#btw this is just the flat color and all that man would have HEAVY eye bags don’t let me lie to you

[foodlesoodlesdoodles]

a man who thinks himself as god but also nothing at all

[kintatsujo]

LOZ AU- The Courage of Running Away PART ONE

warnings: Parental abuse, fantasy religion, fantasy religious abuse

So the original grain of this concept was actually a dream I had once but we'll get to that.

A major aspect of this idea that makes it an "AU" as opposed to "just" a "game pitch as fanfic" concept is that it has a worldmap that looks something like this: 

[Image Description: A map of a continent.  In the center is Gerudo Desert, ringed by mountains that extend from the bottom to top of the continent.  On the west side of Gerudo Desert, from north to south, are countries labeled "Termina," "Holodrum," and "Labrynna," while on the east side are countries labeled "Hytopia," "Hyrule" and "Lorule."  Hytopia is indicated to be a sky island above a territory labeled "Drablands."  Hyrule and Termina are more directly east and west of one another, as the Drablands are the northernmost country of the continent and Labrynna is the southernmost country.  There is an indication of another continent to the east, and off the eastern shore is a sky island labeled "Sky Temple."  To the south of Labrynna is a proper island labeled "Windfish Isle."  There is a legend in the upper left corner that reads "Really generalized AU map.  Proportions not to be taken too seriously and most of the sky islands besides Hytopia just aren't there because it would get too busy."  End Description.]

Lorule as a physical country to the south of Hyrule rather than a mirror version of Hyrule is because I am weak for dumb puns.  Also in general you can describe this as "this is my AU and I do what I want."  

Also the map of Hyrule itself in this AU should be considered to be heavily similar to the Breath of the Wild map because that's what I want shh.  Does this mean the other countries are similar in scope despite being based on countries from earlier and smaller games?  Well, yeah.  

I actually tried out making this worldmap in RPGMaker btw but to get something I was happy with I'd at LEAST need a nicer worldmap tileset for MZ.  Do I have the skills to make that?  Yep.  Have I got the time to make that?  Nope.

Anyway so as noted there's actually a NUMBER of floating sky islands in this version of the setting, and its version of Link was raised here, in the sky temple monastery/commune/abbey don't look at me:

[Image description: A floating island with a round temple, some sort of pillars arranged in a circle, and a few other buildings, one of which might be a dormitory.  The temple has a statue of the Triforce nested in Hylia's wings on the roof.  End description.]

A couple notes here since it's the only good place: In this Hyrule there are Loftwings because I said so.  There is also a Rito run mail service and there are also balloon-based airships.  Again, because I said so.  The Rito are the main people who run supplies to the Sky Temple, but there's also a number of hylians with bonded Loftwings living there.  The Loftwings are a little less mysterious in that they clearly roost nearby riders they've bonded with; note the large archways kind of indicated on the side of the dorm building.  Link, at this point in the story, does not have a Loftwing, which is important for reasons that will become clear by the end of this post.  Also, I'm not sure how obvious it is but I do intend that there's a cucoo/chicken coop set up near the dorm; this is for the eggs but the monk or whatever in charge of them is definitely a crazy bird person and probably also keeps messenger pigeons.  There would also be a garden somewhere and as one can possibly tell there's a graveyard.  Basically this Sky Temple is what I thought Skyloft was going to be a little more like until I found out it was literally a Boarding School Town.  Anyway.

The thing is that this Link was discovered to be the Hero of the age sometime in his infancy.

And this is the person who discovered him:

[Image description: On one half of the page is an establishing shot of a hylian man in blue and white (light gray) robes and a hat, with long hair in a braid and graying at the temples.  He's approximately middle aged by the lines in his face, tall and slender and moderately attractive.  He is wearing heavy gold diamond shaped earrings to match the symbols of Hylia and the Triforce on his clothing.  He is frowning, and he is labeled "Astramorus."  On the other half of the page are a series of comic panels: In the first, a young Link is hiding from a Rito behind Astramorus's cloak.  Astramorus asks, apparently fondly, "Come now boy, where's your courage?" while the Rito sheepishly assures him "Th-that's quite all right, Lordship."  In the second panel, a very small Link dressed in the Hero of Hylia's traditional green outfit is wiping his eyes while holding a sword too large for him.  There is blood on Link's clothes.  Astramorus, standing so that only the hem of his robes are in shot, asks "Come now boy, where's your courage?"  And in the last panel, lit as though by fire, Astramorus now has a much older Link by the back of the neck in a controlling manner, once again asking, "Come now boy, where's your COURAGE?"  End description.]

By the way the manner in which Astramorus is holding the back of Link's neck in the final panel is a sneaky thing my dad used to pull sometimes; basically if you squeeze just hard enough to hurt nobody but the person you're doing it to can actually tell so you can even do it in public without people necessarily noticing.  It took me ages to go "wait that was actually really fucked up that he used to do that."  Shoulder touch is good, neck touch bad.

A note on Astramorus's costume: It's basically an evil version of the costume worn by the priestly guy from the Sanctuary in alttp.  Astramorus himself, well, I had the idea for him well before Age of Calamity came out but yes he is basically named after Aster, so you can guess that he's more than just a terrible father.

Astramorus has been training Link since he could lift his sword, including trials he should have been too small for and acquiring things for him to fight-- and kill.    Link isn't allowed to speak to anyone unless asked questions or told to by Astramorus, not even the other members of the monastery (although perhaps many of the people there have taken their own vows of silence.)  

And he's not allowed to have opinions, and he's not allowed to back down in a fight or say that he's too tired to keep training, and this has been going on since Link was six.  Astramorus tells him this is the ideal.  That never backing down and never stopping is what courage means and what being the hero means.  That starting from a young age is only proof of the hero's purity of heart.

And when Link is nearing seventeen, Astramorus tells him that he's going to present him to the royal family of Hyrule, and that at last the HARD part will truly begin.  (Keeping in mind that he was putting a six year old through trials MEANT for a seventeen year old.)  And Link breaks: 

[Image Description: A comic.  Link is putting together a paraglider not dissimilar to the one from BotW.

He narrates: Tomorrow we're supposed to set out so that I can meet the king of Hyrule.  Which means that this is my last chance to run away.

Link grinds his classic hat into the ground with one boot, and leaves his sword stabbed into the earth behind him.  He leaps off the sky island and toward the sun on the horizon.

Link narrates: I don't care if this is cowardly anymore.

End description.]

And THAT one page is what the dream that started the concept was about; some people might remember me talking about it as long as three years ago and it's just been stuck in my head ever since!  (Also: I love the idea of there being a Link who starts out wearing the classic outfit and THEN switches to other costumes.)

This is obviously not the end of this AU, lol, stay tuned for where Link finally crash lands (spoiler: He makes it pretty far and you might be able to guess from the map >:3c)

#AU August

#LoZ AU: The Courage of Running Away

Bonus: 

[Image description: A headshot flat color sketch of this Link, who has short fluffy light blonde hair and green eyes.  He is yelling, with tears in his eyes: "I am NEVER wearing that STUPID hat again!"  End description!]

[fanmoose12]

Hi! Are you still taking levihan prompts? If so, I have 2 that you can pick from: 1. Anastasia AU 2. Despicable me AU (mostly from the 2nd movie). Idk why but I can see them in both AU's lol! You don't have to both btw

i decided to go with Anastasia, ‘cause i loved this movie so much as a kid! hope you enjoy my fic as well!

“I’m fucking sick of it.” Levi declared, looking at another ‘Princess’. “Just look at her, Erwin!” he gestured to the woman on stage, who was currently reciting all of Czar’s relatives. “She looks nothing like the Princess Hanna! She’s blonde for fuck’s sake!”

“We can always get her a wig.” Erwin noted with a smile.

“Her eyes are green.” Levi hissed.

Erwin chuckled, rising his hands in placating gesture. “Fine, fine. Maybe, you’re right and she doesn’t look like our Princess, but we can’t just give up.”

“We’ve been doing this for three weeks now! And in all that time we haven’t seen at least one girl, who resembles a Princess.”

“Maybe, I should get you a wig?” Erwin asked, smirking. “You’ll make a great Princess, Levi. I’ve heard that all Princesses are extremely whimsical.”

Levi gave him a flat look. “Very funny, Erwin.”

“Mm, you’re right once again. No one could mistake you for a member of Zoe family. You are too short for that.”

“Continue with those shitty jokes, and I’ll walk out of here, Erwin. And I won’t come back.”

“We both know you’re lying.” Erwin briefly glanced at the woman, who was still standing on a stage. Giving her a charming smile, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Then he returned his attention to Levi. “I’m your friend, Levi, and possibly the only person who can tolerate your constant bitching. Besides, if we manage to find a Princess, we’ll be rich! Just think about that!”

“It’s the only reason why I’m still here.” Levi replied, making a face. Sighing, he rose to his feet. “I’ll go and make some dinner. You can continue with your fruitless search, I’m done with it for today.”

Levi walked out of the theater, and headed to the other part of the palace. The palace corridors were icy cold at this time of year, and Levi wrapped his coat tighter around himself. He hated the cold, but it was still better than living on the street. Erwin and he were lucky to find the palace unoccupied.

As he made his way through the halls, Levi heard a strange sound. Someone was talking. Someone, whose voice didn’t sound like Erwin’s.

Levi took out his trusty knife and slowly followed the voice. It sounded closer and closer, until Levi stopped in front of giant doors.

The doors looked dirty, the gorgeous gold color from before now faded. Behind them was a giant ballroom. Levi remembered it as a grant, beautiful place. It was spacious and bright, almost every surface sparkling in the warm candlelight. But now it was grim, dark and covered with cobwebs. Nothing lasts forever, Levi mused before slowly and quietly opening the door.

As he entered, he immediately saw two figures, standing on the other side of the room. They didn’t even notice Levi’s arrival, as they stood with their backs to him, loudly arguing about something.

Well, Levi didn’t care what they were doing here. Or who they were. He lived here, and that meant that they had to leave.

“Oi!” Levi raised his voice to get their attention. “Who the fuck are you?”

The two figures span around, staring at Levi in surprise.

And as Levi studied their faces, as he looked closely at the woman in front of him, his breath hitched in his throat.

She looked so much like her.

That woman resembled Princess Hanna almost uncannily. She was older, of course, and wore a pair of round glasses, but she looked just like the lost member of the royal family. She looked just like the girl Levi had saved all those years ago.

The woman was saying something, as Levi saw her lips move but couldn’t hear what she was saying. His mind was reeling, his thoughts were in frenzy.

“Erwin!” Levi suddenly shouted.

The woman and the man, who stood beside her, stared at Levi with wide eyes. But he didn’t say anything, waiting to hear the sounds of Erwin’s heavy and hurried steps.

A moment later he walked in, coming to stand next to Levi.

“We have guests?” Erwin asked with a surprised smile.

“Erwin,” Levi tugged at his sleeve. “Look at her.”

And without saying anything else, Erwin did. Levi watched, how Erwin’s eyes focused on the woman’s face and then quickly darted behind her, to the portrait of a royal family.

“Oh,” Erwin breathed out. “Oh.” He repeated, still shocked.

He recovered almost immediately, as he took a step closer, a charming smile appearing on his lips.

“Good evening, my lady,” he took the woman by the hand, kissing her palm. “May I know your name?”

“Hange…” the woman said slowly, eyeing both Levi and Erwin with suspicion.

“Just Hange?”

The woman scratched her head, looking away. “I don’t know my last name.”

“Interesting,” Erwin rubbed his chin. “Well, my name is Erwin Smith, and that is my friend, Levi Ackerman.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Levi asked, glaring furiously at the newcomers.

“We were just passing by!” Hange hurried to explain, her eyes darting nervously from Erwin’s sweet smile to Levi’s hard face. “My friend Moblit and I,” she gestured to the man with chestnut hair, who was standing behind her. “We’ve heard that there lives a man, who knows how to forge documents.” She smiled a little sheepishly. “And we need them to go to Paris.”

“Paris?” Erwin’s smile became a lot wider. “What a coincidence! My friend and I are planning to go there as well. If you wish, we can accompany you.”

“I…” Hange looked at her friend, and they seemed to have a silent conversation. “What will it cost us?”

Erwin’s eyes glinted almost wickedly. “Before I answer your question, will you answer mine, please?”

“Alright…” Hange nodded, looking even more wary than before.

“This may sound weird, but do you know your family?”

“My family died.” Hange replied in a strange, detached voice. “Or they left me. I don’t really know. All I have is this thing,” she showed Erwin and Levi her necklace. “It says ‘together in Paris’. I don’t know what exactly this means, but I’m determined to find out.”

Erwin nodded and came to stand next to Hange, wrapping his hands around her shoulders and spinning her around.

“Do you see this girl, Hange?” he gestured to the smallest member of Zoe family. “Don’t you think she looks just like you?”

“You’re joking.” Hange scoffed, although her eyes didn’t leave the portrait and her hand was clutching the necklace tightly.

“I am not,” Erwin assured her in a calm, deep voice. “It is known that Princess Hanna was the only one of Zoe family, who managed to escape from the revolutionaries. And if you don’t remember your parents, you might as well be the long lost Princess. Princess’ grandmother, Empress Olga, lives in Paris now, why don’t you come with us and pay her a visit? It may be your chance to find out about your past.”

“To find out about my past…” Hange whispered in daze. “I always wanted to do that.”

She continued to stare at the portrait for another moment, and then she turned around, looking intently at Erwin and Levi.

“Do you really think it’s possible that I can be Princess Hanna?”

“I’m sure of it.” Erwin gave her another smile.

“And you?” Hange came to stand in front of Levi, her eyes boring into his. “Do you also think I’m a Princess?”

“You look like a dirty tramp and you reek like a wet dog.” Levi told her, crossing his hands on his chest. Erwin elbowed him in the side, whispering him to shut up, but Levi paid him no mind, keeping the entirety of his attention on the woman in front of him. “But I’ve seen hundreds of Russian girls, who have claimed to be a Princess. And no one resembled Princess Hanna like you do.”

Hange stared at Levi for a long moment. To his surprise, she didn’t seem to be offended by his words. On the contrary, her lips curved into a small, but amused smile.

“Alright then,” Hange declared, still gazing at Levi. “I’ll come with you.”

“Excellent!” Erwin straightened out, giving Hange another brilliant smile. “Then pack your suitcases, Princess. Paris is waiting for us!”

***

As he sat next to her on the train, Levi couldn’t stop glaring at Hange. The speck of dirt on her left cheek irritated him. His hands twitched with desire to tell her to wipe that shit off her face, but he promised Erwin he’d behave around her.

Still, the more he looked at it, the angrier Levi became. 

Another ten minutes passed by with Levi’s gaze still focused on Hange. Erwin and Princess’ friend Moblit began to give Levi weird looks, but Levi ignored them. In return, Hange ignored him. She either didn’t notice his intense stare, or just didn’t care about it.

Another ten minutes, and Levi had enough.

He swiftly took the handkerchief out of his pocket and threw it at Hange. It landed right on her face.

She slowly lifted the white cloth and gave Levi a questioning look.

“Your face is fucking dirty, four-eyes,” Levi growled. He instantly wanted to smack himself – he promised to be polite and considerate around Hange, so she would get used to her role as a Princess. But her sloppiness pissed Levi off so much!

Another thing that pissed off Levi was her constant carelessness and her inability to take anything, and especially him, seriously. Even now she was giggling at Levi’s annoyed face, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“And clean your glasses, for fuck’s sake,” he added, looking at her with disgust.

“Yes, sir!” Hange stuck her tongue at him and then burst out laughing.

Levi’s eye began to twitch. “Can you stop behaving like a child for at least a moment? And can you stop slouching in your sit? Princesses don’t sit like that!”

“And you know a lot about Princesses?” Hange asked. The stupid amused expression was still plastered on her face.

“More than you do.”

“But you do believe that I am a Princess, right?” Hange’s eyes glinted with mischief.

“Of course.”

“Then stop bossing me around!” she exclaimed.

In the sit across from Levi, Erwin chuckled. When Levi turned his gaze to Moblit, he saw that he too was hiding a smile behind his palm.

Fucking assholes.

Levi swiftly rose to his feet, heading out of the train cabin. He needed to get some fresh air. And get away from Hange. The smug grin on her lips made Levi’s blood boil.

***

Levi slowly made his way through the train. Almost everyone he passed through was busy checking their documents, making sure that the Inspector wouldn’t find anything suspicious.

Levi briefly glanced at the passengers’ passports. They were red. But as he walked out of the cabin, he was sure that Erwin held blue passports in his hands.

Shit!

Levi returned to their cabin as swiftly as he could without raising any suspicions.

“Erwin!” Levi said breathlessly, as he tumbled inside the cabin. “Everyone has red passports!”

Erwin looked at the passport in his hand and then back at Levi. “Shit.” He said quietly, but with feeling. Levi couldn’t agree more.

“Is something wrong?” Hange asked, fixing the glasses on her face. Levi was relieved to see that she had cleaned them. Small mercies and all that shit. “I thought you were good at forging documents.”

Erwin gave her a tight-lipped smile. “We are, but we mostly specialize on Russian documents. French passports are, sadly, not my area of expertise.”

“We need to run.” Levi urged, getting his suitcase. “If the Inspector sees us…”

“Yeah, I know,” Erwin nervously ran a hand through his hair. “Take Hange and go, Levi. Moblit and I will follow you.”

“Roger.” Levi nodded, grabbing Hange’s hand and yanking her up. “Let’s go, four-eyes. We need to hurry.”

“And where exactly are we going? Where are we going to hide?”

“There isn’t a place on this train, where Inspector wouldn’t look for us. So we have to get off this train.”

“Get off?” Hange’s eyes widened and her brows furrowed. “Do you mean—”

“Yes, we’ll jump off the train,” Levi said impatiently, leading Hange to the most secluded area of the train.

“Jump?!” Hange shrieked. “We can die!”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared, four-eyes.” Levi smirked. “C’mon, get ready.”

He let go of her palm and put his hands on the big metal door. To Hange’s surprise, Levi opened it without much of hassle. He was so short, but his back was wide and his arms were evidently strong.

“On the count of three?” he asked Hange, as he stood on the edge.

“On the count of three.” she agreed. She took a deep breath and then grabbed Levi by the hand.

Levi glanced at their joined hands in surprise, but then nodded, squeezing Hange’s palm.

“Three.” He whispered, jumping and dragging Hange after him.

While they were falling, Levi managed to maneuver himself in a different position. Still holding Hange’s hand, his other arm grabbed her waist, pressing her closer to him. As a result, when they landed, Hange fell on top of him.

“That was awesome!” she exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. Hange’s eyes were practically sparkling with excitement.

All Levi could do was to slightly node. Hange was close, so very close to him, and all thoughts seemed to leave Levi’s head.

“Hange!” Moblit shouted, as soon as he and Erwin landed not far from Levi and Hange. “Are you alright?”

“Of course!” Hange’s voice was loud and cheerful. She briefly glanced back at Levi. “Thanks for being a cushion for me!” she patted his shoulder and winked. 

Then she got up and went to Moblit, who continued to fret over her. Levi didn’t know if he should be disappointed or relieved at the loss of warmth Hange’s body was giving him.

Of course, Hange’s clothes were dirty, and she herself was disgusting, but to Levi’s surprise, she didn’t smell as bad as he expected. She actually smelled kind of nice…

Still lying in the snow, Levi shook his head, he was slowly going crazy. Hange’s craziness was probably contagious.

“You seem kind of shaken,” Erwin stood above him, outstretching his hand towards him.

“Hit my head during the fall.” Levi lied, taking the offered hand and hoisting himself up.

Dusting off his snow-covered coat, he looked at the horizon. The train had almost disappeared from the view, leaving a cloud of dust after it.

“What are we going to do next?” Levi asked ignoring Hange’s excited blabbering behind him.

Erwin sighed, rubbing his face tiredly. “If my estimates are correct, we are somewhere in Poland. I guess we can get aboard the ship in Germany.”

“And how will we get there?”

“We can catch a bus in Strasburg. But the road there will be a long one.”

Levi glanced back. Moblit was holding Hange’s face in his hands, inspecting it for signs of injury. Noticing Levi’s stare, Hange stuck her tongue at him again.

Levi sighed, turning to face Erwin again. “Yeah,” he grunted. “The road will be long.”

***

“So?” Levi asked as soon as Erwin walked out of the postman’s office.

Erwin nodded, looking pleased. “It’s all set. Mike is waiting for us and he promised that Nanaba will talk with Empress.”

“What is set?” Hange suddenly appeared behind Levi’s shoulder. “Who is Mike and why is he waiting for us? Who is Nanaba and why does she have to talk with Empress?”

“Mike is my old friend,” Erwin explained with a smile. “His wife Nanaba is Empress’ distant relative. She’ll talk with her and persuade her to see you.”

“Persuade?” Hange’s eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. “But I thought that Empress was already waiting for me?”

Erwin’s warm smile became nervous. He stared at Hange in slight panic, not knowing what to say.

Levi decided to come to his rescue. “Empress doesn’t know about you yet.” He said in his usual bored voice. “But once you convince her that you’re the real Princess Hanna–”

“Convince?” Hange cried out, looking at Erwin and Levi in shock. “Convince?!” she repeated even more outraged. “No one told me I had to convince anyone! I didn’t agree to this!”

“Hange, please—” Erwin tried, but Hange silenced him with one furious look.

“No.” she said sternly, her eyes burning with cold fury. “No, I’m not going to do it.”

She turned around, but Levi grabbed her by the hand. “What the fuck?” he hissed, holding her wrist tightly. “We went so far and now you just want to quit? What the fuck happened?”

“You both lied to me, that’s what happened. I just wanted to find my family, I don’t want to lie to anyone!”

“But that’s not a lie! You’re Princess Hanna!”

Hange let out a merciless laugh. “And who is going to believe me?” she said, spreading her hands out. “You are the one, who always tells me how dirty and messy I am! Empress would never believe that I am a Princess!”

Hange jerkily freed her hand out of Levi’s grasp and started to walk away. And Levi just stared at her retreating back, not knowing what to say or what to do. What Hange just said was true, he did treat her like shit, always calling her names and scolding her. It was his fault that Hange was losing her confidence.

“C’mon, Moblit,” Hange took her friend by the hand, grabbing their suitcase. “We can find some other way to Paris.”

Hange was walking further and further away, but Levi stood still. Erwin moved passed him, giving him a pointed look and hurrying after Hange.

Levi watched how Erwin caught up with Hange and Moblit. He felt like the biggest asshole in the world. But surprisingly he didn’t care about their scheme right now. He wasn’t worried that Hange would walk away and he would lose his money. Instead he felt anger and regret. He was angry at himself for always running his mouth, for never thinking how his cruel words affected other people. He was regretting all the stupid things he had said to upset Hange.

***

“Wait, Hange, please!” breathlessly, Erwin took Hange by the elbow. “Let’s talk.” Erwin tried to use his most charming smile, but Hange wasn’t fazed.

“Are you going to ask me to continue our journey?”

“I’m not.” Erwin promised her seriously. The smile disappeared from his face, and he looked at Hange earnestly. “I just want to tell you something, that’s all. If after our conversation, you still decide to leave, then I’ll accept it.”

Hange gave him a long, critical look. Then she sighed. “Fine, let’s talk.”

“Thank you,” Erwin nodded and linked his hands with Hange. “We won’t be long,” he promised Moblit and started to lead Hange away.

They walked in silence for some time, and Hange was starting to get impatient.

“I thought you wanted to talk,” she reminded when they reached the small bridge.

Erwin gave her an enigmatic smile and came to stand next to the railing. “Come here,” he softly urged.

Hange huffed, annoyed by his strange behavior, but obeyed his request. She stared into the blue water of the lake beneath the bridge, watching her reflection.

“What do you see?” Erwin asked.

“I see you,” Hange grumbled. “And me.”

“Right, but what exactly do you see?”

Hange stared at the surface of the lake. Her expression stared back. Looking at her messy hair, big glasses and dirty clothes, Hange felt anger stir inside her. Levi’s words echoed in her head, as though mocking her.

“I see stupid and naïve girl,” she crossed hands on her chest, glaring at the water. “I see someone without past. And without future.”

Erwin softly chuckled. “Not to agree with Levi, but maybe you really should clean your glasses, Hange. Because I see something different.” he hugged Hange by her shoulders. His reflection in the lake was smiling gently. “I see a woman, whose bravery and kindness can only rival with her intelligence. I see a good, noble person.”

As Hange gave Erwin a sidelong glance, she saw that even though the smile was still present on his lips, his gaze was becoming distant and melancholy.

“You know that I grew up in the palace?” he began slowly. “My parents were a part of the court, and I’ve spent my childhood alongside other nobles. I’ve never met you, of course, I was a bit older after all. But I do remember tales about an insufferable little girl, who was running around the palace and hiding from her nannies.”

Hange didn’t remember that, all she could remember from her childhood was the cold, uncomfortable beds and angry shouts from the governesses in the orphanage. But she could picture what Erwin was talking about quite clearly. And she liked that image. A small, involuntarily smile appeared on her face, as she continued listening to Erwin.

“What I wanted to tell you Hange, was this - I met a lot of nobles in my life, I was surrounded by them, and well,” Erwin shrugged. “Most of them were terrible people. They were cruel and greedy, and they didn’t respect anyone, who was beneath them. But you Hange… you are different. I can see how bright you are, how sympathetic. It might be foolish of me, but when I look at you, I feel like you’re the only true noble I’ve ever met. Maybe you don’t look like a Princess, but it doesn’t matter. I’m sure that once Empress sees you, once she looks into your fierce and clever eyes, she will know that you’re her granddaughter.”

Hange stared at Erwin for a long moment, thinking over everything he just told her. Slowly, a grin appeared on her face.

She slightly nudged Erwin in the side. “You know, with the way you talk, I’m sure you can probably convince Empress that you’re Princess Hanna.” Hange paused, her eyes focusing on her reflection once more. Then she sighed, straightening her shoulders and turning to look Erwin in the eyes. “Alright, you won. Let’s continue our journey.”

“That’s it?” Levi’s voice suddenly came from behind them “Your tantrum is over?”

“No thanks to you,” Erwin pointed out, giving Levi a disappointed glare.

Levi huffed, and Hange could swear that his cheeks had slightly reddened. “I was an asshole.” He said, looking Hange in the eyes. Even though he was embarrassed, he didn’t look away. He wanted Hange to believe in his sincerity.

“Yeah, you were,” Hange easily agreed and Levi was shocked to see a grin on her lips. “But I’m already used to that.” She patted his shoulder, walking past him. “I guess that’s just how you are. So I’m not upset, don’t worry.”

“As if I would worry about something stupid like that,” Levi grumbled. The amused expressions on Erwin and Hange’s faces told him that they could see right through him.

Damn it, Levi cursed, both of them were annoyingly perceptive.

“Alright!” Hange exclaimed, making a wide gesture with her hands. “Gentlemen! Teach me how to be a Princess!”

***

“We are lucky that you’re better at remembering names of Czar’s family then at playing chess,” Erwin chuckled after winning another game with Hange.

She huffed, crossing her hands on her chest. “That’s unfair! I’ve learned the rules just yesterday, of course I’ll bad at it!”

“Believe me, four-eyes,” Levi came to stand beside her. “You can spend years playing chess and you still won’t be able to win against Erwin. He is insanely and annoyingly good at this game.”

Erwin shrugged, grinning slightly. “Do you want to try your luck, Levi?” he gestured at the chess board.

“No thanks,” Levi made a face. “I don’t want to be humiliated.” Then he turned to Hange, passing her a wrapped package. “Besides, I came to give Hange this.”

Hange’s greedy hands immediately began tearing off the wrappings. Finished with them, she took out what was inside and gave it a confused look.

“What’s this?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Instead of answering, Levi came closer and snatched the glasses of her face. He directed them to the light, inspecting them. Then he huffed. “Your glasses are surprisingly clean, Hange. Have your eyesight became even shittier? Or have you never seen a dress before?”

“Of course, I have!” Hange protested, pressing the dress to her chest. “But I’ve never wore one.” She whispered, hanging her head.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and put it on.”

When Hange lifted her face, there was a big smile on her lips. She shot up to her feet, briefly hugging Levi. “Thank you!” she shouted right into his ear. She swiftly kissed his cheek and then sprinted off to her cabin.

Levi gingerly touched the place, where Hange had kissed him. The skin there was warm, and even warmer feeling spread across his chest.

Standing with his hand on his cheek and a dumb-struck expression on his face, Levi was sure that he looked like an idiot. “Shut up,” he grumbled, seeing the smirk on Erwin’s face. He sat down heavily next to him. “Let’s play your stupid game.” He added, putting figures in their places.

Hopefully, a chess match with Erwin would give him something else to focus onto and he would forget about Hange’s dumb happy smile or her stupid pretty eyes.

***

Half an hour later, Hange appeared on the deck of a ship, accompanied by Moblit. Levi’s eyes widened as he looked at her.

She was wearing a dress Levi had given her and she let her hair down, the brown locks reached to her shoulders and framed her flushed face. She came to stand in front of Levi and Erwin, nervously smiling at them.

“What do you think?” she asked, tucking a loose lock of her hair behind her ear. “Do I look… acceptable?”

“You look gorgeous.” Erwin replied, standing up and taking Hange by the hand.

Levi couldn’t agree more. When he was a child and lived in a palace with his mother, he oftentimes sneaked into the ballrooms to gawk at all the ladies in beautiful gowns. Their dresses were expansive, their hair was put into complicated hairstyles, and their carefully applied make-up hid every imperfection they had.

Hange looked nothing like them. Standing in her simple purple dress, slightly blushing and shyly smiling, she looked more beautiful than all the ladies, duchesses and princesses Levi had ever seen.

In the meantime, Erwin span Hange around. “You are ready for the ball, Princess.” Erwin said, smiling softly at her.

The blush on Hange’s cheeks intensified. She casted her eyes down, her fingers were fidgeting with the hem of her dress. “Truth be told, I don’t know how to dance…”

“Ah, it’s a problem that can be easily solved.” Still holding Hange’s hand in his, Erwin laid his other arm on Levi’s shoulder. “Because our Levi just so happens to be an incredible dancer! He will teach you everything you need to know!” finished, Erwin let go of them and took a step back.

Hange still looked a bit shy, but she was the first one to make a move. She laid her left hand on Levi’s waist, while her right one took his palm.

Beside them, Erwin chuckled. “While, I agree that the taller person should be the one to lead,” he began, earning a fierce glare from Levi. “But for your first time, I think you should let Levi lead, Hange.”

“Oh,” Hange slowly blinked, changing the position of her hands. “That’s how I should do it?”

Erwin nodded with a smile, and in the next moment, Levi started to slowly move Hange around the deck.

“Relax and follow my lead,” he whispered to Hange, squeezing her hand. “There’s nothing complicated about it.”

Hange nodded slightly, her eyes focused on her toes. Levi tsked.

“I know my face is ugly, but you have to look your partner in the eyes.”

“You’re not ugly!” Hange argued immediately, lifting her face and glaring at Levi. “Maybe, you scowl too much, but it doesn’t make you unpleasant to look at! On the contrary, I like looking at your face.” Hange’s eyes widened as she realized what she had said. “I mean— not that I’m looking at you all the time or something! I just—” Hange’s hand twitched in Levi’s hold, as she wanted to run a hand through her hair. Levi didn’t let her go.

He was sure that his face was as red as Hange’s, but still he tried to keep a straight expression, continuing their dance. “Even with your stupid glasses, I like looking at your face as well.”

Levi cursed at himself, wondering what had possessed him to say those stupid words. However… the smile that appeared on Hange’s face afterwards was kind of worth it. Even if Levi felt like a fucking idiot.

“Thank you for the dress,” Hange whispered. She was still following Levi’s request and looked him straight in the eyes. And Levi stared back, unable to turn away from those warm brown eyes.

“You’re welcome.” Levi whispered back.

“I feel lightheaded,” Hange admitted after Levi had spun her around.

“And your heart is beating fast?” Levi asked.

“Too fast.” Hange agreed.

“I feel the same.” Levi said. He stopped moving, but didn’t let go of Hange and didn’t look away from her face.

“It’s probably from all that dancing,” Hange forced a grin on her face.

Levi nodded. “Maybe, we should stop.”

“But Levi,” Hange looked at him in surprise. “We already did.”

“Hange…” Levi began, staring at her almost desperately. “Hange… I—” he almost did it, almost said those words, almost told Hange how she made him feel. But Levi stopped himself, shaking his head.

What the fuck was he thinking? Hange was a Princess, and a few days later he would get her to Paris and then never see her again. Whatever he thought he was feeling couldn’t be real. He was just being foolish.

“There is nothing I can teach you anymore,” Levi finished, patting Hange’s hand before letting her go. “You won’t look like an idiot on your first ball, so my job is done. I… I need to go.”

And then he left, his heart pounding in his chest. He walked back to his cabin, not even once turning around to look at Hange. He knew that if he looked into her eyes again, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from spilling out the truth about his feelings.

***

Levi motionlessly lay in his bed, staring with unseeing eyes at the ceiling. The evening’s events kept replaying in his head, over and over. He just… he couldn’t understand.

He couldn’t understand what was happening to him, didn’t know what he was feeling and why he was feeling it. Levi had never felt like that, no one had ever made him feel like that. But whenever he was with Hange, something awoke in him. Something that made him feel at ease, that made him almost happy. Something that made him feel alive.

Levi didn’t know the name of this feeling. Or maybe, he did but was afraid to put a name on it. Surely, it couldn’t be that, he couldn’t be in love with Hange. They knew each other for a little more than a week, Levi barely knew her! But he wanted to know more – wanted to know her quirks and habits, her fears and dreams, her thoughts and feelings. Everything. He wanted to know everything about Hange.  

And that scared Levi. More than he was willing to admit.

Because Levi didn’t believe in love. His life was full of sorrows and losses, there was no place for feelings and other foolish things. But looking at Hange, staring at her big smile or getting lost in her bright eyes, Levi felt something that dangerously resembled hope, blooming inside his chest.

Hange made him feel… she made him feel, she always managed to elicit some kind of reaction and emotion out of usually stoic Levi. She irritated him with her endless teasing, she amused him with her stupid jokes, and she amazed him with her kindness.

She made him feel other emotions, too. When Levi saw, how Erwin touched her shoulder or held her hand, when he watched, how Hange kissed Moblit on a cheek and hugged him tightly to her chest, a weird, angry feeling arose in Levi. His fists clenched and his mouth formed a hard line.

And whenever Hange touched him, whenever she laid her hand on his shoulder, when she was laughing too hard, or whenever she pressed herself against his side, leaning on him, Levi’s heart began to drum erratically, his breath hitched in his throat, as something warm settled in his chest.

Levi cursed, running a hand through his hair. He was so fucked. Because no matter what he felt for Hange, if it was love or some other dumb shit, the end of their story was near. Hange would go to Paris and she would become a Princess. She would wear fancy dresses and she would attend balls. She would be adored by everyone around her, and men would throw themselves at her feet, asking for a minute of her attention.

There was no place in this world for a scum like Levi. There was no place for him in Hange’s life.

***

Levi woke up with a start. He didn’t notice how he fell asleep, too engrossed in his solemn thoughts.

At first, he couldn’t understand what had woken him up. But then, a moment later, he heard it again – a quiet, muffled sound. Levi instantly became alarmed. He was sure that he was in the room alone, Hange, Moblit and Erwin had decided to join the ship’s crew for a round of drinks. Had they already returned?

The same sound came again, and Levi rose from his bed, trying to look around the dark room. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that the bed on the other side of the cabin was occupied by Hange.

She tossed and turned, sobbing quietly. Levi froze, his eyes wide as he stared at her. Hange was probably having a nightmare, and despite the fact that he frequently suffered from them as well, Levi didn’t know how to help. He looked around the room once more, but there was no sign of Moblit or Erwin. Levi cursed. If Moblit was here, he would know what to do. And Erwin would definitely find the right words to calm Hange down. But they were absent, and that meant that Levi was the one, who had to help Hange.

He slowly approached her, kneeling beside her bed. He looked at her and his heart caught in his throat. Hange’s face was contorted in pain, her cheeks stained with tears.

Levi outstretched his hand, tentatively laying it on Hange’s shoulder. “Oi, Hange,” he slightly shook her. “C’mon, wake up.”

But Hange didn’t seem to hear him, her breath getting more erratic and her sobs becoming louder. “No,” she whispered, furiously shaking her head. “No, no, please don’t leave me!”

Levi’s heart ached, as he watched her struggles. Wrapping his hands around her shoulders, he shook her again, more forceful this time. But still, Hange was unresponsive.

And so Levi decided to try a different approach. With his hands still around her, Levi pressed Hange close to his chest. One of his hands came to rest atop of Hange’s head, as he soothingly patted her hair.

“It’s just a nightmare, Hange,” Levi whispered in the softest voice he could muster. He pressed a gentle kiss on Hange’s sweaty temple. “None of it is real, none of it can really hurt you.”

And, surprisingly, it seemed to work. Soon, Hange’s sobs ceased and Levi felt how her hands fisted in his shirt. She breathed heavily, her whole body moving with excursion.

Finally she raised her head. “Levi?” her eyes were wide as she looked at him. Without her glasses, Hange seemed so young, so innocent and vulnerable.

“You had a nightmare.” Levi answered her unasked question. He still held her in his arms.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Hange whispered, bowing her head in shame.

“Don’t be.” Levi said rather forcefully. “It happens to anyone, and I’m glad that I managed to help you.”

“Thank you,” Hange softly smiled, and Levi’s heart melted. She was smiling at him, he made her smile like that. “But aren’t you angry? My tears ruined your shirt.”

“It’s fine,” Levi waved his hand, finally letting Hange go. A strange look appeared in her eyes, something that looked a lot like disappointment, but it was gone before Levi could inspect it more closely. “As I said, I was glad to help. You’re a Princess, after all. It’s my duty to help you.”

And now Levi was sure that Hange’s eyes were sad. “Is that everything I am to you?” she whispered. “Just a Princess?”

“It’s everything you should be to me.” Levi retorted, looking away from Hange. Her gaze was making him uncomfortable, it almost made him regret his words. “Go to sleep, Hange.” He sighed, getting to his feet. “Tomorrow is an important day.”

Tomorrow, they would finally arrive to Paris, Levi thought bitterly. Soon he would have to say goodbye to Hange.

***

The next day, Levi, Hange, Erwin and Moblit got off the ship. They stepped on the land and were immediately approached by a man and a woman.

The woman was lean and tall. With her stylish blue dress and short blonde hair, she was unmistakably Parisian. However, the man next to her, a big and wide guy with blonde thick hair and even thicker moustache, was undeniably Russian.

“Oh, god!” the woman exclaimed, as she ran up to Hange. “You look so much like her! You really are Princess Hanna!”

Hange awkwardly scratched her head, shrugging. “Everyone keeps telling me that.” She said with a lopsided grin.

“And they are correct, my dear,” the woman wore a bright smile. She took Hange's hands in hers, squeezing them tightly. “I’m so glad to meet you! And I’m sure Empress will be incredibly happy to see you. She missed you terribly, Hanna.”

Hange smiled at the woman. It looked more than a little forced. “I prefer to be called Hange.”

Even if the woman was taken aback by her words, she didn’t show it. “As you wish. But you need to at least get used to your title. Everyone will call you Princess now.”

Hange’s eyes immediately turned to Levi. She avoided his eyes as soon as their gazes met, but Levi didn’t miss the same hurtful look from yesterday.

“Ah, where are my manners!” the woman clasped her hands together and then outstretched her right one to Hange for a handshake. “I’m Nanaba. And that is my husband Mike.”

Hange smiled, and this time it was sincere. “I’m Hange, and this is my friend Moblit.” She gestured to him.

“Charmed,” Nanaba nodded, shaking Hange’s and Moblit’s hands.

And while Hange shook hands with Mike, Nanaba came to stand next to Erwin.

She grabbed his face and kissed both of his cheeks, smiling from ear to ear. “It’s good to see you again.”

Erwin shared her sentiment, looking just as happy. “I’m glad to be here as well, Nanaba. You look more beautiful with each day.”

Nanaba shook her head, chuckling. “You never change, Erwin.”

Then she turned to Levi, although she didn’t greet him the way she did Erwin. “It’s nice to see you, too, Levi.”

Levi nodded slightly. “I’m glad to know you’re doing alright.”

A moment later, Mike walked up to Erwin. He enveloped him in a tight, suffocating hug. “It’s been too long, my friend.” he said with feeling.

Erwin chuckled, hugging Mike just as tightly. “I missed you, too.”

As he let Erwin go, a big smile curved Mike’s lips. It disappeared as soon as he laid his eyes on Levi. “Ackerman.” He said. All the warmth in his voice was gone.

“Zacharius.” Levi replied in the same manner.

“Are they going to fight?” Hange asked Erwin, watching the scene with great interest.

“They did, a few times.” Hange was surprised by Erwin’s nonchalant tone. Her eyes widened as she saw that Mike’s face broke into a wide grin. He ruffled Levi’s hair, laughing heartily. “I see you still haven’t grown up.”

“Shut up, you ugly giant,” Levi made a face. “And get your dirty hands off me!”

Mike started to laugh even harder, and soon everyone joined him. Everyone, except Levi, who was glaring at them.

“So…” Hange began uncertainly with her hands behind her back. “When I will meet Empress?”

“This evening,” Nanaba promised. “She will attend a play in the theater and I’ll introduce you to each other. Before that, we need to get you a dress. This one is pretty,” she nodded at Hange’s purple dress. “But you need something fancier.”

“Oh, alright. Of course.”

“Great!” Nanaba smiled once more, linking her hands with Hange. “Then let’s go shopping!”

***

Hange threw the curtain open, revealing yet another outfit to her audience. She grinned, spinning around to give them a better look. However, as she stopped, she was surprised to find out that almost everyone was gone. Only Levi remained in his seat.

“Eh?” her brows furrowed in confusion. “Where are the others?”

“They went to grab a lunch,” Levi said as he came up to Hange. “I have a more pressing question, though. Where the fuck have you found this monstrosity?” he stared displeasingly at Hange’s bright dress. “This thing looks like someone had eaten the rainbow and then vomited it all over the fabric.”

Levi’s colorful description sent Hange into a fit of giggles. She clutched her stomach, laughing even harder. Levi tsked, although his eyes were full of amusement, as he gazed at Hange.

“C’mon,” he softly shoved her back into the dressing room. “Take off this ugly dress, I’ll look for something… more presentable.”

Still chuckling, Hange nodded and disappeared behind the curtain. She was angry at Levi before, and more than angry, she was hurt, but their easy banter made her forget about yesterday’s conversation.  She could almost pretend that everything was fine. That Levi and her were friends.

Five minutes later, Levi touched the side of the curtain. “Here,” he passed her a dress. “Try this.”

Hange looked at the dress in her hands. A smile appeared on her face, as she admired its bright yellow color. Her favorite.

She swiftly put it on and walked out of the dressing room, looking a bit shy. She still felt uncomfortable while wearing a dress.

“Yes,” Levi said in a strange, almost breathless voice. “We should take this one.”

Hange turned to the mirror, studying her reflection. The dress wasn’t long, reaching to her knees and showing off her long and slender legs, it wasn’t tight either, but it followed every curve of her body, accentuating her slim waist. The bright yellow color contrasted with Hange’s tan skin.

“Do I look pretty?” Hange grinned, looking at Levi in the mirror.

“You look beautiful.” Levi told her seriously, staring right into her reflection’s eyes. Hange felt her cheeks reddened, but she couldn’t look away from Levi’s eyes, which looked at her so intently.

“Alright,” she said, shaking her head and looking away. “Let’s take this one then.”

“Get changed and let’s meet with the others. They’re waiting for us at the café.”

***

“Hange, this dress is marvelous!” Nanaba admired the fabric in her hands. “You have an excellent taste!”

“Ah, I wasn’t the one who chose it. Levi did,” Hange said, grinning at him.

“Really?” Mike raised his eyebrow. “Levi, I didn’t know you like fashion so much.”

“This is your last warning, Mike,” Levi growled. “Shut the fuck up.”

Unfortunately, Mike didn’t seem intimidated. He just chuckled, sharing a long and knowing look with Erwin.

“Hange,” Nanaba called, unexpectedly serious. She took Hange’s hand in hers. “I need to ask you something. I believe you really are Princess Hanna, but I just want to make sure.”

“Of course.” Hange smiled, trying to hide her nervousness.

“Do you… do you remember the night of the attack?”

“I remember a ball,” Hange slowly began, staring into her cup of coffee. Nanaba slightly nodded – everyone knew that revolutionaries attacked the Winter Palace during a noble’s festivities. “I remember there were screams and sounds of gunshots, people running in every direction. Then there was a secret door, but I… I couldn’t open it. But this boy…” Hange raised her head, briefly glancing in Levi’s direction. Levi’s heart skipped a beat, as he stared at Hange back. Could she remember him? “He pushed the door open for me, he… well, I guess he saved me.” Hange shrugged, grinning crookedly. “Sorry, but I don’t remember much.”

Tears gathered in the corners of Nanaba’s eyes, as Hange finished. She pressed her close to her chest. “You remember about secret door! It’s really you! Ah, I’m so happy we finally found you.” She whispered in her shoulder.

Hange patted her on the shoulder. “And I’m happy to be found.”

***

Hange stood in front of a grand, gorgeous theater. Her hands trembled, and looking at all the people around her – beautiful women in fancy dresses and handsome men in rich suits, she felt completely out of place.

Hange had half a mind to run away. To turn around and flee, as fast as she could. She almost took a step back, when Levi came to stand beside her.

“Nervous?” he asked, giving her a side glance.

“Of course not!” Hange exclaimed, trying to sound far more cheerful than she felt.

Levi silently raised his eyebrow. Hange huffed and lowered her head. “Fine, you’re right. Maybe, I feel a little nervous.”

“You’ve been dreaming about this moment your whole life, right? Of course, you’ll be nervous.” Levi replied in a strangely soft voice. He took Hange’s hand in his, giving her palm a squeeze. “I’ll be there, if you need me.” He promised.

Hange instantly felt better. She relaxed slightly, as all of her panic seemed to leave her body. Levi’s presence gave her a weird sense of comfort. With him by her side, she felt like she could do anything.

Still holding his hand, she entered the theater.

***

Hange fidgeted in her seat, picking at her dress. She tried to focus her attention on the stage, where an undoubtedly spectacular play was in motion, but her eyes had been glued to the old woman in the next balcony. Could it really be her? Her grandmother? Her family? Looking at her, Hange tried to feel something, some connection, but she felt nothing but panic.

Erwin and Levi left a couple of minutes ago, telling Hange they needed to discuss something with Nanaba. And Hange had been panicking ever since.

“Calm down,” Moblit whispered, leaning to her. “There is nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about?!” Hange hissed. “What if she doesn’t recognize me? What if she does recognize me?”

Moblit smiled, taking Hange’s hand in his. “If she doesn’t recognize you, then we move forward, continuing to look for your family. And if she does recognize you, then you’ll become a Princess.”

“But what if… what if I’m not sure if I want to become a Princess?” Hange whispered, suddenly vulnerable.

Moblit shrugged. “You’ll figure it out. We can always run away, you know, travel to some other place.”

“You’ll run away with me? You won’t leave me?”

“Of course, I won’t. Hange, I followed you from Russia to Paris. We’ve known each other, since we were kids. I’m not leaving you alone.”

Moblit’s earnest words and his unyielding loyalty warmed Hange’s heart. She moved closer and circled her hands around him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you, Moblit. You are a far better friend, than I deserve.” Holding Moblit in her embrace, all panic seemed to leave Hange’s body. She relaxed in his arms and enjoyed the warmth his body was giving to her.

“Oi,” suddenly came Levi’s displeasing voice. “Stop your lovey-dovey shit. We need to go.”

Hange giggled, letting go of Moblit and getting to her feet. “There is no need to get jealous, Levi. I can give you a hug, too, if you want.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass.” Levi grumbled. “Hurry up, four-eyes. Erwin is already waiting for us.”

And just like that, Hange’s worry returned. She nodded shakily, tightening her hands into fists to prevent them from shaking.

She followed Levi into the corridor. He led her to a big oak door and stopped. Erwin was already there, smiling encouragingly at Hange.

“Are you ready?”

“Let’s do this.” Hange replied. She grinned, remembering Moblit’s words. He was right, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Levi briefly squeezed her hand. “Wait here. We need to announce your arrival first.” His hand touched the handle, ready to open the door.

“Wait!” Hange stopped him. “I need… I need to tell you something.” It was on Hange’s mind for a while. What she felt for Levi… maybe, it was her last chance to say it. “I feel… I feel…”

“Yes?” Levi moved closer, staring at Hange intently. “What do you feel, Hange?” his voice was no louder than a whisper.

“I feel like…” And Hange did it, she almost said those words, but… “I feel like I should thank you. For everything you’ve done for me.” No, now was not the time for that. She had to meet her family. She could deal with her feelings for Levi later.

“Oh.” Levi’s face was as neutral as usual. But his gaze seemed disappointed. Hange tried not to think about it. His hand reached to the handle again, he almost turned it and opened the door, but suddenly he turned around. “Hange,” he called, laying his arm on her elbow. “Hange, I wanted to tell you—”

“Y-yes?”

Levi stared at Hange hopelessly, his mouth almost formed the needed words, but then he shook his head. “I wanted to wish you good luck.” Levi finished, shaking Hange’s hand. He cringed at his awkwardness, but he knew it was a right decision. He couldn’t let Hange know about his feelings – not now, not ever.

With one last look at Hange, Levi turned around and opened the door.

“Maybe, you should have confessed?” Erwin whispered in his ear, as they walked into the room.

“No,” Levi shook his head. “She’s a Princess, and I’m the servant’s son. We’re not meant to be.”

Erwin obviously wanted to disagree, but Levi silenced him with look and pointed to Nanaba, who was waiting for them. “We have more pressing matters now.”

Nanaba walked up to them, shaking her head sadly. “She refuses to see you. Or Hange.”

“Why?” Erwin’s thick brows furrowed.

Nanaba shrugged. “She’s an old woman. And her heart was broken for a very long time.”

“What a load of bullshit.” Levi growled, moving past Nanaba and heading towards Empress.

“Levi, wait!” Erwin tried to stop him, but Levi didn’t even turn around. Erwin gave Nanaba an apologizing look and then hurried after him.

“What are you doing?” Erwin hissed, as he caught up with him.

“I don’t care what this old woman wants. Hange is waiting for her, desperate to meet her family. I can’t let her down.”

“No,” Empress Olga said, as soon as Erwin and Levi stood before her. “I told Nanaba already that I don’t want to see you, and especially I don’t want to see another one of those ‘Princesses’.”

“But, your majesty, please listen to us!” Erwin begged, reaching to her.

Empress made a face of distain. “Do you have any respect towards me?”

“Of course!” Erwin was quick to assure her.

“Then respect my wish. I’m an old woman, I’m tired and weary. Do you know how many girls I’ve seen who had claimed to be my dear Hanna? I do not wish to see another imposter, my weak heart won’t be able to take it.”

Erwin stared at her, and for the first time in his life he didn’t know what to say, what words to use to persuade Empress.

Beside him, Levi took a step forward, his grey eyes narrowed as he glared at Empress. “Behind that door stands a young woman. She lost her family, and all she wants to do is to find it again. She traveled from Russia to here, just so she could meet you in hopes that you will turn out to be her grandmother. And you don’t want to waste one minute of your precious time just to see her?”

Empress was silent for a long moment, staring at Levi and Erwin in deep thought. It looked like she was actually considering to change her decision, but then her mouth formed a hard line, as an arrogant look returned to her eyes.

“I think I know you, gentlemen,” her sharp eyes looked at Levi and Erwin with utmost precision. “Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman, am I right? Your reputation precedes you. The tales of your frauds reached even Paris.” Empress rose from her seat, sneering at the two men. “And I’ve heard about your little audition. You’ve been looking for Princess Hanna’s lookalike for a long time, haven’t you? So don’t come to me, crying about some lonely girl! When all you want is to take my money! You don’t care about me, or that girl, all you care for is money! Guards!” Empress called loudly. “Take those bastards away, and make sure they don’t come back!”

Instantly, two pairs of strong arms grabbed Levi’s shoulders and started to drag him away. He kicked and pushed, trying to free himself but his struggles were in vain. He got thrown on the floor and the door closed behind him.

And as Levi looked up, he saw Hange’s beautiful eyes. They were full of anger and hurt. And Levi realized – she had heard everything.

Levi hopelessly stared at her, his eyes wide.

“Hange!” Erwin tried, reaching to her, but one furious look from her and he took a step back.

“No.” She said, her voice deadly calm. “I do not want to hear anything from you two. You were lying to me, this whole fucking time, you’ve been lying to me!”

As she started to walk away, Levi finally recovered. He ran up to Hange, grabbing her hand. Hange recoiled, as though she was burned.

“Don’t you ever touch me.” Her voice was cold and angry, so unlike the Hange Levi was used to.

“Hange, listen to me, please!” Levi asked, desperate to explain himself, to make Hange understand.

“Are you going to tell me another lie? I trusted you, Levi, I thought we were friends! But you and Erwin were just using me! You didn’t care about me, you cared about money! And I was so foolish! I believed you were helping me out of the kindness of your hearts! I thought I meant something to you, Levi.” She said bitterly. “I thought I was in l— Ah! It doesn’t matter anymore! Just go away, Levi,” Hange sighed, so wearily and tiredly. Levi’s heart clenched. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

And then Hange started to walk away, and all Levi could was to stare after her, feeling his heart shutter into million pieces.

***

“I’m so sorry, Levi,” Erwin laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t know this would result in such a disaster.”

“All of it is my fault,” Levi replied bitterly. “I shouldn’t have gotten… attached.”

He sighed and hanged his head. He kept seeing the hurt expression on Hange’s face and he shook his head, trying to get it out of his mind. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Empress. She was walking out of the theater, and looking around, Levi noticed a car she was heading to. Without another thought, he rushed to that car. He opened the door and threw the driver out.

“Sorry,” Levi told him, as he took his place in the driver’s seat. “I’ll return the car later.”

In the next moment, Empress sat down in the car, completely unaware that her driver was missing. Levi started the engine and began driving.

“Andrey, slow down a little,” she asked, staring out of the window.

“I’m not Andrey, Empress,” Levi looked at her face in the rear window.

The woman gasped, clutching her chest. “You! What are you doing here? Stop this car immediately!”

Levi shook his head. “Can’t do, Empress. I won’t stop until you agree to meet with your granddaughter.”

“I can throw you in jail for this, do you understand?”

“I do. But I don’t care.”              

Empress sighed. “You’re an incredibly stubborn man, messier Ackerman. Fine, let’s meet with this girl of yours. I very much hope she’s worth it.”

“She is.” Levi promised her fiercely. “You don’t know it yet, your majesty, but your granddaughter is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. She’s fearless, kind, strong and unbelievingly smart.” 

Empress’ eyes were studying Levi’s reflection in the mirror. “You love her.” She didn’t ask, just stated it as a fact.

Levi averted his eyes from Empress’ knowing gaze. “It doesn’t matter. I know my place, your majesty. Street rats and princesses don’t belong together.”

Empress said nothing, just continued to stare at Levi.

Soon he stopped the car. They arrived to the hotel, where Hange was staying.

“She’s there, your majesty,” he told Empress, as he opened the door for her. “On the third floor, room number five. Be kind to her, and try to understand her.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

Levi sadly shook his head. “She doesn’t wish to see me anymore.”

“I was wrong about you, messier Ackerman. You’re a better man than I expected.” Empress didn’t smile, but her eyes were softer than moments ago. Then she got out of the car and slowly made her way inside. When she disappeared inside the building, Levi lifted his head. The light in Hange’s window was on, and he could see her silhouette, as she walked around the room. He stood there for a long moment, watching her. Then he sighed, and got back into the car, driving as far from Hange, as he could.

***

Hange was hurriedly packing her belongings in a small suitcase, when she heard a knock on the door of her room. Her treacherous heart skipped beat at the thought that it could be Levi. As she began thinking about him, the pain in her chest returned with a renowned vigor. She still couldn’t believe that Erwin and Levi had done this to her.

“I’ll answer the door.” Moblit said, squeezing her shoulder briefly.

“If that’s any of those assholes, don’t hesitate to throw them out.” Yes, she was hurt, but more than that she was angry. Angry at Levi and Erwin for using her and lying to her, angry at herself for believing them, for starting to care about them, for falling in love with one of them.

Hange’s solemn thoughts were interrupted by a sound of heavy, unhurried footsteps. Moblit didn’t walk like that. Hange raised her eyes and gasped, as she saw Empress, standing in front of her.

“My dear!” Empress came closer, laying her hand on Hange’s elbow. “You really do look like her. You’re almost a copy of my beloved Hanna.” Empress kept looking at Hange, when suddenly her eyes widened.

“This necklace!” Empress exclaimed, taking it in her hands and opening. Her eyes filled with tears, as she read the familiar words. “Together in Paris…” she whispered, holding the necklace in her trembling palms. “It’s really you, isn’t it? My dear Hanna, you’ve really returned home?”

“I hope so.” Hange shrugged and grinned unsurely.

“Oh my dear!” Empress threw herself at Hange, nearly suffocating her in tight embrace. She was crying loudly in her shoulder, and Hange awkwardly held the old woman in her arms. She didn’t know her, didn’t really remember her, but this woman clearly cared about Hange. It was nice. It was good to know that there were people who cared about her. People, who considered her a part of their family.

When Empess, calmed down, she took Hange’s face in her hands and studied it. “Look at you!” she exclaimed, smiling happily. “You’re so pretty, Hanna! We have to announce your return! Ah, yes, I should organize the ball. Everyone will love you!”

Hange smiled in return, and hoped it didn’t look too forced. She was happy, really happy to meet with her grandmother, it was her lifetime dream, but she felt uncomfortable, thinking about the ball. And she still wasn’t used to be called Hanna. She was Hange her whole life…

“Grandmother, I’m so sorry,” Hange touched the older woman’s hand. “But can we talk about this tomorrow? I had a rather stressful evening.”

“Of course, my dear, I’ll send a coach for you in the morning.” Empress rose to her feet. She looked around the hotel room, her face filling with distain. “And you should take all your belongings to my manor. An heir to Russian throne can’t sleep in a place like these! And by the way,” Empress leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Who is that man who answered the door? Is he your lover?”

“No!” Hange protested, waving her hands around. “It’s Moblit, he’s my friend! We grew up together, he’s like a brother to me.”

Empress hummed, still looking displeased. “Anyway, you shouldn’t sleep in the same room as him. It’s very improper.”

When the door after Empress closed and Moblit came back into the room, Hange breathed out, willing herself to relax.

She had never thought that meeting her relatives would be so hard.

***

“Come in,” Empress said, staring out of the window.

“Good day, your majesty. You’ve sent for us?”

Empress turned around. Messieurs Erwin Smith and Levi Ackerman were standing in front of her, looking uneasy.

“I did,” Empress said, taking a step closer to them. “It wasn’t easy to find you, messieurs. I can’t help but wonder why. Don’t you want your reward?”

“We didn’t expect you t—” Erwin began, but Levi cut him off.

“We don’t want it.” He said seriously. Then, glancing at Erwin, he hastily added. “I don’t want it. You should give all money to Erwin.”

“No, Levi’s right.” Erwin smiled, although it didn’t seem to work on Empress. “We wronged your granddaughter, your majesty. We’ve wronged her and we’ve hurt her. We don’t deserve a reward for that.”

“Huh, it seems like even criminals have honor. But are you sure, messieurs? You’ve returned my granddaughter to me, and I wish to repay you for that. Is there anything I can do for you? Maybe, there is something else you desire?”

“With all due respect, your majesty,” Levi began. “But you cannot give me what I desire.”

“Well, if that’s your decision,” Empress shrugged. “Do tell me one last thing, though – are you going to stay in Paris?”

“No, your majesty, we’ll continue to travel.” Erwin said. “Maybe, visit England, look for some job there.”

“Then I wish you luck.” Empress nodded, dismissing them.

***

Hange was trying yet another one of a dozen dresses her grandmother had bought for her. She studied her reflection in the mirror skeptically, while servants around her cheered and complimented her. She paid no mind to them, she had learnt already that their words and praises meant nothing. They would say anything, just to make her happy.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps on the stairwell behind her. She turned around. Her eyes widened as she saw who was descending.

Erwin and Levi.

Hange wanted to turn around, to ignore them, but they’ve already noticed her.

“Good day, Hange,” Erwin said warmly. “I see you are slowly getting used to your life.”

Hange nodded, and her eyes involuntarily darted to Levi. He was staring right at her, his eyes unreadable. 

“Hange…” he whispered, his hands twitching with desire to touch her. “Hange, I’m s—”

“You can’t address a Princess like that!” one of the servants interrupted. “You have to call her ‘your highness’! And her name is not Hange!”

“It’s fine,” Hange smiled gently at the servant, dismissing him. “You don’t have to—”

“No, he is right,” Levi’s voice was completely devoid of emotion. “My apologies, your highness. I shouldn’t have forgotten my place. I hope you’re happy with your new life.”

Hange nodded once more, and even though her heart was breaking again, even though seeing Levi’s calm face and hearing his cold voice, calling her by that stupid title she was starting to loathe so much made the pain inside her chest intensify tenfold, she put on a smile. “And I hope you are happy with your reward, messier.” Swiftly turning around, she hurried away from that stairwell. She didn’t wish to see Erwin’s sad face or Levi’s impassive one.

And as Hange walked away, she didn’t see the pain that was inside Levi’s gaze, as his eyes followed her retreating figure.

***

“You look marvelous my dear!” Hange’s grandmother cooed. “Everyone will adore you! You’ll be the talk of all Paris!”

Hange restricted herself from making a face. Her grandmother was a good person, and she treated Hange with so much kindness, but the woman in the mirror wasn’t her. That woman in rich and beautiful dress with silk gloves and high heels, with crimson red lips and dark eyeshadow, with hair put into a tight bun instead of a messy ponytail, it wasn’t Hange. She could barely recognize herself.

“Had something happened?” Empress asked. “You look a little distant, Hanna.”

Hange slightly flinched. She didn’t want to be called that name either, she still preferred Hange, but she didn’t know how to say this to her grandmother without hurting her feelings.

“I’m fine, grandma,” Hange forced a smile.

But her grandmother was more perceptive than that. Her hard eyes studied Hange’s face. “I hope it’s not because of that fool, messier Ackerman.”

At the mention of Levi, Hange’s heart skipped a beat. She turned her face away from Empress, hiding her emotions. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, grandma. Levi and Erwin were nothing, but a way to get into Paris. And once they’ve done their job, we’ve parted ways.”

“They refused to take my money, you know?” Empress said nonchalantly. Her lips curved into a slight smirk, as she watched how her granddaughter’s eyes widened in surprise. “They told me that they’ve hurt you and they felt sorry for that. Messier Ackerman seemed especially troubled.”

Hange shook her head vehemently, refusing to even think about such possibility. “You’ve surely misunderstood something, grandma. Levi didn’t care for me at all.”

Empress hummed, knowing that nothing couldn’t further from the truth. “Maybe, you’re right. I don’t know them as much as you do. Anyway, I’m glad to hear that you don’t think about them anymore. It’s time for you to start a new chapter of your life. And speaking of that, hurry up! Your guests are waiting for you!”

“Of course, grandmother,” Hange sighed, preparing herself to go downstairs.

***

Hange breathed out in relief as soon as she left the ballroom. The room was big and spacious, but Hange was suffocating. Her tight corset and the never-ending stream of nobles, who wanted to great her, made Hange’s head spin.

Entering a chilly garden, she willed herself to relax. She walked to the nearest bench and sat down heavily. She couldn’t stop thinking about Levi. Why didn’t he take the reward? Was he actually guilty for using Hange? Could he really care for her?

Ugh, Hange wanted to see him so bad! She wanted to stare into his stupidly beautiful grey eyes and ask him what the fuck did he mean by his actions. Was it Hange’s wistful thinking or did he really feel something for her? Hange wanted to snatch out her own hair, that man was so insufferable! Even from afar he managed to frustrate and confuse her!

Hange was suddenly broken out of her thoughts by a warm hand that settled on her shoulders. She glanced aside and saw Moblit who sat down by her side.

“Why did you escape? Did you not enjoy the party?”

Hange groaned in reply. Because she had been thinking about that for a while as well. As much as she dreamed of meeting her own family, she didn’t like her new life. Truth be told, she loathed it. She hated having to wear fancy dresses, or chat with stupid nobles, or flirt with rich men. She hoped that by finding her family, she would be able to find herself, to finally realize who she was. But instead, she felt like slowly losing herself. She wasn’t meant for this life, she couldn’t feign politeness and she didn’t want to follow stupid rules and useless etiquette. Her grandmother was a good, kind woman, and Hange liked her! But she didn’t feel any connection, she didn’t feel like they were family.

And Hange suddenly realized – she didn’t feel like Empress Olga was her family, because she had already found her own family. She had found it in Moblit’s calm and constant presence, in quiet and engaging conversations with Erwin, and in an amusing banter with Levi.

“Moblit!” Hange put her hands on his arm, her eyes burning almost feverishly. “Moblit, do you know where Erwin and Levi are?”

If Moblit was surprised by her question, he didn’t show it. He just nodded and checked his watch. “They planned to get board a ship that will get them to England. It leaves in about an hour.”

 “Do you want to run away with me?” she asked him with a big grin on her face.

“Of course.” Moblit replied without hesitation. He smiled at Hange in return. It was so long, since he had seen that crazy grin of hers.

Hange jumped to her feet. “Then let’s hurry! We have to catch up with Erwin and Levi!”

“Alright,” Moblit kneeled in front of her. Ignoring Hange’s confused gaze, he took her dress in his hands and then tore the fabric, tying two ends just a little over her knees. Then he raised to his feet and put his hands in Hange’s hair, freeing her hair out of a tight bun. “There,” he whispered fondly. “Now you look like your usual self.”

Hange’s eyes almost watered. She truly didn’t deserve such an amazing and loyal friend. But they had to hurry. So grabbing Moblit by the hand, she started running.

***

“We’ve been standing here for a fucking hour,” Levi grumbled, scowling furiously. “Why the fuck they aren’t letting us in?”

Erwin shrugged, listening to his friend’s complaints with a smile. “They probably are rechecking their equipment. And what’s the hurry? Are you so eager to leave Paris?”

“I’m sick of this city.” Levi muttered, hiding his face. He wanted to leave Paris as fast possible. And more than that he wanted to leave all the painful memories it brought him.

Suddenly Erwin and Levi heard a sound of hurried and loud footsteps. They turned around, and Levi’s breath hitched in his throat. He watched with wide eyes, not believing that it was actually real.

Hange was running towards them, dragging Moblit with her.

“Were you really just using me?” she asked breathlessly, as soon as she reached them. “Or do you also consider me a friend?”

“We’ve hurt you, Hange. And I cannot possibly apologize enough for that. But we do care about you,” Erwin’s lips curved into a warm and gentle smile. “In that short time, I’ve grown to care about you a great deal.”

Hange answered him with an almost crazy grin. Her hair was even messier than usual, her make-up was all smudged, her glasses were askew and her dress was torn in half. She looked absolutely wild.

And she gave Levi and Erwin no warning, as she launched herself at them, putting her hands around their necks. “You fucking assholes,” she laughed merrily. “I missed you so much.” Then without missing a beat, she asked. “Do you have a room for Moblit and me at your ship?”

Erwin chuckled. “Of course, we do.”

“Excellent!” Hange let go of them, still grinning from ear to ear. “Then let’s get aboard!”

“Wait,” Levi stopped her with his hand on her elbow. “What the fuck does all of it mean, four-eyes? Did you run away?”

“Yeah, I did.” She announced rather proudly. “Right from the ball.”

Levi huffed. “You’re insane.” He muttered with a small smile on his face.

Hange couldn’t stop staring at him. She grabbed his arm and started to drag him away to a more secluded area. “We need to talk.”

Despite his racing heart, Levi managed to keep a straight face. “What do you want to talk about?”

“How did you recognize me?” Hange asked suddenly. “I know you did, from the very first moment that you’ve seen me. So. How did you do it?”

“I… I saw your portrait.”

“Bullshit.” Hange replied with a grin. “You were that boy, right? The one, who saved me?”

Levi’s eyes widened. “How did you—”

“I didn’t remember you, not at first. But then, some pieces started to come back to me.” She chuckled. “You really believed I was a Princess, huh?”

“Of course, I did.” Levi crossed his hands on his chest, trying to appeal nonchalant.

All of his attempts were rudely destroyed, when Hange unexpectedly leaned in and gave Levi a peck on his lips. “W-what was that for?!” Levi spurted. “For saving your life?”

“Of course not, dummy,” Hange’s eyes gazed at him with a mix of amusement and fondness. “That was for being the most insufferable short grump I’ve ever met!”

“Oh?” Levi raised his eyebrow, putting his hands on Hange’s waist. Standing on his tiptoes, he kissed Hange again. “Then that was for being such a four-eyed weirdo, who literally never stops talking.”

Hange’s smirk grew wider. She tangled her hands in Levi’s hair, pressing closer to him. “That’s for always hiding your feelings and never showing how kind and caring you truly are!” She put her lips on his, and this time the kiss was much longer and deeper, leaving both of them breathless. Pressing her forehead against Levi’s, Hange grinned like an idiot.

Levi’s hand touched her cheek, gently caressing it. He waited until his breath was under control, before whispering right in Hange’s lips. “And that’s for being so incredibly smart and irritatingly amazing. And also for making me fall in love with you.”

His lips almost touched Hange’s, but suddenly they both heard a polite cough. Turning around (with their hands still around each other), they saw Erwin. He was standing beside them with a smug grin on his face.

“While I am very happy for you both,” he began, trying to stop himself from laughing out loud. He had never thought that he would get to see Levi looking like this – with red, swollen lips and messy hair. “But you can always continue this some other place. The ship is sailing soon. Moblit is already aboard,” Erwin added, answering Hange’s unasked question.

“Then let’s go!” she shouted, wrapping her hands around Erwin’s and Levi’s shoulder.

With her friends beside her, and a bright future ahead, Hange felt happier than she did in years.

[greenglasslov3]

Forget Me Not - Chapter 8: Black Orchid

A/N: Soundtrack for this chapter is Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy and many thanks to @missclairebelle​ for our writing power hours and giving me a swift kick in the pants when I need it.

Ch.1 / Ch.2 / Ch.3 / Ch.4 / Ch.5 / Ch.6 / Ch.7

Chapter 8: Black Orchid

Later that night…

The throbbing base pulsed loudly around Geillis and Claire as they entered the club.  Heavy and intense, the latter’s teeth rattled in her skull with every undulation.  Acrid smoke billowed from a hidden fog machine and filled her nose with its bitter perfume.  Neon lasers and phosphorescent lights cut through the darkness, a spattering of technicolor rays against a black canvas.  With each flash, a new tableau of writhing bodies appeared - flickering scenes in the high contrast black and white of a classic film.  A husky voice echoed from the speakers, hypnotizing the club’s patrons further into her clutches with her siren’s call.

Creeping around like no one knows Think you're so criminal Bruises, on both my knees for you Don't say thank you or please I do what I want when I'm wanting to My soul? So cynical

And Claire wondered how in the hell she got here.

Geillis.

The moment Geneva (she carved the name in blood red ink and underlined it three times in her diary to commit it to memory) left her shop she’d texted her partner in crime.

S.O.S. I cocked it all up for sure this time. And btw we need to find a boyfriend named Tom.

It didn’t take much to rally the troops.  Within half an hour, the blonde arrived at the flower shop, a flask of very potent whisky in hand.  She cackled loudly, rivaling the witches of lore when Claire unearthed the champagne intended for her earlier meeting.  Their giggles only increased after they’d drained a bottle each before venturing out to the club.

Claire squinted against the glaring strobes and blamed the bubbly spirit for her heightened sensitivities.  Her surroundings reminded her of some perverse circus - too brash, too bright, too blunt.  Typically, she preferred intimate pubs and live music provided by local entertainment - cozy yet worn upholstery, richly stained mahogany, and a pitchy tenor with a guitar.  They were comfortable and casual like an old uni jumper… but she was on a mission where slubby, misshapen yarn would not suit.

“Tonight, I’ll make you my pet,” Geillis had promised.

Bubbly in hand, the pair had ascended the staircase to Claire’s messy flat, where they rifled through endless piles of laundry - all clean, but limp and wrinkled carelessly deposited in enough mounds to create a small mountain range throughout the florist’s bedroom.  Geillis critiqued every article of clothing she owned, holding the offending articles with pinched fingers, arm fully extended and nose wrinkled until she found the ensemble worthy of bringing all men (and probably most women) to their knees to worship at the altar of St. Claire of Little Flowers.

“Black Orchid,” Geillis had explained as she spritzed her friend with some sickeningly sweet perfume. “It’ll drive the lads wild.”

Hair painstakingly straightened, eyelids dusted in smoky shadows, and torso tightly corseted in the thick wrappings of a crimson bandage dress, Claire leaned against the bar.  First and foremost, she wished to relieve her aching feet from the tortuous stilettos that bound her ankles with flimsy ribbons (she wondered how ballerinas managed such feats of graceful athleticism when she could barely stand).  Secondly, she gripped the cool stone ledge for balance as the swirling light show and the bottle of champagne (on an empty stomach, mind) left her feeling more than a tad off kilter.  Thirdly, Geillis had vanished the moment they arrived at the club, abandoning her morals along with breaking one of the holiest laws in girl code: one does not leave one’s friend alone at a club.

Claire hissed as her elbows collapsed onto the sharp counter’s edge.  Though it didn’t hurt much now with her ragged nerves numbed into submission with alcohol, her fingers massaged the tender skin of the joint.  She’d certainly have bruises tomorrow, but she didn’t care.  Nothing could rival the wounds that marred her heart.

Her reputation ruined…

Her competency questioned…

Her relationship with Jamie further tangled in the web of lies she wove...

“Oi!” The bartender’s cries rang out above the din, and Claire’s head snapped upwards suddenly in response.  Hasty hands roughly push a glass across the counter towards her, sloshing excess liquid over the rim and onto Claire’s fingers as she intercepted the tumbler.

“From ‘im,” he explained as his head jerked sharply to the left, towards the opposite end of the bar where she spied a man.

A handsome one at that.

While the flashing lights against the pitch darkness of the club around them did little to reveal the specifics (the color of his eyes, hair, and skin a mystery in high contrast black and white), they highlighted his attributes brilliantly.  He perched on a stool, reclining back against the bar on his left elbow as if he were sunning himself in the harsh rays of the violent lasers.  The glaring strobes highlighted the peaks and valleys of his well-defined musculature visible beneath the simple cotton tee that clung to his frame.  His right arm hung by his side, the fingers of his right hand gripped the top edge of his glass with casual confidence.  He brought the dram (color and liquor choice imperceptible at Claire’s distance and state of inebriation) to his lips.  He swallowed and his jaw flexed, clenching and relaxing as the liquid trickled down his throat.  As she watched him, she found herself hypnotized by the stubble on his chin and the fullness of his lips, secretly wishing to taste them herself.  

Even if it was only to wash away the bitter sting of lost love.

Pressing the glass to her lips, Claire tossed back half its contents (wincing slightly at the sharp tang of gin and lime on her tongue) before slipping into the crowd.  A snake in the grass, she silently slithered through the narrow spaces between the bodies that separated her from her prey.  She sought him out, lids narrowing as she honed in on her target.  When fate left the seat next to him perfectly empty, she stole her chance, sliding onto the vacant stool.

“Thank you…” Claire bellowed, desperately trying to make her request breathy and wanton yet still heard over the throbbing base.  Swiveling on her stool, she crossed one leg over the other and leaned in towards the man in question, tipping her chest forwards to offer him the best angle to appreciate her dress.

He didn’t turn, shoulders squared and gaze straight ahead as he sipped his drink.

“Thank yer friend,” he shouted back in between nips, nodding towards the throng writhing on the dance floor. “She said ye were lookin’ for me?”

Flipping her hair back, Claire cast a glance over her shoulder just in time to catch Geillis at the edge of the crowd.  She shimmied in time with the music as she walked, her hand clasped firmly in the grasp of a much older man (the glare of blinking strobes against his completely bald head betrayed his age).  She winked towards the bar and offered her approval with a quick thumbs up before disappearing behind the curtain to the VIP section.

That bloody witch.

“... I’m Tom,” he turned to her then as his introduced himself.

One eyebrow cocked, Tom flashed her a smile - an almost wolfish grin that revealed pearly white teeth.  In the flashing disco lights, his eyes twinkled with a hidden mischief perfectly intended for nights such as these.  The tip of his tongue darted out to wet his lips, and Claire wondered if he truly knew the affect his boyish charms had on women (and men for that matter).

“Tom Christie.”

With the second utterance of his name, the brilliant machinations of one Geillis Duncan slowly clicked into place in Claire’s inebriated state.  She certainly found him handsome enough, and she thanked her past self for offering Geneva a first name (and a common one at that) for her aforementioned beau.  She might even have a little fun playing this game of revenge with Jamie and his child bride...

“Well, Tom…” she repeated his name, allowing the letters to fill her mouth.  The T zinged against the roof of her mouth and tickled her nose like the fizzy champagne she’d enjoyed just an hour ago.  The O and the M blended together in a harmonious chant, a breathy moan rumbling deep in her throat.

The smile fell from Tom’s face, his expression turning mercurial.  Claire smirked behind the lip of her glass before downing the second half of her drink.  She slapped the empty tumbler against the countertop and grabbed for Tom’s hand, pulling him from his perch.

“Let’s dance, shall we?”

She took three… four… five steps before her elbow locked stick straight and her body recoiled backwards, the bungee cord of her tendons snatching her just before she fell.  Rather than tripping over her own two feet, Tom gathered her to his chest, capturing her in the iron bands of his arms.  The aftershocks of her near nose-dive rocked them both.  With Claire nestled in the triangle of his thighs, they slowly swayed - nose to nose, chest to chest, hip to hip.  Her pulse pounded in her ears in time with the thundering base in the club.

So you're a tough guy Like it really rough guy Just can't get enough guy Chest always so puffed guy

“No’ so fast…” he murmured, his lips inches from hers as he released one hand to motion for another round of drinks.  “Ye owe me a wee favor as well…”

“Oh?” Claire sighed, rocking back on her heels.

Their replenished drinks materialized, a magic trick produced with the snap of Tom’s fingers and his devious smirk.  He tapped the rim of his glass against hers before taking a generous swig.  Claire matched his pace.  She found the icy yet tart liquid now refreshing as it cooled the boiling blood that now raced through her veins, flushing her skin pink.

He bent his head, bringing his lips to the outer shell of her ear to whisper all sorts of naughty secrets.  The gesture flooded her mind with memories of that afternoon, when Jamie had done just the same… She shivered at the chill that ran up her spine, her body shimmying closer to her present admirer, and she felt him smirk against her cheek.

“Ye see her?” Tom whispered, his breath tickling the soft skin along her neck.  His free hand left her waist to point towards the dance floor, where Geillis had been just moments before.

Claire turned her head and brought her drink to her lips, using the glass to disguise where her eyes chose to wander.  As she spied the girl in question, her breath hitched, nearly choking on her limey tonic.  She was a total stranger, though the florist’s stomach turned with queer recognition at the sight of her.

She was a slight thing - petite in build and stature.  Her milky skin glowed in the dark cavern of the club.  Her willowy limbs danced above her head, swaying like branches bending in a breeze.  Dark hair crowned her head, thick tresses gathered into a tight ponytail piled painfully high on her skull.  Her lithe frame writhed against some guy (could’ve been Tom… could’ve been Jamie…) as her eyes narrowed to snake-like slits, zeroing in on her observer from across the room.  Their gazes met through the murky lens of her drink, and Claire’s stomach dropped suddenly.

Tipping her head back, she finished the final dregs of gin before the glass slipped from her fingers and clattered loudly against the counter.  She swallowed hard against the bile that bubbled at the back of her throat.  Eyes shut, she inhaled deeply through her nostrils before slapping her hand down twice, signaling for a third round.

It couldn’t be...

Ghostly visions of Jezebel temptresses danced behind her closed lids.  First, Geneva appeared with her cruel smile and child-like demeanor.  Her ostentatious diamond glittered on her finger as she waggled it dramatically in front of Claire’s face.  She spun suddenly, pivoting on her heel while she rolled her hips.  When she returned to face the florist once more, she was gone… and Malva stood in her place.  Her prized pupil mocked her with feigned sweetness, while poison dripped from her lips.  Her fingers smoothed a striped tie dangling between her breasts.  It’d been Frank’s… the very same silk that had bound the student’s wrists when she discovered them in his office one afternoon… 

The glass bottom of a decanter met the wood counter with a loud thunk as the barkeep deposited two more drinks before Claire and Tom.  She shook her head before she grabbed at the glass and greedily sucked down the liquid, hoping to quell any further nightmares staring the ghosts of mistresses past.  Still, her hands trembled as Tom clasped one within his own.

“She’s my ex - Mona,” he spat, glaring daggers at the dance floor.  “Cheated on me with my own brother.”

Cheated.

Claire knew the term intimately - strongly steeped in her morning tea, lurking behind the shadowy corners in the house she thought they’d made a home, hidden within the luscious petals  Betrayal left the deepest of wounds weeping with infection, never to fully heal and scars always newly pink and raw.  It was a vile toxin that flooded her body with jealous fevers and that left the bitter taste of uncertainty on at the back of her mouth.

“Care to help me make her jealous, hmm?” Tom’s question broke through her reverie.

Could she?

Claire’s eyes quickly darted between Tom’s smile and his outstretched hand and back once more to his face.  Now with his face inches from hers, the steely blue-grey of his gaze turned her knees to water.  He caught his bottom lip between his teeth, and the only thought dominating Claire’s mind was the image of her sucking the plump skin there between her own lips.  Her mind cried out in protest, battered and war-torn with cautionary tales of what happened when she fell for mysterious men too fast… but the alcohol flowing freely in her veins encouraged her to be bold and to satisfy that hungry basal need gnawing deep in her belly.

She placed her hand in his, signing a deal with this silver-eyed devil.

With a hand gently pressed to the small of Claire’s back, Tom guided her to the edge of the dance floor where the undulating throng lapped at their limbs, brushing against them like the tempting, warm waves of a late summer sea.  They swayed on the outskirts, hips pressed together as they slowly waded further and further from the shore.  Bodies wound around them, a revolving current that held them in the deep.  Entranced by the siren’s song that called out above the hypnotizing swell, they were drowning in an ocean of each other (skin, breath, heat)...

...but it wasn’t Tom Claire was dancing with…

Once she’d spun herself around in the circle of his arms, it was all too easy for her mind to wander.  In the dark - and after so many drinks - he could be anyone.  The strong hands that gripped her hips matched the make and model of a certain red-headed client, and her skin still erupted in goose flesh as he traced the lines of her body (just as he’d done in her dreams).  The firm muscles of his chest that braced her back were the perfect balance of firm-meets-soft (just as she’d hoped when she thought of resting her head there).  The small Scottish noises he mumbled against her ear brought her just to the precipice…  

The base bottomed out with a gasping whoosh, the water in their imaginary sea sucked down an imaginary drain.  Claire’s eyelids fluttered open - completely unaware that they’d even been shut - only to meet the gaze of her arch rival.

Malva. Geneva. Mona. 

She was back - the mysterious being who embodied all three women at once.  Her piercing gaze bore holes straight through Claire’s chest, where her heart hammered against her ribs.  Crimson painted lips parted into a sneer before a sinister cackle bubbled forth, taunting the florist with their youth and their beauty.  Fear gripped her belly and pushed her over the edge.  She pressed herself into the body (Jamie’s or Tom’s she was no longer certain) behind her.  Her hands wandered over his frame before reaching upward and tangling her fingers in his unruly locks.  He pressed his lips against the nape of her neck, sighing as she arched further into him.  The siren faded from view, and it was Claire’s turn to smirk.

You said she’s scared of me? I mean… I don’t see what she sees but  Maybe it’s ‘cuz I’m wearing your cologne...

Her head fell back against Tom’s shoulder as she pulled him closer, bringing his ear just to her lips.

“Let’s get out of here,” she murmured huskily before grasping his hand and pulling him through the crowd behind her.

The act of walking through a doorway is said to cause one to forget why they entered that room in the first place - a sort of temporary amnesia.  Coupled with copious amounts of alcohol, however, crossing a threshold could wipe one’s memory completely clean.

Once Claire exited the club, her short-term recollection flew away on the wings the brisk night air.  The rest of the evening came to her in a series of flashes, moments frozen in photographs preserved for posterity with the stories in between hazier than the early morning mist.  First, they were in a cab, hands roaming while mouths greedily nipped at fleshy lower lips.  Then, they were on the stairs of her flower shop, tripping on the uneven pitch and laughing at each other as they both fell flat on their backsides.  Finally, they were behind the closed door of her apartment and tumbling towards her bed - shirt, dress, and pants all carelessly tossed aside before they sunk into the pillowy depths of her mattress.

And then it all went black.

The violent light of midday streaked across her face and blinded Claire even with her eyes closed.  She scrubbed her eyes with balled-up fists in hopes she could block out some of the brilliant summer sun with her hands.  The pulsing base from the club found a permanent behind her temples, painfully throbbing before she had even fully awoken.  Her throat burned and her mouth tasted of cotton from the champagne and the three (or was it four?) gin and tonics she’d had the night before.  Every muscle in her body ached from the tips of her toes to the crown of her head.  She groaned aloud as she wondered if she’d gotten in some sort of fight last night (positive she’d have some bruises to make a seasoned boxer blush).

An even louder moan followed her own whine, and Claire froze, each joint in her body becoming rigid.  Her breath came short, panting as she tried desperately to fill her lungs to no avail before she finally cracked open one lid…

… only to find a naked Tom Christie lying next to her.

To be continued...

[moonflower-31]

Determination - Sabriel Rapunzel AU

Part 4 

Part 3

Part 2 

Part 1 

Sam let out a shriek of fear as he hit the stranger on the head, watching him fall to the ground with a thud. He pants in fear, gripping his hair as he stays his distance.

"What the hell... no one had ever climbed the tower other than father...who even is this guy?" He asks, lookinh over at Crowley, who shrugged at him.

Sam furrowed his eyebrows at the rat. "You're no help." He huffed, before he looked back at the stranger, seeing his golden brown hair strewn about his head, almost like a halo. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to have a warmth to him. It was nothing like how Father had described humans. Or even angels.

Sam took the end of his frying pan that he had used to knock the poor man out, and lifted the man's top lip. Instead of fangs or some unnatural teeth, he saw pearly whites. They seemed to be normal, all things considered.

Sam let down his guard a bit, approaching the intruder slowly. He was still shaking with his bare feet against the wooden floor, but he was less scared.

That was when the intruder opened his eyes, giving Sam a quick glance at his golden, and whiskey colored ones before he hit the man over the head again, wincing at how much it had to hurt.

Sam sighed to himself, wondering how in the hell he'd gotten himself into that situation.  How this man had climbed the tower without Sam's hair, for instance. That's when Sam noticed the satchel. He tilted his head in confusion, slipping it off the man and opening it curiously.

Sam's eyes twinkled as he looked at the shimmering crown of jewels. Crowley scampered closer in curiosity, climbing up Sam's hair to get a better look.

Sam turned the crown in his hands, confused as to what exactly it was. What it could be. He put it on his arm, looking at Crowley for approval. The rat shook his head.

Sam sighed, taking it off and trying to fit it over his head, but no, it wouldn't fit and Crowley nipped his ear as he tried it. Sam huffed at Crowley, before he took it off and then resettled on putting the crown on upright on top of his head, making his eyes widen in amazement of how much it fit him.

It was just like the lanterns. It was almost like it was made for him.

He quickly took it off and put it back in the man's satchel and hid it. (In a pot, btw) Afterwards, he heaved the man into his arms, grunting as he pulled. The man was much heavier than Sam ever thought a man his size would evem be. Yet again, Sam had only been able to do so much exercise.

Finally, Sam got the man into his arms, and heaved him towards his closet. He swung the door open and pushed the man inside, only for him to fall back out on Sam.

Sam let out a yelp, and Crowley scampered away from the collision, taking deep breaths. Sam shot him a look before he heaved the man up again, and put him in the closet again, grabbing a chair and hoisting it against the closet door handles to hopefully keep him in there this time.

Sam sighed, pulling at the top of his head gently, stressed completely out by all of the recent events. He looked over at Crowley on his shoulder, panting a bit from the activity.

"Okay... don't panic Sam...its..." he males a face of consideration. "It's just a person in your closet..." he says, nervous and a bit annoyed. Then it hit him.

"I have... a person in my closet!" He exclaimed, making Crowley give Sam a very, very confused look.

Sam laughed to himself triumphantly.  "Haha! Oh, you think I'm unable to handle myself father? Try me wotha. Frying pan!" He exclaimed, before accidentally hitting himself in the side of the head with his pan.

Sam smiled to himself, looking down at the pan. Then the thought of the crown recrossed his mind. He'd heard of hats like that. Jeweled ones. Tiara's that princesses wore. But he didn't think that the jeweled headband thing was a tiara. It was too regal. It demanded a different name and a different title.

Sam couldn't put his finger on it. Crowley tried to snatch up the crown, only to almost fall from the jewel's weight. Sam rolled his eyes as he caught both of them.

"Crowley, I know you like shiny stuff, but this is way heavier than you." He says. And at that moment, he heard his father again.

"Samuel! Let down your hair!" He hears. Sam jumps and puts Crowley down, the rat soon after running off to Sam's room again.

"I have a big surprise!" Azazel announces, soon grabbing onto Sam's hoisted hair and letting the boy pull him up.

Sam grunts as Azazel weighs his hair down. "Uh... I got one too!" He announces, pulling harder and harder, heaving as he tried not to let go.

"Oh I bet mine is much bigger!" Azazel says again. Sam rolled his eyes, still pulling hard.

"I seriously doubt it..." Sam mutters under his breath as he finally heaved the demon up enough to let him climb  in easily.

Azazel jumps up into the tower and smiled at Sam. "I brought back enough kale and vegtables to make your favorites for weeks! Every night! Surprise!" He exclaims.

Sam nods, pretty much ignoring Azazel's surprise. "Yeah yeah, great but uh, father you said before that I couldn't handle myself outside the tower and I-" he starts.

Azazel narrows his eyebrows, unpacking his basket. "Oh Samuel I know you are not strong enough to handle yourself out of this tower." He warns.

But Sam persisted. "But if you just trust me-" he started. Azazel rolled his eyes.

"Sam, I thought we were done with this." He warns again, his eyes glaring a bright yellow as Sam kept pushing.

"I promise, I know what I'm doing-" he starts again.

Azazel rolled his eyes again. "No you don't-" he tries in a harsher voice.

Sam reached for the chair, almost being able to pull it back. "Oh come on Father-" he tries.

Suddenly Azazel jumps up and Sam is forced against the wall with his hand. "Enough with these damn lights Sam! You are never leaving this tower! Ever!" He growled, releasing his hold on Sam.

Sam lands on the ground, rubbing his neck. He coughed a bit as Azazel groaned, collapsing into a chair.

"Great, now I'm gonna be the bad guy." He guilts, making Sam feel his heart pang. He didn't want to make his father feel terrible. He'd already bothered him enough. But this was too far. Wasn't it?

Sam sighed and got to his feet, stepping in front of the closet. Then an idea hit him. He took a piece of his hair into his hands and he starts playing with it.

"W-what I r-really meant to say was... I uh..." Sam started. Azazel rolled his eyes.

"Speak up son! I hate mumbling! You know this!" He exclaimed, making Sam flinch. Oh hell no. Sam gathered all the courage from the heros from his books before attempting to speak again.

"I know what I want for my birthday now Father. It.. it's not the lights." He says, almost like he was cushioning the situations so that when he asked, it would be easier to get Azazel to agree.

Azazel rolled his eyes. "Then what is it, Samuel? You are not leaving this tower." He warns. Sam sighed but nodded, still playing with his hair.

"New books? From the library of Alexandria?" He asks. Azazel widened his eyes.

"Samuel, you know that that library os a far off distance away. The journey takes up almost three full days." Azazel warns. Sam sighed.

"I just...thought it was better than the stars idea..." he says, giving into Azazel's notion of them being stars.

Azazel rolled his eyes and stood up, taking a heavy sigh. "You're sure that is what you want?" He asks.  Sam nods.

"There's nothing else for me to want." He assures. Azazel hummed triumphantly.

"Well then alright. You'll have to wait on your favorites. I'll be back in three days. Understood?" Azazel says. Sam nods in understanding, smiling at Azazel.

"Yes father." He answers. Azazel lets a small smile slip onto his lips.

"Then go fix up my travel basket boy." He says, half joking. Sam smiled at him before he walked past him, and wss unable to see how Azazel's smile fell.

Azazel's eyes looked down at the one strand of dark hair that Samuel had on his head. It was as long as the rest of his hair, but it still showed a discoloration. It reminded Azazel of the importance of keeping Sam alive and kicking to keep Azazel powerful.

Sam anxiously packed Azazel's basket, and handed it to him. "Here. You should be set." He says. Azazel takes the basket and wraps an arm around Sam, pulling him into a hug.

"I love you very much my son." He says. Sam sighed softly but hugged back.

"I love you more. He replied, his mind still on the plan he had forming in his mind.

"I love you most." Azazel replied as usual, before pulling away and using Sam's hair to hoist himself down, only making Sam wince a tad bit.

As Azazel left, Sam waved. Then, as soon as Azazel was out of sight, he bolted away from the door and towards the closet.

He removed the chair, and took a deep breath. "I can do this... he can't hurt you." He whispers reassuringly to himself, before he launched his hair and opened the closet. The still unconscious stranger immediately fell, and landed on his face.

Sam winced as he saw the man hit the ground. He was surprised he didn't hear a crack. Then the stranger's unconscious form began to slide forward, making his body lay flat against the floor.

Once he was sure the man was still unconscious, Sam heaved him into his chair.  He sat back, wondering how exactly to keep this stranger in the seat. The man had gotten up into the tower somehow, he could always leave. Then Sam's plan would be useless.

Then, Crowley clawed his way to Sam's shoulder. He gestured to Sam's hair, and made a tying motion. Sam smiled at Crowley and nodded, before taking parts of his hair and wrapping the man securely to the chair.

Then, Sam lost his bit of confidence. He shrieked a bit and hid atop the stairs. Crowley huffed at Sam, gesturing for him to slap the man awake. Sam shook his head, widening his eyes even more in fear.

Crowley rolled his tiny black eyes and then turned to the unconscious man, and nipped his ear, causing the man to stir from his sleep with a yelp.

This was gonna be fun. Said no one.

[prettyfunkyunorganized]

Sugar Daddy Hanzo part 10

Good evening everyone! Or whatever time of day it is where you are. I’ve got another chapter for you today, but first a few announcement-y things:

1. Just moved and started grad school so I’m busy AF, so if chapters continue to be a bit shorter than they were at the beginning, that’s why.

2. I am starting up a new tag on my blog that will be side info about this story - stuff written from Hanzo’s POV, fun facts, ideas I’m considering, and questions for you! You can always submit questions too via the ask feature on Tumblr or you can use the tag #sugardaddyhanzoextras (sugar daddy hanzo extras). That is the tag I will be using for all this type of content and if you would like to be tagged, feel free to let me know!

3. I love you. 

So yeah, that’s it! Here are 2,800ish words of mush essentially. 

BTW, this whole business world AU is based on my bud @watch-your-grammer‘s post here. She’s glorious and so is her work.

The rest of the story: pt one, pt two, pt three, pt four, pt five, pt six, pt seven, part eight, part nine

Waking up had never been so difficult. Your eyelids dragged, almost impossibly heavy, but not nearly as stiff as your arms. Every shallow, tentative breath was a struggle, and your chest ached with each inhale. Each exhale. You looked around the brightly lit room and frowned. “Guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” you grumbled to yourself, “or maybe I’m the witch – certainly feel like I’ve been hit with a house.”

By some odd circumstance, it looked like you had the room to yourself, the bed to your right was folded up tight with precise corners as starkly white as the walls and ceiling above you. Everything was so . . . sterile, as if you had been transported to your very own dimension, removed from the rest of Earth. It was unsettling.

And sad.

Your chest tightened in a familiar way that had nothing to do with your injury, it was a painful manifestation of your growing disappointment and loneliness.

“You’d think the gals would at least come by to see me,” you whispered as tears welled in your eyes, “and if getting shot isn’t enough to get Mom and Dad to come visit me, what is?”

In a burst of realization, you remembered what had happened and put a hand over your breast, a powerful tenderness warning you to be gentle.

“Holy fuck I got shot,” you gulped looking for the nurse call button and slamming it while trying to tame your breathing.

After a brief pause that seemed to last ages, a nurse swung open your door and scuttled in, but not before you saw what looked like a dark suit a dark expressing in the hallway.

“Well, hello there,” the tall man in scrubs said with a smile. The bright corgi pattern on his shirt relaxed you for some reason, maybe it was because that was the first bit of color you had seen since you awoke.

“Hi,” you said softly.

“You look scared,” he murmured kindly, “don’t be. We got you all patched up, and you’re going to be fine.”

“Oh thank goodness,” you sighed, running your hands over your face. Of course you knew that you were alive, but hearing a nurse say ‘you’re not dying’ still made you feel a thousand times better.

“Do you remember what happened,” he asked. You nodded. “Good. And how are you feeling?”

“Uh,” you hesitated, “pretty shitty? But not dead so, I could be worse?”

He chuckled, “Very true. Feeling sore in your chest, right?”

“Oh yeah,” you groaned.

“We will get you something to help with that and check over your bandages here in a sec, I just want to tell you what we’ve done on our end if you’re feeling up to that.”

“Sure,” you nodded, trying to glance out the window so you could figure out if what you had seen was what you were desperately hoping to see. Then again, it was a hospital, and there were likely hundreds of patients here with worried family.

And Hanzo wasn’t family.

And he hadn’t taken you back.

And the nurse in all his corgi covered glory was in your way.

“Alright,” he said looking at the digital display on his arm, “you were brought in with a bullet wound in the chest, it went right through you, but went through your lung.”

“My lung,” you gaped in horror.

“Yes,” he confirmed, “that is what caused you so much trouble, but medicine has come a long way, and we were able to have your stem cells from your baby teeth flown in and have started growing you some new lung tissue. We had to do one surgery to keep you alive, so your left lung is currently dormant, and your right is doing all the work, which is probably why you’re likely feeling a little like you’ve been running a lot and haven’t quite caught your breath. Once your new tissue is ready, we will get you into the OR again have you feeling right as rain before you know it.”

“Wait,” you said reeling at what he’d just said. You knew your baby teeth could provide stem cells for fancy medical stuff, but patching up your lung? “So . . . you’re going to be able to just cover up the holes in my lung?”

“Yes, ma’am, just like a punctured tire.”

“Ew,” you grimaced at his analogy.

He laughed, “Yeah, sorry. The other nurses say I’ve got a way with words, but I’m not sure if they mean that as a compliment.”

“I mean, it helped me understand,” you shrugged, “but is my lung still going to be able to function normally with a patch? Am I not going to live as long or something because of this?”

“Actually, the procedure has been tested very thoroughly on patients with lung cancer, and there is very little if any loss of functionality. Patients with renewed lungs climb Everest, run marathons, and live long healthy lives – so long as they take care of themselves, that is. If you eat fast food every day or do drugs and die young, you can’t blame that on the new tissue.”

“Of course,” you nodded. “That’s pretty god-damned amazing.”

“It sure is,” he beamed, “the biggest inconvenience is the post-op checkups and drugs to help encourage faster healing, but all that will be finished up in a few months.”

“Good to know,” you sighed, a thin smile forming on your lips.

“Anything else you need right now, or should I start taking a look at you?”

“I – well, actually,” you fumbled, try to lean over and see the window, but you cringed at the pain, “could you just tell me if I have anyone out there waiting to see me? I – I thought I recognized someone.”

“You sure do,” the nurse said with a playful shake of his head, “you’ve had lots of people come in and out to see you, but it’s late at night right now, so the only one here at the moment is the older gentleman in the suit who basically never leaves. Man’s practically a part of the furniture now.”

You grinned so wide your chapped lips hurt, but you couldn’t stop. “Is his name Hanzo? Is he still out there? Will you tell him not to leave yet?”

“Calm down, calm down,” he laughed, backing toward the door, “I’m sure he’s still here, and I’d be happy to tell him you want to speak with him.”

“Thanks,” you said, blushing at your girlish excited outburst.

Without entirely closing the door behind him, the nurse spoke quietly with Hanzo, who had been waiting with an impatient look on his face. The instant you saw him you were relieved. In all honesty, you would have been happy to see anyone you knew out there, but knowing it was him was almost too good to be true.

The nurse came back in and asked you a few more questions while surveying your condition and giving you a bit of pain medication, but ‘not enough to make you all loopy,’ as per your request. Pain meds had always given you the creeps. It was awkward to have a man you’d never met poking your bandaged up boob while the other one laid out in all its glory, but thankfully as soon as you wrapped your hospital gown back up, Hanzo was waved in.

“Hey,” you said as he closed the door behind him. You did your best not to look like a giddy schoolchild, but you were far too happy to be in the same room as him again. Part of your uncontrolled emotion was definitely the drugs, but not all of it. You didn’t care if you shouldn’t be so enraptured to see him, at least not now. You had been shot, you could feel however the fuck you wanted.

“Good evening,” he responded lowly. The distant tone in his voice made you face fall flat, and the physical distance he kept between you made you pull your knees closer to your chest sadly.

“I was, um, well I was kind of surprised to see you here,” you admitted sheepishly.

Hanzo sighed and looked away. “Yes, I probably should not have come, but I felt I had to. That, and I could not find the will or focus to do anything other than sit here and wait for news on your condition.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” you said softly, “extremely so.”

His lips pursed as his gaze landed on something next to your head. “You are the only one who has been happy to see me here.”

You twisted around as far as you could until your chest muscles griped at you to stop. There was a tiny speaker clipped to the bed frame with a note attached to it. “That sweetie,” you chuckled as you read Lucio’s message:

‘Sorry I couldn’t stick around ‘til you woke up! If I missed another tour date, the bosses were going to have some fried frog legs at their next meeting. Call me THE SECOND you wake up and know that I’m thinking of you. Lots of hugs, your best-est client.’

“He’s always so good to me,” you said shaking your head and the sad frog sketch Lucio had done on the other side of the card.

“I am glad you have found someone that has made you happy,” Hanzo said almost inaudibly, his eyes turned to the ground, bangs in his face as if trying to hide the sour look on his features.

Was he . . . jealous? Clearly you were feeling a little better because the devious part of your mind was suddenly much more awake. No, you shouldn’t be happy that Hanzo was feeling all put out at the fact that you had someone new if your life, but shit! How many people got to see the illustrious Hanzo Shimada practically dripping in envy?

Plus, it meant that maybe – just maybe – you had a chance to have him back.

Maybe it took almost dying to realize that you were willing to give Hanzo another chance, or maybe that bullet had torn right through your resolve, but you knew what you wanted now, and you were ready to admit it. More than that, you were ready to fight for it.

If Hanzo really wanted you to find love with someone else, fine, you understood, but you weren’t going to just walk away. Not again.

“Perhaps I should go,” Hanzo said abruptly, “the nurse assured me that you will be fine and now that I have seen you for myself I believe I am feeling much more assured. Goodbye, and I hope you – ”

“Woah, woah, woah,” you shouted, sitting up and groaning at the way your body protested. You were shot in the chest, so why did your back feel like agony, too?

Hanzo turned back you, looking very unsure of himself. “What is it?”

“You know Lucio is just a friend, right,” you asked.

He scoffed and glowered at the door. “That is not what the tabloids say.”

“Since when do you put stock in the tabloids,” you said giving him a skeptical look.

“There are photos,” he said grimly, crossing his arms and keeping his gaze off you.

“Of what? Me and my friend walking into a party together? We may have been ‘arm in arm’ and all that, but people do that all the time. He’s just a public figure, so everything gets blown out of proportion,” you said matter-of-factly.

“The pictures of him covered in your blood and sobbing as they brought you to the hospital are quite . . . telling,” he insisted.

“Hanzo! I had just been shot! And he’s one of my friends! One of my best friends, in fact. If Gabe were to be gunned down in front of you wouldn’t you be looking a little disheveled?”

His head bobbed as an admittance that you had a point.

“Come here,” you demanded, holding a hand out to him. His body went rigid, and he didn’t move. “Please,” you pouted, beckoning him again.

This time he slowly made his way to you, stopping far enough away that you had to lunge forward a bit to grab his hand and yank him closer. His eyes were wide with surprise, or maybe concern, but fingers curled automatically around yours. You brought his knuckles to your lips and place a gentle kiss on them, the tension in Hanzo’s shoulders floating away, letting his perfect posture slip into a more relaxed stance. You were glad you still had that effect on him. Big oaf needed to pull that stick out of his ass every now and again.

“Lucio means a lot to me, but not the way you do,” you told him in the most earnest tone you could muster. “You’re the only person I want to be with, you’re the one that I wanted with me more than anyone else when I thought I was dying, and you’re the person I most wanted to see when I opened up my eyes in this place.”

“You know,” Hanzo said with a small smile, “you make it very hard to stay away from you.”

He leaned against the rail of your bed and set his palm on your cheek gingerly, you leaned into its warmth. “I guess getting shot has its silver lining.”

“I vehemently disagree,” he barked firmly, “it should not have taken a gunshot to bring us back together. A conversation would have done just as well.”

“Hey, for the record, I tried that,” you retaliated. “That night in your brother’s big fancy bathroom I wanted to talk about it but you – ”

Hanzo silenced you by placing his thumb over your lips, and you giggled, kissing the pad of his finger in delight. Having him this close again was everything you had hoped it would be. “I am sorry for that night,” he said tenderly, “I was only trying to – ”

“Trying to do the right thing,” you finished for him, nodding understandingly. “I know, and I was, too. But I don’t care about what’s ‘right’ anymore. I don’t want to give up on what we could have together, and I know you’re on the way to changing. I’m tired of chasing the ideal of what should happen. I just want to be happy, and you make me happy.”

“My beauty,” he cooed, placing a long kiss on each of your temples, “you make me happy, too.”

“Does that mean you’ll be with me again,” you asked, wriggling closer to him.

“How could I say no,” he chuckled, dancing his fingers along your exposed arm until you shivered, making him grin.

The two of you basked in each other’s presence, but no matter how hard you tried to keep from overthinking things, you had to ask him something.

“Hanzo?”

“Yes?”

“Will I be your sugar baby again or . . . ?”

“I – well – ” he stammered, clearing his throat to buy him time to find an answer.

“The full-fledged relationship idea still freaks you out, doesn’t it,” you asked worriedly.

“Yes,” he huffed frustratedly, “though I do not know why. I know I want to be with you, and I know that I want more than that sort of arrangement with you, but there is something about that word, that step that just . . . fills me with a dread I do not understand.” Hanzo looked down to you, an ashamed expression on. “I am sorry.”

“Don’t be,” you said stroking his jawbone, “I don’t mind being your sugar baby again, but I’d like to set down a new set of rules and whatnot.”

“Of course,” he said, sounding relieved, “I believe that would be necessary.”

“But you are still going to your therapist, right?”

“Yes,” he said with a strong nod, “and this is something we have discussed lightly, but, as you know, there is much about me that needs to be . . . dealt with.”

“We’re all a work in progress,” you assured Hanzo, pulling him down so you could kiss him on the nose. The token of affection made his face go a little red, and you burst out laughing. “Good god I missed you and the way you blush, handsome.”

“I am quite convinced that you are the only one who can make me blush,” he grumbled, smirking just a tinge.

“Oh I bet Genji could tell me some fun stories that would make you all flustered,” you teased.

“Just who’s side are you on,” he said with a scowl.

“Mine,” you said brightly, “a girl’s got to put herself first, you know, and that’s what I do.”

“And I adore you for it,” Hanzo hummed, meshing his fingers into yours.

“Don’t worry,” you said, giving him a gentle squeeze, “I’ll always be in your corner, though.”

“A fact that makes me infinitely stronger.”

“I’m glad you realize that,” you said, beaming at his progress, “a couple of months ago I pegged you for the ‘I don’t need anyone’ type.”

“I have since learned a few things, met a few people who have shown me otherwise,” Hanzo said, holding your clasped hands to his heart.

@collinssie @watch-your-grammer @zarcake-writes @yesthisisbae @eebbapanda1@deercapitate @missbumblina @skyrina @justjaaaay@thewetbones@skyelentnight @ilovebva @punk-dork @cbrokeherboobs@sobanoodledragon@sydniesamm @honeyburger @knightofsexyness @queenoflabyrinths@speakingishard @iknowimcutethanks @ninevast @ivymarquis @sydniesamm@barbie-the-centrist @tumblertrash @angle0fthegourd@shaybae1997 @lillypet95 @rusty-potato @tt-nikithakppr

** please let me know if you would like to be tagged or removed from the tags in future updates and sorry if I missed anyone, I feel like tumblr is deleting my shit**

[unholyhelbig]

Always incredible writing! Can't get enough of your storytelling and I'm sure many others can agree. Keep up the amazing stories. Prompt idea for ya since I've just been Netflixing tons of movies after work lol: Movie Tulip Fever, oldtimeAU Beca is a lowly painter who has been hired to paint a portrait of a wealthy man and his new much younger wife. She has married him to support her family. They fall in love. Btw the movie was pretty shitty lol, but I thought it would be a fun/diff idea for ya!

[A/N: Thank you so much! This movie would have been so much better if it was gay… Anyway, this is a big prompt so I could only fit so much into it. This is longer than I usually do. So if you guys want to see a part two, send me an ask about it!]  

The candle gave a soft light to the crowded room. It was an arc of brilliant yellows that was cut with a horrid orange. However, the two colors worked together in an almost therapeutic way- one tiny combination of wax and wick giving a new life to the smallest room in the house.

That was no feat; the mansion was massive- coated in royal reds and cobalt blues. Nothing was spared when it came to Garret Beale. His family being ahead of all the trade on their small island- often taking a page out of the colonist’s books and resorting to working with the men of the sea. Men who pillaged and brought back three times what this home was worth, only keeping a small portion of it to get the great law of the king off their flame-heated trails.

He was a handsome man, one with charming stature and the best-assembled clothes. Garret carried himself as such- royalty that didn’t have a true bloodline, but enough to get everything he desired. Including the woman who stood with a hard stare in front of him. His deep Irish eyes were scanning over her figure, taking in the small stature that she carried. In fact, she reminded him of one of his men; not a nationally regarded painter.

She wasn’t traditional, a pair of grey slacks and a black shirt hugged her figure, her eyes almost as dark as the midnight sky. Different colors of paint popped against the fabric; it made her look more like a street beggar than anything. But he had seen her work- seen the way she made use of the canvas and vibrant colors given to her. She was an artist, one like no other.

“I’ve seen your work,” Garret said, quite dramatically as he leaned backward in his seat. It creaked and groaned in irony. A man with that much wealth should have a better place to sit. Maybe there was some semantic value, but the woman didn’t question him. Instead, she lifted her chin, keeping her jaw tensed. “it’s good.”

“Just good?” She finally spoke, lifting her eyebrows. She leaned heavily on his hand-crafted desk, annoyance sparking within her stomach. He had more money than he knew what to do with; Beca running her fingers over the carved edge. It was done well. Better than his chair. “I mean no offense, Mr. Beale, but I have spent years studying under masters of artistic ability. You’ve pulled me from sea two weeks ago, for what? To design your walls?”

“Garret, please.” He seemed unphased by her annoyance. The man knew that she wasn’t happy, practically being pulled onto his family’s property. She agreed, having to travel weeks to even get to the home. He offered up a project, one that peaked her interest. “If I wanted to have my walls recolored, I would not send word for you, Miss Mitchell, have a seat.”

She drew in a soft breath, that skeptic look still in her deep stare. However, she eventually lowered herself into the chair pushing at the back of her legs. It was cold against her spine, making her swallow back a shiver uncomfortably. She waited patiently, despite questioning the man’s privilege.

“My wife,” he drew in a long breath, “She is quite exquisite.”

Beca pressed her lips together in a frim line, instantly finding discomfort in the man’s words. The whimsical look in his eyes solidifying just how much he cared for this unnamed woman. A small smile played at the corners of his expression. “I have yet to find someone who is talented enough to capture her beauty, which is why I called you.”

“To paint her?” She eased out, “I paint what I feel, Mr. Bea- Garret.” She corrected herself last minute. “There is no rhyme or rhythm to my work. It’s near impossible for me to construct something when I feel nothing.”

“Ah,” he leaned forward, pressing his elbows against the desk. “I assure you, Miss Mitchell when you see my wife it will be highly unlikely that you won’t feel a thing.”

She gave him a jarring look. This man was quite clearly in love with this woman. So much so that he would invite a near stranger into his home to paint a fine picture of her. He had apparently done so before, many times, but was never happy with the outcome. Men, she was sure, men who drooled and didn’t focus on the task at hand. Maybe that’s why he hand-selected her. It couldn’t’ just be based on her work. He was a picky man.

“Are you insisting that I should fall for this woman?”

“No, of course not.” He waved his hand dismissively “I merely suggest that you form a bond with her before you even sit down to draw your first stroke. I’ll pay for it all.”

She lifted both brows, her head resting on her hand as she kept her fingers on her lips. She watched him carefully. “How so?”

“You can stay here, for as long as you need. I certainly have the room to spare.” He stated plainly. “I just require that you spend time with my wife enough to know exactly what I need to be portrayed in her portrait.”

“Her essence,” Beca said as more of a statement than a question. “Not just the way she appears to the human eye.”

It was interesting, something Beca had never done before. She was more into taking an edge of charcoal and sitting on the bow of a boat- sketching the way the waves ate at a flat-lined shore. But if this woman, whoever she was, took so much captivation from the world, then it would be a certain challenge.

“Do we have a deal, Rebeca?” He held out his pale hand, firm and strong.

“It’s Beca.” She took his grasp in hers, squeezing it with force. “And how could I say no?”

The warm spring day changed the atmosphere in the usually dark house. There seemed to be no such thing as vibrant yellow, and unforgivable violent the night before. Beca having an uneasy sleep in one of the cold master bedrooms. It was far from comfortable- but still too fancy for her taste.

She woke up to a long ray of sun pressing against her gaze, birds chirping incessantly on the balcony. The stone balcony that was warmed by the very star that stirred her from her snooze. Regardless, she pulled herself from the clutches of the duvet, flinching as her bare feet hit the cold floor.

Begrudgingly, the talented artist slid on a pair of black pants and a loose fitting white shirt- not ever bringing more than that with her. She was fairly simple, hating the wire corsets and edged dresses of the time. They were too heavy and nice for her to paint in.

After lacing up a pair of brown leather boots, Beca made her way to the kitchen of the house. It wasn’t too far, Garret had set the place up like a maze, although, she was at the edge of it. He gave her a half-hearted tour before fleeing from the property himself, claiming of some business he had to do. It was close to three in the morning, there was nothing he could busy himself with at that hour- but again, the woman didn’t question his generosity.

She was close to the service quarters, residing in the same sector as the staff; she was staff. Having been hired for a job. To paint a wealthy man’s wife in exchange for room and board. Part of her wanted to drag it out to its full extent, the other part hating the idea of spending one more minute in this place.

A sickly-sweet scent coated her lungs the moment she walked into the kitchen. It was large, set up and built like a room from the Spanish colonies; complete with deep yellow walls and terracotta tile with intricate suns and moons. Natural light seeped in from the grassy courtyard. It was good work, just like Garret had said, no expense spared for his family.

There was a woman leaning heavily over a mass of dough, she was tall, almost tall enough to bump her head on the chandelier, it hung low enough. Flour coated her fingers and clothing as a strand of dirty brown hair fell from the bun on her head, sweat forming on the woman’s brow.  She glanced up with deep charcoal eyes at the change in atmosphere.

“Oh!” She let her folders fall back, moving her eyes down her smock as a certain heir of heat pressed against her cheek. She reached for a dish towel. “I’m sorry Miss Mitchell, I didn’t see you there. The dining room is right through the left corridor.”

This woman, whoever she was, looked petrified. Like she had done something wrong against the curiosity of the young artist. Beca having noticed the same thing as she cocked her head to the side slightly- like a lost puppy.

“I’m not looking for the dining room.” She stated simply from the doorway, trying not to scare the taller woman off. She was young, a simple look of amusement finding a way to her face. “You know who I am?”

“Of course.” The stranger let out a soft breath, pushing the base of her palms into the moldable dough. “Mr. Beale often hires new artists to tackle capturing the enigma that is his wife. Many of them leave after the first few days. They’re not very social.”

Her slate eyes flicked up towards Beca, almost as if asking a question.

“I’m not either,” She relented, a small smile on her lips. “But I know proper manners. I take it none of them have ever been back here?”

The woman grimaces, shaking her head as she struggles to blow the strands of stray hair from her gaze. She was becoming more comfortable with the conversation, with the presence of Beca in general. This was her kitchen, the woman knew not to overstep her boundaries.

“Never, Miss Mitchell.” She held back a snort. “Wouldn’t give the staff a second glance. A bit like Mr. Garret himself, if I might add.”

“Beca is fine.” The smaller girl said, shoving her hands in her pockets as the woman gave her a kind smile. She was different than the rest of them, actually making conversation and not attempting to rush the other way. She made eye contact and didn’t hold her shoulders along the straight edge of a metal plate. Instead, she looked calm and collected. Strong, even. “And you are?”

“The chef.” She answered on instinct.

“I figured that.” Beca elicited a small laugh. “I meant your name.”

“Oh,” she stilled her movements, a genuine smile finding it’s way to her flour specked face. “I’m Stacie Conrad.”

The Conrad’s were a fun group of people, a family name that Beca recognized almost immediately. She had met a man in the Pacific with the same surname, almost the same features as the chef that stood in front of her; a strong and seducing fella with a great sense of humor. If this woman was anything like her bloodline, Beca would get along great with her.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Stacie.” Beca reached out to shake the woman’s hand, reaching over the island, not hesitating a bit as the taller girl produced a powder covered one instead. She shrugged sheepishly- taking it regardless, Stacie’s mouth falling open. “What’s a little dirt?”

“Ah,” She nodded softly “Miss Chloe will love you.”

“Chloe huh?” The name rolled off of the artist’s lips. It was the first time that she had actually heard it. She was always proclaimed as Garrets wife, or even the woman no one could really paint. But she hadn’t met Beca yet. “Do you have any idea where she is?”

“You two haven’t met yet?” Stacie raised a pointed eyebrow.

“I got in around three last evening,” Beca explained, following that ashy stare towards the courtyard. It was a feat in its own; large hedges shielding the home from the outside world, lush green grass coating the full area, even a tall tree that produced bright fruit like that of a flame. Yellow and sharp. “Mr. Beale took me right to my quarters. After a tour, of course.”

“A fine man that’s proud of his home.” Stacie grimaced, stepping away from her task as she rounded the large counter. She was just as tall as Beca though, both of them turning towards the large doors, leaning heavily against the island as they stared out into the yard, Stacie crossing her arms over her chest. “Every morning, you can find Miss Chloe out here.”

“Reading?” The tiny girl still couldn’t see much but the yard- assuming the woman of the hour was situated on the other side of the large tree, back against the bark as she perused some ancient form of literature.

Stacie scoffed. “You wish.”

Beca threw her an odd glance before turning her attention back towards the area. Struggling to focus her hearing. She had been so focused before- not paying much stock to the little patch of outdoors. She noticed the taller woman first, at least she thought it was two women. Both in form fitted white suits- mesh masks over their faces. Fencing.

This woman who everyone raved bout was battling it out loudly with another, stepping gracefully against the grass, unlike any high-class girl that Beca had seen before. Both grunting as the metal of their foil’s clanked with each fluid hit. The shorter of the two took a step out of bounds, her partner not sparring a second.

“Avertissement” Beca scoffed under her breath, shaking her head.

“Aubrey never plays fair” Stacie spoke without tearing her gaze away from the pair. “I’m sure she does it to keep Chloe on her feet. You fence?”

“I used to.”

The two burst into laughter, muffled by the door that separated their spectators. Each woman panting with a purpose as the taller of the two removed her mask first- face red from the labor as she struggled to catch her composure. Stacie cocked an eyebrow at the blonde, cheeks maintaining their rosy complexion. “That’s Miss Posen.” She informed the small girl. “I swear, Chloe and she are joined at the hip. Protective, that one is.”

Aubrey went to remove her chest guard, but Beca didn’t have the attention span to continue watching the blonde. Instead, she focused on who she deemed to be Chloe. The mask was removed, a bout of coppery locks fell against her shoulders; she shook her head trying to free them from the heat of the island day. Her own chest was heaving, cheeks a bit red as she tucked her weapon beneath her arm. An angelic smile pressed close to her lips, a thin layer of sweat coating her collarbone.

“You’re drooling, Beca.”

“What?” The brunette snapped her mouth shut, dragging the back of her hand across her cheek, checking to make sure she was in fact, not drooling. Stacie was right, she could catch flies the longer she stood there, each passing second, she stared at Chloe made a heat press near her core. “I was doing no such thing.”

“Hmm,” Stacie nudged her new friend. “There is a reason they call Chloe Beale unpaintable.”                              

[whirlybirbs]

More subLoki????? Please???? I love you btw just letting you know....

THERE IS LITERALLY ONE BIG NSFW SUB!LOKI PARTY WITH FAKE!WIFE READER BELOW THE CUT AND I AM NOT EVEN SORRY ABOUT IT.

“Ah, ah, ah.”

Your hand meets the center of his chest, pressing him flush into the sheets.

“I’m still in charge, remember?”

He’s all talk – chattering away all the things he wants to do, hands knotted tightly in your hair as you bite kisses along the length of his torso. Your own hands slip against the muscles of his thighs as you nip at his hip-bone all while Loki tries to stifle a moan. His hand moves to his mouth, attempting to muffle the pleads as you take your time learning the dips and planes of his body.

It’s fun seeing him like this – surrendering control isn’t easy for him, you know, but you’re thankful he trusts you enough to do so. Even still, the God of Mischief is chattering on about how much he’d love to –

“Fuck.”

That shuts him up nicely.

“You were saying?”

Your tongue presses flat to the underside of his cock, half-lidded eyes peering up at him over the dips of his hips. Loki spares one single look before dropping his head back to the sheets and covering his face with a large hand. Ghosting your mouth along the length, you can’t help but grin as his hips buck and his fingers tighten in your hair.

You suck a lovebite into the flesh of his thigh to gain his attention and when you speak, your voice is low with warning.

“Watch me.”

Loki swallows, releasing his grip in your hair to lean up on both his elbows. His face is flush with arousal, staining his cheeks a vibrant pink. He looks alive – full of color and wrought with lust. 

You tongue flicks about the head of his cock and you admire how his breath falters ever so slightly, mouth parting and eyes screwing shut for a mere moment. Your nails graze his hips, leaving trails of bright pink skin. He gasps, looking so much younger than before. The facade of king is gone – he’s Loki, no title or expectation attached.

Loki swears he’s in heaven.

But, it gets better.

You look absolutely sinful between his legs, mouth working along the length of his cock – but it’s the look you spare between bobs, the dark and hungry one, that has his mind swirling with arousal. It’s primal and he swears that if it’s the last thing he ever sees, he’d die a happy man.

All the while, Loki’s keening – loud and high moans that you take the time to enjoy the sound of. He’s clearly enjoying himself and you can’t help the bit of pride the worms it’s way into your chest. 

He’s getting close. You note how his hips lift, muscles growing taught under your finger tips with each bob. How his eyes laze shut and his moans break apparent in coherency. He’s very close – and you stop.

It slams him into reality and the God writhes, chest heaving a loud whine as his hips jut looking for any friction at all. Loki tries to catch his breath, blinking down at you. You give him a wicked grin.

Your voice is sweet like honey.

“Are you going to come for me?”

Loki swears his voice dies then and there – to hear you say things like that… He’s dreamed it. His head bobs, nodding slowly as his hips meet your touch.

Your tongue dashes across the head of his cock once more and he nearly falls apart then and there.

“Say it,” you purr, “Tell me you’re going to come for me.”

Your mouth is back to his cock once more and he gasps, voice quaking as he desperately tries to keep himself together. It’s a loss of an effort – he’s close. Especially with how you’re speaking to him. Loki stammers, fingers curling tightly into the sheets as he writhes.

“I’m – fuck – I’m going t-to…” his adam’s apple bobs, eyes glued to how devilishly your mouth works his cock, “I’m going to come. M’ going t’ – fuck –”

He loses himself for a moment, really – it’s the blissful roll of an orgasm that swallows him whole. The dark haired God is reduced to shambles, writhing against the dark sheets and repeating your name like a prayer. He’s slow to come down off the high, his muscles slack against the sheets as you swipe a thumb along your lips and clean the mess from your face. His laughter rocks the bed, eyes lingering on you from atop the sheets.

He looks like a dream – rosy cheeked and covered in lovebites – and you can’t help the smile the blooms on your face as he peels his eyes open and reaches for you. 

You oblige, crawling up the expanse of the bed and settling in his arms. His body is cold and it feels wonderful against your own hot skin. His hands run along your back as you roll onto your stomach and admire him. 

“You alright there, my dear huband?”

Loki’s voice is hoarse. “More than alright.”

You laugh, light and airy as you steal a lazy kiss. “Good. That’s what I wanted.”

Loki hums, fingers curling into your hair and eyes heavy with exhaustion. “I would reciprocate, but I believe you may have put me out of commission for the next few hours.”

“Shush about reciprocating,” you chide, “I’m fine. You needed that more than me.”

Loki swears he’s going to marry you. You’re far too good to him. You admire his weaknesses and build upon his strengths – you’re kind and wise and gentle and beautiful and… well, you were awfully good at letting him be submissive in bed.

Yes, you were most definitely wife material.

[sunflowerheartwriting]

Dragonic: 4

ITS CHRISTMAS EVE GUYS!!! Well, where I am it is lol! It's also my nephew's 1st birthday!! So in celebration of the holidays and my favorite little man's birthday, here is an update!! :D Hope you guys like it!! You can read previous parts here on FF.net or AO3! 

BTW: Whenever anyone speaks in Dragonic, the text will be italicized! :)

In a room that was longer than it was wide, sat a long dark mahogany table with advisors sitting around it bickering. There were no windows just large chandeliers illuminating the intricate draperies decorating the walls with their colorful weaving displaying the events of the kingdoms past. Two large floor to ceiling doors was the only break in the meeting hall. The man at the head of the table was getting increasingly irritated as his advisors bickered on what he should do to improve his standing amongst his people.

“He must learn the common tongue in order to speak to his people and learn their needs and wants.” One of the advisors spoke, the man at the head of the table eye twitched in irritation.

His advisors knew he had a difficult time learning and understanding the common tongue and here they were speaking it in front of him as if he was invisible. He understood a few words but not many, so that made it easier for him to cling to his native language, Dragonic. It was familiar and his family spoke it, so he didn’t see what was wrong with using a translator for the rest of his life.

“Your Majesty, you cannot keep using translators to aid you,” One advisor spoke in Dragonic pointing his statement towards the King that was sitting in his large black chair that was perfect for the just as large man.

He wore his usual black and gold armor, his sword lain flat in front of him on the table and his head resting on one of his leather gloved hands with is his elbow resting on the arm of the chair. “I don’t see a problem in it,” the King spoke with a sigh, his boredom clearly visible.

“But, my King, you are the only Dragon Slayer that do not know common tongue,” another advisor spoke, causing the King’s eye to twitch in aggravation again.

The King knew he was the only one, but that didn’t make him any less angry whenever his advisors brought up. This was probably the thousandth time his advisors have thrown that in his face and he was getting tired of it. He was in the room for at least 5 hours listening to reports, news and right now, them bickering about his lack of language skills. He agreed to a tutor months ago, but soon retracted his statement, not liking any of the tutors he was introduced too.

Inhaling deeply and pushing it out with the same force he breathed in, he thought he would do anything if it will get him out of this room. He knew that if he didn’t say something now, he wouldn’t be out of this room until dinner time and that’s another six hours away.  So, with a sigh he spoke, “Fine! I’ll learn if you all will shut up and let me out of this damn room! I’m growing old sitting in here with you all.”

The advisors stopped talking, looking at their King with shocked gazes. They all thought, they would never get him to agree again so soon. “Great! We will start looking immediately for another tutor!” One of the advisors spoke with cheer.

Once that statement was released the doors of the room swung open with a rush, a man in red and gold armor stomping in with his usual boyish grin splitting his face.

“Well, that was exactly what I was hoping to hear.” Natsu said, his wife Lucy following close beside him. “May I have the room alone with my cousin, please?”

The advisors bowed to the Fire Dragon King and his wife as they exited hastily from the room.

The Iron Dragon King was clearly annoyed by the sudden interruption of his rambunctious pink haired cousin. “Natsu, what the hell do you think you’re doing storming in here?” Gajeel asked standing up from his seat. “Couldn’t you see we were in a meeting?”

“I’m trying to help you, iron head and clearly you don’t seem appreciative that I saved you from more hours of listening to your advisors.” Natsu, frowned crossing his arms over his armored chest. Gajeel stepped forward ready to throw a few insults for his cousin’s insolence, but Lucy quickly stepped in between them.

“I’m sorry, we both know that our entrance and timing wasn’t the best, but please listen to us.” She spoke, easing both of the men from their fighting positions.

Gajeel let out a ‘tch’ as he shook his head pointing towards the empty chairs motioning for them to sit. Once everyone was seated, Lucy began to talk. Explaining from the very beginning why they were there and who her friend was, how they met, what happened during The Great Dragon War, how she’s been looking for her since and what she found when she did find her. Gajeel could see the tears in her eyes, but knew Lucy was strong and wouldn’t dare cry in front of anyone. He took her words into consideration, knowing what he would be getting himself into if he went to this, ‘House of Purity’. Sounds like a lot of unnecessary emotion for him, to be honest.

“Even if I wanted to go, I need a translator to go with me and I’m not sure I can get one last minute.”

“Don’t worry about that, we brought one with us if you agreed, thanks to Capricorn. Please, Gajeel. Help my friend.” Lucy begged, making Gajeel think over his current situation.

“Why don’t you guys buy her? It’ll be a lot easier if you did.”

Lucy shook her head, “If Natsu bought her it would tarnish his name to buy a concubine, since he already have a wife and I know she would want to do something other than sit around our castle all day. If you bought her, she would at least do something she loves as well as you’re not married so no one would question you. No one would dare anyway.”

“I can’t buy a sex worker to be my professor.”

“She is not a sex worker!” Lucy yelled standing up abruptly from her seat nearly knocking it onto the floor. “She is my best friend who is in a poor situation! Yes, you will buying her but you can just say you’re buying a hand maid. It makes me sick just saying that but that’s the situation we see ourselves in. If you don’t want to help someone who clearly helped you in the past then you have lost all respect from me, sir.”

Gajeel, was stunned with the sternness of Lucy’s words nailing him to his chair as her voice increased in volume with each word. The queen was shaking with anger as she leaned forward her hands planted firmly on the table as she stood. Natsu sat in his seat, smiling proudly at his passionate wife, refusing to calm her down. Knowing it’s better to let her get it all out, instead of stopping her. Gajeel was still unsure of what to say until he thought back on the statement she said about someone helping him in his past.

“What did you mean by, someone who helped me?” Gajeel asked, earning a confused look from Lucy.

“Did you forget?” Lucy quirked a brow, looking at Gajeel who gave her a confused stare. She shook her head, saying, “Of course you did. Natsu told me years ago that Levy’s father, Professor McGarden helped you mourn your mother’s death. Said something about how he would postpone the lesson to help you or even spend his time to let you act out or talk.”

As she spoke, his eyes widen in shock as he remembered that time in his life. He tried his best to bury the grief of both his parent’s death, not wanting to remember anything from his childhood, but it seems he can’t leave the past alone. He remembered that the old man was quite the nagger and always made him listen to his lessons but he was there whenever he needed him. Sucking his teeth, Gajeel stood up running his fingers through his unruly black hair, releasing the thick cord that held his hair at the base of his neck. He paced back and forth, thinking of a way to get out of it. He had a feeling that he brought this girl into his home, the past would come with her and that is just something he isn’t ready for. But, he knew he owed a debt to his old professor and if taking his daughter in is the only way, then I guess he has no choice.

‘Your heart has gotten cold, Gajeel.’ He could nearly hear his father say, causing him to shake his head. Gajeel knew that as the years went on after his father’s death and other people he loved, the heartbreak was too much for him all at once. He thought it would better for him and everyone else to withdraw into himself and encrust his heart in a shield of cold iron. ‘The heartbreak will be less painful for everyone if no one got close to me, so I’ll have to keep this girl at a safe distance.’ He thought to himself, pondering a solution to his problem.

When he stopped pacing, he looked at an anxious Lucy and relaxed smirking Natsu. “Alright, but on one condition. If she’s going to be bought as my handmaid and tutor she will actually have to be that. I don’t want her wondering around getting into trouble.”

Lucy squealed in excitement, clapping her hands approaching Gajeel at a fast pace with her arms wide, causing the king to back up just as quickly. “Oh, yea. I forgot, you don’t like hugs. But thank you so much, Gajeel you will not regret this.” She smiled brightly accepting a handshake instead.

Now that that’s over with, all that’s left to do is tell his advisors and head out to retrieve his new maid and tutor.

“Alright! Now that that’s settled, let’s go spar!” Natsu roared, slamming his fists together eyeing Gajeel with an intense fire in his eyes.

Gajeel grunted, agreeing with his overenthusiastic cousin, leading the way to the sparring room. They changed out of their heavy armor for lightweight pants and shirts, with their weapons being their fists. As the two men fought to their hearts content, Lucy couldn’t contain her excitement as she rushed outside to go tell Capricorn the good news.

“I’m so relieved he agreed, even if he did seem reluctant.” Capricorn stated shaking his head. “Gajeel, was always a grumpy fellow, but knowing Levy, she’ll probably fix that. She always had a way of shining the light in even the darkest of places.”

Lucy placed an index finger against her chin as a small smile quirked up her lips. She knew that her best friend had a significant power of finding the holes in people’s heart and filling them with pieces of herself. Even now, she has that power with everything she’s been through.

“Let’s hope she does the same thing to Gajeel as she did to us.”

“Knowing her, it will definitely happen, it’s all a matter of when. Let’s just hope it happens sooner rather than later,” Capricorn smiled thoughtfully. “I guess I’ll go inform our translator that his services will indeed be required.”

Once the men were done sparring, introductions were made to the translator and Lucy gave Gajeel a piece of paper with the details on where to find Levy. She decided to punish Gajeel slightly for outright refusing the first time, so she didn’t say what her friend looked like, only gave him the idea to let the translator introduce him and for Gajeel to talk in order to see who responds to his language. He complained at first but Lucy assured him it was for the better. Once the woman who understand him responds, he will have a handmaid and a tutor. This will prevent the other girls from attempting to know what he’s saying.

“As clever as always Miss Lucy,” Capricorn beamed down at her.

“Thank you, Capricorn. I do try.” She winked, earning a soft chuckle from white haired man.

[imagine-buckycap]

I know you're not asleep- Peter Parker X Reader

Prompt: Peter comes by after a late night mission and decides to sleep over, but you come to find he takes up the entire bed and refuses to move. Lots of fluff and witty banter.

Word count: 1468

Warnings: none, just extreme fluff (:

A/N: I don’t write Peter imagines very often, but I was in a Peter mood after seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming, so here you go . Another Bucky Imagine is coming up soon, so if Peter isn’t your cup of tea, stay tuned for an upcoming Bucky Imagine. (BTW if anyone has any requests please send them in!)

It was late on a Friday night, and as per usual you were home alone binging netflix until your eyes could no longer stay open. You had tried to invite your boyfriend over, but he had insisted that he was going to be busy with his “Stark Internship”, which you knew was just him going around late at night fighting crime and whatnot. He had told you about his double life as Spider-Man, but he insisted that he call it his Internship just in case somebody was eavesdropping.

At about twelve thirty your eyes began to droop and your mouth dropped open in a long yawn. You clicked off the tv and headed down the hallway to your bedroom, pulling out your phone to check if Peter had texted you. He always promised to text you when he was done for the night, just so you knew he was safe. He hadn’t said anything so far, so you assumed he was still out and about, he was known to stay out as late as four A.M. You nudged open your bedroom door, your attention stuck on the phone in your hand. Because your attention was divided between your phone and groping the wall for the lightswitch in the dark, you didn’t notice the red and blue shape laying flat on his stomach on your bed. You finally found the switch and flicked it on, the room now illuminated in soft light. And with the light on, you could now see the figure on your bed out of the corner of your eye. You gasped and stepped back, slow to realize it was only Peter.

“Goddammit Peter, you scared me,” you breathed, your heart still hammering hard against your ribs, the beating pounding through your ears. He tried to say something, but his words were lost to the pillow his face was smushed into. You noticed that he had pulled down his suit to his waist, leaving his back and upper torso exposed. His dark hair was standing up in thick tufts, indicating that he had hastily pulled off his mask. His exposed back was toned and his muscles rippled as he prepared to turn over and face you. You could only stare at the boy in your bed as he sat up to face you.

“Sorry, I was going to text you but then… I forgot,” he explained. You nodded as he once again made himself comfortable, spreading himself flat on his back over the entirety of the bed.

“Well I should get ready for bed and you should go home to May. You know she really worries about you,” You commanded, waltzing over to your closet to find your pajamas.

“Or you know, I could spend the night here, with you,” he offered, his voice high with eager expectation. You turned to face him, a wrinkled pair of pajamas held tightly in your hands.

“And what would May say?” you wondered, raising your eyebrows at him playfully.

“Well, she would be expecting me to be spending the night at Ned’s house…. Since that was what I told her I would be doing,” He admitted, his voice getting lower as he admitted that he lied to his aunt.

“Naughty, naughty,” you teased as you disappeared into the bathroom to change into the loose fitting pajamas. You trusted Peter and all, but you just weren’t to that point in your relationship yet where you felt comfortable getting dressed in front of him. In fact, this would only be the second time he has spent the night out of the six months of your relationship. You changed into the t-shirt and shorts, only realizing now that you had grabbed one of Peter’s old school shirts, the navy blue color standing starkly against the red shorts you had grabbed. You looked for another shirt amongst the piles on your bathroom floor. Seeing as Peter didn’t know you stole this from him a few weeks back you didn’t want him to make a big deal out of it. You couldn’t find another shirt on the floor of your bathroom so you just brushed your teeth and left, hoping for the best. You emerged from the bathroom to find Peter on his back once again, but now he had traded his suit for a pair of grey sweatpants, but he was still lacking a shirt. You noticed his backpack was sprawled open on the floor next to your bed, his suit thrown on top, mask sitting not far away on your desk. You turned off the light and headed for the comfort of your bed. You sat down on the comforter, feeling something hard under your arm, you felt along the sheets, tracing the hard object to Peter’s back. You were sitting on his arm.

“Peter!” you hissed in the dark, nudging his bare back gently. He didn’t wake or even make a noise to acknowledge that you were there. “Peter!” you tried again, but still no response. You turned on the light on your nightstand, now seeing that Peter had splayed his body over the entire bed, leaving you basically no room.

“Peter Parker I know you are not asleep, now move over dammit!” You whisper-hissed again. You saw his lips turn up into a small smile, but he was trying to hide it. You poked him in the side, hoping he would move. Instead he just rolled over dramatically on top of you, his torso and head draped over your lap and stomach. You giggled but then regained your composure once more to yell at him. His stomach was pressed firm and warm against your legs and lap, his head rested on your stomach. You scooted back against the headboard, hoping to gain some leverage, this boy was heavier than he looked. You tried poking his cheek, which once again earned you a smile that he tried hard to suppress.

“Peter, you lazy bum, move,” you commanded, this time shoving him off of you, but his limp frame came to life, latching his arms around your waist to secure himself tightly onto you. He spoke, but his voice was muffled by your shirt.

“What was that Peter?” you asked, as he continued speaking into your shirt.

“I don’t want to move, I want to stay right here, you’re so warm and comfy,” he stated matter of factly. You nodded, running your fingers through his thick tousled hair. And you didn’t want him to move at this moment. You didn’t mind his soft breath fanning over your torso, or his fingers brushing over the small of your back as he adjusted his grip on your waist, this was something you could enjoy for a while. Another yawn escaped your mouth and your body became heavy, Peter’s warmth only adding to your fatigue.

“Well, you’re going to have to move sometime, because I need to sleep,” you commented, running your fingers down the length of this bare back, each muscle a soft ridge under your fingertips. He only looked up at you, his brown eyes big and sleepy. You smiled down at him, he smiled back. You were both content.

“No but really Peter, you should move, I’m falling asleep up here,” you commented, a yawn taking over the last part of your sentence. Peter peeled himself off of you, scooting over to one side of the bed, making room for you. He yawned and laid back, pulling the covers closer to himself. He looked over at you, still sitting up against the headboard, and patted the space next to him. You happily obliged and laid back, moving closer to him so that you were nose to nose. His arms slipped around your waist, bringing you even closer.

“Hello there,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the tip of your nose. You scrunched up your nose, causing him to smile once again. You pressed a kiss to his cheek, then his jaw, then finally his lips. Your hands once again came up to tangle in his hair. His hands roamed over your hip and lower back. He broke the kiss to once again pull you closer to him, you turned around so your back was to him. You could feel the warmth of his chest pressing into your back, and his soft rhythmic breaths on your neck. You could also feel the steady beating of his heart as he began to fall asleep, the constant beating lulling you ever closer to sleep.

“Goodnight Peter,” you whispered, laying your hand over Peter’s that was resting on your stomach.

“Goodnight [Y/n],” Peter whispered back, his arms tightening around you, offering even more comfort. A few minutes passed, you were pretty much asleep when Peter’s voice cut through the silence.

“Is that my shirt?”

@tiffany-lester72

@shamvictoria11

@derpycp

Masterlist

[arkansasfenili-blog]

Major Update : Christmas Special

The last update I posted we had just gotten back from our amazing vacation to Ecuador and had a bunch of photos that my father had shared with us.  Now we are back in town and really trying to push for the finish line.🏁

There have been a lot of ups and downs on this project (as you know) and unfortunately some were worse than others.  We are really trying to stay positive despite some real issues and luckily progress is still being made and so on we push.

I know I bring up the pains a lot but I'll just say this again...despite everything we are incredibly lucky to even be doing what we are doing.

So let's get going on this crazy long Christmas update.  2 whole weeks of work and we did plenty...I'm going to keep the format of writing about each individual project instead of all together again.  I liked how that flowed in the last one.

THE GUEST BATHROOM 🚽

We have pretty much finished up work here.  Now just needed the finishing touches.  Mostly paint and some drywall work.

We cleaned up the edges inside our skylight well which were rough from poor work done by our mud and tape guys.  Looks much better now.  One of our favorite additions in the entire house.

First coat of paint looks good.  We got a special matte SPA paint that costs $$ but looks awesome.  Flat anywhere we can is the name of the game.

THE MASTER BATHROOM 🛀

With the guest bathroom finishing up we were able to move into the master bathroom.  First things first...let's get that shower tiled up.  We are using 24x24 Carrera marble tiles here.  Nice and big so less grout but super heavy!

We ran into some miscommunication issues here unfortunately and wasted 3 tiles.  Long story short the coloring of the marble is different tile by tile (which is natural for marble) but our tile guy didn’t think we’d like it so he ripped off a few pieces.  For better or worse we would have been short even if we had them...so we moved forward with as much as we could.  The coloring looked great.

The little cubby for shampoo etc had an original design that changed mid-build thanks to Alicia

Originally we were going to use HEX tiles with a metal edge.  Alicia decided for the super clean continued look, and it's awesome.  We even finished the edges with polished marble which I don’t have a picture of but will share in the next post.

Below you can see that we used the cutouts from the tiles into the shelf itself to make it seem like one big piece that just sinks in.

Great cut for the curb, but it'll come back to get us again.  One of many changes.

Another...Really?...moment was that our tile man made the shower tile perfectly level which highlighted how NOT level our wall was :/. DANG IT!  You can see the wedge shape of the mortar getting bigger towards the top because the wall leans a little.  

I was just going to just paint the part that stuck out white to hide it (in a moment of just wanting to push forward) but Alicia again wanted it to look right; thankfully.  So our bathroom man ripped open the wall, added some shims, redid the drywall, added mud and tape and in the end it looks way better.  I'm glad we made the change.

AFTER

I hope you didn't think we were done with changes.  For better or worse we had time while we waited for tiles.  And our team made our shower curb WAY too big.  Something I overlooked and something that shouldn't have happened.

Once again I wanted to push forward but Alicia really hated it and wouldn’t let it pass.  So she asked our tile guy to rip it apart and take it down to a little less than 3″.  The third decision/change she has made in this master and the third time she has been absolutely right.

You can see how much lower we made it.  It looks 100x better and was worth the work and the wait.  We did end up needing to patch the marble cutouts but we are much happier now that we don't have to jump into the shower.

Now that the bathrooms are moving along...let's get some power!

ELECTRICAL 💡

It's been a long time since we had seen the electrician and while I was happy to be getting back to it it also meant many many MANY trips to the hardware stores which was not awesome.

Electrical switches, plugs, plates, lights, breakers....ish ain't cheap.

But at least after you buy them you get something pretty awesome....LIGHT! 😃

Downstairs

A trio of lamps above a future peninsula downstairs

My newly purchased breakers being wired up

and some lights upstairs!

No more flashlight to walk around at night anymore.  Due to other work though we could only really do a few lights here and there 

FLOORS 😜 (thats a going crazy face btw)

So we have a lot of projects going on, but one that always bothered me were the uneven floors in our house.  I wanted them fixed and for a long time I was told to wait.  Now our walls are painted and we are in the home stretch and my floors are still not level.  As you can imagine this was incredibly frustrating but again we must move forward

I had my own laser level out everyday to make sure I was keeping an eye on things.

Things were getting delivered and we tried to keep moving forward.  We already had the downstairs LVT floors installed and now was time for the upstairs delivery.

We actually originally had one floor but our dealer sold it by accident (causing a short moment of panic).  It ended up being for the better since we changed the color and got a better type of floor for the same price.

Its a little messy

Now if you don't remember from my previous post....the guys did start to throw down a self leveler to try and level the kitchen area.  See below.

Well it wasn't thought through enough.  Firstly there was WAY too much to level.  Secondly it wasn't poured right and ended up in lumps all over the place.....a real nightmare.  Unfortunately this happened while I was away and so I couldn’t get ahead of it

SO.....

I had a fit when I returned and told them to rip it all out and actually level the subfloor itself.  So after wasting tons of money on this 💩 it took a full day to rip out hundreds and hundreds of pounds of the stuff.  A lot of which I did to keep things moving.  Plus I was taking out some frustration by hammering the hell out of the stuff.

We needed it all gone so that we could finally just level the floors and from underneath.  After walking them through exactly what I wanted we started the process of leveling the floors from the joists.  In the end we ended up with a far better result because of it.  Scroll up again to view the mess of concrete and then look below and you’ll see.

Unfortunately something else came up as we did all this.  We realized our French door was NOT installed properly.  It was installed below the subfloor level and wasn't even close to being high enough to clear our floors when installed.

Another step backwards 😡 but forward we must go

So now we ripped it out, repaired the bottom to be level with the floor, cut out a notch in the header and reframed the whole thing.

And all was right again .... Well at least this was😌

While we did the living room we did find where the old master suite fireplace was 🔥 in the bedroom too.  We tried to fix this up best we could too

So now that the floors were mostly flat.  The bedrooms are still a bit slanted but she is an old house.  There simply wasn't much more we could do without ripping out the entire floor and supports and rebuilding.  So we'll just call it character 👴.

Next comes the fun part; covering on that ish up

First lets get some comfy soft cork underlayment down

And then we started installing our hardwood floors !! 🌲 . We had to start with the stair trim first to fit everything snug so they nailed that thing done like there was no tomorrow.

And we went on from there.

So as a reminder our original color was a natural smoked oak look which would have been fine but kinda dark.  We instead went for a greyish/soft brown color (thanks to Alicia again) which we think looks awesome.

Love the way the toe looks in the hallway.

First bedroom done.

OUTSIDE 🏚️

So while all the ups and downs we're happening inside we continued with the projects outside.  Literally managing 2 renovations at the same time.

From the last update we just kept peeling the layers in demo.  The front of the house had 4 different layers on it!!  It may sound like a lot of protection...

But it wasn't :(.  The several updates done to this building over the last 60 years have not been kind to her.  Lots of rot, broken parts, odd builds and whatever else.  Hopefully we can do something about all that.

Look at the original diagonal wood at the top?  How they used to support these buildings before newer tech and strong stuff.  Really cool.

You can see the worse parts were around the windows.  The previous updates were lazy and really poorly done.  So there was tons of water damage (dryrot) around the bottoms of the windows.  All needs replacing.

AND it really was everywhere.  Luckily our main exterior contractor (who is amazing) is reframing it all.

First step was reframing the downstairs windows.  We also are replacing our Old-New windows with really nice San Francisco style windows.  Nothing like buying twice 😒 If you don’t remember we bought cheaper replacements already and had those installed...poorly.  So we ripped those all out and pretty much through them in the garbage as a life lesson.  

Next came the upstairs.  As you can see we will need to fix up drywall again after all this.  A small price to pay for the work getting done here.

You can just see the master bathroom window on the left is being moved to the right as well.  A very happy change. 😄 . You can also see the windows are really nice and awesome and cost a sh**load :|

So not tons to say but the front is looking a million times better already.  The windows are all framed up AND the entryway is framed now all with big strong headers and straight lines.

Still a long way to go but we are happy.  So is half the block...many of whom have come by to let us know how excited they are that we are bringing the old girl back to her former glory.  Trying to match Andrew and Kari there on the right of us :)

The last update of this epic post is some fun stuff we've done.  The IKEA kitchens have been sitting in the garage for awhile and now that the downstairs unit was almost done it was time to start building.  Which was actually pretty fun for me anyways :) . I even laid them out where they would go.

Compare to my elevation and see :)

After that we also got the downstairs some new seats.  Special ones :)

The others...had been over used as of late ☹️

So....there you have it.  We are keeping with the trend of lots of ups and downs and doing work all out of order.  It's just how things have gone.  Luckily we can all feel the end now and can't wait to finish in early 2018.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🎄🎅🎁