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dhiabori · 4 years ago

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ARRIVAL ―

CW ― sensory overload; very lightly implied child abuse/neglect

TIMELINE ― after ‘sonya wakes up’

St. Petersburg is, apparently, hot. Sonya steps out of the train carriage, tucked into Pyotr’s side, and is hit by a wall of sticky heat. It’s made all the worse by the throng; he’s never seen so many people in the same place, so many black coats, so many bowler hats, so many footsteps. So large a mass of humanity, roiling in opposite directions.

Pushing through it feels like pushing through a storm, anxiety fluttering in his chest. He doesn’t understand how Pyotr navigates it so easily, when it’s all too much, too many sounds, too many sights — snatches of conversation, the patient died on the table, what are you bringing to Vova’s, oh it was hilarious, you should’ve been there. Cameos of people: a woman with a sharp, vicious laugh, a man with a scar. Each image only builds, and builds, mingling with the smell of smoke, the cooing of pigeons, he’s dizzy with it all —

And suddenly they’re out. Suddenly the light of St. Petersburg summer hits him, too bright, enveloping him in a moody city warmth that’s only marginally worse than the cloying station. Suddenly Pyotr’s bundling him into a troika, jumping up beside him and giving the driver an address.

St. Petersburg is hot, and it’s so grand it hurts to look at. Houses that look like wedding cakes, continental yellow with colonnaded facades; trade buildings, carved and imposing, glowering down from squares filled with people. When the lines of buildings part, Sonya can catch glimpses of the sea in the gaps between them. When he can bring himself to look up, squinting against sunlight that burns his eyes, he can see the spires of a fortress looming against the sulky summer sky.

Peter and Paul Fortress, Pyotr tells him — somewhere in the back of his mind, Sonya realises he’s been keeping a running commentary going, a litany of place names that sounds like a prayer. Almost all of them simply wash over him, subsumed by the city’s magnificence.

Eventually, the troika driver turns off onto a quieter road. The houses here are grand, swallowing up whole swathes of streetfront; you could maybe fit a whole village in just one of them.

“Here we are, little one,” Pyotr says, as the driver stops in front of one of the — palaces might not be the right word, but it isn’t far off. “Home.”

Sonya’s stomach twists a little as he’s handed down, fingers tightening around Pyotr’s hand. Whatever the building is, with its columns, its balconies, its deceptively salmon-pink exterior, it hardly feels like a home.

If anything, the door reminds Sonya of a mouth as it opens; he almost freezes on the threshold, but Pyotr hustles him through.

Home. It’s blessedly cool inside, like a church — only the church from a shard of Sonya’s memories could come close to approximating the grandeur of the entrance hall. Smooth, lacquered wood beneath Sonya’s feet; red on the walls, laden with paintings and lavish tapestries. A twin staircase branches out, upwards, delving into the bowels of the house. Shafts of light from the windows fall on its steps, illuminating them with hazy summer sun.

“What do you think, then?” Pyotr nudges him, almost playfully, knocking him off balance. “It’s a far cry from that filthy little shack, isn’t it?”

“It’s, it’s nice,” murmurs Sonya, still lost in the intricacies of the newel post. It’s carved in the shape of a lion, eying him hungrily.

Pyotr chuckles, putting an arm round Sonya. “Nice. I’ll give you that, little one, though most people go for magnificent.”

Sonya nods — but his attention has been captured by movement on the stairs.

The man descending is, quite possibly, the most beautiful man Sonya has ever seen. More beautiful than any of the faces he can dredge up from his memories, at least: he’s tall, with an easy grace to his movements that make him look like he’s stepped out of one of the oil paintings on the wall. Certainly, the Divine Artist has made him a masterpiece, accentuating his fresh complexion with brown curls and rose-blushed cheeks. The duck-egg blue suit he’s wearing only serves to make him stand out against the red walls.

“Ah, отца!” he says, hurrying down the stairs. “We weren’t expecting you back until—” Whatever he was going to say withers away when his gaze meets Sonya’s. “Who’s this?”

Sonya feels Pyotr stiffen, perhaps out of annoyance. Perhaps jealousy; up close, the man looks all the more like one of God’s masterpieces.

“Leoniy,” Pyotr says, voice icy with disapproval. “You’re not a kicked puppy, there’s no need to run and greet me.”

“But—”

“Save it. This is Sonya,” Pyotr gives him a proud little squeeze. “I rescued him from a somewhat sordid incident involving starving peasants; he’ll be staying with us for a while.”

Starving peasants. Sonya wants to say he doesn’t remember anything like that, wants to stand by the unease twisting in his gut — but he doesn’t remember even a single sliver. Pyotr’s words mean nothing, and everything.

“Welcome,” says the man — Leoniy — stepping forward to offer Sonya his hand. “Leoniy Petrovich Zaytsev — but since you’re staying here, you can call me Leosha.”

Pyotr nudges him, and Sonya shakes Leoniy’s hand, chest fluttering at the contact. A son, then, not a friend or rival.

“Why don’t you show Sonya to his room, Leoniy?” says Pyotr.

“I was just about to—”

“The cream one will do; I need to make arrangements with Masha.”

With that, Pyotr gently pushes Sonya towards Leoniy, striding off down a corridor.

Leoniy sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“I was just about to go out,” he says. “Never mind. Follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.

Sonya trots after him as they begin to make their way up the stairs; without Pyotr, he feels even more unmoored, bobbing around in a storm-tossed sea. He doesn’t belong here; the gilded opulence of the house makes that clear, the intricately-plastered ceilings, the vibrant carpet underfoot.

He isn’t even good enough to walk in Leoniy Zaytsev’s shadow, let alone sleep under the same roof. If the poverty of his memory wasn’t proof enough of that, the fangs that nudge at his lips are, the bubbling animal instinct in his chest.

“So,” says Leoniy, as they walk through a series of opulent doors, a series of even more opulent rooms. “You’re from the Volga region?”

“I, I guess.” Just like Pyotr’s story, the word falls flat, shattering against the blankness of Sonya’s mind.

Leoniy laughs, soft and uncomfortable.

“Is it bad there?”

“Um—” Pyotr had told him on the train, there was a famine. Sonya guesses that does make it bad, though the yawning chasm of his memory stretches out across the concept. Bad means a flash of his brother’s face, a glimpse of terror. Bad means watching his mother kill a deformed calf. Bad is the way their names slip through his fingers. “Maybe.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sonya swallows, shame heating his cheeks. “I don’t, don’t remember.”

“Oh.” Leoniy pauses at another door, giving Sonya a strange look he could almost call pity. “Well, I’m sure you’ll make some more memories here.”

Opening the door, he reveals a room almost as big as the cabin of Sonya’s past. There the similarities end; he can’t help but gasp a little at the sight. The walls are a dreamlike cream, to match the bedding — the richest bedding he’s ever seen, pillows plump as clouds against a dark headboard. There’s a wardrobe, too, and a large window, spilling the summer in.

This can’t be his room; he doesn’t deserve the inviting bed, the gauzy curtains buffeted by what little breeze there is. A stable would suit him better. Or a kennel.

“Are you alright?” Leoniy asks, snapping Sonya out of the haze he hadn’t even realised he’d fallen into.

“Yes, Leoniy Petrovich,” Sonya says, keeping his gaze fixed to the floor. Trying to forget how warm Leoniy’s hand had felt when he shook it.

“Just Leosha, please.” He can hear the smile in Leoniy’s voice, patient and a little sad. It makes him want to look up. It makes him want to hug him, to cry against his chest, to tell him how very far he is from home.

“Sorry, Leosha,” he murmurs, doing none of those things. Just standing there, staring at a carpet he isn’t worthy of standing on.

“It’s alright. There’s no point in formality when we’re living under the same roof, is there?”

Sonya shakes his head, gaze drifting to Leoniy’s boots. They’re brown leather, only marginally lighter than the receiving room floor.

“Well, I suppose I’d best be getting on. There’s probably a troika waiting for me.” Those boots move past Sonya, Leoniy’s breath tugging at his ear for a moment.

Turning to watch him go, Sonya’s eyes linger on the back of Leoniy’s head. The tilt of his shoulders, proud and free.

Halfway down the corridor, he turns around, and their eyes meet.

“Actually — if you ever need something — really, something you can’t ask of my father — keep following this corridor until you find a door with a pressed bouquet of flowers on it, and knock. I’ll do what I can.”

Sonya nods, numbly. Drops his gaze, settling on a mole just below Leoniy’s left eye. Even when he turns and heads back down the stairs, Sonya’s gaze still lingers there, as his heartbeat hammers in his ears.

He turns back to the room, walking inside like a visitor to another world. Even sitting on the bed feels like a transgression.

It hits him, then, with expensive sheets beneath his fingers and a stale city breeze kissing his cheeks. He’s so, so irrevocably lost.

#sensory overload tw #implied child neglect tw #whump #supernatural whump #vampire whump #supernatural whumpee #vampire whumpee #affectionate whumper #intimate whumper #caretaker #of a sort at least #sonya's st. petersburg #sonya petrovich zaytsev #pyotr vitalievich zaytsev #leoniy petrovich zaytsev

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stonecoldjerseyfox · 5 years ago

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Jersey on my mind (part 19)

Mila’s feet dangle in the air as she sits on the edge of the guard post, while looking out over the surroundings. Next to her on the floor lies a bottle of vodka, in case she gets bored. She turns her eyes to the flickering flame of the oil lantern, the only source of light. Besides the lantern its pitch black. The darkness is wrapped around the surroundings like a heavy blanket. No lights are on in the houses.

Before she put on her jacket, hid the vodka bottle in the inner pocket and went out to the guard tower Mila tucked Juri in for the night. She helped him choose a cassette tape to fall asleep to, made sure he had all of his ‘friends’ also tucked in; the brown dog named Jeff (Mila had no idea why), his soft bunny named Bruce after Bruce Springsteen and the teddy bear that goes by the name Eddie, after Eddie Vedder. But Mila hasn’t been able to figure out Jeff. Who’s Jeff? Instead of asking him about it, she kissed Juri on the forehead and left for guard duty. Daryl wasn’t at the guard tower when she arrived, so Mila made herself comfortable.

She taps her fingers towards the floor and hums the tune to “Hungry heart”, starts to sing faintly. Springsteen makes her think of the summers in New Jersey. Driving around on hot summer days, the long days at the beach in Point Pleasant, eating tons of ice cream and drinking Pepsi Cola, riding around Atlantic City with Darya and Laura in Darya’s dad’s convertible-

“You sing well.”

Mila looks up. Daryl has joined her, finally. In one hand he holds the crossbow and in the other two bottles of water.

“You’re late.”

”You’re easy prey, sitting like this.” Daryl sits down besides her, lets his legs swing over the edge next to hers and gives her one of the bottles.

”Wolves are gone. Walkers don’t jump.” Mila removes the lid and takes a sip of water. “I think I’m fine.”

”You’re really good.” Daryl looks down at his knees. “I mean, singing. Your accent disappears when you sing.”

”Yeah. I’ve heard that.” Mila laughs and puts the water bottle down, next to the vodka bottle. ”It would sound even better if I had a guitar and a cowboy hat.” With a smile she grabs the Vodka bottle from the floor, unscrews it and takes a bountiful sip, before offering it to Daryl. ”I’ve heard you should drink at least one liter a day.”

”Thought that applied to water?” Daryl lifts an eyebrow and brings the bottle to the mouth and drinks, lets out a cough as he lowers it. ”Gotta get you a guitar then, Jersey.”

“Yeah I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” She replies. “It sorta’ feels pretty pointless now. I haven't played in forever.” she meets Daryl’s gaze. “I was engaged to this guy, before- It’s because of him I play the guitar, and sing in ‘American’.”

Daryl stiffens up at her words. It’s barely noticeable, but Mila notices.

“He’s dead anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” Mila takes a sip of vodka. “My father hated him for encouraging my interest in music. Said it was a waste of time. He didn’t understand the phenomenon ‘hobbies’.” Mila tries to remember what her dear papa yelled at her through the glass. It was hard to hear exactly what he yelled, since he banged at the window, but she could make out some of it. ”Eto chepukha, Milena, chepukha!” she repeats. “Nonsense.”

“Seems like a charmer.” Daryl replies. “Ain’t a waste though. I like it.”

Mila glances at the broad archer next to her. Somehow he reminds her of Jim; tall, broad shoulders and muscles. Jim had brown hair and beard, a bit more groomed than the Southern archer, but still-

The first time Mila laid her eyes on Jim was during a gig at a bar in Brooklyn. She was there with her friend Laura. Jim played guitar in the band and halfway through he pulled his shirt off. Milas eyes were glued to his bare chest during the rest of the performance. Even a blind person would have noticed such an intense stare down; as did Jim on stage. Afterward he asked her over to their table, and she fell like a paw for the big Oklahoma native, with the pretty eyes and the kind smile. Jim was big as a bear and kind as a puppy. He was warm, had a boisterous but contagious laugh, he was friendly and charismatic. Everybody around Mila adored Jim, everybody except papa, which made sense. Papa hated everyone, except himself.

Physically, Daryl reminds her of Jim somewhat, but their personalities are like night and day. Jim was able to entertain an entire room full of people, and happily did so by telling stories or playing the guitar. Daryl would probably never even think of entering such a room. He’s encased in armor, a hard shell no one seems to be able to break. She hasn’t heard an ounce of bursting laughter from him and he barely talks. And yet she likes his company. When she saw him walk down the street into the Safe-Zone last night it felt like a ton of brick was dropped from her chest. Of course she was still angry with him for some unimportant reason she can’t really remember now, but she was happy for having him back.

“Where’s he by the way?” Daryl asks. “Your old man. Ya’ said ya’ came here together.”

“In prison.”

The statement doesn’t seem to surprise Daryl significantly.

“What for?”

Mila hands him the vodka bottle again. Daryl looks puzzled at it.

“If you want to hear about it, you might need it.” Mila explains and doesn’t take her eyes away from his. “There’s a legit reason why I have alcohol problems.”

“Haven’t noticed.” the archer winks at her over the bottle and drinks. “Why’s he locked up?”

“Murder. And for kidnapping me.”

It might be so easy to say it because she feels some kind of connection to the man sitting next to her, or maybe it’s because the whole world went to hell and papa, Mila’s perdition, her Achilles heel, probably is dead by now.

Mila was the only child. Her father, her papa, wanted to have a son. Instead he got Mila. Her mother, who loved her more than life itself, couldn’t bear more children and Mila was punished for that her entire life by her father. Papa was stern on her from the start. Sergey Yuruchenko’s offspring wouldn’t be a weakling. Her sole purpose in life would be to make him proud. Like a show dog. He hardened Mila like steel; dragged her out on the frozen river Volga during the winters for an ice bath, a procedure to ‘man her up’. If Mila hesitated or began to cry she had to stay longer in the water. Eventually she stopped crying. He taught her to fight, games that often resulted in cracked lips and black eyes. Sometimes Mila began to cry because it hurt and she felt scared, but he assured her it was a fun game, and she believed him. He coached her in sports, to make sure she would win. Second place was never enough. Mila could’ve easily become an olympic marathon athlete, if she would have had the choice. But he had already set out her entire future.

”My mama loved me with all of her heart and papa made sure that I never forgot how he grieved the son he never had. It was my burden and my responsibility to prove that I was worthy of his affection. I was a wreck emotionally. Thrown between boundless love and emotional abuse.” Mila pauses and takes another mouthful of vodka. “I got respect from him for the first time when I was fifteen. He firmly argued that if a man couldn’t hit a soup can fifty yards away with a gun after drinking a whole bottle of vodka, he was a wimp. He didn’t count on me, a fifteen year old girl to even dream about trying.” She raises her eyebrows at Daryl. ”But I passed the test and he eased the leash.”

After that summer, Mila had a great year. She was ‘allowed’ to be an ordinary teenager in all its meaning. She went to parties with her friends, dreamed of Leonardo Dicaprio when she kissed her first boyfriend Dima for the first time and she was convinced that life would continue like that.

“Then one day he asked me to come with him on a trip abroad, for work. It was just the two of us at home that day and he was so different. Friendly even. It felt odd, but he was so convincing. He asked me to be ready in an hour with a bag. I felt so excited. Not until we walked through the gate at the airport I understood where we were going. I couldn’t believe it. We were going to America! He made the whole trip sound so exciting. It felt like we were friends for the first time. That I finally had a father.”

Mila pauses. She’d thought about that moment many times since that plane ride. How it all was just an act. How he used Mila’s cluelessness to save his own ass. In reality he didn’t feel like that at all. He didn’t care about her.

”We were arrested as soon as we got through the passport control at Newark. We were separated, put in different rooms. I panicked the entire time, fought and cried. An interpreter and two policemen came and told me that he was arrested. I tried to convince them that it must have been a misunderstanding. But it wasn’t. I was kidnapped and papa was internationally wanted for murder in Russia by Interpol. Or serial murders, I think it’s called, in the case of more than three victims.”

“How many?” he asks.

Their eyes meet through the darkness. The only sound that’s heard is the chirping cicadas, the wind rattling in the trees and the thudding sound of the walkers crashing into each other on the other side of the wall. Well, he hasn’t run away yet, Mila thinks.

“Including the policeman he killed at the station the day after we arrived; ten.”

Daryl doesn't even try to hide his astonishment.

”A woman disappeared in Moscow in- gosh, I don’t even remember the year. Anyway, she was found under a bridge, two days later. Then another woman was found a few weeks later, under a viaduct. Seven women and two men around Moscow. One woman was completely beheaded. I was fourteen when they found her, and my father told me to ’be safe’ when I walked home from gymnastics practice.”

Mila remembers almost all of them by name. They were read out during the trial in New York, while images of them were displayed on a projector. Mila saw their bruised faces, the dead eyes in the pale, straight faces. No matter how awful it was, she couldn’t look away, like passing a car accident. Mila had to watch, to understand that it was her papa, who worried when she would go home alone from gymnastics, he who always urged her to beware of boys in a group (or boys in general), that had done these horrible actions. The youngest victim was eighteen and was found in a shallow part of Volga. They had to identify it through dental cards. In court, sitting on that hard bench in between Ellie and Joe Galka, Mila desperately tried to meet her father’s gaze, wanted him to turn around where he sat, with his back against her. When he finally did, Mila didn’t see a trace of regret or empathy in them.

”He kidnapped ya’ to- what, to save himself?”

“It didn’t seem suspicious if he traveled with his daughter. I was his ticket out of it. If he did get caught, he could use me as-” Mila fiddles on a thread in her jeans. “-Yeah, I haven’t figured out that part yet. He really knew how to inflict maximum damage to his advantages. Because of his position, working for the state, which is... corrupted beyond imagination, he could change my documents without anyone asking, making himself my sole guardian. On paper, I no longer had a mother. It was- He was so split. On one hand, a well regarded worker for the state, modest and punctual. And on the other hand, emotionally disturbed, a psychopath. A monster.” She sighs. “The same day we were arrested he overpowered a police officer. He killed him, granting him life in prison here, not risking being extradited to Russia. Social services took care of me and I ended up at the Galka’s. The first six months I visited papa in prison weekly. It really fucks you up in the head, being pulled back to the root of evil, to one's perpetrator. In my case, it was the same person. Perpetrator and father. Evil impersonated and the only person I felt I had some connection to here. And yet, I never got an explanation to why he did what he did. Eventually, thanks to the Galka’s, I stopped visiting. He didn’t like that, being out of control.”

Mila had never revolted, but when she had to acclimatize to a new culture and language all on her own, that changed. She could just as well have ended up dead behind a dumpster from drugs, but instead she went on to study at Columbia University. When papa found out that she studied to become a dental nurse, instead of a ‘real dentist’, or ‘the president of all dentists in the entire world’, or anything equally grandiose, he went all mad and had to be dragged out of the visitors room by the guards. A few days later he made a phone call and yelled at Mila for three straight minutes, until the call broke. When Mila paid him a much involuntary visit a few weeks later he’d calmed down a bit; he’d been in solitary confinement since that lash out.

”Of all professions...” Papa snarled into the handset. ”Dental nurse? A servant! Milaya, why are you causing me this pain?”

Mila pulls herself away from the memory of Southport Correctional facility’s visiting room, back to the present, to the cool, calm night, where she shares a bottle of vodka with the archer.

“As far as I’m concerned I don’t have a father.” Mila meets Daryl’s gaze through the faint, warm light from the lantern. “I moved on. I made it. I got pregnant while in uni and tried to commit suicide. That was a nightmare. Once again I had to... switch on survival mode. I felt so defective. How could someone with a father like mine, someone who’s been hurled between motherly love and fatherly abuse, possibly be a good parent.” Mila takes a sip of vodka. The bottle is almost completely empty by now. “I haven’t had much space for making my own choices in life. Until recently.” she says. “I did some stupid choices on the way here. But at least I turned out... fairly good in the end.”

They look at each other in silence. Nothing is heard but the walkers collected hissing breaths, like a choir of rotten asthmatics, gasping for air, while pushing up against the wall. Sometimes a thud, like flesh against metal, is heard when the ones in the back push the ones in the front extra hard into the wall.

”Ya’ think he’s alive? Or they?” Daryl asks, husky. ”Your parents?”

Mila shrugs her shoulders; she doesn't know. After a while in the weeks following the outbreak, the phone calls to her mother in Russia stopped working. Her father can’t be alive. It would be impossible, just as impossible as it is to escape a high security prison like Southport.

”What about ya’ foster parents?”

”I don’t know.” Mila bites her lower lip. ”When the two of us came back to Jersey the Galka’s were gone. So we left, me and Juri.”

”Ain’t too bad, though.” Daryl says, in what Mila thinks is an attempt to cheer her up. “He’s a great kid.”

”He is.” she smiles. ”I never thought I’d make it, being on my own with him like this. He’s my everything, the better person of the two of us; wakes me in the morning, cheers me up and is always happy. I don’t know how he does it. He’s three!”

”And a half.” Daryl smirks.

“Touché.” Mila looks at him. “Gosh. I’m surprised you haven’t ran away.”

”Why would I? Ma’ old man was a boozer, an ass.” Daryl replies, and his eyes suddenly shift from almost warm, to dark. “I hadn’t much of a mother. Smoked herself to death, burnt the entire fuckin’ house down at the same time. Ma’ brother went in and out of juvenile. Died, as everyone else.” Daryl hesitates, but then he continues. ”I’m a nobody. Always been. I don’t have anything to run from.”

Mila lays her hand on top of Daryl’s, that rests against the floorboards. He twitches by her sudden move, like a stray dog that has never felt a friendly touch.

“You’re not a nobody.” Mila says, emphasising every word. “You saved my life. Heck, I think you saved more lives than my sorry ass. Do you always push those who care about you away?”

Daryl becomes silent.

”Sorry.”

”Don’t be.” Mila says. “Honestly, It’s like you don’t think you deserve anything; people being kind to you, that people care. That’s not healthy. No wonder you’re so peevish. Just let the guard down once in a while. You do so much for everybody here, who are so thankful for it and want to show that to you. Let them. You need it. Let people in. Have you never done that?”

”Never had a chance.” he answers. ”It’s always been bloody knuckles and shards of glass.”

”But does that mean that the whole world is dark and evil? I’ve had a bumpy ride too and I’m not all stiff and irritated with everything.”

”Well ye’ ain’t me.”

”And thank god for that.” Mila smiles a little. ”No matter what your life was like before it doesn’t have to continue being like that.” she gets silent, before she meets his eyes again. ”Have you ever just sat down and thought about what you want? Not what everybody else needs, or what they tell you to do, no matter what you think. Have you?”

”Never gotten that chance either.” Daryl grunts, and continues to look at his shoes.

“Well, do that.” Mila holds up the bottle of vodka in front of her. It’s empty. “Crap...”

“Ya’ haven’t had enough of that?”

Mila puts her head to the side and smiles dazzling.

“I told you I have problems.” Mila smirks and puts the bottle down. “But I’m workin’ on fixing that. Not tonight though.”

The corners of Daryl’s mouth curves slightly upward and he chuckles faintly. They sit quietly for a moment before he once again turns to her.

“Ya’ really a dentist?”

“Dental nurse.” Mila corrects. “What, are you surprised?”

“Not at all.” Daryl replies. “How’s that like?”

“We'll take that one another time.” Mila adjusts herself on the floor. “I have to save some cock-and-bull stories about tartar and teeth extractions for later.”

“Can’t wait.” Daryl smirks. “If ye’ want to sing something, I don’t mind.”

Mila smiles. They sit next to each other, watching the night turn into early dawn. Mila sings faintly, to avoid unnecessary attention from the walkers, dangling her legs in the air, while Daryl’s eyes rest on the horizon, wearing a pleasant smile upon his lips.

#daryl fanfiction #daryl x oc #daryl dixon #twd daryl #Jersey on my mind #Daryl Dixon Fanfic #The Walking Dead fanficition #The walking dead fanfic #fanfiction #twd fanfiction #fanfic #twd fanfic #the walking dead fandom

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ramblingsfromthecrypt · 6 years ago

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Felix Nikitovich Gagarin Character Profile

Name: Felix Nikitovich Gagarin

Age: 161

Born: 1858

Embraced: 1892

Bloodline: Tremere

Appearance: Felix stands at 6’0” with a slim athletic build. His green eyes look sunken in on his pale skin and gaunt features. Felix tries to keep his short hair neatly combed to the side but often times it ends up getting away on him. He rarely bothers to shave and can usually be seen with a coat of scruff on his face.

Personality: Felix was born a Count and his fall from grace is something that will always haunt him. Many times Felix can be stuck up and some what of a dandy still expecting the same respect that came with the name Gagarin.

Felix’s time spent in the court of Imperial Russia had trained him in the ways of persuasion and observation. He has a silver tongue and pays a lot of attention to subtle body language. The education that came alongside having being a noble means that Felix is very well learned. At least for a man living in the mid 19th century.

Biography: Felix was born on March 2, 1858 to Nikita and Tatiana Gagarin. Being the first born son in a wealthy Russian household, Felix grew up as any noble boy would: Learning the ins and outs of military command, the finer points of democracy, as well as the freedom to act as he pleased. Felix discovered he had a passion for the arts and learned to play a variety of instruments. Almost every night he could be found at his private box at the theater.

One night while Felix was having a cigarette outside of the theater with a few of his friends an actress hurried by and slipped on the freshly fallen snow. She ran into them and they both tumbled to the ground. Realizing her embarrassment the actress quickly stood and profusely apologized. She explained that her name was Yuliana and she would love to stay and chit chat if she wasn’t already late for makeup. Felix offered to walk her to her dressing room and when they arrived Yuliana told Felix to meet her after the show.

The performance Yuliana gave that night was a show Felix would never forget. She cast glances at him from the stage and he couldn’t help but blow her kisses from his private booth. After the show the two met up and walked along the Volga conversing all night.

After that night Felix and Yuliana met in secret often. There was no possible way that Felix could marry her considering his status and it was inevitable that his parents would arrange a marriage for him at some point. That some point did come and in 1878 Felix married Katarina Yusupoff in a marriage that pleased both of their parents. Over time, the two did grow a sense of fondness for each other but Felix’s heart was already won by Yuliana.

Felix and Yuliana continued to have their evening rendezvous at the theater well into his marriage with Katarina. One night, Yuliana revealed to Felix her true nature as a vampire and offered to turn him as well. He could forsake his human title for one of vampiric royalty. Felix would need to only accept her gift and fake his death to live with his true love for all of eternity.

That night Yuliana brought Felix to the Tremere pyramid and the ritual of embrace was performed. The years after that were spent in the lap of luxury with Yuliana at Felix’s side. The two travelled across the theaters of the Russian empire as Yuliana performed for crowds of thousands of her fans. Felix further embraced his Tremere power and joined many chantries and secret organizations to further his prowess of blood magic.

In 1917 the world that Felix loved, crumbed to ash. The revolutionaries knew of the secret bourgeois that had been leeching off of the Russian Empire for centuries. The image of Yuliana being paralyzed with a stake and pushed into the harsh light of day would forever be burned into Felix’s mind. He himself had barely managed to escape the revolutionaries well thought out plan.

After Yuliana’s death and the success of the revolution, Felix wanted to get as far away from St. Petersburg as he could. A place far away and isolated where nothing could possibly follow him. Felix decided that place was Seattle, Washington. He boarded the first boat he could for America and, without a dime to his name, set out in the foreign country.

The vampire society of Seattle was much different from the vampire society Felix had come from in Russia. In America, the powerful in the society were more business focused and much more capitalistic. Your royal name alone didn’t carry much power. The dark and mysterious Tremere were looked down upon and shunned for their magic where in Russia his skills were encouraged and even envied. This Carmilla had no room for the likes of Felix and he had but no choice to stick to the shadows.

Felix’s opulent life in Imperial Russia was traded for a run down apartment and fighting off Nosferatu for feeding ground rights. He keeps himself afloat by selling his magical abilities to other vampires and creatures who walk the night. Whether you want a simple charm to make some cash or need someone really cursed Felix Gagarin could be found. For the right price.

#Felix Gagarin #vtm #vampire the masquerade #character profile #tremere

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maraskolnikova · 7 years ago

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"You Rang?"

CMBYN Heart Eyes/ Writing Challenge

So this is all about the conversation Tim and Armie might've had after their delightful Twitter flirtation on Wednesday night. Forgive me, as this is quite different from my usual drivel both in terms of form and content.

The first few notes of "Song of the Volga Boatmen" ring out in the stillness of Armie's apartment as his cell lights up with an avatar of Timmy's face. "Wow, so he wasn't kidding!" He shakes his head as he swipes to accept the call and takes a deep breath, his heart beating wildly.

"Evening guv'nah!" Armie was hell bent on keeping things light and jokey tonight. The last time he and Timmy spoke over the phone things had gotten pretty weird pretty fast.

"Oh God, don't be an idiot," Timmy chuckled.

Oh how he'd missed his voice. True, it had only been a few days since they last spoke but for some reason, tonight of all nights, Armie's loneliness was particularly difficult to bear. "So what's this hilarious story you were dying to tell me so badly you couldn't help but announce it to the world on Twitter?"

"Awwww! You mad about that?" Timmy's tone was coy, borderline flirtatious.

"Keep it together Armie!" he thought to himself biting his lip as he laid himself on the sofa. "Nah man, it's fine. You know I don't give a fuck. What's new though? How have you been?" Cool, natural, nonchalant! Armie was proud of himself.

"Dude, it's only been like 3 days! Not a lot has happened! Well aside from my HILARIOUS anecdote! Mwahahaha!" Timmy was doing his little hyena-with-asthma laugh and Armie was loving it.

"Okay so tell me already!" Armie couldn't really care less about his story but he loved hearing Tim get all giggly and excited and eager to share some part of his life with him. Was he pathetic? Probably. Was he embarrassed about it? A little. But he was way past putting up a front.

"Right so, the other night I was at a club with some friends and I met this girl. Well she came up to me actually, I was too drunk to be picking people up..."

"Do you even have to make an effort anymore?" Armie interjected sounding only a little bitter. Shit, maybe too bitter. Would Tim pick up on it? Laugh Armie laugh! "Hahaha, kidding," he winced at the lameness of his cover-up.

"Ummm yeah I do actually. That's what this story's about! Well..." Tim broke off and sounded pensive, "I mean. Girls come up to me all the time now, I guess that much is true but like, after a couple of minutes shit gets stressful. The conversation stalls. Things get awkward as fuck and well, this is where the funny part comes in 'cos on that particular night, I nabbed myself a Hammerhead."

"A what??" Armie coughed and sat up bewildered. "What the fuck is a Hammerhead?"

"Oh you don't know?" Timmy said teasingly, "It's an Armie Hammer fangirl! Or boy, I guess, as the case may be."

"Oh???" Right, so Armie was amused actually. This wasn't where he had envisioned the story going. "Please, do go on!" Now it was his turn to be coy.

"Wellll, the conversation came to a screeching halt after the usual pleasantries and I was trying to think up a way to gracefully escape her, like throwing up or pissing myself, something like that..."

"Smoooooth!" Armie laughed. It felt good picturing Timmy uncomfortable and unhappy in the company of a girl. Frankly, it made him giddy!

"Right? And that's when she goes 'So what's Armie Hammer like? God, I've been a fan of his forever! The Winklevosses? Oh my god! Fuck me up!' And I was like 'Oh, he's the greatest. Picture the most wonderful person in the world, like the Pope or something, but with the charm of Cary Grant and the face and body of a Michelangelo statue come to life and that's what Armie's like. Only better!' Hahahaaa! I actually said that too!" He was giggling uncontrollably.

"You little bastard!" Armie couldn't help but laugh. "So what happened next?"

"Well, we fangirled over you some more and, it's weird dude but it made me feel close to her in some strange way. Like talking about you to some random chick made me feel less lonely and closer to you at the same time. It was wild!" He wasn't laughing anymore but Armie swore he could hear the boy smile. His heart was light and fluttering, threatening to make its way up into his throat.

"That's. ..that's really fucking sweet dude. I mean, wow..." He was at a loss for words. What should he say? Why did he feel this overwhelming euphoria all of a sudden!?

Timmy continued softly, "So anyway ummm... we started to kiss and like fool around a little and she invited me back to her place and I was too far gone to say no like, I could barely stand upright and so well, we ended up in bed..."

All of a sudden Armie wasn't feeling this story anymore. "Well that took a turn!" he exclaimed, trying to disguise his heartache with humour, as was his MO, but fuck...he wanted the story to end right there and then.

"Haha! No but wait! It takes another turn! Yes! Another turn!" Timmy was yelling like the dorky goof he is, immediately putting Armie at ease.

"Well I was too fucked up to be you know, effective, so she really had to work at it like a lot!

"I'm waiting for the turn!!!" Armie groaned.

"It's coming! Literally and metaphorically!" He giggled again, snuffly little hyena.

"Anyway, so I'm finally worked up and I'm so like out of it that I don't know what the fuck I'm doing really. All that talk about you got me thinking about Crema and the movie and so, like I'm finally ready to come and as I do, weirdly enough, I yell 'Oh fuuck, ARMIEEEE! ' and she stops doing what she was doing--just dead in her tracks. I'll spare you the details of just what she was doing and she goes 'Ummm...did you just say Armie?' And I was like 'Ummm...yeaaaahh, like as a joke! Haha!' Then she kind of relaxed and smiled but when she realized I wasn't in any shape to return her favour, she kicked me out. It was pretty funny! Hahaha.. ha...hmm..ahem " He cleared his throat as the silence threatened to drown them both.

"That's cute as fuck Timmy it really is." Armie whispered softly, mercifully cutting the pregnant pause short. He was feeling a thousand things at once: love, longing, jealousy, desire all tied up inside him, making it hard to breathe.

"I thought you'd like it. Does that make you happy?" Tim was almost whispering now in a tone so sincere it cut Armie to the quick.

"It makes me very, very happy Timmy. You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that tonight."

@chalametgreen

#cmbyn heart eyes challenge #cmbyn writing challenge #charmie #armie and timmy #armie and timmy rpf

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yulnabi · 7 years ago

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Day 57 [IC]

Wesnesday: Confusing Times.

This morning, band practice went as usual. The band can tell there’s real chemistry forming between Galya and I, which in turn improves the quality of our performance.

After practice, I told Galya that I had kept working on her armor, but needed a few touches before it was serviceable.

She was very excited by this news, and asked me to lunch. Unfortunately, I had to decline because I had already agreed to have lunch with Osman.

So I headed to the loft and went about making lunch. I made chicken in walnut sauce, accompanied by various veggies and a generous portion of dill.

I was actually in a good mood, proud of tge progress I had made with Galya’s armor. Thus, I chose to dress up and look as beautiful as I could for him.

I chose a pretty, black minidress, a silver necklace, and diamond earrings. As I looked myself in the mirror, I became convinced I could disarm him so as to ask why he was becoming cold and distant.

When he got to my place, I met him with an enthusiastic smile, followed by a warm hug and passionate kiss.

He pulled me away and said he needed to talk to me, the seriousness in his face and in his stone zapping whatever enthusiasm I had built up beforehand.

“Let’s talk about it over lunch,” I said, now forcing myself to smile. In my head, I was panicking as my entire pre-date ritual had been for naught: he didn’t even seem to notice me.

Over lunch, however, he seemed different. He mentioned how much he loved me, that he spent his nights just thinking about the next time we were to meet.

Admittedly, his words were music to my ears. I was so happy he still felt the same way about me as I feel about him.

He then asked me if I still loved him? Hmuch I loved him? What would I be willing to do to prove my love for him? How far would I go to keep our love alive?

This made me nervous, as I worried this was heading somewhere awful. He must gave sensed my discomfort, and immediately began to reassure me it was nothing illegal or dangerous.

“What would you want me to do, love?” I asked nervously.

He said it was nothing, he just needed me to do him a small favor.

“That sounds cryptic” I responded.

He insisted that it was just a minor change, something to prove I really loved him.

I looked at him awaiting his request.

Osman then asked me to stop taking birth control.

The request confused me. I asked how that would prove anything, but he answered by asking again if I truly loved him.

We went back and forth until I relented. Had he been paying attention, he would have seen me look down when I accepted.

By now we were done, so I picked up the dishes and took them to the dishwasher. There, I felt Osman pin me, lift my skirt and do his thing.

When he was finished, he kissed the back of my head and left.

———————————————-

I spent the afternoon in a good mood. Sure, my body ached because he was getting progressively rougher, but he had reassured me of his love for me.

Anyways, knowing he still has feelings for me was like fuel. I headed to the moon base and finished the first prototype of Galya’s armor.

I was so motivated, I then tried something I hadn’t tried in a long time: I tried getting a sample of my own blood. Everytime I tried, I was unable to, as my hand would stop just before the injection pricked my skin.

As frustration grew, I closed my eyes, then felt very light, as if floating.

When I opened them, I was in a lab. This place was familiar, then I remembered, this was a lab in Novi Cheboksary, the planet I see in my dreams, more than 300,000 years into the future.

I find a monitor that reads:

In the year, 2018, a young Yuliya Nikolaevna Kardasheva, Grand Duchess of the Chuvash People’s Republic, Savior of the Chuvash, Bashkir, and Volga Tatars, discovered the Gift of Kanesh. This ability innate to all Kaneshi, would allow her to study her own biology.

A very powerful, bright light then seemed to blind me. As my eyes adjusted, I looked down to see the source was my stomach. When I looked up, I saw what looked like me, wearing a beautiful red gown adorned with alien jewels, waving goodbye, mouthing the word “Пока” (bye).

I opened my eyes, and this time, I was able to stick the neddle in my veins. This was the strangest of sensations. For the first time in my life, I held a vial of my own blood.

I stared at it for a long time, unsure what I had just done. Then I hid it, asked an employee to try to take my blood, but every time they did, the blood would last but a few seconds.

When I retrieved my vial, it was all there.

I spent the rest of the night looking it over, trying to find it’s mysteries and decode them.

———————————-

It has been 10 hours and still no breakthroughs. Perhaps I need some rest and I can conti . . .

#champions online rp #corp #Yuliya Kardasheva

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hyena-frog · 4 years ago

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@lxrxwz

#somewhere along the way Lysander dies #im also holping Volga and Lyria become a thing 0w0 #Darrow has a proper moment with Pax and Mustang 🥺 #im so sorry for not participating in the other days ;-; #i missed them by a good chunk of days </3

God I so hope Volyria comes true. I would be over the moon. I’d never shut up about it. 💖

Darrow cooks breakfast for his wife and son, just like he dreamed. Darrow and Pax work out their issues. Darrow and Mustang kiss. I need it, for my health.

Don’t worry about not participating each day!! Honestly, if anyone still wants to answer any of these questions, at any time, I say go for it. I decided to do this anniversary thing at the last minute because I'm desperate for more RR content and we’ve yet to get any official crumbs out of Pierce Brown himself. 😭

@lou-who

#i'm sure quicksilver is up to no good #while he's never come off as evil #he's incredibly opportunistic and self-serving #and whatever he's got going on with oculus can't be good #this displeases me because i feel it jeopardizes matteo's safety #i'd like to see ajax and diomedes team up #and while i don't see a full on ajax redemption coming #i think it'd be cool to see him fight against the society #even if it's for himself #cassius will probably die #but hopefully he'll make out with screwface before that happens #i'd like to see the duke make a reappearance #maybe help the howlers #we don't know whether the psychospikes are permanent #and i think he'd be pretty pissed to know he was following the orders of a gold #plus i just wanna see him again #i've been wondering if they'll kill adrius 2 or psychospike him #my heart is telling me alex is alive #but i know that's really just the denial speaking #red rising #dark age

Yeah, when I say I think Quicksilver is an antagonist, I don’t mean he’s evil. He’s self-serving and feels entitled to do whatever his pet project is, at the cost of human lives, because money rots brains. Whatever happens with him, I just hope it doesn’t drag Matteo down. I hope Matteo divorces his ass and uses the alimony to run into the sunset with Mickey. 💸💗💜

I want the Storm Cousins to be friends so bad. They can beat each other up first but then they can be buddies.

I appreciate the Screwssius agenda but how dare you? Cassius can’t die now that he’s stopped frustrating me! 😭

I’m interested to see if the Duke returns too. If the consequences of the psychoSpike are indeed impermanent, that means there is hope for Sevro (because we all know what’s probably going to happen to him). I’m really intrigued by the introduction of the psychoSpikes to the story in general.

tumblr

July 30th is the two year anniversary of the publication of Dark Age!

I’m celebrating this Dark Age-iversary by asking a series of questions to get us thinking back on this book and looking forward to the future. ✨

It's the final day of Dark Age-iversary week!

Today, let's look forward to the future of the series. It's time for wild speculation!

What are your theories and predictions for book 6? I'm looking for both your serious, evidence-based predictions but also your baseless crack theories, if you have 'em. Bonus points for being funny.

Copied from my instagram.

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

#red rising #dark age #iron gold trilogy #pierce brown #darkageiversary #my post #dark age spoilers

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moefongo · 4 years ago

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How would the boys deal with having a s/o who is dealing with the effects of parental abuse both physical and mental abuse like flinching and being very quiet

I made it extra wholesome for you bestie, I hope you like it! 💖

Zant

Zant let them vent for as long as they need.

If they want to, he’ll let them sit on his lap and just stay there for as long as they need, while Zant pets their hair.

I like to headcanon that Zant likes to sit his S/O facing him so he can hug them and let them cry if they need it.

He will give them constant forehead kisses and will purr to calm his S/O down.

They would both sit in silence until his S/O feels better and then he’d pick them up and place them on their bed and go prepare them something to eat.

He constantly tells them how much he loves them and that they mean the world to him.

Ghirahim

Ghirahim is thinks he’s not very good at comforting, but he shows his support in acts of service.

He’s available for whatever his S/O needs.

He always asks his S/O before initiating physical contact because it makes them feel comfortable.

He will do silly little dances out of the blue just to make them giggle, and this works all the time.

He’ll also buy what ever his S/O wants, especially plushies.

He even made them another room that is filled with their favorite plushies, things, etc., for when they need to be alone.

Ganondorf

He’s a very patient and understanding man. He understands what his S/O has been through.

His goal is to help his S/O deal with it in a healthy way. He’s down to do anything his S/O wants.

Do they want to stay in and read all day? He’s already got them their favorite books and favorite drink.

If they want to be alone for a while, then its okay, he’ll give them space. He’ll always wait for them with a warm hug and a big kiss on the forehead.

Ganondorf also makes sure to not make sudden movements or loud noises just to not scare his S/O.

He just loves them very much and wants to make sure that his S/O never suffers again.

Volga

If it were for Volga, he would've committed arson already. But his S/O had to talk him out of it.

Volga doesn’t want to make his S/O uncomfortable, so he’ll just wait until they are ready to open up and talk about what’s going on.

He’ll take fly them to wherever they want and will set fire to anything if his S/O wants.

When his S/O decides to open up, he’ll listen intently. Then if his S/O wants, he’ll hug them for as long as they need.

He’ll try to make them snacks despite not being good at cooking. Most likely he’ll give up and go steal snacks for them.

#zant #ghirahim #ganondorf #volga #hw volga #hyrule warriors #loz #legend of zelda #moe's headcanons #also not me projecting on ghirahim at the beginning whoops

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russianminerva · 6 years ago

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On my Personal Relationships

I realize many of you will be disappointed that I did not discuss my personal relationships here. I understand, but please also understand that so much has been documented that I fear no one would believe me if I told the truth either way. Plus, a lady doesn’t kiss and tell.

Rumours, however, have it that I have had upwards of 12 lovers. I often elevated them to high positions for as long as they held her interest, and then pensioned them off with gifts of serfs and large estates. Some have speculated that I even have children with some (namely Potemkin and Orlov).

Grigorii Orlov will likely be the first one people have heard of. By 1759, he and I had become lovers, it’s true. Peter was cold and abrasive, but no one told him about the affair. I saw Orlov as very useful, and he became instrumental in the 28 June 1762 coup d’état against her husband, but I preferred to remain the Dowager Empress of Russia, rather than marrying anyone. I rewarded Grigorii Orlov and his other three brothers with titles, money, swords, and other gifts, but I did not marry Grigory, who proved inept at politics and useless when asked for advice. He received a palace in Saint Petersburg when I became Empress. He died in 1783.

The next notable lover of mine is of course Potemkin. It seems I have a thing for the Grigorii’s of the world. Grigorii Potemkin was involved in the coup d'état of 1762. In 1772, my close friends informed me of Orlov's affairs with other women, and he was promptly dismissed. By the winter of 1773, the Pugachev revolt had started to threaten my rule. My own son Paul had also started gaining support and so both of these trends threatened my hold on the throne. I called Potemkin for help—mostly military—and he became devoted to me. In 1772, I wrote to Potemkin. I had found out about an uprising in the Volga region and had appointed General Aleksandr Bibikov to put down the uprising, but I needed Potemkin's advice on military strategy. Potemkin quickly gained positions and awards. Russian poets wrote about his virtues, the court praised him, foreign ambassadors fought for his favour, and his family moved into the palace. He later became the de facto absolute ruler of New Russia, governing its colonisation. In 1780, the son of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, Emperor Joseph II, was toying with the idea of determining whether or not to enter an alliance with Russia, and asked to meet me. Potemkin had the task of briefing him and travelling with him to Saint Petersburg. Potemkin also convinced me to expand the universities in Russia to increase the number of scientists. Potemkin fell very ill in August 1783 and I worried he would not finish his work developing the south as he had planned. He was instrumental in securing the Crimean region for Russia. Potemkin died at the age of 52 in 1791.

Overall, it seems my personal life has been of much interest for lots of people, so there you go.

#catherine the great #empress #lovers #personalrelationships #memoirs #history

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stonecoldjerseyfox · 5 years ago

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Jersey on my mind (part 18)

“Hey, it does none of us any good that you refuse to eat.” Mila leans over the table and takes Maggie’s hand and squeezes it between hers. “It’s enough that he doesn’t want to.” She nods towards Juri, who sits next to her in his pyjamas and refuses to eat his oatmeal.

Maggie looks awful. She was sitting at the table alone when Mila came downstairs with Juri, to give him breakfast. The beautiful face was sad, worried and the shadows under her green eyes told Mila that Maggie probably hadn’t slept at all.

The green, swollen eyes are torn from the tabletop and meet Mila’s over the table.

“My grandmother was psychic. Apparently, it skips a generation, and I’m sure Glenn is fine. He’s probably on his way back now.” Mila tries to convince, not only Maggie, but herself as well. But she wants to think that her gut feeling tells her that she’s at least a little psychic. But it could just as well be hunger. “Now, eat! If not for your sake-” Mila nods towards her friends stomach.

As soon as they sat down at the table earlier, Maggie bursted into tears. Mila didn’t know how to react at first. Consoling crying children was easier than crying adults; the times Juri had tripped over Mila used to kiss him on the ‘wound’ and then gave him a popsicle, which he ate while cuddling in her lap. To put Maggie on her knee would just feel very, very strange. Mila asked Juri to go and wash his hands and then, verbally, started consoling Maggie.

“I think I'm pregnant.” Maggie cried with shivering hands. “Or, I must be. I am. I am pregnant. And I’m so scared.”

Mila knew exactly what Maggie meant, knew exactly how scared she was.

Mila was told that she was pregnant when it was too late for her to do anything about it. Naively enough, she just thought she had gained some weight around her stomach due to her love for mozzarella pizza and french fries. No matter how much Mila cried and pleated, the doctor couldn’t do anything about it. In the end she came to the point where she was so desperate that Mila overdosed on Ellie Galka’s sleeping pills to force a miscarriage. Adam Galka found her in the bathroom of the Galka home and drove her straight to the emergency, while trying to force Mila to vomit into a Burger King paper bag. The months that followed were more or less awful, mostly because Mila didn’t want to be a mother. She was in the middle of her university education and had started a new, happy, unproblematic life. And on top of it all, Mila had no idea who the father of the child was, though she and her friend Laura had their suspicions that it could be a tall, blond exchange student Mila had a one night stand with. It really didn't make the situation better. Not even her mom’s daily calls from Russia made Mila feel at ease. It didn't matter if you had a mother who was a pediatrician, if she sat on the other side of the earth! Mila didn’t feel anything towards ‘fetus’ (as she called ‘the thing inside of her’) until the water broke, during the second half of a baseball game, a month earlier than expected. Childbirth was the most painful thing Mila had ever experienced. Worse than jumping into the river Volga in the middle of the winter. Worse than anything! For a while she was sure she would die. But afterwards, when she saw Juri, lying in that plastic bin later in the day, she burst into tears; promised herself to do everything in her power to make him happy and feel loved, no matter how scared she was.

She had all the prerequisites for things to go well, before, during and after birth. Now, however, the situation is different. There’s no hospitals and the only doctor they have available isn’t even a ‘doctor-doctor’. It’s perfectly understandable that Maggie’s terrified. Had it been Mila, she would probably have thrown herself from the nearest cliff by now. But Maggie has Glenn.

Maggie sighs, smiles weakly at Mila and takes the bowl of oatmeal.

“I just…” Maggie stirs the oatmeal. “I always thought my family would be there when this-” She swallows. ”But everyone’s dead. Except Glenn.” Maggie sighs. ”Things just never turns out the way you expect them to.”

“Amen to that.” Mila yawns, leans back in the chair and scratches her hair, which has turned into a bird's nest during the night, before she peers at Juri. “I swear if you don’t eat that oatmeal…”

Juri interrupts her, by making the sign for ‘blueberries’ with his hands.

“I don’t have any blueberries.” Mila replies and looks at Maggie. ”Do you have any blueberries on you?”

Maggie smiles and shakes her head at Juri.

“Sorry sweetie, no blueberries.”

Mila then starts feeding him, under threat that if he doesn’t eat he will not be allowed to go out today.

”So what’s up with you two?” Maggie looks at her with a clever face, while poking around in the bowl with the spoon. Mila raises her eyebrows, trying to focus on the oatmeal in front of her and Juri, who has crawled up in her lap and once again refuses to eat; he wants blueberries, end of story. ”You and Daryl?”

”Nothing, I guess?” Mila says.

”Didn’t look like that.” Maggie smiles.

”What does it look like?” Mila has an idea of what Maggie is implying. “We’ve… talked? Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Maggie points at her with the spoon.

”Might be the talking part.” she says while chewing. ”He’s not used to it.”

”One could think that would’ve changed since, back then… or whatever.” Mila stirs around the oats and looks down at Juri, and once again tries to get that spoon into his mouth.

While Mila was bedwritten, Carol told her everything she needed to know about the people in the community. She told her that Daryl had been living all of his life in the shadow of society; isolated, managing his own business, not always according to the law, living with his criminal brother and his friends. Glenn told her, when he and Maggie visited, that Daryl had a brother, apparently a real asshole, who was dead, killed by Daryl after turning. Mila wanted to ask Daryl about that, and a lot more. He’s not verbal, but his eyes express a lot. She cannot figure out what it is specifically, which drives her mad with curiosity. Her father used to say that her indomitable curiosity was as much of a strength as it was a weakness for her. But she can’t stop herself from thinking that Daryl actually wants to talk to her. Is he shy?

”What was it like?” Maggie suddenly says. ”Russia? Your life? You haven’t talked about what happened before the outbreak.”

”Does it really matter?”

”You said you looked for your family.”

”They’re not my real family.” Mila explains. ”They’re my foster family. My mother is still in Russia, probably dead. I came here with my father. Things happened and I ended up in foster care, at the Galka’s. Joe, Ellie, and their sons, Peter and Adam. As I see it, I don’t have anyone else here, besides Juri.”

”What if they, you know-”

”At least I would like to know then. They might be dead, I’m aware that’s a possibility, but at least I would know.”

”I guess.” Maggie sighs and throws an eye towards the window, out on the street. ”Family means something very different now, I suppose. It’s diffuse.”

“Hasn’t it always?” Mila smiles and takes the spoonful of oatmeal that she tried to force feed Juri with, and puts it in her own mouth. “Family isn’t blood. Family is the people who want your best, who are there for you, no matter what.” She looks away. “I had to learn it the hard way.”

The two women’s eyes meet over the table.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Take your time.” Maggie puts her hand on Mila’s. “I’m glad you’re here. I really am.”

“You’re just happy you have someone to ask about morning sickness, sore breasts, being tired all the time-”

They laugh, but stop when the front door opens and closes. The next moment Rick walks into the room.

“Mornin.’” he greets them. “Mornin’ little guy.” he nods at Juri, who looks excited with being greeted by the former cop. Rick signs to Mila to cover Juri’s ears.

“You win.” Mila says to Juri and puts him down on the floor. “No breakfast. But I want you to go and get dressed.”

The boy runs off triumphant over having won the breakfast war, and disappears up the stairs. Mila turns back to Rick.

“There’s a crack in the wall.” Rick says. “It’s weakened.”

“Okay, we’ll reinforce it.” Mila replies and starts to eat Juri’s small portion of oatmeal; it’s a mother's job, to eat up her offspring's leftovers. “There, problem solved.”

“We’re workin’ on a plan for that. I just wanted you to know. We need to be alert. I also want you for guard duty tonight.” Rick looks at her. “If you’re up for it.”

“I would need to get a babysitter.” Mila puts the now empty bowl down and wipes her mouth on her sleeve. “I’ll ask Carol. If you don’t want to, you know... practice-” she looks at Maggie. “Who else, by the way?”

”Daryl.”

Once again the two women’s eyes meet. For the first time this morning Maggie gives her an amused smile and winks. If that makes her happy; everything to make Maggie’s day a little easier. Mila nods towards Rick.

“Great. Anything else?”

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megamanx1994 · 6 years ago

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Captain Falcon: The Last Mimeosome Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Stasis Pod (Disclaimer! I own nothing of Smash Bros or Xenoblade X!) I woke up after another all nighter and headed down to the lab. “Good morning Nicholas,” said Professor Elvin, “Burning the midnight oil again?” “Yeah, sure looks like it,” I said. “You’ll make yourself sick if you keep doing that you know,” said Luna walking down, “So how are things with you and Sakura?” “Pretty good,” I said, “She’s traveling to train up for some martial arts tournament and Daisy’s off for some convention, so looks like I’m on my own.” “Well you got me and Dad,” said Luna. “That’s true,” I said. “It’s a good thing we have you at the labs, because of your healing factor,” said Professor Elvin, “No matter what injury you get, it heals up in a hurry.” “Thanks to you,” I said with a grin. I noticed something under a cover. “What’s that?” I asked. “Just something I’ve been working on,” said Luna. “Is it an upgrade for my armor or more of a….. self project?” I asked. “It’s a little of both,” she answered. I was about to take a peek. “Uh uh,” she said. I got a text from Colleen. It read ‘You free? I could use your help on a mission.’ “It says I should meet her at B.L.A.D.E HQ,” I said. “Need a lift?” asked Luna, “I’m going that way to hand some tools to my friend Alexa.” “Might as well take it,” I said. We made it to Blade HQ. I was helping Luna carry some of her stuff. I was also busy bumping into others. “Sorry,” I said, “Pardon me.” “Watch where you’re going,” said someone. I bumped into a table and their rifle dropped. “Great,” said someone, “Would you be….. careful?” I got a good look at him. It was my old pal Gwin. “Gwin?” I asked. “Nicholas!” he said as he greeted me with a hug, “Oh my god!” “Its been years,” I said. ��Come with…. Actually wait right here I’ll be back.” He went to get something. “I’ll see you later Nicholas,” said Luna, “I’ve got a date with the training grounds.” Luna met up with Alexa at the Training Grounds. “So do you have your thing ready?” asked Alexa. “Indeed I do,” said Luna, “Its something I’ve been working on for a while.” “Is it some kind of skell weapon?” asked Alexa. “Its armor,” said Luna. “Aw, lame,” said Alexa. “You’ll be taking that lame back once you see it,” said Luna, “Ta-da!” She took out some kind of watch. “Um…….” Said Alexa. “Wait for it,” she said. Luna pressed a button. A strange liquid went around her body forming armor. “Holy shit,” said Alexa. “This exo skeleton armor is made from a liquid is known as Labranyum, and is controlled by my brain,” said Luna, “This armor coats around my body while granting me enhanced endurance and strength.” “Shut up,” said Alexa amazed. “Not only that, but in battle the armor also repairs itself,” said Luna, “While allowing me to enter environments that no human could survive in.” “So if its advanced, couldn’t it make you vunerable to it?” asked Alexa. “True, that’s why I made this neuro transmitter,” said Luna, “It means I maintain control of it.” Gwin had something for me. It was a cake. “I made it myself with the help of Irina,” said Gwin. “It looks great,” I said. “Nicholas?” asked Irina, “Hey, how have you been?” She gave me the cousin kiss. “So where can I find Colleen?” I asked, “I was asked to accompany her on a mission.” The three of us were walking by the combat arena. This is where Blades train and hone their skills. “That bald guy over there is Boze Lowes,” said Gwin, “Just try to stay on his good side.” “He’s one strict dog,” said Irina, “Last guy that ticked him off ended up not being able to sit for months.” “Ouch,” I said. He looked at me. “Nicholas Shay I presume,” he said. I was surprised. “How do you know my name?” I asked. “I know more than just your name son,” he said. “So this is the infamous soldier who took out the Slipknot army,” said a blade soldier, “Not bad, or was it all just luck?” I was looking at a soldier with blonde hair. “Look lady I’m just here to meet my partner Colleen,” I said. “Lady?” asked the soldier. “That’s a dude,” said Gwin. “But what about the hair, and that dress?” I asked. “It’s a Tunic.” “I think Zelda’s gonna win this one,” said another soldier. “My name is Link Jackass,” said Link. “Wait…” I said, “You’re Link as in….. hylian army link?” “That’s right,” said Link, “The one who took down Volga’s army single handedly.” “……..but you’re a runt,” I said. “OH YEAH CAN A RUNT DO THIS?!” he shouted. He grabbed a ball and chain and threw it at me. I quickly evaded. “Now you’re in for it,” said Irina. He got out his sword and started to attack me. I countered with my robotic arm that now had a blade installed. “You wanna get nuts?” I asked, “C’mon, let’s get nuts!” I read his movements to see when the right time was to counter. Link kept coming at me without breaking a sweat. “Not bad,” I said. “I could say the same about you,” said Link. We kept clashing. Link them saw an opening and hit me by the knee. I quickly got back up and did a sweep kick knocking him over. Boze blew his whistle. “A fine example of a fight,” he said with a grin. Colleen saw me. “What’s I miss?” she asked. “A lot,” I said. A white haired woman was behind her. “Who’s the other woman?” I asked. “My name is Elma, leader of the Skeleton Crew,” said Elma, “And you must be Nicholas.” “I am,” I said, “So what’s this mission?” We were all in the debriefing room. Elma’s commander Vandham was briefing us. “We’ve heard rumours that C.H.A.O.S has a hidden base in this area,” he said, “If we can find anything that’s useful we may have a shot at fighting them.” “Looks like S.M.A.S.H isn’t the only group hunting them down,” I said. “That’s right,” said Vandham, “So the mission is simple; go in, find anything useful then get the hell outta there.” “You can count on me,” I said as I transformed into my armor. “Me too,” said Colleen. We were heading to the said location. There weren’t any guards around. “Its gotta be a trap,” I said, “I say we scan around the perimeter and see if anybody is there.” “Good strategy,” said Elma, “No wonder you asked him to come along.” “Well he is my best friend,” said Colleen, “Let’s split up.” “Roger,” I said as I activated my thermal visor. Colleen, Elma and I searched the entire base to make sure there were no guards. “Clear on my end,” I said. “Clear on this end,” said Colleen. Elma was still looking around.”Elma, what’s your position?” asked Colleen. She saw some kind of capsule. “A stasis pod?” she asked. She examined it and saw something inside of it. “Someome must be inside of it,” she said. She pressed a button and the stasis pod started to open. A blue haired boy came out of it. “Looks like you’re still in one piece,” said Elma. The boy started to come out and almost fell. “Careful,” she said as she helped him up. The boy looked at Elma. “I need to ask you something….” He said. “What is it?” asked Elma. “Come closer,” he said. “What?” asked Elma. “……..Will you go skating with me?” he asked. “Um…… yeah,” she said, “Why not?” Colleen and I met Elma at her location. “Did you find anything?” I asked. “This young boy,” said Elma, “He was stuck in this stasis pod.” The young boy was starting to walk better. “It’s a good thing that I found you,” said Elma, “My name’s Elma. You wanna tell me your name?” The young boy tried to think. “What is my name?” he asked, “I…. I don’t know.” “Wait,” I said, “You’ve forgotten who you are?” I asked. “Yeah,” said the boy, “I remember being placed inside this capsule, and everything going dark and then nothing….. I can’t remember a thing past that!” “You can tell us everything later when we’re back at HQ,” I said, “But first you’ll need a weapon.” I gave him an extra rifle. “You’ll also need this for close combat,” said Elma. She gave him a longsword. “These look familiar,” said the boy. We headed back to Blade HQ. “So it looks like the place was abandoned,” said Commander Vandham. “Unfortunately,” I said, “But we did find somebody locked up in it.” Elma showed him the boy we found. “He’s lost his memory, probably from the stasis hangover,” she said, “We told him we would help him rediscover it.” “I see,” he said. The boy was looking at some weapons at a store. “You seem pretty intrigued by what we have here,” said Alexa. She pointed at a laser sword. “That is what we call a photon saber,” said Gwin, “Used by the Galactic Knight class blades. “He can be in your care for now Nicholas,” said Vandham, “Elma can help you.” “As you wish sir,” said Elma. We were walking around Blade HQ. “Wow,” said the boy, “Its so cool how you’re able to cross a sword with lasers to make such a cool weapon.” A few minutes earlier he got a facial tattoo of a cross on his face. It was a pretty nice touch, and gave me an idea of what to call him. “If you say so,” I said, “How about you come with me and do some errands? Maybe you’ll start to remember something Cross.” “Cross?” he asked. “I gotta call you something don’t I?” I asked, “Like the name?” “Yeah,” he said, “Cross, its great!” “Well let’s head out,” I said, “I gotta deliver some stuff to Dr. Light.” It Comes Back to You from Smoke+Mirrors 4 AM beside myself And what I think of mental health All the things that worry me All the things you don't believe I've been told just what to do Where to look and point my view All the things that I could be I think I learned in therapy Am I just a shadow you drew? It comes back to you, it comes back to you All the things that you had lost will find their way to you It comes back to you, it comes back to you Looking back into the past and I can see it through We were at Dr. Lights lab delivering some tools. He was repairing the damage did to Guts Man. “Dr. Light?” I asked. He saw us. “Oh hello Nicholas,” he said. Rock and Roll were assisting him. “Nicholas, welcome,” said Roll, “Keeping out of trouble?” “Yeah,” I said. “And who might this young man be?” asked Dr. Light. “This is Cross,” I said, “I’m helping him regain his memories.” It comes back to you, oh, oh [3x] It comes back to you Mocking birds and diamond rings Oh, I have thought of greater things All the things that fly by me All the lives that I could lead Maybe I was born for that Or maybe I was first to last You could call it cowardice But leave me to my studied bliss Am I just a shadow you drew? Cross was looking at the armor. “Amazing right?” asked Rock, “He created all of these.” Dr. Light cleared his throat. “My name’s Thomas Light,” said Dr. Light, “I’m the creator of these robot masters, and of Megaman. “You’re his father then?” asked Cross. “In a sense yes,” he said. I laughed. It comes back to you, it comes back to you All the things that you had lost will find their way to you It comes back to you, it comes back to you Looking back into the past and I can see it through It comes back to you, oh, oh [3x] It comes back to you I then went to visit my friend Madelyn Olivia Alanzi whom I call “Hope”. “Hello Nicholas,” she said, “How are things going?” “Pretty well,” I said, “This is Cross.” “Hi,” said Cross. “Its nice to meet you,” she said. “He’s lost his memories so I promised him I’d help get them back,” I said. “Well if anything is troubling you, please feel free to come to the cathedral,” said Hope, “Its all part of my duty as a mediator to help those who are lost to find their way.” Cross smiled. "Thanks again for the lunch yesterday," I said, "It was delicious." "Even when you're not hungry, you have to remember to eat you know," said Hope.

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heartofhryule · 8 years ago

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Heart of Wisdom - Final Chapter

Heart of Wisdom - Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - 100% Fluff'N'Smut. The final chapter in The Heart of Wisdom story. Thanks for sticking with this long guys!

WARNINGS: Depicts Explicit Sexual content. Contains Hyrule Warriors spoilers and story items. I highly recommend playing the game if you haven’t! It’s complete fluff, but fun fluff.

_____________________________________

Heart of Wisdom | Chapter 16 | Conclusion

“You lied to us?!” Link wailed from Epona. If Zelda hadn’t been seated in front of him, he might have fallen off.

Midna’s laughter was eerie and musical in the air around them. “Of course I did! Lana told me she wasn’t supposed to intervene, but knew you needed help. So, I fibbed a little to cover at the time.”

Midna float along between Epona and Impa’s horse, the party returning from having bound Ganon’s soul once more under the Master Sword in the Sacred Grove. Impa and Lana rode slightly ahead of them and Lana turned in her saddle. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked her to lie. Don’t be mad at Midna.”

Link sighed, understanding the need for the deception. It honestly wasn’t that he was agitated about. “But that means that we won’t see you again,” Zelda said softly, reaching out to take Midna’s hand, voicing the true root of Link’s upset.

The Twilight Queen just gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, but think about it this way - I’ve gotten to see you two again, twice more than I ever thought I would.”

“This is where we part ways,” Impa sighed, looking to Lana and Midna. They’d reached the fork in the wooded path, one way taking their party back to Hyrule Castle, the other a path that would take Midna and Lana back to the Sorceress’s sanctum.

For the first time since the battles with Darkness had started months ago, everyone dismounted and gave Lana a proper goodbye, not a one of them letting her slip off without it this time. The Sorceress was clearly touched, and wiped her eyes with a smile. “Thank you all.”

“Without your help, we would not have been able to do this,” Zelda said solemnly. “It is you we should thank. Thank you, Lana.”

“Damn I’m gonna miss you guys,” Midna said, seeming to voice both her own and Lana’s feelings.

“Same,” Link said, squeezing Midna in a hug one last time.

Volga however cleared his throat. “I will accompany Lana and Midna back to the Sanctum to assure their safety,” the Dragonknight volunteered. Midna turned her lips in against a smile at the same moment Lana’s eyes lit up a little.

Zelda nodded to him, seeing something for the first time but keeping her council. “Travel safely then,” Impa said, clapping his shoulder before swinging back up onto her horse. All riders mounted again and called their final farewells before the party split and headed for their destinations.

***

Lana’s sanctum wasn’t much more than a half day’s ride from the point in the journey they’d bid goodbye to their friends, and there had not been much talking. A somber aire had fallen over the companions, but the lack of conversation had let them make good time.

The Dragonknight insisted on seeing Midna safely back as well, if it was what she desired. It clearly both was and was not, the Twili yearning to stay but knowing she had a duty to her time to return. Twilight could not be without its ruler, despite it’s Queen’s desires. That and she had once possessed the Triforce of Wisdom. She knew that it was necessary.

Turning to Volga, Midna winked as Lana’s voice casting the spell echoed around them. “Watch over these idiots for me, yeah?” she said with a broad grin.

Bowing respectfully - she was royalty after all - with his right hand over his heart, he nodded. “Of course, your highness. As best that I can.”

“Oh come on, warlock,” she laughed, “We both know if anyone can it’s you. And Volga?” He stood, meeting her eyes to find the burning coals of her irises glittering with amusement. “You’re going to handle your heart, right?”

Smirking, the Dragonknight sighed. “You don’t know how to avoid poking dragons do you?”

“Literally compelled.”

“Of course. And yes, I do.”

“Good.”

Turning to see the portal was open, Midna shot Lana a broad grin. “You’ll come visit, right? Because you can, and we both know it.” Lana hesitated, but gave Midna a resolute nod. “Good. You should bring him with you,” she said and with the last float backwards through the portal as it closed.

The air became less charged around them, and the light faded with the magic. The Sanctum was currently still anchored in this time, Lana had explained that she would have to unanchor it eventually, but she hadn’t once she realized Darkness was going to yet return.

Looking around for any excuse to procrastinate, Lana saw nothing she could use to waylay her duty any longer. “It’s time,” she said sadly.

Volga however took off his helmet and set it on the table next to him. “What’s the hurry?”

“I’ve already stayed too long,” the sorceress intoned quietly, turning her back to him as she tried to not let her emotions get the better of her. Volga saw this and took a step forward. “I need to return to my duties.”

“And is it all monitoring? Constantly watching the time stream?”

“Well no,” she sighed. That’s what I do mostly, because there’s nothing much better to do. I used to read, or write, but I’ve read all the books and very little inspires me. No one to be inspired by, or to even talk to.” Turning to him, he saw her lashes were again damp with emotional tears. “You weren’t wrong, about what you said. It is very lonely, and… I’m not looking forward to going back.

Dropping his gauntlets and gloves to the table beside his helm, Volga returned his gaze to Lana and reached out, offering her a hand. She took it, but the Dragonknight pulled her closer rather than that mere gesture of comfort. Gathering her other hand as well, Volga gently urged her to look up at him. “And what if I went with you?”

“You can’t,” she gasped, shaking her head.

“Why not?”

“The...rules…”

“So the goddess forbid you from having friends?”

“Well… no…”

“She said no one could ever share your eternity. Your loneliness? She wanted you to be lonely forever?”

“No! No she would have never!”

“So Nayru, Farore and Din have appeared and said as much?”

She narrowed her eyes, seeing he intended to continue in this manner. “No. There was no official decree from any Divinity. It was just… understood. I thought.”

“And you never questioned, as it wasn’t a problem until-”

“I realized I was lonely,” she admitted, her voice rough with the truth of her words.

“Then I will come with you, and you will no longer be lonely.”

She shook her head, still resisting. “Your Barony, the people you defend…”

“Are in good hands. I have left the lands to my cousin who has done magnificently in my absence over the last few months, and deserves the reward. When I joined Cia, let Darkness steal my heart… from that moment forward, I was never meant to go back to Snowpeak. Not permanently.

“But our friends… your life…”

“They will understand. If I had my guess, Zelda already knows.” He gave her a smile and watched as the sorceress relaxed slowly, starting to accept that he meant it. “Besides, who better to accept a once cursed Warlock knight like myself, than the purest goodness of a true Sorceress?”

“Oh Volga!” she cried and fell forward into his arms, forehead against his chest. “Do you really, truly mean it?”

Wrapping her in a warm hug, the dragonknight found it impossible not to smile. “Of course I do. I can think of no better fate than living outside of time with a kind, intelligent, and beautiful soul who wants nothing more than to not be alone. Only the Goddesses could grant a better fate.”

Lana wept softly a moment, accepting his affection and searching her own. It seemed that her gratitude could lend to misunderstood emotions on both sides… but then there was a part of her that knew. He was one of her few friends, she already cared deeply for him. Would it really be misunderstood?

Looking up to the handsome Knight holding her in chaste comfort, Lana smiled. Something told her that in those red, magical eyes might be where her true destiny lay. Yes, yes she could fall in love with Volga.

Pushing off his chest gingerly, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the center of the room. “Alright! Then let me show you how to unanchor the Sanctum. Then I can show you how to anchor it! We’re going to need to if we intend to visit Midna!” Feeling more bubbly than she’d felt in months, Lana’s heart was light and effervescent as she stood across from Volga and smiled. He seemed amused and pleased, and endlessly patient.

Yes. Yes, she could be very happy like this. And she would be. And he would be. And they would be happy together, she and her Dragonknight Warlock.

“Okay, now repeat after me…”

***

The Castle was nearly repaired from the battles both recent and previous by the time they returned, the people recovering as well. They made the Castle by evening of the next day thanks to Lana’s magic there and back, having left almost directly after the ceremony that had wed Link and Zelda.

By the time they rode over the drawbridge and into the stables, Impa was ready to be done with the giggling and affectionate newlyweds. Leaping from her horse and handing the reigns to the stable boy, the Sheikah’s laughter echoed with her words, “Please, Highnesses, have the evening off. I will handle what needs handling - far away from the two of you. For as many days as you need.”

Link, feeling much healed after the potions Zelda had fed him, slid down from Epona and reached up to help her down. In so doing, he wrapped her in his arms and brushed his nose to hers affectionately. “Where to, my wife?”

“The bath,” she laughed, kissing him chastely and pushing away from him. But the Hero pouted, catching her hand as she started to walk away. Hyrule castle did not have the shared baths of Snowpeak which meant drawing up tubs, possibly in separate rooms.

“Together?” he asked hopefully as she pulled him along.

“No,” she giggled, teasing him cruelly. “Remember, you did not grant my wish in Snowpeak because of all my promises for our wedding night. Now? Now you will wait for those promises.” He whimpered as they made it into the palace and up the back stairs towards her private chambers. “Oh hush,” she laughed. “You made me wait, and now I’m just returning the favor.”

“You might be evil…” he whined. Reaching her rooms, she tried to shake him off and close the door, but Link wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him, laying kisses on the back of her neck.

“I’m filthy,” she argued, but merely waddled into the room without shaking him off.

Link kicked the door closed behind them, and tucked his face against the bend of her shoulder. “I don’t care. The world isn’t ending, we’re not at war, Darkness is bound and I have the most beautiful wife in all of creation. There is but one thing in the world that I need right now and a bath is not it.”

“What if I begged to differ?” She teased, leaning back against him as she kicked off her boots. Another pitiful whine was the only answer he could manage, inspiring a round of giggles from her. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and see what we can do about that whining problem you have…”

She pulled him over to the wash basin, clearly not summoning the servants for a tub, and began helping him off with his clothing while accepting his help with hers. Making an affectionate game of the undressing and washing, Link discovered that any nervousness he’d once had about the splendor of her body and their intimacy was completely gone. He had a lot to learn, but he’d already brought her pleasure once before, and they had the rest of their lives to learn even more.

He watched her run the cloth over herself carefully and he knew she was tormenting him, the smirk she gave over her shoulder confirmation he’d not really needed. However before he could gather his thoughts enough to respond, she was cleaning the dried blood and dirt from his arms and chest. “I don't want to be reminded constantly that you nearly died today. Not tonight…” Despite her smile, her voice was soft with emotion.

Link stopped her hands gently and took the cloth from her, cleaning himself off entirely and with haste before reaching out and pulling her against him once more. Claiming her lips in a deep kiss that spoke of his passion for her, he strove to erase the upset that threatened her mind. When he needed to breath more deeply, he broke away just enough to rest his forehead to hers and look her in the eye. “No more of that,” he purred, one hand coming to tangle in the soft hair at the nape of her neck, fingers massaging gently in the hopes of coaxing and distracting. “No more thoughts of what could have happened. Only what did, and what’s going to.”

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, but she gave him a smile and nodded gently. “Like how today you became my husband?”

“And you my wife,” he grinned encouragingly.

She grinned up to him, happiness resurging as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body to him in a line from chest to knee. Link was very distracted, and undeniably aroused when her lips brushed his. “My King,” she whispered.

He couldn’t take it any longer. Link didn’t give a flying octorok’s backside if they were clean any more. Bending his head to taste her lips again with a low rumble of desire, arms around her waist he lift her from her feet and carried her to the bed.

Bending to lay her down, she refused to release his neck or abandon his kisses so he followed her down with a smile. Once comfortable, Link rest to her side slightly and held her close. Hands roaming her sides, the feel of her skin was slowly driving him mad. His kisses trailed down her neck and over her shoulder and as his lips brushed the soft flesh of one breast she cooed in anticipation, the sweet, feminine sound inflaming his blood.

It was an act of will to maintain his mind as the soft noises of pleasure she made under his hands and lips were enough to strip him of civilised thinking for the rest of his life. She was frenzied and begging him softly after a short while, and when his dancing fingers could tell she was on the verge of pleasure, he drew up beside her. “Zel,” he whispered and was trying to form words to make sure she was ready, but Zelda had other ideas.

She silenced him with a hungry kiss, and pulled him over atop her as her knees parted and accepted him between. There was no stopping the moan of true pleasure and full body shudder that wracked him as his need caressed her sweet warmth for the first time. After that, there was no more self control.

He met her hunger in kisses, and positioned himself before one hand came to hold her hip, the other propping him up over her. He had intended to be slow and gentle their first time, but she undid him so thoroughly, he found it impossible to maintain his intentions. Hips thrust forward, once within her desire there was no other heaven he would know. She was perfection, the way he fit within her perfect… Divine, and a fevered ache began to take over his entire body.

Beneath him, Zelda’s back arched and the soft wail that ripped from her was a sound of pure ecstasy. Her legs came up to wrap about his hips, and when Link remembered how to breath again, his body began to move of it’s own volition. His thrusts became heated and greedy, needing to please her, bring her pleasure and find his own. Each coo and whimper from her spurring him on further until finally her legs tensed around him and she cried out. It was a beautiful thing to watch, his princess so in ecstasy that she came up off the bed, shuddering repeatedly with the stroke of his body into hers. It also inspired fire in his lions that demanded satiation or it might kill him.

But then suddenly, he was on his back and looking up at the blissful and mischeivous face of his wife from under the curtain of her golden hair. He didn’t entirely realize or recall how this had transpired, only that she had kept him within her in so doing.

Heart racing and breath short, he was going to ask if she was pleased before begging her to let him find satisfaction, but then her hips began to move astride him. Words were no longer an option. Little fireworks were going off in his brain, and his eyes were glued to the lusty Goddess who moved atop him. She was smiling in addition to her mewls of furthered rapture, and watching him with her blue-violet eyes as she moved his hands to her hips.

He was only a mortal man. Some might argue that, but Link was well aware of his limitations. Resisting or maintaining any semblance of coherency with the vision above him was one of them; impossible. His hands gripped where she’d placed them and he began thrust up to meet her gyrations with blind abandon. She bent forward, her soft chest brushing his face in the processes before she claimed his mouth in hungry kisses once more, and it was done.

With a cry against her lips, he moved within her as the fireworks moved from his mind throughout his entire body until he could no longer. A languid and heavy feeling started to spread in his veins and all he could do was weakly return the kisses she gave him.

Floating, though he was mostly sure he’d not left the bed, Link was dimly aware when Zelda slid off to his side. He managed to tuck her under his arm as he tried to catch his breath that she’d stolen, head lolling over towards her. “I…Zel.... That…”

She giggled at his poor attempted to speak and touched a finger to his lips. “Yes it was,” she purred and nuzzled his neck. “And it will be every night for the rest of our lives.”

The thought brought a lazy grin to his face, and he rolled up to his side to gather her in both arms. Poetry was trying to dance around his mind for the dizzying spectrum of feelings and emotions whirling around his mind. There was nothing else he could ever want outside of this, and he wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t find his voice.

“I know,” she grinned, accepting him into her arms as he curled around her. “I tried to convince you of this in Snowpeak…”

He chortled once sharply. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Mmm… maybe,” she teased and kissed his forehead. “But not for a while. But it’s alright, because I adore teasing you.”

The warm feeling tugging at his consciousness, he smiled at her words. He honestly liked her teasing too. It felt like a lifetime ago he’d met the kind but somewhat distant and regal Princess of Hyrule - she was the same person, but the nymph in his arms was warm and loving, brave and kind as she was funny and made of mischief. It was also, in realilty far longer ago that they’d met. A truth that would always warm his soul. She was also his, while at the same time owning him mind, body and soul.

“And, my hero?” she said softly, rubbing her cheek affectionately against his hair.

“Yes, my Princess?”

“I love you.”

Link smiled and turned his sleepy face up to her for a slow kiss, full of the pure,

unbridled love he felt in return. “And I you, Zel. Always.”

She smiled and nodded, giving him that kiss as she affirmed, “Forever.”

~fin~

#zelink #hwzelink #legend of zelda #hyrule warriors #zelda #link #impa #midna #volga #lana #heart of wisdom #fanfic #fanfiction #romance #smut

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anotherlifefic · 5 years ago

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Chapter 43: Enough travelling for now

We stepped through the portal, followed by our horses and Jenna, who was still holding Gareth in her arms.

We found ourselves on the road leading up to the castle, conveniently right next to the cave entrance that lead to the Great Fairy Fountain. Jenna approached it, turning around one last time.

„Don‘t worry. Little Gareth is safe with me. Quick, go save the Queen!“

We nodded at her and then followed the road. The guard posts were deserted, and there were signs of a battle. Clawmarks, broken weapons strewn about. While we rushed past the big meadow in front of Hyrule Castle, I couldn‘t help but notice that appearantly Zelda had contracted someone to build a house there… on which was technically the Castle Grounds. Odd, but I couldn‘t think about that any further right now. Zelda was in danger.

I prayed that we weren‘t too late.

The hallways of the castle were littered with the dead bodies of monsters. Only monsters, mind. I couldn‘t a single dead Hylian among them, which gave me some hope. While we weren‘t familiar with the complete layout of the place, there was noise coming from somewhere down the hallway we were currently in, so we followed that until it led us to an ornate door.

„Ready?“, Link asked, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter.

„Ready“, I confirmed, and we kicked the door open… and stopped, slack-jawed at what we were seeing.

„...Link?“

„Yes, love?“

„Why were worried again?“

„I… honestly don‘t know.“

The door had led us to the throne room, which, much like the hallways, was full of dead monsters. And on the floor in front of the throne was Cia, hogtied and cussing up a storm. Next to her, bemused and thankfully unharmed, stood Zelda, using a hankerchief to wipe monster blood from her rapier. She looked up as we entered, and a smile lit up our face.

„You‘re late.“

We looked from Cia to Zelda and back, before bursting out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. How could we have even believed for a second that Cia could take on Zelda in a fight?

Zelda approached us and pulled both of us into a warm hug. „It‘s good to see you again.“

Cia hissed. „I can‘t believe that idiot Volga failed at something as easy as killing two women and a baby!“ She wiggled in her bonds but only managed to tighten them in the process. „Just you wait! The Hero WILL be mine, and I will-“

While she was having her monologue, Link turned to me. „You wouldn‘t happen to have a spare hankerchief on you, would you, Becca?“

„Actually I do.“ I pulled said hankerchief out of my pocket and gave it to Link, who then approached Cia and stuffed it into her mouth.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. „Well, now that this unpleasantness is over, maybe one of us should go and fetch Jenna. We‘ll explain everything once she‘s here.“

„I‘ll go!“, I said. „Be right back!“

As I left the throne room, I heard Zelda ask:„Who is Jenna?“

„She‘ll undoubtedly introduce herself once she‘s here.“

Fetching Jenna didn‘t take long, and once we were back in the throne room, she curtsied in front of Zelda.

„Your Majesty. It‘s an honor to meet you. I am Jenna, a...“ She looked up, at Link, Gareth and me, before continuing:„A merchant. And a friend of Link and Rebecca.“

Zelda smiled at her. „Any friend of theirs is also a friend of mine. So be welcome, Jenna. And now, please tell me why this sorceress tried to kill me.“

Zelda took us to the tea room again while leaving the servants of the castle to clear away all of the dead monsters. Once we got there, the three of us gave her a rundown of all of the things that had happened, starting with Link and I recounting our journey through Hebra and the revelation of my ancestry and ending with our encounter with Cia.

And after we concluded the story, Zelda just sighed and rubbed her eyes. „I think I read something about her in a book once, but it was worded in a way that made it seem like her existence was mere conjecture. And while I understand that existing in solitude for so long does a lot of damage to a person‘s psyche, we cannot let her get away without punishment.“

„So what you suggest?“, Link asked.

„I don‘t know that yet. I will have her put in jail for now until I have decided on a fitting punishment.“

„Wouldn‘t the most fitting punishment be the death sentence?“, I asked dryly. „We‘re talking about attempted regicide here. That‘s not exactly a trivial offense.“

„But we also have to consider the mitigating circumstances“, Zelda replied. „Which is exactly why I have chosen to imprison her for now. Impa knows an ancient technique of the Shiekah that can surpress her magic, so she can‘t escape.“ She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts, and then smiled. „On to more cheerful subjects, though: Did you notice the construction site in front of the castle?“

„I did“, I said.

„Me too. What‘s up with that?“, Link asked.

Zelda traced the rim of her teacup with her index finger. „I wasn‘t sure how long you would be gone, so I had commissioned it hoping it would be done by the time you return. It was supposed to be a surprise. You see… I wanted to have the two of you close to me. Closer than just in the city, I mean. But I also know that you probably wouldn‘t be comfortable with palace life. So I thought that giving a house on the palace grounds to the two of you might be a good idea.“

„It‘s supposed to be for us?“, I asked incredulously. „Zelda that‘s… we couldn‘t possibly accept...“

„Please“, she said. „I would sleep so much better knowing that Link was only a few minutes of walking away from me. We could visit each other without much trouble. Your little son would grow up with so much more space.“

„Well…“ Link stared into his own teacup. „...if it makes you happy.“

Zelda clapped her hands with joy. „Wonderful! Construction has only just begun, so it will take a while. It‘s not supposed to be just a tiny shepherd‘s cabin, after all. Anything you would like the builders to add to your house?“

Link and I answered at the same time:„A stable.“

Zelda nodded. „Understood. I will pass your wish on to the builders.“ Then she beamed at us. „I am so glad that you accept my gift. It will be nice to have you living so close to me.“

After leaving the castle, we said our goodbyes to Jenna and then returned home.

„Do you think we should start preparing for the move already?“, I asked as we stood in the middle of the living area.

„I‘m honestly not sure“, Link replied. He was holding Gareth in his arms and twisted his face slightly as our son grabbed a bit of his hair and pulled on it. „Now now, Gareth, no hair-pulling. Nobody likes getting their hair pulled.“

„Speak for yourself“, I muttered with a grin, causing Link to blush.

„Yeah, Rebecca. Great lesson to teach our son.“

„I‘m just saying.“ And with that, I put a kettle on the stove and grabbed a pair of flintstones to light a fire underneath. „Would you be a dear and go fetch some water?“

„As my lady commands“, Link chuckled before placing Gareth in the small crib at the table and walking out with a bucket in hand.

I rummaged through the kitchen closets, searching for some tea-leaves. By the time I found them, Link returned with the water. „There you go!“

„Thank you, Darling.“ I blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it out of the air. We shared a soft chuckle before falling into a comfortable silence.

While I continued preparing the tea, Link lifted Gareth out of the crib and grinned at him. „So, how did you like our little adventure?“

Gareth squealed in typical baby-noises.

„I‘m glad to be home, too.“

I smiled to myself, enjoying this precious moment of peace. Maybe I could ask Link to sleep with me again that night. I didn‘t want to push him on the subject so shortly after the war and his imprisonment, so my plan had actually been to wait for him to bring it up. But it had been so long, and I was yearning for his touch. And, though I hated to admit it, I needed some kind of confirmation that I was still desirable to him. Pregnancy had left its marks on me, as expected. Though I was still young, my stomach wasn‘t as firm and toned as it had been before Gareth was born. And by now, Gareth was old enough to be left alone for an hour or two.

„Say, Link“, I began as I carried the cups with our tea to the table. „How about we let Gareth sleep in his room tonight?“

„Why?“, Link asked.

I gave him a meaningful look. „I just feel like you and I could use some alone time. Please? Just for a bit?“

Link looked around uncomfortably. „...I‘m not sure that‘s a good idea, Becca.“

My heart sank. „Why not?“

„Hush, love. It‘s not what you think.“ He took my hands over the table, and a dumb, childish part of me wanted to pull them away. „It‘s just that I don‘t want to risk getting you pregnant again before you even weaned Gareth. Wasn‘t it you who insisted on nursing Gareth for at least a full year?“

„Yes, because that‘s what Graynne advised me to do.“

„Exactly.“ He stroked the backs of my hands with his thumbs. „Right now, making sure that Gareth grows up healthy should be our biggest priority.“

We grew silent for a minute, but then he sighed. „However… I‘d be lying if I said that I didn‘t miss being intimate with you. I guess we could try ways that wouldn‘t result in you getting pregnant again.“

The sadness disappeared, being replaced by giddiness. „You mean it?“

„Absolutely.“ He lifted my hands to his mouth and gently kissed my knuckles. „I love you.“

„Oh Link… I love you, too.“

#Another Life fic #The Legend of Zelda #fanfiction

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investmart007 · 7 years ago

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MOSCOW | The Latest: Embankment near stadium in Volgograd gives way

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/YlOZCb

MOSCOW | The Latest: Embankment near stadium in Volgograd gives way

MOSCOW — The Latest on Sunday at the World Cup (all times local): ___ 1:15 a.m. Some of Russia‘s World Cup legacy is already falling down. A large earth embankment separating the World Cup stadium in Volgograd from the Volga River gave way, sending tons of dirt sliding into a road on the day the final was played in Moscow.

Heavy rain contributed to the sudden collapse, with footage posted online showing torrents of water washing away the sandy earth in the embankment. There were no reports of injuries.

The 45,000-seat Volgograd Arena was one of 12 World Cup stadiums across Russia and hosted four games in the group stage. The city’s mayor had expressed pride in the embankment and the new road along the riverbank, saying it would form a key part of the World Cup legacy for the city by easing traffic jams. ___ 12:24 a.m. Jorge Sampaoli is out as Argentina coach, two weeks after his team was beaten by France in the World Cup round of 16. The Argentina soccer federation says it reached a “mutual agreement” to terminate his contract.

Sampaoli took over in May 2017 to revive Argentina’s faltering World Cup qualifying campaign. The team did advance to play in Russia but failed to beat Iceland, then slumped to a 3-0 loss against eventual runner-up Croatia.

Sampaoli’s role running the team seemed to be marginalized as senior players Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano exerted influence. ___ 11 p.m. In a World Cup final stadium packed with presidents, none had more fun than Emmanuel Macron. The French president joined the victorious Les Bleus in their Luzhniki Stadium locker room, gave a speech, had fun with star midfielder Paul Pogba while being filmed for Snapchat, and struck a dab pose for defender Benjamin Mendy.

It was a rousing evening for the president who went through a range of emotions during France’s 4-2 victory over Croatia. Earlier, Macron paced nervously and leaped euphorically from his seat in the VIP section as a guest of FIFA and Russian President Vladimir Putin to see Les Bleus play for soccer’s biggest prize. After the game, Macron offered up a flurry of kisses in the exuberant and then rain-soaked celebrations.

He gave Croatia’s President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic consoling kisses on both cheeks after the final whistle. He kissed French goal scorers Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann on their foreheads at the trophy and medal ceremony on the field. He even kissed the golden top of the World Cup trophy before it was presented to France captain Hugo Lloris. On his official Twitter account later, Macron posted a simple message to the team : “MERCI.” ___ 10:25 p.m. France’s jubilant players have crashed their coach’s post-match news conference, dancing and singing while spraying both champagne and water.

France coach Didier Deschamps, only the third man to win a World Cup as a player and a coach, was speaking to the media after his team’s 4-2 victory over Croatia. But he was briefly interrupted by a group of players, some still in uniform, some bare chested and some wearing their winners’ medal around their necks.

A couple of players even stood on the news conference table and danced as Deschamps shared hugs with some others. Deschamps says “Sorry! They’re young and they’re happy.” The victory at Luzhniki Stadium clinched a second World Cup title for France. Deschamps was the captain of the team that won the title at home in 1998. ___ 9:45 p.m. Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic says the national team players are “the first in the world for me” despite their 4-2 loss to France in the World Cup final. Plenkovic tells the state broadcaster the Croatia players “were great!”

He adds that “France was lucky in the first half … it could have gone the other way.” “People are happy as if we have won and that’s the way it should be,” Plenkovic says. “This is a miraculous ____ 9:30 p.m. President Donald Trump has congratulated France on winning its second World Cup title. Trump says in a tweet that France “played extraordinary soccer.” The French team beat Croatia 4-2 in a final that was watched worldwide. Trump offered his congratulations as he flew from Scotland to Finland for a summit Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. There was no immediate word from the White House on whether Trump watched any part of the match during the approximately three-hour flight.

The World Cup final also gave Trump an opportunity to congratulate tournament hosts Putin and Russia “for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament — one of the best ever!” ___ 9 p.m. The great Pele has acknowledged Kylian Mbappe’s remarkable tournament that culminated with the France forward becoming just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final. No guessing who is first.Pele was 17 when he scored twice Brazil’s 5-2 win over Sweden in the 1958 final.

Mbappe scored France’s fourth goal in the 4-2 win over Croatia in Moscow and was voted young player of the tournament. Pele posted a message of congratulations on his Twitter account saying “Only the second teenager to have scored a goal in a (hashtag) WorldCupFinal! Welcome to the club, @Mbappe – it’s great to have some company! ” ___ 8:55 p.m. From Napoleon’s triumphal arch to hard-scrabble suburbs of Paris, France is exploding with joy after its national soccer team won the World Cup.

Crowds packed the lawns stretching out beneath the Eiffel Tower, frenetically waving French flags as police struggled to keep them squeezed in place.

On the other side of the Seine River, more throngs poured onto streets around the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, where soldiers and military equipment paraded a day before on France’s national Bastille Day holiday.

Car honking rang out after France beat Croatia 4-2 in Moscow for its second-ever World Cup victory. Twitter posts showed ethnically diverse crowds decked in the French tricolor dancing and shouting in the Paris suburb of Bondy, hometown of 19-year-old World Cup breakout star Kylian Mbappe. Authorities deployed extra security forces to keep order around France. ___ 8:45 p.m. The highest-scoring World Cup final since 1966 lifted the 2018 tournament to within two goals of the record tally for a 32-team format.

France’s 4-2 win over Croatia increased the tournament tally to 169 goals — two fewer than the record 171 in the 2014 and 1998 editions. The average goals per game in Russia was 2.64. It was the most prolific final since England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time in 1966.

Goals finally returned to the World Cup final in regulation time. The two previous finals were 0-0 after 90 minutes before being settled with a single goal deep into extra time. ___ 8:35 p.m. Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has been awarded the Golden Ball after being voted as the best player at the World Cup. Modric, who scored two goals and was crucial to Croatia’s three come-from-behind wins in the knockout stages, embraced Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic after being given the award in a rainy ceremony after his team lost the final 4-2 to France.

England’s Harry Kane won the Golden Boot for top scorer with six goals. Of those, three were penalties and two came shortly after corner kicks. France teenager Kylian Mbappe was voted young player of the tournament, while Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois was named best goalkeeper. Belgium finished as the World Cup’s highest-scoring team with 16 goals from 10 different players. ___ 8:33 p.m. The French players have received their winners’ medals and danced in the rain with the World Cup after beating Croatia in the final in Moscow.

The players, some with the national flag draped over their heads or shoulders and others with the tricolor wrapped around their waists, shook hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, their own president Emmanuel Macron and Croatian leader Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic during a heavy downpour at Luzhniki Stadium. The presidents of France and Croatia, who were saturated on the podium, pretended to grab the World Cup trophy from FIFA President Gianni Infantino before he handed it to the players. As soon as he did, the fireworks started golden glitter exploded all over the players. ___ 8:15 p.m. A leader accused of genocide by the International Criminal Court has been entertained at the World Cup final. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was among the heads of state in the luxury seating at the Luzhniki Stadium to see France play Croatia.

Al-Bashir is accused by the ICC of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur during fighting since 2003. World soccer’s governing body declined to comment on how Al-Bashir’s presence in a section with FIFA President Gianni Infantino complies with FIFA’s human rights policy.

Fatma Samoura joined FIFA as secretary general in 2016 after serving as a U.N. official in Africa. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court accused the U.N. Security Council last month of failing to take action against countries that didn’t arrest Al-Bashir. Russian President Vladimir Putin was also at the match in Moscow. ___ 8:10 p.m. Euphoria has given way to a mixture of disappointment and pride for Croatia fans after the national team lost to France in its first ever World Cup final.

The entry into the World Cup final in Russia has brought the country of 4 million people to a standstill as officials and the media described the event as the biggest in Croatia’s sports history.

Fans in the capital Zagreb crammed into squares and streets and were full of hope and cheering until the last moment. As the game ended 4-2, they couldn’t hide sadness but many said they were happy at what Croatia has achieved.

Aleksandar Todorovic says “Of course I am sad. I could see them lift the trophy, but this is really fantastic.” ___ 8 p.m. France coach Didier Deschamps has been thrown into the air in a celebration by his players after becoming just the third person to win the World Cup as a player and as a coach. Deschamps was captain of the France squad that won the World Cup on home soil in 1998.

With France’s 4-2 win over Croatia in the final in Moscow, he joins Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) and Mario Zagallo (Brazil) in an elite trio that has won the title on the field and from the bench. ___ 7:54 p.m. France has clinched its second World Cup title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in a dramatic final in Moscow featuring a series of firsts and a pitch invasion orchestrated by Russian protest group Pussy Riot. France led 2-1 at halftime courtesy of the first own-goal and the first video-reviewed penalty in a World Cup final. The own-goal off the top of Mario Mandzukic’s head was the 12th of the tournament. That’s double the previous World Cup record of six.

Croatia rallied to equalize on a terrific left-foot strike by Ivan Perisic, but France took the lead right back when Perisic handled the ball in the area. Argentine referee Nestor Pitana initially didn’t call the handball but awarded the spot kick after a video review. Antoine Griezmann converted the penalty to put France back in front.

Four pitch invaders disrupted the game in the 52nd minute for about a minute before being dragged away by security and police. Punk rock group Pussy Riot quickly claimed responsibility for the pitch invasion via social media, saying it was a protest aimed at ending illegal arrests of protesters and to allow political competition in Russia.

Play resumed and France quickly took a 4-1 lead with goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe in the 59th and 65th minutes before Mario Mandzukic pulled one back for the Croatians in the 69th. Croatia was playing in its first World Cup final. For France, it was a first World Cup crown since winning on home soil in 1998. ___ 7:29 p.m. France has a 4-2 lead over Croatia after 70 minutes of a World Cup final that has featured a series of firsts including an own goal and a penalty awarded after a video review. And a pitch invasion for which the Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot has claimed responsibility.

France led 2-1 at half time and extended the lead to 4-1 with goals from Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe in the 59th and 65th minutes before Mario Mandzukic pulled one back for the Croatians in the 69th. France is aiming for its second World Cup title. Croatia is playing in the World Cup final for the first time. ___ 7:22 p.m. Pussy Riot has claimed responsibility for the four pitch invaders who disrupted the World Cup final between France and Croatia in Moscow. Just after Croatia goalkeeper saved Kylian Mlbappe in the 52nd minute, four people emerged from the other end of the field. One made it to the center circle. They were quickly tackled by security, and the match resumed after a delay of about one minute.

The balaclava-clad women of Pussy Riot, a Russian punk rock group, rose to global prominence with their daring outdoor performances critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2012 that sent two members to prison for nearly two years.

The band says in a statement posted on their Twitter feed that the disruption was a protest. Before being hauled away, one woman managed to reach the center of the field and share a double high-five with France forward Kylian Mbappe, who had a shot saved a minute earlier.

“Hello everyone from the Luzhniki field, it’s great here,” the group said on Twitter, and released a statement calling for the freeing of political prisoners, an end to “illegal arrests” of protesters and to “allow political competition” in Russia. ___ 7:18 p.m. Paul Pogba has given France a 3-1 lead over Croatia in the World Cup final with a goal in the 59th minute. Pogba made a lengthy diagonal, cross-field pass to Mbappe, who sped up the right flank. He dribbled around Strinic and crossed to Griezmann, who took two touches and cut the ball back to Pogba at the penalty arc. Pogba’s initial shot was blocked by Lovren, and Pogba sent in the rebound for his first goal of the tournament. ____ 7:12 p.m. Four people dressed in suits have invaded the pitch during the second half of the World Cup final. The four, who seemed to be wearing peaked caps, approached players and one appeared to share a high five with a France player. Stewards dragged the people off the field after a total disruption of almost a minute while France was leading 2-1. ___ 7 p.m. Records are falling like the rain coming down on the field after a wild first half of the World Cup final in Moscow. France has a 2-1 lead over Croatia courtesy of the first own-goal and the first video-reviewed penalty in a World Cup final. The own-goal off the top of Mario Mandzukic’s head was the 12th of the tournament. That’s double the previous World Cup record of six.

Croatia rallied to equalize on a terrific left-foot strike by Ivan Perisic, but France took the lead right back when Perisic handled the ball in the area. Argentine referee Nestor Pitana initially didn’t call the handball but spoke into his headset with colleagues in the video booth, then made the box-shaped symbol for a video review. He awarded the spot kick shortly afterward, which Antoine Griezmann sent into the net to put France back in front. This is the first World Cup in which video review has been used. ___ 6:48 p.m. France leads Croatia 2-1 at halftime as it works toward its first World Cup title in 20 years. The first half ended with thunder rolling over Moscow after France regained the lead from an Antoine Griezmann penalty in the 38th minute following the first use of video review in a World Cup final.

France had taken the lead in the 18th through Mario Mandzukic’s own-goal — the first in a World Cup final and a record 12th in the tournament — off a Griezmann free kick, before Croatia’s Ivan Perisic equalized with a fierce left-foot strike 10 minutes later.

Perisic was also the player who conceded the penalty with a handball at a corner. It is already the highest-scoring World Cup final since France won its only previous title in 1998, beating Brazil 3-0. Croatia is playing in the World Cup final for the first time. ___ 6:38 p.m. Antoine Griezmann has given France a 2-1 lead over Croatia with a penalty after the first call made using a video review in a World Cup final.

Griezmann hit the ball hard and left as Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic jumped the other way in the 38th minute. The spot-kick was given after the ball bounced off the arm of Croatia’s Ivan Perisic at a corner before hitting his leg and going out of play. Perisic had scored for Croatia to level the game at 1-1 in the 28th minute.

There was a break of about 90 seconds as referee Nestor Pitana discussed the call with his video assistants and reviewed the footage. ____ 6:28 p.m. Croatia has leveled the score in the World Cup final against France at 1-1 on a goal from Ivan Perisic in the 28th minute. Domagoj Vida got the ball at a free kick and passed it back to Perisic on the edge of the area. The winger controlled the ball with his right foot and used his left to fire it past French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. It’s the third goal in seven games for Perisic and the first goal France has conceded since its 4-3 win over Argentina in the round of 16. Croatia has now had equalize in four straight games after conceding the opening goal. All three preceding games went to extra time. ___ 6:18 p.m. France has scored with the first real chance of the World Cup final as Mario Mandzukic headed a free kick into his own net. Antoine Griezmann swung the free kick into a mass of French and Croatian players and Mandzukic diverted the ball into the net, just past goalkeeper Danijel Subasic’s outstretched hand in the 18th minute. It was the 12th own goal of the World Cup, an all-time record, and the first ever in a World Cup final. It was the first goal in regulation in a World Cup final since 2006 — the 2010 and 2014 finals were both extra time 1-0 results ___ 6:05 p.m. French fans have packed the Paris fan zone, which holds 90,000, near the Eiffel Tower to watch the World Cup final between France and Croatia. Orio Hamra from the Paris region says, “Yes, I have faith … They’re hungry and 20 years on, it would be beautiful if they won the Cup.” Les Bleus’ last World Cup victory was in 1998. It was an occasion for all ages to dress up for France, some wrapped in French flags, others painting their faces or donning elaborate headgear in the blue, white and red national colors. Security forces are on the ready throughout France, which celebrated Bastille Day on Saturday, with 110,000 police on duty. ___ 6 p.m. Croatia’s Mario Mandzukic has taken the kickoff for his team in the World Cup final against France. As their national anthem rang out around the Luzhniki stadium, Croatian fans unfurled a banner reading, “one heart, one strength, my country Croatia.” Both teams were unchanged from the lineups that won their semifinal games. France beat Belgium 1-0, and Croatia beat England 2-1 in extra time. Croatia is playing its first World Cup final. France won its only World Cup title when it hosted the tournament in 1998. ___ 5:54 p.m. The French and Croatian teams are on the field for their World Cup final. The teams emerged from the dressing rooms to stand behind the World Cup trophy, with captains Hugo Lloris and Luka Modric in the lead. Philipp Lahm, Germany’s winning captain in 2014, earlier brought out the World Cup trophy with Russian model Natalia Vodianova. Lahm picked up the cup and held it for cheering crowds. France is aiming to win its second World Cup and first since 1998. Croatia has never before gone past the semifinal stage. ___ 5:50 p.m. Croatia’s president says no matter what happens in the World Cup final, the unexpected success of her small country’s hard-working, underdog team means that “we’re a winner.” In an interview with The Associated Press, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic says she wants her once-warring region to come together to support Croatia in the final and Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. She says “sports brings people together. People in all of our countries are tired of ideological differences, of going back into the past all the time.” Ahead of Sunday’s final against France in Moscow, she predicts a Croatian victory but says “whatever happens, we’re a winner.” She has used the victory to raise her country’s profile, posing in a red-and-white checkered team jersey at every opportunity — and giving one to U.S. President Donald Trump. ___ 5:35 p.m. The closing ceremony for the World Cup has started. The actor and singer Will Smith is among those performing in the brief show before France plays Croatia in the final. Dozens of people bearing video screens showing moments from the tournament are interspersed among performers dancing in glittery costumes. ___ 5:30 p.m. President Emmanuel Macron of France has been joined by one of his predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy, as guests of FIFA to see their national team play Croatia in the World Cup final. The president of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, is also among 10 heads of state and national leaders at Luzhniki Stadium. They have joined Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the presidents of Belarus, Moldova, Gabon and Sudan. Some western European governments stayed away from the World Cup amid the fallout from the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in England in March. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is also here. Qatar hosts the next World Cup in 2022 and the emir attended a handover ceremony at the Kremlin with Putin and FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier Sunday. ___ 5:15 p.m. There was new signage inside Luzhniki Stadium for the championship between Croatia and France. For the previous six matches, the front of the second and third decks had bright blue backgrounds with “2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA” in white in English and Russian, alternating with red backgrounds with “MOSCOW” and “(hashtag)world cup” in white. For the final, there were gold backgrounds with “FINAL2018” in navy blue, alternating with navy blue backgrounds with “MOSCOW,” ”FIFA WORLD CUP” in English and Russian and “(hashtag)world cup” on navy backdrops with gold lettering. ____ 5:07 p.m. France and Croatia are on the field at Luzhniki Stadium to warm up for World Cup final with under an hour to go before kickoff. France’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris emerged first to cheers from supporters along with his team’s two reserve keepers. French fans waved the tricolor as the rest of the team came out, with defender Lucas Hernandez waving to the stands. Croatian fans gave captain Luka Modric and his teammates a similar greeting minutes later. France is aiming to win its second World Cup and first since 1998, while Croatia has never before gone past the semifinal stage. ___ 5 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin will help present the trophy to the winning captain after the World Cup final. FIFA president Gianni Infantino will join Putin for the ceremony on the field at Luzhniki Stadium. The recent World Cup tradition is for presidents of FIFA and the host nation to jointly hand over the gold-and-malachite trophy. Four years ago, then-FIFA leader Sepp Blatter and Brazil’s then-president Dilma Rousseff presented the trophy to Germany captain Philipp Lahm. Lahm is bringing the trophy on to the field before France and Croatia kick off at 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT/11 a.m. EDT) in Moscow. ____ 4:50 p.m. France and Croatia will take unchanged lineups into the World Cup final. France coach Didier Deschamps has retained the starting 11 which beat Belgium 1-0 in the semifinals after Blaise Matuidi returned from a suspension in the quarterfinals. Zlatko Dalic has stuck with Marcelo Brozovic in midfield after he came into the lineup for Croatia’s 2-1, extra-time semifinal win over England. That means forward Andrej Kramaric remains on the bench. Lineups: France: Hugo Lloris, Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Samuel Umtiti, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, N’Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Lucas Hernandez. Croatia lineup: Danijel Subasic, Sime Vrsaljko, Ivan Strinic, Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Mandzukic, Ante Rebic, Domagoj Vida. ___ 4:45 p.m. Braving rainy weather, Croatian fans are gathering in squares and streets around the country ahead of the World Cup final with France. Wearing Croatian team jerseys and waving flags, fans have filled up the central square in the capital Zagreb some two hours before the game kicks off in Russia. Fans have wrapped the square’s monument in national red-and-white colors. Croatian media and officials have described the team’s run to the World Cup final as the country’s most important sports event ever. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic says “all this has been a wonderful experience … we should all be happy to be part of it.” ___ 4:30 p.m. Thousands of fans have filled the historic Grand Place in Brussels to welcome home the Belgium team after its third-place finish in the World Cup. The Belgian players returned immediately after their 2-0 win over England in the third-place playoff and were first received by King Philippe at the royal palace on Sunday before they were taken in an open bus through the sun-splashed center of Brussels where thousands more stood along the way. The Grand Place only holds 8,000 and was full several hours before the players appeared on the balcony of the gothic city hall to another rapturous round of applause and cheers. ___ 4:15 p.m. Croatia has arrived for the World Cup final. The Croats, who will be playing for the title for the first time, arrived at the Luzhniki Stadium a few minutes after the French squad. Luka Modric, the midfielder who is the driving force in the Croatia team, was one of the first to enter the dressing room. Croatia’s best showing before this year was when it reached the semifinals in 1998. But the team lost to host France in that game 20 years ago, and the French team went on to win its only World Cup title. ___ 4:10 p.m. The France team has arrived at the Luzhniki Stadium for the World Cup final against Croatia. The team, escorted by five police motorcycles, arrived in a bus with a French flag adorned to the windows on either side of the vehicle. France coach Didier Deschamps was one of the first off the bus, followed by his players wearing blue training outfits. France is playing for its second World Cup title after winning at home in 1998. Croatia is looking for its first. ____ 3:55 p.m. The World Cup trophy has arrived at the Luzhniki Stadium. France and Croatia will play for soccer’s most important title on Sunday, with the winning captain the first to hoist the gold statuette over his head. According to a video posted by FIFA , the trophy was driven to the stadium and arrived packed in a hard case. ___ 3:40 p.m. The Croatian president has called on Russians to support Croatia in the World Cup final. In a video message recorded on a plane and posted to Facebook , Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic says in Russian “You are great hosts. Support Croatia today. Let’s be happy together.” Dressed in Croatian red-and-white, she then leads a chant of “Croatia, Croatia, Croatia.” Croatia’s political and football leaders have tried to smooth over relations with Russia after their team knocked the host nation out in the quarterfinals. After that game, some Russian social media users were angered when Croatia defender Domagoj Vida praised neighboring Ukraine in a video posted online. Vida has apologized for any offense, saying he meant to pay tribute to friends in Ukraine and not to comment on the political tension between Ukraine and Russia. Grabar-Kitarovic met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin and praised the country’s hosting of the World Cup. Grabar-Kitarovic says, “This championship really has been an example for everybody. You not only ensured the fans free movement, but you prevented any kind of incident prevented any kind of expressions that could be characterized as showing hatred.” ___ 3:15 p.m. The area around Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium is filling up with fans, with less than three hours before the World Cup final kicks off. Croatia fans appear to have the French outnumbered as their country plays in its first final. France is aiming to win the trophy for the second time after a 20-year wait.

Some Croatia fans have turned up wearing water-polo caps in national colors, something which became a national trend when defender Vedran Corluka wore one following a head injury at the 2016 European Championship.

There are fans from all over the world at the stadium, with the flags of China, Ecuador, Germany, Morocco and England all on display. ___ 3 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally passed the torch to Qatar for the World Cup in 2022. Ahead of the final in Moscow between France and Croatia, Putin has met at the Kremlin with Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Putin says Russia’s World Cup has been a success and “I am sure that our friend from Qatar will succeed at holding the FIFA 2022 World Cup at the same highest level.” Putin ceremonially handed a football to the emir to mark the transfer to Qatar, which will be the first Arab country to host the tournament. The emir says through a translator that the World Cup “will be a huge and great festival for all our country.” ___ 2 p.m. France or Croatia? One of those two teams will become World Cup champion later Sunday. The French, who won their only World Cup title at home in 1998, will be playing in their third final in 20 years. The Croats have the chance to win the biggest prize in soccer for the first time. The match at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow caps a month-long tournament that started with 32 teams playing in 12 stadiums around Russia. ___

By Associated Press

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