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cognito-ergo-creo · 6 years ago

Text

Rained In

[[In which these two dumbasses say so many words to each other.]]

“Damn,” Ashei sighed on the second day. He leaned against one wall of the cave, watching the rain. “Would you call this is a typhoon or a monsoon?”

The storm had not caught them off guard. In fact, it had rolled in slowly, darkening the sky for several days in warning. It had given them enough time to find somewhere to take shelter that was big enough for the two of them, the cart, his horse, her boar, with room to spare. To be on the safe side, they had ventured deep into the cave until they were satisfied that there was nothing else already in residence that would take offense to them being there. Still, the two of them performed their own protective rites to keep their little campsite safe.

And then the rain came like it had been waiting for them to get settled.

And it came like it hadn’t rained in years.

And it came some more.

For the first day and a half, they had managed to entertain themselves by taking the time to finally sort through their gear and other general cart-keeping. They mended what needed to be mended, sharpened what needed to be sharpened, and made a firm and final pile of what they no longer needed to hold on to. The animals got groomed. The people got groomed. They cleaned the cave. Their bedroll moved around the camp no less than seven times, and got more stuffing added (and removed) twice.

By the second day, Ashei was, to put it simply, bored out of his mind.

Maj leaned against him, having set her book down by the campfire some time ago. “Don’t think we’re near enough to the coast for it to be a typhoon, and monsoons are more wind than this. So, neither. It’s just a big ol’ storm.”

“Huh.” Thunder rolled in the distance. “You piss off any storm elementals then?” He nudged her playfully. She snorted and nudged him back.

“Not recently, no. C’mon, you’ve been standing here for fifteen minutes. If you haven’t willed the rain away by now, I’m sorry to tell you but you’re not a storm mage.”

“That’s heartbreaking. I’m heartbroken.”

“I know you are, honey. But you had to find out one day, and you’re starting to drive me crazy. Let’s play cards or something.” Maj took hold of the arm that had wrapped itself around her shoulders and pulled on Ashei as she spoke. He resisted by pulling her back to his side.

“I don’t wanna play cards with you! You cheat!”

“So do you!”

They played cards. Despite his better judgement, they played with her deck. They counted wins by trading pebbles and other debris back and forth, and he was winning. Based on the size of her smirk after another loss, she was letting him win to prove a point.

“You’re cheating! You’re cheating right now! I know you are. Who uses magic to lose?” He threw his cards down, disrupting their carefully stacked piles of winnings.

Maj laughed and rescued her cards from the ground. “Well, it’s not magic, I’ll tell you that much. You know I can’t do magic on my own, and Vee wouldn’t waste his time with card tricks.” Ashei hated it when she talked about her book like a person. She shuffled the deck as she continued. “There’s a little bit of counting involved, but mainly I know what cards are in play by the backs. Each one is slightly different, so I memorized them.”

“That doesn’t explain how you change your whole hand. I’ve seen you do that.”

“I have my ways.” She did a trick with the cards.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what they are?” Ashei asked after several long seconds passed in silence.

“Why? A lady’s gotta have some secrets.”

“’Cause I know you wanna tell me about it.”

Maj stuck her tongue out at Ashei. He chuckled and returned the gesture.

“You’re right, it’s pretty clever and I’m proud of myself for coming up with it. The fronts of my cards are decorated with little transmutation circles. If I rub a certain component on my fingers before I play, I can touch one of those places and change its appearance. It’s pretty straight forward.”

“I don’t know, stuffing your sleeves with cards sounds like a more straight forward way to cheat.”

“Is that what you do?”

“Absolutely not.” He made a show of shaking out his sleeves. A card fell out. It wasn’t one of hers. “I have no idea how that got there.”

They both laughed, the sound echoing against the walls of the cave and rivaling the sounds of the storm for a few moments. Once they calmed down, they were left with the problem of finding something else to do. With eyebrows wiggling like they had a life of their own, Ashei proposed a more... physical way to pass the time. Maj declined his offer; she didn’t want the animals watching, and it would ruin the mood to know they were out in the rain. Neri and Pappy seemed to sigh in relief. Ultimately, they decided on playing more cards, but with Ashei’s untampered with deck.

“Let’s play a new game. I’m thinking Truth or Lies, but with cards. Loser of each hand has to tell the winner about a story and the winner has to guess if it’s true or not. It can’t be a story you’ve told me before.”

“Isn’t that a drinking game?”

“Well, now it’s a card game.”

“A story I haven’t told you before, huh?” Ashei nodded as Maj got into her most comfortable slouch. “I feel like you’re making these rules up to bully me. What do I get if I guess right?”

“A kiss!” He wiggled his eyebrows again. “No, I don’t know. The thrill of being right? The rest of the story?”

“Let’s go with the rest of the story. Now deal the cards, Ponytail.”

After discussing what game use as the skeleton of their new game, they played. Ashei lost the first round after an embarrassingly short amount of time.

“Ouch, that hurt. Okay. First story.” He scratched at the stubble that was already trying to take control over his face as he thought. “I’ve got it! Once, in a storm much like this one, I had to leap across a river while carrying—”

“—I’ve met Teo.” Maj cut him off. “Getting caught cheating this early isn’t a good sign for you.”

Ashei grinned, putting his hands up in defeat. He dealt the cards again, maybe bending luck a little more to his side as he did so. Maj lost the next two hands in a row. She sighed and leveled a look that could wilt vegetation at Ashei. Ashei grinned wider in response and waited.

“Alright, here’s a school story: I had my own room, but I slept in the library most of the time.”

A simple statement, with none of her typical vigor or gestures. “I think that’s a lie,” said Ashei after a brief deliberation.

Maj’s face split into a smug smirk. “Nope, it’s true. I was so young they didn’t want to stick me in the regular dorms, and having me room with a professor was—no. Out of the question. So. I got my own little room. Jasper still thinks it used to be a broom closet, but it was fine for me. ‘Cept I wasn’t used to sleeping on my own. It was too quiet, so the library it was. It was busier and cleaner than the dining room; folks in there all hours of the day. Just knowing there were other people around was enough for me to relax enough to sleep.”

She lost her second hand.

“Fucker.” She sighed. “How about another Baby Maji story? I scared Ruben so bad that he went off and became a member of the clergy.”

Ashei snorted his drink. “W—which one is Ruben?”

“One up from me.”

“I have no doubt in my mind that that happened.” He shifted to get more comfortable, foot brushing against her leg. “What happened?”

“Ruben told Mica and Mica told me, so it’s a third-hand story, but I guess it’s true. Neither of them are much for embellishing tales. The two of us—Ruben and me—used to share a room before I left, and since no one ever took the second bed out of his room, it’s where I stayed when I came back for term breaks and holidays. This happened when I was like, eight, maybe? Which would have made him,” she paused, trying to place her brothers’ ages in relation to hers, “fourteen or fifteen.

“Apparently what happened was he woke up in the middle of the night one night ‘cause he heard something like whispering, or rustling, or something dragging. It was a noise that had no business being in our bedroom, whatever it was. So he rolled over and opened his eyes, and saw me, talking in a language he couldn’t understand to something he couldn’t see... except for the huge black shadow that was on the wall behind me, even though there wasn’t enough light for there to have been a shadow. And then I looked over at him, and my eyes were glowing. He was so scared he couldn’t even scream.

“He packed his bags at the very ass crack of dawn the next day. He didn’t leave for a few weeks, but he wouldn’t even pass through the same room as me.” Maj scratched the back of her neck and shrugged, signifying the end of the story.

Ashei tapped his foot against her leg again, this time on purpose. “Your eyes do kinda glow in the dark, you know.”

On second thought, glowing implied that they produced light. Her eyes just reflected light at the right angles, like a raccoon’s. Or an opossum. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from snickering at the comparison. But oh, how comforting he had started to find it when he woke up in the middle of the night and found eyes shining in the dark.

Maj’s shrug and demand to take over as dealer shook Ashei out of his tangent. He passed the deck over with little ceremony. He had been cheating, after all, but so did she. It was with very little surprise that he lost the round that Maj dealt him in retaliation.

“Fair enough. When I was still in the monastary, one of the boys I shared a room with and I decided to put glue into one of the ink bottles of our least favorite Brother.”

“Did you get caught?”

“I didn’t.”

“Bullshit, you didn’t get caught!”

“Well,” he dragged the word out, “I, me, did not get associated with the crime. The other boy did eventually get found out.”

“Oh, I see—”

“—Which is also when I found out I could take hits for other people without physically putting myself in front of them.” He cracked his knuckles to have something to do with his hands. “They weren’t exactly gentle with us there. But I guess when you’re trying to train up holy warriors, why would you be gentle with them?”

“Ashei, what the fuck?”

“It’s a useful feat to have though, taking damage for other people. I’m glad to have it! Really.”

“I ain’t glad you have it. That’s fucked up.”

“What do you mean it’s fucked up?”

“I mean, I wish you’d quit doing it to me. I don’t feel pain anyway, it doesn’t matter.”

“Maj—not feeling pain isn’t the same as not being injured—”

“—I’ll still be fine, it’s—”

“It isn’t “fine” for you, I’m—Maisie—D—did you miss the part where I’m literally a holy warrior?”

“No, I got that, Sir Paladin, what I’m sayin’ is,” she slapped her chest for emphasis, “I’m pretty fucking resilient, so we’ll both be fine if you never pull that shit like with the axe again.”

“You’re talking about that damn ballista again, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am!”

“Okay, well, listen, okay. Normal people aren’t usually fine after taking an entire fucking ballista bolt through the chest—”

“That’s my whole point! I was fine! I ain’t nor—”

“—And I’m still going to do my best to protec—”

“--How do you know I’m not some kinda holy warrior too, huh? I—”

A clap of thunder like a mountain being dropped on top of their cave accompanied a flash of lighting so close it bathed the inside of their shelter in bright white light. All of the hair on their arms and legs and everywhere else stood on end from the sheer power of the storm. The animals screamed.

Silence sat in the cave like another camper until the last echoes of thunder grumbled into the distance.

“I…. I guess that’s how you know I’m not a holy warrior.” Maj said once she found her voice.

Ashei took a moment longer to catch his breath before laughing. Maj joined in not long after. They laughed until they cried, clutching their stomachs and gasping for breath. They each tried to speak several times before dissolving back into uncontrollable laughter at the face of the other. Once again, Maj was the first to be able to form coherent words.

“My point,” she said through chattering teeth, “I had a point.”

“Okay,” Ashei supplied helpfully from where he was laid out on the floor.

“I was trying to say that I’m not asking you to not have my back. I want you to have my back, and I want to have yours. But I also want you to keep yourself in mind too. Does that even make sense? I just can’t stand seeing someone I love all beat to hell like that and know it’s—”

“Wait—”

“—all—”

oh no

“—did you just—”

“—my—”

Her blood simultaneously began to boil and turn to ice as her brain started to catch up with her mouth. Ashei sat up fast enough to give himself a head rush.

“...fault.” She ended weakly.

Ashei had scooted closer to her, close enough to reach out and touch her, but he kept his hands to himself.

“Did you just say you love me?” He sounded breathless, and not just from laughing.

Maj couldn’t look at him. She was still staring wide-eyed into the middle distance as she reeled with the realization of what she had said.

“Like, love-love?” He pressed gently. Ashei held his breath until Maj nodded, face firmly hidden in her hands. “Since when?”

Maj groaned and gave an answer to her hands. Ashei waited with patience he didn’t know he had until she scrubbed at her face that was so red it looked painful, blush running from her face, to her ears, and down her chest. Ashei opened his arms to her for a hug. She slunk over to hide her face in his chest, despite the fact that he was the entire reason for her embarrassment.

“Since that boat ride we took last year.” She sighed like a creature with lungs twice her size. “You were terrified of being out at sea, but you didn’t let it get in your way. You still acted up and played with the crew to make sure they liked us the whole time. The easiest way to keep up safe was staying on their good side. No one noticed how much your hands shook when you weren’t holding something, or how much teeth your smile showed.

“And then, gods, we had to sleep sitting up the whole time because—”

“—because the bunks were too tiny for us to lay together, but we couldn’t just sleep separately,” Ashei remembered that trip vividly.

“Yeah,” Maj laughed into his shirt, still refusing to meet his eyes. “That’s when we learned how needy we both are. But we survived the boat somehow, and we made it to land, and you held it together long enough to get away from the dock district entirely before you started dry heaving for like twenty whole minutes.

“But somewhere in the middle of your heaving, you looked up at me and smiled. You looked like you wanted to die, and your hair was all sweaty-plastered to your face, and you smiled. At me. Like you were as glad to have me around as you were to be back on dry land. I thought my heart was gonna beat right out of my fool chest through one of the holes I’d made.

“You took it one step further, because that’s what you do. Once you were done being sick, you reached into your bag and gave me the captain’s star charts to feed to Vee. And that’s…. when I knew I had fallen… in love. With you.”

She pressed her face back into his chest after repeating her admission. Maj wasn’t great with feelings. He could feel the warmth radiating off of her through the fabric. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and thrilled at the feeling of her arms sliding around him. She could hear his heart pounding from where she had her head.

“You know I only stole from them because I thought they were pirates,” He said while he committed the moment to memory.

“Of course they were pirates, Ash. They were the only crew not looking for travel papers. Which we didn’t have. Still don’t have.”

“I can match your story,” he said, his voice full of warmth as he rested his chin on her head. “I realized I had fallen in love with you when we were still looking for information for that ship. We had tracked down a lead to some tavern, what was its name? The Exhausted Explorer? The Busty Mermaid? The Hung Man?”

They laughed and Maj pushed herself away from him enough to look at his face. She was still pink all over and was searching his face for any tells that he was just messing with her. She couldn’t find any. She didn’t look away from him this time.

“Whatever the name was, we found our guy and bought him dinner, and drink, and we’ve been talking to him real nice the whole time trying to butter him up. I’m not sure it’s working. In fact, I was pretty sure he was going to try to run off. And then you reach out and start playing with his hand, and I think, ‘oh shit, I can’t let her try to seduce this creep. That’s my job!’

“But you’re the one holding his hand, and he and I are both so focused on that that neither one of us notices you pull his knife over to you. You lean forward like you’re about to kiss him and for a second, I think I’m gonna kill the guy if his mouth touches yours. Don’t get me wrong, I have never minded you kissing other people before or since then, but in that moment, he had to die.

“At the last second, you said something badass like, ‘if we’re friends now, friends talk to each other. Now talk.’ And then you stab the knife though both of your hands! You don’t even flinch. Then you look over your shoulder at me and grin that mean, crooked grin of yours. And wink at me as the guy starts talking.”

“I still have that scar.” She moved her hand forward to look at it. He took her hand and kissed the scar.

“I know. I was too busy standing there with my mouth hanging open thinking about how hard I had fallen for you to even think about healing you.”

“Gods above and below,” Maj swore, mirth and exasperation in her voice, “We’ve been in love with each other this whole time? And didn’t say anything? How did we survive to adulthood?”

“Well, I guess it’s like you always say. I’m a lucky bastard and you’re a stubborn bitch. We’ll make it work together.”

#long post #biglongpost #hopefully the lack of dialogue tags isn't too confusing #these two have rapid fire bants #and he said she said slowed it down #really hope the readmore still works

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lokifiction · 7 years ago

Text

Relationship Status

It’s really no secret that the Avengers and Loki aren’t fans of each other, but when a seemingly invincible common enemy looms ahead, it is necessary that they learn to get along. However, it soon becomes quite clear that this will be no simple task.

Category: Fanfic

Rating: Teen

Notes: ...I know, it’s been forever since I’ve updated anything. I’m so sorry, guys. I feel absolutely terrible. My schedule is very busy, but for some reason this year it got away from me and days flew by without me even really realizing what was happening and this page kind of got put on the backburner. I’m really so sorry. I sincerely hope that this chapter makes up for the tardiness and that I do better in the future.

Warnings: None for this chapter.

Masterlist

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

Chapter Seventeen: The Test Run

“What do you think a better theme for the dinner party would be? ‘A Night out in Paris’ or mythology?”

Loki raised a brow at me from where he was chopping vegetables for our lunch, giving me a vision of domesticity that surprisingly suited him well. “Where did mythology come from?”

I shrugged, absentmindedly stroking Henry where he laid on the counter in front of me. “It’s springtime. Every year when that time comes around, I always delve into my Persephone aesthetic. Besides, I’m kind of craving Greek food.”

“Alright, then.” Loki nodded agreeably. “Go with mythology. I admire Hades and wouldn’t mind portraying him for a night.”

I squirmed on my stool, halfway laying on the countertop, staring at Loki sideways. “Yeah, but I feel like the Paris theme is more formal and appropriate. And French food is good, too.”

“Then do that one.” Loki reached for a sweet potato, not looking up from his perfectly even slices.

“I can’t decide!” I whined. “Tell me which one you would genuinely prefer.”

“Both sound equally as wonderful, or as wonderful as a night with the Avengers can be.”

“You’re no help.” I slumped out of my seat and came around the counter to embrace him from behind, burying my face between his shoulder blades. “Please tell me.”

“Well, actually, I had an idea for a theme, myself.” Loki put his knife aside and turned to face me, resting his clasped hands at the small of my back.

“Really?” I bounced in his arms. “Tell me!”

“How about ‘An Asgardian Feast’?” He smiled with a glimmer of pride in his eyes. “We could have Thor help us a bit, and give the Avengers a taste of the culture in Asgard so they understand us and our ways better.”

“Oh my god, Loki!” I squealed and reached up to kiss him in excitement. “That’s great! We have to do that one.”

“I’m glad you like it.” I may have been mistaken, but I thought I noticed a flush creep up on his cheeks. “It might be a bit difficult to procure all of the ingredients, and we may have to make some substitutions, but I already know of a few dishes that we could serve, as well as some ceremonial decorations we could make.”

“Oh, that’s genius!” I kissed him once more. “What would I do without you?”

“Your life certainly wouldn’t be as interesting, that’s for sure.” Loki playfully tapped my nose. I scrunched it in response and giggled before slithering out of his grasp and bounding towards the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” he called after me, opening his arms as if commanding me to run right back into them.

“I’ve got a wonderful idea for the invitations,” I replied over my shoulder. “I need to get it down on paper somewhere before I forget. What’s the proper Asgardian address format again?”

***

“I hope that the wardrobe guide I sent with the invitations didn’t seem rude or snobby or anything,” I fretted, securing the final braid of my traditional hairstyle. “I just wanted them to really experience the atmosphere, and dinner parties usually have some sort of dress code, so…”

“I’m sure you came off just fine. Stop worrying yourself sick.” Loki came up behind me, zipping my dress and placing a tender kiss on my shoulder. “Do you want to go take a last-minute look at the decor?”

I heaved a sigh that was a mix of anxiety and relief. “Yes, please.”

Before we made our way into the hallway, I paused in front of the mirror, straightening my skirt and checking my appearance for any fixable flaws. I had chosen to wear a golden evening gown with a wide halter neckline, and I accessorized with heavy gold jewelry, including arm cuffs and golden rings that Loki helped me braid into my hair. Altogether, my outfit was an Earthly version of what was commonly worn to banquets in Asgard, and Loki had donned a simpler version of his armor for the occasion.

In the wardrobe guide I sent with the invitations, I advised our guests to dress similarly, and to place emphasis on a lot of leather, metal, and flowing fabrics, and sent Thor out with the task of helping them achieve that. Praying that everyone wouldn’t just show up in suits and make me and Loki look like fools in our otherworldly garb, I made my way to the kitchen, the smell of what I considered to be home filling my nostrils.

It had taken nearly an entire day for me, Loki, and Thor to put together a menu that would reflect traditional cuisine on Asgard with foodstuffs found on Midgard, and another several hours running around New York to collect all of the supplies. The spiced wine mulling on the stove fragranced the whole house and gave it the feel of autumn despite the fact that it was the middle of April, and the pork we substituted for boar had my mouth watering. The menu also included an array of baked fruits, a pumpkin soup, an apple cake, along with numerous other things, and I was glad that our guests would have no idea if the recipes were accurate, so I only had to worry about the dishes being delicious.

After fiddling with some settings on the stove and putting a loaf of bread in the oven to be warmed, I followed Loki into the dining room to perfect the setup one last time. Again, our decor for the night was a task that required hours in our storage room and another full day of shopping to gather everything we needed.

Our house had many places to dine in, but Loki and I usually ate in the breakfast nook or at a small, intimate table next to a window in the sitting room. However, for the event we had utilized our largest dining room, which boasted a table that sat eighteen with plenty of room to spare. All around the walls we had hung golden draperies to give the illusion of the inside of the palace of Asgard, and a similarly colored fabric was draped over the dining table, for the Victorian-styled piece didn’t reflect the boxy furniture found on Asgard.

From directly above the table we had removed our usual chandelier and replaced it with an antique one from medieval times, that when purchasing we nearly gave the curator a heart attack when we told her we were actually planning to use it. Loki went to light its candles and I straightened the ornate bowls of fat, red grapes and gourds that made up the table decorations. It turned out that it was nearly impossible to find gourds in the middle of spring, so instead of adding that to the list of our wild goose chase shopping trip, Loki merely conjured some, and made them particularly beautiful, with swirling vines that draped all the way over the sides of the table and curled onto the floor.

“This dinner party has me in trouble,” I murmured as Loki passed me to light the candles that sectioned off the table. “It’s got me in such an autumn mood.”

“I’m feeling that effect, as well,” Loki agreed, admiring at our handiwork and wrapping his arm around my waist. “Though I’d hardly call it trouble. You know that if we had our wish, it would be perpetually autumn.”

“Just with slightly warmer temperatures for me,” I teased, brushing imaginary dust off of one of the napkins resting atop the plates in their engraved holders. “Loki, are you sure I arranged the place settings correctly?”

“They’re perfect,” he assured, kissing my temple before breezing to the other side of the room. “Stop fretting and come sit down for a bit before the guests arrive and you get all fluttery again. You’re going to exhaust yourself if you don’t.”

“Oh, alright.” I frowned in compliance, but still had to approach the table to push one last plate a millimeter more into place. We had originally planned on using our Thanksgiving china for the event to match the decor, but after remembering that we wanted to replicate an Asgardian feast and not have an autumn fest, Loki and I decided to go out hunting for new dishes for the night. After even more searching and a hefty sum, we had gold-colored china and brassy flatware, as close to what could be found on Asgard as possible. I took one last critical glance at our little portal to another world before joining Loki in the sitting room, where we barely settled down into chairs before the doorbell rang.

My stomach dropped as I jumped to my feet, dashing to the landing to let the guests in, but they turned out to only be Stellan and his two younger brothers, Luca and Teo. Since Stellan was the only one outside of my family briefed on Loki’s true identity, and since his family owned a high-class restaurant in town that all three brothers had worked for at one point or another, Loki and I figured that they would be the best candidates to come and be our waiters for the night.

“Hello, Camryn!” he greeted with a wide grin, bending down to hug me. “The place looks really spectacular.”

“Thanks, Stellan.” I patted his back and waved to Teo and Luca. “Thanks for doing this on your night off.”

“Oh, it’s my pleasure.” He reached down to pick up Bellatrix from where she was languidly rolling atop his shoes. “Bella and I go way back, so when I’m not waiting the table we can have some good catch-up time. And where’s Sir Henry?”

“He’s moping in our bedroom like he always does when we have company.” I rolled my eyes. “But if you guys’ll follow me to the guest bedroom, I have your outfits in there.”

On Asgard, servants typically wore arduous robes, but Loki and I made the express decision that even with the atmosphere we had created, the typical servant garb would look ridiculous. Instead, we procured sturdy brown pants and white tunics, along with some leather overlays that gave the effect we were aiming for.

As the boys were changing, the trio of lute players that we hired for the night arrived, and they set up in the corner of the dining room while I was briefing Stellan, Teo, and Luca on the dishes for the night and how to serve them. After one last meticulous sweep of the area of the penthouse we’d be entertaining in, Loki convinced me that there was nothing more that I could do, and urged me to sit next to him and wait for the first guests to arrive at last.

“Are you sure this dinner party is a good idea?” I worried, tugging at a hangnail with my teeth and shifting on the sofa.

“It’s a bit late to go back on that decision, isn’t it?” Loki replied with a raised brow, but rubbed my back reassuringly, tugging me closer to him and holding me tight to his side. “I’ll make sure everything is just fine,” he murmured against my temple.

When the doorbell rang, I sprang out of my seat once more, but Loki jumped in front of me before I could make another move, putting his hands on my shoulders and staring deeply into my eyes as he always did when he wanted to calm me.

“I’ll get it,” he insisted, squeezing my arms gently. “It’s likely just Thor. He’s coming early, remember?”

I nodded, letting out a breath and merely trailing along behind as Loki went to let his brother in. Thor arrived dressed in a simpler version of his ceremonial armor, much like Loki was, and bore a bottle of mead for the party.

“Don’t tell me this is one of the bottles you took from Asgard’s royal stores before you came to live on Earth,” Loki declared, popping the top off and peering inside.

“It is, and I only have three of them left, excluding that one.” Thor snatched the mead back. “This party had better be good, if I’m going to be giving up one of my precious remaining bottles of the finest Asgardian mead ever tasted.”

“Hey!” I protested, coming around from behind Loki and giving Thor a playful shove that, of course, didn’t even cause him to bobble in the slightest. “Are you doubting my skills?’

“Absolutely not, Camryn. I’m merely making a jest between brothers.” Thor patted my shoulder. “If I didn’t have faith that your party would be wonderful, I wouldn’t have brought the mead in the first place. The little I’ve seen of your show for tonight is fantastic, and I can’t wait to see more.”

“Thank you for saying so, but don’t scare me like that!” I reprimanded. “I’m stressed enough as it is.”

“My deepest apologies.” Thor cradled the mead like a baby. “Where might I put this? And where are the cats?”

“I’m throwing what might be the best dinner party of my life and all anyone cares about is the cats. I would scold you, but I relate.” I nodded my head towards the hall. “I’ll take you to put the drink in the kitchen. Stellan’s in there, so at least Bellatrix should be in there, too. You’ll have a contender for her attention tonight.”

“A most honorable challenge that I humbly accept,” Thor played along, bowing his head nobly.

Once Thor dropped his mead off and got his desired greeting from Bellatrix, I sent Teo off to answer the door and had Luca follow us into the sitting room with a tray of drinks, waiting yet again for the rest of the guests to arrive.

“Thor, they are coming, right?” I inquired, bouncing my leg up and down.

“They are, and I promise they’re not planning any tricks,” he assured, selecting a goblet of wine. “Relax.”

Loki rose from the couch and approached Luca, taking a glass and passing it to me.

“Everything will be fine, love,” he assured. “Besides, is anyone but the three of us going to be able to judge the accuracy of the night?”

“It’s not the accuracy I’m worried about,” I muttered into my glass, but took a sip and pretended to be pacified, sitting back and waiting for whomever our first true arrival would turn out be.

It ended up being Steve, who knocked on the front door at the exact arrival time listed on the invitation. Teo showed him into the sitting room, and Loki and I rose to greet him.

“Thank you so much for coming.” I gave him a slightly awkward hug and Loki shook his hand stiffly. “Why don’t you take a seat, and have some wine?”

“There’s no need to be so formal,” Steve assured with a chuckle, but obeyed my instructions nonetheless. “Your penthouse is amazing. Does it always look like this?”

“In the autumn,” I replied. “The current decor is special for tonight’s event, to really give the illusion of being on Asgard.”

“I see. Well, it’s really nice.” Steve took another once-over of the room, sliding his hands into his pockets. “I feel a bit underdressed, though. Thor and Loki are in their armor and you’re in that dress...The wardrobe guide you sent mentioned leather and neutral colors…”

“What you’re wearing is perfect,” I assured, appraising his dark brown pants and beige button-down, trying my hardest to resist the possessive embrace Loki pulled me into as Steve’s eyes passed over me.

“I’m glad.” Steve glanced at the clock on the wall. “Banner was right behind me, so he should be here soon.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the doorbell rang, and Teo entered the sitting room with Bruce in tow, along with Natasha and Clint. Luca served them their drinks and, seeing as most of our guests had arrived, I sent him into the kitchen to fetch the hors d'oeuvres.

“Clint and I were already going to carpool, and we met Bruce in the lobby,” Natasha explained before I could ask how the three of them ended up arriving together, plopping down on the sofa with her drink and straightening her beige gown. “You’ve got a really gorgeous place.”

“Thank you. That seems to be the general consensus tonight.” I fidgeted awkwardly, wishing I could sit but not wanting to do so with guests around. “Did you all make it here alright?”

“It’s a really easy ride from Stark Tower,” Bruce replied. He had dressed in a plain suit, though it was brown. “There’s a Metro stop less than a block away from here.”

“If you guys are all staying at the Tower, why didn’t you all come together?” I asked, noting the staggered arrival times and methods of our guests.

“Well, we knew Thor was coming early to help get things ready,” Natasha began. “Steve was the only one that left at a normal time. Bruce wanted to stay back to finish something in the lab, and Clint and I came straight from a mission.”

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed. “If you had to work tonight, you didn’t have to come.”

“Don’t be silly.” Natasha smiled warmly and took a sip from her glass. “We wanted to.”

“I’m glad we all did, because whatever’s cooking smells delicious,” Thor remarked. “When are we going to eat?”

“We have to wait until everyone gets here,” Loki spoke up with suppressed annoyance. “Does anyone have any idea where Stark is?”

“He left around noon to oversee some construction upstate,” Bruce replied, taking a bite from his smoked salmon crouton. “He should be back by now.”

“Oh, really?” Something bumped the back of my knees and I glanced behind me to realize that Loki had pulled up a chair for me. I settled into it and took my own crouton from Luca, and held Loki’s hand where it rested on my shoulder. “What kind of construction?”

Bruce exchanged a look with Steve.

“I don’t know the clearance level for that info,” Bruce explained, brow furrowed in apology.

“Oh, Norns.” Even though Loki was behind me, I could clearly sense his eyeroll. “More about those damned clearance levels.”

“Be nice.” I patted his hand. “You have clearance levels for your important dealings on Asgard, even if they aren’t necessarily mapped out.”

“Perhaps, but I’m accustomed to being the one at the top of those unsaid levels,” Loki rebutted.

Steve cleared his throat to catch our attention and spoke up, answering Bruce’s question. “They’re consultants and will find out about it eventually, so we might as well tell them now.”

“Are you building a Death Star?” I cocked an eyebrow, and Natasha leaned across where Clint sat next to her on the couch to reach Steve.

“The Death Star is from-”

“Star Wars, I know,” Steve interrupted with a playful eye roll. “I watched them last week.”

“Just looking out for ya, buddy.” Natasha patted his arm and sank back into her cushion.

“Anyway,” Steve continued, “we’re building a new Avengers home base upstate. We’ve sort of taken over Stark Tower, even though it’s still the functioning headquarters of Stark Industries, and the location in the middle of the city, while central to a lot of action, is leaving us exposed and vulnerable, with little space to grow.

“Around the new facility, there’s hardly any civilization for miles, and the land we purchased leaves seemingly endless room for expansion. We won’t have to coordinate space and scheduling with the Avengers team and the Stark Industries team, the environment will seem a bit more homey, and some of our new members will be better protected and contained from society there.”

“Well, that sounds interesting,” I replied. “I’d love to see it someday. If it’s out in the forest like that, I bet it’s beautiful.”

“It’s quite, as the mortals say, aesthetically pleasing,” Thor put in. “I feel very calmed inside the building.”

“And I’m sure you all need that, with all the high-stress work you do,” I said. “You should get Tony to put in a spa.”

Natasha laughed aloud. “That would be the best.”

Loki cleared his throat, reminding us all of his point. “But his business should be finished, correct? It was possible for him to be on time?”

“It should have been, yes,” Bruce replied.

“Well, where is he?”

“The fun is here!” As if on cue, Tony Stark burst into the room with an irritated Pepper on his arm.

“I’m sorry,” she lamented, rolling her eyes. “I couldn’t get him here any sooner.”

“I had to make sure I was at my best for this royal soiree.” Tony pointed to the tray Luca carried. “Is that salmon? Lovely.”

“Was there trouble on your way over here, Mr. Stark?” Loki asked, his voice dangerously cordial. Tardiness was not something he dealt with well.

“No, not at all. Traffic was great, weather was great. Everything was great.” Tony went for some wine and Pepper sighed heavily, covering her reddening face with her hand.

“Then why, might I ask, are you arriving so far past the time listed on your invitation?” Loki’s voice was a mere note away from being a growl. I reached for his hand to calm him.

“Well, you know how I like to make an entrance, and I wanted to make sure I looked impeccable, and worthy of what Camryn listed on that charming wardrobe guide,” Stark replied, gesturing to his outfit straight out of Game of Thrones.

“I’m amazed you took it that seriously.” I took a closer look at his attire, marveling at the fine craftsmanship. “Did you have that made?” “Sure did.” Stark patted his chest proudly. “I wanted to make something matching for Pepper, but she said it was too much.”

I noted Pepper’s stunning rust-colored evening gown.

“You both look amazing. Everyone here does, and I’m so thrilled that you’re all embracing the theme.” I rose from my seat and gestured towards the door. “I’m sure you’re all hungry. Since everyone’s arrived, should we proceed onto dinner?”

The group erupted into murmurs of excitement and began to file towards the dining room, but Loki gently held me towards the back of the herd and bent down to whisper in my ear once we were alone.

“I know our alliance is budding, but I’m absolutely infuriated at Stark’s behavior,” he ranted.

“I know you are.” I rubbed his arm. “But this is supposed to be a test run for the wedding, remember? We need to practice being civil even if something bothers us.”

“I understand, love.” He kissed the top of my head gently but insistently. “But if he tries to ‘make an entrance’ like that at our wedding, I’ll kill him.”

“Oh, believe me.” I took Loki’s hand and pulled him towards the dining room. “If he does that at our wedding, I’ll get to him first.”

When we entered the warm, candlelit dining room, I checked that every guest had found their place card and motioned for the musicians in the corner to begin playing. Luca passed out fresh goblets and Stellan entered with the first course as Loki and I made for the opposite heads of the table to deliver the toast.

“The music is a very nice touch,” Natasha praised, raising her glass in my direction. “I like it.”

“I’m glad you do,” I replied, then cleared my throat to address the room. “Welcome, everyone. I’m so honored that you’ve taken time out of your busy and important schedules to attend this party. Now, I know I’m usually the bridge between you and Loki, but tonight is another effort to make it so that a bridge is no longer needed. So, since our party is to replicate a traditional feast on Asgard, and he’s the one that actually grew up there, I’ll turn the floor over to him.”

Loki locked eyes with me and nodded once, clearing his throat before speaking, effortlessly capturing everyone’s undivided attention.

“Feasts are incredibly common on Asgard. To me and Thor, the spread before you seems an ordinary morning, midday, or evening meal. However, since this is a special event, I wanted to have a special banquet.

“There are many reasons for special feasts to be held on Asgard. A holiday, the returning of soldiers from war, a funeral, et cetera, but I decided that Camryn and I should host a dinner party best compared to a peacemaking or ambassador banquet, for often a major point of those dinners is to show off the culture of Asgard. That was the goal of the theme for tonight, and since every meeting between me and the Aveners is a peacemaking mission, I figured that no feast template could be better.”

Loki gestured to the corner where Stellan stood in his costume, now flanked by Teo and Luca.

“That young man over there is Stellan, and I’m sure you recognize Teo and Luca from earlier this evening. They will be serving you tonight. Now, I’m sure you’re all hungry, and the food smells incredible, so I will move right along with this introduction. Banquets such as this are almost always opened with a prayer to our gods, which is as good of a representation of Asgardian culture as anything, so I’ll get on with that.”

“Excuse me.” Steve politely raised his hand, ducking his chin sheepishly. “I thought you and Thor were the gods. What gods are gods supposed to pray to?”

“Excellent question, Steve,” Pepper interjected. “I was wondering that myself.”

“We pray to our ancestors in Valhalla,” Loki replied, a slight smile creeping onto his lips. “Even divine beings need guidance sometimes.”

“As for whom we pray to once we get to Valhalla, we have no idea,” Thor put in. “And we’re not sure we’d like to know.”

“The speculations we made when we were children only frightened us,” Loki added with a conservative grin. “Now, I typically pray to my mother, so it’s been awhile since I’ve recited a formal prayer like this, so forgive me if I make any mistakes.”

I bowed my head obediently, and I was happy to see that everyone else in the room did, too. I was a bit shocked that Loki revealed such a personal tidbit as coping with Frigga’s death to the room full of people, but I was glad to see him opening up.

Despite his warning, however, he recited the prayer perfectly as I knew he would. He didn’t pray in the traditional sense very often, but I loved it when he did, for the words spilled out of his mouth like beautiful poetry. His voice became melodic, and he often came closer to singing prayers rather than speaking them. I was completely hypnotized by the time he finished and continued the toast.

“Now,” he resumed in his normal cadence, “Asgardians are typically very bawdy and love their food, so the toast is kept short. To peace and friendship. May we make it and may it last.”

“To peace and friendship,” the room echoed, and as everyone drank from their glasses and took their seats, I got the feeling that, for the first time,everyone truly meant it.

***

Once the last course was cleared away and I felt incredibly bloated in the best way, I tapped on my glass with my knife to bring everyone’s attention. The sound wasn’t entirely necessary, for the conversation of the evening had been wonderful and typically involved everyone present at the party, but the action was something I had always wanted to do. Once Loki finished explaining the differences and similarities of Viking culture and that on Asgard and everyone’s eyes turned to me, I began my short speech of the night.

“Asgardian feasts are hardly ever just feasts,” I began. “As Loki said before, Asgardians are quite bawdy, and have a lot of energy, especially after being filled with wine. Feasts are typically affairs that last well into the early hours of the morning. Once the main meal is finished, there’s often dancing and singing and merrymaking, and a lot of the younger citizens will branch out to different taverns once the older attendees have retired. We, unfortunately, did not prepare for raucous activity, but to replicate the ever-changing scenery of an Asgardian banquet, we’ve decided to serve dessert and some of Thor’s Asgardian mead on the terrace.”

“He brought that stuff?” Stark gasped, dropping his hands onto the table, already a bit inebriated from the wine served with the meal. “Sign me up. Let’s go.”

With a giggle, I took my wrap from Loki and laid my head on his shoulder, leading the way out into the slightly chilly night air and onto the terrace that we had decorated just like we had the dining room, and lit with strands of fairy lights. Just like the New Year’s Eve party what seemed like an eternity ago, I felt like I had grown incredibly close to the people around me, and felt an enormous sense of kinship with them. I was sure that, like at the party, the effect was somewhat heightened by drink, but I felt that the new feeling was one that would stick around much longer.

The group gathered into seats around the fire as Thor distributed the drinks and Stellan passed out pieces of apple cake, and the conversation, which had been mainly centered around questions about Asgard, had no trouble picking up again.

“So, Loki,” Steve began, “you said that when boar is served at feasts, it’s usually been hunted and killed that day?”

“Yes,” Loki replied. “There’s no taste like freshly butchered boar, and unless there’s a siege in place, the royal family doesn’t eat boar unless it’s been killed that day.”

“Being royalty sounds like it’s worth it.” Natasha raised her eyebrows. “Thanks for explaining the whole boat symbolism thing, by the way. I never really understood it.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Loki smiled kindly, the mead making him a bit looser with his charms.

“This actually isn’t meant to be rude for once in my life,” Stark interjected, taking a bite of cake, “but do your horns symbolize anything?”

Loki actually laughed at that, and went on to explain without a complaint. After a long-winded speech about symbolism on Asgard that everyone’s drunkenness had turned into a stream of jokes by the end, Stark piped up again.

“I know it’s the drink that’s making me say this, but I think it’s important to be said.” He inhaled sharply. “Loki, after talking with and getting to know you tonight, I’ve decided that you’re not a bad guy. You’re different, for sure, but you’re not bad. You’re actually pretty awesome when you’re not trying to take over the world. I figured that you’d have to be to get a girl like Camryn, but now I really see it.”

“Thank you, Stark.” Loki squeezed my hand, and a small but genuine smile spread across his face. “Tonight, after getting to know you outside of the context of work, I’ve learned that you’re actually quite more brilliant and creative than I originally thought you to be. I may actually grow to enjoy your company, and dare I say, admire you.”

Stark put a hand to his chest, his next joke holding the tone of truth. “I’m so very honored.”

“I’d like to say something, as well.” Clint, who was usually so quiet but had become quite chatty and a jokester over the course of the night, stood from his chair. “Loki, I still don’t trust you. But if all of the people here that I trust with my life are growing to, I respect their decision. I feel that you’re deserving of it, and I think that someday I may come around on you.”

“Thank you, Clint,” I whispered as he returned to his seat, and for a few moments the only sound was the crackling of the fire as everyone processed the words that had just been exchanged, which bore the best kind of weight.

“It’s pretty late,” Bruce eventually said, voice cracking from the awkward breaking of the silence, “and I’ve had a lot to drink. I think I should go and make sure I can get a cab.”

“Wait,” I called out as he made for the door, then looked to Loki, silently asking for approval for what I was about to do. “Why don’t you...stay here?”

Bruce furrowed his brow. “Sorry?”

“Why don’t you all stay here for tonight?” I suggested shyly. “God knows we have enough room for all of you. I’m in the theatre tomorrow night, so I don’t have to go into work until later. We could make sort of a grownup sleepover out of it, and then go for brunch in the morning.”

Pepper cracked a grin. “That sounds like fun. Let’s do it.”

After everyone’s agreement, Loki and I dismissed Stellan, Teo, and Luca, and left Thor to entertain the group while we went to make sleeping arrangements for everybody.

“So, how about it?” I asked nervously as we stood in front of the linen closet, loading my arms with sheets, still in a bit of disbelief over what I had just done.

“You know, I’m actually feeling alright about it,” Loki replied, his bright eyes gleaming. “I’m still not too fond of the Avengers, but I think I might actually like them as individuals. I’m sure that, like at the New Year’s party, some of these feelings and progress are due to drink and will regress in the morning, I feel like they won’t regress as much as they did last time.”

“I’m so glad.” I dropped the sheets in my hands and hugged him instead, burying my face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent of leather and sandalwood and snow. “I feel like so much important progress has been made, too. I’m so proud of you.”

Loki pulled me closer, resting his cheek on top of my head. “I don’t think it will be a problem to have them at our wedding, now.”

“Absolutely,” I agreed. “We won’t have to worry about any fights breaking out or any trouble being caused. We can focus on nothing but each other, just as it should be.”

“That is, if your extended family can behave,” Loki teased.

“Hey, one thing at a time,” I quipped. “My family doesn’t have access to the arsenal that the Avengers do, so the Avengers took priority in terms of peacemaking.”

“But now that problem is solved.” Loki hooked his finger under my chin and tilted it up towards him. “And I’m glad for it. Truly. For the first time in our engagement, I can be completely excited about everything that’s to come with no worries about anything else. And it’s the most wonderful feeling in all the realms.”

Next Chapter

#loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki x ofc #loki x reader #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #loki laufeyson

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monocle-teacup · 7 years ago

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DamePri Episode 4

Our potential love interests nuff said

-”Some weirdo in a crop top just showed up!” -Narek’s hatred of carrots -Teo being a fanboy about farming -Riot being sneaky by posing as a bush -Ani not putting up with any of their shit -Ani getting her matador game on to take on a boar -Narek defeating said boar by being more extra than he already is -Can’t forget more sparkles

#anime #dame x prince #damepri #damepri anime caravan

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trylonandperisphere · 7 years ago

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Silent Retreat 2: When The World Breaks Through, Ch. 29

So, this is it, the final chapter. This writing of this fic was a long, bumpy road, and I have many people to thank for their help along the way, including my OBFrankenfic buddies who betaed now and then, my patrons who made it possible for me to spend more time writing and imbibe sufficient caffeine and nourishment, and every one of you readers, especially the ones who took the time to send me a kind word or comment. I so wanted to finish this fic and have it over with, and yet I find myself melancholy at the end of it, at the same time - probably because my OB fic writing days seem to be numbered. I have a few small Cophine projects left, but I'm hoping to move on to writing original work, as well as publishing an original adaption of The Swan and The Dove. I thank you all, and hope you will consider reading my other writing as I try to develop it into more than just a hobby. I will post updates on what I'm up here on my tumblr blog.

As always, you can also read this on ff.net or AO3.

Gratitude & XOXO, - trylonandperisphere

Of course there were things we never talked about with our “handlers.”

We made the decision never to tell them about Sevvy’s special abilities. He hung out with his cousin Kira, sometimes, who had started communicating with people in what I guess you would call “intuitive circles.” Never in a flashy way, but to learn more about the feelings they got, and how to handle them. We took the track of guiding him not to talk about it too much in public, but letting him know that he could look into it more as he got older, if he wanted to. Of course it fascinated me, both from a energetic/spiritual point of view and a scientific one. Had something been triggered in our genes when we were created, something that made our children sensitive? Yet, the last thing I wanted was for them to ever feel experimented on. There had been enough of that to go around in our family a long time ago.

But there was an advantage in Sevvy and Kira feeling and knowing things as they did. As much as I had to work with my judgement and intuition, I felt that I could relax a bit as I moved into my new life, knowing that they would sound an alarm if the government agencies, or anyone else, weren’t to be trusted. For all the things that had happened to me and my family, in some ways I was incredibly lucky. I had thought it was my job to protect Sevvy and that I had fucked up. But it not only turned out okay, it turned out that he helped me love and trust others, again, in a way that all my meditation and yoga never quite reached.

He helped me trust the love of my life, again.

Good thing, too, because for all my smarts, some things I was just as stupid about as the next human being.

I was smart enough to stop running, to take the deal. To tell the truth, I was excited to get back into science, again. Sure, I had fears that I had gotten out of touch, forgotten too much, maybe gotten a little long in the tooth or out of the loop to keep up with the the younger minds who hadn’t been away from grad school. But it actually felt like reuniting with a part of me I’d left behind, too. I ran out way before classes started and got a bunch of hard-copy books and study aids to go with my digital ones. I had missed the heft of them, the feel of the paper in my hands and under my highlighter and pen as I wrote comments and absorbed the information. More than one person told me I looked like a kid in a candy store with my new school stuff spread all around me on the floor. The meditation actually helped my memory, I found—along with the fact that I had the hottest professor on campus to help me whenever I needed. Let the other students drool over that.

And, in our new lab, there was a chance. A chance that what I had learned and what we continued to learn could further help our sisters. Maybe even the world.

There might be problems down the line, we knew, when the administration changed hands, but that was for later. Right now I got a life. A life where I could legally go where I wanted to go, live where I wanted to live, see my family when I wanted to. It almost blew my mind.

Charlotte and MK both presented problems. Once the youngest clone was cured, she’d have a lot of therapy and thinking to do to understand and accept what had happened, and even then, how one faux parent after another had lied to and manipulated her. I wanted to help, somehow, but she was pretty distraught and hostile, which I suppose was fair, considering everything, plus the fact that she was then under government supervision most of the time. I was able to get occasional strained meetings every now and then with her, but mostly she remained stubbornly silent or full of contempt, until one day, out of the blue, she asked me about some of the benefits of meditation I’d mentioned. Who knows how she opened up to it... maybe one of her therapists. But I took it as a good sign, both that she was trying to heal herself, and maybe let go of what she had been taught about me.

MK, of course, didn’t want to be too close to any authority. She agreed to work with them on a case-by-case basis through us, and help track the kind of lowlifes who conduct unethical biomedical deals, hack to steal and hide large sums of money from the less fortunate, or trade deadly goods and information. I even got to see her in person at a couple clandestine family get-togethers (sprung on me so I wouldn’t know ahead of time and fumble any lies with my agency contacts.) She was too crafty even for best spies in the country, however, though. She managed to disappear whenever she wanted to.

So, our lives weren’t entirely normal. They never had been, and they never would be. But if they were strange, they were also exceptional in beautiful, wonderful ways.

Like having a group of sisters so bonded, not only by being genetically identical, but by the challenges we had met because of it.

Like having miracle children we were never supposed to have, and living through the disease that had been built into us to prevent our progeny: a double triumph of life over the attempt of some very smart, yet fundamentally flawed people who had tried to manipulate it, to control both nature and nurture, in ways which the infinite variations of existence would never let happen.

Like having a full life, and also regaining one I thought I had lost.

Like getting back love.

People complained (well, mostly Sarah,) about the long trip, but it was worth it. Even she couldn’t stay grumpy-looking when Kira and Sevvy spotted a dolphin from the boat to the resort and started making exaggerated screeching and clicking noises at each other. That and when Alison took a header into the pool running from a snake that turned out to be a stick on the ground. That might have gone down as one of the most amusing days in Sarah’s life. Thank god there wasn’t a silent retreat going on. Her barking laughter and my semi-guilty giggles filled the air around us, and it was wonderful. We were meant to be loud, exuberant, on this visit.

Aurélie was as much of a hoot as when I met her in France. She and her husband, Jean-Marc, brought their kids, but she didn’t let having a three year old and a baby stop her from going zip lining or staying up to tell silly stories about her big sister Delphine, who apparently went through a very clumsy phase in college. Nope, the younger Cormier daughter (now Carpentier) would pump her breast milk and hand it and her children off to Jean-Marc to do her thing, reminding us “I’m on holiday and we’re celebrating!” in a much more intense accent than her sister. Honestly, I began to wonder if having that sleeping sickness as a kid had made her super awake for the rest of her life.

Besides, at that point, between me, her, my sisters, Shay, Scott and his wife, Bella… well, there were enough kids of various ages that we had them looking after each other like a wolf pack. Plus, Delphine’s father seemed to be becoming doting in his older years, and we’d find him cradling the teeny one and cooing at his grandkids while his stepkids were off… well, jeez, who knows where all those kids went half the time. I didn’t worry about it too much, with Helena around. I figured she’d take care of any jaguar, boar, or fer-de-lance that so much as looked at the younger clan funny.

Plus, I had my amazing co-parenting boys to look after Sevvy while Delphine and I took care of other things. That may not have stopped Teo from flirting shamelessly with Diego, the pilates instructor, but Michael took it in stride. Teo loved to flirt. He’d flirt with a rock, if he was in the mood. It was harmless, and was probably just exaggerated because he and Felix seemed to have some kind of competition going on.

It was nice to be a guest at the resort. I got massages, and took my family on tours. I didn’t miss getting up early to teach classes at all, even if I did go to a couple with the kids.

And in the morning, and at night, I had my love by my side.

We could have stayed in one of our previous cabins for old time’s sake, but we took the honeymoon suite. After all, that’s what we were there for.

On the third afternoon we all snaked our way down the path and stairs, descending by the waterfall to where the river met the sea, and a few rows of chairs had been set up by a wooden arch woven with flowers on the beach.

Margot did the honours, which were simple. She even managed the quote in French. We were too nervous to do our own vows, and too perfectionistic, anyway. How do you you find the right words for something like that? As scientists, Delphine and I could have researched what to say forever, and I didn’t want to give a performance. But earlier in the morning, before we got ready, I whispered some lines from Audre Lorde’s Love Poem, one of our favourites, into her ear as she gasped below me, shimmering in sweat and recovering from our first round of lovemaking:

...And I knew when I entered her I was

high wind in her forests hollow

fingers whispering sound

honey flowed

from the split cup

impaled on a lance of tongues…*

So no, we didn’t wait until after the wedding. When the gulls wheeled over the ocean as we made our promises, it reminded me of the last lines of the poem.* Maybe she thought of it, too, because I could swear I saw her blush—the most beautiful bride, and person, I’d ever seen.

Maybe sometimes I can be smooth. But I meant it. And I’d do almost anything to see her that happy. I want to see her that happy, again and again, as often as life allows, for as long as it lasts.

Then there was the party, and it got a little wild, with my closest sisters there, all of us dancing and laughing, and Helena insisting on and winning at limbo. And then there was the sky full of stars, and my lady and me sneaking away from the laughter and the music, and ascending, quickly as our dresses would allow, barefoot up the stairs in the water-misted night. The frogs called their mates loudly enough to drown out our giggles, and a gecko scurried from the lintel of our cottage, deluxe as it may have been.

The staff had lit candles, turning her skin golden and soft focus at the edges of my sight. I wanted to remember every moment we were alone together here, again, returning to each other again and again in waves, to make up for the drought that had too long kept us apart. I held her waist in my hands, taking her in, and my heart felt pressed against my sternum, swelling with a love so strong it bordered on painful, breath-stealing. Her eyes met mine in that wide open, endless gaze she slips into, one hand taking my waist in return and the other tracing my clavicle.

“Do you remember when we first saw each other again, here?” she asked.

“Uh, yeah,” I answered, having to pull myself out of the trance I’d slipped into just contemplating her. “I was in class, teaching. I looked around, and… there you were. You looked like you had seen a ghost… and I guess, in a way, you had.” I gave her a small grin. It had been a moment so resonant, and so difficult, in its own way. To remember it now was poignant, almost jarring.

“Cosima,” she breathed, and took my hands into her own. She drew them to her lips and gently kissed the tender insides of my wrists each in turn. “I was so shocked, and so scared, then. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to that day, and whisper to myself, to both of us, that it was going to be okay… that everything was happening just in time, as it was supposed to, and that our love had just been, almost… sleeping.” Her dimples emerged and I could tell she was having one of those rare moments when her excellent English was escaping her in the face of her emotions.

“Maybe you could bring a picture,” I teased, my grin growing. “‘Here we are in our wedding dresses, Past Delphine. This happens after you have to shoot somebody and rescue your bride-to-be like total badass, but you’ll get there. P.S.: You’re going to be a mother. Get ready to co-parent an amazing little kid with three other people.’” She gave me a light tap on the arm in admonishment, as she often did.

“You make fun of me, but it really shook me. Of course, it was all worth it. But I’m still impressed at how you were so calm and cool when it happened.”

“I wasn’t, entirely, except…” I thought for a second. “It’s funny. I almost feel like I had, for a second, what Sevvy has, then. I just had this feeling something was coming, even if it wasn’t totally conscious. And then, when I saw you…” I shrugged, unable to understand it, myself. “It was like it was just right. Like, sure, it had been ten years, but there you were, and it was like all the emotional work I’d been doing, all the healing, had made me ready for that moment. It was inevitable. We were inevitable, even if there was a piece of me that was still nervous, processing it. I mean… it took me a bit to feel like we were on the same page, but… I can’t explain it, but it was just meant to be, and that storm brought you to me, finally at the right time in our lives, when we could work out everything that had happened in-between.”

She hummed softly, in approval, and her hands found my face, stroking and holding it tenderly.

“It’s like that second storm,” I told her, and in the tilt of her head I saw that she knew what I meant: the one that had cut off our contact from each other when she was in the mountains at that conference, while Charlotte lashed out against us with her own wind and thunder, and I struggled to understand what was going on. “There couldn’t have been a worse time for it to happen. That’s what I thought then, anyway, when you told me about it. Like, how was I supposed to believe that a freak accident had made you impossible to reach right when I needed you most? It’s like it was almost put there on purpose to test my trust in you. There was a part of me that was bringing up every terrible, difficult thing that happened between us, everything distrusting Sarah, or Felix, or anyone ever said about you…”

She swallowed and licked her lips, hanging on my words.

“What made you decide to believe in me?” she asked quietly.

“Love,” I answered, and I smiled at her. “I mean, sure, I could check the weather report, and I had Sevvy telling me things would be okay, and that helped, but…” I shrugged again and looked down for a second, almost bashful in the intensity of the love in her eyes. I felt my smile stretching even wider and met her golden gaze again.

“We can believe things happen for a reason, or they don’t. There was a time when I didn’t believe in you. I died from that disease that was built into me, or close enough, but I came back with your face in my vision and your voice reassuring me, within me so deep it had to be more than a thought. But then you did what you thought was right to protect me, and I got caught up in rejection and fear…”

Her eyes fluttered closed in pain for a second.

“I hate to remember that time,” she breathed, “even if it is easier now than it once was.”

“Yeah,” I acknowledged, and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “My point is, I went down that road before, and missed out on you for ten years. Whatever valuable life lessons I— we —learned from that, the biggest thing I learned was that, science or spirit, our hearts were meant to be together… and I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.”

I had just made vows to her, but I made one again.

“I'm never going to make that mistake, again. Not for as long as we live.”

She took this in, and she shone from within as though the sun was breaking the horizon behind her.

“I love you,” I told her,

and

“Je t’aime,” she said at the same time.

We moved together and kissed, and it was just as right as it had ever been before, but it was different, because we’d made a commitment, we’d solidified it and vowed it in actual words before our friends and family. We’d been through so much, apart and together. But we’d made the promise now to never let each other walk alone through whatever life threw at us, again.

Slowly, we undressed each other. It felt familiar, yet new. My pulse throbbed with the repeating mantra in my brain: we’re married, now. This is my wife. I’d never thought it was that important before; never thought that I was that sentimental, that a piece of paper from the state and a recitation and a ceremony that couple after couple had gone through, successfully or to end in bitterness, countless times over the centuries, would really be different from what we’d sworn to each other in private. But it was real, now; it had weight, and depth, and meaning.

Delphine. My love.

In all the surprises I had had in my lifetime, that we had had, together, it was not the most dramatic: that making love with her, the feeling of her pulse and heat in my palm, the clasping of the inside of her body around my fingers pulling me into her with an involuntary force as true as her soul had pulled mine to hers through every obstacle, was different, now, somehow new, because we made it so by fully giving ourselves over to it; that when she brought me over the edge of reason with her mouth describing hot, pulsating patterns at the apex of my pleasure and convergence of my thighs, it was not just the flooding-nerve release it always was, plus the sweet tinge of love that turned the physical act a warmer shade of emotion; but that something within the chemistry of us had been forever altered and bonded by taking that leap, by promising: forever.

It was not the most dramatic surprise, but it was the greatest.

So far. So far.

Love Poem, by Audre Lorde

Speak earth and bless me

with what is richest

make sky flow honey out of my hips

rigid as mountains

spread over a valley

carved out by the mouth of rain

And I knew when I entered her I was

high wind in her forest’s hollow

fingers whispering sound

honey flowed from the split cut

impaled on a lance of tongues

on the tips of her breasts on her navel

and my breath howling into her entrances

through lungs of pain.

Greedy as herring-gulls

or a child

I swing out over the earth

over and over again.

#silent retreat 2 #silent retreat #orphan black #fan fiction #cophine #fan fic #writing #mine #clone club #that's all folks

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asukaskerian · 8 years ago

Text

landlord - Teo (daemon AU)

Teo(/Teofila) is Milena’s grandkid. This takes place right during/after the last of the Mikhail and Sevan are Totally Not Dating Guys Honest. it’s also a mess of daemons and less used or even brand new golems so I hope it’s not too confusing. >_>;;

"It's pretty easy to solder things actually. Wanna try?"

Teo is belly down on the floor, Ody coiled across her shoulders and doing a periscope, and they both breathe in with eagerness at Haidar's offer. Teo grins up at Haidar and wriggles closer. He grins back; the weird-glossy reddish stripe across his brown skin, cutting his jaw and chin at an angle, pulls his mouth to the side like a smirk. It's really hard not to show him how cool she thinks he is. But seriously, so cool. So is Ariel, long and golden-furred and almost as cool as her grandma's Bohdan.

(But yeah, tigers only barely edge out lions. Sorry, Ariel.)

She takes the blowtorch from Haidar's hand; she's casual, almost careless -- it's normal, right! -- but Ody can't help pivoting his head to check on Bohdan and Milena, like Milena is going to be so boring as to say things about oh no a girl can't use power tools, put that down it's on fire you'll hurt yourself!.

Like. It being on fire is the whole point.

"I don't even get how you want to handle anything that puts out more heat right now," Bohdan groans from his corner of the floor, a huge orange and black puddle of fur.

Ariel snorts, makes a show of stretching out her legs, toes out. "Weak."

"Don't make me kick you, Haidar, I don't want to get up," Grandma groans. She's reclining with her arms and head hanging limp from the back of the couch, so the hot metal doesn't touch her more normal skin.

"I didn't say anything!" Haidar replies, blinking innocently. His eyes are reddish and glossy too, and when they catch a heat flash from the window for a second they flash back blood-red like a wild animal, it's completely awesome. "Anyway -- yeah, look, see that little melty bit that's gone too far?"

Teo leans over the inside of the electric fan they're fixing, blowtorch responsibly turned off and aimed away from either of their faces, watches him poke a rapidly cooling bit of solder into place with a stone fingernail.

"Uh, just don't use your own fingers for this, but it's super easy to fix. Hell, even if it did cool off all the way it's still easy to fix. You heat it back up and scrape it off, that's all. The temperature is much too low to actually... you know, really merge the metals? Here, do that bit too."

It is so easy. So is unscrewing and re-screwing things, and figuring out which wire goes where and how to test for power and. Holding things without hurting herself, controlling it? You'd hear her parents speak, you'd think she's made of cotton candy and super-thin, shaky glass, but her hands get it.

"Haidaaaar, lovely brother of my souuuul," Darius sings as he comes in. Teo doesn't look behind her to see him -- she's busy -- but Ody does, and he snorts and then climbs on top of her head to periscope better.

"Omigod, score," he says. "Are they all broken?"

Darius goes to crouch beside them, and loses like half of the electric fans he was carrying precariously balanced in his arms. One of them falls on Ariel's flank with a meaty thunk, and she curls up her lip and bats half-heartedly at Darius' ferret, who promptly jumps off Darius to rebound on her head and slide to the floor.

"All of them," Darius promises, grinning extra-wide.

"Those especially," another man says from the door, and this time Teo turns to look. It's another golem -- well, duh, they're in a golem building -- and he's all metal-limbed like Grandma except way darker and not really shiny. Also he has a huge ceiling fan balanced on his head and another two under his left arm, holding them on the back of a huge boar. "Greetings, lass."

Teo is torn between huffing and giggling. "... I'm Teo."

He arches a dark eyebrow, bent over to put his load on the floor. "Oh, are you a lad then?"

She vaguely considers explaining demigirls and genderfluidity to him, and then gives up. He looks kind of scary. Really manly, really scary. Hot scary, but still scary. Also even Grandma's reaction was just an "oh, alright" and a kids are weird these last few generations but whatever shrug, and he's probably her age or older, so never mind. "... No, but it's cool if you wanna say I'm one."

"Hm. I'll alternate." He smirks, like he's teasing her, but. Yeah. She busies herself letting Ody run through her fingers so he won't see the pleasure on her face. "Nikolai Nikolayevitch Nikolayev, at your service. And this is Makvala."

The boar just grunts and lets herself flop down next to Bohdan. Bohdan groans and pushes himself away with his back paws on Makvala's shoulder, sliding on the wooden floor until he bumps into a table leg. They take up a lot of floor space, it's lucky there isn't a lot of furniture.

"Um. This is Odyssomai. Ody's fine."

"Then Kolya is fine, milady."

"You be all smooth with my grandkid one more time, Kolyushka," Bohdan says idly from his loose sprawl, and stretches his front legs, toes spread. Unlike Ariel earlier, he makes sure to slide his claws all the way out. Teo's face heats up.

It's kinda obvious from how Makvala's attention isn't even on them that he's just joking around, too.

"Am I to understand that I'm supposed to repair eleven fans for you, Darius," Haidar says, eyes squinting at the mess in his apartment.

"Yep! What a charitable action. Thank you so much. Soul of generosity. Gentleman. Etcetera." Darius smiles charmingly as his daemon oozes up to Ariel's face and rubs her little pointy face against her chin. "Pretty please?"

"I want seventy percent of whatever you're making on reselling them." Haidar sneaks a look at Teo, winks. "You get fifteen percent if you give me a hand. I'll teach you tricks."

Teo sits up extra-straight, and when Darius starts talking all offended she launches Ody from her hand so he can wrap himself all around his ferret, and puts a hand on his mouth without looking at him just like Grandma did a couple hours ago. "Make it twenty percent and you have a deal," she says. Everyone bursts out laughing. (Even Darius. She beams.)

It's just so great to be here. She never wants to go home. Sevan's such a killjoy.

"But twenty percent of the total or twenty percent of my cut, though," Haidar is asking when the ceiling lights flicker.

It's getting dark outside, less with nightfall than with a coming storm; the light is all purplish-odd and so they have a little halogen desk lamp on the floor beside them to see inside the fan they're fixing. It flickers too, but weirdly, in a quick, green wave before it stabilizes back to white. It looks like aurora borealis.

"Wow, what the heck was that?" Teo asks. Kolya's eyebrows are up, staring at the desk lamp; Milena is looking up at the ceiling instead. Darius and Haidar give each other a puzzled look.

"Did you guys feel...?" Haidar asks, and waves his hand vaguely.

"Yyyyep," Grandma says, and she's still staring at the ceiling when the lights flicker a second time.

Darius and his Mela burst out laughing all at once. "Oh my god--" "--that stud--" "shameless--" "can't believe--" "we have got to--"

Haidar and Ariel sigh out from the chest and lunge together, catching Darius by the ankle and Mela with a big lion maw before they can do more than start to stand up. Eyes wide, Teo gathers Ody to her chest as Darius falls to the floor on hands and one knee.

"Um. Guys? What's...?"

"That's just m'lord getting distracted and sparking out," Grandma tells them, looking tired but amused too. "No worries. Worst is that he'll blow the lamp bulbs, but we've got spares."

"Distracted," Mela wheezes, still half inside Ariel's mouth. Kolya and Makvala snort loudly, and then Kolya comes to toe at Darius.

Then he puts a foot on his shoulder and gently but implacably pushes him face down on the floor, pinning him with an iron foot. "You had best stay right here, Darius. Right here."

Darius wheezes, bats his hands at nothing. Mela wriggles free of Ariel's mouth and jumps for Makvala's face -- then gets headbutted right back down. Teo...

"Isn't Sevan's place on the second floor?" she asks, frowning. "Why's he--"

The lights flicker a third time, and then a fourth and fifth in quick succession, and white-blue hair-thin lightning crackles through the dark room to ground itself on Grandma's arms, the back of Kolya's neck.

Which is visually very cool, but also kind of -- maybe -- freaky.

"... I believe this is our cue to go down to Kolya and Maksha's place and see about dinner," Bohdan says drolly, hopping up onto his feet, and starts shoving at Makvala's rump with his chest. Grandma stands up all at once, rubbing at the back of her own neck.

"C'mon, kiddo, let's not stay right under the boss right now."

Teo frowns, Ody winding high around her neck like a turtleneck collar with nerves and wariness. "Is it dangerous?"

Sevan looks like a dweeb; she knows mages can break stuff sometimes but you'd think not bad enough to evacuate the floor underneath.

"Nah," Grandma says carelessly, taking Teo's shoulders and turning her toward the door. "Just really awkward."

Kolya snorts. "I'll cook if you bring about your own ingredients, but yes, let's go."

"I'm all for teasing Misha and Tasha until they throws themselves out a window," Makvala adds at a mutter to Bohdan as they follow each other through the front door, "but I don't want to know the exact timing of the whole affair either."

"Haa, don't remind me," Grandma says, longsuffering, as Bohdan catches Mela as she sneaks toward the upper stairs with a huge paw. "Haidar, you're so lucky you're stone."

"I still feel it some," Haidar says, chagrined, his arms full of ham and butter and bread things. "Hey, kid, let's continue the repairs tomorrow, okay?"

"... Yeah, sure."

But Ariel bumps Ody's little scaly nose with hers like they mean that promise, and she feels a little less disappointed.

... It's the fifth and last floor up there and Teo isn't even sure who lives there -- she hasn't met them all -- but it's not Sevan and suddenly, way late, she gets it.

"Hey guys," the wolf who shows up downstairs on her own the next day says, wagging her tail.

She gets piled up on by a tiger, a lioness, a boar, two birds, and a ferret. The old lady's badger looks on with grim approval from his seat at her feet.

From the kitchen, Teo and Ody watch over the rim of Teo's milk-coffee bowl and try not to laugh. Kolya's living room is absolutely bursting at the seams from stupidly big daemons, and it looks like they're trying to form a pyramid-shaped mosh pit. It's hilarious.

(It's so different from her parents' stuffy house and their super-proper yawntastic family reunions. Maybe she won't mind turning into an adult if she ends up being an adult like them. And they're like super old, too, so they probably count as extra-adult.)

The wolf keeps wagging her tail even as the boar sits on her.

"You bastard!"

"Befouler of innocents!"

"Dirty old leech!"

"How the hell did you guys even find out," she laughs, wheezing, as a dingo-looking dog ambles forward to lick her nose and the lesser, blonder Kolya chuckles. "We were gonna take it to our graves."

"You still could!" Makvala promises with evil-looking cheer.

The wolf whines. A man shows up in the doorway, eyes the pile, and shrugs pointedly at the lot of them. Oh hey, it's the hot one, with the cheekbones. Um. Hey. Wow.

"Who says I was befouling anyone," he says with a dreamy, heavy-lidded smile.

Grandma nails him with a roll of bread right between the eyebrows.

#landlord ofic #daemon AU #asuka writes

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