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axl-ul · 1 year ago

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The Flight of the Western Crane: Chapter Five

(A reupload/repost of my fic/dark retellingof Journey tot he West because the whole AO3 site, where I originally posted this, got taken down for now)

(General info about this fic/wip/retelling is here)

****

“Argh! Watch out! Do you want me to execute you? Should I count this as a treason?!“ the gang leader roared furiously at the healer. He was lying on a large plush bed. The lanky body seemingly floated on silk covers, brocade blankets and satin pillows. Dying light of candles casted shadows of tigers, lions and peacocks which were embroidered into a round red veil surrounding the bed with a lying patient. On its each side, a tall statue of stag crowned with large antlers reared up. In the centre of the round room was located a decorative limestone and a table with a teapot as green as the wide emerald forest bordering the mountain region.

“I’m sick of your incompetence!“ he kicked his legs and swiftly sat up ignoring the gut wrenching cramp and stabbing pain on the right side of his face,“Dong! Give me the mirror.“

“Boss, but your treatment isn’t completed. You should wait for the wet pack and the balm to work.“

“Boss, Dong is right. It’s not good for you to speak either. Stitches may loosen or worse, they’re gonna rupture…“

“Shut up and bring me the darn mirror! I wanna see what that shrew did to me.“ As soon as he was handed the small looking-glass with inserted rubies into a silver handle the reptile froze. Despite a great effort to stitch back what the witch had bitten off, a large hideous hole grimaced in the reflection. Traces of teeth were sinking deep into the jaw and went up the edge until the protruding cheekbone stopped the injury’s further flow. A dark thread was barely able to hold the flesh altogether. It was as clear as a day that it was too late to save the majority of the cheek. Shaking the core of his whole world, the ruler of the Mysterious White Cloud Cave almost threw the treasure away. To soothe his boss, Dong waved over for the fourth viper to bring the prepared tea.

“Instead of being grateful that I, Golden Wind Viper of the Mysterious White Cloud Cave, paid enough attention to her,“ he forcefully snatched the cup,“she does this. I should have spanked her, should have beaten her until she lost her senses. Should have let my venom flow into her veins until her blood boiled. Screw the deal! Should have ripped her apart while munching on her guts before eating that monk, too! I should have fed her the meat of that girl after I took her in front of that demonic, unthankful…“ Golden Viper stopped in the middle of explaining his horrendous plans. His unnervingly yellow eyes shot up the minion’s arm,“What are you looking at, boy? Why are you shaking like a dog in the middle of the winter?“ Like a lightning striking down from the clear sky in the early spring, he grabbed the wrist, nearly spilling another poured cup. Their elongated faces drew near, Golden Viper clearly felt the fumes puffed out by the younger viper demon. “I don’t recall seeing you around. What’s your name?“

“The name’s Da. I’m new, Boss. I joined only about half a week ago.“

“Dong, is it true? Do we have newcomers?“

Dong hesitantly answered,“I don’t know, Boss. But I guess that boys mentioned some new faces in the troop.“

“Yes, me and my younger brother, Boss,“ the young snake added quickly with determination. “We’ve heard there's a strong leader in the mountains. So we decided to follow you.“

The leader withdrew, still flickering with his forked tongue,“Your reason?“

His subordinate replied with a foxy smile. His brown eyes seemed to burn in the candlelight. “Everyone knows infamy pays better than begging in the streets.“

During the unsettling exchange even dropping water from dripstone seemed to have the force of monsoon. Slit pupils slashed their opponent. Cold scales made the weak stream of air whistle as it brushed against the thin arms.

One drop.

Nothing. Who knows what devoured the demons first - the unspoken yet strongly present hostility. Or a rat masquerading itself in the nest of its own predator. If so, the sly creature doesn’t dare to move any time soon.

Two drops.

Golden Wind unleashed the dagger. Curved grey whizzed through. Tongues stayed locked behind teeth as sharp as a needle. Only lungs sucked in the cold humidity of the musty chamber.

Third drop.

The tip of the weapon faces the young viper’s larynx. All it takes is a single slip and the blade leaves a lethal signature on the soldier.

Finally, it happened. The tight collar ruptured and the owner was allowed to breathe freely.

“Nice answer. You’re one of the smarter sorts,“ Golden Wind patted the younger demon’s cheek,“but next time wear something more comfortable. We ain’t no filthy Heavenly officials ‘round here.“ He maliciously chuckled, let go of the arm and slid the blade back into the shabby sheath. “Boys, go and bring that witch. We have an interrogation ahead of us. Or rather, a small revenge…“

“Boss, I don’t think that’s a good idea,“ Da declared.

Instead of eyebrows, Golden Wind furrowed chapped skin on his forehead. “Why do you reckon so, boy?“

“Think. Isn’t our skin one of the toughest to penetrate? Only rhinos and elephants surpass us. Apparently, she had no problem biting off a good portion of your cheek, Boss. This witch must be a strong breed. Maybe she’s got a deal with another demon or, worse, a deity. Personally, I wouldn’t kick a barking dog in the street just to see whether it has rabies or not. Pretty risky.“

“What do you propose, then?“

“Let me investigate first. I ask her a question or two. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have the witch on our side-“

“My goodness! You’re right! Boys, get her into a different cell. The monk and the girl don’t need to know,“ Golden Wind Viper bursted into laughter. The rest of his subordinates mimicked their leader.

Before Da could open his mouth again, Golden Wind’s fiends had already taken the command. Heavy boots boomed in the long hallway even before the not so numerous but well armed group walked out. Candles and torches flickered once again. The wax nearly ate the only light source in the room, thus letting the closing door be lost to the gloom that also conquered the rushing Da. In spite of his quickening pulse he didn’t face the joyful Golden Wind. During the next quick moments, Da was promoted from a simple pawn to the main investigator. A task so simple for anyone else but for the youngster. Such an uplifting event only few could say no to.

Enlarging lump in his throat slid down whilst scratching as a rat in the sewers. Empty eyes of stags pierced the stone heart as if Golden Wind Viper commanded once more. The prideful demon didn’t shake. Resolved, he inhaled deeply and let himself be guided further into the black mouth of the sleeping rocky giant.

****

The space was confined giving off a significantly more hostile impression. Unlike the previous cell, even the makeshift bed of hay was missing. Only a nearby flat stone offered a feeble illusion of comfort. Having no better choice Márgerdra sat down, wrinkling her nose. After all her yelling and vain attempts to fight off her opponents her voice became sore and raspy beyond recognition. At the very least, the blonde slashed several vipers with her long nails. Memory of a bulky demon crying in pain while holding onto the empty eye socket brought a faint smile to her face. Desperate faces of the monk and the princess swiftly made it freeze. Well, now she has a bigger chance to escape, if nothing else. Having nobody to make a sound she may work herself out from behind the bars. An inconspicuous survey for a way out before reaching two poor souls again. Then…then they’re going to be free. Wind brushes their clothes as they run down the crooked path. Vultures, still feeding on the corpse of a black-and-white bird with a red top of head, watch three escapees. Their footsteps echo against the tall orange peaks bathing in the setting sun…

Out of the blue, she snapped her head. A familiar ringing reached her pricked up ears. Distant torchlight flickered. The wind carried a smell so stinking it made the blonde almost vomit. Turning in every direction she scanned the whole room. Coldness of the wall was all she could find. “Time to pull out new tricks,“ she thought to herself and nimbly climbed up. Seconds became minutes and those hours to the northern foreigner.

“...should be careful…the tall woman…biting off a cheek…“

“...her to trust me…“

Breathless voices creeped down the corridor. Now, only one pair of leather boots stepped out and continued toward her cell.

Every muscle stiffened. No more air tickled her upturned nose. Her back slightly arched, her pupils dilated. The witch’s lips curled while she pulled back corners of her lips. The person was near. She could smell him even before he opened the door, that’s how much his tunic reeked from sweat. How strange for a snake…

The barred door opened. A shadow of a viper in a baggy shirt formed across the sill. Just when he shut the door behind and stepped further in, Márgerdra jumped. Landing down, her hand swished through the air. Her opponent didn’t waste a second. Lean figure swiftly ducked down, agilely stepped back and rushed forward, tackling down the prisoner. The woman headbutted him immediately. Dull pain enveloped his scaly head. Márgerdra used the moment to her advantage and switched their positions. Dominating the groaning guard, she raised her right high above her head where two blue shards shone like those of a wild, untamed beast. Mightily, the fist landed. The man covered his left eye and grunted,“I thought you’d go for revenge…just not this hard…blondie…“

“Who on earth? Wait,“ she gently touched his sharp jaw and directed his face to hers. The healthy eye carried a warm brown tone. “Wukong?!“ Márgerdra exclaimed in between heavy puffs.

“Yeah…Wukong.“ The soldier’s form shivered slightly. In front of the witch’s eyes, greyish scales began to vanish and thick brown fur replaced them soon. Metallic headband glisten in the light of a dropped torch. “Glad to see you alive and well,“ he cautiously sat up and supported himself on the right forearm, at the same time,“maybe too alive.“

“Glad to see you being chatty and cheeky,“ the blonde repaid him with an amused smirk.

Wukong eyed her momentarily, the daredevil in his gaze vanished. Apart from her forehead and neck sweat droplets glistened under her torn open vest, as well. Only the linen wrapped tightly around her chest while the blue silk barely hung by the edge of her torso. As soon as he opened his mouth to say something she averted her face completely.

He pursed his lips into a thin line. Changing his mind once the blonde pulled the remains of her garbs, Wukong made her sit beside himself and took off his own baggy vest with a belt. “Take this.“

“No. Don’t think I can’t take care of…“

“Shut up, blondie. Take it.“

Balancing on his knees the monkey lost all the patience and threw the vest on her shoulders. Despite focusing hard on their escape the Sage's attention slipped to numerous bites and bruises coming from her nape. The disgusting stench of Golden Wind Viper beat her perfume. Swishing of a monkey tail accompanied the demon’s tightening jaw.

Noticing his temper was wearing thinner by each second, Márgerdra seized the monkey by the collar and threw him off of her. “Thanks. I can buckle it up on my own, imbecile.“

“Oh, back to name-calling? Missed this even more than your screeching, blondie,“ Wukong replied, an ever present snarky glint sparked in his face.

The Wolf Witch rolled her eyes and huffed. “Fine. What’s our next move?“

“Well, not quite sure. I thought they would lead me to the cell with Shifu. Instead, I took up the trail which led to you. So, naturally it goes without saying…“

She moaned,“Get to the point already!“

“Whoah, keep yourself shut, blondie. Looking back, I reckoned patience was your strong side, not mine,“ he nagged her with his tail. “Right, we should get Bajie and Ol’ Sha. They should be in the southern quarters.“

“What about Mei and your Master? Won’t we be late for their rescue?“

“Not if we stop chatting and get to work.“

Márgerdra nodded. Standing up, she jumped to the door.

“It’s not going to work. I locked the door when I got in. I’ll unlock it-“ The Sage’s sentence was cut in half by the clinking of keys and the squeaking metal.

The woman offered a playful wink and threw the disciple a bunch of rusty keys while waggling long fingers. “No need for that, dear imbecile.“

Amazed Wukong shot an appreciative look at the smug sorceress. “You’re more fun to work with than what I expected,“ he picked up the torch and changed his appearance back to a viper.

Márgerdra’s footsteps followed behind as they walked out of the cell. They went down and up, took several turns and yet they still didn’t reach their destination because the underground labyrinth mimicked the flow of the river with its various meandering. Bare steep walls of the cavern welcomed them everywhere, refusing to reveal any indication of an upcoming corner. In order to avoid the possible danger keen senses had to help the duo at every occasion. From time to time, there was a shadow from a guard in the parallel passage casted by the dying out torch which kept the space somewhat visible. Apparently, it wasn’t enough as two friends managed to pass undetected. Keeping themselves as quiet as possible their feet softly trod.

A thought nagged on the Lady Wolf Witch’s mind. After a while she couldn’t contain herself anymore,“By the way, how did you get in? Surely, you know the transformation trick. But I still can’t put my finger on how you persuaded the demon.“

He didn’t bother with a long answer,“I got my fair share of charms.“

“Fine. Then I assume you pulled out all this horrible, stinky, gut-wrenchingly smelly…“

Wukong eyed her over his shoulder when the taller woman started sniffing the vest she was wearing. “You can go naked if you don’t like being unfashionable. I’ve heard your skin will get shinier if you do so. I see it’d be more useful for you to have less pimples.“

Smack! Her slim palm collided with the monkey’s nape. “Watch your mouth, runt!“

“Argh! What are you doing?! Isn’t my eye enough for you?“

“No. So, are you going to answer?“

Corners of Wukong’s lips hanged down, twisting into a convulsive grimace as his long ears turned into the colour of his vibrant waist sash, flames smouldering right beneath the surface of his ever so hot skin. Certainty that the icy gaze of the ruthless sorceress shall drive him insane one day gnawed his mind inside out. To avert such a grim future the eldest disciple regained some willpower and sighing, the demonic warlord gave in by providing exactly what his persistent friend clamoured for.

****

“Ol’ Sha, are you sure?“

“Absolutely, Brother Bajie. Look! Guards are arriving.“ Wujing whispered as three demons watched the entrance of the cave on the highest mountain peak. Two snakes were changing with their fellow peers at noon. All four of them grunted and swore like sailors for their uniforms were all tattered and didn’t offer much aid in the harsh mountain conditions.

Their eldest brother shook his head, found a small pebble and threw it on the confined plateau. Both snakes looked in their direction however only one went out to investigate.

Bajie slapped his low forehead,“What are you doing? You wanna blow our cover? And you call me an idiot!“

“Brother Wukong, we can’t let ourselves be caught!“

Wukong shushed them. All three of them crouched even more and waited. Crumbling stones and a dusty road accompanied the snake guard with a pointy helmet. The Monkey King motioned for his brothers to crawl over the next rock. As soon as they reached their new cover the guard scratched his head. Yet, the monkey didn’t intend the game to end here. Again, he picked up a rock and threw it. The small shard landed on the helm and caused the viper to disappear from the field of vision. Right then, Wukong jumped to his feet and punched him so hard the blow knocked the guard out. Without replying to his brothers he switched his clothes fast and went to the second viper, repeating the process. Once there was no danger he said,“Bajie, put this on and transform. You’re going to pretend to be a scoundrel and that you’re bringing back Sha Seng. You’ll try to look for Shifu, ladies and a way out, too. If you do just whistle into this,“ he handed Pigsy a strand of his hair,“I’ll get back to you immediately.“

“Let me guess. You, on the other hand, will take care of the gang leader, won’t you, hero?“ Sandy remarked. “What if they get suspicious that the eldest disciple isn’t coming for his Shifu?“

“Simple. Bajie will tell them he saw me on the way up here,“ Wukong blew into another strand of hair thus creating a perfect copy of himself. The copy smirked and positioned itself on the opposite hanging cliff. “If any trouble appears don’t whistle into my hair, just blow it. That guy will know what to do next.“

“Another havoc?“

“It’s my speciality, after all,“ Wukong checked his cover for the last time and looked into the deep cave,“Good luck, brothers. See you soon.“

Two demons patted his back and watched their senior descend into the underground darkness,“Good luck, Brother Wukong,“

****

Márgerdra uttered under her nose,“I see you like to share a brain cell with your juniors.“

The impish demon shrugged her off,“Not quite, blondie. Just doing my job when my Shifu gets kidnapped. The same goes for you and your princess. When we’re done we split ways. End of the discussion.“

“The Great Sage Equal to Heaven turning into a lonely wolf is quite the news for me,“ she held onto his shoulder more tightly to avoid tripping over.

“Well, I can’t exactly deny the strength of my jaw.“ Wukong swiftly turned on his heel. Slowly, he leaned forward and placed a hand over Márgerdra’s head. The purple of his swollen skin gave the monkey man a comical appearance, indeed, however the witch was certain the left eye would shoot equally chilling sparks as the hairy demon’s unharmed side of the face. Such a terrifying image would startle an ordinary person for sure which couldn’t be said about Lady Wolf Witch, of course, who in the meanwhile crossed smooth arms on her stuck out chest. “How did you bite through the snake’s skin? And stop making excuses. I saw the wound. I also saw the claw marks at the inn, too. Come on, spit it out. You don’t need to tell me what exactly you are. Just admit you aren’t human.“

The crimson creeped into Márgerdra’s pale cheeks as the young woman averted her gaze. Her sealed lips, offering but a silence, didn’t stop the perseverance from the disciple’s side. “I gave you a promise I’ll make sure you’ll be fine, Márgerdra. Just come out with the truth for once. Eye to eye.“

“With death?“ she cocked a well-tended eyebrow. “Have you forgotten we played this game? You ran out of your questions that evening. This was one of the unfortunate ones. Thus, I won’t say a thing. Let me go now. “

Still not satisfied with the fruit of his work, Monkey King’s child-like curiosity jumped in, living its own life,“Then say, did they hurt any of you three?“ His index pointed towards the fading bruises.

“I’m surprised you must ask something so primitive. I recognised you as someone level-headed.“

She added after a painfully long silence, “These are thugs. Brutes. Of course, they tried to do horrible things.“ The tall foreigner bounced against the wall and continued in their way down the narrow hall. Her fingers clutched to the side where her whip used to hang. All the advisor found was only empty air. She chewed on her inner cheek. Creeping through the sleeping guards she took into her head to bite off even the second Viper’s cheek.

****

Sha Seng shook his head. Probability of his brothers mutually agreeing on being smart and yet unreasonable at the same time was minimal. Witnessing how the dart actually hit the tiny target wasn’t only a surprise because the whole plan was an insanity itself. Just like the rest of their shenanigans. Either, their cover was going to be blown up or the monk wouldn’t even recognise his own disciples. What was worse, Friar Sand didn’t want to know. Suddenly, Bajie whispered to him from behind,“Alright, Little Brother. Try to look as miserable as you can and act like a real prisoner.“

“Aren’t I one? You’re bringing me back with my hands tied up.“

“You know what I mean. Now duck down. The sooner we get rid of the guards the better.“ Zhu Bajie pulled down the round helmet. In order to hide the face with a snout oddly too similar to the pig one instead of that of a snake, the plump middle brother had no better choice. Every step conditioned for their hearts to create the wildest beats.

Some vipers snoozed, some entertained themselves with gambling and telling jokes. The moment they recognised the blue head with flaming hair the reptiles collectively hissed and rushed out. A long yell and a withdrawn arm stopped them in a second. “Hold and behold, my dear brothers. No need to worry anymore for our safety. I caught and brought back the Sand Monk who goes under the name Sha Wujing. I came to throw him back into his Shifu’s cell. Where may I find it?“

“Quit all that stuff or you’re gonna give me a headache. You soundin’ like that dumb monk. All formalities but fancy words but no sense.“ Later, the guard murmured loud enough for Bajie to overhear,“Better break his fingers next time so he shuts up.“

“Is that all?“ Pigsy didn’t let those words discourage him,“Can I now lock up this runaway?“

“You serious? No way. You know what Boss said. Punish the prisoners as hard as you can if they’re given’ ya troubles. The same goes for the tall weirdo and her crying puppy.“

“Tall weirdo? Lady Wolf Witch? Crying puppy? Princess Mei? This guy’s got some nerves,“ Bajie hoped his silent thoughts didn’t invoke the gathering anger, fortunately, his sly tongue saved him,“You’re absolutely right! What a pathetic bunch, are they? All we need is just that brave hero who would crush us all only by mere flinching. Yeah, that flea-bitten monkey man, too.“ Seeing vipers took his joke well, the second disciple pursued his goal further just as his mouth watered by the sheer sight of the lunch that had been being brought,“Say, brother, why don’t you tell me more after we eat? Guess, I can lock up this fishman later.“ A low squeal forced out from behind Pigsy’s masked tusks because if it weren’t for the Friar Sand intervening by kicking his shin would’ve been exposed.

Conveniently for the two brothers, one of the less diligent vipers wasn’t happy to listen to his growling stomach anymore and navigated the fake guard with the fish prisoner to the cell. Not merely all the guards went after the plates and bowls full of sour soup and meat, the cell itself was located far enough for Bajie to unlock it without being detected. Still disguised as a reptile demon, he walked in with Wujing in front of him. “Shifu?“ Before he had the chance to duck down, something solid smashed his nape hard. The former general squealed as the hardened skin burnt with bright pink and red, tears immediately forcing their way to the edges of Pigsy’s eyelids.

“Tripitaka, Ol’ Sha, quickly! Follow me!“ the gentle voice called out.

Bajie blurted out, transforming back,“Your Highness, please, wait! It’s me. Zhu Bajie. We came to rescue you.“ He barely managed to stand up so both Shifu and Wujing had to support him from both sides. Although seemingly being such a fragile flower, Mei certainly surprised the pilgrims with her massive blow. If only they knew what she hit him with.

All three men, now facing her, noticed the girl holding not her usual stance. Otherwise coyly folded arms were defensively kept in front of her chest, legs moderately apart and back slightly hunched over like a tiger prepared for a jump. Undoubtedly, lessons taken from the foreign witch came in handy for the princess fed up with being a bait. Untamed beast quickly dissolved and a guilty expression replaced it,“I’m so sorry, Brother Bajie,“ hands shot up to cover the girl’s mouth,“if I had known it were you I wouldn’t have kicked you. I swear! Are you alright? Does it hurt? I truly didn’t mean it!“

“Don’t worry, Your Highness,“ Bajie balanced on his wobbly knees. Never-disappearing sparkles embed themselves into his vision.

“It should be me apologising to you, Your Highness, that my disciples frightened you. I’m sure they truly meant well…“

“Shifu?!“

“What is it, Sandy?“

Sanzang’s almost black eyes widened beyond belief once he looked over the place Ol’ Sha was pointing at. A drunk soldier, who was too lazy to make up his shift and decided for a small walk around instead, stumbled upon the prisoners in the lock-picked cell. Forked tongue flickered, venomous teeth bared as his high-pitched voice let itself be carried across the corridor right to the ears of the other demons. Not wasting a second, the princess kicked the guard’s jaw as hard as she could, took the first weapon she saw and slammed the bar bamboo door behind. “Quickly! Barricade it with something!“

“Like with what?! There’s only stupid rocks, you dumb kid!“ Bajie lost his temper once he heard the incoming bustle.

Sanzang desperately tried to lock the door. The unreasonable monk immediately forgot how much he wished the opposite a few moments ago. The unsteady construction shook under the sweaty palms even more once the young man spoke up in pure terror, “What now? What are we going to do? Where’s Wukong?!“

The name lit Sandy’s eyes, he yelled out,“Middle Bro! That’s it. Whistle into that hair Big Brother gave us.“

“But we need the distraction more. What if he’s busy fighting the leader?“

“And Shifu? I think whistling will do more.“

“No, blowing it is better.“

As the two fellow pilgrims fell into an argument the monk and the princess prepared for the hoard which was mercilessly rushing forward. Veins on their necks and foreheads rose up, pupils dilated,yet they let out a deafening shriek,“Do something already!“

And so Pigsy blew the strand of fur. A monkey screech mixed in with the demonic warrior cries and a fight began. Alas, the havoc was all too close for the defenceless to run away unharmed or undetected.

****

The tall blonde walked into a spacious dining hall. Strangely, not a soul was present there. Broken plates and benches, empty cups, dirty velvet pillows and torn drapery replaced the laughter and untamed dancing of the fiends. Hair on her nape stood up as she distrustfully watched over the area. Her fingers felt itchy again. The lack of leather in between them agitated Márgerdra. Beyond the point of return, she turned around to see her former rival carefully examining the left items. “Where do you think they went?“

Wukong sniffed and his eyes burnt with flames. Looking around to find some clues, he uttered,“I don’t know. But I sure don’t like this.“

“Neither do I,“ the protector picked up a spear somebody had to abandon in the sudden chaos.

“The same goes for me,“ a lanky figure walked out of the shadows, silver of the curved daggers shining in each hand. “Nice to see you, runt. I see you brought round-eyes, too. At least, I’m going to have another partner for the dance in case you can’t keep up with me.“

Dangerous smirk glistened in the dim light alongside the readied cudgel and spear. The triangle where a life shall perish formed in the centre of the cavern. Three warriors, three strangers with a deadly past and not one of them was willing to back down.

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @rubywrite @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51

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List of chapters:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Epilogue

1 note · View note

marinesocks · 2 years ago

Text

Find the Word Game!

LETS GO ANOTHER ONE AYOOO!!! huge shoutout to my find-the-word-buddy, the sunshine-filled @j-1173 !!! i'm obsessed with this game and she is just fueling the fire.

My words were: HELP, SOFT, WARM, WATCH, & SEE

i'm actually switching up the source material for these next few tag games!! for this post i'll be taking snippets from the owl's wish („• ֊ •„)

help

“Kuroo!” Bokuto grins and runs up to his friend, proudly brandishing the akabeko. “We passed the second trial! Told you we could!” “Is that so?” Kuroo hums in response, waving at Akaashi with the hand not holding the lantern. “All by yourselves? Without any help from a particularly mysterious and dashing friend?” Bokuto blinks. “What?” “Thank you for your help, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi says, nodding at the cat spirit. “We couldn’t have done it without you.” “Oh!” Bokuto realizes with a start. “Oh yeah, the feather! Thank you!” “You are very welcome,” Kuroo accepts their thanks angelically, only preening a little. - chapter 8: black cat, through the mist

soft

Bokuto’s skin is so cold it feels like it’s raw and burning. The silk blindfold offers little comfort as the wind whisks away what little warmth he had. Even Akaashi’s thick cloak must be useless against the icy onslaught - his fingers are thin and clammy against Bokuto’s wrist. Bokuto feels his mood shifting before he experiences it. It pulls at his feet and yanks down his heart and gathers together in his head like rumbling storm clouds. A tidal wave of exhaustion overcomes him and he releases Akaashi’s hand and slumps to the ground. Every part of his body is shaking and the tips of his fingers are going numb. The blindfold feels like it's constricting his face. The yakiniku against his chest feels rough and heavy. His fingers tighten around the soft feather, now limp and unmoving in his palm. “We’re never going to find it, Akaashi.” - chapter 7: through dark and cold

warm

And there, hunched over in the corner of the room, sits another cat spirit. He wears a black kimono and red haori jacket, the silk reflecting light like liquid. His two-toned hair hangs low around his face - a jaw-length curtain from behind which he peers out at the world. His soft ears and long tail are white and colored in splotches of buttery yellow and warm brown. Though he isn’t looking directly at them, his face is wrinkled in tight exasperation and wrapped in vague annoyance. He flips a shogi piece over and over in his fingers, apparently itching to get back to the board game. - chapter 14: the cat cavern

watch

Two, he thinks, pulling his hands close to his chest as he watches the candles flicker and spark, Bokuto Koutarou will not relapse. Because he can’t afford it, can’t afford to lose time Akaashi does not have. Every day that passes marks another chance Akaashi’s memory is slipping, falling into the void Bokuto knows all too well. - bladesmithing, part one: separate

see

In the cold air, his rasping breaths came out in thick clouds. Only his muscles burned, searing hot underneath his skin. As his vision blurred, he blearily watched a white butterfly drift through the snowflakes. Just as the sun flared out from behind the mountain’s peak, his body finally overpowered his will. He could not feel his hands, his feet, his nose. The boy could see his knees crumpling, could watch his body falling forward into the snow. But he was so incredibly, unbearably exhausted. - memory: resurfaced

i'm going to formally tag @thelittlestspider , @creatorrayne , @aalinaaaaaa, @indigocastor & @eccaiia , as well as keeping it an open tag as always!

Your words are: STRAIGHT, BASIC, FELL, TRADE, & PROBLEM

and as always i’m adding my own rule that if you can’t find a word in your work then you have to tell me a fun fact about either your WIP, your writing process, or one of your characters ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

have fun, writers!! drink some water!!

#writer #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writblr #writers #writing #creative writing #my writing #helena scribbles #the owl's wish

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talesofsorrowandofruin · 2 years ago

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WIP Intro (Sort Of)

I don’t have a moodboard for this WIP so I’m reusing the cover I made here:

Title: Gracemeadow Manor (this is very much a working title and will almost certainly be changed) Genre: Horror Setting: A house somewhere in the mountains

Summary: A group are stranded in an old house. Strange things happen and people start dying. (Or, the result of my brain going, “What if I set a slasher movie in a haunted house?”)

Status: Finished and posted on Wattpad, FictionPress and AO3.

Taglist: @starlitpage, @pandawriterstuff, @original-writing (Let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist!)

Fun facts:

This will be my second attempt at a novella and exists mainly because I want to write something before NaNo (but don’t feel like writing a full novel).

My current goal is to write 10,000 words between September and October.

Originally this was a plot bunny about a haunted house. The serial killer part came from one of the scariest nightmares I’ve ever had (which was caused by watching Halloween late at night, so I have no one to blame but myself).

This is the only one of my stories where I know all three before starting: the plot, the full list of characters, and the ending.

#WIP intro #writing #my writing #my WIPs #WIP: manor

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skellebonez · 3 years ago

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Who Do I Go To? (Monkie Kid Fanfic)

I totally did not accidentally post this early before I edited it or added everything from my wip file... no... but anon, you gave me so much FREEDOM with this that I just went absolutely off the rails. This is not only set in a post S3 scenario where everyone survives and most of the villains have some kind of at least semi-redemption (except LBD, rip), this does feature a crackship or two of mine (you can read the tags to see the ships before you read)! Sun Wukong also has all of his immortality and some of his powers, I am writing this with the idea that he transferred most of them to MK and some of that was permanent once LBD was defeated and MK got his own back.

So... what if Sun Wukong did start communicating with the others in S3... but still has been bottling up his emotions about the past for so long he doesn’t feel he can talk to anyone because of their shared experiences? And what happens when that guilt and grief finally has someone willing to listen?

“What are you doing here, Si-SUN Wukong?” The Demon Bull King asked slowly, stumbling over his usual insult for the one once so close to him. They still weren’t close, and it was doubtful they would ever be as long as the sworn brothers they once were, but they were no longer at each other’s throats anymore.

That didn’t change how bizarre it was to see The Great Sage Equal To Heaven just... sitting outside his new home with no warning.

“DBK!” Wukong exclaimed, more startled than the larger demon was expecting as he jumped up and turned and if he didn’t look like he’d been hit with a truck metaphorically DBK didn’t know how to describe the way his fur stood on end and the redness in the other’s eyes. “I. UH. Was. Just stopping by to say hi!”

“No you weren’t,” DBK said, face falling into a deadpan glower. “You don’t do that. Even after 500 years I know you don’t.”

“I can start!” Wukong defended, crossing his arms and looking away with a wide teeth showing smile.

Too wide.

Even after everything that happened between them, from Red Boy to what happened when he needed his wife’s fan to sealing him in the mountain and everything that transpired with the Little Thief, he recognized that unhappy nervous smile.

“You can,” DBK said with a nod, gesturing to the smaller being. “You can also be here for a reason. Like what I heard you muttering to yourself behind the door.”

“And that’s my cue to leave!” The Monkey King announced as he turned to walk away before a large hand, with shocking gentleness for the one attached to it, wrapped around his shoulders.

“If you need to talk-”

“No, haha, I most certainly have no need for that!”

“-you know we’ve already made peace. I-”

“You don’t need to do anything,” Wukong insisted, struggling only a little before freeing himself from the other’s grip with an even wider nervous smile.

“-am willing to listen.”

“Don’t have to!”

“Are you at least talking to anyone?”

Neither of them said anything, The Demon Bull King staring down at The Monkey King with both frustrated annoyance and genuine concern in his expression.

The former he could deal with, but the later was so new again that...

Sun Wukong panicked.

“.... OKEY BYE!” He yelled, jumping and allowing his cloud to catch him and take him off.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM YOUR FEELINGS FOREVER SUN WUKONG!"

"I HID FROM THE WORLD FOR 500 YEARS AND I TURNED OUT JUST FINE, I THINK I'LL MANAGE!"

“He turned out fine, he says,” Princess Iron Fan called from behind her husband as she emerged from their home. “So fine that it took him losing his invincibility and his successor nearly being killed for him to admit he needed help.”

DBK grunted, nodding in agreement at her words.

“He needs more, still, my dear. Even I can see that.”

“Let’s call in some reinforcements then, darling. I think there are two people who may be able to get through to him.”

Sun Wukong sat on the beach of Mount Huaguo’s island home, clearly trying not to think about what had just transpired.

“Hey.”

“How did you even know to look for me here?” Sun Wukong asked, not nearly as startled this time. He’d heard the footsteps coming for a long time, the other apparently wanting to make his presence known.

“Bull King called Pigsy’s asking for MK. MK called me since he’s working. I remembered where you like to sulk. Hence: I’m here.”

Wukong groaned, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face in them. “I shouldn’t have even left the house today.”

“But you left,” Macaque said with a shrug, watching the other stew in his frustration at himself. “And you went to see DBK... and I guess Princess Iron Fan too? But you ran off. Why?”

“I can’t check up on an old friend turned enemy turned less enemy to ‘not exactly friend but we’re not trying to kill each other’ without being questioned?” Wukong grumbled into his arms.

“Not when you make him sound as worried as he did when he talked to MK,” Macaque continued, voice becoming more tense. “You didn’t go to apologize or explain anything, I was there when all that went down. So... did you finally go to talk about everything e-”

“No.” The word was said with such coldness that Macaque knew it was put on. It wasn’t out of malice but something else, something more worried and fearful. “No. I can’t talk to him about... I told him everything that explained what happened. I apologized. I don’t need to talk more.”

"I don't understand why you're so opposed to to just talking about, you know... how you’re doing," Macaque said with a concerned frown. It almost felt odd on his face. Almost. He was still getting used to the whole "not being mortal eternal enemies and now being friends and kinda sorta caring about each other again" thing. "I know it's been centuries and all and you're out of practice but like... it's been centuries."

"I just... can't, Macaque," Wukong rebutted as he refused to lift his head from his arms. "I just can't."

"Why?"

"Don't."

The single word stayed in their air between them, heavy and hard and meaning more than the immortal would ever admit to.

"Come on, there has to be a reason," Macaque insisted as he sat down beside the other immortal. When no response came he sighed, tail flicking absently and flipping over some of the rocks on the beach as they sat in silence for few minutes. "You know... I started talking to someone."

"What?" Wukong turned his head, just enough to look at the other monkey from the corner of his eye.

“Sandy’s a good listener,” Macaque continued, falling back down to lay flat on his back and gaze up at the clouds. He remembered that Wukong felt better, sometimes, when you looked away when talked to. Didn’t know why, but he remembered. “Not exactly the kind of therapy he thinks I need, but he lends me his cats and he lets me talk and sometimes asks if I want advice. Sometimes I say yes, but when I say no he understands. Sometimes I just want to rant at that one little one eyed cat he has and she listened to... I think. She’s a cat so I wouldn’t know. He thinks I should see someone more experienced, an expert. Maybe he’s right, I dunno, but this helps enough for now.

“... who are you and what have you done with the Six-Eared Macaque?” Wukong asked with a soft glower, one that was clearly in jest from the tiny smile the other could see.

“Same Macaque,” the other said with a laugh, sitting back up with a theatrical flourish. “Just realized that talking to someone isn’t as dumb or useless as I made it out to be in my head. A lot of the stuff I thought about alone wasn’t exactly the best. Or healthiest. But now I can get that out there and sometimes it makes Sandy look like he ate a whole lime which probably means it’s good it’s not in my head anymore.”

“You ramble a lot,” Wukong said with a chuckle, tail swishing softly beside him before nudging against Macaque’s. He tensed before it slowly wrapped around the other’s. “It feels odd, having you try to cheer me up again after... everything.”

“Bad odd or good odd?”

“Good.”

“That’s.... good,” Macaque said, squeezing Wukong’s tail with his own. “Feels odd for me too. Like I’m out of practice too. But it’s good odd...” The two sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying each other’s company before he continued. “I do think you should talk to someone. Anyone.”

“I don’t know who, though. Every time I try I just... clam up and run away. I’ve put so much on MK already,” Wukong said, tail squeezing around Macaque’s loosely in return. “And Pigsy and Sandy... After all that came out, that Sandy is Sha Wujing and Pigsy is Zhu Bajie’s reincarnation... I just... I can’t talk to them either, even though Pigsy doesn’t remember anything at all. And you... DBK... everyone... who do I go to that knows enough about me to know what they’re in for but I won’t have those memories floating around in the back of my head toward making me run away?”

“Well, you could have Sandy help you get a therapist. Prepare them in advance. Or, if you’re not ready for that, you could talk to Tang?” Macaque suggested with a shrug. “He listens to me when I’m not talking to Sandy... but that’s probably because we’re dating, that’s what it is now instead of courting, right? So he kinda has to I think? Pigsy and MK talk to him too but with me I think it’s different.”

"I don't think that's how it works," Wukong said with a half hearted chuckle as he finally raised his head all the way. "Besides, I've known Tang longer."

"By like 3 months."

"3 months more is still enough to know that if he doesn't want to listen to you he won't. The man knows how to make a speedy exit."

"Guess that's one more thing that sets him apart from his great-great-great-great-great-whatever uncle," Macaque admitted with a shrug and a chuckle of his own. He squeezed his tail around Wukong's, smile softening when he felt it being returned.

“Feels... weird though,” Wukong said with a shrug. “The two of them looking so much alike.”

“Yeah, but that’s it,” Macaque rebutted. “He’s Tang Sanzang’s great-whatever nephew 5 times removed or whatever and he looks like him. Other than that? He knows pretty much all of your history. He’s mostly out of the hero worship zone but he still respects you a lot. Aside from everything that happened with LBD and MK you two have the least history out of everyone so maybe whatever’s in your head making you clam up might not stop you. And it couldn't hurt to try. It’s not therapy, it’s just talking about something that’s bothering you. Worst that can happen is you get nervous and fumble and he takes the opportunity to ask you 40 questions about the times you were almost incinerated by a baby."

"That was one time!"

“Uh,” Tang started, staring out the open door with wide eyes at the being before him. “Hi. I didn’t exactly expect to you see today.”

“I didn’t exactly expect to be here today,” Wukong said awkwardly, nervous smile taking over his face as his tone became far too jovial for what he was about to ask. “Macaque sent me to... talk to you. About me?” His smile drooped bit by bit as he said these words, slowly starting to lose his determination to go through with this. “Oh second thought, maybe I should-”

"No," Tang said, reaching out to put a hand on the immortal's shoulder. It was nothing, really, not to someone as strong as he was. Not when he could brush it off and walk away. Go home. Just sit on his couch and watch Monkey King The Animated Series again and just think about how no one deserved to be saddled with his problems anymore. But Wukong didn't. "Whatever it is, we’re going to talk about this now. I know I’m not trained like Sandy is, but I know how to listen. And if you need someone to listen to you, I can. You wouldn't have come here to talk if you didn't."

“... ok...” Sun Wukong said, letting Tang wrap his arm around his back and guide him inside his shared home with Pigsy and Macaque.

It was... odd. Being inside this place for the first time. He’d been outside of the door more than once, invited in as well. But never inside.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Tang said, stopping his guidance once they reached the sofa. “I’m no Sandy, but I was making myself some tea and it is a batch of his own anyway. I’ll grab us some snacks too.”

“Snacks would be great,” Wukong admitted, watching the other disappear into the house’s kitchen before he sighed and gripped his thrashing tail and muttered to himself. “What am I doing..? I shouldn’t put all this on Tang... I should have gone with Macaque’s first suggestion, I’m-”

“Do you prefer lychee or persimmon?” Tang asked suddenly, startling the immortal for the second time that day. “We’re out of peach bao, but MK’s been making them out of lots of fruits and we have so many that I was planning on eating them myself.”

The scholar returned, faster than expected, with a full tray in hand. Teapot, two tea cups, and a steamer box that presumably held the buns he was asking about.

“Uh... persimmon,” Wukong answered, and he watched as Tang poured each of them a cup of tea and removed some clearly fresh (or at least made some time earlier in the day and freshly steamed), pieces of fruit laden bao to put on a plate for his guest before taking a seat in a chair across from him. “You were... getting lunch?”

Tang shrugged, laughing as he took a bite of one of his own. “Just wanted a snack. But,” He smiled, gesturing to the Monkey King. “We’re not here to talk about snacks. What’s on your mind?”

“Awfully forward start.”

“I try to be forward with the people I consider my friends.”

“... You consider me... a friend?” Wukong asked slowly, turning the bao over in his hands. It was well made, perfect he would say. You’d think MK would have been making them all his life, not that he’d learned how to on the drone ship while on the run from an evil super demon bent on erasing his mentor from the world.

“After everything we went through, how could I not?” Tang said, putting his food down to sip his tea and then putting that down as well and looking at him seriously. “You’re here because it’s the anniversary of the day you sealed away the Demon Bull King, aren’t you?”

The bao in his hands wasn’t perfect anymore. Instead the red lychee inside dripped from his claws from where they punctured it in surprise.

“How did you-?”

“My specialty study is your history after all,” Tang said, smile returning with a sad tint. “I’ve known the date for years but I felt it was something to keep to myself. For some reason. Now with you and DBK back I think that was a good choice. It feels too personal to have out in the open for everyone to make a spectacle of.”

“Is it selfish of me to be thankful for that?” Wukong muttered, gently placing the bao on the plate to lick his claws clean.

“I don’t think so,” Tang answered.

“I feel selfish though,” he continued, not managing to take note of how Tang sat up straighter and turned more toward him. “I went to DBK’s to... I don’t know. I wanted to apologize again? But I already did and he accepted it and it feels selfish to want to again. Then I just. I froze.”

“Why?” Tang asked, scooting closer.

“It felt wrong.”

“Because you would make him feel awkward?”

“NO!” Wukong groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I just. I feel...” He took in a shaky breath, claws digging into his skin slightly.

“Don’t,” Tang’s voice came soft and closer than Wukong expected, as did the hands on his own slowly pulling his claws away from his face. “Don’t hurt yourself. And don’t bottle it up. I’ll listen to you. No matter what it is. It’s not selfish, feeling things isn’t selfish.”

“I miss it,” Wukong breathed out, shaky and choppy as his throat tightened as the words started to pour out of him. “I miss him. How things used to be between us and Iron Fan. I miss that I never got to meet Red Son when he was Red Boy. I miss Beng and Ba and Ma and Liu and how things used to be. I miss Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing even though they’re here. I miss my Tang Sanzang. I’d been alone for 500 years and I missed so much and I did that to myself and it’s selfish to miss like that...”

He didn’t realize his cheeks were wet until his hands had been let go and one of Tang’s rubbed a cloth against them. Tang cupped his cheeks softly before wrapping his arms around him and tucking the Monkey King’s head into the space between his neck and shoulder.

“No... no it’s not. You’re allowed to miss things, Sun Wukong. Just like anyone else.”

Sun Wukong started to feel better.

He didn’t know why that was what did it, but the dam broke. It broke and his tears came pouring out as he hugged the man who reminded him so much of his Master. He didn’t know if anything he said in the mean time made any sense, if he was just blubbering and finally letting himself mourn what he’d lost and never had, but Tang didn’t ever chastise him. He let him weep and hold him and for the first time in years...

“Oh!” Princess Iron Fan startled as she opened the door to see who had knocked, finding herself face to face at sunset with one Great Sage. “You’ve returned.”

“Are you and DBK free?” Sun Wukong asked, smile no longer too wide. “I... kinda just wanna talk with you for a bit.”

“Well... I think that would be lovely.”

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #fanfic #prompt fill #no ships #gen fic #hurt comfort #sun wukong #monkey king #six eared macaque #liu er mihou #dbk and pif #tang #technically tintedlenses is in here #and hinted freesquidinknoodles i had to add that in after THAT ART TODAY #but it's only a couple lines

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berena-cpr · 3 years ago

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Unfinished Masterpieces - Fic Rec List

Remember the WIP on ao3 you can’t let go? The one that resonated with you? The one that you’d give anything to know how it ends?

While the Berena Creative Project Resuscitation event is all about starting to work again on projects sitting in our draft folders, life can get in the way of finishing a project for a hundred reasons.

These works, posted, but still a few chapters short of ending, are loved though and with this list we’d like to share the love for the unfinished masterpieces one can find in the Berena tag on ao3.

Given the high response we had when we asked to tell us about your favourite WIPs, you’ll find the list under the cut:

Anything Else to Declare? - LittleMissO

“I've personally had sleeping issues since I read LittleMissO's Anything Else to Declare because yeah, I'm still there, breath held and heart pounding like crazy after the most delicious slow burn, and pining, and that outrageously flirtatious conversation over a whiskey.”

that line between your heart and mine - ktlsyrtis

“it is just plain hot but also I love the idea of them writing letters to each other and I also love the exploration of what their relationship might be like with Bernie still being in the RAMC.”

you disappear like your cigarette smoke (now the taste of your kiss is all that remains) - bonnissance

“A wonderful, emotional angst filled fic, looking at how Bernie’s life might still have progressed after Serena left. I loved how it showed her testing her own boundaries to see if it was possible to find another relationship with someone else and when she found that wasn’t something she could do, she accepted it and found other ways to be happy without Serena. I reread it fairly often because although unfinished it doesn’t ever seem incomplete. But the last word “Serena” always leaves me full of a hope that I would dearly love to have fulfilled.”

Secrets in the Dark - Wonko

“I’d love to see this continued!”

For a Good Time Call - Regency

“Young Serena using that pure sex voice of hers to make a little extra as a phone sex operative, and young nervous Bernie taking the first tentative steps in exploring her sexuality. Who better than Serena to help her figure things out? The premise of the fic is ingenious, the writing amazing, the dialogue just outstanding. Hot, sexy, soft and full of compassion and feels. I would sell a kidney to read the next chapter to this – Bernie and Serena meeting years later and recognising each other’s voices.”

you're the only one I never looked for - gutsandglitter

“Never expected I'd enjoy a Baby Boom AU, but I love this fic. Serena hanging out in the country feeling extremely overwhelmed and constantly running into this weird tall, awkward woman named Bernie is a mood. I will forever hold out hope for an update so that I can someday read about them having lots of sex (after an appropriate amount of angst, miscommunication, and unexpected grocery store encounters, of course).”

Things Kayryn doesn't write - Kayryn

“So they’re not exactly unfinished, because they are complete, beautifully crafted, amazingly inventive, head canons, but they’re not completed fic’s so I’m counting them. I actually think that’s one of the lovely things about them, there’s a full story in there but enough space in them to bring your own imagination to the details. The fact that every head canon is spot on and you can completely image it happening is the icing on the cake, and the perfect characterisation is the cherry on top. Canon could have taken lessons from from Kayryn”

I Want to be Your Fantasy (Maybe You Could Be Mine) - Regency

“I just love the concept and the first chapter just pulled me in and I so very much want to know what happens next.”

Notting Hill - Bat_and_Breakfast

“All the “Rom Com idiots in love but they don’t know it miscommunication capers” re-envisaged for Berena you say? Sign me up! I love the way the plot of Notting Hill is absolutely recognisable, but never at the expense of Bernie and Serena’s characters. Everything they do, their responses, the dialogue, is so them. And the cleverly cast Holby regulars as supporting stars - genius. It’s an absolute triumph of transformative work. It’s wonderfully and engagingly written. If you’ve ever got sucked into watching “just a bit” of rom com and found you’ve just lost a couple of hours of your life - this fic does the same thing.”

Follow Me There - troiing

“Full disclosure: I’ve never watched Sanctuary and I know nothing about the characters. But this crossover fic is so good, that it doesn’t even matter.”

hold me closer (tiny dancer) - serenacampbell

“I don’t know why I’m so attached to that fic, but I am. I love the premise of a slow burn fic where the characters still get to do sexy things during the awkward slow burn oblivious period. It’s like the best of both worlds.”

Machu Pechinku - Jrnsaxa

“Forget France and Nepal, what if Serena spent her sabbatical in Peru? The setting in this is beautifully vivid, as is the the delicate ways in which Serena and Bernie start to reconnect after Elinor.”

Hello, Major - lesbianquill

“This is a near perfect Serena being fixated on Bernie in fatigues fic. The first chapter is very insightful, helping us to understand why Bernie might not be happy to accede to Serena’s small kink/obsession. That of course doesn’t last for too long because Bernie loves Serena and she loves having sex with Serena. It was offered as a smutty one shot, but then they rewarded us with an even smuttier second chapter and teased us with the news that a third chapter would be forthcoming. It never happened. Main reason for wishing it could be continued? I enjoy well-written smut.”

In the Spirit of Three Stars - alwayssomethingelse

“Bernie and Serena as Federation officers on Deep Space Nine. Oh, the potential!”

Anatomically Correct - phantomunmasked

“Bernie severely overcompensating for any possible awkwardness in their first time by ordering a mountain of sex toys is a premise that will always delight me. Every time I go back to this one, I ponder what their weekend away would bring with a big grin.”

The Clinic - RexWolfe

“Maybe it’s all the Bramwell we’ve been watching, but this one’s been on my mind lately. Can’t go wrong with a Victorian AU.”

a life in pictures - Regency

"I soooo want to see Serena maybe modelling for Bernie (or at least just how the date goes)”

working up a storm inside my head - sevtacular

“While this isn’t actually an unfinished fic in the sense of chapters missing, the prompt fic collection of Sev can always be added to as far as I’m concerned. Love what has been written so far, hope there will be new chapters with time.”

Body and Soul - ChalkHillBlue

“Possibly the weirdest AU idea ever, this body swap AU makes my brain go crazy with the possibilities every time I read it.”

When We Need One Another The Most - Whispersmummy

“I know this isn’t strictly Berena but it wouldn’t have been written if not for the Berena fandom who love most every conceivable way these two dorks might get together. Very well written (imo) and cleverly constructed fic. Lots and lots of angst and who doesn’t love angst? Only thing missing is a small amount of smut. (Yes I’m back there).”

Ring In The New - fiveroundsrapid

“Fics where Bernie comes to Holby before/during Adrienne’s illness are my kryptonite, and this one is so good!”

Holby One: A Star Wars AAU Story - elitryalittle

“Holby One is my favorite unfinished fic. It’s not just because I came to Berena via Star Wars (a bit of an unusual way, but here I am), but also because I can totally see Serena as a healer and Bernie as a Jedi knight. Kudos for their excellent knowledge of the SWU and this great idea of a crossover fic. I’d give them a limited edition “Looking for Leia” patch and a sticker if they’d finish it.”

to gaze at you, from afar (I sigh, I sigh, I sigh) - bonnissance

“The photographer/model AU you never knew you needed in your life, but you really, really do.”

Heroic Endeavor - Nicolaruth27

“I never would’ve thought I’d be down for a Greek god AU, but this fic has permanent residence in a corner of my brain. Bernie as Athena in mortal form is inspired, and the way the fic is interwoven with canon is a delight.”

what a lovely way to burn - ktlsyrtis

“I just love anything that's weaved into canon but with them being happy and dating and communicating."

Love, Unexpected - Igerna

“Bernie is still married to Marcus when she meets Serena during a conference. They immediately bond and keep in contact, sharing both professional advice and thoughts on their private lives. Love, for them, happens rather unexpectedly. I do love conference fics and slow burns - and this is a good one.”

a little less war torn - kitnkabootle

“The setup for this - in which Serena is the one who goes to help when Bernie is brought to Holby, instead of Raf - is one of my favorite ‘what ifs’ to ponder, and the writing is outstanding.”

#berena #bernie wolfe #serena campbell #holby city #berena cpr #fic rec

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corvus--rex · 3 years ago

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Next in this bizarre collection of abandoned, semi-abandoned, and deeply sleeping wips is one that has more direct time travel. It's more in the deeply sleeping category as I'm still picking at it. It's also another Omegaverse, so if that's not your thing, feel free to skip it. Also, both Lance and Keith practice polytheistic religions that have been altered to fit an ABO setting

~*~*~*~*~

A few years after the war, the Paladins made the newly rebuilt Castle of Lions their home. Shiro and Adam retired from the Garrison and into diplomatic careers for the Coalition. Pidge’s parents were still with the organization, but she and Matt preferred to be more hands-on, maintaining the places on the castle and with the now-former rebellion. The still close-knit team were still recovering from the recent bonding ceremony for Hunk and Shay, who were also staying aboard the castle, although it was still uncertain as to whether or not human and Balmeran genetics were compatible; they were just waiting on genetic compatibility testing. Lance and Keith, however, were ahead of the game. They had gotten engaged while on the way back to Earth, announcing it to Lance’s family on their return. Not wanting to wait, and with no way of knowing what would happen in their war with Honerva, they’d held a small bonding ceremony the night before leaving Earth for the second time.

Keith had it the worst when it came to post-Hunk/Shay bonding recovery. He wasn’t going to miss Hunk and Shay’s bonding for anything, even if it meant dealing with Lance’s fussing. It had gotten bad enough during the reception that both Krolia and Lance’s mother Mariana told him to sit down and let his pregnant mate be. Keith could understand where Lance’s caution came from. While their little one was only one quarter Galra, and developing as a human child would, Keith’s half-Galra physiology had other ideas, his body and hormones changing like a shorter Galra pregnancy. It meant that he needed to be monitored more closely than he would if the pup’s development and his body’s lined up. It also meant that they didn’t have a concrete due date, and that it was entirely possible he could deliver a premature pup. But at sixteen weeks Earth time, there were still another two months until they needed to watch for their little one’s arrival. They had stayed behind on Earth an extra couple days after Hunk and Shay’s bonding ceremony for some of Lance’s extended family who wanted to see them both before the pup was born. Keith was exhausted from the three days of parties surrounding the ceremony and the event itself, but they were headed back to the castle after that and wouldn’t be back for another eight months, and by then the pup would be at least two months old.

Nadia and Sylvio were excited about their cousin, and had to be reminded that Keith was tired from everything going on. Right then, they wanted to see the inside of the Altean pod the matepair were taking back to the castle. Keith and Mariana burst out laughing when Lance appeared with his niece and nephew each tucked under an arm.

He “dropped” the giggling, squirming pups in front of his oldest brother. “I think you lost something.”

“Who, me? I haven’t lost anything,” Luis said, feigning ignorance.

Still laughing, Nadia and Sylvio began scaling their mountain of a father. Once they got to hip height, he grabbed them both the same way Lance had been carrying them and took off running while mock screaming, making his pups shriek with laughter. Lance just laughed to himself and shook his head at his brother and niblings.

“Like you can talk. You know damn well you're going to be just the same with ours,” Keith called.

“Yeah, probably,” Lance admitted, walking over.

“‘Probably’ nothing, mijo. I know you will,” Mariana said, “Just don’t forget to call when that little one arrives. We’ll be praying for a safe delivery.”

Lance’s parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles all practiced Santeria, and while Lance and his siblings had been raised in it and still believed, none of them actively practiced. His lack of participation didn’t lessen his appreciation of his mother’s intentions. He would have been worried when it came to telling Keith about his family’s practices if he didn’t already know about his Omega’s neo-paganism. Keith, likewise, had been relieved when Lance didn’t immediately declare him insane and instead explained about his own family.

“Thanks, Mami. So will we,” he said, hugging his mother.

“Doesn’t matter where you are in the universe, the Orisha will hear you,” she told him, then pulled Keith in, “And so will your gods, mijo.”

“I know. Thanks, Mami,” Keith answered.

The pod’s comms chirped, and Lance disentangled himself from his mate and his mother, disappearing into the small craft. Mariana wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist and he leaned into it, fully appreciating her maternal warmth. She was one of a very small number of people who had open permission to touch him. She understood that, especially after Lance had explained about Keith’s childhood in the foster care system and that he was largely touch-averse unless you were one of a select few who had earned his complete trust. She’d earned it through being the woman she was and treating Keith like one of her own children.

She reached over, resting a hand on his growing belly. “I pray for this pup every day. You two are going to be wonderful parents. And I know that you both will be safe up there – you and this little one.”

Keith breathed a laugh. “Altean technology makes humans look like we’re still playing with sticks and rocks. I mean, on an interstellar level, we kinda are. I’ve been thinking about that lately,” he admitted, “The ‘we’ part. I’m still half-Galra. Most of the time I feel like the only places on Earth I feel like I belong are out at my Dad’s place, and here.”

“Oh, mijo. It doesn’t at all matter that your wonderful mother isn’t human, or that you share her blood. What matters is what you do with it. And both of you used your heritage to do the right thing. And now she’s leading her – your – people to a new way of thinking. You both have done so much good. Never forget that. Or that you’re family. You’ll always belong here. And not just because you're carrying my grandpup.”

“We weren’t exactly planning on this.”

Mariana laughed. “Neither was I. For any of them. None of my five children were planned. We always wanted pups, but we decided to let it happen however it was going to happen. And we were blessed with five beautiful pups.” She nudged him gently. “Tell me, do you have any thoughts on what your pup might be? I knew for all of them, even when my mother was trying to tell me that I was wrong. Especially with Lance. She was convinced he was an Omega. And then he was born all Alpha.”

Keith nodded, understanding. “Yeah, that’s apparently not just a human thing. Mom said she knew I was an Omega before I was born. I think this one is too. I’m pretty sure it’s an Omega boy. Little brat keeps moving and won’t let us see, so we don’t know for certain yet, but I feel like it’s an Omega boy.”

“Oh, Veronica was the same. We didn’t know until she was an Alpha girl until she was born. And she’s still stubborn and independent.”

{What do you think, sweetheart? You an Omega boy?} she asked the unborn pup.

Her question was answered with a sharp kick.

“Is he always like that?” Mariana asked in surprise.

“Yes. Yes he is. I’ve been feeling him moving for almost two months, but it got more intense about three weeks ago. That, apparently, is a Galra thing.”

“What’s a Galra thing?” Lance asked, walking down the loading ramp.

“How hard the pup kicks,” Keith said.

“Yeah,” he agreed, “It really is that bad. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night before because of it.”

“Now imagine how I feel! Anyway, what was the comm call?”

“Oh, right. Just Allura asking when we were planning on going back up. I told her we were finishing getting the pod packed up and we’d be leaving within the hour. Varga. Whatever.”

Mariana hugged them both again. “Don’t forget. I want to know.”

Keith’s lips twisted in an amused smile. “As soon as we do,” he said.

Lance didn’t ask about it until they were settled in the pod’s cockpit and on their way to the wormhole point. “What are we telling my mother when we know it?”

“Huh? Oh, the pup’s primary and secondary sexes. I said that I feel like it’s an Omega boy, but that we haven’t been able to confirm it,” Keith explained.

“Yeah, he’s being a little brat about it,” Lance agreed, “We will find out eventually,” he added, poking the unborn pup only to be rewarded with another kick. “See? Brat.” He stood up, stretching hard enough to pop his spine. He let his arms drop and extended a hand to his mate. “Come on. Allura’s not opening a wormhole until we’re way out of system, and I want snuggles.”

When they first packed the pod to leave for Earth, Lance had shifted a few things around in the passenger compartment, making room for Keith to set up a nest. He was worried about their pup and was trying to just be a good Alpha for his Omega. Keith was particularly hormonal that day and broke down in tears when he saw the cleared space, his favorite nesting materials neatly sitting in the middle of it. Lance had been afraid he’d accidentally done something wrong until he found himself with his arms full of sobbing, pregnant Omega telling him how amazing he was through hiccupped tears. The nest was built and stayed there until they landed on Earth, where it was taken down and rebuilt in Lance’s old bedroom, right on top of his queen bed. Now it held their scents mixed with Lance’s family’s. Lance also knew about the sweater Krolia had given Keith for the express purpose of fitting it into his nest.

Keith let Lance lead them through to the rear of the pod and got settled into the nest. Leaning back against his Alpha, Keith reached into his shirt and pulled out the crystal he always wore. A clear quartz point, with a triple moon carved from rainbow moonstone woven into the silver wire wrapping the top of the crystal. He ran his fingers over the moonstone, feeling its carved lines and points, the smooth gem comforting. He was safe and comfortable in his Alpha’s arms, tucked into their temporary nest, but he still worried. He knew better than anyone that their pup could come earlier than anyone was comfortable with, especially him. He sighed, letting the quartz drop.

“What’s up?” Lance murmured sleepily into Keith’s neck.

“I’m just thinking again,” he said, the pad of his thumb following the back of his fingers in a small line on his belly.

Lance knew what he was thinking, read worrying, about, and wove their fingers together. “I know. But even worst case, even if he is three months early, he’ll be ok, and so will you. There is literally no one else like you in the entire universe, and all of this is new to everyone. Best we can do is take it one day at a time.” He grabbed the tablet from outside the nest, checking the autopilot. “We still have about an hour before we get to the wormhole point. Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

Keith yawned, curling up in the nest, Lance wrapping his arms around his Omega. “Nap sounds great,” he mumbled, half-asleep already.

Lance didn’t last much longer, drifting off the second Keith’s breathing evened out in sleep.

They were woken by alarms blaring throughout the pod. Keith shot up, startled and growling. Lance went for the tablet, checking the readings from the pod’s sensors. They should still have been twenty minutes out from the meeting point, but the star map showed them being in an entirely different galaxy, the familiar Milky Way nowhere in sight. He leapt from the nest, running for the cockpit. When Keith had calmed a bit and hauled himself out of his spot and to the cockpit, Lance was at the controls.

“Get yourself strapped in,” the Alpha said without looking up, “We’re headed straight for an asteroid field and there’s no time to change course.”

Lance changed the controls to manual and the front shielding changed from opaque to transparent, showing the looming ancient debris in stunning real time. Keith sat himself in the co-pilot’s seat, fastening the 4-point harness over his chest just in time for the first asteroid to go whipping past. He wanted to take the controls, but he knew that his awkward current shape made it nearly impossible for him to fly with the deftness an asteroid field required. Lance had no such problem, weaving through the asteroid field with his usual liquid grace.

When they finally broke through and into empty space, they still had no real idea of where they were. Keith brought up the galactic map. He noted several familiar planets and systems, realizing that they were on the far side of the Andromeda galaxy. As he was relaying all of that to his mate, the pod’s comm chirped with an incoming hail. It was the castle, but something was different and they couldn’t quite put their finger on it. Lance answered the hail, Allura’s face filling the screen.

“Hey, Allura. Do you have any idea what the fuck just happened? We were on our way to the rendezvous point for the wormhole and now we’re here,” Lance asked.

Allura stared at them in complete shock. “I – I don’t understand. How are you two there? You can’t be there. You’re both here on the castle.”

Lance and Keith shared a confused look. “No. We’re not,” Keith said slowly, “We just left Earth a couple hours ago and were on our way to the spot you designated for the wormhole back to the castle.”

“Earth?! What the quiznak are you talking about?! Stay there. I’m going to tow your pod into the castle and we’ll talk about whatever prank this is.” The shock was in her voice at first, before it became almost angry. She looked back at them from her projected control screen, and then looked at them both more carefully. “Lance, how in the quiznak do you have Altean marks?”

“From you?” he answered, now totally confused. Had she forgotten reviving him after he took the full damage of an energy attack meant for her? Did she not remember that he’d ended up with sky blue Altean marks as a result of the sheer amount of quintessence she poured into him?

“That’s impossible. I can’t give you our markings. And Keith, have you gained weight?” She was still confused, but turned it to the Red Paladin.

“Not in the last three days,” he said, then glanced down and back to her, “Not that way, anyway.”

They felt the pod guided into the pod bay and land softly. “Stay there, inside the pod,” Allura said, “I’ll be right there.” The screen cut out, leaving them alone again.

“What in the absolute fuck is going on?” Keith asked.

“I wish I fucking knew,” Lance answered. “Does she really think this is some kind of over-elaborate prank? She can’t. She knows us. Knows we’re mated. Knows you’re pregnant.”

“Yeah, that was weird. Asking me if I've gained weight. I mean, I know I've put on about fifteen pounds, but that’s almost completely directly related to him. I haven’t really changed anywhere else.”

Lance sighed. “Yeah. I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. But at least we’re back. We can get your nest rebuilt in our suite and take a fucking nap.”

Something told Keith to leave his nest as it was, and he told Lance as much. They also decided not to get back into it while they waited for Allura. The matepair waited in the open seating, Keith nuzzling into Lance’s scent gland. It was something they’d come to realize was a side-effect of his pregnancy. He couldn’t get enough of his Alpha’s scent and would use any and every excuse to get close and scent himself, not that Lance minded it at all. It always stroked his Alpha’s ego that their Omega was so devoted to them.

They both looked up when there was a failed attempt to open the rear door of the pod, which was followed by a polite knock. “Hang on a tick,” Lance called. He extracted himself from his snuggly koala of a mate with a soft kiss to his temple and a gentle hand on their pup.

Allura stood in the doorway, possibly even more shocked than she was on the call. He was still in the faded blue t-shirt and grey sweats he’d been wearing all day, not having been bothered to change. He was expecting an off-hand comment about not being up to his usual standard at most, but she just stood there, staring like he was a new race they’d never met before.

“Allura?” he asked.

“Lance, what the quiznak is going on here? Where’s Keith?” she asked when she found the words.

“I was going to ask you the same thing. And Keith’s right here. The kids were all over him this morning and he’s still pretty tired.”

He didn’t think it was possible for Allura to be any more confused or her eyebrows to arch higher, but she was and they did.

“What kids? Why should he be tired?”

Keith listened to the questions being fired back and forth. Something wasn’t adding up. Allura knew they’d been with Lance’s family. She’d met Nadia and Sylvio before and knew what kind of energy they had. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he was worn out after dealing with them. Keyword shouldn’t. But she was. He decided to see her for himself, or more to the point, for her to see him. He slid out from the seating area, turning the corner to where she and Lance were asking questions without answering any. He stepped up beside Lance, sliding an arm around his Alpha’s waist, his free hand resting on his pregnant belly.

Allura’s jaw dropped. He knew she could tell that he wasn’t faking, and that she somehow either didn’t know or had forgotten that he was four months pregnant, even if he looked farther along because of his body’s reaction.

“I – how?! How did this happen?! When?! What is happening?!”

“Allura,” Lance said softly, “Has anything happened in the last two or three quintants?”

“What? No. Nothing. And you two are here onboard the castle. Keith, you said you would be in the training deck for at least a few vargas, and Lance, you were helping Hunk in the kitchen. How did you two end up out there and in a pod I didn’t know had gone missing? And don’t tell me you were on Earth. That’s utterly impossible. We can’t go back without leading the Galra directly there, you both know that. And how have you been hiding not only your apparent relationship but also – Keith, you're pregnant! How do you expect to be able to fly the Red Lion in your condition?”

The feeling of something being fundamentally off continued to tickle Keith’s brain. An impossible thought hit him. “Allura, I need you to answer this question honestly. How long have we been out here with you?”

“What do you mean? It’s only been about three phoebs, but we’ve made good progress in the war effort. I really believe we’ll win. But you already knew that.”

Lance cut her off before she could voice a suspicion about them being spies. He realized as soon as Keith said it. “I think we somehow managed to go back in time. We really are who we say we are, and so are you. But you obviously don’t know anything about us as we are now. I can promise that we’re not hiding anything from you.”

“Well…I don’t know that we can really say that…” Keith said, trailing off. If the them that Allura knew had only been in space for a few months, then he and Lance were already seeing each other secretly. But then they decided that keeping it from their friends made absolutely no sense, even if it meant that Pidge lost her bet with Hunk.

“Ok, fair,” he said, then turned to Allura, “What was the last major event that happened related to the war? It’ll help us narrow down when exactly we are.”

“You two seem awfully accepting of this,” she said, a note of accusation in her voice.

“We – we’ve been through a lot,” Keith said, intentionally not elaborating. They had been through a lot – alternate reality, quantum abyss, the quintessence field, Bob, finding themselves inside Honerva’s mind – but they couldn’t tell Allura any of it.

“And if we tell you anything, we don’t know if or how it could affect anything,” Lance added.

“Hm, I suppose that’s true. The last major event? Well, we’ve only just found out about your Galra heritage, but after meeting with Kolivan and Antok, I have come to realize that your blood does not define you. You both have only just returned from separate missions. Keith, you and Hunk went to retrieve the Scaultrite from the Weblum-” Keith shuddered involuntarily at the memory “-and Lance, you, Shiro, and Pidge went to rescue Slav from Beta Traz. He’s still here on the castle with us.”

“Wait wait wait – Slav’s still here?” Lance asked. He turned to Keith. “If Slav’s still on board, then he would be able to help figure out what happened. Maybe find a way to get us back to our own time. And hopefully before…” he trailed off, giving Keith a look that the Omega understood. Before the pup comes.

Allura also understood what Lance hadn’t said. “Um, how – how far along are you, exactly?” she asked awkwardly.

“That’s a little complicated,” Keith answered. “The pup’s developing like a normal human, but because I’m half Galra, my body is changing and reacting as if I were completely Galra. Pregnancies are shorter. Six Earth months, or about four and a quarter phoebs, to a normal human ten months or just over seven phoebs.”

“So, you're saying that with how your body is reacting, your pup could be premature?”

“It’s a distinct possibility. But to actually answer your question, sixteen Earth weeks. Almost eleven and a half movements. It gives us no more than five movements to figure this out and get us back to our time.”

Allura nodded, making her decision. “All right. We’ll meet in the lounge first. Paladins and Coran only. Shiro…doesn’t exactly do well with Slav.”

Lance and Keith laughed. “That’s something we will never forget,” Lance said as they followed her out of the pod. Keith turned, locking it with their biometrics. Given the alteration to Lance’s DNA thanks to Allura’s quintessence infusion, they knew that it would stay locked. Their younger selves didn’t have a chance.

They walked in silence for a while, following Allura down lesser used corridors to the lounge entrance that was never used. “Is there anything you can tell me?” she asked, “About your time. How far into our future are you?”

“I don’t know that that’s a good idea, Princess,” Lance said, “You already know that we make it to Earth safely, and I don’t know how that might already be affecting our time. I understand that you want to know if it’s all worth it in the end, but I can’t tell you.”

Allura thought for a few seconds. “I understand. My knowing about the future could affect the present. It could change our decisions about things that will change the outcome of the war. And I take it that however the war does end, it’s the best possible outcome.”

“We think so. There’s a lot more going on than just Zarkon, but if you knew what, I don’t know – there are just too many variables.”

She paused in the doorway to the lounge. “I really do understand. There are more factors and facets to this war than I am currently aware of. Knowing about them now could upset the balance. Well,” she said, gesturing to the room, “Make yourselves comfortable. You already know where everything is.” Her smile was one of genuine affection for the Paladins in front of her.

“Thanks, Allura,” Keith said, maneuvering past her.

Once they were seated comfortably (“Comfort is a bit relative for me at the moment,” Keith told her with a laugh) she called for the Paladins and Coran, and them only, to come to the lounge.

Lance was the first to arrive, ready to drop onto the sunken sofa from the floor above, but stopped himself when he realized he was looking at something that looked like the back of his own head. He only knew what that looked like after a prank involving his siblings and every single mirror in the house. He saw Allura sitting at one end of the semicircle and slowed, turning to her.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Ah. We should wait for the others to arrive before we explain,” Allura said.

“Actually,” one of the unknown people said and Lance nearly choked at hearing his own voice. A little rougher and maybe older, but it was definitely his own voice. He realized the other owner of his voice was still speaking. “I think we should start now. I know we’ll have to repeat ourselves, but I know that you’re kinda nauseous right now,” a long, tan finger pointed in his direction, “And I really think this is the better solution.”

“If that’s what you –” Allura was cut off by the next arrival.

“Allura? Why are we meeting here?”

Pregnant Keith snorted at how young he sounded. His mate patted his head. “I know. We sound like babies.”

The younger Keith froze.

“Yes we’re real. No you're not hallucinating,” pregnant Keith said without moving. He knew what his younger self was thinking.

“Well, as long as we’re both here,” Lance said, “We should explain as much as we can.”

The younger Red and Blue Paladins walked around to the steps and froze again when they were suddenly face to face with themselves. Their older selves were snuggled together in the middle of the sofa horseshoe, not caring who saw them. There was too much for them to take in all at once, but they did notice Lance’s Altean marks and the undeniable fact that the older Keith was significantly pregnant.

“Yeah,” pregnant Keith agreed, “It’s a lot to unpack. We’ll tell you what we can.”

The younger Paladins sat together opposite Allura, not knowing what to say.

“As far as we can tell, we’re from your future. We don’t know how we got here. We were on our way back to the castle and decided to let the autopilot handle the flying while I had a nap and woke up to all the alarms going off about a half hour later. We realized that we weren’t where we should be and found the castle after clearing the asteroid field nearby.”

“And, I’m – or, you – I don’t even know how to phrase that,” the younger Keith stumbled through.

Older Keith just laughed. “We? Since we’re the same person, just at different ages. But yes, I’m pregnant. I'm due fairly soon, so we need to figure this out as quickly as possible.”

Both his mate and Allura noticed how he phrased himself, but said nothing, understanding why he had done it.

It was the younger Lance’s turn to stumble through a sentence. “So, you’re – and – is that –”

Older Lance snickered at his younger self. “Yes. Yes we are, and yes it is.”

“What?! But -”

“But nothing,” older Lance said, “Although that might have prevented this.”

“Yeah, sure. You try telling my heat brain that,” pregnant Keith said.

The younger Keith pointed at his older self. “That. But, how? I mean, I’ve always been so careful about taking it on time. Unless…”

Pregnant Keith shook his head. “No, that hasn’t changed. It failed. We weren’t planning on this. But it happened, and we wouldn’t change it for anything.”

“Ok, so I just need to know one thing. Not about the future, not that.” His hand went to his chest almost unconsciously. “Just so I know. That you’re really me.”

Without moving from his spot snuggled into Lance’s side, Keith reached into his t-shirt and pulled the quartz and moonstone pendant out, letting it fall to his chest. “It was the first thing I ever bought for myself after Dad died. He taught me the basics of the Craft and I've kept it up ever since. Helps me feel connected to him even though it represents Omegas.”

Younger Keith nodded, holding his own crystal. “Yeah. It does.”

Looking from his not-so-secret boyfriend, the younger Lance turned to his own older self. “And he knows about…”

Older Lance cracked an amused smile. “Yeah, he does. But wait, haven’t you already told him about us?”

“Oh, well, yeah. I guess that didn’t really make sense, did it?”

“No, not really. But the last thing Mami said to me when we left her last was that it doesn’t matter where in the universe we are, the Orisha will hear us.”

“That – that’s –”

“What Mami said when I left for the Garrison. Yeah, she still says it.”

Pidge was next to arrive, and stopped when she saw the two older versions of her friends.

“No, you haven’t been up long enough to hallucinate yet,” pregnant Keith said through laughing.

“Come sit down, Pigeon. We’ll explain once everyone’s here,” Lance said, waving her forward.

They were all surprised that it hadn’t been Shiro to appear first, but he and Hunk were next, walking in together. If they thought that Pidge had been surprised, it was nothing compared to the double take from the Black and Yellow Paladins. Allura had yet to say anything once her Paladins began filtering in, and she still didn’t, letting the two older Paladins take the lead.

“Hi, Shiro,” pregnant Keith said. He still hadn’t moved from his mate’s side, enjoying the warmth and safety of his Alpha’s touch.

“What in the almighty fuck is going on?” Shiro asked, stunned.

“We’re just waiting for Coran, and then we’ll explain.”

Shiro and Hunk sat down, among the other Paladins. Hunk seemed to look for some kind of comfort from the familiarity of Pidge, and Shiro sat himself between his Lance and the older Keith with an expression told them that he was trying very hard to wrap his head around the idea of Keith being pregnant. Coran came running in a few minutes later.

“Oh, my apologies, Princess. The scanners went all wiffeley for a few ticks. They’re perfectly fine now.” He noticed the two new additions for the first time. “Erm, Princess…” he started, scratching his cheek with one gloved finger.

“Yes. It’s why I’ve called you all here,” Allura said, “When I was alone on the bridge briefly, scans picked up a single Altean pod. When I hailed it, well…”

“It was us,” the older Lance finished, “We seem to be from your future.”

Everyone stopped, if only briefly, before exploding into questions and demands. Questions about what happened, how they got here from their own time, how did the war end, what’s it like now, did everyone survive…

Lance put a hand up, silencing the onslaught. “We can’t answer most of those questions. Anything we tell you could possibly alter the timeline, and I can’t risk that.”

Pidge pouted, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Well, we already know you two end up together. And if you're here, then you guys obviously made it out.”

Pregnant Keith shifted, sitting up but not leaving his Lance’s personal bubble. “Yes, we did make it out. And yes, we know what it’s like now. But is it worth it to know about our future when it could change your own?”

For maybe the first time in her life, Pidge didn’t have an immediate answer. Her natural curiosity demanded to be sated. The older versions of two of her best friends were sitting in front of her with the answers to so many questions. So much of her own personal stress could be relieved just by knowing if she ever found Matt and Sam. She could know the outcome of the war. But thinking about those things, she realized that Keith was right. If she did know, it would change what she did, how she could react to things. The butterfly effect wasn’t real, or, if it was, it didn’t quite work that way, but a change to a major event could lead to a cascade of differences. And there was no way to know if those would be good changes or bad. But she didn’t get to answer the semi-rhetorical question because Slav walked in at that exact moment.

“So we’re in this reality,” he said, seeing the future Lance and Keith. He narrowed his eyes at them. “You haven’t told anyone anything, have you?”

“Nothing that wasn’t immediately obvious,” Keith answered, settling back against his mate.

“Ah. Right. I need to confirm things about you two before I can recalculate probabilities, but we should discuss this –” His owlish eyes narrowed again as he looked around the room. “- privately.”

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19*

#my writing #abandoned wips #klance #omegaverse #abo #omega keith kogane #alpha lance mcclain #mpreg #vld #voltron #voltron legendary defender #keith x lance

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sunnyrosewritesstuff · 3 years ago

Text

Day 5 Birthday Plot Bunnies 2

If you want this to become my next WIP, be sure to shower it with lots of love!! 🥰 💖 All the story starters will be linked back to this masterpost.

Title: For the Love of My Husband

Summary: Bilbo is a thief and a conman who has tricked Thorin, Crown Prince of Erebor, to marry him as an escape from a tight spot. He thought their marriage was happily enough, but Thorin feels a disconnect from the hobbit he’s married. To appease his family and strengthen their bond, Thorin asks Bilbo to take the Trial of Souls with him. Problem is, Bilbo doesn’t want Thorin to know anything about him because they are most assuredly not Ones. And if Thorin learns the truth, Bilbo will find himself back in the streets or worse...

In a darkened pub deep under the kingdom of Erebor, a hobbit and a dwarf squared off. The waiting crowd was near silent as they waited to see what would happen next. The dark haired beast of a dwarf looked fairly confident as he shared a smirk with his two friends directly behind him.

“What’ll it be, Took? Fold or settle?”

The hobbit nonchalantly lifted his overturn cup to sneak a peek at the two dice lying inside.

“How about I raise you instead?”

It was silent for a moment before the dwarf, Drulik, burst into laughter followed by his cronies.

“Raise? You have nothing left to bet with.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure of that.” Bilbo stated before pulling out a silver harp-shaped brooch with thin golden strings.

The dwarves surrounding the gamblers all began murmuring at once, some trying to lean in for a closer view.

“Is that…?” One of Drulik’s dwarves gaped.

“Yes.” Bilbo announced calmly. “The Courting Gift of our dearly departed queen, Mahal rest her soul.”

“How did you get that?” Drulik demanded.

Bilbo gave him a wane smile as he tucked back into his vest with a pat. “It doesn’t matter. The question you should be asking is how much do you think it’s worth?”

The gambling den awaited Drulik’s long drawn out answer. It almost made the hobbit want to roll his eyes at the melodrama. However, after years on the streets, he knew a good show could sometimes be the difference between success and failure. And Bilbo didn’t fail. Finally, Drulik pulled out another bag, spilling the golden coins onto the pile between them.

“Settle.” Drulik demanded before revealing the contents under his cup.

The crowd cheered and whistled much to Drulik’s ego at the combined total of eleven from his dice. Nine Rings was a gambling game loved by Durin’s Folk and Men alike with a very simple premise. Highest total won. So you bet and bluff to convince your opponent that you have as close to twelve beneath the cup as possible. However, there was one small exception. Nine always trumped any other number. Therefore, when Bilbo lifted his cup to reveal the five and four, there was a near frenzy of excitement. Drulik was rendered speechless as Bilbo lifted his pint in cheer before downing the ale all in one go. Producing a sack from his coat pocket, he raked all the golden coins towards him.

“Well lads, this has been more excitement than any hobbit can take, but I think I’m going to leave now while my fortunes are in my favor.”

“You cheated.” Drulik growled. “You had to have.”

“Check my dice if you wish.” Bilbo offered with a shrug.

The tavern owner, Nifror, who ran as honorable a den as one could for thieves and ruffians was at their table in a flash. Bilbo had heard a tale that the last dwarf who cheated at the game got their loaded dice pinned, one to each hand, with a knife made by Nifror’s wife. He threw the dice a few times and each time they landed with a different number. He shrugged.

“The hobbit’s clean.”

“But that’s impossible.” One of Drulik’s own gaped.

“Yeah, we loaded them ourselves!” The other snarled.

There was a pause and then Old Nifror was on them in a flash. Some moved to help the old barkeep out. The rest roared and placed bets on the winner. Meanwhile, Bilbo used this as the perfect opportunity to sneak away. He dropped the loaded dice he had smuggled into his pocket on the ground with a snort. Like he would be that stupid. Now most would have worried walking around with that much gold around the dregs of Erebor’s underworld. Fortunately, Bilbo was a professional at remaining quiet and unseen. A talent he had been forced to pick up early in his life. Which is why he nearly screamed when a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Make a good haul?” The dwarf smirked.

Bilbo turned around with a glare. “You know you don’t have to be so smug every time you manage to catch me off guard.”

Nori, Bilbo’s oldest and dearest friend, just raised an eyebrow as he tried and failed to hide the mischievous superiority oozing from his every pore.

“Just like to remind you, you’re not the best just yet.”

Bilbo rolled his eyes as he continued on his way knowing the dwarf was following.

“We both know I was headed to your place eventually so is there a reason you’re bugging me now?”

“Can I not worry over the sake of my friend?” Nori gasped overdramatically.

Bilbo snorted but made no arguments or agreements.

“Well, if I were coming to find you, it might have something to do with the fact that your husband finished up his duties early today to surprise you.”

The coin he was holding nearly slipped from his suddenly numb fingers.

“Valar above!” Bilbo swore. “That dwarf. He’s positively incorrigible!”

“He’s in love.” Nori pointed out.

Bilbo scoffed. “Love. Well shit, looks like you’re going to have to take this to our hiding place for me.”

Bilbo shoved the bag of gold into the dwarf’s chest before power walking towards the secret tunnels. Nori kept stride with him, clearly not done delivering bad news.

“Are you anywhere close to the right amount?”

“I’ve nearly two-thirds at this point.”

“Bilbo, you only have a week left.”

“I’m well aware, Nori! Maybe it's enough to...buy me more time.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the whole point of you marrying some rich noble supposed to give you easy access to the treasury?”

“It was, but there was one teeny detail we didn’t take into account.”

“What’s that?”

Bilbo paused, his face falling into a grimace. “In-laws.”

***

One of the first things Bilbo and Nori did upon their rushed and unplanned move to Erebor from Ered Luin was scope out the best places for a quick getaway. They just so happened to make kind with a chatty miner named Bofur who, while deep in his cup, told them that the royal wing originally was meant to be on the other side of the mountain. When the architects realized the disadvantage of having the royal family so far from the guards’ posts and war meeting rooms, rather than just move the furniture back down only to go back up on the correct side, they cut unmapped tunnels around the outside of the mountain. It also had the added advantage of getting their monarchy out quicker in the case of a coup if the knowledge hadn’t been lost through time. It was perfect for the thieves’ needs. In almost no time at all, Nori and Bilbo had found the tunnels and utilized them fully.

Something the hobbit was thankful for now as he flew down the tunnel to get back to his room. He welcomed the blast of mountain wind to rapidly cool the sweat on his face before ducking back into the opposite entrance. There was a small alcove where Bilbo’s fancier clothes lay and he all but threw himself out of his worn threads for the finer silks and cotton. The last thing he did was pocket the brooch before sprinting back down the tunnel braiding and beading his hair on the run. Once he was back in the royals’ wing, he ducked his head out to make sure the coast was clear, and then silently made his way to his suite. After closing the door behind him, Bilbo relaxed against it, heaving a sigh of relief.

“And just where have you been, Husband of Mine?”

Bilbo prided himself on the fact that he did not squeak even if he did jump nearly two feet in the air. Thorin, Prince of Erebor, was lounging in the armchair by the fireplace looking rather pleased with himself. Bilbo attempted to calm his racing heart as he stepped forward, plastering what he hoped to be a loving grin on his face.

“Just a walk on the cliffs with Nori. Surely, you would not deny this hobbit the feel of fresh air and sunshine?”

Thorin stood at that point, meeting him about halfway. His thumb gently caressed Bilbo’s cheek.

“If I had it my way, I would deny you nothing, ukradê (my greatest heart).”

Bilbo hummed in practiced delight as he met his husband’s lips with his own. The hobbit was at least content with the knowledge that as far as dwarves went, Thorin was stunningly handsome. Not a sentiment necessarily shared with others of his race. Which worked out just fine for Bilbo as it left a prince of all things, uncommitted and available.

“By the way, look what I found this morning.” Bilbo stepped back with a teasing smile as he produced the brooch from his pocket.

“My mother’s brooch!” Thorin gaped as he took it reverently. “Where…?”

“It was under my bed. You must have dropped it when you paid me a surprise visit last night.”

Thorin smirked as he latched onto Bilbo’s hips. “I remember the night well.”

Oh, and he was a really, really good bed partner. No, Bilbo was well aware he could have it much worse. It was just the dwarf’s nauseating romanticism that nearly caused him to roll his eyes more than once. Thorin gave him a long lingering kiss before he bent forward to press his forehead against Bilbo’s own. Their hands found their way into each other’s naturally interlocking.

“I promise, it won’t always be like this.” Thorin murmured when he finally pulled away, his blue eyes shining brightly.

Like this. The dwarf was so dramatic. It constantly made Bilbo feel like some player performing for the court. Heaving a sigh as he looked down between their conjoined hands.

“We’ve been married for eight months, and two of those have been spent here in Erebor. If your family was going to accept me, they would have done so by now.”

Thorin released his hands so he could lift Bilbo’s chin to look at him.

“Don’t lose faith yet, amrâlimê (my love). I have a plan.”

It was a good thing Bilbo was a talented actor. He laughed, causing Thorin to smile.

“You have a plan? That sounds dangerous.”

“Tease all you want, but I have all the confidence in this plan.”

“Well, out with it. What have you come up with?”

Thorin shook his head teasingly. “You’ll have to wait. I want it to be a surprise.”

Bilbo linked his arms around the dwarf’s neck for leverage as he started showering him with kisses at his jaw, the corner of his mouth, and his throat.

“And I couldn’t persuade you to tell me any sooner?”

“You are cruel, thundanûd (tiny embrace).” Thorin moaned, his hands resting on Bilbo’s arms.

“It’s only cruel if you don’t accept the invitation.” Bilbo teased back as he pulled at the prince’s tunic to allow him access to his collarbone.

Thorin shuddered once with want before finding the strength to pull away. He grasped Bilbo’s hands again as he kissed him deeply as an apology.

“Later. There will be time later. But now...we are having dinner with my family.”

Bilbo’s building fire of lust was immediately doused, a small frown settled on his forehead that Thorin attempted to kiss away. Lovely, the in-laws.

It certainly wasn’t that Bilbo wanted them to like him. He could honestly care less. It was just their dislike of him that made it really difficult for him to do...well, much of anything. Thrain, still mourning the loss of his dead wife, remained suspicious and hardened against Bilbo for the sheer fact that he was a hobbit. Their marriage had yet to be announced to the Council or even the mountain in general. Keeping Bilbo out of the public eye was Thrain’s number one priority which was certainly no hardship. It was Frerin and Dis he had the biggest problems with. Thorin’s brother and sister, ever loyal to him, seemed to think Bilbo wasn’t good enough for the dwarf, and constantly had Balin, the royal advisor, keeping tabs on him. Bilbo was reluctant to admit the dwarf’s keen eyes and sharp wit, but it had taken quite a few of Bilbo’s best moves to lose his tails before entering the secret tunnels.

Therefore, coming together in the Royal Dining Room for “family dinners” was a...stilted affair. There were only two redeeming features to those evenings. One, it was always the best food Bilbo had ever eaten in his life. And two, Thorin’s nephews, Fili and Kili, were not the least bit bothered by him and had some story worth telling that took the edge of him for a little bit at least.

“And then the axe sailed through the air and straight into the boar’s head. So technically, technically we aren’t responsible for the mess in the trophy room.” Kili finished.

“No.” Vili, their father snorted. “Just responsible for startling the poor guard that set off the chain of events.”

“Well how were we supposed to know he was right there?” Fili defended.

Bilbo snorted in spite of himself. “Watch the shadows.”

He immediately tensed after he said it as he waited for the barrage of insults to be hurtled his way.

“Spoken like a true thief.” Dis sneered.

Yep, right on cue.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t corrupt my sons.” She continued.

“Namad…” Thorin warned softly.

Thrain’s hand met the tabletop in a harsh bang. “What have I said about speaking our language in front of the Halfling?!”

Bilbo sighed and turned his attention to his soup as the line of Durin flexed their tempers. Thorin rising to his defense, Dis and Thrain attempting to argue their points louder, Frerin leaving snide quips here and there, and Vili trying and failing to keep the peace. The joy of family dinners.

“Actually, while we’re on this subject, I have something to say.” Thorin demanded, his voice low and regal. “I will be gone the remainder of the week.”

Everyone, including Bilbo, froze and stared up at Thorin in relative confusion and outrage. The prince’s eyes were boring holes straight into his father whose scowl would be enough to frighten wargs off at this point.

“And just where will you be?” The king finally spat.

Thorin reached down for Bilbo’s hand making the hobbit supremely discomforted. Thorin’s eyes were soft and pleading though as they met his.

“We will be taking the Trial of Souls.”

“We’ll be doing what now?” Bilbo questioned.

“Thorin…” Dis murmured at a surprisingly subdued volume, her eyebrows knitted together.

“Finally! A sensible idea!” Frerin declared.

All eyes rested on the brunette as he raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you think? I mean, to put it bluntly, everyone at this table has been trying to convince Thorin out of this marriage in some way. When they don’t emerge from the tunnels together, that would be a pretty good indicator of the truth.”

“We haven’t. We like Bilbo.” Kili reminded softly.

Bilbo shot the troublemakers a quick smile of thanks. They were idiots, but they were sweet. Meanwhile, Thrain was rubbing his beard in thought before nodding once.

“Yes, this will do well. In fact, if you make it through all five chambers, I’ll hold a feast in honor and publically accept your union.”

Thorin nodded, still looking rather cross with his father. “As I’d hoped.”

Bilbo found he couldn’t take it anymore. “Now, wait! Wait just a minute! What is this...Trial of Souls?”

Thorin stared at his father for permission, and the king granted it almost the picture of satisfaction. Being a gambler, it made Bilbo largely nervous as Thorin turned back towards him.

“It’s a series of tests to prove two dwarves...or in our case, a dwarf and a hobbit, are Ones.”

Bilbo’s mouth opened and shut a couple of times, but no words were able to come out.

“Problem, Halfling?” Dis questioned with mock innocence.

“Thorin, a moment if you please.” Bilbo was finally able to say as he pulled his stone-headed husband out into the hall.

“Are you serious?!” He finally rounded on him.

“What?” Thorin questioned.

“Thorin, I…” Bilbo fought for the right words without making this worse. “I don’t understand. What exactly do we have to prove? We’re married. Shouldn’t that be enough?!”

Thorin sighed. “It should. You are correct, ibinê (my gem). But don’t you see? It’s perfect! My family will be satisfied by our success at the Trials, and it’ll be irrefutable evidence to the rest of the mountain if any rose to challenge us. And politics aside, I want this for us.”

“Us?” Bilbo repeated too numb to be completely in control of his mouth.

“Yes!” Thorin nodded eagerly. “Couples that pass the Trials of Souls find they become closer than ever. Our...relationship hasn’t been for very long, and I respect that your past is painful to you, but I want to know you azyungel (love of loves). I want to know everything there is to know about my husband, and share myself in return. What do you say?”

Now being a hardened thief, the hobbit knew a thing or two about how to get out of a seemingly hopeless situation. However, as his mind swirled and swirled around the damnable logic of Thorin’s decision, he found himself becoming dizzy and nauseated. That was it then. Bilbo was doomed. He had just enough time to get out a soft ‘nope’ before he fell over in a dead faint.

#birthdayplotbunnies #bagginshield #thilbo #starterdrabbles #Bilbo would be much happier if his husband would quit trying to love him

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hobbeshalftail3469 · 3 years ago

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Fic Asks and Answers

Thanks for the tag, @lulacat3 and others who suggested

How many works do you have on AO3?

96 apparently!.....[That’s very close to a magic 100 isn’t it!]

What’s your total AO3 word count?

BIG......1,342,149!!!! Ruddy hell!

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

6 in total, I’m classing Strike TV and Cormoran Strike Galbraith as the same one. They are : Strike, as already mentioned; Third Star; The Musketeers 2014; War and Peace TV 2016; The Hour TV and Looking TV. Many have a link to Tom Burke!

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Sanctuary

I am No Bird

I’m Not Barging in

Validation

East as ABC

[all of which happen to be Strike related]

Do you respond to comments, and why or why not?

YES! I always respond, unless the comment is phrased in such a way that I feel I don’t want to engage with it.....very rare! I usually leave a comment on a fic I have read as it is one of the few ways we can share our thanks for the effort authors put into what they share, and I like to at least show that I have read the comment.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oooh, not sure I have ever done an angsty ending! Most of the stories I write have an angsty moment or three thrown in during the actual piece, but I rarely, in fact I cannot think of one, that ends that way.....I like a happy, tied up ending!

Do you write crossovers?

I have done a crossover with Third Star and Strike - which made it a triple Tom Burke fic, because Davy in Third Star and Strike are obviously both Tom Burke, but my Leo character is also based on Athos in Season 3.....so more Tom!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not hate as such. I did have someone who disliked the choices an eighteenth century female made in a fic I wrote; but as they were based in historical choices available to women I didn’t consider it hate - in fact if anything it made me feel really positive because, you know, ‘Go Women!’

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Anyone reading this who knows my stuff will be howling at this!!!

YES! I love writing, and reading, smut. I like to play around with gender and sexuality, so I have various man-on-man gay fics with sex throughout, and also Strike re-written with Robin as male, and Davy from Third Star as a gay character - research when I wrote these, and also my Looking fic, gave me a great insight into the intimacy of same sex relationships; and basically I just love writing a good love story, and sex usually gets involved.

I don’t write non-consensual stuff. I usually like to make sure condoms are part of the whole process.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don’t think so, although I have had an idea for a fic, started writing it only to discover that someone else has had a similar idea at exactly the same time and posted before me.....so I have either benched my idea, or just waited and posted mine a lot later.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not sure. Would be very happy if someone wanted to.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, I wrote Touched By Tom with @lulacat3 and we also wrote a short drabble series together, The Liverpool Drabble Dozen.

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Strike and Robin from Strike I think, so far. But I have read almost everything I can find on Brokeback Mountain [I can’t write that myself yet!] and Looking. And I love Musketeer stuff based on the 2014 TV version.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I have a Leo and Davy one that I have posted one chapter of, years ago.....but I want to finish that one. I also however have an ‘After Leo’ fic started, it is totally heart breaking and is all Davy spiralling and eventually finding meaning after Leo’s death.....not sure anyone else would be interested in it, and writing 70 year old man sex isn’t as much fun as I thought (even if it IS between sexy Callum and Davy!)

What are your writing strengths?

I think I am pretty good at writing in humour, and I love writing drunk dialogue! I discovered that I can quite naturally convert modern language into historically appropriate rhythms when I was writing I am No Bird, If you would Know me at all and Perhaps, which are all historical.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Basics, like tense! I’ll frequently have to go back and rewrite a section because I’m jumped into a different tense. And my spelling is rubbish!

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I have added some key phrases in fics before when it fitted with the story.

I quite like it when I read it in others’ fics, and I always copy and look it up on a translate app.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Strike.....that is what got me started.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Do I really have to pick just one? Because it depends on my mood!

The one I go back to and enjoy re reading the most is Maybe, which is my first Third Star fic and gives Davy an ending that brings him happiness.

The one I enjoyed actually writing the most was I Am No Bird - because I got so many great comments as I went along, and it truly felt like a ‘fandom experience’.

BUT, Sanctuary was the one that I feel the best ‘closure’ on, because it feels like a ‘whole story’ if that makes sense.

However......the one I’m writing now is always my favourite to write!

Please feel free to join in and share your answers, I’m loving reading them all.

#fan fic asks

#fan fic

#fan fic writing

#ask memes

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kd-holloman · 4 years ago

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Writerblr (Re)Introduction

I've seen quite a few writerblrs do some re-introductions posts lately and since I have been pretty inactive for the last four months, I thought I should do one too!

Hello, everyone, I'm K.D. Holloman. I like to read and write a little bit of everything! I'm always looking to make to writer friends, so feel free to reblog, introduce yourselves, and tell me about your WIPs!

I only write one project at time because if I try to do more than that, my brain gets overwhelmed and nothing gets accomplished. With that being said, here are my WIPs (if you would like to read snippets / learn more click on the title). Please let me know if you'd like to be added to any taglists!

The Traveler's Gift

Rating: M for violence, language, crime, etc.

Summary:

Louis Mahoney has always considered his ability to teleport a gift. Amid a battle for power among Chicago's most nefarious mobsters, his "gift" transports him from 1923 to present-day Chicago.

Trapped in an unfamiliar era, Louis learns the mobster scene is still alive and well when he is kidnapped for his superhuman abilities. Just when things look bleak and he's nearly given up hope, he's given a choice. He work for Chicago's most notorious mobster, Rick O'Shea, or die.

After agreeing to work for O'Shea, Louis is forced to bear witness to a true injustice and makes a promise to himself to take O'Shea down for good. However, his plan for revenge is sidetracked when he ends up under the watchful eye of the mobster's most dangerous weapon, a volatile and murderous young man known as The Reaper.

TTG is a 76k speculative fiction novel with LGBT themes. I queried a few agents, but ultimately decided the novel would be too complicated for an agent to market and have decided to self-publish it once it's ready.

Currently, TTG is waiting for me to save up enough money for a cover design and formatting before publishing.

The Reaper's Curse

Rating: M - Violence, language, crime, etc.

Summary:

Slater O'Brien and Louis Mahoney are paired up together with a common goal. They're going to take down Rick O'Shea. The problem is they can't do it alone and after years of making enemies, everyone who could possibly help would rather put Slater in a grave instead of offering extending a helping hand. With his powers on the fritz and backed into a corner with nowhere to run, Slater and Louis agree to work together with an unlikely ally.

Getting the best of O'Shea isn't the only mountain Slater and Louis will have to overcome. Slater is going to have to allow old wounds to heal and open himself up to people from his past, even if he's afraid of putting them in harm's way. Louis will have to come to grips with the terms that he may never return back to 1923 and he may be stuck in the twenty-first century forever.

As you can see, my summary is still a work in progress. TRC stands at 67k in its second draft. I'm hoping to boost that number up about by 10k or so in the future. I started re-writing it a few weeks ago. I basically scrapped my previous drafts and started from the beginning. I'm not plotting this draft. I'm going to see where the story takes me.

Oh, Hell

Rating: T+ - Mild language, violence, blood, scars, demonic and angelic possession, mentions of death, mentions of abuse.

Summary:

The only thing Israfil wanted when he was cast out of Heaven was to have his wings back. Now that he has them, he just wants to be left alone. He makes a few friends and seeks solace in a small college town in the middle of nowhere called Wakefield. Thanks to the help of a few local witches, Israfil is able to hide from his brothers in Heaven if he stays within the towns protective wards. His reclusive life gets a little more interesting when he lets his best friend, Tabbi Depraysie, talk him into attending Wakefield College.

Young witch, Tabbi views college as the start to a life of independence. Though, it’s a little hard to prove she’s ready to blossom as an adult when her Aunt Maggie has her under her watchful–and seemingly all-knowing–eye. When a spell book with the potential to bring Hell to earth goes missing, she’s determined to prove that she isn’t a child any longer.

For as long as she can remember, Nyssa Dean has the voice in her mother from her past-life in her head. It convinces her that Wakefield is the place she needs to be if she wants to be together again. The cost? Learning that fellow freshman, Israfil Jones isn’t who he seems to be and intentionally opening a portal from Hell.

Oh, Hell is an urban fantasy novel with an intended forty-five chapters. I'm still on the first draft and it is currently on hiatus.

#writerblr introduction #the traveler's gift #the reaper's curse #oh hell #writerblr #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing

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elliewan · 4 years ago

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Boom Boom - Behind the Scenes

Hi everyone! As hinted in Chapter 14th notes, here is a (long?) tumblr post for some behind-the-scenes trivia about Boom Boom! I’m sorry it took me some time, but I’ll probably develop my HC for Thermite and Ace in another post :]

So. Here’s a small table of contents for this post. And of course, massive spoilers incoming! haha

Origin of the Title

Chapter and Rhythm building

Thermite’s friendships

Interviews with Harry

IQ/Kali’s background relationship

HC Timeline

In a nutshell

1. Origin of the title

The initial placeholder title was “Norwegian Dynamite”, then “From Texas with Norway”, then… “Boom Boom”. I’m still not happy with the title, but I think it’s good enough. And funfact, it’s kind of a mistake, but not so much. In French, my native language, heartbeat’s onomatopoeia is “Boum Boum”, while I read that in American English (the English I tended to use for my fanfic), it’s supposed to be “Thump Thump” or something like that. But I also read than in most of Norwegian dialects, “Boom Boom” could be understood as a heartbeat too. So anyway, Boom Boom refers both to the beating of their heart and to the explosions of their hard-breaching gadgets. It’s also dual, meaning that each of them is a “Boom” haha And it’s also a cute Mika song about two people being totally in love despite what their families think, and making love everywhere haha (cause in French “Faire crac crac boum boum” [“doing crac crac boom boom”] means “having sex” haha)

2. Chapter and Rhythm building

Unlike most of my fanfics, Boom Boom wasn’t written “as it goes”, I didn’t “discover” the fic while writing it. In fact, I hadn’t contemplated writing a multi-chapter for them until some comments on my Siegetober Ace/Thermite one-shots where people showed interest in the ship and a potential multi-chapter or longer story for them.

So after the Siegetober rush, while I had several wips ongoing, I started working on it. The first blank page was basically: Ace/Thermite – how do they get together for real and a series of bullet points for potential scenes. Then, I opened a PowerPoint file and started filling the following diagram:

Though this is now a bit obsolete, this was the first foundation. Thanks to this diagram, and the several bullet points for potential scenes I had brainstormed, I started building the story in a (ugly) board. Once again, several things are obsolete and I never really updated it – it was more of a working document for the “pre-writing” of the fic, to see if the story really made sense:

And one thing that really didn’t help was Ubisoft releasing the cutscene about Aruni out of nowhere haha. At the beginning, I panicked a bit because I thought it changed several things in my Thermite HC, but it happened to eventually fit quite well and even help adding more drama haha

And once I was ok enough with the board, despite it having several plot holes, I tried to measure the intensity of “love” and “dramatics” to see what kind of rhythm the fic was going to follow and check if I found it entertaining enough:

3. Thermite’s friendships

In the initial draft, Castle had a MAJOR part as Thermite’s best friend. He would help him sort his feelings, see the evolution of his relationship with Ace, and even go to Texas with him to help him face his family. But when re-reading for the umpteenth time Thermite’s file, I realized there was not a single mention of Castle, contrary to Hibana, Twitch and Thatcher. Not to mention Harry’s board where it’s written Thermite has a “sibling” relationship with Ash.

And that’s when everything ticked: Thermite is surrounded by great women. Sisterhood is part of who he is, how he was raised, how he lives. And this is why those women should have a stronger place in the story. So Hibana, Twitch, Aruni and Ash became real sisters to him. Hibana and Aruni being more like the big sisters – they’re reliable, sturdy and coolheaded, they provide him with advice and comfort; Aruni especially is quite similar in temper to his biological sister in my HC. Twitch is more like his same-age sister (though she’s younger), they see eye-to-eye but there’s no authority nor “big sister” feels between them; she’s the confident. As for Ash, she’s more like that distant sibling that has evolved a lot in life to the point where they don’t talk as mush as they used to… but who could move mountains just to get to him if she hears he’s in trouble. This is what I tried to convey :’)

4. Interviews with Harry

Honestly, interviews with Harry were my ultimate cheat code to give more information regarding Ace and Thermite’s psychological statuses, and various hints regarding their mental health. Though I sometimes prefer to bring this sort of nakedness and vulnerability throughout conversations with close friends, it wasn’t very possible here because: 1. Ace had no close friends with whom he could be this vulnerable, and he’s still new at Rainbow. (and he’s not even aware of his coping mechanisms and insecurities) 2. I kind of wanted Thermite to be incredibly good at clouding his issues, changing subjects and rejecting any kind of help, meaning that only Harry could get him to openly talk (or so he thought haha) about his mental health.

As for Harry’s behavior, I tried to render him as this kind of smooth, yet not evasive, therapist. One that wouldn’t be in the judgement, and who could wait whole minutes for the person to take their time to open up, and slowly but gently poking at the aching spots, and providing various resources to help them :)

Also, since in most of his psychological reports he seems to be very aware of friendships at the base, and to push some operators to meet some others, I tried to convey this vibe too. Just like when he says that he finds similarities with Ace, Dokkaebi and Sledge. Or when he offers Thermite to ask Lion and Meghan about their tattoos etc.

Also, here’s a bit of HC on how each of them deals with Harry haha

5. IQ/Kali’s background relationship

I have to admit I may have accidentally mirrored a lot Ace/Thermite’s relationship with IQ/Kali’s. Thing is that I wanted Kali to change too! I wanted her to be this impartial and authoritative bossy businesswoman that would slowly change into someone, though still sharp and arrogant, more human. I wanted Jaimini to show up a bit more. I have given veeery small hints to offer some glimpses at her true self, at what’s behind that mask. For instance, there is that moment in the fic where Ace and Kali argue, and he tells her:

“Jai, you and I both know very well that you didn't take this contract just for the money.”

Which makes Kali pale a lot, because he’s hitting a good nerve. In fact, I kind of headcanon Kali having softened enough around him, throughout their collaboration, to have confided a tiny bit about why she created Nighthaven, and all the frustrations she had grown up with. And thing is, Kali created Nighthaven because she wanted to be a hero too, just like him. She wanted to be at the heart of the battle, to protect people, to save lives, and she dreamed of a soldier life, of self-sacrifice and heroism. She just slid the wrong way, and her childhood dream turned into a private corporation of which she became a ruthless tycoon. Just like Ace, I think things went out of control at some point for her, and she just lose connection to reality and morals.

And the thing with IQ happened quite naturally. At the beginning, once I was okay with the three main squads (especially Alpha and Bravo), the relationship just happened on itself. While Montagne and Twitch were just those lovely and patient sweethearts, IQ was the one that had the hardest time with the Nighthaven folks, whether it were Ace or Kali. Both because she didn’t trust them and their secrecy, and because she has very little patience for people with difficult tempers in general haha

So, Kali being that bossy and defiant puzzle, refusing to let her see Nighthaven’s gadgets’ blueprints, things were just meant to sparkle between them. And Kali just couldn’t resist teasing IQ and reminding her she was untouchable. And through the teasing, the premises of a relationship were born. But unlike Ace/Thermite, I don’t think it followed a Colleagues to Friends to Lovers progression, but more an Enemies straight to Lovers progression haha

So anyway. I wanted to give a little boost to Kali, so that she opens up a bit more with Rainbow, and to bring a truce between Rainbow and Nighthaven’s disputes. And love just happened, once again, to be the perfect last push <3

Another thing that could have helped her would perhaps have been some true challenging from an authority she does respect, but I found it difficult to stage and Kali wasn’t the focus of the fic anyway – perhaps another time ;)

6. HC Timeline

And here is the ugly timeline I worked with haha It’s still probable that there are some inconsistencies, but I tried to avoid them as much as possible and I’m sorry if you find some! I’m horribly bad with figures, years and stuff haha

I used most of the canonical dates, except for Jordan’s mother and sister deceases, which weren’t accurately dated in his biography and which I reinterpreted a bit to fit my story.

Also, isn’t it absolutely lovely that their birthday is only 1 day apart? u_u #ProudPisces!

7. In a nutshell

So, those were my major documents that helped me build the foundations of the fic. What happened next was some drafting and pure writing, following the publishing tempo. I think the gist of what I wanted to convey through the story is still there, even if I reworked some chapters entirely. The journey (and the destination <3) is still the same.

+ I want to once again give a proper shout out to all the wonderful readers of the fanfic, whether they’re anonymous or not! I had never received so much feedback, and so many sweet words on any work before, even back in my time on fanfic.net. I feel so grateful for that, and though I already answered to everyone who commented, and wrote many notes, I still can’t find the way to properly translate just how much it means to me. So once again THANK YOU :’D

And thank you for reading this post too, if you did haha <3

#long post #ace/thermite #iq/kali #writing fanfiction #r6s fanfiction #my hcs #my work

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phoenixrisesoncemore · 4 years ago

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Index Post (updated 11.12.20)

So, I feel like some housekeeping is in order. Hence: an Index Post!

I have this organized into three main categories: Tolkien, The Untamed, and Other (film, art, books, games, life, etc.). Items are ordered from oldest to newest. The number of asterisks indicates length. “[reblog+]” indicates that the original post is not my own, but I added thoughts with a reblog (because I’m bad with Tumblr etiquette). Ultra short pieces are grouped near the bottom of each section.

Post links below the cut.

Additionally! I also have almost 100 in-progress posts in my drafts. I need to finish some, but I think at this point I need some guidance on where to go next, once I finish project 1 and write 3 more prompt ficlets. This is where you come in! I’d like to open my ask box up to reader suggestions on what to work on next. Go to THIS POST for a list of upcoming posts to choose from.

Tolkien Meta

"The Magic Ring” (On my favorite piece at Maker of Middle-earth) *

Reckoning Nothing of Wizardry or War (On my favorite line in LotR) *

Tolkien and the Far Tree (thoughts on Letter #96) *

Whom Morgoth Made (on the first mention of Sauron in the Primary World) *

When the Far Tree Becomes Near [reblog+] *

How to Destroy Your Enemies and Influence People (more Sauron, this time regarding Numenor) **

The Inverted Mountain (On the moment Frodo claims the Ring. Sauron-centric) *

IANAL but... (on Parma Eldalamberon 17) *

Fixation and Attachment Can Lead to Missing Fingers *

J.R.R.T.: A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien *

Sauron’s Canonically Pretty Handwriting [reblog+] *

The Little House of Lost Play **

The Changing Depictions of Sauron in Tolkien Art *

The Whole Damn Thing Is Fallen (The Problem of Evil; also Tolkien) **

The Whole Damn Thing Is Fallen: part 2 (same as above plus cosmology) ***

Ordering Reality (How Sauron and Tolkien were both Conlangers) *

Subcreative Aspects As Split Between the Ainur [reblog+] *

Valie Evolution, Varda and Nienna, and Marian Imagery [reblog+] ***

The Ring of Barahir and Snake Imagery [reblog+] *

Gandalf, Perspective, Humor, and Humility [reblog+] ***

LotR on Prime Tidbits: 1 | 2

25 Year Reread: 1 | 2 | 3

The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling/Mo Dao Zu Shi) Meta

But Whose Deontology? (early thoughts about moral tension between wangxian while first watching The Untamed) ***

Episode 45: Image and the Second Flutist *

Jiang Cheng, Golden Cores, and Goodness [reblog+] **

LWJ and WWX in Love [reblog+] **

Feels, Feels, Feels (thoughts on LWJ, WWX, and The Song) **

WWX, Drinking, and Consent [reblog+] **

Sharing Your Childhood (personal recollections on why WWX showing LWJ around Lotus Pier spears me through the heart) *

It’s a Hard World for Good Things (thoughts on goodness, metaphysics, and epistemology in the world of CQL/MDZS) ***

More About WWX and Image [reblog+] *

Immortal Together? *

CQL and Flowers [reblog+] **

Replacement Scenes [reblog+] *

Oblivious (personal reflections on one of the reasons I identify so much with Wei Wuxian) *

Lotus Seed Pod Bouquet *

How LWJ Got His Broken Leg *

MDZS/CQL RPG Thoughts ***

WWX and Wen Yuan: Orphans in Yiling *

What if Mo Xuanyu knew Wangxian?**

Untamed Tidbits: Episode 46: WWX and JC | Is Benevolence Arrogance | LSZ is a Good Boi | Censorship and Fan Ethics | Emperor’s Smile [reblog+] | MDZS ch99 | Yi City | CQL vs MDZS actors | On the Most Impractical Way of Carrying Your Sword | In Love [reblog+] | LQR Qi-deviates | Villainous Friends | Ethical/Sexual Tension | Lan Clan Principles Swap [reblog+] | Backwards and in Heels | Masks | Voice Actors [reblog+] | An Untamed Carol {reblog+] | CSSR, LQR, Mothers and sons [reblog+] | That Bed Carving [reblog+] | The Undead Are a Fact of Life | LWJ’s Self-branding [reblog+] | Wangxian Lullaby

Untamed/MDZS Art and Fic

50 Kisses Prompt 1 (ficlet)

50 Kisses Prompt 2 (ficlet/portion of larger unfinished 1929 Untamed AU)

50 Kisses Prompt 3 (ficlet)

1929 Untamed AU art: Drawing | WIP color

Drawtober 2020: single post compilation | all posts

Wangxian Lotus picking art: WIP Sketch for painting

Other Stuff About Life and Loves

The Poet of Prague (a short summary of the life and work of my favorite photographer, Joseph Sudek) *

The Five Toys I Never Had (Christmas silliness and nostalgia) **

The New Motive Power (the strangest moment in Spiritualism) **

Wrighting, Writing, and Righting *

In Her Honor (on how my grandmother gave me a precious gift) **

The Magnus Archives ep 116: Automata *

Automata Again *

On Indescribable Wow (thoughts on the moments when the world-machine is exposed) *

The Feast of the Annunciation at 35,000ft (musings on panic disorder, x-men/Phoenix, Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, and the power of stories) ****

Gazing Past The Valacirca: Happy Birthday Hubble **

Tidbits: Portrait of Adele [reblog+] | Things My Husband Has Said to Me: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Met Opera Grumpiness | It’s a Hard World for Little Things | Grosseteste’s De Luce |

#index post #pinned #housekeeping

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kissjane · 4 years ago

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So, uh, @bluronyourradar asked me...

So tell me @kissjane how do you survive under your mountain of wips. I just gotta know your secret.

And I don't really know how serious to get with this but...

I have a notebook with literally like 100 ideas for stories. Some are just a line of dialogue, some are describing a situation in a few lines (kinda like the Private Detective ideas in this post), some are prompts I read or get sent to me, some have a lot of question marks, some have an outline added already.

I don't consider those WIPs.

I have about 10 active documents on my laptop. Once a story idea makes it there I usually have at least some idea of how it might go, if not a plot outline in some shape or form. Those I consider works in progress.

Currently in progress:

- A fic with a jealous!Eliott (which could be (future) canon(ish), my first not definitely an AU for Elu! I'm nervous about that.) - about 70% done, I estimate.

- An Elu fic which currently is categorized as "friends with benefits" although it is really way more complicated than that but I don't want to spoil anything - maybe 60% done?

- Best friends fake dating and Secretly in love fake dating - not very far along

- Idriss for president - really just getting started

- Something about Lucas struggling with a literature class (including a reference to a gay Pride and Prejudice - which clearly points back to this excellent fic by @lepetitepeach ) - coming along nicely but I seem to be somewhat stuck recently

- A Davenzi soul mate fic which I have had going for ages but I worry about certain aspects and can't seem to get past them

- A possible third chapter to this Davenzi story - just a rough outline at this point

The thing is I just don't feel too much pressure because I won't post any of it until it's done (I mean, now the cat is out of the bag I guess). So I can give myself all the time in the world, and when I'm stuck with one I can work on another for a while.

Outlining probably also helps to keep track of what's going on and where stuff is going.

I mean, I'm weird, I guess?

But ask me questions anyway.

#writing #we live for wips #elu #davenzi #fanfiction #weirdness level 11

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bbrandy2002 · 5 years ago

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My Love

My Love Chapter One

A/N: This is a WIP I have held onto since August and never wanted to post it. I was fearful that it was going to be so different (series wise) and the subject matter a little too difficult to read for some. The first few chapters are heavily angsty, but, it does get easier. Just know that if you are on my perma tag list, I do not expect you to read this (I never do with my others, as well), it won’t be for everyone and there will be no hard feelings on my part.

Chapter Warning: Sexual Content, but, I consider it mild and not racy.

The cellphone on Liam’s desk pinged with another message from Riley. He didn’t have to read it to know what she wanted, it would be the same message she sent to him an hour ago and the hours before that: I’m ready, My King.

The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in his office until midnight, working on a mountain of proposals and negotiations, when her six week check up had given her the all clear earlier in the day. She was making it practically unbearable on him with the tantalizing pictures of her bare skin that left little to the imagination. Revealing photos of her savory, voluptuous breast and those red lacy crotchless panties he loves, hidden under a silky robe. Six weeks was an eternity without the intimacy he so craved with her and that pile of paperwork would have to wait until morning.

If he was finished with her by then.

Making love for Liam and Riley was one of the foundations to their nearly one year of marriage. It’s a demonstration of their hunger, their passion and unwavering devotion to one another. It's more than just sex or having a need met...its carnal, its physical, its liberating, and the deepest form of their absolute love. A fact that has been true since their first time in the hedge maze before his coronation, and every instance since.

The act itself for them is as necessary as the air that fills their lungs or the blood that courses through their veins. They needes to join as one body, as one flesh, because she was his life and he was her soul.

Liam shuffled the papers together that were scattered in front of him, straightening them as quickly as he could and tossed them in a folder. He stood from his desk, turned off the lamp, adjusted himself from the engorgement that had returned again and raced out of his office.

He entered his darkened quarters and made his way quietly up the stairs, loosening his tie as he walked softly across the marbled floor, mindful of the sound of each footstep. As much as he wanted to peek in on his infant daughter -- who was sleeping soundly in the nursery across from their bedroom -- the fear of her waking at this very moment was much greater.

The door was just slightly ajar and he could see the flickers of red and orange hues from the fireplace illuminating the bedroom with a small portion of its shimmering light escaping into the hallway. His hand nudged the door open and he walked inside. Hiis heart beat increased steadier and heavier with each second.

Within Liam was a literal craving that only she could satisfy. A flame that only Riley herself could ignite and extinguish at her will. He recalled a time when his father told him she would never be good for him because his love for her made him weak, however, it was her love for him that made him stronger, more exuberant, a better man and king.

As he stepped further inside, he was taken aback by the tiny flickers of candles that resonated from every available solid surface, adding further to the ambiance set by the glow of the fireplace. In all of its beauty, nothing compared to the sight of the woman leaning against the poster of their bed, wearing a red, see-through chemise and a sultry grin; her brown eyes beckoned her husband to come closer.

Liam slipped off his wing tipped shoes with only his feet, slinging them away as he eagerly approached her. “My Love."

Using her backside to push herself away from the wooden poster -- her pupils already fully dilated and lust blown -- she shivered with anticipation of his every touch and his lips on hers. “My King."

He tugged on his loosened tie, pulling it through his collar and wound a portion of each end around his hands. When he finally reached her, Riley’s fragrance lingered in the air and casts an intoxicating spell that he couldn't help but relish in.

“You...you look...insatiable." Liam tossed the tie, still wound around each hand, over her head and moved it down to her waist. He bit his lip as he used the tie to heave her flush against him.

Riley began loosening the buttons of his shirt. “I missed you today." A flirty look danced across her face.

Liam arched his back, savoring each tender kiss she plantes from the newly exposed parts of his flesh. “Let me show you just how much I missed you."

Tossing his tie onto the bed, they each make quick work of the others clothing until nothing but bare skin and flesh remained between them.

As the candlelight flickered and glowed across their naked forms, their eyes gaze at one another, entranced by the beauty and radiant heat that drew them together.

His fingertips graze slowly across her slender shoulders and down to her delicate, silky hands. He turns one of her hands over and traces a heart into the palm. “I love you, Riley." Liam moved lower to crest both of his hands on her rounded hips.

Liam pulled her closer, feeling the fullness of her breast pressed against his pounding chest while her stiff rosy nipples dancing gingerly on him.

Her hands reaches through his arms and around his waist, swaying to a melody only they could hear -- slow and rhythmic, yearning and craving. Their faces nestled affectionately, enjoying the warmth of flesh and desire. He nuzzled into her neck, his lips brushing gently against her sentient skin, nipping and suckling, leaving behind wet trails of his affection. Sweeping across her jaw, tenderly, he sought and found her lips, devouring them and caressing her supple tongue; she was as desperate for him as he is for her.

Hearts raced, eyes pleaded, sexual swells awakened.

Their physical dance rapidly becames more sensual as legs weaken slightly and hips sink and grind passionately together. Tongue’s continued to consume one another as both Liam and Riley find the most sensitive treasures of the other. His large docile fingers became moistened with the extraction of her pleasure, while her small hand stroked and kneaded his hardened and eager shaft.

Riley’s head fell back, wincing and moaning his name in pure ecstasy, “Liam...Liam!” Her body tensed as heat and vigor began to surge throughout, causing him to delve more intently, igniting his increasing desperation and hunger. He pulled her snug against him, one strong arm giving her balance and the other ushering her to the brink of rapture and euphoria.

‘Let go, my love," his smokey voice whispered against her flushed cheek as Riley’s face buried into his broadened chest, gripping the solid muscles of his biceps. When the first cries of her pleasure are released, Liam lifted her chin from his chest so that he could see her soft, brown eyes dance and roll. “Yes, my love, let go for me."

With a feeble whimper, she let go, falling breathlessly into his arms.

Her lust blown orbs soon meet his anxious blue ones, both prepared for the final act: the one in which his body and her body unite as one, taking complete and total possession of the other.

“I need you now, Ri."

“Then take me, Liam."

He lifted her up swiftly. Riley’s legs wrapped firmly around him; her throbbing center aching to accept him.

Liam found her succulent lips again as he spun her around, his hands twisting at the back of her hair, locked in a passionate kiss.

Placing one knee on the edge of the bed, he eased her down; her legs falling open when his hips nudge between them.

It had been over six weeks since he felt her -- since the warmth of her core gripped and coated him so tightly.

As his hips rested snuggly between her legs, he reaches down, grippes his hardened shaft and aligned himself with her. Liam looked down on the face of his wife, a soft sheen of moisture and heat radiating from it. She could not be more beautiful or sensual as she was in that very moment; no one would ever take this woman’s place in his life.

She nodded with an earnest pleading and without any sense of hesitation, he thrust himself into her. Over and over again he entered into her, driving further and more vigorously each time.

“Ahh, Liam, yes!"

Her moans and wails drove him to the edge of no return and he increased the intensity of his thrusts knowing she is close too.

As small beads of sweat collectrd along the defined lines of his back muscles, he gripped both of her wrist that are wrapped tightly around his shoulders and pinned her arms above her head.

Lifting himself up, he now had the levity to plunge even deeper. Riley’s body began to writhe under him and he can sense she is ready to burst. Both of their legs began to tense and an increasing charge of passion and electricity begin to surge. Every part of their bodies started to quake and tingle. Liam gripped her wrists even tighter, feeling her walls flutter around his cock.

He can now release himself.

“Riley!”

With one more forceful drive, he spilled himself into her. “Riley!”

He continued his surge, winding down slower and slower, until he has emptied himself completely.

Liam rested his head on Riley’s shoulder, both of them still reeling from the pleasurable high they just experience.

He turned his head so that his mouth can graze at her ear, still slightly breathless, “I love you.”

Riley nuzzled her cheeks against his mouth, then turned her head to face him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. “I love you too, Liam...I always have...”

“Ans I always will, my love," he finished, kissing her once more.

After cleaning up, they return to the bed they have shared for almost a year and as is routine, she will lay on her right side. He would kiss into her silky, brown hair, and wrap his arms tightly around her. Within minutes, they both driftes off together into a blissful and loving sleep.

The sound of a baby’s cry at 2:30, wakes Liam from his slumber. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he peeks over at Riley, who is still laying on her right side, resting. Knowing she must be exhausted from so many sleepless nights, he rubs his hands over his face and rises from their bed. With Riley breastfeeding, he decided he would get the baby and bring her to their room so she doesn’t have to get up.

“Daddy’s coming baby," he whispers when he walks into the nursery, still slightly groggy from his lack of sleep.

“Hey, Ellie, my girl’, his voice always soft and soothing, lifts his fussy baby from her crib and carries her to the changing table. He sifts through diapers and loosens the buttons on her sleeper, thankful that there were no surprises inside. After changing his daughter, who is expressing her desire to feed, he kisses the top of her downey covered head and walks back into his bedroom.

Bouncing his little girl softly, he sits back down on his side of the bed, and turns his lamp on. “Shhh, its okay, princess, there’s momma”.

“Riley”, he whispers in her direction, still bouncing and soothing Ellie’s little cries.

He waits a moment, surprised she hasn’t yet stirred from the baby’s noises.

“Riley”, he calls again, “my love, Ellie’s ready for her feeding...aren’t you my girl”.

Liam shift’s the baby into the crook of one arm and reaches over to his wife with the other. “Riley, Love, we need you to get up”, he taps on her exposed arm.

“Sweetheart?”, he begins to nudge at her a little more deeply.

When she doesn’t move, his heart starts to race, unsure if she is just completely exhausted, having complained about it more and more the past few days, or if its something more.

He grabs her arm and rolls her onto her back, “Riley, are you...okay?”

“OH GOD!”, he yells, adjusting pillows on the bed to make a barrier so that he could lay Ellie down.

He climbs over her in a complete panicky state and begins to shake Riley, whose normal olive toned face is pale white; her body limp with each movement.

He leans over and places his ear on her chest, begging and pleading for any sign of air entering or movement.

When nothing is heard, he pushes an emergency button that is on the corner of each of their night tables, alerting the guards to the distress.

Placing his trembling hands on her chest, he begins compressions, not exactly sure of what he was doing, but, desperate to try anything, “Please breathe, my love...take a breath, damn it”.

Continuing to compress, stop momentarily to administer two quick breaths, “Where the fuck are the guards at!”.

Time stood completely still, almost playing in slow motion. Each passing second was an agonizing terror for him.

Still working steadfastly and focused, he was unaware of the hoards of guards that sprang up on him, jolting him from his concentration.

“Please help her, she...she’s not breathing...Riley…” he trailed breathlessly, grief stricken and sobbing as he moved out of the way to allow the guards, who were medically trained, to take over.

Bastien appeared out of the corner of his eye and Liam stumbled over to him, clutching and clawing at his head guards shirt, “Bastien...you have to help her...please bring her back...I can’t...I can’t..”.

“It’s okay, your majesty”, he gripped onto Liam, trying to calm his erratic behavior, “I will have a life flight crew brought in right away”. Bastien held onto Liam and walked him to his side of the bed, where Ellie was still crying and inched him down beside her.

Liam watched with uncertainty as the guards removed Riley from the bed and placed her on the floor to get a more solid surface to perform CPR. In that moment, he felt dizzy and nauseous, impatient for her to wake up and flash that bright smile that makes him weak in the knees.

He remembers the first time he saw that smile...New York. On a whirlwind bachelor party thrown by his friends, he crept up on her while she was taking their order. After tapping her on the shoulder, attempting to take his seat, there it was. Not only that bright smile, but, those alluring, spirited, brown eyes; he was hers before she ever muttered a word to him.

If Liam wasn’t already captivated by her beauty, perhaps her giving, spunky, throw caution to the wind, personality would have been plenty sufficient in his eyes. She is ready for any challenge, any risk; even one that included placing her life on hold to follow a prince to a country she had never heard of in hopes of getting to know him better. He loved her from the moment she tagged him in that maze following the Masquerade Ball; over time that loved increased a million times over.

Liam was torn from his thoughts, when Miss Talbert, the Queen’s personal assistant, stepped up to him offering to care for Ellie, having been summoned by Bastien. Still in a fog, he lifted his infant daughter from the bed, kissing her cheek, “Mommy’s going to be fine, sweet pea. I’ll come and get you in a little while”. He handed Ellie off and quickly rounded to the opposite side of the bed, where his wife was still being assisted; more guards entering to aid in her recovery.

“Bastien, where the hell is the life flight?”.

“ETA is two minutes, your majesty”.

“That’s two fucking minutes too long...I want them here now, that’s an order!”

“Yes, sir”.

#the royal heir #trr #liam x riley #liam x mc #king liam #choices fanfiction #mc death

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