#my twin says she went in with zero expectations so she's not offended. but i am

[authorwithissues]

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[cozy-the-overlord]

Running with the Wolves

Summary:  After the events of Infinity War ripped her life to pieces, Queen In-Unga forges forward as sole ruler of Jotunheim, finding solace in the two orphaned wolf puppies she finds outside her sleigh.

AU in which Loki didn’t die at the beginning of Infinity War-- he accompanied Thor to Nidavellir, then to Wakanda, and died in the Snap alongside the Avengers.

Based on Frostbite by @maiden-of-asgard​

Word Count:  12,192

Pairing: Loki x Reader/Loki x In-Unga

Read it on Ao3

A/N: So let’s flashback to last summer. I had three obsessions: Avengers Endgame, A Song of Ice and Fire (which I was reading for the first time), and Frostbite by Maiden of Asgard. Those obsessions merged into a story that’s been swirling in my head ever since. I never thought I'd actually write it-- back then, I still wasn't fully comfortable with writing my own fanfiction, let alone writing fanfiction of someone else's fanfiction. But when Moa announced that she was going to be turning Frostbite into a physical book and would be accepting fan submissions, my dumbass brain went "i CaN dO tHaT."

This is the most I've struggled with writing a story ever. I've never written from the perspective of a character that wasn't my own, and I found that to much more difficult than I anticipated. Combine that with how the story I was trying to tell spanned over an overwhelming five years, my constant stress that I was ruining Moa’s characters, and the fact that I kept finding myself in "this-made-more-sense-in-my-head" territory and I started getting pretty frustrated. I had expected to be done by the end of June; when at the beginning of July I was only barely halfway finished, I kind of threw in the towel and said "forget it." I took a week off from writing to clear my head, and after a pep talk from my sister (thanks, JJ!) I decided I had to complete it. So here it is! Am I completely happy with the final product? No, but seeing as I never thought there'd be a final product, I'm proud of myself nonetheless.

One last note (this a/n is obnoxious, I’m sorry): Moa, I did intend for this story to be a part of your Frostbite book, but I totally understand if you don't want to deal with it. It is disgustingly long, and I know that you said that the book is already huge. I won't be offended if you don't put it in-- I don't want to create more trouble for you.

Thanks for reading!

It was freezing.

That was saying something. Freezing was an adjective In-Unga had learned not to use lightly. Living on Jotunheim came with the acceptance that you would be existing in extreme sub-zero temperatures year round, warmth being an elusive gem found only in the recesses of furry coats or underneath thick blankets. In the years she had spent in the realm of the Frost Giants, In-Unga felt that she had come quite accustomed to the cold. It was something she was rather proud of—when Captain Rodgers had visited with Thor a few years back, he had joked that she must have taken some kind of super soldier serum herself in order to handle it so well. She had responded, beaming, that as long as she had Loki, she didn’t need anything else to keep her warm.

She had never really considered the truth to that statement.

Njal, her burly head guard, pulled his mount alongside hers. “The temperature is dropping, my queen,” he said. “Perhaps you would be more comfortable in your sleigh—”

“No.” She hoped her voice sounded stronger than she felt. “I appreciate your concern, but I am perfectly fine as I am.” Just for good measure, she added a queenly nod.

Njal seemed unconvinced, but he bowed his head just the same. “As you say, my queen.”

In-Unga exhaled, trying to ignore the white cloud that enveloped her when she did so. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay out here. She couldn’t see the skin of her hands under her mittens, but she was certain they were blue. Her face, as well. In fact, at the moment she probably looked more Jotun than Midgardian.

But she was determined to continue riding. Loki had always made a point of it, in the early days when his main concern was showcasing his strength. Now that he was gone, she needed to be strong for him, and for her people.

Those that were left.

Her eyes burned in warning, and so In-Unga shook her head and went back to thinking about how horribly freezing it was. The cold hurt less.

Býleistr had questioned her decision to tour the kingdom so late in the year. The weather would be awful, he said. Her people would understand if she waited until spring. In-Unga had argued that waiting brought its own danger: ignoring the far-away regions during such a tumultuous time would foster restlessness, and the last thing they needed on top of everything that had happened was a civil war.

What she couldn’t put into words was how she needed to get out. There were too many missing faces in Utgard, gaping holes in the tapestry of family she had woven around herself. The throne room was empty even when it was full. She couldn’t focus on mealtime conversations because her gaze kept drifting to the vacant seats where her Forest Twins should be sitting. Her bedroom had become a tomb.

She had to leave, before she drowned in the silence.

Shouts at the back of the party startled In-Unga out of her pity spiral. Members of her guard rushed down the line of sleighs, weapons drawn. Those that remained by her side closed in a tight wall around her.

“What’s happening?” she called to Njal. “Are we under attack?” That’s just what we need now. The forested wilderness that surrounded them provided cover to any would-be assailants. Here, they were sitting ducks.

The wind picked up again, ice cutting straight through her many layers, and this time In-Unga found she couldn’t control her shivering. Frozen sitting ducks.

Soon enough, the cries died down, and her guards came riding back.

“All is well, your majesty. It was only a vargr.”

In-Unga thought of Mánagarmr and shivered again. “A wolf?” she asked. “Is anyone injured?”

“No, my queen.” In-Unga didn’t know the name of the guard that spoke. He was a new member of her defense, one of the many who got an unexpected promotion when their superiors turned to dust. “It jumped out at the last sleigh and startled many, but it was small, and taken down rather easily.”

The mortal queen of Jotunheim frowned. “Why would a wolf attack a party this large?” she asked.

“I cannot say, my queen.”

“Your majesty,” Njal spoke. “Shall I give the order to continue?”

In-Unga shook her head. This didn’t make any sense. “No,” she said. “I want to see this wolf.”

It shouldn’t have surprised her that a giant’s version of a small wolf was bigger than a Clydesdale. The majestic animal now lay lifeless in the snow, the pure white of its fur sullied only by the crimson stain spreading from the spear in its neck. The soldier who brought it down was only too pleased to relay the story to his queen.

“It came tearing out of the woods like a beast from Hel,” he cried, waving his hands for dramatic effect, “Snarling and hissing and baring its teeth. Most of us were caught off guard, but I’ve always been quick with a spear, and so when it turned to me, I was ready for it—”

In-Unga nodded, only half listening. She scanned the treeline from which the wolf had appeared. It made no sense to her—what would cause the creature to attack unprovoked? Right now, with the trees casting crooked silhouettes and the wind whistling in her ears, it seemed like an omen.

But of what? She wondered uselessly. What else could go wrong?

A clump of snow caught her eye. For a moment, she couldn’t understand why—it looked no different than any other clump she had come across in her life. Completely ordinary, but… there was something…

Warmth.

It was warmer than the rest.

The realization shocked her a little. Sensing changes in temperature from afar had been one of the skills Loki had taught her (unsurprisingly, given his affinity for snakes), but she had thought she lost it, along with all her other magical abilities, when she lost her husband.

Better make a note of that.

“There’s something over there,” she said, pointing. “In the snow. Something alive.” She made her way off the road, her guards scrambling to maintain their positions around her.

Damn, it was cold. In-Unga knelt in the ice, biting back curses as the snow soaked through to her knees. Getting back on her mount was looking more and more impossible.

The clump whimpered.

She let out a small gasp when the fluffy puppy head popped out of the snow, blinking ice out of its eyes. It shook the glistening snow from its fur with a tiny whine. A petulant growl followed, and a second pup appeared, pushing its way in front of the first and baring its teeth.

“Oh!” In-Unga reached out cautiously, the cold already forgotten. The growling puppy yipped and she pulled her hand back. The other merely yawned.

Behind her, Njal cleared his throat. “My queen, perhaps you should back away. They are feral—”

“That was their mother,” In-Unga interrupted, looking back at the bleeding body on the side of the path. “She must have felt they were threatened by the caravan and attacked. And we killed her.” Although, even that seemed unlikely.  In-Unga eyed the wolf-killer where he stood over the body of his prey, animatedly retelling the story of his deed to a growing crowd. It was easy to picture him wandering off the trail and provoking the frightened mother. Her gaze darkened.

Njal shifted uncomfortably. “It is unfortunate, my queen, but at this point there’s nothing to be done. We should continue before the weather takes a turn for the worse.”

“We can’t just leave them to starve!” she cried. She reached out again. The growling puppy flinched but didn’t back away. Its sibling craned its neck to sniff her mitten, sneezing when it breathed in a noseful of fuzz. Puppies in the dead of winter. That’s got to mean something. “Look at them! They won’t survive without their mother.”

“I can give them a quick end, your Majesty, if it would ease your worries,” one of her guards spoke up. “It would be merciful—”

“No.” Her guards stiffened at the ice in her voice. The first puppy nuzzled into her hand, rubbing against her like a cat and letting out a contented sigh when she scratched the fur on its neck. The other slunk forward guardedly, curiosity seemingly cracking its tough guy exterior. To her surprise neither resisted when she scooped them into her arms.

“I’ll have no more killing today,” In-Unga said as she stood. “I’ll care for them myself.”

Huld seemed absolutely horrified when the mortal queen plopped the little balls of fur on the floor of the sleigh.

“My queen, they’re wild animals!” she cried.

In-Unga laughed as the first puppy attempted to burrow back into her coat pocket. “Yeah. Real wild.” Its head popped up at the sound of her voice, and for the first time, In-Unga noticed its eyes: one brown and one blue. “Why, you’re a little David Bowie wolf, aren’t you?” she cooed, scratching its pointed ear. The puppy licked her wrist happily.

Her maid wasn’t quite as pleased. “My queen!” she exclaimed, backing away as the other pup growled. “What do you plan to do with them?”

“Keep them, I suppose. Raise them as pets.” She left the Bowie wolf to rein in his brother. They were both so small—when she held them in her arms they could easily be mistaken for Earth dogs. In-Unga found herself recalling her first sleigh ride in Jotunheim, with Greip and Gjálp and Snowball the Not-Melrakki, how shocked the twins had been at the concept of Midgardians owning pets.

How many years ago was that? Five? Feels like a lifetime.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping Huld was too preoccupied with their new companions to smell her grief.

“Do we have anything for them to eat?” she asked with forced brightness. “Seal milk, or something?” Huld frowned, but obediently prepared a bowl of milk.

“They’re going to grow to be monsters,” she warned. “My queen, you saw Mánagarmr—”

“That’s right, I did,” In-Unga interrupted as her puppies began lapping up the dish. “And let me tell you, these guys are nothing like him.” The tough pup looked up with an offended growl. Laughing, she reached out to pet him. “Although this one thinks he is.”

The maid’s look of concern only deepened.

In-Unga sighed. “Don’t worry, Huld. Their mother wasn’t even that big. They won’t grow up to be Mánagarmr.” She cringed as she thought of the blood-splattered wolf lying in the snow. These puppies were so small, they had to have been born within the last month, after the Snap. Their poor mother survived the event that massacred half of every living being in the universe so she could give birth to her children, only to be stabbed to death by some hotshot with a stick. It was too cruel for words.

His hunger satisfied, the Bowie wolf paddled over to where In-Unga sat cross-legged on the floor and plopped down in her lap, grinning up at her with his multi-colored eyes.

“Awww!” In-Unga stroked his fur as he snuggled against her coat. “Huld, look at this! Isn’t he precious?”

Huld gave some non-descript reply, but In-Unga didn’t hear her. The second puppy was sniffing her boot, chewing on the sole with pearly teeth. “Come here, little guy.” He whined as she pulled him into her lap with his brother but didn’t try to escape. Quickly, they were both snoring.

In-Unga cradled them as the caravan trudged on, completely oblivious to the cold.

Her wolf pups quickly became the highlight of her entourage. At first In-Unga kept to leaving them with Huld while she met with the nobles on their various stops, hoping to spare them from the information overload of court, but they howled something terrible whenever she was out of sight, crying and chasing after her and giving poor Huld nightmares. Ultimately, the queen had two leashes fashioned out of leather, which they wore reluctantly in exchange for accompanying her everywhere she went. It certainly was a sight to behold—she had already looked rather ridiculous before, this tiny mortal woman encompassed by giants, and now here there were these two little fluffballs constantly nipping at her heels— but perhaps it just added to her effect.

They grew quickly. Within a week it seemed they had doubled in size, which In-Unga only realized when she nearly pulled a muscle trying to scoop them both up as she had done when she first found them. Their appetite grew with them. She was seriously concerned for a while that the caravan would run out of things with which to feed them until Njal pointed out one night that they were born hunters.

“Let them loose while we travel, my queen,” he said. “They’ll find food.”

In-Unga frowned. “You think they would come back?” she asked.

Her guard’s gaze traveled to Bowie, sprawled out on her lap fast asleep, his brother hunched protectively over her feet. “I don’t think you have to worry, your Majesty.”

She started taking them off the leash in the morning. At first, they’d only trot alongside her mount, too anxious to leave her side, but soon they were venturing off the trail for pockets of time, reappearing later with some bloodied creature dangling from their mouths. Birds, rodents, small animals—nothing was safe. Her little fur-babies were stone cold killers. She would’ve been lying if she said it wasn’t unnerving to see the little puppies she cuddled up with at night licking blood off their faces, but honestly their prowess was impressive. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when Brynjarr returned one day dragging some furry mammal twice as big as him.

Unlike his brother, Brynjarr had remained nameless for a large part of the journey. He had been bestowed with nicknames of all sorts—Hunter, Tough Guy, Mommy’s Little Fighter—but it wasn’t until they reached Márfjall that he got a proper name.

“That’s a warrior,” Hrossþjófr said to her while watching the two wrestle on the beach. “He needs a warrior’s name.”

In-Unga had been dreading this final stop, dreading having to walk down these hallways alone when the very walls of the castle screamed for Loki. She had resolved be strong, but just seeing Hross as they alighted, withered and wilted without Griep by his side, had been nearly enough to cause her to fall apart.

The wolves kept her together. Their childlike fascination with the crimson sands was almost enough to distract her from the other memories swirling around in the dark bay. In her few moments of free time, she’d take them down to the shore and laugh as they’d go tearing up the surf, Brynjarr barking menacingly at the ocean when the waves crashed too close to his feet, Bowie rolling around in the sand until his white coat was stained pink. Hross joined her often with his children, likely as desperate for a diversion as she was. They didn’t talk about the event. It was easier just to focus on the wolves.

Hross was endlessly impressed with their obedience. “How do you get them to do that?” he asked when they stopped what they were doing and came running at In-Unga’s whistle.

She shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said as she attempted to dust off Bowie’s coat before he plopped down on top of her. Even though the two wolves were nearly at the height of her hips, Bowie still seemed to think he was a lap cat. “They just always do.”

Dagný shrieked and buried her face into her father’s chest when the wolves came too close, but her brother leaned forward, his eyes like saucers as he reached for Brynjarr with chubby hands.

“Woof,” he cried. “Woof.”

Hross pulled him away. “Dali, we don’t want to bother the vargr, now—"

“It’s okay,” In-Unga said. “Bryn, sit down so Dali can pet you.”

Brynjarr sank into the sand obediently. Dali gasped in delight as he ran his fingers through the wolf’s thick mane.

“Woof!” he cried again, happily. Hross and In-Unga laughed.

From her lap, Bowie whined for attention. She reached to scratch behind his ears.

“So devoted,” Hross mused. “I’ll have to add it to your song. ‘In-Unga, charmer of wolves.’”

The party arrived back at Utgard just as the winter freeze was beginning to thaw. There was an audible gasp from the crowd gathered when she exited her sleigh flanked by the two animals, but Býleistr only raised an eyebrow.

“There were rumors, but I supposed no one really believed them,” he told her as they walked in.

She smiled. “But you did?”

“Of course,” he said. “If there’s anyone on this planet stupid enough to mistake a vargr for a pet, it’s you.”

“I missed you too, Bý.”

Býleistr and the rest of her advisors tried to catch her up on all the business she had missed over dinner, but the very presence of her wolves was quick to derail any serious conversation.

“They’re so well behaved,” marveled a forest giant In-Unga probably should’ve known the name of. “How does one inspire such loyalty, your Majesty?”

In-Unga forced an artificial laugh. “They only stick around because they know I feed them.”

The wolves laid down at her feet, eyeing the meat on the table. She reached down to scratch Bowie’s back. She doubted the giant had meant anything by her question, but the way everyone was looking at Bowie and Brynjarr was reminding her of the way everyone had looked at her when she first arrived in Jotunheim with Loki, and it was stirring up emotions in her chest that she wasn’t prepared to deal with.

She thought of the golden collar she had worn for so many years, a sign of ownership that had turned into a display of loyalty. She had despised it at first, but by the end she had been proud to wear that collar.

Lokakona. Loki’s woman.

It was in a box under her bed, along with the knife he had given her after the Rann Steinar debacle and the wooden Yggdrasil pendent Griep had given her before her first trip to Asgard. In the days following the destruction of the stones, as the heavy truth that this was a nightmare she wasn’t going to wake up from sank in, In-Unga had collected everything that broke her to look at and stuffed them where she wouldn’t see them anymore.

It hadn’t helped much.

The nights were the worst. It was stupid, because she had lived alone for years before Jotunheim, but now the concept of sleeping by herself made her sick to her stomach. When everything had first happened, In-Unga had refused to even touch the bed. It was too big, too cold, too empty to even attempt sleep in it. She piled furs and blankets on top of the couch and laid there all night, haunted by missing faces and broken memories and outstretched hands that were just beyond her reach. By morning, she’d be curled up so tightly into herself that it hurt to sit straight during the day.

At first, it was just temporary. Wasn’t that what Agent Romanov said, when she finally got into contact with her? They’d find a way to reverse it. Once they were able to locate Tony Stark, they’d find a way. It would be okay. She’d just have to rule in Loki’s stead for a little bit, just like she had before. Keep his realm together for him until he came back. But a month later, she got another call. This time, Romanov’s voice held none of the steadfast determination that In-Unga had been clinging to so desperately. They were gone. The infinity stones, and the people too. It was over. They failed. She was so sorry.

Vaguely, In-Unga remembered asking if she could talk to her brother-in-law, the silence that followed as Romanov went looking for him, her apologetic tone when Thor refused to come to the phone. The next thing she knew she was in the courtyard, heavy snow pummeling her body as Býleistr dragged her back inside with an arm around her waist.

“Are you completely out of your mind?” he snapped. “You’ll freeze to death out there!”

She held up her hand, hazily noting that her skin looked an even darker blue than his.

It was soon after that In-Unga decided to tour the kingdom. The voice inside her head scolded her for the decision even as she attempted to provide political rationale. She was running away. Pushing her problems further down the road in a childish attempt to avoid the unavoidable. Loki would be disappointed in you.

But how could she rule a planet when she couldn’t even bring herself to sleep in her own bed?

So she had left for a few months, for better or worse, and now she was back. After dinner her wolves, obviously exhausted from the long journey, trotted into her old room without issue. Bowie plopped down on the floor and was asleep in seconds. Brynjarr, ever distrustful, made his cautious way around the room, sniffing at odds and ends and barking at items that seemed too suspicious. In-Unga stood in the doorway, watching. It was almost enough of a distraction. Almost. The room was untouched since the last time she had entered, so much so that it still reeked of Loki. The feeling was so strong that for a moment she didn’t trust herself to move.

She entered slowly, drinking in the memories. Loki’s desk, where she’d lean on top of him and read his paperwork over his shoulder, currently piled up with documents he was never going to review. The table across from empty fireplace, where on rare occasions they could have their meals when the only company they felt like entertaining was each other’s. The rug next to the fireplace, where they always seemed to end up after such occasions.

And there was the bed. Brynjarr rushed ahead of her as she made her way to the bedroom, seemingly intent on confirming its safety before allowing her access. In-Unga found herself laughing despite the ache in her chest.

“Does it meet your standards, Bryn?” she asked as he slipped under the bed and out again, sniffing every corner and examining every fur. Eventually, he laid down at the foot of the bed, satisfied.

In-Unga sat down next to him, stroking his ears as he rested his big head on her thighs. This was the last place she had seen Loki. Here, in this room, on this bed. They had been woken up in the middle of the night by a messenger at the door. Groaning, he had dragged himself out of bed to answer it, only to return shortly after considerably more alert.

“What’s wrong?” she asked sleepily as he dressed. “Where you going?”

“Thor’s made a mess of things on Asgard,” he replied, pulling his tunic over his head. “He needs my help.”

“What?” The gravity of his tone woke her up quickly. “Wait, you’re leaving now? What happened?”

He leaned forward to kiss her. “It’s probably nothing. My brother is known to blow things out of proportion. I should be back within a few days.”

“Loki—”

He muffled her with another kiss. “Don’t worry, dröttning,” he whispered against her lips. “It will be fine. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered back. “Stay safe.”

And then he was gone.

For months, In-Unga wondered if there was something she should’ve done. Pulled him back into bed, forbidden him from walking through that door? “Stay here with me. Thor can handle it himself.” Would it have even changed anything? Loki had told her about Thanos—not a lot, but enough to understand that his influence stretched across galaxies. Would he still have collected the stones, regardless of whether she managed to keep Loki with her? She didn’t know which alternative was worse: the idea that there was something she could’ve done but didn’t, or the thought that she was so useless that Loki and the others were fated to die regardless of her actions.

Brynjarr whined, sitting up taller so he could lick the tears off her cheeks. She buried her face in his fluffy neck.

“I miss him, Bryn,” she sobbed. “I miss him so much.”

He followed her into bed that night. It was a bit surprising—Brynjarr normally wasn’t one for bedtime cuddles, that was Bowie’s thing—but not all together unwelcome. In-Unga was a little more concerned about the bed—on all fours her wolves were now taller than her, and significantly heavier. But it seemed to hold together alright, minus a few creaks, and honestly, the comforting weight of Bryn’s head on her stomach was worth a damaged bedframe if it came down to it. Slowly, she drifted off to the sound of his breathing.

Court was sparse these days.

In-Unga had become so accustomed to the looming hallway being packed with faces that seeing it half-empty kindled even more anxiety in her chest. The faces that were there seemed anxious as well—although In-Unga was rather certain their apprehension came more from the massive wolves at her feet than the vacancies in the room. Bowie and Brynjarr were still for the most part, but they were always ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.

Everything was threatening to them. If someone addressed her with a less than respectful tone, if someone tried too come to near to the throne, they were on their feet, teeth bared and growling. In-Unga found it hard to take them seriously. Bowie was a big sweetie who liked belly rubs and snuggling next to the fire, and whenever Bryn growled, she could only picture the tiny little fluff ball she found in the snow trying to be intimidating. But they certainly succeeded in unnerving the court, a little too much perhaps.

“Maybe I should have them wait outside next time,” she wondered aloud to Býleistr after a civilian who had come to petition the queen had been so frightened he was unable to string together a coherent sentence.

“No, most certainly not,” he countered. “They give you an extra sense of authority. The Queen already controls the Casket, now the vargrs bow to her command—it’s a powerful statement, and Jotuns respect power.”

“I suppose,” she said, thoughtfully. “But I don’t want to feel like I’m ruling through fear.”

Býleistr scoffed. “If your subjects don’t fear you to some extent, then you’re doing something wrong. Besides,” he added, “they should be fearful of your wolves.”

He was probably right. In-Unga trusted Njal and his men with her life, but she knew that if there was any sign of danger it would be the wolves who acted first. Bryn and Bowie accompanied her everywhere, flanking her like a set of furry bodyguards. It was especially odd given how large they had grown—they had long been towering over her, and now were approaching Býleistr’s height. Thankfully, Utgard had high ceilings.

With time, the palace became more accustomed to their presence. In-Unga liked to think that seeing her so at ease with them had begun to rub off on her subjects. If she ever had free time during the day, she’d take the two outside to run around and play in the snow. It wasn’t nearly as spacious as the beaches at Márfjall, but they had enough room to wrestle and cavort around. A crowd usually gathered when she played fetch with an old stick of wood she had picked up while still on the road, watching cautiously with wide eyes. She felt rather like a zookeeper putting on a show in an exhibit.

And if you look here, boys and girls, we have an overgrown doggo in his natural habitat.

It had also become a well-known fact that Bowie and Brynjarr slept in In-Unga’s bed with her. She wasn’t quite sure how this had become a well-known fact—perhaps those in charge of washing her bedding had taken note of the clumps of white fur tangled in the blankets—but Huld told her that this fact was seen as quite impressive to the other servants.

“It’s brave,” she said. “To leave yourself vulnerable to such beasts every night.”

In-Unga laughed humorlessly from where she sat hunched over at the desk. It had been a rough day. “At least they’re impressed. I’m pretty sure Loki’s glaring daggers down at me for letting animals sleep in his bed.” She had meant to make a joke, but there was a familiar lump building in her throat that she couldn’t quite swallow.

Hesitantly, Huld reached out to touch her forearm. “He’d love them,” she said. “He loved anything that made you happy.”

Maybe that was so. But In-Unga was still pretty certain that he’d be pissed—if not for the constantly shedding vargrs taking over his bedroom, then definitely for the stupid ideas that they spawned.

“Alright,” In-Unga said, drawing a line in the air from her chest to the ground. “Lie down.”

The two wolves sunk into the snow obediently, though not without confusion. They clearly expected playtime when she brought them outside, as did the growing crowd of faces at the palace gate. She sighed. This was one time where she’d rather not have an audience, but she didn’t feel right having them dispersed.

“Have I mentioned that this is a terrible idea?” Býleistr drawled from behind her.

“You have, as a matter of fact,” she replied, rubbing Bowie’s neck. He sighed contently, multicolored eyes slipping closed. “I’m still not listening to you.”

“It was worth a try.”

It was Hross who had put the idea in her head, when he had come to visit a month or two ago. Even after he returned to Márfjall, she couldn’t stop imagining what it might be like to ride one of her wolves like a horse.

“Just picture it!” he had said excitedly. “Queen In-Unga, riding into battle alone atop a vargr, casket in hand—”

Býleistr had interrupted to inquire under what circumstances would the kingdom become so inept as to send their mortal queen into battle alone, but In-Unga was sold.

Although, looking at it now, mounting didn’t seem as simple as Hross had made it out to be.

“Okay,” she murmured to Bowie as she made her way around his body. “I’m going to get on your back, buddy. Don’t freak out.” She grabbed a clump of fur on his back—even with him laying down, she had to reach a bit—and tried to pull herself up.

Key word being tried.

“No—what are you doing?” she cried as Bowie stood up with her still hanging off his side. “Bowie, sit down!”

The wolf yawned.

“Oh my,” Býleistr was doing his best to sound disinterested, but she could hear the suppressed laugher hiding under his voice. “Do you need a push?”

“Shut up.” She leveraged herself against the wolf, trying to wriggle her way to a sitting position. Bowie suddenly decided to obey her earlier command and plopped his bottom on the ground, the movement throwing her off enough to tumble into the snow.

“Oof!”

Bowie grinned at her.

Býleistr’s laugh rang out across the ice.

“I take it back,” he said. “That was well worth it. Now, have you had enough of this nonsense, my Queen, or might we go back inside?”

In-Unga was already back on her feet. “Do whatever you want, Býleistr. I’m not finished yet.”

This time, she went to Brynjarr. He was still lying down, despite all the ruckus.

“Okay,” she murmured, scratching his ear. “Take 2.”

Bowie whined. In-Unga turned around to see him lying down with his head between his paws, eyes wide and repentant. “Oh, hush!” she said, rolling her eyes. “You had your chance.”

Pulling herself on to Brynjarr’s back was surprisingly easy, likely because he actually listened to her when she told him to stay still. It took her a minute to get situated and comfortable, seated in a position where she didn’t feel like she was immediately going to slip off. She wondered if she should have a saddle made. But she felt like that would be too complicated—they’d have to get measurements from the wolves since no such saddle had ever been made before (to her knowledge, at least), all the while working on the assumption that Bryn and Bowie would even wear such a contraption.

Besides, she told herself, Daenerys Targaryen rides her dragons bareback without problem, right?

Yes. That was definitely the type of logic she needed to live her life by.

In-Unga clutched his fur as tightly as she could. “Okay, Bryn,” she said, tapping his neck. “Up!”

The wolf rose to his feet in one fluid, graceful motion that nearly sent her sprawling again. Oh boy. She tightened the grip of her legs around his sides. If I die today, blame George R.R. Martin.

She was high. Extremely high. Geez, she had to be at least ten feet in the air! Since when had her babies gotten this big?

Býleistr cleared his throat. “So,” he said, looking up at her (Býleistr had to look up at her!), “Are you just going to sit up there all day or do you plan on doing something? Because if not I would like to remind you that—”

“Hold your horses, Bý.”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

In-Unga ignored him. She leaned forward to flatten herself against Brynjarr’s back. “Okay buddy,” she whispered, tapping his shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready.”

He started off slowly, a fact for which she was exceedingly thankful. He crept ahead almost as if he was tiptoeing, so soft that she barely felt his feet on the ground, a far cry from the clodding she was used to with the wooly rhinos. He wandered around in a circle, continually looking back to check if she was still there.

“Good boy.”

They continued riding in a circle for a while. It wasn’t anything grand, and it was certainly a far cry from Hrossþjófr’s vision of her galloping into battle, but there was still something thrilling about being atop such a powerful creature. In-Unga didn’t have any delusions about being in control—she knew damn well the moment Brynjarr decided he had had enough he’d plop down in the snow and she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it—but the illusion of control was enough to make her feel unbelievably powerful.

“Look at me, Býleistr!” she called. “Aren’t you impressed?”

“Exceedingly,” he said dryly. “Are you finished? Remember, we do have things to accomplish today.”

In-Unga frowned. Býleistr was right, of course—she was the Queen of Jotunheim, she couldn’t just spend the entire day playing with her wolves. But on the flip side, she was the Queen of Jotunheim—if she wanted to spend the entire day playing with her wolves, who could stop her?

Just as she was beginning to favor postponing her next few meetings on account of essential wolf training, Bowie rose to his feet.

She sighed. “Bowie, what did I tell you—” The wolf wasn’t listening. He knelt close to the ground, muscles tense as he eyed something in the distance. Brynjarr turned around abruptly, In-Unga grabbing at his mane to maintain her balance. He too tensed, staring unblinkingly into the snow.

She squinted into the distance. At first, she couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary, but the tiniest movement of white fur soon gave it away. A kanína. They were smaller, rodent-like creatures that lived all over the place, not unlike the rabbits she knew from Earth. Their meat was extremely tough, practically inedible to giants and mortals alike, but her wolves loved to hunt them.

Uh oh.

“I think I’m going to get down now,” she said, patting Brynjarr’s neck. “You can chance down that furball once I’m on the ground. Lie down.” Bryn didn’t move. Oh dear.

She tried again, more authoritatively. “Brynjarr, lie down! Brynjarr—” She cut herself off with a very unqueenly shriek as the kanína bolted, the wolves bolting after it.

All In-Unga could do was hold on for dear life. The wind smacked her face as they picked up speed, whistling so loudly in her ears that she could only barely hear Býleistr shouting her name. The landscape flashed by in a blur of color.

Holy shit holy shit holy shit!

“Bryn!” she screamed. “Bryn, stop!”

It was like riding a giant rocking horse running at the speed of light. Straightening up was out of the question, so she flattened herself against Brynjarr’s body and tried to sway with his movements. To the left, she could barely make out Bowie running alongside them, leaping so far that it looked like he was flying above the snow.

Just breath. Focus on breathing. Don’t think about how much it’ll hurt if you fall. Just focus on breathing.

Although… it wasn’t that bad. The longer she held on, feeling the vibration of their paws travel up her spine, the more her panic began to fade. She pushed up a little, risking a glance over her shoulder at the distant dot that was Býleistr. Shit. They were going fast.

Exhilaration flooded her body. This is what Hross had been talking about!

In-Unga, Charmer of Wolves

For a moment, she felt like a superhero.

When she hooted, the wolves howled with her. The kanína was still running in front of them, scrambling to stay ahead, but its time was up: Bowie pounced and had the poor rodent dangling in his mouth in a second, snapping its neck like it was nothing. They slowed down, Bowie stopping completely to grin at her with his prize. Look at me, Mom! Aren’t you proud of me?

In-Unga laughed. “Good boy.”

Trotting back to Býleistr was slightly less thrill-inducing now that she could actually see where they were going without getting pelted in the face with wind. In-Unga made a mental note to have a pair of goggles made for any future wolf-runs.

“So what do you think?” she asked, grinning down at her brother-in-law.

Býleistr gaped at her. He shook his head. “I don’t know why I still haven’t learned to just expect this madness from you.”

She snickered.

After that, wolf rides became a part of In-Unga’s daily routine. Every afternoon she’d climb onto Bryn’s back and take off into the snow for about an hour, flying across the countryside with only her wolves for company. That last detail drove Býleistr mad.

“You are the single most important individual on this planet,” he snapped at her one day. “And, if you’ll excuse my saying so, likely the most vulnerable as well. You need to take a guard with you.”

“I can take care of myself, Bý,” she replied nonchalantly from where she sat with Bowie in front of the fireplace. “You should understand that as much as anyone. Besides, the wolves will take care of me.” Bowie looked up with a grin, thumping his tail against the stone floor in enthusiastic agreement. Býleistr rolled his eyes.

“And when you go flying off their back while they’re running at full speed? How will they protect you then?” He shook his head. “I’d doubt they’d even notice you were missing.”

“That will never happen,” she said stubbornly. “I’d never fall off, and they’d never leave me behind.”

It was easy to sound fearless while bathed in the warmth of the fire, but there were moments where In-Unga was a little less sure of herself (although she’d stab herself before admitting such to the prince). The landscape around Utgard was high and rocky, and although her furry companions were sure footed, she often found herself swallowing her heart as they scampered up craggy ledges.

Still, every hair-raising experience she survived increased her confidence in her abilities as a wolf-back rider and encouraged her to go farther. She taught Brynjarr to understand her commands just by the way she shifted her weight on his back. Luckily, he picked it up easily— trying to yell instructions with the wind blasting in her face got old very quickly.

Bowie took a little while longer, but they got there eventually. He wasn’t as much of a fan of having In-Unga on his back, but he also wasn’t a fan of being left out, and weeks of watching his brother get all the attention for carrying the queen wore him down. Soon enough, she could ride him as well as Bryn.

They tended to keep to the rocks on their journeys. Running through the caves would have been a lot easier, as well as less windy, but the caverns that Loki had carried her through when she first arrived on Jotunheim were haunted by ghosts of memories In-Unga couldn’t bring herself to face. Instead, she stuck to sights less sacred: mountainous cliffs and jutting rocks that Bryn and Bowie loved to race each other around, places so far off the beaten path that there was no chance of stray flashbacks popping up to punch her in the gut.

Sometimes, on the way back from the palace, she’d ride through town. It was a risk, of course, but then again when was anything not? She always wanted to laugh at the crowd that gathered whenever she came through, at the way her people’s eyes would bulge at seeing the giant wolves plodding down the road completely unphased. They would whisper amongst themselves, just as they did that first time she came to the marketplace with Griep, but the words were slightly different.

In-Unga. Vargdröttning.

Usually, she made a point of stopping at some small vendor and purchasing something— a dagger, a blanket, a piece of jewelry— the item didn’t really matter to her. She just liked interacting with her people, asking them about their families, checking up on their wellbeing. With everything that had gone wrong in the past few years, she felt that was the least she could do. That too was reminiscent her trip with Griep. So much had changed since then, and yet still so much was the same. Back then, the Jotuns hadn’t known what to make of a mortal wandering through life on Utgard as if she belonged there. In-Unga got the feeling that they still weren’t sure what to make of her now, but they treated her with respect and grace and that was all she could ever hope for.

Some of the changes hurt. The absence of her Forest Twins was an ache she carried with her everywhere she went. In-Unga had never really realized how deeply she depended on them both until they were gone. Now, without them, she missed them everywhere. At the table during meals. In the throne room when she held court. Just walking through the halls—it was such a silly, stupid thing, but she felt naked making her way through the palace alone even now, a couple years after she lost them.

Most times during her afternoon ride, she’d dismount at the top of some mountain and let Bowie and Brynjarr hunt for a bit. She’d find a rock to sit on, sheltered from the wind, and make a list of all the things she wanted to tell them. How she had been trying to teach Huld to play gin rummy, but Bowie ate half the deck. How Hross had written that Dagný had finally said her first word: daddy. How Býleistr was all pissed off because Bryn had somehow gotten into his greenhouse while In-Unga had let them out to hunt and knocked over some important plants from Alfheim.

Griep would have gotten a kick out of that last one: in the months before everything went wrong, Gjálp had been spending a suspicious amount of time in Býleistr’s greenhouse, something her sister and In-Unga had been relentlessly teasing her about. You know, payback for all the teasing she had doled out over the years. She had been getting pretty annoyed about it.

“I don’t know what the two of you have gotten in your heads,” she had scowled. “Prince Býleistr was simply showing off his imported aster flowers. They only bloom for a short period of time—”

“Riiight,” In-Unga said, smirking. “That’s definitely what he’s been showing you.”

Gjálp sputtered, scandalized, while Griep exploded into a fit of very uncharacteristic giggles.

On her rock in the middle of the snow, In-Unga giggled too. It was nice, having these quick little moments where she could almost trick herself into thinking that everything was fine. They were fleeting though. By the time her wolves returned to her, a few minutes later, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

She missed them so much.

But with everything that had changed in the past few years, everything that had been uprooted and ripped to shreds, at least there remained one constant in her life.

Periods still sucked Hel.

Regardless, In-Unga always tried to carry on with her day as usual. She was the queen, after all—she couldn’t be seen as weak. So, she’d hold court like everything was normal, sit up straight on the throne and pretend she didn’t feel like someone was wringing out her insides like wet laundry. If the giants around her noticed the stench of blood (which of course they did), they knew better than to bring it up.

But today had just been too much. Meetings heaped on top of meetings, every new face bearing a different demand or a different complaint, every new conversation only exacerbating the ache in her head and the knots in her stomach. By noon, she called it a day.

In bed, burrowed into her nest of blankets, In-Unga existed in the frustrating in-between: too tired to be fully awake, but too uncomfortable to drift off to sleep. She buried her face in her pillow and cursed the blizzard outside. It seems periods always worsened with the cold.

From the doorframe, Bowie whined. Brynjarr had easily accepted the reality that there would be no afternoon run today, instead electing to pass out at the foot of the bed, but his brother did not give up so easily. If In-Unga hadn’t felt so awful, she would’ve laughed at him—the doorway to her bedroom was far too narrow for the giant wolf. He was just barely managing to squeeze through.

He whined again.

She groaned. “Can’t play with you right now, buddy.”

Rolling over, she nestled deeper under the covers, seeking protection against the biting cold. It was a useless attempt. She never seemed to be able to get warm anymore.

Bowie padded over to her bedside, his claws drumming on the floor making him sound like some sort of depressed tap dancer. He snuffled at her hair.

“Go away, Bowie,” she muttered when he pressed his clammy nose to her forehead. She pushed his giant head away halfheartedly. “Lie down with Bryn.”

Suddenly, the whole bed dipped, and the giant wolf was attempting to snuggle his way into to her blankets.

“Bow—” she tried to push him away again, with even less effort than before. “You’re too big!” But with a final push, he nuzzled under her blankets next to her, grinning widely and smacking her face with a mouthful of doggy breath. In-Unga winced.

“Such an attention hog,” she groaned, even as she reached to scratch the fur under his chin. “You don’t even care that I’m trying to rest, do you?” He snuggled closer, sighing in contentment when In-Unga shifted so that she was resting her head on his fluffy neck rather than her pillow.

“Yes, you’re a good boy. I’m sorry. I’m just having a bad day.” She heaved a sigh of her own. “Do you know what my small council said to me, first thing when I sat down?”

He cocked his head. In-Unga took that as a sign to continue.

“They think I should get married. Remarried.” She swallowed bitterly. “They said it would help ‘maintain my legitimacy as queen.’ As if I’m not already fucking legitimate!” She smacked the mattress with her palm, glaring at her wolf. “Do you know the shit I went through to get to this point?”

Bowie whined.

“Right, of course you don’t,” she apologized. “You weren’t born yet. But take my word for it, it was a lot.”

On the floor, Brynjarr shifted in his sleep. In-Unga continued.

“And then there’s the whole subject of heirs. ‘Your Majesty, since you failed to have a child to King Loki before he died, you have no one to advance your lineage’—yes I’m well aware of that!” she shouted at the ceiling, blinking the steaming tears from her eyes. “I’m reminded of that fact every damn day of my life! I don’t need you to tell me!”

Her nose was running. She wiped it angrily with the heel of her hand. They had been trying to have a baby, her and Loki. After years of pushing it off, waiting for things to stabilize, they had finally felt ready. Loki had told her not to be frustrated if she didn’t get pregnant right away.

“Our biologies are fundamentally different. It may take some time.” They had been in bed, tangled up in each other under the cover of darkness. In-Unga could still feel his breath in her hair when he leaned down to kiss her head. “Don’t worry, dröttning. We’re in no rush.”

He had gotten called away a few months later, her womb still empty.

“They had a whole list of men they thought would be suitable,” she muttered to Bowie, blocking out memories that hurt too much to touch. “They had organized it all and everything. I felt like the Bachelorette. Totally ridiculous! And they had the audacity to look at me like I was the crazy one!”

The way they had stared at her, when she categorically refused to even consider their proposition. “But my queen, don’t you want to have children?”

Yes. Yes she did. She wanted to have children whose ebony hair matched their father’s, who carried both his intelligence and his mischievous streak within them. She wanted to see her husband’s eyes light up when they learned a new magic trick, wanted to laugh at the regal King of Jotunheim crawling around the room on his hands and knees with his toddler giggling on his back. She wanted to cradle her baby and smile at its sleeping face in awe, wondering at the perfect mix of her and the man she loved so much, a mix that could exist with no one else.

Yes, she wanted to have children. Loki’s children.

In-Unga ran her fingers through Bowie’s fur. “He’s not coming back,” she whispered. “I know that. I’ve made my peace with it. But I can’t pretend that it’s okay. I can’t just… replace him.”

Bowie licked her cheek with a tongue the size of her entire face. In-Unga sputtered, snorting. “Ugh… thanks buddy.” He nodded, moving to rest his head on her stomach so she could scratch his ears. She stroked his long fur absentmindedly. The wolves were the closest thing to children she was ever going to have. She was at peace with that too. Her advisors may not understand, but they didn’t have to. She had done so much for her kingdom. They could give her this.

And so time marched on. Winter turned to spring, spring to summer, then back to winter again, over and over as if nothing had ever happened.

It was a quiet night in her quarters when things changed.

In-Unga was skimming over a document by the fire, having abandoned the desk in favor of the furry rug, a warm blanket, and her wolf-pillows. Bryn’s eyes were fluttering. Bowie was already fast asleep, sighing contently. Behind them, Huld softly cleaned up the remnants of the late dinner she had eaten alone in her room. Save for the crackling of the flames, the room was silent.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the lines of script. The flickering light was almost hypnotic—In-Unga leaned against Bowie’s back to rest her eyes for a moment and found herself unable to sit back up.

She yawned. Probably time to call it a night. Still, she felt so nice here—her bed would be large and cold, and she’d have to get up and walk all the way to the next room to even get there…

In-Unga was just beginning to doze off completely when the high-pitched beep nearly scared her out of her skin.

The wolves were on their feet immediately, knocking her out of her reverie and barking so loudly the room shook. The beeping continued, shrill and ear-piercing, and In-Unga cursed under her breath as she pulled herself up.

I live in a damn circus.

Huld was standing at the table, hands over her ears and red eyes trained on the corner of the room. “Your majesty!” she cried. “It’s the thing!”

In-Unga followed her gaze to the telephone-like communicator Tony Stark had created for them, back when everything was nice and happy and Thor had convinced everyone it was a good idea for Jotunheim to have some method of contact with the Avengers. For the first time in five years, it was flashing red.

She made her way across the room in a fog. The last time it rang… that call had broken her. Broken everything. Told her that the hopeless mess her life had turned into would be here to stay, and that she would have to clean it up alone. In-Unga hadn’t touched the device since. What could Earth’s Mightiest Heroes possibly have to say to her now?

Still, it couldn’t be worse than last time, could it?

In-Unga hushed the wolves, who fell silent at her command, and picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

Agent Romanov’s sharp voice said her Midgardian name. “How have you been?”

“Alright, I guess, considering everything,” she answered cautiously. Somehow, she doubted that after half a decade the assassin had just decided to phone for a social call. “Is everything okay?”

She was right. “We’re working on something,” Agent Romanov said. “We’re not positive how everything’s going to turn out, but at the moment, things are looking good. I thought you should know, just in case things get crazy.”

In-Unga frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“The Snap,” she said. She inhaled softly. “We think we can bring everyone back.”

In-Unga’s heart stopped.

For a moment, she just stood there, barely comprehending her words.

We can bring everyone back.

Romanov said her name again. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah,” she said shakily. “Are—are you serious? You going—how is that even possible? You said before—without the stones—”

“I know,” the assassin said. “We still need them. But Stark’s come up with something that would allow us to retrieve them before they were destroyed. We’ve planned out where they are across the timeline, the easiest times and places for us to access them—”

“Wait.” In-Unga’s head was spinning. “Retrieve them before they were destroyed?” She had to be misunderstanding. Surely Romanov wasn’t suggesting what it sounded like she was suggesting. “How is that possible? Unless you have a—”

“Time machine?” There was a wry smile to Romanov’s voice. “Yeah, that’s about right.”

“What?”

“It’s a long story, but like I said, Stark’s come up with something,” she continued. “I know it sounds insane, but we’ve proven it works—we ran a test with Barton, and Lang basically did it unintentionally for five years—”

“Lang?” In-Unga asked weakly.

“You don’t know him. But my point is it’s possible.”

It’s possible.

“Time travel,” she said. “That’s what’s happening? I haven’t gone crazy, you’re actually telling me you can time travel?”

“Well, you did marry the guy who attacked New York, so I can’t say you’re not crazy,” Romanov said. In-Unga was so overwhelmed that the poor attempt at humor didn’t even bother her. “But yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

They’re going to bring them back. In-Unga was shaking. Loki, Griep, Gjálp… they’re going to bring them back!

“When is this happening? How is this going to happen? Is there something I can do?” The questions tumbled out faster than she had time to think.

“We’re going out tomorrow. Technically speaking, everything will only take a few minutes, so we should have the stones by then.”

In-Unga gasped. “That soon?”

“Yeah. We’re not sure exactly how they’ll work once we have them, but Thanos was able to wipe out half the universe just by snapping his fingers, so we’re guessing it’s not that difficult.”

“So, everyone could be back tomorrow!” The shock was beginning to wear off, replaced by a surge of pure elation. The wolves, sensing her excitement, began barking again. “Hey, shut up! Both of you!”

Romanov laughed. “I didn’t know you had dogs.”

“It’s a fairly new development.” So new that Loki and the Twins never got to meet them. Her eyes were stinging. “Tomorrow?”

“Hopefully, yes,” In-Unga had never known Romonov to sound so excited. “That’s why I wanted to get into contact with you. We’re not sure how this will work, what kind of widespread effects it can might cause. I thought you deserved a heads up.”

She nodded. “Thank you. Will you let me know when you get back with the stones?”

“Sure thing.”

“Well…” In-Unga wondered if she was dreaming, if she was going to wake up and curse her stupid brain for letting her hope for a moment. But this was real. This was happening. “Good luck!” she said into the receiver, pulse thrumming.

She could hear the smile in Romanov’s voice. “Thanks. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

In-Unga set the receiver down in a daze. When she turned, both her wolves and her maid were staring at her with eyes so wide it was practically comical.

“Huld,” she said quietly. “Get Býleistr in here, would you?”

She spent the next day huddled next to the communicator, anxiously tapping her feet on the stone floor.

Býleistr had been willing to hold court in her place today, but he had been less inclined to share her eager optimism.

“The past has already been written, In-Unga,” he said softly. “That’s not something anyone can change.”

“But there’s a chance they might,” she cried. She pushed the hair out of her face. “A chance. That’s more than we’ve had for the last five years!”

“Getting your hopes up will only cause yourself more pain when they fail. You’ll be grieving all over again—"

“I never stopped grieving,” she whispered. Her eyes were damp again as she looked back up at Býleistr. He sighed.

“I hope it works,” he said. “I do. It’s just—” he cut himself off, shaking his head and abruptly standing up to leave. “Goodnight, your Majesty.”

Behind her, the wolves paced back and forth, whining softly as they picked up on her nervous energy. In-Unga couldn’t tear her eyes away from the phone. Had they left yet? Was everything going to plan? She let out a worried breath. If only there was something she could do. Something besides just sitting here and feeling useless.

By the afternoon Romanov still had not called and In-Unga had completely chewed through her bottom lip. She should have heard something by now. She was certain of it. Hadn’t Romanov said that it was only supposed to take a few minutes?

Huld brought her lunch at around noon. In-Unga left it on the table untouched. She wasn’t hungry. In fact, she felt like she was going to be sick.

Bowie was scratching at the floor. The sound of his nails dragging across the stone put her even more on edge than she was already, but he ignored her when she told him to stop. In the corner, Byrnjarr growled softly.

Her room was warmer than usual. She found herself shrugging off the blanket she usually kept draped across her shoulders in her quarters and letting it fall to the floor. Out of nowhere, she felt confused. Nothing was the way it was supposed to be. Everything was happening at once. It was overwhelming—so overwhelming. She couldn’t think— wait.

These aren’t my feelings.

In-Unga shot up so quickly she knocked her chair over. Bowie and Bryn were on their feet in less than a second, bouncing around and barking at the top of their lungs. With shaking hands, she reached for her neck, for what had become nothing more than an old scar these past five years. At the brush of her fingertips, sparks shot through her skin.

Her gasp melted into messy sobs. “Loki.”

Outside, people were shouting, voices blending together into an amorphous blob of noise. Someone pounded at her door.

“Your Majesty!” Njal shouted. “Your Majesty, something is happening—”

They’re back. They’re all back…

In-Unga barged through her door without a word to her guards, dashing down the hallways at lightning speed with Brynjarr and Bowie trotting at her heels. There were people everywhere—servants, nobles, people gasping, people embracing, people running through the halls like maniacs like her—In-Unga ignored all of them. She flung herself down the stairs with her wolves still behind her.

The room she was rushing to hadn’t been touched in five years. She had felt stupid, giving that order, but having someone else move in was admitting that they were gone forever, and she couldn’t do that.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

In-Unga was completely out of breath by the time she flung open the door. The woman standing in the middle of room looked up as she pressed her fingers to her temple, red eyes furrowed in a frown.

“In-Unga,” she asked. “What is—”

Gjálp didn’t have time to finish before In-Unga crashed into her in a bear hug, bawling.

She sputtered. “In-Unga—”

“You’re back!” In-Unga sobbed. “You’re back! You’re back!”

Gjálp returned the embrace tentatively. “What is happening? What—Norns!” She stiffened, yanking In-Unga backwards. The mortal queen turned to find that Bryn and Bowie had followed her into the room and were now looming over the couch with all the intimidation of a pair of overexcited Labradors.

“Oh no, it’s fine—” In-Unga hiccupped, finding words astonishingly difficult to control in the moment. “Mine. They’re mine. Don’t worry! Uh—lie down!” Thankfully, they obeyed without an issue, their tales flying around like propellers. “See?” She gulped, turning back to Gjálp. She gripped her wrist, just to remind herself that this was real, and she wasn’t dreaming.

“You’re back,” she whispered again, hoarsely.

“You keep saying that,” Gjálp said, still frowning suspiciously at the wolves. “What happened? Where am I back from?”

In-Unga let out a wet laugh. “You were gone. He got the stones and took out everyone—half of everyone, half of everyone everywhere,” she laughed again, because it suddenly sounded funny saying out loud with Gjálp staring down at her like she had lost her mind. Maybe she had. It didn’t matter anymore.

“Your Majesty.”

They both jumped at the unfamiliar voice behind them. In-Unga turned to find herself face to face with a man—a human man, with a goatee and red cloak, standing in the middle of a ring of fire. In a second, the wolves had flanked her, teeth bared and growling.

Shit, I guess I have lost my mind.

Gjálp was the first to find her voice. “Who—what—how did you get in here?”

The man ignored her. “Your Majesty,” he said, facing In-Unga. “I am Dr. Stephen Strange of New York.”

The name vaguely stirred something in her memory. “You died in the Snap,” she said. “You were with Mr. Stark.”

Dr. Strange nodded. “The effects of the Snap may have been reversed, but this isn’t over yet.”  He fixed her with a solemn stare. “Your husband needs your help.”

Somehow, she had known he was going to say that. A wave of resolution washed over her. Standing straight, she wiped her cheeks. “What do you need me to do?”

The smoke was stifling. Strange had said it was a war zone, but In-Unga hadn’t expected for even the upstate sky to be blackened with debris. She had been to this compound before, years ago with Thor and Loki. It had felt a bit like stepping into the future, with the manicured lawns and the crisp white doors that whooshed as the slid open automatically. It had been nothing like the scorched wasteland flaring before her. The smoke was so thick she could barely make out the looming warships hovering over the skyline.

The dark warriors lined the horizon, a mass of limbs extending far beyond her range of sight. In-Unga squared her shoulders as she road through the portal. She could see him, standing in the middle of all this destruction, the golden light of the portals casting shadows on his purple skin. For so long, he had been faceless to her, the untouchable enemy who she had never seen but whose name she fell asleep cursing every night. And yet here he was in the flesh, living, breathing, vulnerable.

Thanos.

Brynjarr howled. From her perch atop his back, In-Unga felt the vibration in every part of her body. Bowie joined in, his usually mournful cries dark and full of promise. The sound mixed with the battle cries from portals down the line, words chanted in languages she didn’t speak, but in sentiment she understood perfectly.

You took everything. Now we’re taking it back.

The Jotuns behind her understood too. With deep voices, they answered the cries with chants of their own, shouts crescendoing with every individual rushing through the portal. Utgard had been in such chaos that she hadn’t expected anyone to rally to her call, but vengeance was a powerful motivator. She had stood on the balcony and told her people that the one responsible for their suffering was out there, still struggling to once again rip their loved ones from their arms, and just like that, her armies mobilized.

Now here she was, Queen In-Unga of Jotunheim, facing down the enemy atop a howling vargr, her soldiers armed and ready behind her. She felt strangely calm.

I’m bringing Loki home.

He was here somewhere. Even if Strange hadn’t told her how he had been resurrected on the plains of Wakanda with the other fallen warriors, she would have known. She felt his steely resolve as he prepared for battle, let it swirl and mix with hers across the battlefield.

This is it.

When Thor shouted, she screamed with him. And then they were all running. The appeal of two nine-foot-tall wolves in combat was quickly apparent: her babies tore through alien fighters like rare steaks. Brynjarr didn’t even need to be directed; he seemed to know exactly where to go, when to duck, when to tackle. Bowie cleared a way through the chaos, trampling everyone in his path.

They zig-zagged across the battleground, In-Unga pressed tightly into Bryn’s fur to avoid shooting darts of light and projectiles flying through the air every which way, no clue who was shooting them. A roar consumed the land, built from rallying cries and death shrieks, guns shooting and bones cracking, and in the midst of all this pandemonium, she found him.

Loki threw his blades with a catlike grace, completely surrounded and yet completely in control, as if he had never left.

“Bryn!” she steered him left, and he understood instantly. Snarling, the wolves rushed the scene. Loki whipped around in shock, In-Unga barely registering his fleeting moment of confusion as she felt the thud of alien bodies crushed on the ground. When Loki called out her name she found she could barely breathe.

“Down!” she choked at Brynjarr. She slid off his back to unsteady legs and managed to hold back her tears until she threw her arms around her husband.

The battle faded away. She sobbed on his shoulder, drinking in the scent she thought she’d never experience again, relishing the way he gripped her so tightly she felt as though she might break. She clutched at him too, afraid that if she let go he’d disintegrate through her fingers. He whispered her name against her hair, that soft baritone she thought she’d never hear ever again, and she held him even closer.

He was the one to pull away first, cupping her cheek in his palm as he wiped her teardrops with his palm. His green eyes held her in their stare.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

In­-Unga exhaled, the tiniest laugh. Less than an hour ago he had been dead, and he was worried about her?

“Yeah,” she murmured. It was a tiny breath under the rage of battle, but somehow, she knew he heard. “I am now.”

…

“Come on, you scaredy-cat, it’s fine,” In-Unga laughed from atop Bowie on the beach at Márfjall.

“I’m not scared, just concerned.” Loki stood on the ground besides Brynjarr, the two sizing each other up suspiciously. For the most part, her husband and her wolves had been getting along well—at least, well enough. Bowie was still bitter that his place in In-Unga’s bed had been taken from him, and Bryn was untrusting by nature, but it was getting better. Loki still didn’t understand how creatures that showed such savagery on the battlefield could be so cuddly at home.

“Look, if I can do it without a problem, you certainly can manage.” Bowie whined as he shifted his weight between his feet, anxious to sprint down the red sand. She rubbed his neck and fixed Loki with a pointed stare.

He shook his head, smiling uneasily. “You’ve had five years of practice, love.”

“Yeah, which I never would’ve got if I hadn’t gotten on first.” She turned back to the small group watching behind them. “Give me some help here!”

Griep frowned, holding Dagný in her arms. “I don’t know, In-Unga. I don’t think vargrs are meant to carry people.”

“I thought you liked animals—”

“It’s a giant vargr—”

“Now, my precious ice-heart” Hross said, intertwining his fingers with hers. “In-Unga has proved time and time again that there are those more than capable of riding a wolf. Both myself and Prince Býleistr can attest to that.”

Býleistr chuckled. “She fell off the first time she tried.”

“No, no!” In-Unga whipped back to Loki. “That was on Bowie, because Bowie likes to be difficult.  Brynjarr has never given me a problem, which is why you’re going to try riding him.” Bowie gave an offended snort.

“I still can’t believe you can tell them apart,” Gjálp said. “They look exactly the same, smell exactly the same—”

“I told you, Bowie is the one with two different colored eyes!”

“But when you can’t see their eyes—”

Dali pulled at Hrossþjófr’s free arm. “Wanna ride wolf!”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” In-Unga groaned. “Loki, get on the damn wolf before I give your spot to a toddler.”

Loki huffed indignantly, but he pulled himself over Bryn’s back and into a sitting position. “Happy, wife?”

“Ecstatic,” she tried to maintain her stern, but the sight of him balancing haphazardly on the back of her wolf made it hard not to grin like an idiot. “Now, tell him to get up.”

“Get up, wolf,” he said emotionlessly.

Brynjarr looked at her in exasperation. Are you kidding me with this guy?

In-Unga sighed. “Tell him nicely.”

He through his hands in the air. “It’s a wolf!”

“Loki…”

“Fine.” He looked back down at Bryn. “Get up wolf, please.”

Behind them, Hross was cackling uncontrollably. In-Unga rolled her eyes. “I think that’s the best he’s gonna do Bryn,” she said. “Come on, up, up!”

Brynjarr grunted, but still hopped to his feet far more quickly than usual. Loki gasped as he struggled to right his balance. She pressed her hand to her mouth to muffle her giggles.

Loki scowled. “I hear you snickering over there. This is why I didn’t want to do this.”

“What do you mean?” she asked innocently. “You’re doing great, sweetie!”

He glared.

Oh, if looks could kill.

“Now what?” he asked sourly.

She leaned forward, clicking her tongue. “Now, you hold on, and try to keep up.”

“What—” Loki was cut off with a cry as the two wolves took off down the rusty beach. In-Unga laughed as they rode alongside each other, Loki clinging desperately to Bryn’s fur. His startled expression morphed into something more sinister when he noticed her amusement.

“I’m going to get you for this!” he yelled over the wind.

She grinned. “You better!”

In-Unga wouldn’t have it any other way.

[mulletcal]

when did you first know? -- a calum hood one shot

a/n: okay so i was hit with inspo for this like 8 hours ago and here we are.  it’s the origin story for cal & mama from my twin universe, but you don’t need to have read those to know what’s going on here!! pls enjoy

words:  3.9k

warnings: cavity inducing fluff mb???

-------------

Soulmate was always a word that Calum heard, and while he believed that they existed, he was never certain that a soulmate would be something he’d find in his lifetime.  He saw his friends pair off with their respective partners, and it warmed his heart to see the people he loved so happy.  Calum grew content with the fact that he was meant for platonic soulmates, already having found those in his best friends.

The fans never let the idea go that Calum was preparing for his soulmate though - citing his quitting smoking, and in general cleaning up his act as the source.  That was never consciously what Calum was doing though, rather just choosing to better himself for himself.  

It was a Tuesday when he first met her - the sky was clear and the moon full, the air was warm, and he was surrounded by his best friends as they shared stories from their past.  Why Michael had decided to have a party on a Tuesday, he’d never know; but he knew that he would one day need to thank the man. 

Andy had brought her along, saying how she was an old friend from his hometown who just moved to L.A. and had zero friends there other than him.  Maybe it would be Andy he’d need to thank - in all the years he’d been alive, he had never met someone so beautiful.  The night carried on in similar fashion to previous nights, most of them crashing in various rooms in Michael’s house rather than heading home.  She went home, though, without Calum being able to say goodbye, or get her number - she was gone.

For days thoughts of her clouded his mind; the sound of her voice, her laugh, how she danced with his friends as if she’d known them for years.  It tugged at his heart how well she fit in with them, and he wished he knew her well enough to invite her along to things they had plans for.

In a vague attempt to rid his mind of her, he thought he’d distract himself with the one thing that always seemed to cheer him up - dogs.  Duke enjoyed wandering the dog park, even if he didn’t interact much with other dogs, Calum was always there to toss a ball or two for his old baby. 

Pressing a kiss to the side of Duke’s head, he set him down onto the grass and took his leash in his hand, at least till they got away from the busy parking lot.  Letting him begin to sniff around, Calum’s eyes scanned around the park - it wasn’t a particular busy day for a Friday, they may be able to have a wider range for Duke to roam.

He froze, though, when he saw an oddly familiar face underneath a nearby tree - it was her.  This had to be some form of serendipity, right?  There was no way she knew he would be there, at that time, on that day, so maybe this was his chance.

Calum’s feet took over before he got much of a chance to overthink it, stopping when he and Duke reached a few feet away, “Hey, didn’t expect to see you here!” Oof, lame line.  He could’ve done better than that, truly.

She looked up, lifting the sunglasses off of her head as she met his eyes, a bright smile spreading across her lips, “Calum, hey! How are yo- Is this your dog?” Her eyes were wide as she looked at Duke, whose head was cocked to the side as his dad interacted with this woman he never met.

“It is, his name’s Duke.  He’s wary of people, so maybe just approach with caution.  It’s not his fault, he’s old and grumpy.  I feel as though he should be back at home readin’ the dailies.” Calum was rambling, and he knew it - but his comment made her laugh, so it counted as a win to him.

“Me too man, you have no idea,” She shook her head as she spoke to Duke, as if he could understand her.  She held out her hand and Calum waited with baited breath while his dog gave it a sniff, usually Duke would huff and walk away from the offending person - but after what felt like an eternity, Duke’s tail began to wag as he looked at her expectantly.

“That absolutely never happens,” Calum stated, stunned; and the responding smile that he got was brighter than the sun that was high in the sky that day.  “D’you wanna come toss a ball for ‘im?  He seems to like you,” While Calum had been deep in his own thoughts, Duke had taken to putting his front paws on her legs so she could have better access to behind his ears.

“Really? Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude on a quiet day at the dog park.”

“It seems as though if anything, we’re intruding on you,” Calum motioned to the tablet and pen beside her and she responded with a wave of her hand, standing up to dust off her pants.

“Thinkin’ bout it now, I was very likely sitting in dog pee, wasn’t I?” She pouted, continuing to brush off the back of her pants.  Gathering her things, she slid them into her bag before turning to the pair, “We ready boys?”

The rest of Calum’s afternoon was spent exchanging stories of their pasts, and how they came to be where they were today.  He found out that she was a graphic designer, working on animation as well, and she moved to L.A. because she was offered an amazing job she couldn’t turn down.  The more he learned about her, the more infatuated he became; and when his phone went off to remind him of a time slot they had at the studio.

If Calum didn’t act now, he knew he’d miss his chance - he could sense it deep down that the universe had given him the perfect opportunity and he couldn’t waste it.

“Hey, d’you have plans for tomorrow night?” Tomorrow night? What an incredible way to sound desperate.

“I don’t actually, I was supposed to go for coffee with Andy but something came up!” She grinned, adjusting the bag on her shoulder, “Why what’s up?”

“Would you want to go out tomorrow? On a date, maybe?” Calum swallowed thickly, running his fingers through his hair, avoiding any and all eye contact with her.

“I’d love to, actually.”

Calum’s heart soared, breaking into a toothy grin that brought out the crinkles by his eyes.  She said yes, and it wasn’t just him imagining things.  He tried to prevent his hands from shaking while they exchanged phones and phone numbers, the promise of the next day hanging from their lips when they departed.

***

Calum had been pacing through his house for the last hour, the anticipation leading him to sweat through the first shirt he had picked for the night.  He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so nervous for something, even crowds of people watching them perform.

He could be vulnerable, he could be himself, but what if she rejected him? What if he opened a door as an insight to himself, and once he did he couldn’t close it again?

The drive to her apartment was shorter than he would have liked.  Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have been left alone with his thoughts for too much longer or he may have backed out.

Calum wanted to be a gentleman, but the whole process of buzzing up to her apartment and her waiting at her door to be picked up seemed a little awkward - so instead he waited by the passenger side door of his car, a small bouquet of wildflowers in hand.  He almost started to pace again while he waited, but then his eyes landed on her.

Her silk, navy blue dress swayed as she walked towards him, tucking her keys and phone into her purse but her eyes never left Calum’s.  He couldn’t help to notice that the dress hugged her upper half in all the best ways, flaring out to stop just above her knees.

“Hi,” She breathed, standing up on her tippy toes to press a gentle kiss to his cheek. 

A spark radiated from Calum’s cheek, causing goosebumps to raise on his skin, “You look absolutely stunning,” he spoke softly, extending the flowers to her.  “These are for you.”

The expression on her face softened ever so slightly when she saw the flowers, a smile present on her lips while she thanked him with another kiss to his cheek.  Calum opened the car door for her, assuring she was in before rounding to the other side.

Conversation flowed easily between the two, and Calum’s cheeks were beginning to ache from the amount he was smiling- he genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he ached because he was so happy.  It continued well through dinner, her even offering up a forkful to him of her meal.

Once dinner was finished, Calum paid and escorted her again out to his car, grabbing the door even though she insisted she was fine before they headed to the second part of their date.  This part was met with confusion from her, a teasing smile quirking at her lips.

“Ah, I see.  The infamous Calum Hood shows a gal a good time, and then takes her out to the beach late at night to kill her, is it?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

It wasn’t an entirely unfair assumption - the only light illuminating the road ahead was his own headlights, and those of the occasional car that would pass by.  She had guessed right about the beach, though, and Calum faked an incredulous gasp.

“How could you think I’m a murderer? I know we’ve been driving down a dark road for half an hour, but that’s irrelevant to the matter.”

“I’ll have you know I’ve sent Andy my location, in case you do choose to kill me.  At the very least he could come locate my body.” She was biting her tongue to keep from laughing, but ultimately failed and she squeezed Calum’s hand in an attempt to let him know she was kidding - but also possibly a poorly veiled attempt at wanting to hold his hand.

Thankfully, Calum took the hint and laced their fingers together, bringing their joined hands up to his lips, grazing against the back of hers.  He heard her breath stop, and he quickly glanced at her with a hint of a smile.

The rest of the drive was silent, only the faint sound of Louis Armstrong playing in the background.  The lights of their destination came into view, and Calum chewed on his lower lip while he tried to gauge her reaction.  It would be impossible to tell what it was just from a glance, but the smile that came across her face was enough for Calum.

While the sound of Louis Armstrong was now gone, the sounds of a vibrant jazz band filled her ears, and her smile went from soft to ear to ear within seconds.

“What is this, Cal?” She asked softly, reaching for his hand when he had met her at the front of the car. 

The first thought at the forefront of his mind was how he could get used to the feeling of her hand in his, but the next thought he had was that he should probably answer her question. “Well…” He began, tugging her hand gently so she could follow, “There’s this jazz band I’ve come across that plays here once a month and I love to come and watch them.  They’ve even let me play for them a handful of times.”

Her eyes scanned the people, wide with wonder as she did so.  She saw couples of all ages milling about, and much to her delight some were dancing.  You often heard about things like this, but she never could have dreamed that this beautiful man standing beside her would have taken her here.

“Wanna dance, doll?” Calum asked, looking down at her expectantly, giggling softly at how quickly her gaze snapped up to him.

He didn’t need to say anymore to her before he was dragged out to the ‘dance floor’, proceeding to sway and spin to the music.

After a few songs, they decided to take a break, sitting down at a table beside this elderly couple Calum appeared to know, excusing himself to go get you both a drink.

“You don’t see that often, do ya Ruby?” The man spoke up, clearly trying to the attention of his wife, as well as the young lady that sat beside them.

“What’s that darlin’?” The woman, Ruby, said to the man, leaning her chin onto her hand.

“Calum seems to have brought a special lady with him tonight.  Don’t think he’s ever done that before.”

Now he had her attention, turning her head to look at Ruby and her husband, chewing on her lip before she asked, “He hasn’t?”

The couple shook their head practically in unison, knowing smiles on their lips, “He must really care about you.”

It took her off guard when Calum came back, setting down waters for them.  Sipping it absentmindedly while their words echoed through her head.  If Calum truly had never brought anyone there before her, this place must have been special to him; and what lead him to want to bring her there? Her chest was warm with the implication that she, too, could be special to Calum in the same way this place was.

Not much longer later, they made their decision to leave.  She had been making her rounds, getting to know the regulars of the area, and them doing the same for her.  It didn’t take her very long to be invited back by the regulars, all of them kissing her and Calum’s cheeks before they finally departed.

Arriving back at her apartment, there was a sense of hesitation in the air, neither of them wanting their night to end.  It needed to though, if only to let the night continue on and they could venture into the future together.

“Walk me to my door?” She asked, glancing over at him with a hopeful expression in her eyes.

“It would be my pleasure,” He answered honestly, hopping out of the drivers side, quickly making his way to her side to offer his hand to her.

The nerves from earlier returned while they made the short trek upstairs to her apartment.  Calum knew before he reached the door that he wanted to kiss her, but the thought of it being the typical awkward first date kiss hurt his chest while it constricted in panic.

He could tell she was nervous too when he saw her fumble with her keys, and it made him breathe a little easier.  When they stopped in front of her door, she spun around to face him, stumbling back despite the lack of alcohol either of them drank that night.

“I had an amazing time,” She began, licking her lips when she finally met his eyes.  “I’d love to do it again sometime, if you’d like.”

“Trust me, I’d like nothing more.” Oh, so he was back to desperate, that’s good. 

“Good, good…” Her words died in her throat when Calum stepped closer to her, bringing his hand up to brush against her cheek.  Their eyes seemed to take turns glancing from their lips, back to each others eyes - a wordless request for a kiss.  It was just a matter of who would move first.

Calum couldn’t wait any longer, the anticipation enough to kill him, so he closed the gap, capturing her lips in the most breathtaking kiss she had ever received.  His lips were so gentle and soft against hers, and she couldn’t help but to tangled her fingers in the front of his shirt, desperate to have him closer.

A long moment later, they pulled apart, both slightly gasping for air and sharing breathless giggles.

“Alright, so I’ll talk to you later then?” Calum teased, his fingers still dancing along her waist, enjoying the feeling of the soft silk under his touch.

“You’d fucking better honestly.”

With that half threat, they shared one more kiss before she slipped inside, pressing her back against the door with her hand against her head.  The whole night had been a whirlwind, and it was difficult to believe that it was her real life - every series of events felt movie like, and it was the last thing she expected when she moved to the City of Angels.

Calum had begun the walk back to his car, waiting until he was fully inside before he rested his head against the steering wheel and laughing softly to himself.  He had never felt such a strong connection to anyone before, his heart was racing at the fact that maybe he had just met his soulmate.

Taking his phone out of his pocket for the first time that night, he noticed the group chat was blowing up with questions of his date, shaking his head before he sent a simple reply:

[9:54pm]: She’s perfect. I’m gonna marry her.

Once that was sent, he silenced his phone again and headed home, proceeding to write the same words down in his journal with a date, almost as a manifestation of his future.

***

Their relationship only blossomed from there - In ways they were completely inseparable, but both knew the times when to step back, letting one another have alone time, or time with their friends.

It made the boys so happy to see their best friend completely and totally in love, excited that he had met someone who matched him on different levels.  It was rare to see them argue, and when they did, it was resolved almost as quickly as an issue came up - it was almost then that everyone realized that the two really were meant to be together, knowing how much Calum despised conflict.

At the year and a half mark, Calum began to plan his proposal.  Their friends demanded to be in on it, but being in on it revealed the only thing he ever kept from his friends - the one thing that was just for them. 

In the end, it was worth showing them if it meant she said yes to him, and the promise of their future together was more set in stone.

When the day of the proposal finally arrived, Calum was a nervous wreck all day - he had to call Andy to help get her out of the house so he could panic in private.  Ashton showed up at one point in the day so someone could force him into the shower, so he’d be ready for the night.

Calum lost count of how many times he was told to relax by his friends via text, after his shower Ashton was long since gone, not wanting to be there when she got home in an attempt to not give away the surprise - as if him being there was anything out of the ordinary.

When she arrived back home, she got ready for their typical once a month Saturday night date, still seemingly unaware about what was in store for the night.  It put Calum at ease a little, to see her go through her routine of getting ready without the knowledge that he was going to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him.

“Ready baby?” She asked softly, smoothing out her skirt, cocking her head to the side while she waited for an answer.

“Yeah, love, let’s go,” Calum smiled, lacing his fingers with hers as they headed out to their destination.

The familiar lights were a welcome sight to Calum, further easing his nerves for the night.  It helped knowing that everyone that was there loved them, and only wanting what was best for them.  When he wrapped his arm around her waist, she shivered slightly and curled into him.

“We gonna dance, angel?” Calum whispered, his lips lingering near her ear, leading her to the dance floor regardless.  His eyes scanned the room, not giving her much time to look around before he pulled her close to him.  

Over her head, he saw Luke getting into position behind the mic, smiling at Calum. ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’ by Louis Armstrong began to play, Calum continuing to move her to the music with him until Luke began singing.

‘Stars shining bright above you

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Birds singing in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me…’

The moment she recognized the familiar voice, she spun around, a bright smile on her face.  She started to suspect something was up, especially considering that at any given chance, Calum would never be able to turn down playing with his best friends.  He wrapped his arms around her from behind, swaying from side to side as she watched the boys play the song. 

As it came to an end, Calum felt her take a deep breath before turning to face him, suspecting what was about to happen.

Calum took his arms from around her, rubbing his hands on his pants to wipe the sweat that was forming, taking the small box from his pocket.  “I know you can kind of guess what I’m about to say, you’re too smart for your own good - but at least I managed to keep this a surprise this far.  Anyways… Before I met you, I wasn’t quite sure that a soulmate existed out there for me.  I watched my friends pair off and meet their amazing significant others, leaving just me usually.  But then you came, and my world turned upside down.  I didn’t know what to do with myself, but I knew I had to be near you.  You simultaneously stole the air from my lungs, but breathed a new life into me I didn’t know I was capable of. I’ve become a better man because of you, and for you. So, I need to ask…” He finally got down on one knee, opening the ring box with tears in his eyes, “Will you marry me?”

She couldn’t contain the tears streaming down her cheeks any longer, nodding fervently as she dipped down to his level to kiss him, nearly knocking him over, “A million times yes. In every universe, in every lifetime, yes.”

She hadn’t realized that all their close friends and family were there, and it caused more tears to flow when she saw them.  Never in her life had she felt more loved, and it was all thanks to the beautiful boy who brought her to a jazz bar on the beach.

Despite having a lot of friends and family, they kept their wedding small.  They wanted it to be intimate and sweet, and everything about it spoke to who they were as people, and it represented their relationship perfectly.  Growing up, she never had brothers, but as she swayed with Michael to the song playing, she couldn’t resist the urge to rest her head on his shoulder and tell him how they’re all the brothers she’s always wanted.

Later in the night, the newly wedded couple decided to exchange gifts.  Hers was a set of shadow boxes, with pressed and dried flowers from their first date that she had kept for the now almost three years.  His gift to her was a simple frame, but in it was the paper he wrote after their first date.

“Baby, this isn’t the day of our first date.”

“You’re absolutely right, my love, it’s the day I realized I wanted to marry you.”

tag list: @cals-wildflower​ @talkfastromance4​ @softbabiestan​ @roseycal​ @calum-uncrowned​ @boyfriend-cal​ @wildflowerirwin​ @irwindoll​ @gosh-im-short​ @atlcalm​ @thesubtweeter​ @heavenisapeach​ @ridingcthood​ @loveroflrh​ @wokeupinjapanisabop​

[nickmuch]

c.z.k. - high school (part 3)

PART 1 / PART 2

Note: Honestly, I have nothing to do at work atm, so I might update this daily. Can’t wait for Part 4! Bc I have finally some more Zion action planned.

Also: It might be prom season there, but you didn’t hear it from me. My favorite part to write was probably the one that took place after prom.

Aaand: mobile tumblr seems to ignore all the paragraphing I put into the text to indicate the end of a scene???? So it’s probably easier to read on the desktop version.

A week had passed since my outburst. If you thought that everything magically turned upside down and we lived a happy life riding into the sunset on our white horse, then you thought wrong. Absolutely nothing happened. I returned back to class that day, not even flinching from his words. And he came back a couple minutes later, both of us acting as if we didn’t just kiss. He went back to her and I went back to feeling like shit. The usual story.

I acted like it didn’t faze me when he approached my locker at the end of the school day. “So …” he began. “You and Edwin?”. His voice sounded nervous when he asked me. Scrunching up my face, I fully turned towards him. “Me and Edwin what?”. Sighing, he grabbed my arm making me look him dead in the eyes. “You guys together now? You both seem oddly close these days”. Wow, I couldn’t believe the words that left his mouth. “Congrats! You have officially lost your mind, Caleb” I started picking up my pace. The front door wasn’t too far from here, so I hoped he would just let it go and let me drive home in peace. I hoped for nothing because clearly, he and his long legs caught up to me rather quickly, opening the door to my passenger seat before sitting down. “Look, I’m sorry for everything. But honestly, I just wanna put this all behind us. I miss my friends and I feel like I can’t hang out with the group while you’re still mad at me” “I’m not mad at you, in fact I give zero shits about you. But if you have something to talk about with the boys, then do so. I’m not keeping you from seeing them. They were your friends first, so you have every right to chill with them. I just don’t wanna be included, s’all”. A tap on the window made us look up. There she stood, tight smile on her face and eyes cold like ice. “Aw shit” he said, hurriedly opening the door to get out and explain why in the name of God he was sitting in his Ex’s car talking. Since I seriously didn’t need to hear their arguing – which was bound to happen any second now – I quickly drove off.

“Prom is right around the corner. What do you mean you’re not going?! Yes, you are! Don’t leave me alone with these fools!”. Edwin was close to having a breakdown. All because I didn’t plan on going to prom. There was no reason to go, really. I had no date, it was way too cold In New York to walk around in a dress the whole evening, and I wasn’t in the mood anyways. “Eddie, I love you, but please don’t make me go. I would only destroy the fun” I begged, thinking that would change his mind. Wrong! Because Edwin was – well – Edwin. My excuses were exactly that: just excuses. And he knew. “Okay bebecita, I knooooow you don’t feel like going”. He was convinced that easily? Wow, okay. “But!”. Ah there it was. “We will have fun. Trust me! When have I ever lied to you?”. I mean, he was right. Whenever he said something was going to be fun, it actually turned out to be. “Fine, we’ll go! But make sure that Zion leaves me alone. He thinks we’re dating and I don’t feel like dealing with his headassery again”. Edwin’s eyes nearly fell out of his face. “What?! Oh my god, is he serious?”. A hearty laugh filled up the whole living room. “Mijo, not so loud!” his mom shouted from the kitchen, making him quit immediately. “Anyways” he plopped down next to me on the couch. “No offense, but even if you’d be the last girl in the world and we had to reproduce in order to save the human civilization, I still wouldn’t touch you” Edwin finished. “No offense taken. You’re not my type anyway” I casually said while not breaking my eyes off of the tv screen. Gasp! “I- what? I meant because you’re my twin sister! Not because of your looks!” he cried. “Uhm … oh y-yeah, that’s what I meant too …?”. No way I could save my ass out of this. He looked hurt for a second but didn’t seem to dwell on it when he used my lap as a pillow to watch the show. “Don’t be fooled, you still suck ass”.

The night of the prom, Edwin had officially turned into a bridezilla. Minus the bride, of course. His steps could be heard from everywhere in the house, like a ticking clock you couldn’t dismiss. It was driving me insane. It was driving us all insane. “Edwin, you need to calm down” I tried. “There’s no way! No. Way.” he frantically walked from one room to the other. “My clothes need to be ironed, you still aren’t in your dress- “. “It’s 2 p.m.!” my voice sounded squeakier than expected. “- … your hair’s a mess, face not beat, my hair is acting up, and the damn rental car is running late” he finished with one last breath before collapsing on my bed. “We won’t be on time. Just cancel on the boys for me, the stress isn’t good for the baby”. “What baby?!”. “Me. I’m baby”. I couldn’t believe my ears. This boy lost his mind. Narrowing my eyes at him, he challenged me back to a stare-down. “Listen here, egghead” An offended gasp left his lips. “You’ve been talking about this night for weeks. There’s no backing out now. Move your ass up and get your to-do-list, so I can help you with everything. We still have four hours left before the boys are supposed to be here. So, let’s start!”.

The white Range Rover came to a halt right in front of the school building. Loud music could be heard already, some new rap song playing in the background. “This is gonna be so lit!” Edwin bounced on his seat excitedly before jumping out and dragging the rest of us with him into the gym. The motto for this year’s prom was “neon festival”.The wall decoration was painted in a mix of fluorescent colors, which reflected every time the lights hit them. Bright yellow stars adorned the ceiling, some white smoke even coming out of a smoke machine. Everything was arranged so nicely, I couldn’t help but admire the great effort of the students who probably worked hard for this to come true. Now I understood why Edwin wanted to go so badly. Back home, our prom nights were pretty basic. No one could be bothered to put so much effort into an event, just for it to be over on the same night.

“Here, for you” Nick handed me a red solo cup, which was filled with some pink drink, accompanied by a cocktail umbrella. “Thank you” I said, turning my gaze towards the shining stars again. “I’m so sorry about what I’m gonna say next” he looked slightly uneasy, so I tried to calm him down by laying my hand on his shoulder. “Z and Asya will be joining our table. I mean, only if it’s alright with you”. As if on cue, my eyes wandered over to where I last saw the boys, seeing that – in fact – they were surrounded by the couple. All of them looked so happy, laughing and joking with each other. No matter what I felt towards Caleb, I had to set my pride aside and act nice from now on. The boys were longing to hang out with their friend again and I didn’t want to be the reason for a strain in their friendship.

“It’s alright with me” I replied. His hand cautiously wrapped around my hips, like he was scared of making me uncomfortable. “Lead the way, Mara”. He grinned at me. “Say no more, Honoret”. I rolled my eyes at the name. He knew I wasn’t really a Honoret, and yet everyone just called me that, totally ignoring all my attempts at correcting them.

Luckily, I got the seat between Edwin and Brandon. I didn’t know how to greet Zion and his girlfriend. She was too busy typing away on her phone to notice my arrival, anyways. So, I just gave him a short wave and a shy smile. “Looking nice” he said, motioning to my baby blue velvet bodycon dress. His girl was so busy, she didn’t even notice him complimenting another female. Either that, or she didn’t care. “Thanks Caleb, you too”. Coincidentally, he wore a dark grey suit with a baby blue pocket square. To not give awkward silence any room, Austin suggested to me to dance. Gladly taking his offer, we made our way to the dance floor. Soon enough, Edwin and Nick joined us, their dance moves putting me and him to shame. “You guys enjoying yourselves?” Brandon shouted over the music. I pulled him closer by his forearm to join us. “Very”. My grin however didn’t last. When I looked back to our table, I saw Zion all by himself. He looked bored, occasionally scrolling through his phone. “I’ll be right back” I told no one in particular before making my way over to the lone boy.

“Why so lonely, Kuwonu?” I nudged his arm. With a weak smile on his plump lips, he answered “Asya is preoccupied with her group of friends. I don’t really vibe with ‘em”. Nodding understandingly, I offered him to accompany me back to the others. “As long as you don’t hit the folks, we’re good” I playfully teased him. “Ha ha, very funny” Caleb sarcastically remarked. It was nice to talk to him without an attitude or tension building up. Maybe I overreacted a little bit in the last weeks. Having him around felt good, if you ignored the butterflies that erupted deep down in my stomach every time he looked at me or smiled his goofy grin. But we had our chance and it didn’t work out, that’s why I had to get over it. Better to have him as a friend than anything else. Right now, though, was about having fun and enjoying the company of good friends in a night that seemed to be endless.

The thing is, everything has an end. And so, I found myself in the booth of an old diner. The fake leather of the seats was peeling off and little bolts of cloth got stuck to our clothes. One of my legs was pressed against the window side, my other leg was touching Brandon’s involuntarily. Edwin thought a corner booth would totally suffice for all seven of us. Well, he thought wrong because now we were all huddled up, trying to get as comfortable as humanly possible with not much space between us left. Asya decided to not tag along, saying she was too tired from dancing with her friends all night.

“I hope they hurry up with our order, I’m starving!” Ansley sighed dramatically. Turns out, Austin was talking to her for weeks now, he just couldn’t build up the courage to ask her out yet. So, Edwin being Edwin, persuaded her to join our trip for a midnight-snack, claiming that “this pizza is going to be the best you’ve ever had!”. Judging from the interior design and the slack expression we were getting from the waiter, I highly doubted he was right. But then again, never underestimate Edwin.

“Okay, you were right. This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. Kudos to you, Ed” Ansley munched happily on her slice. Suspiciously examining the pieces in the center of the table, I couldn’t really put too much trust into her words. For some odd reason, the pizza had more grease on it than my face in the morning before washing it. “Just try it, she isn’t lying” Zion slid me a slice over. “If I die, tell Mama, Papa and the babies that I love ‘em” I told Ed before taking a bite. This was actually pretty good. Maybe not the best I’ve had, but it came close. “What makes this the best pizza in all of New York, though? It doesn’t taste that special”. The boys smirked knowingly, all eyes looking down trying to avoid my gaze. “It’s not necessarily the taste but rather the memories this place holds, you know? Back when we were younger, we’d spend our evenings after school here since our parents were working and we had no one to watch us in the meantime” Brandon nodded along to Edwin’s words, clearly remembering it all as if it had happened yesterday. “Can you imagine the mess we’d make?! Five little boys, full of energy rushing in to buy themselves some junk food, not a single care in the world” he paused for a moment, giving the others a short smile. The moment was filled with a melancholic retrospective feeling. “We literally grew up in this place. T’was safer to play and wait for our parents in here than at home or on the streets. I guess that’s what makes this so special to us” he shrugged. Sensing that he had finished the story, I nodded slowly, comprehending everything he just told me. “I like it here. Has charm to it”. Grinning widely, I took another bite to further prove my point.

People think of New York as this cool and hip city, with expensive luxurious apartments and such, but they seem to forget that not everyone is fortunate enough to live that life. Some of us have to learn from an early age that this world is full of bad people. Not everyone is going to wish you the best or give a helping hand. “We kinda are like OMB if you really think about it. Sure, no one is forcing us to join a gang or sum, but we do live a similar life” Zion threw in. “Actually, the weedhead might be onto something” B exclaimed. “You moving here out of nowhere” he said, pointing towards me. “Ed having to give up his room for you. A weird crackhead as a friend like Jamal” Now it was Edwin’s turn to be pointed at. “Hey! That’s rude! Besides, don’t do my bro Jamal like dat. He’s a great friend, always got their backs and shit” Ed tried to argue. “You’re a great friend, too. And an even better twin brother” I genuinely told him. A chorus of “Awwee”’s followed the round. “Now this is how you talk to friends! Take notes, ladies”. When he said ladies, he definitely wasn’t referring to me or Ansley.

The night itself turned out being amazing and I was glad that Edwin had convinced me to go to prom. We were talking about everything and nothing, really. Moments turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours, and soon it was already time to leave. Ansley had to be home soon, so Austin took it upon himself to make sure she would arrive there safely. Edwin was craving donuts from the corner shop across the street, but since he couldn’t be trusted on his own, Brandon decided to follow him. “Is B really the right fit to watch him not do any shenanigans?” Nick asked warily. “… honestly, talking from experience, I should probably go with ‘em before their sugar high kicks in”. With that, I was left alone with Zion in the booth of a run-down diner in the middle of New York. Despite being in one of the biggest cities, the world suddenly felt so small around me.

“So …” Zion said, looking around the place. “So …” I mimicked. Shaking his head, he just laughed. “This is low key awkward, not gonna lie”. It was true. In a group we no longer had trouble talking, however when alone it was a whole another story.

“I’m sorry”.

“You say sorry way too much”.

“Maybe. But this time I wanna apologize for attacking you with that kiss last week”.

“It’s all forgotten”.

His mouth opened and closed, scared to say something but I knew there still was something he wanted to get off his chest.

The bell above the door frame signaled the arrival of someone. “Guess what I gotchu guys?!” Edwin trotted over, taking a seat on the table, so that he had both me and Z on each of his sides. A small brown paper bag rested on his lap. With one swift movement, he pulled out some twizzlers, and shoved them in our hands. “And we also bought you make up wipes!” happily Brandon said in a sing-song voice. Fishing out the pack, he handed them over to me. “I love you guys!”. Nick walked in last. “Yo, I’m slowly getting tired. Can we drive home now?” sleepily he rubbed his eyes, already pulling on Zion’s sleeve. Reluctantly, Edwin followed behind, even though all he wanted was to eat his candy. His sugar high was still going in full force. Therefore, he didn’t feel an ounce of sleep.

“Why the fuck is he so bouncy?!”Austin asked. We had called him earlier to ask for his location, so that we could pick him up and drive home as well. He climbed up the Jeep, sitting next to an energetic Ed. “Twizzlers?” he offered to his friend. “No, thanks. Also, please stop smiling so creepily, you’re scaring me”. This was going to be a long drive.

Note: Part 4 will have more Zion moments. The plan is to have only one or two settings, so hopefully it’ll work out as planned.

I’d love to get some feedback, good or bad doesn’t matter!! What direction would you want this to go? How would you like this to end? Let me know!

Cami

[starunicornmoon]

Little Do You Know

'Love is never a straight line. Sometimes you've got to freehand.' Little Do You Know Head down to avoid making eye contact with too many people, I pushed the shopping cart down the aisle of the supermarket beside Amy, who had her cute nose in her shopping list and wasn't watching where she was going. I reached out and pulled her gently to the side so she wouldn't walk into a display of grapefruit at the last second. She looked up, seeming a little startled, gave me a small adorable embarrassed smile and went straight back to her shopping list. Shaking my head at her distraction, I chuckled lightly and carried on pushing the annoying cart with the dodgy wheel around the shop. I must've been giving out boredom vibes because Amy stopped me a second later. "You don't have to be here, Sonic. I can do my shopping alone," she rested her small hand on my arm and smiled at me with that too cute to ignore tug of her lips. She really meant it too, she didn't need me there and she wouldn't be offended if I zipped out of the store as fast as possible. She wouldn't take it personally, she wouldn't berate me later on because I left her stranded. After-all, it was me who asked if I could come along. I might have had ulterior motives for that this time though. "I know, but I just want to make sure you pick up the right chilli this time," I winked at her where I was casually leaning on the cart. Amy's cheeks flushed and she ducked her head to scout over her shopping list again. Her reaction surprised me and I stood back up to my full height and watched her. She knew I was, her face was getting redder the more I stared. Why was she acting all squirrely all of a sudden? Did I put my foot in it? Not that it would be the first time with her, but I like to think it's been a very long time since I did. I'm far past that slightly stuttery, AmyRosemakesmenervous stage of bolting and/or saying something to upset her accidentally. What's insulting about chilli? Narrowing my eyes I reached out and hooked a finger under her chin, making her turn to look me in the eye. I didn't say anything, I just gave her a look and waited. She bit her lip, her eyes shining with humour as we silently battled it out. I couldn't tell you who's the most stubborn out of the two of us, I think we're pretty equal on that battlefield. Amy did crack first though, probably because we were drawing attention to ourselves by having a stare down competition in the middle of an aisle at the store, our cart abandoned. She swallowed nervously, tucking a stray quill over her shoulder as she glanced down and looked back up at me. I felt like I was being played by her unintentional adorableness. "I've just been trying a new chilli out, that's all. I'll get your normal one from now on." she mumbled as she turned away and walked off quickly down the aisle. Being the fastest thing alive it didn't take me long to catch up to her, wonky shopping cart or not. She was distractedly throwing things in and ticking items off her list. I watched her for a moment, my mind rummaging back over the past couple of weeks, trying to remember the packaging of this new chilli she'd been tainting me with. When we got to the tinned chilli my eyes scanned the shelves trying to locate the right one. Amy placed a few of my normal favourite in the cart and started off at quite the quick pace. She was too late though, because my eyes zeroed in on the tin I was looking for and I almost dropped it on my foot out of terror. She has been tainting me! Amy Rose, one of my oldest and best friends has been secretly feeding me poison for weeks, on my precious chilli dogs no less! Is it some kind of practical joke? Was she hoping I wouldn't notice? How - how could she?! "Amy Rose!" I called, maybe a little too loudly as I appeared in front of her, stopping her from running away. She collided into me and jumped back just as fast. She looked nervous now. Nervous and like she was trying hard to not laugh at me. I know how I must've looked - a little crazed, scared and hurt. My poor chilli dogs . . . "You've been feeding me low fat chilli?" My voice was almost cracking just saying it aloud. And then a more horrifying thought occurred to me. "Ames, are you trying to say I'm getting fat?" I muttered, staring down at my stomach. Amy made a noise that made me look up in surprise. Was that a purr? Her eyes did a pretty quick and pretty thorough inspection of my body that more than inflated my ego, I can't deny it. Fat thought gone, it took a lot of willpower to not flex right there and then just to see what she would do. I settled for a familiar and proud smirk instead. When she met my eyes again her blush was back in full force from being caught out and I grinned even wider. "Oh shut up, you know you're hot," she huffed as she shouldered past me. True, I've lost my gangly teenage body and filled out a bit more since sparring more with Knuckles and doing more top secret missions around Mobius - a hedgehog's got to pay for said chilli dogs somehow. But still, it didn't hurt being told every now and again I'm buff. "Besides, I got it because it's healthier." she continued, back to her annoying list again. I nearly snorted at that. "Amy, in case it has escaped your notice, but I run at the speed of sound. If that doesn't burn off whatever I eat then I'm screwed. Low fat chilli not only tastes like crap, but ruins a decent chilli dog. Thanks but no thanks." I hummed, squeezing her shoulder once as I walked past her. She simply shrugged, the matter dropped just like that. That's one of the things I appreciate about Amy - she doesn't go on and on. We talk it out and it's finished, rarely to be brought up again. But now I knew she was getting the good chilli my itch to get out of the supermarket and burn off some energy was tingling through my body. Amy picked up on it instantly and nodded, "Go ahead, I'll see you later." she smiled. Grinning because my friends a mind reader I quickly kissed the top of her head and bolted out of the store. But then I remembered something and did a quick 360 to go back. I ran up behind Amy and whispered in her ear, "I think you're hot too, Ames." Grinning from her bodies shivery response I was about to run again when her matter of fact voice followed after me. "Yeah, I know I am." Jogging backwards so I could turn to see the smirk I knew she had on her face, I saluted her come-back with a laugh and wink, leaving for good that time. Maybe I'll join her shopping again soon, I thought. Just because. xXx I ducked back down behind the crackers I was hiding behind as I watched Sonic disappear out of the store for the second time. I stared at a random spot on the floor, confused and curious. Are Amy and Sonic - are they in a relationship? When did that happen? Why didn't he tell me? I thought I was his best friend, his little brother. And I use the term little very loosely these days as I'm almost on par of height with him now. But still, why didn't he tell me? Peeking back over the crackers to see where Amy was I watched her for a few seconds, part of my mind telling me this was being a bit stalkery, and the other wondering why I wasn't going up to say hello to her in the first place. It's not as if we don't bump into each other here on the rare occasion I do come here to get my groceries. I guess I'm still floored by what I just watched. I mean, they didn't kiss in the middle of the shop or anything. But they looked - familiar - with each other. Unless I've had my focus on someone else too much and haven't noticed. Embarrassment flushed my cheeks at the inner truth of that possibility. I know Sonic hasn't dated anyone in a while. The few relationships he has had haven't gone on for more than half a year at least. Though I've had my suspicions in the past that it's because he's never really acknowledged to himself his true feelings for Amy, the relationships he has been in seemed as though he was happy? Although again, maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. It's been a whirlwind few years as Eggman has eased off on his attacks and everyone has found other things to fill their time. I've thrown myself into my inventions and making a name for myself in the scientific field off my own merit and not someone who works alongside Mobius' hero. Not to say I'm not grateful to be best friends with Sonic! Of course I am and he's my biggest supporter and pusher. But to be acknowledged that I have reason to give other inventors a run for their money, especially someone like me at the young age of twenty is enough to give me the boost I needed to put more time into my own interests. We all make time for each other still, that's the important thing. And when Eggman comes rolling in with his bots, we're all there to take him down every time. Still, Sonic and Amy together? If it's secret they're doing a bad job of it. So it can't be that. "Tails?" Twin tails bristling in surprise as my ears flattened to my head with guilt, I spun on my heel to face Amy. I'd been so caught up in my own thoughts I hadn't noticed that she was gone and heading my way. I felt my blood rush to my face. "What are you doing behind the crackers?" Amy's asked not unkindly as she smiled coming in for a hug. I accepted it gratefully, hoping it would give me enough time to cool my engines. When she pulled away I hoped my face was a little less red than before. "Um, hi!" I answered, looking around for an answer that I hadn't come up with in those few seconds. "I thought I'd heard Sonic's voice, but I must've just missed him," I sighed inwardly with relief for not lying. I had heard his voice and I had missed him. Half truth or not, I hate lying and Amy knows me too well for me to even try to get away with it. "I wasn't expecting to see him here." A full truth, I don't think I have ever seen Sonic go willingly shopping before, let alone with Amy. Not a statement I ever thought I would say about my two old friends. Friendly as they were when we were younger, it's most definitely on a different level now. Sonic has always respected Amy and the skills and support she's brought to our team. Did she make him a nervous wreck? Absolutely! Was she a bit of a mad fan girl in her early teens? Without a doubt. But she is and always has been an integral part of our team and a good friend to Sonic as well and Knuckles and me. We fear her hammer more so now than ever, but she's a formidable friend and her and Sonic have gotten a lot closer and more comfortable with each other as they've grown up. Not just because she's stopped squeezing him and demanding dates with him either. Amy blushed slightly as she said, "He caught me out trying a different tinned chilli so he wanted to come make sure I got the right one," Her eyes shone with humour as she said it, that part of the conversation between them was a part I had overheard. I didn't miss the openly - err - appreciative look she gave Sonic too when he asked if she was calling him fat. I almost gave myself away from my hiding spot when he demanded to know that. The idea of Sonic getting fat is laughable after-all; he has the metabolism off the charts. I'm aware he goes to Amy's for dinner on occasion. But now I wonder just how often. "You can't fool Sonic when it comes to his chilli dogs," I laughed, knowing that one myself first hand. "Lesson learned," Amy laughed with me before sighing in defeat and waving her list in the air. "I have to finish this shopping, I've got a list of errands to run still. But I'll see you soon for our night at Rouge's, right?" "Of course, I wouldn't miss it." I answered, thinking of Rouge's club we make the effort to meet up at once a month since she opened it's doors. In support of her own business venture that suits her perfectly, clichéd as it may seem. A bat running a nightclub, who can be her own security if she wishes? It's a lucrative venture. She's incredibly popular for her own reasons, and she doesn't just open the doors for people to dance and drink. She holds fundraisers there too, supporting different charities. She's even held a few speed date nights too. They've proven to be very popular apparently. With us all being older now, it's nice to do something different. Something - normal. "Great! See you soon, Tails." Amy gave me a quick kiss to my cheek and dashed past me with her cart, leaving a subtle scent of her perfume behind in her wake. I shook my head as I watched her leave. I noticed one or two men watching her go too, much to her obliviousness. I ground my teeth and scowled when they turned back and caught my eye. My message clear as they ducked their heads and ignored me. I might be slightly younger than Amy, but I'm taller than her now and definitely don't appreciate her being ogled like that. She's like my sister. Even if I was kind of stalking her behind some crackers myself. Sighing because I was right back to that confused and curious state, I decided to grab what I came here for and get back to my workshop so I could disappear into the tornado again. If Sonic and Amy want to be together than great! I won't pop their bubble by bringing it up if they're not ready to tell people yet. Besides, it's taken them long enough. Damn stubborn hedgehogs.

[spideyxchelle]

His hand slid effortlessly into her curls, binding and curving around the back of her head to draw her in for a timid and perfect kiss. There was something so startlingly silent about the act of their two mouths meeting in the middle. She had always been told, had expected, had experienced, kisses as delirious and sloppy affairs. The kiss was never the main course—it was the side dish to the main event.

With Peter, it felt like it could be everything. 

Their mouths moved tentatively, preciously, together. Michelle clutched the fabric of his plaid shirt and anchored herself to his shoulder. Then, Peter kissed her harder and more urgently, and the wanting that lit in her stomach like a blue flame roared into a smoky inferno.

“What are we doing?” she gasped against his open, demanding mouth.

Peter slid a firm arm around her middle and pulled her flush against his chest. He did not quite reach her height and so his nose nudged against her chin affectionately. She kissed it. “I’m kissing you,” he grinned. “Aren’t you paying attention?”

She felt her flash heat and rolled her eyes. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Parker,” she oozed sarcasm. “I had no idea what this act was called.”

He surged up to slant his mouth over hers, again. He kissed her like he was leaving his heart in her shaky, uncertain hands. There was such profound trust, it rattled her core. And yet, there was safety in the hidden curves of his smile as he pressed it against her wanting lips.

“We’re friends,” she said.

“Great friends,” he agreed.

“So, what are we doing?” she posed again.

“Still kissing,” he mumbled against her mouth. “Or I’m trying to, at least.”

Michelle braced her hand against his chest. He stopped inches away from her mouth and his beautiful eyes fluttered open. She could have dipped herself in the endless oceans of his cinnamon eyes.

And she utterly loathed that Peter Parker turned her into the kind of girl that could be dipped in endless oceans of cinnamon eyes.

His attention span was weak, at best, and when his eyes flickered back down to her lips impatiently, it simply amused her. “See something you like?” She joked.

“I could show you better than I could tell you,” he whispered, posed to steal another kiss.

Her hand on his chest kept his eager mouth at bay. It could not dampen his pout. She gifted him a quick kiss and, like magic, his pout vanished. “What are we doing?” she asked, again.

Her voice must have given away some deeply rooted worry or trepidation because Peter’s eyes finally flashed with understanding. He brushed his thumb across the exposed skin of her upper arm and said, “I like you. You’re my friend, but I’m also attracted to you. And want to date you. You’ve got me in deep shit here, MJ.” She blinked. He continued, “So, whatever you wanna do— date, hook-up, stay friends— you’re driving the ship. I’m along for the ride.”

She blitzed him. Her decisive and frantic hands grabbed his face and once more, deliriously, they were kissing. He was the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful boy she had ever met.

And she was going to rip his clothes off.

As she set to her task, fingers making quick work of the silly, purely decorative flannel he was wearing over the stupid science pun t-shirt of the day, Peter tried to speak, “Wait. I don’t. This isn’t an answer.”

With one hand, she shrugged his flannel off of his shoulders and tossed the offending garment to the unknown reaches of his bedroom floor. Her teeth glided up the expanse of his neck and nipped at his earlobe, which earned her a downright sexy moan from The Spider-Man. She smirked, “I like you. I definitely want to date you. And we’re hooking up. Answered?”

She heard more than saw a darkness crawl over him. He growled and yanked her mouth back down to his lips, and his words vibrated, “Copy that, Captain.”

They divested him of his shirt in perfect synchronisation. It joined his flannel in the abyss. Peter tore Michelle’s jeans off with less finesse but ten times more vigor. She laid back on his crappy twin-sized bed and stared up at the metal grates of the bunkbed while he shimmied off her jeans. Her breathing was rough, but electricified.

She knew how this went— she had spent the last two summers at band camp where a particularly adept percussionist had kept her bed nice and warm— but doing it with Peter made it feel shiny and new.

And then they were completely naked. She leaned up to kiss him, but he stopped her. His eyes drank in the sight of her now bare body and she did not shrink away. MJ wanted him to look, and she wanted him to like what he saw.

His eyes traveled down to her breasts and zeroed in. He was singularly focused.

Michelle could not say how long he lavished at her breasts. Time stopped being linear when his hand slipped between her thighs and he guided two fingers inside her. All she knew was the pulsing, all-consuming yes of it all. He fucked her with his fingers and swirled his tongue like a champion. When she had laid awake at night and imagined how Peter might be, she had never imagined he would be good.

It was far easier to imagine him as the fumbling, blushing science prodigy that she once saw talk himself into buying three different burritos because the sales lady was nice.

The man that was setting a beautiful, purposeful pace to fingering her was not that boy. She could have wept for the shock and pleasure.

He released her left nipple with a pop and crawled up her neck to unleash a tirade of kisses on her jaw, mouth and the sweet spot behind her ear. “Peter,” she cried.

He curved his two digits inside of her and she mewled louder. She dug her blunt fingernails into his shoulder and rocked her hips against his hand, taking him deeper. Peter uselessly dropped his forehead against hers and whispered, “Come for me, Em. Please. I’m begging you.”

“Harder,” she replied.

He met no resistance when he added a third finger. Her slickness did not make her blush. No, on the contrary she was so ready and open for him that she almost groaned at the added pressure of another finger.

“Oh please,” she nearly wept. Although, she was not sure what she was asking him to do— fuck her harder, maker her cum, to kiss her. She could see a world where all three of those requests worked in tandem.

But all reasonable and rational thought left her when his fingers crooked and she went careening off the edge of consciousness into— oh.

“Peter,” she sobbed and gripped his shoulder for support. It was her sole lifeline to the living realm. She had passed beyond into something purely divine.

Out of breath and buzzing, she returned to her still quivering body. She turned to look at him with lazy smile dashed on her features.

Peter grinned boyishly, “Hello.”

“Mm, hello.”

He tucked her into his arms and she weakly protested. He shook his head and held her tighter, “It’s okay. Another time.”

“But—“

“Em,” he whispered. And it was the nickname that gave her pause. Michelle had been given many nicknames in her life— Shelley, MJ, Ella, you-name-it— but she had never been called Em. And she had certainly never been called anything with an almost gentle passion. Being called Em made her feel unlike anything she had ever felt before.

It was almost as good as his fingers.

“If you don’t mind,” Peter blushed, “I just kinda wanna hold you.”

She didn’t roll her eyes or call him a nerd. Michelle curled up in his waiting arms and rested her head on his chest.

His steady breathing, finally, lulled her to sleep. But before she lost consciousness her last thought was this—

With Peter, this felt like it could be everything.  

[getoffthesoapbox]

VK Science II - Odds & Ends

So I thought about it, but I hope my straightforward answers don’t come across as condescending! Aside from being blunt, I try not to write too much, but I guess it’s not a problem now? ’(^_^) In any case, before I get to the next theory I want to respond to some of your points :)

Your answers didn’t come off as condescending at all, don’t worry! You just seemed like a typical science-oriented person wanting to make sure everything was accurate before proceeding, which I completely respect.  (I have a thick skin anyway, and I’m fairly blunt myself though without as lofty a reason, fufu. ;D) But yes, feel free to write to your heart’s content, as long posts are a speciality of my blog anyway!

Pureblood Pregnancy: The reason why I can’t answer this is because Hino has full creative freedom to create whatever duration of pregnancy she would like for humans birthing Purebloods :/ Would you expect it to be longer? Probably. Honestly, though, I already don’t agree with her concept of Purebloods having a range of duration of pregnancy rather than a set time as most other organisms do (O_o)

Teething: This could be another reason why the Purebloods were scattered as I would think that this process would terrify their parents and even lead some to, sadly, label their children as “monsters,” abandon them, and leave them for death.

Well, of course Hino can do whatever she wants with the narrative elements; she could go off the rails (and has) if she wants and we’d be stuck having to try to pretend it makes sense. I honestly found her making the pregnancies 2-4 years to be just a ridiculous method to excuse Yuuki’s teen pregnancy and allow her to give birth in her twenties. I don’t think when Hino originally came up with VK that she ever intended the pregnancies to last longer than the human terms–it’s just that Hino needed to make the accident pregancy “acceptable” to shoujo audiences. This is just my personal theory, but for the sake of the story I’d say that the reason Pureblood pregnancies last longer is probably due to maladapted hormones of some kind that require the fetus to gestate longer in order to fully develop. Originally, before the Kaname magic pregnancy, Hino made it clear in arc 2 that Purebloods had a difficult time conceiving (hence why Haruka and Juri only had two kids despite living 3K+ years, and why the Pureblood numbers were shrinking despite them being immortal). That’s just my current thought from where we are, fufu. Really, though, I think it was just Hino trying to make Yuuki’s unacceptable teen pregnancy more palatable. =P

The Vmpr gene: In regards to your question… I’m not exactly sure since we’re not shown any examples. Not just that, but I intend to view human-turned-vampires (I always wonder if I word this write .-.) from a disease perspective. Based on my theory… I guess they would always code for humans since it’s a disease acquired later in life. In Zero’s case, I want to say that they would be human since the majority of Zero’s genes code for human and, again, I do not view the Level D’s as carrying the Vmpr gene, but… Well, maybe my next theory will help ’(^_^)

My thought was in line with yours that Zero (and any other Level Ds/Es) would code for human if paired with a human partner. Yuuki’s Pureblood would obviously be dominant, which would probably place Ren as a Level C or perhaps a Noble at best. 

Charisma: OHHH (O_O) Yeah, I just viewed those scenes as “hypnotism” rather than “charisma.” I see people’s willingness to listen to and follow Kaname as a result of charisma rather than Rido manipulating (hypnotizing) Aidou - they’re two completely different cases. As far as Yuuki’s charisma, I saw it as how she was primarily raised human and wasn’t sure how to act as a Pureblood princess (an authoritative position), so she lacked the same noble nature Kaname and even Sara exude that would attract others. In short, I think it comes down to how you define “charisma” in VK XD

Well Hino’s notorious for not directly explaining things and leaving things up for interpretation, but she makes a point of having the nobles fawn over Kaname in the first arc that he doesn’t use his charisma against the other vampires, implying that it’s an actual ability (if I remember right; it’s been a while since I’ve revisited arc 1). This would of course imply that his personal magnetism could be amplified to control his fellows (which he actually does when he murders the council). But this is assuming of course that charisma isn’t a social construct that the nobles have imagined due to their historical worship of the Purebloods. If it’s actually just in the nobles’ heads, then we’re just working with natural charm and Rido’s and Sara’s abilities are separate from the charisma. Either way, you’re spot on about Yuuki I think. Either she’s just deficient in charisma because she was turned back into Pureblood later in life, or because the Nobles saw her as human first, they can’t go into worship mode for her. Same results either way I suppose. XD

Mixed Children: …This is a weird title for this point considering how I am mixed LOL XD Technically, I can’t answer this, which goes back to why I was salty (=__=) In any case, I don’t think they would birth humans because vampirism is dominant. Due to the percentage of vampiric genes a Pureblood would be bringing in, it’s unlikely they would have a human child. The only evidence that kind of supports this is that it is implied (to my knowledge, at least) that the rise of the Aristocrats came from the Progenitors mixing with humans, which would follow the Night class’s explanation of the higher levels of “human blood” aka DNA as you go down the hierarchy…

Sorry, I couldn’t think of a better simple paraphrase to cover all the potential pairings. XD Hope I didn’t offend, lol. But okay, that makes sense that the vampiric gene would be dominant, so you wouldn’t have any human children cropping up unexpectedly (unless I guess there was another environmental shift that reversed things). 

NaCl: (  O_o) Ah… But are there Purebloods that have some human blood? Is that why the Kurans are powerful? …Because they have none? Wait… What? UGH that changes everything! This is why I gave up on figuring out the inheritance of genes! X( And in the first place, WHY would the Kurans be the only ones? Huh? Huh?! Did everyone else just “conveniently” die? And I’m not supposed to side-eye that? Yeah, ok, I see you Hino (  T_T) *diffuses in high concentrations of Na+*

Haha, oh no, I don’t think I meant to imply that Purebloods have any human blood, only to question whether or not it was possible for them to birth a human child if the recessive traits lined up right I think? Obviously they’d have no human blood in them as they’d be the purest expression of the vmpr gene, right? Sorry, I got wound up with speculating what the story would be like if two Purebloods accidentally had a recessive human child or if there was a character who was a more human expressing Pureblood/Noble (such as, say, a Noble who had all the traits except no powers manifest, or a Pureblood who had bloodlust but no fangs, or short lived Purebloods, etc.). That was more speculation about where Hino could have taken the story. ;D (See, and here’s where my narrative theory tangenting comes into play, so just smack me when I go overboard, fufu.) But no, I think your theories are right on and it’s not an inconsistency on Hino’s part; it was just me rambling incoherently. XD No need for you to become a pillar of salt over it, methinks. =P

Zero: I’m getting ready to review my theory before sending it in a little bit. Before that, since you’re curious about Zero and I’m sure a lot of your followers are, could you emphasize some special traits of his that are mentioned in the story, so I don’t miss any? I’m not sure I’ll be able to cover them since his hunter genes will play a factor. If I can, I might make it a separate submission. I want to point out that I know that you’ll probably point out Zero delaying his fall to bloodlust and descent to vampirism, but I intend to cover this for Level D vampires in general.

Oh sure! The big one of course is that he overcame the twin curse in the womb, allowing his twin to be born rather than devoured (as vampiric twins are and as hunter twins are due to the vampiric genes they carry). The second unique one is that he can overcome the Master/Servant bond (where a Master can hijack and control his actions). The third, and this is only sort of implied by Takuma during the last battle with Sara, is that he seems to have a sort of weird “Pureblood charisma” effect–where he’s basically to the Purebloods what they are to the Nobles. For some inexplicable reason, they’re all drawn to him/entranced by him despite him being about as low class a vampire as you can get. It’s implied that this is all due to his ability to overcome the Master/Servant bond, but if that was all there was, only Shizuka should be interested in him because she’s his Master. 

As for Zero delaying his bloodlust and his fall, I never saw that as particularly unique to him as Zero (but of course we never got to see a normal person get turned and fall, so we have no idea how long the process usually takes). But given how chill Kaien was about it, and that both Kaien and Kaname seemed to expect “when” it would happen, the process Zero went through in this just seemed to be normal Level D experience in my estimation. Happy to hear your thoughts on this of course, but I myself never saw this as part of Zero’s special characteristics. 

Hunters: I know I said I wasn’t going to address this point, but I did look up some things regarding the hunters. Since the first hunters drank the Hooded Woman’s blood, they didn’t just consume her red blood cells, which contain no DNA, but her white blood cells, which do… Although, someone can double check me on that since I had to look that up. As for what that would do and how that fits into my theory scientifically, I’m not sure, but we know what happens in VK, so meh; we’re already ignoring blood types, so why not? I still don’t understand the science and how it would genetically alter a whole group of people, so that’s all I got for this point.

I didn’t know white blood cells contained genetic info but red didn’t! That’s a fun fact. XD /random nerd 

Well we can just assume that what happened was the Hooded Woman ordered her genes to meld with the Hunters’ legacies so they can pass them on to their children (we know the Purebloods have control over their blood within other people, so we can easily allow for the Hooded Woman to have given the order here, or perhaps the cells just did what they do and took over). 

Thanks for continuing this discussion with me! I’ll send in my next theory soon! Until then :)

I should be thank you for hanging in there with me while I dropped out to play games! =) Will be looking out for your next theory!

[lilnasxvevo]

KINGSMAN 2 SPOILERS

Okay I have a lot of thoughts about Kingsman and I am going to share them with you. They are silly and disjointed thoughts. This post is extremely long. 

Uh the fight scenes in this movie were fucking top notch. No single scene beat the true majesty of The Church Scene in the first Kingsman, but overall the quality of fight scenes was higher.

This movie was also a lot grosser than the first one tho? I did not need ANY of that meat grinder shit. Literally did not enjoy a single second of it. Kingsman has gone from campy violence to Coen brothers violence, and while I absolutely love the Coen brothers, I didn’t like that level of violence in Kingsman.

Listen. Roxy isn’t dead. Brandon isn’t dead. JB isn’t dead. Whiskey isn’t dead. Merlin isn’t dead. Nobody is dead. No one has ever died. Those deaths were so bullshit and I hated all of them and I haven’t emotionally processed any of them but I am probably going to cry my heart out the next time I watch this movie. (Here’s my rationale: Mark Strong has already teased that Merlin might still be alive so obviously he’s alive--plus  I covered my eyes when he died because I was afraid it would be super gross. We didn’t see the bodies of Roxy, Brandon, or JB, so obviously they’re still alive. Finally, that wasn’t Whiskey at the end of the movie, it was...his evil twin. That’s all I got on that one.)

I LOVE AGENT WHISKEY and I literally refuse to believe he was a bad guy. That was so sloppily done. At the very least they should have explained how Harry knew that Whiskey was a bad guy--that might have gone a little ways towards convincing me. But in general, Kingsman’s shit-ass treatment of people of color has got to stop. Whiskey could have just been a good guy but apparently Kingsman as a franchise has devoted itself to taking men of color down a notch. It sucks. There have been, what, four named men of color in two movies? And out of all four, Jamal is the only one who’s still alive. Fuck that shit a lot. (I believe half of the named women of color have died--I can only think of two across both movies.) 

I was suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper disappointed that there wasn’t more Agent Tequila. The trailers and the whole premise of the movie made it seem like he would be an actual character and not a guy who gets three appearances and ends up in a damn cryo pod for most of the movie. 

I wish this whole movie had just been about Ginger Ale. Okay, here’s a more realistic wish: I wish Ginger Ale had gone with the Kingsman guys instead of Whiskey. When she told Merlin that she really wanted to be a field agent, he should have stood up for her when the time came to decide who went on literally either or both of the field missions in the movie. (Honestly, she probably would have been more help in Italy than Harry--no offense, Harry, but you almost killed Eggsy twice and Whiskey three times.) 

Elton John was fucking stellar in this movie. Totally divine. I love him. I ship him with Harry now.

I’m literally going to cry for the rest of my life about the fact that Harry wanted to be a butterfly scientist. Regressed amnesiac Harry was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Scratch that, it’s the second cutest thing--the cutest thing was Harry in the flashback in the plaid Kingsman trainee jumpsuit that they’ve apparently been using since time immemorial. 

I was unclear on this, but surely if Harry remembered everything else about being 20-something, he would remember his own name. “We didn’t know who he was so we didn’t know what to do with him” Bullshit. Do a fuckin google search for “Harry Hart,” which is both his legal name and the name he introduces himself by to literally everyone despite the fact that he has a code name. 

I love Tilde. I really love Tilde. I promise I love Tilde so much--I think she is cool and funny and down-to-earth and smart and kind. But. Why did she and Eggsy get fucking married. Really? Someone who is royalty dates a foreign commoner for like a year and they decide that’s enough time to know whether or not they wanted to get married? Plus, at the music festival, Eggsy literally sounded zero percent into the idea. I’m so mad. 

Speaking of the music festival...Why? Why? I get that Kingsman logic is the logic of the absurd, but that was way too much Plot Gymnastics just to get in a pseudo sex scene. Fuck off with that bullshit. “Mucous membrane.” Just stick your finger up her nose and run away!

There were not one but two puppies in this movie. I am pleased. It almost makes up for the fact that I am meant to believe that JB is dead. Which he isn’t. Because reasons. (I have always been and always will be a “IF WE DIDN’T SEE THE BODY THEY AREN’T DEAD” kind of fan.)

Harry is gay. Harry is literally gay. Literally everything about him suggests that he is gay and I really wish someone would just mention that he likes men. He’s gay. In both movies, he got into a bar fight because someone who just met him called him gay in an insulting way. I know straight men are like really into that brand of insult, but that’s just excessive, especially the bar fight in this movie--someone approached him to call him homophobic slurs just because the sheer force of Harry’s gay aura offended him. I believe this counts as deliberate queerbaiting but because I don’t have any self-respect I’m totally falling for it because I need positive gay male role models. (Harry counts as a positive role model, doesn’t he? ...Doesn’t he?)

Ginger Ale is a lesbian. Roxy is (PRESENT TENSE BECAUSE SHE’S STILL ALIVE) a lesbian. Everyone in these movies is gay or bi. It is law.

I wasn’t expecting the president to be so Trumplike. I appreciate that he was impeached. I’m a little troubled because this movie is supposed to take place in 2015 and so the president would still be Obama like it was in the last movie. I thought for a moment that maybe Kingsman!Obama accepted Valentine’s invitation and was killed during the head explosion part, but Kingsman!Obama is likely a Democrat just like the real Obama, and the president in this movie was C L E A R L Y a Republican, when in real life it would be Obama’s vice president, who would also be a Democrat. So just a plot hole I guess. 

Weird that just like last movie, the villain was a person with a reasonable goal (stop climate change, legalize drugs) going about it in an incredibly unreasonable and genocidal way. I think both movies are going for positive social messages, but it...it’s just weird. IDK.

Boy, Kingsman sure is getting a lot of mileage out of those mountain-camouflage white snow suits. Where’s the next movie going to take place, Siberia?

Charlie better stay dead this time. I hate that bastard. 

Did I mention Elton John was great in this movie?

Ginger looked so good at the wedding. I love her. 

I did like that this movie showed that most people who do drugs are just normal people. 

I liked that Statesman was more diverse than Kingsman but I straight up saw like one Asian woman and one black man (and Whiskey) and then a ton of white guys. Call me back when Statesman is half women with just...considerably more people of color. Considerably more. It’s cool that Ginger is an agent now but keep working.

Are code names linked to your position in Statesman like in Kingsman? Is Ginger now Agent Whiskey, or still Agent Ginger Ale? (I didn’t like that the only woman was the only non-alcoholic beverage, by the way. I get that it miiiight be tied to her being the only non-field-agent but I still hate it.) Also, how do they not run out of beverage names? Can people be named after their favorite mixed drink? Agent Cosmopolitan? Agent Screwdriver?

Oh my god here are some agent names that totally exist within Statesman: Agent Beer. Agent Wine. Agent Scotch. Agent Brandy. Agent Gin (hard to say). I love this stupid organization. I hope Agent Beer is from Wisconsin. 

Eggsy jumping through Whiskey’s lasso was so fucking sick. I saw the movie with three other people and we all SCREAMED. 

Colin Firth in a wet white shirt can only ever make me think of Pride and Prejudice. Thanks for that, Kingsman. 

I knew I was forgetting something I really wanted to talk about: GOD SHITTING FUCK I CAN’T BELIEVE EGGSY AND TILDE MOVED INTO HARRY’S OLD HOUSE. I GET THAT IT MIGHT BE TIED TO THE GALAHAD POSITION BUT GOD FUCKING DAMN. It’s been a year and they haven’t redecorated? Possibly at all? That one bathroom is still full of butterflies and Mr Pickle is still mounted on the wall? 

Eggsy’s voice breaking and his lip quivering when he and Tilde talk about Harry. Kill me.

THE BREAKFAST SCENE MADE IT INTO A MOVIE PLEASE KILL ME

Harry and Eggsy are in love? They’re in love

I love Roxy so much. Did I mention she’s still alive? 

Agent Tequila’s thighs when they take him out of deep freeze. God damn. 

Just remembered that Eggsy was like “this dinner is really important to me” and everyone assumes that it’s the dinner with Tilde’s parents from the trailer but it’s his friend Brandon’s birthday party. ;___________;

I think that’s all I got. 

[rubyastari]

His Almost Twin

Sometimes God works in peculiar ways. There are times when God simply plays the Universe to direct you where to go. Other times, that happens just to clarify what has been going on in your mind lately.

A couple of days before that Saturday, a friend asked you to go to a karaoke night party with her. She said she’d been stressed out lately, so she needed to blow off some steam. You realised you’d been feeling the same way too, so you agreed to go.

Hours before the karaoke night, you’d read your best friend’s post on his timeline and was immediately worried. It had been ages since you both really talked to each other. When his caption said something about ‘...facing challenges ahead...”, you couldn’t resist asking him what had been going on with him lately.

Since you have been best friends for so long, his answer wasn’t that surprising. Obviously, he wasn’t ready to talk about it, so you decided to wait. Still, you couldn’t get that off your mind.

So, how was the karaoke night?

You had to admit, it had gone well. People were having fun, so were you...that your original plan to leave early had been completely forgotten. It didn’t matter that your friend had to leave early. Somehow, you felt like still sticking around for another moment.

Then there he was, standing tall at the corner of the venue, talking to some other girl. The girl was sporty-looking with her fisherman’s hat, well-fitted tee, a checkered shirt tied to her waist, skinny jeans, and trainers. Her hair was dyed in a slight reddish ombre. The guy...you couldn’t believe your eyes at first.

He was almost the dead ringer of your big brotherly, hazel-eyed best friend! The greyish hair, stubble, rather fair complexion, and he was even wearing the same checkered shirt your best friend also has.

That was when your mood suddenly turned a bit darker. If it had been your best friend, you might have already rushed there just to give him a hug and ask him what had been going on. Instead, you carried on singing when somebody handed you the microphone.

The girl in a hat had dragged him to the centre of the venue when somebody urged the rest to gather for a selfie group shots. He bumped into you and you both exchanged looks. He smiled at you, so you returned the same smile. Then the group separated and you went back to your seat again.

So, what had made you guys finally talked to each other?

As the night wore on, more people left the venue. You decided to stand in the corner, since you’d been sitting practically almost all night. When you noticed him standing a bit farther from you, something inside you made you inch closer.

No, this is not one of those rare chicklit / chickflick moments, you silently told yourself. In fact, what you felt that night was far from that. You were still thinking about your best friend and he just looked so much like him. You felt something choke your throat inside.

He noticed you and smiled again. God, he had a really sweet smile that sparked warmth in his brown eyes (not hazel like your best friend’s). You automatically smiled back at him, because his smile was indeed infectious.

“Do you own this place?” No idea why that dumb question suddenly popped out of your mouth. Perhaps you were already so tired. You should’ve returned home by then. That random question had cracked him up laughing, though.

“What?” He had a distinctive accent, which was obviously not American, British, or Australian. Having been in the language business for quite some time, you immediately noticed that it was not a European accent as well – despite his looks. “What made you think I do?”

“I don’t know.” You shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed but not defeated by it. You were about to bail, when he suddenly asked you:

“Come here often?”

“No, this is my first time here,” you told him truthfully. “You?”

“The same.” Then he gave you that sweet, infectious smile again. “Nice voice, by the way. You’re a good singer.”

“Thank you.” That had warmed your heart. Then you ended up chatting. He wondered if you had come to such events more often and you said no. You told him that IRL, you were more like a very boring person. Now he was genuinely curious.

“Really? Like, how?”

“I love staying home, reading a book, or watching TV shows,” you explained. “Or writing.”

“Oh, that’s really good,” he seemed impressed. “Do you know Netflix?”

“Of course.”

“So, what do you write?” To your surprise, the conversation rolled over naturally. He told you his name and you told him yours. It was as if the two of you had been friends for quite a while. He was nice and friendly, not just handsome. He was also smart, working as an engineer. You weren’t too surprised when he also told you he was from one of the countries in the Middle East. His features were quite a dead giveaway.

Your conversation was interrupted when another girl handed you the microphone, asking you to sing again. He beckoned to you to carry on, so you belted out the lyrics on the screen. Despite the sadness of missing your best friend and worrying about him, you still managed to have fun that night.

After that, you went back to your conversation with him. He told you that, when he was not hanging out like that, he usually stayed home to watch Netflix or went to the gym.

Suddenly, you felt like blurting out:

“Okay, I have a really weird confession.”

He turned to you, looking interested. You held your breath for a while, before saying:

“You remind me of my best friend.”

He didn’t expect that, obviously. His smile widened as he clasped both hands together, as if praying.

“Aww, thank you. Thank you so much.”

“No, really,” you persisted. “You really do look like him.” You pointed at the checkered shirt he was wearing. “I mean, he even has the same shirt – exactly like this.”

“Really?” His smile faded, his big brown eyes radiating more curiousity now. “Do you have his picture?”

“One moment.” You reached for your bag and took out your tablet. Once you found his pictures, you showed them to him. His brown eyes widened in awe.

“Oh, my God!” he gasped. You let him trace his fingers on your tablet screen, swiping pictures. Then he touched his own forehead. “I also have those lines here. The perks of being an engineer.”

You cracked up laughing. You realised that you were beginning to like this guy. He had a sense of humour.

“How old is he?”

“He’s 42.”

“Ah.” Then, completely out of the blue, that guy turned to you with a mischievous grin. “How old do you think I am?”

“Uh...the same?” You cringed, hoping not to offend him. You usually played that game and enjoyed people’s various reactions when they guessed your age wrong. “Like, in your early 40’s?”

He laughed. “I’m 33,” he finally admitted. He pointed at his chin. “It’s probably my beard.”

“I’m sorry.” And no, I have zero problem with your beard, you were tempted to add. You love beards, but you didn’t want to scare him off. That might have sounded too creepy.

“Nah, it’s okay.” He shook his head, still smiling. “I get that a lot. I’m kind of used to it.”

To be fair, you decided to reveal your age. Still, you couldn’t resist being a little too honest by saying: “Some people have thought I must have been in my late 20’s or early 30’s.”

“More like, in your early 30’s,” he stated, which was fine for you. Then he asked again, “Your best friend. Where did you guys meet?”

You memorised each fact like the back of your hand. Some years ago, at a workplace. You mentioned his name, his origin, and how you two ended up becoming best friends. You even talked about how your mother was also fond of him, that she allowed him to call her like a son calling his mother.

“Basically, he’s like a big brother to me,” you went on proudly. “I’ve always wanted one.”

“He seems like a nice guy.” The guy’s brown eyes softened as he smiled at you. Again, you felt that familiar warmth. You agreed.

“He is.” Then you sighed and looked ahead where the crowd were still singing and cheering before them. “I miss him so much.”

“Then keep in touch with him,” he suggested kindly. “Have you contacted him again lately? Where is he, by the way?”

“I have, a few hours before this event,” you told him. “He’s back home now, but he used to live here for about seven years.”

“Maybe I can be your big brother too,” he offered kindly. You giggled.

“No.” He was clearly amused and so were you. “You’re younger.”

You both laughed. The conversation went on. He asked if you liked singing karaoke style and you confidently said: “I’m a huge karaoke fan!”

“A huge fan, huh?” He smiled again. “Maybe next time we can hang out singing with the other guys and girls.”

“Sure thing.” You exchanged phone numbers. Since his name was pretty generic, you asked for his full name. He was grinning when he said it:

“My last name means ‘wrong’ in Indonesian and ‘right in Arabic.”

You gazed at him with your mouth open. “Like that football player?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “It’s a common name back home.”

“Wow.” At first, you let him type his phone number on your tablet. Then, when you typed his full name, you joked a little: “If the guys I know see your name here, I’ll have to tell them: ‘No, this is not that football player’.”

He laughed.

It was past midnight when both of you stood waiting outside for your ride shares. You noticed that he was now smoking, which dampened your spirit a little. He noticed your expression and grinned, gesturing at the well-lit cigarette in his hand.

“I know,” he said, as if reading your mind. “My lifestyle is shit. I also go to the gym regularly, but I’m still fat.”

“No, you’re not.” Besides, it doesn’t matter, you wanted to add. Still, you chose to keep your mouth shut.

“Yes, I am.” He shrugged again. “I can’t be like that football player you mentioned.”

You smiled. “It’s okay.”

When his ride share arrived first, he looked at her and smiled for one last time that night. He said: “Nice to meet you. Be home safely.”

“Likewise.” You smiled back. “Take care.”

That night in your room, you replayed that moment and realised one thing before you finally fell asleep:

You’re still missing your best friend and worried about him...

Hopefully he is alright...

 R.

[little-elf-wanders]

Not-So-Hero’s Beginning - Ryder!sibs

“Did you ever think we’d end up here?” Scott asked out of the blue.

Flyn looked over to her brother, then down at his wrists that were clamped together in C-sec’s version of cuffs. “Honestly, yeah.” She smirked and lounged on the chair, a bit awkwardly given her own fancy pair of matching bracelets, hers just covered the hands to stop any biotics from flaring out. “It doesn’t really make sense though. Unless we got a snitch.” Her face fell. “Motherfucker, we got a snitch..”

Scott had caught the look and had he not just escaped Purgatory he would have been offended, but he had. Nothing surprised him anymore. The pair of them were known on the Citadel for their gang work - more than known, actually. It wasn’t their first time sitting in a C-Sec interrogation room. Usually they were given clues as to what they’d down, however.

The cops had been unusually stoic with them.

It would have only been a matter of time before citadel security caught wind of the Purgatory fiasco. Scott had escaped in the drama surrounding Subject Zero, thank you Shepard and that bitch of a Turian for starting a fucking riot. He stole a shuttle and never looked back until he found his way home.

The citadel and all its wonder.

Except, he expected to have at least one or two days with his sister before they caught on. Flyn had hidden him in one of the gang hideouts too, then C-Sec swooped in and swiped the pair of them off dock before anyone could jump to help.

They were getting smarter and he didn’t like that. Not one bit.

Neither did Flyn.

Flyn grinned at him suddenly, a pick of metal glinting between her teeth and it was there she set to work trying to pick the lock of her restraints. Whatever the reason was, they wouldn’t be sticking around to find out.

A twist here.

A jerk there.

“I’d refrain from doing that, Miss Ryder.” A feminine voice soothed out.

No one heard her come in.

Flyn jumped and nearly lost the pick, a quick tongue manoeuvre and it was hidden comfortably again. “Dunno what you’re talking about. Do you Hammer?”

“Not the faintest.” Scott glared. The blonde haired woman wasn’t really phased, which meant she either had a lot of training, or she was a complete idiot.

“I’m well aware who you two are.” She answered the glare head on with a much too pleasant smile. Lawyer? No.. Something close to it though. “I’m a colleague of your fathers. You are Alec Ryders children are you not? Scott and Flyn?”

Scott and Flyn cringed.

“Oh, I’m sorry would you rather I use your aliases? Alright.” Her gaze turned to Flyn, “Karma,” drifted to Scott, “and Hammer. I must say you sound like you’re exotic dancers.”

“Could be.” Flyn perked up, cheeky smile spreading from ear to ear, there was that puckish rogue that she’d been forewarned about, “We spotlight for Candy down in the red district. You don’t look like you go to the red district much. You’ve got the smell of the Presidium on you.”

“You would be correct.”

“Called it.”

Scott snorted and cast a look to his sister, the watch your mouth look. These types could twist words just as easily as Flyn could shoot a gun. Snakes, the lot of them. At least the twins were upfront about their intentions. “Alright. Enough trying to impress us, who the fuck are you?”

“Language.”

She was met by nothing but icy silence from the pair of them.

Her blondeness sighed, “My name is unimportant, I’m just here to make sure you two are ready for a project your father is working on. He’ll be needing the pair of you. You can’t be preparing if you’re locked up, however, which is why I’m here because you’re..” She gave them the once over and shook her head.

“No.” Flyn frowned, “Listen lady, I don’t know what kinda shit you’re selling but--”

A manicured hand waved over a datapad and she turned it to face them, smug, “Oh I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over me removing your criminal records from the system. You were saying?”

“WHAT!?” Both twins nearly had a heart attack on the spot.

“You can do that!? Kinda magic you wielding?” Flyn laughed, mostly from disbelief. There it was staring her in the face. Her face with a squeaky clean record. No mention of theft, murder or public destruction.

Not even something a petty as a stolen chocolate bar.

Scott, or Hammer, was less stoked. “No, she can’t.” He stated. He was suspicious. People didn’t just wipe records - not without sufficient bribes - for anything, certainly not out the goodness of their hearts. She’d be angling for something in return. That’s where his worry lay and it was all over his face.

“Actually, I can and I did. Now. Will you listen to my offer?”

There it was.

Flyn’s grin fell right off her face, “We’ll listen.” Scott turned to protest, she shot him a look of her own, “That’s your compliance for wiping the records. Our ears. Other than that, we don’t owe you shit so if you try and hang this over our heads later..”

The mysterious woman smiled a tight smile, something that wasn’t natural on her face and was similar to having just sucked on a lemon before having some tequila. Bright red lips puckered in thought and she shrugged, “Bright girl.” Her shoulders slacked and she turned her datapad back to face her, tucking it against her very expensive black dress. “Alright. That’s fair. My offer is this; hang up your life of crime and join the military. It won’t be as glamorous as your little organization here, but I think you’ll find it accommodating and full of excitement. Something tells me you won’t care, so I’m inclined to mention you’ll be allowed to shoot people. This time you’re just doing it for someone.”

“You want us to hang up our guns and rule-free life for...What? Leashes?” Flyn’s face screwed up to one of distaste. “I might be a fucking murderer but I ain’t no one’s attack dog.”

“For a second chance.” A cutting gaze tore through Flyn. She visibly winced.

“Oy, don’t listen to her sis, she’s trying to psyche you out.” Scott tried to comfort her but the look of being torn was already loud on her face. Behind her eyes was that turmoil. The same turmoil that flashed when he ordered her to stay quiet about who’s fault it had really been. Shit.

This dressy witch was winning her other.

“You only want to protect her.” The woman went for Scott next. “ That’s noble, and I see those noble intentions inside you, son. You’ve both been through so much. The life I’m offering is how you can do that. You won’t be living on the run, you’ll both be free.”

Scott winced.

Flyn glanced to her brothers face, “Scottie..” Her brows pulled together, “It means they won’t take you away again, and dad.. She mentioned dad.”

“Both of you are wasted potential on this rust heap, now, you’ll have to go through basic training so you’re up to par with how we need you, and there might not be glory straight away but once you’re needed, you’ll be part of something so great it’ll make the Geth War victory look like a Krogan’s testicle.” She reasoned, “I know it sounds dodgy but..If anyone is to understand dodgy, it’d be the two criminals in front of me.” That one was a jab. “You won’t get a better offer and if I walk out that door alone, your record will be back to how it was. And you Scottie will be right back on a shuttle to a higher security prison where Shepard can’t tear through. Your sister included.”

Scott scowled.

Flyn stood, about ready to take her out when Scott jumped up and stood in her way. They had a battle of looks, squaring off with frowns, gritted teeth and eye rolls. “Oh my God, fuck!” Flyn shouted, promptly dropping into a sit, “Fine. Shebitch, you’ve got a deal. But we don’t fucking like you.”

“Most don’t.” She tipped her head and bounced on her heels, calling for a C-Sec guard to come in and release them. “Excellent.” She admired her work, “Now follow me, quickly. Your new life awaits!”

It might have been a mistake, but this mistake set them on the path to becoming Pathfinders. Flyn and Scott would be ready, the problem was, would Andromeda be ready for them?

[geochic03]

Amber Sunrise: Chapter 3

Previous Chapter                                                                          Next Chapter

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV

Pairing: Gladio x Female OC

Rating: T (For now)

Words: 3,579

Read on AO3

It had been a few weeks since the incident at the power plant.  Peri had spent most of her time forgetting the ordeal altogether, throwing herself into her work and focusing on helping her father.  She had almost completely forgotten about the hunter she met that day, until she felt a strong hand on her shoulder as she walked home from her shift at the plant.

 Peri looked up to see the hunter from a few weeks ago.

 “Hey didn’t you hear me calling you?” he said with a deep growl.

 Peri looked back into his amber eyes, frozen in her spot, not expecting to run into him so soon..if at all.

 Gladio sighed as he released her shoulder “Sorry…maybe it would have been easier if I knew your name.”

 Snapping out of her daze Peri quickly turned around and began to walk away once more when she heard him yell after her again.

 “Hey wait hold on!” he said catching up to her.

 With an annoyed sigh she stopped in her tracks and turned to him “What?”

 “Listen, I know we didn’t meet under the…greatest of circumstances…but your fighting style was impressive.  Were you a hunter before or something?” Gladio began.

 Peri narrowed her eyes “Does it look like I’m a hunter?”

 “Well I mean I know you work at the power plant and…” Gladio continued but before he could finish Peri huffed and turned away.

 Gladio chased after her catching up to her again “Hey wait I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to offend you!”

 Peri stopped in her tracks and sighed, turning to face him “What do you want?”

 “I know I am clearly not your favorite person in the world right now but you’re a hell of a fighter and…well why don’t we bury the hatchet and let me buy you a drink.” He said to her running his fingers through his long dark hair.

 Peri couldn’t help but notice his well defined muscles and intricate tattoo that seemed to wrap around his torso.  She shook the thoughts out of her head and frowned.

 “No thanks I’m good.” she said crossing her arms looking away.

 Gladio frowned “Why not?  You have work or something?”

 “No I…” she began but Gladio cut her off.

 “Then you’re free…come on one drink and I’m out of your hair.” Gladio said taking her by the hand and guiding her through the crowded streets.

 Peri gasped at his forwardness as she reluctantly followed him through the crowd.  She didn’t have much choice really, the guy had a strong grip.

 “Is this your idea of trying to pick up a girl?” she groaned as he continued.

 Gladio smirked and looked down at her “Do you want it to be?”

 Peri yanked away her hand causing Gladio to stop in his tracks and turn to her.

 “Hey, hey come on now…it was just a joke.  I can assure you, I have zero intentions on taking you home after.” Gladio said with a laugh.

 Peri narrowed her eyes “Then why are you being so…persistent?”

 Gladio sighed and rubbed the back of his neck “Because I know I was being kind of a jerk before and felt guilty about it.  Things have been pretty tough lately and I took some of my own frustrations out on you that day at the plant.  Seeing you again today just made me feel like I needed to make things right.  I promise, after today I will leave you alone.”

 Peri looked back at him taken aback by what seemed to be his genuine sincerity and relented “Fine…one drink…that’s all.”

 Gladio looked down at her and smiled “Great…I know a great little spot not far from here.”

 Peri began to follow him as they continued their journey though Lestallum.  She couldn’t help but notice the familiarity of the area they were in.  Suddenly they were snapped from her thoughts as her attention went back to Gladio.

 “My names Gladio by the way.” He said as they continued.

 “Uh…ok…” She said looking away from him.

 Gladio gave a chuckle “You know this is the part where you tell me yours.”

 Peri bit her lip reluctantly before responding “Peri…”

 “Well…Peri…we’re here.” he said pointing upwards.

 Peri’s looked up, face faltering in horror as she realized where he had taken her.

 “It’s kind of out of the way, but it’s a family run place and the bartender knows how to make you feel at home.” Gladio said pointing the the entrance.

 Peri gulped as she slowly nodded, repeating the name of the establishment over and over in her head.

 He had to bring me to here…of all places…of all the bars in Lestallum he brought me to Frank’s Place.

 “What are you waiting for?  Come on, no one in here is going to bite.” Gladio laughed as he pushed her through the doors.

 Peri exhaled as she looked around, only a few patrons tonight and luckily no one she knew.  It was then that her eyes made contact with the blonde bartender at the far end of the establishment.  The blonde looked between her and Gladio and gave her a knowing look.

 “Hey Sera!” Gladio waved.

 “Hey there big guy…not alone today I see.” Sera said with a smile as they sat down at the bar.

 Peri looked between the two and mumbled to herself “Of course those two would know each other…”

 Gladio chuckled “Nope, just popping in for a quick drink. I’ll have my usual, and for her…”

 “Don’t worry, I know just the thing for your guest.  Be right back.” Sera said with a wink.

 As she walked away Gladio turned to her “You know her or something?”

 Peri scoffed as she nervously played with the ends of her long brown hair “Something like that…”

 Soon Sera returned with their drinks, a pint of Cleinge wheat ale for him and a glass of their homemade rye whiskey for her.

 “Huh…didn’t take you for a whiskey kinda girl…” Gladio commented.

 Peri rolled her eyes at him “Contrary to popular belief, not all women are into fruity mixed drinks and fine wines.”

 Gladio tipped his pint to her “Fair point.”

 They sat together in a silence that had become far too comfortable for her liking.  Soon she heard her phone buzz, indicating a new message.  She looked down to see a message from her sister.

 Sera: Talk to him already!  What are you waiting for?!?

 Peri furiously typed a message back, ignoring the fact that Gladio was watching her intently.

 Peri: Will you mind your business please.  If I knew he was bringing me here I would have declined.

 “That your boyfriend or something?” Gladio asked curiously.

 Peri narrowed her eyes as she put her phone down “No.”

 “Do you have a boyfriend?” he retorted.

 “That’s a rather personal question don’t you think?” she frowned.

 Gladio rubbed the back of his head in defeat “Right…sorry…”

 There was silence between then again for a few moments before Gladio spoke up once more.

 “So are you originally from Lestallum or…” he said treading lightly.

 “Yes.” she answered quickly trying to deflect whatever he was hoping to gain from this meeting.

 Gladio nodded “Cool, I’m from Insomnia originally.”

 “Let me guess, you came here after the darkness fell right?” Peri spat back.

 Gladio gave a small laugh “Something like that.  Why, are you not a fan of the refugees?”

 It had been a wide known fact that many of the Lestallum locals had not been fans of the numerous refugees from all over Eos that have taken shelter in their city.

 Peri’s eyes narrowed once more at his comment “I hope you’re not accusing me of what I think you are…”

 Gladio put his hands up in defense “No, I never through that…just the way you said it I…”

 Peri sighed, remembering what her father said about being so closed off towards others.

 “I work at the power plant, trust me, I want nothing more than for people to be safe where there is light.” she replied.

 And away from the demons she thought to herself.

 Gladio sighed in relief and looked up giving her a warm smile.  Peri couldn’t help but be drawn to his amber eyes that seemed to glow in the lighting.

 “We’d really be in a bind without you guys.” Gladio finally said.

 “Holly runs a tight ship…no room for slip ups when all of Lucis is depending on us.” Peri said sipping her whiskey.

 Gladio continued drinking his beer, gulping down the rest before flagging Sera down from the other end of the bar for a refill.

 “Want another one?” Gladio asked, not noticing she was still working on her first drink.

 “I’m good, you said one drink remember?” she said reminding him.

 Gladio chuckled, running his hand through his long dark locks “I did didn’t I.  Most girls would have already gotten me for a third by now.”

 Peri looked up at him with a small smirk before sipping on her glass once more “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not most girls.”

 “No…your not…” Gladio said in an almost whisper.

 Peri quickly looked away, hoping he did notice the slight blush in her cheeks as Sera returned with Gladio’s drink.  When Peri looked back up Sera was giving her a knowing smile as she left.  Soon her phone went off again.

 Sera: I think he likes you.

 Peri rolled her eyes as she responded.

 Peri: Shut up, I’m only here for the free drink.

 Sera: That blush you were sporting says otherwise sister.

 Peri: The lighting in here is awful.

 Peri looked over to see Sera chuckling as she typed a response.

 Sera: Right, that’s it, go a head and tell pop’s and see what he thinks.  You better get his number before you leave this bar.

 Peri sighed, putting her phone away.

 “So how long have you worked at the power plant?” Gladio asked curiously.

 “About six years give or take.  I was a hunter for about four years before that…oh shit…” she swore realizing she gave him more information than she wanted to.

 Gladio laughed “I knew it!  There was no way an amateur would have moves like that.”

 “Yeah, yeah laugh it up.” She said with a sigh.

 As Gladio calmed his laughter her turned to her “Where were you based out of?”

 Boy he really knows a lot about hunting she thought before responding.

 “Here in Lestallum, my father was a hunter when I was growing up.  My twin brother Felix and started hunting when we were teenagers, a quick way to make a few gils you know?” Peri explained.

 “Well, most kids I knew just got jobs at fast food restaurants when they needed a quick gil.” Gladio said remembering the prince’s part time job during high school.

 “The luxury of living in the Crown City I guess.” Peri said nonchalantly.

 “So you just hunted as a part time job?” Gladio said trying to continue the conversation.

 “No, once we finished school we moved up to Meldacio to become more seasoned.” she explained.

 “So why did you stop?  You have the skills, I am sure you could have been running the joint by now…no disrespect to Dave or anything.” Gladio stated.

 Peri was silent for a moment, lost in thought.

 Gladio frowned in concern as he watched her get lost in her half finished drink “Hey Peri…are you o…”

 Peri’s mind flashed to the memories of long ago that recently have become more of a presence in her life.

 Nineteen year old Peri watched in horror as her brother Felix was stabbed by the end of a Magitek Bayonet.  It was supposed to be a simple dualhorn hunt, but it lead them too close to an Imperial base and they were soon overwhelmed by Magitek troopers.

 As he laid there gasping for air, she frantically ran to him.

 “No…Peri…you…Ollie…you need to gt out of here…leave…me…” Felix struggled to say as she leaned down next to him, holding him in her arms desperately trying to stop the bleeding coming from his chest.

 Peri furiously shook her head “No!  I can’t do that!  We just have to get you to Lestallum and…”

 “Peri girl, we gotta go…they are sending in reinforcements!” her boyfriend yelled.

 Peri looked up “Ollie I can’t just leave him!”

 “You…have to…I…could never forgive myself.” Felix gasped out in pain.

 “Felix…no…” Peri said now in tears.

 Felix coughed up more blood “This…is my choice…tell Sera I love her and to be good for pops…”

 “No!  You can tell her yourself!” she cried out.

 She felt Ollie tugging on her arm trying to get her to move with him.  It was then she watched as Felix gasped one last time before lying limp in her arms.  In that moment she knew…she knew he was gone.

 One would think that watching your own family die in your arms would be enough to stop you from the hunter profession.  But it was an event a year and a half later that finally made her hang up her dog tags for good.

 “Hey Peri you ok?” Gladio said shaking her from her thoughts.

 She looked up at him in a daze.  Shaking her head she grabbed her glass of half finished whiskey and downed the rest as she got up, pushing her stool in.

 As she turned to leave Gladio grabbed her arm “Hey what’s going on…what just happened?”

 “I have to go.  Thanks for the drink.” she said emotionless as she bolted from the bar.

 Peri swiftly moved through the crowd of people in hopes that he would not follow, hoping that he wouldn’t see the tears that were now clouding her normally sparkling blue eyes.

 *******************************************************

Gladio quickly finished his beer as he slammed the gil on the bar.  He swiftly got up and began to go after her, making it as far as the street corner before he heard someone call his name.

 “Hey!  Wait a minuet!” the voice said.

 Gladio turned around to see the bartender Sera running up towards him.

 “Gladio right?” she said slightly out of breath.

 “Uh…yeah…” He said said just realizing that even though he has been to the tavern several times in recent months, he never actually told the girl his name.

 “I wanted to apologize for my sister being kind of weird back there…she doesn’t get out that much and…” Sera began but Gladio cut her off.

 “Wait…sister?” he said confused.

 Sera looked up and smiled “Yeah…she’s my older sister.  Lorenzi, Sera Lorenzi.”

 Gladio couldn’t help but smirk, now he had her full name “Peri Lorenzi huh.”

 “Yup, wait…did you ask her for a drink without knowing her last name?” Sera said crossing her arms.

 Gladio held his hands up “Yes, but in my defense, she wasn’t exactly forth coming with information.  It took me long enough to for her to even give me her first name.”

 Sera sighed in defeat “That sounds like her alright, she isn’t exactly a social butterfly.”

 “Unlike yourself.” Gladio smirked.

 “It’s my job to be.” Sera laughed.

 “Can’t argue with that.” Gladio replied folding his arms.

 “I just hope what happened today doesn’t detour you from coming back here.  You’re kind of becoming a regular now.” Sera explained.

 “Don’t worry, I’ll be back…trust me…” Gladio said confidently.

 Especially now that I know her family runs the joint. He thought to himself.

 Sera let out a breath in relief “Thank the Astral's.  Last thing I needed was to tell my pops that we lost a regular customer because Peri was being…well Peri…”

 “Well you can tell your pops that he’s got a pretty fine place here.” Gladio said with a smile.

 Sera nodded before turning to head back.  Gladio watched as she hesitated for a moment before turning back to him.

 “Listen, Peri has been through some pretty awful shit in the past and that has kind of made her closed off and well…you know.  I am sure she will eventually start letting others in again.  I just…well she needs someone like you around so please be patient with her.” Sera said to him.

 Gladio nodded, acknowledging her statement.

 “Oh and one more thing…” Sera said holding out her palm to him as if she was waiting for him to hand her something.

 *******************************************************

Peri groaned into her pillow as she flopped on to her bed.  Why had she agreed to go get a drink with him?  She should have just said no, now who know what he thought.

 “Not that it matters anyways…not like I am ever going to see him again.” she mumbled into her pillow.

 At that moment she heard her bedroom door slam open.  There was only one other person who could enter a room that way.

 “What the hell Peri?!?” Sera said in frustration as she entered the room.

 Peri rolled her eyes as she sat up to meet her “What are you talking about?”

 “Uh you know exactly what I’m talking about!  How could you just run out on him like that?!?  Do you know how many girls would die to have been in your position?!?” Sera scolded her as she threw off her shoes.

 Peri rolled her eyes “And…”

 Sera shook her head “You’re impossible!  He obviously was interested in you.”

 “I highly doubt that.” Peri said trying to deflect her comments.

 With a sigh Sera sat next to her “You know…I don’t think Ollie would like it if he knew you refused to move on.”

 “It’s been over six years…I’ve been moved on sister.” Peri said with a frown.

 “Peri…I get it…you guys were engaged, had plans…but at some point you have to realize that living your life in the past isn’t going to allow for you to move forward.” Sera said putting her hand on her leg giving it a squeeze.

 Peri rolled her eyes as she got up from her spot “You know, you should really worry about your own life.  I’m fine…I’ve been fine all this time.  Meeting that jerk has only just complicated my life.”

 Sera smiled “You mean it’s spiced it up.”

 “Shut up.” Peri replied back as she threw the pillow she was holding at her.

 Sera giggled “You know, there is nothing wrong with admitting you have some sort of an attraction to him.  Hes tall, dark, hard as a rock muscles, and that tattoo he sports is pretty gnarly.”

 Peri gave her a sarcastic laugh “Let me guess, the scars on his face make him look manly and powerful.”

 “Hey you said it not me.” Sera said with a smirk.

 “If you feel that way why don’t you go after him?” she said trying to brush her off.

 “Sorry chica, he’s a nice guy, but not my type.” Sera said with a laugh.

 “What isn’t your type?” Peri teased.

 Sera then threw the pillow are her in retaliation “Hey!  I take offense to that!”

 Peri sighed sitting back down on the edge of her bed “Don’t worry about me Sera…I’m fine, I can take care of myself.”

 “I know that…and you have been taking care of everyone else too.  I just want you to be happy you know.” Sera explained.

 Peri shook her head “If the day ever comes where there is a guy, trust me you’ll be the first to know.”

 “I’m holding you to that.” Sera said as she lied back on the bed so her head was now next to Peri’s.

 After a few moments of silence Sera turned to her with a smile “You know…I heard a rumor he was the prince’s body guard back in Insomnia.”

 “Sera…I told you already…” Peri said in annoyance.

 Sera giggled as the girls attention turned to the vibrating phone on the night stand by the bed they were on.

 Peri reluctantly got up from her position and reached for her phone, frowning when she saw a message from an unknown number.

 “Who’s that?” Sera asked curiously.

 “I don’t know…” Peri replied as she swiped up to read the text.

 Unknown Contact: So, I hear your family runs a local tavern in town.

 Peri’s face froze as she read the text, immediately realizing who it was from.  Without thinking she immediately responded back.

 Peri:  How did you get this number?

 After a few moments they responded back.

 Unknown Contact: A little blonde birdie gave it to me.

 Peri immediately looked over to see Sera smirking at her from the other end of the bed.

 “You gave him my number?” Peri grumbled.

 “Well someone had to!  Couldn’t leave the guy hanging after he bought you a drink.” Sera said in defense as

 Peri reluctantly responded back to the text.

 Peri: I thought you said one drink and you’d be out of my hair.

 Unknown Contact: What can I say, I lied.

Peri sighed placing her phone back down on the night stand.

 It seemed like no matter what she thought she wanted, it didn’t seem like Gladio would be leaving her life any time soon.

[spontaneous-temptation]

10 Days of Prompts: Day 6

The fervent sounds of combat filled the autumn air, as the two young women clashed. Sudden thrusts and elegant sweeps followed one another in almost flawless harmony. The ringing of steel set itself up as music; every twirl, lunge and swing another piece of a beautiful puzzle.  It was like watching a ballet. The middle aged woman smiled at her daughters from the patio, she was so proud of their progress. Their instructor didn't feel the same way, his thick Irish accent only seeming to further underline his disdain.  

"No, no, no! Did I nae teach you a thing? Stop tryin' ta swing that staff like a bat, ye look like a drunkard. And you! Hold it firmly and do nae let your wrists go slack. Ye can nae treat the Guan Dao like a fucking broomstick…. I do nae no why I even try with you two."

Shoulders sagging from exhaustion, the girls looked up at him in disgust, twin sets of orange eyes glaring at him as though he was the fly in their soup. Their mother watched them adjust their grips and square off again, intent on taking their displeasure out on each other. She looked upon her daughters, their deep dark green hair matted with sweat, piercing orange eyes; one set wide and wild, the other narrowed in concentration, their small forms quivering with anticipation. Her girls were physically identical in every way 17 years had done nothing to make telling them apart any easier for her… and she was their mother.

Suddenly both girls came to a grinding halt, turning their attention to their mother instead.

"MOM!"

Their instructor looked her way as well.

"I think dinner may be a wee bit later than expected, Talitha. How 'bout some take out instead?"

Talitha looked at the three of them in confusion until the smell of burning food reached her nose. Her eyes widened and she turned on her heels frantically running to the kitchen.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit!"

After watching her retreating form disappear into the house the twins turned back to one another, worry reflecting in their eyes.

"She was giving us that look again."

"The one where she's afraid I might take your head off?" The younger one questioned.

"No the other one; like she's afraid that someone is going to hope the fence and whisk us away."

They both scoffed at the very idea of someone spiriting them away.

"Still it would be nice to know which one of us it was they wanted. Learning what they know-"

Their cousin's voice cut through their musings.

"If you ladies are done speaking your gibberish, I would like to get back to watching the two of you butcher the art of combat."

Muttering profanities under their breath, the twins went back to practicing.  

In the kitchen, bitterness clung to the air as she entered suffocating with its heavy odor. Cursing, Talitha hurried around the room, dashing this way and that, trying to find what she'd burned this time. When she pulled the top off of her casserole she knew her cousin was right. Dinner was going to be very late. She sighed, she hated these new pans; they were absolute shit when it came to retaining heat and worse at cooking things evenly. She salvaged what she could and then threw the offending pan in the garbage with enough force to hear the tell-tale ringing of the metal that meant she'd broken it.

She knew she needed better cookware, but she just couldn't risk it. Not when it would mean that one of her daughters would get hurt. She grabbed up her knife and began viciously hacking away at vegetables trying and failing miserably to focus her mind on something else. Her mind wandered, as it often did, back to that night.

Even with the wind howling and the thunder crashing outside, she'd slept peacefully. Giving birth had been far harder than anyone had warned her it would be and sleep had taken her soon after they'd handed her babe to her. No it had been the tiniest droplets of rain that found their way through the open window that finally woke Talitha. Groggily she opened her eyes, now that she was awake she was eager to see her baby again. She sat up and looked over at the crib only for it to be empty. Panic welled up inside of her and she whirled around to her right ready to pull the IV from her arm when she saw it.

At first she was startled by its presence then she was disturbed by its alien beauty, intense even for her imaginings. Then her eyes zeroed in on the bundle in her arms. Her baby struggled and fussed, little fists clenching and unclenching in discomfort. Her baby… Babies? The odd woman held two infants in her arms; they were indistinguishable from one another. Confusion seeped in past the haze that staring at the creature gave her.

"Put my child down now!"

The creature just stared at her completely still. Not even the rise and fall of her breast to show that she was breathing. Talitha clenched her fists and steeled her nerves.

"I can still you. Put my baby down and leave!"

As if brought to life by her yelling; the creature glared at her and hissed, barring an almost endless collection of razor sharp teeth at her.

"I will return to collect what is rightfully mine."

It dropped both children onto the bed and disappeared, leaving no trace that she'd ever stood there. Talitha scrambled to the end of the bed where the babies lay screaming, completely unamused by the rough handling. She frantically examined both children, but she couldn't find anything that she could use to tell them apart. They were mirrors of one another. Their wails called the nurses into the room. When they arrived they were just as confused as her. Then they tried accusing her of stealing another baby. So she told them about what she had seen. Now they thought she was crazy and a thief. They took both children from the room and called the orderlies in to sedate her.

Days later the hospital director himself came to offer her an apology for the mix up. They'd run DNA tests on both children and they'd both come back saying the babies were hers.  She told him what she'd told the nurses; she'd only given birth to one child. He fitted her with a sympathetic smile and told her that sometimes stressful events changed the way we remembered things. Her turbulent delivery and then the altercation with the nurse was a lot to handle. She left his office completely enraged, storming through the halls. The whispers of nosy hospital staff followed behind her, half of them believing that she was crazy and the other half thought she was trying to weasel her way out of mother hood. By the time she reached her room she was livid. She flung herself on to the bed and screamed her frustrations into a pillow.

Hours later they finally allowed her to see her baby again. Well hers and the other one. She didn't know what that thing was. But the longer she was with them, the more unable she was to tell them apart. What was worse was their cooing and crying. In the end she couldn't ignore either of them and she could no longer convince herself that either of them could be evil, instead she vowed to love them both no matter what came of it.

The afternoon before her release, a man entered her room. He was grizzled in a way no one should be in this day and age, deep frown lines and dark circles under his only eye only added to his frightening vestige. He greeted her with a gruff, husky voice, it was like concrete in a metal grinder.

"Hello Miss Locke, I heard you've been the victim of a terrible event. I think I can help you."

She rolled her eyes and kissed her teeth.

"You here to mock me as well? Here to see the crazy woman in room 704?"

He pulled a seat up to the side of her bed, making himself comfortable before removing his eye patch. A sparkling swirl of colors greeted her, not scarred socket or a false eye. She screamed and shimmed as far away from him as the bed allowed.

"W-what the fuck are you! What do you want?"

He smiled at her, his scarred lips not at all friendly.

"I mean you no harm Miss Locke. I simply want to help you understand what happened."

She glared at him but listened intently, she had no other choice.

"Thank you. The creature you met was a fairy."

"Excuse me? You're telling me that Tinkerbell tried to steal my baby?"

"Why is it that when I say fairy all you people seem to hear Disney? No child, I mean cold, ruthless immortal monsters with no love in their hearts for humanity. But I saw the security tapes and unlike the rest of this mindless sheep I can see those damned-able fey. The one you met was a Seelie Sidhe (Shee) by the name of Eibhleann (Ayv-len). She has nasty habit of making people disappear whenever she feels like it. So you should count yourself lucky."

Shivers ran down her spine as she looked for some sign of a joke on his face. She found none.

"What am I supposed to do?"

He shifted in his seat and leaned in close, the atmosphere around him quickly becoming menacing.

"Give me the changeling she left behind and I can promise she won't come after you."

He words shook the fear and uncertainty from her mind. She sat straight up and leaned towards him.

"Get. Out."

Malice dripped from her voice like a virulent poison. The man sat back visibly startled.

"You will only find regret in your future if you go through with this. Let me take the creature, it's isn't even your real child."

"I said leave! Before I call for nurses."

She held the emergency cord tightly in her hands and glared at him. After an intense staring contest, the man sighed and rose from the seat. He shook his head at her and left the room.

"You will regret this Miss Locke, and when you do, I come find you." He whispered ominously before disappearing out the door and down the hall.

She was gone only a few hours later, demanding that they let her leave early. She wielded the twin weapons of pure belligerence and threats of lawsuits until they released her and her newborns. She'd been running ever since, dodging both the terrifying stranger and Eibhleann. Moving from house to house, finding other people more than understanding of her plight and just as welcoming. But no one could tell her which of her daughters the changeling was. Both of her children had been fey-touched that night. In her travels she met many different types of fey but none of them would risk Eibhleann’s wrath, not even to tell her which of the children was theirs.

The ringing of the timer brought her back to the present. She turned off all of the oven and the stove she began plating dinner. Just as she was putting the finishing touches on the last plate her daughters came running into the room.

"Whoot! Mom saved dinner!"

"Good, I wasn’t really feeling take out tonight."

Over taken by a sudden urge, Talitha rushed over to her daughters and gathered them into a crushing hug.

"You know I love you both dearly, yes?"

Behind their mother's head they looked at each other, exasperation clear on their faces.

"Yes mom, we know. And we love you too. You don't ever have to worry that. Now, what's for eating?"

Talitha laughed at their eagerness, and then she cried, holding them close to her heart. They wiped away her tears and lead her to the table where their cousin sat half asleep. They ran back to the kitchen and grabbed dinner, serving everyone at the table. After dinner the helped their mom into bed and then split up, each one taking a different side of the house. They made sure that all of the windows, doors and other entrances were properly salted before meeting back in their room, snuggling up with one another and falling into a deep slumber.

Across the street a barefooted woman stepped out of the shadows, cruel but triumphant smile on her face.

"Found you."