in. “Oliver M. Berry High. Not too far away from here.”

My mom chimes in “ We contacted the principal before hand, and she’ll get you settled.” Both of them finishing their cup of coffee. “Ready to go?”

“Yep. Give me a min to change into some clothes and i’ll see y’all at the car.” I got up and walked back to my room.

Berry High, eh? Let’s hope it’s better than my previous school I thought before changing out of my house clothes. We drove to the local dealership to rent a car for me. I’m not entirely picky when it comes to cars, as long as it gets me from point A to B. We drive up to the entrance and a employee comes to greet us.

“Good morning there! Welcome to the Cedar Used Car shop. How may I help you today?”

“We’re here to buy a car for my son. We just moved into town today.” My dad says.

“Oh! Welcome to Cedar Cove. Please come this way to view our selection”

We spent two hours or so testing out the multitude of cars available. We decided on a 2005 Honda Accord. My parents signed the papers and soon I find myself inside my car.

“Drive safe son” He hands me the keys to the car. “We’ll take care of the rest”

“I will.” I look at the time on my phone, 11:30 AM. “ Oh it’s almost time for me to go. I’ll be back later tonight.” My parents nod. “Have fun shopping” I joke before driving away.

“ Your destination is on the right” my GPS stated.

I glance over to my right and came across my first sight of Oliver M.Berry High school. I furrow one of my eyebrows in surprise.

“Huh… this school looks a bit smaller than Bowie” I thought in disappointment. I searched around for a guest parking spot to park my car. “Well, this is my new car now. Better than nothing I guess”. I parked my car and got out “ Well here goes nothing. “ I took my first steps on Berry High’s ground. A small grin comes across my face.

“Wow this place looks a bit better than I thought it was” I thought as I observe the environment. I opened the front doors of Berry High and a woman in a yellow blouse came to me.

“Good afternoon , young man! You must be Ben Burton, our new student.” She offers a handshake, smiling.

“Uh… Yes I am.” I shook her hand “and you must be?”

“ I am Principal Hughs and I welcome you to your new home.” 

TBC

*mẹ= mom in Vietnamese

[youcancallmecirce]

Elemental Chapter 7: Sleepover

I'd thought to get to THE scene in this chapter, but as it turned out, I had a lot more ground to cover before I get there than I thought I did.  Why must I be so thorough?

Chapter 1     Chapter 2     Chapter 3     Chapter 4     Chapter 5    Chapter 6

Read it on AO3

Marinette ended the call with a quick apology, and took the laptop from their knees to set it on the ottoman.  When it was gone, Adrien doubled over with his laughter, resting his arms on his knees and his face in his hands and his unnatural laughter gave way to wrenching sobs almost immediately.  Heart breaking for him, she wrapped her arms around his shuddering shoulders and he leaned into the embrace almost desperately.  Finally, she simply lounged back into the corner of the couch and pulled him to half-sprawl over her, without either of them releasing the other.

She had no idea how long they stayed like that, he sobbing brokenly and she rubbing his back in soothing circles, but he slowly quieted until she heard only his ragged breathing.   “Adrien?  Are you awake?”

“I am,” he replied, his voice raw.

“Are you alright?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you, um, do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t—I don’t think that I can.  Not yet.”

“Okay.”

He was quiet for several minutes after that, and Marinette stayed quiet as well, understanding that he needed the comfort more than he needed words.  This left her to seethe privately.

From the little bits and pieces that Adrien had let fall about his life back home, Marinette had already formed an unfavorable opinion of Adrien’s father.  After their conversation with the Guardian, her opinion had plummeted and now she was using words like “despicable” and “contemptible” in her mental dialogue.

The man had told Adrien he was a disappointment?

He’d complained about his weak magic?

Those things alone were reprehensible—but add to that the fact that he was lying about it all, chipping away at his son’s self-worth with things that weren’t even true?

It made Marinette’s blood boil, and only the fact that Adrien needed compassion rather than righteous indignation kept her from marching around the room, ranting her fury.  Even then, she was practicing deep breathing exercises to distract herself, and keep her temper from boiling over.

She brought one hand up and threaded it through Adrien’s hair, finger-combing it back from his face, and he stirred.

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” he said quietly, his voice taut with shame.

“Adrien, no.”  She pushed at his shoulders and he sat up stiffly, refusing to meet her eyes.  “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I completely fell apart, in front of you and your parents and the Guardian…”  He trailed off, and scoffed.  “Who does that?”

“You just found out—”

“That I’m a lot more powerful than I thought?  Yeah, but that’s a good thing.  Shouldn’t I have been happy about it?”

“Okay, Adrien, first of all: no.  More power is not necessarily a good thing. I often wish that I was more like my mom, because then my life would be a lot easier than it is.  And secondly—you and I both know that that isn’t why you’re upset.”  He scoffed again and stood, pacing away restlessly.  She followed him, but didn’t crowd him. “Adrien, please.   I’m not going to push you to talk about it, but I’m also not going to let you twist this around to blame yourself.  You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Listen to her, kid.  She’s right.”

“Ah, what do you care, Plagg?  Just…leave me alone.”

Marinette bit her lip, and shifted her weight uncertainly from one foot to the other.  “Do—do you want me to go, too?”  He shrugged, and she tried to pretend that his indifference didn’t hurt.  “Okay then.  I’ll just, um, grab my bag and—”

“No, Marinette, that’s not—Gods.”  He scrubbed his hands over his face, and then ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry.  I just—I hate for you to see me this way.  But…I think I hate the idea of you leaving right now even more.”

She closed the distance between them, and wound her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek to the middle of his chest.  “I can stay as long as you need me to, Adrien.”

His arms closed around her, and he lowered his cheek to the top of her head.  “Thank you,” he murmured.  “Thank you.”

Adrien woke sometime after midnight, with a pounding headache, a crick in his neck, and a warm weight on his chest.  He was disoriented at first, but it didn’t take long for the events of the evening to surface in his sleep-fogged brain.

The Guardian.

His ring.

His father’s lies.

And Marinette.

They’d fallen asleep on his couch, watching Netflix on his laptop.

The computer had long since gone to sleep itself, and he wiggled the mouse so that the screen would give him some light to see by.  It didn’t help much, though.  He was still pinned beneath a slumbering Marinette.  He didn’t want to wake her, but the pain in his neck would not be ignored. This left him with two options: pick her up, put her in his bed, and come back to the couch, or, pick her up, put her in his bed, and then crawl into it next to her.

There was no doubt which option he preferred.  Had she been Mer, he’d have taken that option without a second thought.  But she wasn’t Mer, and might well think him unforgivably presumptuous if he crawled into bed with her while she slept.

Then again, she had fallen asleep with him—on him, even—and it was his bed.

He heaved a sigh, and a cool breath of air fanned his face.

“What is it, Adrien?” came the tiny voice, and Adrien jumped.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Marinette shifted in her sleep, but didn’t wake.

“She’s a deep sleeper,” Tikki giggled.

“I see that,” he whispered back.

“So what were you just agonizing over?”  He looked at her questioningly, and she giggled again. “Marinette makes the same face when she’s over-thinking things.”

He smiled, and glanced at the young woman sleeping on his chest.  “I was trying to decide whether it was really necessary for me to sleep on the couch tonight.”

“While she sleeps in your bed, you mean?”  He nodded.  “Oh, good heavens no.  She won’t mind.  She might have a manic attack in the morning, when she realizes she’s drooled on you, but she won’t mind.”

Adrien grinned at her, and began the slow, careful process of moving them both to his bed.

When Marinette woke late the next morning, she had no idea where she was.   She rolled to her back and stared in confusion at the strange ceiling, trying to figure out what had happened.  She remembered being at Adrien’s house, and the Skype call, and the fallout of that call, watching Netflix with Adrien, and then…nothing.  She must have fallen asleep watching TV, which meant that Adrien had moved her into this room sometime in the night.

She sat up and looked around, taking in the details of the guest room.  The walls were a pale taupe, with generic seascapes adorning the walls.  It was a generous size for a guest room, and for that matter, the bed was generously sized as well.   The night stand closest to hers held only a lamp, the top of the dresser was bare, save for a driftwood bowl that had been artfully filled with woven spheres, and the nightstand on the other side—

She frowned. The other nightstand held a wallet, keys, phone charger, a few Euro coins…Marinette’s eyes widened, and she looked at the pillow next to hers, seeking and finding the tell-tale divot that meant that the pillow had been occupied.

This was Adrien’s room.

This was Adrien’s bed.

The door swung open, and Marinette yanked the covers up with a shriek, startling Adrien badly enough that he sloshed coffee out of the mugs and onto the tray he held.  “Oh crumb, Adrien, I am so sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled.  As he moved towards her, the little bit of liquid that had spilled floated up into the air and poured back into the mugs.  “I made coffee, but I’m not sure how you take yours so I brought it all with me.”

Marinette stared at the mugs in rapt fascination.  “That was amazing!”

“What?”

“That thing you did, with the coffee?  It’s like you didn’t even have to think about it.”

“Oh. That.”  He shrugged, at on the edge of the bed, and placed the tray on the bed between them.  “Yeah, I guess I didn’t.  Sugar?”

Marinette pursed her lips, but let it go.  For now.  “Yes, please.  Cream, too.  I love coffee, but I’m afraid that I have to have it well-doctored.”

Adrien smiled, and proceeded to prepare her coffee as requested.  “Nino says that ‘if you have to put all that crap in your coffee—’”

“‘Then you don’t actually like coffee,’” she finished for him.  “Oh, I know.  He’s an absolute snob about his coffee.”

He passed the first mug to her with a grin.  “How’s this?”

She took a tentative sip, and then hummed in pleasure.  “It’s perfect, thank you.”

“Good.” He busied himself with preparing the second up, and shot her a sidelong glance.  “I, um, want to apologize again for last night.”

“Adrien—”

“And to thank you, for being there with me, even when I was…like that.”  He set the mug down and gave her his full attention.  “I know you don’t think I should be ashamed, but I am, so this is important to me.   Please, accept my apology.”

“Alright.  I accept your apology.”

His expression eased, and he lifted his mug to his lips.  “Thank you.”

“Of course.”  Marinette wanted to press, to talk about last night, but—he’d talk when he was ready.  Instead, she said, “I guess I ought to be getting back home.”  She chuckled, thinking of the grilling that Alya would subject her to.  “I can only imagine what Alya thinks happened last night.  I’ll have to correct her.”

Adrien set his mug back on the tray and regarded her with a curious frown.  “Does it bother you, for her to think that we were…intimate?”

“Yes.”  Marinette blushed, and ducked her head.  “But only because it isn’t true.”

“Ah.”  He tilted his coffee cup, gently swirling the contents.  “What if it was true?”

Marinette grinned, in spite of the fresh blush heating her cheeks.  “I’d probably tell her about it myself, as soon as I got home.”

He choked on his coffee, and Marinette chortled.  “You asked!”

“So I did.”  He wiped the coffee from his chin with a warm smile, and Marinette felt her heart go all gooey.  Time to leave, before he had her melting entirely.

“Thank you for the coffee.”  She set her mug back on the tray, and slid her feet to the floor.

“Of course.”  He stood when she did, and led the way out of the room.

She bit her lip, suddenly feeling awkward again as she followed him to the front door.  “I, um, I’ll see you later, then, I guess?  Are you still planning to come over tonight?”

“I am!  1600, right?”

“Yeah!  Or, you know, whenever.”

He nodded, stopping in front of the door, and turning to face her.  “I’ll be there.”

“Good.”  She rocked back on her heels, smiling.

“Good.”  He propped his shoulder against the door, and smiled back.

“Oh, for crying out loud, would you just kiss already, so she can leave?”

“For fuck’s sake, Plagg!”  Adrien glared at the floating, smirking ‘cat’.   “I think I liked it better when you spent all day in your tank.”

Marinette giggled.  “He’s right, though.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They kissed.

Adrien walked into the apartment at 1604, brown bag-wrapped bottle in hand, and Nino stomped in behind him with his arms full of Thai take-out.   Both girls jumped up to help them set everything out on the table.

“Alya, if you order from that place again, I swear that I am going to break up with you,” Nino groused.

Marinette glanced at him sympathetically.  “Bad service again?”

“Awful service.  Abysmal service.  I will never go back to that place, I don’t care how good the food is.  I will fucking make it myself.”

“Aw, my poor Nino,” Alya cooed, wrapping her arms around his waist and leering up at him.  “I’d be happy to service you.”

Nino choked on air, while Adrien snickered.  “Jesus, Al.”  He glanced at the blushing Marinette.  “Keep it in your pants, will you?”

Alya pressed a quick kiss to his lips.  “Don’t you slut-shame me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.  I just don’t want to share you.”

She smirked knowingly, looked pointedly at Marinette (who was now very studiously ignoring all three of them), and then back at her boyfriend. “That not what you said when—”

“ALYA!”

“What?” she asked innocently, though she was fooling no one.

“Nino,” Marinette interjected loudly, “will you go get plates and silverware please?”

He relaxed, and flashed a grateful smile. “Absolutely.”

“Adrien, can you go help him?  We’ll need napkins, too.”  He nodded, and followed Nino back to the kitchen.  Marinette turned to a still smirking Alya.  “You, Mlle Horndog, can help me with drinks.”

“Excellent idea, mon ami.  I am quite…thirsty.”

They heard Adrien’s guffaw from the kitchen, and Marinette groaned.  “You guys are the worst.”

Alya bumped her hip into Marinette’s.  “You know you love us.”

Marinette heaved a long-suffering sigh.  “I don’t know why.”  But, she was smiling.

The four friends made short work of their meal, speaking little.  That Thai restaurant was notorious for shoddy customer service, but they managed to stay in business because their food really was just that good.  When they were done, the girls worked together to store their left-overs in the fridge while the guys washed the dishes and left them to dry.

Their tasks completed, Alya surveyed their selection of alcohol with a delighted smile.  Nino had brought over a bottle of rum and a two liter of Coke earlier in the day; Marinette still had a partial bottle of Scotch whiskey that that she’d been slowly sipping her way through for several weeks; Alya had both a bottle of tequila and a bottle of margarita mix—and Adrien’s choice was still hidden by the brown paper bag.  Curiously, she hefted it and slipped it out.

“Moscato?” she spluttered, laughing unreservedly at his choice.

He frowned.  “What’s wrong with Moscato?  You told me to bring what I like.”

“I did.  I know I did.  But I also said booze.”  She waggled the bottle, displaying the label for the others to see.  “This is glorified fruit juice, not booze.”

Marinette glared repressively at Alya, and took the bottle from her hand.  “I happen to like Moscato, too,” she protested, searching for their corkscrew.  “And even if I didn’t, there’s nothing wrong with his choice.”

“Thank you, Marinette,” Adrien beamed.

Alya shook her head, “Lightweights, the both of you.”  She mixed herself a margarita that was far more tequila than mix, and then moved out of the way to allow the others to make their drinks.

Nino slipped into the space she’d occupied, and made a far more moderate rum and Coke for himself.  “You have an iron liver, Al.  It’s unnatural.  The rest of us are just human.”

Adrien nearly dropped the glass that Marinette had just pressed into his hand, and she steadied it with an encouraging squeeze to his fingers.  It struck him, then, just how nice it was that someone knew, and could look at him in that moment with support and understanding rather than curiosity and concern.

He continued to stare at her as she turned to fix her own drink (whiskey on the rocks) and didn’t return to himself until Alya spoke again.

“All set?” she asked, surveying the full drinks.  “Excellent!  Let the sleepover shenanigans begin!”

The rest of them followed her to the living room, where the TV and Xbox were set up for an UMS4 tournament.  “Shenanigans?” he asked, warily.

Nino shrugged, settling himself into the corner of their couch.  “She’s exaggerating.”  Then he considered his girlfriend’s shit-eating grin, and amended it.  “Probably.”

Marinette settled herself into an over-stuffed beanbag chair on the floor, and rubbed her hands together excitedly.  “Who’s going to start?”

“Not you!”  Alya and Nino said together, surprising a laugh out of Adrien.

Marinette pouted.

“Why not Marinette?”

“Because she is insanely good at this game,” Alya replied, turning everything on and grabbing the controllers.

Nino nodded his agreement. “It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that she’s going to win, but we play anyway because it’s fun and she’s usually a good sport about it.”

“The rest of us like to get a bit of playing in before she gets her hands on a controller and obliterates us.” She passed one controller to Nino, and offered the other to Adrien.  “You wanna go first?  Best of three matches between you and Nino, and I’ll play the winner.”

“Sure,” he said, taking the controller after a slight hesitation.  He’d been confident about his skill with the game, until they’d started talking about Marinette.  Now he was worried that he’d make a poor showing.

He needn’t have.

The first match was surprisingly quick, and when it was over, Nino groaned in disgust.  “You’re almost as good as she is,” he grumbled.  “As good, even.”

The second match went the same as the first, rendering a third unnecessary.

“My turn!” Alya chirped, and Nino handed the controller to her.

“It’s your funeral,” he said despondently, and Adrien felt a twinge of guilt.

“Maybe it was a fluke,” she said hopefully, taking the controller and changing characters to begin another match.

Nino arched a brow.  “Twice in a row?”

“It could happen.”

It wasn’t a fluke.  Adrien beat Alya as soundly as he’d beaten Nino, and she tossed her controller to Marinette with a groan after the second match.  “At least now someone can finally maybe knock Marinette from her pedestal.  Having my ass kicked is worth it to see someone take down the Queen.”

Marinette grunted.  “You can’t have my crown until you remove it from my corpse.”

“Whoa, dark,” Nino chuckled, then laughed outright when he saw the look she was getting from Adrien.

“I thought you said she was a good sport?” he said accusingly to Alya, who chuckled.

“That was before we realized that you’d actually be able to challenge her.”

Nino nodded sagely.  “You’ve tapped her competitive streak.”

Marinette looked back at him, determination writ clearly on her face.  “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

She nodded once, turned back to the screen, and started the match.

This time, the match lasted much longer, and Adrien found himself struggling to keep pace with her.  In the end, he did lose—but not by much.

“Well done,” he said, smiling.

“Anyone else need a refill?”  Alya asked, taking advantage of the lull between matches to get another drink.

Adrien and Nino chorused in the affirmative, but Marinette shook her head.  “Not more whiskey, but I’ll have some water.”

“Lightweights.  All of you.”

Nino, who was in the process of making a drink that had less rum in it than the previous had, scoffed. “I happen to like my liver the way it is. Functioning.”

“I’m less concerned with my liver, and more concerned with not being hung over in the morning.”

“Hung over?”  Adrien was briefly confused by the term, and then it connected.  “Oh, right.  The miserable feeling you wake up to the morning after over-indulging.”

Alya and Nino stopped to look at him strangely, and Marinette giggled.  He shrugged, and held up a wine glass that was only half-full.  “It happened to me once, and it’s an experience I have no desire to repeat.”

Alya blinked.  “Oh, you precious sun-child.  How have you managed two years at University with only one hangover?”

Nino pushed his girlfriend out of the kitchen.  “Leave him alone, Al, you’re embarrassing him.”

They settled back into their places in the living room, and the players took up their controllers for the second round.  It was another close game, but to Adrien’s delight, he actually managed to beat Marinette.

Nino and Alya both whooped their joy, slapping Adrien on the back.   Marinette wasn’t exactly celebrating, and her lips twisted sourly, but her eyes sparkled.

“Well done, Adrien,” she said, parroting his earlier words back at him.  “It’s nice to be challenged once in a while.”

“Happy to oblige you,” he returned, feeling a tad smug.  “Are you ready for round three?”

“Hoping to steal my crown, Adrien?”

He grinned.  “Ready to try, anyway.”

“Come on, Adrien!  ‘Do, or do not.  There is no try.’”

Marinette snorted and hit start.  “UMS4 now, Star Wars later, you nerd.”

“Star Wars?” Adrien asked, executing a complicated combination move that put him ahead of Marinette, if only slightly.

“You’ve never seen Star Wars?”  Adrien shook his head, and Alya looked at Nino in shock.

“I know, I know!  More than two years of friendship, and I still haven’t gotten him to watch it.  I’m a failure.”

“It’s never too late,” Marinette pointed out, taking back her lead.

“And no time like the present.”  Nino smiled triumphantly.  “I think I know what movie we’re watching.”

“Not until I beat—Adrien—”  Her fingers flew over the controller, stacking combos.

“Gah, how are you so good at this?”

“I played a lot with my dad growing up,” she said, systematically pounding his mech into the ground.  “And I played in a couple of tournaments in collége and lycée.”

“It shows.”  He tossed the controller to Marinette, who stood and put them on the shelf beneath the wall-mounted TV.  “I only started playing a few years ago.”

“What he means to say, is that he only started playing video games a few years ago.”  Nino shook his head.  “It’s crazy that you got so good so fast.”  He stood and stretched, then fetched his laptop from his bag and began scrolling through his movies, looking for Star Wars.  “You know,” he said absently, “sometimes, I think your life didn’t start until a few years ago.”

Adrien felt Marinette’s gaze on him, and avoided meeting it.  “Sometimes, I think you’re right.”

[crytill5am-blog]

Hell Week

just something nice and small with trans!lance. sorry if it’s a little all over the place, i wanted to type it out while the idea was still fresh in my head and didn’t really read through or plot it out properly

Waking up grumpy in the morning after the blaring alarm of the Castle of Lions was a natural state for the paladins of Voltron by now.

What wasn’t considered normal, was that Lance wasn’t grumpy, he was pissed as fuck. Unlike all the other paladins who had easily jogged into the control room, all dressed and ready for battle with their bayards by their sides, Lance had stormed in with a thunderous look, bayard clenched tightly beside him, but still dressed in sleep clothes.

“Lance!” Allura called out sharply, irritation marring her pretty features as she marched over to the line of paladins, “Why aren’t you dressed in your paladin armour? Don’t you know that the Galra could attack at any moment and that you must be prepared for such attacks?”

Now, everyone there expected Lance to shrug off Allura’s scolding with a laugh and a cheap flirtation, as he usually did. After all, the blue paladin was known for being laid back, if a bit flirty, so it would have been completely normal for Lance to brush off the princess’ ire.

“Oh, fuck off Allura,” The paladins choked, staring at Lance in horror and surprise, Allura’s mouth falling open in her own shock, Coran’s mustache looked like it was about to fly off of his face. Lance, however, was just seething, his posture stiff and an arm wrapped around his abdomen as he hissed in pain.

Allura was the first to recover, her shock replaced with anger at Lance’s disrespect and blatant disregard to her stature, “What did you just say?!”

Lance, kind, patient, relaxed Lance, actually snarled at the princess. The rest of the paladins were frozen in shock, before Hunk seemed to snap out of it and groaned, walking over towards Lance, placing his hand on the smaller man’s shoulder.

“Quiznak, Lance, dude, calm down,” Hunk said, voice soft and soothing, “Breathe in with me, ‘kay?”

Lance’s anger seemed to falter, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to relax some as Hunk rubbed his shoulder. Allura still looked like she wanted to yell at Lance, but the blue paladin focused on his best friend, hoping to calm down some to give a sincere apology, even if he didn’t feel particularly apologetic at the moment.

Lance shuddered and felt a wave of disgust come over him when he shifted footing slightly, feeling the sticky wetness between his thighs. He should have kept an eye on the calendar now that he didn’t have his birth control and testosterone anymore. It was bound to happen that his period would reappear after being over three months in space. He just didn’t think it’d be as bad as it was at the moment. The cramps felt like they were trying to force him to eject his intestines and his back ached like he’d just gone a round against an angry wolverine. 

Oh god, and there was blood trickling down his legs now. Great, just freaking fantastic.

A sudden overwhelming wave of self-loathing washed over him, powerful enough to make him tear up and sniffle. He looked up at Hunk, his best bro’s face sympathetic and calm as he rubbed Lance’s back now.

“Anyone care to explain what’s happening?!” Allura snapped, her own anger having not dissipated as she rounded on the paladins. The others all shared a look and shrugged, which made Lance want to laugh and cry at the same time. 

Hunk was the one who tried to calm the princess down, even as he continued to pat Lance’s shoulders. “Sorry, Princess. Lance isn’t feeling too great at the moment due to some biological changes now that he doesn’t have certain medication up here anymore.” 

“What Hunk means is,” Lance huffed, sending his best friend a thankful look, knowing that Hunk was trying to help Lance not out himself until he felt comfortable enough to. But it wasn’t like the team wouldn’t eventually find out anyway, so it might as well be right now, “my body’s flushed out the remainder of my birth control and testosterone. It’s caused me to start my, uhm, my period?” Lance chuckled wetly, still feeling waves of emotions running through him in an endless cycle.

Pidge gaped before grimacing, “Aw, fuck, dude that must suck. D’you need like, pads and shit? Tampons? I think I still have some in my room that I can share.” Lance looked at her as if she had hung the moon in the sky, nodding enthusiastically.

“I should go get some painkillers to help with your cramps. Coran, mind showing me where you keep them in the med-bay?” Shiro asked, his drive to help his team coming out to the front of his mind.

“Righto number one! Follow me please!” Coran called enthusiastically, leading the older paladin out of the control room. 

Allura frowned, confused, “What in Altea is a period?” She asked as Pidge left the control room to go get the products she’d offered, while Shiro and Coran left to go to get the necessary medication from the med-bay, leaving an increasingly uncomfortable Keith, Lance and Hunk to explain human terms for menstruation. 

“Ah, it’s what we refer to the, uhm, bleeding period of a human’s menstrual cycle,” Lance explained some, “People who’re born with uterus’, uteri? I don’t know what the plural is, can’t think right; uhm, they get periods, which is what I have right now, so yeah.”

Understanding came over Allura’s features and she frowned, “I see. Still, this does not excuse your rude behaviour earlier on.”

“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that,” Lance grimaced, that arm that had been clutching his abdomen moving to hold onto Keith’s suddenly offered arm, squeezing painfully, “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I’m just... in a lot of physical and emotional discomfort at the moment.”

“oh,” Allura blinked, cocking her head curiously, “Do human... periods, I believe you called them? Cause bodily pain?”

Lance stared incredulously at the Princess, “Well yeah? My uterus is literally ripping and forcing itself out of my body. Do Alteans not get cramps or backaches during theirs?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. There is some discomfort from have blood coming out of your, but it’s quite painless.”

“Jesus Christ, I am so jealous,” Lance grumbled, “Fucking lucky bastards.”

The rest of the team walked back into the room, Lance ignoring Shiro’s disappointed look as he took the two small pills from Shiro and swallowed them back with the water packet Coran had brought along. Fuck Shiro, Lance was in pain; he was allowed to cuss while on his period. 

Pidge tossed a pad in Lance’s direction, who caught them relatively easily, “You should go put these on before you bleed anymore on the floor of the control room,” they grumbled, looking at the few specks of blood trailing down Lance’s legs that dripped to the floor with a grossed-out look.

“Right, thanks, Pidge,” Lance breathed with a sigh, pulling away from Hunk and Keith, not catching the wince Keith tried to hide as he rubbed the feeling into his probably bruised arm. Lance moved to leave the control room, waving off Hunk’s fretting, “I’ll see you all at breakfast. Mind making me something to eat that won’t make me nauseous, big guy?”

Hunk nodded with a small, relieved sigh, “Sure dude, no problem.”

Keith glanced down at the few specks of blood that had dripped to the floor and grimaced, “Anyone want to clean that up?”

“Not it!” Everyone called, making the mulleted red paladin groan, leaving the room to find a mop, ignoring the laughter coming from behind him.

[diaphdiaph]

Early Mornings: Chapter I

The desire to fall back asleep comes as easily as the urge to draw a breath. Clarke's frequent presence in the commander's quarters was an open secret known by the maids and ambassadors alike, though none would dare to speak out of such things after Lexa's triumph against the false prophets that were felled just short of Polis, her strength and throne assured in the process.

"Heda," the young handmaiden nodded at Lexa's wave of dismissal and set the breakfast at the table by the foot of the bed. She dared to glance at the sprawling golden aureate hair and bare shoulder that slipped out from blankets adjacent, quickly averting her eyes.

"You are not required today." Lexa reconfirmed, bleary eyed and yawning.

"Yes, Heda." she quickly retreated and Lexa rolled her eyes in the knowledge of the quiet gossip that would come.

She stretched awake, arching the column of her spine and sighing into the relief that followed each loud pop. The blankets were quickly kicked off, though the amount of blankets she had in her possession decreased every night spent beside Clarke's hoarding shape, hooking her hips around the furs and claiming them one by one.

Next was the trunk. A cumbersome wooden and steel box that came with her station, filled each morning with the most crucial documents for the days and weeks ahead, usually trade agreements and tithe papers. It sat on the table beside a breakfast of fruits and barley water, carried in every morning at the stroke of dawn ready for her appraisal over what was usually a short meal.

Today the trunk was mercifully light with just a few urgent requests for materials from Arkadia, rushing to build their first settlements in time for their first harsh winter. Easily remedied, Lexa mused as she flicked through the list, ripe persimmon between her fingers.

The sound of movement earned her full attention as she set down the papers and turned to face the foot of the bed, leaning against the table, smirking at the sight that greeted her. Clarke's hand emerged from the blankets first, slapping and feeling out the vacant side of the blankets, sighing and earnest in her disappointment.

"Good morning, Wanheda." Lexa cleared her throat and smirked, waiting for it.

"No."

"It's time to get up."

"No."

"Clarke-"

"Sh."

"I don't enjoy these games you play." Lexa lied and feigned annoyance, puffed shoulders and all.

"Here," Clarke patted her side of the bed. "Just five more minutes." she whispered with a croak in her voice, beautiful bleary eyes thinning the commander's resolve.

"Get up."

"I want to cuddle."

Lexa almost flinched in embarrassment, her eyes slipping to the cacophony of early morning preparation that blustered through the hallway outside, praying quietly that none of the maids heard such a slip of the tongue. Sharing quarters was one thing, a small carnal transgression that could be tolerated, but feelings and exchanges of the heart and the tiny kisses pressed to the corners of her eyebrows late at night were enough to topple their stations.

"I want to-"

"Shut up." Lexa hissed at Clarke's giggles, bird mouthed and staring at the door her guards were stationed behind.

"If only they knew you were little spoon." she mouthed and ducked under the covers. Lexa's brows quirked, her eyes flashing in the way they did when something was lost in translation. "I hold you when we sleep." Clarke clarified and ducked beneath the blankets again.

"Is that… your people have a word for such a thing?" Lexa rolled her eyes.

"Yep, just like eating out my-"

"I'm not above banishing you." Lexa stiffened and her nails dug into the table, her chest catching a breath at the memory of how she discovered such unnecessary nomenclature.

"You don't have a rocket big enough." Clarke laughed and watched her adoringly, "Come lay down next to me. Please." she patted the space.

Lexa muttered to herself at first, chewing and still reluctant as she crawled up the bed, whispering promises that her paramour would make them late for the ambassadors meeting.

"Technically you're at an ambassadors meeting, just maybe not the ambassadors meeting." she slipped hot hands around the bare expanse of Lexa's taut gut.

"Are you happy now?"

"Nope." Clarke sighed and hooked her hip over Lexa's, using the leverage to pull herself up until she straddled the commander with soft thighs slipping down the ripples of her stomach. "Now I am." she teased and dangled her underwear, or rather lack thereof, in front of her.

Lexa opened her mouth and closed it again, hands slipping along the skin of her girlfriend's hips. "If anyone should ask-"

"Trade agreements." Clarke grinded and stole the gasp from Lexa's mouth with a kiss.

The next little battle arrived maybe a month later after a particularly long stretch apart, too long for Lexa's liking. It came off the back of Clarke's return to Arkadia for what felt like months but was in fact three weeks precisely. With curled fingers, nibbling teeth and warm hands taking all of her favourite parts that she missed terribly, Lexa almost gloated in the short sharp shakes of her lover's exhausted hips and gave her reminder after reminder of why she shouldn't leave for any length of time again.

Collapsed in their positions, naked and huffing, they stayed their all night entwined in each other's loving embrace until the sound of the trunk thudding the table and the metal breakfast tray quietly clattering stirred Lexa's sleep.

Eyes snapping open, body lurching forward, the commander stared at the young equery who stood sheepishly peering at the ground. She was perhaps seventeen, maybe eighteen, definitely an Azgeda girl and from the impressive markings on her arms and cheeks probably a chief's niece or daughter too.

"I told you not to disturb me." Lexa grasped at the blankets.

"The chief equerry told me-"

"Your Heda told you otherwise!"

"Heda, I won't say anything... I saw nothing." the girl stuttered.

"Come here." Lexa ordered quietly, rubbing her brow and clearing her eyes, entirely inconvenienced by the need to kill this girl before the depths of her affections for Clarke were reported back to Azgeda.

"I should go back to the others and send for-"

"I said come here!" Lexa gnashed and earned the obedience she sought. "What did you see?"

"Nothing."

"What did you see?" Lexa lowered her brow and dared the girl to lie again.

"I saw you and Wanheda embracing… in warm friendship." she kept her gaze trained away from their naked figures though Lexa still slipped the blankets up Clarke's back tentatively.

The memory of Costia sat with her sometimes, her smile and raven hair in particular, before, it was enough to send her marching alone into a deep corner where she could hollowly retch into the knowledge of her death. Now, though the pain was sharp, it dimmed into a manageable ache at the sight of her star flecked lover asleep and stirring beside her. Lexa would not lose another, it would be unsurvivable.

"Lex," Clarke murmured and wrapped her hand into a tensing chunk of thigh. Eyes closed, adjusting and aware of someone else in the room, she opened her eyes and flinched away. "Commander," she cleared her throat and rolled off. "I, er, thank you for looking over the trade agreements-"

"She already saw too much." Lexa growled and set her acidic resolve and stared the girl to her melting point.

"Leave us," Clarke smiled reassuringly at the young equerry and nodded to the door.

"Do not move." Lexa pulled rank.

"Go, quickly." Clarke wrapped the blankets around herself in an effort to maintain some dignity and ushered the girl to the door. "It's not a secret sometimes the commander and I enjoy each other… that's all you saw, right?"

"Yes Wanheda." the girl breathed in relief. "Nothing more."

"Good, hurry back." she squeezed the maid's shoulder.

The door closed and Lexa was already busied in pulling her clothes on, by the time Clarke turned and caught sight she was attaching the clasp of her belt and adjusting it to her shoulder. Heaving in frustration, simmering with rage, desperate and itching for an argument, Lexa stalked around for her boots.

"Lexa-"

"How many times will you gamble with your life?" she hissed.

"She's just a girl-"

"And you would have me believe that young girls are infamous for their discretion?" she chewed and leaned over the back of the sofa, searching for the boots. "She's a threat that must be eliminated."

"You wouldn't." Clarke dared her, hands on hips.

"Watch me."

At that Clarke reached for the short blade kept on the table and cocked her shoulder back, assured in her aim, the glimmer of metal flew through the air and stuck the wall beside Lexa's shoulder. It was a warning, one that was successful in halting Lexa into a blinking seething rage.

"Did you just..." she closed her eyes and felt the silent torrent of boiling anger wash through her veins. "One of these days I will throw one back and you can be certain that I won't miss!"

"You wouldn't." Clarke emphasised sternly.

"You're right but the thought of it is all that stops me killing you myself sometimes!" she snapped.

"I won't let you kill her Lexa."

"The thought of finding you the way I found-" Lexa steadied herself against the side table, heaving for a breath, swallowing back the particular acid that dripped her insides. "They sent her back to me in parts."

"I know." Clarke whispered softly and stepped towards her with blankets dragging beneath her feet.

"I wouldn't survive it again." Lexa told her earnestly.

"I know."

"What would you have me do?"

"Trust that the world is changing. Trust that I'm probably the last person Roan wants dead. Let me love you. Be happy with me. The list goes on…" Clarke slipped her arms around the commander's waist and held her as if it was her singular purpose.

Lexa appraised each bit of the list as hands dallied up her coat and along the ridges of her spine. Blinking, uncertain and convinced she misheard, her mouth opened and closed, settling into silence as she ran through the list again.

"What are you thinking about?" Clarke pried quietly and melted against Lexa's calloused hands at the small of her back.

"You… love me?"

"When you're not on a murderous rampage."

"I never," Lexa swallowed, "I didn't know you felt so deeply too."

"Does this mean we can go back to bed now?" Clarke tugged her hand and shuffled back towards the bed, blankets tripping her feet. Lexa followed and pretended to be unwilling but the knowledge that she was loved in turn melted in her mouth like cotton candy.

The next early scuffle was a minor one, it came after the first hunt of the season, the one Lexa promised wouldn't continue for much longer than a day or two though it soon turned into nearly a week long affair after they began tracking a wild pack of boar through the valleys and then stumbled across a herd of deer too.

Thighs sore from riding through the night, knot in her shoulder gnawing into her exhaustion, heavy footed and grimy from the week, she dismissed the advisors that followed along the hallway and entered her quarters alone. As soon as the doors clicked close behind her tall figure she found herself hunched and tugging her boots off, unclasping the heavy accoutrements of her station, freeing herself of it all bit by bit.

It was only when she moved towards her bed in hope for a few hours rest before the lunch with her nightbloods that she noticed Clarke, asleep and curled up tiny on the commander's side of the bed in nothing but one of Lexa's long sleeved tops.

"How did you even get in here?" Lexa asked in astonishment and slipped beneath the blanket and bed, shuffling behind her lover with antsy hands that missed her dearly.

"Mmm," Clarke made a small noise and wiggled her nose. "You stink." she shrugged her away.

"It masks our scent so we don't frighten the deer."

"Wait, what?" Clarke peered over her shoulder and blinked. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Lexa bit her tongue and settled on her pillow with closed eyes. "Clarke." she suddenly remembered and blinked, "How did you get in here whilst I was away?"

"I walked in?"

"You just… walked in?" Lexa furrowed her brow. "The guards didn't stop you?"

"Being Wanheda has its perks, I don't think any of them would have wanted to answer to you if I snitched." Clarke sighed and wriggled her bottom into the commander's warm hips. "I missed you, couldn't sleep while you were gone."

"I'm here now love." Lexa traced her fingers down her spine. "We can sleep for as long as you like."

"Maybe later," Clarke sat up and kicked the blankets off, stretching and clambering out of the bed towards the bath.

"Are you… but." Lexa blinked and sighed, flopping back down. "Must you be impossible?"

"I can take a bath by myself if you don't want to come?" Clarke peeped round the intricate wooden headboard and smiled softly.

"I smell that bad?"

"That bad." she nodded and disappeared again.

Lexa huffed a small concession and slipped out of the blankets, following with an urgent immediacy as the lone shirt she found Clarke in was quickly slung out into the bedroom.

"I missed you baby." Clarke hummed and grinned against the sound of hot rushing water.

"I'm not a baby." Lexa quirked her brows and slipped the shirt off her back.

Read Chapter II HERE. Please be sure to review!

[heartofhryule]

Heart of Wisdom - Chapter 12

WARNINGS: Teen+ for this chapter. Depicts minor sexual violence and themes and strong Language. This is where it gets a bit dark. You have been warned. Contains Hyrule Warriors spoilers and story items. I highly recommend playing the game if you haven’t! It’s complete fluff, but fun fluff…. minus Lana. _____________________________________________________

Heart of Wisdom | Chapter 12 | Wisdom

“And what precisely did you think would happen?” A voice came from the open door. Naburoo stood there, arms crossed and smirking at him where he yet sprawled in shock and rage on the stones.

“Insolent bitch,” he growled, getting to his feet. “You dare speak to me in that manner?” He raised his hands and stalked towards her with every intention of striking her, but Naburoo kept her head high, raising an eyebrow defiantly.

“You’re never going to defeat them if you don’t think, my lord.”

He halted his pace, livid, but finding something in her words to ring true. “Explain.”

“You were mumbling aloud. You knew you could not wield the sword, yet you went to take it. Just exactly how did you think taking it and wielding it were any different?” He sneered, anger boiling, but she had a point.

“And what would you suggest, witch?”

“To follow through with your plan to ride for Hyrule Castle. With one Minor adjustment.” She held up a finger to indicate her meaning, and began to pace in front of him. “Our discussion of lovers made me think the other night - You promise me Queen. But there is still a government to overthrow, a war to fight, and we may not yet survive. At least my own survival is not guaranteed. I started trying to think of ways that it could be.”

“Get to the point, woman,” he ground out.

“What if there didn’t have to be a war?” she stopped and looked him dead in the eye. “What if... you were crown the King of Hyrule the day after we arrived?” Interest piqued, Ganon took a step closer to her as his curiosity began to outweigh his anger.

“And how, my ear, would we go about that?”

“Marry the Princess you so desire, of course.”

Head thrown back, his long, dreadlocked hair jingled with the trinkets dancing under the force with which his shoulder shook. “Now I know you are mad!”

“Am I?” Naburoo asked, smile like a snake charming the mouse. “What if she had no choice?” He his laughter died abruptly and she again had his attention, Naburoo moved past him into the chamber, staring at the Sacred Sword. “You need this removed to regain your full power. Yet we cannot remove it.” To prove her point, she grabbed the hilt - a far cry from his failure - but illustrated the complete immobility of the object.

“The Hero must remove it.”

“So the Hero shall,” she grinned, returning her gaze to him. “We ride to Hyrule. We gain audience - She will not turn us away if we ride under the banner of peace and disguised intentions. You tell her either she marries you, or you burn the country to the ground. Say she accepts and you are crowned king. The Hero is forced to watch his beloved rule under your thumb and abused in your bed. If he does not straight away leave for this place I would be surprised. Or,” she said, sauntering forward confidently, “The Princess denies you, and I wager we get through no more than 2 villages before the The Hero appears with the Sword. Either way, you will then be restored to full power, and there will be no one to stop you.”

The blooming admiration for her devious plan brought a smile to Ganon’s face. Reaching out, he yanked Naburoo against him and crushed her soft body to his. “And where are you in all of this?” he asked.

“By your side. Advisor. General of the army perhaps,” she grinned. “The woman who might have to share your bed while you break the Princess’s spirit and body, but will still be drawing your eye and lust when you’ve grown bored with her.”

His eyebrows raised, never had he considered Naburoo to be quite as depraved as he was… until now. “What brought this about?”

“I hate her,” she seethed genuinely, her smile gone. “I love you. I want to watch you break her, and her hero. Slowly.”

With a truly pleased and growing laughter, Ganon turned to take one last look at the Sacred Sword, before bending to throw Naburoo over his shoulder. They were done here, and he had a new lust to slake.

***

Zelda found it was difficult to hear anything Naburoo had to say over the sound of blood rushing in her ears. She stood, unarmed, with two Gerudan soldiers, a man and a woman, in the same spot she’d promised war and conquering of Hyrule.

She’d immediately been suspicious when the squire had brought the news of 3 Gerudan’s riding from the West under a banner of white. She’d known that Ganon would not be one of them as their eternal foe had never been that stupid. After his assault of her with the confirmation writ from Volga, Princess Ruto and Link as Hyrule’s Hero it had not been hard to convince the Council to rule Ganon - as he was now being called - Kill on sight.

Suspicious of the peace banner under which his minions rode, Zelda had agreed to grant them an audience for hopes of a glimpse into Ganon’s plans. She had so hoped that Naburoo and her lackeys were coming to brag, and would perhaps unwittingly give up a piece of information that would help them track down or combat Ganon more easily. The proposal they brought however wa the last thing she’d expected.

Link stared at her, his eyes the color of the sky on a summer’s day bore into her. He knew her. He knew her heart,  her mind and soul. He also knew that the treaty of which Naburoo was speaking was an opportunity… and Link knew her duty to the land.

Marriage. To Ganon.

It was suicide. It would not be the peaceful sharing of power that Naburoo’s honeyed words attempted to make it sound. It would be the empire of darkness in which she was a slave, and the slow ruin of Hyrule... rather than the rapid ruin that war with Ganon promised.

However, it would impede the decline. It would give them time, time they might not otherwise have.

Impa was furious and shaking next to her, Link’s stillness spoke of a rage beyond that of her Sheikan General. Volga stood at the base of the dais to the throne, fully armored, helm down and arms crossed, his great spear affixed to his back, and while she could not be seen, Zelda felt Midna’s invisible presence from behind the throne. No, it was not the heroes from across time they had amassed merely months before to fight Cia’s darkness and Darkness Himself, but they were strong allies who were no strangers to championing Hyrule.

She could not disappoint them. She could not let the Hyrulean people suffer. After all, despite the candied speech Naburoo had started with, it had been made clear that if Zelda did not accept this offer of marriage, that the countryside and innocents of Hyrule would pay in blood. That alone she could not endure.

Standing slowly, having realized Naburoo’s somewhat mocking bow meant that she was done with her response, Zelda looked down on her coldly. The foolish warrior woman, seduced by lies and power had no idea the nightmare and ruination she courted. Or perhaps she did - which was even worse. Despite knowing what she had to do, Zelda found no warmth or sympathy for the snake of a person in front of her.

“Tell your master I accept,” she said, letting all the ice she felt for Naburoo and the situation drip from her words. It was slight, but Zelda watched the woman’s eye twitch. Seemed that she’d been hoping for more village burning. Too bad. “I will have preparations made, and in three days time, he is to appear here, unarmed and under a banner of peace, and ready to wed.”

Naburoo’s smile would have looked more appropriate if her teeth had truly been made of broken glass or daggers. “As your majesty commands. I look forward to the bright future-”

“We’re done here,” Zelda interrupted and held out her hand. When Link provided his arm, he was so tense and furious that he may as well be made of stone. “Court dismissed. I must  make preparations.”

The moment they were out of the throne room and ensconced in her study, her three companions exploded into fits of anger and disapproval.

“You cannot marry him,” Link seethed. “He ill kill you and destroy Hyrule regardless of what he says. This is NOT the answer. You can’t believe him!!”

“I am inclined to agree with the Hero,” Volga nodded.

“Princess this is insanity!” Impa flailed. “How can we possibly think that letting him behind our defenses will solve any of this! How do we know he’s not burning villages right this very instant?”

“He could be anywhere amassing more of an army to march now that he has a pass.”

“He is the very heart of Darkness-”

“It’s suicide!”

“Please tell me there’s something I’m not seeing. This can’t be your idea of a good plan-”

A cool hand rest on Zelda’s shoulder where she faced away from them, tears streaming down her cheeks where they could not see. It was Midna’s hand, her appearance in the room silencing the others.

“You did what you had to. Will three days be enough?”

“It will have to be,” Zelda replied, her voice soft and broken with emotion. Covering Midna’s hand with hers, she squeezed it in silent thanks for her understanding before turning on the rest of the room. “Your lack of faith in my ability to assess and act in a given dangerous situation aside,” she articulated sharply, “I do have a plan.”

Link was still furious, but had the grace to look guilty as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Volga was impassive, and Impa clenched her jaw, looking away as she crossed her arms. “What’s the plan?” Link asked, the bile in his voice subsided as she stepped forward.

“We draw him here, where we can find him. We trap him, be it magically or with the belief that he has won and I am his bride while you,” she said to Link, “And Volga retrieve the Master Sword.”

“That’s two days ride from here, which means-”

“That you will leave tonight. If all goes well, there will only be a day that must be endured under this ruse.”

“A day that he will have his full power,” Link reminded, his intense blue gaze burning into hers. “A day you will be in his grasp, with his full power.”

“A day I risk myself for all the days that Hyrule’s people deserve to live in a world without Demise,” she said confidently, though her tone was soft again with emotion.

“And what if-”

“I will have Impa and Midna. We can teach Midna the magic of the Sheikah to disguise herself. Or she can remain unseen.”

“Ohh, new magic? I’m in!” Midna said chipperly.

“That won’t help if he kills you.”

“Then make sure you hurry back,” she snapped back, this time her emotions were winning. “You think I want this? That I go into this fearing nothing after all the lives and everything he has done even just in this one?” Link recoiled slightly, But Zelda stepped forward. “Do you truly believe that if I thought there was another way to save countless lives, to stop another village, another home from being razed to the ground, I would choose anything other than submitting to the will of Ganon himself?!”

“Zel.. I didn’t mean-”

“Yes,” she said flatly. “You did. Because you weren’t thinking about anything but your anger. You feel like I’m letting him win, and needlessly putting myself in danger. He is not, I assure you of that, I have bought us more time than other options have presented. I have bought us an opportunity to know when and where he will be in order to strike him down, and I have saved the lives of the inhabitants of this land for long enough that hopefully they will never have to know how close to destruction they were. That is not a needless risk.”

Swallowing a lump in her throat, she watched as Link’s temper flared again, but mostly in self recrimination. She was right, and he knew it.

With a shuddering deep breath, Zelda reached out and rest her hands on Link’s shoulders. “What would a battle with Darkness be, if you didn’t have to save me at least once, my love?” she asked, trying for a smile in spite of her tears. “This is my role to play. I need you to play yours once more.”

“What if I’m too late?” His voice cracked softly with his words.

“Don’t be.”

Removing her war crown, she leaned her forehead to his and let his arms come around her waist. “We have a lot to do, and not much time, nor as many strong allies as we had before.”

“What will you say about me being gone, to not tip our hand?”

“You rode off in rage when the princess accepted the proposal of another,” Impa said clearly, her own temper reined in for sake of the plan. “Volga went after you.”

“We will need disguises. At the very least for returning unnoticed,” Volga pointed out.

“I can handle that,” Impa said. “Midna, would you like to accompany me with Volga?” Quick on the draw, Midna nodded and float along behind Impa and Volga out of the study, leaving Zelda and Link together.

“I don’t like this,” Link snarled, his voice rough with emotion.

“Nor do I, love. But what choice do we really have?”

[adrift-in-writing]

Arise from Ashes: Chapter 1

Wow, it’s almost been a couple of months since I’ve written a proper chapter set-up for Skyrim. I’ve been slacking hard. Really gotta think about trying out some stuff. Anyway...

We move on from Theresa and move onward to the adult life of Freya, the Fallen Valkyrie. At this point in time she is known only as Diana, and has been recently inducted into the Vigils of Stendarr for about two months.

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Searching for these warlocks proved to be no easy task, Diana had thought to herself. After several hours of searching, her group of Vigilants had finally reached Hob’s Fall Cave. The body of a decaying woman laid frozen stiff near the entrance from the countless days - perhaps years - she spent there.

The Vigils marched forward with their torches and armed with maces. Inside, several warlocks and their skeleton minions were on their guard. They were waiting in anticipation that their days would be numbered. It reeked of death and decrepit corpses, to which some of the vigils felt nauseated by.

Bony clacking came out from the shadows. A small group of raised undead had emerged, and were dispatched quickly by the fellow Vigils. They descended deeper into the cave, tackling nothing but skeletal warriors along the way. As soon as Diana’s group had hit the ground floor, the bridges and ladders connecting to the ground had been destroyed. Mocking laughter erupted around the echoing caves, particularly an old man’s laugh.

“Fools! Welcome to your death!” The words bellowed outwards into the cave. All around the outer rim of the ground floor, the army of skeletons slowly marched towards the Vigils. No matter how much Diana and her group fought, it would be rendered moot as the skeletons would reform again and again.

One by one, the Vigilants were slaughtered and became overwhelmed by the forces the warlocks had put up. The last one standing - still fighting to her last breath - was Diana. Though at this point, it became pointless to resist the inevitably of death. The skeletal warriors surrounded her, and just as she was ready to accept her fate, her aggressors had permanently crumbled into bone-dust. She crumpled onto the ground and writhed in pain, for a sword had impaled her abdomen before they crumbled.

A blinding white light flashed at the top level, followed by dead and decapitated warlocks falling to the ground floor. As she laid there, bleeding out, she could faintly see a small group of winged women descending down. Indistinctly, their voices mixed together and it was hard for Diana to focus. Could this be it, then? Could this be the moment she’d go to Sovngarde?

The pressure in her abdomen was released and gradually, Diana was lifted up into the air. Her vision blurred and she couldn’t focus on what was in front of her, but it did appear that her saviors were examining the wound. The lone Vigil had blacked out before the examination could be finished.

It was warm, despite what Diana initially thought when death took her. Or at least, that’s what she assumed. When she moved her fingers, she felt refined fur underneath her and a soft pillow on her head to rest. A crackling fire and the smell of delectable food enveloped the air. Some women were talking whilst Diana slowly arose up, groaning in pain at the wound that had been inflicted earlier.

She was not in her Vigilant robes. Rather, she was cautiously wrapped in medical bandages. It covered her breasts and delicates while remaining modest, save for the blood in the middle of her abdominal area. Her hair had been brought down as well, as it delicately flowed down to her shoulders. One of the winged women had entered into the room to a still disoriented Diana, and then quickly alerted the rest of her group. “She’s up! And you said we’d have lost ‘er!”

More women stepped into the bedroom. A total of six winged girls stood inside the room as Diana rubbed her eyes and startled herself. She wrapped her blankets over her body in defense. “Where in Oblivion am I? Who are you, and what do you want?”

Much to the surprise of the women, they looked at each other. “I told ye she lost her memories! Didn’t someone keep ‘em in a locket somewhere?”

While two women fumbled about to find said locket, Diana kept still while the rest approached her slowly. “Relax, lass. You’re safe, thank Odyn for that.”

“Um...okay. But who’s this Odyn you speak of?” Diana tilted her head out of confusion. Truly, this was a strange group of people.

One of the women had then found the locket and it contained a golden glow inside. Out of the six, the one who looked like the leader stepped forward, letting the glow hum a little before she took a look at her fellow sister on the bed. With a flick of her wrist, a large pint of ale appeared on a clean glass. It was filled with strong alcohol, and the contents of the vial was poured in. The winged leader then offered it out to Diana.

“Drink, sister. It’ll help you.” Her voice resonated out and it sounded reassuring.

Diana however was not going to buy it. She reluctantly took a look at the drink and backed off. “Not until you explain to me what’s happening. I’m not your sister, and by the Eight I don’t know what you just did!”

A quick chuckle emitted out of the woman. “You wouldn’t believe it even if we told ya, Freya. Just drink.”

“Who is Freya? My name’s Diana! Please, just let me go and I’ll be on my way.” At this point, the lone Vigil shook her head and began standing up. Almost immediately, two of the more well-built women forced her to sit back down. She sighed and grumbled. They weren’t going to let her go, and everything right now just seemed like a crazy nightmare.

“Not in the mood for ale. Yup, I am a milkdrinker. Now let me go.”

The two well-built winged women turned their heads back to their leader, still holding the ale. Without saying anything, the leader nodded, and followed up by stepping in real close to Diana.

Her mouth was forcefully opened up. No amount of resisting could make her close it until she drank the contents of the alcohol. She could hear the calming voice of the leader speak out to her. “Didn’t want to do this, lass, but ye forced our hands.”

Diana choked on the contents of the alcohol. She resisted drinking it, even if it meant spilling into her bandages and burning her wound. Though, strangely, as bits of alcohol passed through her, the more submissive she was to drinking more of it. Even more strangely however was the fact the alcohol was not yet drained despite heavy gallons dropping onto the floor.

As the women finished, Diana coughed violently and quivered once it had subsided. She took some time to collect her breath, though once finished, her soft blue eyes turned to a shade of bright gold before shimmering down to a brownish orange. It felt difficult to move all of a sudden, so she simply turned her head on her pillow. “If it isn’t Brunnhilde and the Valkyrja.” She chuckled and groaned at the sudden burst of pain coming down to her midsection.

Her coughing had reopened up her wound. Freya sucked the air in through her teeth and tried to get more comfortable. Slowly, the memories of Freya began overlapping with the memories of Diana. Eventually the two had merged and it disappointed the wounded woman. “Odyn stripped me of Asgardian blood as well, I see...”

Briefly, she sighed and grumbled while her sisters talked amongst themselves, until Brunnhilde sat on the bed. “Rest now, lass, and tomorrow it’ll probably heal up. She found that perhaps the contents of what she poured didn’t kick in fully yet. Then, she addressed the more serious matter of Freya being stranded down in Skyrim. “Allfather didn’t exile ye. ‘Twas the Trickster.”

The wounded woman furrowed her eyebrows. “Loki? You jest. Why me of all people?” She began to protest and tried standing up again to no avail. Her wound was too great, and moving at any rate would cause it to open even further. She seethed in pain and gripped her abdomen. It leaked out blood again and was beginning to soak through the fresh bandages. “Why have you forsaken me, Odyn...?” 

Most if not all of the Valkyrja shook their heads without knowing what the Trickster’s intentions were. Nobody ever knew. Another sigh. Freya repositioned herself so that she was comfortable in her bed again. “Ye need to keep your strength up, lest ye perish, Freya. An’ don’t worry, some of us are gonna stay behind and watch over you.”

She snickered and rolled her eyes. “Watch over me? As far as I’m concerned I lived alone all my life. Besides, there’s no reason for it.”

This is where Brunnhilde had a forced laugh. “Ah, Freya. Always headstrong, yet never realizing you’re never alone. To answer your question...we’re here to train you again.” Freya raised her eyebrow and brushed off the notion, but Brunnhilde shook her head and gave a smug smile. “Ye really think we weren’t watching you slaughter endless draugr with flaws in your technique? Think again, lass.”

With that, the leader of the Valkyrja clapped her hands once. “Right. Training begins when ye get better and you can take a few hits. Give or take...2 days. Rest now.”