#He could do it but he'd get some early grey hairs for his troubles | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mcufan72 · 30 days

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Sugar and Cinnamon

Loki x female reader (AU) / 18+

Chapter 9

Chapter 8

Warnings: contains angst, fluff, smut, unprotected sex, alcohol and cigarette consumption, soft!dom/sub vibes, some drama, morally grey stuff. Maybe a bit of a filler chapter but necessary for the plot! I hope you enjoy.

While driving in his green Jaguar through the crowded streets of Downtown Manhattan, Loki tried to stay calm. The sunny weather didn't fit his mood. He couldn't stop thinking about last night and what had happened. He could still feel your kisses on his lips, your touches on his body, and he also couldn't forget the way you looked at him and how you made him feel. With your beguiling charm and your incredible art of seduction, you even made him submit to you. To show his submissive side was something he had never done that easily before. But when he finally decided to open up to you further and to give you not only his body but his heart too, you ran away, left him alone, leaving this letter for him. A letter full of heartache and pain, desperation and fear.

After you had this breakdown and cried in his arms, he hoped you'd open up to him as well and that you'd possibly tell him what made you feel so sad and hurt. He was wrong, maybe it was too soon and you two were not close enough to each other yet for such deep conversations. But he wanted you, he wanted you in his arms, in his heart and his life. And for that, he'd do anything so the most important thing was now to find you, no matter what. How was he supposed to not search for you when you were maybe in danger? Why didn't you ask him to help you? He would've given the money to you without hesitation, without demanding anything from you for this favour.

One day you will have forgotten me…

This sentence of yours echoed in his head. He could never forget you. Against all odds, you had grown to his heart, and he loved and craved you even more now. The blackmailing thing made him feel sick and drove him crazy. Who was doing this to you, his precious girl? He was so afraid that you could've left New York already before he got the chance to talk to you. He had so many questions.

Short time later, Loki arrived at the building where REA had its office and he left the car park with fast, long steps. He couldn't get fast enough to Rhea, not even knowing if she was already in the office because it was quite early in the morning. Loki pressed the doorbell and shortly after, the door opened and he entered the welcoming office. Light jazz and soul music and the smell of freshly brewed coffee conjured an incomparable and comfortable atmosphere. Everything in here was classy-modern and elegant but it didn't calm his nerves down. Inwardly he was scared and deeply worried but he wouldn't show it to anyone, especially not to Rhea, your boss. He was sure, according to your letter, she didn't know anything about the trouble you were in and he would never expose you to anyone.

“Good morning, Sir. How can I be of help?” Rhea greeted him kindly and offered her hand for a handshake, visibly impressed by the raven-haired, attractive man in black jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket in front of her. Who could blame her? When he took his sunglasses off and looked at her with bright blue eyes she blushed but kept her professional attitude up.

“Good morning… Rhea, I guess?” Loki responded and took her offered hand in his.

“Yes, I'm Rhea. Mr.Larsson, right?” She asked him, her smile getting brighter when she recognised that he was much more handsome than in the photo she got from him some time ago.

“Yes, I'm Luke Larsson. I'm sorry for showing up that early in the morning and without an appointment but it's urgent and I need you to help me quickly and efficiently,” he explained.

“No worries, Sir. Please take a seat on the couch and let me know what I can do for you. Fancy a coffee?”

“No, thanks Rhea, I'm fine. I want to get straight to the point. It's about Miss Black.”

“I hope nothing happened between you two. If you're not happy anymore with her as your escort we will try to solve your problem,” Rhea took a seat next to Loki, facing him and raising her eyebrows. She was sure there hadn't been a problem between you two at all. She knew how much you liked him.

“No, I can assure you nothing happened. I appreciate Miss Black as my escort and I definitely don't want to book another of your surely lovely escort ladies. It's just that I need an appointment with her today. I know it's extremely spontaneous but… it's urgent, you know.” Loki still tried to stay calm and cool. He was sure Rhea would make it possible to fulfill his urgent request for your company.

“Let me have a look at Miss Black's schedule,” Rhea said, already knowing the answer. She stood up from the sofa and walked over to her desk, sat down on the chair and opened her laptop. Loki waited eagerly for her answer, nervously and subconsciously playing at his fingers. A habit he nearly had forgotten but he hadn't been that nervous for a very long time. You had brought out his soft side again. He had almost forgotten that he had a softer side. He had been alone for too long before he met you.

“I'm sorry, Mr.Larsson but Miss Black isn't available for the next two weeks,” Rhea told him. She just hoped Loki would take it easy and would be open for an appointment with one of her other escorts.

“What do you mean by that?” Loki's heart began to race. He must've gotten Rhea wrong.

“I mean what I said, Miss Black isn't available in the foreseeable future.”

“That's impossible. I need to see her!”

“Sir, I think you didn't get me right. It is impossible. Miss Black is unavailable.” Rhea stayed kindly but strictly.

“But I need to see her! If it's impossible, make it possible! I have an important event to attend and I need Miss Black to accompany me,” he answered with great emphasis. That he had to attend an event was a lie but of course, he couldn't tell Rhea the real reason why he needed to meet you promptly.

“Mr.Larsson, please… I can arrange an appointment with another excellent escort lady from my agency and I promise you you won't be disappointed. I'm certain we'll find the perfect lady for you,” Rhea assured him.

“I'm sure about that, Rhea but that's not the point. I just want to date Miss Black! Only her! Why isn't she available for the next two weeks? Did she get ill? Is she fully booked? Is she going to meet other… gentlemen and why didn't she tell me?” He knew he began to sound desperate. “Please, Rhea, tell me!” He was actually desperate, a fact that made him feel uneasy. He had never been this desperate because of a woman.

“Mr.Larsson, you must know that I won't tell you anything about the bookings, the whereabouts, or any other private things of my escort ladies. Please just accept that she's not bookable for the next two weeks.,” Rhea told him strictly.

“And I tell you to accept that I need to see her. Only her. Today. No matter what! I… because I… I have a soft spot for her, I really like her,” Loki stated and his last words were not much more than a whisper. He should better hold back all those feelings.

“Obviously,” Rhea muttered under her breath and suppressed a grin.

“I beg your pardon?” He asked, frowning and trying to keep up the facade.

“Obviously, and I get that, Mr.Larsson. Miss Black is a wonderful and lovely woman,” Rhea confirmed.

“She is, indeed.” Loki took a deep breath before he continued. “So there's no chance to meet her?”

“No, Mr.Larsson. I'm genuinely sorry.”

“Could you please do me a favour then,” Loki said hesitantly, still hoping for Rhea's help even if it wasn't the kind of help he was looking for.

“Mr.Larsson, I'm asking you, please don't push it too far!”

“I'm not asking for any information. I'll pay Miss Black for the next two weeks,” Loki said, leaving no doubt that he was being serious.

“Mr.Larsson I'm not sure if you…” Loki jumped off the sofa and walked over to Rhea's desk.

“Listen, I don't want further information. I got it that she's not available… at least not for me. Regardless of whether she has appointments with other men or not, I pay for the next two weeks including the nights,” Loki interrupted her harshly.

“Mr.Larsson, please… it'll cost you a fortune and I'm not sure if Miss Black wants you to do this!” Rhea tried to intervene.

“I don't care about how much it costs me. I just care about her. Money doesn't matter, she matters. I ask you to cancel all of her appointments and to add my money to her bank account,” Loki stated demandingly. He couldn't know that you hadn't any appointment at all. He was used to always getting it his way so he was sure Rhea wouldn't discuss his plan with him further.

“Mr.Larsson, Miss Black isn't available and she's also not exclusively yours.” Rhea slowly got angry. At least it was none of her business but she wasn't sure if Loki was stalking you. She just wanted to guarantee your safety.

“Of course, she is! I pay for the time she would spend with me if she were bookable. I want her to meet me and me only. I won't discuss it with you any further!” Loki commanded. Just the tone of his voice was enough to command respect. His possessiveness and obsession with you got the better of him. Why didn't Rhea understand him? He just wanted to protect you and avoid you being forced to meet other men for money. How many men would you have to meet to earn that amount of money you needed for that damn blackmail? He could easily give the money to you but for some reason, you hadn't asked him for help and refused to take his money without working for it. He wanted to give it to you unconditionally and so he had no other choice than to do it this way. You would never have to meet other men again or worse, sleep with them. Men who didn't know how to treat you right, with decency and all the respect you deserved. The sheer thought of them touching you or worse, touching you intimately, drove him crazy and made him fume with anger. And besides this, you were his and his only. But he better stay calm. He wanted Rhea to cooperate with him and so he returned to a nicer tone.

“Rhea, please do me that favour. If you can't do it for me then do it for her. Please! She doesn't have to do anything about it. I won't ask for anything in return. I just want her to be safe.” Desperation overcame him again and he wished he could still hold you in his arms like he did last night. Damn, why didn't you stay and ask him for help? Why did you run away from him?

“That's pretty selfless, Mr.Larsson.”

“Call it what you want, I just care about her wellbeing. She doesn't belong… here,” and he let his gaze wander around the office and emphasized it with a sweeping motion of his arms. “She deserves a life of safety and happiness.”

“Exactly what everyone else here thinks,” Rhea muttered under her breath.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing, Mr.Larsson. I'll do what you're wishing for. But I doubt Miss Black will be fond of it.” Rhea knew it was often fishy when it came to men wanting to pay lots of money for escorts or call girls and pretend not to want anything in return. She didn't think Loki was one of them but you never knew. She also sensed that he wouldn't give up that easily and that he was very serious when it came to you. There surely was more between you two than just the ‘escort-meets-client’ thing. She could see it in his gaze.

“Fond of what? Getting the money she needs without doing anything for it? I just don't want any other guy to lust for her or touch her. She deserves better. She deserves to be treated like a queen. I might not be the right man for her but if there's something I can do for her it's that. I just want to make it easier for her.”

“It seems, our lovely Miss Black has found her Prince on the white horse, the Knight in shining armour. It's a very noble gesture, Mr.Larsson, chivalrous even.”

“I'm anything but chivalrous, Rhea, believe me. I just want her to be okay,” Loki responded humbly. “So, could you please arrange an appointment with Miss Black in two weeks, as soon as she's bookable again?” Loki was well aware that he wouldn't get any further here with Rhea.

“Of course, Mr.Larsson. No issue.” Rhea told him the next free option to meet you. At least he now had the confirmation that you were still here, somewhere in New York.

“I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help but…I'm just doing my job, Mr.Larsson.”

“It's okay, Rhea. I know and you're doing your job very well and conscientiously. I appreciate how you protect your escort ladies. Nonetheless, thank you for your time. Have a nice day, Rhea.” Loki could barely hide his disappointment. He had hoped for a different ending to this conversation. How could he have been that naive?

“Goodbye, Mr.Larsson and thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Let me know whenever I can do something for you or when you need an escort lady in the next two weeks,” Rhea said kindly. Loki nodded once, put his sunglasses on and left the office.

Back in his car, he angrily hit the steering wheel with his flat hands. “Damn it!” And tears welled up in his eyes. “Girl, where are you?” His question echoed against the windshield and stayed unanswered. Were you in actual danger? Were you scared? Were you crying? Did you miss him or had you already forgotten him? Did you care about him and how he felt after you vanished? Did you care at all? And by the way, he still wanted his scarf back. The thought made him huff and smile. And when you give it back to him he should tie you up with said scarf to his bed and fuck you properly and relentlessly until you'd promise him to never run away again. But before that, he would kiss the heck out of you and tell you how much you had scared him, how much he had missed you and how much he loves and adores you. He needed to search for you, immediately but he didn't even know where to begin. He would drive home and make a plan as to which places he should go to look for you. If you were still in New York he would find you.

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

You could barely keep your eyes open. The hour-long writing and staring at the screen of your laptop had exhausted you. Your back was achingly tensed up from sitting for hours at the table, writing your thesis. You tried to stay focused and to avoid too long breaks from studying. You were already behind schedule. The deadline would end soon and an extension of it would be impossible. Well, the day of payback and doom came closer and closer too but you pushed the thoughts of it away. You knew you couldn't do this forever, you had to face reality soon but for now, you didn't want to think about it. You'll find a solution to your problem. Soon, very soon but not now, not today.

You sighed heavily, ran your fingers through your tousled hair and buried your face in your hands. As soon as you closed your eyes, you saw him, Luke, or whatever his name was. Since you left him and his penthouse nearly a week ago you couldn't stop thinking about him. You permanently thought about his kindness, his warmth, his beauty, his tenderly demanding kisses, his skin on yours and how good he felt when he was inside of you. You missed him terribly. You didn't want to yet you did. Would he have slept with you if you hadn't asked him to do it? Possibly not. Luke was everything you ever wanted and you wished you would've met him under different circumstances.

Why couldn't you randomly have bumped into him on the streets of Manhattan? A meet-cute ending up in a café, followed by properly dating each other, would've been nice. Luke was attentive, mindful, kind, caring, affectionate, tender and incredibly erotic. The sex with him was so good and satisfying. He not only cared about his satisfaction, he cared about yours as well. Him, finger-fucking you in the limousine was the most erotic experience you've ever had so far, and not to talk about him allowing you to dominate him, later in his bedroom…and everything else afterwards. He truly saw you, he truly cared about you. He noticed and remembered everything you did, said or liked. The flowers he gave to you, the evening gown, the foot massage.

And he did all of this without even knowing you well. Luke had done everything Ralph had never done in five years. But Luke's affection, the blackmailing and your fucked up life scared you and it made you run away from him. He deserved better and not someone disgusting like you. The worst thing was you would never see Luke Larsson again. You had broken your rules, you had kissed him, a client and that was probably the most scary thing. Because breaking your rules has broken your heart… and his most likely, too. Something you didn't intend to happen, you never wanted to hurt him.

You were still denying it but you were into him. No, you were on the way to fall deeply in love with him. But you mustn't, you must forget him. He was your client and you had already gone too far with him. You were sure he would never forgive you and you hoped he had already forgotten you. You weren't any special or mattered, not at all, and certainly not to him. As much as it hurt, it was better this way.

You sighed again and tried to wipe away all those memories and visions of him. Running your fingers through your hair again, you stood up from your chair and stretched your stiff limbs. And Luke was still in your mind…and his scarf in the drawer of your dresser. You still had it. You shouldn't. You should've given it back to him already. You also shouldn't have lied to him. You didn't know how but he knew you were lying when you told him you hadn't found it on the floor of the hotel suite.

You just wanted to keep it, this little piece of silken fabric, a piece that belonged to him, a piece that gave you comfort and spread the scent of safety. His scent which you loved so much. You went straight to your dresser and took the scarf out of the drawer. You buried your nose into the silken fabric and inhaled deeply. It still smelled of him. You should better stop daydreaming and continue writing your thesis. You also should take a shower later, a cold one perhaps. You put the scarf back into the drawer, closed it and headed for the kitchen to prepare another mug of coffee. You turned some light jazz music on and continued working.

It was already 3 am when you went to bed after taking a hot shower. Cold water didn't help at all to wash him out of your system. You took Luke's scarf out of the drawer again, laid down on the bed and pulled your duvet up under your chin. You took a whiff and even though you were tired you felt arousal rise in you. You missed him and you missed his touch. Your fingers found your clit and you pleasured yourself gently but straight to a mind-numbing orgasm to get some stress relief, thinking of him.

On the other side of the Hudson, Loki laid on his bed and jerked himself fast and hard to a badly needed orgasm. He needed some relief from the pain he felt inside of him since you were gone and untraceable. His search for you in the last few days had been unsuccessful so far but you were always on his mind and tomorrow he'd continue to look for you. There were still some places he could search for you. You both didn't know that you pleasured yourselves at the same time, that you thought of each other and cried each other's names at the same time when your climaxes washed over you in the middle of the night. You were so close to each other yet so far away.

When you came down from your high you covered your eyes to keep the daylight out of your system as long as possible because the sun would rise soon. But instead of using your sleeping mask, you used Luke's scarf, covered your eyes with it and tied the two ends comfortably at the back of your head. You dropped your head in the cuddly pillow and a sigh escaped your mouth, tears brimming in your eyes.

“I miss you, Luke… and I love you,” you whispered tiredly. In the warmth of your duvet, engulfed by the quietly playing jazz music from your sound system and by the scent of his cologne, sleep finally took you.

Loki was about to fall asleep when he thought he had heard your tired voice, telling him that you missed and loved him. He knew he was just imagining it hence he hoped that you would at least come to him in his dreams.

The next morning, you were already sitting in front of your laptop again, your phone blinked and vibrated next to you on the table. You were knee-deep in writing your thesis and you weren't in the mood to answer any calls, not to talk about that you didn't have any time for it. You saw Rhea's name popping up on the display and you decided to answer the call.

“Hey, Rhea. What's up?”

“Hey, y/n. Sorry for disturbing you but… we have an issue,” Rhea explained.

“An issue? What happened?” You were curious about what she had to tell you and at the same time, you felt some anxiety arising in your gut. Did she want to sack you? That would be a catastrophe. Did Luke tell her what had happened between you two, that he was mad at you especially because of the letter you had written for him? Was it about him at all?

“It's about Mr.Larsson, dear.” Rhea sounded serious. The tight feeling in your stomach got worse.

“Mr.Larsson?”

“Yes, dear. I already waited for too long to tell you about it. Please come to the office if you can. It's urgent but I don't want to tell you about it on the phone,” she said, her tone slightly concerned.

“Okay, give me thirty minutes,” you answered, uncertain about how this meeting would end for you.

“Fine, I'll be here, waiting for you,” and you both ended the call.

“He did what? I don't understand. Who does he think he is? How DARE he? Guess I should be flattered,” you stated angrily thirty minutes later when you sat at Rhea's desk. But if you were being honest you also appreciated his concerns.

“Yeah, he doesn't want you to meet other men anymore. I suppose he cares about you, a lot.” Rhea had told you everything about her conversation with Loki and also apologized that she had waited for so long to tell you about it and that she hadn't sent you the money yet. She had been uncertain what to do with all the money Loki had already sent to her bank account to send it further to yours. She didn't want to do anything wrong and wanted to talk with you about it so she left the money untouched.

“Dear, we both know you don't belong here. You should take his offer. I'm sure he just wants to help,” Rhea tried to convince you.

“No! I won't take his money. It feels like he would buy me,” and you jumped off of the chair in front of Rhea's desk. “I know that I'm kind of a whore but… it's my decision, you know. I decide to meet a man or not. I decide which guy's money I take and how much. Does he really think if he offers the biggest amount of money he can own me and tell me what to do?” You were furious and walked up and down in the office. “I won't accept that!”

“I don't think he wants to buy or own you. I'm sure if you would tell him why and for what you need so much money he would give it to you without hesitation. That guy has feelings for you, you've grown on him and it seems…”

“Nonsense! And he knows, Rhea. I told him. No details, but he knows,” you interrupted her.

“Even better!” Rhea cheered. “And he still wants to help you! I know something is going on between you two and that something has happened. I don't want to know any details but this man is desperate and you should talk to him. He urgently wanted to meet you for a reason and I'm pretty sure you know what reason it is. Sorry, y/n but I really don't get why you are refusing his help.”

“Because I'm sure… no… I know one fine day he wants something in return. Everything in life has its price, Rhea. Life gives you nothing!” A single angry tear escaped your eye.

“I'm not sure about that, dear. Luke Larsson might be your way out of this business, out of your misery. We both know you don't belong here, desperation brought you here, to my agency, to my office. I'd be very sorry to lose you as my escort lady and I'd love to stay your friend but you should take this chance,” Rhea tried to convince you.

“No! I don't need a savior and I don't need love or care. I need money, lots of money… you have no idea,” you answered strictly.

“Then take his money, for heaven's sake! If you need the feeling of having worked for it try to imagine you'd meet him every day including the nights without actually meeting him. It's not that difficult. Your pride and stubbornness won't help you out of your bad situation, y/n.”

“Enough! End of discussion, Rhea. I can't and I won't take his money without working for it. I just can't do it. I never want to be owned by a man again, certainly not. I don't want to depend on a man’s mercy ever again. And the day will come when he demands a kind of payback, a kind of reparation. I refuse his offer, and you Rhea give him his money back. I don't want it. And also I want you to cancel my appointment with him, I don't want to meet him ever again. I leave now, I've a lot of work to do,” your tone dripping with anger and desperation. “Bye Rhea, see you next week when I'll have finished my exams,” you murmured sadly.

“Of course, dear. I'll send him his money back if this is what you want. I hope everything turns out well for you. Bye, dearest,” Rhea said and you hurriedly left the office without a further word. Rhea felt bad for you. She understood your motifs but she wished you would've accepted Luke's try to help you because it seemed this man genuinely cared about you. Of course, she accepted your wish and sent the money back with the note ‘acceptance denied’.

You wanted to laugh and to cry all at once. Why couldn't he just forget you like you had asked him for in your letter? And on the other hand, you felt wanted and cared for if it was true what Rhea had told you. Was he really desperate to find and meet you? Not that it would change anything. You had cut the wire and there was no comeback now.

You were still too upset to continue working on your thesis and so you walked aimlessly on the crowded sidewalks of the Manhattan streets. About an hour later you stood in front of the New York Public Library and immediately you thought about the conversation you had with Gabby about the Avengers and the Invasion of New York. Shortly after your last night with Luke, you couldn't resist finding out more about the incident and him.

To your astonishment, there was nothing much to find on the Internet and it seemed photos and articles from twelve years ago had been removed from the websites. Normally you wouldn't care about it but somehow you wanted to know who Luke was and what he had to do with the Avengers, the Invasion, and the avoided total destruction of New York City. You should be able to get access to old newspapers from that time and you also may find photos of him. And maybe you would find out his real name. It wouldn't change the fact that you'd never see him again but you wanted to know whom you had kissed and slept with, to whom you had given your heart.

You sat at a desk in the library, scrolling through several articles in the newspapers from twelve years ago. It took some time until you found the articles about the incident. There were short ones, side-long ones but no photo so far with all the Avengers in it. Mostly there were photos of a certain Tony Stark because his building was somehow involved in this so you scrolled further on the screen. And then, you had found it, a photo that involved all of them. In the photo, you also saw the three men you had dated: Steve Rogers, the fantastic dancer. Scott Lang, the guy who made you laugh the whole evening. Bruce Banner, with whom you had one of the best conversations and who invited you to a delicious dessert.

You scrolled further through the article and then you found it. The photo you were looking for. A photo of a handsome raven-haired man, incredibly attractive and with piercing blue eyes. The man you had dated, had sex with, and finally had kissed. You found his name written under the picture. Your friend was right. His name wasn't Luke Larsson. His name was Loki Laufeyson.

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

Loki was weary and worn. Day after day he has searched for you without any success, without any hint of where you could be. He had searched for you everywhere, he visited every place he had been with you, he looked for you in every cafe, bar, bistro, restaurant, gallery, museum, and park, he went several times to Vivian's Velvet, he even visited every bookstore or grocery store. Nothing. It seemed you had vanished from the face of the earth. Maybe it would've been easier if he would know your real name but without that, it was nearly impossible to find you.

Also, you refused to accept his money. He was disappointed and it kind of hurt him when he saw the money had been credited to his bank account again with the note ‘acceptance denied’. You neither wanted his money nor wanted to be found. But he wouldn't give up on you. Not yet and most likely never. Nonetheless today he would go to Vivian's Velvet for one last time. His very last try to find you.

Cast down, he took a seat at the bar and ordered a whisky. Today he just wanted to get drunk and he drank his whisky in one big gulp. “Another, please,” he asked the barkeeper, who placed a further whisky in front of Loki. This one he also gulped down in one swift sip. “Another!” He growled darkly and the barkeeper refilled Loki's tumbler. Why didn't the alcohol help to wash this dull ache and the sadness away? It had always worked in the past when he took a bath and had a glass of wine and never thought about his lost love interests again. Why didn't it work this time? He emptied his whisky quickly and ordered another one.

“Hello, handsome. Shouldn't you slow down a bit?” An attractive, tall, red-haired woman addressed Loki and took a seat on the bar stool next to him, temptingly crossing her long, black nylon-dressed legs. Her short black leather dress showed more of her bodily features than it covered.

“Mind your own business, my Lady. My drinks are none of your concerns,” Loki stated, annoyed without looking at her and took a sip of his next whisky. He didn't want to be rude but he wasn't in the mood for a conversation or flirting.

“Does it hurt that much? What is it you're trying to numb so desperately? Want me to distract you, pretty one? Want to play with me?” she offered him, her voice soft like velvet and her fingers trailed gently over his forearm up to his bicep. Loki immediately grabbed her hand and stopped her from touching him.

“Don't! I appreciate your tempting offer and you're a really pretty woman but I'm not interested, thank you,” Loki informed her, looking sternly at her. She withdrew her hand from his grip and smiled at him.

“I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't mean to be pushy. I just thought I could help you to forget some of your… grief.”

“That's very kind of you but nothing and nobody can help me to forget, I guess.” Loki swirled the whisky in his glass, staring absent-mindedly at the golden-brown liquid.

“That bad?” She asked cautiously.

“Yeah, it's that bad,” Loki swallowed the entire contents of his tumbler. With the emptied glass he gestured to the barkeeper to refill it and turned his head towards the woman next to him.

“Can I get you something? What would you like to drink? Champagne, a cocktail or something else?”

“Champagne would be nice,” she answered sweetly. “Is she nice?” She wanted to know.

“Who? What do you mean?” Loki asked, irritated and playing with the whisky tumbler in his hands.

“The woman you try to forget,” she responded smilingly.

“How do you know I'm trying to forget a woman,” Loki responded, looking quizzically at her.

“Because men try to drown their pain and lovesickness in lots of alcohol and mostly they're having casual sex with a Callgirl too. That's why many of them are coming here to Vivian's,” she explained knowingly.

“I'm not one of them. I came here a few times to look for her and we had our first date here. She's gorgeous. Over time we became closer to each other and then she vanished. And now I'm looking for her but without success,” Loki told her and emptied his whisky glass.

“So she's one of us?” She wanted to know.

“Kind of. She is… was my escort lady.”

“An escort? Maybe I know her… what's her name?” She asked him.

“Yeah! Yeah, maybe you do!” Hope arose in Loki again. “Her name is Sugar,” and Loki was sure she'd know promptly who he meant. But her answer crushed his hope.

“Sugar, you say?” She contemplated for a moment before she answered him. “No, I'm sorry, I've never met an escort here named Sugar.”

Loki nodded sadly and gave her a description of your appearance when he suddenly remembered a little something.

“Do you possibly know an escort lady named Candy?” He asked her excitedly. It was the last glimmer of hope.

“Candy? Yes, of course, I remember her. She's lovely but I haven't seen her for weeks now. Maybe she quit, I don't know. We were never close, you know.” Loki's hope died instantly and he took a deep breath, shaking his head in disbelief. He slowly believed the universe didn't want him to see you ever again.

“What a lucky girl she is. I wish such a great guy like you would love me like that and look for me like you are looking for her. But I'm sorry, handsome, I think I can't help you. You need to continue searching for her, I guess.” She genuinely pitied him. He was truly sad and desperate and obviously in love.

“And yet she ran away,” Loki murmured. “No worries, it's alright. I won't stop searching for her but I don't want to keep my hopes up too high, you know. But I appreciate you're trying to help me,” Loki continued but could barely hide his disappointment.

“No issue. I'm sure you'll find her. Love always finds a way. Heads up, handsome,” she said, trying to rebuild his confidence.

“I just hope you're right,” was the only thing Loki could answer.

“Thank you for the champagne, I'll leave now. And hey, don't give up on her. I'm sure she is waiting for you. You're a very decent man… coming here frustrated and love-sick and refusing a good fuck… if this isn't fidelity and love then I don't know what is. Good luck, pretty boy” she said kindly, smiled at him, hopped off the bar stool, and went away. She was looking for a man to spend a night in bed with and maybe she would fall in love with one of her clients too but she knew Loki wouldn't be the one. This place in his mind, in his heart, and in his bed was already taken.

It was in the early morning hours when Loki decided to finally go home when he saw a black limousine in the car park right in front of Vivian's Velvet. He was instantly sober. Walker casually leaned against the vehicle, a coffee from a takeaway in his hand. He had had a long night after his two-week vacation but now his shift was over and he would drive home soon. Loki and Walker never crossed their paths in the last few days or nights but it seemed it was meant to be that Loki was meeting him now. Not Vivian's was his last hope, Walker was and Loki was well aware that only Walker could help him to find you. It wouldn't be easy to break his secrecy. But he wanted to give it a try. If this wouldn't work, nothing would.

“Good morning, Walker. Hope you're fine. Do you remember me?” Loki greeted him.

“Good morning, Mr.Larsson. Of course, I remember you, Sir. I hope you're doing well, too,” Walker replied, unsure what Loki might want from him.

“Haven't seen you for a while,” Loki continued. Walker took a sip of his coffee and stared emotionlessly at Loki over the rim of his mug. Walker was cautious with every suitor of the escort ladies he was responsible for.

“I don't want to beat around the bush. I need your help, Walker and it's urgent,” Loki told him, with sadness in his voice. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his chinos and waited for Walker's reaction.

“What kind of help, Sir?” Walker grumbled, raising his eyebrows. He didn't trust a suitor, least of all the pretty ones.

“Sugar. I need to find her and it's urgent. I have looked everywhere for her, days and nights for the nearly last two weeks and I can't find her. Please, Walker, I need you to help me,” Loki asked him desperately.

“What makes you think I could help you, Mr.Larsson?” Walker questioned him dismissively.

“You know where she lives, you always drive her home after her dates. Walker, please bring me to her, I really need to talk to her. I need to see her,” Loki responded firmly, gesticulating with his hands to emphasize his request. Walker's answer was a deep, wholehearted laughter.

“And why should I do that, Sir? Do you really think I'd drive suitors to the escorts’ homes? I'm sorry, Mr.Larsson but this is really ridiculous.”

Loki rolled his eyes annoyed and bit lightly into his lower lip, placing his hands on his hips.

“I genuinely appreciate your discretion Walker and I'm glad that you take your job that seriously but you quite don't understand the urgency of this matter…I. Need. To. See. Sugar. Please!”

“No! I won't bring you to her home. I'll protect the ladies and nothing will change that. Not even a filthy rich guy like you!” Walker grumbled darkly. He would protect the escorts at all costs, especially you because he had a soft spot for you.

Loki walked towards him until their noses were almost touching. They gave each other a death stare and if looks could kill both would die instantly.

“Bring me to her,” Loki demanded insistently.

“No!”

“You'll bring me to her, Walker! Don't make me force you!” Loki's anger was growing fast but it was the anger of a man who was desperate to find his beloved girl.

“No!” Walker didn't give in. He couldn't know that he would lose any kind of fight against Loki but he would defend your privacy until his very end.

“Damn Walker, she's in danger, she needs help, urgently! So get up your ass and bring me to her!” Loki was upset but of course, he didn't want to hurt Walker physically, it wouldn't help anyone. But something in Walker cracked. He frowned and Loki took one step backwards.

“In danger? Why should I believe you?” Walker asked curiously. He was genuinely concerned now.

“Because it's the truth and you need to trust me.”

“I never trust a suitor. Sugar always spoke highly of you but it's my golden rule to never trust the men who book an escort lady.” Walker explained vehemently.

“She spoke to you about me?” Loki wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad sign.

“She just answered my concerned questions, nothing more but she was always fond of you. So, tell me, why should I believe or trust you? Maybe you're just telling fuckin’ lies to get to her.”

“In the last night we spent together we came very close to each other, not only physically but emotionally too. She stayed for a reason the whole night, you should remember that night and you got well paid for it that you waited until the next morning for her.” Walker remembered that night very well because it was something that didn't happen very often.

“She left without a word when I was still sleeping and the only thing she left for me was a letter, in which she told me mostly everything about her,” Loki continued.”She's in danger, Walker. Someone is blackmailing her. She needs my help. Please, Walker, we're on the same side, we both love her, each his own way, and we both want to protect her. Walker, I'm begging you, bring me to her!” Why the hell was this man so stubborn?

“Do you have any witness of what you're telling me?” Walker was still wary towards Loki but his concerns for you grew. What if he told the truth?

Loki pulled your letter out of the inner pocket of his jacket, unfolded it and showed it to Walker. He didn't give it to him because its contents were too private and just meant for him and it was the only thing he had from you besides the thong he had stolen from you when he pleasured you on the backseat of the limousine which stood right in front of him now. He carried your letter always with him like a treasure. He just wanted Walker to see it and prove to him that he wasn't lying.

“She wrote it in this letter. I told you the truth. Please help me, Walker.” Loki begged him quietly, tears brimming in his eyes. Walker frowned and rounded the limousine.

“Get into the car, Mr.Larsson. I'll take you to her!” That was what Loki wanted to hear.

“Thank you, Walker. I owe you.” A big smile appeared on Loki's face. He put your letter back into his pocket again and he quickly jumped into the car.

The sun was shining brightly this morning. Not only in the sky but also in Loki's heart. He put his sunglasses on and not much later, Walker parked the limousine in front of the building you were living in.

🌹🥂🌃🌹🥃🌃🌹❤️‍🩹🌃🌹🥃🌃🌹🥂🌃

@lokisprettygirl @faesimps @gruftiela @anukulee @fandxmslxt69 @foxherder @depressedpolishgirl @buttercupcookies-blog @chantsdemarins @fictive-sl0th @justjoanne242 @km-ffluv @stupidthoughtsinwriting @lovingchoices14 @wheredafandomat @lokixryss @huntress-artemiss @smolvenger

#loki #loki x female reader #loki x reader #loki x reader fluff #loki x reader fic #loki x reader angst #loki x reader smut #loki x you #loki laufeyson #loki x female reader angst #loki x female reader smut #loki x female reader fluff #loki x fem!reader #loki x female reader au #Spotify

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invisibleraven · 8 months

Note

"You're family." for RAY AND ANY OF THE PHANTOMS because you said I could so I will

Ray groaned as his alarm went off, glaring at it with bleary eyes. Even more so when he saw the date. It's not like he used to mind his birthday-he loved all the gifts the kids made him, treasured every popsicle stick picture frame, lumpy vase, and burned pancake.

And it wasn't like he feared getting older-hell, he'd been going grey since his thirties. Rose had always teased him about being a silver fox-but luckily she was into that.

He supposed it was the Rose of it all that he hated. This wasn't his first birthday without her, not in the slightest. But whenever he pictured turning fifty, he pictured Rose right next to him. Maybe with a few streaks of silver in her curly hair, laugh lines prominent as she sang to him and gave him her traditional gift of a new watch, given his tendency to lose or break his.

He's amazed he's managed to hang onto the last one she gave him for so long. Sure he's had to have it fixed more than once, probably spending more on repairs than the watch itself cost, but he couldn't let it go.

Ray took his time getting out of bed, even debated staying there for the day. But Julie and her band were visiting on a rare break from touring. They had come home specifically to help him celebrate, so he needed to at least put on a smile and try for them. Plus this would be his last birthday before Carlos went off to college, and who knew if he'd come home for future ones, so Ray sucked it up and left his room.

The kitchen was bustling already, but with a house full of kids in their early twenties, that was hardly surprising. Sure they usually slept in, but they were also likely to wake with the sun; Julie, Reggie, and Alex going on a run while Willie did yoga and Luke did some free weights.

"Papi!" Julie exclaimed, "what are you doing up?"

"My alarm went off, figured it was time," Ray replied with a shrug.

"Don't you make your own schedule? What's the point of a schedule?" Willie asked.

"Stuck in my ways I guess," Ray replied. "Plus I had to get Carlos up every day to go to work or school. Goodness knows if he'll ever get out of bed when he's off to college."

"Hey!" Carlos shouted from his spot on the couch, the sound of his video game beeping and bopping in the background. "I resemble that remark!"

"I'm sure the little man will do what we all did; set a million alarms," Reggie said with a grin, hip checking Alex as the drummer poured coffee into mugs.

"We wanted to bring you breakfast in bed," Luke said, looking sheepish as he took toast from the toaster, placing triangles on each plate, with Willie coming behind him to butter them as needed.

"You guys don't have to go to all that trouble," Ray said, though he was touched. He hadn't had breakfast in bed since long before Rose passed, after the kids got too big to squeeze into the bed with them. "Plus I'd rather eat down here with you guys."

Breakfast was lovely, but simple, though Ray was fine with that. Reggie and Julie were decent cooks, Alex moderate, but the other two boys were not to be trusted with more than toast, so Ray should thank whatever forces were watching out for him that he wasn't eating Luke's eggs right now.

But what really surprised him was the small packages that took the place of his dishes once they were all done eating.

"What's all this?"

"It's your birthday," Julie supplied. "We had to get you presents."

"You and Carlos sure, but the guys..."

"No arguments," Reggie said. "Birthdays mean presents."

"You're family," Willie added. "I always get family presents for their birthdays."

Ray sniffled at that. He knew none of the guys had great family lives, and had more than once come to him for fatherly advice or a dad hug. He just didn't realize they saw it the same way though.

"Well you're all family too," Ray said, swiping the tears from his eyes. "Molinas one and all."

"I always wanted to be a Molina," Reggie said, though his eyes were on Julie who nuzzled their noses together.

"One day cariño." She kissed him sweetly, and Ray watched with surprise, his eyes flying to Luke, who was smiling at the couple with sincerity. Well then, he would have to grab Julie for an explanation for all of that.

Ray coughed and bit back a grin when Julie and Reggie jumped apart, blushing a little. "Well, let's do presents!"

The gifts were sweet, and lovely. A nice new wallet embossed with his name from Alex and Willie, filled with gift cards for some of his favourite spots. A few vintage records from Luke, all bands the two of them had bonded over, and ones he was missing from his collection. A cookbook from Carlos, with a bookmark for the page for spaghetti, something that caused everyone to laugh.

Reggie was almost shy as he gave Ray his gift. "It's nothing special..."

"I'm sure no matter how fancy it is, I'll love it, because it's from you mijo," Ray assured him. And he did, as inside was a picture in a simple silver frame; a shot of last Christmas, the band and the family all sitting around the tree in their matching jammies, paper strewn on the ground, mugs of cocoa in hands, and smiles all around. A true family portrait.

"I was right, I love it," Ray said, his voice faltering due to the emotion he was feeling. Pulling a blushing Reggie in for a hug, and not letting go for an extra beat, knowing how much they both needed it.

"My turn," Julie said, sliding a small box over to him. "This... mami gave me this to give to you. I hope you like it."

Ray knew what it was before he even ripped the paper. The box gave it away, and with trembling hands, he opened it, seeing the watch sitting there. Picking it up, he marvelled at the old fashioned design, the leather strap, and on the back, he let out a small sob at the words engraved there.

Here's to the next 50 mi amor, Te Amo Rose

Ray very gently took off the watch he had worn for the past seven years, and slid on the new, unable to stop crying as it settled over his wrist. Smiling weakly at Julie for giving him the thing he most wanted today, even if he wished Rose was here to give it.

But she was, he realized. She was here in Julie and Carlos, living on through them. She was there in the boys, her music helping them launch their careers. She was here in him, her unending love the force that kept him going, and allowing him to open his home, and his heart to so many.

"Thank you all," Ray said, his voice rough and shaky. "This has been the best birthday I could have asked for."

"Well don't say that, we haven't even had cake!" Willie joked, but Ray could see they were all in states of tears.

"Maybe let's keep that for after dinner," Ray replied. "For now...how about a family hug and then you guys can get started on the dishes while I read the paper?"

They all groaned, but none of them hesitated to embrace him, and Ray had never been so glad to have gotten out of bed.

#filled prompts #ficlet #ray molina: best tv dad #julie and the phantoms

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augment-techs · 1 year

Note

Playlist 100: Dr. K

Early look at this for the birthday girl~ @skyland2703

youtube

Eighty-seven pounds.

Eighty-seven pounds and still alive at over six feet tall and without the aid of sunlight for over two years in captivity made up of repetitive torture and only speaking with someone whose skills at being a human were wildly hindered by isolation and total bodily confinement.

And still he'd managed to coax three fellow prisoners out of their cells, half-carrying one and holding the other's metal-bound hand like a pre-school teacher leading a five year old into class for the first time while the other followed at an agonizing lope from the hardware in his back giving him trouble.

"Life finds a way," was what Dr. Sterling had said to K after their examination of the prisoner on the moon that the other sentries had undone the locks of the entire prison for before the rescue attempts by the other Rangers took place. The one that greeted the Ranger Slayer with a friendly, "Hi, Kim," once Terra Venture found itself cut off from the Grid and the sentries (former?) that had been protectively circling him and the other wounded finally let up and let Grace and the others with some form of medical understanding take them to the medical bay. The Tommy Oliver that seemed much older and wiser (probably, if the Red Ranger McKnight who kept calling him Dr. O was anything to go by) than the one that had gone off the rails in an effort to bend reality to his will was actually rather helpful in walking Dr. K through the process of ignoring the impressions and reactions of everyone that saw them on the way to the medical bay; reinforcing that some things could wait and some things couldn't. The spy-turned-prisoner-turned-rescue that the Ranger Slayer and a dozen other people were worried about, with his fractured shoulder from half-carrying Dr. Oliver with his emaciated form that shouldn't have even been able to walk, could not wait after passing out. The Jason Scott in the metal bindings that was having an onset of PTSD at the sight of sentries--even ones that weren't making to advance on him and mostly remained in a corner like feral animals--could not wait. He had to be subdued by half a dozen Rangers without their suits and sedated, but they were doing their best to get the gear off of him and then deciding whether or not it was worth the chance of setting him into a panic with hand restraints in a medical bed. The eldest version of Tommy Oliver seen by the crew so far, with facial hair, and grey, and metal works bound to his spine from an injury the others could only guess at, could not wait as he kept grinding his teeth at the little shocks and tweaks from the hardware that Drakkon had personally tampered with just to be a bastard. Terona was good enough to offer a shoulder and a smile, but not much else as Andrea had to open up the whole thing just to attempt to mitigate the damage. The worried doctor with slightly cracked glasses and a considerable number of bruises and contusions and possible head trauma-- "This really can wait until after we've got the results in on Jason and Skull." Dr. K huffed and, without counting down or giving the slightest bit of warning, gave the signal for the Astro Ranger T.J. to pop Dr. Oliver's shoulder back into place as Conner and Dr. K held the man still. Neither of them letting go when he cursed and went limp, teeth biting into his already bleeding bottom lip. "Just like the other Ranger series. Even with old age, so impatient," Dr. K grumbled, Conner giving her a dirty look and smoothing hands along his mentor's back to ease some of the tension out of his shoulders. Dr. O gave his Red a side hug at the sight of tears trying to make themselves known, despite his blinking them back. "He's not that old," Conner defended, leaning into that hug most appreciated as the doctor that couldn't be older than himself rolled her eyes and made her way back over to the small cluster of Sentries. All of them had been a little miffed at being asked to remove their armor, but had consented when informed that it was the only way they would be allowed to stay in the medical wing with their captain. Without the reds and yellows and blacks of stolen Grid Energy, without the weapons and without any idea of their fate, they looked much like the other Rangers out on deck, tensed up and worried and knowingly afraid. It was strange that a lot of them bore reflections of some of the Rangers they were cut off from, as well as faces that looked in to check on the wounded and got spooked by seeing their alters with different life experience. The Blue Astro Ranger especially kept sneaking a look over at the Red Sentry that shared his face, but could not be more different, had made it perfectly clear that he and the Yellow Sentry Aisha were in charge of their little group of outcasts, and that he had never heard of the Space or Turbo Rangers. Not Dr. K's problem for the moment, but it was interesting.

#ask fill #prompt fill #boom! comics power rangers #playlist #Shattered Grid #beyond the grid #Dr K #Ziggy Grover #Bridge Carson #Dr O | Tommy Oliver #World of the Coinless Jason Scott #Red Sentry Eugene Skull Skullovitch #power ranges in space #power rangers RPM

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justice4harwin · 3 years

Text

Light’s Corruption- Chapter V

Pairing: The DarklingxAlina

Summary:With few friends at the Little Palace, Alina must work to win the favour of her fellow grisha and their commander, who makes her feel light headed every time she sees him.

After training in Os Alta for two years, the king grows tired of waiting and demands the Sun Summoner joins a western post near the Fjerdan border along with the rest of The Second Army to test her abilities.

Something happens. Suddenly, Alina wants blood to run down the rivers and those who stand in her and The Darkling’s way will be blinded by her light and swallowed by his shadows.

It won’t be pretty

Rating: 18+

Click here for chapter 4

As usual, tags are in the comments. If you dont wanna be tagged, dont be afraid to let me know. If you wanna be tagged, let me know too. I dont bite...anymore lmao

Chapter 5: Heartrenders

Days went by, and they turned into weeks. The leaves fell off the trees, a crunchy sea of red, orange, yellow and brown, and Alina wanted to pile them all on and throw herself inside.

She'd do it the first chance she got, but for that she had to beat the gardeners before they took the piles and burnt them to depressing ashes.

She talked to Michail some more during they rounds around the lake and had her rematch with Natasha.

She lost. Again. She laughed it off. Again. Natasha said she hadn't been so easy to defeat that second time, to which Alina smiled almost genuinely. Progress.

Baghra refused to see her still, and Alina was too proud to go back to her, so she tried to practice on her own. She'd hide away on the far sides of the gardens where the other grisha rarely went to and try to gain more control. It was a slow process; the temptation to let her power run free and vast was always there and trying to tame that always left her exhausted. She had no trouble falling asleep, yet each day the bags underneath her eyes seemed to deepen, as did her appetite. Alina was pretty sure that summoning should be for the better, but more than once, she had thoroughly considered laying down on the cold grass and take a nap there instead of walking all the way back to the Little Palace.

The General wasn't back yet, and much to Alina's confusion, frustration and shame, she worried. Maybe that too had something to do with the bags underneath her eyes. She tended to dream of him in all kinds of scenarios, each less pleasant than the last. It made her wake up sweaty and choking for air.

More than once, she almost wrote to him, only if just to make sure he was alright. But he had to be. Otherwise, word would've spread quickly…right?

She always talked herself out of it though. His presence was missed, her mind was making up all kind of tricks to make her reach out to him like a pathetic girl begging for attention.

The thought reminded her of Baghra's opinion of her, which only strengthened her resolve to not write to him.

She had had enough of begging, enough of getting scrapes of affection from a man who hadn't even bother to write once; she wouldn't do it again, no matter how much her heart tried to pull her to him.

But then her eyes would drift back to the black, shadow rose that laid on her nightstand, the little bit of gold on its inside long dead, and her heart would race and some form of reassurance would fall gently over her, like a blanket shielding her body.

She'd reach out and take it in her hands. It had no thorns. Her fingers would run through its petals, as soft as those of a real rose, but with something deeper in there. There was something more alive inside that rose than in any flower in all of Ravka; it was deep, powerful, and dark. It scared and alluded to her in the same measure, and she'd stare at it fascinated for an unfathomable long time.

She wondered if The Darkling could feel her caressing his shadows; and how he'd feel about it.

Besides Michail and Natasha, Alina didn’t seem to be progressing very much. They exchanged niceties and some jokes, even paired up during training, but there was not much more to it.

She told herself to be patient. These things took time.

One early afternoon, Genya showed up on her room unannounced. Alina hurried to hide her rose inside her nightstand; she wasn't sure why, but she wanted it to be her little secret.

"The Queen just left Os Alta." the redhead smiled. "As did the king. They'll be gone for two days on a hunting trip."

"A hunting trip?"

"Yes, where they kill animals for the fun of it. Like one of those brutish size competitions men seem to like so much."

Alina snorted.

"So?"

"So…"there was a gleam to her friend's eyes, and the summoner leaned back and frowned slightly, almost scared. "I could sneak you into the Grand Palace and into Her Royal Bitch's wardrobe."

"We'll get in trouble, Gen."

"Oh, please; have some faith in me." she placed her elbows on the desk and her chin atop of her hands, almost looking angelic. "Do you really think I'd get you in trouble?"

"Yes."

"Well, then you're wrong." she straightened up and tugged on Alina's arm. "C'mon; there's so many gowns and habits: she rarely wears them twice. We're not stealing; no one will know."

"How many gowns?" she asked, genuinely curious. She had seen the queen on two official occasions, the first time when she arrived from the camps near Kribirsk, and the second when she was invited to her ridiculous tea parade. Still, she had seen her in passing a few times as she strolled the grounds. A part of Alina felt ashamed of the jealousy she felt upon seeing her beautiful clothes and jewels.

There she was, living in a palace, wearing a kefta and being pampered, yet she dared to want more.

"Hundreds!" the Tailor whispered excitedly. "And they'll look much better on us anyway."

She gave in a little to temptation. They would just try them on and leave them again. No one would know, and maybe she'd be satisfied then.

"Alright, alright. But we better not get caught."

"Don't worry, we won't."

They left the bedroom and ran down the stairs, Genya holding onto the blue sleeve of her friend as she rambled about all the different fabrics and patterns and accessories while Alina tried to keep up with her, listening to every word while watching her step. The last thing she needed was to trip down the stairs.

That'd be a sad way to go for her.

"You'll love it. I promise!" Genya turned to give her a smile, but Alina's eyes drifted to the looming figure appearing in her line of vision.

The Darkling walked into the Little Palace accompanied by Ivan, Fedyor and a third heartrender.

It was a woman, a little bit older than Alina probably, but only for a few years. She was tall, with long, brown hair cascading down her back. Her kefta, which hugged her rounded figure nicely, gave her away as a fellow heartrender.

The Darkling noticed them approaching. Alina tried to search something in his eyes, anything that gave away any sort of emotion that could cause in him to see her again, but she saw nothing but his usual coolness.

The Summoner and the Tailor came to a stop and bowed.

"Moi Soverennyi." they bowed respectfully.

"Miss Starkov, Miss Safin; it has been some time." he looked from one to the other. "May I inquire as to your present activities?"

"Nothing we're not supposed to do." Alina spat out, earning herself a dainty elbow to the ribs.

General Kirigan rose an eyebrow.

"I see. See to it that it stays that way."

"Of course, sir." spoke Genya, serious all of a sudden.

The man turned and contemplated the strange woman for a moment, then gestured at Alina with a gloved hand.

"This is Alina Starkov, our Sun Summoner." he looked at her, those pools of grey catching her breath. "Miss Starkov, may I introduce you to Nina Zenik. She is one of my best agents and has just recently returned from an assignment in Shu Han."

The woman's green eyes settled on Alina, taking her in. Something glittered in there.

"So, she is real after all."

"Would I lie to you?" was The Darkling's reply.

"You forgot to mention how pretty she is." Nina ignored him, taking a long, stealth step towards her and catching a tendril of Alina's dark hair in her fingers.

"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you." The Sun Summoner managed to say, nervous under the woman scrutiny.

"Oh, a pleasure indeed, sun bean." Nina smiled, amusement shining in her eyes as Alina's face heated up. "I can't wait to make your acquaintance."

Before Alina could even think of an answer -for the woman's pretty eyes were too distracting- The Darkling cleared his throat.

"Not for some time, I am afraid." he said. Alina finally turned her gaze to him. There was something dark and intense in the way he was staring at Nina's back, his jaw tense. "Miss Starkov has quite the busy schedule."

Alina felt Genya tensing beside her. Nina's eyes slid momentarily, as if she could see The Darkling behind her, and nodded, winking at her before receding.

"Certainly. I can only imagine." she turned a charming smile on him. "Should we discuss my mission in private?"

"Of course." he answered almost, almost too quickly. He made a gesture for her to go in first.

"See you around, sun bean."

Alina choked on her own saliva as she struggled to say her farewell.

Ivan left with them without even glancing in their direction; Fedyor was kind enough to give them each a courteous smile.

Genya was giggling like an idiot.

"Shut up."

Now she was laughing.

During their training one day, Alina decided to pair up with her. Many grisha gave her a myriad of odd looks, and for a moment, Alina feared she might be about to face another Zoya.

Nina seemed to not to notice them and beckoned her forward.

People seemed to like Nina, Alina observed. The woman had charm and wit; the Sun Summoner really had to try to not get jealous of those traits. She reminded herself that Nina had been at the Little Palace for years, not one season and a half.

They circled each other, taking their measures.

Alina didn't want to be the one to strike first. That always had seemed to go wrong thus far, so she waited.

The heartrender went to the left, so Alina turned, only to be tricked as she received a blow on her right. She winced and stood back, more alert. She didn't want to make a ridicule again.

"You're small and skinny." the heartrender whispered. Alina arched an eyebrow. "I'm bigger and stronger, so your best option is to tire me out."

"I'm not exactly the fastest person."

Nina threw a punch and, luckily, Alina blocked it successfully.

She shook her head.

"Speed and resistance don't need to go hand in hand."

Alina didn't dare to look around to see if anyone else could hear them. She hoped not. Botkin would most certainly disapprove of his students giving each other advice on how to defeat them.

So, with Nina's words in mind, Alina did her best to block and recede. She tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to punch and kick, and received a wince and an "ouch" as Nina rubbed her calf.

The Summoner could feel everyone still watching, Marie and Nadia cheering her on; Sergei and Michail more reserved since she was fighting a fellow red sporter.

Then, Alina caught a glimpse. It was a second, and before she even knew it, she was taking a chance.

Nina was placing her foot down, twisting it as if to test it, and the next she was laying on her back, Alina having all but hurled herself at the woman, grabbing her middle section with all her strength and pushing.

They landed on the ground, and in the disbelief, the Summoner almost forgot to fully immobilize her opponent the way Botkin had taught her.

"You know," Nina gasped, the breath having abandoned her lungs. "There's better ways to get on top of me, sun bean, but if you like it rough-"

Alina blushed in embarrassment, both for having potentially hurt her and for the path those words were leading to.

"Are you alright?" she interrupted hurriedly. "Did I hurt you?"

Nina tried to laugh and cried instead.

"Shit, sun bean. You do have some strength in that tiny body after all."

"Alright!" Botkin clapped his hands twice, coming over toward them. "The little girl wins again, …finally."

Alina was almost offended. At least Marie and Nadia were cheering, as were some others Etherealki. She noticed Sergei and Michail exchanging some coins and scowled.

"Healer." she called, and one hurried to Nina's side.

"It's just a broken rib." the woman said, setting herself to work.

Nina raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm impressed, sun bean. I didn't actually think you'd win."

Alina found a new hiding spot where to practice her summoning. It was a most secluded corner, surrounded by old trees, an unkept stone bench and a dirty sculpture of a woman.

She really wanted to be offended.

With eyes wide, she forgot all about her practice, raced and jumped in, laughing childishly to herself.

She looked up and took in the warmth of the sun with pleasure, her face basking in it as her hands ran through leaves and sticks. It was actually a little uncomfortable, but fun.

She almost wished she could sink in and stay there forever, with the sun warming her body and the crunchy leaves all around her.

There was a big pile of leaves.

"Did you fall?"

A shadow took the light from her face, and she found The Darkling standing over her, looking down with something akin to curiosity.

"No. I just jumped."

"Into a pile of dirt?"

"It's not dirt. Besides, it's fun!" she extended a hand. "Wanna try?"

He huffed. Her cheeks heated up. She should've known better.

He took her hand and pulled her up, the mere contact making everything about him feel more intense as usual.

She held onto him.

"How did you find me?"

"You are my Sun Summoner; did you really think I would let you wander about the palace grounds unguarded?"

"Do you have me followed?" she had never noticed.

"For your safety."

"I thought this was the safest place in all of Ravka."

"I am not taking any chances with you, Alina." he replied, eyes guarded, face soft.

"Well, I've never noticed them."

"It means they are doing a good job. I would not want you to live scared, looking over your shoulder all the time."

"I might as well start now that I know."

He opened his mouth and then closed it, thumb rubbing the back of her hand. Alina wondered if he noticed what he was doing.

"You are right." he stepped closer, pulling a leaf off her hair. "But you need not fear, especially while I am on the palace grounds."

"Because not even the dumbest drüskelle would dare to cross paths with you?"

"Nor would the boldest noble."

Alina frowned. The nobles of Os Alta?

She nodded slowly.

"I have scared you." he stated, studying her face. "I apologize."

"No, no." she let go of his hand. "You just made me wearier."

"That is just how life at court is." he offered, not unkindly. "This is not just an army sometimes, especially for you and I."

Alina looked at him, questioning.

"There is no one else like us, Alina." he said, approaching her once more. The calmness, the facts were gone, replaced by a fire she wanted to step into. The vehemence in his voice made her shiver and want to take refuge in his cloak. "There never will be."

She thought about it. What exactly did he mean by that?

He reached out again and plucked another leaf from her hair, then took her face in his hands. She tilted her head up, desperate for a look into those eyes.

Her heart drummed on her ribcage, wanting to break free.

"I-" words failed her as he studied her face, like she was something unique he wanted to memorize.

His thumb ran over her lips, and she exhaled heavily at the feel.

"I forgot what I came here to tell you." he whispered in confidence, his eyes on her parted lips.

"I don't care."

One of his hands left her face and wrapped around her waist, pressing her against his hard chest. Alina almost gasped, hands coming up to rest on his shoulders. He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, hiding the conflict she had briefly witnessed there.

Alina made a choice.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

He reciprocated immediately, holding her tighter and pushing his tongue inside her mouth, demanding a dominance she was more than willing to give him.

She had been kissed, but never like this. It was a first kiss that felt like the last; its intensity so beautifully crushing and chaotic. It was like he was a missing part of her, long searched for and finally found. It was like she was the most precious, addictive treasure, something to be cherished and corrupted at the same time.

Alina was willing to let him do as he wanted with her.

Her hands pulled at his hair, earning a growl. Their eyes met briefly, the desire in them fighting to see whose was grander, before kissing again.

It was like he wanted to pull her closer still, the barrier of clothes too much. Something told Alina that the lack of them wouldn't satisfy either of them anyways.

He kissed her jaw, travelling his way up to her earlobe.

"You make me weak." he whispered harshly, only to proceed to ravish the parts of her neck that were exposed.

"You make me strong." she answered, craning her neck to give him better access.

Growling, he gave her ass a hard squeeze and pushed her back against a tree. She could feel the tug and crunches of the leaves as he buried his hands in her hair but didn't care.

She wanted more.

And more.

She drew his lips back to hers. He reached for the belt which held her kefta closed.

"Sir!"

The next thing Alina knew was that she was standing against a tree, her back aching and her body cold, yet her face hot.

She looked at The Darkling, who seemed almost unperturbed as he smoothly fixed his hair and clothes, standing at a respectable distance from her.

Ivan appeared, seeming to be in a hurry.

Alina narrowed her eyes at him. As if she didn't dislike him enough already, the little shit.

"Moi Soverennyi, you are needed in the king's counsel immediately."

"Tell that grump I shall be there shortly."

Ivan bowed and left, not even acknowledging Alina's presence.

The Darkling cleared his throat. She turned her dark gaze on him, cheeks burning against the cold air, lips probably bruised.

What had just happened?

She wasn't sure, but she wanted to do it again. The Darkling, on the other hand, remained stoic as he stared into her eyes, as if nothing had occurred between them.

"I understand that you have been training on your own;" he said, as if he were talking to any other grisha, ever polite and smooth, voice reassuring yet commanding." I shall speak to Baghra so you may return to your lessons."

"But I don't wann-"

With him gone, the early winter sun felt cold.

"Miss Starkov." he bowed to her respectfully and marched away, disappearing from view within seconds.

Click here for chapter 6

#shadow and bone fanfic #shadow and bone #Alina starkov #the darkling #aleksander morozova #darkling x alina #alina x aleksander #alina x darkling #genya safin #nina zenik #fedyor kaminsky #fanfic

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lovelystarlings · 3 years

Text

Chapter Six - What’s A Remembrall?

——————————————————————————

That Thursday they all sat in the Great Hall, the tables stacked with all the breakfasts Camille could ever imagine, though just stuck to a small bowl of cereal, breakfast had never been her favourite meal. Owls came swooping in from all angles, some delivering food, some letters, some just parcels. Camille wasn't too surprised when she got nothing from her family, they had probably forgot they even had another daughter now that she was in another country.

A barn owl brought Neville a small package from his grandmother. He opened it excitedly and showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, which seemed to be full of white smoke.

"It's a Remembrall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red -- oh..." His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet.

"You've forgotten something..." Hermione said flatly.

Neville was trying to remember what he'd forgotten when Draco Malfoy, who was passing the Gryffindor table, snatched the Remembrall out of his hand. Camille went to get out of her seat, wanting to defend the young boy who seemed so fragile and unable to protect himself when Hermione reached and grab her hand, pulling her back down to her seat.

"Calm down, Cami." She spoke, the nickname slipping out without notice. "Leave it be, we don't want to get in trouble in the first week."

Taking a sip of the cup of tea that Hermione had slipped in front of her, Camille looked over her schedule, relieved that her and Hermione had the exact same lessons. "Look," she pointed out. "We have flying lessons today!" The girl let out an excited squeal, not seeing the frown on Hermione's face. She had always loved flying; her father had taught her and Fleur when they were young, Mr Delacour himself being quite the flyer. Flying was the one thing Camille could beat Fleur at.

It seemed however that Camille was one of the only excited ones.

Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life because his grandmother had never let him near one. Though Camille felt his grandmother probably had good reason, because Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.

Hermione was just as nervous about flying lessons as Neville was about anything. This was something you couldn't learn by heart out of a book - not that she hadn't tried. Just a few minutes she had been boring them all stupid with flying tips she'd gotten out of a library book called Quidditch Through the Ages. Neville hanging on to her every word.

At three-thirty that afternoon, Camille, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. It was a clear, breezy day, and the grass rippled under their feet as they marched down the sloping lawns toward a smooth, flat lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the forbidden forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance. Camille was practically buzzing with excitement as she spotted the brooms laying on the grass. She wondered if Hogwarts was as beautiful from the air as it was from the ground.

A few meters away from the bundle of students stood their teacher, Madam Hooch. She was an intimidating woman, alike Professor McGonagall, with spikey grey hair and piercing yellow eyes.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

Camille and Hermione had stood at the end, both hoping to stay out of the scary Professor's way. Looking down at her broom Camille smiled, it seemed to shine like it was brand new, and there was no stick poking out or splinted wood.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," called Madam Hooch at the front, "and say 'Up!'"

Everyone shouted, "Up!".

Camille's broomstick shot up into her hand immediately, the smooth wood feeling familiar in the palm of her hand, like the greeting of an old friend. Hermione's however had just rolled over on the ground, her voice shaky as she repeated the word 'up' over and over again, frustration building up in her voice. Eventually, the broom flew slowly into the girl's grasp, a smile glowing brightly on her previously disappointed face. Like the sun on an early winter's morning, Camille thought to herself.

After waking down the middle of the two rows of students, giving an approving nod to Harry, Draco, Camille, and countless other students whose brooms had obeyed their command straight away.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch after teaching to bundle of students how to properly mount a broom, gaining giggles from the Gryffindor students when she told Malfoy he had been doing it wrong his whole life.

"Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three - two -" The women spoke sternly and clearly, her eyes focused on the sky above, almost checking for danger in a way; disregarding a certain Longbottom who had pushed off a second too early. A second that had almost costed his life.

"Madam Hooch!" Camille yelled loudly, pointing at the poor boy who was now dangling on his broom dangerously. The woman turned furiously, eyes raging at the boy in the air.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle -- twelve feet -- twenty feet. Camille's heart rate sped up with every rise of the broom. A thud and a nasty crack was heard and Neville lay face down on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher, and started to drift lazily toward the forbidden forest and out of sight. Rushing to the boy in a flash, Camille bend down to his height and placed her hand on his arm, "By Merlin, Neville, what were you thinking?"

"Broken wrist," Camille heard the Professor mutter from her place beside her. Gracefully pushing herself off the ground, Camille grabbed the boy's forearm, Madame Hooch grabbing his shoulder as they lead him to the rest of the class. "Come on, boy -- it's all right, up you get."

She turned to the rest of the class, Camille staying beside poor Neville, figuring he could use some comfort.

"None of you are to move while Miss Delacour and I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dearies."

Camille grasped Neville's arm more firmly, trying to avoid his wrist as the grey-haired woman led the two up towards the castle.

A short amount of time later, Camille found herself in the Great hall with Hermione, who was informing her on Malfoy and Harry's argument one she and Madam Hooch had left.

Nudging Hermione in the side, Camille gestured over the boy who lived and Ron, who were talking rather loudly across the table. And about a great topic too; wizard duels. And if Camille had heard Hermione correctly, then Harry had got himself wrapped up in one.

"Excuse me," Camille spoke gently, the two shutting up instantly as they laid eyes on the two girls leaning over the table to listen in. Well, Hermione had leaned in to grab the potatoes, but Camille was quite interested on the topic.

"Hermione informed me on what happened with Malfoy and I really don't think it's a good idea to go-"

Ron groaned in annoyance, "Hermione already told us it's a bad idea."

"-without me!" Camille finished, smiling with mischief sparkling in her eyes. She loved duels, and she loved breaking rules even better. And what better way to make friends then to break the rules with them, or even better, battle with them.

Slipping back into her seat, Camille ignored the disapproving look she got from Hermione who sat next to her glaring at the girl who was chewing slowly on the few roast potatoes Hermione had placed on her pretty much empty plate.

"You three really mustn't go wandering around the school at night. You could get hurt and think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be considering Ron is about as heavy footed as a rhino. It's all very selfish of you, and Camille don't think I didn't hear you fidgeting about in bed last night wide awake, you need sleep not to be with these idiots-." Hermione said quickly, her voice cutting herself short at the end as if she wished she hadn't said anything at all.

"You know, it's really none of your business," said Harry, his knife and fork cluttering loudly on his plate as he stood up to leave, Ron following suit.

"Yeah, it's really not any of your business." The Weasley spoke, looking back at Camille before they left. "Come on Camille, if you really want to help, we're going to have to fill you in on the plan." He gestured for her to follow them out of the Great Hall, the girl giving the puffy haired girl next to her an apology as she ran up her side of table and to the doors, hand clutching her satchel that rattled beside her.

That night, Camille had decided that she probably shouldn't sleep in fear of not waking up at the time her and the boys had discussed, instead settling down with a blanket and a book on an armchair in front if the fireplace in a cosy corner of the common room. The book in question being Pride and Prejudice, one of her all-time favourite books that her sisters had gifted her with for her birthday knowing her love for muggle literature. Every time she read it Camille found herself in awe at the heart aching way in which the bond between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy was written, the French constantly wishing she would someday be lucky enough for a love like that. She wasn't ashamed to admit the book often bought her to tears.

Several hours past, the girl now curled into a ball with the blanket tucked beneath her feet, the fire still alight thanks to the small smell Camille had remembered from one of her spell books.

Looking at the clock in the corner of the room, Camille closed her book gently, folding in the corner of the page as she saw that it was almost half eleven, and that the boys would be coming down any moment.

Chucking on the dressing gown she had brought down with her to cover her short pyjamas; having heard footsteps from her place in the armchair. You can imagine her surprise when Hermione appeared in front of her instead of the boys, arms crossed with a sour look on her face.

"Honestly, Cami." The girl spoke, as she walked over to the girl, plopping herself on the side of the armchair. "I should've known you would go along with their ridiculous plan," Hermione spoke, her arms tucked into the pink fluffy robe she wore. Camille didn't question why Hermione had joined her on the armchair, she didn't feel the need too. If anything, she was glad to have some company while she waited for Ron and Harry.

"I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." Hermione spoke out, the two boys who had been creeping down the stairs jumping in fright as Camille flickered on the lamp beside them.

"Not you again!" Ron said furiously, "Camille you didn't wake her up, did you?"

"Of course, she didn't, she's been down here all-night waiting for you. I came down a few minutes ago to tell you three not to go! I almost went to your brother, he's a prefect, he would put a stop to this." Hermione ranted, her hands grabbing Camille's as she stood up to follow the boys who were now leaving the common room.

"Don't you care about Gryffindor, do you only care about yourselves, I don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells. And the points Camille got from Madame Hooch for helping Neville." Hermione continued, hopping over the entrance to the common room in pursuit of Ron and Harry, and now Camille, who had joined the two.

"Go away." "All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so -" Hermione stopped herself, a gasp escaping her mouth causing the rest to turn around. The Fat Lady had gone on a night-time visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower.

"Now what am I meant to do!" The girl sighed, her face falling ever so slightly.

Grabbing her hand, Camille pulled her to join the two boys, "Come with us! You can help with spells a-and stuff."

Sighing at the desperate look in Camille's eyes, and not wanting her only friend to get in trouble or hurt in the first week, Hermione nodded her head slowly.

"I guess I'm coming with you then

#harry #harry potter #harry potter x reader #hermione #hermione granger #hermione granger x reader #hogwarts #veela #fleur delacour #fluff

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sweetteaanddragons · 6 years

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Geez, I hope Maedhros got sent back to just before the silmaril was handed over -- can you imagine if he'd been there as long as Elrond and Elros and spent the whole time sure the same damnation was repeating? God, the least mercy, the worst. Also, I question if he'd have gone to find that lava early. I can't even tell if he'd think living to hold a silmaril would be a mercy for his brothers or not.

Okay, so technically, in my Time Traveling Twins AU, they’re the only time travelers. Maedrhos doesn’t actually know what’s going on, he just made the same mistake Elwing did.

However, this gave me an idea, so here, have an AU of an AU in which Elrond and Elros are not the only ones caught up in this mess:

He had stepped into the fire anticipating darkness. Cessation. Cold.

That was the best his mind could conjure when imagining the Void. Failing that, he had expected a call to Mandos’s Halls where he would be judged and locked away. Perhaps, if Namo was merciful, it would be with his brothers. Even if he was not, he would at least be in a world of grey with nothing more to cause hurt.

He had not expected to wake up in bed without even a twinge of pain in his hand.

For a moment, he lay perfectly still, barely breathing, daring to allow himself to imagine that he is back in Aman. Soon, one of his little brothers would come running in to wake him, or he would hear one of his parents call -

“Maedhros, I’m sorry to wake you, but - “

Maedhros. Not Maitimo.

Maglor hurried over to him. “Maedhros, are you well?”

Maedhros forced his eyes open to see what precise moment of the slow descent down he had found himself in.

Stone walls. Rescued wall hangings, one of which had a slight scorch mark on it, barely visible.

Amon Ereb.

Maedhros forced himself from the bed, fell to his knees, grabbed the chamber pot, and threw up whatever precious food had been served the night before.

Maglor was beside him in an instant, holding back his hair, and singing a soothing song until Maedhros was finally done retching.

“The twins?” Maedhros croaked as soon as he could. A safe question. There were always twins at Amon Ereb. Maglor’s response will tell him just what he’s being forced to relive.

“Amrod and Amras are already up and preparing the horses for their patrol,” Maglor assured him. “They won’t have heard.”

“I need to see them.” It was nearly certainly a bad idea as he doubted very much he could maintain control if he did, but it was go find them or sink back into the bed and beg Namo to end it already, and trying to end it hadn’t worked so well last time.

He had tried. He had somehow, impossibly, failed.

Maedhros was used to failure, and as tired as he was, the iron will that had been forged even harder on Thangorodrim was reasserting itself now.

Maglor was looking at him with open concern. He hadn’t been so open since Maedhros had insisted they send the twins away. He had closed himself off then, going through the motions till Maedhros had finally asked too much -

But no. That hadn’t happened yet.

“Of course,” Maglor said. “But let’s get you cleaned up first. They won’t leave without seeing you, not after last time. That’s what I came to wake you up for, in fact, though I was sorry to do it. I know the dreams have been worse of late.”

They’ll get even worse than this, Maedhros almost told him, but he stopped himself just in time and let Maglor wipe his face and hand him his clothes.

And none shall release us, he thought bitterly. Not even death itself.

He wondered if he would only have to gain Elwing’s Silmaril to fulfill the Oath now.

It was like wondering whether it would be quicker to fly to the Sun or the Moon. His task was impossible. How impossible was a matter that concerned him barely at all.

But he kept moving, kept going, because he knew now that was the only choice he had.

Two weeks after that, Maglor came stumbling into his room in the dark watches of the night. Maedhros was still up, reading reports by candlelight and trying to figure out a way to save at least someone from this trap of Doom.

“Maedhros,” he said, swaying. “Maedhros.”

Maedhros glanced up. This did not sound like Maglor’s usual attempts to get him to go to bed.

Maglor’s eyes were wild. His brother stumbled forward and grabbed his shoulder. “You’re real,” he said. “You’re real.” Tears started rolling down his cheeks. “You’re real, you’re real, you’re real . . . “ He sank to his knees and buried his head in Maedhros’s shoulder. “Don’t leave me again,” he pleaded, and Maedhros knew.

“I won’t,” he said helplessly, knowing it might be a lie. “I won’t. Don’t cry, ‘Laure, please don’t cry.”

But Maedhros’s own iron control, already rusted almost to nothing, was already cracking, and he was crying too.

Amrod and Amras did not wake up.

“Maybe because they didn’t hold a Silmaril?” Maglor suggested.

“Maybe because they’re less cursed,” Maedhros said, pressing a hand to his burning eyes. Sleep was becoming ever more difficult to obtain. “They weren’t around for me to drag them into a fourth kinslaying.”

“Maedhros . . . “

“Never mind,” Maedhros said wearily. “What does it matter? We should be thankful that they at least do not know their end.”

“The end is not fixed,” Maglor said firmly.

Maedhros thought of the cold iron of the Doom of Mandos, but he maintained the sense not to say, Isn’t it?

The hardest part was keeping up the charade that he still had a little hope left, but he’d been trying to keep up that charade the first time around too, so if there was a little more despair in his eyes or weariness in him movements, no one noticed it, not even his youngest brothers.

No one save Maglor, who seemed afraid to leave him alone.

Maglor need not have feared. Maedhros was not eager to seek another way to die.

Next time, he might wake up in Angband.

Maglor poured over the letter they sent to Elwing. Apparently he thought that if he got the wording just right, the young queen might give in.

Maedhros had no such hope. At his most optimistic, he thought perhaps he could get the Ambarussa through the fighting. The rest of the time, he spent his hope on the thought that if he failed in that, at least Elrond and Elros might bring some comfort to Maglor again.

When the letter actually received a favorable response and a team of ambassadors with it there to negotiate a deal, Maedhros spent the whole of negotiations convinced it was some ploy for spies or assassins. It could not be as simple as different wording to the letter. It could not.

If it was, then that if he had simply tried harder . . . If he had simply tried longer . . .

He avoided Maglor’s triumphant looks and waited until he could excuse himself to go be violently sick.

Amrod found him curled up agains the cool stone of the bedroom wall. Maedhros tried to sit up, but dizziness and Amrod’s hand forced him down again.

“It’ll be alright,” Amrod assured him quietly. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed how ill you’ve been lately, but it’ll be alright. Once we’ve gotten one Silmaril, the Oath will leave us alone for awhile.”

Once, the Oath had felt like fire in his mind. Now it felt like an iron leash, dragging him forward into the dark.

Maedhros could hardly breathe.

“It’ll be alright,” Amrod said again, and the warmth of his brother pressed against him was enough to push the dark enough away that he could breathe.

The Doom might claim them all eventually, but for right now, three of his brothers were still here.

Maedhros had been prepared for many things from the delegation supposedly bringing the Silmaril, treachery foremost among them.

He had not been expecting to see Elrond and Elros, somewhat changed but unmistakably them, among them. Elrond and Elros as adults.

He accepted the Silmaril in a daze and almost forgot to flinch, but it didn’t burn. Instead, the Oath’s noose loosened and jostled uncertainly, as if it was uncertain whether it ought to be lifted entirely or not.

He didn’t blame it.

He looked to Maglor to make sure he hadn’t been driven mad after all, but Maglor’s eyes were locked on the children.

Well. Not the children, anymore.

Maglor’s songs were wild with joy, and neither of them had to look at the other to slip away after Elrond and Elros when the two finally went to bed. The Ambarussa could play chief hosts for awhile.

Maglor opened his mouth to call out after them, but his voice must have failed him. He sent a pleading look at Maedhros.

“Elrond? Elros?” Maedhros called because he had failed his brothers too often to do with such a simple thing now.

The two of them turned automatically, and even in the moonlight, he could see their eyes were wide.

“How - ?” Elros started to say.

“I could ask the same of you,” Maedhros said wryly, “considering that you are supposed to be about six years old right now.” If they had travelled as he and Maglor had, what was the common factor? Why were they not in their own younger bodies?

But there was a lightness in his chest now that he had not dared to trust to before. The children were here and safe, and so were the Ambarussa. The Silmaril was here and their’s, and there had been no blood shed for it. Things had changed, and they had not been the only ones changing things, apparently, so perhaps a different letter had not been all that was needed after all. Perhaps their good fortune was from the work of the twins, little deserved though it was.

Elrond, for his part, was looking at Maglor with over bright eyes. “I did tell you that I wouldn’t let that be the last time I saw you,” he said.

Maglor reached out a tentative hand and placed it gently on Elrond’s shoulder, like he was afraid it would fall through. “Clearly, I should have listened,” he said with a shaking smile. “I suspect letting myself get dragged to Imladris would have caused far less trouble.”

“Or Numenor, for that matter,” Elros grumbled and threw himself at Maglor like the boy he should be instead of the full grown man he so clearly was. “Stop being so elvish and hug him already, Elrond. You too, Maedhros, we didn’t do all that wrangling with Mother’s council just to get stared at.”

“That must have been awkward,” Maedhros said blankly. “What did you tell her?”

Elros groaned. “Technically, nothing that wasn’t true except for ridiculous fake names that are apparently also real names because my brother has no imagination. By implication, I pretty sure she made the same mistake you used to on bad nights. Awkward doesn’t begin to cover it. Get over here. You owe us this.”

That and far more than that.

And holding close those he had thought lost to Doom and folly was hardly a high price to pay.

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iveryafterdark · 2 years

Text

Day 442

Part 38; Surie

Last Part. Next Part.

Like usual, Time hadn't bothered with sleeping and was up long before the sun was. Sitting on the ledge that overlooked the south entrance of the camp, the young-God leisurely watched the sun begin to rise and paint the sky with beautiful colors. Pinks, violets, yellows, orange, the meadow he had grown up in really didn't compare. The fields down below, at the foot of the mountain, were barely visible from this angle but he could see a few of the flowers swaying in the breeze, the main view being the way that the ancient forest seemed to stretch forever into the distance. It was even more so strange because he could see these mountains from his old home in the sphere... but he couldn't say the same from here. Maybe the sphere hid itself from a distance? Not that it really mattered, he wasn't going back there.

"Ay', you up early." Vaitelin's voice, the normal conversational tone that was slightly steeped in exhaustion. Strange, the hunting had went rather well yesterday so he should be more rested than usual instead of less.

"As are you, are you always the first person up?" Time responded with a light smile as the sandy-blond man pulled himself up onto the ledge and dropped to sit next to him, a big friendly grin on the hunter's face.

"Not always, there has been the rare occasion where Hercules or Surie will rise first."

"But usually?"

"Yea', I like to be the first one up." hm, couldn't really see why. Its not like the man seemed to particularly enjoy solitude or silence, he was the one who had approached him not the other way around, so he didn't really know why Vaitelin would really care about when he woke up.

"You get up to some trouble I should know about?" he asked with a grin, the werewolf opened his mouth to respond before pausing and trying to figure out how to respond.

"No... no more so than me and Bear usually do." a sheepish grin that had Time rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

"Glad that you guys are over whatever disagreement you two were having."

"To be fair, we made a bet and as far as I can tell he'd not holdin' up his side of the bargain."

"He explained it being that you don't know the whole story, so you don't know that the bet isn't over yet." Vaitelin raised an eyebrow at Time's response, trying to figure something that he didn't really know seeing as he still didn't know the exact specifics of the bet that had been made... he just knew it had something to do with him.

"Do you know the... topic then?" careful wording, the young-God snorted in response but shook his head which seemed to make the hunter relax a bit.

"It's nothin' bad, just a little friendly wagger." the sandy-blond werewolf noted, a sheepish grin on his face when Time just gave him a long look.

"Bear said the same, but if I find one of you were betting against me we're going to have a problem." his tone was playful, but there was a certain amount of honesty there. Betting against the person leading and protecting you was a good way to get on their bad side and he was no exception to that. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

"Would never dream of it, boss." the sound of the rest of the camp beginning to stir had Time stretching before getting to his feet. He was going to see about joining the other hunting party today and considering how early the ladies, generally, liked to leave he'd have to make that known sooner rather than later.

"Well, I'm going to try going with Astaira's hunting party today so wish me luck." Vaitelin responded to his words with a theatrical wince, shaking his head with a grin.

"Good luck, boss, yer' gonna need it." with that final response, the dark-man crossed the clearing and semi-patiently waited for the grey-haired huntress to be down with her morning stretching before he addressed her.

"Good morning, Iniko, can I..." she yawned. "Can I help you?" Time couldn't help but wince at the name, seriously this wasn't going to become a thing again, was it? Astaira smiled at the look on his face, but supplied no response. The young God sighed before shaking his head and speaking.

"I was actually thinking that I could help you." the demi-goddess raised an eyebrow, stretching out her arms till they popped before crossing her arms with an expectant look. "I helped Hercules's party yesterday, I thought I'd assist you all with the hunt today."

"You want to hunt with us?" she responded with a short laugh, Time cracked a small smile in response as he nodded.

"Yes, I do, I don't think the two of us have been on a hunt together since... long before you were engaged." now that her betrothal had been annulled she no longer winced every time he mentioned it, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I don't know, Time, I don't think you'll be able to keep up with the likes of us. The boys don't go as hard as we do."

"Does that include Rory then?" he quipped, causing the demi-goddess to smile as she glanced over at the cursed-werewolf that had become part of her hunting team.

"Fair enough, very well you can come... just try not to hold us back." her smile turning sharp at the barb, leading Time across the clearing to the rest of the waiting hunters. Felis looked impatient, but Surie seemed to be having a surprisingly animated talk with Rory.

"No, I mean, if that were the case then why would they choose now, of all times, to return to-" Time didn't think he had heard such a long sentence from the dark-haired woman before, but Rory signaled for her to be quiet as he and Astaira approached the group.

"Good morning, hope you lot weren't planning on an easy hunt today because we have a guest to help so-"

"We goin' fer' somethin' bigger." Astaira smiled brightly at Rory as he finished her sentence, the man huffing when his words seemed to be true and he gave the young God a look.

"Great, that's fine be me, but keep up or get left behind." Felis growled, getting to her feet as she seemed to be itchy to get started.

"Everyone ready to leave? I'm thinkin' we go for a white-tail today." the demi-goddess rubbed her hands together in anticipation for the coming hunt, Surie giving her a small smile before the rest of the party got to their feet.

"Ay' ya' sure that we should go fer' somethin' like that with an unknown among us?" Rory interjected, Time hadn't talked to the man enough in order to be completely used to his strong accent like he had Vaitelin... in fact, Rory's accent was quite a bit thicker than the other werewolf's was even when nervous.

"If that unknown factor was just some random werewolf, maybe, but this is an Heir-God we're talking about here. Let's go big." Astaira's grin was big and sharp, eyes like glistening daggers, she wanted to take down something larger just to be able to say they could. Time didn't have to even glance at Surie or Felis to know they were rolling their eyes, the non-believers of the pack but he really couldn't blame them for their lack of faith... their people had been left Godless for longer than their whole family lines had existed for in all likely hood. Now with everyone ready, up, and the mood of the day set, the group made their way out of the west-side exit of camp and began to trek along one of the long, winding, paths along the mountain range. Time followed without a word, he trusted they knew where they were going for this better than he did.

He had been placed with Surie, as he understood it the quiet woman generally functioned as the one who would sit in wait while the rest of the party cornered the target into her claws so he supposed that would make them the finishers of the day. It was really the best outcome, that was the thing he was best at when it came to hunting.... not that that was saying much he wasn't really a hunter. Laying low with the dark-haired woman, he waited, trying not to let the quiet twang of her plucking against the bow's string drive him mad. She seemed to be daydreaming, or something, eyes mostly blank, hands making noise on the bow's string, humming quietly as she waited.... is this always how she was when she hunted or? If it was how did they catch anything?

Just as he was thinking this, Surie snapped back to reality like the spell had been broken. The lithe lady sat up, perking up like a dog hearing something he couldn't, before giving him a short nod and circling the area with a low, careful, crouch. Time still hadn't heard anything yet, so he wasn't sure what she was using to get into this new position but he wasn't going to argue. He watched as the stoic woman drew one of her arrows, pulling it all the way back, before waiting. Had she been wrong? He still wasn't-

Surie let the arrow lose the second he heard the sound of hooves, the wail of the prey telling him that she had hit it. She gave him a small smile, and a nod, before jumping to her feet while re-drawing her bow and running towards the catch. Time didn't really have much choice but to follow. The creature wasn't down yet, but it was now closed into a circle with the three of them, Surie's bow still drawn at it threateningly, the white-tail wailing as it turned around with head lowered in defense. Whenever the creature would turn away from them one of the chasers of the party would zoom in, attempting a swipe at the creature, before jumping back when the target turned to respond. They did have a more ruthless way of dealing with hunting, but he could already see the creature tiring itself out. Wordlessly, Time held out a hand to Surie. The stoic woman gave him a confused look, before handing him her dagger. Now armed, Time waited for his opening. The creature beginning to turn away from him to look at Astaira as she snapped it at, causing the White-tail's head to rear back. Time jumped forward and slashed the creature's breath away, the deer letting out a strangled whine before slowly kneeling and falling to the ground. Hunt successful. And the hunting team looked pleased.

"See, told you that we could handle it. No problem." Astaira said to Rory with a sharp smile, causing the man to roll his eyes and flip her off.

"You know the rules, Rory. It's your turn to skin it." Surie added in a light, whispy, voice as she shared the demi-goddess's smile. Time shook his head, handing the black-haired woman her blade. Seemed the hunting parties had comradery in common. It was nice seeing them all get along... but he didn't think he'd be hunting with them again if he could help it. A little too drawn out for his tastes.

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