#that always sounds like camilla-core

[createacamillahect]

exes cam and corona

[viranellee]

do i shoot straight (or do i cheat fate?)

synopsis: jealousy is a good look on eddie.

warnings: smut, unprotected sex (reader is on the pill), dirty talk, swearing

a/n: i need him.

---

"Who the fuck is that?" Eddie questions, thinly veiled fury laced within his words, and despite having your back turned, you can probably guess they're spoken through gritted teeth.

The fact that he had practically dragged you to the kitchen, as well as his hostile tone, makes you heave out a sigh, but admittedly, seeing another guy's arm around your girlfriend's waist is an understandable cause for concern. Swallowing your fears, you nervously adjust your hair and turn around to face Eddie, ready to tell him the news that had you avoiding him these past few weeks.

"My fake boyfriend. Label said I'll have to keep him around for a while, it would be beneficial to my public image or whatever, especially with the new single coming out." You start, the darkness of the quiet kitchen hiding Eddie's expression, the only source of noise being the loud, drunken hollering and cheering of The Six behind the closed door. "It's all fake. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I just...I just didn't know how to tell you. You know I hate this just as much as you do."

You step forward, shyly reaching out and intertwining your fingers with his. For a moment, you think he won't forgive you, that he'd drop your hands and tell you that he just can't keep up with all your famous pop singer bullshit anymore. Instead, he proves you wrong, like he always does, and pulls you forward by your intertwined hands until your foreheads touch. He sighs, anger washed away by your explanation, but tension in his shoulders still very much present.

"Is this why you've been avoiding me? Jesus, you made me go crazy. For a second there, I thought it was over when I saw you with that blonde douchebag. Don't ever do that again." Eddie murmurs and you smile slightly, shaking your head.

"Noted. I'm sorry, again." You reply and he kisses your forehead, accepting your apology.

"I want us to go public." Eddie declares after a beat of peaceful silence, looking at you right in the eyes, speaking with the hard resolution of someone who's saying something that's been on their mind for a long time. "I don't want to hide anymore. I want to write songs about you, and I want you to write songs about me, and have everybody know we wrote them for each other. I don't want to love you in secret like this anymore."

Your eyes soften at his confession and you kiss him tenderly, putting every single ounce of your love into it, hoping he'd understand that you feel the same way. He leans into it, hands grabbing your waist and pulling your body against his.

"Y'know, the entire band probably knows we're an item already. I mean, we don't exactly try to hide it around them." You joke when you break apart for air, a trail of spit connecting you and Eddie's lips.

He chuckles, pupils dilated as he gazes at it, and starts to slowly corner you against Billy and Camilla's fridge.

"They do. But how about we make things clear for that boyfriend of yours too, yeah?" He whispers and you swallow when his thumb reaches out and slowly pulls your bottom lip down. You tune out the sounds coming from the other room the longer you look at him.

"Jump, baby." Eddie commands and you immediately do so, wrapping your legs around his hips and burying your hands in his hair, while he grips your ass, fully pressing you against the fridge.

He kisses you then, previous tenderness replaced with predatory hunger, as he bites and licks his way into your mouth. You let out a helpless moan, involuntarily dragging yourself across his hard-on, the feel of it on your core making you gasp.

"You're already hard?" You question in disbelief, slightly pulling away from him, eyebrows raised so high they almost reach your hairline.

He licks his lips while you speak, looking inconvenienced at your interruption.

"Been hard like a rock since I saw you in that dress, sweetheart, you just didn't see it. Too focused on your boyfriend, probably." He teases without any actual malice, but before you get the chance to scoff and tell him to fuck off, he's already kissing his way down your neck.

You can only sit there, lost in a haze of enjoyment, as he frantically drags your dress up your thighs, continuing to pepper kisses on your collarbones and cleavage. Once your dress is finally out of the way, he doesn't waste any time and cups your cunt in one large hand, making you shiver, while he drags his thumb across the wet spot of your panties.

"Is this all for me?" He asks, knowing the answer already but wanting to enjoy the satisfaction of hearing you say it.

"It's always for you." The words roll off your tongue, an unabashed truth, and he rewards you for it by pulling off your panties - but instead of dropping them on the floor, he decides to shove them in the pocket of his jeans.

His movements are quick, but you see all of it, and hit his back with your leg as a form of protest. Eddie squeezes your hips in return, stilling you immediately, but offering no explanation, only dragging his thumb across your slick entrance, eyes intently focused on it.

"Eddie, why the hell did you do tha- oh, shit." You start just as two of his fingers glide inside of you, and his thumb starts rubbing your clit in circles.

Your back arches at the feeling of his fingers pistoning in and out, as you completely disregard what you were going to say. Eddie answers anyway.

"Want my cum to be leaking out of you after this." He tells you like it's obvious, and the idea is so erotic it makes you whimper, your warm head falling back against the cold metal of the fridge.

You take a look at Eddie, not nearly as messy as you, a perfect picture of composure and self-control, and feel as if you have to rectify it. After all, you can't be the only one moaning and panting.

You grab the collars of his jacket and lean in to whisper in his ear, just as he delivers yet another precise thrust to your G-spot and another wave of pleasure hits you.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, if you don't put your cock in me right this second, I just might have to call my boyfriend." You tempt, tracing the shell of his ear with your tongue, and he catches the bait, anger coming back with a vengeance.

Suddenly, his fingers are being pulled out and the metallic clink of his belt echoes throughout every crevice in the room. Before you know it, you feel the head of his cock against your entrance and he enters you impatiently, your mouth opening in a silent scream before he catches it in a passionate kiss.

You think he's going to start out slow like usual, savouring the feel of you around him. But it seems that he has different plans for you tonight.

You groan out his name as he instead begins to pound into you mercilessly, and all you can do is hold on for dear life.

"Yeah, baby, take my fuckin' cock, just like that. Shit, I missed this tight little pussy. Missed you." He groans in your ear, alternating between kissing your neck, shoulder and jaw, the contrast between his tender touch, filthy words and brutal pace rolling your eyes back with sheer pleasure.

His thrusts move in tandem with your moans as your body slackens in his grip, letting yourself feel every single delicious inch of him inside you. Your shaking hand moves downward in an attempt to relieve your throbbing clit, but Eddie slaps it away, replacing it with his own.

"So fuckin' pretty when you're like this, sweetheart, dumb on cock. I'm the only one that gets to have you like this, yeah?" Eddie asks, voice hoarse, rubbing your clit just the way you like it.

"Yes, fuck yes, yes, yes, yes, Eddie!" You gasp out, partly as a response and partly as a plea for him to keep fucking you silly like this.

He gently slaps your clit, a satisfied smirk pulling at the corners of his lips, as he reaches forward to suck on your earlobe, and you barely have time to yelp when his pace quickens even more. The sound of skin slapping against skin is so painfully loud in the dark kitchen it makes you briefly wonder if his bandmates in the other room have already heard you, but as if reading your thoughts, Eddie speaks again.

"Let them hear what I'm doing to you, how much you love this cock. My pretty girl." He tells you, pulling out and lightly slapping your clit with the head of his cock, a gesture so uncharacteristically possessive of him, it makes you clench around nothing.

Nodding helplessly, you move your hips around in an attempt to communicate how much you want his cock back inside, and he complies, resuming his punishing pace the moment he re-enters you. You cry out, walls gripping him like a vice, nails dragging against his clothed back. He groans at the combined sensation and kisses you so hard your teeth clank against each other.

"Eds, I'm going to-" You're cut off as his cock delivers yet another precise thrust. But you don't need to finish your sentence, if the understanding glint in his eyes is any indication. He moves you around before you have any time to process what's happening and you're suddenly being laid on the countertop - face down, ass up - and he enters you just as his hand buries itself in your hair, yanking, but not enough to hurt, as you feel your whole body being manhandled upright, your back pressed against his chest.

Your blurry eyes catch sight of the kitchen entrance, and it clicks, just as you feel your climax take hold - anyone could walk in right now and see you getting fucked like a whore by Eddie Roundtree himself, bent over the countertop.

And that's exactly what Eddie wants.

"Cum for me, baby, c'mon. Let go for me." He urges behind you, panting due to his own impending orgasm, and you do just that. As your ears start ringing and your vision turns white, you can briefly recognize his voice coaxing you through it. You lean your head against his shoulder when you feel him follow shortly after, releasing inside of you.

The kitchen is comfortingly quiet as both of you calm down from your respective orgasms. Eddie presses kisses at the back of your head, a silent apology for his slightly rough treatment, and you turn your head, kissing his cheek in return.

You're about to tell him that you love him when the kitchen door opens and your fake boyfriend Anthony (or was it Aaron?) appears at the threshold, eyes widening in shock as he takes in the sight in front of him. You avert your eyes down in embarrassment, but Eddie moves his hand towards him in a shooing gesture, a toothy smile on his face that only emerges when he knows he's being a prick and loving it.

"Do you mind? Me and my girl were having a moment."

The guy nods shakily and leaves, the look on his face so bewildered it almost makes you feel bad.

"Eddie..." You sigh and he laughs, prideful, the sound of his uninhibited laughter making butterflies flutter in your stomach. "That was so unnecessary."

"I know. I don't really care, though."

[bookscandlesnbts]

Let’s Talk About Muse!

We have quite a bit of promo so far for Jimin’s second solo album Muse and it’s all very exciting! Half of the promo will drop when I am actually in Japan and Korea which is interesting!! So let’s talk about what we already know.

The crossword puzzle was so cute and so Jimin coded, and I must say, the graphics designer for this album has gotten the lead out because everything looks amazing so far. The tteobokki by JK had me grinning and giggling and kicking my feet. Like others pointed out, it was completely unnecessary for the rest of the puzzle, but we love Jimin showing off his man. His MTBI answer being cute sent me and I personally loved it because MTBI isn’t even “real” so to speak so to not put stock into it and just say cute was so Jimin.

Now let’s talk tracks! I think the pre release track sounds very interesting maybe SMFPT2 coded but less dark? is what we can expect the sound to be like. It supposed to be big and theatrical again with marching band production which I love. The rest of the songs seems lovey-dovey and happy. Not going to lie, I’m usually sad girl core when it comes to music, but if the lyrics are Jikook coded (which I think they will be) I could be down for some upbeat romantic songs. And if the hints of snow, you know what I like, and rain have anything to say about that, then yeah I think it’s safe to expect some Jikook references in the lyrics. Of course, the second a “she/her” pronoun appears every y/n homophobic stan will come out from the wood works to scream I told you Jimin is straight!! Please. 🙄

Now for one last thing I want to mention, which may be unpopular as I’ve already gotten doxxed on social media for stating my opinion about the Sofia Carson collab, which sorry to say but I’m very meh about it. I honestly had no idea who she was and before yall scream at me about some movie she was in, I don’t watch movies. I’m not a movie person. I’m a book person. And if she’s so well known for movies why a musical collab? So, I looked her up on Spotify and played a few songs. And I have to say, her voice is not for me. She has a heavy vocal fry (the kind I don’t like reminded me of Camilla Cabello) so I’m just unenthused about the collab tbh. If it had to be a female artist, I wish it would have been someone else. But the second I say I don’t like her voice, 10 people are commenting that they LOVE her. Do you? Show me any other time you have paid any interest in her career and supported her until now. Be serious. It’s the kind of thing that has always irritated me with this fandom. The way everyone always has to overcompensate when a female artist is featured. I would bet my left fake tit that yall aren’t even girls girls in real life. Not everything has to excite me. Not every voice has to be for me. And half the reason these people even hype up women features is because they see women as tools to ship their favs with so they can be straight. Not very empowering if you ask me, but sure I’m the problem.

If I had to pick tracks I’m most excited about it would be the pre release track, the title track, and probably Be Mine. And last thing I’ll say is that I don’t think that Jimin will have a hidden track this time as cool as it would be. FACE having six tracks and a hidden one to make 7 made perfect sense. Since this album already has 7 tracks (BTS coded again) I don’t think an 8th one is in the cards, but I could be wrong.

I also hope we get more photocards. I want alllllll the blonde Jimin photocards. So I’ll be on the lookout for luck draws and other POBs. All in all, the album drops when I come back from my trip so I can enjoy it without the stress of traveling.

[barnbridges]

7, 19, 25 for Henry 👁️

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I hate when the fandom cuts away from that henry looks weird and sounds weird. That he is a quiet guy who goes by unseen, until you realize everyone on campus has a "Henry Story" and he IS weird. Also when certain types of writing water down his less desirable (read as: autistic) traits such as having a specific walk, being canonically basically blind, shopping at 80s whole foods... that stuff. Another big one for me is saying that henry isn't "good" enough at greek, that oh he said something wrong. I really don't care and say whatever you will about charles or richard's capacity at greek, but henry knew greek and was passionate about it. trying to say he was not is like, fully missing the point.

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

I don't dislike the canon relationship itself, but I hate the fandom perception of henry and julian. I like reading the book, I think some people take it TOO literally for my liking (and I am a very literal reader, mind you.)

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

When I first read the book I asked my girlfriend who recommended it to me if the twist is that henry is inside richard's head lol I genuinely thought it was a tyler durden situation because of the way he is a culmination of all of richard's insecurities and desires taken into basically an oc that is a better version of himself who totally banged camilla and seems to do what richard always wanted to do and know what richard wants to know. i have often debated if henry is real. Since these days... I'm working on a more cohesive idea, that centers around the core concept that henry is well... the devil lol. Et in Arcadia as they say. This will be published when I find my thoughts and put them in a more literally cohesive form, but I do think henry is meant to be the literal devil in a personified form and that's the point of the final sequence and of richard being saved from the warehouse and the car and that bunny refuses to say the word devil ever, but mr corcoran just calls him that once and he shows up lol but that is cooking, lol.

[armatization-a]

❝ easy for you to say. i’m the one getting beat all the time. ❞ ft. Selena losing yet another game to Leo lol (or any scenario that comes to mind)

[ too lazy to meme hunt ngl ; always accepting ]

Their forces were being decimated by Hoshido. Risks were necessary, yes. But not like this.

Leo could lie. He could say that he only cared because Camilla would kill him if she found out he had gotten Selena killed. That was part of it, but not the full story. He felt personally responsible if something happened to her, of course. But, at the core of it all, he did care about her. She wasn't just his sister's retainer, she was a friend.

Not that he'd tell her that. He couldn't find the words to say it, not without sounding odd.

"You're 'getting beat all the time' because you're reckless." He pressed his lips into a thin line. They were fighting a losing battle, and they all knew it. Stubborn Nohrians that they all were, they weren't going to back down. Not now.

"You are always like this. You never think before you act. Yes, I recognise that I do stand behind as a strategist, but someone in this army must have a thought in their head for those among us who don't."

[milky-aeons]

— SHAMELESS

౨ৎ . . . there is a collection of ways in which you and general CHUUYA NAKAHARA push each other over the edge.

warnings: sexual content, swearing, criminal themes, pet-names, slight possessiveness, love biting, female reader, mdni, w.c 1.3k

♪ . . . ˗ˏˋ ꒰ shameless — camilla cabello ꒱ ˎˊ-

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀, who was an exhilarating powerhouse of a lover. There was never really a night where you could gauge what mood the stout General was in; whether he would show up in your bedroom like a tumultuous whirlwind, intent on rending your clothes to shreds along with your sanity, or lift you sweetly into his arms and place tender kisses on every inch of skin he could access.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀, on those nights where he was rabid for you — desperate for your touch, your skin, your voice gasping in his ear. He would have you laying on your back against his expensive satin sheets, legs splayed wide open to accommodate him. He'd growl out praises between clenched teeth, telling you how good you felt, and that you were his, fuckin' his, nobody else's. All his.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐘𝐎𝐔, who ran her fingers against the bites he would always leave, littered across your skin, in the bathroom mirror the very next day. Who loved the feeling of his almost-too sharp fangs gliding across your neck, setting your nerves alight, your flesh pebbling. And when he found that sensitive spot and bit down — how you would sing. Bowing up off the bed into him, letting him catch you by the small of your back and hold you tight until he was done.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀, who had a great thing for your breasts. They were his favourite area to lave with kisses and nips while he pumped into you. Or when you switched positions to have him beneath, he would clasp his leather gloves around them and knead. He simply adored when you keened for him and bent backwards, pushing your tight nipples further into his touch, begging him silently to don't stop, to never stop.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐘𝐎𝐔, who loved to sit him at his desk after a long day and pull his pants down, freeing the length of him, only to take it deep into your mouth. Nestled between his open legs, you'd feel how he would glide his fingers into your hair and wind it around his fist. How he would knock his head back and thrust into your mouth, how he would groan. He would pant a litany of incoherent encouragement; such a good girl for me, takin' me all in. Ah, fuck me, you're perfect. Your lips are so fuckin' perfect wrapped around my cock like that, baby.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀, who may have been slight and short, yet housed such powerful strength in his body. He would never use Gravitational Manipulation when you spent time like this — lest he lost control, lost himself and caught you in the cross fire. Yet without it, Chuuya had little issues hoisting you up in his arms and pinning you to the wall. He would hold you up solely by the underside of your shaking thighs, loving how spread it made you for him, how good you felt when you clung to his shoulders and scraped down his flexing back muscles.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐘𝐎𝐔, who never got used to that intoxicating scent of his. A heady mix of expensive high-end cologne and cigarette smoke. When you buried your head into the crook of his neck as you climaxed, that was all you knew — the comforting notes of him. Whenever he would pass you in the halls of the Port Mafia to attend more innocent business, you could not help but catch the same scent of him, and feel the way your core pulsed at the memories of having it so close.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐘𝐎𝐔, who adored his wild head of red curls. Always kept concealed from view underneath his fedora, you made sure to have your fill by sinking your hands into it while his head was between your thighs. It was so soft, so thick, it would be your anchor while he licked you shamelessly. He made sure to lick and suckle at every spot he could reach. And the sounds, how wet and fast his tongue worked, when he moaned and let it vibrate against your flesh, would make you grip into his hair tighter. Until you smashed through your pleasure and began seeing stars.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀, who enjoyed stripping you bare equally as much as he enjoyed quick, frantic sex when he had fifteen minutes before a board meeting in his office. Your skirt hitched up and bunched at your hips as he'd drive into you against his desk, rattling the pens and papers and other very expensive memorabilia. How you would clasp your hand across your mouth to stop from moaning, clinging to the back of his neck with the other. How he would smash your mouths together in a wild kiss that stole both your breaths and drowned out any sounds.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀, who was always vocal, always leaning in to whisper against your skin or in your ear:

"You're so wet, baby girl. It's only been a coupl'a days — need me so fuckin' much, huh? Need me so bad." "Oh — you feel so good. So tight, taking me all in, stretchin' for me." "You like it here, don't ya? I know ya do." "Come over here and sit on my lap, pretty girl."

: ̗̀➛ 𝐘𝐎𝐔, who needed to feel close to him afterwards. He was always tender in that rough, standoffish way the General had about him. Would always bring you a soft damp cloth to clean you up afterwards, murmuring I've made some mess of ya, lemme clean ya up. Chuuya would fold you against his broad chest and stay with you, at least until you dozed off, until he could gently untangle from you and place you back into bed.

: ̗̀➛ 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐔𝐘𝐀, who, even though he never could properly show it, would brush your hair up and place a soft, lingering kiss to your head before leaving and murmur;

"You're perfect. Don't ya ever disappear on me."

: ̗̀➛ 𝐘𝐎𝐔, who would catch his leather-gloved hand before he turned away, and whisper right back;

"Would never even dream of it."

[pathofemblems]

Ship bias Hapi and Beruka please!

✶ @blairscorned › send ❛ ship bias ❜ & i will share up to 5 ships i have a bias for for my muse!

somehow, this ask made me think hapi/beruka could be a thing if beruka was in fe3h… （´・｀ ）♡

◦ hapi ›

01.) hubert — similar to yuri, i also shipped hapi with hubert before i even shipped her with any of the ashen wolves, like a day after the cindered shadows dlc dropped. i think hapi finds his spookiness dumb in a charming kind of way, and i felt from the get-go like he’d be obsessed with trying to help her either get rid of the sighing spell or use it to her advantage. three hopes expanded on him wanting her to sigh more in combat because he thought it’s what she wanted, and he respected her decision not to, like the gentleman he is. also, coffee parties.

02.) yuri — i mentioned it in another ask about yuri’s ships, but their dynamic felt the most natural among the ashen wolves for me. a true friends-to-lovers dynamic that really clicked well and was satisfying.

03.) constance — they’re so stupid funny together, i love how they’re just always thinking of each other and hanging out in their free time. ugh, and the way coco just stands up for hapi to other nobles! it’s swoon-worthy, it’s beautiful, and obviously hapi would ruin anyone’s day if they messed with her coco. i do think they’d be prone to petty arguments, but that’s kind of fun, since they sound more like an old, bickering couple.

04.) hilda — i have no idea where this one came from, but i always liked the idea of the both of them immediately being interested in one another after balthus introduces them. the banter would be cute, and hilda fawning over dressing up hapi in pretty outfits is a super adorable thought.

05.) marianne — she believes she’s cursed, hapi actually is cursed, and it’s related to demonic beasts. there’s something soft and cathartic, and maybe a little tragic about the two of them together.

◦ beruka ›

01.) camilla — words cannot express how much i love these two together. the fact that beruka was assigned to kill camilla, but failed her mission simply because camilla asked her to work for her instead… shut up, it’s love! as asocial as beruka is, she does genuinely come to love and respect camilla, and it’s evident camilla feels the same, regardless of if those feelings are familial, platonic, or romantic.

02.) oboro — it’s hard to get the full extent of how tragic their connection is in their supports, but i imagine it must’ve taken so much more resolve for oboro to forgive beruka after her parents assassination, and for the two of them to build up an actual trusting friendship that could lead to something more. slowburn at its core, i love it.

03.) laslow — beruka? falling for laslow’s skirt-chasing shenanigans? still not very likely, but them slowly falling for each other while beruka was stalking someone and laslow interrupted each attempt with date suggestions is golden. top tier romantic-comedy material. i’d watch it if it was a movie, and i usually don’t like rom-coms!

04.) niles — he’s a fucking slime ball, but i do think he actually cared about beruka, and vice versa. they’d make each other worse instead of better, both intentionally and unintentionally, but it really just works so well.

05.) peri — another example of a duo who make each other worse instead of better, but somehow, i think their childhood traumas would bring them close. and i love the contrast of how stoic beruka is versus peri just being batshit insane. they’d be the most adorable pair of girlfriends.

[camillafanfiction]

A moment in history

Camilla stared into nowhere, her eyes glittering like diamonds. The tears had come once she had realised what had happened. The unavoidable, the unspeakable, the unbelievable. The one thing that had changed her life forever - in a way that her life had never changed before. She had to be strong, she had to keep a stiff British upper lip. She had to get on with it - a mantra she had accepted and followed quite early in life and which had helped her through all different and difficult situations. 

Her mother-in-law, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was gone - dead. 

It just couldn’t be. She was lost for words, her mind swirling. It wasn’t right. 

Of course, it didn’t come as a surprise, but somehow deep down her, she had hoped that her husband’s mother was immortal, that she would be forever, that she would outlive them all. But of course, she was as human as the rest of the world - though it was sometimes hard to believe. Since The Duke of Edinburgh had passed away almost a year and a half ago now, Her Majesty's health, mentally as well as physically, had had ups and downs, though the downs had been more and more and more…

Death hadn’t been quiet, it had been loud and fussy, full of noises and discussions. Camilla had lost loved ones before. First, her mother - at the most terrible time - , then many years later, her father, and eight years ago her brother - his death still felt surreal. Death had been quiet with all of them, almost silent. The Queen’s death itself had been quiet and peaceful - she had been surrounded by her loved ones, her son and daughter. Her two out of four children who had been seeing her becoming Queen had now been the last two people to see her leaving the world as a true Queen. It was as sad as beautiful. But the fuss that was ‘normal’ when a monarch died shook her to the core.

She wasn’t sure how she would be able to face all the things that were now coming. She had always dreaded that moment, always hoped it would never come. 

Her husband was the new king. She was his queen. 

She had curtsied to her husband, kissed his hand and whispered “God save the King!”, before she got up and wrapped her arms around her husband. This was the moment he had trained for 70 years of his life. Yet, it was the most surreal moment she could ever imagine.

“Camilla?”, her husband’s voice sounded soft and stirred her out of her thoughts. It had been hours since the Queen had passed away, endless meetings and consultations had been going on - Camilla wasn’t sure if she still existed in time and space. She had been glad she had found a minute for herself to let it all sink in.

“Darling”, she replied softly, her face dark, fighting back the tears. 

“Oh sush!”, he whispered, leaning down to her and kissing a tear away from her face. She was so pretty even though her face was full of sorrow. To see her like that made his heart ache - his pain was nothing compared to seeing the love of his life like that. “We’re in this together, my darling. There’s no need to worry.” He smiled at her bravely, fighting back his own tears.

Camilla managed a crooked smile. She loved him. Her husband, her hero, her king. “I should be the one supporting you…”, she replied, wrapping her arms around him to feel him close to her.

Charles shook his head, only a slight movement. “You have done more for me than I could ever have asked for, my love. You’ve always been my rock. To have you here with me, right at my side, means the world to me. You know, that’s all that I want: just you and me, always. ” He placed a soft kiss on her cheek, then pulled away to look into her eyes. “I could never do this without you.” Charles bent forward and Camilla felt another gentle kiss - this time on her lips. “I love you, they cannot take it.”

Camilla looked up, right into her husband's eyes. “I promise to stand by your side and make you a stronger person, even if it takes all the strength I’ve got.” It was a promise she had given him before, a promise she had always kept, a promise that she would stick to, no matter what the future held for them.

[vgbellylover]

World of Belly - Chapter One

The first chapter of a story I'm writing based on a Fire Emblem Heroes RP I'm currently doing with someone. Unlike some other pieces I'm working on, this one took less than a day to write. Quite a bit of the dialog was pulled directly from the rp and all in all, I think it turned out rather well.

Send me your favorite part I wanna know.

Chapter One

Kiana, the Askrian Hero Summoner, sat at her desk in the palace, reading a thick book of powerful spells. Her window was open as the sunset, filling her room with the amber tones of twilight. 

There was a light knock on the heavy wooden door. The summoner answered and the door cracked open. It was Camilla, the Nohrian princess. "Kiana, honey, have you eaten yet? Overexerting yourself won't do you any good. Come, take a break."

Kiana shook her head. "Not yet. Let me finish this chapter." She turned back to her book. She had only just started a new chapter. 

The princess stepped into the room and walked to the desk. "Now, that won't do," she said, taking the book from the young woman's hands and closing it. "You need to keep up your strength. We need you and you won't be any help if you're too exhausted to stand up. Now, come." She took hold of the summoner's upper arm, hauled her to her feet, and led her out of the room towards the dining hall.

Glancing back at her desk, Kiana struggled to get free, but Camilla's grip was firm. "But... my studies..." 

"They're not going anywhere, honey. You can go back to them later." They soon arrived at the dining hall and found a couple of open seats among some of the more prominent members of the order: Marth, Ike, Corrin, Byleth, and others were talking and laughing amongst themselves at a table overflowing with food. Camilla pushed the summoner into the open chair next to the Radiant Hero, then took her own.

"Where have you been? We were worried about you." The hero finished the turkey leg in his hand, dropped the bare bone onto his plate, and patted his belly in satisfaction. His shirt was stretched tight across his gut, which churned loudly as it worked on its cargo.

Kiana stammered out an apology, a little intimidated by the Hero's presence. "S-s-sorry, I've been b-busy with my studies l-lately."

Ike laughed. "There's no need to be so nervous. I'm not gonna hurt you, but geez, you're just like Soren. Always with your nose stuck in a book." She responded by sticking her tongue out at him. He smirked at her and leaned forward to refill his plate, dropping a few bits and pieces into the young woman's. "Eat up. You're so small." 

Sighing, the summoner picked up a bright red apple and bit into it. Camilla watched her, engaging in idle conversation with those around her when Ike, who had just downed another tankard of ale, belched loudly.

"Ike," Marth said, exasperated, "that's disgusting." 

Several in the vicinity laughed. Corrin and Byleth seemed to disagree, with Corrin suggesting it was sexy. Byleth, her eyes occasionally flicking down to his stomach, was staring at the legend, a light blush across her cheeks. He smirked at the young royal. "Sounds like you're outnumbered, princeling." 

Kiana finished her apple, placed the core on her plate, and reached for a dinner roll.

Marth sighed. "I've asked you not to call me that."

"Yeah, and I told you that I'll stop when you beat me."

The summoner inhaled sharply, nearly choking on the bite she had just taken. She coughed, pounding her chest. The others at the table turned to her, concerned. "You okay? I've found it's not a good idea to inhale your food. It goes in your belly, not your lungs."

She hacked up the food that had caught in her throat and was breathing heavily. "I'm f-fine, I just..." she swallowed hard, "w-what you said simply s-shocked me..." 

The hero blinked. "What was said that was so startling?"

"I'd... rather not say..." she mumbled, looking away.

"Is it that I've kicked Marth's ass? More than once?" 

"That shouldn't be surprising, Kiana," Camilla said. "you know he's one of the most powerful heroes here."

The summoner flushed. "In my defense... I d-didn't even know you would f-fight each other..."

"It's training, not fighting," Byleth said from the other side of the table. "There's a difference. It improves skills and teamwork, and gives insight into allies' strengths and weaknesses."

"And since Ike is so good, a lot of swordsmen to spar with him." The young Altean prince glanced at the Radiant Hero, who was still smiling, then closed his eyes in resignation. "He... has yet to lose a match." 

The two of them started arguing again, the summoner waited for a chance to slip away. As she stood up, ready to make a run for it with a basket of cookies in her hands, Ike caught her by the elbow. "Where do you think you're going? There's no way you're done, you just got here."

She tried to shake off his grip, nibbling on a cookie. "Uh... to go s-study?"

Camilla rose and took the basket of sweets from the summoner's hands. "Kiana, honey, your body needs more than just fiber and sugar."

"You might as well back down," Soren called from Ike's right. "I don't think they'll let you leave until they're satisfied with your intake." He turned back to his commander. "Can I go now?" Ike agreed and he stood up. As he turned to leave, he spoke to the summoner again. "They're doing this because they care about you. Believe me, I speak–" he belched suddenly, holding his stomach with both hands– "excuse me, from experience." 

Kiana pouted and sank back into her seat. Her stomach gurgled loudly as Camilla placed a large plate with steak, baked potatoes, grilled mushrooms, fresh salad, and warm bread in front of her. She begrudgingly began to eat. Her pace increased rapidly. She was apparently more hungry than she thought, shoveling several bites worth into her mouth before forcing them down her gullet.

"There's a good girl," the hero next to her commented, laying an arm across the back of her chair. He began filling his plate again. "Don't even think about leaving anything behind."

Marth stared at him. "How are you still hungry? Dear Naga, how much of our budget goes into feeding you?"

Ike shrugged, laughing. "I wouldn't know."

The summoner had stopped eating and was watching the hero. "Ike, please remember you're not my father. At least... I don't think you are..." She trailed off. Who were her parents? She couldn't remember anything prior be being summoned to the World of Zenith.

"Pretty sure I'm not," the hero was saying, "but–"

"Ike," Camilla cut him off, shaking her head. He put his hands up in defeat. The Nohrian princess laid a reassuring hand on the young woman's shoulder. "It's alright if you can't finish everything, honey, but try to eat at least some of everything."

She nodded and resumed her meal. Slower this time - she was getting rather full by this point - absently listening to the surrounding conversation.

Ike had turned to Byleth, who had snatched Soren's empty seat almost as soon as he had left, laying her head on the Radiant Hero's shoulder. She had pulled up the front of his shirt, revealing the tight globe of flesh beneath.

"That appetite of yours is super hot," she whispered to him, running her fingers across his pale skin.

"Yours is pretty cute, too," he teased, reaching over and poking her in the belly. 

She squeaked, blushing furiously. Then, she quietly resumed her exploration of the Hero's gut. "Ike?" she finally asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you... free later next week?"

The hero though, scratching at his cheek. "I... don't think I have anything planned, why?"

"There's... a tournament in the city that's accepting applications right now. It's a team battle and I was wondering if, maybe, you'd... want to enter... With me."

The legend had cocked his head, a look of mild confusion on his face. "Byleth... are you... asking me out on a date?" He glanced down at her. She nodded shyly. 

He held her gaze for a minute or so, then he smiled. "Sure, why not? I like you."

She smiled faintly, then rested her head on his shoulder again, stroking his massive muscles.

Kiana finished her second plate and leaned back in her chair, rubbing at her taut belly. She was full now, her stomach bulging beneath her clothes. A light burp escaped her. Ike and Camilla glanced at her, then at each other, nodded once, and hauled themselves out of their seats.

"Let's get you to bed, honey."

"Ok, Cami," the summoner said, following the princess out of the room. The two of them went one way, Ike and Byleth went another. Kiana absently noticed they were holding hands.

When she and Camilla reached her room, the princess turned to her. "Go to sleep, Kiana. I'll come get you for breakfast in the morning."

The girl nodded as the older woman walked away. She entered her room and closed her window, drawing the curtains closed. She pulled several books off one of her bookshelves and sat down at her desk to leaf through them, trying to find some hint as to why she had been summoned to this particular time and place, and where she had come from. 

—————————

She must have lost track of time. Before she knew it, sunlight was streaming through the slit in her drapes. 

Camilla knocked on the door again. "Kiana, honey? Are you awake?" 

The sudden announcement caused the summoner to start violently, setting off a fire rune on the open face of one of her books, and the world went white.

There was a sudden rush of footsteps as the Nohrian princess was blown backward. 

"Hey!" Ike called as he rounded a corner. He and Byleth dug Camilla out from under the remains of the door. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine–" she pressed a hand to the side of her head– "I think, but Kiana..." She glanced at the time of the summoner's room. Just about everything that happened to be wood had caught fire, and debris from the collapsed walls and ceiling filled the room and hallway. Byleth led the princess down the hall away from the smoke. 

"Somebody put this fire out," the hero commanded, carefully stepping through the hole in the wall. "Kiana?"

The girl coughed. Her ears were ringing and her body ached from the force of the explosion. "I-Ike?" She coughed again, her voice hoarse. "Is that... A-are you okay?"

"Yeah. My ears are ringing a bit, but that's about it." He cleared away the rubble she was buried under and knelt beside her. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

"I..." She accepted his aid to her feet, but her knees bucked beneath her, and she collapsed against him clinging to his clothes. She was shaking pretty badly. 

He sighed. "I'll take that as a 'no'." He leaned down and scooped the tiny girl into his arms and easily carried her out of the smoldering ruins to a bench some ways down the hall. Byleth followed them. He lowered her to the seat and knelt in front of her, his expression serious. "Now, tell me: what happened"

The gaze he fixed her with was direct and she squirmed under its intensity. "G-got surprised... accidentally set off a fire rune..." She wiped her face. Her hand came away bloody. Byleth sat next to her, taking her face in one hand while touching the wound on her forehead with the other. Kiana felt a slight surge as the professor healed the wound. She turned back to the hero in front of her, then looked away again. 

"Everything, Kiana. What were you doing when it happened?" She didn't respond. He sighed. "You were up all night again, weren't you?" 

She hung her head but still didn't respond. Shakily, she did to her feet, ready to run. 

Ike caught her by the wrist. "Kiana, listen to me. This is about your parents, I understand your want to know more, but this–" he gestured to the wreckage at the end of the hall– "is exactly why you can't push yourself as hard as you have been. No one was seriously hurt this time, but we may not be so lucky if this happens again." He gripped her firmly by the shoulders. "Do you understand?"

Kiana was struggling to hold back tears. A tumult of emotions coursed through her. Mostly a mix of frustration and guilt. She conjured a small portal and ran to the castle courtyard. A bit of fresh air should do her good.

The two older heroes watched her disappear. "Ike," Byleth said, a little reproachfully. "Don't you think that was a little... harsh?"

The hero sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I warned you I'm not very good at talking." He sat down next to her. "Maybe I should have let you deal with that." 

"Ike!" a voice called from the other end of the hallway. The Asker royal siblings, Alfonse and Sharena, were sprinting towards them. "What happened?"

"Kiana accidentally set off an explosion."

"Kiki? Where is she? Is she okay?" the young princess asked, her green eyes full of concern.

Ike sighed and leaned against the wall, regarding the ceiling. "She teleported off somewhere. She was a bit shaken but otherwise unhurt. Except maybe a few cuts and bruises.

"Why would she teleport?" the prince asked, skeptical.

The older hero shook his head. "I... may have been a bit short with her." He fixed Alfonse with an apologetic stare. "She trusts you two, right?" They nodded. "You should go find her, then. Get some food in her belly, then get her to bed. I think she needs rest now than anything right now."

The two siblings nodded again and turned to go find their friend. "Let's start with the courtyard."

They found the young summoner under a tree, knees pulled up to her chest with her head resting on her arms. Her shoulders were shaking with grief.

"Kiki?" Sharena called from the arched doorway. "Are you here?"

Kiana raised her tear-stained face briefly and quickly returned to her contemplation of her sleeves, pulling her hood over her head. 

The two siblings sat on either side of her. Alfonse silently took his friend's hands in his own as his sister wrapped her arms around the trembling girl's shoulders. "Hey," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle and caring. "Are you alright? Tell us what happened."

The summoner stared at him, then broke down in a fresh wave of tears. "Wh-what's the p-p-point?" she cried. "I'm s-s-supposed to be the s-strong one..." She couldn't continue, her grief consuming her once again.

"You are strong. You just made a mistake. We all do that. But don't think you have to shoulder everything alone. We're here for you. All of us." The young prince kissed the back of her hand.

The two royals held her until she had calmed down enough to speak again. "...I hurt them... I destroyed your castle because of my ignorance. I do my best to push through everything to be there for them and I hurt them!" She wiped at her face. Her sleeves were soaked through. 

Sharena spoke softly, stroking her hair. "That's why we want to help you. So we can avoid as many mistakes as we can."

It took a few more minutes for Kiana to stop crying. "Are you feeling better?" She nodded. Guilt still gripped her heart, but its grasp had loosened somewhat. 

Alfonse stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on, then. Let's get you something to eat."

She sighed as he pulled her to her feet. "Was that Ike's idea?"

"If it's what he said that mage you feel this way, I'm sure he didn't mean come across the way he did. He had the best intentions at heart." The prince smiled, then. "Besides, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, regardless of what Ike says." He reached down and prodded her in the tummy. She squeaked, stepping back and wrapping her arms around herself. Her face was bright pink.

The two siblings laughed, leading her to the dining hall, looking for enough open seats. Alfonse caught sight of several, and the three of them made their way toward them. They were intercepted by Ike, Byleth, and Soren halfway there. Sharena offered to go ahead and save enough for them as the Radiant Hero addressed the summoner.

"Hey, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I realize I may have come off as cruel, but I promise that's not what I meant. I've made plenty of mistakes as a leader and I want you to understand that I'm only trying to help you from making the same mistakes more than once. Can you forgive me?"

Kiana didn't move at first. Then, she threw her arms about his waist. He returned the gesture. She was barely chest-high on him and she suddenly felt very safe in his strong embrace, his calm, steady heartbeat filling her ears. Her heart had warmed at the sincerity of his words and a small flicker of confidence bloomed in her breast. 

"If you ever need anything, kid, don't hesitate to ask. I'll help however I can," he said, releasing her and ruffling her hair. "You've got a good head on your shoulders. Try not to lose it, yeah?" 

"That was nicely done," Byleth whispered to him as they and Soren found some open seats among the Greil Mercenaries.

She and Alfonse then joined his sister and began to eat. Aside from accepting a plate of waffles covered in chocolate and heavy whipping cream, Kiana didn't pay much attention to what she put in her belly. She simply ate until her stomach was good and full again. She felt much better now what she had eaten. 

Once the three of them had eaten their fill, they left, returning their dishes to the kitchen on their way out. The royal siblings led the summoner to her new room, where Commander Anna was shelving an armload of scorched books. She turned to them as they entered. "You'll be staying here, now," she told Kiana. "We saved what books we could, but most didn't survive, sorry. You should try to get some rest. We can look for your parents after you've recovered." 

The tired girl nodded, stuttering another apology. "You don't need to apologize. Just go to sleep." And with that, the commander ushered the two siblings out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Kiana sat on the bed, trying to finish restoring books, but her mind was too muddled to focus. Her eyelids drooped and her head nodded. Eventually, she toppled back onto the bed into a deep, dreamless sleep. 

[sinkix]

《Haikyuu! Mafia Boys [AU] x Fem!Reader》

Warning: Contains NSFW & 18+ content 

Characters: Kuroo, Iwaizumi & Akaashi.

Hope you enjoy, if this is something you guys would like to see more of then let me know! 

Song: Beast - Mia Martina

The drag of a cigarette before squishing it under the sole of his shoe. That’s Kuroo for you, savouring the pleasure in things before discarding them once the satisfaction sizzles out. What makes you so different, then? Well, I’ll tell you, you keep him on his toes like no one has before. He first met you while gazing longingly at you from across the club, loosening his tie and spreading his lips into a seductive grin no one could resist. Maybe he should take you back to his hotel? He pondered in his mind how it would feel to have his head between your legs, fingers furling around his unruly locks as he drags his tongue across your slit till your toes curl and thighs spasm. The thought pleased him, if only for a night. Strolling up to your seat at the bar like a predator hunting its prey, his gold clad fingers twinkled under the warm lights of the bar, eyes glinting with an irresistible mischief. “How are you doing tonight, sweetheart?~” The low, rumbled purring rolling off his tongue all too easily as if he had tangoed with it many times before. Quick steps back and forth, slithering toward you with temptation no woman could resist, yet here you were rolling your eyes at his advances and stepping on his toes in rejection. Oh? Trying his upmost to serenade you, his teeth grit in growing impatience at your cold dismissal, he could tell all attempts were futile. And that’s when you turned to face him, heart stopping and head spinning at the sight of you.  Those bright, ‘come to bed’ irises staring back at him with a strong sense of defiance. “Listen buddy, I’m not interested. You seem experienced in this so why not sniff up someone else’s leg tonight? You won’t be getting it from me.” Twirling the head of his own pistol and aiming it toward his temple, you refused to be in range of deadly fire that could shatter anyone’s heart. You made it known you were the one in control, and it projected loud and clear. Stumped with total loss for words, his brows raise with a hammering pulse against his chest. What’s this? A rush. Clearing his throat and deciding to take up your little challenge, he persisted. How could you turn him down so easily? No woman had ever refused him before. Single, married, rich, poor. None of it mattered once his sights were set, he knew anyone would give in to his advances. Not you though, and that’s what excited him. He had to work for what he wanted. After an hour of conversing with you, albeit pretty one sided, you sigh in defeat and raise from the bar, slipping him a piece of paper and walking away, glancing over your shoulder with an indecipherable expression. “Look, I gotta go, but if you’re that interested in entertaining me, give me a call. You’re not all too bad.” Lulled by the soothing sway of your voice, he chuckles with bitter perversity. If only you knew how many counts of murder and extortion he had strapped under his belt and carved to his name.  He sat there and watched as you walk away, body melding with the music and hips squeezing the satin dress stained a deep crimson in the best ways possible, oozing a seduction rivalling his own. Kuroo made an internal vow then and there, he would chase you to the ends of the earth until he could call you “mine.” And so he did. Running tirelessly after your back, extending a hand until you slowed, if only a little, allowing him to grasp hold of what he so desperately longed for. No one could compare to you, and he strongly believed no one ever could. You had this black-haired bad boy mafioso wrapped around your finger like a thread,  twirling it effortlessly and dragging the heel of your stiletto under his chin, toying him with the feeling of your dripping core wrapped tightly around his member, sliding your hips down like a professional working the pole. His tattooed hands hovering over your breasts and groping them with an insatiable hunger that only you could fulfil.    And that’s when he knew, He’d never be satisfied with anyone else.

Song: Dog Days - Richard Freeman

The soft sound of jazz music floods the bar, taking an elongated sip of the embered whiskey and curbing the craving of a spiced kick to the throat. Iwaizumi Hajime, a stern and business oriented man who pays no mind to anything that doesn’t reward with monetary gain. He eyes the waitress carefully, pupils crawling over her tightly-clothed backside wrapped in black apron accented with blue ribbon.  Humming to himself, this captures the attention of the mysterious and enchanting woman. You. “We have a karaoke night on Thursdays, maybe you should sign up, you have a quite a nice voice.” Smirking impishly with a chuckle, you eye him with equal intensity.  “You know, it’s a little rude to stare at someone without reason, do you need another drink orrrr...?” Trailing off with soft seduction, it’s corrupting to the ears and Iwaizumi can feel his groin shift uncomfortably in his seat. Good looking, sarcastic, a little bratty and more than capable of conjuring a clever quip or two to decline his patience.  Huh, kinda sounds like someone he knows. If it’s some playful mental sparring you want, then it’s what you’ll get. “Mmm, I wouldn’t mind another drink, though are you sure it’s not against staff policy to be so troublesome toward clients?” His voice is gravelly and rough, the husk reverberating throughout the room devoid of people, washing over you like a tidal wave- no, tsunami. It leaves your knees trembling from below the bars island. “Well there’s no one here to scold me, is there?” This time it’s Iwaizumi’s turn to chuckle, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that darling.” His veiny hand curls around the empty glass, sliding it in your direction as you eye his exposed forearms, revealed by the rolled up sleeves of his white button-up shirt. The top two buttons are left carelessly undone, giving him a rugged quality you couldn’t help but appreciate. Drinking in the sight of him with Iwaizumi doing the same, you spot a beautiful tattoo peaking from the top of his shirt and decorating his chest. “That a beautiful tattoo.” You remark as you take the glass from his hands, shivering from the gentle way your fingers brush. Iwaizumi jolts slightly, his brow furrowing in what seems like... restraint? “It is, what a shame you can’t see the rest underneath.” He responds gruffly, his mouth quirking into a grin as you place a sprig of lemon around the rim of the glass. “Mmm, it is.” You counter, deciding to harness the sexual tension brewing in the air and deem it your personal puppet, pulling the strings until he caves, breaking the silence once again.  “Tell me, what’s your name?” “Iwaizumi, Iwaizumi Hajime.” “What a lovely name... Hajime.” you purr, resting your elbows on the counter and pushing your chest forward, locks of hair dancing in your vision that you drag between your fingers and tuck behind your ear.  Normally, somebody addressing him on a first name basis so informally would leave him seething, but from you it sounds like heaven, and he wants more. Needs more. “Fuck this.” He mutters. At wits end and grabbing the front of your apron, he pulls you across the counter, lips colliding with yours hungrily as his hands find their way to your neck, squeezing just enough to make your eyes water. You break away with a gasp, a string of saliva connecting your mouth and tempting you with more.  “Someone’s eager, aren’t they? What if someone walks in?” You hush, teeth grazing across your lower lip while propping yourself on the top of the island, skirt hiking up your exposed thighs and pricking at the cool of the air con. “Let them, they’ll see how much of a little whore you are.” “Ah ah ahh, that’s not very nice is it baby?” you tut, quirking a brow and sliding your legs closed as if to deny him access. “Don’t be a brat with me, I’ll have you begging soon enough.” His hands roam over the soft skin of your legs before finding their way to your core. Grinding his fingers against your lace-clad slit, he hums in satisfaction. “Well someone’s soaked, is that all for me princess?” You whimper in response, struggling to stabilise your breathing and retain your composure. A needy moan escaping your lips before he silences you with his own once again, fist balling against his shirt with increasing desperation as the squelching sound of his fingers pumping into you begin to sound through the air. The thought of you begging for someone had always been ludicrous, but here you were, being finger-fucked recklessly on the counter with the risk of your manager imposing at any second.  It doesn’t take long before you realise, He wasn’t wrong.

Song: Havana - Camilla Cabello

Inky 8-piece hat, polished off with red tie looped through a black tuxedo, Akaashi Keji was made of the finer things in life. All thanks to his profession that was less than holy. Standing at the entrance to an alleyway, you can’t help but turn your head as you walk past, carrying the grocery bags holding tonight’s meal and admiring his commanding aura. The sound of gunshots knocks you out of your reverie as you’re grabbed harshly by the shoulders and slammed against the cold walls of the backstreet, encased by his body which was looming over you protectively.  The steely gaze of gun-metal blue pierces into your own, enraptured by this mans eyes you almost forget to breathe, heart pounding erratically in your chest when it hits you. Had he just saved your life? You stand there for a moment until the gunfire ceases, the sound of sirens blaring in the distance.  Grabbing hold of your wrist, he bolts down the concrete pathway with you in tow, thudding leather shoes echoing off the walls as he simply tsk’s, as if running from the police was no more than a menial chore. Hastily attempting to match his pace, you can’t help but let your mind wander and wonder what the hell you’d just gotten yourself into. Once he seems satisfied with the distance put between you and the scene, you come to a halt. Panting and on the brink of keeling over, you take a moment and stare in awe at the building before you. A classy, 5-star hotel polished from head to toe. “You really need to work on your stamina.” he quips, eyeing you up with an unreadable expression. “Shut up. What are you, my mom?”  “Come, now that you’re a witness they’ll be after you too.” “Wh-huh?! You can’t just-” Before your brain can process the speed of events, he’s pulling you behind him once again, you sigh in frustration at how you’re allowing this man lug you around like a suitcase. You’ll allow it just this once, being your saviour and all. He saunters up to the desk, and the woman working behind visibly flushes. “Your name, sir?”  “Akaashi Keiji.” While he checks in, you take in your surroundings.  A gleaming chandelier that probably costs more than your entire apartment, sparkling water fountains streaming with water that pools into a crystal encrusted surface, and sleek statues crafted like something out of the renaissance. It was all too much, you’d never been in such a wealthy environment before.                  The woman slips the keycard over the counter, eyeing him up and down. She clocks your presence and narrows in annoyance. You can’t help but shake your head at the woman’s actions, have she no shame? “Thank you.” Is all he says before hauling you behind him once again. “I can follow you by myself you know.” You huff in frustration. Turning his head, he watches as you pout like a petulant child and can’t help but chuckle. “What? what’s so funny?” You bark, folding your arms as he presses the button to the elevator. Before you can refuse, you’re pressed against the back wall and hoisted up by his knee. You moan involuntarily as the jolt of the elevator grinds you against his leg. “Akaashi what are you-” “Shit. Say my name, say Keji.”  “you- HUH?”  “Think of it as payment for saving your life.” He murmurs, lips ghosting against the skin of your neck, your hands find their way to his tie and yank him forward indigently. How long had it been since you’d gotten laid anyway? You couldn’t remember, and this man wasn’t helping by abusing all the right places tenderly with his teeth. Butterflies swirl in your stomach at the close contact, cheeks firing up and fuelled by the burning chemistry your bodies shared. “Shouldn’t saving someone from that situation be human decency?” you squeak, melting beneath the feel of his large palms slipping under your skirt and scathing the skin of your hips. “No, normally I wouldn’t bother, too much effort” He groans between kisses, almost lazily at the thought of it. “I’m not quite sure why I felt compelled to help, and now I’m regretting it because of your ungrateful ass.” He smirks, eyes darting with a sense of playfulness you hand’t quite expected. “Oh how charitable of you” you spat. “Mmmm...” he groans, so dangerously close to your ear that your legs buckle without protest. You stare shamefully at the floor. “Weak at the knees for me are we, baby?” He coos, rubbing the ridges of his thigh roughly against your clit. “Get used to it. Now you’ve been seen with me, you’ll be hunted until they inevitably kill you. Unless..” He trails off, the ding of the elevator snapping you out of your daze. Adjusting himself and sweeping you into his arms effortlessly, he stares at you with his irresistible gaze.                                             “You stay with me.”                                                                                                        Swept away in the unfortunate world of crime with no means of escape, you’ll be in for the ride of your life. Stuck by his side with no room for objections, he’ll lovingly train you to the bone till you’re as lethal as him. Though one day, you’ll meet a gruesome death. Intertwining your fingers with his as the name ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ is revived through the streets. Meeting your fateful end and knocking on deaths door, you share one last ghosting kiss, reminiscent to the first. Binding the two of you with an internal promise to be inseparable even in the afterlife. And you can’t help but smile as one thought crosses your mind. It was worth it.

[sunshinejins]

the slowest and most beautiful way to fall in love - theodore nott

hello and welcome to the 9.4k MONSTER that is my theodore nott x oc fanfic.  like two people said they would be interested to read it so uh here it is.  

pairing: theodore nott x camilla avery (oc)

fandom: harry potter

i. beauty and the boggart

“I heard we’re doing boggarts today in Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Draco sniffed as he took a bite of toast.  Theo looked up in interest, sticking his thumb in between the pages of Modern Magical History.  Draco was scowling at his plate as he flicked through the DADA textbook in front of him.  Blaise gave him a look that could have been interpreted as mildly amused, and turned back to his own breakfast.  Pansy and Daphne were too absorbed in their own gossip to even notice Draco had spoken, which surprised Theo to his core as Pansy made it obvious every time Draco spoke that it was worth dropping everything to listen.  Theo’s eyes then turned to rest on the one person who’s reaction he had been waiting for.

Camilla Avery, with her shiny blonde hair and curious hazel eyes had turned all of her focus from Pansy and Daphne’s gossip session to Draco.  Theo felt his heart catch slightly in his chest.  He’d always been fond of Camilla, ever since they were little and had played at Malfoy manor and had sat next to each other on the Hogwarts Express when they were eleven and Draco had been scouring the train for Harry Potter.  But when she had returned to school for third year with slightly longer hair that curled at the ends and a straight smile that dimpled in all the right places, Theo had felt like his heart had suddenly been submerged.

Now, she tilted her head slightly, and let waves of hair tumble over the shoulder of her robes.

“You sound annoyed, Draco,” her voice lilted with teasing, “Surely you realize that this would mean we’ve officially been taught more by a professor than any other year at Hogwarts?”

“I don’t trust that Lupin guy,” snapped Draco, “He’s a bloody Gryffindor.”

“And you’re a sodding stereotype,” Camilla gave him a warm smile and Draco rolled his eyes with a smirk.  Theo grinned.  Camilla caught his eyes and flicked her eyes pointedly at the book he held.

“That one any good?”

“S’all right,” Theo shrugged, “I’ll let you borrow it when I’m done.”

“Deal,” Camilla nodded.  Theo felt his heart swell.

Later, after a particularly taxing Charms class where Blaise accidentally shot a full glass of water at Theo’s head, the band of six piled into Lupin’s classroom and took up spots near the back where Draco and Blaise could easily tease the so-called “golden trio” in peace.  Camilla slid into place next to Theo with a soft grin and Theo immediately threw his arm around her.  His stomach tingled slightly but he ignored it in favour of keeping Camilla at his side.

Lupin talked for a while about Boggarts and taught the charm to destroy them, then revealed with a swell of excitement that there was one in the classroom they could attempt to defeat if they so chose. Camilla turned to Theo with excitement.

“We’ve got to try, Theo!”

“Nott’s’ll be a book with half the pages ripped out,” Draco teased over her shoulder.  Theo shot him a dry look.

“And what’ll yours be?  A copy of Harry Potter that can’t hear your brilliant insults?” Pansy burst out in a snort of laughter which prompted Lupin to pointedly shush them.

“That’s enough over there.  Now line up.  Neatly please!  You’ll all get a chance,” Lupin gestured to the cabinet that housed the boggart and the group of Slytherins, mostly guided by Draco, shoved their way nearly to the front.  Camilla stood behind Theo and wrung her hands excitedly. 

Weasley and one of the Patil twins, Theo wasn’t sure which one, went one after another and successfully transformed the boggart.  Millicent Bulstrode, a third year Slytherin that roomed with Daphne, Pansy, and Camilla struggled before somewhat turning a rather large dog into one with floppy bunny ears.  Theo stepped up to the boggart and it shifted a few moments before turning into a circus clown with blood red paint dripping down its face.  He cast his counter-curse with only a slight tremor and the clown became covered in sweet smelling flowers. Then, it was Camilla’s turn.  She stepped up with an easy smile and the boggart swirled between shapes for a moment before materializing into a figure.  Theo’s blood ran cold.

In front of his best friend was a figure dressed all in black, wearing an intricate silver mask, with a hood pulled up over its hair.  Camilla froze, smile no longer present on her lips.  Despite holding her wand readily in her hand, she made no move to cast the counter-curse.  It was like she was petrified.  Theo thought that would be the worst, that Camilla would recover and cast the counter-curse and turn back to him with a bright cheery smile and a throwaway comment about how easy she found it.  Then, the figure began to speak.

“Camilla… You have no choice,” it rasped in a voice that sparked something in the back of Theo’s brain.  Camilla still stood completely still, and Lupin had finally jumped into action and thrown himself in front of the boggart to force it to change.

“Miss Avery, you may lea-” Camilla didn’t wait to hear the end of Lupin’s sentence, she simply tore from the classroom without a glance back.  Theo found his feet were moving as well, chasing after her as quickly as he could.

Theo found her sitting in one of the windowsills on the third floor, the one where the two of them met frequently to trade books and read in companionable silence together.  She had buried her face into her robes, and from the short distance between them, Theo could tell she was crying.  He sat down softly in front of her, trying not to disturb her too much.

“Camilla?” She raised her head and Theo’s heart ached at the sight of tear tracks and tears themselves streaming down her face.

“Go away, Nott,” she buried her head into her sleeve again.  Theo tried not to feel badly about her using his last name, something she only did when she was upset.

“Camilla, please.  Talk to me,” he pleaded.  Camilla raised her head again, and after seemingly concluding that Theo wasn’t about to insult her, sat all the way up.  A few tears were still tumbling down her cheeks and she swiped them away hastily.

“What do you want to talk about?  How bloody embarrassing that was?  How weak I looked?” She snapped.  Theo shook his head.

“You didn’t look weak, Camilla.”

“Well what would you call it then?” Camilla shouted, voice echoing in the deserted hallway.  “I froze, Theo!  I couldn’t do a bloody thing!  I didn’t even move my wand!” Theo laid a hand on top of hers and she trained her eyes on him, pools of hazel blazing in the dim light of the sun.

“It was a Death Eater, wasn’t it?” Theo asked quietly.  Camilla hesitated.  For a moment, Theo thought she was about to pull away, but instead she flipped her hand up and slotted her fingers in between his.

“My father,” she said softly.  Theo nodded.  He knew Camilla’s father had been a Death Eater, so had his own, and Draco’s had been for sure.  Theo remembered Camilla coming to his house in tears when she was little, barely old enough to use the Floo network but stumbling into the fireplace in his bedroom anyways.  As she got older, she stopped speaking of her father completely, much like Theo.  His reasons, though much darker and more focused on bruises, didn’t cause a boggart to materialize in his father’s likeness however.

“He used to tell me that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would return one day, and that I would be expected to join the family in his ranks,” Camilla whispered, the words slicing through the morning air.  Theo frowned deeply and she looked sadly to their joined hands.  He stroked his thumb lightly over the soft skin.  He had never known that was the reason she used to cry.

“I didn’t know I was still afraid of it.  I didn’t think I remembered what he used to say,” she said with a grimace, “I’m terrified that he’ll come back one day looking like that and I’ll have no choice but to be forced into it.”

“That doesn’t make you weak, Camilla,” Theo said sternly.  Camilla gazed at him with thoughtful but endlessly sad eyes.  “It makes you very strong that the thing you find most terrifying is someone forcing you to abandon your morals.”

“But I froze,” Camilla’s voice was a terrified murmur.  Theo shook his head.

“You wouldn’t freeze if it was real.  You’d hex the ever-loving shit out of your dear old dad.” Camilla snorted and Theo smiled so largely at the sound that he couldn’t help but gather her into a hug.

“You’re the strongest person I know, Camilla.  I promise,” he said.  Camilla snuggled into his arms and he could feel her smile against his shoulder.

“Thank you, Theo,” she said.  Theo smiled into her hair.  It was then he knew: he was going to be in love with Camilla Avery for a very long time.

ii.  the blueprint to a perfect evening

“So, Nott,” Draco slid into the seat next to Theo.  Theo looked up with raised eyebrows.  Blaise sat across from the two and began helping himself to potatoes from the large dish in front of them.  Draco had a devious look on his face that Theo had seen before, right before he had broken his ankle when they were seven.

“Yes, Draco?” He asked, turning back to his bowl of oatmeal when Draco didn’t immediately start talking.

“The Yule Ball is in two weeks,” Draco said while taking a few slices of toast from the platter beside him.  Theo’s eyebrows rose again.  Contrary to his choice to appear uninterested in most school gossip, he had been aware of the biggest Hogwarts event in the last fifty years besides the bloody Triwizard Tournament.

“Yes, and?” Theo looked at Blaise for some sort of guidance and he raised his hands in defense.  Draco gave Theo a look that implied he thought he was rather thick.  Theo didn’t think he was but clearly Draco knew better.

“Who are you asking?” Draco flapped his hands in exasperation and Theo’s eyes widened slightly.  He hadn’t thought that far.

“We have to have dates?” He asked with a grimace.  Draco rolled his grey eyes and smacked Theo on the shoulder.

“Yes, dimwit.  Everyone needs a date.  Otherwise it’s just embarrassing,” he scoffed.  Theo shrugged noncommittally but the pit in his stomach deepened.  He knew objectively that he wasn’t a bad looking bloke, girls looked at him often enough when he passed by them.  He was more shy than his friends, but he supposed he had quite a lot of personality when he was comfortable.  None of that really mattered to him though, considering there was one girl in all of Hogwarts that he would consider asking to the ball and she had just slid into the seat beside him.

Camilla’s hair was pulled into neat plaits and they laid nicely against the emerald of her robes.  Her eyes were sparkling and she was giggling apparently from the remainder of a conversation with Pansy and Daphne.  Theo’s stomach turned cartwheels as she grinned at him and scooted close enough that their elbows brushed as she served herself eggs.

“You lot!  Do you have dates yet?” Draco asked, nearly leaning into a pot of raspberry jam to speak to the girls.  Pansy shook her head.

“We don’t.  But about five boys asked Camilla on the way to breakfast,” she said as she stole a strawberry from Blaise’s plate.  Theo’s stomach dropped.

“Surely you didn’t say yes?” He turned to Camilla in a panic.  Her eyes were wide with curiosity as she lowered the fork she had been holding.

“I didn’t.  I don’t want to go with someone random.  I’d rather know I’m going to have a decent night,” she said.  Theo’s stomach began fizzing again.  If he could just pluck up the courage, right now, when she looked so pretty…

“Why don’t we just go with each other?” Daphne said with a raised brow.  Theo looked up half-dazed.  Blaise was nodding, and so was Draco, and he quickly matched their attitudes.

“Makes sense at least.  There’s six of us,” Pansy said through a bite of fruit.  Camilla nodded, though if Theo knew her as well as he thought he did, she looked vaguely apprehensive at the idea.

“How are we going to decide who goes with who?” She asked, “Not to dent your confidence, Blaise, but I’d rather not be upstaged by that pretty face.” Everyone burst into chuckles at that but Theo knew there was a deeper meaning to her statement.  Camilla didn’t want to go with Blaise.  

“Well I’ll make it easy for you then, Avery,” Blaise drawled.  He turned to Daphne and extended a hand gracefully.  “Miss Greengrass, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?”  Daphne giggled and nodded, placing her hand good-naturedly in Blaise’s.  Draco shrugged and turned to Pansy.

“What about you, Parkinson?  Feel like accompanying me?” 

“Only because you asked,” Pansy mock sighed, then laughed and high-fived Draco.  Theo turned to Camilla who’s face had turned a rather pretty shade of rose.

“Guess you’re stuck with me,” he said apologetically, though his heart was racing against his ribs.  Camilla smiled, and placed her hand lightly into his.

“Guess so,” her voice was soft and it warmed Theo all the way down to his toes.

“I promise not to have a prettier face than you,” Theo said.  Camilla broke out into a laugh that lit up the room.

“Don’t promise something you can’t live up to, Nott.” 

The next few weeks were a blur of end of December lessons.  Theo wrote to his mother asking for dress robes and she had sent him a handsome enough set of charcoal grey robes that made him look like the lord of some fancy castle.  He had no clue what Camilla was wearing, considering that every time she tried to tell him, Pansy shushed her and made her keep it a secret.  Her smile convinced him well enough that she would appear looking flawless on the day of the ball.

Draco kept bugging him about Camilla every chance he got.  He had gathered that Theo harboured a not-so-small crush on their friend, and was convinced that he was a certified idiot for not asking Camilla flat out before they had all sworn to take each other as friends.

“I’m telling you, mate,” Theo said in frustration one night after Draco had been chastising him for an hour straight, “She wouldn’t have wanted to go with me.”

Draco had called him an idiot.

The night of the ball finally fell upon them and Theo felt his stomach bubble over from nerves.  Draco was dressed in complete black while Blaise had donned a rather posh suit of deep forest green which complimented his dark skin nicely.  They had gotten ready in record time, and expecting the girls to take at least another hour, had gathered some butterbeers and set up camp in front of the fire in the common room.

“I think Pansy’s wearing pink,” Draco was saying as he drained his bottle.

“Daphne’s wearing green too I think,” Blaise said thoughtfully.

“What’s Avery got going on then?” Draco asked him.  Theo shrugged.

“No idea.  Pansy would never let her tell me.”

“Watch her show up in orange or something ghastly,” Blaise snickered.  Theo shook his head.

“Whatever she wears will be beautiful,” Theo said, “Just like her,” he added in an undertone to himself.  Draco caught his words however.

“Bloody hell, Nott, just tell her you fancy her!” Theo was about to retaliate with some sort of half-formed comment on Draco’s lack of experience with crushes and therefore lack of ability to talk shit, when the girls descended from their dormitory.  Theo felt himself stop breathing.

Daphne and Pansy looked nice enough themselves, they weren’t in any way unattractive people.  But Camilla had them beat by a long shot.  Her dress was a beautiful shade of grey-blue that matched the colour of the sky on an autumn day and it had flowers all over the top before flowing into waves of chiffon at the bottom.  Her hair was glossy but her smile blew Theo off his feet.  She crossed the room to him and lightly punched him on the arm.

“You said you wouldn’t be the prettiest one in the room!” She joked, eyes sparkling in the firelight.  

“I’m not,” Theo said honestly, his voice rasping as it came back from where it had disappeared after Camilla had walked into the room.  Her eyes widened but the smile she gave him was so sweet that he didn’t mind the boldness of his statement.  He offered her his arm and she took it gratefully.  As the group exited the common room she leaned up to him and whispered softly.

“You’d best be ready to dance, Nott.” Theo wanted to tell her that he would have done anything for her if she asked, but he settled for squeezing her hand with a smile and walking into the Great Hall feeling like this may have been the best night of his life.

The party lasted for hours, and Theo had never had as much fun as he did twirling Camilla around on the dance floor and sneaking drinks of firewhiskey and bites of cake with her.  Pansy and Daphne had eventually ditched the boys to disappear and snog in some random corner for an hour, so Draco and Blaise had found girls from Beauxbatons to spend the night with.  Camilla, however, showed no desire to leave Theo’s side as she continued to laugh and sing with him through all of the songs of the night.

Finally, a few minutes before midnight, the Weird Sisters announced a slow dance for all the people who remained at the ball.  Theo gave Camilla a pointed look and extended his hand.

“Will you grant me this dance?”  Camilla grinned.

“Naturally,” she slipped her hand into his and he pulled her to an empty spot on the dance floor.  Theo fully expected her to keep a small distance as she had all night, only bumping into him during fast songs and once after too big a sip of firewhiskey.  Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms softly around his neck.  Despite the now almost alarming pace of his heart, Theo responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close.  They swayed back and forth softly, more focused on holding each other than really dancing.

“I hope you had a good night, Theo,” Camilla said softly into his collar.  Theo pulled back and looked at her, her eyes more shy than he’d ever seen them.

“Why wouldn’t I have?” He asked.  She shrugged, playing with the edge of his cloak.

“I know you went with me because I was the last one.  I just hope it wasn’t disappointing,” she said.  Theo’s eyes nearly popped from his head.  He pulled her close to him again, until there was not an inch of space between them and murmured in her ear.

“I always wanted to go with you.  I just didn’t know how to ask.” He felt her smile against his shoulder before she pulled back and smiled at him deeply.  Theo grinned back, feeling like he had won the lottery.

“I wanted to go with you too,” she affirmed.  They fell back together and danced a few more moments before she leaned up one last time and pressed her soft lips against Theo’s cheek.  He looked at her in shock.

“What was that for?”

“A perfect night,” Camilla said.  The song ended and neither of them moved.  Theo felt like his heart was about to beat from his chest.  He had never wanted to kiss Camilla so badly in his life.  He could smell her perfume, some sort of flower, and the powdery scent of sugar on her lips from an iced bun.

He could do it, all he had to do was lean forward…

“Mr. Nott.  Miss Avery.  If you would please return to your common room.  The ball is over.” Theo looked up in shock at Professor McGonagall who wore a very knowing smirk.  Camilla stepped back immediately with a look of embarrassment and Theo nodded.  As they walked from the hall however, she slipped her hand back into his and didn’t let go until they had reached the dungeon.  She turned to him with a tired smile.

“G’night, Theo.” Theo smiled.

“Night, Cams.” She smiled and blew a small kiss, then turned to descend to the girl’s dormitory.  Theo leaned against the wall with a sigh of happiness.  He was never going to forget this night.

iii.  a green monster lives at the bottom of this bottle

Theo’s veins fizzled with what he assumed was a disgusting and unhealthy amount of firewhiskey.  Blaise and Draco were sitting up against one bed in the room, passing a bottle between the two of them.  Pansy and Daphne, hands grazing all over each other’s skin, were sitting against the wall beside them.  Theo was laying half on a pile of pillows that had been pulled off of Pansy’s bed, and Camilla sat beside him wrapped in an emerald green comforter while she giggled and took sips of her own bottle of whiskey.

They had made it to fifth year, finally, and this party was in celebration of that.  Pansy had bullied Millicent and Tracey Mills from the room and banished them to the common room for the night; Blaise had conjured about six bottles of firewhiskey from God knows where; Daphne had provided bags of treats she’d brought from home; Draco had cast silencing charms on the entire room to ensure no one disturbed them during their festivities; Camilla and Theo had done a ery good job of looking busy while the others bustled about.  Now, they had finished three bottles of whiskey between them all, and Theo was ready and tingling for something to happen.

Camilla’s head tipped towards him and she smiled in a way that made Theo think of very sunny days and chocolate ice cream.

“Theodore,” she drawled his name out.  Theo leaned up and tucked his chin into his hand while he gazed into her eyes. She looked beautiful, the flush on her cheeks from the alcohol deepening her dimples. If he wasn’t bloody terrified of ruining their friendship, he would have surged across their small distance to kiss her. 

“Yes, Camilla,” he tried to drag her name out like she had done to his own.  She giggled and the sound filled his chest.

“You look like a proper Englishman,” she said.  Theo blinked at her.

“What the hell does that mean?” Camilla started laughing again, which prompted the rest of their friends to tune in and listen.

“You’ve got the sexy messy curls and the pale skin and the look of someone who generally spends a lot of time being pretty.  That’s what Englishmen do,” Theo’s heart stopped and restarted about a thousand times in a row.  Draco let out a loud cackle and Daphne and Pansy dissolved into giggles while Blaise held a slight hint of a grin.

“Blimey, Avery,” Draco said through tears of laughter, “You’re bloody buggered aren’t you?” Camilla sat up in retaliation, though she wobbled a bit as she stood and the sleeve of her sweater brushed Theo.

“You’re one to talk, Draco!” She hiccuped and Pansy tumbled to the floor in laughter.

“You’re pissed, Cams.  Just admit it.”

“Maybe I am!” Camilla said, tossing her arms in the air, “But I’m not wrong!”

“Yes, Theo is beautiful and stuff,” Daphne said in quite a wobbly tone, “Can we move onto something fun?” Pansy’s face curved into a grin.

“We could play spin the bottle.”

“You two are in a relationship though,” Blaise pointed to where the two girls’ bodies were tangled at the legs, “How are we meant to play when you can only snog each other?”

“Oh I have no worries about Daph leaving me for one of you lot,” Pansy said dismissively.  Daphne nodded with hiccup and Blaise shrugged.

“I’m game.”

“Me as well,” Draco added.

“And me,” Camilla raised the hand that held a bottle of whiskey.  Five pairs of eyes trained on Theo.

“Fine, you bloody horny gits,” Theo said in fake exasperation.  They cheered and Draco drained the last of the firewhiskey he had been sharing with Blaise and placed the bottle on the floor.

“Ground rules?” He asked.

“Tongue absolutely required,” Pansy said.  Camilla snorted a mouthful of whiskey out of her nose and Daphne dissolved into giggles.  Theo shifted slightly uncomfortably.  Despite the alcohol burning his veins, there was only one person here he wanted to kiss and she was currently leaning over to spin the bottle with a grin.  The bottle landed on Daphne and she wiggled her eyebrows.

“I’m comin’ for your woman, Pans,” she chuckled before leaning over and pecking Daphne lightly.  Theo felt the knot in his stomach unsqueeze a bit.

“There was no tongue!” Pansy shouted.  Camilla leaned back and licked a strip up the side of Daphne’s face.

“There’s your tongue,” she said cheekily.  The six of them burst into laughter again and the game continued.

Eventually they had to make some restrictions to the game.  For starters, Draco made the assertion that they should be allowed to drink if they happened to not want to kiss someone, on the grounds that he would pitch himself off the Astronomy tower if he had to kiss Theo more than once.  Theo had steadfastly agreed, and since the addition of that particular rule, he had become closer to nearly inhuman levels of intoxication which had in turn made the girls nearly wet themselves laughing.

Then, the world skidded to a stop as Camilla spun the bottle and it landed without question on Draco.  Theo held his breath, hoping, truly hoping that despite all odds, she wouldn’t do it.  He hoped that she would take a large mouthful of firewhiskey and giggle in Draco’s face in apology.  Theo had never more wanted something not to happen.

She didn’t drink.  Instead, she climbed over the bottle in the centre of their little circle, settled herself into Malfoy’s lap and pressed her lips decidedly against his.  Blaise let out a whoop, his demure persona smudged away by alcohol.  The girls cheered as Malfoy’s hands cemented themselves on Camilla’s hip.  Theo felt as though he should maybe throw a bottle of alcohol into the fireplace.

Camilla finally pulled away after what felt like ten years of Theo’s life and looked very thoughtfully at Malfoy.

“You’re about a four out of ten on the snog meter, Draco.  You mustn’t treat a woman’s mouth like a whirlpool,” she said as she clambered off his lap and back to her spot at Theo’s side, though she sat much closer than she had before.  Theo gasped out a laugh at Draco’s offended face and Camilla turned to him with a smirk.  She tilted her head towards his ear and spoke in whispered tones that sent butterflies into his stomach.

“You didn’t honestly think that I wanted to snog him over you, did you?” She asked sweetly.  Theo gulped.

“It crossed my mind.”

“You’re supposed to be smart, Theodore Nott,” she giggled, and he felt her lips graze his ear.  Camilla then turned back to the circle and knocked the bottle away.

“I’m bored now.  Let’s play a game of Would You Rather.” Theo nodded his agreement to her suggestion, but focused mainly on the feeling of her lips on his ear.  She hadn’t wanted to kiss Draco, really.  He was glad she didn’t.  Though he supposed the stab of jealousy he felt towards one of his oldest friends cemented his growing feelings for Camilla.  She turned to him and gave a grin that seemingly soaked him from head to toe in honey.

Yeah.  He loved her.

iv.  a simple weekend

If anyone had bothered to ask Theo, they would have known how much he truly did not like trips to Hogsmeade.  He always wanted to visit Tomes and Scrolls and spend hours looking at the new books and writing utensils they stocked there, but his friends all insisted on spending hours in Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks.  He liked butterbeer well enough, but he would prefer to stay home and read and let his friends bring him back a bag of treats.  Not to mention catch up on homework.

There were all the reasons he gave for not wanting to attend the second Hogsmeade trip of their fifth year.  They were also all the reasons his friends were currently throwing back in his face.

“Come on, Nott,” Draco was begging, “It’ll be fun.  I promise we can stop in at that book place if you want but it won’t be the same if you’re not there.”

“Yeah, Theo.  We’d miss you too much,” Daphne added.

“Plus it’s our only chance to get out of here and away from Potter and his bloody prophecies about the Dark Lord,” Pansy added.  Blaise gave a nod to certify he agreed with the rest of them, but Camilla was suspiciously silent as she turned the pages of her book.  She wouldn’t even spare Theo a glance which he found, considering how close they were, quite odd.

“I just don’t want to go,” Theo said, finding himself becoming curiously angry at their rejection of his desire to stay back.  They all had copious amounts of homework, what with it being an O.W.L year and all, and he just wanted to stay back.

“Theo, honestly, don’t be a prat.  Come with us,” Draco said, flipping to another page in his Herbology book.  Theo felt his temper simmer and finally boil over.

“I’ve told you, you bloody git, that I don’t want to come.  That’s final.  Leave it,” he snapped.  At his words, Camilla’s head raised and she gave him a look that seemed like the halfway point between concern and curiosity.  He ignored her in favour of not turning his temper on her, gathered his books and swept up to the dormitory to sleep.  He heard murmurs of “what was his problem?” from Blaise and Pansy but he ignored them.  He was more than a bit tired of his extroverted friends and their ability to leave him be.  He would be fine after some rest and a day to himself.

The next day dawned bright and clear.  Theo was alone in the dorm when he awoke which he attributed to his outburst the night before.  He assumed the boys had gone on without him in an effort to avoid his temper.  His predictions were proven right when he descended for breakfast and found the Slytherin table void of all of his friends.  Camilla included.  Theo ate rather moodily, wishing he hadn’t snapped quite so much on his friends.  They probably wouldn’t even bring him back Sugar Quills.  Not that he deserved them.

Breakfast was over quickly, and Theo retreated back to the dormitory to pick up his study supplies.  They were rumoured to get a quiz in Potions the following week and he wanted to be as prepared as possible.  The common room was still deserted when he returned, and there was no sign of anyone returning for a while.  He sighed, though he knew he would study better if his friends, Pansy and Draco in particular, weren’t present.  His heart still ached a bit at Camilla’s absence.

It was on his walk to the library that he became aware of a pattering of feet behind him.

“Theo!” He turned and his heart seized as Camilla drew up to him, slightly out of breath, but smiling.  Her hair laid in soft curls against her emerald sweater and she was clutching an armful of textbooks.

“I assumed you were going to be studying today,” she said when Theo hadn’t managed to say anything to her after a few seconds, “So I ate breakfast early and I’ve been waiting in the windowsill for a while hoping you would come by and we could head to the library together.  You didn’t see me though,” she laughed slightly embarrassedly and Theo’s mind was still struggling to catch up.

“But… You… What about Hogsmeade?” He managed to sputter out.  Camilla’s smile turned slightly more bashful.

“I didn’t really want to go anyways,” she said softly before linking her arm with his.  Theo nodded, though his brain was still spinning slightly.  They walked to the library in relative silence, though it wasn’t uncomfortable in any way.  After choosing a table well away from Madam Pince, they both pulled out their textbooks and immersed themselves in studying.

Camilla and Theo had studied together plenty in their years at Hogwarts together.  They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their study habits.  Their study sessions were more like carefully choreographed dances with school subjects and each other.  When he was younger, however, Theo hadn’t been quite so entranced by how the sunlight from the window wove in with the blonde strands of Camilla’s hair or how her hazel eyes flitted across the pages she was reading from.  He didn’t fantasize about holding her hand across the desk or resting his hand on her knee either.

They worked in silence for most of the day before Theo managed to voice what had been bothering him since the night before.

“Camilla?” She raised her head and fixed him with her whiskey coloured eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Why didn’t you talk to me yesterday?  When I was talking about how I wanted to stay back?” She shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable in the way of someone who had been caught doing something against the rules.  Theo couldn’t see what would make her feel that way.

“I knew you were upset and I didn’t think another person talking at you would help,” she said.  Theo blinked.

“But that’s considerate of you?  I don’t see the issue?”

“I don’t know.  I was hoping you wouldn’t think it was odd of me,” she said looking away shyly.  Theo considered this for a moment before reaching forward and grabbing Camilla’s hand from where it rested on top of her Transfiguration textbook.

“I appreciate it, Cams.  I really do.  Just like how I appreciate that you gave up a day at Hogsmeade to study with me.” Camilla blushed deep pink.

“Well I wasn’t really giving anything up.  This has been a much better day anyways.” Theo processed her words more slowly than he cared to admit, but he made up for the lost time by lightly smoothing the back of Camilla’s hand with his thumb.  He remembered her saying he was pretty a few months ago with such bravery and confidence.  Now, she seemed more herself, and he couldn’t help but notice that she still let him hold her hand.

“I like it when it’s just the two of us to be honest,” Theo muttered, shifting slightly in his seat so his leg pressed against Camilla’s.  She smiled and rested her head against Theo’s shoulder.  His heart thrummed against his ribs deliciously.  Her hair smelt of rosemary, and her skin smelt like roses and almond oil.  Everything about her invited him in.

“Me too. I wish it was like this more often,” she said.  Theo hummed and nodded.  They sat like that for a moment, watching the sun dip below the mountains before Camilla sat up and lightly pulled her hand from Theo’s to his disappointment.

“The others will be back by now.  It’s dinnertime,” she offered as explanation.  Theo nodded, though he would have given anything to go back to their tender moment a second before.  They both gathered their books slowly and made their way down to the Great Hall.  Draco, Blaise, Pansy, and Daphne were already back, cheeks pink from the cold and tucking into a roast supper.  Draco caught sight of them and waved them over.

“What if they’re angry with me?” Theo mumbled quickly.  Camilla shook her head and gave him a kind look.

“They understand they pushed you a bit far.  I’m sure they’ll be completely fine.” Theo nodded, but still kept a half pace behind Camilla as they settled into their places.  Draco gave him a slightly guilty smile.

“Hey mate.  Sorry for last night and all.  I went a tad far,” he apologized.

“You think?” Theo said, though the grin on his face gave him away.  Draco clapped him on the shoulder with a grin and Theo chuckled, feeling his apprehension ease.  Pansy then turned to Camilla.

“Where have you been all day?  You were supposed to meet us in the courtyard at ten.  We assumed you were right behind us.” Theo gave Camilla a shocked look and she turned a very pretty shade of crimson while she stabbed a Yorkshire pudding.

“I had things,” she said evasively.  Theo shook his head with a laugh and she gave him a very private smile.  Dinner continued, but if anyone noticed Camilla’s hand resting lightly on top of Theo’s in between their laps, no one said a thing.

v. pansy’s frustration

Theo hadn’t gone through much in his life.  He was born into a rich pureblood family that had enough old money to keep him going for centuries and enough new money to keep a swimming pool of Galleons if he wanted.  Sure, his father was a Death Eater and a generally unpleasant man to be around, but he generally left Theo alone, and Theo’s mother was one of the best women he knew.  He was never hungry, had never wanted for anything, and his time at Hogwarts had been filled with loyal friends and good grades.

He supposed these facts were the reason that the only real pain he had ever felt in his life came from his crushing and potentially unreciprocated crush on his best friend.

Camilla, despite all of Theo’s very best efforts, had cemented herself in his life so resolutely as the most important person in his world.  He would have done anything for her, and he strongly suspected that she felt the same though she never said so.  This was why, when their little band of six was hit by a sudden burst of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder on the way to Hogwarts for their sixth year, he immediately grabbed her hand so as not to lose her in the fray.

“What the bloody hell is this?” Draco’s voice bloomed from the smoke and Theo chuckled a bit despite himself.  He hadn’t seen Draco all summer, and he had forgotten the posh tone of his voice.

“It’s probably a first year just messing around, sit down Draco, honestly,” came Pansy’s voice from a little in front of Theo.  The smoke finally cleared and Theo could finally properly see his five friends.  Pansy and Daphne were still curved around each other, sickeningly sweet in their love for each other, Blaise sat coolly with his fine china features curved into a delicate smile, and Draco was brushing dust from the sleeves of his black suit.  Camilla shook some powder from her head of blonde waves and shot Theo a smile before turning back to the rest of their friends.

“Right!  Sixth year!  N.E.W.T classes.  What are we all taking?”

“The basics I suppose,” Daphne hummed, “I don’t have many aspirations.”

“She wants me to support her I suppose,” Pansy said.  Blaise snorted and so did Camilla.

“Well I’m taking the full lot.  May as well, right?” Camilla said, running her fingers through her hair.  Theo gave her an interested look.

“What are you planning to do, Cams?”

“It’s a secret, Theodore,” she said with a devious smirk.  Theo rolled his eyes good-naturedly and Camilla laughed.  Draco turned up his nose slightly.

“I happen to think that Hogwarts is a pathetic excuse for a school.  I’d rather die than continue here another two years.”

“What, are you planning on dropping out?” Pansy asked with a raised eyebrow.  Draco shrugged evasively and turned his gaze out the window.  Theo looked to Camilla, expecting her to make a comment on Draco’s actions but she was watching him with a guarded expression.  She looked nearly afraid of him.  Theo ignored it, hoping it was a trick of light, and launched into a conversation about the start of term feast.  Eventually, everyone lapsed back into conversation and Theo felt the grip on his heart ease every time Camilla laughed.

They’d been back at school for only a few weeks when it happened.  Theo and Camilla had been eating breakfast in companionable silence, breaking it only to compare notes on each other’s DADA essay, when Pansy came charging up and tossed her Potions book to the table.

“I’ve heard something brilliant,” she said, helping herself to the bacon on Camilla’s face.  Camilla regarded her with a dry look.

“Is it about how good my bacon is?” She asked.  Pansy shook her head and Camilla rolled her eyes.  Theo chuckled and leaned forward.

“What’d you hear, Pans?”

“We’re gonna get to smell Amortentia in Potions today,” Pansy clapped her hands together in excitement.  Camilla raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t that potion illegal?”

“Yes, but Slughorn thinks we should be aware of all sorts of potions in order to practice curing their effects!  Though I doubt we’d brew a cure today, but we still get to smell it,” Pansy said, now tucking into her own plate of breakfast.

“What’s so interesting about that?” Both girls fixed him with an incredulous look.

“Amortentia smells like the things you love,” Camilla said slowly, playing with the edge of her napkin. “You know, like what attracts you.”

“So you smell the person you fancy?” Theo asked, beginning to feel his heart rate pick up.  He could guess a few of the smells that would erupt from the cauldron for him.  Camilla nodded.

“Yeah that.  But also smells you like, like the ocean or something.” She turned back to her plate with a light blush.  Theo nodded, beginning to shovel his breakfast into his mouth at a slightly quicker pace.  Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to get to Potions class.

The three of them met up with the rest of their friends at the entrance to Slughorn’s class.  Draco looked slightly disheveled to Theo’s slight surprise.  Blaise was still immaculate, and he leaned against the wall casually talking to Daphne.  They had no sooner arrived than had the door opened and the class begun to file in.  There were only twenty of them in the class, most of their former classmates not getting decent enough grades from Snape to progress to a N.E.W.T level.  Theo took his regular seat next to Camilla near the front and immediately noticed the bubbling pink potion resting on the desk in front of them.

“Welcome, welcome!” Slughorn cheered.  Theo smiled.  He enjoyed the new Potions master infinitely more than he had enjoyed Snape.  He actually made the subject somewhat interesting.

“I’m assuming you have all realized that today you will be introduced to a few more intricate potions which we will attempt to counteract by the end of this year.  The most interesting of which is this one, of course,” he gestured to the Amortentia.

“Amortentia.  The most powerful love potion in the world.  One tiny drop and the drinker of the potion will fall madly in love with the giver.  At least until the effects wear off!” The entire class chuckled and Slughorn smiled.

“Now I know you’ve all gathered that Amortentia tends to smell like what most attracts the person.  It can be a brilliant array of things.  I, for instance, smell oak matured mead and Sugar Quills.”

“I know you all have an interest in giving the potion a good smell.  So I’d ask you to line up quickly and quietly.  May as well get this out of the way before the rest of the lesson.” Everyone scrambled to get in line in front of the little cauldron.  Theo shot a look back at Camilla who stood behind him and she gave him a nervous grin.  Theo knew how she felt.

The line crawled slowly, everyone taking the time to smell the potion for at least a minute before reluctantly pulling away.  Theo noticed Hermione Granger smell the potion and give Ron Weasley a look of surprise.  He snorted.  He’d have to bet with Camilla on that relationship.  At his turn, Theo stepped up to the cauldron and inhaled deeply.

The first thing Theo smelt was books, the crisp scent of newly cracked pages.  Then, the scent turned to warm vanilla, the exact smell of the sugar cookies that he baked with his mother each Christmas.  Finally, without much shock to him, he smelt the intoxicating scent of Camilla: rosemary, rose, and almond.

Theo pulled away, smiling slightly.  Camilla stepped up and inhaled for a few seconds, eyes screwed tightly shut.  Theo attempted to read her expression, but it was carefully arranged as she stepped back and betrayed no hint of any feelings she held about what she smelt.  There remained only a few people after Camilla, and Slughorn quickly launched into the lesson after Ernie Macmillan had smelt the potion.

Theo wasn’t the only one who wanted to talk about what he had smelt in the Amortentia.  The second class ended, and they had stepped into the hallway, Pansy was on their cases.

“I smelt mint obviously, you know how Daphne drinks peppermint tea all the time.  And then hot chocolate and salt water.  What about you lot?”

“I smelt hot chocolate for you as well, Pans,” Daphne smiled. “Then I also smelt mint and dusty velvet like the curtains in my mum’s room.” Pansy nodded, and turned to Blaise with an expectant look.

“Wood polish, black tea, and cinnamon,” he said simply.  Pansy turned then to Draco who shook his head.

“You can’t weasel out of it, Draco.  What did you smell?”

“Fine,” snapped Draco, “Green apple, pine, and what I can only assume is lipstick.”

“My sister always smells like lipstick,” Daphne muttered thoughtfully, though only Theo could hear her.  Pansy had rounded on Theo finally and he shot a furtive glance to Camilla.  Camilla looked as though she wanted the walls to collapse on Pansy.

“What about you, Theo?” Theo cleared his throat.

“Ehm.  New books, vanilla, and…” his voice trailed off as Camilla’s eyes widened in almost fear.  He made a split second decision.

“Watermelon.” Camilla’s expression didn’t change, though a look of surprise flitted lightly across Pansy’s face.

“Interesting.  Cam?” She turned to Camilla who looked like she was trying to gather her expression into a more neutral one.

“Um.  Rosemary, clean linen and ginger.” Pansy gave her a similar look to the one she had afforded Theo, but Theo’s heart was too busy breaking to notice.  It was true.  Officially.  Camilla had no feelings for him.  Theo suddenly broke away from his friends, feeling like he had to get to Transfiguration or he would positively cease to breathe.

That, and he didn’t want his friends to notice the spare tear that trickled down his cheek.

The next few weeks nearly killed Theo.  He avoided Camilla at nearly every cost.  He had taken to sitting with Draco in most classes, which as dreary and dismal as he looked these days, was better than pretending not to be in love with his best friend who for sure didn’t love him back.  If he wasn’t mistaken however, Camilla was avoiding him just as hard.  She had fully begun to sit with other houses in class, even sitting next to Harry Potter in a few classes to Theo’s frustration.

This continued well into October, and it was beginning to look like Theo and Camilla would never speak again.  Meetings with the entire group of friends had become so tense that often enough, the girls would separate from the boys and head off to do their own thing.  This, coupled with Draco’s bad mood and Blaise’s unaffected attitude had brought Theo’s mood to an all time low.  His grades were dropping alarmingly, to the point where he had received a letter from his mother telling him in not so kind words to get his shit together.  He couldn’t help it.  He was miserable.

Halloween came and went, and it was finally November.  Theo had given up hope on reconciling with Camilla long ago.  She had fully integrated herself into a friendship with Hermione Granger as well as Harry Potter, and spent most meals sitting either with them or absent from the Great Hall in general.  Theo had reciprocated these actions by dramatically exiting the hall when Camilla sat at the Gryffindor table, or slamming the door of the common room when he noticed Camilla there.

Clearly, Pansy had had enough.

“You absolute bloody git,” she said one day at lunch, after Theo had pointedly been stabbing at his potato post Camilla sitting with the Gryffindors.  Theo looked up in outrage.

“What the hell do you mean?”

“You’re such a child,” Pansy snapped.  Daphne looked up in alarm, but sensing the tension in the air, returned to her shepherd's pie with no comment.  Blaise also looked interested, but continued to stare at his textbook without comment.  Theo balled his fists.

“What has prompted you to call me names, dear Pansy?”

“I know you lied about what you smelt in the Amortentia in September,” Pansy gave him a harsh glare and Theo felt his stomach drop out from under him.

“W-what do you mean?”

“I mean,” Pansy nearly snarled, “That I am fully aware you smelt something Camilla related in that cauldron and you lied about it.” Theo’s mouth opened and closed a few times without sound before Pansy snorted in frustration.

“I knew it!  You idiot!  Why would you lie?” 

“I didn’t need to embarrass myself, Pansy!  You try telling your best friend you’re in love with them after being friends with them for over ten years.” Pansy clicked her tongue in disgust.

“Why do you assume you would have embarrassed yourself?”

“You heard Camilla!  She didn’t smell me either.  Not in the mood to have my heart broken!”

“Oh you absolute prat!” Pansy shouted, gaining curious looks from some of the other Slytherins. “She lied about what she smelt too!”

“What?” Theo felt like all the blood had drained from his face. “Why would she do that?”

“Because you lied too!” Pansy shouted again, this time rousing Draco from his own thoughts as well.  Theo felt like he couldn’t breathe, his heart was beating so quickly against his ribs.

“I didn’t… I didn’t know…”

“Well of course she loves you, you blind idiot!  You’ve both been absolutely miserable for months without each other.  You spent the past eleven years attached at the hip.  How could you honestly think that she didn’t like you?” Theo shook his head, trying to focus despite the new information rolling around in his brain.  As he was processing this clearly monumental new piece of information, he noticed Camilla stand from the Gryffindor table and begin to make the trek back to the common room.  Theo stood without realizing, then shot a panicked look to Pansy.

“Oh go after her you idiot,” Pansy sighed.  Theo nodded distractedly and tore from the Great Hall, only hearing a small snippet of “Now for you, Draco…”

Theo’s feet moved of their own accord, chasing Camilla down in the hallway.  She walked quickly, though he assumed that meant she wasn’t expecting anyone to follow her.  He finally caught up close enough to see the shine in her blonde hair and called out.

“Camilla!” She froze, cloak swishing against her ankles.  Theo nearly tripped over his feet rushing up to her.  She turned to see him and her mouth opened in a small “o” as she realized who had called her.

“Theo?”

“You lied,” he gasped out as he reached her.  Camilla’s features rearranged into confusion.

“I’m sorry?”

“You lied.  About what you smelt in the Amortentia.” Her eyes widened before she swore quietly under her breath.

“Pansy…” she shook her head and straightened, a new defense in her limbs. “I don’t see why that matters.”

“Because you lied to me.  We’re always honest with each other.” Theo said, stepping half a step closer.  If Camilla noticed, she didn’t say a word.

“Well why don’t you go be honest with whoever it is that smells like watermelon,” she spit, and Theo finally realized the jealousy in her tone.  Despite himself, he began to laugh.  Camilla looked appalled.

“I didn’t realize what I said was so funny,” she sniffed.  Theo couldn’t stop.  He drew even closer to her and wrapped her in his arms, still shaking with mirth.  Camilla scowled and it only spurred him on further.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Well you bloody well should be!” Camilla said, pushing back from Theo and effectively ending his fit of laughing. “I’ve been in love with you for years, Theodore Nott and I don’t appreciate you treating my feelings like a big joke.” Theo’s mouth dropped slightly.  She was in love with him?

“I don’t mean to imply that your feelings are a joke,” he whispered softly.  Camilla’s expression stayed stony. “I really don’t.  That’s the last thing I want.”

“Then what then?  What was the purpose of calling me out for lying about my Amortentia?” She asked, folding her arms.  Theo took a moment to gaze at her up close, for the first time in months.  Her hair was still soft and curled, brilliant blonde against the grey stone of the castle.  Hey eyes shone hazel, and her lips looked as soft and kissable as they had his whole life.

“Because I lied too.” Camilla’s eyes opened wide.

“What?”

“Rosemary, rose, and almond oil,” he spoke softly, moving closer to her again until their noses brushed. “It’s what you’ve smelt like every day for the past eleven years.  That’s what I smelt in my Amortentia.” They were standing so close now that if Theo dipped his lips half an inch, he would meet hers.  He waited.  Camilla’s eyes grew shy as they dropped to his mouth hovering ever so slightly above hers.

“Books.  A whole library.  And mahogany.  That’s what I smelt,” she whispered.  Theo’s face broke out in the biggest smile of his life.

“Camilla Avery, I’ve been in love with you for my entire life.” She looked at him with a look that he finally now recognized as thinly veiled yearning, the same look she had been giving him since the Yule Ball.

“I’ve been in love with you even longer, Theo Nott.  Maybe even since we were atoms.”

“Have you been reading Muggle science books again?”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t care,” Theo tipped his head down and kissed Camilla.  Her mouth opened slightly and he deepened the sweet kiss, pulling her flush against his chest.  Her hands tangled in his mess of curly hair and a small noise left her throat as his hands pressed into her back under her school shirt.  Theo kissed her over and over again, tasting strawberry and pancake on her tongue from breakfast, tasting sunshine on her mouth from the happiness that poured from her, finally feeling like his life was complete.

They pulled apart only slightly, still sharing breath between them.  Camilla’s eyes sparkled more than he had ever seen and Theo rested his head on hers.

“Please be my girlfriend.  I think I will positively die if you don’t.” Camilla laughed and the sound was sweet in Theo’s ears.

“We can’t have that.  Of course I’ll be your girlfriend, dummy,” Theo nodded with a laugh and pressed a kiss into her hair.  He didn’t care that they had probably missed the first part of Charms.  He didn’t even care that the comments Pansy would make would be nearly unbearable.  He had fallen in love with Camilla Avery and against all the odds, she fell in love with him back.

and there we go!  kudos to you if you made it all the way through.  tagging @remibarnes22 and @ladiefury because they both said they were interested!

[desiraypark]

“We’re a mess.”

Characters: King T’Challa x Black Female Reader Content: N*FW | “Secret” lovers/sometime lovers; immediate smut; assumed cheating (but not). You run a non-profit food pantry in your local area. King T’Challa and Princess Shuri reached out to you to partner in their outreach organizations in the states. Since then, T’Challa has filled a little more than just your food pantries, if you know what I mean...

“Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, our special guest, the King of Wakanda, His Royal Highness, T’Challa Udaku.” The banquet hall broke out in applause as T’Challa stepped to the podium, dressed in a dark purple suit. Few gold accessories sparkled under the room’s lighting--a watch, a ring, and some sort of chain around his neck. He tilted his head in reverence to the adulation and scanned the crowd. His eyes stopped on you. You smirked, folded your arms and crossed your legs. 

T’Challa cleared his throat and began a speech about his upbringing, life in Wakanda, and called for unity across the diaspora--assuring the room that Wakanda would right its wrongs. 

When the program ended, a jazz band began to play. After checking off their meal options on place cards, people either rushed to the dance floor, rushed to the program’s speakers, or sat and waited for their food. You were among the latter group. You and Camilla--your partner at the 34th Street Food Pantry--remained at the table. 

“You know you want to go talk to him,” Camilla said. You rolled your eyes. “Just because I want to, doesn’t mean I should,” you said. “Hmph. I’m surprised you’re even admitting that you want to.” Just as a server dropped your plate of salmon, green beans, and rice in front of you, Camilla began to loudly clear her throat. You looked at her and felt a hand on your shoulder.  “Y/N?” he said. You turned to face him - the tall, beautiful man with doe eyes and a crooked smile. His hair was longer than the last time you’d seen him - coily and thick under the banquet hall’s soft lighting. “Good evening, T’Challa.” “I’m happy to see you here,” he said. He was so full of it. This dinner was hosted annually in your city. The same venue and everything. And the venue just so happened to be about fifteen minutes for your home. You, co-founder of the 34th Street Food Pantry, had no excuse to not show up to these yearly celebrations.

“Hmm,” you hummed. You took a sip of your ginger ale. “I never miss an opportunity to network.” 

You glanced at the business cards in front of you, just to make sure they were still there. “Where’s Shuri?”

“She’s at home doing some very important research. But she sends her love.” T’Challa walked to Camilla and kissed her on the cheek. “How are you, Camilla?” “I’ve been well, T’Challa. You look good.” “As do you,” he said. “As do both of you.”

You grabbed a flake of your salmon and stuck it in your mouth to chew...and conceal the smile that was trying to form on your face.  “Y/N, I hope we can speak in private at some point tonight.” “For what?” you asked with your mouth full. You quickly grabbed your flute and washed the remnants of food down. T’Challa smirked, shook his head, and rubbed your shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Y/N.” He walked away, and Camilla smiled into her flute of ginger ale.  “He’s gonna wear your ass out tonight, girl,” she said through clenched teeth. “No, the fuck he’s not...” you said, rolling your eyes. ******************** Bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, fuck yes, fuck yes!” you screeched in harmony with your headboard banging against the wall. You were gripping your sheets as T’Challa's hips snapped against your ass--length drilling deep into you.

“Bast, I missed you,” he groaned.

“I’m missed you, too!” Your breath had escaped you. T’Challa slowed down and worked long, deep strokes into you--hands traveling from your hips, to your waist, and back to your hips. “Let me see that beautiful face.” He pulled out and you turned over on your back, and opened your knees. T’Challa knelt between them and slipped right back inside--stretching you open as if he wasn’t just in you a few seconds ago. He peppered your neck with kisses, then sucked at the flesh. You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him in and refusing to let go.

“God, you feel so good...” you moaned. “Mmm...” he hummed. “Does your little lawyer boyfriend make you feel this good?” “No, baby...” He began to rotate his hips, gyrating over and into you. Your eyes rolled back and your toes curled. “Does he move like this and hit all your spots?” “No, he doesn’t...he doesn’t...” you whimpered. T’Challa hummed in approval and took your left nipple into his mouth. He stilled his waist and drove into you slow and as deep as your soaked pussy would allow. Then, he started to pick up the pace. Soft moans turned to loud, rhythmic yelps as he buried himself into you, digging and digging until he found the right angle, the right spot, and the right pace... “Just like that, just like that!” you cried. “Don’t stop...don’t stop...don’t fuckin’ stop!” He kept his pace and wrapped his arms over your head. T’Challa was the only man who’d made you come just from penetration. He just knew what to do and where to go, and always took you there. And even after you reached your peak, he didn’t stop. 

Heat settled in your belly and you felt the “snap”. You cried to the ceiling as the pressure built, then released--and T’Challa stroked you through the entire thing. You settled into your euphoric resolution and cheered him on. “Are you gonna come for me, T?” you asked. He buried his face in your shoulder and moaned.  “Come for me, baby,” you mumbled. You clenched down on his dick and he groaned. “That’s right, baby...come for me...let that shit go...” T’Challa’s body stiffened and he pushed deep inside of you. He was wearing a condom, but you could feel the heat in your core. Part of you ached to actually feel his cum splatter against your walls. When he reached the end of his orgasm, he let out a loud gasp and collapsed on top of you. You ran your fingertips up and down his back and kissed his shoulder. Then, he rolled over on his side. Both of you were tangled in your sheets and catching your breath. Eventually, T’Challa got up and went into your bathroom. He returned with the condom removed from his softened dick, and climb back in bed with you. You were staring up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what to make him for breakfast. “How is your little boyfriend?” he asked, popping the mental image of eggs frying in a skillet out of your brain. “Can you stop calling him little?” you asked with a chuckle. “We broke up. It’s been a month.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” he said. His apology sounded genuine. But you said nothing more. You continued staring at the ceiling, watching phantom images appear and disappear--for your brain and your vision were still recalibrating.  “How’s Nakia?” you asked. T’Challa trapped a chuckle in his chest. “We broke up. Three months.” “We’re a fucking mess,” you said, shaking your head. You saw T’Challa’s pecs rise, and heard a burst of air leave his nostrils.

“But we can’t stay away from each other,” he said.

“Can’t stay away from each other...but can’t be around each other for more than ten minutes...” T’Challa looked at his watch. “Two hours...” “It was not that long,” you said, rolling your eyes.  He laughed. “See, that’s why we can’t be around each other. You and your feisty little commentary.”

“Yeah, yeah. You know you like it,” you said, smiling. You turned over on your side. Then, you felt the mattress shift--body heat eased upon your skin. T’Challa wrapped his arms around you, and kissed your shoulder blade.

[kumeko]

A/N: For the @invinciblezine Calamity’s Advent Zine! I’m not 100% happy about how this ended up. I always wanted to write a dark route, Corrin turns into a tyrant after a scene in the Conquest route and instead I wrote more of Corrin’s slowly collapsing state throughout the conquest route. XD Maybe I’ll revisit that idea in the future.

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…

…

Corrin knew what it felt like for the world to turn upside down, to lose her footing and stumble when nothing was as it should be. From the moment she’d left the Northern Fortress, it was a feeling she’d felt constantly. After all, everything she’d known was a lie. Her family couldn’t be called hers, Nohr had never been her home, and even her body wasn’t entirely human.

 After all of that, she’d thought it was impossible to get surprised anymore. That there was nothing left that could shock her to her core. That wasn’t the case, sadly. Somewhere above her, the gods were laughing. Standing at the lake’s edge, she grabbed Azura’s shoulder for stability. “What?”

 “We have to kill Garon,” Azura repeated softly, her eyes downcast. In the moonlight, she looked ethereal, her gossamer dress silver. Nothing about her felt solid, neither her words nor her skin, and Corrin tightened her grip unconsciously. Maybe she could chalk this up as a dream.  “And the only way to prove his true identity—”

 “Is to put him on Hoshido’s throne,” Corrin finished hollowly, turning away to stare at the lake. A gentle fog covered most of the water, and the parts closest to her reflected the endless stars. In another time, she’d have stared at the night sky with her family, chatting happily. Now she was faced with the choice of tearing them apart. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the dewy grass and tried to calm her racing heart. “He really is a demon?”

“Yes.” Azura gracefully knelt beside her, tucking her skirt under her knees as she sat on the damp ground.

 It’ll stain, Corrin thought idly. Jacob will be furious. Life used to be so simple in the Northern Fortress, when all she’d wanted was to prove she was good enough for Garon so she could finally join her siblings. When she’d only had one set of family, and not two. Xander had warned her once that she might not be ready for the outside world, that it was crueler than she could imagine locked away.

 He’d been right. She wasn’t ready. She never had been. Yet it was too late to go back. Curling her hands into the dirt, she quietly muttered, “You know, I should have known he wasn’t my father.”

 Azura rested her hand on top of hers, gently urging her to continue. “How could you?”

 “I mean…” Corrin cracked a lopsided smile, leaning back to stare at the moon. “What sort of father keeps their child locked away? And it couldn’t have been strength or age—Elise wasn’t trapped with me. But I wanted to believe.” Her voice cracked. “I wanted to belong.”

 Azura clasped her hands to her chest, looking down at the grass, at the moonlight glinting off the dewdrops. “It’s hard to belong. I don’t think I ever have.”

 From the moment they’d met, Corrin had known they were kindred spirits. She just hadn’t realized how much. Corrin held up a hand above her, studying it. “We don’t even look the same, but then again…no one really looks like Garon.”

 “He isn’t what he used to be,” Azura pointed out sadly. There was a trace of familiarity in her tone and Corrin wondered how deep it ran. “He’s…changed much.”

 “That’s what Xander says too, but…” Corrin glanced at Azura. She was beautiful, bathed in the moonlight. It wasn’t just her—all of her siblings were. Camilla was gorgeous, Elise cute, Leo and Xander handsome in wildly different ways. No matter how much she looked at them, she couldn’t find Garon in them, couldn’t find his cruelty in their words or actions. The reverse also held true. She couldn’t find their kindness in Garon, couldn’t find their justice in his actions. “Do you take after your mother?”

 Azura’s eyes widen before a sad smile crosses her face. “I’ve been told we look alike. I can’t remember her well.”

 “Me neither.” Corrin chuckled mirthlessly, leaning forward to peer at her reflection in the glasslike water. There was nothing of Mikoto in her hair, her eyes, her frame. Maybe she took after her father, but she didn’t resemble her Hoshido siblings in the slightest. She remembered Mikoto’s arms around her, her last ragged whisper, and she bit back a sob. “And now I never will.”

 She felt untethered, disconnected from the world. Even for all her years caged, she’d never felt as lost as she did now.

  “You know, you’re lucky,” Azura murmured, squeezing Corrin’s hand. When she looked back in askance, Azura continued, “Camilla, Xander—your siblings, they truly care for you. Blood-related or not, they love you. And,” she paused, her eyes lowering. “Even in Hoshido, they miss you.”

 Corrin turned her hand, squeezing her back. “They miss you too.”

 “Maybe, but not as much as they miss you. They’ve spent years waiting for you.” Azura shook her head. There was nothing self-deprecating about her tone, only honest truth, and that was what made it sting the most. That someone as amazing as Azura thought like that about herself. “Even now, it’s you they’re fighting for.”

 “They’re fighting for you too. After the war—” Corrin cut herself, realization sinking in. “The Hoshido throne. We have to conquer Hoshido.” She looked at Azura, pained. “We have to fight them.”

 Azura nodded, averting her eyes. She must have realized this before. “We have to defeat them.”

 Corrin gazed at the lake once more. Ryoma was proud, Takumi bitter, and Hinoka fearless. There was a chance she could convince Sakura to surrender, but the other three—they wouldn’t back down without a fight. Especially now that Corrin had slapped their hand away, had rejected their kindness and love for Nohr. “They might die.”

 Azura said nothing. Her nails dug into Corrin’s skin.

 “I…” Corrin’s heart was in her throat, her eyes already watery. Could she kill them? She had to, didn’t she? It was the only way she could get Garon on the throne, the only way she could kill him and bring peace. Her chest throbbed, her palms sweaty.

 Xander had warned her, so long ago, that she had to be tough to survive outside. She just hadn’t realized how tough.

 Corrin closed her eyes. Ryoma’s grip had been firm, but gentle. Hinoka had a playful, competitive streak. Takumi had been bitter, so terribly angry and bitter, but in time, in time he might have come to accept her. To love her. Just like Sakura, who despite her shyness, had made sure Corrin felt welcome.

 Mikoto’s body had rapidly cooled in her arms after the explosion, her words so kind and forgiving. Corrin would remember that sensation for the rest of her life. Now, she’d have to remember Ryoma, remember Hinoka and Takumi and every other Hoshidan she would have to kill in this war. This wasn’t like with Ice Tribe’s rebellion or Garon’s order to kill all dancers. All of Leo’s tricks couldn’t change the truth here: one way or another, people would die.

 “I have to conquer Hoshido,” she uttered softly, steeling herself. She wondered how many times a person could face heartbreak before they crumble, just how many pieces a heart can shatter into before it can’t be put back together again. “Maybe I’m more like Garon than I thought, using and killing others to get what I want. A tyrant.”

 “You’re not,” Azura defended, shaking her head.

 “I might have to kill my siblings.” Corrin paused, before correcting, “Your siblings.”

 “They were never mine to begin with,” Azura replied sadly, her hand curling on her chest. “Besides…I was forced out of Hoshido, remember? I doubt they want me back.”

 Corrin frowned, not buying a word of it. If Azura could only realize how they had looked at her, the love that had shown in Ryoma’s, Hinoka’s, and Sakura’s eyes, she wouldn’t say such things. “Even then, you don’t want them to die, do you?”

 “Never,” Azura admitted reluctantly, closing her eyes. “Never.”

 “Then—”

 “But we have to stop Garon.” Azura opened her eyes and clenched her jaw, looking more determined than Corrin had ever seen her. “He’ll only bring ruin to everything he touches…it doesn’t matter what I want, this is more important than that.”

 Was it? But Corrin couldn’t say the words. Deep in her heart, she knew it was true. For the sake of Nohr, for the sake of Hoshido, sacrifices had to be made. Her siblings had to be thrown on the altar to protect the country they loved. Curling her hand into a fist, Corrin quietly replied, “I’ll do it, so—”

 “Not alone.” Cutting her off, Azura squeezed Corrin’s hand one last time before standing up. “I will not let you walk this path by yourself. Not when I suggested it. The blood on your hands is on mine as well.”

 It shouldn’t have sounded as reassuring as it had. Corrin looked up at Azura, feeling like she was stepping on quicksand, and shiver ran up her spine at the path they were taking.

 -x-

 Corrin silently stared at the plain tent before her, its flap closed. Despite being the royal tactics chamber, it looked as simple as the other tents in the war camp. Unlike Hoshido and its golden tents, there weren’t the resources to make something similar in Nohr. It was hard enough funding the army without tossing in ornamental trinkets. Besides, even if there were, she wasn’t sure they would make it. Xander and Leo had always been of the practical sort. How the tent looked made no difference to what they did inside it.

 Elise, on the other hand, would have decorated it with flowers. A smile tugged on her face at the thought and Corrin relaxed slightly before ducking her head and entering. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, making out her two brothers standing around a large table. Spread across it was a familiar map, Nohr and Hoshido covered with small figurines indicating the allotment of troops.

 Noticing her, Xander turned and gave a solemn smile. As usual, his posture was a little stiff from years of being the crown prince. “You made it.”

 “I thought we had to send a search party,” Leo quipped with a teasing smile.

 “I wasn’t lost,” Corrin protested, her smile instantly turning into a frown. Her shoulders remained relaxed though; this was familiar, this was safe. This was her family, when all was said and done. As she approached them, she pointed at Leo’s collar. “And your collar is inside out.”

 “Seriously?” Leo swore softly under his breath as he tugged on his cape. He was lucky Camilla wasn’t around to hear that. “Every. Damn. Time.”

 Xander chuckled. It sounded rusty, like he was out of practice. “Leo, this happens far too often. Why do you even wear that?”

 When Leo merely glowered his reply, Corrin teasingly guessed, “Aesthetic?”

 “No.” Immediately, Leo snorted indignantly, and she had a feeling she’d guessed right. He scowled at her. “Nothing as frivolous as that. It is for decorum.”

 “Decorum, huh?” Corrin stretched out the word, a mocking grin on her face.

 “Have Niles assist you, at least,” Xander suggested, ending the discussion before it turned into an argument. He had always been diplomatic like that. “Or Odin, if he is capable.”

  “I feel like that’d make it worse,” she muttered under her breath. If there was something both sets of her siblings shared it common, it was picking really strange retainers. Hinoka’s were especially odd, but Leo’s weren’t far behind. Niles never ceased his dark humour and teasing, and Odin, well, he often felt out of touch with reality.

“Nonsense, I can manage something as simple as this myself,” Leo refuted, adjusting his cape, right-collar out now. His ears were red, a tell-tale sign of embarrassment he could never hide. Turning back to the table, he gestured at the pieces, “Anyways, we have more important matters to discuss.”

 Corrin snorted at the obvious topic change. Xander accepted it gracefully, as usual. Walking around the table, he leaned forward and studied the troops. “Our upcoming battle. They are all in their current locations?”

 “As of this morning’s update,” Leo confirmed, idly picking up a wooden knight. He rolled it on his hand. “For the most part, we are holding them in check. We need to add extra pressure to push them back.”

 The smile dropped from her face as Corrin glanced down at the table. The map was overrun with battalions. She swallowed, her heart beating in her ears. Each piece represented a hundred. Were there even that many people in Nohr? In Hoshido? A single move could alter the fate of thousands.

 “We seem to be evenly matched, which is better than I expected considering their upper hand in numbers, resources, and location.” Xander frowned, his brow knitting as he examined the battle lines.

 “But not in strength,” Leo added, smirking cockily.

 “Don’t get too overconfident,” Xander warned, picking up a soldier that was taller than the others. “There are Hoshidans who can match us blow for blow; it will not be as simple as you think.”

 Corrin stared at the soldier, realization dawning. “Is that Ryoma?”

 “We needed a way to distinguish the Hoshido royal family.” Xander pointed at three points on the board where there was an archer, a Pegasus knight, and priestess, all of which were taller than the others of their class. It was her entire family in a wooden block set.

 Leo set down his soldier and picked up Takumi. He snorted inelegantly. “This one’s just an archer, I highly doubt he’s a threat.”

 “Leo.” Xander sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I’m just a swordsman. A weapon can be deadly in the right hands.”

 “There is nothing just about you,” Leo retorted, setting the piece down. “Though you might be right. We just don’t have enough information on them.”

 “Information…” Corrin repeated, picking up Sakura and rolling the piece in her hand. If they had enough information, could they clear the battle without killing? It was a possibility, however slim. Noticing the silence around her, she looked up and realized they were staring at her expectantly. Surprised, she stepped back. “Me?”

 “Well, you were with them for a while,” Leo pointed out, rolling his eyes. “You know more than we do.”

 “The information would be very helpful, though I understand if it’s too hard for you right now,” Xander added supportively, walking around to squeeze her shoulder. It was rare for him to play brother and not crown prince.

 “Quit babying her.” Despite his harsh words, Leo didn’t push her. Instead, he glanced at the tent entrance. “Maybe Azura could help—”

 “I can do it,” Corrin blurted out immediately. Azura couldn’t be dragged into this any deeper than she already was. The betrayal would be less, coming from her lips rather than Azura’s. It would still be a betrayal, nonetheless. Her heart sank, remembering their kindness and how she was trampling on it now.

 Xander hummed approvingly. “Good.”

 -x-

 “Corrin!” Hinoka gasped, the Yato buried hilt-deep into her chest. Blood dripped down her chest, splattering darkly against the earth. “Why?”

 Corrin woke up, drenched in sweat. That was a dream. Only a dream. There was a sticky sensation on her hands, the false memory of Hinoka’s blood, and she wiped them off on her blanket. The feeling wouldn’t leave, even though it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. It had only been a dream.

 “Shit.” She covered her eyes with the back of her hand, breathing heavily as she tried to get her bearings. Every night, it was one sibling or the other. Her hands were stained red, her sword piercing their body, and a single accusatory why lingered in the air before she woke. A dream that felt all too real. She could only hope that she hadn’t gained foresight.

 There would be no sleeping further tonight. Her heart calmed and Corrin slipped out of her tent quietly. She didn’t want Jakob to notice her absence; only one of them had to lose their sleep. Around her was a tent city, small lanterns here and there giving her the vague shape of the army’s campground. It was a dark, moonless night. Everyone else was asleep, as they should be.

 Quietly, Corrin walked a familiar path through the tents, stopping in front of her friends’ and families’ tents. The layout was the same at every stop, Xander’s planning meticulous. First was Elise’s chambers, Elise silently polishing her armour as she kept watch. By now, Corrin was certain all of the retainers knew of her nightly check-ups. Niles stood guard at Leo’s tent, his lips tugging into a lazy smirk at the sight of her. Laslow was nodding off at Xander’s, no doubt covering for Peri’s shift as well.

 Her last stop was Camilla’s tent, with the steadfast Beruka watching from the shadows. Corrin sighed with relief. It had only been a dream, after all.

 -x-

 Corrin watched as Camilla tightened the straps of her saddle, her delicate arms far stronger than they appeared. Considering the hefty axe she preferred, they had to be. Far above them, Selena was already in the air with her dragon, circling around warily as she kept an eye out for any enemies. Beruka was impossible to spot. It felt like such an ordinary thing, as though her sister was leaving for another scouting mission, when it was anything but.

 “Are you sure about this?” Corrin asked softly.

 Camilla tightened her strap one last time before gently patting her wyvern’s tough hide. The sun had only set minutes ago and already almost all of its rays were gone, bathing them in darkness. Above them, the stars hadn’t appeared yet, this twilight hour one without any heavenly witnesses. Smiling, she turned to Corrin. “About what, sweetie?”

 “This, all of it.” Corrin rubbed her arm, her eyes flickering from Camilla to the ground. Shame crept into her voice. “You don’t have to do this, you know. Beruka can carry it out without you. I can send someone else.”

 “My Beruka is very good at assassinations and sneaking around,” Camilla concurred, hand on her hip as she stared up at the sky. There was a gentle smile on her face, as though she was talking about Elise sneaking treats and not her retainer’s capabilities in murder. “However, you gave me this task.” She turned around, stepping toward Corrin and reaching out. Her right-hand caressed Corrin’s cheek. Expression tender, she finished, “And I never turn down anything my darling family asks.”

 And that was the crux of it, that the one who’d decided Camilla should go on this assassination mission was Corrin. That the one who had looked at the map, at all the small soldiers, and discovered the quickest way forward was through subterfuge and sabotage was herself. It had been her decision, and yet the consequences wouldn’t occur by her own doing. She covered Camilla’s hand with her own, pained. “I’m sorry.”

 “It’s fine, this isn’t my first assassination.” Camilla chuckled. Her hair flowed in the wind, covering her face. Despite her square shoulders, she sounded tired. “And it won’t be my last. Some battles are better done quietly, when no one can witness them. I don’t mind, as long as I can protect all of you.”

 “Camilla…” Corrin hugged her sister and closed her eyes. There had been times, when she had been younger and Camilla had visited for longer than a day, that she’d spot a dragon leaving the castle in the middle of the night. Had it been her sister, even then? Or Jakob or someone else she knew and cared about, someone else whose job it was to clean up secretly. It wasn’t hard to imagine Camilla’s axe in the darkness, coated in thick red liquid. “I won’t—” ask for any other missions, Corrin almost added, cutting herself off before she could lie.

 Because there was no way that could be the truth. Not in a war like this. Not when she wanted to minimize casualties. If only she was stronger, better, smarter. If only she wasn’t so weak that she had to rely on her family like this.

 “Don’t cry, sweetie.” Camilla pulled herself away, still wearing that gentle expression. It was a mirror image of Mikoto’s and maybe she’d been wrong, maybe Corrin had known what a mother was like all this time. “Just smile for me, that’s all I need.”

 Corrin steeled her heart, pushing away her regrets as she smiled. “Come back safely.”

 -x-

 Pulling a sword out of a body was hard. It took a certain amount of strength and finesse depending on where in the body she stabbed. It was easier in the arms and legs. A single strong yank was enough to free her weapon then. In the torso, however, it took a saw-like motion, it took grunting and sweating and listening to a person choke in their own blood, their hand limply reaching out to grab her.

 It was a sensation she wished she didn’t understand. It was a sensation she wished was imprinted in her skin and bones, engraved into her until she could never forget. Corrin knew how blood sprayed when she cut a body, where to strike to minimize the splatter. How it looked when she flicked it off her sword. How long it took a person to die, the wet sound as they tried to take a breath.

 It was terrifying, the facts she was learning about the human body.

 “Corrin?”

 Elise’s voice shook her out of her thoughts and Corrin scanned her surroundings. The battle might be over, but there could be Hoshidan stragglers lurking about, one careless mistake away from striking her down. Around her were damaged houses, windows broken and plumes of smoke escaping crumbling walls. Despite her orders to not endanger civilian life, she still found village after village like this and she could never tell if her soldiers were disobeying her or if Iago had overruled her orders. It didn’t matter. In the end, the result was the same: Hoshidans without a home. Children without parents. Dead bodies strewn across the street and not all of them were soldiers.

 Still keeping a tight grip on her sword, Corrin replied, “It’s safe, Elise.”

 Behind her, low-heeled shoes clacked against a cobbled road. Elise walked slowly, her staff clutched tightly as she nervously looked at each soldier. Her long, golden braids were speckled with blood, her usually immaculate dress dirty and crinkled. The healing stations must have overflowed today and Corrin felt a pang of sympathy.

 “It’s okay, they’re all dead,” Corrin reassured her, approaching to meet her halfway. “You’re safe.”

 Elise paled, her skin taking on a sickly shine. “They are?” She looked around her, her eyes sad. “All of them?”

 “Yes.” Corrin bit her cheek. Whether it was Nohr or Hoshido, the soldiers were too proud, all too many of them preferring to die on their feet than to surrender and live. “What’re you doing here, Elise?”

 “Oh.” Elise’s shoulders sank and she loosened her grip on her staff. “I…I thought I could save someone. Anyone, really.” She looked up at Corrin, giving a troubled smile. “Not just our soldiers.”

 Corrin’s eyes widened. “Really?”

 “Yeah.” Elise brightened slightly, remembering her past successes. “I actually saved a whole bunch of Hoshido soldiers!” She held out her hands, increasing the gap between them as though to indicate how many. “They might be prisoners, but they’re alive.”

 “That’s great, Elise!” Corrin forced a smile as she wrapped her arms around her sister, hugging her tightly.

 It was good news. It was great news. And if her heart didn’t feel light at it, if she sensed something dark lurking in the edges of her sight, well, she’d just become more cynical these days.

 -x-

 Azura was drawn to water in a way she couldn’t entirely explain. It was more than just her connection to that other world or even to her late mother. Lakes were a safe spot, a place she could sit, think, and be a little less afraid. Whenever they camped by a lake, she would invariably end up in front of it, sinking her toes into the shallow banks as she calmed down.

 It seemed she wasn’t the only one drawn to it. Azura wasn’t entirely surprised when she spotted Corrin at the lake’s edge, hugging herself as she stared down at the waters. They’d been bumping into one another here more and more these days and Azura found she welcomed the company. There was something comforting about her friend.

 “Corrin,” she greeted, standing beside her. Their reflections rippled in the water.

 “Azura,” Corrin croaked, eyes red-rimmed.

 “What’s wrong?” Immediately, Azura touched Corrin’s arm. Her skin felt cold to the touch—just how long had she been here? And had she always been so pale, so gaunt?

 “I…” Corrin averted her gaze, her eyes firmly locked onto the water. She didn’t shy away from Azura’s touch at least. “Elise had been healing Hoshido soldiers lately.” She laughed wetly. “Prisoners of war, but alive.”

 Azura could already guess where this was headed. With Garon, it wasn’t hard to know just how he’d react to that news.

 “Garon doesn’t take prisoners. Iago had me carry out the execution.” Corrin’s voice grew fainter and fainter and had she always looked this small? “Though none of that surprised me.”

 “Oh Corrin.” Azura worried her lip, hesitating before gingerly wrapping an arm around Corrin. She had never been one for physical affection or even good at it, but Corrin had done so much for her and she had to help her friend now. “I’m sorry.”

 “The worst part was that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be.” Corrin’s tired voice carried a trace of desperation and she hunched over slightly, curling into herself. “I used to vomit in the bushes and now I just…” She turned to Azura, scared. “Maybe I really am like Garon. A monster.”

 “You’re not,” Azura refuted automatically, wrapping both arms around Corrin now to draw her into a proper hug. “You’re not.”

 Corrin laughed weakly. “I’m fighting to save Hoshido and Nohr, but all I find are corpses. Just who am I saving?”

 You saved me, Azura almost said, but what was one life in comparison to thousands? Whatever Hoshidans survived, they did so out of sight, away from their host army. Azura had always known that the path before them stood on the bodies of innocents, but it was one thing to know it, another to experience it. For all of Corrin’s strengths, it was something impossible to prepare for.

 And what lay ahead was even worse. Corrin shuddered in her arms, crying soundlessly. They were days away from the capital, from Takumi, Ryoma, Hinoka, and Sakura. If Corrin could break this deeply from strangers, she would be shattered by the time they reached the throne.

 Not for the first time, Azura wished she had some prowess in the battlefield. Her hands weren’t strong enough to take this duty out of Corrin’s. All she had was her voice, her song, and so she hummed softly into the night air, pushing a little power to calm Corrin.

 “It’ll be okay,” she sang, stroking Corrin’s back. “I’ll be with you.”

 At the very least, she could keep her promise. They were both bloodstained, and if this path led to hell, well, they’d go hand in hand.

[dragonstoravens]

Babylon Vol. 1: Ask Nothing, The Power of a Smile, Angel On Your Shoulder

[ID: a blue patterned banner with text reading “BABYLON.” End ID.]

(3 short and sweet chapters for you today before we get back into a little bit heavier stuff! I hope you enjoy seeing these two dweebs get to know each other and watching their friendship grow.)

Taglist (ask to be added or removed!): @charlottedotexe @glitterandstarshine @rainbowcoloreddays @the-starlight-chills @erased-in-stone

General: @elywritesbydarkness @residentofthedisc @humour-and-hyperfocus @skyfirewrites @viawrites-andacts

11. Ask nothing

Azzy’s finger hovered over the send button, something in the depths of her core churning. Was she terrible for this? For not wanting to think about it? She had already thought about it so much before she did it, she didn’t really want to think about it any more, it felt terrible. She hit send. It couldn’t make anything worse, at least.

[Azure] Hey, I’m really sorry to bother you, please let me know if you’re busy or something.

Trinity blinked as the message popped up on his screen, a frown creasing his forehead. That was a weird way to start, at least for Azure. She never apologized for anything. He couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong. 

[Hotshot] I’m not busy

[Hotshot] What is it?

There was a long pause.

[Azure] I was just hoping for a distraction, if you had the time. I just broke it off with someone and I don’t really want to talk about it.

 She hoped it wasn’t too much. She’d seen him have a panic attack, and it seemed fair to her that he saw her be vulnerable too. On the other hand, she’d said she’d ignore the fact that had happened. This might just be a little too much for whatever weird dynamic they’d built for themselves. It occurred to her that maybe she should soften how serious it sounded.

[Azure] It’s really no big deal either way.

Trinity frowned at her attempt to downplay the issue. It certainly seemed like a big deal to him, if the chronically blunt Azure could be driven to such lengths. An unpleasant thought occurred to him. He didn’t think Azure would’ve been… well, essentially cheating, even if it was fake dating. He would hope that whoever this new ex was had known about the situation, but he couldn’t completely ignore the possibility that they hadn’t.

[Hotshot] Ok. But before we don’t talk about it, I have to ask. It wasn’t because of us, was it?

She couldn’t blame him for checking, though she doubted he’d feel any sympathy for her if she hadn’t told Turq. At least she hadn’t caused that deep an ache. 

[Azure] What? No, he knew, he was fine with that. It’s helping a friend, he understood. It’s unrelated. 

[Azure] Can we get to the not talking about it?

She shoved away the couple of things Trinity had done that had stuck with her in the back of her head that had been the precursor to her thinking a little too hard about her real relationship. The pulling out chairs and the protective arm over her shoulder when someone got a little too close and she got uncomfortable. Her hands shook a little and she tried not to cry as she heard Turq’s workshop doors slide open.

[Azure] Like right now?

Trinity gave a tiny sigh of relief. He was always somewhat glad when Azure showed herself to be a genuinely decent person. She did it often enough, but part of him did worry that someday she’d turn out to be like almost everyone else he knew. The longer he knew her, though, the less worried he was about that being the case. 

[Hotshot] Of course. Here, let me show you some of the prototypes I’ve been working on, they’re due to send to production soon but I was just doing a run through for improvements. What do you think?

Azzy sighed in relief herself as the files came through. Say what you wanted about Jericho, he really knew how to make a person forget things were horrible. Between this and somehow managing to get her to be something akin to comfortable in a crowd, it was nice to have him around. He somehow knew exactly what she needed to get her mind off things.

[Azure] Over on the third one, the dimensions aren’t going to fit in a standard issue cartridge.

It wasn’t the conversation itself that mattered of course, but it was something. And true to his word, he didn’t ask her for anything more than that.

12. The Power of a Smile

Trinity gave a perfectly timed laugh-- not his real laugh, but damned close-- and once again Azure wondered how exactly he knew when to do that as a chorus of reflexive laughter rose around him. She’d been to a few of these high society gatherings by now, primarily to feed Trinity information and be placeholder arm candy to keep the vultures away. When she wasn’t letting her brain wander to cybernetic innovations or small robots with no function she’d like to create, she was watching Trinity talk his way through the night with ease. He seemed to know and be known by everyone, and what’s more is that the vast majority seemed to respect him to boot. 

She listened to the questions asked and tried to guess at his answers like a game. Questions that were too direct or too personal he’d deflect with a wave of the hand and a question of his own in response. It was a tennis match he never seemed to lose and as she watched him, talking circles around their fellow partygoers, the look of admiration she fixed him with became more and more genuine. He would smile, and others would smile back even if they were upset. He would say something ought to be done, and most people would comply. He would thank them, and make it believable.

All while making some very good jokes in the back of his head for Azzy to enjoy. 

He was quick witted and sure, and she marveled at how on earth anyone got to be even close to this comfortable looking with this many people around. She knew now that the crowds bothered him, giving him the same choked feeling she got. Honestly, his was probably worse. She still wasn’t used to it, still couldn’t quite get the hang of the way he wove his way in and out of conversations, water running through the fingers of people who tried desperately to vy for his attentions. She followed at his heels, trying to smile when he did, laugh on his cue. She felt so mechanical next to him, her mind all cogs and mathematics. He led her, night after night, through a social dance she might never really understand.  Always laughed with, never laughed at. Always steering conversation, never caught off guard. 

Another glass of wine and a small exchange of glances.  She smiled and gestured to him to lead the way, ready to be impressed again. He never disappointed.

13. Angel On Your Shoulder

It was sort of incredible, Trinity reflected, how much easier it was to get through a night when you weren’t alone.

It probably helped even more that his particular companion had a mental link with him, absolutely no sense of society, and a propensity for memes. In front of him was a middle aged woman talking loudly about her children-- ostensibly to Trinity, but really to about half the room with the volume she was using to extoll their many virtues. Normally in this situation, Trinity’s eyes would be aching from forcing himself not to roll them. However, with Azzy here he now had two very good strategies to keep from wanting to drown himself in the punch bowl. The first was to pull her in a little closer to his side just as Mrs. Probably-Catholic (with the amount of children she had, it only made sense) began yet another anecdote, this one about her third-oldest son and the great assets he was forming in the accounting industry and also how handsome he was and how he’d just had his 23rd birthday and was still single, could you believe it? Apparently she’d given up on daughters, since Trinity had no reaction to those so far. Trinity just smiled, shifting his hand just a hint further down on Azzy’s hip.

“Well, that really is a shame. I really did think I might be in the same boat, spending my 23rd alone, before I met Camilla. Isn’t that right, dear?”

“Camilla,” who was currently deep in thought about cybernetics and dogs and dogs with cybernetics, nodded absently, but that was all Trinity needed. She did the rest without even thinking about it. Her hand draped over his shoulder shot off tiny sparks at random intervals, and while he recognized her expression as her resting state of thoughtfulness, he knew what it said to most other people that saw it-- “don’t even think about it.” All he had to do was call the overeager woman’s attention to it, look back up, and smile.

His conversation partner’s smile faltered slightly under the weight of his own as she registered the very stubborn, very dangerous, and very pretty barnacle on his arm, and Trinity took it as an opportunity to politely excuse himself.

The second strategy Trinity could use now that Azzy was here was more for his own sake than anything else. Alone in a crowd, he was constantly stressed at worst and unfathomably bored at best. Now, a conversation with a business partner that would have been, frankly, mind numbing left him struggling not to laugh aloud. He’d always thought this particular man looked a bit like he was constantly holding a frog in his mouth, and every time he spoke he barely opened his lips, like he had to keep it from escaping. The man would not find this fact at all amusing, nor would most other people in this room, and even if they did social graces would absolutely demand they never show it. Luckily, the little voice in the back of Trinity’s head belonged to the person currently draped across his shoulders like she belonged there, and she couldn’t care less about social graces. She was much more interested in shooting back images of the man running across the ballroom, chasing down the frog as it leapt from his mouth into a stack of champagne glasses. 

Yes, everything was just a little better when you had someone to share it with.

[eviesmyspiritanimal]

Death Trap

Summary: Audrey gets a new car for her birthday, and Jay offers to teach her how to drive. When they go out, she almost kills them in the midst of her nervousness about disappointing Jay. Will she figure out how to drive? Jaudrey feels and mentions of the Core Four.

  It was currently a very interesting day in the life of Princess Audrey Roselia Camilla of Auroria.

  It was her birthday, and theoretically, in most people’s understandings, there could not be a happier day. Moreover, Audrey’s parents were actually there for her birthday this time instead of on some extravagant vacation, so that should have made it even better, right?

  If only.

  Her parents had been there, and it truly was a wonderful birthday. However, there was one small complication that had totally seemed to mess up Audrey’s day so far.

  “Jay, they got me a car for my birthday!” Audrey exclaimed emphatically and dramatically as she spoke on the phone with her boyfriend, and she could hear the boy’s chuckle on the other end of the line.

  “What kind is it?” Jay asked, and Audrey rolled her eyes, putting a little bit of effort into at least somewhat trying to remember what car that her parents said it was.

  “A Honda Account or something, I don’t know!” Audrey whined in reply. Jay hummed in appreciation as he took in her answer.

  “A Honda Accord. That’s a really good choice. Hondas are famously safe,” Jay affirmed.

  “I don’t care about how safe it is! It’s absolutely terrible, even if it is gorgeously pink!” Audrey complained in pure hopelessness.

  “You make it sound like it’s the end of the world,” Jay pointed out, and Audrey groaned as she fell back onto her bed with a groan.

  “It is the end of the world! I don’t need a car!” Audrey whined, and Jay huffed in a manner so that she honestly couldn’t discern if it was irritation or fondness. Although, it was likely fondness if his chuckle was anything to go by.

  “Y’know, I would have killed to be given a car,” Jay told her, and Audrey could almost see him shaking his head. Of course he didn’t understand. He had actually been one of those weirdos who wanted to learn how to drive.

  “Yeah, but I don’t need a car, Jay, because I am driven wherever I want to go!” Audrey proclaimed, thinking of her wonderful butler who always chauffeured her in a limo wherever she wanted to go.

  “By who? That crusty old butler? Babe, you know he’s old as the hills, and probably half-senile. What’s his name again? Albert?” Jay questioned, and Audrey growled under her breath in irritation. Honestly, everyone always got his name wrong.

  “It’s Alfred. And he’s not senile. He’s an excellent driver,” Audrey informed him somewhat defensively. After all, Audrey was quite fond of Alfred.

  “That’s what Evie said about herself when she ran a red light and got a ticket the other day,” Jay commented with a practically audible smirk, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

  “I mean it! He really is good!” Audrey protested.

  “Once again, Evie said that, too, but anyways,” Jay breezily responded, and Audrey sighed, returning her mind to the current issue of the day.

  “But what do I do about this car situation?” Audrey questioned, and there was a beat of silence. She furrowed her brow, wondering why he was so quiet.

  “Y’know, I could teach you if you want. It’d be a good place to spend some time together, and I could show you all I know,” Jay offered, and Audrey immediately was shocked. However, her shock quickly turned to a warm, giddy glow inside of her. They may have been dating for a while, but hearing that he wanted to spend time with her really got her smiling like an idiot.

  “That’d be great. What’re you going to show me?” Audrey asked, suddenly in a much better mood at the prospect of additional time that she could spend with her boyfriend.

  “Lots of stuff. But I could show you how to get from zero to sixty in three point five,” Jay flirted, and Audrey felt her stomach flutter against her will.

  “Really? Sounds interesting,” Audrey replied coyly, and Jay chuckled.

  “You bet,” he replied confidently in that borderline cocky tone, and she felt a pull toward him as she always did.

  “I’ll be looking forward to it,” Audrey replied, and before long, they had exchanged their goodbyes so that she could return to her family and spend time with her parents before they left, excitement in her heart regarding her and Jay’s sort-of-kind-of date.

  That is, until she began to overthink it, and her mind started to fill with fears. What if she couldn’t drive well? What if Jay thought she was a ridiculous klutz? What if she wrecked them?

  Suddenly she wasn’t quite so excited…

     ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

        “So? You excited to go on your first drive?” Jay questioned from his position in the passenger seat as they sat in Audrey’s driveway.

  It had been about a week since Jay had offered to teach her to drive, and Audrey had taken her written driving test after she read through the instructions in the information booklet that covered all the street signs and other necessary facts that one must know before getting on the road.

  Right now, her previous worrying that she had started had now evolved into something quite terrible indeed. Now, instead of feeling enthusiasm about hanging out with her favorite guy, she was just horrendously nervous because this was her first time behind a wheel, and worst of all, she was with the one person that failure would be most embarrassing in front of.

  Of course, in front of Uma could be more embarrassing, but at least Uma would most likely not think any less of her if she messed up. And it wasn’t that she thought Jay would. It was just that she was terrified that she was going to do something wrong and disappoint him.

  So, with those thoughts at the forefront of her mind, she responded to him finally.

  “Yeah,” she breathed nervously, looking over at him and giving him a slightly appreciative onceover as she noted his exposed arms. She always did love his tank-tops that he had. They showed so much of his arms, and that was one of her favorite parts of him.

  Jay smirked, noticing her gaze linger, and she scoffed, looking away and out the windshield as she tried to recall where her hands were supposed to placed on the steering wheel.

  “You ready?” Jay questioned, and Audrey nodded. She reached over and put the key into the ignition. She turned it, and the car cranked. However, she kept it turned for too long, not sure how long to let it crank.

  He reached over, grabbing her hand and pulling it away from the key as he lightly pressed her hand against the steering wheel.

  “Woah, woah. Let go of it when it’s already cranked up. You should feel the shift,” Jay instructed, and she immediately felt the disappointment fill her. After all, she had screwed up in the very beginning. She looked down at the gear-shifting mechanism, and she grabbed it carefully. She debated on which gear to shift it to, and she finally settled for sitting it on the “D.”

  “There you go. That’s ‘Drive,’” Jay pointed out, and Audrey nodded easily, catching on fast, and feeling her heart swell ever so slightly with his praising tone, despite the fact that it was a very small victory.

  “Alright. So now that you’re in drive, just hit that skinnier pedal there, and---” Audrey pressed the pedal a bit harder than she obviously should have, and the car shot forward, Jay jumping in fear. Audrey’s heart leapt in her chest, and she let off of what was obviously the gas pedal.

  Jay then looked at her somewhat slowly.

  “Okay… So that was the gas pedal, right?” Jay told her, checking her knowledge. Audrey nodded, and Jay replied with an affirmative motion of his own.

  “Good. I probably should’ve gone over that with you in the first place, but here we are. Anyways, the big pedal is the brake and the skinnier pedal, as you know, is the gas. You’ve got to press the gas very lightly on this car,” Jay explained carefully, and Audrey nodded, swallowing hard as her grip tightened on the steering wheel.

  “Alright. Now go ahead,” Jay instructed easily and calmly. However, Audrey could see that he was ever so slightly tensed up. He looked almost as if he was just waiting on a disaster to happen, which definitely didn’t make the girl feel any better.

  Audrey was so scared of upsetting and disappointing him that she could not hardly focus on what she actually did know about a vehicle. Granted, her knowledge was not very vast, but she did know a bit more than what she had been showing just now.

  She slowly eased forward, and before too long, she had reached the road. Audrey stopped at the intersection of her driveway into the road.

  “Go ahead and turn out onto the road since it’s clear,” Jay informed her, and Audrey went out onto the road, getting into the correct lane.

  “There you go. Good job, babe. You’re catching on fast,” Jay complimented, and Audrey couldn’t help the smile that came onto her face. However, she still didn’t look at him since she was too afraid of what would happen if she took her eyes off the road.

  “Unlike Evie, I tend to be a fast learner,” Audrey joked, referencing Uma’s frequent jibe that she shot at Evie on a regular basis whenever Evie was acting goofy at all. He just laughed heartily at that comment, and she grinned widely, enjoying her comment.

  “You better not tell her that,” Jay expressed, and Audrey giggled a bit as she drove down the road relatively slowly. Fortunately, it was a very peaceful, somewhat deserted road that her castle was to the side of, so it was the perfect place for her to try out driving for the first time.

  “Yeah, I don’t think she’d take that well,” Audrey replied, and Jay nodded wholeheartedly as they both quieted into a comfortable silence.

  They were driving down the road silently for a moment until they actually had to pass by a mailbox. Audrey immediately stiffened, terrified that her vehicle was going to run into it, so she swerved into the other lane quickly, and Jay gasped, automatically reaching out and grabbing her seat in mild fear.

  “Okay! Chill! You’re not going to run into the mailbox, okay?” Jay expressed, looking at her with something that strongly resembled mild fear in his eyes. Audrey immediately felt horrible for scaring him, but she also found it sort of funny that her ordinarily so tough boyfriend was afraid of her driving skills.

  “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d almost think you were scared,” Audrey pointed out somewhat shakily, her own nervousness getting the better of her in concern to the entire ordeal despite her desire to tease him.

  “No. Just cautious,” Jay coolly shot back, and Audrey chuckled in spite of herself as she rode along on the road.

  “That’s the way I felt about me and the mailbox,” Audrey told him, and Jay raised an eyebrow.

  “Y’know, your smart-mouth’s hot and irritating at the same time,” Jay commented, and Audrey huffed slightly, feeling a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

  “That’s good, since I feel the same about you,” Audrey confessed, feeling a bit of a blush creeping upon her as she felt his eyes scour her form. She instinctively clenched her hands a bit tighter on the steering wheel. He smirked slightly, and she knew he had enjoyed her open reaction.

  “You sure you don’t want me to teach you some other lessons?” Jay suggestively asked her, and she smiled slightly.

  “Depends. What are they?” Audrey replied, feeling just the barest hint of a lightness creeping upon her in the midst of her intense anxiety surrounding her current activity.

  “Let’s just say it involves a little less driving than your current lessons,” Jay informed her, and Audrey was about to reply as she realized that there was another car coming down the road. She stiffened ridiculously in terror as she realized that it was a rather large truck.

  “Hey, calm down. Just stay on your side of the road,” Jay expressed, and Audrey kept it mostly straight, but the shaking of her hands in her excessive worrying was causing her vehicle’s path to veer ever so slightly.

  “Keep it straight, alright?” Jay informed her, and Audrey clung to the wheel as if it were her lifeline. They continued along in silence, awkwardness entering the situation as Audrey’s fears returned tenfold.

  Now she was very worried about wrecking them or doing something that was terribly wrong and potentially life-endangering.

  She could practically see it now. They’d be somewhere stranded in the ditch, killed or nearly killed. And when the ambulance got them, they’d be dragged to the hospital to live out their final days, hours, or minutes. They’d both romantically die together.

  And as bittersweet as that sounded, Audrey found it more bitter than sweet.

  So at this point, she was practically panicked as she drove down the road.

  As if things couldn’t get any worse, she suddenly spotted a pedestrian on the side of the road.

  “Alright, all you’ve gotta do is just veer over to the side so that you don’t get too close to them,” Jay told her, and Audrey moved way over into the other lane as she rounded the curve. As soon as she was on the other side of the bend, her eyes widened as they were headed straight toward an enormous, quite obviously lost eighteen-wheeler.

  Jay’s jaw immediately slackened as he gaped in unadulterated horror. Audrey almost squealed but couldn’t quite get the strangled sound out.

  This seemed to spur Jay into action and he started screaming.

  “HOLY--- TURN THE WHEEL, TURN THE WHEEL!!!!!” Jay shouted, and Audrey screamed as she turned the wheel furiously to the left, narrowly dodging the ridiculously large vehicle that was coming their way and slamming the horn at her.

  “STRAIGHTEN IT!!!!” Jay cried, and Audrey swiftly followed his instructions, barely making it before they careened off the road. Audrey clung to the steering wheel as tightly as she could, and Jay was breathing hard as he stared straight ahead.

  “Pull over, Audrey. Pull over,” Jay instructed, and Audrey followed his instructions, moving the vehicle over to the side of the road. Audrey sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she tried to make her heart stop beating quite so quickly.

  “Babe, I know I’m absolutely irresistible, but you’ve got to focus on the road,” Jay told her in an attempt to be funny, but it was easy to see that he was very much shaken as he clung to both the “oh-poop” handle and the back of Audrey’s seat. Audrey almost wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t quite coax the sound out in the midst of her fear as a result of barely making it out of their last predicament.

  “I was focusing on the road!” Audrey shot back, but it lacked the venom that was necessary for anyone to take her seriously. Truthfully, she was so nervous that she couldn’t hardly begin to focus on the road. She wanted to do well and impress him more than anything in the world.

  “If your head was in the game, then why did you drive over into the other lane?” Jay questioned, looking at her.

  Suddenly, all of the emotions that had been building within her were starting to tumble over. She just could not handle the feeling of being inadequate, failing, and overall, just being a disappointment. And this time, she was not disappointing Grammy.

  No. This time she was disappointing someone that could easily just get up and walk away from her and her horrendous failing self.

  Audrey sniffed a bit, averting her gaze so that she was looking into the trees on the side of the road. She tried her best to hold back the hot tears that were threatening to spill, but she couldn’t.

  She had wanted so much to impress him and show him that rarely exposed side of her that was amazingly competent in some area that was not involved with being a perfect princess. But all she had done was nearly get them killed.

  Audrey felt the first tear fall, and she swallowed hard, trying to control herself. However, when a sniffle that was just a bit too wet escaped her, she could hear Jay unbuckle and him unbuckle her seat belt as well.

  “Foxy,” he uttered that one word, and she wasted no time in throwing herself in his embrace as soon as he touched his hand to her arm. She couldn’t help but sob a bit, and he scooted closer, cramping himself in a doubtlessly uncomfortable position so that he could get nearer to her.

  “I’m so sorry,” Audrey spoke, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to keep her tears at bay and remain composed as she usually worked so diligently to do.

  “Hey, hey, it’s okay. What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, running his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion as he used the other one to keep her in a firm embrace. Audrey sunk against him.

  “We almost died!” Audrey cried, the immediate and pressing issue at the forefront of her mind, and he shook his head.

  “We weren’t that close---”

  “We were that close---”

  “We weren’t that close,” he told her, emphasizing the word and she hiccupped, her most important conflict taking precedence over her.

  “I… I just wanted to drive right for you,” Audrey expressed in a squeak, a sob slightly interrupting her mid-sentence as she trembled. Jay shushed her gently, nuzzling his nose in her hair.

  “It’s alright. Driving just takes some practice, okay?” Jay attempted to reassure her.

  “Mal and Evie didn’t have these kinds of problems with driving,” Audrey pitifully acknowledged, partially testing him. She was really hoping he would correct her, but she wasn’t entirely certain it would happen.

  “Babe, they definitely had lots of issues learning how to drive. Mal couldn’t figure out how to use the more advanced traffic lights. Evie was full of road rage. And as you know, Evie’s definitely still full of it,” Jay joked lightly, trying to cheer her up. Audrey couldn’t help but chuckle albeit wetly, but still remained clinging to him tightly.

  “I just screw up things, Jay, and I can’t do it all perfectly, so what does that say about me?” Audrey sobbed, shaking rather furiously, and Jay immediately responded.

  “No,” Jay shook his head as he pulled back from her just barely to press his forehead against hers. She trembled in his hold, but tried diligently to still herself as he stared at her intensely.

  “You are perfect, alright? Don’t think that some silly driving is going to change my opinion on that,” Jay expressed, his voice firm but his words loving. Audrey nodded tearfully, keeping her eyes firmly locked with his own as she searched those dark brown pools for any comfort she could gain. Fortunately for her, his love for her was overflowingly abundant and she immediately felt at least a little better.

  “Is this why you’ve been so tense through the whole drive?” Jay asked after a long moment, and Audrey hesitantly nodded, looking down somewhat ashamedly. Jay murmured her name as he took her face in his hands tenderly, kissing her lips lightly and stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

  Audrey pushed forward, almost in a search for comfort as she connected their lips again. He wasted no time in returning her kiss, and she leaned into him, finding that the more she kissed him, the better she felt. She could taste the saltiness of her tears between their lips, and as strange as it was, it was somehow a romantic picture.

  Jay lightly broke away from her, and looked her in the eyes.

  “You know, you’re one of the most perfect things that I’ve ever had in my life, and I honestly don’t think there’s anything you could do to disappoint me,” Jay expressed, and Audrey felt her heart mending swiftly. Between their kiss and his words, she found herself recovering from her breakdown quite quickly and easily.

  He looked at her for a long moment before his gaze slightly hardened and he pulled away from her.

  “Which is why I think you need to start driving again now,” Jay told her, and Audrey looked at him with wide, helpless eyes.

  “I can’t do it, Jay! I can’t do that! I almost killed us just a second ago, how do you expect me to do any better now?!” Audrey demanded in a panic and near tears once again, and Jay shook his head, interrupting her with only one look.

  “Yes, you can. Now have as much faith in you as I do. You have to do this, Audrey. If you don’t take it on now, you’ll be afraid of it, and that fear will just keep growing,” Jay explained to her, and Audrey could see his need for her to understand. She was immediately reminded of when her father had told her the main rule about riding a horse.

  “Kind of like riding a horse?” Audrey asked, somewhat shaken but unable to stop her question, and Jay nodded with a slight grin.

  “Just like that,” Jay assured her. Audrey silently stared at him for a long moment before swallowing hard and nodding slightly.

  “I’ll do it,” she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Okay,” he replied in a low tone, and she took a deep breath before putting the vehicle into drive carefully and hesitantly.

  Once it was in drive, she gently pressed the gas pedal and eased up onto the road, driving on the pavement carefully. Her hands were clinging tightly to the steering wheel, and she was quite honestly terrified of what might come next. However, she shifted her gaze to her hand as Jay’s covered it gently.

  “Hold the wheel a little looser. Be calm,” he told her, his voice gentle, and she followed his instructions, holding on a little less firmly.

  She rolled down the road easily and carefully, and as she followed the gentle curves of the road, she found that her confidence was increasing.

  As she grew near another mailbox, she almost wanted to freak out as she had before, but she remembered Jay’s words and those eyes that told her he wouldn’t think any less of her. So she very calmly drove past the mailbox without any trouble.

  “Great job,” he praised quietly, and she felt a bloom of warmth within her chest. She happened to look up, seeing that the speed limit for the road was about forty-five, and she glanced at her speed gauge. She was currently at about twenty-five.

   So Audrey tentatively pressed the gas pedal a little harder, trying out a bit more speed. Jay didn’t say a word, and she continued along until she was at about thirty-five.

  She kept it at that speed until they reached the end of the road. Audrey then spotted a stop sign, so she paused at it appropriately.

  As soon as she did, she looked at Jay tentatively, worried about what he would think. To her surprise, he was grinning widely as he gazed at her.

  “I knew you could do it, Foxy,” he told her, and despite the fact that the words were in actuality quite simple, they still sent her heart to fluttering. She leaned over to Jay and pulled him into a gentle kiss, before gently pulling away just barley so that their lips were still brushing.

  “And it’s all thanks to you.”

[delacourious]

the lover { hailee turner, cisfemale, homosexual } ♛ 》camilla delacour, TWENTY, has been marked safe after the recent events. SHE is currently a WANDMAKER IN TRAINING. to some, they are GENTLE & OPTIMISTIC. for others, ECCENTRIC & NAIVE.

to me, they remind me of the smell of grass first thing in the morning, herbacious and earthen; handfired clay plates littered with chips and cracks; lipstick smeared on clothing and a desire for love, love, love; the first calf born of spring, dancing in dandelions and unaware of the world. 《 vic, nzst, 21, n/a.

the basics

camilla héloïse delacour. twenty years old. aries. lawful good. vice: pride, virtue: hope. wand: cherry, phoenix tail feather, 9 inches, quite bendy.

the past

gabrielle had camilla at a very young age - eighteen or nineteen. camilla never bothered to figure it out. the father was unknown - at least, that’s what she told her whole family, told gabrielle herself. for some children, this would have harbored resentment, or questions, or even just discontent. for camilla, it was merely a fact of life, merely a mystery she has never had an interest in solving. she grew up on a farm the delacours owned with her mother and their small herd of cows, their goats, their sheep, the chickens and the plants.

many assumed camilla would grow up to be a farmer or a herbologist, the affinity she showed for the living things, the love she held for them. but she was simply a soft young girl, ready to listen to the world and unconcerned with the machinations of people, unwavering and hopeful. she believed in goodness all around her - showered with love from her grandparents and her sister.

at beauxbatons she was nothing but a ray of light, drifting through her classes, kind to a fault, but never in that sickly and overbearing way. she would wait for others to speak to her, would walk the lonely ones to class, take her lunch outside and sit in the sun. that being said, she did feel a mean streak at times - always quashed, however. she knew what cruelty was. she could see it in others, and occasionally in herself. but she could always sense the good, too, and so the darkness never seemed to put her off, not even when she was trodden on and used.

it was this that enamoured the wandmaker in the nearest town to her: this ability to see into people, to read them. her apprenticeship was offered before she even graduated school - and she abandoned her education in favor of learning, of foraging for woods and for cores. she loved the sound of the wandmaker anaïs’ voice, the musical way she would tell stories. the seriousness with which she was taken was refreshing, and camilla took to the trade like a haystack to flames.

it was only a couple of years before anaïs passed, however, and camilla remained unequipped to carry the shop on alone. england, her mother suggested to her. in england, she could find a new teacher. she would have family there, of course. and it was not too far, if she ever wanted to return. it pained her to leave the farm, her mother, her grandparents. it was just as painful to farewell the old horses and the young piglets, the calves and her beloved gardens. but this was her path forward: so she took it, and found herself some odd fellow in the south of england to take her in.

stats

full name: camilla héloïse delacour sexuality: homosexual nickname(s): ellie, cam, milly, really depends who you ask age: twenty status: halfblood (part veela) hogwarts house: hufflepuff, had she attended patronus: dove. favorite class: herbology character inspo: luna lovegood, camilla macaula, toni topaz (DONT @ ME), cher horowitz, peeta mellark, orla mccool